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.

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

Possible Pilgrim Ancestry

I will begin this post with a major caveat; I have not gone through the process to prove my connection to these lines with the Mayflower Society in an official way. Furthermore, some lines are still in the preliminary research stages when new evidence could easily break the connection I believe is present. It is interesting that both of my grandmothers have significantly more Mayflower ancestors than my grandfathers.

Maternal Lines: Yates & Blake

John Alden - Yates - Elizabeth Alden - Mary Pabodie - Mercy Southworth - Alice Soule -Diman Perry - Abigail Perry - Betsy Judkins - Apphia Delphinia Cole - George Hayes - Eva Delphinia Hayes - Linona Alice Yates

William Mullins - Yates - Priscilla Mullins - Elizabeth Alden (See Above)

George Soule - Yates - John Soule - Moses Soule - Alice Soule (See above)

Edward Doty - Yates - Mary Doty - Mary Churchill - Mary Stevens - Eleazer Cole - Calvin Cole - Calvin Cole - Apphia Delphina Cole - George Hayes - Eva Delphinia Hayes - Linona Alice Yates

William Bradford - Blake - William Bradford - Hannah Bradford - Hezekiah Ripley - Joshua Ripley - Joshua Ripley - Nancy Ripley - Galen Blake - Charles G. Blake - Harriet Blake - Clayton L. Blake 

Paternal Lines: Cotton & Carter

Isaac Allerton - Cotton - Remember Allerton - Abigail Maverick - Martha Ward - Martha Tuthill (Tuttle) - Martha Haskell - Ruth Safford - Martha Haskell - Mary "Sally" Houghton - Florilla Dunham - Nina K. Ellingwood - Annie Florilla Gibbs - Fern Lyndell Cotton 

Stephen Hopkins - Cotton - Constance Hopkins - Elizabeth Snow - Eleazer Rogers - Experience Rogers - Deborah Totman - Asa Alden Barrows - Rachel Barrows - Asa Freeman Ellingwood - Nina K. Ellingwood (See Above) 

Thomas Rogers - Cotton - Joseph Rogers - Thomas Rogers - Eleazer Rogers (See Above) 

Richard Warren - Cotton - Ann Warren - Hannah Little - Mary Tilden - John Thomas - Mary Thomas - James Dunham - James Dunham - Florilla Dunham (See Above) 

James Chilton - Cotton - Isabella Chilton - Sarah Chandler - Moses Simmons (Simonson) - Moses Simmons - Patience Simmons - Moses Barrows - Deborah Totman (See Above) 

The Odds of Survival - 52 Ancestors #37

James & Mary (Cogan) Glass were my 11th great-grandparents. They never came to America, but their surviving children did make the trip across the ocean. Mary gave birth to twelve children, but only four lived to adulthood, Amy, James, Roger, and Henry. It is hard to imagine the loss of eight children. James and Mary also died relatively young. James was deceased by February 22, 1638 and his wife was also deceased, so his children were left to make their own way in the world.

The boys are listed as servants or apprentices of various Great Migration immigrants. It seems likely that Amy was also a servant to another family when she made the voyage to Massachusetts.

The children of James & Mary (Cogan) Glass.

1. Henry was baptized on August 11, 1614 and likely died before a second Henry was baptized in September 1624. 
2. Mary was baptized on February 2, 1618 and there are no further records - see below. 
3. Amy was baptized on December 10, 1618 and lived to adulthood. 
4. James is tentatively identified as belonging to this family and was probably born about 1620 based on the pattern of births. He lived to adulthood and was listed as a servant to his uncle, Henry Cogan and also a servant of Manasseh Kempton. Manasseh Kempton was my 10th great-granduncle. 
5. Roger was baptized on August 7, 1623 and lived to adulthood.  Roger was apprenticed to John Crocker and later to John Whetcombe. 
6. Henry (the second of that name) was baptized on September 26, 1624 and lived to adulthood.  He was a servant of Henry Phelps and later Nicholas Phelps. 
7. Joan was baptized on January 28, 1627 and buried on July 12, 1627. 
8. Unnamed daughter was buried on October 10, 1628 (possibly Mary above). 
9. Joane (the second of that name) was baptized on April 2, 1629 and buried on May 1, 1640. 
10. Richard was buried on August 24, 1629. 
11. Peter was baptized on August 28, 1631 and buried on August 10, 1637. 
12. Thamazen was baptized on January 26, 1635 and there are no further records.

Burials

July 12, 1627 - Joan #1

October 10, 1628 - Unnamed daughter

August 24, 1629 - Richard

August 10, 1637 - Peter

May 1, 1640 - Joan #2

No records of death for Henry, Mary, Thamazen.




Amy Glass married Richard Willis in Plymouth, Massachusetts on October 11, 1639. Richard died before 1645 and they only had one child, Richard Willis, Jr. He was born between 1641-1642. She married Edward Holman after Richard's death. At the age of 7, Richard Willis, step-son of Edward Holman was apprenticed to Giles Rickard, a weaver. Amy and Edward do not appear to have had any children and she is presumed to have died by 1648 when the apprenticeship was arranged.

James & Mary (Cogan) Glass
Amy (Glass) Willis
Richard Willis, Jr.
Ruhamah (Willis) Rogers
Experience (Rogers) Totman
Deborah (Totman) Barrows
Asa Alden Barrows
Rachel (Barrows) Ellingwood
Asa Freeman Ellingwood
Nina K. (Ellingwood) Gibbs
Annie F. (Gibbs) Cotton
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Sources:
George E. McCracken, "Early Cogans English and American," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 111 (1956), online images, American Ancestors (americanancestors.org : accessed 10 August 2015), 172-173.

Charles Henry Pope, compiler, The Pioneers of Massachusetts: A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns, and Churches, and other Contemporaneous Documents (Boston, Mass.: self-published, 1900), ; digital images, Open Library, archive.org (https://archive.org : accessed 1 February 2015.

An Independent Streak - 52 Ancestors #27

Memorial Stone for John Emery in the Newbury First Settlers Burying Ground

John and his brother, Anthony, came to America in 1635 on the James. He settled at Newbury, where he worked as a carpenter and an innkeeper. John was married twice. His first marriage was to Alice Grantham of West Dean, Wiltshire, England. There is no record of Alice in New England. In Newbury, on October 29, 1647, John married for a second time. His second wife was Mary (Shatswell) Webster, widow of John Webster. Mary had three siblings who had immigrated to Ipswich, Massachusetts - brothers John and Theophilus Shatswell and sister, Margaret (Shatswell) Curwen, wife of Matthias Curwen.

Despite the fact that he sometimes got in trouble (often for standing up for his beliefs), he also contributed his service to the local officials in a number of different offices. He was a member of quite a few petit juries and grand juries over the years. He was the Newbury constable in 1655 and clerk of the market in 1656. 

His independent streak is well documented through the court system. 

His first recorded brush with the law makes one question whether his first wife was still alive since he seems to have gotten a little fresh with a married woman. The part at the end makes me wonder if she was a willing participant in the interaction. On September 29, 1646, "John Emery, for miscarriage with the wife of Henry Travers, fined £3 or to be whipped, and pay witness fee to Christopher Bartlett. Bound to good behavior and not to frequent the company of the wife of Henry Travers. 

In 1654, John joined with other town leaders to sue John Merrill for selling the town's lands without order. Also in 1654, there was a controversy regarding a petition in support of Lt. Robert Pike of Salisbury. That is a story for another blog post. All of his dealings on behalf of his step-children will also be told later. 

In 1658, John, his son John Jr., his step-son John Webster, and Solomon Keyes were admonished by the court for disturbing the peace and acting disrespectully. They were told to "beware of the like sinful practices for time to come, which this Court will not bear; and that they pay the several charges of their neighbors the last Court & this, in coming for relief from such under courses."

On May 5, 1663, John Emery appeared before the court for entertaining Quakers. 

In another church controversy in 1669, John Emery was one of those opposing Rev. Mr. Parker. He appears on a 1671 list of Newbury church members presented as part of this discontent. 

In 1678, John submitted a bill to the local militia for "a new saddle & bridle" 28s.; a "sword & belt," 12s; 2 pounds powder & bullets," 4s.; and "saddle & cloth," 23s. 

John died on November 3, 1683 and was buried in the First Burying Ground in Newbury. 

For more on John Emery - 

John Emery - lists his children and some testimony about his entertaining Quakers. 

Connections to the TV show Downton Abbey - Maps the areas in England where the family lived near the town of Downton. 

John Emery

Eleanor (Emery) Bailey

Sarah (Bailey) Cheney - Sister of Rebecca Bailey (below)

Eleanor (Cheney) Safford

John Safford

Ruth (Safford) Haskell

Martha (Haskell) Houghton

Mary "Sally" (Houghton) Dunham

Florilla (Dunham) Ellingwood

Nina King (Ellingwood) Gibbs

Annie Florilla (Gibbs) Cotton

Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Rebecca (Bailey) Brown

Ruth (Brown) Rogers

Isaac Rogers

Rebecca (Rogers) Blaisdell

Stephen Blaisdell

Susannah (Blaisdell) Rowe

Stephen Blaisdell Rowe

Charles H. N. Rowe

Anna J. (Rowe) Hayes

Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Golgotha Memorial - First Settlers of Amesbury

In 1903, the Amesbury Improvement Association placed a marker at the site of the first settlers' burial ground and called the site Golgotha. The memorial plaque lists eighteen first settlers, although not all were buried on this site. I recently visited the site to see it for myself. It's hard to imagine all the wilderness that existed in the 17th century where there are now so many buildings and so much traffic. I tried to get some photos that cropped out the modern elements.

Golgotha (in Aramaic) or Calvary (in Latin) refers to the hill resembling a skull cap just outside the old gate of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified, buried in a tomb and rose in the Resurrection.  The dictionary definition includes "place of great suffering" or "place of burial."

My ancestors are John Bailey, John Hoyt, Henry Blaisdell, and Jarret Haddon.

John Bailey, Rebecca Bailey, Ruth Brown, Isaac Rogers, Rebecca Rogers, Stephen Blaisdell, Jr., Susannah Blaisdell, Stephen Rowe, Charles H. N. Rowe, Anna J. Rowe, Eva Hayes, Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Jarret Haddon, Mary Haddon m. Henry Blaisdell, Henry Blaisdell, Jr. John Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Jr. - see above for the rest of the line.

John Hoyt, Thomas Hoyt, Israel Hoyt, Dorothy Hoyt, Alice Babb, Lydia Waterhouse, Alice Garland, Richard Hayes, Sydney Hayes, George Hayes, Eva Hayes, Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother


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The Long & Short Of It - 52 Ancestors #5

I've deviated from the blog theme suggested for this week because I couldn't come up with a good story for "plowing through."

Robert Long, my 10th great-grandfather, was born about 1621 and died at the age of 68 in Newbury, Massachusetts on December 27, 1690 of small pox.
This seems to be the beginning of an outbreak because the History of Newbury, states that "on March 10, 1691, the selectmen were ordered to see that all persons infected with small-pox were removed to some isolated place, and provided with nurses and attended. They were also ordered to supply food and clothing to persons so removed, and to the families of those who were unable to take care of themselves." Robert's wife, Alice died during this time period also but I haven't found any notation on her cause of death. She died on January 17, 1691.



There is really very little information that I have found about this ancestor. However, his marriage is interesting because...

In 1647, Robert Long married Alice Short!

 

Children of Robert & Alice (Short) Long:

1. Mary b. 24 Feb 1648
2. Abiel b. 19 Feb 1649
3. Rebecca (uncertain birthdate) m. Nicholas Rawlins
4. Susanna b. 14 Nov 1656
5. A daughter b. 26 Mar 1659 and d. 4 April 1659
6. Shubael b. 14 April 1661
7. A son b. 16 April 1664; may have died young
8. John (uncertain birthdate); living in 1691
9. Martha b. 20 May 1669

My Line:
Robert Long
Rebecca Long
Rebecca Rawlins
Rebecca Rogers
Stephen Blaisdell
Susannah Blaisdell
Stephen Blaisdell Rowe
Charles H. N. Rowe
Anna J. Rowe
Eva Delphinia Hayes
Linona Alice Yates

Sources
Old Families of Amesbury & Salisbury

52 Ancestors #21 - George Morton

I am related to the Great Migration immigrant, George Morton, through three of his five children. George came to Plymouth Colony on the Anne in 1623 and unfortunately died less than a year after that. He was a merchant in England.

The book, New England Memorial, written by Nathaniel Morton, son of George, describes the immigrant in very flattering terms. Of course he may have been a bit biased.

"Two of the principal passengers that came in this ship were Mr. Timothy Hatherly and Mr. George Morton... The latter of the two forenamed, namely Mr. George Morton, was a pious, gracious, servant of God, and very faithful in whatsoever public employment he was betrusted, withal, and an unfeigned well willer, and according to his sphere and condition, a suitable promoter of the common good and growth of the plantation of New Plimouth; laboring to still the discontents that sometimes would arise
amongst some spirits by reason of difficulties of these new beginnings but it pleased God to put a period to his days soon after his arrival in New England, not surviving a full year after his coming ashore. With much comfort and peace he fell asleep in the Lord, in the month of June, anno 1624."

George Morton - 11th great-grandfather
Patience Morton
Mary Faunce
Mary Harlow
Ebenezer Dunham
John Dunham
James Dunham
Florilla Dunham
Nina K. Ellingwood
Annie Florilla Gibbs
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

George Morton - 11th great-grandfather
Sarah Morton
Ruth Bonum
George Barrows
Moses Barrows
Asa Alden Barrows
Nina K. Ellingwood - see above

George Morton - 11th great-grandfather
Sarah Morton
Patience Bonum
Ruhamah Willis
Experience Rogers
Deborah Totman
Asa Alden Barrows - see above

George Morton - 12th great-grandmother
Nathaniel Morton
Mary Morton
Eleazer Dunham
Mercy Dunham
Mary Kempton
Rebecca Burbank
Hannah Keene
Timothy Cox
Christiana Cox
Francis Llewellyn Cotton
Ray Everett Cotton
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Aftermath of the Shot Heard 'Round the World

The case of Uriah Thayer illustrates some of the challenges of documenting service in the Revolutionary War. It would seem from the pension requests of my ancestors that virtually no one kept any paperwork pertaining to their service and in some cases there was no paperwork to be kept. I have seen a few that state they were verbally discharged without formal papers. These verbal discharges seem to be from the beginning of the war. Uriah came from Braintree and joined Silas Wild's Company of minutemen who assembled on April 19, 1775. After 9 days he was sent home but would later join the army again at least 3-4 times and possibly more. His wife, Phebe (Hayden), states in the pension records that he was gone for most of the first three years of their marriage. Other soldiers state that they believe he served for the better part of 5 years. Despite these testimonies, there is only documentation of a little over a year of service when it is all consolidated. Further complicating the process of obtaining a pension, Uriah died in 1805, well before the 1818 law providing for pensions. Phebe was illiterate (based on her signing the application with her mark - see below). She ended up getting a pension for $39 that was later raised to $50 per annum. At the age of 92, she was still corresponding with the government, applying for a land bounty. I cannot find proof that the land bounty was granted but it may have been.

Piecing together the 74 pages of his pension record (the longest I have encountered), Uriah responded to the call for troops when the British marched on Lexington and Concord. He spent time in Boston guarding the harbor and was serving with General Benjamin Lincoln when he supervised the evacuation of the British. He may or may not have fought at Saratoga or gone on an expedition to Canada.

I doubt any of the men responding to the alarm from Lexington and Concord gave a thought to pensions or what their families might need from the government in the future. I'm sure they didn't envision the bureaucracy and red tape they or their spouses would encounter when trying to access their benefits.

Raising the Alarm

Uriah Thayer - 4th cousin 7 times removed (closest relationship)
Common ancestors - Samuel Bass to T. Richard Carter
John Alden to Linona Alice Yates

Thomas Rogers to Fern Lyndell Cotton