The Coutinho / Oliveira Line, A Narrative — Three

This is Chapter 3 of 3, being the last chapter that follows this family line. (Again, as a reminder), in total there are 6 chapters: the first set of 3 chapters is written in English; second set of 3 chapters is translated into Portuguese.

Varig Airlines Jets to Bahia travel poster, circa 1960.
(Image courtesy of Librairie Elbé, Paris).

A Place Quite Apart

The Coutinho and Oliveira families are traditional Brazilian Roman Catholic families, descended from Portuguese immigrants. However, the northeastern state of Bahia, which they immigrated to, is a unique place quite apart from the rest of Brazil. There are historical reasons for this… (1)

Catholicism is the Foundational Religion of Brazil

“According to the tradition, the first Catholic mass celebrated in Brazil took place on April 26, 1500. It was celebrated by a priest who arrived in the country along with the Portuguese pirates and explorers to claim possession of the newfound land. The first diocese in Brazil was erected more than 50 years later, in 1551.

Brazil’s strong Catholic heritage can be traced to the Iberian missionary zeal, with the 15th-century goal of spreading Christianity. The Church missions began to hamper the government policy of exploiting the natives. [Thus] in 1782 the Jesuits were suppressed, and the government tightened its control over the Church. [In the present day,] the Catholic Church is the largest denomination in the country, where 119 million people, or 56.75% of the Brazilian population, were self-declared Catholics in 2022. These figures make Brazil the single country with the largest Catholic community in the world.” There is a large pantheon of saints in the catholic tradition. (Wikipedia and Google)

Top left: Exterior of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Salvador. Top right: Ribbons tied to the fence which surrounds the church. They read ‘Lembrança do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia’ (Remembrance of the Lord of Bonfim of Bahia) and are linked to the belief of having your wishes granted. Bottom: Interior view of the Igreja e Convento de São Francisco / The São Francisco Church and Convent.

Comment: There are more Roman Catholics in Brazil than there are in Italy, simply because the population of Brazil is much greater than that of Italy. It would be very appropriate to say that Catholicism is an institutionalized religion in Bahia. Specifically, sources cite that there are more than 365 historic cathedrals and churches just in Salvador da Bahia alone. (One for each day of the year — So this makes us ponder, what about Leap Year Day? Instead of going to church, does everyone get a day off to go to the beach?) (2)

Slavery Did Not Officially End Until 1888

“During the Atlantic slave trade era, Brazil imported more enslaved Africans than any other country in the world. Out of the 12 million Africans who were forcibly brought to the New World, approximately 5.5 million were brought to Brazil between 1540 and the 1860s. The mass enslavement of Africans played a pivotal role in the country’s economy and was responsible for the production of vast amounts of wealth. In the first 250 years after the colonization of the land, roughly 70% of all immigrants to the colony were enslaved people.

Slavery was not legally ended nationwide until 1888, when Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, promulgated the Lei Áurea (“Golden Act”). The Lei Áurea was preceded by the Rio Branco Law of September 28, 1871 (the Law of Free Birth), which freed all children born to slave parents, and by the Saraiva-Cotegipe Law (the Law of Sexagenarians), of September 28, 1885, that freed slaves when they reached the age of 60. Brazil was the last country in the Western world to abolish slavery.” (Wikipedia, see footnotes). (3)

At left: Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil, photographed by Joaquim Insley Pacheco, circa 1870.
At right: Manuscript of the Lei Áurea from the Brazilian National Archives.

Candomblé and Syncretism

When we lived in Bahia, we would sometimes view portions of Candomblé ceremonies that were held at a place called a terreiro, (a temple or house of worship). These sacred spaces are central to Candomblé, serving as the location for community worship, rituals, and connections with ancestral spirits. We both felt that it was rather remarkable that many different  Pai-de-santos (father of the saint) or Mãe-de-santos could look at you and tell you exactly which Orirá looked over you. (And among them in different times and places, they were always consistent).

