The family of Kingsland Comstock 1673-1721

 The third man in our Comstock line is Kingsland (Kinsley, and other variations), the son of Daniel and Palthiah Elderkin Comstock.  He was born in Norwich, Connecticut in 1673 and died in New London, Connecticut in 1721.  He married Mary Atwell, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Uncas Atwell.  (Mary was indigenous, and this is one of very few native persons that I have found in any of the four families I write about (Holbrook, Allen, Harshbarger, Beeks).  That story fascinates me.  Kingsland and Mary had six known children together, but their birth dates are not well documented, or at least I have not been able to find anything more than "about" dates.  Many death dates are missing, also.  This would be a fine family for a thorough investigation, so we could be more sure about our ancestors and their families.

Mary may have been the firstborn, about 1701 and her death date must at this point be unknown.  She married Philip Want, whose parentage is also not known.  Their children are Mary, Martha, Matthew, Thomas, Benjamin, Ann, Philip, and Joseph.  (I might suspect that Matthew or Thomas may be a clue for the father or grandfather of Philip, but that is just a guess.) Philip died in 1739 and there is a possibility that she is the Mary Want who married "old Mr. Powers" but this is not proven.

Ann may have been the next born, about 1704.  She married Peter Chapman, the son of Samuel and Bethia Tubbs Chapman (yes, Bethia is a sister to our Mary Tubbs, who is our ancestor in another line) .  She died after 1753.  Their children are Andrew, Alithia, Zephaniah, Susannah, Peter, Ann, Adinijah, and another Zephaniah.  

Benjamin was born about 1705 and died in 1753 in Lyme or New London, Connecticut.  His wife's name is not currently known, but he had at least two sons, Daniel and Benjamin.   

Joseph was born about 1707, although I suspect it may have been earlier.  He died in 1725 in New London, and left at least one child, a daughter, Sarah.  It would have been unusual for an 18 year old male to have left a child, whether he married the mother or not, which is why I wonder if he may have been born earlier.  However, it is possible that the 1707 date is correct; he wouldn't have been the first 18 year old to have become a father.  

Then there is a long pause between births, which of course makes us consider whether there may have been other pregnancies, perhaps even births of which we have no record.  There is also the possibility that Mary may have died and there was another Mary who was the mother of the next two children, but there is no indication of that.  Perhaps the birth years of the last two sons were only guesses, and bad ones, at that. We can only wonder.

Daniel was born about 1715 and died in 1753 in New London, Connecticut.  He married Mary Chapel, the son of Joseph and Bethia Dart Chappell.  Mary was a descendant of our ancestor George Chappell, it appears.  Their children are Elisha, Mary, Ebenezer, Desire, Christian, Jemima, Daniel, and Alpheus.   

And finally, there is Kingsland, who is thought to have been born about 1719.  He died after 1753 in New London, Connecticut.  He married Rachel Crocker, the daughter of John and Mercy Tubbs Crocker.  Their children are John, Joseph, Mary, Rachel, and Elizabeth.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Several of these children are given death dates of 1753, or after 1753, because they showed up in their mother's will in 1753.  If they all died during that same time period, there must have been an epidemic going around then.  My guess is that some of the dates are later but that records are missing to give the correct dates.  In other words, this is a post full of more questions than answers, but at least it gives us a feel for this family, who seem to have stayed in the same geographic area for all their lives-unless, of course, they moved on and that's why we can't find adequate records.   

 

 

The family of Daniel Comstock 1624-1683

 Daniel Comstock is next in the Comstock line, also an immigrant ancestor.  He was born in England, possibly Uxbridge, Middelesex, but I'[m not 100% sure of that.  He married Palthiah or Paltiah Elderken, the daughter of John and Abigail Kingsland Elderkin in 1653, and died 30 years later, in New London, Connecticut.  And between his marriage and his death, he became father to a lot of children.  Once again, the record isn't as clear as a family historian would wish, with confusion as whether, for instance, Bethia and Rebecca were one and the same person, or whether there were two daughters who married the same man.  So once again, I tread lightly and try to point out where more research is needed. And once again, I believe there are children assigned to this family who do not belong to this family, but I will include brief mentions of them towards the end of the post.  

Bethia seems to be the first born, in about 1654.  She married Daniel Stebbins, the son of John Stebbins. Daniel's mother is yet to be identified, as far as I can tell.  Their children are Margaret, Christopher, Paltiah, and Elizabeth.  There may be more children, as both Bethia and Daniel lived into the 18th century.  Bethia died in 1713.

Daniel was born in 1655 and died in 1725 in New London, Ct.  He married Elizabeth Prentice, the daughter of John and Sarah Jones Prentice.  Their children are Peter, Daniel, John, Thomas, James, Jonathan, and (finally, a girl!) Elizabeth.  

Sarah was born in 1657 and apparently died in 1677.  She may, or may not, have married Samuel Youngs before he married her sister, Mary.  

Elizabeth was born in 1659 and died in 1734 in New London, Connecticut.  She married Peter Strickland, who may be the son of Edmund Strickland, but I've not found proof of that.  Their children are Elizabeth, Thomas, Samuel, Peter, Priscilla, Sarah, and Mary.  

Mary was born in 1661 and died in 1690 in Southold, Suffolk, New York.  This is just across the sound from New London, so she didn't travel far.  She married Samuel Youngs, the son of Joseph and Margaret Warren Youngs.   Their children are Ephraim, Mary, Samuel, David, and Margaret.  

Zipporah may have been born about 1664.  Other than her baptism along with all of her siblings who were born before 1671, I have not been able to locate any information about her.  One site, with no documentation, states that she died in 1690, but it may well have been earlier than that.

Hope was born about 1667 and died before February 1733 in Mattetuck, Suffolk County, New York.  She married Thomas Hallock, the daughter of William and Margaret Howell Hallock.  Their children are Richard, Anna, Patience, Hope, Kinglsand, Zerubabel, Icabod, and Mehitable.   

Anne was born about 1669 and died after 1727 in Stonington, Connecticut.  She married Ebenezer Billings, the son of William and Mary Atherton Billings.  Their children are Anna, Ebenezer, WIlliam, James, Zipporah, Margaret, Jemima, Increase, Thankful, and Benjamin.  

These are the children who were baptized in 1671, in a group, so we aren't really certain about their birth dates.  After this, Daniel and Palthiah continued to add to their family.  

Patience was born in 1673 and died a short time later.  

Samuel was born in 1673 also, so it is possible that Patience was a twin.  He died in 1757 in Montville, New London, Connecticut.  He married twice.  His first wife is Sarah Douglas, the daughter of Robert and Mary Hempstead Douglas.  Their children are Samuel and Christopher.  His second marriage, after Sarah's death, is to Martha Jones, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Bushnell Jones.  Their children are Nathaniel, Gideon, Zebadiaha, Caleb, Sarah, Martha, and Jonathan.  

Kingsland may have been the last child, or he may have been born before Samuel.  He died in 1721 in New London, Ct. He married Mary Atwell, the daughter of Benjamin and Mary Uncas Atwell (Mary was native American).  Their children are Kinglsand, Daniel, Mary, Ann, Benjamin, and Joseph.  I will follow this family in my next post.  

Then there are the "possibles": Hannah, Rebecca, Abigail, John, James, and Peter are all found in some family trees.  Some of them have information that make it seem unlikely that they belong to this family, such as birth locations of Lynn, Massachusetts, or having the same birthdate as known children of our couple.  I consider each of them as entirely unproven but am always looking for more information about them.  I may be jumping to erroneous conclusions and would love to find more about each of them.

This generation of the Comstock family stayed close to New London.  They may have been merchants, or involved in fishing, or somehow been involved in the maritime industry, as that was the focus of New London at this time.  Samuel became a captain in the militia and it's possible that other of the men also served.  We can be grateful for their dedication to their country and to their family and their God.   

 

 

 

Holbrook line: The family of WIlliam Comstock (dates not known, but roughly 1595-1683)

 We don't know much about William Comstock, except that his wife was named Elizabeth and he came from England to Connecticut by 1641, possibly a few years sooner.  His wife's name is usually given as Elizabeth Daniel or Daniels, but there is a case for Elizabeth Cock also.  Perhaps he was married to two women named Elizabeth, one at a time of course.  We do know that he died in 1683 in New London, Connecticut, where he lived for most of the time he was in America.  There are six known children for William, five of whom lived to adulthood.  

John was the firstborn, in 1626.  He died in 1680 in Lyme, New Haven Connecticut.  He married Abigail Chappell, the daughter of George and Margaret Christian Chappell.  Their children are Abigail, Elizabeth, William, Christian, Hannah, John, Samuel, Marah and Ann.  

Samuel was born next, in 1628.  He died in 1661 in Providence, Rhode Island.  All that I could find of his wife is that she is "Ann".  There are two known children for this couple, Samuel and Daniel, but it's possible there are others.

William was also born in 1628, and may have been a twin to Samuel.  He died as a young child, in 1634.

Daniel was born in 1630 and died in 1683 and died in 1683 in New London, Connecticut.  He married Palthiah Elderkin, the daughter of John and Abigail Kingland Elderkin.  Their children are Bethia, Daniel, Sara, Elizabeth, Mary, Ann, Hope, Zipporah, Patience, Samuel, and Kingsland.  I will follow this family in my next blog post. He fought in King Philip's war. 

Elizabeth, the only daughter, was born probably in 1631 and died in 1659 in New London, Connecticut.  She married Edward Shipman (possibly Shipton) and their children are Elizabeth, Edward, and William.  Again, it's possible there are additional children.

And finally, Christopher was born in 1635 and was the only child to live into the 18th century, dying in 1702 in Norwalk, Connecticut.  He married Hannah Platt, the daughter of Richard and Mary Wood Platt.  Their children are Mercy, Daniel, Hannah, Abigail, Mary, Elizabeth, Samuel, Nathan, and Moses.  He had the rank of sergeant and also served as a deputy to the General Assembly of Connecticut three different terms, so we was a well-respected man.  

This brief overview of the family leaves much to be desired, including the names of some of the in-laws, and enough information to feel that we understand the family.  Why did the children settle in areas other than New London, for instance?  There are more stories to be told about this family, but at least we have them in Connecticut very early, and that alone is notable.   

 

 

 

 

The family of George Essig 1794-1866

 It's supposed to get easier to trace the descendants of ancestors as we get to generations that are closer in time to us.  I'm learning that is not always true.  This family is better than some in that regard, but there are still questions for which I've found no answers. 

George Essig was born in 1794 in Adams County, Pennsylvania and died in 1866 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He is the son of Simon and Julianna Schneer Essig, and he married Catherine Shollenberger, the daughter of Peter and Susanna (maiden name not certain) Shollenberger.  Again, there are various spellings for these names; I have tried to use the ones that appear to be the most common.  

George and Catherine, like most of the Essigs in our earlier posts, had quite a large family. It appears, however, that some of the children listed as belonging to this family actually belong to another George Essig, who was married to Margaret Spangler, or to another George Essig altogether.  I hope I'm including all the correct children, and omitting the incorrect ones, here, but if you have documents indicating I'm not accurate, please let me know.   

Julia, Julianna, or Julia Ann (take your pick) was the first born daughter, in 1817.  She died in 1896 in De Kalb County, Indiana.  Her first marriage is to George Daily, the son of John and Rebecca Frederick Daily.  Their children are Andrew, Caroline, Mary, John, Elizabeth, Catherine, Julia, Harriet, George, a second Elizabeth, John, and Adam.  After George's death, she married George DeLong, the son of Johann Joseph and Elizabeth Snodgrass DeLong. and they had one daughter together, Rebecca.

Simon appears to be the first born of the children, in 1818.  He died in Medina, Ohio, in 1873.  His wife is Catherine Lee, the daughter of John or Jonathan and Sarah Lance Lee.  Their children are Sarah, Lucinda, William, Harriet, Mary, John, George, and Edward.   

Peter (sometimes seen as William Peter) was born in 1821 and died about 1885, in either Nebraska, Missouri or Texas.  I'm still trying to pin that down.  He was apparently in the US Army after the Civil War, and likely during the Civil War, also, although again, I've not yet found records.  It wasn't common for someone to be in the Army after the Civil War was over, as most men were discharged at the end of the war.  He married Sarah Ann Pierce, the daughter of Amasa and Orpha Hickok Pierce.  Their children are William Peter, Malinda, Mary, Joseph, Sarah, Catherine, perhaps another Joseph, Elizabeth, and Laura.  Their may also have been a "Mintie", or that may be a nickname for one of the other children.  I have seen Milton listed but he was born long after the other children, and I would not include him as one of Peter's children unless I had some documentation. Perhaps he is a grandson.

Margaret was born in 1823 and seems to have died before 1855, possibly in Wabash County, Indiana.  She first married George Koblin (various spellings, of course), the son of Matthias and Margaret Keifer Payne.  Their children are Reuben, Harriet, Simon, William, and Christian.  She then married James Payne, the son of James and Elizabeth Harris Payne, in 1848,  They had at least one son, George, and perhaps William.  James remarried in 1855, which is why I am thinking Margaret had died.  I have no documentation for this "hunch", though.  

Harriet was born in 1824 and died in 1899 in Richland Township, Whitley County, Indiana.  She married Christian Shank, the son of Christian and Nancy Gish Shank.  Their children are Milton, Christian, Lovina, and Sebastian.  There may be more children, based on a large gap in the 1860 census, between a twelve year old and an infant.  

Susannah was born in 1825, based on census records, although I also have noted "possibly 1821" in her file.  What woman doesn't want to be seen as a little younger than she actually was?  She married Daniel Kemery, the son of Jacob and Ann Marie Reed or Reith Kemery.  Their children are Mary, Daniel, Harriet, Adam, Alfred, Solomon, Alexander, Lydia, Amanda, Maranda, and John.  She died in 1872 in Whitley County, Indiana.

John, or Johann, was born in 1826 and died in 1907 in Princeton, Mercer County, Missouri, where he had lived since at least 1860.  The 1860 census shows that he and his family were living in a hotel and he was a laborer, so it sounds like they had recently arrived there.  He was a Civil War veteran on the Union side, and seems to have had a long term service record, .  He married Mary Eliza Burch, the daughter of William and Iva Shaw Bush.  Their children are Sophia, Susan, Phoebe, Miranda, Henry, Charles, Laura, Mary, Viola, Tiffin, Ulysses Grant, Sarah, and Myrtle.  (Because of the Ulysses Grant name, I'm wondering if he was part of the Army of the West, commanded by Grant before his promotion, and if so, his story would be fascinating.  I'd love to have time to research this, or to hear from someone who has!)

Lydia was born in 1827 and died in 1900 at the County Farm in Columbia City, Indiana.  It sounds like she did not have the best of lives, but perhaps by the time she needed care, there was no one alive to care for her.  Her son was in South Dakota, and her daughter had died in 1860. All but one of her siblings preceded her in death, and he was in Missouri.  She married twice, but seems to have had just one child by each husband.  Her first husband is Cornelius Feller, the son of Jacob and Magdalena Bachman Feller.  Their known child is Benjamin.  She next married Philip Knisely, the son of Abraham and Rachel Wolf Knisely.  They have a daughter, Phoeba.   

Son George was born in 1829 and died in 1890 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Mary Pollly Snyder, the daughter of Adam and Elizabeth Knopp Snyder.  Their children are Christian, Sarah, David, Lovina, Elizabeth, Ida, Lymon, and Melvon.  

Adam was born in 1831.  He was the only one of the Essig children, or at least the known children, to die before marrying.  His death occurred in 1850, most likely in Whitley County, Indiana.  

Sarah was born next, in 1833.  She married John Cramer, the son of Jacob and Mary Shook Cramer, and died in 1899 in Boyne Valley, Charlevoix, Michigan.  Their children are Lucetta, George, Mary, Harriet, Mix, Jacob, Samuel, Estella, Padie, Clarenda, David, Jenny, Frank, and John. 

Joseph was born in 1836 and died in 1892 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Sarah Ann Stamm, the daughter of Daniel and Mariah Emerich Stamm.  Their children are Leah, George, Melvina, Jane, Ida, Theodore, Florence, Charles, Ocie, Daisy, and Lilian. 

David was the last born, in 1837.  He died in 1882 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Cornelius, the daughter of Bernard and Catherine (don't yet know maiden name) Cornelius.  Their children are Anna, Harriet, Milton, Della, Catherine, Bertha, and Lewis.  

I should mention that there are at least three other children that pop up on family trees for George and Catherine.  I am not convinced that these are their children.  It seems more likely that they are the children of George and Margaret Spangler Essig, which is not this family.  However, do your own research, or let me know if I am incorrect.  The three "not likely" children are William or Wilhelm, Caroline, and Catherine.  

Just for the fun of it, I checked the 1950 census, which is about 100 years after most of the weddings of these children took place.  There was no one found by the last name of Essig in Whitley County, although there are some in Allen and in Huntington counties.  I don't know if any are descendants of George and Catherine, but it looks like the grandchildren who carried the Essig surname must have gone elsewhere.  Also for the fun of it, I added the number of grandchildren, and it looks like the number totals over 100.  George and especially Catherine, thank you!

 

 

 

 

The family of Simon Essig 1754-1852

 Simon Essig, the sole survivor of a family wiped out by indigenous men, carried the family surname forward rather well.  He was born in 1754, probably near Hagerstown, Maryland, to Wendell and Anna Eva Matte Essig, and was on an errand away from the family farm when the attack took place.  His parents and three brothers were killed and the cabin burned. Simon served in the Revolutionary War as a blacksmith, a trade much needed to keep equipment working and horses shod.

Simon married Julianna Schneer or Schnerr, the daughter of Johann Caspar and Magdalena Kunkle Schneer, and they had a large family, as was somewhat typical of Lutheran families at the time.  When a family reunion was held in 1883, they supposedly had 164 living descendants, including children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.   I don't know whether I've found all the grandchildren or not, but I've found a good number, anyway.  Simon and Julianna both died in Plain Township, Stark County, Ohio, as did many of their children.

There may have been a son Adam born in 1781.  If this is so, he likely did not live long because there was another Adam born in 1788.

Their first daughter, and possibly first child, was Magdalena, born in 1782 and died in 1862 in Barry, Pike County, Illinoise.  She married George Wike, the son of Christopher and Susanna Bear Wike.  Their children are Joseph, Sara, Eliza, William, Mary, Rebecca, and David.  

Elizabeth was born in 1784 and died in 1860 in Plain City, Stark County, Ohio.  She married Jacob Becher, the son of John and Elizabeth Keplinger Beecher.  Their children are Elizabeth, Solomon, Julia, Sarah, J.J., Henry, and Joseph. 

John was born in 1786 and died in 1857 in Elkhart, Indiana.  He married Susan Holtz, the daughter of Michael and Susan (possibly Keyser but not verified) Holtz.  Their children are Elizabeth, Julia Ann, Catherine, Susan, Simon, Sarah, John, Magdalena and Polly.  

Adam was born in 1788 and died in 1866 in Canton, Ohio.  He married Catherine Lichtenwalter, the daughter of Abrahan and Eva Saeger Lichtenwalter.  Their children are Daniel, Barbara, Jacob, George, Julia, Catherine, Solomon, Sarah, Elias, Rachel and Harriet.  

Jacob was born in 1791 and died in 1874 in Plain Township, Stark County, Ohio.  He married Elizabeth Weaver, the daughter of Valentine and Elizabeth Welty Weaver.  Their children are Elizabeth, Annie, Salome, Joseph, William, Christian, Lewis, Valentin, and Harriet.   

George was born in 1794 and died in 1856 in Whitley County, Indiana.  He married Catherine Schollenberger/Shollenberger, the daughter of Peter (and peobably Susanna, maiden name not yet known) Shollenberger.  Their children are Harriet, John, Lydia, George, Adam, Sarah, Joseph, David, Julia, Peter, Margaret, and Simon.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Sarah or Sally was born in 1797 and died in 1858 in Canton, Ohio.  She married John Trump, the son of John and Elizabeth Jacobs Trump.  Their children are John, Samuel, Maria, and Juliana.  There may well be addition children, but as of yet I have been unable to locate them.  Four children was a low number for this family, and both parents lived long enough to potentially have a large family as their siblings all did.

On a sad note, David was born in 1798 and died in 1799.  The Essig family was actually blessed to have only the one (possibly two) infant deaths, but I'm sure it hurt to lose even one.  

Samuel was born next, in 1801.  He died in 1873 in Canton, Ohio.  He married Salome Rank, the daughter of Abraham and Sarah Wertenberger Rank.  Again, there may well be more children but I've found only Isaiah, Malinda, and Susan.  

William was born in 1804 and died in 1872 in Allen County, Indiana.  He married Anna Hahn, the daughter of Mathias and Elizabeth (maiden name not yet known) Hahn.  Their children are Solomon, Lydia, Zacharias, Sarah, Adam, Lucinda, Susannah, Harriet, and John.  

Catherine was also born in 1804, and died in 1887 in Stark County, Ohio.  She married Peter Pontius, the son of Frederick and Anna Margaret Ready Pontius.  (Yes, Peter was a distant cousin to Mary Pontius, who married Conrad Reber in another branch of this family.)  Their children are Mary Ann, Emmanuel, Adam, Anna, Rebecca, Andrew, Anton and Martin.

Rebecca was born in 1806 and died in 1896 in Plain Township, Stark County, Ohio.  She married Jacob Pontius, a brother to Peter mentioned above, and so the son of Frederick and Anna Margaret Ready Pontius.  Their children are John, Andrew, and Anna Margaretha.  Jacob died in 1832 and Rebecca never remarried, which would be somewhat unusual for that time and place. 

At least three of the sons-Adam, Jacob, and George-are known to have served in the War of 1812, with George being wounded at Put-in-Bay, Ohio.  John likely served in the militia, in one fashion or another, since all able-bodied men did so, but I've not found records that say so.  The family that stayed in Stark County, or at least most of them, are buried at the Henry Warstler cemetery in Plain Township, Stark County, Ohio.  We can be proud to have them as part of the Harshbarger lineage.  

 

Harshbarger line: The family of Wendell Essig

This will be a very short post, as little is known about Wendell, nor of his wife, Anna Eva Matte.  He is given a life span of about 1700 to about 1770, although there seems to be no documentation for either date.  He was from Bern Canton, Switzerland, and settled near Emmitsburg, Maryland, where he is thought to have raised at least four sons.  He , along with his wife and three of his sons, are said to have been killed by natives during the run-up to the Revolutionary War.  This is a family story that has yet to be proven.  

We don't know whether the three sons-Adam, Jacob, and George, who did not survive the believed attack are older or younger than Simon, the surviving son.  He had been sent away from the homestead on an errand, and when he returned, found his family killed and the cabin burned to the ground.  Was he sent on the errand because he was the oldest son and could be trusted to travel for miles in the countryside?  Or was he sent as the youngest son, the least useful around the farm? We don't know.  

None of those killed are known to have married or have had children, but it's possible that someday records will be found that will help fill in the picture of this family.  

For now, we know that Simon, born in 1754, married Julia Margaret Schneer, the daughter of Johann Caspar and Magdalena Kunkel/Kunkle Schneer.  They raised a large family together, and I will follow this family in my next post.  Their children are Adam, Magdalena, Elizabeth, John,  Jacob, George, Sarah, Julie, David, Samuel, William, Catherine, and Rebecca.  Julia died in 1844 in Canton, Stark County, Ohio, and Simon died there in 1851.  The family had lived in Ohio since 1808.  

I told you this would be a short post!  If anyone has further information about Wendell, I'd love to hear it!   

The family of Samuel Demarest 1707-1781

 This is the last of I believe 7 posts about the immigrant David Demarest and his descendants.  It's been fun, and sometimes a slog, to see how the original French Huguenots grew their family, and how those families grew.  Although I have only followed the siblings of my family's ancestors for one generation, I know that if those children were traced further, there would be even more interesting stories and tidbits than I have uncovered here.  For at least 150 years, the Demarest family was closely associated with history, only some of which we studied in school.

As a reminder of how we got to this point, Samuel's father is David, whose father is Samuel, whose father is David.  And to make matters interesting, this Samuel decided to use the spelling De Maree, as did at least some of his children.  I'm referring to him as Demarest because, that's easier for me.  David was born in 1707 in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey.  His wife is Lea Demarest, and they are distant cousins.  Lea's line back to immigrant David is Peter, Jean, and then David.  Her parents are Peter and Maretjie Meet Demarest; his are David and Matie DeBaun Demarest.  Samuel died in 1781 near Pleasureville, Henry County, Kentucky.  Lea may have died in 1780 in Hackensack, New Jersey. This couple, like their ancestors, had a large family.  Ten children was normal for the Demarests but of course, not to us.  

Their first known child was a daughter, Antjin, born in 1733 and died in 1810 (some say 1802) in Pleasureville, Henry County, Kentucky.  She married Hendrik or Henry Banta, the son of Hendrick and Geertjie (I've found lots of different spellings, not sure this is the most correct) Terhune Banta.  Their children are Rachel, Samuel, Peter, John, Cornelius, Jacob, Daniel, Mary Polly, Antie, David, Isaac, Anginitje, and Hendrick.  

Marie was born next, in 1735.  She died in 1799 in Harrodsburg, Mercer County, Kentucky.  She married Jacobus Westervelt or Westerfield, son of James and C=Debora Van Schyweg Westervelt.  Their children are Jacobus, William, Samuel, Isaac, Leah, Debora, Catrina, William, and Rebecca.  This family has a sad story, known as the Westerfield massacre.  Indigenous people regarded Kentucky as their hunting ground, and were very upset as the first settlers arrived and settled in land they regarded as theirs.  During the Revolutionary War, the natives, aided and abetted by the British, repeatedly attacked settlers to try to force them out of the land they claimed.  One such group was the Westerfield family.  There were about 40 allied people who were headed to the fort at Harrodsburg after learning that their neighbors were being killed and their settlement was next.  They didn't make it to the fort.  Instead, they whole group was ambushed.  All of the men (at least 9) were killed, scalped, and their scalps sold to the British.  Some of the women and children were taken to Detroit and held there for ransom, although I am not sure if any of this immediate family was included in that group.  Only about half of the people who set out for Harrodsburg escaped to tell their story.  I do not know this for a fact, but it seems that Marie may have stayed in Harrodsburg rather than return as a widow to a burned out home. slaughtered animals, and destroyed crops in Pleasureville.

Petrus (Peter) was the first son, born in 1737.  I was unable to find a death date and location, other than "about 1818 in Kentucky", although he is buried in Pleasureville.  He married Mary Allen, or Ellen, and I am not sure who her parents are.  Their children are Samuel, Johannes, Peter, Abraham, David, James, and Mary.  

Elizabeth was born in 1739 and died in 1799 in Conewago, Pennsylvania.  She married Daniel Harris, whom I am unable to further identify.  Their children are Annie, John, Daniel, Samuel, George, Peteer, Eleanor, Lena, and Mary/Polly. 

Sarah was born in 1741 and died sometime after 1800, when she married for the second time.  Her first husband, the father of her children, is Benjamin Slot. who changed his surname to Lock.  He is the son of Jacobus and Maria Demarest Slot (Maria is a descendant of Jean and Jacomina De Ruine Demarest, so this family is interconnected in several ways!). Their children are Samuel, William, John, Gerardia (may well be something else), Peter, Jacob, and possibly Polly.  Her second marriage is to George Erdmayer/Admire in 1800.  It is possible that she died in Henry County, where George lived at the time of their marriage, but I haven't found proof of that.

Rachel was born in 1743 and died in 1811 in Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana.  She first married Gerardus Rycken or Ryker, the son of Johannes and and Gartung Wiltsee Rycken.  Their children are Jacob, John, Leah, Gerardus, Samuel, Peter, Geertje, Rachel, and Deborah.  After her husband's death, she married John Van Cleave, son of Aaron and Rachel Schenck Van Cleave.  Their children are Peter and David.  

John was born in 1745 and died about 1798,  in Shelby County, Kentucky.  He married Nancy, possibly Ramey, whom I can't further identify.  All that is reasonably certain is that his wife's name was Nancy.  Their children are Jacob, John, Peter, Nancy, Phebe and Mary.   

Tryntje or Trintie was born in 1748 and died in 1828 in Hanover, Jefferson County, Indiana.  She married Jacob Smock, the son of John and Leah (maiden name not found) Smock.  Their children are Leah, Samuel, Peter, Abraham, Matthew, John, Mary, Jacob, Katherine, and Sally Ann.   

The last daughter, Lea, was born in 1752.  What little information I can find of her is conflicting.  She probably married Abraham van Buskirk, but who he was I cannot determine.  She is said to have died in 1843 in Jefferson County, Indiana, although the Demarest family book states that she was the only one of her siblings not to have gone west.  I know that some of the van Buskirk families were Loyalists, so it's possible that they went to Canada or another of the British colonies after the Revolutionary War.  Or she may have gone west long after the rest of her family, perhaps as a widow.  Much more research needs to be done for her.  Her children are listed as David, and possibly Peter.  There may have been more.

And finally, there is yet another Samuel Demarest or Demaree.  He was born in 1754 and died in 1826 in Jefferson County, Indiana.  He married Mary Brouwer, the daughter of Daniel and Marie Brouwer.  Their children are Susanna, Daniel, and Mary Ann.  

Some general comments: The Revolutionary War greatly affected this generation.  Some of the family fought on the Patriot side and some on the British side.  There were times when the men were in the same battle, on different sides.  The family moved from their Bergen County, New Jersey home to Conewago, Pennsylvania, on to Berkeley County, Virginia, and then to the area of Shelby/Henry/Mercer County, Kentucky.  Several of the children crossed the Ohio River and settled in Jefferson County, Indiana.  It has been suggested that at least some of them were motivated by anti-slavery beliefs, but it is just as likely that they were looking for more land and economic opportunities.  And of course, when some of the family moved, more joined them.  

This has been a fascinating family to follow, from start to finish.  There is so much history encapsulated in their lives, and we are fortunate that so much of it is available to us.  Their stories should be part of the Beeks family treasury of stories.   

 

The family of David Demarest 1681-1761

 Just so we're keeping the Davids and the Samuels and the other Demarest men straight, sort of, this David is the grandson of David the immigrant, who is married to Marie Sohier.  He is the son of Samuel and Maria DeRuine Demarest, and is one of several David Demarests who are part of this large extended family.  He married Matie (sometimes seen as Martha) de Baun, the daughter of Joost (Jost, Joseph) and Elizabeth Drabbe de Baun or de Banen, and died in 1761 in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. Once again, there are numerous variations on the spellings of these names and once again this is a family with a lot of children, several of whom are named David, with a couple of Samuels thrown in.  And as always, this is how I see it as of today, but further documentation could change my mind, or at least answer some of the questions I still have.

David and Matie's first child was Samuel, born in 1707.  I am still researching to find his date and location of death but most web sites are showing that he died in 1781 near Pleasureville, Henry County, Kentucky.  That would make him an early pioneer there.  He married twice.  His first wife is Antie Lozier, the daughter of Nicholas and Tryhtje Slot Lachaire.  They had two children together, David and Nicholas.  After Antie died, he married Lea Demarest, the daughter of Peter and Maretie Demarest (yes, they are cousins.)  their children are Antie, Marie, Peter, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rachel, John, Daniel, Trntje, Lea, and Samuel.  I have seen a Samuel listed as the child of the first wife, but I can't verify that.  Perhaps there were two Samuels.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

Elizabeth was born next, in 1708.  Sadly, she died 6 1/2 years later, in 1715, in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Joost was born in 1710 and died in 1750 in New York City, New York.  I am not sure whether he lived there or whether he was there on business of some sort.  He married Marijtjin Meyer, the daughter of Jacob and Annetie Kammega Meyer.  Their children are Antjin, Maria, Jacob, Daniel, Petrus, Elizabeth, Annetje, Sara, Rachel, John, Daniel, Marytjin, Tryntje, and Samuel.  I am somewhat skeptical of this list, as 14 children seem like a lot for a man who died when he was 40.  We should do more research on this family.  

Maria was born in 1713 and died about 1793, although her place of death is not known.  She married Thomas Eckerson, son of Jan and Marie Jans Ekkerson.  Their children are Mrtie, David, Jacob, Jan, Sara, Edward, Elizabeth, and Maria.   

Elizabeth was born in 1715 and died in 1797 in Bergenfield, Bergen County, NJ.  She married William Campbell (I have also seen this spelled Kammell more than once, but based on the parents' names, think that Campbell is the more likely spelling), the son of James and Janet Humphrey Campbell.  Their children are Jannetje, David, Thomas, Christian, James, Alexander, Samuel, John, Jacob, Nancy and Elizabeth.   

Christian was born in 1717 and died in 1787 in New York.  He is interesting because in 1780, at the age of 63, he was captured by the British, at Paramus, New Jersey and held as a prisoner of war.  As yet, I haven't tracked down more of his story but I certainly want to do so.  He married Geesje Romein, the daughter of Albert and Jantje Westervelt Romeyn.  Their children are Maetje, Albert, Elizabeth, Jannetje, Albert again, David, and Nicholas.  Christian married twice more, to Hannah Van Horn and then to Jane Bussey, but these were later in life marriages with no children born to them.

Peter was born next, in 1719.  One page I looked at said that he married Mary Demarest, but there was no further information about either of them.  I do not know how long Peter lived, nor whether he married.  If someone has that information, I would love to know a little more of his story!

Jacob was born in 1721 and died in 1793, in Goshen, Orange County, New York.  He married Rachel Secord, the daughter of Daniel and Catherine Secord.  I suspect that there are more children that I haven't located, but this couple seems to have had a son, David, and perhaps a son Peter.  He served during the Revolutionary War, even though he would have been in his late 50s or early 60s.  Again, more research needs to be done to learn more of his story.

Sara was born in 1724 and married James Campbell, whom I can't further identify but who may be related to the William Campbell mentioned above.  I have two different death dates and locations for her so at this point I do not know when or where she died.  Their children include Sara, James, and Jannetje, and there may well be more.  

Rachel was born in 1726 and died in 1756, although neither date seems to be well documented.  It is thought that she died in Bergen County, NJ.  She married Cornelius Doremus, the son of Johannes and Lysbeth Ackerman Doremus.  Their children are Rachel, Johannes, David, Margaret, and Aeltje.

And finally, perhaps after Matie thought she was done with the pregnancy and birth events, there was Annetje, born in 1730.  Annetje died in or after 1794 in Adolphustown, Ontario, Canada.  She married Claes Peterson the son of Nicholas and Catalyntie Jongbloedt Petersen,  Adolphustown was formed in 1784 by Loyalists (Tories) who had fled or been forced out of their homes in the thirteen colonies following the Revolutionary War.  It is easy to speculate that Claes was a Loyalist but not so easy to understand what Annetje might have thought about that, other than perhaps it was her duty to go with her husband.  Or perhaps she wholeheartedly agreed with his political beliefs, which would have set them apart from most of the Demarest family.  Their known children are Davvid, another David, Trintje, Annetje, Paul, Nicholas, Christopher, Katherine, and Maritje.  

Some of these children lived a normal life span for the time, and some lived less than 40 years.  They all, however, started families and helped grow their country, whichever country they sided with.  Most of these children stayed relatively close to "home", which indicates to me that David and Matie were able to help them get a start in life, and that achievement, by itself, is enough to make me give them respect. 

 

 

 

The family of Samuel Demarest 1656-1728

 These Demarest lines are confusing, and are about to get more confusing.  I recently wrote posts about the families of David Demarest, Jean Demarest, and David Demarest, three generations of men before daughtering out with David's daughter Lea.  I mentioned then that Lea had married Samuel Demarest, and we'd be exploring that line next.  So now we're backing up to an earlier Samuel Demarest, who is a brother to Jean and the son of David and Marie Sohier Demarest.  We'll follow this line for several generations, also.  And again, a caution: These names, both surnames and given names, have all kinds of variations so anyone looking at or for records needs to be on their toes, have good eyesight, and accept flexible spelling in the same family and even in records depicting the same person.  I am not positive that I've sorted through all of this correctly, but it at least gives us a good starting point.  Are you ready?

Samuel, as mentioned above, is the son of David and Marie Sohier Demarest, born in 1656 in Mannheim in what is not Germany, and died in 1728 in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey.  He married Maria De Ruine, the daughter of Simon and Magdalena van Straaten (Vanderstraaten) De Ruine.  Eleven children are known to have been born to this couple, so once again, this will be a rather long post.  

Their first child is a daughter, Magdalena, born in 1680 and died between 1712 and 1718, in Hackensack, New Jersey.  She married Cornelius Banta, the son of Epke and Sitske Dirckse Banta.  Their children are Samuel, another Samuel, Jacob, Rachel, Lea, Elizabeth, and Abram.   

David was born in 1681 and died in 1760 in Hackensack.  He married Matie DeBaun, the daughter of Jost and Elizabeth Drabbe DeBaun.  Their children are Maria, Lea, Elizabeth, Christian, Peter, Sarah, Jacob, Rachel, Annetje, and Samuel.  (Please note that the only name from Magdalena's list of children that is not repeated here is Abram.  And it will get more complex as we add more cousins!) I will write more about this family in my next post.

Jacomina was born in 1686 (potential pregnancy between the two??)and died in 1728 in Monmouth, New Jersey.  She married twice.  Her first marriage was to Samuel Helling, or Helm, the son of  Hendrik and Grietje Samuels Helling.  They had three children, Susanna, Teunis, and Samuel.  She naxt married Cornelius van Horn, the son of Cornelius and Margrietje Vanderburgh Van Horn.  Their children are Margaret, Annetje, Cornelius, Margrita, Maria, John, Lucas, Rachel, and Daniel.  Jacomina died a day after her son Daniel was born.  

Judith was born in 1690 and died in 1767 in Kinderkamack, New Jersey.  She married Christian DeBaun, the son of Jost and Elizabeth Crabbe DeBaun.  (Demarest siblings married DeBaun siblings, so Judith's first child, Christina, is a double cousin to David's children).  She next married Peter Durie, the son of Jehan and Jeanne Hessulier Durie.  Their children are Cornelia, Jan, Marie, Jannete, Samuel, and Sarah. 

Samuel was next, born in 1693.  Don't try to keep track of all the Samuel Demarests in these two lines, unless you really want a challenge.  This Samuel died in 1737 in Monmouth, New Jersey.  He married Annetje Van Horn, the daughter of Cornelius and Margretje Vanderburgh Van Horn (yes, you just saw the names of those parents a few paragraphs ago.  Again, siblings from the Demarest family married siblings from the Van Horn family.).  Their children are Jannetje, Cornelius, Samuel, Margrietje, David, Elsie, Peter, and Daniel.  

Peter was born in 1695 and died in 1774 in Orange County, New York.  This may have been about 50 miles, depending on which part of each county the farms are located.  He married Grietje Haring, the daughter of Cornelius and Cathalyn Flierboon Haring.  Their children are Marie, Catalynthe, Samuel, Fytie, Sara, Jacob, Margretjen, John, and Vrouwtje.

Sara was born in 1697 and died in 1719 in Hackensack.  She married John Westervelt, the son of Jurinen and Gieske Bongert van Westervelt.  They had one child together, Jurrian.  I don't know whether Sara died as a result of childbirth, but it's certainly possible.

Simon was born in 1699 and died in 1761 in Hackensack.  He married Vrouwtje Haring, the daughter of Conelius and Cathalyn Flierboon Haring.  (See two paragraphs above-siblings and siblings, again.  So many double cousins in this family!)  Their children are Samuel, Catalyntje, Cornelius, Maria, Daniel,  John, David, Petrus and Jacob.   

Rachel was born in 1701 and died in 1799 in Appoquinimink, Dekaware,  She married Jacobus Peek, the son of Johannes and Lysbeth van Imbarg Peek.  Their children are Sarah, Judith, Rachel, Samuel, Jacobus, Guysber, Rachel, David, and Annetie.  

Susanna was the last daughter, born in 1703 and died in 1747 in Hackensack, New Jersey.  She married Benjamin van Boskerck, the son of Laurens and an unidentified mother van Boskerck.  Their children are Samuel, Lauren, Marie, and Jacomyntie.  There may be more children, but  these are the ones that are noted in the records I looked at.

Finally, son Daniel was born in 1706 and died in 1727 in Bergen County, New Jersey.  There are no records of a spouse or children for Daniel, and it is believed that he was single when he died at the age of 21.

Samuel and Marie had about 77 grandchildren.  10 were named Samuel, and I didn't attempt to count the Maria or Rachels or other names.   When we think of the Samuels I've mentioned in the previous posts, and the ones yet to come, it's easy to wonder how the families kept them all straight.  

  

The family of Peter Demarest 1683-1763

 Warning: This post will be a long one, because this ancestor has 17 children and at least 117(!!) grandchildren.  Second warning: All names, first and surname, are subject to many variations.  I have tried to choose the most commonly used spelling but don't let that stop you from pursuing people with other spellings who are in the same area at the same time and whose other characteristics indicate a match, or at least a hint.  With all that said, let's try to build this family, who of course have several marriages into other of our families, or to cousins or closer in other families entirely.  This part of the family tree is more of a tangled bush.

Peter (Pieter, Petrus) Demarest (De Maree and other spellings) is the son of Jean (Jan, John) and Jacomina De Ruine Demarest and was born in 1683 in Hackensack, Bergen, New Jersey after the family had moved there from various locations in New York, including New Amsterdam.  He first married Maretie (Marie, Mary, Maretjie, etc.) Meet, the daughter of Jan and Gerritjie Mandeville Meet, and had seven children with her before she died in 1720. I will refer to her as Mary, simply to limit confusion with her successor, Marie. Peter next married a significantly younger Marie Batton, the daughter of Jacques and Margrietje Sans Batton, and they had eleven children together.  Peter died in 1763 in Bergen County, New Jersey, as part of a well respected and somewhat prosperous family.  

Peter and Mary's first child was Jacomina, born in 1710 and died in 1763 in Schraalenburgh, Bergen County, New Jersey.  She married Johannes Ackerman (Akkerman) the son of Laurents and Giertjie Egbert Ackerman.  Their children are Laurens, Peter, Jan, Grietje, Maryte, and Aaron.  (Note the various spellings of the first names.  This is what makes genealogy so much "fun".)

Maria was born in 1712 and died in 1763, about four months before her older sister.  She married William Ruttan, the son of Paulus and Marie David Ruttan,  Their children are Harmanes, Elizabeth, Maria, Abraham, Peter, Paulus, Leah, Jacob, William, David, and another William.  Peter and William were Loyalists in the Revolutionary War, and went to Canada at the end of the War.  What a heartbreak for the Demarest family in general, who have many names listed in Revolutionary War records as patriots, soldiers, and tax payers.  

Lea was born next, in 1713.  I show her death date as the same as sister Maria's.  If these are correct, then perhaps there was an epidemic of some sort going around.  I'd like to investigate this further.  She married Samuel Demarest, the son of David and Maria de Baun Demarest.  I'll be getting back to this branch of the Demarest family with my next post.  Of course, this was some sort of cousin relationship. Their children are Antjie, Marie, Petrus, Elizabeth, Sarah, Rachel, John, Cornelius, Tryntje, Lea, and Samuel.  

And then, a son, named Petrus of course.  He was born in 1715 and died in 1780 at New Bridge, New Jersey.  He married Aaltjie (not sure I've chosen the best spelling for that name!) Van Hoorn or Horn, the daughter of Barent and Jametje Hessels Van Horn.  Their children are Marie, Antia, Peter, Jan/John, Cornelia, Margaret, and James and/or Jacobus.

I know least about Rachel.  She was born in 1716 and died "before 1763", which gives a bit of leeway.  She married Johannes Loots, the son of Jan and Hilletje Paulus Loots, and that is the last I can trace her.  It's possible that she died soon after her 1736 marriage, perhaps in childbirth.  It's also possible that she left the area and no one has made the connection yet.  I have not found records of any children for her.  Her husband's 1764 will makes no mention of a widow or of children.

Trentje was born in 1718 and died in 1795.  She married Laurense Verwey, son of Jan and Catryn Ackerman Verwey. Their children are Sara, Maria, Catherine, Petrus, Geertje, Jan, Lowerans, and Laurens.  Again, there are many spellings for some of these names.  

Mary and Peter's final child is Sara, born in 1720 and died in 1804 in Schaalenburgh, New Jersey.  She married Cornelius Van Houten, the son of Roelof (Ralph) and Jannetje SPier Van Houten.  Their children are Roelof, Abraham, Jannetje, Jena, Jan, Elizabeth, Sarah, Jacomintjie, and Annetje.  

Mary seems to have died in 1720, perhaps in childbirth, and Peter married Marie Batton in 1722.  He certainly needed someone to help him take care of 7 children, and this 18 year old must have thought she was up to the task, and then some. 

Peter and Marie's first child was a daughter, Margretje, born in 1723 and died in 1790 in Bergen County, New Jersey.  She married Jan Bogert, son of Roelof and Elizabeth Bertholf Bogert.  I have located just three children for this couple-Roelof, Peter, and Hendrick.  Both Margretje and Jan lived into their 60's so it is possible there are more children, as yet not located.  

Elizabeth was born in 1725 and died in 1763 in Bergen County, New Jersey.  I have been unable to confirm the death date, so perhaps it is simply "before 1763".  She married Laurens Van Buskirk, the son of Andrew and Jacomyntje Demarest Van Buskirk.  (Yes, she is a descendant of Jean and Jacomina Re Ruine Demerest. Don't say I didn't warn you!)  Their children are Maria, Jacominte, Peter, Marietje, Aanatie, Laurent, Margaret, and possibly Jemima.  (It's possible that Jemima and Jacomnte are one and the same, but the birth dates I found are confusing.)

Hester was born in 1728 and died in that death year of 1763, (in May) in New Barbadoes, Bergen, New Jersey.  She married Abraham Ackerman, the son of Johannes and Maria Wakefield Ackerman.  (This is the third time I've found a connection to an Ackerman family, and surely they are connected in some way.)  Their children are Maria, Elizabeth, John, Jannetje, Peter, Hester, Johannes, and Maria.  

Yet another daughter, Lydia, was born in 1730 and died in 1770.  This makes nine of the first ten of Peter's children daughters, who were loved but not likely as valued as sons would be.  She married another Abraham Ackerman, the son of Johannes and Jannetje Lozier Ackerman.  Their children are Petrus, Maria, Johannes, Maria, David, Margretje, and Abraham.  

And then, finally, a son, a half brother for Petrus although the two were about 17 years apart in age.  John was born in 1732 and died in 1809 in Hackensack, New Jersey.  He married Willimpie Bogert, the daughter of Jan and Antje Westervelt Bogert.  Their children are Antje, Peter, John, Jacobus, Maria, Margretjie, Cornelia and another Cornelia.  

Jacobus was born in 1735 and died in 1807 an Kinderkamack, New Jersey.  He married Maretje Smith, the daughter of Philip and Rebecca Earle Smith.  This is the first marriage of these children where the bride (or groom) does not appear to come from a thoroughly French or Dutch family.  Their children, however, have mostly French/Dutch names-Peter, Philip, John, Jacobus, David, Rebecca, Maria, and Margretje.  

David was born in 1738 and died in 1820 in Hacksensack, New Jersey.  He married Hester Brower, the daughter of Abraham and Elizabeth Ackerman (that name again!) Brouwer.  Their children are Petrus, Elizabeth, Petrus again, Maria, Abraham, Margretjie, Abraham, John, David, and James.

Maria was born in 1740 and died in 1810 in Kinderkamack, New Jersey.  She married Richard Heaton or Eaton, the son of John and Mary Van Hooghkerk Heaton.  Their children are John, Petrus, Maria, Elizabeth, Richard, Jacobus, Margretje, Lucas, Hester, and Lucas again.  

Another daughter, Annatie, was born in 1743 and died in 1787 in Bergen County, New Jersey   She married Jan (John) Banta, the son of Cornelius and Rachel Wiert Banta.  Their children are Rachel, Rachel, Maria, Cornelius, Peter, Maria, Margaret, Henry, and John.  

Samuel, the last son, was born in 1745 and died in 1835 probably in Newton, Sussex, New Jersey.  He married Wilimena Banta, the daughter of Hendrick and Anneje DeGroot Banta.  Their children are Maria, Peter, Elena, Samuel, John, Catalynte (Catherine), Annatie, Wilimena, Margrietje, Jan, and Jacobus.

Finally born 38 years (less two days) of her oldest half sister, Magdalene was the last child of Peter and Maria.  She married Peter Stuyvesant (I don't know whether he was a descendant of the famous one of New Amsterdam), the son of Benoni and Pryntje Preyer Stuyvesant.  Their children are Peter, Johannes, and Mary.

I believe that most, if not all of the men mentioned as children of Peter and his wives would have fought or served in some capacity in the Revolutionary War, and the older ones perhaps in the French and Indian War.  I have found men of the same names and from Bergen County in various lists, but as we know, there was more than one John or Peter or David or (fill in the blank) Demarest in Bergen County at the time.  Regardless, and in spite of the two sons of Maria Demarest Ruttan, most of this family supported the cause of American freedom.  

But Mary and Marie are heroes, too.  They each had a large family, and raised good people.  That was the ultimate sign of success then, and raising good people is still one of the main values of their descendants.   

 

 

 

  

 

The family of Jean/Jan/John Demarest 1645-1719

 One thing that makes researching this family (all of the Demarests, from David on down), is that there are many spellings of both first names and surnames, and sometimes it seems that there are nicknames or middle names used as first names, just to make it fun for family researchers.  I am using the surname Demarest, but the further back in time you go, the more variations you will find.  And I'm using Jean, because that seems to be the most common and because it reminds us that he was, after all, from a French family.

Jean is the first son of David and Marie Sohier Demarest, born in 1645 in Zeeland, the Netherlands.  He immigrated with his family to what was then New Amsterdam, and married Jacomina de Ruine, the daughter of Simon and Magdelena van der Straaten de Ruine, in about 1668.  All of these families are French Huguenots, living in France, the Netherlands, and Germany as religious persecution dictated.  They were fortunate to find a more congenial religious climate in America, and were at first part of the Dutch Reformed church.  Jean and Jacomina moved on with members of their extended family, to settle near Hackensack, New Jersey, where they lived the rest of their lives, and where they raised a large family.  Jacomina died in 1692 and Jean in 1719. Both are buried at the French Burying Ground at New Milford, Bergen County, New Jersey.  (Jean married twice after Jacomina's death, to Marritje Van Winkle and then to Magdalena Laurens.  No children were born from those marriages.)

David was their first born son, in 1669.  He died in 1706 at Hackensack, New Jersey.  He married Antie/Annetje Slot, the daughter of Peter and Marritje Van Winkle Slot.  (So Jean's second wife was his son's mother in law.)  Their children are Lea, Maritje, Jacomina, a second Lea, David, and Rachel.  

John (this spelling seems to be used more than Jean or Jan, but watch out!) was born in 1671 and died in 1731 in Chester County, Pennsylvania.  He married Deborah Heyer or Heyet or possibly Hyatt or even Hoyt, possibly the daughter of Peter of whatever spelling you choose.  Their children are Jan, David, and Jemima (or possibly Jacomina).  John's second wife is Golah Pattison, whom I have not been able to further identify.  Their children are Golin, Solomon, and Elly.  

A daughter, Marie, was born in 1673 and died in 1730.  She married Jacobus Slot, the son of Peter and Marritje Van Winkle Slot (yes, the same family already mentioned twice in this post.) Their children are Peter, Johannes, Eva, Maria, Lea, Jona, David, Sara, Trintje, and Benjamin.  Marie (Maria, Mary, etc) died in 1730 at Hackensack, New Jersey. 

Sarah was born next, in 1675, and died in 1741 in Odessa, New Castle, Delaware.  She married Abraham Canon or Cannon, the son of Andrew and Jane Pearse Cannon.  Their children are Isaac, Andrew, Sarah, Jenny, Hester, John, David, and Abraham.  

Simon was born next, in 1677, and, sadly, died that same year.  

It seems that about every two years, there was a new child to welcome to the Demarest household.  In 1679, it was Rachel.  She married Thomas Heyer, the son of John Heyer (there seems to be little doubt about this identification, which makes me wonder whether John's wife was also part of this Heyer family, but apparently no documentation has yet been found to prove that.) Their children are Rachel, Jan, David, and Thomas.  Rachel may have died as early as 1709, which would explain why there are "only" four children.

Jacomina was born in 1680 and died sometime between 1727 and 1760 (still trying to find a documented date) in New Castle County, Delaware.  She married John Stewart, the son of John and Isabel Gardiner Stewart.  I believe this is the first Demarest to marry outside of the Huguenot community, so I can't help but wonder what Jean thought about this! Their children are Johannes, Elizabeth, James, David and Isaac.  She later married Richard Wilkinson, whom I'd can't identify further at this point.  It is not believed that she had children with him.  

Leah was born in 1682 and died after 1744 in Hackensack, New Jersey.  Her first husband, the father of her children, is Abraham Brouwer, the son of Peter and Petronilla Clyn (again, various spellings) Brouwer.  Their children are Petrus, Johannes, Samuel, David, Jacobus, Lea, Rachel, Daniel, and Maria.  Her second marriage is to Roelof Westervelt, the son of Libbert and Geesje Westervelt.  (I am not absolutely sure that I have correctly interpreted the names of Roelof's parents.  I'm not going to attempt Geesje's maiden name.) 

