Don't Be a Sloppy Genealogist

I remember the early days of searching for my ancestors. I used Ancestry before there were shaky leaves. About 12 years ago, there were still some really poorly constructed trees. However, most were at least close (the dates and names made sense) even if they were linked without sources. As I researched further, I've been had to correct a number of wrong turns from my early days. Even careful genealogists can make mistakes.

However since the shaky leaves came into existence, I'm seeing more and more obviously incorrect trees. These have links that are laughable because they defy the laws of nature. I understand the impulse to quickly fill out your family lines. I was once one of those overly excited to merge information without doing even a cursory investigation.

This week's "We're Related" app potential relatives provided an example of the sloppiest trees. See if you can catch it.  My famous possible relative is county music singer, Luke Bryan. My line according to the information Ancestry has compiled (not from my own research and tree) is:

Lott Whiddon (1729-1784) - Common connection with Luke Bryan - father of James W. Whiddon
James W. Whiddon (1770-1845) - father of James W. Whiddon
James W. Whiddon, Jr. (1790-1869) - father of Nancy Whiddon
Nancy Whidden (1830-1908) - mother of Robert G. Goff
Robert G. Goff (1853-1924) - father of William Yates
William Yates (1774-1868) - father of Moses Yates
Moses Yates (1805-1890) - father of Gilbert William Yates
Gilbert William Yates (1835-1925) - father of Estes Gilbert Yates
Estes Gilbert Yates (1884-1977) - father of Linona A. Yates
Linona A. Yates - my grandmother - the line from her to William Yates is correct according to my research. Did you catch the obvious error?

I don't think it's physically possible for Robert G. Goff, born in 1853, to be the father of William Yates, born in 1774!  Furthermore, despite the efforts of many researchers, the origins of William Yates are not known. He is possibly from Scotland, possibly from England and he either came to New Hampshire at a young age as an indentured servant or he came with his parents and was then indentured. Although his name is spelled two different ways, Yeats and Yates; it has never been Goff!

Immigrant Ancestor - Rev. Thomas Carter

I have already written a bit about my immigrant Carter ancestor, Rev. Thomas Carter of Woburn. He was the first minister of Woburn. Under his ministry the church grew and flourished. In Johnson's "Wonder-working Providence" (published in 1654), he is described as a "reverend godly man, apt to teach the sound and wholesome truths of Christ" and "much encreased with the encreasings of Christ Jesus, of whose labours in the Lord as followeth."

The Ordination of Rev. Thomas Carter

Carter, Christ hath his wayes thee taught, an them [thou]
Hast not with-held his Word, but unto all
With's word of power dost cause stout souls to bow, 
And meek as Lambs before thy Christ to fall:
The antient truths, plain paths, they fit thee best, 
The lowly heart, Christ learns his lovely hest, 
Thy meekness shews thy Christ to thee is nigh; 
Yet must thou shew Christ makes his bold to be
As Lions, that none may his truths tread down, 
Pastoral power he hath invested thee
With, it maintain, least he on thee do frown:
Thy youth thou hast in this New-England spent, 
Full sixteen years to water, plant, and prune
Trees taken up, and for that end here sent; 
Thy end's with Christ, with Saints his praises tune.

When he died, the town paid for his funeral expenses. Among the charges is one for fourteen gallons of wine. According to The History of Woburn, the custom of the day was to bury their paupers with rum and their wealthy men and ministers with wine.

Rev. Thomas Carter and his wife, Mary Parkhurst had eight children.
1. Samuel was born August 8, 1640 and graduated from Harvard College in 1660. He held a number of   town offices and married Eunice Brooks. They had eight children.
2. Judith married first Dea. Edward Converse and second Giles Fifield.
3. Mary was born July 24, 1648 and married John Wyman, Jr. He was killed by the Indians at the Swamp Fight, December 19, 1675. She married as her second husband, Nathaniel Bachiler (Batchelder) of Hampton, N.H. She had eight children with her second husband. Mary & Nathaniel are the 7th great-grandparents of Clayton Blake who married Linona Yates, my mother's mother. 
4. Abigail was born January 10, 1649/50 and married John Smith.
5. Timothy was born June 12, 1653 and married Anna Fiske, daughter of David Fiske of Cambridge (Lexington) on May 3, 1680. They had thirteen children, three of whom died before their parents. Timothy and his brother, Thomas, were husbandmen and proprietors of "several considerable tracts of land."
6. Thomas was born June 8, 1655 and married Margery Whitmore (Whittemore).

Timothy, son of Rev. Thomas and Mary (Parkhurst) Carter and wife Anna had:
1. David born October 17, 1681 and died May 22, 1736.
2. Timothy born July 12, 1683 and died the same year.
3. Anna born July 17, 1684.
4. Timothy born October 17, 1686.
5. Theophilus born October 20, 1688.
6. Thomas born August 14, 1690.
7. Abigail born March 18, 1692.
8. Sarah born November 24, 1694.
9. Elizabeth born August 27, 1696 and died June 26, 1709.
10. Benjamin born March 22, 1699 and died soon after.
11. Mary born June 23, 1700.
12. Martha born July 22, 1702.
13. Benjamin born November 8, 1704. Benjamin married Sarah Stone.

Timothy, son of Benjamin & Sarah (Stone) Carter, married Sarah Walker. Their son, Dr. Timothy Carter married Frances Freeland and moved to Bethel, Maine. Elias Mellen Carter, son of Dr. Timothy & Frances (Freeland) Carter married Irish immigrant, Rebecca Williamson and their son, Augustus Mellen Carter fought in the Civil War. Augustus married Mary Frances Stanley and had Edward Mellen Carter. Edward Mellen Carter married Fannie May Capen and they are the parents of my grandfather, Thomas Richard Carter.

Descendants: Thomas Richard "Dick" Carter & sons, Timothy and Thomas on the right and Edward Augustus "Gus" Carter and children, Edward and Ann on the left. 

Another Carter Post

Sources
The History of Woburn
Johnson's Wonder-Working Providence, 1628-1651 ed. by J. Franklin Jameson

A Carter Family Portrait

I've written a number of times about my 3X great-grandfather, Elias Mellen Carter and his family. Here is a picture of Elias and his wife, Rebecca (Williamson) Carter and their eleven children. Rebecca was from Ireland and is my most recent immigrant ancestor. The Williamsons came to Maine sometime around 1820 so they were not part of the potato famine migration.  

In the front from left to right are children: Julia Elizabeth, Emily Jane, Timothy Cullen, William Lawson, Sarah Lillie, Helen Louise, and her twin, John Herbert.
In the back from left to right are children: Mary Elizabeth, Frances Ann, Augustus Mellen, and Anna Grace (in her mother's arms) and parents, Rebecca (Williamson) & Elias Mellen Carter.

Elias Mellen Carter
Augustus Mellen Carter
Edward Mellen Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Other posts about the family:
Five Daughters Suddenly Gone
The Carter Farm - 1860 & 1880
The Carter Farm 1860
Rebecca Williamson - Fearless Female
Squire of the Little Village
We Consider Her Very Dangerous
Thanksgiving in Paris
Letters Found on E-Bay
Close Call

Thomas Gardner - Immigrant Ancestor

Thomas Gardner was an early immigrant to Cape Ann and later Salem. It is believed that he arrived in 1624 and from 1626 to his death, he lived in Salem. His estimated birth year, 1592, is based on his testimony given November 26, 1661. He indicated that he was about sixty-nine years old. He died in Salem on December 29, 1674, a month after his third wife died. His sons, George and Samuel served as executors of his estate.

Regarding his education and service to the town, he signed his name, rather than making a mark and he served as a deputy for Salem to the General Court in 1637. From 1641-1658, he served on several juries and was the foreman at least twice. Thomas served multiple terms as a Salem selectman and multiple terms as an overseer of highways.   He was a fence viewer in 1636, constable in 1639, and rater in 1639-1640.

There is no indication of a specific profession practiced until the 1660s. During the 1660s, he was granted a license to be an innkeeper and sell "strong drink." In 1667, his license was amended to forbid him from selling "strong drink" to the local folks. He could only sell it to "strangers."

In 1636, he appears in a list of Salem church members, but a court record calls his commitment into question. In November 1660, among a list of Quakers, the wife of Thomas Gardner, Sr. was one of those fined for frequent absences from church on Sundays. Thomas was never mentioned for having absented himself from church and it is difficult to know his feelings about the matter.

Thomas Gardner was married three times. The name of his first wife is unknown. She probably died around 1636 and possibly in child birth. His second wife was named Margaret, but her maiden name was unknown. His third wife was Damaris, "widow Shattuck," and her maiden name is also unknown. The American Genealogist Vol. 30 has an article about the identities of Margaret and Damaris.

Thomas Gardner and his first wife are my tenth great-grandparents.

Thomas Gardner's children with his first wife were:

1. Thomas born about 1614. 
2. George born about 1616. 
3. John born about 1624.
4. Sarah born about 1627. Sarah married Benjamin Balch, son of immigrant, John Balch. 
5. Samuel born about 1629. 
6. Joseph born about 1630. 
7. Richard born about 1632. 
8. Miram born about 1635. 
9. Seeth (daughter) baptized in Salem on December 25, 1636. 

My Line:

Thomas Gardner

Sarah (Gardner) Balch

Mary (Balch) Stone

Ruth (Stone) Morgan

Luke Morgan

Samuel Morgan

Martha (Morgan) Yates

Moses Yates

Gilbert William Yates

Estes Gilbert Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010), (Originally Published as: New England Historic Genealogical Society. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., 1995).

Immigrant Ancestor Jasper Blake

Three of my grandparents connect back to Jasper Blake's family, making Jasper and his wife, Deborah, my 9th great-grandparents on one line and my 10th great-grandparents on two other lines. The most direct is that of my grandfather, Clayton L. Blake.

Jasper & Deborah (Everard) Blake were one early settlers of Hampton, New Hampshire. He probably came to America in 1639-1640. Jasper died there on January 4, 1674 and Deborah died there on December 20, 1678. A 1661 deed for a house, barn, and house lot was transferred between Thomas Warde and Jasper Blake, both of Hampton, calls Jasper a fisherman. Jasper was one of several local men chosen to lay out house lots and roads and locate a meetinghouse and a block house for protection. Jasper's will and other documents were signed with his mark. His will was dated on July 18, 1673 and named his wife as executrix. He left land, given to him by Timothy Dalton, to his sons, Timothy & Israel. His son, John, was to have the lot where he currently lived, and son, Jasper, was given other land in Hampton. The inventory of his estate was taken by Samuel Dalton and Christopher Hussey on January 21, 1673/4. His personal property was only ￡59, 5s and his real property totaled ￡206, 5s.


Jasper and Deborah had seven sons and three daughters; Deborah, Timothy, Israel, Jasper, John, Sarah, Joshua, Samuel, Dorothy, and Philemon. One source lists another daughter, Maria, born in 1673.

Line to Blake - Generations 2-10

John, son of Jasper and Deborah (Everard) Blake, was born in 1656 and died in 1716. He married Frances ________.

John, son of John & Frances (___) Blake, was born at Hampton on September 2, 1689 and married Mary Dearborn. He moved to Sanbornton, New Hampshire.

Benjamin Blake
David Blake
Micajah Blake
Galon Blake
Charles G. Blake
Harriett May Blake
Clayton L. Blake - my grandfather

Line to Yates - Generations 2-11

Timothy, son of Jasper & Deborah (Everard) Blake was born in 1649 and married Naomi Sleeper. Timothy died in 1718. Timothy & Naomi had five sons and four daughters; Moses, Israel, Timothy, Aaron, Deborah, Martha, Naomi, Ruth, and Samuel.

Israel, son of Timothy & Naomi (Sleeper) Blake married Leah Smith. He lived in Nottingham, New Hampshire and died in April 1753. Israel & Leah (Smith) Blake had four sons and three daughters; Deborah, Sarah, Eliza, Jedidiah, Joseph, Israel, and Benjamin.

Deborah (Blake) Tucker
Hannah (Tucker) Rowe
William Rowe
Stephen B. Rowe
Charles H. N. Rowe
Anna (Rowe) Hayes
Eva D. (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Line to Cotton - Generations 2-11

Ruth, daughter of Timothy & Naomi (Sleeper) Blake was born on November 3, 1693 and died on June 6, 1717. She married Oliver Smith.

Mehitabel (Smith) Lyford
Oliver Smith Lyford
Nancy (Lyford) Philbrick
Oliver Smith Philbrick
Benjamin Perley Philbrick
Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" (Philbrick) Cotton
Ray Everett Cotton
Fern Lyndell Cotton

Some Blake Sources

Cogswell, Rev. Elliott C. "History of Nottingham, Deerfield, and Northwood." Google Books. John B. Clarke, 1878, Original from Columbia University, 10 Mar. 2009. Web. 10 July 2016.

Cutter, William Richard. "Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts; : Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, Ed : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive." Internet Archive. Google, 2008. Web. 10 July 2016.

"History of Merrimack and Belknap Counties, New Hampshire." Google Books. Ed. D. Hamilton Hurd. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2016.

Hurd, Charles Edwin. "Genealogy and History of Representative Citizens of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts : Hurd, Charles Edwin, 1833-1910 : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive." Internet Archive. Boston Public Library, 2008. Web. 10 July 2016.

For information on Deborah (Everard) Blake and her relationship to the Dalton family, see the article published in 2000, by George F. Sanborn, Jr., F.A.S.G. and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, F.A.S.G.,  in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database:AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2013.) Volume 154, beginning on p. 259.

My Grandfathers - The Selectmen Who Rewrote the Book

On January 13, 1653, a meeting of Selectmen was held at the tavern of George Walton on Great Island in Portsmouth. In attendance were Brian Pendleton, Renald Fernald, John Pickering, Henry Sherburne, and James Johnson. As fate would have it, I am related to all except James Johnson. Frank W. Hackett, in his 1645-1656. Portsmouth Records, called them "men of force and character and all of them prominent in the records."




It seems that not everyone was happy with the extension of Puritan-controlled Massachusetts Bay authority over the Piscataqua region. Supporters of the Church of England and other religious non-conformists had attempted to break away from this control and been arrested. So the Selectmen decided to tighten the grip by looking at the old Town Book and crossing out the items that did not meet their approval. Then the approved items were copied into a new book. This eliminated evidence of conflicting land claims and allowed the Puritans to distribute the land as they saw chose. Obviously, they would favor those who agreed with their views and could use the land as rewards or to benefit their own interests.

Brian Pendleton continued to be active in extending Puritan control over the New Hampshire and Maine frontier. In England, Cromwell and the Puritans were in control and those who disagreed with their beliefs found little relief from the mother country.

On November 16, 1652, Pendleton and other commissioners met at the home of William Everet in Kittery. There the settlers agreed to submit to the authority of the Massachusetts Bay colony. On November 22, York also agreed to this arrangement. Brian Pendleton was made a justice of a County Court at Kittery. Other areas also fell into line; Wells, Saco, and Cape Porpoise in 1653. The towns gained representation in the General Court but they had other freedoms that those in Massachusetts did not. There was no religious test for voting rights and the local military groups were not required to join with others beyond their own town.




Lines to my dad's mother - Fern Lyndell Cotton
Brian Pendleton - 11th great-grandfather, Mary Pendleton, Pendleton Fletcher, Pendleton Fletcher, Jr., Sarah Fletcher, Gibbins Edgecomb, Thomas Edgecomb, Mary Edgecomb, Benjamin Perley Philbrick, Lizzie Philbrick, Ray Everett Cotton, Fern Lyndell Cotton

Renald Fernald - 10th great-grandfather, William Fernald, Margaret Fernald, Benjamin Cotton, William Cotton, William Cotton, William Cotton, Jr., John Henry Cotton, Francis Llewellyn Cotton, Ray Everett Cotton, Fern Lyndell Cotton

Henry Sherburne - 11th great-grandfather, Elizabeth Sherburne, Elizabeth Langdon, Margaret Fernald - see above

Lines to my mom's mother - Linona Alice Yates
George Walton - 11th great-grandfather, Abishag Walton, Grace Taprill, Dorothy Hoyt, Alice Babb, Lydia Waterhouse, Alice Garland, Richard Hayes, Sydney Hayes, George Hayes, Eva Delphinia Hayes, Linona Alice Yates

Renald Fernald - 11th great-grandfather, Mary Fernald, Mary Partridge, John Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Jr. , Susannah Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell Rowe, Charles H. N. Rowe, Anna J. Rowe, Eva D. Hayes, Linona Alice Yates

Renald Fernald - 10th great-grandfather, Sarah Fernald, Timothy Waterhouse, John Waterhouse, Lydia Waterhouse - see above

John Pickering - 9th great-grandfather, Thomas Pickering, Mary Pickering, Elizabeth Fabyan, Temperance Downing, Molly Wildes, Jacob Emmons, Laura Emmons, Estes Gilbert Yates, Linona Alice Yates

Henry Sherburne - 10th great-grandfather, Ruth Sherburne, Ruth Moses, John Waterhouse, Lydia Waterhouse - see above


Source:
from Brian Pendleton and His Descendants, 1599-1910, With Some Account of the Pembleton Families of Orange County, N.Y., Ostego County N.Y., and Luzerne County, Pa., and Notices of Other Pendletons of Later Origin in the United States, Everett Hall Pendleton, compiler; accessed on Openlibrary.org.

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.

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

Serious Mental Imbalance - 52 Ancestors #44

Mary Shard was married twice. Her first husband was John Gove and they had six children before he died. Mary and John Gove are my 11X great-grandparents. Her second husband was John Mansfield. John Mansfield came from a good family, but he seemed to have conflicts with most of his relatives. He is described in his Great Migration sketch as demonstrating “serious mental imbalance throughout his adult life…” Among other things, he accused his brother-in-law, Robert Keaynes, of cheating him out of his rightful inheritance. John Mansfield had two sisters in Massachusetts. His sister, Elizabeth, was the wife of the Rev. John Wilson and his sister Anne was married twice, first to Capt. Robert Keayne and second to Samuel Cole.

John Mansfield was born about 1601 and died on June 26, 1674. He married Mary (Shard) Gove after her first husband, John Gove, died in January 1648. The family lived in Charlestown. Shortly after their marriage, Mary gave birth to twins, John Jr. and Elizabeth. Mary died on March 4, 1682. John's frequent petitions to the courts document his obsession with obtaining an inheritance from the estate of Robert Keayne. 

However, this obsession is not the only evidence of his "serious mental imbalance," John proved himself incapable of caring for his family.  In the Middlesex Court records, he says of that his home is "all open above and rotten under." Eventually, the two children of John & Mary (Shard) (Gove) Mansfield were removed from the household. They were only eight years old.

John Jr. was placed with his aunt, Anne (Mansfield) Keayne, for a period of ten years. He was to be kept in school for the first three years and then to spend seven years in an honest trade or employment. Elizabeth was placed with the family of Mr. Samuel Whiting, Jr. of Lynn. “John Mansfield, their father, is not capable by reason of misgovernment of himself and wife to educate and bring them up as they ought to be…”

I wonder what was going on in the lives of Mary's children from her first marriage and what they thought of their mother's household. Her son, Edward Gove, my 10th great-grandfather, was getting married about the time his half-siblings were removed from her care. Did the twins have a relationship with their mother after they reached adulthood and after their father died?

John & Mary (Shard) Gove

Edward & Hannah (Partridge) Gove

Joseph & Mary (Gove) Sanborn

Samuel & Mary (Sanborn) Prescott

Jeremiah & Mary (Hayes) Prescott

Elisha & Mary (Marston) Prescott

Thomas & Hannah (Prescott) Edgecomb

Oliver & Mary (Edgecomb) Philbrick

Benjamin P. & Jane (Matthews) Philbrick

Francis Llewellyn & Mary Elizabeth (Philbrick) Cotton

Ray Everett & Annie Florilla (Gibbs) Cotton

Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Ancestor Hunting Season

For genealogists, it's ancestor hunting season all year long. Ancestors with common names pose a particular challenge. I'm a big fan of Robert Charles Anderson's Great Migration Begins series and found his newsletter article, "How Many John Jacksons?" very helpful in walking through the process of disentangling men with the same name.

I have this clue for John & Katharine Jackson as the parents of Elizabeth Jackson who married Capt. Thomas West. Based on this, I can conclude that Elizabeth Jackson, and probably her parents, emigrated prior to 1661 and lived in Beverly. It is possible that they came earlier and lived in other Massachusetts towns. She was born about 1642 so her parents were likely born between 1597-1622. 

The West family from The History of Chester:

"Capt. Thomas West married in Beverly, Mass., 12 Dec. 1661, Elizabeth Jackson, dau. of John and Katharine Jackson. She died in Beverly, Mass., 12 Oct 1708, aged 66 y., 9m. Capt. Thomas West died there 28 Mar 1723, in the 81st year of his age."

The Great Migration newsletters are a great source of information, but even better, many articles give insight into the process of developing the sketches. This process is something genealogists can put into practice in their own work to help cut down on errors. I highly recommend reading the newsletter to discover not only information about your ancestors, but also to pick up tips on analyzing the information you find. The article "How Many John Jacksons?" was of particular interest because I have an immigrant John Jackson in my tree. 

There are four John Jacksons who arrived in 1635.

1. John Jackson, aged 27, came on the Elizabeth and Ann.
2. John Jackson, aged 30, who came on the Defence.
3. John Jackson, aged 40, who came on the Blessing. with his wife, Margaret, and son, John Jackson, aged 2.

Looking at marriages yields more John Jacksons...some may be the same as those above...

1. John Jackson and wife Eleanor were married by 1630 and lived in Gloucester. Further inspection revealed that there is no record that places this John Jackson in New England before 1653. 
2. John Jackson and wife Margaret were married by 1633 and lived in Salem. He was in Salem records in 1636 and is "aged about twenty-one years" in 1639. He has a son, John Jr. and a wife, Margaret, according to the will of Bethia Cartwright. Same as #3 above.
3. John Jackson and wife Catherine were married by 1635 and lived in Ipswich. He is living in town by 1635 as a neighbor of William Fuller. There aren't enough records to say whether this is one of the men listed above. This family is possibly the John & Katharine who were the parents of Elizabeth. 
4. John Jackson and wife Joanna were married by 1635 and lived in Portsmouth, NH. He doesn't appear in records until 1651. From 1651 to his death in 1666, he appears frequently. The lack of records prior to 1651 suggests that he did not emigrate in 1635. 
5. John Jackson and wife unknown were married by 1639 and lived in Cambridge. He had a brother Edward Jackson who also lived in Cambridge. Although several writers have said this man came to Massachusetts in 1635, there are no records of him prior to 1639. His two oldest children were not recorded in Cambridge. 
6. John Jackson and wife Abigail were married by 1639 and lived in Boston. He appears in records in 1637/8 and is called a carpenter. There aren't enough records to positively conclude whether he was or was not one of the John Jackson's above.

The Great Migration sketch of John and Katherine suggest that John was born about 1614 and married Katherine by about 1637. Their children include five likely daughters and one son, but there are not enough records of the daughters to link them to husbands with only one exception. Hannah Jackson who married William Averill is a probable daughter of this couple. So the hunt continues for records and proof of parentage for Elizabeth Jackson.

John & Katherine Jackson
Elizabeth (Jackson) West
Mary (West) Woodbury
Mary (Woodbury) Herrick
Sarah (Herrick) Ellingwood
John Ellingwood, Sr.
John Ellingwood, Jr.
Asa Freeman Ellingwood
Nina (Ellingwood) Gibbs
Annie (Gibbs) Cotton
Fern Lyndell (Cotton) Carter - my grandmother

Source:

Great Migration Newsletter Volume 12 No. 3. July-September 2001. "How Many John Jacksons?"

Newbury Burying Ground of the First Settlers - Wordless Wednesday

Pigs & Bacon - 52 Ancestors #38

One of my favorite stories about an ancestor because it is so funny to know that someone named Bacon got in trouble for stealing pigs. 

I bought a copy of Diane Rapaport's, New England Court Records, which is primarily a source book detailing repositories of early court records. Near the back of the book she recounts several interesting stories. One she originally wrote as a magazine article caught my eye. She calls this story "The Case of the Purloined Pigs." The story itself was interesting enough but even better to find my ancestor was the one doing the purloining (if that isn't a word, it should be). 

Michael Bacon, (you have to smile at the irony), showed up at the house of William Munro, of Cambridge Farms, after a late November snowstorm looking for his pigs. He was known for letting his pigs wander and this time they had traveled a considerable distance from his home in present-day Bedford. After separating Bacon's pigs from those of the Munro family, the Munros went about their business. Bacon's pigs did not seem to take kindly to being told where to go and soon returned to the Munro's. This time Michael did not take the time to sort them out. He just started herding them all away, toward his home. Martha Munro yelled for him to stop but he ignored her, prompting William to put on some snowshoes and go after him. 

Today this is about 4.5 miles on a nice road ~ 9 minutes by car, but it was over the meadow and through the woods in 1662.

William Munro was a tough Scotsman who had worked his way from Scottish prisoner of war to indentured servant to landowner. His livestock were valuable for food and income and he wasn't about to let even one of them be taken. Bacon's reputation left a lot to be desired. He showed up often in court records for multiple offenses: letting his livestock run free and causing damages to the crops of others, land disputes, slander, forgery, breaches of contract, and a paternity case. 

When Munro caught up with Michael Bacon, he found that one pregnant sow was missing and another was too "tired and spent that shee could not come back" so he had no choice but to leave her with Bacon. He gathered up the other pigs and returned home. The next day he want to the local constable's deputy and told him what happened. They went to Bacon's home and as in the past, Michael denied any of it had happened. When he couldn't convince them that nothing had happened, Bacon admitted that he had Munro's pigs with him the day before but said that he didn't have them anymore. "If Row [Munro] lost them, he must go look for them." Bacon did not offer to help. 


The next day Munro and two of his neighbors searched for his missing pigs and found one stuck in a drift but still alive. They brought her home but were still missing the other pregnant sow. Fed up, he took a trip to the nearest magistrate, Thomas Danforth's house, in Cambridge, and filed a claim against Michael Bacon. Because the amount was small, the matter did not need to go to court and Danforth issued a warrant ordering Michael Bacon to appear at Danforth's home to answer the complaint made by William Munro. Michael Bacon did not show up to answer the warrant but Munro appeared with several other witnesses to testify and Bacon lost the case. The penalty was for the constable's deputy to take a "branded steere" from Michael Bacon to make sure the damages were paid to William Munro. 

However, before Munro could collect on the judgment, his missing sow mysteriously appeared. She was delivered by a man claiming he "found" her and was asked by Bacon to bring her back. The sow was "lamed and went but upon three legs." William Munro was not impressed and demanded the judgment be paid. Michael Bacon asked for a rehearing and ended up owing, not only the original judgment but also the added costs of witness time and constable's fees. 

Still Bacon refused to pay and appealed to the Middlesex County Court. He hired a lawyer to draw up a petition with a number of technical arguments. The April 2, 1672, trial was held at the Blue Anchor Tavern. It appears that Munro also hired an attorney. The result was the same as before, Munro prevailed and more court charges were added to what Michael Bacon now owed. Rapaport says this is where the court records for this case end and based on that she concludes that Michael Bacon paid the judgment. So ends the case of Mr. Bacon and his purloined pigs. 

Illustration from - http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2009/01/from-pig-to-alien.html
http://www.electricscotland.com/familytree/magazine/febmar2005/story35.htm

Michael Bacon - 11th great-grandfather
Mary Bacon - 10th great-grandmother
Mary Lakin - 9th great-grandmother
Joseph Willard - 8th great-grandfather
Sybel Willard - 7th great-grandmother
Samuel Haskell - 6th great-grandfather
Martha Haskell - 5th great-grandmother
Sally Houghton - 4th great-grandmother
Florilla Dunham - 3rd great-grandmother
Nina Ellingwood - 2nd great-grandmother
Annie Florilla Gibbs - great-grandmother
Fern Lyndell Carter - grandmother

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.

Fitter To Be A Chambermaid Than A Preacher - 52 Ancestors #36

Grace (____) Dutch was my 10th great-grandmother for two lines. She worked as a midwife, making her the perfect subject for a post about occupations. When Grace married Osmund Dutch on March 20, 1629, he was a widower with a young son. Osmund was in Newport, Rhode Island in 1638/9, but he moved quite soon to Cape Ann. He entered into the fishing trade with a Thomas Millwood of Noodle's Island and sent for his wife and children.


In 1653, there was some controversy involving William Perkins, the minister in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Grace and William & Sarah Vinson gave witness before the court regarding remarks made by a Mrs. Holgrave about Mr. Perkins. According to them, Mrs. Holgrave said, "He was fitter to bee a Ladies Chambermaid than a Preacher, & if ye Church had knowne as much as shee, they would not have Called him to office."

During this time, Grace (Pratt) Dutch and three others were accused of witchcraft. However, the accusations ended with Edmund Marshall being forced to go into three area meeting-houses in Gloucester, Ipswich, and Salem, and make acknowledgment of his sin of defamation.

"Edmund Bridges, attorney of John Caldwell, testified that, being in Goodman Bridges' shop, Goodman _______ being present, he heard him say that a woman and her daughter, gathering berries, saw four women, Mrs. Perkins, Goody Evens, Goody Dutch, etc. As they approached them, the four women sat upon the ground, but when they came near, the women had vanished. He could not say that they were witches."

Age and birthdays were not of importance during colonial times and ages given were often estimated. We see this in the testimony of Grace Dutch, midwife.  Her name appears in the court records from time to time and in 1658, she was forty-two years old, and "about 50" in 1660 and 1664.




Children of Osmund & his first wife, Margaret:

1. Robert was born about 1621 and married Mary Kimball of Ipswich. 
2. Margaret was buried in Bridport on February 13, 1629. 
3. Marie was baptized December 1, 1627 and buried January 7, 1629. 

Children of Osmund & Grace (Pratt) Dutch - order uncertain

1. Grace was baptized December 6, 1629 and died young.
2. William was buried on February 9, 1632. 
3. Susanna was buried on June 11, 1633. 
4. William was baptized on September 21, 1635 and was buried on July 16, 1636. 
5. Samuel was born about 1645 and died in Salem about 1695. His wife, Susanna More, was the daughter of Mayflower passenger, Richard More. 
6. Alice was married three times: 1) John Newman; 2) Dr. John Dane; and 3) as his second wife, Jeremiah Meacham. 
7. Grace married William Hodgkins of Ipswich. They had twelve children. 
8. Esther married Samuel Elwell on June 7, 1658 and died on September 6, 1724. 
9. Mary married Joseph Elwell on June 22, 1669. 
10. Hezekiah was born on March 29, 1647 and his will lists two daughters. 

Grace (Pratt) Dutch                                                 Grace (Pratt) Dutch
Esther Dutch                                                             Grace Dutch
Robert Elwell                                                            Samuel Hodgkins
John Elwell                                                               Jonathan Hodgkins
Rhoda Elwell                                                             Rachel Hodgkins
Thomas Edgecomb                                                  Elizabeth Moody
Mary Edgecomb                                                       William Ackley
Benjamin Perley Philbrick                                     Sarah Ackley
Lizzie Philbrick                                                         Mary Jane Abbott
Ray Everett Cotton                                                  Fannie May Capen
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother              Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

Tombstone Tuesday - Nathaniel Merrill

Memorial Stone - Newbury First Burying Ground

Nathaniel Merrill's Will, Part 1

Nathaniel Merrill's Will, Part 2

Nathaniel Merrill's Inventory, Part 1

Nathaniel Merrill's Inventory, Part 2

The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts, Vol. 1

Nathaniel Merrill
Abel Merrill
Nathaniel Merrill
Priscilla (Merrill) Knight
Eunice (Knight) Sawyer
Hannah (Sawyer) Hilton
Catherine (Hilton) Churchill
Loann (Churchill) Rowe
Anna J. (Rowe) Hayes
Eva D. (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Newbury Founders - Wordless Wednesday

The front of the monument - the sun was at a bad angle so the shots of this side
did not come out very well.

Very pretty house and rock wall across the road from the monument

The list of First Settlers

How many of these are your ancestors?

Across the street (along the side of the common)