Category: Kelsey line

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.

Continue reading “Elizabeth Godfrey”

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!

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.
  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

Lois Simons

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

(1711-)

Lois was born on 15 March 1711, in Windham, Connecticut, to Jonathan Simons, 24, and Miriam Allyn, 19.

Lois was 16 when her father died on 14 September 1727, in New London, Connecticut, at the age of 40.

At the age of 22, Lois married William Preston in Windham, Connecticut, on February 28, 1734, when she was 22 years old.

They had 11 children during their marriage:

  1. Tamar, b.1735
  2. Ruhamah, b.1736
  3. Lois, b.1738
  4. Mehitable, b.1740
  5. William, b.1742
  6. Eliphalet, b.1745
  7. Nathaniel, b.1746
  8. Stephen, b.1748
  9. Sibyl, b.1750
  10. Sarah, b.1753
  11. William (Major), b.1755

I have not yet found a reliable record of Lois’ death.

 

 

William Preston

7th great-grandparent – 512 504 in this generation

(1710-1778)

William Preston was born on 1 October 1710, in Andover, Massachusetts, to Jacob Preston and Sarah Lord Wilson. William was the 4th of 6 children (all boys).

William was 10 when his mother died in 1720 in Ashford, Connecticut, at the age of 42. His mother had been tried for witchcraft in Salem at the age of 14, along with her mother. After she spent six weeks in prison, she was released on bail. Both she and her mother were eventually found not guilty.

At the age of 23, William married Lois Simons in Windham, Connecticut. They had 11 children during their marriage:

  1. Tamar, b.1735
  2. Ruhamah, b.1736
  3. Lois, b.1738
  4. Mehitable, b.1740
  5. William, b.1742
  6. Eliphalet, b.1745
  7. Nathaniel, b.1746
  8. Stephen, b.1748
  9. Sibyl, b.1750
  10. Sarah, b.1753
  11. William (Major), b.1755

William’s father died in Ashford, Connecticut in 1742, when William was 32 years old.

William died in Windham on 20 May 1778 at the age of 67.

 

David Kennedy

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

(1683-1732)

David Kennedy (or Canady) was born on 7 July 1683 in Salem, Massachusetts, to Daniel Canady, 31, and Hannah Cook, 28.

When David was just 11 years old, his father passed away on 11 June 1695 in Salem, at the age of 38.

David was the first settler of Hampton, Connecticut, which at that time was called, “Canada Parish.”

In December, 1716, the town, in answer to a petition of the people, consented ” that the northeast part be a parish,” receiving one-fourth part of John Cates’ legacy, and having two hundred pounds returned to them as rebate on what they had paid toward the new meeting house at Windham. The town then petitioned the general assembly to grant a charter to the new parish. This petition was dated May 9th, 1717.. The petition was at once granted and the new society described in boundaries as follows: 11 Beginning at Canterbury line, to run westerly in the south line of Thomas Lasell’s lot, and so in direct course to Merrick’s brook, and then the said brook to be the line until it intersects the present road that leads from said town to the Burnt Cedar swamp, and from thence a straight line to the brook that empties itself into Nauchaug river about the middle of Six Mile Meadow, at the place where Mansfield line crosseth the said brook.” The new parish comprised all of Windham that lay north of this line. The name given to it was Canada parish, from the name of David Canada, who, it is believed, built the first house in this section and kept the first tavern. [emphasis added]

Source: History of Windham County, Connecticut, Bayles, Richard M.; New York: W.W. Preston, 1889

The first settler to arrive in the part of Connecticut later known as the Town of Hampton was David Canada, who came there from Salem, Massachusetts in 1709.[3]

Source: F.S.M. Crofut, Guide to the History and Historic Sites of Connecticut, New Haven: Yale University Press, 1937, v.2.

 

At the very respectable age of 35, David married Margaret Lambert in Windham, Connecticut, on 5 November 1718.

According to various sources available on the internet, Margaret (Lambert) Canada died in 1728. According to (mostly) the same sources, her son, Daniel, was born in 1730. I’m pretty sure that’s a problem (sigh), but I’m not prepared to resolve it at this time.

David died in Hampton, Connecticut on 28 November 1732, two years after Daniel was born.

 

 

 

Sarah Freeman

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

(1720-1791)

Sarah Freeman was born on 17 January 1720 in Sandwich, Barnstable, Massachusetts, to Edmund Freeman, 36, and Keziah Pressbury, 32. She was the 8th of 14 children. Sarah was a descendant of Mayflower passengers, Constance Hopkins and her father, Stephen Hopkins, and Elder Richard Warren.

Sometime after 1729, Sarah moved with her parents and siblings to Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut.

At the age of 18, she married Malachi Conant in Mansfield on 15 February 1738. This marriage produced 12 children, all born in Mansfield:

  1. Lydia, b. 26 Aug 1739, m. 26 Aug 1762 Ebenezer Fenton
  2. Mary, b. 22 Mar 1741
  3. Priscilla, b.1 May 1743
  4. Kezia, b. 5 Sep 1745
  5. Malachi, b. 11 Oct 1747
  6. Seth, b. 5 Dec 1748
  7. Sylvanus, b. 10 Feb 1750
  8. Sarah, b. 3 Mar 1753
  9. Malachi, b. 25 Apr 1755
  10. Abigail, b. 20 Feb 1757
  11. Edmund, b. 19 Apr 1759
  12. Hannah, b. 19 Jun 1764

Sarah’s oldest child, Lydia, married Ebenezer Fenton in Mansfield on 26 Aug 1762. Later the same year, her second oldest, our ancestor, Mary, married James Parker on 1 Dec 1762.

Sarah’s mother, Keziah, passed away on 20 April 1764 at the age of 76, just two months prior to the birth of Sarah’s youngest child.

Two years later, her father passed away on 1 June 1766 in Sandwich, Massachusetts, at the age of 82.

Sarah was 63 when her husband Malachi passed away on 23 January 1783 in Mansfield at the age of 67. They had been married 44 years.

Sarah outlived her husband by 8 years. She died on 7 May 1791 in Mansfield at the age of 71.

 

 

Rebecca Parks

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

(1707-1748)

Rebecca was born on 26 December 1707 in Concord, Massachusetts, to Richard Parks, 44, and Elizabeth Billings, 38. She was the 10th of 13 children.

When Rebecca was 17, her father passed away on 19 June 1725 in Concord at the age of 61.

At the age of 24, she married 33-year-old Zachariah Parker in Weston, Massachusetts.

They had two children in Weston:

  1. Zachariah, Jr., b.27 October 1732
  2. Ephraim, b.1 October 1733, married Deborah Sargent, had six children

Zachariah and Rebecca were in Dutchess County, New York, in 1740, where their third son, James, was born.

3. James, b. 1740 Dutchess, New York

Sometime after, they removed to Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut, where Rebecca died at the age of 40, on 11 June 1748.

 

Zachariah Parker

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

(1699-1793)

Zachariah was born on 20 January 1699, in Groton, Massachusetts, to Eleazer Parker, 38, and Mary Woods.

The town of Groton was the target of several Indian attacks, including this one in 1704:

In 1704 during Queen Anne’s War, a French-Abenaki raid captured three Tarbell children among others, taking them to Kahnewake near Montreal for ransom, which was a thriving business between these opposing colonies. The two younger boys, John and Zachary, were adopted by Mohawk families and became fully assimilated, later marrying into the tribe and becoming chiefs.[11] They were among the founders of Akwesasne, further upriver. Their sister Sarah was ransomed by a French family, converted to Catholicism and joined a Catholic order in Montreal.[11][12][13] There are Tarbell-named descendants among Mohawk of Kahnewake in the 21st century.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groton,_Massachusetts

The Parker family may have moved from Groton around the time of this incident. Many of the Groton families had moved to the Concord, Massachusetts area.

Zachariah was 33 when he married 24-year-old Rebecca Parks in Weston, Massachusetts, on 11 August 1731. They had two children in Weston:

  1. Zachariah, Jr., b.27 October 1732
  2. Ephraim, b.1 October 1733, married Deborah Sargent, had six children

Zachariah and Rebecca were in Dutchess County, New York, in 1740, where their third son, James, was born.

3. James, b. 1740 Dutchess, New York

Sometime after, they removed to Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut, where Rebecca died, at the age of 40, on 11 June 1748.

Six months later, at the age of 49, Zachariah was remarried to Peace Ames, the daughter of William Ames and Elizabeth Jennings of Mansfield. This marriage produced eight children who were all born in Mansfield:

  1. Mary, b. 2 July 1750
  2. Daniel, b. 5 Oct 1751, d.25 Aug 1775
  3. Eleazer, b.10 Mar 1755
  4. Isaac, b.4 Feb 1756
  5. Love, b.21 Aug 1757
  6. Sarah, b.17 Nov 1759
  7. John Keith, b.4 April 1763, d. 13 Apr 1765
  8. Rachel, b.2 Feb 1765

Zachariah died in Mansfield on 12 October 1793 in Mansfield at the age of 94.

Mehitable Wood

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

(1695-1754)

Mehitable was born on 18 Dec 1695 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, which is situated in the northeast corner of the state near the border of New Hampshire. She was the 7th of at least nine children born to Thomas Wood and Mary Hunt.

When Mehitable was just 6 years old, her father passed away on 1 December 1702, in Rowley, Massachusetts, at the age of 44.

Mehitable was nearly 21 when she married 37-year-old James Hall in Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut, on 15 October 1716. They had ten children:

  1. Mary Hall, b.27 Sep 1717 in Mansfield, Tolland, Connecticut
  2. James Hall, b. 20 Apr 1720 in Mansfield
  3. Mehitable, b. 18 Feb 1722 in Mansfield
  4. Elizabeth, b. 18 Apr 1723 in Mansfield
  5. Jane, b. 5 Mar 1725 in Mansfield
  6. William, b. 12 Jul 1728 in Mansfield
  7. Thomas, b. 14 Jun 1730 in Mansfield
  8. Ephraim, b.21 Sep 1732 in Mansfield
  9. Gershom, b.25 Feb 1735 in Mansfield
  10. Josiah, b.27 Mar 1738 in Mansfield

Mehitable was 46 when her husband James passed away in Mansfield on 16 June 1742.

Her mother lived a long life of 90 years. She died in Mansfield on 7 November 1754 when Mehitable was 58 years old. Mehitable herself died only four years later at the age of 62. She was buried in Olde Mansfield Center Cemetery.