Allen line: The second Daniel Scofield 1648-1714

Sometimes it's difficult to find anything new about the second generation of colonists.  Sometimes it's hard to find anything at all about them.  With Daniel Scofield, son of one Daniel Scofield and father of another, we are somewhat more fortunate.  I've been able to pull some bits and pieces together that will help us get an idea of his life.  I say, "idea" because there is still much I don't know. 

Daniel was the second son of Daniel and first wife Sarah Scofield.  The elder Daniel was one of the early founders of the townof Stamford, Connecticut, and was first named as a resident in 1641 (settlement had begun in 1640.)  Our subject, Daniel II, was born about 1647 or 1648, but I've not found documentation for an actual date.  He was one of at least five children, and he outlived his siblings.

One mystery about Daniel at this point is his occupation.  He was financially stable, perhaps even well off, judging by tax records of 1700, but it's not clear how he made his living.  He married Abigail Merwin, daughter of Miles and Elizabeth Powell Merwin, in Stamford in about 1671, when he was about 24 years old.  He and Abigail had at least eight children together. 

Daniel's house lot was number three in the town according to a map from 1685.  I don't know whether he inherited this lot or whether he purchased it from someone, but it was certainly an early number and may indicate either that the lots were assigned by drawing, or that the original owner had his choice of lots. 

Daniel wasn't in the top tier of town government.  Most of his duties had to do with the church, such as helping to settle disputes, tything man, and he also was made a townsman in 1700.  (I'm not sure whether this was a "freeman" or whether this was what Massachusetts referred to as a selectman, a member of the council.  That same year he was appointed a sheepmaster, to take care of the flock. 

In the town tax records of 1700, his estate was valued at 115 pounds, 5 shillings.  There were men in town with higher valuations, but not many.  So he made money somehow, and was more than the term sheepmaster might indicate to us.

Daniel lived his life, and died October 10, 1714.  I don't know whether he ever left the village he was born in, although Long Island Sound borders the town, and it wouldn't have been far to travel to New York, or to Hartford, for that matter.

His inventory is not detailed but it indicates that he had several parcels of land and homes, valued at about 300 pounds, and 149 pounds in personal property.  An additional amount had been set aside for Abigail.  There were debts to be paid.  It's interesting that it appears that more was spent for rum and sugar, apparently for the funeral or visitation, than for the coffin.  The boards for the coffin were two shillings, the coffin making (marking? not sure I read this correctly) was three shillings and four pence, and the rum and sugar was 10 shillings and 10 pence.   

I've not found record of Abigail's death but several sites list it as 1714 also.  She is mentioned extensively in the settlement papers so she was still alive as of November 29, 1714.  I guess her death date is one of the questions still unanswered, as well as how Daniel made his living. This, however, is more information than we have for many ancestors, and it is enough to recognize that Daniel was a hard working, pious man. 

The line of descent is:

Daniel Scofield-Abigail Merwin
Daniel Scofield-Hannah Hoyt
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Samuel Davis 1637-1692

This is a poor excuse for a post.  I admit it, and I write it because of a hope that someone who reads this will have at least one more little tidbit to add to what little I think I know about Samuel.  I also write it because no one in our family should be ignored.

Samuel is traditionally given as the son of Foulk or Fulke Davis and Mary Haynes Dayton, although that may not be correct.  Fulke was the sort of character who had a girl in every port (on Long Island) and I've not found a marriage record for this couple, but Samuel was born possibly about 1637 in Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York.

He married Mary, possibly Mary Mather, about 1671, at Southampton, Suffolk Co, New York (Long Island).  He died in 1692 at Jamaica, Queens County, NY.

That is what I know about Samuel.  I can make a few other guesses.  My guess is as good as yours, unless you've found more information than I have.  Since his father was something of a ne'er do well, we can guess that Samuel had a hard life.  He may have been employed at sea, or he may have worked menial jobs such as his father had.  Perhaps he was lucky and was put out to learn a trade of some sort.

There is a deed from a Samuel Davis to his son Samuel Davis, dated January 14, 1729.  It mentions that the older Samuel Davis was a blacksmith.  If this is the son of our Samuel, then at least he was able to give his oldest son a trade, also.  And if this Samuel is the son of our Samuel, then there were also sons Obadiah, Joseph, and Daniel; those names are mentioned in the deed and the first two were specified to be brothers. But that's a big, unproven if.

Samuel is believed to also have had at least one daughter, Hester, and that is where we connect.

I have no will, no inventory, no hint of anything further at this point. His death is generally given as 1692, which is the same year his father died.  I don't know whether there is any record of Samuel's death, or whether this is an "after 1692" date.   It would probably take a trip to the appropriate towns and courthouses to even have a chance of learning anything new, but new records are coming on line all the time and perhaps next week something new will show up.  Then maybe we'll be able to write more of his story, and find out whether he was able to improve his situation in life or not.

The line of descent is:

Samuel Davis-Mary possibly Mather
Hester Davis- John Finch
John Finch-Sarah
Nathaniel Finch-Hannah Scofield
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Harriet Bell-Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: The third Daniel Scofield, 1680 to 1745

I wonder what name he went by.  His grandfather was Daniel, as was his father.  Did families use nicknames in colonial times, to help keep the generations straight?  It's fairly easy to trace Daniel I because he died in 1680 and then Daniel II, or Jr., became Daniel Sr. and this Daniel became Daniel Junior. This Daniel, our Daniel, may or may not have had a son also named Daniel, but there were numerous other Daniels down through the years, many of whom stayed in Stamford.  . 

Just because he was born in Stamford, Connecticut and died in Stamford, Connecticut doesn't mean we know a lot about his life, though.  For instance, his birth seems to have gone unrecorded.  It is reported to be as early as 1674 and as late as 1680.  Daniel's parents were Daniel and Abigail Merwin Scofield, who married ion July 12, 1677.  So either Daniel was born sometime after that date or he had a different mother than the one traditionally assigned to him.    The records I found seem to all have dates in the early 1700s so perhaps the early birth records were lost.  (Or maybe I haven't looked in the right places).

Stamford itself was founded in 1640 so it was a well established town by the time our Daniel was born.  It was in the far western part of Connecticut and bordered on Long Island Sound. Many of the residents made their living in trade and on the ocean, fishing or transporting goods to and from other colonial seaports as well as England.  But I don't know for sure how Daniel made his living.

He married Hannah Hoyt April 17, 1701 in Stamford.  She was the daughter of Benjamin and Hannah Weed Hoyt, although there is some slight doubt about this set of parents.  This is the one that makes the most sense to me but facts will always change my mind.

Daniel and Hannah had eight or nine children together, depending on whether you attribute the Daniel mentioned above to this couple.  Other than the births of their children, the only fact I really found about Daniel was from 1701, when his estate (valuation for tax purposes), was listed as 55 pounds and 10 shillings.  He was still young, in his early twenties, so this was a good start to his life. 

And then...silence.  Was he a Puritan, or of another religious belief? Did he hold any town offices?  Was he a good guy, or a scoundrel, or just a man trying to make a living and support his family?  I don't have answers to those questions, and I certainly wish I did.

He may have been ill for some time before his death, because his will was written in 1743 and he died July 15, 1745, in his late sixties or early seventies.  His will leaves personal property, 1/3, to his widow forever and a third in his :mansion house and barn, and land" during her natural life.  Apparently he wasn't concerned that she would remarry.  Four sons got the majority of the estate, with no mention of Charles, also believed to be a son, who was alive and well at the time the will was drawn up.  Daughter Hannah was unmarried at the time of her father's death and was given some income from land until she married, which turned out to be only five months, as well as a small cash bequest. 

As for his inventory, it seems to be valued at somewhere around 2200 pounds, but this was, I believe, in "Connecticut money", which was roughly one seventh the value of Massachusetts money at this time.  So to compare to other ancestors, if that is possible, it was not a large estate although he had quite a bit of land, including a home for son Josiah and for son Reuben, besides his own home.  He had a part interest in a flour mill and in what may have been a ship or boat of some kind.  The inventory includes mention of 21 books, so he had some education, or wanted his family to be able to read, anyway.  He didn't have a lot of farm equipment, and only two cows that I can make out, so it's probably safe to think he made his living other than farming.  I also didn't see any mention of guns or ammunition, which may only mean that he had already passed them along to a son.

So that's the story of the third Daniel Scofield, or as much of it as I've been able to find so far.  As always, I'm grateful for this much information but regret that there isn't more.  The search goes on.

The line of descent is:

Daniel Scofield-Hannah Hoyt
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell -Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Benjamin Hoyt 1644-1735

Benjamin was a first generation American.  His parents, Simon and Susanna Smith Hoyt, had come to New England in 1628.  Depending on whom you believe, he had either six or fifteen siblings.  The "extra" eight are from a proposed first marriage, but I'm not sure this was the same Simon Hoyt.  So, he may have married Jane Stoodley first, but Simon did marry Susanna Smith,  on April 2, 1635  in Stamford, Connecticut, and they are the parents of Benjamin. 

Benjamin was born February 2, 1644 but the location is uncertain.  His parents may have been in the process of moving from Windsor to Stamford, and for whatever reason, records of his birth have been lost.  As is frequently the case, the next mention I can find of Benjamin is his marriage, on January 5, 1670, at Stamford to Hannah Weed, daughter of Jonas and Mary (last name unknown) Weed. They stayed in Stamford their entire married life. Benjamin and Hannah had six children together.

