Aaron & Mary (Day) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Footstone of Aaron Abbott, III

Footstone of Mary (Day) Abbott - wife of Aaron Abbott, III

While exploring the Capen Cemetery in October 2015, I found two footstones for which the headstones were missing. A little sleuthing and piecing together clues and I believe these belong to Aaron Abbott, III and his wife, Mary Day. Aaron was the son of my 3X great grandparents, Aaron & Sarah "Sally" (Abbott), Abbott. The parents are also buried in the same cemetery. 

According to Findagrave, Aaron Abbott, III was born on December 20, 1802, and died on August 15, 1878, in Bethel, Maine. Mary was born on May 8, 1802, in Kennebunk, Maine, and no date is given for her death. Aaron and Mary married on August 17, 1829, in Kennebunk. Findagrave lists her parents as Moses Wentworth Day & Elizabeth Littlefield. 

Aaron Abbott, Jr. - father of Aaron III and my 3X great-grandfather
Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen
Edward Abbott Capen
Fannie M. (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Gilman C. Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Gilman C. Capen is my first cousin, 4X removed. He was the oldest son of Stephen & Nancy (Goddard), Abbott. He only lived to the age of thirteen and I know nothing about how he died. He is buried with his parents in the Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine.

Aaron Abbott, Jr.
Stephen Abbott
Gilman Abbott

Aaron Abbott, Jr.
Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen - sister of Stephen Abbott, aunt of Gilman C. Abbott
Edward Capen
Fannie (Capen) Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Tombstone Tuesday - Samuel Akley

Samuel Akley (name is also spelled Akeley or Ackley) was a Revolutionary War veteran. In 2014, I wrote about his military service. He is buried in the Rumford Center Cemetery in Maine and he is my 5th great-grandfather. Here are some pictures from my recent visit to the cemetery.

Grave with marker & flag

Grave with marker

Grave with decoration moved

Epitaph

The epitaph is difficult to read as the stone needs to be cleaned. I believe it is a variation of this phrase. It seems to match except for the first two words. 

Remember me as you pass by

As you are now, so once was I

As I am now, so you must be

Prepare for death and follow me

Samuel Ackley

William Ackley

Sarah (Ackley) Abbott

Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen

Edward Abbott Capen

Fannie (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Gone Too Young - Tombstone Tuesday

Riverside Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Lewiston Evening Journal - Jun 14, 1893
A little son of Edward Capen of Bethel, eight years old, was killed Wednesday afternoon. His father was tethering his horse in the door-yard and left the horse with his little boy who tied the rope which was around the horse's neck around his wrist. The horse became frightened and ran nearly half a mile, when he was stopped by C.C. Bryant, who cut the rope, but the boy was dead.

Robert Woodbury Capen - born 1884 - buried Riverside Cemetery - Bethel

Robert is listed as Robbie W. 

Robert W. Capen was the brother of my great-grandmother, Fannie May (Capen) Carter. Edward Abbott & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen had seven children. Four of the children are buried in the same plot with the parents. Two sons who died at young ages and two daughter who never married are listed on the same stone as their parents.

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

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! Here is a picture of my great-grandmother, Fanny May (Capen) Carter and her five children. Fanny's husband, Edward, was killed in July 1923 and she raised her five children as a single mother with the help of extended family. 

From left to right, Stanley Capen Carter (front), Edward Augustus "Gus" Carter (back), Fanny is holding Paul Albert Carter, Rebecca" Becky" Williamson Carter, and Thomas Richard "Dick" Carter. 

I'm guessing that this photo was taken about a year before Edward was killed. 

Fanny May (Capen) Carter was born on November 7, 1878 and died on August 5, 1961.

Edward Augustus "Gus" Carter was born on August 22, 1811 and died on December 27, 1997.

Rebecca Williamson "Becky" (Carter) Bailey was born on February 22, 1913 and died on February 7, 2003.

Thomas Richard "Dick" Carter was born on November 3, 1914 and died on October 7, 2005.

