Holbrook line: Richard Rosemorgie, Immigrant

Ive hesitated to write about this ancestor for a long time, because I found so many confusing ways that his name was spelled or presented.  I also found opposing views about his country of origin.  I finally found an authoritative source, in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume 154 page 63 and following, written by Anita A. Lustenberger, C.G.  Even she, however, is hesitant to state with certainty his origins. 

First, I do not believe some of the web sites that say he was "Sir Richard Rhys Morgan" of Wales.  There are simply no records that support that theory, and is he was a "Sir" he would have left more records in New England than he did.  Those folks who could claim a title of some sort did so, and he did not.  It appears likely that he came from a small town or hamlet called "Rosemergy", which is in Morvah Parish, Penwith District, Cornwall, England. Of course records for the years that would interest us are missing.  Rosemergy is just a few miles inland from the coast but I don't know of a good nearby harbor.  I'd don't know whether he would have been exposed to the life of a mariner, or a fisherman, or whether he would have raised sheep, or worked in the mines of Cornwall.  We simply don't know any of his early life. 

We do know that Richard was in Charlestown, Massachusetts by 1664, when he married Hopestill Merrick, daughter of John and Hopestill (maiden name unknown) Merrick.  The Merricks had been in New England for about 33 years by then, and may or may not have approved of this man who would marry their daughter.  Richard didn't own land in Charlestown, and moved to New London, Connecticut when his landlord died and left the house to his widow, by which time the Rosemoregie's had at least three children.

I've not found anything that says what Richard's occupation was. He acquired land both by grant and by purchase in New London He acquired enough land that he could well have been a planter, but because this was New London, he could have been engaged in some kind of maritime work, such as ship building, or trading, or fishing.  We do know he was busy building a life for his family, which eventually included seven children. 

The book "From Deference to Defiance", by Robert Charles Anderson, reports that Richard and Hopestill were charged with premarital fornication in 1666.  Since they were married in 1664, it's a little puzzling to me why these charges were brought at that time.  No mention is made of their disposition.  Usually in these cases the woman was soundly whipped, and sometimes the man, also.  And before we get too excited and say "Grandma Hopestill, you did what?" let's remember that many times the woman was not to blame, but had been assaulted, coerced or exploited in some way.  Still, Hopestill's parents must have been mortified, as they were members of the church. 

Richard died about 1698, leaving a will which has been lost, and Hopestill died in 1712.  They were "Rosemorgie"s to the end of their days, but some of their children and all of their grandchildren changed their names to Morgan, probably because it was just easier to say and to spell.  This led to the confusion I mentioned in my first paragraph, because I wasn't sure I had the right family.  I did.

The line of descent is:

Richard Rosemorgie-Hopestill Merrick
Abigail Morgan-John Eames
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: John Merrick or Mirick, Immigrant 1614-1679

When I write a blog post, I try to do a little bit of research on my own so I feel sure in my own mind that the summaries I've found on line are correct.  So far, I have to say that I've not been successful in that search.  So this will be pretty much a rehash to a couple of internet sites, Geni and a family site of vibber. com. 

John Merrick or Mirick was born in St. David's, Pembrokeshire, Wales/England in 1614, the son of John Meyrick and Dorothy Bishop.  He came to America in 1636, settled in Charlestown, and apparently did not leave that town.  He was a cooper and a block-maker, and his place of business was near the river (this may or may not have been his dwelling).   Depending on the website, he is credited with up to three wives but most of the sites agree that the children were from his marriage with Hopestill, last name unknown, which took place in Charlestown in 164l (one source says they arrived together, but this may have been a first wife). He was admitted as a freeman in Charlestown in 1641, and then appears to have stayed out of trouble and out of the public eye.  At least, records aren't readily available that mention him.  More research might yield more information. 

There is one mention in the "History of Charlestown, Massachusetts" involving a drawing by lot for additional land.  John Mirich in this lottery (more or less) for land "on the Mystick side" was awarded 17 acres of woods and three acres of commons.  We know that John was in Charlestown during this time period and his son John wasn't born until 1655 so it seems reasonable to assume this was land that our John was given.  He would have been eligible for any earlier divisions, too, since he had been in Charlestown since at least 1641 and probably 1635. 

John's children were Hopestill, Benjamin, Hannah, James, John, Sarah, Mercy, Abigail, Joseph, Amathia, and Mary.  His wife, Hopestill, was alive in 1669 but we don't know how much longer she lived.  Unfortunately, the will has been lost, and that would have answered several questions, perhaps.  His brother James was the executor, so apparently there was some property to dispose of, anyway.  Some of the children would have been considered "infants" at the time of John's death, so guardians may have been appointed.  It might be worthwhile to look for those records. 

This is what I know of John Merrick or Mirick (or other spellings).  I would love to talk to him to learn why he came to America (my guess is economic reasons, but I'd love to know from his own words) and how he adjusted to life in his new home, in a Puritan town.  I'd like to thank him for the hard work he did to help build America, and I'd like to thank him, on this Father's Day, for being one of so very many who raised good families while building a life here.

The line of descent is:

John Merrick-Hopestill
Hopestill Merrick-Richard Rosemorgie
Abigail Morgan-John Eames
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants