Surname Saturday ~ Rev. Skelton, first minister at Salem, Massachusetts

The First Church, Salem, MA
Founded in 1629, this building
dates from 1836

SKELTON

Samuel Skelton matriculated at Clare Hall, Cambridge University on 7 July 1608 and received his Batchelor of Arts degree in 1611, and his Master’s degree in 1615.  He was Governor John Endicott’s spiritual advisor in England, and he arrived in New England on the “George Bonaventure” with several of his children on  19 June 1629.    He was ordained as the pastor and Reverend Higginson was made the teacher of the First Church in Salem on 6 August 1629.   It was the first church founded in the Massachusetts Bay colony.

"Upon the eighteenth day of March came one from Salem and told us that upon the fifteenth thereof there died Mrs. Skelton, the wife of the other minister there, who, about eighteen or twenty days before, handling cold things in a sharp morning, put herself into a most violent fit of the wind colic and vomiting, which continuing, she at length fell into a fever and so died as before. She was a godly and an helpful woman, and indeed the main pillar of her family, having left behind her an husband and four children, weak and helpless, who can scarce tell how to live without her. She lived desired and died lamented, and well deserves to be honorably remembered" [ Thomas Dudley, Letter to Lady Bridget, Countess of Lincoln 12 and 28 March 1630/1 in Letter from New England in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1629 – 1638, Everett Emerson, editor, Amherst, MA, 1976].

Richard Charles Anderson made this humorous note about the Skelton family in his Great Migration Begins, Volume III, pages 1684-1687:  “In 1939 Nora E. Snow published an account of the family of Samuel Skelton which assigned to him another wife, prior to Susanna Travis, and two sons with that wife, Benjamin and Nathaniel [ Snow-Estes 2:214]. She reached this incorrect conclusion by deciding that the tentative entries for Benjamin and Nathaniel Skelton in Savage must have been real people and must have been sons of Samuel [ Savage 4:103]. Savage, in turn, was misled by Felt, who included men of those names in his list of first settlers of Salem, giving the first appearance of Benjamin as being in 1639 and of Nathaniel as being in 1648 [ Felt 1:170]. In both cases Felt had misread entries in the Salem church records for baptisms of children of Benjamin and Nathaniel Felton [ SChR 17, 22]. Skelton Felton, a great-grandson of the Rev. Samuel Skelton, might have appreciated the humor of the situation.”  [At the annual Felton family reunion, the name of “Skelton Felton” often comes up, with much giggling]

For more Skelton information:

The History of Salem by Sidney Perley,  Massachusetts, 3 volumes (Salem 1924-1928)

An Emerson-Benson Saga: The Ancestry of Charles F. Emerson and Bessie Benson and the Struggle to Settle the United States Including 194 Allied Lines by Edmund K. Swigart, Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1994

The Records of the First Church in Salem, Massachusetts, 1629-1736 by Richard D. Pierce, ed. , Salem, MA, 1974

The Reverend Samuel Skelton, A. M., by Herbert Parker, Society of the Descendants of Colonial Clergy, Lancaster, MA, 1943    call number BX7260. S54 S6 1943 at NEHGS library

The First Church in Salem, Massachusetts http://www.firstchurchinsalem.org is now a Unitarian church, founded in 1629 as the Puritan First Church in Salem

My Skelton lineage:

Generation 1: Reverend Samuel Skelton, son of William Skelton and Sarah Unknown, baptized on 26 Feburary 1593 at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, England, and died on 2 August 1634 in Salem, Massachusetts; married on 27 April 1619 at Horbling, Lincolnshire, England to Susanna Travis, daughter of William Travis,  born before 11 September 1597 at Horbling, died on 15 March 1631 in Salem.  Five children:

1. Sarah Skelton, baptized 12 August 1621 at Sempringham, Lincolnshire, England, probably died young

2. Samuel Skelton, baptized 8 January 1623 at Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, married Margaret Unknown

3. Susanna Skelton, baptized 3 April 1625 at Tattershall, married 1^st John Marsh, married 2^nd Thomas Rix

4. Mary Skelton (see below)

5. Elizabeth Skelton,  born about 1630, married Robert Sanford

Generation 2:  Mary Skelton, baptized on 28 June 1627 at Tattershall, died May 1701 at Salem; married about 1643 to Nathaniel Felton, son of John Felton and Eleanor Thrower, born about 1615 at Great Yarmouth, England and died 30 July 1705 at Salem.  Eight children.

Generation 3: John Felton married Mary Tompkins

Generation 4: Nathaniel Felton married Elizabeth Foot

Generation 5: Malachi Felton married Abigail Jacobs

Generation 6: Sarah Felton married Robert Wilson

Generation 7: Robert Wilson married Mary Southwick

Generation 8: Mercy F. Wilson married Aaron Wilkinson

Generation 9: Robert Wilson Wilkinson married Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation 10:  Albert Munroe Wilkinson married Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 11: Donald Munroe Wilkinson married Bertha Louise Roberts

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Rev. Skelton, first minister at Salem, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted April 14, 2014, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/04/surname-saturday-rev-skelton-first.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ Felton of Salem, Massachusetts

FELTON

The Nathaniel Felton, Sr. House, Peabody, Massachusetts

Nathaniel Felton settled in Salem in 1633 with his mother “Misstress Eleanor Felton”, and his sisters Judith and Margaret, along with his Uncle Benjamin Felton. He was about 17 years old when he arrived in New England.  He married Mary Skelton, daughter of Salem’s first minister, Reverend Samuel Skelton.  

Nathaniel Felton built the house on Felton Hill in 1644, which still stands and is used every summer for the Felton Family Association reunion.  This grant of land now sits in Peabody, Massachusetts, overlooking the North Shore Mall and Routes 114 and 128.  The Nathaniel Felton, Jr. house is next door, surrounded by apple orchards.   Both Felton houses are the property of the Peabody Historical Society.

Nathaniel Felton can be found in the records on juries, as a constable, and in military positions.  His house on Felton Hill was considered the frontier, and it served as a garrison.  He witnessed several wills found in the Essex County records.   His son John was constable in 1685 and 1687.   The grandson, Nathaniel Felton was a weaver, and there is a large floor loom on display in the Nathaniel Felton, Jr. House.  His son, Malachi Felton was appointed administrator of his will on 26 February 1733, with guardianship of the two youngest children, Isaac and Samuel.

The Peabody Historical Society has much information on the Felton family, and maintains a family museum with artifacts and furniture inside both Felton houses in Peabody.  The Felton Family Association historian, Cora Felton Anderson, is updating the old Felton genealogy written by Cyrus Felton in 1886. 

The 2002 Felton Family Reunion, Peabody, Massachusetts

For more information:

Peabody Historical Society http://www.peabodyhistorical.org/  and the page for the Felton houses is http://www.peabodyhistorical.org/properties.asp#senior

Cora Felton Anderson can be reached at Felton96@aol.com

The Felton Family Association website http://www.feltonfamily.org/

A Genealogical History of the Felton Family: Descendants of Lieutenant Nathaniel Felton, by Cyrus Felton, Marlborough, MA: Pratt Brothers Printers, 1886

There is also much information on the Feltons and their descendants in Perley’s History of Salem, the published vital records of Salem, Danvers and Peabody, Volume II of Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary of New England, and in Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700.

Felton Genealogy:

Generation 1:  John Felton, son of John Felton and Judith Damrell, born before 3 January 1584 in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, died 17 October 1629 in Great Yarmouth; married on 22 April 1612 at the St. Nicholas Church in Great Yarmouth to Eleanor Thrower, daughter of John Thrower and Margaret Unknown,  who died in Salem, Massachusetts.  Four children born in England:

1. Benjamin Felton, born about 1613, married Mary Unknown, died in 1668 in Salem, Massachusetts

2. Nathaniel Felton (see below)

3. Judith Felton, born about 1621, married John Ingersoll

4. Margaret Felton, born 1623, married first to Christopher Waller, married second to Robert Fuller

Generation 2: Nathaniel Felton, born about 1615 in Great Yarmouth, England, died on 30 Jul 1705 in Salem (now Peabody), Massachusetts; married about 1643 to Mary Skelton, daughter of Reverend Samuel Skelton and Susanna Travis, baptized on 28 June 1627 in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, died on 8 May 1701 in Salem (now Peabody).   Eight children:

1.  John Felton (see below)

2. Mary Felton, born about 1651, died young

3. Elizabeth Felton,  born 18 March 1653, married Thomas Watkins

4. Nathaniel Felton, born 15 August 1655, married Ann Horne

5. Mary Felton, born 15 January 1657, married John Gloyd

6. Hannah Felton, born 20 June 1663, married Samuel Endicott

7. Susannah Felton, born about 1665

8. Ruth Felton, married James Houlton

Generation 3:  John Felton, born 3 September 1648 in Salem (now Peabody), died 19 February 1717;  he married first on 29 September 1670 in Salem to Mary Tompkins, daughter of John Tompkins and Margaret Goodman, baptized on 29 April 1649 in Salem, died 12 December 1688.  Seven children with Mary.  He married second to Hannah Unknown and had two more children.

1. Nathaniel Felton (see below)

2. Mary Felton, born 31 March 1674, married Freeborn Reeves

3. John Felton, born 22 March 1676, died 6 April 1676

4. Hannah Felton, born 18 Apri 1677, married Arthur Chamnes

5. Elizabeth Felton, born 28 February 1678, died about 1763

6. Samuel Felton, born 1 January 1681, married Sarah Goodale

7. John Felton, born 22 August 1686, married Mary Waters

8. Ruth Felton, born 15 September 1693

9. Susanna Felton, born 15 September 1693

Generation 4: Nathaniel Felton, born 8 June 1672; married on 29 June 1698 to Elizabeth Foot, daughter of Isaac Foot and Abigail Jeggles, born in April 1675. Ten children:

1. Abigail Felton, born 12 May 1699, married James Taylor

2. Samuel Felton, born 7 August 1701, died 1718

3. Malachi Felton (see below)

4. Mary Felton, born 16 March 1707, married Caleb Balch

5. Elizabeth Felton, born 17 May 1709,

6. Benjamin Felton, born 9 September 1712, married Joanna Ruggles

7. Nathaniel Felton, born 9 May 1714, married Anna Jacobs

8. Isaac Felton, born 6 March 1716, died 2 February 1718

9. Isaac Felton, born 1719

10. Samuel Felton, born 21 May 1721

Generation 5: Malachi Felton, born 14 May 1705; married on 5 February 1726 in Salem to Abigail Jacobs, daughter of John Jacobs and Abigail Waters, born about 1706. Four children:

1. Abigail Felton, born 30 April 1738, married Joseph Richardson

2. Mary Felton, born about 1742, married Benjamin Kent

3. Malachi Felton, born about 1745

4. Sarah Felton (see below)

Generation 5: Sarah Felton, born about 1750 in Salem, died 20 November 1836 in Danvers, Massachusetts; married on 23 March 1775 in Danvers to Robert Wilson, son of Robert Wilson and Elizabeth Southwick, born about 1746 and died 4 June 1797 in Danvers. Nine children.

Generation 6. Robert Wilson m. Mary Southwick

Generation 7. Mercy F. Wilson m. Aaron Wilkinson

Generation 8.  Robert Wilson Wilkinson m. Phebe Cross Munroe

Generation 9.  Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

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

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Copyright 2012, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

John Cragin, Scots Prisoner of War 1651 in Woburn, Massachusetts

After the heavy snows of the previous week, this weekend perfect for a drive in the countryside. One of our favorite rides is to the Frye Measure Mill in Wilton, New Hampshire. Since the weather had been bad, I Googled the website for the Frye Measure Mill, and found the schedule and directions, but then (of course!) I was sidetracked by the link labeled “history”. After clicking there, I became enthralled with the story of Daniel Cragin, the founder of the Mill. I was even more surprised to find his ancestor had been a 1651 passenger on board the “John and Sara”.

The Frye Measure Mill
in winter is absolutely beautiful!

I knew the sad story of the “John and Sara” because my own ancestor, William Munroe (1625 - 1718), was on board the same ship. It was full of prisoners of war, Scotsmen captured during the English Civil War, bound for Boston to be sold into servitude. It is one of the few ships of this era to have a fairly complete passenger list, because the human cargo was actually valuable merchandise. For this reason only, the proprietors made a list. Other ships of the era did not keep passenger lists.

wooden measures

According to the Frye Measure Mill website, and the Wilton, NH town history, John Cragin had small pox during the voyage, and was going to thrown overboard. A young English woman, Sarah Dawes, asked for his life to be spared. However, this is easily disproven by one look at the passenger list. There are no women on the list, and no English passengers. The truth is more interesting. Sarah Dawes was a servant to John Wyman in Woburn, and was with child with her second bastard child by another servant in the Wyman household, Daniel Mecrist. She was sentenced to twelve stripes in 1657. He could not marry her because he was already married to a woman he left behind in England. John Craggin married her in 1661, and took in her two illegitimate children, Mary and Benoni Mecrist.

In looking at my own family tree, I saw that John Cragin and Sarah Dawes had eight children, and two of the Cragin siblings married two Skelton siblings, grand children of my own ancestor Reverend Samuel Skelton (1593 – 1634) of Salem, Massachusetts. John Wyman (1621 – 1684), Sarah’s master in Woburn, Massachusetts, was the brother to my own ancestor, Francis Wyman (1617 – 1699). Another one of John Cragin’s daughters, Sarah, married Francis Nurse, Jr. (the son of Rebecca Towne Nurse, hung as a witch in 1692 Salem, her brother Edmund is my 10x great grandfather), my first cousin ten generations removed. There are many, many connections between my own family tree and John Cragin’s descendants.

The Cragin/Craggen/Craggin Family

Gen. 1. John Cragin, b. Scotland, died 27 October 1708 in Woburn, Massachusetts. He was captured at the Battle of Worcester in 1652 and sent to America as a prisoner of war on board the “John and Sarah” to be sold into servitude; married on 4 November 1661 to Sarah Dawes, at Woburn, Massachusetts. Eight Children.

Gen. 2. John Cragin, born 29 September 1677 at Woburn, Massachusetts; died 26 January 1703; filed an intention to marry Deborah Skelton on 13 April 1700. Three children.

Gen. 3. John Cragin, born 25 Mar 1701; married Judith Barker of Concord, Massachusetts settled in the part of Concord which is now Acton, Massachusetts, and then removed to Temple, New Hampshire. Nine children.

Gen. 4. Francis Cragin, born in Acton; married Sibyl Piper. Ten children.

Gen. 5. Captain Francis Cragin, born 24 October 1773; married Sarah Cummings,

Gen. 6. Augustus Cragin born 19 July 1802; died 21 June 1886; married on 14 December 1830 to Almira Boynton, born 5 December 1807, and died 30 October 1883. . Removed to Temple, New Hampshire from Merrimac, about 1837. Ten children.

Gen. 7. Daniel Cragin, born 31 December 1836 in Merrimac; married 20 March 1859 to Jane L. Dolliver, daughter of John Dolliver and Lucetta Draper of Lyndeborough. Was apprenticed at age 17 to John Newell, cabinet maker, of Lyndeborough, New Hampshire. He was engaged in a furniture shop in Wilton three years later. Then he returned to Lyndeborough, with a partner, and purchased John Newell’s business in 1858. In 1876 he began the manufacture of dry measures at his own mill.


Frye's Measure Mill
Wilton, New Hampshire

Frye’s Measure Mill, in Wilton, is on the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance’s 2008 list of “Seven to Save”, among the most endangered Granite State properties. It dates back to a time when mills were made of wood, not brick like those in Manchester, and located along the streams and small rivers of backwoods New Hampshire, not just along the mighty Merrimack. Local manufacturing and locally made products were the backbone of the American economy in the 1800’s. Frye’s Measure Mill has been run by only three families over the years, Cragin, Frye and Savage. There is still a continuing battle to maintain the mill, dam, ponds and outbuildings. In 1982 the Measure Mill was accepted to the National Register of Historic Places.

Built in 1878 by Daniel Cragin, the Frye Mill still produces wooden ware measures, similar to Shaker style boxes also produced there. Using an elaborate system of wooden cogs and leather belts, the energy produced from a small waterfall turns the lathes and machinery that cuts, shapes and shaves the wooden containers that become “measures.” Measures were made in sizes from a dry cup to a quart, and each can be considered a small work of art. The shaker boxes and measures are still made of native maple, hand bent around wooden molds and fastened with copper tacks.

Frye’s Measure mill is one of the few waterpowered mills still operational, and the only measure mill still operating in the United States. Woodenware produced at Frye’s is still made by the mostly water powered equipment. It is located on 12 Frye Mill Road in Wilton, New Hampshire


There is a small display of historical information
about the Mill inside the gift shop, including
information on the Cragin, Frye and Savage families

For more information on the Cragin family or Frye’s Measure Mill:

History of the town of Wilton, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, by Abiel Abbot Livermore and Sewall Putnam, Lowell, Massachusetts: Marden & Rowell, Printers, 1888 (the Cragin Genealogy is on page 353)

The American Genealogist, Volume 15 (1838-9), page 218- 220

Woburn Massachusetts Vital Records

History of Woburn, Massachusetts, by Samuel Sewall, Boston: Wiggin & Lunt, 1868

"Francis and Sarah Graggen Nurse of Reading Massachusetts; with notes on John and Sarah Dawes Craggen of Woburn, Massachusetts and Benoni MacKrest of Salisbury, Massachusetts", by Barbara J. Matthews, The American Genealogist, 1994, Volume 69, pages 81 - 85.


websites:

http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/colonial/main/john&sara.html  the passenger list for the “John and Sara” which left London 11 November 1651.

http://www.fryesmeasuremill.com/ the website for Frye’s Measure Mill, Wilton, New Hampshire with historical data, how to book tours of the mill, and shop information

Disclosure:  I have not been compensated in any way by the owners and proprietors of Frye's Measure Mill

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "John Cragin, Scots Prisoner of War 1651 in Woburn, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 27, 2011, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2011/01/john-cragin-scots-prisoner-of-war-1651.html: accessed [access date]). 

Felton Family Reunion

The 2000 Felton Family Reunion
At the homestead in Peabody, Massachusetts

This year the Felton Family Association is having its reunion on July 31st and August 1st, 2010 at the Felton Smith Historic Site at Brooksby, Farm in Peabody, Massachusetts. The reunion will be at the Smith barn, with the usual tours of the Nathaniel Felton Senior and Junior houses, food, and fellowship. Our annual hostess, Cora Felton Anderson will available to answer any questions about the family genealogy, as she is working on revising and correcting the published Felton compiled genealogy books.

The Felton Family Association was formed by the descendants of Nathaniel Felton (circa 1615 – 1705). He arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1633 with his mother, Eleanor (Thrower) Felton and his uncle Benjamin Felton. He married Mary Skelton, daughter of the Reverend Samuel Skelton, who was the first minister of Salem, educated at Cambridge University. Nathaniel Felton built a house on Felton Hill in 1644, which is still standing. This part of Salem became Danvers, and in 1876 it became Peabody, Massachusetts.

Nathaniel and Mary had eight children, including Nathaniel, Jr., whose home is also still standing next door to the “Senior House”. The two Felton properties, and the surrounding gardens, land and orchards are now run by the Peabody Historical Association as “Brooksby Farm”. The houses are usually open only by appointment, but will be available for tours during the Felton Family Reunion. They are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and are a rare example of surviving father and son homes from the 1600s.

For more information:

The Felton Family Association website http://www.feltonfamily.org/

Cora Felton Anderson’s email Felton96@aol.com

Reprints of the following Felton Family Genealogies are available from Higginson Book Company at Higginsonbooks.com

History of the Descendants of Lieutenant Nathaniel Felton by Cyrus Felton, 1886

Some Descendants of Nathaniel and Mary Felton by Cyrus Felton, 1877

Felton Family History by Nancy Felton Koster, 1935

The Nathaniel Felton Family Descendants by William Reid Felton, 1963

The Peabody, Massachusetts Historical Society website http://www.peabodyhistorical.org/, which contains photos and information on the Felton Home Sites, click on “properties”

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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Interesting names from the Family Tree!

An assortment of interesting names pulled from my database. Every one of them is an actual name!

I suppose that some of these names were fashionable in their own time. My name, Heather, is now a popular name, but when my mother first named me the pediatrician said “That’s a dog’s name!” (His mother raised Scots Terriers!)

- * -¸.•*¨*•☆ * - ¸.•*¨*•☆* -

Onesiphorus Allen (1642-1718) my 8th Great Uncle, and his son Onesiphorus Allen, Jr. (b. 1674), other interesting Allen names are Bezaleel, Shearjashub, Hephzibah and Zerubabbel.

Lemon Beadle- (1680-1717) his mother’s maiden name was Lemon, poor kid! My 7x great grandfather.

Janet Wilkinson Blades (1898-1981) was my great aunt. This was her married name, and she took a lot of kidding for it!

Ebenezer Ingraham Bill- (1805-1891) plus four descendants with this exact name. I always thought his name should be written backward. The Bill Family made up for a very plain surname with a plethora of interesting given names: Arabella, Asahel, Benajah, Bozoan, Ethelinda, Mehitable, Isabella and Zerviah.

Samuel Draper (1690 – 1767), my first cousin 10x removed, named his sons Newburyport, New York, Boston and James. He was a privateer, and I suppose he was away a lot! At least for the first three sons.

Skelton Felton- (about 1680-1749) – My first cousin 9x removed. His grandmother’s name was Skelton, unfortunately. This left a lasting legacy of about four generations of Skelton Feltons. This name causes a lot of giggling at the Annual Felton Family Reunion in Peabody, Massachusetts.

Washington Adams Jefferson Wilkinson ( b. 1804 in Smithfield, Rhode Island) His parents couldn’t make up their minds which president they liked best.

I also found various Puritan virtue names are sprinkled liberally here and there. Besides the usual Patience, Prudence and Constance I found the more unusual names of Retire, Fear, Comfort, Submit, Plain, Remember, Freelove, Hopestill, and (last but not least!) is my very all time favorite strange name on this list: Hatevil Nutter (1598-about 1675) and his three descendants by the same name, my first cousin 8 generations removed.


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Copyright 2010, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

Treasure Chest Thursday ~ The Mystery Chest

We had a mystery chest passed down through the generations. Four generations of our family had lived in the same house in Beverly, and the chest was in the cellar. Later we moved to central Massachusetts, and Dad used it as a tool box. Once he had a Salem antique dealer come to the basement to look at some old furniture, and the fellow ignored all the furniture, but he wanted to buy the tool box from my Dad. Of course, Dad didn’t sell it. Where would he store the hammers and screwdrivers? Dad kept it in the basement, next to the kitty litter box. It was old and scratched and abused.

Years later I toured the Jonathan Corwin House on Essex Street in Salem. It is popularly known as the “Witch House” even though the only witch related event that took place there was that Corwin was one of the Judges in the witch trials of 1692. There was a slant topped bible box in the parlor of the Corwin House that looked just like my Dad’s box.

I called Dad and started asking questions. He didn’t know where his old chest came from, but it was from his father’s side of the family. The Wilkinsons lived in Salem and Beverly, Massachusetts for many generations, and on this side of the family there were also many ministers, going all the way back to Reverend Samuel Skelton, the first minister in Salem. I looked on line, and found many images of bible boxes and valuables boxes from the 1600’s and 1700’s, and some looked like Dad’s “tool box.”

Bible boxes were used to keep the most valuable items of the house safe, and of course the family bible was always one of the most precious items in a New England Puritan’s possession. The slant top let it also be used as a desk top. Some bible boxes had legs, and most sat on top of other tables. Some were plain, dark painted wood, without decorations like Dad’s, some were very fancy, like one I saw at FDR’s library in Hyde Park, made in Holland in the 1600s and decorated with carvings.

Bible boxes defined according to Wikipedia: “In Colonial America this container was produced locally in a great variety of styles and finishes, by amateurs and professionals. Just about anybody who could afford nails, a few planks of wood and a hammer could improvise a bible box.” That describes Dad’s box, for it was simply made, without dovetails or fancy woodworking techniques. Wikipedia also states that the term “Bible box” is often used for just a portable desk. They also served as portable lecterns.

Not many people in the family were students or very educated people, except for the ministers in the family. The last minister in the family was Rev. Ingraham Ebenezer Bill, who never even attended high school or college. I suppose the slant topped box could have made a great pulpit in a pinch, but I could see it more for being used as a desk or for storage.

When Dad passed away, and Mom moved out of the old house, I was given the box. I still don’t know who made it, or who used it. I don’t know its real purpose. We’ve started to call it “The Coffin” because of its size and shape. It lives in our basement down next to our cat’s litter box, but we no longer store tools inside. It sits empty- waiting for me to discover its origins. Maybe we’ll find a local taping of “Antiques Road Show” and bring it out for an appraisal?

The bible box from the Jabez Howland House, Plymouth, Massachusetts

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See my blog post from September 15, 2009 for a story about Rev. I. E. Bill

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To Cite/Link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Treasure Chest Thursday ~ The Mystery Chest", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 12, 2009, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2009/11/treasure-chest-thursday-mystery-chest.html: accessed [access date]).