Is it breaking the rules to call John Lamb an immigrant? He was only two years old when he came to New England, so he had no say at all in whether to come. Yet, not understanding the purpose of being uprooted and joining his parents on a small and dark ship, he shared the voyage and shared the wonder of arriving in a world totally unlike anything he knew in England. From the eyes of a two year old, this would have been a big deal, and yes, I think we can call him an immigrant. Besides, he's in the Allen line and I don't have many opportunities any more to write about this side of the family.
It would be interesting to know how closely his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Lamb, could follow the typical Puritan methods in raising children under the circumstances of sailing across the ocean. Were they stern, were they relaxed? Certainly they, especially Elizabeth, would have been watchful as there were many ways for little ones to get hurt, or worse, on a ship. The other women on board would have helped, surely, but it wouldn't have been an easy job. Actually, our ancestor John had sibling Thomas with him, so at least there was someone to play with.
John was born to Thomas and Elizabeth on or before August 1, 1628 at Barnardiston, Suffolk, England. He would have been baptized in the local church, which had parts dating back to the twelfth century, so this was a very old village indeed. Likely there was quite a bit of family in the area, as that is common for small villages, so again one wonders what the pioneer immigrants were thinking.
John came with his parents to Roxbury, Massachusetts, where Thomas died in 1646. Five years later, in 1651, John settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where he was made a freeman in 1654. He was a wheelwright and perhaps an "East Indian trader". That may mean he owned part of a ship that traveled to the East Indies, or it could have other meanings. It gets a little dicey here because he is supposed to be living in Springfield and in Kittery, Maine at the same time. I suspect there were two John Lambs, and they have been a bit intermingled in this part of the story. Perhaps the man in Kittery was the one who was engaged in trading. More research needs to be done on this.
In Springfield, he became an important part of the town. He was a fence viewer, a surveyor of highways, a sealer of weights and measures, a sergeant of the Westfield Garrison during King Philip's War, and he had the fifth seat in the church (seats were assigned according to wealth and piety as well as status in the town).
John was married to Joanna Chapin, daughter of Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny) about 1650, and they had eleven children, with the last being born in 1674. Joanna died in 1683 and John died September 28,1690, just two or three years after he had married Lydia Wright Bliss Norton. His estate was valued at a little over 421 pounds, which was respectable indeed. He had more animals than many of his neighbors would have had, several good sized parcels of land, more tools and implements, and more household goods than would have been common. John Lamb had done all right for himself.
The line of descent is:
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Chapin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chapin. Show all posts
Friday, March 8, 2019
Monday, March 16, 2015
Allen line: Samuel Chapin, Immigrant 1598-1675
Samuel Chapin's supposed likeness is well known to many as "The Pilgrim", a statue by Augustus St. Gaudens that was so popular it was reproduced about 20 times, in a slightly smaller version. The sculptor used a descendent of Samuel's as his model, and adapted it a bit to make it seem more likely. So no, we don't really know what he looked like, but the statute does give a good impression, which is likely, of strength, energy, and determination. He is also carrying a large Bible, and a walking cane. The original version of the statute was unveiled in 1887 and is located at Merrick Park, now the Quadrangle cultural center, in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Samuel's life, however, began in Paignton, Devonshire, England sometime prior to October 5, 1598, the date of his christening. He was the son of John Chapin and Philippe Easton, and was one of at least four children. His father died early, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, George Stone. We don't know what his father did for a living, but Paignton at the time was a small fishing village, located on the southwest coast of England, so it's likely that he was somehow engaged in fishing.
We also don't know what Samuel did for a living. We know he married Cicely Penny, daughter of Henry Penny of Paignton,(a baker) on February 9, 1623/24 at Paignton. (Not everyone in Paignton fished, so the speculation about John's occupation could be entirely wrong.) The new family had several children. David, the first child, was baptized at Paignton. Katherine, Sara, a son possibly named Samuel, Henry, Honor, and Josiah were baptized at Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England, which is about 5 miles inland from Paignton. Josiah was baptized there on October 29, 1637, and it is known that Samuel was in New England in 1639, so the most likely time for the family to have arrived is in 1638. (Son John, born after Henry, was baptized at Totnes, which was his father's home.) Japhet and Hannah were born after the family arrived in the new world.
The family is seen at Roxbury first. Samuel took the freeman's oath in Boston on June 2, 1641, and then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1642, where Samuel is known as one of the founders of the town. This was very much frontier land, and it appears that for most of the time that Samuel lived there, the white men and the natives got along very well. The settlers treated the natives with honor, and in turn at an early stage, before the Chapins arrived, the natives had saved the small settlement with canoe loads of corn. Even though relations with the natives were friendly, this was still wilderness area. There were wild animals to contend with, lands to clear and crops to plant, and the affairs of the small town and church to administer.
Samuel was active in the church, and was a deacon by 1649. This meant, among other things, that he was regarded as a pious man, and was trusted with many duties in the church. These included teaching or preaching in the church when the pastor was away or when there was no pastor, as in 1650. He was also respected as an administrator, because from 1644 until at least 1665 he was either a selectman (something like a town or city councilman) or a commissioner (more along the lines of a town judge).
By 1675 the town of Springfield was apparently rather complacent, and they paid little attention to warnings that the natives were planning an uprising of some sort. In October of that month, Springfield was pretty much burned to the ground, although only three lives were lost among the settlers. Samuel survived the attack, but died about a month later, in Springfield. His wife, Cicely, died 7 years later. I have not yet located wills for either of them, but I've seen reference to Cicely's will.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Chapin-Cicely Penny
Hannah Chapin-John Hitchcock
Luke Hitchcock-Elizabeth Walker
Ruth Hitchcock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Fun fact: Wikipedia notes that, among others, the following are descendents from Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny, and thus are our very distant cousins: Grover Cleveland, William Howard Taft,
Harriet Beecher Stowe, J.P. Morgan, T.S. Eliot, Harry Chapin. Who knew? We have Presidents, abolititionists, writers, financiers, and singers in the family. Shall we dance?
Samuel's life, however, began in Paignton, Devonshire, England sometime prior to October 5, 1598, the date of his christening. He was the son of John Chapin and Philippe Easton, and was one of at least four children. His father died early, and he was raised by his mother and stepfather, George Stone. We don't know what his father did for a living, but Paignton at the time was a small fishing village, located on the southwest coast of England, so it's likely that he was somehow engaged in fishing.
We also don't know what Samuel did for a living. We know he married Cicely Penny, daughter of Henry Penny of Paignton,(a baker) on February 9, 1623/24 at Paignton. (Not everyone in Paignton fished, so the speculation about John's occupation could be entirely wrong.) The new family had several children. David, the first child, was baptized at Paignton. Katherine, Sara, a son possibly named Samuel, Henry, Honor, and Josiah were baptized at Berry Pomeroy, Devon, England, which is about 5 miles inland from Paignton. Josiah was baptized there on October 29, 1637, and it is known that Samuel was in New England in 1639, so the most likely time for the family to have arrived is in 1638. (Son John, born after Henry, was baptized at Totnes, which was his father's home.) Japhet and Hannah were born after the family arrived in the new world.
The family is seen at Roxbury first. Samuel took the freeman's oath in Boston on June 2, 1641, and then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1642, where Samuel is known as one of the founders of the town. This was very much frontier land, and it appears that for most of the time that Samuel lived there, the white men and the natives got along very well. The settlers treated the natives with honor, and in turn at an early stage, before the Chapins arrived, the natives had saved the small settlement with canoe loads of corn. Even though relations with the natives were friendly, this was still wilderness area. There were wild animals to contend with, lands to clear and crops to plant, and the affairs of the small town and church to administer.
Samuel was active in the church, and was a deacon by 1649. This meant, among other things, that he was regarded as a pious man, and was trusted with many duties in the church. These included teaching or preaching in the church when the pastor was away or when there was no pastor, as in 1650. He was also respected as an administrator, because from 1644 until at least 1665 he was either a selectman (something like a town or city councilman) or a commissioner (more along the lines of a town judge).
By 1675 the town of Springfield was apparently rather complacent, and they paid little attention to warnings that the natives were planning an uprising of some sort. In October of that month, Springfield was pretty much burned to the ground, although only three lives were lost among the settlers. Samuel survived the attack, but died about a month later, in Springfield. His wife, Cicely, died 7 years later. I have not yet located wills for either of them, but I've seen reference to Cicely's will.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Chapin-Cicely Penny
Hannah Chapin-John Hitchcock
Luke Hitchcock-Elizabeth Walker
Ruth Hitchcock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Fun fact: Wikipedia notes that, among others, the following are descendents from Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny, and thus are our very distant cousins: Grover Cleveland, William Howard Taft,
Harriet Beecher Stowe, J.P. Morgan, T.S. Eliot, Harry Chapin. Who knew? We have Presidents, abolititionists, writers, financiers, and singers in the family. Shall we dance?
Friday, December 12, 2014
Allen line: Thomas Lamb, another immigrant ancestor
Thomas Lamb (Lambe) is another of our immigrant ancestors. Although much is known about him, there are still some questions, because what would family history be without unanswered questions? (One answer might be "finished!", but we are not anything close to being there yet.)
Thomas Lamb was born in Barnardiston, Suffolk, England in 1596 to Thomas and Elizabeth Aylett Lamb. He had two brothers, Edward and Samuel. The next time we hear of our Thomas, he and his wife Elizabeth (possibly the widow Smith who married a Thomas Lambe in Shropshire, England in 1621, but that is still unproven) and at least two sons are in the Winthrop Fleet coming to the New World. Thomas was a merchant, and also a Puritan, since he came in that fleet.
Thomas Lamb was one of the founders of Roxbury, receiving 18 acres of land there, between the Meeting House and the Stony River. His neighbors included John Johnson and Isaac Heath. He took the oath of the general court on May 18, 1631 and became a freeman on October 19, 1631. He was also one of the founders of the first church at Roxbury.
Thomas and Elizabeth had several children after arriving in Roxbury. John and Thomas had come with them, and Samuel was born about a month after their arrival in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Their other children were Decline, Abiel, and Benjamin. Elizabeth died during or just following the birth of Benjamin in 1639, and Thomas married Dorothy Harbittle soon after. He needed a stepmother for all those children, and Dorothy appears to have been a good one. She also gave Thomas more children.
It's unclear whether he acted as a merchant at Roxbury, but by 1633 he was opening the first quarry in New England, on the island of Squantom in Boston Harbor. There are additional reports about land acquisitions up until his death on March 28, 1646 of a "grate colde". I would guess this was pneumonia. His inventory at the time of his death was 112 pounds, 8 shillings, 8 pence, which didn't include the land he owned. There was trouble with the estate, and it appears that there were still court proceedings in 1698, trying to prove who owned land that was contested between the Lamb descendents and those of Dorothy Harbittle's second husband, Thomas Hawley.
I of course would like to know more about Thomas's life in England. How did he become a merchant, or was that designation given to him only in Massachusetts? With his father dead when Thomas was just three years old, who cared for him and got him started in life? Was it his mother's family, or a paternal uncle? And when and how did he become a Puritan?
Our line of descent is:
Thomas Lamb-Elizabeth
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root Jr-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John W Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Thomas Lamb was born in Barnardiston, Suffolk, England in 1596 to Thomas and Elizabeth Aylett Lamb. He had two brothers, Edward and Samuel. The next time we hear of our Thomas, he and his wife Elizabeth (possibly the widow Smith who married a Thomas Lambe in Shropshire, England in 1621, but that is still unproven) and at least two sons are in the Winthrop Fleet coming to the New World. Thomas was a merchant, and also a Puritan, since he came in that fleet.
