It's long been a debate in our family as to whether our grandmother's name was to be spelled Stannard or Stanard. She used the spelling Stannard but her father and her grandfather used the spelling Stannard.
Here's the explanation, as found in The Colville Examiner of February 8, 1919, page 4, located on the Chronicling America website. (Colville is the county seat of Stevens County, Washington).
" "What's in a Name"-Is Easily Explained
"The correct spelling of our county school superintendent's name has been a matter of controversy-that is, among outsiders. In the office there is no controversy, for the county superintendent spells her name Stannard, and her father (her deputy) spells his name Stanard. Each states the reason for the particular spelling, and lets it go at that. But it has been a matter of supposition among many of the Examiner readers that this paper was not correctly reading proof when these names were spelled differently. And recently, in the Baptist church news, it did look rather queer to see Supt. L.E. Stanard in one line, Leader Miss Elizabeth Stannard in the next.
But the Examiner was correct in both cases, and if any argument arises, it may have to be settled by the Stanard ancestry (or Stannard). For it was along about 1800, when the grandfather of the present L.E. Stanard was an innkeeper in Madison County, York state, that the change of spelling originated. It seems that the innkeeper had ordered a sign for his inn, as was the old custom, and the signboard was one of a certain size, and the lettering was also of a certain size. The lettering proved too long for the board, hence to adjust matters the sing painter simply left out an n from the name, and behold-a nice sign, perfectly proportioned.
The innkeeper, to keep matters straight with his sign, then had to drop an n from his name, and he did so, although his three brothers did not. The succeeding generations of the innkeeper have maintained the spelling Stanard, but all the other relatives use Stannard.
The present county superintendent wishes to retain the original spelling, but her father says he was born Stanard, and Stanard he will remain. So each has a name, and a reason for the name, and the Examiner's proofreader is not to blame when a different spelling appears."
This is interesting for several reasons. First, it more or less confirms an old family story, but according to this article the change came 100 years earlier and a thousand miles away from Franklin County, Kansas, which is where we thought the change came. Secondly, we now have an occupation for Louis E Stanard's grandfather. This may be Libbeus Stanard, Jr., who was a veteran of the War of 1812, but wasn't born until 1785. It more likely was his great grandfather, Libbeus Stanard Sr., who was a veteran of the Revolutionary War and who died in Madison County, New York, in 1846. Either the "about 1800" date is incorrect, or it was actually the great grandfather who was the innkeeper.
The county school superintendent referred to is Elizabeth Stannard, elected in 1916, before women had the right to vote in national elections. I found a record on line in some sort of public document that stated in the 1918-1919 school year, there were 118 "districts", presumably each with a school, in Stevens County, Washington. Elizabeth was quite a woman, but no wonder she needed an assistant! Just visiting each school once a year would have kept her busy, but she also had to supervise and report on extracurricular activities, community centers, how many events were held and whether they were educational or patriotic, and various other busy work. She eventually left her job and went to teach high school in Spokane, Washington, where she retired after many years of teaching Latin.
Did anyone notice that I've sort of tied elections, and veterans, into this same post, which will post on election day, just a few days before Veteran's Day? It worked out nicely!
The line of descent would be
Libbeus Stannard Sr.-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard Jr.-Luceba Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stannard (she actually did spell her name with two n's, also)-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
And now we know!
Tuesday, November 6, 2018
Friday, November 2, 2018
John Page 1586-1676 Immigrant
Recently I broke through a "brick wall" and here is the first of what I hope will eventually be several blog posts about our "new" ancestors. I was hoping to find an inspiring story about this man, about how he started from nothing and became a respected member of society, or maybe how he was already a respected member of society when he arrived here. Sadly, neither situation seems to be the case. John Page was a man with faults, perhaps more faults than some of our other ancestors. His family here appears to be somewhat dysfunctional. It's not really the kind of post I like to write. But here it is.
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
John Page was most likely christened on September 25, 1586 in Boxted, Essex, England to Robert and Susanna Syckerling Page. He was "about 90 years old" when he died in 1676, and he stayed in the same general area until about 1630. One June 5, 1621, he married Phebe Paine, daughter of William and Agnes Neves Paine, at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. These two towns were about 14 mile apart but of course their homes may have been closer than that. When the Pages prepared for their move to America in 1630, they were living in Dedham, which was about 11 miles from Lavenham. Other folks from Dedham went with the Winthrop Fleet also, so the Pages were not alone.
Technically they weren't alone anyway, because at least two of their children, our two ancestors, were with them on the trip. Both children were born after several years of marriage so it's possible that there were other children, or other pregnancies, that we don't know about. Also several of Phoebe's siblings were in the area, so she probably saw them from time to time. And then, they were part of Rev. George Phillip's company, so they had brothers and sisters in Christ. John and Phoebe would have two more children in Watertown, but Daniel didn't live long. Samuel would join Phoebe against older brother John in a lawsuit after father John died in 1676.
John was appointed constable of the new town of Watertown in 1630, and admitted freeman there in 1631. He was a grantee in several land divisions in the early years of the town, but by 1642 was no longer receiving land through the town land divisions. Apparently he had already sold his homestead, which meant he was no longer eligible to acquire land by grant. He was in financial trouble early, writing such a desperate letter back to Dedham that a pastor there sent him some flour so he could feed his family. Was the man a poor money manager, or a speculator, or had he simply miscalculated how much money and food he would need in the New World? Maybe the loss of his home by fire in 1631 had forced him over the edge, financially.
John and Pheobe's daughter Phebe caused them grief. As she matured, she resented her father and had various ummm various escapades with men she wasn't married to. (This is a G rated blog, so I'm trying to be careful here). Apparently she could still get along with her mother, but her relationship with her father was cold and distant. She sued a man for defamation, for saying she was with child while unmarried, but there were a lot of witnesses against her and she lost the case. This was when Phebe reported she just wanted to go far away and lie down and die. Fortunately for us, she was not granted her wish.
We know little else about John. He apparently withdrew a little ways from town onto land he owned, and lived the rest of his life there. He and his wife Phebe lived in a half a dwelling, the other half perhaps occupied by John Page Jr. (Son John had gone to help settle Groton, Massachusetts but had returned to Watertown when Groton was burned during King Philip's War). John died December 18, 1676 and Phebe died less than a year later, on September 25, 1677.
There was quite a fight in court about John's estate. The inventory was not totaled but it included land valued at 50 pounds, and a Bible and two small books, plus various household goods and 2 cows. The court ruled that son John, executor, was entitled to all of the estate because of the care he had given his father in his old age. Samuel and Phoebe got nothing. This apparently caused quite a fuss in the town, as people took sides in the dispute, but the court ruling stood.
That's what we know about John Page. We don't know how faithful to the church he might have been, or how his life changed as he met economic reverses. We don't know why it seems that he didn't overcome them. We don't know why his daughter held him in such low esteem, or why she had her various escapades. We simply don't know why he might be diagnosed today as "failure to thrive". But he's our ancestor, and without him, where would we be?
Our line of descent is:
John Page-Phebe Paine
Phebe Page-James Cutler
Jemima Cutler-Zerubabbel Snow
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Richard Pray, Immigrant 1630-1693
Update: After consideration, I've re-worded a couple of sentences in the blog regarding the physical fights that this couple had. I may have given the impression, by using words from some of the records, that Mary may have brought some abuse on herself. I've been asked by someone I love and respect to remove that wording, and so I have tried to clarify each person's role in their lose-lose situation. Of course, without being in the room with them, we will never know all that went on in their home but it's fair to draw a picture without drawing a conclusion.
This blog post may or may not be something you want to read. If you imagine that all our ancestors were devout Christians who kept a civil tongue in their head and treated their families with great love and respect, you may not want to read this post. If, however, you are of the belief that it's a good thing to know about all our ancestors, warts and all, read on. And if you like scandal, this is the post for you!
Richard Pray is generally accepted to be the son of Quentin and Joan Valliance Pray, of Frant, Sussex, England, although these doesn't seem to be documentation for his birth. Likely this means he was baptized somewhere else, perhaps in an ancestral church elsewhere, but it sure would be nice to find his baptismal record. Actually, his baptism may be one of the few times he was ever in church, or maybe I'm not giving the man the breaks he deserves. We don't know for sure when he came to America but it was after 1635, as neither he nor his father is listed in those papers. Many websites say his place of birth was Kittery, York, Maine, but that seems unlikely.
According to his testimony in a court case in 1685, he was 55 years old at the time, so was likely born about 1630, give or take a year or two. We don't know for sure when he married, or whom, but her name was Mary and she was the mother of his children. This was not a loving couple, but she seems to have started as many fights as he did. She also seems to have suffered injuries more often and more serious than he did. At any rate, the two did not get along, and by 1671 one of them requested a divorce. It was granted, but a higher court nullified the decision. The request was made again in 1672 and denied. These two people, both of them apparently victims of both physical and verbal abuse, would have to live out their marriage vows, although not necessarily in the same location.
Locations are confusing for me, regarding Richard Pray. He was supposedly an early settler of Rhode Island, in 1645, but he would have been only about fifteen at the time. How did that happen? He was involved in several court cases in Salem, fined there for swearing, and appointed in 1655 by the court of commissioners to keep a house of entertainment, with a sign to be posted outside to advise strangers. I am not sure whether this was in Massachusetts, or in Rhode Island.
We know he was in Rhode Island in 1675-1676, as he is noted as being one of the few people to "stay and not go" during King Philip's War. This gave him some leverage when native Americans captured in the war were sold as slaves, as he received a share of the profits. (I know, I know, this is bad and unacceptable, but it's a fact so it needs to be told. Wife abuser, slave trader or slave holder, or both, I'm telling it like it is, but not liking it.)
In 1681, Mary, Richard's wife, was given a license (no location given) to keep a public house of entertainment for one year. Again, no location was given. Were they in the same town, or were they separated by many miles? Mary was dead when Richard married his second wife, Elizabeth White Hearnden, widow of Benjamin Hearnden. (Benjamin Hearnden and Elizabeth are also our ancestors, just to keep things interesting.) Did Richard finally find true love? Did Elizabeth go into this relationship with her eyes wide open? Enquiring minds want to know.
Richard died in Providence, Rhode Island sometime in 1693. He had sold or given his small amount of land to his son Ephraim before his death. We don't know how or if the other children were acknowledged, or what provisions were made for Elizabeth, since I've been unable to locate a copy of his will.
There is so much I'd like to know about Richard. Since his first marriage was such a disaster, what made his willing to try it again? Was Elizabeth a different kind of person than Mary had been? What about Mary? Did she find love, or at least friendship, with anyone? How did the children turn out, living in a home where the parents fought so much? Where was Richard from, and was his father really Quentin Pray? And why did he stay in Providence, having received warning that the natives were planning to burn that village? Maybe he wasn't the kind of ancestor we would want to claim, but here he is, folks, larger than life, warts, crimes, and all. If I ever learn that the records are mixed up and our Richard Pray was not the kind of man this blog post portrays, I sure will be happy to correct the record!
The line of descent is:
Richard Pray-Mary
John Pray-Sarah Brown
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
This blog post may or may not be something you want to read. If you imagine that all our ancestors were devout Christians who kept a civil tongue in their head and treated their families with great love and respect, you may not want to read this post. If, however, you are of the belief that it's a good thing to know about all our ancestors, warts and all, read on. And if you like scandal, this is the post for you!
Richard Pray is generally accepted to be the son of Quentin and Joan Valliance Pray, of Frant, Sussex, England, although these doesn't seem to be documentation for his birth. Likely this means he was baptized somewhere else, perhaps in an ancestral church elsewhere, but it sure would be nice to find his baptismal record. Actually, his baptism may be one of the few times he was ever in church, or maybe I'm not giving the man the breaks he deserves. We don't know for sure when he came to America but it was after 1635, as neither he nor his father is listed in those papers. Many websites say his place of birth was Kittery, York, Maine, but that seems unlikely.
According to his testimony in a court case in 1685, he was 55 years old at the time, so was likely born about 1630, give or take a year or two. We don't know for sure when he married, or whom, but her name was Mary and she was the mother of his children. This was not a loving couple, but she seems to have started as many fights as he did. She also seems to have suffered injuries more often and more serious than he did. At any rate, the two did not get along, and by 1671 one of them requested a divorce. It was granted, but a higher court nullified the decision. The request was made again in 1672 and denied. These two people, both of them apparently victims of both physical and verbal abuse, would have to live out their marriage vows, although not necessarily in the same location.
Locations are confusing for me, regarding Richard Pray. He was supposedly an early settler of Rhode Island, in 1645, but he would have been only about fifteen at the time. How did that happen? He was involved in several court cases in Salem, fined there for swearing, and appointed in 1655 by the court of commissioners to keep a house of entertainment, with a sign to be posted outside to advise strangers. I am not sure whether this was in Massachusetts, or in Rhode Island.
We know he was in Rhode Island in 1675-1676, as he is noted as being one of the few people to "stay and not go" during King Philip's War. This gave him some leverage when native Americans captured in the war were sold as slaves, as he received a share of the profits. (I know, I know, this is bad and unacceptable, but it's a fact so it needs to be told. Wife abuser, slave trader or slave holder, or both, I'm telling it like it is, but not liking it.)
In 1681, Mary, Richard's wife, was given a license (no location given) to keep a public house of entertainment for one year. Again, no location was given. Were they in the same town, or were they separated by many miles? Mary was dead when Richard married his second wife, Elizabeth White Hearnden, widow of Benjamin Hearnden. (Benjamin Hearnden and Elizabeth are also our ancestors, just to keep things interesting.) Did Richard finally find true love? Did Elizabeth go into this relationship with her eyes wide open? Enquiring minds want to know.
Richard died in Providence, Rhode Island sometime in 1693. He had sold or given his small amount of land to his son Ephraim before his death. We don't know how or if the other children were acknowledged, or what provisions were made for Elizabeth, since I've been unable to locate a copy of his will.
There is so much I'd like to know about Richard. Since his first marriage was such a disaster, what made his willing to try it again? Was Elizabeth a different kind of person than Mary had been? What about Mary? Did she find love, or at least friendship, with anyone? How did the children turn out, living in a home where the parents fought so much? Where was Richard from, and was his father really Quentin Pray? And why did he stay in Providence, having received warning that the natives were planning to burn that village? Maybe he wasn't the kind of ancestor we would want to claim, but here he is, folks, larger than life, warts, crimes, and all. If I ever learn that the records are mixed up and our Richard Pray was not the kind of man this blog post portrays, I sure will be happy to correct the record!
The line of descent is:
Richard Pray-Mary
John Pray-Sarah Brown
Mary Pray-Richard Brown
Deborah Brown-Othniel Brown
Sarah Brown-Enos Eddy
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph Brown Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, October 26, 2018
Holbrook line: John Perrin, Immigrant
John Perrin's origins are sketchy, but intriguing. Family stories say that he was of French Huguenot descent. His parents (but possibly these are grandparents, based on the birth date of "father John Perryn") were John Perryn and Anne Brunneau. His wife was Anne Hubert, daughter of Richard Hubert of France. The dates here almost work to say these families had likely escaped the French persecution of the Huguenots(Protestants) by fleeing to England. It's an exciting story, but one which seems to lack documentation at present. '
The first thing we know about John is that he was in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1640. Family experts dispute whether or not he came in the Safety in 1635, but he was in Braintree in 1640. We don't know whether he had married Anne Hubert in England or whether they met on the ship or soon after arrival here. We do know that their daughter Mary was born at Braintree February 22, 1640/1. It's thought that she was the first born of their five known children, so that gives us an approximate marriage date of 1639, more or less.
John must have been well thought of in Braintree because he was one of the first men chosen, or allowed, to settle in a new town, Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, so close to what became Rhode Island that some of his land was actually located there. He received several grants of land from the town, including home lot, woodland, fresh meadow, salt marsh, and new meadow. At various times, he was surveyor of highways, constable, townsman, and juror, so I'm thinking he had freeman status.
His estate was valued at 67 pounds in a 1643 settlement of town estates, but by the time of his death in 1674 his real estate was valued at 230 pounds and the total inventory at a little over 375 pounds. John was apparently a hard worker and a thrifty man. His will mentions his wife, two sons and two daughters. The first of two "Mary's" born to the couple had probably died young.
John died before King Philip's War, but the home he built in Rehoboth was apparently used as a garrison house during that conflict. His son John lived there at the time it was needed. A garrison house was generally built a little more stoutly than others in the vicinity, and usually had openings built into it that could be used to fire on any attackers. It may also have had a cellar or other hiding place on the grounds. I wonder if John built such a strong house with memories of the stories of his parents or grandparents and their trials in France in the back of his mind?
I wish I had more to say about John. Was he educated? What church did he attend, if any? Did he have a trade besides farming? There are always more questions, no matter what we are able to learn of the lives of these ancestors! Most of the material in this sketch came from Volume 96 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, with bits and pieces found elsewhere. And as always, some of it is speculation.
The line of descent is:
John Perrin-Anne Hubert
John Perrin-Mary Polley
Samuel Perrin-Mehitable Child
John Perrin-Abigail Morris
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libberus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
The first thing we know about John is that he was in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1640. Family experts dispute whether or not he came in the Safety in 1635, but he was in Braintree in 1640. We don't know whether he had married Anne Hubert in England or whether they met on the ship or soon after arrival here. We do know that their daughter Mary was born at Braintree February 22, 1640/1. It's thought that she was the first born of their five known children, so that gives us an approximate marriage date of 1639, more or less.
John must have been well thought of in Braintree because he was one of the first men chosen, or allowed, to settle in a new town, Rehoboth, Plymouth Colony, so close to what became Rhode Island that some of his land was actually located there. He received several grants of land from the town, including home lot, woodland, fresh meadow, salt marsh, and new meadow. At various times, he was surveyor of highways, constable, townsman, and juror, so I'm thinking he had freeman status.
His estate was valued at 67 pounds in a 1643 settlement of town estates, but by the time of his death in 1674 his real estate was valued at 230 pounds and the total inventory at a little over 375 pounds. John was apparently a hard worker and a thrifty man. His will mentions his wife, two sons and two daughters. The first of two "Mary's" born to the couple had probably died young.
John died before King Philip's War, but the home he built in Rehoboth was apparently used as a garrison house during that conflict. His son John lived there at the time it was needed. A garrison house was generally built a little more stoutly than others in the vicinity, and usually had openings built into it that could be used to fire on any attackers. It may also have had a cellar or other hiding place on the grounds. I wonder if John built such a strong house with memories of the stories of his parents or grandparents and their trials in France in the back of his mind?
I wish I had more to say about John. Was he educated? What church did he attend, if any? Did he have a trade besides farming? There are always more questions, no matter what we are able to learn of the lives of these ancestors! Most of the material in this sketch came from Volume 96 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, with bits and pieces found elsewhere. And as always, some of it is speculation.
The line of descent is:
John Perrin-Anne Hubert
John Perrin-Mary Polley
Samuel Perrin-Mehitable Child
John Perrin-Abigail Morris
Benjamin Perrin-Mary
Mary Perrin-David Fay
Luceba Fay-Libberus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Holbrook line: John Johnson of Roxbury, Immigrant
It doesn't help matters at all that we have at least two ancestors named John Johnson on our tree. For a long time, I've been reluctant to write about this one because I thought it was possible that I had the two men confused on my tree. However, I've been thrilled to find, and finally read, a book called "The Biography and Genealogy of Captain John Johnson from Roxbury, Massachusetts: An Uncommon Man in the Commonwealth of the Massachusetts Bay Colony 1630-1659" by Gerald Garth Johnson, whom I assume would be a distant cousin of ours. The book was published by Heritage Books in 2008, so the scholarship is recent. As my son and my sister would say "Cool beans!"
To give the bare facts, we don't know for sure where John Johnson was born nor whom his parents were, but it appears likely that he was from the area of Great Amwell or Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary Heath, at Ware in 1613, so he was likely born sometime around 1590, give or take a few years. He seems to have learned to read, write, and "cipher" as a child but there is no evidence for that except that he possessed these skills in his adult life. He was a Puritan, probably deeply religious, and he had ten children before he came to America, unfortunately without Mary. She died in 1629 and John Johnson came to Massachusetts on the Arabella, with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. He was the quartermaster for the ship, meaning he was responsible for providing and rationing food for the trip across the ocean, and perhaps for a time when the ship landed. Only six or perhaps seven of the children were still living, and we don't know whether all of the children came with him or whether some were on other ships of the same fleet, Mary, the oldest, would have been just sixteen, which perhaps was considered old enough to watch over the other children while on the trip.
Not much is known of Johnson's life in England but somewhere he must have acquired the skills and abilities that allowed him to become prominent in the life of Roxbury. He apparently went to the new village as soon as he landed, and was part of the town's development for the rest of his life. He was referred to as a yeoman, so he had little status coming to town but soon was respected by all Among his accomplishments, he was a selectman for most of his life there. He served as constable for many, many years. He was "Surveyor-General of the Arms" for the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony , as well as Captain of the Roxbury Military Company and clerk of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. (He had likely been a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, but the identification is not certain).
Johnson was frequently called on to witness wills or to inventory estates, as well as to represent townspeople as attorney or power of attorney. As a Puritan in a Puritan town, he helped found the first church and may have helped to construct the first meeting house. He donated toward the establishment of the first school in Roxbury. As Surveyor-General, he helped build bridges and decide boundaries, including settling disputes, or what could have become disputes, between neighboring towns.
Are you impressed yet? He did all this while raising his family, running a farm, and owning a tavern in Roxbury. He was a land owner and a land dealer, providing for farms for two sons as well as selling land for profit. John did have some help. He married for the second time, to a woman named Margery, probably about 1633. but possibly before coming to America to 1630. Margery died and Johnson then married Grace Negus Fawer before October 14, 1656. (She was either childless or had no surviving children when she died in 1671, since she left her estate to her two brothers). So on top of all that he did for the community, the church, and the colony, Johnson was also a family man. He may have had step children, although none were mentioned in his will.
John Johnson died September 30, 1659. The book I referred to earlier gives his complete will and an inventory several pages in length. His estate was valued at about 668 pounds, and the inventory shows many more items than were typical in a New England household in 1659. This is even more remarkable because Johnson's house, including town and military records and the town's ammunition, burned to the ground in 1645. Johnson had quickly replaced everything of the household that was destroyed, and possibly more besides.
The author is certainly proud of John Johnson and I think we should be, too. He was respected in his time both for the work he did and for the results, as he was regarded as successful. I'd love to learn more about him but this is so much more than I expected to find, that I am truly grateful for this book. If you want to learn more about John Johnson, or about Puritans in general, you couldn't do better than to read this book!
The line of descent is:
John Johnson-Mary Heath
Mary Johnson-Roger Mowry
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
To give the bare facts, we don't know for sure where John Johnson was born nor whom his parents were, but it appears likely that he was from the area of Great Amwell or Ware, Hertfordshire, England. He married his first wife, Mary Heath, at Ware in 1613, so he was likely born sometime around 1590, give or take a few years. He seems to have learned to read, write, and "cipher" as a child but there is no evidence for that except that he possessed these skills in his adult life. He was a Puritan, probably deeply religious, and he had ten children before he came to America, unfortunately without Mary. She died in 1629 and John Johnson came to Massachusetts on the Arabella, with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. He was the quartermaster for the ship, meaning he was responsible for providing and rationing food for the trip across the ocean, and perhaps for a time when the ship landed. Only six or perhaps seven of the children were still living, and we don't know whether all of the children came with him or whether some were on other ships of the same fleet, Mary, the oldest, would have been just sixteen, which perhaps was considered old enough to watch over the other children while on the trip.
Not much is known of Johnson's life in England but somewhere he must have acquired the skills and abilities that allowed him to become prominent in the life of Roxbury. He apparently went to the new village as soon as he landed, and was part of the town's development for the rest of his life. He was referred to as a yeoman, so he had little status coming to town but soon was respected by all Among his accomplishments, he was a selectman for most of his life there. He served as constable for many, many years. He was "Surveyor-General of the Arms" for the entire Massachusetts Bay Colony , as well as Captain of the Roxbury Military Company and clerk of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. (He had likely been a member of the Honourable Artillery Company of London, but the identification is not certain).
Johnson was frequently called on to witness wills or to inventory estates, as well as to represent townspeople as attorney or power of attorney. As a Puritan in a Puritan town, he helped found the first church and may have helped to construct the first meeting house. He donated toward the establishment of the first school in Roxbury. As Surveyor-General, he helped build bridges and decide boundaries, including settling disputes, or what could have become disputes, between neighboring towns.
Are you impressed yet? He did all this while raising his family, running a farm, and owning a tavern in Roxbury. He was a land owner and a land dealer, providing for farms for two sons as well as selling land for profit. John did have some help. He married for the second time, to a woman named Margery, probably about 1633. but possibly before coming to America to 1630. Margery died and Johnson then married Grace Negus Fawer before October 14, 1656. (She was either childless or had no surviving children when she died in 1671, since she left her estate to her two brothers). So on top of all that he did for the community, the church, and the colony, Johnson was also a family man. He may have had step children, although none were mentioned in his will.
John Johnson died September 30, 1659. The book I referred to earlier gives his complete will and an inventory several pages in length. His estate was valued at about 668 pounds, and the inventory shows many more items than were typical in a New England household in 1659. This is even more remarkable because Johnson's house, including town and military records and the town's ammunition, burned to the ground in 1645. Johnson had quickly replaced everything of the household that was destroyed, and possibly more besides.
The author is certainly proud of John Johnson and I think we should be, too. He was respected in his time both for the work he did and for the results, as he was regarded as successful. I'd love to learn more about him but this is so much more than I expected to find, that I am truly grateful for this book. If you want to learn more about John Johnson, or about Puritans in general, you couldn't do better than to read this book!
The line of descent is:
John Johnson-Mary Heath
Mary Johnson-Roger Mowry
Nathaniel Mowry-Joanna Inman
Joanna Mowry-Walter Phetteplace
Sarah Phetteplace-Elisha Eddy
Enos Eddy-Sarah Brown
Enos Eddy-Deborah Paine
Joseph B Eddy-Susan Lamphire
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Friday, October 19, 2018
Holbrook line: Thomas Cole, Immigrant
Thomas Cole is believed to be the son of Humphrey Cole and May Mott. Humphrey must have been a person of some means because a son and a son in law were each rectors, and that would probably indicate a certain degree of schooling. Humphrey himself had a BA from Pembroke College (part of Cambridge University) in 1593 and an MA in 1598. The family was oriented toward education.
Thomas Cole was born about 1603 in Essex, England and had arrived in Virginia on July 4, 1635. It's possible that he came in 1632, had returned to England for some reason and then come back to Virginia. Either date would put him in Virginia early. He married a woman named Priscilla, who may or may not be Priscilla Godfrey, the daughter of John Godfrey.
Thomas and Priscilla were in Maryland by 1649, and were acknowledged Quakers a few years later. Perhaps they left Virginia because they felt persecuted there, but that is speculation. In 1666, he was voted 1000 pounds of tobacco in recompense for the loss of his stock, killed or stolen in raids by the native Americans. John owned 550 acres of land, called Cole's Harbor in 1668. This was in what is now the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, and even then may have been considered valuable. It may also have been marshy, because we don't know that Thomas and Priscilla actually lived there. He also patented 450 acres called Mayden's Choice in 1674, and a 200 acre tract called Saint Mary Borne in 1675.
They seem to have settled in what is now Anne Arundel County, then called Providence County. Thomas and Priscilla had just one known child, or at least one child who lived to adulthood. There may have been a son, John, but nothing more is known of him. Sarah and her husband, Charles Gorsuch, sold the three Baltimore County tracts on December 8, 1679, Sarah being described as the sole heiress of Thomas Cole. Priscilla therefore must have been gone by then, and Thomas also, although we don't have dates for either of them. They may well have been buried in the early Quaker fashion, which was in unmarked graves, with only a flagstone to indicate the place of burial.
I wish we knew more about Thomas. For instance, during the Indian attack when his stock was stolen, where was he and where was his family? Did the family suffer other losses, or was this a one time thing? As a Quaker, he probably wasn't part of the militia but I'd like to confirm that. Was he a slave owner? Was he educated, or at least literate? (I think yes, because his father and brother were educated, and because his daughter married into an influential family, but I'd like to know for sure). What words of wisdom could he share with us, if we could talk face to face?
The line of descent is :
Thomas Cole-Priscilla
Sarah Cole-Charles Gorsuch
Charles Gorsuch Jr-Sarah Cole (it appears that these two were cousins)
Hannah Gorsuch-Thomas Stansbury
Rachel Stansbury-Alexis Lemmon
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Thomas Cole was born about 1603 in Essex, England and had arrived in Virginia on July 4, 1635. It's possible that he came in 1632, had returned to England for some reason and then come back to Virginia. Either date would put him in Virginia early. He married a woman named Priscilla, who may or may not be Priscilla Godfrey, the daughter of John Godfrey.
Thomas and Priscilla were in Maryland by 1649, and were acknowledged Quakers a few years later. Perhaps they left Virginia because they felt persecuted there, but that is speculation. In 1666, he was voted 1000 pounds of tobacco in recompense for the loss of his stock, killed or stolen in raids by the native Americans. John owned 550 acres of land, called Cole's Harbor in 1668. This was in what is now the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, and even then may have been considered valuable. It may also have been marshy, because we don't know that Thomas and Priscilla actually lived there. He also patented 450 acres called Mayden's Choice in 1674, and a 200 acre tract called Saint Mary Borne in 1675.
They seem to have settled in what is now Anne Arundel County, then called Providence County. Thomas and Priscilla had just one known child, or at least one child who lived to adulthood. There may have been a son, John, but nothing more is known of him. Sarah and her husband, Charles Gorsuch, sold the three Baltimore County tracts on December 8, 1679, Sarah being described as the sole heiress of Thomas Cole. Priscilla therefore must have been gone by then, and Thomas also, although we don't have dates for either of them. They may well have been buried in the early Quaker fashion, which was in unmarked graves, with only a flagstone to indicate the place of burial.
I wish we knew more about Thomas. For instance, during the Indian attack when his stock was stolen, where was he and where was his family? Did the family suffer other losses, or was this a one time thing? As a Quaker, he probably wasn't part of the militia but I'd like to confirm that. Was he a slave owner? Was he educated, or at least literate? (I think yes, because his father and brother were educated, and because his daughter married into an influential family, but I'd like to know for sure). What words of wisdom could he share with us, if we could talk face to face?
The line of descent is :
Thomas Cole-Priscilla
Sarah Cole-Charles Gorsuch
Charles Gorsuch Jr-Sarah Cole (it appears that these two were cousins)
Hannah Gorsuch-Thomas Stansbury
Rachel Stansbury-Alexis Lemmon
Sarah Lemmon-Abraham Hetrick
Isaac Hetrick-Elizabeth Black
Mary Alice Hetrick-Louis Stanard
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
Tuesday, October 16, 2018
John Fay, Immigrant
What in the world would an eight year old boy be doing, traveling by himself, on a trip across the Atlantic ocean in 1656? The Speedwell carried several other passengers who are our ancestors, but we can't prove that any of them knew the Fay family in England. After thinking about it for a while, perhaps inheritance had something to do with it. His presumed father is Henry Fay, with a death date, in Ipswich, Middlesex, Massachusetts of 1655. Maybe John was sent across the ocean to stake a claim to whatever his father had left him. A woman by the name of Dorothy Fay died in Ipswich on the same day as Henry. He name is listed next to Henry's in the register, but we don't know for sure that this was his wife. We don't even know for sure that Henry was John's father, but it appears likely. Many websites give the parents as David Fay and Elizabeth Coale, but it doesn't appear likely to me that a woman of almost 50 would give birth. These are more likely John's grandparents.
We don't know what happened to John when he arrived in America, alone as far as we can tell. He was eight years old, so unless a relative stepped forward to care for him, he would have been bound out. He may have been bound out anyway, as this was the frequent way to deal with children. They needed to learn a trade or skill.
John did grow up and married first Mary Brigham, by whom he had four children, and then Susannah Shattuck Morse, by whom he had four more children. He married Susannah on July 5, 1678 in Watertown, although it's not believed he ever lived there. Early in his life, but probably when he was an adult, John went to Marlboro, where he was made a freeman in 1669. He acquired land in Worcester, and was considered a proprietor there, but he apparently didn't live there. He stayed in Marlboro until the fury of King Philip's War forced the family to go to Watertown,
We wouldn't know much more about John except that he left his inventory. Actually, there are two inventories for him, one taken in 1691 (John died December 5, 1690) and one in 1695. The youngest child was born in 1686 so perhaps it was time to settle the estate. The older children, from his first marriage, may have been getting anxious to get "their share". The estate was valued at about 209 pounds in 1691. The 1695 inventory is not totaled but it appears to be very similar. From the items listed, it appears that John was a farmer; he had the usual animals including two oxen, and "husbandry tools", He also had a Bible and books, total value given as 1 pound and one shilling.
The other interesting thing about John I can't prove. It is said that he was of Huguenot parentage. Whether his parents were Huguenots or whether the connection is further back, I don't know. I don't even know if there is a connection. It's a possibility.
The line of descent is:
John Fay-Susannah Shattuck
David Fay-Sarah Larkin
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
We don't know what happened to John when he arrived in America, alone as far as we can tell. He was eight years old, so unless a relative stepped forward to care for him, he would have been bound out. He may have been bound out anyway, as this was the frequent way to deal with children. They needed to learn a trade or skill.
John did grow up and married first Mary Brigham, by whom he had four children, and then Susannah Shattuck Morse, by whom he had four more children. He married Susannah on July 5, 1678 in Watertown, although it's not believed he ever lived there. Early in his life, but probably when he was an adult, John went to Marlboro, where he was made a freeman in 1669. He acquired land in Worcester, and was considered a proprietor there, but he apparently didn't live there. He stayed in Marlboro until the fury of King Philip's War forced the family to go to Watertown,
We wouldn't know much more about John except that he left his inventory. Actually, there are two inventories for him, one taken in 1691 (John died December 5, 1690) and one in 1695. The youngest child was born in 1686 so perhaps it was time to settle the estate. The older children, from his first marriage, may have been getting anxious to get "their share". The estate was valued at about 209 pounds in 1691. The 1695 inventory is not totaled but it appears to be very similar. From the items listed, it appears that John was a farmer; he had the usual animals including two oxen, and "husbandry tools", He also had a Bible and books, total value given as 1 pound and one shilling.
The other interesting thing about John I can't prove. It is said that he was of Huguenot parentage. Whether his parents were Huguenots or whether the connection is further back, I don't know. I don't even know if there is a connection. It's a possibility.
The line of descent is:
John Fay-Susannah Shattuck
David Fay-Sarah Larkin
Edward Fay-Sarah Joslin
David Fay-Mary Perrin
Luceba Fay-Libbeus Stannard
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants
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