Holbrook line: Zachariah Eddy 1638-1718

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

  

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

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
  

Holbrook line: Philip Phetteplace 1621-March 22, 1698 Immigrant

I'm writing this blog post on the theory that writing even one paragraph about an ancestor is better than ignoring him completely  I don't put the odds of finding more information very high, since the distinguished genealogist Donald Lines Jacobus tried in 1969, and found only a couple of comments in the records about Philip.  We know more about his family background than we do about other of our ancestors, but less about his life.  That dash between 1621 and 1698 is just not very full.

Philip was born or baptized April 14, 1621 in Ringwood, Hampshire, England, to Walter and Parnell Cole Phetteplace (Fetteplace, and other spellings, of course).  Jacobus traces this family back to about ..1210 A.D., and others have said the family came over from Normandy with William the Conqueror.  Regardless, the family had been in the area of Ringwood for probably 200 years before Philip was born.  Ringwood is located just north of the south coast of England, on the border with Dorset county.  It has a currently population of about 14,000 people but was probably smaller when Philip was a child.

We don't know when Philip married but speculation is that it was later in life.  We also don't know when he came to the Colonies, or when he arrived in Rhode Island.  We don't even know when he married.  We know that he asked for admittance as a freeman to the town of Portsmouth, Rhode Island on September 22, 1671, and he was granted that status on October 14.  In 161, he witnessed the will of Philip Sherman, and acknowledged his signature when the will was admitted to probate in 1687.

His four known children, who may have been born in Rhode Island, were Sarah, Walter, Philip, and Samuel.  His namesake, Philip, was a Quaker but we have no indication of our subject's religion.   Portsmouth was the home of Anne Hutchinson for a time, and was later referred to as a town full of New Light Baptists.  Perhaps he was some kind of religious dissident, and perhaps not.  The other observation we can make is that he was able to sign his name, based on the will testimony.  Whether he had more education that that, we don't know.

Philip died at Portsmouth March 22, 1698 but I haven't located a will or inventory. 

It's frustrating to know so little about a man.  He had dreams, he had a vision of a better life in America, he had values he would have wanted to implant in his children.  What were they?   What were his views on slavery?  How did King Philip's War affect him, if at all?  This dash, the one between 1621 and 1698, if just frustratingly thin.

The line of descent is:

Philip Phetteplace-unknown
Walter Phetteplace-Joanna Mowry
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
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

Holbrook line: Thomas Angell 1618-1689 Immigrant

Thomas Angell walked and talked with one of my hero ancestors, Roger Williams.  That is reason enough to write about him, in my view.  We don't know as much about him as we know about Roger Williams, but it is enough to convince us he was an honorable man, educated and yet probably humble, as he called himself a "farmer" even though he was town clerk of Providence, Rhode Island for 17 years. 

Sources vary and don't always make a lot of sense.  Once source seems to indicate he was illiterate, but somewhere he learned to read and write well enough that he was trusted with recording the business of the town.  Another question arises about his immigration.  It has been variously suggested that he came with Richard Waterman in 1629, as a personal assistant, but he would have been only about 11 years old then.  Others say he came in 1631 on the ship "Lyon" with Roger Williams, or that he came with his sister and her family in 1638.  None of these theories make perfect sense, and none is documented.

So, we believe Thomas Angell was born to James and Mary Angell and was christened on May 1, 1618 at St. Alban's, Hertfordshire, England.  We lived at least his boyhood in England before coming to New England, where at some point he met Roger Williams.  This may have been in Salem, Massachusetts Bay Colony or it may have been in Seekonk in Plymouth Colony, on Williams' way to exile.  It's also possible that he arrived in Providence on his own or with his sister's family. 

He was in Providence in time to sign a document covenanting to join in a town fellowship.  This was not dated but is believed to have been signed with an X, sometime between July 13, 1638 and 1640. He name was on the list of thirty nine signers on an agreement for a government there, dated July 27,1640.  At least the first document was signed with an "X", which is puzzling.  Did he not acquire his literacy skills until he was an adult?

Thomas was a farmer, and married Alice Ashton, the daughter of James Ashton and Alice Honeychurch about 1643.  Although some sources say, without documentation, that the marriage took place in England it seems much more likely that it occurred in Providence.  They had at least eight children, including John, James, Anphyillis, Mary, Deborah, Alice, Margery and possibly Thomas (not mentioned in will, perhaps died young).

While Thomas was raising and providing for his family, he was also quite busy with town affairs. He seems to have taken his obligations as a citizen seriously, and was a member of the Town Council in 1650, as well as surveyor and commissioner.  He served as a juryman in 1650,1652, and 1659.  He served on some high profile trials and commissions, and as mentioned earlier was town clerk for 17 years.  Somehow, he and Roger Williams parted ways, intellectually or politically, and Williams filed charges against him as being one of three ringleaders pushing for a new division in the colony.  He was apparently not prosecuted, however.  He also was one of those who decided the fate of Indian captives after King Philip's War.  (Providence had been almost totally destroyed during that conflict). 

Thomas's will was probated September 18, 1694, on the same day as his wife's.  It had been written May 23, 1685 and it is believed he died about 1689.  By this time, he had acquired several parcels of land, up to 60 acres in size, which he divided between his two surviving sons, and two shillings to each of his daughters. He rather generously left his dwelling house and a small portion of land to his widow, plus each son was to give his mother 8 shillings a year.  Alice's will left five pounds to James, certain personal belongings to each of her four surviving daughters, and the balance to be divided between the two sons.  This makes it seem possible that Thomas had died earlier but that for whatever reason, the will was not probated until Alice also had died. 

I envy Thomas in one respect, that he was able to know and talk with Roger Williams.  I don't know what caused their falling out nor how long it lasted, but I hope they were able to patch things up.  Thomas is another ancestor worthy of our admiration. 

The line of descent is:

Thomas Angell-Alice Ashton
Anphyllis Angell-Edward Smith
Anphyllis Smith-Zachariah Eddy
Elisha Eddy-Sarah Phetteplace
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

Holbrook line: Edward Inman abt 1620-1706 Immigrant and also interesting!

I keep finding these ancestors, or rather, re-finding them.  I've known of Edward Inman for quite a while and even have his supposed family back for a few generations, but hadn't researched him at all.  As is turns out, he is another person that I would like to meet at a party or reception, because there is so much I'd like to ask him.

One of the things that is interesting about Edward is the lack of information about his parents.  Many people say he was christened on March 5,1619/1620 in St. Margaret's, London, England, and that his father's name was John.  Most of these same sources say that his wife was Elizabeth Hopkins, or perhaps Elizabeth Marsden.  There seems to be no good documentation for either marriage as far as I have been able to learn.  So Edward's background, his immigration to the Colonies, and his marriage, whether in England or here, are still mysteries. Even his early years in the Colonies are not well documented.

It's puzzling that so little has been found about him prior to his arrival in Rhode Island, because he was apparently a man of some wealth from the get-go.  He was a successful glover (some say fox glover) and hatter, so a merchant, probably a fur trader, and also a planter.  With his money, he was also able to become a part owner in a silver mine, the second silver mine in the Colony.  Apparently it was not expected to be a huge strike because the Crown had no interest in the mine.  As far as I've been able to find so far, the silver mine was not a commercial success. 

Edward is believed to have arrived, possibly in Virginia, sometime before 1645.  It's thought that he and his family were Quakers, and if this is so, his arrival in Warwick, Rhode Island in or before 1648 may have been because the Virginians were already hostile to the Quaker faith.  It's also possible that he was never in Virginia, and that he came through Massachusetts because the birth of his first son is recorded in Braintree, Massachusetts.  If he had been in Massachusetts, and if he was a Quaker, then it certainly makes sense that the family would end up in Rhode Island.  "The family" included three children, Joanna, John, and Edward, and possibly a fourth, Francis. 

He seems to have been in Warwick, Providence, and what is now Smithfield, Rhode Island at different times, acquiring land (in one purchase, at least 2500 acres) and also serving in the government.  He was made a freeman in 1655, and was a Commissioner or Deputy at the General Court several times, as well as a frequent juryman.  His first wife died and he married Barbara, widow Phillips, in 1676, in Newport, where Edward may have gone during King Philip's War.  She had children from her earlier marriage, but it seems that all the children, his and hers, were adults by the time of this marriage.  Edward seems to disappear from politics about 1686, and lived quietly with his family and running his businesses, until he died in 1706.

It's hard to stop with just this much information about this ancestor.  Was he part of the Virginia Inman family, or was he of a different family? When did he come here? Why was his first son's birth reported in Braintree?  Was the family Quaker, or was that true for later generations in the family?  What was his net worth at the time of his death?  And what really became of the silver mine?  Did that add to or detract from his wealth?  Oh, the questions!

The line of descent is:

Edward Inman-Elizabeth
Joanna Inman-Nathaniel Mowry
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha 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