Bartholomew West
Grandson of Stephen West
Great grandson of Bartholomew West and Catherine Almy
Descendants of the West family will find the following to be of interest; Stephen West, another son of Bartholomew West and Catherine Almy, married Mercy Cooke, daughter of John Cooke and Sarah Warren, both Mayflower descendants of Francis Cooke and Richard Warren. Entries found in the famous West family Bible, record that, "Mother Mercy West deceased November 21, 1733, in ye 77th year of her age, she was ye daughter of John Cooke, ye first ordained minister of Dartmouth."
"This Bible was the property of Bartholomew West, grandson of Stephen and Mercy, and was in the ancient home of this family near the village of Fairhaven, at the time of the British invasion under General Grey, during the Revolutionary War. The troops after pilfering most of the families's valuables, set fire to the house, refusing to help the faithful housekeeper to carry out the helpless old patriot, Bartholomew West, because he was loyal to the colonies. He was removed to a place of safety in the orchard near by and watched the destruction of his home and its contents by the British hordes. Many years after, the family Bible, stolen in the raid, came into the possession of a British chaplain, stationed with the troops in Gibralter, who carefully copied the many valuable entries and later sent them to New England. But the Bible to this day is the property of the Forty-Sixth regiment, now known as the Duke of Cromwell's regiment, stationed at Plymouth, England." (From the book, Bullard and Allied Families) .
Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey Vol 1;
"Stephen West, son of the first Bartholomew and Katherine (Almy) West,
came to Monmouth county with his parents, but about 1690 went back to New
England, and subsequently lived in Dartmouth, Bristol county, Massachusetts.
He lived to be nearly ninety-four years old, dying in 1748. His wife was
Mercy Cook, daughter of Rev. John Cook, of "Mayflower" descent. The Rev.
Mr. Cook's house was burned by the Indians in King Phillip's war, 1675, and
he then built a substantial house that stood till the British burned it during
the Revolution. The property was willed to Stephen West by his father-in-law,
and at the time of the Revolution was occupied by Stephen West's grandson,
Bartholomew, son of Stephen, Jr
.
Bartholomew West was an ardent patriot and obnoxious to the enemy, who
raided that part and burned his house that had stood for a hundred years.
No doubt it was at this time that the family Bible of Stephen West, Jr.,
which the Forty-sixth British regiment has had ever since, was taken. This
Bible has many entries of the births and deaths of the Wests of that branch,
and also some notes made of hard winters and deep snows in that part of
Massachusetts. The Forty-sixth Regiment have called it, and still call it,
the "Washington Masonic Bible," and they prize it highly, and have carried
it with them during all their travels. They had been told that Washington
had been obligated on this Bible in some of the degrees of Freemasonry, which
is exceedingly doubtful."