I try to make it a habit to write a blog post of at least five paragraphs, when writing about an ancestor. I don't think I'll make it on this one. Thomas Noble, who is at least the sixth of that name in a line dating back to the early 1500's, is also our last direct ancestor of that name, at least as far as I know now. However, he seems to have not done much to make himself known, so this will be a short post.
Thomas was born November 10, 1696 in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, to Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble. He was one of at least 11 children, and, like his father, he was born and died in the same small town.
Thomas married Sarah Root, daughter of John and Sarah Stebbins Root, on September 1, 1722 in Westfield. He and Sarah had at least 10 children together before her death on July 19, 1760, also in Westfield. He then married Sarah Field Belding in 1761 in Hatfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and they returned to Westfield to live.
We have these additional facts about Thomas: He was a farmer, and in fact lived on the farm that had belonged to his grandfather. He was chosen as a fence viewer in 1739 and in 1744, and was on a committee responsible for building pews in the meeting house. He was often the moderator for town meetings, calling the meeting to order, making sure everyone's voice (male, of course) was heard, ancounting votes. This took a level-headed man, one who could control both his own emotions and those of others. That's as close as I can come to defining the character of the man.
He was, of course, the son of a deacon and his vital records are in the First Church record books. We can probably guess that he attended church on a regular basis, but I've not been able to determine whether he was actually a member of the church. I have also been unable to determine whether, or to what extent, he served in the militia or on military expeditions. It is within the range of possibility that he would have participated in King George's War, since he was only about 50-53 during that time period. This would have pitted the colonists and Great Britain and their native American allies against the French and their native American allies. His name is not listed in the source I consulted about Colonial Officers and Soldiers but those lists are always incomplete. So we just don't know.
There is, on the "Early American Ancestors" website, a drawing labeled "The home of Thomas Noble, Westfield, 1725". This is likely to be the home of Thomas's parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Dewey Noble, but it may well be the home that this Thomas also lived in. At any rate, he would have been very familiar with this home.
Sarah Root Noble died July 19, 1760 and Thomas married Sarah Field Belding the following year. She died in 1763. Thomas died February 18, 1775, just two months before the battles of Concord and Lexington. We don't know what he would have thought about the Revolutionary War, except that at least two of his sons, who were middle aged men at the time, served as patriot soldiers. That says something about their upbringing.
I haven't been able to locate a will for Thomas, or a definitive land transfer. The land probably stayed in the family, perhaps for generations. We know there were Nobles in Westfield up through the 1940 census and probably longer. Of course, I'd love to find a will or deed. I'd love to find military records. I'd love to know more about this man who seems to have stayed in the background. I would be willing to bet there is more to his story.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Falley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Falley. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Friday, June 19, 2020
Allen line: John Root 1672-1731
I'm not sure why I could not find much on-line information about this John. Yes, the earlier John Roots have more information, and there are a confusing number of John Roots to "root" through, to find our ancestor. Yes, he had only one child with our ancestor, and those are all good reasons. But yet...he was a person of some standing in his town. Though he didn't leave as many foot prints as his father and grandfather did, there is enough to fill my minimum requirement of five paragraphs, I think.
John Root was born December 28, 1672 in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of eight children of John and Mary Ashley Root. He spent his childhood in Westfield, grew to be a man in Westfield, married twice and raised his family in Westfield, and died in Westfield. The only hint we have that he may have ever left Westfield is that in his will and inventory papers, he is often referred to as "Lieutenant" John Root. (This was important, as it differentiated him from his father and from other John Roots who lived in the same town).
He is also referred to as a husbandman, which is roughly translated as farmer, and surely he farmed. Everyone in Westfield did. He also attended church regularly. Everyone did. Not everyone, however, had the title of "Deacon", which is another name I have seen assigned to his name. I haven't yet found the documentation for that. His pastor's name, for most of John's life, was Edward Taylor. He was a brilliant man, an Englishman, and seems to have been loved by the whole town. If John was indeed a deacon, he had a good man leading him.
John married Sarah Stebbins, daughter of Edward and Sarah Graves Stebbins, on January 8, 1701 in Westfield. She was from Springfield, but Westfield was actually part of Springfield at one time, so the two would have known each other, probably well, before their marriage. They had just one child together, a daughter named Sarah. who was born in March of 1702. Perhaps there were difficulties with her birth, but for whatever reason, Sarah Root had no more known children before she died. We don't have a death date for her, except that it was prior to September of 1713, when John married the widow Elizabeth Sackett. I would certainly like to find a death date for our Sarah! John and Elizabeth had at least four children, two of whom died very young. There was much sadness for this couple to overcome, each having lost spouses, and then to lose the babies, too, must have been overwhelming.
I would also like to know about John's military service. Why was he referred to as lieutenant? He was too young for King Philip's War, except that he would have gone to the garrison house with his family when attack was feared, and probably lived there for several months. There were various military expeditions and wars he could have participated in, but one that seems most likely would be after the native American attacks on Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1704. Deerfield was just 37 miles north of Westfield, and family members lived there. Other possibilities include Queen Anne's war or King William's war. Regardless, John was recognized as a leader of men and was prepared to go into battle with them.
a
John died May 1, 1731. He left 300 pounds to his daughter Sarah and a small mount of land plus team with its tackle to his son Moses. There is no mention of wife Elizabeth, or of son Stephen. Elizabeth was alive, because the paperwork for her to be the guardian of Moses is included in the estate papers. However, John died owing money to almost everyone in town, it seems. There is nothing in the papers that indicates how the estate was settled, and whether daughter Sarah got her bequest or son Moses got his land and his team. It appears unlikely.
So there's another mystery. Why did John, who appears to have been a well respected member of his society, die with so much debt and such a small estate? Were there crop failures? Did he spend too much time in military service to accumulate any wealth? Was Elizabeth a spendthrift? We simply can't tell from the little we can learn about him, but we can wonder.
Certainly I want to learn more about his story, and about what kind of man he was. But at least here are a few paragraphs to honor our ancestor.
The line of descent is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John Root was born December 28, 1672 in Westfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, one of eight children of John and Mary Ashley Root. He spent his childhood in Westfield, grew to be a man in Westfield, married twice and raised his family in Westfield, and died in Westfield. The only hint we have that he may have ever left Westfield is that in his will and inventory papers, he is often referred to as "Lieutenant" John Root. (This was important, as it differentiated him from his father and from other John Roots who lived in the same town).
He is also referred to as a husbandman, which is roughly translated as farmer, and surely he farmed. Everyone in Westfield did. He also attended church regularly. Everyone did. Not everyone, however, had the title of "Deacon", which is another name I have seen assigned to his name. I haven't yet found the documentation for that. His pastor's name, for most of John's life, was Edward Taylor. He was a brilliant man, an Englishman, and seems to have been loved by the whole town. If John was indeed a deacon, he had a good man leading him.
John married Sarah Stebbins, daughter of Edward and Sarah Graves Stebbins, on January 8, 1701 in Westfield. She was from Springfield, but Westfield was actually part of Springfield at one time, so the two would have known each other, probably well, before their marriage. They had just one child together, a daughter named Sarah. who was born in March of 1702. Perhaps there were difficulties with her birth, but for whatever reason, Sarah Root had no more known children before she died. We don't have a death date for her, except that it was prior to September of 1713, when John married the widow Elizabeth Sackett. I would certainly like to find a death date for our Sarah! John and Elizabeth had at least four children, two of whom died very young. There was much sadness for this couple to overcome, each having lost spouses, and then to lose the babies, too, must have been overwhelming.
I would also like to know about John's military service. Why was he referred to as lieutenant? He was too young for King Philip's War, except that he would have gone to the garrison house with his family when attack was feared, and probably lived there for several months. There were various military expeditions and wars he could have participated in, but one that seems most likely would be after the native American attacks on Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1704. Deerfield was just 37 miles north of Westfield, and family members lived there. Other possibilities include Queen Anne's war or King William's war. Regardless, John was recognized as a leader of men and was prepared to go into battle with them.
a
John died May 1, 1731. He left 300 pounds to his daughter Sarah and a small mount of land plus team with its tackle to his son Moses. There is no mention of wife Elizabeth, or of son Stephen. Elizabeth was alive, because the paperwork for her to be the guardian of Moses is included in the estate papers. However, John died owing money to almost everyone in town, it seems. There is nothing in the papers that indicates how the estate was settled, and whether daughter Sarah got her bequest or son Moses got his land and his team. It appears unlikely.
So there's another mystery. Why did John, who appears to have been a well respected member of his society, die with so much debt and such a small estate? Were there crop failures? Did he spend too much time in military service to accumulate any wealth? Was Elizabeth a spendthrift? We simply can't tell from the little we can learn about him, but we can wonder.
Certainly I want to learn more about his story, and about what kind of man he was. But at least here are a few paragraphs to honor our ancestor.
The line of descent is:
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, June 9, 2020
Allen line: Thomas Noble 1632ish-1703/04
Earlier, I wrote about Thomas's supposed parents. I wasn't sure at the time that I had the right people and I am still not sure. So I will just say Thomas's parents may or may not have been Thomas and Rachel Gardiner Noble. His father also may or may not have been John Noble. The Thomas and Rachel may or may not have come to New England, and they may or may not have both died during the year of Thomas's birth. End of speculation for now.
The first that i really known of Thomas Noble is that he was "admitted" to Boston on January 5, 1653. "Admission" generally means that he had no family there but that he had a trade or other means to provide for himself. Boston did not wish to have people in its community who could not be trusted to contribute to its growth, and who might, for whatever reason, become a burden to the town. (This was common for single men in most early Massachusetts towns and villages). Thomas, then, had permission to stay, but he didn't stay for long.
Later in the year he is found in Springfield, Massachusetts, a town which was founded in 1653. He was still a single man so would have been required to have stayed in someone else's home. (The First Century of the History of Springfield gives his arrival date as 1656. I think that is in error, because in 1657 Thomas had already gained enough approval from Mr. Pynchon to be advanced money for a trip to and from England. We can only speculate whether the trip was trade-related, or family related, or on some kind of errand for Mr. Pynchon.)
Thomas Noble did have a trade, or at least a part time trade. He was a tailor when he wasn't farming. Again, it is hard to trace who he lived with and how he could practice a trade when he had no place to call his own. He married Hannah Warriner, daughter of William and Joanna Scant (probably) Warriner of Springfield on January 11, 1660, in Springfield. It's possible that he had stayed in the home of his in-laws until and even after the marriage, but as far as I know there is no documentation of that. We can see that after his marriage he acquired a bit more status than he had as a bachelor. In 1659, he was assigned to the 9th row of men in the meeting house, and in 1662 he was already moved to the sixth row. Marriage made a man more respectable, in and of itself.
Thomas and Hannah stayed in Springfield for several years, eventually moving to the new town of Westfield, a little further to the west of the Springfield village. In 1664 he was one of four men who were given permission to set up a saw mill, and were also given 70 acres of land to use. The sawmill was to be in operation by April 1, 1666. The sawmill was on the west side of the Agawam river, which appears to be just where Westfield was created. Thomas Noble is noted as having been there in 1667, so probably the family moved during or after the construction of the sawmill.
Yes, Thomas and Hannah had a family, and there are probably tens of thousands of descendants from this family now. There were at least ten children born to the couple. The family didn't realize it at the time, but later learned that a native American called "Gray Locks" had often had some of the children in his sight, saying he could have killed several at one time, but that he wanted to capture them so they could be held for ransom. Thankfully, this goal was not accomplished. During King Philip's war, the same Gray Lock would open the door to the cabin, and let it swing shut before playing his game again. This encouraged the family to move from their farm to the relative safety of Westfield, at least for the duration of hostilities.
Thomas farmed, of course, and probably helped in the saw mill operation, and also did tailoring work until close to the end of his days. He was involved in another saw mill operation in 1684, but it's not clear whether he had already relinquished his partnership in the earlier saw mill, or whether this was a separate enterprise entirely. At various times he was a constable, an appraiser, and on committees to help set the boundaries between Springfield and Westfield.
Thomas joined the Westfield church on February 26, 1681 and was made a freeman in the fall of the year. He was on juries, including one conducting an inquest into the manner of death of one of their neighbors, concluding that Eliezer Weller had hanged himself. But Thomas also had his minor run-ins with the law, specifically, church law. He was fined 5 shillings in 1683 because he traveled on a day of court-ordered fasting and humiliation. Thomas stated that he was just trying to get home, but that didn't fold water with the court.
Thomas seems to have been often, if not always, in debt, especially to William or John Pynchon, despite acquiring more and more land during his lifetime. When he died on January 20, 1703/04, he left a will naming his ten children, although it appears that son James died at the same time that Thomas did. Hannah survived him and later married Medad Pomeroy, another of our ancestors. She lived until 1721.
Thomas's inventory was valued at 448 pounds, which was mostly land, farm animals, and farm implements. He had arms and ammunition, but I didn't see any mention of books in the inventory, nor did I see tailoring tools, although they could have been included with "other small things". There is much more information available about Thomas, but the big mystery is still the identification of his parents, and of how and when he arrived in Massachusetts.
Fun fact: I was fascinated to learn that Agatha Christie, the mystery writer, is his sixth great grand daughter. He is my 8th great granddaughter, so that makes us very distant cousins. Other famous grandchildren are Samuel Colt, Humphrey Bogart, Nancy Davis Reagan, and Ken Burns.
The line of descent is
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Thomas Noble-Elizabeth Dewey
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble=Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The first that i really known of Thomas Noble is that he was "admitted" to Boston on January 5, 1653. "Admission" generally means that he had no family there but that he had a trade or other means to provide for himself. Boston did not wish to have people in its community who could not be trusted to contribute to its growth, and who might, for whatever reason, become a burden to the town. (This was common for single men in most early Massachusetts towns and villages). Thomas, then, had permission to stay, but he didn't stay for long.
Later in the year he is found in Springfield, Massachusetts, a town which was founded in 1653. He was still a single man so would have been required to have stayed in someone else's home. (The First Century of the History of Springfield gives his arrival date as 1656. I think that is in error, because in 1657 Thomas had already gained enough approval from Mr. Pynchon to be advanced money for a trip to and from England. We can only speculate whether the trip was trade-related, or family related, or on some kind of errand for Mr. Pynchon.)
Thomas Noble did have a trade, or at least a part time trade. He was a tailor when he wasn't farming. Again, it is hard to trace who he lived with and how he could practice a trade when he had no place to call his own. He married Hannah Warriner, daughter of William and Joanna Scant (probably) Warriner of Springfield on January 11, 1660, in Springfield. It's possible that he had stayed in the home of his in-laws until and even after the marriage, but as far as I know there is no documentation of that. We can see that after his marriage he acquired a bit more status than he had as a bachelor. In 1659, he was assigned to the 9th row of men in the meeting house, and in 1662 he was already moved to the sixth row. Marriage made a man more respectable, in and of itself.
Thomas and Hannah stayed in Springfield for several years, eventually moving to the new town of Westfield, a little further to the west of the Springfield village. In 1664 he was one of four men who were given permission to set up a saw mill, and were also given 70 acres of land to use. The sawmill was to be in operation by April 1, 1666. The sawmill was on the west side of the Agawam river, which appears to be just where Westfield was created. Thomas Noble is noted as having been there in 1667, so probably the family moved during or after the construction of the sawmill.
Yes, Thomas and Hannah had a family, and there are probably tens of thousands of descendants from this family now. There were at least ten children born to the couple. The family didn't realize it at the time, but later learned that a native American called "Gray Locks" had often had some of the children in his sight, saying he could have killed several at one time, but that he wanted to capture them so they could be held for ransom. Thankfully, this goal was not accomplished. During King Philip's war, the same Gray Lock would open the door to the cabin, and let it swing shut before playing his game again. This encouraged the family to move from their farm to the relative safety of Westfield, at least for the duration of hostilities.
Thomas farmed, of course, and probably helped in the saw mill operation, and also did tailoring work until close to the end of his days. He was involved in another saw mill operation in 1684, but it's not clear whether he had already relinquished his partnership in the earlier saw mill, or whether this was a separate enterprise entirely. At various times he was a constable, an appraiser, and on committees to help set the boundaries between Springfield and Westfield.
Thomas joined the Westfield church on February 26, 1681 and was made a freeman in the fall of the year. He was on juries, including one conducting an inquest into the manner of death of one of their neighbors, concluding that Eliezer Weller had hanged himself. But Thomas also had his minor run-ins with the law, specifically, church law. He was fined 5 shillings in 1683 because he traveled on a day of court-ordered fasting and humiliation. Thomas stated that he was just trying to get home, but that didn't fold water with the court.
Thomas seems to have been often, if not always, in debt, especially to William or John Pynchon, despite acquiring more and more land during his lifetime. When he died on January 20, 1703/04, he left a will naming his ten children, although it appears that son James died at the same time that Thomas did. Hannah survived him and later married Medad Pomeroy, another of our ancestors. She lived until 1721.
Thomas's inventory was valued at 448 pounds, which was mostly land, farm animals, and farm implements. He had arms and ammunition, but I didn't see any mention of books in the inventory, nor did I see tailoring tools, although they could have been included with "other small things". There is much more information available about Thomas, but the big mystery is still the identification of his parents, and of how and when he arrived in Massachusetts.
Fun fact: I was fascinated to learn that Agatha Christie, the mystery writer, is his sixth great grand daughter. He is my 8th great granddaughter, so that makes us very distant cousins. Other famous grandchildren are Samuel Colt, Humphrey Bogart, Nancy Davis Reagan, and Ken Burns.
The line of descent is
Thomas Noble-Hannah Warriner
Thomas Noble-Elizabeth Dewey
Thomas Noble-Sarah Root
Stephen Noble=Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, May 29, 2020
Allen line: Samuel Ball 1648-1689
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
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
Friday, April 24, 2020
Allen line: John Church 1636-1691
Well, John's birth date is not known for certain, but I'm going with "about May 9, 1636." The date is sort of important, as is the place, because it's possible that he was the first babe born in Hartford, Connecticut. His father, Richard Church, is listed as one of the founders of Hartford, and by implication, his mother, Ann probably Marsh, would have been a founding mother. We find Richard's name attached to lot 35 on the Hartford map of 1640, meaning that he was there early. So probably John was born either in Hartford or on the trip there. John was one of at least four children, and he was the youngest of them.
We don't know much about John's childhood but we know he must have attended the First Church there in Hartford, and he would have learned to read and probably write, whether that was at home or in a school setting. The first record I've found for him was of his marriage on October 27, 1657, when he was just 21, to Sarah Beckley, the daughter of Richard and Ann Daniel Beckley. Then there is a bit of a mystery. The couple had ten children, but there doesn't seem to be a record of their births. There has been a suggestion that perhaps the young couple went to Hadley, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a few years, but records are not found there, either.
We know they were in Hartford by 1670, if indeed they had ever left. There is a long and complicated church history, but what eventually happened was that a second church was started in Hartford. Apparently this second church had less stringent rules for membership, because John was able to state that he "owned the covenant", which was usually a precursor to church membership, and also to having your children baptized. Sometimes this was called the "Halfway Covenant". So John attended church (every resident in Hartford was expected to attend regular church services) and agreed with church beliefs, but apparently didn't follow all the steps necessary for full church membership. Sarah was admitted to full membership on June 23, 1678.
John was willed his father's house in Hartford, and also his lands within the bounds of Hartford, which may be one reason they either came back or stayed in Hartford. This is essentially what I know of John, up until his death. I don't know his occupation, or to what extent he may have served in the militia, particularly in King Philip's war. I don't know what town offices he may have held. And I don't know how he died. The reason this is of interest to me is that he died October 16, 1691 in Wethersfield, and Sarah is reported to have died just 11 days later. They were 55 and 51 years old, respectfully, and John died without a will. This leads me to suspect it was some kind of an illness, perhaps a flu or respiratory disease, that killed them. That is purely speculation on my part, but clearly something was going on.
His children soon approached the court and asked for guidance as to how to dispose of the estate. An inventory was taken, establishing the value at about 510 pounds, and it was then divided up between the 10 children, with each child receiving 20 pounds (could possibly be 28, I'm not sure), or goods worth that amount, except for son Richard, who received 40 pounds. I don't know whether or not John was considered to be financially well off, but his inventory is larger than that of many of our ancestors who died about the same time. There were two spinning wheels and quite a bit of cloth in the inventory, plus a lot of furniture for the time, especially chests. There was also 'gunn, sworde, and ammunition", several pieces of real estate, and some farm tools. I didn't follow what became of the real estate, but it seems that it may have been dealt with separately.
So we know some things about John, and some we don't know. Yet, there is he in our family lineage, and without him, there would not have been us.
The line of descent is
John Church-Sarah Beckley
Richard Church-Elizabeth Noble
Jonathan Church-Ruth Hitchcock
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
We don't know much about John's childhood but we know he must have attended the First Church there in Hartford, and he would have learned to read and probably write, whether that was at home or in a school setting. The first record I've found for him was of his marriage on October 27, 1657, when he was just 21, to Sarah Beckley, the daughter of Richard and Ann Daniel Beckley. Then there is a bit of a mystery. The couple had ten children, but there doesn't seem to be a record of their births. There has been a suggestion that perhaps the young couple went to Hadley, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a few years, but records are not found there, either.
We know they were in Hartford by 1670, if indeed they had ever left. There is a long and complicated church history, but what eventually happened was that a second church was started in Hartford. Apparently this second church had less stringent rules for membership, because John was able to state that he "owned the covenant", which was usually a precursor to church membership, and also to having your children baptized. Sometimes this was called the "Halfway Covenant". So John attended church (every resident in Hartford was expected to attend regular church services) and agreed with church beliefs, but apparently didn't follow all the steps necessary for full church membership. Sarah was admitted to full membership on June 23, 1678.
John was willed his father's house in Hartford, and also his lands within the bounds of Hartford, which may be one reason they either came back or stayed in Hartford. This is essentially what I know of John, up until his death. I don't know his occupation, or to what extent he may have served in the militia, particularly in King Philip's war. I don't know what town offices he may have held. And I don't know how he died. The reason this is of interest to me is that he died October 16, 1691 in Wethersfield, and Sarah is reported to have died just 11 days later. They were 55 and 51 years old, respectfully, and John died without a will. This leads me to suspect it was some kind of an illness, perhaps a flu or respiratory disease, that killed them. That is purely speculation on my part, but clearly something was going on.
His children soon approached the court and asked for guidance as to how to dispose of the estate. An inventory was taken, establishing the value at about 510 pounds, and it was then divided up between the 10 children, with each child receiving 20 pounds (could possibly be 28, I'm not sure), or goods worth that amount, except for son Richard, who received 40 pounds. I don't know whether or not John was considered to be financially well off, but his inventory is larger than that of many of our ancestors who died about the same time. There were two spinning wheels and quite a bit of cloth in the inventory, plus a lot of furniture for the time, especially chests. There was also 'gunn, sworde, and ammunition", several pieces of real estate, and some farm tools. I didn't follow what became of the real estate, but it seems that it may have been dealt with separately.
So we know some things about John, and some we don't know. Yet, there is he in our family lineage, and without him, there would not have been us.
The line of descent is
John Church-Sarah Beckley
Richard Church-Elizabeth Noble
Jonathan Church-Ruth Hitchcock
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, April 21, 2020
Allen line: Stephen Noble 1727-1791
How could I have missed him? I've known about "Lieutenant Stephen Noble" ever since my father received some family history from his sister, probably about 1960. It was basically about the Starr family, but at the back, there were documents. I was told at the time that these would make it easier for me to join the Daughters of the American Revolution, should I ever decide to do so. But what child is really interested in doing that?
And yes, and yet, here it is, blog post number 702 and I'm just now writing a little about Stephen's story. I think one reason I've put it off is that I have been hoping to find more information about him. While I do have some facts, dates, names, and so on, I assumed there would be more. There may well be more, but I don't know where to find it, I guess.
So, here's what I do know. Stephen Noble was born April 15, 1791 in Westfield, Massachusetts, which is the home of a whole cluster of our Allen families. His parents were Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, and his parents had also been born in Westfield. Those of his grandparents who hadn't been born in Westfield were born in Springfield, which was just a few miles east of Westfield, and was Westfield's "mother town". Stephen was one of at least ten children, and he likely led the kind of childhood we only dream about today-family nearby, freedom to play in the creeks, hunt or fish, and perhaps to learn a trade.
Stephen married in Westfield, to Ruth Church, daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church, on March 7, 1753, when he was 25 and Ruth was 19. Stephenwas probably away from home at least some of the time during the mid 1750's. as I've seen a report of a source, but not the source itself, that says he was a private in 1757, so there may well be records that would document this. I just haven't seen them yet. He very possibly could have been involved in one or more of the campaigns in New York during that time period.
If Stephen had been in the French and Indian war, that would help explain why he served for nine months in the Revolutionary War, in 1777. He was likely encouraged to do so, because of his experience under fire, and also because he apparently had leadership skills. He was part of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety for Westfield, which means he was not afraid to stick his neck out and act for what he believed in, which was independence. It is likely that his Revolutionary War experience was largely guarding provisions, but again, the New York campaigns and battles can't be ruled out, since he served for nine months. He was a lieutenant, either elected by his men or appointed as such by townsmen, and we know he was entrusted with money for his men in 1780. By the time the war was over, he would have been in his middle 50's, and probably not serving in any kind of active duty, but may have been the town's recruitment officer. It would be nice to see what else the DAR might have in their library about him.
Stephen and Ruth had at least nine children together. I don't know whether their life together was happy or not. It appears to have had an unhappy end, at least. Stephen died April 2, 1791, deeply in debt to a large assortment of friends, relatives, neighbors, and apparently just about everyone in town. He was so broke that the estate could pay only ten pence to the pound to each of his creditors, which is probably even less than "pennies on the dollar". So now we have a mystery. Was he just a poor money manager? Had something happened, such as a house or business fire, that left him in an embarrassed position at the end of his life? Had he suffered from a long illness? Or possibly one or more of his children had taken all that he had. I don't know if there's a way to determine this. Ruth lived about three years after Stephen had died, dying in Hadley, Massachusetts. She may have been living with one of her children, or at least visiting there at the time of her death.
Obviously I would love to learn more about Stephen's military service, his occupation, and his religious life, and of course what happened that he died in such penury. Inquiring minds want to know these things. But he deserves our honor and respect for the service and love he gave to his country and to his family.
The line of descent is:
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble=Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
And yes, and yet, here it is, blog post number 702 and I'm just now writing a little about Stephen's story. I think one reason I've put it off is that I have been hoping to find more information about him. While I do have some facts, dates, names, and so on, I assumed there would be more. There may well be more, but I don't know where to find it, I guess.
So, here's what I do know. Stephen Noble was born April 15, 1791 in Westfield, Massachusetts, which is the home of a whole cluster of our Allen families. His parents were Thomas and Sarah Root Noble, and his parents had also been born in Westfield. Those of his grandparents who hadn't been born in Westfield were born in Springfield, which was just a few miles east of Westfield, and was Westfield's "mother town". Stephen was one of at least ten children, and he likely led the kind of childhood we only dream about today-family nearby, freedom to play in the creeks, hunt or fish, and perhaps to learn a trade.