Peter was born in 1683 and died in 1763 in Schaalenburgh, New Jersey.  He first married Marritje Meet, the daughter of Peter and Gerritje Mandeville Meet.  Their children are Jacomina, Maria, Petrus, Rachel, Trintje, and Sara.  He next married Maria Batton, the daughter of Jacques and Margretje Sans Batton.  Their children are Margetje, Elizabeth, Hester, Lydia, John, Jacobus, David, Maria, Annatie, Samuel, and Magdalena.  I will follow this family in my next post.

Magdalena was born in 1684 and died in 1763 at Hackensack, New Jersey.  She married James Christie, the son of John and Anna Ramsay Christie.  Their children are Jacomina, Jacob, Annetje, Lea, Johannes, Marie, Elizabeth, James, David, William, Rachel, Daniel, Sara, and Magdalena.  

Their last child was Samuel, born in 1687.  He is thought to have died young, because he is not mentioned in his father's 1714 will, but no definite information has been located about him.  

So nine of Jean and Jacomina's 11 children lived to adulthood.  If my list of the grandchildren is correct and complete. they had 79 grandchildren, although they did not live long enough to meet all of them.  This family appears to have been both prosperous and respected, and their descendants can be proud of them. 

A side note:  This blog post marks my 1100th post in an attempt to trace the ancestors of my children.  It's been a wonderful ride, and with recent discoveries I've made, I'm not close to being done yet! 

 

  

 

 

 

Beeks line: The family of David Demarest 1620-1695

 I've written about David Demarest before.  He was born in Beauchamp, Chambray, France in 1620, and lived in Middleburg in The Netherlands and Mannheim in Germany before immigrating to the colony of New York, and finally to Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey.  These moves were necessitated due to the family being of French Huguenot beliefs, and such families suffered persecution for many years.  The moves once the family came to America were also due to economic and societal reasons.  It was a very eventful life that David and his family lived.

I am using the spelling Demarest here, because that is the most common and modern spelling.  It can be seen in any number of configurations, including De Maree and De Marets, but let's not get too confusing.  David is most likely the son of Jean Demarest and possibly Marguerite de Herville.  (I am not convinced that this was his mother, since none of his children or grandchildren are named Marguerite, but many trees are showing her as the mother.)  He married Marie Sohier, the daughter of Francois and Marie Ernhoult Sohier, in Middleburg in 1643.  Their children were born in Middleburg, Mannheim, and finally New Amsterdam.  They had the sadness of losing several children too young, as infants and young children, yet they persevered in their life and their faith.

The first child was Jean, born in 1645 and died in 1719 in Hackensack, New Jersey, where by that time there was a thriving Huguenot community.  He married three times, but all children are with his first wife, Jacomina de Ruine, the daughter of Simon and Magdalena Van Der Straten.  Their children are David, Jan, Mary, Sarah, Simon, Rachel, Jacomina, Lea, Peter, Magdalena, and Samuel.  His second marriage is to Marritje Van Winkle, the daughter of Jacob Van Winkle and Tryntje Jacobs, and the mother of his daughter in law.  His third marriage is to Magdalena Lauren, whom I have not further identified.  I will follow this family in my next post.

The first daughter may have been Marie, who does not seem to be documented.  She was born in 1646 and probably died as in infant, but certainly before 1659.

An infant son, David, was born in 1649 and died before December of 1651. 

David was the next son, born in 1651 and died in 1691 in Kinderkamack, Bergen County, New Jersey.  He married Rachel Cresson, the daughter of Pierre and Rachel Clauss Cresson.  Their children are David, Peter, Susanna, Ragel, Jacobus, Samuel, Daniel, Lidia, and Benjamin.  

Samuel was the next son, born in 1656 and died in 1728 in Hackensack, New Jersey.  He married Maria de Ruine, the daughter of Simon and Magdalena Van Der Straten de Ruine, another case of brothers marrying sisters.  Their children are Magdalena, Jacomina, Judith Samuel, Pieter, Sara, Simon, Rachel, Susanna, and Daniel.  I will also write about this family in an upcoming post, as the Beeks family has lines through both Jean and Samuel.  

A second daughter named Marie was born in 1659 and died before May of 1662.

A third daughter Marie was born in 1662 and died before August 26, 1689.  She is not known to have married.

And finally, Daniel, the New Amsterdam baby, was born in 1666 and was killed when he was run over by a horse in January of 1672.  

As we can see, this family had many losses, perhaps more than average but certainly not unheard of.  Those who survived left large families and good memories, and even, thankfully, a reasonable amount of records.  Let's not forget this French family! 

 

 

The family of Stephen Noble 1727-1791

Stephen Noble is the son of Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, born in 1727 and died in 1791, in Westfield, Massachusetts.  He lived his entire life there, except for the time he was in military service during the Revolutionary War, and possibly the French and Indian War (I've found no documentation at this point for the French and Indian War, but almost every able bodied male from Westfield was on at least one of the campaigns, so the strong possibility exists.). He married Ruth Church, the daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church.  Stephen and Ruth had at least eight children, and all of them left Westfield.  

Their first child was Lovisa or Louisa (found under both spellings).  She was born in 1751 and died in 1823 in Hadley, Hampshire, County, Massachusetts, which was roughly 25 miles from Westfield.  She married Perez Smith, the son of John and Mehitable Cook Smith.  I located just two children for them, Anna and Louisa, but there may have been more.  If these were the only two children, perhaps there is a story that I've not yet found which would explain the small family.  Perez died in 1824.

Ruth was born next in 1756, She married Martin Root, the son of Martin and Eunice Lamb Root, and died in 1790 in Monthgomery, Massachusetts, which is roughly 12 miles from Westfield.  Their children are Noble, Martin, Ruth, Charlotte, Charles, and Eunice.  I've written earlier about this family.

Bildad was born in 1759 and died in 1799 in Warren, Herkimer County, New York.  He married Esther Greenfield, the daughter of Israel and Mary Brewer Greenfield.  Their children are Ebenezer, Lystra, Amanda, Henry, Minor, and a daughter who apparently died young.  Bildad is a Revolutionary War veteran, and perhaps some of his children would have fought in the war of 1812, given their location in New York.

Aaron was born in 1761 and died in 1824 in Lansingburgh, (now part of Troy) New York.  He is also a Revolutionary War veteran, having served with his father.  He married Catherine, known as Cate, Green, the daughter of John and Catherine Carr Greene.  Their children are Ruth, Stephen, Charlotte, another Stephen, another Charlotte, Harriet, and Aaron.  

There may or may not be an Irene, born in 1763.  I haven't located any information at all about her, and there appears to be another Irene born in 1763 in a different town.  If someone can help clear this up for me, I'd appreciate it!

Stephen was born in 1765 and died in August of 1823 in Mariposa, Ontario, Canada, where he had apparently gone sometime between 1810 and 1814.  I have no idea why he left his country, particularly with the war of 1812 either imminent or in full swing.  If someone has the answer to this mystery, I'd sure like to know it!  He married Esther Smith, the daughter of Thomas and Esther Ball Smith.  Their children are Stephen, Austin, Ambrose, Cynthia, Thomas, Eunice, Esther, Christiana, Achsah, and Susannah.  

Lois was born in 1767 and died in 1847 in Westhampton. about 14 miles from Westfield.  She married Israel Bridgman, the son of Noah and Mercy Clark Bridgman, as his second wife.  She was 35 at the time of their marriage, and had no children.  She was, however, stepmother to Israel's five children by his first wife.  

Eunice was born in 1770 and died in 1807 in Amherst, Massachusetts, about 28 miles from Westfield.  She married William Boltwood, the son of William and Mary Sheldon Boltwood.  Their children are Sarah, Lucius, Mary, Emily, Harriet, William, and Eunice.   

And finally, Lucinda was born in 1774, and died in 1857 in Hadley, Massachusetts.  She married Elisha Hubbard, the son of Edward and Margaret Gaylord Hubbard.  Their children are Maria, Harriet, Lucinda, Margaret, Elizabeth, Eunice, and Susan.  

All of the children left Westfield, but most of them stayed within a 30 or so radius of "home".  This was likely because of better economic prospects elsewhere.  If I had time, I'd love to explore these children more, but it is time to move on to another family.  I've enjoyed learning the essential details, and hints of the lives these Noble children lived, for each generation I've followed.  They are part of America.   

 

 

Breaking news, the brick wall breaking kind!

 I've been working on family genealogy for 19 years now, and I surely thought that I'd found about everyone that I was ever going to find.  Thanks to some kind folks I met through Ancestry, and new records on line, I now know who my 4th great grandmother is.  And in the process, I am somewhat satisfied with 11 new surnames to research.  I already know that some of them have fascinating stories, so I'm excited.  

"My" find is Lydia Goodenow, who married Jude Foster.  I have not yet identified her death date and location (she's not the one buried in Boston in 1801, because her name was no longer Foster at that point.)  Preliminary research shows that I'm missing some female names, so I have more grandmothers to try to find.  But here is a list of the surnames that appear to be correct, all except Rice new to our tree:

Goodenow, Bent, Drury, Rice, Moore, Weare, Lamson, Good, Graves, Axtell, Cutler.   Oh, and also Corbet/Corbett, who was the second husband of Lydia.  

If you recognize one of your families in this list (late 1500s to early 1700s). I'd love to hear from you.  It takes a village to build a tree.  Meantime, it's happy genealogy dance time! 

The family of Thomas Noble 1696-1775

This is the third Thomas Noble family I've written about, and the most fascinating to me.  In my last post, about Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble, I mentioned that some of their children and grandchildren would surely have defended their colony in the French and Indian War, and fought in the Revolutionary War.  This family, that of Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, is one such example.  With only a little bit of searching, I've found stories about three of the sons, and there are probably more waiting to be found.  

This is also a family that has lots of cousin marriages, between Nobles and Roots, and Nobles and Deweys, and other families also show up multiple times.  Westfield in the early 1700s was still a very small town, noted as having about 150 families by 1750.  The pickings for marriage partners was slim, but we can hope that the marriages were generally good ones.

Thomas was born in 1696. the son of Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble.  He married Sarah Root, the daughter of John and Sarah Stebbins Root in 1722.  He spent all his days in Westfield, Massachusetts, unless he participated in military expeditions, but I've found no record of any such thing yet.  Thomas died in Westfield in 1775, just two months before the battles of Lexington and Concord that more or less began the Revolutionary War.  Thomas and Sarah had at least 10 children together.  If, as adults, all the children had been gathered at the same table, there would have been enough stories told to last the night through, and then some.  Thomas also married, in 1761, Sarah Field Belding, about a year after his first wife's death.

Sarah was born first, in 1723 (actually, within a few months of her parents' marriage, but who's counting?).  She married Aaron Dewey, the son of Israel and Sarah Root Dewey.  Sarah was related to both of Aaron's parents, so she knew her husband probably her whole life.  Their children are Aaron, Sarah, Aaron, Aaron, John, Silas, Eunice, Silas, and Levi.  Sadly, several of these children died as infants.  Sarah died in 1796 in Westfield.  

Thomas (yes, another Thomas to confuse us all) was born in 1725 and died in 1801 in Westfield.  He married Susanna Cole, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Goodwin Cole.  His uncle, Jonathan Noble, was married to a sister of Susanna.  Thomas and Susanna's children are Eunice, Jerusha, Susanna, Thomas, Sally, Jerusha, Dorothy, Calvin, Luther, Molly, and Nancy. 

Stephen was born in 1727 and died in 1791 in Westfield.  He married Ruth Church, the daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church. (Jonathan was the son of Richard and Elizabeth Noble Church.  Elizabeth was Stephen's grand aunt, another family connection.)  Their children are Lovisa, Ruth, Bildad, Aaron, Stephen, Lois, Eunice, and Lucinda.  This family will be the subject of my next blog post.

Eunice was born in 1729 and died just 21 years later in Westfield.  She married Samuel Smith, the son of Samuel and Desire Bedortha Smith.  They had one daughter together, also a Eunice.

John was born in 1731 and died in 1807 in Blandford, Massachusetts.  He married Lois Sexton, the daughter of Daniel and Mary Douglas Sexton.  Their children are John, Bohan, Hannah, Rhoda, John, Oliver, and Alva.  I'm a little confused about the last two names.  They might belong to the same person, and the name might be Olive.  I have not found the records to confirm this.  

Silas was born in 1733 and died July 11, 1775, at Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.  My history loving ears perked up at the date and sure enough, he died while serving in the earliest days of the Revolutionary War, of "camp fever".  George Washington arrived to take charge of what became the core of the militia/army that fought against George III's troops.  I've read that when he got there, one of the first things he did was insist that the camp be cleaned up and military discipline applied.  But I digress...Silas married twice.  His first was is Bethia Dewey, the daughter of Adijah and Mercy Ashley Dewey.  (Both of those folks are our cousins, also.) Their children are Elisha, James, Silas, and Medad.  Silas's second wife is Mary Taylor, whom I have not further identified.  Their children are Bethia, Solomon, and Mary.

Aaron was born in 1735 and died in November of 1760 in Westfield.  His story is both sad and interesting.  He fought during four different campaigns of the French and Indian War, and evidently was captured at some point, and held in Quebec.  When finally released, he likely sailed on one of the ships that unknowingly held one or more passengers suffering from smallpox.  Aaron arrived home in good health, had an hour with his family, and then fell ill.  He died about a week later, from smallpox.  I haven't found any others of this family that died shortly after Aaron, so apparently he didn't infect anyone else, which was a good thing.  He deserves to be held among the heroes in our family.

Elizabeth was born in 1738 and died in 1804 in Westfield.  She married Medad Dewey, who was a brother to Bethia Dewey mentioned above, and the son of Adijah and Mercy Ashley Dewey.  Their children are Solomon and Medad.  She then married John Miller, not yet further identified, and their children are Elizabeth, Olive, and Anna.  Finally, she married Benjamin Sexon, the son of Benjamin and Mary Strong Sexton, and they had a son, Phinehas.  

Caleb was born in 1741 and died in 1804 in what became Ashtabula County, Ohio.  He is the first of this family to put down roots anyplace except Hampden County, Massachusetts.  This was early to be in Ohio, and I'm not sure whether he was actually there to stay or whether he was checking the area out.  He was a Revolutionary War veteran but I don't know whether he was given land in compensation for property losses or injuries.  It's possible that he died en route to an area further south, where his brother Seth was given land for his Revolutionary War service.  Caleb married Mercy Kellogg, the daughter of John and Mary Newton Kellogg.  Their children are Caleb, Ashsah, Moses, Aaron, Rosanna, Seth, Oliva, Sophie, an infant, Philo, and Betsey.  

Seth is the last born of the family, in 1743.  He died in 1807 in Franklin County, Ohio, where he had been granted 350 acres of land for his service and losses in the Revolutionary War.  He was a Presbyterian pastor and lived and ministered in several different towns, including Nova Scotia, where he was as the war broke out.  He married three times.  His first wife is Hannah Barket, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah Palmer Barker.  Their children are Seth, Joseph, Sarah, Benjamin, and Hannah.  He next married Ruhama Rich Emery, a widow.  Their children are Betsey, Thomas, Polly, and John.  His third wife is Mary Magill.  I could find nothing to tell us who Ruhama or Mary's parents are.  

Seth likely knew our ancestor John Starr, also a Revolutionary War vet and a Presbyterian, who died in Franklin County Ohio on land granted him for the serious injury he suffered in the Revolutionary War.  I like to imagine them worshiping together in the same house or cabin or first small church.  The Starr family and the Noble family have no close blood relationship that I have found, yet, they were brothers in Christ and in service to their country.  I think that is cool! 

 

 

  

The family of Thomas Noble 1666--1750

 Thomas Noble, the son of Thomas and Hannah Warriner, was born in 1666 in Springfield, Massachusetts, likely in what became Westfield just four years later.  He stayed in Westfield his entire life, having married Elizabeth Dewey, the daughter of Thomas and Constant Dewey Hawes in 1695.  Elizabeth was also born in Westfield in 1677 and died there in 1757, about seven years after Thomas.  Thomas's siblings all lived to adulthood and most into old age, but the family of Thomas and Elizabeth was not so blessed.  There were at least eleven children born to this couple, but there were several early deaths.  It's a good thing that Thomas and Elizabeth had a strong faith (he was a deacon in the church) to help them as they lost some of their children.  Fortunately, there are also children who lived to have large families, so there were grandchildren galore to bring joy to their lives.

Thomas was the first born, in 1696.  He also lived his entire life in Westfield, until he died in 1775.  He married Sarah Root, the daughter of John and Sarah Stebbins Root.  Their children are Sarah, Thomas, Stephen, Eunice, John, Silas, Aaron, Elizabeth, Caleb, and Seth.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Job was born next, in January of 1699, and died less than five months later, in June.

Jonathan was born in 1700 and died in 1719 in Westfield, before any marriage took place.  

Seth was born in 1702 and died just five weeks later.  

Israel was born in 1703 and died in 1758, also in t.  He married twice.  His first wife is Elizabeth Weller, who may be the daughter of Eleazer Weller but that is not proven.  They had one son together, Israel, but Elizabeth died about a month after her son's birth.  Israel then married Elizabeth Miller, the daughter of Ebenezer and Hannah Keep Miller.  Their children are Margaret, Shadrack, Thankful, Hannah, Margaret, Roger, and Thankful. 

Elizabeth. their first daughter, was born in 1705 and died in 1793 in Westfield.  She married John Shepard, the son of John and Elizabeth Woodruff Shepard.  Their children are Elizabeth, Elizabeth, John, John, Experience, William, Silas, three sons each named Enoch, David, and two sons named Gideon.  This family sadly seems to have had at least five infants or children die at an early age.  

Lois was born next, in 1708.  She was the first of the Noble children to die away from Westfield, but not until 1757, when she died in Brimfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts.  Brimfield and Westfield are about 33 miles apart, Brimfield being directly east of Westfield, so we do not know whether she was able to see here parents often.  She married Josiah Keep, the son of Samuel and Sarah Colton Keep.  Their children are Lois, Jemima, Ruth, Josiah, Moses, Hannah, and Austin.  

Ebenezer was born in 1711 and died in 1775 in Suffield, Hartford County, Connecticut.  He married Abigail Palmer, the daughter of Timothy and Abigail Allen Palmer.  Their children are Abigail, Anna, Ebenezer, Joel, Rachel, Esther, Nathan, and Timothy.  

Thankful was born in 1714, and may have died in 1716.  I could find no further information about her.

Anna was born in 1716 and died in 1787 in West Springfield, Massachusetts.  She married John Leonard, the son of John and Sarah Dickinson Leonard.  Their children are Anna, Sarah, Anna, John, Sarah, Abigail, Elizabeth, and Justin.  

Finally, there is Jonathan, born in 1721.  (There may have been at least one pregnancy between Anna and Jonathan, given the time gap.)  He married Elizabeth Cole, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Goodwin Cole.  Their children are Elijah, Jonathan, William, Phineas, Mary, and Roswell.   He died in 1781 in Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut.  

Thomas and Elizabeth must have raised their children well.  As mentioned, Thomas was a deacon, and I notice that almost all of his children's names, and his grandchildren's names, are Biblical.  I would expect to find that some of their sons fought in the French and Indian War, and there are quite a few names of what appear to be grandsons listed as having fought in the Revolutionary War.  I would love to have the time, and eyesight, to explore this family more thoroughly.  

 

 

Allen line: The family of Thomas Noble 1632-1704

 There are various conjectures as to where Thomas came from, and who his parents are.  I am not sure enough of any of them to state them as fact, or even as probables.  It is probable, however, that Thomas was an immigrant from some part of England, and was born about 1632.  We're not sure when he arrived in America, but he married Hannah Warriner, the daughter of William and Joanna Searles Warriner, in 1660 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts.  The couple made their home in what became Westfield in 1669. The couple had at least ten children.  After Thomas died in 1704, Hannah married Medad Pomeroy, the son of Eltweed and Margery Rockett (Rockwood) Pomeroy.  Medad is our ancestor in our Holbrook line, and I hope to write about that family in the future.  

John seems to have been the first born, in 1662.  (He was born almost exactly two years after his parents married, so it is possible there was an earlier pregnancy.)  He died in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut in 1714, but not before he had married twice.  His first wife is Abigail Sackett, the daughter of John and Abigail Hannum Sackett.  They have one daughter together, also Abigail, but sadly, John's wife died 4 days after giving birth to Abigail.  Less than a year later, he married Mary Goodman, the daughter of Richard and Mary Terry Goodman.  They have 10 children together-John, Stephen, Elizabeth, Mary, David, Hannah, Sarah, William, Margaret, and Mabel.   

Hannah was born next, in 1664.  She married three times and died in 1741 in Hadley, Hampshire, Massachusetts.  Her first husband was John Goodman, the daughter of John and Hannah Edwards Goodman (I have not yet found a connection between Richard and John Goodman, but there is at least a possibility that these two families are related.)  Hannah's children with John are John, Hannah, another Hannah, Stephen, and James.  She later married Nathaniel Edwards, the son of Alexander and Sarah Searle Edwards, and then Samuel Partridge, the son of William and Mary Smith Partridge.  I have not found any mention of children with Nathaniel, and she was well along in years when she married Samuel.  

Thomas was born next, in 1666.  He married Elizabeth Dewey, the daughter of Thomas and Constant Hawes Dewey, and died in 1750 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Their children are Thomas, Job, Jonathan, Seth, Israel, Elizabeth, Louis, Ebenezer, Thankful, Anna, and Jonathan.  I will follow this family in my next blog post. 

Matthew was born in 1668 and died in 1744 in Sheffield, Berkshire, Massachusetts.  He married Hannah Dewey, the daughter of Thomas and Constant Hawes Dewey (see above).  Their children are Joseph, Hezekiah, Matthew, Solomon, Elisha, Obadiah, Hannah, Hester, Jonathan, and Rhoda.  

Mark was the first child born in Westfield, in 1670, and like several of his siblings, didn't leave.  He died there in 1741.  He married Mary Marshall, the daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Newberry Marshall.  Their children are Noah, Mary, Abigail, John, Miriam, and Noah.  

Elizabeth was born next, in 1673.  She died in 1751 in Colchester, New London, Connecticut.  She married Richard Church, the son of John and Sarah Beckley Church, who are also our ancestors and I hope to write about one day.  Their children are John, Hannah, Rachel, James, Joseph, Jonathan, and Samuel.  Her second marriage is to Samuel Loomis, the son of John and Elizabeth Scott Loomis.  This was a late in life marriage and there were no children of this couple.

Luke was born in 1675 and died in 1744 in Westfield, Massachusetts.  He first married Hannah Stebbins, the daughter of Thomas and Abigail Munn Stebbins, who are not our ancestors but are related. (The Stebbins families are another goal of mine.) Their children are Luke and Samuel, although I am not sure about Samuel.  He may be a child of the second marriage, or there could be two Samuel Nobles in this family, but I haven't been able to confirm birth dates.  His second marriage is to Ruth Wright, the daughter of Joseph and Ruth Sheldon Wright.  Their children are Ruth, Moses, Anna, Asa, Naomi, Samuel, Jacob, and Ephraim.  Luke's third wife is Sarah Dewey, who was the widow of David Dewey but whose parents are unknown.  There are no children know to have been born to this couple.

James was born in 1677 and died in 1712 in Westifeld.  He married Katharine Higley (also seen as Higlee), the daughter of John and Hannah Drake Higley.  Their children are Lydia, James, and David.  

Then came Mary, in 1680.  She also died in Westfield, in 1750.  Her husband is Ephraim Colton, the son of Ephraim and Mary Drake Colton.  Their children are Mary, Ephraim, Deborah, Jerusha, male twins who died very young, Damaris, Job, Samuel, and Hannah.  

And lastly came Rebecca, in 1683.  She married Samuel Loomis, the son of Samuel and Hannah Hanchett Loomis.  (Yes, the Hanchett line is in our tree also.)  Their children are Rebecca, Samuel, Rachel, Rebecca, Mabel, Mercy, Moses, and David.  I am confused about her death date.  It may be 1720, it may be 1750, or it may be 1759, but whichever is correct, she died in Westfield, Massachusetts.  

This Noble family is interesting for several reasons.  First, of course is the number of ties to other lines in our families.  Then there are the first names-almost every name of the grandchildren, as well as the children, is from the Bible.  The family lived through trying times with King Philip's War and later battles with natives, and I'm sure many of these names will be found on military rolls.  Many of these children lived into their 70s, and they would have told many stories to their children and their own grandchildren.  It's been fun to write about this family that ties to ours in so many ways.   

The family of Alexis Lemmon 1746-1826

As I write this, it's the Fourth of July weekend, and it seems fitting that I'm writing about the family of Alexis Lemmon (Jr.), who served in the Revolutionary War as a captain in the Maryland militia.  We should never forget the sacrifices made by our ancestors to give us a chance at freedom, as well as life itself.  

Alexis was born in 1746 in Baltimore, Maryland, and died in 1826 in Perry Township, Richland County, Ohio.  I have had the honor of visiting his gravesite.  He married Rachel Stansbury, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury.  (Hannah is one of our lines back to British royalty, if you trace her far enough.)  They raised their family in Maryland, on an estate known as "Eight Sisters", because, yes, this family was blessed with daughters only.  He owned a 400 acre estate in Maryland, so the supposition is high that he held slaves, although the only hint I've found was in the 1820 census, when "Electius" reported one slave.  

Sarah was the first born, in 177, in Baltimore County, Maryland (birthplace of all of the children).  She died in 1834 in Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio.  She was married to Abraham Hetrick, the son of Johan Jacob and Anna Elizabeth Nuss Hetrick.  Their children are Mary Ann, Rachel, Elizabeth, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Susannah, Abraham, and an unnamed daughter who may have died at a young age.  This is our line, and at some point I hope to write about the Hetrick families.

Ruth was born in 1774 and died in 1846 in Morrow County, Ohio.  She married John Edwards, the son of Johan and Jane Flanigan Edwards.  Their children are Christianaa, Alexis, Jessie, Rebecca, Edward, and Elias.  (Marion is also seen as their child, but he seems to have been born much later; perhaps he is a grandson.)

Elizabeth was born in 1776 and that is what I could learn about her.  There was an Elizabeth Lemmon who married a Robert Anderson in 1801, but I have been unable to determine whether this was her, or what might have happened to her, whether she was married or not.

Mary was born in 1778 and died in 1818 in Woodbury, Morrow County, Ohio.  She married John Singrey (Singry), son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey.  Their children are Sarah, Jehu, Mary, John, Rebecca, and Harriet.

Rebecca was born in 1780 and died in 1855 in Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio.  She married John Shauck, son of John and Mary Magdalene Ebaugh Shauck.  There are three known children born to Rebecca, but there may be more as yet not located.  The known children are Elah (Eli), Mary Ann, and John.   

Rachel is a bit confusing.  Her birthdate is given as both 1780 (on the same date as Rebecca) and again on the same date but in 1782.  So she may or may not be a twin.  Also, she married Jehu Singrey in 1832, who is the son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey (see Mary's paragraph, and also Jane's, who follows this one.)  Because she was 50 or more when she married, there were no children born to this couple.

Jane, however, had married Jehu Singrey first.  She was born in 1784 and died in 1831 in Morrow County, Ohio.  Jane and Jehu, son of Christian and Elizabeth Ingold Singrey, have 6 children-Elizabeth, Rachel, Sarah, Joshua, David, and Alice.  

Temperance was the final child.  She was born in 1786 and died in 1814.  SHe married Jacob Coltrider, the son of Johannes George Peter and Weylet, maiden name not found, Kaltreider.  They may have had a son, Jacob, but I have not been able to verify that.

Rachel, Alexis' wife, died in 1823 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  Alexis lost little time in moving to Morrow County, along with his as yet unmarried daughter, Rachel.  All the surviving daughters lived within a short distance of each other, and Alexis must have taken great comfort in being in their presence once again.  

I have a great deal of admiration for the daughters of Alexis and Rachel.  They left home, probably together or within a short time period of each other, and traveled hundreds of miles to settle in a new to them land that was yet unsettled.  Their husbands, pioneers and then leaders of their communities, helped build their state, and the daughters were there supporting them and raising their children to also be good citizens.  They were remarkable, every one of them. 

 

 

Holbrook line: The family of Alexis Lemmon 1718-1786

 I was going to start this short series out with a post about John Lemmon and Elizabeth Smith, who I believed to be the parents of Alexis Lemmon.  It's possible that they are, but it's also possible that they are not.  So let's just leave it there for now, until more convincing evidence one way or the other turns up.  (I have seen Edward and James listed as his parents, also, so that's why the hesitation on my part.  

We do know that Alexis was born in 1718 in either England or Ireland, and died in or before 1786.  He is listed as a patriot of the Revolutionary War, as he provided wheat to the army and also signed the oath of allegiance.  His first wife, the mother of his children, is Martha Merryman, the daughter of John and Martha Bowen Merryman.  His second wife is Rachel Cottrell Jones, the daughter of Thomas Cottrell and the widow of Jacob Jones.  There were no children born to the second marriage.  Alexis and Martha have eight known children, although there are some trees that list fewer or give the children different names.  I hope this list is correct!

John is the first son, born in 1740.  He died in 1811 in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.  His wife is Sarah Stansbury, the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury.  Their children are Lemuel, Martha, Hannah, Alexis, Matthew, Thomas, John, Benjamin, Eleanor, and Charles.   John is a Revolutionary War veteran.

Ruth was born next, in 1741.  Unfortunately, that is all that I know of her.  There are several trees that give her husband as Thomas Stansbury, the son of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury (see above). I have been unable to confirm that.  He married a possibly second wife, so perhaps Ruth died soon after the marriage.  I find no record of children and to me, this case is still very much open.

Mary was born in 1744 and died in 1818 in Piasa Township, Jersey County, Illinois.  She married Ulrick William Burke, so son of Thomas and Sarah Sicklemore Burk.  Their children are Martha, Sarah, Thomas, Elisha, Alexis, Ulrick, John, and Pat. Ulrich died in 1784 and I am not sure how Mary arrived in Illinois.  Perhaps she was living with one of her children.  

Alexis was born in 1746 and died in 1826 in Perry Township, Richland County, Ohio.  He was a veteran of the Revolutionary War as well as the War of 1812.  He married Rachel Stansbury, who is the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Gorsuch Stansbury.  If the Ruth connection with Thomas is correct, then three Lemmon siblings married three Stansbury siblings.  Their children are Sarah, Ruth, Elizabeth, Mary, James, Rebecca, Rachel, Jane, and Temperance.  I will follow this family in my next blog post. 

Hannah was born in 1751 and died in 1840 in Baltimore.   Some say she never married, and some say she was the Hannah Lemmon who married Thomas Cochran in 1788.  Perhaps the marriage never actually took place, or this may be a different Hannah Lemmon.  It appears that she is buried with the name of Lemmon, and that she was staying with a Micajah Merryman, likely a relative of some sort, at the time of her death. 

Eleanor (who may have preferred and used the name Elizabeth) was born in 1757 and died about 1779, most likely in Maryland.  She married Zebulon Headington, the son of James and Ruth (maiden name not known) Headington.  They had two children, Laban and Ruth.  

Rebecca was born in 1758 and died in 1786, in Baltimore County, Maryland.  She married Jabez Murray Tipton, the son of John and Martha Murray Tipton. Their children are Moses, John, and Alexis.

Finally, there was Moses, born in 1759 and died in 1852 in Union County, Illinois.  He married Sarah Jones, the daughter of Jacob and Rachel Cottrell Jones, his step-sister as Rachel had married Alexis after Martha's death.  Their children are Moses, Joshua, Jacob, Elizabeth, Susannah, Rebecca, and Mary.  Moses is a Revolutionary War veteran.

Alexis, the patriot, saw all three of his sons, go off to war, at least one more than once.  Some of his sons-in-law also served their country.  He and Martha raised quite a remarkable family. and it is fitting to honor them, among many others, on this Independence Day.  

Side note: For anyone who is doing research on Alexis, his name is also found as Electius and Alexius and possibly other spellings also.