Allen line: Edward Corbin of Baltimore County, dates unknown

This is another of those "I don't know much and some of what I do 'know' I don't quite believe" posts.  Edward Corbin is our ancestor, however, and so I'm writing about the little I know or suspect, hoping that with these bread crumbs someone will someday be able to pick up his trail.  Who knows?  I might even learn more, at some point. 

Some of our ancestors seem to have stayed beneath the radar for almost their whole lives, poking their heads up just long enough for a quick sighting before again disappearing.  Edward Corbin is one of those men.  To make matters worse, he named a son Edward, and many trees on line have confused the two.  So with very little documentation to back this up, here's a brief summary of Edward.

Edward's parents were Nicholas Corbin and (likely) Alice Bryen or Bryan,  He was born probably by 1684, although the year of 1676 is commonly used, with 1678 coming in a close second.  We know he was on the tax rolls, and thus 16 or older, in 1701.  There are church records for St Paul's Episcopal Church, locally known as Old St Paul's Church, with the births of some of the children of Edward and Jane Wilkinson Corbin.  They are believed to have married about 1710.  The church mentioned was in a small village at the time, but is now located (different building, but same plot of land) in downtown Baltimore.  It's believed that Edward and Jane had at least eight children. 

Edward and Jane (daughter of William and Elizabeth Clark Wilkinson) bought and sold land in Baltimore County like it was going out of style.  Most of their holdings seem to have been on the north side of the Patapsco River, although some was south of Gunpowder Falls.  Based on what I've learned about the economy in this time frame through the stories of other ancestors in this location, it is possible, even likely, that the Corbins had slaves, and it's likely that their main crop was tobacco.  I've not yet seen records that would document the slaveholding, and I've only seen one brief mention of tobacco, so don't hold my feet to the fire over this one. 

There don't seem to be land records for Edward after 1750, and I've seen a death date of November 30, 1753 for Edward.  I have also, much more frequently, seen a death date of November 30, 1770.  However, that Edward left a will which survived, and none of the children's names, nor his wife's name, match that of our Edward.  Speculation would say this this younger Edward was either the son or the grandson of our Edward. 

That is what little we know of Edward.  He was a land owner, who apparently turned the 100 acres at Corbin's Hill that he inherited from his father into a much larger estate, not necessarily all in the same location.  He was Anglican in religion.  We don't know whether he was ever called on to serve in the militia, although it's possible.  It's also possible, but pure speculation, that at some point he traveled to England to meet his paternal grandparents or on business, although there is not a shred of evidence to point to that.  There is still so much we don't know.  We need to keep looking! 

The line of descent is:

Edward Corbin-Jane Wilkinson
Mary Jane Corbin-Samuel Lane
Lambert Lane-Nancy Ann Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Matthew Bellamy 1677-possibly 1752

Once again there are mysteries and questions about an ancestor.  We know when he was born, and lots of people think they knew when he died, but since the only will I've located in that time period was for his son and not himself, I'm not quite convinced.

Matthew Bellamy, the second Matthew Bellamy of whom I've written, was born February , 1677-78 or possibly 1676, at Killingworth, Connecticut.  The reason I say possibly is that some sites give his birth date as 1676, and at Saybrook, under the idea that he and his sister Mary were twins.  I haven't proven or disproven that yet.  The date and location I've given first are those published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register volume 61, page 339.  Regardless, it is accepted as established that his parents were Matthew and Bethiah Ford Bellamy.  Matthew the younger was one of at least five children in his family.

Matthew senior was an educated man, a schoolmaster, so we can only assume that our Matthew learned to read and write, but we know nothing further of his education.  He was living in Wallingford by 1696, and that is likely where he met his first wife. We have two marriages for Matthew.  His first wife, whom he married September 26, 1705 was Sarah Wood.  The couple had six children together, but Sarah died on March 8, 1721, about 6 weeks after the birth of her last child.  Matthew remarried quickly, on May 30, 1721 to Mary Johnson, daughter of Samuel Johnson.  They had five children together.

The article I mentioned above says that he owned an interest in the copper mines at Wallingford, and may have worked there.  I don't find anything to document that, but I did find a petition he presented to the General Assembly in 1721-1722, asking to be licensed for a house of entertainment, for the benefit of the miners who worked at the mine.  The article doesn't state whether or not this was approved, so more research needs to be done to verify that.  He was apparently looking for a way to better support his family, as his occupation up to this point had been that of a weaver. (On a tax list for 1701, he was charged at a value or "grand rate" of 22 pounds, which was less than most of the town, although of course he was still quite young at that time.)  I wonder how Mary thought she would be able to help him, with 6 young step-children and two of her own on the way (she would have twins in February of 1722).

Surprisingly, because most of our early ancestors have been Puritans, it appears that the Bellamy family was of the Church of England, as his name is on a petition to the Bishop of London asking for more pastors for the area.  

I've not yet located anything to make me think that Matthew was involved in any of the border wars during Queen Anne's or King William's wars of the late 1600 and early 1700s, but he would have been of the right age for the duty and we can't yet rule out the possibility.

I've not located a will for Matthew yet.  There is one for Matthew Bellamy from 1754, but this is his son Matthew, not ours.  The Bellamy family was prominent in Wallingford for some time, with some of Matthew's grandsons serving in the Revolutionary War, one a noted Episcopalian pastor, and others of honorable professions.  Even though our Matthew may not have died a wealthy person (which is my supposition, not a fact, since I haven't seen a will or inventory), he must have given his descendants a strong sense of character and duty.  Mary died before Matthew, on March 8, 1721, and Matthew's date of death is given as June 7, 1752.

The line of descent is

Matthew Bellamy-Mary Johnson
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Moses Royse, date and location unknown

Here's what I know about Moses:  He was born, he married, and he died.  Pretty much everything else is a mystery.  There were several Moses Royse's in the time period we're talking about, and in the same or near by towns.  I am asking for help.  If anyone has figured this man out, with dates and documents, I would be so excited to hear from you! 

Here's what might be accurate:

Moses Royse was born about 1689 or possibly later, to John and Sarah Perrigo Royse.  If this is the correct couple, then he we born in either Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, or in Mansfield, Tolland County, Connecticut.  His parents were born in Norwich but at some point moved to Mansfield.  He came from a large family, perhaps as many as ten children, and his father may have outlived him. 

Moses may have married a woman named Hannah, whom some have identified as Hannah Beebe.  Others say Hannah Beebe married someone else, and so the name of Moses's wife remains unverified.  One Moses Royse who had a wife named Hannah. They had at least three children and I've seen as many as eight children listed.  Moses died in 1768 and her first name is found in the estate papers.  However, that Moses Royse is thought to have been from Stratford. and not everyone is convinced that is our Moses Royse. 

If it is our Moses Royse, when did he move to Stratford?  On the other hand, it does help make more sense of a thought that Moses Royse was an Indian trader in the Highlands of New York, which would not have been far from Stratford.  Also DNA seems to tie this Moses back to John Royse, and to Robert, who is believed to be John's father. 

Since I'm not sure about any of this, I am not, at this point, going to describe the estate papers I found, or the inventory.  It is available on Ancestry if a fellow researcher wants to look at it.  We don't know for sure when Moses died.  The one I have in my tree right now says July 30, 1768 but then it also says, Windham, Connecticut.  So I wouldn't put up an argument if you agreed, or if you disagree. 

Obviously I would like to figure this out.  If our Moses was an Indian trader, that could make for some interesting stories.  Did he also spy, and if so, was it for the colonists, the British, or the French?  He probably lived through the French and Indian war, if 1768 is a correct date, and he may have been right in the thick of things with hair raising stories.  Of course, he could have been a stay at home farmer, merchant, or seaman, too.  If someone can help with this man, please let me know!

Here's the line of descent, which I hope is correct:

Moses Royse-Hannah
John Royse-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: James McCoy, Immigrant and part myth?

James McCoy is almost lost under the weight of the stories surrounding his name.  His early life remains undocumented, so I can't tell you for sure when or exactly where he was born.  He is believed to have been born somewhere in Ulster, Ireland, about the year 1720.  This would fit well with a proposed marriage date of 1745, to Ann Bruce, supposedly in Frederick County, Va. 

An undocumented story says he arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1730.  Either he was very young and traveled with someone, or this isn't our James McCoy.  Other stories say he was a runaway, who became a stow away passenger on a ship to America.  He supposedly ran away because he rode a horse too hard, causing it to stumble and fall.  When the horse had to be put down, James disappeared.  It's only a story, but it's fun and there might be a grain of truth in there somewhere.  Another story is that he at some point prior to his marriage stayed with a "Captain Hyde", whose wife taught him to read and write.  It is possible that the "Hyde" was actually a "Hite" but so far no candidate seems to fit the description exactly.  Again, it's a story, which may or may not prove true.  We know he came to America and we know he married Ann Bruce, daughter of John and Sarah Parrell Bruce, about 1745. 

The couple is credited with having as many as ten children.  Some, as early as 1753, are given birth locations as Union Township, Fayette County, Pennsylvania but that is only in hindsight.  In 1753, this would have been Bedford County, and then it was Westmoreland County before Fayette County was finally formed in 1783.

Wherever the McCoy's were (I've found record of them in 1777 in what became Fayette County), they were deeply affected by the attacks of the native Americans in both the French and Indian war and the Revolutionary War.  James replaced his original log cabin with a fort, where neighbors gathered when the area was under attack.  This appears to be Revolutionary War era, but it doesn't say how long the McCoys lived in the log cabin before the fort was built. 

It is most probable that James is a Revolutionary War veteran, and also likely a French and Indian war veteran, although I've not found records yet.  Several of his sons served, and since he was likely still in his mid 40's when the Revolutionary War broke out, he would at least have served in the militia.  The history of this time and place is absolutely fascinating, and one can't read a book about it without feeing a tremendous admiration for the men and the women who settled and lived on the frontier, long before it was "safe" to do so. 

When the first Baptist Church was founded in Uniontown, Fayette County in 1780, James was an early, if not charter, member.  He was also instrumental in the building of another Baptist church, south of Uniontown, in 1787, where he was a faithful member until his death on September 30, 1801 (I've also seen 1802 as his death date).  Ann died February 4, 1808, also in South Union Township. 

As we know, the Baptist legacy of James McCoy lived on through his sons and grandsons and likely there are still descendants of this family who belong to that generation.  There are certainly many who cling to the "Old Rugged Cross". Legacies are important, and religious legacies may be the most important of all.

The line of descent is

James McCoy-Ann Bruce
Wiiliam McCoy-Eizabeth Royse
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Samuel Lane 1700-abt 1779 Father of patriots

Revisiting families and blog posts can bring big dividends  I've written earlier about Lambert Lane, who served in the Revolutionary War in battles with the Cherokee Indians. I haven't written about his father and in my mind, I had him located in the wrong state.  I also have been looking elsewhere for the family of Lambert's wife, Nancy Anderson.  I think I need to back up and look for her family in Virginia and Pennsylvania, not in Tennessee.  We'll see about that. 

In the meantime, I have learned enough to realize that our Samuel Lane was the father of some remarkable children.  He must have been a special man, himself, to have raised such outstanding children.  But I digress. 

Samuel Lane was the son of Dutton and Pretotia Tydings Lane.  His birthdate is given as October 4, 1700 although I haven't seen the documentation for that.  There are at least two Samuel Lanes in Maryland at this time and I suspect some of the records for one man are attached to the wrong Samuel Lane, but I am not able to sort them out at this time.  Our Samuel Lane was born in Baltimore County, Maryland.  It doesn't appear that he is the same man who has records in Anne Arundel County.  There are records indicating that our Samuel later lived in Carroll County, Maryland, but that county wasn't formed until later.  He may well have lived in the part of Baltimore County that became Carroll County. 

Samuel married Jane Corbin January 10, 1735/36.  She was the daughter of Edward and Jane Wilkinson Corbin.  I'm finding the couple credited with as few as seven and as many as twelve children.  Our ancestor, Lambert, was their second son.  We need to recognize that the area where the Lanes lived was on the frontier, and subject to repeated Indian raids pretty much from the 1750's onward, if not before that.  Realizing this may help explain why there are not always written records, and why deeds may have been recorded after land actually changed hands.  It may also explain the dearth of church records that would identify children for certain.  The other possible explanation is that there is a family tradition that Lambert and Dutton were born in England, but as far as I know there is no documentation for this. 

Another fact that makes researching treacherous is that we don't know for certain what religion Samuel was.  Some of his siblings were Quaker, and some sites state that Samuel was, also.  Some of his family seems to have been Church of England.  And several of his children were fire and brimstone Baptists.  Was Samuel a religious man?  Did he guide his children into a Baptist faith?  Or was he dismayed to see them leave the Church of England, or the Quakers?  We may never know. 

Samuel's first born son, Samuel, became a Baptist "elder" (pastor) and eventually went to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, where he founded a church or churches.  Our Samuel seems to have gone with him, so that may indicate a Baptist bent.  Lambert's daughter, Nancy Ann Lane, married William McCoy, who was a Baptist minister (among other occupations).  So the family was certainly comfortable with Baptist beliefs within a generation of our Samuel. 

Samuel's sons Samuel, Lambert, Corbin, and Wilkinson all served in the Revolutionary War.  Our Samuel was too old for that war and was probably too old to fight in the French and Indian War but most likely would have been in the militia that protected the settlers from Indian incursions.  He and his family could possibly have gone to a nearby fort for protection, or they may have stayed in their home and fought, if necessary, from there. 

I'm finding various dates and suppositions for when the Lanes moved to Bedford County, Pennsylvania, probably close to what became the Huntingdon county line.  One site says 1743 and one site says by 1773.  Samuel was buying and selling land in Maryland in the 1750s but that may not have had anything to do with where the family was actually living.  Whether it was Carroll County, Maryland or Bedford County, Pennsylvania, life was probably hard for the Lanes.  I've found nothing that makes me think this was a family of wealth, although they may not have needed much money, living in the wilderness as they did. 

Jane died in 1773 and Samuel died probably around 1779.  He is believed to be buried near his Pennsylvania home.  One doesn't become the father of several Revolutionary War soldiers and the father of a mostly Baptist family by sitting around twiddling one's thumbs.  Samuel and Jane each had a lot to do with the way their children turned out, and we can be grateful for their service to their country.

The line of descent is:

Samuel Lane-Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Anderson
Nancy Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Thomas Sparrow, Immigrant

Thomas Sparrow, immigrant, is another enigma.  He has been reported as born in several different locations with several different sets of parents.  He undoubtedly came from England, and married Elizabeth Marsh, probably in Virginia.  One problem in identifying this immigrant is that he had a son named Thomas, who had a son named Thomas, and they all showed up on records during the same time span. 

It appears that Thomas was born probably around 1600, and was in Lower Norfolk Virginia by 1640. I've seen 1625 and 1635 given as dates for his arrival here, but we do know that in 1640 he was granted 300 acres on the Elizabeth River in payment for paying transportation costs from England for 5 people, plus himself presumably.  Elizabeth Marsh may have already been here, so she may have been one of the persons he transported.  Regardless, this is his ticket to land ownership.

The Sparrows were Puritans, and that was not the correct religion for settlers of Virginia.  Puritans were harassed and eventually forced to attend church services of the Anglican church, and to pay tithes to them.  When court cases were begun, the Sparrows moved to Maryland in order to practice their faith under a government that practiced religious tolerance.  The Sparrows and their servant, John Dennis, moved in 1649. We don't know for sure how many children the Sparrows had, but at least four are attributed to them.  The children's birth dates are sketchy so it is likely that there were some born in Virginia and some born in Maryland. 

About 1650 Thomas acquired 590 acres on the west side of the Rhodes River in the East River Hundred and called the property Sparrow's Rest. The native Americans were still active in the area and it was only after a 1652 treaty with the Susquehannock Indians that more land became available.  Thomas then purchased 600 acres called Sparrow's Rest at the mouth of Broad Creek, and another 200 acres called South Canton.  The size of these purchases indicates that he was likely farming tobacco, and that his original land may already have been depleted by the time he purchased the second and third grants. 

By 1656, Sparrow and most of his neighbors had heard of a woman named Elizabeth Harris, who was known as the first Quaker missionary.  They attended a meeting at the West River Meeting House in 1656 and the whole family converted to the Quaker religion.  Shortly after that, Thomas died, probably in early 1659.

I should note that there is a good deal of controversy about whether or not this couple had a daughter Charity, who married Richard Tydings.  In general, it seems that there is no real evidence one way or the other.  Long, long family traditions have given Charity these parents, but it is still possible that information will be found to disprove the theory that Charity was the child of this couple, or even that she was the child of this couple.  There is no mention of her in her purported father's will, but that is not entirely an obstacle as she could have received her share before the death of her father, perhaps as a wedding gift.  The jury is still out on this, but for now, I'm including Thomas in our family tree.

The line of descent is:

Thomas Sparrow-Elizabeth Marsh
Charity Sparrow-Richard Tydings
Pretitia Tydings-Dutton Lane
Samuel Lane-Mary Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Anne Anderson
Nancy Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Frances Mauldin Holbrook line: Francis Mauldin 1600-1644

I'm counting this ancestor, my 8th and 9th great grandfather, under the Allen line, simply because I have very few Allen ancestors left to write about  However, he is also an ancestor in our Holbrook line, which technically means, I think, that we who have both Allen and Holbrook lines are our own cousins.  Hmmm...It's a good thing that's a long way back!

Of course frustratingly little is known of our double ancestor, Francis Mauldin.  He is said to have been born in 1600 in London, England, the son of another Francis Mauldin.  He emigrated from England to New Norfolk County, Virginia, with his wife, believed to be Katherine Sutton, and their daughter Margaret.  Katherine was probably dead by 637 or 1638, and Francis then married Grace Bennett, and had at least one child, grace, with her.  There may have been more children with Grace, and the mother of son Francis Mauldin is, as of this writing, not identified, at least not to my satisfaction. 

Francis, his wife Katherine and daughter Margaret came to Virginia in 1634.  He paid passage for his wife plus six other persons, some or all of whom would have worked for him as indentured servants until their labor paid francis for the cost of the passage, plus completing whatever the other terms of the indentureship were.  The length of any indentureship would have depended partly on the age of the men and partly on what skills they brought with them.  Francis initially would have had help in settling and farming the 450 acres he received as headrights for his family and the other six men.  This land was on the north side of the Nansemod River.  .

After the loss of his first wife, he married Grace Bennett and in just a few years, imported two servants, and received headrights for them.  It is thought that he also acquired additional land before his death.  Given the locations of the land, it is likely that at least one of the crops Mauldin raised was tobacco.  

This is what is known of Francis Mauldin, the first of the name in America.  His son Francis Mauldin became a carpenter, and his widow went to Maryland about 1649, possibly in search of religious freedom. 

Our lines of descent are:

Allen line:

Francis Mauldin-Katherine probably Sutton
Margaret Mauldin-Samuel Lane
Dutton Lane-Pretitia Tydings
Samuel Lane-Mary Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane Nancy Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

The Holbrook line is

Francis Mauldin-Grace Bennett
Francis Mauldin-Elizabeth Mackall
Ann Maulden-William Amos
James Amos-Hannah Clarke
Benjamin Amos-Sarah Bussey
Elizabeth Amos-Robert Amos
Martha Amos-Peter Black
Elizabeth Black-Isaac Hetrick
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Allen line: Richard Lane, immigrant to paradise?

I've written a little about Richard Lane before, when I wrote about his son, Samuel. But Richard is touching my heart today, because of the manner and location of his death.  It makes me wonder more about the circumstances.  What really happened, and what were the circumstances?  Will we ever know?

To start at the beginning, Richard was born or christened August 7, 1596 in St Peter, Hereford, Hereford, England.  His parents were Roger Lane and an as yet unidentified "Beatrix".  He was one of at least eight children.  Roger is identified as being an "iremonger".  I can't identify that unless it is the same as "ironmonger', which would mean he was involved in the manufacture or sale of metal objects commonly found in today's hardware stores, such as pulls, knobs and hinges.  At any rate, he made a living for his family until his early death, when Richard was just 10 years old.

Either Roger's family or his mother's family must have stepped in to help raise the eight children, and Richard went to London at the age of 16 where he was apprenticed for seven years to Nathaniel Thornhill, a merchant tailor.  At the age of 24, he was admitted a freeman to the Merchant tail company, on February 26, 1620.  It took a certain amount of "pull" to be admitted to an apprenticeship and certainly to become a freeman, and Richard took advantage of his opportunities.  He married Alice Carter, daughter of Humfrey Carter, on October 27, 1623 in London, and life must have seemed good.  Richard had a wife and a successful business.  What could go wrong?

