Holbrook line: John Eames, unknown dates

 I'm sure hoping someone will be able to help me with John Eames, the son of John and Abigail Rosemorgie also seen as Morgan) Eames.  I have dates that don't add up, and places where he supposedly lived, that seem not to have records for him.  And for the few sources that I have, I can find them in only one place, not duplicated elsewhere.  Usually that could be a red flag, but it could also just mean that John was a man who lived under the radar, or who lived in several different locations.

John was probably born or baptized August 15, 1701 in New London, Connecticut.  I have seen other families claiming this John Eames as theirs, and perhaps the confusion is easily cleared up.  At least some of those have John married to Ann Stebbins, in 1726.  She died November 6, 1732, having given birth to two children.  Perhaps it was the same John Eames who married Rachel Comstock in New London on April 4, 1736.  She was about 19 years younger than John, and may well have been a relative of John's first mother in law, who was Bethia Comstock Stebbins.  John and Rachel had at least four children together, perhaps raising John's first two children also. 

About the only solid fact I have is that John admitted his fault when his first son, Daniel, was baptized in 1729, at the Congregational Church, and that he was admitted to the church on September 18, 1743.  This appears to have been without "owning the covenant"; the requirements for church membership were not as stringent as they had been earlier.  

I have not been able to determine a death date for John.  None of the wills I've found for "John Ames" appear to match in terms of wive's names, or children's names.  It is possible that he had moved out of the area before he died.  It's also possible that he was living in 1790, in one of the three John Ames's households who were listed in that census, or perhaps with a daughter.  He was obviously not the John Ames who died in 1735 (that appears to have been his father), and he doesn't seem to be the one of Preston, Connecticut who died in 1768.  

Although I don't know much specifically about John, I've just finished reading a book called "For Adam's Sake" by Allegra di Bonaventura. There is much social history in the book that would apply to John, such as the Great Awakening and the New Lights and the Rogerenes, as far as religion goes.  There is also a good explanation of how families were raised, with children being sent to live with other families at a young age in order to learn a trade or act as a servant to learn how to run a household.  This may well have occurred with the Eames family, especially with the two oldest.  We simply don't know.  The book also details the relationship New London had with slavery.  We don't know whether or not John held one or more slaves, but many people in the town did.  It's a very interesting book and if you are at all interested in early New London life, I recommend it.  

I would love to hear from other Eames researchers or family members, who may have additional information to help us fill in the many blanks in our knowledge of this ancestor.  Meanwhile, we know that he lived and died, and left a family that eventually led to our family.

The line of descent is:

John Eames-Rachel Constock

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

Their descendants