I've written earlier about Chad Brown or Browne, John's father, the immigrant ancestor to America. But John was an immigrant, too, a wide eyed boy of somewhere around 10 years old when he arrived in Boston in 1638 with his parents and possibly with siblings. He is reported to have been about 8 when the trip was made, which would put his birth date at 1630 but some sites are showing a birthdate of March 9, 1627 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.
John's parents didn't stay long in Boston, so within months our wide eyed hero was in Providence, Rhode Island. A man by that name was given a free grant of 25 acres of land, and a right of commanage, then promised obedience to the State of England in 1645. He would have probably needed to have been at least 18 to obtain a land grant, unless some sort of exception was made for him. Had he done something special for the plantation? We don't know. He was taxed in 1650, and in 1651/52 pledged allegiance to England "as it now stands", meaning with no king or House of Lords due to the English Civil War. He was a juryman and a constable, as well as a surveyor of highways. He was made a freeman in 1655, and was deputy in 1663-64 as well as being on the town council.
In 1654 he married Mary Holmes, the daughter of Obadiah and Catherine Hyde Holmes of Newport. Holmes was a rather famous Baptist minister (at least, he became famous later) and our John Brown has been variously described as "Elder" and "Reverend". He was also of the Baptist faith. John and Mary had at least five children, but probably there were more who were not living when John died.
John's date of death is disputed. Some say he died in 1677. If this is so, then he's been confused with another John Brown, because one John Brown, or another was taxed in 1679 and in 1701 helped ordain James Clarke of Newport as pastor of the Newport church. He sold the land the family home was on in 1672, but great grand children purchased it back and this eventually became what is now known as Brown University.
I have not been able to determine what happened to John Brown and his family during King Philip's War. Almost all of the homes in Providence were destroyed, either by the native American's setting fire to them or by decay, as it took years for some of the families to return. Did they go to Newport, perhaps, or to safer locations in Massachusetts? We don't know. I know there were several John Browns who were listed as soldiers during that war, and it seems logical to think that John, being under 50 years of age, would have been in the militia, but I can't state that categorically.
I've not yet located a will or probate for John. Mary died in 1696 and John died either 19 years earlier or ten years later. Finding the probate papers would likely shed some light on that puzzle.
John Brown, one of our Baptist ancestors, whether he lived 50 years or 80, had an influence on his family and his church family as well as his community. He was a man of service and we can be glad he is part of our family.
The line of descent is:
John Brown-Mary Holmes
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
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
Showing posts with label Holmes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Holmes. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2019
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Holbrook line: Chad Brown, Immigrant
We have more than one ancestor who made it to Wikipedia. Chad Brown, variously described as Reverend, Pastor, and Elder, has his own article that tells much about his life. I've found other articles, too, including one from the Register, published by New England Historical and Genealogical Society, that detail the first four generations of his descendants. So he is easy to write about. The hard part is choosing what to include in this post, and in trying to restrain my pride in this man and his descendants. We actually have at least two lines of descent from him, and there are some Browns I haven't yet identified, so there could be more yet.
Once again we have a mystery as to his parentage, however. We know that he married Elizabeth Sharparowe, daughter of John and Margaret Castley Sharparowe, on September 11, 1626 in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. We could probably guess that Chad came from the same general area, but we don't know that for sure. Wycombe is a town known for its cloth industry and its paper industry during the 17th century. We don't know whether Chad was involved in either of those, but it does give us a sense that the town was industrial before industrial was widespread, and the town must have had a certain energy to it. We wonder what kind of education Chad received, in light of his later achievements.
Chad, Elizabeth, their son John, and possibly other children arrived on the ship Martin, arriving in Boston in July of 1638. Whether by plan or by "encouragement", they soon moved to Providence Plantations in what became Rhode Island, where Roger Williams was teaching. He signed agreements in 1640 and another one sometime between 1639 and 1644, to agree to the Providence Compact and to set up a government for Providence in 1640. He took over pastoral duties for the Baptist church in 1643, when Roger Williams, the first pastor, went to England on colony business. The church at this time met outside, or in bad weather, in someone's home. The first church building in Providence was not built until some sixty years later. Chad served as pastor for about 10 years, including time he was apparently an unofficial pastor, or perhaps an assistant.
