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Richmond Island has a causeway attached to the mainland at low tide. |
William Ham was an indentured servant on the Speedwell.
This ship arrived in Maine
in on 29 April 1635 with men bound for the fishing colony at Richmond Island
off Cape Elizabeth. This was known as
the Trelawny Epedition, due to the patent granted to Robert Trelawny and Moses
Goodyear in 1631. Some of the indentured men ran away to other
parts of New England, and one of those was William Ham. He had a grant of land in Portsmouth, New
Hampshire in 1652, which was known as Ham’s Point. His will was proved at Exeter, New Hampshire
about 17 January 1672, and it named his daughter Elizabeth, wife of William
Cotton, and his grandchildren, sons of his son, Matthew Ham: William, Thomas and John. William was known as “Old Ham”.
In the second generation, Matthew Ham arrived in New Hampshire later than his
father. He had a lot in 1654 next to his
father’s land in Portsmouth. In 1656 he
registered a cattle brand at Portsmouth, which was a capital “H”.
John Ham, in the third generation below, may
not be a descendant of “Old Ham”, even though there was a
grandson named John in the 1672 will.
There are disagreements among the experts as to his place in the family
tree. He appears in the Dover, New Hampshire
records. His will dates from 29
September 1727, and so we assume he died sometime between that date and 19
February 1728 when his will was proved.
My Ham lineage:
Generation
1: William Ham, born about 1600, died
about 17 January 1672 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; married 22 November 1622 at
St. Andrew’s, Plymouth, Devonshire, England to Honor Stephen, daughter of
William Stephens and Mary Woode. Two
children:
1. Matthew
Ham (see below)
2. Elizabeth
Ham, born about 1629, married William Cotton
Generation
2: Matthew Ham, born about 1623 in
England, died before 1667 when his wife remarried; He married about 1643 to
Sarah Unknown. She married second on 11
November 1667 to Tobias Taylor of the Isles of Shoals. Matthew Ham was a fisherman on the Isles of
Shoals. They had four children:
1. John Ham
(see below)
2. William
Ham, married Sarah Dennett
3. Matthew
Ham,
4. Thomas
Ham
Generation
3: John Ham, born about 1649, died
between 29 September 1727 and 19 February 1728; married on 6 May 1668 in Dover,
New Hampshire to Mary Heard, daughter of John Heard and Elizabeth Hull. She was born 26 January 1650 in Dover, died 7
December 1706 in Dover. Nine children:
1. Mary Ham,
born 2 October 1668; married John Horne
2. John Ham,
born 1671; married Elizabeth Knight
3. Elizabeth
Ham, born 29 January 1675; married Jeremiah Rollins
4. Joseph
Ham, born 3 June 1678; married Tamson Meserve
5. Benjamin
Ham, born 1693; married Patience Harford
6. Mercy Ham
(see below)
7. Tryphena
Ham; married John Tucker
8. Sarah
Ham; married Thomas Downes
9. Samuel
Ham
Generation
4: Mercy Ham, born 19 July 1708 in Dover, New Hampshire; married Richard Nason.
Generation
5. Richard Nason m. Mary Thompson
Generation
6. Mercy Nason m. William Wilkinson
Generation
7. Aaron Wilkinson m. Mercy F. Wilson
Generation
8. Robert Wilson Wilkinson m. Phebe Cross Munroe
Generation
9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill
Generation
10. Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)
There
is a sketch of William Ham in the Genealogical
Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire by Noyes, Libby
and Davis, page 73. There is a short sketch on John Ham in the New England Historic Genealogical Register, Volume 6, page
329 and a longer article on William Ham and his descendants in Volume 26, page 388- 394.
Famous descendants:
Brigham Young of the LDS church
-------------------------
Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
You should also read: “Observations on the Origin of William Ham of Portsmouth” by Neil D. Thompson, NHSOG Record 10 (1993):131-2. I descend from John Ham of Dover once; John Heard of Dover, twice, and Rev. Joseph Hull, three times. William Ham is one of my former ancestors.
ReplyDeleteMartin, this is exactly why I mentioned the controversy over this line. I knew he could end up as a "former" ancestor someday... There are always branches being trimmed or leaves being added...Thanks for the source.
ReplyDeleteActually I thought I was descended from William through his daughter Elizabeth who married William Cotton. It's a long story. I've always discounted the John Ham/William Ham connection since John doesn't name a son either Matthew or William. It's too much conjecture for me.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog posts. It often gives me hope on hopeless genealogy days! :)
ReplyDeleteDo you know the birth place of William Ham? There are several locations identified. One is Aberdeen, Scotland another is Devon, England. I am related to the Ham's through John, son of Mathew.
ReplyDeleteBarb, no one has been able to identify or verify William Ham's birthplace or origins. We must be cousins if we are both descendants of William, Matthew and John!
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