Thomas Lamb was one of the founders of Roxbury, receiving 18 acres of land there, between the Meeting House and the Stony River. His neighbors included John Johnson and Isaac Heath. He took the oath of the general court on May 18, 1631 and became a freeman on October 19, 1631. He was also one of the founders of the first church at Roxbury.
Thomas and Elizabeth had several children after arriving in Roxbury. John and Thomas had come with them, and Samuel was born about a month after their arrival in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Their other children were Decline, Abiel, and Benjamin. Elizabeth died during or just following the birth of Benjamin in 1639, and Thomas married Dorothy Harbittle soon after. He needed a stepmother for all those children, and Dorothy appears to have been a good one. She also gave Thomas more children.
It's unclear whether he acted as a merchant at Roxbury, but by 1633 he was opening the first quarry in New England, on the island of Squantom in Boston Harbor. There are additional reports about land acquisitions up until his death on March 28, 1646 of a "grate colde". I would guess this was pneumonia. His inventory at the time of his death was 112 pounds, 8 shillings, 8 pence, which didn't include the land he owned. There was trouble with the estate, and it appears that there were still court proceedings in 1698, trying to prove who owned land that was contested between the Lamb descendents and those of Dorothy Harbittle's second husband, Thomas Hawley.
I of course would like to know more about Thomas's life in England. How did he become a merchant, or was that designation given to him only in Massachusetts? With his father dead when Thomas was just three years old, who cared for him and got him started in life? Was it his mother's family, or a paternal uncle? And when and how did he become a Puritan?
Our line of descent is:
Thomas Lamb-Elizabeth
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root Jr-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John W Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Friday, November 7, 2014
Allen line: Luke Hitchcock, immigrant ancestor
I just read a statement that the persons I have identified as immigrants were not immigrants, but were colonists. They came to settle a new land, so yes, they were colonists. However, since genealogy lingo refers to them as immigrants, I will go with the prevailing language.
Luke Hitchcock was born about 1614 at St Peter's, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, maybe. Some sources say he was born in Fenny Compton, which is where his wife, Eizabeth Gibbons was born. His parents are believed to be John Hitchcock and Mary Franklin, although I have not see solid documentation for this. From the limited information I have found so far on line, I am not convinced of these facts. Certainly there were a lot of Hitchcocks in Wiltshire, but I'm not sure we've found the correct parish or village yet.
We don't know what Luke did for the first 20 or so years of his life, nor do we know for sure when or why he came to the New World. It seems that he came in the years just after the "great migration" ended in 1635. However, we do know that he was settled at New Haven, in what is now Connecticut by 1638. New Haven was a very Puritan colony and followed the Scriptures as their only law, at least at the founding of the colony. The colony did not prosper, partly because of its poor land, partly because they were politically "far out there", and partly because they didn't have a charter for their colony. They ended up merging with Connecticut rather than trying to remain independent.
Much of the colony would have been engaged in some kind of maritime trade or occupation, but Luke was a shoemaker. Perhaps he had learned the trade in England. He married Elizabeth Gibbons, daughter of Thomas Gibbons and Elizabeth Pierpont, in January, 1642 and their first son, John was born September 27, 1642. Hannah was born in 1645 and their third child, Luke, was born in 1655. These dates may be baptismal dates rather than birth dates. They also had a daughter, apparently unnamed, who was born and died on the same day. This was not a large family for the time.
Sometime before 1653 the family moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Luke had signed an intent to settle Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts a few months before he died. That move was never undertaken, and the implication is that Luke may have become ill or injured after he signed the intent.
Luke's will was written October 17, 1659. It is a little unusual in that he says "knowing it to be my duty to provide for my family and to settle my estate that I may leave no occassion of trouble to the when I am gone and that I may free myself before I die..." . Because his children are underage, he first gives everything to Elizabeth and then states his bequests if she remarries. It appears that he owned several pieces of land that were to be divided between John and Luke, and he left his daughter Hannah 40 pounds. These bequests were to be given to the children when they each turned 18, or at the death of his wife, whichever is sooner. If Elizabeth remarried, she was to receive one third of the estate. Luke died November 1, 1659.
Elizabeth did go on to marryWilliam Warriner on October 2, 1661, and then, two years after his death in 1676, she married Joseph Baldwin. She survived her third husband and died April 25, 1696.
The line of descent is:
Luke Hitchcock-Elizabeth Gibbons
John Hitchcock-Hannah Chapin
John Hitchcock-Mary Ball
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Fun Fact from a book called "Fullers, Sissons, and Scotts, Our Yeoman Ancestors":
"Luke was a shoemaker and owned by record fourteen pieces of land in Wethersfield. He was on friendly terms with the Indians and they gave him a deed to the town of Farmington. His wife placed it over a pie in the oven and destroyed it."
Yes, I know it's just a story and may not qualify as a fact. But it definitely is fun!
Luke Hitchcock was born about 1614 at St Peter's, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, maybe. Some sources say he was born in Fenny Compton, which is where his wife, Eizabeth Gibbons was born. His parents are believed to be John Hitchcock and Mary Franklin, although I have not see solid documentation for this. From the limited information I have found so far on line, I am not convinced of these facts. Certainly there were a lot of Hitchcocks in Wiltshire, but I'm not sure we've found the correct parish or village yet.
We don't know what Luke did for the first 20 or so years of his life, nor do we know for sure when or why he came to the New World. It seems that he came in the years just after the "great migration" ended in 1635. However, we do know that he was settled at New Haven, in what is now Connecticut by 1638. New Haven was a very Puritan colony and followed the Scriptures as their only law, at least at the founding of the colony. The colony did not prosper, partly because of its poor land, partly because they were politically "far out there", and partly because they didn't have a charter for their colony. They ended up merging with Connecticut rather than trying to remain independent.
Much of the colony would have been engaged in some kind of maritime trade or occupation, but Luke was a shoemaker. Perhaps he had learned the trade in England. He married Elizabeth Gibbons, daughter of Thomas Gibbons and Elizabeth Pierpont, in January, 1642 and their first son, John was born September 27, 1642. Hannah was born in 1645 and their third child, Luke, was born in 1655. These dates may be baptismal dates rather than birth dates. They also had a daughter, apparently unnamed, who was born and died on the same day. This was not a large family for the time.
Sometime before 1653 the family moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Luke had signed an intent to settle Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts a few months before he died. That move was never undertaken, and the implication is that Luke may have become ill or injured after he signed the intent.
Luke's will was written October 17, 1659. It is a little unusual in that he says "knowing it to be my duty to provide for my family and to settle my estate that I may leave no occassion of trouble to the when I am gone and that I may free myself before I die..." . Because his children are underage, he first gives everything to Elizabeth and then states his bequests if she remarries. It appears that he owned several pieces of land that were to be divided between John and Luke, and he left his daughter Hannah 40 pounds. These bequests were to be given to the children when they each turned 18, or at the death of his wife, whichever is sooner. If Elizabeth remarried, she was to receive one third of the estate. Luke died November 1, 1659.
Elizabeth did go on to marryWilliam Warriner on October 2, 1661, and then, two years after his death in 1676, she married Joseph Baldwin. She survived her third husband and died April 25, 1696.
The line of descent is:
Luke Hitchcock-Elizabeth Gibbons
John Hitchcock-Hannah Chapin
John Hitchcock-Mary Ball
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Fun Fact from a book called "Fullers, Sissons, and Scotts, Our Yeoman Ancestors":
"Luke was a shoemaker and owned by record fourteen pieces of land in Wethersfield. He was on friendly terms with the Indians and they gave him a deed to the town of Farmington. His wife placed it over a pie in the oven and destroyed it."
Yes, I know it's just a story and may not qualify as a fact. But it definitely is fun!
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