Holbrook line: John Eames 1737-1815

 John Eames is another ancestor who hasn't left us a lot of records.  We have a tantalizing glimpse of him, or perhaps it is him, in the Revolutionary War.  We know who he married and we know his children.  We have census records for 1790-1800, and 1810.  And we have a death date.  So this will be another short post, for which I apologize.

John Eames was born shortly before September 11, 1737, (the date he was baptized) to John and Rachel Comstock Eames, in Norwich, Connecticut.  According to his death record, he may have been born as early as 1728.  He was one of only three children known to have been born to John and Rachel, so he would have received plenty of parental attention, and also plenty of chores.  (Full disclosure: There are trees on line that believe the John Eames baptized September 11, 1737, was a different John Eames.  Based on geography, I tend to go with his parents being John and Rachel but am open to reviewing any facts or documents I may have missed.  Please contact me.)  Rachel is thought to have been only 15 or 16 at the time of her marriage, so she certainly had her hands full. 

John grew up in Norwich, which at the time was a rather large area.  Lisbon was incorporated from part of Norwich in 1786, so it is quite likely that John lived his whole life in the same area, if not on the same farm, where he grew up.  John married  Elizabeth (Betty or Betsey) Longbottom, daughter of James and Elizabeth Jackson Longbottom on November 23, 1758, in the middle of the French and Indian War.  I haven't been able to determine whether John served in that war but it is certainly possible.  If nothing else, he would have been part of the local militia.  

John and Betty are known to have had at least seven together, if the list I've seen is correct. If the two youngest are indeed theirs, Elizabeth had children well into her 40's, which, while not impossible by any means, would have been a bit unusual.  Their known children were Rufus, Comfort, Anna, Cyrus, Lucy, and possibly Gideon and Lydia.  We don't know anything about John's life during this time, except that he likely farmed.  

Was John a soldier in the Revolutionary War?  A man by that name, a sergeant in Col. William Douglas's Regiment, is listed on the pay roll of Lt. Robert Parke or Parke's Company, serving in New York.  (This information is from "Collections of the Connecticut Historial Society Revolution Rolls and Lists 1775-1783, Volume VIII.)  This John Eames entered the service on September 7, 1776.  He is credited with 2 months and 21 days of service, being discharged on November 20 of 1776.  In the records, it is noted that "The above company found themselves 17 guns, 17 blankets, and 17 knapsacks."  Colonel William Douglas's unit was present when the British invaded New York at Kip's Bay, and this was the unit that tipped George Washington over the edge when he caught them retreating.  Washington himself is reported to have flogged some of the men.  He must not have realized that this unit had been together only 9 days at the time of this battle.  The company appears to have also taken part in the Battle of White Plains in October of that year.  We don't know for certain that this is our John Eames, and we don't know for certain that he was present at these two battles, but it is worth noting as a possibility, maybe even a strong possibility.

Rufus, Comfort, and Cyrus all appear on Revolutionary War lists, noted that they came from Norwich, so if John wasn't the man mentioned above, he still instilled patriotism in his children and for that he deserves our thanks.  

John died according to the Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions, on December 4, 1815 at the age of 86 years and six months.  Betsey, consort of John, died May 22, apparently in 1816, at the age of 79 years and 5 months.  I haven't been able to locate a will for either of them, which would certainly be helpful in determining their financial situation, and if we could find an inventory, it would help us determine an occupation and perhaps more.  

This is little to go on for a man who lived in such fascinating times.  I hope to find more records and to verify whether or not John participated in either of the wars I've mentioned, as well as more about his life.  If a reader happens to know more of John's life, I'd sure like to hear from you!

The line of descent is

John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom

Anna (or 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

Their descendants