Holbrook line: Samuel Doty 1643-1715

Update 8/11/2022  This man is not our ancestor.  I am leaving the post up for anyone who is interested in a short version of his life, however.  The error in this post is that Sarah Doty did not marry Josiah Standish, according to current research.  

There's more to Samuel Doty than meets the eye.  Yes, he was the son of a Mayflower Pilgrim and yes, he married a daughter of a member of the Great Migration.  Yes, he was maybe a bit of a rebel in his younger days.  But his story has several interesting twists, some of which I haven't seen in other ancestors. 

First, the basics:  Samuel Doty was the son of Edward Doty of the Mayflower and Faith Clarke, who arrived in Plymouth Colony in 1634 with her father Thurstan Clarke.  He was one of 9 children of the couple.  The Doty family would have attended church services on a regular basis, because it was required.  But it is believed that Edward Doty didn't join the church as a member, and Samuel appears to have taken the independent thinking route.  (Plymouth Colony was both Puritan and Separatist, meaning that they wanted nothing to do with the Church of England, whereas the Puritans, at least initially, wanted only to "purify" the church of England of its rituals, hierarchy, church decor, and some of their beliefs). 

Samuel moved from Plymouth to Eastham on Cape Cod sometime before July 16, 1668.  He was there for only a brief time,but it may have been enough to convince him or encourage him that he needed to leave the colony.  Several families from that area left for either Long Island, New York, or New Jersey during that time period.  Some were Quakers and some were what we would call seekers, maybe.  At any rate, Samuel was helping found Piscataway, New Jersey by October of 1669.  He was still a young man.  It's possible that Samuel had married by now but if so, there is no record of a first wife. 

He was thirty five years old when he married Jane or Jeane Harmon in Piscataway on November 13, 1678, which is rather old for a first marriage.  Jane Harmon ws born in Saco, Maine and it's not entirely clear how she arrived in Piscataway.  She was bound as an indentured servant to Lt. James Gibbins for an eight year period on April 4, 1671, having been removed from her father's home for "oppression{.  Apparently the Gibbins family acted somewhat as a foster family, but they would have used Jane as a servant, too.  She would have been taught housekeeping skills and perhaps how to read.  Some of the families from that area emigrated to Piscataway at the outbreak of King Philip's War, and she may have arrived then.  It appears that the Gibbins family must have returned to Maine, if indeed they have moved at all.  The marriage date of Samuel and Jane is just a few months prior to the time her indenture likely expired.  Samuel may have been able to purchase those last few months of servitude that Jane owed the Gibbins, or perhaps they agreed to it.  At anhy rate, they were married.

Samuel and Jane had somewhere about 12 children (some say 13) together, so, like many of our ancestors, they would have been quite busy providing for their family.  Samuel owned land but was not accorded the title of "Mr."  In his will, he calls himself a yeoman, meaning a farmer who owned land.  He was respected in Piscataway and by 1675 was a lieutenant in the militia company.  He is sometimes referred to as "Captain" so he may have been promoted or elected to the higher office at some point. 

We don't know what religion Samuel practiced when he arrived in Piscataway, but he helped found the Seventh Day Baptist church there.  This appears to be similar to other Baptist churches, for instance those in Rhode Island, except that this group met on Saturday instead of Sunday. 

Samuel inherited some of his father's land and sold it, which may be how he was able to purchase so much land in New Jersey.  He owned hundreds of acres, purchasing land at least up until 1690.  We don't know how much of it he developed as farm land, nor do we know what crops he grew.  The abstract of his will shows a "personal estate".  It seems that he had probably given land or otherwise gifted his children prior to his death, as only his wife and one son are mentioned in the will.  (I have not seen the original, this information is from an abstract). 

Samuel died November 8, 1715 and Jane died just two years later, on October 8, 1717.  Samuel would have been 72 years old but Jane just 56.  Child-bearing may have worn her out.  The youngest child was about 12 years old by that time, but there were plenty of older siblings to provide care, a home, or whatever was needed. 

I would love to talk to Samuel.  I'd like to know the stories his parents might have told him.  I'd like to know how his religious beliefs developed.  I'd like to know how he and Jane met.  I'd like to know whether he was involved in any military expeditions.  And most of all, I'd like to know how he and Jane were able to overcome rather difficult backgrounds and raise so many children, who all apparently were strong, contributing citizens. 

The line of descent is:

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

Holbrook line: Nathan Foster 1700-1753

This will be another short post about a man almost lost to history.  Nathan Foster was born in Ipswich, Massachusetts Bay Colony on May 17, 1700 to Abraham (also seen as Abram) and Mary Robinson Foster.  His great grandparents, Reginald and Judith Wignol Foster, were the original immigrants, and he was of the second generation actually born on this side of the ocean.  Nathan's parents,

Abraham and Mary, were older than average when they married.  Abraham was 34 and Mary was 28.  Nathan was one of three known children born to the couple.  Since both lived many years after the birth of their children, one wonders whether there were difficulties related to their age that prevented other children.  At any rate, this was a small nuclear family.

It's believed that Nathan left Ipswich (or Topsfield, some say) to go to the new settlement of Stafford, Connecticut about 1720.  Since Nathan wasn't yet of age to live by himself, he may well have lived with one of the early families there, while he learned all the ins and outs of farming.  That family may well have been that of Josiah and Sarah Doty Standish, for on November 23, 1724 he married their daughter, Hannah.  (Yes, when I first saw that Standish name, I was excited because I suspected it would lead me back to Captain Myles Standish, and it did.  I had to do some research to learn that Doty was also a Mayflower name.) 

