Onesipherous Marsh - 52 Ancestors #39

The optional theme for 52 Ancestors this week is "unusual" and I can't think of a better name to write about than Onesiphorus Marsh. The name Onesiphorus comes from the New Testament and is found in Second Timothy. Onesiphorus was one of seventy disciples chosen to preach and Onesiphorus was a bishop in Asia Minor and later in Corinth. He died a martyr in the city of Parium, near Ephesus. Both the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches consider him a Saint.

Onesiphorus Marsh was the second son of George & Elizabeth (__) Marsh. The other children had very common names: Mary, Thomas, and Elizabeth. Onesiphorus was born about 1630 and died on May 15, 1713 in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was married three times. His first marriage was to Hannah Cutler, his second marriage was to Elizabeth Parrott (Parrat), and his third marriage was to Sarah Travers. Elizabeth was the widow of Samuel Worcester and Sarah was the widow of Nicholas Wallingford.

While living in Haverhill, the town came under attack on March 15, 1697. Nine houses were burned, twenty-seven people were killed, and thirteen people were taken prisoner. One of those prisoners was *Hannah (Emerson) Duston. Although she was taken prisoner after her baby was killed, her husband was able to take the other children to safety in the garrison house of Onesiphorus Marsh. Hannah would later kill and scalp her captors and escape. She has been both praised and condemned for her actions. Onesiphorus Marsh's daughter, Hannah (Marsh) Kimball, and young grandson, John Kimball, also lost their lives in the attack.




Children of Onesiphorus & Hannah (Cutler) Marsh

1. Onesiphorus was born on November 5, 1655, and married Sarah Ladd. He died in 1732. 
2. Hannah was born on June 28, 1657, and married Henry Kimball. It is reported that she and her son, John, were killed in the attack on March 15, 1697. John would have been about five and a half years old and Hannah would have been just shy of her 40th birthday. 
3. Mary was born on May 12, 1659, and married Cornelius Page on January 16, 1684. She had five children before she died on November 12, 1697.  
4. John was born on August 19, 1663, and married Lydia Emerson. Lydia died in February 1720. John married second, widow Mary Eaton. 
5. Thomas was born on October 20, 1666, and died in November 1690.
6. Sarah was born on February 26, 1669, and married a man named Pike. She died on July 9, 1738. 
7. Abigail was born on February 21, 1671, and married Abiel Mercer. Abigail was raised by her uncle, John Page. Abiel was the of Richard & Hannah (Shatswell) Mercer, another set of ancestors. 

Onesiphorus & Hannah (Cutler) Marsh

Abigail (Marsh) Messer

Thomas Messer
Daniel Messer
Hannah (Messer) Blake
Micajah Blake
Galen Blake
Charles G. Blake
Harriet May Blake
Clayton Leonard Blake - my grandfather

Richard & Hannah (Shatswell) Mercer
Abiel & Abigail (Marsh) Mercer/Messer - see above

*Hannah (Emerson) Duston - 6th great-aunt of Clayton Blake - my grandfather. Her brother, Joshua Emerson was my grandfather's 6th great-grandfather. Joshua Emerson - Joshua Emerson, Jr., Sarah (Emerson) Messer, Hannah (Messer) Blake - see the rest of this line above.

52 Ancestors #42 - Isaac Cousins

Isaac Cousins was the 7th great-grandfather of Clayton Leonard Blake. He seems to have been a wanderer. I don't have any other colonial era ancestors who lived in as many places as he did. His occupation is listed as gunsmith and locksmith. Tracing his steps we find him in: 

Rowley in 1651, Haverhill in 1652, Ipswich about 1654, Boston in 1656, Portsmouth in 1659, Great Island in 1661, Boston in 1668, North Yarmouth, Maine in 1678, Dorchester in 1691, Boston in 1696-1702

Isaac Cousins married three times. His first wife was named Elizabeth and we don't know her maiden name. His second wife was Ann Hunt, whom he married in 1657. His third wife was Martha Priest. He seems to have been seeking to better his lot in life as he moved around and perhaps his best chance was when he became associated with the proprietors in North Yarmouth in Maine. However, Indian attacks doomed this settlement and the he moved back to the Boston area. In 1691 he was warned out of Dorchester and in 1696 he stated in a lawsuit against Richard Priest that he was "an ancient inhabitant of this country...fallen much into decay and waxen so poore." He claimed Richard Priest was withholding his household goods. By the time he died on July 23, 1702 he was a ward of the town. 

Isaac & Elizabeth Cousins

Thomas & Hannah (Goodale) Cousins

George & Hannah (Cousins) Jacobs

Joshua & Priscilla (Jacobs) Bartlett

Joshua & Lydia (Bartlett) Ripley

Micajah & Nancy (Ripley) Blake

Galen & Dolly (Moody) Blake

Charles & Isabelle (Brown) Blake

Harriet May Blake

Clayton Leonard Blake - my grandfather 

Thanks to the research of Walter Goodwin Davis, The Ancestry of Lydia Harmon, for the basic information in this post.