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

Holbrook line: Thomas Bliss, Immigrant

While doing a little research about Thomas Bliss, I learned that there are at least two Thomas Blisses in New England during roughly the same time period.  Some trees have them mixed together, and I've spend considerable time trying to apply the right facts to the right gentleman.  I hope I have this correct now.  If I still have some doubts, I'll try to point them out as I go along.  And if I get something wrong, please contact me, especially if you have better sources than I've used!

Thomas was most likely born about 1588 in the village of Preston Parva, Daventry, Northamptonshire, England.  This is pretty much in the geographical center of England, with no ocean waters close.  It may have been largely an agricultural town, but Thomas learned the trade of blacksmithing.  We don't know much about his parents although at least one blog post lists them as John Bliss of Daventry and later Preston Parva, and Alice Smith. Another source gives William Bliss and Elizabeth Oliphant as being his parents.  More research, again, is needed.

Thomas married Dorothy Wheatley on November 22, 1614 in Daventry.  She apparently died in 1631, after giving birth to seven children.  Then it gets confusing.  He may have married Abigail Southam, or that may have been his cousin Thomas who married Abigail.  No record of her death has been found.  It does appear that Thomas and his children by Dorothy emigrated to Massachusetts in about 1638, and it seems a little unlikely that he would have made this trip with up to seven children, if he didn't have a wife or other family member to help with the children.  There is also a slight possibility that the Dorothy Bliss who died in 1631 was a different Dorothy Bliss, and that Dorothy Wheatley Bliss died in 1646 in Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts.  I'm not finding documentation for that death report, but it could very well exist. 

Thomas and Dorothy's children were Elizabeth, Mary, Jane, John, Thomas, and Jonathan.  They may have also had a daughter Martha, who died young, and possibly Nathaniel, although I wonder if he belongs to the other Thomas Bliss. 

The family, with or without a wife and mother, came to New England in 1637 and settled first at Braintree.  There were granted land there in 1639, and Thomas too the freeman's oath in May 1642 in Cambridge.  Thomas was one of the original proprietors of Rehoboth, where he moved in 1643.  By the time they both died (before October of 1647, when the inventory was taken), they owned 45 acres of land.  Thomas was a blacksmith at Rehoboth, and also a farmer and surveyor.  The blacksmith trade would have supported his family during the lean times, while waiting for crops to grow and debts to be paid. 

Thomas inventory was valued at 117 pounds, 16 shillings and 4 pence, which did not include land or  dwelling.  He had some weapons including one old musket and 2 old swords, and a modest amount of books, but most of the value of his inventory was in either tools belonging to the blacksmith trade, or equipment and animals used in farming. 

I don't have a clear indication of his religion, although his will uses the typical language of giving his soul to God and his body to the earth.  Most likely he was a Puritan, but we don't know for sure that that was the case.  There are other things I'd like to know, also, especially whether he had a wife in New England, and his parentage.  But knowing this much allows us to give him the honor he is due, as a pioneer family during the early days of New England.  Thank you, Thomas Bliss!

Here is the line of descent:

Thomas Bliss-Dorothy Wheatley
Mary Bliss-Nathaniel Harmon
James Harmon-Sarah Clark
Jane Harmon-Samuel Doty
Sarah Doty-Josiah Standish
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Eliabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: James Harmon 1635-1680, Immigrant

 Update 8/11/2022.  This man is not our ancestor.  I am leaving this post up in case it is of interest to someone, anyway.  The error is that Sarah Doty did not marry Josiah Standish.  

It takes all kinds.  Most of our ancestors were fine, upstanding people, who served God, lived their religion, and contributed to the building or/and protection of their country.  And then there is James Harmon. 

We don't know a lot about James, and what we do know is largely from court records and is not very complimentary.  Many believe him to be the son of Frances and Sarah Martin Harmon, but there seems to be no documentation at this point for that relationship.  His parentage remains unproven. 

We don't really know when James first showed up in the New World.  Indications are that if he first touched ground anywhere other than Saco, Maine, it would have been for a very brief period . Based on his history in Maine, it's possible that he was "invited" to leave England, or he may have come as a crew member of a ship and decided, on his own or with persuasion, to stay in the New World.  (Those last two items are purely speculation, but read on,)

James married Sarah Clark, daughter of Edward and Barbara Clark, about 1658 at Saco.  Unfortunately, the record shows that the part of the page showing the date was torn, so we will likely nevver know the exact date.  We an wonder what Sarah saw in him, but she may have had little to choose from, as far as husband material goes.  The couple had two known children, but they were not enough to keep this marriage together. 

In 1655, James made an announcement that he had slandered John Snelling.  This sounds very much like it must have been a church happening, but at the time there was little difference between church and court.  He was likely given a light punishment and returned to his life and occupation, whatever that was.  About the time of his marriage, in 1658, he was sentenced for swearing, a fine and a bond were required.  By 1660, James was known as a wife abuser, and that year he also slashed his father in law with a knife.  He was also charged with not providing for his family. 

The court, believing that James was preparing to leave to go elsewhere, appointed Edward Clark, Sarah's father, to be in charge of James's estate, to provide for the wife and family.  Unfortunately Edward drowned the following year.  Sarah must have felt so alone, with an abusive husband and no father to protect her or to help provide for her children.  James lived sometimes in Saco and sometimes in Kennebunkport, and there appear to be attempts at reconciliation, or at least no attempt at divorce.  Sarah had permission to live with a Mr. Gibbons, possibly as a housekeeper (my guess) and later Mr. and Mrs. Gibbons took in daughter Jane, who was also being abused. 

James left no known record after 1668.  He could have left the area, gone to sea, straightened out, or any of a number of other possibilities.  I suppose this could make the outline for a good story or novel, except, hey, he's our ancestor.  If nothing else, we can thank him for marrying a strong woman who survived in spite of his bad behavior,.

The line of descent is:

James Harmon-Sarah Clark
Jane Harmon-Samuel Doty
Sarah Doty-Josiah Standish
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M.
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants