Thomas Gardner - Immigrant Ancestor

Thomas Gardner was an early immigrant to Cape Ann and later Salem. It is believed that he arrived in 1624 and from 1626 to his death, he lived in Salem. His estimated birth year, 1592, is based on his testimony given November 26, 1661. He indicated that he was about sixty-nine years old. He died in Salem on December 29, 1674, a month after his third wife died. His sons, George and Samuel served as executors of his estate.

Regarding his education and service to the town, he signed his name, rather than making a mark and he served as a deputy for Salem to the General Court in 1637. From 1641-1658, he served on several juries and was the foreman at least twice. Thomas served multiple terms as a Salem selectman and multiple terms as an overseer of highways.   He was a fence viewer in 1636, constable in 1639, and rater in 1639-1640.

There is no indication of a specific profession practiced until the 1660s. During the 1660s, he was granted a license to be an innkeeper and sell "strong drink." In 1667, his license was amended to forbid him from selling "strong drink" to the local folks. He could only sell it to "strangers."

In 1636, he appears in a list of Salem church members, but a court record calls his commitment into question. In November 1660, among a list of Quakers, the wife of Thomas Gardner, Sr. was one of those fined for frequent absences from church on Sundays. Thomas was never mentioned for having absented himself from church and it is difficult to know his feelings about the matter.

Thomas Gardner was married three times. The name of his first wife is unknown. She probably died around 1636 and possibly in child birth. His second wife was named Margaret, but her maiden name was unknown. His third wife was Damaris, "widow Shattuck," and her maiden name is also unknown. The American Genealogist Vol. 30 has an article about the identities of Margaret and Damaris.

Thomas Gardner and his first wife are my tenth great-grandparents.

Thomas Gardner's children with his first wife were:

1. Thomas born about 1614. 
2. George born about 1616. 
3. John born about 1624.
4. Sarah born about 1627. Sarah married Benjamin Balch, son of immigrant, John Balch. 
5. Samuel born about 1629. 
6. Joseph born about 1630. 
7. Richard born about 1632. 
8. Miram born about 1635. 
9. Seeth (daughter) baptized in Salem on December 25, 1636. 

My Line:

Thomas Gardner

Sarah (Gardner) Balch

Mary (Balch) Stone

Ruth (Stone) Morgan

Luke Morgan

Samuel Morgan

Martha (Morgan) Yates

Moses Yates

Gilbert William Yates

Estes Gilbert Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.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).

Henry Herrick's Will

Henry & Edith (Laskin) Herrick are my 10X great-grandparents on both my mother's side and on my father's side of the family. They had eight children. This is a copy of Henry's will and his bequests to his wife and children.








The will of Henry Herrick was proved on March 28, 1671 and contained the following provisions:

• to wife Edith, the western half of his dwelling
• to son Thomas, wearing apparel, 20 pounds and the land where his house stands
• if son John live and die single, the land given him to go to testator's sons Ephraim, Joseph, and Benjamin
• to son Zachary, one hundred acres of Birch Plain bought of Francis and Henry Skerry of Salem, sixteen acres where Zachary's house stands
• to sons Ephraim, Joseph, and John, the farm bought of Mr. Alford
• to ??, the two lots bought of Henry Reynolds of Salem and Richard Kimball of Wenham, also two acres in Bunkard's meadow
• to sons Ephraim and Joseph, domestic animals
• to son Benjamin, the pasture on the southeast side of the highway at age 21
• to daughter Elizabeth, 40 pounds
• to son Henry, at wife's death, all the estate bequeathed her

Henry Herrick, Jr., executor

Mr. John Hale & Capt. Thomas Lathrop, overseers

The inventory was completed on March 15, 1671 by John Rayment, Sr. and Isaac Hall, Sr. It totaled 974 pounds, 17 shillings with 804 pounds, 10 shillings being real estate. He also owned a musket, a sword, and a rapier.

Family of Henry & Edith (Laskin) Herrick

1. Thomas
2. Zachariah - 9th great-grandfather
3. Ephraim
4. Henry Jr. - 9th great-grandfather
5. Joseph - He was the Salem constable who arrested the accused witches.
6. Elizabeth
7. John
8. Benjamin

Henry Herrick, Jr. - Samuel Herrick - Joseph Herrick - Sarah Herrick - John Ellingwood - John Ellingwood, Jr. - Asa F. Ellingwood - Nina K. Ellingwood - Annie F. Gibbs - Fern Lyndell Cotton

Zachariah Herrick - Sarah Herrick - Luke Morgan - Luke Morgan, Jr. - Samuel Morgan - Martha Morgan - Moses Yates - Gilbert W. Yates - Estes Yates - Linona Alice Yates

The Mary Conant Balch Room

One of the upstairs bedrooms at The Balch House is identified as the Mary Conant Balch Room. She was born on Christmas Eve in 1631. When she was about twenty years old, she married John Balch, Jr., the second son of the immigrant John Balch. John and Mary had only one daughter, Mary, who died in infancy. Mary was widowed in 1662, when John Jr. drowned while crossing on the ferry between Salem and Beverly during a violent storm. Mary's father, Roger Conant, is considered the founder of Salem and there is a statue of him in Salem. Mary lived until 1688 and was survived by her second husband, William Dodge, Jr. (1640-1720). Mary Conant is my 9th great-grandaunt; John Balch is my 9th great-granduncle; William Dodge, Jr. is my first cousin, 11 times removed. 

Roger Conant - Lot Conant (brother of Mary Conant), Martha (Conant) Perkins, Mark Perkins, Ann (Perkins) Packard, Cynthia (Packard) Dunham, James Dunham, Jr. Florilla (Dunham) Ellingwood, Asa F. Ellingwood, Nina (Ellingwood) Gibbs, Annie (Gibbs) Cotton, Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother

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

John Dodge - Richard Dodge (brother of William Dodge), Mary (Dodge) Herrick, Sarah (Herrick) Morgan, Luke Morgan, Luke Morgan, Jr. (same as line above). 

Prisoner Exchange - Samuel Denning

Samuel Dennen/Denning served on a privateer in the Revolutionary War. He had the misfortune to be taken prisoner and sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Unfortunately, my search for additional information has not yielded much. The best information comes from a listing that tells of his return in a prisoner exchange on September 30, 1778.  The Revolutionary War, by Charles Patrick Neimeyer, notes that privateers who were captured by the British posed a real dilemma. Normally, pirates were sent to the gallows, but these enemy combatants were different. Many were pressured to join the British navy and doing so would increase the chance of surviving the war. The British were reluctant to consider them prisoners-of-war because that would be admitting that the United States was an independent nation. However, executing all those captured on the land and at sea was not practical either. It would greatly inflame the passions of the already highly motivated Patriots. In the end, several hundred American sailors were taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia and kept in a sugar house. I have no idea what happened to Samuel from his return until the end of the war. Did he continue his activities? 

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors, Vol. 4

A descendant applied for a veteran's gravestone and seems to have struggled to prove his service. It does appear that both the Sons & Daughters of the American Revolution have awarded membership to his descendants. His grave can be viewed on Findagrave.com here. 

Samuel Dennen married Keziah Bray on March 14, 1754 in Gloucester, Massachusetts and at some point they moved to Maine. Thier children were: 

1. Judith born in 1754
2. Abigail born in 1756
3. Job born in 1760
4. Mary born in 1762
5. George born in 1767
6. Simeon born in 1771

Samuel Dennen

Judith (Dennen) Morgan

Martha (Morgan) Yates

Moses Yates

Gilbert W. Yates

Estes G. Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Sources:
DunhamWilcox

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

The Balch House

Visiting colonial homes is always fun but when it's the home of an ancestor, it makes it extra special. Our tour was given by 91-year-old, Nancy Peabody Hood, who has been living here and welcoming visitors for over 40 years. She lives in an apartment that adjoins these four rooms and goes up and down the steep stairs multiple times a day. It was a joy to visit with her while touring the house. Unfortunately, she shared that she will be moving into an apartment soon and the house will no longer be occupied. If you want a tour with this special lady, you need to plan to visit soon. There is a virtual tour with her here. Click on the house to download the video.

