Here we are, back in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where so many of our Allen ancestors started out. This time we're looking at the rather short life of Samuel Ball, who was born in Springfield on March 16, Samuel's life started out on a harsh note, when his father drowned on October 3, 1648. Samuel wasn't yet a year old. Samuel had an older brother, Jonathan, and his mother soon remarried to Benjamin Munn. Before long he had at least eight half siblings to care for and play with. We don't know much more of his youth than that, but we know from following the early history of Springfield that the town was settled with houses close together, everyone went to church when the drummer came by, and Puritan boys were expected to learn to read and write. Benjamin Munn was the only father Samuel would ever know, so we can expect that he raised the two Ball boys as he raised his own family. Samuel's inheritance from his father was prtected in 1649, stating that he would receive either 14 pounds when he became twenty years old, or would be provided with an apprenticeship.
It looks like he was probably apprenticed to a brickmaker or mason, because there are several references to his employment in that trade in the town records. He also had an interest in a pine saw mill at a later date. Samuel married Mary Graves, daughter of John and Mary Smith Graves, in Hatfield, Massachusetts on January 15, 1671. Let's hope Mary settled him down a bit, because as a youth Samuel was one of the young men who did not behave well (there was quite a group of them). He was sentenced to the whipping post for speaking rudely to his step-father when Samuel was eighteen years old, saying to him "A father indeed; you are no better than an old Indian." Samuel was offered the option of paying a fine, which he did. It wouldn't surprise me at all if the money for the fine came from his step-father, but we don't know that.
Samuel and Mary had five children together. Probably the most difficult part of their life would have been King Philip's War. Samuel is credited with fighting in the Turner Fall battle near Deerfield, Massachusetts,on May 19, 1676, along with several other of our family members and his own family, too. This is a very complicated family as there were several Ball-Stebbins marriages, but we had other family names, too. John Hitchcock, Samuel's son in law, received land in Falltown, at roughly the site of the battle, in 1736 as the heir of Samuel Ball. It is quite likely that this was not the only time Samuel fought, or went on patrol, or stood guard duty, but this is the one instance we are sure of.
Samuel was just 41 years old when he became sick and died on September 13, 1689, in Springfield. There is no indication of the illness, or the length of the illness. It could have been a contagious disease or it may have been heart trouble. Medical care at the time was not particularly effective.
Samuel died without a will and the only record we have is John Hitchcock's presentation of an inventory to the court, on behalf of his mother in law, Mary Graves Ball. The inventory didn't survive, although there are notes to support the widow and also his mother, and then divide up the inheritance among the surviving children.
In a way, it's fun when we can see a bit of the personality of our ancestors. Samuel was a little bit of a rebel, as many teen agers are today, and that gives us a sense of connection with him. He was also willing to work hard, to support his family and to fight for his hometown. In some ways, he was just like us.
The line of descent is
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Graves. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Graves. Show all posts
Friday, May 29, 2020
Friday, October 11, 2019
Holbrook line: John Graves of Roxbury, Immigrant
Just when I thought I'd written about all the immigrants who could be traced at all, here is John Graves. While much information about him is lacking, there is also much information that we know. We are really fortunate when an ancestor is included in Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration project, because that typically gives us much information. We are also fortunate to have John's will. I haven't found his inventory yet, but I would love to do that. And I learned a fascinating term and a new occupation for an ancestor. Have I convinced you yet to read on?
John Graves was born probably about 1600 but it could be a few years either way because his birth records have not yet been identified. "John Graves" is a fairly common name. It is thought that he came from the area around Nazing, Essex, England. This is where John Eliot came from, and he was a close friend of the Apostle to the Indians. We know John had a sister named Lydia, and we know his mother came to New England also, but we don't know when she arrived or with whom.
John's occupation was "cowleech". I'd never heard of such a thing, but Google quickly informed me that he treated diseases in cows. Presumably leeching was one of the treatments. So he was an early form of veterinarian, although we don't know whether he treated horses, swine, or sheep also. Almost every household in early New England would have had a cow or two, so he was probably in demand, although I don't know whether that also meant he made money, or had any kind of status because of his job. I don't know if that indicates that he had any kind of formal education in the field, or whether he had learned as an apprentice, or how he got started in his career. Still, "cowleech". That's interesting.
Also interesting is John's marital status. Anderson thinks he may have had three wives. The first wife was Sarah Finch, with whom he had two children, John and Sarah. The second wife is unidentified. She was the mother of Samuel, Jonathan and Mary, and she died shortly after the family arrived in Roxbury. His third wife was Judith Alward, who was or had been a "servant girl". They were married in Roxbury in December of 1635 and their daughter Hannah was born September 8, 1636. The sad thing is that after son John's death a year after his father's, Hannah is the only child who can be traced.
John became a member of the church in Roxbury in 1635 and was made a freeman in 1637. He acquired several plots of land in the 10 years or so he was in Roxbury, apparently all as part of land divisions made by the town. He died November 4, 1644, as reported by John Eliot "John Grave, a godly brother of the church, he took a deep cold, which swelled his head with rheum and overcame his heart. (He and Thomas Ruggles) broke the knot first of the Nazing Christians. I mean they first died of all those Christians that came from that town in England."
In his will, John provided for his wife and for all the children except Sarah. It is possible that he omitted her because she had received a bequest from her maternal grandfather, or perhaps he had otherwise given her what he could. Judith went on to marry William Potter on June 2, 1646, and then Samuel Finch on December 13, 1654, and lived until October of 1683.
The line of descent is:
John Graves-Judith Alward
Hannah Graves-John Mayo
Mehitable Mayo-Samuel Morris
Abigail Morris-John Perrin
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Update May 24, 2020: John Graves and Judith Alward are now "former ancestors". Abigail Morris was not the daughter of Mehitable Mayo, so the lines above that are incorrect. See the post about Samuel Morris for further explanation.
John Graves was born probably about 1600 but it could be a few years either way because his birth records have not yet been identified. "John Graves" is a fairly common name. It is thought that he came from the area around Nazing, Essex, England. This is where John Eliot came from, and he was a close friend of the Apostle to the Indians. We know John had a sister named Lydia, and we know his mother came to New England also, but we don't know when she arrived or with whom.
John's occupation was "cowleech". I'd never heard of such a thing, but Google quickly informed me that he treated diseases in cows. Presumably leeching was one of the treatments. So he was an early form of veterinarian, although we don't know whether he treated horses, swine, or sheep also. Almost every household in early New England would have had a cow or two, so he was probably in demand, although I don't know whether that also meant he made money, or had any kind of status because of his job. I don't know if that indicates that he had any kind of formal education in the field, or whether he had learned as an apprentice, or how he got started in his career. Still, "cowleech". That's interesting.
