Nicholas Cook is interesting to me because he was an early Baptist, yet was permitted to live in his hometowns without apparent harm or discrimination. He may or may not have known our ancestor Roger Williams, but he would surely have known of him, because Bellingham, Massachusetts, his final earthly home, was not far from Rhode Island. But I'm getting ahead of his story.
Nicholas was born February 9, 1659/60 to Walter Cook. His mother may have been Catherine Brenton. I look at all the reasons why Catherine is Nicholas's mother, and then I look at the arguments against it, and I just scratch my head. Walter was definitely married when Nicholas was born, and Nicholas is his son. He was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, where his father had settled before moving on to Mendon. Mendon was a large territory but not a higly populated town. In fact, Mendon had to be abandoned during King Philip's War. The settlers had already fled but the native Americans burned the small settlement anyway. Based on the reported birth locations of Walter's children, it appears that the family moved to Mendon sometime between 1664 and 666, so they were there perhaps 10 years before the war broke out.
Nicholas would have been about 16 years old as the war began, so he may or may not have been involved. I didn't find his name in the books "Soldiers in King Philip's War", so perhaps he was detailed to help care for the women and children, wherever they had gone. It would have been perhaps 40 miles for the family to travel back to Weymouth, but perhaps they did travel that far. We just don't know. and
Nicholas married Joanna Rockwood or Rocket, daughter of John and Joanna Ford Rockwood on November 11, 1684 in Mendon. Nicholas was about 25 and Joanna was just seventeen years old at the time. The couple set up housekeeping and had eeven children together, so Nicholas had much to do to keep these mouths fed, and Joanna was constantly busy, too. Nicholas is listed as a husbandman, so he owned land.
Mendon was founded in 1660, and it was much larger than its present boundaries at the time. One of the towns that it "birthed" was Bellingham, and that is where Nicholas and Joanna lived. Nicholas is considered one of the first two founders of the town, Both men (the other was Jacob Bartlett) were Baptists, but we don't know for sure whether they became Baptists after the town was formed, or whether they had formed their decisions earlier. Bellingham has been described as a town of Quakers and Baptists during its early years, so it must have attracted dissenters and protected them, too, as necessary.
Nicholas was chosen constable for his section of town in 1708, indicating he had a certain standing in the town. Joanna died two years later, and Nicholas had children to care for. The youngest was just three years old and the oldest about 20. Two years after Joanna's death, he married Mehitable Hayward Staples, widow of Abraham Staples. She had four children when she married, and the new couple had a son, so a large family became, in my way of thinking, enormous.
Nicholas died at Bellingham on December 1, 1730. For a husbandman, he had a sizable estate valued at 1200 pounds. I found his inventory, and there is discussion in the estate pages (found in Suffolk County) about how the estate should be divided. Nicholas didn't leave a will, so the court did the best they could with the division of land and property. Somehow the 1200 pounds worked out to about 79 pounds for each of the children, which may mean that Mehitable was still alive and got her widow's third.
Nicholas's inventory included 4 pieces of property, with the most highly valued being one that had his homestead on it. He had books valued at one pound, and militia arms, so he perhaps had not yet been excused from training duty. Most of his other inventory was either household goods or typical farming equipment, including several cattle of various types, swine, and sheep, as well as what were probably cash crops of grains.
I've been glad to make the very brief acquaintance of Nicholas. These men (and women) who stood up for their religious convictions fascinate me. What gave them the strength to resist government and peer pressure, to follow their own understanding of God's Word? Did they suffer for their stand?
The line of descent is:
Nicholas Cook-Joanna Rockwood
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
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
Friday, August 30, 2019
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Allen line: John Root "Junior" 1642-1687
One neat thing about writing genealogy blog posts is that as I research, I find new pieces of information that seem to have not shown up in other people's research. As I look at the dates that they posted, I can see that my new "finds" became available on line only after their posts were written. So it's a good reminder to us all to not take for granted that everything available has already been found. I'm sure earlier blog post writers would have loved to have had access to John Root's will and inventory, for instance. And they would have loved to have known about his military service. Both of these items weren't freely available just a few short years ago. Finding information about the son or daughter of an early immigrant is never easy, so I'm glad I've got a story here to tell.
John Root was born about 1642 at Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. His parents were John and Mary Kilbourne Roote, and he was one of at least eight children. His parents stayed in Farmington His parents did well financially and John Sr. was active in civic life, so John probably had a good start in life. We know nothing of his childhood but can imagine that he started doing chores at a young age and probably went to school for about three months out of the year, as that was typical for the time. Or perhaps his mother schooled him.
John married Mary Ashley, daughter of Robert and Mary Ashley on October 18, 1664 in Springfield, Massachusetts. John was noted as being of Farmington at the time and I've not yet found reference to where the young couple first settled. Their first known child, Mary, was born September 22, 1667 in Westfield, Massachusetts and that is where the couple lived their married life. (Westfield didn't legally exist until 1669, when it was split from Springfield, but it seems likely that the couple didn't actually move.) They lived on Union Street in Westfield, and John was a farmer.
We don't know much about their lives, actually, except that they had at least eight children. So Mary would have been kept quite busy as she raised the children. She had four girls to help her with the many household chores, and John had four boys to educate in some sort of occupation. And of course, there were future spouses to think of, to approve or disapprove.
John may have been ill or somehow injured, because when it came to King Philip's War in 1675, he was appointed commissary of the fort at Westfield. It doesn't appear that Westfield was actually attacked, but it may have been because the area was relatively well protected. John's job as commisary was to make sure that their were ample supplies and food for the soldiers, as well as for those families staying at the fort.
John became a freeman in 1669. He was appointed to a survey committee in 1668 and then about two years later the committee was dismissed and a new one was chosen. In 1684, he was a juror in the case of Elezer Weller. The verdict was that the man had died by suicide on August 17, 1684.
John apparently died rather suddenly on September 24, 1687. He did not have a will, and the appraisal wasn't done for another three years. By this time, the youngest child was about 8 years old and that may have something to do with it. Or, the oldest child was about 23 and may have been requesting his portion of the estate. The estate was valued at about 505 pounds, with 35 pounds owing so the net value was about 470 pounds. The widow was to have her choice of housing, and the children were each assigned a portion, with mathematical precision. The oldest son's share was more than the other children's but not double as was commonly the case.
