It's been awhile since I had a Beeks ancestor to write about. Sometimes I just somehow miss these people, and sometimes the first time I looked for information, I couldn't find enough to write about. It's also possible that I've relaxed my definition of "enough". When I started doing these brief sketches, I made it a goal to write 8-10 paragraphs about each ancestor. Now, I'm willing to write even just a little bit, figuring that something is better than nothing. With Joseph, I've found enough to give at least some outline of his life, although there are still big question marks, too.
Joseph was born about 1605 possibly in Crewkerne, Somerset, England, although his parents have not yet been identified. We know he was born about 1605 because in a court case in 1640, Joseph stated that he was 35 or thereabouts. Crewkerne is a very old town, dating back to the time of Alfred the Great. There is a 15th century church there, which Joseph would probably have attended. There was also a school at the time that Joseph lived there, but we don't know whether he attended or not.
Joseph married Rose Allen, daughter of George and Katherine (maiden name not certain) Allen, in England. We know that it was in England becae his son was "of age" when Joseph died in 1647, which means the son must have been at least 18. That puts his birth date at 1629, so this Joseph likely married in or about 1628. The couple had at least five children together, a son and then four daughters.
We don't know for sure when Joseph came to New England but he was in Dorchester as early as 1633 and in Lynn in 1636. By 1637 he was in Sandwich, in Plymouth Colony, where he is considered one of the 61 original signers and one of just 16 long term settlers. The church of Sandwich seems to have not been as Puritan as was liked, and they went for ten years without a pastor. There is some thought that the people of the town, or at least some of them, were early Quaker adherents.
We know Joseph was part of a military band, probably guarding against Indians but we don't know whether he actually fought in any battles. We know he owned property as early as 1639. By occupation, he was a millwright, which may explain why he went from place to place for a few years before settling in Sandwich. He was a freeman in 1643/44constable in 1644, and either he or his son was a surveyor of highways in 1647.
Sadly. that is the last we hear of Joseph, for he died in 1647 in Sandwich. We have no information about his cause of death but he was only about 42 years old, so it was likely an illness of some sort. Fevers and dysentery were relatively common at the time.
His inventory was valued at about 205 pounds, but the estate wasn't settled for another 18 years, as the youngest of the children finally reached maturity. Rose remarried after a few months as a widow, to William Newland, and she died in 1694.
The line of descent is
Joseph Holley-Rose Allen
Mary Holley-Nathaniel FitzRandolph__
Samuel FitzRandolph-Mary Jones
Prudence Fitzrandolph-Shubael Smith
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham=Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Reese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Reese. Show all posts
Friday, May 15, 2020
Friday, January 17, 2020
Beeks line: Benjamin Dunham 1681-1715
For a man in the ancestry of Barack Obama, there is still a lot of mystery about him. Was his name actually Singletary? I've not found any reference to that name in the vital records and histories of Woodbridge, New Jersey that I've seen, but many genealogies have him listed as either Dunham alias Singletary or Singletary alias Dunham. That story is too complicated to go into here, especially since I am not confident of the answer. Another mystery is the name of his wife. Many trees list her as Mary Rolph or Rolfe, but I can find no supporting documentation for that. Most experts now give her name only as Mary.
We do know that he was born August 22, 1681, in Woodbridge, New Jersey, the son of Jonathan and Mary Bloomfield Dunham (alias Singletary?). He was one of possibly as many as 12 children born to this couple, so he had lots of companions growing up, even in a small village such as Woodbridge was. His father, Jonathan, was a miller and probably one of the more prosperous people in the town. The Dunhams may had been friendly with the Quakers who also settled in Woodbridge, but our family appears to have been congregationalist in belief, or at least in practice.
Woodbridge was on the frontier when it was settled. There are references to wolf pits built within the township, which actively trapped wolves, and of course the early settlers would have hunted them, or at least had firearms handy, to protect their families. Benjamin's father built a house in 1700 that was built of brick and still stands, known as the Jonathan Singletary Dunham house. If Benjamin wasn't living with another family prior to his marriage, he would have lived here for a few years in his late teens and early twenties.
Marriage records for Benjamin have apparently not been found, which makes it a bit mysterious as to when and where it was decided that he had married Mary Rolfe. However that may be, a marriage evidently occurred about 1705 or 1706, and his wife does seem to have been named Mary.
Of Benjamin's adult life, we know three things. He was considered to be wealthy, he was actively involved in starting an Anglican house of worship and providing a place for a small church to be built, and he served in the militia. I don't yet know his occupation. His impetus for starting the Anglican church seems to be that he was unhappy with the presbyterian government of the church as it was set up at the time, and he failed to see eye to eye with that pastor. The militia would have been called out whenever there was a scare from the native Americans, which did happen from time to time.
The marriage, and Benjamin's life, was a short one, producing just four children. Benjamin died on December 31, 1715 of unspecified causes, in his thirty fifth year. There is an abstract of a will from 1706 that is being accepted as his will, although I haven't read the original. If he wrote the will in 1706 and didn't die until 1715, it makes us wonder whether he survived an early illness or injury that perhaps made him aware of the brevity of life. It's also possible that he died of a lingering illness or condition. Or perhaps he wrote the will during the early months of his marriage, at the request of his wife or in-laws. We just don't know.
I think Benjamin is an interesting man. I'd like to know why he was considered wealthy, what his occupation was, how often he saw military service, and why he decided to become Anglican. There are things we'll never know, but there's always the possibility that more information will come to light.
The line of descent is
Benjamin Dunham-Mary
Jonathan Dunham=Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham=Hannah possibly Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham=Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
We do know that he was born August 22, 1681, in Woodbridge, New Jersey, the son of Jonathan and Mary Bloomfield Dunham (alias Singletary?). He was one of possibly as many as 12 children born to this couple, so he had lots of companions growing up, even in a small village such as Woodbridge was. His father, Jonathan, was a miller and probably one of the more prosperous people in the town. The Dunhams may had been friendly with the Quakers who also settled in Woodbridge, but our family appears to have been congregationalist in belief, or at least in practice.
Woodbridge was on the frontier when it was settled. There are references to wolf pits built within the township, which actively trapped wolves, and of course the early settlers would have hunted them, or at least had firearms handy, to protect their families. Benjamin's father built a house in 1700 that was built of brick and still stands, known as the Jonathan Singletary Dunham house. If Benjamin wasn't living with another family prior to his marriage, he would have lived here for a few years in his late teens and early twenties.
Marriage records for Benjamin have apparently not been found, which makes it a bit mysterious as to when and where it was decided that he had married Mary Rolfe. However that may be, a marriage evidently occurred about 1705 or 1706, and his wife does seem to have been named Mary.
Of Benjamin's adult life, we know three things. He was considered to be wealthy, he was actively involved in starting an Anglican house of worship and providing a place for a small church to be built, and he served in the militia. I don't yet know his occupation. His impetus for starting the Anglican church seems to be that he was unhappy with the presbyterian government of the church as it was set up at the time, and he failed to see eye to eye with that pastor. The militia would have been called out whenever there was a scare from the native Americans, which did happen from time to time.
The marriage, and Benjamin's life, was a short one, producing just four children. Benjamin died on December 31, 1715 of unspecified causes, in his thirty fifth year. There is an abstract of a will from 1706 that is being accepted as his will, although I haven't read the original. If he wrote the will in 1706 and didn't die until 1715, it makes us wonder whether he survived an early illness or injury that perhaps made him aware of the brevity of life. It's also possible that he died of a lingering illness or condition. Or perhaps he wrote the will during the early months of his marriage, at the request of his wife or in-laws. We just don't know.
I think Benjamin is an interesting man. I'd like to know why he was considered wealthy, what his occupation was, how often he saw military service, and why he decided to become Anglican. There are things we'll never know, but there's always the possibility that more information will come to light.
The line of descent is
Benjamin Dunham-Mary
Jonathan Dunham=Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham=Hannah possibly Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham=Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Friday, August 2, 2019
Beeks line: John Rolfe, Immigrant 1634-1681
No, he wasn't that John Rolfe, not the one who was married to Pocahontas, not the one who figured large in the early days of Virginia. But nevertheless, he is a John Rolfe who is an early immigrant, and who has a story to tell.
The story starts in England, where John was born or baptized May 10, 1634 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England. Whiteparish is a small town about seven and a half miles southeast of Salisbury, and at the time of John's birth was a sheep raising area, with textile manufacturing in Salisbury providing an outlet for the wool produced there. His parents were Henry and Honor (Rolfe) Rolfe, and their family tree is quite convoluted. There are Rolfes on both sides of the family going back to about 1515, but it's not know whether it was the 1515 Rolfes (one apparently unproven) or whether the connection goes further back. Anyway, it's a lot of Rolfes, and more than one Honor, to keep straight-or not.
Henry and Honor had at least four children. They are believed to have been in Massachusetts Bay Colony by about 1638, although no documentation seems to exist for their trip. John would have been a very young child at the time; Imagine being a three or four year old boy with a ship to explore, and imagine being a young mother, with other children, trying to prevent said boy from going overboard. All were probably glad when they arrived at their destination.
The family settled first in Newbury, where John grew to manhood and married Mary Scullard, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Kent Scullard, on December 4, 1656. Mary was very young, possibly as young as 14, when they married. They had eleven children together, losing the first one in infancy. Their first three children were born in Newbury, but they moved on to Nantucket about 1663.
This seems to have much to do with the situation described in "Good Wives" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. John was a fisherman, and had just left for a trip to Nantucket, leaving his young wife and children adequately protected and supported, as he supposed. But by the time he returned from his trip, Mary and been involved in something of a scandal, involving a gentleman from England, a physician, who decided he wished to bed her, never mind that she was nursing her third child. He was found out, by a neighbor who came in through a window since the door was locked, and rescued Mary, although they agreed to say nothing about it. Mary told all to her mother and had a witness (who, hard as it is for us to imagine) shared the bed with Mary in order to keep her safe, although it wasn't a very effective protection as it turned out.
The man involved was found guilty and Mary was vindicated, but John decided this was a good time to move to Nantucket, where he would be closer to the fishing grounds. They stayed in Nantucket for somewhere around ten years. By this time, John was approaching 40 and may have been looking for an easier way to make a living than fishing. The family moved to Cambridge, where John purchased and apparently operated a mill.
John died at Newbury on October 1, 1681, perhaps while visiting his brother Benjamin. It seems to have been a sudden death and the will may have had an oral codicil, as there is no provision in the will for his wife but the additional testimony of women who were there makes clear that he wanted to have his wife cared for also. Mary was pregnant with their last son when John died. John's inventory was valued at somewhere around 500 pounds (it's not totaled on the two pages, but I added up to about 485 pounds in my head, plus all the shillings and pence; I'm definitely no expert on that!). It seems like a pretty good estate for a fisherman or millwright, either one. He was just 47 when he died and was just in his peak earning years. He had tools and farm animals, copperware, earthenware, and pewter, and five spinning wheels, so this was not a poor family. I didn't see any mention of books or of munitions.
Mary lived about six more years and died in Cambridge. Most of their children moved to the area of Woodbridge, N.J, and changed the spelling of their name to Rolph, except for their son John. I didn't find anything that helped me understand John's religion but some of his children may have become Quakers, or at least lived in harmony with them in Woodbridge. It would be nice to know more about John, but at least we know he was a hard-working man, and one of the few men in the family who fished for any length of time, for a living.
The line of descent is:
John Rolfe-Mary Scullard
Mary Rolph-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Mary Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The story starts in England, where John was born or baptized May 10, 1634 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England. Whiteparish is a small town about seven and a half miles southeast of Salisbury, and at the time of John's birth was a sheep raising area, with textile manufacturing in Salisbury providing an outlet for the wool produced there. His parents were Henry and Honor (Rolfe) Rolfe, and their family tree is quite convoluted. There are Rolfes on both sides of the family going back to about 1515, but it's not know whether it was the 1515 Rolfes (one apparently unproven) or whether the connection goes further back. Anyway, it's a lot of Rolfes, and more than one Honor, to keep straight-or not.
Henry and Honor had at least four children. They are believed to have been in Massachusetts Bay Colony by about 1638, although no documentation seems to exist for their trip. John would have been a very young child at the time; Imagine being a three or four year old boy with a ship to explore, and imagine being a young mother, with other children, trying to prevent said boy from going overboard. All were probably glad when they arrived at their destination.
The family settled first in Newbury, where John grew to manhood and married Mary Scullard, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca Kent Scullard, on December 4, 1656. Mary was very young, possibly as young as 14, when they married. They had eleven children together, losing the first one in infancy. Their first three children were born in Newbury, but they moved on to Nantucket about 1663.
This seems to have much to do with the situation described in "Good Wives" by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. John was a fisherman, and had just left for a trip to Nantucket, leaving his young wife and children adequately protected and supported, as he supposed. But by the time he returned from his trip, Mary and been involved in something of a scandal, involving a gentleman from England, a physician, who decided he wished to bed her, never mind that she was nursing her third child. He was found out, by a neighbor who came in through a window since the door was locked, and rescued Mary, although they agreed to say nothing about it. Mary told all to her mother and had a witness (who, hard as it is for us to imagine) shared the bed with Mary in order to keep her safe, although it wasn't a very effective protection as it turned out.
The man involved was found guilty and Mary was vindicated, but John decided this was a good time to move to Nantucket, where he would be closer to the fishing grounds. They stayed in Nantucket for somewhere around ten years. By this time, John was approaching 40 and may have been looking for an easier way to make a living than fishing. The family moved to Cambridge, where John purchased and apparently operated a mill.
John died at Newbury on October 1, 1681, perhaps while visiting his brother Benjamin. It seems to have been a sudden death and the will may have had an oral codicil, as there is no provision in the will for his wife but the additional testimony of women who were there makes clear that he wanted to have his wife cared for also. Mary was pregnant with their last son when John died. John's inventory was valued at somewhere around 500 pounds (it's not totaled on the two pages, but I added up to about 485 pounds in my head, plus all the shillings and pence; I'm definitely no expert on that!). It seems like a pretty good estate for a fisherman or millwright, either one. He was just 47 when he died and was just in his peak earning years. He had tools and farm animals, copperware, earthenware, and pewter, and five spinning wheels, so this was not a poor family. I didn't see any mention of books or of munitions.
Mary lived about six more years and died in Cambridge. Most of their children moved to the area of Woodbridge, N.J, and changed the spelling of their name to Rolph, except for their son John. I didn't find anything that helped me understand John's religion but some of his children may have become Quakers, or at least lived in harmony with them in Woodbridge. It would be nice to know more about John, but at least we know he was a hard-working man, and one of the few men in the family who fished for any length of time, for a living.
The line of descent is:
John Rolfe-Mary Scullard
Mary Rolph-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Mary Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Friday, May 31, 2019
Beeks family: Thomas Moon 1756-1828
It's been a long time since I've written about a Beeks ancestor. I've known about Thomas Moon for a long time, as a name and dates, but that much information wouldn't fill a thimble, let alone a blog post, so I've not pursued him. Today his name struck my fancy, mostly because I noticed he lived during French and Indian War as well as the Revolutionary War. I wondered if there was more information available than just names and places, and I've found enough to fill in a couple of parts of his life, anyway.
Thomas Moon was the son of Jacob and Jane Rees Moon. He was born October 11, 1756 near what is now Arden, Berkeley, West Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. At that time, it was part of Frederick County, Virginia. The area is in that tiny hook between Maryland and West Virginia, and Arden is 160 miles from Fort Frederick, near Hagerstown, Md. Fort Frederick was built during the French and Indian War. We don't know for sure that the Moon family went here during the attacks that the Indians made during those years, but it's possible, since much of Shenandoah, or at least the women and children, evacuated during that time period. And of course, the Moons were Quakers, so they would likely not have been willing to fight. Regardless of whether the Moons stayed in their home or left for a safer location, they would have lived through interesting times. Thomas was one of at least six children born to his parents, and they would all have worked hard to feed the family.
I've found no mention, yet, of the Moons during the Revolutionary War but this time the danger would have come from the British and the native Americans. This area was hit hard and repeatedly, and again, it is easy to think that the family would have evacuated to safer areas. It would be interesting to know whether their cabins or homes were burned, crops lost, etc. If it didn't happen to the Moons, it happened to many of their neighbors.
We don't know when or where Thomas met his wife, Jean Grey, but they were married June 1, 1780 in what was now Berkeley County, but still Virginia. He was 24 years old and had a right to marry anyone he chose; or did he? Three times his Quaker church family tried to talk to him and three times they got nowhere. He was bound and determined to marry his "hireling teacher", but may have later admitted his error because he is still referred to as a Quaker in a history of Fayette County. Jean was from Scotland and it is not likely she would have converted to the Quaker faith. She was likely Presbyterian in belief. I would love to find more about this "hireling teacher", as this is the first thing I've learned about her other than her vital statistics. We can guess that Jean had a decent education, at least for the time and location, and wonder about Thomas's education, also.
Thomas and Jean had at least nine children together. Jean died in 1804 in Berkeley County, Virginia, and Thomas remarried at the same location to Lydia Job in 1806. He is found in the census records of Berkeley County in 1810 but apparently moved to Fayette County, Ohio, later that year and is in the tax records of Fayette County, Ohio in 1814. Fayette County at this time was quite sparsely settled and he would have contended with wolves, panthers, and probably bear as well as the snakes which gave name to the creek he lived on. In the 1820 census, he is in Green Township, Fayette County, with two of his sons listed separately but as neighbors. Thomas and Lydia settled on Rattlesnake Creek and according to a History of Fayette County written by R.S. Dills, owned 1100 acres of land, some of it in Highland County. He had the first flour mill and saw mill in the county, and also ran a distillery which was apparently a popular "resort". He was a trustee of the township and held other positions of "public trust". Lydia died sometime before he married Amy or Annie Ellis in 1819.
Thomas's will was probated in 1824. He had already given gifts to his three daughters but gave his personal property to them to be divided equally, and left each of his sons tracts of land. I didn't see a mention of Amy in the will, so perhaps she had died earlier.
Who knew that Thomas Moon had such stories to tell us? I'd love to learn more, such as whether his children were Quakers, and whether his childhood home, or his home where he spent the first 30 years of adult life, were destroyed. Was he ever in fear for his life, during either of the wars in Virginia? Did he speak with the Quaker "thee" and "thou"? What would he think was his greatest accomplishment?
The line of descent is:
Thomas Moon-Jean Grey
Margaret Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Thomas Moon was the son of Jacob and Jane Rees Moon. He was born October 11, 1756 near what is now Arden, Berkeley, West Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. At that time, it was part of Frederick County, Virginia. The area is in that tiny hook between Maryland and West Virginia, and Arden is 160 miles from Fort Frederick, near Hagerstown, Md. Fort Frederick was built during the French and Indian War. We don't know for sure that the Moon family went here during the attacks that the Indians made during those years, but it's possible, since much of Shenandoah, or at least the women and children, evacuated during that time period. And of course, the Moons were Quakers, so they would likely not have been willing to fight. Regardless of whether the Moons stayed in their home or left for a safer location, they would have lived through interesting times. Thomas was one of at least six children born to his parents, and they would all have worked hard to feed the family.
I've found no mention, yet, of the Moons during the Revolutionary War but this time the danger would have come from the British and the native Americans. This area was hit hard and repeatedly, and again, it is easy to think that the family would have evacuated to safer areas. It would be interesting to know whether their cabins or homes were burned, crops lost, etc. If it didn't happen to the Moons, it happened to many of their neighbors.
We don't know when or where Thomas met his wife, Jean Grey, but they were married June 1, 1780 in what was now Berkeley County, but still Virginia. He was 24 years old and had a right to marry anyone he chose; or did he? Three times his Quaker church family tried to talk to him and three times they got nowhere. He was bound and determined to marry his "hireling teacher", but may have later admitted his error because he is still referred to as a Quaker in a history of Fayette County. Jean was from Scotland and it is not likely she would have converted to the Quaker faith. She was likely Presbyterian in belief. I would love to find more about this "hireling teacher", as this is the first thing I've learned about her other than her vital statistics. We can guess that Jean had a decent education, at least for the time and location, and wonder about Thomas's education, also.
Thomas and Jean had at least nine children together. Jean died in 1804 in Berkeley County, Virginia, and Thomas remarried at the same location to Lydia Job in 1806. He is found in the census records of Berkeley County in 1810 but apparently moved to Fayette County, Ohio, later that year and is in the tax records of Fayette County, Ohio in 1814. Fayette County at this time was quite sparsely settled and he would have contended with wolves, panthers, and probably bear as well as the snakes which gave name to the creek he lived on. In the 1820 census, he is in Green Township, Fayette County, with two of his sons listed separately but as neighbors. Thomas and Lydia settled on Rattlesnake Creek and according to a History of Fayette County written by R.S. Dills, owned 1100 acres of land, some of it in Highland County. He had the first flour mill and saw mill in the county, and also ran a distillery which was apparently a popular "resort". He was a trustee of the township and held other positions of "public trust". Lydia died sometime before he married Amy or Annie Ellis in 1819.
Thomas's will was probated in 1824. He had already given gifts to his three daughters but gave his personal property to them to be divided equally, and left each of his sons tracts of land. I didn't see a mention of Amy in the will, so perhaps she had died earlier.
Who knew that Thomas Moon had such stories to tell us? I'd love to learn more, such as whether his children were Quakers, and whether his childhood home, or his home where he spent the first 30 years of adult life, were destroyed. Was he ever in fear for his life, during either of the wars in Virginia? Did he speak with the Quaker "thee" and "thou"? What would he think was his greatest accomplishment?
The line of descent is:
Thomas Moon-Jean Grey
Margaret Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel Goodnight Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 9, 2018
Beeks line: Mary Smith Dunham, one feisty lady
It's been awhile since I've had anything to say about any of the Beeks ancestors. But I came across one sentence about one lady that I think is noteworthy. Actually, finding anything about a woman in the 18th century is noteworthy, as for the most part women are hidden in their husband's identity. Ah, but what is husband dies at a young age? Remarriage was the norm, but sometimes a widow chose a different road.
Mary Smith was the daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph Smith. (The Fitzrandolph family traces back to English and Scottish royalty but that is a story for sometime in the future, if I decide to expand the scope of this blog.) She was born December 27, 1717, probably in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey. She was one of eleven children, and that's about what I know of her childhood. I would love to know her religion, but I don't know that at this time.
Mary married Jonathan Dunham (sometimes spelled Donham), the son of Benjamin Dunham and Mary Rolph, probably in 1737 although I haven't pinned that date down yet. Their first son was born at the end of 1738, and they had five additional children. Unfortunately, Jonathan died in 1748, although I've not yet found records that mention a cause of death. This left Mary with 6 children under the age of 15. What's a widow to do?
Well, what she did not do was marry again. We are given a clue as to what she may have done because her name is found (along with some other people by the name of Fitzrandolph and Dunham) on a petition to the New Jersey House stating that the rate for housing soldiers had been 5 shillings, 4 pence but had been reduced to 4 shillings, and the petitioners asked that it be increased to the original level.
This was during the French and Indian War. Woodbridge may have been close enough to the frontier that the citizens felt threatened, and apparently at least a few soldiers were stationed there or near there to protect civilians. My strong suspicion is that Mary ran a boarding house or inn to support her family. That would explain why some of her late husband's relatives would have signed the same petition. They wanted her to be able to support herself, so they would not be obliged to do so.
I've not learned whether the petition was successful or not. I don't know what Mary looked like, whether she was short or tall, plain or attractive, but I can imagine the determination in her mind and body that showed her a way to support her family without re-marrying. Signing a petition to the state was not a common thing for a woman to do. I think she was a feisty lady.
Mary died in 1791. Her will, written in 1784, disposed of mostly personal property, but she made cash bequests to two sons. Samuel, the Beeks ancestor (and also Barack Obama's ancestor) was absent from home and if he did not return within ten years, his son Jacob was to receive 10 pounds with the remainder of Samuel's share to be divided among her three children. It's possible that Samuel was already in what became West Virginia at that time, making a life for himself and his several children.
One other detail. One of her sons, Asher, was a Tory and fought on the British side in the Revolutionary war. Daniel Dunham followed the same path. He may or may not be Mary's son. Her birth date is given as 1717 and Daniel's as 1730. I suspect Daniel belongs to another Dunham, or might just possibly be Jonathan's from an earlier relationship. He would have been family of some kind, however. Asher seems to have returned to New Jersey by the time Mary wrote her will. Samuel may have stayed away because his were not Tory views.
That's what is known about Mary, plus I've thrown in some speculation that may or may not be accurate (that she ran an inn or boarding house of some sort). I like Mary. I admire her spunk and her grit that allowed her to raise five children without the benefit of a husband. I like that she was willing to sign a petition. I like that she wanted Samuel to return home, as most parents would. I just like Mary, and I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah probably Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G. Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Mary Smith was the daughter of Shubael and Prudence Fitzrandolph Smith. (The Fitzrandolph family traces back to English and Scottish royalty but that is a story for sometime in the future, if I decide to expand the scope of this blog.) She was born December 27, 1717, probably in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey. She was one of eleven children, and that's about what I know of her childhood. I would love to know her religion, but I don't know that at this time.
Mary married Jonathan Dunham (sometimes spelled Donham), the son of Benjamin Dunham and Mary Rolph, probably in 1737 although I haven't pinned that date down yet. Their first son was born at the end of 1738, and they had five additional children. Unfortunately, Jonathan died in 1748, although I've not yet found records that mention a cause of death. This left Mary with 6 children under the age of 15. What's a widow to do?
Well, what she did not do was marry again. We are given a clue as to what she may have done because her name is found (along with some other people by the name of Fitzrandolph and Dunham) on a petition to the New Jersey House stating that the rate for housing soldiers had been 5 shillings, 4 pence but had been reduced to 4 shillings, and the petitioners asked that it be increased to the original level.
This was during the French and Indian War. Woodbridge may have been close enough to the frontier that the citizens felt threatened, and apparently at least a few soldiers were stationed there or near there to protect civilians. My strong suspicion is that Mary ran a boarding house or inn to support her family. That would explain why some of her late husband's relatives would have signed the same petition. They wanted her to be able to support herself, so they would not be obliged to do so.
I've not learned whether the petition was successful or not. I don't know what Mary looked like, whether she was short or tall, plain or attractive, but I can imagine the determination in her mind and body that showed her a way to support her family without re-marrying. Signing a petition to the state was not a common thing for a woman to do. I think she was a feisty lady.
Mary died in 1791. Her will, written in 1784, disposed of mostly personal property, but she made cash bequests to two sons. Samuel, the Beeks ancestor (and also Barack Obama's ancestor) was absent from home and if he did not return within ten years, his son Jacob was to receive 10 pounds with the remainder of Samuel's share to be divided among her three children. It's possible that Samuel was already in what became West Virginia at that time, making a life for himself and his several children.
One other detail. One of her sons, Asher, was a Tory and fought on the British side in the Revolutionary war. Daniel Dunham followed the same path. He may or may not be Mary's son. Her birth date is given as 1717 and Daniel's as 1730. I suspect Daniel belongs to another Dunham, or might just possibly be Jonathan's from an earlier relationship. He would have been family of some kind, however. Asher seems to have returned to New Jersey by the time Mary wrote her will. Samuel may have stayed away because his were not Tory views.
That's what is known about Mary, plus I've thrown in some speculation that may or may not be accurate (that she ran an inn or boarding house of some sort). I like Mary. I admire her spunk and her grit that allowed her to raise five children without the benefit of a husband. I like that she was willing to sign a petition. I like that she wanted Samuel to return home, as most parents would. I just like Mary, and I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah probably Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G. Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Beeks line: Samuel Dunham 1742-1824
I thought I'd break my self imposed rule of writing only about immigrants and proven war veterans in this blog. Since I'm running out of Beeks names, I'm looking now for people who left enough of a record that we can at least catch a glimpse of them, through the family forest and the mists of time. Samuel Dunham is such a man.
We don't know as much about Samuel as we'd like to know, of course. He seems to have been a moderately successful, salt of the earth kind of man, the kind who pays his taxes and raises his family. There are hints of parts of his life in records, so we'll have to be happy with that until more information is known.
Samuel was born in Woodbridge, N.J. on May 11, 1742. His parents were Jonathan and Mary Smith Dunham. He had five siblings, all born between 1738 and 1742, so he wouldn't have lacked for chores to do nor for playmates, if there was time for such a thing. He don't know whether he could read or write, but it's reasonable to believe he had at least a rudimentary education, and perhaps more than that. His family was well known in the Woodbridge community.
We have difficulty following Samuel's move to the west, but we know it happened. He is believed to have married Hannah Ruble, daughter of David and Sarah Malin Ruble, about 1772. This family lived in Washington County, Pennsylvania and it is likely that Samuel was living or at least working in the vicinity then. He would have been about 30 years old, give or take, since we don't have an exact marriage date yet.
The Revolutionary War was about to break out, and we don't know how this impacted Samuel. He is not found on the Tax List for Berkeley County, now West Virginia, in 1777. He may have been there at least to scout out a future home, but this was a hot area for battles with the native Americans, who were armed and encouraged by the British. Perhaps they patiently waited in Pennsylvania, or even Maryland, for a chance to move on. If Samuel did live in the area during this time period, we can wonder what his role was in the War. I've not been able to find him listed as a soldier either on Fold 3 or the DAR, but that doesn't mean he didn't serve. He may well have been in a state militia unit, protecting his family and others in a guardhouse or "fort", for there were many such structures and someone his age on the frontier would have been expected to serve.
Between 1778 and 1783 Samuel and his family moved to Back Creek Valley, in what was then Virginia. Looking at images found on Google, it was and still is a beautiful area, although home and land prices there are higher than in Indiana. Most of what I've read of this area says that the Scots-Irish and the Germans settled this area, so it would be interesting to find out how and why this part of the country beckoned to Samuel.
I'm showing a total of 11 children for Samuel and Hannah, although other sources list "only" nine. At any rate, even the oldest children were young when they moved, and several were born in what was then Virginia. David Dunham has done research, showing that the couple had at least 80 grandchildren, and some of their descendants are still living in the immediate area, to the ninth generation.
Samuel Dunham was a Baptist, and presumably Sarah was, too, or at least that's what she became after her marriage. I've not found the particular congregation he attended, but there are some churches in the Back Creek area that might have been active during Samuel's life. Samuel died February 18, 1824 on his 611 acre farm, and Hannah died about two years later, possibly in Butler County, Ohio.
If Samuel left a will, I haven't found it yet. It isn't known where he was buried. Many records from this time period were burned during the Civil War, or otherwise destroyed, so we may never be able to answer some of these questions. Or, the answers may pop up tomorrow, because we never know...
The line of descent is:
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
We don't know as much about Samuel as we'd like to know, of course. He seems to have been a moderately successful, salt of the earth kind of man, the kind who pays his taxes and raises his family. There are hints of parts of his life in records, so we'll have to be happy with that until more information is known.
Samuel was born in Woodbridge, N.J. on May 11, 1742. His parents were Jonathan and Mary Smith Dunham. He had five siblings, all born between 1738 and 1742, so he wouldn't have lacked for chores to do nor for playmates, if there was time for such a thing. He don't know whether he could read or write, but it's reasonable to believe he had at least a rudimentary education, and perhaps more than that. His family was well known in the Woodbridge community.
We have difficulty following Samuel's move to the west, but we know it happened. He is believed to have married Hannah Ruble, daughter of David and Sarah Malin Ruble, about 1772. This family lived in Washington County, Pennsylvania and it is likely that Samuel was living or at least working in the vicinity then. He would have been about 30 years old, give or take, since we don't have an exact marriage date yet.
The Revolutionary War was about to break out, and we don't know how this impacted Samuel. He is not found on the Tax List for Berkeley County, now West Virginia, in 1777. He may have been there at least to scout out a future home, but this was a hot area for battles with the native Americans, who were armed and encouraged by the British. Perhaps they patiently waited in Pennsylvania, or even Maryland, for a chance to move on. If Samuel did live in the area during this time period, we can wonder what his role was in the War. I've not been able to find him listed as a soldier either on Fold 3 or the DAR, but that doesn't mean he didn't serve. He may well have been in a state militia unit, protecting his family and others in a guardhouse or "fort", for there were many such structures and someone his age on the frontier would have been expected to serve.
Between 1778 and 1783 Samuel and his family moved to Back Creek Valley, in what was then Virginia. Looking at images found on Google, it was and still is a beautiful area, although home and land prices there are higher than in Indiana. Most of what I've read of this area says that the Scots-Irish and the Germans settled this area, so it would be interesting to find out how and why this part of the country beckoned to Samuel.
I'm showing a total of 11 children for Samuel and Hannah, although other sources list "only" nine. At any rate, even the oldest children were young when they moved, and several were born in what was then Virginia. David Dunham has done research, showing that the couple had at least 80 grandchildren, and some of their descendants are still living in the immediate area, to the ninth generation.
Samuel Dunham was a Baptist, and presumably Sarah was, too, or at least that's what she became after her marriage. I've not found the particular congregation he attended, but there are some churches in the Back Creek area that might have been active during Samuel's life. Samuel died February 18, 1824 on his 611 acre farm, and Hannah died about two years later, possibly in Butler County, Ohio.
If Samuel left a will, I haven't found it yet. It isn't known where he was buried. Many records from this time period were burned during the Civil War, or otherwise destroyed, so we may never be able to answer some of these questions. Or, the answers may pop up tomorrow, because we never know...
The line of descent is:
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Beeks line: John Gurney 1603-1663 Immigrant
It's fun to take a name that's on the family tree and try to place him in time and space, to think for a few minutes about his life and to realize that once again there are more questions than answers. John Gurney is such a person. Not much is known about him but I do want to give credit to the RootsWeb World Connect Project called "Genealogies of Families of Brantree, Quincy, Weymouth, Randolph, Holbrook, Mass. & Others". I'd located maybe 20% of this information on my own, so it would have been slim pickings indeed for a post if I hadn't found this source.
As nearly as is known, John Gurney was born about 1603, since he gave a court deposition in 1652/53 saying he was 50 years old or thereabouts. There is a John Gurney who was baptized at Stewkley, Buckinghamshire, England on February 21, 1603 and it is likely that this is our John. If so, his father's name was also John, but that is as much family background as I have at present. If this John Gurney is ours, then he came from an area identified as "Non-conformist" and he may have been a Puritan. The church there is very old, dating to the twelfth century, so it is possible that generations on Gurneys worshipped there. At present, we can't state that with any certainty.
I can't find documentation, but John was supposedly married to a woman named Mary, most likely in England. He may have been an indentured servant but the dates don't match for the most commonly quoted master. At any rate, either at home or in Massachusetts he learned the tailor trade. He is reported as being in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, but it's possible he arrived earlier. His children have birth dates of from about 1628 to about 1640, which is puzzling to have so many "abouts" unless the family was moving frequently.
We know that he was a tenant of rented land owned by Captain William Tyng in Brantree in 1653, which was 45 acres of upland and marsh. As mentioned ealier, he was a tailer and lived within Braintree, with a house and five acres of land, until he sold it in 1661 to Richard Thayer.
John's wife Mary died September 20, 1661 and just a few weeks later he married Grizell Fletcher Jewell Griggs Kibbee. It was his second marriage and her fourth. It's only speculation but perhaps he was already in poor health. To put a good face on it, Grizell seems to have bettered herself with each marriage, and she would have one final marriage soon after John died. (I wonder if people then talked, or whispered, about a woman with five marriages. Two marriages were common, three were somewhat frequent, four were occasional, but five? Really?)
I've found no record of John being admitted as a freeman, and no record of church or civic involvement. John may have been a man determined to keep his head down and just to concentrate on raising his family. When he died, he left an inventory valued at 55 pounds, 14 shillings, and 6 pence. He also had a long list of debts, so it is likely that there wasn't much left for the widow or his children to inherit. Son John did get lands in Mendon, which is where our John had intended to move before his last illness.
This is a summary of the information I've been able to locate about John Gurney. It's the unrecognized people who helped build America, and for that reason, I'm happy to introduce you briefly to John Gurney, immigrant and nation builder.
The line of descent is:
John Gurney-Mary
Mary Gurney-Daniel Shedd
Elizabeth Shedd-Daniel Pierce
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunnah-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
As nearly as is known, John Gurney was born about 1603, since he gave a court deposition in 1652/53 saying he was 50 years old or thereabouts. There is a John Gurney who was baptized at Stewkley, Buckinghamshire, England on February 21, 1603 and it is likely that this is our John. If so, his father's name was also John, but that is as much family background as I have at present. If this John Gurney is ours, then he came from an area identified as "Non-conformist" and he may have been a Puritan. The church there is very old, dating to the twelfth century, so it is possible that generations on Gurneys worshipped there. At present, we can't state that with any certainty.
I can't find documentation, but John was supposedly married to a woman named Mary, most likely in England. He may have been an indentured servant but the dates don't match for the most commonly quoted master. At any rate, either at home or in Massachusetts he learned the tailor trade. He is reported as being in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636, but it's possible he arrived earlier. His children have birth dates of from about 1628 to about 1640, which is puzzling to have so many "abouts" unless the family was moving frequently.
We know that he was a tenant of rented land owned by Captain William Tyng in Brantree in 1653, which was 45 acres of upland and marsh. As mentioned ealier, he was a tailer and lived within Braintree, with a house and five acres of land, until he sold it in 1661 to Richard Thayer.
John's wife Mary died September 20, 1661 and just a few weeks later he married Grizell Fletcher Jewell Griggs Kibbee. It was his second marriage and her fourth. It's only speculation but perhaps he was already in poor health. To put a good face on it, Grizell seems to have bettered herself with each marriage, and she would have one final marriage soon after John died. (I wonder if people then talked, or whispered, about a woman with five marriages. Two marriages were common, three were somewhat frequent, four were occasional, but five? Really?)
I've found no record of John being admitted as a freeman, and no record of church or civic involvement. John may have been a man determined to keep his head down and just to concentrate on raising his family. When he died, he left an inventory valued at 55 pounds, 14 shillings, and 6 pence. He also had a long list of debts, so it is likely that there wasn't much left for the widow or his children to inherit. Son John did get lands in Mendon, which is where our John had intended to move before his last illness.
This is a summary of the information I've been able to locate about John Gurney. It's the unrecognized people who helped build America, and for that reason, I'm happy to introduce you briefly to John Gurney, immigrant and nation builder.
The line of descent is:
John Gurney-Mary
Mary Gurney-Daniel Shedd
Elizabeth Shedd-Daniel Pierce
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunnah-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Beeks line: David Jones 1653-1707, Immigrant
It's possible that I should be writing about Samuel Jones, who may or may not be David's father, and who may or may not have emigrated from Wales to Pennsylvania. However, I can find a bit of documentation for David and I find nothing for Samuel, so at this point we'll write what we can about David.
David was born in 1653 in either Pembrokeshire or Carmarthenshire, Wales. We know nothing at all of his early life until he shows up in 1682 in Langamin, Carmarthen(shire) Wales, marrying Susanna Howell at the Monthly Meeting of Pembroke. This gives us our first clue-he was a Quaker, and so that may explain some of why he can't be found earlier. Quakers left few footprints, unless they were jailed for their faith. So far, records haven't been found that would indicate this. So he probably lived a very quiet life, and either paid his taxes when due, as some Quakers did, or possibly owed no taxes. He married Susanna Howell, whose parents are believed to be Morgan Howell and Elizabeth Adams, on April 6, 1682. There are 22 names signed as witnesses on the marriage record, including Saara Jones, who may be a relative, and three people with the last name of Howell.
Soon after their marriage, David and Susanna came to America, arriving in Pennsylvania in 1682, so probably part of the William Penn group. Here they found frontier territory to settle, and it appears that they settled in what became Chester County, in what was later termed the "Welsh Tracts". He and Susanna had at least three children-Susanna, Elizabeth, and Alice. That is all we know of him until his death 04 Eleventh, 1707 (Quaker usage), or January 4, 1707, as we would know it. This is noted in the Chester Monthly meeting, and his religion is indicated as "Orthodox" which doesn't seem to have much meaning as applied to this time period in history.
It appears that his wife Susanna died within just a couple of months of David's death. Was there an epidemic, or were these two fifty somethings just worn out? I've seen no hints that there were problems with the native Americans, as the early Quakers did all in their power to treat them peacefully.
Of course there is so much more we'd like to know. David undoubtedly did some farming, but was this his principal occupation? Was he a fur trader, or a merchant of some kind? With no known sons, it would have been hard to expand his landholdings, if he even owned land. Did his daughters work for others in order to help support the family, or was David doing well enough by the time they were born that they didn't need to do that? I'd like to know what land he held, if any, and of course I'd love to know about his life in Wales, and his family further back.
The line of descent is:
David Jones-Susanna Howell
Elizabeth Jones-Isaac Malin
Isaac Malin-Lydia Booth
Sarah Malin-David Ruble
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
David was born in 1653 in either Pembrokeshire or Carmarthenshire, Wales. We know nothing at all of his early life until he shows up in 1682 in Langamin, Carmarthen(shire) Wales, marrying Susanna Howell at the Monthly Meeting of Pembroke. This gives us our first clue-he was a Quaker, and so that may explain some of why he can't be found earlier. Quakers left few footprints, unless they were jailed for their faith. So far, records haven't been found that would indicate this. So he probably lived a very quiet life, and either paid his taxes when due, as some Quakers did, or possibly owed no taxes. He married Susanna Howell, whose parents are believed to be Morgan Howell and Elizabeth Adams, on April 6, 1682. There are 22 names signed as witnesses on the marriage record, including Saara Jones, who may be a relative, and three people with the last name of Howell.
Soon after their marriage, David and Susanna came to America, arriving in Pennsylvania in 1682, so probably part of the William Penn group. Here they found frontier territory to settle, and it appears that they settled in what became Chester County, in what was later termed the "Welsh Tracts". He and Susanna had at least three children-Susanna, Elizabeth, and Alice. That is all we know of him until his death 04 Eleventh, 1707 (Quaker usage), or January 4, 1707, as we would know it. This is noted in the Chester Monthly meeting, and his religion is indicated as "Orthodox" which doesn't seem to have much meaning as applied to this time period in history.
It appears that his wife Susanna died within just a couple of months of David's death. Was there an epidemic, or were these two fifty somethings just worn out? I've seen no hints that there were problems with the native Americans, as the early Quakers did all in their power to treat them peacefully.
Of course there is so much more we'd like to know. David undoubtedly did some farming, but was this his principal occupation? Was he a fur trader, or a merchant of some kind? With no known sons, it would have been hard to expand his landholdings, if he even owned land. Did his daughters work for others in order to help support the family, or was David doing well enough by the time they were born that they didn't need to do that? I'd like to know what land he held, if any, and of course I'd love to know about his life in Wales, and his family further back.
The line of descent is:
David Jones-Susanna Howell
Elizabeth Jones-Isaac Malin
Isaac Malin-Lydia Booth
Sarah Malin-David Ruble
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Beeks line: Daniel Shed 1620-1708, Immigrant
Daniel Shedd is another in a line of New Englanders of whom little is known. I often wonder about them. For instance, was Daniel the kind of man who would have been the life of the party? Was he a Puritan? If he was, then he probably wasn't the life of the party, but he may have been a very religious man, or he may have been someone who went through the motions for business reasons. He may have been a farmer or a tradesman of some sort, but so far I've found nothing to help indicate his occupation, trade, or even education. That's the bad news.
The good news is that there is a little bit of information about him, anyway. He was born on or before June 25, 1620 in Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex, England, and was baptized on that date as the son of Daniel Shedd and Sarah. Daniel and Sarah had three girls, and Daniel, that we know of. Do you think Daniel might possibly have been just a little bit spoiled? We don't even know for sure when he came to America. He was here by 1643, when he was an early settler of "Brantrey", but he wasn't given land in the first set of grants so either he was young or he wasn't there when the village was started. He did receive land in 1645. He's not found on any immigration lists that I've found, which means that he may (or may not) have come over as an indentured servant and had just gained his freedom in 1643, at the same time that he went to Braintree. (This is just my conjecture, but it makes sense to me.)
He was married by 1646, to Mary Gurney, who seems to have been a daughter of John Gurney, and they had seven children together. Mary died about the time their youngest daughter Sarah was born, in 1658, and Daniel married Elizabeth, maiden name not known, soon after, because the first of four children was born to Daniel and Elizabeth on August 13, 1660. Daniel had the sad situation of seeing at least three of his children die before he did, as young marrieds in the prime of life. One son, his namesake, died of small pox and I've not seen the cause of death of his two daughters.
In 1658, the year his youngest daughter in the first set of children was born and possibly the year his first wife died, he moved from Braintree to Billerica, where he stayed for the remaining 50 years of his life. His family was assigned to live in the main garrison there, during King Philip's War. Billerica was on the frontier and considered a possible target of the native Americans. I'm finding various "alternate facts" about the war, indicating that Billerica did or did not suffer attack, and indicating that the town of about 48 families evacuated to safer locations. Maybe all of the above are true, at different times during the conflict.
Daniel lived a long life and died in Billerica July 27, 1708. Elizabeth survived him. Although we know little of his life, he surely lived a long life in interesting times. He came across the Atlantic as a young boy or young man, made a home out of the wilderness not once but twice, raised two families, likely served in the militia and possibly saw duty during King Philip's War. Even though his name does not survive in very many records, we know that he was a pioneer when that word meant something, and he is a man the family can be proud to honor.
The line of descent is:
Daniel Shedd-Mary Gurney
Eliabeth Shedd-Daniel Pierce
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
The good news is that there is a little bit of information about him, anyway. He was born on or before June 25, 1620 in Finchingfield, Braintree, Essex, England, and was baptized on that date as the son of Daniel Shedd and Sarah. Daniel and Sarah had three girls, and Daniel, that we know of. Do you think Daniel might possibly have been just a little bit spoiled? We don't even know for sure when he came to America. He was here by 1643, when he was an early settler of "Brantrey", but he wasn't given land in the first set of grants so either he was young or he wasn't there when the village was started. He did receive land in 1645. He's not found on any immigration lists that I've found, which means that he may (or may not) have come over as an indentured servant and had just gained his freedom in 1643, at the same time that he went to Braintree. (This is just my conjecture, but it makes sense to me.)
He was married by 1646, to Mary Gurney, who seems to have been a daughter of John Gurney, and they had seven children together. Mary died about the time their youngest daughter Sarah was born, in 1658, and Daniel married Elizabeth, maiden name not known, soon after, because the first of four children was born to Daniel and Elizabeth on August 13, 1660. Daniel had the sad situation of seeing at least three of his children die before he did, as young marrieds in the prime of life. One son, his namesake, died of small pox and I've not seen the cause of death of his two daughters.
In 1658, the year his youngest daughter in the first set of children was born and possibly the year his first wife died, he moved from Braintree to Billerica, where he stayed for the remaining 50 years of his life. His family was assigned to live in the main garrison there, during King Philip's War. Billerica was on the frontier and considered a possible target of the native Americans. I'm finding various "alternate facts" about the war, indicating that Billerica did or did not suffer attack, and indicating that the town of about 48 families evacuated to safer locations. Maybe all of the above are true, at different times during the conflict.
Daniel lived a long life and died in Billerica July 27, 1708. Elizabeth survived him. Although we know little of his life, he surely lived a long life in interesting times. He came across the Atlantic as a young boy or young man, made a home out of the wilderness not once but twice, raised two families, likely served in the militia and possibly saw duty during King Philip's War. Even though his name does not survive in very many records, we know that he was a pioneer when that word meant something, and he is a man the family can be proud to honor.
The line of descent is:
Daniel Shedd-Mary Gurney
Eliabeth Shedd-Daniel Pierce
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Beeks line: George Jacob, Immigrant 1675-1731
George Jacob is another mystery, although his story begins later in time than some of the other immigrants in the Beeks line. He was born in the Palatinate, which is the southwestern part of Germany, but an exact location still eludes researchers. However, knowing that he came from that region tells us that he probably came to the New world with others from his village and of his religious belief.
He settled with his wife and children in Roxborough (Roxborrow) township, which is now part of Philadelphia but at that time would have been outside of the city. There he died, in 1731.
Most of what we know of George comes from his will, actually. He had married Gerdrew, maiden name unknown, in about 1699. The will tells us he was a weaver by trade, but we don't know if that's what he did in the Old World, too. It's believed that the children were born in the Palatinate but once again we refer to the will for information. It names his wife, Gerdrew, and lists his children as Henry, Jacob, Peter, Catherine, Sarah, Jane, and Matthias. His sons in law were Samuel Kastner, Hans Jerk )Jorg, maybe) Trout, and Uleriah (Ulrich) Rubel. This is from an abstract only; I don't yet have a copy of the actual will. It was written November 28, 1731 and proved January 20, 1732, so the actual date of death is somewhere in that time period.
That is what we know of George Jacob. We don't know when he came to the New World, how he fared after he arrived here, what religion he was, or any of the other dozens of things we'd like to know. I don't think it likely that he was one of those who came through England, because most of those people ended up north of Philadelphia, in Berks County. So he likely made the trip from Rotterdam to Philadelphia, but I'd sure like to find his name on a passenger list!
George is important to the Beeks family because he is one of the relatively few German ancestors this family has.
The line of descent is:
George Jacob-Gerdrew
Jane Jacob-Ulrich Ruble
David Ruble-Sarah Malin
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Actually, when you look at this list, several German lines show up. So maybe George isn't such an anomaly and maybe more can be learned about him!
He settled with his wife and children in Roxborough (Roxborrow) township, which is now part of Philadelphia but at that time would have been outside of the city. There he died, in 1731.
Most of what we know of George comes from his will, actually. He had married Gerdrew, maiden name unknown, in about 1699. The will tells us he was a weaver by trade, but we don't know if that's what he did in the Old World, too. It's believed that the children were born in the Palatinate but once again we refer to the will for information. It names his wife, Gerdrew, and lists his children as Henry, Jacob, Peter, Catherine, Sarah, Jane, and Matthias. His sons in law were Samuel Kastner, Hans Jerk )Jorg, maybe) Trout, and Uleriah (Ulrich) Rubel. This is from an abstract only; I don't yet have a copy of the actual will. It was written November 28, 1731 and proved January 20, 1732, so the actual date of death is somewhere in that time period.
That is what we know of George Jacob. We don't know when he came to the New World, how he fared after he arrived here, what religion he was, or any of the other dozens of things we'd like to know. I don't think it likely that he was one of those who came through England, because most of those people ended up north of Philadelphia, in Berks County. So he likely made the trip from Rotterdam to Philadelphia, but I'd sure like to find his name on a passenger list!
George is important to the Beeks family because he is one of the relatively few German ancestors this family has.
The line of descent is:
George Jacob-Gerdrew
Jane Jacob-Ulrich Ruble
David Ruble-Sarah Malin
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Actually, when you look at this list, several German lines show up. So maybe George isn't such an anomaly and maybe more can be learned about him!
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Beeks line: Samuel Burgess Immigrant or not?
I'm not sure whether this man is an immigrant, or not, but he's a Beeks ancestor and as such deserves at least a few lines. There is much confusion in on line sources about this man, from his hometown to his parents to whether or not he came to the New World. I am starting to suspect he never arrived here. If he did, he died shortly after his supposed arrival. Much of the confusion comes because he had a son Samuel Burgess, of whom there is an abundance, relatively speaking, of information. I am quite sure that Samuel 1, as I am labeling him, is not the Samuel who was a representative in 1712 and who died in 1714. That Samuel is likely the son of Samuel 1.
But was our Samuel here, or did he intend to come here? I found one reference to a Samuel who owned land already, in 1683, in what became Bucks County. Was that our Samuel 1, or was it Samuel the son? I'm not sure about that. Most of the references in the 1690s I can somewhat confidently say were Samuel the son, not the Beeks ancestor.
Samuel was born in 1623, the son of Daniel and Catherine Burges. His birthplace is generally given as Bristol, England, which is quite possible. Sometimes it is given as Wales, which seems a little less likely but still possible. I haven't found records yet that proved it either way for me. He married, about 1638, Eleanor or Elin Peeres (could be Pierce or Pers or some other variation), and they appear to have had at least three children, Joan, Samuel, and Sarah. Other children are also listed but these must be the children of Samuel the son, as their birth dates are in the 1690's. And of course, one of those grandchildren is named Samuel, also.
It's possible that the land owned in 1683 belonged to Samuel1, and it's possible that he didn't survive to come to Pennsylvania. It's also possible that it belonged to Samuel the son, who apparently arrived late in 1683, with an interesting cargo. Or Samuel 1 could have purchased it in England for Samuel the son. I've not found enough information to make a guess about this yet.
Some trees say that Samuel died as early as 1665, and that Elin or Eleanor died in 1701. Samuel would have died in England is the 1665 date was correct, but Elin is supposed to have died in 1701 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Is this again a case of mistaken identity, or did she perhaps come to the New World with her son, and she is the true immigrant?
There is nothing about this man that is clear at the present time, or I haven't yet found the proper records and documentation. However, if he didn't come to Pennsylvania he at least instilled in his family and perhaps even his widow the desire to do so. For that, I honor him.
I'd love to hear from someone who is working on this family and perhaps has sorted them out better than I have!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Burgess-Elin Peeres
Joan or Jane Burgess-James Moone
James Moon-Mary Wilsford
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen Traveler Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Elia Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
But was our Samuel here, or did he intend to come here? I found one reference to a Samuel who owned land already, in 1683, in what became Bucks County. Was that our Samuel 1, or was it Samuel the son? I'm not sure about that. Most of the references in the 1690s I can somewhat confidently say were Samuel the son, not the Beeks ancestor.
Samuel was born in 1623, the son of Daniel and Catherine Burges. His birthplace is generally given as Bristol, England, which is quite possible. Sometimes it is given as Wales, which seems a little less likely but still possible. I haven't found records yet that proved it either way for me. He married, about 1638, Eleanor or Elin Peeres (could be Pierce or Pers or some other variation), and they appear to have had at least three children, Joan, Samuel, and Sarah. Other children are also listed but these must be the children of Samuel the son, as their birth dates are in the 1690's. And of course, one of those grandchildren is named Samuel, also.
It's possible that the land owned in 1683 belonged to Samuel1, and it's possible that he didn't survive to come to Pennsylvania. It's also possible that it belonged to Samuel the son, who apparently arrived late in 1683, with an interesting cargo. Or Samuel 1 could have purchased it in England for Samuel the son. I've not found enough information to make a guess about this yet.
Some trees say that Samuel died as early as 1665, and that Elin or Eleanor died in 1701. Samuel would have died in England is the 1665 date was correct, but Elin is supposed to have died in 1701 in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Is this again a case of mistaken identity, or did she perhaps come to the New World with her son, and she is the true immigrant?
There is nothing about this man that is clear at the present time, or I haven't yet found the proper records and documentation. However, if he didn't come to Pennsylvania he at least instilled in his family and perhaps even his widow the desire to do so. For that, I honor him.
I'd love to hear from someone who is working on this family and perhaps has sorted them out better than I have!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Burgess-Elin Peeres
Joan or Jane Burgess-James Moone
James Moon-Mary Wilsford
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Margaret Ellen Moon-Owen Traveler Reese
Eliza Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Elia Matilda Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Beeks line: Samuel Scullard abt 1616-1647 Immigrant
Samuel Scullard is likely from Abbots Ann, Hamphire, England although as yet it seems that no one has pinpointed his birth or christening record. He is believed to be the son of Richard Scullard, joiner, and his wife, Alice. Richard died in 1617 when Samuel, his second child, was just a baby, which could possibly explain the lack of baptismal records for Samuel. Perhaps his wife was just too overwhelmed or ill to arrange for it.
It appears that Samuel was in New England by 1638, and likely came with Rev. Stephen Bachwiler. He was in Newbury, Massachusetts by February 24,1637/38, because he was fined for not attending a town meeting at eight o'clock in the morning, after having been warned, so he must have been there at least a few weeks by that time. He was referred to as yeoman, meaning a farmer who owned his own land, as opposed to a tenant farmer, or a planter, who may not have actually worked the land he owned. He also was a partner in a water (grist) mill in Newbury, and upon his death his widow's second husband purchased that interest. Newbury is situated at the northeast end of Massachusetts, on the coast, and was also an early site for shipbuilding and tanning, so there was an opportunity to sell to more than just the local farmers.
Samuel married Rebecca Kent, daughter of Richard and Emme Dorothy Shorte in 1641. Some sites say they married in England but this does not appear to be correct. The Kents were already in Newbury and doubtless the couple met and married there. They probably had four children, Mary, Rebecca, Sarah and Samuel although only Mary and Sarah are named in his will. Unfortunately, his will was dated March 27, 1647 and proved July 28, 1647, so Samuel died when he was only about 30 years old. It was a nuncupative will, indicating that likely his death was sudden. He may have been injured, or he may have died of one of the fevers that went the rounds so quickly and so often in colonial times.
His estate was valued at 196 pounds, 4 shillings. Half went to his wife, who remarried soon after Samuel's death, and the other half went to his two daughters but not until 1670, when the daughters were married and of age. Rebecca married John Bishop and died sometime before John's death in 1684.
There is still more research to be done about Samuel. I don't have a good grasp of the land he owned, or of his church life, or whether he held any church or civic positions. However, we do know this much and that's more than we knew when we began this post!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Scullard-Rebecca Kent
Mary Scullard-John Rolfe
Mary Rolfe-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
It appears that Samuel was in New England by 1638, and likely came with Rev. Stephen Bachwiler. He was in Newbury, Massachusetts by February 24,1637/38, because he was fined for not attending a town meeting at eight o'clock in the morning, after having been warned, so he must have been there at least a few weeks by that time. He was referred to as yeoman, meaning a farmer who owned his own land, as opposed to a tenant farmer, or a planter, who may not have actually worked the land he owned. He also was a partner in a water (grist) mill in Newbury, and upon his death his widow's second husband purchased that interest. Newbury is situated at the northeast end of Massachusetts, on the coast, and was also an early site for shipbuilding and tanning, so there was an opportunity to sell to more than just the local farmers.
Samuel married Rebecca Kent, daughter of Richard and Emme Dorothy Shorte in 1641. Some sites say they married in England but this does not appear to be correct. The Kents were already in Newbury and doubtless the couple met and married there. They probably had four children, Mary, Rebecca, Sarah and Samuel although only Mary and Sarah are named in his will. Unfortunately, his will was dated March 27, 1647 and proved July 28, 1647, so Samuel died when he was only about 30 years old. It was a nuncupative will, indicating that likely his death was sudden. He may have been injured, or he may have died of one of the fevers that went the rounds so quickly and so often in colonial times.
His estate was valued at 196 pounds, 4 shillings. Half went to his wife, who remarried soon after Samuel's death, and the other half went to his two daughters but not until 1670, when the daughters were married and of age. Rebecca married John Bishop and died sometime before John's death in 1684.
There is still more research to be done about Samuel. I don't have a good grasp of the land he owned, or of his church life, or whether he held any church or civic positions. However, we do know this much and that's more than we knew when we began this post!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Scullard-Rebecca Kent
Mary Scullard-John Rolfe
Mary Rolfe-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Beeks line: Johann Wilhelm Berkheimer, 1706-1745, Immigrant
I love it when I find someone in the ancestry of President Obama, who I've not yet written about. It means that much research has already been done and I'm not likely to uncover any hidden gems. The pros have done it for me. Much of this information came from family websites and from people who like to research presidents. More power to them, and thank you very much!
He seems to have gone by the name Wilhelm, so that is how I'll refer to him. Wilhem was born in 1706 in Frankenthal, Bayern, Germany to Balthasar and Anna Margaretha (maiden name unknown ) Berkheimer. Frankenthal was a town that was all but destroyed in the wars of the seventeenth century so it is a wonder that any records at all have survived. (Or maybe they didn't survive, and that is why we have no specific birth date for him.)
We know that he arrived in Philadelphia with his wife, Maria Salome Hallman (Heilman or Heyllman are also spellings of the same name) four children, and a Susanna Berkheimer, who may have been a sister or cousin. Wilhelm is listed as being 20 in 1732 but he was more likely 26 years old then, as his wife, listed as Salome, was 25. The children were named Leonhard, Valentin, Magdalenea Louisa, and Johann Georg. They arrived together on the "Samuel" on August 11, 1732. It's possible that a son Henry was born in the New World, also.
The family made their way to what is now Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pa I have a copy of a land grant for 25 acres to Wilhelm Berkheimer, which gives him 25 acres of land adjacent to the land he already owns, if I am reading this correctly. This was dated 1742, so he owned land prior to that time. Probably he farmed and possibly he had another occupation also. His family would have felt right at home here because the whole valley was settled primarily by German immigrants. There are tax records for him through 1744, but I don't yet know when they started.
1745 must have been a very rough year for both Wilhelm and Salome died that year. Most likely they died of one of a number of diseases but it's possible there was an accident that killed them both. It would be interesting to know the cause of death, because that would give us a glimpse into the kind of life they had. Both were just about 40 years old when they died, which was young, and they would have left a young family, although several of the children were teen agers. Wilhelm and presumably Salome are buried at the Old Goshenhoppen Church Cemetery in Woxall, Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pa.
There is more research to be done on this family, to determine the causes of death, when they acquired land and how much, and whether they were of the Lutheran or the reformed faith. However, we do have this much information and it's a start, and a reminder of how little we really know about our ancestors.
The line of descent is:
Wilhelm Berkheimer-Maria Salome Hallman
Leonard Berkheimer-Maria Catherine Kerger
Magdalena Berkheimer-Samuel Goodnight
Catherine Goodnight-Jacob Dunham
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Homer Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
He seems to have gone by the name Wilhelm, so that is how I'll refer to him. Wilhem was born in 1706 in Frankenthal, Bayern, Germany to Balthasar and Anna Margaretha (maiden name unknown ) Berkheimer. Frankenthal was a town that was all but destroyed in the wars of the seventeenth century so it is a wonder that any records at all have survived. (Or maybe they didn't survive, and that is why we have no specific birth date for him.)
We know that he arrived in Philadelphia with his wife, Maria Salome Hallman (Heilman or Heyllman are also spellings of the same name) four children, and a Susanna Berkheimer, who may have been a sister or cousin. Wilhelm is listed as being 20 in 1732 but he was more likely 26 years old then, as his wife, listed as Salome, was 25. The children were named Leonhard, Valentin, Magdalenea Louisa, and Johann Georg. They arrived together on the "Samuel" on August 11, 1732. It's possible that a son Henry was born in the New World, also.
The family made their way to what is now Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pa I have a copy of a land grant for 25 acres to Wilhelm Berkheimer, which gives him 25 acres of land adjacent to the land he already owns, if I am reading this correctly. This was dated 1742, so he owned land prior to that time. Probably he farmed and possibly he had another occupation also. His family would have felt right at home here because the whole valley was settled primarily by German immigrants. There are tax records for him through 1744, but I don't yet know when they started.
1745 must have been a very rough year for both Wilhelm and Salome died that year. Most likely they died of one of a number of diseases but it's possible there was an accident that killed them both. It would be interesting to know the cause of death, because that would give us a glimpse into the kind of life they had. Both were just about 40 years old when they died, which was young, and they would have left a young family, although several of the children were teen agers. Wilhelm and presumably Salome are buried at the Old Goshenhoppen Church Cemetery in Woxall, Perkiomen Township, Montgomery County, Pa.
There is more research to be done on this family, to determine the causes of death, when they acquired land and how much, and whether they were of the Lutheran or the reformed faith. However, we do have this much information and it's a start, and a reminder of how little we really know about our ancestors.
The line of descent is:
Wilhelm Berkheimer-Maria Salome Hallman
Leonard Berkheimer-Maria Catherine Kerger
Magdalena Berkheimer-Samuel Goodnight
Catherine Goodnight-Jacob Dunham
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Homer Aldridge
Gretta Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Beeks line: The missing John Walter born 1619, immigrant
Maybe the reason I know nothing about this man is that no one has ever looked for him, or at least, not successfully. I just spent some time looking on my usual databases and very little is showing for him, and that is undocumented. However, we know the man existed and is in the Beeks family line, so let's get written down what is known about him. He is an ancestor and deserves to be honored as such, even though his life is well hidden at present.
John is believed to have been born about 1619, somewhere in Kent, England, and his father is noted as "Thos." We don't know when he came to America, but it was apparently without his father. We do know that he married Patience Wooten, possibly the daughter of Thomas Wooten or Wotton). This couple is often said to be the parents of Joseph Walter, but he was born in 1629 so if the birthdates for John and Patience are correct, he was not their biological child. Their only known child is Safronia or Safronie, born in 1643 somewhere in Connecticut, presumably. I show that the couple married in 1640, so Safronia may not have been their first, nor their only, child.
I haven't been able to find a single reference to either person in any on line document, although admittedly I've only looked for an hour or so. The only additional information I have is that both persons are believed to have died about 1710, and John, at least, is believed to be buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Marlborough, Connecticut. However, I find this questionable because Marlborough wasn't formed until 1803, and the only Walnut Grove cemetery I can locate is in Meriden, Ct and wasn't founded until about 1840. So perhaps this couple was never in Connecticut at all. Their daughter, Safronia, married to Jeffrey Jones, died in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Perhaps the Walters were also there.
This is as much as I know about John, and it's certainly frustrating. I would like to give him parents, a home, a career, and a little bit of a life. Please, if someone knows more about John, please email me: happygenealogydancingATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!
The line of descent is
John Walter-Patience Wooten
Safronia Walter-Jeffrey Jones
Mary Jones-Samuel Fitzrandolph
Prudence Fitzrandolph-Shubael Smith
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight (President Obama's ancestors)
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
John is believed to have been born about 1619, somewhere in Kent, England, and his father is noted as "Thos." We don't know when he came to America, but it was apparently without his father. We do know that he married Patience Wooten, possibly the daughter of Thomas Wooten or Wotton). This couple is often said to be the parents of Joseph Walter, but he was born in 1629 so if the birthdates for John and Patience are correct, he was not their biological child. Their only known child is Safronia or Safronie, born in 1643 somewhere in Connecticut, presumably. I show that the couple married in 1640, so Safronia may not have been their first, nor their only, child.
I haven't been able to find a single reference to either person in any on line document, although admittedly I've only looked for an hour or so. The only additional information I have is that both persons are believed to have died about 1710, and John, at least, is believed to be buried in Walnut Grove Cemetery in Marlborough, Connecticut. However, I find this questionable because Marlborough wasn't formed until 1803, and the only Walnut Grove cemetery I can locate is in Meriden, Ct and wasn't founded until about 1840. So perhaps this couple was never in Connecticut at all. Their daughter, Safronia, married to Jeffrey Jones, died in Woodbridge, New Jersey. Perhaps the Walters were also there.
This is as much as I know about John, and it's certainly frustrating. I would like to give him parents, a home, a career, and a little bit of a life. Please, if someone knows more about John, please email me: happygenealogydancingATgmailDOTcom. Thanks!
The line of descent is
John Walter-Patience Wooten
Safronia Walter-Jeffrey Jones
Mary Jones-Samuel Fitzrandolph
Prudence Fitzrandolph-Shubael Smith
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight (President Obama's ancestors)
Samuel Goodnight Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Beeks line: Nathaniel Fitzrandolph 1642-1713 From Puritan to Quaker
Nathaniel Fitzrandolph is not an immigrant, as he was born in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1642 to his parents, Edward Fitzrandolph and Elizabeth Blossom. However, from the records I've found, he is such an interesting man that he deserves his own blog post. He was one of the early Quakers at Barnstable, and that marks him as a man of courage. He married for the second time at age 64, and had a child by his second wife, which marks him as a man of interest. And he was well respected in his time and place, which marks him as a man of honor.
It is hard to pinpoint just when Nathaniel became a Quaker. He appears to have lived somewhat happily in Barnstable (on Cape Cod) for his early years. His mother was born in Leyden, Holland and was of a thoroughly Pilgrim family. The Blossoms had been on the "Speedwell", which was forced to turn back early in the planned voyage with the Mayflower. Edward Fitzrandolph and his wife came to America in the Winthrop Fleet of 1630, so they were Puritans if not Separatists. The household Nathaniel grew up in would have been quite religious and he would have listened to or read the Word of God every day.
So was it love that changed Nathaniel's heart? He married Mary Holley or Holloway in 1662, and her family was Quaker. Her parents were Joseph Holley and Rose Allen. One would like to think this was the case, but we also know that several of Nathaniel's siblings became Baptists. Both groups were persecuted by the government, who required infant baptism, payment of tithes to the church, and other actions objectionable to the Fitzrandolphs.
At any rate, Nathaniel and Mary had seven children, apparently all in Barnstable, before the poor treatment of Quakers caused them to join sibling Fitzrandolph's in Woodbridge, N.J. in 1677-78. Here they were permitted to practice their religion with more freedom than in Barnstable, although it was still not an easy life. Nathaniel, however, had respect in the community. He was an associate justice of Middlesex County for several years, and represented Woodbridge in the Provisional Assembly for three years. He also served as sheriff and as highway viewer at Woodbridge.
I've seen Nathaniel referred to as a "planter" and as a "gentleman planter". Usually the term "gentleman planter" infers that slaves were used, but since Quakers abhorred slavery perhaps he employed indentured servants, who would receive their freedom in a stated number of years.
Starting in about 1704, Nathaniel's home became the meeting place for area Quakers. This was a year after Mary had died. One wonders if she objected to opening their home earlier, or was she ill and the home therefore not available, or was it just coincidence that Nathaniel's home was needed at this time. After Mary died, Nathaniel married Jane Curtis, and had one son by her.
It is believed that Nathaniel, who died in 1713, and Mary are buried in the Friends Meeting House at Shrewsbury, with no gravestone as that was the Quaker way at the time.
This is the snapshot we have of Nathaniel as husband, father, planter and Quaker. There are of course numerous questions still to be answered, but we see enough to see a strong and gentle figure, and that is reason to honor and respect him.
The line of descent is:
Nathaniel Fitrandolph-Mary Holley
Samuel Fitzrandolph-Mary Jones
Prudence Fitzrandolph-Shubael Smith
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah possibly Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
It is hard to pinpoint just when Nathaniel became a Quaker. He appears to have lived somewhat happily in Barnstable (on Cape Cod) for his early years. His mother was born in Leyden, Holland and was of a thoroughly Pilgrim family. The Blossoms had been on the "Speedwell", which was forced to turn back early in the planned voyage with the Mayflower. Edward Fitzrandolph and his wife came to America in the Winthrop Fleet of 1630, so they were Puritans if not Separatists. The household Nathaniel grew up in would have been quite religious and he would have listened to or read the Word of God every day.
So was it love that changed Nathaniel's heart? He married Mary Holley or Holloway in 1662, and her family was Quaker. Her parents were Joseph Holley and Rose Allen. One would like to think this was the case, but we also know that several of Nathaniel's siblings became Baptists. Both groups were persecuted by the government, who required infant baptism, payment of tithes to the church, and other actions objectionable to the Fitzrandolphs.
At any rate, Nathaniel and Mary had seven children, apparently all in Barnstable, before the poor treatment of Quakers caused them to join sibling Fitzrandolph's in Woodbridge, N.J. in 1677-78. Here they were permitted to practice their religion with more freedom than in Barnstable, although it was still not an easy life. Nathaniel, however, had respect in the community. He was an associate justice of Middlesex County for several years, and represented Woodbridge in the Provisional Assembly for three years. He also served as sheriff and as highway viewer at Woodbridge.
I've seen Nathaniel referred to as a "planter" and as a "gentleman planter". Usually the term "gentleman planter" infers that slaves were used, but since Quakers abhorred slavery perhaps he employed indentured servants, who would receive their freedom in a stated number of years.
Starting in about 1704, Nathaniel's home became the meeting place for area Quakers. This was a year after Mary had died. One wonders if she objected to opening their home earlier, or was she ill and the home therefore not available, or was it just coincidence that Nathaniel's home was needed at this time. After Mary died, Nathaniel married Jane Curtis, and had one son by her.
It is believed that Nathaniel, who died in 1713, and Mary are buried in the Friends Meeting House at Shrewsbury, with no gravestone as that was the Quaker way at the time.
This is the snapshot we have of Nathaniel as husband, father, planter and Quaker. There are of course numerous questions still to be answered, but we see enough to see a strong and gentle figure, and that is reason to honor and respect him.
The line of descent is:
Nathaniel Fitrandolph-Mary Holley
Samuel Fitzrandolph-Mary Jones
Prudence Fitzrandolph-Shubael Smith
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah possibly Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Matilda Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 5, 2016
Beeks line: Isaac Malin 1681-1750
A few months ago, I wrote about Randall Malin, Isaac's father. Since Isaac was born about a year before his family came to America, technically Isaac was also an immigrant, although not "The" immigrant. It seems that little is known of his life, but here's what I've been able to find out.
Isaac was the son of Randall and Elizabeth Malin and was born in 1681 in Chester, or possibly Cheshire, England. He had at least two siblings, Jacob and Malin. This was a Quaker family who responded to William Penn's invitation to come to Pennsylvania, and Randall was one of the first 400 to buy land here. A year later, the family came to the New World, with Isaac just a "babe in arms."
There is an alternative record of birth, in the Quaker records on Ancestry.com, that show very early births in Pennsylvania, dating from 1681. Isaac's name is recorded there, so it is possible that he was actually born shortly after the family's arrival here. It's unclear whether the records are intended to show just births that happened in Pennsylvania, or whether this was a summary of children of each of the early Quakers. So he was born either in England or in Pennsylvania, I guess.
Isaac grew up on his father's farm on Ridley Creek in Upper Providence Township, in what is now Delaware County, near the town, now borough, of Media. It is described as being 15 miles west of Philadelphia, but those are probably current day boundaries, so it would have been further to Philadelphia "back in the day."
On January 1, 1702/03 married Elizabeth Jones, daughter of David and Susanna Howell Jones. Shortly after this, Randall signed a deed of gift of 150 acres to his son Isaac, part of the family farm. When Randall died, he left Isaac his woolen weaving clothes (cloths?) so it is possible that Randall and then Isaac had been weavers, at least during the winter months. Isaac and Elizabeth had 7 children together, but sadly, Elizabeth died in 1717, not long after the birth of the seventh child, Randall. (An earlier son, Randall, had lived only about 23 months).
Isaac must have mourned deeply, as it appears that he waited almost 10 years to remarry. His second wife was Jane Roberts Pugh, a widow with children of her own. Isaac and Jane had about 15 years together, but no children were born to them. Isaac died August 10, 1743 at Malin Hill, Chester, Pennsylvania, still a Quaker and part of Goshen Monthly Meeting. Since the death location appears to be different from the location in Delaware County, it would be interesting to know whether Isaac had purchased new land there, or whether he was living with a child at this time of his death.
There is more to this story, but for now it is not available. Still, we remember Isaac as a man of faith, who worked hard to support his family. He must have wondered at the stories he heard as a small child, about life in England, and then compared them to life on the frontier in Pennsylvania. And he must have been amazed at the changes in Philadelphia, from a small village to a town growing into a city, at the time of his death.
The line of descent is:
Isaac Malin-Elizabeth Jones
Isaac Malin-Lydia Booth
Sarah Malin-David Ruble
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Isaac was the son of Randall and Elizabeth Malin and was born in 1681 in Chester, or possibly Cheshire, England. He had at least two siblings, Jacob and Malin. This was a Quaker family who responded to William Penn's invitation to come to Pennsylvania, and Randall was one of the first 400 to buy land here. A year later, the family came to the New World, with Isaac just a "babe in arms."
There is an alternative record of birth, in the Quaker records on Ancestry.com, that show very early births in Pennsylvania, dating from 1681. Isaac's name is recorded there, so it is possible that he was actually born shortly after the family's arrival here. It's unclear whether the records are intended to show just births that happened in Pennsylvania, or whether this was a summary of children of each of the early Quakers. So he was born either in England or in Pennsylvania, I guess.
Isaac grew up on his father's farm on Ridley Creek in Upper Providence Township, in what is now Delaware County, near the town, now borough, of Media. It is described as being 15 miles west of Philadelphia, but those are probably current day boundaries, so it would have been further to Philadelphia "back in the day."
On January 1, 1702/03 married Elizabeth Jones, daughter of David and Susanna Howell Jones. Shortly after this, Randall signed a deed of gift of 150 acres to his son Isaac, part of the family farm. When Randall died, he left Isaac his woolen weaving clothes (cloths?) so it is possible that Randall and then Isaac had been weavers, at least during the winter months. Isaac and Elizabeth had 7 children together, but sadly, Elizabeth died in 1717, not long after the birth of the seventh child, Randall. (An earlier son, Randall, had lived only about 23 months).
Isaac must have mourned deeply, as it appears that he waited almost 10 years to remarry. His second wife was Jane Roberts Pugh, a widow with children of her own. Isaac and Jane had about 15 years together, but no children were born to them. Isaac died August 10, 1743 at Malin Hill, Chester, Pennsylvania, still a Quaker and part of Goshen Monthly Meeting. Since the death location appears to be different from the location in Delaware County, it would be interesting to know whether Isaac had purchased new land there, or whether he was living with a child at this time of his death.
There is more to this story, but for now it is not available. Still, we remember Isaac as a man of faith, who worked hard to support his family. He must have wondered at the stories he heard as a small child, about life in England, and then compared them to life on the frontier in Pennsylvania. And he must have been amazed at the changes in Philadelphia, from a small village to a town growing into a city, at the time of his death.
The line of descent is:
Isaac Malin-Elizabeth Jones
Isaac Malin-Lydia Booth
Sarah Malin-David Ruble
Hannah Ruble-Samuel Dunham
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Beeks line: John Wilsford, Immigrant 1643-after 1695
I wonder if there is wishful thinking about this ancestor, or at least about this ancestor's ancestors, on the internet. I've found trees that say that John is the son of Thomas Wilsford and the grandson of Thomas Wilsford and Elizabeth Sandys. This would give our John a famous pedigree indeed. However, it doesn't make sense to me for a number of reasons, including geography both in England and in the New World, religion (Quaker vs Church of England) and economic status. So until we find actual records supporting the more famous pedigree, let's just consider John's parents as unknown.
John was from Leicestershire, England, most likely, as that is where he married his wife Alice Towle in 1665. There are entries for at least two of his children, John and Mary, in the "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes1588-1977" found on FamilySearch.org. So as early as 1666, when John was born, this was a Quaker family.
The Wilsfords had other children, also. There was an earlier Mary, Thomas, and Hannah, of all whom died young. The other child who survived was Sarah, who was two years younger than our Mary. ( Perhaps the fact that a child was named Thomas caused someone to connect this John to the wealthier family in Virginia.) John and his family show in the Monthly Meetings of Old Dalby in Leicestershire, until about March 1675/76. Two years later (1678) they are at the Huntingdonshire Monthly Meetings, so they must have moved in that time period, probably to Fenny Stanton. They stayed there about 7 years and then were given a certificate to remove to Pennsylvania, except that they actually settled in what is now New Jersey, near the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting.
John was a miller, and acquired land by 1685 near the Falls of the Delaware River. He had first lived at Crosswicks Creek in Chesterfield. In 1692 he had land surveyed, 200 acres at the SE corner of his formerly surveyed land, along Shabbaconke Creek, adjoining Joshua Eley. John Wilsford Sr. and John Wilsford Junior sold 200 acres in Hopewell Township, Hunterdon County, NJ to Nathaniel Fretwell. This is the last we hear of John Senior, so he died sometime after this sale of land. (A lot of dates on the internet say he died September 28,1695, but this should be read as "After September 28, 1695."
Alice Towle Wilsford died March 31, 1688, so she didn't live long in the New World. Life was hard, especially for women. John outlived her by at least 8 years but assuming he died about 1696, which may not be a safe assumption, he would have been only 53 years old himself.
We are fortunate to have a little more information about John Wilsford than for some of our immigrant ancestors. We know he was a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), which means we know something of the way he would have lived his life. We know he was a miller, so we know his livelihood. And we know that he had three children who liked near him, in their early adult years. Of course, I'd love to know more, such as just when he died, but this is a good start.
As always, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about this family, or who is a part of this family!
The line of descent is:
John Wilsford-Alice Towle
Mary Wilsford-James Moon
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Maraget Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
John was from Leicestershire, England, most likely, as that is where he married his wife Alice Towle in 1665. There are entries for at least two of his children, John and Mary, in the "England and Wales Non-Conformist Record Indexes1588-1977" found on FamilySearch.org. So as early as 1666, when John was born, this was a Quaker family.
The Wilsfords had other children, also. There was an earlier Mary, Thomas, and Hannah, of all whom died young. The other child who survived was Sarah, who was two years younger than our Mary. ( Perhaps the fact that a child was named Thomas caused someone to connect this John to the wealthier family in Virginia.) John and his family show in the Monthly Meetings of Old Dalby in Leicestershire, until about March 1675/76. Two years later (1678) they are at the Huntingdonshire Monthly Meetings, so they must have moved in that time period, probably to Fenny Stanton. They stayed there about 7 years and then were given a certificate to remove to Pennsylvania, except that they actually settled in what is now New Jersey, near the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting.
John was a miller, and acquired land by 1685 near the Falls of the Delaware River. He had first lived at Crosswicks Creek in Chesterfield. In 1692 he had land surveyed, 200 acres at the SE corner of his formerly surveyed land, along Shabbaconke Creek, adjoining Joshua Eley. John Wilsford Sr. and John Wilsford Junior sold 200 acres in Hopewell Township, Hunterdon County, NJ to Nathaniel Fretwell. This is the last we hear of John Senior, so he died sometime after this sale of land. (A lot of dates on the internet say he died September 28,1695, but this should be read as "After September 28, 1695."
Alice Towle Wilsford died March 31, 1688, so she didn't live long in the New World. Life was hard, especially for women. John outlived her by at least 8 years but assuming he died about 1696, which may not be a safe assumption, he would have been only 53 years old himself.
We are fortunate to have a little more information about John Wilsford than for some of our immigrant ancestors. We know he was a member of the Society of Friends (Quaker), which means we know something of the way he would have lived his life. We know he was a miller, so we know his livelihood. And we know that he had three children who liked near him, in their early adult years. Of course, I'd love to know more, such as just when he died, but this is a good start.
As always, I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about this family, or who is a part of this family!
The line of descent is:
John Wilsford-Alice Towle
Mary Wilsford-James Moon
Simon Moon-Louretha Humphrey
Jacob Moon-Jane Rees
Thomas Moon-Jean Gray
Maraget Moon-Owen T Reese
Eliza Reese-Samuel G Dunham
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Beeks line: Richard Kent abt 1590 to 1654, Immigrant
I'm treading lightly with this Beeks ancestor, because there is a lack of information (as in, none documented) about his early years. He is believed to have been raised in either Nether Wallop or Over Wallop, Hampshire, England, but I've not found the proof for that. His parents are believed to be Thomas Kent and Ellen Pyle. If these are his parents, he may have had as many as 8 siblings, so it would have been a lively household.
There doesn't seem to be much information about his spouse, either. Most sites list her as Emma, I found one reference to "Emma Mason" and one to Dorothe Short. Emma is believed to be the mother of his children, and he was married to Emma when he died.
Thomas came to Ipswich, Massachusetts on the Mary and John in 1634 and settled briefly at Ipwich, and then moved to Newbury the very next year. He is listed on a plaque as being one of the first settlers of the town. We aren't sure when his family arrived, although I found a reference to daughter Rebecca's arrival in 1638, with Richard's brother Stephen. She was 16 at the time, which makes one wonder about the birth of John in 1645. Did both children have the same mother?
Richard and his family settled in Newbury where Richard acquired land. He is listed as a "maltster", or someone who produced the malt that was used in beers and vinegar. We don't find a record of public service, or of military service. However, during this time period he was doubtless part of whatever training band or loose-knit group of militia that the town had, as every able-bodied man was required to so serve. I've yet to find a record of church membership, which may explain why I've not found mention of him as a freeman, either. However, his will indicates that one salmon should be given yearly to Mr. Noyes, probably Rev. James Noyes of Newbury, and to Mr. Roggers of Rowley, probably Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, of Rowley. So perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough for the records, yet, because obviously he had some Christian convictions.
Little else is known of his life in Newbury. His son John was born there in 1645. There are a couple of occasions we might wish we didn't know about, both suits brought by John Godfrey. Richard was sued for slander in 1642, outcome not found, and a year later he was sued for an "unstated infraction" and was to be whipped. He recovered, and continued to support his family.
He netted fish with his weir (that's how the salmon were to be acquired) and he farmed.( He had land directly fronting the Parker River, which would explain the reference to the salmon.)
His will proved September 26, 1654 and appraisal showed a value of a little over 233 pounds, including a dwelling house, barn, orchard with 82 bearing trees and a nursery, tillage land, pasture land, meadow, and another parson of land bought of Mr. Rawson. His estate also included two oxen, 4 cows, one two year old steer and 2 yearlings, 3 calves and six swine, and four stocks of bees. His other possessions were typical farm and household equipment. There was no mention of books or a Bible.
He left his wife her choice of ten pounds per year or 30 pounds all at once, and the fruit from "her" apple tree. I haven't found a death date yet for Emma. I'd like to know more about Richard, of course Emma or Dorothy or whomever was the mother of Rebecca.
Here's the line of descent:
Richard Kent-Emma or Dorothe
Rebecca Kent-Samuel Scullard
Mary Scullard-John Rolfe
Mary Rolfe-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Fun fact. Richard Kent, who was whipped for some infraction, was an ancestor of President Barack Obama.
There doesn't seem to be much information about his spouse, either. Most sites list her as Emma, I found one reference to "Emma Mason" and one to Dorothe Short. Emma is believed to be the mother of his children, and he was married to Emma when he died.
Thomas came to Ipswich, Massachusetts on the Mary and John in 1634 and settled briefly at Ipwich, and then moved to Newbury the very next year. He is listed on a plaque as being one of the first settlers of the town. We aren't sure when his family arrived, although I found a reference to daughter Rebecca's arrival in 1638, with Richard's brother Stephen. She was 16 at the time, which makes one wonder about the birth of John in 1645. Did both children have the same mother?
Richard and his family settled in Newbury where Richard acquired land. He is listed as a "maltster", or someone who produced the malt that was used in beers and vinegar. We don't find a record of public service, or of military service. However, during this time period he was doubtless part of whatever training band or loose-knit group of militia that the town had, as every able-bodied man was required to so serve. I've yet to find a record of church membership, which may explain why I've not found mention of him as a freeman, either. However, his will indicates that one salmon should be given yearly to Mr. Noyes, probably Rev. James Noyes of Newbury, and to Mr. Roggers of Rowley, probably Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, of Rowley. So perhaps I just haven't looked hard enough for the records, yet, because obviously he had some Christian convictions.
Little else is known of his life in Newbury. His son John was born there in 1645. There are a couple of occasions we might wish we didn't know about, both suits brought by John Godfrey. Richard was sued for slander in 1642, outcome not found, and a year later he was sued for an "unstated infraction" and was to be whipped. He recovered, and continued to support his family.
He netted fish with his weir (that's how the salmon were to be acquired) and he farmed.( He had land directly fronting the Parker River, which would explain the reference to the salmon.)
His will proved September 26, 1654 and appraisal showed a value of a little over 233 pounds, including a dwelling house, barn, orchard with 82 bearing trees and a nursery, tillage land, pasture land, meadow, and another parson of land bought of Mr. Rawson. His estate also included two oxen, 4 cows, one two year old steer and 2 yearlings, 3 calves and six swine, and four stocks of bees. His other possessions were typical farm and household equipment. There was no mention of books or a Bible.
He left his wife her choice of ten pounds per year or 30 pounds all at once, and the fruit from "her" apple tree. I haven't found a death date yet for Emma. I'd like to know more about Richard, of course Emma or Dorothy or whomever was the mother of Rebecca.
Here's the line of descent:
Richard Kent-Emma or Dorothe
Rebecca Kent-Samuel Scullard
Mary Scullard-John Rolfe
Mary Rolfe-Benjamin Dunham
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Fun fact. Richard Kent, who was whipped for some infraction, was an ancestor of President Barack Obama.
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Beeks line: Thomas Bloomfield 1617-1684 Immigrant
There is a lot of information about Thomas Bloomfield. Unfortunately, much of it is conflicting. For instance, Find A Grave gives him the title of Colonel, and other sources say that is because he was a Colonel in Oliver Cromwell's Army. Since Cromwell didn't raise an army until 1642 and since Thomas arrived in Newburyport, Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638, the facts don't add up. Perhaps there was another Thomas Bloomfield who was a colonel in Oliver Cromwell's army, perhaps Thomas earned the title in Massachusetts or New Jersey, or perhaps there is nothing to the "colonel" Thomas Bloomfield at all.
He is widely stated to have been born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England in 1617. Woodbridge has a history going back 1100 years and a medieval church, St. Mary's, still stands there. This would likely have been the church that the Bloomfields attended. The Bloomfields may have been either "John William" or "John Thomas", and the wife may have been either Mary Withers or Elspeth. Regardless, Thomas came to the New World in 1638, at the age of 21. He either went directly to Newbury,or actually landed there, and stayed for at least 15 years and probably closer to 30 years. By 1642, he had married Mary. There seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to whether this was Mary Withers or Mary Waters and I haven't yet found information to clarify this, nor have I found an exact date of marriage.
We do know that he was a carpenter. Whether he worked on land or on ships isn't clear, and at this time period, he may well have been considered proficient to do both. Thomas and Mary had 9 children together between 1642 and 1664, so Thomas must have worked hard to support his family.
The oldest daughter, Mary, married Jonathan Dunham in Haverhill, Essex County in 1660 so the Bloomfields must have still been in Newbury then.
by 1669 he was in the area of Woodbridge, New Jersey, where he received an early patent from Governor Carteret for about 326 acres. He was made a freeholder there in 1670, which seems to have been some sort of a governing position, which required that the freeholder meet both residence and property ownership requirements. He was also a representative from Woodbridge to the General Assembly in 1675, an assistant judge, and a coroner over the next few years, all indicating that he held positions of respect in his community.
Thomas wrote his will June 10, 1684 and died sometime before March 5, 1685/86.
There is likely more information to be found about Thomas in some of the books about Woodbridge, and possibly in books about Newbury. However, this is a start, enough to bring the name to the attention of the Beeks family, and to remind us all of the hard work and adjustments that our colonial ancestors made. I think about Mary, who would have been roughly 50 years old when she left Massachusetts Bay Colony to go to New Jersey, and start over in a new place that was not settled yet. What enabled these people to travel the ocean, settle down, and then in late middle age move yet again to another place that meant "starting over"? I want to learn more about this couple!
The line of descent is:
Thomas Bloomfield-Mary Waters or Withers
Mary Bloomfield-Jonathan Dunham
Benjamin Dunham-Mary Rolph
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
He is widely stated to have been born in Woodbridge, Suffolk, England in 1617. Woodbridge has a history going back 1100 years and a medieval church, St. Mary's, still stands there. This would likely have been the church that the Bloomfields attended. The Bloomfields may have been either "John William" or "John Thomas", and the wife may have been either Mary Withers or Elspeth. Regardless, Thomas came to the New World in 1638, at the age of 21. He either went directly to Newbury,or actually landed there, and stayed for at least 15 years and probably closer to 30 years. By 1642, he had married Mary. There seems to be quite a bit of confusion as to whether this was Mary Withers or Mary Waters and I haven't yet found information to clarify this, nor have I found an exact date of marriage.
We do know that he was a carpenter. Whether he worked on land or on ships isn't clear, and at this time period, he may well have been considered proficient to do both. Thomas and Mary had 9 children together between 1642 and 1664, so Thomas must have worked hard to support his family.
The oldest daughter, Mary, married Jonathan Dunham in Haverhill, Essex County in 1660 so the Bloomfields must have still been in Newbury then.
by 1669 he was in the area of Woodbridge, New Jersey, where he received an early patent from Governor Carteret for about 326 acres. He was made a freeholder there in 1670, which seems to have been some sort of a governing position, which required that the freeholder meet both residence and property ownership requirements. He was also a representative from Woodbridge to the General Assembly in 1675, an assistant judge, and a coroner over the next few years, all indicating that he held positions of respect in his community.
Thomas wrote his will June 10, 1684 and died sometime before March 5, 1685/86.
There is likely more information to be found about Thomas in some of the books about Woodbridge, and possibly in books about Newbury. However, this is a start, enough to bring the name to the attention of the Beeks family, and to remind us all of the hard work and adjustments that our colonial ancestors made. I think about Mary, who would have been roughly 50 years old when she left Massachusetts Bay Colony to go to New Jersey, and start over in a new place that was not settled yet. What enabled these people to travel the ocean, settle down, and then in late middle age move yet again to another place that meant "starting over"? I want to learn more about this couple!
The line of descent is:
Thomas Bloomfield-Mary Waters or Withers
Mary Bloomfield-Jonathan Dunham
Benjamin Dunham-Mary Rolph
Jonathan Dunham-Mary Smith
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Beeks and Holbrook lines: John Pers 1588-1661 Immigrant
John Pers is another in a long line of early immigrants to New England in the Beeks family, and also the Holbrook family. He follows something of the typical mold, if there is such a thing, of coming to New England before the English Civil War, with a family and in his middle age. John was born April 8, 1588 in Norwich, Norfolk, England, the son of Richard Pers or Pierce and Marguerite Coney. We don't know much about his early life, except that his occupation in New England was a weaver. It is probable that he learned this trade at home in Norwich, where the main industry was wool. Wool made Norwich a wealthy city, and the Wikipedia article is quite interesting as it explains how Norwich welcomed religious refugees in the decades just before John was born. What we don't know is John's religion, except that his children were baptized in the Anglican church.
John married Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker on April 22, 1610, in Norwich. (I have seen her name listed as Trulle Stoker and as Stoker Trulle, but as of now I haven't found documentation for either name. The couple had seven children from 1610 to 1622. Four of them are documented as having traveled with their parents to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637. There was also a servant, John Gednay, in their party. However, this may not have been John's first trip to the New World. The older children of John were already here, and John was given land in Watertown in 1634. It is likely that he was here as early as 1633 and then returned to New England for his wife and the rest of his family, to bring them over in 1637.
The family settled in Watertown where John taught the weaving trade to at least some of his children, and where they were given land as settlers of the town. John was made a freeman in March of 1638 and took the "oath of fidelity" in 1652. His name appears as a drummer in the train band (militia) of that year but it's not clear whether this was John the immigrant or John the son. John the immigrant would have been 64 years old and likely had been excused from the militia by this time, unless he was in exceptionally good health.
John made his will in 1658 and died September 2, 1661. His will was proven September 30,1661, and his inventory was valued at just over 217 pounds. Elizabeth made her will on March 15, 1667 and died within just a few days, as it was proved April 2, 1667. Her estate was valued at just over 124 pounds, so she must have used her assets wisely.
Of course I'd like to know more about this couple, but I'm grateful to have located this much information about them. Here are the lines of descent.
Beeks:
John Pers-Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker
Anthony Pers-Ann
Daniel Pierce-Elizabeth Shedd
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Holbrook:
John Pers-Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker
Hester Pierce-Joseph Morse
Joseph Morse-Susanna Shattuck
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Euzebia (Luceba) Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John married Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker on April 22, 1610, in Norwich. (I have seen her name listed as Trulle Stoker and as Stoker Trulle, but as of now I haven't found documentation for either name. The couple had seven children from 1610 to 1622. Four of them are documented as having traveled with their parents to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1637. There was also a servant, John Gednay, in their party. However, this may not have been John's first trip to the New World. The older children of John were already here, and John was given land in Watertown in 1634. It is likely that he was here as early as 1633 and then returned to New England for his wife and the rest of his family, to bring them over in 1637.
The family settled in Watertown where John taught the weaving trade to at least some of his children, and where they were given land as settlers of the town. John was made a freeman in March of 1638 and took the "oath of fidelity" in 1652. His name appears as a drummer in the train band (militia) of that year but it's not clear whether this was John the immigrant or John the son. John the immigrant would have been 64 years old and likely had been excused from the militia by this time, unless he was in exceptionally good health.
John made his will in 1658 and died September 2, 1661. His will was proven September 30,1661, and his inventory was valued at just over 217 pounds. Elizabeth made her will on March 15, 1667 and died within just a few days, as it was proved April 2, 1667. Her estate was valued at just over 124 pounds, so she must have used her assets wisely.
Of course I'd like to know more about this couple, but I'm grateful to have located this much information about them. Here are the lines of descent.
Beeks:
John Pers-Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker
Anthony Pers-Ann
Daniel Pierce-Elizabeth Shedd
Elizabeth Pierce-Samuel Smith
Shubael Smith-Prudence Fitzrandolph
Mary Smith-Jonathan Dunham
Samuel Dunham-Hannah Ruble
Jacob Dunham-Catherine Goodnight
Samuel G Dunham-Eliza Reese
Margaret Catherine Dunham-Harvey Aldridge
Cleo Aldridge-Wilbur Beeks
Mary Margaret Beeks-Cleveland Harshbarger
Their descendants
Holbrook:
John Pers-Elizabeth Trulle or Stoker
Hester Pierce-Joseph Morse
Joseph Morse-Susanna Shattuck
Esther Morse-Nathaniel Joslin
Israel Joslin-Sarah Cleveland
Sarah Joslin-Edward Fay
David Fay-Mary or Mercy Perrin
Euzebia (Luceba) Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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