Holbrook line: Elisha Eddy 1710-1764

We come from a long line in the Eddy family.  Starting with Susan Eddy, we can trace back all the way to a John Eddy born in 1435, if printed information is correct.  However, for this post, we are interested in Elisha Eddy, who lived from 1710-1764 in Rhode Island. 

Elisha was the son of Zechariah (or Zachariah, or Zachary) and Anphillis Smith Eddy.  He was born in what was then Providence Plantation, Rhode Island.  Later Gloucester broke off from Providence, a peaceful event, and later still the town changed its name to Glocester, to avoid confusion with Gloucester, Massachusetts.  Elisha was born November 10, 1710 and he was one of at least four children.  Zechariah must have had some influence in the town because he was appointed town sergeant at its formation in 1731.   

Elisha, however, stayed pretty much under the radar.  We know he married Sarah Phetteplace, daughter of Walter and Joanna Mowry Phetteplace, on December 2, 1734 in Gloucester.  His father gave him 100 acres of land shortly before his death in 1737, and Elisha stayed there for several years, until he sold the land to his brother, Joseph, and purchased 200 acres from Richard Sayles.  (He left half of this land to his oldest son Enos in his will in 1764.)

Elisha and Sarah had at least four children, which was not a large family for the period, and for having been married nearly 27 years when Elisha died.  He describes himself in his will as a yeoman, and Enos as a husbandman, meaning both farmed land, but Elisha owned land and Enos was a tenant farmer at the time. 

His name is found on one Inman will as an executor, and as a witness on several deeds, but other than that he is not noted in town records that I'm aware of.  He would have served in the militia but we don't know whether, for instance, he was part of the French and Indian War, or any of the earlier wars that preceded it.  We don't know his religion, although based on the religion of others in the area he was likely "some kind" of Baptist. 

In his will, he set out an area 6 poles square (about 300 feet by 300 feet) for a burial location, where his father was already buried.  It seems to be listed as a historical cemetery, GL149, which has not been recorded but seems to be at or near the location of Elisha's home. 

Elisha died January 27, 1764.  Sarah was an executor of his will, and she lived until December 2, 1794.  (She saw the American Revolution.  Did she participate in some way, as in providing goods or services?)  Whether or not Elisha served in some capacity in the town, whether or not he served in the militia, and whether or not he was a Baptist or other religious persuasion, are really immaterial to this one fact:  He was our ancestor, and he helped give life to the next generation. 

The line of descent is:

Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Thomas Savory, maybe an immigrant?

This is more of a plea for help than a blog post, actually.  I've had such difficulty in pinning this man down that about all I can write about him will be theories and speculation.  The one thing I am reasonably certain of is that he married Mary (Marie) Woodcock (Woororke, or something similar) on January 26, 1595 in Hannington, Wiltshire, England.  This would probably make his birth date sometime in the early 1570's but that is really just a guess.  I show on my tree that his parents were Robert and Joan Savory, but I haven't seen good documentation for that and so I regard it merely as speculation.  Robert and Joan did have a child named Thomas in that time period and location, but so did at least one other couple, so I say "show me".

We don't know when he came to America.  In fact, there are those who don't think he came to America at all.  Because his daughter was Elizabeth Savory who married Samuel Eddy in Massachusetts Bay Colony, I lean toward the idea that he was here but I have no proof.  He most likely is not the Thomas who came to America in 1633, and neither is he the one who came on the Mary and John in 1634. 

There is even considerable dispute about his children.  Some lists do not include Elizabeth, but she does seem to fit in this family, due to her birth date of May 1607, between two of her brothers.  It's possible that Elizabeth came to America without her parents, but no proof has been found. 

So Thomas is a mystery, and I'm asking for help in finding him.  If he came to America, he deserves recognition.  If he didn't come to America, then how did Elizabeth get here, and were Thomas and Mary her parents? 

This blog post is written as quite evident proof that there is much more to be learn about our ancestors.  Did Thomas come to America and possibly live just a short time?  Did he stay in England and perhaps perish in the Civil War there?  Did he die on board ship?  How did he stay under the radar for so long?  I hope to update this blog post at some point in the future, but let this be evidence that finding accurate information about our ancestors is difficult!

The (supposed) line of descent is:

Thomas Savory-Mary Woodcocke
Elizabeth Savory-Samuel Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zechariah Eddy-Anphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Christopher Smith, Immigrant

Christopher Smith's biography has recently changed.  I guess I'm glad I haven't written about him yet, because now I don't have to go back and do an update.  There are some important facts missing about him, but still, we have more information about him now than we have about many of our immigrant ancestors. 

Christopher Smith was born about 1591 in goodness knows where.  Much information says he was born on March 18, 1593 in Lancashire, England, but I'm not sure this is the correct Christopher Smith.  He was married on May 1, 1616 in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire.  The distance between these two localities is 140 miles, which makes it somewhat unlikely that the Christopher Smith of Lancashire is the Christopher Smith of Warwickshire.  More research is needed to prove or disprove this theory.  What is known is that his wife was Alice Gibbs or Gibes and that she became our Christopher's widow a little over 60 years later. 

The Smiths had 9 proven children, starting in 1617 and ending in 1633, all baptized in the church their parents were married in.  Four of the Smith sons and one daughter went to Hartford, Connecticut, probably before their father came to America.  Our Smiths were in Providence, Rhode Island by 1649.  Hartford was Puritan and Providence was more tolerant, which was a good place for a Quaker like our Christopher to live.  It would be interesting to know when the religions of some of the children split from those of their parents, or when Christopher split from them.  More needs to be researched about his like in England.  Was he ever harassed or jailed for his Quaker beliefs?

We don't know what Christopher did for a living, but we do know that he was given land in Providence in 1649 and in 1650 was taxed there.  He became a freeman in 1655 and the same year served as a juryman.  In 1656 he was granted a share of meadow in lieu of land he'd previously had, and he received more land in 1665.  He and his wife Alice sold land in 1665 and in 1672.  It's hard to get  sense of what he did for a living but he did have shares in meadow land so must have owned at least enough farm animals for family subsidence. 

He took an oath of allegiance in 1667, which makes one wonder whether he had given up his Quaker beliefs, or whether he actually affirmed instead of taking an oath.  We know that he was a Quaker at the end of his life because when he died at Newport in 1676 he was noted in the Society of Friend records as being an "ancient Friend of Providence, RI."  He died in Newport because he had gone there to take refuge from the natives who burned so much of Providence during King Philip's War. 

I've not yet found his will, if there was one.  He was at least 83 years old and probably older when he died, so he'd lived a good long life.  He spent 27 years in Rhode Island, building a home and a future for his family.  For this alone, we owe him honor.  I hope to learn more about Christopher in the future, but for now this will at least mark him as "one of ours".

The line of descent is
Christopher Smith-Alice Gibbs
Edward Smith-Amphyllis Angell
Amphillis Smith-Zachariah Eddy
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Roger Mowry 1610-1666

There's so much information about Roger Mowery (Mowery, Mawry, etc.) that some of it has to be wrong.  He was born in London, or he was born in Brimpton, Dorset, England.  His parents were Thomas and Anne, or they were Thomas and Elizabeth.  He came to Massachusetts in 1628, or1630, or 1632.  Some of these statements may not be contradictory.  Obviously he had one birth place and one set of parents.  But he could have come to Massachusetts more than once.  "The Great Migraation Begins" gives a migration date of 1630 so that is close enough, and another source says he came with Gov. Winthrop's fleet in 1630.

When Roger came to America, he was first at Plymouth colony, at the same time as Roger Williams.  He then moved at about the same time as Roger Williams to Salem, a little north of what was then a very small Boston.  In fact, Salem, at the time, was used as a seaport more than Boston, and may have been a little larger.  If a record of his marriage exists, it's not well documented and some have suggested he may have married more than once.  This may be based on the idea that in late December, 1637, he was granted three quarters of an acre of marshland near Salem, and at that time had a household of five.  So he may have had children from an earlier marriage, or there may be more children than we know about, or he could have had relatives living with him.  At any rate, his recognized wife is Mary Johnson, daughter of John Johnson, and they were married by 1637, when the first of at least 11 children were born. 

Roger and Mary stayed in Salem for several years.  At least their first four children, Jonathan, Appia/Bethiah, Mary, and Elizabeth were born there, and it is likely that is where Nathaniel, Mehitable, John, Joseph and Benjamin were born, since Benjamin was baptized at Salem on May 20, 1649.  Thomas and Hannah were born at Providence, Rhode Island. 

There are suggestions in several writings that Roger Mowry and the famous Roger Williams were somehow related, but their friendship could just as easily have been based on religious beliefs.  At any rate, the two Rogers lived near to each other for much of their lives, and it seems reasonable to suppose that Roger Williams' religious teachings influenced those of Roger Mowry. 

We know that Roger was educated well enough that he could write his name, but beyond that we know nothing of his education.  He would have had land to farm, both in Salem and in Providence, as he was given or earned it by right of being a freeman and an early settler.  In addition, in Salem he was a "neat herd", which was an early form of "cow herd."  He was responsible for getting the town cattle to their pasture each morning and bringing them back each night, and probably for their safety during the day.  This would not have left much time for other activities.  He held this post for at least 5 years, from 1636 to 1641, but there is no further mention of that occupation.  We know he was on the Esses County petit Jury on January 24, 1641.

Sometime before July of 1652, the Mowry's had moved to Providence, Rhode Island.  Salem may have become too restrictive, or they may have missed the fellowship with the Williams family, or they may have moved for economic reasons.  He was an inn-keeper (which also means tavern-keeper) at Providence by 1653.  This home/business was standing as late as 1900, and was known as the Olney House.  (You can Google Roger Mowry tavern, Providence and find a fascinating story and picture of the building itself, and about how it was used when Roger owned it.  Good stuff!) 

Roger was a constable in Providence in 1655, one of six men chosen to hear cases in Providence by 1662, and frequently a Providence juryman.   This seems to be a rise in status from that of "neatherd".

Roger died in Providence January 5, 1666/7, possibly from smallpox.  His widow, Mary, married John Kingsley of Rehoboth, and when she died in January of 1678/9, she was buried at Rehoboth. His will and inventory did not survive King Philip's War, when all but five buildings in Providence were burned, the Tavern being one that was spared.

The line of descent is:

Roger Mowry-Mary Johnson
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phettiplace
Sarah Phettiplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Their descendents

Holbrook line: Robert Paddock 1584-1650

Why am I writing about a man who lived 400 years ago when there are many more recent ancestors I haven't touched upon yet?  My answer would be that he's got a very interesting story, even though his history may or may not be proven.  The problem is that some of the initial research done on the Paddock family may or may not be bogus, and may or may not have been produced by Gustave Anjou, who was famous for manufacturing false genealogies.  So we will have to take the information about the French ancestry of Robert Paddock with a grain or two of salt, until more definitive research is undertaken.  Still, it's fun to think that this line back to medieval France and minor nobility might be correct.

Robert Paddock was born in 1584 in Stephenstown, Balrothery Parish, County Dublin, Ireland.  His parents are believed to have been John Paddock, who was born July 19, 1550 in La Cateau, Cambrai, Nord France, and Jane Jennings or Jenin, also born in France.  Now, one could ask why a French couple were in Ireland, and why an Irishman was in Plymouth Colony, and we can only offer conjectures.  John Paddock probably left France due to religious or/and political reasons, as the 1580's were a time of great religious upheaval and persecution in France.  There were likely economic reasons that he left France, also.  However, if he was a Protestant, why did he end up in County Dublin, Ireland?  John Paddock was probably known as Jean Paddoc in France, and if you believe the undocumented records, he came from "lesser nobility" and his ancestors can be traced back to the early 1300's.  So, we may or may not be a little bit French.

Robert Paddock is documented a bit better, but there is still much we don't know, including when he arrived in America, and why he came to America.  He was a blacksmith, having inherited his father's blacksmith shop in Ireland.  The Pilgrims are known to have recruited blacksmiths as that was a trade that apparently did not come over on the Mayflower, or perhaps the practitioner(s) died in those very early years of the Colony.  It is believed that he and his second wife, Mary Holmes (probably) were here by 1632.  Robert's first wife had been Mary Ball, but she died in 1627.  He is supposed to have married Mary Holmes in October of 1630, and they had 6 children together, Robert, Elizabeth, Zechariah, Mary, Alice, and John.  Robert had another daughter, Susanna, but she was by his third wife, Mary Trine. 

I haven't found reference to Robert's religion, but he was given land with other settlers and was given civic responsibilities, so he may have been a "saint".  He met up with the law on at least one occasion, when he and William Clarke had too much to drink and had to pay a fine.  He was constable of Plymouth Colony, and he was a member of the Plymouth Company militia, which included all men able to bear arms, as Indians were a constant threat.  His commander was Captain Miles Standish. 

Apparently his death came rather suddenly, because there was no written will.  His death bed statement asked Mary to give John Paddock, his son of about 5 years of age, to Thomas Willet for upbringing.  Thomas Willet was later Mayor of New York.  It is not clear why special arrangements were made for this child and not for the others. 

Most of this information was obtained from The Paddock Genealogy by Robert Curfman, with some corrections made due to information found later.  Mr. Curfman himself was somewhat suspicious about the French pedigree, but to date I know of no one has been able to provide documentation of any other ancestry for Robert and John/Jean.  Regardless, it's fascinating to know that this ancestor of ours would have known William Brewster, Miles Standish, and Edward Doty, our Mayflower ancestors, and would likely have performed services for them. 

Our line of descent is:
Robert Paddock-Mary Holmes
Alice Paddock-Zechariah Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Holbrook children, grand children, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren