My Revolutionary War Ancestors - Amos Burnham of Ipswich, Massachusetts

 

1832 map of Ipswich, Massachusetts

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

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

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

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

For the truly curious:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Revolutionary War Patriots - Abner Poland of Essex, Massachusetts

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For the truly curious:

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

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

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

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

This series about Revolutionary War Patriots

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Surname Saturday ~ JOHNSON of Topsfield, Massachusetts

Help me smash this brick wall!

Stephen Johnson, my 7^th great grandfather, is another brick wall ancestor.  I don’t know his birthdate, birth place or parents.  On 29 August 1734 he married Rebecca Towne, the niece one generation removed from three Towne sisters who were accused of witchcraft in 1692.  Two of those sisters were hanged: Rebecca (Towne) Nurse and Mary (Towne) Eastey.  Rebecca Towne (b. 1699/1700 in Topsfield) is the granddaughter of their brother, Edmund Towne (1628 – 1675).

This tie to the witch trials of 1692 might be a big clue.  The children and grandchildren of the witch trial victims tended to marry descendants of other victims. I have many examples of this in my family tree, which is why I am descended from so many of those families.  Why did they marry each other?  Were they ostracized from marrying other potential spouses?  Did they find common ground? I have no idea why this happened.

During the 1692 hysteria, there was a young boy, only 14 years old, who was also named Stephen Johnson. He was accused of being a witch, and arrested, along with many members of his extended family.  He was a nephew of Abigail (Dane) Faulkner (1652 – 1730), my 9^th great aunt.  Because I had the Dane and Faulkner families in my family tree, I found Abigail’s sister had married a man named Stephen Johnson (father of the accused 14-year-old Stephen Johnson).  There were many Stephens in this Johnson family that lived in Andover, Massachusetts (one town away from Topsfield).  I have traced out most of them.  Did I miss a connection to the husband of Rebecca Towne?  

Their daughter, Ruth Johnson (1731 – 1800) married Richard Cree in 1756 in Topsfield.  They had a son named Stephen Cree (another STEPHEN!) who is my 5^th great grandfather.  The name Johnson daughters out here. 

Is there a JOHNSON family researcher out there who knows the answer to this mystery?  Am I chasing a red herring trying to tie the two Johnson families together?

My JOHNSON genealogy:

Generation 1:  Stephen Johnson, born about 1700, died 29 August 1734 in Topsfield; married on 2 December 1730 in Topsfield to Rebecca Towne, daughter of Samuel Towne and Elizabeth Knight.  She was born 8 February 1699/1700 in Topsfield.  Two children born in Topsfield.  Rebecca remarried to her second cousin, Joshua Towne, son of Jacob Towne and Phebe Smith. 

Generation 2:  Ruth Johnson, born 30 August 1731 in Topsfield, died 29 June 1800 in Topsfield; married on 5 February 1756 in Topsfield to Richard Cree, son of Nicholas Cree and Keziah Dwinnell.  He was born 13 August 1727 in Topsfield, and died 15 April 1769 in Topsfield.  Five children born in Topsfield.

Generation 3: Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 4: Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 5: Hannah Phillips m. Capt. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 6:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 7:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 8:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ JOHNSON of Topsfield, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 17, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/surname-saturday-johnson-of-topsfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ CREE of Topsfield, Massachusetts

CREE / CRAY / CREIGH

My 7^th great grandfather, Nicholas Cree, is a mystery.  I don’t know his birth or death, but only that he married Keziah Dwinell of Topsfield and had six children born there.  His marriage record says he was “Of Marblehead”.   This brickwall ancestor has many researchers searching for his origins, probably in Scotland. 

Not much is known of his son, Richard Cree (1727 – 1769), my 6^th great grandfather.  I have his vital records, and his death record states he was “a middle aged man who was drownded”.    I descend from his eldest son, Stephen Cree (1760  - 1821), who married his bride, Hannah Smith, in the town of Holden, Massachusetts, many miles from Topsfield.  The interesting thing is that I was married in the town of Holden, too, about 200 years after the marriage of Stephen and Hannah Cree.  Hannah’s origins are unknown, but I found her birth record in Worcester in 1763, to her father, Joseph Smith.  Perhaps he is related to the Smith family of Topsfield? Another mystery.

My 4^th great grandmother, Sarah Cree (1792 – 1835) married first at age 16 to John W. Ham in 1808 and had one child.  Then she remarried to James Phillips in Topsfield in 1815.  They had two children and he died young in 1820.  Sarah never remarried and died young herself in 1835.   Her daughter, my 3^rd great grandmother, Hannah Phillips (about 1821 – 1851) also died young after having three children born in Salem.  

The Cree surname is considered to be Scots, a derivation of the same CREIGH or CRAY.  There are several DNA studies ongoing to find the origins of Nicholas Cree, the immigrant ancestor in New England.

Some CREE resources:

The CREE One-Name Study   http://www.cree.name/usa/topsfield.htm

The Historical Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society (some volumes available online at Archive.org, including Volumes nine and ten with the Topsfield marriage records)

The True Genealogy of the Dunnel and Dwinnell Family of New England, by Henry Gale Dunnel, 1862.

My CREE genealogy:

Generation 1:  Nicolas Cree married on 7 October 1723 in Topsfield, Massachusetts to Keziah Dwinel, daughter of John Dwinell and Mary Read.  She was born 14 December 1703 in Topsfield.  Six children born in Topsfield. 

Generation 2:  Richard Cree, born 13 August 1727 in Topsfield, died 15 April 1769 in Topsfield; married on 5 February 1756 in Topsfield to Ruth Johnson, daughter of Stephen Johnson and Rebecca Towne.  She was born 30 August 1731 in Topsfield and died 29 June 1800 in Topsfield.  Five children.

Generation 3:  Stephen Cree, was born 30 October 1760 in Topsfield, died 15 October 1821 in Topsfield; married on 27 February 1787 in Holden, Massachusetts to Hannah Smith, daughter of Joseph Smith of Worcester.  She was born 22 May 1763 in Worcester, and died 19 October 1839 in Topsfield.  Five children.