There is not a good record of when he died, but there is a mention of a widow Brown, not further named, being listed on a tax list in 1650. He was mentioned as deceased in a deed from 1663, but he could well have been deceased for quite a while by that time. I tend to think it was shortly before 1650, because the church record says that he ended his pastorate before 1650. This would have left Elizabeth with seven children to raise, with John at 20 being the oldest.
Chad had acted as an arbitrator in the early days of Providence, and also as a surveyor. These jobs, combined with that of pastor make me think he surely had at least a grammar school type education, and perhaps higher than that. He reportedly left a will but I have not been able to locate a copy. The inventory would be valuable, to see whether he had books, and also to see how he supported himself other than as pastor. It doesn't seem likely that this would have been a "paying job".
I think I would have liked Chad Brown. From the bits and pieces we can see, he was a man who lived out his faith by serving others. His record as pastor of the First Baptist Church shows his dedication to the Lord. Some of his sons became members of the Anglican Church and some of his descendants became Quakers. I wonder what he would have said to that?
The two lines of descent are:
Chad Brown-Elizabeth Shaparowe
Daniel Brown-Alice Hearndon
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
The second line is
Chad Brown-Elizabeth Sharparowe
John Brown-Mary Holmes
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
as above
Fun face: FamousKin says that Amelia Earhart and John Ritter are descendants of Chad Brown, so they are our distant cousins.
Once again we have a mystery as to his parentage, however. We know that he married Elizabeth Sharparowe, daughter of John and Margaret Castley Sharparowe, on September 11, 1626 in Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. We could probably guess that Chad came from the same general area, but we don't know that for sure. Wycombe is a town known for its cloth industry and its paper industry during the 17th century. We don't know whether Chad was involved in either of those, but it does give us a sense that the town was industrial before industrial was widespread, and the town must have had a certain energy to it. We wonder what kind of education Chad received, in light of his later achievements.
Chad, Elizabeth, their son John, and possibly other children arrived on the ship Martin, arriving in Boston in July of 1638. Whether by plan or by "encouragement", they soon moved to Providence Plantations in what became Rhode Island, where Roger Williams was teaching. He signed agreements in 1640 and another one sometime between 1639 and 1644, to agree to the Providence Compact and to set up a government for Providence in 1640. He took over pastoral duties for the Baptist church in 1643, when Roger Williams, the first pastor, went to England on colony business. The church at this time met outside, or in bad weather, in someone's home. The first church building in Providence was not built until some sixty years later. Chad served as pastor for about 10 years, including time he was apparently an unofficial pastor, or perhaps an assistant.
There is not a good record of when he died, but there is a mention of a widow Brown, not further named, being listed on a tax list in 1650. He was mentioned as deceased in a deed from 1663, but he could well have been deceased for quite a while by that time. I tend to think it was shortly before 1650, because the church record says that he ended his pastorate before 1650. This would have left Elizabeth with seven children to raise, with John at 20 being the oldest.
Chad had acted as an arbitrator in the early days of Providence, and also as a surveyor. These jobs, combined with that of pastor make me think he surely had at least a grammar school type education, and perhaps higher than that. He reportedly left a will but I have not been able to locate a copy. The inventory would be valuable, to see whether he had books, and also to see how he supported himself other than as pastor. It doesn't seem likely that this would have been a "paying job".
I think I would have liked Chad Brown. From the bits and pieces we can see, he was a man who lived out his faith by serving others. His record as pastor of the First Baptist Church shows his dedication to the Lord. Some of his sons became members of the Anglican Church and some of his descendants became Quakers. I wonder what he would have said to that?
The two lines of descent are:
Chad Brown-Elizabeth Shaparowe
Daniel Brown-Alice Hearndon
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
The second line is
Chad Brown-Elizabeth Sharparowe
John Brown-Mary Holmes
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
as above
Fun face: FamousKin says that Amelia Earhart and John Ritter are descendants of Chad Brown, so they are our distant cousins.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Holbrook line: Robert Paddock 1584-1650
Why am I writing about a man who lived 400 years ago when there are many more recent ancestors I haven't touched upon yet? My answer would be that he's got a very interesting story, even though his history may or may not be proven. The problem is that some of the initial research done on the Paddock family may or may not be bogus, and may or may not have been produced by Gustave Anjou, who was famous for manufacturing false genealogies. So we will have to take the information about the French ancestry of Robert Paddock with a grain or two of salt, until more definitive research is undertaken. Still, it's fun to think that this line back to medieval France and minor nobility might be correct.
Robert Paddock was born in 1584 in Stephenstown, Balrothery Parish, County Dublin, Ireland. His parents are believed to have been John Paddock, who was born July 19, 1550 in La Cateau, Cambrai, Nord France, and Jane Jennings or Jenin, also born in France. Now, one could ask why a French couple were in Ireland, and why an Irishman was in Plymouth Colony, and we can only offer conjectures. John Paddock probably left France due to religious or/and political reasons, as the 1580's were a time of great religious upheaval and persecution in France. There were likely economic reasons that he left France, also. However, if he was a Protestant, why did he end up in County Dublin, Ireland? John Paddock was probably known as Jean Paddoc in France, and if you believe the undocumented records, he came from "lesser nobility" and his ancestors can be traced back to the early 1300's. So, we may or may not be a little bit French.
Robert Paddock is documented a bit better, but there is still much we don't know, including when he arrived in America, and why he came to America. He was a blacksmith, having inherited his father's blacksmith shop in Ireland. The Pilgrims are known to have recruited blacksmiths as that was a trade that apparently did not come over on the Mayflower, or perhaps the practitioner(s) died in those very early years of the Colony. It is believed that he and his second wife, Mary Holmes (probably) were here by 1632. Robert's first wife had been Mary Ball, but she died in 1627. He is supposed to have married Mary Holmes in October of 1630, and they had 6 children together, Robert, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, Alice, and John. Robert had another daughter, Susanna, but she was by his third wife, Mary Trine.
I haven't found reference to Robert's religion, but he was given land with other settlers and was given civic responsibilities, so he may have been a "saint". He met up with the law on at least one occasion, when he and William Clarke had too much to drink and had to pay a fine. He was constable of Plymouth Colony, and he was a member of the Plymouth Company militia, which included all men able to bear arms, as Indians were a constant threat. His commander was Captain Miles Standish.
Apparently his death came rather suddenly, because there was no written will. His death bed statement asked Mary to give John Paddock, his son of about 5 years of age, to Thomas Willet for upbringing. Thomas Willet was later Mayor of New York. It is not clear why special arrangements were made for this child and not for the others.
Most of this information was obtained from The Paddock Genealogy by Robert Curfman, with some corrections made due to information found later. Mr. Curfman himself was somewhat suspicious about the French pedigree, but to date I know of no one has been able to provide documentation of any other ancestry for Robert and John/Jean. Regardless, it's fascinating to know that this ancestor of ours would have known William Brewster, Miles Standish, and Edward Doty, our Mayflower ancestors, and would likely have performed services for them.
Our line of descent is:
Robert Paddock-Mary Holmes
Alice Paddock-Zechariah Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
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
Holbrook children, grand children, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren
Robert Paddock was born in 1584 in Stephenstown, Balrothery Parish, County Dublin, Ireland. His parents are believed to have been John Paddock, who was born July 19, 1550 in La Cateau, Cambrai, Nord France, and Jane Jennings or Jenin, also born in France. Now, one could ask why a French couple were in Ireland, and why an Irishman was in Plymouth Colony, and we can only offer conjectures. John Paddock probably left France due to religious or/and political reasons, as the 1580's were a time of great religious upheaval and persecution in France. There were likely economic reasons that he left France, also. However, if he was a Protestant, why did he end up in County Dublin, Ireland? John Paddock was probably known as Jean Paddoc in France, and if you believe the undocumented records, he came from "lesser nobility" and his ancestors can be traced back to the early 1300's. So, we may or may not be a little bit French.
Robert Paddock is documented a bit better, but there is still much we don't know, including when he arrived in America, and why he came to America. He was a blacksmith, having inherited his father's blacksmith shop in Ireland. The Pilgrims are known to have recruited blacksmiths as that was a trade that apparently did not come over on the Mayflower, or perhaps the practitioner(s) died in those very early years of the Colony. It is believed that he and his second wife, Mary Holmes (probably) were here by 1632. Robert's first wife had been Mary Ball, but she died in 1627. He is supposed to have married Mary Holmes in October of 1630, and they had 6 children together, Robert, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, Alice, and John. Robert had another daughter, Susanna, but she was by his third wife, Mary Trine.
