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

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

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

Allen line: Jonathan Brewster 1593-1659 Immigrant

I haven't written about Jonathan Brewster before now because I wrote about his somewhat famous father, Elder William Brewster earlier, and my feeling was that the father kind of outshines the son.  I may be wrong about that.  Jonathan Brewster is a fascinating man in his own right, and he was almost a Mayflower ancestor, arriving on the Fortune in November of 161.  But let's start at the beginning 

Jonathan was born August 12, 1593 to William and Mary (last nae still uncertain) Brewster in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire, England.  By the time he was born, his parents were already ardent Puritans and Separatists, and it was after his father had been jailed and released for his religious beliefs that the Pilgrims fled to Amsterdam and then Leiden, Holland (The Netherlands).  Jonathan accepted citizenship there in 1617 and may have planned to make his life there.

 However, he married and his wife and baby died, and that convinced Jonathan to join his family in New England.  (It's possible that he had already been planning to come, of course).  It should be noted that not every genealogist believes that there was a first marriage.  It would be interesting to know but that fact isn't essential to the rest of our story.  In Leiden, Jonathan supported himself and any family he may have had by ribbon making, which was a craft that several of the Pilgrims were practicing.  He probably didn't have a real occupation in England, given that he was 17 years old when he went to Holland, and jobs were not plentiful for Separatists in England.  Possibly he was a day laborer. 

About three years after coming to New England, Jonathan married Lucretia Oldham, daughter of William and Philippa Sowter Oldham on April 10, 1624.  By this time, Jonathan may already have been trading with the natives on an informal basis.  Later, he became a trader and was allowed to set up a trading post in what became Connecticut. 

We know that Jonathan had quite an education, or at least read widely, because one of his other interests was alchemy.  He is mentioned several times in the book "Prospero's America" by Walter W. Woodward.  The book is more of the story of John Winthrop Jr and his study of alchemy, but Jonathn is mentioned several times there as having correspondence with Winthrop, as is William White, our ancestor on the Holbrook side  Alchemy could probably be thought of as an attempt by Christians to learn the secrets of nature in order to use them for profit and also to prepare the world for the Second Coming, which would only happen when the world was good enough.  If an individual alchemist was good enough and pious enough, worked very hard and studied constantly, God might provide him with the clues needed to understand all of nature, and incidentally, to make gold out of base metals  Not every alchemist was trying to find gold.  Some concentrated on making medicines with minerals as their base, as opposed to herbal medicines.  I don't know how much Jonathan was involved in any of these particular ventures, but he does seem to have been involved with an iron works that Winthrop had developed.

I've found indications that Jonathan also served as surveyor, as a deacon or/an an elder in the church, in military service during the Pequot War, as a deputy to the General Court and as an assistant to the governor of Connecticut (don't know which governor).  He was also an attorney, and was styled "Gentleman".  Probably about 1649 but possibly earlier, he moved his family to Pequot, which became New London, and served there as town clerk  He was censured for setting up an Indian trading post without permission but in 1652 the deed from the Indian sachem to Jonathan was approved and he was allowed to continue the trading post.  All in all, Jonathan was a busy man.

John and Lucretia had at least 8 children together, the last born in 1641 in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony.  He died August 7, 1659 at Norwich, New London, Connecticut and is buried at Brewster's Neck, Preston, Connecticut.  I haven't yet found a copy of his will, but I would expect that it would show a considerable net worth since I know he had debts owed him of hundreds of pounds at one time  There is much more to be found, or to be learned, about Jonathan and his story deserves to be found and told.  He was a remarkable man. 

The line of descent is

Jonathan Brewster-Lucretia Oldham
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary or Mercy Morgan
Mary Starr-John Chester
Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy (Elizabeth Chester) Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: An Act of Congress for John Starr and others

By Authority


Sixth Congress of the United States, at the Second Session, begun and held at the City of Washington, in the Territory of Columbia, on Monday the Seventeenth of November, one thousand eight hundred.
An Act regarding the grants of lands appropriated for the Refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the surveyor general be, and he is hereby directed to cause those fractional townships of the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth, twentieth, twenty first and twenty second ranges of townships, which join the southern boundary of the military lands, to be sub-divided into half-sections, containing three hundred and twenty acres each; and to return a survey and description of the same to the Secretary of the Treasury, on or before the first Monday of December next; and that the said lands be, and they hereby are set apart for the purpose of satisfying claims of persons entitled to lands under the act, entitled, "An act for the relief of the refugees from the British provinces of Canada and Nova Scotia.

Sec. 1.  And be it further enacted, T the Secretary of the Treasury shall, within thirdy days after the survey of the lands shall have been returned to him as aforesaid, proceed to determine by lots, to be drawn in the presence of the Secretaries of State and of War, the priority of location of the persons entitled to land as aforesaid.  The persons thus entitled, shall severally make their locations on the second Tuesday of January next, and the patents for the land thus located shall be granted in the manner directed for military lands, without requiring any fee whatever.

Sec. 2  And it is further enacted, That the following persons, claiming lands under the above act, shall respectively be entitled to the following quantities of land; that is to say, Martha Walker, Widow of Thomas Walker, John Edgar, P. Francis Cuzeau, John Allan, and Seth Harding, respectively, two thousand two hundred and forty acres each;  Jonathan Eddy, colonel James Livingston and Parker Clark, respectively, one thousand two hundred and eighty acres each, and the heirs of James Dodge, one thousand two hundred and eighty acres; Thomas Faulkner, Edward Faulkner, David Gay, Martin Brooks, lieutenant colonel Bradford, Noah Miller, Joshua Lamb, Atwood Fales, JOHN STARR, William Haw, Ebenezar Gardner, Lewis F. Delefdernier, John McGown and Jonas C. Minot, respectively nine hundred and fifty acres each; and the heirs of Simeon Chester nine hundred and fifty acres; Jacob Vander Heyden, John Livingston, James Crawford, Isaac Danks, major B. Van Heer, Benjamin Thompson, Joseph Binden,  Joseph Levittre, lieutenant William Maxwell, John D. Mercier, James Price, Seth Noble, Martha Bogart, relict of Abraham Bogart, and formerly relict of Daniel Tucker and John Halstead, respectively, six hundred and forty acres each; David Jenks, Ambrose Cole, James Cole, Adam Johnston, the widow and heirs of Jeremiah Duggan, Daniel Earl, junior, John Paskell, Edward Chinn, Joseph Cone, and John Thrreyre, respectively, three hundred and twenty acres each; Samuel Fales one hundred and sixty acres; which several tracts of land shall, except the last, be located in half sections by the respective claimants. 

Theodore Sedgwick
Speaker of the House of Representatives
Th: Jefferson
Vice President of the United States and
  President of the Senate

Approved February 18, A.D. 1801
John Adams
President of the United States

I've tried to type this as closely to the newspaper account as I could.  I may have misread names, and the capitalization of John Starr is for family ease in finding it.  Otherwise, it was interesting to type this out.  For instance, what is the difference between a widow and a relict?  I thought those were interchangeable.  What was the basis for determining the amount of land each person got? Was it based on economic losses as presented to some committee, or the number of dependents the person had, or some other basis? Some of those last names are family names.  Were those cousins? I also wonder how long it took before the land was actually surveyed and divided.  John Starr didn't go to Ohio, so far as is known, until 1812, when he was 69 years old and one arm was disabled from a wound received at Fort Griswold.  Was he waiting for some of his children to go with him, or did it take this long to get the actual land grant?

Like so many other things we learn, once we learn a fact or two, we learn there are more facts to learn! 

The line of descent is:

John Starr-Margaret Sharp
John Starr-Elizabeth Chester Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: William Brewster, Immigrant and Pilgrim

It seems somehow fitting that I write the last regularly scheduled Allen family post about the first ancestor our nuclear family learned of . We were given for Christmas one year a typewritten genealogy of the Starr family, and in those pages we found our connection to William Brewster.  I was about 12 years old at the time, and I was one proud young girl.  William Brewster! The Mayflower!  Elder, holding the role of chaplain!  To someone already deeply interested in history, this was a treasure of pure gold.

Much has been written about William Brewster and I could just say "look him up on Wikepedia" and not have to write another word . But because some of my family might not take that step, here is a brief summary of his life.  William Brewster was likely born at Scrooby Manor, Nottinghamshire, England, where his father, also William Brewster, was the bailiff of the archbishop of York (Scrooby Manor belonged to the archbishop) and also the local postmaster.

The first significant event in William's life was his brief period of study at Peterhouse, Cambridge, before he entered the service of William Davison.  This likely meant that he was part of the court of Queen Elizabeth I.  William Davison got on her wrong side and was sent home in disgrace, and our William Brewster went home to Scrooby.  There he took over his father's role as postmaster. 

Whether it was at Peterhouse or somewhere else, William became less and less a proper Anglican and more and more a Separatist.  Scrooby Manor was frequently used as a meeting place by other Separatists in the area, where the group worshipped and planned what to do as the authorities started cracking down on anyone not a full supporter of the Anglican church.  The group decided to leave England, but before they could do so, many of this small group were arrested.  The cell where William Brewster and William Bradford were held is now a tourist attraction, seen on "Who Do You Think You Are?" in the Ashley Judd program.  Eventually the two were released, and made their way to the Netherlands, where other members of the Separatists had already fled. 

The Pilgrims spent 13 years in the Netherlands, which practiced a certain amount of religious freedom.  The group lived in close proximity to each other, and ate many of their meals together.  Here William Brewster practiced the trade of printing, and taught English at Leiden, and made enough money to help support the group in very modest circumstances.  One of the pamphlets he printed angered King James in England, and he had to go into hiding as the Separatists negotiated to buy ships and prepare to leave the Netherlands.

The story of the Mayflower is well enough known that I won't repeat much here.  There was at least one false start, as the second ship intended to go with the Mayflower, the Speedwell, began leaking, and unsuccessful repairs were made.  This was a fearful time for the passengers and the trip across the Atlantic wasn't easy, either.  Once land was sighted, most of the men on board the Mayflower signed what became known as the Mayflower Compact, setting up basic regulations for the way they would live.  Tradition says that this was signed using the top of a chest belonging to William Brewster, which has been preserved. 

The first Massachusetts winter, that of 1621, was terrible for the Pilgrims and at the end, there were only seven men left alive.  William Brewster was one, and William Bradford wrote in his journal of the tender care that Mr. Brewster gave to those who were ill.  William took on many of the roles of a pastor, praying and preaching, conducting graveside services, and encouraging the congregation to live a Christian life.  However, he continually refused to preside over Communion services, so the group had to wait until their pastor, John Robinson, arrived in 1629. 

William's wife Mary, surname still a subject of debate, died in 1627 after having given birth to six children, one of whom died in England.  William did not remarry, and he died April 10, 1644, at Duxbury.  He was about 77 years old at the time of his death. 

Pilgrims were stern people because they had to be.  But they laughed and raised families and felt joy as well as other emotions.  While we may not understand some of their religious beliefs, we can honor them for their faithfulness, for their hard work, and for the opportunity that they saw to "start over" in a new country.  William Brewster is one of my favorite ancestors, and not just because he was the first one I learned about.  I hope he is one of yours, too.

Our line of descent is

William Brewster-Mary
Jonathon Brewster-Lucretia Oldham
Hannah Brewster-Samuel Starr
Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan
Mary Starr-John Chester
Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathon Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Fun fact:  There is a whole list of famous descendants in the Wikepedia article.  We are distant cousins of Katherine Hepburn, Bing Crosby, Nelson Rockefeller, and Zachary Taylor, among many others.  Hello, cousins! 

Allen line: Comfort Starr 1589-1659, Immigrant

I found a fascinating piece of speculation while looking for information about Comfort Starr, "Chirurgeon".  He lived at the right time and the right place, with the right training, to have possibly been an associate or student under Dr. William Harvey, the man who first described the circulation of blood in the human body.  There is even a possibility, but as far as I know no proof, that he may have followed in Dr. Harvey's footsteps and received his medical training at Padua, Italy.  Even if none of this is borne out by facts and documents, the fact remains that the two men were active in medicine at the same time and place and would have at least known each other.  I think that's pretty cool.

In the first of several known connections with other Allen and Holbrook ancestors, it appears that Rev. William Eddye, who is an ancestor in both of our families, was the vicar of the church Comfort likely attended in Cranbrook, from 1591 to 1616.  

Comfort Starr, of course, does not need to hang onto the shirt tails of anyone.  He can quite well stand on his own as an honorable and respected man, one dedicated to the well being of his friends and neighbors, and one brave enough, in middle age, to bring his family to New England while the country was still young and barely hanging on, still in survival mode.

He and three children, at least, and three servants sailed in the ship Hercules, of Sandwich, in 1635.  One of the servants was his sister, Truth-Shall-Prevail.  His wife was Elizabeth Watts, whom he married on October 4, 1614, but we don't know whether she traveled with the family or whether she came later.

Comfort is first seen in Cambridge, but by 1638 he had gone to Duxbury, in Plymouth Plantation (where our Holbrook ancestor Miles Standish lived). As another connection in the Allen line, the land and "dwelling" he purchased in Duxbury or Duxburrow was owned by Jonathan Brewster, also our ancestor.  He was admitted a freeman there in 1639. In another eight years, Comfort Starr was in Boston, which by that time had grown to a larger population than Duxbury.

At Duxbury, Comfort had owned several pieces of land.  He was respected enough that he represented Duxbury at a Plymouth Colony council of war in 1642.  The next year, he was on a list of men able to bear arms, and his inventory later included a musket and sword.

We don't know much of his private life, but it is safe to assume that he was quite busy as a surgeon, and may have acted as an apothecary also as there is record of Thomas Lechford making a note to himself to write to Mr. Comfort Starr at Duxbury for a quarter of a pint of henbane and a quarter of a pound of hemlock seed.  (Henbane was a remedy for stomach ailments.  I didn't find a medical use for hemlock seed, in my extensive 30 second search of Google).  There were over 70 names on a list of those whom owed Comfort Starr money when he died, and who knows whether all the debts were even noted.  This gives us a feel for the size of his medical practice.

Although we don't know the extent of his education, he did own books valued at seven pounds when he died, which is more of a library than many had.  If he studied with or in the footsteps of Dr. Harvey, we can guess that he had more education than most of his peers.  He and Elizabeth had at least 10 children.  I'm happy to report that except for passing on the name "Comfort", the other children were given more common names than Comfort and his siblings had received.

Elizabeth died at Boston on June 25th, 1658, aged 63, so she would have been about 19 when she married.  Thomas died January 2, 1659/60 and left an estate valued at a little over 292 pounds.  In his will, he made bequests to his children and grandchildren, with more granted to the grandchildren who had lost one or both parents.

In 1909, some of Comfort's many descendants had a monument erected at the Cranbrook church which said "In Memory of Dr. Comfort Starr  Baptized in Cranbrook Church 6th July, 1589, a Warden of St Mary's, Ashford, Kent, 1631 & 1632  Sailed from Sandwich for New England 1635  One of the Earliest Benefactors of Harvard, the First College in America, 1638, of which His Son Comfort was One of 7 Incorporators, 1650, Died at Boston, New england in January 1659  A Distinguised Surgeon Eminent for Christian Character  Erected by this American Descendants 1909".

Comfort and Elizabeth are buried at King's Chapel Burial ground in Boston, and there is a memorial stone there similar to the one described above.  If we're ever in Boston, we need to pay our respects to this man.

There are two lines of descent for Comfort.  The first is:

Comfort Starr-Elizabeth Watts
Thomas Starr-Rachel Harris
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

The second line is the same down through Thomas Starr-Mary Morgan.  Then it diverges:

Mary Starr-John Chester
Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
 Betsy Havens-John Starr
and yes, cousin married cousin, although they were, by my calculations, third cousins.

Allen line, or not? Thomas Harris 1580-1634

I'm sticking my neck out here, because nothing I'm finding supports my tree that says that Rachel Harris, who married Thomas Starr, is the daughter of this Thomas Harris.  So we may or may not be related to this man.  Thomas Starr was from Canterbury, Kent, England and Thomas Harris is from Hatherup, Gloucester, England, so we need to find a reason and a way for the two to meet before we set this branch of the tree firmly in place.  It may well be that there will be a better candidate found for Rachel's parents, and that would be fine with me. 

However, in case this Thomas Harris is the right person, and because he came with the Winthrop Fleet and is therefore automatically interesting (to me, at least), I'll give the bare facts about him, mostly as researched by Robert Charles Anderson in The Great Migration Begins.  Thomas was the son of William amd Agnes Mason Harris, and was born at Hatherup, Gloucester, England, about 1580.  He married Elizabeth, (most sites, but not Anderson, say her name was Hills) sinetime before 1613, as children started arriving at that time.  Six children were noted in a will by Harris's nephew in 1639, but Rachel wasn't left a bequest.  There could be reasons for that, but nevertheless it is worth considering.  Known children of our couple are Anna, John, Thomas, William, Anthony and Daniel.  According to the approximate birth dates, there would have been time for a child named Rachel to have been born between Anna and John.  However, it seems that we have no definite birth dates for any of the children. or for Eliabeth, so this is almost just speculation. 

As mentioned, the Harris's came to New England in 1630, with the Winthrop fleet.  For whatever reason, whether political, familial, or religious, Thomas's name is listed as Thomas Harris alias Williams, and he continued to use that name, Harris alias Williams, for some time in the New World.  The family settled at Winnissimmet, later known as Chelsea and now part of Boston.  In 1630, shortly after arrival at Massachusetts Bay Colony, he requested freemanship which was granted as Thomas Williams alias Harris in 1631.  That same year he was granted the authority to set up a ferry to run between Winnissimmit and Charlton, and also from Winnissimmet to Boston, with fees sets by the authorities. 

We don't know how long this was actually in operation under Harris's watch, because by 1634 his widow had remarried and her new husband had control of the ferry.  (The ferry stayed in operation until 1917).  Elizabeth lived until February 16,1669/70, and was either 83 or 93 when she died.  We can guess that Thomas may have had an accident, or drowned, or succumbed to one or another of the illnesses that killed so many early pioneers.  We will likely never know that story, and we may not ever know whether Rachel was truly his daughter. 

If he is our ancestor, here is the line of descent:

Thomas Harris-Elizabeth Hills
Rachel Harris-Thomas Starr
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
Their descendants

If someone knows whether or not Rachel Harris's father is Thomas, and whether or not this is the correct Thomas, I sure would like to know about it!

Allen line: Thomas Starr 1565-1640 Immigrant

How hard can it be to write about the very first ancestor I ever heard about, back when I was a pre-teen or early teen-ager?  A family genealogist, unidentified, had researched the Starr family and an aunt gave us a copy of her discoveries as a Christmas gift.  (Although, now I wonder how much of it was her work and how much was a compilation; still, it was and is precious to us). 

But when I actually sat down to write about him, there is much less information than I expected to find, and some of it is contradictory, as is often the case.  His father was Thomas, his son was Thomas, and hehad grandsons named Thomas, so it's easy to see how facts could be a little confusing, and confused. 

Thomas Starr was born about 1565 in New Romney, Kent, England.  His father was Thomas Starr who served as mayor of New Romney for a short period of time, and it appears that his mother's name was Agnes.  Our Thomas was a mercer, a dealer in textile goods, generally silks, velvets, and fine materials.  He would have supplied the well-to-do of the towns of Cranbrook and Ashford, which are the two towns where most of his children were baptized.  It is likely that Thomas and his wife Susan or Susannah made the first move, from New Romeny to Cranbrook, because of economic reasons.  They may have moved a second time because they had become Puritans, and Ashford was a center for people with these beliefs.

Thomas and Susan gave names to their children that are on trivia games and lists of "amazing" names, but they surely didn't intend to give their children a fleeting moment of fame.  They were names chosen because they meant something to the family, even if we are a bit puzzled by some of them now.  Their children were Jehosaphet, Comfort, Nostrength, Moregift, William, Mercy, Suretrust, Standwell, Judith, Truth-Shall-Prevail, Joyfulle (also seen as Joyfoole), Constant, and Beloved.  I hope someone called them "Bub" or "Sis"!  It does give us a glimpse into the mindset of Thomas, though. 

His son Comfort, a surgeon, seems to have been the first of the family to make the trip to Massachusetts, in 1637, and his parents are believed to have come in 1637, although I've seen one guesstimate as 1633.  At any rate,  it was still early in the history of the colony.  Thomas would have been somewhere between 68 and 72 years of age, so perhaps he expected more of his family to come also, or maybe the religious pressures in England were just beginning to be more than he could deal with. 

We know little of his life in Boston except that he is believed to have died in Dorchester in late 1639 or early 1640.  His estate in New England was small, about 69 pounds, but he still owned lands and buildings in England which helped his family live more comfortably than some. 

We have two lines of descent from Thomas:

Thomas Starr-Agnes
Comfort Starr-Elizabeth Watts
Thomas Starr-Rachel Harris
Samuel Starr-Hannah Brewster
Thomas Starr-Mercy Morgan
Mary Starr-John Chester
Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

The second line is the same through Thomas Starr and Mary or Mercy Morgan.  Then it's
Thomas Starr-Jerusha Street
John Starr Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
and continues on from there.  So John and Betsy would have been distant cousins.

Allen line: Aaron Stark(e) 1608-1685

Oh, what a mess he was!  We don't know anything about his early life although it's believed he was of Scotch descent.  He seems to have been in the New World as early as 1627, when he is reported to have landed in Salem, Massachusetts.  This was the main port of Massachusetts Bay Colony at the time. We lose sight of him for about ten years, which may mean he stayed out of trouble, and it also probably means he stayed out of church.  He is not known to have been a Puritan, despite possible being associated with Rev. Hooker. 

During his early years in the colonies he is reported to have "misbehaved" with an animal  young men, and finally a girl.  For the girl, he was ordered to be branded and whipped, and when the girl was ready, to marry her.  Apparently the marriage didn't happen, and apparently there was some question about the virtue of the girl involved, as there was another court case involving her the next year . There is no evidence that Aaron and Mary Holt ever married.

It's believed that Aaron's wife was Sarah, possibly Lambert, with no real documentation for that last name.  So for now, we need to consider that as an open question.  From the ages of his children, it seems that he married late in life, perhaps around 1650 when he would have been in his early 40s.  It may have taken him this long to establish himself and rebuild his damaged reputation. 

There is an Aaron Stark from Windsor who participated in the Pequot War under Captain Mason, and it's believed this is our Aaron Stark since he was later awarded land based on his service during this conflict.  He is also reported to have participated in King Philip's War.  He had a son Aaron who would have been about 26 years old at the time of King Philip's War, and he seems to be a more likely candidate to fill the military mission.  It's possible that our Aaron was credited with military service, but was one of the "old men" who stayed behind to help protect the women and children while the men were out fighting native Americans.

Aaron's first known residence was in Stonington, Ct where he stayed for several years.  Finally, in 1666, he was made a freeman there.  Three years later, he was accepted as a freeman in New London  This means he was a respectable person who owned property, so he had indeed come up in the world.  It's nice to see that he was rehabilitated from the scandals of his early days.  Sarah may have settled him down.  There were at least 6 children born to Aaron and Sarah:  Aaron, Mehitable, John, Sarah, Elizabeth, and William.  Some lists also show a Margaret, but I think she was probably the daughter of the son Aaron Stark.  His final move seems to have been to Mystic, Ct and he seems to have died there in 1685. All of these locations were in close proximity so he may not have moved far, at all. 

That's what is known about Aaron Stark, in a nutshell.  He was a rehabbed citizen, a soldier of the early years of our county, and he came from nothing to owning his own land.  He may not be the first ancestor we think of when we think of those we are proud of, but I would like to hear his side of the story.  Perhaps the whipping/flogging he received gave him something to think about, and aided somehow in his reformation, or perhaps the early charges were greatly exaggerated.  We'll probably never know, now, but he lived with those charges every day for the rest of his life  That takes some kind of courage, and for Sarah, it took some sort of compassion.

The line of descent is:

Aaron Stark-Sarah
Sarah Stark-Samuel Fish
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Richard Miles, Immigrant 1598-1666

It's unusual to find so much information about an immigrant ancestor.  Usually I bewail the fact that I know almost nothing about the person and then work hard to stretch a post into a three paragraph biography.  With Richard Miles, it's the opposite.  I have enough information to make a rather long article, but other people have already done that.  So, here are the highlights that I'm choosing to share.

Richard Miles, variously styled yeoman, judge, and deacon in later life, was born in 1598 in Great Munden, Hertfordshire, England, the son of Richard and Alice Cherrye Miles (Myles).  I've not located siblings for him but it's possible that he had some who died young, for his father's will mentions only his wife Alice (who actually predeceased him by 5 weeks) and son Richard.  Richard Senior appears to have been a prosperous "yeoman", because he mentions a room in his "mansion" as being a "hall." 

Richard became a Puritan, as were some of his neighbors and friends.  He married Mary Chambers and they had five children together, three in England and two in Connecticut.  It appears that they emigrated to Connecticut in 1638, although some records indicate they were in Boston in 1637 and (probably due to weather) waited until 1638 to go to Milford.   He's listed as a founder of Milford, and a freeman, and owned land there until 1645, but he was in New Haven by 1643.  Perhaps this move had to do with the death of his first wife and his subsequent remarriage.  He marred Mary Katherine Elithorpe Constable, the widow of a pastor.  They must have met shortly after the death of Mary Chambers, if they didn't already know each other, or at least know of each other. 

The Constable children returned to England after their father's death, and Richard and Mary Katherine had two more children in Connecticut.  He served as magistrate, elder, and deacon, from 1656-1667, and also had various other positions such as surveyor of all roads and bridges, deputy for the plantation, and clerk of the artillery company.  He seems to have been an educated man, although I've not found a record claiming education in a particular school or college. 

Richard made his will December 26,1666 and died early in 1667.  He left a well and the inventory was valued at 288 pounds, 6 shillings and 10 pence.  I haven't found the inventory yet but I would love to see it.  Did he have books, and does it estimate how many books?  What tools or implements did he have?  The number of his animals might give us a sense of his prosperity, too. 

Still, this is a nice amount of information for a man who died 350 years ago.  He was respected by his townsmen and church members, and he did a lot to help establish and further the interests of his new home.  We can be proud of such an ancestor!

The line of descent is:

Richard Miles-Mary Katherine Elithorpe
Anna Miles-Samuel Street
Nicholas Street-Jerusha Morgan
Jerusha Street-Thomas Starr
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

Allen line: Samuel Eldred or Eldridge1620-1697, Immigrant

Well, we know his first name and we know he was an immigrant.  The rest of the "facts" in the title are up for interpretation, to say the least.  His name was generally spelled Eldred in the records I have looked at, but sometime after his generation the name is more commonly seen as Eldridge, as well as various other spellings.  We say he was born in 1620 because that seems to be his christening record, although he, in various court documents, put his birth year at about 1612. And there are various reports as to when he died. It seems reasonable, based on the evidence, to think that he died in 1697 or shortly thereafter.  I have seen a date as late as 1710, but that would put him at either 88 or 98 at the time of his death, which seems to stretch belief just a bit.  (Yes, I know some people lived to be 90 even then, but it wasn't common.)

His parents are believed to be John and Anna Watson Eldred.  His christening was on November 27, 1620at Ipswich, Suffolk, England.  He had at least two brothers and a sister.  His father died just a few days after Samuel married Elizabeth Miller at St Mary of the Quay in Ipswich.

By this time Samuel was a cordwainer (shoemaker) so he had a trade to support a wife.  He is on record as a resident of Boston in 1641, so the couple must have come to America very shortly after their marriage.  Samuel was a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery in Boston in 1641, and either when he joined or later in his life was a sergeant.  Military training was a fact of life for men of a certain age in Boston, and his training would come him handy later in his life.

Samuel and his growing family moved frequently.  It's hard to tell what the reasons were for some of the moves, but we can make guesses about some of them.  He lived in Charlestown, Medford, and Chelsea (Romney Marsh), and those moves may have been for economic reasons.  He doesn't seem to have owned land in those locations, so he wasn't a first settler in any of them, but he may have been invited because people in those villages needed a shoemaker. 

In 1660, however, the family moved to Wickford, Rhode Island.  The statement is made, without proof so far as I know, that this was a Baptist family and they followed Roger Williams, 24 years after his forced eviction from Massachusetts Bay Colony.   Other interpretations were that he was a follower of Anne Hutchinson, and left because of her banishment.  This doesn't seem likely, as that exile took place 22 years earlier.  At any rate, Samuel probably felt uncomfortable by 1660 and for whatever reason, went to Rhode Island. 

He had some role in a dispute with Connecticut and apparently took that state's side.  He tried to empanel a jury, for which he had no authority, and ended up being briefly imprisoned by Rhode Island officials, and rewarded with 18 rubles from Connecticut authorities.  (I wish I understood this better, but this is the best I can do for now.)  He and his family suffered great loss in King Phillip's War, and were given corn in the time of their distress (1676).  So it sounds like at least the crop was lost, if not everything they owned.  Samuel himself was involved in the War and assisted in capturing 18 native Americans at one time.  It was not noted what became of the prisoners.  By Samuel's calculations, he would have been about 64 years old at this time, yet he found himself in battle, and then starting over as far as crops and possibly a home go 

Samuel and Elizabeth had at least seven, and possibly eight children.  They were Elizabeth, Samuel, Mary, James, Thomas, John, Daniel, and possibly Enoch Kenyon.  They were born from 1642 to 1663, with Enoch's birthplace and birthdate not noted.  Elizabeth, Samuel's wife probably died in or shortly before 1697, and Samuel died sometime after Apil 13,1697, when he deeded land to son John.  There is a burial plot on that land and Samuel and Elizabeth are believed to be buried there, but there is no stone or marker for them. 

Samuel led an interesting life and took part in some of the events that allowed America to thrive.  We should be proud to honor such a man.

The line of descent is

Samuel Eldred-Elizabeth Miller
Daniel Eldridge-Mary Phillips
Daniel Eldridge-Abigail Fish
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: John Fish 1620-1689

Much is in dispute about John Fish.  Most sources list him as having been born at Market Harborough, Great Bowden, Leicester, England in 1620/21, the second son of Robert and Alice Fish (her maiden name seems to have been Fish also; it is frequently seen as Fyshe, perhaps in an attempt to differentiate between the two families).  Robert died in 1639, leaving his wife with 10 children, some in early adulthood and the youngest just four months old.  It appears to be during this time period that John and his brother Thomas came to the New World, most likely to find a way to support themselves and perhaps hoping to send money back to their mother. We don't know what kind of education he had in Market Harborough, although he later taught school, so he certainly learned at least the basics.  There was a good preparatory school in Market Harborough, and he may have gone there with the hopes of going on to a university.   

When John arrived in New England, he disappears for a few years.  This means he likely wasn't a landowner or the head of a family, and it also means he may not have been a member of a church.  He apparently shows up in Wethersfield and Mystic, Connecticut, and also in Stratford and finally Stonington by 1670, when he is listed on a record of inhabitants.  He was apparently a man with a temper, and seems to have moved from at least one of these locations (Stratford) due to quarrels with his neighbors.  I haven't seen the records, but it is reported that he seems to have made some unwarranted accusations that eventually made their way to the courts. 

John and his son Samuel were among the volunteers who fought in the Narrangansett War of 1675-76, and eventually, in 1700, Samuel was awarded land in his own name and also his deceased father's name in Voluntown, as a reward for their service. 

John apparently had three wives, but only the first, Mary Ireland, gave him children.  His second wife was Martha Stark, who was unfaithful and absconded with Samuel Culver in 1674.  John was able to obtain a divorce six years later, and then in 1681 married Hannah Palmer Hewitt Steery.  He would have been about sixty years old at this time.  He was at this time a school teacher, instructing the children of Stonington in reading, writing, arithmetic, and grammar.

He was also a land surveyor, and laid out many of the public lands.  By grant and by purchase, he became the proprietor of quite a lot of land in Stonington and at Groton, "considerably over one thousand acres".  So far I have been unable to locate a specific date of death, although it is believed to be about 1689.  I've also not located his will, although it seems that with over 1000 acres of land he would have had a will of some sort, unless he died very suddenly.  More research needs to be done, as usual.

If we are looking for an ancestor to emulate, perhaps John Fish is not the one.  He seems to have had a bit of a temper, and perhaps wasn't easy to live with, moving as frequently as he did.  But I'd love to hear his side of the story, because drawing any real conclusions.  He certainly came to the New World with hopes and dreams, and I hope they were realized, at least to some degree.  For his service to his country, we owe him gratitude. 

The line of descent is:

John Fish-Mary Ireland
Samuel Fish-Sarah Starke
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Betsy Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Samuel Ireland 1603-1639 Immigrant

Samuel Ireland came from England.  It would not surprise me to learn that one or more of his ancestors were Irish, but perhaps there is another reason for his name.  His background, at this point, is still a mystery.

We know that he was born about 1603.  Some websites are listing his place of birth as London but I haven't seen documentation to support that.  We know he was born about 1603 because when he immigrated to New England, he was reported as being a carpenter, aged 32.  He had a wife Marie, aged 30, and a daughter, aged one and one-half when he was permitted to set sail on the "Increase" after going through all the formalities to prove he was not a threat to the government nor to the Church of England. 

We don't know where the family first landed, but they ended up in Wethersfield, Ct.  Wethersfield was founded in 1634 so the family was almost in at the beginning of the settlement.  He soon owned several small parcels (none larger than 10 acres) of land which indicates that most of them were probably as the result of being a founder of the settlement, and were given by the town as more or less a 'reward" for being there and doing the early hard work.  As a carpenter, Samuel would have been kept quite busy building homes and businesses for those who wanted to settle there. 

He is believed to have had at least one child in Connecticut.  It's a little confusing but it seems the name of his first child was Martha and his second Mary.  We don't know whether there were other children, but if there were, they apparently died young. 

A major event during his time in Wethersfield was the Pequot War.  There was an attack on the town in 1637, which resulted in the death of 6 men and 3 women, and several head of livestock, and the capture of two young girls.  Undoubtedly this was a stressful time for the village, and it is likely that Samuel would have been involved in the militia that responded to the attack. 

Unfortunately, Samuel also died young, sometime after September 5, 1639 and before April 2 of 1641, when his inventory was produced. We don't know whether it was an accident or an illness that took his life.   His widow was to have one third and "the children" two thirds of the estate, which was valued at 70 pounds.  Marie Ireland married Robert Burrows and he apparently took over the estate.  She is believed to have died in 1672. 

This isn't a lot to go on, but it does give us a brief glimpse of the kind of life Samuel must have led.  He was a family man, a tradesman, a landowner, and likely a church member, one of the young men who helped our country get started.  I'd love to know more about him, where he came from and who his parents were.  But at least we know a little about his life on this side of the Atlantic. 

The line of descent is:

Samuel Ireland-Marie or Mary
Mary Ireland-John Fish
Samuel Fish-Sarah Stark
Abigail Fish-Daniel Eldridge
Sarah Eldridge-Thomas Chester
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Elizabeth Chester Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Allen line: Samuel Chester, Immigrant died about 1710

Researching Samuel Chester would be fascinating, if it weren't so frustrating!  He led a very intriguing life, on sea and on land, but we don't know his origins.

He came from somewhere in England, and was born about 1625.  His wife is believed to be Mary Condy.  I found one tree which gives her parents as Thomas Condy and Ann Rogers, and states that Mary was born in 1628 in South Collingham, Nottinghamshire, England.  If this is accurate, and this is our Mary Condy, then Collingham and surrounding areas would be a good place to look for the Chester family, but not necessarily the only place. Many people would like to be able to place Samuel with his family across the Atlantic!

Samuel wasn't the typical (for our family) New England farmer or Puritan pastor.  He is described as being a mariner and a merchant, engaged in the West Indies trade.  Sadly, this may mean that his ships carried slaves, or at least carried cargoes that were produced by slaves.  Apparently the "West Indies trade" involved taking fish and other New England products to islands like Barbados and St Kitt, and returning with West Indies crops, particularly sugar, which was, of course, grown and harvested by slave labor.

Regardless of our opinions now of this way of making a living, at the time Samuel was a respected townsman in New London, Connecticut.  He was there by at least 1664, when he was a partner with his nephew, (or possibly a brother in law) with a warehouse in New London.  He lived on the west side of the Thames River, and owned other lands in the town as well as a large tract of land in the "North parish", purchased from Owaneco and Josiah, who were Mohegan sachems.

We know that Samuel had at least two wives, and there may have been a third because his son, Abraham, is mentioned in the will and Abraham is not attributed to either of his wives.  His first wife was Mary Condy, and with her he had John, Susannah, Samuel and Mercy. If Mary Condy is correctly identified above, then she would have been in her middle thirties by the time she started having children, which indicates Samuel may have had a previous marriage or relationship.  Mary died sometime before 1690, and Samuel then married Hannah, who was the mother of Hannah and Jonathan.

Samuel is described as a merchant and a practical seaman, meaning he sailed his ship, at least on occasion.  He also was known for his property surveying abilities, and was a frequent surveyor of land at New London in the 1690's.

Samuel commanded the ship "Endeavor" for several trips to the West Indies, had an interest in the "New London Tryall," which was the first New London ship to attempt a trade in the West Indies, and was the master of the brigantine "Adventure."  It was apparently this ship he was commanding, when he was en route to London in 1704 and was captured by the French.

I've not been able to learn what happened to him after that, as far as where and how long he was held, and why or when he was released.  Probably money changed hands, as that would be the reason for a capture rather than just killing the seamen.  At any rate, he was released and died a few years later.  I've seen his date as 1710 in New London and 1711 in New Groton, and I don't yet know which is correct.  Also there are references to the will, but I've not found it yet, either.  You can bet I'll keep looking for the will, and also for more information regarding Samuel.

One of the things I wonder about him is whether he was a Puritan, a freeman, a member of the church.  I've not found a reference to that aspect of his life, except that his children were baptized.  Was that his influence, or was it his wife's decision to have that done?  And what does it say about his or their religious life?

There is much to be learned about Samuel but I'll bet he was an interesting man with stories that thrilled his children and grandchildren.  Wouldn't you like to hear some of them, too?

The line of descent is:

Samuel Chester-Mary Condy
Samuel Chester-Hannah
John Chester-Mary Starr
Thomas Chester-Sarah Eldridge
Bathsheba Chester-Jonathan Havens
Elizabeth "Betsy" Havens-John Starr
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard Allen-Gladys Holbrook
Their descendants

Updates:  Beore publishing this, I found another source, from Volume 10 of the "Americana, American History Magazine," published in 1915.  From this, we learn that Samuel came to Boston as master of his own brigantine, so he was a mariner in England also.  He was made a freeman in New London in 1663.

He had expected to sail in 1714 with the "Virginia convoy" but was late in taking on cargo and so missed his connection with the fleet.   There is a statement that he was educated as a civil engineer and navigator, but there is no indication of where this occurred, or whether it was on the job training.  He was a member of the General Assembly from New London at Hartford in 1669, and was appointed a "commissioner" to settle disputes over the boundary line of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and later of the towns of Stonington and Preston in Connecicut. 

He owned the land that later become Fort Griswold, where at least four of his descendants died on September 6,1781. 

This article states that Abraham was the son of Mary, also.  So this may be a clue as to the name of Samuel's father or grandfather. 

Again, what an interesting man!

Allen line: John Starr 1743-1824, one of our Revolutionary War heroes

There is quite a bit of information on line about John Starr, but one is mostly a repeat of another, so that there really isn't a lot of new information about him.  This post is a hodgepodge of the online sources, so that I have pretty much everything in one place.  I have a great deal of admiration for John, based on the decisions he made in his life, his willingness to serve his country, (actually it probably started out being willing to serve his state), and his determination to overcome a serious war wound and move on with his life.

John Starr was born in 1743 in Groton, New London, Connecticut, the son of Thomas Starr and Jerusha Street.  His early occupation isn't known to me, but the Starrs were largely ship builders or otherwise connected to the sea, so it is possible this is what John did as a young man. John Starr's father, Thomas, died in 1759, when John was only 16 so he was left to make his own way in the world. For John, his way lead to Nova Scotia.  Again, we don't know what he did there but it is possible that he was still involved in the sea, although he also seems to have owned land. 

We do know that he married Mary Sharp in 1773 while he was there.  She was the daughter of Matthew and Margaret Sharp, and it appears they came from Ireland and Mary was born there.  The Sharps were in Amherst, Cumberland, Nova Scotia by 1770.   Mary was already 33, and three years older than John, when they were married, so this was past the time to have 10 or 15 children.  John and Mary had 6 known children. They were John in 1774, Joseph in 1776, Mary in 1782, Hannah in 1785, Rachel in 1787 and Eunice in 1791.  John was born in Nova Scotia, Joseph's birth location is unknown, and the other children were born in Connecticut. 

John Starr was in a predicament in 1776.  He lived with his family in Nova Scotia, but the War for Independence was already brewing, and John knew where his heart and his loyalties lay. While he was making plans to move South, back to Connecticut, there was a military action and he had to leave immediately, leaving his young family behind.  I give a lot of credit to Mary, who joined him with her boy or boys just as soon as she could. She had already uprooted her life once, to immigrate from Ireland to Nova Scotia, and now she was moving again, in the midst of war and political upheavals that she thought she had left behind her. 

I have not been able to locate John as a soldier until the Battle of Fort Griswold (also known as the Battle of Groton Heights, and as the Fort Griswold massacre) in September of 1781. Fort Griswold was manned by just a handful of militia, and those others of the militia who reached the Fort upon the arrival of a British fleet of 32 ships.  The so called raid was conducted by Benedict Arnold, by this time on the side of the British.  The Americans fought bravely but they were severely out-manned and under-gunned. Some refer to this as a massacre rather than a battle because many of those who were wounded and many who tried to surrender were simply murdered.  It was not the finest hour of the British victors.

John was somewhat fortunate in this battle, in that he was wounded but he escaped the massacre.  His injury was to his elbow, which was mangled and left his right arm useless and painful for the rest of his life. 

Following the war, John and Mary stayed in Groton.  Meanwhile, there were various acts of Congress that gave land to people who were deprived of their homes and livelihood, and in 1806 John was awarded 304 acres in Franklin County, Ohio range 22, township 5, section 5. The city of Columbus, Ohio is built on this land now. This was land that Congress set aside for non-resident proprietors for refugees, and was not based on John's war record.  Some sources say that John went to Ohio in 1806 but if he did, it was only for a short time.

 John and Mary made a 7 week journey by wagon from Connecticut to Franklin County, Ohio in 1812. Most of their children came with them, although Joseph chose a career on the seas.  I have a hard time imagining this.  At the age of  69, with a useless right arm, John chose to go to Ohio in hopes of making a better life for his children, and Mary went, too.  A 7 week trip in a wagon would be bad enough, but when they got to their land, it was frontier country.  There were only a few neighbors and they were miles away. This was in the early part of the war of 1812, so there would have been Native Americans in the area, perhaps plotting against the early settlers.  There were wild animals and swamps and all the things that would put fear in our hearts, but the Starrs, father and adult children, went to work to build two log cabins to see them through the winter, and started to clear their land.   We don't know whether frame homes were later built, or whether John stayed in the log cabin for the rest of his life. The trip and the hard work of frontier life were too much for Mary, and she died just five months after arriving at her new home. 

John lived and worked for another 12 years, dying of one of the fevers that swept the area in 1824.  He and his family are believed to be buried in Green Lawn cemetery, in Columbus. 

This was a strongly Presbyterian family, but I haven't been able to determine whether the Presbyterian influence was from the Starrs, or the Sharps, or both.  I would like to know more about that, and I would certainly like to know more about Mary's parents, Matthew and Margaret (maiden name unknown) Sharp. I'd also like to know whether John was indeed involved in the ship building industry.  John is one of the ancestors that I think about each Fourth of July, and maybe this year, you can, too. 

Our line is:

John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Knott-Edward Allen
Richard/Edith/Tessora/Corinne/Vernon Allen
Their children, grand children, and great grandchildren

Allen line: James Morgan Sr. 1607-1685

First, let me say I have no original research about our ancestor, and the long, long genealogy I have for his mother may be completely erroneous.  So as far as we know for sure, James may have been dropped from a spaceship back in 1607.  Many websites indicate that his father was William Morgan and his mother was Elizabeth Morgan.  Elizabeth ties into a long long line leading to royalty, but I just found a website that listed the children of William and the well known Elizabeth, and there was no James listed.  So for now, James may be the son of William Morgan, and his wife may have been named Elizabeth, but there's no proof. 

It's believed that James was born (not to aliens from a spaceship) in Llandaff, Glamorgan, Wales, about 1607 and later lived in Bristol, Gloucester, England.  Nothing further is known of him until he sailed from Bristol in the summer of 1636 and landed in Boston. Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts and there married Margery Hill on August 6, 1640.  In 1649 or 1650, he and his young family moved to New London, Connecticut, where he was associated with the church of Rev. Richard Blinman.  Most of the congregation was of Welsh background, which lends credence to the belief that James was also Welsh, although if records have been found and proven I am not aware of them. 

He was apparently a respected person in his community, for he was one of a committee to lay out the bounds of New London on the east side of the Great River in 1661.  He was one of three people to seat the people in the meeting house in 1661, and in 1662 he was one of a committee to contract to build a house for the ministry.  This year he also had the third highest assessment of any town member, with a value of 250 pounds.  Apparently his relative wealth were as a result of his land holdings, as there is no mention of other occupations he may have followed.  The lands he was first granted were just 6 acres of uplands, which doesn't seem to be a basis for wealth, but he may have been a speculator, also. He sold these lands and moved to what is now Groton, Connecticut in 1657.

Besides serving as a selectman for many years, he was the first Deputy from New London plantations to the General Court at Hartford in 1657 and was returned there annually until 1671. Despite his standing in the community, his relative wealth, and his political achievements, as far as can be found he always signed his name with an "X", indicating he couldn't sign his name. 

His known children are Hannah, James, John, Joseph, Abraham, who lived just 11 months, and a daughter who also died in infancy. 

I wonder why James chose to come to Massachusetts and then was willing to move from Roxbury to the New Haven (then known as Pequot) settlement?  Was it for economic reasons, or was he an adventuresome sort, or was it for religious reasons, or did all three come into play?  I'd also like to know what was in his mind as he and his family fled Groton in 1676, when the Indians burned all but four buildings during King Philip's War?  Did he have any regrets, or did he and Margery get through this crisis one day at a time, as the other refugees also did?  How did they summon up the courage to return and rebuild their home? 

Our line of descent is:
James Morgan-Margery Hills
James Morgan Jr-Mary Vine
Mary or Mercy Morgan-Thomas Starr
Thomas Starr Jr-Jerusha Street
John Starr-Mary Sharp
John Starr-Betsy Havens
John Havens Starr-Clarissa Falley
Harriet Clarissa Starr-John Wilson Knott
Edith Clarissa Starr-Edward Allen
Richard/Edith/Vernon/Corinne/Tessora
kids, grandchildren, etc

James is my 8th great grandfather. 

Allen line: Reverend Nicholas Street, immigrant and Puritan pastor

Once upon a time, long long ago...

Well, this story is not about a prince or princess, but it is a long ago story.  It is hard for us to think about what life was life in England about the year 1600, or what would have inspired someone who presumably could have had a good life in England to come to America. It's hard to imagine the possibly difficult trip over the ocean, or the work involved in building or finding a place to live, or the feelings that must have been involved when a child was born.

Nicholas Street is an ancestor of whom quite a bit is known, but quite a bit is not known.  His great grandfather, Richard Street, was a clothier in Stogumber, Somersetshire, England, who died in 1592.  His grandfather was Nicholas Street who died in 1610, who was married to Mary.His father, Nicholas Street, was married to Susanna Gilbert at Bridgewater, Somerset, on January 16, 1602. . Our Nicholas was born to this couple shortly before January 29, 1603 (date of baptism).  His mother died about a month later, and his father died when he was 13.  Nicholas was the only child of this marriage, but he had 7 half brothers and sisters by his father's second marriage.

Since Nicholas was the eldest son, his father lest him "myne antient estate of Rowberton neare Taunton, and also my lease of Hentesbell in the Marsh."  Presumably these properties were the source of the funds that allowed him to go to Oxford University beginning Nov 2, 1621.  In his matriculation papers, he is listed as "gent." which basically meant he came from a distinguished family.  He received his B.A. degree on February 21, 1624/25, and received his MA from Cambridge in 1636. (What did he do in the ensuing years?)

Nicholas was or became a Puritan, although little is known about how he came to these beliefs in a country that was strongly of the Established church (now known as the Church of England) established by the crown.  However, life must have been uncomfortable for him, as he came to Plymouth Colony about 1637 and was recongized as a freeman there in 1638.

It is probable that the "ordination" he received at Taunton, Massachusets along with Reverend William Hooke was actually an installation service.  Reverend Hooke became the head of this church and Rev. Nicholas Street was the "Teacher".  They continued there together for 7 years. When Mr Hooke moved on to New Haven, Ct, Nicholas Street continued as sole pastor of the church there for 15 years.  This was a long time for a pastor, even in those days, so he must have been much admired and loved by his congregants.  (Did he serve in military units, or were Pastors and Teachers exempt?)

In 1659, Reverend Street moved on to New Haven where he was again the "Teacher" under Reverend John Davenport.  Eight years later, Rev. Davenport was called to Boston and from 1667 until his death in 1674, Reverend Street was the sole pastor there.

Evidence seems strong that Nicholas Street was first married to Anna Poole, daughter of William Poole or Pole and Mary or Marie Periam.  Their children were Samuel, Abiah, Hannah, Sarah and Susanna, all good Puritan names. 

Reverend Nicholas is one of many Allen ancestors who were pastors. We can be proud of his faith and his dedication, even if some of his beliefs may be hard to understand.  Thanks to the hard work of this and many more ancestors, we have a chance to continue the story as "happily ever after."

Much more work remains to be done to learn more about his life, but the information I've used here was primarily from the website of Walter Gilbert and from a book called The Street Genealogy by Mary E Anderson, published in 1895.

Our line of descent is:

Nicholas Street and Ann or Anna Poole
Samuel Street and Anna Miles
Nicholas Street and Jerusha Morgan
Jerusha Street and Thomas Starr
John Starr and Mary Sharp
John Starr and Betsy Chester Havens
John Havens Starr and Clarissa Falley
Harriet Clarissa Falley and John Wilson Knott
Edith Clarissa Knott and Edward Franklin Allen
Allen children-Vernon, Edith, Richard, Corinne, Tessora