Also interesting is John's marital status. Anderson thinks he may have had three wives. The first wife was Sarah Finch, with whom he had two children, John and Sarah. The second wife is unidentified. She was the mother of Samuel, Jonathan and Mary, and she died shortly after the family arrived in Roxbury. His third wife was Judith Alward, who was or had been a "servant girl". They were married in Roxbury in December of 1635 and their daughter Hannah was born September 8, 1636. The sad thing is that after son John's death a year after his father's, Hannah is the only child who can be traced.
John became a member of the church in Roxbury in 1635 and was made a freeman in 1637. He acquired several plots of land in the 10 years or so he was in Roxbury, apparently all as part of land divisions made by the town. He died November 4, 1644, as reported by John Eliot "John Grave, a godly brother of the church, he took a deep cold, which swelled his head with rheum and overcame his heart. (He and Thomas Ruggles) broke the knot first of the Nazing Christians. I mean they first died of all those Christians that came from that town in England."
In his will, John provided for his wife and for all the children except Sarah. It is possible that he omitted her because she had received a bequest from her maternal grandfather, or perhaps he had otherwise given her what he could. Judith went on to marry William Potter on June 2, 1646, and then Samuel Finch on December 13, 1654, and lived until October of 1683.
The line of descent is:
John Graves-Judith Alward
Hannah Graves-John Mayo
Mehitable Mayo-Samuel Morris
Abigail Morris-John Perrin
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stanard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Update May 24, 2020: John Graves and Judith Alward are now "former ancestors". Abigail Morris was not the daughter of Mehitable Mayo, so the lines above that are incorrect. See the post about Samuel Morris for further explanation.
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
Friday, August 3, 2018
John Mayo, Immigrant 1629-1688
First, let me say this. Our ancestor John Mayo is not the Reverend John Mayo of Boston. He is not the John Mayo of Barnstaple. He is not the Deacon John Mayo of Roxbury. He is, however, the father of the Deacon John Mayo of Roxbury.
Our John Mayo was born probably at or near Malling, Kent, England in 1629, His parents were Thomas Mayo and Elizabeth, as yet unidentified although I have seen her name given as Wing. John came to America when he was about 3 years old, probably in 1633, with his stepfather, Robert Gamlin, and his mother, Elizabeth.
John was more fortunate than some children who came to America because his father had left him some property, presumably in England. His stepfather was appointed power of attorney to sell it, in 1641, when John was 12. It is speculation as to what happened to that money but perhaps it was used to set him up in a trade or apprenticeship. The family settled near Stony River, a part of Rochester. As he was growing up, John had four half brothers and sisters, and one can hope it was a good, loving family. John was not mentioned in his step father's 1663 will, perhaps because he had his own father's bequest or perhaps because Robert had granted him something outright, earlier.
I have not been able to locate much information about John's early life. It is believed he lived in Roxbury from the time he arrived in America, but that may not be correct, especially if he was an apprentice somewhere. We do know he was in Roxbury on May 24, 1654, when he married Hannah Graves, the daughter of John and Judith Alward Graves, and he apparently lived there all the days of his married life, for he died there, also. He purchased land near Spring Street in Roxbury in 1657, just a few years after he married. This sounds like he was a townsman more than a farmer, so he may have had a trade or may have been a merchant of some kind (speculation only).
Just about all we know of his life in Roxbury is that he had a large family, either nine or ten children. We also know that when he died April 28, 1688, he had an estate valued at almost 509 pounds. This wasn't a fortune, but it wasn't a pitiful amount, either. (Clarification: I haven't located a copy of the will or the inventory, but apparently someone has).
There is a book about John Mayo and his descendants at the Allen County Public Library, that appears to be about our John Mayo. I will update this post when I get a chance to look at it, if there is additional information to help us understand this ancestor.
One more find, but I cannot state with certainty that he is our John Mayo: There is a John Mayo who served in King Phillip's War, in 1675, under Captain Mosely. Our John Mayo's son John would have been pretty young although it is possible that it was John Jr. Our John would have been less than 50 years old, so it is possible it was our John. It is also possible it was another John Mayo entirely. At any rate, it's a reminder that these were perilous times that our ancestors lived, and we should be grateful for their lives.
Our line of descent is:
John Mayo-Hannah Graves
Mehitable Mayo-Samuel Morris
Abigail Morris-John Perrin
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary or Mercy Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Update May 24, 2020 John Mayo, Hannah Graves, and Mehitable Mayo are now "former ancestors". See my post about Samuel Morris for a further explanation. I am leaving this post ;up so it can possibly help someone else.
Our John Mayo was born probably at or near Malling, Kent, England in 1629, His parents were Thomas Mayo and Elizabeth, as yet unidentified although I have seen her name given as Wing. John came to America when he was about 3 years old, probably in 1633, with his stepfather, Robert Gamlin, and his mother, Elizabeth.
John was more fortunate than some children who came to America because his father had left him some property, presumably in England. His stepfather was appointed power of attorney to sell it, in 1641, when John was 12. It is speculation as to what happened to that money but perhaps it was used to set him up in a trade or apprenticeship. The family settled near Stony River, a part of Rochester. As he was growing up, John had four half brothers and sisters, and one can hope it was a good, loving family. John was not mentioned in his step father's 1663 will, perhaps because he had his own father's bequest or perhaps because Robert had granted him something outright, earlier.
I have not been able to locate much information about John's early life. It is believed he lived in Roxbury from the time he arrived in America, but that may not be correct, especially if he was an apprentice somewhere. We do know he was in Roxbury on May 24, 1654, when he married Hannah Graves, the daughter of John and Judith Alward Graves, and he apparently lived there all the days of his married life, for he died there, also. He purchased land near Spring Street in Roxbury in 1657, just a few years after he married. This sounds like he was a townsman more than a farmer, so he may have had a trade or may have been a merchant of some kind (speculation only).
Just about all we know of his life in Roxbury is that he had a large family, either nine or ten children. We also know that when he died April 28, 1688, he had an estate valued at almost 509 pounds. This wasn't a fortune, but it wasn't a pitiful amount, either. (Clarification: I haven't located a copy of the will or the inventory, but apparently someone has).
There is a book about John Mayo and his descendants at the Allen County Public Library, that appears to be about our John Mayo. I will update this post when I get a chance to look at it, if there is additional information to help us understand this ancestor.
One more find, but I cannot state with certainty that he is our John Mayo: There is a John Mayo who served in King Phillip's War, in 1675, under Captain Mosely. Our John Mayo's son John would have been pretty young although it is possible that it was John Jr. Our John would have been less than 50 years old, so it is possible it was our John. It is also possible it was another John Mayo entirely. At any rate, it's a reminder that these were perilous times that our ancestors lived, and we should be grateful for their lives.
Our line of descent is:
John Mayo-Hannah Graves
Mehitable Mayo-Samuel Morris
Abigail Morris-John Perrin
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary or Mercy Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Update May 24, 2020 John Mayo, Hannah Graves, and Mehitable Mayo are now "former ancestors". See my post about Samuel Morris for a further explanation. I am leaving this post ;up so it can possibly help someone else.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Allen line: Thomas Graves, Immigrant 1585-1662
I've written earlier about John Graves, who was the son of Thomas. I didn't write about Thomas at the time because the information about his father appeared to me to be mixed up with that of at least one and possibly two other Thomas Graves, and I didn't want to get them confused. Some of what I write here may possibly still be wrong, but it seems that our Thomas has been more clearly identified and he is certainly an interesting person.
Thomas Graves was born (or christened) October 19, 1585 at Gravesend, Kent, England. I have seen his parents listed as Thomas Graves and Sarah Malter, but have not located documentation for that so an this point I'm considering that his parents are unknown. Gravesend was an interesting town as Thomas was growing up. It was on an estuary of the Thames River, so was closely connected with the sea. Gravesend had a long history, including a chantry built in 1384 that is still standing, and a Tudor fort built in 1543. It was a bustling town.
Thomas was an educated man, although his name is not found at either Cambridge or Oxford. It's possible that he was an apprentice to someone who shared his own knowledge with Thomas, or perhaps he attended some other school, perhaps even on the Continent. At any rate, he acquired the knowledge to become an engineer, and in 1629 he signed a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Company in which he represented himself as skilled in the discovery of mines, in fortifications of all sorts, in surveying, and in various other similar occupations. He and his wife, five children, and two unnamed servants sailed to Salem, Massachusetts in 1629, on the ship "George Bonaventure." He had married Sarah Whiting in England, and their five children were all 16 or older when they came to America as a family.
He apparently held some offices of note in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and became a freeman in 1631. It's not known when he and the family went to Hartford, Connecticut but they were there in 1645, and stayed for about 16 years. He was granted at least three pieces of property there, and of course had a dwelling. Perhaps for religious reasons, and perhaps because his skills were needed there, the family except for son Nathaniel emigrated to Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1661, By this time, Thomas and Sarah may have been living with son Isaac, or perhaps they were just there until a home could be built for them.
Thomas died in Hadley on or just before November 1, 1662 (burial date) and Sarah died about four years later. Apparently there are estate papers but I've not been able to locate them-yet. He was approximately 76 years old, and had been in America since his middle age. I honor especially those ancestors who were willing to start over in a strange land, and then again in a new settlement, when they could have stayed in England and lived their lives. It took courage and vision, and those are reasons enough to give Thomas honor.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Graves-Sarah Whiting
John Graves-Mary Smith
Mary Graves-Edward Stebbins
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Roote-Thomas Noble
Stephen Notble-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
Thomas Graves was born (or christened) October 19, 1585 at Gravesend, Kent, England. I have seen his parents listed as Thomas Graves and Sarah Malter, but have not located documentation for that so an this point I'm considering that his parents are unknown. Gravesend was an interesting town as Thomas was growing up. It was on an estuary of the Thames River, so was closely connected with the sea. Gravesend had a long history, including a chantry built in 1384 that is still standing, and a Tudor fort built in 1543. It was a bustling town.
Thomas was an educated man, although his name is not found at either Cambridge or Oxford. It's possible that he was an apprentice to someone who shared his own knowledge with Thomas, or perhaps he attended some other school, perhaps even on the Continent. At any rate, he acquired the knowledge to become an engineer, and in 1629 he signed a contract with the Massachusetts Bay Company in which he represented himself as skilled in the discovery of mines, in fortifications of all sorts, in surveying, and in various other similar occupations. He and his wife, five children, and two unnamed servants sailed to Salem, Massachusetts in 1629, on the ship "George Bonaventure." He had married Sarah Whiting in England, and their five children were all 16 or older when they came to America as a family.
He apparently held some offices of note in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and became a freeman in 1631. It's not known when he and the family went to Hartford, Connecticut but they were there in 1645, and stayed for about 16 years. He was granted at least three pieces of property there, and of course had a dwelling. Perhaps for religious reasons, and perhaps because his skills were needed there, the family except for son Nathaniel emigrated to Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1661, By this time, Thomas and Sarah may have been living with son Isaac, or perhaps they were just there until a home could be built for them.
Thomas died in Hadley on or just before November 1, 1662 (burial date) and Sarah died about four years later. Apparently there are estate papers but I've not been able to locate them-yet. He was approximately 76 years old, and had been in America since his middle age. I honor especially those ancestors who were willing to start over in a strange land, and then again in a new settlement, when they could have stayed in England and lived their lives. It took courage and vision, and those are reasons enough to give Thomas honor.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Graves-Sarah Whiting
John Graves-Mary Smith
Mary Graves-Edward Stebbins
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Roote-Thomas Noble
Stephen Notble-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 20, 2017
Allen line: Thomas Stebbins about 1619-1683, Immigrant
I've written earlier about Rowland Stebbins, father of Thomas, but Thomas was an immigrant, too, and his story should be told. He is actually an Allen ancestor twice, which makes him doubly important.
Thomas was born about 1619 or 1620, presumably in Bocking, Essex, England, which is the town of record of his parents. He came to New England in 1634 with his parents, Rowland and Sarah Whiting Stebbins, and three siblings, on the ship Francis. Thomas was listed as 14 at the time. The family possibly stayed in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a short time, with Rowland's younger brother Martin.
The Stebbins family soon moved on to Springfield, however, and that is where Thomas married Hannah Wright, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Margaret Stratton Wright, in November of 1645. My notes say their first son, Samuel, was born in September of 1646 and then Thomas, two Josephs (one died at about 18 months of age), Sarah, Edward, Benjamin and finally twins Hannah and Rowland, born October 1 and 2nd 1660. Hannah, the mother, died, probably from childbirth complications, two weeks later. 9 children in 15 years, plus the privations of frontier life, was just too much for Hannah to overcome. Surprisingly, it seems that Thomas stayed single until 1676, when he married Abigail Burt Ball Munn. Thomas died September 28, 1683 and Abigail lived until 1707.
