My Revolutionary War Ancestors - George Fint of Reading, Massachusetts

 

The George Flint House in North Reading, Mass.

This is the 12th post I have written about a Revolutionary War veteran ancestor.  George Flint, my 5th great grandfather, was the son of George Flint (b. 1686) and Jerusha Pope, born on 16 November 1728 in what is now the town of North Reading, Massachusetts.  His mother, Jerusha, was the daughter of Joseph Pope and Bethshua Folger (the sister to Abiah Folger, Benjamin Franklin's mother).  Joseph and Bethshua Pope were notorious witnesses in the 1692 Salem witch trials, and accused their neighbors John Proctor, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse of witchcraft.  

On 13 November 1753 George Flint married Hannah Phelps in Andover, Massachusetts.  Hannah is a "brickwall ancestor", and I have not been able to identify her parents or her ancestors. Phelps is a very common name in Andover, Massachusetts.  George and Hannah had seven children between 1755 and 1770, including my 4th great grandmother, Phebe Flint, born on 8 March 1763 in North Reading.  Phebe married her cousin, John Flint, who was the son of Jonathan Flint and Lydia Proctor.  Jonathan Flint is the son of Mary Collston, also imprisoned for witchcraft along with her mother and grandmother.  Lydia Proctor is the granddaughter of John Proctor, who was accused by the Pope (see the paragraph above) and hanged as a witch on 19 August 1692.  This family tree is full of people who both survived and also died during the 1692 hysteria.  

George Flint served in the American Revolution as a Sargent.  He first answered the Lexington Alarm under Colonel David Green in the 2nd Middlesex County Regiment. David Green is the great grandson of my ancestor Thomas Green of Malden, Massachusetts.  He later served under Captains Amos Upton and John Flint (a cousin) in the 3rd Reading Company.  

George Flint died on 31 August 1808 in North Reading.  His wife, Hannah, had died three years earlier on 5 May 1805. I have not been able to locate a gravestone or burial site for either George or Hannah Flint. He apparently died intestate. 

For the truly curious:

Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, by William Richard Cutter, Volume 1, page 267.  

Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Volume 16, page 226. 

Other blog posts about my Revolutionary War Ancestors: 

#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   

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

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

#11  Amos Burnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/06/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-amos.html   

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "My Revolutionary War Ancestors - George Fint of Reading, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 21, 2026, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2026/07/my-revolutionary-war-ancestors-george.html: accessed [access date]). 

Family Reunions, 2015

Members of the Balch and Woodbury families tour the 1679 Balch House
during the 2014 "Old Planters" Family Reunion in Beverly, Massachusetts

Summer is time for family reunions!  The following list of family reunions and family association meetings are taking place in New England, or are families descended from New England settlers.  If you know of one I didn’t list, please email me at vrojomit@gmail.com or leave a message in the comments:

WING -  June 19 – 21, at the Plaza Hotel, Salt Lake City, Utah, the 2015 Wing Family Reunion,  for descendants of the Reverend John and Deborah Wing.  http://www.wingfamily.org/reunions.html

LINELL – June 26 – 28 at the Sheraton Four Points, Eastham, Cape Cod, Massachusetts for the 10^th Annual Linnell Family Reunion   http://www.linnellfamilyassociation.com/Reunion/2015/Reunion_2015_Registration_Form.pdf

MANNING -  June 27, at the Manning Manse, Billerica, Massachusetts, Annual meeting and gathering.  http://www.manningassociation.org/newsletters/messenger_2015_03.pdf   (held on the fourth Saturday of June annually)

GRINNELL-  July 9 – 12 in New Bedford, Massachusetts for the Grinnell Family Association of America, descendants of Matthew and Rose Grinnell.  http://www.grinnellfamily.org/

STILES – July 9 -12, Stiles Family Reunion at the Wingate Hotel, Erlanger, Kentucky, meeting, genealogy, group photo, tours, meals http://www.stilesfamilyofamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/2015-sfa-Reunion-info.pdf

PHELPS Family Reunion in Windsor, Connecticut - for descendants of Willaim and George Phelps - July 11, 2015.  Please join the FB group Phelps Famly Reunion in Windsor for more details:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/236219789837169

ELDRED - July 12 at Lake Eden, Eden, Vermont the 75^th Annual Eldred Family Reunion.  Held every year on the 2^nd Sunday in July.   http://eldredreunion.com/

BLAISDELL/BLASDEL -  July 16 – 19, at the Holiday Inn Portsmouth, 300 Woodbury Avenue, Portsmouth, Maine, The Blaisdell National Family Reunion, with tours of York and Pemaquid, Maine, and also a tour of the Blaisdell clock makers in Amesbury, Massachusetts.  http://www.blaisdell.org/BFNA%20Reunion%202015%20Schedule.doc.pdf

BOTSFORD and PLATT - July 17 and 18, at the Botsford Homestead, 84 Gunn Street, Milford, Connecticut, The Botsford and Platt family associations joint reunion.  Contact Richard N. Platt at rnplatt@optimum.net or Michelle Narus at michelle@ivy-design.com for more information.

ADAMS Family Association of Wilton, ME annual reunion July 18, 2015 at Kineowatha Park, Wilton, ME. See www.adamsfamilyassociation.info  for details.

FOLSOM -  The 100^th Anniversary Folsom Family Assocation Reunion will be held in Exeter, New Hampshire July 22 – 26, 2015.  http://www.folsomfamily.org/Other%20Pages/National%20Reunion%20and%20Conference.html

FOOTE – July 23 – 26, at Salt Lake City, the Foote Educational Conference (held every two years) under the auspices of the Foote Family Association of America FFAA, for descendants of Nathaniel Foote of Wetherfield, Connecticut.  http://footefamily.org/reunion2015.html

FELTON Family Association annual reunion,  24 -25 July 2015,  at the Nathaniel Felton Jr. and Nathaniel Felton Sr. homesteads on Felton Hill in Peabody, Massachusetts.  Check the website http://www.feltonfamily.org/Events_and_Products.html

PARSONS – July 25 at Stocking Hall, Cornell University,  Ithaca, New York the 93^rd Parsons Family Reunion.  See the newsletter online for more information, http://www.parsonsfamilyassn.org/Cornet_chronical_spring_2015_kbg_4_print_v1__2_.pdf

RUSH – July 25 – August 1, Rush Family Reunion in Benedicta, Maine, held every five years for the descendants of Johann Diederich Rashe (1800 – 1874) and Sarah Theresea Schmidt (1812 – 1856), who came to the US in 1833.  http://rushreunionbenedicta.blogspot.com/

LILLIBRIDGE -  July 25, the Lillibridge National Family Reunion, at Exeter, Rhode Island, located at the Canonicus Camp and Conference Center.  https://lillibridgereunions.wordpress.com/

LOCKE Family Association meeting; July 31-August 2 in Portsmouth, NH - info submitted by David Wilson, The 125th reunion of descendants of Rye, NH founder John Locke.  See this website http://www.lockefamilyassociation.org/reunions.html

SHELDON - July 31 to August 2^nd, Sacremento, California, the Sheldon Family Association Reunion http://www.sheldonfamily.org/2015reunion/2015meeting.htm

McINTIRE-  August 1, 11am McIntire Family Reunion, at the Barn at the the York Historical Society. Bring a lunch and a dessert to share.  We're collecting Scottish recipes, bring yours to share.  

OLD BROAD BAY FAMILY HISTORY ASSOCIATION-  August 1st, a reunion of the descendants of the German Settlers at Old Broad Bay, Waldeboro, Maine.  The meeting will take place at the Knox-Lincoln County Extension, 377 Manktown Road, in Waldeboro at 9am.  See the website for more information and a list of surnames:  http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~meobbfha/

RICHARDS – August 3 – 7, Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club, Brewster, Cape Cod, Massachusetts  http://richardsreunion.com/reservations-2/

STEERE -  The 85^th Annual Steere Family Association Reunion to be held August 7 – 9 in Chepachet, Rhode Island for descendants of John Steer.  See this newsletter PDF for more information: http://steerefamily.com/reunion_schedule.pdf

FAIRBANKS - August 8, the 113^th Annual Fairbanks Reunion at the Fairbanks House in Dedham, Massachusetts.  Email homestead@fairbankshouse.org to receive the newsletter with more information or call 781-326-1170 or see the website www.fairbankshouse.org

KIMBALL  - The Kimball Family Association annual reunion will be held August 14 and 15 at the Best Western Plus hotel in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  There will be a business meeting of the association, a trip to the Bradford Burial Ground, and other tour to historic sites.   http://www.kimballfamilyassociation.com/

COLBY – The 62^nd Annual Colby Clan Reunion will be held August 14 and 15^th at Bow, New Hampshire, for descendants of Anthony and Susannah Colby.

 http://www.colby-family-association.org/2015%20march_colby%20news.pdf

KALLOCH – August 15, at the Congregational Church, 172 St. George Road, South Thomaston, Maine,  see www.http://kalloch.org or the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kalloch-Family-Reunion-Association/163290497023722

DENISON - GALLUP -  August 15 will be a combined reunion of the Denison and Gallup families at the Coogan Farm and Nature Center in Mystic, Connecticut.  Contact Julie Souto for more information juiss8814@yahoo.com 

MEADER – The Meader Family Association, descendants of John Meader of Piscataqua, who settled near the mouth of the Oyster River by Durham, New Hampshire around 1647, has an annual reunion August 28 and 29 in Manassas, Virginia.  http://www.themeaderfamily.org/Pages/reunion2015.html

HARLOW -  75^th Annual Reunion of the Sgt. William Harlow Family Association will be held August 29 – 30 at the Beal House in Kingston, Massachusetts and at the Harlow Old Fort House on Sandwich Street, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  http://www.harlowfamily.com/current_events.htm

MAYFLOWER Society General Board of Assistants Meeting, September 9 - 13th at Foxwoods Casino, Connecticut.  See your Mayflower Quarterly for more information and registration forms, or the website https://www.themayflowersociety.org/2015-gboa-meeting/schedule-of-events

NICKERSON -  The Nickerson Family Association Annual Reunion will be held September 11 – 13 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.  http://www.nickersonassoc.org/togethering.shtml

HARRIMAN-  September 12, at the First Parish Church, 50 Church Street, Waltham, Massachusetts, The Harriman Family Association Meeting and Reunion, for the descendants of Leonard and John Harriman, immigrants to Rowley, Massachusetts and New Haven, Connecticut circa 1638.  http://www.harriman-family.org/

TOWNE Family Reunion -  September 18 - 20th, for descendants of William Towne and Joanna Blessing of Topsfield, Massachusetts at Vancouver, Washington.  See the website for details and registration http://townefolk.com/testing/TFA_MEET.php

HATCH – September 11 – 13 at Falmouth, Massachusetts for the Hatch Family Association   http://www.hatchfamilyassoc.org/reunion.htm

DENNISON - GALLUP - August 15, the combined Dennison and Gallup family reunion will be held at the Coogan Farm Nature and Heritage Center in Mystic, Connecticut.

LEAVITT - September 18 - 19, Descendants of John Leavitt of Hingham, Massachusetts and Thomas Leavitt of Hampton, New Hampshire will meet at Leavitt Hill in Deerfield, New Hampshire.  See the website for more details.  http://www.leavitts.org/ 

TENNEY-  September 18 – 20^th, in Upshur County, West Virginia, The Tenney Family Association Reunion, for descendants of immigrant John Tenney of Rowley, Massachusetts.

http://10efamily.org/2015-annual-reunion-in-upshur-county-west-virginia/

NYE – September 19, 2015 at the Benjamin Nye Homestead and Museum in East Sandwich, Massachusetts.  Annual business meeting, lunch, afternoon and evening programs.  See the fall newsletter of the Nye Family of America Association, or this website:  http://www.nyefamily.org/home/family-reunion

RICE -  September 25 -26, the Edmund Rice Association meets up at the Wayside Inn in Sudbury, Massachusetts.  http://www.edmund-rice.org/reunion.htm  

Upcoming next year:

CRANDALL   Crandall Family Association – Upcoming 2016 reunion, see the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Crandall.descendants

WINCHESTER,  June 17 – 19, 2016 at Digby Pines, Digby, Nova Scotia.  For descendants of Nathan Winchester, who came to Nova Scotia from Framingham, Massachusetts about 1760.  For registration and schedule of events contact Jim Greenwood at thewinchesterreunion@gmail.com  and for genealogy information contact Mr. Schani Biermann at ussenterprise1701@accesscomm.ca

GRISWOLD Family Association:  Contact@griswoldfamily.org  for more info. We are planning to visit Boston MA in 2016 and tour in Griswold country in the UK in 2017.

LOOMIS Family Reunion, July 1, 2018 - July 14, 2018.   https://www.facebook.com/events/406026092817497/

DOANE  The 54^th Biennial Reunion of the Doane Family Association will be in the summer of 2016.  http://www.doanefamilyassociation.org/dfacalendar.html

THAYER -  July 1 – 4, 2016 at the West Point, New York historic Thayer Hotel http://www.thayerfamilies.com/

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Family Reunions, 2015", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 8, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/06/family-reunions-2015.html : accessed [access date])

My Top Ten Brickwall Problem Ancestors

This is a shot in the dark, but last September Diane Boumenot posted her top ten genealogy research problems HERE and she has already solved two of them.   Readers and Google searchers found her post and sent her enough information or clues to break down those genealogical brickwalls.  So… here is my list.  I’m hoping for a reader or distant cousin to read this and help me to solve a few genealogy mysteries, too!

Diane listed the skills and strategies she thought she might need to solve her research problems.  This is a good idea, and working through this list has got me thinking of new ways to attack these mysteries.  Maybe I’ll solve them at least one brickwall before I get a mysterious “cousin connection” email or comment?

My 10 “Brickwall” ancestors:

1.   Elizabeth Lambert (about 1775 – 1834) is my 5x great grandmother.  She married Owen Jones, a native of Wales and son of a British customs officer, on 11 May 1793 at the Second Baptist Church in Boston, Massachusetts.  They lived in the North End, and had six daughters who were described as debutantes and all married very well.  I’m hoping she is from a well-connected, wealthy family in Boston who left lots of good records.  Unfortunately, there were many Lambert/Lombard/Lumbard/Lamport families in Boston at this time, and I have searched them all for Elizabeth.  A consultation with a professional genealogist at a conference leads me to believe I should search probate and deeds for Elizabeth among the many Lambert families.

One clue- Elizabeth had a sister, Sarah, who married John Dark/Dargue on 1 December  1793 in Boston.  Elizabeth (Lambert) Jones named her first daughter Sarah Dargue Jones in her honor.  The sister Sarah (Lambert) Dargue died on 3 September 1796, no parents listed.

Problem- I’ve never really done probate or deed research, so this will be my first test case with these types of records.  Searching for Jones records in the courthouse won’t be fun, neither will it be fun searching through all those Lambert/Lombard/Lumbard/Lamport etc. variations.  Elizabeth Lambert was born at about the time of the Boston siege during the American Revolution (many residents fled the city), so she may have been born somewhere else in Massachusetts or New England.

2.  Margaret Welch (about 1796 – 1860) is my 4x great grandmother.  Her death record in Chichester, New Hampshire does not name her parents.  She married Richard Locke on 21 October 1823 in Chichester.   Her children’s marriage and death records say she was born in Kittery, Maine.  Census records say she was born in Maine.

Problem - I cannot find a Welch/Welsh family at all that might be her possible parents or ancestors.  This is the opposite of the Elizabeth Lambert above where I have too many possibilities.  Perhaps searching York County, Maine probate and deeds would work, like my brickwall #1? 

3.  Nancy Thompson (about 1804 – after 1847) is my 4x great grandmother.  She married Jonathan Batchelder on 11 February 1822 in Belmont, New Hampshire.  Her children’s marriage and death records say that she was born in Gilmanton, New Hampshire.  There were several Thompson families in Gilmanton and Belmont (contiguous towns) but no record of Nancy/Ann/Hannah.  Jonathan Batchelder died in the Concord State Hospital after being declared insane.  I have his account book, and inside it I found guardianship papers dated 1847 making “Nancy Batchelder” the guardian of her minor daughter, Pauline.  No further trace of Nancy can be found in the New Hampshire vital records or census records.

Problem – Did Nancy remarry? Pauline’s death record name’s her mother as “Nancy Tompson”.  Is that a clue? The Gilmanton Historical Society is stumped.   I’ve searched all the Thompson/Tompson genealogies and vital records.  Perhaps I’ll need another probate and deeds research trip to Belknap County, New Hampshire?

4. Hannah Phelps (1728 – 1805) is my 5x great grandmother.  She married George Flint on 13 November 1753 in Andover, Massachusetts.    I’m not even sure of her surname, it was given as “Phelps” in a compiled Flint genealogy.  This is a real stumper.  I’ve very little information on George Flint, too, except what was found in the Flint book.

5. David Lyons (about 1759 – 1812) is my 5x great grandfather.  He was from Connecticut and removed to Cornwallis, Nova Scotia where he appears in many land records.  He was married in Cornwallis on 25 May 1779 to Elizabeth Ratchford.   I have no idea where he came from in Connecticut, and few clues.  I don’t know if he was a planter or a Loyalist.  Another real stumper.

6. James Radsford/Ratchford  b. about 1719 is my 7x great grandfather.  He married Margaret Ball on 26 December 1738 in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts.  They had five sons and all their births are recorded in the Bridgewater vital records.  This surname seems to have a lot of variations, and perhaps it was a corruption of some other name altogether?  There are no Radsfords or Ratchfords in earlier Massachusetts records.  No death record has been found.

7.  Margaret Ball (see above)  I have no birth or death record on Margaret, just a marriage and her name listed on her children’s births as “Margaret”. 

8. Amelia Unknown (born about 1790 – 1860) is my 4x great grandmother.  Her death record lists her birthplace as Stoughton, Massachusetts but no birth record has ever been found.  She died as a pauper in Wayland, Massachusetts the same year as her husband, who was also listed as a pauper.  Amelia had a colorful life with at least three husbands as listed below….

     #1 Amelia gave birth to twins in Salem on 26 June 1825 as Amelia Lewis, no husband listed.  Her son’s death records list their father as “Captain Thomas Lewis” but I haven’t found a marriage record.  Her twins were possibly born after he died.   Did he die at sea?  No record has been found for him in Massachusetts.

     #2 Amelia remarried to Thomas Johnson in 1827 in Salem

     #3 Amelia remarried third to John Adams in 1843 in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  Her death record lists her parents as “unknown”.    Both sons died very young before 1853, and their records do not give her maiden name.   She married often, so perhaps there is even another earlier marriage I am missing here?

9.  James Phillips (about 1792 – 1820) is my 4 great grandfather.  He married Sarah Cree on 6 August 1815 in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  His death record in Topsfield says he was a “native of Rowley” but I cannot find him in the Rowley records.   There is a James Phillips enumerated in the 1820 Census in Andover, Massachusetts, which may or may not be this James.   Again, Phillips is a common surname in Essex County, Massachusetts, which makes this as difficult as the Jones brickwall #1.

10. Mary Hovey (about  1751- 1832) is my 5x great grandmother.  She married Nathaniel Treadwell on 1786 in Ipswich, Massachusetts.  I have no clue as to her birthdate, birthplace, parents or ancestry.  Mary is listed on my lineage papers to the Mayflower Society, showing my descent from Mayflower passenger Isaac Allerton.  No one at the Mayflower Society can find her parents either!   There is plenty of information on her husband, who served in the American Revolution and was from a noted Ipswich, Massachusetts family.  I’d love to beat the professionals who have attempted to identify Mary Hovey, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful, too.

Please read Diane Boumenot’s blog post at this link, she inspired my list!:

http://onerhodeislandfamily.com/2012/09/17/how-to-solve-the-next-ten-problems/

Another blogger with a similar idea is Colleen Pasquale, who posted a list of 12 puzzles from her family tree on 12 December 2012 (12/12/12)  at this link:
http://leavesnbranches.blogspot.com/2012/12/121212-twelve-genealogy-questions.html

and Randy Seaver picked up the meme at his blog at this link:
http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/12/12-genealogy-mysteries-id-like-to-solve.html

Barbara Poole posted her top Ten Brickwall Ancestors at her blog back in 2010 and she is still waiting for her big break.  Keep your fingers crossed for her!  Read about her list at this link:
http://lifefromtheroots.blogspot.com/2010/10/top-ten-brick-walls.html

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo