FLYBOYS 2019: AN UPDATE

I first posted this picture of an Air Corps training squad at Ames,Iowa back in 2008.My Dad is in the back row but he washed out because of ear pressure problems.I was fascinated by the names of the other trainees and wondered what had become of them, and if they had families who might want a copy of the photo. So I've reposted it several times over the years in the hopes it could help me contact the families.

This year I reposted it for Veterans Day and it piqued the curiosity of blog reader John Stanley who did some research and sent me an email with quitea bit of information on the men in the photo.
Over the next few days I will use  what John found to see if I can get in touch with their survivors.

And it turns out that John and I share connections with four of our ancestors and that he lived in the sane town where my Aunt Flossie and Uncle Herbie lived.

Thank you John for your great work!

I'll post another update after I follow up on this.

VETERANS DAY 2019

On Veterans Day I like to pay tribute to the members of
our family who have served our country from its birth. I don't
have all the details of the service records, and I'm sure I will
discover more relatives to add later, but this is what I have so far.

American Revolution: 
 
Jonathan Barker Jr. My 4x great grandfather
Was a Minuteman from Methuen Ma with rank of Sergeant.
He responded to Lexington and Concord with his sons
Served in Captain Samuel Johnson's Company in
Colonel Titcomb's Regiment for 2 months in 1777 in Rhode
Island and then with Nathaniel Gage's Company in Colonel
Jacob Gerrish's guards from Dec 1777 tol April 1778 guarding
the captured troops of General Burgoyne.


Jonathan Barker 3rd  My 5x great grandfather

Enlisted on 19 Apr 1775 in Continental Army, Capt. John
Davis' Company, Col. James Frye's Regiment, in the
Massachusetts line for 8 months in Cambridge, Ma. At the
conclusion of the term, he reenlisted for another 3 months in
Capt John Allen's Company, Colonel John Waldron's Regiment,
General Sullivan's Brigade in the New Hampshire Brigade at
Charlestown, Ma. He then enlisted a third time in June 1778
at Methuen, Ma., joining Captain Samuel Carr's Company, Col.
James Weston's Regiment, in General Lerned's Brigade at
White Plains, N.Y. and serving for another 9 months.


John Ames       My 5x great grandfather

Was a Minuteman under Capt. Asa Parker on April 18th,
1775. He then enlisted in the Continental Army under Captain
Oliver Parker, Col. William Prescott's Regiment and
in the Brigade that was commanded in turn by Generals
Putnam, Lee, and Washington and served for 8 1/2 months.
For a more detailed account of his service see my posts
about his Revolutionary War Pension File starting here.


Asa Barrows    My 4x great grandfather

A member of the militia from Middleborough , Ma. (south of
Boston) in the Company of Captain Joshua Benson, in Colonel
Cotton's Regiment, and General William Heath's Brigade for
8 months during the siege of Boston. In December 1776 he
joined a militia Company commanded by Captain Joshua
Perkins and marched to Barrington, R.I. and was stationed
there for 6 weeks. In July 1780 he again enlisted, this time
in a militia company commanded by Captain Perez Churchill
that marched to Tiverton, R.I. I posted about his
Revolutionary War Pension File starting here.


Moses Coburn  My 4x great grandfather

Moses Coburn got into the War late and by reason of being
"hired by a certain class of men in the then town of Dunstable
to go into the Continental Army in the summer of 1781."
When he reached Phillipsburgh in New York he was placed in
Captain Benjamin Pike's Company, in the Regiment of the
Massachusetts line commanded by Lt. Colonel Calvin Smith in
which he served for nearly two years until it was broken up.
He then transferred to the Company of Judah Alden in the
Regiment commanded by Colonel Sprouts until his discharge
in 1783.


Samuel Haskell   My 5x great grandfather

Samuel served in Captain Joseph Elliott's Company in Colonel
William Turner's Regiment and then under Captain Hezekiah
Whitney in Colonel Josiah Whitney's Regiment.


Amos Hastings   My 5x great grandfather

Amos was responded to the Lexington Alarm as part of
Captain Richard Ayer's Company and Colonel William
Johnson's Regiment. He later served in Captain Timothy
Eaton's Company in Colonel Edward Wigglesworth's Regiment
and was at the taking of the British General Burgoyne at
Ticonderoga.



Elisha Houghton   5x great grandfather

Enlisted at Harvard Ma as a Private in May of 1777 in the
Massachusetts militia and was at the Battles of Bunker Hill
and Stillwater. He then enlisted for three years in the infantry
company commanded by Captain Joshua Brown in Colonel
Timothy Bigelow's 15th Regiment of the Massachusetts line.
and took part in the Battles of Monmouth and Newport and
was at Valley Forge. He twice was promoted to Sergeant and
twice was busted back down to the ranks.


Amos Upton    My 5x great grandfather

Responded to the Lexington Alarm and marched there from
his home in Reading. He later joined the militia company
commanded by Captain Asa Prince as an orderly sergeant
and then enlisted for eight months in the Continental Army
under Colonel Mansfield for 8 months. He was at the Battle
of Bunker Hill. He was discharged in October of 1775.


John Griffith  My 5x great grandfather

Enlisted in 1781 as a Matross (he swabbed out the barrel of
the cannons after they fired, or so I've been told) in Captain
William Treadwell's Company in Colonel John Crane's
Artillery Regiment.



Reuben Packard   My 5x great grandfather

A Sergeant in Captain Josiah Hayden's Company in Colonel
Bailey's militia. They marched to Lexington at news of the
Alarm. He also responded several more times as a Minuteman
for a total of nearly 8 months duty.


Jonathan Abbot    My 5x great grandfather

Served as a Sergeant in the Militia under Captain Henry
Abbott and responded to the Lexington Alarm

Samuel Stowe  My 5x great grandfather

Minuteman from Sherborn, Ma. Served in Capt. Benjamin Bullard's
Company in Col. Asa Whitcomb's 5th Massachusetts Bay
Provincial Regiment

Besides those direct ancestors, these other relatives fought
in the Revolution:

Moses Barrows, brother to Asa Barrows.

Samuel, Jesse, and Benjamin Barker, sons of Jonathan
Barker, Jr. and brothers to Jonathan Barker 3rd.

James Swan, brother in law to Jonathan Barker.

War of 1812
John Griffith My 5x great grandfather

served in Capt Elias Morse's Company, Col. Holland's Regiment
as part of a artillery company defending Portland, Maine.

Amos Hastings My 5x great grandfather
helped organize the militia in Bethel, Maine and rose
to the rank of Brigadier General  of the 2nd Brigade, 13th Division of
the Massachusetts State Militia.

Nathaniel Barker  My 3x great grandfather
was a private in  the company commanded by Captain William Wheeler
in the Regiment  of Militia commanded by Col. Ryerson, which was
stationed at Portland, Maine.

Civil War
Asa Freeman Ellingwood  My 2x great grandfather

enlisted in Company I, 5th Maine Infantry, on June 24, 1861.
He was at the First Battle of Bull Run after which he received
a medical discharge in Dec 1861. He reenlisted inCo "A" 9th
Veteran R Corps in September 1864 and served until the end
of the war when he was honorably discharged.

Asa & Florilla Ellingwood

Other relatives who served in the Civil War:

2x great granduncles:

 Leonidas West
Enlisted in Company G 12 Maine Infantry Regiment on March 1,
1865. Mustered out on  18Apr 1866

Asa Atwood West
Enlisted in Company F of the Maine Coast Guard.

Oscar Phipps Ellingwood
Enlisted in Company E, New Hampshire 14th Infantry Regiment
23Sept 1862, mustered out 9Sep 1863. Transferred to Company
E,  U.S,.Veterans Reserve Corps 21st Infantry Regiment 9Sep 1863,
mustered out 11Jul 1865.

Cousins:

Charles O. Ellingwood
Enlisted 21 Dec 1863 in Company E, 9th New Hampshire Infantry.
Died 13Mar 1864 at Camp Burnside,Kentucky. (18 yrs old)


Henry O. Ellingwood Enlisted 25Oct 1862  Company K,  New
Hampshire 16th Infantry Regiment, died  1Mar 1863 in Carollton, La.

Franklin Dunham
Died in the War. Haven't found any details as yet.


Spanish-American War
Hollis J Ellingwood My cousin
Enlisted 2May 1898 in Company A 1st Regiment Maine Infantry
Discharged 28Oct 1898

World War 1

 Floyd E West Sr. My grandfather

Floyd E West Sr.

Enlisted 29Apr 1918. Served in Company K,303rd Infantry. He was a
corpsman at Camp Devens, Ma during the Spanish Influenza outbreak
and was honorably discharged 12 Mar 1919


World War II

Floyd E West Jr  My Dad

Enlisted 19 Mar 1943 at 18 years old. After washing out of the Air Corps
Bomber School, he served in the US Army Infantry in the Pacific Theater  and
was honorably discharged on 11 Mar 1946 at age 22

Edward F White, Jr. My Uncle

Enlisted in the U.S.Navy on 27Oct 1942 at 17years old. He was honorably
discharged 18Apr 1946, a week before his 21st birthday.

Charles Barger My Uncle
I don't know the specifics of his service yet.
 
Operation Iraqi Freedom
 Paul Skarinka My Nephew

Paul And Jen

FLYBOYS 2019

((I'm reposting this again today  for Veterans Day weekend in hopes that perhaps the relatives of the men in the photograph might one day find this picture of their veterans. First posted
June, 2008))




I've posted this photo before. It's from when my Dad was
training for the Air Corps during World War II before he
washed out due to inner ear problems.


On the back is a partial list of names of his fellow trainees,
and I'm posting that image now and my attempt at
transcribing it here in the hopes that the children and
grandchildren of these men might find it someday and see
how they looked in their uniforms before they went off to
war.


Because of the way the men are grouped it's hard for me to
assign names to specific faces. The only two I can are Michael
D. Piper Jr. and Lonnie (or Lennie?) L. Parker (?) standing to
either side of my father Floyd E. West Jr. at the far right end
of the back row. I think the first name is actually Lee Mill
Sanders and that he just signed the list "last name first."


I also noticed that Daniel M. Jeffrey's name appears twice.
The first entry is crossed over so I've assumed that either
someone else had posted the name in the wrong place or he
had done so himself and then corrected his mistake. I've
changed the first entry to "unknown".


So here they are. I wonder how many of them made it
home after the war, and I thank them for their service
to our country.


Sanders Lee Mill Artesia N.M.

Palmer E. Severson Wanooka (?) Minn,

Jerald L. Swan, Beatrice, Nebraska

Helmut Paul Zimmerman, Buffalo, N.Y.

Robert L. Rugg Pueblo, Colorado

Unknown

Charles H. Parman, Skidmore, Mo.

Unknown

Unknown

Bill C. Hays, San Angelo, Texas

Unknown

Ward L. Warnock, Camden, Ark.

Michael C. Sanborn (?) Port Arthur, Tex.

Bob Moffet, St. Joseph, Mo.

Unknown

Ross Powill, Ellisville Miss

Daniel M. Jeffrey, Jeanette, La.

Allen D. Bailey, Mpls Minnesota

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Jack Sessions Colton, California

Jack Wendt, Pecos, Texas

Unknown

Burton L. Steele, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bob E Wick,  Denver, Colorado

James H. Trask, Kansas City, Kansas

William E. Green,  Eden, Texas

Unknown

Unknown

Michael D. Piper Jr., Queen City, Mo.

Floyd E. West

Lonnie (or Lennie?) L. Parker (?), Roswell, New Mex.

REMINDER FOR THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL GREAT GENEALOGY POETRY CHALLENGE

Just a reminder that the deadline for this year's Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge is only
two weeks away on 21November.

Once again,here are the rules;

1. Find a poem by a  poet, famous or obscure, about the region
one of your ancestors lived in. It can be about an historical event, a
legend, a person, or even about some place (like a river)or a local
animal. It can even be a poem you or one of your ancestors have written.
0r, if you prefer, post the lyrics of a song or a link to a video of someone
performing the song.

2. Post the poem or song to your blog (remembering to cite the source
where you found it.).  If you wish to enter an older post, you may as long
as it has not appeared here in an earlier Poetry Challenge.

 3.Tell us how the subject of the poem or song relates to your ancestor's
home or life, or the area of the country where they lived.

4.Submit your post's link here to me  in a comment or send me an emaill  
by midnight Thursday, November 21st and I'll publish all links to the entries 
on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th

5. If  you submit a humorous poem or song that will be entered under the
"Willy Puckerbrush" division. Willy was the late geneablogger Terry
Thornton's alias for some humorous posts and comments.

There you have it. You have two months to find your poem and post it to your
blogs. I will be waiting to see what you come up with this year!

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 44: WALTER TYBOTT OF GLOUCESTER, MA. PT2

My 10x great grandfather Walter Tybott did very well for himself after moving to the area of Cape Ann that eventually became Gloucster, Ma. So well in fact that when Rev. Byndman moved away in 1648, Walter stayed put. By this time he had served on the commission that had set  the boundaries with the neighboring town of Ipswich and for a time was the Gloucester town constable. He also was a succesful farmer in an area where most of the colonist made their living as fishermen. He died in Gloucester 14Aug 1651.

I found a transcription of his will and estate inventory on line and at the time of his death Walter owned various lots of land in the area and they add up to 106 acres  In the will he leaves land and money to his heirs and bequeaths his clock to his son in law William Haskell (my 9x great grandfather). The fact that Waler owned a clock is in itself a good indication of how prosperous his life had been.

Walter and his wife Mary (last name not known) had four childre, all daughters and all born in Wales:
Agnes
Elizabeth
Elinor.
Mary

I am descended from Walter's daughter Mary who married William Haskell.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 44: WALTER TYBOTT OF GLOUCESTER, MA. PT1

My ancestor William Haskell Jr.'s wife Mary Tybott was the daughter of my 10x great grandfather Walter Tybott. Walter was a Welshman and originally emigrated to  Marshfield in Plymouth Colony as part of a group known as the Blynman Party. I'd never heard of these people before, so I did a Google search to see what I could find out about them.

I found this in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 53 on Google books:

In the "Memoirs of the Plymouth Colony," by Hon. Francis Baylies, part 5, p. 285, under " Marshfield," we find:
"Gov. Winslow, the founder of Marshfield, often visited England; he induced several Welsh gentlemen of respectability to emigrate to America, amongst whom came the Rev. Richard Blinman, in 1642, who was the first pastor of Murshfield. Some dissensions taking place, Mr. Blinman and the Welshmen removed to Cape Anne in less than a year. In 1648 Blinman went to New London, in Connecticut, of which place he was the pastor ten years. In 1658 he was at New Haven, and soon after returned to England, after having received in 1650 an invitation to settle at Newfoundland. He died at the city of Bristol, England."

From another source I glean:

"Marshfield incorporated March 1, 1642. After the departure of Rev. Mr. Blinman, Rev. Edward Bulkeley, son of the first minister of Concord, Mass., was pastor."

THE EARLIEST DATE OF THE BLYNMAN PARTY.
The earliest notice we have of Mr. Blynman in this country is in the Plymouth records, March 2, 1641. This was earlier than any vessel would likely arrive that season, which makes it probable that he came over in 1640:

"At a General Court held in Plymouth, (Mass.,) Mr. Blindman, Mr. Heugh Prychard, Mr. Obadiah Brewen, John Sadler, Heugh Cauken, and Walter Tibbott were propounded to be made free the next Court."
Plymouth Records, vol. 2, p. 8.

This is dated March 2, 1641, and is the earliest mention of the Blynman party. What is still more remarkable is that only six of the numerous party are mentioned.

Gov. Winthrop in his Diary, says:

"One Mr. Blinman, a minister in Wales, a Godly and able man, came over with some friends of his, and being invited to Green's Harbour (since Marshfield near Plymouth,) they went thither, but ere the year was expired there fell out some difference among them which by no means could be reconciled, so as they agreed to part, and he came with his company and sat down at Cape Anne which at this Court {May, 1643) was established to be a plantation and called Gloucester."-p235

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 53   New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1899 Boston, Ma

So my ancestor Walter Tybott was part of a group that had had a falling out with a church in Wales and  that came to Marshfield, Ma at the invitation of Gov. Winslow in 1641.  But after only a year there the group moved to the Massachusetts Bay Colony and settled the area now known as Gloucester, Ma. Walter seems to have done well enough there that he stayed there when Rev. Blynman moved on again.
To be continued...

"LITTLE ORPHANT ANNIE"

((First posted on October, 2011))



When we were small our Mom occasionally would recite this poem and would tickle us when she reached the "Gobble-uns 'll git you ef you don't watch out!" part. Then when I was in the third grade at the Frank V.Thompson school in Dorchester I read the poem in our English text book. Years later I used to post it every Halloween on an email list for a fantasy role playing group. So it's a sort of Halloween tradition for me.


Anyway, it's the best Halloween poem I know. Enjoy.

And `ware th' Gobble-uns!

Little Orphant Annie

by James Whitcomb Riley.

LITTLE Orphant Annie ’s come to our house to stay,   
An’ wash the cups and saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,   
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep,   
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep;   
An’ all us other children, when the supper things is done,         
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun   
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ’at Annie tells about,   
An’ the Gobble-uns ’at gits you   
        Ef you   
            Don’t           
              Watch   
                Out!   

Onc’t they was a little boy would n’t say his pray’rs—   
An’ when he went to bed at night, away up stairs,   
His mammy heerd him holler, an’ his daddy heerd him bawl,           
An’ when they turn’t the kivvers down, he was n’t there at all!   
An’ they seeked him in the rafter-room, an’ cubby-hole, an’ press,   
An’ seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an’ ever’wheres, I guess;   
But all they ever found was thist his pants an’ roundabout!   
An’ the Gobble-uns ’ll git you           
        Ef you   
            Don’t   
              Watch   
                Out!   

An’ one time a little girl ’ud allus laugh an’ grin,         
An’ make fun of ever’ one, an’ all her blood-an’-kin;   
An’ onc’t when they was “company,” an’ ole folks was there,   
She mocked ’em an’ shocked ’em, an’ said she did n’t care!   
An’ thist as she kicked her heels, an’ turn’t to run an’ hide,   
They was two great big Black Things a-standin’ by her side,          
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’ ’fore she knowed what she ’s about!   
An’ the Gobble-uns ’ll git you   
        Ef you   
            Don’t   
                Watch          
                    Out!   

An’ little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,   
An’ the lampwick sputters, an’ the wind goes woo-oo!   
An’ you hear the crickets quit, an’ the moon is gray,   
An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is allsquenched away,—        
You better mind yer parents, and yer teachers fond and dear,   
An’ churish them ’at loves you, an’ dry the orphant’s tear,   
An’ he’p the pore an’ needy ones ’at clusters all about,   
Er the Gobble-uns ’ll git you   
        Ef you           
            Don’t   
              Watch   
                Out!

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 43 SAMUEL HASKELL JR. OF HARVARD, MA.AND WATERFORD, ME.

Samuel Haskell was born in Harvard, Worcester County Ma. to Samuel Haskell,Sr.
and Sybil Willard on12 Jun 1749. Twenty one years later he married his fourth
cousin Ruth Safford (they were both descendants of William Haskell and Elinor
Cook) on  6 Dec 1770. They had eleven children, all of whom were born in
Harvard, and sometime between 1799  and 1810 the family moved from Harvard up
to Gorham, Maine.:

   Samuel  b: 16 Jan 1772
   Sybel  b: 17 Nov 1773
   John  b: 4 Dec 1775
   Martha  b: 15 Feb 1780
   Ruth  b: 5 Jan 1782 
   Mercy  b: 11 May 1784  
   Eunice  b: 17 May 1786
   Ward Safford  b: 5 May 1788
   Betsy Elizabeth  b: 2 Sep 1790
   Sarah  b: 17 Apr 1793
   George  b: 23 Mar 1799  


I'm descended from Martha who married Moses Houghton.
  
By 1820 they were in Waterford, Maine, where Samuel died
sometime before 18Jan 1826 which is the earliest dated document in the Probate
File. I'm not sure why it took ten years for the estate to finally be settled. Samuel
died in debt and there are several court orders that the estate be sold over the
course of that decade.Eventually an auction was held, and one of the items on
the list of what was sold caught my attention.

The auction was held on 8 Sept 1834 and the items fill two pages and part of a
third. Here's an image I found on FamilySearch for that third page:

"Maine, Oxford County, Probate Estate Files, 1805-1915," images, FamilySearch Estate files drawer H52 Hamlin, Cyrus to Howe, Jacob,

The first two items on the page are:
"One bottle of pepper sauce      .17  Eunice  Haskell
Four bottles                               .17     Do       Do "

Eunice Haskell was one of Samuel and Ruth's children. The "Do" under her
name stands for "ditto". When I read what Eunice bought from her parents'
estate on that page I wondered why those two things. Ruth Haskell had died a
year after Samuel, so if Eunice bought the pepper sauce to eat and it was seven
years old, I'm not sure it would still be edible. Maybe it was something Eunice
herself had made since then on the premises since she was single and perhaps she
had stayed on at the family home after her parents died. Those other four bottles
she bought must have been empty, since there's no indication on the list that
they contained anything. Was Eunice going to make more pepper sauce and needed
those jars?

Dang, that must have been really special pepper sauce!

It's not a big question, just one of those things I run across in the Probate Records
that makes me wonder.

"WHEN THE FROST IS ON THE PUNKIN" BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY

((Oddly enough, both my parents occasionally would quote a line or two from Riley's
two most famous poems. This is the one Dad would quote; I'll post the other later this month
I first posted this on 13Oct 2012)) 


We had the first frost of the fall season last night in parts of New England and it put me in mind 
how Dad would  sometimes recite "When the frost is on the pumpkin...". That's the only part of
the poem he'd say. I think he must have had to recite it in school when he was a kid and that's all
he remembered.

Reading it just now I had to grin at the line about the turkey since I've now had experiences with
a loud, "struttin" turkey here in my own backyard!




 "When the Frost is on the Punkin"
                          James Whitcomb Riley

When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock,   
And you hear the kyouck and gobble of the struttin' turkey-cock,   
And the clackin' of the guineys, and the cluckin' of the hens,   
And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence;   
O, it's then the time a feller is a-feelin' at his best,         
With the risin' sun to greet him from a night of peaceful rest,   
As he leaves the house, bareheaded, and goes out to feed the stock,   
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.   
 
They's something kindo' harty-like about the atmusfere   
When the heat of summer's over and the coolin' fall is here—   
Of course we miss the flowers, and the blossoms on the trees,   
And the mumble of the hummin'-birds and buzzin' of the bees;   
But the air's so appetizin'; and the landscape through the haze   
Of a crisp and sunny morning of the airly autumn days   
Is a pictur' that no painter has the colorin' to mock—   
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.   
 
The husky, rusty russel of the tossels of the corn,   
And the raspin' of the tangled leaves as golden as the morn;   
The stubble in the furries—kindo' lonesome-like, but still   
A-preachin' sermuns to us of the barns they growed to fill;   
The strawstack in the medder, and the reaper in the shed;   
The hosses in theyr stalls below—the clover overhead!—   
O, it sets my hart a-clickin' like the tickin' of a clock,   
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.   
 
Then your apples all is gethered, and the ones a feller keeps   
Is poured around the cellar-floor in red and yaller heaps;   
And your cider-makin's over, and your wimmern-folks is through   
With theyr mince and apple-butter, and theyr souse and sausage too!...   
I don't know how to tell it—but ef such a thing could be   
As the angels wantin' boardin', and they'd call around on me—   
I'd want to 'commodate 'em—all the whole-indurin' flock—   
When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 42 SAMUEL HASKELL SR. OF HARVARD, MA.

My 6x great grandfather Samuel Haskell  Sr.was born on 13Sep 1715, in Gloucester, Ma .He married Sybil Willard on 10May, 1744, in Harvard, Ma

Samuel was a prominent citizen. He owned a farm and for a time was a storekeeper and then innkeeper. He was a town selectman and had a seat in the front row in the Harvard Meeting House. Most notably he was a Captain in the town militia and during the French & Indian War.He led his company in the attempt to relieve Fort William Henry in New York from a siege by the French in August 1757 but the fort surrendered before help could arrive.

Samuel and his wife Sybil's children were all born in Harvard:
Elizabeth, 14Mar 1745
Samuel, 16Feb 1746
Lemuell, 22Feb 1747
William, 20Jul 1751
Sybil, 7Jul  1755
Oliver, 5Sep 1757
Joseph, 23Oct 1759
Ame, 25Dec 1761
Sarah, 14Apr 1768

I'm descended from Samuel Jr.

Samuel died  intestate on 13Octr 1771, in Harvard, at age  56. In his probate file he isdescribed as "Samuel Haskell, gentleman".Given the  fact that his estate was valued at over 2200 pounds,that seems like an apt description.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 41: HENRY HASKELL OF HARVARD, MA.

My 7x great grandfather Henry Haskell was born on 2 Apr  1678, in Gloucester, Massachusetts
He married Ruth York in Harvard, Massachusetts, on 13 Jan 1703. Their first child, Ruth, was born 10 months later but lived only a week. Altogether they had seven children, all of them born in Gloucester

Ruth was born on 7Oct 1703, died  15Oct 1703  ,
Mary was born on 13Nov 1704, .
Henry was born on 6Jun 1706,
Ruth was born on 27Aug 1709,
Sarah was born on 19Aug 1713,
Samuel was born on 13Sep 1715,
Lydia was born on 28Jun 1718


Henry moved inland from Gloucester to Harvard, Ma. sometime around 1635 where he prospered  as a farmer.  He died in Harvard on 17Apr 1739 and Ruth survived him by ten years, dying in 1749.
At the time of his death he owned 145 acres of land. His estate was worth over 800 pounds according to his estate inventory.

One of the unique things in his will was that among the things Henry wanted his sons to provide his wife Ruth with was 20 pounds of tobacco. Apparently Ruth (York)Haskell was one of the colonial era women who enjoyed smoking a pipe!

MY HOW AND WHY OF "DOING" FINDAGRAVE

With the recent discussion among my genealogy friends about the competitive nature of some FindAgrave volunteers and how it sometimes hurts the relatives of the recently deceased, I thought I'd share some thoughts of how and why of my own experience at FindAGrave.

I joined FindAGrave over eight years as something to do that got me out of my apartment. At first i was just fulfilling photo requests but then I started taking photos of the older headstones in the cemeteries those were requests were in. I began  doing that more often when I realized there were quite a few names from my own family tree on those old markers.

After a nearby town's cemetery was vandalized I started taking photos of the older markers at Mt. Vernon here in Abington, feeling that they were more likely to be permanently lost than the larger, modern headstones. I filed them on my computer in folders orgamized by the date they were taken. Then I've gone through the folders, checked the names on the headstones,against the FindAGrave site for Mt. Vernon and created a memorial if one had not already been done. If there is a memorial with no photo, I add the one I have to it.

Now, these are the rules I personally follow for my FindAGrave contributions:

1.I do not take photos of headstones who have died in the last 50 years except for photo requests.

2. If I am contacted with an edit for a memorial, I verify it wherever possible and then make that edit.

3 If a relative asks me to transfer ownership of their loved one's memorial, I do it as soon as I see the request.

4. If I have inadvertently created a duplicate memorial, I delete it.

5. I do not create memorials for graves I have not actually seen. No use of obituaries. No assumption that just because a person lived in a specific town, than he has to have been buried in that town's cemetery. Now that FindAGrave is used as a hint on Ancestry, that assumption of where a person is buried will lead to the spread of bad information,

6. I don't look at contributing to FindAGrave as a competitive sport. I don't worry about how many memorials or photos I've added. I do take a look at the end of the year at those stats and how many volunteer photos I've taken, but that's it.

I'll repeat, FindAGrave is NOT a competitive sport. It's a way to help others, whether mourners or family researchers, and to perhaps help  preserve local history.

That's how and why i "do" FindAGrave. How about you?

HALLOWEEN TALES: "THE NEW WIFE AND THE OLD" PT2

((First posted in October 2014))


My distant cousin Jonathan Moulton's first wife was Ann Smith who he married
in 1749 and with whom he had a family of eleven children. She died of smallpox
in 1775. He married  Sarah Emery in 1776, and their marriage resulted in four
more children. She is the "new wife" in a poem written by my 4th cousin 6x
removed John Greenleaf Whittier.   It's probable that Whittier may have met
one or more of Moulton's adult children, but as the foreword to the poem
indicates, he certainly was familiar with the legends that had sprung up
about Jonathan Moulton

THE NEW WIFE AND THE OLD.

[the following Ballad is founded upon one of the marvellous legends connected
with the famous Gen. M., of Hampton, N. H., who was regarded by his neighbors
as a Yankee Faust, in league with the adversary. I give the story, as I heard it when
a child, from a venerable family visitant.]

Dark the halls, and cold the feast—
Gone the bridemaids, gone the priest!
All is over — all is done,
Twain of yesterday are one!
Blooming girl and manhood grey,
Autumn in the arms of May!

Hushed within and hushed without,
Dancing feet and wrestlers' shout;
Dies the bonfire on the hill;
All is dark and all is still,
Save the starlight, save the breeze
Moaning through the grave-yard trees;
And the great sea-waves below,
Like the night's pulse, beating slow.

From the brief dream of a bride
She hath wakened, at his side.
With half uttered shriek and start —
Feels she not his beating heart?
And the pressure of his arm,
And his breathing near and warm?

Lightly from the bridal bed
Springs that fair dishevelled head,
And a feeling, new, intense,
Half of shame, half innocence,
Maiden fear and wonder speaks
Through her lips and changing cheeks.

From the oaken mantel glowing
Faintest light the lamp is throwing
On the mirror's antique mould,
High-backed chair, and wainscot old,
And, through faded curtains stealing,
His dark sleeping face revealing.

Listless lies the strong man there,
Silver-streaked his careless hair;
Lips of love have left no trace
On that hard and haughty face;
And that forehead's knitted thought
Love's soft hand hath not unwrought.

"Yet," she sighs, "he loves me well,
More than these calm lips will tell.
Stooping to my lowly state,
He hath made me rich and great,
And I bless him, though he be
Hard and stern to all save me!"

While she speaketh, falls the light
O'er her fingers small and white;
Gold and gem, and costly ring
Back the timid lustre fling —
Love's selectest gifts, and rare,
His proud hand had fastened there.

Gratefully she marks the glow
From those tapering lines of snow;
Fondly o'er the sleeper bending
His black hair with golden blending,
In her soft and light caress,
Cheek and lip together press.

Ha !— that start of horror !— Why
That wild stare and wilder cry,
Full of terror, full of pain?
Is there madness in her brain?
Hark! that gasping, hoarse and low:
"Spare me — spare me — let me go!"

God have mercy !— Icy cold
Spectral hands her own enfold,
Drawing silently from them
Love's fair gifts of gold and gem,
"Waken! save me!" still as death
At her side he slumbereth.

Ring and bracelet all are gone,
And that ice-cold hand withdrawn;
But she hears a murmur low,
Full of sweetness, full of woe,
Half a sigh and half a moan:
"Fear not! give the dead her own!"

Ah ! — the dead wife's voice she knows !
That cold hand whose pressure froze,
Once in warmest life had borne
Gem and band her own hath worn.
"Wake thee! wake thee!" Lo, his eyes
Open with a dull surprise.

In his arms the strong man folds her,
Closer to his breast he holds her;
Trembling limbs his own are meeting,
And he feels her heart's quick beating:
"Nay, my dearest, why this fear?"
"Hush!" she saith, "the dead is here!"

"Nay, a dream — an idle dream."
But before the lamp's pale gleam
 Tremblingly her hand she raises,—
There no more the diamond blazes,
Clasp of pearl, or ring of gold, —
"Ah!" she sighs, "her hand was cold!"

Broken words of cheer he saith,
But his dark lip quivereth,
And as o'er the past he thinketh,
From his young wife's arms he shrinketh;
Can those soft arms round him lie,
Underneath his dead wife's eye?

She her fair young head can rest
Soothed and child-like on his breast,
And in trustful innocence
Draw new strength and courage thence;
He, the proud man, feels within
But the cowardice of sin!

She can murmur in her thought
Simple prayers her mother taught,
And His blessed angels call,
Whose great love is over all;
He, alone, in prayerless pride,
Meets the dark Past at her side!

One, who living shrank with dread,
From his look, or word, or tread,
Unto whom her early grave
Was as freedom to the slave,
Moves him at this midnight hour,
With the dead's unconscious power!

Ah, the dead, the unforgot!
From their solemn homes of thought,
Where the cypress shadows blend
Darkly over foe and friend,
Or in love or sad rebuke,
Back upon the living look.

And the tenderest ones and weakest,
Who their wrongs have borne the meekest,
Lifting from those dark, still places,
Sweet and sad-remembered faces,
O'er the guilty hearts behind
An unwitting triumph find.
pp117-120

John Greenleaf Whittier Poems Benjamin B. Mussey , Pub. Boston, Ma. 1850

HALLOWEEN TALES: "THE NEW WIFE AND THE OLD" PT1

((First posted in October2014))


Last year for Halloween I blogged about various New England legends and
folklore, some of which posts I may repost this year. But tonight I was looking
for a new spooky legend and found a poem about a distant cousin written by
another equally distant cousin.

I am a descendant of 10x great grandfather John Moulton and his wife Anne.
One of their other descendants  is my second cousin 9x removed Jonathan
Moulton.  William Richard Cutter says this about him:

(IV) General Jonathan Moulton, son of Jacob Moulton, was born in Hampton, New
Hampshire, June 30, 1726, and died there in 1788, aged sixty-two years. He owned
a large amount of land and was a wealthy man. It was largely through his efforts
that two or three towns in the state were settled, as is told in the "Farmer and
Moore's Gazetteer" of 1823. On November 17, 1763, Moulton borough was granted
to him and sixty-one others by the Masonian proprietors. He had a distinguished
reputation for service in the Indian wars along the northern borders of the new town
before it was settled, in 1763. and many stories are told of his adventures at that time. 
Doubtless his service against the Ossipee Indians was the principal reason of placing 
him at the head of the grantees. Through his efforts the grant for New Hampton was 
obtained from Governor Wentworth. It is said he obtained it by presenting the governor 
with an ox weighing one thousand four hundred pounds, which he drove to Portsmouth 
and for which he refused money, saying he preferred the charter to the land which he 
named New Hampton. The town of Centre Harbor was formed from a part of his grant 
called Moultonborough Addition. He was known as a fearless commander, and although
his reticence and dignified bearing aroused the displeasure of some, he must have been 
thoroughly trustworthy and competent to be intrusted with such important commissions 
as were placed in his hands. He served many years in the legislature. He was a shrewd 
business man, ahead of his time in many ways. The poet Whittier has made him the hero 
of his poem, "The New Wife and the Old." S. A. Drake, in his "New England Legends and
 Folk Lore," has written an amusing story founded on the legend of Jonathan Moulton 
and the Devil...
p2304.

New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 4 (Google eBook) Lewis historical publishing Company, 1915


Cutter then includes Drake's story about the Devil which is long so I won't include
it here, but there is this added by Drake at the end of it:

Another legend runs to the effect that upon the death of his wife—as evil report would have it— under very suspicious circumstances, the General paid court to a young woman who had been companion of his deceased spouse. They were married. In the middle of the night the young bride awoke with a start. She felt an invisible hand trying to take off from her finger the wedding-ring that had once belonged to the dead and buried Mrs. Moulton. Shrieking with fright, she jumped out of bed, thus awakening her husband, who tried in vain to calm her fears. Candles were lighted and search was made for the ring: but as it could never be found again, the ghostly visitor was supposed to have carried it away with her. This story is the same that is told by Whittier in the New Wife and the Old.- p2305

So of course when I read that John Greenleaf Whittier has written a poem about the
story of the two wives, I had to look for a copy of it. I found one, and I'll share it
with you in the next blogpost.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 40: WILLIAM HASKELL JR OF GLOUCESTER, MA.

8x great grandfather William Haskell Jr. diversified and did quite well at it. He had two mills along with his farm and quite a bunch of acres of land, most of it salt marsh. He also owned four beehives which are mentioned in the estate inventory.

Here's a short sketch from William Richard Cutter:

II) William (2) Haskell, eldest child of William (1) and Mary Haskell, was born August 26, 1644, in Gloucester, and operated grist and saw mills in that part of the town now Rockport. He died June 5, 1708, and his estate was inventoried at six hundred sixty-six pounds, most of it going to his eldest son William. He married, July 3, 1667, Mary, daughter of William and Mary Brown, known as Mary Walker, from her stepfather, Henry Walker. She was born 1649, and died November 12, 1715. Children: Mary, born April 29, 1668; William, November 6, 1670; Joseph, April 20, 1673 ; Abigail, March 2,1675 ; Henry, April 2, 1678: Andrew, July 27, 1680; Lydia, September 4, 1681 ; Sarah, February 26, 1684, died 1691 ; Elizabeth, April 5, 1686; Hannah, October 30, 1688; Jacob, mentioned below; Sarah, September 11, 1692.p442

New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 1  Lewis Historical Publishing Company,  N.Y., N.Y.1915

William died at Gloucester, Ma. sometime before 12Aug 1708 when his will was filed. I've found his Probate file at AmericanAncestors.org and it's on my long list of things to be transcribed.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 39: WILLIAM HASKELL SR OF GLOUCESTER, MA.

I have two lines of descent from 9x great grandparents William Haskell and Mary Tybott, One is through their eldest son William Jr. and the other through youngest son Mark. The two lines eventually were joined in the marriage of Samuel Haskell and Ruth Safford, Mark's great granddaughter.

William is among the small number of my ancestors who made their living on the sea, although he also had a farm. Here's an excerpt from the book History of the Town of Gloucester, Cape Ann by John James Babson:

WILLIAM HASKELL was born about 1620, and was connected with the family of Roger Haskell of Salem. He first appears in Gloucester in 1643; and, in 1645, mention is made of his land at Planter's Neck. He probably resided here a few years following the last date; but the hiatus in the recorded births of his children affords ground for conjecture that he was not a permanent resident from that time. If he left town for a season, he had returned in 1656, and settled on the westerly side of Annisquam river, where he had several pieces of land; among which was a lot of ten acres, with a house and barn, bought of Richard Window, situated on the west side of Walker's Creek. His sons took up land on each side of this creek, which is still occupied by descendants. The public offices to which he was elected afford sufficient proof that he was a prominent and useful citizen. He was a selectman several years, and representative six times in the course of twenty years. In 1681, he was appointed, by the General Court, lieutenant to the trainband, of which he was afterwards captain. He was also one of the first two, of whom we have any knowledge, that were deacons of the First Church. He married Mary, daughter of Walter Tybbot, Nov. 16, 1643. She died Aug. 16, 1693; and he four days after (on the 20th), leaving an estate of £548. 12s. His children, whose births are recorded, were — William, born in 1644; Joseph, 1646; Mark, 1658; Sarah, 1660; and Elenor, 1663. Besides these, he had sons Benjamin and John, and daughters Ruth and Mary.-p99

History of the Town of Gloucester, Cape Ann: Including the Town of Rockport,  Procter Brothers, - Gloucester, Ma 1860

ANNOUNCING THE ELEVENTH ANNUAL GREAT GENEALOGY POETRY CHALLENGE

It's that time of year again! Time to start thinking about a post for the Eleventh Annual Great Genealogy Poetry Challenge!


As in the past, I'll be posting the links to the submissions on Thanksgiving Day,which this year falls on Thursday, November 28th. So the deadline for submissions will be a week before, on Thursday, November 21st. That gives everyone  two months to find (or write) and share their poem or song. If you find one long before that deadline (as I have) you can post it on your blog now, but don't forget to send me the link to it before November21st

These are the Challenge rules:

1. Find a poem by a  poet, famous or obscure, about the region
one of your ancestors lived in. It can be about an historical event, a
legend, a person, or even about some place (like a river)or a local
animal. It can even be a poem you or one of your ancestors have written.
0r, if you prefer, post the lyrics of a song or a link to a video of someone
performing the song.

2. Post the poem or song to your blog (remembering to cite the source
where you found it.).  If you wish to enter an older post, you may as long
as it has not appeared here in an earlier Poetry Challenge.

 3.Tell us how the subject of the poem or song relates to your ancestor's
home or life, or the area of the country where they lived.

4.Submit your post's link here to me  in a comment or send me an emaill  
by midnight Thursday, November 21st and I'll publish all links to the entries 
on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th

5. If  you submit a humorous poem or song that will be entered under the
"Willy Puckerbrush" division. Willy was the late geneablogger Terry
Thornton's alias for some humorous posts and comments.

There you have it. You have two months to find your poem and post it to your
blogs. I will be waiting to see what you come up with this year!

SOME NEW GERMAN FAMILY DISCOVERIES PT5

I now knew that my 3x great grandfather Christian Luick's  parents were Christian Luick and Justina Beringer and that his wife's name was Christiane Ruppmilk. Searching the records at the FamilySearch website yielded more information:

- I found the birth record for my 3x ggf Christian and found that Justina's middle name was Dorothea.

-Using that I found Justina's birth and baptism records in the Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898. Both took place at Evangelisch, Neckarwestheim, Neckarkreis, Wuerttemberg and her parents name were Jacob Friederich Beringer and Maria Elisabeth Franck.  She was born on 4 Nov 1797 and baptized on 5 Nov 1797.

-I found the marriage of Christian to Christiane Ruppmilk in the Germany Marriages, 1558-1929 collection. It took place on 12 Jan 1845 at Evangelisch, Neckarwestheim, Neckarkreis, Wuerttemberg and it says she was born on 25 Jul 1819. Her full name was Christiane Catharine Ruppmich and her parents were Johannes Ruppmich and Christina Barbara Krehwisch.

Now, I had mixed luck extending the lines back further. I haven't had been able to go further back on the Luicks and Offingers yet. The Beringers and Ruppmilk/Ruppmilch lines and associated families seem to go back as far as the 17th century and in one case to the 16th century but I am proceeding cautiously,  trying to analyze  the records I've found. This is all new to me, a foreign country with records I can't easily access. So this will be a slow process.

Still, I now know more about my German ancestry than I ever did before.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 38: JONATHAN MOORE OF BOLTON MA.

 My 8x great grandfather Jonathan Moore was a farmer in Bolton, Ma. and one of the early settlers of the town. Here is what William Richard Cutter had to say about him.

Jonathan, son of John (2) Moore, was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, May 16, 1669. Although several of his children were baptized in Lancaster, he lived in Bolton, Massachusetts. In 1732-33, he deeded land to his son Oliver, which he had received from his father, and in 1740 he deeded to his son Abraham, "who lives with me." land and his new home and barn. His will was dated December 1, 1741, and he died in Bolton, February 6, 1742, he mentioned his children and his brother John. He married Hannah ,who died in Bolton, May 1, 1765. In her will she mentioned all the children but Isaac, who was deceased. Children: Zerviah or Sophiah, born 1700, married, July 28, 1720, Benjamin Houghton; Joseph, mentioned below; Jonathan, baptized 1708, Lancaster, married, April 19, 1727, Mary Wheeler, died December 10, 1795; Oliver, baptized 1708, Lancaster; Maria, baptized 1708, Lancaster, married, December 7, 1775, in Harvard, Thomas Houghton; Hannah, baptized May 21, 1710, married. December 17, 1730, Jonathan Powers; Amos, baptized August 17, 1712, died before 1740; Dinah, baptized February 28, 1713-14, married, October 4, 1732, Jabez Beaman; Abraham, baptized March 31, 1716-17; Isaac and Jacob, twins, born September 6, 1717.-p1376

 New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 3 Lewis historical publishing Company, New York, 1914

I've found Jonathan's probate file at AmericanAncestors.com and in his will Jonathan left my 7x great grandmother Meriah (Maria) forty pounds in bills of credit.I plan to eventually post a transcription here.

SOME NEW GERMAN FAMILY DISCOVERIES PT4

Continuing my discussion about my recent new discoveries of my Mom's German ancestors.
I didn't get very far with the line of Mom's paternal grandfather Offinger line and unfortunately the same was true about her paternal grandmother's Luick relatives. But I did have a bit more sucess with the ancestors of one of her German great-grandmothers.

I already knew Joanna Luick's parents were Christian and  Christiana Luick. Using that information I did a search at FamilySearch Records and found a big surprise: it appears Joanna was not the only member of her family to make their way to Massachusetts.

-First I found a death record for 71 year old Christian Luick in Cambridge, Ma on  6May 1891 from apoplexy. He was born in Germany to a Christian Luick and Justina Peringer(beringer?). The entry number is 484:

"Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-68L3-SMN?cc=1463156&wc=MJCK-RM9%3A1043014601 : 22 May 2019), 0961504 (004224896) > image 107 of 559; State Archives, Boston.

-I also found death records from the city of Boston for two men in Boston who may be Joanna's brothers. The first was Carl Luick, who died on 8Aug 1875 of pthisis (tuberculosis). He was 48 years old,  born in Germany and his parents were Christian and Christiana. The other brother was Ernst Luick who died of a gunshot in Boston at age 49. He was born in Germany to parents Christian Luick and Christina Ruppermilk.

Now with that information I started searching the FamilySearch German records.

To be continued...

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 37:THOMAS HOUGHTON OF LANCASTER MA.

With  6x great grandmother Hannah Houghton we reach a point where some of her ancestors have already been discussed Her parents were Thomas Houghton and Meriah Moore.They were 1st cousins 1x removed  through their mutual descent from Thomas Sawyer and Mary Prescott.

Ellery Bicknell Crane wrote the following about Thomas:

IV) Thomas Houghton, son of James Houghton (3). born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, about 1690-1700; married Maria or Moriah Moor and settled on the homestead in Harvard. He was a farmer. Children were: 1. Hanah, born December 16, 1728-9. 2. Thomas, born October 9, 1731. 3. Moriah (as Maria was then spelled by the family), born September 5, 1736. 4. Elijah (see forward).-p264
 
Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, New York 1907

Thomas Houghton died  9Mar 1764 in Harvard, Ma. By then  Hannah and Eljiah were the only of his children left alive along with two grandchildren. I've found the probate file and will be transcribing it,

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 36:JOHN PIERCE OF HARVARD, MA.

I don't know much  yet about 6x great grandfather. Daniel Pierce/Peirce. He was born on May 23, 1716, in Woburn, Massachusetts. At some point he moved to Harvard, Ma.sometime before 1744 where he married Hannah Stone. Unfortunately she and their infant daughter died about a year later. In 1747 he married my 6x great grandmother Hannah Houghton and they had nine children together, all born in Harvard or nearby Bolton, Ma. He moved back to Woburn in his old age and died there in 1799.

    Meriah Pierce+ b. 19 Oct 1748, d. 12 Apr 1781
    Hannah Pierce b. 1750, d. 1750
    Hannah Pierce b. 25 Aug 1751
    John Pierce b. 15 Jul 1753
    Thomas Pierce b. 2 Oct 1754, d. 14 Jun 1757
    Sarah Pierce b. 9 May 1756
    John Pierce+ b. 22 May 1759, d. 1828
    Luther Pierce b. 16 Jun 1764, d. 1832
    Calvin Pierce+ b. 1 Mar 1766, d. 1832

I'm descended from Meriah Pierce who married her cousin Elisha Houghton.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 35: DANIEL PIERCE OF WOBURN, MA.

My 7x great grandfather Daniel Pierce was born in Woburn, Ma on 7 Oct 1676 He  married Dinah Holt in Andover, Massachusetts, on July 3, 1705. They had seven children together, all born in Woburn:

Abigail was born on May 18, 1706, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Thomas was born on October 30, 1707, in Woburn, Massachusetts.\
Sarah was born on May 30, 1709, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Joseph was born on May 5, 1711, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Daniel was born on June 23, 1714, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
John was born on May 23, 1716, in Woburn, Massachusetts.
Dinah was born on November 2, 1719, in Woburn, Massachusetts.

Daniel died in Harvard, Ma.on  14 Mar 1754. I'm descended from his son John.

SOME NEW GERMAN FAMILY DISCOVERIES PT3

Continuing my discussion about my recent new discoveries of my Mom's German ancestors.

I didn't get very far with the line of Mom's paternal grandfather Offinger line and unfortunately the same was true about her paternal grandmother's Luick relatives. But I did have a bit more sucess with the ancestors of one of her German great-grandmothers.

I already knew Joanna Luick's parents were Christian and  Christiana Luick. Using that information I did a search at FamilySearch Records and found a big surprise: it appears Joanna was not the only member of her family to make their way to Massachusetts.

-First I found a record for 71 year old Christian Luick in Cambridge, Ma on  6May 1891 from apoplexy. He was born in Germany to a Christian Luick and Justina Peringer(Beringer?)

-I also found death records from the city of Boston for two men in Boston who may be Joanna's brothers. The first was Carl Luick, who died on 8Aug 1875 of pthisis (tuberculosis). He was 48 years old,  born in Germany and his parents were Christian and Christiana. The other brother was Ernst Luick who died of a gunshot in Boston at age 49. He was born in Germany to parents Christian Luick and Christina Ruppermilk.

All three records are in  the Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915 collection at the FamilySearch Records page.

To be continued...

SOME NEW GERMAN FAMILY DISCOVERIES PT2

German genealogy is a whole new ball game for me. I've been pretty lucky with my Dad's  New England colonial ancestors. There's plenty of records and documents available on line, and even if the handwriting is hard to decipher on some, at least I can figure most of it out. But my German ancestors were...well... German, so that's what language the place names are in. And the documents so far are behind paywalls which I can't  afford right now.

So what I have found so far are mostly record transcriptions on the FamilySearch records site. I knew that my 2x great grandfather Charles (Karl) Offinger was born in Wurttemberg, Germany around 1848, and that his parents names were Jacob and Christiana. Using that information as a starting point on the FamilySearch records page, I found:

- A birthdate in a baptismal record for Karl Jacob Offinger of 17Dec 1848, son of Jacob Ruland Offinger and  Regine Christiane Friederike Kaufmann. He was baptized at Evangelisch, Aalen, Jagskreis, Wurttemberg. The recod is in the Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 collection

--A birthdate in a baptimal record for Jacob Ruland Offinger of 7Jan 1821, son of Caspar Offinger and Rosine Catherine Landgraf. He was baptized on 10Jan 1821 at Evangelisch, Aalen, Jagskreis, Wurttemberg. The record is in the Germany Births and Baptisms, 1558-1898 collection.

-A marriage record for Jacob Ruland Offinger and  Regine Christiane Friederike Kaufmann. It took place on 5May 1848 at Evangelisch, Aalen, Jagskreis, Wurttemberg. Rosine Catherine's parents are given as Alois Kaufmann and Anna Maria Brucker. The record is in the Germany Marriages, 1558-1929 collections.

That is as far as I've been able to get with the Offinger line.

I'll discuss the Luicks in the next post.

SOME NEW GERMAN FAMILY DISCOVERIES PT1

I've had a lot of luck researching my Dad's New England roots, but not so much with Mom's irish and German ancestry. However, I've had some breakthroughs on the German side of her family. Here's what I already knew about them.

My Mom's paternal grandmother's maiden name was Pauline Offinger. In the Massachusetts Marriages 1695-1910 collection at  FamilySearch I learned that Pauline was born in Cambridge, that her father was Charles Offinger and her mother was "Johanna C.".

Also from FamilySearch I learned Charles was Karl J. Offinger, born in Wurtemburg, Germany in 1848 to Jacob Offinger and his wife Christiana. Johanna was Johanna C. Luick, daughter of Christian Luick and his wife Christina. She also was born in Wurtemburg but four years earlier than Charles. I found records of the births of their children in the Massachusetts Births and Christenings 1639-1915 collection, and records of their deaths and  the deaths of two of their sons, Frederick and William, in the Massachusetts Deaths and Burials 1695-1910. Three children lived to be married : Albert, Julia, and great grandmother Pauline.

Next I went over to Ancestry.com.On the New York Passenger Lists 1820-1957 I found the image of the passenger list for the ship Deutschland showing that Charles and Johanna arrived in New York City from Bremen on 13Jun 1870. I found the census records for 1870,1880 and 1900 for them and also the census records for their children Julia and Albert. Then I found entries for them in the City Directories.

But I kNew very little about the parents and families of Karl Offinger and Johanna Luick before they came to America, That changed this past weekend.

To be continued...

MY WITCH LISTS: OTHER PARTICIPANTS

This is the last of my "witch lists" of ancestors and relatives who had some connection to the witch trials: I made the lists with the help of  In The Shadow of Salem: he Andover Witch Hunt of 1692 by Richard Hite and by using Custom Tags I created on my Ancestry.com  tree using the MyTreeTags app:

CONSTABLE

Joseph Herrick-8x great grandfather


JUROR

Henry Herrick-9x great grandfather


VICTIMS (supposedly killed by witchcraft)

Ralph Farnum Sr-9x great grandfather

Elizabeth Phelps-8x great grandaunt

A few thoughts:
The lists are a work in progress. As I add  more siblings and extend consanguineous lines I suspect I will find more relatives involved with the witch trials.

As it is, I am struck by how many of my ancestors were involved. I knew about a few of them already, especially Rebecca (Blake) Ames/Eames and Mary (Towne) Easty/Esty who were my direct ancestors. But there were other things that came as a surprise, such as the death of Ralph Farnum Sr. supposedly being  a result of witchcraft. I also was unaware of my connection to Martha (Allen)Carrier.

As I find other connections, I will be blogging about them here.

MY WITCH LISTS:THE OPPOSERS

Here's the list I've made of my ancestors and relatives from Andover, Ma who opposed the witch trials by signing petitions  There are some who earlier had made accusations of witchcraft against others,

I made this list using Ancestry.com's MyTreeTag function


Thomas Chandler Sr.-9x great grandfather
Thomas Chandler Jr-8x great granduncle

John Chandler-8x great granduncle
William Chandler-10x great granduncle
Francis Dane Sr.-9x great grandfather
Francis Dane Jr-8x great grandfather
Nathaniel Dane-8x great granduncle
Phebe Dane-8x great grandaunt
Oliver Holt-7x great granduncle
Mary Holt-8x great grandaunt
Joseph Herrick-8x great granduncle
Thomas Johnson- Mary Holt's husband
George Abbott-9x great granduncle
John Abbott-8x great grandfather
William Abbott-9x great granduncle
Ephraim Stevens-8x great grandfather
Joseph Stevens-9x great granduncle
Benjamin Stevens-9x great granduncle
Hannah (Poor)Dane-8x great grandmother
Henry Ingalls Sr.-7x great grandfather
Henry IngallsJr.-6x great grandfather
John Ingalls-7x great granduncle
Samuel Ingalls-7x great granduncle
John Barker-7x great granduncle
Ebenezer Barker-7x great granduncle
Samuel Endecott--8x great grandfather
Christopher Osgood-Hannah Barker's husband
Nathaniel Felton-9x great grandfather
Joseph Robinson-married to Mehitabel Ames.

MY WITCH LISTS:THE ACCUSERS

Here's the list of my ancestors or relatives who were witnesses/accusers in the Salem witch trial. I made this using the MyTreeTags on my family tree at  Ancestry.com. Some of them would later sign petitions to support the prisoners.

Thomas Chandler-9x great grandfather
Hannah (Brewer) Chandler-9x great grandmother

Sarah (Farnum)Abbott-8x great grandmother 
 Benjamin Abbott-8x great grandfather
Jeremiah Swain-9x great grandfather
Ralph Farnum-8x great grandfather
John Farnum-8x great granduncle
Samuel Farnum-8x great granduncle
Joseph Ballard-9x great granduncle
Elizabeth Ballard--9x great grandaunt
Sarah Phelps-7x great grandaunt
Robert Swan-6x great granduncle
John Swan-6x great granduncle
Timothy Swan -6x great granduncle
Hannah (Foster) Ames- 8x great grandaunt
Ephraim Foster-married to Hannah Ames
Allen Toothaker-2nd cousin 7x removed

MY WITCH LISTS:THE ACCUSED

Here's the list I've made of my ancestors and relatives from Andover, Ma who were tried for witchcraft during the Salem Witch Trials. Three of them were executed. I made this list using Ancestry.com's MyTreeTag function

Accused Witches

Mary (Towne) Estey-9x great grandmother- (executed)
Rebecca (Towne)Nurse 9x great grandaunt (executed)
Sarah (Towne)Cloyce 9x great grandaunt
Rebecca (Blake) Ames-9x great grandmother
Sarah (Hooper) Wardwell-widow of 10x great grandfather Adam Hawkes
Samuel Wardwell husband of Sarah (Hooper)Wardwell (executed)
Sarah Hawkes-9x great grandaunt
Abigail (Wheeler)Barker--wife of 8x great granduncle
William Barker Sr-7x great granduncle
William Barker Jr.-1st cousin 8x removed
Mary Barker-1st cousin 8x removed
Daniel Ames-8x great granduncle
Abigail (Dane)Faulkner-9x great aunt
Elizabeth (Dane)Johnson-9x great aunt
Dorothy Faulkner-1st cousin 9x removed
Abigail Faulkner-1st cousin 9x removed
Elizabeth Johnson-1st cousin 9x removed
Stephen Johnson-1st cousin 9x removed
Rose Foster-1st cousin 9x removed
Deliverance  (Hazeltine)-wife of 9th great-uncle
Mary (Allen) Hazeltine-1st cousin 8x removed
Martha (Allen)Carrier 1st cousin 8x removed
Roger Toothaker-Mary Allen's husband
Mercy Wardwell-step 10x great aunt

MAKING LISTS WITH ANCESTRY'S MYTREETAGS:THE WITCH LISTS

 I wrote recently about using the Ancestry.com MyTreeTags to make a list of my ancestors who were all blacksmiths. Then a few weeks back I bought a book, In The Shadow Of Salem: The Andover Witch Hunt of 1692 by Richard Hite. Now I have many ancestors who lived in Andover, Ma. during that period and some were involved in the Trials. Two of my direct ancestors wereb among the accused, one of whom was hung. I also knew some were witnesses against those accused. I decided I wanted to make lists of who was who.

Mr. Hite's book is excellent and the many Appendices about the families involved were very helpful.Using them I created Custom Tags on my Ancestry.com tree and then tagged each Ancestor ancestor and relagtive with the appropriate Tag. These are the labels I used:

Accused Witch
Executed as Witch
Opposed Witch Trials
Witch Trial Constable
Witch Trial Juror
Witch Trial Witness
Witch victim

There are some complications, because in some cases an ancestor was an accuser but late came to oppose the trials and signed a petition against the Trials. It's also a work in progess as I add collateral lines. But it's a start. I call them the "witch lists" and I'll discuss them in the next few posts.

And if you have relatives from the Witch Trial era who lived in Andover, ou should get a copy of Richard Hite's book.

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 34: JOHN PIERCE OF WOBURN, MA.

8x great grandfather John Pierce was a farmer and a leading citizen of Woburn, Ma. It's interesting to see how he and other of my ancestors were farmers in places that are now largely urban centers.

Here's  how Ellery Bickford described him:

(III) Ensign John Pierce, son of Thomas (2) Pierce, was born May 7, 1643. He was a yeoman and lived in Woburn, Massachusetts. His will was dated April 26, 1716, and lodged Friday, April 8, 1720; he mentioned his wife and children, and the children of his deceased daughter, Deborah Wilson, naming his son Josiah as executor. He married, July 5, 1663, Deborah Convers, born July 25, 1647. Children, born in Woburn: Deborah, October 30, 1666; John, January 26, 1671; Thomas, born December 23, 1673; James, August 6, 1674, died September 13, 1685; Daniel, October 7, 1676; James, October 8, 1686; Ebenezer, 1687; Joseph, August 24, 1688; Ruth, 1690; Josiah, mentioned below.-p1529

  Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County,   Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 3  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.1914

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 33: THOMAS PIERCE JR. OF WOBURN, MA.

My 8x great grandfather Thomas Pierce Jr. came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony as a teenager with his parents. He became one of the first citizens of what is now  Woburn Massachysets and with his wife raised a large family.

Here's what Ellery Bickford Crane wrote about him:

(II) Thomas Pierce, Jr., son of Thomas Pierce (1), was born in England in 1608; married, May 6, 1635, Elizabeth Cole, who died March 5, 1688. He died November 6, 1683. They resided in Charlestown in the part now Woburn. He is called sergeant in the records, indicating military prominence. He was the progenitor of President Franklin Pierce, viz.: Franklin (VII), Benjamin (VI), Benjamin (V), Stephen (IV), Stephen (III), Thomas (II), Thomas (I). Sergeant Thomas Pierce was admitted to the Charlestown Church February 21, 1634. He was an inhabitant of Woburn as early as 1643. He was selectman in 1660, and served on the committee to divide the common lands. He was one of the "Right Proprietors" elected March 28, 1667, and also of the committee of the general court appointed 1668 to divide lands, etc. The children: Abigail, born August 17, 1639; John, March 7, 1643, married, July 5, 1663, Deborah Converse; Thomas, June 21, 1645, married, 1680, Rachel Bacon; Elizabeth, December 25, 1646, married, November 9, 1666, Thomas Whittemore, and died March 10, 1670; Joseph, September 22, 1646, died February 27, 1649; Stephen, July 16, 1651, married, November 18, 1676, Tabitha Parker; Samuel, February 20, 1654, died October 27. 1655; Samuel, April 7, 1656, see forward; William. March 20, 1658, married, April 8, 1690, Abigail Sommers, nee Warren; James, May 7, I659, married Elizabeth Kendall; Abigail, Novem20, 1660, married February 18, 1684, George Reed, Jr.; Benjamin, married Mary Reed.-p449

 Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County,   Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.1907


So apparently I'm a distant cousin of President Franklin Pierce!

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2019 WEEK 32: THOMAS PIERCE SR. OF CHARLESTON AND WOBURN, MA.

Thomas Pierce/Peirce was my 9x great grandfather and another of my colonial immigrant ancestors. I've found his probate file at AmericanAncestors.org and while his will is  fairly easy to read, the inventory was written on both sides of another sheet of paper and the ink leaked through, so it's difficult to make out the items of his estate.

Ellery Bickford Crane wrote this brief biographical sketch about Thomas:


Thomas Pierce came from England in 1633 or 1634 with his wife Elizabeth and settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts. His wife Elizabeth was admitted to the church January 10, 1634, and he was admitted February 21, 1634-35. He was admitted a freeman May 6, 1635. He was one of the twentyone commissioners appointed September 27, 1642, "to see that salt peter heaps were made by the farmers of the colony." He removed to Woburn and was a proprietor there in 1643 and was elected to town offices. His wife Elizabeth was born in England, 1595-96. She stated'her age as seventy-one 1n 1667. He died October 7, 1666. His will was dated November 7, 1665, aged about eighty-two years. He bequeathed to wIfe Elizabeth, grandchildren Mary Bridge and Elizabeth Jeffs now dwelling with him; to all grandchildren; to Harvard College. The widow deposed to the inventory March 22, 1666-67, aged seventy-one years. The children: John, mariner, admitted to church at Charlestown, 1652; Samuel,married Mary ;Thomas, Jr., see forward; Robert, married, February 18, 1657, Sarah Eyre;Mary, married Peter Jeffs and had Elizabeth; Elizabeth, married Randall and Nichols; Persis, married William Bridge and had child Mary; married (second) John Harrison; she was admitted to the church at Charlestown November 30, 1643; Abigail, born June 17, 1639.-p449

Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts: With a History of Worcester Society of Antiquity, Volume 1  Lewis Publishing Company, New York, N.Y.1907


The reference to a salt peter commission reflects the importance to the colonists of making their own gunpowder because of the conflicts with Indians and the French to the north,

THE PEIRCE/ PIERCE DESCENT

My 5x great Meriah (Peirce/Pierce) Houghton shared  Houghton, Prescott, and Sawyer ancestry with her husband Elisha Houghton. She was descended from immigrant ancestor Thomas Peirce, but she also had ancestors from some of my other family lines that I've touched on already: Ballard, Cole, Converse, Holt, Long, and Moore. Here's a relationship chart for Thomas and Meriah.

JOHN HOWLAND & "THE TRAGIC HOCKING AFFAIR."

One of the biggest problems Plimouth Plantation faced in its early years was a crippling debt it owed to investors bad suppliers back in England. fortunately,this was the period when beaverskin garments were in vogue so the Plantation turned to the fur trade to improve its finances. This involved setting up a  post on the Kennebec River to trade for furs with the local Native Americans. But this new venture by Plymouth was challenged by a newer, younger settlement in Maine, the Piscataqua Plantation, and blood would be shed over it. My ancestor John Howland and fellow Pilgrim Father John Alden were involved in the incident.

I found the following account in a magazine article,  "The Pilgrim Fathers on the Kennebec" by Emma Huntington Nason  online in an Googlebook edition of New England Magazine, vol.30 March 1904.:

One of the first agents in command of the Plymouth trading-post was John Howland. Among all the notable men of the colony there was no one who bore a fairer record for bravery, efficiency and general usefulness than this sturdy youth from Essex County; and with his "military turn" and adventurous spirit Howland was well fitted for the administration of the business of the colony in this important location. He was, moreover, one of the company responsible for the public debt, and therefore especially interested in the success of the enterprise on the Kennebeck. We also find John Howland and John Alden frequently associated in the affairs of Plymouth ; and in May of the year 1634, while Howland was in command at Koussinoc, John Alden came from Plymouth to bring supplies to the trading-post. The spring trade was just then opening with the Indians. One by one the great canoes glided down from the head waters of the Kennebec laden with the hunters' spoils, and a very profitable season was anticipated. It was at this time, at the height of prosperity of the Plymouth company, that the tragic Hocking affair occurred.

It seems that the Piscataqua Plantation had become very jealous of the success of the Pilgrim traders who held complete and absolute jurisdiction over the territory in the vicinity of Koussinoc for fifteen miles up and down the river, thus controlling all the trade which came from Moosehead Lake; and having determined to secure a portion of this trade, Piscataqua sent John Hocking to intercept the Indian canoes as they came down from the lakes.

Hocking boldly sailed up the Kennebec and anchored above the Plymouth post. Howland at first went out in his barque and remonstrated with Hocking for thus infringing on the Plymouth rights, but receiving only abusive threats in reply, he ordered Hocking to drop below the Plymouth limits. Hocking refused, and Howland sent three men in a canoe to cut Hocking's cables. The old Plymouth records state that these men were "John Irish, Thomas Rennoles and Thomas Savory." They cut one of Hocking's cables and then, as their canoe drifted down the stream, Howland ordered Moses Talbot to get into the canoe and cut the other rope. Talbot accordingly went "very reddyly," and brought the canoe back within range of Hocking's vessel. Hocking, standing on deck, carbine and pistol in hand, first presented his piece at Thomas Savory; but the canoe swung around with the tide, and Hocking put his carbine almost to Moses Talbot's head. Then Howland, springing upon the rail of his barque, shouted to Hocking not to shoot the men who were only obeying orders, but to take him for his mark, saying that he surely "stood very fayre." But Howland's bravery was in vain for Hocking would not hear, but immediately shot Talbot in the head. Whereupon, "a friend of Talbot's, who loved him well," seized a musket and returned the fire; and Hocking "was presently strook dead being shott neare the same place in the head where he had murderously shot Moyses."

John Alden, although at the trading-post at the time this unfortunate affair took place, had no connection with it. He soon returned to Plymouth, and being in Boston a few weeks later, he was arrested and imprisoned by the Massachusetts magistrates to answer for Hocking's death. The Plymouth people were very angry at this unwarrantable interference in their affairs, and the indomitable Myles Standish at once started for Boston and effected Alden's release. Righteous Boston, however, insisted upon an investigation of the matter, and requested all the plantations, especially Piscataqua, to send delegates to the hearing. But after all their efforts none of the plantations invited, not even Piscataqua where Hocking belonged, manifested sufficient interest to send a representative. Winslow and Bradford appeared in behalf of Plymouth, and Winthrop and Dudley represented Massachusetts. Two or three ministers were also present, and after mature deliberation it was decided that the Plymouth men acted in selfdefense and that Hocking alone had been to blame. The sad story of this early tragedy on the Kennebec is relieved only by Howland's dash of bravery, and the touching loyalty of Talbot's friend "who loved him well"; but it is of especial interest in this connection because it proves that John Howland and John Alden were both at the Kennebec trading-post in 1634.-pp313-314

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MY DEXTER DESCENT

After my recent posts about my 9x great grandfather Thomas Dexter I thought I'd post a descent chart from Thomas down to my Dad. Much of it is people from Barnstable County on Cape Cod