My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Amos Burnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts

 

1832 map of Ipswich, Massachusetts

This is the 11th Revolutionary War ancestor I have written about in this series.  My 5th great grandfather Amos Burnham was born on 13 July 1735 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, the son of David Burnham and Elizabeth Marshall.  On 27 January 1757 he married Sarah Giddings in Ipswich.  She was the daughter of Thomas Giddings and Martha Smith, born in 1737.  

Sarah and Amos had eleven children born in Essex and Ipswich between 1758 and 1782.  On 26 January 1782, Sarah died, just 12 days after giving birth to her last child, Judith, my 4th great grandmother.  I don't know how this infant survived without a mother, but she did live and I'm grateful!  Later that same year, on 4 October 1782 Amos married Mehitable Burnham, daughter of Solomon Burnham and Mehitable Emerson. I'm sure that the hasty marriage was to secure a wife to take care of his many children.  Mehitable was the widow of Joshua Foster.  He had at least one more child with his second marriage. 

During the Revolutionary War Amos Burnham served as a private in Captain David Low's Third Regiment, under Colonel Jonathan Cogswell's Company in 1778. I know very little about his time in the military, and very little about his private life.  Was he a farmer? A fisherman or mariner (Ipswich is a coastal town)? 

Amos Burnham died by drowning in Chebacco Pond in Essex on 28 November 1788 "while fowling" (hunting water fowl).  He was 54 years old.  This incident is mentioned on page 204 of the History of Ipswich, Essex and Hamilton, by Joseph B. Felt, 1834. I have not found a gravestone for Amos or either one of his two wives.  He left his second wife, Mehitable, a widow again for the second time with three children under the age of 18.  Judith, his daughter, my 4th great grandmother, married Joseph Allen on 5 April 1799 in Ipswich, and had eleven children, just like her own mother and father. 

For the truly curious:

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, Volume 2, page 874

The Burnham Family, or, Genealogical Records of the Descendants of the Four Emigrants of the Name, by Roderick H. Burnham, 1869. 

#1 in this series,  Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, New Hampshire:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2 in this series,  Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html 

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

#8 Abner Poland, Sr. of Essex, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html   

#9 Abner Poland, Jr. Of Essex, Massachusetts and Enfield, New Hampshire:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html  

#10 Robert Wilson of Salem Village, (now Danvers, Massachusetts)     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-robert.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Amos Burnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 22, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/06/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-amos.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts

 

Abner Poland's Badge of Merit certificate

signed by General George Washington

This is #9 in my series of Revolutionary War Ancestors. 

Abner Poland, Jr. was born on 17 May 1761 in Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts (now the town of Essex),  the son of Abner Poland and Dorothy Burnham.  Last week I featured Abner Poland, Sr. in  sketch #8 because he was also a Revolutionary War veteran.  Abner, Jr. married Sarah Burnham on 20 March 1783.  She was the daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  In a funny twist, Sarah's brother was Westley Burnham, another of my Revolutionary War ancestors.  Also, her sister Deborah was Abner Poland Sr.'s second wife (his first wife was also a Burnham).  Abner Poland was a mariner and fisherman in the coastal town of Essex, which is on the Essex River. 

Abner, Jr. and Sarah had eight children, four boys and four girls.  I descend from their eldest daughter, Sally, who married Henry Burnham (another Burnham!).  

As a young man, before his marriage in 1783 at the age of 22, Abner Jr. enlisted in the local militia on 15 January 1776 (he was barely 15 years old) as a private in Captain Abraham Dodge's Company under Colonel Moses Little's 12th regiment.  He was discharged on 14 May 1776. 

The following year Abner Jr., was listed on the muster rolls of the Continental Army under Colonel Joanthan Cogswell's 3rd Essex Regiment under Brigadier General Farley.  He joined Capt. Burnham's company (another Burnham!) under Colonel Jackson for a term of 3 years. He was listed as "Corporal, age 19 yrs, stature 5 feet 8 inches complexion fair; hair, dark; occupation, farmer, birthplace, Ipswich; residence, Ipswich; enlisted 17 Dec 1779 by Lt. Michael Jackson at West Point".  He ended up serving in the Continental Army for seven and a half years all the way to the Battle of Yorktown!  

Abner Poland, Jr. applied for a pension at age 57 years from his farm in Enfield, New Hampshire.  On his application found in the National Archives he stated "he first enlisted for one year, re-enlisted for three years, re-enlisted for a third time, serving seven 1/2 years total.  He received an honorable discharge in writing at Newburgh, NY.  He was in battles at Hubbardston, Stillwater, Monmouth, and Yorktown.  He received the Badge of Merit, the highest decoration.  W-152-B.L. Wt 48 71-100 1795  George Washington." 

I was excited to learn that he recieved the Badge of Merit from General Washington, and I found the award online, but it was a poorly scanned copy. I couldn't make out the signature.  So I actually took a trip to the National Archives in Washington, DC to see the document for myself. It was really signed by George Washington!  You can read all about this adventure in another blog post (see below for the link). 

The Battle of Yorktown was in 1781, with the surrender of the British on October 19th.  General Washington went to his headquarters at Newburgh, New York, and Abner received his certificate from Washington there in 1783. He married in 1783, probably upon returning home to Chebacco Parish, Ipswich.  

In the Registry of Deeds, Grafton County, Woodsville, New Hampshire, Book 57, page 162, we can read that Abner Poland, 2d of Ipswich, Massachusetts purchased a farm at Enfield, New Hampshire on 4 May 1812 for $850 from William Williams, Jr. of Enfield. Abner is listed in the 1830 census as living in Enfield.  He died at Enfield on 14 January 1835 and is buried in Lot 46 of the Oakgrove Cemetery, bhind the Community Church in Enfield.  

Abner Poland, Jr. became a pensioner, but was removed from the rolls for possessing too much property! Later he was placed back on the pension rolls.  His widow, Sarah, applied for a pension on 1 February 1837 and received $88 per year, which began on 4 September 1837 [Pension number 1586]. She died testate in Canaan, new Hampshire at the home of her daughter, Endor and son-in-law Elijah Gove.  [See The Polands of Essex County, Massachusetts by Lloyd Orville Poland, page 225, and also see The History of Canaan, NH by W.A. and J. B. Wallace].   

Abner and Sarah Poland

Enfield, New Hampshire

For the truly curious:

My trip to the National Archives to see Abner Poland's certificate from George Washington:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/04/national-archives-good-news-bad-news.html  

George Washington's Headquarters at Newburgh, NY:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/03/george-washingtons-headquarters-at.html  

My Poland lineage:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html  

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html 

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

#8 Abner Poland, Sr. of Essex, Massachusetts    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_02014071889.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland, Jr. of Essex, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 28, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner_0416714129.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland of Essex, Massachusetts

 

Essex, Massachusetts - The former Chebacco Parish of Ipswich, Massachusetts

This is blog post #8 on my series of stories about my Revolutionary War ancestors.

Abner Poland, baptized 17 October 1736 in the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich (now the town of Essex), on Cape Ann, Massachusetts, was the son of John Poland (1693 - 1777), a weaver from Chebacco Parish,  and Abigail Davis of Gloucester.  She was the daughter of James Davis (1685 - 1742) and Abigail Mettcalfe.  

Abner married Dorothy Burnham on 3 April 1761 and had seven children, three boys and four girls.  I descend from the oldest son, Abner Poland, Jr. (1761 - 1835) who was also a Revolutionary War veteran. Dorothy was the daughter of John Burnham and Rachel Smith, baptized on 26 June 1737 in the Chebacco Parish, and died on 7 April 1789.  Abner remarried for a second time to Deborah Burnham, the widow of Nathaniel Emerson, on 5 December 1792.  She was the daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  Deborah Burnham Emerson Poland was denied a widow's pension under Abner's name because she had already filed under Nathaniel's name! I have not found a gravestone for Abner, Sr. or his wives. 

Abner Poland, Sr. served as a private from 1 January 1777 to 1 February 1777, in the Chebacco Parish company of Captain Abraham Dodge, in the 12 regiment of the Massachusetts line under Colonel Moses Little.  Later he served in the militia at Newport, Rhode Island and was at the taking of Burgoyne and his Army, in the Battles of Long Island, White Plains and Harlem Heights.  he was honorable discharged in New Jersey. 

Abner Poland received a pension for his service, number 10,055 at $8.00 per month beginning on 6 April 1818.  His pension application lists that he owned 18 acres of pasture land and tillage, a small house, a small barn and 2 cows in Essex.  He signed his will on 17 May 1804, which was probated on 20 July 1824.  At age 84 years (in 1822) he was blind.  He died on 9 February 1824 at age 86. 

Since both Abner Poland's were in the same war, and both lived in the same town.  The records are sometimes hard to untangle.  An Abner Poland was an American prisoner of war at Forton Prison, England, imprisoned on 2 April 1778.  He was kidnapped off the ship "Hawk".  I'm not sure if this was Abner, Sr. or Abner, Jr.  The older Abner Poland was not in the military records in 1778.  The younger Abner Poland was in the Continental Army from 1 March 1777 to 31 December 1779. There was an Abner Poland, III, but he was not born until 1781. 

 I'll be writing up Abner, Jr.'s sketch for next week's blog post. He will be Patriot #9 in this series. 

For the truly curious:

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolution, Vol. XII, p. 490 for the line about Abner Poland.

New England Historic Genealogical Society Register Vol. 33, p. 37 ["American Prisoners at Forton Prison, England, Abner Poland, prize of ye Hawk.  Comitted to prison 2 Apr. 1778"]

A blog post with Abner Poland's will:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/last-will-and-testament-of-abner-poland.html 

My Poland lineage: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html  

This series about Revolutionary War Patriots

#1 Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, NH:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

#2  Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, MA:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html  

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html  

#7 Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland of Essex, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 21, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-abner.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Patriots - Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts

 

The David Burnham house in Essex, Massachusetts

built by Capt. Westley Burnham's grandfather 

This is the 7th patriot ancestor I have written in this series of blog posts. My 6th great grandfather, Westley Burnham, was born on 17 August 1747 in the Chebacco Parish of Ipsiwch, Massachusetts (now the town of Essex), the son of Westley Burnham (1719 - 1797) and Deborah Story.  He was a descendant of Thomas Burnham (about 1623 - 1694) of Norwich, Norfolk England, and his wife Mary Lawrence. On 5 December 1771 he married Molly Woodbury, who was born 29 July 1749 in Beverly, the daughter of Robert Woodbury and Hannah Preston. They had ten children, who all grew to adulthood and were married. 

Westley, Jr., was a mariner, like most of the men in Chebacco Parish.  He worked as a fisherman and as a sailor before his marriage.  When the Lexington Alarm came on 19 April 1775 he served in Capt. David Low's 3rd Company, in Colonel Cogswell's regiment (which was a trainband or local militia).  In 1776 he was a private in Capt. Daniel Giddings' Company, in Colonel Foster's Regiment, which was stationed at Gloucester for seacoast defence. Also in 1776 he served in Captain Ray's Company, Colonel Pickering's Regiment. Then he served again in Capt. Dodge's Company, Colonel Johnson's Regiment in 1777, where he was in the Battle of Bemis Heights, which was part of the Battles of Saratoga in New York.  

Westley Burnham received a pension for his service in the war - Pension number s18750  [Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed 9 Feb 2018), "Record of BURNHAM, WESLEY JR", Ancestor # A018081.]  There is a Revolutionary War marker and flag on his grave in the Ancient Burial Ground in Essex. 

epitaph:

In Memory Of

Mr.Wesley Burnham 

who died 

Sept 1, 1835

Aged 83 years

According to the book The Burnham Family, on pages 344 and 345,  Westley Burnham, Jr. became a privateer after the Revolutionary War.  He was eventually captured by the British. "Captain Westley Burnham was in early life a sailor. At the age of seventeen he made a voyage to Lisbon, and rowed in a boat over the site of Old Lisbon, which had been destroyed and sunk by an earthquake in 1755. For a short time he served as a soldier in the war of the revolution. Afterwards he entered the privateering service. In an engagement with the enemy, the vessel in which he sailed was captured, and with the rest of the crew he was carried to England. An order of the admiralty gave permission to any American prisoners to go on board His Majesty's ships and do sailor's duty, except fighting, if they should choose to do so. After remaining some time in the 'Mill Prison,' he took advantage of this order, and entered the seventy-four gunship Preston. While on a cruise on the West India station he was taken sick with the small pox, and was left in hospital in Jamaica. He was so near to dying there, that one man who returned to this country from that island, reported to his family that he was dead. On his recovery he immediately took ship for Boston, and on arriving there walked to Chebacco. His arrival was noised abroad, and, as he expressed it, 'that night all Chebacco was at the house to see one who had risen from the dead.' He became a successful navigator. No vessel commanded by him was ever wreaked or dismasted, and his judgment in maritime matters was very highly esteemed. He afterwards followed the hereditary occupation of vessel-building. For a considerable length of time he was totally blind. He was a man of extraordinary strength."  

This story is also told on the Historic Massachusetts website. 

  "The “skipper” was also a fisherman and made many trips to the Grand Banks. He followed the hereditary occupation of vessel building, and some of these were built in a yard near the house and hauled to the water as was the custom. Westley Burnham served in the War of the Revolution and afterward entered the privateering service. He was captured along with his vessel and crew and carried to England. After remaining in Mill Prison, he took advantage of an order of the Admiralty which gave permission to American prisoners to go board his majesty’s ship and do any sailor’s duty except fighting. While on a cruise to the West Indies, he was taken sick with smallpox, and when the ship sailed, he was left in a hospital in Jamaica. He was close to dying and was reported to be dead by one man who returned to this country from the island. Westley recovered, took a ship to Boston, and walked to Chebacco where he was welcomed by his family as one who had risen from the dead." 

I descend from two of Westley Burnham's sons.  First I descend from Asa Burnham (1778 - 1850) who married Polly Bray in 1801 in Ipswich.  Secondly I descend from Henry Burnham (1783 - 1867) who married Sally Poland on 2 May 1805 in Essex.  Sally was the daughter of Abner Poland, who was also a Revolutionary War Veteran.  The Colonel Joshua Burnham (1754 - 1834),  who was the first ancestor in this series about Revolutionary War ancestors, is also a descendant of the immigrant settlers Thomas Burnham and Mary Lawrence, and a distant cousin to Captain Westley Burnham. 

The photo of the David Burnham House, Essex, Massachusetts,  above, is from Wikipedia and is attributed to  Magicpiano - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20998307

The David Burnham house in the photos above is located on Pond Street in Essex, and was built in 1685.  The land was granted to the brothers John and Thomas Burnham instead of pension money for serving in the Pequot War. Thomas Burnham's son John owned the land where the house was built by his youngest son David.  It then passed to Westley Burnham, Sr., who passed it on to Captain Westley Burnham, Jr.  After Capt. Burnham's death the house went to his daughter Anna Burnham (1785 - 1862) who married her cousin Abner Burnham.  Anna and Abner had fourteen children and 81 grandchildren!  From there the house passed into the hands of the Story family and was restored under the suppervision of George Francis Dowe, curator of the Essex Institute in Salem in 1924, 100 years ago.  It is still standing on Pond Street in Essex.  

For the truly curious:

The Burnham Family: Or the Genealogical Records of the Descendants of the Four Emigrants of the Name, who were among the early settlers in America , by Roderick Henry Burnham, Hartford, Connecticut, Press of Case, Lockwood & Brainard, 1869. (available to read online at Google books)  See pages 344 and 345 for Westley Burham, Jr. 

See also The Historic Massachusetts website  https://historicmassachusetts.org/essex/ accessed 16 March 2026 for the aerial view photo and the story of Westley Burnham's homecoming after being captured by the British. 

This blog post shows my many Burnham lineages:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html 

Patriot #1 in this series, Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, New Hampshire:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html  

Patriot #2 in this series: Major Andrew Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-major.html   

#3 Jonathan Flint of Reading, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/03/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-jonathan.html   

#4 Daniel Glover of Marblehead, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-daniel.html  

#5 Levi Younger of Gloucester, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-levi.html  

#6 Nathaniel Treadwell of Ipswich, Massachusetts:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/04/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-nathaniel.html  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots - Captain Westley Burnham of Essex, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 28, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/05/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-captain.html: accessed [access date]). 

My Revolutionary War Patriots, Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, New Hampshire

Colonel Burnham's Tavern, Milford, New Hampshire

This is #1 in a series of posts I intend to write this year for the 250th Anniversary of the USA. 

Colonel Joshua Burnham, my 5th great grandfather, was born on 26 January 1754 in Gloucester, Massachusetts, the son of Stephen Burnham (1715 - 1790) and Mary Andrews (b. 1712) of the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich, Massachusetts.  Many of his 12 siblings removed away from Massachusetts, just like he did.  Joshua died in Milford, New Hampshire on 7 June 1835, and his brother Stephen died in Lyndeborough, New Hampshire.  His brother Caleb died in Lake George, New York, and brothers David and Jonathan died in Vermont.  

Joshua was a founder of the town of Milford when it became a separate town from Amherst in 1794.   He had served in the Revolution as a private from New Hampshire enlisting in April 1775 after the Lexington Alarm under Captain Josiah Crosby for 8 months, and at the end of that term he re-enlisted under Captain Jones of the same regiment for one year.  He was at Bunker Hill, New York, Philadelphia, and was discharged at Aesopus (formerly Kingston), New York.  

Returning to Milford, he married Jemima Wyman on 21 January 1779 at Wilton, New Hampshire, a contiguous town.  She was the daughter of Increase Wyman and Catherine Unknown, born 10 February 1757 in Billerica, Massachusetts, and died on 6 September 1843 at the home of her daughter Jemima Burnham, who lived in South Boston (my 4th great grandmother).  In the Milford town records Joshua was on the committee to build a town pound in 1797, and was listed as a taxpayer in 1830. 

Joshua Burnham lived on the road to Lyndeborough, New Hampshire, now known as River Road, in a fine house that is still standing about two miles from the center of Milford. It was known as Colonel Burham's Tavern.  He sold this farm in 1822 to Jesse Hutchinson, the leader of the famous Hutchinson Family Singers, and they lived there for many years. Jesse and Polly raised 13 of their 16 children there, of whom half were part of the singing group.  The Hutchinson family entertained many important historical figures there, including Fredrick Douglass, General Tom Thumb, and P.T. Barnum.  The house remained in the Hutchinson family until 1949. 

In the biography of the Hutchinson family on pages 8 to 10, see below, is this passage:

"Right in the vicinity of these premises was Colonel Burnham, living in the little red house on the hill, which had been selected by his children as a home for his declining years, and situated where he could overlook the surrounding landscape, including a good view of the farm that was once the home of his family and which he had lost by unpaid debts. He was a frequent visitor to the place; and when the fruits were ripe, he would have free access offered by my father and the privilege of obtaining what fruit he desired. There was one very favorite apple, the flavor of which was delicious; and when the apples were ripe, this honorable old gentleman would be seen going and coming with his pockets full, and they were pockets! They were like bags, and he could carry almost half a peck in each one. He would come over, fill his pockets, and then trudge along towards home. He was occasionally visited by officers of the armies of the Revolution; and it was said that one of the staff of Washington was among them. My parents honored him by naming Joshua after him. He would frequently show his regard for his namesake by some token, and before passing into his dotage he called him to his house and presented him with a sash worn by him on parade while he was under George Washington's command. This article was carefully preserved, and is still, after the decease of both giver and receiver, an heirloom in the family.

In those early days among the pioneers, education was sometimes neglected. The colonel, though passing through seven years of renown as a discreet officer, could not write his own name, and while in business kept his accounts by characters. For instance, having sold cheese to a person, he would make a mark of that portion of cheese that that man received. His funeral was the first that I had ever witnessed, and the impression was depressingly suggestive." 

Joshua Burnham came upon hard times and lived in poverty in his older years. He applied for a military pension in 1818.  The application papers for his pension outlined his service, his life, family members and friends from the war.  They also described his poor health and need for a military pension.  He died on 7 June 1835 in Milford at age 93, and was buried in the small burial ground about a quarter mile from his tavern house, and buried in a plot near his friend Jesse Hutchinson.  His epitaph read "Soldier of the Revolution, zealous in his country's cause, Faithful to the constitution and obedient to it's laws".  His wife Jemima applied for, and received, a Revolutionary War Widow's pension in 1838, and she died in 1843. 

Col. J. Burnham's gravestone

For the truly curious:

Tombstone Tuesday - Joshua Burnham's gravestone:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-col-joshua-burnham.html  

2010 blog post "The Illiterate Colonel" (I have since discovered he was quite literate and signed many documents)   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2010/01/illiterate-colonel.html    

2017 blog post "Joshua Burnham Proves His Military Service"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/joshua-burnham-proves-his-military.html  

2017 blog post "Jemima (Wyman) Burnham applies for a Revolutionary War Widow's Pension"   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/06/jemima-wyman-burnham-applies-for.html   

2014 blog post showing my BURNHAM lineage:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html  

and in books:

A manuscript Old Houses of Milford, compiled in a notebook for Wadleigh Memorial Library, Milford, New Hampshire

The Story of the Hutchinsons by John Wallace Hutchinson, 1896 (see pages 8 -10 for the information on Colonel Joshua Burnham and his house he sold to Jesse Hutchinson of the Hutchinson family singers). 

The History of Milford, by George A. Ramsdell, Rumford Press, Concord, New Hampshire, 1901, see page 783.  

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Patriots, Colonel Joshua Burnham of Milford, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 15, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/02/my-revolutionary-war-patriots-colonel.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Obituary of Jemima (Burnham) Emerson, 1868 - The Christian Wife of an Infidel

The Col. Joshua Burnham Tavern, photo 2001
where Jemima Burnham grew up, Milford, New Hampshire

My 4th great grandmother was born as Jemima Burnham.  Her name is listed as Jemima Wyman Burnham on an SAR application dated 20 August 1957 for Emerson Francis Thayer McLean, a distant cousin.  I've never seen her listed with a middle name on any other vital record or documentation.  Her mother's name was Jemima Wyman, so it could be possible.  Jemima was born 9 May 1783 in Milford, New Hampshire.  It is often difficult to learn about the lives of our women ancestors, but bits and pieces of Jemima's life have become revealed to me over 40 years of searching for clues.

Her father was Colonel Joshua Burnham.  He was a local character, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, a local hero who was present at the Battle of Bunker Hill and served in New York, Philadelphia and Canada.  The history of Milford states that he was an eyewitness when George Washington took command of the Continental Army.  He built a large farm and tavern near the banks of the Souhegan River, which is still standing on River Road.  He later sold his tavern and property to Jesse and Polly Hutchinson, who raised their thirteen children there in Milford.  These children were famous as the Hutchinson Family singers who sang songs of temperance, abolition, women's suffrage, and other progressive movements all over the USA and even in Europe.  

Although Col. Burnham sold his farm to the Hutchinson family, he remained in Milford, and remained a good friend to Jesse Hutchinson.  He must have agreed with all the progressive beliefs, and discussed them with the Hutchinson's various friends who included P. T. Barnum, William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass.  These famous singers gave their very first concert at the Baptist church in Milford.  The Hutchinson Singers toured England with Douglass in 1845, and some moved to Lynn, Massachusetts to live next door to him.  

Local history and various Hutchinson journals and books remember Col. Burnham as an old veteran who would wander the property, often stuffing his pockets with apples from the orchard.  The Burnham family and the Hutchinson family lie side by side in a small burial ground, the North Yard Cemetery,  within site of the Col. Burnham tavern on River Road.  Joshua Hutchinson wrote the epitaph for Joshua Burnham "Soldier of the revolution zealous in his country's cause, Faithful to the constitution and obedient to its laws"

These stories are what I know of Jemima's life in Milford.  Of course, she had married by 1810 to Romanus Emerson and removed to South Boston where her children were born.  Her family had been members of the Baptist Church in Milford, listed on the records.  The same Baptist church that held the first concerts for the Hutchinson family who sang about abolition before the Civil War.  Although the Baptist church is considered conservative today, they supported very progressive ideas in the early nineteenth century. 

I was not surprised that she married Romanus Emerson.  He came from a family of ministers.  They were Congregationalists going back to Puritan times.  The Emerson family included early ministers such as Rev. Joseph Emerson, born in England about 1620, who married Elizabeth Bulkely, the daughter of Rev. Edward Bulkely (1614 - 1696) the first minister of Concord, Massachusetts.  Even Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882), son of a Concord minister, also studied for the ministry at Harvard.  Romanus Emerson had three brothers who became ministers, and he himself studied for the ministry but gave up due to a speech impediment.  

It was during his time studying theology that Romanus Emerson had a change of heart.  He became an atheist.  He said that "Freethinking" without the constraints of religion and other social mores opened his mind to progressive thoughts and more independent beliefs.  He joined the Free Soil movement, the abolitionists, and the Infidel Society.  He called himself an "Infidel" for the rest of his life, and wrote his own eulogy describing his "Infidel" beliefs. 

I have no idea what Jemima thought of all this during her married life with Romanus, the atheist.  I believe that she agreed with his progressive thoughts and politics.  But to be an atheist, or an "Infidel", at this time was considered quite shocking.  As a Baptist all her life, this was probably somewhat of a problem at home. Or was it? Women were considered to be obedient and quiet in those days. But we know that was not always the case.  

Romanus died in 1852.  He was a famous Bostonian, with his obituaries carried in newspapers across the country.  His last wish was to not have a Christian funeral, but to be buried in South Boston "At the point" and for his best friend, Horace Seaver, to read his self written eulogy.  However, his family (Jemima?) did not follow his final wishes, and gave him a funeral officiated by the Rev. Capen of the Hawes Place Church (next door to their house) and he was laid to rest in the Hawes Burying Ground.  Was it out of spite that she ignored her husband's final wishes? or did Jemima truly love her husband and worry about his immortal soul? 

As a widow, Jemima Emerson was enumerated in the 1855 Massachusetts State Census and the1860 Federal Census living in the Boston home of Melzar Stetson, her son-in-law, husband to her daughter Emily.  Her death certificate lists her place of death as 88 Emerson Street, her home address on the street in South Boston named after her Infidel husband, Romanus. 

Jemima died in 1868. Unlike her famous husband, I found only one mention of Jemima's death (other than short death notices in Boston newspapers) in The Christian Watchman (a Boston Baptist journal), dated Thursday, 27 August 1868, on page 7. See the obituary transcribed below.  She was laid to rest at the Mount Hope Cemetery in the Mattapan section of Boston, and Romanus was reinterred from the Hawes Burial Ground to lie next to her.  I like to think that perhaps it was out of love that she had him moved to be next to her for eternity.

"Obituary

Mrs. Jemima Emerson

In South Boston, August 5, Mrs. Jemima Emerson, at the advanced age of 86 years, widow of the late Romanus Emerson.  When 18 years of age she was converted, and baptized in Milford, N. H.  Afterwards united with the Dudley Street Church, Roxbury, and then with the South Baptist Church, and finally became a constituent member of the Fourth Street Baptist Church.  Her early Christian experience began with deep conviction of sin, from which, after long struggles, she was delivered by the power of Christ.  This, together with the opposition she encountered in following the Lord in baptism, determined, in great measure, the marked features of her subsequent life.  She loved the doctrines of grace, and clung with ever increasing tenacity to the great pillars of eternal truth.  She loved the assembly of God's people, and even until within a few weeks of her death her voice was frequently heard in the prayer meeting, as she bore cheerful testimony to the faithfulness of God.  Her children have lost a faithful, godly mother, whose prayers for their spiritual welfare ended only with her life.  The church she honored has lost a firm friend.  The community, which for forty years has been growing around her, has lost a beacon of light.  She now enjoys the rest which for many years she has anticipated, and she "being dead yet speaketh."  "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.  They shall still bring forth fruit in old age." " 

For the truly curious:

"Romanus Emerson's Boston Obituaries 1852", published February 9, 2021: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/romanus-emersons-boston-obituaries-1852.html   

"Romanus Emerson's Obituaries 1852" (published across the United States), posted on this blog on October 1st, 2020:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/10/romanus-emersons-obituaries-1852.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the EMERSON family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/01/surname-saturday-emerson-of-ipswich.html    

My Surname Saturday post on the BURNHAM family:     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html  

"Tombstone Tuesday ~ Col. Joshua Burnham, Milford, New Hampshire":     https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-col-joshua-burnham.html  

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Obituary of Jemima (Burnham) Emerson, 1868 - The Christian Wife of an Infidel", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 23, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/02/the-obituary-of-jemima-burnham-emerson.html: accessed [access date]).  

Silas Burnham and Abigail Clement of Dunbarton, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday

These tombstones were photographed at the Center Cemetery in Dunbarton, New Hampshire.

SILAS BURNHAM

died

Oct. 25, 1856.

AEt. 73 yrs 7 m's

17 days. 

ABIGAIL

wife of

SILAS BURNHAM

DIED

July 18, 1844

AE. 58

Silas Burnham, son of Asa Burnham and Elizabeth Cutler, was born March 8, 1783 in Dunbarton, New Hampshire.  He died 27 January 1831 in Dunbarton.  Silas married Abigail Clement about 1808.  Silas was one of the founders of the Universalist Society in 1830 in Dunbarton.  Services were held in the old Congregational Church.

Abigail Clement was born about 1783, daughter of Captain John Clement and Elizabeth Stevens of Atkinson, New Hampshire.  She had five children:

      1.   Asa b. 1806 d. 1891

      2.  Laura b.  6 April 1811 d. 18 April 1898, married Smith D. Buswell

      3. John b. 1816 d. 1865

      4.  Mark b. 1818

      5.  Deacon Silas, b. 1822

Silas’s father, Asa Burnham, son of Nathan Burnham and Hannah Choate, was born 17 March 1751 in the Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts. He married Elizabeth Cutler 18 January 1774 in Goffstown, New Hampshire.  He died 27 January 1831 at Dunbarton, New Hampshire. Asa Burnham served in the Revolutionary War under Capt. William Barrows of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire. Elizabeth filed for a widow’s pension.  Asa is my 1^st cousin 7 generations removed.  His grandparents, Thomas Burnham (1673 – 1748) and Susannah of Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts, are my 7^th great grandparents.

Elizabeth Cutler was born about 1753 and died 20 July 1839 in Dunbarton.

Children of Asa and Elizabeth Burnham: 

      1.       Asa b. 26 October 1774 and died 10 March 1812 in Hamilton Township, Northumberland County, Upper Canada due to drowning. Married Sarah Lovekin

      2.       Zacchaeus b. 10 February 1777, d. 25 February 1857 Hamilton Township, Northumberland County, Upper Canada. Married to Elizabeth Choate 1 February 1801, daughter of Jacob Choate and Hannah Burnham (my 1^st cousin 7 generations removed, daughter of Nathan Burnham and Hannah Choate of Chebacco Parish, Ipswich, Massachusetts). 

       3.       John b. 20 March 1779, d. 24 December 1840 in Hamilton Township, Northumberland County, Upper Canada. Married and had eight children.

      4.       Betty b. 16 February 1781, d. 6 November 1839 in Dunbarton. Married Samuel Saltmarsh.

      5.       Silas b. 8 March 1783 (see above)

      6.       Ruth b. 17 May 1785 d. 8 or 9 February 1787

      7.       Hannah b. 3 September 1787

      8.       Rachael b. 11 February 1789

      9.       Mark b. 15 February 1791, d. 21 February 1864 in Port Hope, Northumberland County, Upper Canada. Married Sophronia Gilchrist of Goffstown.

     10.   Ruth b. 23 June 1793. Married James Shepherd Kimball of Hampstead.

     11.   Azubah b. 25 March 1796

For the Truly Curious:

History of the Town of Dunbarton, New Hampshire by Caleb Stark, page 237.

Genealogy and History of the First Settlers of Dunbarton, page 183

The Burnham Family; Or Genealogical Records of the Descendants of the Emigrants of the Name who were among the Early Settlers in America, by Roderick Henry Burnham, p. 321.

The Choates in America, 1643 – 1896, by Ephraim Orcutt Jameson, p. 50, pages 87 -88, and pages 166 – 167.

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To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Silas Burnham and Abigail Clement of Dunbarton, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 26, 2021, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2021/01/silas-burnham-and-abigail-clement-of.html: accessed [access date]). 

Hannah (Choate) Burnham, died 1805, Dunbarton, New Hampshire

It's Tombstone Tuesday!  This tombstone was photographed at the Center Cemetery in Dunbarton, New Hampshire.

Mrs. Hannah Burnham

died March 1805

AEtat. 81

Relict of Lieut. Nathan Burnham

of Ipswich (Massachusetts)

who fell at the defeat of the British Army

at Ticonderoga, A.D. 1758

The name BURNHAM caught my eye as I wandered through this cemetery recently, and then I saw that this family was from Ipswich.  I have eight BURNHAM lineages from the original Burnham brothers who settled in Ipswich during the great migration!  I knew that this was a cousin connection!

From The History of Dunbarton, by Caleb Stark, page 234 to page 237, "From an examination of several papers now in the possession of John Burnham, Esq., of this town, we infer that his great-grandfather, Nathan Burnham, was an independent husbandman, a man of intelligence and capacity, who possessed the confidence of his fellow-citizens, as also that of the provincial government.  By the former he was intrusted with the management of important transactions, and by the latter appointed to a military office, upon equal rank with officers of the same grade in the line of the English army.  His wife was Hannah Choate of Ipswich.

     On the thirteenth day of March 1758 he was commissioned by Governor Pownell first lieutenant of a company of foot, commanded by Captain Stephen Whipple, in the regiment of Col. Stephen Bagley, which constituted a portion of the force furnished by Massachusetts for the expedition against Canada.  Lieutenants Burnham and Low, of the same company, fell in the fatal attack upon Ticonderoga, July 8, 1758, where an army of sixteen thousand British and Provincial troops were shamefully repulsed by one fourth of their number of French and Indians, through the incapacity of their general. Sixteen hundred and eight regulars and three hundred and thirty four provincials, killed and wounded, was a cruel penalty for General Abercrombie's rash attempt to carry by assault a strong position, without bringing up his artillery, of which he had a good supply. 

      Among the papers in Mr. John Burnham's possession are Governor Pownell's proclamation calling for volunteers from the provincial regiments, Lieut. Burnham's commission, beating orders, forms of enlistment, orders to muster, words of command for the musket drill, order for the march, power-of-attorney to Lieut. B.'s wife to manage affairs during his absence on duty, a kind letter to her while on the march, and lastly, the letter of a friendly comrade from the battle-field, narrating the melancholy fate of her dearest friend - a fate which it has been the sad fortune of widows to hear since the time when man became the murderer of his brother man."

----------------

Hadley, June 7, 1758

To My Dearly Beloved Wife:

I hope through Divine goodness, you are in health, as I am at this time, and I pray God be with you, and preserve you and our dear children from all evil.  My duty to mother Choate.  My love to all my friends. We came into town last Sabbath day, about two o'clock, and billeted the company at private houses, and we are very kindly entertained at the widow Porter's.  Her husband was a member of the General Court about thirty years.  Yesterday the Captain, I, and Lieut. Low, went over Connecticut river to Northampton, to see about the affair, and returned at night. We expect to go over to Northampton to-morrow, to make seven days' provisions, to march near to Albany.

I remain your loving husband,

Nathan Burnham

PS - I should be glad to hear from you.  I have had blisters on one foot, but they are better. Col. Bagley came to town yesterday. Col. Dooty's regiment is coming in, and it supposed both regiments are to march together.  We have twelve of our own guns, and had twenty-two at Worcester, and other companies are much so.  It is supposed there is no great danger. The arms are at Albany.

.... Mrs. Burnham:  I send you these lines to let you know the heavy news that you have to hear from the camp, and I pray God give you grace and strength to hold up under such heavy tidings.  The truth is, your husband, our lieutenant, Nathan Burnham, Being in the fight at the narrows of Ticonderoga, July the 8th, 1758, received a ball in the bowels, which proved mortal. He came to me and told me that he was wounded, and that he should soon be in eternity.  I desired him to retreat down the hill.  I followed him,and found some help to carry him off the ground, namely, James Andrews, John Foster, and Jeremiah Burnham.  We carried him that night four miles to our boats.  The doctor did what he could, but vain was the help of man.  Next Day, being the ninth day upon our passage upon the lake, about eleven o'clock, after many heavenly expressions and prayers, he departed this life, and I believe, made a good exchange.  Please tell Mrs. Low the same heavy news.  Stephen Low, being in the same fight, was, without doubt, shot dead on the spot.  We had not the opportunity to bring off our dead.

Nehemiah Burnham" 

------------------------

Genealogy information:

Lieutenant Nathan Burnham, who died at Fort Ticonderoga, is my 7th great uncle.  I descend from his brother Stephen Burnham, born about 1715 in Ipswich and died 1790 in Milford, New Hampshire.      Nathan Burnham, Jr. was with his father's unit as a waterboy, and was about 11 years old.  He was with his father when he was killed. According to the published Burnham Genealogy book by Roderick H. Burnham, 1879 "Tradition has it that before leaving for the war he took his sword on his hand to try the metal and it broke.  Turning to his wife he said "I shall never come back".  He went on but returned to pray with is family before taking final leave." 

Hannah was the daughter of Samuel Choate and Mary Brown.  She was born in Ipswich about 1727 and died 1 March 1805 in Dunbarton, where she is buried. Hannah Choate is my first cousin 10 generations removed.  Her great grandfather, John Choate (born about 1624 and died 4 December 1695 in Ipswich) is my 9th great grandfather.  

For the truly curious:

A blog post about Fort Ticonderoga:

   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/12/fort-ticonderoga.html  

My Surname Saturday blog post about the Burnham family:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-burnham-of-chebacco.html   

My Surname Saturday blog post about the Choate family:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-choate-of-chebacco.html   

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Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Hannah (Choate) Burnham, died 1805, Dunbarton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 7, 2020, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2020/07/hannah-choate-burnham-died-1805.html: accessed [access date]).

Hazen Saltmarsh and Sally Batchelder of Hooksett, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday

This tombstone was photographed at the Davis-Cate Cemetery in Hooksett, New Hampshire

both stones read "Rest in Peace" on the front

with "Father" and "Mother" on the top

SARAH S. BATCHELDER

Wife of

Hazen Saltmarsh

DIED

Jan. 17, 1855

AE. 46 yrs. 6 mo.

HAZEN SALTMARSH

DIED

Nov. 10, 1890

AE. 84 yrs. 4 mos.

Hazen Saltmarsh, son of Edward Abbott Saltmarsh and Sally Story, was born about 1806 in Goffstown, New Hampshire and died 10 November 1890 in Bow, New Hampshire.  He was first married to Sarah (Sally) Sargent Batchelder about 1829 in Goffstown, New Hampshire. He married second to Mary Matthews on 29 October 1856.

Hazen and Sally had nine children:  John Linden Saltmarsh, Hazen Wilbur Saltmarsh, Elizabeth Blaisdell Saltmarsh, Rebecca Wentworth Saltmarsh, Abigail Burnham Saltmarsh, Gilman Saltmarsh, Sarah Saltmarsh, Sarah Ann Saltmarsh, Alonzo Putnam Saltmarsh, Mary Jane Saltmarsh, and Luella Idora Saltmarsh.

Hazen's father, Edward Abbott Saltmarsh was born about 1768 in Goffstown, and died 11 March 1854.  He married Sally Story, daughter of Nehemiah Story and Sarah Gould, born 19 May 1768 in Essex, Massachusetts.  Nehemiah Story is my 7th great uncle, brother of Deborah Story (1723 - 1821), my 6th great grandmother.  I descend from two of her children, Westley Burnham (1747 - 1835) and from Sarah Burnham (about 1759 - 1846).  Our common ancestor is Nehemiah and Deborah's father, Zachariah Story (1684 - 1774) who married Rachel Andrews.

Hazen Saltmarsh buried above is my 2nd cousin, six generations removed.


For more information:

The Saltmarsh genealogy:  http://www.saltygen.com/files/thomasdesc.pdf    (see #128 for Hazen Saltmarsh)

------------------------

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Hazen Saltmarsh and Sally Batchelder of Hooksett, New Hampshire - Tombstone Tuesday", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 31, 2019, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/12/hazen-saltmarsh-and-sally-batchelder-of.html: accessed [access date]).

Meghan Markle’s New Hampshire Roots

Did you know that Meghan Markle’s paternal grandmother, Doris Mary Rita Sanders (born about 1920), daughter of Fred George Sanders and Gertrude May Merrill,  was born in New Hampshire? She has a New Hampshire lineage that goes back for another ten generations in New Hampshire!

I won’t give her entire family tree here, since it is easily seen online at the resources listed below, and also since it would be enormous!  But I will tell you a little about Meghan’s New Hampshire ancestors.   The newspapers recently were all aflutter about Meghan’s Wentworth and Hussey shared ancestry with her husband Harry, but that goes back more than fifteen generations before they share an ancestor.  You might be even more closely related to the new royal bride if you match some of this New Hampshire ancestry.

From the lists of surnames below, I can see that I share common ancestors with Meghan through BURNHAM, PAGE, BATCHELDER, SANBORN, TAYLOR, SWETT, STACY and GODFREY, and kinship with a few other New Hampshire surnames.

Are these surnames in your New Hampshire family tree?  If so, you might be a cousin!  I’ve listed the surnames in Meghan’s family tree, and the immigrant ancestors of those surnames.

SMITH from Center Harbor, Meredith and Hampton (immigrant ancestor John Smith abt. 1616 – 1674)

MUDGETT  from New Hampton and Brentwood  (immigrant Thomas Mudgett abt. 1640 – 1701)

DRAKE from Holderness and Hampton (Abraham Drake 1623 – 1709)

MERRILL from Plymouth and Holderness (untraced before 1768)

HUCKINS from Gilmanton, Madbury and Durham (Oyster River) (Robert Huckins 1620 – 1694)

BICKFORD from Newington and Dover (John Bickford 1607 – 1677)

PAGE from Hampton  (Robert Page 1604 – 1679)

HOBBS from Hampton (Morris Hobbs 1615 – 1706)

SHAW from Cambridge MA and Hampton, NH (Roger Shaw 1600 – 1661)

BATCHELDER from Hampton (Rev. Stephen Batchelder 1561 – 1656)

DOW from Hampton (Henry Dow 1605 – 1659)

TAYLOR from Hampton (Anthony Taylor 1607 – 1687)

GODFREY from Hampton (William Godfrey d.1671)

HUSSEY from Hampton ( Christopher Hussey 1598 – 1685)

SANBORN from Hampton (John Sanborn 1588 – 1650)

MEAD (untraced before Hannah Mead m. Joseph Mudgett b. 1731)

SCRIBNER from Dover  (John Scriven (1623 – 1675)

SWETT from Hampton (Benjamin Swett 1624 – 1677)

THOMAS from Durham (Oyster River) (James Thomas (1642 – 1718)

GODDARD from Durham (Oyster River)  (John Goddard (1608 – 1666)

TIBBETTS from Dover (Jeremiah Tibbetts 1631 – 1677)

BENMORE from Dover (Philip Benmore 1630 – 1676)

ADAMS from Durham (Charles Adams (1621 – 1694)

WEARE from Nantucket and Hampton (Nathaniel Weare 1605 – 1681)

ROBIE from Hampton (Henry Robie)

------------------------

Some of Meghan’s Essex County, Massachusetts ancestors:

LEE from Manchester

KILHAM from Wenham

LUNT from Newbury

BROWNE from Newbury

EATON from Salisbury and Haverhill

ROWLANDSON from Lancaster and Salisbury

WORTHEN (untraced)

TILTON from Lynn

BURNHAM from Ipswich

FRENCH from Salisbury

STACY from Salisbury

CARTER from Woburn

WHITCHER/WHITTIER from Salisbury, MA and Chester, NH

ELLSWORTH (untraced before Jeremiah Ellsworth 1692 – 1779 m. Hannah Tenney of Rowley, MA)

Some of the many online sources for Meghan’s ancestry:

From NEHGS    https://www.americanancestors.org/Royal-Ancestry-of-Meghan-Markle.aspx  

from Fame Chain  http://www.famechain.com/  

A chart of Meghan and Harry’s shared ancestry:

https://www.americanancestors.org/uploadedfiles/content/features/meghan-markle-chart.pdf

Famous Kin   https://famouskin.com/family-tree.php?name=80923+meghan+markle

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Meghan Markle’s New Hampshire Roots", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 4, 2018, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/06/meghan-markles-new-hampshire-roots.html: accessed [access date]).

Tombstone Tuesday ~ My 5th Great Grandfather, Abner Poland (1761 - 1835), Enfield, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Oak Grove Cemetery in Enfield, New Hampshire.

GOVE

ABNER POLAND

DIED

Jan. 14, 1835

AE. 74

SARAH,

His Wife died

Nov. 10, 1846

AE. 86

ELIJAH GOVE

DIED

May 29, 1845

AE. 58

EDNOR,

His Wife died

Sept. 26, 1865

AE. 72

Abner Poland, Jr., son of Abner Poland (1736 - 1824) and Dorothy Burnham, was born 17 May 1761 in Essex, Massachusetts, and died 14 January 1835 in Enfield, New Hampshire; married on 20 March 1783 in Essex to Sarah Burnham, daughter of Westley Burnham and Deborah Story.  Abner received bounty land in Enfield as part of his reward for Revolutionary War Service.

Abner and Sarah had eight children:  Sally, Abner, Ruth, Mary, David, Ednor, Thomas Emerson, and Beniah.  Their daughter Ednor Poland (1793 - 1865) married on 11 April 1810 in Ipswich, Massachusetts to Elijah Gove, son of Nathan Gove and Rhoda Prescott.  They lived in the nearby town of Canaan, New Hampshire.  After Abner's death, Sarah went to live with her daughter, Ednor Poland Gove in Canaan.  They are all listed on the GOVE family obelisk in the Oak Grove Cemetery.

The Oak Grove Cemetery is located on the hill behind the Community Lutheran Church on Main Street in Enfield, New Hampshire.

Click here for my POLAND genealogy:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/04/surname-saturday-poland-of-essex-county.html 

Click here for Sarah Poland's will:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/sarah-burnham-polands-1845-last-will.html

Click here for a fun blog post about finding Abner Poland's military discharge papers at NARA - signed by George Washington!
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/sarah-burnham-polands-1845-last-will.html


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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ My 5th Great Grandfather, Abner Poland (1761 - 1835), Enfield, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 18, 2017, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/10/tombstone-tuesday.html: accessed [access date]).