Standing Up to Persecution - 52 Ancestors #2 Thomas Spencer

The theme of the second week of the 52 Ancestors Challenge is "King." This can be interpreted in a couple of ways, including an ancestor who reminds you of Martin Luther King, Jr. I decided to write about a Quaker (or at least a Quaker sympathizer) ancestor who stood up in the face of persecution and lost a basic civil right (the right to vote) for holding firm to his beliefs. African Americans were also disenfranchised and the victims of violence, intimidation, and even lynching for standing up for their rights. There is a difference in that the persecution was based on skin color in one case and based on religion in the other but both groups faced intense hatred and persecution by certain elements of society. 

Thomas Spencer was my 10th great-grandfather and an early immigrant to the Piscataqua region. He was married to Patience Chadbourne, daughter of William, before 1629. Thomas was born in England about 1596 and died in York County, Maine (probably Berwick) in 1681. Thomas first came to Piscataqua in July of 1630 but he returned the England three years later and came back to settle in 1634. He was on the ship, the Pied Cow in 1634. It is unclear whether Patience came with him in 1630 or came later in 1634. Like many immigrants, he had a variety of occupations, from planter to lumberman to tavernkeeper. 

Thomas and Patience lived in Strawberry Bank (Portsmouth), Piscataqua (Kittery Point), and finally in Newichawannock (South Berwick). They also lived for awhile in Saco but ended their lives in Berwick. Patience died on November 7, 1683. 

The Quaker religion, or the Society of Friends, was established around 1647 by a man named George Fox. Quakers did not practice baptism, formal prayer, and had no ordained ministry. This quickly put the Quakers in conflict with the Puritan clergy in New England. Quakers were put in stocks and lashed with whips, some even had their ears cut off. In 1658, a law was passed in Massachusetts (which had authority over the province of Maine), that banished Quakers from the colony and instituted death by hanging for those who were found in violation of the law. In 1659, three Quakers were arrested and sentenced to hang. They were William Robinson, Marmaduke Stephenson, and Mary Dyer. The two men were hanged first and Mary was given a reprieve. Mary Dyer refused to be deterred from her evangelism and returned to Massachusetts the next year and she too was then hanged. I wrote about her death and my ancestor, Humphrey Atherton in this post. 

In 1659, Thomas lost his right to vote for entertaining Quakers. He was part of a larger group of Quakers and Quaker sympathizers who lived in the Berwick area. At one time, they gave shelter to three Quaker women who were driven out of Dover, New Hampshire after being stripped to the waist and whipped until bloody. 

The couple was frequently in trouble with the courts regarding their religious practices. In 1663, they were presented for "neglecting to come to the publique meeteing on the Lords day to heare the word preached for about the space of 3 Moenths." In July 1675, they were presented for the same offense. Thomas and Patience are not listed as being Quakers but they lived in an area with a large Quaker population, were obviously not interested in the local church, and were willing to sacrifice their own rights and comforts for the Quakers. 

Children of Thomas & Patience (Chadbourne) Spencer:

1. William b. abt 1630
2. Margaret b. abt 1632
3. Susanna b. abt 1636
4. Humphrey b. abt. 1638
5. Elizabeth b. abt 1640
6. Moses b. abt 1642

My Line: 
Thomas Spencer
Margaret Spencer
Elizabeth Goodwin
Elizabeth Emery
Benjamin Tarbox
Jedidiah Tarbox
Patience Smith
Sarah Shepard
Laura E. Emmons
Estes Gilbert Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

Sources: 
Chadbourne.org

52 Ancestors #50 - Conflict Among Ancestors

William Longley is my mother's 10th great-grandfather. He seems to have problems with his neighbors, the related families of Haven and Newhall. Richard Haven and his wife, Susanna (Newhall) Haven are my father's 8th great-grandparents. Susanna's husband and brothers, Thomas, Jr., and John, share their stories about altercations with William Longley in the excerpts below from The Essex Genealogist, Vol. 15. 

First Richard Haven threatened William Longley with a cudgel and accused Longley of harming his hogs. After grabbing his beard and threatening to spill his blood, Haven mocked Longley's cries and said he was foaming at the mouth. 


"The Longley and Haven families lived next to each other and had frequent altercations. In February of 1662 William Longley sued Richard Haven for coming on his land...and abusing him in words and deeds. Mary Longley, aged about 19 years, deposed: "Last summer Richard Haven came to me and asked where my father was; and I perceived that he was angry by his countenance and by his carriage. I told him I would not tell him where he was, and said Haven said I will find him and went over the rails into our lot. I saw him break off a great cudgel and go at a great pace up the lot. Fearing he would do my father some mischief, I followed him, and then I met Daniel Mathews and requested him to go with me til we came near to my father sowing turnip seed in his own lot. Haven said to my father why dids't thou lame my hogs,' and I saw Haven take my father by the beard and said 'I could find in my heart to spill thy heart blood upon the ground thou rogue thou.' My father answered...'the Lord will avenge my wrongs one day,' and the said Haven said 'Hark how he cries aloud to his God, and foames at the mouth.'"

About a year later, William Longley accused Thomas Newhall, Jr. of striking Longley's wife. Thomas Newhall, Jr., was the brother-in-law of Richard Haven. There appears to be enough blame on both sides as Longley's daughters and wife attacked Newhall with stones and a broad axe. The jury appears to have believed Longley's account that Longley's wife was struck with the pole after a tussle between the Longley women and the Newhall men. 

"In March of 1663, William Longley sued Thomas Newhall, Jr. for striking his (Longley's) wife. Thomas had been asked to hold a pole in running the boundary line between the property of William Longley and John Newhall (Thomas's brother). Longley's two daughters were said to have thrown stones at him and one of the daughters struck him with a pole, while Longley's wife struck at him with a broad axe. If he had not slipped he would have been wounded if not killed. The adverse testimony set forth that Newhall was holding one end of a long pole, with Longley's wife and daughters the other end, "and the women were too hard for the man in pulling so much that the said Newhall called his brother John and they two together pulled the pole from the said women, and then Thomas Newhall struck Longley's wife with the pole. A verdict against Newhall was brought in."

William Longley - 11th great-grandfather
Hannah Longley
Thomas Tarbell
Elizabeth Tarbell
Sybil Willard
Samuel Haskell
Martha Haskell
Mary "Sally" Houghton
Florilla Dunham
Nina King Ellingwood
Annie Florilla Gibbs
Fern Lyndell Cotton - my grandmother - Dad's side

Richard Haven - 9th great-grandfather
Mary Haven
Nathaniel Tarbox
Benjamin Tarbox
Jedidiah Tarbox (female)
Patience Smith
Sarah Shepard
Laura E. Emmons
Estes Gilbert Yates
Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother - Mom's side

Thomas Newhall, Jr. - brother of my 9th great-grandmother, Susanna Newhall. Susanna Newhall was married to Richard Haven (above). 

Remembering Our Veterans

Yesterday I wrote about Dominicus Smith, my 5th great-grandfather, who served in the Revolutionary War. It was exciting to learn he served with General George Washington at the Battle of Trenton. I got the information from his pension application which I accessed on Fold3. It was interesting to read his circumstances in 1818 and again in 1823 when he applied for his pension and then updated his financial status. I found it interesting but sad that it appears one had to be destitute in order to receive a pension. Below are the images and transcriptions of this portion of his application. He was awarded a pension of $8/month paid in semi-annual installments of $48. He got $77.16 for back pension payments. His daughter, Patience, age 33 and feeble, is my 4th great-grandmother and his granddaughter, Sarah, age 7, is my 3rd great-grandmother. 


Seeing the inventory in these images, I am reminded of the debt we owe our veterans for their sacrifices and our duty to care for them and their families. 

Maine                                           been wholly applied    

Dominicus Smith                                 to the discharge of his

Privat 1 year 1776                              first Debts -

1 Schedule, June 1820                           His age 68. Farmer -

14 acres of poor Land –                        Patience – 33 – very feeble

A small house & Barn                            Jedediah – 11 – Christiana 8

1 Cow – 1 pair of small                        Sarah – 7 -

Cattle – 6 sheep – At Home

a few articles of furniture

amt. of Schedule $219                           Recorded 2 Sep 1823

2 Schedule – 2^nd May 1823

Real Estate – none –

an old Home & a few

articles of furniture –

The Real Estate in

first Schedule was sold

to Elisha Smith, Febry

6. 1821 – Deed made and

acknowledged same day –

Consideration $150 – the

proceeds of said sale have

Schedule of real and personal estate, (necessary clothing and bedding excepted) belonging to me the subscriber viz:

Real estate – I have none

Personal estate – One old horse and a few mean (unk. Word) or cooking utensils and household stuff.

      Since the exhibition of my first schedule the following changes have been made to my property and circumstances. The fourteen acres of poor and rocky land mentioned in said schedule I sold to Elisha Smith in February 1821 – for one hundred and fifty dollars, with which I paid [Doet?] Emerson about sixty dollars – and an execution in favor of [Dort?] Aaron Porter against me for about 50 dollars and the rest has been appropriated to pay sundry small demands I owed to different individuals and for my family’s support. The Stock mentioned in said schedule has also been consumed in the support of myself and family – I have no income or prospect of any

                        Dominicus Smith

May 2, 1823

      Signed and sworn to

            Before me Asher Ware D.J. of U.S.

Schedule of family residing with me Dominicus Smith,who by occupation am a farmer – which I am not able to pursue by reason of bodily infirmity – am not able to do a days work

Names       Ages              Capacity of each to contribute to their support

Patience – a daughter 33     very feeble

Jedediah          11                     

Christiana         8          young children not able to support themselves  

Sarah             7

11.769 R

District of Maine

Dominicus Smith

of Biddeford in the state of Dist. of Maine

who was a private in the regiment commanded by

Colonel Patterson of the Massachusetts

Line for the term of one year

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________

Inscribed on the Roll of the Dist. of Maine

At the rate of 8 Dollars per month, to commence on

The 16^th of May 1818

­____________________________________________

Certificate of Pension issued 11 of June 1819

and sent to [unreadable]

Saco, District of Maine

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­______________________________________________

Arrears to 4^th of Mar 1819 [unreadable] $77.16

Semi-anl. all’ce ending 4th Mar 1819  $48 ~

                                       $125,16

            {Revolutionary claim,}

            {Act 18^th March, 1818}

                        Yorke County


Dominicus & Jedidiah (Tarbox) Smith
David & Patience (Smith) Shepard
Jacob & Sarah (Shepard) Emmons
Gilbert & Laura (Emmons) Yates
Estes & Eva (Hayes) Yates
Linona Yates - my grandmother