Richard Lane also appears to have been a man caught up in the politics and religious dissensions of the early to mid century in England.  His religious views may have been not quite orthodox, but perhaps not quite Puritan, either.  He was called before the authorities in 1631 and Richard, although not persecuted, must have decided that this was a good time to "get out of Dodge".  He got himself appointed as a representative of the Company of Providence Island, a quasi-governmental organization, to go to the West Indies.

He, along with his wife and children, finally arrived at Providence Island in 1635.  He spent most of the rest of his life there, introducing a plant called madder, which is used to make red dye.  He may have been fairly wealthy, as he was allotted eight servants, later changed to six, to help in his activities.  It's not clear whether these were personal servants for his household, or whether they were more like field hands or overseers for the planting operations.

At one point, he and two clergymen were held prisoner and returned to London to be examined for their religious views.  By this time, Richard was more like a Puritan, and these beliefs were not acceptable in England.  Fortunately, by the time they arrived in England Bishop Laud, who was the source of the "examinations",  had died and after a brief interview, the men were freed.  There was a bit of political excitement when he was nominated to be Governor of Providence Island, but that was unsuccessful.

Sometime before August 7, 1657, Richard and his son Oziell were drowned.  Most sources say this happened at Eleuthera Island, in the Bahamas, but there is one source that indicates the death actually took place on the African coast.  That would lead one to wonder whether he was somehow involved in the slave trade, although I've seen no other mention of this.

Providence and Eleuthra are both islands in the Bahamas, which with hurricanes Irma and Jose both threatening the area, is what brought my attention to Richard Lane.  Was there bad weather when Richard and his son were drowned?  Or were they somehow involved in an encounter with a Spanish ship that was in the area?  The Spanish would not have taken lightly to these British posts in "their
 territories.  It does appear that the days of the "pirates" were later than this time period, so we can probably eliminate that as a potential cause of the drownings.

Alice was left to raise four children.  She did receive her husband's back pay and a pension, after petitioning the company, and she is buried in England.  I don't yet know when she returned there.

This story interests me because as far as I know now, he is one of only two ancestors we have who lived in the islands of the Caribbean and Atlantic oceans.  If I were ever to tour the areas where our ancestors lived, this would be a good place to put on the bucket list!

The line of descent is:

Richard Lane-Alice Carter
Samuel Lane-Margaret Mauldin
Dutton Lane-Pretitia Tydings
Samuel Lane-Mary Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Ann Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R. Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: John Clark, Immigrant

This is really a love letter and a challenge to a future family historian.  Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to find out more about John Clark.  I have one fact I'm reasonably sure of about the man, and a potential marriage date and name of his wife about which I am less sure.  And as to his birthdate and place, I am thoroughly confused.  So you, someone in the future and whomever you are, are assigned the task of finding out more about this ancestor of ours. 

Every tree that I have looked at gives John's birthdate as about 1606, but there are probably many John Clark's in England that fit that broad description.  There are several dates and places attached to his various trees on Ancestry, but none of them match any other information in the trees.  His wife is believed to have been named Joan.  There are several trees listing a 1620 marriage to John, but this could not be our John if he was born in 1606 or thereabouts. 

One interesting possibility is a record from Hartpury, Gloucester, England from April 30,162, stating that John Clark married Joane Nelme on that date.  I do know that people from Gloucester went to Virginia, so this seems to be a reasonable possibility.  However, his son Abraham is believed to have been born in Weathersfield, Essex, England and that is a long way from Gloucester.  So maybe the Joane Nelme idea isn't as possible as it seems.  We know that John and possible wife Joan had at least two children, Abraham and Ann. 

If the time and location of Abraham's birth is correct, then that would mean John left Virginia no earlier than 1639.  I've not yet found an immigration record that gave me any confidence that this was our John.  The death information I have consistently gives him a death date of 1664 (nothing more specific) in (old) Rappahannock County, Virginia.  This would have been on the Rappahannock river or its tributaries, north of the current city of Richmond. 

That is all that I have been able to locate about John.  There are so many questions, both in England and in Virginia, but I leave them to the future family historian to dig into this untold story, thanking him, her or them in advance.  For now, we only know that he is an ancestor and that he was an immigrant at a time when life was not easy in Virginia.  That is a good reason to honor him.

The line of descent is:

John Clark-Joan
Abraham Clark-Sarah Kinsey
Elizabeth Clark-William Wilkinson
Jane Wilkinson-Edward Corbin
Mary Jane Corbin-Samuel Lane
Lambert Lane-Nancy Ann Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Hugh Kinsey 1592-1667

Hugh Kinsey is another one of those "really" ancestors who reminds me that no, I'm not entirely of sturdy New England stock.  This line goes back to early Maryland and before that, Virginia, when the land was being newly explored and settled, relations with native Americans were tense, and life was hard, even though the winters may have been milder than those of much of New England. 

Hugh was baptized February 16, 1592 at Oldhaugh, Cheshire, England.  This is a new location for me, so I tried to Google it and found only other people who were born there.  My best guess is that this was a small farming community and that the reason for leaving here may have been economic. 

Hugh married Margaret Coulton in England (lots of sources say Margaret Johns but that appears to be incorrect) in 1632 and they had six known children together, (one died young) but not until Hugh was middle aged.  Margaret was reportedly baptized in 1611 so Hugh was enough older that he may have had an as yet unlocated first marriage.

Hugh and brother Robert were in Virginia by 1655, settling in Rappahannock and later Lancaster County, Virginia. Hugh was already over 60, and life was hard in the new land.  It gets a little complicated here.  Hugh inherited from his brother Robert in 1656 and mortgaged those 500 acres, later selling them to the mortgagor in London because he couldn't make the payment.  It's not clear why he needed to sell; did he have trouble financially because he had become (or perhaps always was) a Quaker?  A group of Quakers from Lancaster county did emigrate together, to the area on the Patapsco River where Hugh settled.  He brought two of his children over from England in 1662, and about the same time, acquired 100 acres of land along the river.  The 100 acres probably represented headrights,  meaning Hugh had paid the transportation costs and brought new settlers in to the area. 

Hugh is seen as a witness to various land transactions in the 1650's and 1660's, but seems to have not generated much other paperwork.  He did leave a will dated May 6, 1667 in Anne Arundel County, leaving bequests to grandchildren and the estate to his wife, until her death when it was to go to his living children and grandchildren.  I've not located anything saying what the value of the estate was. 

It's likely that Hugh's estate was not large.  As far as we know, he had just the 100 acres, and that was not enough to support a family.  If he was a Quaker, he probably had suffered both religious and economic persecution in Virginia.  But he was free and had had opportunities in the New World that he would never had had in England, and he may have felt that the opportunity was worth the risk, even for an older person.  He contributed to the building of America, and for that I am grateful.

The line of descent is:

Hugh Kinsey-Margaret Coulton
Sarah Kinsey-Abraham Clark
Elizabeth Clark-William Wilkinson
Jane Wilkinson-Edward Corbin
Mary Jane Corbin-Samuel Lane
Lambert Lane-Nancy Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-William McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants. 