Generation 4:  Sarah Cree, born 30 September 1792 in Topsfield, died 3 May 1835 in Topsfield; married 6 August 1820 in Topsfield to James Phillips.  He was born about 1792 probably in Rowley, and died 5 April 1820 in Topsfield.  Two children.

Generation 5:  Hannah Phillips m. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 6:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 7:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

Generation 8:  Gertrude Matilda Hitchings m. Stanley Elmer Allen (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ CREE of Topsfield, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 27, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/01/surname-saturday-cree-of-topsfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ HUDSON of Boston, Massachusetts

William Hudson (1588 – 1661/2), my 11^th great grandfather, and his three eldest sons were the some of the first people to settle in Boston, Massachusetts.  He was admitted to the Boston church as member number 67, which was in the winter of 1630 – 1631.  He was made a Freeman that next May 18^th.   His wife, Susan, was admitted to the church in Boston as member number 123 later in 1631.   Susan gave birth to a fourth son, Nathaniel, on 30 January 1633/4.

William Hudson was a baker, and owned property in Boston.  He returned to Chatham, in Kent, England around 1645.  On 29 April 1656 he gave power of attorney to his two eldest sons, William, Jr. and Francis, to sell his properties in Boston.  It is assumed that he died in England and never returned to Boston.

William arrived in Boston with three sons, including Francis Hudson (1618 – 1700), my 10^th great grandfather.  Francis was a ferryman and an innkeeper.  He ran the ferry between Boston and Chelsea (Winnisimmet), and had a license to sell liquors at his inn. His will was written in 1697 and it mentions his wife, Elizabeth, son-in-law Arthur Smith, a Perkins daughter, and grandsons Francis Hudson, Samuel Hudson, and his wife’s grandchild John Wheatley.  His death was recorded as 3 November 1700, at age 82,  in Boston by Judge Sewell as “one of the first men who set foot on the peninsula of Boston”. 

Francis Hudson owned land near the Winnissimmet ferry which was known as Hudson’s Point.  According to the book Historical Sketch of Copp's Hill Burying Ground, by John Norton, 1919 (unnumbered pages) "At the junction of Charter and Commercial Streets was "Ye Mylen Point", so called in 1635, and later known as Hudson's Point, whence Francis Hudson, the fisherman who became a ferryman, ran his ferry to Charlestown and Chelsea."  This spot is near the MDC skating rink along the harbor today, not far from the North Washington Street bridge to Charlestown.  

An interesting piece of trivia about Francis Hudson is that he was appointed to be “the culler of fish” in Boston in 1663 and 1664.  This was an inspector of fresh fish brought in by fishermen, who examined the catch before it went to market.  He was also voted in as “Measurer of Salt” in 1659.  These were important positions in the days when salt fish (cod) was an important business in New England.

I descend from Francis’s youngest child, Sarah Hudson (b. 1653) who married Arthur Smith in Boston about 1677.  They were my 9^th great grandparents.  Arthur Smith was a shipwright.  They are buried at Copp’s Hill Burying Ground in the North End of Boston.  His epitaph supposedly reads “Here lyes intered ye Body of ARTHUR SMITH aged about 63 years died May ye 17 1708”, but I have not been able to find this headstone.

For the truly curious:

The Great Migration Begins, by Charles Robert Charles Anderson, Volume II, pages 1035 - 1037

The American Genealogist, Volume 17, page 14

Pioneers of Massachusetts, by Charles Henry Pope, 1900, page 246

Inhabitants and Estates of the Town of Boston, 1630 – 1822 (Thwing Collection) at www.americanancestors.org

A Documentary History of Chelsea, by Jenny Chamberlain Watts, and William Richard Cutter,  Volume 2, page 101

Early New England Families, 1641 - 1700. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. (By Alicia Crane Williams, Lead Genealogist.)

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My HUDSON genealogy:

Generation 1:   William Hudson, born about 1588 in England; died after 17 Feb 1661/2 in England; married about 1613 to Susan Unknown.  Four sons.

Generation 2:  Francis Hudson, born about 1618 in England, died 3 November 1700 in Boston, Massachusetts; married first to Mary Unknown, born about 1620 in England and died 25 September 1694 in Boston.  Seven children.

Generation 3:  Sarah Hudson, born 27 November 1653 in Boston; married about 1677 to Arthur Smith.  He was born about 1645 and died 17 May 1708 in Boston.  Four children.

Generation 4: Sarah Smith m. Andros Cannon

Generation 5: Sarah Cannon m. Stephen Randall

Generation 6:  Sarah Randall m. Benjamin Gardner

Generation 7: Mary Gardner m. Abijah Hitchings

Generation 8: Abijah Hitchings m. Mary Cloutman

Generation 9: Abijah Hitchings m. Eliza Ann Treadwell

Generation 10:  Abijah Franklin Hitchings m. Hannah Eliza Lewis

Generation 11: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ HUDSON of Boston, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 11, 2017,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2017/03/surname-saturday-hudson-of-boston.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ BELCHER of Ipswich, Massachusetts

BELCHER

Jeremy AKA Jeremiah BELCHER, my 9^th great grandfather, was born about 1614 in England and arrived in New England aboard the ship Susan & Ellen in 1635 as part of the Winthrop Fleet.   The passenger list has a 25 year old woman named Mary Clifford listed next to him.  It is supposed by some that this woman became his first wife because of two reasons.  First, he had a grandson named Clifford Belcher, and second, he had two daughters named Mary (one by his unknown first wife, and another by his second wife Mary Lockwood).  I descend from the second daughter named Mary, born in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1660 and who married Thomas Andrews in 1681/2.   Her sister Judith married his brother, John Andrews. 

Jeremy Belcher was made a freeman at Ipswich on 13 March 1638/9 and he was granted land and also purchased much land. He appears in the records selling and buying land.  He was a selectman, served on juries, and was a sergeant for the Ipswich militia.  His marriage contract with Mary Lockwood in 1652 granted her land for life in her own right.  He died in 1692/3 and she outlived him and died in 1700.  Jeremy was able to sign all his deeds, but his second wife, Mary signed by mark.

