John Burr is among those of our ancestors who I am beginning to call the "Silent Generation". Actually, there are several "silent" ancestors in many generations. To explain my terminology, it means I have been unable to find more than bare bones information about the person and sometimes not even that.
At least for John Burr, we know who his parents are, and we know the vitals about birth, marriage, and death. If it wasn't for his will, that information is all that we we would have. Also, we do know a little about the town he lived and died in, and we know a little of the history of his time. So we can pull this silent man just a little bit out of the shadows, and start to see a little of his life.
John Burr was born January 6, 1659 in Hingham, Massachusetts. His parents, Simon and Hester Burr, were the immigrants here. I should stop a moment to explain that John's mother is variously seen as Hester Rose, Rose Hester, and Hester Sparhawk. Whatever her name, her parentage has not yet been established, to the best of my current knowledge.
Hingham was a small village on the Massachusetts coast line, what is known as the South Shore. It is about 20 miles from Boston. At the time John lived, it probably supported both fisherman and coastal mariners as well as farmers and tradesmen. Our John was a farmer. He is described using that word, rather than husbandman or yeoman, which is a bit unusual. The only record of town service that we have was that he was a constable in 1698.
His father, Simon, served in King Philip's War and it is probable that John at least served at home. He would have been just 16 when the war broke out, and would have trained for only a few days with the local training band. He likely could shoot, but probably couldn't yet perform military maneuvers well. Hingham wasn't directly affected by the war, and probably the village didn't evacuate as so many towns did. It is also possible that John served in some of the campaigns that Massachusetts men were involved in during King William's War, particularly the battles in what became Maine and Nova Scotia. If he wasn't there, he at least would have known all about it from stories from other citizens of the town.
John married Mary Warren, daughter of John and Deborah Wilson Warren, on December 24, 1685 in Hingham. He and Mary had 10 children together. John's financial position would have been improved when Simon died in 1691. His older brother Simon got about 60% of the estate and he got about 40%, but it was still enough to help, with eventually 10 children to raise. Presumably the two men supported their mother until her death by suicide in 1693.
The only other information we have about John is his will. His estate totaled almost 922 pounds, which was a pretty good sum for a farmer. He owned 9 different plots of land, which made up the bulk of the estate, plus various farm animals and household furnishings. His "arms and ammunition" were valued at 1 pound, and his books at two pounds. His house had at least four rooms, or chambers, with furniture in each. John has several dates of death attributed to him, but they are all between September 17 and December 7, 1716. His youngest son was just 13 when John died. Mary lived as a widow until July 26, 1742.
This is the little we know of John Burr, and I'd like to know more. Wouldn't you?
The line of descent is
John Burr-Mary Warren
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Warren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Warren. Show all posts
Friday, June 26, 2020
Friday, June 1, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Wilson Immigrant
Thomas Wilson, among other things, is one of the very few reasons I have to research in New Hampshire. Fortunately, some of his records, including his will, are in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, which simplifies research somewhat. It also complicates research. Where do I go to research?
I'd really not paid any attention at all to this name in the Holbrook tree, probably because I dreaded going into another state. What I'm finding is that he has a story to tell, even if, as usual, the story begins "in the middle".
It seems to be accepted that his father's name was William and his mother's name was Anne. One William has been suggested as his father, born in 1578 in Dunnington, Lincolnshire, England. I'm not willing to say for certain whether these folks were or were not his parents, so I have no additional information for Thomas as far as his English origins go.
We do, however, know that he arrived at Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony during the "Great Migration", which means his life in America has been researched. He arrived in the Colonies in 1633 and was made a freeman Maaay 14, 1634. It seems that he came to America with his wife, Anne, who may have been Anne Frieston, and three children. Humfrey, Samuel, and Joshua were on the ship with him and daughters Deborah and then Lidia were born during the Roxbury years.
The family lost their home and all their belongings in a house fire, apparently while they will lived in Roxbury. Thomas and family left Roxbury in 1638 and helped establish and then settle the town which became known as Exeter. Thomas left Roxbury with Rev. John Wheelwright, who had been excommunicated because he espoused some of the same doctrines as his sister in law, Anne Hutchinson. Thomas was also ex-communicated by the church in Roxbury, but later repented of his "heresies" and was accepted back into the church.
Thomas was a miller, or a millwright, or both. He built the first grist mill in Exeter, on land that was given him on an island in the river, and built at least one bridge so that people could more easily bring their grain to him to be ground. He was "ruler", or head of the town civil government, in 1642 but died by September 20, 1643, when his will was proved. His widow was to be provided for during the time of her widowhood, and the younger children were to receive 10 pounds each at the age of 21 or at their marriage. Oldest son Humfrey was to receive the land and house, (he also took over the mill). From this, he must have been at least 21 at the time, and some have drawn the conclusion that Humfrey was a son of an earlier marariage. It's possible, but there is no evidence one way or the other.
His widow remarried in 1644, to John Legat or Leggett, so the youngest children grew up with a step-father.
Thomas is interesting, not just because he went to New Hampshire, but because he seems to have been a true seeker of God, and eventually decided that the Puritan church was the best church. Generally when one was ex-communicated, the social pressure was intense to return to the church, but Thomas seems to have had a genuine change of heart. He was also a clever man, to build and operate a grist mill in the wilderness that was Exeter. And he was brave, because this was wilderness and the native tribes may not have taken well to the sale of their lands for the purpose of building a town.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Wilson-Anne
Deborah Wilson-John Warren
Mary Warren-John Burr
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
I'd really not paid any attention at all to this name in the Holbrook tree, probably because I dreaded going into another state. What I'm finding is that he has a story to tell, even if, as usual, the story begins "in the middle".
It seems to be accepted that his father's name was William and his mother's name was Anne. One William has been suggested as his father, born in 1578 in Dunnington, Lincolnshire, England. I'm not willing to say for certain whether these folks were or were not his parents, so I have no additional information for Thomas as far as his English origins go.
We do, however, know that he arrived at Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony during the "Great Migration", which means his life in America has been researched. He arrived in the Colonies in 1633 and was made a freeman Maaay 14, 1634. It seems that he came to America with his wife, Anne, who may have been Anne Frieston, and three children. Humfrey, Samuel, and Joshua were on the ship with him and daughters Deborah and then Lidia were born during the Roxbury years.
The family lost their home and all their belongings in a house fire, apparently while they will lived in Roxbury. Thomas and family left Roxbury in 1638 and helped establish and then settle the town which became known as Exeter. Thomas left Roxbury with Rev. John Wheelwright, who had been excommunicated because he espoused some of the same doctrines as his sister in law, Anne Hutchinson. Thomas was also ex-communicated by the church in Roxbury, but later repented of his "heresies" and was accepted back into the church.
Thomas was a miller, or a millwright, or both. He built the first grist mill in Exeter, on land that was given him on an island in the river, and built at least one bridge so that people could more easily bring their grain to him to be ground. He was "ruler", or head of the town civil government, in 1642 but died by September 20, 1643, when his will was proved. His widow was to be provided for during the time of her widowhood, and the younger children were to receive 10 pounds each at the age of 21 or at their marriage. Oldest son Humfrey was to receive the land and house, (he also took over the mill). From this, he must have been at least 21 at the time, and some have drawn the conclusion that Humfrey was a son of an earlier marariage. It's possible, but there is no evidence one way or the other.
His widow remarried in 1644, to John Legat or Leggett, so the youngest children grew up with a step-father.
Thomas is interesting, not just because he went to New Hampshire, but because he seems to have been a true seeker of God, and eventually decided that the Puritan church was the best church. Generally when one was ex-communicated, the social pressure was intense to return to the church, but Thomas seems to have had a genuine change of heart. He was also a clever man, to build and operate a grist mill in the wilderness that was Exeter. And he was brave, because this was wilderness and the native tribes may not have taken well to the sale of their lands for the purpose of building a town.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Wilson-Anne
Deborah Wilson-John Warren
Mary Warren-John Burr
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, October 13, 2017
Holbrook line: John Warren 1585-1667 Immigrant
Oh, there is nothing like a documented immigrant ancestor! It's exciting to find one, it's exciting to find a little bit of his story, but it's frustrating too because for almost every fact fount I have more questions. Our John has at least three more generations in back of him in England, so it's fun to note his background, instead of having guesses and suppositions.
John Warren was born shortly before August 1, 1585 (baptismal date) in Nayland, Suffolk, England. His parents were John and Elizabeth Scarlett Warren. John the father was a cardmaker. Given his location and the amount of wool that was produced there, I believe he made equipment for carding wool, not playing cards. The town is a small one, on the border with Sussex, and in the 1600's was a center for Puritan dissenters, at least for a time.
John's mother died about March 27, 1602.3 and his father then married Rose, who was buried August 11, 1610, and then married Rose Riddlesdale, who outlived him. John the father died in 1613, when our John was 28 years old. Our John was also a cardmaker, and earned enough of a living to marry Margaret who has been identified as Margaret Bayly They had at least seven children. The first three died as infants or young children, but when John and Margaret came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, they had their four youngest children with them.
John was already in trouble with the Church of England in 1629, when he failed to kneel for communion. Since there were several other men who also failed to do this, it is not likely that he had bad knees As Puritans, the men had decided that kneeling to receive communion was not appropriate. This seemed like a good time to leave England . The family came with Winthrop's fleet in 1630, but I'm not able to confirm whether or not they came on the Arbella, the flag ship of the fleet. At any rate, they sailed with a number of good Puritans.
John was made a freeman at Watertown, Massachusetts, on May 18, 1631, although he may not have been a member of the church. Church attendance was mandatory and he was fined several times for frequent absences from service. There is some speculation that although he immigrated with and lived with Puritans, he was actually a Baptist at heart, or possibly a Quaker. If he had admitted either of these leanings publicly, he would have been exiled, and perhaps he was already feeling his age.
John prospered in his new country, acquiring significant tracts of land by grant and it's possible he also purchased some property. He was a selectman for at least two terms and also served on committees to lay out highways and to divide land, jobs meant for wise people. He still owned 188 acres of land in various parcels when he died. His real estate was then valued at 123 pounds and the rest of the estate was valued at a little over 47 pounds. His inventory still included a musket, sword, and halberd. These items were required of all men in case of attack, although by his death on December 13, 1667, he was 82 years old and would likely have been excused from military duty for some years. Margaret had died 5 years before, on November 6, 1662.
These are the basic facts about John Warren. I'd love to know more about him, especially his religious beliefs, and how he supported his family once he arrived in America. Surely there wasn't that much of a demand for cardmakers in the early years of the colony. There were books in his inventory so we can assume he was literate. What was the source of his education? As I said, the information we do have is wonderful but I'd like to know more!
The line of descent is:
John Warren-Margaret possibly Bayly
John Warren-Deborah Wilson
Mary Warren-John Burr
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Update. Although the blog post itself may be accurate, this John Warren is no longer thought to be the father of the John Warren who married Deborah Wilson. The John Warren who married Deborah Wilson married her in Exeter, N.H. He is supposed to be a cardmaker and a tobacconist, but I don't have enough information to write a post about him, as yet. The important thing is that John and Margaret don't appear to be our ancestors. I am sorry to have misled you.
Friday, July 15, 2016
Holbrook line: Simon Burr 1618-1691 Immigrant
I'd like to know more about Simon than I know now. My folder for the Burr line deals with folks going back to Nicholas de Bures, born about 1224. However, there was nothing in the folder for Simon. Oops!
So, Simon is our immigrant ancestor. He was born June 16, 1618 (at least that is his christening date, so possibly a few days or weeks earlier) in Stistead, Essex, England to Henry and Ann Fisher Bures. He had several brothers and sisters, but apparently just one younger than he was. If my records are right (haven't found documentation yet), Henry and Ann both died in May of 1622, before Simon's fourth birthday. I haven't found any information yet on who Simon's caregiver was, but since he lived, we can guess that it was one or another of his relatives. I'd love to get that piece of the puzzle!
Simon came to America as a young man. His first wife's name is given as Rose, but we don't know whether the marriage took place in England or in New England. At any rate, Rose died in 1647, an apparent suicide by throwing herself down a well, or so the courts said. In 1648 Simon married Hester, also last name unknown, in Hingham, Massachusetts. There seems to be no record of Simon anywhere other than Hingham, so perhaps he went directly to that town when he arrived in the Colony. If so, he was unusual in that not many folks from Essex, England ended up in Hingham. There's another piece of the puzzle I'd like to know.
We don't know when he arrived there. I've seen dates from 1635 to 1645. The town was founded in 1633 and his inventory included land from 1645, so he was probably there earlier than 1645. One source says he had first been in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where his brother Jonathan lived, and that makes sense.
Simon was a farmer and a cooper, and in 1664 was made a freeman in Hingham. He was a town overseer and a town surveyor, but I've not found mention of specific military service. It is likely that he was a member of a train band (militia) but I've not found those records yet. Simon and Hester had several children, including John and Simon, apparently the only two children to survive their parents.
Simon died in 1691 (some records say February 7, 1692, but that may be the date his will was proved) and left an inventory valued at 88 pounds, 17 shillings, 6 pence in movable estate, including more than a few farm animals. He also had several parcels of land, and a dwelling house, which increased the inventory to a value of 326 pound, 1 shilling and 6 pence. I haven't seen the actual will, but it seems to have not made mention of Hester, who lived for another year after Simon's death. Maybe one of the sons was already caring for her, or there was an agreement to do so.
I'm grateful to Dorothy Burr Tucker Harper for most of the information in this sketch. She wrote a book, The Burr Family History ,in 1996 and I am so glad she did. I'm sure she'd like to know the answers to the questions that we still have about the family, too.
Our line of descent is:
Simon Burr-Hester
John Burr-Mary Warren
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So, Simon is our immigrant ancestor. He was born June 16, 1618 (at least that is his christening date, so possibly a few days or weeks earlier) in Stistead, Essex, England to Henry and Ann Fisher Bures. He had several brothers and sisters, but apparently just one younger than he was. If my records are right (haven't found documentation yet), Henry and Ann both died in May of 1622, before Simon's fourth birthday. I haven't found any information yet on who Simon's caregiver was, but since he lived, we can guess that it was one or another of his relatives. I'd love to get that piece of the puzzle!
Simon came to America as a young man. His first wife's name is given as Rose, but we don't know whether the marriage took place in England or in New England. At any rate, Rose died in 1647, an apparent suicide by throwing herself down a well, or so the courts said. In 1648 Simon married Hester, also last name unknown, in Hingham, Massachusetts. There seems to be no record of Simon anywhere other than Hingham, so perhaps he went directly to that town when he arrived in the Colony. If so, he was unusual in that not many folks from Essex, England ended up in Hingham. There's another piece of the puzzle I'd like to know.
We don't know when he arrived there. I've seen dates from 1635 to 1645. The town was founded in 1633 and his inventory included land from 1645, so he was probably there earlier than 1645. One source says he had first been in Dorchester, Massachusetts, where his brother Jonathan lived, and that makes sense.
Simon was a farmer and a cooper, and in 1664 was made a freeman in Hingham. He was a town overseer and a town surveyor, but I've not found mention of specific military service. It is likely that he was a member of a train band (militia) but I've not found those records yet. Simon and Hester had several children, including John and Simon, apparently the only two children to survive their parents.
Simon died in 1691 (some records say February 7, 1692, but that may be the date his will was proved) and left an inventory valued at 88 pounds, 17 shillings, 6 pence in movable estate, including more than a few farm animals. He also had several parcels of land, and a dwelling house, which increased the inventory to a value of 326 pound, 1 shilling and 6 pence. I haven't seen the actual will, but it seems to have not made mention of Hester, who lived for another year after Simon's death. Maybe one of the sons was already caring for her, or there was an agreement to do so.
I'm grateful to Dorothy Burr Tucker Harper for most of the information in this sketch. She wrote a book, The Burr Family History ,in 1996 and I am so glad she did. I'm sure she'd like to know the answers to the questions that we still have about the family, too.
Our line of descent is:
Simon Burr-Hester
John Burr-Mary Warren
Mary Burr-Thomas Marsh
Deborah Marsh-Isaac Lazell
Deborah Lazell-Levi Rockwood
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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