Unfortunately, we don't seem to know for sure when William Greene was born, or where, or the names of his parents, or even when he arrived in New England. If he was born as early as 1591, as some suggest, then his wife, Hannah Carter, would have been significantly younger than he was in order to be starting the family in 1644. So if the 1591 date is correct, he may well have had an earlier wife and an earlier family about whom we know nothing.
What we know of William is that he was "of Charlestown" in 1640 and that year subscribed to the "town orders" for the settlement of Woburn, which basically stated rules to live by, for the town. For instance, no one could have a guest ("inmate"), for more than three days without the express permission of at least four of the town selectmen. He married Hannah Carter, daughter of Thomas Carter, the blacksmith of Charlestown, about 1642, and the young or middle-aged and young, couple went to Woburn to live. He was made a freeman in 1644. I should note that it's possible that Greene never actually moved at all, as Charlestown gave up some of its territory to what became the town of Woburn. Still, the Greenes probably lived a good ways from Hannah's parents, as currently Woburn and Charlestown are about 18 miles distant from each other. William was made a freeman in 1644, meaning he was a member of the church and had property of some sort.
There isn't much more that is known of his life in Woburn. Apparently he stayed out of trouble, paid his taxes, supported the church, and was not much involved in the government of the town. Raising small children and farming probably kept him busy. When he died in 1654, there were at least four small children to raise, and they were apparently taken in by members of Hannah's family. Hannah died just a few years after William, in 1658.
William Greene had an estate of over 200 pounds when he died, probably helped greatly by a gift of half of the lands of his father in law. This was a good sum of money for a man believed to have been in the country only about 14 years when he died.
This sums up the story of William Greene, who came to New England to practice his religion, or for economic gain, or because he wanted an adventure, or some combination of the three. Whatever his reasons, we are glad he came, because he contributed to our gene pool.
The line of descent is
William Greene-Hannah Carter
Mary Greene-John Snow
Zerubabbel Snow-Jemima Cutler
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
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
Showing posts with label Cutler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cutler. Show all posts
Friday, April 5, 2019
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
Holbrook line: James Cutler, Immigrant
Researching James Cutler, or at least reviewing some of the information found about him on line, was interesting. Usually if a man has been researched well enough to be included in Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration series, then there isn't much controversy left. I have learned that there is some controversy involving which of James's last two wives would be the mother of our Jemima Cutler Snow. I think The Great Migration is most likely to be correct. But then I wondered why others were choosing a different mother for Jemima Cutler. It seems that James's third wife, Phoebe Page, had a bad reputation. It may have been deserved. So perhaps those who want a pretty genealogy instead of an accurate one may have chosen to go with wife #2. But let's start at the beginning.
James is thought to be the James Cutler, son of Thomas and Anne Cutler, who was born or baptized at Sproughton, Sussex, England on May 21, 1606. That's as much as we know of his childhood and early years, except that Anne died in 1613, when James would have been about 7 years old. He was one of six children born between 1600 and 1610, so perhaps Anne died giving birth, or recovering from another birth, in 1613. His father lived until 1640, so he would have been there, probably with a new wife, to guide the children as they grew and to possibly place them in a position to learn a trade, although James doesn't seem to have practiced a trade as such in New England.
James arrived in New England with his wife Ann and was in Watertown by November 6, when his first son was born. He and Ann (possibly Cakebread, but not proven) had four children in Watertown, but Ann died sometime on or before September 30, 1644. He then married Mary, widow of Mary King, and they had three children. Her date of death is uncertain but was sometime after Sarah's birth in 1653. With his third wife, Phoebe Page, whom he married probably before 1661, he had four children.
Wife Phoebe Page was an interesting woman and it is impossible at this distance to say how much, if any, of the "gossip" about her is true. She sued once and won a defamation case in Watertown, when it was stated that she was pregnant and unmarried. There is at least one statement that she was the Phoebe Page who was whipped in Long Island for fornication, but I didn't find a date for that so have no idea how to evaluate it. She was noted as being "past her prime" when she married James Cutler, and apparently brought at least one child to the marriage with her. Note that James Cutler was also past his prime!
James's only occupation that I could locate was "planter". He is described in his later years as poor, but he was able to give land (not enough to live on, but enough to help) to several of his sons during his lifetime, and still had assets to bequeath when he died. He left Watertown in 1653 and settled in the part of Cambridge known as Cambridge Farms and later as Lexington, where he died in 1694. He had been appointed surveyor of highways in Watertown for the two years just before he moved. He didn't hold offices after that, but his farm was located on the outskirts of Cambridge so it may have been a matter of convenience as much as anything else. Phoebe apparently died before he did, as she is not mentioned in his will.
James's will was written November 24, 1684 and proved August 20, 1694. His estate was valued at a little over 108 pounds, of which 100 pounds was real estate. Remembering that he had previously given land to sons, and apparently dowry to one or more daughters, this was not a poor man, although he was not well off, either. He was kind enough in his will to leave something to the children of his second wife, and to a daughter "Phoebe" was was apparently the daughter of third wife Phoebe Page, but not his child. He actually left her a number of items which "must not be brought into my inventory", indicating that these items were likely Phoebe Page's when she came to the marriage.
