It's been a long time since I've written about a Beeks ancestor. I've known about Thomas Moon for a long time, as a name and dates, but that much information wouldn't fill a thimble, let alone a blog post, so I've not pursued him. Today his name struck my fancy, mostly because I noticed he lived during French and Indian War as well as the Revolutionary War. I wondered if there was more information available than just names and places, and I've found enough to fill in a couple of parts of his life, anyway.
Thomas Moon was the son of Jacob and Jane Rees Moon. He was born October 11, 1756 near what is now Arden, Berkeley, West Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. At that time, it was part of Frederick County, Virginia. The area is in that tiny hook between Maryland and West Virginia, and Arden is 160 miles from Fort Frederick, near Hagerstown, Md. Fort Frederick was built during the French and Indian War. We don't know for sure that the Moon family went here during the attacks that the Indians made during those years, but it's possible, since much of Shenandoah, or at least the women and children, evacuated during that time period. And of course, the Moons were Quakers, so they would likely not have been willing to fight. Regardless of whether the Moons stayed in their home or left for a safer location, they would have lived through interesting times. Thomas was one of at least six children born to his parents, and they would all have worked hard to feed the family.
I've found no mention, yet, of the Moons during the Revolutionary War but this time the danger would have come from the British and the native Americans. This area was hit hard and repeatedly, and again, it is easy to think that the family would have evacuated to safer areas. It would be interesting to know whether their cabins or homes were burned, crops lost, etc. If it didn't happen to the Moons, it happened to many of their neighbors.
We don't know when or where Thomas met his wife, Jean Grey, but they were married June 1, 1780 in what was now Berkeley County, but still Virginia. He was 24 years old and had a right to marry anyone he chose; or did he? Three times his Quaker church family tried to talk to him and three times they got nowhere. He was bound and determined to marry his "hireling teacher", but may have later admitted his error because he is still referred to as a Quaker in a history of Fayette County. Jean was from Scotland and it is not likely she would have converted to the Quaker faith. She was likely Presbyterian in belief. I would love to find more about this "hireling teacher", as this is the first thing I've learned about her other than her vital statistics. We can guess that Jean had a decent education, at least for the time and location, and wonder about Thomas's education, also.
Thomas and Jean had at least nine children together. Jean died in 1804 in Berkeley County, Virginia, and Thomas remarried at the same location to Lydia Job in 1806. He is found in the census records of Berkeley County in 1810 but apparently moved to Fayette County, Ohio, later that year and is in the tax records of Fayette County, Ohio in 1814. Fayette County at this time was quite sparsely settled and he would have contended with wolves, panthers, and probably bear as well as the snakes which gave name to the creek he lived on. In the 1820 census, he is in Green Township, Fayette County, with two of his sons listed separately but as neighbors. Thomas and Lydia settled on Rattlesnake Creek and according to a History of Fayette County written by R.S. Dills, owned 1100 acres of land, some of it in Highland County. He had the first flour mill and saw mill in the county, and also ran a distillery which was apparently a popular "resort". He was a trustee of the township and held other positions of "public trust". Lydia died sometime before he married Amy or Annie Ellis in 1819.
Thomas's will was probated in 1824. He had already given gifts to his three daughters but gave his personal property to them to be divided equally, and left each of his sons tracts of land. I didn't see a mention of Amy in the will, so perhaps she had died earlier.
Who knew that Thomas Moon had such stories to tell us? I'd love to learn more, such as whether his children were Quakers, and whether his childhood home, or his home where he spent the first 30 years of adult life, were destroyed. Was he ever in fear for his life, during either of the wars in Virginia? Did he speak with the Quaker "thee" and "thou"? What would he think was his greatest accomplishment?
The line of descent is:
Thomas Moon-Jean Grey
Margaret Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Friday, May 31, 2019
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Allen line: Edward Stebbins in King Philip's War
It's approaching Memorial Day as I write this. In general, Memorial Day honors veterans who gave their lives for our country. I completely support that, as we have a family member who died during World War II. Most of our ancestors made it through whatever war they were involved in, but some had adventures during that time.
For this post, I'm writing about a man who had what some would consider the "ultimate" adventure; others would consider it heroism, and still others might shudder at the result. This was before our country was even dreamed of. Massachusetts was a colony of England, and it was still almost all frontier land. Springfield, Massachusetts was no exception; it was a small settlement on the Connecticut River, struggling to survive even before King Phillip's War broke out.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield April 14, 1656, the son of Thomas and Hannah Wright had Stebbins. He was the first of this Stebbins line to be born in New England as Thomas had come to America with his father at about the age of 14. Thomas had memories of England, but Edward was 100% New Englander. At the age of 16, Edward would have been eligible and probably required to join the training band, although I've not found specific note of it. Surely a town settled in the wilderness, with different tribes of native Americans all around them, would have had a training band.
We don't know whether Edward was doing guard duty or whether he may have been working in the fields, but in the spring of 1676, he and at least one other young man were surrounded and then abducted by a group of natives. They were held captive for about a month until Edward and his friend managed to escape during the nighttime hours. They reported the location of the natives to the nearest authorities and immediately a large force of men were on their trail, and the entire village of natives was ambushed and destroyed-old men, women and children-by the colonists. The warriors were mostly in camp at a nearby location, and it's not clear to what extent they became involved in the battle. .
This was not the finest moment in American history but it was what it was. To the colonists affected by King Philip's War, it was kill or be killed. Springfield had been almost totally burned to the ground during an attack in the fall of 1675 and it was time to make the area safe for the colonists and their families. They may not have known, or may not have cared, that the village that was massacred was not a warrior camp at all.
Edward seems to have suffered no after effects of his ordeal. He married Sarah Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves on April 12, 1679 and they had six children together. He was made a freeman on December 19, 1690, along with over forty other men. Perhaps they had been so busy rebuilding the town that there had been no time to stop and gain one's "freedom", or right to vote. Or perhaps the list is not actually when they were admitted, but simply a list of who was a freeman as of that date.
Edward inherited land from his father, who had died in 1683, and was also granted various tracts during his lifetime. At various times, he was a constable, surveyor of county highways, selectman several years, and fence viewer, so he was a respected man in the community. I've not found anything that indicates his occupation but with the various tracts of land he owned, he probably was a "yeoman" farmer. I also don't know how religious he might have been, and whether he supported the local church.
Sarah died June 12, 1700 when her youngest child was just 4 years old. Edward remarried, to Mary Cooper Colton. Edward died October 31, 1712 in Springfield and Mary lived until 1743. I wonder how long the story of the Indian captivity was part of family story time. Or was it something he chose to downplay?
I've ordered a copy of a history of Springfield, Massachusetts because so many family names are listed in the 1690 list of freedmen. This is one of our "hometowns", Allen family!
The line of descent is
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Roote
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
For this post, I'm writing about a man who had what some would consider the "ultimate" adventure; others would consider it heroism, and still others might shudder at the result. This was before our country was even dreamed of. Massachusetts was a colony of England, and it was still almost all frontier land. Springfield, Massachusetts was no exception; it was a small settlement on the Connecticut River, struggling to survive even before King Phillip's War broke out.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield April 14, 1656, the son of Thomas and Hannah Wright had Stebbins. He was the first of this Stebbins line to be born in New England as Thomas had come to America with his father at about the age of 14. Thomas had memories of England, but Edward was 100% New Englander. At the age of 16, Edward would have been eligible and probably required to join the training band, although I've not found specific note of it. Surely a town settled in the wilderness, with different tribes of native Americans all around them, would have had a training band.
We don't know whether Edward was doing guard duty or whether he may have been working in the fields, but in the spring of 1676, he and at least one other young man were surrounded and then abducted by a group of natives. They were held captive for about a month until Edward and his friend managed to escape during the nighttime hours. They reported the location of the natives to the nearest authorities and immediately a large force of men were on their trail, and the entire village of natives was ambushed and destroyed-old men, women and children-by the colonists. The warriors were mostly in camp at a nearby location, and it's not clear to what extent they became involved in the battle. .
This was not the finest moment in American history but it was what it was. To the colonists affected by King Philip's War, it was kill or be killed. Springfield had been almost totally burned to the ground during an attack in the fall of 1675 and it was time to make the area safe for the colonists and their families. They may not have known, or may not have cared, that the village that was massacred was not a warrior camp at all.
Edward seems to have suffered no after effects of his ordeal. He married Sarah Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves on April 12, 1679 and they had six children together. He was made a freeman on December 19, 1690, along with over forty other men. Perhaps they had been so busy rebuilding the town that there had been no time to stop and gain one's "freedom", or right to vote. Or perhaps the list is not actually when they were admitted, but simply a list of who was a freeman as of that date.
Edward inherited land from his father, who had died in 1683, and was also granted various tracts during his lifetime. At various times, he was a constable, surveyor of county highways, selectman several years, and fence viewer, so he was a respected man in the community. I've not found anything that indicates his occupation but with the various tracts of land he owned, he probably was a "yeoman" farmer. I also don't know how religious he might have been, and whether he supported the local church.
Sarah died June 12, 1700 when her youngest child was just 4 years old. Edward remarried, to Mary Cooper Colton. Edward died October 31, 1712 in Springfield and Mary lived until 1743. I wonder how long the story of the Indian captivity was part of family story time. Or was it something he chose to downplay?
I've ordered a copy of a history of Springfield, Massachusetts because so many family names are listed in the 1690 list of freedmen. This is one of our "hometowns", Allen family!
The line of descent is
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Roote
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, May 24, 2019
Allen line: Samuel Lane 1700-abt 1779 Father of patriots
Revisiting families and blog posts can bring big dividends I've written earlier about Lambert Lane, who served in the Revolutionary War in battles with the Cherokee Indians. I haven't written about his father and in my mind, I had him located in the wrong state. I also have been looking elsewhere for the family of Lambert's wife, Nancy Anderson. I think I need to back up and look for her family in Virginia and Pennsylvania, not in Tennessee. We'll see about that.
In the meantime, I have learned enough to realize that our Samuel Lane was the father of some remarkable children. He must have been a special man, himself, to have raised such outstanding children. But I digress.
Samuel Lane was the son of Dutton and Pretotia Tydings Lane. His birthdate is given as October 4, 1700 although I haven't seen the documentation for that. There are at least two Samuel Lanes in Maryland at this time and I suspect some of the records for one man are attached to the wrong Samuel Lane, but I am not able to sort them out at this time. Our Samuel Lane was born in Baltimore County, Maryland. It doesn't appear that he is the same man who has records in Anne Arundel County. There are records indicating that our Samuel later lived in Carroll County, Maryland, but that county wasn't formed until later. He may well have lived in the part of Baltimore County that became Carroll County.
Samuel married Jane Corbin January 10, 1735/36. She was the daughter of Edward and Jane Wilkinson Corbin. I'm finding the couple credited with as few as seven and as many as twelve children. Our ancestor, Lambert, was their second son. We need to recognize that the area where the Lanes lived was on the frontier, and subject to repeated Indian raids pretty much from the 1750's onward, if not before that. Realizing this may help explain why there are not always written records, and why deeds may have been recorded after land actually changed hands. It may also explain the dearth of church records that would identify children for certain. The other possible explanation is that there is a family tradition that Lambert and Dutton were born in England, but as far as I know there is no documentation for this.
Another fact that makes researching treacherous is that we don't know for certain what religion Samuel was. Some of his siblings were Quaker, and some sites state that Samuel was, also. Some of his family seems to have been Church of England. And several of his children were fire and brimstone Baptists. Was Samuel a religious man? Did he guide his children into a Baptist faith? Or was he dismayed to see them leave the Church of England, or the Quakers? We may never know.
Samuel's first born son, Samuel, became a Baptist "elder" (pastor) and eventually went to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where he founded a church or churches. Our Samuel seems to have gone with him, so that may indicate a Baptist bent. Lambert's daughter, Nancy Ann Lane, married William McCoy, who was a Baptist minister (among other occupations). So the family was certainly comfortable with Baptist beliefs within a generation of our Samuel.
Samuel's sons Samuel, Lambert, Corbin, and Wilkinson all served in the Revolutionary War. Our Samuel was too old for that war and was probably too old to fight in the French and Indian War but most likely would have been in the militia that protected the settlers from Indian incursions. He and his family could possibly have gone to a nearby fort for protection, or they may have stayed in their home and fought, if necessary, from there.
I'm finding various dates and suppositions for when the Lanes moved to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, probably close to what became the Huntingdon county line. One site says 1743 and one site says by 1773. Samuel was buying and selling land in Maryland in the 1750s but that may not have had anything to do with where the family was actually living. Whether it was Carroll County, Maryland or Bedford County, Pennsylvania, life was probably hard for the Lanes. I've found nothing that makes me think this was a family of wealth, although they may not have needed much money, living in the wilderness as they did.
Jane died in 1773 and Samuel died probably around 1779. He is believed to be buried near his Pennsylvania home. One doesn't become the father of several Revolutionary War soldiers and the father of a mostly Baptist family by sitting around twiddling one's thumbs. Samuel and Jane each had a lot to do with the way their children turned out, and we can be grateful for their service to their country.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Lane-Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Anderson
Nancy Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
In the meantime, I have learned enough to realize that our Samuel Lane was the father of some remarkable children. He must have been a special man, himself, to have raised such outstanding children. But I digress.
Samuel Lane was the son of Dutton and Pretotia Tydings Lane. His birthdate is given as October 4, 1700 although I haven't seen the documentation for that. There are at least two Samuel Lanes in Maryland at this time and I suspect some of the records for one man are attached to the wrong Samuel Lane, but I am not able to sort them out at this time. Our Samuel Lane was born in Baltimore County, Maryland. It doesn't appear that he is the same man who has records in Anne Arundel County. There are records indicating that our Samuel later lived in Carroll County, Maryland, but that county wasn't formed until later. He may well have lived in the part of Baltimore County that became Carroll County.
Samuel married Jane Corbin January 10, 1735/36. She was the daughter of Edward and Jane Wilkinson Corbin. I'm finding the couple credited with as few as seven and as many as twelve children. Our ancestor, Lambert, was their second son. We need to recognize that the area where the Lanes lived was on the frontier, and subject to repeated Indian raids pretty much from the 1750's onward, if not before that. Realizing this may help explain why there are not always written records, and why deeds may have been recorded after land actually changed hands. It may also explain the dearth of church records that would identify children for certain. The other possible explanation is that there is a family tradition that Lambert and Dutton were born in England, but as far as I know there is no documentation for this.
Another fact that makes researching treacherous is that we don't know for certain what religion Samuel was. Some of his siblings were Quaker, and some sites state that Samuel was, also. Some of his family seems to have been Church of England. And several of his children were fire and brimstone Baptists. Was Samuel a religious man? Did he guide his children into a Baptist faith? Or was he dismayed to see them leave the Church of England, or the Quakers? We may never know.
Samuel's first born son, Samuel, became a Baptist "elder" (pastor) and eventually went to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where he founded a church or churches. Our Samuel seems to have gone with him, so that may indicate a Baptist bent. Lambert's daughter, Nancy Ann Lane, married William McCoy, who was a Baptist minister (among other occupations). So the family was certainly comfortable with Baptist beliefs within a generation of our Samuel.
Samuel's sons Samuel, Lambert, Corbin, and Wilkinson all served in the Revolutionary War. Our Samuel was too old for that war and was probably too old to fight in the French and Indian War but most likely would have been in the militia that protected the settlers from Indian incursions. He and his family could possibly have gone to a nearby fort for protection, or they may have stayed in their home and fought, if necessary, from there.
I'm finding various dates and suppositions for when the Lanes moved to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, probably close to what became the Huntingdon county line. One site says 1743 and one site says by 1773. Samuel was buying and selling land in Maryland in the 1750s but that may not have had anything to do with where the family was actually living. Whether it was Carroll County, Maryland or Bedford County, Pennsylvania, life was probably hard for the Lanes. I've found nothing that makes me think this was a family of wealth, although they may not have needed much money, living in the wilderness as they did.
Jane died in 1773 and Samuel died probably around 1779. He is believed to be buried near his Pennsylvania home. One doesn't become the father of several Revolutionary War soldiers and the father of a mostly Baptist family by sitting around twiddling one's thumbs. Samuel and Jane each had a lot to do with the way their children turned out, and we can be grateful for their service to their country.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Lane-Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Anderson
Nancy Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 21, 2019
Holbrook line: Nahum Holbrook 1781-1844
Maybe I haven't written about Nahum Holbrook before because he's recent. Well, he lived 200 years ago, not 400 years, so that makes him somewhat recent. And he feels closer, because his son died in Cook County, Illinois, just maybe 150 miles from here. Or maybe, just maybe, I had a premonition that he would be a hard man to track. I've come up with just a few tidbits that will tell us a little bit about his life, and I'm sharing them now in case they will help someone who is also searching for information.
When Nahum was born to Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook on April 2, 1781, the American Revolutionary War was still in progress. Amariah served several short terms of service during the war but it appears he was home for good by the time Nahum was born. Nahum was one of 9 children, the third oldest. However, he was still just 16 when his father died in 1797 nut he was apparently not required to have a guardian. Six of his siblings were so required, and Henry Holbrook was appointed to that job. Henry, doubtless an uncle or cousin of some sort, may also have informally kept an eye on Nahum. Nahum's inheritance from his father's small estate amount to twenty one dollars and twenty cents.
I've not located Nahum in the 1800 census unless he was one of the three males aged 16-25 living with Molly. On February 3, 1802, when he was 21 years old, he married Susanna Rockwood, who was the 24 year old daughter of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood. Levi died in 1806 and Deborah the following year, so perhaps there was enough money left from Levi's estate to allow the young Holbrook family to move to the area of Hartford, Washington County, New York. Several of Amariah and Molly's sons had gone there and stayed for various lengths of time. Nahum and Susannah stayed. They were there in the 1810 census, and the 1830 census. I haven't found them in the 1820 census or the 1840 census, but there is no reason to think they had left. Perhaps in 1840 they were already living with one or another of their children. Nahum and Susanna had seven children, some born in Bellingham and some in New York.
Nahum was a soldier during the War of 1814. He was a lieutenant in the 121st Regiment of the New York Militia, indicates he probably enlisted late in the war. He was paid from September 10 to September 25, 1814, which is precisely when the battle of Plattsburgh was fought. The actual date of the battle was September 11, so we don't know for sure that Nahum was involved, but I'm guessing that this one pay card is not the only one that was submitted; it's apparently the only one that survived. The following year, he was appointed captain of his unit, and apparently continued in some military capacity because in 1819 he was paid $46 for his work at courts martial in Washington County. The only other mention I've found of Nahum was in 1821, when he signed a letter asking the US Postmaster to remove the current postmaster, because he was a person of "vicious tendencies" who also didn't do his job, and replace him with another candidate.
Nahum died January 24, 1844 and Susanna died July 2, 1840. They are buried at the Old Adamsville Cemetery, Adamsville, Washington County, New York.
I haven't yet found Nahum's will or estate papers, which would be ever so helpful in figuring out whether he was able to pass on any wealth to his family. I don't know his occupation. I don't know his religion, although his parents were strong Baptists.
This is what I know of Nahum, other than that his son, Joseph, sat out from New York within a few years of his father's death, to go to Cook County, Illinois, where he became a well to do man. Was Nahum also well to do? Inquiring minds would like to know!
The line of descent is:
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
When Nahum was born to Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook on April 2, 1781, the American Revolutionary War was still in progress. Amariah served several short terms of service during the war but it appears he was home for good by the time Nahum was born. Nahum was one of 9 children, the third oldest. However, he was still just 16 when his father died in 1797 nut he was apparently not required to have a guardian. Six of his siblings were so required, and Henry Holbrook was appointed to that job. Henry, doubtless an uncle or cousin of some sort, may also have informally kept an eye on Nahum. Nahum's inheritance from his father's small estate amount to twenty one dollars and twenty cents.
I've not located Nahum in the 1800 census unless he was one of the three males aged 16-25 living with Molly. On February 3, 1802, when he was 21 years old, he married Susanna Rockwood, who was the 24 year old daughter of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood. Levi died in 1806 and Deborah the following year, so perhaps there was enough money left from Levi's estate to allow the young Holbrook family to move to the area of Hartford, Washington County, New York. Several of Amariah and Molly's sons had gone there and stayed for various lengths of time. Nahum and Susannah stayed. They were there in the 1810 census, and the 1830 census. I haven't found them in the 1820 census or the 1840 census, but there is no reason to think they had left. Perhaps in 1840 they were already living with one or another of their children. Nahum and Susanna had seven children, some born in Bellingham and some in New York.
Nahum was a soldier during the War of 1814. He was a lieutenant in the 121st Regiment of the New York Militia, indicates he probably enlisted late in the war. He was paid from September 10 to September 25, 1814, which is precisely when the battle of Plattsburgh was fought. The actual date of the battle was September 11, so we don't know for sure that Nahum was involved, but I'm guessing that this one pay card is not the only one that was submitted; it's apparently the only one that survived. The following year, he was appointed captain of his unit, and apparently continued in some military capacity because in 1819 he was paid $46 for his work at courts martial in Washington County. The only other mention I've found of Nahum was in 1821, when he signed a letter asking the US Postmaster to remove the current postmaster, because he was a person of "vicious tendencies" who also didn't do his job, and replace him with another candidate.
Nahum died January 24, 1844 and Susanna died July 2, 1840. They are buried at the Old Adamsville Cemetery, Adamsville, Washington County, New York.
I haven't yet found Nahum's will or estate papers, which would be ever so helpful in figuring out whether he was able to pass on any wealth to his family. I don't know his occupation. I don't know his religion, although his parents were strong Baptists.
This is what I know of Nahum, other than that his son, Joseph, sat out from New York within a few years of his father's death, to go to Cook County, Illinois, where he became a well to do man. Was Nahum also well to do? Inquiring minds would like to know!
The line of descent is:
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Friday, May 17, 2019
Allen line: Samuel Hitchcock 1717-1777
I was getting frustrated. Why could I find so little information about Samuel? He lived in the same town, Springfield, Massachusetts, his whole life. He is a direct ancestor of Grover Cleveland, President of the United States. Why was the amount of information about him so limited? And then-jackpot! I found his estate papers on the American Ancestors website, and it was happy dance time.
But let's start at the beginning. Samuel Hitchcock was born June 9, 1717 in Springfield, Massachusetts, the son of Ensign John and Mary Ball Hitchcock. He was the youngest of their eleven children and may have been just the tiniest bit spoiled, although of course good New Englanders would not have "spoiled" their children. Since his name is in the records of the First Church (Congregational) of Springfield, we know that he had only two pastors for his entire life. Daniel Brewer was the pastor when he was born, and Robert Breck not only married Samuel and his wife, Ruth Stebbins, but also buried him. That's a pretty long record for pastoral longevity and it may be that the church was truly unified during all that time.
Samuel married just a few days past his 21st birthday, to Ruth Stebbins, daughter of Thomas and Mary Ely Stebbins. Ruth was either 16 or 17 when she married-records differ as to the year of the wedding, but it was either 1738 or 1739. The couple quickly settled into married life, and would eventually have twelve children together, all of whom lived to adulthood. Samuel's father died in 1751, when he received a "French gun" from his father, and Mary died in 1760.
That's pretty much what we know about Samuel from records I'd found. I'd begun to think that our Samuel was a "nobody", or rather, one of the ordinary people who live under the radar, without drawing notice either good or bad. I don't know whether he served in the French and Indian war, although because Springfield is located on the Connecticut river in Western Massachusetts, and because Samuel would have been less than 40 years old when the war started, it would be quite likely that he did serve then. It's one of my burning questions about Samuel.
I interrupt this blog post for a history geek moment. When I started looking at the estate papers, one cool thing is that in May of 1777, appraisers were appointed for the estate, a usual procedure and nothing unusual. By this time, the colonies were using printed forms, where only the name of the deceased and the names of the appraisers had to be added by hand. What's neat about this one is that the heading on the paper was printed "Province of Massachusetts". The justice of the peace had crossed out "Province of" and written "State of" on the form. This was less than a year after the Declaration of Independence, things were not going well for the colonists, and yet, Massachusetts, considered itself a state. It gave me a thrill chill to see that written out.
Samuel died April 22, 1777, after Ruth died in 1775. He died without a will, so perhaps it was a sudden illness or accident that took hiw life. The administrators of the estate didn't have an easy time of it. They had to divide the land that Samuel owned into 13 more or less equal tracts. Samuel, the oldest son got a double portion, and each of the other children got about 100 acres, although I don't think it was necessarily in nice neat squares. An added bonus: My Revolutionary War hero, Richard Falley, and his wife, Margaret Falley, along with several other Hitchcock children signed that they had received their portions. So I know those two ancestors, at least, were literate. Each child also received about 77 pounds, with son Samuel receiving a double portion of 154 pounds plus.
Interesting items in the inventory: One new beaver hatt, one grey wig, at least two pairs of silver knee buckles, about 15 books, including a Bible and hymnal, at least 20 different tracts of land, more farm animals than the typical "yeoman", although that is how Samuel is referred to in one document, quite a few household furnishings including "2 great chairs and 13 old chairs", 14 pewter plates and other pewterware, one fifth of a cider mill, a weaver's shop, and a lot of tools and farm implements. Clearly, although a yeoman who apparently didn't make many waves in town, Samuel did make money and was relatively well off in the town. His estate, before expenses, was valued at about 1300 pounds, and it took four appraisers a total of 17 man days to value everything they found.
It would be interesting to know what his neighbors thought of Samuel Hitchcock. Was he well regarded? Was he a nice man? Did he do his duty during the French and Indian war? Did the town perceive him as being rich, or greedy, or generous, or something in between? Was he a patriot during the earliest years of the Revolution? (I'll wager he was!) I've enjoyed getting to know a little bit about Samuel Hitchcock, and would love to know more!
The line of descent is"
Sanuel Hitchcok-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
But let's start at the beginning. Samuel Hitchcock was born June 9, 1717 in Springfield, Massachusetts, the son of Ensign John and Mary Ball Hitchcock. He was the youngest of their eleven children and may have been just the tiniest bit spoiled, although of course good New Englanders would not have "spoiled" their children. Since his name is in the records of the First Church (Congregational) of Springfield, we know that he had only two pastors for his entire life. Daniel Brewer was the pastor when he was born, and Robert Breck not only married Samuel and his wife, Ruth Stebbins, but also buried him. That's a pretty long record for pastoral longevity and it may be that the church was truly unified during all that time.
Samuel married just a few days past his 21st birthday, to Ruth Stebbins, daughter of Thomas and Mary Ely Stebbins. Ruth was either 16 or 17 when she married-records differ as to the year of the wedding, but it was either 1738 or 1739. The couple quickly settled into married life, and would eventually have twelve children together, all of whom lived to adulthood. Samuel's father died in 1751, when he received a "French gun" from his father, and Mary died in 1760.
That's pretty much what we know about Samuel from records I'd found. I'd begun to think that our Samuel was a "nobody", or rather, one of the ordinary people who live under the radar, without drawing notice either good or bad. I don't know whether he served in the French and Indian war, although because Springfield is located on the Connecticut river in Western Massachusetts, and because Samuel would have been less than 40 years old when the war started, it would be quite likely that he did serve then. It's one of my burning questions about Samuel.
I interrupt this blog post for a history geek moment. When I started looking at the estate papers, one cool thing is that in May of 1777, appraisers were appointed for the estate, a usual procedure and nothing unusual. By this time, the colonies were using printed forms, where only the name of the deceased and the names of the appraisers had to be added by hand. What's neat about this one is that the heading on the paper was printed "Province of Massachusetts". The justice of the peace had crossed out "Province of" and written "State of" on the form. This was less than a year after the Declaration of Independence, things were not going well for the colonists, and yet, Massachusetts, considered itself a state. It gave me a thrill chill to see that written out.
Samuel died April 22, 1777, after Ruth died in 1775. He died without a will, so perhaps it was a sudden illness or accident that took hiw life. The administrators of the estate didn't have an easy time of it. They had to divide the land that Samuel owned into 13 more or less equal tracts. Samuel, the oldest son got a double portion, and each of the other children got about 100 acres, although I don't think it was necessarily in nice neat squares. An added bonus: My Revolutionary War hero, Richard Falley, and his wife, Margaret Falley, along with several other Hitchcock children signed that they had received their portions. So I know those two ancestors, at least, were literate. Each child also received about 77 pounds, with son Samuel receiving a double portion of 154 pounds plus.
Interesting items in the inventory: One new beaver hatt, one grey wig, at least two pairs of silver knee buckles, about 15 books, including a Bible and hymnal, at least 20 different tracts of land, more farm animals than the typical "yeoman", although that is how Samuel is referred to in one document, quite a few household furnishings including "2 great chairs and 13 old chairs", 14 pewter plates and other pewterware, one fifth of a cider mill, a weaver's shop, and a lot of tools and farm implements. Clearly, although a yeoman who apparently didn't make many waves in town, Samuel did make money and was relatively well off in the town. His estate, before expenses, was valued at about 1300 pounds, and it took four appraisers a total of 17 man days to value everything they found.
It would be interesting to know what his neighbors thought of Samuel Hitchcock. Was he well regarded? Was he a nice man? Did he do his duty during the French and Indian war? Did the town perceive him as being rich, or greedy, or generous, or something in between? Was he a patriot during the earliest years of the Revolution? (I'll wager he was!) I've enjoyed getting to know a little bit about Samuel Hitchcock, and would love to know more!
The line of descent is"
Sanuel Hitchcok-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Holbrook line: James Amos 1721-1805
At first I was excited to realize I could write a blog post (maybe) about James Amos or Amoss. I had basic information about him, I've written about his father, and I've stood at the grave of his great granddaughter. I felt a personal connection to this man, who had Quaker ancestors and family, and was part of what was apparently a well respected family in Harford (then it was Baltimore) county, Maryland. And when I found that he was recognized as a patriot during the Revolutionary War, I thought there must be more to his story.
There is indeed more. Some of it is speculation, there is much I don't yet know, and some of it is cold, hard, hurtful facts. But it's family history and we need to know about it.
James Amos was born or baptized February 10, 1721 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was the son of William and Ann Mauldin Amoss (not sure exactly when the second "s" got dropped. I am finding it both ways in records). He married Hannah Clarke, daughter of Robert and Selina Smith Clarke, on January 22, 1739 at St George's Parish in Baltimore County, Maryland. This would put him slightly under 18 years old, which makes me think the 1721 birth date might actually be a baptismal or christening date, and he may have been a bit older than that. Hannah was also just slightly younger than 18 years old at the time of the marriage. Their first child was born about two years later, and they had seven known children together.
The family actually lived in what is now Harford County, Maryland, not far from the town of Joppa. Joppa was established as a "port of entry" city on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay. When it was founded in 1671, there was a good business there. Ships came to load tobacco and traded needed goods with the farmers there. It was actually the capital of Baltimore County until 1768, when the port at Joppa silted over and the advantages of Baltimore's port became more obvious. Fifty years later, there was almost nothing left of Joppa.
I think the Amos family lived outside of town, on one of the "plantations" that the area supported. The area was far enough east that it doesn't appear to have suffered during the French and Indian war, although it's possible that our ancestor, or his brothers, may have served in the militia and would have gone to the frontier to protect against violent incursions from the native Americans. This is my speculation only-I haven't found his name on any list as of yet. Other than that possibility, the Amos family probably just stayed put and raised their crops.
Of course, raising crops meant raising tobacco, and raising tobacco meant having either indentured servants or slaves, as labor for the crops. Sure enough, in the 1790 census Janes has 23 slaves and in the 1800 census he has (possibly) 14. I'm not sure what that column represents in the census but it seems that 14 represents the number of enslaved people. It may be that his land had become worn out and he was winding down farm operations by the year 1800. One wonders what happened to the others: were they sold, or did they die natural deaths, or what happened to them?
I've seen it noted that James Amos took the Oath of Fidelity required by the Colony of Maryland in 1778, which is the basis for his being listed as a patriot by the Daughters of the American Revolution. I've not seen the actual documentation for this, so I'm just putting it out there as a possibility.
The next word we have of him, other than that 1790 census, is also from 1790. Apparently the Amos family had fallen on hard times, because they were behind on their tax payments. James and two of his sons had sheriff's auctions threatened, which is sort of a good thing because we know a little about James's holdings in 1790. The Maryland Gazette of September 23, 1790 lists the properties in question as : one tract of land called James's Care, containing 135 acres; one other tract of land called Branston Ridge, containing 95 acres; part of one other tract of land called For Hills; one other trace of land called Shaw's Dependence, containing 12; and one other tract of land called Shaw's Privilege, containing 71 acres. So James had been acquiring land by bits and pieces, apparently, and now he was in a bit of trouble. Until I can find land records to review, I have no way of knowing whether he saved the land but my guess is that he did.
For a death date, I've seen everything from April 1, 1797 to sometime in 1805. I'm still searching for an accurate source to pin down the death date. If we take the 1797 date as correct, he was 76 years old when he died, which was old age at that time. Hannah is believed to have died about 1776, and it is possible that he married again, to a Martha Bradford.
Obviously there is much to learn about James Amos. There are stories to be told and and questions to be answered/ I would especially like to find his will or otherwise determine what happened to the slaves. For now, this is what I know about our ancestor, James Amos.
The line of descent is
James Amos-Hannah Clarke
Robert Amos Martha McComas
Robert Amos-Elizabeth Amos (yes, first cousins)
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is indeed more. Some of it is speculation, there is much I don't yet know, and some of it is cold, hard, hurtful facts. But it's family history and we need to know about it.
James Amos was born or baptized February 10, 1721 in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was the son of William and Ann Mauldin Amoss (not sure exactly when the second "s" got dropped. I am finding it both ways in records). He married Hannah Clarke, daughter of Robert and Selina Smith Clarke, on January 22, 1739 at St George's Parish in Baltimore County, Maryland. This would put him slightly under 18 years old, which makes me think the 1721 birth date might actually be a baptismal or christening date, and he may have been a bit older than that. Hannah was also just slightly younger than 18 years old at the time of the marriage. Their first child was born about two years later, and they had seven known children together.
The family actually lived in what is now Harford County, Maryland, not far from the town of Joppa. Joppa was established as a "port of entry" city on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay. When it was founded in 1671, there was a good business there. Ships came to load tobacco and traded needed goods with the farmers there. It was actually the capital of Baltimore County until 1768, when the port at Joppa silted over and the advantages of Baltimore's port became more obvious. Fifty years later, there was almost nothing left of Joppa.
I think the Amos family lived outside of town, on one of the "plantations" that the area supported. The area was far enough east that it doesn't appear to have suffered during the French and Indian war, although it's possible that our ancestor, or his brothers, may have served in the militia and would have gone to the frontier to protect against violent incursions from the native Americans. This is my speculation only-I haven't found his name on any list as of yet. Other than that possibility, the Amos family probably just stayed put and raised their crops.
Of course, raising crops meant raising tobacco, and raising tobacco meant having either indentured servants or slaves, as labor for the crops. Sure enough, in the 1790 census Janes has 23 slaves and in the 1800 census he has (possibly) 14. I'm not sure what that column represents in the census but it seems that 14 represents the number of enslaved people. It may be that his land had become worn out and he was winding down farm operations by the year 1800. One wonders what happened to the others: were they sold, or did they die natural deaths, or what happened to them?
I've seen it noted that James Amos took the Oath of Fidelity required by the Colony of Maryland in 1778, which is the basis for his being listed as a patriot by the Daughters of the American Revolution. I've not seen the actual documentation for this, so I'm just putting it out there as a possibility.
The next word we have of him, other than that 1790 census, is also from 1790. Apparently the Amos family had fallen on hard times, because they were behind on their tax payments. James and two of his sons had sheriff's auctions threatened, which is sort of a good thing because we know a little about James's holdings in 1790. The Maryland Gazette of September 23, 1790 lists the properties in question as : one tract of land called James's Care, containing 135 acres; one other tract of land called Branston Ridge, containing 95 acres; part of one other tract of land called For Hills; one other trace of land called Shaw's Dependence, containing 12; and one other tract of land called Shaw's Privilege, containing 71 acres. So James had been acquiring land by bits and pieces, apparently, and now he was in a bit of trouble. Until I can find land records to review, I have no way of knowing whether he saved the land but my guess is that he did.
For a death date, I've seen everything from April 1, 1797 to sometime in 1805. I'm still searching for an accurate source to pin down the death date. If we take the 1797 date as correct, he was 76 years old when he died, which was old age at that time. Hannah is believed to have died about 1776, and it is possible that he married again, to a Martha Bradford.
Obviously there is much to learn about James Amos. There are stories to be told and and questions to be answered/ I would especially like to find his will or otherwise determine what happened to the slaves. For now, this is what I know about our ancestor, James Amos.
The line of descent is
James Amos-Hannah Clarke
Robert Amos Martha McComas
Robert Amos-Elizabeth Amos (yes, first cousins)
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 10, 2019
Holbrook line: Abraham Foster, Immigrant Son
I wrote earlier about Reginald Foster, Abraham's father, but Abraham deserves a post of his own because he was 16, and almost a man, when he arrived with his father and mother, four brothers and two sisters. Abraham was born in April of 1622 in Exeter, Devonshire, England, the third child and first son. It must have been a happy day when he arrived! Unlike the stories of many of our English ancestors, Abraham didn't grow up in a small village or even a small town. Exeter was large enough to have its own cathedral, and old enough to trace its roots back at least to the Romans.
It's not clear why Reginald and Judith Foster, Abraha's parents, chose to leave England, nor exactly when they left. One story is that they left on an embargoed ship in 1638. They were in Ipswich, Essex COunty, Massachusetts by 1638, so perhaps they left even earlier than suspected. If they traveled on an embargoed ship, then they left England illegally and perhaps made a sop in another port in order to arrive in New England without questions being asked. It has also been suggested that perhaps he was part of the exiled Rev. John Wheelwright's party, but that group settled in what became Exeter, New Hampshire and there is no indication that the Fosters had any connections there. The Fosters probably came to America for both religious and economic reasons.
There is a bit of a controversy concerning Abraham's wife. Was she Lydia Burbank? Most genealogies say that was her name, but they are split on the identity of her parents. I am tentatively leaving her parents as John and Jemima (last name not known) Burbank, while noting that some believe her parents to be Caleb and Martha Burbank. To be Caleb's daughter, she would have had to marry at an exceptionally young age (11 to 14, depending on which source you choose). The Lydia Burbank who was born to John and Jemima was born in 1644, unless that is her baptismadate rather than her birth date. To my mind, the answer to her parentage is not yet clear. Abraham and Lydia's first known child, Ephraim, was born October 9, 1657, so probably Lydia was born before 1640 and perhaps earlier.
Abraham was not admitted to full communion with the church until 1676, when he was 58 years old. If he left England for religious reasons, why did it take so long for him to join the church, unless in fact he was a Wheelwright adherent? That is another mystery not yet solved. We know that Abraham was a yeoman, a farmer who owned land. His name is on a "rate" list from 1648, showing the ammount each resident needed to pay for the msalary of their "Leader", Major Denison. Abraham's share is 3 shillings. He was a witness in a court case in 1651, and in 1678 is on a list of people who had rights to the cow commons. That's not a lot of information to show who our ancestor was and what he did for the 73 years or so that he lived in Ipswich.
Abraham died without a will, at about his 90th year, on January 15, 1710-11. He had disposed of all of his lands to his sons, through deeds, and his inventory, if there was one, would have been very basic. So we don't know whether he was literate, we don't know what crops or animals he raised, other than he had rights to the commons, whether that was for hogs, sheep, or cows, and we don't know if he served in the militia although a good guess would be that he did. But we do know that he came to Massachusetts, married here, raised a family here, and contributed to the growth of the colony. For that, we are grateful.
The line of descent is:
Abraham Foster-Lydia probably Burbank
Abraham Foster-Mary Robinson
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
It's not clear why Reginald and Judith Foster, Abraha's parents, chose to leave England, nor exactly when they left. One story is that they left on an embargoed ship in 1638. They were in Ipswich, Essex COunty, Massachusetts by 1638, so perhaps they left even earlier than suspected. If they traveled on an embargoed ship, then they left England illegally and perhaps made a sop in another port in order to arrive in New England without questions being asked. It has also been suggested that perhaps he was part of the exiled Rev. John Wheelwright's party, but that group settled in what became Exeter, New Hampshire and there is no indication that the Fosters had any connections there. The Fosters probably came to America for both religious and economic reasons.
There is a bit of a controversy concerning Abraham's wife. Was she Lydia Burbank? Most genealogies say that was her name, but they are split on the identity of her parents. I am tentatively leaving her parents as John and Jemima (last name not known) Burbank, while noting that some believe her parents to be Caleb and Martha Burbank. To be Caleb's daughter, she would have had to marry at an exceptionally young age (11 to 14, depending on which source you choose). The Lydia Burbank who was born to John and Jemima was born in 1644, unless that is her baptismadate rather than her birth date. To my mind, the answer to her parentage is not yet clear. Abraham and Lydia's first known child, Ephraim, was born October 9, 1657, so probably Lydia was born before 1640 and perhaps earlier.
Abraham was not admitted to full communion with the church until 1676, when he was 58 years old. If he left England for religious reasons, why did it take so long for him to join the church, unless in fact he was a Wheelwright adherent? That is another mystery not yet solved. We know that Abraham was a yeoman, a farmer who owned land. His name is on a "rate" list from 1648, showing the ammount each resident needed to pay for the msalary of their "Leader", Major Denison. Abraham's share is 3 shillings. He was a witness in a court case in 1651, and in 1678 is on a list of people who had rights to the cow commons. That's not a lot of information to show who our ancestor was and what he did for the 73 years or so that he lived in Ipswich.
Abraham died without a will, at about his 90th year, on January 15, 1710-11. He had disposed of all of his lands to his sons, through deeds, and his inventory, if there was one, would have been very basic. So we don't know whether he was literate, we don't know what crops or animals he raised, other than he had rights to the commons, whether that was for hogs, sheep, or cows, and we don't know if he served in the militia although a good guess would be that he did. But we do know that he came to Massachusetts, married here, raised a family here, and contributed to the growth of the colony. For that, we are grateful.
The line of descent is:
Abraham Foster-Lydia probably Burbank
Abraham Foster-Mary Robinson
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Holbrook line: William Sumner, Immigrant
Sometimes there's not enough information about an ancestor to fill even a modest paragraph, and sometimes there is an overwhelming amount of information. I'd rather have the latter situation, and that is the case with William Sumner, immigrant during the Great Migration. We know who his parents were, we know who his wife was, we know his religion, we know his occupation and whether or not he was literate, we know where he settled, and we know his children.
His parents were Roger and Jane Franklin Sumner. Roger died in 1608, when William was about three years old, so he likely had a very limited recollection of his father. His mother married Marcus Brian a few years later, but he died in 1620. Roger was called a husbandman and William a yeoman, meaning they farmed. "Yeoman" is considered to be a higher economic status than husbandman, because a yeoman owned the land he farmed and a husbandman had just a lease on "his" land.
On October 22, 1625, William married Mary Swift, in Bicester, She was the sister of Thomas Swift but her parentage has not been determined. Four of the couple's seven children were born in England, but in 1634 William packed up his family, lock, stock and barrel, and traveled to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was in Dorchester by February of 1635, when he was allotted some marsh land. He probably arrived in 1634. He returned to England for a few months in 1649-1650 to handle some business related to his father's estaate, but other than that he stayed in Dorchester his whole life. I wonder if Mary told him "One and done"?
William and Mary (Maria) were admitted to the second Dorchester church on August 23, 1636 and WIlliam became a freeman on May 17, 1637. He was chosen as selectman of the town as early as 1637 and 1638, and then occasionally thereafter. Starting in 1661, he was a selectman more years than we was not, with the last selection in 1686. At various times he was also a deputy for Dorchester to the General Court, a livestock appraiser, the Dorchester commissioner to end small causes (sort of a justice of the peace), a lotlayer, fence viewer, bailiff, assessor, sergeant, and clerk of the trained company (militia). This man was heavily invested in public service.
William had a servant as early as 1636, because William Shepherd, servant to WIlliam Sumner, was to be whipped for stealing victuals from his master and beans from the Indians. The number of lashes is not indicated. We wonder if the family was having a hard time providing adequate food or whether Shepherd was trying to sell his ill-gotten goods. It could have been either scenario.
William acquired, both by grant and by purchase, several acres of land so that at his death in 1688 the land and house were appraised at 421 pounds. He also had 2 pounds of Bibles and books, and over 6 pounds worth of arms and ammunition. He may not have been considered wealthy, or even well to do, but he was certainly not counted among the poor of the town. At the time of his death, WIlliam had lived in Dorchester over 50 years. Mary preceded him in death, in 1676. There is no indication that she was killed in King Philip's War, and Dorchester was close enough to the coast that it seems more likely that she died a natural death.
I'd still love to know more about William, but my heart is happy knowing I have this much information. I'd love to be able to make these sketches zing, describing our ancestor's personality. I don't know if he had a sense of humor or was unrelentingly stern, and there is a lot more I'd like to know. But this information is a good starting point, and I am so glad to have it!
The line of descent is:
William Sumner-Mary Swift
Samuel Sumner-Rebecca Staples
Rebecca Sumner-Ephraim Wilson
Samuel Wilson-Elizabeth Hawes
Rebecca WIlson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
His parents were Roger and Jane Franklin Sumner. Roger died in 1608, when William was about three years old, so he likely had a very limited recollection of his father. His mother married Marcus Brian a few years later, but he died in 1620. Roger was called a husbandman and William a yeoman, meaning they farmed. "Yeoman" is considered to be a higher economic status than husbandman, because a yeoman owned the land he farmed and a husbandman had just a lease on "his" land.
On October 22, 1625, William married Mary Swift, in Bicester, She was the sister of Thomas Swift but her parentage has not been determined. Four of the couple's seven children were born in England, but in 1634 William packed up his family, lock, stock and barrel, and traveled to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was in Dorchester by February of 1635, when he was allotted some marsh land. He probably arrived in 1634. He returned to England for a few months in 1649-1650 to handle some business related to his father's estaate, but other than that he stayed in Dorchester his whole life. I wonder if Mary told him "One and done"?
William and Mary (Maria) were admitted to the second Dorchester church on August 23, 1636 and WIlliam became a freeman on May 17, 1637. He was chosen as selectman of the town as early as 1637 and 1638, and then occasionally thereafter. Starting in 1661, he was a selectman more years than we was not, with the last selection in 1686. At various times he was also a deputy for Dorchester to the General Court, a livestock appraiser, the Dorchester commissioner to end small causes (sort of a justice of the peace), a lotlayer, fence viewer, bailiff, assessor, sergeant, and clerk of the trained company (militia). This man was heavily invested in public service.
William had a servant as early as 1636, because William Shepherd, servant to WIlliam Sumner, was to be whipped for stealing victuals from his master and beans from the Indians. The number of lashes is not indicated. We wonder if the family was having a hard time providing adequate food or whether Shepherd was trying to sell his ill-gotten goods. It could have been either scenario.
William acquired, both by grant and by purchase, several acres of land so that at his death in 1688 the land and house were appraised at 421 pounds. He also had 2 pounds of Bibles and books, and over 6 pounds worth of arms and ammunition. He may not have been considered wealthy, or even well to do, but he was certainly not counted among the poor of the town. At the time of his death, WIlliam had lived in Dorchester over 50 years. Mary preceded him in death, in 1676. There is no indication that she was killed in King Philip's War, and Dorchester was close enough to the coast that it seems more likely that she died a natural death.
I'd still love to know more about William, but my heart is happy knowing I have this much information. I'd love to be able to make these sketches zing, describing our ancestor's personality. I don't know if he had a sense of humor or was unrelentingly stern, and there is a lot more I'd like to know. But this information is a good starting point, and I am so glad to have it!
The line of descent is:
William Sumner-Mary Swift
Samuel Sumner-Rebecca Staples
Rebecca Sumner-Ephraim Wilson
Samuel Wilson-Elizabeth Hawes
Rebecca WIlson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 3, 2019
Holbrook line: Abraham Newell abt 1581-1672 Immigrant
"Great Migration 1634-1635" by Robert Charles Anderson tells us almost everything we'd like to know about Abraham, except who his parents are, where he came from, the name of his wife, and whether or not he was in the military. On the military issue, I'm guessing probably not, as he was 50 years old when he arrived in Roxbury with his family, but I could be wrong about that. If he served, it would not have been for long, due to his age, but he probably was at least required to bear arms for a time.
Speculation (not by Anderson) is that he came from somewhere in Essex, but that is just a guess. We know that Abraham Newell was a tailor, and we know he arrived in Roxbury on the Frances of Ipswich, which sailed about April 30, 1634. He was admitted to the Roxbury church, where Rev. John Eliot taught, later that year as member 106, and was admitted as a freeman on March 4, 1634/5. His wife was admitted to the church in 1636 as member 154. It would be interesting to better understand the culture of Roxbury, as to why Abraham and his wife didn't join at the same time.
Abraham's wife is listed either as unknown or as Francis Foote, daughter of Robert and Joane Brooke Foote. The smoking gun evidence, as in documents, is so far lacking, but the arguments for this relationship are at least reasonable. Abraham may have been more than "just" a tailor, or else he had a head for business, even though he seems to have been illiterate (he always signed his name with a mark). He owned at least 10 pieces of property at one time. In the first inventory of land I found, taken sometime between 1636 and 1640, he already owned 22 acres. One wonders how Abraham supported his family and acquired so many land holdings, but perhaps we are limiting him by calling him a tailor. Perhaps he actually ran a shop and had people working under him, as "table monkeys" cutters, and finishers.
Abraham and possibly Francis had at least seven children together, including Jacob who was born on the voyage and Rebecca who was born at Roxbury. The family may have had one or more servants, because at one point his barn burned down and the blaze was said to have been started by "his girle". The house itself burned sometime prior to 1666, and his son Abraham built another house on the site.
His will and inventory give no hint of his occupation but by the time he died, shortly before June 21, 1672, he was about 91 years old. He may have disposed of his business, if such it was, by then. There were no weapons listed in his inventory, either, so perhaps he had passed whatever he had on to one of his sons by then. At his death, his estate was valued at just 23 pounds, 4 shillings, which did not include real estate. That had mostly already been given to his sons and son in law. "Old Mother Newell" lived until 1683 when she was "neere one hundred years old".
Aside from descriptions of the land he owned, this is pretty much what is known about Abraham Newell. The fact that he was so soon accepted into church membership and became a freeman so early signifies to me that he was known by other people in Roxbury, whether from his hometown or from shipboard friendships, or from Puritan church relationships. More than that is, again, speculation. At any rate, we can be proud of this tailor who came to America, got hit with some hard knocks here, and yet, survived to a good old age.
The line of descent is
Abraham Newell-Francis possibly Foote
Isaac Newell-Elizabeth Curtis
Sarah Newell-Nathaniel Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Speculation (not by Anderson) is that he came from somewhere in Essex, but that is just a guess. We know that Abraham Newell was a tailor, and we know he arrived in Roxbury on the Frances of Ipswich, which sailed about April 30, 1634. He was admitted to the Roxbury church, where Rev. John Eliot taught, later that year as member 106, and was admitted as a freeman on March 4, 1634/5. His wife was admitted to the church in 1636 as member 154. It would be interesting to better understand the culture of Roxbury, as to why Abraham and his wife didn't join at the same time.
Abraham's wife is listed either as unknown or as Francis Foote, daughter of Robert and Joane Brooke Foote. The smoking gun evidence, as in documents, is so far lacking, but the arguments for this relationship are at least reasonable. Abraham may have been more than "just" a tailor, or else he had a head for business, even though he seems to have been illiterate (he always signed his name with a mark). He owned at least 10 pieces of property at one time. In the first inventory of land I found, taken sometime between 1636 and 1640, he already owned 22 acres. One wonders how Abraham supported his family and acquired so many land holdings, but perhaps we are limiting him by calling him a tailor. Perhaps he actually ran a shop and had people working under him, as "table monkeys" cutters, and finishers.
Abraham and possibly Francis had at least seven children together, including Jacob who was born on the voyage and Rebecca who was born at Roxbury. The family may have had one or more servants, because at one point his barn burned down and the blaze was said to have been started by "his girle". The house itself burned sometime prior to 1666, and his son Abraham built another house on the site.
His will and inventory give no hint of his occupation but by the time he died, shortly before June 21, 1672, he was about 91 years old. He may have disposed of his business, if such it was, by then. There were no weapons listed in his inventory, either, so perhaps he had passed whatever he had on to one of his sons by then. At his death, his estate was valued at just 23 pounds, 4 shillings, which did not include real estate. That had mostly already been given to his sons and son in law. "Old Mother Newell" lived until 1683 when she was "neere one hundred years old".
Aside from descriptions of the land he owned, this is pretty much what is known about Abraham Newell. The fact that he was so soon accepted into church membership and became a freeman so early signifies to me that he was known by other people in Roxbury, whether from his hometown or from shipboard friendships, or from Puritan church relationships. More than that is, again, speculation. At any rate, we can be proud of this tailor who came to America, got hit with some hard knocks here, and yet, survived to a good old age.
The line of descent is
Abraham Newell-Francis possibly Foote
Isaac Newell-Elizabeth Curtis
Sarah Newell-Nathaniel Hawes
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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