I had something of a genealogy scare when I started researching for this post. I saw that there are several trees that give different parents for our Ebenezer than I had thought correct. So I spent some time going through what records I could find on line and ended up confident that the parents I'm showing are more likely to be correct than the ones others are showing. Whew! I let my breath out when I came to my conclusion, because I've made enough errors already and don't want to perpetuate any more.
So, Ebenezer Thayer was born April 12, 1699 in Mendon, Massachusetts, the son of Ebenezer and Martha Thomson Thayer. (I wrote about Ebenezer Senior recently, with never a thought that he might be the wrong guy.) Ebenezer, the subject of this post, had at least two brothers and four sisters, named in his father's will in 1722 (father was of Bellingham then). Bellingham was formed out of Mendon and it appears that at least some of the family land was on the border between the two towns, but the main dwelling house was part of Bellingham.
Our Ebenezer married Mary Wheelock on August 9, 1721. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Huldah Thayer Wheelock, and yes, there was a family connection between Ebenezer and Huldah. The two were first cousins once removed. When Ebenezer Senior died in 1722, he left a lot of land and other assets, to the value of about 795 pounds. Ebenezer, as the oldest son, received a double share and it looks like he would have been set for life.
Then it gets confusing, and I've not been able to find a will to give answers. Mary, the wife of Ebenezer, is said to have died in 1731 and Ebenezer is said to have married Hannah Greene in 1734 and fathered more children with her. I can't find a record of Mary's death or of the marriage of Ebenezer and Hannah, so I'm confused. I don't know whether the Ebenezer who married Hannah was ours or not. Some of the printed genealogies say that it was an Ebenezer who was born in 1720 who married Hannah, and that makes no sense either. There was an Ebenezer who was born to Isaac Thayer in 1697; could it have been this Ebenezer who married Hannah?
And yet, there are just three records of births to Ebenezer and Mary in the town records...so what really happened?
Another point of confusion is the use of the term "Captain" in 1754. Which Ebenezer was this? And how did he obtain the title of "Captain"/ What military service might this person have been part of? The most likely explanation, given the birth date of 1699 for our Ebenezer is that he was somehow involved in King George's War,but I've found no evidence for that yet.
There was only one Ebenezer who was taxed in 1726 in Bellingham, one who was qualified in 1739 to be a voter (implying land ownership and church membership, I believe). His name is on a petition asking to be assigned to Mendon II district for ecclesiastical affairs, in 1747. I know that Mendon had a serious church problem as did Bellingham, as the church in Bellingham was Baptist. Perhaps Ebenezer was not of that persuasion and wanted to go to a more traditional church.
Since I can't find a will or estate papers for Ebenezer, I don't know whether he held on to some of his father's wealth or not. Farming in that area of Massachusetts was difficult as the soil was not suited for farming, or at least not easily farmed. Was his will taken by someone who wanted it for personal reasons, or did he never have a will? But shouldn't he at least had a probate record?
I'd like to know about Ebenezer, of course. Did Mary die and did her remarry? Where are Mary's death records? What were his religious beliefs, and how did he acquire the title of "Captain", if this man is ours? I sure hope someone who has studied this family will have some answers and be willing to help us learn more of our ancestor's story.
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Showing posts with label Thayer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thayer. Show all posts
Friday, May 8, 2020
Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Holbrook line: John Turner, our own iron man
Usually when I write a blog post, I have a birth date and a death date, even if those dates are approximate, and my job is to fill in the dash between those dates, telling a story about who the person was and what they did. For today's post, I have only the vaguest of ideas about dates, and I'm not sure whether I'm telling the story of one man, or of two. I am going to treat this as two men, with the understanding that I am fully open to corrections and additional information.
The first John Turner seems to have been born perhaps about 1600. He came to America by 1643, when his name was on an early petition for Lynn, Massachusetts. He was there in 1654, as an iron worker. In 1648, he was charged with stabbing his daughter in law, Sarah Turner, and was sentenced to be severely whipped. It is thought that this was the wife of his son Lawrence. He is also thought to have had a son John. There don't seem to be any further known records about John in Lynn. Speculation is that he had been an iron worker in England, perhaps at Hammersmith, and had come to Massachusetts specifically to work at the first iron works set up in the colony.
The next time we find John Turner, he is in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1654. This John Turner worked as a foreman at the forge in Taunton. He is believed to be the son of the John Turner at Lynn, but it's possible that this was the same man. If he was the son, then he followed in his father's trade, and likely moved up in the world, because by 1690 he was listed as the "clerke" at the iron works at Taunton, which was perhaps close to the role of manager, or maybe chief financial officer. It was a position of respect, anyway.
John at Taunton was a married man, with at least three daughters, Jane, Mary, and Margaret. It's thought that his wife's name was Jane, but records are lacking. (Taunton's early records were destroyed by fire).
The other things we know about John are that he was a surveyor in 1675 (the only town office he is known to have filled, although there were likely others), that he purchased a share or part of a share in the company, that he acquired some of the land purchased from the native Americans in 1672, and that he took an oath of fidelity, probably related to when William and Mary took the thrones in 1688. He's not found on the list of freemen, which means he likely was not a member of the church. He may have had a few animals but he wasn't a farmer in the traditional sense of the word. It would be a great help to review his will, but it seems to have gone missing, whether in the destruction of other town records or for some other reason, I don't know.
Taunton was only lightly affected by King Philip's war, with minor attacks on only two occasions. A couple of houses were burned and one man was killed. The town in general did not evacuate, so it seems likely that John would have served in one of the garrison houses, either as a ember of the militia or as a civilian pressed into duty.
John was working in 1690 but I've not located any further records of him. He was outside of the box for our family, not a pastor or a school teacher or a farmer. The work of the iron works was truly essential to the success of the colony, as the only other source of iron was from England itself, a long and costly way to procure it. So his work was important to the colony, and his life is important to us.
The line of descent is
John TUrner-Jane
Jane Turner-Richard Godfrey
Alice Godfrey-Peter Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Eliabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The first John Turner seems to have been born perhaps about 1600. He came to America by 1643, when his name was on an early petition for Lynn, Massachusetts. He was there in 1654, as an iron worker. In 1648, he was charged with stabbing his daughter in law, Sarah Turner, and was sentenced to be severely whipped. It is thought that this was the wife of his son Lawrence. He is also thought to have had a son John. There don't seem to be any further known records about John in Lynn. Speculation is that he had been an iron worker in England, perhaps at Hammersmith, and had come to Massachusetts specifically to work at the first iron works set up in the colony.
The next time we find John Turner, he is in Taunton, Massachusetts, in 1654. This John Turner worked as a foreman at the forge in Taunton. He is believed to be the son of the John Turner at Lynn, but it's possible that this was the same man. If he was the son, then he followed in his father's trade, and likely moved up in the world, because by 1690 he was listed as the "clerke" at the iron works at Taunton, which was perhaps close to the role of manager, or maybe chief financial officer. It was a position of respect, anyway.
John at Taunton was a married man, with at least three daughters, Jane, Mary, and Margaret. It's thought that his wife's name was Jane, but records are lacking. (Taunton's early records were destroyed by fire).
The other things we know about John are that he was a surveyor in 1675 (the only town office he is known to have filled, although there were likely others), that he purchased a share or part of a share in the company, that he acquired some of the land purchased from the native Americans in 1672, and that he took an oath of fidelity, probably related to when William and Mary took the thrones in 1688. He's not found on the list of freemen, which means he likely was not a member of the church. He may have had a few animals but he wasn't a farmer in the traditional sense of the word. It would be a great help to review his will, but it seems to have gone missing, whether in the destruction of other town records or for some other reason, I don't know.
Taunton was only lightly affected by King Philip's war, with minor attacks on only two occasions. A couple of houses were burned and one man was killed. The town in general did not evacuate, so it seems likely that John would have served in one of the garrison houses, either as a ember of the militia or as a civilian pressed into duty.
John was working in 1690 but I've not located any further records of him. He was outside of the box for our family, not a pastor or a school teacher or a farmer. The work of the iron works was truly essential to the success of the colony, as the only other source of iron was from England itself, a long and costly way to procure it. So his work was important to the colony, and his life is important to us.
The line of descent is
John TUrner-Jane
Jane Turner-Richard Godfrey
Alice Godfrey-Peter Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Eliabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, March 27, 2020
Holbrook line: Benjamin Wheelock 1678-1746
Earlier this week I wrote about Jonathan Thayer, of whom I could find little or nothing. Now I'm writing about his son in law, Benjamin Wheelock, who lived in the same small town, and I've found a ton of information about him. His father, also Benjamin Wheelock, was a founder of the town of Mendon, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was respected in the town. This Benjamin also was respected, sometimes being given the title of "Mr." in the town records, and his son Benjamin, who is not our direct ancestor, carried on the family tradition.
This Benjamin was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bullen Wheelock and a grandson of Ralph Wheelock, the immigrant. He was born December 12, 1768 and was one of at least five children. He came to Mendon as a young boy and lived his whole life in this frontier village.
On December 9, 1700 he married his step sister, Huldah Thayer, who was the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth French Thayer (Elizabeth had married Benjamin's father, after they were both widowed). Since it's reasonable to suppose that the two knew each other well, we can assume this marriage was a happy one. They had at least eight children together, and the family, or at least Benjamin, seems to have prospered.
In The Annals of the Town of Mendon, it is often hard to differentiate between the three (at least) Benjamin Wheelocks. But in 1707 ours is identified as Benjamin Wheelock Jr., as a selectman, so we are willing to consider the possibility that some of the remaining references to Benjamin between then and 1716, when his father died, could be our Benjamin.
In 1705, Benjamin Wheelock and his successors were granted use of the "mill pond" for as long as they kept in in repair and serviceable for the town's use. The mill pond was used as a reservoir with water released as necessary to run the mill. I don't know if this signifies that the mill was run by the Wheelocks, or whether there is something else significant about this. If someone knows, please let me know!
I didn't find anything specific about Benjamin in the military, but it seems likely he was in the training band, if nothing else. I did find that he was appointed to a committee to oversee the building of the town meeting house in 1720. It was to be 50 ft long, 45 ft wide, 20 ft high, and to be a "studded house", as differentiated from a log cabin, I suppose. He also was appointed to a committee to sell the "pew rooms" in 1737. I'm not clear on the meaning of this, either.
He was the recipient of several grants of land that the town made, and two of the three times I noted he drew a low number, so he chose some of the best of the land that was being divided. In another grant, he drew lot 122, so this was probably mediocre at best.
Benjamin was a selectman several times, starting in 1707 and probably ending in 1739, when he was also chosen to be the representative to the general court in Boston. He refused to serve, but it's not stated why he chose to stay home. He was already 61 years of age, and may have not felt up to the task. Just as likely, Huldah died July 7 of that year and he probably wanted to stay home, to care for her and watch after the family.
Benjamin remarried on August 21, 1740, to Rebecca Nurse Kinney. (No, I haven't checked to see if she was connected to the Nurses of Salem). He died 6 years later, on September 13, 1746. His will is quite extensive. He left twenty pounds each to the daughters of his deceased daughter, Mary Thayer, and some personal belongings beside. His will specifies that all bequests are to be in the "old tenor", which is a reference to a fairly recent change in currency. He wanted them to be given the money as he had known it all his life, and that carried more value than the more recent currency.
I was also fortunate enough to locate his inventory. It is quite specific, including the value of items devised in the will. His inventory was valued at over 1120 pounds, again in the "old tenor". I think we would classify him as"well to do", if not wealthy. Benjamin Wheelock was a family man, a civil servant, a member of the church, and a leader in the community. We can be proud of him!
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
This Benjamin was the son of Benjamin and Elizabeth Bullen Wheelock and a grandson of Ralph Wheelock, the immigrant. He was born December 12, 1768 and was one of at least five children. He came to Mendon as a young boy and lived his whole life in this frontier village.
On December 9, 1700 he married his step sister, Huldah Thayer, who was the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth French Thayer (Elizabeth had married Benjamin's father, after they were both widowed). Since it's reasonable to suppose that the two knew each other well, we can assume this marriage was a happy one. They had at least eight children together, and the family, or at least Benjamin, seems to have prospered.
In The Annals of the Town of Mendon, it is often hard to differentiate between the three (at least) Benjamin Wheelocks. But in 1707 ours is identified as Benjamin Wheelock Jr., as a selectman, so we are willing to consider the possibility that some of the remaining references to Benjamin between then and 1716, when his father died, could be our Benjamin.
In 1705, Benjamin Wheelock and his successors were granted use of the "mill pond" for as long as they kept in in repair and serviceable for the town's use. The mill pond was used as a reservoir with water released as necessary to run the mill. I don't know if this signifies that the mill was run by the Wheelocks, or whether there is something else significant about this. If someone knows, please let me know!
I didn't find anything specific about Benjamin in the military, but it seems likely he was in the training band, if nothing else. I did find that he was appointed to a committee to oversee the building of the town meeting house in 1720. It was to be 50 ft long, 45 ft wide, 20 ft high, and to be a "studded house", as differentiated from a log cabin, I suppose. He also was appointed to a committee to sell the "pew rooms" in 1737. I'm not clear on the meaning of this, either.
He was the recipient of several grants of land that the town made, and two of the three times I noted he drew a low number, so he chose some of the best of the land that was being divided. In another grant, he drew lot 122, so this was probably mediocre at best.
Benjamin was a selectman several times, starting in 1707 and probably ending in 1739, when he was also chosen to be the representative to the general court in Boston. He refused to serve, but it's not stated why he chose to stay home. He was already 61 years of age, and may have not felt up to the task. Just as likely, Huldah died July 7 of that year and he probably wanted to stay home, to care for her and watch after the family.
Benjamin remarried on August 21, 1740, to Rebecca Nurse Kinney. (No, I haven't checked to see if she was connected to the Nurses of Salem). He died 6 years later, on September 13, 1746. His will is quite extensive. He left twenty pounds each to the daughters of his deceased daughter, Mary Thayer, and some personal belongings beside. His will specifies that all bequests are to be in the "old tenor", which is a reference to a fairly recent change in currency. He wanted them to be given the money as he had known it all his life, and that carried more value than the more recent currency.
I was also fortunate enough to locate his inventory. It is quite specific, including the value of items devised in the will. His inventory was valued at over 1120 pounds, again in the "old tenor". I think we would classify him as"well to do", if not wealthy. Benjamin Wheelock was a family man, a civil servant, a member of the church, and a leader in the community. We can be proud of him!
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Holbrook line: Jonathan Thayer 1658-1690
A life cut short...Jonathan Thayer was one of the several children of Fernando or Ferdinando and Huldah Hayward Thayer. He was born January 1, 1658 and he died sometime in 1690. He lived just 32 years. That is probably why I can find so little information about him.
He married Elizabeth French, daughter of John and Freedom French, on June 22, 1679, and that is where he and Elizabeth raised their family. Four children, Huldah, Grace, Deborah and Jonathan, were born to the couple, and our Jonathan also had an illegitimate child with Sarah Darling, Hezekiah Thayer, who died young. (This last was born in 1687). It would be interesting to find the court records for that situation. Jonathan probably had to pay some kind of support for the young child, and Sarah could very well have been jailed and whipped.
That is as much as I can tell you, and honestly, I don't have a source for the Hezekiah story. It's on Find a Grave, so take it for whatever it's worth.
Now, I'm going to speculate for a couple of sentences. Huldah, Jonathan's mother, died in 1690. 1690 was a horrible year for smallpox in the Boston area (Mendon was near enough for this purpose to be counted as Boston.) Did both of them die of smallpox? Jonathan apparently died before September 14, 1690 (date of inventory) and his mother died in September, Had one of them been caring for the other?
We can't tell much about Jonathan from the inventory, which was taken September 14, 1690. The inventory included 10 acres of land, a dwelling and out (housing, laying, not sure what it says), two cows, three yearlings, and one calf, ten swine, 2 horses, a cart, arms and ammunition, a debt from his father, and a few household goods such as beds and a chest. It's a pretty meager inventory.
Elizabeth went on to marry Benjamin Wheelock in 1692, and her daughter Huldah, our ancestor, married his son Benjamin, also our ancestor. It's nice to think that something good happened out of these tragedies.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook=Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
He married Elizabeth French, daughter of John and Freedom French, on June 22, 1679, and that is where he and Elizabeth raised their family. Four children, Huldah, Grace, Deborah and Jonathan, were born to the couple, and our Jonathan also had an illegitimate child with Sarah Darling, Hezekiah Thayer, who died young. (This last was born in 1687). It would be interesting to find the court records for that situation. Jonathan probably had to pay some kind of support for the young child, and Sarah could very well have been jailed and whipped.
That is as much as I can tell you, and honestly, I don't have a source for the Hezekiah story. It's on Find a Grave, so take it for whatever it's worth.
Now, I'm going to speculate for a couple of sentences. Huldah, Jonathan's mother, died in 1690. 1690 was a horrible year for smallpox in the Boston area (Mendon was near enough for this purpose to be counted as Boston.) Did both of them die of smallpox? Jonathan apparently died before September 14, 1690 (date of inventory) and his mother died in September, Had one of them been caring for the other?
We can't tell much about Jonathan from the inventory, which was taken September 14, 1690. The inventory included 10 acres of land, a dwelling and out (housing, laying, not sure what it says), two cows, three yearlings, and one calf, ten swine, 2 horses, a cart, arms and ammunition, a debt from his father, and a few household goods such as beds and a chest. It's a pretty meager inventory.
Elizabeth went on to marry Benjamin Wheelock in 1692, and her daughter Huldah, our ancestor, married his son Benjamin, also our ancestor. It's nice to think that something good happened out of these tragedies.
The line of descent is:
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook=Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Holbrook line: Peter Holbrook 1656-1712
Peter Holbrook has been a favorite of mine, ever since several years ago, when I read the will of his grandfather, Thomas, who died in 1677. Peter was just about 21 at the time. Thomas's will states that because Peter took care of him and of his wife in their old age, he was leaving his dwelling house, orchard, and arable land in Weymouth to Peter. I don't know many young men who would care for their grandparents for such a long time, so I am already favorably impressed with this ancestor.
But let's back up and start at the beginning. Peter was the son of Thomas and Joanna Kingman Holbrook on September 6, 1656 by the dating method most sites are using. Peter was of the first generation born in New England, in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father was about ten years old when he came to America with his father, so Peter may or may not have heard many stories about life in the home country. He was raised a Puritan, so he knew how to read and write, and he'd learned enough about how to run a farm to take care of his grandparents; land. He was probably a bright and hard working young man.
We don't know what he looked like, but he had enough going for him to capture the heart of Alice Godfrey, daughter of Richard and Jane Turner Godfrey. Peter and Alice were married about
1677, apparently in Mendon. It's hard to know the exact timeline because Peter was caring for his grandparents until March (grandfather) or April (grandmother's date of death, of 1677.
His responsibilities in caring for his grandparents probably explains why I don't find his name listed as a soldier in King Philip's War. He had more immediate duties. The town the young couple went to, Mendon, was totally burned by the Indians during the War, so it's just as well that the couple wasn't there yet. They apparently did move to town soon after the war, though Peter's name starts showing up in town records at least by 1685, when he is charged a high "rate" of one pound and five shillings to support Mr. Rawson, the town pastor, for sixx months. Only a handful of men had a rate higher than Peter's.
While Peter and Alice were raising a large family of at least eleven children, Peter was making his way in the world. I'm not sure just when, but at some point he went from being "Peter Holbrook" to being "Deacon Peter Holbrook". He was a commissioner in 1685 and was a selectman several times over the next 25 years. He was appointed to a committee to "run the lines" between Mendon and Sherburn in 1699, which may have required some diplomatic skill.
In 1694, Peter received a 7 year lease to the "training field", with the stipulation that he was to clear the field of "bushes" and have it ready for pasture. Apparently the men were no longer using the training field, although I can't think that they were no longer training. There were small wars in progress and Mendon, while no longer quite as exposed as it had been, would still have been aware of such things. Military organization did not often make it into the town history books, so we are left to wonder about the training and military service of the town's men.
Peter died May 3, 1712. Alice had died earlier, in 1705, and Peter married Elizabeth Shaw two years later. His will makes generous provisions for her care, gives a double share to eldest son John, and leaves bequests to his younger children who had not yet received their land. The three older sons had received lands by deed prior to Peter's final illness. His inventory was valued at over 278 pounds, including real estate. He had a few farm animals, furniture, bookx, and hand tools but there was nothing in the inventory to make me think he was especially prosperous, or at least not much of a spender. Most of his wealth was in his land, and in his family.
I'm proud of Peter. He was a good grandson, a deacon in the church, a respected man in his community and a good father. No wonder Elizabeth Shaw was willing to marry him!
Our line of descent is
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook=Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Fun fact: Peter Holbrook was the ancestor of William Howard Taft, President of the US, Barbara Bush, and George W Bush, another President.
But let's back up and start at the beginning. Peter was the son of Thomas and Joanna Kingman Holbrook on September 6, 1656 by the dating method most sites are using. Peter was of the first generation born in New England, in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. His father was about ten years old when he came to America with his father, so Peter may or may not have heard many stories about life in the home country. He was raised a Puritan, so he knew how to read and write, and he'd learned enough about how to run a farm to take care of his grandparents; land. He was probably a bright and hard working young man.
We don't know what he looked like, but he had enough going for him to capture the heart of Alice Godfrey, daughter of Richard and Jane Turner Godfrey. Peter and Alice were married about
1677, apparently in Mendon. It's hard to know the exact timeline because Peter was caring for his grandparents until March (grandfather) or April (grandmother's date of death, of 1677.
His responsibilities in caring for his grandparents probably explains why I don't find his name listed as a soldier in King Philip's War. He had more immediate duties. The town the young couple went to, Mendon, was totally burned by the Indians during the War, so it's just as well that the couple wasn't there yet. They apparently did move to town soon after the war, though Peter's name starts showing up in town records at least by 1685, when he is charged a high "rate" of one pound and five shillings to support Mr. Rawson, the town pastor, for sixx months. Only a handful of men had a rate higher than Peter's.
While Peter and Alice were raising a large family of at least eleven children, Peter was making his way in the world. I'm not sure just when, but at some point he went from being "Peter Holbrook" to being "Deacon Peter Holbrook". He was a commissioner in 1685 and was a selectman several times over the next 25 years. He was appointed to a committee to "run the lines" between Mendon and Sherburn in 1699, which may have required some diplomatic skill.
In 1694, Peter received a 7 year lease to the "training field", with the stipulation that he was to clear the field of "bushes" and have it ready for pasture. Apparently the men were no longer using the training field, although I can't think that they were no longer training. There were small wars in progress and Mendon, while no longer quite as exposed as it had been, would still have been aware of such things. Military organization did not often make it into the town history books, so we are left to wonder about the training and military service of the town's men.
Peter died May 3, 1712. Alice had died earlier, in 1705, and Peter married Elizabeth Shaw two years later. His will makes generous provisions for her care, gives a double share to eldest son John, and leaves bequests to his younger children who had not yet received their land. The three older sons had received lands by deed prior to Peter's final illness. His inventory was valued at over 278 pounds, including real estate. He had a few farm animals, furniture, bookx, and hand tools but there was nothing in the inventory to make me think he was especially prosperous, or at least not much of a spender. Most of his wealth was in his land, and in his family.
I'm proud of Peter. He was a good grandson, a deacon in the church, a respected man in his community and a good father. No wonder Elizabeth Shaw was willing to marry him!
Our line of descent is
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook=Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph R Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Fun fact: Peter Holbrook was the ancestor of William Howard Taft, President of the US, Barbara Bush, and George W Bush, another President.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Holbrook line: Benjamin Wheelock 1639-1716
Benjamin Wheelock, who may have been the first Wheelock born in the American colonies, certainly has stayed out of view of family historians. We have bits and pieces, enough to have a vague outline, but we don't know nearly as much about him as he know about his father.
His parents were Rev. Ralph and Rebecca Clarke Wheelock. Rev. Wheelock was a graduate of Clare College at Cambridge University, and Rev. Ralph came to America as a Puritan pastor. He is also recognized as the first public school teacher in America. So, poor Benjamin! His father was both a pastor and a schoolteacher; what chance did the poor kid have?
Benjamin had four older siblings and one younger sibling. He was born January 8, 1639/40 in Dedham, Massachusetts, where his parents had gone soon after arriving in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The family stayed there until Benjamin was about 11 years old and then they moved to Medfield, Massachusetts. Typically boys were put into some kind of a trade or on the job training program by the time they were 14. We don't know if this happened to Benjamin, or whether his father's more professional occupations might have allowed Benjamin to stay at home longer. Perhaps he was needed for the chores around home, as his father was busy preparing sermons and lessons and may not have paid much attention to other things that needed to be done.
Benjamin married Elizabeth Bullen, daughter of Samuel and Mary Morse Bullen, on May 21, 1668 in Medfield. He was a little older than typical for his generation, about 28, but Elizabeth was about 21, about typical for young women. Benjamin and Elizabeth stayed in Medfield, where he had a house built the year of their marriage. He acquired other land and became known as a "proprietor", which gave him certain rights in land divisions that not every resident had.
Benjamin and Elizabeth had at least five children, and at least four were born in Medfield. Sometime in 1685 or 1686, the family moved to Mendon, where Benjamin is listed as a founder. Here he was a tything man, a constable, and a selectman, so he was well regarded there. He purchased land from Matthias Puffer and undoubtedly hoped to live out his days in Mendon, along with his wife Elizabeth.
However, Elizabeth died in 1689, Benjamin may have married Elizabeth French, widow of Jonathan Thayer and daughter of John French, in about 1692. It is possible that he fathered two more children with her, although some think this is not correct. I guess I hope it is true, that he had children when he was well into middle age, because they would have kept him young, or at least helped care for him as he aged.
Benjamin died September 13, 1716 at Mendon. I've not found a will or inventory, which is disappointing. That might give us more insight into what Benjamin did for a living, and how well he was doing, financially. It might also tell us what land he owned, and whether he had a library of more than a Bible and a couple of religious books.
From what little we know, we know that he was respected in his community, that he raised a good family, and that he was at least as "religious" as his neighbors. Being chosen as a selectman was an honor, and it's an privilege to be able to claim him as an ancestor.
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Elizabeth Bullen
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Hobrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
His parents were Rev. Ralph and Rebecca Clarke Wheelock. Rev. Wheelock was a graduate of Clare College at Cambridge University, and Rev. Ralph came to America as a Puritan pastor. He is also recognized as the first public school teacher in America. So, poor Benjamin! His father was both a pastor and a schoolteacher; what chance did the poor kid have?
Benjamin had four older siblings and one younger sibling. He was born January 8, 1639/40 in Dedham, Massachusetts, where his parents had gone soon after arriving in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The family stayed there until Benjamin was about 11 years old and then they moved to Medfield, Massachusetts. Typically boys were put into some kind of a trade or on the job training program by the time they were 14. We don't know if this happened to Benjamin, or whether his father's more professional occupations might have allowed Benjamin to stay at home longer. Perhaps he was needed for the chores around home, as his father was busy preparing sermons and lessons and may not have paid much attention to other things that needed to be done.
Benjamin married Elizabeth Bullen, daughter of Samuel and Mary Morse Bullen, on May 21, 1668 in Medfield. He was a little older than typical for his generation, about 28, but Elizabeth was about 21, about typical for young women. Benjamin and Elizabeth stayed in Medfield, where he had a house built the year of their marriage. He acquired other land and became known as a "proprietor", which gave him certain rights in land divisions that not every resident had.
Benjamin and Elizabeth had at least five children, and at least four were born in Medfield. Sometime in 1685 or 1686, the family moved to Mendon, where Benjamin is listed as a founder. Here he was a tything man, a constable, and a selectman, so he was well regarded there. He purchased land from Matthias Puffer and undoubtedly hoped to live out his days in Mendon, along with his wife Elizabeth.
However, Elizabeth died in 1689, Benjamin may have married Elizabeth French, widow of Jonathan Thayer and daughter of John French, in about 1692. It is possible that he fathered two more children with her, although some think this is not correct. I guess I hope it is true, that he had children when he was well into middle age, because they would have kept him young, or at least helped care for him as he aged.
Benjamin died September 13, 1716 at Mendon. I've not found a will or inventory, which is disappointing. That might give us more insight into what Benjamin did for a living, and how well he was doing, financially. It might also tell us what land he owned, and whether he had a library of more than a Bible and a couple of religious books.
From what little we know, we know that he was respected in his community, that he raised a good family, and that he was at least as "religious" as his neighbors. Being chosen as a selectman was an honor, and it's an privilege to be able to claim him as an ancestor.
The line of descent is
Benjamin Wheelock-Elizabeth Bullen
Benjamin Wheelock-Huldah Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Hobrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Holbrook line: Joseph Holbrook 1683-1750
Joseph Holbrook, our ancestor, lived a quiet life, but thankfully left a few clues behind him so that we have some idea of his life. He was born May 8, 1683, in Mendon, Massachusetts to Peter and Alice Godfrey Holbrook. Joseph was of the fourth Holbrook generation to set foot in America. His father was also born in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and his grandfather and great grandfather were the immigrants of the family.
Joseph grew up with his ten siblings in Mendon, but eventually the town started getting crowded, and younger sons weren't likely to receive as much land or other parental help as the older brothers. Joseph married Mary Cook, daughter of Nicholas and Joanna Rockwood Cook, on December 19, 1710, in Mendon and they apparently lived there for a few years. Joseph's name, however, was on a petition asking to have the town of Bellingham formed in 1729. I haven't figured out yet whether Joseph's land was actually in what became Bellingham, or whether he had to physically move to go to Bellingham. At any rate, he lived out the rest of his days in Bellingham, without making many waves.
He was a husbandman, a farmer who owned his own land, and he had nine children to support. So he worked hard, as did Mary. There is a story that he was a Baptist, but I've not found anything to substantiate that yet. Stories that he rode to New Jersey to get a professor for Brown University in Rhode Island apparently confuse our Joseph with another, perhaps his son Joseph, because Brown University wasn't founded until 14 years after our Joseph died. However, we know that son Jesse was a Baptist, jailed for refusing to pay taxes to the state church, so perhaps Joseph was indeed Baptist, or became one in his later years.
Bellingham was a small town. in 1739, Joseph was one of only fifty men living within town boundaries who were eligible to vote in the town elections. He may or may not be the Joseph who was town clerk, and who was selected as town treasurer in 1743. The son Joseph was born in 1714, so may have been a little young for such a responsibility, but it's hard to tell from the references I've seen. He wasn't referred to as Senior or Junior, as Deacon or any other title.
Joseph died in Bellingham April 25, 1750 intestate, without a will. His widow Mary asked that son Joseph be appointed administrator and that was approved. A partial inventory, not totalled, is found on American Ancestry. It looks like his estate was valued at over 350 pounds, with several tracts of land, husbandry tools, five beds, a Bible and other books included. Mary lived until 1766, so she had the worry of watching several of her sons fighting in the French and Indian War. She was undoubtedly a strong lady, as Joseph was a strong man.
The story of the Holbrooks touches many parts of our nation's history. Joseph was a part of that, and when I think of him, I will think of him as just that, part of our family history as well as our nation's history.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen.
Joseph grew up with his ten siblings in Mendon, but eventually the town started getting crowded, and younger sons weren't likely to receive as much land or other parental help as the older brothers. Joseph married Mary Cook, daughter of Nicholas and Joanna Rockwood Cook, on December 19, 1710, in Mendon and they apparently lived there for a few years. Joseph's name, however, was on a petition asking to have the town of Bellingham formed in 1729. I haven't figured out yet whether Joseph's land was actually in what became Bellingham, or whether he had to physically move to go to Bellingham. At any rate, he lived out the rest of his days in Bellingham, without making many waves.
He was a husbandman, a farmer who owned his own land, and he had nine children to support. So he worked hard, as did Mary. There is a story that he was a Baptist, but I've not found anything to substantiate that yet. Stories that he rode to New Jersey to get a professor for Brown University in Rhode Island apparently confuse our Joseph with another, perhaps his son Joseph, because Brown University wasn't founded until 14 years after our Joseph died. However, we know that son Jesse was a Baptist, jailed for refusing to pay taxes to the state church, so perhaps Joseph was indeed Baptist, or became one in his later years.
Bellingham was a small town. in 1739, Joseph was one of only fifty men living within town boundaries who were eligible to vote in the town elections. He may or may not be the Joseph who was town clerk, and who was selected as town treasurer in 1743. The son Joseph was born in 1714, so may have been a little young for such a responsibility, but it's hard to tell from the references I've seen. He wasn't referred to as Senior or Junior, as Deacon or any other title.
Joseph died in Bellingham April 25, 1750 intestate, without a will. His widow Mary asked that son Joseph be appointed administrator and that was approved. A partial inventory, not totalled, is found on American Ancestry. It looks like his estate was valued at over 350 pounds, with several tracts of land, husbandry tools, five beds, a Bible and other books included. Mary lived until 1766, so she had the worry of watching several of her sons fighting in the French and Indian War. She was undoubtedly a strong lady, as Joseph was a strong man.
The story of the Holbrooks touches many parts of our nation's history. Joseph was a part of that, and when I think of him, I will think of him as just that, part of our family history as well as our nation's history.
The line of descent is:
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen.
Tuesday, November 26, 2019
Holbrook line: John Rockwood 1641-1724
Our ancestor is notorious, not because he did anything wrong, but because he has confused and confounded genealogists and family historians. His death date is often given far too early, 1676, when it was his son John Rockwood who died during an attack by the Nipmucks during King Philip's War. He is sometimes assigned to the wrong parents. Nicholas Rockwood and Margaret Holbrook are not correct, as they didn't marry until our John was a teenager. Having said that, here's what we do know about John Rockwood, whose name is sometimes spelled Rocket or Rockett, just to make it more fun to research him.
He was born November 1, 1641 probably at Braintree, Massachusetts (even though the vital records don't seem to list his birth there). His parents were Richard Rockwood and Agnes Lovell, sometimes seen as Agnes Bicknell. Actually, Robert Charles Anderson doesn't accept that her maiden name was Lovell. She was married to Zachary Bicknell and married Richard Rockwood as a widow. John had an older step brother and at least two sisters who apparently grew up in the same household.
He married Joanna Ford, daughter of someone named Ford, apparently. There seems to be no firm resolution as to this; I've seen Nicholas, Thomas, and William Ford each listed on a different website as her father. However, I can say that they married July 15, 1662 in Braintree. John and Joanna had at least ten children together. Some were born in Braintree, some in Mendon, and some in Medfield. The family moved to Mendon by 1667, when John was awarded land in the meadows, probably indicating he already had a houselot, although it wasn't surveyed until 1669. That same year, he was appointed to a committee to agree on the boundaries between Mendon and Dedham.
John would likely have been content to stay his whole life in Mendon, but King Philip's War, particularly the burning of the towa n and the death of his twelve year old son, sent him and the family to Medfield for at least a few years. It would have been a fearsome time, and difficult to rebuilt after losing everything. I don't find him listed as a soldier in the war but he would have been only 34 or 35 years old so it's likely that he at least did garrison duty or was otherwise engaged with the militia.
His will tells us that he was a husbandman, or farmer. Joanna had died at some point because his will refers to his wife Rebecca, identified elsewhere as Rebecca Crafts. He wrote his will in Mendon but there isn't a death record there, so he may have moved, either to be with his wife's family or with one of his children. Unfortunately, I've not found an inventory for him, yet, which may indicate he had already disposed of his land and had few personal possessions.
John Rockwood was one of those quiet men, it seems, who took care of his family, saw sorrow and joy, and helped build New England. I'd like to learn more about him.
The line of descent is:
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joanna Rockwood-Nicholas Cook
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Second line starts with John Rockwood and Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above. So Susannah and Nahum were fourth cousins. I wonder if they knew that?
He was born November 1, 1641 probably at Braintree, Massachusetts (even though the vital records don't seem to list his birth there). His parents were Richard Rockwood and Agnes Lovell, sometimes seen as Agnes Bicknell. Actually, Robert Charles Anderson doesn't accept that her maiden name was Lovell. She was married to Zachary Bicknell and married Richard Rockwood as a widow. John had an older step brother and at least two sisters who apparently grew up in the same household.
He married Joanna Ford, daughter of someone named Ford, apparently. There seems to be no firm resolution as to this; I've seen Nicholas, Thomas, and William Ford each listed on a different website as her father. However, I can say that they married July 15, 1662 in Braintree. John and Joanna had at least ten children together. Some were born in Braintree, some in Mendon, and some in Medfield. The family moved to Mendon by 1667, when John was awarded land in the meadows, probably indicating he already had a houselot, although it wasn't surveyed until 1669. That same year, he was appointed to a committee to agree on the boundaries between Mendon and Dedham.
John would likely have been content to stay his whole life in Mendon, but King Philip's War, particularly the burning of the towa n and the death of his twelve year old son, sent him and the family to Medfield for at least a few years. It would have been a fearsome time, and difficult to rebuilt after losing everything. I don't find him listed as a soldier in the war but he would have been only 34 or 35 years old so it's likely that he at least did garrison duty or was otherwise engaged with the militia.
His will tells us that he was a husbandman, or farmer. Joanna had died at some point because his will refers to his wife Rebecca, identified elsewhere as Rebecca Crafts. He wrote his will in Mendon but there isn't a death record there, so he may have moved, either to be with his wife's family or with one of his children. Unfortunately, I've not found an inventory for him, yet, which may indicate he had already disposed of his land and had few personal possessions.
John Rockwood was one of those quiet men, it seems, who took care of his family, saw sorrow and joy, and helped build New England. I'd like to learn more about him.
The line of descent is:
John Rockwood-Joanna Ford
Joanna Rockwood-Nicholas Cook
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Second line starts with John Rockwood and Joanna Ford
Joseph Rockwood-Mary Hayward
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above. So Susannah and Nahum were fourth cousins. I wonder if they knew that?
Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Holbrook line: Samuel Hayward 1641-1713
Samuel Hayward left us some traces in the records, and for that, in this month of November, I am profoundly grateful. He is one of those ancestors who seem to be little researched, perhaps because there were several Samuel Haywards in Massachusetts Bay Colony of about the same time period and year. Fortunately, if we limit our search to Braintree and then Mendon, Massachusetts, his story becomes if not clear, at least less murky.
Our Samuel was born in about 1641 to William and Margery Knight Hayward. I haven't found record of his birth but it was in the Boston or Braintree area, because that is where his parents settled early. (His parents were those I've written of before, who apparently went to Barbados for a short time before arriving in Massachusetts.)
Samuel was one of at least 8 children, so he had quite a full family life. As an adult, he was a "housewright", so he was likely apprenticed to or at least worked with a housewright as soon as he had finished whatever schooling he acquired. A housewright built wooden (as opposed to stone or brick) houses, but the job involved more than a carpenter's work. He cut the wood, sawed it into planks, and then built the house with the wood he had chosen and prepared. There was no middleman, and no one else to blame if something was not done correctly. I have much respect for housewrights after learning this!
Samuel married Mehitable Thompson, daughter of John and Sarah Trevore Thompson, on November 28, 1666 in Medfield, Massachusetts. They had at least twelve children together. Samuel is listed as a founding father of Mendon, which was officially formed from Braintree in 1667. He held several town positions. In 1668 he was a surveyor of highways, in 1692 and 1696 a selectman, and in 1696 also a tything man.
One of the most remembered events of his life was probably King Philip's War. Mendon was one of the towns that was attacked early in the war, with loss of life, and later the town was burned to the ground by the native Americans. Mendon had several villages of "praying Indians", converted by our grand uncle John Eliot, and it was not these groups who rebelled. They did, however, suffer consequences. Samuel and his family left Mendon, perhaps soon after the first attack, but Samuel was back in 1677 to rebuild his home, and doubtless those of others who returned also.
There were at least two Samuel Haywards who are listed as soldiers in King Philip's War, but I didn't find those reports also listing other Mendon men, so I think the ones who are listed in the records are not our Samuel. He may have gone to stay with friends or relatives in Braintree, expectantly waiting for the end of the war.
By 1680 Samuel's family was probably back in Mendon, and life was slowly returning to normal. Samuel was hired by the town to raise (build} the meeting house, which was to be 26 feet by 24 feet in size. He was to be paid 3 shillings a day, with part of that to be in kind, a cow and a calf. There was some unspecified dispute involved during or following construction, but it was resolved and the town and Samuel each went about their business.
Samuel's wife Mehitabel died in 1700 and the next year he married Elizabeth Sabin. Samuel died on July 29, 1713, without leaving a will. If there is an inventory, I haven't located it, either. However, I did locate papers, filed in Suffolk County, showing that the surviving children (or in the case of the several daughters who were married, their husbands) agreed to a settlement of the estate. Interestingly, there were few who could sign their name to this document; most used a mark. (Joseph Rockwood, our ancestor, did sign his name and it is quite legible.) A probate judge signed off on the "deal" and presumably everyone lived happily ever after. We do know that Samuel had a house and quite a bit of land. Housewright may not sound like a glamorous job, but in a time when everyone needed to have a house built, it paid the bills and then some.
I like Samuel. He took care of his family, he was a public servant, an honest and hard working man, and he served his church also. And I especially like that I was able to find a little bit of information about him!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Hayward-Mehitabel Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Our Samuel was born in about 1641 to William and Margery Knight Hayward. I haven't found record of his birth but it was in the Boston or Braintree area, because that is where his parents settled early. (His parents were those I've written of before, who apparently went to Barbados for a short time before arriving in Massachusetts.)
Samuel was one of at least 8 children, so he had quite a full family life. As an adult, he was a "housewright", so he was likely apprenticed to or at least worked with a housewright as soon as he had finished whatever schooling he acquired. A housewright built wooden (as opposed to stone or brick) houses, but the job involved more than a carpenter's work. He cut the wood, sawed it into planks, and then built the house with the wood he had chosen and prepared. There was no middleman, and no one else to blame if something was not done correctly. I have much respect for housewrights after learning this!
Samuel married Mehitable Thompson, daughter of John and Sarah Trevore Thompson, on November 28, 1666 in Medfield, Massachusetts. They had at least twelve children together. Samuel is listed as a founding father of Mendon, which was officially formed from Braintree in 1667. He held several town positions. In 1668 he was a surveyor of highways, in 1692 and 1696 a selectman, and in 1696 also a tything man.
One of the most remembered events of his life was probably King Philip's War. Mendon was one of the towns that was attacked early in the war, with loss of life, and later the town was burned to the ground by the native Americans. Mendon had several villages of "praying Indians", converted by our grand uncle John Eliot, and it was not these groups who rebelled. They did, however, suffer consequences. Samuel and his family left Mendon, perhaps soon after the first attack, but Samuel was back in 1677 to rebuild his home, and doubtless those of others who returned also.
There were at least two Samuel Haywards who are listed as soldiers in King Philip's War, but I didn't find those reports also listing other Mendon men, so I think the ones who are listed in the records are not our Samuel. He may have gone to stay with friends or relatives in Braintree, expectantly waiting for the end of the war.
By 1680 Samuel's family was probably back in Mendon, and life was slowly returning to normal. Samuel was hired by the town to raise (build} the meeting house, which was to be 26 feet by 24 feet in size. He was to be paid 3 shillings a day, with part of that to be in kind, a cow and a calf. There was some unspecified dispute involved during or following construction, but it was resolved and the town and Samuel each went about their business.
Samuel's wife Mehitabel died in 1700 and the next year he married Elizabeth Sabin. Samuel died on July 29, 1713, without leaving a will. If there is an inventory, I haven't located it, either. However, I did locate papers, filed in Suffolk County, showing that the surviving children (or in the case of the several daughters who were married, their husbands) agreed to a settlement of the estate. Interestingly, there were few who could sign their name to this document; most used a mark. (Joseph Rockwood, our ancestor, did sign his name and it is quite legible.) A probate judge signed off on the "deal" and presumably everyone lived happily ever after. We do know that Samuel had a house and quite a bit of land. Housewright may not sound like a glamorous job, but in a time when everyone needed to have a house built, it paid the bills and then some.
I like Samuel. He took care of his family, he was a public servant, an honest and hard working man, and he served his church also. And I especially like that I was able to find a little bit of information about him!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Hayward-Mehitabel Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, November 1, 2019
Holbrook line: Simon Thompson, Immigrant 1619-1658
Simon Thompson was about 11 years old when he came to Massachusetts with his father, James Thompson or Thomson, and his step-mother, Elizabeth. He was born to James and his mother, Ann, and was christened July 3, 1619 at Friesden, Lincolnshire, England. He was one of four children born to this couple before Ann died about December 13, 1625. Simon's father, James, married Elizabeth in 1625 and soon moved to the neighboring parish of Fishtoft. This couple had two children born in England. When James and Elizabeth came to Massachusetts they had four children with them, Simon, James, Jonathan and Olive.
James settled in Charlestown so that is where Simon spent his early teen age years, probably learning a trade as well as how to adjust to this whole new world he could explore. James soon moved on to Woburn, as did Simon, and that is where Simon met and married his wife, Mary Converse, the daughter of Edward and Sarah Parker Converse, They were married December 19, 1643 in Woburn, and had at least six children together.
After that, we don't know much about Simon. He is not listed in the list of freemen in Massachusetts, although his father, James was so listed. He was made a freeman of Woburn in 1648, according to information found on Wikitree, so I'm not sure why he didn't show up in the state record.
We know he had some land because it is mentioned briefly in a record of deeds for early Woburn. This particular reference, the only one I found, refers to land in a meadow, so from that, we can infer that he also had a house lot. Family tradition says that he was an early town clerk, but I cannot verify that-yet. We can be pretty sure, with the designation of meadow-land, that Simon farmed, but we don't know if that was his only occupation.
We can also be sure that he attended what became the First Congregational Church of Woburn, whether or not he was a member. During the early days of each "plantation" or settlement that I've read about, an appointed drummer walked through the village, beating the drum at each household, so the persons residing could fall in line and march to the meeting house for service. Every resident was expected to be at service whether or not they belonged to the church.
The Wikitree that I referenced earlier states that Simon had helped to organize the town of Chelmsford, but it's not clear that he ever moved there.
Simon died while still quite young. He was not yet 40 years old when he died in May of 1658. He likely died of an illness because he reportedly wrote his will a few weeks before he died. I have been unable to find a cause of death, nor have I found the will or inventory. He left the widow's third to Mary, a double portion to his surviving son James, and the rest was left to his four daughters. All of the children were minors, which is probably one reason that Mary remarried quickly. She married John Sheldon of Billerica in 1659, the year after Simon's death.
This certainly is not a satisfying blog post. There surely is more information about Simon than I've located. However, it at least helps us remember Simon and a little of the kind of life he lived. He's another of the quiet people who helped build America, and for that alone we should be thankful.
One of his famous descendants was Calvin Coolidge, "Silent Cal". Perhaps he took lessons from this ancestor!
The line of descent is
Simon Thompson-Mary Converse
Jonathan Thompson-Thankful Woodland
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-May Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
James settled in Charlestown so that is where Simon spent his early teen age years, probably learning a trade as well as how to adjust to this whole new world he could explore. James soon moved on to Woburn, as did Simon, and that is where Simon met and married his wife, Mary Converse, the daughter of Edward and Sarah Parker Converse, They were married December 19, 1643 in Woburn, and had at least six children together.
After that, we don't know much about Simon. He is not listed in the list of freemen in Massachusetts, although his father, James was so listed. He was made a freeman of Woburn in 1648, according to information found on Wikitree, so I'm not sure why he didn't show up in the state record.
We know he had some land because it is mentioned briefly in a record of deeds for early Woburn. This particular reference, the only one I found, refers to land in a meadow, so from that, we can infer that he also had a house lot. Family tradition says that he was an early town clerk, but I cannot verify that-yet. We can be pretty sure, with the designation of meadow-land, that Simon farmed, but we don't know if that was his only occupation.
We can also be sure that he attended what became the First Congregational Church of Woburn, whether or not he was a member. During the early days of each "plantation" or settlement that I've read about, an appointed drummer walked through the village, beating the drum at each household, so the persons residing could fall in line and march to the meeting house for service. Every resident was expected to be at service whether or not they belonged to the church.
The Wikitree that I referenced earlier states that Simon had helped to organize the town of Chelmsford, but it's not clear that he ever moved there.
Simon died while still quite young. He was not yet 40 years old when he died in May of 1658. He likely died of an illness because he reportedly wrote his will a few weeks before he died. I have been unable to find a cause of death, nor have I found the will or inventory. He left the widow's third to Mary, a double portion to his surviving son James, and the rest was left to his four daughters. All of the children were minors, which is probably one reason that Mary remarried quickly. She married John Sheldon of Billerica in 1659, the year after Simon's death.
This certainly is not a satisfying blog post. There surely is more information about Simon than I've located. However, it at least helps us remember Simon and a little of the kind of life he lived. He's another of the quiet people who helped build America, and for that alone we should be thankful.
One of his famous descendants was Calvin Coolidge, "Silent Cal". Perhaps he took lessons from this ancestor!
The line of descent is
Simon Thompson-Mary Converse
Jonathan Thompson-Thankful Woodland
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-May Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, September 13, 2019
Holbrook line: Thomas Holbrook 1625-1697 Immigrant
There's not as much readily available information about our ancestor Thomas Holbrook as I would like, so I'll continue to look. Because he is an ancestor at least twice, he's important to our family.
However, I do know this mucxh. Thomas, sometimes referred to as Thomas II, was born in 1624 and christened at St John the Baptist, Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England. His parents, Thomas and Jane Powy oe Powis Holbrook, were from Wales. Thomas may or may not have learned some of the stories about Glastonbury as a young boy, from Joseph of Arimathea's appearance there to the stories about King Arthur. There were Saxon ruins as well as those of the Normans, and a very old church, so Thomas had a lot of places to explore.
Thomas's parents came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 on the Marygould. along with Thomas and three of his siblings. The family settled in Weymouth and that is where his parents died in 1677.
Records are scarce or hiding, so we don't know when Thomas went to Braintree, although he was there by 1653.. Actually the two towns are very close together so it is possible that he didn't have to move at all, but that the change in address took place due to events around him. He married Joane Kingman, daughter of Henry and Joanna Drake Kingman, probably shortly before the move. Thomas Sr was a Puritan as was Henry Kingman, so that is likely the way these Holbrooks raised their children, too.
Braintree contributed men to foght in King Philip's War, although it appears that the town itself was not molested. One of those men was Thomas Holbrook. This was more likely to be Thomas's son, Thomas born 1653 than it was our Thomas, but the possibility exists. And if enough men left Braintree, our older Thomas would have acted as militia.
Thomas had a small inheritance when his father died in 1677, and Joane received twelve pounds from her father's estate, plus a chest. Thomas and Joane had at least five children together, four of whom lived to adulthood.
I haven't yet been able to learn much more about his life, except that he was likely a church member and then, his will. He had a Great Bible and other books, a gun and a sword, farm animals, what appears to be quite a lot of boots (if I'm reading this correctly, Was he also a shoemaker?) and quite a bit of land. His estate was valued at 687 pounds. Joane died in 1696 and Thomas in 1697.
For now, we will have to leave Thomas as just a shadow of a person, bare outlines telling his story. It would be nice to find more, to learn more about his life and how he impacted the Colony.
Oh, yes...The Presdients Bush, and President Taft, among others, descend from this couple.
The line of descent is
Thomas Holbrook-Joane Kingman
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Mary Holbrook-Joseph Thompson
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-ary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is the same through Peter Holbrook and Alice Godfrey; then
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
(the rest as above)
However, I do know this mucxh. Thomas, sometimes referred to as Thomas II, was born in 1624 and christened at St John the Baptist, Glastonbury, Somersetshire, England. His parents, Thomas and Jane Powy oe Powis Holbrook, were from Wales. Thomas may or may not have learned some of the stories about Glastonbury as a young boy, from Joseph of Arimathea's appearance there to the stories about King Arthur. There were Saxon ruins as well as those of the Normans, and a very old church, so Thomas had a lot of places to explore.
Thomas's parents came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1635 on the Marygould. along with Thomas and three of his siblings. The family settled in Weymouth and that is where his parents died in 1677.
Records are scarce or hiding, so we don't know when Thomas went to Braintree, although he was there by 1653.. Actually the two towns are very close together so it is possible that he didn't have to move at all, but that the change in address took place due to events around him. He married Joane Kingman, daughter of Henry and Joanna Drake Kingman, probably shortly before the move. Thomas Sr was a Puritan as was Henry Kingman, so that is likely the way these Holbrooks raised their children, too.
Braintree contributed men to foght in King Philip's War, although it appears that the town itself was not molested. One of those men was Thomas Holbrook. This was more likely to be Thomas's son, Thomas born 1653 than it was our Thomas, but the possibility exists. And if enough men left Braintree, our older Thomas would have acted as militia.
Thomas had a small inheritance when his father died in 1677, and Joane received twelve pounds from her father's estate, plus a chest. Thomas and Joane had at least five children together, four of whom lived to adulthood.
I haven't yet been able to learn much more about his life, except that he was likely a church member and then, his will. He had a Great Bible and other books, a gun and a sword, farm animals, what appears to be quite a lot of boots (if I'm reading this correctly, Was he also a shoemaker?) and quite a bit of land. His estate was valued at 687 pounds. Joane died in 1696 and Thomas in 1697.
For now, we will have to leave Thomas as just a shadow of a person, bare outlines telling his story. It would be nice to find more, to learn more about his life and how he impacted the Colony.
Oh, yes...The Presdients Bush, and President Taft, among others, descend from this couple.
The line of descent is
Thomas Holbrook-Joane Kingman
Peter Holbrook-Alice Godfrey
Mary Holbrook-Joseph Thompson
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-ary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is the same through Peter Holbrook and Alice Godfrey; then
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Cook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
(the rest as above)
Friday, August 30, 2019
Holbrook line: Nicholas Cook 1659-1730 Baptist
Nicholas Cook is interesting to me because he was an early Baptist, yet was permitted to live in his hometowns without apparent harm or discrimination. He may or may not have known our ancestor Roger Williams, but he would surely have known of him, because Bellingham, Massachusetts, his final earthly home, was not far from Rhode Island. But I'm getting ahead of his story.
Nicholas was born February 9, 1659/60 to Walter Cook. His mother may have been Catherine Brenton. I look at all the reasons why Catherine is Nicholas's mother, and then I look at the arguments against it, and I just scratch my head. Walter was definitely married when Nicholas was born, and Nicholas is his son. He was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, where his father had settled before moving on to Mendon. Mendon was a large territory but not a higly populated town. In fact, Mendon had to be abandoned during King Philip's War. The settlers had already fled but the native Americans burned the small settlement anyway. Based on the reported birth locations of Walter's children, it appears that the family moved to Mendon sometime between 1664 and 666, so they were there perhaps 10 years before the war broke out.
Nicholas would have been about 16 years old as the war began, so he may or may not have been involved. I didn't find his name in the books "Soldiers in King Philip's War", so perhaps he was detailed to help care for the women and children, wherever they had gone. It would have been perhaps 40 miles for the family to travel back to Weymouth, but perhaps they did travel that far. We just don't know. and
Nicholas married Joanna Rockwood or Rocket, daughter of John and Joanna Ford Rockwood on November 11, 1684 in Mendon. Nicholas was about 25 and Joanna was just seventeen years old at the time. The couple set up housekeeping and had eeven children together, so Nicholas had much to do to keep these mouths fed, and Joanna was constantly busy, too. Nicholas is listed as a husbandman, so he owned land.
Mendon was founded in 1660, and it was much larger than its present boundaries at the time. One of the towns that it "birthed" was Bellingham, and that is where Nicholas and Joanna lived. Nicholas is considered one of the first two founders of the town, Both men (the other was Jacob Bartlett) were Baptists, but we don't know for sure whether they became Baptists after the town was formed, or whether they had formed their decisions earlier. Bellingham has been described as a town of Quakers and Baptists during its early years, so it must have attracted dissenters and protected them, too, as necessary.
Nicholas was chosen constable for his section of town in 1708, indicating he had a certain standing in the town. Joanna died two years later, and Nicholas had children to care for. The youngest was just three years old and the oldest about 20. Two years after Joanna's death, he married Mehitable Hayward Staples, widow of Abraham Staples. She had four children when she married, and the new couple had a son, so a large family became, in my way of thinking, enormous.
Nicholas died at Bellingham on December 1, 1730. For a husbandman, he had a sizable estate valued at 1200 pounds. I found his inventory, and there is discussion in the estate pages (found in Suffolk County) about how the estate should be divided. Nicholas didn't leave a will, so the court did the best they could with the division of land and property. Somehow the 1200 pounds worked out to about 79 pounds for each of the children, which may mean that Mehitable was still alive and got her widow's third.
Nicholas's inventory included 4 pieces of property, with the most highly valued being one that had his homestead on it. He had books valued at one pound, and militia arms, so he perhaps had not yet been excused from training duty. Most of his other inventory was either household goods or typical farming equipment, including several cattle of various types, swine, and sheep, as well as what were probably cash crops of grains.
I've been glad to make the very brief acquaintance of Nicholas. These men (and women) who stood up for their religious convictions fascinate me. What gave them the strength to resist government and peer pressure, to follow their own understanding of God's Word? Did they suffer for their stand?
The line of descent is:
Nicholas Cook-Joanna Rockwood
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Nicholas was born February 9, 1659/60 to Walter Cook. His mother may have been Catherine Brenton. I look at all the reasons why Catherine is Nicholas's mother, and then I look at the arguments against it, and I just scratch my head. Walter was definitely married when Nicholas was born, and Nicholas is his son. He was born in Weymouth, Massachusetts, where his father had settled before moving on to Mendon. Mendon was a large territory but not a higly populated town. In fact, Mendon had to be abandoned during King Philip's War. The settlers had already fled but the native Americans burned the small settlement anyway. Based on the reported birth locations of Walter's children, it appears that the family moved to Mendon sometime between 1664 and 666, so they were there perhaps 10 years before the war broke out.
Nicholas would have been about 16 years old as the war began, so he may or may not have been involved. I didn't find his name in the books "Soldiers in King Philip's War", so perhaps he was detailed to help care for the women and children, wherever they had gone. It would have been perhaps 40 miles for the family to travel back to Weymouth, but perhaps they did travel that far. We just don't know. and
Nicholas married Joanna Rockwood or Rocket, daughter of John and Joanna Ford Rockwood on November 11, 1684 in Mendon. Nicholas was about 25 and Joanna was just seventeen years old at the time. The couple set up housekeeping and had eeven children together, so Nicholas had much to do to keep these mouths fed, and Joanna was constantly busy, too. Nicholas is listed as a husbandman, so he owned land.
Mendon was founded in 1660, and it was much larger than its present boundaries at the time. One of the towns that it "birthed" was Bellingham, and that is where Nicholas and Joanna lived. Nicholas is considered one of the first two founders of the town, Both men (the other was Jacob Bartlett) were Baptists, but we don't know for sure whether they became Baptists after the town was formed, or whether they had formed their decisions earlier. Bellingham has been described as a town of Quakers and Baptists during its early years, so it must have attracted dissenters and protected them, too, as necessary.
Nicholas was chosen constable for his section of town in 1708, indicating he had a certain standing in the town. Joanna died two years later, and Nicholas had children to care for. The youngest was just three years old and the oldest about 20. Two years after Joanna's death, he married Mehitable Hayward Staples, widow of Abraham Staples. She had four children when she married, and the new couple had a son, so a large family became, in my way of thinking, enormous.
Nicholas died at Bellingham on December 1, 1730. For a husbandman, he had a sizable estate valued at 1200 pounds. I found his inventory, and there is discussion in the estate pages (found in Suffolk County) about how the estate should be divided. Nicholas didn't leave a will, so the court did the best they could with the division of land and property. Somehow the 1200 pounds worked out to about 79 pounds for each of the children, which may mean that Mehitable was still alive and got her widow's third.
Nicholas's inventory included 4 pieces of property, with the most highly valued being one that had his homestead on it. He had books valued at one pound, and militia arms, so he perhaps had not yet been excused from training duty. Most of his other inventory was either household goods or typical farming equipment, including several cattle of various types, swine, and sheep, as well as what were probably cash crops of grains.
I've been glad to make the very brief acquaintance of Nicholas. These men (and women) who stood up for their religious convictions fascinate me. What gave them the strength to resist government and peer pressure, to follow their own understanding of God's Word? Did they suffer for their stand?
The line of descent is:
Nicholas Cook-Joanna Rockwood
Mary Cook-Joseph Holbrook
Jesse Holbrook-Abigail Thayer
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Holbrook line: Ebenezer Thayer 1672-1723
Oh my! This man has been difficult to place. He is not, as far as I know, Captain Ebenezer; that man lived later than our ancestor. The same goes for Reverend Ebenezer Thayer. He's not our ancestor either. It's been amazing to find so many Ebenezers, and so many Thayers, and so many Ebenezer Thayers, in Mendon, Massachusetts. I'm glad I've been able to unravel our ancestor from some of the other men, and I'm especially glad that I found first his will (on Ancestry) and then his estate papers (on americanancestors.org). Without those papers, we'd know a lot less about Ebenezer than we know now.
Ebenezer is the son of Ferdinando and Hulday Hayward Thayer. He was born in either 1672 or 1674, possiblly in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of at least six children. At some point, when Ebenezer was still a child or youth, the family moved to Mendon, Massachusetts, at a time that Mendon was considered to be on the frontier. If they had already moved by the time of King Philip's War, this would have been a very tense time for the family. It was probably still tense in 1690, when Huldah is though to have died in Mendon, for there had been some kind of a military call up just the year before, perhaps due to intelligence about native American attacks. Short and uneasy were the periods of truce between the whites and the natives.
We get a sense of how much this was frontier by noting tht Ebenezer Thayer killed a wolf in 1694, and that the constable cut off its ears in front of some of the selectmen. There was probably a bounty for the wolf head, as that is usual in frontier towns.
Regardless of the date that Ebenezer arrived in Mendon, he stayed there the rest of his life. He married Martha Thomson or Thompson there on June 13, 1695. She was the daughter of John and Thankful Woodland Thompson. Ebenezer describes himself in his will as a husbandman, meaning he farmed his own land. Ebenezer and Martha had eight or perhaps nine children, enough to keep the two of them busy. His name is on rate lists for 1694 and 1699, and he was given land in the town allotments in 1707 and 1713, if not sooner. He acquired quite a significant holding before his death.
Mendon eventually grew to the point that it needed to be divided into one or more town, and Ebenezer's name is on a 1719 petition requesting division of the lands. It was granted by the general court, and Ebenezer's land straddled the line between Mendon and Bellingham. He may not have moved at all, but his death is sometimes shown as having happened in Bellingham. Note: up to the point that "Ebenezer's land straddled the line..." the information for this post has come from "Annals of the Town of Mendon' by John G. Metcalf. I've not seen this source quoted in on line summaries of his life, but there is this much information in the book.
The next we find of Ebenezer is his death. It occurred in either 1722 or 1723. It was an illness of some kind that took him because he described himself, in the will, as "being very sick". He left 68 acres of land to his son Ebenezer, laid out in various parcels in various years. To Uriah, he left several pieces of land in Mendon, to be held by the executor until he came of age. Then he left more land in Bellingham to Ebenezer. His homestead in Bellingham, not previously disposed of, was to be divided between his three sons, but his wife was to live on it and have the improvements until his son Daniel was of age. His wife was to be provided for in her widowhood out of the gifts he had made to his sons. His daughters Martha and Hannah were to have 10 pounds each when they reached the age of twenty one, out of his "personal estate". More was to be given to each of his four daughters, who also included Deborah and Abigail, and his sons were to provide for his wife's care, in one end of the dwelling house, in equal shares. She was to have corn and firewood, a cow and a horse, to lead a "comfortable subsistence".
The inventory is categorized rather than itemized, so we don't know about the little things that would tell us more about Ebenezer. He had about 16 head of cattle, including two oxen, three horses, 34 sheep and lambs, and 7 swine,. He also had a sword, belt, and ammunition, but there is no specific mention of a gun or other weapon. Interestingly, he also had four spinning wheels, which perhaps means his daughters were already working in a cottage industry. The estate was valued at about 826 pounds, due mostly to the many parcels of land that he owned. Funeral and other expenses reduced the estate by 15 pounds. It seems that Ebenezer left his family in decent financial shape, much sooner than he had planned. Martha is believed to have married Joseph Wight in 1724, and to have lived until 1759.
There are still many questsions I'd like to have answered. What was his military experience? Was he a Baptist, or a Congregationalist? Was he literate? His will was signed with an "X" but since he was "very sick", that may not mean anything. We can at least conclude that he was a successful farmer, at a time and place when that was difficult. Thank you, Ebenezer, for being part of our family!
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Ebenezer is the son of Ferdinando and Hulday Hayward Thayer. He was born in either 1672 or 1674, possiblly in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was one of at least six children. At some point, when Ebenezer was still a child or youth, the family moved to Mendon, Massachusetts, at a time that Mendon was considered to be on the frontier. If they had already moved by the time of King Philip's War, this would have been a very tense time for the family. It was probably still tense in 1690, when Huldah is though to have died in Mendon, for there had been some kind of a military call up just the year before, perhaps due to intelligence about native American attacks. Short and uneasy were the periods of truce between the whites and the natives.
We get a sense of how much this was frontier by noting tht Ebenezer Thayer killed a wolf in 1694, and that the constable cut off its ears in front of some of the selectmen. There was probably a bounty for the wolf head, as that is usual in frontier towns.
Regardless of the date that Ebenezer arrived in Mendon, he stayed there the rest of his life. He married Martha Thomson or Thompson there on June 13, 1695. She was the daughter of John and Thankful Woodland Thompson. Ebenezer describes himself in his will as a husbandman, meaning he farmed his own land. Ebenezer and Martha had eight or perhaps nine children, enough to keep the two of them busy. His name is on rate lists for 1694 and 1699, and he was given land in the town allotments in 1707 and 1713, if not sooner. He acquired quite a significant holding before his death.
Mendon eventually grew to the point that it needed to be divided into one or more town, and Ebenezer's name is on a 1719 petition requesting division of the lands. It was granted by the general court, and Ebenezer's land straddled the line between Mendon and Bellingham. He may not have moved at all, but his death is sometimes shown as having happened in Bellingham. Note: up to the point that "Ebenezer's land straddled the line..." the information for this post has come from "Annals of the Town of Mendon' by John G. Metcalf. I've not seen this source quoted in on line summaries of his life, but there is this much information in the book.
The next we find of Ebenezer is his death. It occurred in either 1722 or 1723. It was an illness of some kind that took him because he described himself, in the will, as "being very sick". He left 68 acres of land to his son Ebenezer, laid out in various parcels in various years. To Uriah, he left several pieces of land in Mendon, to be held by the executor until he came of age. Then he left more land in Bellingham to Ebenezer. His homestead in Bellingham, not previously disposed of, was to be divided between his three sons, but his wife was to live on it and have the improvements until his son Daniel was of age. His wife was to be provided for in her widowhood out of the gifts he had made to his sons. His daughters Martha and Hannah were to have 10 pounds each when they reached the age of twenty one, out of his "personal estate". More was to be given to each of his four daughters, who also included Deborah and Abigail, and his sons were to provide for his wife's care, in one end of the dwelling house, in equal shares. She was to have corn and firewood, a cow and a horse, to lead a "comfortable subsistence".
The inventory is categorized rather than itemized, so we don't know about the little things that would tell us more about Ebenezer. He had about 16 head of cattle, including two oxen, three horses, 34 sheep and lambs, and 7 swine,. He also had a sword, belt, and ammunition, but there is no specific mention of a gun or other weapon. Interestingly, he also had four spinning wheels, which perhaps means his daughters were already working in a cottage industry. The estate was valued at about 826 pounds, due mostly to the many parcels of land that he owned. Funeral and other expenses reduced the estate by 15 pounds. It seems that Ebenezer left his family in decent financial shape, much sooner than he had planned. Martha is believed to have married Joseph Wight in 1724, and to have lived until 1759.
There are still many questsions I'd like to have answered. What was his military experience? Was he a Baptist, or a Congregationalist? Was he literate? His will was signed with an "X" but since he was "very sick", that may not mean anything. We can at least conclude that he was a successful farmer, at a time and place when that was difficult. Thank you, Ebenezer, for being part of our family!
The line of descent is:
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, February 15, 2019
Holbrook line: William Hayward, Immigrant
It's February and the ice is thawing. I feel like I'm on very thin ice, here, writing about this particular ancestor. I hope I can stay away from all the cracks and holes in his story, and eventually get back to dry and solid land.
Actually, let's start with dry and solid land. It seems pretty well established that William Hayward died at Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on May 10, 1659. He was at his usual work as a ferryman, and drowned. Perhaps he had a heart attack or stroke that caused him to fall into the water, but the cause of death was apparently drowning. The inventory of his estate showed a value of 195 pounds, 5 shillings, and 6 pence. Power of administration was given to Margery, his late wife, on behalf of herself and the children. His estate included a dwelling house, garden, and orchards, as well as other lands, oxen, cattle and a meager amount of household furnishings including seven shillings worth of books.
Margery, his wife, is believed to be Margery Knight. There are marriage records for a couple by those names on October 10, 1633, Stepney, Middlesex, England, and they are believed to be the same people who later came to New England. Stepney appears to have been a separate village at the time but is now part of the city of London. Some show the couple as having arrived in 1635 but the earliest records are from 1637, when William was in Charlestown. He then went to Braintree ,where he was deputy to the general court in 1641.
By occupation, William was a mariner, boatman, and ferry man. He probably did whatever was necessary to support his family, which may have included as many as eight children, some of them still minors when he died.
That is pretty much what is known about William. I've been birth dates for him of everything from 1585 to 1617. The 1617 date is likely not correct because that would have made him only about 16 years old when he married Margery, which doesn't seem likely. More likely he was born between 1595 and 1610, but there were quite a few William Haywards born during that time period.
So we end with a mystery or two. Who was he, and who were his parents? What were his reasons for coming to America? Presumably he was made a freeman, since he held the office of deputy. When did that happen? Regardless, we once again come to the conclusion that he and Margery are people worthy of respect and honor, for crossing the ocean, for raising a family here, and for giving us those hardy pioneer genes that have served us well.
The lines of descent are:
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Ebenezeer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
and
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Samuel Hayward-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
per above
As you'll note, this is a rather tangled tree, with Thompson and Thayers showing up in several different ways. That may explain why we have several ancestors in common with William Howard Taft, former President of the United States.
Actually, let's start with dry and solid land. It seems pretty well established that William Hayward died at Braintree, Suffolk County, Massachusetts on May 10, 1659. He was at his usual work as a ferryman, and drowned. Perhaps he had a heart attack or stroke that caused him to fall into the water, but the cause of death was apparently drowning. The inventory of his estate showed a value of 195 pounds, 5 shillings, and 6 pence. Power of administration was given to Margery, his late wife, on behalf of herself and the children. His estate included a dwelling house, garden, and orchards, as well as other lands, oxen, cattle and a meager amount of household furnishings including seven shillings worth of books.
Margery, his wife, is believed to be Margery Knight. There are marriage records for a couple by those names on October 10, 1633, Stepney, Middlesex, England, and they are believed to be the same people who later came to New England. Stepney appears to have been a separate village at the time but is now part of the city of London. Some show the couple as having arrived in 1635 but the earliest records are from 1637, when William was in Charlestown. He then went to Braintree ,where he was deputy to the general court in 1641.
By occupation, William was a mariner, boatman, and ferry man. He probably did whatever was necessary to support his family, which may have included as many as eight children, some of them still minors when he died.
That is pretty much what is known about William. I've been birth dates for him of everything from 1585 to 1617. The 1617 date is likely not correct because that would have made him only about 16 years old when he married Margery, which doesn't seem likely. More likely he was born between 1595 and 1610, but there were quite a few William Haywards born during that time period.
So we end with a mystery or two. Who was he, and who were his parents? What were his reasons for coming to America? Presumably he was made a freeman, since he held the office of deputy. When did that happen? Regardless, we once again come to the conclusion that he and Margery are people worthy of respect and honor, for crossing the ocean, for raising a family here, and for giving us those hardy pioneer genes that have served us well.
The lines of descent are:
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Ebenezeer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
and
William Hayward-Margery Knight
Samuel Hayward-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
per above
As you'll note, this is a rather tangled tree, with Thompson and Thayers showing up in several different ways. That may explain why we have several ancestors in common with William Howard Taft, former President of the United States.
Friday, September 14, 2018
Holbrook line: Samuel Morse 1576-1654 Immigrant
What would it take for a man of 50 to decide to take his family across the ocean to a land they had only heard of, with challenges both known and unknown? He was a "husbandman", meaning that he farmed either land owned by someone else, or a small farm. So he didn't have much money in England, and perhaps he thought life would be better here.
We do know a little more about Samuel than we do about some of our ancestors. His parents were Reverend Thomas and Margaret (probably King) Morse, and he was born on or shortly before June 12, 1576 in Boxted, Essex, England. Boxted is a small village on the northern border of Essex, not far from the North Sea. The current population is about 1350 people. Two groups of religious dissenters had gone from this area to New England in 1630, so in addition to economic reasons, perhaps the Morses were following family, or certainly, neighbors.
Samuel married Elizabeth Jasper, daughter of Lancelot and Rose Shephard Jasper, on June 29, 1602, at Redgrave, Suffolk, England. This was about 40 miles from Samuel's home at Boxted, but we don't know how they met. Perhaps Samuel's father had preached at Redgrave, or maybe Elizabeth visited someone in Boxted. At any rate, they met, married, and settled down in or near Redgrave, where several of their children were born. Their last three children were born at Burgate, Suffolk, England, which seems to be quite close to Redgrave.
Samuel, Elizabeth, their twenty year old son Joseph and a 2 year old granddaughter traveled together on the ship Increase in 1635. Samuel was listed as 50 and Elizabeth as 48. It is uncertain how the other children got to New England but there are only ship and other records for a small fraction of those who arrived in New England, so that is not a problem. Samuel and Elizabeth first went to Waterwon, and then to Dedham, which are both towns settled by those settlers who had come over from Boxted in 1630. The Morses were iamong the first settlers of Dedham in 1637, when Samuel was admitted to the church. He was made a freeman on October 8, 1640.
We don't know what education Samuel had but he must have had at least the basics because he served Dedham as a treasurer and a selectman, he was an assessor for the meetinghouse rate, and he was a fenceviewer and highway surveyor. One would think that the treasurer's position would require basic math skills, and the selectman's job may have required literacy.
In 1652, Samuel and Elizabeth moved on to Medfield, where they were early settlers. I find it hard to fathom moving across the ocean, living in one town, going to another, and then finally, at the age of 67, starting over in another village. Starting over may well have meant building one's own home, clearing one's own fields and helping with the common, and helping develop roads for the new village. It would have been a lot of work! Samuel still owned land in Dedham when he died in December of 1654, but it's unclear whether he also owned land at Medfield.
His estate was valued at 124 pounds, 7 shillings, of which 40 pounds was real estate. I don't know what his net worth would have been when he left England, but he seems to have improved his circumstances here.
He left descendants who would not only improve their circumstances, but improve the country. John Chapman, otherwise known as Johnny Appleseed, is a descendant, as are Wild Bill Hickock, Emily Dickinson, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and the two Presidents Bush. There are also some famous entertainers in the list such as Raquel Welch and Elizabeth Shue. We are cousins, very distant, to all these people!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Morse-Elizabeth Jasper
Mary Morse-Samuel Bullen
Elizabeth Bullen-Benjamin Wheelock
Benjamin Wheelock-Hulda Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly oh where are you Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susannah Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
If I have this figured right, Hulda Thayer was Ebenezer Thayer's niece, so Abigail Thayer's grandmother Hulda was also her aunt. Can that be right?
We do know a little more about Samuel than we do about some of our ancestors. His parents were Reverend Thomas and Margaret (probably King) Morse, and he was born on or shortly before June 12, 1576 in Boxted, Essex, England. Boxted is a small village on the northern border of Essex, not far from the North Sea. The current population is about 1350 people. Two groups of religious dissenters had gone from this area to New England in 1630, so in addition to economic reasons, perhaps the Morses were following family, or certainly, neighbors.
Samuel married Elizabeth Jasper, daughter of Lancelot and Rose Shephard Jasper, on June 29, 1602, at Redgrave, Suffolk, England. This was about 40 miles from Samuel's home at Boxted, but we don't know how they met. Perhaps Samuel's father had preached at Redgrave, or maybe Elizabeth visited someone in Boxted. At any rate, they met, married, and settled down in or near Redgrave, where several of their children were born. Their last three children were born at Burgate, Suffolk, England, which seems to be quite close to Redgrave.
Samuel, Elizabeth, their twenty year old son Joseph and a 2 year old granddaughter traveled together on the ship Increase in 1635. Samuel was listed as 50 and Elizabeth as 48. It is uncertain how the other children got to New England but there are only ship and other records for a small fraction of those who arrived in New England, so that is not a problem. Samuel and Elizabeth first went to Waterwon, and then to Dedham, which are both towns settled by those settlers who had come over from Boxted in 1630. The Morses were iamong the first settlers of Dedham in 1637, when Samuel was admitted to the church. He was made a freeman on October 8, 1640.
We don't know what education Samuel had but he must have had at least the basics because he served Dedham as a treasurer and a selectman, he was an assessor for the meetinghouse rate, and he was a fenceviewer and highway surveyor. One would think that the treasurer's position would require basic math skills, and the selectman's job may have required literacy.
In 1652, Samuel and Elizabeth moved on to Medfield, where they were early settlers. I find it hard to fathom moving across the ocean, living in one town, going to another, and then finally, at the age of 67, starting over in another village. Starting over may well have meant building one's own home, clearing one's own fields and helping with the common, and helping develop roads for the new village. It would have been a lot of work! Samuel still owned land in Dedham when he died in December of 1654, but it's unclear whether he also owned land at Medfield.
His estate was valued at 124 pounds, 7 shillings, of which 40 pounds was real estate. I don't know what his net worth would have been when he left England, but he seems to have improved his circumstances here.
He left descendants who would not only improve their circumstances, but improve the country. John Chapman, otherwise known as Johnny Appleseed, is a descendant, as are Wild Bill Hickock, Emily Dickinson, William Howard Taft, Calvin Coolidge, and the two Presidents Bush. There are also some famous entertainers in the list such as Raquel Welch and Elizabeth Shue. We are cousins, very distant, to all these people!
The line of descent is:
Samuel Morse-Elizabeth Jasper
Mary Morse-Samuel Bullen
Elizabeth Bullen-Benjamin Wheelock
Benjamin Wheelock-Hulda Thayer
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly oh where are you Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susannah Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
If I have this figured right, Hulda Thayer was Ebenezer Thayer's niece, so Abigail Thayer's grandmother Hulda was also her aunt. Can that be right?
Friday, August 31, 2018
Holbrook line: John Thompson 1642-1715
OK, John Thompson is not quite an immigrant. However, I'm no longer sure of the identity of his parents. I had a whole blog post written and ready to post about Simon Thompson, whom I believed to be his father. I no longer believe that. I've found several sources that appear to be authoritative saying his parents were John and Sarah (possibly Trevore) Thompson and his paternal grandparents were David and Amyas Cole Thomson. These seem to be more likely for our John, and this is the way it is given in a published genealogy plus on line trees, so that's how we'll leave it for now. It's important that I get this right, because we have two lines of descent from this man.
I will say that John Thompson appears to have been born in 1642, although some sources say 1645, possibly in Dorchester. So his parents were already here, and John Thompson and Sarah possibly Trevore would appear to have been here, and in the correct location.
Before 1663, John is believed to have lived at Weymouth, Massachusetts. He married Thankful Woodland, daughter of John and Martha Woodland in about 1665, in Dorchester. Some sources say the marriage occurred in Mendon, but Mendon was not yet a settlement so that appears unlikely. The actual settlement of Mendon occurred in 1668, although there may have been a house or two before then. All 10 of their children were born in Mendon, and John and Thankful probably intended to live out their days there.
Life wasn't as peaceful as it sounds, however. The Thompsons left Mendon in late 1675 and went to Dorchester or one of the "safer" towns, due to the outbreak of King Philip's War. Mendon suffered the first casualties of the war in 1675, and the natives returned to burn the town to the ground in early 1676. The Thompsons were some of the earliest families to return to Mendon in 1677, and to start rebuilding their lives.
John was chosen surveyor for the town in 1680, the first such office to be filled since the burning of the town. He was also a town selectman, and is noted in some records as being an Ensign. If so, he probably was involved in military action during King Philip's War. He may have lived until 1715, but I have not been able to locate a death record or a will.
This is not much to define the life of a pioneer and a patriot. I wish I had more information. I wish I knew how he met his wife. I wish I knew what stories his father must have told, about his amazing grandfather. There is so much I'd life to know, but at least I can honor his name by writing this blog post.
The line of descent is:
John Thompson-Thankful Woodland
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is:
John Thompson-Thankful Woodland
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood (so they would be second cousins)
See above
I will say that John Thompson appears to have been born in 1642, although some sources say 1645, possibly in Dorchester. So his parents were already here, and John Thompson and Sarah possibly Trevore would appear to have been here, and in the correct location.
Before 1663, John is believed to have lived at Weymouth, Massachusetts. He married Thankful Woodland, daughter of John and Martha Woodland in about 1665, in Dorchester. Some sources say the marriage occurred in Mendon, but Mendon was not yet a settlement so that appears unlikely. The actual settlement of Mendon occurred in 1668, although there may have been a house or two before then. All 10 of their children were born in Mendon, and John and Thankful probably intended to live out their days there.
Life wasn't as peaceful as it sounds, however. The Thompsons left Mendon in late 1675 and went to Dorchester or one of the "safer" towns, due to the outbreak of King Philip's War. Mendon suffered the first casualties of the war in 1675, and the natives returned to burn the town to the ground in early 1676. The Thompsons were some of the earliest families to return to Mendon in 1677, and to start rebuilding their lives.
John was chosen surveyor for the town in 1680, the first such office to be filled since the burning of the town. He was also a town selectman, and is noted in some records as being an Ensign. If so, he probably was involved in military action during King Philip's War. He may have lived until 1715, but I have not been able to locate a death record or a will.
This is not much to define the life of a pioneer and a patriot. I wish I had more information. I wish I knew how he met his wife. I wish I knew what stories his father must have told, about his amazing grandfather. There is so much I'd life to know, but at least I can honor his name by writing this blog post.
The line of descent is:
John Thompson-Thankful Woodland
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The second line is:
John Thompson-Thankful Woodland
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood (so they would be second cousins)
See above
Friday, August 17, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Stoughton 1588-1661
Thomas Stoughton is, like many of our ancestors, a man with secrets. We know quite a bit about him, but one thing I have not been able to determine is how he made his living. But let's start at the beginning.
Thomas was likely the second Thomas in his family. There was a Thomas born in 1588, but our Thomas wasn't baptized until January 23, 1592/93. It would have been unusual to wait that long to baptize a child in Naughton, Suffolk, England, especially since his father, also Thomas Stoughton, was a Puritan clergyman. His mother was Katherine, likely Montpesson. So unless Thomas Senior for political/religious reasons had delayed baptizing his first born, we can consider it likely that Thomas, our subject, was born in January of 1592/93.
Thomas was born into a family who valued education and who honored the Lord but wished to do it in their own way. that way was Puritan, not church of England, and so the family probably suffered economically after the father lost his church in 1606. His father, a Cambridge graduate, turned to writing theological pamphlets but it is hard to see how he would have made a living from that. Thomas was one of seven children, and was educated to a high grammar school level. Perhaps he was tutored, at home or elsewhere, but as far as is known he did not attend a university.
Thomas married Elizabeth Thompson or Tompson on May 5, 1612 at Great Totham, Essex, England. He would have been just about 20 years old, which was a little young for the time and place, but he felt ready to support a wife and family. Again, we don't know how he supported his family, which soon included 4 daughters and a son. Another daughter, the first Elizabeth, died shortly after her birth. The second Elizabeth died when she was 6 years old, and there is no further record of Anna, who may also have died young. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1627, leaving Thomas with children Sarah, Katherine, and Thomas. It should be noted that our connection is through a daughter Elizabeth, who is given varying birth dates but no documentation. So it's possible that Elizabeth was part of this family, but not a child of Thomas's. Perhaps she was his niece or a cousin or some other relation. For now, we will leave her as a daughter.
Thomas and his children came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, possibly on the Mary and John, although I don't find his name on any of the lists. He probably went directly to Dorchester where he became a freeman on May 18, 1631. He served on the General Court there until 1634, helped "order the affairs of the plantation" and later was a constable there. He was fined five pounds for marrying two people, which is a bit puzzling. Was he doing this as a civil servant or as a religious person? At any rate, the fine was eventually forgiven.
By 1635, there were religious tensions in Dorchester and Thomas was one of the men who went to what would become Windsor. He set the boundaries for the village and served in the court there for eleven years. About the time he went to Windsor, he married again, to Margaret Barret Huntington, a widow of "good means, and has five children". As far as we know, they lived happily every after.
Thomas died on March 25, 1661. I have not been able to find a will or inventory for him, which is a disappointment. We do know he owned several parcels of land, but whether these were developed for farming or not we don't know. So, as mentioned earlier, although we know quite a bit about him there are still mysteries. How did he make a living? And was Elizabeth his daughter, or possibly the daughter of one of his brothers who also came to the Bay Colony?
The supposed line of descent is:
Thomas Stoughton-Elizabeth Thomson
Elizabeth Stoughton-John Kingsley
Freedom Grace Kingsley-John French
Elizabeth French-Jonathan Thayer
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susannah Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas was likely the second Thomas in his family. There was a Thomas born in 1588, but our Thomas wasn't baptized until January 23, 1592/93. It would have been unusual to wait that long to baptize a child in Naughton, Suffolk, England, especially since his father, also Thomas Stoughton, was a Puritan clergyman. His mother was Katherine, likely Montpesson. So unless Thomas Senior for political/religious reasons had delayed baptizing his first born, we can consider it likely that Thomas, our subject, was born in January of 1592/93.
Thomas was born into a family who valued education and who honored the Lord but wished to do it in their own way. that way was Puritan, not church of England, and so the family probably suffered economically after the father lost his church in 1606. His father, a Cambridge graduate, turned to writing theological pamphlets but it is hard to see how he would have made a living from that. Thomas was one of seven children, and was educated to a high grammar school level. Perhaps he was tutored, at home or elsewhere, but as far as is known he did not attend a university.
Thomas married Elizabeth Thompson or Tompson on May 5, 1612 at Great Totham, Essex, England. He would have been just about 20 years old, which was a little young for the time and place, but he felt ready to support a wife and family. Again, we don't know how he supported his family, which soon included 4 daughters and a son. Another daughter, the first Elizabeth, died shortly after her birth. The second Elizabeth died when she was 6 years old, and there is no further record of Anna, who may also have died young. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1627, leaving Thomas with children Sarah, Katherine, and Thomas. It should be noted that our connection is through a daughter Elizabeth, who is given varying birth dates but no documentation. So it's possible that Elizabeth was part of this family, but not a child of Thomas's. Perhaps she was his niece or a cousin or some other relation. For now, we will leave her as a daughter.
Thomas and his children came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, possibly on the Mary and John, although I don't find his name on any of the lists. He probably went directly to Dorchester where he became a freeman on May 18, 1631. He served on the General Court there until 1634, helped "order the affairs of the plantation" and later was a constable there. He was fined five pounds for marrying two people, which is a bit puzzling. Was he doing this as a civil servant or as a religious person? At any rate, the fine was eventually forgiven.
By 1635, there were religious tensions in Dorchester and Thomas was one of the men who went to what would become Windsor. He set the boundaries for the village and served in the court there for eleven years. About the time he went to Windsor, he married again, to Margaret Barret Huntington, a widow of "good means, and has five children". As far as we know, they lived happily every after.
Thomas died on March 25, 1661. I have not been able to find a will or inventory for him, which is a disappointment. We do know he owned several parcels of land, but whether these were developed for farming or not we don't know. So, as mentioned earlier, although we know quite a bit about him there are still mysteries. How did he make a living? And was Elizabeth his daughter, or possibly the daughter of one of his brothers who also came to the Bay Colony?
The supposed line of descent is:
Thomas Stoughton-Elizabeth Thomson
Elizabeth Stoughton-John Kingsley
Freedom Grace Kingsley-John French
Elizabeth French-Jonathan Thayer
Huldah Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susannah Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, July 27, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Thayer, Immigrant 1596-1665
Thomas Thayer has much available information, so that this will be more a summary of what others have found rather than my own research. One interesting item I found refers to him as part of the "Boston Brahmin community". This set me back on my heels a bit. I've always thought that these people were maybe a little bit snobbish and clannish (my prejudices showing, but let's not pussy foot around this), and now I've learned that we might be part of this group, many generations removed, of course. There is an article on Wikipedia called "Boston Brahmin", if you're not familiar with the term.
Thomas himself may not be considered to be a Brahmin, since he was a shoemaker. But let's start at the beginning. He was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, probably shortly before his christening date of August 16, 1596. (Point of reference here: Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler of the land,) His parents were Richard and Ursula Alice Dimery Thayer, and he was one of at least five children. Interestingly, a godfather was William Dimery, probably the same man who later became his father in law. Of the five Thayer siblings, three stayed in England but Thomas and his brother Richard came to America.
Thomas married Margery Wheeler, daughter of Abel or Abiel and Jane Shepherd Wheeler on April 13, 1618, in Thornbury. There were nine children born to them in Thornbury and at least one born after the family came to New England. It musts have been a sad life in those early years as most of the children died in England, some shortly after their birth. However, Thomas, his wife and their three surviving children sailed on the ship "Blessing" and arrived on the "Blessing" at Boston Harbor on April 8, 1637. His goods and supplies followed shortly after on the "Speedwell". It's possible that his oldest son, or perhaps his wife, came on this ship with the goods but there is no record of the passengers on that ship. It certainly would be interesting to know what "goods" he bought with him and whether they were sufficient to get the family started in the New World.
I haven't been able to locate much more than that about Thomas's life in America. We know he received 76 acres of land in Mt. Wollaston (later Braintree) and that is supposed to be for nine members of his family. This is hard to reconcile with the belief that most of his children died in England. (More research, when I get a chance!) Because he states it in his will, we know that he was a shoemaker and that he settled in Braintree, Suffolk County. We know his wife was still alive, for the lands he bequeathed to his three sons were not to be divided until after Margery's death. He had a dwelling house, orchard, barn, and enough land to give about 20 acres to Thomas, about the same to Ferdinando, and also to Sydrach. His personal goods he gave to his grandchildren, again apparently after the death of his wife. His three sons got together and rewrote part of the will, after his death, because they didn't think Sydrach had been given an amount equal to Thomas Jr and Ferdinando. Margery died February 11, 1673, so the boys waited a few years until the land was legally theirs.
An inventory was taken but sadly seems not to be available, or at least it is not on line. As you know by now, I dearly love inventories so its disappearance is a sad thing. And of course there are other mysteries. Was he a part of the church? Did he hold any town office? (I've looked at a History of Braintree and didn't find his name there at all). Could he read and write? Thomas and Margery are the progenitors of tens of thousands, if not more, descendants and we'd sure like to know more about them!
One line of descent is:
Thomas Thayer-Margery Wheeler
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas himself may not be considered to be a Brahmin, since he was a shoemaker. But let's start at the beginning. He was born in Thornbury, Gloucestershire, England, probably shortly before his christening date of August 16, 1596. (Point of reference here: Queen Elizabeth I was the ruler of the land,) His parents were Richard and Ursula Alice Dimery Thayer, and he was one of at least five children. Interestingly, a godfather was William Dimery, probably the same man who later became his father in law. Of the five Thayer siblings, three stayed in England but Thomas and his brother Richard came to America.
Thomas married Margery Wheeler, daughter of Abel or Abiel and Jane Shepherd Wheeler on April 13, 1618, in Thornbury. There were nine children born to them in Thornbury and at least one born after the family came to New England. It musts have been a sad life in those early years as most of the children died in England, some shortly after their birth. However, Thomas, his wife and their three surviving children sailed on the ship "Blessing" and arrived on the "Blessing" at Boston Harbor on April 8, 1637. His goods and supplies followed shortly after on the "Speedwell". It's possible that his oldest son, or perhaps his wife, came on this ship with the goods but there is no record of the passengers on that ship. It certainly would be interesting to know what "goods" he bought with him and whether they were sufficient to get the family started in the New World.
I haven't been able to locate much more than that about Thomas's life in America. We know he received 76 acres of land in Mt. Wollaston (later Braintree) and that is supposed to be for nine members of his family. This is hard to reconcile with the belief that most of his children died in England. (More research, when I get a chance!) Because he states it in his will, we know that he was a shoemaker and that he settled in Braintree, Suffolk County. We know his wife was still alive, for the lands he bequeathed to his three sons were not to be divided until after Margery's death. He had a dwelling house, orchard, barn, and enough land to give about 20 acres to Thomas, about the same to Ferdinando, and also to Sydrach. His personal goods he gave to his grandchildren, again apparently after the death of his wife. His three sons got together and rewrote part of the will, after his death, because they didn't think Sydrach had been given an amount equal to Thomas Jr and Ferdinando. Margery died February 11, 1673, so the boys waited a few years until the land was legally theirs.
An inventory was taken but sadly seems not to be available, or at least it is not on line. As you know by now, I dearly love inventories so its disappearance is a sad thing. And of course there are other mysteries. Was he a part of the church? Did he hold any town office? (I've looked at a History of Braintree and didn't find his name there at all). Could he read and write? Thomas and Margery are the progenitors of tens of thousands, if not more, descendants and we'd sure like to know more about them!
One line of descent is:
Thomas Thayer-Margery Wheeler
Ferdinando Thayer-Huldah Hayward
Ebenezer Thayer-Martha Thompson
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
Holbrook line: William Knight, Immigrant
It's hard to write a blog post when there is not a lot to go on as far as documentation. One must read between the lines, and perhaps draw incorrect conclusions. The good thing is that someday, someone will figure out a lot of these mysteries. I hope to be around to witness at least some of these new discoveries.
William Knight is a good example of this. We do have some information, but some of it is conflicting and much information is missing. We'll either look at this glass as half full or half empty, and I guess I'm voting for half full.
After all, we do know at least two and perhaps three of William's wives. We know when he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and we know what he left as an estate. That is more information than we have for some of our ancestors, anyway.
We don't know for sure where or when William was born. One suggesting is December 15, 1670 in London, Middlesex, England, with parents of John Knight and Margery Lascelles. I think this is probably not our William Knight, as it would leave him coming to America as a man of 65 and fathering children here. It's possible, but unlikely.
One of the challenges is that there are at least three proposed wives for William. One is Ann Ives, who probably died between 1612 and 1622, when there is a distance of ten years between the noted children. But his records in America indicate his wife may have been Emma Potter, whom he had married by 1635. How do we account for his children born in the 1620s? And finally, he had a second or third wife Elizabeth Lee Ballard, who was living when William died and whom he married in or soon after 1640. He seems to refer in his wife to having had four children with Elizabeth, in addition to those he had earlier.
He refers to sons John, Jacob, and Francis, and to daughters Ann and Hanna, as well as to two of Elizabeth's children by her first husband, and to the four children (unnamed) that he has with Elizabeth. I'm not sure why Margery, our connection, wasn't mentioned in the will but there could be any number of reasons, including that he may have given a marriage gift, either of land or money.
William died March 5, 1655/56, in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had been in America about 20 years, having arrived at Salem in either 1635 or 1636. He owned land in Salem in 1636, so probably he arrived in 1635. There is a William Knight who was made a freeman in 1638 in Boston, but I don't know whether this is our William or not.
William's inventory is interesting. He owned a dwelling house, barn, and fifteen acres of plow land, six acres of meadow in Rumley marsh and five acers of meadow in the town marsh, plus oxen, cows, sheep and swine. He has a significant amount of household goods, more than many farmers had, which partl can be explained by the fact that he lived in seaside towns where goods were more readily available than on the frontier. For instance, he had "stolls, chears, and a table", which was more than was usual for the time. He had three spinning wheels, so the women of the house must have been kept busy with the wool from the sheep. I see no mention of books, not even a Bible. The total inventory including uncollected debts was about 163 pounds.
I wish I knew more about William, especially the niggling little question of whether he was really Margery's father, or whether there are more William Knights than have yet been discovered. I'd like to know his religion, and his occupation if he did more than farm. If I learn that this is not Margery's father, then I'll update this post but as of now, I think it's at least somewhat likely.
The line of descent would be:
William Knight-Ann Ives
Margery Knight-William Hayward
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Hulday Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is also a second line:
Samuel Hayward (son of William Hayward and Margery Knight above)-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above
Once again, we are our own cousins.
William Knight is a good example of this. We do have some information, but some of it is conflicting and much information is missing. We'll either look at this glass as half full or half empty, and I guess I'm voting for half full.
After all, we do know at least two and perhaps three of William's wives. We know when he arrived in Massachusetts Bay Colony, and we know what he left as an estate. That is more information than we have for some of our ancestors, anyway.
We don't know for sure where or when William was born. One suggesting is December 15, 1670 in London, Middlesex, England, with parents of John Knight and Margery Lascelles. I think this is probably not our William Knight, as it would leave him coming to America as a man of 65 and fathering children here. It's possible, but unlikely.
One of the challenges is that there are at least three proposed wives for William. One is Ann Ives, who probably died between 1612 and 1622, when there is a distance of ten years between the noted children. But his records in America indicate his wife may have been Emma Potter, whom he had married by 1635. How do we account for his children born in the 1620s? And finally, he had a second or third wife Elizabeth Lee Ballard, who was living when William died and whom he married in or soon after 1640. He seems to refer in his wife to having had four children with Elizabeth, in addition to those he had earlier.
He refers to sons John, Jacob, and Francis, and to daughters Ann and Hanna, as well as to two of Elizabeth's children by her first husband, and to the four children (unnamed) that he has with Elizabeth. I'm not sure why Margery, our connection, wasn't mentioned in the will but there could be any number of reasons, including that he may have given a marriage gift, either of land or money.
William died March 5, 1655/56, in Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts Bay Colony. He had been in America about 20 years, having arrived at Salem in either 1635 or 1636. He owned land in Salem in 1636, so probably he arrived in 1635. There is a William Knight who was made a freeman in 1638 in Boston, but I don't know whether this is our William or not.
William's inventory is interesting. He owned a dwelling house, barn, and fifteen acres of plow land, six acres of meadow in Rumley marsh and five acers of meadow in the town marsh, plus oxen, cows, sheep and swine. He has a significant amount of household goods, more than many farmers had, which partl can be explained by the fact that he lived in seaside towns where goods were more readily available than on the frontier. For instance, he had "stolls, chears, and a table", which was more than was usual for the time. He had three spinning wheels, so the women of the house must have been kept busy with the wool from the sheep. I see no mention of books, not even a Bible. The total inventory including uncollected debts was about 163 pounds.
I wish I knew more about William, especially the niggling little question of whether he was really Margery's father, or whether there are more William Knights than have yet been discovered. I'd like to know his religion, and his occupation if he did more than farm. If I learn that this is not Margery's father, then I'll update this post but as of now, I think it's at least somewhat likely.
The line of descent would be:
William Knight-Ann Ives
Margery Knight-William Hayward
Huldah Hayward-Ferdinando Thayer
Jonathan Thayer-Elizabeth French
Hulday Thayer-Benjamin Wheelock
Mary Wheelock-Ebenezer Thayer
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
There is also a second line:
Samuel Hayward (son of William Hayward and Margery Knight above)-Mehitable Thompson
Mary Hayward-Joseph Rockwood
John Rockwood-Deborah Thayer
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susanna Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
and on as above
Once again, we are our own cousins.
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Holbrook line: John Woodland, Immigrant
John Woodland is apparently one of the less famed of our ancestors, as I am not able to find a lot of information about him, and some of what I have found, I can't verify. One source (Geni) gives his birth as February 21, 1621 at Husborne Crawley, Bedfordshire, England. His parents are listed as Johannis Woodland and Grace, whom I have seen noted as Grace Thomson.
The village of Husborne Crawley is very small although there is a church there that dates back to the 13th century. It's size may indicate the village, which now has a population of less than 250 people, may have been larger at one time. It was largely agricultural at the time, so we will assume until we find other information that John had a farming background of some kind.
John married Martha, whose last name is not known, probably about 1645 since their first known child was born in 1646. This is the same year that he is believed to have come to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he settled in Dorchester and by 1651 was in Braintree. I have not been able to locate any thing that says he ever was granted freeman status, but his son John was apparently christened in the church in Braintree, in 1651, so the possibility exists. I've also seen that his daughters Thankful was born in Dorchester in 1646 and Martha about 1648, but again, where are the records? There may have been a second son John born in 1649, and after several years of no children, possibly a "surprise', Abigail in 1661. The ten year gap leave us wondering whether there were other pregnancies or other children born during that time period
In 1662, a group was formed to settle a new town which became known as Mendon. It was on the frontier, fifteen or more miles from the nearest town. There were seven original settlers and John Woodland was one of them. John and his wife and four children moved to Mendon by the end of July, 1663, as they were required to do under the terms of the contract allowing the new village.
I can find little about John's life in Mendon. He was appointed fence keeper in 1667 and surveyor of highways in 1668. He is listed on a petition of May 19, 1669, asking for a minister for their town. Although I did not find his name on lists when the house lots were distributed, in 1672 swamp lots of five acres were granted to those who had house lots of 30 acres, and John's name is on that list.
Mendon has the distinction of being the first town hit in Massachusetts, in 1675 at the start of King Philip's War. Five or six people were killed but the list is not complete. We have no indication that any of them were of John's family, but of course they would have been his neighbors. The Woodlands fled the town, as did many others, and returned to Braintree. It is good that they left, because later, in early 1676, the natives returned again, and burned the town to the ground.
I've found statements that the Woodlands returned to Mendon sometime after 1680, but there is nothing in the "Annals of the Town of Mendon, Massachusetts" to support this. They were living in Braintree in 1687, when John and Martha sold five acres of land "before Woodland's dwelling house that he now liveth in". John died between then and 1700, when the town of Braintree voted to pay for the widow Woodland's transportation back to Mendon, where her son in law, John Thompson, promised to care for her. Her date of death is also uncertain.
I haven't figured out how John supported himself and his family. Was he "only" a farmer or did he have another trade also? Was he a religious man? Our only clue is the signing of the petition to bring a minister to Mendon. Was he literate? Apparently he could sign his name but we don't know any more than that. What a mystery!
Our lines of descent are:
John Woodland-Martha
Thankful Woodland-John Thompson
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Another line goes from Thankful Woodland-John Thompson to
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood (2nd cousins)
And yet another line goes from Martha Thompson and Ebenezer Thayer to
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood (so they are third cousins)
Yes, we're cousins, and we're our own cousins!
The village of Husborne Crawley is very small although there is a church there that dates back to the 13th century. It's size may indicate the village, which now has a population of less than 250 people, may have been larger at one time. It was largely agricultural at the time, so we will assume until we find other information that John had a farming background of some kind.
John married Martha, whose last name is not known, probably about 1645 since their first known child was born in 1646. This is the same year that he is believed to have come to Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he settled in Dorchester and by 1651 was in Braintree. I have not been able to locate any thing that says he ever was granted freeman status, but his son John was apparently christened in the church in Braintree, in 1651, so the possibility exists. I've also seen that his daughters Thankful was born in Dorchester in 1646 and Martha about 1648, but again, where are the records? There may have been a second son John born in 1649, and after several years of no children, possibly a "surprise', Abigail in 1661. The ten year gap leave us wondering whether there were other pregnancies or other children born during that time period
In 1662, a group was formed to settle a new town which became known as Mendon. It was on the frontier, fifteen or more miles from the nearest town. There were seven original settlers and John Woodland was one of them. John and his wife and four children moved to Mendon by the end of July, 1663, as they were required to do under the terms of the contract allowing the new village.
I can find little about John's life in Mendon. He was appointed fence keeper in 1667 and surveyor of highways in 1668. He is listed on a petition of May 19, 1669, asking for a minister for their town. Although I did not find his name on lists when the house lots were distributed, in 1672 swamp lots of five acres were granted to those who had house lots of 30 acres, and John's name is on that list.
Mendon has the distinction of being the first town hit in Massachusetts, in 1675 at the start of King Philip's War. Five or six people were killed but the list is not complete. We have no indication that any of them were of John's family, but of course they would have been his neighbors. The Woodlands fled the town, as did many others, and returned to Braintree. It is good that they left, because later, in early 1676, the natives returned again, and burned the town to the ground.
I've found statements that the Woodlands returned to Mendon sometime after 1680, but there is nothing in the "Annals of the Town of Mendon, Massachusetts" to support this. They were living in Braintree in 1687, when John and Martha sold five acres of land "before Woodland's dwelling house that he now liveth in". John died between then and 1700, when the town of Braintree voted to pay for the widow Woodland's transportation back to Mendon, where her son in law, John Thompson, promised to care for her. Her date of death is also uncertain.
I haven't figured out how John supported himself and his family. Was he "only" a farmer or did he have another trade also? Was he a religious man? Our only clue is the signing of the petition to bring a minister to Mendon. Was he literate? Apparently he could sign his name but we don't know any more than that. What a mystery!
Our lines of descent are:
John Woodland-Martha
Thankful Woodland-John Thompson
Martha Thompson-Ebenezer Thayer
Deborah Thayer-John Rockwood
Joseph Rockwood-Alice Thompson
Levi Rockwood-Deborah Lazell
Susannah Rockwood-Nahum Holbrook
Joseph Holbrook-Mary Elizabeth Whittemore
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Another line goes from Thankful Woodland-John Thompson to
John Thompson-Hannah Wight
Joseph Thompson-Mary Holbrook
Alice Thompson-Joseph Rockwood (2nd cousins)
And yet another line goes from Martha Thompson and Ebenezer Thayer to
Ebenezer Thayer-Mary Wheelock
Abigail Thayer-Jesse Holbrook
Amariah Holbrook-Molly Wright
Nahum Holbrook-Susanna Rockwood (so they are third cousins)
Yes, we're cousins, and we're our own cousins!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)