ABBOTT & BARKER & THE CASE OF THE HAY HEIST

I found this while researching m earlier post about Goodt West. It is significant for me because of the rather lengthy testimony of George Abbott Sr. and Richard Barker. Both of them are my paternal ancestors: George is my 9x great grandfather through my grandfather, and Richard my 8x great grandfather through my grandmother. So it was fun for me to picture them together trailing cart tracks in search of stolen hay1

The case was presented at Ipswich, Ma. on 31Mar 1663:

Mr. Simon Bradstreet v. Bray Willkins, Sam. Willkins and John Willkins. Trespass. For carrying away a parcel of hay. The jury found a special verdict. Court found for the plaintiff,



Richard BarkerJ and George Abbott, sr.,J testified in the action between Mr. Bradstreete and Bray Wilkinson, that they followed two tracks of a laden cart from Mr. Bradstreete's rick till they come into that way that said Wilkinson had gone with Rich. Barker's hay and saw where they had cut down wood and brush from Mr. Bradstreete's rick to go with it into that way. They followed the said tracts till they came to Goodman Wilkinson's field and then left them in the cart way leading to his house and when they reached the house they looked purposely around but could find no tracks that had gone that spring beyond his house. They further testified that it could go no other way, there being no other house or farm on this side the river and no possible going over the river at that time without swimming cart and cattle. In the way from Mr. Bradstreete's rick we found hay scattered, and one load newly set by the stony brook which they judged and believed was Mr. Bradstreete's hay, and had no doubt that he who had Rich. Barker's hay also had Mr. Bradstreete's. Rich. Barker further testified that Bray Wilkinson came to him about a fortnight before he missed his hay, when his son and he were loading hay at his rick, and said Wilkinson said that he was in great want of hay and knew not what shift to make. Wilkinson also said that the hay that Rich Barker left would beburned, but Barker replied that it would not be unless somebody played the knave with him and that he intended to take it away. Notwithstanding this, said Wilkinson took or caused to be taken away the hay without the knowledge or consent of said Barker and when charged with it would not own it. Since Mr. Corwyn gave deponent twenty shillings for it and would have given him five pounds because he had been so ill dealt with, etc. Sworn, 4:3: 1663, before Simon Bradstreet,* and on May 5, 1663, in Ipswich court.
 

Thomas Abott deposed that there was a parcel of hay about three loads, which he helped to get for Mr. Bradstreet at a meadow commonly called Beachin meadow, taken away to said Bradstreet's great damage both for want of the hay and the loss of cattle sustained thereby. Mr. Bradstreet was obliged to buy hay at a great rate and much time was lost in sending a team for the hay, not knowing that it was gone. The journey occasioned the loss of the work of two oxen for two months, by reason of their tiring for want of hay to refresh them when they came thither, it being about six miles to the place. Sworn in court. 

John Longley, aged about twenty-three years, testified that he lived with Bray Wilkins and he heard Goodman Wilkins say that Mr. Georg Curwin of Salem had brought a load of hay for him, and that it was in Andeavor's meadows. Further that said Wilkins' two or three sons with John Gingill went for the hay and the first day they mired their cart and came home without any hay. They went again the next day and the two days following and brought home some hay which deponent saw at night when he came from work, etc. Sworn in court. 

John Godfry deposed that coming from Salem with Bray Wilkins toward his house, there was some discourse about hiring something of deponent, and the latter told him that it was reported that said Wilkins had stolen Mr. Bradstreet's hay. Wilkins answered that he did not steal it but he took some of it, for it would have been burned or spoiled and it would be better for him to have it than have it spoiled. Sworn in court. 

Special verdict: They found that in the year 1661, Mr. Bradstret had two parcels of hay in the Beching meadow which were lost and the evidence showed scattering of hay to stong brook and two or three loads of hay like those lost were found at Goodman Wilkeson's house, etc. If the evidence be legal, they found for the plaintiff, if not, for the defendant.-pp45-46

Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts: 1662-1667 VolIII

Although the jury seems to have dithered with a "special verdict" the Court ruled in favor of Simon Bradstreet. I wonder how he was recompensed for the stolen hay?

THE MILITARY HONOR ROLL PROJECT 2017: ABINGTON, MA.

((I first posted this back in 2013. Sadly another name has been added to the wall since then, 
Abington's first native son killed in Afghanistan))

Heather Wilkinson Rojo of Nutfield Genealogy is once again asking
bloggers to transcribe their local veteran monuments and list the names
on their blog. It's called the Military Honor Roll Project and I wanted to
take part this year.  I headed over to the memorial here in Abington
which is located right next to the building shared by the American Legion
and VFW Posts. It's a beautiful spot and there's quite a few names on it for
such a small town. They start with World War 1 and run up to the present
day.
 
It was a bright sunny day and I thought perfect for taking the pictures I needed
to work with for the transcription, but it turned out to be it was less than ideal.
The nearby trees were casting shadows over most of the monument and the wind
moving the leaves would cause the shadows to shift around.

 

                     DEDICATED
          IN LASTING MEMORY OF
ABINGTON'S MEN AND WOMEN WHO
       SERVED AND SACRIFICED IN
         THEIR COUNTRY'S WARS

             KILLED IN ACTION



World War I
Edgar D. Bascomb
Chester W. Belcher
Walter W. Coleman
Charles Cook
Lloyd Crossman
Lewis V. Dorsey
Robert B. English
George H. Gillespie
Henry C. Hurst
John J. Mahoney
Joseph D. Martin
Charles E. Murphy
Charles S. Myers
Myron Stewart
Harold L. Taylor
Shirley S. Thayer
George L.  Whore

World War II
Charles H. Bellows Jr.
Wendell E Chamberlin
Lloyd R. Clapp
John Colburn
George W. Coleman
Edmund G. Crossley
Elton E. Eckstrom
George S. Forsyth
Roy E. Hjelm
Wellington Jamieson
John R. Keeley
Clifford Kimber
Richard L. McCue
Harold R. McGeoch
John F. Monahan
John Rice
Frank D. Warner Jr.

Korea

Viet-Nam
Dennis K. Holly
Peter D. Christianson DFC
Richard F. Gliniewicz
Glenn R. Gordon
Ralph G. Hamlin
Ernest H Laidler
Richard A. Fitts


Afghanistan
Daniel Vasellian

I encourage my fellow genealogy bloggers to take part in Heather's
Military Honor Roll Project. You can read more about it here.

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RECORDS COLLECTION RELEASES FOR 19MAY 2017

The Findmypast Friday release for 19May has over 1.3 million new records mostly from
Nottinghamshire, England: 




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"GOODY WEST FELL DOWN DEAD..."

This is one of the most confusing court records I've ever found involving an sncestor . It's a slander case brought by William Cresy against Mordecai and Elizabeth Larcum. Apparently the Larcums claimed Cresy said he'd have liked to sleep with Elizabeth. But instead of testimony about the charges, witnesses talk about events involving  Elizabeth Larcum and the family of my 9x great grandfather John West :

25June 1661 Salem
William Cresy v. Mordecaie Larcum and Elizabeth, his wife. Slander. In saying that he would have come to bed to said Elizabeth. Verdict for plaintiff.t

Writ, dated, June 11, 1661, signed by Robert Lord,+ for the court, and served by Thomas Write, deputy marshal.

Mordeca (his mark) Larcum's bond. Wit: John Thorndike.; 

Henry Baly, aged about fifty years, deposed that being at the house of John West last summer, he heard said West and Goody Lorcome in discourse about a boy of said Lorcom's, whom the latter had let out to Goodman West for that summer. West asked her why she had taken away the boy and she said because he was sick. He answered that if he were sick, he could have kept him as well as she. She refused to let him take the boy again, because he would have learned what would have brought him to hanging. Goodman West told deponent to witness what she said, and upon demanding what it was, she said she would not tell it till she came before authority. This she spoke in the presence of the whole family and they were much troubled, and upon being urged further, she said “aske Thomas Write what my boy told him he saw Joseph West do upon a Lord's day,” etc., and  when she went away. Goodwife West fell down dead and the whole family was “set on trembling as though they were out of their wits.” Sworn in court.

Deliverance Frensh, of Glocester, deposed, that, June 27, 1661, being at Goodman Larcum’s house, Thomas West, son of John West, and Elizabeth Jackson, maid servant to Goodman West, came in and asked to see Goodman Cresse's boy. Goodwife Larcum answered that she would have them know that it was none of his. They told deponent that they had kept reckoning for her, etc. This discourse was about six weeks since, upon the Sabbath day, at night. Sworn in court. 

Thomas Bishop; deposed that Goody Larckum lived near his house several years and he never knew any light or immodest carriage by her toward any nor with any. Thomas Burnam deposed the same, she having lived sometime near him.

Aves Chub deposed that she was at Goody Larcum's house and the latter asked her to call in at Goody West’s, “ so I Cald in there to see how she did, & I told her y‘ goody Larcum remembred her loue to her, she told me she was a loueing neighbourly woman as shee Could line by, & if it had not beene for her she Could not tell what shee should haue done.” Sworn in court.

Mordecay Larcum deposed that William Creasy came upon at Lord’s day following to his house and said he was sorry for what abuse he had offered to his wife and prayed deponent that he would not prosecute against him.-pp299-300

Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, Volume 2
Essex Institute, 1912 - Essex County (Mass.)

Just that last section actually deals with the slander charge.

So what do we have here?

It looks like John West had taken on one of the Larcum sons as either a laborer or servant for
a few months, but Elizabeth Larcum had unexpectedly taken her son back home.  When she was
asked by the Wests why she had done this, she implied that her son had seen Joseph West, one of John West's sons, doing something on the Lord's Day. She refused to leave her son with the Wests
so he wouldn't learn something that could have him hanged. 

Although the file says John's wife "fell down dead" I believe that meant a "dead faint", because Elizabeth Larcom sent a friend to check on Goody West who spoke with her.

So William Cresy won his slander case. There must have been more testimony that wasn't recorded.

But now I'm left wondering just what the Larcum boy saw my 8x great granduncle Joseph West was doing on that Sabbath day over 350 years ago.

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RECORDS COLLECTION RELEASES FOR 12MAY 2017

The Findmypast Friday release for 12May is comprised of over 290 thousand new records
from England: 


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MOTHER'S DAY PT2

In honor of Mother's Day, here are pictures of our Dad's female ancestors.

First, on his mother's side:

Amos H Barker & Betsey J (Moore) Barker

Our 2x great grandmother Betsey Jane Moore was born on 16 Aug 1842 at Waterford,
Oxford, Me. She married Amos Hastings Barker in 1856 and they raised a family of
12 children, 11 of whom survived to adulthood. Betsey died 12Mar 1924 at age 82.

My great grandmother Charlotte Lovenia Barker is the lady on the right.

 Our great grandmother Charlotte Lovenia Barker was youngest of  Amos & Betsey's
12 children. She was born on 3 Aug 1879 in Albany, Oxford, Maine and was known as
":Lottie". She married her first cousin Frank W. Barker on 16Oct 1898 and they had
4 children before Frank died in 1905 from pneumonia caused by "La Grippe" (the flu).
She was married three more times before her death on 3Jan 1944 at Bangor, Maine.   

Cora Berthella (Barker) West & her great granddaughter Mindy Sue West

Our grandmother Cora Berthella (Barker) West was born 27Oct 1899 and was the eldest
child of Frank and Charlotte. She preferred the name Bertha, although it was given as
Cora on her marriage certificate. Bertha married Floyd E.West Sr on 24Mar 1919 and
had 5 children, one of whom was our Dad.

 On his Dad's side of the family:

Arvilla (Ames)West

Our 3x great grandmother Arvilla Ames was born in Livermore, Androscoggin, Maine
on 25Jan 1810, one of 10 children. She married John Cutter West on 23Sep 1827
at Sumner, Maine, and five years later they moved to Letter B Plantation (later renamed
Upton), Oxford, Maine. She had 10 children, 3 of whom died in a diphtheria outbreak
in 1862. She died at age 97 at Hermon, Maine.

Louisa A.(Richardson) West

Louisa Richardson, our 2x great grandmother was born in Wilton, Maine on
23Jun 1837 at Wilton, Maine.  She was the second wife of Jonathan Phelps West,
whose first wife had died in the 1862 diphtheria outbreak. Louisa and Jonathan
married on 31Jan 1865 and had 4 sons. She died 4Oct 1925 at age 88.

Florilla (Dunham) Ellingwood & Asa F Ellingwood

Our other paternal 2x great grandmother was Florilla Dunham who was born 29Aug
1832 at North Paris, Oxford, Maine. She married Asa F. Ellingwood on 10Aug 1850
at Woodstock, Oxford, Maine and 11 children.(She was one of 11 children herself.)
She died in Paris, Oxford, Maine on 21Feb 1917.

Clara (Ellingwood) West

                                                                                                  

Finally, our great grandmother  Clara Ellingwood was the 8th child and youngest
daughter of Florilla and Asa. She was born 6Mar 1865 in Dummer, Coos, NH.
Her first marriage with Charles Tidswell ended in divorce and she married  our
great grandfather Philip J West on 25May 1894 at Shelburne, Coos, NH. She had
three children by her first marriage and two by her second, including our grandfather
Floyd E West, Sr. Sadly, Clara died young after an illness in Augusta, Maine on 10Apr
1901. She was only 36 years old.

And those are the pictures we have of the mothers in our family.

Happy Mother's Day! 

MOTHERS DAY PT 1

Once again for Mothers Day I'm posting photos of our family's mothers.

For our Mom's side we don't have very many since her grandparents immigrated
here from Ireland and Germany in the 19th century.

 

John McFarland & Annie (Kelley) McFarland

First there's Anna Kelley, born 1Oct 1858 in Kiltrustan, Roscommon, Ireland. She married
my great grandfather in Edinburgh Scotland on 16May1879 and shortly after they came
to America and settled in Boston. She had 17 children, 10 of whom survived to adulthood.
Anna died 15Feb 1945 at Boston, Ma. at age 86.

Pauline (Offinger) White

Our other maternal great grandmother was Pauline Offinger, born 17Dec 1873
in Cambridge, Massachusetts to German immigrant parents. She married Edward J.
White on 27Nov 1895 in Boston, Ma. and had 9 children.          

Agnes (McFarland) White

Our grandmother Agnes (McFarland) White was born 7Oct 1898 in Boston, Ma, the
14th of John & Annie's 17 children. She was known as "Aggie" in the family.
She married Edward F.White, Sr. and had two children, our Uncle Ed and our Mom
Anne Marie. She died 12Feb 1957 in Malden Ma.

Anne M. (White) West

Finally, our Mom, Anne M. (White) West. She was born 7Jul 1927 at Boston, Ma and
married our Dad on 29Jun 1947, also at Boston. To her McFarland cousins she was
known as "Red White". She died on 28Jul 1999 at Weymouth, Ma and she is missed by
my brother, my sister, myself and the rest of the family.

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER YET AGAIN.

The other night I was going through more of my Ellingwood related ancestors, seeing if I could fill
in some blanks, when I came to my 8x great grandparents Thomas West and Elizabeth Jackson of
17th century Beverly, Ma. (They are no relation to my Plymouth County Wests.)  I'd previously
found the record of their marriage in Ancestry.com's Massachusetts Marriages, 1633-1850 file
and their death records but hadn't found out any more about them or their parents.. So I Googled them as "Thomas West"+"Elizabeth Jackson". Then, I added the words "Essex County court files."

-That led me to a June 1661 court case involving a John West, and among the witnesses were his son Thomas West and his  maid servant Elizabeth Jackson. John's wifes is only referred to as "Goody
West" . But at least I had learned that Thomas West was the son of John West.     

-I found a probate file for a John West at Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881 on
AmericanAncestors.org but all it contained was a slip of paper with "No Papers Found" written
on it. ((I HATE THAT!!!))

-I decided to see what I could find out about Elizabeth Jackson. On the Early Vital Records of Massachusetts From 1600 to 1850 website I found this in the Beverly, Ma.death records for the
West surname:

Elizebeth, w. Capt. Thomas, d. John and Kathrin Jackson, Oct. 12, 1708, a. 66 y. 9 m. 

- I went back to AmericanAncestors.org and found John Jackson in Essex County, MA: Early Probate Records, 1635-1681. There was no will but his widow Katherine filed the estate inventory at the Essex Quarterly Court session held at Ipswich, Ma., on 27Sep 1648.


I'm hoping to find out more about the wives of John West and John Jackson. But I know more now
about these ancestors than I did before.

Another case of "one thing leads to another."

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RECORDS COLLECTION RELEASES FOR 5MAY 2017

Findmypast Friday this week includes over 7.5 million new records from the U.S., England and Australia:


BRAND NEW RECORDS:

United States Marriages
OVER 6.7 MILLION RECORDS  New additions covering 127 counties across 18 states have been added to our collection of US marriages. This is the first time ever these records have been released online, providing you with brand new opportunities to expand your family tree.
SEARCH THESE RECORDS »

 
Devon, Parish Registers Browse
OVER 459,000 RECORDS Browse over 4,500 handwritten volumes of parish baptisms, marriages, and burials. Parish registers are valuable for taking your research beyond 1837, the year civil registration was introduced in England and Wales.
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Devon, Plymouth & West Devon Parish Registers Browse
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ADDITIONAL RECORDS FOR EXISTING SETS:

Queensland School Pupil Index
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52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 11:HENRY HERRICK JR. OFSALEM AND BEVERLY

Moving on now to the family of  Joseph Ellingwood's wife Sarah (Herrick) Ellingwood.

Sarah's immigrant ancestor was Henry Herrick Sr, who is my 8x great grandfather in both the West
and Barker side of my family. On the Barker side it's through his son Joseph and on the West side
through son Henry Jt. I've already blogged about Henry Herrick Sr. so this post will discuss Henry Jr.

Henry Herrick Jr was baptized in Salem, Ma. on 16Jan 1639/40. and  in 1663  married  a woman that  researchers of both the Herrick and Woodbury families.believe to have been Lydia Woodbury. Here's what Richard William Cutter wrote about Henry:

"(VI) Henry (2), fourth son of Henry (1) and Editha (Larkin) Herrick, was baptized January 16, 1640, died in June, 1702. He inherited the Homesteading, at lower Beverly, a pleasant and valuable farm, a part of which remained in the ownership and possession of the family until about 1850. He served as a juror at the witchcraft trials in Salem in 1692. His first wife's maiden name is thought to have been Lydia Woodbury. By her he had five children: Lydia, Joseph, Elizabeth, Samuel, Jonathan. He married (second) 1690, Sarah, widow of John Giddings, of Gloucester, who died in 1711.-p901
 -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 2

Two interesting  things in that entry:
-In the witch trial records, Henry is called "Henry Herrick, Sr." but he had no son named Henry. He did, however, have a nephew with the same name who was called "Henry Herrick Jr." to avoid confusion between the two.

- Henry's second wife Sarah, is my 9x great grandmother Sarah (Alcock)Giddings. I'm descended through her daughter Elizabeth, 

FINDMYPAST ADDS 6.7 MILLION UNITED STATES MARRIAGE RECORDS

I received the following announcement from Findmypast in an emao; this morning
from Alex Cox:

FINDMYPAST ADDS 6.7 MILLION EXCLUSIVE RECORDS TO THEIR UNITED STATES MARRIAGES COLLECTION

NEW ADDITIONS COVER 127 COUNITES ACORSS 18 STATES
5th May 2017 

Leading family history website, Findmypast , has announced today the release of an additional 6.7 million United States Marriage records in partnership with Family Search International.
Covering 127 counties across 18 states, the new additions mark the latest step in Findmypast’s efforts to create the largest single online collection of U.S. marriage records in history. The collection was first launched in February 2016 and has received regular monthly updates ever since

This is the first time that any of the records included in this update have been released online and all 6.7 million of them will only be available to search online at Findmypast. The new additions cover;
          Alabama
·         Arkansas
·         Connecticut
·         Delaware
·         Georgia
·         Iowa
·         Kentucky
·         Maine
·         New Hampshire
·         New Jersey
·         North Carolina
·         Ohio
·         Oregon
·         Rhode Island
·         Utah
·         Vermont
·         Washington
·         West Virginia 

Covering 360 years of marriages from 1650-2010, when complete this landmark collection will contain at least 100 million records and more than 450 million names from 2,800 counties across America.  More than 60 per cent of which will have never before been published online.  When complete, the collection will only be found in its entirety exclusively on Findmypast. The records include marriage date, the names of both bride and groom , birthplace, birth date, residence as well as fathers’ and mothers’ names. 

The millions of new U.S. records will complement Findmypast’s massive collection of British and Irish data, allowing them to provide many more connections and a more comprehensive experience to family historians in the US and beyond. Customers with family trees on Findmypast will also benefit from leads connecting relatives on their trees with the marriage records, thus generating a whole new source of research.

FINDMYPAST FRIDAY RECORDS COLLECTION RELEASES FOR 28APRIL 2017

This week's Findmypast Friday nearly 800,000 releases include church records from the English
county of Kent:


BRAND NEW RECORDS:

Kent Baptisms
OVER 18,000 NEW RECORDS  New additions covering the parishes of Bapchild, Brompton, Chatham, New Gillingham, Wingham, Wittersham have been added to our collection of Kent Baptisms. Uncover the names and occupations of your ancestor’s parents with registers dating back to 1538.
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52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 10: RICHARD REITH OFSALEM AND MARBLEHEAD PT3

While Richard Reith had bequeathed certain properties to specific children in his will, there were others that still had to divided among them. One of the documents in his probate
file shows how that was accomplished .Again, it's divided into two images at a point just after a few blurred lines, and as it happens, those lines turn out to be very important.

Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)23463:12

6 We agree that Joseph Tuck in the Right of his wife Sara have and enjoy halfe of the ho use in (? Cove and halfe of the Cow Commonage thereto belonging, valued att forty pounds, and have also his part of the (?) on all estate amounting by (?) to twelve pounds, seventeen shillings &8 d, the house to be by him & his heirs forever.

Now the reason those lines are important is that they corrected an error in my family tree. I
had Sarah (Reith) Tuck, wife of Joseph Tuck, in my database as the daughter of William Reith and Abigail Haskell. But here's Joseph acting on behalf of Sarah in Richard Reith's will. What was going on here?

It turns out I committed a cardinal sin. At the time I first entered this branch I couldn't find
any birth record for any Sarah Reith except for one whose father was William Reith. I didn't follow upon that information as I've since learned to do over the years since. If I had
I would have realized the birth dates of both Sarah and William made it impossible for him
to be her father. And when I started researching my family I began just with my direct ancestors, leaving the siblings to fill in later. Here's an instance where it came back to bite me.

Having access to the probate files  made me aware I'd screwed up.

I will correct my family tree and database to reflect the new information. This means I need to prune John Hardy and Dr. William Griggs. William Reith remains as my 6x great granduncle, not grandfather.    

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52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 10: RICHARD REITH OFSALEM AND MARBLEHEAD PT2

I found the probate file for 9x greaat grandfather Richard Reith  in the Essex County, MA:
Probate File Papers, 1638-1881file on AmericanAncestors.org.  The will was apparently
written on an oversized piece of paper so there are two images of it, one for the upper half
and one for the bottom.:

Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)23463:14

Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881.Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (From records supplied by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives.)23463:15

Here's my transcription of the will. Spelling, punctuation and capitalization are as written in
the document, and some of it is the most unique I've run across so far:

The last will and testementt of Richard Reith of Marblehead
In the name of god amen. I Richard Reith sener being weake of body but perfect of memmory knowing the unsartonty of my pressent life and being desirous to setle the termperall estate lent me by god Dow hereby revoke null and Absolutely make void all former wills and dow declare this to be my last will and testement: In pr I committ my Imortall Soull into the hands of god my creator and Redemer, my body to the earth desently to be burried: my temperall estate to be desposed of in manner following.

I will that all my Just debts :which: I dow to  any person whatsoever be firstly satisfied with funarall charges: also in convenentt time by my Executers

Item i give unto my dear and loveing wife: her thirds of all my estate with in dors and withoutt only the iland to have no thirds their all the rest of my estate I give her her thirds of deuring the time of her widowhood: but if she marry I will she shall have forty five pounds out of my estate as it is apresed.

Item i give to my son Richard the rest of the iland beginning at the onlong(?} in att
the west side to the garden wall: and the westernmost stage: and the sault roome: and the part of the {?}scales to him and his heirs not be sold except it be to his brothers, ether William Reith or John Reith: and i will that son Richard Reith shall have his part of my :estate: equall with the rest of my children: Item i give to my son william reith half of the garden upon the iland :with a (?} roume: to the estern side the stage and half the esternmost stage and half the fish house and  half of the scales to him and his heirs forever not to be sold esecept it be to his two brothers Richard reith and John reith : and I will that he shall have his equell part of my estate as the rest of my children have Item i give to my son John Reith the other half of the garden over all the iland and half estermost stage and half the fish house part of the scales to him and his heirs forever not to be sold except it be to his two brothers Richard Reith or william Reith and i will allso thatt he shall have part equely with the rest of my children in my other estate: amd all the Rest my estate not willed above mentened both land and houses and whatso ever to be equely devided betwixt all my sons and daughters and my will is :that my son Richard Reith shall pay to my daughter Isabealah Reith out of his part of my estate forty shiling Daughter anne Reith shall pay to my daughter mary reith four pounds : out of her part of my estate and i will that my daughter abigaill mearshall pay to my daighter mary Reith foure pounds : out of her part of my estate: and my will is that my son Richard Reith shall be my soule Executor of my estate and also i make choyce of my loveing frindes: James denes and John Norman to Joyn : with him To act or to dow :honestly : as the law derects :to serv or to straine (?)
to (?) and to pay:
this thirteenth day : of january : Anno dom 1706 and In the fifth year of the reign of our Soverigne lady anne of Ingland Queen of which. In testemony here of:: I have set to my hand and seall: the time and
day about righton.
Richard Reith Sener
ann rieth
I  Dow aprove that this Will
shall stand ass itt iss.
Ann Reith Ann Reith

signed and delivered in the
presence of
Jobathan Thomson
Thomas Trofry
Richard SedgmoreFrom this I learned Richard Reith was a commercial fisherman whose operation included an 
"iland" (island) with at least two buildings and scales to weigh the catch.


To be continued

52 ANCESTORS IN 52 WEEKS 2017 WEEK 10: RICHARD REITH OF SALEM AND MARBLEHEAD

9x great grandfather Richard Reith is one of those ancestors where what little I know of him
teases me but there's not enough to fill in all the gaps.

-When he died in Marblehead on 28 February 1708 he was said to be 73 years which would
put his birth year in 1625.

-I have found records of his marriage on 16 February 1664 to a young lady but depending on
which record you are looking at her name is either Elizabeth Goryr or Elizabeth Gorge or
Elizabeth George. After Elizabeth's death he remarried and his second wife Ann is mentioned
in his probate file.

-Richard seems to have a number of different properties in Marblehead, Salem, and Gloucester,
Ma. One transaction was with another of my ancestors, Moses Maverick. According to his will
a property he owned was an island.

-In those land sales records Richard's profession is variously given as merchant, fisherman, and shoreman. From what I've seen in the probate file I think the island mentioned might have been
the base of his operations because it mentions "scales". It must have been good sized because he bequeaths a half of it to two of his sons.

I'll have a transcription of that will in the next post.

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HASKELLS AND HARDYS AND REITHS, OH MY!

I'm going to explore my 6x great grandmother Sarah (Tuck) Ellingwood's maternal ancestors soon.
Through her mother Sara Reith they include some interesting families: Reith, Haskell. Hardy,and
Griggs. I've already written a bit about the Haskells here in the past, but hadn't done much work
on the others. There were a few surprises for me, like a prosperous shipowner in one family and
a new connection to the Salem Witch Trials in another. And there are blank spaces I haven't been
able to fill in yet.

Here's a relationship chart for Sarah Reith and her grandfather Richard Reith that shows how she
connects with these other families:

Hopefully I'll be able to fill in the blanks for several other ancestors along the way!

THE SHOT HEARD ROUND THE WORLD

Today is the 242nd Anniversary of the Battles of Lexington & Concord which
started the American Revolution on 19Apr 1775. They were celebrated Monday in
Massachusetts on Patriots Day, the third Monday in April, when the Boston Marathon is run.

These are our colonial ancestors from our Dad's family lines for whom I have
so far been able to discover records that they took part in those battles and served in the
Revolution:



Jonathan Barker Jr. My 5x 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 to l Apr 1778 guarding
the captured troops of General Burgoyne.


Jonathan Barker 3rd  My 4x 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 19th,
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.

 

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. .

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  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. 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 Abbott   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.

"CONCORD HYMN" BY RALPH WALDO EMERSON

((I first posted this back in 2012 for the 237th anniversary of the Battles of Concord &
Lexington. I'm posting it again for the 242st anniversary tomorrow. Many of my ancestors 
answered the alarm on 19Apr 1775 and I'll republish a list of their names tomorrow.)) 


We've all heard about the "shot heard round the world" fired at Concord, but there's more to
the poem. So, in honor of the 241st anniversary of the Battles of Concord and Lexington, here's
Ralph Waldo Emerson's  "Concord Hymn":


Concord Hymn
       by
Ralph Waldo Emerson

By the rude bridge that arched the flood,
Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,
Here once the embattled farmers stood
And fired the shot heard round the world.


The foe long since in silence slept;
Alike the conqueror silent sleeps;
And Time the ruined bridge has swept
Down the dark stream which seaward creeps.


On this green bank, by this soft stream,
We set today a votive stone;
That memory may their deed redeem,
When, like our sires, our sons are gone.


Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.