Allen line: Richard Tydings, Immigrant abt 1630-1687

I wish I could find more information about Richard Tydings.  I'd love to tell you who his parents were and where he was born, whom he married and when he arrived in the New World.  However, there is conflicting information about each of these "facts", and obviously not all of them can be correct.  There are no alternate facts in genealogy, but alternate theories abound .

As of now, possible parents for Richard,are John and Ann Willson Tydings, married September 20,1630 at St Saviour church, Southwark, Surrey, (across the Thames River from London).  John "Tithings" had a son RIchard baptied March, 1633/4, so this is in the correct time frame to be our Richard.  Also Richard named a son John, but both first names are very common so this is not proof, just a suggestion.

We do know that he was in Maryland by 1659, when he demanded 50 acres as a headright.  Whether this was for himself or for a family member is not clear. He lived at a "plantation" or farm called Haslenut Ridge", which was on the Rhode River in what is now Anne Arundel County, around Annapolis.

He most likely married in Maryland, and his wife is often claimed to be Charity Sparrow, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Marsh Sparrow.  There is some dispute about this in genealogy circles but I think it is likely correct, though I'm sure willing to listen to opposing beliefs, especially if documents are found to prove or disprove this theory

Based on his will, we know that he owned not only Haslenut Ridge, by now 166 acres, but also a tract called Nanjomie in Baltimore County, which was 375 acres, and another tract called "New Year's Purchase" which was on Gunpowder River in Baltimore County and contained 500 acres.  Because he owned at least three separate pieces of land at the time of his death in 1687, he was likely raising tobacco, which depleted the land quickly.   This could mean he had indentured servants or possibly slaves, although there was no mention of slaves in this will.  (This isn't necessarily conclusive, because slaves at the time were considered personal property and it wasn't necessary to list or bequeath them separately).

Other than this, we know only the names of some of his children: John, Charity, Pretitia, Elizabeth, and Mary.  There are lists that include other children and it's possible, but these five seem to be the ones everyone agrees on.  Richard is indeed a mystery.  Why did he come to Maryland, and what ship did he come on when he came to America.  Did he disembark at Baltimore, or Virginia?  Where is the proof of his wife's name?

The Maryland ancestors we have are fascinating, maybe because they seem mysterious to me.  I want to learn more about them both individually, and as a group of people.

The line of descent is:

Richard Tydings-Charity Sparrow
Pretitia or Pretosia Tydings-Dutton Lane
Samuel Lane-Mary Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Ann Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R. Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line; Robert Johnson died 1661, Immigrant

There are a lot of stories about Robert Johnson on line, but not a lot of good, documented information.  I'm not sure but I think it's possible that two Robert Johnson's have been combined and confused, and that makes it hard to determine which Robert Johnson is ours.

The esteemed genealogist Donald Lines Jacobus in his "Families of Ancient New Haven" gives the idea that three brothers came from Hull, Yorkshire, England, and from that others have apparently jumped at the conclusion that Robert is the son of Abraham who was the son of Robert Johnson son of Maurice Johnson, who was an alderman of Stanford in Lincolnshire.  I'm not sure this holds up under scrutiny, but it's possible.

I'll start with what I believe to be correct.  Robert Johnson was in New Haven, Connecticut as early as 1641.  At least two more generations of Johnsons lived in New Haven, and their records seem to be a little more easily traced.  So that's helpful, to show that Robert was an early resident there 

William Richard Cutter says that Robert came to Boston in 1637 from Kingston on Hull, Yorkshire, England, where he was in business.  He brought his wife "Adlin" and four sons, Robert, Thomas, John, and William.  There is some belief that Aldin may have been a second wife, but so far no records have been produced to indicate whether this is so or not.

The first I can really find about Robert is that he was in New Haven, Connecticut in 1641, and that this is where he spent the remainder of his days.  He is believed to have been born sometime between 1603 and 1612, but again, there is no known documentation.  It makes sense based on the ages of his known children to think that it would be closer to 1603, since some of his children are believed to have been born in the early to mid 1620's.

We see him in 1641 in New Haven in a dispute with his brother, John.  He had loaned money to John back in England, and John apparently did not pay him back. the house had been pledged as security, or so Robert thought. In the 1640's he was several times appointed to committees to resolve disputes about crops damaged by cattle and hogs, and to determine how much corn each farmer was growing, that the town would be responsible to buy.  He bought 91/2 acres of land "in the Necke" and also had recorded 62 acres of "upland" he had purchased from Thomas Yale, both in 1646.  He apparently also owned a dwelling or land in "Yorkshire quarter", which was disposed of in his will.

That is pretty much what is known of Robert Johnson.  If he was descended from Maurice Johnson then there is likely more material to be found regarding his ancestry, and hopefully more clues to his occupation, religion, and other mundane matters that bring our ancestors to life.

For now, we will leave him at the end of his life, in 1661, in New Haven.  He chose to live there and had been there at least 20 years, watching his family grow and settle in to the new land they had come to.  I am thankful that men like Robert Johnson were willing to come to America and build this new land!

The line of descent is:

Robert Johnson-Adeline
John Johnson-Hannah Parmalee
Samuel Johnson-unknown
Mary Johnson-Matthew Bellamy
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Timothy Ford bt 1611-1684, Immigrant

We know at least a few things about Timothy Ford.  It is quite likely that he came from Devonshire, England.  He may or may not be connected to the Henry and Catherine Drake Ford from that area.  I have it on my tree as fact, but looking at it more closely, he didn't have children named Henry or Catherine so I am a bit skeptical.  Also, Henry was a Sir Henry and Catherine was from a family connected to Sir Francis Drake.  So one would think that he would at least be accorded the title of "Gentleman" and I haven't found him referred to as such.  So maybe they were distant cousins, but Timothy was probably not their child.  (I hope I'm wrong; I like the Francis Drake connection.)

Timothy is believed to have come to New England in 1637 and to have stayed in the Cambridge area for a couple of years before traveling to New Haven.  We don't know whether he went to New Haven for religious reasons or for some other purpose, but it appears that his marriage took place at about this same time.  New Haven was the most Puritan town, and the strictest, in New England so we can hope he went willingly, knowing that life would be different in New Haven than it was in Boston. 

Most sides give his wife's name as Eliza Gordy, but I haven't found any documentation as to that name.  Torrey's New England Marriages doesn't give her even a first name, so I guess the verdict is still out on the name of his wife.  The marriage, however, is supposed to have taken place before 1640, as Samuel Ford was born in that year, and at least five other children were born after that.  Timothy signed his name to the New Haven Covenant in 1639 and received land during the first and second divisions of land there.  He took the "oath of allegiance" in 1644, which basically said he would do what the government (local) said.  215 other men took the oath at the same time, probably all the residents except for perhaps the very sick and those temporarily away from home.

He is believed to have been a farmer, and seems to have been hard pressed for funds in the early years of his marriage, but gradually acquired more land.  He moved to Fairfield, where he owned land before 1650, but was back in New Haven by 1652.  He was fined there, then for a defect in his arms (there were strict rules as to what kind of guns and swords each man must have, and the type and amount of ammunition0 and he tried to excuse himself by saying the requirements were different "where he came from".  Since he was fined, apparently the judge didn't buy the excuse. 

When the meeting house was built, the Fords were assigned seats toward the back of the room, which indicates a low social status, but 25 years later they were in the center of the room, and he was in the 7th row, which may mean he was more prosperous or it may mean simply that age had its privileges. 

His wife, referred to as Goody Ford, died in 1681 and Timothy died August 28, 1684.  He had sold some of his land to one of his sons in 1679, but his estate was still valued at 166 pounds, 17 shillings, and two pence. He had come up in the world. 

Timothy didn't leave a lot or records behind, but apparently he kept out of trouble except for the one arms violation, and that was hard to do in a town like New Haven.  My respects to this gentleman, our ancestor!

The line of descent is:

Timothy Ford-possibly Elizabeth Gordy
Bethiah Ford-Matthew Bellamy
Matthew Bellamy-Mary Johnson
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: John Parmelee 1584-1659, Immigrant

If for not other reason, John Parmelee is noted for having five wives, apparently having out-lived four of them, and for having children by each of his first four wives.  He was born in Lewes, Sussex, England before September 27, 1584.  His father, also John Parmelee, had died late in April (buried May 1) 1583, so his mother, Alice Russell, waited a few months to have him baptized.  Perhaps she herself was ill, or she was waiting for relatives to arrive.  Babies were usually but not always baptized shortly after birth.  John is known to have had one sister, Margaret, who was born a little more than ten years earlier than John.  There was another sister, Catherine, who would have been about five years older than John but who died as an infant. 

It's not clear who raised Margaret and John.  Alice apparently did not remarry, which would have been unusual for this time frame, unless her health was not good.  Probably the family moved in with relatives and eventually John learned the trade of bricklaying.  He supported his own family with his trade.  This would have been back breaking work, just as it is today, but John was apparently a strong young man.  He married at age 24 for the first time, to Anne Howell, and their marriage lasted until her death 21 years later.  They had seven children together, but only one survived childhood. 

John next married Hannah Wilbur in 1630.  She had two children, and died on February 20, 1634, perhaps as a result of childbirth.  Fifteen months later, John married Elizabeth Holter, and had three children with her.  Again, all three children died young.  He next married Joane Cobden, about 15 months after wife Elizabeth had died, and they had one daughter, Rachel, who was buried just five days after her 1638 baptism.  It isn't known what happened to Joane, but she was probably dead when John decided to start a new life in America, or at least when he set sail. 

His surviving son John was already in New England when John sailed from London on the St John on May 20, 1639.  The ship went directly to New Haven, Connecticut and John Senior joined his son John Junior in Guilford.  His signature was on a Plantation Covenant which was officially dated June 1, 1639, but apparently a few late-comers signed the document as they arrived in port.  He was assigned a home lot at the north end of the village green, where the First Congregational Church now stands. We are told on the Town of Guilford, Connecticut's website that the homes built were no more than huts, with thatched roofs, wooden walls, and dirt floors,  and the village resembled a medieval village for several generations. 

John was voted a freeman about 10 years after he arrived in Guilford, but some time before 1659 he and his family moved to New Haven, where he was admitted as a freeman on August 8, 1659.  His family at this time included his fifth wife, Elizabeth, whom he had married in 1653.  There were fourteen years between the death of his fourth wife and the final marriage, so perhaps John had finally given himself time to grieve the loss of so many wives and so many children.   John died November 8, 1659, probably at New Haven.  He did leave a will and inventory but so far I haven't been able to locate it. 

This brief outline leaves a lot of questions.  Was John a strong Puritan church supporter?  How did he support his family in Connecticut?  What were the early relations with the native Americans?  Was he a member of a train band or other military group?  I need to find out more about John Parmelee, who sparks my compassion across these many generations. 

The line of descent is:

John Parmelee-Hannah Wilbur
Hannah Parmelee-John Johnson
Samuel Johnson-unknown
Mary Johnson-Matthew Bellamy
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy-McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Samuel Lane, Immigrant 1628-1682

There is a lot of information about Samuel Lane on-line, but of course some of it contradicts other information and some is just not very clearly explained.  I'll try to pick and choose and leave the contradictory parts out of this post, or at least point out the points of disagreement. 

Samuel Lane, immigrant was born about 1628 in probably London, England.  I haven't yet found documentation for this, but most sites seem to agree that this is correct.  His parents were Richard and Alice Carter Lane.  This family is interesting because although they were Puritans, they didn't follow the typical route to New England.  They arrived in 1635 at the Island of Providence, which I believe was the main island of the Bahamas.  There is another Island of Providence off the coast of Costa Rica, and it could possibly be here that the family settled.  However, Richard is reported to have drowned at Eleuthra, another Bahamian Island, so that makes the Bahamas theory more logical.  Both islands were initially settled by Puritan families, so at least we know that the family was Puritan and that they were in the Caribbean, more or less.  Probably one of the many people who have worked on this family can clear up this mystery.

So Samuel was on the island of Providence by about 1635, as a seven year old boy.  He had at least three siblings, two brothers and a sister and it is fun to think of them living in an almost enchanted world, at least for their early years.  It would have been a very different world from that of England, with a different diet, a different religious culture and a different way of life.  All went well until Richard died in 1657.  Samuel was 22 by now and perhaps in England, for he is mentioned as a "clerk" which generally means a cleric, and would mean that he had an education to acquire that title. 

In Maryland, he was apparently a man of some importance.  In various documents he is called a gentleman, chirurgeon, doctor, doctor of physick, commissioner of Anne Arundel county, justice of Anne Arundel County, gentleman of the quorum (another term for justice), and major.  It was his role as major that apparently led to his death.  It appears that he may have led or at least participated in some sort of skirmish with the Seneca Indians of New York, who were ranging farther afield in 1682 when Samuel's death occurred.  He and his second wife Margaret Mauldin, a wealthy widow, had at least six children, but all would have been minors at the time of Samuel's death.  His widow married Job Evans, who apparently helped raise the children.

There are still unanswered questions,of course.  What religion did they practice in Maryland?  What is the true story of his death?  How wealthy was he at his death?  I'll bet Samuel would have some interesting stories to tell, if we could talk to him!

The line of descent is:

Samuel Lane-Margaret Maulden
Dutton Lane-Pretitia Tydings
Samuel Lane-Mary Jane Corbin
Lambert Lane-Nancy Ann Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R. Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen Line: Nicholas Corbin about 1650-1696, Immigrant

First, I am not joining in the controversy as to the parentage of Immigrant Nicholas.  I know there are those who think it "proven" that his parents are Thomas Corbin and Margaret Goodver, of Halls End, but I don't have any reason to think that is correct.  Nor do I have reason to think it is incorrect.  I am just suspicious that it may have come from Gustave Anjou or one of his comrades, who tried to fit nearly every family they worked on back to a line in England.  If there is better documentation than that, I'd love to see it and see where those lines run,but I'm not ready to go off in that direction at the moment.

So, we believe that Nicholas was born about 1650 in England, possibly in or around Halls End, but possibly in some other location entirely.  He could have been born earlier, but he is listed in 1671 as claiming headrights for himself, his wife Elizabeth, and two daughters.  This means he paid for the passage of his family, himself.  21 would have been young to have married in England, had two daughters, and raised or saved enough money to pay for the passage of four persons.  Perhaps 1640 is a better guesstimate for his age.  (This is just speculation on my part.) 

Sometime before 1677, Nicholas's wife Elizabeth died, and in 1676, Nicholas received a bequest from Lewis Bryan.  He is believed to be the father of Alice, Nicholas's second wife, so Elizabeth was likely to have died prior to 1676.  Nicholas and Edward Corbin were born to Nicholas and Alice, and Nicholas acquired land at this time.  He patented 200 acres in 1680, called "Corbin's Rest" and another 100 acres in 1687, called "Costrell Hill", and the family would have lived at the first site, most likely.  The land he acquired was apprently somewhere along the Patapsco River, in what was then Baltimore County, Maryland, but so fara I've not been able to pinpoint the exact location.

Nicholas was a constable in 1692 and a vestryman in 1693 and 1696, so he had the respect of his neighbors and fellow church-goers.  "Vestryman" indicates that he was a member of the Anglican church, and "vestryman" seems to be similar to a member of the church board in today's language.

Nicholas wrote his will in 1695 and died December 31,1696.  His son Edward received 100 acres of land known as "Corbin's Hill" but it's not clear whether this was the land earlier noted as "Costrell Hill."  He also left land to Thomas Gostwick, his grandson, and left cows to his two daughters.  His wife Alice was left the balance of the estate and was named executor.  His estate was valued at 32 pounds, which was not a large estate at all.  That may explain why Alice remarried to John Barrett within a few years.

Of course I'd like to know more about Nicholas, particularly where he came from and who his parents were.  I'd also like to know more about his life in Maryland.  Were he or his family ever threatened by native Americans, or was he involved in a militia?  Did he have another occupation besides farmer?  Did he have indentured servants to slaves to help him on his land?  Did he raise tobacco?

It seems that no matter how many answers we have, there are always more questions.  Maybe another Corbin descendant will have some of the answers we are lacking.

Our line of descent is:

Nicholas Corbin-Alice Bryan
Edward Corbin-Jane Wilkinson
Mary Jane Corbin- Samuel Lane
Lambert Lane-Nancy Ann Anderson
Nancy Ann Lane-James McCoy
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Matthew Bellamy about 1618?-1690

Matthew Bellamy seems to be one of our hidden ancestors, and yet, there is enough in the record to know that he was here, and that he was educated enough to be a school teacher for many years.  He deserves to be more thoroughly researched. 

Matthew apparently spent his entire life in various towns and villages in Connecticut.  He may have been an early immigrant, but so far I am unable to pinpoint his arrival.  His father is given as John Bellamy, supposedly born in London, England, but again, I have no proof and more work needs to be done.  We don't know his birth date but he is known to have signed the plantation covenant of New Haven, Ct in 1639.  He would have been at least 21 to have done so.  That puts his birthdate at 1618 or earlier.  He took the oath of fidelity in 1644 and taught school at various times at New Haven, Milford, Stamford, Guilford, Saybrook and Killingworth in Connecticut.  One wonders whether he was more or less chased from town to town (too stern?  too lenient? not completely in accord with church beliefs?) or whether he regarded it as his mission to start or continue schools in each of the new locations. 

He married Bethia Ford, daughter of Timothy Ford and possibly Eliza Gordy in 1671 in Stamford, Ct.  This was a late marriage and possibly second marriage for him, although no records have been found to indicate an earlier marriage.  He would have been at least 53 years old at this time.  Bethia, however, is believed to have been born in 1653, so she was a much younger woman.  Regardless of the difference in their ages, the couple had five children.  Matthew, Bethia and Elizabeth all died as infants.  What a sorrow this must have been to the couple!  They did, however, have two children who lived to adulthood, Mary and Matthew (a second time.  It wasn't unusual to name a younger child after an older deceased sibling, especially when that was the father's name.) 

The circumstances of his death are not known.  The dates are variously given as 1689-1692, and it is believed he may have been lost at sea.  Bethia died in 1692, but I haven't yet located wills or estate papers for either of them. 

The information for this blog post came from very limited sources, mostly an article printed in 1907 in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.  It's time for another look at this man.  I'd like to know when and where he was born, how he acquired his education, and something about his early life.  Did he have a "first family"?  When did he actually arrive in New England, and where?  Did he come for economic or for religious reasons?  I think his story might be a fascinating one, if we only knew it!

The line of descent is:

Matthew Bellamy-Bethia Ford
Matthey Bellamy-Mary Johnson
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Robert Perrigo abt 1635-1683

I have only a little bit of information about Robert Perrigo, ancestor in the Allen line and immigrant.  What I have, however, is so intriguing that I want to share it, in hopes that someone else has found more pieces to his puzzle and would be willing to share it.

So far as is believed, our ancestor was born somewhere in England, although his surname is believed to have derived from France.  His birth date is unknown, and his birth place and parents are unknown, although someone has indicated his father's name might be William Perrigo.  There was no documentation attached to that statement.  At least one internet researcher believes he was born in 1624 in St Clements, Hastings, Sussex, England. 

The next thing we know about Robert is that he was married in 1657 in New Barbadoes, New Jersey to Sarah Smart, daughter of Robert Smart.  (New Barbadoes was settled by the Dutch, and is now known as Hackensack.)   Robert and Sarah had at least three children together, Ezekiel, Sarah, and Robert.  They were born in Saybrook, Ct. where the couple had settled.  Apparently Sarah died, and about 1670 Robert married for a second time, to Mary or Marah Wood.  Together they had four or five children, the last born in 1683, a few months after her father's death. 

Mary remarried, to Henry Peterson, but all may now have been well between Henry and his step children.  In April of 1711, 28 years after Robert's death, Henry wrote a letter to the court basically saying that he had learned that some of the children of Robert were hiring attorneys and claiming that the estate of Robert Perrigo, which had been settled in 1684, had not been properly handled.  In 1711, Henry was offering up another 63 acres of Perrigo's land, at Beaver Brook, to add to the estate.  This letter is now on Ancestry,com.  Part of this dispute may be because Robert's son, Robert, had apparently been left only one shilling in the will.  Unfortunately, the probate records for the time period prior to 1700 were destroyed, so these are the only hints we have about the Perrigo estate.

As to his occupation, again, it is difficult to say much.  There are hints that he may have worked in the maritime industry, since he was said to be on Mr. Goodall's ship, "now at Goodman Rusco's" in 1659 when his young son Ezekiel received medical treatment.  If course, it's also possible that he was a merchant or a trader or any number of other occupations.  Since he had 63 acres of land not included in the original estate, he likely did at least some farming.

With no estate records, no inventory, and very few other records to go on, we are left with little knowledge of this ancestor.  We know he married twice, had at least seven children, and probably died before the age of 50.  We also know he came to the New World from the Old, and possibly had friends or relatives in New Jersey, (or Sarah was in Connecticut for some reason), since the couple married in New Jersey.  More research needs to be done concerning Robert, but in the meantime, we can honor what we know of his life.

The line of descent is:

Robert Perrigo-Sarah Smart
Sarah Perrigo-John Royse
Moses-Royce-Hannah
John Royce-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royce-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: John Bruce 1690-1748, Immigrant

We know more about John Bruce than we do some of our other immigrant ancestors, but of course it's not enough.  The timeline for his life and the history of his times would indicate that it's possible he left Scotland under duress, as a "Covenanter", but I've not found proof of that.  He may have come to America for economic reasons alone. 

John Bruce was born (or christened) September 7,1690 in Portsoy, Fordyce Paarish, Aberdeen, Scotland.  Portsoy is a small village on the northeast coast of Scotland, with lovely cliffs overlooking the ocean, but little else in the way of natural beauty.  The pictures I found on line showed no trees outside of the village and very few in town.  The main occupation of the townspeople would have been fishing, and also quarrying or mining a serpentine rock that was considered so beautiful it was used both in jewelry and in the Palace of Versailles.  Presumably there would be enough vegetation to raise a few sheep or goats, but it's hard to see how someone could farm and make a living there.

John's parents were Thomas Bruce and Mary Christian.  He is believed to have had six brothers and sisters.  There is not as much certainty about the identity of his wife.  My tree shows "Sarah Parrell" but I have also seen Margaret Griffith, Margaret Frazier and Sarah Coles listed as being his wife.  He may have been married more than once, but I don't have documentation for any of this.  One possible explanation for the lack of knowledge may be that he spent some time in Ireland, as many Covenanters did, before emigrating to America.  I have seen speculation about this but again, nothing definite.

John arrived in Chester County, Pennsylvania by about 1730.  He would have been nearing the age of 40, and surely he brought his children with him.  His two oldest daughters married and stayed in Chester and Bucks county, but John moved on.  By 1735, he was in the area of Winchester, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley, where he received a patent for land on November 12, 1735, which was a grant from the Crown. (The policy at the time was to get this land settled, as a border against both the French and the Indians.) There are records in what was then Orange County of John suing and being sued for various debts.  He is listed as a "peddler", which leads one to wonder whether he was trading with the native Americans, or whether there were enough white people in the area to support his trade at that time

Brucetown, Va. was named at least partly in his honor.  This town was located 8 miles northwest of Winchester,  near the border of what is now Berkley County, West Virginia.  His land totalled about 255 acres.  In addition to doing some peddling, John was a farmer and operated a grist mill.  His lie was cut short by an epidemic that hit the area in 1748.  It may have been cholera, or any of several other diseases that were all too common at the time.  In his will, which had been written in 1747, he left his land to his sons George and James, who were to take care of his widow Sarah for as long as she lived.  I don't have a death date for her, but she may have lived for some years. 

It's not clear why his other children weren't mentioned in his will.  Perhaps the daughters had been given money or other property at the time of their marriage.  At any rate, by the time of John's death he had established a settlement that became a town, set up a business that George was able to grow, with the partnership of his mother in law, and had a farm that would help support the Bruce family.  We can be proud to call him our ancestor.

I'd love to know more about John, and especially about his wife.  When did they marry, and who was she?  Was there a church established that John and his family attended?   

The line of descent is:

John Bruce-Sarah Parrell
Ann Bruce-James McCoy
William McCoy-Elizabeth Royse
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George R. Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

There is a lot of material about John Bruce on the Internet.  I would particularly recommend "In the Footsteps of Our Ancestors", found at www.bradleyrymph.com.  There is also a book which I haven't yet seen, but which is frequently referenced, called John Bruce of the Shenandoah, by Violet Laverne Bruce.  Much of the information on the Internet seems to have come from that source. 

Allen line: Hugh Calkins, Immigrant, about 1599-1690

We know a little more about Hugh Calkins than about some of our other immigrant ancestors.  Research done by Mr. Roy Edwards in 1998 finally pinpointed his parents' marriage and his christening date.  Since they were both in the same location, we are taking Waverton, Cheshire, England, as his hometown, although it is possible that they lived on a farm or in a village even smaller than Waverton.  At any rate, the records show that Waverton was an important place in their lives.  This area is to the east of the northern part of Wales, so it is not surprising that for a long time it was believed that Hugh was from Wales.

Hugh was the son of Rowland and Ellen Payne Calkin, who were married June 23, 1597 at St. Oswald church in Chester. .  He was christened on April 8,1603 at St Peter in Waverton.  Brothers William, Hugh, and Peter were baptized there, too. 

We don't know his parent's occupation, nor his, but this area has been known for dairy and for sheep raising, so it's possible that Rowland, and later Hugh, were involved in farming, at least to some extent.  We don't know when Hugh married, or to whom, although her name is frequently given as Ann, or Sarah Ann, Eaton.  Since marriages frequently took place in the bride's church, it is possible that the records still exist somewhere, but they don't seem to be at Waverton.  It's estimated that the marriage took place sometime around 1626, since their first known child was born in 1627.

We also don't know when Hugh and Ann became "non-conformists."  Were they born into non-conforming families, or did they all become non-conforming over time, or were Hugh and Ann "breakaways" from the family religion?  We don't know the answer to that yet, either, but we do know they were non-conformists; one source even terms Hugh "radical".  It is believed that Hugh and Ann and their children came to America about 1640, since daughter Deborah was buried at Waverton  October 4, 1639.  It's possible that Hugh had come earlier and that Ann stayed behind to deliver and then bury their child.  They traveled with Rev. Richard Blinman once they were here, so perhaps they came as part of his congregation in 1640.  

Hugh and Ann's children were  Sarah, Mary, Rebecca, Deborah  John, David, and Deborah again.  There may also have been a daughter Susan.  David and the second Deborah were born in Massachusetts, after the family arrived here.  Hugh and family settled first at Green's Harbor in  Plymouth Colony, but soon moved to Gloucester with Mr. Blinman. We don't know the whole story, but there was some sort of religious dissension involving his minister and others.  He was made a freeman Dec. 27, 1642 at Gloucester, so he owned at least a modest amount of property by then.  He was a selectman 1643-1648, and then moved to New London, Connecticut, about 1650, again with Rev. Blinman.  He was a selectman and representative there, and was also a town clerk.  In 1662 he moved to what would become Norwich, leaving some of his daughters in New London.  In Norwich he was the first deacon of the church, and a representative in 1663-1664.  He died in 1690,  at the age of ninety years. He and son John are listed as founders of Norwich, so the land was wilderness when they arrived. 

There is a Calkins Family Association with their own website that has most of this information, and I recommend that you "google" for it and enjoy all the work that has gone into that site.  I am so grateful that this work has been done so that we can enjoy knowing a little about our immigrant ancestor.

The line of descent is:
Hugh Calkins-Ann possibly Eaton
Deborah Calkins-Jonathan Royce
John Royce-Sarah Perrigo
Moses Royce-Hannah
John Royce-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royce-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents