I try to make it a habit to write a blog post of at least five paragraphs, when writing about an ancestor. I don't think I'll make it on this one. Thomas Noble, who is at least the sixth of that name in a line dating back to the early 1500's, is also our last direct ancestor of that name, at least as far as I know now. However, he seems to have not done much to make himself known, so this will be a short post.
Thomas was born November 10, 1696 in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, to Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble. He was one of at least 11 children, and, like his father, he was born and died in the same small town.
Thomas married Sarah Root, daughter of John and Sarah Stebbins Root, on September 1, 1722 in Westfield. He and Sarah had at least 10 children together before her death on July 19, 1760, also in Westfield. He then married Sarah Field Belding in 1761 in Hatfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and they returned to Westfield to live.
We have these additional facts about Thomas: He was a farmer, and in fact lived on the farm that had belonged to his grandfather. He was chosen as a fence viewer in 1739 and in 1744, and was on a committee responsible for building pews in the meeting house. He was often the moderator for town meetings, calling the meeting to order, making sure everyone's voice (male, of course) was heard, ancounting votes. This took a level-headed man, one who could control both his own emotions and those of others. That's as close as I can come to defining the character of the man.
He was, of course, the son of a deacon and his vital records are in the First Church record books. We can probably guess that he attended church on a regular basis, but I've not been able to determine whether he was actually a member of the church. I have also been unable to determine whether, or to what extent, he served in the militia or on military expeditions. It is within the range of possibility that he would have participated in King George's War, since he was only about 50-53 during that time period. This would have pitted the colonists and Great Britain and their native American allies against the French and their native American allies. His name is not listed in the source I consulted about Colonial Officers and Soldiers but those lists are always incomplete. So we just don't know.
There is, on the "Early American Ancestors" website, a drawing labeled "The home of Thomas Noble, Westfield, 1725". This is likely to be the home of Thomas's parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble, but it may well be the home that this Thomas also lived in. At any rate, he would have been very familiar with this home.
Sarah Root Noble died July 19, 1760 and Thomas married Sarah Field Belding the following year. She died in 1763. Thomas died February 18, 1775, just two months before the battles of Concord and Lexington. We don't know what he would have thought about the Revolutionary War, except that at least two of his sons, who were middle aged men at the time, served as patriot soldiers. That says something about their upbringing.
I haven't been able to locate a will for Thomas, or a definitive land transfer. The land probably stayed in the family, perhaps for generations. We know there were Nobles in Westfield up through the 1940 census and probably longer. Of course, I'd love to find a will or deed. I'd love to find military records. I'd love to know more about this man who seems to have stayed in the background. I would be willing to bet there is more to his story.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Noble. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Noble. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Friday, June 19, 2020
Allen line: John Root 1672-1731
I'm not sure why I could not find much on-line information about this John. Yes, the earlier John Roots have more information, and there are a confusing number of John Roots to "root" through, to find our ancestor. Yes, he had only one child with our ancestor, and those are all good reasons. But yet...he was a person of some standing in his town. Though he didn't leave as many foot prints as his father and grandfather did, there is enough to fill my minimum requirement of five paragraphs, I think.
John Root was born December 28, 1672 in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of eight children of John and Mary Ashley Root. He spent his childhood in Westfield, grew to be a man in Westfield, married twice and raised his family in Westfield, and died in Westfield. The only hint we have that he may have ever left Westfield is that in his will and inventory papers, he is often referred to as "Lieutenant" John Root. (This was important, as it differentiated him from his father and from other John Roots who lived in the same town).
He is also referred to as a husbandman, which is roughly translated as farmer, and surely he farmed. Everyone in Westfield did. He also attended church regularly. Everyone did. Not everyone, however, had the title of "Deacon", which is another name I have seen assigned to his name. I haven't yet found the documentation for that. His pastor's name, for most of John's life, was Edward Taylor. He was a brilliant man, an Englishman, and seems to have been loved by the whole town. If John was indeed a deacon, he had a good man leading him.
John married Sarah Stebbins, daughter of Edward and Sarah Graves Stebbins, on January 8, 1701 in Westfield. She was from Springfield, but Westfield was actually part of Springfield at one time, so the two would have known each other, probably well, before their marriage. They had just one child together, a daughter named Sarah. who was born in March of 1702. Perhaps there were difficulties with her birth, but for whatever reason, Sarah Root had no more known children before she died. We don't have a death date for her, except that it was prior to September of 1713, when John married the widow Elizabeth Sackett. I would certainly like to find a death date for our Sarah! John and Elizabeth had at least four children, two of whom died very young. There was much sadness for this couple to overcome, each having lost spouses, and then to lose the babies, too, must have been overwhelming.
I would also like to know about John's military service. Why was he referred to as lieutenant? He was too young for King Philip's War, except that he would have gone to the garrison house with his family when attack was feared, and probably lived there for several months. There were various military expeditions and wars he could have participated in, but one that seems most likely would be after the native American attacks on Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1704. Deerfield was just 37 miles north of Westfield, and family members lived there. Other possibilities include Queen Anne's war or King William's war. Regardless, John was recognized as a leader of men and was prepared to go into battle with them.
a
John died May 1, 1731. He left 300 pounds to his daughter Sarah and a small mount of land plus team with its tackle to his son Moses. There is no mention of wife Elizabeth, or of son Stephen. Elizabeth was alive, because the paperwork for her to be the guardian of Moses is included in the estate papers. However, John died owing money to almost everyone in town, it seems. There is nothing in the papers that indicates how the estate was settled, and whether daughter Sarah got her bequest or son Moses got his land and his team. It appears unlikely.
So there's another mystery. Why did John, who appears to have been a well respected member of his society, die with so much debt and such a small estate? Were there crop failures? Did he spend too much time in military service to accumulate any wealth? Was Elizabeth a spendthrift? We simply can't tell from the little we can learn about him, but we can wonder.
Certainly I want to learn more about his story, and about what kind of man he was. But at least here are a few paragraphs to honor our ancestor.
The line of descent is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John Root was born December 28, 1672 in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of eight children of John and Mary Ashley Root. He spent his childhood in Westfield, grew to be a man in Westfield, married twice and raised his family in Westfield, and died in Westfield. The only hint we have that he may have ever left Westfield is that in his will and inventory papers, he is often referred to as "Lieutenant" John Root. (This was important, as it differentiated him from his father and from other John Roots who lived in the same town).
He is also referred to as a husbandman, which is roughly translated as farmer, and surely he farmed. Everyone in Westfield did. He also attended church regularly. Everyone did. Not everyone, however, had the title of "Deacon", which is another name I have seen assigned to his name. I haven't yet found the documentation for that. His pastor's name, for most of John's life, was Edward Taylor. He was a brilliant man, an Englishman, and seems to have been loved by the whole town. If John was indeed a deacon, he had a good man leading him.
John married Sarah Stebbins, daughter of Edward and Sarah Graves Stebbins, on January 8, 1701 in Westfield. She was from Springfield, but Westfield was actually part of Springfield at one time, so the two would have known each other, probably well, before their marriage. They had just one child together, a daughter named Sarah. who was born in March of 1702. Perhaps there were difficulties with her birth, but for whatever reason, Sarah Root had no more known children before she died. We don't have a death date for her, except that it was prior to September of 1713, when John married the widow Elizabeth Sackett. I would certainly like to find a death date for our Sarah! John and Elizabeth had at least four children, two of whom died very young. There was much sadness for this couple to overcome, each having lost spouses, and then to lose the babies, too, must have been overwhelming.
I would also like to know about John's military service. Why was he referred to as lieutenant? He was too young for King Philip's War, except that he would have gone to the garrison house with his family when attack was feared, and probably lived there for several months. There were various military expeditions and wars he could have participated in, but one that seems most likely would be after the native American attacks on Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1704. Deerfield was just 37 miles north of Westfield, and family members lived there. Other possibilities include Queen Anne's war or King William's war. Regardless, John was recognized as a leader of men and was prepared to go into battle with them.
a
John died May 1, 1731. He left 300 pounds to his daughter Sarah and a small mount of land plus team with its tackle to his son Moses. There is no mention of wife Elizabeth, or of son Stephen. Elizabeth was alive, because the paperwork for her to be the guardian of Moses is included in the estate papers. However, John died owing money to almost everyone in town, it seems. There is nothing in the papers that indicates how the estate was settled, and whether daughter Sarah got her bequest or son Moses got his land and his team. It appears unlikely.
So there's another mystery. Why did John, who appears to have been a well respected member of his society, die with so much debt and such a small estate? Were there crop failures? Did he spend too much time in military service to accumulate any wealth? Was Elizabeth a spendthrift? We simply can't tell from the little we can learn about him, but we can wonder.
Certainly I want to learn more about his story, and about what kind of man he was. But at least here are a few paragraphs to honor our ancestor.
The line of descent is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Allen line: Thomas Noble 1632ish-1703/04
Earlier, I wrote about Thomas's supposed parents. I wasn't sure at the time that I had the right people and I am still not sure. So I will just say Thomas's parents may or may not have been Thomas and Rachel Gardiner Noble. His father also may or may not have been John Noble. The Thomas and Rachel may or may not have come to New England, and they may or may not have both died during the year of Thomas's birth. End of speculation for now.
The first that i really known of Thomas Noble is that he was "admitted" to Boston on January 5, 1653. "Admission" generally means that he had no family there but that he had a trade or other means to provide for himself. Boston did not wish to have people in its community who could not be trusted to contribute to its growth, and who might, for whatever reason, become a burden to the town. (This was common for single men in most early Massachusetts towns and villages). Thomas, then, had permission to stay, but he didn't stay for long.
Later in the year he is found in Springfield, Massachusetts, a town which was founded in 1653. He was still a single man so would have been required to have stayed in someone else's home. (The First Century of the History of Springfield gives his arrival date as 1656. I think that is in error, because in 1657 Thomas had already gained enough approval from Mr. Pynchon to be advanced money for a trip to and from England. We can only speculate whether the trip was trade-related, or family related, or on some kind of errand for Mr. Pynchon.)
Thomas Noble did have a trade, or at least a part time trade. He was a tailor when he wasn't farming. Again, it is hard to trace who he lived with and how he could practice a trade when he had no place to call his own. He married Hannah Warriner, daughter of William and Joanna Scant (probably) Warriner of Springfield on January 11, 1660, in Springfield. It's possible that he had stayed in the home of his in-laws until and even after the marriage, but as far as I know there is no documentation of that. We can see that after his marriage he acquired a bit more status than he had as a bachelor. In 1659, he was assigned to the 9th row of men in the meeting house, and in 1662 he was already moved to the sixth row. Marriage made a man more respectable, in and of itself.
Thomas and Hannah stayed in Springfield for several years, eventually moving to the new town of Westfield, a little further to the west of the Springfield village. In 1664 he was one of four men who were given permission to set up a saw mill, and were also given 70 acres of land to use. The sawmill was to be in operation by April 1, 1666. The sawmill was on the west side of the Agawam river, which appears to be just where Westfield was created. Thomas Noble is noted as having been there in 1667, so probably the family moved during or after the construction of the sawmill.
Yes, Thomas and Hannah had a family, and there are probably tens of thousands of descendants from this family now. There were at least ten children born to the couple. The family didn't realize it at the time, but later learned that a native American called "Gray Locks" had often had some of the children in his sight, saying he could have killed several at one time, but that he wanted to capture them so they could be held for ransom. Thankfully, this goal was not accomplished. During King Philip's war, the same Gray Lock would open the door to the cabin, and let it swing shut before playing his game again. This encouraged the family to move from their farm to the relative safety of Westfield, at least for the duration of hostilities.
Thomas farmed, of course, and probably helped in the saw mill operation, and also did tailoring work until close to the end of his days. He was involved in another saw mill operation in 1684, but it's not clear whether he had already relinquished his partnership in the earlier saw mill, or whether this was a separate enterprise entirely. At various times he was a constable, an appraiser, and on committees to help set the boundaries between Springfield and Westfield.
Thomas joined the Westfield church on February 26, 1681 and was made a freeman in the fall of the year. He was on juries, including one conducting an inquest into the manner of death of one of their neighbors, concluding that Eliezer Weller had hanged himself. But Thomas also had his minor run-ins with the law, specifically, church law. He was fined 5 shillings in 1683 because he traveled on a day of court-ordered fasting and humiliation. Thomas stated that he was just trying to get home, but that didn't fold water with the court.
Thomas seems to have been often, if not always, in debt, especially to William or John Pynchon, despite acquiring more and more land during his lifetime. When he died on January 20, 1703/04, he left a will naming his ten children, although it appears that son James died at the same time that Thomas did. Hannah survived him and later married Medad Pomeroy, another of our ancestors. She lived until 1721.
Thomas's inventory was valued at 448 pounds, which was mostly land, farm animals, and farm implements. He had arms and ammunition, but I didn't see any mention of books in the inventory, nor did I see tailoring tools, although they could have been included with "other small things". There is much more information available about Thomas, but the big mystery is still the identification of his parents, and of how and when he arrived in Massachusetts.
Fun fact: I was fascinated to learn that Agatha Christie, the mystery writer, is his sixth great grand daughter. He is my 8th great granddaughter, so that makes us very distant cousins. Other famous grandchildren are Samuel Colt, Humphrey Bogart, Nancy Davis Reagan, and Ken Burns.
The line of descent is
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Thomas Noble-Elizabeth Dewey
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble=Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The first that i really known of Thomas Noble is that he was "admitted" to Boston on January 5, 1653. "Admission" generally means that he had no family there but that he had a trade or other means to provide for himself. Boston did not wish to have people in its community who could not be trusted to contribute to its growth, and who might, for whatever reason, become a burden to the town. (This was common for single men in most early Massachusetts towns and villages). Thomas, then, had permission to stay, but he didn't stay for long.
Later in the year he is found in Springfield, Massachusetts, a town which was founded in 1653. He was still a single man so would have been required to have stayed in someone else's home. (The First Century of the History of Springfield gives his arrival date as 1656. I think that is in error, because in 1657 Thomas had already gained enough approval from Mr. Pynchon to be advanced money for a trip to and from England. We can only speculate whether the trip was trade-related, or family related, or on some kind of errand for Mr. Pynchon.)
Thomas Noble did have a trade, or at least a part time trade. He was a tailor when he wasn't farming. Again, it is hard to trace who he lived with and how he could practice a trade when he had no place to call his own. He married Hannah Warriner, daughter of William and Joanna Scant (probably) Warriner of Springfield on January 11, 1660, in Springfield. It's possible that he had stayed in the home of his in-laws until and even after the marriage, but as far as I know there is no documentation of that. We can see that after his marriage he acquired a bit more status than he had as a bachelor. In 1659, he was assigned to the 9th row of men in the meeting house, and in 1662 he was already moved to the sixth row. Marriage made a man more respectable, in and of itself.
Thomas and Hannah stayed in Springfield for several years, eventually moving to the new town of Westfield, a little further to the west of the Springfield village. In 1664 he was one of four men who were given permission to set up a saw mill, and were also given 70 acres of land to use. The sawmill was to be in operation by April 1, 1666. The sawmill was on the west side of the Agawam river, which appears to be just where Westfield was created. Thomas Noble is noted as having been there in 1667, so probably the family moved during or after the construction of the sawmill.
Yes, Thomas and Hannah had a family, and there are probably tens of thousands of descendants from this family now. There were at least ten children born to the couple. The family didn't realize it at the time, but later learned that a native American called "Gray Locks" had often had some of the children in his sight, saying he could have killed several at one time, but that he wanted to capture them so they could be held for ransom. Thankfully, this goal was not accomplished. During King Philip's war, the same Gray Lock would open the door to the cabin, and let it swing shut before playing his game again. This encouraged the family to move from their farm to the relative safety of Westfield, at least for the duration of hostilities.
Thomas farmed, of course, and probably helped in the saw mill operation, and also did tailoring work until close to the end of his days. He was involved in another saw mill operation in 1684, but it's not clear whether he had already relinquished his partnership in the earlier saw mill, or whether this was a separate enterprise entirely. At various times he was a constable, an appraiser, and on committees to help set the boundaries between Springfield and Westfield.
Thomas joined the Westfield church on February 26, 1681 and was made a freeman in the fall of the year. He was on juries, including one conducting an inquest into the manner of death of one of their neighbors, concluding that Eliezer Weller had hanged himself. But Thomas also had his minor run-ins with the law, specifically, church law. He was fined 5 shillings in 1683 because he traveled on a day of court-ordered fasting and humiliation. Thomas stated that he was just trying to get home, but that didn't fold water with the court.
Thomas seems to have been often, if not always, in debt, especially to William or John Pynchon, despite acquiring more and more land during his lifetime. When he died on January 20, 1703/04, he left a will naming his ten children, although it appears that son James died at the same time that Thomas did. Hannah survived him and later married Medad Pomeroy, another of our ancestors. She lived until 1721.
Thomas's inventory was valued at 448 pounds, which was mostly land, farm animals, and farm implements. He had arms and ammunition, but I didn't see any mention of books in the inventory, nor did I see tailoring tools, although they could have been included with "other small things". There is much more information available about Thomas, but the big mystery is still the identification of his parents, and of how and when he arrived in Massachusetts.
Fun fact: I was fascinated to learn that Agatha Christie, the mystery writer, is his sixth great grand daughter. He is my 8th great granddaughter, so that makes us very distant cousins. Other famous grandchildren are Samuel Colt, Humphrey Bogart, Nancy Davis Reagan, and Ken Burns.
The line of descent is
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Thomas Noble-Elizabeth Dewey
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble=Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, April 24, 2020
Allen line: John Church 1636-1691
Well, John's birth date is not known for certain, but I'm going with "about May 9, 1636." The date is sort of important, as is the place, because it's possible that he was the first babe born in Hartford, Connecticut. His father, Richard Church, is listed as one of the founders of Hartford, and by implication, his mother, Ann probably Marsh, would have been a founding mother. We find Richard's name attached to lot 35 on the Hartford map of 1640, meaning that he was there early. So probably John was born either in Hartford or on the trip there. John was one of at least four children, and he was the youngest of them.
We don't know much about John's childhood but we know he must have attended the First Church there in Hartford, and he would have learned to read and probably write, whether that was at home or in a school setting. The first record I've found for him was of his marriage on October 27, 1657, when he was just 21, to Sarah Beckley, the daughter of Richard and Ann Daniel Beckley. Then there is a bit of a mystery. The couple had ten children, but there doesn't seem to be a record of their births. There has been a suggestion that perhaps the young couple went to Hadley, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a few years, but records are not found there, either.
We know they were in Hartford by 1670, if indeed they had ever left. There is a long and complicated church history, but what eventually happened was that a second church was started in Hartford. Apparently this second church had less stringent rules for membership, because John was able to state that he "owned the covenant", which was usually a precursor to church membership, and also to having your children baptized. Sometimes this was called the "Halfway Covenant". So John attended church (every resident in Hartford was expected to attend regular church services) and agreed with church beliefs, but apparently didn't follow all the steps necessary for full church membership. Sarah was admitted to full membership on June 23, 1678.
John was willed his father's house in Hartford, and also his lands within the bounds of Hartford, which may be one reason they either came back or stayed in Hartford. This is essentially what I know of John, up until his death. I don't know his occupation, or to what extent he may have served in the militia, particularly in King Philip's war. I don't know what town offices he may have held. And I don't know how he died. The reason this is of interest to me is that he died October 16, 1691 in Wethersfield, and Sarah is reported to have died just 11 days later. They were 55 and 51 years old, respectfully, and John died without a will. This leads me to suspect it was some kind of an illness, perhaps a flu or respiratory disease, that killed them. That is purely speculation on my part, but clearly something was going on.
His children soon approached the court and asked for guidance as to how to dispose of the estate. An inventory was taken, establishing the value at about 510 pounds, and it was then divided up between the 10 children, with each child receiving 20 pounds (could possibly be 28, I'm not sure), or goods worth that amount, except for son Richard, who received 40 pounds. I don't know whether or not John was considered to be financially well off, but his inventory is larger than that of many of our ancestors who died about the same time. There were two spinning wheels and quite a bit of cloth in the inventory, plus a lot of furniture for the time, especially chests. There was also 'gunn, sworde, and ammunition", several pieces of real estate, and some farm tools. I didn't follow what became of the real estate, but it seems that it may have been dealt with separately.
So we know some things about John, and some we don't know. Yet, there is he in our family lineage, and without him, there would not have been us.
The line of descent is
John Church-Sarah Beckley
Richard Church-Elizabeth Noble
Jonathan Church-Ruth Hitchcock
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
We don't know much about John's childhood but we know he must have attended the First Church there in Hartford, and he would have learned to read and probably write, whether that was at home or in a school setting. The first record I've found for him was of his marriage on October 27, 1657, when he was just 21, to Sarah Beckley, the daughter of Richard and Ann Daniel Beckley. Then there is a bit of a mystery. The couple had ten children, but there doesn't seem to be a record of their births. There has been a suggestion that perhaps the young couple went to Hadley, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a few years, but records are not found there, either.
We know they were in Hartford by 1670, if indeed they had ever left. There is a long and complicated church history, but what eventually happened was that a second church was started in Hartford. Apparently this second church had less stringent rules for membership, because John was able to state that he "owned the covenant", which was usually a precursor to church membership, and also to having your children baptized. Sometimes this was called the "Halfway Covenant". So John attended church (every resident in Hartford was expected to attend regular church services) and agreed with church beliefs, but apparently didn't follow all the steps necessary for full church membership. Sarah was admitted to full membership on June 23, 1678.
John was willed his father's house in Hartford, and also his lands within the bounds of Hartford, which may be one reason they either came back or stayed in Hartford. This is essentially what I know of John, up until his death. I don't know his occupation, or to what extent he may have served in the militia, particularly in King Philip's war. I don't know what town offices he may have held. And I don't know how he died. The reason this is of interest to me is that he died October 16, 1691 in Wethersfield, and Sarah is reported to have died just 11 days later. They were 55 and 51 years old, respectfully, and John died without a will. This leads me to suspect it was some kind of an illness, perhaps a flu or respiratory disease, that killed them. That is purely speculation on my part, but clearly something was going on.
His children soon approached the court and asked for guidance as to how to dispose of the estate. An inventory was taken, establishing the value at about 510 pounds, and it was then divided up between the 10 children, with each child receiving 20 pounds (could possibly be 28, I'm not sure), or goods worth that amount, except for son Richard, who received 40 pounds. I don't know whether or not John was considered to be financially well off, but his inventory is larger than that of many of our ancestors who died about the same time. There were two spinning wheels and quite a bit of cloth in the inventory, plus a lot of furniture for the time, especially chests. There was also 'gunn, sworde, and ammunition", several pieces of real estate, and some farm tools. I didn't follow what became of the real estate, but it seems that it may have been dealt with separately.
So we know some things about John, and some we don't know. Yet, there is he in our family lineage, and without him, there would not have been us.
The line of descent is
John Church-Sarah Beckley
Richard Church-Elizabeth Noble
Jonathan Church-Ruth Hitchcock
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Allen line: Stephen Noble 1727-1791
How could I have missed him? I've known about "Lieutenant Stephen Noble" ever since my father received some family history from his sister, probably about 1960. It was basically about the Starr family, but at the back, there were documents. I was told at the time that these would make it easier for me to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, should I ever decide to do so. But what child is really interested in doing that?
And yes, and yet, here it is, blog post number 702 and I'm just now writing a little about Stephen's story. I think one reason I've put it off is that I have been hoping to find more information about him. While I do have some facts, dates, names, and so on, I assumed there would be more. There may well be more, but I don't know where to find it, I guess.
So, here's what I do know. Stephen Noble was born April 15, 1791 in Westfield, Massachusetts, which is the home of a whole cluster of our Allen families. His parents were Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, and his parents had also been born in Westfield. Those of his grandparents who hadn't been born in Westfield were born in Springfield, which was just a few miles east of Westfield, and was Westfield's "mother town". Stephen was one of at least ten children, and he likely led the kind of childhood we only dream about today-family nearby, freedom to play in the creeks, hunt or fish, and perhaps to learn a trade.
Stephen married in Westfield, to Ruth Church, daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church, on March 7, 1753, when he was 25 and Ruth was 19. Stephenwas probably away from home at least some of the time during the mid 1750's. as I've seen a report of a source, but not the source itself, that says he was a private in 1757, so there may well be records that would document this. I just haven't seen them yet. He very possibly could have been involved in one or more of the campaigns in New York during that time period.
If Stephen had been in the French and Indian war, that would help explain why he served for nine months in the Revolutionary War, in 1777. He was likely encouraged to do so, because of his experience under fire, and also because he apparently had leadership skills. He was part of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety for Westfield, which means he was not afraid to stick his neck out and act for what he believed in, which was independence. It is likely that his Revolutionary War experience was largely guarding provisions, but again, the New York campaigns and battles can't be ruled out, since he served for nine months. He was a lieutenant, either elected by his men or appointed as such by townsmen, and we know he was entrusted with money for his men in 1780. By the time the war was over, he would have been in his middle 50's, and probably not serving in any kind of active duty, but may have been the town's recruitment officer. It would be nice to see what else the DAR might have in their library about him.
Stephen and Ruth had at least nine children together. I don't know whether their life together was happy or not. It appears to have had an unhappy end, at least. Stephen died April 2, 1791, deeply in debt to a large assortment of friends, relatives, neighbors, and apparently just about everyone in town. He was so broke that the estate could pay only ten pence to the pound to each of his creditors, which is probably even less than "pennies on the dollar". So now we have a mystery. Was he just a poor money manager? Had something happened, such as a house or business fire, that left him in an embarrassed position at the end of his life? Had he suffered from a long illness? Or possibly one or more of his children had taken all that he had. I don't know if there's a way to determine this. Ruth lived about three years after Stephen had died, dying in Hadley, Massachusetts. She may have been living with one of her children, or at least visiting there at the time of her death.
Obviously I would love to learn more about Stephen's military service, his occupation, and his religious life, and of course what happened that he died in such penury. Inquiring minds want to know these things. But he deserves our honor and respect for the service and love he gave to his country and to his family.
The line of descent is:
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble=Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
And yes, and yet, here it is, blog post number 702 and I'm just now writing a little about Stephen's story. I think one reason I've put it off is that I have been hoping to find more information about him. While I do have some facts, dates, names, and so on, I assumed there would be more. There may well be more, but I don't know where to find it, I guess.
So, here's what I do know. Stephen Noble was born April 15, 1791 in Westfield, Massachusetts, which is the home of a whole cluster of our Allen families. His parents were Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, and his parents had also been born in Westfield. Those of his grandparents who hadn't been born in Westfield were born in Springfield, which was just a few miles east of Westfield, and was Westfield's "mother town". Stephen was one of at least ten children, and he likely led the kind of childhood we only dream about today-family nearby, freedom to play in the creeks, hunt or fish, and perhaps to learn a trade.
Stephen married in Westfield, to Ruth Church, daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church, on March 7, 1753, when he was 25 and Ruth was 19. Stephenwas probably away from home at least some of the time during the mid 1750's. as I've seen a report of a source, but not the source itself, that says he was a private in 1757, so there may well be records that would document this. I just haven't seen them yet. He very possibly could have been involved in one or more of the campaigns in New York during that time period.
If Stephen had been in the French and Indian war, that would help explain why he served for nine months in the Revolutionary War, in 1777. He was likely encouraged to do so, because of his experience under fire, and also because he apparently had leadership skills. He was part of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety for Westfield, which means he was not afraid to stick his neck out and act for what he believed in, which was independence. It is likely that his Revolutionary War experience was largely guarding provisions, but again, the New York campaigns and battles can't be ruled out, since he served for nine months. He was a lieutenant, either elected by his men or appointed as such by townsmen, and we know he was entrusted with money for his men in 1780. By the time the war was over, he would have been in his middle 50's, and probably not serving in any kind of active duty, but may have been the town's recruitment officer. It would be nice to see what else the DAR might have in their library about him.
Stephen and Ruth had at least nine children together. I don't know whether their life together was happy or not. It appears to have had an unhappy end, at least. Stephen died April 2, 1791, deeply in debt to a large assortment of friends, relatives, neighbors, and apparently just about everyone in town. He was so broke that the estate could pay only ten pence to the pound to each of his creditors, which is probably even less than "pennies on the dollar". So now we have a mystery. Was he just a poor money manager? Had something happened, such as a house or business fire, that left him in an embarrassed position at the end of his life? Had he suffered from a long illness? Or possibly one or more of his children had taken all that he had. I don't know if there's a way to determine this. Ruth lived about three years after Stephen had died, dying in Hadley, Massachusetts. She may have been living with one of her children, or at least visiting there at the time of her death.
Obviously I would love to learn more about Stephen's military service, his occupation, and his religious life, and of course what happened that he died in such penury. Inquiring minds want to know these things. But he deserves our honor and respect for the service and love he gave to his country and to his family.
The line of descent is:
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble=Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Allen line: John Gunn, Quartermaster 1641-1726
John Gunn or Gunne is another one of our ancestors who contributed to the Westfield, Massachusetts family connections. For such a small village, we certainly had a lot of Allen ancestors there, back in the day. We know a little bit about him, but not a lot.
John was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth possibly Brown Gunn, born July 8, 1647 in Windsor, Connecticut. Thomas was an inkkepper in Windsor but left for Westfield "early". Since Westfield wasn't formed until the late 1660s, John may well have been 25 years old or so before moving, if he left at the same time his father did. John was apparently in Westfield when he married Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary (maiden name Burley, Bulkeley, or something else) on January 22, 1678.
John seems to have been one of four children who survived infancy, and he and Mary had at least six children. There is a four year gap between two of their children, so it's possible there was another baby, or a miscarriage. Women typically had children every two years or so, unless illness or absence prevented it.
We don't know for sure what John did for a living but he likely farmed, at least enough to support his family. He had land both in Windsor and in Westfield at one time, and eventually sold the Windsor land. He may have purchased more in Westfield at about the same time. He seems to have been a respected man in town and probably accumulated some wealth, although I have not been able to locate a will or inventory for him-yet.
His gravestone calls him "quartermaster". which has me scratching my head. John lived through King Philip's War, Queen Anne's War, and King William's War. John Root, another of our ancestors, was listed as a commissary in Westfield for King Philip's War, and it seems, unless I am missing something, that the two terms have the same definition. It's possible that John Root took care of the troops who were garrisoned in Westfield and John Gunn took care of supplying the troops who went further afield, fighting the natives and their French instigators. It would be interesting to figure out which conflict or conflicts John Gunn was part of, and whether he was part of any actual skirmis or battles.
Mary died in Westfield November 26, 1711, and John survived her by close to fifteen years. He lived until Spetember 17, 1726. The records say he died in Springfield but was buried in Westfield. He may have been staying with daughter Mercy in Springfield, or he may have gone there for medical attention. At any rate, he lived a long life, about 85 years.
We don't know certain things about John but we can infer that he could read and write, because most men in the town could. We can guess that if he wasn't a church member, he at least attended church, because regular church attendance was required in Puritan towns, whether or not one was a member. And we can know that he was a good citizen and attended town meetings, because, again, it was required. He did much to help shape America, just by living and raising his family.
The line of descent is
John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth possibly Brown Gunn, born July 8, 1647 in Windsor, Connecticut. Thomas was an inkkepper in Windsor but left for Westfield "early". Since Westfield wasn't formed until the late 1660s, John may well have been 25 years old or so before moving, if he left at the same time his father did. John was apparently in Westfield when he married Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary (maiden name Burley, Bulkeley, or something else) on January 22, 1678.
John seems to have been one of four children who survived infancy, and he and Mary had at least six children. There is a four year gap between two of their children, so it's possible there was another baby, or a miscarriage. Women typically had children every two years or so, unless illness or absence prevented it.
We don't know for sure what John did for a living but he likely farmed, at least enough to support his family. He had land both in Windsor and in Westfield at one time, and eventually sold the Windsor land. He may have purchased more in Westfield at about the same time. He seems to have been a respected man in town and probably accumulated some wealth, although I have not been able to locate a will or inventory for him-yet.
His gravestone calls him "quartermaster". which has me scratching my head. John lived through King Philip's War, Queen Anne's War, and King William's War. John Root, another of our ancestors, was listed as a commissary in Westfield for King Philip's War, and it seems, unless I am missing something, that the two terms have the same definition. It's possible that John Root took care of the troops who were garrisoned in Westfield and John Gunn took care of supplying the troops who went further afield, fighting the natives and their French instigators. It would be interesting to figure out which conflict or conflicts John Gunn was part of, and whether he was part of any actual skirmis or battles.
Mary died in Westfield November 26, 1711, and John survived her by close to fifteen years. He lived until Spetember 17, 1726. The records say he died in Springfield but was buried in Westfield. He may have been staying with daughter Mercy in Springfield, or he may have gone there for medical attention. At any rate, he lived a long life, about 85 years.
We don't know certain things about John but we can infer that he could read and write, because most men in the town could. We can guess that if he wasn't a church member, he at least attended church, because regular church attendance was required in Puritan towns, whether or not one was a member. And we can know that he was a good citizen and attended town meetings, because, again, it was required. He did much to help shape America, just by living and raising his family.
The line of descent is
John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Allen line: John Root "Junior" 1642-1687
One neat thing about writing genealogy blog posts is that as I research, I find new pieces of information that seem to have not shown up in other people's research. As I look at the dates that they posted, I can see that my new "finds" became available on line only after their posts were written. So it's a good reminder to us all to not take for granted that everything available has already been found. I'm sure earlier blog post writers would have loved to have had access to John Root's will and inventory, for instance. And they would have loved to have known about his military service. Both of these items weren't freely available just a few short years ago. Finding information about the son or daughter of an early immigrant is never easy, so I'm glad I've got a story here to tell.
John Root was born about 1642 at Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. His parents were John and Mary Kilbourne Roote, and he was one of at least eight children. His parents stayed in Farmington His parents did well financially and John Sr. was active in civic life, so John probably had a good start in life. We know nothing of his childhood but can imagine that he started doing chores at a young age and probably went to school for about three months out of the year, as that was typical for the time. Or perhaps his mother schooled him.
John married Mary Ashley, daughter of Robert and Mary Ashley on October 18, 1664 in Springfield, Massachusetts. John was noted as being of Farmington at the time and I've not yet found reference to where the young couple first settled. Their first known child, Mary, was born September 22, 1667 in Westfield, Massachusetts and that is where the couple lived their married life. (Westfield didn't legally exist until 1669, when it was split from Springfield, but it seems likely that the couple didn't actually move.) They lived on Union Street in Westfield, and John was a farmer.
We don't know much about their lives, actually, except that they had at least eight children. So Mary would have been kept quite busy as she raised the children. She had four girls to help her with the many household chores, and John had four boys to educate in some sort of occupation. And of course, there were future spouses to think of, to approve or disapprove.
John may have been ill or somehow injured, because when it came to King Philip's War in 1675, he was appointed commissary of the fort at Westfield. It doesn't appear that Westfield was actually attacked, but it may have been because the area was relatively well protected. John's job as commisary was to make sure that their were ample supplies and food for the soldiers, as well as for those families staying at the fort.
John became a freeman in 1669. He was appointed to a survey committee in 1668 and then about two years later the committee was dismissed and a new one was chosen. In 1684, he was a juror in the case of Elezer Weller. The verdict was that the man had died by suicide on August 17, 1684.
John apparently died rather suddenly on September 24, 1687. He did not have a will, and the appraisal wasn't done for another three years. By this time, the youngest child was about 8 years old and that may have something to do with it. Or, the oldest child was about 23 and may have been requesting his portion of the estate. The estate was valued at about 505 pounds, with 35 pounds owing so the net value was about 470 pounds. The widow was to have her choice of housing, and the children were each assigned a portion, with mathematical precision. The oldest son's share was more than the other children's but not double as was commonly the case.
The amazing part of John's story to me is actually that of his wife. Mary didn't remarry, despite having small children to raise. And, bless her heart, when she died in 1703, she left a will! Of course, being a woman, her will was overturned, but at least she tried. One thing that she had requested, but that apparently wasn't honored, was that her youngest daughter, fittingly named Mercy, be given a separate amount as payment for the three years that she had cared for her mother in her old age. The document signed by Samuel Partridge merely says there were "imperfections" in the will, and he re-distributed her estate. Her estate was valued at 170 pounds, and the inventory shows that she was still running an active household and farm, including farm animals, feed, and other things necessary for a household. She had Bibles and old books, and "specticles", which touched me. She also had a musket. I wonder if she ever used it, or knew how to use it?
While learning about John, I also learned about Mary, and oh, how I love her. I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is
John Root-Mary Ashley
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John Root was born about 1642 at Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. His parents were John and Mary Kilbourne Roote, and he was one of at least eight children. His parents stayed in Farmington His parents did well financially and John Sr. was active in civic life, so John probably had a good start in life. We know nothing of his childhood but can imagine that he started doing chores at a young age and probably went to school for about three months out of the year, as that was typical for the time. Or perhaps his mother schooled him.
John married Mary Ashley, daughter of Robert and Mary Ashley on October 18, 1664 in Springfield, Massachusetts. John was noted as being of Farmington at the time and I've not yet found reference to where the young couple first settled. Their first known child, Mary, was born September 22, 1667 in Westfield, Massachusetts and that is where the couple lived their married life. (Westfield didn't legally exist until 1669, when it was split from Springfield, but it seems likely that the couple didn't actually move.) They lived on Union Street in Westfield, and John was a farmer.
We don't know much about their lives, actually, except that they had at least eight children. So Mary would have been kept quite busy as she raised the children. She had four girls to help her with the many household chores, and John had four boys to educate in some sort of occupation. And of course, there were future spouses to think of, to approve or disapprove.
John may have been ill or somehow injured, because when it came to King Philip's War in 1675, he was appointed commissary of the fort at Westfield. It doesn't appear that Westfield was actually attacked, but it may have been because the area was relatively well protected. John's job as commisary was to make sure that their were ample supplies and food for the soldiers, as well as for those families staying at the fort.
John became a freeman in 1669. He was appointed to a survey committee in 1668 and then about two years later the committee was dismissed and a new one was chosen. In 1684, he was a juror in the case of Elezer Weller. The verdict was that the man had died by suicide on August 17, 1684.
John apparently died rather suddenly on September 24, 1687. He did not have a will, and the appraisal wasn't done for another three years. By this time, the youngest child was about 8 years old and that may have something to do with it. Or, the oldest child was about 23 and may have been requesting his portion of the estate. The estate was valued at about 505 pounds, with 35 pounds owing so the net value was about 470 pounds. The widow was to have her choice of housing, and the children were each assigned a portion, with mathematical precision. The oldest son's share was more than the other children's but not double as was commonly the case.
The amazing part of John's story to me is actually that of his wife. Mary didn't remarry, despite having small children to raise. And, bless her heart, when she died in 1703, she left a will! Of course, being a woman, her will was overturned, but at least she tried. One thing that she had requested, but that apparently wasn't honored, was that her youngest daughter, fittingly named Mercy, be given a separate amount as payment for the three years that she had cared for her mother in her old age. The document signed by Samuel Partridge merely says there were "imperfections" in the will, and he re-distributed her estate. Her estate was valued at 170 pounds, and the inventory shows that she was still running an active household and farm, including farm animals, feed, and other things necessary for a household. She had Bibles and old books, and "specticles", which touched me. She also had a musket. I wonder if she ever used it, or knew how to use it?
While learning about John, I also learned about Mary, and oh, how I love her. I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is
John Root-Mary Ashley
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Allen line: Jacob Walker 1643-???
Once again, mysteries hide some of the important facts about Jacob Walker. We know when he was born, March 11, 1643 and that he was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a son of Robert and Sarah Leager Walker. He was one of 12 children and was born about 10 years after his family arrived at Boston. His parents apparently stayed in Boston their whole lives after arriving in the New World, as his father died there as did his mother.
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Allen family: Martin Root, Patriot 1721-question mark
There is probably more information about Martin Root than I have been able to find. It is probably documented better than I have been able to find. He seems to be a very elusive person, so this is only the best I can do, at this time. I just don't want him to go completely unnoticed in our family, because he lived through some very turbulent times and surely there are records to search that I've not yet located. If and when I do, I will either update this post or do a whole new post.
We know that Martin was born either December 19, 1720 or December 14, 1791. It's quite possible there were two babies by the name of Martin Root. It's also possible that the date on one, or the other, or both, has been misread. His parents were Samuel and Mary Gunn Root, and he was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. Martin's grandparents had all been born in New England so his connections with England were tenuous, at best. Maybe his grandparents had passed on a story or two, but most of what he knew would have come from his own home and surrounding towns.
Martin married Eunice (sometimes seen as Unis) Lamb, daughter of Samuel and Martha Stebbins Lamb, on May 16, 1745 in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the Stebbins and Lamb families had lived for many years. Westfield is currently 14 miles from Springfield but if we make allowance for a sprawling city, maybe it was more like 20 miles at the time. However, Westfield had a small river that connected with Springfield, so transportation would have been easy. The two may have met through mutual family members or friends, or their fathers may have done business together, or perhaps a chance meeting on the street.
Samuel and Eunice had 11 children together, starting in 1746 and ending in 1767. (Eunice, you have my admiration and my sympathy, both!). I've not yet learned what Samuel did for an occupation, nor have I learned what, if anything, he did in the French and Indian War. He was certainly a perfect age to have been in the conflict, and the Springfield area contributed a lot of men to the effort, but I've not yet located his name in a file or record.
We do know, however, that he is listed as a Patriot in the DAR index, because he was a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety in 1776 and 1777. They worked to co-ordinate with other cities in Massachusetts (and probably Connecticut) and helped make sure the men had the best supplies available to them. Several websites state that he marched to Lexington after the April 18,1775 alarm but it seems to me that it's more logical that it was his son, Martin Root, Jr. (also our ancestor) who went on that expedition. Martin Junior was born in 1753 and would have been the right age to go to war. However, the Martin Root military story is even more complicated because the Martin Root who shows up on Fold 3 records died in 1777, which doesn't fit either of our men. So some more digging needs to be done on the Revolutionary War story. Regardless, the service on the Committee does allow anyone who can prove descent to join the DAR, if you are so inclined.
I haven't found a death date for Eunice, but neither have I found a re-marriage for Martin. So perhaps they both lived to a good age. Martin's death date is also in dispute. Many websites give it as 1788 but "Deaths in the First Church, Westfield, Massachusetts 1728-1836" gives a date of March 11, 1791 for Martin Root, with the notation 71 years. This closely matches our Martin and I am using this until someone sets me straight or I find further information. Again, there were several Martin Roots and it's possible that this is "the other" Martin Root, if there was one.
That's not much information for a man who lived 71 years, more or less. We know his family but we don't know how he supported them. I've not found a will. I did find a record of an ear mark for cattle registered by son Martin, so there is that slight hint that maybe his father also had a farm. I would certainly love to know whether/when/where he served in the French and Indian War. The hint in the death record shows us that he was a member of the First Church of Westfield.
It's frustrating to feel that there are stories that need to be told, and yet they are just beyond my fingertips. I'd love to hear from others who are researching this man!
The line of descent is:
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
We know that Martin was born either December 19, 1720 or December 14, 1791. It's quite possible there were two babies by the name of Martin Root. It's also possible that the date on one, or the other, or both, has been misread. His parents were Samuel and Mary Gunn Root, and he was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. Martin's grandparents had all been born in New England so his connections with England were tenuous, at best. Maybe his grandparents had passed on a story or two, but most of what he knew would have come from his own home and surrounding towns.
Martin married Eunice (sometimes seen as Unis) Lamb, daughter of Samuel and Martha Stebbins Lamb, on May 16, 1745 in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the Stebbins and Lamb families had lived for many years. Westfield is currently 14 miles from Springfield but if we make allowance for a sprawling city, maybe it was more like 20 miles at the time. However, Westfield had a small river that connected with Springfield, so transportation would have been easy. The two may have met through mutual family members or friends, or their fathers may have done business together, or perhaps a chance meeting on the street.
Samuel and Eunice had 11 children together, starting in 1746 and ending in 1767. (Eunice, you have my admiration and my sympathy, both!). I've not yet learned what Samuel did for an occupation, nor have I learned what, if anything, he did in the French and Indian War. He was certainly a perfect age to have been in the conflict, and the Springfield area contributed a lot of men to the effort, but I've not yet located his name in a file or record.
We do know, however, that he is listed as a Patriot in the DAR index, because he was a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety in 1776 and 1777. They worked to co-ordinate with other cities in Massachusetts (and probably Connecticut) and helped make sure the men had the best supplies available to them. Several websites state that he marched to Lexington after the April 18,1775 alarm but it seems to me that it's more logical that it was his son, Martin Root, Jr. (also our ancestor) who went on that expedition. Martin Junior was born in 1753 and would have been the right age to go to war. However, the Martin Root military story is even more complicated because the Martin Root who shows up on Fold 3 records died in 1777, which doesn't fit either of our men. So some more digging needs to be done on the Revolutionary War story. Regardless, the service on the Committee does allow anyone who can prove descent to join the DAR, if you are so inclined.
I haven't found a death date for Eunice, but neither have I found a re-marriage for Martin. So perhaps they both lived to a good age. Martin's death date is also in dispute. Many websites give it as 1788 but "Deaths in the First Church, Westfield, Massachusetts 1728-1836" gives a date of March 11, 1791 for Martin Root, with the notation 71 years. This closely matches our Martin and I am using this until someone sets me straight or I find further information. Again, there were several Martin Roots and it's possible that this is "the other" Martin Root, if there was one.
That's not much information for a man who lived 71 years, more or less. We know his family but we don't know how he supported them. I've not found a will. I did find a record of an ear mark for cattle registered by son Martin, so there is that slight hint that maybe his father also had a farm. I would certainly love to know whether/when/where he served in the French and Indian War. The hint in the death record shows us that he was a member of the First Church of Westfield.
It's frustrating to feel that there are stories that need to be told, and yet they are just beyond my fingertips. I'd love to hear from others who are researching this man!
The line of descent is:
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Allen line: Edward Stebbins in King Philip's War
It's approaching Memorial Day as I write this. In general, Memorial Day honors veterans who gave their lives for our country. I completely support that, as we have a family member who died during World War II. Most of our ancestors made it through whatever war they were involved in, but some had adventures during that time.
For this post, I'm writing about a man who had what some would consider the "ultimate" adventure; others would consider it heroism, and still others might shudder at the result. This was before our country was even dreamed of. Massachusetts was a colony of England, and it was still almost all frontier land. Springfield, Massachusetts was no exception; it was a small settlement on the Connecticut River, struggling to survive even before King Phillip's War broke out.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield April 14, 1656, the son of Thomas and Hannah Wright had Stebbins. He was the first of this Stebbins line to be born in New England as Thomas had come to America with his father at about the age of 14. Thomas had memories of England, but Edward was 100% New Englander. At the age of 16, Edward would have been eligible and probably required to join the training band, although I've not found specific note of it. Surely a town settled in the wilderness, with different tribes of native Americans all around them, would have had a training band.
We don't know whether Edward was doing guard duty or whether he may have been working in the fields, but in the spring of 1676, he and at least one other young man were surrounded and then abducted by a group of natives. They were held captive for about a month until Edward and his friend managed to escape during the nighttime hours. They reported the location of the natives to the nearest authorities and immediately a large force of men were on their trail, and the entire village of natives was ambushed and destroyed-old men, women and children-by the colonists. The warriors were mostly in camp at a nearby location, and it's not clear to what extent they became involved in the battle. .
This was not the finest moment in American history but it was what it was. To the colonists affected by King Philip's War, it was kill or be killed. Springfield had been almost totally burned to the ground during an attack in the fall of 1675 and it was time to make the area safe for the colonists and their families. They may not have known, or may not have cared, that the village that was massacred was not a warrior camp at all.
Edward seems to have suffered no after effects of his ordeal. He married Sarah Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves on April 12, 1679 and they had six children together. He was made a freeman on December 19, 1690, along with over forty other men. Perhaps they had been so busy rebuilding the town that there had been no time to stop and gain one's "freedom", or right to vote. Or perhaps the list is not actually when they were admitted, but simply a list of who was a freeman as of that date.
Edward inherited land from his father, who had died in 1683, and was also granted various tracts during his lifetime. At various times, he was a constable, surveyor of county highways, selectman several years, and fence viewer, so he was a respected man in the community. I've not found anything that indicates his occupation but with the various tracts of land he owned, he probably was a "yeoman" farmer. I also don't know how religious he might have been, and whether he supported the local church.
Sarah died June 12, 1700 when her youngest child was just 4 years old. Edward remarried, to Mary Cooper Colton. Edward died October 31, 1712 in Springfield and Mary lived until 1743. I wonder how long the story of the Indian captivity was part of family story time. Or was it something he chose to downplay?
I've ordered a copy of a history of Springfield, Massachusetts because so many family names are listed in the 1690 list of freedmen. This is one of our "hometowns", Allen family!
The line of descent is
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Roote
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
For this post, I'm writing about a man who had what some would consider the "ultimate" adventure; others would consider it heroism, and still others might shudder at the result. This was before our country was even dreamed of. Massachusetts was a colony of England, and it was still almost all frontier land. Springfield, Massachusetts was no exception; it was a small settlement on the Connecticut River, struggling to survive even before King Phillip's War broke out.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield April 14, 1656, the son of Thomas and Hannah Wright had Stebbins. He was the first of this Stebbins line to be born in New England as Thomas had come to America with his father at about the age of 14. Thomas had memories of England, but Edward was 100% New Englander. At the age of 16, Edward would have been eligible and probably required to join the training band, although I've not found specific note of it. Surely a town settled in the wilderness, with different tribes of native Americans all around them, would have had a training band.
We don't know whether Edward was doing guard duty or whether he may have been working in the fields, but in the spring of 1676, he and at least one other young man were surrounded and then abducted by a group of natives. They were held captive for about a month until Edward and his friend managed to escape during the nighttime hours. They reported the location of the natives to the nearest authorities and immediately a large force of men were on their trail, and the entire village of natives was ambushed and destroyed-old men, women and children-by the colonists. The warriors were mostly in camp at a nearby location, and it's not clear to what extent they became involved in the battle. .
This was not the finest moment in American history but it was what it was. To the colonists affected by King Philip's War, it was kill or be killed. Springfield had been almost totally burned to the ground during an attack in the fall of 1675 and it was time to make the area safe for the colonists and their families. They may not have known, or may not have cared, that the village that was massacred was not a warrior camp at all.
Edward seems to have suffered no after effects of his ordeal. He married Sarah Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves on April 12, 1679 and they had six children together. He was made a freeman on December 19, 1690, along with over forty other men. Perhaps they had been so busy rebuilding the town that there had been no time to stop and gain one's "freedom", or right to vote. Or perhaps the list is not actually when they were admitted, but simply a list of who was a freeman as of that date.
Edward inherited land from his father, who had died in 1683, and was also granted various tracts during his lifetime. At various times, he was a constable, surveyor of county highways, selectman several years, and fence viewer, so he was a respected man in the community. I've not found anything that indicates his occupation but with the various tracts of land he owned, he probably was a "yeoman" farmer. I also don't know how religious he might have been, and whether he supported the local church.
Sarah died June 12, 1700 when her youngest child was just 4 years old. Edward remarried, to Mary Cooper Colton. Edward died October 31, 1712 in Springfield and Mary lived until 1743. I wonder how long the story of the Indian captivity was part of family story time. Or was it something he chose to downplay?
I've ordered a copy of a history of Springfield, Massachusetts because so many family names are listed in the 1690 list of freedmen. This is one of our "hometowns", Allen family!
The line of descent is
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Roote
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, March 8, 2019
Allen line: John Lamb 1628-1690
Is it breaking the rules to call John Lamb an immigrant? He was only two years old when he came to New England, so he had no say at all in whether to come. Yet, not understanding the purpose of being uprooted and joining his parents on a small and dark ship, he shared the voyage and shared the wonder of arriving in a world totally unlike anything he knew in England. From the eyes of a two year old, this would have been a big deal, and yes, I think we can call him an immigrant. Besides, he's in the Allen line and I don't have many opportunities any more to write about this side of the family.
It would be interesting to know how closely his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Lamb, could follow the typical Puritan methods in raising children under the circumstances of sailing across the ocean. Were they stern, were they relaxed? Certainly they, especially Elizabeth, would have been watchful as there were many ways for little ones to get hurt, or worse, on a ship. The other women on board would have helped, surely, but it wouldn't have been an easy job. Actually, our ancestor John had sibling Thomas with him, so at least there was someone to play with.
John was born to Thomas and Elizabeth on or before August 1, 1628 at Barnardiston, Suffolk, England. He would have been baptized in the local church, which had parts dating back to the twelfth century, so this was a very old village indeed. Likely there was quite a bit of family in the area, as that is common for small villages, so again one wonders what the pioneer immigrants were thinking.
John came with his parents to Roxbury, Massachusetts, where Thomas died in 1646. Five years later, in 1651, John settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where he was made a freeman in 1654. He was a wheelwright and perhaps an "East Indian trader". That may mean he owned part of a ship that traveled to the East Indies, or it could have other meanings. It gets a little dicey here because he is supposed to be living in Springfield and in Kittery, Maine at the same time. I suspect there were two John Lambs, and they have been a bit intermingled in this part of the story. Perhaps the man in Kittery was the one who was engaged in trading. More research needs to be done on this.
In Springfield, he became an important part of the town. He was a fence viewer, a surveyor of highways, a sealer of weights and measures, a sergeant of the Westfield Garrison during King Philip's War, and he had the fifth seat in the church (seats were assigned according to wealth and piety as well as status in the town).
John was married to Joanna Chapin, daughter of Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny) about 1650, and they had eleven children, with the last being born in 1674. Joanna died in 1683 and John died September 28,1690, just two or three years after he had married Lydia Wright Bliss Norton. His estate was valued at a little over 421 pounds, which was respectable indeed. He had more animals than many of his neighbors would have had, several good sized parcels of land, more tools and implements, and more household goods than would have been common. John Lamb had done all right for himself.
The line of descent is:
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
It would be interesting to know how closely his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Lamb, could follow the typical Puritan methods in raising children under the circumstances of sailing across the ocean. Were they stern, were they relaxed? Certainly they, especially Elizabeth, would have been watchful as there were many ways for little ones to get hurt, or worse, on a ship. The other women on board would have helped, surely, but it wouldn't have been an easy job. Actually, our ancestor John had sibling Thomas with him, so at least there was someone to play with.
John was born to Thomas and Elizabeth on or before August 1, 1628 at Barnardiston, Suffolk, England. He would have been baptized in the local church, which had parts dating back to the twelfth century, so this was a very old village indeed. Likely there was quite a bit of family in the area, as that is common for small villages, so again one wonders what the pioneer immigrants were thinking.
John came with his parents to Roxbury, Massachusetts, where Thomas died in 1646. Five years later, in 1651, John settled in Springfield, Massachusetts where he was made a freeman in 1654. He was a wheelwright and perhaps an "East Indian trader". That may mean he owned part of a ship that traveled to the East Indies, or it could have other meanings. It gets a little dicey here because he is supposed to be living in Springfield and in Kittery, Maine at the same time. I suspect there were two John Lambs, and they have been a bit intermingled in this part of the story. Perhaps the man in Kittery was the one who was engaged in trading. More research needs to be done on this.
In Springfield, he became an important part of the town. He was a fence viewer, a surveyor of highways, a sealer of weights and measures, a sergeant of the Westfield Garrison during King Philip's War, and he had the fifth seat in the church (seats were assigned according to wealth and piety as well as status in the town).
John was married to Joanna Chapin, daughter of Samuel Chapin and Cicely Penny) about 1650, and they had eleven children, with the last being born in 1674. Joanna died in 1683 and John died September 28,1690, just two or three years after he had married Lydia Wright Bliss Norton. His estate was valued at a little over 421 pounds, which was respectable indeed. He had more animals than many of his neighbors would have had, several good sized parcels of land, more tools and implements, and more household goods than would have been common. John Lamb had done all right for himself.
The line of descent is:
John Lamb-Joanna Chapin
Samuel Lamb-Rebecca Bird
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Allen line: Thomas Graves, Immigrant 1585-1662
I've written earlier about John Graves, who was the son of Thomas. I didn't write about Thomas at the time because the information about his father appeared to me to be mixed up with that of at least one and possibly two other Thomas Graves, and I didn't want to get them confused. Some of what I write here may possibly still be wrong, but it seems that our Thomas has been more clearly identified and he is certainly an interesting person.
Thomas Graves was born (or christened) October 19, 1585 at Gravesend, Kent, England. I have seen his parents listed as Thomas Graves and Sarah Malter, but have not located documentation for that so an this point I'm considering that his parents are unknown. Gravesend was an interesting town as Thomas was growing up. It was on an estuary of the Thames River, so was closely connected with the sea. Gravesend had a long history, including a chantry built in 1384 that is still standing, and a Tudor fort built in 1543. It was a bustling town.
Thomas was an educated man, although his name is not found at either Cambridge or Oxford. It's possible that he was an apprentice to someone who shared his own knowledge with Thomas, or perhaps he attended some other school, perhaps even on the Continent. At any rate, he acquired the knowledge to become an engineer, and in 1629 he signed a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Company in which he represented himself as skilled in the discovery of mines, in fortifications of all sorts, in surveying, and in various other similar occupations. He and his wife, five children, and two unnamed servants sailed to Salem, Massachusetts in 1629, on the ship "George Bonaventure." He had married Sarah Whiting in England, and their five children were all 16 or older when they came to America as a family.
He apparently held some offices of note in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and became a freeman in 1631. It's not known when he and the family went to Hartford, Connecticut but they were there in 1645, and stayed for about 16 years. He was granted at least three pieces of property there, and of course had a dwelling. Perhaps for religious reasons, and perhaps because his skills were needed there, the family except for son Nathaniel emigrated to Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1661, By this time, Thomas and Sarah may have been living with son Isaac, or perhaps they were just there until a home could be built for them.
Thomas died in Hadley on or just before November 1, 1662 (burial date) and Sarah died about four years later. Apparently there are estate papers but I've not been able to locate them-yet. He was approximately 76 years old, and had been in America since his middle age. I honor especially those ancestors who were willing to start over in a strange land, and then again in a new settlement, when they could have stayed in England and lived their lives. It took courage and vision, and those are reasons enough to give Thomas honor.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Graves-Sarah Whiting
John Graves-Mary Smith
Mary Graves-Edward Stebbins
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Roote-Thomas Noble
Stephen Notble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Thomas Graves was born (or christened) October 19, 1585 at Gravesend, Kent, England. I have seen his parents listed as Thomas Graves and Sarah Malter, but have not located documentation for that so an this point I'm considering that his parents are unknown. Gravesend was an interesting town as Thomas was growing up. It was on an estuary of the Thames River, so was closely connected with the sea. Gravesend had a long history, including a chantry built in 1384 that is still standing, and a Tudor fort built in 1543. It was a bustling town.
Thomas was an educated man, although his name is not found at either Cambridge or Oxford. It's possible that he was an apprentice to someone who shared his own knowledge with Thomas, or perhaps he attended some other school, perhaps even on the Continent. At any rate, he acquired the knowledge to become an engineer, and in 1629 he signed a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Company in which he represented himself as skilled in the discovery of mines, in fortifications of all sorts, in surveying, and in various other similar occupations. He and his wife, five children, and two unnamed servants sailed to Salem, Massachusetts in 1629, on the ship "George Bonaventure." He had married Sarah Whiting in England, and their five children were all 16 or older when they came to America as a family.
He apparently held some offices of note in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and became a freeman in 1631. It's not known when he and the family went to Hartford, Connecticut but they were there in 1645, and stayed for about 16 years. He was granted at least three pieces of property there, and of course had a dwelling. Perhaps for religious reasons, and perhaps because his skills were needed there, the family except for son Nathaniel emigrated to Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1661, By this time, Thomas and Sarah may have been living with son Isaac, or perhaps they were just there until a home could be built for them.
Thomas died in Hadley on or just before November 1, 1662 (burial date) and Sarah died about four years later. Apparently there are estate papers but I've not been able to locate them-yet. He was approximately 76 years old, and had been in America since his middle age. I honor especially those ancestors who were willing to start over in a strange land, and then again in a new settlement, when they could have stayed in England and lived their lives. It took courage and vision, and those are reasons enough to give Thomas honor.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Graves-Sarah Whiting
John Graves-Mary Smith
Mary Graves-Edward Stebbins
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Roote-Thomas Noble
Stephen Notble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Allen line: Thomas Stebbins about 1619-1683, Immigrant
I've written earlier about Rowland Stebbins, father of Thomas, but Thomas was an immigrant, too, and his story should be told. He is actually an Allen ancestor twice, which makes him doubly important.
Thomas was born about 1619 or 1620, presumably in Bocking, Essex, England, which is the town of record of his parents. He came to New England in 1634 with his parents, Rowland and Sarah Whiting Stebbins, and three siblings, on the ship Francis. Thomas was listed as 14 at the time. The family possibly stayed in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a short time, with Rowland's younger brother Martin.
The Stebbins family soon moved on to Springfield, however, and that is where Thomas married Hannah Wright, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Margaret Stratton Wright, in November of 1645. My notes say their first son, Samuel, was born in September of 1646 and then Thomas, two Josephs (one died at about 18 months of age), Sarah, Edward, Benjamin and finally twins Hannah and Rowland, born October 1 and 2nd 1660. Hannah, the mother, died, probably from childbirth complications, two weeks later. 9 children in 15 years, plus the privations of frontier life, was just too much for Hannah to overcome. Surprisingly, it seems that Thomas stayed single until 1676, when he married Abigail Burt Ball Munn. Thomas died September 28, 1683 and Abigail lived until 1707.
We know a few other facts about Thomas. He was a tailor by trade, and of course had small tracts of farm land. When his father died, his brother John was given much more of the estate than Thomas was given, for whatever reason. Thomas was older than John and perhaps John had greater need, or maybe John had done more to care for his father in his father's old age. He was apparently a man of some standing in the town, as he was a selectman several time. He was referred to as "sergeant" in 1656 and an overseer of highways in 1667.
He would have been 56 years old at the time of King Philip's War, but was referred to as a lieutenant then, and was listed in Capt William Turner's company in the Turner Falls massacre. We don't know for sure that he was on that mission but it seems possible. (His sons Thomas and Samuel were there, so there is some confusion about whether Thomas Senior was there also). If he wasn't in the fight, then he was at home or nearby, pulling guard duty and defending his and other families The massacre or battle, whatever you want to call it, was a two parter. The colonists massacred natives as they were sleeping, including women and children, and other natives then came to harass and kill the colonists as they made their way back home. (We have many ancestors, and their siblings) on the lists of the men who were there).
There is apparently a will but I have not yet located it. It is said to mention his daughters and his widow only. I would like to find the will and would particularly like to find the inventory. That would tell us more about the life of Lieutenant Thomas Stebbins.
One line of descent is:
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Claraissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The second line is
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Joseph Stebbins-Sarah Dorchester
Martha Stebbins-Samuel Lamb
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
etc.
This is just one way we are our own cousins!
Thomas was born about 1619 or 1620, presumably in Bocking, Essex, England, which is the town of record of his parents. He came to New England in 1634 with his parents, Rowland and Sarah Whiting Stebbins, and three siblings, on the ship Francis. Thomas was listed as 14 at the time. The family possibly stayed in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a short time, with Rowland's younger brother Martin.
The Stebbins family soon moved on to Springfield, however, and that is where Thomas married Hannah Wright, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Margaret Stratton Wright, in November of 1645. My notes say their first son, Samuel, was born in September of 1646 and then Thomas, two Josephs (one died at about 18 months of age), Sarah, Edward, Benjamin and finally twins Hannah and Rowland, born October 1 and 2nd 1660. Hannah, the mother, died, probably from childbirth complications, two weeks later. 9 children in 15 years, plus the privations of frontier life, was just too much for Hannah to overcome. Surprisingly, it seems that Thomas stayed single until 1676, when he married Abigail Burt Ball Munn. Thomas died September 28, 1683 and Abigail lived until 1707.
We know a few other facts about Thomas. He was a tailor by trade, and of course had small tracts of farm land. When his father died, his brother John was given much more of the estate than Thomas was given, for whatever reason. Thomas was older than John and perhaps John had greater need, or maybe John had done more to care for his father in his father's old age. He was apparently a man of some standing in the town, as he was a selectman several time. He was referred to as "sergeant" in 1656 and an overseer of highways in 1667.
He would have been 56 years old at the time of King Philip's War, but was referred to as a lieutenant then, and was listed in Capt William Turner's company in the Turner Falls massacre. We don't know for sure that he was on that mission but it seems possible. (His sons Thomas and Samuel were there, so there is some confusion about whether Thomas Senior was there also). If he wasn't in the fight, then he was at home or nearby, pulling guard duty and defending his and other families The massacre or battle, whatever you want to call it, was a two parter. The colonists massacred natives as they were sleeping, including women and children, and other natives then came to harass and kill the colonists as they made their way back home. (We have many ancestors, and their siblings) on the lists of the men who were there).
There is apparently a will but I have not yet located it. It is said to mention his daughters and his widow only. I would like to find the will and would particularly like to find the inventory. That would tell us more about the life of Lieutenant Thomas Stebbins.
One line of descent is:
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Claraissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The second line is
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Joseph Stebbins-Sarah Dorchester
Martha Stebbins-Samuel Lamb
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
etc.
This is just one way we are our own cousins!
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Allen line: Thomas Bird 1593-1662, Immigrant
The dates I've used in the title of this are not ones I necessarily put much credence in. Most sources say Thomas was born about 1600 in England, and that he died in 1662 in Hartford, Connecticut. I've been able to find a few bits and pieces of information about Thomas but not nearly as much as I'd like, and some of those bits and pieces don't necessarily belong to this man. I've tried to weed out the obviously wrong ones.
So, Thomas was born in England and died in Hartford, Connecticut. There is a Thomas Bird who was baptized November 5, 1593 in St Andrew Parish, Enfield Borough, London, England. He was the child of Robert and (from a different, undocumented source) possibly Amy. This may be our Thomas although 1593 is several years away from "about 1600". The jury is still out, as far as I'm concerned, as other researchers feel strongly that he came from the area of Braintree, Essex. We don't have birth dates for the children (Hannah, James, Joseph, Mary) but based on their marriage dates, they were probably born in the 1620's, so Thomas's first marriage would have taken place there, too. I've seen various names for this first wife put forth but they are all just speculation at this point. We do know he married Mary Belden as a subsequent wife, about 1660, in Hartford, Ct..
Thomas and his family were in Hartford by 1639, when he was granted land there. He also purchased land from Thomas Judd in 1644. There is apparently no mention of him in church records, but it is likely he was a Puritan, one who possibly stayed out of trouble with both the church and the courts. His name is notable more for the lack of records than for the records currently available.
We don't know when his wife died, but Thomas remarried just about two years before his own death, which was probably in July of 1662. His inventory was presented on August 10, 1662 and showed a total estate of 149 -05-10. This was not a large estate but it wasn't poverty level. I'm still looking to find more about the inventory. Son Joseph was left the dwelling place and land, but I don't know if that was all of the land or just the land the dwelling was on. I also don't know if there was more than one piece of land at the time of Thomas's death.
As is often the case, there is much not known about this immigrant ancestor, who by most standards was not an "illustrious" man. But he was here, he supported the culture of the area, he probably paid his taxes and tithes, and probably served in the military, and he supported his family. Those were the things that the many "ordinary" men did, and we can be proud of each of his actions. I'd certainly like to learn more about him!
The line of descent is:
Thomas Bird-unknown first wife
James Bird-Lydia Steele
Rebecca Bird-Samuel Lamb
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root Jr-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
So, Thomas was born in England and died in Hartford, Connecticut. There is a Thomas Bird who was baptized November 5, 1593 in St Andrew Parish, Enfield Borough, London, England. He was the child of Robert and (from a different, undocumented source) possibly Amy. This may be our Thomas although 1593 is several years away from "about 1600". The jury is still out, as far as I'm concerned, as other researchers feel strongly that he came from the area of Braintree, Essex. We don't have birth dates for the children (Hannah, James, Joseph, Mary) but based on their marriage dates, they were probably born in the 1620's, so Thomas's first marriage would have taken place there, too. I've seen various names for this first wife put forth but they are all just speculation at this point. We do know he married Mary Belden as a subsequent wife, about 1660, in Hartford, Ct..
Thomas and his family were in Hartford by 1639, when he was granted land there. He also purchased land from Thomas Judd in 1644. There is apparently no mention of him in church records, but it is likely he was a Puritan, one who possibly stayed out of trouble with both the church and the courts. His name is notable more for the lack of records than for the records currently available.
We don't know when his wife died, but Thomas remarried just about two years before his own death, which was probably in July of 1662. His inventory was presented on August 10, 1662 and showed a total estate of 149 -05-10. This was not a large estate but it wasn't poverty level. I'm still looking to find more about the inventory. Son Joseph was left the dwelling place and land, but I don't know if that was all of the land or just the land the dwelling was on. I also don't know if there was more than one piece of land at the time of Thomas's death.
As is often the case, there is much not known about this immigrant ancestor, who by most standards was not an "illustrious" man. But he was here, he supported the culture of the area, he probably paid his taxes and tithes, and probably served in the military, and he supported his family. Those were the things that the many "ordinary" men did, and we can be proud of each of his actions. I'd certainly like to learn more about him!
The line of descent is:
Thomas Bird-unknown first wife
James Bird-Lydia Steele
Rebecca Bird-Samuel Lamb
Samuel Lamb-Martha Stebbins
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root Jr-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Allen line: John Root 1608-1684, Immigrant
Although we know quite a bit about John Root, there are two big questions I have after going through all the material I can find about him. The first is his origin. His gravestone, which I think is old but probably not dating back to 1684, states that he was a "Descendant of the Huguenots Routtes who fled from France to England." I've seen statements that this headstone was actually put up as late as 1880, and that the statement should be discounted because it was an American who had it installed. Being an American doesn't necessarily make it wrong, of course, and there is a Thomas Routte/Roote/Root who is accepted by the National Huguenot Society as being an ancestor. I don't know how much credibility to apply to this statement except that it does seem likely that at some point the Routte family came to England.
The second mystery about John is his parents. They are given everywhere as John Roote and Mary Ann Russell or Rushall. However, we are also told that John was raised by a wealthy uncle, and looking at the family tree, it appears that this couple might fit that description. I can't find documentation as to his birth or to the death of these "parents" so I'm not clear on exactly who John is. However, he was born February 26,1608 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. Supposedly the uncle who raised him was pressing John to go into the Parliamentary Army under Cromwell, and our John was not willing to do that, so he came to America as a Puritan and settled in Farmington, Connecticut in 1640.
He married Mary Kilbourne, most likely after arriving in Farmington but possibly in England. Their first known child was born in 1642 in Farmington, so if they met soon after John's arrival, possibly in church, then a marriage perhaps in 1641 and a child born a year later would make sense.
John was a weaver as well as a farmer. We know that he and his wife were members of the church in Farmington, that John served on several juries at Hartford, and that he was apparently a respected man of his town. We are fortunate that copies of his estate are still available. At his death, it was valued at 819 pounds. Interestingly, it includes a list of the 32 books in his library, most of which were religious. There was one "law book" and it's not clear what a couple of the other books were, but most had titles like "Israel's Safety" or "door of Salvation." His inventory also included a long gun, a musket, a carbine, a backsword and belt, and various equipment needed to support these weapons. It is likely that he was part of the "military train" for much of his life, but since he lived until 1684, when he would have been 76 years old, he had probably been excused from military service some years earlier. He was have been 67 or 68 when King Philip's War broke out, so likely stayed home to help guard the women and children when the men of the town were called out.
John died in August of 1684 and his wife Mary died in 1697. Among his descendants, so our cousins, are President Rutherford B. Hayes, Louisa May Alcott (yes! I knew I liked her!), Nancy Davis Reagan, Bess Wallace Truman, and Clint Eastwood. He contributed much to American's history, besides settling in Connecticut and helping make a town out of the wilderness.
Our line of descent is:
John Root-Mary Kilbourne
John Root Mary Ashley
Samuel Root-Mary Gunn
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
A second line is the same for the first two generations, and then is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
and so on. Ruth Noble and Martin Root were second cousins, if I have this figured right. So we're doubly related to all those famous people I mentioned!
The second mystery about John is his parents. They are given everywhere as John Roote and Mary Ann Russell or Rushall. However, we are also told that John was raised by a wealthy uncle, and looking at the family tree, it appears that this couple might fit that description. I can't find documentation as to his birth or to the death of these "parents" so I'm not clear on exactly who John is. However, he was born February 26,1608 in Badby, Northamptonshire, England. Supposedly the uncle who raised him was pressing John to go into the Parliamentary Army under Cromwell, and our John was not willing to do that, so he came to America as a Puritan and settled in Farmington, Connecticut in 1640.
He married Mary Kilbourne, most likely after arriving in Farmington but possibly in England. Their first known child was born in 1642 in Farmington, so if they met soon after John's arrival, possibly in church, then a marriage perhaps in 1641 and a child born a year later would make sense.
John was a weaver as well as a farmer. We know that he and his wife were members of the church in Farmington, that John served on several juries at Hartford, and that he was apparently a respected man of his town. We are fortunate that copies of his estate are still available. At his death, it was valued at 819 pounds. Interestingly, it includes a list of the 32 books in his library, most of which were religious. There was one "law book" and it's not clear what a couple of the other books were, but most had titles like "Israel's Safety" or "door of Salvation." His inventory also included a long gun, a musket, a carbine, a backsword and belt, and various equipment needed to support these weapons. It is likely that he was part of the "military train" for much of his life, but since he lived until 1684, when he would have been 76 years old, he had probably been excused from military service some years earlier. He was have been 67 or 68 when King Philip's War broke out, so likely stayed home to help guard the women and children when the men of the town were called out.
John died in August of 1684 and his wife Mary died in 1697. Among his descendants, so our cousins, are President Rutherford B. Hayes, Louisa May Alcott (yes! I knew I liked her!), Nancy Davis Reagan, Bess Wallace Truman, and Clint Eastwood. He contributed much to American's history, besides settling in Connecticut and helping make a town out of the wilderness.
Our line of descent is:
John Root-Mary Kilbourne
John Root Mary Ashley
Samuel Root-Mary Gunn
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
A second line is the same for the first two generations, and then is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
and so on. Ruth Noble and Martin Root were second cousins, if I have this figured right. So we're doubly related to all those famous people I mentioned!
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Allen line: Philip Randall, Immigrant possibly 1574-1662
Or the correct dates might be 1590 to 1648, or some combination thereof. At this point, I'm thinking the dates in the title of this post are likely correct, but I'm open to considering any further evidence that comes up.
There was a Philip Randall born in 1574 in Allington, Bridport Parish, Dorset, England and it seems plausible if not completely proven that this is our Philip Randall. If this is our man, he came to the New World about 1633 (some sources say as early as 1630, so he may have come first and then gone back for his family). If he arrived in 1630, he was already possibly 56 years old, but he must have been a vigorous man, to be willing to live in the Colonies. He was a smith, so was in high demand for his goods and his life would not have been quite as difficult as that of some of our immigrant ancestors.
He had married Joanne or Joanna Fush in England in 1608, If the 1574 birth date was correct than he would have been about 34 years old, so possibly this was not his first marriage. Joanne was born in1578 in Allington, Bridport Parish, Dorset, England so she would have been 30 at the time of the April 10, 1608 marriage. The relatively late marriage of this couple may help to explain why we have record of only three or four children for the couple. The children were Abraham, Elizabeth, Philury and Frances, all born in England.
When the couple came to the New World, it appears that the children, who were in their late teen and early adult years, came with them. Philip settled first at Dorchester, where he was made a freeman about 1635. A year later, he went to Windsor, Connecticut where he helped settle the town and where his smithing skills were undoubtedly needed. We don't know whether he was involved in the Pequot War of 1637 but it seems at least possible. He stayed atWindsor until the end of his days, receiving land grants and possibly buying more land as time went on. He died May 6, 1662, and the inventory was taken May 28, 1662. He had real estate valued at 72 pounds and the rest of his estate, including smith's tools and books, was valued at 41 pounds. He signed his will with an X but that doesn't mean he was illiterate. He may have merely been weak or/and ill.
I haven't found any information that follows his church life, other than he was a freeman in Dorchester so must have belonged to the church at that time. It would be interesting to know what he thought of the various controversies that the church was involved in, and whether he stayed faithful to his religion.
The line of descent is:
Philip Randall-Joanne Fush
Frances Randall-Thomas Dewey
Thomas Dewey-Constant Hawes
Elizabeth Dewey-Thomas Noble
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John W. Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
There was a Philip Randall born in 1574 in Allington, Bridport Parish, Dorset, England and it seems plausible if not completely proven that this is our Philip Randall. If this is our man, he came to the New World about 1633 (some sources say as early as 1630, so he may have come first and then gone back for his family). If he arrived in 1630, he was already possibly 56 years old, but he must have been a vigorous man, to be willing to live in the Colonies. He was a smith, so was in high demand for his goods and his life would not have been quite as difficult as that of some of our immigrant ancestors.
He had married Joanne or Joanna Fush in England in 1608, If the 1574 birth date was correct than he would have been about 34 years old, so possibly this was not his first marriage. Joanne was born in1578 in Allington, Bridport Parish, Dorset, England so she would have been 30 at the time of the April 10, 1608 marriage. The relatively late marriage of this couple may help to explain why we have record of only three or four children for the couple. The children were Abraham, Elizabeth, Philury and Frances, all born in England.
When the couple came to the New World, it appears that the children, who were in their late teen and early adult years, came with them. Philip settled first at Dorchester, where he was made a freeman about 1635. A year later, he went to Windsor, Connecticut where he helped settle the town and where his smithing skills were undoubtedly needed. We don't know whether he was involved in the Pequot War of 1637 but it seems at least possible. He stayed atWindsor until the end of his days, receiving land grants and possibly buying more land as time went on. He died May 6, 1662, and the inventory was taken May 28, 1662. He had real estate valued at 72 pounds and the rest of his estate, including smith's tools and books, was valued at 41 pounds. He signed his will with an X but that doesn't mean he was illiterate. He may have merely been weak or/and ill.
I haven't found any information that follows his church life, other than he was a freeman in Dorchester so must have belonged to the church at that time. It would be interesting to know what he thought of the various controversies that the church was involved in, and whether he stayed faithful to his religion.
The line of descent is:
Philip Randall-Joanne Fush
Frances Randall-Thomas Dewey
Thomas Dewey-Constant Hawes
Elizabeth Dewey-Thomas Noble
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John W. Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 1, 2016
Allen line: Anthony Dorchester 1619-1683 Immigrant
Although quite a bit is known of Anthony's life in America, little is known of his life in England. He is believed to have been born about 1619, and some sources list, without documentation that I have found, his parents as being Anthony and Sarah Dorchester. Since Anthony himself had a wife named Sarah, I hope the two men are not being confused. I tend to believe his parents are not yet identified.
We don't know when Anthony came to America, either. Some believe it was as early as 1633, but Robert Charles Anderson hasn't covered him in any of the Great Migration publications that I've reviewed, so until there is some verification we will have to leave that as unknown. His second wife, Martha Chapman, may have been from Digswell, Hertfordshire, England but that may not be a clue since the marriage took place in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Savage, in his genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England, says that Anthony went to Springfield about 1649 (probably soon after the death of his first wife, Sarah) but had been at Windsor, Ct. for some years prior (he is listed as a founding father of Windsor) and may have been at Hingham before that. Children by his first wife were John, Mary, and James, and were likely born in Windsor between 1644 and 1647. (Therefore, it is possible that a father or grandfather of Anthonhy's would have been John.) It is possible that Sarah died in or from complications of childbirth, since 1649 would have been about the time she would likely have had another pregnancy. With three small children to raise, Anthony needed a wife quickly, and less than three months after Sarah died, he was married to Martha Chapman Kitcherel, who was either from Digswell as indicated above or from Rolvenden, Kent, England. Apparently the jury is still out on her origins. Martha had children from her marriage, so it must have been a lively household as three more Dorchesters, Benjamin, Sarah and Hester, were added to the family. Martha died December 17, 1662 and Anthony next married Elizabeth possibly Cummins, his wife for the last 21 years of his life. She must have been an amazing woman to raise so many children who weren't "hers" by birth!
Anthony lived in very interesting times and the book "Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts" tells at least one interesting story to indicate this. We don't generally think of slaves at that time period in Massachusetts, but it definitely was a fact of life. Jack ran away from his owner after one too many beatings, and 10 days later was at the Dorchester home. He asked for some tobacco, which the Dorchesters gave him, and then there was some sort of a struggle. It took Dorchester, his wife, and a daughter to subdue the man, possibly with the aid of a cutlass or possibly the cutlass "came out stiff" and therefore wasn't effective. When Jack was searched, he had in his pocket a knife belonging to Anthony. Jack was sent to jail until he was released into the custody of Lieut. William Clark. That night, the Clark house burned down, and Jack was soon found guilty of arson. He was sentenced to be hanged and his body to be burnt to ashes. It's not clear whether he ever stood trial for the events at the Dorchester home.
In addition to this story, Anthony and his wife were witnesses in a witchcraft case. It seems that an one time Anthony was working for Hugh Parsons, perhaps as a laborer, and he and Parsons each owned 1/4 interest in a certain cow. When the cow was killed, both men wanted the tongue. Dorchester got it, and it was put in the pot to be cooked but "mysteriously" disappeared. This was one of several incidents that got Hugh and his wife accused of witchcraft. Mrs. Parsons was tried in Boston for the death of her child, apparently believed to be witchcraft. She was found guilty but before she could be hanged she died in jail, apparently deranged. Mr. Parsons was also convicted of witchcraft but the General Court didn't confirm the conviction and he was allowed to leave Massachusetts. There's more to the Parsons story but our interest is in the Dorchesters, and it is interesting to see that both slavery and witchcraft touched their lives.
Anthony was a miller and a ferrier (ferryman? or farrier?) but he would have done at least some farming. We know he signed a petition in 1668 (along with a lot of other Allen ancestors and relatives) asking that the imposts, or tariffs, be lifted. We know that in 1663 he took an oath of fidelity, apparently routine, as part of the training band. He was on some local juries and was a selectman for Springfield. He was made a freeman of Springfield in 1661. He helped build the meeting house in Springfield, or at least was on a committee to supervise the building.
Anthony appears to have been relatively poor. He died without a will but his son John helped formulate an agreement with the heirs, including Martha, the daughter of Martha Chapman, who claimed that her mother had brought some property to the marriage. I'd love to find that inventory to see what was there when Anthony died August 28, 1683. Did he have a Bible and other books? Did he still have that cutlass? I'll keep looking!
The line of descent is:
Anthony Dorchester-Martha Chapman
Sarah Dorchester-Joseph Stebbins
Martha Stebbins-Samuel Lamb
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root Jr-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
We don't know when Anthony came to America, either. Some believe it was as early as 1633, but Robert Charles Anderson hasn't covered him in any of the Great Migration publications that I've reviewed, so until there is some verification we will have to leave that as unknown. His second wife, Martha Chapman, may have been from Digswell, Hertfordshire, England but that may not be a clue since the marriage took place in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Savage, in his genealogical Dictionary of First Settlers of New England, says that Anthony went to Springfield about 1649 (probably soon after the death of his first wife, Sarah) but had been at Windsor, Ct. for some years prior (he is listed as a founding father of Windsor) and may have been at Hingham before that. Children by his first wife were John, Mary, and James, and were likely born in Windsor between 1644 and 1647. (Therefore, it is possible that a father or grandfather of Anthonhy's would have been John.) It is possible that Sarah died in or from complications of childbirth, since 1649 would have been about the time she would likely have had another pregnancy. With three small children to raise, Anthony needed a wife quickly, and less than three months after Sarah died, he was married to Martha Chapman Kitcherel, who was either from Digswell as indicated above or from Rolvenden, Kent, England. Apparently the jury is still out on her origins. Martha had children from her marriage, so it must have been a lively household as three more Dorchesters, Benjamin, Sarah and Hester, were added to the family. Martha died December 17, 1662 and Anthony next married Elizabeth possibly Cummins, his wife for the last 21 years of his life. She must have been an amazing woman to raise so many children who weren't "hers" by birth!
Anthony lived in very interesting times and the book "Colonial Justice in Western Massachusetts" tells at least one interesting story to indicate this. We don't generally think of slaves at that time period in Massachusetts, but it definitely was a fact of life. Jack ran away from his owner after one too many beatings, and 10 days later was at the Dorchester home. He asked for some tobacco, which the Dorchesters gave him, and then there was some sort of a struggle. It took Dorchester, his wife, and a daughter to subdue the man, possibly with the aid of a cutlass or possibly the cutlass "came out stiff" and therefore wasn't effective. When Jack was searched, he had in his pocket a knife belonging to Anthony. Jack was sent to jail until he was released into the custody of Lieut. William Clark. That night, the Clark house burned down, and Jack was soon found guilty of arson. He was sentenced to be hanged and his body to be burnt to ashes. It's not clear whether he ever stood trial for the events at the Dorchester home.
In addition to this story, Anthony and his wife were witnesses in a witchcraft case. It seems that an one time Anthony was working for Hugh Parsons, perhaps as a laborer, and he and Parsons each owned 1/4 interest in a certain cow. When the cow was killed, both men wanted the tongue. Dorchester got it, and it was put in the pot to be cooked but "mysteriously" disappeared. This was one of several incidents that got Hugh and his wife accused of witchcraft. Mrs. Parsons was tried in Boston for the death of her child, apparently believed to be witchcraft. She was found guilty but before she could be hanged she died in jail, apparently deranged. Mr. Parsons was also convicted of witchcraft but the General Court didn't confirm the conviction and he was allowed to leave Massachusetts. There's more to the Parsons story but our interest is in the Dorchesters, and it is interesting to see that both slavery and witchcraft touched their lives.
Anthony was a miller and a ferrier (ferryman? or farrier?) but he would have done at least some farming. We know he signed a petition in 1668 (along with a lot of other Allen ancestors and relatives) asking that the imposts, or tariffs, be lifted. We know that in 1663 he took an oath of fidelity, apparently routine, as part of the training band. He was on some local juries and was a selectman for Springfield. He was made a freeman of Springfield in 1661. He helped build the meeting house in Springfield, or at least was on a committee to supervise the building.
Anthony appears to have been relatively poor. He died without a will but his son John helped formulate an agreement with the heirs, including Martha, the daughter of Martha Chapman, who claimed that her mother had brought some property to the marriage. I'd love to find that inventory to see what was there when Anthony died August 28, 1683. Did he have a Bible and other books? Did he still have that cutlass? I'll keep looking!
The line of descent is:
Anthony Dorchester-Martha Chapman
Sarah Dorchester-Joseph Stebbins
Martha Stebbins-Samuel Lamb
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root Jr-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Allen line: Robert Walker, Immigrant 1601-1687
Oh, happy day! Here's a well-documented (mostly) ancestor that had been under my radar to the extent that I didn't even have a folder started for him. Yet, here he is, with well written articles in both The Great Migration Begins and The American Genealogist, as well as a good web page on the John Walker Family Organization website. The only problem is, his parentage may or may not be correct, and the identification of his wife is not certain. Other than those "minor" issues, we know quite a lot about Robert Walker.
The first question, of course, is when was he born and who were his parents? It's believed that he was born in either 1601 or 1607. If the 1607 date is correct, then his parents were Thomas Walker and Margaret Bardsley. Margaret died when Robert was about two, and Thomas died just two years later, so Robert was likely raised by the husband of his step-mother. Somehow, Robert followed the trade of linen weaver or webster that his father had followed. Perhaps his sort of step-father was also a linen weaver. (Webster" appears to mean someone who also made linen thread from flax, perhaps for separate sale, in addition to weaving the material).
Robert came to Massachusetts Bay Colony (Boston) in about 1631 along with his wife, Sarah probably Leager, whom he had married in England. Their origin was "Manchester, Lancashire, England." The John Walker Family Organization website says he came in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet, along with Sarah and "other Puritans." If they were already married, they were newly-weds. Other sources say they married in Boston.
Robert and Sarah had at least 12 children, some of whom died young. In Boston, Robert joined the First Church in 1632 and Sarah in 1634. Robert was made a freeman in 1634. He later became one of the founders of the Old South (Third) Church in 1669. I may have unknowingly walked, or at least driven, by his homesite when I made a quick trip to Boston (not for genealogy purposes) in 1998, because his home was bounded on the north by Boston Common. I was right there!
Robert didn't hold many offices in Boston. He was appointed a cowherd, and served on two grand juries. Also he was a clerk of the market, and a tithing man at Old South church. He wrote his name on only one deed but signed only initials on other documents. Was his hand sore, or hurt, or was he truly just barely literate, one wonders. Sarah consistently signed her name.
Robert had what appears to be a stroke on May 27, 1687 and died two days later. Samuel Sewall is quoted in his Diary as stating "He was a very good Man and conversant among God's New England People from beginning." That's a pretty good legacy, in my opinion.
It's fun to think about Robert and Sarah in very early Boston (which when they arrived was a very small town indeed). And when I read about "Old South Church" in pre-Revolutionary War days, it's exciting to realize that an ancestor helped found that church, 100 years earlier. Oh, I love it when facts come together!
The line of descent is
Robert Walker-Sarah Leager
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchcock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samual Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The first question, of course, is when was he born and who were his parents? It's believed that he was born in either 1601 or 1607. If the 1607 date is correct, then his parents were Thomas Walker and Margaret Bardsley. Margaret died when Robert was about two, and Thomas died just two years later, so Robert was likely raised by the husband of his step-mother. Somehow, Robert followed the trade of linen weaver or webster that his father had followed. Perhaps his sort of step-father was also a linen weaver. (Webster" appears to mean someone who also made linen thread from flax, perhaps for separate sale, in addition to weaving the material).
Robert came to Massachusetts Bay Colony (Boston) in about 1631 along with his wife, Sarah probably Leager, whom he had married in England. Their origin was "Manchester, Lancashire, England." The John Walker Family Organization website says he came in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet, along with Sarah and "other Puritans." If they were already married, they were newly-weds. Other sources say they married in Boston.
Robert and Sarah had at least 12 children, some of whom died young. In Boston, Robert joined the First Church in 1632 and Sarah in 1634. Robert was made a freeman in 1634. He later became one of the founders of the Old South (Third) Church in 1669. I may have unknowingly walked, or at least driven, by his homesite when I made a quick trip to Boston (not for genealogy purposes) in 1998, because his home was bounded on the north by Boston Common. I was right there!
Robert didn't hold many offices in Boston. He was appointed a cowherd, and served on two grand juries. Also he was a clerk of the market, and a tithing man at Old South church. He wrote his name on only one deed but signed only initials on other documents. Was his hand sore, or hurt, or was he truly just barely literate, one wonders. Sarah consistently signed her name.
Robert had what appears to be a stroke on May 27, 1687 and died two days later. Samuel Sewall is quoted in his Diary as stating "He was a very good Man and conversant among God's New England People from beginning." That's a pretty good legacy, in my opinion.
It's fun to think about Robert and Sarah in very early Boston (which when they arrived was a very small town indeed). And when I read about "Old South Church" in pre-Revolutionary War days, it's exciting to realize that an ancestor helped found that church, 100 years earlier. Oh, I love it when facts come together!
The line of descent is
Robert Walker-Sarah Leager
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchcock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samual Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Allen line: Richard Hawes, Immigrant 1606-1656
Richard Hawes has been sitting on my family tree for a long time, basically unnoticed and neglected. I didn't even have a folder prepared for his information. Yet, here he is, not only an immigrant but an early one, covered in the Great Migration 1634-1635. How did I miss this?
Richard was born in 1606 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, to Richard Hawes and (probably) Susan Dean. He may have been an only child, at least I've not yet found record of siblings. His mother died in 1609 at the age of 25 so she may have died in or following childbirth, and perhaps that child did not survive.
That is as much as is known about Richard until the birth of his first daughter, Anne, who was baptized at Great Missenden on December 17, 1632. We learn that his wife's name was Anne, from the register of the ship "Truelove", which sailed September 19, 1635 from London. By that time, a son, Obediah, had been born. He was about six months old when the family of four set sail for Massachusetts.
Once landed, the family went to Dorchester, where the couple were admitted to the church in 1637 and Richard was made a freeman in 1638. He doesn't seem to have held offices of any consequence, though he was a fence viewer several times. We can believe he was educated to some degree because there were books listed in his inventory. He may also have been involved in military training or/and service, as were most of the men of early Massachusetts, because his inventory included two muskets, two swords, and a pair of bandoliers. The family stayed in Dorchester as long as Richard lived.
We know that he and Anne had at least seven children: Anne, Obediah, Bethia, Deliverance, Constant, Eleazer, and Jeremiah. Also we know that he was granted various lands for his role as settler, and had apparently acquired additional land. His real estate was valued at 87 pounds at the time of his death. Also, there is a clue that perhaps his father, although a husbandman at his death, was not poor, in that he left the two oldest children 20 pounds apiece, with an additional 10 pounds to be divided equally between the other grandchildren (whom he had probably not seen).
"
Richard appears to have been a peaceable man, only once being called into court, which was almost nothing compared to many of his neighbors. He saw an opportunity in America and by hard work acquired land to leave his family. Like many in early Massachusetts, he did not have a long life, being about 50 when he died. Obediah was eventually granted administration of the estate including "binding and placing out the children". Our ancestor, Constant, would have been 14 years old when her father died. It was seven years later that she married Thomas Dewey, so I'd love to know what happened to her during this time! We don't know when Ann died. The last child, Jeremiah, was born about 1647, and there seems to be no further mention of her after that time.
I'm thankful for Richard Hawes and his wife. I wouldn't be here without them!
The line of descent is
Richard Hawes-Anne
Constant Hawes-Thomas Dewey
Elizabeth Dewey-Thomas Noble
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward F. Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Richard was born in 1606 in Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England, to Richard Hawes and (probably) Susan Dean. He may have been an only child, at least I've not yet found record of siblings. His mother died in 1609 at the age of 25 so she may have died in or following childbirth, and perhaps that child did not survive.
That is as much as is known about Richard until the birth of his first daughter, Anne, who was baptized at Great Missenden on December 17, 1632. We learn that his wife's name was Anne, from the register of the ship "Truelove", which sailed September 19, 1635 from London. By that time, a son, Obediah, had been born. He was about six months old when the family of four set sail for Massachusetts.
Once landed, the family went to Dorchester, where the couple were admitted to the church in 1637 and Richard was made a freeman in 1638. He doesn't seem to have held offices of any consequence, though he was a fence viewer several times. We can believe he was educated to some degree because there were books listed in his inventory. He may also have been involved in military training or/and service, as were most of the men of early Massachusetts, because his inventory included two muskets, two swords, and a pair of bandoliers. The family stayed in Dorchester as long as Richard lived.
We know that he and Anne had at least seven children: Anne, Obediah, Bethia, Deliverance, Constant, Eleazer, and Jeremiah. Also we know that he was granted various lands for his role as settler, and had apparently acquired additional land. His real estate was valued at 87 pounds at the time of his death. Also, there is a clue that perhaps his father, although a husbandman at his death, was not poor, in that he left the two oldest children 20 pounds apiece, with an additional 10 pounds to be divided equally between the other grandchildren (whom he had probably not seen).
"
Richard appears to have been a peaceable man, only once being called into court, which was almost nothing compared to many of his neighbors. He saw an opportunity in America and by hard work acquired land to leave his family. Like many in early Massachusetts, he did not have a long life, being about 50 when he died. Obediah was eventually granted administration of the estate including "binding and placing out the children". Our ancestor, Constant, would have been 14 years old when her father died. It was seven years later that she married Thomas Dewey, so I'd love to know what happened to her during this time! We don't know when Ann died. The last child, Jeremiah, was born about 1647, and there seems to be no further mention of her after that time.
I'm thankful for Richard Hawes and his wife. I wouldn't be here without them!
The line of descent is
Richard Hawes-Anne
Constant Hawes-Thomas Dewey
Elizabeth Dewey-Thomas Noble
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward F. Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 26, 2016
Allen line: Thomas Noble, 1606-1666, Immigrant or not?
I thought I'd found an immigrant to write about, but now I'm confused as to whether I should be writing about Thomas, or about another Thomas who was born about 1632.
According to very sketchy information I've found, the Thomas I intended to write about was born in 1606 in Aldingha, Kent, England. Except that he may be the Thomas who was born in 1606 in St Giles, Cripplegate, England. If the second theory is correct, his occupation may have been that of pinmaker, which was a working class job except that he seems to have been admitted to a guild.
Thomas may or may not have married Rachel Gardiner, and he may or may not have died in 1666 in Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts. Right now I am not finding sources or documentation for any of these statements. I am finding that Thomas Noble born 1632 is noted as "The Settler". He was admitted an inhabitant of Boston in 1651. The internet assumption is that this refers to Thomas born 1632, but I don't know that there's proof about that.
I'm also wondering about the death date and location for Thomas. There is at least some thought in the genealogy world that Thomas senior died in England about 1650, and that Thomas the settler went to England soon after at least partly to claim his inheritance. This would explain a lot of things, but absolute proof is lacking, since the will of Thomas in England leaves an inheritance to Thomas Jr but doesn't state the younger Thomas's whereabouts.
I'll write another blog post about Thomas the Settler, but I wanted to at least throw out the ideas that are floating around, about Thomas's father. He may have been from Aldingham, Kent, England or he may have been from London. He may have married Rachel Gardiner, or he may have married someone else. He may have died in London, or he may have died in Westfield, Massachusetts. And someday, we may have the answers to these questions, and more!
The line of descent may be:
Thomas Noble-Rachel Gardiner
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Elizabeth Noble-Richard Church
Jonathan Church-Ruth Hitchcock
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Allen
Their descendants
Their is another line that would go
Thomas Noble-Rachel Gardiner
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Thomas Noble Elizabeth Dewey
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church and then duplicates
So Stephen Noble, Revolutionary War soldier, and Ruth Church were second cousins.
According to very sketchy information I've found, the Thomas I intended to write about was born in 1606 in Aldingha, Kent, England. Except that he may be the Thomas who was born in 1606 in St Giles, Cripplegate, England. If the second theory is correct, his occupation may have been that of pinmaker, which was a working class job except that he seems to have been admitted to a guild.
Thomas may or may not have married Rachel Gardiner, and he may or may not have died in 1666 in Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts. Right now I am not finding sources or documentation for any of these statements. I am finding that Thomas Noble born 1632 is noted as "The Settler". He was admitted an inhabitant of Boston in 1651. The internet assumption is that this refers to Thomas born 1632, but I don't know that there's proof about that.
I'm also wondering about the death date and location for Thomas. There is at least some thought in the genealogy world that Thomas senior died in England about 1650, and that Thomas the settler went to England soon after at least partly to claim his inheritance. This would explain a lot of things, but absolute proof is lacking, since the will of Thomas in England leaves an inheritance to Thomas Jr but doesn't state the younger Thomas's whereabouts.
I'll write another blog post about Thomas the Settler, but I wanted to at least throw out the ideas that are floating around, about Thomas's father. He may have been from Aldingham, Kent, England or he may have been from London. He may have married Rachel Gardiner, or he may have married someone else. He may have died in London, or he may have died in Westfield, Massachusetts. And someday, we may have the answers to these questions, and more!
The line of descent may be:
Thomas Noble-Rachel Gardiner
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Elizabeth Noble-Richard Church
Jonathan Church-Ruth Hitchcock
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Allen
Their descendants
Their is another line that would go
Thomas Noble-Rachel Gardiner
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Thomas Noble Elizabeth Dewey
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church and then duplicates
So Stephen Noble, Revolutionary War soldier, and Ruth Church were second cousins.
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