Friday, May 22, 2026

The family of Israel Lazell 1671-1755

 Israel Lazell (Lassell and various spellings) was born in 1671 in Hingham, Massachusetts, the son of John and Elizabeth Gates Lazell.  He married Rachel Lincoln, the daughter of Daniel and Susannah (possibly Cushing) Lincoln, in 1698.  The couple had four sons, and Israel died in Hingham in 1755.  We don't know much more about him than that, other than he farmed, was a constable for the town at least once, and lived "over the river".  

Four sons are named in his will.  As far as my research shows, there is no record of other children, but it's possible there are more.

Isaac was born in 1701 and died in 1783 in Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  He married Deborah Marsh, the daughter of Thomas and Mary Burr Marsh.  Their children are Thomas, Susanna, Israel, Joshua, Deborah, and a second Joshua.  I'll follow this family in my next blog post.

Israel was born in 1703 and died August 10, 1770 in Hingham, Massachusetts.  He married Silence Tower, the daughter of Samuel and Lydia Whiton Tower.  Their children are Silence and Hanna.  

Daniel was born in 1706 and died in 1782 in Hingham.  He married Patience Jones, the daughter of Thomas and Catherine Caswell Jones.  Their children are Daniel, Rachel, Lydia, Daniel again, John, and Samuel.   

And finally, Jonathan was born in 1707 and died in 1786 in Hingham.  He married Sarah Jacob, the daughter of Peter and Hannah Allen Jacob.  Their children are Jonathan, Adam, Sarah, and Mary.  

Even though I've not found enough information to have a real feel for Israel's life story, we can appreciate that he worked hard and provided for his family.  He's one of those semi-anonymous men who led his family in worship, had some assets to hand down to his children, and helped America get its start.  

 

 

 

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Holbrook line: The family of John Lazell 1620 ish-1700

 I wish I could tell you the ancestry of John Lazell (or Lassell, or some other variant thereof).  I've seen Henry, Edward, William, and John all put forth.  These men seem to have one thing in common in that they all lived in Essex, England.  Based on the names of his children and grandchildren, I would guess that John is the most likely ancestor, since I find none of the other names used.  But of course, that is less than a hunch and is not really worthy of mentioning.  Still, there is a possible John, born 1595, in Essex, England.  We don't know his spouse's name, so we're stuck there, at the moment.  

We do know that John came to North America and settled in Hingham, Plymouth County, Massachusetts by 1647.  He married Elizabeth Gates, the daughter of Stephen and Ann Neave Gates there in November of 1647, so either it was a short courtship or John had been in the New World earlier than 1647.  It was apparently a happy marriage, or at least a productive one, as the couple had at least 11 children together, all born in Hingham.  John died in Hingham in 1700, and Elizabeth followed him in 1704.  

Their firstborn was a son, John, born in 1650 and died in 1665.  There may have been an earlier pregnancy, as his birth was nearly three years after his parents married.  

Thomas was born in 1652 and died in 1725 in Windham, Connecticut.  He married Mary Allen, the daughter of James and Elizabeth Partridge Allen. I have not been able to determine whether James Allen is connected to the Samuel Allen who is also our ancestor.  Their children are Joshua, Elizabeth, Thomas, Mary, Hannah, Sarah, John, James, Abigail, and Ruth.  

Joshua was born next, in 1654.  He served in King Phillip's War, and died in 1689 in Hingham, Massachusetts.  He married Mary, who may be Mary Trott, the daughter of Simon and Mary Baston Trott.  I have seen this in narrative form but not in an offical record.  Their children are Elizabeth, Martha, Joshua, and Simon.

Stephen was born next, in 1656.  He died in 1717 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  He married Sarah Stevens Stearn, or Woodward, whom, obviously, I have not been able to identify any further.  Their children are Sarah, Lydia, Phebe, Stephen, Lydia, Hannah, Mary, and a second Mary.  

By now, there was likely rejoicing, at least on Elizabeth's part, when a daughter, Elizabeth, was born in 1658.  She was likely a help to her mother, and perhaps spoiled a little by one or more of her big brothers, before she died in April of 1676 in Hingham.  (Hingham doesn't appear to have been attacked in King Phillip's War, so Elizabeth's death was likely from some other cause.)

Isaac was born in 1660 and died in 1690 in Hingham.  He married Abigail Leavitt, the daughter of John and Sarah Gilman Leavitt.  Their children are Abial and Isaac.  If you are keeping track, Isaac was the fourth of their children to pass on before the death of the parents, but the rest of the family at least outlived their parents.

Hannah was born in 1662 and died in 1717 in Andover, Essex, Massachusetts.  She married first James Turner, not yet further identified, and their children are Isaac, Hannah, Elizabeth, Mary, and Samuel.  Her second marriage was to William Johnson, also not further identified.  There were no children known to be born to this couple.

Mary was born in 1664 and died in 1729 (possibly 1742, but I think that is likely a "before" date) in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts. She married Simon Burr, the son of Simon and Hester, possibly Sparhawk, Burr.  Simon and Hester are our ancestors through another line.  Mary and Simon's children are Hannah, Simon, Mary, Ruth, Rachel, Isaac, David and Samuel. 

Sarah was born in 1666 and died in 1736 in Hingham, Massachusetts.  She married Peter Ripley, the son of John and Elizabeth Hobart Ripley. Their children are Elizabeth, Peter, Nehemiah, Sarah, Ezra, and Lydia.

John was born in 1669 and died in 1755 in Windham, Connecticut.  He married Deborah Lincoln, the daughter of Joshua and Deborah Hobart Lincoln.  I think there is a connection here to our Lincoln ancestors but I'm not sure I have it figured out yet.  John and Deborah's known children are John, Joshua, and a second John.

Israel was the last of the children, born in 1671 and died in 1755 in Hingham.  He married Rachel Lincoln, the daughter of Daniel and Susanna Cushing Lincoln.  Their children are Isaac, Israel, Daniel, and Jonathan.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.

John is a minor success story, I think.  He came to Massachusetts as a young man, married, and raised a large family.  Most of his children stayed in or near Hingham, which could mean they were able to make a living there as the town grew.  At least one of his sons served in King Phillip's War, and others would have been in the town militia.  Of course I would like to know more about this family and their individual lives, but I'm happy to think of them as productive citizens.   

 

 

 

Thursday, May 7, 2026

The family of Joseph Lakin 1729-1790

 This family should be easy to trace.  There are several genealogies in print and on line, and how hard can it be?  (Hint from years of experience: Don't ask that question!)  When I started researching for this post, I had 3 children noted and I knew the story of one of them, so I was looking forward to locating information about the two siblings and an easy week of research/writing.  Ha!

Joseph Lakin was born in 1729 in Prince Georges County, Maryland, the son of Abraham and Martha Lee Lakin.  He married Elizabeth Fee, the daughter of George and Parnell (widow Snowden, but maiden name not clear to me) Fee.  The couple seems to have had three children, but one tree I found lists an additional seven, with no documentation so I'm not sure how much faith to put in them.  I will write of the three children I am reasonably sure about, and then simply list the others with their supposed birth and death dates.  If/when I learn where the records are for these proposed additional family members, I will update this post.

I am reasonably sure there was a son, John, born first.  His birth date is usually given as 1750, although I have seen a more definite date of December 28, 1754.  There was a John Lakin who died in Frederick County, Maryland in 1801.  His wife's name is Margaret, and he seems to have had one daughter, Elizabeth.  However, more than one Lakin family is claiming him, and I think the John Lakin with the 1801 date is likely not our John.  The search continues.

We are on firmer ground with Samuel, born "about" 1755, and died in May, 1816 in Brown, Carroll County, Ohio.  He married Sarah Musgrove, the daughter of John and Sarah Putham (could be Putnam?) Musgrove.  Their children are John, Eleanor, Amy, Cyrene, Samuel, Greenbury, William, Elizabeth, Joseph, Sarah, and Thomas.  

Mary was born in 1760 and died in 1843 in Rush County, Indiana.  She married John Simpson Aldridge, the son of Jacob and Elizabeth Soper (most likely but not proven) Aldridge.  Their children are Erasmus, Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, John, Delilah, and Nathan.  

Those are the names of the children that appear in most genealogies of the connected families.  The list that I found on one tree appears reasonable, but there are obvious errors in some of the details, and I have not been able to find further information about any of them.  I would love to hear from someone who knows more about any of these people, and whether or not they belong to this family.

William lived from 1761 to 1780.  Thomas lived from 1762-1836. Benjamin lived from 1767 to 1849. Joseph was born in 1769 and died in 1838 in Hamilton County, Indiana.  James was born in 1771 and died in 1804.  Elizabeth was born in 1773 and died in 1785. Rachel was also born in 1773 (twin to Elizabeth?) and no further information was offered.  As mentioned, these all appear to be possible children of the couple, based on dates and first names that we can mostly trace to other family members, but that is all I have to go on.  To me, they remain "possibles" but not entered on my tree.  

This is the last Lakin post, as Mary is the connection to the Beeks line.  Or maybe it's not the last, if someone has additional information they are willing to share!