Tombstone Tuesday Ancestral Magnets?

This Christmas Santa brought me these unusual magnets made from tombstone art of a member of my family tree. Mary Munroe (daughter of John Ball and Elizabeth Pierce) was born about 1651 and died in August 1692 in Lexington, Massachusetts.  She was the second wife (of three!) of William Munroe, a Scots prisoner of war captured at the Battle of Worcester and sentenced to forced indentured servitude in Boston.  They had ten children together.  I descend from William's first wife, Martha George.   I also descend from Mary's brother, John Ball, who married Sarah Bullard.  See the link below for my blog post on the BALL family. 

These details are 3D prints of details taken from the tombstone of Mary Ball Munroe. 

HEART AND SOUL

This small hearn adorns the gravestone of Mary Munroo

symbolizing the heart as the seat of the soul. Her sould was

released for its flight to Heaven upon her death

August 12, 1692 at the age of 41.  she is buried in the

Old Burial Ground, Lexington, Massachusetts.

This piece of historic cemetery art is cast

directly from the face of an old New England gravestone.

It is completely handmade and finished. Item #0110

MUNROO '92

A windged skull adorns the gravestone of Mary Munroo

as symbol of her sould flying to Heaven; the goal for

Colonists of her era.  She served 41 years and hoped

for eternal life when she died August 12, 1692.  She is 

buried in the Old Burial Ground, Lexington, Massachusetts.

This piece of historic cemetery art is cast

directly from the face of an old New England gravestone.

It is comepletely handmade and finished. Item #0109

These magnets were created by "The Gravestone Girls" who I have met at many genealogy conferences, and heard their cemetery lectures at many historical societies and libraries.  I have several other art pieces from ancestor's graves made by the Gravestone Girls.  There is a link to their website below where you can find a schedule of their events, and shop for art objects made from copies of New England gravestones. 

For the truly curious:

The Gravestone Girls website:   https://www.gravestonegirls.com/#/  

My original 2011 "Tombstone Tuesday" blog post on the gravestones of Mary Munroo and her husband William in Lexington, Massachusetts:    https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/06/munroes-in-lexington-ma-tombstone.html  

My Surname Saturday blog post on the BALL family:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/11/surname-saturday-ball-of-watertown.html

My Surname Saturday blog post on the MUNROE family of Lexington, Massachusetts:   https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html  

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

To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday Ancestral Magnets?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 30, 2025, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2025/12/tombstone-tuesday-ancestral-magnets.html: accessed [access date]). 

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Elizabeth Langdon Peirce, died 1732 Portsmouth, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Point of Graves, Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

HERE LYES ye BODY OF

Mrs. ELIZABETH PEIRCE

WIFE TO Mr. GEORGE

PEIRCE DEDd MAY

ye 4th  1732 IN ye

45th YEAR OF HER AGE.

Elizabeth Langdon, daughter of Tobias Langdon and Mary Hubbard, was born 16 September 1688 in Salisbury, Massachusetts, and died 4 May 1732 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  She married George Peirce, son of Daniel Peirce and Elizabeth Milward,  and they had seven children:  Mehitable, Tobias, Sarah, George, Dorothy, Mary and Martha.

 For more on the Peirce family see:

The Peirce Family Papers, held at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester, Massachusetts http://www.americanantiquarian.org/Findingaids/peirce_family.pdf   

The Pierce Genealogy, by Frederick Clifton Pierce, 1880 is available online at archive.org and also completely scanned digitally at Google Books. See page 235 for George Peirce and his wives.

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Elizabeth Langdon Peirce, died 1732 Portsmouth, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 24, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/07/tombstone-tuesday-elizabeth-langdon.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ KNIGHT of Charlestown, Massachusetts

John Knight (1601 – 1674), my 11^th great grandfather, was a Watertown proprietor in 1636.  He sold his land in Watertown on 5 June 1640 and removed to Salisbury where he was a proprietor.  He removed to Charlestown.  His will is dated 14 December 1672 and was probated 10 June 1674.  The will mentions his son-in-law, Robert Pierce of Woburn, my 10^th great grandfather.

My ancestor John Knight was a cousin to the John Knight who came to New England in 1635 aboard the ship James with his brother Richard Knight.  They both settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, and their genealogies are often tangled with John Knight of Charlestown.  In fact, both Johns were considered to be one person in some compiled genealogies.

Recent genealogists have discovered John Knight’s English origins.  He was born in Romsey, Hampshire, England, the son of Nicholas Knight and Jane Hewatt.  His paternal grandparents were William Knight and Elizabeth Wild of Romsey.  His maternal grandfather was John Hewete of Romsey.

On 8 September 1649 John Knight of Charlestown bought 80 acres in Woburn, Massachusetts.  Then on 9 October 1654 John Knight, inhabitant of Woburn, bought 18 acres back in Charlestown.  On 29 Dec 1671 John Knight, malster, sold his home in Woburn to William Johnson. 

Robert Pierce of Woburn gave all his land to his son Benjamin in return for maintenance for the rest of his life, and his wife Mary’s life on 3 July 1693.  This document refers to the 20 acres of land in Woburn he bought from his father-in-law, John Knight, of Charlestown, deceased.   My 9^th great grandmother was Elizabeth Pierce (1659 – 1690) the daughter of Robert Pierce and Mary Knight. 

KNIGHT resources:

Stand By My Servant Joseph: The Story of the Joseph Knight Family and the Restoration, by William G. Hartley, 2003.  Available in paperback at Deseret Books 801-517-3315.

A manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society “The Knight Family” call number SG KNI 21, part 1 is the family of John Knight of Newbury, and part 2 is the John Knight of Charlestown, Massachusetts. 

Our Knight line: from John Knight (ca. 1600 – 1674) of Watertown, Woburn, and Charlestown, Massachusetts, to Mary (Knight) Near (1848 – 1923) of Racine, Wisconsin, by Virginia S. Hooper, 1971. 

My KNIGHT genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Knight, son of Nicholas Knight and Jane Hewatt, born 1601 in Romsey, South Hampton, England, died 22 May 1663 in Charlestown, Massachusetts;  married Mary Pickering about 1619 in Romsey.   Mary was born about 1598 in Romsey, and died 16 May 1676 in Charlestown. 

Children: 

a.) Mary  born 14 July 1620 in Romsey, died 18 March 1701 in Woburn, Massachusetts. 

b.) Joseph (1624 – 1687) married Hannah Lamb

c.) John, Jr.  (1630 – 1714) married Ruhamah Johnson, married second to Abigail Stowers, married third to Mary Bridge, married fourth to Mary (Rocke) Clemments, the widow of William Clemments, married fifth to Sarah (Rowlins) Holsworth, widow of Joshua Holsworth. 

And perhaps a fourth child, Samuel 

Generation 2:  Mary Knight, born 14 July 1620 in Romsey, died 18 March 1701 in Woburn, married to Robert Pierce before 1646. He was the son of John Pierce and Elizabeth Hart.  Seven children.

Generation 3:  Elizabeth Pierce m. Samuel Wilson

Generation 4: Mary Wilson m. Ebenezer Pierce

Generation 5: Deborah Pierce m. Increase Wyman

Generation 6: Increase Wyman, Jr. m. Catherine Unknown (see the blog post HERE)

Generation 7: Jemima Wyman m. Joshua Burnham

Generation 8: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson

Generation 9: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 10: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 12:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ KNIGHT of Charlestown, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 10, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/surname-saturday-knight-of-charlestown.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ PIERCE of Charlestown and Woburn, Massachusetts

PIERCE,  PEIRCE, PEARSE, PERS

Thomas Pierce (1583 – 1666), my 11^th great grandfather, is of unknown origin.  He was made a freeman on 6 May 1635 in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and he received a land grant of 4 acres at Charlestown in 1636.  By 1638 he owned 10 lots totaling 97 acres.  He married Elizabeth Unknown , who was admitted to the church at Charlestown on 10 January 1644/5, and Thomas was admitted on February 21^st.

In 1643 Thomas Pierce moved his family to Woburn, where he was made a proprietor in 1643.  He made his will in Cambridge in 1665, at the home of Thomas Danforth, the treasurer of Harvard College.  There was a provision for the college, as well as for his wife and children in his will.

Thomas Pierce's Will

Cambridge in New England, Novemb. 7th, 1665

I, Thomas Pierce of Charlestown, aged about 82 years, being throw the goodness of ye Lord of sound judgment & memory, and in some measure of bodily health, do ordaine & hereby declare my last Will and testament, in manner and form following; viz: my soul, which I believe is imortall, I do desire humbley and believeingly to resign it unto the father of spirits, who gave it to mee, and to remit borth body and soul into the everlasting mercyes of God, the father, Sonne, and Holy Ghost. My body I desire it may be decently interred, at the discretion of my loving wife whom I do ordaine and make sole Executrix of this my Will. And for my outward Estate wherewith the Lord hath gratiously blessed me, I do dispose thereof as follows, viz. to Harvard College twenty shillings to be payed within one year after my decease. To Mary Bridge, and Elizabeth Jeffs, two of my grand-children now dwelling with mee I do give ten pounds apiece, to be paid by my Executrix as soon as she can with convenience, but not to be compellable thereto for and during to years after my decease. The residue of my estate, my just debts and funerall expenses being first payed, I do give and bequeath unto my loving wife Elizabeth, to have and to hold the same during her life, and at her pleasure to be helpful to any of my children as shee shall see meet in her discretion, by giveing or lending to them any part thereof: And before he deceased I do give her power to make her will, and by the same to bequeath nay part thereof by gift or legacy as shee shall see meet, and after her decease such part thereof as sahll beby her unexpended, and not disposed of by her before her decease, I do will and bequeath ye same in manner following - viz: To all my grandchildren I do give ten groates apeece, and the remainder to be equally divided among my children. My will is that the younger shall have eaquell with the eldest, I have formerly done for them according to my ability. Finally I do nominate my loving friends, Mr. Ri: Russel * Mr. Thomas Danforth*, and my sonne Jno. Pierce overseers of this my will; by whose advise and consent of them or the more part of them I do give my Executrix full power to settle all my lands on such of my sonnes, as shall approve themselves in the feare of God, and duty to their aged mother, and on such conditions as they shall meet also I do nominate Lift. Randall Nicholls (this name is in place if one erased, I think Lowden) to be added to my overseers above named, provided always it is my declared will yt my Executrix shall not alienable or dispose of any of my lands so as to deprive all my sonnes of the same, but I do giver her power by the advice of my overseers as above is expressed to dispose of the whole to any one of my sonnes according to her discretion, but not to divide the same into parcels. In witness whereof I do hereunto sett my hand and seal the day and year first written.

Thomas Pierce is the ancestor of two US Presidents.  He is the ancestor of Barbara Pierce Bush, wife of President George H. Bush and mother of President George H. W. Bush.  He is also the ancestor of President Franklin Pierce.

My PIERCE genealogy:

Generation 1:  Thomas Pierce, born about 1583 in England, died 7 October 1666 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married Elizabeth Unknown.  She was born about 1595 and died after 22 March 1667 in Woburn, Massachusetts.  Eight children.

Generation 2: Thomas Pierce, Jr., born about 1620 in England, died 6 November 1683 in Woburn; married on 6 May 1635 in Charlestown to Elizabeth Cole, daughter of Rice Cole and Arrald Unknown.  She was born about 1619 and died 5 March 1688 in Woburn. Thirteen children.

Generation 3:  John Pierce, born 7 May 1643 in Woburn, died 25 May 1720 in Woburn; married on 1 July 1663 in Woburn to Deborah Convers, daughter of James Converse and Anna Long.  She was born 25 July 1647 in Woburn.  Ten children.

Generation 4: Ebenezer Pierce, born 1687 and died before 16 May 1766 in Wilmington, Massachusetts.  He married Mary Wilson, daughter of Samuel Wilson and Elizabeth Pierce (no relation).  She was born 10 April 1685 in Woburn, and died 17 January 1747 in Woburn.  Nine children.

Generation 5:  Deborah Pierce, born 4 November 1709 in Woburn, died 1739; married on 11 March 1730 in Woburn to Increase Wyman, son of Nathaniel Wyman and Mary Winn.  He was born 1 March 1707 in Woburn and died 5 September 1739 in Woburn.  Five children.

Generation 6: Increase Wyman, born 4 June 1732 in Burlington, Massachusetts, died before 1776; married to Catherine Unknown.  She died 19 January 1783. Ten children.

Generation 7: Jemima Wyman m. Joshua Burnham

Generation 8: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson

Generation 9: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 10:. Mary Katherine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 12: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, " Surname Saturday ~ PIERCE of Charlestown and Woburn, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 24, 2016 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/surname-saturday-pierce-of-charlestown.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ WILSON of Woburn, Massachusetts

WILSON, WILLSON

John Wilson (about 1626 – 1687), my 10^th great grandfather is not my only WILSON ancestor.  I am also a descendant of Robert Wilson (about 1630 – 1675) of Salem Village.  Both these immigrant WILSONS were studied by genealogist Ken Stevens, who did surname studies of all the WILSON families in New England.  If you have a WILSON from New England you can search his book The New England Wilson Index, 1995 for more information. [call number CS71. W75 1995 at the NEHGS library]  His manuscripts and papers are also at NEHGS under the call number Mss 678.  The books on the Wilsons from New England: A Genealogical Record of Some Descendants From Our Colonial Ancestors are under the call numbers CS71 .W75 1988 v.1, v.2, v.3 on the 7^th floor of the NEHGS library.

John Wilson’s origins are unknown.  He first settled in Salem, Massachusetts with his wife, Hannah, some time before they bought 2 acres of land on 2 March 1652/3.   They sold this land in 1657, and the first record of them in Woburn was December 1658 when their son Samuel was born.  Samuel Wilson (1658 – 1729) is my 9^th great grandfather.  The Proprietors records record John was granted four acres of land in 1661, near the Billerica border today.   Samuel inherited the homestead and provided for his aged mother, and his siblings all removed to other towns in Massachusetts and Connecticut.   Samuel and two of his siblings all married PIERCE children of Robert Pierce of Woburn.

John and Hannah were Anabaptists.  In 1677 they were fined for not attending regular meetings - the Puritan religious services (Middlesex Court Records).  Their son, Samuel, my 9th great grandfather, was listed as an Anabaptist, too. 

John Wilson’s will is not recorded.  The Suffolk County Probate recorded an administrator’s bond and an estate inventory by the administrix, Hannah, and sons John, Jr. and Francis.  Hannah remarried to Thomas Fuller.

My WILSON genealogy:

Generation 1: John Wilson, born about 1626 in England, died 2 July 1687 in Woburn; married about 1650 in England to Hannah James.  She was born about 1628 in England and died after 1697. Twelve children.

Generation 2: Samuel Wilson, born 29 December 1658 in Woburn, died 21 November 1729 in Woburn; married on 24 February 1682 in Woburn to Elizabeth Pierce, daughter of Robert Pierce and Mary Knight.  She was born 6 March 1659 in Woburn, and died 22 December 1690 in Woburn. Three children.

Generation 3:  Mary Wilson,  born 10 April 1685 in Woburn, died 17 January 1747 in Woburn; married Ebenezer Pierce (not a cousin), son of John Pierce and Deborah Converse.  He died before 16 May 1766 in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

Generation 4: Deborah Pierce m. Increase Wyman

Generation 5: Increase Wyman m. Catherine Unknown

Generation 6: Jemima Wyman m. Joshua Burnham

Generation 7: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson

Generation 8: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 9: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 10: Carrie Maud Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 11: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ WILSON of Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 17, 2016,  ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/surname-saturday-wilson-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ CONVERSE of Woburn

CONVERSE  CONVERS

I have already written a “Surname Saturday” blog post on the CONVERSE family of Woburn at this link: https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/02/surname-saturday-converse-of-woburn.html   However, last year I discovered that in addition to a lineage from Deacon Edward Convers (1590 – 1662) on my father’s side, I also have a link on my mother’s side (see below)

I also discovered our link to the Converse sneaker King, and you can read all about it at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-sneaker-king-marquis-mills-converse.html   

MY CONVERSE lineage:

Generation 1:  Edward Convers, son of Anthony Convers and Clemence Spady, born 30 January 1590 in Stanford Rivers, Essex, England, died 10 August 1662 at Woburn, Massachusetts; married first on 29 June 1614 at Great Burstead, Essex, England to Sarah Parker, daughter of John Parker, died 14 January 1662/3 in Woburn.  Six children.   Edward Convers married second to Joanna Warren, widow of Ralph Sprague.

Generation 2.  James Convers, born about 1621 in England, died 10 May 1715 in Woburn; married first to Anna Long, daughter of Robert Long and Sarah Taylor.  She was born 1 June 1623 in St. Albans, England and died 10 August 1691 in Woburn. Ten chlldren.  He married second to Anna Sparhawk.

Lineage A:

Generation 3.  James Converse, born 16 November 1645 in Woburn, died 8 July 1706 in Woburn; married on 1 January 1669 to Hannah Carter, daughter of John Carter and Elizabeth Kendall.  She was born 19 January 1651 in Woburn and died 10 August 1691 in Woburn. Nine children.

Generation 4. Robert Converse, born 29 December 1677 in Woburn, died 20 July 1736; married on 19 December 1698 in Woburn to Mary Sawyer, daughter of Joshua Sawyer and Sarah Wright.  She was born about 1681 and died 1766.  Twelve children.

Generation 5. Susanna Converse, born 18 June 1724 in Woburn, died 29 October 1771 in Woburn; married on 26 March 1746 in Woburn to Caleb Simonds, son of James Simonds and Mary Fowle.  He was born 27 August 1720 in Woburn, died 4 January 1811 in Woburn.  Eight children.

Generation 6. Ruth Simonds m. Andrew Munroe

Generation 7.  Luther Simonds Munroe m. Olive Flint

Generation 8.  Phebe Cross Munroe m. Robert Wilson Wilkinson

Generation 9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10.  Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

Lineage B:

Generation 3.  Deborah Converse, born 25 July 1647 in Woburn; married 1 July 1663 in Woburn to John Pierce, son of Thomas Pierce and Elizabeth Cole.  He was born 7 May 1643 in Woburn and died 25 May 1720 in Woburn. Ten chlldren.

Generation 4.  Ebenezer Pierce m. Mary Wilson

Generation 5.  Deborah Pierce m. Increase Wyman

Generation 6.  Increase Wyman m. Catherine Unknown

Generation 7.  Jemima Wyman m. Colonel Joshua Burnham

Generation 8.  Jemima Burnham . Romanus Emerson

Generation 9. George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 10.  Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 11.  Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 12.  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~  CONVERSE of Woburn", Nutfield Genealogy, posted September 3, 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/surname-saturday-converse-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ COLE of Charlestown, Massachusetts

COLE, COLL, COWLES, COLES, COALE

Ryce Cole, my 11^th great grandfather, was made member #109 of the church in Boston in 1631.  Rice Cole was admitted as an inhabitant of Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1630.   His first name can be found as Rice or Ryce or Rise in the records, as well as all the surname variations listed above.  Just to make it more interesting, his wife’s name is listed as “Arrald” on her church membership and her will.   Her two sons-in-law listed her as “Harald Coale” on a petition in Cambridge dated 1662. 

Doctor Samuel Fuller, Mayflower passenger, gave medical assistance to some of the Charlestown settlers in 1630.  Several of these families sent their children to live in his household as servants.  In his will he made reference to Elizabeth and Robert Cowles of Charlestown.  They were Rice Cole’s two first children.  Elizabeth Cole (1619 – 1688) is my 10^th great grandmother.  She married Thomas Pierce and had thirteen children.

Notable descendants of Rice Cole are presidents Franklin Pierce and George H. W. Bush.

For more information see:

The Great Migration Begins, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume I, pages 426 – 429.

American Presidential Families, by Charles Mosely, 1993, page 420.

The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, by Thomas Bellows Wyman and Henry Herbert Edes, Volume 1, page 228

The Early Genealogies of the Cole Families in America, by Frank T. Cole, 1887, pages 178 – 179.

My COLE genealogy:

Generation 1: Rice Cole, born about 1590 and died 15 May 1646 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married about 1616 to Arrald Unknown.  She died between 20 December and 26 December 1661.  Five children.

Generation 2: Elizabeth Cole, born about 1619, died 5 March 1688 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married 6 May 1635 in Charlestown to Thomas Pierce, son of Thomas Pierce and Elizabeth Carew.  He was born about 1620 and died 6 November 1683 in Woburn.  Thirteen children.

Generation 3:  John Pierce and Deborah Convers

Generation 4:  Ebenezer Pierce and Mary Wilson

Generation 5:  Deborah Pierce and Increase Wyman

Generation 6:  Increase Wyman and Catherine Unknown

Generation 7: Jemima Wyman and Joshua Burnham

Generation 8: Jemima Burnham and Romanus Emerson

Generation 9:  George Emerson and Mary Esther Younger

Generation 10: Mary Katharine Emerson and George E. Batchelder

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder and Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 12: Stanley Elmer Allen and Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~  COLE of Charlestown, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 27, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/surname-saturday-cole-of-charlestown.html:  accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ WYMAN of Woburn, Massachusetts

2015 Wyman Family Reunion
at the Francis Wyman Homestead
circa 1666, Burlington, Massachusetts

Francis Wyman (1617 – 1699), my 9^th great grandfather, is the immigrant ancestor of a large number of descendants.  He came over with his brother, John Wyman, along with his uncles, Samuel and Thomas Richardson in 1636.  The first record of all four of these kinsmen was in 1640 when they signed the town order for Charlestown Village – now known as Woburn, Massachusetts.  Francis was made a freeman in 1657. The two brothers became tanners in Woburn.

In 1658 his father, Francis Wyman, Senior, wrote in his will “I do give and bequeath unto my two sons Francis Wyman and John Wyman which are beyond sea ten pounds a piece of Lawful English money to be paid unto them by mine executor if they be in want and come over to demand the same.”

There is a Wyman Street in Woburn where John had a house.  And in 1666 Francis Wyman built his homestead that still stands on Francis Wyman Road in what is now the town of Burlington, Massachusetts.  It is now owned by the Francis Wyman Association.

Francis Wyman had several Scots prisoners of war as indentured servants in his tannery.  He also had a slave.  In his will he left “a Negro girl named Jebyna” to his wife.  100 years later four WYMAN households in Woburn still had one slave each.  [“Slavery was part of Winchester History” by Ellen Knight, Daily Times Chronicle, Winchester Edition, Feb. 24, 2000]   He is often confused with Frances WICOM/WICOMB, who testified against Margaret Scott of Rowley during the 1692 Salem witch trials.  Many books state that it was Francis Wyman, but they are different people, a woman from Rowley versus a man from Woburn.

Francis Wyman is buried in Woburn at the Old Burial Ground, and his epitaph reads:

"Here lyes ye body of Francis Wyman, aged about 82 years, died November 28th, 1699"  "Memento Mori-Fugit Hora."  "ye memory of ye just is blessed"

2012 Wyman Family Reunion

For more information:

The Francis Wyman Association     http://wymanassociation.org/

Wyman Genealogy  https://www.wyman.org/

The History of Woburn, Massachusetts by Samuel Sewall,  1869

The Richardson Memorial: Comprising a Full History and Genealogy of the three brothers Ezekiel, Samuel and Thomas Richardson,  by John Adams Vinton,  1876.

Some Descendants of Francis Wyman of Woburn, Massachusetts, by Mrs. Bernard Woodke, 1990 [manuscript at NEHGS Mss C 3920]

My WYMAN genealogy:

Generation 1:  Francis Wyman, son of Francis Wyman and Elizabeth Richardson, born 2 May 1617 in Westmill, Herfordshire, England, died 28 November 1699 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married second on 2 October 1650 in Woburn to Abigail Reed, daughter of William Reed and Mabel Kendall and mother of his children.  She was born 30 December 1634 in Dorchester, Massachusetts and died before 1699. He was previously married on 30 January 1644 in Woburn to Judith Pierce, daughter of John Pierce and Elizabeth Hart.  She was born about 1623 in Norwich, Norfolk, England and died in 1644, the year they were married.  Twelve children with his second wife, Abigail.

Generation 2: Nathaniel Wyman, born 25 November 1655 in Woburn, died 8 December 1717 in Woburn; married on 28 June 1692 in Woburn to Mary Winn, daughter of Increase Winn and Hannah Satell.  She was born 1 May 1670 in Woburn, and died 7 June 1743 in Woburn.  Twelve children.

Generation 3: Increase Wyman, born 1 March 1707 in Woburn, died 5 September 1739 in Woburn; married on 11 March 1730 in Woburn to Deborah Pierce, the daughter of Ebenezer Pierce and Mary Wilson.  She was born 17-9 in Woburn, and died in 1739.  Five children.

Generation 4:  Increase Wyman,  born 4 June 1732 in Burlington, Massachusetts, and died before 1776; married before 1755 to Catherine Unknown. Ten children.

Generation 5:  Jemima Wyman, born 10 February 1757 in Billerica, Massachusetts, died 6 September 1843 in South Boston, Massachusetts; married on 21 January 1779 to Colonel Joshua Burnham, son of Stephen Burnham and Mary Andrews.  He was born 26 January 1754 in Gloucester, Massachusetts and died 7 June 1835 in Milford, New Hampshire.  Eleven children.

Generation 6: Jemima Burnham m. Romanus Emerson

Generation 7:  George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 8: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 9: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 10: Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ WYMAN of Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted August 6, 20116,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/08/surname-saturday-wyman-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]). 

The Pierce Brigade ~ Fans of one of our least popular US Presidents

The Pierce Manse, Concord, New Hampshire

As a New Hampshire resident I am well aware that our state has produced only one US president, and that he usually rates a spot somewhere at the bottom of any given ranked list of the presidents.  Franklin Pierce (1804 – 1869) was the 14^th president (1853 – 1857) during those contentious years leading up to the Civil War.  I’ve heard that he was a Copperhead, and he supported the violence in Kansas, and that he died of alcoholism.  It turns out that much of this was myth!

The Pierce Brigade is a group of volunteers who turned out to rescue Franklin Pierce’s home from destruction during the 1970s when a section of Concord was undergoing urban renewal.  This organization not only preserved the home of our 14^th president, they also preserve his legacy and try to dispel the misconceptions about his administration that made him so unpopular.

During his presidency Franklin Pierce supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which led to extreme violence, and he was not re-nominated by his party for the 1856 election.  He was also a critic of Abraham Lincoln during his administration.  Why?  Well, according to the volunteers at the Pierce Manse in Concord, and according to Peter Wallner, the author of a recent two volume biography of Pierce, he was an ardent supporter of the Constitution.  Since the Constitution supported slavery, he thought it was up to him to uphold the right of the Southern states to own slaves.  He was not a fan of Lincoln suspending several constitutional rights, such as habeas corpus, during the Civil War.

The Pierce Brigade, being such loyal fans of Franklin Pierce, has produced a brochure titled Myths and Truths of the Pierce Administration.   It is based on “notes from a lecture at the Pierce Manse by Peter Wallner”.  I have heard Wallner speak twice about Pierce, once at a Mayflower Society luncheon and also at a library lecture.  He is a real Pierce fan, and his extensive research gives details of his life and administration that is usually just a brief note given in history classes.  This little brochure dispels many of the stories I had heard from my own teachers and history professors.  According to Wallner “Pierce was a Jeffersonian/Jacksonian Democrat who supported limited power to the federal government, strict interpretation of the Constitution, and states’ rights.  He never wavered on these principles, which he applied to every political and social issue he faced during his political career.”

You can now see why Pierce was so unpopular in his own hometown, home state and in the Northern states before, during and after the Civil War. And yes, drinking took a toll on his health and he died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1869.  He is buried in the Old North Cemetery in Concord, not far from the Pierce Manse.

This Myths and Truths brochure is passed out to anyone who would like to learn more about Pierce.  It is available at the front desk of the Pierce Manse in Concord, New Hampshire, which is staffed and operated by the Pierce Brigade.  I was there last week with my “Ladies Lunch Bunch” from my new condo association, and we all enjoyed our tour very much, and appreciated the efforts of these enthusiastic volunteers.   I cannot believe that after living in New Hampshire 30 years, it was my first visit to the Pierce Manse.   

Photographs were not allowed inside the Manse
but I was allowed to take a picture of these dolls
According to the label:
"In 1970 the Pierce Brigade commissioned Mrs. Ruth M. Barlome
of Sheffield Lake, Ohio to create molds for china doll heads
resembling Franklin and Jane Pierce.  Using photographs,
Mrs. Bartlome did create the molds and produced over 200 dolls
for the Brigade.  These dolls were sold for $25 each to raise funds
for the restoration of the Manse."

This bit of local history is interesting to me because President Pierce and I share a common ancestor- Thomas Pierce (1620 – 1683) of Woburn, Massachusetts.  I also share a common ancestor with Pierce’s wife, Jane Means Appleton (1806 – 1863).  I’ll post these charts below.

                                                Thomas Pierce & Elizabeth Carew

                                                                    |

                                                Thomas Pierce & Elizabeth Cole

                               |                                                                     |

Stephen Pierce & Tabitha Parker                            John Pierce & Deborah Convers

                               |                                                                     |

Stephen Pierce & Esther Fletcher                          Ebenezer Pierce & Mary Wilson

                               |                                                                     |

Benjamin Pierce & Elizabeth Merrill                      Deborah Pierce & Increase Wyman

                               |                                                                      |

Benjamin Pierce & Anna Kendrick                           Increase Wyman & Catherine Unknown

                               |                                                                      |

Franklin Pierce & Jane Means Appleton                  Jemima Wyman & Joshua Burnham

(F.P. is my 4^th cousin 7 generations removed)                                |

                                                                                   Jemima Burnham & Romanus Emerson

                                                                                                      |

                                                                                    George Emerson & Mary Esther Younger

                                                                                                      |

                                                                                   Mary Katharine Emerson & George E. Batchelder

                                                                                                      |

                                                                                     Carrie M. Batchelder & Joseph Elmer Allen

                                                                                                      |

                                                                                    Stanley Elmer Allen & Gertrude M. Hitchings

                                                                                                 (my grandparents)

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

                                                     John Baker & Elizabeth Unknown

                                                                    |

     Thomas Baker & Priscilla Symonds                   Martha Baker & Thomas Andrews

                           |                                                                                    |

Priscilla Baker & Isaac Appleton                          Sarah Andrews & Joseph Swett

                            |                                                                                   |

Isaac Appleton & Elizabeth Sawyer                      Benjamin Swett & Elizabeth Norton

                             |                                                                                   |

Francis Appleton & Elizabeth Hubbard                 Elizabeth Swett & David Batchelder

                            |                                                                                    |

Jesse Appleton & Elizabeth Means                       Elisha Batchelder & Sarah Lane

                             |                                                                                   |

Jane Means Appleton & Franklin Pierce                Jonathan Batchelder & Nancy Thompson

 (J.MA. is my 5^th cousin, 6 generations removed)                                       |

                                                                             George E. Batchelder & Abigail M. Locke

                                                                                                                  |

                                                                         George E. Batchelder & Mary Katharine Emerson

                                                                                      (my 2^nd great grandparents – see above)

Jane Means Appleton’s maternal grandmother was Mary McGregor, wife of Robert Means.  Mary’s parents were David McGregor and Mary Boyd of Londonderry, New Hampshire.   Mary’s grandfather was Rev. James McGregor (1677 – 1729), the minister who brought his flock from Aghadowey, Northern Ireland to Nutfield (Londonderry, Derry and Windham, New Hampshire). 

For more information on President Franklin Pierce:

The Pierce Manse

14 Horseshoe Pond Lane

Concord, New Hampshire

Phone: 603-225-4555

What is the Pierce Brigade?  http://www.piercemanse.org/Support.html

The Pierce Manse  http://www.piercemanse.org/

Peter Wallner’s two volume biography of Franklin Pierce is (Volume 1) Franklin Pierce: New Hampshire’s Favorite Son, 2004 and (Volume 2) Franklin Pierce: Martyr for the Union, 2007

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

The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-pierce-brigade-fans-of-one-of-our.html

Copyright © 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Tombstone Tuesday ~ Elizabeth (Hall) Peirce, 1717, Portsmouth, New Hampshire

This tombstone was photographed at the Point of Graves Burial Ground, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

HERE LYES BURIED

Ye BODY OF MRS

ELIZABETH PEIRCE

WIFE TO MR

JOSHUA PEIRCE

DECD  JANRY 13, 1717 IN

Ye 42d YEAR OF HER AGE

From The Peirce Genealogy by Frederick Clifton Pierce, 1880, page 236

"19. Hon. Joshua Peirce (Joshua, Daniel), b. Jan. 14, 1670; m. Jan. 24, 1694, Elizabeth Hall, b. 1673, d. Jan. 13, 1717; m. 2nd, March 5, 1718, Elizabeth Wade.  He d. Feb. 7. 1742.

Joshua Peirce, b. in Woodbridge, New Jersey, Jan. 14, 1670-1, is presumed to have returned to Newbury soon after the death of his father, with his mother, who subsequently married John Knight of Newbury.  After ineffectual attempts to recover the estate of his father in New Jersey, Joshua removed to Portsmouth, N. H. about the year 1694.  He was married to Elizabeth, daughter of Joseph Hall of Portsmouth, January 24, 1694-5."

-----------------------------------
The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/10/tombstone-tuesday-elizabeth-hall-peirce.html 

Copyright (c) 2014, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Christmas Dinner for some Revolutionary War Veterans

From GenealogyBank.com, a news clipping from The Boston Recorder, Boston, Massachusetts, Saturday, January 22, 1825.  This story originated in The New-Hampshire Patriot, and I have seen it copied in other 1825 newspapers, including The Salem Gazette (Salem, Massachusetts), The Centinel of Freedom (Newark, New Jersey), and The Columbian Centinel (Boston, Massachusetts).   It was a revolutionary dinner in more ways than one!

"REVOLUTIONARY DINNER"

"The New-Hampshire Patriot contains an account of a Christmas dinner given to the Revolutionary officers and the soldiers of Hillsboro, N. H. by one of their number, General Benjamin Pierce - at which 22 persons were present, the youngest of whom was 59, and the oldest 89 years of age.  The following is a list: - Those to whose names an asterisk is prefixed, having been in the battle of Bunker Hill.

Names                                         Places of Nativity                                     Age
Ammi Andrews                               Ipswich, Mass.                                        89
John M'Colley                                 Hillsborough, N. H.                                 88
*James Taggert                               Londonderry, N. H.                                 81
*William Johnson                            Billerica, Mass.                                        77
*William Gamel                              Boston, Mass.                                          74
*James Carr                                   Litchfield, N. H.                                       73
William Taggert                              Merrimack, N. H.                                     73
William Parker                               Chelmsford, Mass.                                    72
*Thaddeus Munroe                        Billerica, Mass.                                         71
*Thaddeus Goodwin                      Leominster, Mass                                     70
*Nath'l Parmeter                           Spencer, Mass                                          70
*William Dickey                            Londonderry, N. H.                                  70
Daniel Russel                                 Andover, Mass                                         70
*John Shed                                   Dunstable, N. H.                                       70
*Isaac Andrews                            Ipswich, Mass                                           69
Daniel Killam                                Wilmington, Mass                                      69
Robert Carr                                  Litchfield, N. H.                                         68
*Zachariah Robbins                      Westford, Mass                                         68
*Benjamin Pierce                          Chelmsford, Mass                                     66
David Livermore                           Sudbury, Mass                                          62
Samuel Morrill                              Manchester, N.H.                                      59
Nath'l Johnston                             Andover, Mass                                          59

About eleven o'clock, at which time the whole company had arrived, the officers of the day were chosen, after which the throne of grace was addressed by the Rev. Mr. Lawton.  The interval between this and dinner, was occupied in rehearsing the adventures, the perils and dangers, of the Revolution.  among others, the President for the occasion, the aged and venerable Lieut. Ammi Andrews, related the following:-
"When our troops were stationed on Abraham's Plains, Col. Arnold was anxious to have a certain British Sentinel taken.  One evening, when in my quarters with Capt. Morgan, I set my sword in the corner and told him I was going to take a British regular.  He said, Andrews you had better not go; the halser will be your portion; and asked me why I left my sword. I told him the Colonel did not want a dead soldier, and proceeded to accomplish my design.  When I came within a rod of the sentinel, I stopped, thought he saw me, but determined to wait till I heard him cock his gun, when I should have said, I wish to go into the city; but I was fortunately mistaken.  He saw me not, and as he turned his back to me, I jumped upon him, drew his bayonet from its scabbard, and told him if he uttered a word, I had his bayonet and would instantly put him to death.  We went about a rod from his post, when I halted, hallooed "all is well" three times - put him on quick time, and shortly had him before Col. Arnold." "

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

I recognized several names on this list, including the brothers, Ammi and Isaac Andrews from Ipswich, Massachusetts. They are both sons of Solomon Andrews, my 7th great granduncle, which makes them both my 1st cousins 7 generations removed.  Both sons removed to Hillsborough, New Hampshire after the war, perhaps they were given bounty land?  I have another Ipswich ancestor, Abner Poland, who was given land in Enfield, not far from Hillsborough.  Ammi Andrews is the one who told the escapade about capturing the British sentinel in the news clipping above.

The host of the dinner, Benjamin Pierce, was the father of President Franklin Pierce (1804 - 1869), the 14th president of the United States and the only president ever born in New Hampshire. Young Franklin would have been 21 years old at the time of the dinner, and he was probably impressed and influenced by this Christmas meeting of  Revolutionary War veterans. Benjamin Pierce is my 3rd cousin, 8 generations removed, we are both descendants of Thomas Pierce and Elizabeth Cole, early settlers of Woburn, Massachusetts.

I also saw a Munroe on this list and traced Thaddeus Munroe to be my 2nd cousin 6 generations removed.  He was born on 14 May 1753 and died on 28 November 1828 in Hillsborough.  I never knew that these cousins, Benjamin, Thaddeus and Ammi were at the Battle of Bunker Hill, but now I have a good military story to research and prove due to this fascinating news clipping.

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

To Cite/Link to this post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Christmas Dinner for some Revolutionary War Veterans", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 19, 2013, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-dinner-for-some-revolutionary.html: accessed [access date]). 

Copyright (c) 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

One Couple, Two Wedding Celebrations

Several weeks ago we celebrated our daughter's wedding in Massachusetts.  And then a week later we celebrated again in Madrid, Spain.  Two wedding feasts, two cultures, two weeks of fun!

The first wedding took place at the historic Pierce House in Lincoln, Massachusetts.  The Spanish side of our family considered this to be "very American" since we held the reception in a tent.  They had seen this in many American films and television programs, so I guess they are correct!  There were many American traditions such as dancing (including the Father-Bride dance), the tossing of the bouquet and garter, bridesmaids and flower girls.  It was a wonderful day despite deluges of rain and bitter cold.  Thanks goodness for tent heaters!

The second wedding feast took place a week later in the Plaza Mayor in Madrid, and was attended by grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles from Spain.  The groom's family also traveled to Madrid to be there for the festivities.  They learned about lots of new Spanish culture including food, music, and wedding traditions such as cutting the cake with a sword, the exchange of arras (coins given by the bride and groom to each other in a sort of "what's mine is now yours" ceremony), and music by medieval style troubadors.  We had another wonderful day! 

Here are some of the photos shot by guests at the weddings.  We don't have any of the professional photos yet.  Enjoy!

In Lincoln, Massachusetts the house was decorated with family photos,

including photographs of both deceased grandfathers on the mantel. 

 

The bride's father took this photograph of the bride and her attendants relaxing with a champagne toast,  just a few minutes before the wedding ceremony.  She is wearing a dress bought in New Hampshire, but after the purchase we found out it was made in Spain.  This dress traveled from Spain, to New Hampshire, to Massachusetts and then back to Spain again so the bride could wear it a second time for the relatives in Madrid.  Perhaps this is the most traveled wedding dress?  It is now safely back in New Hampshire, and who knows where it will go next after being cleaned and returned to the bride in Massachusetts.

The groom tied the wedding garter around a football,

and the unmarried men had to catch it!

And then in Spain....

In Madrid the bride wore a traditonal peineta (a tall hair comb) and carried a Spanish fan.

Javier Garcia, the bride's cousin, took this photo of La Tuna (a group of troubadours from the university) serenading the wedding feast in the wine cellar dining room under the Plaza Mayor of Madrid. 

The arras ceremony (exchange of coins) in Madrid, photographed by Travis Ianetta, the groom's brother.  The coins are poured into the groom's hands, and then dropped into the bride's hands, and she then drops them back into the groom's hands.  This symbolized their wealth being shared between each other, but the tradition goes back to ancient Spain when there was a "bride price", or before that when the Romans in the Iberian pennisula would break gold coins into equal pieces signifying the promise to marry.  

Our daughter and her husband chose to use the coins we had at our wedding in 1983 (a set of Bicentennial coins from the USA 1976 and a set of 1982 World Cup Soccer Spanish pesetas) mixed with coins from the groom which included USA coins and Euros representing the year they met, the year of the wedding, coins from each brother, and a Morrocan coin representing their honeymoon. 

 

Click here to read more about the Pierce House in Lincoln, Massachusetts:

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/04/wedding-serendipity.html

 

--------------------------
Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo