Showing posts with label Pickering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pickering. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 13, 2016

My Grandfathers - The Selectmen Who Rewrote the Book


On January 13, 1653, a meeting of Selectmen was held at the tavern of George Walton on Great Island in Portsmouth. In attendance were Brian Pendleton, Renald Fernald, John Pickering, Henry Sherburne, and James Johnson. As fate would have it, I am related to all except James Johnson. Frank W. Hackett, in his 1645-1656. Portsmouth Records, called them "men of force and character and all of them prominent in the records."




It seems that not everyone was happy with the extension of Puritan-controlled Massachusetts Bay authority over the Piscataqua region. Supporters of the Church of England and other religious non-conformists had attempted to break away from this control and been arrested. So the Selectmen decided to tighten the grip by looking at the old Town Book and crossing out the items that did not meet their approval. Then the approved items were copied into a new book. This eliminated evidence of conflicting land claims and allowed the Puritans to distribute the land as they saw chose. Obviously, they would favor those who agreed with their views and could use the land as rewards or to benefit their own interests.

Brian Pendleton continued to be active in extending Puritan control over the New Hampshire and Maine frontier. In England, Cromwell and the Puritans were in control and those who disagreed with their beliefs found little relief from the mother country.

On November 16, 1652, Pendleton and other commissioners met at the home of William Everet in Kittery. There the settlers agreed to submit to the authority of the Massachusetts Bay colony. On November 22, York also agreed to this arrangement. Brian Pendleton was made a justice of a County Court at Kittery. Other areas also fell into line; Wells, Saco, and Cape Porpoise in 1653. The towns gained representation in the General Court but they had other freedoms that those in Massachusetts did not. There was no religious test for voting rights and the local military groups were not required to join with others beyond their own town.




Lines to my dad's mother - Fern Lyndell Cotton
Brian Pendleton - 11th great-grandfather, Mary Pendleton, Pendleton Fletcher, Pendleton Fletcher, Jr., Sarah Fletcher, Gibbins Edgecomb, Thomas Edgecomb, Mary Edgecomb, Benjamin Perley Philbrick, Lizzie Philbrick, Ray Everett Cotton, Fern Lyndell Cotton

Renald Fernald - 10th great-grandfather, William Fernald, Margaret Fernald, Benjamin Cotton, William Cotton, William Cotton, William Cotton, Jr., John Henry Cotton, Francis Llewellyn Cotton, Ray Everett Cotton, Fern Lyndell Cotton

Henry Sherburne - 11th great-grandfather, Elizabeth Sherburne, Elizabeth Langdon, Margaret Fernald - see above

Lines to my mom's mother - Linona Alice Yates
George Walton - 11th great-grandfather, Abishag Walton, Grace Taprill, Dorothy Hoyt, Alice Babb, Lydia Waterhouse, Alice Garland, Richard Hayes, Sydney Hayes, George Hayes, Eva Delphinia Hayes, Linona Alice Yates

Renald Fernald - 11th great-grandfather, Mary Fernald, Mary Partridge, John Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell, Jr. , Susannah Blaisdell, Stephen Blaisdell Rowe, Charles H. N. Rowe, Anna J. Rowe, Eva D. Hayes, Linona Alice Yates

Renald Fernald - 10th great-grandfather, Sarah Fernald, Timothy Waterhouse, John Waterhouse, Lydia Waterhouse - see above

John Pickering - 9th great-grandfather, Thomas Pickering, Mary Pickering, Elizabeth Fabyan, Temperance Downing, Molly Wildes, Jacob Emmons, Laura Emmons, Estes Gilbert Yates, Linona Alice Yates

Henry Sherburne - 10th great-grandfather, Ruth Sherburne, Ruth Moses, John Waterhouse, Lydia Waterhouse - see above


Source:
from Brian Pendleton and His Descendants, 1599-1910, With Some Account of the Pembleton Families of Orange County, N.Y., Ostego County N.Y., and Luzerne County, Pa., and Notices of Other Pendletons of Later Origin in the United States, Everett Hall Pendleton, compiler; accessed on Openlibrary.org.

Friday, October 16, 2015

Drowning Death of Lydia Pickering

From the New England Historic Genealogical Register, Volume 46, page 179. Daniel Epps, Jr. is my 11th great-granduncle. He was the son of Daniel and Martha (Reade) Epps. In 1702, he was the coroner who led the investigation into the death of Lydia Pickering.  Poor Lydia fell into a well and drowned. There's a lot to pick through before you get to the actual findings of the coroner's inquest (emphasis mine).


Inquest Upon the Body of Lydia Pickering of Salem, 1702. - (Communicated by Grenville H. Norcross, LL.B., of Boston) - Ess. sc. An Inquisition Indented Taken at Salem within ye said County of Essex ye 16th Day of October Anno 1702, In ye first year of ye Reigne of our Sovereign Lady Anne by ye grace of God of England, Scotland, France & Ireland Queen, defender of the Faith etc. Before Daniel Epes Gent. One of ye Coroners of our said Lady ye Queen within ye County of Essex aforesaid upon ye View of ye Body of Lydia Pickering Lying dead at ye house of mr. Jno Pickering of Salem aforesaid By ye Oaths of Edward Flint Samuel Phippen, Stephen Ingolls, Daniel Grant, Jno Orne Samuel Sibley Samuel West Jno Cook Samuel Shattock, Henry West Joseph Duglas Wm Reeves, Ephr. Kempton & Jno Priest, Good & Lawfull men of Salem aforesaid within ye County aforesaid, Who being charged & Sworne To Inquire for our said Lady ye Queen, when by what means & how, Lydia Pickering came to her death Upon their Oaths do say, That she came to her End or death by falling into a well & being drowned & so, came to her End by misfortune - In Witnes whereof, as well I ye Coroner aforesaid as ye Jurors aforesaid To this Inquisition have put our hands & seals ye Day & Year abovesaid -
Daniel Epes Coroner (Seal)
The mark of
Jno F Cook (Seal)                          Edward flint Foreman (Seal)
Samuel Shattock (Seal)                Samuel phippen (Seal)
Henry West (Seal)                        Stephen Ingalls (Seal)
Joseph Duglas (Seal)                    Daniel Grant (Seal)
William Reeves (Seal)                  John Orne (Seal)
Ephraim Kempton (Seal)            Samuell Sibley (Seal)
John Priest (Seal)                          Samuel West (Seal)