Oh, what a mess he was! We don't know anything about his early life although it's believed he was of Scotch descent. He seems to have been in the New World as early as 1627, when he is reported to have landed in Salem, Massachusetts. This was the main port of Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time. We lose sight of him for about ten years, which may mean he stayed out of trouble, and it also probably means he stayed out of church. He is not known to have been a Puritan, despite possible being associated with Rev. Hooker.
During his early years in the colonies he is reported to have "misbehaved" with an animal young men, and finally a girl. For the girl, he was ordered to be branded and whipped, and when the girl was ready, to marry her. Apparently the marriage didn't happen, and apparently there was some question about the virtue of the girl involved, as there was another court case involving her the next year . There is no evidence that Aaron and Mary Holt ever married.
It's believed that Aaron's wife was Sarah, possibly Lambert, with no real documentation for that last name. So for now, we need to consider that as an open question. From the ages of his children, it seems that he married late in life, perhaps around 1650 when he would have been in his early 40s. It may have taken him this long to establish himself and rebuild his damaged reputation.
There is an Aaron Stark from Windsor who participated in the Pequot War under Captain Mason, and it's believed this is our Aaron Stark since he was later awarded land based on his service during this conflict. He is also reported to have participated in King Philip's War. He had a son Aaron who would have been about 26 years old at the time of King Philip's War, and he seems to be a more likely candidate to fill the military mission. It's possible that our Aaron was credited with military service, but was one of the "old men" who stayed behind to help protect the women and children while the men were out fighting native Americans.
Aaron's first known residence was in Stonington, Ct where he stayed for several years. Finally, in 1666, he was made a freeman there. Three years later, he was accepted as a freeman in New London This means he was a respectable person who owned property, so he had indeed come up in the world. It's nice to see that he was rehabilitated from the scandals of his early days. Sarah may have settled him down. There were at least 6 children born to Aaron and Sarah: Aaron, Mehitable, John, Sarah, Elizabeth, and William. Some lists also show a Margaret, but I think she was probably the daughter of the son Aaron Stark. His final move seems to have been to Mystic, Ct and he seems to have died there in 1685. All of these locations were in close proximity so he may not have moved far, at all.
That's what is known about Aaron Stark, in a nutshell. He was a rehabbed citizen, a soldier of the early years of our county, and he came from nothing to owning his own land. He may not be the first ancestor we think of when we think of those we are proud of, but I would like to hear his side of the story. Perhaps the whipping/flogging he received gave him something to think about, and aided somehow in his reformation, or perhaps the early charges were greatly exaggerated. We'll probably never know, now, but he lived with those charges every day for the rest of his life That takes some kind of courage, and for Sarah, it took some sort of compassion.
The line of descent is:
Aaron Stark-Sarah
Sarah Stark-Samuel Fish
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
Harshbarger line: Introducing Barbara Burkholder Long Buchtel Kemery
We found her! We found Barbara Long, the most recent brick wall ancestor that I couldn't locate. Dawna Morton, a distant cousin, found the clue that allowed us to begin to learn her story, and I can't thank her enough. There is still more to learn, but I wanted to share my excitement at "finding" her, and my admiration for what must have been a remarkable woman.
Barbara was actually born a Burkholder, not a Long. Her father was Joseph Burkholder (in some records showing as Barkholder) and her mother may have been Elizabeth Miller. I haven't found the for sure documentation of that yet, but Barbara's youngest brother, Hiram's mother was Elizabeth Miller. She was born in 1826 somewhere in Ohio, probably Portage County but it could have been elsewhere.
The first mention we can find of her is in an every youth census of Portage County taken in 1838. This book lists all, or nearly all, of the youth in the county who were between the ages of 4 and 30, and it lists them by school district. So in Suffield School District #4, there is Joseph Barkholder with the following children: Joseph Barkholder Jr., Eliza Barkholder, Barbary Barkholder, and Eva Barkholder. (Joseph Jr. later married Catherine Miller, who is listed on the same page as a daughter of Barbary Miller. There is also a parent named Anthony Miller on the page, and he needs to be investigated further as he could possibly be related to Elizabeth Miller).
The next we know of Barbara is her marriage license, just two years later. It can be found on FamilySearch, and clearly shows her to be fourteen years old at the time of the marriage license on Augut 13, 1840. So the approximate birth date we have for her of 1826 is correct, although I still don't think the Georgetown, Brown County location showing on the internet is correct. She was marrying a Thomas Long, who was 21 years old. Elizabeth Burkholder, Barbara's mother, was there and gave consent to the marriage.
We don't know why a fourteen year old girl was marrying a 21 year old man, nor why it was her mother who gave permission and not her father. Speculation would be that it was the honorable thing to do, to get married, and that father did not approve, but that is only speculation. At any rate, the two married. They had a baby who died in 1842. I'm unable to locate my notes that gave the name of the child and how old he was when he died, but there exists a slight possibility that Barbara was pregnant with this child when she married Thomas.
Another piece of the puzzle that is missing at the moment is what happened to Thomas. Either the marriage failed or Thomas died, but I can't say which at this point. My guess is that Thomas died, because Barbara and her second husband were married March 24, 1844 and they named a son Thomas, presumably in remembrance of Thomas Long. Benjamin Buchtel was 38 years old when he married, and his bride was 18. I've looked for an earlier marriage record for Ben, as he was known, but have not located one. This may have been his first marriage.
In 1850, the family, under the name indexed as Booken, is listed in Brimfield, Portage County, Ohio. There were already three children in the family, Joseph Jr, Betsey, and Fannie. Also living with them was Susan Long, aged 76. I am thinking this may be Thomas's mother. She would have had Thomas when she was 43 years old, which is well within the realm of possibility. I need to trace her further to fill in that part of the puzzle.
Joseph Burkholder and family moved to Whitley County, Indiana sometime around April of 1854, when he purchased land. Joseph Jr and his wife Catherine were there also, as was an as yet unplaced Michael Burkholder. He was in Portage County in 1850 aged 28, so he may well be a son of Joseph Sr also. Ben and Barbara Buchtel show up in Whitley County in February of 1860, when he purchased land, and were there for the 1860 showing 6 children. One more would join the family in a few years.
It may have seemed from the outside that things were going well for Ben and Barbara, but in March of 1871 she filed for divorce. Now, in those days, divorce was not as common as it is now and usually it was the man who filed. Barbara still had children at home, and as far as I know now had no visible means of support. She did, however, have about a dozen witnesses who testified on her behalf, showing that Ben had become an alcoholic, beat her often, the most recent time with a club, and had several times threatened to kill her. One wonders whether she was injured or had bruises to show the court, because she apparently filed shortly after the club beating. She was promptly granted a divorce, and also maintained custody of Solomon, aged 14, and Evie, who was 6 and blind.
Somehow, Barbara provided for herself and the two children, perhaps assisted by some of her other children. Benjamin didn't change his will, and when he died on or before January 10,1872, she inherited land from him. Roughly two years after the divorce, she married Daniel Kemery, who was not only a neighbor but the father in law of her daughters Margaret, who was married to Alexander Kemery, and Fannie, who was married to Adam Kemery. Daniel was 15 years older than she was, but would have provided security for herself and the children. We can hope it was a love match, also, because Barbara had had a hard life.
Barbara was apparently loved by the Kemery children and grandchildren because in some of the Kemery obituaries, she is listed as the mother of the children, when she was clearly the stepmother. It is possible that grandchildren of Daniel provided the information and they may not have known Daniel's first wife, Susan or Susanna Essig. At any rate, Daniel died in 1877. Barbara died within the next two years, because in a March 1879 deed Adam Kemery, her son in law, describes her as deceased, of Whitley County, and she had died intestate.
That is what is known of Barbara Burkholder Long Buchtel Kemery. She died in her early 50's, perhaps of hard work, stress, and the effort of giving birth to at least eight children. She'd moved to a new state As I sit back and look at her life, I just have to admire her. When she gathered up her courage to get a divorce, and rounded up witnesses who told her story for her, she became more than a typical woman of her time. I am not really a feminist, but I sure admire courage, and I would describe her as courageous. I'm so glad I got to know her this much, and would love to know more.
(Besides the sources mentioned in this post, I've also referred to divorce papers, wills, and deeds found in the Whitley County File Management department and the recorder's office, and the census records of 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870. It's been fun putting most of this together, after Dawna gave me a push in the right direction!)
The line of descent is:
Benjamin Buchtel-Barbara Burkholder
Fannie Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers,
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Barbara was actually born a Burkholder, not a Long. Her father was Joseph Burkholder (in some records showing as Barkholder) and her mother may have been Elizabeth Miller. I haven't found the for sure documentation of that yet, but Barbara's youngest brother, Hiram's mother was Elizabeth Miller. She was born in 1826 somewhere in Ohio, probably Portage County but it could have been elsewhere.
The first mention we can find of her is in an every youth census of Portage County taken in 1838. This book lists all, or nearly all, of the youth in the county who were between the ages of 4 and 30, and it lists them by school district. So in Suffield School District #4, there is Joseph Barkholder with the following children: Joseph Barkholder Jr., Eliza Barkholder, Barbary Barkholder, and Eva Barkholder. (Joseph Jr. later married Catherine Miller, who is listed on the same page as a daughter of Barbary Miller. There is also a parent named Anthony Miller on the page, and he needs to be investigated further as he could possibly be related to Elizabeth Miller).
The next we know of Barbara is her marriage license, just two years later. It can be found on FamilySearch, and clearly shows her to be fourteen years old at the time of the marriage license on Augut 13, 1840. So the approximate birth date we have for her of 1826 is correct, although I still don't think the Georgetown, Brown County location showing on the internet is correct. She was marrying a Thomas Long, who was 21 years old. Elizabeth Burkholder, Barbara's mother, was there and gave consent to the marriage.
We don't know why a fourteen year old girl was marrying a 21 year old man, nor why it was her mother who gave permission and not her father. Speculation would be that it was the honorable thing to do, to get married, and that father did not approve, but that is only speculation. At any rate, the two married. They had a baby who died in 1842. I'm unable to locate my notes that gave the name of the child and how old he was when he died, but there exists a slight possibility that Barbara was pregnant with this child when she married Thomas.
Another piece of the puzzle that is missing at the moment is what happened to Thomas. Either the marriage failed or Thomas died, but I can't say which at this point. My guess is that Thomas died, because Barbara and her second husband were married March 24, 1844 and they named a son Thomas, presumably in remembrance of Thomas Long. Benjamin Buchtel was 38 years old when he married, and his bride was 18. I've looked for an earlier marriage record for Ben, as he was known, but have not located one. This may have been his first marriage.
In 1850, the family, under the name indexed as Booken, is listed in Brimfield, Portage County, Ohio. There were already three children in the family, Joseph Jr, Betsey, and Fannie. Also living with them was Susan Long, aged 76. I am thinking this may be Thomas's mother. She would have had Thomas when she was 43 years old, which is well within the realm of possibility. I need to trace her further to fill in that part of the puzzle.
Joseph Burkholder and family moved to Whitley County, Indiana sometime around April of 1854, when he purchased land. Joseph Jr and his wife Catherine were there also, as was an as yet unplaced Michael Burkholder. He was in Portage County in 1850 aged 28, so he may well be a son of Joseph Sr also. Ben and Barbara Buchtel show up in Whitley County in February of 1860, when he purchased land, and were there for the 1860 showing 6 children. One more would join the family in a few years.
It may have seemed from the outside that things were going well for Ben and Barbara, but in March of 1871 she filed for divorce. Now, in those days, divorce was not as common as it is now and usually it was the man who filed. Barbara still had children at home, and as far as I know now had no visible means of support. She did, however, have about a dozen witnesses who testified on her behalf, showing that Ben had become an alcoholic, beat her often, the most recent time with a club, and had several times threatened to kill her. One wonders whether she was injured or had bruises to show the court, because she apparently filed shortly after the club beating. She was promptly granted a divorce, and also maintained custody of Solomon, aged 14, and Evie, who was 6 and blind.
Somehow, Barbara provided for herself and the two children, perhaps assisted by some of her other children. Benjamin didn't change his will, and when he died on or before January 10,1872, she inherited land from him. Roughly two years after the divorce, she married Daniel Kemery, who was not only a neighbor but the father in law of her daughters Margaret, who was married to Alexander Kemery, and Fannie, who was married to Adam Kemery. Daniel was 15 years older than she was, but would have provided security for herself and the children. We can hope it was a love match, also, because Barbara had had a hard life.
Barbara was apparently loved by the Kemery children and grandchildren because in some of the Kemery obituaries, she is listed as the mother of the children, when she was clearly the stepmother. It is possible that grandchildren of Daniel provided the information and they may not have known Daniel's first wife, Susan or Susanna Essig. At any rate, Daniel died in 1877. Barbara died within the next two years, because in a March 1879 deed Adam Kemery, her son in law, describes her as deceased, of Whitley County, and she had died intestate.
That is what is known of Barbara Burkholder Long Buchtel Kemery. She died in her early 50's, perhaps of hard work, stress, and the effort of giving birth to at least eight children. She'd moved to a new state As I sit back and look at her life, I just have to admire her. When she gathered up her courage to get a divorce, and rounded up witnesses who told her story for her, she became more than a typical woman of her time. I am not really a feminist, but I sure admire courage, and I would describe her as courageous. I'm so glad I got to know her this much, and would love to know more.
(Besides the sources mentioned in this post, I've also referred to divorce papers, wills, and deeds found in the Whitley County File Management department and the recorder's office, and the census records of 1840, 1850, 1860, and 1870. It's been fun putting most of this together, after Dawna gave me a push in the right direction!)
The line of descent is:
Benjamin Buchtel-Barbara Burkholder
Fannie Buchtel-Adam Kemery
Della Kemery-William Withers,
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Beeks line: Daniel Shed 1620-1708, Immigrant
Daniel Shedd is another in a line of New Englanders of whom little is known. I often wonder about them. For instance, was Daniel the kind of man who would have been the life of the party? Was he a Puritan? If he was, then he probably wasn't the life of the party, but he may have been a very religious man, or he may have been someone who went through the motions for business reasons. He may have been a farmer or a tradesman of some sort, but so far I've found nothing to help indicate his occupation, trade, or even education. That's the bad news.
The good news is that there is a little bit of information about him, anyway. He was born on or before June 25, 1620 in Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex, England, and was baptized on that date as the son of Daniel Shedd and Sarah. Daniel and Sarah had three girls, and Daniel, that we know of. Do you think Daniel might possibly have been just a little bit spoiled? We don't even know for sure when he came to America. He was here by 1643, when he was an early settler of "Brantrey", but he wasn't given land in the first set of grants so either he was young or he wasn't there when the village was started. He did receive land in 1645. He's not found on any immigration lists that I've found, which means that he may (or may not) have come over as an indentured servant and had just gained his freedom in 1643, at the same time that he went to Braintree. (This is just my conjecture, but it makes sense to me.)
He was married by 1646, to Mary Gurney, who seems to have been a daughter of John Gurney, and they had seven children together. Mary died about the time their youngest daughter Sarah was born, in 1658, and Daniel married Elizabeth, maiden name not known, soon after, because the first of four children was born to Daniel and Elizabeth on August 13, 1660. Daniel had the sad situation of seeing at least three of his children die before he did, as young marrieds in the prime of life. One son, his namesake, died of small pox and I've not seen the cause of death of his two daughters.
In 1658, the year his youngest daughter in the first set of children was born and possibly the year his first wife died, he moved from Braintree to Billerica, where he stayed for the remaining 50 years of his life. His family was assigned to live in the main garrison there, during King Philip's War. Billerica was on the frontier and considered a possible target of the native Americans. I'm finding various "alternate facts" about the war, indicating that Billerica did or did not suffer attack, and indicating that the town of about 48 families evacuated to safer locations. Maybe all of the above are true, at different times during the conflict.
Daniel lived a long life and died in Billerica July 27, 1708. Elizabeth survived him. Although we know little of his life, he surely lived a long life in interesting times. He came across the Atlantic as a young boy or young man, made a home out of the wilderness not once but twice, raised two families, likely served in the militia and possibly saw duty during King Philip's War. Even though his name does not survive in very many records, we know that he was a pioneer when that word meant something, and he is a man the family can be proud to honor.
The line of descent is:
Daniel Shedd-Mary Gurney
Eliabeth Shedd-Daniel Pierce
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The good news is that there is a little bit of information about him, anyway. He was born on or before June 25, 1620 in Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex, England, and was baptized on that date as the son of Daniel Shedd and Sarah. Daniel and Sarah had three girls, and Daniel, that we know of. Do you think Daniel might possibly have been just a little bit spoiled? We don't even know for sure when he came to America. He was here by 1643, when he was an early settler of "Brantrey", but he wasn't given land in the first set of grants so either he was young or he wasn't there when the village was started. He did receive land in 1645. He's not found on any immigration lists that I've found, which means that he may (or may not) have come over as an indentured servant and had just gained his freedom in 1643, at the same time that he went to Braintree. (This is just my conjecture, but it makes sense to me.)
He was married by 1646, to Mary Gurney, who seems to have been a daughter of John Gurney, and they had seven children together. Mary died about the time their youngest daughter Sarah was born, in 1658, and Daniel married Elizabeth, maiden name not known, soon after, because the first of four children was born to Daniel and Elizabeth on August 13, 1660. Daniel had the sad situation of seeing at least three of his children die before he did, as young marrieds in the prime of life. One son, his namesake, died of small pox and I've not seen the cause of death of his two daughters.
In 1658, the year his youngest daughter in the first set of children was born and possibly the year his first wife died, he moved from Braintree to Billerica, where he stayed for the remaining 50 years of his life. His family was assigned to live in the main garrison there, during King Philip's War. Billerica was on the frontier and considered a possible target of the native Americans. I'm finding various "alternate facts" about the war, indicating that Billerica did or did not suffer attack, and indicating that the town of about 48 families evacuated to safer locations. Maybe all of the above are true, at different times during the conflict.
Daniel lived a long life and died in Billerica July 27, 1708. Elizabeth survived him. Although we know little of his life, he surely lived a long life in interesting times. He came across the Atlantic as a young boy or young man, made a home out of the wilderness not once but twice, raised two families, likely served in the militia and possibly saw duty during King Philip's War. Even though his name does not survive in very many records, we know that he was a pioneer when that word meant something, and he is a man the family can be proud to honor.
The line of descent is:
Daniel Shedd-Mary Gurney
Eliabeth Shedd-Daniel Pierce
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Friday, February 17, 2017
Holbrook line: "Oulde" John Mott 1570-1656, Immigrant
Most of what is known of "Oulde" John Mott comes from articles published in The American Genealogist back in 1942-43. Nothing here is my own research, and there are certainly a lot of questions that I can't answer. However, we have this much, and it's enough to let our imaginations soar, perhaps.
John Mott was born about 1570 in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, probably the son of John Mott and Francis Gutter. Saffron Walden appears to have been a town larger than a mere village. There was an old castle there at the time, and at least one house from medieval times stands there even now. So there would have been more opportunities to make a living than just farming, although we don't know what John did for a living. He was apparently married several times, to Elizabeth, Catherine, and possibly Mary. We apparently descend from Elizabeth.
John was already an old man when he came to the New World. Apparently son Adam came first, and then John came. He was made a freeman at Aquidneck in 1638, the year of its founding, so at that time he must have been relatively healthy. Aquidneck is the large island of the state of Rhode Island, and some of the most interesting people lived there, such as Anne and William Hutchinson and John Dyer. It would have been a collection of free-thinkers, Quakers, and others who were not welcome or comfortable in Massachusetts. John Mott had land in 1639, but by 1644 the town of Portsmouth was providing for his care. He was apparently desperately ill in 1652 when the town ordered that a stone house be built for the "more comfortable being of ould John Mott in the winter". The house was not enough so on January 23,1654/55 the town shipped him off to Barbados Island with the admonition to the ship owner to bring him back if he "cannot be received there". He was brought back, and son Adam was to provide him with a cow and a supply of corn, in addition to what the town supplied.
John died about 1656. I have so many questions about him. First, I'd like to know something of his life in England. Second, I'd like to know why he decided, as a man in his late 60's, to come to the New World and then to settle in what was wilderness, and even then on an island. Was he a free-thinker, or a Quaker, or someone fleeing from some kind of persecution in England? Was he healthy when he came to America, and was there a disease such as consumption or cancer that slowly took his life? Why was Adam not responsible for his father's well-being? Was he poor or/and sick himself? He died just five years after his father.
We can identify a lot of potential answers to these questions, but quite possibly, most or all of them would be wrong. I must say, however, that because of his neighbors, this is one ancestor I would love to meet in his time and place, on the island of Aquidneck. I'd love to hear John's story in his own words, and his testimony, if he had one. And I'd love to talk to his neighbors, too!
The line of descent is:
John Mott-Elizabeth
Adam Mott-Elizabeth Creel
Elizabeth Mott-Edward Thurston
Sarah Thurston-John Thornton
Benjamin Thornton-Mary possibly Gurney
Sarah Thornton-Stephen Paine
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Mott was born about 1570 in Saffron Walden, Essex, England, probably the son of John Mott and Francis Gutter. Saffron Walden appears to have been a town larger than a mere village. There was an old castle there at the time, and at least one house from medieval times stands there even now. So there would have been more opportunities to make a living than just farming, although we don't know what John did for a living. He was apparently married several times, to Elizabeth, Catherine, and possibly Mary. We apparently descend from Elizabeth.
John was already an old man when he came to the New World. Apparently son Adam came first, and then John came. He was made a freeman at Aquidneck in 1638, the year of its founding, so at that time he must have been relatively healthy. Aquidneck is the large island of the state of Rhode Island, and some of the most interesting people lived there, such as Anne and William Hutchinson and John Dyer. It would have been a collection of free-thinkers, Quakers, and others who were not welcome or comfortable in Massachusetts. John Mott had land in 1639, but by 1644 the town of Portsmouth was providing for his care. He was apparently desperately ill in 1652 when the town ordered that a stone house be built for the "more comfortable being of ould John Mott in the winter". The house was not enough so on January 23,1654/55 the town shipped him off to Barbados Island with the admonition to the ship owner to bring him back if he "cannot be received there". He was brought back, and son Adam was to provide him with a cow and a supply of corn, in addition to what the town supplied.
John died about 1656. I have so many questions about him. First, I'd like to know something of his life in England. Second, I'd like to know why he decided, as a man in his late 60's, to come to the New World and then to settle in what was wilderness, and even then on an island. Was he a free-thinker, or a Quaker, or someone fleeing from some kind of persecution in England? Was he healthy when he came to America, and was there a disease such as consumption or cancer that slowly took his life? Why was Adam not responsible for his father's well-being? Was he poor or/and sick himself? He died just five years after his father.
We can identify a lot of potential answers to these questions, but quite possibly, most or all of them would be wrong. I must say, however, that because of his neighbors, this is one ancestor I would love to meet in his time and place, on the island of Aquidneck. I'd love to hear John's story in his own words, and his testimony, if he had one. And I'd love to talk to his neighbors, too!
The line of descent is:
John Mott-Elizabeth
Adam Mott-Elizabeth Creel
Elizabeth Mott-Edward Thurston
Sarah Thurston-John Thornton
Benjamin Thornton-Mary possibly Gurney
Sarah Thornton-Stephen Paine
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Allen line: Richard Miles, Immigrant 1598-1666
It's unusual to find so much information about an immigrant ancestor. Usually I bewail the fact that I know almost nothing about the person and then work hard to stretch a post into a three paragraph biography. With Richard Miles, it's the opposite. I have enough information to make a rather long article, but other people have already done that. So, here are the highlights that I'm choosing to share.
Richard Miles, variously styled yeoman, judge, and deacon in later life, was born in 1598 in Great Munden, Hertfordshire, England, the son of Richard and Alice Cherrye Miles (Myles). I've not located siblings for him but it's possible that he had some who died young, for his father's will mentions only his wife Alice (who actually predeceased him by 5 weeks) and son Richard. Richard Senior appears to have been a prosperous "yeoman", because he mentions a room in his "mansion" as being a "hall."
Richard became a Puritan, as were some of his neighbors and friends. He married Mary Chambers and they had five children together, three in England and two in Connecticut. It appears that they emigrated to Connecticut in 1638, although some records indicate they were in Boston in 1637 and (probably due to weather) waited until 1638 to go to Milford. He's listed as a founder of Milford, and a freeman, and owned land there until 1645, but he was in New Haven by 1643. Perhaps this move had to do with the death of his first wife and his subsequent remarriage. He marred Mary Katherine Elithorpe Constable, the widow of a pastor. They must have met shortly after the death of Mary Chambers, if they didn't already know each other, or at least know of each other.
The Constable children returned to England after their father's death, and Richard and Mary Katherine had two more children in Connecticut. He served as magistrate, elder, and deacon, from 1656-1667, and also had various other positions such as surveyor of all roads and bridges, deputy for the plantation, and clerk of the artillery company. He seems to have been an educated man, although I've not found a record claiming education in a particular school or college.
Richard made his will December 26,1666 and died early in 1667. He left a well and the inventory was valued at 288 pounds, 6 shillings and 10 pence. I haven't found the inventory yet but I would love to see it. Did he have books, and does it estimate how many books? What tools or implements did he have? The number of his animals might give us a sense of his prosperity, too.
Still, this is a nice amount of information for a man who died 350 years ago. He was respected by his townsmen and church members, and he did a lot to help establish and further the interests of his new home. We can be proud of such an ancestor!
The line of descent is:
Richard Miles-Mary Katherine Elithorpe
Anna Miles-Samuel Street
Nicholas Street-Jerusha Morgan
Jerusha Street-Thomas Starr
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Richard Miles, variously styled yeoman, judge, and deacon in later life, was born in 1598 in Great Munden, Hertfordshire, England, the son of Richard and Alice Cherrye Miles (Myles). I've not located siblings for him but it's possible that he had some who died young, for his father's will mentions only his wife Alice (who actually predeceased him by 5 weeks) and son Richard. Richard Senior appears to have been a prosperous "yeoman", because he mentions a room in his "mansion" as being a "hall."
Richard became a Puritan, as were some of his neighbors and friends. He married Mary Chambers and they had five children together, three in England and two in Connecticut. It appears that they emigrated to Connecticut in 1638, although some records indicate they were in Boston in 1637 and (probably due to weather) waited until 1638 to go to Milford. He's listed as a founder of Milford, and a freeman, and owned land there until 1645, but he was in New Haven by 1643. Perhaps this move had to do with the death of his first wife and his subsequent remarriage. He marred Mary Katherine Elithorpe Constable, the widow of a pastor. They must have met shortly after the death of Mary Chambers, if they didn't already know each other, or at least know of each other.
The Constable children returned to England after their father's death, and Richard and Mary Katherine had two more children in Connecticut. He served as magistrate, elder, and deacon, from 1656-1667, and also had various other positions such as surveyor of all roads and bridges, deputy for the plantation, and clerk of the artillery company. He seems to have been an educated man, although I've not found a record claiming education in a particular school or college.
Richard made his will December 26,1666 and died early in 1667. He left a well and the inventory was valued at 288 pounds, 6 shillings and 10 pence. I haven't found the inventory yet but I would love to see it. Did he have books, and does it estimate how many books? What tools or implements did he have? The number of his animals might give us a sense of his prosperity, too.
Still, this is a nice amount of information for a man who died 350 years ago. He was respected by his townsmen and church members, and he did a lot to help establish and further the interests of his new home. We can be proud of such an ancestor!
The line of descent is:
Richard Miles-Mary Katherine Elithorpe
Anna Miles-Samuel Street
Nicholas Street-Jerusha Morgan
Jerusha Street-Thomas Starr
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, February 10, 2017
Harshbarger line: Johan Niclaus Shaffer, Immigrant 1674-1758
Sometimes when I think of what our ancestors went through, it is almost more than I can bear. I wonder if they thought they were having it really tough, or if they just took it one day and a time and trusted God for that day only. One of these ancestors, or rather, two of them, are Johan Niclaus Shaffer and his wife, Maria Catharina Suder. Both of those last names have many variant spellings, it seems, so don't be disturbed if what you find isn't what I wrote. It could very well be the same person.
Johan Niclaus was born in Relsburg, Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz; in the western part of what is now Germany. This was a small village, but it is also where he found his wife, and where their children, Johann Michael, Anna Barbara, Caspar, Peter Nicholas, and Johan Jacob were born. Shortly after Johan Jacob's birth, the family emigrated to New York. The information I looked at does not clearly state whether this was part of the group that was sent at Queen Anne's direction, but they ended up at Livingston Manor and then Schoharie, N.Y., which is the route the impoverished immigrants sent at the Queen's direction took. Johan Niclaus traveled with his two brothers, Johann Michael and Johann Friederich and their families, so at least they had someone to rely on in their difficulties.
The Shaffer's stuck it out in Schoharie for about 10 years, and then left-basically escaped-to Tulpihocken, Berks County, in Pennsylvania. This was about 250 miles through the wilderness, with wild animals, lack of supplies, and native Americans to worry about every step of the way. It wasn't an easy trip but it appears that all the family members survived, which means the men of the party deserve great respect. They must have been good leaders, and the women willing followers and help-meets. They were some of the first settlers in Tulpehocken, although more and more families from Germany eventually settled there, too.
The next fact I've been able to learn about Johann Niclaus is his death, in July of 1758. He lived a long life, especially considering the hardships he faced. It appears that his wife, Maria Catharina, died two years later, so she also had a long, if hard, life.
I'd love to know more about this couple. Where exactly did they live in Tulpehocken? What religion were they, and what church did they attend? Did they ever regret their decision to come to America, or were they content, knowing that they had given their children a chance for a better life than they would have had in the old country? Did they learn English at all?
We might be able to find the answers to some of these questions, but some will remain a mystery. What we do know is that this was a remarkable man.
The line of descent is:
Johan Niclaus Shaffer-Anna Catherina Suder
Johan Jacob Shaffer-Maria Barbara Kobel
Anna Maria Shaffer-Jacob Whetstone
John Whetstone-Maria Magdalena
Catherine Whetstone-Henry Cook
William Cook-Elizabeth Brown
Barbara Cook-William Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Johan Niclaus was born in Relsburg, Kusel, Rheinland-Pfalz; in the western part of what is now Germany. This was a small village, but it is also where he found his wife, and where their children, Johann Michael, Anna Barbara, Caspar, Peter Nicholas, and Johan Jacob were born. Shortly after Johan Jacob's birth, the family emigrated to New York. The information I looked at does not clearly state whether this was part of the group that was sent at Queen Anne's direction, but they ended up at Livingston Manor and then Schoharie, N.Y., which is the route the impoverished immigrants sent at the Queen's direction took. Johan Niclaus traveled with his two brothers, Johann Michael and Johann Friederich and their families, so at least they had someone to rely on in their difficulties.
The Shaffer's stuck it out in Schoharie for about 10 years, and then left-basically escaped-to Tulpihocken, Berks County, in Pennsylvania. This was about 250 miles through the wilderness, with wild animals, lack of supplies, and native Americans to worry about every step of the way. It wasn't an easy trip but it appears that all the family members survived, which means the men of the party deserve great respect. They must have been good leaders, and the women willing followers and help-meets. They were some of the first settlers in Tulpehocken, although more and more families from Germany eventually settled there, too.
The next fact I've been able to learn about Johann Niclaus is his death, in July of 1758. He lived a long life, especially considering the hardships he faced. It appears that his wife, Maria Catharina, died two years later, so she also had a long, if hard, life.
I'd love to know more about this couple. Where exactly did they live in Tulpehocken? What religion were they, and what church did they attend? Did they ever regret their decision to come to America, or were they content, knowing that they had given their children a chance for a better life than they would have had in the old country? Did they learn English at all?
We might be able to find the answers to some of these questions, but some will remain a mystery. What we do know is that this was a remarkable man.
The line of descent is:
Johan Niclaus Shaffer-Anna Catherina Suder
Johan Jacob Shaffer-Maria Barbara Kobel
Anna Maria Shaffer-Jacob Whetstone
John Whetstone-Maria Magdalena
Catherine Whetstone-Henry Cook
William Cook-Elizabeth Brown
Barbara Cook-William Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Beeks line: George Jacob, Immigrant 1675-1731
George Jacob is another mystery, although his story begins later in time than some of the other immigrants in the Beeks line. He was born in the Palatinate, which is the southwestern part of Germany, but an exact location still eludes researchers. However, knowing that he came from that region tells us that he probably came to the New world with others from his village and of his religious belief.
He settled with his wife and children in Roxborough (Roxborrow) township, which is now part of Philadelphia but at that time would have been outside of the city. There he died, in 1731.
Most of what we know of George comes from his will, actually. He had married Gerdrew, maiden name unknown, in about 1699. The will tells us he was a weaver by trade, but we don't know if that's what he did in the Old World, too. It's believed that the children were born in the Palatinate but once again we refer to the will for information. It names his wife, Gerdrew, and lists his children as Henry, Jacob, Peter, Catherine, Sarah, Jane, and Matthias. His sons in law were Samuel Kastner, Hans Jerk )Jorg, maybe) Trout, and Uleriah (Ulrich) Rubel. This is from an abstract only; I don't yet have a copy of the actual will. It was written November 28, 1731 and proved January 20, 1732, so the actual date of death is somewhere in that time period.
That is what we know of George Jacob. We don't know when he came to the New World, how he fared after he arrived here, what religion he was, or any of the other dozens of things we'd like to know. I don't think it likely that he was one of those who came through England, because most of those people ended up north of Philadelphia, in Berks County. So he likely made the trip from Rotterdam to Philadelphia, but I'd sure like to find his name on a passenger list!
George is important to the Beeks family because he is one of the relatively few German ancestors this family has.
The line of descent is:
George Jacob-Gerdrew
Jane Jacob-Ulrich Ruble
David Ruble-Sarah Malin
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Actually, when you look at this list, several German lines show up. So maybe George isn't such an anomaly and maybe more can be learned about him!
He settled with his wife and children in Roxborough (Roxborrow) township, which is now part of Philadelphia but at that time would have been outside of the city. There he died, in 1731.
Most of what we know of George comes from his will, actually. He had married Gerdrew, maiden name unknown, in about 1699. The will tells us he was a weaver by trade, but we don't know if that's what he did in the Old World, too. It's believed that the children were born in the Palatinate but once again we refer to the will for information. It names his wife, Gerdrew, and lists his children as Henry, Jacob, Peter, Catherine, Sarah, Jane, and Matthias. His sons in law were Samuel Kastner, Hans Jerk )Jorg, maybe) Trout, and Uleriah (Ulrich) Rubel. This is from an abstract only; I don't yet have a copy of the actual will. It was written November 28, 1731 and proved January 20, 1732, so the actual date of death is somewhere in that time period.
That is what we know of George Jacob. We don't know when he came to the New World, how he fared after he arrived here, what religion he was, or any of the other dozens of things we'd like to know. I don't think it likely that he was one of those who came through England, because most of those people ended up north of Philadelphia, in Berks County. So he likely made the trip from Rotterdam to Philadelphia, but I'd sure like to find his name on a passenger list!
George is important to the Beeks family because he is one of the relatively few German ancestors this family has.
The line of descent is:
George Jacob-Gerdrew
Jane Jacob-Ulrich Ruble
David Ruble-Sarah Malin
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Actually, when you look at this list, several German lines show up. So maybe George isn't such an anomaly and maybe more can be learned about him!
Friday, February 3, 2017
Holbrook line: Alexander Chalker, Immigrant
Although I tend to think of my ancestry as being mainly in Massachusetts, of course there are a lot of immigrant ancestors who settled elsewhere, up and down the East Coast. Alexander Chalker was one who apparently went to Connecticut directly, without stopping in Boston or Plymouth. It's quite possible that he travelled with Reverend Henry Whitfield, who led a group of settlers there. Alexander's signature is not included in the list of 22 men who signed as original settlers, but he is thought to have been quite young when he arrived there, perhaps not yet 21. He may have come as a servant to one of the signers, for instance.
The Whitfield group was formed primarily from those in and around Ockley, Suffolk, England, where he was pastor of St Margaret's Church. He was a Church of England pastor there for twenty years, but eventually was caught up in the Archbishop Laud trouble and was apparently forced to resign. He and many of his congregation came to Connecticut, purchased land from the native Americans, and settled in what became Guilford. This would have been wilderness, but the men and women worked hard and soon it was home.
Alexander may have come from in or near Ockley but as far as I know no one has pinned down the names of his parents. We know he became a freeman in 1644, which means he was at least 21 then, and a member of the church. He probably owned property, too. This explains why his birth date is given as about 1620, although it could be a couple of years later and certainly could also be earlier.
The next we know of Alexander is that he married Katherine Post on September 29,1649 in Guildford. She was the daughter of Stephen Post and Eleanor Panton. At least eight children were born to the couple, although Samuel has been a bit of a mystery. I show a birthdate of 1655 for him, although others say he was born in 1649, which would make him either an "early" baby or the son of another woman.
After some years, the family moved to Saybrook, which was not far away, and may have stayed there until Alexander died. I don't think Alexander was way high up on the social scale because in a 1669 list of treemen several are listed as "Mr.", a term of some respect, and Alexander has no such title attached. So he was a plain vanilla kind of man, likely the kind of hard worker who did the real work of building America.
As far as I can tell, no one knows when Alexander died. Many websites say 1659 but their were children born as late as 1666, so it must have been 1665 or later. Some say it was before fall of 1673, when either his wife or his daughter married a John Hills. If it was his daughter, as seems likely, that date is irrelevant and he could have lived on after that. I've checked several of my "usual sources" and am unable to find a will or death records.
This is as much as I can tell you about Alexander Chalker at the moment. Oh, there's one more thing...He is an ancestor of Mitt Romney, so we are distant cousins to Mr. Romney. If he ever hires a genealogist in England to try to find Alexander's roots, I hope he will share the information with his less wealthy cousins!
The line of descent is:
Alexander Chalker-Katherine Post
Katherine Chalker-John Jordan
Hannah Jordan-John Stannard
John Stannard-Hannah Hatchett
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard Jr-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The Whitfield group was formed primarily from those in and around Ockley, Suffolk, England, where he was pastor of St Margaret's Church. He was a Church of England pastor there for twenty years, but eventually was caught up in the Archbishop Laud trouble and was apparently forced to resign. He and many of his congregation came to Connecticut, purchased land from the native Americans, and settled in what became Guilford. This would have been wilderness, but the men and women worked hard and soon it was home.
Alexander may have come from in or near Ockley but as far as I know no one has pinned down the names of his parents. We know he became a freeman in 1644, which means he was at least 21 then, and a member of the church. He probably owned property, too. This explains why his birth date is given as about 1620, although it could be a couple of years later and certainly could also be earlier.
The next we know of Alexander is that he married Katherine Post on September 29,1649 in Guildford. She was the daughter of Stephen Post and Eleanor Panton. At least eight children were born to the couple, although Samuel has been a bit of a mystery. I show a birthdate of 1655 for him, although others say he was born in 1649, which would make him either an "early" baby or the son of another woman.
After some years, the family moved to Saybrook, which was not far away, and may have stayed there until Alexander died. I don't think Alexander was way high up on the social scale because in a 1669 list of treemen several are listed as "Mr.", a term of some respect, and Alexander has no such title attached. So he was a plain vanilla kind of man, likely the kind of hard worker who did the real work of building America.
As far as I can tell, no one knows when Alexander died. Many websites say 1659 but their were children born as late as 1666, so it must have been 1665 or later. Some say it was before fall of 1673, when either his wife or his daughter married a John Hills. If it was his daughter, as seems likely, that date is irrelevant and he could have lived on after that. I've checked several of my "usual sources" and am unable to find a will or death records.
This is as much as I can tell you about Alexander Chalker at the moment. Oh, there's one more thing...He is an ancestor of Mitt Romney, so we are distant cousins to Mr. Romney. If he ever hires a genealogist in England to try to find Alexander's roots, I hope he will share the information with his less wealthy cousins!
The line of descent is:
Alexander Chalker-Katherine Post
Katherine Chalker-John Jordan
Hannah Jordan-John Stannard
John Stannard-Hannah Hatchett
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard Jr-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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