John Burr is among those of our ancestors who I am beginning to call the "Silent Generation". Actually, there are several "silent" ancestors in many generations. To explain my terminology, it means I have been unable to find more than bare bones information about the person and sometimes not even that.
At least for John Burr, we know who his parents are, and we know the vitals about birth, marriage, and death. If it wasn't for his will, that information is all that we we would have. Also, we do know a little about the town he lived and died in, and we know a little of the history of his time. So we can pull this silent man just a little bit out of the shadows, and start to see a little of his life.
John Burr was born January 6, 1659 in Hingham, Massachusetts. His parents, Simon and Hester Burr, were the immigrants here. I should stop a moment to explain that John's mother is variously seen as Hester Rose, Rose Hester, and Hester Sparhawk. Whatever her name, her parentage has not yet been established, to the best of my current knowledge.
Hingham was a small village on the Massachusetts coast line, what is known as the South Shore. It is about 20 miles from Boston. At the time John lived, it probably supported both fisherman and coastal mariners as well as farmers and tradesmen. Our John was a farmer. He is described using that word, rather than husbandman or yeoman, which is a bit unusual. The only record of town service that we have was that he was a constable in 1698.
His father, Simon, served in King Philip's War and it is probable that John at least served at home. He would have been just 16 when the war broke out, and would have trained for only a few days with the local training band. He likely could shoot, but probably couldn't yet perform military maneuvers well. Hingham wasn't directly affected by the war, and probably the village didn't evacuate as so many towns did. It is also possible that John served in some of the campaigns that Massachusetts men were involved in during King William's War, particularly the battles in what became Maine and Nova Scotia. If he wasn't there, he at least would have known all about it from stories from other citizens of the town.
John married Mary Warren, daughter of John and Deborah Wilson Warren, on December 24, 1685 in Hingham. He and Mary had 10 children together. John's financial position would have been improved when Simon died in 1691. His older brother Simon got about 60% of the estate and he got about 40%, but it was still enough to help, with eventually 10 children to raise. Presumably the two men supported their mother until her death by suicide in 1693.
The only other information we have about John is his will. His estate totaled almost 922 pounds, which was a pretty good sum for a farmer. He owned 9 different plots of land, which made up the bulk of the estate, plus various farm animals and household furnishings. His "arms and ammunition" were valued at 1 pound, and his books at two pounds. His house had at least four rooms, or chambers, with furniture in each. John has several dates of death attributed to him, but they are all between September 17 and December 7, 1716. His youngest son was just 13 when John died. Mary lived as a widow until July 26, 1742.
This is the little we know of John Burr, and I'd like to know more. Wouldn't you?
The line of descent is
John Burr-Mary Warren
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Lazell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lazell. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2020
Tuesday, May 12, 2020
Holbrook line: Joseph Thomson 1698-1755
There are certain towns in Massachusetts that should be "destinations" for family travelers. One such area is Springfield-Westfield, in the Connecticut River valley, where many of our Allen names lived for generations. Another is the Mendon-Wrentham-Franklin-Bellingham area, which was home to many of our Holbrook families for generations. Sometimes our ancestors were big people in these little places, and sometimes they didn't leave much of a trace.
Joseph Thomson (or Tomson, or Thompson) is one of our Mendon-Bellingham ancestors, who didn't make much of an impact on the town, as far as we can tell. He lived, married, had children, and died. Even though there is a lot we don't know about him, we do know that he lived in interesting times, and we know that his estate papers will tell us a little about his life.
First, what we do know. Joseph was born in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on October 19, 1698, to John and Hannah Wight Thomson. Medfield at the time would have felt like a new town. It was originally founded in 1649 but was burned during King Philips War, so none of the hoes were more than 20 or so years old. And memories were long. Joseph had at least seven brothers and sisters, so his parents had plenty to do. One thing they likely did was send the boys to school. Another Holbrook ancestor, Ralph Wheelock, had founded the school there and it was important that boys learn to read and write.
Joseph married Mary Holbrook, daughter of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, on March 28, 1725, in Bellingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town had been officially formed in 1719, but people had been living in the area for some time. Joseph's parents died in Bellingham, so it seems likely that his parents had initiated the move prior to Joseph's reaching the age of 21, but we don't know for sure when the move was made. Joseph and Mary had 11 children together, so again, this was a busy family, with busy parents.
Some of the Thomsons and most of the Holbrooks were Baptists, but the church didn't form until mid-century so Joseph, even if a member, would not have had a lot of influence there. He doesn't show up on the earliest membership rolls, so perhaps he stayed in the Puritan church. He does show up as one of only 50 qualified voters in the town, in 1739.
I don't know if he ever served in the military. We was of the right age to be in Queen Anne's war and might have been in King George's War, but I've not yet found his name on any such listing. His inventory does include "Armour, gun, sword and accoutrements" so he was or had been ready to serve, at one time.
Joseph died January 2, 1755, without having a will. His appraisers were Ebenezer Thayer, (ancestor), Samuel Hayward, and John Metcalf. Besides the military items listed above, he had several parcels of land, bedding for four beds, feathers, household goods, husbandry and carpenter tools, farm animals, and a lot of flax, It's hard to tell whether there was a loom or spinning wheel because several lines list an object and then say "and sundry items" so similar words. He did have a few books.
There is a careful documentation in the file of who was to get which part of which parcel of land and other belongings. Mary was entitled to her one third of the estate and the rest was divided up among the children. Mary died March 4, 1781. I haven't located a burial location for them but it was probably what is known as the North Cemetery, where many of the town's founders are buied.
So that's the little we know about Joseph Thomson. He was a decent man, or there would be stories of any shenanigans in court records. He may or may not have been a religious man, whether Puritan or Baptist. He may or may not have served in one of more of the conflicts that were an ongoing part of colonial life. But he was our ancestor, anchored in time and location, and for that, I am grateful.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Thomson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thomson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook=Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Joseph Thomson (or Tomson, or Thompson) is one of our Mendon-Bellingham ancestors, who didn't make much of an impact on the town, as far as we can tell. He lived, married, had children, and died. Even though there is a lot we don't know about him, we do know that he lived in interesting times, and we know that his estate papers will tell us a little about his life.
First, what we do know. Joseph was born in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, on October 19, 1698, to John and Hannah Wight Thomson. Medfield at the time would have felt like a new town. It was originally founded in 1649 but was burned during King Philips War, so none of the hoes were more than 20 or so years old. And memories were long. Joseph had at least seven brothers and sisters, so his parents had plenty to do. One thing they likely did was send the boys to school. Another Holbrook ancestor, Ralph Wheelock, had founded the school there and it was important that boys learn to read and write.
Joseph married Mary Holbrook, daughter of Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook, on March 28, 1725, in Bellingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town had been officially formed in 1719, but people had been living in the area for some time. Joseph's parents died in Bellingham, so it seems likely that his parents had initiated the move prior to Joseph's reaching the age of 21, but we don't know for sure when the move was made. Joseph and Mary had 11 children together, so again, this was a busy family, with busy parents.
Some of the Thomsons and most of the Holbrooks were Baptists, but the church didn't form until mid-century so Joseph, even if a member, would not have had a lot of influence there. He doesn't show up on the earliest membership rolls, so perhaps he stayed in the Puritan church. He does show up as one of only 50 qualified voters in the town, in 1739.
I don't know if he ever served in the military. We was of the right age to be in Queen Anne's war and might have been in King George's War, but I've not yet found his name on any such listing. His inventory does include "Armour, gun, sword and accoutrements" so he was or had been ready to serve, at one time.
Joseph died January 2, 1755, without having a will. His appraisers were Ebenezer Thayer, (ancestor), Samuel Hayward, and John Metcalf. Besides the military items listed above, he had several parcels of land, bedding for four beds, feathers, household goods, husbandry and carpenter tools, farm animals, and a lot of flax, It's hard to tell whether there was a loom or spinning wheel because several lines list an object and then say "and sundry items" so similar words. He did have a few books.
There is a careful documentation in the file of who was to get which part of which parcel of land and other belongings. Mary was entitled to her one third of the estate and the rest was divided up among the children. Mary died March 4, 1781. I haven't located a burial location for them but it was probably what is known as the North Cemetery, where many of the town's founders are buied.
So that's the little we know about Joseph Thomson. He was a decent man, or there would be stories of any shenanigans in court records. He may or may not have been a religious man, whether Puritan or Baptist. He may or may not have served in one of more of the conflicts that were an ongoing part of colonial life. But he was our ancestor, anchored in time and location, and for that, I am grateful.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Thomson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thomson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook=Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 29, 2019
Holbrook line: Israel Lazell 1671-1755
Eighty four years ought to have been enough to have left more of a footprint than our ancestor Israel seems to have left. I have birth and marriage records, his will, and an inventory. I don't have a death record, I don't have a burial location, I don't know what church he attended, if any, and I don't have a reference to his occupation, although I can guess it from the inventory. There is also one reference that he was a constable for a one year period. End of story.
So, even though this will be a short post, this is what I know so far. Israel Lazell was born September 24, 1671 in Hingham, Massachusetts to John and Elizabeth Gates Lazell. He was one of at least 11 children born to the couple, and he apparently lived his whole life out in Hingham. I say apparently because for some reason I am not locating a death record there, although his will states he was of Hingham, in Suffolk County. It is of course possible that he died elsewhere, perhaps on a visit to one of his children. Hingham was attacked by the natives so it's likely that his family evacuated the town, at least for a time.
The first we hear of Israel after his birth is his marriage, to Rachel Lincoln, daughter of Daniel and Susanna Cushing Lincoln, also of Hingham, on July 6, 1698. I don't know the religion of this couple but their first names indicate they were likely Puritan. The Old Ship Church in Hingham was built in 681, when Israel would have been just ten years old, and this is likely the church that he and his family attended both before and after his marriage. Israel and Rachel had at least four children who survived, and possibly others who died young. We don't know how literate Israel was, but he did sign his name to his will, and there were books in his inventory, so he must have had more than the minimal amount of education. (Typically, boys of this period learned to read and write, and girls learned to read well enough to read the Bible.)
The next information I've found about Israel is his will. Rachel had died in April of 1748 but it appears that Israel kept on doing what it was he was doing (farming, it appears) up until his final illness. The inventory is more extensive than would have been necessary for just one man living by himself. But wait, there's a discovery. Listed on his inventory is "one Negro woman". So he had a slave who cooked and cleaned for him, and probably took care of the smaller livestock and spun wool (a spinning wheel is in the inventory) and most of the things that a wife would have done. We have no way of knowing how long he had "owned" her or what her age, or her name, may have been.
Other information on the inventory is also revealing, though not as surprising. He had a sword, and several pieces of land (given away in the will), cattle and oxen and sheep, a fishing rod (Hingham is on the coast line), a "pare" of spectacles, 4 barrels of cider, several books, and furniture including a "great chare". In the will, it looks like our ancestor Isaac received a double share of the land that was granted. The total estate was valued at about 755 pounds, which was not large but would have been enough to have helped his sons a bit.
That's what I know about Israel. It sounds like he worked hard, farmed and fished, and was mostly occupied with supporting his family rather than public service. He deserves to have his place in our family tree noted.
The line of descent is:
Israel Lazell-Rachel Lincoln
Isaac Lazell-Deborah Marsh
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So, even though this will be a short post, this is what I know so far. Israel Lazell was born September 24, 1671 in Hingham, Massachusetts to John and Elizabeth Gates Lazell. He was one of at least 11 children born to the couple, and he apparently lived his whole life out in Hingham. I say apparently because for some reason I am not locating a death record there, although his will states he was of Hingham, in Suffolk County. It is of course possible that he died elsewhere, perhaps on a visit to one of his children. Hingham was attacked by the natives so it's likely that his family evacuated the town, at least for a time.
The first we hear of Israel after his birth is his marriage, to Rachel Lincoln, daughter of Daniel and Susanna Cushing Lincoln, also of Hingham, on July 6, 1698. I don't know the religion of this couple but their first names indicate they were likely Puritan. The Old Ship Church in Hingham was built in 681, when Israel would have been just ten years old, and this is likely the church that he and his family attended both before and after his marriage. Israel and Rachel had at least four children who survived, and possibly others who died young. We don't know how literate Israel was, but he did sign his name to his will, and there were books in his inventory, so he must have had more than the minimal amount of education. (Typically, boys of this period learned to read and write, and girls learned to read well enough to read the Bible.)
The next information I've found about Israel is his will. Rachel had died in April of 1748 but it appears that Israel kept on doing what it was he was doing (farming, it appears) up until his final illness. The inventory is more extensive than would have been necessary for just one man living by himself. But wait, there's a discovery. Listed on his inventory is "one Negro woman". So he had a slave who cooked and cleaned for him, and probably took care of the smaller livestock and spun wool (a spinning wheel is in the inventory) and most of the things that a wife would have done. We have no way of knowing how long he had "owned" her or what her age, or her name, may have been.
Other information on the inventory is also revealing, though not as surprising. He had a sword, and several pieces of land (given away in the will), cattle and oxen and sheep, a fishing rod (Hingham is on the coast line), a "pare" of spectacles, 4 barrels of cider, several books, and furniture including a "great chare". In the will, it looks like our ancestor Isaac received a double share of the land that was granted. The total estate was valued at about 755 pounds, which was not large but would have been enough to have helped his sons a bit.
That's what I know about Israel. It sounds like he worked hard, farmed and fished, and was mostly occupied with supporting his family rather than public service. He deserves to have his place in our family tree noted.
The line of descent is:
Israel Lazell-Rachel Lincoln
Isaac Lazell-Deborah Marsh
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Holbrook line: John Rockwood 1641-1724
Our ancestor is notorious, not because he did anything wrong, but because he has confused and confounded genealogists and family historians. His death date is often given far too early, 1676, when it was his son John Rockwood who died during an attack by the Nipmucks during King Philip's War. He is sometimes assigned to the wrong parents. Nicholas Rockwood and Margaret Holbrook are not correct, as they didn't marry until our John was a teenager. Having said that, here's what we do know about John Rockwood, whose name is sometimes spelled Rocket or Rockett, just to make it more fun to research him.
He was born November 1, 1641 probably at Braintree, Massachusetts (even though the vital records don't seem to list his birth there). His parents were Richard Rockwood and Agnes Lovell, sometimes seen as Agnes Bicknell. Actually, Robert Charles Anderson doesn't accept that her maiden name was Lovell. She was married to Zachary Bicknell and married Richard Rockwood as a widow. John had an older step brother and at least two sisters who apparently grew up in the same household.
He married Joanna Ford, daughter of someone named Ford, apparently. There seems to be no firm resolution as to this; I've seen Nicholas, Thomas, and William Ford each listed on a different website as her father. However, I can say that they married July 15, 1662 in Braintree. John and Joanna had at least ten children together. Some were born in Braintree, some in Mendon, and some in Medfield. The family moved to Mendon by 1667, when John was awarded land in the meadows, probably indicating he already had a houselot, although it wasn't surveyed until 1669. That same year, he was appointed to a committee to agree on the boundaries between Mendon and Dedham.
John would likely have been content to stay his whole life in Mendon, but King Philip's War, particularly the burning of the towa n and the death of his twelve year old son, sent him and the family to Medfield for at least a few years. It would have been a fearsome time, and difficult to rebuilt after losing everything. I don't find him listed as a soldier in the war but he would have been only 34 or 35 years old so it's likely that he at least did garrison duty or was otherwise engaged with the militia.
His will tells us that he was a husbandman, or farmer. Joanna had died at some point because his will refers to his wife Rebecca, identified elsewhere as Rebecca Crafts. He wrote his will in Mendon but there isn't a death record there, so he may have moved, either to be with his wife's family or with one of his children. Unfortunately, I've not found an inventory for him, yet, which may indicate he had already disposed of his land and had few personal possessions.
John Rockwood was one of those quiet men, it seems, who took care of his family, saw sorrow and joy, and helped build New England. I'd like to learn more about him.
The line of descent is:
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joanna Rockwood-Nicholas Cook
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Second line starts with John Rockwood and Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above. So Susannah and Nahum were fourth cousins. I wonder if they knew that?
He was born November 1, 1641 probably at Braintree, Massachusetts (even though the vital records don't seem to list his birth there). His parents were Richard Rockwood and Agnes Lovell, sometimes seen as Agnes Bicknell. Actually, Robert Charles Anderson doesn't accept that her maiden name was Lovell. She was married to Zachary Bicknell and married Richard Rockwood as a widow. John had an older step brother and at least two sisters who apparently grew up in the same household.
He married Joanna Ford, daughter of someone named Ford, apparently. There seems to be no firm resolution as to this; I've seen Nicholas, Thomas, and William Ford each listed on a different website as her father. However, I can say that they married July 15, 1662 in Braintree. John and Joanna had at least ten children together. Some were born in Braintree, some in Mendon, and some in Medfield. The family moved to Mendon by 1667, when John was awarded land in the meadows, probably indicating he already had a houselot, although it wasn't surveyed until 1669. That same year, he was appointed to a committee to agree on the boundaries between Mendon and Dedham.
John would likely have been content to stay his whole life in Mendon, but King Philip's War, particularly the burning of the towa n and the death of his twelve year old son, sent him and the family to Medfield for at least a few years. It would have been a fearsome time, and difficult to rebuilt after losing everything. I don't find him listed as a soldier in the war but he would have been only 34 or 35 years old so it's likely that he at least did garrison duty or was otherwise engaged with the militia.
His will tells us that he was a husbandman, or farmer. Joanna had died at some point because his will refers to his wife Rebecca, identified elsewhere as Rebecca Crafts. He wrote his will in Mendon but there isn't a death record there, so he may have moved, either to be with his wife's family or with one of his children. Unfortunately, I've not found an inventory for him, yet, which may indicate he had already disposed of his land and had few personal possessions.
John Rockwood was one of those quiet men, it seems, who took care of his family, saw sorrow and joy, and helped build New England. I'd like to learn more about him.
The line of descent is:
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joanna Rockwood-Nicholas Cook
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Second line starts with John Rockwood and Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above. So Susannah and Nahum were fourth cousins. I wonder if they knew that?
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Holbrook line: Samuel Hayward 1641-1713
Samuel Hayward left us some traces in the records, and for that, in this month of November, I am profoundly grateful. He is one of those ancestors who seem to be little researched, perhaps because there were several Samuel Haywards in Massachusetts Bay Colony of about the same time period and year. Fortunately, if we limit our search to Braintree and then Mendon, Massachusetts, his story becomes if not clear, at least less murky.
Our Samuel was born in about 1641 to William and Margery Knight Hayward. I haven't found record of his birth but it was in the Boston or Braintree area, because that is where his parents settled early. (His parents were those I've written of before, who apparently went to Barbados for a short time before arriving in Massachusetts.)
Samuel was one of at least 8 children, so he had quite a full family life. As an adult, he was a "housewright", so he was likely apprenticed to or at least worked with a housewright as soon as he had finished whatever schooling he acquired. A housewright built wooden (as opposed to stone or brick) houses, but the job involved more than a carpenter's work. He cut the wood, sawed it into planks, and then built the house with the wood he had chosen and prepared. There was no middleman, and no one else to blame if something was not done correctly. I have much respect for housewrights after learning this!
Samuel married Mehitable Thompson, daughter of John and Sarah Trevore Thompson, on November 28, 1666 in Medfield, Massachusetts. They had at least twelve children together. Samuel is listed as a founding father of Mendon, which was officially formed from Braintree in 1667. He held several town positions. In 1668 he was a surveyor of highways, in 1692 and 1696 a selectman, and in 1696 also a tything man.
One of the most remembered events of his life was probably King Philip's War. Mendon was one of the towns that was attacked early in the war, with loss of life, and later the town was burned to the ground by the native Americans. Mendon had several villages of "praying Indians", converted by our grand uncle John Eliot, and it was not these groups who rebelled. They did, however, suffer consequences. Samuel and his family left Mendon, perhaps soon after the first attack, but Samuel was back in 1677 to rebuild his home, and doubtless those of others who returned also.
There were at least two Samuel Haywards who are listed as soldiers in King Philip's War, but I didn't find those reports also listing other Mendon men, so I think the ones who are listed in the records are not our Samuel. He may have gone to stay with friends or relatives in Braintree, expectantly waiting for the end of the war.
By 1680 Samuel's family was probably back in Mendon, and life was slowly returning to normal. Samuel was hired by the town to raise (build} the meeting house, which was to be 26 feet by 24 feet in size. He was to be paid 3 shillings a day, with part of that to be in kind, a cow and a calf. There was some unspecified dispute involved during or following construction, but it was resolved and the town and Samuel each went about their business.
Samuel's wife Mehitabel died in 1700 and the next year he married Elizabeth Sabin. Samuel died on July 29, 1713, without leaving a will. If there is an inventory, I haven't located it, either. However, I did locate papers, filed in Suffolk County, showing that the surviving children (or in the case of the several daughters who were married, their husbands) agreed to a settlement of the estate. Interestingly, there were few who could sign their name to this document; most used a mark. (Joseph Rockwood, our ancestor, did sign his name and it is quite legible.) A probate judge signed off on the "deal" and presumably everyone lived happily ever after. We do know that Samuel had a house and quite a bit of land. Housewright may not sound like a glamorous job, but in a time when everyone needed to have a house built, it paid the bills and then some.
I like Samuel. He took care of his family, he was a public servant, an honest and hard working man, and he served his church also. And I especially like that I was able to find a little bit of information about him!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Hayward-Mehitabel Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Our Samuel was born in about 1641 to William and Margery Knight Hayward. I haven't found record of his birth but it was in the Boston or Braintree area, because that is where his parents settled early. (His parents were those I've written of before, who apparently went to Barbados for a short time before arriving in Massachusetts.)
Samuel was one of at least 8 children, so he had quite a full family life. As an adult, he was a "housewright", so he was likely apprenticed to or at least worked with a housewright as soon as he had finished whatever schooling he acquired. A housewright built wooden (as opposed to stone or brick) houses, but the job involved more than a carpenter's work. He cut the wood, sawed it into planks, and then built the house with the wood he had chosen and prepared. There was no middleman, and no one else to blame if something was not done correctly. I have much respect for housewrights after learning this!
Samuel married Mehitable Thompson, daughter of John and Sarah Trevore Thompson, on November 28, 1666 in Medfield, Massachusetts. They had at least twelve children together. Samuel is listed as a founding father of Mendon, which was officially formed from Braintree in 1667. He held several town positions. In 1668 he was a surveyor of highways, in 1692 and 1696 a selectman, and in 1696 also a tything man.
One of the most remembered events of his life was probably King Philip's War. Mendon was one of the towns that was attacked early in the war, with loss of life, and later the town was burned to the ground by the native Americans. Mendon had several villages of "praying Indians", converted by our grand uncle John Eliot, and it was not these groups who rebelled. They did, however, suffer consequences. Samuel and his family left Mendon, perhaps soon after the first attack, but Samuel was back in 1677 to rebuild his home, and doubtless those of others who returned also.
There were at least two Samuel Haywards who are listed as soldiers in King Philip's War, but I didn't find those reports also listing other Mendon men, so I think the ones who are listed in the records are not our Samuel. He may have gone to stay with friends or relatives in Braintree, expectantly waiting for the end of the war.
By 1680 Samuel's family was probably back in Mendon, and life was slowly returning to normal. Samuel was hired by the town to raise (build} the meeting house, which was to be 26 feet by 24 feet in size. He was to be paid 3 shillings a day, with part of that to be in kind, a cow and a calf. There was some unspecified dispute involved during or following construction, but it was resolved and the town and Samuel each went about their business.
Samuel's wife Mehitabel died in 1700 and the next year he married Elizabeth Sabin. Samuel died on July 29, 1713, without leaving a will. If there is an inventory, I haven't located it, either. However, I did locate papers, filed in Suffolk County, showing that the surviving children (or in the case of the several daughters who were married, their husbands) agreed to a settlement of the estate. Interestingly, there were few who could sign their name to this document; most used a mark. (Joseph Rockwood, our ancestor, did sign his name and it is quite legible.) A probate judge signed off on the "deal" and presumably everyone lived happily ever after. We do know that Samuel had a house and quite a bit of land. Housewright may not sound like a glamorous job, but in a time when everyone needed to have a house built, it paid the bills and then some.
I like Samuel. He took care of his family, he was a public servant, an honest and hard working man, and he served his church also. And I especially like that I was able to find a little bit of information about him!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Hayward-Mehitabel Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, September 20, 2019
Holbrook line: John Thompson 1667-1749
John Thompson was a second generation New Englander. His grandfather had come to America and his father was born here. So in many ways he's of an invisible generation. He was too late to be chronicled in the Great Migration materials and too busy making a living to leave much of a record behind him. Except, in this case, there is a book called "Annals of Mendon 1659-1760 that gives some brief mentions of him. This is a cause for rejoicing in the genealogy world.
John was born on Christmas Day in 1667 in Mendon, Massachusetts. Perhaps that gave the family a reason to celebrate the day, even though Christmas celebrations were either banned or greatly frowned on by the Puritans who ruled Massachusetts Bay Colony. John's parents were John and Thankful Woodland Thompson, and he was the first of 9 children born to the couple. As the first child and the first son, he may have been spoiled just a little as he grew up, but it seems that no child in New England was coddled for long.
Of course, for many years he was referred to as "John Jr" in town records. Before he showed up in town records, he had at least one life experience that would have made him mature quickly. Mendon was burned by the native Americans in King Philip's war. Before that happened, the natives had killed about six settlers in a surprise attack, and the town was abandoned. So it was a desolate settlement that was burned, but still, it was home. Town records seem to be silent about where people went or when they came back.
The first notice I found of John was in 1689, when he was about 22 years of age. He was taxed 13 shillings and 10 pence for the pastor's salary, and this probably happened every year. In 1695, the tax records show that he was taxed 5 shillings 5 pence in "country pay" (wood, hay, grain, whatever the family could spare) and 1 shilling three pence in actual cash money. John married Hannah Wight, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Albee Wight, but the year is missing from the records. Their nine children were born from December of 1689 to 1708, which indicates they were likely married in early 1689 or sooner.
John was active in the town and in protecting his family. In 1694 and 1695 he received bounties for killing wolves. He may have found them on his land, or he may have tracked or trapped them. Perhaps he would have interesting stories to tell us about these events. In 1710 he was given permission with John Corbet and others to build a sawmill on the town commons land that abutted the Charles River, so he likely had additional income from that investment. That same year, Sergeant John Thompson was chosen as a town selectman. By 1719 he was an ensign, basically a second lieutenant. There were still threats from native Americans in and around the area, and this was a responsible position.
The next reference I found to him was in 1727, when he was on a committee to "perambulate" the town limits between Bellingham and Mendon. He probably lived in north Bellingham, which was a daughter town of what had once been a much larger Mendon, although I've not found land records yet.
The final document I've found is John's will, It doesn't seem to be dated, but John died March 6, 1749. He provided for his widow and his six sons, with son John getting more than the others, and cash was to be given to the daughters after his widow's death. There is also an interesting admonition at the end saying in rather flowery language that he commends his children to God and that they need to behave as Christians toward each other. I've not seen that in a will before. Unfortunately, I didn't find an inventory. Hannah lived another ten years, so she was about 92 years old when she died in 1759.
The line of descent is
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John was born on Christmas Day in 1667 in Mendon, Massachusetts. Perhaps that gave the family a reason to celebrate the day, even though Christmas celebrations were either banned or greatly frowned on by the Puritans who ruled Massachusetts Bay Colony. John's parents were John and Thankful Woodland Thompson, and he was the first of 9 children born to the couple. As the first child and the first son, he may have been spoiled just a little as he grew up, but it seems that no child in New England was coddled for long.
Of course, for many years he was referred to as "John Jr" in town records. Before he showed up in town records, he had at least one life experience that would have made him mature quickly. Mendon was burned by the native Americans in King Philip's war. Before that happened, the natives had killed about six settlers in a surprise attack, and the town was abandoned. So it was a desolate settlement that was burned, but still, it was home. Town records seem to be silent about where people went or when they came back.
The first notice I found of John was in 1689, when he was about 22 years of age. He was taxed 13 shillings and 10 pence for the pastor's salary, and this probably happened every year. In 1695, the tax records show that he was taxed 5 shillings 5 pence in "country pay" (wood, hay, grain, whatever the family could spare) and 1 shilling three pence in actual cash money. John married Hannah Wight, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Albee Wight, but the year is missing from the records. Their nine children were born from December of 1689 to 1708, which indicates they were likely married in early 1689 or sooner.
John was active in the town and in protecting his family. In 1694 and 1695 he received bounties for killing wolves. He may have found them on his land, or he may have tracked or trapped them. Perhaps he would have interesting stories to tell us about these events. In 1710 he was given permission with John Corbet and others to build a sawmill on the town commons land that abutted the Charles River, so he likely had additional income from that investment. That same year, Sergeant John Thompson was chosen as a town selectman. By 1719 he was an ensign, basically a second lieutenant. There were still threats from native Americans in and around the area, and this was a responsible position.
The next reference I found to him was in 1727, when he was on a committee to "perambulate" the town limits between Bellingham and Mendon. He probably lived in north Bellingham, which was a daughter town of what had once been a much larger Mendon, although I've not found land records yet.
The final document I've found is John's will, It doesn't seem to be dated, but John died March 6, 1749. He provided for his widow and his six sons, with son John getting more than the others, and cash was to be given to the daughters after his widow's death. There is also an interesting admonition at the end saying in rather flowery language that he commends his children to God and that they need to behave as Christians toward each other. I've not seen that in a will before. Unfortunately, I didn't find an inventory. Hannah lived another ten years, so she was about 92 years old when she died in 1759.
The line of descent is
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, September 13, 2019
Holbrook line: Thomas Holbrook 1625-1697 Immigrant
There's not as much readily available information about our ancestor Thomas Holbrook as I would like, so I'll continue to look. Because he is an ancestor at least twice, he's important to our family.
However, I do know this mucxh. Thomas, sometimes referred to as Thomas II, was born in 1624 and christened at St John the Baptist, Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England. His parents, Thomas and Jane Powy oe Powis Holbrook, were from Wales. Thomas may or may not have learned some of the stories about Glastonbury as a young boy, from Joseph of Arimathea's appearance there to the stories about King Arthur. There were Saxon ruins as well as those of the Normans, and a very old church, so Thomas had a lot of places to explore.
Thomas's parents came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 on the Marygould. along with Thomas and three of his siblings. The family settled in Weymouth and that is where his parents died in 1677.
Records are scarce or hiding, so we don't know when Thomas went to Braintree, although he was there by 1653.. Actually the two towns are very close together so it is possible that he didn't have to move at all, but that the change in address took place due to events around him. He married Joane Kingman, daughter of Henry and Joanna Drake Kingman, probably shortly before the move. Thomas Sr was a Puritan as was Henry Kingman, so that is likely the way these Holbrooks raised their children, too.
Braintree contributed men to foght in King Philip's War, although it appears that the town itself was not molested. One of those men was Thomas Holbrook. This was more likely to be Thomas's son, Thomas born 1653 than it was our Thomas, but the possibility exists. And if enough men left Braintree, our older Thomas would have acted as militia.
Thomas had a small inheritance when his father died in 1677, and Joane received twelve pounds from her father's estate, plus a chest. Thomas and Joane had at least five children together, four of whom lived to adulthood.
I haven't yet been able to learn much more about his life, except that he was likely a church member and then, his will. He had a Great Bible and other books, a gun and a sword, farm animals, what appears to be quite a lot of boots (if I'm reading this correctly, Was he also a shoemaker?) and quite a bit of land. His estate was valued at 687 pounds. Joane died in 1696 and Thomas in 1697.
For now, we will have to leave Thomas as just a shadow of a person, bare outlines telling his story. It would be nice to find more, to learn more about his life and how he impacted the Colony.
Oh, yes...The Presdients Bush, and President Taft, among others, descend from this couple.
The line of descent is
Thomas Holbrook-Joane Kingman
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Mary Holbrook-Joseph Thompson
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-ary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is the same through Peter Holbrook and Alice Godfrey; then
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
(the rest as above)
However, I do know this mucxh. Thomas, sometimes referred to as Thomas II, was born in 1624 and christened at St John the Baptist, Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England. His parents, Thomas and Jane Powy oe Powis Holbrook, were from Wales. Thomas may or may not have learned some of the stories about Glastonbury as a young boy, from Joseph of Arimathea's appearance there to the stories about King Arthur. There were Saxon ruins as well as those of the Normans, and a very old church, so Thomas had a lot of places to explore.
Thomas's parents came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 on the Marygould. along with Thomas and three of his siblings. The family settled in Weymouth and that is where his parents died in 1677.
Records are scarce or hiding, so we don't know when Thomas went to Braintree, although he was there by 1653.. Actually the two towns are very close together so it is possible that he didn't have to move at all, but that the change in address took place due to events around him. He married Joane Kingman, daughter of Henry and Joanna Drake Kingman, probably shortly before the move. Thomas Sr was a Puritan as was Henry Kingman, so that is likely the way these Holbrooks raised their children, too.
Braintree contributed men to foght in King Philip's War, although it appears that the town itself was not molested. One of those men was Thomas Holbrook. This was more likely to be Thomas's son, Thomas born 1653 than it was our Thomas, but the possibility exists. And if enough men left Braintree, our older Thomas would have acted as militia.
Thomas had a small inheritance when his father died in 1677, and Joane received twelve pounds from her father's estate, plus a chest. Thomas and Joane had at least five children together, four of whom lived to adulthood.
I haven't yet been able to learn much more about his life, except that he was likely a church member and then, his will. He had a Great Bible and other books, a gun and a sword, farm animals, what appears to be quite a lot of boots (if I'm reading this correctly, Was he also a shoemaker?) and quite a bit of land. His estate was valued at 687 pounds. Joane died in 1696 and Thomas in 1697.
For now, we will have to leave Thomas as just a shadow of a person, bare outlines telling his story. It would be nice to find more, to learn more about his life and how he impacted the Colony.
Oh, yes...The Presdients Bush, and President Taft, among others, descend from this couple.
The line of descent is
Thomas Holbrook-Joane Kingman
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Mary Holbrook-Joseph Thompson
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-ary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is the same through Peter Holbrook and Alice Godfrey; then
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
(the rest as above)
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Holbrook line: Joseph Rockwood, who are you?
I'd like to put dates in for his birth and death. I thought I knew them. I thought I knew who his parents were. But now that I'm getting ready to write a little about his life (and it's little enough, I will say), I'm confused.
So, I will say that Joseph was probably born in Mendon, Massachusetts in 1727 or in 1722. His parents were either John Rockwood and Deborah Thayer, or Joseph Rockwood and Elizabeth Turner. He comes from a long line of Johns and Josephs who lived in the same area for many years and who names their sons both John and Joseph. So you can see the problem, which I haven't yet solved. I'm posting this in the hopes that someone has documentation that proves, either by will or land records, which Joseph is which, and which parents are his.
Mendon, Massachusetts was founded in 1667 and John Rockwood, who is Joseph's great-grandfather, was one of the first founders of the town. The town was burned during King Philip's war but was rebuilt in 1680. Many of the first settlers stayed there for generations, and we find a lot of family names on the lists of those first founders. But information about the later lines is sparse.
Assuming that his parents were John and Deborah, Joseph had as many as eight siblings. However, if he was the Joseph born in 1722, his parents were Joseph and Elizabeth, and his father died before our Joseph was even born. That would have likely been a veryh difficult life.
We do know that Joseph married Alice Thomson or Thompson, daughter of Joseph and Mary Holbrook Thomson, on March 10, 1750 in Bellingham. Bellingham was created from the very large land that Mendon had charge of, in 1719/ It is likely that Joseph didn't move very far at all when he married. Joseph and Alice had nine children, all in Bellingham.
I can't imagine the pain that Alice would have suffered as she lost her family. On October 6, 1778, their son Joseph died, "on returning from the Army", so I'm not sure whether he made it home first or not. Joseph himself died November 10, 1778, just a little over a month after their son had died. Alice was not done grieving. In 1786, just as her sons were reaching manhood, John and Cephas died while at sea. Their death dates are given as one day apart. Did a hurricane or a nor'easter take them? Where had they been? Were they seamen or traders or what? Regardless of the circumstances, Alice would have been overcome with sorrow. Levi and Daniel seem to be the only sons left to her.
I haven't yet found a will that I think was Joseph's, nor have I found a father's will that clearly identifies his children. I will continue to look, and to think. Besides wanting to verify his parentage, I would also like to find his religion (many of the families in Bellingham were Baptist) and his occupation. I'd also like to know if he was involved in the French and Indian war. I know men from his area were drafted into the King's service, but I've not found a record for Joseph, at least not yet.
I plan to keep looking for information about Joseph, and his parents. Someone is right about his parents, and someone is wrong. I'd like to declare the winner. If you have records or documents that would help in straightening this out, I would be most appreciative if you'd contact me. Thanks!
The line of descent is:
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thomson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Pheobe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So, I will say that Joseph was probably born in Mendon, Massachusetts in 1727 or in 1722. His parents were either John Rockwood and Deborah Thayer, or Joseph Rockwood and Elizabeth Turner. He comes from a long line of Johns and Josephs who lived in the same area for many years and who names their sons both John and Joseph. So you can see the problem, which I haven't yet solved. I'm posting this in the hopes that someone has documentation that proves, either by will or land records, which Joseph is which, and which parents are his.
Mendon, Massachusetts was founded in 1667 and John Rockwood, who is Joseph's great-grandfather, was one of the first founders of the town. The town was burned during King Philip's war but was rebuilt in 1680. Many of the first settlers stayed there for generations, and we find a lot of family names on the lists of those first founders. But information about the later lines is sparse.
Assuming that his parents were John and Deborah, Joseph had as many as eight siblings. However, if he was the Joseph born in 1722, his parents were Joseph and Elizabeth, and his father died before our Joseph was even born. That would have likely been a veryh difficult life.
We do know that Joseph married Alice Thomson or Thompson, daughter of Joseph and Mary Holbrook Thomson, on March 10, 1750 in Bellingham. Bellingham was created from the very large land that Mendon had charge of, in 1719/ It is likely that Joseph didn't move very far at all when he married. Joseph and Alice had nine children, all in Bellingham.
I can't imagine the pain that Alice would have suffered as she lost her family. On October 6, 1778, their son Joseph died, "on returning from the Army", so I'm not sure whether he made it home first or not. Joseph himself died November 10, 1778, just a little over a month after their son had died. Alice was not done grieving. In 1786, just as her sons were reaching manhood, John and Cephas died while at sea. Their death dates are given as one day apart. Did a hurricane or a nor'easter take them? Where had they been? Were they seamen or traders or what? Regardless of the circumstances, Alice would have been overcome with sorrow. Levi and Daniel seem to be the only sons left to her.
I haven't yet found a will that I think was Joseph's, nor have I found a father's will that clearly identifies his children. I will continue to look, and to think. Besides wanting to verify his parentage, I would also like to find his religion (many of the families in Bellingham were Baptist) and his occupation. I'd also like to know if he was involved in the French and Indian war. I know men from his area were drafted into the King's service, but I've not found a record for Joseph, at least not yet.
I plan to keep looking for information about Joseph, and his parents. Someone is right about his parents, and someone is wrong. I'd like to declare the winner. If you have records or documents that would help in straightening this out, I would be most appreciative if you'd contact me. Thanks!
The line of descent is:
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thomson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Pheobe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Holbrook line: Ebenezer Thayer 1672-1723
Oh my! This man has been difficult to place. He is not, as far as I know, Captain Ebenezer; that man lived later than our ancestor. The same goes for Reverend Ebenezer Thayer. He's not our ancestor either. It's been amazing to find so many Ebenezers, and so many Thayers, and so many Ebenezer Thayers, in Mendon, Massachusetts. I'm glad I've been able to unravel our ancestor from some of the other men, and I'm especially glad that I found first his will (on Ancestry) and then his estate papers (on americanancestors.org). Without those papers, we'd know a lot less about Ebenezer than we know now.
Ebenezer is the son of Ferdinando and Hulday Hayward Thayer. He was born in either 1672 or 1674, possiblly in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of at least six children. At some point, when Ebenezer was still a child or youth, the family moved to Mendon, Massachusetts, at a time that Mendon was considered to be on the frontier. If they had already moved by the time of King Philip's War, this would have been a very tense time for the family. It was probably still tense in 1690, when Huldah is though to have died in Mendon, for there had been some kind of a military call up just the year before, perhaps due to intelligence about native American attacks. Short and uneasy were the periods of truce between the whites and the natives.
We get a sense of how much this was frontier by noting tht Ebenezer Thayer killed a wolf in 1694, and that the constable cut off its ears in front of some of the selectmen. There was probably a bounty for the wolf head, as that is usual in frontier towns.
Regardless of the date that Ebenezer arrived in Mendon, he stayed there the rest of his life. He married Martha Thomson or Thompson there on June 13, 1695. She was the daughter of John and Thankful Woodland Thompson. Ebenezer describes himself in his will as a husbandman, meaning he farmed his own land. Ebenezer and Martha had eight or perhaps nine children, enough to keep the two of them busy. His name is on rate lists for 1694 and 1699, and he was given land in the town allotments in 1707 and 1713, if not sooner. He acquired quite a significant holding before his death.
Mendon eventually grew to the point that it needed to be divided into one or more town, and Ebenezer's name is on a 1719 petition requesting division of the lands. It was granted by the general court, and Ebenezer's land straddled the line between Mendon and Bellingham. He may not have moved at all, but his death is sometimes shown as having happened in Bellingham. Note: up to the point that "Ebenezer's land straddled the line..." the information for this post has come from "Annals of the Town of Mendon' by John G. Metcalf. I've not seen this source quoted in on line summaries of his life, but there is this much information in the book.
The next we find of Ebenezer is his death. It occurred in either 1722 or 1723. It was an illness of some kind that took him because he described himself, in the will, as "being very sick". He left 68 acres of land to his son Ebenezer, laid out in various parcels in various years. To Uriah, he left several pieces of land in Mendon, to be held by the executor until he came of age. Then he left more land in Bellingham to Ebenezer. His homestead in Bellingham, not previously disposed of, was to be divided between his three sons, but his wife was to live on it and have the improvements until his son Daniel was of age. His wife was to be provided for in her widowhood out of the gifts he had made to his sons. His daughters Martha and Hannah were to have 10 pounds each when they reached the age of twenty one, out of his "personal estate". More was to be given to each of his four daughters, who also included Deborah and Abigail, and his sons were to provide for his wife's care, in one end of the dwelling house, in equal shares. She was to have corn and firewood, a cow and a horse, to lead a "comfortable subsistence".
The inventory is categorized rather than itemized, so we don't know about the little things that would tell us more about Ebenezer. He had about 16 head of cattle, including two oxen, three horses, 34 sheep and lambs, and 7 swine,. He also had a sword, belt, and ammunition, but there is no specific mention of a gun or other weapon. Interestingly, he also had four spinning wheels, which perhaps means his daughters were already working in a cottage industry. The estate was valued at about 826 pounds, due mostly to the many parcels of land that he owned. Funeral and other expenses reduced the estate by 15 pounds. It seems that Ebenezer left his family in decent financial shape, much sooner than he had planned. Martha is believed to have married Joseph Wight in 1724, and to have lived until 1759.
There are still many questsions I'd like to have answered. What was his military experience? Was he a Baptist, or a Congregationalist? Was he literate? His will was signed with an "X" but since he was "very sick", that may not mean anything. We can at least conclude that he was a successful farmer, at a time and place when that was difficult. Thank you, Ebenezer, for being part of our family!
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Ebenezer is the son of Ferdinando and Hulday Hayward Thayer. He was born in either 1672 or 1674, possiblly in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of at least six children. At some point, when Ebenezer was still a child or youth, the family moved to Mendon, Massachusetts, at a time that Mendon was considered to be on the frontier. If they had already moved by the time of King Philip's War, this would have been a very tense time for the family. It was probably still tense in 1690, when Huldah is though to have died in Mendon, for there had been some kind of a military call up just the year before, perhaps due to intelligence about native American attacks. Short and uneasy were the periods of truce between the whites and the natives.
We get a sense of how much this was frontier by noting tht Ebenezer Thayer killed a wolf in 1694, and that the constable cut off its ears in front of some of the selectmen. There was probably a bounty for the wolf head, as that is usual in frontier towns.
Regardless of the date that Ebenezer arrived in Mendon, he stayed there the rest of his life. He married Martha Thomson or Thompson there on June 13, 1695. She was the daughter of John and Thankful Woodland Thompson. Ebenezer describes himself in his will as a husbandman, meaning he farmed his own land. Ebenezer and Martha had eight or perhaps nine children, enough to keep the two of them busy. His name is on rate lists for 1694 and 1699, and he was given land in the town allotments in 1707 and 1713, if not sooner. He acquired quite a significant holding before his death.
Mendon eventually grew to the point that it needed to be divided into one or more town, and Ebenezer's name is on a 1719 petition requesting division of the lands. It was granted by the general court, and Ebenezer's land straddled the line between Mendon and Bellingham. He may not have moved at all, but his death is sometimes shown as having happened in Bellingham. Note: up to the point that "Ebenezer's land straddled the line..." the information for this post has come from "Annals of the Town of Mendon' by John G. Metcalf. I've not seen this source quoted in on line summaries of his life, but there is this much information in the book.
The next we find of Ebenezer is his death. It occurred in either 1722 or 1723. It was an illness of some kind that took him because he described himself, in the will, as "being very sick". He left 68 acres of land to his son Ebenezer, laid out in various parcels in various years. To Uriah, he left several pieces of land in Mendon, to be held by the executor until he came of age. Then he left more land in Bellingham to Ebenezer. His homestead in Bellingham, not previously disposed of, was to be divided between his three sons, but his wife was to live on it and have the improvements until his son Daniel was of age. His wife was to be provided for in her widowhood out of the gifts he had made to his sons. His daughters Martha and Hannah were to have 10 pounds each when they reached the age of twenty one, out of his "personal estate". More was to be given to each of his four daughters, who also included Deborah and Abigail, and his sons were to provide for his wife's care, in one end of the dwelling house, in equal shares. She was to have corn and firewood, a cow and a horse, to lead a "comfortable subsistence".
The inventory is categorized rather than itemized, so we don't know about the little things that would tell us more about Ebenezer. He had about 16 head of cattle, including two oxen, three horses, 34 sheep and lambs, and 7 swine,. He also had a sword, belt, and ammunition, but there is no specific mention of a gun or other weapon. Interestingly, he also had four spinning wheels, which perhaps means his daughters were already working in a cottage industry. The estate was valued at about 826 pounds, due mostly to the many parcels of land that he owned. Funeral and other expenses reduced the estate by 15 pounds. It seems that Ebenezer left his family in decent financial shape, much sooner than he had planned. Martha is believed to have married Joseph Wight in 1724, and to have lived until 1759.
There are still many questsions I'd like to have answered. What was his military experience? Was he a Baptist, or a Congregationalist? Was he literate? His will was signed with an "X" but since he was "very sick", that may not mean anything. We can at least conclude that he was a successful farmer, at a time and place when that was difficult. Thank you, Ebenezer, for being part of our family!
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, July 12, 2019
Holbrook line: Richard Langer or Sanger, Immigrant
It's hard enough to find information about our ancestors without someone writing their name in such a fashion that it can't be read accurately. Two sources who apparently looked at the very same records for the very same year arrived at different conclusions as to whether the initial letter in his first name is an "L" or and "S". In my tree, I have it as an "S" but I'm not taking any bets as to whether or not that is correct.
Having said that, is it any wonder that we don't know who this man's parents are, or where they came from? Everyone assumes it's England, and that is probably correct, but we don't know when he was born, either, so that makes the search a little more difficult.
What we do know is that he was in or of Hinghaam, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1636, when he was given a grant of land there.
We know that he had a daughter Margaret when he died in 1659 and we know from his will that he had three daughters, Margaret married to Thomas Lincoln (eldest son Joshua), Dinah and Rebecca, who were apparently not married. There is no mention of a wife so she had probably died, but whether that was in New England or not, we don't know. Some have given her a first name of Margaret and others have called her "Joanne Underdowne" but I've not seen documentation for either name.
When Richard wrote his will on February 20, 1659, he tells us all we know of his life between 1636 and 1659; in fact, he tells us all we know of his life. He describes himself as "very aged". His real estate was described as "two home lotts that I bought of mhy son in law, Thomas Lincoln", which were to go to Joshua Lincoln, and a lot of meadow at Conyhasset as well as his "great lott lyeing neere Glad Tidings Rocke". The only personal property he disposed of was a 'green rugg" to his daughter Margaret, and she was to give 4 shillings each to her two sisters, Dinah and Rebecca. He may have been living with the Lincolns when he died, to have so little personal property. His appraisal was modest, just 21 pounds and two shillings. I haven't seen a copy of the appraisal, so I don't know whether the valuation included the land mentioned or not.
We can guess that Richard attended church services but we don't know whether or not he was a Puritan, or a Separatist, or merelly getting along with his neighbors. He did seem to get along with his neighbors, as I found no mention of him in court records. These are speculations only. We have a record that shows he was here, that he acquired a modest amount of property, that he had daughters, and that he seemed to have a high regard for hiw (apparently) first grandson. Other than that, he kept his head down and raised his family, for which we thank him, whatever his name is!
