Friday, September 6, 2019

Allen line: Moses Royse, date and location unknown

Here's what I know about Moses:  He was born, he married, and he died.  Pretty much everything else is a mystery.  There were several Moses Royse's in the time period we're talking about, and in the same or near by towns.  I am asking for help.  If anyone has figured this man out, with dates and documents, I would be so excited to hear from you! 

Here's what might be accurate:

Moses Royse was born about 1689 or possibly later, to John and Sarah Perrigo Royse.  If this is the correct couple, then he we born in either Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, or in Mansfield, Tolland County, Connecticut.  His parents were born in Norwich but at some point moved to Mansfield.  He came from a large family, perhaps as many as ten children, and his father may have outlived him. 

Moses may have married a woman named Hannah, whom some have identified as Hannah Beebe.  Others say Hannah Beebe married someone else, and so the name of Moses's wife remains unverified.  One Moses Royse who had a wife named Hannah. They had at least three children and I've seen as many as eight children listed.  Moses died in 1768 and her first name is found in the estate papers.  However, that Moses Royse is thought to have been from Stratford. and not everyone is convinced that is our Moses Royse. 

If it is our Moses Royse, when did he move to Stratford?  On the other hand, it does help make more sense of a thought that Moses Royse was an Indian trader in the Highlands of New York, which would not have been far from Stratford.  Also DNA seems to tie this Moses back to John Royse, and to Robert, who is believed to be John's father. 

Since I'm not sure about any of this, I am not, at this point, going to describe the estate papers I found, or the inventory.  It is available on Ancestry if a fellow researcher wants to look at it.  We don't know for sure when Moses died.  The one I have in my tree right now says July 30, 1768 but then it also says, Windham, Connecticut.  So I wouldn't put up an argument if you agreed, or if you disagree. 

Obviously I would like to figure this out.  If our Moses was an Indian trader, that could make for some interesting stories.  Did he also spy, and if so, was it for the colonists, the British, or the French?  He probably lived through the French and Indian war, if 1768 is a correct date, and he may have been right in the thick of things with hair raising stories.  Of course, he could have been a stay at home farmer, merchant, or seaman, too.  If someone can help with this man, please let me know!

Here's the line of descent, which I hope is correct:

Moses Royse-Hannah
John Royse-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants



No comments:

Post a Comment

Don't want to comment publicly? Feel free to email me: happygenealogydancingATgmailDOTcom. You can figure out what to do with the "AT" and the "DOT".