We know a few other facts about Thomas. He was a tailor by trade, and of course had small tracts of farm land. When his father died, his brother John was given much more of the estate than Thomas was given, for whatever reason. Thomas was older than John and perhaps John had greater need, or maybe John had done more to care for his father in his father's old age. He was apparently a man of some standing in the town, as he was a selectman several time. He was referred to as "sergeant" in 1656 and an overseer of highways in 1667.
He would have been 56 years old at the time of King Philip's War, but was referred to as a lieutenant then, and was listed in Capt William Turner's company in the Turner Falls massacre. We don't know for sure that he was on that mission but it seems possible. (His sons Thomas and Samuel were there, so there is some confusion about whether Thomas Senior was there also). If he wasn't in the fight, then he was at home or nearby, pulling guard duty and defending his and other families The massacre or battle, whatever you want to call it, was a two parter. The colonists massacred natives as they were sleeping, including women and children, and other natives then came to harass and kill the colonists as they made their way back home. (We have many ancestors, and their siblings) on the lists of the men who were there).
There is apparently a will but I have not yet located it. It is said to mention his daughters and his widow only. I would like to find the will and would particularly like to find the inventory. That would tell us more about the life of Lieutenant Thomas Stebbins.
One line of descent is:
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Claraissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The second line is
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Joseph Stebbins-Sarah Dorchester
Martha Stebbins-Samuel Lamb
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
etc.
This is just one way we are our own cousins!
Thomas was born about 1619 or 1620, presumably in Bocking, Essex, England, which is the town of record of his parents. He came to New England in 1634 with his parents, Rowland and Sarah Whiting Stebbins, and three siblings, on the ship Francis. Thomas was listed as 14 at the time. The family possibly stayed in Roxbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony for a short time, with Rowland's younger brother Martin.
The Stebbins family soon moved on to Springfield, however, and that is where Thomas married Hannah Wright, daughter of Deacon Samuel and Margaret Stratton Wright, in November of 1645. My notes say their first son, Samuel, was born in September of 1646 and then Thomas, two Josephs (one died at about 18 months of age), Sarah, Edward, Benjamin and finally twins Hannah and Rowland, born October 1 and 2nd 1660. Hannah, the mother, died, probably from childbirth complications, two weeks later. 9 children in 15 years, plus the privations of frontier life, was just too much for Hannah to overcome. Surprisingly, it seems that Thomas stayed single until 1676, when he married Abigail Burt Ball Munn. Thomas died September 28, 1683 and Abigail lived until 1707.
We know a few other facts about Thomas. He was a tailor by trade, and of course had small tracts of farm land. When his father died, his brother John was given much more of the estate than Thomas was given, for whatever reason. Thomas was older than John and perhaps John had greater need, or maybe John had done more to care for his father in his father's old age. He was apparently a man of some standing in the town, as he was a selectman several time. He was referred to as "sergeant" in 1656 and an overseer of highways in 1667.
He would have been 56 years old at the time of King Philip's War, but was referred to as a lieutenant then, and was listed in Capt William Turner's company in the Turner Falls massacre. We don't know for sure that he was on that mission but it seems possible. (His sons Thomas and Samuel were there, so there is some confusion about whether Thomas Senior was there also). If he wasn't in the fight, then he was at home or nearby, pulling guard duty and defending his and other families The massacre or battle, whatever you want to call it, was a two parter. The colonists massacred natives as they were sleeping, including women and children, and other natives then came to harass and kill the colonists as they made their way back home. (We have many ancestors, and their siblings) on the lists of the men who were there).
There is apparently a will but I have not yet located it. It is said to mention his daughters and his widow only. I would like to find the will and would particularly like to find the inventory. That would tell us more about the life of Lieutenant Thomas Stebbins.
One line of descent is:
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
Sarah Root-Thomas Noble
Stephen Noble-Ruth Church
Ruth Noble-Martin Root
Ruth Root-Samuel Falley
Claraissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
The second line is
Thomas Stebbins-Hannah Wright
Joseph Stebbins-Sarah Dorchester
Martha Stebbins-Samuel Lamb
Eunice Lamb-Martin Root
Martin Root-Ruth Noble
etc.
This is just one way we are our own cousins!
Friday, March 18, 2016
Allen line: Henry Burt 1595-1662, Immigrant
Question: What do Ethan Allen, Grover Cleveland, and Winston Churchill have in common?
Answer: They are all descendants of Henry Burt, as are we of the Allen family. I think that's so cool! I haven't done the actual research to bear this out, but these are statements I've found on-line, and they appear to be plausible.
This blog post is mostly based on research found at dunhamwilcox.net. It is a thoroughly referenced source, and I'm grateful to have found it. There's even an online book about Henry and his descendants, which is rather wordy but interesting. Basically I'm using these and other sources to paraphrase what they've found, and to add my own little twist to this ancestor's story.
Henry Burt was born in 1595 in Harberton, Devon, England, the first child and first son of Henry and Iseult or Isolde Burt. (Her parents are as yet unknown.). Henry Senior was a clothier and seems to have done rather well for himself by the time he died in 1617. Harberton was small (population about 1300 currently) so for a person to own 93 sheep and 32 lambs, plus cloth and yarn, several houses, an orchard, nursery, various out buildings, and more, he must have been at least of the middle class.
Our Henry was one of at least seven children (these children were mentioned in the will, there may well have been others who died before Henry Sr.s death in 1617). He was left 5 dwellings in his father's will, but there seems to be no mention of the sheep, cloth, and yarn that would have given Henry a trade, so perhaps that went to son John, who was left half the residue of the estate.
Henry did in fact become, or already had been, a clothier also, and was doing well enough financially in December of 1619 to marry Eulalia Marche. He was a Puritan, of such measure that he occasionally read Sunday sermons to the congregation in his later years, apparently when the church was without a pastor or the pastor was ill or out of town. Henry was in his early 40's when he decided to move his family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
It's believed that they came, perhaps as a family, to Boston in 1638, although it could have been earlier. By 1638 they were in Roxbury, where we learn that their home burned. This would likely have included the tools of the clothing trade also, so it was a terrible loss. It appears that there was some sort of "settlement" of about 8 pounds to the family, as recompense, and by 1639, the family was in Springfield, Massachusetts, which had been founded just four years earlier.
Henry quickly settled down in Springfield. His town lot bordered on the Connecticut River. He was on an early jury, was selectman for the town several years, and was made a freeman in April of 1648. He was "Clerke of the Band", the militia, starting in 1648 also, and in 1649 was chosen "Clerke of the writts for this Towne." He was involved in two or three lawsuits during his lifetime, suing for debts he was owed. Plus, there was the reference to his reading sermons on Sunday, perhaps because he was Clerke, perhpas because he had a strong speaking voice, or perhaps because he was regarded as a pious man.
The Burts had children, a lot of children. I'm finding lists of anywhere from 11 to 19 of them, some of whom died young. It may have been after the birth of one of her children in England that Eulalia herself was thought to have died. The family tradition is that she was laid out in her coffin and regained consciousness during her own funeral. Further tradition has said that she brought the coffin to American with her and was buried in it many years later. I suspect the "regained consciousness during her funeral" may be true but I wonder about the coffin story. It's fun to think about it, though!
Henry died in Springfield on April 30, 1662, without a will. However, there is a thorough inventory. It includes, among other things, the house and land in town, two other parcels of land, farm implements and animals, two guns, and books valued at 10 shillings. The total estate was 181 pounds, of which 47 pounds was owed, mostly to "Mr. Pynchon."
Eulalia, mother of many children, did not remarry, and died August 9, 1690, outliving her husband by 28 years. She evidently still had her own housing, for she gave cows, bedding, land and household goods to her children. This post is about Henry, but it certainly appears that he chose wisely in marrying Eulalia.
There is much more that could be said about Henry, but this is intended to be a sketch only, so we at least know a bit about our immigrants. Sometimes that leads to famous cousins, and interesting stories, and those are some of the reasons I write this blog.
Here's the line of descent:
Henry Burt-Eulalia Marche
Abigail Burt-Francis Ball
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Roote
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Answer: They are all descendants of Henry Burt, as are we of the Allen family. I think that's so cool! I haven't done the actual research to bear this out, but these are statements I've found on-line, and they appear to be plausible.
This blog post is mostly based on research found at dunhamwilcox.net. It is a thoroughly referenced source, and I'm grateful to have found it. There's even an online book about Henry and his descendants, which is rather wordy but interesting. Basically I'm using these and other sources to paraphrase what they've found, and to add my own little twist to this ancestor's story.
Henry Burt was born in 1595 in Harberton, Devon, England, the first child and first son of Henry and Iseult or Isolde Burt. (Her parents are as yet unknown.). Henry Senior was a clothier and seems to have done rather well for himself by the time he died in 1617. Harberton was small (population about 1300 currently) so for a person to own 93 sheep and 32 lambs, plus cloth and yarn, several houses, an orchard, nursery, various out buildings, and more, he must have been at least of the middle class.
Our Henry was one of at least seven children (these children were mentioned in the will, there may well have been others who died before Henry Sr.s death in 1617). He was left 5 dwellings in his father's will, but there seems to be no mention of the sheep, cloth, and yarn that would have given Henry a trade, so perhaps that went to son John, who was left half the residue of the estate.
Henry did in fact become, or already had been, a clothier also, and was doing well enough financially in December of 1619 to marry Eulalia Marche. He was a Puritan, of such measure that he occasionally read Sunday sermons to the congregation in his later years, apparently when the church was without a pastor or the pastor was ill or out of town. Henry was in his early 40's when he decided to move his family to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
It's believed that they came, perhaps as a family, to Boston in 1638, although it could have been earlier. By 1638 they were in Roxbury, where we learn that their home burned. This would likely have included the tools of the clothing trade also, so it was a terrible loss. It appears that there was some sort of "settlement" of about 8 pounds to the family, as recompense, and by 1639, the family was in Springfield, Massachusetts, which had been founded just four years earlier.
Henry quickly settled down in Springfield. His town lot bordered on the Connecticut River. He was on an early jury, was selectman for the town several years, and was made a freeman in April of 1648. He was "Clerke of the Band", the militia, starting in 1648 also, and in 1649 was chosen "Clerke of the writts for this Towne." He was involved in two or three lawsuits during his lifetime, suing for debts he was owed. Plus, there was the reference to his reading sermons on Sunday, perhaps because he was Clerke, perhpas because he had a strong speaking voice, or perhaps because he was regarded as a pious man.
The Burts had children, a lot of children. I'm finding lists of anywhere from 11 to 19 of them, some of whom died young. It may have been after the birth of one of her children in England that Eulalia herself was thought to have died. The family tradition is that she was laid out in her coffin and regained consciousness during her own funeral. Further tradition has said that she brought the coffin to American with her and was buried in it many years later. I suspect the "regained consciousness during her funeral" may be true but I wonder about the coffin story. It's fun to think about it, though!
Henry died in Springfield on April 30, 1662, without a will. However, there is a thorough inventory. It includes, among other things, the house and land in town, two other parcels of land, farm implements and animals, two guns, and books valued at 10 shillings. The total estate was 181 pounds, of which 47 pounds was owed, mostly to "Mr. Pynchon."
Eulalia, mother of many children, did not remarry, and died August 9, 1690, outliving her husband by 28 years. She evidently still had her own housing, for she gave cows, bedding, land and household goods to her children. This post is about Henry, but it certainly appears that he chose wisely in marrying Eulalia.
There is much more that could be said about Henry, but this is intended to be a sketch only, so we at least know a bit about our immigrants. Sometimes that leads to famous cousins, and interesting stories, and those are some of the reasons I write this blog.
Here's the line of descent:
Henry Burt-Eulalia Marche
Abigail Burt-Francis Ball
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchock-Richard Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Roote
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Allen line: Francis Ball Immigrant, died 1648
I sure could use some help with this ancestor. He is erroneously confused with a Frances Ball in Virginia, who was a female and apparently not of this family. His birth date is given as anywhere from 1599 to 1624. His parents are given as William Ball and Alice Waltham, and if the parentage is correct and the age of the parents is correct, 1599 would be a likely date, but 1609 and even 1619 are within the realm of possibilities. The most frequent place of birth given is Wiltshire, England, with no parish that I can locate. So I am left wondering...
Is his father the William Ball who died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1647?
Was Abigail Burt, who was born in 1623, his first wife? If Francis was born in 1599, she would have been 24 years his junior, and there would have been plenty of time for an earlier marriage. Francis Ball and Abigail Burt, daughter of Henry Burt and Eulalia March, were married in August of 1644 in Springfield, where Francis had arrived about a year earlier. They lived in Springfield, where they had two sons, and where Francis purchased land from John Woodcocke, valued at 5 pounds.
The most common fact I find about Francis Ball is that he drowned in the "Great River", known to us as the Connecticut River, on October 3, 1648. So either he was a mariner, unlucky on that day, or he was not used to water and a storm or accident may have caused his death. Of course, there are other possible explanations but these two seem the most likely to me.
Abigail married Benjamin Munn in April of 1649, and after his death, she married Thomas Stebbins, who is an Allen ancestor through his first wife, Hannah Wright. Abigail died in 1707, three times widowed and about 84 years old.
I sure would like to know more about Francis Ball. I'd like to pin down his birthdate and birthplace, to verify whether William and Alice were his parents. I'd like to know if the marriage to Abigail was his first marriage. And I'd like to know how he happened to drown. If someone has this information, please contact me!
The line of descent is
Francis Ball-Abigail Burt
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Samuel Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Is his father the William Ball who died in New Haven, Connecticut in 1647?
Was Abigail Burt, who was born in 1623, his first wife? If Francis was born in 1599, she would have been 24 years his junior, and there would have been plenty of time for an earlier marriage. Francis Ball and Abigail Burt, daughter of Henry Burt and Eulalia March, were married in August of 1644 in Springfield, where Francis had arrived about a year earlier. They lived in Springfield, where they had two sons, and where Francis purchased land from John Woodcocke, valued at 5 pounds.
The most common fact I find about Francis Ball is that he drowned in the "Great River", known to us as the Connecticut River, on October 3, 1648. So either he was a mariner, unlucky on that day, or he was not used to water and a storm or accident may have caused his death. Of course, there are other possible explanations but these two seem the most likely to me.
Abigail married Benjamin Munn in April of 1649, and after his death, she married Thomas Stebbins, who is an Allen ancestor through his first wife, Hannah Wright. Abigail died in 1707, three times widowed and about 84 years old.
I sure would like to know more about Francis Ball. I'd like to pin down his birthdate and birthplace, to verify whether William and Alice were his parents. I'd like to know if the marriage to Abigail was his first marriage. And I'd like to know how he happened to drown. If someone has this information, please contact me!
The line of descent is
Francis Ball-Abigail Burt
Samuel Ball-Mary Graves
Mary Ball-John Hitchcock
Samuel Hitchcock-Ruth Stebbins
Margaret Hitchcock-Samuel Falley
Samuel Falley-Ruth Root
Clarissa Falley-John Havens Starr
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants
Friday, January 22, 2016
Allen line: Samuel Smith 1602-1680, Immigrant
As I write these sketches, I sometimes struggle to form an emotional connection to an ancestor, usually because I can't find a "hook" to draw me into the story. With this man, I have tears running down my face. Why? He left instructions for each of his grandchildren to be given a Bible as soon as they could read the same, "and my will is that within every Bible bequeathed as aforesaid my executors cause to be written fairly & legibly the last verse of the eleventh of Ecclesiastes & the first verse of the twelfth chapter." He had a message to impart to his descendants, which he would likely be happy to extend to us.
Samuel Smith was born (or baptized) October 6, 1602, at Hadleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The church there is St Mary's, and is still an active Anglican church. Much of the church, which has been restored, is very similar to what Samuel's parents, Samuel Smith and Barbary Mumforde, would have seen at the christening ceremony. (Barbary would likely not have been there, as babies were usually christened right away.) To put this in a little bit of context, Queen Elizabeth I was still alive at this time, so we are talking about people ruled by the Tudors. Sometimes it's hard to remember that the lives of our immigrant ancestors overlapped the last of the Tudors.
Samuel married Elizabeth, possibly Smith but not as is so often reported, Chileab, in St. Mary's, Suffolk, England on October 6, 1624. We don't know who her parents were, but she appears to have been born at Whatfield, which was about two miles from Hadleigh, so our couple likely knew each other for some time before their marriage. They had four children before they emigrated together to New England in 1634 on the Elizabeth of Ipswich. They left April 30, 1634 and went to Watertown in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. There Samuel was made a freeman on September 3,1634, almost as soon as they arrived in Watertown, and shortly thereafter he moved the family to Wethersfield, in what would become Connecticut.
Life there was not dull. Two more children were added to the Smith family, but in addition, there was the Pequot war, in 1637. On April 23,1637, six men and three women were killed in an attack, and two girls were taken captive. This was a small town at the time, so the loss of 9 adults and possibly two children would have hit the survivors quite hard, one would think. A few years later, Wethersfield went through at least three witchcraft trials. Three of the colony were executed and one was banished. I'm not sure which would frighten me more, Indians, or supposed witchcraft. These were in addition to the usual trials of weather, wild animals, and possible crop failure, so life wasn't easy for our Smith family.
Samuel's occupations are listed as fellmonger (dealer in hides or skins), glover (maker or seller of gloves and other leather goods), and innkeeper, but we don't know how the occupations overlapped or when he left one occupation for another. We do know he had enough free time to serve as the Deputy to Connecticut general Court regularly from November 14,1637 to May 16, 1656. He also served on various military committees and Connecticut petit juries. He appears to have been part of the court that sat on the witchcraft trials of John and Joan Carrington, in 1651, that sentenced them to death. (If he didn't sit on any of the witchcraft trials, he certainly would have known about them and followed them closely.)
A church fight may have been the motive for moving to what became Hadley, Massachusetts in 1660 or 1661. Samuel was again selected as a deputy to the Massachusetts Bay General Court from 1661 to 1673. During much of this time, we was also a magsitrate for Hampshire. He was empowered to solemnize marriages and take depositions in Hadley in June of 1677 and was the commissioner to "end small causes" for most of the time period from 1661 to March 1680. He had been an "ancient serjeant to the trained band in Wetherslfield" and was appointed lieutenant of the train band at Northampton, which position he filled until 1678. At that time, he requested a discharge as he was "very aged & weak, and not being so well able to discharge military trust as heretofore" and his request was granted. He would have been 76 years old at this time.
Samuel's will was dated June 23, 1680, and proved March 29,1681. He left land to his sons Philip and Chileab, and to the son of his son John, but left just five shillings to his namesake son Samuel. Son Samuel had married briefly, abandoned his wife, become a womanizer, went to Virginia and ended up in Carolina, undoubtedly to the total dismay of his parents. The five shillings bequest may have been to prevent a challenge to the will, but it may have been more than he wished to give. Elizabeth lived five more years, dying in 1686.
Oh, the verses that Samuel wanted inscribed on the Bibles for his grandchildren? "Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh; for childhood and youth are vanity. remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." (Quoted from the King James Version). The grandchildren would have cause to remember Uncle Samuel, and to consider the words their grandfather had left them, and to make their own choices in life.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Smith-Elizabeth
Mary Smith-John Graves
Sarah Graves-Edward Stebbins
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
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
Samuel Smith was born (or baptized) October 6, 1602, at Hadleigh, Ipswich, Suffolk, England. The church there is St Mary's, and is still an active Anglican church. Much of the church, which has been restored, is very similar to what Samuel's parents, Samuel Smith and Barbary Mumforde, would have seen at the christening ceremony. (Barbary would likely not have been there, as babies were usually christened right away.) To put this in a little bit of context, Queen Elizabeth I was still alive at this time, so we are talking about people ruled by the Tudors. Sometimes it's hard to remember that the lives of our immigrant ancestors overlapped the last of the Tudors.
Samuel married Elizabeth, possibly Smith but not as is so often reported, Chileab, in St. Mary's, Suffolk, England on October 6, 1624. We don't know who her parents were, but she appears to have been born at Whatfield, which was about two miles from Hadleigh, so our couple likely knew each other for some time before their marriage. They had four children before they emigrated together to New England in 1634 on the Elizabeth of Ipswich. They left April 30, 1634 and went to Watertown in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. There Samuel was made a freeman on September 3,1634, almost as soon as they arrived in Watertown, and shortly thereafter he moved the family to Wethersfield, in what would become Connecticut.
Life there was not dull. Two more children were added to the Smith family, but in addition, there was the Pequot war, in 1637. On April 23,1637, six men and three women were killed in an attack, and two girls were taken captive. This was a small town at the time, so the loss of 9 adults and possibly two children would have hit the survivors quite hard, one would think. A few years later, Wethersfield went through at least three witchcraft trials. Three of the colony were executed and one was banished. I'm not sure which would frighten me more, Indians, or supposed witchcraft. These were in addition to the usual trials of weather, wild animals, and possible crop failure, so life wasn't easy for our Smith family.
Samuel's occupations are listed as fellmonger (dealer in hides or skins), glover (maker or seller of gloves and other leather goods), and innkeeper, but we don't know how the occupations overlapped or when he left one occupation for another. We do know he had enough free time to serve as the Deputy to Connecticut general Court regularly from November 14,1637 to May 16, 1656. He also served on various military committees and Connecticut petit juries. He appears to have been part of the court that sat on the witchcraft trials of John and Joan Carrington, in 1651, that sentenced them to death. (If he didn't sit on any of the witchcraft trials, he certainly would have known about them and followed them closely.)
A church fight may have been the motive for moving to what became Hadley, Massachusetts in 1660 or 1661. Samuel was again selected as a deputy to the Massachusetts Bay General Court from 1661 to 1673. During much of this time, we was also a magsitrate for Hampshire. He was empowered to solemnize marriages and take depositions in Hadley in June of 1677 and was the commissioner to "end small causes" for most of the time period from 1661 to March 1680. He had been an "ancient serjeant to the trained band in Wetherslfield" and was appointed lieutenant of the train band at Northampton, which position he filled until 1678. At that time, he requested a discharge as he was "very aged & weak, and not being so well able to discharge military trust as heretofore" and his request was granted. He would have been 76 years old at this time.
Samuel's will was dated June 23, 1680, and proved March 29,1681. He left land to his sons Philip and Chileab, and to the son of his son John, but left just five shillings to his namesake son Samuel. Son Samuel had married briefly, abandoned his wife, become a womanizer, went to Virginia and ended up in Carolina, undoubtedly to the total dismay of his parents. The five shillings bequest may have been to prevent a challenge to the will, but it may have been more than he wished to give. Elizabeth lived five more years, dying in 1686.
Oh, the verses that Samuel wanted inscribed on the Bibles for his grandchildren? "Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart and put away evil from thy flesh; for childhood and youth are vanity. remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them." (Quoted from the King James Version). The grandchildren would have cause to remember Uncle Samuel, and to consider the words their grandfather had left them, and to make their own choices in life.
The line of descent is:
Samuel Smith-Elizabeth
Mary Smith-John Graves
Sarah Graves-Edward Stebbins
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
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, September 22, 2015
Alllen line: Deacon Samuel Wright, Immigrant
You would think that a man known as "Deacon" would be easy to trace. Much is written about him but as far as I can tell not much is really known about him. His parents are not known for certain, although the best guess at this point is that his parents were John Wright and Martha Castell. They had a son named Samuel who was born June 29, 1606 at Wrightsbridge, Essex, England, as well as John, Nathaniel, and Robert. If Samuel was the son of these parents, then he was born into a life that is more privileged than some. His grandfather would have been Lord John Wright, a member of the House of Lords and his father, John Wright, was at one time a clerk to the House of Commons. Samuel's parents were Puritans, and so was Samuel.
Samuel married possibly Margaret Stratton or some other Margaret, while in England, perhaps around 1631. To my knowledge, the marriage record has not yet been found.
Some of his seven children were born in England and some in America. He and Margaret arrived here about 1636, and by 1639 they were in Springfield. He didn't become a freeman until 1648 and one wonders what the reason was for the hold up. Did Samuel not join the church right away? Did he not meet the property requirements? He had already been serving on juries as early as 1640, so was the freeman designation an oversight?
He was among the early settlers of Springfield and at some point in those earl years acted as church leader or at least speaker, before the church acquired their own pastor. By 1656, the Wrights had moved to Northampton, 35 miles north of Springfield. Their oldest son Samuel, Jr. had already moved there and with Samuel Senior already 60, he may have wanted to move to be near family. Samuel "died in his chair" on October 17, 1665. His wife, Margaret, lived until 1681.
Their known children were Samuel, Margaret, Hester, Lydia, and Mary. The family is traditionally assigned Hannah, also, who is our connection to this line. At least one researcher does not believe Hannah is their child, but I'm leaving her in this family until proven otherwise. It is possible that Hannah is a niece that the couple raised. I'd sure like to learn the truth of this matter. And of course I'd like to know if any of this line can be traced to my Molly Wright, who is still lost to me.
The supposed line of descent is:
Samuel Wright-Margaret
Hannah Wright-Thomas Stebbins
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
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
Samuel married possibly Margaret Stratton or some other Margaret, while in England, perhaps around 1631. To my knowledge, the marriage record has not yet been found.
Some of his seven children were born in England and some in America. He and Margaret arrived here about 1636, and by 1639 they were in Springfield. He didn't become a freeman until 1648 and one wonders what the reason was for the hold up. Did Samuel not join the church right away? Did he not meet the property requirements? He had already been serving on juries as early as 1640, so was the freeman designation an oversight?
He was among the early settlers of Springfield and at some point in those earl years acted as church leader or at least speaker, before the church acquired their own pastor. By 1656, the Wrights had moved to Northampton, 35 miles north of Springfield. Their oldest son Samuel, Jr. had already moved there and with Samuel Senior already 60, he may have wanted to move to be near family. Samuel "died in his chair" on October 17, 1665. His wife, Margaret, lived until 1681.
Their known children were Samuel, Margaret, Hester, Lydia, and Mary. The family is traditionally assigned Hannah, also, who is our connection to this line. At least one researcher does not believe Hannah is their child, but I'm leaving her in this family until proven otherwise. It is possible that Hannah is a niece that the couple raised. I'd sure like to learn the truth of this matter. And of course I'd like to know if any of this line can be traced to my Molly Wright, who is still lost to me.
The supposed line of descent is:
Samuel Wright-Margaret
Hannah Wright-Thomas Stebbins
Edward Stebbins-Sarah Graves
Sarah Stebbins-John Root
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
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
Allen line: John Graves 1622-1677 A sad ending
I was all geared up to write about Deacon George Graves today, but I decided to first double-check my facts. My facts were fiction, as it turned out. So I've been spending some time learning about John Graves today, and his story needs to be told and honored in our family.
John Graves was born in 1622 somewhere in England (probably somewhere in Kent,) to Thomas Graves and Sarah, possibly Sarah Whiting. He came to the New World with his family and they first settled in New Haven and then Hartford, Connecticut. John took up land in Wethersfield, but it is probable that this land was just a short distance from his father and his brother Isaac, who stayed in Hartford for a time. This was very much a Puritan family, and there was a schism in the church which induced them all to leave their homes and settle again in Hatfield, Massachusetts, which was very much a frontier town, but which was comprised mainly of people with their religious beliefs. They arrived there probably about October 1, 1661, and the three families immediately began building shelter for the winter.
Thomas died in 1662, about a year after arriving at Hatfield. He lived to see several of his grandchildren born, and had had a good and respected life. Sarah died four years later.
In the meantime, John was building his own family. He married Mary Smith, daughter of Lieutenant Samuel Smith and Elizabeth Chileab, about 1651 or 1652. The first of their 10 children was born in 1653. When they made the move from Wethersfield to Hatfield, there were five children, John, Mary, Isaac, Samuel, and Sarah. Elizabeth, Daniel, Ebenezer, Bethiah and Nathaniel were born after they arrived in Hatfield, the last in 1671. John was a respected man, a weaver, and a man of education. When his wife died in December of 1668, John next married Mary Bronson Wyatt, a widow. It is possible that Nathaniel is her child, because his birth date is given as 1671 and that is supposed to be when the couple married.
He should be remembered for his life, but his death is also worthy of note. On September 19, 1677 John and his brother Isaac were working to put a roof on the house of John's son, John Jr.. The house was located about one half mile north of the stockade but the men were not particularly worried that morning. Although King Philip's War was still in progress (hence the stockade), the men believed things were relatively calm at the time. Probably they had their rifles with them, but the weapons may have been on the ground while the men were on the roof. Regardless, a group of Indians attacked and killed them both, along with two other men who were working with them, John Atchinson and John Cooper. Eight other persons were also killed, and seventeen of them were made prisoners. It was a horrible day in the history of the colony, and in the history of our family.
John's widow, Mary, married Lieutenant William Allis on June 25, 1678 and Samuel Gaylord on March 16, 1681. She must have been a good woman, to attract so many men. It would be interesting to know how many step children she helped raise!
If you want to know more about the Graves family, they actually have a wonderful website at gravesfa.org/gen168. You can trace the family down through many generations, and you'll notice that we actually have several lines to this man.
Here's one of them:
John Graves-Mary Smith
Sarah Graves-Edward Stebbins
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 descendents
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have many names to delete from the tree and a few to add. So long to Deacon George and hello, John and Thomas!
John Graves was born in 1622 somewhere in England (probably somewhere in Kent,) to Thomas Graves and Sarah, possibly Sarah Whiting. He came to the New World with his family and they first settled in New Haven and then Hartford, Connecticut. John took up land in Wethersfield, but it is probable that this land was just a short distance from his father and his brother Isaac, who stayed in Hartford for a time. This was very much a Puritan family, and there was a schism in the church which induced them all to leave their homes and settle again in Hatfield, Massachusetts, which was very much a frontier town, but which was comprised mainly of people with their religious beliefs. They arrived there probably about October 1, 1661, and the three families immediately began building shelter for the winter.
Thomas died in 1662, about a year after arriving at Hatfield. He lived to see several of his grandchildren born, and had had a good and respected life. Sarah died four years later.
In the meantime, John was building his own family. He married Mary Smith, daughter of Lieutenant Samuel Smith and Elizabeth Chileab, about 1651 or 1652. The first of their 10 children was born in 1653. When they made the move from Wethersfield to Hatfield, there were five children, John, Mary, Isaac, Samuel, and Sarah. Elizabeth, Daniel, Ebenezer, Bethiah and Nathaniel were born after they arrived in Hatfield, the last in 1671. John was a respected man, a weaver, and a man of education. When his wife died in December of 1668, John next married Mary Bronson Wyatt, a widow. It is possible that Nathaniel is her child, because his birth date is given as 1671 and that is supposed to be when the couple married.
He should be remembered for his life, but his death is also worthy of note. On September 19, 1677 John and his brother Isaac were working to put a roof on the house of John's son, John Jr.. The house was located about one half mile north of the stockade but the men were not particularly worried that morning. Although King Philip's War was still in progress (hence the stockade), the men believed things were relatively calm at the time. Probably they had their rifles with them, but the weapons may have been on the ground while the men were on the roof. Regardless, a group of Indians attacked and killed them both, along with two other men who were working with them, John Atchinson and John Cooper. Eight other persons were also killed, and seventeen of them were made prisoners. It was a horrible day in the history of the colony, and in the history of our family.
John's widow, Mary, married Lieutenant William Allis on June 25, 1678 and Samuel Gaylord on March 16, 1681. She must have been a good woman, to attract so many men. It would be interesting to know how many step children she helped raise!
If you want to know more about the Graves family, they actually have a wonderful website at gravesfa.org/gen168. You can trace the family down through many generations, and you'll notice that we actually have several lines to this man.
Here's one of them:
John Graves-Mary Smith
Sarah Graves-Edward Stebbins
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 descendents
And now, if you'll excuse me, I have many names to delete from the tree and a few to add. So long to Deacon George and hello, John and Thomas!
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