John Burr is among those of our ancestors who I am beginning to call the "Silent Generation". Actually, there are several "silent" ancestors in many generations. To explain my terminology, it means I have been unable to find more than bare bones information about the person and sometimes not even that.
At least for John Burr, we know who his parents are, and we know the vitals about birth, marriage, and death. If it wasn't for his will, that information is all that we we would have. Also, we do know a little about the town he lived and died in, and we know a little of the history of his time. So we can pull this silent man just a little bit out of the shadows, and start to see a little of his life.
John Burr was born January 6, 1659 in Hingham, Massachusetts. His parents, Simon and Hester Burr, were the immigrants here. I should stop a moment to explain that John's mother is variously seen as Hester Rose, Rose Hester, and Hester Sparhawk. Whatever her name, her parentage has not yet been established, to the best of my current knowledge.
Hingham was a small village on the Massachusetts coast line, what is known as the South Shore. It is about 20 miles from Boston. At the time John lived, it probably supported both fisherman and coastal mariners as well as farmers and tradesmen. Our John was a farmer. He is described using that word, rather than husbandman or yeoman, which is a bit unusual. The only record of town service that we have was that he was a constable in 1698.
His father, Simon, served in King Philip's War and it is probable that John at least served at home. He would have been just 16 when the war broke out, and would have trained for only a few days with the local training band. He likely could shoot, but probably couldn't yet perform military maneuvers well. Hingham wasn't directly affected by the war, and probably the village didn't evacuate as so many towns did. It is also possible that John served in some of the campaigns that Massachusetts men were involved in during King William's War, particularly the battles in what became Maine and Nova Scotia. If he wasn't there, he at least would have known all about it from stories from other citizens of the town.
John married Mary Warren, daughter of John and Deborah Wilson Warren, on December 24, 1685 in Hingham. He and Mary had 10 children together. John's financial position would have been improved when Simon died in 1691. His older brother Simon got about 60% of the estate and he got about 40%, but it was still enough to help, with eventually 10 children to raise. Presumably the two men supported their mother until her death by suicide in 1693.
The only other information we have about John is his will. His estate totaled almost 922 pounds, which was a pretty good sum for a farmer. He owned 9 different plots of land, which made up the bulk of the estate, plus various farm animals and household furnishings. His "arms and ammunition" were valued at 1 pound, and his books at two pounds. His house had at least four rooms, or chambers, with furniture in each. John has several dates of death attributed to him, but they are all between September 17 and December 7, 1716. His youngest son was just 13 when John died. Mary lived as a widow until July 26, 1742.
This is the little we know of John Burr, and I'd like to know more. Wouldn't you?
The line of descent is
John Burr-Mary Warren
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brown. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2020
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Holbrook line: Zachariah Eddy 1638-1718
I've written earlier of Samuel Eddy, Zachariah's father, and of John Eddy, his uncle (although I now think that John Eddy was not an ancestor on the Allen side, pending further study). But Zachariah has been neglected until now, probably because he wasn't in the first generation of immigrants. But hey, we was born in Plymouth Colony and probably knew, or at least knew of, our Mayflower ancestors. So his history, to me, is interesting.
Zachariah (also seen as Zechariah and Zachary) was born March 7, 1639 to Samuel and (probably) Elizabeth Savory Eddy, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. He was the second of seven children his parents are known to have had. Samuel was a tailor, but he apparently was not hugely successful because he asked the court to find an apprenticeship or other training opportunities for his children. Zachariah was just 7 years old when the court approved his placement with John Browne, to train to be a husbandman or whatever else Mr. Browne desired. John Browne was a man of considerable wealth and talent, so it was a good opportunity for Zachariah to learn much from him. We are not sure whether that happened. At any rate, 7 year old Zachariah said good-by to his parents and presumably moved to Rehoboth, where the Brownes lived. His term of service was for 14 years, until Zachariah was 21 years old.
Peter Browne was involved in the founding of Swansea, Massachusetts, and Zachariah and his brother, Caleb, are also considered among the first founders of the town. He married Alice Paddock, daughter of Robert and Mary Holmes Paddock, on May 7, 1663, in either Plymouth or Middleboro, Massachusetts. They may have settled immediately in the land that became Swansea, although the town itself wasn't founded until 1667. The town selected him to be one of three waywardens in 1671, roughly these men were superintendents of highways.
I didn't find any record that he was ever made a freeman, perhaps because he became a member of the Baptist Church in Swansea, which is one of the oldest Baptist churches in America. I wonder whether Peter Browne influenced his decision one way or the other, to join this church. Or his wife could have had some influence. Nevertheless, it may have been hard to leave the Puritan church that had been a part of his early life.
I didn't find an occupation for Zachariah, although it is likely to have been as a husbandman, as he was trained to do. He did own some marsh land, and probably other land, too, so it's easy to think he did at least some farming. He and Alice had at least eight children, apparently all born at Swansea.
Life in Swansea was probably good, but also probably not easy. It got even harder when King Philip's War broke out. Swansea was one of the first villages attacked, although apparently everyone made it to the local garrison safely. Some of the homes were burned, and there was fighting in the area for quite a while. The little village escaped back to Plymouth for the most part, and it is believed that our family was part of this group. I found no record that Zachariah was part of the militia but it's hard to believe that he would not have responded to protect his home and home town. He was of the right age and unless he had a physical infirmity, which I haven't seen mentioned, he would have had some role to play in either the defense or the offense.
The Eddy family was back in Swansea about 1678, rebuilding whatever had been lost to the native Americans. Alice Paddock Eddy died October 24, 1692 and Zachariah then married Abigail, the widow of Dermit or Jeremiah Smith. She brought children to the marriage, too, although they may have been close to grown, as Zachariah's own children were. (I'm not finding a date for the second marriage, so perhaps Zachariah married when some of his own children were preteens or teenagers.
When Zachariah died, his estate was very small, valued at close to 65 pounds. He mentions the lands that he had previously given to each of his sons, and adds that any money owed him by his sons should be forgiven. His wife Abigail is to live in the homestead granted son Caleb for the rest of her natural life, and he left her money, also. He left his great Bible to a grandson. His will specifically grants a carbine to one son, a musket to another, and a fowling piece to yet another. Zachariah died September 4, 1718 and is buried at the Eddy family burial grounds at Swansea, where his parents and many other family members are also buried.
Although we know quite a bit about Zachariah, there is also much we don't know, especially about his life in Swansea. But it is interesting to find another early Baptist in the family, and it's intriguing that our Pilgrim fathers would have known him. This was a time when much of what was to become America was being constructed, day by day and town by town. We are privileged to feel a little of this through reading about the lives of Zachariah Eddy and other of our ancestors.
The line of descent is
Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Zachariah (also seen as Zechariah and Zachary) was born March 7, 1639 to Samuel and (probably) Elizabeth Savory Eddy, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. He was the second of seven children his parents are known to have had. Samuel was a tailor, but he apparently was not hugely successful because he asked the court to find an apprenticeship or other training opportunities for his children. Zachariah was just 7 years old when the court approved his placement with John Browne, to train to be a husbandman or whatever else Mr. Browne desired. John Browne was a man of considerable wealth and talent, so it was a good opportunity for Zachariah to learn much from him. We are not sure whether that happened. At any rate, 7 year old Zachariah said good-by to his parents and presumably moved to Rehoboth, where the Brownes lived. His term of service was for 14 years, until Zachariah was 21 years old.
Peter Browne was involved in the founding of Swansea, Massachusetts, and Zachariah and his brother, Caleb, are also considered among the first founders of the town. He married Alice Paddock, daughter of Robert and Mary Holmes Paddock, on May 7, 1663, in either Plymouth or Middleboro, Massachusetts. They may have settled immediately in the land that became Swansea, although the town itself wasn't founded until 1667. The town selected him to be one of three waywardens in 1671, roughly these men were superintendents of highways.
I didn't find any record that he was ever made a freeman, perhaps because he became a member of the Baptist Church in Swansea, which is one of the oldest Baptist churches in America. I wonder whether Peter Browne influenced his decision one way or the other, to join this church. Or his wife could have had some influence. Nevertheless, it may have been hard to leave the Puritan church that had been a part of his early life.
I didn't find an occupation for Zachariah, although it is likely to have been as a husbandman, as he was trained to do. He did own some marsh land, and probably other land, too, so it's easy to think he did at least some farming. He and Alice had at least eight children, apparently all born at Swansea.
Life in Swansea was probably good, but also probably not easy. It got even harder when King Philip's War broke out. Swansea was one of the first villages attacked, although apparently everyone made it to the local garrison safely. Some of the homes were burned, and there was fighting in the area for quite a while. The little village escaped back to Plymouth for the most part, and it is believed that our family was part of this group. I found no record that Zachariah was part of the militia but it's hard to believe that he would not have responded to protect his home and home town. He was of the right age and unless he had a physical infirmity, which I haven't seen mentioned, he would have had some role to play in either the defense or the offense.
The Eddy family was back in Swansea about 1678, rebuilding whatever had been lost to the native Americans. Alice Paddock Eddy died October 24, 1692 and Zachariah then married Abigail, the widow of Dermit or Jeremiah Smith. She brought children to the marriage, too, although they may have been close to grown, as Zachariah's own children were. (I'm not finding a date for the second marriage, so perhaps Zachariah married when some of his own children were preteens or teenagers.
When Zachariah died, his estate was very small, valued at close to 65 pounds. He mentions the lands that he had previously given to each of his sons, and adds that any money owed him by his sons should be forgiven. His wife Abigail is to live in the homestead granted son Caleb for the rest of her natural life, and he left her money, also. He left his great Bible to a grandson. His will specifically grants a carbine to one son, a musket to another, and a fowling piece to yet another. Zachariah died September 4, 1718 and is buried at the Eddy family burial grounds at Swansea, where his parents and many other family members are also buried.
Although we know quite a bit about Zachariah, there is also much we don't know, especially about his life in Swansea. But it is interesting to find another early Baptist in the family, and it's intriguing that our Pilgrim fathers would have known him. This was a time when much of what was to become America was being constructed, day by day and town by town. We are privileged to feel a little of this through reading about the lives of Zachariah Eddy and other of our ancestors.
The line of descent is
Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, June 2, 2020
Holbrook line: Samuel Doty 1643-1715
Update 8/11/2022 This man is not our ancestor. I am leaving the post up for anyone who is interested in a short version of his life, however. The error in this post is that Sarah Doty did not marry Josiah Standish, according to current research.
There's more to Samuel Doty than meets the eye. Yes, he was the son of a Mayflower Pilgrim and yes, he married a daughter of a member of the Great Migration. Yes, he was maybe a bit of a rebel in his younger days. But his story has several interesting twists, some of which I haven't seen in other ancestors.
First, the basics: Samuel Doty was the son of Edward Doty of the Mayflower and Faith Clarke, who arrived in Plymouth Colony in 1634 with her father Thurstan Clarke. He was one of 9 children of the couple. The Doty family would have attended church services on a regular basis, because it was required. But it is believed that Edward Doty didn't join the church as a member, and Samuel appears to have taken the independent thinking route. (Plymouth Colony was both Puritan and Separatist, meaning that they wanted nothing to do with the Church of England, whereas the Puritans, at least initially, wanted only to "purify" the church of England of its rituals, hierarchy, church decor, and some of their beliefs).
Samuel moved from Plymouth to Eastham on Cape Cod sometime before July 16, 1668. He was there for only a brief time,but it may have been enough to convince him or encourage him that he needed to leave the colony. Several families from that area left for either Long Island, New York, or New Jersey during that time period. Some were Quakers and some were what we would call seekers, maybe. At any rate, Samuel was helping found Piscataway, New Jersey by October of 1669. He was still a young man. It's possible that Samuel had married by now but if so, there is no record of a first wife.
He was thirty five years old when he married Jane or Jeane Harmon in Piscataway on November 13, 1678, which is rather old for a first marriage. Jane Harmon ws born in Saco, Maine and it's not entirely clear how she arrived in Piscataway. She was bound as an indentured servant to Lt. James Gibbins for an eight year period on April 4, 1671, having been removed from her father's home for "oppression{. Apparently the Gibbins family acted somewhat as a foster family, but they would have used Jane as a servant, too. She would have been taught housekeeping skills and perhaps how to read. Some of the families from that area emigrated to Piscataway at the outbreak of King Philip's War, and she may have arrived then. It appears that the Gibbins family must have returned to Maine, if indeed they have moved at all. The marriage date of Samuel and Jane is just a few months prior to the time her indenture likely expired. Samuel may have been able to purchase those last few months of servitude that Jane owed the Gibbins, or perhaps they agreed to it. At anhy rate, they were married.
Samuel and Jane had somewhere about 12 children (some say 13) together, so, like many of our ancestors, they would have been quite busy providing for their family. Samuel owned land but was not accorded the title of "Mr." In his will, he calls himself a yeoman, meaning a farmer who owned land. He was respected in Piscataway and by 1675 was a lieutenant in the militia company. He is sometimes referred to as "Captain" so he may have been promoted or elected to the higher office at some point.
We don't know what religion Samuel practiced when he arrived in Piscataway, but he helped found the Seventh Day Baptist church there. This appears to be similar to other Baptist churches, for instance those in Rhode Island, except that this group met on Saturday instead of Sunday.
Samuel inherited some of his father's land and sold it, which may be how he was able to purchase so much land in New Jersey. He owned hundreds of acres, purchasing land at least up until 1690. We don't know how much of it he developed as farm land, nor do we know what crops he grew. The abstract of his will shows a "personal estate". It seems that he had probably given land or otherwise gifted his children prior to his death, as only his wife and one son are mentioned in the will. (I have not seen the original, this information is from an abstract).
Samuel died November 8, 1715 and Jane died just two years later, on October 8, 1717. Samuel would have been 72 years old but Jane just 56. Child-bearing may have worn her out. The youngest child was about 12 years old by that time, but there were plenty of older siblings to provide care, a home, or whatever was needed.
I would love to talk to Samuel. I'd like to know the stories his parents might have told him. I'd like to know how his religious beliefs developed. I'd like to know how he and Jane met. I'd like to know whether he was involved in any military expeditions. And most of all, I'd like to know how he and Jane were able to overcome rather difficult backgrounds and raise so many children, who all apparently were strong, contributing citizens.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Doty-Jane Harmon
Sarah Doty-Josiah Standish
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook=Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Holbrook line: Joseph Thomson 1698-1755
There are certain towns in Massachusetts that should be "destinations" for family travelers. One such area is Springfield-Westfield, in the Connecticut River valley, where many of our Allen names lived for generations. Another is the Mendon-Wrentham-Franklin-Bellingham area, which was home to many of our Holbrook families for generations. Sometimes our ancestors were big people in these little places, and sometimes they didn't leave much of a trace.
Joseph Thomson (or Tomson, or Thompson) is one of our Mendon-Bellingham ancestors, who didn't make much of an impact on the town, as far as we can tell. He lived, married, had children, and died. Even though there is a lot we don't know about him, we do know that he lived in interesting times, and we know that his estate papers will tell us a little about his life.
First, what we do know. Joseph was born in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on October 19, 1698, to John and Hannah Wight Thomson. Medfield at the time would have felt like a new town. It was originally founded in 1649 but was burned during King Philips War, so none of the hoes were more than 20 or so years old. And memories were long. Joseph had at least seven brothers and sisters, so his parents had plenty to do. One thing they likely did was send the boys to school. Another Holbrook ancestor, Ralph Wheelock, had founded the school there and it was important that boys learn to read and write.
Joseph married Mary Holbrook, daughter of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, on March 28, 1725, in Bellingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town had been officially formed in 1719, but people had been living in the area for some time. Joseph's parents died in Bellingham, so it seems likely that his parents had initiated the move prior to Joseph's reaching the age of 21, but we don't know for sure when the move was made. Joseph and Mary had 11 children together, so again, this was a busy family, with busy parents.
Some of the Thomsons and most of the Holbrooks were Baptists, but the church didn't form until mid-century so Joseph, even if a member, would not have had a lot of influence there. He doesn't show up on the earliest membership rolls, so perhaps he stayed in the Puritan church. He does show up as one of only 50 qualified voters in the town, in 1739.
I don't know if he ever served in the military. We was of the right age to be in Queen Anne's war and might have been in King George's War, but I've not yet found his name on any such listing. His inventory does include "Armour, gun, sword and accoutrements" so he was or had been ready to serve, at one time.
Joseph died January 2, 1755, without having a will. His appraisers were Ebenezer Thayer, (ancestor), Samuel Hayward, and John Metcalf. Besides the military items listed above, he had several parcels of land, bedding for four beds, feathers, household goods, husbandry and carpenter tools, farm animals, and a lot of flax, It's hard to tell whether there was a loom or spinning wheel because several lines list an object and then say "and sundry items" so similar words. He did have a few books.
There is a careful documentation in the file of who was to get which part of which parcel of land and other belongings. Mary was entitled to her one third of the estate and the rest was divided up among the children. Mary died March 4, 1781. I haven't located a burial location for them but it was probably what is known as the North Cemetery, where many of the town's founders are buied.
So that's the little we know about Joseph Thomson. He was a decent man, or there would be stories of any shenanigans in court records. He may or may not have been a religious man, whether Puritan or Baptist. He may or may not have served in one of more of the conflicts that were an ongoing part of colonial life. But he was our ancestor, anchored in time and location, and for that, I am grateful.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Thomson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thomson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook=Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Joseph Thomson (or Tomson, or Thompson) is one of our Mendon-Bellingham ancestors, who didn't make much of an impact on the town, as far as we can tell. He lived, married, had children, and died. Even though there is a lot we don't know about him, we do know that he lived in interesting times, and we know that his estate papers will tell us a little about his life.
First, what we do know. Joseph was born in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on October 19, 1698, to John and Hannah Wight Thomson. Medfield at the time would have felt like a new town. It was originally founded in 1649 but was burned during King Philips War, so none of the hoes were more than 20 or so years old. And memories were long. Joseph had at least seven brothers and sisters, so his parents had plenty to do. One thing they likely did was send the boys to school. Another Holbrook ancestor, Ralph Wheelock, had founded the school there and it was important that boys learn to read and write.
Joseph married Mary Holbrook, daughter of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, on March 28, 1725, in Bellingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town had been officially formed in 1719, but people had been living in the area for some time. Joseph's parents died in Bellingham, so it seems likely that his parents had initiated the move prior to Joseph's reaching the age of 21, but we don't know for sure when the move was made. Joseph and Mary had 11 children together, so again, this was a busy family, with busy parents.
Some of the Thomsons and most of the Holbrooks were Baptists, but the church didn't form until mid-century so Joseph, even if a member, would not have had a lot of influence there. He doesn't show up on the earliest membership rolls, so perhaps he stayed in the Puritan church. He does show up as one of only 50 qualified voters in the town, in 1739.
I don't know if he ever served in the military. We was of the right age to be in Queen Anne's war and might have been in King George's War, but I've not yet found his name on any such listing. His inventory does include "Armour, gun, sword and accoutrements" so he was or had been ready to serve, at one time.
Joseph died January 2, 1755, without having a will. His appraisers were Ebenezer Thayer, (ancestor), Samuel Hayward, and John Metcalf. Besides the military items listed above, he had several parcels of land, bedding for four beds, feathers, household goods, husbandry and carpenter tools, farm animals, and a lot of flax, It's hard to tell whether there was a loom or spinning wheel because several lines list an object and then say "and sundry items" so similar words. He did have a few books.
There is a careful documentation in the file of who was to get which part of which parcel of land and other belongings. Mary was entitled to her one third of the estate and the rest was divided up among the children. Mary died March 4, 1781. I haven't located a burial location for them but it was probably what is known as the North Cemetery, where many of the town's founders are buied.
So that's the little we know about Joseph Thomson. He was a decent man, or there would be stories of any shenanigans in court records. He may or may not have been a religious man, whether Puritan or Baptist. He may or may not have served in one of more of the conflicts that were an ongoing part of colonial life. But he was our ancestor, anchored in time and location, and for that, I am grateful.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Thomson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thomson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook=Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 8, 2020
Holbrook line: Another Ebenezer Thayer 1699-1771
I had something of a genealogy scare when I started researching for this post. I saw that there are several trees that give different parents for our Ebenezer than I had thought correct. So I spent some time going through what records I could find on line and ended up confident that the parents I'm showing are more likely to be correct than the ones others are showing. Whew! I let my breath out when I came to my conclusion, because I've made enough errors already and don't want to perpetuate any more.
So, Ebenezer Thayer was born April 12, 1699 in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer and Martha Thomson Thayer. (I wrote about Ebenezer Senior recently, with never a thought that he might be the wrong guy.) Ebenezer, the subject of this post, had at least two brothers and four sisters, named in his father's will in 1722 (father was of Bellingham then). Bellingham was formed out of Mendon and it appears that at least some of the family land was on the border between the two towns, but the main dwelling house was part of Bellingham.
Our Ebenezer married Mary Wheelock on August 9, 1721. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Huldah Thayer Wheelock, and yes, there was a family connection between Ebenezer and Huldah. The two were first cousins once removed. When Ebenezer Senior died in 1722, he left a lot of land and other assets, to the value of about 795 pounds. Ebenezer, as the oldest son, received a double share and it looks like he would have been set for life.
Then it gets confusing, and I've not been able to find a will to give answers. Mary, the wife of Ebenezer, is said to have died in 1731 and Ebenezer is said to have married Hannah Greene in 1734 and fathered more children with her. I can't find a record of Mary's death or of the marriage of Ebenezer and Hannah, so I'm confused. I don't know whether the Ebenezer who married Hannah was ours or not. Some of the printed genealogies say that it was an Ebenezer who was born in 1720 who married Hannah, and that makes no sense either. There was an Ebenezer who was born to Isaac Thayer in 1697; could it have been this Ebenezer who married Hannah?
And yet, there are just three records of births to Ebenezer and Mary in the town records...so what really happened?
Another point of confusion is the use of the term "Captain" in 1754. Which Ebenezer was this? And how did he obtain the title of "Captain"/ What military service might this person have been part of? The most likely explanation, given the birth date of 1699 for our Ebenezer is that he was somehow involved in King George's War,but I've found no evidence for that yet.
There was only one Ebenezer who was taxed in 1726 in Bellingham, one who was qualified in 1739 to be a voter (implying land ownership and church membership, I believe). His name is on a petition asking to be assigned to Mendon II district for ecclesiastical affairs, in 1747. I know that Mendon had a serious church problem as did Bellingham, as the church in Bellingham was Baptist. Perhaps Ebenezer was not of that persuasion and wanted to go to a more traditional church.
Since I can't find a will or estate papers for Ebenezer, I don't know whether he held on to some of his father's wealth or not. Farming in that area of Massachusetts was difficult as the soil was not suited for farming, or at least not easily farmed. Was his will taken by someone who wanted it for personal reasons, or did he never have a will? But shouldn't he at least had a probate record?
I'd like to know about Ebenezer, of course. Did Mary die and did her remarry? Where are Mary's death records? What were his religious beliefs, and how did he acquire the title of "Captain", if this man is ours? I sure hope someone who has studied this family will have some answers and be willing to help us learn more of our ancestor's story.
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So, Ebenezer Thayer was born April 12, 1699 in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer and Martha Thomson Thayer. (I wrote about Ebenezer Senior recently, with never a thought that he might be the wrong guy.) Ebenezer, the subject of this post, had at least two brothers and four sisters, named in his father's will in 1722 (father was of Bellingham then). Bellingham was formed out of Mendon and it appears that at least some of the family land was on the border between the two towns, but the main dwelling house was part of Bellingham.
Our Ebenezer married Mary Wheelock on August 9, 1721. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Huldah Thayer Wheelock, and yes, there was a family connection between Ebenezer and Huldah. The two were first cousins once removed. When Ebenezer Senior died in 1722, he left a lot of land and other assets, to the value of about 795 pounds. Ebenezer, as the oldest son, received a double share and it looks like he would have been set for life.
Then it gets confusing, and I've not been able to find a will to give answers. Mary, the wife of Ebenezer, is said to have died in 1731 and Ebenezer is said to have married Hannah Greene in 1734 and fathered more children with her. I can't find a record of Mary's death or of the marriage of Ebenezer and Hannah, so I'm confused. I don't know whether the Ebenezer who married Hannah was ours or not. Some of the printed genealogies say that it was an Ebenezer who was born in 1720 who married Hannah, and that makes no sense either. There was an Ebenezer who was born to Isaac Thayer in 1697; could it have been this Ebenezer who married Hannah?
And yet, there are just three records of births to Ebenezer and Mary in the town records...so what really happened?
Another point of confusion is the use of the term "Captain" in 1754. Which Ebenezer was this? And how did he obtain the title of "Captain"/ What military service might this person have been part of? The most likely explanation, given the birth date of 1699 for our Ebenezer is that he was somehow involved in King George's War,but I've found no evidence for that yet.
There was only one Ebenezer who was taxed in 1726 in Bellingham, one who was qualified in 1739 to be a voter (implying land ownership and church membership, I believe). His name is on a petition asking to be assigned to Mendon II district for ecclesiastical affairs, in 1747. I know that Mendon had a serious church problem as did Bellingham, as the church in Bellingham was Baptist. Perhaps Ebenezer was not of that persuasion and wanted to go to a more traditional church.
Since I can't find a will or estate papers for Ebenezer, I don't know whether he held on to some of his father's wealth or not. Farming in that area of Massachusetts was difficult as the soil was not suited for farming, or at least not easily farmed. Was his will taken by someone who wanted it for personal reasons, or did he never have a will? But shouldn't he at least had a probate record?
I'd like to know about Ebenezer, of course. Did Mary die and did her remarry? Where are Mary's death records? What were his religious beliefs, and how did he acquire the title of "Captain", if this man is ours? I sure hope someone who has studied this family will have some answers and be willing to help us learn more of our ancestor's story.
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Holbrook line: Joseph Stevens 1679-1757
I hesitate to write this blog post, because I'm finding information that is different than mine. It looks like two of even three men by the name of Joseph Stevens have been combined in some of the information that is out on the web. I hope I have untangled our Joseph Stevens from the others, and if I haven't, I hope someone who has the documentation will correct me.
Our Joseph Stevens was the son of John and Elizabeth Hildreth Stevens. His grandfather, Henry, was the Stevens immigrant, and father John was born in Boston in 1637. Joseph, however, was born in Chelmsford, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony on March 24, 1679, This was just after King Philip's War, and Chelmsford had apparently not been seriously attacked during that conflict, although the town did suffer raids from native Americans. Joseph may have been the youngest of the eight Stevens children, so some of his older siblings likely told him stories as he grew up. I can imagine the youngster's eyes growing round as they told stories that may have become slightly embellished with time.
This might be a good time to comment on a reference I saw that Joseph is believed to have been one.eighth native American. I would say that this is possible only because I don't know all of Joseph's great grandparents. They would have been born around the turn of the seventeenth century, or earlier, and would have had to have lived in the colony. So far I've no evidence that there was anyone here that early. I would love to know the truth of that rumor.
I don't know whether Joseph ever lived in Woburn, but it's possible because he married Elizabeth Tidd, daughter of John and Elizabeth Fifield Tidd there in 1701. We next find Joseph in Billerica, where he married his second wife, Elizabeth Sherman in 1713 in BIllerica. Elizabeth Tidd had died shortly before that, of unknown causes.
Joseph had four children with Elizabeth Tidd and then perhaps as many as eight children with Elizabeth Sherman. It would have been quite a household. Joseph was well-regarded in Billerica and took responsibility to help form the town of Chelmsford. It was formally incorporated in 1732, but settlers were probably there earlier. He had the right to call the first town meeting, as the proprietor of the town, but he didn't do that. He was, however, moderator of the first town meetings and was chosen as selectman several times. He also seems to have been active in getting the first church started, after signing the covenant in 1734.
Then it is hard to tell what happened to Joseph. He died October 1, 1756 in Townsend, still in Essex County. I haven't yet been able to trace when he moved there, or why, but his probate papers clearly state that he is of Townsend. (Note: I found a will attached to him on Ancestry trees but it doesn't appear to be correct. The children named don't belong to our Joseph, for one thing. I found what I believe is the correct probate file at American Ancestry.) Joseph died without a will and with a very small estate, burdened with debts. Perhaps in his old age taking "loans" from friends was a way to sustain himself. But he was rich in treasure laid up in heaven, because this is what his headstone says:
"Halt stranger as you go past
Remember time doth runeth fast
My dust in narou bounds do lye
Remember man that thou must dye
This dust revive it shalt again
And in a grave no more remain
When trumpet sounds I shall arise
And celebrat my God his praise"
(Transcribed by Kevin Avery on Find a Grave.) I've not seen this verse before and it speaks to me. Joseph was a man of his times, a not so stern Puritan as he looked forward to his resurrection.
So we know a little about Joseph, but not enough to really satisfy me. Why did he move so many times? Did he have a trade that was valued at each of his homes? Why did he fall on hard times? Did he participate in any of the military missions of his times? There is always more to learn!
The line of descent is
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Our Joseph Stevens was the son of John and Elizabeth Hildreth Stevens. His grandfather, Henry, was the Stevens immigrant, and father John was born in Boston in 1637. Joseph, however, was born in Chelmsford, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony on March 24, 1679, This was just after King Philip's War, and Chelmsford had apparently not been seriously attacked during that conflict, although the town did suffer raids from native Americans. Joseph may have been the youngest of the eight Stevens children, so some of his older siblings likely told him stories as he grew up. I can imagine the youngster's eyes growing round as they told stories that may have become slightly embellished with time.
This might be a good time to comment on a reference I saw that Joseph is believed to have been one.eighth native American. I would say that this is possible only because I don't know all of Joseph's great grandparents. They would have been born around the turn of the seventeenth century, or earlier, and would have had to have lived in the colony. So far I've no evidence that there was anyone here that early. I would love to know the truth of that rumor.
I don't know whether Joseph ever lived in Woburn, but it's possible because he married Elizabeth Tidd, daughter of John and Elizabeth Fifield Tidd there in 1701. We next find Joseph in Billerica, where he married his second wife, Elizabeth Sherman in 1713 in BIllerica. Elizabeth Tidd had died shortly before that, of unknown causes.
Joseph had four children with Elizabeth Tidd and then perhaps as many as eight children with Elizabeth Sherman. It would have been quite a household. Joseph was well-regarded in Billerica and took responsibility to help form the town of Chelmsford. It was formally incorporated in 1732, but settlers were probably there earlier. He had the right to call the first town meeting, as the proprietor of the town, but he didn't do that. He was, however, moderator of the first town meetings and was chosen as selectman several times. He also seems to have been active in getting the first church started, after signing the covenant in 1734.
Then it is hard to tell what happened to Joseph. He died October 1, 1756 in Townsend, still in Essex County. I haven't yet been able to trace when he moved there, or why, but his probate papers clearly state that he is of Townsend. (Note: I found a will attached to him on Ancestry trees but it doesn't appear to be correct. The children named don't belong to our Joseph, for one thing. I found what I believe is the correct probate file at American Ancestry.) Joseph died without a will and with a very small estate, burdened with debts. Perhaps in his old age taking "loans" from friends was a way to sustain himself. But he was rich in treasure laid up in heaven, because this is what his headstone says:
"Halt stranger as you go past
Remember time doth runeth fast
My dust in narou bounds do lye
Remember man that thou must dye
This dust revive it shalt again
And in a grave no more remain
When trumpet sounds I shall arise
And celebrat my God his praise"
(Transcribed by Kevin Avery on Find a Grave.) I've not seen this verse before and it speaks to me. Joseph was a man of his times, a not so stern Puritan as he looked forward to his resurrection.
So we know a little about Joseph, but not enough to really satisfy me. Why did he move so many times? Did he have a trade that was valued at each of his homes? Why did he fall on hard times? Did he participate in any of the military missions of his times? There is always more to learn!
The line of descent is
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Holbrook line: John Turner, our own iron man
Usually when I write a blog post, I have a birth date and a death date, even if those dates are approximate, and my job is to fill in the dash between those dates, telling a story about who the person was and what they did. For today's post, I have only the vaguest of ideas about dates, and I'm not sure whether I'm telling the story of one man, or of two. I am going to treat this as two men, with the understanding that I am fully open to corrections and additional information.
The first John Turner seems to have been born perhaps about 1600. He came to America by 1643, when his name was on an early petition for Lynn, Massachusetts. He was there in 1654, as an iron worker. In 1648, he was charged with stabbing his daughter in law, Sarah Turner, and was sentenced to be severely whipped. It is thought that this was the wife of his son Lawrence. He is also thought to have had a son John. There don't seem to be any further known records about John in Lynn. Speculation is that he had been an iron worker in England, perhaps at Hammersmith, and had come to Massachusetts specifically to work at the first iron works set up in the colony.
The next time we find John Turner, he is in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1654. This John Turner worked as a foreman at the forge in Taunton. He is believed to be the son of the John Turner at Lynn, but it's possible that this was the same man. If he was the son, then he followed in his father's trade, and likely moved up in the world, because by 1690 he was listed as the "clerke" at the iron works at Taunton, which was perhaps close to the role of manager, or maybe chief financial officer. It was a position of respect, anyway.
John at Taunton was a married man, with at least three daughters, Jane, Mary, and Margaret. It's thought that his wife's name was Jane, but records are lacking. (Taunton's early records were destroyed by fire).
The other things we know about John are that he was a surveyor in 1675 (the only town office he is known to have filled, although there were likely others), that he purchased a share or part of a share in the company, that he acquired some of the land purchased from the native Americans in 1672, and that he took an oath of fidelity, probably related to when William and Mary took the thrones in 1688. He's not found on the list of freemen, which means he likely was not a member of the church. He may have had a few animals but he wasn't a farmer in the traditional sense of the word. It would be a great help to review his will, but it seems to have gone missing, whether in the destruction of other town records or for some other reason, I don't know.
Taunton was only lightly affected by King Philip's war, with minor attacks on only two occasions. A couple of houses were burned and one man was killed. The town in general did not evacuate, so it seems likely that John would have served in one of the garrison houses, either as a ember of the militia or as a civilian pressed into duty.
John was working in 1690 but I've not located any further records of him. He was outside of the box for our family, not a pastor or a school teacher or a farmer. The work of the iron works was truly essential to the success of the colony, as the only other source of iron was from England itself, a long and costly way to procure it. So his work was important to the colony, and his life is important to us.
The line of descent is
John TUrner-Jane
Jane Turner-Richard Godfrey
Alice Godfrey-Peter Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Eliabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The first John Turner seems to have been born perhaps about 1600. He came to America by 1643, when his name was on an early petition for Lynn, Massachusetts. He was there in 1654, as an iron worker. In 1648, he was charged with stabbing his daughter in law, Sarah Turner, and was sentenced to be severely whipped. It is thought that this was the wife of his son Lawrence. He is also thought to have had a son John. There don't seem to be any further known records about John in Lynn. Speculation is that he had been an iron worker in England, perhaps at Hammersmith, and had come to Massachusetts specifically to work at the first iron works set up in the colony.
The next time we find John Turner, he is in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1654. This John Turner worked as a foreman at the forge in Taunton. He is believed to be the son of the John Turner at Lynn, but it's possible that this was the same man. If he was the son, then he followed in his father's trade, and likely moved up in the world, because by 1690 he was listed as the "clerke" at the iron works at Taunton, which was perhaps close to the role of manager, or maybe chief financial officer. It was a position of respect, anyway.
John at Taunton was a married man, with at least three daughters, Jane, Mary, and Margaret. It's thought that his wife's name was Jane, but records are lacking. (Taunton's early records were destroyed by fire).
The other things we know about John are that he was a surveyor in 1675 (the only town office he is known to have filled, although there were likely others), that he purchased a share or part of a share in the company, that he acquired some of the land purchased from the native Americans in 1672, and that he took an oath of fidelity, probably related to when William and Mary took the thrones in 1688. He's not found on the list of freemen, which means he likely was not a member of the church. He may have had a few animals but he wasn't a farmer in the traditional sense of the word. It would be a great help to review his will, but it seems to have gone missing, whether in the destruction of other town records or for some other reason, I don't know.
Taunton was only lightly affected by King Philip's war, with minor attacks on only two occasions. A couple of houses were burned and one man was killed. The town in general did not evacuate, so it seems likely that John would have served in one of the garrison houses, either as a ember of the militia or as a civilian pressed into duty.
John was working in 1690 but I've not located any further records of him. He was outside of the box for our family, not a pastor or a school teacher or a farmer. The work of the iron works was truly essential to the success of the colony, as the only other source of iron was from England itself, a long and costly way to procure it. So his work was important to the colony, and his life is important to us.
The line of descent is
John TUrner-Jane
Jane Turner-Richard Godfrey
Alice Godfrey-Peter Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Eliabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, April 3, 2020
Holbrook line: John Stevens 1637-1691
As is often the case, there's much I don't know about John Stevens. But we do have a few facts that will help us place him in a time and a location, with family around him and work to be done. So although it's a very faint and not detailed picture of his life, at least it's something.
John was born September 10, 1637 in Boston, Massachusetts, when Boston was just a few years away from being total wilderness. So by definition, at least in his early years, he would have seen native Americans on the streets of his town, and he was most likely a Puritan. His parents were Henry and Alice (maiden name unknown) Stevens. An account of his father in "The Great Migration" indicates that his father was a mason and was likely a servant from at least 1635 to 1640, when his master left permanently for England. Henry was one of those who were able to live above the subsistence level that was the lot of many servants, and he had died with a decent estate.
John, however, was another story. We don't know for sure why or how he ended up in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, which was probably at the time about 40 miles north and west of Boston. But it was in Chelmsford that he married Elizabeth Hildreth, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (possibly Hinchman) Hildreth. I can't make a guess as to what his occupation was, other than farmer, based on his inventory. He and Elizabeth had at least five children in Chelmsford.
He is referred to as "Ensign" but we don't know when or how he acquired that title. He would have been the right age to have served in King Philip's War but I didn't find anyone I could positively identify with our John Stevens then. There was one John Stevens in that war, who had either lost an arm, or had it badly damaged, in the conflict. But it seems that he was likely of a different community than our John. Like most towns, there is little reference to the war or its aftermath in the town records, but John did sign a petition in 1676 asking for lower taxes because the town had suffered so grievously in the war. We know that Chelmsford did suffer at least one raid but it's not clear whether the town was then abandoned, or whether the people simply lived in garrisons.
John was made a freeman, meaning he had property, could join the church if he hadn't already, and could now vote, on May 3, 1665, shortly after his December 15, 1664 marriage to Elizabeth. So he had some status in the community. His farm was located about two miles west of the meeting house, at the foot of "Francis" hill. Five generations of the family lived there after John, so likely the family watched and perhaps participated in the Revolutionary War from this home.
From a couple of tax lists I reviewed, it looks like John was neither well off nor dirt poor. His "rates" or taxes, were maybe a tad below the average charge, but were not at the lowest amount, by any means. He doesn't seem to have been elected to town office, which again indicates that he didn't have much status in the town. Still, he was a freeman, and not everyone achieved that distinction
John died April 6, 1691 in Chelmsford. If he left a will, I've not been able to locate it. I did find his inventory, which looks like that of many farmers-animals and tools, some household goods, several properties, arms and ammunition. Since he wasn't yet 60 years old, he was probably still a member of the training band, which explains the arms. The estate was valued at a little over 195 pounds, significantly less than the amost 500 pounds his stone mason father had left when he died less than a year earlier.
That's what we know of John. He seems to have stayed out of trouble and out of the public limelight, while taking care of his family and serving his colony. He didn't get rich along the way, but he probably never let his family go hungry. He deserves to have a few paragraphs written about him, all these years later.
