Allen line: Matthew Bellamy 1677-possibly 1752

Once again there are mysteries and questions about an ancestor.  We know when he was born, and lots of people think they knew when he died, but since the only will I've located in that time period was for his son and not himself, I'm not quite convinced.

Matthew Bellamy, the second Matthew Bellamy of whom I've written, was born February , 1677-78 or possibly 1676, at Killingworth, Connecticut.  The reason I say possibly is that some sites give his birth date as 1676, and at Saybrook, under the idea that he and his sister Mary were twins.  I haven't proven or disproven that yet.  The date and location I've given first are those published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register volume 61, page 339.  Regardless, it is accepted as established that his parents were Matthew and Bethiah Ford Bellamy.  Matthew the younger was one of at least five children in his family.

Matthew senior was an educated man, a schoolmaster, so we can only assume that our Matthew learned to read and write, but we know nothing further of his education.  He was living in Wallingford by 1696, and that is likely where he met his first wife. We have two marriages for Matthew.  His first wife, whom he married September 26, 1705 was Sarah Wood.  The couple had six children together, but Sarah died on March 8, 1721, about 6 weeks after the birth of her last child.  Matthew remarried quickly, on May 30, 1721 to Mary Johnson, daughter of Samuel Johnson.  They had five children together.

The article I mentioned above says that he owned an interest in the copper mines at Wallingford, and may have worked there.  I don't find anything to document that, but I did find a petition he presented to the General Assembly in 1721-1722, asking to be licensed for a house of entertainment, for the benefit of the miners who worked at the mine.  The article doesn't state whether or not this was approved, so more research needs to be done to verify that.  He was apparently looking for a way to better support his family, as his occupation up to this point had been that of a weaver. (On a tax list for 1701, he was charged at a value or "grand rate" of 22 pounds, which was less than most of the town, although of course he was still quite young at that time.)  I wonder how Mary thought she would be able to help him, with 6 young step-children and two of her own on the way (she would have twins in February of 1722).

Surprisingly, because most of our early ancestors have been Puritans, it appears that the Bellamy family was of the Church of England, as his name is on a petition to the Bishop of London asking for more pastors for the area.  

I've not yet located anything to make me think that Matthew was involved in any of the border wars during Queen Anne's or King William's wars of the late 1600 and early 1700s, but he would have been of the right age for the duty and we can't yet rule out the possibility.

I've not located a will for Matthew yet.  There is one for Matthew Bellamy from 1754, but this is his son Matthew, not ours.  The Bellamy family was prominent in Wallingford for some time, with some of Matthew's grandsons serving in the Revolutionary War, one a noted Episcopalian pastor, and others of honorable professions.  Even though our Matthew may not have died a wealthy person (which is my supposition, not a fact, since I haven't seen a will or inventory), he must have given his descendants a strong sense of character and duty.  Mary died before Matthew, on March 8, 1721, and Matthew's date of death is given as June 7, 1752.

The line of descent is

Matthew Bellamy-Mary Johnson
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Moses Royse, date and location unknown

Here's what I know about Moses:  He was born, he married, and he died.  Pretty much everything else is a mystery.  There were several Moses Royse's in the time period we're talking about, and in the same or near by towns.  I am asking for help.  If anyone has figured this man out, with dates and documents, I would be so excited to hear from you! 

Here's what might be accurate:

Moses Royse was born about 1689 or possibly later, to John and Sarah Perrigo Royse.  If this is the correct couple, then he we born in either Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, or in Mansfield, Tolland County, Connecticut.  His parents were born in Norwich but at some point moved to Mansfield.  He came from a large family, perhaps as many as ten children, and his father may have outlived him. 

Moses may have married a woman named Hannah, whom some have identified as Hannah Beebe.  Others say Hannah Beebe married someone else, and so the name of Moses's wife remains unverified.  One Moses Royse who had a wife named Hannah. They had at least three children and I've seen as many as eight children listed.  Moses died in 1768 and her first name is found in the estate papers.  However, that Moses Royse is thought to have been from Stratford. and not everyone is convinced that is our Moses Royse. 

If it is our Moses Royse, when did he move to Stratford?  On the other hand, it does help make more sense of a thought that Moses Royse was an Indian trader in the Highlands of New York, which would not have been far from Stratford.  Also DNA seems to tie this Moses back to John Royse, and to Robert, who is believed to be John's father. 

Since I'm not sure about any of this, I am not, at this point, going to describe the estate papers I found, or the inventory.  It is available on Ancestry if a fellow researcher wants to look at it.  We don't know for sure when Moses died.  The one I have in my tree right now says July 30, 1768 but then it also says, Windham, Connecticut.  So I wouldn't put up an argument if you agreed, or if you disagree. 

Obviously I would like to figure this out.  If our Moses was an Indian trader, that could make for some interesting stories.  Did he also spy, and if so, was it for the colonists, the British, or the French?  He probably lived through the French and Indian war, if 1768 is a correct date, and he may have been right in the thick of things with hair raising stories.  Of course, he could have been a stay at home farmer, merchant, or seaman, too.  If someone can help with this man, please let me know!

Here's the line of descent, which I hope is correct:

Moses Royse-Hannah
John Royse-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line; Robert Johnson died 1661, Immigrant

There are a lot of stories about Robert Johnson on line, but not a lot of good, documented information.  I'm not sure but I think it's possible that two Robert Johnson's have been combined and confused, and that makes it hard to determine which Robert Johnson is ours.

The esteemed genealogist Donald Lines Jacobus in his "Families of Ancient New Haven" gives the idea that three brothers came from Hull, Yorkshire, England, and from that others have apparently jumped at the conclusion that Robert is the son of Abraham who was the son of Robert Johnson son of Maurice Johnson, who was an alderman of Stanford in Lincolnshire.  I'm not sure this holds up under scrutiny, but it's possible.

I'll start with what I believe to be correct.  Robert Johnson was in New Haven, Connecticut as early as 1641.  At least two more generations of Johnsons lived in New Haven, and their records seem to be a little more easily traced.  So that's helpful, to show that Robert was an early resident there 

William Richard Cutter says that Robert came to Boston in 1637 from Kingston on Hull, Yorkshire, England, where he was in business.  He brought his wife "Adlin" and four sons, Robert, Thomas, John, and William.  There is some belief that Aldin may have been a second wife, but so far no records have been produced to indicate whether this is so or not.

The first I can really find about Robert is that he was in New Haven, Connecticut in 1641, and that this is where he spent the remainder of his days.  He is believed to have been born sometime between 1603 and 1612, but again, there is no known documentation.  It makes sense based on the ages of his known children to think that it would be closer to 1603, since some of his children are believed to have been born in the early to mid 1620's.

We see him in 1641 in New Haven in a dispute with his brother, John.  He had loaned money to John back in England, and John apparently did not pay him back. the house had been pledged as security, or so Robert thought. In the 1640's he was several times appointed to committees to resolve disputes about crops damaged by cattle and hogs, and to determine how much corn each farmer was growing, that the town would be responsible to buy.  He bought 91/2 acres of land "in the Necke" and also had recorded 62 acres of "upland" he had purchased from Thomas Yale, both in 1646.  He apparently also owned a dwelling or land in "Yorkshire quarter", which was disposed of in his will.

That is pretty much what is known of Robert Johnson.  If he was descended from Maurice Johnson then there is likely more material to be found regarding his ancestry, and hopefully more clues to his occupation, religion, and other mundane matters that bring our ancestors to life.

For now, we will leave him at the end of his life, in 1661, in New Haven.  He chose to live there and had been there at least 20 years, watching his family grow and settle in to the new land they had come to.  I am thankful that men like Robert Johnson were willing to come to America and build this new land!

The line of descent is:

Robert Johnson-Adeline
John Johnson-Hannah Parmalee
Samuel Johnson-unknown
Mary Johnson-Matthew Bellamy
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Timothy Ford bt 1611-1684, Immigrant

We know at least a few things about Timothy Ford.  It is quite likely that he came from Devonshire, England.  He may or may not be connected to the Henry and Catherine Drake Ford from that area.  I have it on my tree as fact, but looking at it more closely, he didn't have children named Henry or Catherine so I am a bit skeptical.  Also, Henry was a Sir Henry and Catherine was from a family connected to Sir Francis Drake.  So one would think that he would at least be accorded the title of "Gentleman" and I haven't found him referred to as such.  So maybe they were distant cousins, but Timothy was probably not their child.  (I hope I'm wrong; I like the Francis Drake connection.)

Timothy is believed to have come to New England in 1637 and to have stayed in the Cambridge area for a couple of years before traveling to New Haven.  We don't know whether he went to New Haven for religious reasons or for some other purpose, but it appears that his marriage took place at about this same time.  New Haven was the most Puritan town, and the strictest, in New England so we can hope he went willingly, knowing that life would be different in New Haven than it was in Boston. 

Most sides give his wife's name as Eliza Gordy, but I haven't found any documentation as to that name.  Torrey's New England Marriages doesn't give her even a first name, so I guess the verdict is still out on the name of his wife.  The marriage, however, is supposed to have taken place before 1640, as Samuel Ford was born in that year, and at least five other children were born after that.  Timothy signed his name to the New Haven Covenant in 1639 and received land during the first and second divisions of land there.  He took the "oath of allegiance" in 1644, which basically said he would do what the government (local) said.  215 other men took the oath at the same time, probably all the residents except for perhaps the very sick and those temporarily away from home.

He is believed to have been a farmer, and seems to have been hard pressed for funds in the early years of his marriage, but gradually acquired more land.  He moved to Fairfield, where he owned land before 1650, but was back in New Haven by 1652.  He was fined there, then for a defect in his arms (there were strict rules as to what kind of guns and swords each man must have, and the type and amount of ammunition0 and he tried to excuse himself by saying the requirements were different "where he came from".  Since he was fined, apparently the judge didn't buy the excuse. 

When the meeting house was built, the Fords were assigned seats toward the back of the room, which indicates a low social status, but 25 years later they were in the center of the room, and he was in the 7th row, which may mean he was more prosperous or it may mean simply that age had its privileges. 

His wife, referred to as Goody Ford, died in 1681 and Timothy died August 28, 1684.  He had sold some of his land to one of his sons in 1679, but his estate was still valued at 166 pounds, 17 shillings, and two pence. He had come up in the world. 

Timothy didn't leave a lot or records behind, but apparently he kept out of trouble except for the one arms violation, and that was hard to do in a town like New Haven.  My respects to this gentleman, our ancestor!

The line of descent is:

Timothy Ford-possibly Elizabeth Gordy
Bethiah Ford-Matthew Bellamy
Matthew Bellamy-Mary Johnson
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: John Parmelee 1584-1659, Immigrant

If for not other reason, John Parmelee is noted for having five wives, apparently having out-lived four of them, and for having children by each of his first four wives.  He was born in Lewes, Sussex, England before September 27, 1584.  His father, also John Parmelee, had died late in April (buried May 1) 1583, so his mother, Alice Russell, waited a few months to have him baptized.  Perhaps she herself was ill, or she was waiting for relatives to arrive.  Babies were usually but not always baptized shortly after birth.  John is known to have had one sister, Margaret, who was born a little more than ten years earlier than John.  There was another sister, Catherine, who would have been about five years older than John but who died as an infant. 

It's not clear who raised Margaret and John.  Alice apparently did not remarry, which would have been unusual for this time frame, unless her health was not good.  Probably the family moved in with relatives and eventually John learned the trade of bricklaying.  He supported his own family with his trade.  This would have been back breaking work, just as it is today, but John was apparently a strong young man.  He married at age 24 for the first time, to Anne Howell, and their marriage lasted until her death 21 years later.  They had seven children together, but only one survived childhood. 

John next married Hannah Wilbur in 1630.  She had two children, and died on February 20, 1634, perhaps as a result of childbirth.  Fifteen months later, John married Elizabeth Holter, and had three children with her.  Again, all three children died young.  He next married Joane Cobden, about 15 months after wife Elizabeth had died, and they had one daughter, Rachel, who was buried just five days after her 1638 baptism.  It isn't known what happened to Joane, but she was probably dead when John decided to start a new life in America, or at least when he set sail. 

His surviving son John was already in New England when John sailed from London on the St John on May 20, 1639.  The ship went directly to New Haven, Connecticut and John Senior joined his son John Junior in Guilford.  His signature was on a Plantation Covenant which was officially dated June 1, 1639, but apparently a few late-comers signed the document as they arrived in port.  He was assigned a home lot at the north end of the village green, where the First Congregational Church now stands. We are told on the Town of Guilford, Connecticut's website that the homes built were no more than huts, with thatched roofs, wooden walls, and dirt floors,  and the village resembled a medieval village for several generations. 

John was voted a freeman about 10 years after he arrived in Guilford, but some time before 1659 he and his family moved to New Haven, where he was admitted as a freeman on August 8, 1659.  His family at this time included his fifth wife, Elizabeth, whom he had married in 1653.  There were fourteen years between the death of his fourth wife and the final marriage, so perhaps John had finally given himself time to grieve the loss of so many wives and so many children.   John died November 8, 1659, probably at New Haven.  He did leave a will and inventory but so far I haven't been able to locate it. 

This brief outline leaves a lot of questions.  Was John a strong Puritan church supporter?  How did he support his family in Connecticut?  What were the early relations with the native Americans?  Was he a member of a train band or other military group?  I need to find out more about John Parmelee, who sparks my compassion across these many generations. 

The line of descent is:

John Parmelee-Hannah Wilbur
Hannah Parmelee-John Johnson
Samuel Johnson-unknown
Mary Johnson-Matthew Bellamy
Hannah Bellamy-John Royse
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy-McCoy-George R Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Robert Perrigo abt 1635-1683

I have only a little bit of information about Robert Perrigo, ancestor in the Allen line and immigrant.  What I have, however, is so intriguing that I want to share it, in hopes that someone else has found more pieces to his puzzle and would be willing to share it.

So far as is believed, our ancestor was born somewhere in England, although his surname is believed to have derived from France.  His birth date is unknown, and his birth place and parents are unknown, although someone has indicated his father's name might be William Perrigo.  There was no documentation attached to that statement.  At least one internet researcher believes he was born in 1624 in St Clements, Hastings, Sussex, England. 

The next thing we know about Robert is that he was married in 1657 in New Barbadoes, New Jersey to Sarah Smart, daughter of Robert Smart.  (New Barbadoes was settled by the Dutch, and is now known as Hackensack.)   Robert and Sarah had at least three children together, Ezekiel, Sarah, and Robert.  They were born in Saybrook, Ct. where the couple had settled.  Apparently Sarah died, and about 1670 Robert married for a second time, to Mary or Marah Wood.  Together they had four or five children, the last born in 1683, a few months after her father's death. 

Mary remarried, to Henry Peterson, but all may now have been well between Henry and his step children.  In April of 1711, 28 years after Robert's death, Henry wrote a letter to the court basically saying that he had learned that some of the children of Robert were hiring attorneys and claiming that the estate of Robert Perrigo, which had been settled in 1684, had not been properly handled.  In 1711, Henry was offering up another 63 acres of Perrigo's land, at Beaver Brook, to add to the estate.  This letter is now on Ancestry,com.  Part of this dispute may be because Robert's son, Robert, had apparently been left only one shilling in the will.  Unfortunately, the probate records for the time period prior to 1700 were destroyed, so these are the only hints we have about the Perrigo estate.

As to his occupation, again, it is difficult to say much.  There are hints that he may have worked in the maritime industry, since he was said to be on Mr. Goodall's ship, "now at Goodman Rusco's" in 1659 when his young son Ezekiel received medical treatment.  If course, it's also possible that he was a merchant or a trader or any number of other occupations.  Since he had 63 acres of land not included in the original estate, he likely did at least some farming.

With no estate records, no inventory, and very few other records to go on, we are left with little knowledge of this ancestor.  We know he married twice, had at least seven children, and probably died before the age of 50.  We also know he came to the New World from the Old, and possibly had friends or relatives in New Jersey, (or Sarah was in Connecticut for some reason), since the couple married in New Jersey.  More research needs to be done concerning Robert, but in the meantime, we can honor what we know of his life.

The line of descent is:

Robert Perrigo-Sarah Smart
Sarah Perrigo-John Royse
Moses-Royce-Hannah
John Royce-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royce-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Ann Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Hugh Calkins, Immigrant, about 1599-1690

We know a little more about Hugh Calkins than about some of our other immigrant ancestors.  Research done by Mr. Roy Edwards in 1998 finally pinpointed his parents' marriage and his christening date.  Since they were both in the same location, we are taking Waverton, Cheshire, England, as his hometown, although it is possible that they lived on a farm or in a village even smaller than Waverton.  At any rate, the records show that Waverton was an important place in their lives.  This area is to the east of the northern part of Wales, so it is not surprising that for a long time it was believed that Hugh was from Wales.

Hugh was the son of Rowland and Ellen Payne Calkin, who were married June 23, 1597 at St. Oswald church in Chester. .  He was christened on April 8,1603 at St Peter in Waverton.  Brothers William, Hugh, and Peter were baptized there, too. 

We don't know his parent's occupation, nor his, but this area has been known for dairy and for sheep raising, so it's possible that Rowland, and later Hugh, were involved in farming, at least to some extent.  We don't know when Hugh married, or to whom, although her name is frequently given as Ann, or Sarah Ann, Eaton.  Since marriages frequently took place in the bride's church, it is possible that the records still exist somewhere, but they don't seem to be at Waverton.  It's estimated that the marriage took place sometime around 1626, since their first known child was born in 1627.

We also don't know when Hugh and Ann became "non-conformists."  Were they born into non-conforming families, or did they all become non-conforming over time, or were Hugh and Ann "breakaways" from the family religion?  We don't know the answer to that yet, either, but we do know they were non-conformists; one source even terms Hugh "radical".  It is believed that Hugh and Ann and their children came to America about 1640, since daughter Deborah was buried at Waverton  October 4, 1639.  It's possible that Hugh had come earlier and that Ann stayed behind to deliver and then bury their child.  They traveled with Rev. Richard Blinman once they were here, so perhaps they came as part of his congregation in 1640.  

Hugh and Ann's children were  Sarah, Mary, Rebecca, Deborah  John, David, and Deborah again.  There may also have been a daughter Susan.  David and the second Deborah were born in Massachusetts, after the family arrived here.  Hugh and family settled first at Green's Harbor in  Plymouth Colony, but soon moved to Gloucester with Mr. Blinman. We don't know the whole story, but there was some sort of religious dissension involving his minister and others.  He was made a freeman Dec. 27, 1642 at Gloucester, so he owned at least a modest amount of property by then.  He was a selectman 1643-1648, and then moved to New London, Connecticut, about 1650, again with Rev. Blinman.  He was a selectman and representative there, and was also a town clerk.  In 1662 he moved to what would become Norwich, leaving some of his daughters in New London.  In Norwich he was the first deacon of the church, and a representative in 1663-1664.  He died in 1690,  at the age of ninety years. He and son John are listed as founders of Norwich, so the land was wilderness when they arrived. 

There is a Calkins Family Association with their own website that has most of this information, and I recommend that you "google" for it and enjoy all the work that has gone into that site.  I am so grateful that this work has been done so that we can enjoy knowing a little about our immigrant ancestor.

The line of descent is:
Hugh Calkins-Ann possibly Eaton
Deborah Calkins-Jonathan Royce
John Royce-Sarah Perrigo
Moses Royce-Hannah
John Royce-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royce-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents

Allen line: Robert Royse 1605-1676 Immigrant

Robert Royse is another of our immigrant ancestors in the Allen line.  (Stay tuned for a fun fact at the end of this post.)  Like many ancestors, we aren't really sure where he came from but it is looking more and more likely that he was christened November 3, 1605 at Ketton CumTixover in Rutland, England, the son of William Royce and possibly Joan Casebird.  (The father I show on my Ancestry tree is Thomas, but that appears to not be as likely as I thought when I entered that information.  It's the wrong location, and Thomas is not a name that was used in any subsequent generation.) 

If William is Robert's father, then he was the fourth of at least nine children born between 1600 and 1616.  That is all that we can say about his childhood and youth, that he had a family and that the family ate well enough that Robert survived.  He married Mary Jackson (shown in the records as "Jugkson") on April 8, 1627 in Saint Michael, Stamford, Lincolnshire.  The young couple had several children, during the first 10 years of their marriage, of whom three died as infants. 

We don't know when the family arrived in New England.  Nehemiah was the last child born there, in 1637, and the next known child, Samuel was born in November of 1644 supposedly in New London, Ct.  The problem with that story is that New London wasn't founded until two years later, in 1646.  It seems unlikely that a single family would have gone to the area ahead of the colony, so more research needs to be done here. However, we do know that at least 4 children were born in the New World, starting in 1644.  That leaves a gap of 7 years in which other children may have been born, and possibly lost.

He owned several pieces of land in New London, some given to him as a recognized early settler of the town, and some that he purchased.  He sold most of this to his sons in the early 1660's.  Even so, his estate when he died in 1676 was valued at 420 pounds, 11 shillings.  This was a good estate for a man who had been a leather worker, shoemaker, and "ordinary" keeper during his life at New London.  He had also been constable of the town and deputy to the General Court during the 1660's, indicating that he was a respected member of the town. His will reportedly left property to his wife, five sons, and three daughters, although we only know of two daughters.  (Perhaps one was born during the 7 year time period mentioned above.) 

The best write up of Robert's life that I found was on Wikitree, and I have used some of the information in that article for this post.  The article lists sources that I want to follow up on, and perhaps more can be learned about the life of this ordinary ordinary keeper, who came to New England and made a better life for himself and his family.

The line of descent is:

Robert Royce-Mary probably Jackson
Jonathan Royse-Deborah Calkins
John Royse-Sarah Perrigo
Moses Royse-Hannah
John Royse-Hannah Bellamy
Elizabeth Royse-William McCoy
James McCoy-Nancy Lane
Vincent McCoy-Eleanor Jackson
Nancy McCoy-George Allen
Edward Allen-Edith Knott
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendents

Fun fact:  Robert is the ancestor of President Millard Fillmore, so we are distantly related to another president.  Is anyone keeping track of these connections?