Stephen Greenleaf "Militia Capt.of Phips Expedition"

Stephen Greenleaf (1628–1690) was a Newbury, Massachusetts, militia officer and representative to the Massachusetts General Court. Family-tree notes report that he was lost at sea while on active duty during the Phips Expedition against Port Royal.

Stephen Greenleaf was born on 10 August 1628 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England. He was baptized on 29 September 1628 at St. Margaret's Church in Ipswich. Family-tree notes identify him as a son of Captain Edmund Jr. Greenleaf and Sarah (Moore) Greenleaf.

According to the family-tree notes, he arrived at Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, aboard the MARY and JOHN in 1634, when he was about six years old.

Stephen married Elizabeth Coffin at Newbury on 13 November 1651. They had ten children, including Stephen Greenleaf and John Greenleaf. Elizabeth died in 1678. On 31 March 1679, he married Mrs. Esther Weare Sweet at Newbury; no children are reported from this marriage.

In 1670, Stephen was appointed an ensign in the Colonial Militia of Newbury. He served as a representative to the Massachusetts General Court from 1676 to 1686. He was raised to lieutenant in 1685 and, according to the family-tree notes, became captain of the Newbury Militia in 1686.

Family-tree notes associate Captain Greenleaf with the Phips Expedition against Port Royal during the Indian Wars. They report that he and nine other men were wrecked in a vessel during the siege of Port Royal and drowned. He died, or was lost at sea, on 1 December 1690, reportedly at Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, at the age of 62 years, 3 months, and 21 days. The notes state that it is not known whether the bodies were recovered.

Historical context

The supplied family-tree notes place Stephen Greenleaf's final service in the Phips Expedition against Port Royal during the Indian Wars. They describe the expedition as disastrous and report his loss in a shipwreck during the siege.

Sources & research

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