The line of descent is
John Stevens-Elizabeth Hildreth
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John was born September 10, 1637 in Boston, Massachusetts, when Boston was just a few years away from being total wilderness. So by definition, at least in his early years, he would have seen native Americans on the streets of his town, and he was most likely a Puritan. His parents were Henry and Alice (maiden name unknown) Stevens. An account of his father in "The Great Migration" indicates that his father was a mason and was likely a servant from at least 1635 to 1640, when his master left permanently for England. Henry was one of those who were able to live above the subsistence level that was the lot of many servants, and he had died with a decent estate.
John, however, was another story. We don't know for sure why or how he ended up in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, which was probably at the time about 40 miles north and west of Boston. But it was in Chelmsford that he married Elizabeth Hildreth, daughter of Richard and Elizabeth (possibly Hinchman) Hildreth. I can't make a guess as to what his occupation was, other than farmer, based on his inventory. He and Elizabeth had at least five children in Chelmsford.
He is referred to as "Ensign" but we don't know when or how he acquired that title. He would have been the right age to have served in King Philip's War but I didn't find anyone I could positively identify with our John Stevens then. There was one John Stevens in that war, who had either lost an arm, or had it badly damaged, in the conflict. But it seems that he was likely of a different community than our John. Like most towns, there is little reference to the war or its aftermath in the town records, but John did sign a petition in 1676 asking for lower taxes because the town had suffered so grievously in the war. We know that Chelmsford did suffer at least one raid but it's not clear whether the town was then abandoned, or whether the people simply lived in garrisons.
John was made a freeman, meaning he had property, could join the church if he hadn't already, and could now vote, on May 3, 1665, shortly after his December 15, 1664 marriage to Elizabeth. So he had some status in the community. His farm was located about two miles west of the meeting house, at the foot of "Francis" hill. Five generations of the family lived there after John, so likely the family watched and perhaps participated in the Revolutionary War from this home.
From a couple of tax lists I reviewed, it looks like John was neither well off nor dirt poor. His "rates" or taxes, were maybe a tad below the average charge, but were not at the lowest amount, by any means. He doesn't seem to have been elected to town office, which again indicates that he didn't have much status in the town. Still, he was a freeman, and not everyone achieved that distinction
John died April 6, 1691 in Chelmsford. If he left a will, I've not been able to locate it. I did find his inventory, which looks like that of many farmers-animals and tools, some household goods, several properties, arms and ammunition. Since he wasn't yet 60 years old, he was probably still a member of the training band, which explains the arms. The estate was valued at a little over 195 pounds, significantly less than the amost 500 pounds his stone mason father had left when he died less than a year earlier.
That's what we know of John. He seems to have stayed out of trouble and out of the public limelight, while taking care of his family and serving his colony. He didn't get rich along the way, but he probably never let his family go hungry. He deserves to have a few paragraphs written about him, all these years later.
The line of descent is
John Stevens-Elizabeth Hildreth
Joseph Stevens-Elizabeth Tidd
Elizabeth Stevens-William Snow
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Holbrook line: John Whittemore 1685-1748
What fun! Most of our ancestors were good folks, either farmers or pastors, and sometimes it's hard to find something new to say about their lives. But every once in a while, someone steps out of the box and does something entirely different, and perhaps is entirely different, from our norm. John Whittemore just may be one of those men.
John Whittemore was born February 23, 1685 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the son of John and Elizabeth Annable Whittemore, and he's one in a succession of four men named John Whittemore, each of whom is our ancestor. Confusion reigns, but I think I have this man figured out.
At some point in his life, John left Charlestown and settled in Boston. He married Elizabeth Lloyd, the daughter of Edward and Hannah Griffin Lloyd. The Lloyds were a Charleston family who had moved to Boston also. I'm wondering if John was maybe an apprentice or some sort of shipworker there, because the marriage took place in Boston. John and Elizabeth had at least five children together, including our John born 1714.
I'm still trying to pull together John's story as far as his adult life goes. I know that he was a mariner and a retailer, perhaps not at the same time or perhaps at the same time. His father in law had died with a good supply of "rhum" and spirits, and John may have inherited or purchased that, as he also sold strong spirits. So, basically he ran a tavern or a liquor store. He must have been somewhat successful because he built a new home in 1733, We know that because he was granted liberty to dig a frain from his new house, which was apparently on Sheaf St. It looks like this would have been just blocks from what we know as the Old North Church, in the north end of Boston. It was also near Copp's Hill Burying Ground
, which is where he was buried.
Elizabeth died August 13, 1746 and John died April 21, 1748, In his will, he left 100 pounds to his oldest son, John and 150 pounds (old tenor, not the new fangled money the colony had printed) to son Edward. He also left each of them 1/4 of his "moveable estate". Three grandsons, including another of our Johns, were to share 100 pounds. To Elizabeth, his daughter, he left his house and land, and all his liquors. One can speculate that the two sons were set up in life already but that Elizabeth would need some source of income. I wonder what the city fathers thought of that.
The only reference I found to a possible religion for John was that his son John was baptized at "Second Church", which is now known as Old North Church. Increase Mather was the pastor at the time. There doesn't seem to be any record of the other children's baptism. Perhaps John was away so much that he wasn't often there to see that the children were baptized, or perhaps Elizabeth had enough to do to take care of her family.
I would love to find his inventory, to learn whether he was well to do or not. I'd also love to learn more about his story as a mariner, and I do have a few new sources to look at for that. If I find anything interesting, I'll do an update. And of course, I'm wondering how involved he was in the slave trade, and whether he had one or more slaves. That would be more than possible if he was importing rum, also. But for now, we at least have a sense that John lived in one of the (to me) most interesting places in the world, and had a fascinating career. That's pretty cool.
The line of descent is:
John Whittemore-Elizabeth Lloyd
John Whittemore-Lydia Clough
Josiah Whittemore-Lucy Snow
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore=Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Whittemore was born February 23, 1685 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, the son of John and Elizabeth Annable Whittemore, and he's one in a succession of four men named John Whittemore, each of whom is our ancestor. Confusion reigns, but I think I have this man figured out.
At some point in his life, John left Charlestown and settled in Boston. He married Elizabeth Lloyd, the daughter of Edward and Hannah Griffin Lloyd. The Lloyds were a Charleston family who had moved to Boston also. I'm wondering if John was maybe an apprentice or some sort of shipworker there, because the marriage took place in Boston. John and Elizabeth had at least five children together, including our John born 1714.
I'm still trying to pull together John's story as far as his adult life goes. I know that he was a mariner and a retailer, perhaps not at the same time or perhaps at the same time. His father in law had died with a good supply of "rhum" and spirits, and John may have inherited or purchased that, as he also sold strong spirits. So, basically he ran a tavern or a liquor store. He must have been somewhat successful because he built a new home in 1733, We know that because he was granted liberty to dig a frain from his new house, which was apparently on Sheaf St. It looks like this would have been just blocks from what we know as the Old North Church, in the north end of Boston. It was also near Copp's Hill Burying Ground
, which is where he was buried.
Elizabeth died August 13, 1746 and John died April 21, 1748, In his will, he left 100 pounds to his oldest son, John and 150 pounds (old tenor, not the new fangled money the colony had printed) to son Edward. He also left each of them 1/4 of his "moveable estate". Three grandsons, including another of our Johns, were to share 100 pounds. To Elizabeth, his daughter, he left his house and land, and all his liquors. One can speculate that the two sons were set up in life already but that Elizabeth would need some source of income. I wonder what the city fathers thought of that.
The only reference I found to a possible religion for John was that his son John was baptized at "Second Church", which is now known as Old North Church. Increase Mather was the pastor at the time. There doesn't seem to be any record of the other children's baptism. Perhaps John was away so much that he wasn't often there to see that the children were baptized, or perhaps Elizabeth had enough to do to take care of her family.
I would love to find his inventory, to learn whether he was well to do or not. I'd also love to learn more about his story as a mariner, and I do have a few new sources to look at for that. If I find anything interesting, I'll do an update. And of course, I'm wondering how involved he was in the slave trade, and whether he had one or more slaves. That would be more than possible if he was importing rum, also. But for now, we at least have a sense that John lived in one of the (to me) most interesting places in the world, and had a fascinating career. That's pretty cool.
The line of descent is:
John Whittemore-Elizabeth Lloyd
John Whittemore-Lydia Clough
Josiah Whittemore-Lucy Snow
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore=Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, March 27, 2020
Holbrook line: Benjamin Wheelock 1678-1746
Earlier this week I wrote about Jonathan Thayer, of whom I could find little or nothing. Now I'm writing about his son in law, Benjamin Wheelock, who lived in the same small town, and I've found a ton of information about him. His father, also Benjamin Wheelock, was a founder of the town of Mendon, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was respected in the town. This Benjamin also was respected, sometimes being given the title of "Mr." in the town records, and his son Benjamin, who is not our direct ancestor, carried on the family tradition.
This Benjamin was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bullen Wheelock and a grandson of Ralph Wheelock, the immigrant. He was born December 12, 1768 and was one of at least five children. He came to Mendon as a young boy and lived his whole life in this frontier village.
On December 9, 1700 he married his step sister, Huldah Thayer, who was the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth French Thayer (Elizabeth had married Benjamin's father, after they were both widowed). Since it's reasonable to suppose that the two knew each other well, we can assume this marriage was a happy one. They had at least eight children together, and the family, or at least Benjamin, seems to have prospered.
In The Annals of the Town of Mendon, it is often hard to differentiate between the three (at least) Benjamin Wheelocks. But in 1707 ours is identified as Benjamin Wheelock Jr., as a selectman, so we are willing to consider the possibility that some of the remaining references to Benjamin between then and 1716, when his father died, could be our Benjamin.
In 1705, Benjamin Wheelock and his successors were granted use of the "mill pond" for as long as they kept in in repair and serviceable for the town's use. The mill pond was used as a reservoir with water released as necessary to run the mill. I don't know if this signifies that the mill was run by the Wheelocks, or whether there is something else significant about this. If someone knows, please let me know!
I didn't find anything specific about Benjamin in the military, but it seems likely he was in the training band, if nothing else. I did find that he was appointed to a committee to oversee the building of the town meeting house in 1720. It was to be 50 ft long, 45 ft wide, 20 ft high, and to be a "studded house", as differentiated from a log cabin, I suppose. He also was appointed to a committee to sell the "pew rooms" in 1737. I'm not clear on the meaning of this, either.
He was the recipient of several grants of land that the town made, and two of the three times I noted he drew a low number, so he chose some of the best of the land that was being divided. In another grant, he drew lot 122, so this was probably mediocre at best.
Benjamin was a selectman several times, starting in 1707 and probably ending in 1739, when he was also chosen to be the representative to the general court in Boston. He refused to serve, but it's not stated why he chose to stay home. He was already 61 years of age, and may have not felt up to the task. Just as likely, Huldah died July 7 of that year and he probably wanted to stay home, to care for her and watch after the family.
Benjamin remarried on August 21, 1740, to Rebecca Nurse Kinney. (No, I haven't checked to see if she was connected to the Nurses of Salem). He died 6 years later, on September 13, 1746. His will is quite extensive. He left twenty pounds each to the daughters of his deceased daughter, Mary Thayer, and some personal belongings beside. His will specifies that all bequests are to be in the "old tenor", which is a reference to a fairly recent change in currency. He wanted them to be given the money as he had known it all his life, and that carried more value than the more recent currency.
I was also fortunate enough to locate his inventory. It is quite specific, including the value of items devised in the will. His inventory was valued at over 1120 pounds, again in the "old tenor". I think we would classify him as"well to do", if not wealthy. Benjamin Wheelock was a family man, a civil servant, a member of the church, and a leader in the community. We can be proud of him!
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
This Benjamin was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bullen Wheelock and a grandson of Ralph Wheelock, the immigrant. He was born December 12, 1768 and was one of at least five children. He came to Mendon as a young boy and lived his whole life in this frontier village.
On December 9, 1700 he married his step sister, Huldah Thayer, who was the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth French Thayer (Elizabeth had married Benjamin's father, after they were both widowed). Since it's reasonable to suppose that the two knew each other well, we can assume this marriage was a happy one. They had at least eight children together, and the family, or at least Benjamin, seems to have prospered.
In The Annals of the Town of Mendon, it is often hard to differentiate between the three (at least) Benjamin Wheelocks. But in 1707 ours is identified as Benjamin Wheelock Jr., as a selectman, so we are willing to consider the possibility that some of the remaining references to Benjamin between then and 1716, when his father died, could be our Benjamin.
In 1705, Benjamin Wheelock and his successors were granted use of the "mill pond" for as long as they kept in in repair and serviceable for the town's use. The mill pond was used as a reservoir with water released as necessary to run the mill. I don't know if this signifies that the mill was run by the Wheelocks, or whether there is something else significant about this. If someone knows, please let me know!
I didn't find anything specific about Benjamin in the military, but it seems likely he was in the training band, if nothing else. I did find that he was appointed to a committee to oversee the building of the town meeting house in 1720. It was to be 50 ft long, 45 ft wide, 20 ft high, and to be a "studded house", as differentiated from a log cabin, I suppose. He also was appointed to a committee to sell the "pew rooms" in 1737. I'm not clear on the meaning of this, either.
He was the recipient of several grants of land that the town made, and two of the three times I noted he drew a low number, so he chose some of the best of the land that was being divided. In another grant, he drew lot 122, so this was probably mediocre at best.
Benjamin was a selectman several times, starting in 1707 and probably ending in 1739, when he was also chosen to be the representative to the general court in Boston. He refused to serve, but it's not stated why he chose to stay home. He was already 61 years of age, and may have not felt up to the task. Just as likely, Huldah died July 7 of that year and he probably wanted to stay home, to care for her and watch after the family.
Benjamin remarried on August 21, 1740, to Rebecca Nurse Kinney. (No, I haven't checked to see if she was connected to the Nurses of Salem). He died 6 years later, on September 13, 1746. His will is quite extensive. He left twenty pounds each to the daughters of his deceased daughter, Mary Thayer, and some personal belongings beside. His will specifies that all bequests are to be in the "old tenor", which is a reference to a fairly recent change in currency. He wanted them to be given the money as he had known it all his life, and that carried more value than the more recent currency.
I was also fortunate enough to locate his inventory. It is quite specific, including the value of items devised in the will. His inventory was valued at over 1120 pounds, again in the "old tenor". I think we would classify him as"well to do", if not wealthy. Benjamin Wheelock was a family man, a civil servant, a member of the church, and a leader in the community. We can be proud of him!
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Holbrook line: Jonathan Thayer 1658-1690
A life cut short...Jonathan Thayer was one of the several children of Fernando or Ferdinando and Huldah Hayward Thayer. He was born January 1, 1658 and he died sometime in 1690. He lived just 32 years. That is probably why I can find so little information about him.
He married Elizabeth French, daughter of John and Freedom French, on June 22, 1679, and that is where he and Elizabeth raised their family. Four children, Huldah, Grace, Deborah and Jonathan, were born to the couple, and our Jonathan also had an illegitimate child with Sarah Darling, Hezekiah Thayer, who died young. (This last was born in 1687). It would be interesting to find the court records for that situation. Jonathan probably had to pay some kind of support for the young child, and Sarah could very well have been jailed and whipped.
That is as much as I can tell you, and honestly, I don't have a source for the Hezekiah story. It's on Find a Grave, so take it for whatever it's worth.
Now, I'm going to speculate for a couple of sentences. Huldah, Jonathan's mother, died in 1690. 1690 was a horrible year for smallpox in the Boston area (Mendon was near enough for this purpose to be counted as Boston.) Did both of them die of smallpox? Jonathan apparently died before September 14, 1690 (date of inventory) and his mother died in September, Had one of them been caring for the other?
We can't tell much about Jonathan from the inventory, which was taken September 14, 1690. The inventory included 10 acres of land, a dwelling and out (housing, laying, not sure what it says), two cows, three yearlings, and one calf, ten swine, 2 horses, a cart, arms and ammunition, a debt from his father, and a few household goods such as beds and a chest. It's a pretty meager inventory.
Elizabeth went on to marry Benjamin Wheelock in 1692, and her daughter Huldah, our ancestor, married his son Benjamin, also our ancestor. It's nice to think that something good happened out of these tragedies.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook=Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
He married Elizabeth French, daughter of John and Freedom French, on June 22, 1679, and that is where he and Elizabeth raised their family. Four children, Huldah, Grace, Deborah and Jonathan, were born to the couple, and our Jonathan also had an illegitimate child with Sarah Darling, Hezekiah Thayer, who died young. (This last was born in 1687). It would be interesting to find the court records for that situation. Jonathan probably had to pay some kind of support for the young child, and Sarah could very well have been jailed and whipped.
That is as much as I can tell you, and honestly, I don't have a source for the Hezekiah story. It's on Find a Grave, so take it for whatever it's worth.
Now, I'm going to speculate for a couple of sentences. Huldah, Jonathan's mother, died in 1690. 1690 was a horrible year for smallpox in the Boston area (Mendon was near enough for this purpose to be counted as Boston.) Did both of them die of smallpox? Jonathan apparently died before September 14, 1690 (date of inventory) and his mother died in September, Had one of them been caring for the other?
We can't tell much about Jonathan from the inventory, which was taken September 14, 1690. The inventory included 10 acres of land, a dwelling and out (housing, laying, not sure what it says), two cows, three yearlings, and one calf, ten swine, 2 horses, a cart, arms and ammunition, a debt from his father, and a few household goods such as beds and a chest. It's a pretty meager inventory.
Elizabeth went on to marry Benjamin Wheelock in 1692, and her daughter Huldah, our ancestor, married his son Benjamin, also our ancestor. It's nice to think that something good happened out of these tragedies.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook=Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Friday, March 13, 2020
Holbrook line: Elisha Eddy 1710-1764
We come from a long line in the Eddy family. Starting with Susan Eddy, we can trace back all the way to a John Eddy born in 1435, if printed information is correct. However, for this post, we are interested in Elisha Eddy, who lived from 1710-1764 in Rhode Island.
Elisha was the son of Zechariah (or Zachariah, or Zachary) and Anphillis Smith Eddy. He was born in what was then Providence Plantation, Rhode Island. Later Gloucester broke off from Providence, a peaceful event, and later still the town changed its name to Glocester, to avoid confusion with Gloucester, Massachusetts. Elisha was born November 10, 1710 and he was one of at least four children. Zechariah must have had some influence in the town because he was appointed town sergeant at its formation in 1731.
Elisha, however, stayed pretty much under the radar. We know he married Sarah Phetteplace, daughter of Walter and Joanna Mowry Phetteplace, on December 2, 1734 in Gloucester. His father gave him 100 acres of land shortly before his death in 1737, and Elisha stayed there for several years, until he sold the land to his brother, Joseph, and purchased 200 acres from Richard Sayles. (He left half of this land to his oldest son Enos in his will in 1764.)
Elisha and Sarah had at least four children, which was not a large family for the period, and for having been married nearly 27 years when Elisha died. He describes himself in his will as a yeoman, and Enos as a husbandman, meaning both farmed land, but Elisha owned land and Enos was a tenant farmer at the time.
His name is found on one Inman will as an executor, and as a witness on several deeds, but other than that he is not noted in town records that I'm aware of. He would have served in the militia but we don't know whether, for instance, he was part of the French and Indian War, or any of the earlier wars that preceded it. We don't know his religion, although based on the religion of others in the area he was likely "some kind" of Baptist.
In his will, he set out an area 6 poles square (about 300 feet by 300 feet) for a burial location, where his father was already buried. It seems to be listed as a historical cemetery, GL149, which has not been recorded but seems to be at or near the location of Elisha's home.
Elisha died January 27, 1764. Sarah was an executor of his will, and she lived until December 2, 1794. (She saw the American Revolution. Did she participate in some way, as in providing goods or services?) Whether or not Elisha served in some capacity in the town, whether or not he served in the militia, and whether or not he was a Baptist or other religious persuasion, are really immaterial to this one fact: He was our ancestor, and he helped give life to the next generation.
The line of descent is:
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Elisha was the son of Zechariah (or Zachariah, or Zachary) and Anphillis Smith Eddy. He was born in what was then Providence Plantation, Rhode Island. Later Gloucester broke off from Providence, a peaceful event, and later still the town changed its name to Glocester, to avoid confusion with Gloucester, Massachusetts. Elisha was born November 10, 1710 and he was one of at least four children. Zechariah must have had some influence in the town because he was appointed town sergeant at its formation in 1731.
Elisha, however, stayed pretty much under the radar. We know he married Sarah Phetteplace, daughter of Walter and Joanna Mowry Phetteplace, on December 2, 1734 in Gloucester. His father gave him 100 acres of land shortly before his death in 1737, and Elisha stayed there for several years, until he sold the land to his brother, Joseph, and purchased 200 acres from Richard Sayles. (He left half of this land to his oldest son Enos in his will in 1764.)
Elisha and Sarah had at least four children, which was not a large family for the period, and for having been married nearly 27 years when Elisha died. He describes himself in his will as a yeoman, and Enos as a husbandman, meaning both farmed land, but Elisha owned land and Enos was a tenant farmer at the time.
His name is found on one Inman will as an executor, and as a witness on several deeds, but other than that he is not noted in town records that I'm aware of. He would have served in the militia but we don't know whether, for instance, he was part of the French and Indian War, or any of the earlier wars that preceded it. We don't know his religion, although based on the religion of others in the area he was likely "some kind" of Baptist.
In his will, he set out an area 6 poles square (about 300 feet by 300 feet) for a burial location, where his father was already buried. It seems to be listed as a historical cemetery, GL149, which has not been recorded but seems to be at or near the location of Elisha's home.
Elisha died January 27, 1764. Sarah was an executor of his will, and she lived until December 2, 1794. (She saw the American Revolution. Did she participate in some way, as in providing goods or services?) Whether or not Elisha served in some capacity in the town, whether or not he served in the militia, and whether or not he was a Baptist or other religious persuasion, are really immaterial to this one fact: He was our ancestor, and he helped give life to the next generation.
The line of descent is:
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Holbrook line: Peter Holbrook 1656-1712
Peter Holbrook has been a favorite of mine, ever since several years ago, when I read the will of his grandfather, Thomas, who died in 1677. Peter was just about 21 at the time. Thomas's will states that because Peter took care of him and of his wife in their old age, he was leaving his dwelling house, orchard, and arable land in Weymouth to Peter. I don't know many young men who would care for their grandparents for such a long time, so I am already favorably impressed with this ancestor.
But let's back up and start at the beginning. Peter was the son of Thomas and Joanna Kingman Holbrook on September 6, 1656 by the dating method most sites are using. Peter was of the first generation born in New England, in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father was about ten years old when he came to America with his father, so Peter may or may not have heard many stories about life in the home country. He was raised a Puritan, so he knew how to read and write, and he'd learned enough about how to run a farm to take care of his grandparents; land. He was probably a bright and hard working young man.
We don't know what he looked like, but he had enough going for him to capture the heart of Alice Godfrey, daughter of Richard and Jane Turner Godfrey. Peter and Alice were married about
1677, apparently in Mendon. It's hard to know the exact timeline because Peter was caring for his grandparents until March (grandfather) or April (grandmother's date of death, of 1677.
His responsibilities in caring for his grandparents probably explains why I don't find his name listed as a soldier in King Philip's War. He had more immediate duties. The town the young couple went to, Mendon, was totally burned by the Indians during the War, so it's just as well that the couple wasn't there yet. They apparently did move to town soon after the war, though Peter's name starts showing up in town records at least by 1685, when he is charged a high "rate" of one pound and five shillings to support Mr. Rawson, the town pastor, for sixx months. Only a handful of men had a rate higher than Peter's.
While Peter and Alice were raising a large family of at least eleven children, Peter was making his way in the world. I'm not sure just when, but at some point he went from being "Peter Holbrook" to being "Deacon Peter Holbrook". He was a commissioner in 1685 and was a selectman several times over the next 25 years. He was appointed to a committee to "run the lines" between Mendon and Sherburn in 1699, which may have required some diplomatic skill.
In 1694, Peter received a 7 year lease to the "training field", with the stipulation that he was to clear the field of "bushes" and have it ready for pasture. Apparently the men were no longer using the training field, although I can't think that they were no longer training. There were small wars in progress and Mendon, while no longer quite as exposed as it had been, would still have been aware of such things. Military organization did not often make it into the town history books, so we are left to wonder about the training and military service of the town's men.
Peter died May 3, 1712. Alice had died earlier, in 1705, and Peter married Elizabeth Shaw two years later. His will makes generous provisions for her care, gives a double share to eldest son John, and leaves bequests to his younger children who had not yet received their land. The three older sons had received lands by deed prior to Peter's final illness. His inventory was valued at over 278 pounds, including real estate. He had a few farm animals, furniture, bookx, and hand tools but there was nothing in the inventory to make me think he was especially prosperous, or at least not much of a spender. Most of his wealth was in his land, and in his family.
I'm proud of Peter. He was a good grandson, a deacon in the church, a respected man in his community and a good father. No wonder Elizabeth Shaw was willing to marry him!
Our line of descent is
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook=Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Fun fact: Peter Holbrook was the ancestor of William Howard Taft, President of the US, Barbara Bush, and George W Bush, another President.
But let's back up and start at the beginning. Peter was the son of Thomas and Joanna Kingman Holbrook on September 6, 1656 by the dating method most sites are using. Peter was of the first generation born in New England, in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father was about ten years old when he came to America with his father, so Peter may or may not have heard many stories about life in the home country. He was raised a Puritan, so he knew how to read and write, and he'd learned enough about how to run a farm to take care of his grandparents; land. He was probably a bright and hard working young man.
We don't know what he looked like, but he had enough going for him to capture the heart of Alice Godfrey, daughter of Richard and Jane Turner Godfrey. Peter and Alice were married about
1677, apparently in Mendon. It's hard to know the exact timeline because Peter was caring for his grandparents until March (grandfather) or April (grandmother's date of death, of 1677.
His responsibilities in caring for his grandparents probably explains why I don't find his name listed as a soldier in King Philip's War. He had more immediate duties. The town the young couple went to, Mendon, was totally burned by the Indians during the War, so it's just as well that the couple wasn't there yet. They apparently did move to town soon after the war, though Peter's name starts showing up in town records at least by 1685, when he is charged a high "rate" of one pound and five shillings to support Mr. Rawson, the town pastor, for sixx months. Only a handful of men had a rate higher than Peter's.
While Peter and Alice were raising a large family of at least eleven children, Peter was making his way in the world. I'm not sure just when, but at some point he went from being "Peter Holbrook" to being "Deacon Peter Holbrook". He was a commissioner in 1685 and was a selectman several times over the next 25 years. He was appointed to a committee to "run the lines" between Mendon and Sherburn in 1699, which may have required some diplomatic skill.
In 1694, Peter received a 7 year lease to the "training field", with the stipulation that he was to clear the field of "bushes" and have it ready for pasture. Apparently the men were no longer using the training field, although I can't think that they were no longer training. There were small wars in progress and Mendon, while no longer quite as exposed as it had been, would still have been aware of such things. Military organization did not often make it into the town history books, so we are left to wonder about the training and military service of the town's men.
Peter died May 3, 1712. Alice had died earlier, in 1705, and Peter married Elizabeth Shaw two years later. His will makes generous provisions for her care, gives a double share to eldest son John, and leaves bequests to his younger children who had not yet received their land. The three older sons had received lands by deed prior to Peter's final illness. His inventory was valued at over 278 pounds, including real estate. He had a few farm animals, furniture, bookx, and hand tools but there was nothing in the inventory to make me think he was especially prosperous, or at least not much of a spender. Most of his wealth was in his land, and in his family.
I'm proud of Peter. He was a good grandson, a deacon in the church, a respected man in his community and a good father. No wonder Elizabeth Shaw was willing to marry him!
Our line of descent is
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook=Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Fun fact: Peter Holbrook was the ancestor of William Howard Taft, President of the US, Barbara Bush, and George W Bush, another President.
Friday, February 21, 2020
Holbrook line: Nathaniel Hawes 1660-1714
As I started this post, I had very little information about Nathaniel Hawes beyoun the basics. He is like many other second generation ancestors. The immigrants themselves may have quite a bit of information available about them, but these second generation folks are not so easily traceable. Well, we know who their parents are and usually vital records, but not much more than that. Such is the case with our Nathaniel.
He was born August 14, 1660 at Dedgam in Suffolk COunty, Massachusetts, and he died there October 18. 1714. His parents were Edward and Eleanor or Eliony Lombaard Hawes, and they were the immigrants. Nathaniel was one of at least nine children, so he had a lot of siblings. the Hawes family was probably in the lower half of Dedham residents, as far as economics go, so Nathaniel was probably let out at a young age to learn a trade. That trade eluded me until I saw his inventory. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We don't know how or whether Nathaniel was involved in King Philip's War. He wasn't 15 yet when the war broke out, and by the time he turned 16, the war was winding down. We do know that Dedham was a gathering place for militia, and that quite a few men from Dedham were at the "Great Swamp Fight", but it is likely that Nathaniel stayed home to help protect this family.
At the age of 27, Nathaniel married Sarah Newell, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Curtis Newell, on March 29, 1688. Sarah was 22 at the time, so they would likely have been considered mature enough to marry and perhaps to set up their own household. Nathaniel and Sarah had eight children, and there was another daughter who apparently did not survive infancy. Of the eight, only one was a son, Nathaniel Jr., who was born in 1701, when there were already five girls. (Nathaniel Jr must have been one spoiled child, wouldn't you think?) Two more sisters were born after Nathaniel, to complete the family.
That's what we know of Nathaniel. We can draw some inferences that he was somewhat respected, because several of his daughters married into families that were important in Dedham history (Puffer, Bacon, Aldis). Nathaniel died October 14, 1714, when he was 54 years old.
And then, there's the inventory. It included two parcels on land, farm animals, wearing apparel, woodenware (a clue that the family was not weathy), books worth one pound (so he was literate), and, interesting to me, cooper's tools. So he built barrels or other wooden containers for liquids, most likely, to help increase the family income. This was a skill that he must have learned somewhere, perhaps as a young man when he may have been an apprentice or at least a laborer in someone's shop. Nathaniel left most of his estate to his wife, with the stipulation that when Nathaniel Jr. reached the age of 21 he would receive a double share, and the estate was to be given to his children when Sarah died or remarried.
Sarah did remarry, to Deacon Samuel Rocket or Rockwood) and she presented another inventory when the estate was closed out in 1720. I'm not sure whether the daughters had received their shares by then or not. The youngest daughter would have been just 13.
I'm glad to know that Nathaniel had a trade as well as a farm, orchard, and dwelling. I'm glad to know he had some books. I wish I knew more about him. I didn't locate his name as any kind of town office holder, and that is a little bit curious given the families his daughters married into. I need to do more research on that. I like to imagine Nathaniel as a cooper, making barrels or buckets or pails. I can smell the wood now, and can imagine what equipment he might have had. I'd like to hear his story about King Philip's War, though.
The line of descent is
Nathaniel Hawes-Sarah Newell
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Maary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
He was born August 14, 1660 at Dedgam in Suffolk COunty, Massachusetts, and he died there October 18. 1714. His parents were Edward and Eleanor or Eliony Lombaard Hawes, and they were the immigrants. Nathaniel was one of at least nine children, so he had a lot of siblings. the Hawes family was probably in the lower half of Dedham residents, as far as economics go, so Nathaniel was probably let out at a young age to learn a trade. That trade eluded me until I saw his inventory. But I'm getting ahead of myself.
We don't know how or whether Nathaniel was involved in King Philip's War. He wasn't 15 yet when the war broke out, and by the time he turned 16, the war was winding down. We do know that Dedham was a gathering place for militia, and that quite a few men from Dedham were at the "Great Swamp Fight", but it is likely that Nathaniel stayed home to help protect this family.
At the age of 27, Nathaniel married Sarah Newell, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Curtis Newell, on March 29, 1688. Sarah was 22 at the time, so they would likely have been considered mature enough to marry and perhaps to set up their own household. Nathaniel and Sarah had eight children, and there was another daughter who apparently did not survive infancy. Of the eight, only one was a son, Nathaniel Jr., who was born in 1701, when there were already five girls. (Nathaniel Jr must have been one spoiled child, wouldn't you think?) Two more sisters were born after Nathaniel, to complete the family.
That's what we know of Nathaniel. We can draw some inferences that he was somewhat respected, because several of his daughters married into families that were important in Dedham history (Puffer, Bacon, Aldis). Nathaniel died October 14, 1714, when he was 54 years old.
And then, there's the inventory. It included two parcels on land, farm animals, wearing apparel, woodenware (a clue that the family was not weathy), books worth one pound (so he was literate), and, interesting to me, cooper's tools. So he built barrels or other wooden containers for liquids, most likely, to help increase the family income. This was a skill that he must have learned somewhere, perhaps as a young man when he may have been an apprentice or at least a laborer in someone's shop. Nathaniel left most of his estate to his wife, with the stipulation that when Nathaniel Jr. reached the age of 21 he would receive a double share, and the estate was to be given to his children when Sarah died or remarried.
Sarah did remarry, to Deacon Samuel Rocket or Rockwood) and she presented another inventory when the estate was closed out in 1720. I'm not sure whether the daughters had received their shares by then or not. The youngest daughter would have been just 13.
I'm glad to know that Nathaniel had a trade as well as a farm, orchard, and dwelling. I'm glad to know he had some books. I wish I knew more about him. I didn't locate his name as any kind of town office holder, and that is a little bit curious given the families his daughters married into. I need to do more research on that. I like to imagine Nathaniel as a cooper, making barrels or buckets or pails. I can smell the wood now, and can imagine what equipment he might have had. I'd like to hear his story about King Philip's War, though.
The line of descent is
Nathaniel Hawes-Sarah Newell
Elizabeth Hawes-Samuel Wilson
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Maary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Holbrook line: Benjamin Wheelock 1639-1716
Benjamin Wheelock, who may have been the first Wheelock born in the American colonies, certainly has stayed out of view of family historians. We have bits and pieces, enough to have a vague outline, but we don't know nearly as much about him as he know about his father.
His parents were Rev. Ralph and Rebecca Clarke Wheelock. Rev. Wheelock was a graduate of Clare College at Cambridge University, and Rev. Ralph came to America as a Puritan pastor. He is also recognized as the first public school teacher in America. So, poor Benjamin! His father was both a pastor and a schoolteacher; what chance did the poor kid have?
Benjamin had four older siblings and one younger sibling. He was born January 8, 1639/40 in Dedham, Massachusetts, where his parents had gone soon after arriving in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The family stayed there until Benjamin was about 11 years old and then they moved to Medfield, Massachusetts. Typically boys were put into some kind of a trade or on the job training program by the time they were 14. We don't know if this happened to Benjamin, or whether his father's more professional occupations might have allowed Benjamin to stay at home longer. Perhaps he was needed for the chores around home, as his father was busy preparing sermons and lessons and may not have paid much attention to other things that needed to be done.
Benjamin married Elizabeth Bullen, daughter of Samuel and Mary Morse Bullen, on May 21, 1668 in Medfield. He was a little older than typical for his generation, about 28, but Elizabeth was about 21, about typical for young women. Benjamin and Elizabeth stayed in Medfield, where he had a house built the year of their marriage. He acquired other land and became known as a "proprietor", which gave him certain rights in land divisions that not every resident had.
Benjamin and Elizabeth had at least five children, and at least four were born in Medfield. Sometime in 1685 or 1686, the family moved to Mendon, where Benjamin is listed as a founder. Here he was a tything man, a constable, and a selectman, so he was well regarded there. He purchased land from Matthias Puffer and undoubtedly hoped to live out his days in Mendon, along with his wife Elizabeth.
However, Elizabeth died in 1689, Benjamin may have married Elizabeth French, widow of Jonathan Thayer and daughter of John French, in about 1692. It is possible that he fathered two more children with her, although some think this is not correct. I guess I hope it is true, that he had children when he was well into middle age, because they would have kept him young, or at least helped care for him as he aged.
Benjamin died September 13, 1716 at Mendon. I've not found a will or inventory, which is disappointing. That might give us more insight into what Benjamin did for a living, and how well he was doing, financially. It might also tell us what land he owned, and whether he had a library of more than a Bible and a couple of religious books.
From what little we know, we know that he was respected in his community, that he raised a good family, and that he was at least as "religious" as his neighbors. Being chosen as a selectman was an honor, and it's an privilege to be able to claim him as an ancestor.
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Elizabeth Bullen
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Hobrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
His parents were Rev. Ralph and Rebecca Clarke Wheelock. Rev. Wheelock was a graduate of Clare College at Cambridge University, and Rev. Ralph came to America as a Puritan pastor. He is also recognized as the first public school teacher in America. So, poor Benjamin! His father was both a pastor and a schoolteacher; what chance did the poor kid have?
Benjamin had four older siblings and one younger sibling. He was born January 8, 1639/40 in Dedham, Massachusetts, where his parents had gone soon after arriving in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The family stayed there until Benjamin was about 11 years old and then they moved to Medfield, Massachusetts. Typically boys were put into some kind of a trade or on the job training program by the time they were 14. We don't know if this happened to Benjamin, or whether his father's more professional occupations might have allowed Benjamin to stay at home longer. Perhaps he was needed for the chores around home, as his father was busy preparing sermons and lessons and may not have paid much attention to other things that needed to be done.
Benjamin married Elizabeth Bullen, daughter of Samuel and Mary Morse Bullen, on May 21, 1668 in Medfield. He was a little older than typical for his generation, about 28, but Elizabeth was about 21, about typical for young women. Benjamin and Elizabeth stayed in Medfield, where he had a house built the year of their marriage. He acquired other land and became known as a "proprietor", which gave him certain rights in land divisions that not every resident had.
Benjamin and Elizabeth had at least five children, and at least four were born in Medfield. Sometime in 1685 or 1686, the family moved to Mendon, where Benjamin is listed as a founder. Here he was a tything man, a constable, and a selectman, so he was well regarded there. He purchased land from Matthias Puffer and undoubtedly hoped to live out his days in Mendon, along with his wife Elizabeth.
However, Elizabeth died in 1689, Benjamin may have married Elizabeth French, widow of Jonathan Thayer and daughter of John French, in about 1692. It is possible that he fathered two more children with her, although some think this is not correct. I guess I hope it is true, that he had children when he was well into middle age, because they would have kept him young, or at least helped care for him as he aged.
Benjamin died September 13, 1716 at Mendon. I've not found a will or inventory, which is disappointing. That might give us more insight into what Benjamin did for a living, and how well he was doing, financially. It might also tell us what land he owned, and whether he had a library of more than a Bible and a couple of religious books.
From what little we know, we know that he was respected in his community, that he raised a good family, and that he was at least as "religious" as his neighbors. Being chosen as a selectman was an honor, and it's an privilege to be able to claim him as an ancestor.
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Elizabeth Bullen
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Hobrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, January 10, 2020
Harshbarger line: William Cook of Whitley County
It's been a while since I've written about a Harshbarger family ancestor. I thought I'd written about all of the men, but here is William Cook who has not yet been acknowledged as part of the DNA of the Harshbargers. I really know very little about the man, considering that he has only been gone about 142 years, but he lived through interesting times, and left his home in Pennsylvania to come to Ohio and then on to Indiana during relatively early times. In each case, the best of the lands had been acquired by the earliest land speculators and settlers, but good land was still available and the prospects must have seemed bright.
William Cook was born August 8, 1817, probably in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Henry and Catherine Whetstone Cook, and was one of at least eight children of the couple. When William was quite small, probably about 4 years old, his family packed their goods and moved to Stark County, Ohio. Henry was a blacksmith in or near Canton, Ohio and also farmed. Henry ran into business difficulties and filed for bankruptcy about 1842, and was buying or leasing land in Whitley County, Indiana the following year. He may have planted crops, for he was a farmer, but he must have returned to Stark County where by 1850 he was listed as a blacksmith, with his home and land valued at $27,000. This was quite a turn around for a man who had been bankrupt just a few years earlier.
William lived in Marlboro Township, Stark County, in the 1850 census but he was not a man of means. His property was valued at $1200. William had married Elizabeth Brown, daughter of David and Barbara Brothers (also seen as Bruder) Brown on December 31, 1837 and by the 1850 there were three children, Sarah, Barbara, and Alfred. Also living in the household was "Barbara" Brown, age 66, who would be Elizabeth's mother. I have seen references to Elizabeth as Betsy, which somehow makes her seem a little less stern and more cheerful. I don't know that William ever used a nickname, though.
Sometime between 1850 and 1860 the Henry Cook household and the William Cook household all moved to Whitley County. There was already a Henry Cook in Whitley County in the 1850 census and he was of the right age to be Henry's son and William's brother, but he was too young to be the Henry Cook connected to the land deals earlier in the 1840s.
William and Betsy lived in Columbia City, Whitley County in 1860 and owned land valued at $300 with personal property valued at $80. It sounds like they were just getting started. By 1870, only Sarah, the oldest, was left at home, William was still farming, with property now valued at $1200. The 1880 census doesn't show a value but his son Alfred and his family is living there also. It is from this census that we learn that William and Betsy could both read, but they couldn't write. The deeds I have copies of show that they each signed with a mark.
One of the deeds is interesting. In it, he couple is selling (for $1) land to their daughter Barbara, who is now Barbara Withers. There is a lengthy description of the land, but what is interesting is that the deed was notarized by Thomas Marshall, who was later the Vice President of the United States. This deed was from 1878. Eight years earlier the Cooks had sold land to William Withers, who was their son in law. (Barbara Cook married William Withers in 1867).
William died April 3, 1888 and was buried at Bethel Cemetery, just outside Columbia City. He seems to have not left a will and I've not found estate papers, although there should be some. Elizabeth outlived him by 11 years and died before March 8. 1899. Sarah, their first daughter, apparently never married and died at the age of 83, single. She was a retired housekeeper.
This family seems to have been one of those families that stays out of sight for the most part. William may have voted, but he evidently did not take an active role in government. He and Betsy worked hard and helped their family survive, probably at a higher economic level than they attained. They may not have had riches, but they lived through the War with Mexico, the Civil War, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield, and they saw forests give way to factories and farms. Their times were fascinating and their lives were challenging.
The line of descent is:
William Cook-Elizabeth Brown
Barbara Cook-William A Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants
William Cook was born August 8, 1817, probably in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania. He was the son of Henry and Catherine Whetstone Cook, and was one of at least eight children of the couple. When William was quite small, probably about 4 years old, his family packed their goods and moved to Stark County, Ohio. Henry was a blacksmith in or near Canton, Ohio and also farmed. Henry ran into business difficulties and filed for bankruptcy about 1842, and was buying or leasing land in Whitley County, Indiana the following year. He may have planted crops, for he was a farmer, but he must have returned to Stark County where by 1850 he was listed as a blacksmith, with his home and land valued at $27,000. This was quite a turn around for a man who had been bankrupt just a few years earlier.
William lived in Marlboro Township, Stark County, in the 1850 census but he was not a man of means. His property was valued at $1200. William had married Elizabeth Brown, daughter of David and Barbara Brothers (also seen as Bruder) Brown on December 31, 1837 and by the 1850 there were three children, Sarah, Barbara, and Alfred. Also living in the household was "Barbara" Brown, age 66, who would be Elizabeth's mother. I have seen references to Elizabeth as Betsy, which somehow makes her seem a little less stern and more cheerful. I don't know that William ever used a nickname, though.
Sometime between 1850 and 1860 the Henry Cook household and the William Cook household all moved to Whitley County. There was already a Henry Cook in Whitley County in the 1850 census and he was of the right age to be Henry's son and William's brother, but he was too young to be the Henry Cook connected to the land deals earlier in the 1840s.
William and Betsy lived in Columbia City, Whitley County in 1860 and owned land valued at $300 with personal property valued at $80. It sounds like they were just getting started. By 1870, only Sarah, the oldest, was left at home, William was still farming, with property now valued at $1200. The 1880 census doesn't show a value but his son Alfred and his family is living there also. It is from this census that we learn that William and Betsy could both read, but they couldn't write. The deeds I have copies of show that they each signed with a mark.
One of the deeds is interesting. In it, he couple is selling (for $1) land to their daughter Barbara, who is now Barbara Withers. There is a lengthy description of the land, but what is interesting is that the deed was notarized by Thomas Marshall, who was later the Vice President of the United States. This deed was from 1878. Eight years earlier the Cooks had sold land to William Withers, who was their son in law. (Barbara Cook married William Withers in 1867).
William died April 3, 1888 and was buried at Bethel Cemetery, just outside Columbia City. He seems to have not left a will and I've not found estate papers, although there should be some. Elizabeth outlived him by 11 years and died before March 8. 1899. Sarah, their first daughter, apparently never married and died at the age of 83, single. She was a retired housekeeper.
This family seems to have been one of those families that stays out of sight for the most part. William may have voted, but he evidently did not take an active role in government. He and Betsy worked hard and helped their family survive, probably at a higher economic level than they attained. They may not have had riches, but they lived through the War with Mexico, the Civil War, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and James Garfield, and they saw forests give way to factories and farms. Their times were fascinating and their lives were challenging.
The line of descent is:
William Cook-Elizabeth Brown
Barbara Cook-William A Withers
William Withers-Della Kemery
Goldie Withers-Grover Harshbarger
Cleveland Harshbarger-Mary Beeks
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Holbrook line: Christopher Nation 1717-1799
I've hesitated for quite some time to write about Christopher Nation. The reason is not that I am not proud of him. The reason is that I am not sure of his wife's maiden name. So I'll get this out here early, in case someone wants to read only the first paragraph of this blog. Some sites say his wife was Elizabeth Sharpe, and some say his wife was Elizabeth Swaim. Some say he was married to both, but none give a date for a second marriage. At this point I lean toward our connection being the Swaim one, but I am more than willing to look at documentation for either marriage, or for both. I just want to know the truth.
But back to what we do know: Christopher Nation was born in 1717 in Upper Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey to John and Bethiah Robbins Nation. He was one of at least seven children born to the couple. They apparently traveled down through Virginia, with possibly a stop of several years there, before moving on to what was then Guilford County, North Carolina, where John and Bethiah both died.
Somewhere along the line, Christopher married Elizabeth, whatever her name was. Christopher was the father of at least nine children, including our ancestor, Joseph. Although we typically focus more on colonial history from the middle Atlantic and New England states, life was lively in North Carolina, too. During the French and Indian War, North Carolina had to protect the frontier against native American attacks. Christopher was a lieutenant in the militia and by 1766 was a captain. He is mentioned as being a part of the "Regulator" movement in the early 1770's, but this was more likely to have been his son, Christopher, born about 1744. At any rate, our Christopher suffered no ill effects from his son's rebellion.
He seems to have stayed out of the Revolutionary War, although by now he would have been in his middle fifties. He's not listed as a patriot on the DAR website, nor is he listed as a Tory in the list of men from Guilford County who were subject to having their estates confiscated for being a Tory (supporting the British against the Americans who were fighting for independence). Randolph County was formed from Guilford County in 1779, and his name is on the first tax list for that county, in 1779.
He was a planter and possibly a delegate to the state assembly, although this could have been the son Christopher, in 1789. At any rate, we can see that he raised his family well, to have American values. Although he was not a Quaker (note his military record), he seems to have associated with Quaker families, perhaps tracing back to his time in Frederick County, Virginia or even further back to his time in New Jersey. I haven't yet found church records for him, nor have I found a burial location.
Christopher died November 11, 1799 in Randolph County, NC. In his will, he leaves almost everything to his oldest son, Abraham, leaving one shilling each to his other surviving children. Perhaps Abraham had been promised the home place and Christopher helped the other children get established or purchase land as the need arose. I haven't found an inventory yet, so I don't know whether Christopher had slaves or not. He seems to have been a farmer with mostly smaller tracts of land, 120 acres at the end of his life, so perhaps he didn't "need" slaves. He may have hired labor to help put the last crops in and harvest them, or perhaps his sons and sons in law were able to help.
So the questions are: Who was his wife when our ancestor was born? What religion, if any, did he practice? Did he contribute in any way to either side in the Revolutionary War? What were his experiences during the French and Indian War? Did his family have to worry about attacks from the Native Americans? I need to read more about North Carolina during this time period, as we have several families who were in this area during the 1700s. It's another part of our family history to explore.
Our line of descent is:
Christopher Nation-Elizabeth possibly Swaim
Joseph Nation-Jerretta Vickery
Elizabeth Nation-Christopher Myers
Phoebe Myers-John Adam Brown
Phoebe Brown-Fremont Holbrook
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
But back to what we do know: Christopher Nation was born in 1717 in Upper Freehold, Monmouth County, New Jersey to John and Bethiah Robbins Nation. He was one of at least seven children born to the couple. They apparently traveled down through Virginia, with possibly a stop of several years there, before moving on to what was then Guilford County, North Carolina, where John and Bethiah both died.
Somewhere along the line, Christopher married Elizabeth, whatever her name was. Christopher was the father of at least nine children, including our ancestor, Joseph. Although we typically focus more on colonial history from the middle Atlantic and New England states, life was lively in North Carolina, too. During the French and Indian War, North Carolina had to protect the frontier against native American attacks. Christopher was a lieutenant in the militia and by 1766 was a captain. He is mentioned as being a part of the "Regulator" movement in the early 1770's, but this was more likely to have been his son, Christopher, born about 1744. At any rate, our Christopher suffered no ill effects from his son's rebellion.
He seems to have stayed out of the Revolutionary War, although by now he would have been in his middle fifties. He's not listed as a patriot on the DAR website, nor is he listed as a Tory in the list of men from Guilford County who were subject to having their estates confiscated for being a Tory (supporting the British against the Americans who were fighting for independence). Randolph County was formed from Guilford County in 1779, and his name is on the first tax list for that county, in 1779.
He was a planter and possibly a delegate to the state assembly, although this could have been the son Christopher, in 1789. At any rate, we can see that he raised his family well, to have American values. Although he was not a Quaker (note his military record), he seems to have associated with Quaker families, perhaps tracing back to his time in Frederick County, Virginia or even further back to his time in New Jersey. I haven't yet found church records for him, nor have I found a burial location.
Christopher died November 11, 1799 in Randolph County, NC. In his will, he leaves almost everything to his oldest son, Abraham, leaving one shilling each to his other surviving children. Perhaps Abraham had been promised the home place and Christopher helped the other children get established or purchase land as the need arose. I haven't found an inventory yet, so I don't know whether Christopher had slaves or not. He seems to have been a farmer with mostly smaller tracts of land, 120 acres at the end of his life, so perhaps he didn't "need" slaves. He may have hired labor to help put the last crops in and harvest them, or perhaps his sons and sons in law were able to help.
So the questions are: Who was his wife when our ancestor was born? What religion, if any, did he practice? Did he contribute in any way to either side in the Revolutionary War? What were his experiences during the French and Indian War? Did his family have to worry about attacks from the Native Americans? I need to read more about North Carolina during this time period, as we have several families who were in this area during the 1700s. It's another part of our family history to explore.
Our line of descent is:
Christopher Nation-Elizabeth possibly Swaim
Joseph Nation-Jerretta Vickery
Elizabeth Nation-Christopher Myers
Phoebe Myers-John Adam Brown
Phoebe Brown-Fremont Holbrook
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, December 27, 2019
Holbrook line: Nathan Foster 1700-1753
This will be another short post about a man almost lost to history. Nathan Foster was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony on May 17, 1700 to Abraham (also seen as Abram) and Mary Robinson Foster. His great grandparents, Reginald and Judith Wignol Foster, were the original immigrants, and he was of the second generation actually born on this side of the ocean. Nathan's parents,
Abraham and Mary, were older than average when they married. Abraham was 34 and Mary was 28. Nathan was one of three known children born to the couple. Since both lived many years after the birth of their children, one wonders whether there were difficulties related to their age that prevented other children. At any rate, this was a small nuclear family.
It's believed that Nathan left Ipswich (or Topsfield, some say) to go to the new settlement of Stafford, Connecticut about 1720. Since Nathan wasn't yet of age to live by himself, he may well have lived with one of the early families there, while he learned all the ins and outs of farming. That family may well have been that of Josiah and Sarah Doty Standish, for on November 23, 1724 he married their daughter, Hannah. (Yes, when I first saw that Standish name, I was excited because I suspected it would lead me back to Captain Myles Standish, and it did. I had to do some research to learn that Doty was also a Mayflower name.)
We don't know whether the young couple stayed with their in-laws for a few years, but that would have been a common custom, while Nathan began earning his own living and building a home for his new bride. Nathan and Hannah had at least eleven children together, born from 1725 to 1749,
That's pretty much what I know about Nathan's life. He died May 26, 1753 in Stafford, apparently rather suddenly. I say that because he didn't leave a will. His estate wasn't settled until 1763, when the youngest of the children was 14 and probably an apprentice with some other family or a citizen. His inventory doesn't tell us much about his life. He did have a few books, and some farm animals and farm equipment. His land holdings were not large, about 30 acres, plus a "small house" and rights in the commons and the cedar swamp. His household goods were barely adequate for the family he was raising, and he had few farm animals. It leads me to wonder whether he worked for someone else, either in the fields or doing other labor intensive work. At any rate, we wouldn't say that he was well off financially. There are other records from 17693 explaining exactly how his land was divided, with oldest son Nathan getting a double share.
