52 Ancestors - John Dwight #6

John Dwight came from Woolverstone, Suffolk, England to Watertown, Massachusetts in 1635. He moved from Watertown to Dedham in 1638. Based on the date of his first marriage, it is estimated that he was born by 1601 and he died on January 24, 1660/1 in Dedham, Massachusetts. His first wife was named Hannah and she died at Dedham on September 5, 1656. John and Hannah Dwight are my 9th great-grandparents. 

John is described as a yeoman, which means someone who farmed their own land. His brother, Timothy Dwight, was another Great Migration immigrant and in Woolverstone he lived alongside Reverend Timothy Dalton and Richard Evered who also emigrated and settled in Dedham.  Timothy Dalton is my 10th great-uncle and Richard Evered is another of my 10th great-grandfathers. 

All of John's children were with his first wife, Hannah

1.  Hannah was baptized on September 3, 1626 in Woolverstone. She married Nathaniel Whiting on November 4, 1643 in Dedham. 
2. John was baptized on July 16, 1629 in Woolverstone and died on March 24, 1638/9 in Dedham. 
3. Timothy was born about 1631 and died in Dedham on January 31, 1717/8. He married five times - 1) Sarah Pennan (called Sibley in his father's will) on November 11, 1651; 2) Sarah Powell on May 3, 1653 in Dedham; 3) Anna Flint on January 9, 1664/5 in Dedham; and 4) Mary (Poole) Edwards on January 7, 1686/7 in Dedham; and 5) Esther (Hunting) Fisher on July 31, 1690 in Dedham. 
4. Mary was born August 25, 1635 and married Henry Phillips shortly after June 24, 1653. 
5. Sarah was born June 17, 1638 in Dedham and married Nathaniel Reynolds in Boston on December 30, 1657. 

John's second wife was Elizabeth, the widow of Thomas Thaxter and William Ripley. John married her at Dedham on January 20, 1657/8.  She died just a few years later when she "drowned herself." 
"About the 6th month last, there was likewise another woman, well reputed of, drowned herself at Dedham, - one Go[ody] Dwite. Two awful strokes unto all that knew them; and no little scandal, by accident, to religion; and a great brand of infamy upon themselves. This is not the death of the righteous" [Hull 196 (entry dated 24 October 1660)]. - Taken from The Great Migration Sketch of John Dwight. 

John Dwight
Hannah Dwight
John Whiting
Jemima Whiting
Joseph Wight
Abigail Wight
Roxanna Spurr
Mary Frances Stanley
Edward Mellen Carter
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather
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.)

52 Ancestors - Christopher Hussey #5

Christopher Hussey from Dorking, Surrey, England came to Lynn, Massachusetts in 1633. He was baptized in Dorking, Surrey on February 18, 1598/9, son of John and Mary (Wood) Huseey.  He moved to Newbury sometime before 1638 and to Hampton, New Hampshire in 1639. He became a freeman on May 14, 1634. He died in March 1685/6 in Hampton, New Hampshire.

He served a deputy for Hampton to the Massachusetts General Court in 1658, 1659, and 1660.

He was granted the right to perform marriages in Hampton on October 18, 1659. He also was granted the right to settle small causes for Hampton several times over the course of his time there. He was a lieutenant and then captain of the train band at Hampton.

Christopher Hussey was married twice. First to Theodate Bachiler by 1635 and second to Ann (Capon) Mingay on December 9, 1658 in Hampton. Theodate was born about 1610 and was the daughter of Stephen Bachiler. Theodate died in the eighth month of 1649 in Hampton. Ann was the widow of Jeffrey Mingay and Ann outlived Christopher, dying on June 24, 1680 in Hampton.

Christopher’s children with Theodate

1.     John was baptized on February 29, 1635/6 in Lynn; married Rebecca Perkins.

2.     Mary was baptized on April 2, 1638 in Newbury; married Thomas Page.

3.     Theodata was baptized on August 23, 1640 in Hampton and died on October 20, 1649.

4.     Stephen was born about 1643; married Martha Bunker

5.     Hulda was born about 1646; married John Smith

The Hussey family came to New England with Reverend Stephen Bachiler. It is unclear whether Christopher and Theodate married in England or in New England.

Christopher Hussey

Huldah/Hannah Hussey

Mary Smith

Elisha Marston

Mary Marston

Hannah Prescott

Mary Edgecomb

Benjamin Philbrick

Lizzie Philbrick

Ray Everett Cotton

Fern Lyndell Cotton

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).

The Importance of Family - A Tribute

This morning I was reminded that even when you're expecting something, it can still surprise you. My uncle, David, passed away. I knew the end was near but it is still that shock of confirmation, of finality. My father, Tom, is the oldest and two years later my Uncle Timmy was born. My dad was nine years old when David was born and eleven when the youngest, Stephen was born. Dad used to tease Uncle David that he owned him because one time when David was a toddler, my grandmother got really frustrated with him and said she would sell him for a nickel. My dad took her seriously and promptly gave his mom the nickel to keep his brother. 

David, Timmy, Tommy, Stephen (in front)

My four boys grew up with Uncle David's girls being more like first cousins because he had children in his thirties and I had my children in my twenties and he was only 15 years older than me. David and his wife, Anne, started a cross-country ski center and farm stand in Oxford, Maine and later a ski center in Bethel, next to the Carter family farm. We had many family gatherings in the lodges, Christmas parties with the funniest Yankee swaps, cookouts, and gatherings with our Canadian Carter cousins. Uncle David was able to be at the Bethel lodge for the past few weeks and even skied as much as he could this winter with his family. I feel lucky to have grown up with a strong sense of extended family and I hope I've passed that on to my children. I hope that sense of family and a larger connected support network and heritage helps my cousins through this difficult time. Family - you can't choose your family, you may fuss and fight at times, but in the end you've got to stick together because you have unique memories and strengths.

David Carter in 1969

My grandmother, Uncle David, my mom, Aunt Jodi (Timmy's wife)
This was a fashion show and all clothing came from the Carter family ancestors.

Nothing can compare to this blog post by David's daughter, Emily, an incredibly talented photographer but here are a few of my pictures of memorable times together. 

Tommy, Timmy, Stephen, David around Grampa at the Bethel Ski Lodge

My sons, Steve & Josh flank Great-Aunt Becky & Uncle David

52 Ancestors #4 - Thomas Howlett

Thomas Howlett was born about 1606 based on a deposition taken in 1658 but his English origin is unknown. He died in Ipswich between Nov 4, 1677 and Sept 10, 1678 - the dates when his will was written and when it was proved and his inventory taken. He is my 9th great-grandfather through my grandmother, Linona (Yates) Blake. He came to Boston in 1630 and his emigration date can be estimated as late in that year based on his admission to the Boston church as member number 51. In 1633, he moved to Ipswich and became a freeman on March 4, 1633/4. He served on juries in 1645, 1657, and 1665 and on the Essex grand jury in 1650, 1654, 1659, 1666, and 1667. 

Like many, he was primarily a farmer but he seems to have done a considerable amount of surveying as seen by these events.       

-       On a surveying expedition up the Merrimack in June 1639

-       Committee to determine bounds between Salem and Ipswich in 1643

-       Committee to lay out bounds between Haverhill and Salisbury 1650

-       Committee to lay out six hundred acres to Major Daniel Dennison in 1654

-       Committee to settle the line between Rowley and Newbury in 1655

-       Committee to settle the bounds between Hampton and Salisbury in Nov 1656

-       Committee to lay out land for Governor John Endicott in May 1656

-       Committee to consider the claim to Jeffrey’s Creek 1660

-       Committee to determine bounds between Ipswich and Wenham in 1669

Thomas Howlett married Alice French about 1637. She was the daughter of Thomas French and was baptized April 9, 1610 at Assington, Suffok, England. She was the mother of all his children. After her death, he married Rebecca, widow of Thomas Smith. Rebecca outlived him and died Nov 1, 1680 at Newbury.

Children with Alice

1.     Thomas born about 1637; married Lydia Peabody.

2.     Sarah born about 1639; married John Cummings

3.     John born about 1643; married Susanna Hudson.

4.     Mary born about 1645; married John Perley

5.    Samuel born about 1646; married Sarah Clark

6.     William born about 1650; married Mary Perkins

7.     Nathaniel died April 28, 1658.

Thomas Howlett

Samuel Howlett

Mary Howlett

Jacob Wildes

Ephram Wildes

Molly Wildes

Jacob Emmons

Laura Emmons

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).

The Homefront

Google News Archive can turn up interesting finds about your ancestors. I found this blurb about my great-grandmother, Annie (Gibbs) Cotton. I wish she was still alive so I could ask her what she actually did as a neighborhood group leader. I love the artwork of the war posters so I thought I would include a few that target the efforts of those on the homefront.

The Lewiston Daily Sun - Feb. 26, 1943

Neighborhood Group Leaders, Mechanic Falls

Mechanic Falls - Mrs. Herberta Mitchell, chairman of the neighborhood group, has issued the names of the group leaders and their territory. These leaders' aim is to assist those in their alloted territory with authentic knowledge pertaining to the war effort and to be of such assistance as may be needed. The public will cooperate and make this organization a success by calling on their leaders when assistance is wanted:..Mitchell Street, Annie Cotton;....

Google News Archive

52 Ancestors - #3 Christopher Grant

Christopher Grant is my 8th great-grandfather through my grandfather, Thomas Richard Carter.
He was deposed on April 6, 1658 and gave his age as 48 years old so he was born in England about 1610. He dies in Watertown, Massachusetts in September 1685. He came to Watertown in 1634 and he worked as a glazier as noted by the fact that records show he reglazed the Watertown meetinghouse windows multiple times.

Based on the birth of the first child, Christopher Grant married a woman named Mary by 1634 and the couple had eight children - all born in Watertown, Massachusetts.
1. Abigail b. February 6, 1634/5; married Roger Rose in late 1660.
2. Joshua b. June 11, 1637; married Sarah Beckwith about 1670.
3. Caleb b. September 8, 1639; married Mary.
4. Benjamin b. September 6, 1641; married Mary Beckwith, sister of Sarah, who married his brother Joshua.
5. Sarah b. February 1, 1642/3; married twice, 1) Samuel Seaverns on February 23, 1665/6 in Charlestown, MA. 2) Thomas Silvester by November 27, 1696.
6. Joseph b. September 28, 1646; married Mary Grafton (or Graffam).
7. Mary b. abt. 1648; married Daniel Smith on February 22, 1667(8?).
8. Christopher b. abt. 1650 and d. November 4, 1694; does not appear to have married.

Benjamin Grant
Priscilla Grant
Abigail Ware
Abigail Wight
Roxanna Spurr
Mary Frances Stanley
Edward Mellen Carter
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather


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).

52 Ancestors - #2 Isaac Allerton

Isaac Allerton is one of those ancestors where you just don't know where to start to tell his stories. He is my 12th great-grandfather through my great-grandmother, Annie Florilla (Gibbs) Cotton. He came on the Mayflower from Holland and was involved in so many things in the early days of the Plymouth colony. He has a wikipedia page and is well documented by a large number of sources. This post will cover the basics. 

In 1620, Isaac arrived in Plymouth but he would also live in Marblehead, Massachusetts, New Amsterdam (NY), and New Haven, Connecticut. As a merchant, he made frequent trips to England on both personal and colony business. Allerton was chosen as the assistant to Governor William Bradford and served for many years starting in January 1633/4. 

Based on his deposition in 1639, it is calculated that he was born about 1586 and he died in New Haven between the first and the twelfth of February 1658/9. He was in court on the first and his inventory was taken on the twelfth. 

The precarious health situation of those times is seen in Isaac's life story. He was married three times because his first two wives died fairly young and he lost two children in 1620. His first wife, Mary Norris died, along with many others, during the first winter in Plymouth. Isaac married Fear Brewster, daughter of Pilgrim William Brewster, but she died within a few years in 1634. His third wife was the widow, Joanna Swinnerton and they married by 1644. 

With his first wife, Isaac had five children but only three survived.
1. Bartholomew b. abt. 1613. He returned to England and became a minister. 
2. Remember b. abt 1615; married Moses Maverick, son of Rev. John Maverick. 
3. Mary b. abt 1617; married Thomas Cushman, son of Robert Cushman. Interesting to note that she was the last of the Mayflower passengers to die - November 28, 1699. 
4. Child, buried in Leiden, Holland, February 5, 1620.
5. Son, stillborn aboard the Mayflower, December 22, 1620 in Plymouth Harbor.

With his second wife, Isaac had two children, one of whom has no further record so was possibly another early death. 
6. Sarah, b. abt. 1626, nfr.
7. Isaac b. abt. 1630; married twice, 1st to Elizabeth, 2nd in Virginia to Elizabeth (Willoughby) (Overzee) Colclough, daughter of Thomas Willoughby and widow of Simon Overzee and George Colclough. 

Isaac's sister, Sarah Allerton was married three times; 1st to John Vincent, 2nd to Degory Priest (Pilgrim), and third to Godbert Godbertson. 

The Great Migration summary of Isaac Allerton by Robert Charles Anderson notes that he was "one of the busiest and most complicated men in early New England..." and "records for Allerton may be found in virtually every colony on the Atlantic seaboard, and in the Caribbean, including Newfoundland, New Netherland, New Sweden, Virginia, Barbadoes, and Curaçao. 

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


Great Migration 1634-1635, A-B. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume 1, A-B, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999.