Cara Marcus - Faulkner Hospital

The story of Faulkner Hospital begins with the Faulkner family. George Faulkner, son of Francis and Ann Faulkner, was born at Billerica, Massachusetts, on July 14, 1819. He was the youngest of 12 children, six of whom were born in Watertown, two in Shirley, and four in Billerica. All the Faulkners lived to maturity, nearly all to old age, and nine married.

The Faulkner Homestead is the oldest building in Acton. The 1707 Colonial blockhouse with oak beams is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The house served as a garrison for protection from Native American raids during the Queen Annes War and was a garrison again during the Revolutionary War. (Courtesy of American Antiquarian Society.)

Georges father, Francis Faulkner, was believed to be the earliest manufacturer of woolens in this country, establishing Faulkner Mills in Acton. Faulkner Street in Billerica is named after him. Francis Faulkner was one of 11 children of Col. Francis Faulkner, who fought in the Battle of Lexington during the Revolutionary War and served as a member of the Provincial Congress. (Painting by Henry Cheever Pratt; courtesy of Billerica Historical Society.)

The colonels father was Ammi Ruhammah Faulkner of Andover. Ammi Ruhammah was the child of Lt. Francis Faulkner and Abigail Dane Faulkner, who was convicted of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. She was spared hanging because she was pregnant with her seventh child. The name Ammi Ruhammah, of biblical origin, means my people have obtained mercy because he had saved his mothers life. (Courtesy of Scott Vanderhoof.)

The family lineage has been traced to Kingsclere, England, with different spellings over the years. Edmond Fawconer immigrated to Salem and purchased the town of Andover for six pounds and a coat. The Kingsclere Historical Society traced the Fauconer family to the year 1263, when the name of Ralph Fauconer occurs in a grant relating to the St. Mary Bourne Church, pictured here. (Courtesy of the Archives of the Kingsclere Heritage Association.)

The family name has been recorded as Falconer, Fauconer, Fauckner, Faukoner, Faulkener, Faulknor, Fawconer, Fawkenor, and Fawkner. Faulkner is a British name for someone who keeps and trains falcons. Edmond Faulkner bore arms of sable, three falcons argent, belled. The Faulkner crest appeared in Matthews American Armoury and Blue Book . In Kingsclere, the Falcon Inn dates back to Shakespeares time, and there is a Fawkoner Road. (Courtesy of Mainframe Photographics.)

One of George Faulkners brothers, Luther Winthrop Faulkner of Billerica, owned a mill in South Lowell. His wife, Martha, wrote a letter encased in a bottle describing trees in Billerica. One tree was planted at the Luther Faulkner House, pictured here. The house became a well-known landmark, and one of its future owners even replanted versions of the original trees that were lost in storms.

The children of Francis and Ann Robbins Faulkner, the fifth generation of the family living in the United States, are shown in this photograph. From left to right are Lois, William, James Robbins, George, Ann E., Charles S., Dwight F., Winthrop, Lydia H., and Luther Winthrop Faulkner. James Faulkner took over the Faulkner Mills and founded the Faulkner Kindergarten in Billerica. Two of Charles Faulkners children became physicians. There was also another Charles Faulkner who was a founding member of the board of managers for the Childrens Hospital Boston and who was instrumental in its governance. The Faulkner family is also related to Ralph Waldo Emerson, as Winthrop was Emersons grandfather. Other distinguished relations to the Faulkner family include two uncles of George Faulkner who became congressmen and a cousin, Benjamin R. Curtis, who served as judge of the Massachusetts Supreme Court.