Oh, how I love this ancestor of ours! Why, you may ask? The primary reason is that there is a lot of information about him, more than I can use, and so research isn't needed. I'm just compiling some of what I've found here. For more information, go to Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634-35, or to "The John Clough Genealogical Society" on-line. There, you will find more details about his story than I can use here.
Even though there is a lot of information about him, he is another one of those "origin unknown" men. I have temporarily listed his parents as John Clough and Susanna, but that is not documented at all, so far as I can tell. This "fantasy father", as I call him, is reputed to have died at Jamestowne, Va., so if it could be proven, there would surely be an interesting story there.
He is believed to have arrived in 1635 on the ship Elizabeth, although others say he may have arrived in 1634. There were two John Cloughs in Massachusetts Bay Colony at the same time, so the matter may be debated until reasonable proof is found. I'm saying he arrived in 1634 because there are references in 1638 to him having served either as an apprentice or as an indentured servant for four years, and he was released from that relationship then.
John was a house carpenter and also seems to have been some sort of sawyer, because he was asked to help make up 12,000 feet of merchantable boards in 1673. The two occupations would have worked well together; perhaps he prepared the wood for the homes he built. His first residence was at Ipswich but he was in Salisbury, Essex County, by 1639. His house lot is shown on a map dated to about 1640, although his name is not on a list of first settlers that I found. Surely his talents would have been needed, in building homes for the families that would settle there. Salisbury is on the most northern of the towns in Massachusetts, right on the Atlantic Ocean. If you go further north, you're in New Hampshire. It would have been a very pretty location, as well as practical because there was also a river there.
John served on various juries as required by law but he doesn't seem to have been generally active in civic affairs. He was the constable in 1662 and served as some sort of arbiter in 1679. He married Jane, whose last name is unknown, sometime in or before 1642, and the two had seven known children. Jane died in Salisbury on January 16, 1679/80. John waited seven years and then married Martha Blaisdell Bowden Cilley. They had no children. John died at Salisbury on July 26, 1691. He left a will because Robert Charles Anderson has had access to it, but it isn't in the Essex County probate records that are on line. However, Anderson reports that his estate was valued at 284 pounds, 8 shillings, of which 215 pounds was real estate, and also reports that his inventory included books. He provided for his second wife in his will, and also mentioned children and grand children.
Apparently not much is known about his religious beliefs, or his education (he did sign his will), or whether he was involved in any type of militia during his earlier years. There was a garrison in town, so presumably he would have at least helped defend the garrison, in case of attack. He may even have been involved in its construction. He is another of our mostly unsung heroes who helped build and protect the first settlements in New England. Thank you, sir!
The line of descent is:
John Clough-Jane
John Clough-Mercy Page
Benoni Clough-Hannah Merrill
Benjamin Clough-Faith Hart
Lydia Clough-John Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Lucy Snow
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, April 27, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Allen line: An Act of Congress for John Starr and others
By Authority
Sixth Congress of the United States, at the Second Session, begun and held at the City of Washington, in the Territory of Columbia, on Monday the Seventeenth of November, one thousand eight hundred.
An Act regarding the grants of lands appropriated for the Refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the surveyor general be, and he is hereby directed to cause those fractional townships of the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty first and twenty second ranges of townships, which join the southern boundary of the military lands, to be sub-divided into half-sections, containing three hundred and twenty acres each; and to return a survey and description of the same to the Secretary of the Treasury, on or before the first Monday of December next; and that the said lands be, and they hereby are set apart for the purpose of satisfying claims of persons entitled to lands under the act, entitled, "An act for the relief of the refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia.
Sec. 1. And be it further enacted, T the Secretary of the Treasury shall, within thirdy days after the survey of the lands shall have been returned to him as aforesaid, proceed to determine by lots, to be drawn in the presence of the Secretaries of State and of War, the priority of location of the persons entitled to land as aforesaid. The persons thus entitled, shall severally make their locations on the second Tuesday of January next, and the patents for the land thus located shall be granted in the manner directed for military lands, without requiring any fee whatever.
Sec. 2 And it is further enacted, That the following persons, claiming lands under the above act, shall respectively be entitled to the following quantities of land; that is to say, Martha Walker, Widow of Thomas Walker, John Edgar, P. Francis Cuzeau, John Allan, and Seth Harding, respectively, two thousand two hundred and forty acres each; Jonathan Eddy, colonel James Livingston and Parker Clark, respectively, one thousand two hundred and eighty acres each, and the heirs of James Dodge, one thousand two hundred and eighty acres; Thomas Faulkner, Edward Faulkner, David Gay, Martin Brooks, lieutenant colonel Bradford, Noah Miller, Joshua Lamb, Atwood Fales, JOHN STARR, William Haw, Ebenezar Gardner, Lewis F. Delefdernier, John McGown and Jonas C. Minot, respectively nine hundred and fifty acres each; and the heirs of Simeon Chester nine hundred and fifty acres; Jacob Vander Heyden, John Livingston, James Crawford, Isaac Danks, major B. Van Heer, Benjamin Thompson, Joseph Binden, Joseph Levittre, lieutenant William Maxwell, John D. Mercier, James Price, Seth Noble, Martha Bogart, relict of Abraham Bogart, and formerly relict of Daniel Tucker and John Halstead, respectively, six hundred and forty acres each; David Jenks, Ambrose Cole, James Cole, Adam Johnston, the widow and heirs of Jeremiah Duggan, Daniel Earl, junior, John Paskell, Edward Chinn, Joseph Cone, and John Thrreyre, respectively, three hundred and twenty acres each; Samuel Fales one hundred and sixty acres; which several tracts of land shall, except the last, be located in half sections by the respective claimants.
Theodore Sedgwick
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Th: Jefferson
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate
Approved February 18, A.D. 1801
John Adams
President of the United States
I've tried to type this as closely to the newspaper account as I could. I may have misread names, and the capitalization of John Starr is for family ease in finding it. Otherwise, it was interesting to type this out. For instance, what is the difference between a widow and a relict? I thought those were interchangeable. What was the basis for determining the amount of land each person got? Was it based on economic losses as presented to some committee, or the number of dependents the person had, or some other basis? Some of those last names are family names. Were those cousins? I also wonder how long it took before the land was actually surveyed and divided. John Starr didn't go to Ohio, so far as is known, until 1812, when he was 69 years old and one arm was disabled from a wound received at Fort Griswold. Was he waiting for some of his children to go with him, or did it take this long to get the actual land grant?
Like so many other things we learn, once we learn a fact or two, we learn there are more facts to learn!
The line of descent is:
John Starr-Margaret Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Sixth Congress of the United States, at the Second Session, begun and held at the City of Washington, in the Territory of Columbia, on Monday the Seventeenth of November, one thousand eight hundred.
An Act regarding the grants of lands appropriated for the Refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the surveyor general be, and he is hereby directed to cause those fractional townships of the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty first and twenty second ranges of townships, which join the southern boundary of the military lands, to be sub-divided into half-sections, containing three hundred and twenty acres each; and to return a survey and description of the same to the Secretary of the Treasury, on or before the first Monday of December next; and that the said lands be, and they hereby are set apart for the purpose of satisfying claims of persons entitled to lands under the act, entitled, "An act for the relief of the refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia.
Sec. 1. And be it further enacted, T the Secretary of the Treasury shall, within thirdy days after the survey of the lands shall have been returned to him as aforesaid, proceed to determine by lots, to be drawn in the presence of the Secretaries of State and of War, the priority of location of the persons entitled to land as aforesaid. The persons thus entitled, shall severally make their locations on the second Tuesday of January next, and the patents for the land thus located shall be granted in the manner directed for military lands, without requiring any fee whatever.
Sec. 2 And it is further enacted, That the following persons, claiming lands under the above act, shall respectively be entitled to the following quantities of land; that is to say, Martha Walker, Widow of Thomas Walker, John Edgar, P. Francis Cuzeau, John Allan, and Seth Harding, respectively, two thousand two hundred and forty acres each; Jonathan Eddy, colonel James Livingston and Parker Clark, respectively, one thousand two hundred and eighty acres each, and the heirs of James Dodge, one thousand two hundred and eighty acres; Thomas Faulkner, Edward Faulkner, David Gay, Martin Brooks, lieutenant colonel Bradford, Noah Miller, Joshua Lamb, Atwood Fales, JOHN STARR, William Haw, Ebenezar Gardner, Lewis F. Delefdernier, John McGown and Jonas C. Minot, respectively nine hundred and fifty acres each; and the heirs of Simeon Chester nine hundred and fifty acres; Jacob Vander Heyden, John Livingston, James Crawford, Isaac Danks, major B. Van Heer, Benjamin Thompson, Joseph Binden, Joseph Levittre, lieutenant William Maxwell, John D. Mercier, James Price, Seth Noble, Martha Bogart, relict of Abraham Bogart, and formerly relict of Daniel Tucker and John Halstead, respectively, six hundred and forty acres each; David Jenks, Ambrose Cole, James Cole, Adam Johnston, the widow and heirs of Jeremiah Duggan, Daniel Earl, junior, John Paskell, Edward Chinn, Joseph Cone, and John Thrreyre, respectively, three hundred and twenty acres each; Samuel Fales one hundred and sixty acres; which several tracts of land shall, except the last, be located in half sections by the respective claimants.
Theodore Sedgwick
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Th: Jefferson
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate
Approved February 18, A.D. 1801
John Adams
President of the United States
I've tried to type this as closely to the newspaper account as I could. I may have misread names, and the capitalization of John Starr is for family ease in finding it. Otherwise, it was interesting to type this out. For instance, what is the difference between a widow and a relict? I thought those were interchangeable. What was the basis for determining the amount of land each person got? Was it based on economic losses as presented to some committee, or the number of dependents the person had, or some other basis? Some of those last names are family names. Were those cousins? I also wonder how long it took before the land was actually surveyed and divided. John Starr didn't go to Ohio, so far as is known, until 1812, when he was 69 years old and one arm was disabled from a wound received at Fort Griswold. Was he waiting for some of his children to go with him, or did it take this long to get the actual land grant?
Like so many other things we learn, once we learn a fact or two, we learn there are more facts to learn!
The line of descent is:
John Starr-Margaret Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, April 20, 2018
Holbrook line: Anthony Eames, Immigrant
Anthony Eames actually may not be our ancestor. Some of the best genealogists don't list our connection, Robert Eames, as his son, but some do. Robert's birthplace and date would fit into this family but he wasn't baptized in the church where his father served as church warden, or at least there are no records of such an event. The answer could be simple; he may have been baptized in another family church or the records may have been lost or destroyed. However, I think a tiny seed of doubt should be placed in our minds and we should be open to the idea that Anthony may be an uncle or some other relative to Robert, and not our ancestor at all.
Anthony was born about 1592 in Fordington, Dorset, England, while Elizabeth I was the Queen of England. He was the son of Thomas and Millicent (probably Brewster) Eames, and was the youngest of their five children. He received a good education but not including the university level. We don't know what he did for a living but he married Margery Pierce (Presse) about 1615, based on the birth date of their earliest known children. They had perhaps as few as eight or as many as eleven children, because there are two others besides Robert who are not totally accepted by genealogists. While in Fordington, he was a church warden several years and a constable, so he was respected.
In 1634, when he was about 42, Robert came to New England on the ship Recovery, along with his children. Robert would have been only five years old at the time. It's hard to imagine what a five year old would have thought about such a trip across the ocean, or what he would have thought about his new home. It would have been so very different from his village at home. Margery Eames was admitted to membership to the church in Charlestown in 1635, and Anthony probably joined a little later. Anthony was admitted a freeman in Hingham on March 9,1636/37, where the family had moved, so would have been a church member then. There was some sort of controversy involving Anthony's election, and then attempted un-election, if there is such a word, as captain of the training band in 1645. At this time, Rev. Peter Hobart threatened to excommunicate Anthony and twelve other men, so they left the church.
He was a deputy for Hingham to the Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court forseveral terms starting in April of 1637, so he must have had the community's respect. He had the probably unpopular task of being a member of a committeeto assess the various town for the expenses of the Pequot War, in 1637.
Hemoed to Marshfield about 1651 and soon was serving as adeputy to the Plymouth General Court starting in 1653 and lasting until 1661. In 1651 he and his son Mark bought 100 acres of land from Francis Godfrey, carpenter, which included a dwelling house, lying on the North River. The last time Anthony's name is found in the records is in 1670, but he is believed to have lived for several more years after that. I've found no record of a will or inventory for Anthony or for his wife Margery. The most likely date of death for Margery would be 1662 and for Anthony 1686, when he would have been about 94 years old. He may have disposed of his land and other possessions and so a will would not have been needed. There is some suggestion that he suffered a long illness and that is why where is no record of his activities after 1670. Let's hope his children cared well for him in his old age.
The line of descent is (maybe):
Anthony Eames-Margery Pierce
Robert Eames-Elizabeth
John Eames-Abigail Morgan
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph B Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Anthony was born about 1592 in Fordington, Dorset, England, while Elizabeth I was the Queen of England. He was the son of Thomas and Millicent (probably Brewster) Eames, and was the youngest of their five children. He received a good education but not including the university level. We don't know what he did for a living but he married Margery Pierce (Presse) about 1615, based on the birth date of their earliest known children. They had perhaps as few as eight or as many as eleven children, because there are two others besides Robert who are not totally accepted by genealogists. While in Fordington, he was a church warden several years and a constable, so he was respected.
In 1634, when he was about 42, Robert came to New England on the ship Recovery, along with his children. Robert would have been only five years old at the time. It's hard to imagine what a five year old would have thought about such a trip across the ocean, or what he would have thought about his new home. It would have been so very different from his village at home. Margery Eames was admitted to membership to the church in Charlestown in 1635, and Anthony probably joined a little later. Anthony was admitted a freeman in Hingham on March 9,1636/37, where the family had moved, so would have been a church member then. There was some sort of controversy involving Anthony's election, and then attempted un-election, if there is such a word, as captain of the training band in 1645. At this time, Rev. Peter Hobart threatened to excommunicate Anthony and twelve other men, so they left the church.
He was a deputy for Hingham to the Massachusetts Bay Colony General Court forseveral terms starting in April of 1637, so he must have had the community's respect. He had the probably unpopular task of being a member of a committeeto assess the various town for the expenses of the Pequot War, in 1637.
Hemoed to Marshfield about 1651 and soon was serving as adeputy to the Plymouth General Court starting in 1653 and lasting until 1661. In 1651 he and his son Mark bought 100 acres of land from Francis Godfrey, carpenter, which included a dwelling house, lying on the North River. The last time Anthony's name is found in the records is in 1670, but he is believed to have lived for several more years after that. I've found no record of a will or inventory for Anthony or for his wife Margery. The most likely date of death for Margery would be 1662 and for Anthony 1686, when he would have been about 94 years old. He may have disposed of his land and other possessions and so a will would not have been needed. There is some suggestion that he suffered a long illness and that is why where is no record of his activities after 1670. Let's hope his children cared well for him in his old age.
The line of descent is (maybe):
Anthony Eames-Margery Pierce
Robert Eames-Elizabeth
John Eames-Abigail Morgan
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph B Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Holbook line: Gerard Spencer 1614-1689 Immigrant
Gerard Spencer is a well-documented ancestor If I wrote a post that told of everything that is known about him, it would be too much information for most of my readers. . So I will summarize, with the warning that although I have checked some of the sources used, my information comes primarily from the Rootsweb's WorldConnect Project, Armstrong Tipping Ukrainec Kristalovich Research owned by Keith Armstrong, information found on the WikiTree page for him, and Find A Grave. These sites use references I frequently use, and as mentioned, I've checked some of them myself. Robert Charles Anderson has written several pages about him in "The Great Migration". This is a condensed version of what the above mentioned researchers have found.
Gerard (also Jared and various other spellings) was born April 25, 1614 in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England. This was a small town, perhaps a village then, that had existed since at least Saxon times, because at least one Saxon burial was found when the church,St Mary the Virgin which was built about 1150, was remodeled. The baptismal font dates from about 1450, so our ancestor would likely have been baptized there. There are pictures on the Wikipedia site, if you care to look at them
Gerard's parents were Gerard Spencer and Alice Whitbread (also Whitebread and other spellings), who were also from the same area. Gerard had at least three brothers, and one sister. They must have been close because they all immigrated to New England. Gerard was here by 1634, when he was granted land at Cambridge. He may have come in the Winthrop Fleet but if so, there seems to be no record of that, nor of any events touching him during the years from 1630-1634. He was in Lynn by 1636, where he is said to have married Hannah Hills (controversial because whatever documentation there may have been at one time seems to have been destroyed). He would have been 22 at this time. We're not sure what he did to earn a living during those early years, but in March 1638/39 he was "granted the ferry at Linn for 2 years", and apparently kept that position for several years. He was made a freeman on March 9,1636/37 which implies that he was a member of the church. Gerard was settling down. He was a member of the training band and was chosen Ensign at Lynn in 1656.
We don't know whether it was for religious, economic, or family reasons (or maybe just an itch to move on) but in 1660 he was in Hartford, Connecticut where he was given permission to stay until he could settle at the new town of Haddam, which took a couple of years. He helped found Haddam and lived there the rest of his days. He was made a freeman of Connecticut in 1672, and was chosen Ensign of his training band there in 1675. Starting in 1674, he served what may well be consecutive terms as Deputy to the Connecticut General Court, until October of 1683, so he was well respected. He accumulated several tracts of land in Haddam (the portion that became East Haddam) so likely was a farmer with perhaps more land than some of his neighbors. His first wife died and he remarried to Rebecca Porter Clark, but had no known children by his second wife.
Gerard died in June of 1685 and his inventory was taken June 29. Besides the sums and land he had granted his children, there was another 124 pounds and 12 shillings, of which 100 pounds was real estate.
Now, here's the question: Was this man really our ancestor? Most of these sources I've looked at don't include Elizabeth as being his daughter, but there are also sources that do report daughter Elizabeth. She is not mentioned in his will, but there is another daughter also not mentioned who has since been proven to be a daughter. If her birth date of 1646 is correct, then she could easily fit within this family. There are any number of reasons she may have been omitted from her father's will, and there are some reasons she may not show up in town birth records. We do know that Elizabeth Spencer married Joseph Stannard, who was also a founder of Haddam, so the opportunity was there. I'm leaving it up to you do decide.
The line of descent is:
Gerard Spencer-possibly Hannah Hills
Elizabeth Spencer-Joseph Stannard
Joseph Stannard-Hannah Brackett
John Stannard-Hannah Jordan
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Gerard (also Jared and various other spellings) was born April 25, 1614 in Stotfold, Bedfordshire, England. This was a small town, perhaps a village then, that had existed since at least Saxon times, because at least one Saxon burial was found when the church,St Mary the Virgin which was built about 1150, was remodeled. The baptismal font dates from about 1450, so our ancestor would likely have been baptized there. There are pictures on the Wikipedia site, if you care to look at them
Gerard's parents were Gerard Spencer and Alice Whitbread (also Whitebread and other spellings), who were also from the same area. Gerard had at least three brothers, and one sister. They must have been close because they all immigrated to New England. Gerard was here by 1634, when he was granted land at Cambridge. He may have come in the Winthrop Fleet but if so, there seems to be no record of that, nor of any events touching him during the years from 1630-1634. He was in Lynn by 1636, where he is said to have married Hannah Hills (controversial because whatever documentation there may have been at one time seems to have been destroyed). He would have been 22 at this time. We're not sure what he did to earn a living during those early years, but in March 1638/39 he was "granted the ferry at Linn for 2 years", and apparently kept that position for several years. He was made a freeman on March 9,1636/37 which implies that he was a member of the church. Gerard was settling down. He was a member of the training band and was chosen Ensign at Lynn in 1656.
We don't know whether it was for religious, economic, or family reasons (or maybe just an itch to move on) but in 1660 he was in Hartford, Connecticut where he was given permission to stay until he could settle at the new town of Haddam, which took a couple of years. He helped found Haddam and lived there the rest of his days. He was made a freeman of Connecticut in 1672, and was chosen Ensign of his training band there in 1675. Starting in 1674, he served what may well be consecutive terms as Deputy to the Connecticut General Court, until October of 1683, so he was well respected. He accumulated several tracts of land in Haddam (the portion that became East Haddam) so likely was a farmer with perhaps more land than some of his neighbors. His first wife died and he remarried to Rebecca Porter Clark, but had no known children by his second wife.
Gerard died in June of 1685 and his inventory was taken June 29. Besides the sums and land he had granted his children, there was another 124 pounds and 12 shillings, of which 100 pounds was real estate.
Now, here's the question: Was this man really our ancestor? Most of these sources I've looked at don't include Elizabeth as being his daughter, but there are also sources that do report daughter Elizabeth. She is not mentioned in his will, but there is another daughter also not mentioned who has since been proven to be a daughter. If her birth date of 1646 is correct, then she could easily fit within this family. There are any number of reasons she may have been omitted from her father's will, and there are some reasons she may not show up in town birth records. We do know that Elizabeth Spencer married Joseph Stannard, who was also a founder of Haddam, so the opportunity was there. I'm leaving it up to you do decide.
The line of descent is:
Gerard Spencer-possibly Hannah Hills
Elizabeth Spencer-Joseph Stannard
Joseph Stannard-Hannah Brackett
John Stannard-Hannah Jordan
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, April 13, 2018
Holbrook line: Samuel Bullen, Immigrant
We know enough about Samuel Bullen to make us want to know more. Of course, some of the early information is conflicting, but once we can point to him in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, his information is a little more definitive. So, he was born in either 1617 or 1622, in Redgrave, Suffolk, England, or Botesdale, Suffolk, England. The two villages are only about two and a half miles apart, so at least we have are pinned down very closely. Living at either location, Samuel would have been very familiar with St Mary's Church, which was constructed sometime in the late 13th or early 14th century. There are pictures on Wikipedia of the interior of this building, and they are stunning. But I digress.
I tend to think Samuel was likely born in 1617 although possibly not christened until 1622, for whatever reason. He was married in 1641 and the 1622 date would make him a pretty young bridegroom for the time period. His father was likely (don't quote me on this!) John Bullen and his mother Agnes Wiffin. I'd feel better if I could find the documentation for this myself, but it's been reported early and often.
There is also a bit of confusion the date he came to America. He was in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1636. I have also seen him listed as arriving in 1640. If this is so, then he must have returned to England for reasons unknown, and arrived back that year. We know he was accepted as a freeman in Boston in 1641, the same year he married Mary Morse, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Jasper Morse, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Samuel's name is on the Dedham Compact, written in 1636, but it's not clear whether he signed it in 1636 or whether he signed it when he moved to the town.
Samuel and Mary had at least nine children, some born in Dedham and some after the family had moved (or possibly the town had divided) to Medfield. I am not sure I completely understand the following but I will give it to you, anyway, in quotes. It is from an article from Volume 65 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, page 270, from an article about "The Origin and Development of Conveyancing."
"Samuel Bullein of Dedham for & in consideration of two cowes sould him granted vnto Thomas Dudley Esq deput Governor his dwellinghouse in Dedham and foure Acres of land within the fence neere adjoyneing to the said house vppon condition that the sd Bullein shall pay unto the sd Thomas Dudley twelve pounds starling at the house of the sd Thomas Dudley in Roxbury in manner following to wit thirty shillings in good cleane dry wheate the 18 (1) the next comeing and 20s in good butter and 10s in good cheese the 8 (7) 1647. & so the like sume vppon every eighteenth of march and the like sume of butter & cheese vppon every eight day of 7ber for the three yeares next following provideing at his owne cost a Tubb for the butter and the wheate buttr & cheese to be valued by indifferent men; & if the Cows be not with Calfe then ten shillings to be abated in the first paymt. This was by mortgage dat7 (7) 1646. Acknowledged before John Winthrop Gov: the same day."
I've tried to copy this word for word and punctuation for punctuation. I think it means that our Samuel purchased a dwellinghouse in Dedham and two cows from Thomas Dudley, the deputy Governor, and in return was to pay him wheat, butter and cheese for a period of four years. Cash was scarce at the time.
There are suggestions that Samuel may have been a housewright (carpenter) but I've not found that supported, yet. We can assume that he raised wheat and dairy cows, from the above conveyance.
We don't know just when Samuel became a deacon in the church. Almost everyone in town belonged to the church when it was first formed in 1638, but it seems unlikely that he would have been chosen as deacon right away, merely because of his age.
Samuel and Mary were in Medfield by 1651, but circumstances forced them out during King Philip's War in 1675-76. At least half of the town was burned by the native Americans, and about 20 colonists were killed. It is possible that the Bullens had already left for safer ground before the attack. It's also possible that Samuel, who would have been nearly 60 years old, stayed to try to protect the town. I've not found his name listed in "Soldiers in King Philip's War" but that list may not include every one who defended his own home town. Apparently Samuel's children had a hard time of it, too, because Samuel later asked for a reduction in "rates" (taxes) because not only had he lost everything, but he had needed to help some of his adult children, also.
Samuel and Mary did return to Medfield and rebuilt their home.Samuel died January 16,1692/92 and Mary died February 14 of the same year. This may explain why his inventory wasn't filed until 1695. It included books, clothing, feather beds and furniture, 'irons" and a loom, and several pieces of land as well as his dwelling house, totaling 178-02-08. Two years later, when a division was finally made, the real estate was valued at 131-10-00.
As with many of our immigrants, we can be proud of him, and just as with many others, we can wish we knew more about him. Imagine coming across the ocean, hoping to find a better life, and later having your home and those of some of your children burned! There were remarkable people.
Our line of descent is:
Samuel Bullen-Mary Morse
Elizabeth Bullen-Benjamin Wheelock
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
I tend to think Samuel was likely born in 1617 although possibly not christened until 1622, for whatever reason. He was married in 1641 and the 1622 date would make him a pretty young bridegroom for the time period. His father was likely (don't quote me on this!) John Bullen and his mother Agnes Wiffin. I'd feel better if I could find the documentation for this myself, but it's been reported early and often.
There is also a bit of confusion the date he came to America. He was in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1636. I have also seen him listed as arriving in 1640. If this is so, then he must have returned to England for reasons unknown, and arrived back that year. We know he was accepted as a freeman in Boston in 1641, the same year he married Mary Morse, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Jasper Morse, in Dedham, Massachusetts. Samuel's name is on the Dedham Compact, written in 1636, but it's not clear whether he signed it in 1636 or whether he signed it when he moved to the town.
Samuel and Mary had at least nine children, some born in Dedham and some after the family had moved (or possibly the town had divided) to Medfield. I am not sure I completely understand the following but I will give it to you, anyway, in quotes. It is from an article from Volume 65 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, page 270, from an article about "The Origin and Development of Conveyancing."
"Samuel Bullein of Dedham for & in consideration of two cowes sould him granted vnto Thomas Dudley Esq deput Governor his dwellinghouse in Dedham and foure Acres of land within the fence neere adjoyneing to the said house vppon condition that the sd Bullein shall pay unto the sd Thomas Dudley twelve pounds starling at the house of the sd Thomas Dudley in Roxbury in manner following to wit thirty shillings in good cleane dry wheate the 18 (1) the next comeing and 20s in good butter and 10s in good cheese the 8 (7) 1647. & so the like sume vppon every eighteenth of march and the like sume of butter & cheese vppon every eight day of 7ber for the three yeares next following provideing at his owne cost a Tubb for the butter and the wheate buttr & cheese to be valued by indifferent men; & if the Cows be not with Calfe then ten shillings to be abated in the first paymt. This was by mortgage dat7 (7) 1646. Acknowledged before John Winthrop Gov: the same day."
I've tried to copy this word for word and punctuation for punctuation. I think it means that our Samuel purchased a dwellinghouse in Dedham and two cows from Thomas Dudley, the deputy Governor, and in return was to pay him wheat, butter and cheese for a period of four years. Cash was scarce at the time.
There are suggestions that Samuel may have been a housewright (carpenter) but I've not found that supported, yet. We can assume that he raised wheat and dairy cows, from the above conveyance.
We don't know just when Samuel became a deacon in the church. Almost everyone in town belonged to the church when it was first formed in 1638, but it seems unlikely that he would have been chosen as deacon right away, merely because of his age.
Samuel and Mary were in Medfield by 1651, but circumstances forced them out during King Philip's War in 1675-76. At least half of the town was burned by the native Americans, and about 20 colonists were killed. It is possible that the Bullens had already left for safer ground before the attack. It's also possible that Samuel, who would have been nearly 60 years old, stayed to try to protect the town. I've not found his name listed in "Soldiers in King Philip's War" but that list may not include every one who defended his own home town. Apparently Samuel's children had a hard time of it, too, because Samuel later asked for a reduction in "rates" (taxes) because not only had he lost everything, but he had needed to help some of his adult children, also.
Samuel and Mary did return to Medfield and rebuilt their home.Samuel died January 16,1692/92 and Mary died February 14 of the same year. This may explain why his inventory wasn't filed until 1695. It included books, clothing, feather beds and furniture, 'irons" and a loom, and several pieces of land as well as his dwelling house, totaling 178-02-08. Two years later, when a division was finally made, the real estate was valued at 131-10-00.
As with many of our immigrants, we can be proud of him, and just as with many others, we can wish we knew more about him. Imagine coming across the ocean, hoping to find a better life, and later having your home and those of some of your children burned! There were remarkable people.
Our line of descent is:
Samuel Bullen-Mary Morse
Elizabeth Bullen-Benjamin Wheelock
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
Allen line: John Havens Starr, Samuel Falley, Lt. Richard Falley
I made the most astounding discoveries while just running a search on Newspapers.com for a great great grandfather, John Havens Starr. This man died in 1873 in Tipton, Iowa, but his place of birth was Groton, Connecticut and he had also lived near Columbus, Ohio for several years. However, the newspaper story that popped up was from The Nebraska State Journal of Lincoln, Nebraska on February 7, 1926. To my absolute amazement and unspeakable delight, there was a picture of him and also of his wife, Clarissa Falley. I stared and stared at those pictures. I knew a little about their stories and was thrilled to see faces to put with the stories. They were staunch Presbyterians and I think had a little more money than many of their neighbors, they lost a son in the Civil War, and after Clarissa died, there was a big family fight that depleted the money she had intended for the use of the church.
The story gets better. Next, I saw photographs of Clarissa Falley Starr's parents, Samuel Falley and Ruth Root. Their clothes were different than the younger couple's, and these were obviously older people, with the pictures taken probably not long before their death. After all, these four people all died in the early 1870's, so just to have images of them is simply amazing to me. Samuel Falley is out ancestor who was first a mariner, sailing to the West Indies on numerous occasions. He was a teetotaler and a serious abolitionist in later life, so my suspicion is that he had worked on at least one of the ships that brought slaves from the West Indies to America. I believe that he was a good man, as evidenced by recent references I've found to his adoption and rearing of a young four year old girl left an orphan. That young girl lived to be 102 years old, and told about Samuel and Ruth's raising of her for many years after. So I got to look at the actual faces of my third great grandparents. That was amazing.
The story gets even better, though. Next to the photos of Samuel and Ruth Root Falley, there was another set of pictures. These were not photos, but were photos of portraits of Samuel Falley's parents, Lt. Richard and Margaret Hitchcock Falley. I was looking at the faces of my fourth great grandparents. As I remembered his story, I got actual chills up and down my spine. He had served in the French and Indian War as a young boy of sixteen, was captured and sent to Montreal, where he lived and worked for a widow there until he was eventually ransomed for rum. Later, he was a lieutenant at the Battle of Bunker Hill in the early days of the Revolutionary War, and later still, ran an armory and manufactured rifles for the American cause. I was looking into the eyes of a hero.
This find was probably one of my best ever genealogy days. Finally finding the name of another second great grandmother was exciting. Learning that I was directly descended from much of the royalty and nobility of England was stunning. But looking at the faces of these ancestors, faces I never thought I'd get to see, was better than anything I could ever have imagined. This is a true happy genealogy dance time!
The line of descent is:
Lt. Richard Falley-Margaret Hitchcock
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, April 6, 2018
Holbrook line: Robert Hale, Deacon, Ensign, and Immigrant
It's always a joy to find information about an ancestor, already written and even with the will transcribed. Much of the information on this post came from the geni website, which in turn used a lot of information from Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration project. If you've been following this blog, you'll recognize that Robert Hale was an early immigrant to New England, specifically to Massachusetts.
However, we still don't know some of the most basic information about Robert, such as who his parents were and where he was from. We know that his wife was "Jone" but her maiden name and origins have also not been proven, although I've read in several places that her name was Jone or Joanne Cutter or Cutler.
Robert is said to have been born in 1606, possibly in Canterbury, Kent, England. However, the first thing we're able to say with certainty is that he arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet. He was a carpenter, and carpentry was in high demand since those 1000 people who landed with the fleet needed shelters to get them through the first winter, and homes to live in as they put down roots.
Robert and Joan may have been married in England or more probably in Boston soon after Robert's arrival, although so far no one seems to have found records. Robert was admitted to the Boston church as member number 18, in the fall of 1630. Two years later, Robert and Joan were dismissed to church at Charlestown, where they were founding members of the Charlestown church. They were probably already living closer to Charlestown than to Boston. He became a deacon of the church, and was made a freeman on May 14, 1634. Apparently their first child arrived in 1636.
Robert soon acquired several parcels of land (13 parcels by 1638), as an early settler of the town, and was a selectman for at least the early years of the town. He also assisted in surveying and laying out lands in "the wilderness" and helped settle land disputes, so his talents were not limited to carpentry. Most if not all men in the town were required to join the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company", which I think was the same thing as the training band, and Robert joined in 1644. He was chosen as sergeant by 1652, and ensign by 1658, so he showed leadership abilities.
We don't know a lot about his educational level but he did have books in his inventory valued at two pounds. We could speculate whether these were practical books of use in the carpentry trade, or whether they were religious books, or whether there were some of each. We could also wonder how many of the couple's children were taught to read, or write.
Robert Hale, carpenter, deacon, and ensign died May 5, 1659. He may have had an illness or suffered an injury earlier because his will was dated June 26, 1647, and most wills in that time period were written when death seemed to be imminent. His inventory totaled 407 pounds, 18 shillings and 3 pence, of which about 241 pounds was real estate. Joan was given about a third of the estate and the children (four surviving) mostly got land and cash.
Joan married Richard Jacob on September 24, 1662, and there was apparently some sort of pre-nuptial agreement, because she was able to dispose of land to her children, grandchildren, and step children in her will which was dated July 30, 1679 and proved December 20, 1681. Her inventory was valued at 264 pounds, 4 shillings and 6 pence, so she was a good steward of what she was given, it would seem. (She was a widow at the time she wrote her will so she had probably inherited also from her second husband).
I have a mental picture of Robert as a good, hard working man, who was probably "good with money" and who also likely loved the Lord his God. He was respected in his community and was another ancestor we can respect, too.
The line of descent is:
Robert Hale-Joan
Joanna Hale-John Larkin
Sarah Larkin-David Fay
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Etta Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
However, we still don't know some of the most basic information about Robert, such as who his parents were and where he was from. We know that his wife was "Jone" but her maiden name and origins have also not been proven, although I've read in several places that her name was Jone or Joanne Cutter or Cutler.
Robert is said to have been born in 1606, possibly in Canterbury, Kent, England. However, the first thing we're able to say with certainty is that he arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet. He was a carpenter, and carpentry was in high demand since those 1000 people who landed with the fleet needed shelters to get them through the first winter, and homes to live in as they put down roots.
Robert and Joan may have been married in England or more probably in Boston soon after Robert's arrival, although so far no one seems to have found records. Robert was admitted to the Boston church as member number 18, in the fall of 1630. Two years later, Robert and Joan were dismissed to church at Charlestown, where they were founding members of the Charlestown church. They were probably already living closer to Charlestown than to Boston. He became a deacon of the church, and was made a freeman on May 14, 1634. Apparently their first child arrived in 1636.
Robert soon acquired several parcels of land (13 parcels by 1638), as an early settler of the town, and was a selectman for at least the early years of the town. He also assisted in surveying and laying out lands in "the wilderness" and helped settle land disputes, so his talents were not limited to carpentry. Most if not all men in the town were required to join the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company", which I think was the same thing as the training band, and Robert joined in 1644. He was chosen as sergeant by 1652, and ensign by 1658, so he showed leadership abilities.
We don't know a lot about his educational level but he did have books in his inventory valued at two pounds. We could speculate whether these were practical books of use in the carpentry trade, or whether they were religious books, or whether there were some of each. We could also wonder how many of the couple's children were taught to read, or write.
Robert Hale, carpenter, deacon, and ensign died May 5, 1659. He may have had an illness or suffered an injury earlier because his will was dated June 26, 1647, and most wills in that time period were written when death seemed to be imminent. His inventory totaled 407 pounds, 18 shillings and 3 pence, of which about 241 pounds was real estate. Joan was given about a third of the estate and the children (four surviving) mostly got land and cash.
Joan married Richard Jacob on September 24, 1662, and there was apparently some sort of pre-nuptial agreement, because she was able to dispose of land to her children, grandchildren, and step children in her will which was dated July 30, 1679 and proved December 20, 1681. Her inventory was valued at 264 pounds, 4 shillings and 6 pence, so she was a good steward of what she was given, it would seem. (She was a widow at the time she wrote her will so she had probably inherited also from her second husband).
I have a mental picture of Robert as a good, hard working man, who was probably "good with money" and who also likely loved the Lord his God. He was respected in his community and was another ancestor we can respect, too.
The line of descent is:
Robert Hale-Joan
Joanna Hale-John Larkin
Sarah Larkin-David Fay
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Etta Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
Holbrook line: Robert Robinson 1628-1689
Oh, my goodness. Robert Robinson might be Robert Robertson. He might be from Scotland or he might be from Newbury, Berkshire, England. He might have been born in 1628 or he might have been born in 1638. He might have sailed here in 1635 (highly doubtful) or he might have come in 1663, according to his own testimony. And I might be able to write a better blog post, if I were able to read what his will and inventory say .
The good news is that we do have a will and inventory, so we know approximately when he died (between May and October o 1689). That gives us names for his children, and some sense of how he lived. Much of this blog post will be written based on these documents (found on AmericanAncestors.org from the Essex County, Massachusetts Probate FIle Papers number 23914), if someone reading this blog post has not yet seen these papers).
So, let's back up to what is known. We know that he arrived in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts in 1663 because he gave deposition in 1675 that he had come to Newbury 12 years before and agreed on land to settle on. He married Mary Silver there on October 26, 1664 and stayed in Newbury the rest of his life, as far as we know Newbury was established in 1635, so Robert would not be considered an early settler there. (Among other settlers there was Jonathan Singletary Dunham, who is my children's ancestor on their Beeks side of the family. I always think it's cool when I can find connections like this!)
From names in his will, it appears that Robert and Mary had at least the following children: Daniel, John, Mary, (all seem to be adults) and Thomas, Sarah, Hannah, Robert who were all identified as being under age 21. The widow was to have full custody of the younger children as well as much of the estate, as long as she remained a widow. Part of the will is torn away (the last of each line) but I think this is what someone would write if they were doing an abstract of the will. It was dated May 18, 1689 and signed by mark, not signature.
The inventory was taken on May 22, 1989 so he must have died shortly after writing the will, and it was filed on November 11, 1689. Although the writing is clear, it also has many flourishes and I'm not sure of a lot of the words. I do know that it appears to be the inventory for a farmer who had quite a few animals-nine cows, three steers (I think) one heifer, four yearlings, eight calves, a bull, 26 sheep, four oxen, hogs, and what might be horses, not numbered. He had the required gun and sword, and some farm implements, and several items I can't decipher. I hope someone else can do this and will be able to transcribe it. The appraisal was for 166 pounds, which, along with the number of animals he was raising, seems to indicate a life above the poverty level
There are notes regarding the will that it was never probated, or possibly that the records for that event have been lost. Perhaps the problem was that Mary was also ill, as she died shortly before March 11,1690/91. There are guardianship papers for Hannah Robinson and Robert Robinson, appointing William Moody as their guardian in 1694, and it looks like final settlement of Mary's estate was made then. Hannah and Robert, the two youngest of the children of Robert and Mary, may have now been of an age to be trained for a trade. It was common for orphaned children to be apprenticed out of the household, and that may have happened here. This is pure speculation at this point.
In this case, most of our limited knowledge of Robert comes from his inventory and his will. I don't know what church he attended (if he was from Scotland, was he a Presbyterian?), or what his education may have been. I don't know who his parents were. I don't know if he ever was called to protect his community from native Americans, or his home and land from wild animals. I don't know how, if at all, William Moody was related to the family. I would love to know all of these things. But we do know that he raised a family, that he died earlier than he would have liked, and that he is one of the reasons we, his descendants, are here. Thank you, sir!
The line of descent is:
Robert Robinson-Mary Silver
Mary Robinson-Abraham Foster
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The good news is that we do have a will and inventory, so we know approximately when he died (between May and October o 1689). That gives us names for his children, and some sense of how he lived. Much of this blog post will be written based on these documents (found on AmericanAncestors.org from the Essex County, Massachusetts Probate FIle Papers number 23914), if someone reading this blog post has not yet seen these papers).
So, let's back up to what is known. We know that he arrived in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts in 1663 because he gave deposition in 1675 that he had come to Newbury 12 years before and agreed on land to settle on. He married Mary Silver there on October 26, 1664 and stayed in Newbury the rest of his life, as far as we know Newbury was established in 1635, so Robert would not be considered an early settler there. (Among other settlers there was Jonathan Singletary Dunham, who is my children's ancestor on their Beeks side of the family. I always think it's cool when I can find connections like this!)
From names in his will, it appears that Robert and Mary had at least the following children: Daniel, John, Mary, (all seem to be adults) and Thomas, Sarah, Hannah, Robert who were all identified as being under age 21. The widow was to have full custody of the younger children as well as much of the estate, as long as she remained a widow. Part of the will is torn away (the last of each line) but I think this is what someone would write if they were doing an abstract of the will. It was dated May 18, 1689 and signed by mark, not signature.
The inventory was taken on May 22, 1989 so he must have died shortly after writing the will, and it was filed on November 11, 1689. Although the writing is clear, it also has many flourishes and I'm not sure of a lot of the words. I do know that it appears to be the inventory for a farmer who had quite a few animals-nine cows, three steers (I think) one heifer, four yearlings, eight calves, a bull, 26 sheep, four oxen, hogs, and what might be horses, not numbered. He had the required gun and sword, and some farm implements, and several items I can't decipher. I hope someone else can do this and will be able to transcribe it. The appraisal was for 166 pounds, which, along with the number of animals he was raising, seems to indicate a life above the poverty level
There are notes regarding the will that it was never probated, or possibly that the records for that event have been lost. Perhaps the problem was that Mary was also ill, as she died shortly before March 11,1690/91. There are guardianship papers for Hannah Robinson and Robert Robinson, appointing William Moody as their guardian in 1694, and it looks like final settlement of Mary's estate was made then. Hannah and Robert, the two youngest of the children of Robert and Mary, may have now been of an age to be trained for a trade. It was common for orphaned children to be apprenticed out of the household, and that may have happened here. This is pure speculation at this point.
In this case, most of our limited knowledge of Robert comes from his inventory and his will. I don't know what church he attended (if he was from Scotland, was he a Presbyterian?), or what his education may have been. I don't know who his parents were. I don't know if he ever was called to protect his community from native Americans, or his home and land from wild animals. I don't know how, if at all, William Moody was related to the family. I would love to know all of these things. But we do know that he raised a family, that he died earlier than he would have liked, and that he is one of the reasons we, his descendants, are here. Thank you, sir!
The line of descent is:
Robert Robinson-Mary Silver
Mary Robinson-Abraham Foster
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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