Holbrook line: Medad Pomeroy 1695-1767

An interesting thing happened as I was researching this post.  I started tripping over names in the Allen line, such as Dewey, Hitchcock, Ashley, Root, Noble, and more.  Our Holbrook and Allen lines were married into each other's families, neighbors and church members and part of the same militias at times.  Who knew?  That's one of the things that fascinates me about family history, how the stories intertwine.  

Medad Pomeroy is the fourth Pomeroy ancestor I've written about (Eltweed, the first Medad, and Joseph are the earlier ones) and there is still another Medad to go, if I can find sufficient information about him.  This Medad is fairly well documented, although I have yet to find an occupation for him.

Medad Pomeroy was born in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony on July 16, 1695, the son of Joseph and Hannah Seymour Pomeroy.  Some family listings for Joseph and Hannah miss Medad because he and Eliakim were born in Northampton, but the family moved to Suffield, which was then also in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1699 when Joseph was offered land there if he would come and start a blacksmithing business.  (Many of the early Pomeroys were blacksmiths or metal workers of some kind, but I have not found anything stating that was Medad's occupation).  Eventually Suffield became a part of the colony and then state of Connecticut, which means records need to be checked in each state.

So Medad grew up in Suffield, and Suffield is where he died.  We don't know how often he left town, but we do know that in 1723 he served on a military expedition during Dummer's War for 5 weeks and 2 days under Capt. Adijah Dewey, who was the brother of my seventh great grandmother, Elizabeth Dewey, and  who married Sarah Root, the daughter of John and Mary Ashley Root, also my 7th great grandparents.  That is just one of the connections that boggles my mind. 

The military expedition may have been to the area in and around Deerfield, Massachusetts, which had again been threatened by native Americans urged on by the French.  There was a council with the natives there in 1723.  It is also possible that this same group went further north, but I haven't been able to confirm that.

This is the only military record I could find for Medad, who was a private.  He assumed town responsibilities before and after this service, service as constable, fence viewer, assessor, and survey of highways during his lifetime, as well as moderator for town meetings, and selectman several times.  He was obviously well-respected in Suffield.  I've read that selectmen were generally of the upper class in terms of financial standing, but I don't know if that holds true for Medad or not. 

Medad did manage to find someone to marry who was outside of the family circle.  On February 12, 1718 he married Hannah Trumbull, daughter of John and Elizabeth Winchell Trumbull in Suffield.  He and Hannah had at least six children together, all named in his will.  Hannah is left half of his homestead during her lifetime, and then Medad and Phineas  get the larger bequests, along with the responsibility to see that the other children receive the bequests of ten to fifteen pounds each.  Although I've not found an inventory, it doesn't appear that this was a well to do family at the time of his death, which occurred on June 11, 1767.  Hannah is in the will so presumably survived him but I've not yet found a trustworthy date for her death.  

The picture I have of Medad is one of a good, honest, well-respected man.  He raised a family and some of his sons and grandsons went to college, became soldiers in the Revolutionary War, pastors and physicians, and contributed to the history of our land.  We can be glad to be associated with this family, whether directly through the Holbrook line or indirectly through that intertwined Allen line.

The line of descent is

Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull

Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell

Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard

Libbeus Stanard-Luceba/Euzebia Fay

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants