Holbrook line: Benjamin Atwell, 1640-1683, probable immigrant

He married an Indian woman named Mary Uncas?  How exciting!!  Oops, how wrong!  It seems there is no evidence whatsoever for this "fact" so let's just file thais in the back of the folder with a huge "unproven" on it.  Benjamin did have a wife named Mary, who later married Joseph Ingham, but she was not Mary Uncas, at least not so far as we know.  It would be totally out of character for a man married to an Indian to be named a constable of his town, anyway.

So let's start with what we think we know, since Benjamin is really the first documented person in the Atwell line.  He was probably born about 1640, probably in England.  There is a Benjamin Atwell in Maine by this time period but he is not considered a likely candidate to be Benjamin's father.  Perhaps there is a tie in further back in England, but it's not yet been discovered.  He is in New London, Connecticut in 1667 and may have arrived earlier, but if so, it is strange that his marriage and the birth of his first son were not entered in the New London records. 

Benjamin was a carpenter by trade.  We don't know whether he worked in the shipbuilding business which was part of New London's heritage, or whether he built houses and buildings, but he was a skilled tradesman.  He was elected constable in 1675 and may have held that office earlier.  At one time he owned two houses and lots in New London, but sold one in 1672.  Perhaps he had built a new, larger house as his family grew. 

Benjamin and Mary had eight children together, from about 1668 to April of 1682.  Benjamin died between October 1682 and November 1683, and Mary married Joseph Ingram shortly after, probably about 1684.  Benjamin's estate wasn't settled until 1712, after one son petitioned for a settlement in 1707. 

Mary had one child with Joseph but they had separated by 1686 and despite court orders, Mary did not return to her second husband.  Mary may have had a backbone somewhat unusual in our female ancestors of the 1600s.  Whether this was a case of spousal abuse, or alcoholism, or any of a number of other factors, something made Mary decide to raise her 9 children on her own, except that Joseph eventually got custody of that child.  She was a feisty woman, I would guess. 

This is what we know of the story of Benjamin and Mary.  I see Benjamin as a hard working man (aren't all carpenters hard workers?) and since he was elected constable he had the respect of his community.  Mary was probably a woman who conformed to the times until she couldn't stand it any longer.  I find much to admire in both of these ancestors.  I just wish we could find Mary's identity!

The line of descent is"

Benjamin Atwell-Mary
Mary Atwell-Kingsland Comstock
Kingsland Comstock-Rachel Crocker
Rachel Comstock-John Eames
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Richard Rosemorgie, Immigrant

Ive hesitated to write about this ancestor for a long time, because I found so many confusing ways that his name was spelled or presented.  I also found opposing views about his country of origin.  I finally found an authoritative source, in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume 154 page 63 and following, written by Anita A. Lustenberger, C.G.  Even she, however, is hesitant to state with certainty his origins. 

First, I do not believe some of the web sites that say he was "Sir Richard Rhys Morgan" of Wales.  There are simply no records that support that theory, and is he was a "Sir" he would have left more records in New England than he did.  Those folks who could claim a title of some sort did so, and he did not.  It appears likely that he came from a small town or hamlet called "Rosemergy", which is in Morvah Parish, Penwith District, Cornwall, England. Of course records for the years that would interest us are missing.  Rosemergy is just a few miles inland from the coast but I don't know of a good nearby harbor.  I'd don't know whether he would have been exposed to the life of a mariner, or a fisherman, or whether he would have raised sheep, or worked in the mines of Cornwall.  We simply don't know any of his early life. 

We do know that Richard was in Charlestown, Massachusetts by 1664, when he married Hopestill Merrick, daughter of John and Hopestill (maiden name unknown) Merrick.  The Merricks had been in New England for about 33 years by then, and may or may not have approved of this man who would marry their daughter.  Richard didn't own land in Charlestown, and moved to New London, Connecticut when his landlord died and left the house to his widow, by which time the Rosemoregie's had at least three children.

I've not found anything that says what Richard's occupation was. He acquired land both by grant and by purchase in New London He acquired enough land that he could well have been a planter, but because this was New London, he could have been engaged in some kind of maritime work, such as ship building, or trading, or fishing.  We do know he was busy building a life for his family, which eventually included seven children. 

The book "From Deference to Defiance", by Robert Charles Anderson, reports that Richard and Hopestill were charged with premarital fornication in 1666.  Since they were married in 1664, it's a little puzzling to me why these charges were brought at that time.  No mention is made of their disposition.  Usually in these cases the woman was soundly whipped, and sometimes the man, also.  And before we get too excited and say "Grandma Hopestill, you did what?" let's remember that many times the woman was not to blame, but had been assaulted, coerced or exploited in some way.  Still, Hopestill's parents must have been mortified, as they were members of the church. 

Richard died about 1698, leaving a will which has been lost, and Hopestill died in 1712.  They were "Rosemorgie"s to the end of their days, but some of their children and all of their grandchildren changed their names to Morgan, probably because it was just easier to say and to spell.  This led to the confusion I mentioned in my first paragraph, because I wasn't sure I had the right family.  I did.

The line of descent is:

Richard Rosemorgie-Hopestill Merrick
Abigail Morgan-John Eames
John Eames-Rachel Comstock
John Eames-Elizabeth Longbottom
Hannah Eames-James Lamphire
Susan Lamphire-Joseph Eddy
Susan Eddy-Hiram Stanard
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: William Greene, Immigrant

Unfortunately, we don't seem to know for sure when William Greene was born, or where, or the names of his parents, or even when he arrived in New England.  If he was born as early as 1591, as some suggest, then his wife, Hannah Carter, would have been significantly younger than he was in order to be starting the family in 1644.  So if the 1591 date is correct, he may well have had an earlier wife and an earlier family about whom we know nothing. 

What we know of William is that he was "of Charlestown" in 1640 and that year subscribed to the "town orders" for the settlement of Woburn, which basically stated rules to live by, for the town.  For instance, no one could have a guest ("inmate"), for more than three days without the express permission of at least four of the town selectmen.  He married Hannah Carter, daughter of Thomas Carter, the blacksmith of Charlestown, about 1642, and the young or middle-aged and young, couple went to Woburn to live.  He was made a freeman in 1644.  I should note that it's possible that Greene never actually moved at all, as Charlestown gave up some of its territory to what became the town of Woburn.  Still, the Greenes probably lived a good ways from Hannah's parents, as currently Woburn and Charlestown are about 18 miles distant from each other.  William was made a freeman in 1644, meaning he was a member of the church and had property of some sort. 

There isn't much more that is known of his life in Woburn.  Apparently he stayed out of trouble, paid his taxes, supported the church, and was not much involved in the government of the town.  Raising small children and farming probably kept him busy.  When he died in 1654, there were at least four small children to raise, and they were apparently taken in by members of Hannah's family.  Hannah died just a few years after William, in 1658.

William Greene had an estate of over 200 pounds when he died, probably helped greatly by a gift of half of the lands of his father in law.  This was a good sum of money for a man believed to have been in the country only about 14 years when he died. 

This sums up the story of William Greene, who came to New England to practice his religion, or for economic gain, or because he wanted an adventure, or some combination of the three.  Whatever his reasons, we are glad he came, because he contributed to our gene pool. 

The line of descent is

William Greene-Hannah Carter
Mary Greene-John Snow
Zerubabbel Snow-Jemima Cutler
William Snow-Elizabeth Stevens
Lucy Snow-Josiah Whittemore
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Edward Lloyd, of Boston

I'm in trouble with this post, and hope someone will read it, weep, and then contact me with the correct information.  Some of this is fact and some is a wild guess; I'll try to make clear which is which. 

Here's what I think I know:  Edward Loyd, Lloyd or Lyde, was living in Boston, Massachusetts when he married Hannah Griffin in 1677 in Concord, Massachusetts Bay Colony,  He was a mariner by trade, according to his will, and at the time he wrote his will said he was of Boston.  There is a note to the side that said "Jamaica" but I don't know if there was a section of Boston known as Jamaica that early, or whether this was a note that Edward had actually died in Jamaica, on one of his voyages.  The will, which was probated in 1704, mentioned his wife, not by name, and two daughters, Hannah and Elizabeth.  The court documents explain that his wife's name was Mary.

This is where it gets confusing.  Perhaps our Edward Loyd was not the husband of Hannah Griffin.  Perhaps he was the husband of Mary Wheelwright, married in 1660 in Boston.  Mary's father, John Wheelwright, left land in England to his grandson, Edward Loyd or Lyde when he died.  Is this Edward Lyde our Edward Lloyd?  Mary Atkinson had a son, Edward Lloyd, baptized at Old South Church in Boston in 1674.  By then she had been a widow, for the second time, for about 7 years but this is the first I can find of an Edward Lloyd who might fit into this family.  Does he also fit into ours?  I'm not sure.

All we really know is that our Edward was the father of two girls and had a wife, Mary, when he died.  We know his estate was valued at about 77 pounds, including 75 gallons of "Rhum", and a sugar loaf.  He also had an old Bible.  The rum makes one wonder...why did he have this much on hand?  Was he a small time merchant, or did he expect to sell the rum to another party?  Had he purchased the rum in Jamaica or some other Caribbean port?  He apparently owned no land or buildings when he died. 

So, the question is, are these Edward Lloyd's the same person?  Was the  Edward who married Hannah Griffin a descendant of the Edward who married Mary Wheelwright?  Or were these two entirely separate families, with only the common name in common? 

Perhaps I shouldn't have written anything until I had this better figured out.  But if I don't ask for help on this, I may never find our answers.  Besides, I like to write about men who were mariners, who had a bit of mystery about them.  I will definitely be keeping an eye out for Edward Lloyd, as I continue to work to tell the stories of our ancestors. 

The line of descent is:

Edward Loyd-Hannah Griffin
Elizabeth Lloyd-John Whittemore
John Whittemore-Lydia Clough
Josiah Whittemore-Lucy Snow
Josiah Whittemore-Betsy Foster
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: Thomas Ford, Immigrant

Information is quite plentiful about Thomas Ford.  The problem is that much of it is contradictory, or makes no sense.  It's believed that he was born about 1587 in Bridport or possibly Symondsbury, Dorset, England.  The two towns are located just inland from the English channel, with Symondsbury being about one and a half miles west of Dorset.  Both towns were involved in rope and hemp making as their primary occupations, and both appear to have been quite small when Thomas was born.  I have at least three sets of proposed parents for Thomas, so am not able to make even a guess at this point. 

Thomas married first Joan Way, possibly, and secondly, Elizabeth Charde, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (possibly Bunckom) Charde at Bridport on June 19, 1616.  Elizabeth had first been married to Aaron Cooke in 1610, and she had one child, a son, with him. In 1623, the family was living in Dorchester, Dorset, England, where they were taught by Rev. John White, a Puritan.  Several of the families under his pastoral care traveled to America together, intending to settle together. Thomas and Elizabeth had five children together, all of whom came to America with their parents when they migrated in 1630 on the Mary and John.  Aaron Cooke, Jr. also was with them, counted as one of their six children. 

Thomas and his family settled first in Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was admitted a freeman on May 18, 1631, meaning he was a man of good standing, a member of the church, and owned property.  The family stayed in Dorchester for another five years, when they moved to the new settlement of Windsor, Connecticut.  Thomas was one of four men who purchased a large tract of land from native Americans, and he was granted fifty acres of land in Simsbury in 1637.  The Fords lived in Windsor, however, and it was from here that he served as deputy to the general court for at least four years.  Elizabeth died there in 1643.  She left Thomas with several teenagers and slightly older children to guide into adulthood, although some had already married and established their own homes. 

Thomas moved to Hartford, Connecticut about 1644 , where he married widow Ann Scott, and stayed there several years as the proprietor of an "ordinary", a combination tavern and inn, and then moved at some point between 1659 and 1670 to Northampton, Massachusetts, where several of his children had settled.  He had one child with Ann.  He died at Northampton in 1676, when he was about 89 years old, about a year after burying his third wife.   His estate was valued at about 369 pounds, which was certainly more than many of his contemporaries left, although not enough to be called wealthy. 

Thomas is an ancestor we can acknowledge with pride.  He participated in the building of Dorchester and Windsor, and served in political capacities for several years.  He was a man of strong religious beliefs.  He raised several children, including a step son, and saw them well situated when he died.  Of course I'd like to know more about him, but I am grateful to know this much. 

The line of descent is:

Thomas Ford-Elizabeth Charde
Abigail Ford-John Strong
Thomas Strong-Mary Hewett
Martha Strong-Samuel Judd
Elizabeth Judd-Ebenezer Southwell
Eunice Southwell-Medad Pomeroy
Eunice Pomeroy-Libbeus Stannard
Libbeus Stanard-Euzebia Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Holbrook line: John BIshop, Immigrant

John Bishop, our immigrant ancestor, is a hard man to pin down.  There were several John Bishops in New England during the time period our John Bishop was there, and as usual, I believe some of his records have been merged with those of other John Bishops.  I have not found a will, a deed, a hint of land ownership, a record of being a freeman, or marriage and birth records for him, for his wife, or for his children.  So I'm going to pick my way carefully through the rubble and hope that I don't trip over the wrong John Bishop as I write this. 

Our John Bishop was most likely born in or near Neen Savage, Shropshire, England about 1590.  Need Savage is small enough that it's not described as a village, even now.  It has the designation of "hamlet".  It does appear to have a very old church and this is likely where John was christened.  He may be the son of Richard Bishop but even that is not certain.  All that we really know is that he somehow met and married Ann, whose last name may be Stevens, probably about 1619.  They had four children together and set to work raising their family, with the children being born roughly from 1620 to 1630. 

When they came to America on the Saint John in 1639, the children would have been 9 to 19 years old.  They were certainly old enough to help establish the home they would live in, in the wilderness.  John had traveled in the party of Reverend Henry Whitfield, and most if not all of the people on the ship followed him as they arrived at New Haven, Connecticut and then quickly settled on their own land in what became Guilford, Connecticut. 

John was one of the six trustees of the town and one of the three whose name is signed to a deed for a large tract of land in 1643, when the purchase of land from the native Americans was finalized.  He was a justice of the peace and may have held other positions that are no longer known to us.  We don't know whether or not he ever became a "freeman" although it seems that a man with that kind of respect and service would have been made a freeman.  From my 21st century eyes, it only makes sense but again, records are lacking and when he is referred to, his designation is "planter", whereas others are noted as "freeman".  John lived out the rest of his days in Guilford. 

That is really all that is known about John.  He died sometime between February 7, 1659 and February 7, 1661 (I've seen dates of 1659. 1660, and 1661) and although I haven't located a copy of his will or inventory, I did find one for Ann, who died in 1676.  Her estate was valued at slightly over 87 pounds.  She named three children and a grandchild as heirs, and also left a small bequest to her servant, Thomas Smith.  It wasn't unusual to have servants in that time, even for a not well off family, but it does show that John must have left her more than enough to live on. 

We don't know whether John had an additional occupation other than planter, or how much land he might have owned, or whether or not he was literate (although he did sign his name to that deed with the Indians and he was a justice of the peace) or whether he was a regular church goer to the end of his life.  But we do know that he was courageous enough to come to America, to settle and raise his family, and to take care of his wife, so those are all admirable qualities. 

The line of descent is

John Bishop-Ann probably Stevens
Ann Bishop-John Jordan
John Jordan-Katherine Chalker
Hannah Jordan-John Stannard
John Stannard-Hannah Hatchett
Libbeus Stannard-Eunice Pomeroy
Libbeus Stanard-Euzebia Fay
Hiram Stanard-Susan Eddy
Louis Stanard-Mary Alice Hetrick
Etta Stanard-Loren Holbrook
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants

Edward Doty, Pilgrim Immigrant

 Update 8/11/2022:  This man is not our ancestor.  However, I am leaving the post here for those who might want a short version of his highly interesting life.  (The error is that Sarah Doty did not marry Josiah Standish, according to further research.)

Well, probably he wasn't a Pilgrim in the traditional sense.  He would have been required to go to religious services, of course, but there's no evidence he joined the church, that I can find.  So while he was definitely a passenger on the Mayflower of 1620, and he was definitely an immigrant, we don't know what his religious beliefs really were, if any. 

We also don't know who his parents were, or where in England he was from.  Really, the first thing that is known for certain is that he was on the Mayflower, signed the Compact, and was an indentured servant of Stephen Hopkins.  If he didn't know Hopkins earlier, then he surely would have been entertained on the trip by Hopkins' takes of life in Jamestown, Virginia, and his shipwreck adventure on Bermuda in 1609.  It is believed that he was married prior to his known marriage in Plymouth Colony, but whether that was in England or in America is unknown.  It's also suspected that he had served most of his indentureship before arriving at Plymouth Colony. 

We do know that he married Faith Clark, daughter of Thurston or Tristam and Faith Clark, in 1634/5.  She was 19 years younger than he was, and Dory had "snagged" her pretty much fresh off the boat, as the Clarks arrived in 1634. By this time Doty had made something of a name for himself, and not necessarily for a good reason. 

He and fellow servant Edward Leister had such a falling out, a few months after the Mayflower landed, that they actually dueled with sword and rapier.  Each was wounded, apparently not seriously.  For this, the Pilgrim leaders decided that the two should be bound together for 24 hours, head and feet together, so that they could neither eat nor drink during that time.  The two complained so piteously that they were released after only an hour, but this was the first in a pattern of court appearances and complaints that Doty was involved with, usually as the plaintiff.  He seems to have had great faith in the American justice system, even as limited and as primitive as it was during his lifetime.  If someone wronged him, he expected legal redress, and he also expected to pay his fine if he was found to be in the wrong.  The records prior to 1632 are mostly lacking, so we don't know what happened regarding the courts as a younger man, but after that his name is frequently noted. 

Sometimes, his name was recorded for a good reason.  He was granted land several times, he sold some of it and bought more, and he paid his taxes.  He also was counted as fit for military duty, so he would have had armor, guns, and swords as required  We can assume that he patrolled the area when the natives were nearby, and probably that he went on military expeditions expecting trouble from the native Americans.  However, perhaps because of the court cases, perhaps because of his personality or education, he apparently never held any colony offices, even though he was made a freeman in about 1633.  Had he not been involved in all those court cases, he would have been one of the nearly invisible population. 

Edward and Faith had nine children, with the last born in about 1653.  Edward died just three years later, leaving Faith with a large family to raise.  She must have done a decent job of raising them, because she didn't remarry (to John Phillips) for another ten years, on March 14, 1666/7.  She died on or before December 21, 1675.  Edward's estate was valued at close to 138 pounds, which was not terrible but probably not terrific, either. 

Edward Doty was undoubtedly a colorful character, and we may not know his whole story.  But he came, he survived, he persisted, and he died here after going from indentured servant to landowner.  For that, he deserves to be honored. 

The line of descent is:

Edward Doty-Faith Clark
Samuel Doty-Jeane Harman
Sarah Doty-Josiah Standish
Hannah Standish-Nathan Foster
Nathan Foster-Elizabeth Lansford
Jude Foster-Lydia M
Betsy Foster-Josiah Whittemore
Mary Elizabeth Whittemore-Joseph Holbrook
Fremont Holbrook-Phoebe Brown
Loren Holbrook-Etta Stanard
Gladys Holbrook-Richard Allen
Their descendants