“Candomblé developed among Afro-Brazilian communities amid the Atlantic slave trade of the 16th to 19th centuries. It arose through the blending of the traditional African religions from the Yoruba, Bantu, and Fon people brought to South America, along with Roman Catholicism, especially the Catholic saints. It primarily coalesced in the Bahia region during the 19th century.” (Wikipedia and Altar Gods)

One of the central religious traditions of Candomble is veneration of the Orixas, divine energies associated with different elements of nature. Individuals are believed to identify with one of the Orixas as their tutelary spirit. (Altar Gods)

When these many enslaved peoples arrived in Bahia during this diaspora, they encountered Roman Catholic Portuguese colonialists who then controlled the area. Very cleverly, they maintained their religious affiliations by covertly hiding their own saints who were linked to Catholic saints as a way to preserve African beliefs despite forced religious conversion. This is called syncretism. An example of this is the Orixa Ogun, who stands-in for, Saint George, Saint Sebastian, or Saint Anthony, depending upon your location. Candomblé can be thought of as a non-institutionalized religion in Bahia.

Image at top: Contemporary artwork representing three Orixas. Bottom left: A group of Candomblé practitioners photographed in 1902. (Both images are courtesy of Altar Gods). Bottom right: Family photograph of the Yemanjá festival held every February in Salvador, Bahia.

In summary, “Candomblé is a uniquely Afro-Brazilian religion, made possible by mixing African, European, and native Indian traditions in the New World. Candomblé is strongest in Bahia, Brazil, a major port for arriving Africans. Its principal city, Salvador, was the first capital city of Brazil. The first Candomblé temple was built in Salvador in the 19th century after the abolition of slavery.” (Wikipedia) (4)

The Oliveira Family of Ubaitaba circa 1949-50. Left to right: Raynelde Dantas Motta, Laura (Oliveira) Motta, Lourdes Oliveira, João Celestino de Oliveira, Maria (Almeida) de Oliveira, Lindaura de Almeida Oliveira, and José Oliveira. (Family photograph).

The Oliveira Family of Ubaitaba

Ubaitaba is a small river city found in section of the remaining ancient Atlantic rainforest, in the state of Bahia, between the cities of Salvador and Ilhéus. This region “was formerly inhabited by Indigenous peoples [Tupi] until the arrival of Portuguese colonizers. After contact with the Portuguese and the establishment of the Captaincies of Brazil by King Manuel I of Portugal from 1504 onwards, the municipality’s territory became part of the lands of the Captaincy of São Jorge dos Ilhéus. The village of São Jorge dos Ilhéus was founded in 1536 as Vila de São Jorge dos Ilhéos. The modern name of Ubaitaba is from the Tupi language.

Throughout the 18th century, the Captaincy of São Jorge dos Ilhéus developed, and farms were established along the coast of the vast region. The origin of the village is related to the creation of both the Arraial de Tabocas and the Arraial de Faisqueira farms (in 1783), an area then used for timber extraction, sugar cane, cereal and cocoa cultivation.

This is a excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911, and organized by the company Hartmann-Reichenbach. The red lines are railways. (Map image courtesy of Mapas Históricos da Bahia).

On January 28, 1914, a river flood destroyed the Arraial de Tabocas, scattering its population. Coordinated by physician Francisco Xavier de Oliveira, a resident of the village, the victims rebuilt the settlement, rising above the floodwaters. The name chosen was Itapira. [This name was changed to] Ubaitaba, conferred in 1933, a combination of the Indigenous words ‘ubá, meaning small canoe, ‘y,’ meaning river, and ‘taba’ meaning village / city.

When reviewing the very few historic photographs available of the city, the layout is two parallel roads which run along the river’s edge. Between the two streets is a wide, park-like meridien, with the Catholic Church anchoring one end of town. Shops and stores are one or two stories tall, and facing the street. We provide this description because the Oliveira family ran a general market store in Ubaitaba, of the type then known as a mercearia.

Left: One of the two main streets of the town of Ubaitaba, Bahia in the 19th century. Right: the church which anchored the end of the streets. The general market ‘mercearia’ which the Oliveira family operated, would have been somewhere along this street, and could have looked like the one shown in the lower photograph. (For photograph credits, see footnotes).