The line of descent is
Richard Sanger-
Margaret Sanger-Thomas Lincoln
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Having said that, is it any wonder that we don't know who this man's parents are, or where they came from? Everyone assumes it's England, and that is probably correct, but we don't know when he was born, either, so that makes the search a little more difficult.
What we do know is that he was in or of Hinghaam, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1636, when he was given a grant of land there.
We know that he had a daughter Margaret when he died in 1659 and we know from his will that he had three daughters, Margaret married to Thomas Lincoln (eldest son Joshua), Dinah and Rebecca, who were apparently not married. There is no mention of a wife so she had probably died, but whether that was in New England or not, we don't know. Some have given her a first name of Margaret and others have called her "Joanne Underdowne" but I've not seen documentation for either name.
When Richard wrote his will on February 20, 1659, he tells us all we know of his life between 1636 and 1659; in fact, he tells us all we know of his life. He describes himself as "very aged". His real estate was described as "two home lotts that I bought of mhy son in law, Thomas Lincoln", which were to go to Joshua Lincoln, and a lot of meadow at Conyhasset as well as his "great lott lyeing neere Glad Tidings Rocke". The only personal property he disposed of was a 'green rugg" to his daughter Margaret, and she was to give 4 shillings each to her two sisters, Dinah and Rebecca. He may have been living with the Lincolns when he died, to have so little personal property. His appraisal was modest, just 21 pounds and two shillings. I haven't seen a copy of the appraisal, so I don't know whether the valuation included the land mentioned or not.
We can guess that Richard attended church services but we don't know whether or not he was a Puritan, or a Separatist, or merelly getting along with his neighbors. He did seem to get along with his neighbors, as I found no mention of him in court records. These are speculations only. We have a record that shows he was here, that he acquired a modest amount of property, that he had daughters, and that he seemed to have a high regard for hiw (apparently) first grandson. Other than that, he kept his head down and raised his family, for which we thank him, whatever his name is!
The line of descent is
Richard Sanger-
Margaret Sanger-Thomas Lincoln
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, July 5, 2019
Holbrook line: Isaac Lazell 1701-1783
Some of our relatives play hide and seek with us. I was never much good at that game as a child, or a mother, or for that matter, a grandmother. Possibly Isaac knew that, and knew he could hide his tracks fairly well. I have found a few nuggets of information about him, so I will share what little I've found, so far.
Isaac Lazell was the son of Israel and Rachel Lincoln Lazell. He was born August 30, 1701 in Hingham, Massachusetts, where his family had lived since the 1630s or so. He was one of four children in the family, all boys, and all born between 1701 and 1707. This family was probably prominent in the town because I've seen reference to a Lazell Street in Hingham.
Isaac obviously survived his childhood, but he was fairly old when he married Deborah Marsh on June 4, 1741 in Hingham. She was fifteen years younger than her husband, and was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Burr Marsh, also of Hingham. There is no indication of an earlier marriage for Isaac, but we can't rule it out either. Maybe the late marriage was due to economic circumstances.
Isaac shared a home with his parents in Hingham Centre, "over the river". By the time his father died in 1755, 7 of the nine new Lazells were born, so this must have been a bustling household. I've not found Israel's probate records so I don't know whether or not Isaac received the home, but he stayed in Hingham until about 1773, when he took the family to Bellingham, Massachusetts. This was quite a change for the family. Hingham was almost on the edge of the ocean, and Bellingham was 45 to 50 miles inland and a farming community. He apparently took his family there because he was a Baptist, and there was a Baptist church in Bellingham. He didn't stay in Bellingham long, because, at the age of 72, he bought land from Isaac Bates, an 18 acre farm on the Bellingham-Mendon line.
The only mention I found of Isaac's public service was as a constable in Hingham in 1746. Isaac died at Mendon, also recorded in Bellingham records, on June 29, 1783, so he lived through the Revolutionary War. I didn't find him listed as a patriot on the DAR website but we shouldn't draw any conclusions from that. Bellingham was, in general, a patriotic town that supported the American cause, and Isaac may well have shared that feeling. He was too old to fight in the Revolution but he may have served in some capacity in the French and Indian war. There were other "minor" wars, involving battles with native Americans, during most of Isaac's earlier life so although I can't say he was ever a soldier, I certainly can't say he wasn't.
Isaac's wife, Deborah, outlived him by 8 years, dying in Mendon in 1791. I have not yet located a will or estate for either of these people, which is disappointing. We know he was a farmer and a Baptist, but we don't know whether or not he was literate, nor what his military service may have been. There is still more research to be done to document Isaac's life, but this gives us a start. He was another in a long line of honorable, brave, hard working men, and I salute my fifth great grandfather.
The line of descent is:
Isaac Lazell-Deborah Marsh
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Wwhittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Isaac Lazell was the son of Israel and Rachel Lincoln Lazell. He was born August 30, 1701 in Hingham, Massachusetts, where his family had lived since the 1630s or so. He was one of four children in the family, all boys, and all born between 1701 and 1707. This family was probably prominent in the town because I've seen reference to a Lazell Street in Hingham.
Isaac obviously survived his childhood, but he was fairly old when he married Deborah Marsh on June 4, 1741 in Hingham. She was fifteen years younger than her husband, and was the daughter of Thomas and Mary Burr Marsh, also of Hingham. There is no indication of an earlier marriage for Isaac, but we can't rule it out either. Maybe the late marriage was due to economic circumstances.
Isaac shared a home with his parents in Hingham Centre, "over the river". By the time his father died in 1755, 7 of the nine new Lazells were born, so this must have been a bustling household. I've not found Israel's probate records so I don't know whether or not Isaac received the home, but he stayed in Hingham until about 1773, when he took the family to Bellingham, Massachusetts. This was quite a change for the family. Hingham was almost on the edge of the ocean, and Bellingham was 45 to 50 miles inland and a farming community. He apparently took his family there because he was a Baptist, and there was a Baptist church in Bellingham. He didn't stay in Bellingham long, because, at the age of 72, he bought land from Isaac Bates, an 18 acre farm on the Bellingham-Mendon line.
The only mention I found of Isaac's public service was as a constable in Hingham in 1746. Isaac died at Mendon, also recorded in Bellingham records, on June 29, 1783, so he lived through the Revolutionary War. I didn't find him listed as a patriot on the DAR website but we shouldn't draw any conclusions from that. Bellingham was, in general, a patriotic town that supported the American cause, and Isaac may well have shared that feeling. He was too old to fight in the Revolution but he may have served in some capacity in the French and Indian war. There were other "minor" wars, involving battles with native Americans, during most of Isaac's earlier life so although I can't say he was ever a soldier, I certainly can't say he wasn't.
Isaac's wife, Deborah, outlived him by 8 years, dying in Mendon in 1791. I have not yet located a will or estate for either of these people, which is disappointing. We know he was a farmer and a Baptist, but we don't know whether or not he was literate, nor what his military service may have been. There is still more research to be done to document Isaac's life, but this gives us a start. He was another in a long line of honorable, brave, hard working men, and I salute my fifth great grandfather.
The line of descent is:
Isaac Lazell-Deborah Marsh
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Wwhittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 15, 2019
Holbrook line: William Hayward, Immigrant
It's February and the ice is thawing. I feel like I'm on very thin ice, here, writing about this particular ancestor. I hope I can stay away from all the cracks and holes in his story, and eventually get back to dry and solid land.
Actually, let's start with dry and solid land. It seems pretty well established that William Hayward died at Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on May 10, 1659. He was at his usual work as a ferryman, and drowned. Perhaps he had a heart attack or stroke that caused him to fall into the water, but the cause of death was apparently drowning. The inventory of his estate showed a value of 195 pounds, 5 shillings, and 6 pence. Power of administration was given to Margery, his late wife, on behalf of herself and the children. His estate included a dwelling house, garden, and orchards, as well as other lands, oxen, cattle and a meager amount of household furnishings including seven shillings worth of books.
Margery, his wife, is believed to be Margery Knight. There are marriage records for a couple by those names on October 10, 1633, Stepney, Middlesex, England, and they are believed to be the same people who later came to New England. Stepney appears to have been a separate village at the time but is now part of the city of London. Some show the couple as having arrived in 1635 but the earliest records are from 1637, when William was in Charlestown. He then went to Braintree ,where he was deputy to the general court in 1641.
By occupation, William was a mariner, boatman, and ferry man. He probably did whatever was necessary to support his family, which may have included as many as eight children, some of them still minors when he died.
That is pretty much what is known about William. I've been birth dates for him of everything from 1585 to 1617. The 1617 date is likely not correct because that would have made him only about 16 years old when he married Margery, which doesn't seem likely. More likely he was born between 1595 and 1610, but there were quite a few William Haywards born during that time period.
So we end with a mystery or two. Who was he, and who were his parents? What were his reasons for coming to America? Presumably he was made a freeman, since he held the office of deputy. When did that happen? Regardless, we once again come to the conclusion that he and Margery are people worthy of respect and honor, for crossing the ocean, for raising a family here, and for giving us those hardy pioneer genes that have served us well.
The lines of descent are:
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Ebenezeer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
and
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Samuel Hayward-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
per above
As you'll note, this is a rather tangled tree, with Thompson and Thayers showing up in several different ways. That may explain why we have several ancestors in common with William Howard Taft, former President of the United States.
Actually, let's start with dry and solid land. It seems pretty well established that William Hayward died at Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on May 10, 1659. He was at his usual work as a ferryman, and drowned. Perhaps he had a heart attack or stroke that caused him to fall into the water, but the cause of death was apparently drowning. The inventory of his estate showed a value of 195 pounds, 5 shillings, and 6 pence. Power of administration was given to Margery, his late wife, on behalf of herself and the children. His estate included a dwelling house, garden, and orchards, as well as other lands, oxen, cattle and a meager amount of household furnishings including seven shillings worth of books.
Margery, his wife, is believed to be Margery Knight. There are marriage records for a couple by those names on October 10, 1633, Stepney, Middlesex, England, and they are believed to be the same people who later came to New England. Stepney appears to have been a separate village at the time but is now part of the city of London. Some show the couple as having arrived in 1635 but the earliest records are from 1637, when William was in Charlestown. He then went to Braintree ,where he was deputy to the general court in 1641.
By occupation, William was a mariner, boatman, and ferry man. He probably did whatever was necessary to support his family, which may have included as many as eight children, some of them still minors when he died.
That is pretty much what is known about William. I've been birth dates for him of everything from 1585 to 1617. The 1617 date is likely not correct because that would have made him only about 16 years old when he married Margery, which doesn't seem likely. More likely he was born between 1595 and 1610, but there were quite a few William Haywards born during that time period.
So we end with a mystery or two. Who was he, and who were his parents? What were his reasons for coming to America? Presumably he was made a freeman, since he held the office of deputy. When did that happen? Regardless, we once again come to the conclusion that he and Margery are people worthy of respect and honor, for crossing the ocean, for raising a family here, and for giving us those hardy pioneer genes that have served us well.
The lines of descent are:
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Ebenezeer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
and
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Samuel Hayward-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
per above
As you'll note, this is a rather tangled tree, with Thompson and Thayers showing up in several different ways. That may explain why we have several ancestors in common with William Howard Taft, former President of the United States.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Holbrook line: Daniel Lincoln, Immigrant
Daniel Lincoln is one of those men who should appear on a game show called "To Tell the Truth", at the end of which the host would ask "Will the real (Daniel Lincoln) please stand up?" There were several men by that name in the small town of Hingham, Massachusetts. Our Daniel arrived there in about 1644, just as another man by the name of Daniel Lincoln died there. It's possible that the Daniel who died was an uncle or even the father of our Daniel, but no one seems to know for sure. There were a lot of Lincolns in Hingham and it appears that not all of them were closely related, although some surely were.
In Hingham, Daniel is referred to as a "boatman" or "seaman". Nothing in his inventory indicates such a life, but as he lived to be about 80 years old it's possible that he stopped that line of work earlier and turned to something else to support himself and his family. He married Susanna Cushing, daughter of Thomas Cushing, on May 15, 1645 at Hingham, Massachusetts. We don't know whether the courtship began in England or whether it was something of a whirlwind romance, but the two settled down together and as far as I'm aware not, lived happily ever after.
