Beeks line: The family of Samuel G Dunham 1830-1907

 Samuel Goodnight Dunham was born Sept 27, 1830, in Berkeley County, in what is now West Virginia, the son of Jacob and Catherine Goodnight Dunham.  He married Eliza Matilda Reese, daughter of Owen Traveler and Margaret Moon Reese, on May 3, 1855 in Tipton County, Indiana.  By that time, he had been in Indiana at least 5 years, per the 1850 census, and probably at least two years longer than that. I'm not sure when the move actually took place, and there are indications that the family may have been in Ohio in 1840, but I'm not sure of that.  

However, we do know that the Dunhams lived their entire married life in or near Kempton. until Matilda died in 1900.  The following year, Samuel married Julia Ann Sackman Mace, who was three years younger than Samuel, and a widow.  They were married about 6 years when Samuel died on June 12, 1907.  

Samuel and Matilda had four known children, with the youngest, Jane, dying at the age of 5 in 1869.  

William Riley was born in 1856 and died in 1921.  His wife was Lousia Belle Allen, the daughter of Samuel and Harriet Allen, and their children were Wilfer, Grover, and Bonnie.  He was a member of the state legislature from 1913-1915, and was very well known in his district.  It is the home that he built that is known as "The Dunham House" near Kempton.

Margaret Catherine was the second child.  She was born in 1858 (I have two birth dates and am not sure which is correct).  She married Harvey Aldridge, the son of Darlington and Leah Folsom Aldridge, and they had seven children:  Samuel, Frank, Lula Bertha, Della, Dorothy, Gretta Cleo, and Roy.  I will write of this family on another day.  

Owen Jacob was born in 1862 and married Antoinette Redd, daughter of George and Elizabeth Legarde Read.  Their children were George, Everett, Vernie, Irene, Goldie, Cecil, Elizabeth, Edna, and Hubert.  

Jane, previously mentioned, died in 1869 and the couple had no more known children.  

The Dunhams had a large extended family, both numerically and geographically.  The children of Samuel and Matilda would have known a large number of cousins, and there were family reunions for years that kept the families close.  One of those reunions was fairly recent, when then Senator Barack Obama briefly visited the old family farm.  

This is the last post I plan to write about specific Dunham families.  We started in early Massachusetts and went through New Jersey, (West) Virginia, possibly Ohio, and ended up in Tipton County, Indiana.  The Dunhams had a small part in a large amount of our history, and it's been interesting to learn about them.

Beeks line: The family of Jacob Dunham 1794-1865

 Some of the families I write about have hidden or conflicting stories, leaving me with a lot of questions, and with the hopes that I've written correct information.  Because of Jacob Dunham's somewhat famous descendant, his family is well-researched.  This post will not include much information that can't be easily found elsewhere, but for some who may not have yet found the information, I hope this will be helpful.

Jacob Dunham was born August 1, 1794, likely in Back Valley, Berkeley County, (West) Virginia, the youngest son of Samuel and Hannah (probably Ruble) Dunham.  He married Catherine Goodnight, the daughter of Samuel and Magdalena Berkheimer Goodnight in August of 1819.  The couple stayed in (West) Virginia until about 1835, and the first five of their six known children were born there.   They seem to have come through Ohio and possibly into Wayne County, Indiana, before settling in Tipton County, Indiana by 1850, where both Jacob and Catherine are buried.

Their children are:

Catherine, born July 5, 1821, who married Christian Feather, the son of Jacob and Mary Connoly Feather..  Their children were Adam, Mary Jane, Jacob, James, Sarah, John, Amos, Isaac, and Martha.  Catherine and Christian died in Preston County, (West) Virginia.  

Jacob Mackey was their next child, born May 7, 1824.  He and his wife, Louisa Elizabeth Stroup, are the ancestors (as are Jacob and Catherine) of former president Barack Obama.  She is the daughter of John and Eliza or Elizabeth Clemmons Stroup.  They also were the parents of several children:  David, Jeptha, Catherine, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel (or possibly Lemuel), and Mary May.  They went to Kansas by 1880 and to Oklahoma by 1890, where Jacob Mackey Dunham died.  

Amos Dunham was born about 1830 and died a young man, October 25, 1856.  He married Margaret Ellen Reese, who was the daughter of Owen and Margaret Moon Reese.  This couple had only two children, Margaret and James.  

Samuel Goodnight Dunham was born September 27, 1830.  He married Eliza Matilda Reese, who was also a daughter of Owen and Margaret Moon Reese (brothers married sisters)..  They had four children together-William, Margaret Catherine, Owen, and Jane.  After Eliza Matilda died in 1900, Samuel then married Julia Ann Sackman Mace in 1901.  

Mary Ellen was born July 28, 1834 and married David Tudor or Tuder.  His parents were John and Mary Epperson Tuder, and the older family spelled their name as Tuder.  Mary Ellen died at the age of 29, on October 5, 1863. Their only known son, David, was born in 1863 so Mary Ellen may well have died from complications of childbirth.  They had married in 1851 so it's possible that their were other children who perhaps did not survive.

Their last child was another son, David, who married August Lavinia Bonecutter, the daughter of George and Nancy Conner Bonecutter.  He is reported to have been born in Fayette County, Ohio on August 24, 1836, and died in Kansas in 1909.  Their children were Emma, Nancy, Sherman, Sina, Hattie, Margaret, Charles, Albert, Maude, and Roy.

I wish I could tell you whether any of these men served in the Civil War.  The Jacob M Dunham who is listed as having served in the 46th Indiana infantry is younger by about 20 years than Jacob Mackey.  Also shown as having served in the Civil War from Indiana are a Samuel G Dunham and a David Dunham.  I haven't been able to determine whether these might be the men outlined above, or not, but there is that possibility.  

Whether or not Jacob and Catherine had sons who served in the Civil War, they did have 33 grandchildren who helped America expand into the west.  These children and grandchildren deserve to be recognized.

Beeks line: The family of Samuel Dunham 1742-1824

 I've written previously about Samuel's life, but before I write about his family, I'd like to clear up one point and muddy the waters on another.  First, there are some claims out there that Samuel was a Loyalist.  I have found no evidence to support that.  There were other Samuel Dunhams in New Jersey by the time of the Revolutionary War, and it is possible that the two or more Samuels were conflated.  

The other item that I'm wondering about is his marriage.  When Mary Smith Dunham wrote her will in 1784 (not probated until 1791), she left a bequest to her son Samuel (subject of this post), if he returned, and if he did not return, to go to his son Jacob when Jacob turned 21.  So Samuel had a son Jacob born before 1784, and the Jacob that was born in 1794 in Berkeley County, now West Virginia, was the second son he named Jacob.  We don't know if Samuel had married before his marriage to Hannah probably Ruble in West Virginia, but it appears that he at least had an earlier relationship.  I'd sure like to know more about this!  

What we do know is that Samuel Dunham, the son of Benjamin and Mary Smith Dunham, left New Jersey and settled in Back Creek Valley, Virginia by 1778.  We don't know why his son didn't go with him, but perhaps Samuel had intended to send for him at some point.  He settled in Berkeley County, and married Hannah, who was likely the daughter of David and Sarah Malin Ruble.  The birth dates for the children are not specified, and the location I've seen, showing them all born in Virginia, may not be correct, but the names, general order of birth, and subsequent information about each seem to be pretty well documented.  

The first child, born in New Jersey, was probably Jacob.  Nothing further is known of him and he may have died young.

Mary Sarah Dunham was born possibly about 1773.  She married Jacob Gossett, son of Matthias and Mary Littler Gossett.  Their children were Samuel, Hannah, Matthias, Mary, Jacob, John, and Luke.

Samuel was born about 1773 and married Elizabeth Pickerill, whose parents are not known.  They had at least two children, John and Elizabeth, and may have had a second daughter named Rebecca.

Next born was David, about 1776, who married Catherine Buckhamer/Buckhammer/possibly Berkheimer.  Her parents may have been Henry and Anna Rosina Schwenk Berkheimer, but I think the just is still out on that.  David and Catherine had Samuel, Hannah, Amos, Mary, David, Benjamin, and possibly another daughter, Emma, Mary Sarah and Rosanna. (The last four are not certain, but certainly possible.)

Hannah was born about 1779 and married William Watson, possibly the son of David and Mary Jane Hamilton Watson.  Their children were Sarah or Sallie, Sina, Lydia, Hannah, Rachel, Samuel, Andrew Jackson, Mary, and William.

Amos was born June 14, 1781 and married Sarah or Sallie Colliver, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Duncan Colliver.  Their children were George Washington, Elijah, Samuel, Frances, and Margaret.  

Aaron was born about 1782 and married Mary Gano, daughter of James and Rebecca Noland Thatcher. It was her second marriage, and she apparently brought children to the marriage. The children of Aaron and Mary are listed as Samuel and Naomi. 

Sina was born about 1784 and married Matthew Garard, son of David and Margaret Last (?) Gerrard.  Their children were David, Maria, Sarah Jane, Margaret, Sina Ellen, David, Matthew, and Mary Isabella.  

Benjamin Washington was born about 1785 and married Elizabeth Manor, daughter of Benjamin and Martha Holmes Manor.  Their children were William, Catherine, Hannah, Margaret, Martha, Samuel, Amelia, Benjamin, Hester, Mary Elizabeth, and another daughter Hannah.  

Then there is a gap of about 9 years, and one wonders what happened.  Are some of the above birth years "off"?  Were there other preganancies and children who may have died young?  Was Jacob, born August 1, 1794, when his mother was about 41 years old a welcome "surprise"?  I'd sure like to know what story we are missing here!

Jacob married Catherine Goodnight, daughter of Samuel and Magdalena Berkheimer Goodmight.  They had an unknown daughter, then Jacob Mackey, Anna, Samuel Goodnight, Mary Ellen, and David.

There families ended up in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri, but at least some stayed in West Virginia, where 9 generations of Dunhams have lived on part of Samuel Dunham's farm. I have undoubtedly missed some of the children, because Samuel is supposed to have had 82 grandchildren.  By my count, this list accounts for 61 of them.  I hope someone can help with additional information!

 

Beeks line: The family of Jonathan Dunham 1709-1748

 Facts about the family of Jonathan Dunham are hard to come by, at least on line.  I do have a resource at the county library I can check, but presumably the information in that record has been relied on by the creators of trees that I've looked at.  I hope I've chosen the most accurate information, and if you disagree or have additional information, I'd sure love to hear from you.  

Jonathan Dunham (sometimes seen as "Rev. Jonathan Dunham" was born January 7, 1709/10 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, to Benjamin and Mary (possibly Rolph) Dunham.  He spent his life in Woodbridge and died there December 31, 1748, a relatively young man.  He married Mary Smith, daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph (Fitz Randolph) Smith, apparently about 1737 but I would certainly like to find a marriage record for them, to confirm the date. 

Several children are attributed to Jonathan on some sites, who are very unlikely to be the children of Jonathan and Mary.  Mary was born in 1717  so Daniel, Ephraim, and Experience, who were born from 1730-1734, were not Mary's children.  I have found children of those names attributed to Jonathan's brother, Daniel, and this is more likely.  Joseph was born in 1736 and he may or may not be the child of Jonathan and Mary.  Since Joseph is not a family name in either line, I am guessing he also belongs to another Dunham family.  There were certainly enough Dunhams in Woodbridge to confuse anyone trying to sort these families.

The children believed to be Jonathan and Mary's are as follows:

Benjamin, born November 17, 1738.  I show death dates for him of 1765 and 1766, but am unable to confirm that.  At least one of the Benjamin Dunham's that died during that time period died in Windham, Connecticut, with a widow named Hannah.  I have also seen Mary Heath listed as his wife.  The fact is we don't know whether he survived long enough to marry.  

Elizabeth Dunham was born December 21, 1739.  She is reported to have married a man with the surname Alston, but it's possible that her information has been confused with that of her sister, Hannah, who did in fact marry an Alston.  Or perhaps there were two Alston men, but I've not identified a second one.

Samuel Dunham was next, born May 11, 1742.  He married Hannah, most likely Hannah Ruble, and they had several children:  Samuel, Mary, David, Hannah (called "Minty", Amos, Dinah or Sinah, Benjamin, Aaron, Jacob, Ruth, and Sarah.  He died in Berkeley County, what is now West Virginia, in 1824, and I will write more of this family in my next blog post.  

Asher Dunham was born July 15, 1744 and may have married Susannah Pike.  He served in the French and Indian War on the side of the British, but stayed on the side of the British during the Revolutionary War.  He was part of a prisoner exchange in 1778, and was seemingly a resident of New Brunswick by then, although he died in Nova Scotia.  His children were Christina, Joseph, Phoebe, William, Daniel, James, John, Deborah, Nancy, and Mary.  It would be interesting to trace these children to determine whether they all stayed in Canada, or whether they returned to New Jersey.  

William Smith Dunham was born November 24, 1746.  He may have married Elizabeth Tyler, daughter of Benjamin and Naomi Dunn Tyler, or she may have been Elizabeth Hedges.  Their children were John, William, Elizabeth, David, and Job.  He died in 1799 in Woodbridge.

Hannah was their last child, born October 5, 1748.  She married John Alston, who died in 1771, and had one child with him, Mary Ann.  She later married William Wright, and had William, John, Elizabeth, and Martha.  This also may have been a Loyalist family.

So if this information is both correct and complete, Jonathan and Mary were grandparents to 31 grandchildren.  With some of them staying in the Woodbridge area, the Dunhams added their share of confusion to the many Dunhams in town.  I would love to hear from someone who has researched any of these names! 

Beeks line: The family of Benjamin Dunham (1681-1715)

 In researching this post, I realized that what I thought I knew about Benjamin Dunham is probably not correct.  I have his wife shown as Mary Rolfe, the daughter of John and Mary Scullard Rolfe.  That is likely not correct, as there is no daughter Mary born late enough to be the daughter of this couple.  Also, there is apparently a record of Benjamin and Mary's marriage in New York, New York on August 18, 1699.  I have not found a record that gives her maiden name.  

Benjamin's parents are given as Jonathan (Singletary) and Mary Bloomfield Dunham, and that seems at this writing to be correct.  He was born in Woodbridge, New Jersey on August 22, 1681.  At this point, I should say that there are a lot of Dunhams in the area and it is possible that the line traces back differently, but this it the current belief.

Benjamin and Mary were married in 1699 but there first known child, Richard, was not born until May 12, 1707. It is possible that there were unsuccessful pregnancies, or that children were born elsewhere and have not been documented. Richard apparently died young, although I've not found a record. 

Jonathan was born January 7, 1710 and married Mary Smith, the daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph (Fitz Randolph) Smith.  This couple apparently provided Benjamin and Mary with their only grandchildren: David, Ephraim, Experience, Joseph, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Samuel, Asher, William, and Hannah.  I will follow these children in a future post. 

Katherine was their only daughter.  She was born March 12, 1712, and I've found no records of a marriage for her.  I did see an undocumented death date of 1764 but I don't know whether that is accurate, or whether she died young.

Benjamin was born  December 4, 1712, according to the transcript.  (This was slightly less than 9 months after Katherine, so I'm wondering whether Katherine's birth date was possibly 1711.) Benjamin apparently died in 1748, but again, I've found no record of a marriage or of children.

Benjamin, the father of these four children, died December 15, 1715.  At the time, he was a member of Col. Thomas Farmer's regiment in the militia, but there is no indication of whether or not this was a military-related death.  His brother had died earlier in the year, apparently of natural causes.  

This record of Benjamin and Mary's family shows that their life was not easy.  When Benjamin died in 1715, Mary had at least two and possibly three children to raise.  I have found no record of a re-marriage, nor have I found a death date.  This part of the story is yet to be written, but not until we know what happened to her.

 

Beeks line: The famly of Jonathan Dunham 1639-1724

 Jonathan Dunham is the son of Richard Singletary and possibly Lydia Dunham or variant spelling.  I've written a post earlier about him and some of the mysteries that still aren't proven/documented/explained.  But we do know he used both surnames, Singletary and Dunham, depending on where he was at the time.  I've seen Singletary given as the surnames of some of his children also, but the children themselves seem to have used the Dunham surname.  So having thoroughly confused everyone, including myself, here is the family of Jonathan.

He was born January 17, 1639, in Newburyport Massachusetts and married Mary Bloomfield, the daughter of Thomas and Mary (Waters or Withers) Bloomfield about 1660.  They lived in possibly Haverhill or Newbury, in Essex County, Massachusetts and had four children there: 

Richard Singletary Dunham, born about October 16, 1657.  He is elusive and although I've seen a potential death date for him of 1711, I've not seen documentation.  He may have died young. As far as I've been able to tell, he didn't marry and had no children.

Esther, born in 1659, married Samuel Smith, the daughter of Rev. John and Susannah Hinckley Smith.  They had at least four children together: Elizabeth, Samuel, Benjamin and Elinor.  She died in 1690.

Mary was born December 29, 1661 and died as an infant.  

Sarah was their next child.  She married William Ellison, whose parents I've not identified.  There children were Enoch and Emme.  She died sometime after 1707.  Some sites refer to her as "Sarah Mary".

The Dunhams then moved to Killingly, Connecticut for about two years.  Ruth was born in 1666 and died in 1750.  No records have been found to indicate she ever married.

Eunice was born in 1668 and died December 5, 1684.  No records have been found to show that she married, but it's not totally impossible.  She would have been about 16 at the time of her death.

The family then moved to Woodbridge, New Jersey and stayed there for the rest of Jonathan's life (except for some mystery trips he may have made).  6 children were born at Woodbridge:

Jonathan was born in 1672 and married Esther Rolfe, the daughter of John and Mary Scullard Rolfe.  Their children were Samuel, Eunice, and Mary.  They had two daughters named Eunice, so likely one died in infancy or early childhood.

David was born in 1674 and died in 1753.  He married Mary Ilsley, the daughter of John and Ann Gowan Ilsley.  Their children were Jonathan, David, and Daniel.

Daughter Joanna was born in 1675 and died about 1703.  Again, I've found no record of a marriage for her.  

Son Nathaniel was born on February 8, 1677 and died in 1678.

A second Nathaniel was born in 1679 and died in 1727.  He married Joanna Thornell, the daughter of Israel and Hannah Gannett Thornell and they had nine or possibly ten children: David, John, Nathaniel, Andrew, John, Elizabeth, Joanna, Jerusha, Ephraim, and possibly Jehu.  

Their last known child was Benjamin, who was born in 1681 and died as a young father, in 1715.  He married Mary Rolfe, who is usually shown as a daughter of John and Mary Scullard Rolfe.  There may be some question about this, but so far I've not found anything really definitive one way or the other.  Benjamin and Jonathan (junior) may have married sisters, which would not be unusual for this time and place.  Benjamin's children were Richard, Jonathan, Katherine, and Benjamin.  

This gives a total of 26 grandchildren for Jonathan and Mary, although some died young.  Most stayed in or near Woodbridge, and it must have been a blessing to have so much family near.  Jonathan and Mary are the ancestors of Barack Obama. 

Beeks line: The family of Richard Singletary

Richard Singletary is actually the immigrant head of the family we know as Dunham, due to his first son's taking that name as he made a new life for himself in New Jersey.  Little is known of Richard's life before his last (possibly second) marriage, but it does seem to be proven, based on current knowledge and records, that he was the father of Jonathan Dunham aka Jonathan Singletary.  

No one has yet found a record of a marriage, but Richard's first wife may (or may not) have been Lydia Dunham or Downham.  The couple had one child together, Jonathan.  Jonathan married Mary Bloomfield, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Waters Bloomfield, and they had at least eight children: Esther, Mary, Ruth, Eunice, Jonathan, David, Nathaniel, and Benjamin.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Richard's first wife may have died at or soon after the birth of Jonathan on January 17, 1639 and he then married Susannah Cooke on November 17, 1639.  (Note: Many sources say that Jonathan's mother was Susannah; it's possible but to my mind not proven.)  

Richard and Susannah's children were Eunice, born in 1640 and died 1715.  She married Thomas Eaton, the son of John and Ann Crossman Eaton.  I have located just two children for them, Lydia and Jonathan.

Nathaniel ws born in 1644 and died, killed by native Americans at Lancaster, in 1689.  He married Sarah Belknap, daughter of Samuel and Sarah Jones Belknap (or possibly Abraham and Mary Belknap).  Their children were John, Mary, Jonathan, Sarah, Susannah, Richard, Hannah, Ebenezer, and Martha.

Lydia was born in 1648 and died in 1679.  Her husband was Daniel Ladd, the son of Daniel and Ann Ladd.  There are no known children for this couple.

Amos was born in 1651 and died in 1724.  He married Sarah Currier, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Hardy Currier.  This couple also appears to be childless.

Benjamin was their last child.  He was born in 1656 and died about 1697 in Redbank, Summerville, Charleston, South Carolina.  He seems to have been part of the group that went to South Carolina to establish a Puritan presence (as opposed to the Anglicans who were already in place) there.  His wife was Mary Stockbridge, daughter of John and Mary Broughton Stockbridge.  Their known children are Susanna, Richard, Jonathan, John, Broughton, Joseph, Mary, and Hannah.

This makes about 28 grandchildren for Richard Singletary, although not all were born when he died in 1687, at a quite advanced age.  It would be interesting to learn how many great grandchildren he had.  Richard and his possibly two wives contributed much to the beginnings of our country. 