For more information on the BELCHER family see:

The New England Historic Genealogy Society Register, Volume 60, pages 249 – 256, and pages 358 – 364.

Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 – 1635, Volume 1, pages 231 – 237.  

“Belcher Genealogy Research” at Rootsweb  http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genbel/main/belchers1.html    

Just for fun, a parody blog "The Journal of Constant Belcher" by Tim Abbott, http://constantbelcher.blogspot.com/  (not a relative or descendant!)

My BELCHER genealogy:

Generation 1:  Jeremy Belcher, born about 1614 in England, died 21 March 1693 in Ipswich, Massachusetts; married first to Unknown (four children); married second on 30 September 1652 in Ipswich to Mary Lockwood, daughter of Edmund Lockwood and his wife, Elizabeth (seven more children). 

Generation 2:  Mary Belcher, daughter of Jeremy Belcher and Mary Lockwood, born 12 July 1660 In Ipswich, died 21 March 1731 in Ipswich; married on 9 February 1681 to Thomas Andrews, son of John Andrews and Jane Jordan.  He was born in 1654 in Ipswich and died 22 March 1718/19 in the Chebacco Parish of Ipswich.  Two children.

Generation 3:  Thomas Andrews married Mary Smith

Generation 4:  Mary Andrews m. Stephen Burnham

Generation 5: Joshua Burnham m. Jemima Wyman

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)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ BELCHER of Ipswich, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 8, 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/10/surname-saturday-belcher-of-ipswich.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ SMITH of Reading, Massachusetts

SMITH

My 8^th great grandmother Hannah Smith married her husband, George Lillie on 15 November 1659.  Who was her father? According to Robert Charles Anderson in his Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 -1635, Volume VI, pages 351-354, sketch of Francis Smith of Reading, there was no daughter named Hannah.  Francis Smith of Reading only named sons John and Benjamin Smith in his will.

Francis Smith, born in England and died 20 March 1650 in Reading, Massachusetts was  married to Alice Unknown about 1622.  His son John Smith (1622 - 1706) married, as his second wife, Mary Bill, my 1^st cousin 8x removed- granddaughter of John Bill (1598- 1638) and Dorothy Tuttle, my 8^th great grandparents on my father’s side.  Their son, Deacon Francis Smith (1658 – 1744) married Ruth Maverick, my 1^st cousin 9 generations removed, granddaughter of Reverend John Maverick (1578 – 1638) and Mary Gye, my 11 great grandparents. A very tangled tree indeed!  But Francis Smith might not be my 9th great grandfather. 

If Hannah Smith is not the daughter of Francis Smith, she might be the daughter of Matthew Smith, who lived in Woburn, Reading and Charlestown, Massachusetts at this time period.  Anderson supposes that she might be Matthew’s daughter since he did have a child named "Hannah".  There were many other Smith families in Massachusetts, too.

Hannah remains another brickwall ancestress.  Hannah married George Lillie who settled in the west parish of Reading, Massachusetts (a village known as Woodend) and was the schoolmaster. They had four children, and then Hannah died in 1666.  George remarried to a woman named Jane and had two more children. Hannah and George’s son John Lilley,  my 7^th great grandfather,  married Hannah Bassett and removed to Woburn, Massachusetts. 

My SMITH genealogy:

 Generation 1: Hannah Smith, died on 6 May 1666 in Reading, Massachusetts; married on 15 November 1659 in Reading to George Lillie as his first wife.  He was the son of Edward Lillie and Margaret Wharton.  He was born about 1637 and died 14 February 1691 in Reading. Four children. 

Generation 2:  John Lillie m. Hannah Bassett

Generation 3: Phebe Lilley m. Noah Eaton

Generation 4: Katherine Eaton m. John Emerson

Generation 5: Romanus Emerson m. Jemima Burnham

Generation 6: George Emerson m. Mary Esther Younger

Generation 7: Mary Katharine Emerson m. George E. Batchelder

Generation 8: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

Generation 9:  Stanley Elmer Allen m. Gertrude Matilda Hitchings (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ SMITH of Reading, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 30, 2016,  (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/07/surname-saturday-smith-of-reading.html: accessed [access date]. 

Surname Saturday ~ Smith of Exeter and Hampton, New Hampshire

Early Settlers at Hampton, New Hampshire.  Robert Smith is found between
Rev. Stephen Bachiler and James Wedgewood -
just below the south east corner of the Meeting House Green

SMITH

Robert Smith, my 10^th great grandfather, a tailor, lived first in Exeter, New Hampshire where he signed the Exeter Combination Agreement in 1639.   He served as a juror and magistrate in Exeter before removing to Hampton. At Hampton he was elected a Selectman in 1654 and a constable in 1671.  He had six children with his wife, Susannah, who was killed by lightening in 1680 “slaine by ye thunder”. In 1673 he deposed that his age was about 61, and in 1695 he deposed that his age was about 83.  In 1671, after his wife’s death, he was listed as a member in full communion of the church pastored by Reverend Seaborn Cotton. Robert Smith died in Hampton in 1706, testate.

I descend from his only daughter, Meribah, was born about 1635 and married Deacon Francis Page of Hampton on 2 December 1669.  Of the five sons, four married and lived nearby.  One son, Israel, died in Boston and administration of his estate was given to his father, Robert Smith, on 20 May 1676.  He divided the estate equally among the five sons, including Francis Page as one of his sons.  His son, Joseph Smith, married Dorothy, a daughter of Rev. Seaborn Cotton, about 1694.

Robert and Susannah Smith are both buried at the Old Burying Ground, also known as “Pine Grove Cemetery”. 

Some SMITH resources:

“The Two Families of Sarah (Libbey) (Smith) Dolbear of Hampton and Rye, New Hampshire” by Steven Edwrd Sullivan, The American Genealogist, 1998, Volume 73, pages 258 – 271.

The Ancestry of the Children of Robert Croll Stevens and Jane Eleanor (Knauss) Stevens, by Robert Croll Stevens, 1982, Volume 1, page 37.  [available to read online at FamilySearch.org https://dcms.lds.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE1898640 ]

“Preliminary Account of the Descendants of Robert Smith (1611 – 1709) of Exeter & Hampton, N.H., through the Fifth Generation” by Danny D. Smith, 1980 [typescript at the Maine State Library, Augusta].

A memorial biography to Robert Smith at Find a Grave can be seen at this link  (along with a link to the memorial for Susannah):  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=16885925

My SMITH genealogy:

Generation 1:  Robert Smith, born about 1611 in England, died 30 August 1706 in Hampton, New Hampshire; married to Susannah Unknown.  Six children.  I descend from his only daughter.

Generation 2:  Meribah Smith, born aobut 1635; married Francis Page, son of Robert Page and Lucy Warde. 

Generation 3:   Francis Page m. Hannah Nudd

Generation 4:  Sarah Page m. Josiah Batchelder

Generation 5: David Batchelder m. Elizabeth Swett

Generation 6: Elisha Batchelder m. Sarah Lane

Generation 8: Jonathan Batchelder m. Nancy Thompson

Generation 9: George E. Batchelder m. Abigail M. Locke

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

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

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

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Published under a Creative Commons License

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Smith of Exeter and Hampton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted January 9, 2016, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/01/surname-saturday-smith-of-exeter-and.html:  accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ PAGE of Hampton, New Hampshire

Memorial Stone to the PAGE family
at Founder's Park in Hampton, New Hampshire

PAGE

Robert Page married his wife, Lucy, in South Walsham, Norfolk, England on 8 October 1629.  They were examined in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England before leaving England on 11 April 1637 and he gave his age as thirty three years in the deposition.  In their party on board the immigrant ship Rose they had three children: Francis, Margaret and Susannah, and two servants- William Moulton, age twenty, and “Anne Wadd”, fifteen years old (sister to Robert’s wife Lucy Warde).  They deposed that they were “desirous to passe into New England to inhabit.”  They arrived in Boston on June 8^th and first settled in Salem, Massachusetts.

In 1639 Robert Page received ten acres of land for a house lot in Hampton, New Hampshire.  This land was owned by his descendants for six generations, abutting the meeting house on the south, and between the house lots of William and Robert Marston.  He was made a freeman on 18 May 1642 in Hampton.   Robert built the first sawmill in Hampton.   Out of 76 taxpayers in Hampton in 1659, his tax was the highest.

This area of New Hampshire was known at this time as the county of Norfolk, Massachusetts.   Robert Page was a representative to the General Court, and served as a marshal for Norfolk County.  He was also the only deacon of the church from 1671 until his death in 1679 and was succeeded by his son Francis, my 9^th great grandfather.   See the Essex County, Massachusetts probate files for his will proved on 11 November 1679 and also see the Norfolk County, Massachusetts Deeds, Volume 3, page 28.  (This is a case of looking in Massachusetts records for this New Hampshire family!)

I descend from two of Robert Page’s children- Francis, mentioned above, and his daughter, Margaret who married John Sanborn, grandson of the Rev. Stephen Bachiler of Hampton.   Another daughter, Rebecca, married his servant William Marston.  Francis Page was born about 1633 and also resided in Hampton.  He was a selectman, juror, and town moderator.  He was elected to be a deacon soon after his father’s death.  Francis had a son, Francis, who was my 8^th great grandfather (see below).

For more PAGE information:

History of Hampton, New Hampshire by Joseph Dow

The New England Ancestry of Dana Converse Backus, page 118

The History and Genealogy of the Page Family from the years 1257 to the Present, by Charles Nelson Page, 1911

New England Historic Genealogical Society Register, “The English Ancestry of Robert Page of Hampton, NH”, by George Chamberlain, Volume 66, pages 180 – 183.

My PAGE genealogy:

Generation 1:   Robert Page, son of Robert Page and Margaret Goodwin, born about 1604 in England, died 22 September 1679 in Hampton, New Hampshire;  married on 8 October 1629 in South Walsham, Norfolk, England to Lucy Warde, daughter of Francis Warde and Susanna Brown.  Seven children, and I descend from two- Francis and Margaret.

Lineage A:

Generation 2: Margaret Page, born about 1630, died 13 July 1699 in Hampton; married to John Sanborn, son of John Sanborn and Ann Batchelder.  He was born about 1620 in England and died 10 October 1692 in Hampton, New Hampshire.  Margaret and John Sanborn had one child.  She was previously married to William Moulton on 18 April 1663 in Hampton.  William Moulton was the stepson of William Estow, who had been her father’s servant. 

Generation 3:  Jonathan Sanborn, born 25 May 1672 in Hampton, died 20 June 1741 in Kingston, New Hampshire;  married on 4 February 1692 in Hampton to Elizabeth Sherburne, daughter of Samuel Sherburne and Love Hutchings.

Generation 4: Margaret Sanborn m. Moses Sleeper

Generation 5:  Hepzibah Sleeper m. Samuel Lane

Generation 6: Sarah Lane m. Elisha Batchelder

Generation 7: Jonathan Batchelder m. Nancy Thompson

Generation 8: George E. Batchelder m. Abigail M. Locke

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

Generation 10: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

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

Lineage B:

Generation 2:  Francis Page, born 1633, died 15 November 1706 in Hampton, New Hampshire; married on 2 December 1669 in Hampton to Meribah Smith, daughter of Robert Smith and Susanna Unknown. Seven children.

Generation 3: Francis Page, born 15 December 1676 in Hampton, died 19 August 1755 in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire; married on 27 January 1698 in Hampton Falls to Hannah Nudd, daughter of Thomas Nudd and Sarah Dearborn.  She was born 23 October 1678 in Hampton and died 12 April 1751 in Hampton.  Ten children.

Generation 4:  Sarah Page, born 18 October 1698 and died May 1781; married on 31 January 1723 to Josiah Batchlder, son of Nathaniel Batchelder and Elizabeth Foss.  He was born 1 July 1695 in Hampton and died 9 October 1759 in Hampton Falls.  Six children.

Generation 5:  David Batchelder m. Elizabeth Swett

Generation 6:  Elisha Batchelder m. Sarah Lane  (see above)

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Published under a Creative Commons License

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ PAGE of Hampton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 12, 2015, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/surname-saturday-page-of-hampton-new.html:  accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ Parkhurst of Boston and Watertown, Massachusetts

Parkhurst / Parkis / Parkes / Parkisse / P’rust

Not all immigrants to the New World stayed here. Many went back and forth.  My ancestor Isaac Allerton  (1586 – 1659)made as many as five voyages back and forth to England.  Another ancestor, Rev. Thomas Mayhew (1621 – 1657), died on a trip back to England when his ship disappeared and he was never seen again. Another ancestor, Rev. Stephen Bachiler, went back to England to escape an unfaithful wife, and died there in 1656. The subject of this post, George Parkhurst (1588 – 1675), my 10^th great grandfather, also returned to England after living here in New England for more than 10 years.

No one knows exactly when George Parkhurst arrived in Massachusetts.  We don’t even know if his first wife, Pheobe, immigrated to Massachusetts.   His first record of owning property was 1642 in Watertown, when a highway was laid out near his house. In 1644 he married a second wife, Susanna, widow of John Stimson of Watertown.   

George had nine children with his first wife, Pheobe, and five more with his second wife.  Of his children,  Deborah, my 10^th great grandmother, married John Smith of Watertown and went to Martha’s Vineyard,  and Elizabeth, my 9^th great grandmother, married Emanuel Hilliard and lived in New Hampshire and then married second to Joseph Merry and went to Martha’s Vineyard, too.   The names of all the children were puzzled out by William H. Whitmore in an article in the NEHGS Register, Volume 27, pages 364-369 “The Dalton and Batcheller Pedigree”. 

On 23 May 1655 George petitioned the General Court for permission to return to England.  His second wife, Susanna had already gone back to England with six of her children (five from George).  George wanted to go back to aid his elderly wife.  He was about 67 years old.  A few weeks later, a deed was recorded on 13 June 1655 when he sold his land, his last record in New England.

It is thought that the “Old George Parkhurst” buried 18 June 1675 in Ipswich, England is my 10^th great grandfather.  He was probably living with his cousin Nathaniel Parkhurst, who was taxed there in 1674.

Some resources for George Parkhurst information:

Fifty Great Migration Colonists to New England & Their Origins, by John Brooks Threlfall, 1990, pages 256-288.

The New England Ancestry of Alice Everett Johnson, 1899 – 1986, by Willard Marshall Bollenback, Jr. , 2003, pages 275-276.

"The Family of George Parkhurst of Watertown and Boston, Mass.", by Edson Salisbury Jones, NEHGS Register, Volume 68, page 370 - 375.

Also,  The History of Martha’s Vineyard by Dr. Charles E. Banks, Volume II, pages 111 – 113.  You can also use the Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, and The Ancestry of Margaret Brooks Threfall, by John Threlfall, 1985.

My PARKHURST lineages:

Generation 1:  George Parkhurst, born about 1588 in Ipswich, Suffolk, England and died about 1675 in Ipswich, England;  married first about 1612 in England to Pheobe Leete; married second about 1644 in Watertown, Massachusetts to Susanna, widow of John Stimson.  Eleven children with Phoebe, five more with Susanna.  I descend from two daughters of Phoebe, Deborah and Elizabeth.

Lineage A:

Generation 2:  Deborah, born 1 August 1619 in Ipswich, England, died about 1686 on the island of Martha’s Vineyard; married about 1638 in Watertown to John Smith.  He was born about 1616 and died before 16 June 1674 in Edgartown, Massachusetts on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.  Five children.

Generation 3:  Deborah Smith m. Nathaniel Batchelder

Linage A1:

Generation 4: Nathaniel Batchelder m. Elizabeth Foss

Generation 5: Josiah Batchelder m. Sarah Page

Generation 6: David Batchelder m. Elizabeth Swett

Generation 7: Elisha Batchelder m. Sarah Lane

Generation 8: Jonathan Batchelder m. Nancy Thompson

Generation 9: George E. Batchelder m. Abigail M. Locke

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

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder m. Joseph Elmer Allen

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

Lineage A2:

Generation 4: Abigail Batchelder m. John Dearborn

Generation 5: Elizabeth Dearborn m. John Garland

Generation 6: Elizabeth Garland m. Richard Locke

Generation 7: Simon Locke m. Abigail Mace

Generation 8: Richard Locke m. Margaret Welch

Generation 9: Abigail M. Locke m. George E. Batchelder (see above)

Lineage B:

Generation 2: Elizabeth, born 18 May 1628 in Ipswich, England, died 6 October 1727 in Edgartown on the island of Martha’s Vineyard; married first to Emanuel Hilliard on 10 April 1640 in Watertown and had four children;  married second on 14 December 1659 in Hampton, New Hampshire to Joseph Merry. Four children.

Generation 3: Elizabeth Hilliard m. John Mayhew (son of Rev. Thomas Mayhew mentioned above)

Generation 4: John Mayhew m. Mehitable Higgins

Generation 5: John Mayhew m. Ruth Davis

Generation 6: Mary Mayhew m. Caleb Rand

Generation 7: Mary Rand m. Asahel Bill

Generation 8: Reverend Ingraham Ebenezer Bill m. Caleb Rand Bill

Generation 9: Isabella Lyons Bill m. Albert Munroe Wilkinson

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

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ Parkhurst of Boston and Watertown, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 31, 2015 ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/surname-saturday-parkhurst-of-boston.html : accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ BATCHELDER of Hampton, New Hampshire

BATCHELDER / BACHILER / BACHELLOR / BATCHELLER

The memorial at Founder's Park, Hampton, New Hampshire

A LITTLE BAND OF PIONEERS

UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF

REV. STEPHEN BACHILER

OF SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND

SEEKING A LARGER LIBERTY

IN OCTOBER 1638

SETTLED IN THE WILDERNESS

NEAR THIS SPOT

TO PLANT A FREE CHURCH

IN A FREE TOWN

THEY WERE JOINED IN 1639 BY OTHERS

AND IN THAT YEAR

THE TOWN WAS INCORPORATED

TO DO HONOR TO 

THE FOUNDERS AND FATHERS OF HAMPTON

TO EXALT THE IDEALS

FOR WHICH THEY TROVE

AND AS AN INSPIRATION TO POSTERITY

THIS MEMORIAL IS DEDICATED

OCTOBER 14, 1935

UPDATE - 10 September 2018 - see the 3 part series that updates this lineage.  Part 1 is at this link:  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/09/batchelder-family-do-over-part-1.html 

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Stephen Bachiler, my 11^th great grandfather,  graduated from St. John’s College in Oxford, England in 1585 and became the vicar of the Church of the Holy Cross and St. Peter in Wherwell, Hampshire, England.  He was a “non-conformist” and was dismissed from his church.  In 1608 he went to Leyden, Holland with the separatists.  He came to New England on 5 June 1632 on board the ship William and Francis.  He was over 70 years old at the time, and traveled with some of his grandchildren.   Of his own children, only two daughters, Theodate Hussey and Deborah Wing, later came to New England.

First he went to Lynn, where he was the first minister, from August 1632 until 1636.  Then he was in Yarmouth, on Cape Cod, in 1637 and Newbury in 1638.  From 1638 until 1641 he lived at Hampton, New Hampshire where he founded another church.  He separated from his wife, Mary, and asked the court for a divorce, and then, about age 93, he left for England.  The court records in York show her being branded with the letter A on 15 October 1651, for adultery.  The Reverend Bachiler died nearly 100 years old in London and was buried on 31 October 1656.

Another one of my 9^th great grandfathers, Rev. Samuel Skelton (1623 – 1695), the first minister at Salem, Massachusetts, said of Rev. Bachiler “Little has come down to us concerning him,  owing, it is said, to the fact that he differed about clerical associations and other subjects from most of the principal persons in Massachusetts."   He was a follower of the “Old Puritan” religion, and the new 17^th century form of Puritanism in the New World was different from the Jacobean form.  Perhaps this is why he wandered around New England and settled in New Hampshire, away from the Puritan authorities.

There are many other stories and interesting associations between the Rev. Stephen Bachiler and other early settlers and ministers in New England. There are too many stories to tell them all here in a short blog post. Please see some of the sources listed below if you would like more information on his life.

More BATCHELDER resources:

Great Migration Begins, by Robert Charles Anderson, Volume 1, pages 61 – 69.

Batchelder, Batcheller Genealogy, by Frederick Pierce, 1898. Also online at Archive.org

Descendants of Rev. Stephen Bachiler, Founder, Hampton, Rockingham Co., NH Facebook group:

https://www.facebook.com/DESCENDANTS-OF-REV-STEPHEN-BACHILER-FOUNDER-HAMPTON-ROCKINGHAM-CO-NH-364188593479/timeline/

The Lane Memorial Library in Hampton, New Hampshire has a webpage for Rev. Stephen Bachiler and it contains many useful links to biographies, journal articles and other research: http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/biog/bachilertoc.htm

There is a discussion group for descendants of Rev. Stephen Batchelder at Genealogy Wise:  http://www.genealogywise.com/group/batchelderfamily

Some Notable Descendants of Reverend Stephen Batchelder from Wikipedia

Leon Leonwood Bean (L. L. Bean)

Lady Randolph Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill

James Dean

Major General Henry Dearborn

Julie Nixon Eisenhower

Thomas Stearns Eliot (T.S. Eliot)

Gerald Ford

Louis L'Amour

President Richard Nixon

Daniel Webster

John Greenleaf Whittier

Nathaniel Hawthorne (now you know how he got the idea for "The Scarlett Letter") 

My BATCHELDER genealogy:

Generation 1:  Rev. Stephen Batchelder, born 1560 in Wherwell, Hampshire, England, died about 31 October 1656 in London, England; married first to Ann Bate, about 1586 in Wherwell, (mother of 10 children and I descend from two of them); married second to Christian Weare on 2 March 1624 in Abbotts Ann, Hampshire, England; married third to Helena Unknown, widow of the Rev. Thomas Mason on 26 March 1627 in Abbotts Ann;  married fourth to Mary Unknown, widow of Robert Beedle,  in 1648 in Beedle Wherwell, Hampshire, England. 

Lineage A:

Generation 2: Nathaniel Batchelder, born about 1590, died 1630 in the Netherlands; married to Hester Mercer, born about 1602 in Ypres, Belgium, died before 1631 in the Netherlands, mother of five children.  She was the daughter of Jan LeMercier and Jeanne LeClerc of Normandy, France.

Generation 3: Nathaniel Batchelder, born about 1630 in England, died 1710 in Hampton, New Hampshire; married on 10 December 1596 to Deborah Smith, daughter of John Smith and Deborah Parkhurst.  She was born before 1645 at Edgartown, Massachusetts on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, and died 8 March 1676 in Hampton, New Hampshire.  Nine children, and I descend from two of them.  He married second to Margery.  He did not come to New England, but some of his children did settle there.

Lineage A1:

Generation 4: Nathaniel Batchelder, born 24 December 1659 in Hampton, died about 1745 in Hampton Falls; married in 1685 in Hampton to Elizabeth Foss, daughter of John Foss and Mary Berry.  She was born in 1666 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and died in 1746. Nine children.

Generation 5:  Josiah Batchelder, born 1 July 1695 in Hampton, died 9 October 1759 in Hampton Falls; married on 31 January 1723 to Sarah Page, daughter of Francis Page and Hannah Nudd.  She was born 18 October 1698 and died in May 1781.  Six children.

Generation 6: David Batchelder, born 13 January 1736 in Hampton Falls, died 11 March 1811 in Hampton Falls; married on 24 July 1760 in Hampton Falls to Elizabeth Swett, daughter of Benjamin Swett and Elizabeth Norton.  She was born 1742 in Hampton Falls, and died 12 August 1769.  Five children.  David married second to Mary Emery on 1 January 1771 in Newbury, Massachusetts and had eight more children.

Generation 7:  Elisha Batchelder, son of David Batchelder and Elizabeth Swett, born 10 June 1763 in Hampton Falls, died 11 October 1813 in Pittsfield, New Hampshire; married Sarah Lane, daughter of Samuel Lane and Hepzibah Sleeper.  She was born 24 March 1769 in Hampton Falls, died 27 Feb 1819 in Pittsfield.  Four children.  Three children. 


NOTE 10 September 2018 -  The generations below do not descend from Elisha Batchelder.  Jonathan Batchelder, my 4th great grandfather, is the son of Nathaniel Batchelder (1732 - 1778) and his wife Mary Longfellow (1735 - 1814). 

Generation 8:  Jonathan Batchelder, born about 1800 in Hampton, died before 4 November 1847 at the Concord State Asylum, Concord, New Hampshire; married on 11 February 1822 in Belmont, New Hampshire to Nancy Thompson.  She was born about 1804 in Gilmanton, New Hampshire, and died after 1847 in Warner, New Hampshire.  Two children.

Generation 9:  George E. Batchelder, born 13 August 1822 in Chichester, New Hampshire, died 3 April 1848 in Chichester; married on 7 September 1845 in South Boston, Massachusetts to Abigail M. Locke, daughter of Richard Locke and Margaret Welch.  She was born 10 September 1825 in South Boston, and died 15 January 1888 in Chichester.  Two children.

Generation 10:  George E. Batchelder, born 8 October 1848 in Chichester, died 28 July 1914 in Cambridge; married on 28 October 1869 in Chichester to Mary Katharine Emerson, daughter of George Emerson and Mary Esther Younger.  She was born 25 December 1847 in South Boston, and died 23 April 1932 in Roxbury, Massachusetts.  Nine children.

Generation 11:  Carrie Maude Batchelder, born 22 September 1872 in Chichester, died 21 January 1963 at the Sea View Convalescent and Nursing Home, Rowley, Massachusetts; married on 1 November 1892 in Essex, Massachusetts to Joseph Elmer Allen, son of Joseph Gilman Allen and Sarah Burnham Mears.  He was born on 24 September 1870 in Essex and died 12 March 1932 at the Masonic Home in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts.  Five children.

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

Lineage A2:

Generation 4: Abigail Batchelder, born 28 December 1667 in Hampton, died 14 November, 1736 in North Hampton; married on 4 November 1689 in Hampton to John Dearborn, son of Henry Dearborn and Elizabeth Marrian.  He was born 10 October 1666 in Hampton, died 22 November 1750 in Hampton. Eight children.

Generation 5:  Elizabeth Dearborn m. John Garland

Generation 6:  Elizabeth Garland m. Richard Locke

Generation 7: Simon Locke m. Abigail Mace

Generation 8: Richard Locke m. Margaret Welch

Generation 9: Abigail M. Locke m. George E. Batchelder (see above)

Lineage B:

Generation 2: Ann Batchelder, born 1601 in Wherwell; married John Sanborn about 1619 in Southampton, Hampshire, England. Three children.  She married second on 20 January 1632/3 in Strood, Kent, England to Henry Atkinson.

Generation 3:  John Sanborn m. Margaret Page

Generation 4: Jonathan Sanborn m. Elizabeth Sherburne

Generation 5: Margaret Sanborn m. Moses Sleeper

Generation 6: Hepzibah Sleeper  m. Samuel Lane

Generation 7: Sarah Lane m. Elisha Batchelder (see above)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ BATCHELDER of Hampton, New Hampshire", Nutfield Genealogy, posted October 17, 2015, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/10/surname-saturday-batchelder-of-hampton.html:  accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ NORCROSS of England and Braintree, Massachusetts

The Haberdashers' Company Coat of Arms
"Serve and Obey"

NORCROSS

My Norcross ancestors start out with several generations of members of the Haberdashers’ Company in England.  They dealt in men’s furnishings and clothing.  Thomas Norcross, my 11th great grandfather, was born at Dilworth, Ribchester, Lancashire, England.   He had three sons: John, Jeremiah and Thomas, and they lived in St. Dunstan’s parish in London, and all were members of the Haberdashers' Company.  Thomas died in 1617 and is buried at St. Dunstans.  

Two sons went to Massachusetts – Jeremiah and John.  John was the eldest, and was my 10^th great grandfather.  He bought 22 acres of land in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but then sold it and returned to England in 1642.  He died in London in 1657.  He had two children, Anna, my 9^th great grandmother, stayed in Massachusetts with her husband, Samuel Davis.   Her brother Thomas died in England in 1662 and was buried at Ribchester, Lanashire, he was a linen manufacturer, as well as a member of the Haberdashers' Company. 

My 10^th great grand uncle, Jeremiah Norcross, came to Massachusetts and settled in Watertown, Massachusetts.  His second wife was Adrian (Unknown) (Smith) (Bland) Norcross.  Adrian is my 11^th great grandmother with her Smith marriage.  Her son, John Smith alias Bland, grew up with the Smith surname and was named in his stepfather’s will  as John Smith.   He left Watertown and went to the island of Martha’s Vineyard where he was known by the name Bland.   His son, Francis Smith, my 9^th great grandfather, passed on the Smith name, but his sister, Anabel, went by the name Bland when she married William Barsham about 1635 in the Watertown records.  This is something to remember when tracing this family!

My NORCROSS genealogy:

Generation 1:  Thomas Norcross, died 1617 at St. Dunstan’s, London, England; married Mary Chappell.

Generation 2:  John Norcross, born 1583 in London, died after 1642 in England

Generation 3: Anna Norcross,  born about 1615 in England; married on 30 November 1631 at Allhallows on Bread Street in London to Samuel Davis.  He was born about 1615 and died between 2 May and 4 July 1672 in Braintree (now Quincy), Massachusetts

Generation 4:  Mary Davis married Thomas Townsend

Generation 5: Susannah Townsend married Daniel Hitchings

Generation 6:  Daniel Hitchings married Hannah Ingalls

Generation 7:  Abijah Hitchings married Mary Gardner

Generation 8:  Abijah Hitchings married Mary Cloutman

Generation 9:  Abijah Hitchings married Eliza Ann Treadwell

Generation 10: Abijah Franklin Hitchings married Hannah Eliza Lewis

Generation 11:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings married Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

* My lineage from Adrian (Bland) (Smith) Norcross (also my ancestress in this lineage, as well as a step ancestress!):

Generation 1:  Adrian Unknown married first to Unknown Smith.  Adrian also married second to Unknown Bland, and third to Jeremiah Norcross (brother of John Norcross above).

Generation 2:  John Smith, born about 1572 in England, died about 6 January 1668 on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.  He went by the alias John BLAND.  He married Isabella Drake about 1604.  She was the daughter of William Drake and Joan Merrills.

UPDATE - 6 October 2015 - Francis Smith is not a son of John Smith and Isabella Drake [See Great Migration, Volume VI, pages 391 - 394]

Generation 3:  Francis Smith, born about 1604 in Colchester, Essex, England, died 20 March 1650 in Reading, Massachusetts; married Alice Unknown

Generation 4:  Hannah Smith, born about 1638 in Watertown, Massachusetts, died 6 May 1666 in Reading; married on 15 November 1659 in Reading to George Lillie.  Four children.

Generation 5: John Lillie married Hannah Bassett

Generation 6: Phebe Lilley married Noah Eaton

Generation 7: Katherine Eaton married John Emerson

Generation 8: Romanus Emerson married Jemima Burnham

Generation 9:  George Emerson married Mary Esther Younger

Generation 10: Mary Katherine Emerson married George E. Batchelder

Generation 11: Carrie Maude Batchelder married Joseph Elmer Allen

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

The Haberdashers Company guild is still around!  See this link:
http://www.haberdashers.co.uk/home.php  

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Published under a Creative Commons License
Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ NORCROSS of England and Braintree, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted June  13, 2015
( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/06/surname-saturday-norcross-of-england.html : accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ LILLIE of Reading, Massachusetts

LILLIE / LILLEY

George Lillie (about 1637 – 1691) is my 8^th great grandfather.  His parents, origins and immigration are all unknown, but he was probably from England.  He settled in Reading, Middlesex County, Massachusetts as a school master and owned land on the north side of the Ipswich River by 1658.   In 1667 the town made a list of the 59 houses in Reading, and George Lilly is on the list.

My 7^th great grandfather, John Lilley, removed to Woburn, a contiguous town and married Hannah Bassett.  Hannah was the daughter of William Bassett and Sarah Burt whose children were affected by the 1692 witch hysteria.  Their oldest daughter, Elizabeth, sister to Hannah, married John Proctor (my 8^th great grandfather in another lineage).  Elizabeth (Bassett) Proctor was accused of witch craft along with her husband, John, who was hung.   William Basset Jr., Hannah’s brother, had a wife Sarah (Hood) who was also arrested, tortured and tried for witch craft.   Hannah’s other sister, Mary, wife of Michael Rich, was also arrested, tortured and tried for witchcraft.  Fortunately, my 7^th great grandmother, Hannah (Bassett) Lilley escaped suspicion!

My Lillie lineage daughters out with my 6^th great grandmother, Phebe Lilley (1706 – 1786) who married Noah Eaton of Reading and Haverhill.  They had eight children all born in Reading. 

Some LILLIE resources:

George Lilly and his descendants, by Georgiana Hewins Lilly, 1945 – a typescript manuscript at the New England Historic Genealogical Society library in Boston, call number G LIL 964

Genealogical History of the Town of Reading, Massachusetts including the present towns of Wakefield, Reading, and North Reading with chronological and historical sketches from 1639 to 1874, by Lilley Eaton, 1874 also available online at https://archive.org/  and also reprinted by Heritage Books of Bowie, MD in 1994 (facsimile reprint).

Be aware that in the Reading records and vital records (and probably elsewhere) the name is spelled LELLEY, LELY, LILLE, LILLIE, LILLY, LILEY and LILLEY.  Also be aware that there are unrelated LILLIE familes in Boston and Marshfield, Massachusetts. 

One big genealogy clue I like to share about this family is to look for children with the first name of "Lilley" or "Lillie" (spelled with two LLs), and they are usually sons with a grandmother or other ancestress with the maiden name LILLIE or LILLEY from Reading.  I have a 5th great grand uncle named Lilley Eaton (1738 - 1812), and I was surprised to find out he was a boy, and happy that this discovery lead to finding his mother's maiden name was LILLEY.  The historian who wrote the town history of Reading, Massachusetts in 1874 was also named Lilley Eaton (1802 - 1872), and he is a gentleman, not a woman, and is my 2nd cousin five generations removed.  He is the son of Lilley Eaton (b. 1768) and the grandson of Lilley Eaton mentioned above as my 5th great grand uncle. 

My LILLIE genealogy:

Generation 1:  George Lillie, born about 1637 in Scotland or England, died 14 February 1691 in Reading, Massachusetts; married first on 15 November 1659 in Reading to Hannah Smith (four children), daughter of Francis Smith and Alice Unknown; married second to Jane Unkown on 6 May 1667 in Reading (two children).

Generation 2: John Lillie, born 5 December 1662 in Reading, died in Woburn, Massachusetts; married to Hannah Bassett, daughter of William Bassett and Sarah Burt.  She was born about 1670 in Lynn.  Six children.

Generation 3: Phebe Lilley, born 21 February 1706 in Woburn, died 1786 in Reading; married on 21 December 1726 in Woburn to Noah Eaton, son of Jonathan Eaton and Mary Cowdry(?).  He was born 26 January 1704 in Reading and died 1770 in Reading.  Eight children.

Generation 4:  Katherine Eaton married John Emerson

Generation 5:  Romanus Emerson married Jemima Burnham

Generation 6:  George Emerson married Mary Esther Younger

Generation 7:  Mary Katharine Emerson married George E. Batchelder

Generation 8:  Carrie Maude Batchelder married Joseph Elmer Allen

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The URL for this post is

http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/05/surname-saturday-lillie-of-reading.html 

Copyright ©2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo