Tombstone Tuesday ~ Joseph and Mary Simonds, Lexington, Massachusetts

This double tombstone was photographed at the Old Burying Ground in Lexington, Massachusetts

                                           Here lyes Buried                      Also here lies Buried
                                           ye Body of Mr.                         ye Body of Mrs
                                          Joseph Simmonds                    Mary Simmonds
                                          Who Died  Nov.                      Wife of Mr. Joseph
                                             ye 12  1733                           Simmonds who Died
                                           Aged 81 yrs                              Decem ye 5
                                                                                                1732  

Joseph Simonds was my 7th great grand uncle, brother to James Simonds (1658 - 1717), my 7th great grandfather.  They were the sons of William Simonds and Judith Phippen, immigrants from England.  Joseph Simonds married Mary Tidd on 7 March 1681 in Woburn, Massachusetts.  She was the daughter of John Tidd and Rebecca Wood.  The Simonds and the Tidds were both from Woburn, but this couple removed to Cambridge Farms (a contiguous town), which became known later as the town of Lexington, Massachusetts.

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Tombstone Tuesday ~ Joseph and Mary Simonds, Lexington, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 9, 2015
( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/06/tombstone-tuesday-joseph-and-mary.html: accessed [access date])

The Woeful Life of a Colonial Woman

My 5^th great grandmother, Mary (also known as Lucy) Mixer was born 21 November 1727 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.   Her parents, Joseph Mixer and Mary Ball, were from Watertown (near Boston), married there, and had eight children in Shrewsbury, thirty miles inland.

At age 22 Mary married Daniel Simonds  “of Westborough” on 13 November 1749 in Shrewsbury, and removed to Lexington where her five children were born.  Her marriage was recorded in Shrewsbury, Westborough and Lexington, Massachusetts.  She lost her husband on 9 February 1761, at age 41 years.  Mary gave birth to a daughter, Lucy, posthumously on 18 August 1761. 

Two years later she married Andrew Munroe, my 5^th great grandfather on 25 May 1763 in Lexington.  She had Andrew, Jr. in 1764 (my 4^th great grandfather), and then her husband died on 16 September 1766.  He was only 48 years old, and Mary gave birth to her second posthumous child, Ishmael, on 9 October 1766.  She was destitute this time, a second time widow with seven children.   She administered Andrew’s estate with her brother in law, Jonas Parker (who was later killed in the Battle of Lexington Green on 19 April 1775).  Mary had to ask the town for a pauper’s allowance for lying in with a posthumous child and for care of two minor children by Andrew. 

Mary married her third husband, Caleb Simonds, on 6 December 1774 in Lexington, just two short years before the start of the war, and the big Battles of Lexington and Concord.  During the battle on Lexington Green, Jonas Parker was killed, and so was Andrew's brother Robert Munroe.

Caleb Simonds, Mary's third husband, was a cousin of her first husband, Daniel Simonds.  He also served in the Revolutionary War.  After such a hard life, Mary seemed to have found a good husband, who only served in the war for six months and came home safely to their house in Woburn, Massachusetts.   The Revolutionary War, that affected so many lives in Lexington, ended in 1783. 

But on 3 September 1783, according to family tradition, Mary went for a pail of water at the well and was kicked by a horse.  She fell and struck her head on the door stone, and was instantly killed.  She was 55 years old.  This family story is verified by the town records written by Reverend Mr. Marrett of Woburn, Massachusetts “She was instantly killed by a runaway horse while standing at her own door”, and in the Lexington Vital Records where next to her death date it read “Killed by a horse running over her killing her instantly”.

Mary’s child, Andrew Munroe, Jr (1764 – 1836) married a girl named Ruth Simonds.  Ruth’s parents were Caleb Simonds and Susanna Converse.   Caleb was Mary Mixer’s third husband, and so my 4^th great grandparents were two step siblings who married each other. 

Although Mary had a tragic life, she must have eventually made a happy home for her seven children and her eight step children from her three marriages.  It is nice to think that something good came from her woeful story.   Andrew, Jr. and Ruth  removed to Danvers, Massachusetts and had eleven children who all married and had children of their own.  During the Revolutionary War, Andrew Jr. rose to the rank of Colonel and was granted land in New Grafton, New Hampshire.   They were able to pass on quite a legacy from Mary. 

The photograph is from Vincent Rojo, taken at Plimoth Plantation 2008. 

To see my MIXER lineage, click on this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/surname-saturday-mixer-of-watertown.html   

To see my MUNROE lineage, click on this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html 

To see my SIMONDS lineage, click on this link:

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/surname-saturday-simonds-of-woburn.html  

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To Copy/link to this post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The Woeful Life of a Colonial Woman", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 23, 2015, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-woeful-life-of-colonial-woman.html: accessed [access date]). 

On the Trail of Johnny Appleseed

This spot, with the historical markers and miniature log cabin,
marks the birthplace of Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman, in Leominister, Massachusetts

Every time I drive to my Mother’s house we drive down Route 13 through Leominster, Massachusetts.  Along the way we pass a “Welcome to Leominster” sign that says “Home of Johnny Appleseed”, a  Johnny Appleseed school , Appleseed plaza, and lots of other references to the mythical hero.  But he was a real man, and his actual name was John Chapman.  He was my 2^nd cousin, five generations removed.   His mother was Elizabeth Simonds, the niece of my 5^th great grandfather, Caleb Simonds (1720 – 1811).

One day last month when we were passing though Leominster I said to my husband, “Let’s find the historical marker for his birthplace”.  Of course, it was located on Johnny Appleseed Lane, next to the Johnny Appleseed State Park.  It was easy to find with an iPhone using Google and a mapping app, or GPS.   The memorial was small and solemn, and easy to drive past if you don’t go slowly and keep your eyes open on Johnny Appleseed Lane.   There is no space to park and pay your respects, so we pulled over on the side of the road and took a few quick photos out the car window.

NEAR THIS SITE WAS BORN
JOHN CHAPMAN
KNOWN AS
JOHNNY APPLESEED
SEPTEMBER 26, 1774          MARCH 18, 1845
LEOMINSTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
1963

My fellow genealogists are gathering in Fort Wayne, Indiana this week for the Federation of Genealogical Societies conference.  This is near where Johnny Appleseed lies buried at the Johnny Appleseed Memorial Park.  You can see photos of this at FindAGrave.com at this link: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=1848 Or here are a few from my fellow blogger Carol A. Bowen Stevens.  Thanks, Carol!

"JOHNNY

APPLESEED"

HE LIVED FOR OTHERS

HOLY BIBLE

1774 - 1845

IN FOND MEMORY OF

JOHN CHAPMAN, ENDEARLY KNOWN AS "JOHNNY APPLESEED"

THESE GRAVESITE IMPROVEMENTS WERE PROVIDED BY

THE MEN'S GARDEN CLUBS OF AMERICA

AND

THE JOHNNY APPLESEED NATIONAL MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, INC.

SEPTEMBER 25, 1965

Johnny Appleseed Memorial Park
Fort Wayne, Indiana
photo courtesy of Carol A. Bowen Stevens

In a funny coincidence, my ancestor Caleb Simonds, mentioned above,  had a first cousin married to Colonel Loammi Baldwin (1744 – 1807), who was a renaissance man - an engineer, inventor, politician and an officer in the American Revolution.  Loammi Baldwin has a statue in his hometown of Woburn, Massachusetts, and is widely remembered as the cultivator of the Baldwin apple among all his other acomplishments. He is the husband of my 2^nd cousin six generations removed.   I wonder if Johnny “Appleseed” Chapman took Baldwin apple seeds with him on his journey to the midwest?   

This Johnny Appleseed statue is in the
Londonderry Leach Library, next to the Children's Room.
It was sculpted by Pat Verani of Londonderry.

Johnny Appleseed’s genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Chapman, born 26 September 1774 in Leominster, Massachusetts, died on 18 March 1845 in Fort Wayne, Indiana; unmarried.

Generation 2:  Johnny “Appleseed”’s parents were Nathaniel Chapman, born 13 September 1746 in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, died 18 February 1807 in Salem, Ohio; married as his first wife  on 9 August 1769 in Leominster to Elizabeth Simonds.  She was born 2 July 1748 in Ware, Massachusetts, died 18 July 1776 in Leominster.  

Generation 3: James Simonds, born 10 March 1717 in Woburn, Massachusetts, died in Leominster; married as his first wife on 12 May 1740 in Woburn to Anna Lawrence, daughter of John Lawrence and Elizabeth Stone.  They are my 5^th great uncle and aunt.

Generation 4: James Simonds, born 1 November 1686 in Woburn, died 30 June 1775 in Woburn; married on 17 June 1714 in Woburn to Mary Fowle, daughter of James Fowle and Mary Richardson.  She was born 18 June 1689 in Woburn, died 9 March 1762 in Woburn.  They are my 6^th great grandparents.

Generation 5: James Simonds, born 1 November 1658 in Woburn, died 15 September 1717 in Woburn; married 29 December 1685 in Woburn to Susannah Blodgett, daughter of Samuel Bloggett and Ruth Eggleton.  She was born 17 February 1663 in Woburn, and died 9 February 1715 in Woburn.  My 7^th great grandparents

Generation 6: William Simonds, born about 1612 in Winchester, Hampshire, England, died 7 June 1672 in Woburn; married on 18 January 1644 in Woburn to Judith Phippen.  She was born about 1619 and died 3 January 1690 in Woburn.  My 8^th great grandparents.

For more information:

The Chapman Family Association, www.chapmanfamilies.org

From the Chapman Family Association website, the Johnny Appleseed page at this link: http://www.chapmanfamilies.org/BIO/j_appleseed.html

"This Day in History- September 26" video from YouTube by the Freedom Trail Foundation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei_mKYvGU-c

New England’s Insomniac Theater visits the Johnny Appleseed Birthplace, on YouTube at this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ofihZVnBG8

A story from the Worcester Telegram, 3 July 2011 “Johnny Appleseed Tale Grew Tall in Leominster” by Karen Nugent at this link:  http://www.telegram.com/article/20110703/NEWS/107039793

Johnny Appleseed Country website, sponsored by Massachusetts Visitor Center on Route 2 westbound, located between exits 35 and 36 in Leominster, Massachusetts.      http://www.appleseed.org/

Carol A. Bowen Stevens blog "Reflections from the Fence" http://www.reflectionsfromthefence.com/

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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/08/on-trail-of-johnny-appleseed.html

If you are reading this at any other URL you are reading stolen content

Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

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He married his Step Sister?

Back when I was a teen aged kid, in the 1970's, before computers and the internet, I started working on my family history.   As a teenager, I was very intimidated by the librarians and archivists in some repositories.  They definitely did not like genealogists, and they did not like children.  I had to get permission to step inside several archives, including interviews.  The staff at the American Antiquarian Society in Worcester often stopped to ask me what I was doing in the building, but I had a badge and my name was on the “researcher” list when I was fifteen. 

 It was difficult at times to untangle what I was reading in the vital records.  Can you imagine finding some sort of mystery and not having Twitter, Facebook or email to instantly consult with fellow genealogists?   None of my teen friends were helpful, and the genealogy class I attended was full of retired people who were new at genealogy, too.  I didn't know a single experienced genealogist, except my genealogy teacher.  There were no genealogy clubs.  I was on my own!

And so, upon studying my  5x great grandmother, I found her marriage record to be very confusing.  Working backwards from my 4x great grandparents, Andrew Munroe and Ruth Simonds, I saw that they were married on 22 March 1785 in Woburn (now Burlington), Massachusetts.   Ruth’s parents were Caleb Simonds and Susanna Converse.  Andrew’s parents were listed as Andrew Munroe and Mary Simonds.   In trying to find Mary’s marriage and parents, I ran into problems. 

It turned out that Mary Simonds was really Mary Mixer, daughter of Joseph Mixer and Mary Ball and the widow of Daniel Simonds.  She was married to Daniel Simonds in 1749, to Andrew Munroe in 1763 (and had a son, Andrew, jr.), and to Caleb Simonds (cousin to Daniel) in 1774.   Caleb Simonds was married twice, first to Susanna Converse in 1746 (and had a daughter Ruth), and then to Mary (Mixer) Munroe. 

Yes, Ruth Simonds married her step brother.  Eleven years after Caleb and Mary married, she married Andrew Munroe, Jr. on 22 March 1785. 

Susanna Converse m. Caleb Simonds  m. Mary Mixer m. Andrew Munroe

                                  I                                                             I

                            Ruth Simonds  m.  Andrew Munroe, Jr.

                                                   I

                                     Luther Simonds Munroe

                                   (my 3x great grandfather)

Not only was this eye brow raising to me at age fifteen, it was difficult to sort out on my own.  However, it slowly unraveled, and was quite a relief to find that everything worked out without any incestuous marriages. 

Then I found out that Luther Simonds Munroe had married Olive Flint in 1826, and her parents were named John Flint and Phebe Flint.   Can’t you just hear me saying “Here we go again!” 

Since this time, I've found several cases of step siblings marrying in my family tree.  Also first cousins marrying, lots of second cousins and third cousins marrying, and siblings marrying the widowed spouse of a sibling.   I think I've seen it all, over and over, which is not unusual in early colonial New England, and probably not unusual anywhere else.

Click here for my Simonds lineage:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/surname-saturday-simonds-of-woburn.html

Click here for my Mixer lineage:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/surname-saturday-mixer-of-watertown.html

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "He married his Step Sister?", Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 28, 2013, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/02/he-married-his-step-sister.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ Converse of Woburn

This post was updated in 2016 with new information.  Please see it at this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/surname-saturday-converse-of-woburn.html  

This is the one of the first surnames I seriously tackled as a beginning genealogist back in the 1970s.  I was about fifteen years old, and I used to ride my bike from Holden to Worcester to use the genealogical resources at the American Antiquarian Society.  I didn’t know how lucky I was to be able to use one of the best libraries in the USA.  To me it was just the nearest place to work on my new hobby.

I had carefully traced my family back using the “tan books” at AAS.  These are sets of hardcover books containing the vital records up to 1850 of most of the Massachusetts towns where my ancestors lived, but the series does not cover all the towns in the commonwealth.  Fortunately, the Woburn, Massachusetts book was included in this series.  I worked my family back to Edward Convers, who was born in 1590 in England.   Along the way, using some of the old compiled genealogy books and “brag books” on the shelves, I carefully copied in my first false lineage.  Many genealogies in the 1970s attributed the Convers/Converse family of Massachusetts to a medieval English noble line going back one thousand years to the knight Roger de Coigneries.  It was a good lesson for me to learn and to untangle.  Untangling was much more difficult in the days of pencil and paper records than it is now with computer genealogy data bases.   

The truth is that Edward Convers’s English origins have been well documented by several major genealogists since I was a teenaged genealogist.  You can read about his ancestors in the New England Historic Genealogical Society’s Register volume 146, pages 130 – 132 and his wife’s English origins in the Register, volume 153, pages 81 – 96.   There is a sketch about Edward Convers in Volume 1 of the Great Migration Begins on pages 459 – 463.  There is much exciting information on his life, and I no longer regret not being related to an English Knight!

Edward Convers arrived with his wife Sarah and three of his children with the Winthrop Fleet.  The family lived first at Charlestown, Massachusetts.  He ran a ferry between Charlestown and Boston.  In the journal of Governor Winthrop it spells out the agreement between Edward Convers and the Colony.  He could charge two pence per person, six for a man and a horse.  By 1640 he lost the ferry business when the right to operate the ferry was granted to Harvard College as a fund raiser.  About this time he removed with Sarah to the new settlement of Woburn. 

His Epitaph in the First Burial Ground, Woburn [note the birthplace, which is incorrect]:

In Memoriam, Deacon Edward Convers, Born: Wakerly, County of Northampton, England, January 30, 1590

Landed: Salem, Mass. June 12, 1630, In Company of Governor Winthop, Died: Woburn, Mass. August 10, 1663.

Founder: City of Woburn, Mass. and First Church, Woburn.  Forefather of The Converse Family in America.

Erected In His Memory By His descendants - The Converse Family In America - 1961.

My Converse genealogy:

Generation 1:  Edward Convers, son of Anthony Convers and Clemence Spady, born 30 January 1590 in Stanford Rivers, Essex, England, died 10 August 1663 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married first on 29 June 1614 in Great Burstead, Essex, England to Sarah Parker, daughter of John Parker, died on 14 January 1662; married second in 1663 to Joanna Warren, daughter of Richard Warren, widow of Ralph Sprague. Five children with each wife.

At the First Burial Ground, Woburn
HERE LYES THE BODY
OF LIEUT.
JAMES CONVERS
WHO DEPARTED THIS
LIFE MAY THE 10TH
1715 IN THE 59TH
YEAR OF HIS AGE

Generation 2: James Convers, baptized on 29 November 1620 in South Weald, Essex, England, died on 10 May 1715 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, died 10 August 1691 in Woburn. Nine children.   (Please see the new post https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/09/surname-saturday-converse-of-woburn.html  for updated information on the Generation 2 James Convers m. Anna Long and the Generation 3 James Converse, Jr. m. Hannah Carter. )

Generation 4: Robert Convers, 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 and died 4 January 1811 in Woburn.

Generation 6: Ruth Simonds married Andrew Munroe

Generation 7: Luther Simonds Munroe married Olive Flint

Generaiton 8:  Phebe Cross Munroe married Robert Wilson Wilkinson

Generation 9: Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10: Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Richardson of Woburn, Massachusetts

RICHARDSON

Samuel Richardson was executor of his father’s estate in 1634 in Hutchins, England and then came to America with his brother Thomas, to follow his brother Ezekiel who was already in Massachusetts.  He was granted a lot in Charlestown and became a member of the church there.  All three brothers were granted lots in 1638 in what is now Malden, Massachusetts.   In 1640 all three brothers, and others, were on a committee of seven to draw up the boundaries for a new settlement to be called “Charlestown Village”.  They all had new house lots next to each other on a road that became known as Richardson’s Row in what is now Woburn, Massachusetts.

Samuel was the richest man in Woburn in 1645, and became a selectman.   He left no will, but had deeded some land earlier in 1657 to his sister “Susanna  Richardson, now Brooks, during her lifetime and ten to my cousin [sic nephew] Theophilus Richardson”. 

Samuel’s son, Joseph Richardson (my 8x great grandfather), was in the Great Swamp Fight on 19 December 1675.  This was one of the great battles of the King Philip’s War against the Narragansett tribe.   It took place in a frozen swamp near the present day Kingston, Rhode Island, when the frozen water made an assault possible on a large native fortification.  It is thought that 300 native people died, and many families fled into the harsh environment to only die later of exposure.  It was a battle that changed the war in favor of the colonists and the Narragansett were eventually defeated when their sachem Canonchet was captured the next spring.  King Philip (also known as Metacomet) was killed in August 1676, ending the conflict.

Sources for researching the Richardsons of Woburn:

The Richardson Memorial by John Vinton, Brown Thurston & Co., Portland, Maine, 1876 and Samuel Richardson and Josiah Ellsworth. By Ruth Richardson Privately Published. 1974.   There are several sketches and articles about Samuel, Ezekiel and Thomas Richardson, and the English origins of Joanna (Thake) Richardson,  in the New England Historic Genealogical Society Register and in The Great Migration Begins, Volume III by Anderson.  For a complete list of these articles and sketches see pages 197 and 198 of New Englanders in the 1600s by Martin Hollick, NEHGS, 2012 expanded edition.

My Richardson genealogy:

Generation 1:  Samuel Richardson, baptized on 22 December  1602 in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England, died 23 March 1658 in Woburn (the part now known as Winchester), Massachusetts; married on 18 October 1632 in Great Hormstead, England to Joanna Thake, daughter of William Thake and Joan Wood.  She was baptized on 2 February 1606 in Barkway, England and died 20 June 1666 in Woburn, Massachusetts.   Nine children.

Generation 2: Joseph Richardson, born on 27 July 1643 in Woburn, Massachusetts, died on 5 March 1717/18 in Woburn; married on 5 November 1666 in Woburn to Hannah Green, daughter of Thomas Greene and Elizabeth Lynde.  She was born on 7 February 1647 in Woburn, and died on 20 May 1721 in Norwich, Connecticut.

Generation 3: Mary Richardson, born 22 March 1669 in Woburn, died 23 October 1748 in Woburn; married first on 2 October 1688 in Woburn to James Fowle, son of James Fowle and Abigail Carter.  He was born 4 March 1667 in Woburn and died 19 March 1714 in Woburn. Then had twelve children.  Mary married second to Samuel Walker. 

Generation 4: Mary Fowle married James Simonds, Jr.

Generation 5: Caleb Simonds married Susanna Converse

Generation 6:  Ruth Simonds married Andrew Munroe

Generation 7: Luther Simonds Munroe married Olive Flint

Generation 8: Phebe Cross Munroe married Robert Wilson Wlkinson

Generation 9. Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10: Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

My second Richardson lineage:

Generation 1: Thomas Richardson, born 14 May 1543 in Westmill, Hertfordshire, England, died 7 January 1634 in Westmill; married on 24 August 1590 in Westmill to Katherine Duxford, daughter of Richard Duxford and Katherine Unknown.  Seven children:

1.       Elizabeth Richardson (my 9x great grandmother) born 12 January 1593,  in Westmill and died 22 June 1630 in Westmill, married on 1 May 1617 in Westmill to Francis Wyman as his first of three wives.  I descend from their first son, Francis Wyman (1617 – 1699) who married Abigail Reed and settled in Woburn, Massachusetts

2.       John Richardson, born about 1596

3.       James Richardson, born about 1600

4.       Samuel Richardson (see above) my 9x great grandfather

5.       Ezekiel Richardson, born about 1602, died 21 Oct 1647 in Woburn, Massachusetts

6.       Margaret Richardson, born about 1607

7.       Thomas Richardson, born 3 July 1608 in Westmill, died 28 August 1651 in Woburn

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Copyright 2013, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Carter of Woburn, Massachusetts

Capt. John Carter, son of Thomas Carter, Woburn Old Burial Ground

There are two Thomas Carters who were first settlers of Woburn, Massachusetts.   It is easy to keep their stories and families separate if you recognize that their ages are about thirty years apart.  One was the first minister, and the other a lowly blacksmith.  Their children have similar names, and both had wives named “Mary”.  

My ancestor Thomas Carter was born about 1585 in England.  It is unknown when he immigrated, or on which ship he arrived.  He was admitted as a freeman in 1636. Thomas Carter was a blacksmith, and served once as constable but was fined for being late in directing witnesses to a trial.  He lived first at Charlestown, but was described as being “of Woburn” (the borders seem to be a bit confused in those days.)  His  1650 will names his wife, Mary, sons Thomas, Samuel, Joseph and John, daughters Mary and Hannah, grandsons Caleb and Joseph Carter, John Brinsmead and John Green.   Among his assets was a Scotsman named Matthew, valued at 14 pounds.

Among my Woburn ancestors, another, Francis Wyman, a tanner, owned several Scotsmen who were prisoners of war from the Battle of Dunbar.  Another was a Scots prisoner, William Munroe.  It is interesting that these men stayed and intermarried in the communities where they were once held captive and in servitude. 

Randy Seaver posted Thomas Carter’s will recently at his blog GeneaMusings http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/11/amanuensis-monday-will-of-thomas-carter.html

The best sources for Thomas Carter, the blacksmith, are the town histories of Charlestown and Woburn, and the vital records.  There is a short sketch of Thomas Carter in the book The New England Ancestory of Dana Converse Backus, by Mary E. N. Backus, 1949.

My lineage from Thomas Carter:

Generation 1: Thomas Carter, born about 1585 in England; died about 1652 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married Mary Unknown, who died 6 March 1665 in Woburn.  Six children.

Generation 2: John Carter, born about 1617, died 14 September 1692 in Woburn; married about 1642 in Woburn to Elizabeth Kendall.  She was born about 1613 in England, died 6 May 1691 in Woburn.  Five children, I descend from two Carter daughters.

Line A.  

Generation 3.  Abigail Carter, born 21 April 1648 in Woburn, died 11 May 1718 in Woburn; married in 1666 in Woburn to Lt. James Fowle, son of George Fowle and Mary Tufts. 

Generation 4.  Capt. James Fowle m. Mary Richardson

Generation 5. Mary Fowle m. James Simonds, Jr.

Generation 6. Caleb Simonds m. Susanna Convers

Generation 7. Ruth Simonds m. Andrew Munroe

Generation 8. Luther Simonds Munroe m. Olive Flint

Generation 9. Phebe Cross Munroe m. Robert Munroe Wilkinson

Generation 10. Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 11. Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

Line B.

Generation B.

Generation 3.  Hannah Carter, born 19 January 1651 in Woburn, died 10 August 1691 in Woburn; married on 1 January 1669 to James Converse, son of James Converse and Anna Long.  He was born on 16 November 1645 in Woburn and died on 8 July 1706 in Woburn.

Generation 4. Robert Converse m. Mary Sawyer

Generation 5. Susanna Converse m. Caleb Simonds (they were first cousins once removed)

(See Above)

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Carter of Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 18, 2013, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/01/surname-saturday-carter-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ Fowle of Charlestown and Woburn, Massachusetts

Lt. James Fowle's tombstone
at the Old Burial Ground, Woburn, Massachusetts

George Fowle was an early immigrant to New England. He was made a freeman in Concord, Massachusetts on 14 March 1639 and living in Charlestown by 1648.  He was a tanner.  His double gravestone, with his wife Mary, at the Phipps Street Burying Ground in Charlestown states that he died at age 72.  Together, they had eleven children and left a will probated on 3 October 1682. 

Lieutenant James Fowle, the second son, was born at Concord and died at Woburn, Massachusetts. He was a cordwainer (shoemaker).   His gravestone states he was forty-nine years old.  He married Abigail Carter, the daughter of Captain John Carter.  She married second Ensign Samuel Walker, and married third to Deacon Samuel Stone.  He was the lieutenant of the local militia, originally appointed as ensign by Governor Andros, which met with some opposition since Andros was an unpopular  leader.   Lt. James Fowle enlisted in the1690 unsuccessful  Phipps Expedition to Quebec, Canada.  He died shortly after returning home, probably due to complications of exposure to the cold weather.   His will , written before the expedition, reads “being a call of God bound for Canada in the Expedition against the French Enemy, and not knowing whether I shall ever return home alive…”

The best source for information on the Massachusetts Fowle family is the book Descendants of George Fowle (1610/11? – 1682) of Charlestown, Massachusetts by Eugene Chalmers Fowle,  New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1990.

My lineage from George Fowle:

Generation 1: George Fowle, born 27 January 1610 at Sandhurst, Kent, England, son of George Fowle and Ann Draper, died on 19 September 1682 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married about 1634 to Mary Tufts, daughter of Peter Tufts and Frances Unknown, born about 1613 in England and died 15 February 1676 in Charlestown.  Eleven children.

Generation 2: Lieutenant James Fowle, born about 12 March 1643 in Concord, Massachusetts, died on 17 December 1690 in Woburn; married in 1666 to Abigail Carter, daughter of John Carter and Elizabeth Kendall, born 21 April 1648 in Woburn, died 11 May 1718 in Woburn. Eight children.

Generation 3:  Captain James Fowle, born 4 March 1667 in Woburn, died 19 March 1714 in Woburn; married on 2 October 1688 in Woburn to Mary Richardson, daughter of Joseph Richardson and Hannah Greene, born 22 March 1669 in Woburn and died 23 October 1748 in Woburn. Twelve children.

Generation 4: Mary Fowle, born 18 June 1689 in Woburn, died 9 March 1762 in Woburn; married on 17 June 1714 in Woburn to James Simonds, Jr., son of James Simonds and Susanna Blodgett, who was born 1 November 1686 in Woburn and died 30 June 1775 in Woburn. Nine children.

Generation 5: Caleb Simonds m. Susanna Converse

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)

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Blodgett of Cambridge and Woburn, Massachusetts

BLOGGETT

Thomas Blogget was born about 1605 in England and arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 on board the ship “Increase” with his wife Susanna and two of his children; Daniel age 4 and Samuel, age 1.   He had been a glover in England.  He was made a freeman and admitted to the church in Cambridge on 3 March 1635/6.   He owned many parcels of land before his death in 1641.  His house is believed to have been located between Massachusetts Avenue and Oxford Street, near Wendell, which is now located exactly where I went to school at Lesley College (My senior year dorm was one block over on the corner of Oxford and Mellen).

His wife remarried to James Thompson on 15 February 1643/4 and resettled in Woburn with her children.  Thomas had six children, one daughter, Susanna, married her stepbrother, Jonathan Thomson, and one of their descendants was Count Rumford (Benjamin Thompson (1753 – 1814).   Another Blodgett descendant is President Calvin Coolidge.

In his will, dated 10 August 1641 and probated in 1643, he left all his estate to his wife.  The phrase “father-in-law” in the will refers to a possible future stepfather.

      "I, Thomas Bloggett, being at this time in my right mind, give to my wife Susan my whole estate after my decease as well within as without. She to bring up my Children in such learning and other things as is meet for them and pay to oldest son Daniel 15 pounds, when one and twenty or in one month after decease. To second son Samuel 15 pounds as above. To daughter Susanna 15 pounds. Should they have a father-in-law how does not treat them well, my will is that the Deacons and our brother Fessington and our brother Edward Winship they or either of them shall have power to see unto it and reforme it by one means or other.

      Written this 10th day of the 9th month, 1641.

                                          Thomas Blogget

      In presence of us,

            Thomas Harris

            John Meena"

You can read a sketch of Thomas Blodgett in The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 – 1635, by Robert Charles Anderson, George Sanborn and Melinde Lutz Sanborn, Volume 1,  pages  324 – 325, 2001.  There is also a six volume set of books with an index called Blodget-Blodgett Descendants of Thomas of Cambridge, by Bradley DeForest Thompson and Franklin Condit Thompson, 1954.  If you are lucky, you might find your Blodgett line in the papers of Isaac Dimond Blodgett which are stored in the manuscript collection at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston.  Isaac Blodgett was born in 1828, elected a member of NEHGS in 1903 and died in 1916. 

My lineage from Thomas Blodgett:

Generation 1: Thomas Blodgett, born about 1605, died between 10 August 1641 (date of will) and 10 December 1642 (date of his inventory); married Susanna Unknown

Generation 2: Samuel Blodgett, born 12 July 1633 in England, died 3 July 1687 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married on 13 December 1655 to Ruth Eggleton, daughter of Stephen Eggleton and Elizabeth.  She was baptized on 8 November 1632 at All Saint’s, Biddendon, Kent, England and died 14 October 1703 in Woburn.

Generation 3:  Susanna Blodgett born 17 February 1663 in Woburn, died 9 February 1715 in Woburn; married on 29 December 1685 in Woburn to James Simonds, son of William Simonds and Judith Phippen.  He was born 1 November 1658 in Woburn, and died on 15 September 1717 in Woburn.

Generation 4: James Simonds m. Mary Fowle

Generation 5: Caleb Simonds m. Susanna Converse

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)

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Surname Saturday ~ Simonds of Woburn, Massachusetts

SIMONDS

This illustration of the Jesse Cutler House (built by William Simonds)
is from page 58 of Legends of Woburn, by Parker Lindall Converse,
published in 1896.  You can read this book at Archives.org
http://archive.org/stream/legendsofwoburn02conv#page/n7/mode/2up

William Simonds was born in 1612 in Winchester, Hampshire, England, son of William Symonds and Alice Unknown.   He settled first in Charlestown where he became a freeman in 1639.  He was first married to a Sarah Unknown about 1641 in Concord, Massachusetts, and then he removed to the settlement which became the town of Woburn, Massachusetts in about 1644 when he was taxed there.

In 1644 he also married Judith Phippen, the widow of James Hayward.  He built his house in the Cummingsville section of town about 1670, and is no longer standing, but there are photographs of it.  William Simonds died in 1672 and left Judith his house in his will, and it eventually passed to his son Benjamin and stayed I the Simonds family until 1844, when it was sold to Jesse Cutler.  

William and Judith had twelve children,  and ten lived to adulthood.  There are a large number of descendants who spread out over Middlesex County, Massachusetts and beyond.    If you are researching this family be sure to check all the various spellings: SYMONDS, SIMMONS, SIMMONDS, SIMONS, etc.

There are few books or articles about William Simonds and his descendants.  The best bet is to search the vital records, local histories and Woburn or Burlington records for this family.  The Burlington Historical Society was a terrific place to visit, too.  http://www.burlingtonmahistory.com   I also found these two books to be helpful:

Genealogical Sketch of William Simonds, by Edward Francis Johnson, 1889

The History of Woburn, Massachusetts from the Grant of its Territory to Charlestown in 1640 to the year 1680, by Charles C. Sewall, 1990, Heritage Books

The town of Burlington was once part of Woburn, Massachusetts.  You can find many places there named after the Simonds family, including Simonds Park (once the Nathan Simonds home), the Marshall Simonds Middle School, and Simonds Road. 

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My lineage from William Simonds:

Generation 1: William Simonds, baptized on 20 November 1612 at St. Peter’s in Winchester, Hampshire, England, died on 7 June 1672 in Woburn, Massachusetts; married first to Sarah Unknown, married second to Judith Phippen, widow of James Hayward, on 18 January 1644 in Woburn.  She died 3 January 1690 in Woburn.

Generation 2:  James Simonds, born 1 November 1658 in Woburn, died 15 September 1717 in Woburn; married on 28 December 1685 in Woburn to Susannah Blodgett, daughter of Samuel Bloggett and Ruth Eggleton.  She was born 17 February 1663 in Woburn and died 9 February 1715 in Woburn.   James Simonds married second to Anna Lawrence.

Generation 3:  James Simonds, son of James Simonds and Susannah Blodgett, was born 1 November 1686 in Woburn, and died 30 June 1775 in Woburn; married on 17 June 1714 in Woburn to Mary Fowle, daughter of James Fowle and Mary Richardson.  She was born 18 June 1689 in Woburn and died 9 March 1762 in Woburn.

Generation 4:  Caleb Simonds, born 27 August 1720 in Woburn, died 4 January 1811; married first on 26 March 1746 in Woburn to Susanna Converse, daughter of Robert Converse and Mary Sawyer.  She was born on 18 June 1724 in Woburn and died 29 October 1771 in Woburn. Caleb Simonds married second to Lucy Mixer on 6 December 1774 in Woburn.   She was the daughter of Joseph Mixer and Mary Ball, born on 21 November 1727 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and died on 3 September 1783 in Burlington, Massachusetts. 

Generation 5: Ruth Simonds, daughter of Caleb Simonds and Susanna Converse, born 13 April 1763 in Woburn,  and died 29 January 1840 in Danvers, Massachusetts; married on 22 March 1785 in Burlington, Massachusetts to Andrew Munroe, son of Andrew Munroe and Lucy Mixer (his step-mother).  Andrew Munroe, Jr. was born on 31 March 1764 in Lexington, Massachusetts and died on 7 August 1836 in Danvers, Massachusetts. 

Generation 6:  Luther Simonds Munroe m. Olive Flint

Generation 7:  Phebe Cross Munroe m. Robert Wilson Wilkinson

Generation 8:  Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 9:  Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

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To Cite/Link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Simonds of Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 15, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/12/surname-saturday-simonds-of-woburn.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts

MUNROE

Here Lyes ye
Body of
Mr. WILLIAM
MUNROE Aged
About 90 Years
Dec'd Jan 27, 1718

The Munroe name is well known in Lexington because of the Revolutionary War.  The first Munroe in my lineage came to Massachusetts as a prisoner of war.  William Munroe, and his two brothers, were Scots captured at the Battle of Worcester in England in 1651.  They were shipped to London and packed aboard the “John and Sara” to be sold into servitude in Boston, Massachusetts.  William was free by 1657 when he was fined in Cambridge for not having a ring in the noses of his pigs.  By 1660 he had removed to Cambridge Farms, near the Woburn line, to a part of town that became known as “Scotland”.  It is now known as the town of Lexington.

What is interesting to me is that apparently the Munroe clan harbored somewhat of a grudge against the British.  In 1775, when the British marched on Lexington, the sergeant of the militia was another William Munroe, great grandson of the immigrant William.  He owned the Munroe Tavern and led a group in which about one third were his kinsmen (other Munroes, cousins, and relations).   He entertained George Washington at the tavern in 1789 when he visited Lexington to thank the townspeople for their participation in the American Revolution. 

There are many books with information on the Munroe family, but the three best are:

A Sketch of the Clan Munro and William Munroe, Deported from Scotland, settled in Lexington, Massachusetts by James Phinney Munroe

History and Genealogy of the Lexington, Massachusetts Munroes by Richard S. Munro, 1966

History of the Town of Lexington, Middlesex County, Massachusetts by Charles Hudson of the Lexington, Massachusetts Historical Society, 1913 (with genealogies)

Also, the Lexington Historical Society owns the Munroe Tavern and has much information on the Munroe family in their archives.  Please see the website http://lhsoc.weebly.com/ for more information.   The official Clan Munro website is www.clanmunrusa.org and their website has much information on the Lexington family.  The 2012 Munroe clan gathering will be in Boston August 9 – 12, 2012 and details are available at http://clanmunrousa.org/wp/?page_id=197

I have many stories about the Munroe family here on my blog.  You may access them all at this link: http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/search/label/Munroe 

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My Munroe lineage:

1. William Munroe, born about 1625 near Inverness, Scotland, and died 27 January 1718 at Lexington, Massachusetts; married first about 1665 to Martha George, daughter of John George and Elizabeth Unknown; married second about 1672 to Mary Ball, daughter of John Ball and Elizabeth Pierce; and married third after 1693  to Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of William Johnson and Elizabeth Story.  He had four children by Martha and ten children by Mary.

2. George Munroe, born about 1672 in Lexington,  and died 17 January 1747 in Lexington.  He married Sarah Mooers, daughter of Jonathan Mooers and Constance Langthorne.  They had nine children.

3.  Andrew Munroe, baptized 4 June 1718 in Lexington,  and died 16 September 1766 in Lexington; married on 26 May 1763 to Lucy Mixer, daughter of Joseph Mixer and Mary Ball.  They had two children, and Lucy remarried on 6 December 1774 in Woburn to Caleb Simonds.

4.  Andrew Munroe, Junior, born on 31 March 1764 in Lexington, an died 7 August 1836 in Danvers, Massachusetts; married on 22 March 1785 in Burlington to Ruth Simonds, daughter of Caleb Simonds and Susanna Converse, his step-sister.  They had eleven children.  Andrew Munroe was a Major in the American Revolutionary War.

5.  Luther Simonds Munroe, born on 10 May 1805 in Danvers, and died 23 December 1851 in Danvers; married on 3 September 1826 in Reading, Massachusetts to Olive Flint, daughter of John Flint and Phebe Flint.  They had six children.

6. Phebe Cross Munroe, born 28 October 1830 in Danvers, and died 31 January 1895 in Salem, Massachusetts; married on 24 November 1853 in Danvers to Robert Wilson Wilkinson, son of Aaron Wilkinson and Mercy F. Wilson. Three children.

7.  Albert Munroe Wilkinson, born 7 November 1860 in Danvers, and died 12 May 1908 at Corey Hill Hospital in Brookline, Massachusetts due to complications of a gall bladder surgery;  married on 18 October 1894 in Salem to Isabella Lyons Bill, daughter of Caleb Rand Bill and Ann Margaret Bollman.

8. Donald Munroe Wilkinson and Bertha Louise Roberts, my grandparents.

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Munroe of Lexington, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June 30, 2012, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/06/surname-saturday-munroe-of-lexington.html: accessed [access date]). 

You can help with Munroe Tavern Renovations

Munroe Tavern, Lexington, Massachusetts

Even if you don’t have roots in Lexington, Massachusetts, most Americans feel an affinity to the history of the area.  Tourists from all over the world have come to Lexington, and many visit the properties owned by the Lexington Historical Society.  On the morning of 19 April 1775 these homes heard the “shot heard ‘round the world”.  One of these was the Munroe Tavern, which holds a special place in my heart since I am a Munroe descendant.  This Tavern was a meeting place for patriots, stood on the road where the British advanced and retreated to and from the battle, and was confiscated by the British as a headquarters and field hospital, only to be unsuccessfully torched by the fleeing Regulars.   Several years later George Washington visited the Munroe family and dined at this home.  It is now part of the collection of homes owned by the Lexington Historical Society.

When I was a child I loved visiting the tavern, before I knew that my Munroe family members were those Munroes. There is a bullet hole in the ceiling of the tavern room left by the unruly British when they tried to trash the home.  The tour guides always told scary tales of how the family hid in the woods behind the home while the crippled handyman left behind in the home was murdered by the British.   Great stuff for the imagination! And it was even better to find the family connection.  This was one of my first genealogy discoveries when I started tracing my family tree in high school.  William Munroe, the tavern owner, was the orderly sergeant of the Lexington minute men.

The Munroe Tavern reopened this summer with a new name “Museum of the British Redcoats and Munroe Family Home”.  The museum is having its grand re-opening ceremony on September 25^th, 2011 from 2 – 3 PM.   The town of Lexington voted to grant $400,000 at their town meeting towards this project.   The Lexington Historical Society, celebrating its 125^th anniversary,  is raffling six hand painted chairs on November 19^th at their gala evening at the Lexington Depot building to further fund the restoration project.  You need not be present to win a chair.  Tickets are $10 a chance.   

Genealogical Information:

        William Munroe b. abt. 1625 Scotland d. 27 Jan 1718 Lexington, MA

                         m. Martha George (abt 1636 – abt 1672)

                     |                                                                     |

George Munroe (1672 – 1747)                       William Munroe (1669 – 1759)

m. Sarah Mooer (1677 – 1752)                       m. Mary Cutler (1681 – 1713)

                     |                                                                     |

Andrew Munroe (1718 – 1766)                       William Munroe (1703 – 1747)

m. Lucy Mixer (1727 – 1783)                         m. Sarah Mason (1714 – 1785)

                                                                            (tavern builder and owner)

                   |                                                                       |

Major Andrew Munroe (1764 – 1836)            Sargeant William Munroe (1742 – 1827)

m. Ruth Simonds (1763 – 1840)                          m1. Anna Smith   m.2. Polly Rogers

                  |                                                          (inherited the tavern from his father)

Luther Simonds Munroe (1805 – 1851)

m. Olive Flint (1805 – 1875)

                  |

Phebe Cross Munroe (1830 – 1895)

m. Robert Wilkinson (1830 – 1874)

(my 3x great grandparents)

For more information:

Munroe Tavern

1332 Massachusetts Avenue

Lexington, Massachusetts

Fundraiser:

 Pat Perry    p-perry@comcast.net

 Christina Gamota   christinag16@verizon.net

or the Historical Society at office@lexingtonhistory.org

phone: 781 – 862- 1703

The Lexington Historical Society home page www.lexingtonhistory.org   

The Munroe Tavern link http://lhsoc.weebly.com/munroe-tavern.html

The 6 painted chairs up for raffle http://lhsoc.weebly.com/6-painted-chairs.html

A Wicked Local story on the 125^th Anniversary of the Lexington Historical Society http://www.wickedlocal.com/lexington/features/x1314056934/Lexington-Historical-Society-celebrates-125th-birthday#axzz1XVHgiD2m

Wikipedia article on the Munroe Tavern http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munroe_Tavern

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Copyright 2011, Heather Wilkinson Rojo