I have found little else about Benjamin's life.  Presumably he kept a low profile, but he was also a man of some wealth.  In a 1699 listing of estates for tax purposes his estate had an assessed value of 112 pounds, one of the highest half dozen or so in the town.   In 1700 he was one of two men chosen "collector", to gather Mr. Davenport's rate.  I believe this refers to a salary for the town pastor.  He was granted additional land in 1700 but the lands were assigned by lot and Benjamin's name was one of the last on the list.  His land, wherever it was, may not have been desirable.

I haven't been able to locate information about whether Benjamin was involved in King Phiilip's War in 1675-76.  He was of the proper age to be needed for service, but perhaps was far enough away from the conflict that he didn't participate.  I also don't know his occupation.  Since he was one of the wealthier men in town, it's possible that he was a merchant or had ties to the maritime business in one way or another.  I'd love to find information to verify or disprove this speculation.  Based on his being appointed for Mr. Davenport's rate, he must have been a church goer.

I''ve not found his will or inventory, which would tell us a lot about the life he lived.  Was he literate, for instance?  Did he have inventory reflecting life as a merchant?  Or was it just household goods and farm equipment?  I'd love to know the details!  Benjamin died January 28, 1736, at the age of 9.  Hannah died in 1711.  I didn't find any mention of a second wife for Benjamin, so he may have remained a widower for about 24 years. 

This is not much of a story for a man who lived 91 years on the edge of the ocean, during the earliest years of the colony.  He saw a lot and did a lot that we may never know about.  Respect to Benjamin Hoyt. 

The line of descent is

Benjamin Hoyt-Hannah Weed
Hannah Hoyt-Daniel Scofield
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell=Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Fun Fact:  Benjamin Hoyt is my seventh great grandfather.  He is aslo the seventh great grandfather of Nancy Davis Reagan, making us eighth cousins.  And to think I was never invited to the White House!

Allen line: Richard Smith 1595-166, Immigrant

I'd like to be more confident in what I'm writing about Richard Smith.  As you can see, it's a common name and even in a small town the size of Wethersfield, Connecticut there may have been as many as three Richard Smiths there during the lifetime of our ancestor.  Mostly I'll be writing about the more likely and unlikely possibilities, instead of being more definite about the facts that I usually find. 

Richard Smith was probably born about 1595.  He may have been the son of John Smith and Alice Walker, but others have disputed this and I certainly don't have anything more to add to the story.  He did marry Rebecca Buswell, daughter of Roger and Margaret Buswell on February 13, 1615 in Husbands Bosworth, Leicester, England.  It is a small village now and may have been even smaller when the couple were married.  The church dates from the 1500's so one could presumably visit there if desired, and see the actual location.  

It's been suggested that Richard came to Connecticut as early as 1635, but that is based on the idea that he was the son of John and Alice mentioned above.  It seems to me to be just speculation until his parentage is firmly established.  At aany rate, it appears that all of their six known children were born in Husbands Bosworth, with Abigail being born in 1638,  So sometime after that time, the family arrived at Wethersfield, which is on the Connecticut River, and is now just south of Hartford. (At the time, probably several miles separated the two towns, with travel back and forth being done by ship). 

Wethersfield was the scene of three witch trials while the Smiths lived there, which indicates that the town had problems and also that the town in general was a Puritan town.  We know that Richard was on jury duty in 1650, when he was at least 55 years old and some have guessed he was actually 72 or 73 at this time.  He was involved in some sort of law suit in 1652, and there are records for land he sold or gave to family members.   He died about 1669,still in Wethersfield.

That is as much as is known about Richard Smith, husband of Rebecca Buswell.  We can hope that he had a trade, or skill as a farmer, or something that supported the family, but we don't know what that was.  There apparently was no will, as he gave his assets to family members, particularly all his remaining real estate to his youngest son Jonathan  Rebecca is thought to have preceded him in death by about two years.

As is so often true, there's much more work to be done to identify Richard Smith and to tell his story.  We don't know when he came to America, or why, or what he did after he arrived here.  We don't know the extent of his religious commitment, or even whether or not he could read.

 Oh, one cool note...We do know that both Richard and his wife were treated by John Winthrop, Jr, the governor of Connecticut.  His brief Wikipedia article doesn't describe any medical degree or training, so that leaves me a little confused.  I'll keep looking for an explanation for that!

The line of descent is:

Richard Smith-Rebecca Buswell
Susanna Smith-Simon Hoyt
Benjamin Hoyt-Hannah Weed
Hannah Hoyt-Daniel Scofield
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas Knott
John W Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Daniel Finch 1560-1641

Actually, Daniel's birth date and location are still unrecorded, but 1560 is a guess based on his son Abraham's birth, again not found, of about 1585.  If we go with these dates, then Daniel was really quite an old man when he came to New England in an unknown ship in the Winthrop fleet in 1630.  He and several other Finches (brother John and son Abraham, and possibly others), settled in Watertown, Massachusetts.  To remind ourselves of how difficult life was in the beginning, in a new colony, there are notes that "Old Man Finch, of Watertown, had his wigwam burnt and all his goods", noted on October of 1630 by Winthrop himself  This would presumably been a first home, put up until a more suitable but still modest home could be found or built.  At least it was shelter from the rain, if not the cold winter, and the loss of his home and all his personal property would have been devastating.

Nevertheless, he persevered.  He is serving on a jury in May of 1631 and was made a Freeman on May 18.  He left Watertown before land grants were first recorded in 1636, and was the constable of Wethersfield, Connecticut in April of 1636.  This indicates he probably arrived there in 1635.  Again, by now he was 75 years old if we are working from the birthdate of 1560 or so.  I have seen speculation that Abraham was born as late as 1610, so genealogists could be off in thinking that Daniel was as old as I've represented him here.  Perhaps he was born as late as 1585-he was still 50 when he went to Wethersfield and probably feeling his age, whatever it was.

He stayed in Wethersfield only a few years and then moved on with friends to found Stamford in 1641, and finally to Fairfield, Connecticut.  There he married widow Elizabeth Thompson, who died by 1658, and later married Widow Mary Dickerson.  They had a son named Nathaniel.  Daniel died in Fairfield in March 1666/67, "aged about 81"

It looks like there needs to be more done on this Finch family.  My dates don't correspond with the dates I've used in this blog post.  Apparently I have one too many Finch generations, but I haven't figured out which one is incorrect.  I am going to put the line of descent as I have it in my tree, knowing it may be wrong and hoping a reader will be able to correct me, with documentation that seems to be lacking in what I've found so far.  I'm starting to wonder whether I see the hand of Gustave Anjou or one of his sort in this! 

The line of descent is (or might be)

Daniel Finch-first wife
Abraham Finch-Deborah Moulton
John Finch-Hannah Marsh
John Finch-Hester Davis
John Finch-Sarah
Nathaniel Finch-Hannah Scofield
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Oh, what a happy dance! Field trip to Ohio

Husband and I took a field trip to the area of Richland County, Morrow County, and Knox County Ohio last week.  I researched for four wonderful days (while husband watched a lot of movies) and here is a list of the wonderful treasures I brought back with me:

*Death record for Mary Elizabeth Hetrick Black, died Dec.1, 1862 of typhoid fever.  The gem?  In the remarks section "Truly a pious woman."

*Article "The Mansfield that Was" from the September 28, 1971 News Journal about the town of Bellville, mentioning founder Robert Bell.  I think "The Mansfield that Was" was the name of a column.

*Plat of Bellville, Ohio from 1900

*Original Blat of Bellville, plus a brief history of the town, from a 1975 book published by the OSU Department of Architecture.

*A lead on where to fid the actual marriage records of Thomas Knott and Hannah Bell, but time ran out.

*Richland, Ohio, marriage record (not the documents, just the record) for marriage of Mr. Joseph Withers and Miss Ann Montgomery, by Elijah Clark, J.P. on September 23, 1852.

*Map of West Perry Township, Morrow County, Ohio, showing location of land of Abraham Hetrick.  Not sure of date. 

*Copy of Abraham Hetrick deed to John Wirick,

*Copy of Abrham Hetrick and Mary E Hetrick deed to Hiram Cravin dated December 14, 1859.  Need to research this but is likely the son of our Abraham who was married to Sarah Lemmon. 

*Abraham Hetrick deed to Levi Lucas  Feb. 22,1850

*Record of marriage of March 12, 1839, Isaac Hetrick to Elizabeth Black by L. or S. B. Leiter

*Guardian bonds for Isaac Hetrick (also L.S. and Ezra Hetrick, December 9, 1863 for minors Alice Hetrick and F. Owen Hetrick, per the estate of Peter Black, deceased, of Noble County, Indiana.  These were the minor children of Peter and Elizabeth Black Hetrick.

*Copy of Deed of Abraham Hetrick to Isaac Hetrick, March 13, 1856, land in Richland County, sum of $3000 dollars.

*5 pages from the Index of Deeds of Richland County, showing transactions with Robert Bell as grantor of land in Bellville (mostly).

*Copies of original plat of Bellville 1815 and Bell's addition 1826. 

*Copy of Deed of John Bell and Hanna Bell to Benjamin Crummell, for $150

*Copy of deed of various Shirk family members to Peter Black, Richland County Ohio, $1000  November 25, 1834.

*Copy of deed for John Carey, Admr to Isaac Hetrick, March 21, 1854 showing order to sell at auction, sold for $1108.50; Then on January 18, 1855 Isaac Hetrick sold the same land to John Carey Junior for $1200.

*Copy of deed from Robert Bell and Hannah his wife to trustees of the M.E. church, for $20, dated January 15,1833 and recorded August 19,1836.

*Copy of deed from Peter Black and wife Martha to Jacob Biddle for $5500; 160 acres, April 4,1853, recorded November 7, 1854.  Isaac Hetrick was a witness.

*Copy of Deed from Abraham Hetrick to Justice Frary, August 18, 1849; no mention of wife so hard to know which Abraham this was.

The above were found in Richland County, Ohio court records and a few in Morrow County.

In Knox County, Ohio, where I'd hoped to find more about Joseph and Mary Gearhart Withers, I found only what may or may not be clues:

*Bond of Christopher Mosley with John Ely and John Gearhart as witness, guardian to John and Mary Ann Gearhart, who were the children of Aron Gearhart, deceased.  dated October 21, 1845.

*Then just 8 days later, guardian bond of John Higgins, Asher F. Ely and Joseph Shinaberry, as guardians of Aaron Gearhart, Mary Ann Gearhart, and William Gearhart. 

*Several pages of estate records for Aron Gerhart, including inventory and sale records.  Aron apparently died close to July 10, 1845.  He may be a brother or other relation to Mary Gearhart Withers???

And then, from the Ohio Genealogy Society Library at Bellville, Ohio, a wealth of material:

*A chart of the Ulrich Ruble family

*The obituary of Andrew Farmer, who died in Columbia City, Indiana in 1897, mentioning his early years.

*A short history of Johnsonville Community, (Morrow County, Ohio) mentioning Abraham Hetrick as an early resident and as a veteran of the War of 1812.

*A transcription of the will of John Wyatt, who died in 1799 in Franklin County, Va.

*A transcription of a quitclaim deed from Jane Farmer widow of William to Adam Black, September 18, 1839.

* A transcript of the marriage bond for William Farmer and Jane Wyatt, October 21,1799, Franklin County, Va.

*A transcript of a deed from Franklin County, Va. from William Farmer and Jane to Joseph Bolin, June 25, 1813.

*Transcript of the will of Mathew Farmer, written 18 December 1834 and probated October 23,1845 in Miami County, Ohio.

*Copy of Deed for sale of Andrew Farmer's share of Mathew Farmer Estate, September 18, 1839.  Various other persons are mentioned and the deed was recorded in Allen County, Indiana and Clark County, Ohio.

*A possible clue to Lemuel Dunn, who may have had a brother James.  James was born in Monongahela County, Virginia and came to Brown County, Ohio about 1800.

*From "A History of Summit County, by Perrin, 1881, more than a full page of stories about the Keplers, brothers Andrew and John. 

*A copy of the will of Alexis Lemmon, written January 12, 1825 and proved July 15, 1826.

*Copies of the family record section of a Bible purchased by Alexis Lemmon  in 1803 in Annapolis, Md, listing his children's births, marriages, and some deaths. 

*Copy of the will of Jesse Finch of Belmont County, Ohio, dated February 9,1824 and probated September 8, 1829.

*Pages from "History of Morrow County", by Baskins, 1880, mentioning Abraham Hetrick as a trustee in 1817 in Perry Township, and also mentions Hetrick residing there at the time of Perry's victory on Lake Erie.

*Part of Chancery Court proceedings of April 11,1840, regarding a deed not given to a purchaser, and naming (apparently) all of Robert Bell's living descendants.

*Copy of Washington County, Pennsylvania Deed of Thomas and Hanna Rees to John Brown, land in Frederick County, Md dated January 1, 1793.

*Transcript of deed from Thomas Rees to Jonathan Garber, showing land was warranted to Jonathan Garber February 28,  1805; dated April 7, 1806 and showing Thomas as living in Fairfield County, Ohio as of that date.

*Transcript of deed from Thomas Rees Sr. of Fairfield Co. Ohio to Thomas Rees Jr. of Washington County, Pa. February 23,1810.

*Copy of bond and appraisal papers for Thomas Rees, dated January 30, 1812 in Fairfield County, Ohio.

*Copy of deed of heirs of Thomas Rees (many) to Mathew Ewing, August 29, 1812.

* Copy of Rees names from Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Volume VI, page 425; showing marriage of Thomas Rees son of Morris and Rah, and Margaret Rees, daughter of Thomas and Margaret in 1763, plus many other entries.

*Copies of two letters with information about the (van) Gundy family.

* An article from The Pennsylvania German, no date found, about the Buchtel family, and pages of a passenger list showing Johannes Buchtel's arrival in Philadelphia in 1753.

Obviously, each and every page that I've found needs to be read and analyzed and recorded properly, but do you see why I am doing my happy dance?  This was all found in four days, with time out for cemetery visits, a newspaper interview, and serendipitous meetings.  I'll write more about all that in my next post! 

Allen line: Miles Merwin 1623-1697 Immigrant

This post is fun to write, because it's about an ancestor with good documentation, mostly, and because he was apparently not a VIP, but more of an ordinary guy.  To find good information about an ordinary guy means someone has done a lot of work, and to those family historians and genealogists, my sincere thank you! 

Miles was born in Clewer, Berkshire, England in1623 and christened February 1, 1623/24 in the next parish, New Windsor Berkshire, England.  He was the son of Walter (Gautier) and Margaret Tinker Merwin.  Clewer was very near Windsor Castle, and was an ancient Saxon village site.  Miles would have had every reason to have seen the royal processions of King Charles I of England as a young boy, but apparently the family had no connection at all to the castle.  Still, a procession must have been an exciting sight for a young boy!

It's easy to give the political upheaval of the times as a reason that Miles came to New England, but since sources seem to vary as to when he came, that motive may or may not be the reason for his departure.  One source says he came in 1630, as a boy of seven, with his uncle, and one source says he didn't come until 1640.  At that time, he would have been 17 years old.  His parents died in 1643 (mother) and 1649 (father) so with either immigration date, he came before the death of his parents, and in addition to every other part of "culture shock", he would have been homesick. 

Apparently his first sighting in New England was in 1648, when h was in Windsor, Connecticut, where his Tinker family was living.  He purchased five-acre homelot, dwelling, and 2 1/4 acres of meadow from Roger Williams (is this "our Roger Williams, I wonder?) in Windsor.  He had married Elizabeth Powel, daughter of William Powell and Dorothy Searle, in Windsor in about 1646, and perhaps had lived with that family until he was able to purchase a home for his new family, which by 1650 included two of their eventual seven children. 

For some reason, Miles decided to move on and the town of Milford, of which he is considered a founding member, gave him ten acres, five of them in the "Brick Kiln", which sounds like an industrial area.  Somewhere, Miles had learned the trade of tanning, whether it was as an apprentice or by some other means.  In 1654/1655, the town of Milford allowed him to trade his original grant for a lot by the harbor, which was a more convenient place to practice this business.  We don't know whether the family's living quarters were also there, or not.

Perhaps he wasn't an ordinary tanner, but more of a merchant of leathers, because by 1675 he was a partner, along with William East and Alexander Bryan, in a sloop and two brigs.  The sloop traveled back and forth to Boston, and the brigs traveled the West Indies route, exporting staves, horses, cattle, and cornmeal, and returning with rum, molasses, and European goods. 

Elizabeth died on July 10,1664, when she was 34 years old, and Miles married Sarah Platt, the widow of Thomas Beach, the following year.  They had five children together, including two sets of twins.  Sarah died soon after the death of the second set of twins, and later that year, Miles married Sarah Youngs, who is also our ancestor through her marriage to Daniel Scofield  She would have been his daughter's mother in law.  Sarah outlived Miles. 

Miles disposed of much of his real estate to his three sons prior to his death, and apparently gave, or intended to give, his daughters money, for his will specified that any of his children who had not received their full portion should be given it by his executors.  He also left a bequest for his widow, and gave 100 pounds to be divided between each of his ten grandchildren.  Sarah's grandchildren were also left gifts.  His estate was valued at 453 pounds, 11 shillings, 11 pence, which was not bad considering that he'd already sold/given most of his real estate away.  What was apparently his last remaining parcel he gave to his son John's oldest child. 

I'd like to know more about Miles.  So far I've not found a record of church membership or freeman standing.  I'd like to know more about his commercial ventures, and how he fit into the life of the town. How involved was he in the militia or train band of his towns?   However, we have this much information about him, and it's a start. 

The line of descent is:

Miles Merwin-Elizabeth Powell
Abigail Merwin-Daniel Scofield
Daniel Scofield-Hannah Hoyt
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Harriet Bell-Thomas Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Clarissa Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Foulk Davis 1615-1687 Immigrant and interesting

It had to happen.  I had to find an immigrant who had real problems in his life.  At first glance, we can't be particularly proud of this ancestor, we may even want to turn away, but nevertheless, he is in our line and he must have been an interesting, if somewhat unsavory, character.

He is another one of our "little is known of" this man, as far as his early life in concerned.  So far I'm not finding a claim of parentage for him, although it appears that he probably came from Glamorganshire, Wales.  He is recognized as a founder of the city of Hartford, Connecticut but by the end of 1639 he was on Gardiner's Island, and working as a gardener for the Gardiner family.  (The Gardiner family was wealthy and became wealthier, and a descendant of that family still owns the island.).  Fulk's status as gardener probably meant that he also farmed for the family, and probably worked to establish whatever fruits and vegetables were grown there. 

Probably sometime about 1639, he married, but the name of his wife has not yet been found.  She was known as "Goody Davis" and at first was known as a serving woman, and also taught neighbors the art of making flax and spinning it into linen.  Perhaps it was one of these neighbors who charged her with witchcraft, which may have been one of the reasons the family left town.  Another reason was that Ffulke himself, along with a son, was convicted of improper behavior with other men (to put it politely).  Still, he was allotted land in East Hampton, so the town may have forgiven both behaviors, if there was anything at all to either charge..  Fulke's first wife must have died in the late 1650's, for in 1660 he married for a second time,to Mary, who was twice a widow.  The couple later lived in Brookhaven, and finally in Jamaica (what was then called Newtown.)

During this time, while Fulke was having a hard time of it, the colony was also suffering.  Although Gardiner's Island had been kept a separate entity, it eventually joined with Connecticut and then when Long Island was made part of New York, the government changed again.  There was also a considerable Dutch influence here, so it wasn't easy, just keeping track of who was in charge on a particular day. 

Fulke must have made some improvements in his economic standing, because in 1671 he allowed his son Joseph the use of his team of six oxen, and in 1670 he had given or sold his dwelling house to Joseph.  No will has been found for Fulke, which is not surprising given the economic class he was in.  He is believed to have died in 1687, with his widow Mary living until 1699.

One interesting part of Fulke's story is that at one time he was appointed to a committee in Southampton.  Their job was to watch the beaches for whales that washed ashore, and to cut them up and presumably dispose of them.  This was not a part of life for most of our ancestors, and emphasizes the differences between towns that were really only a few miles apart.  I wonder how often this occurred, what kind of whales they were, and whether the whale deaths were natural or were part of the whaling industry.

I'd sure like to know more about this family.  As members of the working class, or even lower, their world must have been very difficult.  With sexual and witchcraft charges being whispered about, I wonder how the family was able to go out and about their business, and how they prospered as much as they did.  Maybe there is more to the story...

The line of descent is:

Fulke Davis-first wife
Samuel Davis-Mary Mather
Hester Davis-John Finch
John Finch-Sarah
Nathaniel Finch-Hannah Scofield
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas J Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet C Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook (who were married 69 years ago today!)
Their descendants

Allen line: Daniel Scofield's ancestry, revisited

In September of 2014, I wrote a post about Daniel Scofield that was mostly wrong.  When I write my blog posts, for the most part I am depending on what other people have "learned" about an ancestor, and I try to filter out the most obviously incorrect information as I write.  On this ancestor, I have to admit I had very little to back me up.

Sometime between the time I wrote the original post and now, further research showed me that Daniel's wife was probably not Sarah Youngs, or at least not the Sarah Youngs I thought she was.  So I have removed her purported ancestors from my tree (which, as I recall, when all the way back to the Plantagenets) and am still searching for documentation as to who she was.

I also had correspondence from Louis Ogden, who is a very wise and generous person, telling me that my parentage for Daniel was incorrect, and giving not only logical reasons but some additional information that should have pointed me in the right direction. That meant I had to delete that scalawag Cuthbert Scofield from the tree, and a few other folks.  I should have taken Mr. Ogden's clues and run with them, but I didn't.  My first goal is to get my immigrants back across the ocean, to whatever country they came from.  If I live long enough to complete my research here, then I'd love to do actual research in England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, France, the Low Countries, Germany, etc., but I have my hands full on this side of the Atlantic.

Except...Mr. Odgen was kind enough to contact me again, with additional information showing that Daniel Scofield's parents were Richard Scofield and Effame Northend.  He gave me additional generations back on Effame's line but since he is the one who has done the research on this I think he should be the one to choose whether or not to provide that information.  More than names, he also provided location, (Hipperholme, Yorkshire for Richard) and that is where I've had some fun.

Simply by googling some of the names and locations he provided, I was able to pull up some of the names, including a potential father for Richard Scofield, in volume 15 of the Thoresby Society's Publications.  This one is titled as a "Miscellanea" and it is truly a treasure.  Yesterday I actually put my hands on a copy of this, in the Allen County Public Library, and was able to sit there and try to make sense of a list of Lay Subsidies from the Waptentake of Agbrigg and Morley, in Yorkshire, for the year 1588.  There is an explanation in Latin (I think) which I couldn't make much of, except that this is a list of taxes levied on certain people (property owners of some kind, I think) to support Queen Elizabeth I.  Of course the significance of the year 1588 is that these taxes were to raise defenses for the expected invasion from Spain or, as it happened, to prevent the invasion from occurring. 1588 was the year of the battle with the Spanish Armada. I was absolutely fascinated.

There is much I don't know about the "lay subsidy" in general and this list in particular.  There are two columns after each name.  I'm guessing one is the value that the land or personal property was assessed at, and one is the amount of taxes that were due, but I don't know how to interpret either list.

I found some of the names Mr. Ogden had provided me, and also found the man I think may be Richard's father, and I was hooked.  I looked through some of the other volumes of the Thoresby Society and they are the coolest thing ever, if you have ancestors in Yorkshire, especially in or near Leeds.  I will be spending many more happy hours with these books, because I found Longbottoms there, and my last Longbottom ancestor with a location was in Yorkshire.  Also I found Crowders there, and I have had no clue at all as to where to look for them.  (My first known Crowdas is in Virginia in about 1675, but I've had no clue as to where to look for them. Yorkshire seems to be a potential location.)  There are even Lockwoods, and I have a possible Lockwood in my tree, also!  So many names, so little time!

 Many of the Thoresby Society publications m are available on line, as this one is, but there is something about having the actual book at hand when it is possible to do so, that appeals to me.  I was holding a book that was published over 100 years ago, and was still in excellent condition.  A further fun day will be spent looking at volume 11, which has the same kinds of lists, only from the year 1545, when King Henry VIII apparently needed money.

So, thanks to Mr. Louis Ogden for providing the information to give Daniel his rightful parents.  I'd love now to hear from someone who has some knowledge about these records and what they mean or say.  And I certainly plan to spend at least some time researching "back across the pond" since it seems to be so much fun!

The corrected line of descent would be

Richard Scofield-Effame Northend
Daniel Scofield-Sarah possibly Youngs
Daniel Scofield-Abigail Merwin
Daniel Scofield-Hannah Hoyt
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas J Knott
John W Knott- Harriet C Starr
Edith C Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Rev. John Youngs 1598-1672 Is he ours?

As I was preparing to write this post, I realized that the connection for this ancestor is not absolutely proven.  Our descent is through his daughter Sarah, who is not a documented daughter of John.  Some sites are referring to her as Sarah (Mary) or Mary/Sarah Youngs, and there is some documentation for Mary.  If this is wrong, then I will have a lot of interesting English folk to prune from the Allen tree!  I am hoping that the Sarah Youngs connection is not another one of the frauds that Gustave Anjou and others of his sort perpetrated on those of us who want to know the truth! 

Rev. John is the son of Reverend Christopher Youngs and Margaret Ellwin.  He was born in 1598 in Reydon, Southold, Suffolk, England, and was one of at least seven children.  Reydon is a small town of about 2500 people, situated on the east coast of England.  The church there dates from the early 14th century, so this is the church Reverend Christopher would have pastored, and where John would have first formal religious teachings.  I haven't yet found information as to whether Rev. Christopher had any Puritan leanings, but Reverend John apparently did.

John Youngs married three times, first to Joan Herrington, second to John Harris, widow of Richard Palgrave, and third to Mary Warren, first married to a Gardner.  It is believed that Sarah was the daughter of Joan Herrington, who in turn was the daughter of Stephen Harrington and Joan Jentilman.

John Young was the minister at Hingham, Norfolk, England, until he and his (second) wife and five children and a step daughter, sailed for Salem, Massachusetts on the "Mary Anne" in 1637.  At the time, Salem's port was larger than Boston's, which is why he arrived there.  The family stayed in Salem about three years, and then went to Long Island, now New York but then under the jurisdiction of Connecticut.  He founded the settlement of Southold, Long Island, named for his home in England.  He was of course a Puritan, but was much loved by his family and his congregation.

Rev. John Youngs served his church apparently until his death, and was also a magistrate for the area.  In 1664-65, Long Island became part of New York rather than Connecticut.  Rev. Youngs died February 24,1672.

I'm sure there is more to be learned about Rev. John Youngs, but first I'd like to figure out whether Sarah is indeed his daughter.  If someone reading this can help with this confirmation or denial, I'd love to hear from you.

The proposed line of descent is:

John Youngs-Joan Harrington
Sarah Youngs-Daniel Scofield
Daniel Scofield-Abigail Merwin
Daniel Scofield-Hannah Hoyt
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas Knott
John W Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Update,before this went live:  I have very serious doubts that Sarah Youngs is the daughter of John and Joan.  My internet connection wasn't working well when I wrote this post, or I would have discovered an NEHGS article that would have convinced me that Sarah's parentage, and even her surname, is unknown.   Here I go, to lop a big branch off the Allen tree!

Allen line: Jonas Weed abt 1597-1676 Immigrant

The good news is that there is a lot of information published about Jonas Weed.  The bad news is that some of it is not proven.  What we do know of his life indicates that he was the "typical" New Englander.  He came to the New World in the Winthrop Fleet, and was in Watertown, Massachusetts, and Wethersfield, Connecticut before settling and living out his life in Stamfield, Connecticut.  He was a Puritan and farmed for his living.

It is believed but apparently not proven that Jonas was the son of Jonas Weed and Mary Jane Davidson of Stanwick, Northamptonshire, England.  This was a very small village at the time and life must have been difficult.  (The other possible father would be John Weed, and this Jonas was born in Chelveston in Northamptonshire. However, Jonas didn't name any of his children the same names used in this family, except for John, so I'm thinking that this family is slightly less likely to be correct.  Regardless, Chelveston appears to be a small village, also, so the family background would be similar.

We know nothing of Jonas until he arrived in the Winthrop Fleet in 1630, on the ship Arbella.  He must have been a man with some property and proper Puritan credentials because he was made a freeman at Waterown on May 18,1631.  He along with five other men were dismissed from the Watertown church in May of 1635 in order to form a new church at Wethersfield.  The Newton court gave notice on April 26, 1636 that this had been done.

Jonas married Mary in Wethersfield in 1637.  Again, there don't seem to be records showing the maiden name of his wife.  Hoyt and Scofield are the two surnames most commonly mentioned.  Again, I tend to think it is Hoyt but am open to any documentation that can be found.  Three children were born to Jonas and Mary in Wethersfield, Elizabeth, Mary and Dorcas.

Jonas and Mary left Wethersfield in about 1641, and again helped found the town of Stamford.  This is on the far southwest side of the state and was originally a part of the colony of New Haven.  There were 29 Puritan families who joined to found Stamford.  Jonas's life may have been a little different in Stamford, because this was right on the coast of  Connecticut and maritime trading was possible.  We don't know whether, or to what extent, Jonas might have been involved in this.

In Stamford, the family would stay, Jonas and Mary had 6 more children, John,Samuel, Jonas, Hannah, Daniel and Sarah.  Sarah apparently was a "problem child", for in his will Jonas left her five shillings, but if she "returne agayne to the Truth" then she would get 10 pounds.  There is apparently little reference to Jonas in the town records of Stamford, so we don't know whether he ever served in any public office.  The only guess we have as to education is that he signed his will.

Jonas wrote his will on November 26,1672 and died shortly before June7, 1676, when his estate was inventoried.  He had, in 1671, given his son Jonas two parcels of land and his home lot, which he was to possess upon the death of both Jonas and Mary.  The inventory at his death still included various parcels of land valued at 58 pounds, and other household items to make a total of a little over 116 pounds.

When Mary died three years later, her estate was valued at a little over 23 pounds.  The most interesting item in her inventory, to me, was "paire specticles & case".  Mary needed eyeglasses in order to see, it appears.

The picture I have of Jonas, after looking at his life, is that he was a good Puritan, faithful to his God,  He did not figure prominently in town records and yet he was respected enough to be sent to plant two towns in Connecticut.  If the records are silent regarding his public service, they are also silent regarding any charges made against him in church or in court.  There is one case where he accused a native American of entering his home during meeting hours, and stealing from him.  The native American was sentenced to be whipped and then sold into slavery.   Would Jonas have charged the Indian if he had realized the punishment would be so harsh, or did he make the charges knowing what the outcome was likely to be?

The line of descent is:

Jonas Weed-Mary possibly Hoyt
Hannah Weed-Benjamin Hoyt
Hannah Hoyt-Daniel Scofield
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas J Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents

Fun fact:  In a Rootsweb listing of the families of Stamford, Ct., there are 17 Jonas Weeds listed up to about 1779..  I'm sure glad ours was the first!  

Allen line: Thomas J. Knott, builder of Nevada

It would take more than one post to write about Thomas J. Knott's life.  I've previously blogged about his response to the murder of his son, Elzy Knott, in Nevada but I haven't really given details of Thomas's life in Nevada.  This is just a brief run down, from a publication I found on line called "Knott Reminiscences  Early History of Nevada in the 1850's, edited by H. Hamlin and printed by the Mountain Democrat, The Pioneer Press of Placerville, California.  I highly urge you to search "Thomas Knott Nevada history" and you should find three or four different copies or versions of the journal so you can read it for yourself.  I'll include here items more of family than of historical interest, so there is much more to be found in the Knott Reniniscences. There is a picture of Thomas in the version I found, so that alone makes it worth going to look for, doesn't it?

As we know, Thomas Knott was born in Jefferson County, Ohio on April 13, 1808 to Joseph Scull and Mary Adams Knott.  He know nothing about his schooling, but he must have had some, because the first job he mentions in this article was as a millwright, when he was 18 years old, so about 1826.  The job must have paid well, because he married in 1828, when he was just twenty years old, to Hannah Bell,daughter of John Bell and Hannah Finch.  The years between 1828 and 1835 were spent building grist mills, saw mills, barns, and flouring mills for the newly developed area in and around Richland County, Ohio.  In 1835, had moved to Steuben County, Indiana, just south of the Michigan state line and there, along with his brother, built and operated a saw mill.  Thomas sold his share to his brother.  In 1836, Thomas also became post master of a small post office called Crooked Creek.  Five years later Thomas was restless again, and moved north to Hillsdale County, Michigan, where he continued as a builder and farmer, and also laid a mile of railroad tracks. 

He appears to have stayed in Michigan until at least 1852, at least there is no mention of an earlier move.  We know that during the first 20 years of his marriage at least 8 children were born (his statement says 9, so we are missing one).  By 1852 Thomas was looking for better opportunities for his family, and one short sentence from Thomas sums up what should probably have been an entire journal in itself.  "In 1852 I crossed the plains to California, and landed in Placerville in 1852."  The following March he crossed over the Sierra Mountains to the Carson Valley, where he built the first saw-mill, grist-mill and threshing machine (!) in the Valley, and was paid in "a large amount of property" by Reese and Co., for whom he had done this work.  He then mentions going to San Francisco for supplies in late 1854, and in in July of 1855 took ship at San Francisco to go home via the Isthmus of Panama and Puerto Rico, again, another story in and of itself, if we only knew what it was.  By now his family was in Huron, Ohio, where Hannah's parents were living. 

The family stayed in Huron County, Ohio, for three years and then moved to Tipton in Cedar County, Iowa.  The dates given in his journal don't agree, so possibly they had moved to Tipton a bit earlier than November in 1858.  At any rate, in November of 1858 Thomas and his son Thomas Jr "took the cars" (went by railroad) to New York City, took a ship to Cuba and then to the Isthmus of Panama again, and then went by ship to San Francisco, where they "took passage" to Sacramento and Placerville, and then went by horseback over the mountains to Carson Valley, where they met son Elzy, who had been left in Nevada to care for his father's interests.  The next year was one of sorrow and heartbreak beyond measure, for Elzy was murdered and a "stacked" jury allowed the killer to go free, and Thomas was cheated of at least $20,000 for work he had done for Mormon interests in Nevada.  In October of 1859 he left Genoa and Nevada for good, again crossing the mountains to San Francisco and crossing the Isthmus of Panama.  He got back to Tipton, Iowa "with just two year's absence" and there he stayed for 7 years. 

In 1877 he and Hannah moved to Egypt, Jefferson County, Illinois and stayed there until Thomas's death on February 16, 1877.  Thomas was buried there, where he at last had found a home.  Hannah died in Tipton in December of 1890, but we don't know when she moved back.  She was buried in Tipton. 

This is just the short version.  The exciting stuff, telling of Thomas's friendship with Kit Carson, his friendly relationship with the Indians, the reasons he was not a friend of the Mormon settlers, are in the publication, just waiting to be read and thought about.  One thing is clear, though.  Without Thomas Knott and other men like him, Nevada would not have been settled and grown at the time in history that it happened.  It took true pioneers, willing to sacrifice everything, and able to take care of themselves in natural catastrophes, religious wars, and Indian uprisings, to build the state. 

We can be proud of Thomas Knott, glad to have his journal and sorry to not have more.  I'm sure he was a great story teller, once you got him going. 

The line of descent:

Thomas J. Knott-Hannah Bell
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents

Allen line: Mary Adams Knott 1769 or 1773-1846

I would certainly like to engage some distant cousins who I know are interested in this line, to give some input into this post.  I think there are a few clues that are out there, that we haven't yet pulled together, that may enable us to figure out who this ancestor was, and to someday give her parents, and a home. 

Let's start with what is known about her.  She was married to Joseph Scull Knott, and she had perhaps eleven children with him.  A typewritten manuscript about the Knott familly said that she could remember her older brothers taking her into the woods and hiding with her when there was a threat of Indian activity, so this was definitely frontier land.  It also indicates that she was born about 1773 and was of "Derry township" in Pennsylvania. This is believed to be Westmoreland County, and this particular township was first settled in 1763.  It also gives a physical connection to the area Joseph Scull Knott lived in.  (There is another Derry township in Dauphin county, but it appears to be much less likely a location for either person.)

Thomas Jefferson Knott, a son, reports that he had 10 brothers and sisters, and two half sisters. This is a puzzle.  We know he had at least one half brother, a son of Joseph Knott's first wife, who was raised in Pennsylvania. Who were the half sisters?  Was Mary married before she married Joseph?  The censuses we can find don't indicate any mystery children, so what happened to them?  The first census we can locate of this family doesn't show any "extra" daughters.  Since Mary and Joseph were presumably married at the time of their son Joseph's birth in 1793, Mary would have had to have married very early to have two children prior to this time.  I'd sure love to solve this mystery!

Mary traveled with her husband and family from Pennsylvania to Richland County and then to Crawford County, Ohio, where he died in 1836.  By this time, her sons were grown and several of them were located in Steuben or LaGrange county, Indiana.  Thomas had lived there, but in 1840 moved north to Hillsdale, Michigan.  Robert was still in Crawford County, Ohio, and in that household there is a woman aged 60-69, who could very well be Mary Adams Knott.  However, Mary apparently moved on.  I think she probably went to live with Levi and Sallie Knott, who were in Lagrange County, Indiana, in the 1840 census.  There is a burial for Mary Knott at the Riverside Cemetery in Howe, Lagrange County, Indiana which shows her date of death as 1846 and her age as 73 (birth date of 1773, as indicated in family manuscript).  The next year, there is a burial there for Sallie Knott, wife of Levi.  The tombstones shown on FindaGrave are similar, but it's not known how close in proximity they are.  Still, I feel sure this is our Mary (Adams) Knott.

So now that we know where she died, we can work backwards, a little.  In 1830, the Knotts were at Bucyrus, Crawford County, Ohio.  So was Thomas Adams, who was born sometime in the 1770s and had a large family. Unfortunately, this census list is alphabetized, so it's hard to know if the two families lived in the same area.  However, I think it may be this Thomas Adams who died in Valparaiso, Porter County, Indiana in 1843.  Mary Ann Knott, daughter of Joseph and Mary Knott, was married to Page Porter and living there at that time, so it seems that there is a family connection.
I'm wondering if Thomas could have been Mary Adams' older brother?  A son was named Thomas (middle name Jefferson, so perhaps that is the only reason) so maybe he was named after Mary's brother.

When we look at the children's names for Joseph and Mary Knott, there may be other clues there.  The first son, Joseph, was obviously named for his father.  The second son was Solomon, the third Richard, the fourth John, the fifth Robert, then Samuel, Thomas, Levi, William, and Adam.  There were a lot of Adams in Derry Township, Westmoreland County with some of these names-Solomon, Robert, John, Levi and Samuel, at least, being common either in Westmoreland, Bedford, or Washington County, Pa.  Boundary lines changed as counties were created, so it's hard to figure out whether we are talking about one location for the Adams family, or several. It's also hard to know how many Adams families we are talking about.  One item I've found that interests me is the marriage of John Adams and Elizabeth Blackburn in 1764, marriage records of Rev. John Casper Stoever).  Elizabeth was from "Derry", with no indication of which Derry.  It could have been Ireland.  I am still working on tracing this couple, but haven't had much luck so far.   Still, Mary and Joseph named one of their sons John, so this is a possibility. 

We are still left with a lot of questions about Mary Adams Knott.  Did she have an earlier marriage?  Who were her parents?  What siblings did she have (the family manuscript says she had older brothers, at least.)  And was she the mother of Thomas Knott's two half-sisters?  Who were they?
Women of the colonial period, on the frontier, are hard to research. But we have clues...Can anyone add to this?  Please contact me at happygenealogydancing@gmail.com, or leave a comment to this post. 

Our line of descent is:

Mary Adams-Joseph Scull Knott
Thomas J Knott-Hannah Bell
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents

Allen line: Daniel Scofield, immigrant

Daniel Scofield, immigrant, apparently did not fit into the typical Puritan mold.  He arrived a little later than the "Great Migration", and it was at least 15 years after he arrived in America that he joined the church.  Records about him are scanty, so some of what I am relating here seems to be based on assumptions and not proof. 

He seems to have been born sometime between 1610 and 1620, and his birth location seems to be Rochdale, Lancashire, England.  I say "seems to" because as far as I can tell there is no documentation yet located to "prove" this statement.  However, generations of genealogist report it as fact, so I am reporting it, also.  It appears that his parents were Alexander Scofield and Mary Norton.  This would make his grandfather Cuthbert Scofield, who is an absolutely fascinating character. (If I ever start writing about our ancestors "across the pond", he will surely be subject of a blogpost!)

Given his "possible" parents, his "possible" birth location, and his "possible" birth year (given in a court deposition years later), is it any wonder that we don't know what Daniel was doing for the first 20-25 years of his life?  We don't know what his motives were for coming to America, but they appear to be economic or personal, rather than religious.  Perhaps there was a personal relationship gone bad, or perhaps he simply wanted to make his way in the world and had a much better chance of making good in America than he had in England. 

Some sources say he arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1638 and others are not willing to make that statement.  They simply say that he arrived in what is now Stamford, Connecticut but was then Rippowam, New Haven Colony, in 1641.  He is considered a "founder" of this town, and was given a houselot and two acres, to start his new home.  He married Sarah Youngs, daughter of John Youngs and Joan Harrington/Herrington in 1645.  John Youngs was a Puritan pastor so perhaps Sarah encouraged Daniel toward a Puritan faith.  We know that he was a member of the church by 1656, because he was appointed marshal in 1657 and only church members were eligible for that office.

Daniel owned the required land and belonged to the church, so it is a puzzle that we have no record of his being designated "freeman".  It is possible that the records are simply missing.

Daniel and Sarah (perhaps also known as Mary) had at least six children:  John, Mary, Richard, Daniel, Joseph, and Sarah.  Sarah and all of the children except Richard were mentioned in Daniel's
will, which was written September 4, 1669 and proved March 10, 1670 at Stamford.  Sarah married again, to Miles Merwin, moved to Milford, Connecticut, and died March 5, 1698.   

Daniel is another of those immigrants who amaze me, simply because he had the desire and the gumption to come to America when it was still basically wilderness, and make a home for himself and his future family.  We can be grateful to men like Daniel, who built this country without making much of a name for himself.

Our line of descent is: 

Daniel Scofield-Sarah Youngs
Daniel Scofield-Abigail Merwin
Daniel Scofield-Hannah Hoyt
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas J. Knott
John W Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward F. Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Allen descendents

Allen line: Simon Hoyt, Immigrant 1590-1657

Simon Hoyt is an interesting ancestor.  We don't know for sure why he left England, and we don't know why he moved so frequently after he got here.  He would have needed money or/and invested a lot of manpower for each move.  There seems to be no scandal attached to him, so he didn't leave because he was forced out, and each town in turn accepted him. In fact, he was a founder of some of the places he lived in.  Maybe he was just curious, or accepted each new location as a challenge, to see what he could make of it.  If he felt that he needed a second chance, he certainly got it.  And let us not forget to feel sympathy for his wives, who had to deal with a succession of new homes as well as a succession of children. 

It doesn't appear that genealogists are certain who his wives were, so let's start with what we think is known.  Simon Hoyt was born January 20, 1590 in West Hatch, Somerset, England. His parents were Michael Hoyt and Ruth Smith.  His possibly first marriage was to Jane Stoodley on November 4, 1617 in Marshwood, Dorset, England. I say possibly first because it appears that two children were born before the marriage.  Either these children are wrongly assigned to Simon, or there was an earlier wife, or two children were born before the marriage took place.  Jane  apparently died in England, after the birth of six (or eight) children.  The last child, Agnes, was baptized October 18, 1626, but there is no known death date for Jane.  There is then a gap of nine years, an ocean, and several residences before more children arrive. 

Simon arrived in America in 1629 on the ship Lyon's Whelp. This ship was one of 6 in what was called the Higginson Fleet, and brought colonists, supplies, and ordnance (cannons and other guns and ammunition).  This ship's passengers disembarked at Salem, but Simon didn't stay there.  Shortly after arriving he went to Charlestown, Massachusetts, then some miles from Boston, as one of the first settlers.  We don't know how many children he had with him, or whether he yet had a wife.  In 1632, he was in Dorchester, and was appointed to see to the fences in the east field. 

He definitely was married by 1635, when he and his wife Susanna joined the church at Scituate, where they now lived.  Eight children were born to this marriage, so Simon had a very large family to support.  Soon Simon and Susanna (maiden name not proven) went to Windsor, Connecticut about 1639, and he received a grant of land there on 1640.  He settled here for 8 years, but in 1648 he sold this land and moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, where he is listed as an early founder on the Founders Memorial there. Sometime between 1649 and 1657 he went to Stamford, Connecticut, and died there September 1, 1657. 

His inventory contains the animals and implements usual to a farming operation, including Indian corn, wheat, and tobacco.  He had one gun, three swords, and two barrels, as a freeman was required to maintain arms.  Part of the inventory is missing, so it is possible that there were books in the home, but we don't have evidence of that. There is nothing in the inventory in and of itself to prove that this was a man of wealth, but it doesn't appear that he was dirt poor. Joshua Hoyt apparently bought the land that was given to his five brothers, and the family went their mostly separate ways. 

I've taken most of the information in this post from a blogpost about Simon on "Miner Descent" and from "The Great Migration". 

Our line of descent is: 

Simon Hoyt-Susanna
Benjamin Hoyt-Hannah Weed
Hannah Hoyt-Daniel Scofield
Hannah Scofield-Nathaniel Finch
Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas Knott
John W Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith C Knott-Edward F Allen
Vernon, Corinne, Tessora, Edith, Richard Allen
Their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren

Allen line: Jesse Finch 1746-1829

There's quite a bit of stuff about Jesse Finch out on the internet.  Unfortunately, there seems to have been several men named Jesse Finch living in approximately the same time period, and it's hard to figure out which Jesse Finch might be ours.  We're fairly certain of the birth information and the will, and of a couple of tax records, but some of the information out there is just plain confusing, and much is undocumented.

We know that he was christened November 16, 1746 in Christ Church at New Canaan, Connecticut. This may be the church currently known as the Congregational Church there, because their history stretches back 275 years.  His parents were Nathaniel Finch and Hannah Scofield, and he was one of at least 8 children.  The family moved to Westchester County, NY in 1763.

There is mention in the Cententennial Biographical history of Richland County, Ohio in a biography of Jesse Maring (Jesse's grandson, but I'm jumping ahead of the story) that he was one of the heroes of the Revolutionary War, but I haven't located any kind of service records for him so this may be an exaggeration.  The DAR doesn't list Jesse, Fold 3 doesn't have him, the state records I've consulted for Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New Jersey don't have him, and New York records aren't on line.   Also, the phrase "hero of the Revolutionary War" can be used for anyone from George Washington down to a civilian who misdirected British troops, so it's hard to know what that means.  I've also found mention that he was a soldier in the French and Indian War of 1756-1763  Based on Jesse's age, he could just possibly have served in the last couple of years, but again, I haven't yet found documentation of that. 

Apparently he was in New Jersey by 1781.  There is a Jesse Finch found on a tax list there in Hardyston Township, Sussex County, on the August tax list.  Anna Finch, one of Jesse's children, was born in New Jersey in 1787 so this may be our Jesse.  Jesse is believed to be a farmer and a weaver, but we don't know why he went from New York to New Jersey, or how long he was in either location. 

We don't know who Jesse's wife was but it is believed she was named Hannah.  Perhaps she was from New Jersey or perhaps Jesse had married her in New York. Records have not yet been found. The couple presumably would have married in the late 1770's since their son, Jesse, has a birthdate of about 1779. Their other children were Hannah, Ann, and Nathaniel. 

That's all we know until 1806, when Jesse's name shows up on a tax list in Belmont County, Ohio.  He can be considered as an "early settler" because he was in Ohio before the war of 1812. The 1810 tax list shows him as being in Colerain Township, and by 1811 we find that the location of his land was 172 acres in Range 2, Township 6, Section 18.  He is on several more tax records, is listed as having been paid $4.05 as supervisor of the public highway in Colerain Township, and is on the 1820 census record there, where he and his (assumed) wife are living alone, with one person being engaged in agriculture. 

His will was signed on February 9, 1824 and proved August 26, 1829.  It is believed he died in 1829 but it's possible that the date of death was earlier.  He left 172 acres to his three surviving children (1/4 each) and his six grandchildren (the other 1/4). No mention is made of his wife so she apparently died earlier.  The burial site is not known.

There are so many unknowns here..Who was Jesse's wife, and where did they marry? Why did he go from New York to New Jersey?  Is there a record somewhere of his purported Revolutionary War Service?  Were the Finches members of a church?  Why did they move to Ohio, when Jesse would have been perhaps 60 years old?  What was that trip like?  Was Jesse literate?  If anyone has the answer to any of these questions, I'd love to hear from you.

The line of descent:

Jesse Finch-Hannah
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas J Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward F. Allen
Vernon/Tessora/Corinne/Edith/Richard Allen
Their children, grand children, and great grandchildren

Allen, Holbrook, Harshbarger, Beeks lines: Happy genealogy dance for this week's discoveries

This is my 100th post, a level I would never have believed I could reach.  For my own personal celebration, I decided to write this post a little differently. I'm going to post what I've found this week, since I devoted more time than usual to research and actually found some gems.  Some of these are about people I've already written about in posts, and some are potentially yet to come. They are all ancestors of my children, though, and I was toe-tappingly delighted to find each and every tidbit.

In the Beeks line, I found this about John Beeks, great grandfather of my husband. From the Andrews Espress, January 6, 1884, Page 2, column 2, under "Lagro News":  John Beeks slipped and fell against one of the large windows at Blount and Moss's drug store here, Monday, breaking it in a hundred pieces."  It doesn't say what caused him to fall, but it was January so let's assume it was ice.  It also doesn't say whether John was injured.  Based on journalistic practices of the time, I would guess he was not injured, and would also guess he was not tipsy.  Newspapers were not shy about printing any gory details, nor about stating or implying that someone was under the influence, so the lack of either of these statements helped me form my conclusions.

Regarding Jason Wheeler, fourth great grandfather of my husband, I found New York tax records for him from 1799-1804. Timothy Wheeler, whose relationship to Jason is unknown but I'm thinking maybe a brother, was listed in 1799 and 1800 but not 1801.  In 1801, Jason's taxes jumped considerably.  I wonder if Jason had perhaps purchased Timothy's land, but I haven't found land records yet.  This information was from a new database on Ancestry.com, "New York, Tax Assessment Rolls of Real and Personal Estates, 1799-1804."

Allen line:  Regarding Isaac Bell: "In November 1756 Obadiah Ayers and William Landon were sureties for Isaac Bell who was granted a Public House license."  This statement came from page 82 of Volume X of "The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey" and took place in Sussex County, where in the same year, the "29th year of His Majesty" same volume but page 76, "Daniel Landon and Isaac Bell had been selected as Commissioners of Roads for the Township of Hardwick."  Having a license of a "Public House", a tavern was a big deal. They were regulated by the government and owners 
were generally watched carefully for any abuse of alcohol laws, particularly in sales of native Americans.  I find it a little interesting that Isaac Bell was a Presbyterian, and yet ran the tavern.  We have to remember that "tavern" is a little bit strong of a term. It was likely an inn for visitors that also served some form of alcohol.  I also found that his name is on a petition to the governor, William Franklin, in 1760 but I haven't seen the document yet so I don't know what it's about. I don't believe I've written about Isaac yet. He was my fifth great grandfather.

Regarding William McCoy, my fourth great grandfather, I found records in his DAR listing that pointed me to the Pennsylvania Archives.  In the Sixth Series, Volume II part I I found William McCoy's name as a private in the 6th class of Captain Andrew Swearingen's unit under Colonel David Williamson's Batalion (sic).  I also found that the fourth and fifth classes were formally called up to go on the Expedition to "St. Dusky" (what if otherwise referred to as Sandusky), so it doesn't appear that William went on that trip unless he volunteered separately to go.  I didn't find further records regarding that.  In the Third Series, I found tax records for him in 1781 in Cecil Township, Greene Twp, and Robinson Township. The DAR indicates these are for the same William McCoy. If so, he was taxed on 700 acres at that time, four horses, 5 cattle, and 2 sheep. 

Holbrook line:  I may have had this information before, but I found the source:  Joseph Holbrook of Bloom Township, Cook County, Illinois was taxed in 1863 for having a carriage with two horses. They were valued at $100 and the amount of tax was $2.  This was to help raise money for the Civil War.  The source is found on Ancestry.com in the "U.S. Assessment Lists, 1862-1918." Joseph was my great great grandfather.

I also found a new possibility for a tie to James Lamphire. So far all I know about him is that his name was Eattan Lamphire, and that he lived in Brookfield, Chenango County, New York in 1802.  This may be the area where James died in 1847, but I need to check it out further.  Please realize, I'm grasping at straws here, but any new Lamphire name deserves study until it is ruled out.  James is my fourth great grandfather.

Along the same lines, by casting my net a little wider, I've found some "new" Wright names to track down, to possibly relate to Molly Wright. Molly is my fourth great grandmother.

Harshbarger lines:  I found a tax record for Lewis Harshbarger, in the same tax records as that of Joseph Holbrook.  In Union Township, Whitley County, Indiana, he is one of four men on the page.  I've tried to decipher the "article or occupation" that generated the tax. I believe it says "Patent Right Dealer" but I would be glad to hear of anyone else's interpretation.  Apparently, a dealer in such was someone who sold, or offered for sale, patent rights.  I'm unclear as to exactly what this would have involved in a rural setting like Union Township, Whitley County back in 1863. At any rate, he was taxed $1.67 for the privilege.  Lewis is the great great grandfather of my husband.

I also learned why I found a land sale for Solomon Bennett in 1841 in Whitley County but couldn't find record of his purchase(s) there.  The land was originally in Allen County (duh!).  I found this in a Deed Index for the early years of Allen County, but have misplaced the exact reference. Solomon is my husband's third great grandfather.

This has been a fun week, and this has been rather a fun post to write.  I hope you've enjoyed it, and I hope that if you are still searching your your ancestors, you will try some new databases or sources. As new sources and data bases come on line every day, and as we learn about ones we've somehow missed, our ancestors can start to come alive.  And as always, if you have questions about what I've written, or have additional information to share, I'd love to hear from you!  Leave a comment, or contact me: happygenealogydance AT gmail DOT com. (You'll know what to do with the AT and the DOT, and hopefully the spam robot won't!)

Allen line: Nathaniel Finch

It's about time we learned more about Nathaniel Finch.  There isn't much known about him, but he lived in interesting historic times and he has a story to tell.  He was born in Stamford, Connecticut, on April 29, 1722, the son of John Finch and Sarah maiden name unknown.  She may have been a Sarah Lockwood, but if so, extensive research has failed to identify her family. 

Nathaniel was one of 10 children, so was likely set up in some sort of apprentice or indenture program in order to learn a trade. I have seen no reference to what that trade may have been, but since Nathaniel moved inland as an adult it probably did not have to do with the sea trade.   

Nathaniel married Hannah Scofield, daughter of Daniel Scofield and Hannah Hoyt, in Ridgefield, Ct on December 15, 1743.  He was not quite 22 years of age, and she was just over 17.  It appears that there were four children born to this marriage. Nathaniel was born December 9, 1743, Jesse was born in 1744, Stephen was born in 1745 and Hannah was born in 1749.  (I don't know whether perhaps one of the December dates was perhaps old style and one new style, but it appears that Nathaniel may have arrived before the marriage ceremony could take place.)  There children were all born in New Canaan, Fairfield County, Connecticut.)

There is a gap of a few years until the next children were born, and some researchers think the rest of the family was by a second wife.  These children were Martha, John, Benoni, and Abigail.  These children were born in Salem, Westchester County, New York, which was just over the county line from Connecticut, so the family would have been familiar with the area.  The Finch-Scofield marriage took place in Ridgefield, which was very near the New York-Connecticut border.

That is basically the end of what we know about Nathaniel.  There is a military record of Nathaniel, who is probably Nathaniel the son, who was a member of the militia in 1759 and still in 1761. The 1761 list gives his height as 5' 3.5", which may indicate the family was smaller in stature than the average.    I've not found a record of Nathaniel Senior being in the militia, although he would have been the correct age to serve in the French and Indian war of 1756-1763.  Sadly, the last we know was that he shared in the distribution of the estate of Sarah Keeler, his mother, June 15, 1768.

He was a Congregationalist, admitted to full communion at New Canaan Parish Church on May 30, 1742, and apparently went to Christ Church, Salem, NY at some point.  There is a record that Nathaniel Finch and wife were recommended to communion there by Rec. Silliman, rector of Christ Church at Fairfield, Ct. 

We don't know his occupation, we don't know whether he served in the militia or other military service, and we don't know if he had more than one wife.  I have not located a copy of his will, or of his death date or location.  There are two men by the name of Nathaniel Finch listed in the 1790 census, but they are both in Connecticut. Did the family return there?  Nathaniel seems to have been a common name in the Finch family, so it's difficult to say.  In 1800, Nathaniel Finch and wife, both over 45, are living in Westmoreland, Oneida County, New York, but again, we don't know that this is our Nathaniel. 

So many questions, so few answers, at this point.  I'd love to "meet" cousins who are working on this family, and maybe we can find some answers, together.

Our line of descent:

Nathaniel Finch-Hannah Scofield
Jesse Finch-unknown (widow was Hannah)
Hannah Finch-John Bell
Hannah Bell-Thomas Jefferson Knott
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Vernon/Edith/Tessora/Corinne/Richard Allen
Their children, grand children, and great grandchildren

Allen line: Thomas Knott's letter regarding the death of his son Elzy Knott

[We have received from the father of young Elzy Knott, who was recently shot by a young man named John Hern, at Carson Valley, the following letter. Under ordinary circumstances we should have suppressed a portion of the account; but from deference to a father's feelings, we publish it agreeably to his request, although the prominent facts have already been referred to by us.-EDS. UNION.]

The Shooting of Knott

Genoa, Carson Valley, ,March 17, 1859

MESSRS. EDITORS: I beg leave to insert in the columns of your valuable paper an exact narrative of a murder trial, and acquittal of the criminal, which occurred in this town in the latter end of the preceding week. Although the unhappy victim of the murderous deed was a dear son of mine, who has left behind a disconsolate wife to mourn his loss, and although my hear is torn with the extreme pangs of sorrow, yet I must confess that these feelings do not overrule my reason nor inspire me with the contemptible desire of revenge; but I write this purely with a wish that truth may not be disfigured with the here prevalent spirit of an intense party, and that people who are remote from us may impartially judge whether our Court here (not a legal one) has rightly acquitted the criminal from all offense.

The testimony I bear to the following statements is based upon my own personal knowledge and observation, before, at the time, and after the murder was committed.  My testimony was corroborated in Court by the testimony of another eye-witness.  It was partially confirmed by other witnesses, and it was pledged by the sanctity of an oath. 

On the 8th inst., Elzy Knott was maliciously, with premeditation, and without a just case, murdered by John Hern, with a double barreled gun loaded with buckshot.  The precedents of this fatal occurrence were as follows:  John Hern had lost fifteen dollars in gambling with Elzy Knott.  In compensation of his debt, he offered to Elzy a bridle, not worth fifteen dollars, but which Elzy accepted.  Peter Hern (John's stepfather), who was in California at the time his boy gave away the bridle, having returned, reclaimed the bridle from Elzy, on the ground that it was not John's but his.  "If the bridle is yours," said Elzy, "you may have it; but if John's, I will have it again."  Subsequently to this, one evening, John Hern took the same bridle to a place called the Old Station, where some importers of goods actually reside, and left it there for a gambling prize, with the assent of his stepfather, who told him that, if he could get twelve dollars for the bridle, he might let the boys gamble for it.  The same evening, Elzy Knott went to the Station, and was invited to play for a bridle.  Elzy wanted to see it, and after examining it, asked who brought it there?  "John Hern," was the reply.  "Did John say that it was his bridle?" asked Elzy, again.  "Yes," was the answer.  "If the bridle is John's," said Elzy, "I will take it; I won it once."  Upon this, a man of the Station remonstrated with Knott, and requested him to wait until John Hern came.  Elzy returned, later in the evening, to the Station, when John was there, and in his presence took away the bridle with him.  The boy then went home, apprised his father of what had happened, and both went to the Station.  The father made no remonstrance, but the boy, according to some evidence in Court, said that the bridle would cost very dear to Elzy; and, according to some other witness, that he would take it back, were it to cost Elay's life.  So the matter remained until the fatal morning of the 8th inst, when a little boy, by the name of Oliver Yansey, mounted one of Elzy's horses, in order to drive his cows. The headstall of the bridle on the horse was that taken from Hern, and the reins had ever belonged to Elzy.  According to the little boy's testimony in Court, John Hern stopped him, whilst riding on horseback, by threatening to shoot him if he did not stop; then took both headstall and reins, tied a piece of hair rope to the horse, and left the boy with a declaration that if he or Elzy went back for the bridle he would blow out their brains; the little boy brought the horse home and acquainted Elzy with the fact; Elzy started immediately for Hern's house, which is situated but a short distance from his; Elzy's wife requested Thomas Yansey (Oliver's father) to go and see to the matter, then I started too; we arrived at the house before the gun was fired-Yansey being a little ahead of me; on entering the house we saw the reins detached from the bridle and laid on the floor near the front door: we saw Elzy standing in front of the middle partition door, with his left hand on his hip and the right hand somewhat lower down; I had heard him say before going to that house that he would whip Hern's family or have the bridle, and on entering the house before I arrived Yansey heard him say that he would have no fuss, but only recover his bridle.  We saw Mrs. Hern standing in the front room behind Elzy, at the left corner of the room; we saw in the same room her youngest son; lastly, we saw John Hern standing a little behind the middle partition door, opposite to the front door, with a gun in his hands aiming at Elzy so long that I almost thought he would not shoot.  Whilst the boy pointed the gun at Elzy, he (Elzy) did not draw out the pistol which he usually carried with him, and which was afterwards found on his belt behind, nor had he any weapon of defense in his hands, but remained in the aforesaid position till he fell.  I cried out to the boy not to shoot, and just then he fired.  I was then within three feet of my son and assisted him in his fall.  At that moment I was almost frantic with grief, and ran to the door to see if Elzy's wife was coming.  (It was then that Messrs. Norris and Kinsey, as they deposed in Court, saw me coming out from the front door of the house almost instantly after the report of the gun was heard.)  I then went back to see if my son was dead; then went out again to see Mrs. Knott; returned to the house, seized the gun dropped by the murderer, ready to pursue and shoot him; but in the gun there was a load and no cap.  The murderer, however, was followed by other men, one of whom shot at him with a pistol twice and he then surrendered himself."

This is only about one third of the letter, which I will continue in future blogs.  I'm doing this so that our family will understand a little about the life and times of our ancestor, Thomas Jefferson Knott,  My intention is not to bring up any old wounds or differences of opinion with the other people mentioned in this letter, but simply to show what our ancestor thought, and incidentally, how well he expressed himself.  One could wish he had used a few more paragraphs, and shorter sentences, but he was obviously a man with some education. 

This letter is made available by the California Digital Newspaper Collection, Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research, University of California, Riverside, Ca.  The website is:
http://cdnc.ucr.edu.  The letter was published in the Sacramento Daily Union, Volume 17, number 2493 on March 24, 1859, under the heading "Letter from Carson Valley."

Our line is as follows:
Thomas Jefferson Knott-Hannah Bell
John Wilson Knott-Harriet Starr
Edith Clarissa Knott-Edward Franklin Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook