This reader hit the jackpot! Karen K., the author of the genealogy blog "The Road Backward" at http://www.theroadbackward.com/ has seventeen of the surnames on the stones in Hampton, New Hampshire's Founder's Park in her family tree! Batchelder, Dow, Drake, Godfrey, Green, Healey, Hussey, Marston, Moulton, Page, Palmer, Perkins, Prescott, Sanborn, Towle, Tuck and Weare.
I don't have room for all of those stones here, but I'll post a few:
DRAKE- Robert Drake was baptized at Halstead, Essex, England in 1581. Tradition says that he followed his sons to New England, but there is no proof. He is seen first in the records of Exeter, New Hampshire, and then he settled in Hampton by 1645/6. After I posted this, reader Chris Laabs Klauer commented that Robert Drake is her ancestor, too! She is the author of the blog "Remembering Family" http://rememberingthefamily.blogspot.com/(see comments)
GODFREY- William Godfrey lived at Dedham, Massachusetts before removing to Hampton. He was made a freeman here in 1640, and bought a house in 1648. He became a deacon of the church in 1660 and held the position until his death in 1671.
TUCK- Robert Tuck left England in 1636 and lived in Watertown and Salem, Massachusetts. In 1638 he petitioned the court in Boston to live in Winnacunnet (Hampton). He was granted land in 1644 and ran an "ordinary"- an inn for lodging, stabling and entertainment.
Reader Lori Thornton, author of the blog "Smoky Mountain Family History" http://familyhistorian.blogspot.com/ commented on Facebook that she is the descendant of Perkins, Dearborn, Taylor, Sanborn, Batchelder, Gove and Tuck. Most of those names have already been published in one of the posts I have done this week.
My first post on Founder's Park, May 10, 2012 (here you will find the list of 43 surnames memorialized by the surname stones):
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/05/founders-park-hampton-new-hampshire.html
My second post on Founder's Park, May 11, 2012:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/05/founders-park-some-family-names-to.html
My third post on Founder's Park, May 14, 2012
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/05/founders-park-more-family-names.html
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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo
Thanks for this Heather, you rock! Yes, if I had to pick one town in New England where I have the most ancestral roots, this would probably be it! When I can finally make it up there for a genealogy trip, I would definitely go to Hampton (Kingston and Nottingham too).
ReplyDeleteAm going to feature/link to these posts you're doing.
WOW! I have Robert Drake in my tree!!! Thank you for posting this picture!!!
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