I hope to someday find and read the town records for Stafford. They may provide more insight into Nathan's life. I'd like to know his occupation, whether he held any town offices (this was a small town, so one would think he must have at least been a fence viewer at some point), whether he went on any military expeditions, and whether he was a faithful member of a church. I'd also like to know where he was buried, although I suspect it was the Old Stafford Street cemetery. It would be nice to know that for sure, too.
The line of descent is
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M.
Betsy Foster Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Abraham and Mary, were older than average when they married. Abraham was 34 and Mary was 28. Nathan was one of three known children born to the couple. Since both lived many years after the birth of their children, one wonders whether there were difficulties related to their age that prevented other children. At any rate, this was a small nuclear family.
It's believed that Nathan left Ipswich (or Topsfield, some say) to go to the new settlement of Stafford, Connecticut about 1720. Since Nathan wasn't yet of age to live by himself, he may well have lived with one of the early families there, while he learned all the ins and outs of farming. That family may well have been that of Josiah and Sarah Doty Standish, for on November 23, 1724 he married their daughter, Hannah. (Yes, when I first saw that Standish name, I was excited because I suspected it would lead me back to Captain Myles Standish, and it did. I had to do some research to learn that Doty was also a Mayflower name.)
We don't know whether the young couple stayed with their in-laws for a few years, but that would have been a common custom, while Nathan began earning his own living and building a home for his new bride. Nathan and Hannah had at least eleven children together, born from 1725 to 1749,
That's pretty much what I know about Nathan's life. He died May 26, 1753 in Stafford, apparently rather suddenly. I say that because he didn't leave a will. His estate wasn't settled until 1763, when the youngest of the children was 14 and probably an apprentice with some other family or a citizen. His inventory doesn't tell us much about his life. He did have a few books, and some farm animals and farm equipment. His land holdings were not large, about 30 acres, plus a "small house" and rights in the commons and the cedar swamp. His household goods were barely adequate for the family he was raising, and he had few farm animals. It leads me to wonder whether he worked for someone else, either in the fields or doing other labor intensive work. At any rate, we wouldn't say that he was well off financially. There are other records from 17693 explaining exactly how his land was divided, with oldest son Nathan getting a double share.
I hope to someday find and read the town records for Stafford. They may provide more insight into Nathan's life. I'd like to know his occupation, whether he held any town offices (this was a small town, so one would think he must have at least been a fence viewer at some point), whether he went on any military expeditions, and whether he was a faithful member of a church. I'd also like to know where he was buried, although I suspect it was the Old Stafford Street cemetery. It would be nice to know that for sure, too.
The line of descent is
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M.
Betsy Foster Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Holbrook line: Samuel Sumner 1638-who knows? Not what I expected to find!
Well, you never know. You just never know, and that's what makes genealogy so fascinating. Who would think that a man in his later fifties would just pull up stakes from Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and transport himself, his wife, and most of their thirteen children, mostly adults, to Dorchester, South Carolina? These kinds of surprises just keep me going.
To start at the beginning, Samuel Sumner was born May 18, 1638 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony to William and Mary Swift Sumner. (Some sites list his mother as Mary West but I don't find evidence for that-yet.) He was one of at least seven children born to this couple, and he was raised to be a good Puritan.
Samuel married Rebecca Staples, daughter of John and Rebecca Borrobridge Staple, at Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on March 7, 1659. The couple had thirteen children together, and were apparently faithful members of the church, There were two men from Dorchester named Samuel Sumner who went on the "Canada" expedition in 1690, under Captain John Worthington. One was a sergeant and one an ensign. One returned, one didn't. This expedition had tried to capture Quebec from the French but were not successful.
As good Puritans, Samuel and Rebecca were among those who went with Rev. Joseph Lord to the settlement they named Dorchester in what was then Berkeley County, South Carolina. They were dismissed from the church November 1, 1696, to go south. Assuming they left soon after, that might have been a rough trip, traveling south by ship in early winter. It's 962 miles by road so would probably have been further than that by boat. This was still hurricane season, so it is by God's mercy and grace that they made it safely.
It's not known why the New England church decided to start a daughter church in South Carolina. Perhaps they were aware that the Anglican church also wanted to develop the area. Maybe it was population pressure, where they were already running out of land in the New England Dorchester. It doesn't appear to be a church split at all. But Samuel, whose parents had pioneered in Dorchester, now became a pioneer and immigrant of sorts in South Carolina.
I don't know anything about his life in South Carolina, or his death. I found a tentative, undocumented death date for Rebecca of 1710. Life along the Ashley River would have been very different from Massachusetts, and there were many illnesses that took the lives of these early settlers, from smallpox to malaria to other southern fevers. They wouldn't have had much exposure to malaria or the other fevers in the north, so perhaps it was one of these diseases that took one or both of them.
I haven't yet found his will or inventory, nor anything that really states his occupation. However, whatever his occupation in the north, when he settled in South Carolina, he would have become a farmer first and foremost. Crops had to be raised, families needed to be fed. We aren't told, or at least I haven't found, what material assistance they may have been given by the church, to help feed them until the first crops came in. We do know that the settlement only lasted about 45 years. When it closed, some of the congregation moved south to Georgia, some stayed in place and some went back "home" to Massachusetts.
Samuel and Rebecca's daughter, Rebecca, had married Ephraim Wilson and they did not travel south with most of the family. So our line continued in New England but still, this is intriguing and unexpected 225 year old "news". You never know what you don't know until you find out you don't know it!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Sumner-Rebecca Staples
Rebecca Sumner-Ephraim Wilson
Samuel Wilson-Elizabeth Hawes
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Fun fact: This South Carolina settlement appears to be within a stone's throw of the home of my brother in law. Both have a Summerville, SC address now. We've been there, and didn't know of the family connection at the time.
To start at the beginning, Samuel Sumner was born May 18, 1638 in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony to William and Mary Swift Sumner. (Some sites list his mother as Mary West but I don't find evidence for that-yet.) He was one of at least seven children born to this couple, and he was raised to be a good Puritan.
Samuel married Rebecca Staples, daughter of John and Rebecca Borrobridge Staple, at Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on March 7, 1659. The couple had thirteen children together, and were apparently faithful members of the church, There were two men from Dorchester named Samuel Sumner who went on the "Canada" expedition in 1690, under Captain John Worthington. One was a sergeant and one an ensign. One returned, one didn't. This expedition had tried to capture Quebec from the French but were not successful.
As good Puritans, Samuel and Rebecca were among those who went with Rev. Joseph Lord to the settlement they named Dorchester in what was then Berkeley County, South Carolina. They were dismissed from the church November 1, 1696, to go south. Assuming they left soon after, that might have been a rough trip, traveling south by ship in early winter. It's 962 miles by road so would probably have been further than that by boat. This was still hurricane season, so it is by God's mercy and grace that they made it safely.
It's not known why the New England church decided to start a daughter church in South Carolina. Perhaps they were aware that the Anglican church also wanted to develop the area. Maybe it was population pressure, where they were already running out of land in the New England Dorchester. It doesn't appear to be a church split at all. But Samuel, whose parents had pioneered in Dorchester, now became a pioneer and immigrant of sorts in South Carolina.
I don't know anything about his life in South Carolina, or his death. I found a tentative, undocumented death date for Rebecca of 1710. Life along the Ashley River would have been very different from Massachusetts, and there were many illnesses that took the lives of these early settlers, from smallpox to malaria to other southern fevers. They wouldn't have had much exposure to malaria or the other fevers in the north, so perhaps it was one of these diseases that took one or both of them.
I haven't yet found his will or inventory, nor anything that really states his occupation. However, whatever his occupation in the north, when he settled in South Carolina, he would have become a farmer first and foremost. Crops had to be raised, families needed to be fed. We aren't told, or at least I haven't found, what material assistance they may have been given by the church, to help feed them until the first crops came in. We do know that the settlement only lasted about 45 years. When it closed, some of the congregation moved south to Georgia, some stayed in place and some went back "home" to Massachusetts.
Samuel and Rebecca's daughter, Rebecca, had married Ephraim Wilson and they did not travel south with most of the family. So our line continued in New England but still, this is intriguing and unexpected 225 year old "news". You never know what you don't know until you find out you don't know it!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Sumner-Rebecca Staples
Rebecca Sumner-Ephraim Wilson
Samuel Wilson-Elizabeth Hawes
Rebecca Wilson-Jonathan Wright
Molly Wright-Amariah Holbrook
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Fun fact: This South Carolina settlement appears to be within a stone's throw of the home of my brother in law. Both have a Summerville, SC address now. We've been there, and didn't know of the family connection at the time.
Friday, December 13, 2019
Holbrook line: Michael Lunsford 1700 ish to 1756
I really don't know enough about Michael to write a post, but I'm going to at least give a few details about him. He is a mystery in that he was born about 1700, but I am unable to find any hint of identity for his parents. At this point, I am wondering if he was the immigrant, but I have no evidence of that, just a lack of evidence for parents.
The first time he leaves a record is on November 9, 1727, when, as Mickel Lunsford, he is married to Elizabeth Hackben in East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Hackben is also a mystery as to who she was. Perhaps both of them had come to Massachusetts as indentured servants, but that is purely my speculation. I intend to keep searching until I find four parents for this couple.
I know very little of Michael's life for the next 29 years after his marriage. He and Elizabeth had three known children, all girls. At some point, they left Bridgewater and moved to Stafford, Hartford County, Connecticut. Ir is at that location that we find his name on a list dated May 5, 1756, from Mansfield, Connecticut, stating that these 48 men, including a "Mickel Lunsford", had been mustered in to the military for an intended expedition against the French at Crown Point. The planned expedition didn't take place, and we are left wondering whether this is our Mickel Lunsford or not. He wrote his will April 12, 1756, perhaps in anticipation of leaving with his companions. Or perhaps this is not our Mickel Lunsford at all. Perhaps our Mickel was already sick.
The will was exhibited June 7, 1756, which conflicts with a printed death date of June 8, 1756. At present, I can't explain the discrepancy. The will was pretty straightforward He left the use of everything, real and personal, to his wife until or unless she remarried. Then it was to be divided equally between his three daughters. One daughter, Mary White, was to receive 40 shillings, apparently when the will was probated.
We don't know what his cause of death was. There were influenza like illnesses and also dysentery that were common causes of death that year. If he had marched with the troops for any length of time, he would have been exposed to any number of camp diseases. We just don't know.
Judging from his probable age at his marriage in 1727, he was probably in his early fifties when he died. An inventory was taken June 25, 1756. Michael owned 52 acres of land and a dwelling house, a gun and 5 books, various farm animals, and other basic household and farming equipment. The total value of the estate was a little less than one hundred twenty pounds.
This is all that I currently know about Michael. I would love to know more about his life and especially I would love to know where he came from, and who his parents were. The same goes for his wife Elizabeth. But for now, we will have to be content with the knowledge that Michael and Elizabeth lived the kind of lives we all want to live, just quietly raising a family and planning for their future.
The line of descent is:
Michael Lunsford-Elizabeth Hackben
Elizabeth Lansford-Nathan Foster
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The first time he leaves a record is on November 9, 1727, when, as Mickel Lunsford, he is married to Elizabeth Hackben in East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Elizabeth Hackben is also a mystery as to who she was. Perhaps both of them had come to Massachusetts as indentured servants, but that is purely my speculation. I intend to keep searching until I find four parents for this couple.
I know very little of Michael's life for the next 29 years after his marriage. He and Elizabeth had three known children, all girls. At some point, they left Bridgewater and moved to Stafford, Hartford County, Connecticut. Ir is at that location that we find his name on a list dated May 5, 1756, from Mansfield, Connecticut, stating that these 48 men, including a "Mickel Lunsford", had been mustered in to the military for an intended expedition against the French at Crown Point. The planned expedition didn't take place, and we are left wondering whether this is our Mickel Lunsford or not. He wrote his will April 12, 1756, perhaps in anticipation of leaving with his companions. Or perhaps this is not our Mickel Lunsford at all. Perhaps our Mickel was already sick.
The will was exhibited June 7, 1756, which conflicts with a printed death date of June 8, 1756. At present, I can't explain the discrepancy. The will was pretty straightforward He left the use of everything, real and personal, to his wife until or unless she remarried. Then it was to be divided equally between his three daughters. One daughter, Mary White, was to receive 40 shillings, apparently when the will was probated.
We don't know what his cause of death was. There were influenza like illnesses and also dysentery that were common causes of death that year. If he had marched with the troops for any length of time, he would have been exposed to any number of camp diseases. We just don't know.
Judging from his probable age at his marriage in 1727, he was probably in his early fifties when he died. An inventory was taken June 25, 1756. Michael owned 52 acres of land and a dwelling house, a gun and 5 books, various farm animals, and other basic household and farming equipment. The total value of the estate was a little less than one hundred twenty pounds.
This is all that I currently know about Michael. I would love to know more about his life and especially I would love to know where he came from, and who his parents were. The same goes for his wife Elizabeth. But for now, we will have to be content with the knowledge that Michael and Elizabeth lived the kind of lives we all want to live, just quietly raising a family and planning for their future.
The line of descent is:
Michael Lunsford-Elizabeth Hackben
Elizabeth Lansford-Nathan Foster
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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