The family of Stephen Noble 1727-1791

Stephen Noble is the son of Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, born in 1727 and died in 1791, in Westfield, Massachusetts.  He lived his entire life there, except for the time he was in military service during the Revolutionary War, and possibly the French and Indian War (I've found no documentation at this point for the French and Indian War, but almost every able bodied male from Westfield was on at least one of the campaigns, so the strong possibility exists.). He married Ruth Church, the daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church.  Stephen and Ruth had at least eight children, and all of them left Westfield.  

Their first child was Lovisa or Louisa (found under both spellings).  She was born in 1751 and died in 1823 in Hadley, Hampshire, County, Massachusetts, which was roughly 25 miles from Westfield.  She married Perez Smith, the son of John and Mehitable Cook Smith.  I located just two children for them, Anna and Louisa, but there may have been more.  If these were the only two children, perhaps there is a story that I've not yet found which would explain the small family.  Perez died in 1824.

Ruth was born next in 1756, She married Martin Root, the son of Martin and Eunice Lamb Root, and died in 1790 in Monthgomery, Massachusetts, which is roughly 12 miles from Westfield.  Their children are Noble, Martin, Ruth, Charlotte, Charles, and Eunice.  I've written earlier about this family.

Bildad was born in 1759 and died in 1799 in Warren, Herkimer County, New York.  He married Esther Greenfield, the daughter of Israel and Mary Brewer Greenfield.  Their children are Ebenezer, Lystra, Amanda, Henry, Minor, and a daughter who apparently died young.  Bildad is a Revolutionary War veteran, and perhaps some of his children would have fought in the war of 1812, given their location in New York.

Aaron was born in 1761 and died in 1824 in Lansingburgh, (now part of Troy) New York.  He is also a Revolutionary War veteran, having served with his father.  He married Catherine, known as Cate, Green, the daughter of John and Catherine Carr Greene.  Their children are Ruth, Stephen, Charlotte, another Stephen, another Charlotte, Harriet, and Aaron.  

There may or may not be an Irene, born in 1763.  I haven't located any information at all about her, and there appears to be another Irene born in 1763 in a different town.  If someone can help clear this up for me, I'd appreciate it!

Stephen was born in 1765 and died in August of 1823 in Mariposa, Ontario, Canada, where he had apparently gone sometime between 1810 and 1814.  I have no idea why he left his country, particularly with the war of 1812 either imminent or in full swing.  If someone has the answer to this mystery, I'd sure like to know it!  He married Esther Smith, the daughter of Thomas and Esther Ball Smith.  Their children are Stephen, Austin, Ambrose, Cynthia, Thomas, Eunice, Esther, Christiana, Achsah, and Susannah.  

Lois was born in 1767 and died in 1847 in Westhampton. about 14 miles from Westfield.  She married Israel Bridgman, the son of Noah and Mercy Clark Bridgman, as his second wife.  She was 35 at the time of their marriage, and had no children.  She was, however, stepmother to Israel's five children by his first wife.  

Eunice was born in 1770 and died in 1807 in Amherst, Massachusetts, about 28 miles from Westfield.  She married William Boltwood, the son of William and Mary Sheldon Boltwood.  Their children are Sarah, Lucius, Mary, Emily, Harriet, William, and Eunice.   

And finally, Lucinda was born in 1774, and died in 1857 in Hadley, Massachusetts.  She married Elisha Hubbard, the son of Edward and Margaret Gaylord Hubbard.  Their children are Maria, Harriet, Lucinda, Margaret, Elizabeth, Eunice, and Susan.  

All of the children left Westfield, but most of them stayed within a 30 or so radius of "home".  This was likely because of better economic prospects elsewhere.  If I had time, I'd love to explore these children more, but it is time to move on to another family.  I've enjoyed learning the essential details, and hints of the lives these Noble children lived, for each generation I've followed.  They are part of America.   

 

 

Breaking news, the brick wall breaking kind!

 I've been working on family genealogy for 19 years now, and I surely thought that I'd found about everyone that I was ever going to find.  Thanks to some kind folks I met through Ancestry, and new records on line, I now know who my 4th great grandmother is.  And in the process, I am somewhat satisfied with 11 new surnames to research.  I already know that some of them have fascinating stories, so I'm excited.  

"My" find is Lydia Goodenow, who married Jude Foster.  I have not yet identified her death date and location (she's not the one buried in Boston in 1801, because her name was no longer Foster at that point.)  Preliminary research shows that I'm missing some female names, so I have more grandmothers to try to find.  But here is a list of the surnames that appear to be correct, all except Rice new to our tree:

Goodenow, Bent, Drury, Rice, Moore, Weare, Lamson, Good, Graves, Axtell, Cutler.   Oh, and also Corbet/Corbett, who was the second husband of Lydia.  

If you recognize one of your families in this list (late 1500s to early 1700s). I'd love to hear from you.  It takes a village to build a tree.  Meantime, it's happy genealogy dance time! 

The family of Thomas Noble 1696-1775

This is the third Thomas Noble family I've written about, and the most fascinating to me.  In my last post, about Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble, I mentioned that some of their children and grandchildren would surely have defended their colony in the French and Indian War, and fought in the Revolutionary War.  This family, that of Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, is one such example.  With only a little bit of searching, I've found stories about three of the sons, and there are probably more waiting to be found.  

This is also a family that has lots of cousin marriages, between Nobles and Roots, and Nobles and Deweys, and other families also show up multiple times.  Westfield in the early 1700s was still a very small town, noted as having about 150 families by 1750.  The pickings for marriage partners was slim, but we can hope that the marriages were generally good ones.

Thomas was born in 1696. the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble.  He married Sarah Root, the daughter of John and Sarah Stebbins Root in 1722.  He spent all his days in Westfield, Massachusetts, unless he participated in military expeditions, but I've found no record of any such thing yet.  Thomas died in Westfield in 1775, just two months before the battles of Lexington and Concord that more or less began the Revolutionary War.  Thomas and Sarah had at least 10 children together.  If, as adults, all the children had been gathered at the same table, there would have been enough stories told to last the night through, and then some.  Thomas also married, in 1761, Sarah Field Belding, about a year after his first wife's death.

Sarah was born first, in 1723 (actually, within a few months of her parents' marriage, but who's counting?).  She married Aaron Dewey, the son of Israel and Sarah Root Dewey.  Sarah was related to both of Aaron's parents, so she knew her husband probably her whole life.  Their children are Aaron, Sarah, Aaron, Aaron, John, Silas, Eunice, Silas, and Levi.  Sadly, several of these children died as infants.  Sarah died in 1796 in Westfield.  

Thomas (yes, another Thomas to confuse us all) was born in 1725 and died in 1801 in Westfield.  He married Susanna Cole, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Goodwin Cole.  His uncle, Jonathan Noble, was married to a sister of Susanna.  Thomas and Susanna's children are Eunice, Jerusha, Susanna, Thomas, Sally, Jerusha, Dorothy, Calvin, Luther, Molly, and Nancy. 

Stephen was born in 1727 and died in 1791 in Westfield.  He married Ruth Church, the daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church. (Jonathan was the son of Richard and Elizabeth Noble Church.  Elizabeth was Stephen's grand aunt, another family connection.)  Their children are Lovisa, Ruth, Bildad, Aaron, Stephen, Lois, Eunice, and Lucinda.  This family will be the subject of my next blog post.

Eunice was born in 1729 and died just 21 years later in Westfield.  She married Samuel Smith, the son of Samuel and Desire Bedortha Smith.  They had one daughter together, also a Eunice.

John was born in 1731 and died in 1807 in Blandford, Massachusetts.  He married Lois Sexton, the daughter of Daniel and Mary Douglas Sexton.  Their children are John, Bohan, Hannah, Rhoda, John, Oliver, and Alva.  I'm a little confused about the last two names.  They might belong to the same person, and the name might be Olive.  I have not found the records to confirm this.  

Silas was born in 1733 and died July 11, 1775, at Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.  My history loving ears perked up at the date and sure enough, he died while serving in the earliest days of the Revolutionary War, of "camp fever".  George Washington arrived to take charge of what became the core of the militia/army that fought against George III's troops.  I've read that when he got there, one of the first things he did was insist that the camp be cleaned up and military discipline applied.  But I digress...Silas married twice.  His first was is Bethia Dewey, the daughter of Adijah and Mercy Ashley Dewey.  (Both of those folks are our cousins, also.) Their children are Elisha, James, Silas, and Medad.  Silas's second wife is Mary Taylor, whom I have not further identified.  Their children are Bethia, Solomon, and Mary.

Aaron was born in 1735 and died in November of 1760 in Westfield.  His story is both sad and interesting.  He fought during four different campaigns of the French and Indian War, and evidently was captured at some point, and held in Quebec.  When finally released, he likely sailed on one of the ships that unknowingly held one or more passengers suffering from smallpox.  Aaron arrived home in good health, had an hour with his family, and then fell ill.  He died about a week later, from smallpox.  I haven't found any others of this family that died shortly after Aaron, so apparently he didn't infect anyone else, which was a good thing.  He deserves to be held among the heroes in our family.

Elizabeth was born in 1738 and died in 1804 in Westfield.  She married Medad Dewey, who was a brother to Bethia Dewey mentioned above, and the son of Adijah and Mercy Ashley Dewey.  Their children are Solomon and Medad.  She then married John Miller, not yet further identified, and their children are Elizabeth, Olive, and Anna.  Finally, she married Benjamin Sexon, the son of Benjamin and Mary Strong Sexton, and they had a son, Phinehas.  

Caleb was born in 1741 and died in 1804 in what became Ashtabula County, Ohio.  He is the first of this family to put down roots anyplace except Hampden County, Massachusetts.  This was early to be in Ohio, and I'm not sure whether he was actually there to stay or whether he was checking the area out.  He was a Revolutionary War veteran but I don't know whether he was given land in compensation for property losses or injuries.  It's possible that he died en route to an area further south, where his brother Seth was given land for his Revolutionary War service.  Caleb married Mercy Kellogg, the daughter of John and Mary Newton Kellogg.  Their children are Caleb, Ashsah, Moses, Aaron, Rosanna, Seth, Oliva, Sophie, an infant, Philo, and Betsey.  

Seth is the last born of the family, in 1743.  He died in 1807 in Franklin County, Ohio, where he had been granted 350 acres of land for his service and losses in the Revolutionary War.  He was a Presbyterian pastor and lived and ministered in several different towns, including Nova Scotia, where he was as the war broke out.  He married three times.  His first wife is Hannah Barket, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Palmer Barker.  Their children are Seth, Joseph, Sarah, Benjamin, and Hannah.  He next married Ruhama Rich Emery, a widow.  Their children are Betsey, Thomas, Polly, and John.  His third wife is Mary Magill.  I could find nothing to tell us who Ruhama or Mary's parents are.  

Seth likely knew our ancestor John Starr, also a Revolutionary War vet and a Presbyterian, who died in Franklin County Ohio on land granted him for the serious injury he suffered in the Revolutionary War.  I like to imagine them worshiping together in the same house or cabin or first small church.  The Starr family and the Noble family have no close blood relationship that I have found, yet, they were brothers in Christ and in service to their country.  I think that is cool! 

 

 

  

The family of Thomas Noble 1666--1750

 Thomas Noble, the son of Thomas and Hannah Warriner, was born in 1666 in Springfield, Massachusetts, likely in what became Westfield just four years later.  He stayed in Westfield his entire life, having married Elizabeth Dewey, the daughter of Thomas and Constant Dewey Hawes in 1695.  Elizabeth was also born in Westfield in 1677 and died there in 1757, about seven years after Thomas.  Thomas's siblings all lived to adulthood and most into old age, but the family of Thomas and Elizabeth was not so blessed.  There were at least eleven children born to this couple, but there were several early deaths.  It's a good thing that Thomas and Elizabeth had a strong faith (he was a deacon in the church) to help them as they lost some of their children.  Fortunately, there are also children who lived to have large families, so there were grandchildren galore to bring joy to their lives.

Thomas was the first born, in 1696.  He also lived his entire life in Westfield, until he died in 1775.  He married Sarah Root, the daughter of John and Sarah Stebbins Root.  Their children are Sarah, Thomas, Stephen, Eunice, John, Silas, Aaron, Elizabeth, Caleb, and Seth.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Job was born next, in January of 1699, and died less than five months later, in June.

Jonathan was born in 1700 and died in 1719 in Westfield, before any marriage took place.  

Seth was born in 1702 and died just five weeks later.  

Israel was born in 1703 and died in 1758, also in t.  He married twice.  His first wife is Elizabeth Weller, who may be the daughter of Eleazer Weller but that is not proven.  They had one son together, Israel, but Elizabeth died about a month after her son's birth.  Israel then married Elizabeth Miller, the daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah Keep Miller.  Their children are Margaret, Shadrack, Thankful, Hannah, Margaret, Roger, and Thankful. 

Elizabeth. their first daughter, was born in 1705 and died in 1793 in Westfield.  She married John Shepard, the son of John and Elizabeth Woodruff Shepard.  Their children are Elizabeth, Elizabeth, John, John, Experience, William, Silas, three sons each named Enoch, David, and two sons named Gideon.  This family sadly seems to have had at least five infants or children die at an early age.  

Lois was born next, in 1708.  She was the first of the Noble children to die away from Westfield, but not until 1757, when she died in Brimfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts.  Brimfield and Westfield are about 33 miles apart, Brimfield being directly east of Westfield, so we do not know whether she was able to see here parents often.  She married Josiah Keep, the son of Samuel and Sarah Colton Keep.  Their children are Lois, Jemima, Ruth, Josiah, Moses, Hannah, and Austin.  

Ebenezer was born in 1711 and died in 1775 in Suffield, Hartford County, Connecticut.  He married Abigail Palmer, the daughter of Timothy and Abigail Allen Palmer.  Their children are Abigail, Anna, Ebenezer, Joel, Rachel, Esther, Nathan, and Timothy.  

Thankful was born in 1714, and may have died in 1716.  I could find no further information about her.

Anna was born in 1716 and died in 1787 in West Springfield, Massachusetts.  She married John Leonard, the son of John and Sarah Dickinson Leonard.  Their children are Anna, Sarah, Anna, John, Sarah, Abigail, Elizabeth, and Justin.  

Finally, there is Jonathan, born in 1721.  (There may have been at least one pregnancy between Anna and Jonathan, given the time gap.)  He married Elizabeth Cole, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Goodwin Cole.  Their children are Elijah, Jonathan, William, Phineas, Mary, and Roswell.   He died in 1781 in Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut.  

Thomas and Elizabeth must have raised their children well.  As mentioned, Thomas was a deacon, and I notice that almost all of his children's names, and his grandchildren's names, are Biblical.  I would expect to find that some of their sons fought in the French and Indian War, and there are quite a few names of what appear to be grandsons listed as having fought in the Revolutionary War.  I would love to have the time, and eyesight, to explore this family more thoroughly.  

 

 

Allen line: The family of Thomas Noble 1632-1704

 There are various conjectures as to where Thomas came from, and who his parents are.  I am not sure enough of any of them to state them as fact, or even as probables.  It is probable, however, that Thomas was an immigrant from some part of England, and was born about 1632.  We're not sure when he arrived in America, but he married Hannah Warriner, the daughter of William and Joanna Searles Warriner, in 1660 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts.  The couple made their home in what became Westfield in 1669. The couple had at least ten children.  After Thomas died in 1704, Hannah married Medad Pomeroy, the son of Eltweed and Margery Rockett (Rockwood) Pomeroy.  Medad is our ancestor in our Holbrook line, and I hope to write about that family in the future.  

John seems to have been the first born, in 1662.  (He was born almost exactly two years after his parents married, so it is possible there was an earlier pregnancy.)  He died in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut in 1714, but not before he had married twice.  His first wife is Abigail Sackett, the daughter of John and Abigail Hannum Sackett.  They have one daughter together, also Abigail, but sadly, John's wife died 4 days after giving birth to Abigail.  Less than a year later, he married Mary Goodman, the daughter of Richard and Mary Terry Goodman.  They have 10 children together-John, Stephen, Elizabeth, Mary, David, Hannah, Sarah, William, Margaret, and Mabel.   

Hannah was born next, in 1664.  She married three times and died in 1741 in Hadley, Hampshire, Massachusetts.  Her first husband was John Goodman, the daughter of John and Hannah Edwards Goodman (I have not yet found a connection between Richard and John Goodman, but there is at least a possibility that these two families are related.)  Hannah's children with John are John, Hannah, another Hannah, Stephen, and James.  She later married Nathaniel Edwards, the son of Alexander and Sarah Searle Edwards, and then Samuel Partridge, the son of William and Mary Smith Partridge.  I have not found any mention of children with Nathaniel, and she was well along in years when she married Samuel.  

Thomas was born next, in 1666.  He married Elizabeth Dewey, the daughter of Thomas and Constant Hawes Dewey, and died in 1750 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Their children are Thomas, Job, Jonathan, Seth, Israel, Elizabeth, Louis, Ebenezer, Thankful, Anna, and Jonathan.  I will follow this family in my next blog post. 

Matthew was born in 1668 and died in 1744 in Sheffield, Berkshire, Massachusetts.  He married Hannah Dewey, the daughter of Thomas and Constant Hawes Dewey (see above).  Their children are Joseph, Hezekiah, Matthew, Solomon, Elisha, Obadiah, Hannah, Hester, Jonathan, and Rhoda.  

Mark was the first child born in Westfield, in 1670, and like several of his siblings, didn't leave.  He died there in 1741.  He married Mary Marshall, the daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Newberry Marshall.  Their children are Noah, Mary, Abigail, John, Miriam, and Noah.  

Elizabeth was born next, in 1673.  She died in 1751 in Colchester, New London, Connecticut.  She married Richard Church, the son of John and Sarah Beckley Church, who are also our ancestors and I hope to write about one day.  Their children are John, Hannah, Rachel, James, Joseph, Jonathan, and Samuel.  Her second marriage is to Samuel Loomis, the son of John and Elizabeth Scott Loomis.  This was a late in life marriage and there were no children of this couple.

Luke was born in 1675 and died in 1744 in Westfield, Massachusetts.  He first married Hannah Stebbins, the daughter of Thomas and Abigail Munn Stebbins, who are not our ancestors but are related. (The Stebbins families are another goal of mine.) Their children are Luke and Samuel, although I am not sure about Samuel.  He may be a child of the second marriage, or there could be two Samuel Nobles in this family, but I haven't been able to confirm birth dates.  His second marriage is to Ruth Wright, the daughter of Joseph and Ruth Sheldon Wright.  Their children are Ruth, Moses, Anna, Asa, Naomi, Samuel, Jacob, and Ephraim.  Luke's third wife is Sarah Dewey, who was the widow of David Dewey but whose parents are unknown.  There are no children know to have been born to this couple.

James was born in 1677 and died in 1712 in Westifeld.  He married Katharine Higley (also seen as Higlee), the daughter of John and Hannah Drake Higley.  Their children are Lydia, James, and David.  

Then came Mary, in 1680.  She also died in Westfield, in 1750.  Her husband is Ephraim Colton, the son of Ephraim and Mary Drake Colton.  Their children are Mary, Ephraim, Deborah, Jerusha, male twins who died very young, Damaris, Job, Samuel, and Hannah.  

And lastly came Rebecca, in 1683.  She married Samuel Loomis, the son of Samuel and Hannah Hanchett Loomis.  (Yes, the Hanchett line is in our tree also.)  Their children are Rebecca, Samuel, Rachel, Rebecca, Mabel, Mercy, Moses, and David.  I am confused about her death date.  It may be 1720, it may be 1750, or it may be 1759, but whichever is correct, she died in Westfield, Massachusetts.  

This Noble family is interesting for several reasons.  First, of course is the number of ties to other lines in our families.  Then there are the first names-almost every name of the grandchildren, as well as the children, is from the Bible.  The family lived through trying times with King Philip's War and later battles with natives, and I'm sure many of these names will be found on military rolls.  Many of these children lived into their 70s, and they would have told many stories to their children and their own grandchildren.  It's been fun to write about this family that ties to ours in so many ways.   

The family of Alexis Lemmon 1746-1826

As I write this, it's the Fourth of July weekend, and it seems fitting that I'm writing about the family of Alexis Lemmon (Jr.), who served in the Revolutionary War as a captain in the Maryland militia.  We should never forget the sacrifices made by our ancestors to give us a chance at freedom, as well as life itself.  

Alexis was born in 1746 in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in 1826 in Perry Township, Richland County, Ohio.  I have had the honor of visiting his gravesite.  He married Rachel Stansbury, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury.  (Hannah is one of our lines back to British royalty, if you trace her far enough.)  They raised their family in Maryland, on an estate known as "Eight Sisters", because, yes, this family was blessed with daughters only.  He owned a 400 acre estate in Maryland, so the supposition is high that he held slaves, although the only hint I've found was in the 1820 census, when "Electius" reported one slave.  

Sarah was the first born, in 177, in Baltimore County, Maryland (birthplace of all of the children).  She died in 1834 in Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio.  She was married to Abraham Hetrick, the son of Johan Jacob and Anna Elizabeth Nuss Hetrick.  Their children are Mary Ann, Rachel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Susannah, Abraham, and an unnamed daughter who may have died at a young age.  This is our line, and at some point I hope to write about the Hetrick families.

Ruth was born in 1774 and died in 1846 in Morrow County, Ohio.  She married John Edwards, the son of Johan and Jane Flanigan Edwards.  Their children are Christianaa, Alexis, Jessie, Rebecca, Edward, and Elias.  (Marion is also seen as their child, but he seems to have been born much later; perhaps he is a grandson.)

Elizabeth was born in 1776 and that is what I could learn about her.  There was an Elizabeth Lemmon who married a Robert Anderson in 1801, but I have been unable to determine whether this was her, or what might have happened to her, whether she was married or not.

Mary was born in 1778 and died in 1818 in Woodbury, Morrow County, Ohio.  She married John Singrey (Singry), son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey.  Their children are Sarah, Jehu, Mary, John, Rebecca, and Harriet.

Rebecca was born in 1780 and died in 1855 in Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio.  She married John Shauck, son of John and Mary Magdalene Ebaugh Shauck.  There are three known children born to Rebecca, but there may be more as yet not located.  The known children are Elah (Eli), Mary Ann, and John.   

Rachel is a bit confusing.  Her birthdate is given as both 1780 (on the same date as Rebecca) and again on the same date but in 1782.  So she may or may not be a twin.  Also, she married Jehu Singrey in 1832, who is the son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey (see Mary's paragraph, and also Jane's, who follows this one.)  Because she was 50 or more when she married, there were no children born to this couple.

Jane, however, had married Jehu Singrey first.  She was born in 1784 and died in 1831 in Morrow County, Ohio.  Jane and Jehu, son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey, have 6 children-Elizabeth, Rachel, Sarah, Joshua, David, and Alice.  

Temperance was the final child.  She was born in 1786 and died in 1814.  SHe married Jacob Coltrider, the son of Johannes George Peter and Weylet, maiden name not found, Kaltreider.  They may have had a son, Jacob, but I have not been able to verify that.

Rachel, Alexis' wife, died in 1823 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  Alexis lost little time in moving to Morrow County, along with his as yet unmarried daughter, Rachel.  All the surviving daughters lived within a short distance of each other, and Alexis must have taken great comfort in being in their presence once again.  

I have a great deal of admiration for the daughters of Alexis and Rachel.  They left home, probably together or within a short time period of each other, and traveled hundreds of miles to settle in a new to them land that was yet unsettled.  Their husbands, pioneers and then leaders of their communities, helped build their state, and the daughters were there supporting them and raising their children to also be good citizens.  They were remarkable, every one of them. 

 

 

Holbrook line: The family of Alexis Lemmon 1718-1786

 I was going to start this short series out with a post about John Lemmon and Elizabeth Smith, who I believed to be the parents of Alexis Lemmon.  It's possible that they are, but it's also possible that they are not.  So let's just leave it there for now, until more convincing evidence one way or the other turns up.  (I have seen Edward and James listed as his parents, also, so that's why the hesitation on my part.  

We do know that Alexis was born in 1718 in either England or Ireland, and died in or before 1786.  He is listed as a patriot of the Revolutionary War, as he provided wheat to the army and also signed the oath of allegiance.  His first wife, the mother of his children, is Martha Merryman, the daughter of John and Martha Bowen Merryman.  His second wife is Rachel Cottrell Jones, the daughter of Thomas Cottrell and the widow of Jacob Jones.  There were no children born to the second marriage.  Alexis and Martha have eight known children, although there are some trees that list fewer or give the children different names.  I hope this list is correct!

John is the first son, born in 1740.  He died in 1811 in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.  His wife is Sarah Stansbury, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury.  Their children are Lemuel, Martha, Hannah, Alexis, Matthew, Thomas, John, Benjamin, Eleanor, and Charles.   John is a Revolutionary War veteran.

Ruth was born next, in 1741.  Unfortunately, that is all that I know of her.  There are several trees that give her husband as Thomas Stansbury, the son of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury (see above). I have been unable to confirm that.  He married a possibly second wife, so perhaps Ruth died soon after the marriage.  I find no record of children and to me, this case is still very much open.

Mary was born in 1744 and died in 1818 in Piasa Township, Jersey County, Illinois.  She married Ulrick William Burke, so son of Thomas and Sarah Sicklemore Burk.  Their children are Martha, Sarah, Thomas, Elisha, Alexis, Ulrick, John, and Pat. Ulrich died in 1784 and I am not sure how Mary arrived in Illinois.  Perhaps she was living with one of her children.  

Alexis was born in 1746 and died in 1826 in Perry Township, Richland County, Ohio.  He was a veteran of the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812.  He married Rachel Stansbury, who is the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury.  If the Ruth connection with Thomas is correct, then three Lemmon siblings married three Stansbury siblings.  Their children are Sarah, Ruth, Elizabeth, Mary, James, Rebecca, Rachel, Jane, and Temperance.  I will follow this family in my next blog post. 

Hannah was born in 1751 and died in 1840 in Baltimore.   Some say she never married, and some say she was the Hannah Lemmon who married Thomas Cochran in 1788.  Perhaps the marriage never actually took place, or this may be a different Hannah Lemmon.  It appears that she is buried with the name of Lemmon, and that she was staying with a Micajah Merryman, likely a relative of some sort, at the time of her death. 

Eleanor (who may have preferred and used the name Elizabeth) was born in 1757 and died about 1779, most likely in Maryland.  She married Zebulon Headington, the son of James and Ruth (maiden name not known) Headington.  They had two children, Laban and Ruth.  

Rebecca was born in 1758 and died in 1786, in Baltimore County, Maryland.  She married Jabez Murray Tipton, the son of John and Martha Murray Tipton. Their children are Moses, John, and Alexis.

Finally, there was Moses, born in 1759 and died in 1852 in Union County, Illinois.  He married Sarah Jones, the daughter of Jacob and Rachel Cottrell Jones, his step-sister as Rachel had married Alexis after Martha's death.  Their children are Moses, Joshua, Jacob, Elizabeth, Susannah, Rebecca, and Mary.  Moses is a Revolutionary War veteran.

Alexis, the patriot, saw all three of his sons, go off to war, at least one more than once.  Some of his sons-in-law also served their country.  He and Martha raised quite a remarkable family. and it is fitting to honor them, among many others, on this Independence Day.  

Side note: For anyone who is doing research on Alexis, his name is also found as Electius and Alexius and possibly other spellings also.