Before the rise of large retail chains, mercerias gerais (general stores) served as essential neighborhood stores where people could buy a range of everyday products, acting as a central point in local communities. They sold a wide variety of basic and imported goods, including staples like rice, beans, and sugar, along with everyday essentials like soap and matches, and a selection of imported foods and liquors. They also offered locally made products such as coffee, cheese, and fruits.

Some rare mercearias still exist to this day, but that particular evocative name has given way to the rather bland and universal name of mini-market. (Think lottery tickets, cigarettes, a carton of milk, and perhaps some chips, or donuts). In this modern Walmart era in which we live, very few places still exist in local communities, where you can walk into a small family store and everyone knows your name.

For the de Oliveira family
We can begin with, Manoel Celestino de Oliveira, born (likely) in Brazil. He married Rita Celestino de Oliveira. They had a son, who is named —

João Celestino de Oliveira, born November 6, 1890 — in Maceió, Alagoas (state) died November 25, 1968, in Ubaitaba. He was married two times: first to Eufrosina Souza Oliveira, until her death before 1925. They had one child.

Second, he married Maria de Almeida in 1925. She was born on March 20, 1900 in Maracás — died October 5, 1968, in Ubaitaba. They had four more children.
Maria de Almeida’s parents were: Cândido Olegário de Almeida and Balbina Olegário.

Together, João Celestino de Oliveira and Maria de Almeida raised 5 children. All births and deaths are in Bahia, Brazil, unless noted otherwise:

  • Agostinho Celestino de Oliveira, born August 13, 1919 — died April 12, 1983.
    (His birth mother was first wife Eufrosina Souza Oliveira). He married Ana Eusátquio de Souza on April 24, 1944.
  • Lindaura de Almeida (Oliveira) Coutinho, born October 24, 1927 in Ubaitaba — died June 19, 2020 in Salvador.
    (Lindaura carries the family line forward. See her spouse and children below).
  • Laura de Almeida (Oliveira) Motta, born March 27, 1929. She married Raynelde Dantas Motta, on March 30, 1949.
  • José Celestino de Oliveira, born December 20, 1937 — died 1992. He married Nidia Maria Amado de Oliveira in May 1968.
    She was a cousin of the beloved Brazilian novelist Jorge Amado, (see footnotes).
  • Maria Lourdes de Almeida (Oliveira) Cunha, born November 11, 1938. She married Humberto Olegário da Cunha on December 28, 1965. (5)
Paulo de Azevêdo Coutinho, circa 1966, and
Lindaura Almeida (Oliveira) Coutinho, circa 1950s.
(Family photographs).

You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you…”

Before they were married, Paulo and Lindaura corresponded via letters for about two years before becoming engaged in September 1950. (At that time, letters were the only way they could communicate. Home telephones were still rather new and quite expensive, in the Brazil of that that era). None of those courtship letters have survived, but a few others have. When we looked at them we noted the degree of tenderness with which he still wrote to his wife Lindaura, even many years after they were married. In a 1968 letter (which we have placed the in the footnotes), we read these words —

April 11, 1968

My dear Lindaura,

Wishing you health together with our dear children.

I’m arranging things so that you can come here in the beginning of May. Rivaldo has found a house in Piranga, but he has to make major repairs. I won’t be paying rent, nor for any repairs.

I think that our little ones won’t be too unfamiliar with the climate in Piranga. Soon, I’ll write you a more detailed letter. You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you. Many kisses to our children. A melancholic hug from your Paulo.

PS: The bonus will be worth it. NBR 500.00. If the “Ritom” truck doesn’t arrive by the 17th of this month, I’ll send Maria Celeste’s dresses by plane.

Their March 1952 wedding photograph. (Family photograph).

Paulo de Azevêdo Coutinho, born June 29, 1919 in Lençóis — died November 28, 1990 in Salvador. He married Lindaura Almeida de Oliveira on March 19, 1952 in Ubaitaba. She was born October 24, 1927 in Ubaitaba — died June 19, 2020 in Salvador.

They had five children together, as follows below. All births and deaths are in Bahia, Brazil, unless otherwise noted:

  • Maria Celeste Oliveira Coutinho, born July 14, 1953 in Salvador. She married Bernardino Dantas de Santana on July 28, 1989, — (ends) unknown date.
  • Maria Angela Oliveira (Coutinho) Martins Bass, born April 11, 1955 in Salvador. She married two times, first to Antonio Martins, Jr., 1985 — (ends) before 2002. She married second Robert Bass, 2002 — 2010, (his death). He died in Sarasota County, Florida, United States.
  • Maria Cristina Oliveira (Coutinho) Pinheiro, born May 27, 1961 in Ilhéus. She married Antonio Carlos Marques Pinheiro on September 17, 1983. They had two children.
  • Paulo Emilio Oliveira Coutinho, born September 17, 1963 in Ilhéus. He married once, first to Marizela Cardoso Sales, 1991 — (ends) before 2023. They had two children. Second, he was domestic-partnered to Sonia Alves Silva Chagas, in 2023. They have one child.
  • Leandro José Oliveira Coutinho, born September 30, 1965 in Ilhéus. He married Thomas Harley Bond on June 26, 2008.

Prior to knowing Lindaura Almeida Oliveira, Paulo de Azevêdo Coutinho had a previous relationship with a woman named Zulmira Silva. Even though they never married, and the fact that she passed on in 1952, from this union there were two children who were half-siblings of the (above) family. Paulo was then the father to seven children.

Left: Paulo, Lindaura, and Sonia Coutinho, circa 1950. Right: Newton in a school photograph, circa 1954. (Family photographs).
  • Sonia Maria De Azevêdo (Coutinho) Costa, born November 5, 1942, in Salvador. She married Jorge Augusto de Oliveira Costa in 1969. They had two children.
  • Newton de Azevêdo Coutinho, born September 25, 1944 — died May 27, 2000, both in Salvador. He married Titê _______ in 1971. They had one child. (6)
The July 21, 1967 edition of Diário de Itabuna newspaper:
“With Mayor José de Almeida Alcântara, council members, officials, and the press in attendance, Colonel Paulo Coutinho was sworn in as Itabuna Police Chief yesterday at 3 p.m. During his speech (photo), Mayor Alcantara (pictured) emphasized the need for ‘a more effective fight against the infamous jogo do bicho [an illegal gambling numbers game, see footnotes], which is openly rampant in the city.” (Family photograph).

Colonel Paulo Coutinho

The above newspaper photograph shows Colonel Paulo Coutinho as the newly-sworn-in Itabuna Police Chief in July 1967. The excited man waving his arm is José de Almeida Alcântara, the local mayor who seems quite upset about the local goings-on of an illegal gambling numbers enterprise called Jogo de Bicho. This was a game that was extremely popular, and at the same time, extremely illegal. It preyed upon people who simply could not afford to gamble. From Wikipedia, “The game is said to have become popular because it accepted bets of any amount, in a time when most Brazilians struggled to survive a very deep economic crisis. ‘If you see two shacks lost somewhere in the backlands’ a Brazilian diplomat once observed, ‘you can bet that a bicheiro [someone connected to the game] lives in one of them and a steady bettor in the other.’” 

It was Colonel Coutinho’s job to crack down on the illegal operation. This was an opportunity for someone in his position to take bribes and accept money under the table to look the other way, but he never did this. To this day, his family is quite clear that he was what could be described as a straight-arrow, who thought that living an honest life was better than advancing through corruption. (And this was during the era of a repressive military dictatorship, which his family also maintains that he steered clear of too).

“The name Military Police was only standardized in 1946 under the regime of Getúlio Vargas, with the new Constitution of 1946 after the Vargas Era of the Estado Novo (1937-1945), which had the objective of limiting the military capacity of the Public Forces in order to focus on being exclusively police forces. Historically in Brazil, ‘After World War II, the Military Police became a more traditional police force, similar to a gendarmerie, subject to the states’. Gendarmes are very rarely deployed in military situations, except in humanitarian deployments abroad. In a country like the United States, the military and police are separate in terms of they interact with the community.” Therefore, for those who are not from Brazil, this term may be misleading.

“According to Article 144 of the federal constitution, the function of the Military Police is to serve as a conspicuous police force and to preserve public order. [They] are organized as a military force and have a military-based rank structure. The commandant of a state’s Military Police is usually a Colonel. The command is divided into police regions, which deploy police battalions and companies.” (Wikipedia)

Colonel Coutinho worked in several different communities during his career: Ilhéus, Itabuna, Juazeiro, and Salvador. Some of these assignments sometimes separated him from his growing family for periods of time. (7)

The Coutinho home when they lived in Ilheus, Bahia, located at Rua Almiro Vinhas, 13.

Living in Ilhéus and then Piranga

The Coutinho family was a middle-class family during a time in Brazil when there were very few similar families. Indeed, from the 1950s through the 1980s, the middle class of was very small. Then things started to shift with the advancement of democracy and further economic prosperity. The “middle class comprised 15% of the Brazilian population in the early 1980s, and now they encompass nearly a third of the country’s 190 million inhabitants. It rose thanks to Brazil’s good economic performance in the recent years, poverty reduction policies, new work opportunities, and a better-educated workforce. (World Bank Group)

The Coutinho family, circa 1967. Front row, left to right: Paulo and Cristina. Back row, left to right: Angela, Celeste, Lindaura, Paulo Sr., and Leandro. (Family photograph).

Circa 1969, the family moved to the northern part of Bahia for a year and lived in Piranga, at the northern border of the Bahia state. As Paulo had written in his letter to Lindaura in April 1968, “The bonus will be worth it. NBR 500.00.” This informs us that their move north was likely due to a work promotion for his career as a Colonel with the Military Police.

This is an excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911. Piranga is a small municipality located on the São Francisco river in the very upper portion of Bahia. (Map image courtesy of Mapas Históricos da Bahia).

The Piranga community is small municipality and a suburb of Juazeiro, which “is twinned with Petrolina, in the [adjacent] state of Pernambuco. The two cities are connected by a modern bridge crossing the São Francisco River. Together they form the metropolitan region of Petrolina-Juazeiro, an urban conglomerate of close to 500,000 inhabitants’. (Wikipedia) The family returned to Ilhéus again before finally moving to Salvador in 1970. (8)

Thinking of Helena and Maria

Observation: When I was first living in Salvador da Bahia, I was startled by the sheer abundance of people who had other people available to work for them as household staff. As a middle class American child, this was not something that was even remotely available to us in any form. We always had many chores to do, in addition all the other responsibilities we bore as adolescents. — Thomas

“The end of slavery in 1888 didn’t come with any plan to integrate the black ex-slaves into a capitalist society based on paid work. While the paid jobs were offered to the Europeans that emigrated to Brazil after that time, for many of the poor and uneducated black women the only possibility was to continue working as maids”. As recalled by writer Mike Gatehouse, ‘The women… would live in a small bedroom in the working area of our flat. This was common for all my friends, as it had been for our parents. During those years chores were never part of my routine or something I had to worry about. The house worked like a hotel where rooms were cleaned, clothes washed and meals appeared as if by magic.’” (LAB — Latin American Bureau, see footnotes.)

Circa 1970, Paulo was promoted again. This took the family to the coastal city of Salvador, and into the Canela neighborhood.

In Ilhéus, Piranga, and Salvador, Helena was the person who fulfilled the important role of the home-helper. She lived with the Coutinho family until she was 21 years old, and assisted with looking after the children. Furthermore, another woman named Maria worked as a domestic servant, but she did not live in the house.

Left: The Coutinho home when they lived in Salvador, Bahia, located at Edificio Júpiter,
Avenida Sete de Septembre, 2155, in the Vitória neighborhood. Right: Helena, with Leandro. (Family photographs).

