Hail To The Chief

Many presidents have connections to New England colonists and if your tree includes New England colonial families, it is not unusual to find that you are distantly related to those presidents. The following information about the lineage of Presidents Grant and Coolidge comes from NEHGS Nexus Volume 14, page 29. Happy Presidents' Day

"Ulysses Grant 1870-1880"
by Brady-Handy Photograph Collection
(Library of Congress)
Licensed under Public Domain 

"Calvin Coolidge cph.3g10777"
by Notman Studio, Boston. Restoration by User:Adam Cuerden
 Licensed under Public Domain via Commons 

Oliver & Thomasine Purchase are my 11th great-grandparents. Bernard & Joan (Purchase) Capen are my 10th great-grandparents. John & Mary (Bass) Capen are my 9th great-grandparents. Ulysses S. Grant is my 7th cousin, 4 times removed. He is a descendant of Bernard & Joan Capen's daughter, Susanna. Susanna Capen married William Rockwell. Calvin Coolidge is my 8th cousin, twice removed. He is a descendant of John & Mary (Bass) Capen's son, Joseph. Joseph Capen married Priscilla Appleton.

           My Line -
           Oliver & Thomasine Purchase
           Bernard & Joan (Purchase) Capen
           John & Mary (Bass) Capen
           James & Hannah (Lawrence) Capen
           James & Elizabeth (Call) Capen
           James & Sarah (Pinson) Capen
           Thomas & Mary (Wyman) Capen
           Thomas & Mary (Abbott) Capen
           Timothy & Sarah (Abbott) Capen
           Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen
           Edward & Fanny (Capen) Carter
          T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Third Time's A Charm

 Beginning in 1663, the town of Topsfield, Massachusetts had a bit of difficulty with its ministers. Following the retirement of William Perkins, the town hired Thomas Gilbert. Gilbert seemed to have good qualifications and had recently arrived from England. However, his grandiose words and dramatic style of preaching shook up the stoic Puritans.

The town officials reported him to the Essex County Court which ordered him to appear at the General Court in Boston. In May 1666, he was given only a reprimand and had to pay a small fine. Gilbert appeared unrepentant and prayed that "the necks of all who opposed the ministers of the Gospel should be broken."

In 1670, Thomas Gilbert was back in court with quite a few townsfolk complaining about his drinking. The charges included witnesses to slurred speech, stumbling about after consuming too much communion wine, and fleeing his church when parishioners started to giggle because his singing was so garbled. Sarah Gould testified:
"I did [see]his eyes grow very dim and he did sink down in his chair leaning back...and presently we heard him vomit." 

Mimicking Martin Luther's protest, the minister nailed his defense to the meetinghouse door. He and his wife claimed that he suffered from
"chronic distemper" caused by fasting, rainyweather, and overwork. He would not let go of his grudge against Sarah for her testimony. He sued her for slander and her husband countersued the minister on her behalf. John Gould went so far as to say that he would like to cut out Gilbert's tongue. Thomas Gilbert responded by suing John Gould for assault. The judges seem to have been sick and tired of all the antics and suggested that Gilbert leave public life and called for him to behave "more soberly and Christianlike." By 1672, he had either resigned or been fired.
"chronic distemper" brought on by fasting, rainy

Jeremiah Hobart (also spelled Hubbard) was the next minister hired in Topsfield. His background included preaching at Wells, Maine, and Lynn and Beverly, Massachusetts. By 1678, Hobart began to come into conflict with town officials.

Thomas Baker was in court for "unseemly carriage and laughing in time of public worship." Evidently he took umbrage at Hobart's assertion that good Christians did not care about acquiring "lands and great farms." Hobart came into conflict with town officials over his compensation and soon harsh words were flying between Hobart and Baker over this issue. Baker sued for slander and Hobart was forced to make a public apology in the court. The disputes with the town were compounded by the reports of several women, who were caring for Hobart's wife, claiming Hobart made sexual advances towards them.

When the town refused to accede to Hobart's compensation demands, he threatened that the town "would never have a quiet town meeting until they gave him half the parsonage." He railed against the selectmen and said "I wish the parsonage were afire and some of them in it." This led to the dismissal of Hobart in September 1680.


This brings us to the third minister, Rev. Joseph Capen. He was a Harvard graduate, was ordained in 1684, and stayed on the job for the next forty-four years!



Rev. Joseph Capen was the son of John & Mary (Bass) Capen. He married Priscilla Appleton in 1684. He is my 8th great granduncle and his parents are my 9th great grandparents.

John & Mary (Bass) Capen
James & Hannah (Lawrence) Capen
James & Elizabeth (Call) Capen
James & Sarah (Pinson) Capen - yes, three James in a row
Thomas & Mary (Wyman) Capen
Thomas & Mary (Abbott) Capen - yes, two Thomas & Mary couples
Timothy & Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen
Edward Abbott & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen - a bit of Abbott intermarriage in this line...
Edward Mellen & Fannie May (Capen) Carter
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

Adapted from Diane Rapaport's column: Turbulent Topsfield: A Tale of Two Ministers, published in American Ancestors Magazine, Winter 2010.

52 Ancestors #36 - A Love Letter to a Future Wife

Have you ever wondered what dating was like in the 17th century New England colonies? Sometimes one can find some correspondence to give a little insight. I found this letter in this book. It is from my 9th great-grandfather, John Capen, to his second wife and my 9th great-grandmother, Mary Bass, while they were courting. He had been married once before so that may have been a reason he seems to be pressing her for an answer in the section I have marked in bold. 

To his Deare and Louing and much respected friend Mary Bass, at her father house in Brantrey, giue this I pray you.

Sweete-harte,

My kind loue and affection to you remembred; haueinge not as convenient opertunety to see and speake wth you doe oft as I could desire. I therefore make bold to take opertunety as occasione offers it selfe to visset you wth my letter, desiring yt it may find acceptance wth you, as a token of my loue to you; as I can assure you yt yours haue found from me; for as I came home from your faithfull messenger, wch was welcom vnto me, and for wch I kindly thank you, and do desire yt as it is ye first: so yt it may not be ye last, but yt it may be as good a seed wch will bring forth more frute: and for your good counsel and aduise in your letter specified, I doe accept, and do desire yt we may still commend ye casse to god, for direction and clearing vp of our way as I hope wee haue hethertoo done; and yt our long considerations may at ye next time bring forth firme conclussions, I mean verbally though not formally. Sweetharte I haue given you a large ensample of patience, I hope you will learne this instruction from ye same, namely, to show ye like toward me if euer occasion be offered for futuer time, and for ye present, condescendency vnto my request; thus wth my kind loue remembred to yor father and mother and Brothers and sisters wth thanks for all ther kindness wch haue been vndeseruing in me I rest, leaueing both them and vs vnto ye protection and wise direction of ye almight.

My mother remembers her loue vnto yor father and mother; as also vnto your selfe though as it vnknown.

                           Yors to command in any thing I pleas.

Ffrom Dor. Ye 5^th of ye 3 mo. 1647             John Capen

In the end, they said "I do" on September 20, 1647. 

John Capen & Mary Bass

James Capen & Hannah Lawrence

James Capen & Elizabeth Call

James Capen & Sarah Pinson

Thomas Capen & Mary Wyman

Thomas Capen & Mary Abbott

Timothy Capen & Sarah K. Abbott

Edward Abbott Capen & Mary Jane Abbott

Fanny May Capen & Edward Mellen Carter

Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

Edward Abbott Capen & Mary Jane Abbott were second cousins - Timothy Capen's sister, Deborah was Mary Jane's grandmother. Deborah married William Ackley - their daughter, Sarah Ackley married John Abbott and they were the parents of Mary Jane. 

Surname Saturday - Bernard Capen

Bernard (or Barnard) Capen was a shoemaker who came to America in 1633 from Dorchester, Dorsetshire, England. He took the oath of a freeman on May 25, 1636. In some old records his names is written as Barnard and his surname is recorded as "Gapin." His stated age at his death on November 8, 1638 was 76 which would put his birth about 1562. He married Joan Purchase on May 31, 1596. She was the daughter of Oliver Purchase and one of four Purchase siblings who emigrated to the American colonies.

Photo courtesy of Don Blauvelt - posted at Findagrave

There is an article about the Barnard Capen house on the Dorchester Atheneaum site. It tells the history of the house which was restored in 1909 and seems to have been dismantled and moved twice. I couldn't find anything about the current status of that house. However, the parsonage house of Rev. Joseph Capen, son of John and grandson of Bernard, is located in Topsfield, Massachusetts and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Rev. Joseph was my 8th great-uncle.

Parson Capen House - photo from Wikipedia

Two of Bernard Capen's descendants are President Calvin Coolidge and President Ulysses S. Grant.

President Calvin Coolidge - photo from Wikipedia
He is my 8th cousin, twice removed

President Ulysses S. Grant
He is my 7th cousin, 4 times removed

Children:

1. James was born about 1598 and is called a "scrivener" in his will. 
2. Ruth was born on August 7, 1600 and there is no further record of her.
3. Susanna was born on April 11, 1602 and married twice. On April 14, 1624, she married William Rockwell and on May 29, 1645 she became the second wife of Matthew Grant. 
4. Dorothy was born about 1608 and she married Nicholas Upsall on January 17, 1630 at the Holy Trinity Church in Dorchester, Dorsetshire, England. 
5. Elizabeth was born about 1610 and she married Thomas Swift on October 18, 1630 in the same church as Dorothy. 
6. John was born January 12, 1612. He married twice. On October 20, 1637, he married Redegon Clap and on September 20, 1647, he married Mary Bass. In 1680, John served on the jury for the witchcraft trial of Elizabeth Morse of Newbury. She was found guilty but given a reprieve and released to her husband. She was not allowed to travel more than a few yards from her house unless accompanied by a minister. 
7. Honor was born about 1616 and she married William Hannum. 

Line of Descent

John Capen m. Mary Bass
James Capen 1654-1718 m. Hannah Lawrence
James Capen born 1683 m. Elizabeth Call
James Capen 1709/10-1763 m. Sarah Pinson
Thomas Capen born 1739 m. Mary Wyman
Thomas Capen 1762-1808 m. Mary Abbott
Timothy Capen born 1793 m. Sarah K. Abbott
Edward Abbott Capen 1839-1930 m. Mary Jane Abbott - First cousins, once removed - See below
Fannie May Capen born 1878 m. Edward Mellen Carter
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

Sister of Timothy Capen - Deborah Capen born 1796 m. William Ackley
Sarah Ackley born 1820 m. John Abbott
Mary Jane Abbott - same as above

Sources:
The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: American Ancestors.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).
Findagrave
Dorchester Atheneum
Wikipedia

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