Stanley Capen Carter was born on May 13, 1917 and died on May 5, 1970.

Paul Albert Carter was born on June 10, 1920 and died on December 3, 1992.

2X Great-Grandparents Lifespan - Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!

I haven't done one of Randy Seaver's Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenges in awhile. I really like this one. 

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1)  We each have 16 great-great grandparents.  How did their birth and death years vary?  How long were their lifespans?  
2)  For this week, please list your 16 great-great grandparents, their birth year, their death year, and their lifespan in years.  You can do it in plain text, in a table or spreadsheet, or in a graph of some sort.

First, here is my chart of great-great-grandparents: 

Data analysis: 

• Earliest birth year = 1835 vs. Most recent birth year = 1863
• Earliest death year = 1894 vs. Most recent death year = 1949 - Three men outlived their wives and three women outlived their husbands
• Shortest lifespan = 41 years vs. Longest lifespan = 93 years
• Average lifespan for men = 77 years vs. Average lifespan for women = 67 years
• Two great-great-grandmothers died in their early 40s! One great-great-grandfather died in his late 50s! Two great-great-grandparents died in their 60s and two died in their 70s. Four great-great-grandparents died in their 80s and two died in their 90s!

No matter how much time you have to live your dash*, make the most of it! 

*Your dash is the time between your birth & death dates. 

3)  Share your information about your 16 great-great grandparents with us in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or on Facebook or Google+.  If you write your own blog post, please leave a link as a comment to this post.

John T. Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

John T. Abbott was the son of John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott, born on April 13, 1845, and died on August 30, 1867. He was my 2X great-granduncle. He died at the age of 22 in New Orleans, Lousiana. Findagrave says the died during the Civil War, but that cannot be true since the Civil War ended in 1865. Records I've found indicate that he mustered into Captain John B. Walker's Company I, Fifth Regiment Infantry, Maine Volunteers on June 24, 1864, and later transferred to the Signal Corps. The tombstone says he died "while in the Naval Service." I'd love to find out more about his service and the circumstances of his death. This stone stands in the Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine, but I'm not sure if his body was actually brought from Louisiana to Maine for burial.

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

Stephen & Nancy (Goddard) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Capen Cemetery, Bethel, Maine

Stephen Abbott is my third great-granduncle and the brother of my 3X great-grandmother, Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen. He was the son of Aaron & Sarah "Sally" (Abbott) Abbott. Stephen and his wife, Nancy Goddard, and his son, Gilman, are buried in the Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine.

Children of Stephen & Nancy (Goddard) Abbott:

1. Gilman C. Abbott was born on February 5, 1843, and died on August 9, 1856. 
2. Charles Albert Francis Abbott was born on May 14, 1849, and died on March 5, 1919. He married Ella Elizabeth Davis on September 27, 1872 and they are both buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery, Bethel, Maine. 
3. Flora Nancy Abbott was born in September 1856, and died on May 30, 1928. She married Charles Swan in 1874. The last record I was able to locate for this couple is the 1920 census that shows them living in Greenwood, Maine. 

Aaron Abbott, Jr. - father of Stephen Abbott

Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen - sister of Stephen Abbott

Edward Abbott Capen

Fannie (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

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

Edward & Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen - Tombstone Tuesday

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

Front of stone

Back of stone

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

John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

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

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

Capen Cemetery in Bethel, Maine - Wordless Wednesday

October 24, 2015

Aaron & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott - Tombstone Tuesday

Aaron Jr. & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott were my 4X great-grandparents. They were second cousins. His parents were Aaron Sr. & Lydia (Abbott) Abbott. Her parents were Stephen & Mary (Gile) Abbott. The Abbotts seemed to have a quite a few cousin marriages. They are buried in a small private cemetery in Bethel, Maine, It is known as Capen Cemetery and located at the top of Capen Hill on Intervale Road. They were married on January 1, 1800. Aaron was born on April 11, 1778, and died on September 8, 1856 and Sarah was born on June 26, 1780, and died on October 23, 1853.  Included on their stone are at least two of their children, Samuel and Lydia. I have two lines of descent from the children of Aaron & Sarah.

Children of Aaron Jr. & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott:

1. Aaron III - born on December 20, 1802 and died on August 15, 1878. 
2. Sarah K - born on March 12, 1806 and died on April 14, 1874.
3. Lydia - born on July 18, 1809 and died on January 1, 1834.
4. Stephen - born on February 18, 1812.
5. Samuel - born on August 1, 1815 and died on July 18, 1823.
6. John - born on April 27, 1819 and died in 1902. 

Line #1

Sarah (Abbott) Capen

Edward Abbott Capen - married his first cousin, Mary Jane Abbott - see what I mean? 

Fannie May (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Line #2

John Abbott

Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen

Fannie May (Capen) Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Faith Jewett - 52 Ancestors #40

This week's 52 Ancestors optional theme is "October" and it was suggested to choose an ancestor who was born in October.

Faith Jewett was the daughter of Maximillian & Ann (___) Jewett and she was my 8X great-grandmother. She was born in Rowley on October 8, 1652 and died on February 26, 1737. She married Samuel Dowse on March (or January, depending on the source) 7, 1677 in Newbury. She was his second wife. Samuel was the son of Lawrence & Martha (___) Dowse and was a deacon in the Charlestown church. Samuel died on February 26, 1735, and left an estate totalling £347.

Like most women of the time, Faith doesn't show up in many records. She is mentioned in her father's will. He left her £40 that he had already paid her and also half of his ninety-six acres of land in Bradford, about two and a half acres of salt and rough marsh in the place called Cowbridge, and an additional £10 to be paid to her by her brother, Joseph.

Children of Samuel & Faith (Jewett) Dowse - All the children were born in Charlestown.

1. Anna was born on December 19, 1677. 
2. Samuel was born on November 19, 1679. 
3. John was born on November 10, 1681, and died of fever on January 30, 1703. 
4. Martha was born on November 18, 1683.
5. Mary was born on April 17, 1686, and married Thomas Harris. 
6. Maximillian was born on October 12, 1688, and married Sarah Fosdick. 
7. Sarah was born on March 19, 1691, and married William Pinson. 
8. Ebenezer was born on September 10, 1693, and died in 1781. 

Samuel & Faith (Jewett) Dowse
Sarah (Dowse) Pinson
Sarah (Pinson) Capen
Thomas Capen
Thomas Capen, Jr.
Timothy Capen
Edward Abbott Capen
Fannie May Capen
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Left for Dead at Bloody Brook

"Bloody Brook Monument. South Deerfield, MA" by Tom Walsh - Own work.
Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons 

On September 17, 1675, a band of Indians attacked a train of wagons traveling from Deerfield to Hadley and loaded up with the wheat and corn harvest. This attack was part of King Philip's War. The colonists were led by Capt. Thomas Lothrop. When the news reached Deerfield, Capt. Mosely rushed to the scene with reinforcements and they engaged the Indians for about five hours with little progress. Only the arrival of Major Treat from Connecticut with his force of 100 men and 50 Mohicans turned the tide. 

From The History of Deerfield, George Sheldon, 1895:

"The soldiers crossed the brook and halted, while the teams should slowly drag their heavy loads through the mire; 'many of them,' says Mather, 'having been so foolish and secure as to put their arms in the cart and step aside to gather grapes, which proved dear and deadly grapes to them' ... 'This was a black and fatal day, wherein there was eight persons made widows, and six and twenty children made orphans, all in one little Plantation.'  Of the seventeen men of Pocumtuck who went out in the morning as teamsters, not one returned to tell the tale." 

The battle actually resulted in the deaths of between sixty and seventy men. Many were buried in a mass grave and a memorial marker was erected in Deerfield. The stream which was previously unnamed became known as Bloody Brook. 

Only a handful of men survived the attack at Bloody Brook. One of the survivors was Robert Dutch, son of Osmond Dutch and my 9X great-granduncle. 

Robert Dutch - only surviving child of Osmond Dutch's first marriage 

"As Mosely came upon the Indians in the Morning, he found them stripping the Slain, amongst whom was one Robert Dutch of Ipswich having been sorely wounded by a bullet that rased to his Skull and then mauled by the Indian Hatchets, was left for dead by the Salvages, and stript by them of all but his skin..."

In 1838, after confirming the location of the remains, a flagstone with Lothrop's name was put in place to mark the mass grave and a monument was erected nearby. Killed in the battle was my 8X great-granduncle, Joseph Balch. 

Osmond Dutch - father of Robert                         Osmond Dutch - father of Robert

Esther Dutch - half sister of Robert                     Grace Dutch - half sister of Robert
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

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

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

Petition of the Poor, Distressed Widow - 52 Ancestors #33

Grace (Pratt) Dutch came from England to Gloucester, Massachusetts to join her husband, Osmund. Osmund died in 1685 and Grace found herself in dire circumstances. She needed money to support herself. Although she lived with her daughter and son-in-law, Samuel & Esther (Dutch) Elwell, there are indications that they did not treat her well. There were no social programs to provide for her and she needed to petition the court for permission to sell off some of the lands of her late husband. 




"The Humble Petition of the Poore distressed widdow Grace Duch of the towne of Gloucester to the honoured General Courte now setting at Boston this 21st July 1685

Yoer poore humble and distresed petitioner sheweth that whereas it pleased God to take away my deare husband out of this live in December last past with whome I lived above fifty yeeres with whome I Lived very poore in the Later parte of his Life and underwent a great deale of Sorrow and trouble hee being very ancient: by his owne relation above a hundred years of age & was very helpless for several yeeres before hee dyed and but Little wherewith all to mayntayne him and my Selfe but I Laboured for only sume cattle which wee ware Little the better for and Land which have Layed wast with out fences severall yeeres soe that it have not beene any wise benificiall to us while hee Lived nor to mee since his death and which the honoured county Court holden at Ipswich last March when the inventory of his Estate was regestered was informed of at the county court holden at Salem last June and [written over] made my addreses that there might bee some of the Land Sold for my maintenance in my old age haveing nothing to helpe my Selfe neither for ffood nor rayment of which I have not [conveniences?] and now am by Gods providance taken sicke and am in very great want which doth make mee humbly crave of this honoured courte to take into yer serious consideratione and grant mee the favour that there my bee an acre or two of Salte marsh sold for my prsent relieufe which is the only thinge that will yield money without which youer petitioner cannot bee supplyed in the tyme of my great distress I should not have made soe bold with yoer honours but that I was informed by the honoured county Courtes above mentioned that they could not grant the sale of any of the Land or else yoer poore petitioner had not made soe bold with yoer Honours therefore pray pardon on the bldnesse and grant the humble & needy request and desires of yoer Humble and needy petioner whoe prayeth for yoer Honours wealfare  Grace Duch

The Court gave her permission to sell the land belonging to the estate if her children should not provide for her. In June, she sold an acre and a half to her grandson, Christopher Hodgkins and another acre and a half to her son-in-law, Samuel Elwell. The sale to Elwell notes that she was in great want of clothing, meat, drink, and attendance. 

Grace died on October 10, 1694. 

(Not stone of Grace Dutch)

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

The Epitomy of Pedigree Collapse - 52 Ancestors #23

This week's 52 ancestors theme is weddings. No good wedding stories come to mind so I thought I would outline all the marriages that link me back to the immigrants, George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott.

George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott had thirteen children, including seven sons who lived to carry on the Abbott name. Add to the confusion with other immigrants with the Abbott surname and untangling the Abbotts is not an easy task. The descendants of George & Hannah also had a habit of marrying cousins so my lines are very interesting. Given the difficulties, I welcome any corrections that might send me off chasing more Abbotts. This is done to the best of my ability at this point in time. 

1. John b. 2 March 1648 m. Sarah Barker
2. Joseph b. 11 March 1649 - d. young
3. Hannah b. 9 June 1650
4. Joseph b. 30 March 1652 - d. young
5. George b. 7 June 1655
6. William b. 18 November 1657
7. Sarah b. 14 November 1659 m. Ephraim Stevens
8. Benjamin b. 20 December 1661 m. Sarah Farnum
9. Timothy b. 17 November 1663
10. Thomas b. 6 May 1666 m. Hannah Gray
11. Edward b. abt 1668-1669 - d. young
12. Nathaniel b. 4 July 1671
13. Elizabeth b. 9 February 1673

Line #1

The longest line of descent from George and Hannah comes from my great-great-grandmother, Mary Jane Abbott who married Edward Abbott Capen. Edward's mother was Sarah (Abbott) Capen, another descendant of George & Hannah. They were first cousins. Mary Jane was born in 1847 and died in 1940. 

Mary Jane's parents were John & Sarah (Ackley) Abbott. John was born on April 27, 1819 and died in 1902. He married Sarah on March 31, 1841. 

Generation 2. 

John's parents were both Abbotts! They were Aaron Jr. & Sarah (Abbott) Abbott. Aaron was born on April 11, 1778 and died on September 8, 1856. Sarah was born on June 26, 1780 and died on October 23, 1853. They were married on January 1, 1800.  They were second cousins. 

Generation 3. 

Aaron Jr.'s parents were both Abbotts again! They were Aaron Sr. and Lydia (Abbott) Abbott. Aaron was born on February 17, 1732 and died on December 31, 1812. Lydia was born on June 15, 1737 and died on December 15, 1811. I have not found a marriage record for Aaron and Lydia so all I know is that they were married before 1778. They were first cousins. 

Sarah's parents were Stephen & Mary (Gile) Abbott. Stephen was born on October 28, 1746 and died on May 12, 1811. Mary was born March 24, 1754 and died in 1823. They were married about 1778. 

4A. 

Aaron Sr.'s parents were Thomas & Elizabeth (Ballard) Abbott. Thomas was born January 3, 1699 and died July 11, 1774. Elizabeth was born in 1700 and died July 31, 1782. They were married in 1725. 

Lydia's parents were Edward & Dorcas (Chandler) Abbott. Edward was born June 9, 1702 and died April 14, 1759. Dorcas was born in 1705 and died May 16, 1748. They were married July 15, 1728. 

Stephen's parents were (you guessed it) both Abbotts. They were George and Sarah (Abbott) Abbott. George was born November 7, 1706 and died October 6, 1785. Sarah was born on October 8, 1711 and died June 14, 1769. They were married on February 1, 1737. They were first cousins, once removed. 

Generation 5.

Thomas's parents were Thomas & Hannah (Gray) Abbott. Thomas was born May 6, 1666 and died April 28, 1728. Hannah was born November 30, 1674 and died in 1763. They were married December 7, 1697. Thomas was the son of George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott. 

Edward's parents were also Thomas & Hannah (Gray) Abbott.

George's parents were also Thomas & Hannah (Gray) Abbott. 

Sarah's parents were Stephen & Sarah (Stevens) Abbott. Stephen was born March 16, 1678 and died May 27, 1766. Sarah was born about 1690 and died in January 1751. They were married around 1708. They were first cousins. Sarah Stevens' parents were Ephraim & Sarah (Abbott) Stevens. 

Generation 6. 

Stephen's parents were John & Sarah (Barker) Abbott. John was born March 2, 1648 and died March 19, 1721. Sarah was born about 1647 and died February 10, 1729. They were married November 17, 1673. John was the son of George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott. 

Line #2 - 

Zerviah Abbott married John Ellingwood. She was born March 19, 1768 and died October 18, 1847. They married on December 29, 1789. Zerviah's parents were both Abbotts! Jonathan (3) & Mehitable (Abbott) Abbott. They were third cousins. 

Generation 2.

Jonathan's parents were Jonathan Jr. & Martha (Lovejoy) Abbott. Jonathan was born December 14, 1714 and died May 21, 1794. Martha was born in 1720. They married in 1739. 

Mehitable's parents were Ephraim & Hannah (Phelps) Abbott. Ephraim was born in March 1710 and died April 25, 1745. Hannah was born about 1715. They married in 1734. 

Generation 3.

Jonathan Jr.'s parents were Jonathan Sr. & Zerviah (Holt) Abbott. Jonathan was born in 1687 and died March 21, 1770. Zerviah was born March 24, 1689 and died March 26, 1768. They were married on May 6, 1713. 

Ephraim's parents were Stephen & Sarah (Stevens) Abbott. Ephraim was a brother to Sarah (Abbott) Abbott, wife of George Abbott. This line goes back to George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott as outlined above. 

Generation 4.

Jonathan Sr.'s parents were Benjamin & Sarah (Farnum) Abbott. Benjamin was the son of George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott. 

Line #3
Mary Abbott was born in 1761 and died in 1843. She married Thomas Capen. He was born April 19, 1762 and died at sea in 1808. 

Generation 2.
Mary's parents were Edward & Deborah (Stevens) Abbott. Edward was born December 27, 1730 and died September 15, 1801.

Generation 3.
Edward's parents were Edward & Dorcas (Chandler) Abbott. Edward was the brother of Lydia (Abbott) Abbott, wife of Aaron Abbott, Sr. This line goes back to George & Hannah (Chandler) Abbott as outlined above.

Lydia (Abbott) Abbott - Aaron Abbott, Jr. - Sarah K. Abbott - see below.

Sarah (Abbott) Stevens - Sarah (Stevens) Abbott - Sarah (Abbott) Abbott - Stephen Abbott - Sarah (Abbott) Abbott - Sarah K. (Abbott) Capen - Edward Abbott Capen, husband of Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen

Mary (Abbott) Capen - Deborah (Capen) Ackley - Sarah (Ackley) Abbott, Mary Jane (Abbott) Capen - Fannie (Capen) Carter - T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Mehitable (Abbott) Abbott - Zerviah (Abbott) Ellingwood - John Ellingwood, Jr. - Asa Freeman Ellingwood - Nina K. (Ellingwood) Gibbs - Annie (Gibbs) Cotton - F. Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

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.

2014 Blog Recap - Happy New Year!

These stories received the most views: 
#1 - 09/14/14 - 470 Views - Humphrey Atherton's Quaker Curse

#2 - 05/10/14 - 361 Views - James Cole & the Horse in the Parlor

#3 - 11/30/14 - 235 Views - Happy St. Andrew's Day

#4 - 09/21/14 - 210 Views - Revolutionary War Surgeon

#5 - 03/29/14 - 154 Views - James Gibbons

#6 - 06/18/14 - 153 Views - Religion in Schools & Spanking Other People's Kids

#7 - 06/10/14 - 145 Views - Family History Project 2014

#8 - 03/29/14 - 118 Views - Thomas Lewis

#9 - 03/29/14 - 111 Views - Samuel Andrews

#10 - 02/21/14 - 102 Views - Christopher Grant

The three stories that were the most memorable or meaningful to me 

#1 - Five Generations Times Two!
#2 - The Importance of Family
#3 - Family History Project 2014








The stories that were the most interesting for me to research and write

#1 - Butcher Pirate and Ghost or Respected Fisherman?
#2 - The Original Bachelor
#3 - The Interesting Deaths of Thomas & Mary (Parker) Totman
#4 - She Wore the Pants in the Family
#5 - Squire of the Little Village
#6 - Love Letter to a Future Wife
#7 - The Homefront
#8 - Even the Drunkards Thank Us!
#9 - Two Murderers, One Gallows
#10 - A Pirate's Life and Ironic Death