Tombstone Tuesday - Catherine (Hilton) Churchill

My 4th great-grandmother

Catherine (Hilton) Churchill was born on July 24, 1813 in Solon, Maine. Her parents were Samuel and Hannah (Sawyer) Hilton. Catherine was married on March 27, 1832 in New Gloucester, Maine to Josiah Churchill, Jr., son of Josiah Sr. and Lydia (Orr) Churchill. He was born on May 22, 1809 in New Gloucester, Maine. His grave is unmarked but presumed to be in the same cemetery as his wife, Catherine. 

Children of Josiah & Catherine (Hilton) Churchill:

1. Sarah Rogers Churchill was born on April 10, 1833 and married Nicholas Jordan.
2. Joseph Fessenden Churchill was born on July 1, 1837 and married Sarah Smith. 
3. Hannah Churchill was born on August 21, 1839 and married Daniel Yeaton. 
4. Marshal Churchill was born on September 25, 1842 and died on March 10, 1843. 
5. Loan Parsons Churchill was born on May 26, 1844 in Raymond, Maine and died on January 30, 1912 in New Gloucester, Maine. She is buried in Upper Gloucester Cemetery. 

Catherine (Hilton) Churchill
Loan Parsons (Churchill) Rowe
Anna Jane (Rowe) Hayes
Eva Delphinia (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Bibliography:
Find A Grave, database and images (http://findagrave.com)
Taylor, Robert L. Early Families of Raymond, Maine.  Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc., 1998. 

The Naughty Wife - 52 Ancestors #49

Frances, the wife of immigrant William Hilton, had a fiery streak. She appeared in court in a number of times. Her relationships with her husbands and her neighbors seem especially tumultuous.

Frances first shows up in court in October 1649 when she was admonished for fighting and abusing her neighbors with her tongue. William Hilton was also in trouble for violating the Sabbath by carrying wood from the woods and also for failing to have food and drink on hand for strangers and inhabitants.

June 28, 1655: Frances was found guilty of "railing at her husband and saying he went with John his bastard to his three halfe penny whores and that he carried a cloak of profession for his knavery." Her accusation and language resulted in her sentence to be whipped - "twenty lashes upon the bare skin." This would be set aside if she remained on good behavior until the next country court and no more complaints were brought against her. However, if she had other complaints against her, the authorities would carry out the original sentence. Her husband died within the next year.

After William Hilton died, Frances married Richard White. Richard was the administrator of the estate of William Hilton. Richard and Frances had some conflict with Rice Jones. In 1656, Richard sued Jones for slandering Frances. Jones countersued Frances White for "causelessly abusing" the wife of Rice Jones with "opprobrious and disgraceful speeches." In 1657, Joan Andrews was presented for "threatening Goody White (Frances) at York in a profane manner saying that she would swear herself to the devil but she would be avenged of her."

This might have to do with the accusations of adultery leveled against Frances. Magdalene (Hilton) Wiggin was presented to the court for saying that she saw "William Moore and her mother Frances White" in an act of adultery. Magdalene was either the oldest daughter of Frances or perhaps the youngest daughter of William Hilton and his first wife.




In 1658, Richard & Frances White were back in court because they were fighting with one another. Then in 1660, they were in trouble for allowing men to be drunk in their home on the Sabbath and for not attending public meeting. They were also accused of "common lying and backbiting of their neighbors and slandering them and for their great disorder in falling out and fighting one with another and for beating company in their house and for beating Mistress Gunnison and Joseph Davesse, his servants and Richard White for being drunk several times." Richard White paid a fine for this case and they seem to stay out of court records for a long time. In 1675, they were once again in trouble for not attending public meeting.

William & Frances Hilton
William Hilton, Jr. - two lines from him

Mainwaring Hilton - brother of Hannah (below)
Ebenezer Hilton
Ebenezer Hilton, Jr.
Samuel Hilton
Catherine (Hilton) Churchill
Loann (Churchill) Rowe
Anna (Rowe) Hayes
Eva D. (Hayes) Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Hannah (Hilton) Shepard - sister of Mainwaring (above)
Thomas Shepard
Robert Shepard
David Shepard
Sarah (Shepard) Emmons
Laura (Emmons) Yates
Estes G. Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Running from the Law - 52 Ancestors #41

Henry Jaques, Jr. is my 8th great-uncle. He was born in 1649,  the son of Henry & Anna (Knight) Jaques. In 1666, at the age of 17, Henry got himself into some trouble with the law and fled, possibly with some help from his father. Henry Jr. was found guilty of fornication with Elnor Bryner. 

Elnor was left to face the charges alone and was sentenced to be whipped or pay a fine of £5. Her fine was paid by John Knight. 








The court dealt harshly with Henry Jaques, Jr. He was ordered to appear in court or the penalty would be the forfeiture of 30% of his estate and the loss of the right to vote. Henry ended up with two fines. The first was for £30, six times what Elnor paid! He paid a second fine two months later, but the amount of the second payment is unknown. 



Henry married Anne Trueman, probably about 1673. They had four children.

Sources:
Essex Quarterly Court records
The Ancestry of Phoebe Tilton  by Walter Goodwin Davis

Henry Jaques, Sr. 
Elizabeth (Jaques) Knight
Henry 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

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

The Knights of Romsey - 52 Ancestors #19

The tangled tale of the Knights of Romsey, Hampshire, England. Try to follow all the family connections if you can. 

William & Elizabeth (Carter) Knight lived in Romsey, Hampshire, England and had at least four children according to baptismal records. The oldest son, Richard, was baptized in May 1589 and buried in June 1596. Next came daughter, Thomasine, who was baptized in June 1590. The other two children, John (baptized in January 1595) and Richard (baptized in January 1603) came to the Massachusetts Bay colony on the James in 1635 and settled in Newbury. They are both called tailors. 

John Knight was married and had several children but only two were living when they family came to the colonies. He married Elizabeth Vincent on March 29, 1624 in Romsey. Their children were:

1. Elizabeth baptized on May 16, 1625 and buried two days later. 
2. John baptized on May 14, 1626.
3. Elizabeth baptized on October 13, 1628 and buried six days later. 
4. Elizabeth baptized on May 22, 1632 and no further record. 
5. Mary baptized on August 10, 1634.
6. Sarah was born after they came to the colonies, probably about 1636.

Elizabeth (Vincent) Knight died on March 20, 1645 in Newbury and John would marry again. 

He and his son, John, married a mother and daughter but there is no record that shows which marriage came first. John, Sr. would marry Agnes (Langlye) Ingersoll between 1644-1652 and John, Jr. would marry Bathsheba Ingersoll before 1648. 

John Knight, Sr. appears to have been quite prosperous as he had a servant, William Nef. He also paid court fines for two women. On April 8, 1651, he paid a fine for Frances Usellton so she would not be whipped but her crime is not listed and I can find no other information on her. On March 27, 1666, he paid the fine for Elnor Bryer so she would not be whipped for the crime of fornication.  A Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, from 1635 to 1845, by Joshua Coffin shows a Richard Bryer married Eleanor Wright on December 26, 1665. She died August 29, 1672. and the couple had three children born between 1667-1670. It is unclear if this is the Elnor Bryer for whom John Knight, Sr. paid the fine but it is the only reference to an Elnor Bryner that I could find. 

Richard Knight, brother of John Sr., married a woman named Agnes before 1626. The couple had children born on both sides of the Atlantic. 

1. A Stillborn child was buried on June 17, 1626 in Romsey. 
2. Richard was buried July 15, 1627. 
3. William was baptized on December 7, 1628 in Romsey. 
4. Anna was baptized on May 5, 1631 in Romsey. She would come to Massachusetts and marry Henry Jaques on October 8, 1648. 
5. Richard was baptized on October 18, 1633 in Romsey. 
6. Elizabeth was born between 1634 and 1641. She married Anthony Morse on May 8, 1660. 
7. Rebecca was born on March 3, 1642 and married Abiel Somerby on November 13, 1661. 
8. Sarah was born on February 23, 1648 and married John Kelley on May 20, 1663. 

Richard Knight was in the court record on May 5, 1663. "Richard Knight and Hugh Marsh" were presented "for playing cards at the house of the former." One of the witnesses against them was Bathsheba (Ingersoll) Knight, wife of John Knight, Jr., nephew of Richard Knight. 

John Knight, Sr. died in May 1670 and Richard Knight died on August 4, 1683. 

So ends the tale of these two Knights of Romsey. 

Lines of descent:
William Knight - John Knight, Sr. (he married second Agnes (Langlye) Ingersoll and his son married her daughter) - John Knight, Jr. (he married Bathsheba, daughter of Richard & Agnes (Langlye) Ingersoll. Bathsheba testified against her husband's uncle, Richard Knight) - Richard Knight -Henry Knight - Eunice Knight - Hannah Sawyer - Catherine Hilton - Loann Churchill - Anna J. Rowe - Eva D. Hayes - Linona A. Yates - my grandmother

William Knight -Richard Knight - Anna Knight - Elizabeth Jaques m. Richard Knight (see above)

Richard Ingersoll m. Agnes Langlye - George Ingersoll ( I also descend through his sister, Bathsheba, who married John Knight, Jr.) - Samuel Ingersoll - Dorcas Ingersoll - Jonathan Rowe - William Rowe - William Rowe - Stephen B. Rowe - Charles H. N. Rowe - Anna J. Rowe (see above).

Hugh March (Marsh) - George March - Sarah March - Elizabeth Deering - Eliakim Emmons - Jacob Emmons - Laura Emmons - Estes G. Yates - Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother. 

Dressed To Impress? - 52 Ancestors #17

Only the wealthiest were allowed
to have gold buckles or buttons

This week's optional 52 Ancestors theme is "prosper" so I thought it appropriate to talk about the case of Agnes Knight who was not thought to be wealthy enough to warrant her wearing a silk hood. Well, apparently her family had prospered in the New World as her husband's good friend testified in his letter to the justices of Salem.


In her book, Women in Early America: Struggle, Survival and Freedom in the New World, Dorothy Mays discusses the sumptuary laws of colonial Massachusetts. These laws banned the wearing of gold or silver lace or buttons, ribbons, silk hoods, and other "fancy" items. Only the most wealthy of colonists were exempt from these laws. Even the very wealthy were banned from long wigs or flowing shirt sleeves. Mays outlines some historical precedents for these laws and notes that many Governor John Winthrop even spoke to colonists about the need to keep adornments in the home to a minimum because such displays caused others to feel bad about themselves.

In 1653 the wife of Deacon Knight (Agnes, wife of Richard), was summoned to court for wearing a silk hood. This troubled him exceedingly, and in his behalf his friend, Mr. Edward Rawson wrote to one of the justices at Salem the following note:

Honorable Sir, 
An honest godly man, a friend of mine in Newbury, whose name is Richard Knight, whether of ignorance or wilfulness by some neighbour is presented for his wife's wearing of a silk hood, supposing he has not been worth two hundred pounds. It being grievance to him, who is advanced (in years) to be summoned to court, that never useth to trouble any, at his request I thought fit to inform you on my owne knowledge of his estate is better worth than three hundred, and therefore I desire you would, as you may, forbeare, in your warrant to insert his name, in it, it may be; if not, at least that you would take private satisfaction of him in your chamber, which he can easily give you, or any, in a moment. Not else at present but my service to you and Mr. Symon Bradstreet. 
Yours friend and servant, 
Edward Rawson
Now at Newbury, the fourteenth of August, 1653 

Agnes Knight was my 10th great-grandmother.

Richard & Agnes (__) Knight
Anna Knight
Elizabeth Jaques
Henry Knight
Eunice Knight
Hannah Sawyer
Catherine Hilton
Loann Churchill
Anna J. Rowe
Eva D. Hayes
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Massachusetts Sumptuary Laws Women of Early America by Dorothy A. Mays, 2004

The Bounty of New England

William Hilton came to New England in the Fortune,  November 11, 1621. William sent the letter transcribed below to his cousin in England. It was first printed in Capt. John Smith's "New England Trials," edition of 1622. William's wife and two children came to New England in the Anne, in the summer of 1623.

Louing cousin, at our ariuall at New Plimmoth in New England, we found all our friends and planters in good health, though they were left sicke and weake with very small meanes, the Indians round about us peaceable and friendly, the country very pleasant and temperate, yeelding naturally of it self great store of fruites, as vines of diuers sorts in great abundance; there is likewise walnuts, chesnuts, small nuts and plums, wiht much varietie of flowers, rootes, and herbs, no lesse pleasant then wholsome and profitable: no place hath more goose-berries and straw-berries, nor better, Timber of all sorts you haue in England, doth cover the Land that affoords beasts of diuers sorts and great flocks of Turkies, Quailes, Pigeons and Partriges: many great lakes abounding with fish, fowle, Beuers and Otters. The sea affoords us as great plenty of all excellent sorts of sea-fish, as the riuers and Iles doth varietie of wilde fowle of most usefull sorts. Mines we find to our thinking, but neither the goodness nor qualitie we know. Better grain cannot be then the Indian corne, if we will plant it upon as good ground as a man can desire. We are all free-holders, the rent day doth not trouble us, and all those good blessings we haue, of which and what we list in their seasons for taking. Our companie are for most part very religious honest people; the word of God sincerely taught euery Sabbath: so that I know not any thing a contented mind can here want. I desire your friendly care to send my wife and children to me, where I wish all the friends I haue in England, and so I rest

Your louing kinsman  William Hilton

I have Hilton's in my ancestry but I haven't linked any of them to this immigrant. I came across this while looking for my Hilton ancestors and liked the description.

Sources:
Ancestry.com. Genealogies: the Hassam family, the Hilton family, the Cheever family. [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.

http://www.plimoth.org/media/pdf/hilton_william.pdf