The family of Nathan Foster 1700-1753

 Nathan is the fourth in our line of Foster ancestors.  His great grandfather, Renald, is the immigrant, and then there is his grandfather, Abram/Abraham, and his father, Abraham.  Nathan married a descendant of a Mayflower passenger, and some of his children married descendants of other of these earliest settlers.  Our tangled tree has many intertwining branches.

Nathan was born in 1700 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, the son of Abraham and Mary Robinson Foster.  He had just two known siblings, both brothers, which was unusual for the time, and for the family, but future generations, including Nathan's, would contribute many more Fosters to the country.  Nathan married Hannah Standish, the daughter of Josiah and Sarah Cary Standish, in 1724 in Stafford, Connecticut.  I'm not sure how Nathan arrived there, but Hannah's parents had lived there.  Hannah was a descendant of Captain Myles Standish of Plymouth Plantation and Duxbury, Massachusetts.  

Nathan and Hannah had 11 known children, and all but one had children of their own.  In my quick research, I found one son who may have been the black sheep of what appears to be an otherwise upright family.  

Mary was the firstborn, in 1725.  She married Josiah Rood or Rude, the son of Jabez and Mehitable Standish Rood. Yes, Mehitable was also a descendant of Captain Myles Standish, so the two were second cousins, once removed.  Their children are Lebbeus, Alpheus, Lebbeus, Mary, Josiah, Lebbeus, Thaddeus, Mehitable and Hannah.  (It appears that the first two carrying the name of Lebbeus died young.) She died in 1797, possibly in Warren, Massachusetts.  

Nathan was born next, in 1728.  He married Elizabeth Lunsford (also seen as Lansford) in 1750 in Stafford, Connecticut.  She is the daughter of Michael and Elizabeth Hackben Lunsford.  Their children are Tirzah, Azubah, Nathan, Joel, Elizabeth, Jude, John, Asa, and Lydia.  We'll learn more about this family in my next post.  Nathan died in 1809 in Warren, Massachusetts.

Hannah was born in 1730, and married Zephaniah Alden, who was a descendant of John and Priscilla Mullins Alden of Mayflower fame and romance.  She died in 1777 in Stafford or Stafford Springs, Connecticut, apparently without having had any children.  

The next born was Lois, born in 1732.  She married Elihu Palmer, the son of Elihu and Abigail Robinson Palmer.  Their children are Eunice, Thaddeus, Eunice, Hannah, Thaddeus, Lois, an unnamed infant, Elihu, Olive, Nathan, Lucy, and Abigail.  She died in 1808 in Windham, Connecticut.

Eunice was born in 1733 and married Elijah Parish, the son of Samuel and Mary Rood Parish.  (Yes, Mary and Jabez Rood, mentioned above, were siblings.) Their known children are Asa, Elijah, Ariel, and Philomela. Eunice died in 1797 in Andover, Massachusetts.

Another daughter, Mehitable, was born in 1733.  She married Silas Lilly the son of Reuben and Mary Brewster Lilly or Lillie.  Yes, Mary was a descendant of William and Mary Brewster, or Mayflower fame.  Their children are Aenas, Asa, Lydia, Silas, Mehitable and Enoch.  

Phebe was born in 1739.  She married Isaac Crittenden, the son of Isaac and Lucy Benton Crittenden.  Their children are Phoebe, Sara, Isaac, Hannah, Bulah, and Isaac.  Phebe died in 1809 in Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts.

Sarah was born in 1743 and married Jonathan Lilly.  He was the son of Samuel and Mehitable Bacon Lilly.   I haven't yet determined a connection between Reuben and Samuel Lilly but I also would not rule out the idea that they are likely connected somehow.  Sarah and Jonathan  are the parents of Phebe, Bethuel, Eliakim, Phebe, Foster, Sarah, Eunice, and Jonathan.  Sarah died in 1828 in Ashfield, Massachusetts.

Finally, another son was born, which probably made Nathan, especially, rejoice.  Daniel was born in 1744 and married Kezia (Keziah) Sawyer, the daughter of Joshua and Sarah Flint Sawyer.   It appears that he was a captain in the Revolutionary War.  The children of Daniel and Kezia are Nancy, Formella, Flint Royal, Fanny (I've seen this as Finance?), George, and Faith.  Kezia died and Daniel next married Welthea Ladd, the daughter of Jeremiah and Jerusha Ladd, in 1803.  Daniel and Welthea had two children together, Fidelia and Lafayette.  Lafayette is especially interesting; he was a politician and was US Senator from 1854 to 1867.  He was President pro tempore of the Senate when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.  Under the constitution at that time, had anything happened to Andrew Johnson, he would have become acting president of the United States, and this would not be the first time I'd heard of him! Daniel died in 1824 in New London, Connecticut.

Now we come to a son who may have been the black sheep of the family.  Asa was born in 1742 and died in 1813 in East Pharsalia, Chenango County, New York.   It appears that he may have first married Huldah Wheeler, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Wheeler.  and had at least one daughter, Hannah.  Huldah died in 1774, and Asa next married Anna Robinson, who may be the daughter of Simeon and Jerusha Kingsley Robinson.  Their children are Roxy, Anna, Mary, Pamela, Asa, Alexander and Eunice.  There is a third possibility.  An Asa Foster is reported to have deserted Elizabeth Thompson, who sued him for that action in 1803.  I am not willing to say this is our Asa, nor am I willing to say it is not.  If it is, he may have had an affair that resulted in a child, but so far, I've not found divorce records for Asa and Anna, and the timing doesn't seem to be quite right.  Eunice was born in 1802 and the desertion charges were in 1803.  There may or may not be more to be learned here.

The last son was Standish Foster, born in 1749.  Standish may have had a twin brother who died at birth.  Standish married Sarah Spaulding, the daughter of Ebenezer and Mary Fasset Spaulding.  They had at least four children,  Festus, Sally, Septimus, and Ezekiel.  Standish died in 1831 in Rowe, Franklin County, Massachusetts.  

My count is 74 grandchildren, some of whom died as infants, for Nathan and Hannah.  They certainly contributed their fair share of descendants who can claim an ancestor, or more than one, came over on the Mayflower! 

The family of Abraham Foster 1659-1741

Try as I might, I have not been able to locate much information about this Abraham.  He had only three known children, so this will be a short post.

Abraham was the son of Abraham and Lydia Burbank Foster, born in 1659 in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  He married Mary Robinson, the daughter of Robert and Mary Silver Robinson, in the nearby town of Newberry, and they lived out their years in Ipswich.  There are records for an Abraham Foster who served in a military expedition in 1710, but this would have been a fairly advanced age (51) to be our Abraham.  It may have been his son, who was just 14 in 1710, and there were likely other Abraham Fosters at the time.  

At any rate, Abraham and Mary were married in 1693, and their first son, Abraham, was born in 1696.  He marred Sarah Dwinnell or Dunnell, the daughter of Michael and Hannah, possibly Cove, Dwinnell.  Their children are Abraham, Sarah, Thomas, Hannah, Amos, Ruth, and Abigail.  Abraham died in 1767.

There was a gap of about four years before their son Nathan arrived in 1700.  He married Hannah Standish, the daughter of Josiah and Sarah Cary Standish.  Their children are Mary, Nathan, Hannah, Lois, Eunice, Mehitable, Phebe, Sarah, Daniel, Asa, and Standish.  I will follow this family in my next post.  In case you are wondering, yes, Hannah was a descendant of Captain Myles Standish of Plymouth fame.  Nathan died in 1753.

Then there's another gap of about five years, when Daniel was born in 1705.  I have seen him referred to as Reverend Daniel Foster, but that may or may not be correct.  There was a Reverend Daniel Foster of a later generation, and it's possible the two men were confused.  Daniel married twice.  His first wife was Hannah Clark, the daughter of Judah and Hannah Kilborne Clark.  Their children are Isaac, Mercy/Mary (unsure whether this was one person, or two), Daniel, Hannah, Susannah, and Ebenezer.  He next married Elizabeth Davis, the daughter of Cornelius and Sarah Jewett Davis.  They had a daughter, Elizabeth, and may have a son Daniel.  Again, I'm not sure whether there was a Daniel born to each of his wives, or whether there is an "extra" Daniel in this list. Daniel died in 1752.

Because of the four and five year gaps shown here, and because Mary didn't die until 1752, it's possible that there were additional pregnancies and possibly children.  These three are the ones mentioned in Abraham's will, and as much as this family has been researched, it seems unlikely that any additional children survived to adulthood.  Abraham and Mary had at least 25 grandchildren, and would have lived long enough to have known most if not all of them.  It's a legacy to be proud of.

 

The family of Abraham (Abram) Foster 1622-1711

 Well, this family has some interesting tie-ins to one of the more famous incidents/tragedies in colonial American history, the Salem witch trials.  But let's start at the beginning.

Abraham Foster, the son of Renald (Reginald) and Judith possibly Wignoll Foster, was born in 1622 in Exeter, Devon, England (no sources found for that statement, but at least this will identify which Abraham we are talking about).  He came to Massachusetts Bay Colony as a teenager and married Lydia Burbank.  Her parents are in dispute because if she was the child of John and Jemima Burbank, and she was born in 1644, she married at an extremely young age and was only thirteen when her first son was born.  (I am accepting these parents until shown otherwise, but I'm always open to other documentation that could change my mind.) 

An interesting fact about Lydia, which I just learned, is that she testified again Elizabeth How or Howe, one of the accused Salem "witches".  

Abraham and Lydia's first son, Ephraim, also has a connection to the Salem trials.  He was the constable in Andover, which is near Salem, and as such, is believed to have arrested some of those who later stood trial.  Ephraim was born in 1657 and was a blacksmith by trade.  His wife was Hannah Eames, the daughter of Robert and Rebecca Blake Eames.  (Rebecca was accused, convicted, and imprisoned for witchcraft but was not executed.)  I wonder whether Ephraim had to arrest his own mother in law? This must have been an incredibly difficult time for Ephraim and Hannah.  It really brings the situation home, to imagine this in the context of the people who up to now have been just names dangling from the family tree!  Ephraim and Hannah added several children to this tree.  Their known children are Hannah, Ephraim, John, David, Moses, Joshua, and Ruth.  Ephraim died in 1746.

Their next son was Abraham, born in 1659.  He married Mary Robinson, the daughter of Robert and Mary Silver Robinson.  Their children are Abraham, Nathan, and David.  I have written of Abraham before, and will follow this family in my next post.

James was the next born, in 1662.  I could find no information about him, except that he died before 1698.  

Isaac was born about 1668 and died in 1717 of smallpox.  He may have married Abigail, and they may have had a son, Jacob.  I could find no documentation for this.  

There was also an infant daughter born about 1668. who did not survive.  I don't know whether this child and Isaac are twins or not.  

Benjamin was born in 1670.  He died in 1735 in Lunenberg, apparently the first of this family to travel west, even though the distance was only about 52 miles.  His wife was Ann, possibly Dunham.  It appears that the source for this name may be Pierce's book about the Fosters, and that is not trustworthy information.  Their children are Benjamin, Amos, Deborah, Kezia, Gideon, Jemima, Isaac, and another Jemima.  

Next born was Ebenezer, in 1672.  He married Mary Boardman (several different spellings), the daughter of David and Hannah Hutchinson Boardman.  Their children are Jemima, Ruth, and Moses.  Ebenezer died in 1718.

And then, finally, a daughter was born.  Lydia must have been thrilled!  Mehitable was born in 1675.  She married Ebenezer Averill, the son of William and Hannah Jackson Averill.  Their children are Mehitable, Susanna, Ruth, Hannah, Mary, Lydia, Jemima, and Phoebe.  Mehitable died in 1740.

Caleb was born in 1677.  He married Mary Sherwin, the daughter of John and Francis Loomis Sherwin.  Their children are Lydia, Jonathan, Sarah, Caleb, Stephen, Mary, Philemon, Sarah, and John.  

The last known child was Ruth, born "after 1678".  She married Jeremiah Perley, the son of John and Mary Howlett Perley.  Ruth died in 1709, apparently childless.  Jeremiah later married twice, but there is no record of any children.  

This gives a total of 38 known grandchildren for Abraham and Lydia.  No wonder the Foster family was well known in the area of Ipswich! 

The family of Renald (Reginald) Foster 1595-1681

 This will start a series of blog posts about the Foster family, that eventually merged with the Holbrook family.  As in other posts, I am following the children of the ancestors, just mostly dates and basic information.  These aunts and uncles of generations back all have interesting stories, some of which I've found.  For instance, several of these children lived in the area of Topsfield, Massachusetts, and were directly or indirectly involved with the cases involving the "witches" of Salem fame.  It is more than possible that the men were part of one or more military expeditions that made up King William's War, among others.  

Reginald himself is something of a mystery.  He is said to have been born in Exeter, Devon, England, and is claimed by a man who wrote some fraudulent genealogies to have a record going back to the 9th century in England.  Others say he was actually of French Huguenot ancestry.  The jury is out, obviously.  His wife, Judith, is also a mystery.  Older trees give her name as Wignol or Wignall, but most of those that are built on careful research dispute that, saying there is no proof, and giving her name only as Judith.

And then, there is the question of their children.  One source says he had at least 12 children, but I've found no record, not even a name, for 5 of them.  The children I'm mentioning here are all included in Renald's will, and all can be traced.

Mary was their first born child, about 1618.  She first married Daniel Wood, and had two children, Judith and Daniel.  Daniel died, and she next married Francis Peabody (Pabodie), son of John and Isabel Hager Pabodie.  They had a large family together, including Mary, Isaac, Sarah, Hepzibah, Ruth, Damaris, Samuel, Jacob, Hannah, and Nathaniel.  Mary died in 1705.

Sarah was their second daughter, born in 1620.  SHe married William Story, who was possibly the son of Andrew Story.  Their known children are Sarah, Ann, Seth, William, Samuel, Susannah, and Hannah. Sarah died in 1703.

Abram or Abraham was their first son, born in 1622. He married Lydia Burbank, whose parentage is disputed.  She may have been the daughter of John and Jemima Smith Burbank, or she may have been the daughter of Caleb and Martha Burbank, who were from nearby Rowley.  Both couples seem to have had a daughter named Lydia, so more research needs to be done.  At any rate, Abraham and Lydia have nine known children-Ephraim, Abraham, James, Isaac, Benjamin, Ebenezer, Mehitable, Caleb, and Ruth.  Abraham died in 1711.

There is a gap here of several years duration before the next child, Isaac, was born in 1630.  Possibly there were infants born during this time period who did not survive.  Isaac, however, did survive.  He married Mary Jackson, who may have been the daughter of John and Katherine Jackson.  Their children are Jonathan, Mehitable, Jacob, Benjamin, Elizabeth, Mary, Daniel, Martha, Ruth, Prudence, and Hannah.  Isaac died in 1692. He seems to have next married Hannah Downing, who was possibly the daughter of Malcolm and Margaret Downing.  No children are known from that marriage.  Finally, he married Martha Hale, the daughter of Henry and Constant Esterly Hale.  There are three known children from that marriage-Hannah, Eleazer, and Sarah. 

William was next, born in 1633.  He also married a Mary Jackson, but not the same one as Isaac had married.  This Mary seems to have been the daughter of William and Joanna Collin Jackson.  Their children are Mary, Judith, Jonathan, William, Timothy, Hannah, David, Samuel, and Joseph.  William died in 1713.

Then came Jacob, born in 1635.  He first married Martha Kinsman, the daughter of Robert and Mary Kinsman.  Their children are Judith, John, Jacob, Mary, and Sarah.  Sadly, of this family, only Sarah lived to adulthood.  After Martha's death, Jacob married Abigail Lord, the daughter of Robert and Mary Waite Lord.  Their children are Abraham, Jacob, Amos, Abigail, Nathaniel, Samuel, Joseph, James, and Mary.  

Son Renald or Reginald's birth date is in dispute.  He may have been born as early as 1628, which would help fill in some of the gap between Abraham and Isaac.  Others say he was not born until 1636.  He married Elizabeth Dane, daughter of John and Eleanor Clarke Dane, in 1652, so perhaps the 1628 date is closer to the truth, but records have not been located.  Renald and Elizabeth's children are Elizabeth, Isaac, Judith, Sarah, Mary, John, Rebecca, Naomi, Ruth, Eleanor, Hannah, and Nathaniel.

I've noticed two things about this family, based on the children's names.  Most of the names used are biblical, and are used by more than one of the children (Hannah, Ruth, Samuel, etc).  It also appears that this family did not get the memo telling them there was a naming pattern to be followed, as none of the grandchildren are named Renald, although there are several Judith's.  Tracing the grandchildren, of whom I count 77, would likely be a life long task, so, as usual, I will follow this post with one about our next ancestor, Abraham.