We don't know whether the young couple stayed with their in-laws for a few years, but that would have been a common custom, while Nathan began earning his own living and building a home for his new bride.  Nathan and Hannah had at least eleven children together, born from 1725 to 1749,  

That's pretty much what I know about Nathan's life.  He died May 26, 1753 in Stafford, apparently rather suddenly.  I say that because he didn't leave a will.  His estate wasn't settled until 1763, when the youngest of the children was 14 and probably an apprentice with some other family or a citizen.  His inventory doesn't tell us much about his life.  He did have a few books, and some farm animals and farm equipment.  His land holdings were not large, about 30 acres, plus a "small house" and rights in the commons and the cedar swamp.  His household goods were barely adequate for the family he was raising, and he had few farm animals.  It leads me to wonder whether he worked for someone else, either in the fields or doing other labor intensive work.  At any rate, we wouldn't say that he was well off financially.  There are other records from 17693 explaining exactly how his land was divided, with oldest son Nathan getting a double share. 

I hope to someday find and read the town records for Stafford.  They may provide more insight into Nathan's life.  I'd like to know his occupation, whether he held any town offices (this was a small town, so one would think he must have at least been a fence viewer at some point), whether he went on any military expeditions, and whether he was a faithful member of a church.  I'd also like to know where he was buried, although I suspect it was the Old Stafford Street cemetery.  It would be nice to know that for sure, too. 

The line of descent is

Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M.
Betsy Foster Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Michael Lunsford 1700 ish to 1756

I really don't know enough about Michael to write a post, but I'm going to at least give a few details about him.  He is a mystery in that he was born about 1700, but I am unable to find any hint of identity for his parents.  At this point, I am wondering if he was the immigrant, but I have no evidence of that, just a lack of evidence for parents. 

The first time he leaves a record is on November 9, 1727, when, as Mickel Lunsford, he is married to Elizabeth Hackben in East Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.  Elizabeth Hackben is also a mystery as to who she was.  Perhaps both of them had come to Massachusetts as indentured servants, but that is purely my speculation.  I intend to keep searching until I find four parents for this couple. 

I know very little of Michael's life for the next 29 years after his marriage.  He and Elizabeth had three known children, all girls.  At some point, they left Bridgewater and moved to Stafford, Hartford County, Connecticut.  Ir is at that location that we find his name on a list dated May 5, 1756, from Mansfield, Connecticut, stating that these 48 men, including a "Mickel Lunsford", had been mustered in to the military for an intended expedition against the French at Crown Point.  The planned expedition didn't take place, and we are left wondering whether this is our Mickel Lunsford or not.  He wrote his will April 12, 1756, perhaps in anticipation of leaving with his companions.  Or perhaps this is not our Mickel Lunsford at all.  Perhaps our Mickel was already sick. 

The will was exhibited June 7, 1756, which conflicts with a printed death date of June 8, 1756.  At present, I can't explain the discrepancy.  The will was pretty straightforward  He left the use of  everything, real and personal, to his wife until or unless she remarried.  Then it was to be divided equally between his three daughters.  One daughter, Mary White, was to receive 40 shillings, apparently when the will was probated. 

We don't know what his cause of death was.  There were influenza like illnesses and also dysentery that were common causes of death that year.  If he had marched with the troops for any length of time, he would have been exposed to any number of camp diseases.  We just don't know. 

Judging from his probable age at his marriage in 1727, he was probably in his early fifties when he died. An inventory was taken June 25, 1756.  Michael owned 52 acres of land and a dwelling house, a gun and 5 books, various farm animals, and other basic household and farming equipment.  The total value of the estate was a little less than one hundred twenty pounds. 

This is all that I currently know about Michael.  I would love to know more about his life and especially I would love to know where he came from, and who his parents were.  The same goes for his wife Elizabeth.  But for now, we will have to be content with the knowledge that Michael and Elizabeth lived the kind of lives we all want to live, just quietly raising a family and planning for their future.

The line of descent is:

Michael Lunsford-Elizabeth Hackben
Elizabeth Lansford-Nathan Foster
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Abraham Foster, Immigrant Son

I wrote earlier about Reginald Foster, Abraham's father, but Abraham deserves a post of his own because he was 16, and almost a man, when he arrived with his father and mother, four brothers and two sisters.  Abraham was born in April of 1622 in Exeter, Devonshire, England, the third child and first son.  It must have been a happy day when he arrived!  Unlike the stories of many of our English ancestors, Abraham didn't grow up in a small village or even a small town.  Exeter was large enough to have its own cathedral, and old enough to trace its roots back at least to the Romans. 

It's not clear why Reginald and Judith Foster, Abraha's parents, chose to leave England, nor exactly when they left.  One story is that they left on an embargoed ship in 1638.  They were in Ipswich, Essex COunty, Massachusetts by 1638, so perhaps they left even earlier than suspected.  If they traveled on an embargoed ship, then they left England illegally and perhaps made a sop in another port in order to arrive in New England without questions being asked.  It has also been suggested that perhaps he was part of the exiled Rev. John Wheelwright's party, but that group settled in what became Exeter, New Hampshire and there is no indication that the Fosters had any connections there.  The Fosters probably came to America for both religious and economic reasons. 

There is a bit of a controversy concerning Abraham's wife.  Was she Lydia Burbank?  Most genealogies say that was her name, but they are split on the identity of her parents.  I am tentatively leaving her parents as John and Jemima (last name not known) Burbank, while noting that some believe her parents to be Caleb and Martha Burbank.  To be Caleb's daughter, she would have had to marry at an exceptionally young age (11 to 14, depending on which source you choose).  The Lydia Burbank who was born to John and Jemima was born in 1644, unless that is her baptismadate rather than her birth date.  To my mind, the answer to her parentage is not yet clear.  Abraham and Lydia's  first known child, Ephraim, was born October 9, 1657, so probably Lydia was born before 1640 and perhaps earlier. 

Abraham was not admitted to full communion with the church until 1676, when he was 58 years old.  If he left England for religious reasons, why did it take so long for him to join the church, unless in fact he was a Wheelwright adherent?  That is another mystery not yet solved.  We know that Abraham was a yeoman, a farmer who owned land.  His name is on a "rate" list from 1648, showing the ammount each resident needed to pay for the msalary of their "Leader", Major Denison.  Abraham's share is 3 shillings.  He was a witness in a court case in 1651, and in 1678 is on a list of people who had rights to the cow commons.  That's not a lot of information to show who our ancestor was and what he did for the 73 years or so that he lived in Ipswich. 

Abraham died without a will, at about his 90th year, on January 15, 1710-11. He had disposed of all of his lands to his sons, through deeds, and his inventory, if there was one, would have been very basic.  So we don't know whether he was literate, we don't know what crops or animals he raised, other than he had rights to the commons, whether that was for hogs, sheep, or cows, and we don't know if he served in the militia although a good guess would be that he did.  But we do know that he came to Massachusetts, married here, raised a family here, and contributed to the growth of the colony.  For that, we are grateful.

The line of descent is:

Abraham Foster-Lydia probably Burbank
Abraham Foster-Mary Robinson
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Edward Doty, Pilgrim Immigrant

 Update 8/11/2022:  This man is not our ancestor.  However, I am leaving the post here for those who might want a short version of his highly interesting life.  (The error is that Sarah Doty did not marry Josiah Standish, according to further research.)

Well, probably he wasn't a Pilgrim in the traditional sense.  He would have been required to go to religious services, of course, but there's no evidence he joined the church, that I can find.  So while he was definitely a passenger on the Mayflower of 1620, and he was definitely an immigrant, we don't know what his religious beliefs really were, if any. 

We also don't know who his parents were, or where in England he was from.  Really, the first thing that is known for certain is that he was on the Mayflower, signed the Compact, and was an indentured servant of Stephen Hopkins.  If he didn't know Hopkins earlier, then he surely would have been entertained on the trip by Hopkins' takes of life in Jamestown, Virginia, and his shipwreck adventure on Bermuda in 1609.  It is believed that he was married prior to his known marriage in Plymouth Colony, but whether that was in England or in America is unknown.  It's also suspected that he had served most of his indentureship before arriving at Plymouth Colony. 

We do know that he married Faith Clark, daughter of Thurston or Tristam and Faith Clark, in 1634/5.  She was 19 years younger than he was, and Dory had "snagged" her pretty much fresh off the boat, as the Clarks arrived in 1634. By this time Doty had made something of a name for himself, and not necessarily for a good reason. 

He and fellow servant Edward Leister had such a falling out, a few months after the Mayflower landed, that they actually dueled with sword and rapier.  Each was wounded, apparently not seriously.  For this, the Pilgrim leaders decided that the two should be bound together for 24 hours, head and feet together, so that they could neither eat nor drink during that time.  The two complained so piteously that they were released after only an hour, but this was the first in a pattern of court appearances and complaints that Doty was involved with, usually as the plaintiff.  He seems to have had great faith in the American justice system, even as limited and as primitive as it was during his lifetime.  If someone wronged him, he expected legal redress, and he also expected to pay his fine if he was found to be in the wrong.  The records prior to 1632 are mostly lacking, so we don't know what happened regarding the courts as a younger man, but after that his name is frequently noted. 

Sometimes, his name was recorded for a good reason.  He was granted land several times, he sold some of it and bought more, and he paid his taxes.  He also was counted as fit for military duty, so he would have had armor, guns, and swords as required  We can assume that he patrolled the area when the natives were nearby, and probably that he went on military expeditions expecting trouble from the native Americans.  However, perhaps because of the court cases, perhaps because of his personality or education, he apparently never held any colony offices, even though he was made a freeman in about 1633.  Had he not been involved in all those court cases, he would have been one of the nearly invisible population. 

Edward and Faith had nine children, with the last born in about 1653.  Edward died just three years later, leaving Faith with a large family to raise.  She must have done a decent job of raising them, because she didn't remarry (to John Phillips) for another ten years, on March 14, 1666/7.  She died on or before December 21, 1675.  Edward's estate was valued at close to 138 pounds, which was not terrible but probably not terrific, either. 

Edward Doty was undoubtedly a colorful character, and we may not know his whole story.  But he came, he survived, he persisted, and he died here after going from indentured servant to landowner.  For that, he deserves to be honored. 

The line of descent is:

Edward Doty-Faith Clark
Samuel Doty-Jeane Harman
Sarah Doty-Josiah Standish
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Captain Miles Standish, Immigrant,

I/m really surprised that I haven't written about Miles (Myles) Standish yet, so the timing of this, during Thanksgiving week, seems appropriate.  There is a lot of material about the Captain available, but there is still much to learn.  Robert Charles Anderson thinks it is possible or even likely, but not proven, that Miles is the son of John Standish, of the Isle of Man, son of John, son of Huan.  It has long been thought that Miles came from either the Isle of Man or Lancashire, and the two families seem to be somehow related, although the connection has not yet been found.  He seems to have been born about 1583 or 1584, 

Another mystery is when and under what circumstances he went to fight in the "Low Country".  The two options put forth most often are that he went as a mercenary, during the war between the Low Countries and Spain, or that he served under Sir Horatio Vere, who was sent by Queen Elizabeth I to fight in Holland. Vere is known to have recruited soldiers in both Lancashire and the Isle of Man.  It seems that there would be some sort of record if that were the case, but of course the English Civil War of the 1640s, as well as other causes of decay, confusion, and misplacing of records all mean that we may never find a roster with the name of Miles Standish on it.  In any case, it appears that he retired from military service and stayed in Holland, where he had ample opportunity to meet with the men who would soon be known as Pilgrims. 

Miles was hired by the Pilgrims to be their military advisor, so it appears that he wasn't one of the Pilgrims.  He was Protestant, though, and hIn 1620, whas been called Puritan.  If this is accurate, the difference in beliefs between his own and the Pilgrims would not have been large' primarily, the Separatists wanted to live separately, away from established religion as they knew it, and the Puritans were interested in reforming the Church of England, to make it a simpler and less ornate religion. 

In 1620, when the Pilgrims left Holland and then England for the New World, Miles and his wife Rose were on board the Mayflower,  Rose, however, died during that first winter, along with many of the other Pilgrims, due to exposure and disease as well as inadequate food.  His second wife, Barbara, arrived on the ship "Anne" in 1623.  This seems to be someone Miles already knew but Anderson is not willing to identify her further.  It has been suggested that she was the sister of Rose, 

Captain Myles' s occupation is listed only as "soldier", but he did much more than construct the defenses at Plymouth Plantation.  He led men on military expeditions, which were mainly again the native Americans but also against the Dutch in the war against the Dutch.  He is said to have had a violent temper, but he was working in difficult conditions with difficult men so I'll give him a pass on that.  He was a councilor, a free man, an assistant, deputy governor, treasurer of the colony, and on the Council of War.  He was also the commander of the military forces.  He was still listed os able to bear arms in 1643, when he would have been just about 60 years of age. 

While we don't know the extent of his education, he was the treasurer so he must have had at least rudimentary arithmetic skills, and perhaps more than that.  He had several dozen books in his inventory when he died, including three Bibles, Honer's Iliad and Caesar's Commentaries.  I think we can say he had an education, whether formal or not .

He and his wife had 7 children, and by 1643 had moved with his family to Duxbury, a new settlement in Plymouth Colony.  There he lived out his days, and died on October 3, 1656,  Barbara died sometime after October 6, 1659.  (She apparently did not remarry).  Myles's estate was valued at 358 pounds, 7 shillings, which was not too bad for a "soldier".  He must have had a good business sense, too. 

Although I certainly wish the situation with the native Americans could have been handled differently, in general Myles Standish is worth our respect and honor.  The situations that he lived through were remarkable and more difficult than we can imagine.  I'm glad we're part of his family.

The line of descent is:

Miles Standish-Barbara
Josiah Standish-Sarah Allen
Josiah Standish-Sarah Doty
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford (Lundsford)
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Reginald Foster 1595-1681 Immigerant

Reginald Foster is not who I thought he was.  At least it appears that he was not the immediate descendant of Thomas Forster and Elizabeth Carr.  It is hard to know who he was, exactly, as he has been said to have come from Northumberland, from Exeter, Devon, and from somewhere in Essex.  It seems most likely that he came from Essex, as he married his wife, Judith Wignal or Wignoll, there in 1619. 

The couple had seven children when they traveled to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638.  It is said that this was on a ship embargoed by King Charles I, meaning it was forbidden to leave port.  Whether money changed hands or whether the captain sympathized with those on board, I don't know.  Foster was apparently a Puritan and it is possible that Archbishop Laud was behind the embargo.  Regardless, the ship made it to the colonies and the Foster family apparently went directly to Ipswich. 

He apparently started building a home in Ipswich, one more substantial than the "hovel" the family first lived in, in the 1640s.  The hovel was built at the edge of a bridge and the town decided they wanted the land to expand.  This second home is still standing and pictures of it can be found by Googling "Foster House, Ipswich, Massachusetts".  I didn't find pictures that were free to share, so they are not included here. 

Reginald was most likely a carpenter by trade, but also would have farmed enough to support his family and perhaps a little more.  He doesn't appear to have been a town leader, but he did have charge of the town herd of cttle on the south side of the river, (work was actually done by sone Abraham), and he was highway surveyor in 1661.  He contributed funds (I'm not sure whether or not this was voluntary) to pay Major Dennison, who commanded the militia of Essex County, in 1648.  This was to protect against possible native American raids.  He and Thomas Clark were to be paid 10 pounds once they finished making a passage from one river to another, "deep enough that a lighter could pass through laden."  That sounds like a significant amount of work, to me! 

His wife Judith died in 1664 and he remarried, to Sarah Martin.  When Abraham died in 1681 his real estate was appraised at over 580 pounds, so the man had prospered.  I haven't found the actual inventory so I am unable to comment on individual items.  Did he have books? An unusual number of tools?  I don't think this brief blog post has captured the heart or the mind of Reginald.  It is a beginning only, until we can figure out when and where his "beginning" was. 

The line of descent is:

Reginald Foster-Judith Wignol
Abraham Foster-Lydia Burbank
Abraham Foster-Mary Robinson
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Thomas Silver, Immigrant

Pulling these immigrant stories together is never easy.  Either there is too much information, or not enough information, or both.  This is a case of too much information (Thomas cannot have two sets of parents, and he can't have been born in two separate locations), but then there is too little information about his life in America. I hope he will be researched further and some of the mysteries of his life answered.

So, Thomas Silver was born about 1622 in Ropley, Hampshire England, possibly the son of Thomas Silver, or he was born in 1622 at Newbury, Berkshire, England, the son of Thomas Silver and Elinor Backster.  (This second record is from www.genealogieonline.netherlands, which is generally an accurate source).  Newbury at the time of Thomas's birth was a cloth town, meaning that wool was produced here, including what was possibly the first factory in England, and so it is likely that there were sheep farmers here, too.  I don't know which, if either, would be a more likely occupation for Thomas's father, but most likely the family was not well to do.

Thomas came to Massachusetts Bay Colony as a young man.  He would have been about 15 when he arrived at Ipswich in 1637, so he likely came over as an indentured servant and may have had to serve his master for several years.  I've not located records to support this, and it's possible he went to a relative's home but I've not found that, either.  We do know that he stayed in Ipswich just a few years. 

By 1641 he was in Newbury, in what became Essex County, and there he stayed for the rest of his life.  He had rights in the commons to one cattle, in 1641, and he was on a list of freeholders in 1642.  Had had a house lot by 1645 and apparently shared in other land divisions, also, although the "History of Newbury, Massachusetts 1635-1902" was not clear on that.  He is on a list of persons who took an oath of allegiance in 1678, which was tied up in politics as well as a simple statement of loyalty to King Charles II. 

Thomas, according to the genealogieonline website mentioned above, married Mary Thomas, probably before 1645, in Newbury.  Mary must have died soon, perhaps in childbirth, and he married Katherine Coker on August 16, 1649.  Our line of descent is through Mary, so it would be nice to learn more about her.  Thomas and Mary's daughter, Mary, would have several half brothers and sisters, as Thomas and Katherine's family grew. 

Until Thomas's death, this is all I have been able to learn.  I don't know his occupation, or his religion, or any civil offices he might have held.  I don't know how he might have been affected by King Philip's War.  Katherine died in July 23, 1665, and we have no record of a third marriage.  I wonder how Thomas cared for his children?  Did Mary, as the oldest daughter (20, at the time) take over this responsibility?  She had married in 1664, so she had responsibilities of her own. Thomas died September 6, 1682.  I have a copy of his inventory but it's not very readable.  All that I can make out is that apparently his estate was valued at 104 pounds, which was modest for the time. 

This is what we know of Thomas.  He was courageous, to come to America when such a young man.  He worked to support his family.  He suffered the loss of two wives.  He lived in some sort of relationship with his neighbors, as he signed petitions with them.  He was a freeholder, (landowner) and therefore likely paid taxes of some sort.  "And further, I say not".

The line of descent is"

Thomas Silver-Mary Thomas
Mary Silver-Robert Robinson
Mary Robinson-Abraham Foster
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Thurston Clarke, Immigrant, abt 1590-1661

 Update 8/11/2022  This man is not our ancestor.  I am leaving the post up, however, in case someone is interested in reading about him.  The error is that Sarah Doty did not marry Josiah Standish, according to current research.

Sadly, I don't know the parentage of Thurston (aka Tristam) Clarke.  He is believed to have come from Ipswich, Suffolk, England, but even with that clue no one has found his birth or christening record yet.  There are a few trees that give his birth date as 1574 and give him parents, but those parents were also born in the 1570s and as such, are probably too young to be Thurston's parents.  So the search goes on. 

We know very little of Thurstan's life in England.  He married a woman named Faith, possibly Faith Loes, and they had six children.  Two died in England and one died when she was about twelve, so there were three children who came to America.  We can't trace the arrival of anyone other than Thurstan and Faith the daughter, who came to America on the Francis in 1634.  It appears that his wife, Faith, stayed in England until after Abigail died in 1637.  Perhaps the boys stayed behind, too, to help their mother with all that was needed during the time of Abigail's illness. 

The early death of Mary Clarke, daughter of Thurstan and Faith, who only lived about a month, resulted in a sentence of death by hanging of Anna Puse, wife of Richard Puse of Ipswich.  She was tried as a witch for having caused the death of Mary, by "inchantments, witchcraftes and charmes".   I have not been able to verify that she actually was hanged, but it's possible.  From the books I've read, it was somewhat unusual for a married woman to be accused of such a crime, and this was a little late in the witchcraft scare, but someone had to be one of the last to be hanged, I suppose. 

Thurstan had been a husbandman in England and was a husbandman again in his new home of Plymouth Colony, in what became Duxbury.  He was a neighbor of William Brewster and Miles Standish, but was not nearly as prominent in the running of the colony.  He was educated to a certain point, or at least his inventory included a Bible and a psalmbook.  His sons were admonished in 1644 for not frequenting the public assemblies on the Lord's Day.  From this, we can conclude that Thurstan and Faith did attend, and that they didn't have total control over their sons.  That second factor mught have made them feel uncomfortable in a conformist colony like Plymouth. 

The only evidence we have of participating in colony life was that he was appointed a surveyor of highways in 1655. 

His death on December 6, 1661 was sad.  The jury determined that he had died of cold and exposure, as his body was found covered in ice.  It is also possible that he had a heart attack or other life ending event, and that the body froze after his death, but we will never know for sure.  He had been traveling on foot between Duxbury and Plymouth when he died. 

His estate was quite small, only 97 pounds.  His wife died in 1663 and at that time daughter Faith was granted 1/4 of the estate, with the balance going to the sons Henry and Thurstan Jr.  Henry and Thurstan were found in 1690 to be impoverished and unable to take care of their needs, so arrangements were made that they would be cared for.  John Doty, their nephew, was directed to care for them. 

Thurstan had a difficult life.  He lost three children young, his sons didn't amount to much, as we would say today, and he didn't built much of an estate.  However, he came to America with his three children, and built a home and a life here, and for that, we can be grateful. 

I would certainly like to know what his thoughts were about the witchcraft trial for the woman accused of killing his daughter.  Did he instigate the charge, or did his wife?  What was the relationship between these families?  Why would the court have found the woman guilty?  If there was a hanging, did Thurstan and his wife attend?  This part of his life is difficult to comprehend, but it is part of his story.

The line of descent is:

Thurstan Clarke-Faith possibly Loes
Faith Clarke-Edward Doty
Samuel Doty-Jane Harman
Sarah Doty-Josiah Standish
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen

Holbrook line: Robert Robinson 1628-1689

Oh, my goodness.  Robert Robinson might be Robert Robertson.  He might be from Scotland or he might be from Newbury, Berkshire, England.  He might have been born in 1628 or he might have been born in 1638.  He might have sailed here in 1635 (highly doubtful) or he might have come in 1663, according to his own testimony. And I might be able to write a better blog post, if I were able to read what his will and inventory say .

The good news is that we do have a will and inventory, so we know approximately when he died (between May and October o 1689).  That gives us names for his children, and some sense of how he lived.  Much of this blog post will be written based on these documents (found on AmericanAncestors.org from the Essex County, Massachusetts Probate FIle Papers number 23914), if someone reading this blog post has not yet seen these papers).

So, let's back up to what is known.  We know that he arrived in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts in 1663 because he gave deposition in 1675 that he had come to Newbury 12 years before and agreed on land to settle on.  He married Mary Silver there on October 26, 1664 and stayed in Newbury the rest of his life, as far as we know  Newbury was established in 1635, so Robert would not be considered an early settler there. (Among other settlers there was Jonathan Singletary Dunham, who is my children's ancestor on their Beeks side of the family. I always think it's cool when I can find connections like this!)

From names in his will, it appears that Robert and Mary had at least the following children: Daniel, John, Mary, (all seem to be adults) and Thomas, Sarah, Hannah, Robert who were all identified as being under age 21.  The widow was to have full custody of the younger children as well as much of the estate, as long as she remained a widow.  Part of the will is torn away (the last of each line) but I think this is what someone would write if they were doing an abstract of the will.  It was dated May 18, 1689 and signed by mark, not signature.

The inventory was taken on May 22, 1989 so he must have died shortly after writing the will, and it was filed on November 11, 1689.  Although the writing is clear, it also has many flourishes and I'm not sure of a lot of the words.  I do know that it appears to be the inventory for a farmer who had quite a few animals-nine cows, three steers (I think) one heifer, four yearlings, eight calves, a bull, 26 sheep, four oxen, hogs, and what might be horses, not numbered.  He had the required gun and sword, and some farm implements, and several items I can't decipher.  I hope someone else can do this and will be able to transcribe it.  The appraisal was for 166 pounds, which, along with the number of animals he was raising, seems to indicate a life above the poverty level 

There are notes regarding the will that it was never probated, or possibly that the records for that event have been lost. Perhaps the problem was that Mary was also ill, as she died shortly before March 11,1690/91.  There are guardianship papers for Hannah Robinson and Robert Robinson, appointing William Moody as their guardian in 1694, and it looks like final settlement of Mary's estate was made then.  Hannah and Robert, the two youngest of the children of Robert and Mary, may have now been of an age to be trained for a trade.  It was common for orphaned children to be apprenticed out of the household, and that may have happened here.  This is pure speculation at this point.

In this case, most of our limited knowledge of Robert comes from his inventory and his will.  I don't know what church he attended (if he was from Scotland, was he a Presbyterian?), or what his education may have been.  I don't know who his parents were.  I don't know if he ever was called to protect his community from native Americans, or his home and land from wild animals. I don't know how, if at all, William Moody was related to the family. I would love to know all of these things.  But we do know that he raised a family, that he died earlier than he would have liked, and that he is one of the reasons we, his descendants, are here.  Thank you, sir!

The line of descent is:

Robert Robinson-Mary Silver
Mary Robinson-Abraham Foster
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Alexanger Wignall, "Mister", immigrant and not a conformist

We only know a little bit about Alexander Wignall, but it is so tantalizing.  A novelist could really make something of his story, I think.  There are so many fascinating directions to go with it.

We don't know where he was born, or when, or where or when he died.  We don't know when he arrived at Massachusetts Bay Colony (best guess is 1629), or how long he stayed.  We don't know who his wife was, or how many children they may have had, or where they married, or what his occupation was, or any of the things I usually write about in my posts.

But we do know that there was something a little bit different about Alexander.  There is some confusion because there are early references to both a Jno. Wignall and and Alexander Wignall, both at Charlestown, Massachusetts.  Robert Charles Anderson, who is the authority on the people who came over in the Great Migration, believes that these are one and the same person, and I am certainly in no position to argue, discuss, or even question that.  So,,,

Jno. Wignall is listed in a 1630 Charlestown list of inhabitants as one of four men who "went and built in the main on the northeast side of the northwest creek of this town.  Walter Pope bought his (Jno.Wignall's) house and land later that same year.  No more mention of Jno. Wignall is found.