I haven't found reference to Robert's religion, but he was given land with other settlers and was given civic responsibilities, so he may have been a "saint". He met up with the law on at least one occasion, when he and William Clarke had too much to drink and had to pay a fine. He was constable of Plymouth Colony, and he was a member of the Plymouth Company militia, which included all men able to bear arms, as Indians were a constant threat. His commander was Captain Miles Standish.
Apparently his death came rather suddenly, because there was no written will. His death bed statement asked Mary to give John Paddock, his son of about 5 years of age, to Thomas Willet for upbringing. Thomas Willet was later Mayor of New York. It is not clear why special arrangements were made for this child and not for the others.
Most of this information was obtained from The Paddock Genealogy by Robert Curfman, with some corrections made due to information found later. Mr. Curfman himself was somewhat suspicious about the French pedigree, but to date I know of no one has been able to provide documentation of any other ancestry for Robert and John/Jean. Regardless, it's fascinating to know that this ancestor of ours would have known William Brewster, Miles Standish, and Edward Doty, our Mayflower ancestors, and would likely have performed services for them.
Our line of descent is:
Robert Paddock-Mary Holmes
Alice Paddock-Zechariah Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
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
Holbrook children, grand children, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren
Friday, November 22, 2013
Holbrook line: Obadiah Holmes, another hero, or not?
Obadiah Holmes was born about 1607 near Reddish, England, to Robert and Catherine Johnson Holmes. He was one of eight or nine children, and he grew up as a farm boy. He became a glassmaker and a weaver. He confessed "his evil ways" to his mother on her death bed, and somehow felt responsible for her death. This led to a greater spirituality on his part. He married Catherine Hyde in Manchester's Collegiate College Church on November, 16, 1630.
It's not clear whether his parents were Puritans, but Obadiah did join the Puritan movement and he and his family came to New England in 1638, It is noted that their voyage was extremely stormy, and took 6 weeks for them to reach Boston. The family soon settled in Salem, Massachusetts. Here he plied his trade as glassmaker, making common window glass. Obadiah was not happy with the rigidity of the established church there, and had moved to Rehoboth by 1645. He was made a freeman there.
As so many times happens, Obadiah soon discovered that moving to another town did not mean moving away from the central problem, in this case, doctrinal differences. Obadiah apparently participated in and perhaps founded a house church movement, which met after the regular Sunday services and was considered schismatic. He was hauled up before church authorities, and ordered to cease and desist his religious activities with the house church. Not content with that, his Puritan pastor charged him with perjury, and Obadiah in turn filed slander charges. Obviously he would need to move on, despite having many friends in Rehoboth.
He had basically been "forced out" to Newport, Rhode Island, where religious freedom was practiced. In 1651, he, Pastor John Clarke, and John Crandall, all Baptists, traveled to Lynn, Massachusetts to bring comfort and communion to an aged parishioner who had been ministered to by Holmes. They were there by invitation, but they were apprehended by two constables who arrested them on the authority of the magistrates, and detained them at a local tavern. The three were more or less forced to attend Sunday night church services, where they indicated their disrespect for the situation by putting their hats back on after having removed them. (This was considered rude in Puritan society.)
The next day the three men were sent to Boston where the trial was fixed and all three men were found guilty "without producing either accuser, witness, jury, law of God or man." In addition, Holmes was assaulted, struck, and cursed by Rev. John Wilson, while he was in the custody of an officer in the presence of the court, and within the protection of the law. Can we say "kangaroo court?"
The three men were fined, Obadiah the most heavily, and banished. Fine monies were raised among the Baptists for all three men, but Obadiah refused to accept the monies. Instead, he chose to accept the alternative punishment, which was to be well whipped. The day of the punishment was cold, but he was stripped to his waist, tied to a post, and whipped 30 strokes (double strokes, actually, which was basically within an inch of his life. He stated after the whipping that "You have struck me as with roses", and was able to give a bit of a sermon.
He healed at a supporter's house but had to basically escape from that when still recovering, because he was on the verge of being arrested again for not having left according to the terms of the banishment. He travelled through the woods and was met 4 miles outside of town by his wife and 8 children.
I've found differing information as to when Obadiah actually became pastor of the Baptist church in Newport. It may have been 1652 or it may have been 1676, or perhaps he became some sort of associate in 1652. Also I've found differing opinions on whether Obadiah attended or graduated from Oxford University, although Obadiah did state that his parents were able to send three sons there.
Finally, we don't know for sure when Obadiah died, although his will was proved December 4, 1682. He was buried in his own field, in what is now the town of Middletown, and there a tomb was erected to him.
The questions is: Was he a hero, or was he merely a stubborn man who brought out the worst in his associates? There is quite a bit of controversy even yet surrounding this man, but the Baptist church honors his memory. I have no wish to stir up religious controversies, so I'll simply say that he lived by his beliefs and seems to have been a very good man. I feel privileged to have him in our family tree.
Here's our line of descent:
Obadiah Holmes-Katherine Hyde
Mary Holmes-John Brown
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys/Lois/Howard/Ray Holbrook
It's not clear whether his parents were Puritans, but Obadiah did join the Puritan movement and he and his family came to New England in 1638, It is noted that their voyage was extremely stormy, and took 6 weeks for them to reach Boston. The family soon settled in Salem, Massachusetts. Here he plied his trade as glassmaker, making common window glass. Obadiah was not happy with the rigidity of the established church there, and had moved to Rehoboth by 1645. He was made a freeman there.
As so many times happens, Obadiah soon discovered that moving to another town did not mean moving away from the central problem, in this case, doctrinal differences. Obadiah apparently participated in and perhaps founded a house church movement, which met after the regular Sunday services and was considered schismatic. He was hauled up before church authorities, and ordered to cease and desist his religious activities with the house church. Not content with that, his Puritan pastor charged him with perjury, and Obadiah in turn filed slander charges. Obviously he would need to move on, despite having many friends in Rehoboth.
He had basically been "forced out" to Newport, Rhode Island, where religious freedom was practiced. In 1651, he, Pastor John Clarke, and John Crandall, all Baptists, traveled to Lynn, Massachusetts to bring comfort and communion to an aged parishioner who had been ministered to by Holmes. They were there by invitation, but they were apprehended by two constables who arrested them on the authority of the magistrates, and detained them at a local tavern. The three were more or less forced to attend Sunday night church services, where they indicated their disrespect for the situation by putting their hats back on after having removed them. (This was considered rude in Puritan society.)
The next day the three men were sent to Boston where the trial was fixed and all three men were found guilty "without producing either accuser, witness, jury, law of God or man." In addition, Holmes was assaulted, struck, and cursed by Rev. John Wilson, while he was in the custody of an officer in the presence of the court, and within the protection of the law. Can we say "kangaroo court?"
The three men were fined, Obadiah the most heavily, and banished. Fine monies were raised among the Baptists for all three men, but Obadiah refused to accept the monies. Instead, he chose to accept the alternative punishment, which was to be well whipped. The day of the punishment was cold, but he was stripped to his waist, tied to a post, and whipped 30 strokes (double strokes, actually, which was basically within an inch of his life. He stated after the whipping that "You have struck me as with roses", and was able to give a bit of a sermon.
He healed at a supporter's house but had to basically escape from that when still recovering, because he was on the verge of being arrested again for not having left according to the terms of the banishment. He travelled through the woods and was met 4 miles outside of town by his wife and 8 children.
I've found differing information as to when Obadiah actually became pastor of the Baptist church in Newport. It may have been 1652 or it may have been 1676, or perhaps he became some sort of associate in 1652. Also I've found differing opinions on whether Obadiah attended or graduated from Oxford University, although Obadiah did state that his parents were able to send three sons there.
Finally, we don't know for sure when Obadiah died, although his will was proved December 4, 1682. He was buried in his own field, in what is now the town of Middletown, and there a tomb was erected to him.
The questions is: Was he a hero, or was he merely a stubborn man who brought out the worst in his associates? There is quite a bit of controversy even yet surrounding this man, but the Baptist church honors his memory. I have no wish to stir up religious controversies, so I'll simply say that he lived by his beliefs and seems to have been a very good man. I feel privileged to have him in our family tree.
Here's our line of descent:
Obadiah Holmes-Katherine Hyde
Mary Holmes-John Brown
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys/Lois/Howard/Ray Holbrook
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