John Balch was one of the men sent to New England by the Dorchester Company to settle a fishing colony that started on Cape Ann and relocated to Salem on the Bass River Side that would become Beverly.

The three sons of John Balch:

1. Benjamin was born about 1629 and married three times. His first wife was Sarah Gardner, who died April 5, 1686. His second wife was Abigail Clarke, who died January 1, 1690, aged about 55 years. His third wife was Grace Mallett. 
2. John was born about 1631 and married Mary Conant, daughter of immigrant Roger Conant. She would marry William Dodge, Jr. after John's death. 
3. Freeborn was born about 1634 and by January 20, 1658, he was presumed dead as his estate was being administered by Walter Price of Salem and Benjamin is purchasing the land Freeborn inherited from their father unless "the abovesaid Freeborn Balch appear to be alive." 

Pretty windows

Sign outside

The front side of the house

The back of the house

The first room with the guestbook. It is estimated by a local house historian that it was only about half this size when originally built. That would mean an entire family living in one room, the size of a very small bedroom. There were no closets - only chests. 

The first room corner

The first room fireplace

This room was added for son, Benjamin and his family. That included his 13 children! This fireplace was modified in the 1700s to include a dutch oven. 

The other side of the second room

The bedroom above the first room - portraits are of Nathaniel & Mary (Fletcher) Balch. Nathaniel was the 4th great-grandson of immigrant John Balch. 

The other side of the bedroom over the first room 

The corner of the bedroom - 1640 chest and old book box with a Balch Bible. A cutout reveals the bricks used for insulation. They were made from the abundant clay in the area.

Mary Conant Balch was the son of John Balch, Jr. This is the other upstairs bedroom.

Mary's room - one of the tiniest colonial beds that I've seen.

Mary's room

Mary's room

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

John Balch - 52 Ancestors #26

John Balch arrived in Massachusetts around 1624. He lived first at Cape Ann before moving to Salem in 1626. His home was in the part of town that later became Beverly. Based on his close associations, it is likely that he came as part of the Dorchester Company. He was granted the status of freeman on May 18, 1631.  When he took his oath, Roger Conant, Henry Herrick, and John Woodbury were with him. Balch, Conant, and Herrick are my 10th great-grandfathers and John Woodbury is my 11th great-grandfather. John Balch signed his will and owned several books so he could read and write. He served on a number of juries and town committees from the Salem selectmen to the supervisor of highway repairs and the committee on bridge repairs. In the records, two different wives are listed, Margery and Annis. However, there are no marriage records so it is unclear whether the first wife in the records is the mother of his children. Look for much more about the Balch House coming soon. 

The Balch House was home to John and later his son, Benjamin and their families.

Children of John Balch and his first wife: 

1. Benjamin was born about 1629 and married three times. His first wife was Sarah Gardner who died in Beverly on April 5, 1686. His second wife was Abigail Clarke. They married on February 5, 1689 in Marblehead and she died on January 2, 1690. He married his third wife, Grace Mallet on March 15, 1692 in Beverly. 
2. John was born about 1631 and married Mary Conant, daughter of another of my immigrant ancestors, Roger Conant. John was drowned in a storm while ferrying between Salem and Beverly. After his death, she married Capt. William Dodge, son of immigrant William Dodge - yet another immigrant ancestor. 
3. Freeborn was born about 1634 and seems to have been missing and presumed dead on January 20, 1658 when Walter Price of Salem was acting as the executor and administrator of his estate. Walter sold the land that Freeborn inherited from his father, John to his brother, Benjamin, unless "the abovesaid Freeborn Balch appear to be alive." 

Benjamin made up for his brothers' relatively short lives by having eleven children with his first wife and two more with his third wife! 

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

52 Ancestors #48 - The Reluctant Husband

Thomas Herrick was the oldest son of Henry & Editha (Laskin) Herrick and the older brother of my 9th great-grandfather, Zachariah Herrick. He seems to have been the black sheep of the family. He was left a legacy in his father's will but would only receive it if he met the stated conditions. He was left out of his brother Benjamin's will, although all the other Herrick siblings received a portion of the estate. 

So why was Thomas ostracized by his family? It seems his father wanted him to "not live his life as a single man." His father died in 1670 when Thomas was about 35 years old. Several of his younger brothers were already married - Zachariah at age 18, Ephraim at age 23, Henry at age 23, Joseph at age 20, and only brothers John, age 20, and Benjamin, age 14, were also unmarried when their father died. 

What did Thomas stand to lose by not marrying? The will states, "Also I give unto my soon Thomas all my wearing appaearell except my best great coat & that 20 acres of land where his house standeth, with ten pounds to be payed to my soon John wn my executor seethe need to supply his wants, And if in case he live and dye a single pson, the lands shall remain to my sons Ephraim & Joseph, equally devided & the ten pounds to my son Beanjamin if not make use of to supply him." 

At some point Thomas did marry but I have not found a record of the date. There is a description of a divorce petition in the Essex Quarter Court records dated November 26, 1673. It seems to imply that the marriage had not been a long one. 

Divorce of Thomas & Hannah (Ordway) Herrick:
Whereas Hannah, the reputed wife of Thomas Herrick, at the last Ipswich court, preferred an account against said Thomas, accusing him of impotency, after some deliberation and testimony, court adjudged said marriage between said Thomas Herrick and Hannah Ordaway null and void. She was given her liberty as if such pretended marriage had never been, and he was to return to said Hannah as much as he had received of her, or of her father or other friends in way of marriage portion; she was to make no further claim to his estate. [EQC 5:252).

I do not know if this "marriage" was enough for Thomas to gain his inheritance or not. 

My Herrick line is:
Henry Herrick & Editha Laskin
Zachariah Herrick & Mary Dodge
Sarah Herrick & Samuel Morgan
Luke Morgan & Ruth Stone
Luke Morgan & Martha Pulcifer
Samuel Morgan & Judith Dennen
Martha Morgan & William Yates
Moses Yates & Martha Whittle
Gilbert Yates & Laura Emmons
Estes Yates & Eva Hayes
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

52 Ancestors #38 - Depositions of William Dixey

William Dixey is my 1oth great-grandfather. He came from England to Lynn in 1629 and later lived in Salem and Beverly. He operated a ferry from Salem to Beverly for both people and animals. He served on a variety of juries and was a fenceviewer (1637), lotlayer (1644), and highway surveyor (1645) for the town of Salem. He rose through the ranks of those defending the community until he acquired the title of Captain. He was married to a woman called Ann or Hannah but it is not known if she was the mother of all his children. 

Both from The Great Migration Begins (see citation below)

"In a deposition taken on July 1, 1657, Ens. William Dixey, aged about fifty years, deposed that about twenty-eight years ago, Mr. Isaac Johnson, his master, wrote to the Hon. Mr. Endicott 'for a place to sitt downe in,' whereupon Mr. Endicott gave them leave to go wherever they would. They went to Saugus, now Lynn, where they met with Sagamore James and some other Indians, who gave them leave to dwell thereabouts, and they and the rest of his Master's company cut grass for their cattle, keeping them on Nahant, and had quiet possession."

Gov. John Endecott

In a deposition taken in February 1680, William Dixey described his arrival in New England:

"William Dixy of Beverly in New England aged about 73 years testifieth that I came to New England and arrived in June 1629 at Cape Ann where we found the signs of buildings & plantation work and saw no English people. So we sailed to the place now called Salem where we found Mr. John Endecot Governor & sundry habitants besides some of whom said they had been servants to the Dorchester company & had built at Cape Ann sundry years before we came over. When we came to dwell here the Indians bid us welcome & showed themselves very glad that we came to dwell among them & I understood they had kindly entertained the English that came hither before we came & the English & the Indians had a field in common fenced in together & the Indians fled to shelter themselves under the English oft times saying they were afraid of their enemy Indians in the country, in particular I remember sometime after we arrived the Agawam Indians complained to Mr. Endecott that they were afraid of other Indians called as I take it Tawateens. Hugh Browne was sent with others in a boat to Agawam for the Indians' relief & at other times we gave our neighbor Indians protection from their enemy Indians. Taken upon oath this 16th of February 1680."

Children:

1. Mary Dixey was born about 1634 and married Hugh Woodbury, son of William Woodbury. 
2. Abigail Dixey was baptized on December 25, 1636 in Salem and married John Stone.
3. Anna Dixey was baptized on June 17, 1638 in Salem and married first Nehemiah Howard on August 11, 1657 in Salem and second Thomas Judkins on November 25, 1665 in Gloucester. 
4. John Dixey was baptized on December 19, 1639 in Salem and married Elizabeth Allen on November 6, 1668 in Swansea. 
5. Elizabeth Dixey was baptized on October 17, 1641 in Salem and married Samuel Morgan on December 15, 1658 in Salem. 
6. Sarah Dixey was baptized on July 2, 1643 in Salem and married Edmund Gale by 1666. 

William Dixey
Elizabeth Dixey & Samuel Morgan
Luke Morgan & Ruth Stone
Luke Morgan Jr. & Martha Pulcifer
Samuel Morgan & Judith Dennen
Martha Morgan & William Yates
Moses Morgan & Martha Whittle
Gilbert William Yates & Laura Emmons
Estes Gilbert Yates & Eva Delphinia Hayes
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother 

Source: Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins: Immgrants to New England, 1620-1633, Vol 1-3 (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995.).

52 Ancestors #29 Henry Herrick

Henry Herrick was my 10th great-grandfather. He came from England about 1630 and settled in Salem and then Beverly, Massachusetts. His birth is estimated as about 1598 based on when he was released from training for defense and he died between November 24, 1670 and March 15, 1671. 

Henry was active in the community and was made a freeman on May 28, 1631. He was the constable in 1656. The job of the constable in colonial times was to collect the taxes. He signed with his mark but his inventory included "Four Bibles and Other Books," making it difficult to determine whether he was literate or not. He is called a "yeoman" in records.

Around 1634, Henry married Edith (or Editha) Laskin, daughter of Hugh Laskin. She was born in England about 1612 and is show in records as late as March 27, 1677. 

Henry & Edith had eight children: 

1. Thomas born about 1634, married Hannah Ordway (but they divorced soon after citing his "impotency"). She is called his "reputed wife" in the court notes. 
2. Zachariah was baptized on December 25, 1636 in Salem, married Mary Dodge, daughter of Richard, about 1654, and died in Beverly on May 20, 1695. The will of Richard Dodge, Sr. mentions "my daughter Mary Herrick's five daughters." 
3. Ephraim was baptized on February 11, 1638 in Salem, married Mary Cross, daughter of Robert & Anna (Jordan), on July 2, 1661 in Salem, and died September 18 1693. 
4. Henry was baptized on January 16, 1640 in Salem, married first Lydia (possibly Woodbury, not proved), married second Sarah (Alcock) Giddings, widow of John Giddings, daughter of John Alcock of York. 
5. Joseph was baptized August 6, 1645 in Salem, married first Sarah Leach on February 7, 1665 in Beverly, married second Mary _____ bef 1686, married third on January 29, 1707 in Salem, Mary (Folsom) March, widow of George March, daughter of John Folsom.
6. Elizabeth was born about 1647, married Philip Fowler on January 23, 1672 in Ipswich. 
7. John was born about 1650, married Mary Reddington on May 25, 1674 in Beverly. 
8. Benjamin was born before 1656 and died before March 27, 1677. His estate was divided among his siblings, except Thomas, who was curiously omitted and provided an income for his mother. 

There are a number of secondary sources for the Herrick family and many have tried to link Henry Herrick to Sir William Herrick of Beau Manor, Leicestershire, England but Robert Charles Anderson dismisses the claims in his Great Migration sketch of Henry Herrick. Anderson also dismisses claims that Henry Herrick came to New England in 1629 as a misinterpretation of the first list of Salem church members. These claims highlight the need to examine sources for oneself and attempt to locate primary sources whenever possible. 

My Herrick line is:
Henry Herrick & Editha Laskin
Zachariah Herrick & Mary Dodge
Sarah Herrick & Samuel Morgan
Luke Morgan & Ruth Stone
Luke Morgan & Martha Pulcifer
Samuel Morgan & Judith Dennen
Martha Morgan & William Yates
Moses Yates & Martha Whittle
Gilbert Yates & Laura Emmons
Estes Yates & Eva Hayes
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

52 Ancestors - #25 Religion in School & Spanking Other People's Kids

This is a reposting of something I wrote in 2012. 
William Yates was the immigrant ancestor of the Yates line in my ancestry. He moved to Maine from Portsmouth, NH. He is credited with founding the town of Greenwood in 1802. He settled on Patch Mountain where he built a rudimentary log cabin until a frame house was completed a few years later. He was a farmer and a Methodist preacher. Some sources have William coming to the U.S. from Scotland and others from England. His first residence in Maine was New Gloucester where he met and married his wife Martha Morgan. William and Martha had 13 children - 9 sons and 4 daughters. 

Picture of Patch Mountain 

Things were very different in those days. There were clear rules of right and wrong and none of this "kids will be kids" mentality or "my perfect little Johnny wouldn't do that." 

A biographical sketch of his grandson, Octavius K. Yates in the Biographical Review gives the following story as an example of the character of William Yates. One time while he was preaching in the local school house, some boys put burrs beneath his saddle causing his normally calm horse to rear and throw him to the ground. The horse ran home, leaving William to walk. The next Sunday he delivered his usual sermon. He had figured out the identity of the culprits, kept them after the service, and "administered a sound flogging; then took them into the meeting-house and prayed for them." 

William Yates & Martha Morgan
Moses Yates & Martha Whittle
Gilbert Yates & Laura Emmons
Estes Yates & Eva Hayes
Linona Yates & Clayton Blake

Sources: 

http://www.megalink.net/~caronfam/mosesdunham/registers/greenwood_history_1906.pdf
Biogaphical Review: This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Franklin and Oxford Counties Maine - Boston 1897. Accessed on ancestry.com March 7, 2012. 

52 Ancestors #22 - Sarah (Averill) Wildes

Sarah (Averill) Wildes is my 8th great-grandmother and she was accused, convicted, and hanged as a witch during the Salem Witch Trials. Some of the testimony involved old accusations by Mary (Gould) Reddington. Mary (Gould) Reddington's sister, Frances, is another of my 8th great-grandmothers. Sarah had been in trouble a few times before Mary brought her accusations. In November 1649, Sarah was sentenced to be whipped for fornication with Thomas Wordell and in May 1663, she was charged with wearing a silk scarf (see A Colonial Dress Code for further information about this colonial law). John Wildes had also testified against his first wife's brother in a treason trial. 

"I John Hale of Beverly aged 56 years beeing sumoned to appeare & give evidence against Sarah Wiles of Topsfeild July 2 1692; Testify that about 15 or 16 yeares agoe came to my house the wife of John Hirrek of Beverly with an aged woeman she said was her mother. Goody Reddington of Topsfeild come to me for counsel beeing in trouble of spirit. When the said Reddington opened her greifs to me thir was one that she was assaulted by witchcraft that Goody wiles her neighb'r bewitched her & afflicted her many times greiviously, telling me many particular storys how & when she troubled her, w'ch I have forgotten. She said allso that a son in law of said Wiles did come & visit her (shee called him an honest young man named John as I take it) & did pitty her the said Reddington, signifying to her that he beleived his mother wiles was a witch & told her storys of his mother. I allso understood by them, that this Goody Wiles was mother in law to a youth named as I take it Jonathan Wiles who about twenty yeares agoe or more did act very strangly Insomuch that I was invited to joyn with Mr. Cobbet & others at Ipswich & pray for the said Youth; whome some thought to counterfeit, others to be possessed by the devill. But I remember Mr Cobbet thought he was under Obsession of the devil. Goody Reddingtons discourse hath caused me to have farther thoughts of the said Youths case whether he were not bewitched." Apparently if a step-son acts strange, then it must be because his step-mother is a witch. 

Mary Reddington was the sister of John Wildes' first wife, Priscilla, so one could guess that might have played a part in her feelings toward John Wildes' second wife, Sarah. Mary's daughter, also named Mary, was the wife of John Herrick. John Herrick is my 9th great-grand-uncle.

It is interesting to me that Mary (Gould) Reddington died soon after these accusations and that fifteen or sixteen years later, her claims could be used against Sarah (Averill) Wildes. Mary's brother, John Gould also was allowed to give his account as evidence. Today these accusations would be considered hearsay and also deprive the accused of her ability to confront witnesses against her to call into question their motives and credibility.

John Gould's testimony:
"The Depotion [sic] of John Gould aged about 56 yeares or theire about Testifieth and saith that some time sence whether it be fivfteen or sixteene yeares agoe I am not sarting [sic: certain] but I take  it to be theire abouts sister Mary Redington tould mee as she was Coming from Salam With her Brother Redington that GoodWife Wilds did strive two or three times to pul her doune of her horse one time she did strive to pul her doune in a brook and soone after she was got out of the brooke she strenke she Could and did git out of the brook and soone after she was got out of the brooke she said that GoodWife Wilds did pul her doune bakwords of her horse and held her doune so as she Could not helpe her selfe tell her Brother Redington and Sarg't Edmon Townes did Come and helper, and my sister did desier mee to Come and Wright what she Could say how GoodWife Wilds did a flicte her for she would Leafe it in Wrighting so as it might be seene when she was dead and I did goe doune to wright it once or twice but when I was redy to wright it sister was taken so as she Could not declare any thing, ...

When these accusations were first aired in the 1670s, John Wildes threatened to sue John Reddington if he continued to defame Sarah. Sarah was also implicated in by the jailhouse confession of another accused witch, Deliverance Hobbs. Ephraim Wildes was the Constable and he was the one who arrested Deliverance Hobbs on the order of the Marshall, George Herrick. Ephraim testified that he believed Deliverance was making her accusation against his mother in retaliation for the arrest. 

Sarah (Averill) Wildes was hanged on July 19, 1692. She was sixty-five years old. On that day, Elizabeth Howe, Susannah Martin, Sarah Good, and Rebecca Nurse were also hanged. 

John Wildes & Sarah Averill

Ephraim Wildes

Jacob Wildes

Ephraim Wildes

Molly Wildes

Jacob Emmons

Laura E. Emmons

Estes Gilbert Yates

Linona Alice Yates - my maternal grandmother

Frances Gould - sister of Sarah's accuser, Mary (Gould) Reddington
Peter Shumway
Hepsibah Shumway
Sarah Walker
Dr. Timothy Carter
Elias Mellen Carter
Augustus Mellen Carter
Edward Mellen Carter
Thomas Richard Carter - my paternal grandfather

John Herrick - son-in-law of Mary (Gould) Reddington
Zachariah Herrick - brother of John Herrick 
Sarah Herrick
Luke Morgan
Luke Morgan
Samuel Morgan
Martha Morgan
Moses Yates
Gilbert William Yates
Estes Gilbert Yates - see above

Henry Herrick - another brother of John & Zachariah Herrick
Samuel Herrick
Joseph Herrick
Sarah Herrick
John Ellingwood
John Ellingwood, Jr.
Asa Freeman Ellingwood
Nina King Ellingwood
Annie Florilla Gibbs
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my paternal grandmother 

Witness to Assassination - 52 Ancestors #10

Octavius K. Yates was my first cousin, 4 times removed. He was the son of James & Emma (Cole) Yates and the grandson of William & Martha (Morgan) Yates (my 4th great-grandparents). The Yates Book relates that Octavius was born on September 25, 1833 and after graduating from high school in Bethel, Maine, he enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War. Octavius was at Ford's Theater on the night of April 15, 1865 when Abraham Lincoln was shot.

The following information comes from the web site www.fordstheater.org.

Ford's Theater was transformed from a church to a theater in 1861. The theater benefited from the influx of population as thousands of soldiers and wartime visitors passed through the city. The sloping ground level had about 600 wooden chairs. These could be removed for dances. The second floor balcony held 420 people in the same type of wooden chairs. The upper balcony seated 600-700 on wooden benches. There were four private boxes, two on either side of the stage.

It's hard to imagine what it was like for those in the theater on that night. The country was celebrating the end of the Civil War. They must have felt that the worst of the hard times was behind them.

After the Civil War, Octavius moved to Canada and was engaged in the oil business before returning to Maine and studying medicine. He became a respected physician in West Paris.

Surname Saturday - William Yates

William Yeats/Yates was the immigrant ancestor of the Yates line in my ancestry. He moved to Maine from Portsmouth, NH. He is credited with founding the town of Greenwood in 1802. He settled on Patch Mountain where he built a rudimentary log cabin until a frame house was completed a few years later. He was a farmer and a Methodist preacher. Some sources have William coming to the U.S. from Scotland and others from England. His first residence in Maine was New Gloucester where he met and married his wife Martha Morgan. William and Martha had 13 children - 9 sons and 4 daughters. He always spelled his last name Yeats but his descendants all use Yates. 

From The Yates Book by Edgar Allan Poe Yates

Patch Mountain

Things were very different in those days. There were clear rules of right and wrong and none of this "kids will be kids" mentality or "my perfect little Johnny wouldn't do that." 

A biographical sketch of his grandson, Octavius K. Yates in the Biographical Review gives the following story as an example of the character of William Yates. One time while he was preaching in the local school house, some boys put burrs beneath his saddle causing his normally calm horse to rear and throw him to the ground. The horse ran home, leaving William to walk. The next Sunday he delivered his usual sermon. He had figured out the identity of the culprits, kept them after the service, and "administered a sound flogging; then took them into the meeting-house and prayed for them." 

Chris Dunham of the Maine Genealogy Network took the pictures of the graves of William and his wife, Martha in the Patch Mountain Cemetery in Greenwood, Maine. Notice the spelling of his name. 

William Yates & Martha Morgan
Moses Yates & Martha Whittle
Gilbert Yates & Laura Emmons
Estes Yates & Eva Hayes
Linona Yates - my grandmother

Sources: 

http://www.megalink.net/~caronfam/mosesdunham/registers/greenwood_history_1906.pdf
Biogaphical Review: This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Franklin and Oxford Counties Maine - Boston 1897. Accessed on ancestry.com March 7, 2012. 
The Yates Book