Much is in dispute about John Fish. Most sources list him as having been born at Market Harborough, Great Bowden, Leicester, England in 1620/21, the second son of Robert and Alice Fish (her maiden name seems to have been Fish also; it is frequently seen as Fyshe, perhaps in an attempt to differentiate between the two families). Robert died in 1639, leaving his wife with 10 children, some in early adulthood and the youngest just four months old. It appears to be during this time period that John and his brother Thomas came to the New World, most likely to find a way to support themselves and perhaps hoping to send money back to their mother. We don't know what kind of education he had in Market Harborough, although he later taught school, so he certainly learned at least the basics. There was a good preparatory school in Market Harborough, and he may have gone there with the hopes of going on to a university.
When John arrived in New England, he disappears for a few years. This means he likely wasn't a landowner or the head of a family, and it also means he may not have been a member of a church. He apparently shows up in Wethersfield and Mystic, Connecticut, and also in Stratford and finally Stonington by 1670, when he is listed on a record of inhabitants. He was apparently a man with a temper, and seems to have moved from at least one of these locations (Stratford) due to quarrels with his neighbors. I haven't seen the records, but it is reported that he seems to have made some unwarranted accusations that eventually made their way to the courts.
John and his son Samuel were among the volunteers who fought in the Narrangansett War of 1675-76, and eventually, in 1700, Samuel was awarded land in his own name and also his deceased father's name in Voluntown, as a reward for their service.
John apparently had three wives, but only the first, Mary Ireland, gave him children. His second wife was Martha Stark, who was unfaithful and absconded with Samuel Culver in 1674. John was able to obtain a divorce six years later, and then in 1681 married Hannah Palmer Hewitt Steery. He would have been about sixty years old at this time. He was at this time a school teacher, instructing the children of Stonington in reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar.
He was also a land surveyor, and laid out many of the public lands. By grant and by purchase, he became the proprietor of quite a lot of land in Stonington and at Groton, "considerably over one thousand acres". So far I have been unable to locate a specific date of death, although it is believed to be about 1689. I've also not located his will, although it seems that with over 1000 acres of land he would have had a will of some sort, unless he died very suddenly. More research needs to be done, as usual.
If we are looking for an ancestor to emulate, perhaps John Fish is not the one. He seems to have had a bit of a temper, and perhaps wasn't easy to live with, moving as frequently as he did. But I'd love to hear his side of the story, because drawing any real conclusions. He certainly came to the New World with hopes and dreams, and I hope they were realized, at least to some degree. For his service to his country, we owe him gratitude.
The line of descent is:
John Fish-Mary Ireland
Samuel Fish-Sarah Starke
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ireland. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Allen line: Samuel Ireland 1603-1639 Immigrant
Samuel Ireland came from England. It would not surprise me to learn that one or more of his ancestors were Irish, but perhaps there is another reason for his name. His background, at this point, is still a mystery.
We know that he was born about 1603. Some websites are listing his place of birth as London but I haven't seen documentation to support that. We know he was born about 1603 because when he immigrated to New England, he was reported as being a carpenter, aged 32. He had a wife Marie, aged 30, and a daughter, aged one and one-half when he was permitted to set sail on the "Increase" after going through all the formalities to prove he was not a threat to the government nor to the Church of England.
We don't know where the family first landed, but they ended up in Wethersfield, Ct. Wethersfield was founded in 1634 so the family was almost in at the beginning of the settlement. He soon owned several small parcels (none larger than 10 acres) of land which indicates that most of them were probably as the result of being a founder of the settlement, and were given by the town as more or less a 'reward" for being there and doing the early hard work. As a carpenter, Samuel would have been kept quite busy building homes and businesses for those who wanted to settle there.
He is believed to have had at least one child in Connecticut. It's a little confusing but it seems the name of his first child was Martha and his second Mary. We don't know whether there were other children, but if there were, they apparently died young.
A major event during his time in Wethersfield was the Pequot War. There was an attack on the town in 1637, which resulted in the death of 6 men and 3 women, and several head of livestock, and the capture of two young girls. Undoubtedly this was a stressful time for the village, and it is likely that Samuel would have been involved in the militia that responded to the attack.
Unfortunately, Samuel also died young, sometime after September 5, 1639 and before April 2 of 1641, when his inventory was produced. We don't know whether it was an accident or an illness that took his life. His widow was to have one third and "the children" two thirds of the estate, which was valued at 70 pounds. Marie Ireland married Robert Burrows and he apparently took over the estate. She is believed to have died in 1672.
This isn't a lot to go on, but it does give us a brief glimpse of the kind of life Samuel must have led. He was a family man, a tradesman, a landowner, and likely a church member, one of the young men who helped our country get started. I'd love to know more about him, where he came from and who his parents were. But at least we know a little about his life on this side of the Atlantic.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Ireland-Marie or Mary
Mary Ireland-John Fish
Samuel Fish-Sarah Stark
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Elizabeth Chester Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
We know that he was born about 1603. Some websites are listing his place of birth as London but I haven't seen documentation to support that. We know he was born about 1603 because when he immigrated to New England, he was reported as being a carpenter, aged 32. He had a wife Marie, aged 30, and a daughter, aged one and one-half when he was permitted to set sail on the "Increase" after going through all the formalities to prove he was not a threat to the government nor to the Church of England.
We don't know where the family first landed, but they ended up in Wethersfield, Ct. Wethersfield was founded in 1634 so the family was almost in at the beginning of the settlement. He soon owned several small parcels (none larger than 10 acres) of land which indicates that most of them were probably as the result of being a founder of the settlement, and were given by the town as more or less a 'reward" for being there and doing the early hard work. As a carpenter, Samuel would have been kept quite busy building homes and businesses for those who wanted to settle there.
He is believed to have had at least one child in Connecticut. It's a little confusing but it seems the name of his first child was Martha and his second Mary. We don't know whether there were other children, but if there were, they apparently died young.
A major event during his time in Wethersfield was the Pequot War. There was an attack on the town in 1637, which resulted in the death of 6 men and 3 women, and several head of livestock, and the capture of two young girls. Undoubtedly this was a stressful time for the village, and it is likely that Samuel would have been involved in the militia that responded to the attack.
Unfortunately, Samuel also died young, sometime after September 5, 1639 and before April 2 of 1641, when his inventory was produced. We don't know whether it was an accident or an illness that took his life. His widow was to have one third and "the children" two thirds of the estate, which was valued at 70 pounds. Marie Ireland married Robert Burrows and he apparently took over the estate. She is believed to have died in 1672.
This isn't a lot to go on, but it does give us a brief glimpse of the kind of life Samuel must have led. He was a family man, a tradesman, a landowner, and likely a church member, one of the young men who helped our country get started. I'd love to know more about him, where he came from and who his parents were. But at least we know a little about his life on this side of the Atlantic.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Ireland-Marie or Mary
Mary Ireland-John Fish
Samuel Fish-Sarah Stark
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Elizabeth Chester Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
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