Captain Jonas Childs played a role in the American Revolution. Jonas was commissioned at a Lieutenant in the spring of 1776 and was assigned to the Regiment of Benjamin Simonds. He was part of the all-Berkshire regiment.
It was common during this time of the war to go home and come back to war at different times. From looking at the records it looks like Jonas returned home to Becket, MA multiple times. After the Declaration of Independence was signed you can find clearer records of when Jonas is commissioned and discharged from the Continental Army.
The original crest we put on the site and shirts was the year of 1635. Originally I thought we just put the year of one of my paternal grandfather’s day that he arrived in the New World. I was reminded that his uncle, Ephraim Child, came five years before.
Ephraim came in 1630 and in 1648 he returned to England to visit his sister and other family members. At that time, he borrowed enough money from his sister to bring seven nephews to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as that is where Ephraim settled in 1630. So actually, Ephraim came in 1630 and he is in our blood line, so I think 1630 would be the date to use.
Deacon Ephraim Childs came over from England to the New World with other puritans. He was among the most affluent of the early settlers and was one of the senior member of the group that settled in the New World under the Massachusetts Bay Charter lead by John Winthrop. As a deacon, Ephraim likely handled financial matters and assisted the minister in leading the church.