I think I like James Cutler. He was willing to take a woman "past her prime" as a spouse, he cared for his step children as well as his children, and he made something out of (presumably) nothing when he was able to acquire and farm the land he didn't really know how to cultivate (not an insult; no one in New England really knew what they were doing as far as farming and raising animals went. It was a different climate and a different soil, and a different growing season. It took time to adapt.) . Although there is little indication that he was a good Puritan (or for that matter, a bad one), he did have a Bible in his estate when he died. Let's give the man a break, and a thank you!
The line of descent is:
James Cutler-Phoebe Page
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittmore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
James is thought to be the James Cutler, son of Thomas and Anne Cutler, who was born or baptized at Sproughton, Sussex, England on May 21, 1606. That's as much as we know of his childhood and early years, except that Anne died in 1613, when James would have been about 7 years old. He was one of six children born between 1600 and 1610, so perhaps Anne died giving birth, or recovering from another birth, in 1613. His father lived until 1640, so he would have been there, probably with a new wife, to guide the children as they grew and to possibly place them in a position to learn a trade, although James doesn't seem to have practiced a trade as such in New England.
James arrived in New England with his wife Ann and was in Watertown by November 6, when his first son was born. He and Ann (possibly Cakebread, but not proven) had four children in Watertown, but Ann died sometime on or before September 30, 1644. He then married Mary, widow of Mary King, and they had three children. Her date of death is uncertain but was sometime after Sarah's birth in 1653. With his third wife, Phoebe Page, whom he married probably before 1661, he had four children.
Wife Phoebe Page was an interesting woman and it is impossible at this distance to say how much, if any, of the "gossip" about her is true. She sued once and won a defamation case in Watertown, when it was stated that she was pregnant and unmarried. There is at least one statement that she was the Phoebe Page who was whipped in Long Island for fornication, but I didn't find a date for that so have no idea how to evaluate it. She was noted as being "past her prime" when she married James Cutler, and apparently brought at least one child to the marriage with her. Note that James Cutler was also past his prime!
James's only occupation that I could locate was "planter". He is described in his later years as poor, but he was able to give land (not enough to live on, but enough to help) to several of his sons during his lifetime, and still had assets to bequeath when he died. He left Watertown in 1653 and settled in the part of Cambridge known as Cambridge Farms and later as Lexington, where he died in 1694. He had been appointed surveyor of highways in Watertown for the two years just before he moved. He didn't hold offices after that, but his farm was located on the outskirts of Cambridge so it may have been a matter of convenience as much as anything else. Phoebe apparently died before he did, as she is not mentioned in his will.
James's will was written November 24, 1684 and proved August 20, 1694. His estate was valued at a little over 108 pounds, of which 100 pounds was real estate. Remembering that he had previously given land to sons, and apparently dowry to one or more daughters, this was not a poor man, although he was not well off, either. He was kind enough in his will to leave something to the children of his second wife, and to a daughter "Phoebe" was was apparently the daughter of third wife Phoebe Page, but not his child. He actually left her a number of items which "must not be brought into my inventory", indicating that these items were likely Phoebe Page's when she came to the marriage.
I think I like James Cutler. He was willing to take a woman "past her prime" as a spouse, he cared for his step children as well as his children, and he made something out of (presumably) nothing when he was able to acquire and farm the land he didn't really know how to cultivate (not an insult; no one in New England really knew what they were doing as far as farming and raising animals went. It was a different climate and a different soil, and a different growing season. It took time to adapt.) . Although there is little indication that he was a good Puritan (or for that matter, a bad one), he did have a Bible in his estate when he died. Let's give the man a break, and a thank you!
The line of descent is:
James Cutler-Phoebe Page
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittmore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Holbrook line: Richard Snow, Immigrant
Richard Snow born about December 21, 1606, in or around Barnstaple, Devon, England. Many think that his father was Patrick Snow, with his father being Richard, and then his father being Patrick, born about 1517. It is certainly possible that he is connected to this family, but Richard didn't name any of his sons Patrick, and I've not been able to document any connection. If he did grow up in Barnstaple, he may have been involved in the wool trade, in cloth making, or in sheep raising. These were the main industries of the town.
We don't know much about Richard before he arrived in Woburn, Massachusetts, but it is thought that he might be the 28 year old Richard Snow who left England in 1635, aboard the Expedition and bound for Barbados. There were other men who ended up in Woburn who were on that ship. We don't know if the ship was making a "triangle run" or if the men stayed in Barbados for a time. If they stayed there, had they planned to stay longer than they did? Did they go, realize they didn't care for the climate, and then later head to Massachusetts? We don't know.
Another missing fact in Richard's life is when he married. His wife's name is believed to be Avis or Annis Barrett, and she is thought to be the daughter of William Barrett. They may have married in or near Barnstaple, or in Barbados, or in Woburn. I have found no records any of those places so I guess we can take our pick. I root for Barbados, for at least it would have been warm and sunny there. It's possible that Richard went to Barbados as an indentured servant and then left for New England as soon as his term was up. If so, he must have been a thrifty man, as it would have been hard to save money for the passage.
He was in Woburn by 1645 and perhaps a year or two earlier. Why he chose to go to Woburn has not yet been determined. There weren't other Snow families there, nor were there Barretts, but there were some of the men who had been on the Expedition with him.
Richard and Avis or Annis stayed pretty much under the radar during their whole lives in Woburn. He doesn't seem to have held any town offices, but he doesn't seem to have been called into court, either. Neither did he attract the interest of any of the religious authorities. He did, however, receive land in 1648, and in 1653 he was one of twenty nine men (possibly most of the men in town) who signed a petition requesting that churches be allowed to find their own pastors, rather than having a group of pastors from outside the town make the decision. The request was turned down, but was written in such a humble (possibly groveling) style that the men weren't chastised for their request. Richard and Avis had arrived in Woburn with two children, and had at least three more in Woburn.
We know that he was part of the train band (militia) until he was excused in 1659. Usually at that time, men were only excused because of some infirmity that prevented their serving, or that made them an impediment to the rest of the group, but we have no indication of what that may have been.
Richard died before May 5, 1677 at Woburn. His will provided that his four surviving sons provide for their mother in her old age, and left most of the land to the oldest son, John, where he already lived. His estate was valued at about 188 pounds, most of it in parcels of land, including the house and orchard. John lived in this home and it stayed in the family for several generations, seemingly abandoned sometime in the mid nineteenth century. The inventory included two Bibles and other books of sermons, so it seems that Richard could read. I don't have a date of death for his widow.
This is the story of a man who worked hard, improved his lot in life, supported his church, and was content to stay in one place once he arrived in Massachusetts. He's another of the ordinary people who helped build an extraordinary country.
The line of descent is:
Richard Snow-Avis Barrett
John Snow-Mary Greene
Zerubabbel Snow-Jemima Cutler
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
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
We don't know much about Richard before he arrived in Woburn, Massachusetts, but it is thought that he might be the 28 year old Richard Snow who left England in 1635, aboard the Expedition and bound for Barbados. There were other men who ended up in Woburn who were on that ship. We don't know if the ship was making a "triangle run" or if the men stayed in Barbados for a time. If they stayed there, had they planned to stay longer than they did? Did they go, realize they didn't care for the climate, and then later head to Massachusetts? We don't know.
Another missing fact in Richard's life is when he married. His wife's name is believed to be Avis or Annis Barrett, and she is thought to be the daughter of William Barrett. They may have married in or near Barnstaple, or in Barbados, or in Woburn. I have found no records any of those places so I guess we can take our pick. I root for Barbados, for at least it would have been warm and sunny there. It's possible that Richard went to Barbados as an indentured servant and then left for New England as soon as his term was up. If so, he must have been a thrifty man, as it would have been hard to save money for the passage.
He was in Woburn by 1645 and perhaps a year or two earlier. Why he chose to go to Woburn has not yet been determined. There weren't other Snow families there, nor were there Barretts, but there were some of the men who had been on the Expedition with him.
Richard and Avis or Annis stayed pretty much under the radar during their whole lives in Woburn. He doesn't seem to have held any town offices, but he doesn't seem to have been called into court, either. Neither did he attract the interest of any of the religious authorities. He did, however, receive land in 1648, and in 1653 he was one of twenty nine men (possibly most of the men in town) who signed a petition requesting that churches be allowed to find their own pastors, rather than having a group of pastors from outside the town make the decision. The request was turned down, but was written in such a humble (possibly groveling) style that the men weren't chastised for their request. Richard and Avis had arrived in Woburn with two children, and had at least three more in Woburn.
We know that he was part of the train band (militia) until he was excused in 1659. Usually at that time, men were only excused because of some infirmity that prevented their serving, or that made them an impediment to the rest of the group, but we have no indication of what that may have been.
Richard died before May 5, 1677 at Woburn. His will provided that his four surviving sons provide for their mother in her old age, and left most of the land to the oldest son, John, where he already lived. His estate was valued at about 188 pounds, most of it in parcels of land, including the house and orchard. John lived in this home and it stayed in the family for several generations, seemingly abandoned sometime in the mid nineteenth century. The inventory included two Bibles and other books of sermons, so it seems that Richard could read. I don't have a date of death for his widow.
This is the story of a man who worked hard, improved his lot in life, supported his church, and was content to stay in one place once he arrived in Massachusetts. He's another of the ordinary people who helped build an extraordinary country.
The line of descent is:
Richard Snow-Avis Barrett
John Snow-Mary Greene
Zerubabbel Snow-Jemima Cutler
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
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
Friday, November 2, 2018
John Page 1586-1676 Immigrant
Recently I broke through a "brick wall" and here is the first of what I hope will eventually be several blog posts about our "new" ancestors. I was hoping to find an inspiring story about this man, about how he started from nothing and became a respected member of society, or maybe how he was already a respected member of society when he arrived here. Sadly, neither situation seems to be the case. John Page was a man with faults, perhaps more faults than some of our other ancestors. His family here appears to be somewhat dysfunctional. It's not really the kind of post I like to write. But here it is.
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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