I've written earlier of Samuel Eddy, Zachariah's father, and of John Eddy, his uncle (although I now think that John Eddy was not an ancestor on the Allen side, pending further study). But Zachariah has been neglected until now, probably because he wasn't in the first generation of immigrants. But hey, we was born in Plymouth Colony and probably knew, or at least knew of, our Mayflower ancestors. So his history, to me, is interesting.
Zachariah (also seen as Zechariah and Zachary) was born March 7, 1639 to Samuel and (probably) Elizabeth Savory Eddy, in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. He was the second of seven children his parents are known to have had. Samuel was a tailor, but he apparently was not hugely successful because he asked the court to find an apprenticeship or other training opportunities for his children. Zachariah was just 7 years old when the court approved his placement with John Browne, to train to be a husbandman or whatever else Mr. Browne desired. John Browne was a man of considerable wealth and talent, so it was a good opportunity for Zachariah to learn much from him. We are not sure whether that happened. At any rate, 7 year old Zachariah said good-by to his parents and presumably moved to Rehoboth, where the Brownes lived. His term of service was for 14 years, until Zachariah was 21 years old.
Peter Browne was involved in the founding of Swansea, Massachusetts, and Zachariah and his brother, Caleb, are also considered among the first founders of the town. He married Alice Paddock, daughter of Robert and Mary Holmes Paddock, on May 7, 1663, in either Plymouth or Middleboro, Massachusetts. They may have settled immediately in the land that became Swansea, although the town itself wasn't founded until 1667. The town selected him to be one of three waywardens in 1671, roughly these men were superintendents of highways.
I didn't find any record that he was ever made a freeman, perhaps because he became a member of the Baptist Church in Swansea, which is one of the oldest Baptist churches in America. I wonder whether Peter Browne influenced his decision one way or the other, to join this church. Or his wife could have had some influence. Nevertheless, it may have been hard to leave the Puritan church that had been a part of his early life.
I didn't find an occupation for Zachariah, although it is likely to have been as a husbandman, as he was trained to do. He did own some marsh land, and probably other land, too, so it's easy to think he did at least some farming. He and Alice had at least eight children, apparently all born at Swansea.
Life in Swansea was probably good, but also probably not easy. It got even harder when King Philip's War broke out. Swansea was one of the first villages attacked, although apparently everyone made it to the local garrison safely. Some of the homes were burned, and there was fighting in the area for quite a while. The little village escaped back to Plymouth for the most part, and it is believed that our family was part of this group. I found no record that Zachariah was part of the militia but it's hard to believe that he would not have responded to protect his home and home town. He was of the right age and unless he had a physical infirmity, which I haven't seen mentioned, he would have had some role to play in either the defense or the offense.
The Eddy family was back in Swansea about 1678, rebuilding whatever had been lost to the native Americans. Alice Paddock Eddy died October 24, 1692 and Zachariah then married Abigail, the widow of Dermit or Jeremiah Smith. She brought children to the marriage, too, although they may have been close to grown, as Zachariah's own children were. (I'm not finding a date for the second marriage, so perhaps Zachariah married when some of his own children were preteens or teenagers.
When Zachariah died, his estate was very small, valued at close to 65 pounds. He mentions the lands that he had previously given to each of his sons, and adds that any money owed him by his sons should be forgiven. His wife Abigail is to live in the homestead granted son Caleb for the rest of her natural life, and he left her money, also. He left his great Bible to a grandson. His will specifically grants a carbine to one son, a musket to another, and a fowling piece to yet another. Zachariah died September 4, 1718 and is buried at the Eddy family burial grounds at Swansea, where his parents and many other family members are also buried.
Although we know quite a bit about Zachariah, there is also much we don't know, especially about his life in Swansea. But it is interesting to find another early Baptist in the family, and it's intriguing that our Pilgrim fathers would have known him. This was a time when much of what was to become America was being constructed, day by day and town by town. We are privileged to feel a little of this through reading about the lives of Zachariah Eddy and other of our ancestors.
The line of descent is
Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Paine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Paine. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Friday, April 10, 2020
Holbrook line: Josiah Belcher 1631-1683
I recently wrote about an ancestor from early Boston, and now here is another one, even earlier. And wonder of wonders, there is quite a bit of information about him. It's always fun when that happens. I want to acknowledge that a good bit of this seems to have originated with a wonderful source called The Thweng Collection, which is available on the site American Ancestors (this is a subscription site, but with as many New England families as we have, I can't do without it).
So...Josiah Belcher was the son of Gregory and (probably) Catherine Alcock Belcher and was born in 1631 (based on a gravestone inscription) in a small settlement, not yet an organized town, called Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of at least seven children, and would have grown up basically as a farmer. Or perhaps not, because he had a trade as an adult, that of a wheelwright. He is still described as a yeoman, so there was farming involved, also.
Josiah (also known as Josias) married Uranis (Ranis) Rainsford, daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Dilloe Rainsford, on March 3, 1655 in Boston, where her parents lived. Braintree wasn't far from Boston, but it seems likely that Josiah had already settled in Boston, in order for them to have met. Edward Rainsford is a gateway ancestor, connecting this family to European royalty (whether they knew it or not). Rainsford was sometimes called "Mr." or "Gent" so this may be a case of Josiah being upwardly mobile. One wonders what her parents thought of the match.
His property is described as being on the southwesterly corner of what is now Essex Street and Harrison Streets (this from a 1906 articles about the Belchers in the Register. It fronted 126 feet on Essex Street and ran back 285 feet to the water. I think this is very near what is identified as "Rainsford Lane" on the 1722 Boston map. This was what was then the south part of Boston. In fact, Josiah was one of about two dozen men given the task of founding the South church in Boston (this was the one that in later years would become a meeting place for Patriots, but that's part of someone else's story).
Josiah doesn't appear to have been much involved with politics or civic service, but he did serve as one of the "officers about swine" three times during the 1670s. Typically this would involve making sure that the animals were ringed or yoked during certain times of the year, so they wouldn't destroy crops. The Massachusetts towns I've read about during this time period all allowed swine to roam the town streets, and perhaps Boston did, too.
Josiah and Uranis had thirteen children together. Several died young, never married, or married but had no children. The last years of Josiah and Uranis were probably sad, but they did have two sons who survived them and several daughters. The land was not partitioned until after the death of Uranis, and then each surviving child received part of the land, which appears to have been then sold. The inventory for Josiah includes land in Braintree but the land in Boston doesn't appear to be included. As part of it may have been Uranis's land, perhaps it was not included in the inventory. The inventory was valued at a little over 195 pounds. Josiah is buried at the Granary Burying Ground in downtown Boston. (I was on a trolley tour of Boston 21 years ago, and we stopped at this site, but I had no knowledge that I had ancestors there and did not get off the trolley to go exploring).
Of course I'd like to know more about Josiah, including how it was that he became a wheelwright and how he met and courted his wife. What made him (or his father) decide that Boston would be a better place for him than Braintree? I'd also like to know if he was ever involved in military service. and was perhaps a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. That discovery, however, will have to wait for another day.
The line of descent is:
Josiah Belcher-Uranis Rainsford
Elizabeth Belcher-John Paine
Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallet
Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton
Stephen Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis E Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
So...Josiah Belcher was the son of Gregory and (probably) Catherine Alcock Belcher and was born in 1631 (based on a gravestone inscription) in a small settlement, not yet an organized town, called Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of at least seven children, and would have grown up basically as a farmer. Or perhaps not, because he had a trade as an adult, that of a wheelwright. He is still described as a yeoman, so there was farming involved, also.
Josiah (also known as Josias) married Uranis (Ranis) Rainsford, daughter of Edward and Elizabeth Dilloe Rainsford, on March 3, 1655 in Boston, where her parents lived. Braintree wasn't far from Boston, but it seems likely that Josiah had already settled in Boston, in order for them to have met. Edward Rainsford is a gateway ancestor, connecting this family to European royalty (whether they knew it or not). Rainsford was sometimes called "Mr." or "Gent" so this may be a case of Josiah being upwardly mobile. One wonders what her parents thought of the match.
His property is described as being on the southwesterly corner of what is now Essex Street and Harrison Streets (this from a 1906 articles about the Belchers in the Register. It fronted 126 feet on Essex Street and ran back 285 feet to the water. I think this is very near what is identified as "Rainsford Lane" on the 1722 Boston map. This was what was then the south part of Boston. In fact, Josiah was one of about two dozen men given the task of founding the South church in Boston (this was the one that in later years would become a meeting place for Patriots, but that's part of someone else's story).
Josiah doesn't appear to have been much involved with politics or civic service, but he did serve as one of the "officers about swine" three times during the 1670s. Typically this would involve making sure that the animals were ringed or yoked during certain times of the year, so they wouldn't destroy crops. The Massachusetts towns I've read about during this time period all allowed swine to roam the town streets, and perhaps Boston did, too.
Josiah and Uranis had thirteen children together. Several died young, never married, or married but had no children. The last years of Josiah and Uranis were probably sad, but they did have two sons who survived them and several daughters. The land was not partitioned until after the death of Uranis, and then each surviving child received part of the land, which appears to have been then sold. The inventory for Josiah includes land in Braintree but the land in Boston doesn't appear to be included. As part of it may have been Uranis's land, perhaps it was not included in the inventory. The inventory was valued at a little over 195 pounds. Josiah is buried at the Granary Burying Ground in downtown Boston. (I was on a trolley tour of Boston 21 years ago, and we stopped at this site, but I had no knowledge that I had ancestors there and did not get off the trolley to go exploring).
Of course I'd like to know more about Josiah, including how it was that he became a wheelwright and how he met and courted his wife. What made him (or his father) decide that Boston would be a better place for him than Braintree? I'd also like to know if he was ever involved in military service. and was perhaps a member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. That discovery, however, will have to wait for another day.
The line of descent is:
Josiah Belcher-Uranis Rainsford
Elizabeth Belcher-John Paine
Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallet
Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton
Stephen Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis E Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, March 13, 2020
Holbrook line: Elisha Eddy 1710-1764
We come from a long line in the Eddy family. Starting with Susan Eddy, we can trace back all the way to a John Eddy born in 1435, if printed information is correct. However, for this post, we are interested in Elisha Eddy, who lived from 1710-1764 in Rhode Island.
Elisha was the son of Zechariah (or Zachariah, or Zachary) and Anphillis Smith Eddy. He was born in what was then Providence Plantation, Rhode Island. Later Gloucester broke off from Providence, a peaceful event, and later still the town changed its name to Glocester, to avoid confusion with Gloucester, Massachusetts. Elisha was born November 10, 1710 and he was one of at least four children. Zechariah must have had some influence in the town because he was appointed town sergeant at its formation in 1731.
Elisha, however, stayed pretty much under the radar. We know he married Sarah Phetteplace, daughter of Walter and Joanna Mowry Phetteplace, on December 2, 1734 in Gloucester. His father gave him 100 acres of land shortly before his death in 1737, and Elisha stayed there for several years, until he sold the land to his brother, Joseph, and purchased 200 acres from Richard Sayles. (He left half of this land to his oldest son Enos in his will in 1764.)
Elisha and Sarah had at least four children, which was not a large family for the period, and for having been married nearly 27 years when Elisha died. He describes himself in his will as a yeoman, and Enos as a husbandman, meaning both farmed land, but Elisha owned land and Enos was a tenant farmer at the time.
His name is found on one Inman will as an executor, and as a witness on several deeds, but other than that he is not noted in town records that I'm aware of. He would have served in the militia but we don't know whether, for instance, he was part of the French and Indian War, or any of the earlier wars that preceded it. We don't know his religion, although based on the religion of others in the area he was likely "some kind" of Baptist.
In his will, he set out an area 6 poles square (about 300 feet by 300 feet) for a burial location, where his father was already buried. It seems to be listed as a historical cemetery, GL149, which has not been recorded but seems to be at or near the location of Elisha's home.
Elisha died January 27, 1764. Sarah was an executor of his will, and she lived until December 2, 1794. (She saw the American Revolution. Did she participate in some way, as in providing goods or services?) Whether or not Elisha served in some capacity in the town, whether or not he served in the militia, and whether or not he was a Baptist or other religious persuasion, are really immaterial to this one fact: He was our ancestor, and he helped give life to the next generation.
The line of descent is:
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Elisha was the son of Zechariah (or Zachariah, or Zachary) and Anphillis Smith Eddy. He was born in what was then Providence Plantation, Rhode Island. Later Gloucester broke off from Providence, a peaceful event, and later still the town changed its name to Glocester, to avoid confusion with Gloucester, Massachusetts. Elisha was born November 10, 1710 and he was one of at least four children. Zechariah must have had some influence in the town because he was appointed town sergeant at its formation in 1731.
Elisha, however, stayed pretty much under the radar. We know he married Sarah Phetteplace, daughter of Walter and Joanna Mowry Phetteplace, on December 2, 1734 in Gloucester. His father gave him 100 acres of land shortly before his death in 1737, and Elisha stayed there for several years, until he sold the land to his brother, Joseph, and purchased 200 acres from Richard Sayles. (He left half of this land to his oldest son Enos in his will in 1764.)
Elisha and Sarah had at least four children, which was not a large family for the period, and for having been married nearly 27 years when Elisha died. He describes himself in his will as a yeoman, and Enos as a husbandman, meaning both farmed land, but Elisha owned land and Enos was a tenant farmer at the time.
His name is found on one Inman will as an executor, and as a witness on several deeds, but other than that he is not noted in town records that I'm aware of. He would have served in the militia but we don't know whether, for instance, he was part of the French and Indian War, or any of the earlier wars that preceded it. We don't know his religion, although based on the religion of others in the area he was likely "some kind" of Baptist.
In his will, he set out an area 6 poles square (about 300 feet by 300 feet) for a burial location, where his father was already buried. It seems to be listed as a historical cemetery, GL149, which has not been recorded but seems to be at or near the location of Elisha's home.
Elisha died January 27, 1764. Sarah was an executor of his will, and she lived until December 2, 1794. (She saw the American Revolution. Did she participate in some way, as in providing goods or services?) Whether or not Elisha served in some capacity in the town, whether or not he served in the militia, and whether or not he was a Baptist or other religious persuasion, are really immaterial to this one fact: He was our ancestor, and he helped give life to the next generation.
The line of descent is:
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 28, 2020
Holbrook line: Samuel Winsor 1644-1705
Samuel Winsor was the son of Joshua and Mary (maiden name unknown) Winsor. He was born at Providence Plantation on November 18, 1644, very early in the life of that colony. His father, Joshua was a free thinker, perhaps having similar thoughts to those of Roger Williams. He was encouraged to come to Providence by Roger Williams, and the Winsors would have known the Williams family well for many years.
We don't know a lot about Samuel, and some of what is on the internet is not accurate, as far as I can tell. This Samuel Winsor was not a pastor or a "Reverend", unless I have missed some documentation, although his son and grandson were Baptist pastors. Our Samuel may or may not have worshiped as a Baptist, but since the Baptist church was the first one in Providence it is likely that he did attend services there. It's also likely that he was a seeker, always looking for God in his life.
His occupation was that of a farmer, but I haven't seen whether he was considered a yeoman or a husbandman. Perhaps in Rhode Island they didn't pay much attention to titles.
He was one of those who stayed in Providence during King Philip's war. Since only two homes were not burned by the natives during that struggle, it is probable that if he had his own home by that time, it was destroyed. Roger Williams was captain of the militia during this time, and there were 30 men left in his unit. All the others had fled. I would like to say that Samuel, being about 32 years old at this time, would have stayed to guard and if necessary, fight to protect the small village.
Samuel married on January 2, 1677 to the youngest daughter of Roger and Mary Barnard Williams, Mercy. She was the widow of Resolved Waterman. The Winsors had four children together, which, with the five children she had with Resolved, would have made for quite a large family.
We don't have Samuel's will or administration papers, although the administration papers apparently exist. But we do have his statement of taxable items the all residents were required to provide during the rule of Edmund Andros, in 1686-1687. At that time, he reported two oxen, three cows, one three year old "hifer", Four two year old cattle, three yearlings, one horse, one mare, one two year old horse, five small siwne, eighteen sheep a year old, one house lott, one house lott more, eighty seven acres of land in the wilderness, a share beyond the seven mile line unlaid out, a swamp called Joshua's swamp, five or six acres, half a share of meadow called Shepherd's meadow about thirty acres, at my house three (acres) plowed, about 5 or six rough pasture of the said thirty. This is the best account that I can give. He made an addendum to report one horse more belonging to Resolved Waterman "who is with me upon wages" more eleven acres of land in the neck that was forgot that was Shepard's (spelling and punctuation mostly cleaned up by this writer). This was dated September 1, 1687.
So in ten years after the destruction of his home, Samuel had largely recovered what he lost and perhaps was even prospering. This is the only information I've found that give us an indication of his economic standing. We don't know his religion for sure, we don't know that he served in the militia for sure, but we do know that he must have been a hardworking man, and we can honor him for that work ethic. We can also honor him for the children he raised, his and his wife's, and for the service he gave to his country. On line records show that Samuel and Mercy died on the same day, September 19, 1705, but I can only verify Samuel's death date. Mercy may well have died about the same time. If they did die on the same date, it would be interesting to know their cause(s) of death. Was there a contagious disease, or was it pure coincidence, or was it love?
The line of descent is
Samuel Winsor-Mercy Williams
Samuel Winsor-Mercy Harding
Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson
Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Hamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
We don't know a lot about Samuel, and some of what is on the internet is not accurate, as far as I can tell. This Samuel Winsor was not a pastor or a "Reverend", unless I have missed some documentation, although his son and grandson were Baptist pastors. Our Samuel may or may not have worshiped as a Baptist, but since the Baptist church was the first one in Providence it is likely that he did attend services there. It's also likely that he was a seeker, always looking for God in his life.
His occupation was that of a farmer, but I haven't seen whether he was considered a yeoman or a husbandman. Perhaps in Rhode Island they didn't pay much attention to titles.
He was one of those who stayed in Providence during King Philip's war. Since only two homes were not burned by the natives during that struggle, it is probable that if he had his own home by that time, it was destroyed. Roger Williams was captain of the militia during this time, and there were 30 men left in his unit. All the others had fled. I would like to say that Samuel, being about 32 years old at this time, would have stayed to guard and if necessary, fight to protect the small village.
Samuel married on January 2, 1677 to the youngest daughter of Roger and Mary Barnard Williams, Mercy. She was the widow of Resolved Waterman. The Winsors had four children together, which, with the five children she had with Resolved, would have made for quite a large family.
We don't have Samuel's will or administration papers, although the administration papers apparently exist. But we do have his statement of taxable items the all residents were required to provide during the rule of Edmund Andros, in 1686-1687. At that time, he reported two oxen, three cows, one three year old "hifer", Four two year old cattle, three yearlings, one horse, one mare, one two year old horse, five small siwne, eighteen sheep a year old, one house lott, one house lott more, eighty seven acres of land in the wilderness, a share beyond the seven mile line unlaid out, a swamp called Joshua's swamp, five or six acres, half a share of meadow called Shepherd's meadow about thirty acres, at my house three (acres) plowed, about 5 or six rough pasture of the said thirty. This is the best account that I can give. He made an addendum to report one horse more belonging to Resolved Waterman "who is with me upon wages" more eleven acres of land in the neck that was forgot that was Shepard's (spelling and punctuation mostly cleaned up by this writer). This was dated September 1, 1687.
So in ten years after the destruction of his home, Samuel had largely recovered what he lost and perhaps was even prospering. This is the only information I've found that give us an indication of his economic standing. We don't know his religion for sure, we don't know that he served in the militia for sure, but we do know that he must have been a hardworking man, and we can honor him for that work ethic. We can also honor him for the children he raised, his and his wife's, and for the service he gave to his country. On line records show that Samuel and Mercy died on the same day, September 19, 1705, but I can only verify Samuel's death date. Mercy may well have died about the same time. If they did die on the same date, it would be interesting to know their cause(s) of death. Was there a contagious disease, or was it pure coincidence, or was it love?
The line of descent is
Samuel Winsor-Mercy Williams
Samuel Winsor-Mercy Harding
Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson
Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Hamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 14, 2020
Holbrook line: John Paine 1658-1718
We have a lot of men named Stephen Paine in our line and I've written about the immigrant earlier. I'll try to write about at least some of the succeeding generations later, if I'm able to find some information about them. But first, we have John Paine. I didn't find a lot of information about him, but he lived in interesting times and left us clues about his life, even if we don't have answers to all the questions we have about him.
John was born April 3, 1658 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, the son of Stephen and Anne Chickering Paine. He was their second son, one of a total of at least nine children. John's grandfather had been a linen weaver and John's trade is listed as weaver. although we don't know what in particular he wove, or how much this was a livelihood and how much just added income to see his family over the tight spots.
John married, at the age of 22, Elizabeth Belcher, who was 20 and was the daughter of Josiah and Uranis Rainsford Belcher. Elizabeth likely grew up hearing stories a little different than the Paine's did, for the Rainsford family was connected, far back, to royalty. He inherited land from his grandfather as well as his father, and that may be why he moved to Swansea, Massachusetts Bay by 1683. Rehoboth and Swansea are roughly 9 miles apart, so John didn't move far when he moved. Both towns were burned during King Philip's War in 1675-76. John would have been old enough to serve but I've not found his name listed a a soldier anywhere. We can assume that he was either serving or staying at home to protect his younger siblings, during the war, or leading them to a "safer" town. Surely a 17 or 18 year old young man would not have been doing nothing during this time period!
At this point it is interesting to speculate about the religion of John Paine. I have seen on some trees that he was a Quaker, but after looking for evidence, I think it is more likely that his son or grandson of the same name was the Quaker. The question for me is" was he a Baptist? Both Rehoboth and Swansea had healthy Baptist populations and it seems possible that he was a Baptist also. So far I've not found anything that leads me to be able to make a judgement one way or the other on that question. Let's just say, for now, that it wouldn't surprise me.
John and Elizabeth had at least ten children together, before Elizabeth died prior to 1711. John remarried soon after,, to Martha (last name not known) and this couple had four children. About the time of the second marriage John moved his family to Providence, Rhode Island, which was about 11 miles. John was a surveyor of highways and a representative in Swansea, so he was a respected man, whether or not he was Baptist, Quaker, or Congregationalist.
There is supposedly a will or administration for John but I've not found it on line. He died September 26, 1718, at Providence. His widow, Martha, was younger than he was and soon remarried, as she had four children of her own plus two or three of the younger children of Elizabeth to care for.
So John is a bit of a mystery in terms of religion, military service, and even the value of his estate. We also don't know what kind of education he had. However, like all of our ancestors, he contributed to the story of us, and that makes him important in my eyes.
The line of descent is
John Paine-Elizabeth Belcher
Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallett
Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John was born April 3, 1658 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, the son of Stephen and Anne Chickering Paine. He was their second son, one of a total of at least nine children. John's grandfather had been a linen weaver and John's trade is listed as weaver. although we don't know what in particular he wove, or how much this was a livelihood and how much just added income to see his family over the tight spots.
John married, at the age of 22, Elizabeth Belcher, who was 20 and was the daughter of Josiah and Uranis Rainsford Belcher. Elizabeth likely grew up hearing stories a little different than the Paine's did, for the Rainsford family was connected, far back, to royalty. He inherited land from his grandfather as well as his father, and that may be why he moved to Swansea, Massachusetts Bay by 1683. Rehoboth and Swansea are roughly 9 miles apart, so John didn't move far when he moved. Both towns were burned during King Philip's War in 1675-76. John would have been old enough to serve but I've not found his name listed a a soldier anywhere. We can assume that he was either serving or staying at home to protect his younger siblings, during the war, or leading them to a "safer" town. Surely a 17 or 18 year old young man would not have been doing nothing during this time period!
At this point it is interesting to speculate about the religion of John Paine. I have seen on some trees that he was a Quaker, but after looking for evidence, I think it is more likely that his son or grandson of the same name was the Quaker. The question for me is" was he a Baptist? Both Rehoboth and Swansea had healthy Baptist populations and it seems possible that he was a Baptist also. So far I've not found anything that leads me to be able to make a judgement one way or the other on that question. Let's just say, for now, that it wouldn't surprise me.
John and Elizabeth had at least ten children together, before Elizabeth died prior to 1711. John remarried soon after,, to Martha (last name not known) and this couple had four children. About the time of the second marriage John moved his family to Providence, Rhode Island, which was about 11 miles. John was a surveyor of highways and a representative in Swansea, so he was a respected man, whether or not he was Baptist, Quaker, or Congregationalist.
There is supposedly a will or administration for John but I've not found it on line. He died September 26, 1718, at Providence. His widow, Martha, was younger than he was and soon remarried, as she had four children of her own plus two or three of the younger children of Elizabeth to care for.
So John is a bit of a mystery in terms of religion, military service, and even the value of his estate. We also don't know what kind of education he had. However, like all of our ancestors, he contributed to the story of us, and that makes him important in my eyes.
The line of descent is
John Paine-Elizabeth Belcher
Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallett
Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Holbrook line: Edward Smith of Rhode Island, Immigrant 1633-1693
Edward Smith was one of the younger children of Christopher and Alice Gibbs Smith. He was christened on March 17, 1633 at Holy Trinity Church, Stratford on Avon, Warwickshire, England. He was one of at least 9 children. Some of the siblings settled in Rhode Island and others settled in Hartford, Connecticut, for reasons that are not yet evident.
Christopher was in Providence, Rhode Island by 1649, and possibly sooner. He was a Quaker according to John Osborne Astin's Genealogical Record of Rhode Island, because during King Philips War he and the family went to Newport, which was not attacked. At that time Quakeer records call him "an ancient Friend of Providence". But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Edward came to Providence with his parents and some siblings, and on August 26, 1656 he was granted common equal to other townsmen, and was to have a vote with inhabitants. He was a hayward (kept stray animals out of fields) in 1656, a freeman on May 12, 1638, and a juryman in 1639. He must have handled his early responsibilities well, because he was a town sergeant (not sure about this-watchman, maybe?- in 1662 and was to be paid 20 shillings in "peage". "Peage" was also known as wampum, and was treated as legal tender in the colonies, as cash was in short supply.
His marriage intention, to Amphillis Angell, was recorded on May 9, 1663 but there doesn't seem to be a record of the marriage. Nevertheless, the marriage is accepted by genealogists. He participated in a division of lands in 1665, and ten years later, just before King Philip's War broke out, he asked for an accommodation of difficulties-basically an arbitration. It had to do with the division of lands with his neighbors.
He was 7 times a deputy and 9 times a town council member. In 1688. about 25 years after he was married, he was taxed on 5 cows, 4 three year olds, 2 two year olds, 4 yearlings, 2 oxen, 2 horses, 1 1/2 shares of meadow, 5 acres tilage, 4 acres pasture, 5 acres wild pasture, and 140 acres of woods. The number of cattle is a bit surprising, as it is a larger herd than many in that location had.
Edward and Amphillis had at least seven children together, and some stayed in Providence. I would like to know whether his children stayed in the Quaker meeting, or whether they changed religion at some point.
It isn't know what kind of relationship Edward had with his Connecticut siblings. I wonder whether perhaps there was a religious difference, and the Connecticut siblings were Puritans whereas Edward and his father remained Quaker. That is just my speculation.
Edward died shortly before January 2, 1694, when administration of the estate was granted to Amphillis and his son Edward. I have as yet not found the estate papers, inventory, or will, but I do have a case number which may help me track it down.
Edward's record shows him to be a well respected man of principle, a good provider and a good citizen. We can be proud of him and honor his memory with respect.
The line of descent is:
Edward Smith-Amphillis Angell
Amphillis Smith=Zechariah Eddy
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Christopher was in Providence, Rhode Island by 1649, and possibly sooner. He was a Quaker according to John Osborne Astin's Genealogical Record of Rhode Island, because during King Philips War he and the family went to Newport, which was not attacked. At that time Quakeer records call him "an ancient Friend of Providence". But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Edward came to Providence with his parents and some siblings, and on August 26, 1656 he was granted common equal to other townsmen, and was to have a vote with inhabitants. He was a hayward (kept stray animals out of fields) in 1656, a freeman on May 12, 1638, and a juryman in 1639. He must have handled his early responsibilities well, because he was a town sergeant (not sure about this-watchman, maybe?- in 1662 and was to be paid 20 shillings in "peage". "Peage" was also known as wampum, and was treated as legal tender in the colonies, as cash was in short supply.
His marriage intention, to Amphillis Angell, was recorded on May 9, 1663 but there doesn't seem to be a record of the marriage. Nevertheless, the marriage is accepted by genealogists. He participated in a division of lands in 1665, and ten years later, just before King Philip's War broke out, he asked for an accommodation of difficulties-basically an arbitration. It had to do with the division of lands with his neighbors.
He was 7 times a deputy and 9 times a town council member. In 1688. about 25 years after he was married, he was taxed on 5 cows, 4 three year olds, 2 two year olds, 4 yearlings, 2 oxen, 2 horses, 1 1/2 shares of meadow, 5 acres tilage, 4 acres pasture, 5 acres wild pasture, and 140 acres of woods. The number of cattle is a bit surprising, as it is a larger herd than many in that location had.
Edward and Amphillis had at least seven children together, and some stayed in Providence. I would like to know whether his children stayed in the Quaker meeting, or whether they changed religion at some point.
It isn't know what kind of relationship Edward had with his Connecticut siblings. I wonder whether perhaps there was a religious difference, and the Connecticut siblings were Puritans whereas Edward and his father remained Quaker. That is just my speculation.
Edward died shortly before January 2, 1694, when administration of the estate was granted to Amphillis and his son Edward. I have as yet not found the estate papers, inventory, or will, but I do have a case number which may help me track it down.
Edward's record shows him to be a well respected man of principle, a good provider and a good citizen. We can be proud of him and honor his memory with respect.
The line of descent is:
Edward Smith-Amphillis Angell
Amphillis Smith=Zechariah Eddy
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, April 19, 2019
Holbrook line: John Brown of Rhode Island, Immigrant
I've written earlier about Chad Brown or Browne, John's father, the immigrant ancestor to America. But John was an immigrant, too, a wide eyed boy of somewhere around 10 years old when he arrived in Boston in 1638 with his parents and possibly with siblings. He is reported to have been about 8 when the trip was made, which would put his birth date at 1630 but some sites are showing a birthdate of March 9, 1627 in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.
John's parents didn't stay long in Boston, so within months our wide eyed hero was in Providence, Rhode Island. A man by that name was given a free grant of 25 acres of land, and a right of commanage, then promised obedience to the State of England in 1645. He would have probably needed to have been at least 18 to obtain a land grant, unless some sort of exception was made for him. Had he done something special for the plantation? We don't know. He was taxed in 1650, and in 1651/52 pledged allegiance to England "as it now stands", meaning with no king or House of Lords due to the English Civil War. He was a juryman and a constable, as well as a surveyor of highways. He was made a freeman in 1655, and was deputy in 1663-64 as well as being on the town council.
In 1654 he married Mary Holmes, the daughter of Obadiah and Catherine Hyde Holmes of Newport. Holmes was a rather famous Baptist minister (at least, he became famous later) and our John Brown has been variously described as "Elder" and "Reverend". He was also of the Baptist faith. John and Mary had at least five children, but probably there were more who were not living when John died.
John's date of death is disputed. Some say he died in 1677. If this is so, then he's been confused with another John Brown, because one John Brown, or another was taxed in 1679 and in 1701 helped ordain James Clarke of Newport as pastor of the Newport church. He sold the land the family home was on in 1672, but great grand children purchased it back and this eventually became what is now known as Brown University.
I have not been able to determine what happened to John Brown and his family during King Philip's War. Almost all of the homes in Providence were destroyed, either by the native American's setting fire to them or by decay, as it took years for some of the families to return. Did they go to Newport, perhaps, or to safer locations in Massachusetts? We don't know. I know there were several John Browns who were listed as soldiers during that war, and it seems logical to think that John, being under 50 years of age, would have been in the militia, but I can't state that categorically.
I've not yet located a will or probate for John. Mary died in 1696 and John died either 19 years earlier or ten years later. Finding the probate papers would likely shed some light on that puzzle.
John Brown, one of our Baptist ancestors, whether he lived 50 years or 80, had an influence on his family and his church family as well as his community. He was a man of service and we can be glad he is part of our family.
The line of descent is:
John Brown-Mary Holmes
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John's parents didn't stay long in Boston, so within months our wide eyed hero was in Providence, Rhode Island. A man by that name was given a free grant of 25 acres of land, and a right of commanage, then promised obedience to the State of England in 1645. He would have probably needed to have been at least 18 to obtain a land grant, unless some sort of exception was made for him. Had he done something special for the plantation? We don't know. He was taxed in 1650, and in 1651/52 pledged allegiance to England "as it now stands", meaning with no king or House of Lords due to the English Civil War. He was a juryman and a constable, as well as a surveyor of highways. He was made a freeman in 1655, and was deputy in 1663-64 as well as being on the town council.
In 1654 he married Mary Holmes, the daughter of Obadiah and Catherine Hyde Holmes of Newport. Holmes was a rather famous Baptist minister (at least, he became famous later) and our John Brown has been variously described as "Elder" and "Reverend". He was also of the Baptist faith. John and Mary had at least five children, but probably there were more who were not living when John died.
John's date of death is disputed. Some say he died in 1677. If this is so, then he's been confused with another John Brown, because one John Brown, or another was taxed in 1679 and in 1701 helped ordain James Clarke of Newport as pastor of the Newport church. He sold the land the family home was on in 1672, but great grand children purchased it back and this eventually became what is now known as Brown University.
I have not been able to determine what happened to John Brown and his family during King Philip's War. Almost all of the homes in Providence were destroyed, either by the native American's setting fire to them or by decay, as it took years for some of the families to return. Did they go to Newport, perhaps, or to safer locations in Massachusetts? We don't know. I know there were several John Browns who were listed as soldiers during that war, and it seems logical to think that John, being under 50 years of age, would have been in the militia, but I can't state that categorically.
I've not yet located a will or probate for John. Mary died in 1696 and John died either 19 years earlier or ten years later. Finding the probate papers would likely shed some light on that puzzle.
John Brown, one of our Baptist ancestors, whether he lived 50 years or 80, had an influence on his family and his church family as well as his community. He was a man of service and we can be glad he is part of our family.
The line of descent is:
John Brown-Mary Holmes
Sarah Brown-John Pray
Mary Pray Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 22, 2019
Holbrook line: Samuel Eddy, Immigrant, of Plymouth
He wasn't a Mayflower Pilgrim, but there he is, arriving in New England in 1630, probably, and settling in Plymouth Colony. So he knew our Mayflower ancestors William Brewster, Myles Standish, and Edward Doty. He was a tailor, so he may even have sewn clothes for them and their families. How cool is that! I also find it "cool" that there is quite a bit of material available about him, so let's start at the beginning.
Samuel Eddy was born on or before May 15, 1608 in Cranbook, Kent, England, the child of William and Mary Fosten Eddy. If that location and those parents seem familiar, it's because John Eddy, an ancestor on the Allen side of the family, was Samuel's brother. I've written about John before. We know little of Samuel's life in England, except that he was a PK, (preacher's kid, for those who don't recognize the initials). His mother died in 1611 and his father died in 1616, so it's likely that his guardian, older bother Phineas, was the one who decided that Samuel should learn the trade of a tailor. We don't know how much schooling Samuel had, but the terms of his father's will said that he was to be educated before being put to a trade. So presumably he at least had a few years of primary school, and could read and write.
It's believed that Samuel came to New England with his brother John in 1630. John settled in Watertown but Samuel decided to stay in Plymouth Colony. He had enough money left from his father's bequest to purchase a home within two years of his arrival. It's not known for sure when he married, but it was probably around 1635 or 1636 because the children started arriving in 1637. It is believed, but not for certain, that his wife was Elizabeth Savory.
Samuel and Elizabeth had somewhere between 5 and 8 children, depending on which list you believe. Robert Charles Anderson in "The Great Migration Begins" credits them with five children, all born between 1637 and 1647. Life may have been difficult for the two, as they sent at least three of the children to live with others, and to be taught a trade. It's possible that there was not great call for a tailor in Plymouth, or perhaps there was competition.
Samuel was made a freeman on January 1, 1634/35, and was on the surviving tax lists for many years after. He apparently had some sort of aptitude for real estate, because he bought several different parcels during his lifetime, and was granted more by the colony. In 1632/33, his servant, Thomas Brian, ran away but I was not able to learn the resolution of this. His wife Elizabeth was called to court two different times for being absent from the meeting house on Sunday. Once she was doing laundry (which may have been a necessity as there was sickness in the house) and once she went to Boston because someone was ill there, and asked for her. She was admonished, but apparently not punished further, both times.
Samuel was still practicing his tailor trade in 1675/76, because the colony paid him for making uniforms for the soldiers who fought in King Philip's War. Samuel had been a member of the training band but by the time of this war, he was in his late 60's, and had probably been excused from duty. Samuel and Elizabeth moved to Swansea, Massachusetts about 1680, and Samuel died there a year later. He had apparently donated some of his land as a burial ground for his family there, and there are a lot of Eddy wills and estates through the 1700s and later. Elizabeth died at Swansea in 1689. I've been unable to locate a copy of the will or estate.
So here is Samuel Eddy, tailor, husband, father, church member, tax payer, and probably a good man. It would be nice to know more about him, but we have enough information to recognize that he was a valued member of his society and an ancestor worthy of our respect.
The line of descend is:
Samuel Eddy-Elizabeth Savory
Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphyllis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Samuel Eddy was born on or before May 15, 1608 in Cranbook, Kent, England, the child of William and Mary Fosten Eddy. If that location and those parents seem familiar, it's because John Eddy, an ancestor on the Allen side of the family, was Samuel's brother. I've written about John before. We know little of Samuel's life in England, except that he was a PK, (preacher's kid, for those who don't recognize the initials). His mother died in 1611 and his father died in 1616, so it's likely that his guardian, older bother Phineas, was the one who decided that Samuel should learn the trade of a tailor. We don't know how much schooling Samuel had, but the terms of his father's will said that he was to be educated before being put to a trade. So presumably he at least had a few years of primary school, and could read and write.
It's believed that Samuel came to New England with his brother John in 1630. John settled in Watertown but Samuel decided to stay in Plymouth Colony. He had enough money left from his father's bequest to purchase a home within two years of his arrival. It's not known for sure when he married, but it was probably around 1635 or 1636 because the children started arriving in 1637. It is believed, but not for certain, that his wife was Elizabeth Savory.
Samuel and Elizabeth had somewhere between 5 and 8 children, depending on which list you believe. Robert Charles Anderson in "The Great Migration Begins" credits them with five children, all born between 1637 and 1647. Life may have been difficult for the two, as they sent at least three of the children to live with others, and to be taught a trade. It's possible that there was not great call for a tailor in Plymouth, or perhaps there was competition.
Samuel was made a freeman on January 1, 1634/35, and was on the surviving tax lists for many years after. He apparently had some sort of aptitude for real estate, because he bought several different parcels during his lifetime, and was granted more by the colony. In 1632/33, his servant, Thomas Brian, ran away but I was not able to learn the resolution of this. His wife Elizabeth was called to court two different times for being absent from the meeting house on Sunday. Once she was doing laundry (which may have been a necessity as there was sickness in the house) and once she went to Boston because someone was ill there, and asked for her. She was admonished, but apparently not punished further, both times.
Samuel was still practicing his tailor trade in 1675/76, because the colony paid him for making uniforms for the soldiers who fought in King Philip's War. Samuel had been a member of the training band but by the time of this war, he was in his late 60's, and had probably been excused from duty. Samuel and Elizabeth moved to Swansea, Massachusetts about 1680, and Samuel died there a year later. He had apparently donated some of his land as a burial ground for his family there, and there are a lot of Eddy wills and estates through the 1700s and later. Elizabeth died at Swansea in 1689. I've been unable to locate a copy of the will or estate.
So here is Samuel Eddy, tailor, husband, father, church member, tax payer, and probably a good man. It would be nice to know more about him, but we have enough information to recognize that he was a valued member of his society and an ancestor worthy of our respect.
The line of descend is:
Samuel Eddy-Elizabeth Savory
Zachariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zachariah Eddy-Amphyllis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Holbrook line: William White, Immigrant (but not on the Mayflower)
I've wanted to write about William White for a long time. Well, actually, I've wanted to learn about him for a long time. I knew he was not the William White of the Mayflower, and that's about all I was sure of. Today I found a very well written and referenced profile of him on WikiTree and I'm going to borrow from it rather shamelessly, in order to provide a brief sketch of this most interesting ancestor. Any errors of course are mine.
William White is a most interesting man. We don't know when or where he is born but conjecture is that he may have been the William White who was born about June 8, 1604 in Derbyshire, England. Both the date and the location make sense based on his marriage date and on his future occupation(s), but the first date that we really can say "this is probably our William White is his marriage to Elizabeth Jackson in 1629 at St. Gregory but St Paul's in London, England. This would put WIlliam at 25 years of age, and also puts him in London, where he apparently lived from his marriage until his emigration to England.
William and Elizabeth's first three children, Elizabeth, William, and Margaret were born in London. Margaret was born in 1635 and Ursula was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1639 so the family must have emigrated between 1635 and 1639. I would tend to think it was earlier because most families didn't travel directly to Providence, but were in Massachusetts at first. There is a possibility that the family, or at least William, went back to England because he is again noted in 1645, as having emigrated to Massachusetts in the company of Dr. Robert Child who had recruited him to work in the New England Iron Works for five shillings a day.
William was not a common laborer, however. He seems to have had special skills and knowledge because Samuel Hartlibs "Ephemerides in 1643 says "?Mr. White has amongst many other things invented a new kind of Furnace which will save charges and coales. William White's "Catalogue of Inventions reveals him to have been involved in an exceptionally wide range of activities and to have been actively thinking about involvement in colonization.
William was employed at the Saugus Ironworks from 1646-1648 but was not a model employee. He was fined four pounds for selling beer without a license. (It was about this time that his daughter Elizabeth married Benjamin Herendeen, an ironworker, and may have had cause to regret it, as he was found guilty of beating his wife.) Perhaps the family was somewhat dysfunctional.
Next we find William White, and presumably his family, leaving Boston, where he had lived, and going to Bermuda to help a Bermudian merchant, William Berkeley, salvage a sunken Spanish treasure ship. (The term 'Bermudian merchant' may imply that Berkeley was involved in the slave trade in one way or another.) William supported himself and his family by repairing stills the Bermudians used for making liquor, as well as by fishing aand gardening.
Trouble developed between the White family and William Berkeley. In 1654, one daughter, Margaret, charged that Berkeley had raped her. Margaret had been a servant in Berkeley's home. Another daughter, Ursula, said that he had given her a shilling and tried to get her into his bed. Berkeley supposedly retaliated by accusing Elizabeth, William's wife, of putting a spell on his cattle, and accusing William of saying "the devil take them". Both charges implied witchcraft, at a time when this was a serious charge.
It was time for the Whites to end their efforts in Bermuda and go back to New England. He stopped first in Warwick, R.I., having underestimated the time it would take him to join John Winthrop Jr in Pequot. He had intended to work for Winthrop in his "major alchemical/industrial enteerprise that he was planning on Fishers Island near New Haven.
William was granted land at Pawtucket in 1656, next to his son in law Benjamin Hearndon/Herendeen, and later was granted meadowlands. It appears that he had at least something to do with a bridge that was at Weybosset. He sold this land to Hearndon and went back to Boston, where he was described as a bricklayer. William signed his will October 13, 1673, and he had died by December 30 of that year. The inventory, found on American Ancestors, (Suffolk County #676) is difficult to make out but it clearly is more than just a typical household inventory. One item alone is valued at 1000 pounds. Since much of this appears to do with his industrial/alchemical business, one wonders who actually bought the equipment and what the family actually received as proceeds.
There is more to William's story than I have been able to write in this short sketch, but I hope it shows us that not everyone came to New England and farmed or fished. Some helped build the industrial complexes of the day. Some spent time on Bermuda, or Barbados, or other islands. Some were truly interesting, even if they weren't famous. Such was William White.
The line of descent is
William White-Elizabeth Jackson
Elizabeth White-Benjamin Hearnden
Alice Hearnden-Daniel Brown
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
William White is a most interesting man. We don't know when or where he is born but conjecture is that he may have been the William White who was born about June 8, 1604 in Derbyshire, England. Both the date and the location make sense based on his marriage date and on his future occupation(s), but the first date that we really can say "this is probably our William White is his marriage to Elizabeth Jackson in 1629 at St. Gregory but St Paul's in London, England. This would put WIlliam at 25 years of age, and also puts him in London, where he apparently lived from his marriage until his emigration to England.
William and Elizabeth's first three children, Elizabeth, William, and Margaret were born in London. Margaret was born in 1635 and Ursula was born in Providence, Rhode Island in 1639 so the family must have emigrated between 1635 and 1639. I would tend to think it was earlier because most families didn't travel directly to Providence, but were in Massachusetts at first. There is a possibility that the family, or at least William, went back to England because he is again noted in 1645, as having emigrated to Massachusetts in the company of Dr. Robert Child who had recruited him to work in the New England Iron Works for five shillings a day.
William was not a common laborer, however. He seems to have had special skills and knowledge because Samuel Hartlibs "Ephemerides in 1643 says "?Mr. White has amongst many other things invented a new kind of Furnace which will save charges and coales. William White's "Catalogue of Inventions reveals him to have been involved in an exceptionally wide range of activities and to have been actively thinking about involvement in colonization.
William was employed at the Saugus Ironworks from 1646-1648 but was not a model employee. He was fined four pounds for selling beer without a license. (It was about this time that his daughter Elizabeth married Benjamin Herendeen, an ironworker, and may have had cause to regret it, as he was found guilty of beating his wife.) Perhaps the family was somewhat dysfunctional.
Next we find William White, and presumably his family, leaving Boston, where he had lived, and going to Bermuda to help a Bermudian merchant, William Berkeley, salvage a sunken Spanish treasure ship. (The term 'Bermudian merchant' may imply that Berkeley was involved in the slave trade in one way or another.) William supported himself and his family by repairing stills the Bermudians used for making liquor, as well as by fishing aand gardening.
Trouble developed between the White family and William Berkeley. In 1654, one daughter, Margaret, charged that Berkeley had raped her. Margaret had been a servant in Berkeley's home. Another daughter, Ursula, said that he had given her a shilling and tried to get her into his bed. Berkeley supposedly retaliated by accusing Elizabeth, William's wife, of putting a spell on his cattle, and accusing William of saying "the devil take them". Both charges implied witchcraft, at a time when this was a serious charge.
It was time for the Whites to end their efforts in Bermuda and go back to New England. He stopped first in Warwick, R.I., having underestimated the time it would take him to join John Winthrop Jr in Pequot. He had intended to work for Winthrop in his "major alchemical/industrial enteerprise that he was planning on Fishers Island near New Haven.
William was granted land at Pawtucket in 1656, next to his son in law Benjamin Hearndon/Herendeen, and later was granted meadowlands. It appears that he had at least something to do with a bridge that was at Weybosset. He sold this land to Hearndon and went back to Boston, where he was described as a bricklayer. William signed his will October 13, 1673, and he had died by December 30 of that year. The inventory, found on American Ancestors, (Suffolk County #676) is difficult to make out but it clearly is more than just a typical household inventory. One item alone is valued at 1000 pounds. Since much of this appears to do with his industrial/alchemical business, one wonders who actually bought the equipment and what the family actually received as proceeds.
There is more to William's story than I have been able to write in this short sketch, but I hope it shows us that not everyone came to New England and farmed or fished. Some helped build the industrial complexes of the day. Some spent time on Bermuda, or Barbados, or other islands. Some were truly interesting, even if they weren't famous. Such was William White.
The line of descent is
William White-Elizabeth Jackson
Elizabeth White-Benjamin Hearnden
Alice Hearnden-Daniel Brown
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, January 25, 2019
Holbrook line: Edward Rainsford, Immigrant
It's a great day for me when I easily find a lot of information about an ancestor. Most of this information comes from work done and published by James Rasmussen in 1985 in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and by Robert Charles Anderson in The Great Migration Begins. I have been both fascinated and frustrated with the genealogy of this man; fascinated because he was listed as a Gateway Ancestor, with ancestors going back to the Plantagenets, and then frustrated when that line was withdrawn. Now it appears that he may indeed have a line, or more, to the Plantagenets but the article I need to review is not available on line. (However, my favorite library will undoubtedly have a copy, which I shall pursue.)
All that is incidental to his post, because so far I have written almost nothing about our links to our royal ancestors. It's enough that we know that Edward is the son of Robert and Mary Kirton Raynsford, and that he was baptized at Staverton, Northampton, England on September 9, 1609. He came to New England as a young man in 1630, probably with the Winthrop Fleet. When his father died, he had left his son 100 pounds, which was a nice sum of money in those days. Edward was an apprentice to Owen Rowe of London, in the Haberdashers (merchants of small wares) Company. So Edward had training as a merchant, and money to get him started, and he shared his master's Puritan views. Those attributes would serve him well in Massachusetts. Edward joined the First Church at Boston shortly after his arrival in Massachusetts Bay Colony, although he wasn't made a freeman until 1637.
By that time Edward had married, buried his first wife but had a daughter (one of twins but her brother died as an infant), and married again. He had also made a trip to England and returned, perhaps to introduce his new wife to his family in England. Her identity is not confirmed but she may have been Elizabeth Dilloe. She was the mother of 11 children.
Fortunately, Edward had the means to support a large family. Although I have seen him described as a fisherman, that may have been his first occupation. He became more of a sea merchant, since at his death he was owner or part owner in at least six shipping vessels, ranging in size from a canoe to a ship. He also owned a warehouse "with privileges", which apparently meant that he had access to the harbor for easy loading and unloading of goods. The warehouse housed both fish and haberdasher goods.
Edward was a deacon of the First Church but was dismissed in 1668 when he did not support Rev. Davenport as minister of the church. He then went to the Third Church when it formed in 1669 and was the Ruling Elder there. He must have had some education because his estate included books valued at five pounds, which is larger than most of the inventories I've looked at. He was also selectman for Boston from 1662 through 1670.
Edward's estate was quite large when he died August 16, 1680. It totaled almost 1639 pounds, about half of which was real estate in several different locations. He also had "one negro boy Nat: and one negro girl Nance" included in the inventory.
Edward was many faceted. Elder, selectman, father, fisherman, merchant, ship owner, probably part of the training band, land owner, slave owner, on various committees to set rates, draw up instructions, and so on. He was respected in his town and probably in England, too. I may have passed by his grave at Kings Chapel Burying Grounds in Boston, not knowing at the time that he was an ancestor. But to me, maybe that was his most important role.
The line of descent is:
Edward Rainsford-Elizabeth possibly Dilloe
Ranis (also seen as Uranis) Rainsford-Josiah Belcher
Elizabeth Belcher-John Paine
Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallett
Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
All that is incidental to his post, because so far I have written almost nothing about our links to our royal ancestors. It's enough that we know that Edward is the son of Robert and Mary Kirton Raynsford, and that he was baptized at Staverton, Northampton, England on September 9, 1609. He came to New England as a young man in 1630, probably with the Winthrop Fleet. When his father died, he had left his son 100 pounds, which was a nice sum of money in those days. Edward was an apprentice to Owen Rowe of London, in the Haberdashers (merchants of small wares) Company. So Edward had training as a merchant, and money to get him started, and he shared his master's Puritan views. Those attributes would serve him well in Massachusetts. Edward joined the First Church at Boston shortly after his arrival in Massachusetts Bay Colony, although he wasn't made a freeman until 1637.
By that time Edward had married, buried his first wife but had a daughter (one of twins but her brother died as an infant), and married again. He had also made a trip to England and returned, perhaps to introduce his new wife to his family in England. Her identity is not confirmed but she may have been Elizabeth Dilloe. She was the mother of 11 children.
Fortunately, Edward had the means to support a large family. Although I have seen him described as a fisherman, that may have been his first occupation. He became more of a sea merchant, since at his death he was owner or part owner in at least six shipping vessels, ranging in size from a canoe to a ship. He also owned a warehouse "with privileges", which apparently meant that he had access to the harbor for easy loading and unloading of goods. The warehouse housed both fish and haberdasher goods.
Edward was a deacon of the First Church but was dismissed in 1668 when he did not support Rev. Davenport as minister of the church. He then went to the Third Church when it formed in 1669 and was the Ruling Elder there. He must have had some education because his estate included books valued at five pounds, which is larger than most of the inventories I've looked at. He was also selectman for Boston from 1662 through 1670.
Edward's estate was quite large when he died August 16, 1680. It totaled almost 1639 pounds, about half of which was real estate in several different locations. He also had "one negro boy Nat: and one negro girl Nance" included in the inventory.
Edward was many faceted. Elder, selectman, father, fisherman, merchant, ship owner, probably part of the training band, land owner, slave owner, on various committees to set rates, draw up instructions, and so on. He was respected in his town and probably in England, too. I may have passed by his grave at Kings Chapel Burying Grounds in Boston, not knowing at the time that he was an ancestor. But to me, maybe that was his most important role.
The line of descent is:
Edward Rainsford-Elizabeth possibly Dilloe
Ranis (also seen as Uranis) Rainsford-Josiah Belcher
Elizabeth Belcher-John Paine
Stephen Paine-Sarah Vallett
Stephen Paine-Sarah Thornton
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Holbrook line: Benjamin Hearnden Harrington Herendeen
For simplicity's sake, I'm going to use the spelling Hearnden in this post, but Benjamin's name was spelled in many different ways during his lifetime; he was apparently illiterate as he signed his name with an X on legal documents.
Information abounds about this ancestor, and so do stories that can't be proven. Also people look at the same set of facts and draw different conclusions. So, I'll just say that some people think his parents were James Harrington and Ann Clinton-Fiennes, which lines probably trace back to English nobility. Others say his father was likely Robert Harrington. It is known that James and Ann had a son named Benjamin and that they all came to Boston in 1630. James died in 1630 and Ann in 1632 and Benjamin went to live with an uncle, Charles Clinton-Fiennes. The story goes that Charles was a strict Puritan and Benjamin had become a Baptist. Uncle Charles severely flogged Benjamin for this, and Benjamin then went to Rhode Island. Another story says that when escaping to Rhode Island, Benjamin joined a family of Quakers also enroute to Providence Plantation, and that is how Benjamin met his future wife. These are stories and speculation only, but it seems to be true that Benjamin was a Baptist and Elizabeth White, his wife, was a Quaker. Choose for yourself how much of the story, or which stories, you want to believe.
What is well documented is that Benjamin had some run ins with the law in Massachusetts. There was a man of his name presented in court in Lynn, Massachusetts for beating his wife in 1647. It appears that this was about the same time that the Hearnden's moved to Rhode Island, although it is possible that they shuttled from Lynn to Providence and back again for a few years, while they were establishing crops in Providence to support themselves, and while there was work for a bricklayer (Benjamin's occupation) in Massachusetts. He took the oath of allegiance in Providence in 1648, and received a land grant in 1651, which may have been the first time he was old enough to receive a grant. He acquired several more plots of land during his lifetime, so that he was able to pass land on to each of his surviving sons.
Benjamin and Elizabeth each seem to have had difficulties with their neighbors. Elizabeth was found guilty of stealing clothing from Mary Pray, the wife of Richard Pray. (Elizabeth would marry Richard Pray as his second wife after Benjamin's death, so it's hard to figure out what was going on here). Elizabeth's family received a house lot next to that of Benjamin and Elizabeth, and there were court proceedings involving altercations between the two families. At another time, Benjamin was charged with inciting an Indian to kill John Clawson. John Clawson was killed by the Indian and the Indian was executed for it, but Benjamin was acquitted of being an accessory to the crime.
Benjamin had several dealings with our ancestor Roger Williams, and one writer says the two families were related. Another writer hints that it was Clawson that was Benjamin's relation. I've not found anything to connect Benjamin to either family, except as neighbors.
Benjamin died between February 1686/87 and May 17, 1687. His estate was probated about a year later and was valued at either 42 pounds and change, or 142 pounds and change (two different amounts reported and I've not yet found the original to judge for myself). His estate included the typical farm animals and implements as well as land. As mentioned above, Elizabeth married Richard Pray for her second husband. Benjamin and Elizabeth had nine children together, all adults by the time their father died.
It's an interesting couple. Benjamin was a Baptist with a not totally savory reputation, and Elizabeth was a Quaker who perhaps made little defense when charged with stealing clothes from the first wife of her second husband. It would be interesting to hear their sides of these issues. It would also be interesting to know what their reputation was in Providence. I'd also like to know whether it was Benjamin, or Benjamin Jr who participated in King Philip's War. (It appears that the Herendens did leave Providence when the town was burned, but returned fairly soon after.) Either way, I wonder what Elizabeth thought of her husband or son participating in war.
Our line of descent is:
Benjamin Hearnden-Elizabeth White
Alice Hearnden-Daniel Brown
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown (yes, cousins)
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Information abounds about this ancestor, and so do stories that can't be proven. Also people look at the same set of facts and draw different conclusions. So, I'll just say that some people think his parents were James Harrington and Ann Clinton-Fiennes, which lines probably trace back to English nobility. Others say his father was likely Robert Harrington. It is known that James and Ann had a son named Benjamin and that they all came to Boston in 1630. James died in 1630 and Ann in 1632 and Benjamin went to live with an uncle, Charles Clinton-Fiennes. The story goes that Charles was a strict Puritan and Benjamin had become a Baptist. Uncle Charles severely flogged Benjamin for this, and Benjamin then went to Rhode Island. Another story says that when escaping to Rhode Island, Benjamin joined a family of Quakers also enroute to Providence Plantation, and that is how Benjamin met his future wife. These are stories and speculation only, but it seems to be true that Benjamin was a Baptist and Elizabeth White, his wife, was a Quaker. Choose for yourself how much of the story, or which stories, you want to believe.
What is well documented is that Benjamin had some run ins with the law in Massachusetts. There was a man of his name presented in court in Lynn, Massachusetts for beating his wife in 1647. It appears that this was about the same time that the Hearnden's moved to Rhode Island, although it is possible that they shuttled from Lynn to Providence and back again for a few years, while they were establishing crops in Providence to support themselves, and while there was work for a bricklayer (Benjamin's occupation) in Massachusetts. He took the oath of allegiance in Providence in 1648, and received a land grant in 1651, which may have been the first time he was old enough to receive a grant. He acquired several more plots of land during his lifetime, so that he was able to pass land on to each of his surviving sons.
Benjamin and Elizabeth each seem to have had difficulties with their neighbors. Elizabeth was found guilty of stealing clothing from Mary Pray, the wife of Richard Pray. (Elizabeth would marry Richard Pray as his second wife after Benjamin's death, so it's hard to figure out what was going on here). Elizabeth's family received a house lot next to that of Benjamin and Elizabeth, and there were court proceedings involving altercations between the two families. At another time, Benjamin was charged with inciting an Indian to kill John Clawson. John Clawson was killed by the Indian and the Indian was executed for it, but Benjamin was acquitted of being an accessory to the crime.
Benjamin had several dealings with our ancestor Roger Williams, and one writer says the two families were related. Another writer hints that it was Clawson that was Benjamin's relation. I've not found anything to connect Benjamin to either family, except as neighbors.
Benjamin died between February 1686/87 and May 17, 1687. His estate was probated about a year later and was valued at either 42 pounds and change, or 142 pounds and change (two different amounts reported and I've not yet found the original to judge for myself). His estate included the typical farm animals and implements as well as land. As mentioned above, Elizabeth married Richard Pray for her second husband. Benjamin and Elizabeth had nine children together, all adults by the time their father died.
It's an interesting couple. Benjamin was a Baptist with a not totally savory reputation, and Elizabeth was a Quaker who perhaps made little defense when charged with stealing clothes from the first wife of her second husband. It would be interesting to hear their sides of these issues. It would also be interesting to know what their reputation was in Providence. I'd also like to know whether it was Benjamin, or Benjamin Jr who participated in King Philip's War. (It appears that the Herendens did leave Providence when the town was burned, but returned fairly soon after.) Either way, I wonder what Elizabeth thought of her husband or son participating in war.
Our line of descent is:
Benjamin Hearnden-Elizabeth White
Alice Hearnden-Daniel Brown
Hosanna Brown-Mary Hawkins
Othniel Brown-Deborah Brown (yes, cousins)
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Friday, December 14, 2018
Holbrook line: Richard Harding, Immigrant
Richard Harding is an immigrant. We know that because he died in Braintree, Massachusetts on December 27, 1657, a few days after writing his will there. That's pretty much the one sure thing we know about him. The rest of what I will write is information, or possibly speculation, that I can't document.
Richard is thought to have been born in 1587 in Boreham, Devonshire, England to John and Mary Greene Harding. The family later moved to Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, perhaps. Richard was one of several children, but he isn't mentioned in the will of his fagther. He was already in America when his father died, so it is quite possible that he had already received what would have been his inheritance, perhaps as a gift to help Richard get settled here.
Richard is supposed to have arrived in 1623 with a wife and an infant son. The "infant" son may have been John, was was born about 1620, or it may have been Stephen, our ancestor, who was born in 1623, believed to have been born in America. Richard made his living as a mariner and fisherman, living not far from Weymouth Landing. It would have been very difficult for Richard's wife to stay at home with two small children while Richard was at sea.
We don't know what kind of house Richard had, but it's speculated that he lived on land given him by his aunt's husband, Sir Robert Gorges. Sir Robert had been given the land in an effort to plant a colony there. Richard evidently lived there all his life. A confusing statement is that he helped settle Rhode Island and was a follower and supporter of Roger Williams. Richard was granted freeman status in 1648 in Massachusetts, so it's hard to imagine that he also was supporting Roger Williams, who had been banished to what became Rhode Island in 1636.
This is as much as I know, think I know, or have my doubts about, Richard Harding. Definitely he was here, and it's highly likely he was the father of Stephen Harding. Beyond that, I have no documentation. He isn't mentioned in any of the Great Migrations literature, that I've found. So take it with a grain of salt, and if you know something contrary to what I've said, or supporting it, with documentation, please let me know!
The line of descent is:
Richard Harding-unknown first wife
Stephen Harding-Bridget Estance
Abraham Harding-Deborah Gardner
Mercy Harding-Samuel Winsor
Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson
Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Richard is thought to have been born in 1587 in Boreham, Devonshire, England to John and Mary Greene Harding. The family later moved to Northampton, Northamptonshire, England, perhaps. Richard was one of several children, but he isn't mentioned in the will of his fagther. He was already in America when his father died, so it is quite possible that he had already received what would have been his inheritance, perhaps as a gift to help Richard get settled here.
Richard is supposed to have arrived in 1623 with a wife and an infant son. The "infant" son may have been John, was was born about 1620, or it may have been Stephen, our ancestor, who was born in 1623, believed to have been born in America. Richard made his living as a mariner and fisherman, living not far from Weymouth Landing. It would have been very difficult for Richard's wife to stay at home with two small children while Richard was at sea.
We don't know what kind of house Richard had, but it's speculated that he lived on land given him by his aunt's husband, Sir Robert Gorges. Sir Robert had been given the land in an effort to plant a colony there. Richard evidently lived there all his life. A confusing statement is that he helped settle Rhode Island and was a follower and supporter of Roger Williams. Richard was granted freeman status in 1648 in Massachusetts, so it's hard to imagine that he also was supporting Roger Williams, who had been banished to what became Rhode Island in 1636.
This is as much as I know, think I know, or have my doubts about, Richard Harding. Definitely he was here, and it's highly likely he was the father of Stephen Harding. Beyond that, I have no documentation. He isn't mentioned in any of the Great Migrations literature, that I've found. So take it with a grain of salt, and if you know something contrary to what I've said, or supporting it, with documentation, please let me know!
The line of descent is:
Richard Harding-unknown first wife
Stephen Harding-Bridget Estance
Abraham Harding-Deborah Gardner
Mercy Harding-Samuel Winsor
Joseph Winsor-Deborah Mathewson
Lillis Winsor-Nathan Paine
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thomas Savory, maybe an immigrant?
This is more of a plea for help than a blog post, actually. I've had such difficulty in pinning this man down that about all I can write about him will be theories and speculation. The one thing I am reasonably certain of is that he married Mary (Marie) Woodcock (Woororke, or something similar) on January 26, 1595 in Hannington, Wiltshire, England. This would probably make his birth date sometime in the early 1570's but that is really just a guess. I show on my tree that his parents were Robert and Joan Savory, but I haven't seen good documentation for that and so I regard it merely as speculation. Robert and Joan did have a child named Thomas in that time period and location, but so did at least one other couple, so I say "show me".
We don't know when he came to America. In fact, there are those who don't think he came to America at all. Because his daughter was Elizabeth Savory who married Samuel Eddy in Massachusetts Bay Colony, I lean toward the idea that he was here but I have no proof. He most likely is not the Thomas who came to America in 1633, and neither is he the one who came on the Mary and John in 1634.
There is even considerable dispute about his children. Some lists do not include Elizabeth, but she does seem to fit in this family, due to her birth date of May 1607, between two of her brothers. It's possible that Elizabeth came to America without her parents, but no proof has been found.
So Thomas is a mystery, and I'm asking for help in finding him. If he came to America, he deserves recognition. If he didn't come to America, then how did Elizabeth get here, and were Thomas and Mary her parents?
This blog post is written as quite evident proof that there is much more to be learn about our ancestors. Did Thomas come to America and possibly live just a short time? Did he stay in England and perhaps perish in the Civil War there? Did he die on board ship? How did he stay under the radar for so long? I hope to update this blog post at some point in the future, but let this be evidence that finding accurate information about our ancestors is difficult!
The (supposed) line of descent is:
Thomas Savory-Mary Woodcocke
Elizabeth Savory-Samuel Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zechariah Eddy-Anphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
We don't know when he came to America. In fact, there are those who don't think he came to America at all. Because his daughter was Elizabeth Savory who married Samuel Eddy in Massachusetts Bay Colony, I lean toward the idea that he was here but I have no proof. He most likely is not the Thomas who came to America in 1633, and neither is he the one who came on the Mary and John in 1634.
There is even considerable dispute about his children. Some lists do not include Elizabeth, but she does seem to fit in this family, due to her birth date of May 1607, between two of her brothers. It's possible that Elizabeth came to America without her parents, but no proof has been found.
So Thomas is a mystery, and I'm asking for help in finding him. If he came to America, he deserves recognition. If he didn't come to America, then how did Elizabeth get here, and were Thomas and Mary her parents?
This blog post is written as quite evident proof that there is much more to be learn about our ancestors. Did Thomas come to America and possibly live just a short time? Did he stay in England and perhaps perish in the Civil War there? Did he die on board ship? How did he stay under the radar for so long? I hope to update this blog post at some point in the future, but let this be evidence that finding accurate information about our ancestors is difficult!
The (supposed) line of descent is:
Thomas Savory-Mary Woodcocke
Elizabeth Savory-Samuel Eddy
Zechariah Eddy-Alice Paddock
Zechariah Eddy-Anphillis Smith
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phettiplace
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Holbrook line: Henry Brown, Immigrant
I've written earlier of Henry Brown's parents, William and Jane Mills or possibly Burgis of Rusper, Sussex, England. Henry was one of their seven children and was christened on December 28, 1626. Henry was with his parents on the voyage to America in 1645, when his mother and a sibling died during the ocean crossing. Henry was just 18 years old, and now he would have to help his father settle, as well as his two remaining sibilings. William settled on Long Island but Henry went to Providence, Rhode Island. This leads me to wonder what his religious beliefs were, and whether he was more comfortable under the religious freedom that Rhode Island offered, or whether his reason for going there was something entirely different.
Henry probably had received a good education in England, as his grandfather was a pastor. From the number of offices Henry held as an adult it is apparent that he also was regarded as a man of common sense. He was made a freeman in 1655, and at various times from 1656 to 1684 he was commissioner, constable, on the grand jury, town treasurer, deputy, assistant, and on the town council. It appears that he left his home in 1675 or 1676, during King Philip's War. He would have been about 50 years old, so possibly he served in the militia during that time although I haven't found his name on a militia list. He may have aged out by the time of the war.
He married Waite Waterman, the daughter of Richard and Bethiah Waite Waterman probably before 1670. He sold a house, one of the original home lots that had already been through several owners, in 1668 so it's possible this was in preparation for his marriage. Or perhaps Waite didn't care for the location for some reason. It was at almost the very north end of town and she may have wanted to live closer to her parents, who were aging.
Henry and Waite had at least five children, including son Richard who was born in 1676. Waite died sometime in or before 1682, leaving a family of young children. Henry remarried in 1682 to Hannah Field Mathewson, daughter of John Field and widow of James Mathewson. They had one child together.
We know that Henry was taxed at a rate of 8 shillings in 1687 and was on the list of those from whom a poll tax was due in 1688. After that, there is little notice of Henry in the records I've consulted.
He wrote his will on September 22, 1698 and was dead by February 20, 1702/03, when the will was probated. Unfortunately, I've not found a copy of the will, which I would dearly love to see. Did he love books as much as his father did? What religion did he profess? How had he made a living all these years? And was he a happy man? All we really know is that he was well respected in the community, and that he had a wife, and children. Yet, he is part of our family and we can respect him, just as his community did.
The line of descent is:
Henry Brown-Waite Waterman
Richard Brown-Mary Pray
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy=Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Henry probably had received a good education in England, as his grandfather was a pastor. From the number of offices Henry held as an adult it is apparent that he also was regarded as a man of common sense. He was made a freeman in 1655, and at various times from 1656 to 1684 he was commissioner, constable, on the grand jury, town treasurer, deputy, assistant, and on the town council. It appears that he left his home in 1675 or 1676, during King Philip's War. He would have been about 50 years old, so possibly he served in the militia during that time although I haven't found his name on a militia list. He may have aged out by the time of the war.
He married Waite Waterman, the daughter of Richard and Bethiah Waite Waterman probably before 1670. He sold a house, one of the original home lots that had already been through several owners, in 1668 so it's possible this was in preparation for his marriage. Or perhaps Waite didn't care for the location for some reason. It was at almost the very north end of town and she may have wanted to live closer to her parents, who were aging.
Henry and Waite had at least five children, including son Richard who was born in 1676. Waite died sometime in or before 1682, leaving a family of young children. Henry remarried in 1682 to Hannah Field Mathewson, daughter of John Field and widow of James Mathewson. They had one child together.
We know that Henry was taxed at a rate of 8 shillings in 1687 and was on the list of those from whom a poll tax was due in 1688. After that, there is little notice of Henry in the records I've consulted.
He wrote his will on September 22, 1698 and was dead by February 20, 1702/03, when the will was probated. Unfortunately, I've not found a copy of the will, which I would dearly love to see. Did he love books as much as his father did? What religion did he profess? How had he made a living all these years? And was he a happy man? All we really know is that he was well respected in the community, and that he had a wife, and children. Yet, he is part of our family and we can respect him, just as his community did.
The line of descent is:
Henry Brown-Waite Waterman
Richard Brown-Mary Pray
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy=Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 2, 2018
John Page 1586-1676 Immigrant
Recently I broke through a "brick wall" and here is the first of what I hope will eventually be several blog posts about our "new" ancestors. I was hoping to find an inspiring story about this man, about how he started from nothing and became a respected member of society, or maybe how he was already a respected member of society when he arrived here. Sadly, neither situation seems to be the case. John Page was a man with faults, perhaps more faults than some of our other ancestors. His family here appears to be somewhat dysfunctional. It's not really the kind of post I like to write. But here it is.
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Richard Pray, Immigrant 1630-1693
Update: After consideration, I've re-worded a couple of sentences in the blog regarding the physical fights that this couple had. I may have given the impression, by using words from some of the records, that Mary may have brought some abuse on herself. I've been asked by someone I love and respect to remove that wording, and so I have tried to clarify each person's role in their lose-lose situation. Of course, without being in the room with them, we will never know all that went on in their home but it's fair to draw a picture without drawing a conclusion.
This blog post may or may not be something you want to read. If you imagine that all our ancestors were devout Christians who kept a civil tongue in their head and treated their families with great love and respect, you may not want to read this post. If, however, you are of the belief that it's a good thing to know about all our ancestors, warts and all, read on. And if you like scandal, this is the post for you!
Richard Pray is generally accepted to be the son of Quentin and Joan Valliance Pray, of Frant, Sussex, England, although these doesn't seem to be documentation for his birth. Likely this means he was baptized somewhere else, perhaps in an ancestral church elsewhere, but it sure would be nice to find his baptismal record. Actually, his baptism may be one of the few times he was ever in church, or maybe I'm not giving the man the breaks he deserves. We don't know for sure when he came to America but it was after 1635, as neither he nor his father is listed in those papers. Many websites say his place of birth was Kittery, York, Maine, but that seems unlikely.
According to his testimony in a court case in 1685, he was 55 years old at the time, so was likely born about 1630, give or take a year or two. We don't know for sure when he married, or whom, but her name was Mary and she was the mother of his children. This was not a loving couple, but she seems to have started as many fights as he did. She also seems to have suffered injuries more often and more serious than he did. At any rate, the two did not get along, and by 1671 one of them requested a divorce. It was granted, but a higher court nullified the decision. The request was made again in 1672 and denied. These two people, both of them apparently victims of both physical and verbal abuse, would have to live out their marriage vows, although not necessarily in the same location.
Locations are confusing for me, regarding Richard Pray. He was supposedly an early settler of Rhode Island, in 1645, but he would have been only about fifteen at the time. How did that happen? He was involved in several court cases in Salem, fined there for swearing, and appointed in 1655 by the court of commissioners to keep a house of entertainment, with a sign to be posted outside to advise strangers. I am not sure whether this was in Massachusetts, or in Rhode Island.
We know he was in Rhode Island in 1675-1676, as he is noted as being one of the few people to "stay and not go" during King Philip's War. This gave him some leverage when native Americans captured in the war were sold as slaves, as he received a share of the profits. (I know, I know, this is bad and unacceptable, but it's a fact so it needs to be told. Wife abuser, slave trader or slave holder, or both, I'm telling it like it is, but not liking it.)
In 1681, Mary, Richard's wife, was given a license (no location given) to keep a public house of entertainment for one year. Again, no location was given. Were they in the same town, or were they separated by many miles? Mary was dead when Richard married his second wife, Elizabeth White Hearnden, widow of Benjamin Hearnden. (Benjamin Hearnden and Elizabeth are also our ancestors, just to keep things interesting.) Did Richard finally find true love? Did Elizabeth go into this relationship with her eyes wide open? Enquiring minds want to know.
Richard died in Providence, Rhode Island sometime in 1693. He had sold or given his small amount of land to his son Ephraim before his death. We don't know how or if the other children were acknowledged, or what provisions were made for Elizabeth, since I've been unable to locate a copy of his will.
There is so much I'd like to know about Richard. Since his first marriage was such a disaster, what made his willing to try it again? Was Elizabeth a different kind of person than Mary had been? What about Mary? Did she find love, or at least friendship, with anyone? How did the children turn out, living in a home where the parents fought so much? Where was Richard from, and was his father really Quentin Pray? And why did he stay in Providence, having received warning that the natives were planning to burn that village? Maybe he wasn't the kind of ancestor we would want to claim, but here he is, folks, larger than life, warts, crimes, and all. If I ever learn that the records are mixed up and our Richard Pray was not the kind of man this blog post portrays, I sure will be happy to correct the record!
The line of descent is:
Richard Pray-Mary
John Pray-Sarah Brown
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
This blog post may or may not be something you want to read. If you imagine that all our ancestors were devout Christians who kept a civil tongue in their head and treated their families with great love and respect, you may not want to read this post. If, however, you are of the belief that it's a good thing to know about all our ancestors, warts and all, read on. And if you like scandal, this is the post for you!
Richard Pray is generally accepted to be the son of Quentin and Joan Valliance Pray, of Frant, Sussex, England, although these doesn't seem to be documentation for his birth. Likely this means he was baptized somewhere else, perhaps in an ancestral church elsewhere, but it sure would be nice to find his baptismal record. Actually, his baptism may be one of the few times he was ever in church, or maybe I'm not giving the man the breaks he deserves. We don't know for sure when he came to America but it was after 1635, as neither he nor his father is listed in those papers. Many websites say his place of birth was Kittery, York, Maine, but that seems unlikely.
According to his testimony in a court case in 1685, he was 55 years old at the time, so was likely born about 1630, give or take a year or two. We don't know for sure when he married, or whom, but her name was Mary and she was the mother of his children. This was not a loving couple, but she seems to have started as many fights as he did. She also seems to have suffered injuries more often and more serious than he did. At any rate, the two did not get along, and by 1671 one of them requested a divorce. It was granted, but a higher court nullified the decision. The request was made again in 1672 and denied. These two people, both of them apparently victims of both physical and verbal abuse, would have to live out their marriage vows, although not necessarily in the same location.
Locations are confusing for me, regarding Richard Pray. He was supposedly an early settler of Rhode Island, in 1645, but he would have been only about fifteen at the time. How did that happen? He was involved in several court cases in Salem, fined there for swearing, and appointed in 1655 by the court of commissioners to keep a house of entertainment, with a sign to be posted outside to advise strangers. I am not sure whether this was in Massachusetts, or in Rhode Island.
We know he was in Rhode Island in 1675-1676, as he is noted as being one of the few people to "stay and not go" during King Philip's War. This gave him some leverage when native Americans captured in the war were sold as slaves, as he received a share of the profits. (I know, I know, this is bad and unacceptable, but it's a fact so it needs to be told. Wife abuser, slave trader or slave holder, or both, I'm telling it like it is, but not liking it.)
In 1681, Mary, Richard's wife, was given a license (no location given) to keep a public house of entertainment for one year. Again, no location was given. Were they in the same town, or were they separated by many miles? Mary was dead when Richard married his second wife, Elizabeth White Hearnden, widow of Benjamin Hearnden. (Benjamin Hearnden and Elizabeth are also our ancestors, just to keep things interesting.) Did Richard finally find true love? Did Elizabeth go into this relationship with her eyes wide open? Enquiring minds want to know.
Richard died in Providence, Rhode Island sometime in 1693. He had sold or given his small amount of land to his son Ephraim before his death. We don't know how or if the other children were acknowledged, or what provisions were made for Elizabeth, since I've been unable to locate a copy of his will.
There is so much I'd like to know about Richard. Since his first marriage was such a disaster, what made his willing to try it again? Was Elizabeth a different kind of person than Mary had been? What about Mary? Did she find love, or at least friendship, with anyone? How did the children turn out, living in a home where the parents fought so much? Where was Richard from, and was his father really Quentin Pray? And why did he stay in Providence, having received warning that the natives were planning to burn that village? Maybe he wasn't the kind of ancestor we would want to claim, but here he is, folks, larger than life, warts, crimes, and all. If I ever learn that the records are mixed up and our Richard Pray was not the kind of man this blog post portrays, I sure will be happy to correct the record!
The line of descent is:
Richard Pray-Mary
John Pray-Sarah Brown
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Holbrook line: John Johnson of Roxbury, Immigrant
It doesn't help matters at all that we have at least two ancestors named John Johnson on our tree. For a long time, I've been reluctant to write about this one because I thought it was possible that I had the two men confused on my tree. However, I've been thrilled to find, and finally read, a book called "The Biography and Genealogy of Captain John Johnson from Roxbury, Massachusetts: An Uncommon Man in the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1630-1659" by Gerald Garth Johnson, whom I assume would be a distant cousin of ours. The book was published by Heritage Books in 2008, so the scholarship is recent. As my son and my sister would say "Cool beans!"
To give the bare facts, we don't know for sure where John Johnson was born nor whom his parents were, but it appears likely that he was from the area of Great Amwell or Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary Heath, at Ware in 1613, so he was likely born sometime around 1590, give or take a few years. He seems to have learned to read, write, and "cipher" as a child but there is no evidence for that except that he possessed these skills in his adult life. He was a Puritan, probably deeply religious, and he had ten children before he came to America, unfortunately without Mary. She died in 1629 and John Johnson came to Massachusetts on the Arabella, with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. He was the quartermaster for the ship, meaning he was responsible for providing and rationing food for the trip across the ocean, and perhaps for a time when the ship landed. Only six or perhaps seven of the children were still living, and we don't know whether all of the children came with him or whether some were on other ships of the same fleet, Mary, the oldest, would have been just sixteen, which perhaps was considered old enough to watch over the other children while on the trip.
Not much is known of Johnson's life in England but somewhere he must have acquired the skills and abilities that allowed him to become prominent in the life of Roxbury. He apparently went to the new village as soon as he landed, and was part of the town's development for the rest of his life. He was referred to as a yeoman, so he had little status coming to town but soon was respected by all Among his accomplishments, he was a selectman for most of his life there. He served as constable for many, many years. He was "Surveyor-General of the Arms" for the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony , as well as Captain of the Roxbury Military Company and clerk of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. (He had likely been a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, but the identification is not certain).
Johnson was frequently called on to witness wills or to inventory estates, as well as to represent townspeople as attorney or power of attorney. As a Puritan in a Puritan town, he helped found the first church and may have helped to construct the first meeting house. He donated toward the establishment of the first school in Roxbury. As Surveyor-General, he helped build bridges and decide boundaries, including settling disputes, or what could have become disputes, between neighboring towns.
Are you impressed yet? He did all this while raising his family, running a farm, and owning a tavern in Roxbury. He was a land owner and a land dealer, providing for farms for two sons as well as selling land for profit. John did have some help. He married for the second time, to a woman named Margery, probably about 1633. but possibly before coming to America to 1630. Margery died and Johnson then married Grace Negus Fawer before October 14, 1656. (She was either childless or had no surviving children when she died in 1671, since she left her estate to her two brothers). So on top of all that he did for the community, the church, and the colony, Johnson was also a family man. He may have had step children, although none were mentioned in his will.
John Johnson died September 30, 1659. The book I referred to earlier gives his complete will and an inventory several pages in length. His estate was valued at about 668 pounds, and the inventory shows many more items than were typical in a New England household in 1659. This is even more remarkable because Johnson's house, including town and military records and the town's ammunition, burned to the ground in 1645. Johnson had quickly replaced everything of the household that was destroyed, and possibly more besides.
The author is certainly proud of John Johnson and I think we should be, too. He was respected in his time both for the work he did and for the results, as he was regarded as successful. I'd love to learn more about him but this is so much more than I expected to find, that I am truly grateful for this book. If you want to learn more about John Johnson, or about Puritans in general, you couldn't do better than to read this book!
The line of descent is:
John Johnson-Mary Heath
Mary Johnson-Roger Mowry
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
To give the bare facts, we don't know for sure where John Johnson was born nor whom his parents were, but it appears likely that he was from the area of Great Amwell or Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary Heath, at Ware in 1613, so he was likely born sometime around 1590, give or take a few years. He seems to have learned to read, write, and "cipher" as a child but there is no evidence for that except that he possessed these skills in his adult life. He was a Puritan, probably deeply religious, and he had ten children before he came to America, unfortunately without Mary. She died in 1629 and John Johnson came to Massachusetts on the Arabella, with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. He was the quartermaster for the ship, meaning he was responsible for providing and rationing food for the trip across the ocean, and perhaps for a time when the ship landed. Only six or perhaps seven of the children were still living, and we don't know whether all of the children came with him or whether some were on other ships of the same fleet, Mary, the oldest, would have been just sixteen, which perhaps was considered old enough to watch over the other children while on the trip.
Not much is known of Johnson's life in England but somewhere he must have acquired the skills and abilities that allowed him to become prominent in the life of Roxbury. He apparently went to the new village as soon as he landed, and was part of the town's development for the rest of his life. He was referred to as a yeoman, so he had little status coming to town but soon was respected by all Among his accomplishments, he was a selectman for most of his life there. He served as constable for many, many years. He was "Surveyor-General of the Arms" for the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony , as well as Captain of the Roxbury Military Company and clerk of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. (He had likely been a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, but the identification is not certain).
Johnson was frequently called on to witness wills or to inventory estates, as well as to represent townspeople as attorney or power of attorney. As a Puritan in a Puritan town, he helped found the first church and may have helped to construct the first meeting house. He donated toward the establishment of the first school in Roxbury. As Surveyor-General, he helped build bridges and decide boundaries, including settling disputes, or what could have become disputes, between neighboring towns.
Are you impressed yet? He did all this while raising his family, running a farm, and owning a tavern in Roxbury. He was a land owner and a land dealer, providing for farms for two sons as well as selling land for profit. John did have some help. He married for the second time, to a woman named Margery, probably about 1633. but possibly before coming to America to 1630. Margery died and Johnson then married Grace Negus Fawer before October 14, 1656. (She was either childless or had no surviving children when she died in 1671, since she left her estate to her two brothers). So on top of all that he did for the community, the church, and the colony, Johnson was also a family man. He may have had step children, although none were mentioned in his will.
John Johnson died September 30, 1659. The book I referred to earlier gives his complete will and an inventory several pages in length. His estate was valued at about 668 pounds, and the inventory shows many more items than were typical in a New England household in 1659. This is even more remarkable because Johnson's house, including town and military records and the town's ammunition, burned to the ground in 1645. Johnson had quickly replaced everything of the household that was destroyed, and possibly more besides.
The author is certainly proud of John Johnson and I think we should be, too. He was respected in his time both for the work he did and for the results, as he was regarded as successful. I'd love to learn more about him but this is so much more than I expected to find, that I am truly grateful for this book. If you want to learn more about John Johnson, or about Puritans in general, you couldn't do better than to read this book!
The line of descent is:
John Johnson-Mary Heath
Mary Johnson-Roger Mowry
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, June 15, 2018
Holbrook line: Richard Waterman, Immigrant
By now, you've noticed that I find most of our ancestors to be fascinating people. Richard Waterman also falls in that category, I think because he is just a little bit different from many of our New England ancestors. We don't know his origins nor do we know more than the name of his wife, which was Bethiah.
The first thing we know actually raises more questions. Richard arrived in Salem, Massachusetts on June 16, 1629, having been sent there as a hunter by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. So, how did he become a hunter? What experience did he have, and where did he get it? Was there enough call for a hunter in Salem that he could make a living? Or was he one of our first frontiersmen, shooting animals for their furs? We do know he killed a wolf in 1632 but we don't have any further knowledge about his success, or lack thereof.
We don't know when he and Bethiah married. It may have been early in 1629, before Richard came to America, or it may have been a shipboard romance. My feeling is that there wouldn't have been enough time for him to have met, courted, and married in Salem, and given time for their first child, Mehitabel, to have been born "about" 1630. Of course, if that guess for a date is off then maybe the marriage did happen here. The Watermans had three more children, Waite, Resolved, and Nathaniel. Some sites also give a son Joseph but the sources I've found don't support that.
Richard was likely a member of the Salem church because his son Nathaniel was baptized there in August of 1637. However, he became a supporter of Roger Williams during the times Roger lived in Salem, and when Roger was banished, he soon sought and was given permission to follow Roger into Rhode Island. In fact, Waterman was invited to leave on March 12, 1637/38, with the other followers of Roger Williams. Once in Providence, he settled down again. He had a house lot located between those of Francis Weston and Ezekiel Holyman, and acquired other land besides.
He also seems to have been caught up in the "Gorton controversy", which I don't pretend to understand. Mr. Gorton was of strong religious beliefs, and was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1644. So was Richard Waterman. He seems to have been imprisoned and tried more for political than religious reasons, although he was a strong supporter of Warwick, where Mr. Gorton settled, and owned land there. Opinions differ as to whether he actually moved his family therfe, but Robert Charles Anderson seems to think he lived in Warwick for about four years, from 1666 to 1670.
In Salem, he had had little to do with the government, perhaps because he was out hunting for much of the time. However, in Providence, he was on the committee to establish colony government, and served as the Commissioner for Providence to the Rhode Island Court on at least 10 occasions. He was also a selectman and a magistrate, and served on several juries.
Savage says that he was chosen colonel of the militia, which would be a high honor and responsibility. It may be that he was chosen partly for his woodsmen skills, but he also seems to have been a leader as well.
Richard died at Providence October 26, 1673 and Bethiah died December 3, 1680. He left a will naming his heirs and granting his lands to them but the will was burned when the native Americans attacked and burned Providence during King Philip's War. Bethiah would have lived through that war, and it would be interesting to know how she survived, and with whom she lived after the war. She would have been perhaps 75 years old at the time of her death.
Richard is interesting because of the connection with Roger Williams, and his later support of Mr. Gorton, because he was a hunter by trade, because he survived several months in a Massachusetts prison, and because he was respected so much although it appears that he had very little, if any, formal education. He was a remarkable man.
Our line of descent is
Richard Waterman-Bethiah
Waite Waterman-Henry Brown
Richard Brown=Mary Pray
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Richard was also the father in law of Mercy Williams, who married Resolved Waterman and then Samuel Winsor. Our line goes through Samuel.
The first thing we know actually raises more questions. Richard arrived in Salem, Massachusetts on June 16, 1629, having been sent there as a hunter by the Massachusetts Bay Colony. So, how did he become a hunter? What experience did he have, and where did he get it? Was there enough call for a hunter in Salem that he could make a living? Or was he one of our first frontiersmen, shooting animals for their furs? We do know he killed a wolf in 1632 but we don't have any further knowledge about his success, or lack thereof.
We don't know when he and Bethiah married. It may have been early in 1629, before Richard came to America, or it may have been a shipboard romance. My feeling is that there wouldn't have been enough time for him to have met, courted, and married in Salem, and given time for their first child, Mehitabel, to have been born "about" 1630. Of course, if that guess for a date is off then maybe the marriage did happen here. The Watermans had three more children, Waite, Resolved, and Nathaniel. Some sites also give a son Joseph but the sources I've found don't support that.
Richard was likely a member of the Salem church because his son Nathaniel was baptized there in August of 1637. However, he became a supporter of Roger Williams during the times Roger lived in Salem, and when Roger was banished, he soon sought and was given permission to follow Roger into Rhode Island. In fact, Waterman was invited to leave on March 12, 1637/38, with the other followers of Roger Williams. Once in Providence, he settled down again. He had a house lot located between those of Francis Weston and Ezekiel Holyman, and acquired other land besides.
He also seems to have been caught up in the "Gorton controversy", which I don't pretend to understand. Mr. Gorton was of strong religious beliefs, and was banished from Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1644. So was Richard Waterman. He seems to have been imprisoned and tried more for political than religious reasons, although he was a strong supporter of Warwick, where Mr. Gorton settled, and owned land there. Opinions differ as to whether he actually moved his family therfe, but Robert Charles Anderson seems to think he lived in Warwick for about four years, from 1666 to 1670.
In Salem, he had had little to do with the government, perhaps because he was out hunting for much of the time. However, in Providence, he was on the committee to establish colony government, and served as the Commissioner for Providence to the Rhode Island Court on at least 10 occasions. He was also a selectman and a magistrate, and served on several juries.
Savage says that he was chosen colonel of the militia, which would be a high honor and responsibility. It may be that he was chosen partly for his woodsmen skills, but he also seems to have been a leader as well.
Richard died at Providence October 26, 1673 and Bethiah died December 3, 1680. He left a will naming his heirs and granting his lands to them but the will was burned when the native Americans attacked and burned Providence during King Philip's War. Bethiah would have lived through that war, and it would be interesting to know how she survived, and with whom she lived after the war. She would have been perhaps 75 years old at the time of her death.
Richard is interesting because of the connection with Roger Williams, and his later support of Mr. Gorton, because he was a hunter by trade, because he survived several months in a Massachusetts prison, and because he was respected so much although it appears that he had very little, if any, formal education. He was a remarkable man.
Our line of descent is
Richard Waterman-Bethiah
Waite Waterman-Henry Brown
Richard Brown=Mary Pray
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Richard was also the father in law of Mercy Williams, who married Resolved Waterman and then Samuel Winsor. Our line goes through Samuel.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Holbrook line: John Thornton, Immigrant
John Thornton is another problem ancestor. There are at least three John Thorntons who could be our immigrant ancestsor, with birthdates ranging from 1591 to 1614 to 1634. I believe our immigrant is probably the John Thornton who was born about 1591 in Coggeshall, Essex, England, because in 1639 there is a John Thornton "in the employ of" John Coggeshall, at Providence, Rhode Island. I think it's quite possible that our John came as an indentured servant to John, although that is not the only explanation.
John Thornton, probably our John, married Joane Linch on April 4, 1627 at St George the Martyr Church in Southwark, Surrey, England. This would put this couple of the right age to be parents for our second John, who was born about 1634, and who married Sarah Thurston.
John Thornton received 10 acres of land in Newport in 1639, and was one of the twelve founding members of the First Baptist Church there in 1648. That brings us to another issue. I have found John Thornton listed as "John Thornton, DD", but I can't find records of university matriculation. I tend to think the "DD" attribution is an error, but if someone has additional information I will happily reconsider.
And here the fun starts. John the older seems to have died about 1648 and Joane about 1650, yet many of the following records are applied to the older man. John was made a freeman in 1655. The younger John would have been 21, so technically eligible for freemanship, and if John the older was gone, then it would almost have to be John who married Sarah who was a freeman. He paid taxes in 1679, by which time he had moved to Providence, and was a deputy to the general assembly in 1680. In 1683 he sold 100 acres and commonage to his son, Solomon, and in 1686 sold 100 ares to his son John. In 1692 he deeded 62 acres and his house to his son James, in what amounted to a will, providing that if his wife Sarah outlived John, James would care for her for the rest of her life. Because of the amounts of land that John owned, he is believed to have been a farmer. We don't know what the first John did for a living.
John is believed to have died after 1695 and Sarah sometime after that. The big question to me (after, of course, whether the two John Thorntons are identified correctly) is what did John and Sarah do during King Philip's War? Most of Rhode Island fled to relative safety in Massachusetts or Connecticut, so it is not unreasonable to think that is what John and Sarah did. Did their home survive, or did they have to start all over again? John's story seems very incomplete to me, and I hope that someone will be able to fill in the blanks here.
The line of descent is:
John Thornton-Joane Linch
John Thornton-Sarah Thurston
Benjamin Thornton- Mary possibly Gurney
Sarah Thornton-Stephen Paine
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Thornton, probably our John, married Joane Linch on April 4, 1627 at St George the Martyr Church in Southwark, Surrey, England. This would put this couple of the right age to be parents for our second John, who was born about 1634, and who married Sarah Thurston.
John Thornton received 10 acres of land in Newport in 1639, and was one of the twelve founding members of the First Baptist Church there in 1648. That brings us to another issue. I have found John Thornton listed as "John Thornton, DD", but I can't find records of university matriculation. I tend to think the "DD" attribution is an error, but if someone has additional information I will happily reconsider.
And here the fun starts. John the older seems to have died about 1648 and Joane about 1650, yet many of the following records are applied to the older man. John was made a freeman in 1655. The younger John would have been 21, so technically eligible for freemanship, and if John the older was gone, then it would almost have to be John who married Sarah who was a freeman. He paid taxes in 1679, by which time he had moved to Providence, and was a deputy to the general assembly in 1680. In 1683 he sold 100 acres and commonage to his son, Solomon, and in 1686 sold 100 ares to his son John. In 1692 he deeded 62 acres and his house to his son James, in what amounted to a will, providing that if his wife Sarah outlived John, James would care for her for the rest of her life. Because of the amounts of land that John owned, he is believed to have been a farmer. We don't know what the first John did for a living.
John is believed to have died after 1695 and Sarah sometime after that. The big question to me (after, of course, whether the two John Thorntons are identified correctly) is what did John and Sarah do during King Philip's War? Most of Rhode Island fled to relative safety in Massachusetts or Connecticut, so it is not unreasonable to think that is what John and Sarah did. Did their home survive, or did they have to start all over again? John's story seems very incomplete to me, and I hope that someone will be able to fill in the blanks here.
The line of descent is:
John Thornton-Joane Linch
John Thornton-Sarah Thurston
Benjamin Thornton- Mary possibly Gurney
Sarah Thornton-Stephen Paine
Nathan Paine-Lillis Winsor
Deborah Paine-Enos Eddy
Joseph Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, May 18, 2018
Holbrook line: William Browne 1593-1650 Immigrant
He was just a name on our tree, until I started finding his story. Now he is very dear to me. Somehow and for some reason as yet unexplained, I feel connected to William Browne.
It can't be geography. William Browne was born in Rusper, Sussex, England in 1593, when Queen Elizabeth still had ten years to live. Sussex is on the south east coast of England, and Rusper is on the northern edge of Sussex, now relatively close to London but not so much 425 years ago. William was the son of Rev. Joseph and Margaret Patching, so perhaps it's the preacher's kid connection, but it seems more than that.
William grew up in a large family of perhaps as many as eight children, so it is somewhat surprising that he was able to obtain an education. He became a schoolmaster and apparently taught up until his departure for the new world in 1645. (As mentioned many times, this is where I can't "connect". The bravery of these people is beyond all of my understanding but commands my utmost respect.)
By the time the family came over, William had been married to Jane Mills since 1611. She was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Mills. Again, they had a large family of nine children, which makes one wonder how they survived on a schoolmaster's salary. Only three of the children are known to have come to the New World-Henry, Phebe, and Mary. The voyage over must have been horrific, because wife Jane and their eldest son John both died of smallpox on the voyage. How frightening that must have been for all of the passengers, and how disheartening for William!
William first went to Saybrook, Connecticut but seems to have stayed there only a short time. His daughter Mary married Robert Marvin and William made his home with them at Southampton, Long Island, New York. This was already a whaling community, so the opportunities for trading were good and William made his living as a merchant.
One wonders why the family went to Long Island. Was it for more religious freedom? Was it economics? Was it land? Since William's son Henry went to Rhode Island, a reasonable guess might be that religion had something to do with it, but we will probably never know for sure.
William seems to have been a respected man for he was made a freeman at Southampton in 1648 and shared in a division of lands later that year. He signed some sort of register on July 2, 1650 but three weeks later his daughter and her husband applied for administration of his estate., so his death must have been sudden. His inventory was taken the next day and valued at 165 pounds. I guess what blesses me is that of this, his books were valued at 5 pounds. He and I share a love of books. I wish I knew what books he owned, because that would tell us much more about him.
William may or may not have lead a fairly easy life in Rusper, but his tragic losses on the voyage here and then his efforts to begin a new life on Long Island are the stories that should be told in a movie. I can't do it justice in a blog post.
The line of descent is:
William Brown-Jane Mills (some say Jane Burgis)
Henry Browne-Waite Waterman
Richard Browne-Mary Pray
Deborah Browne-Othniel Brown (no apparent relationship)
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
It can't be geography. William Browne was born in Rusper, Sussex, England in 1593, when Queen Elizabeth still had ten years to live. Sussex is on the south east coast of England, and Rusper is on the northern edge of Sussex, now relatively close to London but not so much 425 years ago. William was the son of Rev. Joseph and Margaret Patching, so perhaps it's the preacher's kid connection, but it seems more than that.
William grew up in a large family of perhaps as many as eight children, so it is somewhat surprising that he was able to obtain an education. He became a schoolmaster and apparently taught up until his departure for the new world in 1645. (As mentioned many times, this is where I can't "connect". The bravery of these people is beyond all of my understanding but commands my utmost respect.)
By the time the family came over, William had been married to Jane Mills since 1611. She was the daughter of Thomas and Margaret Mills. Again, they had a large family of nine children, which makes one wonder how they survived on a schoolmaster's salary. Only three of the children are known to have come to the New World-Henry, Phebe, and Mary. The voyage over must have been horrific, because wife Jane and their eldest son John both died of smallpox on the voyage. How frightening that must have been for all of the passengers, and how disheartening for William!
William first went to Saybrook, Connecticut but seems to have stayed there only a short time. His daughter Mary married Robert Marvin and William made his home with them at Southampton, Long Island, New York. This was already a whaling community, so the opportunities for trading were good and William made his living as a merchant.
One wonders why the family went to Long Island. Was it for more religious freedom? Was it economics? Was it land? Since William's son Henry went to Rhode Island, a reasonable guess might be that religion had something to do with it, but we will probably never know for sure.
William seems to have been a respected man for he was made a freeman at Southampton in 1648 and shared in a division of lands later that year. He signed some sort of register on July 2, 1650 but three weeks later his daughter and her husband applied for administration of his estate., so his death must have been sudden. His inventory was taken the next day and valued at 165 pounds. I guess what blesses me is that of this, his books were valued at 5 pounds. He and I share a love of books. I wish I knew what books he owned, because that would tell us much more about him.
William may or may not have lead a fairly easy life in Rusper, but his tragic losses on the voyage here and then his efforts to begin a new life on Long Island are the stories that should be told in a movie. I can't do it justice in a blog post.
The line of descent is:
William Brown-Jane Mills (some say Jane Burgis)
Henry Browne-Waite Waterman
Richard Browne-Mary Pray
Deborah Browne-Othniel Brown (no apparent relationship)
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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