John Emery

Fourth great-grandparent – 1 of 64 in this generation

(c.1808-bet. 1860-1870)

John Emery was born about 1808, perhaps in Hallowell, Kennebec, Maine, or in the surrounding area. At the age of about 22, he married Esther Elizabeth Savage on 7 July 1830 in Concord Plantation, Somerset, Maine. Her family was from the Embden/North Anson area. John and Esther appear together with their growing family in 1850 and 1860 in New Portland, Maine. In the 1860 census, the family is listed as paupers. Esther appears with two sons, but without John in the 1870 census in New Portland, therefore it is assumed that John died prior to the taking of the 1870 U.S. Census although no record has been found of his death or burial. His parents are unknown.

1850 U.S. Census, Ancestry.com

Name:	John Emery
Age:	42
Birth Year:	abt 1808
Birthplace:	Maine
Home in 1850:	New Portland, Somerset, Maine, USA
Gender:	Male
Family Number:	153
Household Members:	Name Age John Emery 42 Esther E Emery 39 Samuel Emery 17 Susan B Emery 15 John Emery 10 Cerenia Emery 8 William H Emery 6 Mary A Emery 5 Esther Emery 2 Hiram Emery 0

1860 U.S. Census, Ancestry.com

Name:	John Emery
Age:	55
Birth Year:	abt 1805
Gender:	Male
Birth Place:	Maine
Home in 1860:	New Portland, Somerset, Maine
Post Office:	East New Portland
Family Number:	75
Value of real estate:	View image
Household Members:	Name Age John Emery 55 Esther Emery 49 Esther E Emery 12 Charles Emery 10 Olive Emery 7 Franklin Emery 5 Sumner Emery 1

Who John was not:

John is often cited as the son of Briggs Hallowell Emery and Sarah “Sally” Farnham/Farnam/Farnum.

According to Genealogical Records of Descendants of John and Anthony Emery, of Newbury, Mass. 1590-1890, by Rufus Emery, Briggs removed [from Massachusetts] to Fairfield, Somerset, Maine in 1771 and married Sally, daughter of Daniel and Lydia (Porter) Farnham of Andover, Massachusetts. Briggs and Sally’s 10 children, all born in Fairfield, are listed on p.49. Their 6th child was John Abbot Emery, born on July 28, 1807. According to this source, John, a merchant of Bath, Maine, died unmarried on May 4, 1885. His residences are shown as follows in the U.S. federal censuses:

1850 U.S. Census, Bath, Lincoln, Maine

• Nancy P. Dyer, 38
• Francis A. Dyer, 12
• David E. Dyer, 7
• John A. Emery, 40, wool puller
• Ann Pinkham, 22
• Calista Snowman, 28,
• Sarah Emery, 76, b. Massachusetts

1860 U.S. Census, Bath, Lincoln, Maine

• Nancy Dyer, 45
• David E. Dyer, 17
• John E. Emery, 52, wool trader

1870 U.S. Census, Bath, Lincoln, Maine

• Nancy Dyer, 66
• John Emery, 62

1880 U.S. Census, Bath, Lincoln, Maine

• Nancy Dyer, 64
• John A. Emery, 73, wool merchant

According to this record on findagrave.com, John died on 4 May 1885 (in agreement with Rufus Emery’s genealogy, cited above) and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery, Bath, Maine.

Who John was not, Part II

John was not the son of Silas Emery and his 1st wife Sarah “Sally” Gray of Harmony, Maine, nor was he the son of the same Silas Emery and his 2nd wife Lydia Knight. According to Harmony town records, the children of Silas Emery did not include a son named John.

Who John Might Be

DNA matches on Ancestry.com point to the very high probability that John’s parents were James Emery and Olive Maloney. Based solely on current DNA matches, no other candidates present themselves.

Circumstantially, James and Olive’s daughter, Naomi, was born in North New Portland in 1801, which would put them in the right time and place. There is a James Emery listed in New Portland in the 1810 U.S. Census. Furthermore, John and Esther’s 1st-born son was named James (not shown in the census records above; Esther’s father’s name was also James, so the name is not necessarily indicative of a connection to James Emery and Olive Maloney), and they had at least one and probably two daughters named Olive, the first (and maybe both) having died young.

Flora Margaret Collins

Grandparent – 1 of 4 in this generation

Margaret or “Margy” as she was known, was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico to William James Collins and Mary Matheson Emery. She spoke Spanish before she spoke English. They left Puerto Rico when Margy was 4 years old. In 1940, she was living with her family in Halifax, Nova Scotia, when her father died (or was killed) in Sydney, Nova Scotia (on Cape Breton island). This loss impacted her life in a very deep and permanent way. Devastated, Margy, along with her mother and younger sister, first moved to Panama to live with her mother’s brother, Hildreth “Hill” Emery. They were in Providence, Rhode Island for some time, residing with Margy’s Aunt Etta on Nisbet Street; then they moved to Warwick, just outside of Providence. Margy’s mother, Mary, had grown up in Taunton, Massachusetts, which was only about 30 miles from Providence. Mary’s mother, Flora (MacQuarrie) Emery, would eventually move in with them.

Grandma Mary, Mom (Margy), Maryann

Mom (Margy) with her father

In Warwick, Margy and her sister, Maryann, attended Aldrich High School, where Margaret tutored other students in Spanish. There she met fellow student and future husband, Kenneth Wells Dutton, and they often did their homework together at Margy’s kitchen table. Following her high school graduation, she attended Pembroke College (Brown University). Being above all a very practical person, Margy decided on a change of course and left Pembroke to pursue a nursing degree from Faulkner Hospital School of Nursing, Massachusetts. She subsequently worked as a registered nurse for many years.

The following is a letter from Margy dated March 6, 1951, 1137 Centre St. [Faulkner Hospital], Jamaica Plain, Boston, MA, addressed to Mr. & Mrs. James Hildreth Emery, c/o Chiriqui Land Co. [United Fruit Co.], Puerto Armuelles, Rep. of Panama, transcribed by me with my comments in brackets on 10/16/2021. This gives some great historical context and is interesting for several reasons.

Dear Uncle Hill and Aunt Maida,

It seemed very good to hear from you today. Am right now at the point where I feel as though I didn’t have a friend in the world. Have been working nights since Feb. 6^th here at Faulkner (your letter took longer to get here because it followed me from Haynes [Haynes Memorial Hospital for infectious diseases] and I do not get off until March 11^th. The worst of it is that I had only been off nights one week at Haynes when I came right back here to the same old shift. It’s really pathetic but I hope it’s the last night duty I have for the rest of my training – too much for me!

Mother seems to be feeling some better. She went on days over a week ago and is adjusting fairly well to the new routine. Can you see her getting up at 6:00 am every day?? She is quite tired and I’m trying to get her to take a little rest. Cousins Jean and Don [Henshaw] are coming down over the Easter weekend and I’m hoping that she will drive back to Montreal with them for a few days’ vacation.

Aunt Etta has had the flu recently (which she denies, of course). We’ve had a regular epidemic of it in the Northeast and the hospitals were closed to visitors and anything but emergency admissions for two weeks. Quite a holiday for the nurses but not so good for the patients who lay there day after day without seeing any of their families.

Granny seems pretty good and certainly continues to amaze me with her knowledge of current affairs.

Uncle Blaine and family have all recently recovered from the flu but are ok now.

So far as Maryann is concerned, I think your suggestion about her spending a few months with you is excellent. She is not returning to college until Fall and ….thank goodness cannot join the active Navy at this time because they are not accepting female enlistments [but she ended up joining the Army]. We have become quite close since I went away to school and it leaves me in an awful middle position. Maryann is very young and very tender though she presents a hard exterior to many. I will try to talk to her and see if she would enjoy the trip to Panama. She is so very fond of both of you that it is probably just what she needs to help her set a straight course for her life.

My love and I have parted. Incompatibility in religion is an insurmountable obstacle when both parties are strong in their beliefs. It’s an unfortunate affair.

Will close now and get some sleep. It’s now 6 pm and because we had classes this afternoon, I’ve only had three hours’ sleep! Bye for now.

Love, Margy

Margy and Ken were married in 1956 at the Asbury Methodist Church, Warwick. At first, they resided with Ken’s parents (or “folks,” as Ken always called them) on the attic level of their home at 3 Colgate Street; then they established their own household on Harrison Avenue, Warwick. Around 1968, Ken got a new job in Groton, Connecticut, so they relocated to “The Highlands” in Ledyard. Their new home overlooked the Highlands Lake which became the focal point of summer and winter activity for the kids. The neighborhood also had a clubhouse that organized a huge annual Easter egg hunt. During Christmas, large groups of carolers full of children and their parents filled the neighborhood with song, always followed by hot chocolate in the clubhouse.

Around 1972, influenced by a neighbor, Margaret obtained her real estate license. She worked first in residential, then in commercial real estate. She eventually started her own commercial real estate company, the Dutton Company. Margaret was a well respected businesswoman and was active in local politics.

Around the end of 1974, the decision was made that Margy’s in-laws, who were still living in Warwick, RI, would move in with them. Margy and Ken’s family of six, along with Ken’s parents, would sell their respective homes and move together to a larger home in Ledyard, several miles away from the Highlands. They fixed up their home in the Highlands like a cute little castle and sold it to a lucky family. They then lived on Coachman Pike in Ledyard for two years before moving to a newly constructed home on 12 acres near the quaint village of Old Mystic.

Elizabeth Godfrey

8th great-grandparent – 1 of 1026 in this generation

Elizabeth was born in Harwich, Massachusetts, on 20 Dec 1704 to Richard Godfrey and Lydia Freeman. The town of Harwich had been incorporated in 1694 and included the land that later became the town of Brewster. Some “oldcomers” from Plymouth Colony settled in Harwich when the colony was absorbed into Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Elizabeth’s mother died sometime after 1716 when Elizabeth was just 12 or thereabouts. At the age of 19, on 3 Feb 1724, Elizabeth married 22-year-old Prence Doane, the son of Israel Doane and Ruth Freeman, in his hometown of Eastham, Massachusetts.

Elizabeth and Prence had at least eight children, 4 daughters and 4 sons, including our Elkanah Doane, who was born in 1737.

Prence Doane died in 1751 in Saybrook, Connecticut while some of his children were still young. Elizabeth lived another 40 years and died in Eastham at the age of 86.

John Patrick Lane

3rd great-grandfather (1 of 32 in this generation)

(about 1848 – 10 Sep 1913)

We don’t know a lot about John because he was identified as an ancestor based solely on DNA evidence. He hasn’t been a part of the family story and his other descendants, though many of their names have been identified, are still strangers to us.

John was born about 1848 in New York, very probably to Daniel C. Lane (1812-1880) and Lydia “Liddy” Garrison (1815-?). Very little is known of his father’s ancestry, but the family names include Winters, Terry, Hart, and Travis, of Putnam, NY, Botetourt County, VA, and Hardin County, KY.

John’s sister, born 4 years previously, was born in Broome County, NY, so it’s possible that he was also born there. John was the youngest of 5 children.

In 1850, we find 2-year-old John residing with his parents and siblings in Springfield, Bradford, Pennsylvania. His father was a Baptist clergyman. His oldest brother, Samuel, was no longer attending school at the age of 14, but his other siblings, Jane, William (Albert), and Ester, were in school.

Only part of the family has been found in the 1860 U.S. Census. John’s siblings, Samuel and Jane, were residing with their father, then listed as a Methodist Episcopal minister, in Cummings, Lycoming, Pennsylvania. Cummings had a population of 355 in the 2000 U.S. Census and probably had far fewer residents in 1860.

In 1870, John was found residing with his mother, Lydia, and his niece, Clarissa Elliott (Ester/Hester’s daughter), in Pine Creek, Clinton, Pennsylvania. John was working as a farmer, his mother was keeping house, and Clarissa was “at home.” Also found in Pine Creek were John’s brother, William (Albert), and his wife, Ann; and his sister, Ester/Hester residing with her husband and the rest of the Elliott family. John’s father has not been found in the 1870 U.S. Census.

Sometime in the early 1870’s, John made his way up to western Massachusetts where he became acquainted with Ellen Hurley. It’s possible that he was there with his brother, Albert, a physician who many years later made his home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Ellen became pregnant and gave birth to our John Frederick Gaylord in about 1871.

John later became the husband of Mary Catherine Danley sometime before the birth of their first child in 1874. Their descendants are as follows:

1. Crayton Lane, b.1874 in Pennsylvania, resided in Odell, Harper, Kansas in 1885. Nothing further is known.
2. Lulu Armenta Lane, b. 2 Mar 1877 in Phillipsburg, PA; m. Oscar Leon Horton in Joplin, MO on 8 Oct 1901. Children:
   • Mary, b.1904
   • Johnny, b.1905
   • Lena Fay, b.1907
   • Susan, b.1909
   • Opal, b.1909
   • Oscar, b.1911
   • Darrel, b.1913
   • Orval, b.1918
3. Sarah “Susie” Camilla Lane, b.2 Jul 1879 in Kansas, m. John Thomas Alexander. They adopted at least one child.
4. Mary Edith Lane, b.1880 in Kansas, m1. George Coats; m2. Mr. Huddleston. Had 3 children:
   • Clyde Earl Coats
     • William Coats
     • John Coats
5. Carrie Emaline Lane, b.1882 in Kansas, married three times and had nine children:
   • baby Phillips, died at birth or soon after
   • Frederick Phillips, b.1901 in Missouri
   • Roy Clouse, b.1905
   • George Clouse, b.1908
   • Fernon Clouse, b.1911
   • Beauford Clouse, b.1913
   • June Clouse, b.1917
   • May Clouse, b.1920
   • Dorothy Clouse, b.1921

Guilford, Connecticut

On July 1, 2018, on probably the hottest day of the year, Marco and I explored some sites in Guilford. First, we strolled around the town green, which has paved walkways criss-crossing the nearly 12 acres of lawn and shade trees.

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I was impressed with the beauty of the “park,” but Marco corrected me and said, “cemetery.” He was not pleased that the sacred Village Green Cemetery was disguised as a park and used for concerts, picnics and various other public activities. It didn’t bother me, but I would have liked to see a memorial recognizing the people whose bodies were buried there. Did we miss it, somehow? The tombstones were all moved many years ago, but the graves remain.

It was the first time we had been to a cemetery where both my ancestors and his are buried. Erik P.’s ancestors are here, too, and they were all part of the same community about 375 years ago. Marco and I have 15 ancestors there, combined; Erik has 4. I created “faux tombstones” for visual impact.

Barbara’s ancestors:

Aaron Blatchley and Mary Dodd are also ancestors of my cousin, Kristin. Aaron and Mary had 10 children; among them were my ancestor, Thomas, and Kristin’s ancestor, Samuel. Samuel married and established his family in Stamford, Connecticut.

Marco’s ancestors:

 

Erik’s ancestors:

 

Voyage to the New World

Marco’s and Erik P.’s ancestors came to Connecticut Colony in the company of Puritan minister Henry Whitfield. Whitfield himself was Marco and Erik’s 10th great-grandfather. They sailed over during the turbulence of the English Civil War, when Charles I and Archbishop William Laud exerted arbitrary injustice upon religious dissidents.

Prior to their arrival in the New World, male passengers signed a plantation covenant, pledging to live together in community. It became known as the Guilford Covenant and is similar to and perhaps as significant as the Mayflower Compact.

GUILFORD COVENANT – signed June 1639

We whose names are here underwritten, intending by God’s gracious permission to plant ourselves in New England, and if it may be, in the southerly part about Quinnipiack, do faithfully promise each, for ourselves and our families and those that belong to us, that we will, the Lord assisting us, sit down and join ourselves together in one entire plantation, and be helpful each to the other in any common work, according to every man’s ability, and as need shall require, and we promise not to desert or leave each other or the plantation, but with the consent of the rest, or the greater part of the company who have entered into this engagement. As to our gathering together in a church way and the choice of officers and members to be joined in that way, we do refer ourselves, until such time as it please God to settle us in our plantation. In witness whereof we subscribe our names, this first of June 1639.

Signers of the Guilford Covenant:

• Robert Kitchell – brother of Marco’s 10th great-grandmother, Lady Elizabeth Kitchell Rucke
• Abraham Cruttenden – brother of Erik’s ancestor, Elizabeth Cruttenden Graves
• John Housegoe
• John Mepham
• William Plane
• John Bishop – Marco’s 10th great-grandfather
• William Chittenden
• Thomas Jones
• Thomas Naish
• John Stone
• Francis Bushnell
• Henry Doude
• John Jordan – Marco’s 9th great-grandfather; brother of Erik’s 9th great-grandfather, Thomas Jordan
• William Noble
• William Stone
• Francis Chatfield
• William Dudley
• Henry Kingstone
• Thomas Norton
• Richard Guttridge
• Thomas Cooke – Marco’s 9th great-grandfather
• John Hoadley
• William Leete – Erik’s 9th great-grandfather
• John Parmarly – Marco’s 10th great-grandfather
• Rev. Henry Whitfield – Marco and Erik’s 10th great-grandfather

In 2014, Guilford memorialized its original covenant on an enormous granite slab which is on display outside the Whitfield House Museum. The rededication says volumes about the significance of the covenant and the original founding of Guilford to its current residents.

The Guilford Covenant on granite slab, Henry Whitfield House Museum. Photo taken by B.D. Gaylord, 7/1/18

 

The Henry Whitfield House

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The home, which is the oldest stone home in New England, also functioned as an emergency shelter for the town residents. Historians say that the construction of emergency shelter seemed prudent due to the recent Pequot War in 1637. Although the war was over, signs of it remained. For instance, during the war, one of the Pequot sachems was chased to Guilford and killed there in what became known as Bloody Cove. His head was lodged in a tree and remained there for years – the area is still known as Sachem’s Head. The scene did not exactly present a warm welcome to the newcomers. Pictured below is an artist’s rendition of the sachem’s head – I couldn’t avoid my shadow in the picture – which is on display at the Whitfield House.

An extraordinary statue of a very handsome Rev. Henry Whitfield stands directly outside the museum. Interestingly enough, there was no portrait of Whitfield, so his likeness was entirely a creation of the artist’s imagination.

For additional reading, I recommend the Connecticut Museum Quest, one of my favorite sites for its entertaining take on Connecticut history; and Miner Descent, another favorite.

The Menunkatuck Trail (now part of the New England National Scenic Trail (NET))

A spur of the NET enters the grounds of the Whitfield House and extends to the woods behind the barn. It offers a good opportunity to take in the beauty and history of the museum (and grab some water) near the beginning or the end of the trail, depending on where the hike begins. As someone who has trekked much of the NET, some of it many times over, I was thrilled to know this. Here are a few pictures of the spur.

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Andrew Leete Historic Marker

The Honorable Andrew Leete (Erik’s 8th great-grandfather) played a fascinating role in Connecticut history. The story is well told by Connecticut Museum Quest, as well as Connecticuthistory.org, so I will simply summarize it briefly. Sir Edmund Andros was governor of the Dominion of New England until the 1689 Boston Revolt. His governance was supposed to include Connecticut, but then governor Robert Treat (Merle’s 8th great-grandfather) was stalling in submitting to Andros’ authority. Andros finally demanded the charter at a meeting in Hartford. Andrew Leete is credited with extinguishing the candles while Joseph Wadsworth ran away with the charter and hid it in the hollow of a huge oak tree. Since then, the charter oak has been an enduring symbol for Connecticut. The name has been used by a bank, college, vineyard, brewery and numerous other businesses.

88 Broad Street, Guilford, CT

 

The Regicides

My son and I went hiking recently on Regicides Trail in New Haven. There is a plaque there on some boulders recognizing the hideout of Edward Whalley and his son-in-law, William Goffe, who were among 59 signers of the warrant to execute tyrannical King Charles I.

Photo of the original execution warrant for Charles I. The original is at the House of Lords, Westminster Palace, Westminster, London, UK.

This transcription of the death warrant is at the Henry Whitfield House, Guilford, CT. The photo was taken by B.D. Gaylord 7/1/18. The names to the left, cut off in this image, are Jo. Bradshawe, Tho. Grey, O. Cromwell and Edw. Whalley.

Whalley and Goffe resided in the “cave,” as it is called but does not resemble, for about three years.

Neither Edward Whalley nor his son-in-law, William Goffe, are our ancestors; however, William Goffe’s brother, Edward, is my 11th great-grandfather on the Emery side. Furthermore, Edward Whalley’s sister, Jane, is Merle’s 10th great-grandmother (HAL’s 12th great-grandmother). Jane Whalley married Reverend William Hooke and they were residents of New Haven and contemporaries of the regicides. Through her mother, Frances Cromwell, she was related to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Erik P.’s 9th great-grandfather was Connecticut Colonial Governor William Leete, who at great risk assisted in providing shelter to the regicides in New Haven.

This plaque appears on a lightpost on the town green in Guilford, where Governor Leete resided.

Pictured below on Leete’s former home is a sign identifying it as a temporary shelter for the regicides.

Marco’s 10th great-grandfather was Colonel John Jones, one of the regicides who was executed.

His 2nd wife was Oliver Cromwell’s sister; his son (and Marco’s 9th great-grandfather) was William Jones, who became Deputy Governor of Connecticut under Governor Robert Treat, Merle’s 8th great-grandfather.

Andrew L.’s 12th great-grandfather was regicide Colonel Daniel Axtel who met the same fate as Colonel Jones.

Recommended reading: Connecticut Museum Quest, The Great Escape of Edward Whalley and William Goffe: Smuggled Through Connecticut; Killers of the King: the Men who Dared to Execute Charles I

Deborah Ketcham

6th great-grandparent – 1 of 256 254 in this generation

(1758 – 1842)

Deborah was born on 3 November 1758, in Huntington, New York, to Rebecca Ketcham, age 42, and Thomas Ketcham, age 48.

Deborah’s parents were original settlers of the Beekman Patent, a colonial land grant created to bring in a large number of settlers in order to increase economic prosperity and improve defense of the area between New York City and Albany.  The Beekman Patent was located due east of Poughkeepsie which borders the Hudson River.

Deborah’s father died when she was 1 (his will was probated 16 April 1760) and her mother survived her father but apparently died later that same year. Though I have not found direct evidence to support this, the overall consensus on the internet is that she died in 1760.  Deborah had 4 (or 5) older siblings: Thomas, Jr.; Isaac; Lavinia; and Pamela Mary (or Pamela and Mary). None of them was old enough to be a surrogate parent for the others. If the children were orphaned in 1760, they were probably split up to live with various relatives.

I’m going to go ahead and speculate that Deborah was placed with relatives in Huntington after her parents died. That would have placed her in the vicinity of Smithtown, where at the age of 22, she married David Sammis.

Deborah and David had at least three children:

1. Jonathan, b. 06 July 1783 Smithtown, New York
2. Mary, b. 12 April 1789 Babylon, New York
3. Daniel, Jul 1793 Babylon, NY, m. Maria Ketcham

Deborah and David lived in Smithtown during the time of the Revolutionary War. The British had won the Battle of Long Island, the first major battle of the war following the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Long Island was occupied by the British until 25 November 1783.

Job Sammis

7th great-grandparent – 1 of 512 504 in this generation

(1724 – 1792)

Job Sammis was born on February 14, 1724, in Huntington, New York, when his father, Jeremiah, was 36, and his mother, Sarah, was 32.

Job was 14 when his mother passed away at the age of 46.

At the age of 26, Job married 24-year-old Elizabeth Kellam in First Church, Huntington. The church was destroyed by British troops in 1782 for use in construction of fortifications while occupying Huntington (www.wikipedia.org).

During the occupation, Job was pressed into service by the British, mostly for carting supplies to various towns. In April 1780, the British took one of his mares, by order of Colonel Hulet (probably Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hewlett), a loyalist from Hempstead, Queens.

During the time leading up to the Revolution, Job was hiding stores of weapons and gunpowder in his attic for use by the Suffolk County militia. His home became known as the Arsenal and is now a museum.

Job and Elizabeth had 10 children, including David Sammis, born in 1766.

Job Sammis died on May 24, 1792, in Huntington, New York, at the age of 68.

 

 

 

Hester Kirtland

7th great-grandparent – 1 of 512 504 in this generation

(1704 – )

Hester was born on March 19, 1704, in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, to John Kirtland, 22, and Temperance Buckingham, 20.

When Hester was 19, she and Major Jedediah Chapman were married on June 6, 1723, in Old Saybrook and had 8 children:

1. Hester, b. 3 April 1724 Westbrook, m.William Kelsey, the son of George Kelsey and Elizabeth (Hammond) Livermore, and had 7 children (KELSEY):
   1. Hester, b. 12 Dec 1746 Westbrook, CT; m.Samuel Bushnell, had 11 children
   2. Sarah, b. 30 Nov 1748 Westbrook, CT, d.10 Apr 1749
   3. Lydia, b. 9 Dec 1753 Westbrook
   4. William, b. 20 Sep 1755 Westbrook, m. Hannah Ogden, had 6 children
   5. Olive, b. 12 Oct 1758 Westbrook, m. Grover Smith
   6. Enoch, b. 7 Feb 1760 Westbrook, m. Sarah Rogers, had 7 children
   7. Chloe, b. 13 Apr 1762 Westbrook, m. Timothy Schofield
2. Jedediah, 16 Dec 1726 Westbrook, m. Mary Grinnell, daughter of George Grinnell and Mary Bull, in 1755 and had 8 children.
3. Temperance, b.1 Feb 1728, m. 1) John Doud, the son of John Doud and Rebecca Grinnell, who was the sister of George Grinnell and Peabody Grinnell, mentioned herein; 2) Gideon Bushnell, the son of William Bushnell and Katherine Jordan, and brother of our ancestor, Lydia Bushnell; had at least 7 children:
   1. Temperance Doud, b.1751 Westbrook, m. Daniel Spencer
   2. Lucinda Bushnell, b. 16 May 1754, m. Hawes Higgins 16 Sep 1773 in Haddam, Connecticut
   3. Gideon Bushnell, b. 1 Nov 1756, m. Nancy Hurd, had 10 children
   4. Doud Bushnell, b.15 May 1762 Saybrook, Connecticut, m. Lucy Joyce. They were the 4th great-grandparents of singer Harry Chapin
   5. Salome Bushnell, b. 28 May 1768 Saybrook, Connecticut, m.  Amasa Skinner
   6. Jedediah, b.26 Nov 1769 Saybrook, m. Elizabeth Smith
   7. Temperance, b.c1770 Saybrook, m. Nathaniel Ellis
4. Ann, b.22 Mar 1731, m. Daniel Grinnell, son of George Grinnell and Mary Bull, 1758 in Westbrook and had 11 children (GRINNELL):
   1. Daniel, Jr., b.1752, d.1807, m. Anna Everest
   2. Reuben, b.8 Oct 1755, d.1815, m.Mabel Evarts, had 6 children, including Eunice, Miron, Heman
   3. Charlotte, b.26 March 1757
   4. Ezra, m. Olive Parker
   5. Anne/Anna, b.c1771, m. Isaac Sherwood Ketchum
   6. Amasa
   7. Aaron
   8. Benjamin
   9. Aaron (2)
   10. Electa, b.c1774, m. Joshua Lewis
   11. Asenath, b.c1774, m. Ebenezer Couch
5. Reuben, b.20 Oct 1733, m. Sarah Lay June 28, 1759 and had 9 children
6. Charity, b. 2 Mar 1736, m. Peabody Grinnell, the son of Peabody Grinnell and Sarah Barnes; brother of George Grinnell who m. Mary Bull and had Daniel and Mary, among others; had 10 children
7. Chloe, b.1738 Westbrook, m. John Post, the son of John Post, Sr. & Lydia Bushnell, sister of our ancestor, Lydia Post, on 22 Nov 1764; they had 4 children
8. Tabitha, b.c1740, m. Isaac Chapman, the son of Robert Chapman (who m. 2nd Tabitha’s mother, Hester Kirtland, the subject of this profile) and Mary Church,  and had 8 children, d.8 Nov 1785

After Hester’s husband died in 1764, Hester remarried to Robert Chapman, the son of Robert Chapman, Sr. and Mary Stevens, on 2 April 1766. Robert was a 1st cousin of Hester’s 1st husband, and the father of Isaac who was married to Hester’s daughter, Tabitha.

Hester and Jedediah had apparently taken it upon themselves to populate all of Connecticut. They had 64 grandchildren, which would make for incredibly large family gatherings! Then add siblings and their children and grandchildren. The average number of children born to every one of Hester and Jedediah’s children is 8. I haven’t entirely researched another generation, but if the 64 grandchildren had another 8 children each (assuming they didn’t marry one another), there would be 512 great-grandchildren!

Charles Ludlam

8th great-grandparent – 1 of 1024 1008 in this generation

(1691-1769)

Charles was born on 27 January 1691 to Joseph Ludlam and Elizabeth (?). His father’s 2nd wife, Elizabeth Townsend, is said to be Charles’ step-mother. [see wikitree profile here].

Charles had at least three siblings, all older than he. His sister, Clemence, is also an ancestor of ours.

At the age of 30, Charles married Elizabeth Wright (or Townsend), and the two had seven children:

1. Charles, Jr., b.1717, m. Mary Weekes
2. Sylvanus, b.1720, m. Ann Ingraham
3. Henry, b.16 Oct 1722, m. Naomi Feke
4. Daniel, b.1725, m. Margaret Wright, died of drowning
5. Clemence, b.1728, m. ? Carman
6. Elizabeth, b.1730, m. ? Kissam
7. Susannah, b.1833, m. Richard Hallock

Charles died on 1 November 1769 in Centre Island, New York at the age of 78, and was buried in Ludlam Smith Burial Ground, Centre Island. View his findagrave record here.

Isaac Hawkins

6th great-grandparent – 1 of 256 254 in this generation

(1757 – 1836)

Isaac was born in 1757 in Brookhaven, New York, to Mary MILLS, age 41, and David Hawkins, age 45.

On 23 March 1777, at the age of 20, Isaac married Elizabeth Hulse in Brookhaven.

According to family tradition, Isaac and Elizabeth had a son, Ebenezer Hawkins. As far as I know, however, there is no proof of this relationship. More research required.

Isaac died on 8 February 1836 in New York at the age of 79 and was buried in Brookhaven, NY.

Elizabeth Haynes

7th great-grandparent – 1 of 512 504 in this generation

(1696–1757)

Elizabeth Haynes was born on 22 March 1696, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, to Sarah Moulton and Jonathan Haynes.

In August of 1696, when Elizabeth was just an infant, her father and four of her siblings were kidnapped by Indians as they were farming in their fields. Two of her brothers never returned, but were assimilated into life in Canada. Her father managed to survive the ordeal and return home, but was later killed in another Indian attack. Elizabeth’s sister, Mary, was kidnapped but later returned for ransom. Mary later married John Preston, brother of our ancestor, Jacob Preston (1680-1742). Read about the attacks more fully here.

Elizabeth married Isaac Spaulding in Haverhill at just 16 years of age, on 1 or 2 February 1713 [just days before their first child was born – it seems something is not right about this information. Other sources say Mehitable was born in Feb 1714 and Elizabeth (jr.) in 1716].  They had 11 children:

1. Mehitable, b.7 Feb 1713*, d.4 Sep 1735 in Plainfield, Connecticut
2. Elizabeth, b.13 Jan 1715**
3. Amy, b. 13 Dec 1717 Chelmsford, MA; m. Alexander Stewart; d.c1803
4. Phineas, b.23 Jan 1720; m. Sarah Summers. They resided in Panton, Addison, Vermont.
   

   About October of 1777, Phineas Spaulding and eleven others of Panton and Addison County were taken prisoners and kept on board a vessel in the vicinity. He was then employed to dress the animals brought on board for food. He had the opportunity to jump into a small boat lying aside the vessel; he then started to paddled to shore. Before he reached shore he was observed and ordered to return. Knowing they would fire upon him, and thinking his body too large a mark to escape, he jumped into the water and swam safely to shore amid the bullets of the British. About a week later all the prisoners were released. He was 56 years old at the time. In the fall of 1778 a large British force came up the lake in several vessels and every house in Panton was burned but one. Phineas Spaulding’s farm house, known as the Swift farm, was destroyed on that November 5, 1778 day. Two of his sons were taken prisoners. Phineas escaped to Rutland, Vermont, where he remained the rest of his life. The only house in town that was not burned belonged to his brother, Timothy Spaulding. Why it was not burned is not known but Timothy escaped out the back while the enemy came to the front. The two Spauldings that were captured were among 39 men and boys of the area that were taken prisoners. The two Spauldings were George and Philip Spaulding. At the time Philip was 24 while George was 17 years old. They were taken with the other prisoners to Canada. They escaped, and Philip, with others, wandered in the woods 21 days before they reached the Connecticut River. His brother, George, was recaptured and put in irons. The British offered him his liberty if he would first go to Great Britain. Stopping at a port in Ireland, he went ashore and was taken by a press-gang. Nothing further is known of him. Source: Gillett Family Tree, http://www.genyourway.com/sh-war-AR.html

5. Edward, b. 18 Aug 1722 Plainfield, CT; married Ruth Kinsbury; died 23 Aug 1750
6. Sarah (1722-?)
7. Isaac, b.22 April 1726 Plainfield, CT; married Mercy Brown; died Scipio, Cayuga, NY
8. Rachel (1728-1816), m. Simon Shepard, son of Joseph Shepard and his wife, Mary
9. Jeremiah, b.20 Aug 1730 in Plainfield, CT; m. Elizabeth Day and had 7 children
10. Jacob, b.17 Dec 1732 in Norfolk, Litchfield, Connecticut. Became Ensign in the French & Indian War and was at the taking of Quebec by General Wolfe. His home became a retreat for the sick and injured during the war. He also served in the Revolutionary War in Capt. Andrew Backus’ company of Plainfield. Married Rachel Knapp and had two sons. Jacob died 30 April 1814. ***
11. Timothy b.1739; m. Sarah Squiers on 25 January 1764 Cornwall, Connecticut

Elizabeth was 58 when her husband, Isaac, died in Cornwall Bridge, Connecticut, at the age of 61. They had been married 41 years. Elizabeth died three years later and was buried next to her husband in Allen Cemetery, Cornwall, Connecticut. View her record on findagrave.com by clicking here.

 *”Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F775-LKM : 3 December 2014), Mehetable Spaulding, 07 Feb 1713; citing ; FHL microfilm unknown.

**”Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F775-28P : 3 December 2014), Isaac Spaulding in entry for Elisabeth Spaulding, 13 Jan 1715; citing ; FHL microfilm unknown.

***New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial: A Record of the …, Volume 3, edited by William Richard Cutter

Other source: Spalding Memorial: A Genealogical History of Edward Spalding, by Samuel Jones Spalding