52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2018 WEEK 18:STEPHEN TOTMAN OF PLYMOUTH, MA.

Looking into my 7x  great grandfather Stephen Totman for this post handed me another family mystery to ponder. The original information I had found online was that Stephen had one wife named Dorothy, possibly Dorothy Stoddard. But this brief entry by  William Richard Cutter presents a different story:

II) Stephen, son of Thomas Totman, resided first in Scituate, where he married _____ ____ (first) . He removed to Plymouth, and married Dorothy  _____. He settled finally in Dorchester. Children: Stephen, born October 11, 1691, died young; Samuel, born July 20, 1693; Stephen, May 27, 1695, died young: Mary, born November 6, 1696; Christian,January 17. 1699. Of second wife, born in Dorchester: Elkanah, 1703 ; Thomas, mentioned below; Lydia, 1708; Stephen, 1711.- p641

Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, Volume 2,  Lewis historical publishing Company,   New York, N.Y.  1910

Now my information was that Stephen's son Samuel (my 6x great grandfather) was born in 1691. But if Cutter is correct and  the first Samuel died young, then I am descended from the second Samuel who was born in 1711.

So many questions, so little time.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2018 WEEK 17:THOMAS TOTMAN OF SCITUATE, MA.

My immigrant ancestor and 8x great grandfather Thomas Totman is one of those ancestors who seems to have lived an unremarkable life. It is believed his wife was Mary Parker, daughter of William Parker and Dorothy Rawlings of Plymouth. Sadly, it is the manner of  Thomas and Mary's deaths that is the most common information about them.

From Samuel Deane's History of Scituate, Massachusetts:

THOMAS TOTMAN *
came from Plymouth 1660. He resided south side Church hill. His son was Stephen, whose children were Samuel born 1693, Stephen 1695, Mary 1696, Christian 1699. Of these, Stephen had a son Ebenezer born 1720, who left two sons, Thomas, who removed, and Stephen born 1756, a Revolutionary soldier; and who deceased 1830, leaving descendants in Scituate, Weymouth and Boston. Ebenezer married Grace, daughter of Hawkins Turner: she is said to be living now at Brookfield. She was born 1732.

* Mary, wife of Thomas Totman, died suddenly 1666. Verdict of a Jury of 12 men, "That she did gather, dress and eat a root (which she judged the same she had eaten of before) of a poisonous nature, which we believe the sole cause of her death." Thomas Totman died suddenly 1678, Jury's verdict: "his own wilful abstractinge of himself from food.”-p356

History of Scituate, Massachusetts: From Its First Settlement to 1831 James Loring Pub. Boton, Ma
1831

THE TOTMAN LINE

The next branch of my Barrows family involves the ancestors of Moses Barrows Jr.'s  wife Deborah
Totman. Here's a relationship chart showing her descent from Thomas Totman:

Through her mother Experience Rogers she was descended from several Mayflower passengers. I haven't done a lot of research on some of these people so some information may change as I dig in further.