However, in October of 1630 Mr. Alexander Wignall asked for admission as a freeman to the colony, and he was admitted on May 18,1631.  It appears that he would have needed to have been a member of the church to be admitted, and also the owner of property, not necessarily land.  His good standing would last just a brief period of time, because on August 16, he was fined five marks for drunkenness.  Than on September 6, he was "fined 40 shillings, bound to his good behavior, and enjoined to remove his dwelling to some settled plantation before the last of May next, for drunkenness and much misdeameanor by him committed at the plantation where he now dwelleth".  It appears that two strikes and you were out, in that time and place.

On July 2, 1633, "Mr. Woolridge and Mr. Gibbons are appointed to join with Mr. Graves and Mr. Geneson (Jennison) to inventory the goods and chattels of Alex: Wignall". There is no "Mr." in front of his name this time, but there also is no mention that he is deceased.  This is where the mystery comes.

Was Alexander the same man as John?  If so, the land had been sold in 1630, so where did Alexander live?  If not, where did he live?  I'm not sure we've found the answer yet.  There is no mention of land or dwelling when the inventory was ordered in 1633.  Was this a matter of bankruptcy or debt collection?  Had Alexander returned to England?  As far as I can determine, no one has located records for him there.  There are some hints that some of his friends may have been mariners.  Perhaps Alexander had gone on a trip, either coastal or to the West Indies or back to England, and been lost at sea.  Instead of following orders to remove to some "settled plantation", perhaps Alexander had moved into the wilderness, or gone to live with natives, and had some sort of accidental death, or a fatal sickness, there.  We simply don't know.

I really haven't seen speculation about his disappearance or death, other than my own suggestions above. I have seen speculation as to his parents, his wife (Martha or Elizabeth unknown are the two most common guesses), and children.  He is thought to have been born about 1578, perhaps.  Speculated children are John (possibly because of the explanation above), Judith, and Elizabeth.  I would like to know why he is referred to as "Mr.".  Usually that connotes respect, and indicates that he held a position of some status, either by education, by family connections, or by occupation (merchant).  It shouldn't be so hard to find more information about him. Really, it shouldn't!

The line of descent is:

Alexander Wignall-
Judith Wignall-Reginald Foster
Abraham Foster-Lydia Burbank
Abraham Foster-Mary Robinson
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: John Burbank, Immigrant

Once again we have an immigrant with an elusive history.  According to numerous trees but no documentation that I have found, John Burbank was born sometime between 1600 and 1613 in Greystoke, Cumberland, England.  His parents are believed to be John Burbank and Ann or maybe Abigail, but again I haven't found wills or anything on line that supports this belief.  Greystoke is in the northern part of England, not far south of Carlisle.  I haven't been able to find anything about the industries that might have been operating there in the early 100's but the area around Carlisle was used for farming and raising livestock so that is a possibility.

We don't know when John married his first wife, who may have been Ann or Joane, and may have been a Jordan.  Or she may have been someone else entirely.  He had two children with his first wife.  We don't know for sure when John came to America but it may have been in 1635, on the ship Abigail.  The name that is supposed to have been written incorrectly and then evolved into John Burbank is a far cry from Burbank.  There is always the possibility that he didn't give his real name and that he did come on this ship, or another of the same year, because that fits with the theory that he came as an indentured servant, worked in Charlestown until he acquired his freedom, and then had to work to earn his standing as a freeman, which was granted May 13, 1640, .

Ann must had died before 1643, because John married Jemima about that time. We don't know where either marriage took place but the second marriage, to Jemima, would most likely have been in Massachusetts.  John is found in what became Rowley, Massachusetts in 1643 and apparently stayed there his whole life.  He was termed a yeoman, which means a farmer of a small amount of land. He and Jemima had three children, and they were still married when John died in 1681.  He had acquired some land and I have seen brief abstracts of his will but haven't found it on line yet.  In addition to his wife and children, he also mentioned a grandson, the son of John Jr.  

Our John is one of those quiet men who made America great.  He lived quietly, obeyed the laws, worshipped in church (probably, because we don't have records of his being fined for non-attendance) and generally stayed out of trouble . Because he did all these things, there is not a long paper trail to follow for him.  But we know he was here, we know that he fathered five children and raised them, and we know he dreamed of a better future, or he would not have come to America.  Some things we can understand, even without knowing the details.

The line of descent is:

John Burbank-Jemima
Lydia Burbank-Abraham Foster
Abraham Foster-Mary Robinson
Nathan Foster-Hannah Standish
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsey Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Elizabeth Whittermore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Update:  I think I have Lydia's parents wrong.  They are now believed to be Caleb Burbank and Martha, of Rowley, Massachusetts.  Caleb's father is supposed to be a John, but I don't know if it's this John or not.  I'm deleting John from the tree until I get this figured out!  5/5/2019

Holbrook line: Thomas Bliss, Immigrant

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here is the line of descent:

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

Holbrook line: Samuel Allen 1597-1669 Immigrant

Some of the sources I'm using for this blog post is very old.  Some is likely wrong.  I'm indebted to "Private User", who posted some of what seems to be the most reliable information to Geni just last month.  DNA evidence has revealed that Samuel's parents were not whom they have previously believed to have been, and his parentage is now unknown.  Also this researcher believes quite strongly that both of his wives have been misidentified.

Samuel is believed to have been born at Bridgwater, Somerset, England in 1597, although I haven't found record of that.  The Geni writer thinks that he was in Duxbury as early as 1630, which would mean he would have known Comfort Starr and William Brewster, our Allen ancestors, as well as Myles Standish.  Other research says he was first at Braintree in1629 and then went to Sandwich before returning to Braintree  The two stories are not mutually exclusive but more research needs to be done.

Samuel probably married in England.  His first wife's name was Ann, but there is much controversy about her last name.  The researcher I am following most closely here is quite adamant that she was not Ann Whitmore, as has been reported for generations.  Ann, whomever she was, came to New England either with Samuel, or soon after he arrived.  The couple had at least 5 children together before Ann died in 1641.  Samuel apparently waited a few years to marry again, and once again, her first name only is known.  She was Margaret, the widow of Andrew Lamb, but has not yet been further identified.  There were two children born to this couple, beginning in 1650.  One wonders how Samuel managed between the two wives, since he was left with 5 children from an infant to a 9 year old, when Ann died in 1641.  Was there possibly another wife,or did he farm the childrenout to relatives?

Samuel and Ann settled in Braintree by 1635, because Samuel was made a freeman there on May 6,1635. He was a saw mill operator and also served as town clerk, selectman, surveyor of highways, constable, and as deputy to the general court.  Here I do find anerror in the geni material.  He is listed as having fought in King Philip's War but that is not possible because that war was 1675-1676 and Samuel died in 1669.  It is possible, however, that he had fought in other battles against the native Americans, for instance, in the Pequot War, which would not necessarily be something to be proud of.

His will was probated September 16, 1669 and mentions his three sons, a daughter and two sons in law.  His estate was valued at a little over 228 pounds, which is not bad for a saw mill operator.  Interestingly, there is another family connection here as one of the witnesses to the will was Thomas Holbrook, who is yet another of our ancestors.  These connections are getting more and more fascinating.

This line of descent is:

Samuel Allen-Ann
Sarah Allen-Josiah Standish
Josiah Standish-Sarah Doty
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: James Harmon 1635-1680, Immigrant

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The line of descent is:

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

Beeks line: George Allen circa 1583-1649

Lots of people "know" who George Allen is, where he came from, the names of his wives, and the names of his children.  The problem is that there is no documentation for any of these facts, and they may or may not be as believed.  So all I will say about George's early life is that he was born somewhere in England (most likely) about the year 1583 (most likely) and that he married more than once while in England.

Our first known record for him is in the records of his departure from England on an unnamed ship, from Weymouth, Dorsetshire, on March 20, 1634/35.  On that record, he is erroneously listed as being age 24, but was probably closer to 50.  His wife Katherine, who was 30, and sons George, 16, William,8, and Matthew, 6, and a servant, Edward Poole were with him.  It seems likely based on ages that George was the son of an earlier marriage, and there may have been other children (females, who would not necessarily be listed on the manifest) who were also in the party.  Daughter Rose, for instance, is generally thought to have been the child of George's first marriage, and she is not listed on the manifest.

George is sometimes referred to as an "Anabaptist", which would mean he did not believe in infant baptism.  This may explain the difficulty in finding birth/baptismal records for the above noted children, which might provide clues to the parents and their location.  Some of his children became part of the Quaker tradition, which was a difficult way to live in Puritan Massachusetts.

When George arrived in the New World, he was first at Weymouth, Massachusetts and within two  years was an early settler of Sandwich, Massachusetts. His land in Weymouth seems to have been given or sold to sons George, Ralph, and John.  We don't know how or when Ralph and John arrived in Weymouth, and again, we don't know their ages or the name of their mother. 

George, despite being an "Anabaptist", was made a free man of Plymouth Colony September 3, 1639, when Sandwich officially became a town.  That same day, he was appointed Constable, and held various other town offices during the early 1640s. He was also the deputy for Sandwich to Plymouth General Court from 1640-1644.  This would have meant traveling from Sandwich, which is on the north side of Cape Cod, up the coast of what is now Massachusetts to Plymouth.  This may have been a trip made by ship rather than horseback or walking, for by the time he was first elected, he would have been approaching age 60. 

Within a few years of his last known election as deputy, his health failed him.  His date of death isn't known, but he was buried May 2, 1648.  His will was not dated but was proved June 7, 1649. His inventory, excluding real estate, was 44 pounds 16 s, and most of his estate was given to his wife and "five least children".

There is so much I'd like to know about George, including more about his religious beliefs.  He would not have had to have been a member of the church in Plymouth Colony to be a free man, so what were his beliefs and practices?  How did the family become acquainted with Quaker beliefs, and how many practiced that faith?  Why was Sandwich more tolerant of Quakers than other towns, particularly in Massachusetts Bay Colony?  I'd love to know who George's parents were, and I'd love to know why he decided to come to America when he was probably about 54 years old. Did his sons come first, and then encourage him to come, or did George lead the way and the older sons came later?  I'd like to know who his wives were, and I'd like to know more about how he lived in Sandwich.  Did Edward Poole stay with him as a servant, or if he eventually earned his freedom, did the family have other servants?

As usual, there are more questions than answers when I think about George Allen, but I have to admire him, as I do all immigrants who came to the New World when it was nothing but a few towns on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

The line of descent is:

George Allen-first wife (possibly Katherine Davis)
Rose Allen-Joseph Holway or Holley
Mary Holley-Nathaniel FitzRandolph
Samuel Fitzrandolph-Mary Jones
Prudence Fitzrandolph-Shubael Smith
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza M Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendents

Fun fact:  There is also a line of descent for the Holbrook line:

George Allen-first wife
Samuel Allen-Ann Whitmore
Sarah Allen-Josiah Standish
Josiah Standish-Sarah Doty
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Sarah Goodenow
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph R Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents


Most of the information for this post came from "The Great Migration" volume 1, pages 27-35.