A Carter Family Portrait

I've written a number of times about my 3X great-grandfather, Elias Mellen Carter and his family. Here is a picture of Elias and his wife, Rebecca (Williamson) Carter and their eleven children. Rebecca was from Ireland and is my most recent immigrant ancestor. The Williamsons came to Maine sometime around 1820 so they were not part of the potato famine migration.  

In the front from left to right are children: Julia Elizabeth, Emily Jane, Timothy Cullen, William Lawson, Sarah Lillie, Helen Louise, and her twin, John Herbert.
In the back from left to right are children: Mary Elizabeth, Frances Ann, Augustus Mellen, and Anna Grace (in her mother's arms) and parents, Rebecca (Williamson) & Elias Mellen Carter.

Elias Mellen Carter
Augustus Mellen Carter
Edward Mellen Carter
T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

Other posts about the family:
Five Daughters Suddenly Gone
The Carter Farm - 1860 & 1880
The Carter Farm 1860
Rebecca Williamson - Fearless Female
Squire of the Little Village
We Consider Her Very Dangerous
Thanksgiving in Paris
Letters Found on E-Bay
Close Call

The Family of William Williamson

William Williamson is buried in the Middle Intervale Cemetery in Bethel, Maine. He is related to my 4X great-grandfather, John Williamson, and most likely they were brothers. The fact that they are immigrants from Manorhamilton, County Leitrim, Ireland and that there are other William Williamsons living in the area make it difficult to establish the relationship with certainty. It seems likely that they arrived in this country in the 1820s, well before the potato famine that began in the 1840s. William and John were shoemakers who travelled from house to house, making shoes for the entire family. William Williamson moved to the Sunday River section of Newry, across the Androscoggin River from Middle Intervale. 

William Williamson married second Eliza (Elizabeth) Stuart/Stewart. She was considerably younger. Her memorial on Findagrave lists her birthdate as 1816 and in census records her age varies but is most consistent with 1810. After the 1860 census they appear in separate households and she is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery in Newry.  She spent her final days with her son, Richard and he lived with his nephew, Dr. William Williamson in 1870 and his brother, John in 1880. 

William Williamson's family constructed from census records: 

1. John (age 30 in 1850 census; not living with William and Eliza in 1860, I haven't found records after 1850). He must be from a prior marriage because he's only 10 years younger than Eliza. 
2. Mary J. (age 24 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850) She is probably also from a prior marriage as Eliza would have been 16 when she was born. 
3. Sarah (age 18 in 1850 census; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850). I believe she may be the first child of William and Eliza based on the six year gap between Mary J. and Sarah and the more frequent births after her. 
4. Margaret (age 16 in 1850; 26 in 1860; not living with William or Eliza in 1870; I haven't found records after 1860) 
5. Rebecca (age 12 in 1850; not living with William & Eliza in 1860; I haven't found records after 1850)
6. William Henry (called Henry age 9 in 1850; called William H. age 19 in 1860; In 1863, William is registered as eligible for the draft in Newry, Maine. In 1870, there is a William H. living in Gorham, N.H. at a hotel and farming with a wife, Jennie, who was a pastry cook. This may or may not be the same William Henry Williamson.)
7. Maria (age 6 in 1850; called Mariah age 16 in 1860; I haven't found any records after 1860)
8. Richard (age 3 in 1850; age 13 in 1860; age 22 in 1870 living with Eliza; is head of household that includes his mother, Eliza in 1880). He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. Findagrave has his birthday as June 1, 1847 and his death date as August 8, 1923. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. 
9. Thomas S. (age 11 in 1860) Findagrave lists his birth as June 1850 and death as January 17, 1869. He is buried in the Sunday River Cemetery. 
10. George (age 6 in 1860; age 17 in 1870 living with Eliza, according the The Bethel Journals, there is gravestone in Sunday River Cemetery for a George D. who died January 30, 1927; I haven't found any records after 1870). 
11. Albert (age 5 in 1860; age 14 in 1870 living with Eliza, age 24 in 1880 and working as a druggist in Norway, Maine). In the 1900 census, he is still living in Norway with a wife, Helen, who is 18 years younger. Maine marriage records show her name was Helen Augusta Tufts. Albert died February 22, 1911 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Norway, Maine. Findagrave gives his date of birth as June 27, 1855. 

The Bethel Journals - Williamson Family - some information conflicts with original records. 

Some of my other Williamson blog posts

Luck of the Irish

Celebrating an Centenarian - John Williamson, William's brother (probably)

What's Your Story, John Williamson?  - Trying to figure out the immigration of the family

The Williamson Divorce - The Dr. William Williamson with whom William (of this post) lived in 1870. 

The Sutton Freelands

James Freeland, my 7X great-grandfather, was born in the late 17th century in Ireland. However, the Freeland family were Scottish Presbyterians who fled to Ireland to escape persecution. According to The Sutton Freelands: Legends and Letters by Roy Freeland Stone, in 1718, James Freeland and his family came to Massachusetts and settled in Lexington. His family included a wife, Mary, and four children. One son, Joseph, remained in Scotland. This information is new to me and I'm still trying to track down and verify the details. The History of the Town of Sutton, Massachusetts places James Freeland and his family in Sutton by 1725. The list of family members agrees with The Sutton Freelands. I have not yet confirmed the fact they lived in Lexington, but the History of Sutton traces the family from Lexington to Hopkinton to Sutton. The book Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer estimates that about 200,000 Scots-Irish came to America between 1715 and 1775.

Children of James & Mary Freeland: (order unknown except for the oldest and youngest)

1. Joseph was born in Dublin, Ireland and remained there when his parents and younger siblings came to Massachusetts. His occupation is listed as barrister. 
2. James was born in Dublin and came to Massachusetts with his parents. He married Sarah Watson on January 8, 1741 in Hopkinton. He lived in Blandford and Brookfield. He married a second time to Elizabeth Wiley, widow of John Thomas of Worcester. They lived in Oxford. he married for a third time, Martha Smith on November 20, 1770. He had children with all three of his wives. 
3. Anna (or Jane) was born in Dublin and came to Massachusetts with her parents. She married Robert Black and lived in Blandford, Massachusetts. 
4. Rachel was born in Dublin and came to Massachusetts with her parents. She married Jonathan Knox on September 28, 1741 in Hopkinton, Massaschusetts and lived in Blandford. 
5. Thomas was born about 1715 probably in Dublin and came to Massachusetts with his parents. He married Mary Nutt (or McNutt) of Hopkinton. 

My descent from Thomas:

Thomas & Mary (Nutt) Freeland

Dr. James & Mehitable "Hetty" (Mellen) Freeland

Frances (Freeland) Carter

Elias Mellen Carter

Augustus Mellen Carter

Edward Mellen Carter

T. Richard Carter - my grandfather

The Travels of John Tuttle - 52 Ancestors #28

Ringstead, St. Albans, Ipswich, Southampton, Carrickfergus

John Tuttle came to Massachusetts in 1635 on the Planter and settled at Ipswich. The Planter set sail around April 10 and arrived in Boston on July 7. He made the journey as part of a large family group that included his wife and mother-in-law, both named Joan, five children (two from his wife’s first marriage).  John had two brothers who also came to Massachusetts in 1635; Richard Tuttle settled in Boston and William Tuttle settled in Charlestown. He was the step-father to the Lawrence immigrants who also came to Massachusetts in 1635; John Lawrence, Thomas Lawrence, William Lawrence, Mary Lawrence (m. Thomas Burnham), and Jane (Lawrence) Giddings.

John Tuttle was born about 1596, son of Simon & Isabel (Wells) Tuttle of Ringstead, Northamptonshire, England. He married the former Joan Antrobus, daughter of Walter and Joan (Arnold) Antrobus and widow of Thomas Lawrence. As with many on the Planter, John is said to be from St. Albans, Hertfordshire. 

John was a mercer (textile dealer) who was involved in the import and export business between England, Massachusetts, and Barbadoes. While in Massachusetts, he was active in town affairs. He served as Deputy for Ipswich to the Massachusetts Bay General Court and on a variety of committees to lay out highways and determine town boundaries.

About 1650, he was living in Boston and sailed for England. John left to straighten out some business dealings that had not gone well. On February 16, 1649/50, an agreement was signed between John Tuttle, William Stanley, and Peter LeGay. Stanley and Legay, merchants from Southampton, agreed to furnish John Tuttle with goods having a value of £1200. In return, John Tuttle would make payment with goods for which Stanley & LeGay had orders in Barbadoes. Unfortunately, John did not have the goods on hand. He also had received thirty pieces of broadcloth and couldn't meet his installment payment without mortgaging his Ipswich home and lands. 

By 1651, he did satisfy his creditors but he never returned to New England and lived out the rest of his life in Carrickfergus, Ireland. The letters of Joan Tuttle show she had considerable skill and took an active part in assisting her husband with his business affairs. His wife, Joan, who also left Massachusetts in 1654 and joined him in Ireland. 

After John's death, Joan would continue to write to those in Massachusetts who were supposed to be working on her behalf. The letters she wrote express a deep disappointment in the lack of communication and the failure to have her wishes followed regarding her husband's estate. She was especially disappointed by her son, Simon, who was dealing with the business in Barbadoes and appears to have been pocketing the proceeds rather than distributing them as his mother wished. 

John Tuttle

Simon Tuttle (yes, the one who was stealing his mother's money)

John Tuttle

Martha (Tuttle) Haskell

Martha (Haskell) Safford

Ruth (Safford) Haskell 

Martha (Haskell) Houghton

Mary "Sally" (Houghton) Dunham

Florilla (Dunham) Ellingwood

Nina (Ellingwood) Gibbs

Annie (Gibbs) Cotton

Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

An Immigrant's Story - Fearless Females Series

Rebecca Williamson came from Ireland in 1821 with her father, John, mother, Ann, and brother, William. She was born in Manorhamilton, Ireland in January 1814. The family settled in the part of Bethel, Maine, known as Middle Intervale. Her father and his brother were shoe makers but her father became a farmer during his time in Bethel. Her brother, William, attended Bowdoin College and became a doctor. I don't have any immigration documents or photos of her or her family. The sketch of her father, in The History of Bethel, Formerly Sudbury, Canada, Oxford County, Maine, 1768-1890, by William B. Lapham, says that John never became a naturalized citizen of the United States. 

Rebecca married a neighbor, Elias Mellen Carter. Their first child was born in 1838 so the marriage is presumed to have taken place shortly before then. Elias was the son of Dr. Timothy & Frances (Freeland) Carter and was born September 11, 1811. He and Rebecca took over the family home known as the Brick End House. Dr. Timothy Carter was the first doctor in Bethel. 

Brick End House & Rebecca Williamson (Carter) Bailey on left with an unidentified woman on the right. Rebecca Williamson (Carter) Bailey was the great-granddaughter of Rebecca Williamson, the Irish immigrant.

Elias & Rebecca had a large family of eleven children, seen in the 1860 census below. Daughter Frances Ann, age 20 was already out of the household, but the other ten children were Augustus Mellen, age 19; Mary Elizabeth, age 16; William Lawson, age 15; Timothy Cullen, age 13; Emily Jane, age 11; Julia Elizabeth, age 10; Sarah Lily (listed as Lily S.), age 8; twins John Herbert and Helen Louise, age 6; and Anna Grace, age 3. 

1860 Census page 1

1860 Census page 2

However, in 1861, the family lost 5 daughters, between September 13th and September 30th, to diphtheria. Emily & Julia died on September 13th, Helen on September 20th, (Sarah) Lily on September 26th, and Anna on September 30th. The 1870 census shows the much smaller family. Rebecca also lost her mother in 1861 and son, Augustus went off to fight in the Civil War the next year. Fortunately, he survived the war and became the next to inhabit the family home. 

Rebecca was widowed later that year. Elias died on November 17, 1880. In the 1900 census, Rebecca is living with her recently widowed son, Augustus and his two children, Edward age 25 and Frances age 21. Augustus has also taken in his sister, Mary (Carter) Wiley and her son, William. 

Rebecca died on April 2, 1906 of cancer of the scalp. 

My line of descent from Rebecca is through her son, Augustus, to his son, Edward. My grandfather, Thomas Richard Carter, was the second son of Edward. The only daughter of Edward was named after his grandmother, Rebecca Williamson (Carter) Bailey. 

Tragedy Strikes - The story of the five daughters who died in 1861. 

Thank you to Lisa Alzo, author of The Accidental Genealogist, for providing 31 prompts celebrating Women's History Month. This is her 6th year and she has some great resources (with some discounts) for finding one's female ancestors. 

Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(Originally published on March 17, 2012)

Most of my family lines go back to immigrants who came to New England in the 1600s. However, I have one 3X great-grandmother who came from Ireland, probably in the 1820s according to census records. Eva Bean included John Williamson among the veterans of the War of 1812 but that doesn't make sense with the census records. The family is not in the 1820 census and according to later census records Rebecca was born about 1816 in Ireland. If the family was here in time for the War of 1812, Rebecca would have been born in the U.S. In the 1830 Bethel census John Williamson is the head of the household and there are two females - one between 30 & 40 and one between 15 & 20.  These facts line up with the dates passed down through the family for John, his wife Ann, and his daughter, Rebecca. 

Williamson is not a very Irish sounding name so I wonder if they were English and moved to Manorhamilton somewhere along the way. I also would love to find out why they left Ireland. Regardless of the exact date they came, it is clear they were in Bethel well before the potato famine in Ireland. 

Manorhamilton, Ireland

The family came from Manorhamilton, named for Sir Frederick Hamilton who was granted the land for his services in the European wars of the 17^th century. The town was called Clonmullen and in the hands of the O'Roarke clan prior to its being granted to Sir Frederick. Manorhamilton Castle, built by Sir Frederick was burned to the ground in 1652 by the native Irish. This act appears to have been provoked by Hamilton’s cruel treatment of prisoners and his burning of Sligo town.  Here is a sketch of the castle before the fire and three pictures of the castle ruins. 

In searching Irish records, I can see general information without paying and I can find several passenger lists with Williamsons on board but none of the dates and ages of the passengers line up with my ancestors. I'm unwilling at this point to pay about $20 just to look at one record. Hopefully some day I will be able to go and look through records myself. For now, I will have to be content with what I know about their time in the United States. Williamson is not a very Irish sounding name so I wonder if they were English and moved to Manorhamilton somewhere along the way. I also would love to find out why they left Ireland. Regardless of the exact date they came, it is clear they were in Bethel well before the potato famine in Ireland. 

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and through the magic of the internet here are two videos of Manorhamilton.

St. Patrick's Day Parade - Manorhamilton, Leitrim, Ireland 2009

Youtube - Manorhamilton


Sources:
http://www.leitrimtourism.com/Places-to-Visit/Places-to-Visit-(1)/Manorhamilton-Castle.aspx

http://www.thebetheljournals.info/Biography/Williamson_Journal.htm#photos
Wikipedia - Manorhamilton

Lapham, Howard B. "History of Bethel:." Google Books. Google.com. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=4vUgAQAAMAAJ>.

Celebrating A Centenarian - 52 Ancestors #11

John Williamson, from The History of Bethel, formerly Sudbury, Canada, Maine, 1768-1890, by William B. Lapham, 1891. 

Pages 155-156

John Williamson was born in Manor Hamilton, Ireland, either in seventeen hundred and eighty-six or eighty-seven. He celebrated the hundredth anniversary of his birth in eighteen hundred and eighty-six. He came to Bethel in eighteen hundred and twenty-one with his wife and children, and settled in Bethel. He was a shoemaker by trade, but followed farming after he came to Bethel. He was a lover of nature 

and of the land he cultivated. He was well educated and well versed in ancient history. He was never naturalized, having a strong attachment for England and her institutions, especially the established church of which he was a faithful member. He was also much attached to the land of his adoption and its free institutions. 

He was a great student of the Bible, which was his constant companion, and of which he had committed to memory many chapters. He was a very interesting man socially and otherwise, and his conversation was always entertaining and instructive. His wife, whose maiden name was Ann McClure, passed on many years before him, and during his later years, he was tenderly cared for by his daughter, Mrs. Elias M. Carter and her sons. They anticipated his every want, accomplished everything that loving hearts could suggest and willing hands perform to make his last years happy, and smooth the way to the bank of the dark river." 

John & Ann (McClure) Williamson

Rebecca Williamson m. Elias Mellen Carter

Augustus Mellen Carter

Edward Mellen Carter

Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

Previous Posts about the family: 

Tracking the Williamsons

The Williamson Divorce
St. Patrick's Day 2013
My Irish Roots
What's Your Story, John Williamson?

Not Far Enough - 52 Ancestors #6

I'm going to stretch the meaning of the prompt again this week to tell the tale of a bad man who tried to outrun his past but it caught up with him anyway! 

The bad man in this case was the Rev. John Lyford and he wasn't my ancestor but connected to my ancestor's family (I'll explain later). 

On the surface, Rev. John Lyford appeared to be a Godly man who traveled to the Plymouth Colony to minister to the Pilgrims in that community. However, the colonial leaders soon discovered that he was allied with the Church of England and maligning the Separatists in his letters to England. Once Governor Bradford found out, Rev. Lyford apologized. A little while later, it became evident that he hadn't changed his ways and he was banished. 

But that was just the start of Lyford's secrets. His wife, Sarah, came forward to tell of his infidelity, even fathering a child out of wedlock with another woman before she married him. She couldn't keep any maids because of his sexual harassment and molestation of them. 




Eventually, the BIG secret was revealed. The reason Rev. John Lyford had to leave his previous ministry in Ireland and come to the colony was that he had raped a girl in the parish while she attended pre-marital counseling with him! The woman's husband "tooke some godly friends with him, to deale with Liford for this evill" (Bradford's Journal). He had to leave in fear of even greater punishment. 

After leaving Plymouth, Lyford bounced around from Nantasket (Hull, MA) and Cape Ann to Virginia, where he died in 1638. He was a truly evil and despicable man! He could run but he could not go far enough to outrun his bad behavior! 

So what's my connection to this scoundrel? His wife, Sarah, married as his second wife, my 11th great-grandfather, Edmund Hobart. 

Edmund Hobart & Margery Dewey (first wife)

Line 1:
Nazareth Hobart - daughter of Edmund & Margaret (Dewey) Hobart
Martha Beals
Samuel Dunham
Ebenezer Dunham
John Dunham
James Dunham
James Dunham 
Florilla Dunham
Nina King Ellingwood
Annie Florilla Gibbs
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

Line 2:
Rev. Peter Hobart - son of Edmund & Margaret (Dewey) Hobart
Elizabeth Hobart
Joshua Ripley
Hezediah Ripley
Joshua Ripley
Joshua Ripley
Nancy Ripley
Galen Blake
Charles Galen Blake
Harriet May Blake
Clayton Leonard Blake - my grandfather

NEHGR 1848
Wikipedia
http://minerdescent.com/2012/01/19/17th-century-premarital-sex/

Thankful Thursday - The Williamson Divorce

William Williamson was the brother of my 3rd great-grandmother, Rebecca (Williamson) Carter. He married Alfreda Bean, aka Lydia Alfreda Bean, who was 19 years younger and they had two children. Twelve years after they were married, she was granted a divorce on the grounds that he deserted her and treated her with "unkindness and neglect." I wonder if he was around when the divorce was filed since from 1864-1866 he was acting assistant surgeon with the army in Eastville, Virginia. 

Chris Dunham of the Maine Genealogy Network found this court record of the divorce proceedings on Family Search. I am very thankful for all the help Chris has provided me. I highly recommend the Maine Genealogy Network to any genealogist with Maine connections! 

To the Hon. Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court

to be holden at Paris within and for the County of

Oxford on the third Tuesday of September AD 1866.

            The undersigned, Alfreda L. Williamson

wife of William Williamson of Bethel in said County

respectfully libels and gives this Court to be informed

that she was lawfully married to the said William

Williamson at said Bethel on the twenty fifth day

of August AD 1854 and that they lived together at

said Bethel as husband and wife for several

years after their said marriage; that she had by

him two children, one of whom only, Julia

Williamson, aged eleven years, is living;

that she has always conducted towards him as

an affectionate, chaste and faithful wife, yet the

said William Williamson wholly regardless

of his marriage covenant and duty, on the tenth

day of July A.D. 1860 wholly abandoned and

deserted her and has continued his desertion

up to the present time, and ever since their said

marriage has treated her with great unkindness and neglect;

            Deeming it reasonable and proper and conducive

to domestic harmony and consistent with the

peace and morality of society that she should

be divorced from the said Williamson, she prays,

right and justice, and that she may be divorced

from the bands of matrimony between her and

her said husband, and that the custody of the

said Julia Williamson, on account of her

tender years and the neglect of said Williamson

may be committed to her and as in duty

bound will ever pray.

August 8, 1866                      Alfreda L. Williamson

            This libel was entered at the present term and when

the Libellant appears but the Respondent though called

to come into Court does not appear, but makes default.

And now the material facts alleged in said libel

having been fully proved, it is ordered and decreed by

the Court that the bonds of matrimony heretofore existing

between the said Alfreda L. Williamson and the said

Williamson be and hereby are dissolved for the causes

set forth in said libel and that the custody of the

minor child Julia Williamson be intrusted to the libellant. 

Tracking the Williamsons

After posting my St. Patrick's Day tribute to my Williamson ancestors, Chris Dunham, of the Maine Genealogy Network, found and shared additional information on William Williamson. The Obituary Record of the graduates of Bowdoin College and the Medical School of Maine contains the following information:

Next, I began looking for records to verify this information. The 1860 census shows my 4th great-grandparents, John & Ann (McClure) Williamson living  near their son, William's family. The children appear to be Julia and Jane (not James, as the Bowdoin book suggests). I couldn't help but notice that Lydia was much younger than William. 

This divorce record shows that a divorce was granted to Lydia (Alfreda) in 1866. According to the obituary, William would have been completing his Civil War service about that time. I wonder if leaving his much younger wife for a couple of years contributed to the divorce. I noticed that he is the defendant and his wife is the one requesting the divorce. 

I haven't found any further records for Lydia Alfreda (Bean) Williamson or for the child, Jane. It is possible that another child was born between 1860 and 1866 and named James but I found no record of that. It would seem likely that she remarried since she was only about 35 when she was divorced. In 1870, William is living in Bethel with his 14 year old daughter, Julia and his uncle, William. Would a young girl be living with her father if her mother were alive? Or at 14 was she acting as housekeeper for her father and elderly uncle? My 4th great-grandmother died and my 4th great-grandfather, John Williamson, remarried a woman named Jane. William's sister, my 3rd great-grandmother married to my 3rd great-grandfather, Elias M. Carter. They are all living in close proximity with only the Farwell family between them. 

I am still looking for a death record for William in Kansas. I'd love to know why he chose Kansas and moved at age 68. Perhaps it was for better farming. Did his Civil War service cause him to prefer agriculture over working as a doctor? I'm still looking for Civil War records for him. Did he ever remarry? It doesn't sound like it from the obituary. Was he alone in Kansas? The obituary says both his children died "in youth." Julia was alive at age 14 so when did she die? I'd like to find a death record for her. What happened to William's wife after the divorce? I've explored some of her family to see if I could find her living with any of them but no luck yet. I've looked for marriage records and found one possibility but it needs more investigation. I don't have a death record for Lydia so perhaps she died fairly young without remarrying. So many questions and so little time! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day 2013!

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! My closest Irish ancestors are Rebecca Williamson Carter and her father, John Williamson. They came from Manorhamilton in county Leitrim. Since I haven't had the opportunity to go there, I visit vicariously via the wonders of the internet. This video is the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Manorhamilton on March 17, 2012. 

2012 St. Patrick's Day Post - My Irish Roots

What's Your Story, John Williamson?

A comment on a previous post led me to this document from FamilySearch. It is a naturalization record of William Williamson, the brother of my 3rd great-grandmother, Rebecca Williamson. It shows her husband as one of the witnesses and gives a date of arrival and confirmation that Manorhamilton is indeed the place the family lived before coming to the United States. Thanks to Chris Dunham of the Maine Genealogy Network for sharing this record with me. I have no idea what became of William. I guess I should work on tracking down that information before next year. 

John Williamson & Anne McClure
Rebecca Williamson & Elias Mellen Carter
Augustus Mellen Carter & Mary Frances Stanley
Edward Mellen Carter & Fannie May Capen
Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

My DNA Profile

Ancestry.com started a new DNA testing program that is open by invitation only while it is in Beta testing. Because I've been a customer for quite awhile, I received an email invitation to take part in this program and they were offering a significant discount to those who accepted. Having seen the testing done on Finding Your Roots, the PBS show about celebrity genealogy, I was intrigued to find out what my DNA would say about my ancestors. My own research has shown that most of my ancestors from both my father's and my mother's families came from the British Isles to the American colonies in the early 1600s. While I figured I would have predominantly British ancestry, I was still surprised when the results came back as 100% British Isles.  No traces of intermingling genes with marauding Vikings or Barbarians, no evidence of dalliances with Frenchmen, Germans, or Italians...I seem to be about as white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant as it is possible for one to be. A bit boring to some but it does make tracing ancestors a bit easier. 

It does seem to explain my love for the British Isles. And why it is that I felt so comfortable and at home whenever I've visited England or Scotland. So I'll continue to embrace my ancestors and the culture I love. I'll find diversity in friends to make up for the lack of diversity in my genes. I had a great time last year helping my students trace their family trees to Italy, Scandinavia, and Germany. 

My Irish Roots

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

(Originally published on March 17, 2012)

Most of my family lines go back to immigrants who came to New England in the 1600s. However, I have one 3X great-grandmother who came from Ireland, probably in the 1820s according to census records. Eva Bean included John Williamson among the veterans of the War of 1812 but that doesn't make sense with the census records. The family is not in the 1820 census and according to later census records Rebecca was born about 1816 in Ireland. If the family was here in time for the War of 1812, Rebecca would have been born in the U.S. In the 1830 Bethel census John Williamson is the head of the household and there are two females - one between 30 & 40 and one between 15 & 20.  These facts line up with the dates passed down through the family for John, his wife Ann, and his daughter, Rebecca. 

Williamson is not a very Irish sounding name so I wonder if they were English and moved to Manorhamilton somewhere along the way. I also would love to find out why they left Ireland. Regardless of the exact date they came, it is clear they were in Bethel well before the potato famine in Ireland. 

Manorhamilton, Ireland

The family came from Manorhamilton, named for Sir Frederick Hamilton who was granted the land for his services in the European wars of the 17^th century. The town was called Clonmullen and in the hands of the O'Roarke clan prior to its being granted to Sir Frederick. Manorhamilton Castle, built by Sir Frederick was burned to the ground in 1652 by the native Irish. This act appears to have been provoked by Hamilton’s cruel treatment of prisoners and his burning of Sligo town.  Here is a sketch of the castle before the fire and three pictures of the castle ruins. 

 

In searching Irish records, I can see general information without paying and I can find several passenger lists with Williamsons on board but none of the dates and ages of the passengers line up with my ancestors. I'm unwilling at this point to pay about $20 just to look at one record. Hopefully some day I will be able to go and look through records myself. For now, I will have to be content with what I know about their time in the United States. Williamson is not a very Irish sounding name so I wonder if they were English and moved to Manorhamilton somewhere along the way. I also would love to find out why they left Ireland. Regardless of the exact date they came, it is clear they were in Bethel well before the potato famine in Ireland. 

In honor of St. Patrick's Day and through the magic of the internet here are two videos of Manorhamilton.

St. Patrick's Day Parade - Manorhamilton, Leitrim, Ireland 2009

Youtube - Manorhamilton


Sources:
http://www.leitrimtourism.com/Places-to-Visit/Places-to-Visit-(1)/Manorhamilton-Castle.aspx

http://www.thebetheljournals.info/Biography/Williamson_Journal.htm#photos
Wikipedia - Manorhamilton

Lapham, Howard B. "History of Bethel:." Google Books. Google.com. Web. 03 Mar. 2012. <http://books.google.com/ebooks/reader?id=4vUgAQAAMAAJ>.