Stephen married in Westfield, to Ruth Church, daughter of Jonathan and Ruth Hitchcock Church, on March 7, 1753, when he was 25 and Ruth was 19. Stephenwas probably away from home at least some of the time during the mid 1750's. as I've seen a report of a source, but not the source itself, that says he was a private in 1757, so there may well be records that would document this. I just haven't seen them yet. He very possibly could have been involved in one or more of the campaigns in New York during that time period.
If Stephen had been in the French and Indian war, that would help explain why he served for nine months in the Revolutionary War, in 1777. He was likely encouraged to do so, because of his experience under fire, and also because he apparently had leadership skills. He was part of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety for Westfield, which means he was not afraid to stick his neck out and act for what he believed in, which was independence. It is likely that his Revolutionary War experience was largely guarding provisions, but again, the New York campaigns and battles can't be ruled out, since he served for nine months. He was a lieutenant, either elected by his men or appointed as such by townsmen, and we know he was entrusted with money for his men in 1780. By the time the war was over, he would have been in his middle 50's, and probably not serving in any kind of active duty, but may have been the town's recruitment officer. It would be nice to see what else the DAR might have in their library about him.
Stephen and Ruth had at least nine children together. I don't know whether their life together was happy or not. It appears to have had an unhappy end, at least. Stephen died April 2, 1791, deeply in debt to a large assortment of friends, relatives, neighbors, and apparently just about everyone in town. He was so broke that the estate could pay only ten pence to the pound to each of his creditors, which is probably even less than "pennies on the dollar". So now we have a mystery. Was he just a poor money manager? Had something happened, such as a house or business fire, that left him in an embarrassed position at the end of his life? Had he suffered from a long illness? Or possibly one or more of his children had taken all that he had. I don't know if there's a way to determine this. Ruth lived about three years after Stephen had died, dying in Hadley, Massachusetts. She may have been living with one of her children, or at least visiting there at the time of her death.
Obviously I would love to learn more about Stephen's military service, his occupation, and his religious life, and of course what happened that he died in such penury. Inquiring minds want to know these things. But he deserves our honor and respect for the service and love he gave to his country and to his family.
The line of descent is:
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble=Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, March 20, 2020
Allen line: Captain Thomas Stebbins 1687-1758
What's an ancestor without a mystery? I haven't found many of those, and Thomas Stebbins is no exception. My question is simple, but the answer is elusive. I'd like to know why he was called "Captain"? In the book of wills, his will is labeled "Captain Thomas Stebbings". Now, the will book was made at some point after the death of our subject, so it's possible that he wasn't really a "Captain" at all, and that the recorder of the book of wills used a title that applied to a different Thomas Stebbins, because there were certainly several of them running around Massachusetts at the time.
Or, he did earn the title and we need to do more research. Based on his age, I would guess that he probably served in Queen Anne's war, possibly on the aborted invasion of Canada (to take it from the French) or in King William's war, with the same aim. There is also the strong possibility that he responded to one or another of the native American attacks on Deerfield.
However, that is the middle of the story, or the lack of a story, for Captain Thomas Stebbins. The beginning of the story is his birth on March 7, 1687 in Springfield, Massachusetts (Massachusetts Bay Colony, actually), His parents were Edward and Sarah Graves Stebbins, and he was in the fourth generation of men named Stebbins to live in New England. He was raised in Springfield, lived and died there, and except for whatever he did to be designated as "Captain", he probably never left the town.
He belonged to one of the more well known families in Springfield, and grew to fill his father's shoes at least partly. He married Mary Ely, daughter of Joseph and Mary Riley Ely, on May 1, 1711. He and Mary had at least five children together, and life was pretty good for the Stebbins family. He held several minor offices in town but was also constable at one point, and served on committees to audit the town accounts. As was expected of Puritan boys, he could read, write, and do at least some arithmetic.
Thomas died December 4, 1758, about a month after writing his will. Mary died less than two years later, on October 14, 1760. I haven't located an inventory, but Thomas left his oldest son, Caleb, his "gun, sword and belt" so we know he treasured those items. He doesn't specifically mention any land or dwellings, just his "estate". He left about 5 pounds to each of his daughters (Ruth got a little more than Mary did) and the rest of his estate, after his wife's death, was to be divided between the sons. It's hard to imagine someone in Springfield not owning land, so I'm going to guess that Thomas did, too. He likely inherited at least some of it from his father, although I'm not finding even a will for him.
That is what we know, and don't know, about Thomas. I would certainly like to learn more about him, because he probably met and conquered more challenges than we can imagine.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Stebbins-Mary Ely
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcock
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 descendants
Or, he did earn the title and we need to do more research. Based on his age, I would guess that he probably served in Queen Anne's war, possibly on the aborted invasion of Canada (to take it from the French) or in King William's war, with the same aim. There is also the strong possibility that he responded to one or another of the native American attacks on Deerfield.
However, that is the middle of the story, or the lack of a story, for Captain Thomas Stebbins. The beginning of the story is his birth on March 7, 1687 in Springfield, Massachusetts (Massachusetts Bay Colony, actually), His parents were Edward and Sarah Graves Stebbins, and he was in the fourth generation of men named Stebbins to live in New England. He was raised in Springfield, lived and died there, and except for whatever he did to be designated as "Captain", he probably never left the town.
He belonged to one of the more well known families in Springfield, and grew to fill his father's shoes at least partly. He married Mary Ely, daughter of Joseph and Mary Riley Ely, on May 1, 1711. He and Mary had at least five children together, and life was pretty good for the Stebbins family. He held several minor offices in town but was also constable at one point, and served on committees to audit the town accounts. As was expected of Puritan boys, he could read, write, and do at least some arithmetic.
Thomas died December 4, 1758, about a month after writing his will. Mary died less than two years later, on October 14, 1760. I haven't located an inventory, but Thomas left his oldest son, Caleb, his "gun, sword and belt" so we know he treasured those items. He doesn't specifically mention any land or dwellings, just his "estate". He left about 5 pounds to each of his daughters (Ruth got a little more than Mary did) and the rest of his estate, after his wife's death, was to be divided between the sons. It's hard to imagine someone in Springfield not owning land, so I'm going to guess that Thomas did, too. He likely inherited at least some of it from his father, although I'm not finding even a will for him.
That is what we know, and don't know, about Thomas. I would certainly like to learn more about him, because he probably met and conquered more challenges than we can imagine.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Stebbins-Mary Ely
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcock
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 descendants
Friday, March 6, 2020
Allen line: Samuel Starr 1641-1687
I just want to say that this is ridiculous. It should not be this hard to find information about Samuel Starr. After all, he married Hannah Brewster, daughter of Jonathan Brewster and granddaughter of Elder William Brewster of the Mayflower. How can someone with those ties go almost missing?
Well, we do know a few things about him, but certainly not enough to fill in the dash between 1641 and 1687. Samuel is the son of Thomas and Rachel (last name not proven) Starr, born November 3, 1641, at Scituate, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Scituate is a town on the coast of Massachusetts, between Boston and Plymouth. Samuel had as many as seven brothers and sisters, and growing up along the coast would have been a good life. He could have looked to the sea for his future living, or perhaps decided he didn't like the life of a seaman. Since his father was a surgeon, it's probably that Samuel learned to read and write.
He may not have learned his religious lessons well, though, because when he married, his wife and their children were accepted into church but there seems to be no mention of Samuel. We don't know what he did for a living, but sometimes those engaged in the maritime trade were less likely to join the church, and this may apply to Samuel's situation. Or not.
As mentioned, Samuel married Hannah Brewster, daughter of Jonathan and Lucretia Oldham Brewster, on December 23, 1664, in New London, Connecticut. One of the mysteries about Samuel is how when and why he went from Scituate to New London. Did it have something to do with the maritime trade? We just don't know.
Samuel and Hannah had at least five children together, which was not a lot for the time and for 20 years of marriage. They apparently lived in New London for all the years of their marriage.
In 1670, Samuel was granted the right to establish a ferry at Norwich, but it doesn't appear that the operation ever got off the ground. He may have been somewhat well to do because he was surety for a Widow Bradley in 1673, who had had two children by a married man, Christopher Christophers. She would have been whipped and jailed if Samuel hadn't paid the fine, but we don't know why he did this. Was Widow Bradley a relative, or a neighbor, or just someone upon whom Samuel took pity?He was elected county marshal (sheriff) in 1678 and held the post until he resigned in 1682.
Hannah died in 1684 and Samuel died February 2, 1687. I haven't yet located any estate papers for him. We don't know the cause of death for either of them. It's of course possible that Hannah died in or followin childbirth. Samuel would have been just 46 years old so one wonders whether it was an accident rather than a disease that killed him.
Among the things I'd like to know, occupation being first and foremost, is whether or not he participated in some way in King Philip's war. If he didn't participate, what was his reason for staying out of the war? And since he likely was required to attend church, why did he not join it?
There are probably answers to some of these questions out there somewhere, and I'd love to solve these questions. In the meantime, we can be grateful to Samuel for the life he lived, which allows us to live our lives.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Starr-Hannah Brewster
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Well, we do know a few things about him, but certainly not enough to fill in the dash between 1641 and 1687. Samuel is the son of Thomas and Rachel (last name not proven) Starr, born November 3, 1641, at Scituate, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Scituate is a town on the coast of Massachusetts, between Boston and Plymouth. Samuel had as many as seven brothers and sisters, and growing up along the coast would have been a good life. He could have looked to the sea for his future living, or perhaps decided he didn't like the life of a seaman. Since his father was a surgeon, it's probably that Samuel learned to read and write.
He may not have learned his religious lessons well, though, because when he married, his wife and their children were accepted into church but there seems to be no mention of Samuel. We don't know what he did for a living, but sometimes those engaged in the maritime trade were less likely to join the church, and this may apply to Samuel's situation. Or not.
As mentioned, Samuel married Hannah Brewster, daughter of Jonathan and Lucretia Oldham Brewster, on December 23, 1664, in New London, Connecticut. One of the mysteries about Samuel is how when and why he went from Scituate to New London. Did it have something to do with the maritime trade? We just don't know.
Samuel and Hannah had at least five children together, which was not a lot for the time and for 20 years of marriage. They apparently lived in New London for all the years of their marriage.
In 1670, Samuel was granted the right to establish a ferry at Norwich, but it doesn't appear that the operation ever got off the ground. He may have been somewhat well to do because he was surety for a Widow Bradley in 1673, who had had two children by a married man, Christopher Christophers. She would have been whipped and jailed if Samuel hadn't paid the fine, but we don't know why he did this. Was Widow Bradley a relative, or a neighbor, or just someone upon whom Samuel took pity?He was elected county marshal (sheriff) in 1678 and held the post until he resigned in 1682.
Hannah died in 1684 and Samuel died February 2, 1687. I haven't yet located any estate papers for him. We don't know the cause of death for either of them. It's of course possible that Hannah died in or followin childbirth. Samuel would have been just 46 years old so one wonders whether it was an accident rather than a disease that killed him.
Among the things I'd like to know, occupation being first and foremost, is whether or not he participated in some way in King Philip's war. If he didn't participate, what was his reason for staying out of the war? And since he likely was required to attend church, why did he not join it?
There are probably answers to some of these questions out there somewhere, and I'd love to solve these questions. In the meantime, we can be grateful to Samuel for the life he lived, which allows us to live our lives.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Starr-Hannah Brewster
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Allen line: Editha Stebbins Day Maynard Holyoke 17th century heroine
I had just realized that I wanted to write a blog post about Editha when I saw on one of my genealogy groups a post asking what I was doing to honor my female ancestors in March, which is National Women's History Month. I wanted to not only honor a female ancestor, but also to allow her to teach us a little about how life could be, and was, in 17th century Massachusetts (and other parts of the colonies, too).
First, the bare facts about her life. Editha Stebbins was born in 1613 in probably Woodham, Essex, England although I have also seen other locations in Essex mentioned. My genealogy skills for English research are negligible, so let's just say Essex, England in order to avoid dispute. Her parents are frequently given as William and Mary Scott Stebbins. Her father died in 1625 and it's thought that she came to New England with her brother, Edward Stebbins, in 1633. They stayed at Newtown/Cambridge, Massachusetts before moving to Hartford, Connecticut with Reverend Thomas Hooker's group.
Editha married Robert Day about this time, either in Newtown or Hartford. Robert Day is among those listed as a founder of Hartford, and by rights, Editha should be there, too, as should the wives of the other listed founders. Robert was a widower when they married but apparently had no surviving children by this first marriage. Robert and Editha had four children, and started to build a life together in the wilderness. Robert was a deacon in the church and life looked good, even if it wasn't easy.
However, Robert died in 1648 and Editha was left with four young children. She married Deacon John Maynard in October of 1648, and he helped raise her four children, leaving them gifts in his will and probably helping the boys get started in life. John and Editha had no children together before he died in 1658. By now, Editha had lived 22 years in Hartford, probably the longest she had lived in any one place in her life.
She must have been wealthy, or at least well to do, and also physically attractive, even though she was now about 45 years old and probably past child bearing age. But that same year, she married Captain Elizur Holyoke, who lived in Springfield, Massachusetts. So Editha packed up her things and moved to her new home, possibly leaving a son behind in Hartford. Within that first year of this marriage, her other three children married and left home. Did Mary have time to become an empty nester?
Not exactly, because her new husband had been widowed in 1657, and she was now the step mother to six children ranging in age from two to twelve years of age. It was a whole new family to nurture, feed, clothe, and raise, but our ancestor gladly rose to the challenge. Perhaps she had sadly missed not having children with her second husband. It looks like life went well for this family, until King Philip's War. Elizur died in 1676, although there is some dispute about whether or not it was a direct result of war injuries. He was in charge of the defense of Springfield at the time of his death.
The loss of her husband was not the only loss Editha suffered during that war. Her daughter, Sarah, and grandson, Joseph were killed at Hatfield, and Editha also grieved as a step son, Samuel Holyoke, died during the war. In addition, she may have lost her home. The Indians attacked Springfield, burning 32 of the 45 homes in the settlement. If her home was still standing, she would have taken in as many of the homeless villagers as possible, even though the town's crops and animals had also been destroyed.
Editha lived as a widow for another 12 years, dying in 1688. I admire her so much, for all she went through, for keeping her Puritan faith when it might have seemed that God had abandoned her, and for her quiet goodness. But those are not the only reasons I wanted to write about Editha.
The other reason I wanted to tell her story was to mention how the marriages that these pioneer women made really entwined them in much of New England's history. We don't know who Robert's first wife was, but either through her or through some other family connection there may have been a connection to the Talcott family. John Maynard's first wife was a sister to John Pynchon, the richest man in Springfield and a government official. Elizur Holyoke had connections to the Putnam family of Salem witch trial fame. Editha's children married into the Cooper, Ely, and Gunn families. One of her step sons married a Talcott and another married an Eliot. This family was well connected to some of the major families in Massachusetts, and thus part of much of New England's early history.
Editha's family and connections may be stronger and cast longer shadows than some others, but we should always remember to look for the whole story by thinking about who was sitting around the dinner table when, and what happened to them. This helps fill in the dash in the story of our ancestors, both male and female.
The line of descent is
Robert Day-Editha Stebbins
Nary Day-Samuel Ely
Joseph Ely-Mary Riley
Mary Ely-Thomas Stebbins
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcock
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
First, the bare facts about her life. Editha Stebbins was born in 1613 in probably Woodham, Essex, England although I have also seen other locations in Essex mentioned. My genealogy skills for English research are negligible, so let's just say Essex, England in order to avoid dispute. Her parents are frequently given as William and Mary Scott Stebbins. Her father died in 1625 and it's thought that she came to New England with her brother, Edward Stebbins, in 1633. They stayed at Newtown/Cambridge, Massachusetts before moving to Hartford, Connecticut with Reverend Thomas Hooker's group.
Editha married Robert Day about this time, either in Newtown or Hartford. Robert Day is among those listed as a founder of Hartford, and by rights, Editha should be there, too, as should the wives of the other listed founders. Robert was a widower when they married but apparently had no surviving children by this first marriage. Robert and Editha had four children, and started to build a life together in the wilderness. Robert was a deacon in the church and life looked good, even if it wasn't easy.
However, Robert died in 1648 and Editha was left with four young children. She married Deacon John Maynard in October of 1648, and he helped raise her four children, leaving them gifts in his will and probably helping the boys get started in life. John and Editha had no children together before he died in 1658. By now, Editha had lived 22 years in Hartford, probably the longest she had lived in any one place in her life.
She must have been wealthy, or at least well to do, and also physically attractive, even though she was now about 45 years old and probably past child bearing age. But that same year, she married Captain Elizur Holyoke, who lived in Springfield, Massachusetts. So Editha packed up her things and moved to her new home, possibly leaving a son behind in Hartford. Within that first year of this marriage, her other three children married and left home. Did Mary have time to become an empty nester?
Not exactly, because her new husband had been widowed in 1657, and she was now the step mother to six children ranging in age from two to twelve years of age. It was a whole new family to nurture, feed, clothe, and raise, but our ancestor gladly rose to the challenge. Perhaps she had sadly missed not having children with her second husband. It looks like life went well for this family, until King Philip's War. Elizur died in 1676, although there is some dispute about whether or not it was a direct result of war injuries. He was in charge of the defense of Springfield at the time of his death.
The loss of her husband was not the only loss Editha suffered during that war. Her daughter, Sarah, and grandson, Joseph were killed at Hatfield, and Editha also grieved as a step son, Samuel Holyoke, died during the war. In addition, she may have lost her home. The Indians attacked Springfield, burning 32 of the 45 homes in the settlement. If her home was still standing, she would have taken in as many of the homeless villagers as possible, even though the town's crops and animals had also been destroyed.
Editha lived as a widow for another 12 years, dying in 1688. I admire her so much, for all she went through, for keeping her Puritan faith when it might have seemed that God had abandoned her, and for her quiet goodness. But those are not the only reasons I wanted to write about Editha.
The other reason I wanted to tell her story was to mention how the marriages that these pioneer women made really entwined them in much of New England's history. We don't know who Robert's first wife was, but either through her or through some other family connection there may have been a connection to the Talcott family. John Maynard's first wife was a sister to John Pynchon, the richest man in Springfield and a government official. Elizur Holyoke had connections to the Putnam family of Salem witch trial fame. Editha's children married into the Cooper, Ely, and Gunn families. One of her step sons married a Talcott and another married an Eliot. This family was well connected to some of the major families in Massachusetts, and thus part of much of New England's early history.
Editha's family and connections may be stronger and cast longer shadows than some others, but we should always remember to look for the whole story by thinking about who was sitting around the dinner table when, and what happened to them. This helps fill in the dash in the story of our ancestors, both male and female.
The line of descent is
Robert Day-Editha Stebbins
Nary Day-Samuel Ely
Joseph Ely-Mary Riley
Mary Ely-Thomas Stebbins
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcock
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
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Allen line: Deacon, Joseph Ely 1663-1755
Joseph was the son of Samuel Ely (who in turn was the son of the immigrant Nathaniel Ely) and Martha unknown (may or may not have been Bliss, as far as I can tell). He was born August 20, 1663 in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts and 91 years later, died just across the river in West Springfield. Unlike his immigrant grandfather, Joseph was content to stay in one place his entire life, which means there are a few records to be found, because the town records of Springfield have been published. We also have some vital records and a will. So far, however, I've been unable to locate military or church records.
Joseph was not quite 22 when he married Mary Riley, daughter of John and Margaret McCraney Riley, on July 9, 1685. Exactly nine months later, their first son, Joseph, was born, to be followed by 6 more children over the next 21 years. He was made a freeman in 1691.
I have little idea of how Joseph supported his family, although he did acquire several pieces of land over the years. Presumably this means he farmed. Lending credence to this idea is the fact that during the 1730s, when he was already in his 70's, he was paid 40 shillings for the "use" of his bull. Only a few farmers kept bulls, and they were used by all the area farmers when their cows were ready for shenanigans. After 1735 there is no further mention, so Joseph may have sold his livestock then, or given them to his sons.
He was not very active in civic life, although he was appointed fence-viewer in the area where he lived several times. This job involved making sure that new landowners put up proper fences, including permanent markers at the corners of their lands. He would also have been responsible to make sure all fences were kept in good repair, and to notify landowners when their fences needed attention. It required some diplomacy and perhaps some rudimentary surveying skills, but it wasn't the most complicated of civic jobs. His diplomatic skills would also have come into play when he was appointed to a committee to try to smooth out difficulties over the courthouse in 1712.
He was referred to as deacon many times, including in his death records. Deacons might give the message in the absence of the pastor, but their main role may have been as treasurer. They were responsible for the finances of the church, and were also responsible for distribution of aide to the community's poor people. Sometimes this involved finding families who would take people into their household, especially the elderly who had no families. For the most part, caring for the poor was a church function and not a town function when Joseph was deacon. So again, he was given the role of diplomat; perhaps that came naturally to him.
Mary died May 19, 1736. Joseph didn't re-marry, but survived her for 19 years, dying on April 29, 1755. He left land to his sons and a grandson, and 25 pounds each to his daughters. The value of his estate was a little over 356 pounds, most of it in land and house lots. He had clothes and some basic household utensils, two beds, and spectacles. There isn't a mention of military arms or of books that I can see. But he signed his own name to his will, written in 1738, so he was at least somewhat literate. It's quite possible that he was living with a child or grandchild at the time of his death, which would explain why there were no farm animals, crops, or other evidence of income producing goods.
The other big mystery I would like to know is-did Joseph participate in any of the military actions of the time? King William's War and Queen Anne's War both took place during the time he would have been in the militia. I haven't yet found a source listing the men who fought in these wars. He may have been involved in defending or guarding against native American attacks in one or another of the attacks on Deerfield, Massachusetts, which was more or less just up the river, 35 miles from Springfield. So far, I've not found evidence of this, but it is worth considering. Even if he didn't participate, he likely pulled some sort of guard duty at home during those uncertain times. I'd like to know more!
Joseph Ely was a man of honor and integrity, as we can tell by his being deacon, and being elected and re-elected fence viewer. We can be proud to be his descendant.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Ely-Mary Riley
Mary Ely-Thomas Stebbins
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcok
Margaret Hitchcok-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
Friday, February 7, 2020
Allen line: John Havens Starr 1808-1873
It seems that most people think their life is boring. "Nothing to see here, folks. Move along>" they would tell us, then as now. (Did you ever try writing your own autobiography? Nothing to see here, folks.) I'm pretty sure that our stern, Presbyterian ancestor would say the same thing. And yet, what could be boring about following a man born in Connecticut, who lived his early life in frontier Ohio and then moved on to frontier Iowa? What could be boring about watching a man as he grieves the loss of a son in the Civil War? What could be boring about watching a man whose dreams may have been bigger than he could deliver? Was he a failure, or a fraud, or a man like so many, who reached for the stars and didn't quite get there?
John Havens Starr was born December 31, 1803 (I think the date found in a printed history is incorrect, because his family had already moved on to Ohio by 1809. The 1809 date was probably a typo, or perhaps a misreading of the original entry) in Groton, Connecticut. His grandfather, John Starr, and his great grandfather, Thomas Starr, had also been born there but his own father, John Starr, was born in Nova Scotia while John the grandfather was building a life there prior to the Revolutionary War. When that war broke out, the family moved back to Groton, and resumed life there.
Except, John the grandfather was given land in Ohio twice, in compensation for the land he lost in Nova Scotia and also for the serious wound he had sustained in the battle of Groton Heights. John the father and his wife, Elizabeth "Betsey" Chester Havens, and probably two siblings traveled with the family when John the grandfather went to Ohio to claim his lands in Franklin County, Ohio. John the father would have been a wonderful help to his father, who had lost the use of his right arm, and our John grew up in Franklin County, on land that is now part of Columbus, Ohio. John was among the oldest of the children, as more and more siblings arrived, so he learned quickly a sense of responsibility.
The Starr family were staunch Presbyterians and were some of the founding fathers of the first church there. John Starr, possibly the father, was in charge of Sunday school there for many years, and probably had influence beyond the local church. It took a while for our John to marry. We don't know if that was because of family obligations, or because, like others in our family, he was waiting for the right woman, one who loved God as much as he did. He was 36 years old when he married Clarissa Falley in Granville, Licking County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Root Falley, and she was 27 at the time of the marriage.
These relatively late ages for their marriage have caused some to speculate that John had been married earlier, but I find no documentation for that. I've seen a tree that gives a wedding date of September 27, 1827 to John Havens Starr and Almira "Myra" Falley. I've not been able to locate a record that support that, but if true, then this couple had several children together before Myra died. Myra was probably a cousin of Clarissa's. There is a monument to her in the Sand Hill Cemetery at Tipton, Iowa, showing a death date of December 28, 1838 and listing her husband as John H. Starr. So despite the lack of a marriage record (put down on must find list), I now think this wife is likely correct and there is more to the story. Was John in Iowa as early as 1838, and did he then go back to Ohio to marry Clarissa? John and Myra appear to have had five children, of whom only two survived.
Our couple, John and Clarissa, are not visible in the 1840 census. However, his parents by then are north of Columbus, in Bloomingrove, Richland County, and it's possible that they are included on the census of Samuel Falley in Granville in 1840. By 1850, they are in Cedar County, Iowa. Puzzling on the list of names in the household are Havens Starr, age 22, school teacher, and Anson Starr, age 18, farmer. Who are these young men? They were clearly born before John and Clarissa's marriage. Was John married previously, in a county that didn't yet keep records, or are these perhaps nephews? I sure hope someone reading this has an answer for this question! In addition, there are also Myra, John C. Francis R. and Eunice F Starr, all of whom appear to be John and Clarissa's children, and all of whom were born in Ohio. That must have been quite a trick, traveling with four young children, whether by boat or by wagon, all the way from Ohio to Iowa! I would consider that story not likely to be at all boring, although probably Clarissa would have more to say about it than John would.
We know that John was quickly involved in the Presbyterian church there. By 1854 he was trying to get an "Academy" started, for Presbyterian students, and he even offered some of his land in Tipton to build on. Those dreams did not come true, but it does show his dedication to his church and his God. The 1860 census gives us an extra blessing. We have a "Non-population" schedule for him, showing the activities and assets of his farm. At that time, he owned 460 acres, half of it improved. the cash value was 90000, and the value of his equipment and implemnts was $900. He had 4 horses, 6 milch cows, 4 other cattle, 2 swine, with the value of live stock given as $500. In the year 1859, the farm had produced 600 bushels of wheat, 2300 bushels of Indian corn, and 300 bushels of oats. Compared to others on the page, he was doing pretty well as a farmer.
John could probably take pride in contributing some of his crops for the war effort, as the Civil War began. He also sent his son, John Calvin Starr, off to war. As mentioned in an earlier column, John Calvin died in Thibodeaux, Louisiana of some kind of "brain fever", perhaps meningitis. It must have been a horrible shock to his parents, but one that all too many parents felt during those years.
John continued on. In the 1870 census, he and Clarissa are living in Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa, with 19 year old Mary and 38 year old Anson. The value of his real estate is $2500 and his personal property $300, This is the last time we see John, until his death on March 13, 1873. Clarissa died on April 4, 1875, and that is when the fight over the remaining family assets took place. I've written of that earlier.
So, what was John's life? Boring, fascinating, salt of the earth? I would call him courageous, moral, and probably stern. His son in law, John Wilson Knott, had some unkind things to say about him, mostly promises not kept. It appears to me that the family fortune went downhill and he was probably unable to fulfill his promises, although he made them with every good intention. It would be interesting to study the economics of that area during the 1860s to see if other families suffered the same economic woes, or if perhaps John was so overcome with grief that he was unable to cope when he needed to cope. There is still much to know about this ancestor, but here's a start, anyway.
Our line of descent is:
John H Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John Havens Starr was born December 31, 1803 (I think the date found in a printed history is incorrect, because his family had already moved on to Ohio by 1809. The 1809 date was probably a typo, or perhaps a misreading of the original entry) in Groton, Connecticut. His grandfather, John Starr, and his great grandfather, Thomas Starr, had also been born there but his own father, John Starr, was born in Nova Scotia while John the grandfather was building a life there prior to the Revolutionary War. When that war broke out, the family moved back to Groton, and resumed life there.
Except, John the grandfather was given land in Ohio twice, in compensation for the land he lost in Nova Scotia and also for the serious wound he had sustained in the battle of Groton Heights. John the father and his wife, Elizabeth "Betsey" Chester Havens, and probably two siblings traveled with the family when John the grandfather went to Ohio to claim his lands in Franklin County, Ohio. John the father would have been a wonderful help to his father, who had lost the use of his right arm, and our John grew up in Franklin County, on land that is now part of Columbus, Ohio. John was among the oldest of the children, as more and more siblings arrived, so he learned quickly a sense of responsibility.
The Starr family were staunch Presbyterians and were some of the founding fathers of the first church there. John Starr, possibly the father, was in charge of Sunday school there for many years, and probably had influence beyond the local church. It took a while for our John to marry. We don't know if that was because of family obligations, or because, like others in our family, he was waiting for the right woman, one who loved God as much as he did. He was 36 years old when he married Clarissa Falley in Granville, Licking County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Samuel and Ruth Root Falley, and she was 27 at the time of the marriage.
These relatively late ages for their marriage have caused some to speculate that John had been married earlier, but I find no documentation for that. I've seen a tree that gives a wedding date of September 27, 1827 to John Havens Starr and Almira "Myra" Falley. I've not been able to locate a record that support that, but if true, then this couple had several children together before Myra died. Myra was probably a cousin of Clarissa's. There is a monument to her in the Sand Hill Cemetery at Tipton, Iowa, showing a death date of December 28, 1838 and listing her husband as John H. Starr. So despite the lack of a marriage record (put down on must find list), I now think this wife is likely correct and there is more to the story. Was John in Iowa as early as 1838, and did he then go back to Ohio to marry Clarissa? John and Myra appear to have had five children, of whom only two survived.
Our couple, John and Clarissa, are not visible in the 1840 census. However, his parents by then are north of Columbus, in Bloomingrove, Richland County, and it's possible that they are included on the census of Samuel Falley in Granville in 1840. By 1850, they are in Cedar County, Iowa. Puzzling on the list of names in the household are Havens Starr, age 22, school teacher, and Anson Starr, age 18, farmer. Who are these young men? They were clearly born before John and Clarissa's marriage. Was John married previously, in a county that didn't yet keep records, or are these perhaps nephews? I sure hope someone reading this has an answer for this question! In addition, there are also Myra, John C. Francis R. and Eunice F Starr, all of whom appear to be John and Clarissa's children, and all of whom were born in Ohio. That must have been quite a trick, traveling with four young children, whether by boat or by wagon, all the way from Ohio to Iowa! I would consider that story not likely to be at all boring, although probably Clarissa would have more to say about it than John would.
We know that John was quickly involved in the Presbyterian church there. By 1854 he was trying to get an "Academy" started, for Presbyterian students, and he even offered some of his land in Tipton to build on. Those dreams did not come true, but it does show his dedication to his church and his God. The 1860 census gives us an extra blessing. We have a "Non-population" schedule for him, showing the activities and assets of his farm. At that time, he owned 460 acres, half of it improved. the cash value was 90000, and the value of his equipment and implemnts was $900. He had 4 horses, 6 milch cows, 4 other cattle, 2 swine, with the value of live stock given as $500. In the year 1859, the farm had produced 600 bushels of wheat, 2300 bushels of Indian corn, and 300 bushels of oats. Compared to others on the page, he was doing pretty well as a farmer.
John could probably take pride in contributing some of his crops for the war effort, as the Civil War began. He also sent his son, John Calvin Starr, off to war. As mentioned in an earlier column, John Calvin died in Thibodeaux, Louisiana of some kind of "brain fever", perhaps meningitis. It must have been a horrible shock to his parents, but one that all too many parents felt during those years.
John continued on. In the 1870 census, he and Clarissa are living in Tipton, Cedar County, Iowa, with 19 year old Mary and 38 year old Anson. The value of his real estate is $2500 and his personal property $300, This is the last time we see John, until his death on March 13, 1873. Clarissa died on April 4, 1875, and that is when the fight over the remaining family assets took place. I've written of that earlier.
So, what was John's life? Boring, fascinating, salt of the earth? I would call him courageous, moral, and probably stern. His son in law, John Wilson Knott, had some unkind things to say about him, mostly promises not kept. It appears to me that the family fortune went downhill and he was probably unable to fulfill his promises, although he made them with every good intention. It would be interesting to study the economics of that area during the 1860s to see if other families suffered the same economic woes, or if perhaps John was so overcome with grief that he was unable to cope when he needed to cope. There is still much to know about this ancestor, but here's a start, anyway.
Our line of descent is:
John H Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Allen line: John Gunn, Quartermaster 1641-1726
John Gunn or Gunne is another one of our ancestors who contributed to the Westfield, Massachusetts family connections. For such a small village, we certainly had a lot of Allen ancestors there, back in the day. We know a little bit about him, but not a lot.
John was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth possibly Brown Gunn, born July 8, 1647 in Windsor, Connecticut. Thomas was an inkkepper in Windsor but left for Westfield "early". Since Westfield wasn't formed until the late 1660s, John may well have been 25 years old or so before moving, if he left at the same time his father did. John was apparently in Westfield when he married Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary (maiden name Burley, Bulkeley, or something else) on January 22, 1678.
John seems to have been one of four children who survived infancy, and he and Mary had at least six children. There is a four year gap between two of their children, so it's possible there was another baby, or a miscarriage. Women typically had children every two years or so, unless illness or absence prevented it.
We don't know for sure what John did for a living but he likely farmed, at least enough to support his family. He had land both in Windsor and in Westfield at one time, and eventually sold the Windsor land. He may have purchased more in Westfield at about the same time. He seems to have been a respected man in town and probably accumulated some wealth, although I have not been able to locate a will or inventory for him-yet.
His gravestone calls him "quartermaster". which has me scratching my head. John lived through King Philip's War, Queen Anne's War, and King William's War. John Root, another of our ancestors, was listed as a commissary in Westfield for King Philip's War, and it seems, unless I am missing something, that the two terms have the same definition. It's possible that John Root took care of the troops who were garrisoned in Westfield and John Gunn took care of supplying the troops who went further afield, fighting the natives and their French instigators. It would be interesting to figure out which conflict or conflicts John Gunn was part of, and whether he was part of any actual skirmis or battles.
Mary died in Westfield November 26, 1711, and John survived her by close to fifteen years. He lived until Spetember 17, 1726. The records say he died in Springfield but was buried in Westfield. He may have been staying with daughter Mercy in Springfield, or he may have gone there for medical attention. At any rate, he lived a long life, about 85 years.
We don't know certain things about John but we can infer that he could read and write, because most men in the town could. We can guess that if he wasn't a church member, he at least attended church, because regular church attendance was required in Puritan towns, whether or not one was a member. And we can know that he was a good citizen and attended town meetings, because, again, it was required. He did much to help shape America, just by living and raising his family.
The line of descent is
John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John was the son of Thomas and Elizabeth possibly Brown Gunn, born July 8, 1647 in Windsor, Connecticut. Thomas was an inkkepper in Windsor but left for Westfield "early". Since Westfield wasn't formed until the late 1660s, John may well have been 25 years old or so before moving, if he left at the same time his father did. John was apparently in Westfield when he married Mary Williams, daughter of John and Mary (maiden name Burley, Bulkeley, or something else) on January 22, 1678.
John seems to have been one of four children who survived infancy, and he and Mary had at least six children. There is a four year gap between two of their children, so it's possible there was another baby, or a miscarriage. Women typically had children every two years or so, unless illness or absence prevented it.
We don't know for sure what John did for a living but he likely farmed, at least enough to support his family. He had land both in Windsor and in Westfield at one time, and eventually sold the Windsor land. He may have purchased more in Westfield at about the same time. He seems to have been a respected man in town and probably accumulated some wealth, although I have not been able to locate a will or inventory for him-yet.
His gravestone calls him "quartermaster". which has me scratching my head. John lived through King Philip's War, Queen Anne's War, and King William's War. John Root, another of our ancestors, was listed as a commissary in Westfield for King Philip's War, and it seems, unless I am missing something, that the two terms have the same definition. It's possible that John Root took care of the troops who were garrisoned in Westfield and John Gunn took care of supplying the troops who went further afield, fighting the natives and their French instigators. It would be interesting to figure out which conflict or conflicts John Gunn was part of, and whether he was part of any actual skirmis or battles.
Mary died in Westfield November 26, 1711, and John survived her by close to fifteen years. He lived until Spetember 17, 1726. The records say he died in Springfield but was buried in Westfield. He may have been staying with daughter Mercy in Springfield, or he may have gone there for medical attention. At any rate, he lived a long life, about 85 years.
We don't know certain things about John but we can infer that he could read and write, because most men in the town could. We can guess that if he wasn't a church member, he at least attended church, because regular church attendance was required in Puritan towns, whether or not one was a member. And we can know that he was a good citizen and attended town meetings, because, again, it was required. He did much to help shape America, just by living and raising his family.
The line of descent is
John Gunn-Mary Williams
Mary Gunn-Samuel Root
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Allen line: Richard Falley, more of a hero than I knew
One of the first blog posts that I wrote, over 6 years ago, told about our ancestor, Richard Falley Jr., who was captured by native Americans in the French and Indian War, held a prisoner in Canada, and then eventually released and returned home. He was also a lieutenant at the battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolution, and then, I thought, sent home to make rifles. Well, he was much more than that.
This is the body of a letter written by Russel Falley, his grandson on September 7, 1831, and printed in "Westfield, Massachusetts 1669-1969". It gives us a lot mere detail about what actually happened to young Richard during the French and Indian War. Enjoy this letter from our distant cousin.
This is the body of a letter written by Russel Falley, his grandson on September 7, 1831, and printed in "Westfield, Massachusetts 1669-1969". It gives us a lot mere detail about what actually happened to young Richard during the French and Indian War. Enjoy this letter from our distant cousin.
"My grandfather (Richard Falley) was a
native of the Isle Guernsey. When a young child he was going to
school with some other children. They were delayed by some sailors
on board a boat by the promise of presents and were put on board
their vessel and brought to Boston where they were sold and my
grandfather was brought up in the vicinity of Boston and Salem and at
the business of husbandry.
He married Anna Lamb, she was a native
of Dublin, Ireland and it has been said of her that she was very
cheery in her temper and that she was a pious Christian. Some years
after their marriage they removed to Westfield, Massachusetts. They
had three sons and three daughters.My father, Richard Falley, 1; Samuel
Falley, 2, Frederick the latter died young. The daughter, Elizabeth,
4, married Mr. William Ford. They had a numerous family and resided
many years in Pittsfield, Mas, then removed to Vermont. Rachel, 5,
married Mr. Hubbard. They resided in Pittsfield and had two sons and
two daughters. Their eldest daughter married Mr. John Francis,
Baptist preacher. The other daughter married Mr. Goodrich. The
oldest son died of dysentery.
My father returned from the taking of
Burgoyne and after visiting Daniel Hubbard of Pittsfield went to
Lennox to visit his brother, Samuel Falley. His nephew, Daniel
Falley accompanied him and slept with him one night and took from him
the distemper which was fatal to him. Richard Falley had taken this
disease in camp and observed in relating the account that the
dysentery which he had was attended with a dreadful fever. The child
returned and died soon after and Richard returned to Westfield and
was soon restored. The youngest, who was born after the disease, was
named after him. He lived to marry and died at about thirty, leaving
a widow and some children. Sarah, 6, the youngest of Richard Sr, was
diseased by reason of fits and died in 1804 aged fifty.
Richard Falley learned the blacksmith's
trade, partly in Westfield and partly of Mr. Chapin in Springfield.
In the interim of his business he went as a soldier against the
French at Canada at Fort William Henry (in 1757). After a
troublesome siege of a few days the garrison surrendered to the
enemy. He was taken prisoner. He went a few miles to Lake George
where the Indians with their prisoners slept. His repose, although a
prisoner among savages, was refreshing and delightful on account of
his being deprived of sleep for several nights by the confusion of
the camp.
They crossed Lake George in bark
canoes. From there to Lake Champlain they traveled loaded with both
Indians and prisoners. Encamped there, the Indians gave themselves
up to drunkenness. One under penalty of death must keep sober to
watch the prisoners. He, too, indulged himself with the precious
liquors. He would take a spoonful at at time at a short interval and
would always give as much to the prisoners. By the extreme
drunkenness of the Indians the lives of prisoners were endangered.
When would commence the work of destruction, whether on man or
beast, the whole drunken gang would unite and the victim was not left
until he was hewn to pieces.
At this time a lady came daily in her
coach with an attendant to visit the prisoners. Richard, at first
cautiously lest the Indians should know his desire to leave them,
begged the gentlewoman to buy him and the purchase was made. He with a
number walked toward town. A little girl, unbought, was huddled with
the company toward the gate. They hoped to have got her without the
gate as she would have been safe from the Indians but her keeper
missing her came running with the swiftness of the wind caught her
and bore her back crying hideously to the great grief of her friends.
He was taken from Montreal to Quebec
and put in prison and by eating dry food was sick. Through a hole in
the well (wall?) of the prison he was enabled to get into an
adjoining garden at night, by procuring fruit in this way he was
cured, after being there a while he went on board a vessel with other
passengers and went to Boston. On the voyage he had the small pox
but lightly and soon got well. On arriving at Boston, he went to
Westfield. His mother was so afftected at seeing him, although she
had been informed of his safe arrival, that she swooned in his arms.
He became a Christian early in life and constantly prayed with his
family morning and evening and was a constant attendant in Divine
Worship. He died at the age of sixty eight. He was a man nearly six
feet in height of fine proportion and great strength.”
Richard's grandson's recollections of Richard's story are priceless. They match closely with what we know of Fort William Henry and the subsequent taking and treatment of prisoners. We can surely be proud of this man. In another post, I will write about Richard Falley in the American Revolution. That story, too, is richer than the few details I've known.
The line of descent, again, is:
Richard Falley Jr.-Margaret Hitchcock
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Allen line: Samuel Ely 1639-1692
The jury is out as to where Samuel Ely was born, but fortunately we do know bits and pieces about his life and we have his will and inventory. We also know that he was a man of many sorrows-certainly more than most of us can even imagine.
Samuel was the son of Nathaniel and Martha Ely. Martha's maiden name is unknown, and also unknown is the birth record for Samuel.There seems to be no birth record for Samuel but since his father had been in Hartford since 1635 (Nathaniel is recognized as a founding father of the city) it is most likely that Hartford was the place of his birth. Somewhat unusually among our ancestors, he seems to have had only one sibling, a sister named Ruth. The possibiity exists that the two were born to a different mother, who died in or shortly after childbirth. Martha may have been a stepmother.
Samuel moved with his family to Norwalk, Connecticut in 1651 and then on to Springfield, Massachusetts by 1659. Nathaniel was welcomed but Samuel had to have a security bond in order to live there, perhaps because he was young and single and perhaps because a reputation may have preceded him. He wasn't the first young man of whom security was required. Samuel married Mary Day, the daughter of Robert and Editha Stebbins Day, in either Hartford or Sprinfgield. The Days and the Elys had been close friends in Hartford so it's possible the wedding took place there, we just don't know.
What we do know is sad. Samuel and Mary had sixteen children together. They had to make the walk to the graveyard 10 times for their young children. Of those who died young, one lived to his early teens but the others died much earlier, mostly as infants or toddlers. I cannot fathom the sadness of losing ten children, nor can I imagine what happened. I wonder if there was a genetic defect that affected some of the children but not others. Regardless, the family must have been much pitied.
Nathaniel Ely had run an ordinary (tavern) and Samuel carried on the tradition of hospitality. Whether or not he ran an ordinary, too, he did entertain selectmen and other town personages and was reimbursed by the town for expenses. Samuel doesn't seem to have taken as many town jobs as his father did. Perhaps he was kept busy caring for Mary as she went through so many pregnancies and losses. Or perhaps he was busy making money, and supporting his family. He did act as an appraiser of cattle, and sat on a committee to audit the town books, and his yard was used as a town pound from time to time, so he was very much a part of the town.
I've been unable to locate anything placing Samuel Ely in military service at the time of King Philip's War, but "Ely's Tavern" was one of three garrisoned houses (built more strongly, and had at least a few troops to protect it) in 1675. The town was attacked by Agawam and other Indians on October 5, 1675, with all but thirteen homes being destroyed. There were further skirmishes during the war, or rather, ambushes, with Indians attacking settlers on their way to church, for example. From this, we can tell that not all of the town left, or at least they didn't leave for long. We don't know about Samuel and his family but it is likely they stayed in their garrisoned house, offering food and shelter to neighbors in need.
Samuel died March 19, 1692. He was only about 53 years old, and death must have come suddenly for he left no will. His widow, Mary, and two oldest sons, Joseph and Samuel, proposed a settlement to the court that appears to have been accepted. Mary was to get 1/3 of the estate, plus money to raise her youngest children. The two oldest sons were to receive 60 pounds, the two younger sons 50 pounds, and the two daughters 30 pounds, when they were of age. Thomas Day, Luke Hitchock and John Hitchcock appraised his estate at 400 pounds. He had the typical farm type animals and implements, four pounds worth of books (quite a lot for the time and place) and enough tables, chairs, and eating utensils to either furnish a house very well, or to equip a tavern. He had a cider press and a still, which again supports the tavern idea. In fact, a further agreement notes that Mary Ely and Samuel Ely (junior) were granted a license to continue operating the "ordinary" after Samuel's death.
Mary married Thomas Stebbins and then John Coleman, and died October 25, 1725 at the age of 84. She had seen more sorrows that most women ever fear, and we can be proud to be the descendants of Samuel and Mary Ely.
The line of descent is
Samuel Ely-Mary Day
Joseph Ely-Mary Riley
Mary Ely-Thomas Stebbins
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcock
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
.
Samuel was the son of Nathaniel and Martha Ely. Martha's maiden name is unknown, and also unknown is the birth record for Samuel.There seems to be no birth record for Samuel but since his father had been in Hartford since 1635 (Nathaniel is recognized as a founding father of the city) it is most likely that Hartford was the place of his birth. Somewhat unusually among our ancestors, he seems to have had only one sibling, a sister named Ruth. The possibiity exists that the two were born to a different mother, who died in or shortly after childbirth. Martha may have been a stepmother.
Samuel moved with his family to Norwalk, Connecticut in 1651 and then on to Springfield, Massachusetts by 1659. Nathaniel was welcomed but Samuel had to have a security bond in order to live there, perhaps because he was young and single and perhaps because a reputation may have preceded him. He wasn't the first young man of whom security was required. Samuel married Mary Day, the daughter of Robert and Editha Stebbins Day, in either Hartford or Sprinfgield. The Days and the Elys had been close friends in Hartford so it's possible the wedding took place there, we just don't know.
What we do know is sad. Samuel and Mary had sixteen children together. They had to make the walk to the graveyard 10 times for their young children. Of those who died young, one lived to his early teens but the others died much earlier, mostly as infants or toddlers. I cannot fathom the sadness of losing ten children, nor can I imagine what happened. I wonder if there was a genetic defect that affected some of the children but not others. Regardless, the family must have been much pitied.
Nathaniel Ely had run an ordinary (tavern) and Samuel carried on the tradition of hospitality. Whether or not he ran an ordinary, too, he did entertain selectmen and other town personages and was reimbursed by the town for expenses. Samuel doesn't seem to have taken as many town jobs as his father did. Perhaps he was kept busy caring for Mary as she went through so many pregnancies and losses. Or perhaps he was busy making money, and supporting his family. He did act as an appraiser of cattle, and sat on a committee to audit the town books, and his yard was used as a town pound from time to time, so he was very much a part of the town.
I've been unable to locate anything placing Samuel Ely in military service at the time of King Philip's War, but "Ely's Tavern" was one of three garrisoned houses (built more strongly, and had at least a few troops to protect it) in 1675. The town was attacked by Agawam and other Indians on October 5, 1675, with all but thirteen homes being destroyed. There were further skirmishes during the war, or rather, ambushes, with Indians attacking settlers on their way to church, for example. From this, we can tell that not all of the town left, or at least they didn't leave for long. We don't know about Samuel and his family but it is likely they stayed in their garrisoned house, offering food and shelter to neighbors in need.
Samuel died March 19, 1692. He was only about 53 years old, and death must have come suddenly for he left no will. His widow, Mary, and two oldest sons, Joseph and Samuel, proposed a settlement to the court that appears to have been accepted. Mary was to get 1/3 of the estate, plus money to raise her youngest children. The two oldest sons were to receive 60 pounds, the two younger sons 50 pounds, and the two daughters 30 pounds, when they were of age. Thomas Day, Luke Hitchock and John Hitchcock appraised his estate at 400 pounds. He had the typical farm type animals and implements, four pounds worth of books (quite a lot for the time and place) and enough tables, chairs, and eating utensils to either furnish a house very well, or to equip a tavern. He had a cider press and a still, which again supports the tavern idea. In fact, a further agreement notes that Mary Ely and Samuel Ely (junior) were granted a license to continue operating the "ordinary" after Samuel's death.
Mary married Thomas Stebbins and then John Coleman, and died October 25, 1725 at the age of 84. She had seen more sorrows that most women ever fear, and we can be proud to be the descendants of Samuel and Mary Ely.
The line of descent is
Samuel Ely-Mary Day
Joseph Ely-Mary Riley
Mary Ely-Thomas Stebbins
Ruth Stebbins-Samuel Hitchcock
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
.
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Allen line: John Root "Junior" 1642-1687
One neat thing about writing genealogy blog posts is that as I research, I find new pieces of information that seem to have not shown up in other people's research. As I look at the dates that they posted, I can see that my new "finds" became available on line only after their posts were written. So it's a good reminder to us all to not take for granted that everything available has already been found. I'm sure earlier blog post writers would have loved to have had access to John Root's will and inventory, for instance. And they would have loved to have known about his military service. Both of these items weren't freely available just a few short years ago. Finding information about the son or daughter of an early immigrant is never easy, so I'm glad I've got a story here to tell.
John Root was born about 1642 at Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. His parents were John and Mary Kilbourne Roote, and he was one of at least eight children. His parents stayed in Farmington His parents did well financially and John Sr. was active in civic life, so John probably had a good start in life. We know nothing of his childhood but can imagine that he started doing chores at a young age and probably went to school for about three months out of the year, as that was typical for the time. Or perhaps his mother schooled him.
John married Mary Ashley, daughter of Robert and Mary Ashley on October 18, 1664 in Springfield, Massachusetts. John was noted as being of Farmington at the time and I've not yet found reference to where the young couple first settled. Their first known child, Mary, was born September 22, 1667 in Westfield, Massachusetts and that is where the couple lived their married life. (Westfield didn't legally exist until 1669, when it was split from Springfield, but it seems likely that the couple didn't actually move.) They lived on Union Street in Westfield, and John was a farmer.
We don't know much about their lives, actually, except that they had at least eight children. So Mary would have been kept quite busy as she raised the children. She had four girls to help her with the many household chores, and John had four boys to educate in some sort of occupation. And of course, there were future spouses to think of, to approve or disapprove.
John may have been ill or somehow injured, because when it came to King Philip's War in 1675, he was appointed commissary of the fort at Westfield. It doesn't appear that Westfield was actually attacked, but it may have been because the area was relatively well protected. John's job as commisary was to make sure that their were ample supplies and food for the soldiers, as well as for those families staying at the fort.
John became a freeman in 1669. He was appointed to a survey committee in 1668 and then about two years later the committee was dismissed and a new one was chosen. In 1684, he was a juror in the case of Elezer Weller. The verdict was that the man had died by suicide on August 17, 1684.
John apparently died rather suddenly on September 24, 1687. He did not have a will, and the appraisal wasn't done for another three years. By this time, the youngest child was about 8 years old and that may have something to do with it. Or, the oldest child was about 23 and may have been requesting his portion of the estate. The estate was valued at about 505 pounds, with 35 pounds owing so the net value was about 470 pounds. The widow was to have her choice of housing, and the children were each assigned a portion, with mathematical precision. The oldest son's share was more than the other children's but not double as was commonly the case.
The amazing part of John's story to me is actually that of his wife. Mary didn't remarry, despite having small children to raise. And, bless her heart, when she died in 1703, she left a will! Of course, being a woman, her will was overturned, but at least she tried. One thing that she had requested, but that apparently wasn't honored, was that her youngest daughter, fittingly named Mercy, be given a separate amount as payment for the three years that she had cared for her mother in her old age. The document signed by Samuel Partridge merely says there were "imperfections" in the will, and he re-distributed her estate. Her estate was valued at 170 pounds, and the inventory shows that she was still running an active household and farm, including farm animals, feed, and other things necessary for a household. She had Bibles and old books, and "specticles", which touched me. She also had a musket. I wonder if she ever used it, or knew how to use it?
While learning about John, I also learned about Mary, and oh, how I love her. I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is
John Root-Mary Ashley
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
John Root was born about 1642 at Farmington, Hartford County, Connecticut. His parents were John and Mary Kilbourne Roote, and he was one of at least eight children. His parents stayed in Farmington His parents did well financially and John Sr. was active in civic life, so John probably had a good start in life. We know nothing of his childhood but can imagine that he started doing chores at a young age and probably went to school for about three months out of the year, as that was typical for the time. Or perhaps his mother schooled him.
John married Mary Ashley, daughter of Robert and Mary Ashley on October 18, 1664 in Springfield, Massachusetts. John was noted as being of Farmington at the time and I've not yet found reference to where the young couple first settled. Their first known child, Mary, was born September 22, 1667 in Westfield, Massachusetts and that is where the couple lived their married life. (Westfield didn't legally exist until 1669, when it was split from Springfield, but it seems likely that the couple didn't actually move.) They lived on Union Street in Westfield, and John was a farmer.
We don't know much about their lives, actually, except that they had at least eight children. So Mary would have been kept quite busy as she raised the children. She had four girls to help her with the many household chores, and John had four boys to educate in some sort of occupation. And of course, there were future spouses to think of, to approve or disapprove.
John may have been ill or somehow injured, because when it came to King Philip's War in 1675, he was appointed commissary of the fort at Westfield. It doesn't appear that Westfield was actually attacked, but it may have been because the area was relatively well protected. John's job as commisary was to make sure that their were ample supplies and food for the soldiers, as well as for those families staying at the fort.
John became a freeman in 1669. He was appointed to a survey committee in 1668 and then about two years later the committee was dismissed and a new one was chosen. In 1684, he was a juror in the case of Elezer Weller. The verdict was that the man had died by suicide on August 17, 1684.
John apparently died rather suddenly on September 24, 1687. He did not have a will, and the appraisal wasn't done for another three years. By this time, the youngest child was about 8 years old and that may have something to do with it. Or, the oldest child was about 23 and may have been requesting his portion of the estate. The estate was valued at about 505 pounds, with 35 pounds owing so the net value was about 470 pounds. The widow was to have her choice of housing, and the children were each assigned a portion, with mathematical precision. The oldest son's share was more than the other children's but not double as was commonly the case.
The amazing part of John's story to me is actually that of his wife. Mary didn't remarry, despite having small children to raise. And, bless her heart, when she died in 1703, she left a will! Of course, being a woman, her will was overturned, but at least she tried. One thing that she had requested, but that apparently wasn't honored, was that her youngest daughter, fittingly named Mercy, be given a separate amount as payment for the three years that she had cared for her mother in her old age. The document signed by Samuel Partridge merely says there were "imperfections" in the will, and he re-distributed her estate. Her estate was valued at 170 pounds, and the inventory shows that she was still running an active household and farm, including farm animals, feed, and other things necessary for a household. She had Bibles and old books, and "specticles", which touched me. She also had a musket. I wonder if she ever used it, or knew how to use it?
While learning about John, I also learned about Mary, and oh, how I love her. I hope you do, too.
The line of descent is
John Root-Mary Ashley
John Root-Sarah Stebbins
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Allen line: Lucretia Oldham Brewster 1600-1678
I've written before of how hard it is to learn the stories of our female ancestors. Usually we are lucky to find a birthdate, a marriage date, and a death date. Sometimes all we know of our grandmothers is their first name, sometimes just the last name of their first husband, and sometimes nothing at all.
With this ancestor, we have just a little bit more. We have a few phrases that tell us quite a bit about her. And for that, I declare this "Happy Genealogy Dance" day, for whenever you happen to read this blog post.
Here are the "normal" facts for Lucretia. She was born about January 14, 1600/1601, which is actually her christening date, in Derby, Derbyshire, England. Some sources say she was born ten days earlier. She was christened at All Saints Church in Derby, and her parents were William and Philippa Sowter Oldham. We don't know what William's occupation was but Philippa was the daughter of a butcher, so it is likely that William wasn't a man of great means.
Lucretia arrived in Plymouth Colony in July of 1623 on the ship Anne with her brother John Oldham. We don't know what motivated her to come to the new colony. Did she come to keep house for her brother, or to accept another position as servant here, or was she simply an adventurous lady who wanted to see more of the world than Derby? She was 23 years old when she arrived here, and apparently had acquired some education because she is referred to later in life as a "doctoress, nurse, and midwife".
From my reading, I think this also implies that she was something of an herbalist. Nurses and midwives are frequently portrayed in both fiction and non-fiction about colonial times, as women who gathered and processed herbs to use in medicines and teas, many of which were surprisingly effective. I'd love to know where she got this knowledge, especially since many of the plants she would have relied on were native to New England and not known in England at all. Did some of the native American women share there knowledge with her? It's not a far-fetched idea, since there were few English women in the colony, and since her husband traded with the Indians.
Oh, yes, her husband...She married Jonathan Brewster, oldest son of Elder William and Mary Brewster, in April 10, 1624 in Plymouth Colony. She must have been a respectable woman, to be approved by her new in-laws, and probably she was considered a "catch", too. I need to acknowledge that their were few single women in the colony by 1624, but even so... Jonathan was a widower with no children, and was an ambitious, curious, probably very interesting man, so the two probably complemented each other.
Jonathan and Lucretia had eight children together. They lived in Duxbury for a time while Jonathan built up his business, which involved trading along the coast line as far south as Virginia, as well as running a ferry service and acting as a surveyor for the colony. He also helped operate a trading post with the Indians, set up on the Connecticut River just north of the Dutch trading post which had been set up for the same purpose. After the couple had been married about 25 years, Jonathan suffered some financial reverses (I am not sure what they were, perhaps he lost a ship in a storm or perhaps it was something else) and he had to sell his Plymouth and Duxbury properties.
The couple soon went to Norwich, Connecticut in 1649, when Jonathan set up a trading post with the Indians. All this time, Jonathan had been interested in alchemy and he was now closer to John Winthrop the Younger, who was deeply involved in the same research. It is easy to imagine that Lucretia worked with him on his experiments, except that there is reference that his wife and family knew nothing of this part of his life (it was highly secretive work). Regardless, there may have been books involved that Lucretia consulted for her own use.
In Norwich, in the part known as Preston, Lucretia was well-respected. She is referred to as "Mrs." or "Mistress", which was above the rank of "goodwife". She witnessed at least one will, although we don't know whether this was for one of her patients or not. Women seldom were recognized as witnesses for wills but she had a reputation that allowed this.
I like to think about Lucretia. She was a mother of eight and yet gave herself to her community. I wonder how many pregnancies she attended as a midwife? It's quite possible that she was the midwife at the birth of some of our other ancestors, so we owe her a double dose of honor and respect.
Jonathan died October 7, 1659 and Lucretia died about 20 years later, on October 4, 1678/79. She had not remarried, but had remained a widow for all her remaining days. What a legacy she left her family, of faith and hard work, of faithfulness and servanthood. It is an honor to be able to share a little of her story with you.
The line of descent is
Lucretia Oldham-Jonathan Brewster
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth "Betsy" Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
With this ancestor, we have just a little bit more. We have a few phrases that tell us quite a bit about her. And for that, I declare this "Happy Genealogy Dance" day, for whenever you happen to read this blog post.
Here are the "normal" facts for Lucretia. She was born about January 14, 1600/1601, which is actually her christening date, in Derby, Derbyshire, England. Some sources say she was born ten days earlier. She was christened at All Saints Church in Derby, and her parents were William and Philippa Sowter Oldham. We don't know what William's occupation was but Philippa was the daughter of a butcher, so it is likely that William wasn't a man of great means.
Lucretia arrived in Plymouth Colony in July of 1623 on the ship Anne with her brother John Oldham. We don't know what motivated her to come to the new colony. Did she come to keep house for her brother, or to accept another position as servant here, or was she simply an adventurous lady who wanted to see more of the world than Derby? She was 23 years old when she arrived here, and apparently had acquired some education because she is referred to later in life as a "doctoress, nurse, and midwife".
From my reading, I think this also implies that she was something of an herbalist. Nurses and midwives are frequently portrayed in both fiction and non-fiction about colonial times, as women who gathered and processed herbs to use in medicines and teas, many of which were surprisingly effective. I'd love to know where she got this knowledge, especially since many of the plants she would have relied on were native to New England and not known in England at all. Did some of the native American women share there knowledge with her? It's not a far-fetched idea, since there were few English women in the colony, and since her husband traded with the Indians.
Oh, yes, her husband...She married Jonathan Brewster, oldest son of Elder William and Mary Brewster, in April 10, 1624 in Plymouth Colony. She must have been a respectable woman, to be approved by her new in-laws, and probably she was considered a "catch", too. I need to acknowledge that their were few single women in the colony by 1624, but even so... Jonathan was a widower with no children, and was an ambitious, curious, probably very interesting man, so the two probably complemented each other.
Jonathan and Lucretia had eight children together. They lived in Duxbury for a time while Jonathan built up his business, which involved trading along the coast line as far south as Virginia, as well as running a ferry service and acting as a surveyor for the colony. He also helped operate a trading post with the Indians, set up on the Connecticut River just north of the Dutch trading post which had been set up for the same purpose. After the couple had been married about 25 years, Jonathan suffered some financial reverses (I am not sure what they were, perhaps he lost a ship in a storm or perhaps it was something else) and he had to sell his Plymouth and Duxbury properties.
The couple soon went to Norwich, Connecticut in 1649, when Jonathan set up a trading post with the Indians. All this time, Jonathan had been interested in alchemy and he was now closer to John Winthrop the Younger, who was deeply involved in the same research. It is easy to imagine that Lucretia worked with him on his experiments, except that there is reference that his wife and family knew nothing of this part of his life (it was highly secretive work). Regardless, there may have been books involved that Lucretia consulted for her own use.
In Norwich, in the part known as Preston, Lucretia was well-respected. She is referred to as "Mrs." or "Mistress", which was above the rank of "goodwife". She witnessed at least one will, although we don't know whether this was for one of her patients or not. Women seldom were recognized as witnesses for wills but she had a reputation that allowed this.
I like to think about Lucretia. She was a mother of eight and yet gave herself to her community. I wonder how many pregnancies she attended as a midwife? It's quite possible that she was the midwife at the birth of some of our other ancestors, so we owe her a double dose of honor and respect.
Jonathan died October 7, 1659 and Lucretia died about 20 years later, on October 4, 1678/79. She had not remarried, but had remained a widow for all her remaining days. What a legacy she left her family, of faith and hard work, of faithfulness and servanthood. It is an honor to be able to share a little of her story with you.
The line of descent is
Lucretia Oldham-Jonathan Brewster
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth "Betsy" Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Allen line: Jacob Walker 1643-???
Once again, mysteries hide some of the important facts about Jacob Walker. We know when he was born, March 11, 1643 and that he was born in Boston, Massachusetts Bay Colony, a son of Robert and Sarah Leager Walker. He was one of 12 children and was born about 10 years after his family arrived at Boston. His parents apparently stayed in Boston their whole lives after arriving in the New World, as his father died there as did his mother.
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Jacob, however, was different. He went to Stratford, Connecticut, where he married Elizabeth Wheeler Blackman, a widow who was the daughter of Moses and Miriam Hawley Wheeler. Elizabeth had two or perhaps three surviving children from her marriage to Adam Blackman, two girls and a son who "died young". Apparently she was ready for more children, for the couple had seven children after their December 5, 1670 marriage. I have seen comments that Jacob had his hands full with the Blackman family but I haven't found a lot to substantiate that claim.
There are ongoing court records involving suits by Mrs. Jane Blackman against Jacob. I'm unable to untable the details, but it seems to be a dispute over land. The local jusries seemed to side with Jacob and then the other side appealed. If Jacob lost an appeal, then he appealed further.
From the few details I found, it seems that Jacob must have been a farmer, for he is accused of using the farm land of the Blackmans. Mrs. Jane Blackman was Elizabeth Wheeler's mother in law during her first marriage, and finally the court asked Jacob to forego using land that was probably his until the death of Jane Blackman, since his use of the land was causing grief to the widow.
We don't know for sure how religious Jacob might have been, but Elizabeth's first hsuband was the son of a pastor, and Jacob had at least one brother who was a pastor. Probably this was a religious, Puritan family.
I am thoroughly confused about Jacob's death date. The last Walker child was born in 1681. As far as I can tell, Robert Walker's will in 1687 doesn't mention Jacob. There is a 1718 estate for Jacob Walker, the son of our Jacob, and there is a reference to his father in it, but I can't make out the details. He, the younger Jacob, seems to leave a small estate to his surviving brothers and sisters.
It is entirely possible that Jacob and Elizabeth left Stratford after the brith of .Mercy in 1681. I don't know when Elizabeth died, either, or where. Their daughter Elizabeth married in 1695 in Springfield, Massachusetts, but I've not found Jacob there yet, either. So for now, it's a mystery to me which is a bit of a surprise. Usually the death date is not that hard to locate.
Jacob seems to have been a man of little means, or perhaps he died too early to really accumulate that much of an estate. He was probably a farmer, and probably a church goer, but he is definitely our ancestor and deserves to be included in our family history.
If someone knows more of Jacob's story, particularly his death date and location, I would love to hear from you!
The line of descent is:
Jacob Walker-Elizabeth Wheeler
Elizabeth Walker-Luke Hitchcock
Ruth Hitchock-Jonathan Church
Ruth Church-Stephen Noble
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, June 28, 2019
Allen line: Samuel Street 1635-1717, Pastor
It's wonderful to find an ancestor with stories. It's even better to find one with records. Best of all is an ancestor who has both.
Samuel Street was probably born in England, perhaps in Bristol, the son of Reverend Nicholas and Anna Poole Street. Because we don't have a definite birth date nor a date of immigration for his parents, it's also possible that Samuel was born either on the ocean trip or soon after his parents' arrival in New England. He was one of at least five children but seems to be the only son of his parents.
Being an only son of a pastor, Samuel was likely steered toward, or at least encouraged, to attend Harvard College, the first college in New England and one intended to educate pastors. Samuel took advantage of the opportunity and learned Hebrew, Greek, and Latin as part of his education, along with classes in Scripture and probably in some kind of elocution. A pastor surely must know how to speak! He graduated from Harvard in 1664 and in November of that same year married Anna Miles, daughter of Richard and Mary Katherine Elithorpe Miles. Samuel and Katherine had at least five children together.
Samuel was ready to start his new life in New Haven, Connecticut, where he taught in the Hopkins Grammar School for several years. He started out with just eight pupils but the school grew during his time there. He was made a freeman in 1669, so at last he was eligible to vote in town elections. In 1672, Samuel was invited to go to Wallingford as the pastor, to replace John Harriman. Samuel agreed to go, but wanted a new house built for him and his family. His salary was 50 pounds a year.
The small congregation met at the home of Lieutenant Nathaniel Merriman and Ensign Munson for several years, until a meeting house was built. The first meeting house was twenty eight feet long and twenty four feet wide, but it did give the congregation room for everyone to sit, one hopes. As the settlement of Wallingford grew, the church was expanded several times and a "fort" was built around it. Street's salary was doubled and he was given several grants of land by the town. The website for the First Congregational Church of Christ advises that they have been at the same location, at Center Street and South Main Street, since 1675.
Even more remarkable, the home that was built for Samuel and his family still stands, also on South Main Street. It is a typical New England saltbox style, but maybe a little larger than some I've seen. Wouldn't it be fun to visit there?
Samuel Street served his congregation for 45 years. Samuel Whittelsey of Yale College was ordained at Wallingford in 1710 after Samuel Street became old and infirm. Samuel died January 16, 1717, about thirty years after his wife Anna had died. I didn't find a will but I did find an inventory. It appears that his estate was valued at about 619 pounds, plus or minus 31 pounds because I can't tell if that second number was to be added to or subtracted from the original number. Among the items in his inventory was a gun, an old musket, and swords, He also owned enough animals for a large farm, a considerable number of household goods, and other items that tell us he was fairly well to do.
This tells us a lot about Samuel but I have more questions. What was his experience in the military, if any? Did he serve in King Philip's War, or in other incursions against the native Americans? I know some pastors were also officers or soldiers in the training bands that responded during these wars. What did Samuel think of the battles, whether or not he was part of them? Did he hold any positions of leadership in the town, or did he steer clear of anything that might be considered political?
This is, however, a pretty good collection of information about a man who may have been an immigrant, but who surely was an early settler of Connecticut. I'm glad I've been able to find and share this information, and to add another pastor to the Allen line.
Fun fact: Samuel Street is also the ancestor of Lyman Hall, signer of the Declaration of Independence; General William Tecumseh Sherman, Civil War General; and Norman Rockwell, beloved artist. We're all cousins!
The line of descent is:
Samual Street-Anna Miles
Nicholas Street-Jerusha Morgan
Jerusha Street-Thomas Starr
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edsward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Allen family: Martin Root, Patriot 1721-question mark
There is probably more information about Martin Root than I have been able to find. It is probably documented better than I have been able to find. He seems to be a very elusive person, so this is only the best I can do, at this time. I just don't want him to go completely unnoticed in our family, because he lived through some very turbulent times and surely there are records to search that I've not yet located. If and when I do, I will either update this post or do a whole new post.
We know that Martin was born either December 19, 1720 or December 14, 1791. It's quite possible there were two babies by the name of Martin Root. It's also possible that the date on one, or the other, or both, has been misread. His parents were Samuel and Mary Gunn Root, and he was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. Martin's grandparents had all been born in New England so his connections with England were tenuous, at best. Maybe his grandparents had passed on a story or two, but most of what he knew would have come from his own home and surrounding towns.
Martin married Eunice (sometimes seen as Unis) Lamb, daughter of Samuel and Martha Stebbins Lamb, on May 16, 1745 in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the Stebbins and Lamb families had lived for many years. Westfield is currently 14 miles from Springfield but if we make allowance for a sprawling city, maybe it was more like 20 miles at the time. However, Westfield had a small river that connected with Springfield, so transportation would have been easy. The two may have met through mutual family members or friends, or their fathers may have done business together, or perhaps a chance meeting on the street.
Samuel and Eunice had 11 children together, starting in 1746 and ending in 1767. (Eunice, you have my admiration and my sympathy, both!). I've not yet learned what Samuel did for an occupation, nor have I learned what, if anything, he did in the French and Indian War. He was certainly a perfect age to have been in the conflict, and the Springfield area contributed a lot of men to the effort, but I've not yet located his name in a file or record.
We do know, however, that he is listed as a Patriot in the DAR index, because he was a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety in 1776 and 1777. They worked to co-ordinate with other cities in Massachusetts (and probably Connecticut) and helped make sure the men had the best supplies available to them. Several websites state that he marched to Lexington after the April 18,1775 alarm but it seems to me that it's more logical that it was his son, Martin Root, Jr. (also our ancestor) who went on that expedition. Martin Junior was born in 1753 and would have been the right age to go to war. However, the Martin Root military story is even more complicated because the Martin Root who shows up on Fold 3 records died in 1777, which doesn't fit either of our men. So some more digging needs to be done on the Revolutionary War story. Regardless, the service on the Committee does allow anyone who can prove descent to join the DAR, if you are so inclined.
I haven't found a death date for Eunice, but neither have I found a re-marriage for Martin. So perhaps they both lived to a good age. Martin's death date is also in dispute. Many websites give it as 1788 but "Deaths in the First Church, Westfield, Massachusetts 1728-1836" gives a date of March 11, 1791 for Martin Root, with the notation 71 years. This closely matches our Martin and I am using this until someone sets me straight or I find further information. Again, there were several Martin Roots and it's possible that this is "the other" Martin Root, if there was one.
That's not much information for a man who lived 71 years, more or less. We know his family but we don't know how he supported them. I've not found a will. I did find a record of an ear mark for cattle registered by son Martin, so there is that slight hint that maybe his father also had a farm. I would certainly love to know whether/when/where he served in the French and Indian War. The hint in the death record shows us that he was a member of the First Church of Westfield.
It's frustrating to feel that there are stories that need to be told, and yet they are just beyond my fingertips. I'd love to hear from others who are researching this man!
The line of descent is:
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
We know that Martin was born either December 19, 1720 or December 14, 1791. It's quite possible there were two babies by the name of Martin Root. It's also possible that the date on one, or the other, or both, has been misread. His parents were Samuel and Mary Gunn Root, and he was born in Westfield, Massachusetts. Martin's grandparents had all been born in New England so his connections with England were tenuous, at best. Maybe his grandparents had passed on a story or two, but most of what he knew would have come from his own home and surrounding towns.
Martin married Eunice (sometimes seen as Unis) Lamb, daughter of Samuel and Martha Stebbins Lamb, on May 16, 1745 in Springfield, Massachusetts, where the Stebbins and Lamb families had lived for many years. Westfield is currently 14 miles from Springfield but if we make allowance for a sprawling city, maybe it was more like 20 miles at the time. However, Westfield had a small river that connected with Springfield, so transportation would have been easy. The two may have met through mutual family members or friends, or their fathers may have done business together, or perhaps a chance meeting on the street.
Samuel and Eunice had 11 children together, starting in 1746 and ending in 1767. (Eunice, you have my admiration and my sympathy, both!). I've not yet learned what Samuel did for an occupation, nor have I learned what, if anything, he did in the French and Indian War. He was certainly a perfect age to have been in the conflict, and the Springfield area contributed a lot of men to the effort, but I've not yet located his name in a file or record.
We do know, however, that he is listed as a Patriot in the DAR index, because he was a member of the Committee of Correspondence, Inspection, and Safety in 1776 and 1777. They worked to co-ordinate with other cities in Massachusetts (and probably Connecticut) and helped make sure the men had the best supplies available to them. Several websites state that he marched to Lexington after the April 18,1775 alarm but it seems to me that it's more logical that it was his son, Martin Root, Jr. (also our ancestor) who went on that expedition. Martin Junior was born in 1753 and would have been the right age to go to war. However, the Martin Root military story is even more complicated because the Martin Root who shows up on Fold 3 records died in 1777, which doesn't fit either of our men. So some more digging needs to be done on the Revolutionary War story. Regardless, the service on the Committee does allow anyone who can prove descent to join the DAR, if you are so inclined.
I haven't found a death date for Eunice, but neither have I found a re-marriage for Martin. So perhaps they both lived to a good age. Martin's death date is also in dispute. Many websites give it as 1788 but "Deaths in the First Church, Westfield, Massachusetts 1728-1836" gives a date of March 11, 1791 for Martin Root, with the notation 71 years. This closely matches our Martin and I am using this until someone sets me straight or I find further information. Again, there were several Martin Roots and it's possible that this is "the other" Martin Root, if there was one.
That's not much information for a man who lived 71 years, more or less. We know his family but we don't know how he supported them. I've not found a will. I did find a record of an ear mark for cattle registered by son Martin, so there is that slight hint that maybe his father also had a farm. I would certainly love to know whether/when/where he served in the French and Indian War. The hint in the death record shows us that he was a member of the First Church of Westfield.
It's frustrating to feel that there are stories that need to be told, and yet they are just beyond my fingertips. I'd love to hear from others who are researching this man!
The line of descent is:
Martin Root-Eunice Lamb
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Allen line: Edward Stebbins in King Philip's War
It's approaching Memorial Day as I write this. In general, Memorial Day honors veterans who gave their lives for our country. I completely support that, as we have a family member who died during World War II. Most of our ancestors made it through whatever war they were involved in, but some had adventures during that time.
For this post, I'm writing about a man who had what some would consider the "ultimate" adventure; others would consider it heroism, and still others might shudder at the result. This was before our country was even dreamed of. Massachusetts was a colony of England, and it was still almost all frontier land. Springfield, Massachusetts was no exception; it was a small settlement on the Connecticut River, struggling to survive even before King Phillip's War broke out.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield April 14, 1656, the son of Thomas and Hannah Wright had Stebbins. He was the first of this Stebbins line to be born in New England as Thomas had come to America with his father at about the age of 14. Thomas had memories of England, but Edward was 100% New Englander. At the age of 16, Edward would have been eligible and probably required to join the training band, although I've not found specific note of it. Surely a town settled in the wilderness, with different tribes of native Americans all around them, would have had a training band.
We don't know whether Edward was doing guard duty or whether he may have been working in the fields, but in the spring of 1676, he and at least one other young man were surrounded and then abducted by a group of natives. They were held captive for about a month until Edward and his friend managed to escape during the nighttime hours. They reported the location of the natives to the nearest authorities and immediately a large force of men were on their trail, and the entire village of natives was ambushed and destroyed-old men, women and children-by the colonists. The warriors were mostly in camp at a nearby location, and it's not clear to what extent they became involved in the battle. .
This was not the finest moment in American history but it was what it was. To the colonists affected by King Philip's War, it was kill or be killed. Springfield had been almost totally burned to the ground during an attack in the fall of 1675 and it was time to make the area safe for the colonists and their families. They may not have known, or may not have cared, that the village that was massacred was not a warrior camp at all.
Edward seems to have suffered no after effects of his ordeal. He married Sarah Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves on April 12, 1679 and they had six children together. He was made a freeman on December 19, 1690, along with over forty other men. Perhaps they had been so busy rebuilding the town that there had been no time to stop and gain one's "freedom", or right to vote. Or perhaps the list is not actually when they were admitted, but simply a list of who was a freeman as of that date.
Edward inherited land from his father, who had died in 1683, and was also granted various tracts during his lifetime. At various times, he was a constable, surveyor of county highways, selectman several years, and fence viewer, so he was a respected man in the community. I've not found anything that indicates his occupation but with the various tracts of land he owned, he probably was a "yeoman" farmer. I also don't know how religious he might have been, and whether he supported the local church.
Sarah died June 12, 1700 when her youngest child was just 4 years old. Edward remarried, to Mary Cooper Colton. Edward died October 31, 1712 in Springfield and Mary lived until 1743. I wonder how long the story of the Indian captivity was part of family story time. Or was it something he chose to downplay?
I've ordered a copy of a history of Springfield, Massachusetts because so many family names are listed in the 1690 list of freedmen. This is one of our "hometowns", Allen family!
The line of descent is
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Roote
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
For this post, I'm writing about a man who had what some would consider the "ultimate" adventure; others would consider it heroism, and still others might shudder at the result. This was before our country was even dreamed of. Massachusetts was a colony of England, and it was still almost all frontier land. Springfield, Massachusetts was no exception; it was a small settlement on the Connecticut River, struggling to survive even before King Phillip's War broke out.
Edward Stebbins was born in Springfield April 14, 1656, the son of Thomas and Hannah Wright had Stebbins. He was the first of this Stebbins line to be born in New England as Thomas had come to America with his father at about the age of 14. Thomas had memories of England, but Edward was 100% New Englander. At the age of 16, Edward would have been eligible and probably required to join the training band, although I've not found specific note of it. Surely a town settled in the wilderness, with different tribes of native Americans all around them, would have had a training band.
We don't know whether Edward was doing guard duty or whether he may have been working in the fields, but in the spring of 1676, he and at least one other young man were surrounded and then abducted by a group of natives. They were held captive for about a month until Edward and his friend managed to escape during the nighttime hours. They reported the location of the natives to the nearest authorities and immediately a large force of men were on their trail, and the entire village of natives was ambushed and destroyed-old men, women and children-by the colonists. The warriors were mostly in camp at a nearby location, and it's not clear to what extent they became involved in the battle. .
This was not the finest moment in American history but it was what it was. To the colonists affected by King Philip's War, it was kill or be killed. Springfield had been almost totally burned to the ground during an attack in the fall of 1675 and it was time to make the area safe for the colonists and their families. They may not have known, or may not have cared, that the village that was massacred was not a warrior camp at all.
Edward seems to have suffered no after effects of his ordeal. He married Sarah Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves on April 12, 1679 and they had six children together. He was made a freeman on December 19, 1690, along with over forty other men. Perhaps they had been so busy rebuilding the town that there had been no time to stop and gain one's "freedom", or right to vote. Or perhaps the list is not actually when they were admitted, but simply a list of who was a freeman as of that date.
Edward inherited land from his father, who had died in 1683, and was also granted various tracts during his lifetime. At various times, he was a constable, surveyor of county highways, selectman several years, and fence viewer, so he was a respected man in the community. I've not found anything that indicates his occupation but with the various tracts of land he owned, he probably was a "yeoman" farmer. I also don't know how religious he might have been, and whether he supported the local church.
Sarah died June 12, 1700 when her youngest child was just 4 years old. Edward remarried, to Mary Cooper Colton. Edward died October 31, 1712 in Springfield and Mary lived until 1743. I wonder how long the story of the Indian captivity was part of family story time. Or was it something he chose to downplay?
I've ordered a copy of a history of Springfield, Massachusetts because so many family names are listed in the 1690 list of freedmen. This is one of our "hometowns", Allen family!
The line of descent is
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Roote
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root Jr.
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
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