Romantic Encounter - 52 Ancestors #7

Jeffrey & Sarah (Vinson) Parsons are my 10th great-grandparents. The story of their meeting and romance is detailed in the following story. 







From The History the Town and City of Gloucester, Cape Ann, Massachusetts, by James R. Pringle, 1892. 

"Jeffrey, according to tradition, gained his wife in a romantic manner. While journeying to town on a sultry summer day, weary and footsore, he sat down at Vinson's spring to rest and refresh himself. The house of William Vinson was hard by, and his beautiful daughter Sarah, observing the traveler, approached him with a drinking cup, the better to slake his thirst. Jeffrey was susceptible, and nothing unwilling, Sarah won a husband at the fountain, and they were married happily, Nov. 11, 1657." 

My Line:

Jeffrey Parsons, son of Jeffrey Parsons

Jeffrey Parsons, the third Jeffrey in a row! 

Jonathan Parsons

Abigail Parsons

William Rowe

William Rowe, Jr. 

Stephen B. Rowe

Charles H. N. Rowe

Anna J. Rowe

Eva Delphinia Hayes

Linona Alice Yates - my grandmother

52 Ancestors #36 - A Love Letter to a Future Wife

Have you ever wondered what dating was like in the 17th century New England colonies? Sometimes one can find some correspondence to give a little insight. I found this letter in this book. It is from my 9th great-grandfather, John Capen, to his second wife and my 9th great-grandmother, Mary Bass, while they were courting. He had been married once before so that may have been a reason he seems to be pressing her for an answer in the section I have marked in bold. 

To his Deare and Louing and much respected friend Mary Bass, at her father house in Brantrey, giue this I pray you.

Sweete-harte,

My kind loue and affection to you remembred; haueinge not as convenient opertunety to see and speake wth you doe oft as I could desire. I therefore make bold to take opertunety as occasione offers it selfe to visset you wth my letter, desiring yt it may find acceptance wth you, as a token of my loue to you; as I can assure you yt yours haue found from me; for as I came home from your faithfull messenger, wch was welcom vnto me, and for wch I kindly thank you, and do desire yt as it is ye first: so yt it may not be ye last, but yt it may be as good a seed wch will bring forth more frute: and for your good counsel and aduise in your letter specified, I doe accept, and do desire yt we may still commend ye casse to god, for direction and clearing vp of our way as I hope wee haue hethertoo done; and yt our long considerations may at ye next time bring forth firme conclussions, I mean verbally though not formally. Sweetharte I haue given you a large ensample of patience, I hope you will learne this instruction from ye same, namely, to show ye like toward me if euer occasion be offered for futuer time, and for ye present, condescendency vnto my request; thus wth my kind loue remembred to yor father and mother and Brothers and sisters wth thanks for all ther kindness wch haue been vndeseruing in me I rest, leaueing both them and vs vnto ye protection and wise direction of ye almight.

My mother remembers her loue vnto yor father and mother; as also vnto your selfe though as it vnknown.

                           Yors to command in any thing I pleas.

Ffrom Dor. Ye 5^th of ye 3 mo. 1647             John Capen

In the end, they said "I do" on September 20, 1647. 

John Capen & Mary Bass

James Capen & Hannah Lawrence

James Capen & Elizabeth Call

James Capen & Sarah Pinson

Thomas Capen & Mary Wyman

Thomas Capen & Mary Abbott

Timothy Capen & Sarah K. Abbott

Edward Abbott Capen & Mary Jane Abbott

Fanny May Capen & Edward Mellen Carter

Thomas Richard Carter - my grandfather

Edward Abbott Capen & Mary Jane Abbott were second cousins - Timothy Capen's sister, Deborah was Mary Jane's grandmother. Deborah married William Ackley - their daughter, Sarah Ackley married John Abbott and they were the parents of Mary Jane. 

Romance in Rockport - Updated

The legend of Mary Andrews and Stephen Knutsford of Rockport. When I first wrote about this, I     thought I was a direct ancestor of Mary but then I found a mistake in my research. I was very disappointed that my connection to this story was broken. However, I recently discovered that Mary is my 4th cousin 7 times removed...hey, it's a connection and I'll take it.  

Andrews Point

Mary is described as dreamy and intuitive; a girl who liked to use her imagination. She had one daydream that came over and over. It involved her husband coming to her from across the sea. In some dreams he was lying injured and exhausted on the shore of Andrews Point. It was such a powerful dream that she turned away other suitors choosing to wait for her dreams to come true. She frequently wandered down to the shore to look for him. Finally one day, she saw him - a young man in a foreign uniform lying injured on the shore - just as she pictured in her dream. She revived him and helped him up the path to her father's home where he was nursed back to health. On November 5, 1778, Mary became his bride. 


The name of Mary's dream man was Stephen Knutsford and his background adds to the romance of the story. It is unknown how he ended up in the British Navy but in a deposition he gave in 1805, he stated that he came to this country during the Revolutionary War; was taken prisoner when General Burgoyne surrendered at Saratoga, October 17, 1777; called himself a "seaman" and said he was born in Ireland. Others have speculated that he was the second son of a Lord Knutsford whose estate was in Cheshire or the son of an Irish lord. Eleanor Parsons wrote that he was from a titled Danish-English family; on a British ship sailing off Straitsmouth Island when he was tossed overboard by the rolling sea. Unfortunately, he died in 1807 without ever revealing any information about his family background. 

Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga

Adding to the mystery is the fact that he was not typical of seamen of the day. He could read and write quite well. His handwriting is described as beautiful and his conversation as brilliant. He was secretive about his former life and there is no evidence he communicated with his family or friends in the British Isles. Of course, he was not an American citizen and risked capture by the British who would consider him a deserter and a traitor. He lived a quiet life, teaching school at Lanesville and Pigeon Cove on Cape Cod. He and Mary had eight children. 


Common ancestors for Mary Andrews are Nathaniel & Lydia (Huckstep) Andrews. It comes through the Ellingwood line to my grandmother, Fern Lyndell Cotton, for the descendants of Asa Freeman Ellingwood who read my blog.  


Sources: 
Ancestry.com. Alluring Rockport : an unspoiled New England town on Cape Ann : an irregular, rocky shore with ledges and sandy coves, quarries [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.


Rockport: The Making of a Tourist Treasure
 By Eleanor C. Parsons, 1998