The family of John Havens Starr

 John Havens Starr is the last of our Starr family to be born in Groton, Connecticut.  He was the son of John and Betsey Havens Starr, and was about 9 years old when his family made the trip west to settle in Ohio.  Traveling west must have agreed with John, because he did more of that as an adult, settling in Tipton, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  By the time he arrived there, however, he had married Myra Falley, daughter of Russell and Pamela (or Parmelia) Chapman Falley, in Franklin County, Ohio, in 1827.  Myra was short for Anna Miranda.

John and Myra had five children together:

Havens Starr was born September 1, 1828.  He is something of a mystery.  He became a school teacher, and in the 1850 census is enumerated with his parents in Tipton, and apparently as a boarder in Lagro, Wabash County, Indiana.  In both locations, he was born in Ohio and is the same or similar age.  His family moved to Tipton in 18502, so perhaps they dropped Havens off on the way west, but still considered him part of the family.  He may, in their minds, have been "visiting" in Lagro until he decided to stay there.  I don't know how long he was there, but in 1860 he was an attorney in Clear Creek, Nemaha,  Kansas Territory, living with his brother Anson Starr and Hannah, who was most likely Anson's wife.  This was in what is now southeastern Nebraska.  Havens died in 1863, but I've not located death information for him,.  Was it an illness like consumption, or did it have something to do with the Civil War?  I hope someone knows the answer to this!  I'd also like to know whether he was ever married.

Adella was born February 1, 1830 and sadly, died July 16, 1831.

Anson was next, born just a little over three years after Havens.  The brothers apparently remained in close contact until Havens' death.  He was likely married first to Hannah, as her name is after his in the 1860 census.  He also married Martha Baker in 1878, and she was his widow.  I have not located anything that indicates that there were children born to either wife, but the research may be incomplete on that.

William Wallace was born August 2, 1834 and died December 14, 1836.

Finally, John Calvin was born February 24, 1837 in Columbus, Ohio and died there October 11, 1841.

John Havens' wife Myra died December 28, 1838.  This was 22 months after the birth of John Calvin, so it is possible that this was related to another pregnancy, but I have no records to show her cause of death.  

Less than a year after Myra's death, John married Myra's cousin, Clarissa Falley, who was the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Root Falley.  Myra and Clarissa shared the same grandparents, Richard and Margaret Hitchcock Falley, of Westfield, Massachusetts. 

John and Clarissa continued to grow the Starr family.  Their first daughter, Myra Adella, was born August 24, 1840.  She married David Foy and their were at least two children born to that marriage, Clara, and John Calvin. David served in the Civil War.  

Their next child was Harriet Clarissa, born August 27, 1842.  She married John Wilson Knott and they had at least nine children:  Herbert, Alfred, Walter, Robert, Anna, Mary, Edith, George, and Thomas.  I will write more of this family in a future post. 

John Calvin was their first son.  He was born November 24, 1843 and died in 1864 while serving as a Union soldier in Louisiana during the Civil War.  

Samuel was the next son, who lived less than five months.

Son Francis Richard Starr was born January 10, 1847 in Columbus but died April 11, 1854 in Tipton, Iowa.  

The last child born in Columbus was Eunice.  She married Samuel Foy, who was a brother to the David Foy who married Myra.  Their known children are Nellie, Charles, and Frank.

Mary was the first child born in Tipton, Iowa.  Clarissa must have had fun traveling with so many children, but Mary was apparently conceived in Iowa so at least she wasn't also newly pregnant.  She married Dr. Edmund Burson, son of Nathan and Margaret Burson.  Their children were Gay, Euguene, Verna, and Bonnie.   This family lived in Crawford County, Arkansas.

The last child was a daughter, Frances, who was born October 30, 1854 and died less than a year later, on August 3. 

Of John's children, 6 died as children, another died in the Civil War, and it appears that at least two sons had no children.  Yet, John had 18 grandchildren and died at the age of 70.  He was a successful farmer and a Presbyterian elder, and left a good heritage for his descendants. This post ends our sketch of the Starr ancestors in the Allen family. 

 

 

The family of John Starr 1774-1837

 The next Starr in our family line is John, the son of John and Mary Sharp Starr.  He was born August 30, 1774 in Groton, Connecticut and married Elizabeth Chester Havens, known as Betsey, on October 7, 1801 in Groton.  She was the daughter of the elusive (to me) Jonathan Havens and Bathsheba Chester Havens.  Their first five children were born in Groton before the family moved in 1812 to what became Columbus, Ohio.  John's father had been given land in Franklin County as a reward for being wounded in the Revolutionary War Battle of Groton Heights, and as compensation for the property he left behind in Nova Scotia when fleeing when the War broke out.  This John would have been necessary to the family's survival, as his father had very little use of one arm (some records say right, some say left) from the battle.  The men would have worked together to raise homes for the families, but likely one was built first and then the second was constructed.

John and Betsey were members of the Presbyterian church in Columbus, John serving in many capacities there.  And they still had time to raise a large family:

Betsey was born August 30, 1802 and married Rev. Aaron Case Humphrey (first a pastor in the Methodist Episcopal Church and later in the Universalist Church).  They had Sophronia, Lurenda, Philo, John, Chester, Aaron, Lucinda, John, Sophronia, and Laura before Betsey died in 1849.  Aaron remarried and had four more children with his second wife.  This family moved to Iowa in about 1844, settling in Tipton, Cedar County.

John Havens Starr was the first born son.  He married Clarissa Falley, and they had 7 children: Samuel, Mary, Eunice, Frances, Myra, Harriet, and John Calvin.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Sophronia Starr was born in 1807.  She married, as his second wife,  Dr. Nathaniel Harris, son of Noah and Sarah Carroll or Carle Harris.  They lived in Springfield, Illinois.  Their children were Laura, Sophronia, Lorinda, Sarah, possibly Thomas, Emily, Mary, Ellen and Edward.  There were also four children from the doctor's first marriage, so it was quite a large family.  It's fascinating to think these people likely knew, or knew of, Abraham Lincoln.

Lorinda Starr was born in 1809 and married John Wildbahn, son of Thomas and Elizabeth Wildbahn.  They had a daughter, Elizabeth, and a son, Thomas.  Lorinda died in 1837, the same year that her son Thomas was born and died.  

Joseph was born in 1810. He married Martha Craig McDaniel, parents not known, and they had three children: Augustine, Samuel, and Andrew.  A little less than a year after Martha and son Andrew died, Joseph married Jane Suddick Long, and they had two children, William and John.  

The above children were born in Groton, so John and Betsey had five children aged ten and under when they made the move from Groton to Columbus.  We don't know how the family traveled.  It may have been by water, either through the Great Lakes and down, or down the Ohio River and then north, or they may have traveled over land, in wagons of some sort.  I wonder how Betsey handled this!

Lucinda was the first child born in Ohio, on August 17, 1813.  She married Dr. James Boals, son of James and Margaret Mitchell Boals.  Their children were Albert, Martha, and Ella.

Simeon was the next child born, in 1815.  He married Martha Sweetser, daughter of Charles and Flavia Darley Sweetser.  Their children were Sweetser, Ellen, Richard, and Charles.

William Starr was born in 1817.  He may have married Sophia.  Some sites says her last name was Starr, some say it was Baker, and I've been unable to find a marriage record.  (Also confusing is the marriage of an earlier Sophia Baker to a William Starr, who was born 20 years earlier and in a different location than this William.) At any rate, his children include Calvin and Mary, and possibly more. 

Then there was the sadness of a son, unnamed, who was born and died on January 10,1819.

Emily Starr was born just ten months and two days later.  Her husband was Henry Doremus, son of Hasel and Jane Demorest Doremus.   Their children were Charles, Henry, Mary, Leila, Alta, Frank, and John.  

The last son was Calvin, born in 1822.  He married Sophia McPhersen in Greene County, Ohio, and they had six children: George, Clarence, Joseph, Emma, Mary, and John.  He was a physician, and his second wife was also a physician, Dr. Jane Candee.  She was younger than he, but they didn't have any children together.   

A daughter was born and died on December 10, 1824, again not named.

Finally, Mary Jane Starr was born May 7, 1826.  She did not marry and died in 1878.  Betsey had given birth 13 times and perhaps enjoyed having her "baby" at home with her, whatever the reason that Mary Jane remained single.  

Although a few died at or shortly after birth, John and Betsey had about 40 grandchildren, some of whom lived in the Columbus area but many who went on to Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Texas.  I hope those who moved away wrote letters to Betsey, because she lived until 1865, roughly 28 years after the death of John.

 

 

The family of John Starr 1743-1824

 If you've been following my blog posts about our branch of the Starr family, you know that this family was in Connecticut for at least four generations, first in New London and then in Groton, but this John Starr was the first of our direct ancestors to leave the area.  And boy, did he leave.  When England won the French and Indian War, John first went to Nova Scotia where he settled, married, and intended to raise his family.  However, when the Revolutionary War broke out, John was on the side of the American patriots, which was not a popular position in Nova Scotia.  After facing military defeat there, John and Mary returned to Groton.

"Mary" was Mary Sharp, the daughter of Matthew Sharp and his wife, who was likely named Margaret and whose maiden name may have been Smith.  I say "may" because I've not yet found documentation for this.  Matthew died about 1771 in Nova Scotia, and Margaret stayed there rather than traveling with her daughter to Connecticut.  She died in 1811, but by that time John and Mary had moved again, this time to Franklin County, Ohio, where John was granted land in recompense for having his property seized in Nova Scotia.  By that time, John and Mary's children were mostly grown.

Their children were

John, who was born August 20, 1774 and who married Betsy Chester Havens.  Their children were Betsey, John Havens, Lorinda, Sophronia, Lorinda, Joseph, Lucinda, Simeon Chester, William, Emily, Calvin, and Mary Jane.  There may have been an infant son and an infant daughter also.  I will write about this family next week.

Joseph was born in August of 1776 and lived for just about a year, dying in 1777.  

There is then a seven year gap in known births, which may be when the infant son and infant daughter were born.  

Mary was born in 1783 and married first Henry Warner.  They had a son, Henry Dore Warner in 1814, who livedd to the age of 20.  Mary's second husband was James Woods.  Their sad story was that James was planning to build a new home for the two of them on Mary's land (left to her by her husband? her father? not yet researched!) but in 1833 they both were victims of the cholera epidemic, dying within an hour of each other.  Son Henry died the following year but I don't know the cause of death.  Mary and James were relative newly weds and had no children.

Daughter Hannah was born in 1785 and died in 1815, never having married.  I don't know whether there was a physical or mental challenge here, or whether she simply was not eager to take on another household.  

Rachel was born in 1787 and died in 1856.  In 1822 she married John Matthew and they had at least two children, John and Joseph.  Joseph died as an infant.  There may be more children but I have yet to find record of them.  

The last daughter, Eunice, was born in 1791 and died in 1831.  She married Joseph Hunter, the son of Joseph and Margaret McGaughey Hunter.  They had a large family.  Children were Mandelbert, Return, Orville, Lorinda, Wilson, John, Eunice and Andrew, the last two being twins.  

Some trees list two additional children for this couple, Betsey and another John Havens.  These names do not appear to be correct, as their birthdates coincide with those of John Havens, the first child of our John and Mary, and of Betsy Chester, his wife.  Mary was past child bearing age by the time these two were born.  

John and Mary's children were born in Nova Scotia and in Groton, and they all traveled west with the elder Starrs, and died there.  They must have been a close knit family, and for the ones I've been able to determine, were Presbyterians in religion.   

The family of Thomas Starr 1711-1759

 Looking again at the families of our ancestors, instead of just concentrating on the ancestor only, is quite interesting.  I started this project because I wanted to see what other families were connected in one way or another to ours, and it's been eye opening.  Thomas Starr born 1711 is the third generation of Starrs who lived in Groton, Connecticut, and by now, I am seeing many familiar families tied into the Starrs.  

As an aside, by looking at the ancestors as part of a continuing line, I am seeing things that are raising my eyebrows a bit.  For instance, in the Starr family line, the immigrant Comfort Starr lived to a comfortable old age.  But the next four generations did not fare so well, none reaching their 50th birthday.  I don't know the cause of death for Thomas, Samuel, Thomas, and Thomas, but it sure would be interesting to know whether there was a family weakness, such as heart problems, or whether some were accidental deaths, or what was going on in this family.  Fortunately, after this Thomas, the one I'm looking more closely at today, Starr men seem to have recovered from whatever might have been ailing them.

This Thomas is the son of Thomas and Mary Morgan Starr.  He was born the same year his father died, and was the baby of the family.  Mary remarried in 1717 so the only father he knew was William Pabodie or Peabody.  Nevertheless, he was a Starr.  Thomas married Jerusha Street, daughter of Nicholas and Jerusha Morgan Street, so Thomas and his wife were first cousins, with their maternal grandparents being James and Mary Vine Morgan.  Although this might make our head swim a bit, marriage of first cousins was not that unusual, especially in a town as small as Groton was at that time.

Thomas and Jerusha had 8 children together:  

Son Thomas was the first born, and he married Zipporah Street, daughter of James and Keziah Haynes Street.  There are trees online saying that James Street was the son of Nicholas and Jerusha Morgan Street, which would be another cousin marriage, but I have not found convincing evidence that this is correct.  However, the odds seem fairly strong that he was a relation to Nicholas Street, at the least.  Their children were Betsey, John, Thomas, Jerusha, Nancy, Catherine, Sally, and Mary.

Jerusha Starr died at the age of 25, but not before she had married Benajah Chester, son of John and Mary Starr Chester.  Mary Starr Chester was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Morgan Starr, so here is another cousin marriage.  They had three children, Michael, Jerusha, and Starr.  

Daughter Mary was born in 1740 and died in 1741.  

Son John was next.  He married Mary Sharp, daughter of Matthew and Margaret Sharp, in Nova Scotia, before moving back to Groton at the outbreak of the Revolutionary War.  Their children were John, Joseph, Mary, Hannah, Rachel, and Eunice.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Son William married Freelove Bailey, who was the daughter of Benjamin and Freelove Avery Bailey.  So far as I have been able to determine, these two weren't closely related.  They had Lucinda, William, Jabez (Jarez, perhaps), Frelove, Elisha, Thomas, Perez, and Dudley.  

Daughter Hannah Starr married Nicholas Starr, who was the son of Vine and Mary Street Starr.  They were cousins through Vine Starr and Mary Street also, but I think they were second cousins once removed, if I have this figured correctly.  If not, it's enough to know they were also closely related. Their children were Nicholas, Joseph, James, and Benjamin.

I haven't been able to learn much about James Starr.  His wife was possibly Hannah, but that is a maybe and I haven't found documentation. He died in 1777 at the age of 26, but I've been unable to determine whether or not he might have died in the Revolutionary War.

Finally there was Rachel, who was born in 1755 and died November 12, 1778, apparently unmarried.  

The Starr family has been thoroughly researched but there are still mysteries about them.  Many of the names in this post are those that are familiar to those who have researched the Battle of Groton Heights, as there were Avery, Chester, and Starr men in that battle, and possibly others.  

Thomas and Jerusha had at least 29 grandchildren, but Thomas would not have lived to see all of them.  This is the last generation of Starr ancestors who mostly lived and died in Groton, and they must have had a considerable impact on their community.

 

The family of Thomas Starr 1668-1711

 We're now in the fourth generation of Starrs who immigrated to and then settled in New England.  The great grandfather of Thomas was Comfort Starr, his grandfather was Thomas Starr, his father was Samuel Starr and his mother was Hannah Brewster.  Thomas was born in New London, Connecticut and settled, along with many of his siblings and his children, in Groton.  This generation is interesting because here is where we start to see the intertwining of families again.  It looks like somehow this family is connected to many of the families in Groton, and if you trace them a few more generations down (not the focus of this post or of my research), these surnames are seen in soldiers and sailors of the Revolutionary War, repeatedly.  

Thomas married Mary Morgan, sometimes seen as Mercy.  She was the daughter of James and Mary Vine Morgan, and I briefly mentioned their children in my post about Samuel Starr's family.  Here I will go into a bit more detail about their eight children.

Mary was the first born, and she married Captain John Chester, who was the son of Captain Samuel and Hannah Chester.  Their children were John, Thomas, Benajah, James, Joseph, Simeon, and Katherine.  (It's a bit odd that there was not a son named Samuel, but perhaps there was an unsuccessful pregnancy or early infant death.  Or maybe they just didn't like the name Samuel.

Hannah married Joseph Buttolph (lots of fun spellings to that name!) and they had three children: William, Mary, and Jonathan.

Samuel was the first born son, born in 1665.  He was baptized along with his brother Thomas in 1701.  Thomas died that same year and perhaps Samuel also had an early death, as I can find no further mention of him.  Thomas was born in 1700.  It's possible that an epidemic of some sort was the impetus for the baptisms, and that whatever it was took both of these young children, but that is speculation on my part.  

Jerusha married William Pabodie or Peabody III, son of William and Judith Tilden Peabody.  There children were Rachel, Thomas, Hannah (who married a Chester, William, Lydia (who married a Morgan), Samuel, Lemuel, James, and Mary.   

Rachel first married Daniel Denison, the son of George and Mary Wetherell Denison.  Mary's ancestry traces back to William Brewster, so Daniel and Rachel were some kind of cousin.  Their children were Mary, Daniel, Thomas, Rachel, Samuel, Hannah, Ann, Phebe, James and Elizabeth.  After about eleven years of widowhood, Rachel married Ebenezer Avery, the father-in-law of her son Daniel.  He had twelve children of his own and between the two families, they were related to absolutely everyone, or so it seems.

James Starr is a mystery.  He married someone named Hannah, whose name appears in his probate papers, but we don't know when and we don't know whether there were any children born to them. He died in 1787.  (Note: It was a different James Starr who married Anna Kent, as nearly as I can tell.)

Finally, there was a second son named Thomas, who was born in 1711 and who never knew his father.  Thomas married Jerusha Street, the daughter of Nicholas and Jerusha Morgan Street.  Their children were Mary, Rachel, Thomas, Jerusha, John, William, Hannah, and James.  I will write more of this family in my next planned blog post.  

After Thomas Starr died in 1711, Mary Morgan Starr married in 1717 William Peabody, who may be the father in law of her daughter Jerusha, who had married William Peabody III.  She had no known children with him, and outlived him.  William's second wife was an Alden, who may trace back to John Alden of the Mayflower, so there is another distant Mayflower connection.  

It certainly looks like the Starr family contributed greatly to the growth of Groton, Connecticut as well as a few other nearby towns!

 

The family of Samuel Starr 1641-1687

 Continuing with the Starr family saga...We are now in the third generation of Starrs, and Samuel was the first born in New England.  He is widely accepted as the son of Thomas and Rachel Starr, although birth records are lacking.  By December of 1664, he was in New London, Connecticut, where he married Hannah Brewster, the daughter of Jonathan and Lucretia Oldham Brewster on December 16.  Hannah is the granddaughter of Elder William and Mary Brewster

Samuel and Hannah had just four known children, although many lists include five names.  Their known children were:

Samuel, born December 11, 1665.  I've found nothing further about him, so he may have died young.  

Thomas, born September 27, 1668.  He married Mary or Mercy Morgan, daughter of Captain James and Mary Vine Morgan.  They had eight children:  Mary, Hannah, Samuel, Thomas, Jerusha, Rachel, James, and Thomas again.  We are descended from Mary and also the second Thomas.  More of Thomas's family will be profiled in an upcoming post.

Comfort Starr was born August 7, 1671, and died young.  

Captain Jonathan Starr was born February 23, 1674, and married Elizabeth Morgan, who was also the daughter of Captain James and Mary Vine Morgan.  Yes, the brothers married sisters, which must have made it confusing for the double cousins, their children.  Jonathan and Elizabeth had 10 children: Samuel, Elizabeth, Lt. Jonathan, Lucy (also seen as Lusanna), Hannah, Captain Joseph, Vine, Rachel, Mary, and Catherine.   

Just to make things more interesting regarding the Starr and Morgan families, Hannah, the widow of Samuel Starr, married James Morgan, the widower of Mary Vine, in 1690. Although they had no children together, my head spins trying to figure out the relationships.  At least it would have made for smaller family reunions.  

Several trees also place Benjamin Starr, born in 1679, as a child of Samuel and Hannah.  However, the only records I've found for a Benjamin Starr born that year are for the son of Comfort and Marah Weld Starr, and he was born in Middletown, not New London, where Samuel lived and died.  

I've written of Samuel's life and accomplishments earlier.  He and his family (although small by Starr family expectations) contributed much to their community.  

The family of Thomas Starr 1615-1658

Last week I wrote about the family of Comfort and Elizabeth (possibly Watt or Watts) Starr.  Comfort is recognized as the immigrant ancestor, head of a family that has grown even more than one would expect, over the ensuing generations.  This week I will continue following our line of Starrs.

Once again, there are some very important missing facts regarding Thomas and his family, particularly the identity of his wife and mother of his children.  Her name was Rachel, and they were supposed to have married about 1638 in Rhode Island.  Her name is often seen as Rachel Harris, but I know of no documentation to back that up.  He is not known to have lived in Rhode Island at all, with his homes at various times being in Duxbury, Scituate, Yarmouth, and finally Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He died on October 26, 1658 at Charlestown, at the early age of 42.  Thomas was a surgeon during the Pequot War and is referred to as "Dr. Starr" so he likely moved from time to time to where his services were most needed.

He did take time out of his schedule to raise a large family with Rachel, as was the custom in this family.  Their children are:

Samuel, born about 1640.  He married Hannah Brewster, granddaughter of William and Mary Brewster of the Mayflower.  Their children were Benjamin, Samuel, Thomas, Comfort, and Jonathan, and I will write more about them in my next blog post.

The next child was another son, Thomas Jr.  He married Ruth Barney and Elizabeth Gilbert.  He married Ruth about 1692 so it is likely that these children belong to Elizabeth, who was the daughter of Thomas and Jane Rossiter Gilbert.  Except, one source indicates that Thomas Gilbert did not have a daughter named Elizabeth, so this whole subject needs more research. Thomas's children were Thomas, Benjamin, Jehosophat, Sarah, and Elizabeth.  Thomas Jr. died in 1704.

Comfort, (undoubtedly named for his grandfather even those these names are not in the order one would expect), was born November 15, 1644 and died October 18, 1693 at Middletown, Connecticut.  He married Marah Weld, daughter of Joseph and Barbara Clapp Weld.  They had 9 known children-Comfort, Joseph, Mary, Hannah, Joseph (again), Benjamin, Rachel, Thomas, and Daniel.  

Their first and, as it turned out, only daughter, Elizabeth was born June 7, 1646. She married John Treadwell (Tredwell), son of Edward and Sarah Howes Treadwell.  They had at least three children-John, Thomas, and Elizabeth.  Elizabeth died March 6, 1681, at the age of 34.  

Son Benjamin was born February 6, 1647/48 and died before April 30, 1676. I have not found a cause of death for him but this was during the time of King Philip's War so it is possible that he died as a result of that conflict.  He had not yet reached the age of thirty.  His wife was Elizabeth Allerton, who was the granddaughter of Isaac Allerton and Fear Brewster.  (Fear was William Brewster's daughter, and Isaac was one of the Mayflower Pilgrims.)  They had one son, Allerton.

Jehosophat Starr was the next born, on January 12, 1649/50.  He is not known to have married, but is credited with three children-Jehoshophat, Elizabeth, and Hannah.  I have found no documentation of his marriage, his children, or his death, which is only noted as after 1671.  More research needs to be done.

Constant was the first of Thomas and Rachel's children to die as a child, but not the last.  He was born in 1652 and died October 5, 1654, in Charlestown.  

William was born next, on March 18, 1654/55, but died December 13, 1659.  The back to back deaths of Constant and William must have been particularly hard, especially since Thomas may have felt that he "should" have been able to save them.  

Josiah Starr, known as "Captain" was born September 1, 1657 and died January 4, 1714/15.  His wife was Rebekah but her maiden name isn't known at this time.  They had at least 8 children together-Benjamin, John, Thomas, Rachel, Josiah, Rebecca, Samuel, and Comfort.  

Their last son was John, born in 1658.  There is very little to be found about him, except that he was alive January 1, 1684/85.  We don't know whether he married, whether he had any children, or anything else about him, for that matter.  There are any number of reasons that someone's death would not have been noted, including being lost at sea, murdered in the back country, kidnapped and taken to Canada, or simply the loss of records wherever he died, but it is sad not to be able to bring his life to an end.

Thomas and Rachel had at least 31 grandchildren, which is not a terribly large number for the time, but it was enough to contribute to keeping the Starr family name going through New England and New York. 

The family of Comfort Starr

 Comfort Starr, referred to as Dr. by many, is our first immigrant of the Starr name.  His parents were Thomas and Susan (possibly Moore) Starr.  His parents may or may not have been immigrants.  I have seen trees claiming he died in Ashford, Kent, England and also that he died in Massachusetts Bay Colony.  Thomas's will seems to have been written in England, so for the time being and until someone convinces me otherwise, I'll leave him in England.  

Comfort was born July 6, 1589 and in Ashford, Kent, England. His father or possibly his grandfather was relatively well to do, and Comfort, as a second son, was trained to be a chirurgeon.  There seems to be some dispute about what the job of surgeon entailed in the early 17th century.  Some say a surgeon was not as educated as a doctor, because their primary job was to cut off limbs and stitch up wounds.  Others say he was a physician, and there is some evidence that he at least had some medicines at his disposal.  But would he have had access to these pain killers as a chirurgeon, also?  I am still working on this problem.  Either way, he was probably able to provide for his family above the subsistence, or even working class, label, as indicated by the three servants he brought with him to America, one of whom was his sibling, Truth Shall Prevail.

Comfort married Elizabeth Watts in Sussex, England and they had ten children together, nine of them born at Ashford.  There is some question, actually, about Elizabeth.  I have also seen her referred to as Elizabeth Mitchell, and identified as the daughter of Thomas Hayward Mitchell and his wife Margaret.  I don't know which is correct, or whether Elizabeth Mitchell may have been a widower of a man named Watts.  (For such a well-known family, there are a lot of research questions that are not yet answered properly, I think.)

Comfort and Elizabeth came to America in 1635, with their three oldest children.  It appears that some of the other children came later.  Of the ten children, two did not survive childhood.  

Thomas, named for his father and grandfather, was the first born son, baptized December 31, 1615.  He would have been 19 when he immigrated, and five years later he married Rachel, most often seen as Rachel Harris.  They had 10 children-Thomas, Samuel, Comfort, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Jehosophat, Constant, William, Josiah, and John, and I will write about them in my next post.

Judith was born before January 11, 1617/18 and buried August 25, 1622.  

Mary was baptized April 16, 1620, and married John Maynard in 1640.  They had five children-Mary, Lydia, Hannah, Mary, and Zachariah. Mary died before her father wrote his will in 1659, but he left bequests to the children.

Elizabeth was baptized June 3, 1622 and married John Fernside or Ferniside by July of 1642.  Their children were Hannah, Elizabeth, Sarah, Jacob, Lydia, Ruth, Mary, Abigail, and Sarah (again).  

Comfort was baptized April 11, 1624.  He married first Grace, and later Anne Finch, who was the mother of his three known children-Josiah, John, and George.  He apparently was in Massachusetts for about 15 years and returned to England in 1650, where he lived his life as a pastor.  

John Starr was baptized October 15, 1626 and married Martha Bunker, daughter of George and Judith Major Bunker.  They had at least eight children, many of whose names are now familiar to us-Elizabeth, Judith, Eleazer, Lydia, Comfort, John, and Benjamin.   

Samuel Starr was baptized March 1, 1628/29, and was buried April 16, 1633.

Hannah Starr was baptized July 22, 1632 and married John Cutt.  He became the first president of the providence of New Hampshire, appointed by King Charles II.  They had five children together-John, Elizabeth, Hannah, Samuel, and Mary.  

Lydia was baptized March 22, 1634/5 and married Simon Eyre.  She died in 1653, aged less than 20, leaving just one child, Simon, whose last name was later spelled Ayers.  

Ruth Starr was the last child, born about 1637, in Massachusetts, although there seem to be no contemporary records of her birth.  She married Joseph Moore in 1656, and was already deceased when her father wrote his will in 1659.  The deaths of these last two children may or may not have been related to childbirth, but both women were very of child bearing age when they died.

This gives Comfort and Elizabeth 41 grandchildren, some of whom they would never have seen (son Comfort's children having been born in England).  The children seem to have all been good citizens, who made good lives for themselves and their own children.  We can be proud of the contributions that Dr Comfort and Elizabeth made to their community.

 

Holbrook: Loren Holbrook and his family

 Loren Holbrook is a hard man to write about.  I never did do a profile sketch of him, probably because he is recent enough in our family history that I know stories about him.  I also know his two daughters had somewhat different opinions of him, and I don't know which are "true".  Probably all the stories are "true" but have to be seen in their context in order to understand them, and the people who could give us that context are gone.  This post will give the facts of his life and mention his children. 

Loren Holbrook was born March 13, 1883 in Chicago Heights, Illinois, the second known son of Fremont and Phoebe (Phebe) Brown Holbrook.  He had an older brother, Ray, and a younger brother, Clark.  We know from the 1940 census that the highest grade of school he completed was the third year, but I don't know whether the school he attended would have been a three year or a four year high school at that time.  At any rate, I've read some of his letters and he wrote well, both expressively and with correct grammar and punctuation.  

By 1908, he was in Washington State, where he purchased land in 1911 that was on the border of Ferry and Stevens counties.  He had gone to Washington intending to invest in mines but I don't think that worked out for him.  In later life he mostly worked in the lumber industry and sawmills, eventually owning his own operation near Kettle Falls.  His estate was large enough that it made the Spokane, Washington newspapers, so he was somewhat successful.  He employed at least some indigenous men, but it's not known how large his operation was.  He had retired by the time of his death.

Etta Stanard arrived in Stevens county in 1913, to join her parents and siblings who were already there.  She taught school, and Loren courted her and won her heart quickly.  They were married August 16, 1914.

The couple had four children together.  Ray was born November 4, 1915.  He entered the Army in 1940, became a member of the First Special Service Force (known as the Black Devils) and was killed at Anzio, Italy on March 30-31 (nighttime operation), 1944.  Ray did not marry or have children.

Their second son was Howard S Holbrook, born April 18, 1918 in Colville, Washington.  He had physical and mental challenges as well as a prison record, and never married.  He died August 27, 1992.

Their first daughter was Lois Phoebe Holbrook, born January 9, 1923.  (There was a gap of five years here and I've often wondered if there was an unsuccessful pregnancy during this time.)  She married Lloyd Melcher, who became a carpenter and contractor, and the couple had four children, two of whom are living.  

The final child was Gladys May Holbrook, born November 17, 1925.  She married Richard Allen, who became a pastor, on June 28, 1947 and the couple had four children, two of whom are living.  

Loren and Etta seem to have had a good marriage for the first few years, but after the birth of Gladys their relationship deteriorated.  One reason may have been Etta's prolonged stay in Spokane, after Gladys was born, but that may also have been because there were already difficulties.  Etta filed for divorce in 1928 but that was apparently withdrawn, because she filed again in 1933.  Etta had mental issues most of her life, possibly beginning with the last pregnancy, and it would have been hard to live with a woman as confused as she sometimes was.

Loren had a housekeeper, Hannah (keeping her last name private because I don't know if her children are living) who was apparently a widow.  She lived in Loren's household for several years and the Holbrook boys knew her children well, as Loren often mentioned them in letters to Ray.  She may or may not have been a common law wife, but in Loren's will, he referred to Etta as his one and only wife.  Hannah's name was listed as wife in Loren's obituary, but she may have been the informant so that is not entirely trustworthy.  I find no record of a marriage.

Loren died October 16 or 17, 1948, on the Deer Park Highway in Spokane County.  He had suffered a heart attack and his car was wrecked, but he may never have known about the wreck.  

 I have written a fairly general, somewhat sanitized post here because living people may not want more details publicized.  However, if you are a descendant of Loren and Etta, and wish more information, please contact me and I'll be happy to help as much as I can.

This is the end of our particular line of Holbrooks, from Thomas to Thomas to Peter to Joseph to Jesse to Amariah to Nahum to Joseph to Fremont to Loren.  We are now "daughtered out", and I will start a new family next week. 

The family of Fremont Holbrook

 I wrote a short blog post about Fremont Holbrook in 2014, and have learned little more of his life since then.  He was the son of Joseph Rockwood and Mary Elizabeth Whittemore Holbrook, and was born February 10, 1851 in Cook County, Illinois.  I've not found information about his education but he clearly was literate and well respected in his community, so he probably at least finished high school, or seminary as it was sometimes called then.  He was too young to have served in the Civil War, but he likely followed the war closely, and probably rooted for the Union and for Abraham Lincoln.  

His marriage was to Phoebe Ann Brown, daughter of Adam and Phoebe Myers Brown, on October 10, 1877 in Cook County.  The Brown family was in Bloom Township, not far from Chicago Heights, where the Holbrooks lived.  They may have met at an inn the Browns operated, but that is speculation.

Fremont and Phoebe were Methodists, and long time members of the local church.  They had a family of three sons.  There was a gap of five years between the second and third sons, so it is possible that there was a lost pregnancy or an infant death that is not recorded.  (That is my speculation only, there could be other reasons for the gap.)

It has been difficult for me to find much information about their sons, so I apologize for the lack of information.  However, one of these men was my grandfather, the other two were grand uncles, and they deserve to have what is known about them mentioned at least once.

Ray Rockwood Holbrook was born in 1881, exact date not known.  He married Mary Ruby Maddox January 6, 1910.  His employment on the census and World War I draft records is given as in the shipping department of a chemical factory.  I haven't been able to further identify Ruby, except that she frequently sang for social clubs, weddings, and other occasions.  As far as the census records show, there were no children, although of course it's possible that one or more children were born and died between the census years.  Ray died July 31, 1929 in Chicago Heights, two years short of his 50th birthday.  I found Ruby in the 1940 census, living in Chicago Heights, where she owned a home and had at least three boarders.  I've not located her in the 1950 census, nor have I located death information.  

Their second son was Loren, born March 13, 1881.  He married Etta Stanard (Stannard) and they had four children.  I will write more of his story in a future post.

Clark was the youngest son, born in 1888.  He married Nellie M Waggoner January 10, 1920, after returning as a corporal from serving in France in World War 1.  I may or may not have the correct Clark Holbrook in the 1920 census, because he was then listed as a single boarder on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, even though the census was taken after his marriage.  By 1930, this Clark Holbrook owned a hotel, the Hotel Del Mar.  That is recorded as his residence but there is no mention of Nell.  (Nor, for that matter, is she to be easily found anywhere else in the 1930 census.)  The "hotel" appears to have been a three story building, brick, and may or may not be still standing.  The Holbrooks were together in the 1940 census in Chicago Heights (probably the family home built by Fremont), by which time Clark was not working.  Shortly after this, they moved to Dade County, Florida, where he worked as a court reporter for 16 years, before dying in 1958.  It does not appear that this family had children, or if they did, the child or children did not survive.  I have one picture of this man, in which he appears to look very much like his brother Loren.

This is little enough information about men that my mother may have heard stories about.  I am grateful for this much information, but how I wish I knew more about them.

The family of Joseph R. Holbrook 1814-1881

 As I write this post, I'm thinking of the pictures that used to be published in our local newspapers, of five generation families.  Usually someone is holding an infant or toddler, and the representative of the oldest generation is anywhere from 70 years old, upwards.  When I was a baby, Joseph Holbrook could theoretically have been in my five generation photo, except that he had already been gone about 70 years.  I guess my point is that my posts about the Holbrook line are getting close enough that I can relate to these people a little more, even though there are still many unanswered questions about them.

Joseph Rockwood Holbrook is the youngest son of Nahum and Susanna Rockwood Holbrook, born January 4, 1814 in Washington County, New York.  He stayed there long enough to marry Mary Elizabeth Whittemore, daughter of Josiah and Betsy Foster Whittemore, on or about May 7, 1836.  (I am still searching for the records to confirm this date.)  They didn't stay in New York long, because the first of there children, born less than two years later, was in Crown Point, Lake County, Indiana, and the rest of their children were born in Bloom Township, Cook County, Illinois, starting in 1840.

The known children of Joseph and "Lizzie", as she is referred to on one census record, were:

Clark Holbrook, born March of 1838 in Crown Point, as mentioned above.  He married Ann K Raymond, whose parents aren't known to me, and they had Mary, Howard, Christie, Alice, and George.  Clark died in 1904.

Nahum was born June 10, 1840, in Bloom Township, where his parents settled for the rest of their lives.  Nahum married Clarissa Hewes, daughter of Benjamin and Rebecca Bulinghame Hewes, and they had Helen, Kathryn, Minnie, Nora, Luella, George, and Walter.  He died in 1875.

Their first daughter, Susan, was born April 30, 1842,  Sadly, she never even appears on a census record as she died in 1848.  

Fremont (in the early days, seen as Freemont) was born in February of 1850.  He married Phoebe Brown and they had three children, who will be mentioned in a later post.

Their last known child was Martha (known as Mattie), born May 9, 1852.  She married William A DuBreuil, son of Augustus and Elizabeth Hoxley DuBreuil, and had children L. E., who only lived 12 years, Weldon, Allan, Forrest, and Winfield.  Martha died in 1916.

Clark and Nahum were each eligible to be involved in the Civil War, but I haven't found their names on the databases I've consulted.  Joseph was a well to do man and I wonder if these Holbrooks purchased substitutes, as was a common and acceptable practice.  This is speculation on my part.  

I've noticed several trends with this family.  The naming patterns have changed, with most of the children not giving traditional family or Biblical names to their children.  Joseph, of course, was the first in our direct line to strike out on his own, crossing several states to arrive at his new home (although, as noted in my last post, he had siblings within 150 miles of Cook County).  And his family is the smallest in number that I've yet seen in the Holbrook line.  

I would love to find a photo of this man, and of his wife!

The family of Nahum Holbrook 1781-1844

 Researching Nahum Holbrook's family has been a challenge.  I found no readily available list of his children with documentation, and only a couple of trees that listed his children without documentation.  I've also found some of his information mixed up with at least one other Nahum Holbrook.  So it's been fun, but this post is also not in as much depth as I would like.  It's just a start, for family members who would like to use this as a bare outline.  

Nahum was the son of Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook and was born April 2, 1781 in Bellingham, Massachusetts, like all of his siblings and most of his many cousins.  He married Susannah Rockwood, daughter of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood, in Bellingham on February 3, 1802.  Sometime between his marriage and 1810 he, like several of his siblings (Amariah, for one, and Susannah's father Levi Rockwood) had moved on to Hartford, Washington County, New York. Nahum was a lieutenant in the War of 1812 and was at the Battle of Plattsburg, defending our country against the British invaders.  This would have left Susannah at home with several small children.

Nahum and Susannah had at least 7 children, and tracing them has been interesting, to say the least.  

Amariah Wright Holbrook was born in 1804, supposedly in Bellingham but his name is not on their vital records, so I'm wondering if he was actually born in New York, or perhaps while his parents were en route there.  He married Polly Dixon, who may or may not have been the daughter of John Dixon of Hartford, NY (he is the only Dixon in 1820 in Hartford, but much more research would have to be done to confirm this potential relationship).  Their known children were Oscar, Orville, Martha, Polly, Amariah, John D, Joseph R, Dallas, and Deborah.  Amariah and Polly moved to Kosciusko County, Indiana and died there.  

Their first daughter, Lucinda (or Lucina), was born in 1803 and married Mason Slade, the son of Obediah and Sarah Lee Slade.  They had at least three children: William, Susan and Mason.  They stayed in Hartford, NY.  

Deborah was the next child, born in 1806.  I am not sure that she ever married.  She died in 1875, and her name is on a gravestone in Stephenson County, Illinois, along with her sister Mary, with "Holley" on the base of the stone.  Mary's story will come later in this post.  

Nahum, the second son, was born in 1809 but lived for just three years, dying in 1812.  We don't know the cause of death, but if it was a communicable disease the family was fortunate to lose just one of the children.

Susan was born in 1812, and she married her cousin, Levi Rockwood Jr, son of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood.  Close relatives frequently married in those days, and there were not a lot of options in a town the size of Hartford (about 2200 in 1820).  They had a large family: Emeline, Martin, Nathan, Joseph, Cynthia, John, George, Mildred, and Byron.  After Levi died Susan married John Rice, but there were no children from this marriage.  

Their last son, Joseph Rockwood, was born January 4, 1814.  He married Mary Elizabeth Whittemore, daughter of Josiah and Betsy Foster Whittemore, and we will follow that family in a future post.  They were a pioneer family of Homewood, Cook County, Illinois, and they had seven children.

Finally, the last daughter, Mary, was born in 1818.  She married Benjamin J. Holley and they went to Stephenson County, Illinois.  They seem to have had just two children, Alice and George.  I haven't had any success in identifying Benjamin further, although the tombstone says that they-meaning Mary and Deborah Holbrook as well as, presumably, Benjamin- all came from "Old Adamsville", a hamlet on the edge of Hartford.  

The mystery this presents is all on the tombstone.  Why was Deborah also included on this stone?  She died about 22 years before Mary.  Was she a first wife of Benjamin, or was she perhaps a spinster who lived with her youngest sister after the death of their parents?  Did she have a physical or mental challenge that meant she needed help?  If I live long enough after writing these sketches about the families of our ancestors, that is something I would like to research.  

One thing that I've noticed about this family is that just as several of Nahum's siblings moved to New York, several of his children moved substantially further west.  With Mary and Deborah in Stephenson County, Joseph in Cook County, and Amariah in Kosciusko County, Indiana, were they ever able to gather for a family reunion of sorts, perhaps at Joseph's home, which was midway between the other two locations?  It would be nice to think that happened.

Holbrook line: Introducing John Cary, Carey, or Carew

 When I learned that Josiah Standish most assuredly did not marry Sarah Doty, I had to delete a lot, and I mean a lot, of people from my tree.  In place of those 1500 or so people, I can add back two, plus 12 children.  It's not a very fair trade, losing a Mayflower passenger and all his kin, for someone of whom so little is known.  But it is what it is, and finding more will be fun, if and when it happens.

So who did Josiah Standish (1670-1753, grandson of the famous Myles Standish) marry?  It turns out that her name was Sarah Cary.  She was the daughter of John and Elizabeth Godfrey Cary.  We know about Elizabeth's father, Francis Godfrey, because Elizabeth was the aunt of Alice Godfrey who married Peter Holbrook.  If you are reading my current posts about the Holbrook family and how they intertwined with so many early residents of southeastern Massachusetts, you'll not be at all surprised by this.

As usual, there are several men by the name of John Cary, Carey, or Carew to shift through.  We can easily eliminate John Cary, a merchant in Boston, as there are records for him after our John Cary died.  Our John's son, John, ended up in Bristol, Rhode Island but was in his father's location long enough to make things a little confusing.  

John's background is not well-known, neither his parents nor his location.  A family historian says that he came from a family wealthy enough to send him to France for a year of his schooling, but I've not found any documentation for that.  We know he was educated enough to be town clerk for 25 years, and the gentleman (Seth Cary) who reported the French education also says he was the first teacher of Latin in New England.  This may or may not be accurate.  

Also in the field of speculation, some claim that he was a member of the Carew family in Somersetshire, England, who were apparently part of the nobility, with castles in Somersetshire and in Pembrokeshire, Wales.  One of the Carew family made mention in a will of John Carew, who had left the area when the will was written, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he is talking about our John, who came to America about 1638 or 1639.  It is said that the English pronounced the name "Carew" as "Carey" and that is how the name was changed, but take that with a grain of salt until you find substantiating evidence.

His arrival in Plymouth Colony, and his settling first in Duxbury (where our ancestors William Brewster and Myles Standish had also settled, some years earlier) is the first solid information we have about John.  I have seen several birth dates for him, mostly in the 1610-1612 range, which would mean he was in his late 20's when he crossed the ocean.  He married Elizabeth Godfrey of Duxbury in June of 1644, and moved on to Bridgewater.  54 men were original proprietors of Bridgewater in 1646, but only about one third of them actually took up residence there.  John was one of them.  He was made a freeman of the town and served as constable and held other town offices also.

John and Elizabeth had 12 children, six sons and six daughters.  All of them grew to adulthood and it was said that there "wasn't a Judas among them", meaning they were all seen as upright people. (I plan to write more about the family in a future post.)  Bridgewater was attacked during King Philip's War and at least some buildings were burned by the natives, but I don't know yet know how the Cary family fared, or whether they left town, went to a garrison house, or stayed in their own home.  Several of the Cary sons were old enough to serve as soldiers but John was over 60 and so likely was not serving in the militia.  

Elizabeth died in 1680, after 36 years of marriage and twelve children.  John died the following year.  His son John was appointed the administrator of the estate but I have not yet located those records.  Perhaps an inventory would give us clues about his educational level, and other items could indicate whether he had treasured heirlooms from England, which would be another clue as to his origin.  

We may not yet know enough about John to write a full "This Is Your Life", but we do know enough to welcome him to the family!

The line of descent is:

John Cary-Elizabeth Godfrey

Sarah Cary-Josiah Standish

Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster

Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford

Jude Foster-Lydia M

Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore

Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook

Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown

Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard

Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Their descendants

The family of Amariah Holbrook 1756-1797

 This post is the beginning of an attempt to trace the family of Amariah Holbrook.  He was born in Bellingham, Massachusetts on June 6, 1756 and died there July 7, 1797.  He was the son of Jesse and Abigail Thayer Holbrook.  Like his father, he was a veteran of the Revolutionary War, and that may or may not have contributed to his early death.  His parents, grandparents, and great grandparents had all lived their lives in the same area, although the earliest of these show Mendon as locations of death.  Bellingham was formed from land originally part of Mendon, so it may well have been the same land.  (Some of the great grandparents had Weymouth roots, which is about 45 miles from Bellingham.)

Amariah married Molly Wright May 13, 1779 in Bellingham.  She was the daughter of Jonathan and Rebecca Wilson Wright.  Their first child, Tryphena, was born January 17, 1779.  She appears to have had a cherished relationship with her parents, and with her grandfather Jesse, despite being born before the marriage.  Amariah made a point in his will of calling her his natural daughter, and Jesse in his will gave her the portion due his own children, perhaps because Amariah was already deceased at that point.  

My first thought was that Tryphena may have had some mental or physical challenge, but she married at about the age she would have been expected to marry, when she was 22,  Her spouse was Levi Rockwood, the son of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood.  We will meet Levi and Deborah in a later paragraph, as they are our ancestors also.  Their known children were John, Amos, Levi, Orrin, and Lyman.  

Abigail was born May 12, 1780, and died June 24, 1780.  Amariah and Molly (seen in many records as Moley) had had an eventful first year of their marriage, with an infant daughter and then the birth and sad death of another daughter within a few weeks of their first anniversary.  

Their first son, Nahum, was born April 2, 1781.  He is our ancestor and I will write more of him in a future post, but he was married to Susannah Rockwood, the daughter of Levi and Deborah Lazell Rockwood.   They had at least seven children-Amariah, Susan, Mary, Nahum, Lucinda, Deborah, and Joseph.  

Next born was Amos, on April 27, 1873.  He married Lucretia Burr, daughter of Elisha and Lucretia Bates Burr.  The Burr line traces back to John and Mary Warren Burr, who are our ancestors on another line.  Their known children were Whitman, Lucretia, Amos Harrison, Almira, and Olive Metcalf.  (I suspect there was a line in Lucretia's tree that may have gone back to our Metcalf ancestors, but I have not traced it.)  

Their son Amariah was born January 23, 1785.  He married Lovina (seen as Vina) Holbrook, the daughter of Timothy and Ruth (unknown) Holbrook.  She was a distant cousin, as her ancestors included Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, whose family I have written of earlier.  She was born in Vermont and I haven't quite figured out how they met, but it happened.  Lovina appears to also have descended from Elder John Strong of Northampton, Massachusetts, who is also our ancestor.    Their children were Amariah Wright, Peter, Martha, and another Amariah.

Joel Holbrook was born February 2, 1787.  He married Fear Stewart, who was likely the daughter of Fear Stewart.  Their known children were Jesse T. and Sally Ann.  Fear died after about 8 years of marriage.

I should pause here to say that several of the children I am briefly sketching here left Bellingham and moved to Hartford, Washington County, New York, mostly in the early 1800s.  I have been unable to locate readily available birth records for that time and place, so it is probable that some of these couples have more children than I have been able to find.  

Abigail Holbrook (the second of that name) was born June 2, 1789.  She married Amos Adams, the son of Amos and Abigail Thayer Adams.  (Abigail Thayer leads us back to Ferdinando and Hulda Hayward Thayer, Samuel and Mehitable Thompson Hayward, Walter and Experience Cook, John and Joanna Ford Rocket or Rockwood, and possibly a Staples line that matches ours.) Abigail and Amos had Tryphenia, Seneca, Samuel, and Emeline.  

Asa Holbrook was born May 18, 1792.  He married twice.  His first wife was Mercy New, not traced, and their children were Abigail, Anna, Asa, Charles, Elethina, and Elnathan.  After Mercy's death, he married Anna Smith, and their children were Willard and Angeline. Most of these children were born in Medway, so Asa had moved just a ways from the Holbrook lands of Bellingham.

Nathan Holbrook was born April 8, 1794.  I found very little about him, but I did find a will for a Nathan (not sure if he is this Nathan or not) who was a yeoman of Bellingham, and who wrote his will June 18, 1828.  It was probated June 16, 1846.  In it, he mentions his wife, Sarah, and children Dennis, Ellie, and Sarah.  I do not know for sure whether he belongs in this sketch or not. There also seems to be record of Nathan who married Ruth Albee and had no children, but I've not found a date for this marriage so I don't know if it could be the same man or not. 

Amariah and Molly's last child was Lyman, born February 26, 1797, just a few months before Amariah's death.  He married Hypsa or Hypsia Freeman, daughter of Ralph and Betty Legg Freeman.  Their known children were Adaline, Nahum, and Sylvia.  

This possibly incomplete list shows at least 38 grandchildren for Amariah and Molly, not including the possibility of the three mentioned in the will of Nathan Holbrook.  Amariah and Molly may well have had more children had his life not been cut short.  They continued a long line of Holbrooks and are two of my favorite ancestors, Amariah because of his long service in the Revolutionary War and Molly because she never remarried, but raised the children on her own, probably with the help of her Holbrook family.  (Her own parents had died prior to Amariah's death.) 

Oh dear: Corrections to be made

 Well, I did it again.  Somewhere in my early days of genealogy, I trusted an untrustworthy second hand source.  I've now found better information, with good citations, done by trusted genealogists, and need to demote some people from "ancestor" to "former ancestor".  In other words, they need to be deleted from my tree, and blog posts need to be updated to note the error.  I will leave the posts up because I believe the information to be basically correct, except for the father of, son of, aspect of it.  

Sadly, I need to delete Edward Doty, who came on the Mayflower and was certainly an interesting character.  I'm sort of glad he is not our interesting character, though.  Samuel Doty is no longer in our tree.  Thurston Clarke is no longer in our tree.  James Harmon is no longer in our tree.  And Josiah Standish was not married to Sarah Doty; he was married to Sarah Cary or Carey, the daughter of John Cary.  

The good news is that now I have a few more names to research, such as John Cary.  And that means another ancestor post at some point.

I will be posting on the occasional Tuesday, I guess, when I find that a post I've done is incorrect, and when I find new ancestors.  My Friday posts will continue to put our ancestors in their context as heads of families, and show connections to other ancestors when I find them.

I am very sorry that I published incorrect information, but I was happy to research these men who are now "former ancestors".  I learned things I wouldn't otherwise have known, and that is always a good thing. 

The family of Jesse Holbrook 1729-1815

I've written earlier about Jesse Holbrook, a man whom I admire, based on the facts I've uncovered.  However, he seems to have let me down in one way.  I don't have 10 or 12 children to write about, so this will be a shorter post.  

Jesse was the youngest son of Joseph and Mary Cook Holbrook.  He was born July 21, 1729 and died April 17, 1815, both in Bellingham, Massachusetts.  He married Abigail Thayer, daughter of Ebenezer and Mary Wheelock Thayer, on March 28, 1753.  Abigail goes back on two different lines to Ferdinando Thayer, so here is another Thayer connection to the Holbrook family.

Jesse and Abigail seem to have had just five children, which was low for the Holbrook line.  We don't know whether there may have been unsuccessful pregnancies.  Of the five children, just two married and had children of their own.  Huldah was born in 1754 and died in 1775, unmarried.  Hannah was born in 1758 and died in 1776, unmarried.  Lucretia was born in 1766 and died in 1790, unmarried.  They were aged 18 to 24 when they died, which must have grieved Jesse and Abigail terribly.  (I have seen lists that include Triphena and Abigail as their daughters, but the Bellingham birth records don't mention either daughter. Perhaps they died at birth.)

However, two sons did live, marry, and have children.  Amariah was born June 6, 1756.  He married Molly (Molley) Wright, daughter of Jonathan and Rebecca Wilson Wright.  They had at least seven children, and I will mention them in my next post since Amariah is our ancestor.  

Jesse Holbrook Junior was born October 7, 1764 and married Clara or Clarissa Hixson, daughter of Ezra and Esther Fisher Hixson (Hixon).  She was a descendant of Samuel Morse, who is our ancestor on another line, but that was the only connection to our other family members that I located.  Jesse and Clarissa's family included Ursula, Lucretia, Willard, Ezra, another Willard, and Hannah.  

One thing I wonder about the two Jesses: Did they get along?  Jesse Jr moved to Connecticut shortly after his marriage, and then on to New York.  None of the family, other than Ezra, seem to be named for family members, and only Ezra and Hannah were Biblical names, which were used by most of the family for generations.  These are the kinds of questions that names and lists can't tell us. 

The family of Joseph Holbrook 1683-1750

Joseph Holbrook is in the fourth generation of Holbrooks in Massachusetts, which also included his father, Peter, his grandfather, Thomas Junior, and his great grandfather, Thomas Holbrook the immigrant.  I've written about him earlier, but basically said little about his family.  Joseph may have lived his entire life on the same property, although he was born in Mendon, Massachusetts and died in Bellingham, Massachusetts.  Bellingham broke off from Mendon and was formed as a town in 1721.  

Joseph married Mary Cook, the daughter of Nicholas and Joanna Rockwood Cook.  on December 10, 1710.  The birth date of their daughter Alice is shown on some sites as February 14, 1710 and on some as February 14, 1711.  Either way, it appears that she arrived "early".  

Alice married Samuel Hayward, the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth Warfield Hayward.  He was likely a descendant of Samuel and Mehitable Thompson Hayward, who are our ancestors through another line. Alice and Samuel had at least seven children together: Martha, Warfield, Jesse, Lucy, Ebenezer, Alice, and Abijah.  

Their next child was Joanna, who married Abijah French, the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Belcher French. We have several Thomas French men in our lines, and some Elizabeth Belchers, too, but at this time I'm not able to say for sure whether these are our relatives or not.  Joanna and Abijah appear to have had several children, including two sons named Abijah (sometimes Habijah) who died young, plus Joanna, Lois, David, Samuel, Sarah, and Unice.  Several of these births are recorded in Milford rather than Mendon, but Mendon and Milford are located just a few miles apart.    

Joseph was their first born son.  He married Grace Thayer, daughter of Jonathan Jr and Bethia Chapin Thayer.  Grace was the great granddaughter of our ancestors Ferdinando and Hulda Hayward Thayer, and also of our ancestors on our paternal side, Samuel and Cicely Penny Chapin.  They had at least seven children together: Esther, Bethia, Phebe, Jonathan, Joseph, Seth, and Meletiah.  

Daughter Rachel married Jonathan Thayer, a sister to Grace who married Joseph Holbrook (above paragraph).  They had at least five children together: Asahel, Paul, Lucy, Jonathan, and a second Paul, as the first one died at the age of 12.  

Their second son, Asahel, married Anna Puffer, the daughter of Richard and Anna Hawes Puffer.  When I look at Anna's tree, I see several more of our ancestors-Hawes, Lombard, Newell, Curtis, and Eliot, and possibly more.  (These interconnections are really starting to blow my mind!) Asahel and Anna had at least 10 children: Nathan, Mary, Anna, Ezekiel, Abijah, Elijah, Anne, two Esthers, one of whom died as an infant or toddler, and Moses.  

Joseph and Mary's next son was David.  He married Mary Hayden, the daughter of Ebenezer and Mary Hollis Hayden.  Mary Hayden was actually born in Braintree, so I thought maybe we would be getting new names into the family.  However, her ancestors include surnames of Pray, Valliance, and Thayer, all of which are also ancestors.  Joseph and Mary continued the Holbrook tradition of having many children.  Their even dozen included Mary, Hannah, Sarah, David, Lydia, Jonathan, James, Mehitable, Bethia, Ruth, Moses, and Caleb.    

Their daughter Mary married Daniel Corbett Jr, son of Daniel and Sarah Jones Corbett.  As far as I can tell, Daniel had no known ancestors who are also our ancestors.  Their children were: Nathaniel, Priscilla, Robert, Daniel, Peter, Joseph, Eldad, Mary who died young, Mary again, Hepzibah, Beulah, and John.  After 20 years of marriage, Daniel died, and Mary later married Josiah Chapin, who was the widower of Rachel Albee, of the same Albee family we descend from.  And yes, Josiah was a descendant of Samuel and Cicely Penny Chapin also.  Josiah had eleven children, so if there was a joint family get together, it would have been quite a large one.

Their final son was Jesse.  He married Abigail Thayer, the daughter of Ebenezer and Mary Wheelock Thayer.  Jesse and Abigail are our ancestral grandparents.  Abigail goes back to Ferdinando Thayer at least twice, so here we go again.  I've written about Jesse earlier.  Their children were: Huldah, Amariah, Hannah, Jesse, Lucretia, Triphena, and Abigail.  

In addition, Joseph and Mary had two daughters named Martha.  One died at the age of five years and one at the age of seven.  

By my count, this makes at least 68 grandchildren for Joseph and Mary.  This isn't the largest of the Holbrook families, but nevertheless it's surprising to our generation.  I don't know if there were family reunions, but surely there were gatherings from time to time.  Almost all of these families lived in Bellingham or Milford, so the children would all have known their cousins.

Holbrook line: The family of Peter Holbrook

 I've written an earlier post about Deacon Peter Holbrook.  He was the grandson of the first Thomas Holbrook who received a farm and more from his grandfather in gratitude for taking care of Thomas and his wife Jane in their old age.  It seems that he was a remarkable man, and we have two lines of descent from him.  

Peter was born March 7, 1655/56 in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a son of Thomas and Joanna Kingman Holbrook.  He was married twice, but all eleven children are from his first wife, Alice Godfrey, who was the daughter of Richard and Jane (probably Turner) Godfrey.  They lived in the part of Mendon that became Bellingham, and resided there all of their days. After Alice's death in 1705, he married Elizabeth Shaw Poole, the daughter of John and Alice Phillips Shaw, and the widow of Joseph Poole. Elizabeth had nine children, so together, if all the family gathered at once, there would have been 20 offspring plus spouses for many of them, and even a few grandchildren.  Peter died May 3, 1712 at Mendon.

Peter and Alice's children were:

John Holbrook, born September 24, 1679 and married at Mendon in 1705 Hannah Chapin.  (I don't know whether she is connected to our Chapin family or not, but it's possible.  Their children, born between 1707 and 1730, were Thomas, Hannah, Lydia, Josiah, Moses, John, Luke and Aaron.  

Peter Holbrook, born October 16, 1681, married Hannah Pool.  She may or may not have been his step-sister, but was likely to have been some relationship to the Elizabeth Poole who married the older Peter Holbrook.  Peter and Hannah had eight children, at least two of whom died as infants.  Their children were Peter, Isaac, Daniel, Elizabeth (died young), Abigail (died young), Elizabeth, Oliver, and Abigail.  It was not unusual in those times to name younger siblings for those who had died early.  

Joseph Holbrook, born May 8, 1683, is our ancestor.  He married Mary Cook, the daughter of Nicholas and Joanna Rockwood Cook, and they had at least nine children-Alice, Joanna, Joseph, Rachel, Asahel, David, Mary, Martha, and Jesse. Mary's mother was the sister of our ancestor Joseph Rockwood.  

Sylvanus Holbrook (sometimes seen as Silvanus) was born August 15, 1685.  He married Naomi Cook, whose may be the daughter of John and Naomi Thayer Cook.  I would consider it at least possible that she was related to Mary Cook above. We have separate lines of descendancy from both John and Naomi.  This gets complicated, and is one example of how we are our own cousins.  Sylvanus and Naomi had at least five children-Ruth, John, Sylvanus, Sarah, and Catherine.  Eunice is also listed as their child but she was born considerably after the others and I wonder if perhaps she was the daughter of the younger Sylvanus.  

Peter and Alice named their first daughter Joanna, and she was born March 7, 1686/7.  She married William Hayward, who was the son of Jonathan and Trial Rockwood Hayward.  Trial was the sister of our ancestor Joseph, and of Joanna Rockwood Cook, mentioned above, if I have this figured correctly.  Jonathan was a grandson to our ancestors William and Margery Knight Hayward.  Joanna and William had 6 children-Martha, Peter, Joanna, Rachel, Daniel, and William.  

Their next child was another son, Richard.  He was born May 20, 1690 and married Abial Albee, daughter of Benjamin and Abial possibly Wheelock Albee.  Benjamin is likely a relative, and if Abial Wheelock is correct, she is a granddaughter of our ancestor Ralph Wheelock. Richard and Abial had at least seven children-Susannah, Benjamin, Abigail, Richard, Thankful, Peter and Sarah.

Eliphalet Holbrook was born January 27, 1691/92.  He married Johannah Rockwood, who was a daughter of Joseph and Mary Hayward Rockwood.  Unless, of course, she was Hannah Rockwood, as one site states, in which case she was undoubtedly family but I'm unable to identify a Hannah Rockwood in this time period.  Eliphalet and Johannah had at least seven children-Ebenezer, Seth, Eliphalet, Noah, Caleb, Elijah, and Johannah.  (In case you're wondering about the name Eliphalet, it is, like most other names in these early Holbrook families, Biblical.  Eliphalet was a son of King David.)

William Holbrook was their next child.  He was born March 28, 1693/94 and he married Hopestill Read, the daughter of Samuel and Deborah Chapin Read.  There is likely a connection to Hopestill Holbrook, daughter of the William who turned out not to be our direct ancestor and married to a Samuel Read, but I haven't figured it out yet.  They had nine children: Silence, Mary, Isaac, Alice, Ruth, Deborah, Alice, Anna, and Thomas, but several of their children died young.  

The next son was Samuel.  He was born February 27, 1695/96 and married Hannah Albee, who was 12 years older than he was.  She was the granddaughter of Benjamin and Hannah Albee, who are our ancestors.  Samuel and Hannah had at least six children: Abigail, Keziah, Samuel, Jonathan, Peter, and Nathan.  

The last son born was Thomas, born perhaps 1698, and died in 1702.  He seems to be the only one of Peter and Alice's children to die before adulthood.   

And then, finally, a second daughter was born, Mary, on October 14, 1702.  She was the last child of this couple, and I can only imagine Alice's joy, and also Joanna's, as there would finally be another girl/woman to help around the house.  I have wondered how Alice got along, with the chores for such a large family, with just one daughter to help garden, take care of the animals, cook, clean, make clothes and do laundry, and everything else that went with running a large household in colonial America.  I don't know whether to hope or not hope that they had some help, which would likely have been an indentured servant, or possibly even a slave.  

But to return to Mary...She married Joseph Thompson, and we are also descended from this couple.  They had at least nine children-Daniel, Joseph, Peter, Nathan, Alice, Mary, Chloe, Esther, and Ruth.  Ruth died early, but the other eight are named in Mary's will.  

Peter and Alice didn't live long enough to see many of their grandchildren, but there was a total of at least 74 who would have called them "Grandfather" and "Grandmother".  Some of their grandchildren are noted as having served in the French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War.  They were part of the making of America, as well as part of a very large family that was connected in many ways to other of our ancestors.