Here we are, back in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where so many of our Allen ancestors started out. This time we're looking at the rather short life of Samuel Ball, who was born in Springfield on March 16, Samuel's life started out on a harsh note, when his father drowned on October 3, 1648. Samuel wasn't yet a year old. Samuel had an older brother, Jonathan, and his mother soon remarried to Benjamin Munn. Before long he had at least eight half siblings to care for and play with. We don't know much more of his youth than that, but we know from following the early history of Springfield that the town was settled with houses close together, everyone went to church when the drummer came by, and Puritan boys were expected to learn to read and write. Benjamin Munn was the only father Samuel would ever know, so we can expect that he raised the two Ball boys as he raised his own family. Samuel's inheritance from his father was prtected in 1649, stating that he would receive either 14 pounds when he became twenty years old, or would be provided with an apprenticeship.
It looks like he was probably apprenticed to a brickmaker or mason, because there are several references to his employment in that trade in the town records. He also had an interest in a pine saw mill at a later date. Samuel married Mary Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves, in Hatfield, Massachusetts on January 15, 1671. Let's hope Mary settled him down a bit, because as a youth Samuel was one of the young men who did not behave well (there was quite a group of them). He was sentenced to the whipping post for speaking rudely to his step-father when Samuel was eighteen years old, saying to him "A father indeed; you are no better than an old Indian." Samuel was offered the option of paying a fine, which he did. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the money for the fine came from his step-father, but we don't know that.
Samuel and Mary had five children together. Probably the most difficult part of their life would have been King Philip's War. Samuel is credited with fighting in the Turner Fall battle near Deerfield, Massachusetts,on May 19, 1676, along with several other of our family members and his own family, too. This is a very complicated family as there were several Ball-Stebbins marriages, but we had other family names, too. John Hitchcock, Samuel's son in law, received land in Falltown, at roughly the site of the battle, in 1736 as the heir of Samuel Ball. It is quite likely that this was not the only time Samuel fought, or went on patrol, or stood guard duty, but this is the one instance we are sure of.
Samuel was just 41 years old when he became sick and died on September 13, 1689, in Springfield. There is no indication of the illness, or the length of the illness. It could have been a contagious disease or it may have been heart trouble. Medical care at the time was not particularly effective.
Samuel died without a will and the only record we have is John Hitchcock's presentation of an inventory to the court, on behalf of his mother in law, Mary Graves Ball. The inventory didn't survive, although there are notes to support the widow and also his mother, and then divide up the inheritance among the surviving children.
In a way, it's fun when we can see a bit of the personality of our ancestors. Samuel was a little bit of a rebel, as many teen agers are today, and that gives us a sense of connection with him. He was also willing to work hard, to support his family and to fight for his hometown. In some ways, he was just like us.
The line of descent is
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Ball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ball. Show all posts
Friday, May 29, 2020
Friday, March 18, 2016
Allen line: Henry Burt 1595-1662, Immigrant
Question: What do Ethan Allen, Grover Cleveland, and Winston Churchill have in common?
Answer: They are all descendants of Henry Burt, as are we of the Allen family. I think that's so cool! I haven't done the actual research to bear this out, but these are statements I've found on-line, and they appear to be plausible.
This blog post is mostly based on research found at dunhamwilcox.net. It is a thoroughly referenced source, and I'm grateful to have found it. There's even an online book about Henry and his descendants, which is rather wordy but interesting. Basically I'm using these and other sources to paraphrase what they've found, and to add my own little twist to this ancestor's story.
Henry Burt was born in 1595 in Harberton, Devon, England, the first child and first son of Henry and Iseult or Isolde Burt. (Her parents are as yet unknown.). Henry Senior was a clothier and seems to have done rather well for himself by the time he died in 1617. Harberton was small (population about 1300 currently) so for a person to own 93 sheep and 32 lambs, plus cloth and yarn, several houses, an orchard, nursery, various out buildings, and more, he must have been at least of the middle class.
Our Henry was one of at least seven children (these children were mentioned in the will, there may well have been others who died before Henry Sr.s death in 1617). He was left 5 dwellings in his father's will, but there seems to be no mention of the sheep, cloth, and yarn that would have given Henry a trade, so perhaps that went to son John, who was left half the residue of the estate.
Henry did in fact become, or already had been, a clothier also, and was doing well enough financially in December of 1619 to marry Eulalia Marche. He was a Puritan, of such measure that he occasionally read Sunday sermons to the congregation in his later years, apparently when the church was without a pastor or the pastor was ill or out of town. Henry was in his early 40's when he decided to move his family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
It's believed that they came, perhaps as a family, to Boston in 1638, although it could have been earlier. By 1638 they were in Roxbury, where we learn that their home burned. This would likely have included the tools of the clothing trade also, so it was a terrible loss. It appears that there was some sort of "settlement" of about 8 pounds to the family, as recompense, and by 1639, the family was in Springfield, Massachusetts, which had been founded just four years earlier.
Henry quickly settled down in Springfield. His town lot bordered on the Connecticut River. He was on an early jury, was selectman for the town several years, and was made a freeman in April of 1648. He was "Clerke of the Band", the militia, starting in 1648 also, and in 1649 was chosen "Clerke of the writts for this Towne." He was involved in two or three lawsuits during his lifetime, suing for debts he was owed. Plus, there was the reference to his reading sermons on Sunday, perhaps because he was Clerke, perhpas because he had a strong speaking voice, or perhaps because he was regarded as a pious man.
The Burts had children, a lot of children. I'm finding lists of anywhere from 11 to 19 of them, some of whom died young. It may have been after the birth of one of her children in England that Eulalia herself was thought to have died. The family tradition is that she was laid out in her coffin and regained consciousness during her own funeral. Further tradition has said that she brought the coffin to American with her and was buried in it many years later. I suspect the "regained consciousness during her funeral" may be true but I wonder about the coffin story. It's fun to think about it, though!
Henry died in Springfield on April 30, 1662, without a will. However, there is a thorough inventory. It includes, among other things, the house and land in town, two other parcels of land, farm implements and animals, two guns, and books valued at 10 shillings. The total estate was 181 pounds, of which 47 pounds was owed, mostly to "Mr. Pynchon."
Eulalia, mother of many children, did not remarry, and died August 9, 1690, outliving her husband by 28 years. She evidently still had her own housing, for she gave cows, bedding, land and household goods to her children. This post is about Henry, but it certainly appears that he chose wisely in marrying Eulalia.
There is much more that could be said about Henry, but this is intended to be a sketch only, so we at least know a bit about our immigrants. Sometimes that leads to famous cousins, and interesting stories, and those are some of the reasons I write this blog.
Here's the line of descent:
Henry Burt-Eulalia Marche
Abigail Burt-Francis Ball
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Roote
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Answer: They are all descendants of Henry Burt, as are we of the Allen family. I think that's so cool! I haven't done the actual research to bear this out, but these are statements I've found on-line, and they appear to be plausible.
This blog post is mostly based on research found at dunhamwilcox.net. It is a thoroughly referenced source, and I'm grateful to have found it. There's even an online book about Henry and his descendants, which is rather wordy but interesting. Basically I'm using these and other sources to paraphrase what they've found, and to add my own little twist to this ancestor's story.
Henry Burt was born in 1595 in Harberton, Devon, England, the first child and first son of Henry and Iseult or Isolde Burt. (Her parents are as yet unknown.). Henry Senior was a clothier and seems to have done rather well for himself by the time he died in 1617. Harberton was small (population about 1300 currently) so for a person to own 93 sheep and 32 lambs, plus cloth and yarn, several houses, an orchard, nursery, various out buildings, and more, he must have been at least of the middle class.
Our Henry was one of at least seven children (these children were mentioned in the will, there may well have been others who died before Henry Sr.s death in 1617). He was left 5 dwellings in his father's will, but there seems to be no mention of the sheep, cloth, and yarn that would have given Henry a trade, so perhaps that went to son John, who was left half the residue of the estate.
Henry did in fact become, or already had been, a clothier also, and was doing well enough financially in December of 1619 to marry Eulalia Marche. He was a Puritan, of such measure that he occasionally read Sunday sermons to the congregation in his later years, apparently when the church was without a pastor or the pastor was ill or out of town. Henry was in his early 40's when he decided to move his family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
It's believed that they came, perhaps as a family, to Boston in 1638, although it could have been earlier. By 1638 they were in Roxbury, where we learn that their home burned. This would likely have included the tools of the clothing trade also, so it was a terrible loss. It appears that there was some sort of "settlement" of about 8 pounds to the family, as recompense, and by 1639, the family was in Springfield, Massachusetts, which had been founded just four years earlier.
Henry quickly settled down in Springfield. His town lot bordered on the Connecticut River. He was on an early jury, was selectman for the town several years, and was made a freeman in April of 1648. He was "Clerke of the Band", the militia, starting in 1648 also, and in 1649 was chosen "Clerke of the writts for this Towne." He was involved in two or three lawsuits during his lifetime, suing for debts he was owed. Plus, there was the reference to his reading sermons on Sunday, perhaps because he was Clerke, perhpas because he had a strong speaking voice, or perhaps because he was regarded as a pious man.
The Burts had children, a lot of children. I'm finding lists of anywhere from 11 to 19 of them, some of whom died young. It may have been after the birth of one of her children in England that Eulalia herself was thought to have died. The family tradition is that she was laid out in her coffin and regained consciousness during her own funeral. Further tradition has said that she brought the coffin to American with her and was buried in it many years later. I suspect the "regained consciousness during her funeral" may be true but I wonder about the coffin story. It's fun to think about it, though!
Henry died in Springfield on April 30, 1662, without a will. However, there is a thorough inventory. It includes, among other things, the house and land in town, two other parcels of land, farm implements and animals, two guns, and books valued at 10 shillings. The total estate was 181 pounds, of which 47 pounds was owed, mostly to "Mr. Pynchon."
Eulalia, mother of many children, did not remarry, and died August 9, 1690, outliving her husband by 28 years. She evidently still had her own housing, for she gave cows, bedding, land and household goods to her children. This post is about Henry, but it certainly appears that he chose wisely in marrying Eulalia.
There is much more that could be said about Henry, but this is intended to be a sketch only, so we at least know a bit about our immigrants. Sometimes that leads to famous cousins, and interesting stories, and those are some of the reasons I write this blog.
Here's the line of descent:
Henry Burt-Eulalia Marche
Abigail Burt-Francis Ball
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Roote
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Allen line: Francis Ball Immigrant, died 1648
I sure could use some help with this ancestor. He is erroneously confused with a Frances Ball in Virginia, who was a female and apparently not of this family. His birth date is given as anywhere from 1599 to 1624. His parents are given as William Ball and Alice Waltham, and if the parentage is correct and the age of the parents is correct, 1599 would be a likely date, but 1609 and even 1619 are within the realm of possibilities. The most frequent place of birth given is Wiltshire, England, with no parish that I can locate. So I am left wondering...
Is his father the William Ball who died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1647?
Was Abigail Burt, who was born in 1623, his first wife? If Francis was born in 1599, she would have been 24 years his junior, and there would have been plenty of time for an earlier marriage. Francis Ball and Abigail Burt, daughter of Henry Burt and Eulalia March, were married in August of 1644 in Springfield, where Francis had arrived about a year earlier. They lived in Springfield, where they had two sons, and where Francis purchased land from John Woodcocke, valued at 5 pounds.
The most common fact I find about Francis Ball is that he drowned in the "Great River", known to us as the Connecticut River, on October 3, 1648. So either he was a mariner, unlucky on that day, or he was not used to water and a storm or accident may have caused his death. Of course, there are other possible explanations but these two seem the most likely to me.
Abigail married Benjamin Munn in April of 1649, and after his death, she married Thomas Stebbins, who is an Allen ancestor through his first wife, Hannah Wright. Abigail died in 1707, three times widowed and about 84 years old.
I sure would like to know more about Francis Ball. I'd like to pin down his birthdate and birthplace, to verify whether William and Alice were his parents. I'd like to know if the marriage to Abigail was his first marriage. And I'd like to know how he happened to drown. If someone has this information, please contact me!
The line of descent is
Francis Ball-Abigail Burt
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Samuel Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Is his father the William Ball who died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1647?
Was Abigail Burt, who was born in 1623, his first wife? If Francis was born in 1599, she would have been 24 years his junior, and there would have been plenty of time for an earlier marriage. Francis Ball and Abigail Burt, daughter of Henry Burt and Eulalia March, were married in August of 1644 in Springfield, where Francis had arrived about a year earlier. They lived in Springfield, where they had two sons, and where Francis purchased land from John Woodcocke, valued at 5 pounds.
The most common fact I find about Francis Ball is that he drowned in the "Great River", known to us as the Connecticut River, on October 3, 1648. So either he was a mariner, unlucky on that day, or he was not used to water and a storm or accident may have caused his death. Of course, there are other possible explanations but these two seem the most likely to me.
Abigail married Benjamin Munn in April of 1649, and after his death, she married Thomas Stebbins, who is an Allen ancestor through his first wife, Hannah Wright. Abigail died in 1707, three times widowed and about 84 years old.
I sure would like to know more about Francis Ball. I'd like to pin down his birthdate and birthplace, to verify whether William and Alice were his parents. I'd like to know if the marriage to Abigail was his first marriage. And I'd like to know how he happened to drown. If someone has this information, please contact me!
The line of descent is
Francis Ball-Abigail Burt
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Samuel Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, November 7, 2014
Allen line: Luke Hitchcock, immigrant ancestor
I just read a statement that the persons I have identified as immigrants were not immigrants, but were colonists. They came to settle a new land, so yes, they were colonists. However, since genealogy lingo refers to them as immigrants, I will go with the prevailing language.
Luke Hitchcock was born about 1614 at St Peter's, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, maybe. Some sources say he was born in Fenny Compton, which is where his wife, Eizabeth Gibbons was born. His parents are believed to be John Hitchcock and Mary Franklin, although I have not see solid documentation for this. From the limited information I have found so far on line, I am not convinced of these facts. Certainly there were a lot of Hitchcocks in Wiltshire, but I'm not sure we've found the correct parish or village yet.
We don't know what Luke did for the first 20 or so years of his life, nor do we know for sure when or why he came to the New World. It seems that he came in the years just after the "great migration" ended in 1635. However, we do know that he was settled at New Haven, in what is now Connecticut by 1638. New Haven was a very Puritan colony and followed the Scriptures as their only law, at least at the founding of the colony. The colony did not prosper, partly because of its poor land, partly because they were politically "far out there", and partly because they didn't have a charter for their colony. They ended up merging with Connecticut rather than trying to remain independent.
Much of the colony would have been engaged in some kind of maritime trade or occupation, but Luke was a shoemaker. Perhaps he had learned the trade in England. He married Elizabeth Gibbons, daughter of Thomas Gibbons and Elizabeth Pierpont, in January, 1642 and their first son, John was born September 27, 1642. Hannah was born in 1645 and their third child, Luke, was born in 1655. These dates may be baptismal dates rather than birth dates. They also had a daughter, apparently unnamed, who was born and died on the same day. This was not a large family for the time.
Sometime before 1653 the family moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Luke had signed an intent to settle Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts a few months before he died. That move was never undertaken, and the implication is that Luke may have become ill or injured after he signed the intent.
Luke's will was written October 17, 1659. It is a little unusual in that he says "knowing it to be my duty to provide for my family and to settle my estate that I may leave no occassion of trouble to the when I am gone and that I may free myself before I die..." . Because his children are underage, he first gives everything to Elizabeth and then states his bequests if she remarries. It appears that he owned several pieces of land that were to be divided between John and Luke, and he left his daughter Hannah 40 pounds. These bequests were to be given to the children when they each turned 18, or at the death of his wife, whichever is sooner. If Elizabeth remarried, she was to receive one third of the estate. Luke died November 1, 1659.
Elizabeth did go on to marryWilliam Warriner on October 2, 1661, and then, two years after his death in 1676, she married Joseph Baldwin. She survived her third husband and died April 25, 1696.
The line of descent is:
Luke Hitchcock-Elizabeth Gibbons
John Hitchcock-Hannah Chapin
John Hitchcock-Mary Ball
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Fun Fact from a book called "Fullers, Sissons, and Scotts, Our Yeoman Ancestors":
"Luke was a shoemaker and owned by record fourteen pieces of land in Wethersfield. He was on friendly terms with the Indians and they gave him a deed to the town of Farmington. His wife placed it over a pie in the oven and destroyed it."
Yes, I know it's just a story and may not qualify as a fact. But it definitely is fun!
Luke Hitchcock was born about 1614 at St Peter's, Marlborough, Wiltshire, England, maybe. Some sources say he was born in Fenny Compton, which is where his wife, Eizabeth Gibbons was born. His parents are believed to be John Hitchcock and Mary Franklin, although I have not see solid documentation for this. From the limited information I have found so far on line, I am not convinced of these facts. Certainly there were a lot of Hitchcocks in Wiltshire, but I'm not sure we've found the correct parish or village yet.
We don't know what Luke did for the first 20 or so years of his life, nor do we know for sure when or why he came to the New World. It seems that he came in the years just after the "great migration" ended in 1635. However, we do know that he was settled at New Haven, in what is now Connecticut by 1638. New Haven was a very Puritan colony and followed the Scriptures as their only law, at least at the founding of the colony. The colony did not prosper, partly because of its poor land, partly because they were politically "far out there", and partly because they didn't have a charter for their colony. They ended up merging with Connecticut rather than trying to remain independent.
Much of the colony would have been engaged in some kind of maritime trade or occupation, but Luke was a shoemaker. Perhaps he had learned the trade in England. He married Elizabeth Gibbons, daughter of Thomas Gibbons and Elizabeth Pierpont, in January, 1642 and their first son, John was born September 27, 1642. Hannah was born in 1645 and their third child, Luke, was born in 1655. These dates may be baptismal dates rather than birth dates. They also had a daughter, apparently unnamed, who was born and died on the same day. This was not a large family for the time.
Sometime before 1653 the family moved to Wethersfield, Connecticut, and Luke had signed an intent to settle Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts a few months before he died. That move was never undertaken, and the implication is that Luke may have become ill or injured after he signed the intent.
Luke's will was written October 17, 1659. It is a little unusual in that he says "knowing it to be my duty to provide for my family and to settle my estate that I may leave no occassion of trouble to the when I am gone and that I may free myself before I die..." . Because his children are underage, he first gives everything to Elizabeth and then states his bequests if she remarries. It appears that he owned several pieces of land that were to be divided between John and Luke, and he left his daughter Hannah 40 pounds. These bequests were to be given to the children when they each turned 18, or at the death of his wife, whichever is sooner. If Elizabeth remarried, she was to receive one third of the estate. Luke died November 1, 1659.
Elizabeth did go on to marryWilliam Warriner on October 2, 1661, and then, two years after his death in 1676, she married Joseph Baldwin. She survived her third husband and died April 25, 1696.
The line of descent is:
Luke Hitchcock-Elizabeth Gibbons
John Hitchcock-Hannah Chapin
John Hitchcock-Mary Ball
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents
Fun Fact from a book called "Fullers, Sissons, and Scotts, Our Yeoman Ancestors":
"Luke was a shoemaker and owned by record fourteen pieces of land in Wethersfield. He was on friendly terms with the Indians and they gave him a deed to the town of Farmington. His wife placed it over a pie in the oven and destroyed it."
Yes, I know it's just a story and may not qualify as a fact. But it definitely is fun!
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