Weathervane Wednesday - Of Interest To Zacheus Gould Descendants

Several months ago Karen Johnson sent me the link to a story she wrote for the Towne Family Association Newletter for July - September 2018.  On pages 79 -81 she wrote a short article called "Gold Country - Zacheus & Phebe Gould Country, that is".  One of the photos in this article featured a wonderful weathervane, and she gave me permission to repost these photos and excerpts from her article about her June 2017 TFA trip to England and her visit to the farm where this weathervane is located.

"Our excursion today took us to GOLD country. That means we traveled through land where Zacheus and Phebe Gould once lived.  The name Gould is sometimes pronounced Gold.  In the records it has been found with many different spellings - Gold, Goolde, Golde, Goold, Goeld, and even Gowle as well as Gould. Gould has been the spelling most commonly used today. This family's treasure was not in gold, but in the land they had acquired and had inherited...

... By 6 June 1626, Zacheus and Phebe Gould had surrendered their land, garden, orchard and buildings in Two Waters... They were moving to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire County... Years later, Zacheus Gould's grandson, John Gould, said that "his grandfather Zacheus lived at a place called Hunts Green near Potter Row, belonging to Great Missenden.

In Great Missenden they actually did live on a farm named Hunts Green.  It was located on the boundary of the small parish of The Lee and the little town, but with a large parish, of Wendover, all to the north.  Zacheus also had lands in Wendover Foreign.  The baptisms for the next two children were at St. Peter and St. Paul Church in Great Missenden: Priscill on 7 Sep 1628 and John on 29 June 1635...

Our coach traveled through Bovingdon and passed by Venus Hill where Zacheus Gould had inherited land and had lived when he was young.  Here we could see horses grazing on the pasture land.  There is a sign at the bottom of the hill that says Venus Hill.  We passed through Two Waters and visited Hemel Hempstead where Zacheus and Phebe lived with their first three children.

Then we headed to Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire County to see where Zacheus and Phebe had lived.  They had built a home that Charles Farrow beieves is probably the one called Hunts Green Farm today.  The home has had some new brickwork done and has been expanded. However, the old beams holding up the structure date back to when the Gould family lived there.  We went by Potter Row on our way to and from Hunts Green.

Hunts Green Farm

We felt very fortunate to be able to stop at Hunts Green Farm where we were given a tour by the current owners.  They now have several barns and some additional housing and lots of farm equipment.  Today they grow corn, and there is a delightful weather vane adorning the roof of one structure with a tractor on top letting you know definitely that it is a farm.

To drive through these communities and to be able to see the many places where our Gould ancestors once lived was truly special.  To actually see a farm, walk on the land, and see a home built in the early 1600s where our family once lived was extraordinary....

....Reminder:  The Towne family is related to Zacheus and Phebe Gould through their daughter Phoebe Gould who married Thomas Perkins. Their daughter Phebe Perkins married Joseph Towne in 1663 in Topsfield, Massachusetts."

Are you a GOULD descendant, too?

Zaccheus Gould, son of Richard Gould and Elizabeth Young was born in 1589 in Bovingdon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, and died after 30 March 1668 in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He married Phebe Deacon, daughter of Thomas Deacon and Martha Field and had six children, three born in Bovingdon and three in Great Missenden.  I descend from Priscilla Gould (about 1625 - 1663) , mentioned above in the article by Karen Johnson, who married John Wildes (about 1619 - 1705).

Thank you very much, Karen Johnson, for the photos and story!

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Weathervane Wednesday - Of Interest To Zacheus Gould Descendants", Nutfield Genealogy, posted July 31, 2019, (https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2019/07/weathervane-wednesday-of-interest-to.html: accessed [access date]).

Surname Saturday ~ WILKINS of Dorchester, Lynn, and Middleton, Massachusetts

WILKINS / WILKENS

Bray Wilkins (about 1610 – 1702), my 10^th great grandfather, is of unknown origins, although family tradition says he was from Wales.  He was at Dorchester, Massachusetts as early as 1633, and he joined the church there in 1640 and is recorded as “Brave Wilkins”. The baptisms of his first six children are recorded at Dorchester.  In 1654 he removed to the church in Salem.  Later, in 1689, Bray Wilkins and his wife were dismissed from Salem so they “might be a church of themselves” at Salem Village, which later became the town of Danvers.  He lived at “Wills Hill” which became part of the town of Middleton, adjoining Danvers.

One of Bray Wilkins granddaughters had a husband who was hanged as a witch in 1692.  His son Thomas had a daughter named Margaret who married John Willard.   The Wilkins family had not approved of Willard’s marriage.  They testified against him during the witch hysteria, which led to his arrest and he was eventually found guilty.  Willard was blamed for the death of young Daniel Wilkins “bewitched to death”.  He was also blamed for killing a Lydia Wilkins and one of Philip Knight’s children (Philip married Bray’s daughter Margaret, my 9^th great grandparents).  Bray Wilkins testified in early August 1692 about his kidney stones and blamed Willard for the death of his grandson Daniel Wilkins.  On 19 August 1692 John Willard was hanged along with John Proctor (also my 10^th great grandfather), Reverend George Burroughs, Martha Carrier, and George Jacobs (also my 11^th great grandfather).   

I descend from Bray’s daughter, Margaret (1648/9 – after 1710), my 9^th great grandmother, who married Philip Knight around 1668.  She had nine children born in Topsfield, Massachusetts, all baptized on the same day, 24 May 1691.  Her husband was a “husbandman” or farmer. Her daughter, Elizabeth, my 8th great grandmother, married Samuel Towne (from the same Topsfield TOWNE family with three accused witches - Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, Mary (Towne) Eastey, and Sarah (Towne) Cloyse.) 

Some WILKINS resources:

The Family of Bray Wilkins “Patriarch of Wills Hill”, by William Carroll Hill, 1943.

The Great Migration Begins,  by Robert Charles Anderson,  1995, Volume III, pages 1991 – 1994.

The American Genealogist, Volume 60, pages 1 – 18 and pages 101 – 113.

My WILKINS genealogy:

Generation 1:  Bray Wilkins, born about 1610 maybe in Wales, died 1 January 1702 in Middleton, Massachusetts; married about 1636 to Hannah Way, daughter of Henry Way and Elizabeth Bachelor.  Eight children.

Generation 2:  Margaret Wilkins, baptized on 10 February 1648/9 in Dorchester, Massachusetts, died after 1710; married about 1668 in Topsfield to Philip Knight, son of Philip Knight and Margery Williams.  He was born about 1646 and died after 1724.  Nine children.

Generation 3:  Elizabeth Knight m. Samuel Towne

Generation 4:  Rebecca Towne m. Stephen Johnson

Generation 5:  Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree

Generation 6:  Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 7:  Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 8:  Hannah Phillips m. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 9:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 10:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ WILKINS of Dorchester and Middleton, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 17, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-wilkins-of-dorchester.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ KNIGHT of Charlestown and Topsfield, Massachusetts

I have written a previous “Surname Saturday” post about a John Knight (1601 – 1674) of Charlestown, Massachusetts at this link:   

https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/12/surname-saturday-knight-of-charlestown.html  

I don’t think there is any kinship between John Knight and the subject of this new blog post, Philip Knight, my 10^th great grandfather, who is recorded as living in Charlestown before removing to Topsfield, Massachusetts.   He is recorded in Charlestown as a cooper, and he kept the ferry in 1651.  His wife was Margery, and they had five children. She joined the church on 7 (3) 1650 in Charlestown.  He died before 1668/9 when his wife remarried to Thomas Bateman of Concord.

In Essex County Quarterly Court Files, Volume 13, Leaf 121 it lists the children and their ages as Jonathan, age 26; Phillip, age 23; Rebeca, age 17; Eliza, age 13; and Mary, age 11.  I descend from Philip Knight, Jr. (1646 – 1724), my 9^th great grandfather, who married Margaret Wilkins.  They had nine children, and the living children were all baptized on the same day in Topsfield, on 24 May 1691.   He was described as a husbandman (farmer) in deeds and court records.

His daughter, Elizabeth Knight (1677 – 1752) is my 8^th great grandmother.  She married Samuel Towne in 1696 and had four children. 

For more information on KNIGHT:

The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, by Thomas Bellows Wyman, 1879, Volume II, page 590.

Genealogical Guide to Early Settlers of America, by Henry Whittemore, 1898, page 309.

Topsfield Historical Collections, Volume 25, page 107

Salem Quarterly Court Records

The Family of Bray Wilkins, Patriarch of Will’s Hill, of Salem, by William C. Hill, 1943

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My KNIGHT lineage:

Generation 1:  Philip Knight, born about 1614 probably in England, died 1668 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married about 1641 to Margery Unknown.  Six children. Margery remarried to Thomas Bateman.

Generation 2:  Philip Knight, born about 1646, died after 1724; married about 1668 in Topsfield to Margaret Wilkin, daughter of Bray Wilkins and Hannah Way.  She was baptized on 10 February 1648/9 in Dorchester, Massachusetts and died after 1710.  Nine children.

Generation 3:  Elizabeth Knight, born 25 January 1677 in Topsfield, died 17 May 1752 in Topsfield; married on 20 October 1696 in Topsfield to Samuel Towne, son of Edmund Towne and Mary Browning.  He was born 11 February 1673 in Topsfield, and died 1714 probably in Topsfield.  Four children. Elizabeth remarried to Elisha Perkins.

Generation 4:  Rebecca Towne m. Stephen Johnson

Generation 5:  Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree

Generation 6:  Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 7:  Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 8:  Hannah Phillips m. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 9:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 10:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ KNIGHT of Charlestown and Topsfield, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 10, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-knight-of-charlestown.html:  accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ BROWNING of Topsfield, Massachusetts

[Note:  This blog post corrects an earlier blog post on the BROWNING family.  See this link:
https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2012/09/surname-saturday-browning-of-topsfield.html ]

Topsfield 1872

Thomas Browning, my 10th great grandfather, appears in the Salem, Massachusetts records in 1636.  He took the Freeman’s oath in Salem on 17 April 1637.  By about 1657 the Browning family had moved to Topsfield, because I found a lawsuit dated 1657 suing Thomas Browning for fencing land that belonged to the town.  He wasn’t dismissed from the Salem church to Topsfield until 8 November 1663.

Thomas and his wife, Mary, only had four daughters, so the name is not carried any further in Topsfield.  He was about 50 years old when his first daughter was baptized.  We know this because in 1660 he gave his age as 73 years old in a deposition. 

Thomas made his will 16 Feb 1670/1:

The last Will and testament of Thomas Browning of Salem being sicke in bodie yett of pfct understanding this 16th day if febewari: 1670 Imprimis I doe apoint my wife to bee my whole Executres and do giue my grandchild Thomas Towne twenty two pounds: which twelue pounds is in the hands of his father & ten pounds is in the hands of his uncle Jacob Towne: to be paid to the sd Thomas Towne aforesaidwhen he come to be twentie & one yeares of Age.

Itam I giue my wifes deseace All my land and housing at Topsfield, to my daughter Towne her husband & my daughter Simons & her husband during their lives. And after their deceace to be disposed by the two daughters abousd to the Children of their own bodies Laufully And there husbands All my land and Howsing at Salem. After my wifes deceace as aboue is Exprest And after their deceace as abouvesaid, And if anie of my daughters die without issew: Then the estate to be deuided among the Children of my daughters siruiuing And if my wife should dy without a will, whatsoever id Left to be deuided betwin my fowr daughters or there Children.        

Thomas (his mark) Browning _____ Witness Joseph Grafton, sr., George Gardner. Proved in Salem court 28: 4m: 1671 by the witnesses.

will found in the book Historical Collections of the Topsfield Historical Society by George Francis Dow, 1920, Volume 25, pages 108 to 109.

For more information:

Genealogy of the Brownings in America: 1621 – 1908, by Edward F. Browning, 1908 (see Archive.org)

Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis, by Walter Goodwin Davis, 1995.

My BROWNING genealogy:

Generation 1:  Thomas Browning, born about 1587 probably in England, died February 1699/70 in Topsfield, Massachusetts; married to Mary Unknown before 1635.  Four daughters:

       a.  Elizabeth, born about 1635, married James Symonds

       b.  Mary (see below, my 9th great grandmother)

       c.  Sarah, born about 1640, married Joseph Williams

       d.  Deborah, born 31 January 1647, m. Isaac Meacham and removed to Enfield, Connecticut

Generation 2. Mary Browning, born 7 November 1637 in Salem, Massachusetts, died about 1717 in Topsfield; married on 25 March 1652 in Salem to Edmund Towne, son of William Towne and Joanna Blessing.  He was born about 1628 in Yarmouth, England, and died before 3 May 1678 in Topsfield.  Seven children.

Generation 3:  Samuel Towne m. Elizabeth Knight

Generation 4:  Rebecca Towne m. Stephen Johnson

Generation 5: Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree

Generation 6: Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 7:  Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 8: Hannah Phillips m. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 9: Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 10: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ BROWNING of Topsfield, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted  March 3, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/03/surname-saturday-browning-of-topsfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Surname Saturday ~ TOWNE of Salem and Topsfield, Massachusetts

Topsfield, Massachusetts 1872

TOWNE / TOWN

William Towne, my 10^th great grandfather, was baptized in the Saint Nicholas Church at Great Yarmouth in England on 18 March 1598/9, the son of John and Elizabeth Towne.  He married his wife, Joanna Blessing in Great Yarmouth, and six of his eight children were born there before they came to Salem, Massachusetts.  On 11 October 1640 his first land was in a part of Salem called Northfields “Graunted to William Townde a little neck of land right over against his howse on the other side of the riuer to be sett out by the towne.”

In 1652 William Towne removed his family to "New Meadows", now called Topsfield, where he bought forty acres, and bought more land in 1656.  He gave his youngest son, Joseph, two thirds of his Topsfield land in 1663 when he married Phebe Perkins.  I descend from the third son, Edmund Towne (about 1628 – 1678), who married Mary Browning, my 9^th great grandparents. 

William’s mother-in-law (Joanna’s mother), Joanne (Priest) Blessing, had been accused of being a witch in England.  During the trials, Ann Putnam testified that three of Joanna (Blessing) Towne’s daughters were witches because her mother was a witch.  [Salem Village Witchcraft: A Documentary Record of Local Conflict in Colonial New England, by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum, 2016, page 28]   Mary (Towne) Easty was accused on 1 April 1692, and hanged on 22 September 1692.  Rebecca (Towne) Nurse was accused on 2 May 1692 and hanged on 19 June 1692.  Sarah (Towne) Cloyse was accused on 3 April 1692. She spent four months chained in jail, and her case was dismissed in January 1693.   A fourth daughter, Susannah, died in 1678, before the trials began, or she probably would have been accused, too!

In his youth, Edmund Towne was an apprentice to Henry Skerry of Salem.  He was known as “Sergeant Towne” in the Topsfield records.  He was part of the militia, and in 1674 he formed a committee to petition to form a military guard for Topsfield, which was considered the frontier.  Edmund Towne died without a will.  His wife, Mary, was named administrix, and she divided the estate among the daughters. 

In the next generation, I descend from Samuel Towne, my 8^th great grandfather, who married Elizabeth Knight. He also died without a will, and his wife divided the estate between herself and the four children.   Their youngest daughter, Rebecca Towne, is my 7^th great grandmother, who married Stephen Johnson in 1730. Stephen died in 1734, leaving her with two small children, and Rebecca remarried to her second cousin, Joshua Towne, the son of Jacob Towne and Phebe Smith.

Some TOWNE resources:

The TOWNE Family Association: http://townefolk.com  

“TOWNE Cousins” on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/townecousins2014/  

Towne Family, William Towne and Joanna Blessing, Salem, Massachusetts, 1635, Five Generations of Descendants, by Lois Payne Hoover, 2011, from the Towne Family Association.

(An older compiled genealogy) The Descendants of William Towne: Who came to America on or about 1630 and settled in Salem, Mass., by Edwin Eugene Towne, 1901, reprinted by Higginson Book Co., 2006.

Some of the Towne Family and the Salem Witchcraft Delusion, by Joseph L. Wheeler, 1969

Gary Boyd Roberts, “Notable Kin:  The Progeny of “Witches” and “Wizards”: Some Descendants of George Burroughs and William and Joanna (Blessing) Towne, Parents of Mary Easy and Rebecca Nurse”, NEHGS, NEXUS Volume 9, pages 108 – 11 which was also printed in his book Notable Kin, Volume Two, pages 79 -86 (descendants of fifteen 1692 Salem witch trial victims).

My TOWNE genealogy:

Generation 1:  William Towne, born about 1598, probably in England, died about 1672 in Topsfield, Massachusetts; married on 25 April 1620, St. Nicholas, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England to Joanna Blessing, daughter of John Blessing and Joanne Priest.  She was born about 1594 in Great Yarmouth, and died 1682 in Topsfield.  Eight children.

Generation 2:  Edmund Towne, born about 1628 in Yarmouth, England, died before 3 May 1678 in Topsfield, Massachusetts; married on 25 March 1652 in Salem to Mary Browning, daughter of Thomas Browning and Mary Unknown.  She was born 7 November 1637 in Salem, and died about 1717 in Topsfield.  Seven children.

Generation 3:  Samuel Towne, born 11 February 1673 in Topsfield, died 1714; married on 20 October 1696 in Topsfield to Elizabeth Knight, daughter of Phillip Knight and Margaret Wilkins.  She was born 25 January 1677 in Topsfield, and died 17 May 1752 in Topsfield.  Four children.  Elizabeth remarried to Elisha Perkins on 4 April 1715 in Topsfield.

Generation 4:  Rebecca Towne,  born 8 February 1699/1700 in Topsfield; married on 2 December 1730 in Topsfield to Stephen Johnson.  He was born about 1700 and died 29 August 1734 in Topsfield.  Two children.  Rebecca remarried to her cousin, Joshua Towne, on 7 August 1739 in Topsfield, and had one more child.

Generation 5:   Ruth Johnson married Richard Cree

Generation 6:  Stephen Cree married Hannah Smith

Generation 7:  Sara Cree married James Phillips

Generation 8:  Hannah Phillips married Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 9:  Hannah Eliza Lewis married Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 10:  Arthur Treadwell Hitchings married Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ TOWNE of Salem and Topsfield, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 24, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/surname-saturday-towne-of-salem-and.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 ~ DWINNELL of Topsfield, Massachusetts

DUNNELL / DWINNEL /  DWINEL / DONNELL

My 9^th great grandfather, Michael Dwinell or Dunnell, is of unknown origins.  Some think that perhaps the surname is perhaps French Huguenot, and other books say he was possibly Irish, but there is no proof either way.  He was born about 1640 and died in 1717 in Topsfield, Massachusetts.  His wife is only known as “Mary”, although Savage’s Genealogical Dictionary of New England states her name was Mary Read (no proof).   They had nine children in the Topsfield records, and his son Michael, Jr., was the first physician in Topsfield. Michael Dwinnel owned a large amount of land, including 50 acres he bought from Francis Peabody in 1672. 

My 8^th great grandfather, John Dunnell (1674 – 1742), lived in Topsfield as a “husbandman” or farmer.  He married Mary Read of Salem in 1701.  His wife was the executor of his will which was witnessed by Jeremiah Towne, Jacob Dwinnell, and Richard Towne.

His daughter, Keziah Dwinel (b. 1703), my 7^th great grandmother, married Nicholas Cree.  Their son, Richard Cree (1727 – 1769), married Ruth Johnson, whose mother was Rebecca Towne.  Rebecca’s grandfather was Edmund Towne (1628 – 1678), a brother of Rebecca (Towne) Nurse who was hanged as a witch in 1692.  Perhaps Rebecca Towne was named after her poor grandmother, the victim of the Salem hysteria?   The two Towne men mentioned above as witnesses to the will of John Dunnell in 1742 were both grandsons of Edmund Towne, too.

Some DWINNELL resources:

The True Genealogy of the Dunnell and Dwinnell Family, by Henry Gale Dunnell, 1862 (Google Books)

The Dwinnell, Dunnell Genealogy,  by Ira A. Dwinnell, 1974

The History of Topsfield, Massachusetts, by George F. Dow, 1940  (Archive.org)

The Vital Records of Topsfield, Massachusetts, 1903

My DWINNELL genealogy:

Generation 1:  Michael Dunnell, born about 1640, maybe in France, died 1717 in Topsfield, Massachusetts; married Mary Unknown about 1668.  Nine children.

Generation 2:  John Dunnell, born 16 December 1674 in Topsfield, died 28 January 1742 in Topsfield; married Mary Read on 25 February 1701 in Salem, Massachusetts.  She was born about 1682 in Salem. Six children.

Generation 3: Keziah Dwinell, born 14 December 1703 in Topsfield, married Nicholas Cree of Marblehead on 7 October 1723 in Topsfield.  Six children.

Generation 4: Richard Cree m. Ruth Johnson

Generation 5: Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 6:  Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 7: Hannah Phillips m. Capt. Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 8:  Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 9: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, “Surname Saturday ~ DWINNELL of Topsfield, Massachusetts”, Nutfield Genealogy, posted February 3, 2018, ( https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2018/02/surname-saturday-dwinnell-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)

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

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 ~ TOWNE of Topsfield, Massachusetts

TOWNE

The front door of the
Rebecca (Towne) Nurse Homestead
Danvers, Massachusetts

William Towne and Joanna Blessing were married in the town of Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England and their first six children were born there.  Around 1635 they Salem, Massachusetts where two more children were born.  On 11 October 1640 they were granted land “…a little neck of land right over against his howse on the other side of the riuer to be sett out by the towne.”  He asked for more land, along with Francis Nurse, on 20 March 1647.  In 1652 he removed inland to Topsfield where he bought 40 acres, and later purchased more land. In 1663 he gave his son, Joseph, two thirds of his property and kept one third for himself.

William died in 1673 and his estate was given to his widow. When Joanna died about 1682 the six surviving children signed a petition for the land to be divided between the three sons, and the moveables divided among the three daughters.

Almost thirty years after his death, and twenty years after Joanna’s death, those three daughters were all accused of witchcraft during the 1692 Salem witch hysteria.  Rebecca Nurse was hanged as a witch on 16 July 1692, and Mary Esty was hanged on 19 September 1692.  Sarah Cloyes was arrested but was not executed before the trials were brought to a halt.

For more TOWNE information:

Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis, 1996, Volume III, pages 485 – 507.  See the ancestry of Joanna Blessing in Volume I, pages 193 – 199. 

The Descendants of William Towne, by Edwin Eugene Towne, 1901

The Towne Family Association, Inc.,   www.townefolk.com

Town Cousins group on Facebook   https://www.facebook.com/groups/townecousins2014/

For famous descendants of this family see NEXUS Volume 9, pages 108 – 111 and also there are a plethora of good books (and poorly researched books) on the three TOWNE sisters accused of witchcraft.  

My TOWNE lineage:

Generation 1: William Towne,  son of John Towne and Elizabeth Unknown, baptized on 18 March 1598 at St. Nicholas church, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England , died about 1672 in Topsfield, Massachusetts; married on 25 April 1620 at St. Nicholas church, Great Yarmouth to Joanna Blessing.  She was born about 1594 in  Great Yarmouth and died 1682 in Topsfield.  Eight children including three daughters accused of witchcraft in 1692 – Rebecca Nurse, Sarah Cloyes and Mary Esty. 

Generation 2: Edmund Towne, baptized on 28 June 1628 in St. Nicholas church, Great Yarmouth,  died before 3 May 1678 in Topsfield; married on 25 March 1652 to Mary Browning, daughter of Thomas Browning and Mary Unknown.  She was born 7 November 1637 in Salem, and died about 1717 in Topsfield. Seven children.

Generation 3: Samuel Towne, born 11 February 1673 in Topsfield, died 1714; married on 20 October 1696 in Topsfield to Elizabeth Knight, daughter of Phillip Knight and Margaret Wilkins.  She was born 25 January 1677 in Topsfield and died 17 May 1752 in Topsfield.  Elizabeth married second to Elisha Perkins as his second wife.  She had four children with Samuel Towne.

Generation 4: Rebecca Towne,  born 8 February 1699/1700 in Topsfield; married on 2 December 1730 in Topsfield to Stephen Johnson.  He was born about 1700 and died 29 August 1734 in Topsfield. Two children.  She remarried to Joshua Towne, son of Jacob Towne and Phebe Smith, as his second wife and his second cousin.  Rebecca and Joshua had one daughter.

Generation 5:   Ruth Johnson m. Richard Cree

Generation 6: Stephen Cree m. Hannah Smith

Generation 7: Sarah Cree m. James Phillips

Generation 8: Hannah Phillips m. Captain Thomas Russell Lewis

Generation 9: Hannah Eliza Lewis m. Abijah Franklin Hitchings

Generation 10: Arthur Treadwell Hitchings m. Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

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

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

Published under a Creative Commons License

Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ TOWNE of Topsfield, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted December 5, 2015 (  http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/12/surname-saturday-towne-of-topsfield.html: accessed [access date]). 

Family Reunions, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Upcoming next year:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Royal Doll ~ "Lost" and then Found

At the Wenham Museum there is a large doll collection that held a secret, but not really a secret.  For years and years readers of Queen Lili’uokalani’s autobiography Hawaii’s Story have read about how during her trip to Boston in 1898 to visit her husband’s family, she dressed a doll for a children’s charity.  The Boston newspapers carried this story, too.   I've often wondered what happened to the doll, and so did the curator of Washington Place, the Queen’s family home in Honolulu.  Last year I learned that an author had found the doll in plain sight, at the Wenham Doll Museum.

This was extremely interesting to me, since I had been to the Wenham Museum many time, both as a child and then again with my own daughter. My mother (she grew up next door in Hamilton, Massachusetts) had been many times, too, and two of her brothers live within walking distance of the museum in Wenham.  We were all wondering if the doll the Queen had dressed in Hawaiian costume had survived, and yet we all had overlooked seeing it in the museum. How did this happen?

The Wenham Museum

Wenham, Massachusetts

I went to the museum over this past winter to see the doll for myself.  I had corresponded with the author, Mindi Reid, many times since our trip to Hawaii last September.  She had sworn me to secrecy until her story was published in Mana Magazine.  Well, the article with her story was just released in the May/June 2013 issue.  You can read it online through the Mana Magazine app for iPad or other tablet readers, or purchase the issue through the website below (unless you are lucky enough to be in Hawaii to pick up the issue at your local news stand).

You can see why the doll would not be recognizable today as a Hawaiian.  Her once colorful dress and hair have faded, and the silk flower lei has wilted.  Queen Lili’uokalani had been given a German porcelain doll to dress, so she looks very Caucasian. There is no wonder we never stopped to read the label on this little doll, even though she stands on a shelf next to dolls dressed by the crowned heads of Europe and Japan.

The Hawaiian doll is to the far right, other dolls on this shelf were donated by
The Tsar Nicolas II, Queen Victoria, The Emperor of Japan, and Queen Elizabeth of Romania

Come in and see the dolls
of Boston town,
Dollies from all the
world around,
Who go about from
Place to Place,
All with a cheerful
face,
To help little
children dear,
That they may be happy
and glad all the year.
And when you've seen
them o'er and o'er
You'll want to see
them one time more.

Elizabeth Richards Horton was a Boston socialite, and she asked Queen Lili’uokalani to contribute a doll to her exhibition to benefit The New England Home for Crippled Children (now Children’s Hospital in Boston).   She had a doll named “Miss Columbia” who traveled with other dolls for charitable exhibits. Her family owned the Claflin Richards house in Wenham. The house was purchased by the Wenham improvement society in 1921 as a museum.  Elizabeth’s collection grew when people heard of her charity, and even crowned heads from all over the globe contributed dolls. After many years of being in storage, she tried to sell her doll collection, but found it had suffered damage in poor storage conditions. Instead of selling the dolls, she offered it in 1922 for display at the Wenham museum. About 600 of the dolls had survived enough to go on permanent display as the International Doll Collection.

A poster for the International Doll Collection

"Miss Columbia" and some of her international doll companions

You can read all about how the Queen sewed this doll’s costume herself in her autobiography or in Mindi Reid’s article in Mana.  You can also read all about the International Doll Collection at the Wenham Museum website.  I’m still flabbergasted that the doll has survived all these years, and the little dress sewn by the Queen is still in good condition. The flowered fabric has faded, and so has her hair and the bright ribbon around her waist. Most of all, I’m still surprised that I saw the doll so many times, and did not recognize that she was the Queen’s doll.  The title of Mindi Reid’s article is “Lost in Plain Sight”. 

I also found a genealogical connection between my mother, who was a cousin to Queen Lili’uokalani’s husband, John Owen Dominis, and to Elizabeth Horton Richards, the Wenham woman who started the International Doll collection.  Mom's 3rd great grandmother, Catherine (Jones) Younger, was the sister of Mary (Jone) Dominis, who removed to Hawaii with her sea captain husband, and her son, John Owen Dominis married Lili'uokalani.

Genealogy:

Generation 1: Michael Dunnell, born about 1640, probably France, died about 1717 in Topsfield, Massachusetts, married to Mary Unknown.  Michael Dunnell/Dwinnell is my 9^th great grandfather.

Generation 2: Thomas Dunnell, born 20 November 1672 in Topsfield, died 8 October 1747 in Topsfield, married on 23 May 1701 in Lynn, Massachusetts to Dinah Brimsdell

Generation 3: Thomas Dwinnell, born 1711 in Topsfield, died 25 June 1775, married in 1738 to Hannah Towne, daughter of Joseph Towne and Abigail Curtis. Joseph Towne is the brother of Edmund Towne, my 9^th great grandfather.

Generation 4:  Jacob Dwinnell, born 20 November 1744; married on 11 February 1768 in Boxford, Massachusetts to Mehitable Towne, daughter of Elisha Towne and Sarah Rhodes.  

Generation5: Elijah Dwinnell b. 14 July 1773 in Boxford, Massachusetts; married Rebecca Russell, daughter of James Russell and Rebecca Unknown

Generation 6: Mary Ann Dwinnell married on 28 July 1827 to Jabez Richards, born 27 March 1805, died 18 March 1840. 

Generation 7:  Elizabeth Willett Richards, born 6 October 1837 in Wenham, Massachusetts, died 22 August 1928 in Wenham; married in 1858 to Thayer Horton.

                                           Michael Dunnell and Mary Unknown

                                           I                                                  I

Thomas Dunnell and Dinah Brimdell                         John Dwinnell and Mary Read

                                           I                                                  I

Thomas Dwinnell and Hannah Towne                       Keziah Dwinnell and Nicholas Cree

                                           I                                                  I

Jacob Dwinnell and Mehitable Towne                       Richard Cree and Ruth Johnson

                                           I                                                  I

Elijah Dwinnell and Rebecca Russell                         Stephen Cree and Hannah Smith

                                           I                                                  I

Mary Ann Dwinnell and Jabez Richards                    Sarah Cree and James Phillips

                                           I                                                  I

Elizabeth Willett Richards m. Thayer Horton            Hannah Phillips and Thomas Russell Lewis

                                                                                              I

                                                                         Hannah Eliza Lewis and Abijah Franklin Hitchings

                                                                                              I

                                                               Arthur Treadwell Hitchings and Florence Etta Hoogerzeil

                                                                                              I

                                                                 Gertrude Matilda Hitchings and Stanley Elmer Allen

                                                                                     (my grandparents)

Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen, by Liliuokalani, Mutual Publishing, 1991 (originally published in Boston by Lee & Shepard Publishing, 1897), page 216 – 7.

"Mrs. William Lee of Brookline gave an interesting talk last evening to a goodly gathering of women, and a slight sprinkling of men, at the doll show opened in Hotel Thorndike, for two days, yesterday, for the benefit of the New England Home for Crippled Children.

This doll show, which for variety and size exceeds any previous one in Boston, is notable for one thing, - in having among the exhibits three genuine royal dolls, that is to say, three dolls contributed by royalty.  Two of them, miniature representations of Eskimo babies, made by the Eskimos themselves, and dressed in full Arctic costume of sealskin, were sent here by Queen Victoria from her own private collection, which is said to be the largest in the world.

The third one was given by ex-Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii who dressed it and decorated it herself in the mother hubbard-like gown characteristic of Hawaiian women, and the head wreath and neck garland of flowers to which they are so partial on gala occasions.  The ex-queen named the doll Kaiulani, for her niece and heir.”  [Mrs. William Lee [ born Sara White (1849 - 1925)] is the 2nd wife of my 1st cousin 4 generations removed.  William Lee was first cousin to John O. Dominis, husband of Queen Liliuokalani.  John O. Dominis's mother, Mary Lambert Jones (1803 -1889) was the sister of my 3rd great grandmother Catherine Plummer (Jones) Younger (about 1799 - 1828).]  

For more information:

UPDATE!  This magazine is out of business) Mana Magazine http://www.mymanamagazine.com/

UPDATE!  This app is no longer available! Download the Mana Magazine app here

 https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mana-magazine/id522444940?mt=8

The Wenham Museum website www.wenhammusuem.org  and the Miss Columbia Doll exhibit webpage is https://www.wenhammuseum.org/collections/dolls/miss-columbia/  

“Lost in Plain Sight”, by Mindi Reid, Mana Magazine, Honolulu, Hawaii: Pacific Basin Publishing, page 22.

“Tiny Ambassadors with a Mission” from the Antiques Almanac website (the top photo is of the doll donated by Queen Lili’uokalani):  http://www.theantiquesalmanac.com/dollcollection.htm

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To cite/link to this blog post:  Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "A Royal Doll ~ "Lost" and then Found", Nutfield Genealogy, posted May 17, 2018, (  https://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2013/05/a-royal-doll-lost-and-then-found.html: accessed [access date]).