The Naughty Wife - 52 Ancestors #49

Frances, the wife of immigrant William Hilton, had a fiery streak. She appeared in court in a number of times. Her relationships with her husbands and her neighbors seem especially tumultuous.

Frances first shows up in court in October 1649 when she was admonished for fighting and abusing her neighbors with her tongue. William Hilton was also in trouble for violating the Sabbath by carrying wood from the woods and also for failing to have food and drink on hand for strangers and inhabitants.

June 28, 1655: Frances was found guilty of "railing at her husband and saying he went with John his bastard to his three halfe penny whores and that he carried a cloak of profession for his knavery." Her accusation and language resulted in her sentence to be whipped - "twenty lashes upon the bare skin." This would be set aside if she remained on good behavior until the next country court and no more complaints were brought against her. However, if she had other complaints against her, the authorities would carry out the original sentence. Her husband died within the next year.

After William Hilton died, Frances married Richard White. Richard was the administrator of the estate of William Hilton. Richard and Frances had some conflict with Rice Jones. In 1656, Richard sued Jones for slandering Frances. Jones countersued Frances White for "causelessly abusing" the wife of Rice Jones with "opprobrious and disgraceful speeches." In 1657, Joan Andrews was presented for "threatening Goody White (Frances) at York in a profane manner saying that she would swear herself to the devil but she would be avenged of her."

This might have to do with the accusations of adultery leveled against Frances. Magdalene (Hilton) Wiggin was presented to the court for saying that she saw "William Moore and her mother Frances White" in an act of adultery. Magdalene was either the oldest daughter of Frances or perhaps the youngest daughter of William Hilton and his first wife.




In 1658, Richard & Frances White were back in court because they were fighting with one another. Then in 1660, they were in trouble for allowing men to be drunk in their home on the Sabbath and for not attending public meeting. They were also accused of "common lying and backbiting of their neighbors and slandering them and for their great disorder in falling out and fighting one with another and for beating company in their house and for beating Mistress Gunnison and Joseph Davesse, his servants and Richard White for being drunk several times." Richard White paid a fine for this case and they seem to stay out of court records for a long time. In 1675, they were once again in trouble for not attending public meeting.

William & Frances Hilton
William Hilton, Jr. - two lines from him

Mainwaring Hilton - brother of Hannah (below)
Ebenezer Hilton
Ebenezer Hilton, Jr.
Samuel Hilton
Catherine (Hilton) Churchill
Loann (Churchill) Rowe
Anna (Rowe) Hayes
Eva D. (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Hannah (Hilton) Shepard - sister of Mainwaring (above)
Thomas Shepard
Robert Shepard
David Shepard
Sarah (Shepard) Emmons
Laura (Emmons) Yates
Estes G. Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

The Possessions of Lt. John Ellis - 52 Ancestors #48

What did people own in the 17th century? I know from looking over inventories that possessions varied greatly from family to family, much like today.

Here is the inventory of one of my ancestors, Lt. John Ellis, my 9th great-grandfather. He lived in Sandwich, Massachusetts from the 1640s until his death. His inventory was presented to the court by his widow, Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis on March 23, 1677. The fact that he was a soldier, the date of his death, and some other evidence led the authors of a 1965 article in the New England Historic Genealogical Register to hypothesize that he may have been a casualty of King Philip's War.

Clothing: £5
Furniture: £10 13s.
Household Items £6 23s. & Books 12s.
Powder, bullets, etc.:  £1 10s.
Livestock: £20 10s.
Corn & iron: 5 s.
Timber for a 30'X18' home: £3


I'm not sure what a cobber is or why it would be at Mr. Freeman's house.

Lt. John Ellis

Elizabeth Ellis

Elizabeth Briggs

Caleb Benson

Content Benson

Rachel Barrows

Asa Freeman Ellingwood

Nina K. Ellingwood

Annie F. Gibbs

F. Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

For more information, see NEHGR volume 119.

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen - Tombstone Tuesday

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen were my great-great-grandparents. They were first cousins. Edward, son of Timothy & Sarah (Abbott) Capen, was born on April 13, 1839, and died on December 28, 1930. Mary Jane, daughter of John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott, was born on January 6, 1847, and died in 1940. They are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. In the same plot and on the same grave marker are four of their children, Francis, Robbie, Minnie, and Alice.

Front of stone

Back of stone

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen
Fannie May (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

The Mary Conant Balch Room

One of the upstairs bedrooms at The Balch House is identified as the Mary Conant Balch Room. She was born on Christmas Eve in 1631. When she was about twenty years old, she married John Balch, Jr., the second son of the immigrant John Balch. John and Mary had only one daughter, Mary, who died in infancy. Mary was widowed in 1662, when John Jr. drowned while crossing on the ferry between Salem and Beverly during a violent storm. Mary's father, Roger Conant, is considered the founder of Salem and there is a statue of him in Salem. Mary lived until 1688 and was survived by her second husband, William Dodge, Jr. (1640-1720). Mary Conant is my 9th great-grandaunt; John Balch is my 9th great-granduncle; William Dodge, Jr. is my first cousin, 11 times removed. 

Roger Conant - Lot Conant (brother of Mary Conant), Martha (Conant) Perkins, Mark Perkins, Ann (Perkins) Packard, Cynthia (Packard) Dunham, James Dunham, Jr. Florilla (Dunham) Ellingwood, Asa F. Ellingwood, Nina (Ellingwood) Gibbs, Annie (Gibbs) Cotton, Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

John Balch - Benjamin Balch (brother of John Balch, Jr.), Mary (Balch) Stone, Ruth (Stone) Morgan, Luke Morgan, Jr., Samuel Morgan, Martha (Morgan) Yates, Moses Yates, Gilbert W. Yates, Estes G. Yates, Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

John Dodge - Richard Dodge (brother of William Dodge), Mary (Dodge) Herrick, Sarah (Herrick) Morgan, Luke Morgan, Luke Morgan, Jr. (same as line above). 

A Cheddar Man - 52 Ancestors #47

Robert Rogers is referred to as a "Cheddar Man" in colonial records. This sounds way more interesting than it turns out. Evidently, Robert Rogers was born in Cheddar, Somerset, England. He was probably baptized on January 11, 1618, in Cheddar, but there are not enough records to make this a certainty. While Rogers nickname turned out to have a simple explanation, there are other things about Robert that make him an interesting character.

Cheddar, Somerset, UK

Robert came to New England as part of a group that settled on the Agamenticus patent of Sir Ferdinando Gorges. He arrived between 1634 and 1641, probably closer to the later date. Robert never took the oath of a freeman. In order to take that oath, a man had to belong to a Congregational or Puritan church. Sir Ferdinando Gorges intended his patent to be Anglican and it is likely that Robert Rogers belonged to the Church of England. That would put him on the outside of the Puritan society of Newbury, Massachusetts, where he settled.

Robert had a series of court cases that also seem to show that he didn't quite fit in.

• On the 27th of the 5th month of 1643, he was charged with "receiving stolen wine" and "being consenting in it." It would appear that Samuel Bacon was the wine thief and Miles Thompson, Toby Davies, and Robert Wyar were his drinking companions. Miles Thompson was another of my ancestors, a 10X great-grandfather. 
• In September 1653, Robert Rogers was named among "those who have neglected the watch at Newbury." 
• "Robert Rogers was admonished upon his presentment and was bound to good behavior." Some interaction between Robert and two women took place in the orchard of Richard Dole. The women were Hester Bond and Mary Rolfe. The women testified that Robert said, "he was sorry there was such a difference between them, but if she [Hester] had kept her tricks to herself they might have lived well enough." Hester replied, "she was afraid he was in drink, but he said no, he was in cold blood." Unfortunately, there are no more detailed records to shed light on the nature of the dispute or any previous interactions. 

Robert Rogers died on December 23, 1663, in Newbury. Susanna married William Thomas on March 8, 1665, and died on March 29, 1677, in Newbury. 

Robert & Susanna Rogers
Thomas Rogers
Isaac Rogers
Rebecca (Rogers) Blaisdell
Stephen Blaisdell
Susannah (Blaisdell) Rowe
Stephen B. Rowe
Charles H. N. Rowe
Anna J. (Rowe) Hayes
Eva D. (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

* If you search the internet for "Cheddar Man," you will find some interesting stories about prehistoric remains found near the village of Cheddar in England.

John & Rachel (Barrows) Ellingwood - Tombstone Tuesday

John Wesley Ellingwood, Jr., son of John Wesley & Zerviah (Abbott) Ellingwood, was born on June 12, 1798, and died on January 25, 1835. He married Rachel Barrows, daughter of Asa Alden & Content (Benson) Barrows. Rachel was born on August 3, 1795, and died on May 9, 1832. They are buried in Riverside Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. They were my 4X great-grandparents.

John & Rachel (Barrows) Ellingwood
Asa Freeman Ellingwood
Nina K. (Ellingwood) (Gibbs) Cotton
Annie Florilla (Gibbs) Cotton
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Thomas Brown - 52 Ancestors #46

Thomas Brown came from Christian Malford, Wiltshire, England. His birth date is unknown, but based on other evidence, he was probably born in 1606. He married Mary Healy on August 20, 1632, in Christian Malford. Thomas and Mary came on the James in 1635. They left from Southampton on April 5th and arrived in Boston on June 3rd. Thomas was a weaver and settled in Newbury, Massachusetts. Mary (Healy) Brown died on June 2, 1654, in Newbury. Thomas survived much longer and died on January 8, 1687, in Newbury.

Google Maps

According to Wikipedia, the name of the village, Christian Malford, is a corruption of "Christ mal Ford." This means Christ's mark, or more commonly, a cross.

Thomas and Mary (Healy) Brown had, at least, four children:

1. Francis Brown was baptized in Christian Malford on January 1, 1633. He married twice. His first wife was Mary Johnson (November 21, 1653). His second wife was Mary Morse (December 31, 1679). He had eight children with his first wife and one child with his second wife. Francis died in early 1691. 
2. Mary Brown was born about 1636, in Newbury, and died there on April 15, 1716. She married Peter Godfrey on May 13, 1656, in Newbury. Peter and Mary had nine children. 
3. Isaac Brown was born about 1638 and died in Newbury on May 13, 1674. He married Rebecca Bailey on August 22, 1661. Rebecca was the daughter of John & Eleanor (Emery) Bailey. She was born on November 24, 1641, in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and died on August 25, 1731, in Newbury. She remarried after his death. Her second husband was John Doggett and they married on June 22, 1697, in Newbury. Their children are listed below. 
4. Nicholas Brown was born about 1645, and died in Haverhill, Massachusetts on June 5, 1705. He married Mary Linsforth on January 27, 1670. Nicholas and Mary had nine children. 

Children of Isaac & Rebecca (Bailey) Brown

1. Ruth Brown was born on May 26, 1662. Ruth married Thomas Rogers. 
2. Thomas Brown was born on September 15, 1664.
3. Rebecca Brown was born on March 15, 1667.
4. Dorothy Brown was born on November 5, 1669, and died young. 
5. Dorothy Brown was born on April 7, 1672, and died young
6. Mary Brown was born on May 5, 1673. 
7. Dorothy Brown was born about 1675. 

Ruth (Brown) Rogers

Isaac Rogers

Rebecca (Rogers) Blaisdell

Stephen Blaisdell

Susannah (Blaisdell) Rowe

Stephen B. Rowe

Charles H. N. Rowe

Anna J. (Rowe) Hayes

Eva D. (Hayes) Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

John Abbott, son of Aaron & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott, was born on April 27, 1819, and died in 1902. Sarah (Ackley) Abbott, daughter of William & Deborah (Capen) Abbott, was born on January 22, 1820, and died in 1865. They are buried in a small family cemetery in Bethel, Maine. It is known as Capen Cemetery and located at the top of Capen Hill on Intervale Road. John & Sarah were my 3X great-grandparents. 

John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott
Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen
Fannie May (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather.