The Willards

 TL;DR -- Samuel and Joseph Willard were kin while both being Heads of Harvard. Samuel was first and the great-grandfather of Joseph. With these few samples so far, we can look for Harvard to illustrate its role in the unfolding of the U.S. which is one of our chief themes.  

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So far in our look at the History of Harvard, we have considered four. Today, we pick two who are related:  Samuel Willard and Joseph Willard who are descendants of Simon Willard, an early entrant. 

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  Samuel is the great-grandfather of Joseph and served as an acting Head of Harvard from 1701 to 1707. Hence, Samuel is of the second (first born here) generation. Samuel's father was a founder of Concord, MA with Rev. Bulkeley. Samuel served as Head after Increase Mather and before John Leverett. There are New England stories to consider, such as Samuel's Puritan church being used for Anglican services on order of Gov. Andros. 
  
• Joseph was Head of Harvard from 1781 to 1804 and came into his duties before the end of the conflict with jolly old England. In his term, he introduced a dress code and was the first to offer the Commencement Address in English. Joseph Willard descended from Simon Willard through his mother, too. 

One would expect the earlier Heads to have a New England background (see Heads of Harvard). Or New World. Samuel is the earliest that we have considered, so far. 

 Remarks: Modified: 12/11/2021

12/10/2021 -- Added image for our portal (to truth).  

12/11/2021 -- Added link to Heads of Harvard.