The amazing part of John's story to me is actually that of his wife. Mary didn't remarry, despite having small children to raise. And, bless her heart, when she died in 1703, she left a will! Of course, being a woman, her will was overturned, but at least she tried. One thing that she had requested, but that apparently wasn't honored, was that her youngest daughter, fittingly named Mercy, be given a separate amount as payment for the three years that she had cared for her mother in her old age. The document signed by Samuel Partridge merely says there were "imperfections" in the will, and he re-distributed her estate. Her estate was valued at 170 pounds, and the inventory shows that she was still running an active household and farm, including farm animals, feed, and other things necessary for a household. She had Bibles and old books, and "specticles", which touched me. She also had a musket. I wonder if she ever used it, or knew how to use it?
While learning about John, I also learned about Mary, and oh, how I love her. I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is
John Root-Mary Ashley
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John Root was born about 1642 at Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. His parents were John and Mary Kilbourne Roote, and he was one of at least eight children. His parents stayed in Farmington His parents did well financially and John Sr. was active in civic life, so John probably had a good start in life. We know nothing of his childhood but can imagine that he started doing chores at a young age and probably went to school for about three months out of the year, as that was typical for the time. Or perhaps his mother schooled him.
John married Mary Ashley, daughter of Robert and Mary Ashley on October 18, 1664 in Springfield, Massachusetts. John was noted as being of Farmington at the time and I've not yet found reference to where the young couple first settled. Their first known child, Mary, was born September 22, 1667 in Westfield, Massachusetts and that is where the couple lived their married life. (Westfield didn't legally exist until 1669, when it was split from Springfield, but it seems likely that the couple didn't actually move.) They lived on Union Street in Westfield, and John was a farmer.
We don't know much about their lives, actually, except that they had at least eight children. So Mary would have been kept quite busy as she raised the children. She had four girls to help her with the many household chores, and John had four boys to educate in some sort of occupation. And of course, there were future spouses to think of, to approve or disapprove.
John may have been ill or somehow injured, because when it came to King Philip's War in 1675, he was appointed commissary of the fort at Westfield. It doesn't appear that Westfield was actually attacked, but it may have been because the area was relatively well protected. John's job as commisary was to make sure that their were ample supplies and food for the soldiers, as well as for those families staying at the fort.
John became a freeman in 1669. He was appointed to a survey committee in 1668 and then about two years later the committee was dismissed and a new one was chosen. In 1684, he was a juror in the case of Elezer Weller. The verdict was that the man had died by suicide on August 17, 1684.
John apparently died rather suddenly on September 24, 1687. He did not have a will, and the appraisal wasn't done for another three years. By this time, the youngest child was about 8 years old and that may have something to do with it. Or, the oldest child was about 23 and may have been requesting his portion of the estate. The estate was valued at about 505 pounds, with 35 pounds owing so the net value was about 470 pounds. The widow was to have her choice of housing, and the children were each assigned a portion, with mathematical precision. The oldest son's share was more than the other children's but not double as was commonly the case.
The amazing part of John's story to me is actually that of his wife. Mary didn't remarry, despite having small children to raise. And, bless her heart, when she died in 1703, she left a will! Of course, being a woman, her will was overturned, but at least she tried. One thing that she had requested, but that apparently wasn't honored, was that her youngest daughter, fittingly named Mercy, be given a separate amount as payment for the three years that she had cared for her mother in her old age. The document signed by Samuel Partridge merely says there were "imperfections" in the will, and he re-distributed her estate. Her estate was valued at 170 pounds, and the inventory shows that she was still running an active household and farm, including farm animals, feed, and other things necessary for a household. She had Bibles and old books, and "specticles", which touched me. She also had a musket. I wonder if she ever used it, or knew how to use it?
While learning about John, I also learned about Mary, and oh, how I love her. I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is
John Root-Mary Ashley
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
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, August 23, 2019
Holbrook line: Josiah Whittemore 1784-1870
When I started to research Josiah Whittemore, I thought I knew what story I would find. I thought I would find that he had served in the War of 1812. After all, he was of the right age, and lived in the right location. I'm still not convinced that he wouldn't have served, in some capacity, but I haven't found him in any of the dozen or so databases and lists I've checked. So, was he a closet British sympathizer? It doesn't seem likely, since both his father and his father in law had served in the Revolutionary War. Or did he have some sort of physical condition that prevented him from serving? Or was he considered crucial to the war effort, and therefore excused? So far, I have no answers to those questions.
I do know that Josiah was born in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on October 28, 1784. I don't yet have documentation for that but I do have records showing he was baptized there on May 29, 1785, the son of Josiah and Lucy Whittemore. Lucy was Lucy Snow, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Stevens Snow. Leominster had a population of 1189 in the 1790 US census, so this was very much a small town. Josiah was one of eleven children so it is easy to see why his father quickly remarried, after his mother died when Josiah was about 10 years old. His stepmother was Martha Purkhurst Rider, widowed herself, and she and Josiah had four more children. So it was one big and we hope happy family.
Well, perhaps the family wasn't all that fappy, or perhaps Josiah just wanted to strike out on his own. In 1805 we find him in Mooers, Clinton County, New York, where (probably) he married Betsy Foster, the daughter of Jude and Lydia maiden name unknown Foster. Jude had died in 1787 so both Josiah and Betsy knew loss as young children. Josiah and Betsy had 9 children together.
Josiah was a farmer by occupation, and soon after their marriage the young couple moved to Hartford, Washington County, New York. Josiah is shown there in several censuses up to 1850, when he was shown in the household of Josiah Whittemore, his son, in Clinton, Erie County, New York. His wife Betsy didn't die until 1854, so I can only guess that Josiah had left Betsy in the care of sy died his son John (she is listed in his household in the 1850 census) while Josiah went across the state to help his son Josiah with farming chores. Betsy died March 13, 1854, and Josiah was living with son John in Hartford, Washington County when the state census was taken in 1855. He is listed as a farmer, so he was probably helping John as best he could. By this time, he was 71 years old. The census does state that Josiah had lived in Hartford for 48 years, and this is where he voted so apparently the 1850 census report from Erie County supports the idea that he was there for a brief visit of some sort.
Josiah lived until May 17, 1870, by which time his residence was listed as "South Hartford". I haven't found a will or estate papers, nor have I found land records to help us locate the Whittemore farm. But I have found a family man who cared enough to cross the state to help his son, and that is more than I knew when I started this post. Josiah Whittemore was apparently another of our quiet ancestors, but perhaps I will someday learn more of his story.
The line of descent is
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Myers
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
I do know that Josiah was born in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts, on October 28, 1784. I don't yet have documentation for that but I do have records showing he was baptized there on May 29, 1785, the son of Josiah and Lucy Whittemore. Lucy was Lucy Snow, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Stevens Snow. Leominster had a population of 1189 in the 1790 US census, so this was very much a small town. Josiah was one of eleven children so it is easy to see why his father quickly remarried, after his mother died when Josiah was about 10 years old. His stepmother was Martha Purkhurst Rider, widowed herself, and she and Josiah had four more children. So it was one big and we hope happy family.
Well, perhaps the family wasn't all that fappy, or perhaps Josiah just wanted to strike out on his own. In 1805 we find him in Mooers, Clinton County, New York, where (probably) he married Betsy Foster, the daughter of Jude and Lydia maiden name unknown Foster. Jude had died in 1787 so both Josiah and Betsy knew loss as young children. Josiah and Betsy had 9 children together.
Josiah was a farmer by occupation, and soon after their marriage the young couple moved to Hartford, Washington County, New York. Josiah is shown there in several censuses up to 1850, when he was shown in the household of Josiah Whittemore, his son, in Clinton, Erie County, New York. His wife Betsy didn't die until 1854, so I can only guess that Josiah had left Betsy in the care of sy died his son John (she is listed in his household in the 1850 census) while Josiah went across the state to help his son Josiah with farming chores. Betsy died March 13, 1854, and Josiah was living with son John in Hartford, Washington County when the state census was taken in 1855. He is listed as a farmer, so he was probably helping John as best he could. By this time, he was 71 years old. The census does state that Josiah had lived in Hartford for 48 years, and this is where he voted so apparently the 1850 census report from Erie County supports the idea that he was there for a brief visit of some sort.
Josiah lived until May 17, 1870, by which time his residence was listed as "South Hartford". I haven't found a will or estate papers, nor have I found land records to help us locate the Whittemore farm. But I have found a family man who cared enough to cross the state to help his son, and that is more than I knew when I started this post. Josiah Whittemore was apparently another of our quiet ancestors, but perhaps I will someday learn more of his story.
The line of descent is
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Myers
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Beeks line: Felix Weiss, Immigrant
Much of this post will be speculation, especially regarding his early years. I am throwing this out for amy historians who may recognize Felix and say "I know this man!" and be able to help correct whatever inaccuracies are in this blog post. Some of it I am quite sure about but the early years are very murky indeed. There is at least one story that needs to be told now, and if we never get answers to our questions then at least we know this much.
First, entirelyl speculative, is the possibility that Felix came from Switzerland. There is a record of Felix Wyss, carpenter, and also Conrad Wyss, cooper, leaving the Parish of Affoltern, Mt. Albis (also seen as Affoltern arm Albis), which was about 8 miles southwest of Zurich. Felix came with his wife, Anna Huber and five little children, Anna, Hans Heinrich, Hans Jacob, Johannes, and Heinrich, and he was listed as a carpenter. Conrad, who may have been likely a relation of some sort, came on the same ship with his wife Barbara Dupa and four young children.
If this was our Felix, then more of his tree is available to us and we can likely go back several generations. .
I'll get the cart ahead of the horse here for a little bit and say that the records showing Felix as having died in 1779 in Monroe County, Pa are a bit misleading. Monroe County wasn't formed until 1836. At the time our Felix lived there, it was Northampton County, and it was very much frontier country. So most of our records are found in Northampton County, and as always, we wish for more.
Felix apparently led a hard life as I have not yet found him on tax rolls for Northumberland County. He may have been devastated by the French and Indian War and subsequent harassment (a kind word) by native Americans. The one record I've found with his name on it is from September of 1763. In it, he was a petitioner to the government, asking for help against the native Americans. It was written from Brinker's Mill to Mr. Horsfield and the petiotioners were 18 men , "the neighbors that are now living or rather staying here at this present time". The petitioners asked for soldiers to be placed at Jacob Brinker's Mill, "the people have been driven from their houses, their livelihoods destroyed by savages; they gladly returned to their homes , their desolate habitations, so they coudl use the mill and almost forgot their woes but now, every day, they were 'exposed to the unmerciful hands of these savages just at our backs". Only half the men had even one chrge of powder or lead, God was their only protection, "Please place soldiers at the mill." We have no idea of the stresses and fears that our families lived under. These fears were very real, as several families from this area were massacred before the area was truly settled.
The mill is located on McMichaels creek in what is now Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, so this gives us a general location of where Felix and his family lived. The current stone building was actually built about 1800, but there was a log mill there for 50 years prior to the "new" construction, and this would have been the location where Jacob, along with 17 others, signed the petition. Most of the names on the petition are either German or Swiss.
Felix died in 1779 in what is now Hamilton Township, Monroe County.
Here's another problem with this man. Our Felix is given an approximate birth date of 1720, but other records show a Felix born in 1703. Were there two Felix Weiss's? Were they related? Confounding the mystery is that our Felix's wife is shown as Anna Maria Van Buskirk, but...someone with the same purported birth date is shown on Find a Grave, which is somewhat unreliable or at least incomplete, as actually being a Weiss first and then a Van Buskirk. Was this Anna Huber, then Weiss, then van Buskirk? The dates are a problem, or were the names a pure coincidence? These Felixes, and Annas, have me confused, so don't take this as written in stone. It's written in sand, waiting for the complete facts to emerge.
The possible line of descent is:
Felix Weiss-Anna
Johan Jacob Wise-Charlotte Raub
Andrew Wise-Mary Serfass
David Wise-Matilda Martin
Elizabeth Wise-John Beeks
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
First, entirelyl speculative, is the possibility that Felix came from Switzerland. There is a record of Felix Wyss, carpenter, and also Conrad Wyss, cooper, leaving the Parish of Affoltern, Mt. Albis (also seen as Affoltern arm Albis), which was about 8 miles southwest of Zurich. Felix came with his wife, Anna Huber and five little children, Anna, Hans Heinrich, Hans Jacob, Johannes, and Heinrich, and he was listed as a carpenter. Conrad, who may have been likely a relation of some sort, came on the same ship with his wife Barbara Dupa and four young children.
If this was our Felix, then more of his tree is available to us and we can likely go back several generations. .
I'll get the cart ahead of the horse here for a little bit and say that the records showing Felix as having died in 1779 in Monroe County, Pa are a bit misleading. Monroe County wasn't formed until 1836. At the time our Felix lived there, it was Northampton County, and it was very much frontier country. So most of our records are found in Northampton County, and as always, we wish for more.
Felix apparently led a hard life as I have not yet found him on tax rolls for Northumberland County. He may have been devastated by the French and Indian War and subsequent harassment (a kind word) by native Americans. The one record I've found with his name on it is from September of 1763. In it, he was a petitioner to the government, asking for help against the native Americans. It was written from Brinker's Mill to Mr. Horsfield and the petiotioners were 18 men , "the neighbors that are now living or rather staying here at this present time". The petitioners asked for soldiers to be placed at Jacob Brinker's Mill, "the people have been driven from their houses, their livelihoods destroyed by savages; they gladly returned to their homes , their desolate habitations, so they coudl use the mill and almost forgot their woes but now, every day, they were 'exposed to the unmerciful hands of these savages just at our backs". Only half the men had even one chrge of powder or lead, God was their only protection, "Please place soldiers at the mill." We have no idea of the stresses and fears that our families lived under. These fears were very real, as several families from this area were massacred before the area was truly settled.
The mill is located on McMichaels creek in what is now Hamilton Township, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, so this gives us a general location of where Felix and his family lived. The current stone building was actually built about 1800, but there was a log mill there for 50 years prior to the "new" construction, and this would have been the location where Jacob, along with 17 others, signed the petition. Most of the names on the petition are either German or Swiss.
Felix died in 1779 in what is now Hamilton Township, Monroe County.
Here's another problem with this man. Our Felix is given an approximate birth date of 1720, but other records show a Felix born in 1703. Were there two Felix Weiss's? Were they related? Confounding the mystery is that our Felix's wife is shown as Anna Maria Van Buskirk, but...someone with the same purported birth date is shown on Find a Grave, which is somewhat unreliable or at least incomplete, as actually being a Weiss first and then a Van Buskirk. Was this Anna Huber, then Weiss, then van Buskirk? The dates are a problem, or were the names a pure coincidence? These Felixes, and Annas, have me confused, so don't take this as written in stone. It's written in sand, waiting for the complete facts to emerge.
The possible line of descent is:
Felix Weiss-Anna
Johan Jacob Wise-Charlotte Raub
Andrew Wise-Mary Serfass
David Wise-Matilda Martin
Elizabeth Wise-John Beeks
Wilbur Beeks-Cleo Aldridge
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Friday, August 16, 2019
Harshbarger line: Conrad Mentzer 1799-1880
First, let me give much credit where much credit is due: Much of the material in this blog post was located by a distant cousin to my husband, Anne M Caston. I had bits and pieces, (most of the census records) but she has found much more. Anne, I certainly appreciate you and would love to meet you some time!
Second, let me say that census takers, church pastors, and transcribers, among others, have made it immensely difficult to trace this man. I don't know of many other people, in our families, who have had their surnames spelled in so many different ways. except for possibly his wife's surname. It's no wonder that it has taken more than one person to figure this much out. I hope someone, sometime, will see this post and be willing to join us in our search.
And third, it helps not at all that there was another Conrad Mentzer born in 1799, who is mostly documented in Washington County, Maryland. That Conrad is not ours and he is not very closely related to this Conrad Mentzer.
And as always, despite fairly good records and documentation, there is still much we don't know about Conrad, such as the minor detail of the identity of his mother, and what he was doing in 1820, and of course the always present question of "Why?" In this case, my big "Why" is "Why did you move to Stark County, Ohio, and why move when you did?"
So let's start with what we know. Conrad Mentzer was born March 25, 1799 and baptized June 16, 1799 at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, Brickerville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John and Margreth (Margaret) Mentzer, and he was one of eleven children born to the couple. Our first record of him as an adult is on August 29, 1819 in the same church, when he married Elizabeth Tullepan/Dulibon and various other spellings. The next record is the 1820 census in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he is listed as being a while male, aged 16-25, living with a white female aged 16-25, and one female unger age 10. This would be their first daughter, Leah, who was born November 6, 1819. The young couple certainly had very little time to spend together before their family started arriving. In the 1820 census, Conrad is listed as being in "manufacture" rather than agriculture or commerce. I'd love to know what he was doing!
There is a reference to a Conrad Mentzer who owned land in Clay Township in Lancaster County Pennsylvania in 1828 but I am not sure that this is our Conrad. John Mentzer had died in 1821 so it's possible that Conrad was able to purchase land there. Clay Township was not formed until 1853 and is right next door to Elizabeth Township, so possibly this is our guy. He was listed in 1830 as living in Elizabeth township. By this time, he was in the male 30-39 column, Elizabeth was in the 30-39 age column, and there were one male aged 5-9 (Joel), 2 females under 5 (Susan and Catherine), one female aged 5-9 (Caroline), and one female aged 10-14 (Leah). If the couple had additional children, he or she was born and died between the census years.
Interestingly, the name above Conrad's name in the 1830 census is that of Margaret Mentzer, who is between the ages of 60 and 70, and who had two males living with her, aged 15-20 and one female aged 20-30. This was likely the mysterious Margreth/Margaret, mother of Conrad. I don't yet have a death date for Margaret, but one wonders if she had died, or gone to live with one of the older children, soon after this.
We don't know exactly when the Mentzer family moved to Stark County, Ohio but Conrad purchased land there, with a recorded date of May 17, 1831. He paid $400 for 80 acres of land, which showed the price of inflation in just a few short years. Earlier, land in this area was going for $1.50 an acre. He may have been there that year and cleared land or/and planted crops, with or without his family. Elizabeth had her hands full, whenever she arrived, and we can bet that daughters Leah and Caroline helped watch the younger children when they weren't helping Elizabeth with chores.
The 1840 census shows "Coaured Mincer" living in Franklin Township, Summit County. By now, the children were older, but all except Leah still at home. It appears that Franklin Township, Summit County, may have been very close to Elizabeth Township, Stark County. If Conrad sold his land in Elizabeth township, we've not yet found record of it. It's possible that township boundaries were still not settled, or that the census taker simply got it wrong. Of special note is that there was no mention of Elizabeth. Divorce records should be checked as a precaution, which I haven't done yet, but it's probably a safe assumption that she had died, after less than 20 years of marriage.
By 1850 Conrad was back in Jackson Township, Stark County, with wife Elizabeth. Except, it was a different Elizabeth. In 1843 he married Elizabeth Balmore Treesh or Trisch, and they were married until Conrad's death in 1880. This Elizabeth, then, was Catherine Mentzer Harshbarger's stepmother for much longer than her mother had been able to mother her. We have record of Conrad on the agricultural schedule for 1850. He is reported as having 30 acres of improved land and 25 acres of unimproved land, valued at $1500. His farm implements were valued at $30, so probably not much more than a plow. He had three horses, three milch cows, one other cattle, six sheep, and three swine. In the preceding year, he had produced 100 bushels of wheat, 50 bushels of Indian corn, and 25 bushels of oats.
We haven't found him in the 1860 census yet, but in 1870 he was in Jackson Township, Stark County, and is still listed as a farmer. However, there is no value listed for his farm, but it seems that he still onwed land because there is a later record of a land transfer (after his death) from Conrad to Henry Caston, a son in law. In 1880, he is listed on the census as a retired farmer, and it's noted that his wife couldn't read or write, so by implication he could do so That is the last record of Conrad until his death on December 16, 1880. There was no probate until 1883, as far as I can tell, and I am not sure where the death date comes from. Elizabeth apparently lived longer, but I am not sure of her death date. There was another Elizabeth Mentzer (maiden name Essig) who died in Masillon, Stark County in 1896, and it's possible that the 1896 death death for Eliabeth Balmore Trisch Mentzer is earlier.
Things about Conrad I wish I knew:
Name of his mother
Date of first wife's death or divorce
Church attended in Stark County
Death date, or where this date came from
Burial location
Was he a happy person?
The line of descent is:
Conrad Mentzer-Elizabeth Tullepan
Catherine Mentzer-Lewis Harshbarger
Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Harter
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Second, let me say that census takers, church pastors, and transcribers, among others, have made it immensely difficult to trace this man. I don't know of many other people, in our families, who have had their surnames spelled in so many different ways. except for possibly his wife's surname. It's no wonder that it has taken more than one person to figure this much out. I hope someone, sometime, will see this post and be willing to join us in our search.
And third, it helps not at all that there was another Conrad Mentzer born in 1799, who is mostly documented in Washington County, Maryland. That Conrad is not ours and he is not very closely related to this Conrad Mentzer.
And as always, despite fairly good records and documentation, there is still much we don't know about Conrad, such as the minor detail of the identity of his mother, and what he was doing in 1820, and of course the always present question of "Why?" In this case, my big "Why" is "Why did you move to Stark County, Ohio, and why move when you did?"
So let's start with what we know. Conrad Mentzer was born March 25, 1799 and baptized June 16, 1799 at the Emanuel Lutheran Church, Brickerville, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. His parents were John and Margreth (Margaret) Mentzer, and he was one of eleven children born to the couple. Our first record of him as an adult is on August 29, 1819 in the same church, when he married Elizabeth Tullepan/Dulibon and various other spellings. The next record is the 1820 census in Elizabeth Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he is listed as being a while male, aged 16-25, living with a white female aged 16-25, and one female unger age 10. This would be their first daughter, Leah, who was born November 6, 1819. The young couple certainly had very little time to spend together before their family started arriving. In the 1820 census, Conrad is listed as being in "manufacture" rather than agriculture or commerce. I'd love to know what he was doing!
There is a reference to a Conrad Mentzer who owned land in Clay Township in Lancaster County Pennsylvania in 1828 but I am not sure that this is our Conrad. John Mentzer had died in 1821 so it's possible that Conrad was able to purchase land there. Clay Township was not formed until 1853 and is right next door to Elizabeth Township, so possibly this is our guy. He was listed in 1830 as living in Elizabeth township. By this time, he was in the male 30-39 column, Elizabeth was in the 30-39 age column, and there were one male aged 5-9 (Joel), 2 females under 5 (Susan and Catherine), one female aged 5-9 (Caroline), and one female aged 10-14 (Leah). If the couple had additional children, he or she was born and died between the census years.
Interestingly, the name above Conrad's name in the 1830 census is that of Margaret Mentzer, who is between the ages of 60 and 70, and who had two males living with her, aged 15-20 and one female aged 20-30. This was likely the mysterious Margreth/Margaret, mother of Conrad. I don't yet have a death date for Margaret, but one wonders if she had died, or gone to live with one of the older children, soon after this.
We don't know exactly when the Mentzer family moved to Stark County, Ohio but Conrad purchased land there, with a recorded date of May 17, 1831. He paid $400 for 80 acres of land, which showed the price of inflation in just a few short years. Earlier, land in this area was going for $1.50 an acre. He may have been there that year and cleared land or/and planted crops, with or without his family. Elizabeth had her hands full, whenever she arrived, and we can bet that daughters Leah and Caroline helped watch the younger children when they weren't helping Elizabeth with chores.
The 1840 census shows "Coaured Mincer" living in Franklin Township, Summit County. By now, the children were older, but all except Leah still at home. It appears that Franklin Township, Summit County, may have been very close to Elizabeth Township, Stark County. If Conrad sold his land in Elizabeth township, we've not yet found record of it. It's possible that township boundaries were still not settled, or that the census taker simply got it wrong. Of special note is that there was no mention of Elizabeth. Divorce records should be checked as a precaution, which I haven't done yet, but it's probably a safe assumption that she had died, after less than 20 years of marriage.
By 1850 Conrad was back in Jackson Township, Stark County, with wife Elizabeth. Except, it was a different Elizabeth. In 1843 he married Elizabeth Balmore Treesh or Trisch, and they were married until Conrad's death in 1880. This Elizabeth, then, was Catherine Mentzer Harshbarger's stepmother for much longer than her mother had been able to mother her. We have record of Conrad on the agricultural schedule for 1850. He is reported as having 30 acres of improved land and 25 acres of unimproved land, valued at $1500. His farm implements were valued at $30, so probably not much more than a plow. He had three horses, three milch cows, one other cattle, six sheep, and three swine. In the preceding year, he had produced 100 bushels of wheat, 50 bushels of Indian corn, and 25 bushels of oats.
We haven't found him in the 1860 census yet, but in 1870 he was in Jackson Township, Stark County, and is still listed as a farmer. However, there is no value listed for his farm, but it seems that he still onwed land because there is a later record of a land transfer (after his death) from Conrad to Henry Caston, a son in law. In 1880, he is listed on the census as a retired farmer, and it's noted that his wife couldn't read or write, so by implication he could do so That is the last record of Conrad until his death on December 16, 1880. There was no probate until 1883, as far as I can tell, and I am not sure where the death date comes from. Elizabeth apparently lived longer, but I am not sure of her death date. There was another Elizabeth Mentzer (maiden name Essig) who died in Masillon, Stark County in 1896, and it's possible that the 1896 death death for Eliabeth Balmore Trisch Mentzer is earlier.
Things about Conrad I wish I knew:
Name of his mother
Date of first wife's death or divorce
Church attended in Stark County
Death date, or where this date came from
Burial location
Was he a happy person?
The line of descent is:
Conrad Mentzer-Elizabeth Tullepan
Catherine Mentzer-Lewis Harshbarger
Emmanuel Harshbarger-Clara Harter
Grover Harshbarger-Goldie Withers
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Margaret Beeks
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Allen line: Lucretia Oldham Brewster 1600-1678
I've written before of how hard it is to learn the stories of our female ancestors. Usually we are lucky to find a birthdate, a marriage date, and a death date. Sometimes all we know of our grandmothers is their first name, sometimes just the last name of their first husband, and sometimes nothing at all.
With this ancestor, we have just a little bit more. We have a few phrases that tell us quite a bit about her. And for that, I declare this "Happy Genealogy Dance" day, for whenever you happen to read this blog post.
Here are the "normal" facts for Lucretia. She was born about January 14, 1600/1601, which is actually her christening date, in Derby, Derbyshire, England. Some sources say she was born ten days earlier. She was christened at All Saints Church in Derby, and her parents were William and Philippa Sowter Oldham. We don't know what William's occupation was but Philippa was the daughter of a butcher, so it is likely that William wasn't a man of great means.
Lucretia arrived in Plymouth Colony in July of 1623 on the ship Anne with her brother John Oldham. We don't know what motivated her to come to the new colony. Did she come to keep house for her brother, or to accept another position as servant here, or was she simply an adventurous lady who wanted to see more of the world than Derby? She was 23 years old when she arrived here, and apparently had acquired some education because she is referred to later in life as a "doctoress, nurse, and midwife".
From my reading, I think this also implies that she was something of an herbalist. Nurses and midwives are frequently portrayed in both fiction and non-fiction about colonial times, as women who gathered and processed herbs to use in medicines and teas, many of which were surprisingly effective. I'd love to know where she got this knowledge, especially since many of the plants she would have relied on were native to New England and not known in England at all. Did some of the native American women share there knowledge with her? It's not a far-fetched idea, since there were few English women in the colony, and since her husband traded with the Indians.
Oh, yes, her husband...She married Jonathan Brewster, oldest son of Elder William and Mary Brewster, in April 10, 1624 in Plymouth Colony. She must have been a respectable woman, to be approved by her new in-laws, and probably she was considered a "catch", too. I need to acknowledge that their were few single women in the colony by 1624, but even so... Jonathan was a widower with no children, and was an ambitious, curious, probably very interesting man, so the two probably complemented each other.
Jonathan and Lucretia had eight children together. They lived in Duxbury for a time while Jonathan built up his business, which involved trading along the coast line as far south as Virginia, as well as running a ferry service and acting as a surveyor for the colony. He also helped operate a trading post with the Indians, set up on the Connecticut River just north of the Dutch trading post which had been set up for the same purpose. After the couple had been married about 25 years, Jonathan suffered some financial reverses (I am not sure what they were, perhaps he lost a ship in a storm or perhaps it was something else) and he had to sell his Plymouth and Duxbury properties.
The couple soon went to Norwich, Connecticut in 1649, when Jonathan set up a trading post with the Indians. All this time, Jonathan had been interested in alchemy and he was now closer to John Winthrop the Younger, who was deeply involved in the same research. It is easy to imagine that Lucretia worked with him on his experiments, except that there is reference that his wife and family knew nothing of this part of his life (it was highly secretive work). Regardless, there may have been books involved that Lucretia consulted for her own use.
In Norwich, in the part known as Preston, Lucretia was well-respected. She is referred to as "Mrs." or "Mistress", which was above the rank of "goodwife". She witnessed at least one will, although we don't know whether this was for one of her patients or not. Women seldom were recognized as witnesses for wills but she had a reputation that allowed this.
I like to think about Lucretia. She was a mother of eight and yet gave herself to her community. I wonder how many pregnancies she attended as a midwife? It's quite possible that she was the midwife at the birth of some of our other ancestors, so we owe her a double dose of honor and respect.
Jonathan died October 7, 1659 and Lucretia died about 20 years later, on October 4, 1678/79. She had not remarried, but had remained a widow for all her remaining days. What a legacy she left her family, of faith and hard work, of faithfulness and servanthood. It is an honor to be able to share a little of her story with you.
The line of descent is
Lucretia Oldham-Jonathan Brewster
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth "Betsy" Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
With this ancestor, we have just a little bit more. We have a few phrases that tell us quite a bit about her. And for that, I declare this "Happy Genealogy Dance" day, for whenever you happen to read this blog post.
Here are the "normal" facts for Lucretia. She was born about January 14, 1600/1601, which is actually her christening date, in Derby, Derbyshire, England. Some sources say she was born ten days earlier. She was christened at All Saints Church in Derby, and her parents were William and Philippa Sowter Oldham. We don't know what William's occupation was but Philippa was the daughter of a butcher, so it is likely that William wasn't a man of great means.
Lucretia arrived in Plymouth Colony in July of 1623 on the ship Anne with her brother John Oldham. We don't know what motivated her to come to the new colony. Did she come to keep house for her brother, or to accept another position as servant here, or was she simply an adventurous lady who wanted to see more of the world than Derby? She was 23 years old when she arrived here, and apparently had acquired some education because she is referred to later in life as a "doctoress, nurse, and midwife".
From my reading, I think this also implies that she was something of an herbalist. Nurses and midwives are frequently portrayed in both fiction and non-fiction about colonial times, as women who gathered and processed herbs to use in medicines and teas, many of which were surprisingly effective. I'd love to know where she got this knowledge, especially since many of the plants she would have relied on were native to New England and not known in England at all. Did some of the native American women share there knowledge with her? It's not a far-fetched idea, since there were few English women in the colony, and since her husband traded with the Indians.
Oh, yes, her husband...She married Jonathan Brewster, oldest son of Elder William and Mary Brewster, in April 10, 1624 in Plymouth Colony. She must have been a respectable woman, to be approved by her new in-laws, and probably she was considered a "catch", too. I need to acknowledge that their were few single women in the colony by 1624, but even so... Jonathan was a widower with no children, and was an ambitious, curious, probably very interesting man, so the two probably complemented each other.
Jonathan and Lucretia had eight children together. They lived in Duxbury for a time while Jonathan built up his business, which involved trading along the coast line as far south as Virginia, as well as running a ferry service and acting as a surveyor for the colony. He also helped operate a trading post with the Indians, set up on the Connecticut River just north of the Dutch trading post which had been set up for the same purpose. After the couple had been married about 25 years, Jonathan suffered some financial reverses (I am not sure what they were, perhaps he lost a ship in a storm or perhaps it was something else) and he had to sell his Plymouth and Duxbury properties.
The couple soon went to Norwich, Connecticut in 1649, when Jonathan set up a trading post with the Indians. All this time, Jonathan had been interested in alchemy and he was now closer to John Winthrop the Younger, who was deeply involved in the same research. It is easy to imagine that Lucretia worked with him on his experiments, except that there is reference that his wife and family knew nothing of this part of his life (it was highly secretive work). Regardless, there may have been books involved that Lucretia consulted for her own use.
In Norwich, in the part known as Preston, Lucretia was well-respected. She is referred to as "Mrs." or "Mistress", which was above the rank of "goodwife". She witnessed at least one will, although we don't know whether this was for one of her patients or not. Women seldom were recognized as witnesses for wills but she had a reputation that allowed this.
I like to think about Lucretia. She was a mother of eight and yet gave herself to her community. I wonder how many pregnancies she attended as a midwife? It's quite possible that she was the midwife at the birth of some of our other ancestors, so we owe her a double dose of honor and respect.
Jonathan died October 7, 1659 and Lucretia died about 20 years later, on October 4, 1678/79. She had not remarried, but had remained a widow for all her remaining days. What a legacy she left her family, of faith and hard work, of faithfulness and servanthood. It is an honor to be able to share a little of her story with you.
The line of descent is
Lucretia Oldham-Jonathan Brewster
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth "Betsy" Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, August 9, 2019
Holbrook line: John Crocker the invisible, almost 1672-
My goodness. Some of these ancestors not only played hide and seek, but they apparently dug holes in the ground and stayed there most of their lives-or possibly went out to sea. I have found very little about this ancestor. In fact, some authorities think he died young. Well, perhaps he did, but it was after he had married and fathered four children.
John was a son of Thomas and Rachel Chappell Crocker, born in New London, Connecticut and probably died there, too. I say "probably" because I've found no death record, and the will for the John Crocker I've found is for a man by the same name in Barnstaple, Massachusetts. He names several children that are not our ancestor's children, and doesn't name our John's children at all, so my conclusion is that this is not our John Crocker. Perhaps he died at sea and his death was not recorded.
We do know that he married Mercy Tubbs, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Willey Tubbs probably by 1701. The two of them had four children together, three daughters and a son.
The only other tidbit of information I was able to pull from my search of quite a few records (not an exhaustive search, so keep looking, if you're also a descendant) regards one night of bad behavior in September of 1699. One wonders whether this was the result of a bachelor party for John, although I've certainly not heard of the tradition being observed in this time period. Nevertheless, John Chapell, Isreael Richards, John Crocker and Thomas Atwell were accused of "nightwalking" on the Sabbath eve of September, committing "various misdeameanors as pulling up bridges and fences, cutting the manes and tails of horses, and setting up logs against peoples doors." For this, they were charged in county court, and sentenced to pay 10 shillings each, and to sit two hours in the stocks. (Found in Frances Manwaring Calkins History of New London, Connecticut).
Yikes! They really had stocks? And our ancestor was placed there? Well, it wasn't the only time we had ancestors in the stocks, and they all survived that experience. John must have learned his lesson, for his name isn't mentioned again in the research I've done.
Other than a possible death date of August 25, 1706, which I have been unable to document, that is what is known of John Crocker. He would have been only 34 years old. He left three children, Hannah having died as an infant, and a widow. Mercy lived 52 more years, dying on March 4, 1758 in New London. She married a man twenty years older than herself, Thomas Leach, in December of 1706, and had more children with him.
Of course I would love to find out more about him. Did he die at sea, or in a military expedition, or from a sudden illness? Was Mercy happy to be married to him? Was she happy in her second marriage? What did John do for a living? Surely we are not the only people pondering these questions.
The line of descent is:
John Crocker-Mercy Tubbs
Rachel Crocker-Kingsland Comstock
Rachel Comstock-John Eames
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
John was a son of Thomas and Rachel Chappell Crocker, born in New London, Connecticut and probably died there, too. I say "probably" because I've found no death record, and the will for the John Crocker I've found is for a man by the same name in Barnstaple, Massachusetts. He names several children that are not our ancestor's children, and doesn't name our John's children at all, so my conclusion is that this is not our John Crocker. Perhaps he died at sea and his death was not recorded.
We do know that he married Mercy Tubbs, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Willey Tubbs probably by 1701. The two of them had four children together, three daughters and a son.
The only other tidbit of information I was able to pull from my search of quite a few records (not an exhaustive search, so keep looking, if you're also a descendant) regards one night of bad behavior in September of 1699. One wonders whether this was the result of a bachelor party for John, although I've certainly not heard of the tradition being observed in this time period. Nevertheless, John Chapell, Isreael Richards, John Crocker and Thomas Atwell were accused of "nightwalking" on the Sabbath eve of September, committing "various misdeameanors as pulling up bridges and fences, cutting the manes and tails of horses, and setting up logs against peoples doors." For this, they were charged in county court, and sentenced to pay 10 shillings each, and to sit two hours in the stocks. (Found in Frances Manwaring Calkins History of New London, Connecticut).
Yikes! They really had stocks? And our ancestor was placed there? Well, it wasn't the only time we had ancestors in the stocks, and they all survived that experience. John must have learned his lesson, for his name isn't mentioned again in the research I've done.
Other than a possible death date of August 25, 1706, which I have been unable to document, that is what is known of John Crocker. He would have been only 34 years old. He left three children, Hannah having died as an infant, and a widow. Mercy lived 52 more years, dying on March 4, 1758 in New London. She married a man twenty years older than herself, Thomas Leach, in December of 1706, and had more children with him.
Of course I would love to find out more about him. Did he die at sea, or in a military expedition, or from a sudden illness? Was Mercy happy to be married to him? Was she happy in her second marriage? What did John do for a living? Surely we are not the only people pondering these questions.
The line of descent is:
John Crocker-Mercy Tubbs
Rachel Crocker-Kingsland Comstock
Rachel Comstock-John Eames
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Allen line: Jacob Walker 1643-???
Once again, mysteries hide some of the important facts about Jacob Walker. We know when he was born, March 11, 1643 and that he was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a son of Robert and Sarah Leager Walker. He was one of 12 children and was born about 10 years after his family arrived at Boston. His parents apparently stayed in Boston their whole lives after arriving in the New World, as his father died there as did his mother.
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
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, August 2, 2019
Beeks line: John Rolfe, Immigrant 1634-1681
No, he wasn't that John Rolfe, not the one who was married to Pocahontas, not the one who figured large in the early days of Virginia. But nevertheless, he is a John Rolfe who is an early immigrant, and who has a story to tell.
The story starts in England, where John was born or baptized May 10, 1634 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England. Whiteparish is a small town about seven and a half miles southeast of Salisbury, and at the time of John's birth was a sheep raising area, with textile manufacturing in Salisbury providing an outlet for the wool produced there. His parents were Henry and Honor (Rolfe) Rolfe, and their family tree is quite convoluted. There are Rolfes on both sides of the family going back to about 1515, but it's not know whether it was the 1515 Rolfes (one apparently unproven) or whether the connection goes further back. Anyway, it's a lot of Rolfes, and more than one Honor, to keep straight-or not.
Henry and Honor had at least four children. They are believed to have been in Massachusetts Bay Colony by about 1638, although no documentation seems to exist for their trip. John would have been a very young child at the time; Imagine being a three or four year old boy with a ship to explore, and imagine being a young mother, with other children, trying to prevent said boy from going overboard. All were probably glad when they arrived at their destination.
The family settled first in Newbury, where John grew to manhood and married Mary Scullard, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Kent Scullard, on December 4, 1656. Mary was very young, possibly as young as 14, when they married. They had eleven children together, losing the first one in infancy. Their first three children were born in Newbury, but they moved on to Nantucket about 1663.
This seems to have much to do with the situation described in "Good Wives" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. John was a fisherman, and had just left for a trip to Nantucket, leaving his young wife and children adequately protected and supported, as he supposed. But by the time he returned from his trip, Mary and been involved in something of a scandal, involving a gentleman from England, a physician, who decided he wished to bed her, never mind that she was nursing her third child. He was found out, by a neighbor who came in through a window since the door was locked, and rescued Mary, although they agreed to say nothing about it. Mary told all to her mother and had a witness (who, hard as it is for us to imagine) shared the bed with Mary in order to keep her safe, although it wasn't a very effective protection as it turned out.
The man involved was found guilty and Mary was vindicated, but John decided this was a good time to move to Nantucket, where he would be closer to the fishing grounds. They stayed in Nantucket for somewhere around ten years. By this time, John was approaching 40 and may have been looking for an easier way to make a living than fishing. The family moved to Cambridge, where John purchased and apparently operated a mill.
John died at Newbury on October 1, 1681, perhaps while visiting his brother Benjamin. It seems to have been a sudden death and the will may have had an oral codicil, as there is no provision in the will for his wife but the additional testimony of women who were there makes clear that he wanted to have his wife cared for also. Mary was pregnant with their last son when John died. John's inventory was valued at somewhere around 500 pounds (it's not totaled on the two pages, but I added up to about 485 pounds in my head, plus all the shillings and pence; I'm definitely no expert on that!). It seems like a pretty good estate for a fisherman or millwright, either one. He was just 47 when he died and was just in his peak earning years. He had tools and farm animals, copperware, earthenware, and pewter, and five spinning wheels, so this was not a poor family. I didn't see any mention of books or of munitions.
Mary lived about six more years and died in Cambridge. Most of their children moved to the area of Woodbridge, N.J, and changed the spelling of their name to Rolph, except for their son John. I didn't find anything that helped me understand John's religion but some of his children may have become Quakers, or at least lived in harmony with them in Woodbridge. It would be nice to know more about John, but at least we know he was a hard-working man, and one of the few men in the family who fished for any length of time, for a living.
The line of descent is:
John Rolfe-Mary Scullard
Mary Rolph-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Mary Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The story starts in England, where John was born or baptized May 10, 1634 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England. Whiteparish is a small town about seven and a half miles southeast of Salisbury, and at the time of John's birth was a sheep raising area, with textile manufacturing in Salisbury providing an outlet for the wool produced there. His parents were Henry and Honor (Rolfe) Rolfe, and their family tree is quite convoluted. There are Rolfes on both sides of the family going back to about 1515, but it's not know whether it was the 1515 Rolfes (one apparently unproven) or whether the connection goes further back. Anyway, it's a lot of Rolfes, and more than one Honor, to keep straight-or not.
Henry and Honor had at least four children. They are believed to have been in Massachusetts Bay Colony by about 1638, although no documentation seems to exist for their trip. John would have been a very young child at the time; Imagine being a three or four year old boy with a ship to explore, and imagine being a young mother, with other children, trying to prevent said boy from going overboard. All were probably glad when they arrived at their destination.
The family settled first in Newbury, where John grew to manhood and married Mary Scullard, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Kent Scullard, on December 4, 1656. Mary was very young, possibly as young as 14, when they married. They had eleven children together, losing the first one in infancy. Their first three children were born in Newbury, but they moved on to Nantucket about 1663.
This seems to have much to do with the situation described in "Good Wives" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. John was a fisherman, and had just left for a trip to Nantucket, leaving his young wife and children adequately protected and supported, as he supposed. But by the time he returned from his trip, Mary and been involved in something of a scandal, involving a gentleman from England, a physician, who decided he wished to bed her, never mind that she was nursing her third child. He was found out, by a neighbor who came in through a window since the door was locked, and rescued Mary, although they agreed to say nothing about it. Mary told all to her mother and had a witness (who, hard as it is for us to imagine) shared the bed with Mary in order to keep her safe, although it wasn't a very effective protection as it turned out.
The man involved was found guilty and Mary was vindicated, but John decided this was a good time to move to Nantucket, where he would be closer to the fishing grounds. They stayed in Nantucket for somewhere around ten years. By this time, John was approaching 40 and may have been looking for an easier way to make a living than fishing. The family moved to Cambridge, where John purchased and apparently operated a mill.
John died at Newbury on October 1, 1681, perhaps while visiting his brother Benjamin. It seems to have been a sudden death and the will may have had an oral codicil, as there is no provision in the will for his wife but the additional testimony of women who were there makes clear that he wanted to have his wife cared for also. Mary was pregnant with their last son when John died. John's inventory was valued at somewhere around 500 pounds (it's not totaled on the two pages, but I added up to about 485 pounds in my head, plus all the shillings and pence; I'm definitely no expert on that!). It seems like a pretty good estate for a fisherman or millwright, either one. He was just 47 when he died and was just in his peak earning years. He had tools and farm animals, copperware, earthenware, and pewter, and five spinning wheels, so this was not a poor family. I didn't see any mention of books or of munitions.
Mary lived about six more years and died in Cambridge. Most of their children moved to the area of Woodbridge, N.J, and changed the spelling of their name to Rolph, except for their son John. I didn't find anything that helped me understand John's religion but some of his children may have become Quakers, or at least lived in harmony with them in Woodbridge. It would be nice to know more about John, but at least we know he was a hard-working man, and one of the few men in the family who fished for any length of time, for a living.
The line of descent is:
John Rolfe-Mary Scullard
Mary Rolph-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Mary Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
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