Holbrook line: Richard Seymour 1645-1710

 I was quite excited to find I've not yet written about Richard Seymour (usually Seamore in the old Connecticut records).  He's an interesting man, and I'm glad to share some of his story, although, as always, I wish I knew more of it.  

Richard Seymour was the son of Richard and Mercy Ruscoe Seymour, and was born about 1645 in Hartford, Connecticut, which at the time was still a small village on the Connecticut River.  He had at least 7 brothers and sisters, and they grew up in Norwalk, Connecticut, where the parents had moved in about 1650.  Richard Senior died in 1655 and Mercy then married John Steele, who would have been Richard's step father during his growing up years.  Our Richard moved to Hartford for a time, perhaps to learn a trade, and then went on to settle in Farmington.

Richard married Hannah Woodruff about 1674, probably in Farmington as that's where her parents, Matthew and Hannah (possibly Baldwin) Woodruff were living.  The couple stayed in Farmington for the rest of Richard's life and had at least five children together.   

We have a few documents about Richard, showing his admission to freeman status in 1669, and his membership in the church in Farmington in 1685, at a time when his children were young and likely needed to be baptized.  His wife had joined in 1679/80.  

We know he was referred to as "Captain", and we know he built a garrison house, surrounded by palisades, in about 1686.  This was really more of a fort, as there were several cabins built inside the walls, and our Richard was in charge of the site.  I have not found record that Richard was active during King Philip's War, but for him to have been "Captain" 10 years later, it seems possible, perhaps even probable.  I'm not sure what prompted the decision of the town to build the fort.  

We know he was involved in a land dispute in 1696/97 with Thomas Hancox, and that Thomas Hancox was involved in a dispute which may have been about the same land in 1702. (The area in question was 2 acres, more or less, and it looks like Richard may have lost his case).  The 1702 case included the name of Richard Seamor of Farmington as  plaintiff attorney against Thomas Hancox, but this could have been his son Reichard, or the son of John Seamor, I'm not sure.

Richard was killed in 1710 when a tree fell on him, in Berlin, Connecticut, which is a few miles south of Farmington.  Was there a storm, or was this an accident when he was possibly trying to clear land?

Richard was apparently well off by the standards of the day.  His probate papers are preserved but are damaged in some of the most interesting places.  His inventory was valued at over 416 pounds, and  this was divided between the widow and each of his five children.  

The same year that Richard died, one of his sons, Ebenezer, was charged (not for the last time) with counterfeiting Connecticut money.  I hope Richard didn't live to see that day, but Hannah surely did, for she died in 1713.  (As an aside, Connecticut had quite a problem with counterfeiters during colonial times.  I just skimmed a 256 page article about it, and noted that Ebenezer was apparently in cahoots with some Woodruff men, probably cousins of some sort.)  

I'd like to know more about Richard, including whether he had an occupation other than farming, whether he served in King Philip's War, and why the community felt the need for a fort in 1686.   But we can tell he was an upright and respected man, and we can be proud of him.

The line of descent is:

Richard Seymour-Hannah Woodruff

Hannah Seymour-Joseph Pomeroy

Medad Pomeroy-Hannah Trumbull

Medad Pomeroy-Eunice Southwell

Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard

Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay

Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy

Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick

Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants