Our ancestor is notorious, not because he did anything wrong, but because he has confused and confounded genealogists and family historians. His death date is often given far too early, 1676, when it was his son John Rockwood who died during an attack by the Nipmucks during King Philip's War. He is sometimes assigned to the wrong parents. Nicholas Rockwood and Margaret Holbrook are not correct, as they didn't marry until our John was a teenager. Having said that, here's what we do know about John Rockwood, whose name is sometimes spelled Rocket or Rockett, just to make it more fun to research him.
He was born November 1, 1641 probably at Braintree, Massachusetts (even though the vital records don't seem to list his birth there). His parents were Richard Rockwood and Agnes Lovell, sometimes seen as Agnes Bicknell. Actually, Robert Charles Anderson doesn't accept that her maiden name was Lovell. She was married to Zachary Bicknell and married Richard Rockwood as a widow. John had an older step brother and at least two sisters who apparently grew up in the same household.
He married Joanna Ford, daughter of someone named Ford, apparently. There seems to be no firm resolution as to this; I've seen Nicholas, Thomas, and William Ford each listed on a different website as her father. However, I can say that they married July 15, 1662 in Braintree. John and Joanna had at least ten children together. Some were born in Braintree, some in Mendon, and some in Medfield. The family moved to Mendon by 1667, when John was awarded land in the meadows, probably indicating he already had a houselot, although it wasn't surveyed until 1669. That same year, he was appointed to a committee to agree on the boundaries between Mendon and Dedham.
John would likely have been content to stay his whole life in Mendon, but King Philip's War, particularly the burning of the towa n and the death of his twelve year old son, sent him and the family to Medfield for at least a few years. It would have been a fearsome time, and difficult to rebuilt after losing everything. I don't find him listed as a soldier in the war but he would have been only 34 or 35 years old so it's likely that he at least did garrison duty or was otherwise engaged with the militia.
His will tells us that he was a husbandman, or farmer. Joanna had died at some point because his will refers to his wife Rebecca, identified elsewhere as Rebecca Crafts. He wrote his will in Mendon but there isn't a death record there, so he may have moved, either to be with his wife's family or with one of his children. Unfortunately, I've not found an inventory for him, yet, which may indicate he had already disposed of his land and had few personal possessions.
John Rockwood was one of those quiet men, it seems, who took care of his family, saw sorrow and joy, and helped build New England. I'd like to learn more about him.
The line of descent is:
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joanna Rockwood-Nicholas Cook
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Second line starts with John Rockwood and Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above. So Susannah and Nahum were fourth cousins. I wonder if they knew that?
Showing posts with label Hayward. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hayward. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Holbrook line: Samuel Hayward 1641-1713
Samuel Hayward left us some traces in the records, and for that, in this month of November, I am profoundly grateful. He is one of those ancestors who seem to be little researched, perhaps because there were several Samuel Haywards in Massachusetts Bay Colony of about the same time period and year. Fortunately, if we limit our search to Braintree and then Mendon, Massachusetts, his story becomes if not clear, at least less murky.
Our Samuel was born in about 1641 to William and Margery Knight Hayward. I haven't found record of his birth but it was in the Boston or Braintree area, because that is where his parents settled early. (His parents were those I've written of before, who apparently went to Barbados for a short time before arriving in Massachusetts.)
Samuel was one of at least 8 children, so he had quite a full family life. As an adult, he was a "housewright", so he was likely apprenticed to or at least worked with a housewright as soon as he had finished whatever schooling he acquired. A housewright built wooden (as opposed to stone or brick) houses, but the job involved more than a carpenter's work. He cut the wood, sawed it into planks, and then built the house with the wood he had chosen and prepared. There was no middleman, and no one else to blame if something was not done correctly. I have much respect for housewrights after learning this!
Samuel married Mehitable Thompson, daughter of John and Sarah Trevore Thompson, on November 28, 1666 in Medfield, Massachusetts. They had at least twelve children together. Samuel is listed as a founding father of Mendon, which was officially formed from Braintree in 1667. He held several town positions. In 1668 he was a surveyor of highways, in 1692 and 1696 a selectman, and in 1696 also a tything man.
One of the most remembered events of his life was probably King Philip's War. Mendon was one of the towns that was attacked early in the war, with loss of life, and later the town was burned to the ground by the native Americans. Mendon had several villages of "praying Indians", converted by our grand uncle John Eliot, and it was not these groups who rebelled. They did, however, suffer consequences. Samuel and his family left Mendon, perhaps soon after the first attack, but Samuel was back in 1677 to rebuild his home, and doubtless those of others who returned also.
There were at least two Samuel Haywards who are listed as soldiers in King Philip's War, but I didn't find those reports also listing other Mendon men, so I think the ones who are listed in the records are not our Samuel. He may have gone to stay with friends or relatives in Braintree, expectantly waiting for the end of the war.
By 1680 Samuel's family was probably back in Mendon, and life was slowly returning to normal. Samuel was hired by the town to raise (build} the meeting house, which was to be 26 feet by 24 feet in size. He was to be paid 3 shillings a day, with part of that to be in kind, a cow and a calf. There was some unspecified dispute involved during or following construction, but it was resolved and the town and Samuel each went about their business.
Samuel's wife Mehitabel died in 1700 and the next year he married Elizabeth Sabin. Samuel died on July 29, 1713, without leaving a will. If there is an inventory, I haven't located it, either. However, I did locate papers, filed in Suffolk County, showing that the surviving children (or in the case of the several daughters who were married, their husbands) agreed to a settlement of the estate. Interestingly, there were few who could sign their name to this document; most used a mark. (Joseph Rockwood, our ancestor, did sign his name and it is quite legible.) A probate judge signed off on the "deal" and presumably everyone lived happily ever after. We do know that Samuel had a house and quite a bit of land. Housewright may not sound like a glamorous job, but in a time when everyone needed to have a house built, it paid the bills and then some.
I like Samuel. He took care of his family, he was a public servant, an honest and hard working man, and he served his church also. And I especially like that I was able to find a little bit of information about him!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Hayward-Mehitabel Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Our Samuel was born in about 1641 to William and Margery Knight Hayward. I haven't found record of his birth but it was in the Boston or Braintree area, because that is where his parents settled early. (His parents were those I've written of before, who apparently went to Barbados for a short time before arriving in Massachusetts.)
Samuel was one of at least 8 children, so he had quite a full family life. As an adult, he was a "housewright", so he was likely apprenticed to or at least worked with a housewright as soon as he had finished whatever schooling he acquired. A housewright built wooden (as opposed to stone or brick) houses, but the job involved more than a carpenter's work. He cut the wood, sawed it into planks, and then built the house with the wood he had chosen and prepared. There was no middleman, and no one else to blame if something was not done correctly. I have much respect for housewrights after learning this!
Samuel married Mehitable Thompson, daughter of John and Sarah Trevore Thompson, on November 28, 1666 in Medfield, Massachusetts. They had at least twelve children together. Samuel is listed as a founding father of Mendon, which was officially formed from Braintree in 1667. He held several town positions. In 1668 he was a surveyor of highways, in 1692 and 1696 a selectman, and in 1696 also a tything man.
One of the most remembered events of his life was probably King Philip's War. Mendon was one of the towns that was attacked early in the war, with loss of life, and later the town was burned to the ground by the native Americans. Mendon had several villages of "praying Indians", converted by our grand uncle John Eliot, and it was not these groups who rebelled. They did, however, suffer consequences. Samuel and his family left Mendon, perhaps soon after the first attack, but Samuel was back in 1677 to rebuild his home, and doubtless those of others who returned also.
There were at least two Samuel Haywards who are listed as soldiers in King Philip's War, but I didn't find those reports also listing other Mendon men, so I think the ones who are listed in the records are not our Samuel. He may have gone to stay with friends or relatives in Braintree, expectantly waiting for the end of the war.
By 1680 Samuel's family was probably back in Mendon, and life was slowly returning to normal. Samuel was hired by the town to raise (build} the meeting house, which was to be 26 feet by 24 feet in size. He was to be paid 3 shillings a day, with part of that to be in kind, a cow and a calf. There was some unspecified dispute involved during or following construction, but it was resolved and the town and Samuel each went about their business.
Samuel's wife Mehitabel died in 1700 and the next year he married Elizabeth Sabin. Samuel died on July 29, 1713, without leaving a will. If there is an inventory, I haven't located it, either. However, I did locate papers, filed in Suffolk County, showing that the surviving children (or in the case of the several daughters who were married, their husbands) agreed to a settlement of the estate. Interestingly, there were few who could sign their name to this document; most used a mark. (Joseph Rockwood, our ancestor, did sign his name and it is quite legible.) A probate judge signed off on the "deal" and presumably everyone lived happily ever after. We do know that Samuel had a house and quite a bit of land. Housewright may not sound like a glamorous job, but in a time when everyone needed to have a house built, it paid the bills and then some.
I like Samuel. He took care of his family, he was a public servant, an honest and hard working man, and he served his church also. And I especially like that I was able to find a little bit of information about him!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Hayward-Mehitabel Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 15, 2019
Holbrook line: William Hayward, Immigrant
It's February and the ice is thawing. I feel like I'm on very thin ice, here, writing about this particular ancestor. I hope I can stay away from all the cracks and holes in his story, and eventually get back to dry and solid land.
Actually, let's start with dry and solid land. It seems pretty well established that William Hayward died at Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on May 10, 1659. He was at his usual work as a ferryman, and drowned. Perhaps he had a heart attack or stroke that caused him to fall into the water, but the cause of death was apparently drowning. The inventory of his estate showed a value of 195 pounds, 5 shillings, and 6 pence. Power of administration was given to Margery, his late wife, on behalf of herself and the children. His estate included a dwelling house, garden, and orchards, as well as other lands, oxen, cattle and a meager amount of household furnishings including seven shillings worth of books.
Margery, his wife, is believed to be Margery Knight. There are marriage records for a couple by those names on October 10, 1633, Stepney, Middlesex, England, and they are believed to be the same people who later came to New England. Stepney appears to have been a separate village at the time but is now part of the city of London. Some show the couple as having arrived in 1635 but the earliest records are from 1637, when William was in Charlestown. He then went to Braintree ,where he was deputy to the general court in 1641.
By occupation, William was a mariner, boatman, and ferry man. He probably did whatever was necessary to support his family, which may have included as many as eight children, some of them still minors when he died.
That is pretty much what is known about William. I've been birth dates for him of everything from 1585 to 1617. The 1617 date is likely not correct because that would have made him only about 16 years old when he married Margery, which doesn't seem likely. More likely he was born between 1595 and 1610, but there were quite a few William Haywards born during that time period.
So we end with a mystery or two. Who was he, and who were his parents? What were his reasons for coming to America? Presumably he was made a freeman, since he held the office of deputy. When did that happen? Regardless, we once again come to the conclusion that he and Margery are people worthy of respect and honor, for crossing the ocean, for raising a family here, and for giving us those hardy pioneer genes that have served us well.
The lines of descent are:
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Ebenezeer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
and
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Samuel Hayward-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
per above
As you'll note, this is a rather tangled tree, with Thompson and Thayers showing up in several different ways. That may explain why we have several ancestors in common with William Howard Taft, former President of the United States.
Actually, let's start with dry and solid land. It seems pretty well established that William Hayward died at Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on May 10, 1659. He was at his usual work as a ferryman, and drowned. Perhaps he had a heart attack or stroke that caused him to fall into the water, but the cause of death was apparently drowning. The inventory of his estate showed a value of 195 pounds, 5 shillings, and 6 pence. Power of administration was given to Margery, his late wife, on behalf of herself and the children. His estate included a dwelling house, garden, and orchards, as well as other lands, oxen, cattle and a meager amount of household furnishings including seven shillings worth of books.
Margery, his wife, is believed to be Margery Knight. There are marriage records for a couple by those names on October 10, 1633, Stepney, Middlesex, England, and they are believed to be the same people who later came to New England. Stepney appears to have been a separate village at the time but is now part of the city of London. Some show the couple as having arrived in 1635 but the earliest records are from 1637, when William was in Charlestown. He then went to Braintree ,where he was deputy to the general court in 1641.
By occupation, William was a mariner, boatman, and ferry man. He probably did whatever was necessary to support his family, which may have included as many as eight children, some of them still minors when he died.
That is pretty much what is known about William. I've been birth dates for him of everything from 1585 to 1617. The 1617 date is likely not correct because that would have made him only about 16 years old when he married Margery, which doesn't seem likely. More likely he was born between 1595 and 1610, but there were quite a few William Haywards born during that time period.
So we end with a mystery or two. Who was he, and who were his parents? What were his reasons for coming to America? Presumably he was made a freeman, since he held the office of deputy. When did that happen? Regardless, we once again come to the conclusion that he and Margery are people worthy of respect and honor, for crossing the ocean, for raising a family here, and for giving us those hardy pioneer genes that have served us well.
The lines of descent are:
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Ebenezeer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
and
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Samuel Hayward-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
per above
As you'll note, this is a rather tangled tree, with Thompson and Thayers showing up in several different ways. That may explain why we have several ancestors in common with William Howard Taft, former President of the United States.
Tuesday, November 27, 2018
Thomas Hanchett, Immigrant
Thomas is another mystery ancestor. We know nothing of his ancestry although there are various theories. He was probably born about 1620, and probably in England, but right now that is as close as we can come to an origin for him, We know nothing of him until we find him being granted a house lot in Wethersfield, Connecticut on February 28, 1647. This was shortly before he married Deliverance Langton, daughter of George Langton on September 22, 1647. The marriage may have occurred in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, but there seems to be no record available.
Thomas and Deliverance had four children, probably all born in Wethersfield, Thomas, John, Deliverance and Hannah. The granting of the house lot may indicate that Thomas was already a settler there, since the town was founded about 1637, or it may indicate that the town wanted him there for some reason, such as a skill or trade he might have had. I've found no record that indicates an occupation for Thomas.
In 1660, the family moved to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Boy Colony, where they lived on land granted them by Deliverance's father. Thomas took the oath of fidelity there, and was made a freeman in 1661, giving him the right to vote and hold office. The Hanchetts stayed in Northampton until about 1679, when they moved to Suffield, where Thomas was a founder. One source says that Hanchett also lived at New London, Connecticut and Westfield, Massachusetts. If this is accurate, then we have to wonder about Thomas. Was he difficult to get along with, did he have religious misgivings, or did he simply have a trade, such as millwright or home builder, that encouraged him to go where the new villages were forming? I hope to find more information about this.
Thomas is given the title of deacon in his death record. He served in that capacity at both Northampton and at Suffield. His Wikitree profile shows Thomas's signature, which is the only indication we have of a possible educational level.
Thomas died June 11, 1686 but so far I have not located a will or estate papers. Deliverance married Jonathan Burt that same year, and lived until 1711.
I'm hoping that a book about Thomas Hanchett will appear under the Christmas tree and perhaps after I read it I will have a better understanding of his life. We know, however, that he was one of those who chose to come to America, that he lived in frontier towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and that whatever he did for a living, he helped build our country.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Hanchett-Deliverance Langton
John Hanchett-Esther Pritchard
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas and Deliverance had four children, probably all born in Wethersfield, Thomas, John, Deliverance and Hannah. The granting of the house lot may indicate that Thomas was already a settler there, since the town was founded about 1637, or it may indicate that the town wanted him there for some reason, such as a skill or trade he might have had. I've found no record that indicates an occupation for Thomas.
In 1660, the family moved to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Boy Colony, where they lived on land granted them by Deliverance's father. Thomas took the oath of fidelity there, and was made a freeman in 1661, giving him the right to vote and hold office. The Hanchetts stayed in Northampton until about 1679, when they moved to Suffield, where Thomas was a founder. One source says that Hanchett also lived at New London, Connecticut and Westfield, Massachusetts. If this is accurate, then we have to wonder about Thomas. Was he difficult to get along with, did he have religious misgivings, or did he simply have a trade, such as millwright or home builder, that encouraged him to go where the new villages were forming? I hope to find more information about this.
Thomas is given the title of deacon in his death record. He served in that capacity at both Northampton and at Suffield. His Wikitree profile shows Thomas's signature, which is the only indication we have of a possible educational level.
Thomas died June 11, 1686 but so far I have not located a will or estate papers. Deliverance married Jonathan Burt that same year, and lived until 1711.
I'm hoping that a book about Thomas Hanchett will appear under the Christmas tree and perhaps after I read it I will have a better understanding of his life. We know, however, that he was one of those who chose to come to America, that he lived in frontier towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut, and that whatever he did for a living, he helped build our country.
The line of descent is:
Thomas Hanchett-Deliverance Langton
John Hanchett-Esther Pritchard
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, September 25, 2018
Holbrook line: George Langton, Immigrant
George Langton (also spelled Langdon, and perhaps Landon and Lanckton) is a Holbrook ancestor twice, since we descend through two of his daughters. It would be nice to know more about his story, but so far we have been told by one secondary source or another that he was from Cornwall, or Herefordshire, or was a French Huguenot. If Landon and his family was French, and if they were Huguenots, his parents were likely not Jaques and Mademoiselle Le Duc, as their birth dates were too early to make it possible for them to be George's parents. Since we don't know for sure when George was born, that makes it harder yet to identify his parents. I've seen birth dates of from about 1598 to about 1605. DNA results reported on George's Wiki Tree page seem to show that he most likely came from the area around Langton by Malton, Yorkshire, England. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that records survive from our period of interest.
We don't know much of anything about George until, at the age of somewhere between 30 and 40, he is found in Wethersfield, Connecticut about 1636. He is believed to have married in England, about 1629, a woman named Sarah, and four children were born to them in England, with possibly others born in Wethersfield. Sarah died in Wethersfield and George and family moved on to Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where George married Hannah Lambe, the widow of Edmund Haynes. George and Hannah had one child, Esther or Hester.
In Springfield, George was a town officer for at least one term. He and Hannah both testified in a witchcraft trial against Hugh Parsons, in 1652, and sometime between 1653 and 1656 moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, where he spent the remainder of his life. (Hugh and his wife Mary were each found guilty of witchcraft. Mary is believed to have died in prison, before she could be executed. Hugh's sentence was rescinded and we don't know what became of him, but likely he didn't stay around Springfield, either.)
He may have been a master carpenter who helped build the Springfield church. He contributed several acres for the upkeep of a pastor in Northampton, and also two bushels of wheat for Harvard College, so he also grew crops, as did most of the families in these small villages. George died December 29, 1676. He was certainly old enough to have died a natural death, but this was also the time of King Philip's war. It is possible that the stress of that conflict led to an early death. (He is not listed as having been buried at the Old Burying Ground, so perhaps death occurred elsewhere, with a family member.)
Life was never easy for our immigrant ancestors.
One line of descent is:
George Langton-Sarah
Hannah Langton-William Pritchard
Esther Pritchard-John Hanchett
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is
George Langton-Sarah
Deliverance Langton-Thomas Hanchett
John Hanchett-Esther Pritchard
So yes, John Hanchett and Esther Pritchard were first cousins. It wasn't unusual in small villages on the frontier.
We don't know much of anything about George until, at the age of somewhere between 30 and 40, he is found in Wethersfield, Connecticut about 1636. He is believed to have married in England, about 1629, a woman named Sarah, and four children were born to them in England, with possibly others born in Wethersfield. Sarah died in Wethersfield and George and family moved on to Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where George married Hannah Lambe, the widow of Edmund Haynes. George and Hannah had one child, Esther or Hester.
In Springfield, George was a town officer for at least one term. He and Hannah both testified in a witchcraft trial against Hugh Parsons, in 1652, and sometime between 1653 and 1656 moved to Northampton, Massachusetts, where he spent the remainder of his life. (Hugh and his wife Mary were each found guilty of witchcraft. Mary is believed to have died in prison, before she could be executed. Hugh's sentence was rescinded and we don't know what became of him, but likely he didn't stay around Springfield, either.)
He may have been a master carpenter who helped build the Springfield church. He contributed several acres for the upkeep of a pastor in Northampton, and also two bushels of wheat for Harvard College, so he also grew crops, as did most of the families in these small villages. George died December 29, 1676. He was certainly old enough to have died a natural death, but this was also the time of King Philip's war. It is possible that the stress of that conflict led to an early death. (He is not listed as having been buried at the Old Burying Ground, so perhaps death occurred elsewhere, with a family member.)
Life was never easy for our immigrant ancestors.
One line of descent is:
George Langton-Sarah
Hannah Langton-William Pritchard
Esther Pritchard-John Hanchett
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is
George Langton-Sarah
Deliverance Langton-Thomas Hanchett
John Hanchett-Esther Pritchard
So yes, John Hanchett and Esther Pritchard were first cousins. It wasn't unusual in small villages on the frontier.
Tuesday, September 18, 2018
Holbrook line: Nathaniel Treadway, Immigrant
I didn't put the birth date of Nathaniel in the title for this post, because as far as I can tell, it's undetermined. There are a lot of trees on line that give him a birthdate of August 7, 1604 in Wiltshire, England. No doubt there was a Nathaniel Treadway born on that date in that location but we have little reason to think this is "our" Nathaniel Treadway. Our Nathaniel was likely born about eleven years later. His parents were Nathaniel and Mary Howe Treadway, who were married in Colchester, Essex, England on September 23, 1614. This makes a birth date in 1615 more likely, although as far as I know, no records have yet been found for his birth. Colchester at the time was a town built around the cloth trade, and Nathaniel was a weaver, so it may be a matter or missing records that keep us from locating his birth records.
Nathaniel was in Sudbury, Massachusetts by 1639, which is where he is presumed to have married Suffrance Haynes, daughter of Walter and Elizabeth Gourd Haynes. The date is generally given as May 10, 1640 but it's possible that it was a year earlier. Their first child, Jonathan, was born November 11, 1640, and they had at least six other children. Sometime between 1642 and 1646 the family moved to Watertown, Massachusetts which was their "forever" home.
Nathaniel seems to have been a man of some influence. He was a selectman in Watertown for seven different years. He was also a highway surveyor.
Nathaniel died July 20, 1689 at the age of 73. His estate indicated a value of 377 pounds, including four books. He also owned four cows, two oxen, and fifteen sheep, as well as several parcels of land. Suffrance had died seven years earlier.
There is much yet to be learned about Nathaniel. I found a brief mention that he was a "meeting house man". I'm not sure whether this means he was a member of the church, or had some town or church position, or what it means. I've not found a record of him as a freeman, which seems a little bit out of the ordinary. How educated was he? As a selectman, one would think he could probably read and perhaps write, but four books are not sufficient to make a judgement that he was or was not literate. Perhaps more of his books had already been given away. I'd like to know more about this ancestor of ours.
The line of descent is:
Nathaniel Treadway-Suffrance Haynes
Elizabeth Treadway-Joseph Hayward
Lydia Hayward-John Hanchett
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba (Euzebia) Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Nathaniel was in Sudbury, Massachusetts by 1639, which is where he is presumed to have married Suffrance Haynes, daughter of Walter and Elizabeth Gourd Haynes. The date is generally given as May 10, 1640 but it's possible that it was a year earlier. Their first child, Jonathan, was born November 11, 1640, and they had at least six other children. Sometime between 1642 and 1646 the family moved to Watertown, Massachusetts which was their "forever" home.
Nathaniel seems to have been a man of some influence. He was a selectman in Watertown for seven different years. He was also a highway surveyor.
Nathaniel died July 20, 1689 at the age of 73. His estate indicated a value of 377 pounds, including four books. He also owned four cows, two oxen, and fifteen sheep, as well as several parcels of land. Suffrance had died seven years earlier.
There is much yet to be learned about Nathaniel. I found a brief mention that he was a "meeting house man". I'm not sure whether this means he was a member of the church, or had some town or church position, or what it means. I've not found a record of him as a freeman, which seems a little bit out of the ordinary. How educated was he? As a selectman, one would think he could probably read and perhaps write, but four books are not sufficient to make a judgement that he was or was not literate. Perhaps more of his books had already been given away. I'd like to know more about this ancestor of ours.
The line of descent is:
Nathaniel Treadway-Suffrance Haynes
Elizabeth Treadway-Joseph Hayward
Lydia Hayward-John Hanchett
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba (Euzebia) Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, July 27, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Thayer, Immigrant 1596-1665
Thomas Thayer has much available information, so that this will be more a summary of what others have found rather than my own research. One interesting item I found refers to him as part of the "Boston Brahmin community". This set me back on my heels a bit. I've always thought that these people were maybe a little bit snobbish and clannish (my prejudices showing, but let's not pussy foot around this), and now I've learned that we might be part of this group, many generations removed, of course. There is an article on Wikipedia called "Boston Brahmin", if you're not familiar with the term.
Thomas himself may not be considered to be a Brahmin, since he was a shoemaker. But let's start at the beginning. He was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, probably shortly before his christening date of August 16, 1596. (Point of reference here: Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler of the land,) His parents were Richard and Ursula Alice Dimery Thayer, and he was one of at least five children. Interestingly, a godfather was William Dimery, probably the same man who later became his father in law. Of the five Thayer siblings, three stayed in England but Thomas and his brother Richard came to America.
Thomas married Margery Wheeler, daughter of Abel or Abiel and Jane Shepherd Wheeler on April 13, 1618, in Thornbury. There were nine children born to them in Thornbury and at least one born after the family came to New England. It musts have been a sad life in those early years as most of the children died in England, some shortly after their birth. However, Thomas, his wife and their three surviving children sailed on the ship "Blessing" and arrived on the "Blessing" at Boston Harbor on April 8, 1637. His goods and supplies followed shortly after on the "Speedwell". It's possible that his oldest son, or perhaps his wife, came on this ship with the goods but there is no record of the passengers on that ship. It certainly would be interesting to know what "goods" he bought with him and whether they were sufficient to get the family started in the New World.
I haven't been able to locate much more than that about Thomas's life in America. We know he received 76 acres of land in Mt. Wollaston (later Braintree) and that is supposed to be for nine members of his family. This is hard to reconcile with the belief that most of his children died in England. (More research, when I get a chance!) Because he states it in his will, we know that he was a shoemaker and that he settled in Braintree, Suffolk County. We know his wife was still alive, for the lands he bequeathed to his three sons were not to be divided until after Margery's death. He had a dwelling house, orchard, barn, and enough land to give about 20 acres to Thomas, about the same to Ferdinando, and also to Sydrach. His personal goods he gave to his grandchildren, again apparently after the death of his wife. His three sons got together and rewrote part of the will, after his death, because they didn't think Sydrach had been given an amount equal to Thomas Jr and Ferdinando. Margery died February 11, 1673, so the boys waited a few years until the land was legally theirs.
An inventory was taken but sadly seems not to be available, or at least it is not on line. As you know by now, I dearly love inventories so its disappearance is a sad thing. And of course there are other mysteries. Was he a part of the church? Did he hold any town office? (I've looked at a History of Braintree and didn't find his name there at all). Could he read and write? Thomas and Margery are the progenitors of tens of thousands, if not more, descendants and we'd sure like to know more about them!
One line of descent is:
Thomas Thayer-Margery Wheeler
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas himself may not be considered to be a Brahmin, since he was a shoemaker. But let's start at the beginning. He was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, probably shortly before his christening date of August 16, 1596. (Point of reference here: Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler of the land,) His parents were Richard and Ursula Alice Dimery Thayer, and he was one of at least five children. Interestingly, a godfather was William Dimery, probably the same man who later became his father in law. Of the five Thayer siblings, three stayed in England but Thomas and his brother Richard came to America.
Thomas married Margery Wheeler, daughter of Abel or Abiel and Jane Shepherd Wheeler on April 13, 1618, in Thornbury. There were nine children born to them in Thornbury and at least one born after the family came to New England. It musts have been a sad life in those early years as most of the children died in England, some shortly after their birth. However, Thomas, his wife and their three surviving children sailed on the ship "Blessing" and arrived on the "Blessing" at Boston Harbor on April 8, 1637. His goods and supplies followed shortly after on the "Speedwell". It's possible that his oldest son, or perhaps his wife, came on this ship with the goods but there is no record of the passengers on that ship. It certainly would be interesting to know what "goods" he bought with him and whether they were sufficient to get the family started in the New World.
I haven't been able to locate much more than that about Thomas's life in America. We know he received 76 acres of land in Mt. Wollaston (later Braintree) and that is supposed to be for nine members of his family. This is hard to reconcile with the belief that most of his children died in England. (More research, when I get a chance!) Because he states it in his will, we know that he was a shoemaker and that he settled in Braintree, Suffolk County. We know his wife was still alive, for the lands he bequeathed to his three sons were not to be divided until after Margery's death. He had a dwelling house, orchard, barn, and enough land to give about 20 acres to Thomas, about the same to Ferdinando, and also to Sydrach. His personal goods he gave to his grandchildren, again apparently after the death of his wife. His three sons got together and rewrote part of the will, after his death, because they didn't think Sydrach had been given an amount equal to Thomas Jr and Ferdinando. Margery died February 11, 1673, so the boys waited a few years until the land was legally theirs.
An inventory was taken but sadly seems not to be available, or at least it is not on line. As you know by now, I dearly love inventories so its disappearance is a sad thing. And of course there are other mysteries. Was he a part of the church? Did he hold any town office? (I've looked at a History of Braintree and didn't find his name there at all). Could he read and write? Thomas and Margery are the progenitors of tens of thousands, if not more, descendants and we'd sure like to know more about them!
One line of descent is:
Thomas Thayer-Margery Wheeler
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Holbrook line: William Knight, Immigrant
It's hard to write a blog post when there is not a lot to go on as far as documentation. One must read between the lines, and perhaps draw incorrect conclusions. The good thing is that someday, someone will figure out a lot of these mysteries. I hope to be around to witness at least some of these new discoveries.
William Knight is a good example of this. We do have some information, but some of it is conflicting and much information is missing. We'll either look at this glass as half full or half empty, and I guess I'm voting for half full.
After all, we do know at least two and perhaps three of William's wives. We know when he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and we know what he left as an estate. That is more information than we have for some of our ancestors, anyway.
We don't know for sure where or when William was born. One suggesting is December 15, 1670 in London, Middlesex, England, with parents of John Knight and Margery Lascelles. I think this is probably not our William Knight, as it would leave him coming to America as a man of 65 and fathering children here. It's possible, but unlikely.
One of the challenges is that there are at least three proposed wives for William. One is Ann Ives, who probably died between 1612 and 1622, when there is a distance of ten years between the noted children. But his records in America indicate his wife may have been Emma Potter, whom he had married by 1635. How do we account for his children born in the 1620s? And finally, he had a second or third wife Elizabeth Lee Ballard, who was living when William died and whom he married in or soon after 1640. He seems to refer in his wife to having had four children with Elizabeth, in addition to those he had earlier.
He refers to sons John, Jacob, and Francis, and to daughters Ann and Hanna, as well as to two of Elizabeth's children by her first husband, and to the four children (unnamed) that he has with Elizabeth. I'm not sure why Margery, our connection, wasn't mentioned in the will but there could be any number of reasons, including that he may have given a marriage gift, either of land or money.
William died March 5, 1655/56, in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had been in America about 20 years, having arrived at Salem in either 1635 or 1636. He owned land in Salem in 1636, so probably he arrived in 1635. There is a William Knight who was made a freeman in 1638 in Boston, but I don't know whether this is our William or not.
William's inventory is interesting. He owned a dwelling house, barn, and fifteen acres of plow land, six acres of meadow in Rumley marsh and five acers of meadow in the town marsh, plus oxen, cows, sheep and swine. He has a significant amount of household goods, more than many farmers had, which partl can be explained by the fact that he lived in seaside towns where goods were more readily available than on the frontier. For instance, he had "stolls, chears, and a table", which was more than was usual for the time. He had three spinning wheels, so the women of the house must have been kept busy with the wool from the sheep. I see no mention of books, not even a Bible. The total inventory including uncollected debts was about 163 pounds.
I wish I knew more about William, especially the niggling little question of whether he was really Margery's father, or whether there are more William Knights than have yet been discovered. I'd like to know his religion, and his occupation if he did more than farm. If I learn that this is not Margery's father, then I'll update this post but as of now, I think it's at least somewhat likely.
The line of descent would be:
William Knight-Ann Ives
Margery Knight-William Hayward
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Hulday Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is also a second line:
Samuel Hayward (son of William Hayward and Margery Knight above)-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above
Once again, we are our own cousins.
William Knight is a good example of this. We do have some information, but some of it is conflicting and much information is missing. We'll either look at this glass as half full or half empty, and I guess I'm voting for half full.
After all, we do know at least two and perhaps three of William's wives. We know when he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and we know what he left as an estate. That is more information than we have for some of our ancestors, anyway.
We don't know for sure where or when William was born. One suggesting is December 15, 1670 in London, Middlesex, England, with parents of John Knight and Margery Lascelles. I think this is probably not our William Knight, as it would leave him coming to America as a man of 65 and fathering children here. It's possible, but unlikely.
One of the challenges is that there are at least three proposed wives for William. One is Ann Ives, who probably died between 1612 and 1622, when there is a distance of ten years between the noted children. But his records in America indicate his wife may have been Emma Potter, whom he had married by 1635. How do we account for his children born in the 1620s? And finally, he had a second or third wife Elizabeth Lee Ballard, who was living when William died and whom he married in or soon after 1640. He seems to refer in his wife to having had four children with Elizabeth, in addition to those he had earlier.
He refers to sons John, Jacob, and Francis, and to daughters Ann and Hanna, as well as to two of Elizabeth's children by her first husband, and to the four children (unnamed) that he has with Elizabeth. I'm not sure why Margery, our connection, wasn't mentioned in the will but there could be any number of reasons, including that he may have given a marriage gift, either of land or money.
William died March 5, 1655/56, in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had been in America about 20 years, having arrived at Salem in either 1635 or 1636. He owned land in Salem in 1636, so probably he arrived in 1635. There is a William Knight who was made a freeman in 1638 in Boston, but I don't know whether this is our William or not.
William's inventory is interesting. He owned a dwelling house, barn, and fifteen acres of plow land, six acres of meadow in Rumley marsh and five acers of meadow in the town marsh, plus oxen, cows, sheep and swine. He has a significant amount of household goods, more than many farmers had, which partl can be explained by the fact that he lived in seaside towns where goods were more readily available than on the frontier. For instance, he had "stolls, chears, and a table", which was more than was usual for the time. He had three spinning wheels, so the women of the house must have been kept busy with the wool from the sheep. I see no mention of books, not even a Bible. The total inventory including uncollected debts was about 163 pounds.
I wish I knew more about William, especially the niggling little question of whether he was really Margery's father, or whether there are more William Knights than have yet been discovered. I'd like to know his religion, and his occupation if he did more than farm. If I learn that this is not Margery's father, then I'll update this post but as of now, I think it's at least somewhat likely.
The line of descent would be:
William Knight-Ann Ives
Margery Knight-William Hayward
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Hulday Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is also a second line:
Samuel Hayward (son of William Hayward and Margery Knight above)-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above
Once again, we are our own cousins.
Tuesday, March 6, 2018
Holbrook line: George Hayward, Immigrant died 1671
George Hayward is yet another immigrant with a somewhat mysterious past. There were dozens of George Haywards born in England in the time frame 1610-1625, which is the approximate range of birth dates I've seen. Many of these were in Kent, England, but in many different parishes. Perhaps one of these is our George but at this point I'm not picking a favorite. Whoever he was and wherever he came from, he must have had some education in a practical trade or trades, because he was the owner of several different businesses in Concord, Massachusetts.
Yes, Concord is his home town once he arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Unfortunately, many of the earliest records of Concord have been lost. However, he was listed as a freeman in Concord in 1636. We don't know for sure when George arrived in America. Competing sources say he came with his wife and one daughter in 1635, and that he married here prior to 1640. Of course, it could be that he came to America with his first wife, she passed away, and he married Mary soon after. Rev. Peter Bulkeley (an Allen ancestor) brought twelve families with him when he came in 1635, and there is mention of a man by the name of Heywood, who seems to be our George Hayward. .
So, he was one of the founders of Concord and as such received a house lot in the first division of lands that faced on the Commons. He received additional land later, but I'm not finding specific mention of how much and when. He built the first saw mill and the first corn mill in Concord, both of which would have been badly needed as Concord was then about 20 miles from Boston. There is also reference to "his iron works", which is intriguing. Is there nothing the man could not do?
We find his name in several Essex County court documents, but not as a defendant. Generally he was testifying to some fact or in one case, on behalf of one of his daughters. He seems to have stayed out of trouble and was respected enough that at one time he was appointed to a committee to help settle a land dispute.
George and Mary had seven children, John, Joseph, Simeon, George, Elizabeth, Sarah and Hannah. They were all mentioned in his estate. There doesn't seem to be a will, because George died in an accident. While he was returning from taking William Frizzell across the river (presumably the Concord River), his canoe capsized and he was drowned. (One researcher says he was 67 years old when he died, which would put his birth date earlier than most others are showing.) He is likely buried in the town's "Old Burying Ground" but there is no stone. Mary lived for another 22 years, dying in 1693.
George's estate was large for the time, valued at just over 500 pounds. The inventory is hard to read, but I believe it includes books at a value of over three pounds, which would have been significant. I'd sure like to know what he read, and whether his children attended any kind of school. If they did, was it just the boys, or were the girls allowed to learn, also?
Concord is a town with a lot of history. Just over 100 years after George died, the town participated in the battles of April 19, 1775, when the British were routed at the start of the Revolutionary War. Later, this is the hometown of Louisa May Alcott (a distant Allen cousin), Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry Thoreau. There are a lot of good reasons to visit Concord, and walking in the footprints of George Hayward would be one of those reasons
The line of descent is
George Hayward-Mary
Joseph Hayward-Elizabeth Treadway
Lydia Hayward-John Hanchett
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stanard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Yes, Concord is his home town once he arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Unfortunately, many of the earliest records of Concord have been lost. However, he was listed as a freeman in Concord in 1636. We don't know for sure when George arrived in America. Competing sources say he came with his wife and one daughter in 1635, and that he married here prior to 1640. Of course, it could be that he came to America with his first wife, she passed away, and he married Mary soon after. Rev. Peter Bulkeley (an Allen ancestor) brought twelve families with him when he came in 1635, and there is mention of a man by the name of Heywood, who seems to be our George Hayward. .
So, he was one of the founders of Concord and as such received a house lot in the first division of lands that faced on the Commons. He received additional land later, but I'm not finding specific mention of how much and when. He built the first saw mill and the first corn mill in Concord, both of which would have been badly needed as Concord was then about 20 miles from Boston. There is also reference to "his iron works", which is intriguing. Is there nothing the man could not do?
We find his name in several Essex County court documents, but not as a defendant. Generally he was testifying to some fact or in one case, on behalf of one of his daughters. He seems to have stayed out of trouble and was respected enough that at one time he was appointed to a committee to help settle a land dispute.
George and Mary had seven children, John, Joseph, Simeon, George, Elizabeth, Sarah and Hannah. They were all mentioned in his estate. There doesn't seem to be a will, because George died in an accident. While he was returning from taking William Frizzell across the river (presumably the Concord River), his canoe capsized and he was drowned. (One researcher says he was 67 years old when he died, which would put his birth date earlier than most others are showing.) He is likely buried in the town's "Old Burying Ground" but there is no stone. Mary lived for another 22 years, dying in 1693.
George's estate was large for the time, valued at just over 500 pounds. The inventory is hard to read, but I believe it includes books at a value of over three pounds, which would have been significant. I'd sure like to know what he read, and whether his children attended any kind of school. If they did, was it just the boys, or were the girls allowed to learn, also?
Concord is a town with a lot of history. Just over 100 years after George died, the town participated in the battles of April 19, 1775, when the British were routed at the start of the Revolutionary War. Later, this is the hometown of Louisa May Alcott (a distant Allen cousin), Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry Thoreau. There are a lot of good reasons to visit Concord, and walking in the footprints of George Hayward would be one of those reasons
The line of descent is
George Hayward-Mary
Joseph Hayward-Elizabeth Treadway
Lydia Hayward-John Hanchett
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stanard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 16, 2018
Holbrook line: Roger Pritchard, Immigrant
I wish I knew more about Roger Pritchard. There is a general sense that he or his ancestors may have come from Wales. If that is the case, at one time he might have been known as "ap Richard" (son of Richard) but that could be more generations back. If he wasn't from Wales, he was from somewhere near Wales, and he was born about 1600.
So,we don't know his home, we don't know his parents, we know his first wife only by the name of "Frances", and we don't know when he arrived in Connecticut. We also don't know whether he was in Massachusetts first. Robert Charles Anderson uses an immigration date of 1640 but Meredith B. Colket says that he arrived in 1636. He arrived with his wife and their three children It's not clear why other children were not born to the couple, but perhaps Frances was simply past child-bearing age.
Nathaniel was in Wethersfield, Ct in 1640, then went up the Connecticut River to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1643, where he received land grants, and was in Milford, where he stayed, in 1653. He was granted freeman status on April 13, 1648, and he joined the Milford church in 1654.. Frances died in 1651 and two years later he married Elizabeth Prudden, and they had two children together. Elizabeth died in 1666 and Roger died in 1670, both in Milford.
These few facts and guesses are all that we currently know of Roger Pritchard. I hope someone reading this has more information. I'd like to know his origin, his parents, and his occupation. I've not found his will yet so that leaves a lot of information missing. However, we do know he was here, and we know he contributed his roots to the family tree, even though the roots are missing at present.
The line of descent is:
Roger Pritchard-Frances
Nathaniel Pritchard-Hannah Langton
Esther Pritchard-John Hanchett
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So,we don't know his home, we don't know his parents, we know his first wife only by the name of "Frances", and we don't know when he arrived in Connecticut. We also don't know whether he was in Massachusetts first. Robert Charles Anderson uses an immigration date of 1640 but Meredith B. Colket says that he arrived in 1636. He arrived with his wife and their three children It's not clear why other children were not born to the couple, but perhaps Frances was simply past child-bearing age.
Nathaniel was in Wethersfield, Ct in 1640, then went up the Connecticut River to Springfield, Massachusetts in 1643, where he received land grants, and was in Milford, where he stayed, in 1653. He was granted freeman status on April 13, 1648, and he joined the Milford church in 1654.. Frances died in 1651 and two years later he married Elizabeth Prudden, and they had two children together. Elizabeth died in 1666 and Roger died in 1670, both in Milford.
These few facts and guesses are all that we currently know of Roger Pritchard. I hope someone reading this has more information. I'd like to know his origin, his parents, and his occupation. I've not found his will yet so that leaves a lot of information missing. However, we do know he was here, and we know he contributed his roots to the family tree, even though the roots are missing at present.
The line of descent is:
Roger Pritchard-Frances
Nathaniel Pritchard-Hannah Langton
Esther Pritchard-John Hanchett
John Hanchett-Lydia Hayward
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 12, 2017
Holbrook line: Walter Haynes 1583-1665, Immigrant
How do I condense the life of this immigrant ancestor into a few paragraphs and still tell a little of his story? We are fortunate to know so much about Walter Haynes, as he was a linen-weaver by occupation. We would probably have been considered a tradesman, rather than a farmer but most likely raised at least some crops for his family. Not everyone is so fortunate as to have this much information about a tradesman ancestor, so I'm not complaining.
Walter Haynes was born in 1583 in Sutton, Mandeville, Wiltshire, England. It's a small village not far from the south central coast of England, There is a 13th century church there, with the tower built in the 15th century. Walter's parents, probably John and Alice Lambert Haynes, would have been very familiar with this church and likely Walter was, too. We don't know when or if Walter became a Puritan because despite considerable information about him, I don't find mention of a church allegiance.
He and his wife Elizabeth left England on April 24, 1638 on board the "Confidence" and arrived in New England in June of that year. Boston and the surrounding small towns would have been new then, and anxious for skilled men such as linen-weavers to arrive and help build the colony. When Walter arrived, it was with five of their six children, and three servants. Walter was already 55 years old so it was likely that servants were necessary to do some of the hard work of building a home and a town.
Walter first lived in Watertown, probably while the plans were being completed for the founding of the town known as Sudbury. He was granted land there in December of 1639, and the first houses or lean tos were constructed then. Let's hope that he had a house constructed! The first church was organized in 1640, and it seems likely that Walter was a member if only because he was made a freeman in 1641 and was frequently a selectman, and also a representative to the General Court. . We are also told that Walter Haynes's first house was made into a garrison during King Philip's War (1675-1677), after Walter and his wife had both died. This indicates that the house he constructed, or had constructed, was substantial.
Elizabeth tied in 1659 and Walter wrote his will at about that same time. He lived for six more years, dying February 14, 1665. At his death, he left property in England to the daughter who had stayed in England, and his inventory amounted to 495.18.10, which would not seem insubstantial for a linen weaver. I'm proud to call him an ancestor.
The line of descent is:
Walter Haynes-Elizabeth
Suffrance Haynes-Nathaniel Treadway
Elizabeth Treadway-Joseph Hayward
Lydia Hayward-John Hanchett
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis E Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Walter Haynes was born in 1583 in Sutton, Mandeville, Wiltshire, England. It's a small village not far from the south central coast of England, There is a 13th century church there, with the tower built in the 15th century. Walter's parents, probably John and Alice Lambert Haynes, would have been very familiar with this church and likely Walter was, too. We don't know when or if Walter became a Puritan because despite considerable information about him, I don't find mention of a church allegiance.
He and his wife Elizabeth left England on April 24, 1638 on board the "Confidence" and arrived in New England in June of that year. Boston and the surrounding small towns would have been new then, and anxious for skilled men such as linen-weavers to arrive and help build the colony. When Walter arrived, it was with five of their six children, and three servants. Walter was already 55 years old so it was likely that servants were necessary to do some of the hard work of building a home and a town.
Walter first lived in Watertown, probably while the plans were being completed for the founding of the town known as Sudbury. He was granted land there in December of 1639, and the first houses or lean tos were constructed then. Let's hope that he had a house constructed! The first church was organized in 1640, and it seems likely that Walter was a member if only because he was made a freeman in 1641 and was frequently a selectman, and also a representative to the General Court. . We are also told that Walter Haynes's first house was made into a garrison during King Philip's War (1675-1677), after Walter and his wife had both died. This indicates that the house he constructed, or had constructed, was substantial.
Elizabeth tied in 1659 and Walter wrote his will at about that same time. He lived for six more years, dying February 14, 1665. At his death, he left property in England to the daughter who had stayed in England, and his inventory amounted to 495.18.10, which would not seem insubstantial for a linen weaver. I'm proud to call him an ancestor.
The line of descent is:
Walter Haynes-Elizabeth
Suffrance Haynes-Nathaniel Treadway
Elizabeth Treadway-Joseph Hayward
Lydia Hayward-John Hanchett
Hannah Hanchett-John Stannard
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stannard-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis E Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, March 31, 2017
Holbrook Line: Richard Rockwood 1602-1660 Immigrant
Richard Rocket or Rockwood came to America in or before 1633, but Robert Charles Anderson has not included him as a featured immigrant in his Great Migration series. I don't know why he has been missed, but fortunately there are other sources that help tell his story. It's just that Anderson would have done a superb job, and he missed that opportunity.
Richard was born in 1602 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. His parents were Richard and Elizabeth (maiden name not known) Rockwood. Weymouth is a town on the south coast of England, and has always had a port since is was founded in the middle of the 13th century. So much of the townspeople would have either worked as merchants or in the maritime trade itself. Probably there were fishing fleets that sailed from here as well. Richard, therefore, would have lived in a town that was very different from the hometowns of some of our other ancestors, who either lived in a large city or in a small inland village.
It's believed that Richard sailed to Massachusetts in 1633, when he was given land in Dorchester. He first married an unknown wife in 1628, and then married Agnes Lovell, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Dunckley Lovell in 1636/37. She died in 1643, after giving birth to John Rockwood and possibly one other child. Robert then married Ann as yet not identified, but they apparently had not children together.
By 1641 it appears that the Richard and Agnes and their children were living in Braintree, where they lived out their lives. Agnes died in 1643 in Braintree and Richard died July 6, 1660 in Dorchester, with third wife Ann surviving.
We don't know Richard's occupation, or his religion, and although there seems to be a will and an appraisal or inventory I have not yet located it. I do find notes that the estate was balued at slightly over 38 pounds, but I don't know whether or not that included his land, and I don't know how much land he owned when he died. At one time, he had 40 acres in Dorchester.
Richard is the ancestor of President James Garfield, so this President is also our distant cousin.
The line of descent is:
Richard Rockwood-Agnes Lovell
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Rockwood Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Richard was born in 1602 in Weymouth, Dorset, England. His parents were Richard and Elizabeth (maiden name not known) Rockwood. Weymouth is a town on the south coast of England, and has always had a port since is was founded in the middle of the 13th century. So much of the townspeople would have either worked as merchants or in the maritime trade itself. Probably there were fishing fleets that sailed from here as well. Richard, therefore, would have lived in a town that was very different from the hometowns of some of our other ancestors, who either lived in a large city or in a small inland village.
It's believed that Richard sailed to Massachusetts in 1633, when he was given land in Dorchester. He first married an unknown wife in 1628, and then married Agnes Lovell, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth Dunckley Lovell in 1636/37. She died in 1643, after giving birth to John Rockwood and possibly one other child. Robert then married Ann as yet not identified, but they apparently had not children together.
By 1641 it appears that the Richard and Agnes and their children were living in Braintree, where they lived out their lives. Agnes died in 1643 in Braintree and Richard died July 6, 1660 in Dorchester, with third wife Ann surviving.
We don't know Richard's occupation, or his religion, and although there seems to be a will and an appraisal or inventory I have not yet located it. I do find notes that the estate was balued at slightly over 38 pounds, but I don't know whether or not that included his land, and I don't know how much land he owned when he died. At one time, he had 40 acres in Dorchester.
Richard is the ancestor of President James Garfield, so this President is also our distant cousin.
The line of descent is:
Richard Rockwood-Agnes Lovell
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Rockwood Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, March 20, 2015
Holbrook line: Oops! Not Anthony Eames?
I thought I was going to write this post about Anthony Eames. There is a fine amount of information about him on line, and it was going to be a pretty good post. But a funny thing happened on the way to writing this...I stumbled upon facts, documented facts. And they don't support what it is in my file notes, as to the lines of descent. I thought I had two lines, one through daughter Hannah who married William Ford, and one through son Robert who married Elizabeth. Again, oops!
As it turns out, Hannah is not proven to be a daughter of Anthony, and Robert isn't even mentioned in the most authoritative sources I can find. Both of these "children" are supposed to have been born in the right place at the right time, but records can't be found and there should be records, unless they were truly baptized somewhere away from their home, which can't be ruled out. Sometimes parents took at least one of their children to be baptized in the home church of either their father or their mother.
However, with documentation so lacking and so much unsearched and maybe unsearchable, I am not going to write a post about Anthony Eames now. Instead, I'm going to look for records to see what can be proven. If someone out there has worked on the Eames family, I'd love to hear from you.
Here are the lines of SUPPOSED descent from Anthony. Please don't take these as proven, because as far as I know, they are not.
Anthony Eames-Margery Pierce
Robert Eames-Elizabeth
John Eames-Abigail Morgan
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents
Second Line
Anthony Eames-Margery Peirce
Hannah Eames-William Ford
Joanna Ford-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents
I sure would like to learn the parents of Hannah Eames who married William Ford and also the parents of Robert Eames who married Elizabeth, or to get documentation that they are the children of Anthony and Margery, so I can someday write the post I intended to write today!
As it turns out, Hannah is not proven to be a daughter of Anthony, and Robert isn't even mentioned in the most authoritative sources I can find. Both of these "children" are supposed to have been born in the right place at the right time, but records can't be found and there should be records, unless they were truly baptized somewhere away from their home, which can't be ruled out. Sometimes parents took at least one of their children to be baptized in the home church of either their father or their mother.
However, with documentation so lacking and so much unsearched and maybe unsearchable, I am not going to write a post about Anthony Eames now. Instead, I'm going to look for records to see what can be proven. If someone out there has worked on the Eames family, I'd love to hear from you.
Here are the lines of SUPPOSED descent from Anthony. Please don't take these as proven, because as far as I know, they are not.
Anthony Eames-Margery Pierce
Robert Eames-Elizabeth
John Eames-Abigail Morgan
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents
Second Line
Anthony Eames-Margery Peirce
Hannah Eames-William Ford
Joanna Ford-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents
I sure would like to learn the parents of Hannah Eames who married William Ford and also the parents of Robert Eames who married Elizabeth, or to get documentation that they are the children of Anthony and Margery, so I can someday write the post I intended to write today!
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Holbrook line: Ferdinando Thayer
I just have to write about Ferdinando. First, he has a wonderful name. Secondly, we seem to have at least three lines that trace back to him, in the Holbrook side of things. And lastly, he was an immigrant, although really the immigrant status belongs to his parents, Thomas Tayer (lots of spellings) and Margery Wheeler.
Since he is an immigrant, it will be no surprise that he was born in England, in Thornbury, Gloucester, to be exact. He was christened on April 18, 1625 so was born sometime before that (children were usually christened before their first birthday and some were christened as soon as the day after their birth). His father would have attended a lot of christenings, as it appears there may have been as many as 21 children born to this couple. I wonder how Thomas supported his family. When he died, he called himself a shoemaker, which seems to be a humble trade, but the amount of land he had indicates he was a person of substantial wealth.
So it seems to have been a good move for Thomas, Margery, and their children, including our current hero, Ferdinando, to have come to the New World. There seems to be some confusion about when the Thayer family arrived in America but they are not listed in the Great Migrations series, of families that arrived before 1636, so perhaps Thomas did come on the "Blessing" in 1637. If so, his wife and what remained of his family may have come in 1640, as it is reported that one of the children died in Thornbury in 1640. Ferdinando would have been 12 years old if he came with his father and 15 or 16 if he came with his mother in 1640-1641. At any rate, at least 7 of his siblings had died in England.
Ferdinando lived with his parents for much of his life. On January 14, 1652/53 he married Huldah Hayward, daughter of Thomas Hayward and Margery Knight, in Braintree, Mass. The young married couple continued to live with Thomas and Margery until Thomas's death in 1665. His father's will had been generous to him, and he ended up with so much property that he and his two brothers, Sydrach and Thomas, agreed to redistribute the land so that each had a more equal share.
Ferdinando then moved, as a founder, to Nipmug, later Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He prospered for when he died he had one of the largest farms in the area, and provided farms for each of his sons in his will. He did not have an easy time of it, though. The Thayers were forced to abandon their home during King Philip's War in 1675. The town and surrounding fields were all destroyed, and the area was not resettled until 1680. It was truly a case of starting over again. Ferdinando would have been 55 at this time, so the task may have seemed daunting to him.
Fortunately, he had a large family to assist him. Ferdinando and Huldah had twelve children, of whom two (each named David) died young. Deborah, Huldah, Jonathan, Naomi, Thomas, Samuel, Isaac, Josiah, Ebenezer, and Benjamin all lived to have children of their own, and the Thayer name is still evident in New England. For Ferdinando to have been able to leave farms to each of his 5 surviving sons, he must have acquired large areas of land, but I have not documented yet where the land was.
His wife Huldah had died in 1690. Ferdinando married for a second time, to Ann Freebury. With all due respect to any of her descendents, Ann was not a loving wife to her husband, and she made accusations against her husband and his sons, charging that they sold liquor to Indians (which was prohibited), that he had deserved to have his house burnt during King Philip's War and it would occur again if they did not stop trafficking with the Indians. She also charged that he had failed to provide for her, along with various other charges. Apparently Ann became disenchanted with her husband when she learned that he was giving his land to his sons, and she would get only the 1/3 of his remaining estate that was hers by law. I get the feeling that it's a good thing for family dignity that there was no television then, or we could have been watching a reality show or worse.
Ferdinando died on March 28, 1713 at the age of 86. He had seen good times and he had seen bad times, but his descendents would continue to build the New World. I would like to know more about his relationship with his second wife, the veracity of her charges, and most especially, where his first name originated. I'm not aware of any other Ferdinando in our tree.
One of our lines of descent is:
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Ann Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents
Fun fact: Ferdinando and Huldah were ancestors of Barbara Bush and thus of the second President Bush. We're approximately 10th cousins to him.
Since he is an immigrant, it will be no surprise that he was born in England, in Thornbury, Gloucester, to be exact. He was christened on April 18, 1625 so was born sometime before that (children were usually christened before their first birthday and some were christened as soon as the day after their birth). His father would have attended a lot of christenings, as it appears there may have been as many as 21 children born to this couple. I wonder how Thomas supported his family. When he died, he called himself a shoemaker, which seems to be a humble trade, but the amount of land he had indicates he was a person of substantial wealth.
So it seems to have been a good move for Thomas, Margery, and their children, including our current hero, Ferdinando, to have come to the New World. There seems to be some confusion about when the Thayer family arrived in America but they are not listed in the Great Migrations series, of families that arrived before 1636, so perhaps Thomas did come on the "Blessing" in 1637. If so, his wife and what remained of his family may have come in 1640, as it is reported that one of the children died in Thornbury in 1640. Ferdinando would have been 12 years old if he came with his father and 15 or 16 if he came with his mother in 1640-1641. At any rate, at least 7 of his siblings had died in England.
Ferdinando lived with his parents for much of his life. On January 14, 1652/53 he married Huldah Hayward, daughter of Thomas Hayward and Margery Knight, in Braintree, Mass. The young married couple continued to live with Thomas and Margery until Thomas's death in 1665. His father's will had been generous to him, and he ended up with so much property that he and his two brothers, Sydrach and Thomas, agreed to redistribute the land so that each had a more equal share.
Ferdinando then moved, as a founder, to Nipmug, later Mendon, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He prospered for when he died he had one of the largest farms in the area, and provided farms for each of his sons in his will. He did not have an easy time of it, though. The Thayers were forced to abandon their home during King Philip's War in 1675. The town and surrounding fields were all destroyed, and the area was not resettled until 1680. It was truly a case of starting over again. Ferdinando would have been 55 at this time, so the task may have seemed daunting to him.
Fortunately, he had a large family to assist him. Ferdinando and Huldah had twelve children, of whom two (each named David) died young. Deborah, Huldah, Jonathan, Naomi, Thomas, Samuel, Isaac, Josiah, Ebenezer, and Benjamin all lived to have children of their own, and the Thayer name is still evident in New England. For Ferdinando to have been able to leave farms to each of his 5 surviving sons, he must have acquired large areas of land, but I have not documented yet where the land was.
His wife Huldah had died in 1690. Ferdinando married for a second time, to Ann Freebury. With all due respect to any of her descendents, Ann was not a loving wife to her husband, and she made accusations against her husband and his sons, charging that they sold liquor to Indians (which was prohibited), that he had deserved to have his house burnt during King Philip's War and it would occur again if they did not stop trafficking with the Indians. She also charged that he had failed to provide for her, along with various other charges. Apparently Ann became disenchanted with her husband when she learned that he was giving his land to his sons, and she would get only the 1/3 of his remaining estate that was hers by law. I get the feeling that it's a good thing for family dignity that there was no television then, or we could have been watching a reality show or worse.
Ferdinando died on March 28, 1713 at the age of 86. He had seen good times and he had seen bad times, but his descendents would continue to build the New World. I would like to know more about his relationship with his second wife, the veracity of her charges, and most especially, where his first name originated. I'm not aware of any other Ferdinando in our tree.
One of our lines of descent is:
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Ann Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendents
Fun fact: Ferdinando and Huldah were ancestors of Barbara Bush and thus of the second President Bush. We're approximately 10th cousins to him.
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