There were eight children born to the couple, one being a son who did not survive long. They were born from 1654 to 1671, which almost makes me wonder what our happy couple was doing for the first ten years of their marriage. Were there miscarriages or premature births during this time period, and if so, what changed that Susanna was suddenly able to have children?
One thing we know about Daniel, who apparently never was granted freeman status, is that he was a good military leader. He was chosen as sergeant for his unit and was involved in King Philip's war in 1675-76, although we don't know when he became sergeant. He still had some of his armor and a sword when he died in 1699. His name is found in some of the early Suffolk County wills, as owing money to merchants. Both times I saw his name, he was one of a long list of debtors to a merchant, so it must have been commonplace to sell on credit and then wait for crops, or a ship, to come in so the debt could be paid.
Most of the other information we have about Daniel we can glean from his inventory. He did leave a will but I can read very little of it. It is Suffolk County case 2519 if you want to have a look at it. I do see that he made some sort of arrangements for his wife. Daniel died March 19, 1699, and Susanna died five years later, in 1704. His inventory mentions books, a dwelling house and all the buildings with it, land, farm animals including several sheep, and household goods. He had two tables and two chairs, which is more than the bare minimum a house of the time would have. The total value of the estate was about 247 pounds.
Sergeant Daniel Lincoln lived in the New World about 55 years and helped shape it, even contributing to the survival of the colony during King Philip's War, and possibly before that. He earned the respect of his peers and even though he wasn't one of the rich and famous, he was one of the people who built America. We can, I think, be proud of him.
Our line of descent is:
Daniel Lincoln-Susannah Cushing
Rachel Lincoln-Israel Lazell
Isaac Lazell-Deborah Marsh
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
In Hingham, Daniel is referred to as a "boatman" or "seaman". Nothing in his inventory indicates such a life, but as he lived to be about 80 years old it's possible that he stopped that line of work earlier and turned to something else to support himself and his family. He married Susanna Cushing, daughter of Thomas Cushing, on May 15, 1645 at Hingham, Massachusetts. We don't know whether the courtship began in England or whether it was something of a whirlwind romance, but the two settled down together and as far as I'm aware not, lived happily ever after.
There were eight children born to the couple, one being a son who did not survive long. They were born from 1654 to 1671, which almost makes me wonder what our happy couple was doing for the first ten years of their marriage. Were there miscarriages or premature births during this time period, and if so, what changed that Susanna was suddenly able to have children?
One thing we know about Daniel, who apparently never was granted freeman status, is that he was a good military leader. He was chosen as sergeant for his unit and was involved in King Philip's war in 1675-76, although we don't know when he became sergeant. He still had some of his armor and a sword when he died in 1699. His name is found in some of the early Suffolk County wills, as owing money to merchants. Both times I saw his name, he was one of a long list of debtors to a merchant, so it must have been commonplace to sell on credit and then wait for crops, or a ship, to come in so the debt could be paid.
Most of the other information we have about Daniel we can glean from his inventory. He did leave a will but I can read very little of it. It is Suffolk County case 2519 if you want to have a look at it. I do see that he made some sort of arrangements for his wife. Daniel died March 19, 1699, and Susanna died five years later, in 1704. His inventory mentions books, a dwelling house and all the buildings with it, land, farm animals including several sheep, and household goods. He had two tables and two chairs, which is more than the bare minimum a house of the time would have. The total value of the estate was about 247 pounds.
Sergeant Daniel Lincoln lived in the New World about 55 years and helped shape it, even contributing to the survival of the colony during King Philip's War, and possibly before that. He earned the respect of his peers and even though he wasn't one of the rich and famous, he was one of the people who built America. We can, I think, be proud of him.
Our line of descent is:
Daniel Lincoln-Susannah Cushing
Rachel Lincoln-Israel Lazell
Isaac Lazell-Deborah Marsh
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Holbrook line: Thomas Marsh, Immigrant
Thomas Marsh lived a short life by our standards. He came to America as a young man, if he came with his father, for his father was here in 1635. His father, George Marsh, settled in Hingham as did Thomas. George died in 1647, so he didn't see his son Thomas, who had been born in 1618, marry Sarah Beal, who we hope was the love of his life. They married on March 24, 1649.
Thomas and Sarah had five children together. Thomas was a farmer and probably a member of the church, although I haven't yet found records to indicate that. This is almost the only information I've found about Thomas, except that he did leave a will and an inventory. Thomas died at the age of 40, on September 2, 1658 in Hingham. He had lived over half his life in the town, but seems to have been one of the silent majority, if there was such a thing back then. He left no mention in town histories of Hingham, and seems, as far as I can tell so far, to have stayed out of trouble with the authorities.
His inventory totaled about 320 pounds, including several pieces of land. It is difficult to read but I didn't see anything that I thought said books or Bibles, and I'm not sure whether arms were indicated or not. He did have several farm animals at the time of his death. His widow, Sarah, married about four years after Thomas's death, to Edmund Sheffield of Braintree. The youngest of Thomas's children would have been just a little over four years old at this time, and the oldest, another Thomas, about 17.
This is not an extensive blog post. It's so brief I almost hesitate to call if a post at all. However, it's a reminder that men like Thomas lived sometimes brief lives, sometimes unnoticed, but they contributed to life in their communities via military service, if nothing else. We can be grateful for men like Thomas Marsh.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Marsh-Sarah Beal
Thomas Marsh-Sarah Lincoln
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas and Sarah had five children together. Thomas was a farmer and probably a member of the church, although I haven't yet found records to indicate that. This is almost the only information I've found about Thomas, except that he did leave a will and an inventory. Thomas died at the age of 40, on September 2, 1658 in Hingham. He had lived over half his life in the town, but seems to have been one of the silent majority, if there was such a thing back then. He left no mention in town histories of Hingham, and seems, as far as I can tell so far, to have stayed out of trouble with the authorities.
His inventory totaled about 320 pounds, including several pieces of land. It is difficult to read but I didn't see anything that I thought said books or Bibles, and I'm not sure whether arms were indicated or not. He did have several farm animals at the time of his death. His widow, Sarah, married about four years after Thomas's death, to Edmund Sheffield of Braintree. The youngest of Thomas's children would have been just a little over four years old at this time, and the oldest, another Thomas, about 17.
This is not an extensive blog post. It's so brief I almost hesitate to call if a post at all. However, it's a reminder that men like Thomas lived sometimes brief lives, sometimes unnoticed, but they contributed to life in their communities via military service, if nothing else. We can be grateful for men like Thomas Marsh.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Marsh-Sarah Beal
Thomas Marsh-Sarah Lincoln
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, January 18, 2019
Holbrook line: John Beal, Immigrant
I'd previously written about John Beal's father in law, Edmund Hobart. There was just one thing wrong with that post. Edmund Hobart was John's father in law, but he was not John's first father in law. John was married prior to his marriage to Nazareth Hobart, and we come through a daughter from the first marriage. Oops! Actually, that is one reason I write these blog posts, to review my information and to see if new facts have emerged. I'm usually hoping for new facts, not corrected ones that will force me to delete I don't know how many names from the tree, but facts, for the purposes of genealogy, are much to be preferred to mistakes/fiction.
John's early origins are, as usual, hard to trace. His father is believed to be Edmund Beal, (although none of his sons are named Edmund, so the father may not be correct) and John is thought to have been born about 1588 in Wymondham, Norfolk, England, although his christening record is thought to be the John Beal who was christened May 5, 1593 in the nearby town of Wramplingham. Most of John's first 50 years were associated with Hingham, Norfolk, England so it may just be easier to remember that.
John likely learned his trade, that of shoemaker, in or around Hingham. He married Frances Ripley, daughter of William and Cicely Revell Ripley, on June 11, 1616 in Wymondham. They had five children together, as well as a chold who did not survive, before Frances died shortly before March 16, 1630 (burial date), also in Wymondham.
John next married Nazareth Hobart, daughter of Edmund and Margaret Dewey Hobart, on July 13, 1630. That was less than four months after the death of his first wife, but he had five young children who needed a mother. John and Nazareth had three children in ENgland, and then two more after arriving in the New World. John was Nazareth's second husband. Nazareth died in Hingham, Massachusetts on September 23, 1658.
John still had two children who were considered minors at that time, so he married for the third and final time, Mary Gilman, who was the daughter of Edward and Mary Hawes Gilman. They were married on March 10, 1659. She died on Jun 15, 1681.
John, Nazareth, and eight children (five of Frances's and three of Nazareth's), as well as two servants, came to America in 1638, and settled in Hingham, where they stayed. John is supposed to have died April 1, 1688 because he is called "The Centenarian". If he was actually born closer to that christening date of 1593, then he didn't make it the full 100 years, but I suppose in those days, who counted? He certainly did live to a very old age.
The records of John Beal aren't plentiful, but we do know he was granted land there in 1638, was admitted a freeman in 1639, and in 1649 and again ten years later represented the town at the General Court of the Colony. In 1680 and in 1682, his name is found on petitions, one regarding where the new meeting house should be constructed, and one asking for better training for the militia. So his mind must have still been active, when he was in his 90's. He must have been physically active up until his last moments, for his body was found in his yard.
Somewhere there is a will for John Beal, because it is reported that he left bequests to each of his children and grandchildren. I have not yet located that document, nor his appraisal, although I would certainly like to do so! I have great admiration for John Beal. He came to the New World when he was 50 years old, with a large family to support. For another fifty years, he helped to build America and took some part in its government. He loved his family, as evidenced by his will (and genealogists love him, for apparently naming his descendants!). He seems to have been a good man.
The line of descent is:
John Beal-Frances Ripley
Sarah Beal-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Sarah Lincoln
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susasnnah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Maary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John's early origins are, as usual, hard to trace. His father is believed to be Edmund Beal, (although none of his sons are named Edmund, so the father may not be correct) and John is thought to have been born about 1588 in Wymondham, Norfolk, England, although his christening record is thought to be the John Beal who was christened May 5, 1593 in the nearby town of Wramplingham. Most of John's first 50 years were associated with Hingham, Norfolk, England so it may just be easier to remember that.
John likely learned his trade, that of shoemaker, in or around Hingham. He married Frances Ripley, daughter of William and Cicely Revell Ripley, on June 11, 1616 in Wymondham. They had five children together, as well as a chold who did not survive, before Frances died shortly before March 16, 1630 (burial date), also in Wymondham.
John next married Nazareth Hobart, daughter of Edmund and Margaret Dewey Hobart, on July 13, 1630. That was less than four months after the death of his first wife, but he had five young children who needed a mother. John and Nazareth had three children in ENgland, and then two more after arriving in the New World. John was Nazareth's second husband. Nazareth died in Hingham, Massachusetts on September 23, 1658.
John still had two children who were considered minors at that time, so he married for the third and final time, Mary Gilman, who was the daughter of Edward and Mary Hawes Gilman. They were married on March 10, 1659. She died on Jun 15, 1681.
John, Nazareth, and eight children (five of Frances's and three of Nazareth's), as well as two servants, came to America in 1638, and settled in Hingham, where they stayed. John is supposed to have died April 1, 1688 because he is called "The Centenarian". If he was actually born closer to that christening date of 1593, then he didn't make it the full 100 years, but I suppose in those days, who counted? He certainly did live to a very old age.
The records of John Beal aren't plentiful, but we do know he was granted land there in 1638, was admitted a freeman in 1639, and in 1649 and again ten years later represented the town at the General Court of the Colony. In 1680 and in 1682, his name is found on petitions, one regarding where the new meeting house should be constructed, and one asking for better training for the militia. So his mind must have still been active, when he was in his 90's. He must have been physically active up until his last moments, for his body was found in his yard.
Somewhere there is a will for John Beal, because it is reported that he left bequests to each of his children and grandchildren. I have not yet located that document, nor his appraisal, although I would certainly like to do so! I have great admiration for John Beal. He came to the New World when he was 50 years old, with a large family to support. For another fifty years, he helped to build America and took some part in its government. He loved his family, as evidenced by his will (and genealogists love him, for apparently naming his descendants!). He seems to have been a good man.
The line of descent is:
John Beal-Frances Ripley
Sarah Beal-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Sarah Lincoln
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susasnnah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Maary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, August 10, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Lincoln, Immigrant
I've spent most of the afternoon trying to figure out which of several Lincoln men I should write about today. Let's just say the easiest one to track is Thomas Lincoln, husbandman, of Hingham, Massachusetts. And to give you an idea of how difficult these Lincolns are, our Thomas was one of four men who lived in the same small down during the same time period. Fortunately, other folks wiser than I have pretty well figured out which Thomas was which,
I wish I could tell you who Thomas's parents are. There was a Stephen Lincoln who settled in Hingham a little before our Thomas. I think he is a relation but I don't know whether he's an uncle, a cousin, or some more distant cousin, but I think there's a clue there.
Thomas is believed to have been born in Wymondham, Norfolk, England. His birth year is given as anywhere from 1616-1626. I think it must be at 1620 or probably earlier, because he was accepted as an adult when he came to Hingham in 1638. So if an adult was 18 years of age, he was born in 1620 or earlier, and if the accepted adult age was 21, he was born in 1617 or earlier. He died in 1692 but many Lincolns had long lifespans, so 1610 is not out of the question.
The first thing we really know about Thomas is that he arrived in Hingham shortly after he arrived in port, on the ship Diligent, which sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Many of the people on board with him also went to Hingham, so it's possible there was a religious motive for some of the passengers. We don't know whether that was true for Thomas.
Thomas married Margaret Langer, daughter of Richard Langer, who also lived in Hingham, presumably after he arrived in America. The couple had at least 9 children, but at least one died in infancy. Thomas, as mentioned earlier, was a husbandsman, a farmer who tilled fields rather than one who raised animals. This was a status below that of yeoman, but it did mean that he acquired land.
Apparently Thomas was well-regarded in the town, because he was a selectman in 1662 and probably other years.
Thomas died sometime before November 3, 1692, when his will was filed. The inventory of his estate totals 402 pounds, which seems like a healthy amount for a husbandman. The inventory is clearly written out but unfortunately, I am unable to read much of it. I can tell that he had several small plots of land, but not a lot of household goods. Even at the age of 75 or more, he still had ammunition on hand, which tells us something of the times in which he lived. Margaret outlived him by about two years.
This is what I know about Thomas Lincoln, except for one fun fact. He and Margaret were the great great grandparents of John Hancock, who signed his name so large on the Declaration of Independence. Where would we be without Thomas Lincoln?
The line of descent is:
Thomas Lincoln-Margaret Langer
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
I wish I could tell you who Thomas's parents are. There was a Stephen Lincoln who settled in Hingham a little before our Thomas. I think he is a relation but I don't know whether he's an uncle, a cousin, or some more distant cousin, but I think there's a clue there.
Thomas is believed to have been born in Wymondham, Norfolk, England. His birth year is given as anywhere from 1616-1626. I think it must be at 1620 or probably earlier, because he was accepted as an adult when he came to Hingham in 1638. So if an adult was 18 years of age, he was born in 1620 or earlier, and if the accepted adult age was 21, he was born in 1617 or earlier. He died in 1692 but many Lincolns had long lifespans, so 1610 is not out of the question.
The first thing we really know about Thomas is that he arrived in Hingham shortly after he arrived in port, on the ship Diligent, which sailed from Ipswich, Suffolk, England. Many of the people on board with him also went to Hingham, so it's possible there was a religious motive for some of the passengers. We don't know whether that was true for Thomas.
Thomas married Margaret Langer, daughter of Richard Langer, who also lived in Hingham, presumably after he arrived in America. The couple had at least 9 children, but at least one died in infancy. Thomas, as mentioned earlier, was a husbandsman, a farmer who tilled fields rather than one who raised animals. This was a status below that of yeoman, but it did mean that he acquired land.
Apparently Thomas was well-regarded in the town, because he was a selectman in 1662 and probably other years.
Thomas died sometime before November 3, 1692, when his will was filed. The inventory of his estate totals 402 pounds, which seems like a healthy amount for a husbandman. The inventory is clearly written out but unfortunately, I am unable to read much of it. I can tell that he had several small plots of land, but not a lot of household goods. Even at the age of 75 or more, he still had ammunition on hand, which tells us something of the times in which he lived. Margaret outlived him by about two years.
This is what I know about Thomas Lincoln, except for one fun fact. He and Margaret were the great great grandparents of John Hancock, who signed his name so large on the Declaration of Independence. Where would we be without Thomas Lincoln?
The line of descent is:
Thomas Lincoln-Margaret Langer
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, July 27, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Thayer, Immigrant 1596-1665
Thomas Thayer has much available information, so that this will be more a summary of what others have found rather than my own research. One interesting item I found refers to him as part of the "Boston Brahmin community". This set me back on my heels a bit. I've always thought that these people were maybe a little bit snobbish and clannish (my prejudices showing, but let's not pussy foot around this), and now I've learned that we might be part of this group, many generations removed, of course. There is an article on Wikipedia called "Boston Brahmin", if you're not familiar with the term.
Thomas himself may not be considered to be a Brahmin, since he was a shoemaker. But let's start at the beginning. He was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, probably shortly before his christening date of August 16, 1596. (Point of reference here: Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler of the land,) His parents were Richard and Ursula Alice Dimery Thayer, and he was one of at least five children. Interestingly, a godfather was William Dimery, probably the same man who later became his father in law. Of the five Thayer siblings, three stayed in England but Thomas and his brother Richard came to America.
Thomas married Margery Wheeler, daughter of Abel or Abiel and Jane Shepherd Wheeler on April 13, 1618, in Thornbury. There were nine children born to them in Thornbury and at least one born after the family came to New England. It musts have been a sad life in those early years as most of the children died in England, some shortly after their birth. However, Thomas, his wife and their three surviving children sailed on the ship "Blessing" and arrived on the "Blessing" at Boston Harbor on April 8, 1637. His goods and supplies followed shortly after on the "Speedwell". It's possible that his oldest son, or perhaps his wife, came on this ship with the goods but there is no record of the passengers on that ship. It certainly would be interesting to know what "goods" he bought with him and whether they were sufficient to get the family started in the New World.
I haven't been able to locate much more than that about Thomas's life in America. We know he received 76 acres of land in Mt. Wollaston (later Braintree) and that is supposed to be for nine members of his family. This is hard to reconcile with the belief that most of his children died in England. (More research, when I get a chance!) Because he states it in his will, we know that he was a shoemaker and that he settled in Braintree, Suffolk County. We know his wife was still alive, for the lands he bequeathed to his three sons were not to be divided until after Margery's death. He had a dwelling house, orchard, barn, and enough land to give about 20 acres to Thomas, about the same to Ferdinando, and also to Sydrach. His personal goods he gave to his grandchildren, again apparently after the death of his wife. His three sons got together and rewrote part of the will, after his death, because they didn't think Sydrach had been given an amount equal to Thomas Jr and Ferdinando. Margery died February 11, 1673, so the boys waited a few years until the land was legally theirs.
An inventory was taken but sadly seems not to be available, or at least it is not on line. As you know by now, I dearly love inventories so its disappearance is a sad thing. And of course there are other mysteries. Was he a part of the church? Did he hold any town office? (I've looked at a History of Braintree and didn't find his name there at all). Could he read and write? Thomas and Margery are the progenitors of tens of thousands, if not more, descendants and we'd sure like to know more about them!
One line of descent is:
Thomas Thayer-Margery Wheeler
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas himself may not be considered to be a Brahmin, since he was a shoemaker. But let's start at the beginning. He was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, probably shortly before his christening date of August 16, 1596. (Point of reference here: Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler of the land,) His parents were Richard and Ursula Alice Dimery Thayer, and he was one of at least five children. Interestingly, a godfather was William Dimery, probably the same man who later became his father in law. Of the five Thayer siblings, three stayed in England but Thomas and his brother Richard came to America.
Thomas married Margery Wheeler, daughter of Abel or Abiel and Jane Shepherd Wheeler on April 13, 1618, in Thornbury. There were nine children born to them in Thornbury and at least one born after the family came to New England. It musts have been a sad life in those early years as most of the children died in England, some shortly after their birth. However, Thomas, his wife and their three surviving children sailed on the ship "Blessing" and arrived on the "Blessing" at Boston Harbor on April 8, 1637. His goods and supplies followed shortly after on the "Speedwell". It's possible that his oldest son, or perhaps his wife, came on this ship with the goods but there is no record of the passengers on that ship. It certainly would be interesting to know what "goods" he bought with him and whether they were sufficient to get the family started in the New World.
I haven't been able to locate much more than that about Thomas's life in America. We know he received 76 acres of land in Mt. Wollaston (later Braintree) and that is supposed to be for nine members of his family. This is hard to reconcile with the belief that most of his children died in England. (More research, when I get a chance!) Because he states it in his will, we know that he was a shoemaker and that he settled in Braintree, Suffolk County. We know his wife was still alive, for the lands he bequeathed to his three sons were not to be divided until after Margery's death. He had a dwelling house, orchard, barn, and enough land to give about 20 acres to Thomas, about the same to Ferdinando, and also to Sydrach. His personal goods he gave to his grandchildren, again apparently after the death of his wife. His three sons got together and rewrote part of the will, after his death, because they didn't think Sydrach had been given an amount equal to Thomas Jr and Ferdinando. Margery died February 11, 1673, so the boys waited a few years until the land was legally theirs.
An inventory was taken but sadly seems not to be available, or at least it is not on line. As you know by now, I dearly love inventories so its disappearance is a sad thing. And of course there are other mysteries. Was he a part of the church? Did he hold any town office? (I've looked at a History of Braintree and didn't find his name there at all). Could he read and write? Thomas and Margery are the progenitors of tens of thousands, if not more, descendants and we'd sure like to know more about them!
One line of descent is:
Thomas Thayer-Margery Wheeler
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, July 20, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Wight, Immigrant
It's a joy to write about Thomas Wight, even though as is often the case we don't really know who his parents are or where he was born. On my tree, I show Robert and Elizabeth Fulshaw Wight as his parents, but I don't have any documentation. In researching for this post I find another somewhat likely couple but I haven't done the work to see if it can be documented so I'm not about to muddy the waters now. Family tradition says that he was from the Isle of Wight but tradition is sometimes suspect, too.
So what we know is that Thomas arrived in about 1636, and is first found in Dedham, Massachusetts where he was listed as one of the first twelve inhabitants of that town. On the Dedham Compact, he is listed as number 37 to sign but it's quite possible that either there was a large group of men to sign the compact, or he may have been away from town for some reason when the compact was first signed.
We know that he had a family when he arrived in Dedham because he was given 12 acres for a house lot, which was the amount given married men at the time. His wife's name was Alice and is believed to be Alice Roundy, but again documentation for when and where has not been located. It appears that there were probably three children with them when they came to America, and the couple had three more children here.Some lists show two additional children but that seems unlikely. Thomas later received grants of planting ground, meadows, and marsh, and his land was on a brook so fishing was a likely source of food, also. It was probably a fun place to grow up, for the children, if Puritans were allowed to have fun.
Thomas, it appears, was wealthy, at least by the standards of the day. He was a selectman for six years in Dedham, meaning he helped govern the town, and generally selectmen were persons of wealth and influence. He was also a member of the church, accepted into membership in 1640.
In 1649, the town of Medfield was formed and Thomas was one of seven men chosen to take charge of the "erecting, disposeing, and government of the said village". Thomas moved to Medfield permanently in 1652 and for 20 years served as a selectman there. He is said to have had no formal education (the basis for that, I don't know) but the townspeople respected him greatly, it appears.
Thomas's wife Alice died in 1665 and that same year he married Lydia Eliot Penniman. She was the sister of John Eliot, known as "The Apostle", and she was Thomas's widow when he died March 17, 1673/74. I didn't find a copy of Thomas's will but I did find a copy of the inventory and it gives us a clear peek into his home as it was when he died. The inventory is separated into several rooms or buildings, listed as "The parlor", "The little bedroom", "the hall", "the buttery", "in the garrett". some other categories I can't decipher, and a long list of lands. His estate was valued at over 460 pounds, which, together with the number and quality of the items listed, indicate wealth. The very first item that was listed, in the parlor, was books, so perhaps he had an education, after all.
Much of the information in this post comes from a book I found on line, "The Wight Family: Memoir of Thomas Wight of Dedham, Massachusetts' written by Danforth Phipps Wight and published in 1840. (Another reason to love the internet!)
I would of course love to know more about Thomas, especially about his ancestral families and why he came to America. Since he married a sister to John Eliot, he must have been a godly Puritan, and I'd like to know more about his religious beliefs. I'd like to know what decisions he may have had a part in, in the two towns he was most closely associated with. And I'd like to give him my honor and respect.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Wight-Alice Roundy
Samuel Wight-Hannah Albee
Hannah Wight-John Thompson
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So what we know is that Thomas arrived in about 1636, and is first found in Dedham, Massachusetts where he was listed as one of the first twelve inhabitants of that town. On the Dedham Compact, he is listed as number 37 to sign but it's quite possible that either there was a large group of men to sign the compact, or he may have been away from town for some reason when the compact was first signed.
