Beeks line: The family of James Moon 1639-1713

 I am bravely and foolishly starting here to collect the somewhat limited information we have about the Moon family, which I will be writing about for several weeks.  We know a little about James and his wife Joan, who came to Pennsylvania in the 1680s and settled in Bucks County.  Many believe that James's parents are Edmund and Catherine King Burgess, and that Joan is the daughter of Samuel and Eleanor Peers (various spellings).  Others assign different parents to James, and others yet believe that Samuel Burgess is more likely a brother than a father to Joan.  As far as I can tell, there is not a good paper trail to prove or disprove any of these ideas.  

James and Joan are thought to have married in about 1665, but I don't know if they were of the Quaker belief at the point, or not.  They seem to have been a member of the Society of Friends in Bucks County, where they settled, and some, probably most, of their children remained Quakers in good standing.  Once again, the same names were used over and over in the family and it is not easy to determine which "James" or "John" or "Simon" or "Mary", for instance, we are talking about.  So with the caution that some of these families may be confused, or intermingled, or otherwise identified wrongly, here's what seems to be the outline of their children.

There may have been a daughter, Sarah, born in 1667, or in 1673.  She is reported to have died in Bucks County in 1725, but I've found no record of the birth or the death.  I do not know whether she married and had children.  Most trees don't mention her so this may be a case of mistaken identity.

James was born in 1668 and died in 1755 in Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He married Mary Wilsford, thought but not proven to be the daughter of John and Alice Towle Wilsford.  Their children are John, Simon, and Thomas, and possibly Sarah.  After Mary died, he married Agnes Priestly, the daughter of John and Agnes (maiden name unknown) Priestly.  They had a son, John.  Other lists include the names of James, Jacob, Joseph, Martha, Roger, Sarah, and Thomas.  I am not convinced but am mentioning this possibility in case someone has information to verify this and is willing to share it.  I'll follow this family in my next blog post.

Jonas was born in 1671 and died in December 1732 in Bucks County.  He married Alice "Chissum" or Chisom, the daughter of Robert and Margaret Scott Chisom. They had at least two children, Sarah and Alice.  

Jasper was born about 1675 and died in 1728 in (take your pick) Burlington, New Jersey; Bucks County, Pennsylvania, or Randolph County, North Carolina.  I can't tie any of the death locations given to this Jasper with any degree of certainty.  His wife's name may have been Susannah, and his children are Jasper, Simon, and Joseph.

Mary is a mystery.  She was born about 1676, and married a man by the name of Curtis, possibly Joseph Curtis.  She had at least one daughter, Sarah.  That is all that I've been able to locate for her.  

The last known child is Roger.  He was born about 1680 and died in 1759 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He was married twice.  His first wife was Ann Nutt, the daughter of Jonathan and Ann Waite Nutt.  Their children are Elizabeth, James, John, Elizabeth again, Roger, Isaac, William, and Ann.  After Ann died, he married Elizabeth Price, the daughter of Reese and Mary (maiden name unknown) Price.  They also had a large family, including, John, Mary, Sarah, Timothy, Samuel, Hannah, and Jasper.  

I would of course like to know more about this family, particularly the year of their immigration, and whether they had friends or relatives who had gone ahead of them.  I'd like to know the missing information for the children, and whether Sarah belongs to this family, and whether we've missed some of James's grandchildren.  But it is interesting to think of this Quaker family, settling down in very early Pennsylvania days, and raising a family in what would have been a strange land.  I'm glad they arrived!

The family of Lambert Lane 1737-1804

Lambert Lane was born about 1737, in either Baltimore County, Maryland, or in England.  Family tradition says his parents, Samuel and Jane Corbin Lane, were in England when he was born, but it seems no one has located documents for this birth in England, or for that matter, in Maryland.  He married Nancy Ann Anderson, the daughter of James and Ann Downing Anderson, about 1762, in either Maryland or Pennsylvania.  From Pennsylvania (Bedford County), he lived in Virginia and in Tennessee before finally settling in Shelby County, Kentucky, where he died in 1804.  He was a Revolutionary War veteran, being part of the group that fought against members of the Cherokee tribe (they were fighting under the instigation of the British, but it's very complicated).  After his death, Ann married Henry Johns, and died in 1826 in Boone County, Indiana.  

Lambert and Nancy (sometimes referred to as Ann) had at least a dozen children, and the family multiplied.  Some of the same family names were used over and over, and some first names are new to the family. (It seems a little odd, but none of the grandchildren were named Lambert, despite naming patterns that had included the father's name for generations before him.)  Several of the men fought in the War of 1812.  They died anywhere from Baltimore County, Maryland, to Alabama to Texas to Indiana, so the children picked up some of Lambert's onward-moving ways.  They are an interesting, if frustrating, family to investigate.

Thomas was the first born son, in 1763.  He died in Harrison County, Indiana, where several of his siblings also died, in 1832.  He married Anna Ellis, the daughter of Isaac and Nancy Ann Downing Ellis.  (I have not yet determined what family relationship there is between Ann Downing Anderson and this Nancy Downing Ellis, but I consider it likely that there was one.)  Their children are Nancy, Isaac, Sarah, Craven, Malinda, William, Eleanor, Fielding, Elizabeth, Ellis, John, Pleasant, Anna, Davis, and Nelson.  I have also seen a Thomas listed as their son, which would make sense, but I am not sure that he belongs to this family.

John was next, born about 1765.  He also died in Harrison County, Indiana, in 1842.  He married Elizabeth Maddox, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Compton Maddox.  Their children are John, Jesse, Edward, and Samuel.  After Elizabeth's death, he married Charity Standage, but I've not found any children noted as theirs.

James would be one of these Lanes that I could term "frustrating".  He was born about 1768, and he seems to have had children named Samuel, Anne, and James.  I have been unable to identify a wife, and there may or may not be more children.  I don't know where or when he died, either.  

Sarah, known as Sally, was born in 1772 and died in 1863 in Harrison County, Indiana.  She married John Ross, the son of John and Mary Duer Ross.  Their children are Nancy, William, Ezekiel, Jesse, and probably John.  

Elijah has been a challenge because if I listed all his supposed wives, they would number at least 5.  His records seem to have been confused with those of other Elijah Lanes, and I hope I have picked my way through this minefield of information and mis-information.  His first wife was Nancy Hawkins, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Barker Hawkins.  Their children are Elizabeth, Mary, John, and Nancy.  After Nancy's death, he married Susannah Hawkins, a sister to Nancy.  Their children are Susan and Lawson.  Other names mentioned as wives include Hannah Dewhurst and Elizabeth Wells.  I don't discount those entirely because the Elijah who married Nancy and Susannah was not born until 1791, when his supposed mother would have been nearly 50 years old.  That's not impossible, but I'm not sure that this Elijah belongs to this family.  The  birth date I've found for Elijah would be closer to 1775.  I am still working on this and I'd be delighted to know that someone else has figured it out!  This Elijah of 1791 died in 1863 in Missouri and is buried in Petersburg, Pike County, Indiana with Nancy.  

Mary, or Mary Martha, was born in 1775 and died in 1849 in Panola County, Texas.  That alone makes her a fascinating woman, as Texas became a state in 1845, so this was still an unsettled area early in the state's history.  She had lived in Alabama prior to that, as the wife of Hugh Gentry, the son of John and Mary Green Gentry.  Their children are Sally, Mary, John, William, Nancy, Elizabeth, Margaret, Ruth, Barbara, Hugh, Lydia, Joseph, Samuel, and Camden.  

Rebecca was born in 1780 and died after 1860 in Lawrence County, Alabama, so she also led a different life than most of our family.  I believe she is the first of our collateral relatives to have lived in the South during the run up to the Civil War, and possibly during and even after that sad event.  She married William Gregory, the son of Richard and Mary Ward Gregory.  Their children are William, Susanna, Nancy, William, Jonathan, Sarah, John, Jesse, Carroll, Merrison, Carrie, James, Edward, and Basil.  

William was born in 1781 and died in 1863 in Meade County, Kentucky.  He married Nancy Ann Prewitt, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Street Prewitt.  Their children are Burton, Craven, Elizabeth, America, Charlotte, Harriet, Nancy, and William.  There is a possibility that he later married Rebecca Marvin, but I am not sure about that.

Nancy was born in 1784 and married James McCoy, of the "preaching McCoys" family.  He is the son of William and Elizabeth Royse McCoy.  Their children are Sarah, Elizabeth, Priscilla, Lewis, Vincent, Rebecca, Milton, another Priscilla, Isaac, John, and Thomas.  Nancy and James, and at least one of their children, died in the cholera epidemic of 1833 in Salem, Washington County, Indiana.  

Jesse was born in 1785 and died in 1832 in Boone County, Indiana.  He married Elizabeth Johns, the daughter of Henry and Nancy Duncan Johns.  (I have not traced Henry to determine whether he is related to the Henry Johns that Nancy Anderson Lane married, but there is at least the possibility there.)  Their children are Nancy Ann, Sarah, William, Anna, Elizabeth, Jesse, and Rebecca.  

Elizabeth, known as Betsey, was born about 1786 and I could find very little information about her.  She married Jacob Roberts, parents unknown, and had at least one child, Mary.  She died in 1812, probably in Kentucky.  That is the extent of my knowledge, and it is not based upon satisfactory documents.  Again, I'd like help with her if someone knows more.

Samuel may be the last son, if the Elijah born in 1791 doesn't belong here.  He was born in 1787 and died in 1842 in or near Whitestown, Boone County, Indiana.  He married Margaret McCarty, the daughter of Cornelius and Susanna Hardwick McCarty.  Their children are Susan, Nancy, Cornelia, Eleanor, Margaret, Thomas, Mary, Martha, Samuel, James, and Maria.   

The Lanes are a large family, coming from large families.  Their blessings were in their children, rather than in material wealth, and in their values, which included defending their country during the various wars we endured.  From England to the Caribbean to Maryland, and then on through Pennsylvania and Tennessee to Kentucky and all the different places noted in this post, they were part of the wonderful story of American growth, and part of some of the things we wish would not have happened. 

 

 

The family of Samuel Lane 1700-1779, approximately

 We have no firm, documented birth or death dates for Samuel Lane, the son of Dutton and Pretotia Tydings Lane.  Nor do we have specific dates for his children, which, depending on what record or tree you look at, are all over the calendar.  Sometimes even the decades are "fluid".  Yet, there is much that is known or thought to be accurate about the family of Samuel and Jane Corbin (daughter of Edward and Jane Wilkinson Corbin).  And there are a totally ridiculous number of Samuels, and Duttons, and even Richards, who carry the last name.  I've tried here to winnow out the obvious errors and I hope I haven't allowed any new ones to creep in.  I'd be delighted to receive any additional information that is available, but once again, here is a not necessarily correct post which I hope will at least contain clues to help us get this family straight.

Samuel was born about 1700 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and died sometime after his will was written in 1779, in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  He married Jane Corbin about 1735, and didn't go to Pennsylvania until after her death.  It's thought that he lived with one of his sons there.  We should note that by order of King George, there were to be no settlers west of the Appalachians, but that was ignored by more than one early family of settlers.  Tension between the native Americans allied to Britain during the Revolutionary War, and the settlers who needed more land, were tight, and this may not have been the best part of Samuel's life.

Samuel and Jane had at least eleven children together.  Tracking down their grandchildren has been hit or miss, but it seems that they had many, who ended up scattered over Maryland, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, and Kentucky, and perhaps Virginia and North Carolina.   Please keep in mind that the birth years given here may not be correct, but I do believe these were all Samuel and Jane's children, regardless of the birth order.

Samuel seems to be the first born, in February of 1735/36.  He married first Mary Corbin, who fits into the Corbin family somewhere,  and their children are Richard, Mary, Ruth, Elizabeth, Abraham, Pretosia, Jane, Dutton, and Samuel.  He then married Keziah Sias, the daughter of John and Mary Chambers Sias, and they are the parents of James, Elilah, Caleb, Joshua, John, Jacob, George, Pheobe, Sarah, Eleanor, and Abner.  Samuel was the first of several Lane sons to serve in the Revolutionary War.  He was in the militia, and it seems more than possible that he would have spent at least part of his time at Fort Pitt.  

Samuel and Jane seem to have gone to England for a few years after young Samuel was born, because the next two children are said to have been born in England.  It's a strong family tradition, but again, proof has not been found.  Lambert was born about 1737 and died in 1804 in Shelby County, Kentucky.  He was a Revolutionary War veteran, having participated in battles that we might wish he hadn't, against the Cherokee tribe.  (At the time, he lived in Greene County, Tennessee.) He married Nancy or Ann Anderson, the daughter of James and Ann Downing Anderson.  Their children are Mary, Thomas, John, James, Elijah, Rebecca, Wilkinson, William, Nancy Ann, Elizabeth, Jesse, and Sarah or Sally.  I will write more of this family in my next post.  

Charity was probably the first daughter, born about 1738 and died after 1798, likely in Baltimore County, Maryland..  She married Greenberry Baxter, the son of John and Mary Brown Baxter.  Their children are Samuel, Sarah, Mary, Elizabeth, Delia, Charlotte, and possibly Jesse.  

Richard was born in November of 1740 and died in Muskingum County, Ohio in 1813.  This would have made him an early settler there.  He married Catherine Groom, the daughter of John and Mary Gristwood Groom.  Their children are Richard, Dutton, Samuel, Elizabeth, Charity, Nancy, Jemima, and Catherine.  

Wilkinson was born in 1743 and died in 1814 in Fairfield County, Ohio.  He married Jane Plowman, the daughter of John and Sarah Chambers Plowman.  Their children are John, Elizabeth, Rebecca, Mary, and Rachel.  It is possible that they are also the parents of Wilkinson, Jacob, Richard, Jane, Dutton, and Mary Jane, but not everyone is in agreement on that.  Like Samuel, Dutton, and Richard, there was more than one Wilkinson Lane and it's possible that not all of these children belonged to the Fairfield County Wilkinson.

Dutton was born about 1745 and died after 1828 in Greene County, Tennessee.  He is said to have had two wives, Mary and Keziah.  However, see the paragraph about Samuel, noted above.  Would two sons in the same family have married two women, in the same order, with the same first names?  Perhaps Mary Corbin and Keziah Sias should be listed as Dutton's wives, but I've found nothing that convinces me at this point.  Regardless, Dutton did have children.  Joseph, Samuel, Nancy, Dutton, Benjamin, John, Abraham, Kezia, Catherine, and Mary appear to be his, and there is a possibility that there was also a Soloman.  I'm not convinced about the Soloman, either, but am showing him here as a possibility.

Sarah was born in November of 1746 and died after 1800 in Greene County, Tennessee.  She married Joseph Hays, who may be the son of Samuel and Jane Corbin Hays.  (I don't know who the Jane Corbin belongs to but she is likely related to Edward Corbin in some manner.) Their children are May, Ann, Sarah, Joseph, John, Ruth, William, and Samuel.

Corbin was born about 1747 and died after December 8, 1816 in Scott County, Virginia.  He married Frances Prock (various spellings such as Brock and Frock), the daughter of Paul and Margaret DeHart Prock, who were German immigrants.  Their children are Mary, Catherine, William, Rachel, Samuel, Abraham, Thomas, Benjamin, Rebecca, Ruth, Temperance and Frances.   

Ruth was born about 1750 and died after 1840 in Bedford County, Pennsylvania.  She married Vincent Stevens, the son of Giles Stephens and his unidentified first wife.  I show only four children for this couple, but given the number of children that the other siblings have, I may be missing some.  The known children are Vincent, Benjamin, David and Vianna.

Abraham was born about 1754 and died probably in 1810 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  Other death dates show March 1847.  There was more than one Abraham Lane so likely the later date belongs to one of the later generation, but I am leaving the date in this post in case it helps someone figure this out.  Abraham married Rachel Mannon, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Mannon.  I show only three children for this couple-Rachel, John, and Jane.  There may be more.

Lastly, there is John,  born perhaps as late as 1757 or possibly in 1748.  It is also possible that there was a son born in 1748 and who did not survive, and his name was used again in 1757.  There is a good deal of controversy regarding his wife.  She was named Rebecca, and I tend to think it was Rebecca Dorsey, the daughter of John and Frances Watkins Dorsey.  They married in 1768, which would mean the 1748 date for John would be the correct one.  The other possibility is that his wife was Rebecca Loveall, the daughter of Zebulon and Mary Margaret West Loveall.  Perhaps he was married to both women, in which case the Loveall marriage would be the second one.  John's children are William, Thomas, Rebecca, and Mary, and possibly more.

I mentioned John "lastly", but there is one other possibility.  There may or may not have been a daughter, Achseh, born about 1753.  There is no proof of her existence, nor of her death.  It is of course possible that she was stillborn, or lived for just a few hours or days, but still was named.

Once again, we are left with questions, but also with admiration for this family.  They experienced tough times, and survived, and left a legacy of children, and of service to our country.  If all the granchildren I've mentioned are correct, and none are missing (both of which are distinct possibilities), then this Lane family had just short of 100 grandchildren, a significant contribution to the growth of America.  

I would of course love to hear from anyone who can give us more information about the family of Samuel Lane.

 

 

The family of Dutton Lane (1670ish to after 1716)

 Other than the "minor" fact that we don't have facts specifying the dates of his birth and his death, there is more information about Dutton than there is about many of our ancestors.  One question I still have is "Where did his name come from?"  As of now, I can't trace it back through his father's family, and his potential mother's families are not yet well explored.  His father's name is Samuel Lane, and his mother's name may be Margaret Mauldin.  Margaret's family is not documented well, and perhaps there is a "Dutton" in that line.  I would like to know! 

Dutton was born sometime about 1670, in Anne Arundel County because his father was there by 1663.  He was either a Quaker or a friend of the Quakers located there.  He married Pretitia (many various spellings) Tydings, the daughter of Richard and Charity Sparrow Tydings, about 1693.  There are five children mentioned in his will, and two others who were apparently born after the will was written.  We don't know when Dutton died, whether it was shortly after the 1716 will was written, or closer to the 1725 date it was executed.  However, we do know this about his children"

The first born was Samuel, born about 1693.  He married Mary Jane Corbin, the daughter of Edward and Jane Wilkinson Corbin.  Their children are Samuel, Lambert, Charity, Richard, Wilkinson, Dutton, Sarah, John, Corbin, Ruth, Abraham, and Achsah, an even dozen.  I will follow this line in my next post, when I hope to figure out when Samuel died,

Dutton was born next, about 1695.  He died in 1783 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  His wife is Dinah Boring, the daughter of John and Mary Kemp Boring.  Their known children are Dutton, Daniel, Mary, and Dinah.   

Richard was born in 1702 and died in 1770 in what is now Halifax County, Virginia.  He married Sarah Fuller, the daughter of John and Sarah Nicholls Fuller.  Their children are Tidence, John, Silence, Dutton, Samuel, Jemima, and Richard.  

Margaret was born in possibly 1703, or perhaps a year or two later, and died sometime after May 5, 1750.  She married William Merryman (Merriman), the son of Charles and Jane Long Merryman (Charles was a "Junior", and he can be traced back to the Charles Merryman who was a grandfather of the Martha Merryman who married Alexis Lemmon.  I believe William and Martha were first cousins, but I haven't verified that yet.)  Margaret's children are Jemima, Margaret, William, George, Joanna, and Chloe.

Sarah is the last of the children to be mentioned in the will.  She may have been born as late as 1710, and died in 1778 in Wilkes County, North Carolina.  She married Robert Sweeting, the son of Edward and Mary Pearl Sweeting.  Their children are Edward, Dutton, Elizabeth, Sarah and Nancy.  

John was not mentioned in the will, so he was born sometime after 1716.  He died in 1769 in Baltimore County, Maryland.  His wife is Avarilla Bosley, the daughter of William and Elizabeth Dimmett Bosley.  Their children are William, Elizabeth, Dinah, and John.

Lastly, it's been proposed that John had a twin sister, Charity.  Those who think she existed usually say that she died within a year, but what the basis is for her birth or her death I do not know.  It's a possibility.

This makes 38 grandchildren for Dutton and Pretitia.  They were rich in family, even though they had financial stressors that forced Dutton to live in North Carolina for a time.  He did return to Maryland and was able to leave land to some of his children. Some of this land is now included in the Hampton National Historic Site, a legacy for all of us.

 

The family of Samuel Lane 1628-1681

 In just a few years, it will be the 400th anniversary of this ancestor's birth, and in ensuing years, much of his history has been lost.  Court records were burned, church records apparently are gone, and even in London, his records have not been located, or at least not made easily available.  This post will merely lay out possibilities for the mother (possibly plural) of his children, and speculation about one of the children.  We are on fairly solid ground for two of the children, anyway.  

Samuel was born about 1628 in England, possibly London, and went with his family to Providence Island in the Bahamas until sometime later.  He was a Puritan and returned to England, possibly under the Cromwell rule, and became a pastor there.  His first marriage was to Barbara Roddam, the daughter of Edmund Roddam, who was also a pastor.  Then things get murky.  Samuel was in Anne Arundel County, Maryland by 1663, when there are a few records available.  The Maryland records show that his wife was Margaret, the daughter of Frances and Katherine (possibly Dudley) Mauldin.  But the dates are all over the place.  Barbara died in 1664, or 1671, or some other date.  He married Margaret in either 1669 or 1679.  So it is theoretically possible that he was a bigamist, although given that this was a man of some social standing, that seems unlikely to me.  It's possible that the children's birth dates (all in the 1670s) are incorrect, and that they were born earlier, to Barbara.  It's possible that there was a second wife between Barbara and Margaret, who is yet unknown.  Or it's possible that the date of 1669 for his marriage to Margaret is correct, and that the children are hers.  Samuel died in 1681, probably in Lord Baltimore's War,  It has been suggested that he died in a skirmish with members of the Seneca tribe, but I've not been able to verify that.

At any rate, there are three children listed in Samuel's will.  

Dutton was probably the first born son, born about 1670..  I have been unable to find an earlier "Dutton" in the family of Lane, Roddam, or Mauldin, so I am uncertain where this name came from.  He married Pretitia (various spellings; I chose the easiest one) Tydings, the daughter of Richard and Charity Sparrow Tydings.  Their children are Samuel, Dutton, Richard, Margaret, and Sarah.  Dutton died in 1726 in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, and I will follow this family further in my next post.  

Samuel was born about 1672.  He married Sarah Harrison, the daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Smith Harrison.  Their children are Richard, Joseph, Nathan, Samuel, Benjamin, Thomas, Elizabeth, Harrison, and Sarah.  He died in 1719 in Anne Arundel County.

There was also a daughter, Sarah, mentioned in her father's will.  I am not sure what happened to her.  Some say she married a Thomas Hooker in New Jersey, but I am not convinced this is the same Sarah.  Her story still needs to be found and told.

I should mention that some trees also show him as a father to Elizabeth and Grace.  I think it's more likely that these were step-children, so I've not attempted to learn more of their stories.

I mentioned that Samuel was a man of some social standing.  He apparently did not have a congregation in Maryland; perhaps his first wife's death had something to do with that.  He was referred to as a gentleman, chirurgeon (surgeon, but not trained to our understanding of the word), doctor, doctor of physics, justice of the peace, gentleman of the quorum, and a military major, as well as a planter.  I just wish we knew more about his wives and children, however many there were. 

Allen line: The family of Richard Lane 1696-1957

 When I started to prepare for this post, I thought I had nothing much to say about the family of Richard and his wife, Alice Carter, the daughter of Humphrey and Annis Bliss Carter.  I learned so much writing this post, and find him to be an utterly fascinating person, although again, not without controversies both in his own life and in trying to trace his family.  Richard is the son of Roger and Beatrice (controversy as to her maiden name) Lane, and was a Puritan who emigrated from London to the island of Providence, in the Bahamas, where he was a merchant tailor.  At one time, he was on the council of the island, and a slave owner (although the records refer to them as servants; this was the common terminology at the time).  As a Puritan, he was caught up in the investigations by Bishop Laud and forced to return to London for examination.  Fortunately for our family, by the time he arrived the bishop was no longer in power, and he was allowed to return to Providence with the blessings of the government.  

When he and Alice migrated to Providence Island, there were three children with them, and a fourth was apparently born in Providence although there don't seem to be records there.  Richard and a son (below) drowned in 1657, either at the island of Eleuthra or en route there.  Alice returned to London and died there in 1674.  There is much more I could write of Richard, because there is a good account in volume II of Maryland Genealogies (found on Ancestry), but this post is mainly about their children.

Samuel was the first son, born about 1628 in London.  He first married Barbara Roddam, the daughter of Edmund Roddam, and then Margaret Mauldin, the daughter of Francis and Katherine (possibly Dudley) Mauldin.  His three children were all born in the 1670s and that is a problem because Barbara died before the children were married and Margaret's marriage is sometimes recorded as 1649, although some say it was 1669.  At this point, I'm not sure who was the mother of Samuel's three children-Dutton, Samuel, and Sarah.  Samuel settled in Maryland, and I will write further of this family in my next post.  

John, whom I have seen referred to as Jonathan and as Joseph, was born about 1631.  I think the problem is that the original document lists him as "Jo", which can be interpreted in different ways.  However, as John Lane he is best known.  He married first Mary, the daughter of Timothy and Mary Neville Lucas, and had four children-John, Mary Anna, Robert, and Joseph.  He married secondly Elizabeth the widow Howell, and their children are Thomas, Elinor, William, and James.  It is thought that Elizabeth may have been a Saltonstall, with ties to the Boston family of that name, but that as far as I know is still speculation.   

Oziel was born in 1632 and was the youngest child when the family emigrated in 1635.  I have not found any records that he married, and he is the son who drowned along with his father in 1657.

There is also a daughter, Mary, born about 1642.  She married a William Denne and they had at least five children, Elizabeth, Alice, another Elizabeth, Thomas, and Richard.  I have not located the parents of William but I think that someone by the name of Thomas would be a likely candidate, and Elizabeth may be the name of his mother, based solely on naming patterns.

I find Richard fascinating because although he emigrated, it was not to what became the thirteen colonies, but to another British colony entirely.  He was caught up in the politics of religion, he apparently held slaves, he tried to grow madder, and he seems to have been relatively prosperous.  And of course, Richard and Alice are part of the reason I'm here today!

 

The family of Levi Rockwood 1751-1806

This is the last of my posts on the Rockwood family.  It has been really interesting to me to look at them, as so many stayed in basically the same location for entire generations, and then in the early 1800s, mostly, moved on from Bellingham to western Massachusetts and then many to Erie County, New York.  It would be interesting to know whether those who went to Erie went with the hope of finding work on the canal, and how successful, or not, they were at that.  I'm sure there are a lot of stories hidden in the names shown below.  

Levi Rockwood was born in 1751 in Bellingham, Massachusetts, the son of Joseph and Alice Thomson Rockwood.  (Following up on my last blog post, this was yet another loss for Alice, for she outlived him by a few years.)  He married Deborah Lazell (Leazell, lots of other spellings), the daughter of Isaac and Deborah Marsh Lazell.  Levi served in the Revolutionary War for several brief periods of time, including responding to the Lexington-Concord "shots heard 'round the world".  He died in Bellingham in 1806.  

Levi and Deborah had 8 children together, and were more fortunate than Levi's mother had been.  One child lived only a few months, but the rest all had respectable life spans, and at least five children.  This family has several ties to Thomson and Holbrook names, so that it truly goes from being a tree to a tangled forest, as I try to sort these out.  

Their first child was Rachel, born in 1774 and died in 1852 in Lockport, New York.  She married Levi Thompson, the son of Nathan and Dorothy Coles Thompson.  (Nathan is the son of Joseph and Mary Holbrook Thomson, Mary being a descendant of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook.  Joseph is believed to be a descendant of David and Amyas Colle Thomson, who are also our ancestors.) The children of Rachel and Levi include Rachel, Levi, Hiram, Demmon, Orrin, Lucy, Byron, Joseph, and Cephas.

Next came Susannah, in 1776.  She married Nahum Holbrook, the son of Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook, and died in 1840 in Adamsville, Washington County, New York.  Nahum was a veteran of the war of 1812 in New York, so they had moved prior to that time.  And yes, Nahum is a descendant of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook.  Susannah and Nahum's children are Lucinda, Amariah, Deborah, Nahum, Susan, Joseph (our line) and Mary.  

Hannah's brief life began in 1778 and ended just a few months later. She was the last daughter born to the couple. 

Joseph, the first son, was born in 1780 and died in 1854 in Bellingham.  He married Anne Chilson, the daughter of John and Abigail Draper Chilson.  Their children are Lucena, Preston, Artman/Artemas, Susan, Maria, Joseph, John, Emily and Abbie (possibly Abigail?).  

Levi was born in 1782 and died in 1837 in Boston, Erie County, New York.  He married Tryphena Holbrook, the daughter of Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook.  And yes, Amariah is also a descendant of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook. So Susannah and Levi each married children of Amariah and Molly Wright Holbrook, which isn't surprising given the population of the town at that time.  Levi's children are John, Amos, Levi, Orrin, and Lyman.  

Nathan was born in 1784 and died in 1879 in Hamburg, Erie County, New York.  He married Ann Ferguson, the daughter of Samuel and Jemima Abbe Ferguson.  Their children are William, Lovena, Sarah, Eliza, Helen, and Harriette.  He was also a veteran of the War of 1812.

Martin was born in 1787 and died in 1864 in Boston, Erie County, New York.  He married Abigail Bates, the daughter of Ezekiel and Abigail Legg Bates.  Their children are Horace, Caoline, Martin, Abigail, Sena, Elizabeth, Varnum, and Calvin.  After Abigail's death, he married Lois Hitchcock, a descendant of Luke and Elizabeth Hitchcock, who are our ancestors on the Allen side of the family. Martin and Lois had no known children.  

Finally, Reuben was born in 1790 and died in 1865 in Eden, Erie County, New York.  He married Polly Albee, the daughter of Alphaeus and Susannah Phillips Albee.  Their children are Valentine, Reuben, Asiel, Urial, and Mary.   

These male children would have grown up hearing stories from the Revolutionary War.  Several of them, perhaps more than I've noted here, served during the War of 1812.  And some lived to see the end of the Civil War.  There is a lot of history woven into the lives of this Rockwood family,

The family of Joseph Rockwood 1722-1778

Joseph Rockwood, the son of John and Deborah Thayer Rockwood, was born in Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts in 1722.  He married Alice Thomson (Thompson), the daughter of Joseph and Mary Holbrook Thomson in 1750 in Bellingham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts.  We have already seen Holbrook names mentioned in connection with the Rockwoods and there are more connections to come.  Mendon and Bellingham, where many of the children lived, were small towns and families frequently intermarried.  To re-set the stage, Mary Holbrook Thomson was a daughter of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook.  Joseph died in 1778, just a month after his father's death.

Joseph and Alice (seen often as Elce) had at least eight children.  The eight survived childhood, but four of them died when they were in their twenties or thirties, so there are not as many grandchildren for this couple as one would think.  So while there was great joy in watching the children grow, their would later be the sorrow for the empty homes in the village and in their own hearts. 

The first born child was Levi, born in 1751 and died in 1806, both in Bellingham.  He married Deborah Lazell, the daughter of Isaac and Deborah Marsh Lazell.  Their children include Rachel, Susannah, Hannah, Joseph, Levi, Nathan, Martin and Reuben.  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Deborah was born next, in 1754. She married Silvanus Batte or Battey, the son of Nicholas and Hannah Davis Battey.  Their children are Robert, Amasa, and Amos.  Deborah died in 1779, already a widow at the age of just 25.  I haven't further traced the children, but perhaps Alice, or one of the surviving aunts and uncles, was able to help raise them.

John was born in 1756 and died in 1786.  He married Eunice Smith, the daughter of Matthew and Sarah Adams Smith.  Their children are John and Cephas.  The sad story of John and his brother Cephas (below) is that they for some reason were on a ship returning from Damariscotta, Maine, when their ship overturned near Lovell's Island, in Boston Harbor.  The returning passengers struggled to shore on the island but this was in December, in the middle of a blizzard, and 11 of the thirteen passengers, including our two Rockwoods, froze to death in their wet clothing, with no shelter available.  

Alice was born in 1758 and died in 1842 in Bellingham.  She married John Cook, the son of Daniel and Elizabeth Scott Cook.  That is the full extent of what I've found for her.  If she stayed her entire life in Bellingham, there are no children recorded there.  It's possible that she and John had left the area and that she came home to Bellingham after living elsewhere, but I've not found anything to reflect that.  There is a 1790 census in Maine that might possibly be this John Cook, which does indicate the possibility of children.  

Joseph was born in 1760 and died on October 6, 1778, just four days before his grandfather John and 35 days before his father Joseph. As mentioned in my last post, it seems possible that there was an epidemic of some sort in town, whether smallpox or something else, but I've not found anything further about that.  At any rate, Alice lost her son, husband, and father in law in very short order, and then the following year her daughter.  She must have been, or become, a very strong woman!

Melatiah was born in 1762 and died in 1848 or 1849 in Bellingham.  Her first marriage was to Asa Holbrook, the son of Asahel and Anna Puffer Holbrook.  Yes, Asa was a descendant of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, so there was a cousin relationship here, although not a first cousin.  Their children are Deborah, Sylvanus, Cephas, and Anna.  After Asa died, she married Caleb Adams, who may or may not be the son of Moses and Abigail Stone Adams.  Their children are Abigail, Caleb, Melatiah, and Alice.  I have not yet found a relationship between Caleb Adams and Sarah Adams Smith, but there may be one.  

Cephas I have mentioned above, as being one of those who froze to death on Lovell's Island.  He was born in 1766 and was not yet 21 years old at the time of this death.  

The final child was Daniel, born in 1768.  He seems to be the only one who left Bellingham, settling first on Oswego, New York, and dying in 1853 in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.  He married Lovica (various spellings) Pond, the daughter of Eliezer and Huldah Hill Pond.  Their children are John, Daniel, Samuel, Alice, Marinda, and Lovice.  It is interesting to speculate why Daniel went to Chicago.  Our ancestor Joseph Holbrook was already there.  Did he go to visit, or had he gone there to start a new life after Lovica's 1843 death?  He was pretty old to be starting over.  Daniel Rockwood, who may be the son of our Daniel, was living in Vermilion, Livingston County, Illinois in the 1850 census.

As usual, there are still questions to clear up with this family, particularly about Alice Rockwood Cook.  Did she or did she not have children?  Did she live in Maine for part of her life?  More research needs to be done, but at least we have this much information.  Joseph and Alice, despite their sorrows, raised their family, and at least one, Levi, was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.  We can be grateful for their sacrifices.

The family of John Rockwood 1696-1778

We come to John Rockwood, the son of Joseph and Mary Hayward Rockwood, born in 1696 in Mendon, Massachusetts and died there in 1778.  There were a lot of "small" wars during his lifespan, including the not so small French and Indian War of 1754-1763, but so far I've found no records that show him as a soldier during any of the conflicts.  This doesn't rule out the probability that he was at least in the militia, so there is at least the possibility that more research would turn up something.

John married Deborah Thayer, the daughter of Ebenezer and Martha Thompson Thayer, in 1716 in Mendon.  As far as I can tell, they stayed in Mendon their entire lives, so I'm a bit puzzled that three children claimed for them are not listed in the Mendon birth records.  Of course, by this time there were other John Rockwoods and it's possible that the three children should be attributed to one of those men.  The three in question are Simeon, supposedly born in 1722, Abigail, in 1724, and Mary, in 1725.  I would certainly love to hear from anyone who has knowledge of these three.  They fit nicely into John and Deborah's time line, but they apparently weren't born in Mendon, or records were lost for those years.  I am unable to trace any of them further, so perhaps they died very early, if they belonged to this family.

There are six children who seem to be documented.  Ebenezer was the first son, born in 1718.  He lived long enough to marry Sarah, who is possibly Sarah Hayward, the daughter of Jonathan Hayward.  Their son, and apparently their only child, is Ebenezer.  Sadly, Ebenezer (Sr.) died in 1742, at the young age of 26.

John was the next son born in 1721.  This gets pretty confusing because this John, the son of John and Deborah Thayer Rockwood, also married Deborah Thayer, except she was the daughter of Jonathan and Bethiah Chapin Thayer.  Both Thayers trace back to Ferdinando Thayer, the Thayer immigrant, so there was some kind of family relationship involved.  They have at least two children, Molly (Molle) and Simeon.  I have seen trees that list additional children, but if so, they don't seem to have been born in Mendon.  John died in 1753, based on the bond issued to his wife Deborah, and two male Thayers, in August of that year.

Joseph was the next son, born in 1722.  He married Alice Thompson, the daughter of Joseph and Mary Holbrook Thompson.  They have eight children-Deborah, John, Alice, Joseph, Melatiah, Cephas, and Daniel.  Joseph died in 1778 in Bellingham, just a month after the death of his father.  (Bellingham was a daughter city to Mendon so if he had moved at all, it wasn't far.)  I will write more of this family in my next post.

Then there is a break of 8 years, which may be when Simeon, Abigail, and Mary were born and lived what may have been short lives.  There is always the possibility that John and Deborah had moved to another town or village and that these three children were simply born elsewhere, but I've not found any likely locations yet, so let's leave them as questionable at this point.

Reuben (Rubin) was born in 1730.  He may have been the first of the family to really strike out away from home, as he died in 1803 in Tyringham, Berkshire, Massachusetts.  His wife is Lydia Green, the daughter of Joshua and Phebe Rawson Green.  Their children are Hannah, Lydia, Ebenezer, Abigail, Joshua, Jason, Margery, Deborah, Beulah, Asenath, and Phebe.  Reuben was a veteran of the Revolutionary War.

Margery or Margaret was born in 1732 and died in 1758 in Wrentham, Worcester, Massachusetts.  She married Edward Gay, the son of Edward and Rebecca Fisher Gray.  Their children are Hannah, Thomas, Rachel, and Margery or Margaret.  

Deborah (I wonder why that name wasn't used earlier?) was born in 1734 and died in 1811 in Upton, Worcester, Massachusetts.  She married Benjamin Farrar, the son of Joseph and Mary Hoskins Farrar.  Their children are Deborah, Abigail, Ruth, Sarah, Benjamin, Esther, and possibly three others, unnamed and perhaps died as infants.  

This summary of the family of John and Deborah Thayer Rockwood of course leaves questions, not least about the missing child-bearing years of Deborah.  We can at least know that John and Deborah left at least 32 children, and their descendants probably have a tangled tree and stories to tell, too.

The family of Joseph Rockwood 1671-1718

We are on a bit firmer ground when it comes to Joseph Rockwood and his family.  He was born in Mendon, Massachusetts, and died there, and all of his children seem to have stayed in the area.  Some are shown as Bellingham residents, but Bellingham was formed from Mendon so it may be that no one had really moved; they may have lived on their original lands.  This is an interesting family because we see other connections to some of our other lines as we explore the data for the children.  And, as usual, there are still some unanswered questions.

Joseph was born in 1671 in Mendon to John and Joanna (or Johannah) Ford Rockwood/Rockett.  The spelling of the last name didn't stabilize until this next generation, and even then there are some usages of the old Rockett spelling.  He married Mary, sometimes seen as Mary Ann, Hayward, the daughter of Samuel and Mehitable Thompson Hayward, and together they had at least 10 children.  Joseph was 47 years old when he died in 1718, and Mary died just four years later, so some of the children were still minors and needed guardians.

Mary was the first born, in 1690.  Some give her a birthdate of 1704, but that was a different Mary, because our Mary married in 1717/18, so a 1704 birthdate is too late to fit.  Her husband is Samuel Wheaton, the son of Benjamin and Margaret Ide Wheaton.  Although Mary lived until 1777, it appears that they had only one child, a daughter also named Mary.  I haven't found an accurate date of death for Samuel, but perhaps he died early, and that would be a reason for no additional children.

Joanna was born in 1792 and died before 1779 in Bellingham.  Her husband is Eliphalet Holbrook, the son of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, who are our ancestors in another line.  Their children are Eliphalet, Ebenezer, Elisha, Seth, Noah, Naaman, Caleb, Elijah, and Johanna.  

John was the first born son, in 1696.  He married Deborah Thayer, the daughter of Ebenezer and Martha Thompson Thayer.  Their children are Ebenezer, John, Joseph, Simeon, Abigail, Mary, Reuben, Margery, and Deborah.  John died in 1778.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

Margaret is a mystery.  She was born in 1698, but I have not located anything further about her.  She may have died as an infant or a young child, but I've not yet found proof.  

Samuel was born in 1700 and may have died in 1761 in Somers, Tolland County, Connecticut.  I am not positive this is our man; this may be a different Samuel Rockwood.  Our Samuel's wife was Elizabeth Wood, daughter of Josiah and Mary Felt Wood.  Their children are Josiah, Elizabeth, Olive, Samuel, and Chloe.

Josiah is another mystery.  He was born in 1702 and died in 1764 in Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts.  That is all that I know of his life.  I've found nothing about a marriage, or children, but of course the records could be lost.  

Trial (Tryal) was born in 1704 and died in 1730.  She married Samuel White, the son of Thomas and Mehitable Thornton White.  Their children are Samuel, Hanna, and Joanna.  It appears that Trial may have died as a result of child birth.  

Richard was born in 1706 and died in 1786.  He married Sarah Thayer, the daughter of Jonathan and Sarah Allen Thayer.  (Yes, Jonathan is a descendant of Ferdinando and Huldah Hayward Thayer, as is Deborah Thayer, who married John Rockwood, above.)  Their children are Josiah, Joseph, and Nehemiah.

Susanna was born in 1709 and died in 1736.  She married Moses Tenney, the son of Thomas and Sarah Tenney Tenney (not a typo; they were first cousins).  I only know of one child for them, Josiah.  After Susannah's death, which may have been related to childbirth, Moses remarried and had several more children.  

Benjamin Rockwood was the last known child of Joseph and Mary.  He was born in 1711, and married Margaret Greet, the daughter of John and Lydia Lineford Green.  Their children are Joannah, Benjamin, and Samuel.  After Margaret's death, Benjamin married an as yet unidentified Mehetabel, and had at least two more children, Silence and Seth.  I do not have a death date for Benjamin.

I'm sure if we knew their stories, there would be interesting life experiences for some of the Rockwoods.  There were several wars that may show Rockwoods as soldiers, and if not as soldiers, then in the militia.  The list of soldiers and sailors from Massachusetts in the Revolutionary War lists quite a few Rockwoods with the same names as are shown here, who were from Bellingham or Mendon, and others whose hometown was not designated.  This was a patriotic family.