We know that he had a family when he arrived in Dedham because he was given 12 acres for a house lot, which was the amount given married men at the time. His wife's name was Alice and is believed to be Alice Roundy, but again documentation for when and where has not been located. It appears that there were probably three children with them when they came to America, and the couple had three more children here.Some lists show two additional children but that seems unlikely. Thomas later received grants of planting ground, meadows, and marsh, and his land was on a brook so fishing was a likely source of food, also. It was probably a fun place to grow up, for the children, if Puritans were allowed to have fun.
Thomas, it appears, was wealthy, at least by the standards of the day. He was a selectman for six years in Dedham, meaning he helped govern the town, and generally selectmen were persons of wealth and influence. He was also a member of the church, accepted into membership in 1640.
In 1649, the town of Medfield was formed and Thomas was one of seven men chosen to take charge of the "erecting, disposeing, and government of the said village". Thomas moved to Medfield permanently in 1652 and for 20 years served as a selectman there. He is said to have had no formal education (the basis for that, I don't know) but the townspeople respected him greatly, it appears.
Thomas's wife Alice died in 1665 and that same year he married Lydia Eliot Penniman. She was the sister of John Eliot, known as "The Apostle", and she was Thomas's widow when he died March 17, 1673/74. I didn't find a copy of Thomas's will but I did find a copy of the inventory and it gives us a clear peek into his home as it was when he died. The inventory is separated into several rooms or buildings, listed as "The parlor", "The little bedroom", "the hall", "the buttery", "in the garrett". some other categories I can't decipher, and a long list of lands. His estate was valued at over 460 pounds, which, together with the number and quality of the items listed, indicate wealth. The very first item that was listed, in the parlor, was books, so perhaps he had an education, after all.
Much of the information in this post comes from a book I found on line, "The Wight Family: Memoir of Thomas Wight of Dedham, Massachusetts' written by Danforth Phipps Wight and published in 1840. (Another reason to love the internet!)
I would of course love to know more about Thomas, especially about his ancestral families and why he came to America. Since he married a sister to John Eliot, he must have been a godly Puritan, and I'd like to know more about his religious beliefs. I'd like to know what decisions he may have had a part in, in the two towns he was most closely associated with. And I'd like to give him my honor and respect.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Wight-Alice Roundy
Samuel Wight-Hannah Albee
Hannah Wight-John Thompson
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Holbrook line: William Knight, Immigrant
It's hard to write a blog post when there is not a lot to go on as far as documentation. One must read between the lines, and perhaps draw incorrect conclusions. The good thing is that someday, someone will figure out a lot of these mysteries. I hope to be around to witness at least some of these new discoveries.
William Knight is a good example of this. We do have some information, but some of it is conflicting and much information is missing. We'll either look at this glass as half full or half empty, and I guess I'm voting for half full.
After all, we do know at least two and perhaps three of William's wives. We know when he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and we know what he left as an estate. That is more information than we have for some of our ancestors, anyway.
We don't know for sure where or when William was born. One suggesting is December 15, 1670 in London, Middlesex, England, with parents of John Knight and Margery Lascelles. I think this is probably not our William Knight, as it would leave him coming to America as a man of 65 and fathering children here. It's possible, but unlikely.
One of the challenges is that there are at least three proposed wives for William. One is Ann Ives, who probably died between 1612 and 1622, when there is a distance of ten years between the noted children. But his records in America indicate his wife may have been Emma Potter, whom he had married by 1635. How do we account for his children born in the 1620s? And finally, he had a second or third wife Elizabeth Lee Ballard, who was living when William died and whom he married in or soon after 1640. He seems to refer in his wife to having had four children with Elizabeth, in addition to those he had earlier.
He refers to sons John, Jacob, and Francis, and to daughters Ann and Hanna, as well as to two of Elizabeth's children by her first husband, and to the four children (unnamed) that he has with Elizabeth. I'm not sure why Margery, our connection, wasn't mentioned in the will but there could be any number of reasons, including that he may have given a marriage gift, either of land or money.
William died March 5, 1655/56, in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had been in America about 20 years, having arrived at Salem in either 1635 or 1636. He owned land in Salem in 1636, so probably he arrived in 1635. There is a William Knight who was made a freeman in 1638 in Boston, but I don't know whether this is our William or not.
William's inventory is interesting. He owned a dwelling house, barn, and fifteen acres of plow land, six acres of meadow in Rumley marsh and five acers of meadow in the town marsh, plus oxen, cows, sheep and swine. He has a significant amount of household goods, more than many farmers had, which partl can be explained by the fact that he lived in seaside towns where goods were more readily available than on the frontier. For instance, he had "stolls, chears, and a table", which was more than was usual for the time. He had three spinning wheels, so the women of the house must have been kept busy with the wool from the sheep. I see no mention of books, not even a Bible. The total inventory including uncollected debts was about 163 pounds.
I wish I knew more about William, especially the niggling little question of whether he was really Margery's father, or whether there are more William Knights than have yet been discovered. I'd like to know his religion, and his occupation if he did more than farm. If I learn that this is not Margery's father, then I'll update this post but as of now, I think it's at least somewhat likely.
The line of descent would be:
William Knight-Ann Ives
Margery Knight-William Hayward
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Hulday Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is also a second line:
Samuel Hayward (son of William Hayward and Margery Knight above)-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above
Once again, we are our own cousins.
William Knight is a good example of this. We do have some information, but some of it is conflicting and much information is missing. We'll either look at this glass as half full or half empty, and I guess I'm voting for half full.
After all, we do know at least two and perhaps three of William's wives. We know when he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and we know what he left as an estate. That is more information than we have for some of our ancestors, anyway.
We don't know for sure where or when William was born. One suggesting is December 15, 1670 in London, Middlesex, England, with parents of John Knight and Margery Lascelles. I think this is probably not our William Knight, as it would leave him coming to America as a man of 65 and fathering children here. It's possible, but unlikely.
One of the challenges is that there are at least three proposed wives for William. One is Ann Ives, who probably died between 1612 and 1622, when there is a distance of ten years between the noted children. But his records in America indicate his wife may have been Emma Potter, whom he had married by 1635. How do we account for his children born in the 1620s? And finally, he had a second or third wife Elizabeth Lee Ballard, who was living when William died and whom he married in or soon after 1640. He seems to refer in his wife to having had four children with Elizabeth, in addition to those he had earlier.
He refers to sons John, Jacob, and Francis, and to daughters Ann and Hanna, as well as to two of Elizabeth's children by her first husband, and to the four children (unnamed) that he has with Elizabeth. I'm not sure why Margery, our connection, wasn't mentioned in the will but there could be any number of reasons, including that he may have given a marriage gift, either of land or money.
William died March 5, 1655/56, in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had been in America about 20 years, having arrived at Salem in either 1635 or 1636. He owned land in Salem in 1636, so probably he arrived in 1635. There is a William Knight who was made a freeman in 1638 in Boston, but I don't know whether this is our William or not.
William's inventory is interesting. He owned a dwelling house, barn, and fifteen acres of plow land, six acres of meadow in Rumley marsh and five acers of meadow in the town marsh, plus oxen, cows, sheep and swine. He has a significant amount of household goods, more than many farmers had, which partl can be explained by the fact that he lived in seaside towns where goods were more readily available than on the frontier. For instance, he had "stolls, chears, and a table", which was more than was usual for the time. He had three spinning wheels, so the women of the house must have been kept busy with the wool from the sheep. I see no mention of books, not even a Bible. The total inventory including uncollected debts was about 163 pounds.
I wish I knew more about William, especially the niggling little question of whether he was really Margery's father, or whether there are more William Knights than have yet been discovered. I'd like to know his religion, and his occupation if he did more than farm. If I learn that this is not Margery's father, then I'll update this post but as of now, I think it's at least somewhat likely.
The line of descent would be:
William Knight-Ann Ives
Margery Knight-William Hayward
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Hulday Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is also a second line:
Samuel Hayward (son of William Hayward and Margery Knight above)-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above
Once again, we are our own cousins.
Friday, July 6, 2018
Holbrook line: Richard Langer, Immigrant
Richard Langer is another of those "quiet men" who lived their lives, for the most part, under the radar so that 350-400 years later, there are few traces of his life. Fortunately, he left a will in Hingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony, when he died on January 25, 1661, and that tells us pretty much everything we know about him.
His birth year is given as about 1595, variously at either Cambridge, Cambridgeshire or Beaminster, Dorset, England. I don't find anything that would support either location but someone must have found something, in order to be willing to hazard these guesses.
We don't know when Richard arrived in the Colony, or whether he married in England or in his new home land. This leads me to guess that he may have come as an indentured servant, but that is only a guess. We do know, from a history of Hingham, that he arrived there in 1636 but it isn't clear whether he arrived directly from England or whether he had been in another part of the colony. In the entire book, this is the only reference to him, so as stated earlier, he led a quiet life.
Hingham was a subject of religious controversy in the middle 1640's but there is no indication as to which side Richard was on, or whether in fact he took sides at all. Still, it would have affected his life as neighbors opposed neighbors. We can only hope there was a satisfactory outcome to the dispute.
In his will, there is no mention of a wife so she died before him, but how long before that is a mystery. We know he had three daughters because they are mentioned in his will. His will left all of his lands to his grandson, Joshua Lincoln, who was about 16 at the time of Richard's death. He also left a green rug to his daughter Margaret (Joshua's mother) with instructions that she was to give 4 shillings to each of her two sisters, Dinah and Elizabeth. The will is dated February 20, 1659, 23 months before he died.
I don't have death dates for Thomas and Margaret Langer Lincoln's children, but it looks like Joshua would have had several brothers and sisters who would have been living when Richard wrote his will. Joshua must have been his "favorite", to have been given all the land.
His estate showed two house lotts, a great lott and a lott of meadow, valued at a total of 21 pounds, two shillings. This was a small estate. There is no mention of personal property, so perhaps he was living with Margaret and Thomas when he died. He may have given his daughters other items or money earlier, if this was the case.
As you can guess, I'd like to know more about this ancestor of ours.One fun fact, especially appropriate to this week, is that his descendant is John Hancock, he of the large signature on the Declaration of Independence.
The line of descent is:
Richard Langer-Margaret
Margaret Langer-Thomas Lincoln
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
His birth year is given as about 1595, variously at either Cambridge, Cambridgeshire or Beaminster, Dorset, England. I don't find anything that would support either location but someone must have found something, in order to be willing to hazard these guesses.
We don't know when Richard arrived in the Colony, or whether he married in England or in his new home land. This leads me to guess that he may have come as an indentured servant, but that is only a guess. We do know, from a history of Hingham, that he arrived there in 1636 but it isn't clear whether he arrived directly from England or whether he had been in another part of the colony. In the entire book, this is the only reference to him, so as stated earlier, he led a quiet life.
Hingham was a subject of religious controversy in the middle 1640's but there is no indication as to which side Richard was on, or whether in fact he took sides at all. Still, it would have affected his life as neighbors opposed neighbors. We can only hope there was a satisfactory outcome to the dispute.
In his will, there is no mention of a wife so she died before him, but how long before that is a mystery. We know he had three daughters because they are mentioned in his will. His will left all of his lands to his grandson, Joshua Lincoln, who was about 16 at the time of Richard's death. He also left a green rug to his daughter Margaret (Joshua's mother) with instructions that she was to give 4 shillings to each of her two sisters, Dinah and Elizabeth. The will is dated February 20, 1659, 23 months before he died.
I don't have death dates for Thomas and Margaret Langer Lincoln's children, but it looks like Joshua would have had several brothers and sisters who would have been living when Richard wrote his will. Joshua must have been his "favorite", to have been given all the land.
His estate showed two house lotts, a great lott and a lott of meadow, valued at a total of 21 pounds, two shillings. This was a small estate. There is no mention of personal property, so perhaps he was living with Margaret and Thomas when he died. He may have given his daughters other items or money earlier, if this was the case.
As you can guess, I'd like to know more about this ancestor of ours.One fun fact, especially appropriate to this week, is that his descendant is John Hancock, he of the large signature on the Declaration of Independence.
The line of descent is:
Richard Langer-Margaret
Margaret Langer-Thomas Lincoln
Sarah Lincoln-Thomas Marsh
Thomas Marsh-Mary Burr
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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