In 1975 they moved one last time, into a new home in a modern skyscraper named Edificio Júpiter, located on the celebrated Corredor da Vitória. (In Brazil, it is very common to identify buildings by their name, rather than their address). This building and the adjacent Vitória neighborhood afforded the family easy access to conveniences, good schools for the children, and quite importantly — safety, during a period of much tension in Brazil. Lindaura, the family’s mother, lived in Edificio Júpiter for 45 years.

Papelaria Brazileira City Plan of Salvador, Brazil. The area circled in green encloses
the Canela, and the Vitória districts where the Coutinho family lived.
(Image courtesy of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps).

“Less than a kilometer long, the Corredor da Vitória is home to the Bahia Art Museum, the Carlos Costa Pinto Museum, and the Bahia Geological Museum. Vitória is one of the most valued urban areas in Northeast Brazil.” (Wikipedia)

Leandro remembers the many mango trees and the grand old homes which still then lined the street. Sometimes, as the older families from the previous era passed away, their homes and gardens would become abandoned, and fall into disrepair. (Most of these homes were eventually razed to make way for modern high-rise apartment buildings). To this day, he shares tales that his passion for mangos would seduce him into sneaking into these old gardens, climbing the trees, and furtively sneaking away with a clutch of fresh mangos. (9)

Blame It On The Bossa Nova

When Leandro and I met, it was truly North America meets South America because his English was not very good, and my Portuguese was non-existent. (He had been living for the previous decade in Germany, and France before that, so his French and German were quite good). As the North American, I was then, (and am still somewhat now), a big contrast to his skillful linguistic ability. I have always been humbled by the ease with which he fluently slips into other languages at dinner parties.

Initially at that time, I thought about what I knew about Brazil, and the answer was not too much. When I was a boy, Brazil vanished in to repressive military regime and there just wasn’t any news about it in the local newspapers. When democracy returned to Brazil between 1985 — 1988, no one I knew was paying much attention, even though we were aware of this change.

Like most Americans, if I knew much about Brazil, it was simply Carmen Miranda, and some Bossa Nova radio hits. Ms. Miranda was famous for her flair for wearing a banana hat in movies while looking lovely, (and also like she was having a lot of fun while doing this). Bossa Nova music was then translated into English for palatability to American audiences (and of course, to sell more records).

Most of us were aware of the hit song The Girl from Ipanema, which we heard on AM transistor radios. Influentialy, the band Sergio Mendes & Brazil ’66 was extremely popular in the mid-1960s, (around the time that Leandro was born). In fact, they were so famous that I still have a distinct memory of standing in a muddy field in Newbury Township, Ohio, after a rainstorm, when I was about 10 years old. I watched the Newbury High School Marching Band knock-out a pretty good version of the song Mas Que Nada (which ironically, was sung in Portuguese). I would say that it was toe-tapping good, but my boots were stuck in the mud.

Mas Que Nada as performed by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66.

For Leandro and his family lines, the Coutinhos and the Oliveiras — after many, many years, life has come full circle as we have returned to the ancient land of his ancestors. We see the world through our modern lens, thinking always about those who lived here before us. For this family line, we have reversed the tide of their past immigration, for we now live in Lisbon, Portugal. (10)

— Thomas

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

A Place Quite Apart

(1) — one record

Librairie Elbé Paris
Jets to Brazil, Varig Airlines travel poster
by Artist unknown, circa 1960 
https://www.elbe.paris/en/vintage-travel-posters/1618-vintage-poster-1960-jets-brazil-varig-airlines.html
Note: For the vintage poster artwork.

Catholicism is the Foundational Religion of Brazil

(2) — four records

Catholic Church in Brazil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Brazil
Note: For the text.

Some of the Saints in the Roman Catholic pantheon.

Statues of Saints in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais
by Photographer unknown
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic_Church_in_Brazil#/media/File:-i—i-_(6288973445).jpg
Note: For the photo shown above.

Afar
The São Francisco Church and Convent
Igreja e Convento de São Francisco

https://www.afar.com/places/igreja-e-convento-de-sao-francisco-salvador
Note: For the photograph.

Church of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim, Salvador
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Nosso_Senhor_do_Bonfim,_Salvador
Note: For the text explaining “Lembrança do Senhor do Bonfim da Bahia” (Remembrance of the Lord of Bonfim of Bahia).

Slavery Did Not Officially End Until 1888

(3) — four records

Slavery in Brazil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Brazil
Note: For the text.

Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel,_Princess_Imperial_of_Brazil
Note: For the reference.

Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
photographed by Joaquim Insley Pacheco, circa 1870
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabel,_Princess_Imperial_of_Brazil#/media/File:Isabel,_Princesa_do_Brasil,_1846-1921_(cropped).jpg
Note: For her portrait.

Lei Áurea
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lei_Áurea
Note: For the document image.

Candomblé and Syncretism

(4) — three records

Carybé illustration of the Orixa Yemanjá.
(Image courtesy of Pinterest).

Candomblé
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candomblé
Note: For the text and historical photograph from 1902.

Altar Gods
Candomble: Afro-Brazilian Faith and the Orixas 
https://altargods.com/candomble/candomble/
Note: For the text and artworks.

The Oliveira Family of Ubaitaba

(5) — five records

> The family photograph in this section is from the personal family photograph collection.

Ubaitaba
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubaitaba
Note: For the text.

Mapas Históricos da Bahia
Mapa da Bahia de 1911
https://www.historia-brasil.com/bahia/mapas-historicos/seculo-20.htm
Notes: This is a excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911, and organized by the company Hartmann-Reichenbach. The red lines are railways.

Ubaitaba.com
História Regional and História
http://ubaitaba.com/historia-regional/
Note: Upper photographs are from the website section labeled História Regional and História.

Restos de Colecção
Mercearias e Mini-Mercados
https://restosdecoleccao.blogspot.com/2013/05/mercearias-e-mini-mercados.html
Note: For the lower photograph titled Antigas Mercearias.

You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you…”

(6) — nine records

> The family photographs in this section are from the personal family photograph collection.

The April 11, 1968 letter from Paulo to his wife Lindaura, just before their move to Piranga, Bahia.

Jorge Amado, August 10, 1912 — August 6, 2001) “…was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best-known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in film, including Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands in 1976, and having been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature at least seven times.

Portrait of novelist Jorge Amado.

His work reflects the image of a Mestiço* Brazil and is marked by religious syncretism. He depicted a cheerful and optimistic country that was beset, at the same time, with deep social and economic differences.” (Wikipedia) *Mestiço is a Portuguese term that refers to persons of mixed race, as people from European and Indigenous non-European ancestry.

Jorge Amado
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jorge_Amado
Note: For the text.

Fundação Casa de Jorge Amado
https://www.jorgeamado.org.br/
Note: For his portrait.

Brazilian Publishers
3 Books to Get to Know The Work of Jorge Amado,
Master of Social Realism and Bahian Imagination

https://brazilianpublishers.com.br/en/noticias-en/3-books-to-get-to-know-the-work-of-jorge-amado-master-of-social-realism-and-bahian-imagination/
Note: For the text.

The Brazilian Publishers website recommends that these “three essential books [which should be read] to discover the strength and diversity of his literature”. (The descriptive text below is from their website).

  • Captains of the Sands (Capitães da Areia)
    In the book, we follow Pedro Bala, Professor, Gato, Sem Pernas and Boa Vida, marginalized young people who grow up on the streets of Salvador. Living together at Trapiche, they form a close-knit community. The arrival of Dora and her brother Zé Fuinha, brought by Professor, causes a stir among the boys, who are not used to the female presence. Slowly, an emotional bond develops between the group’s leader and the girl.

    Captains of the Sands
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captains_of_the_Sands
    Note: For the reference.
  • Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (Dona Flor e Seus Dois Maridos)
    The story begins during the 1943 carnival in Bahia, when Vadinho, a womanizer and inveterate gambler, suddenly dies. Dona Flor, his wife, is inconsolable. Some time later, she marries Teodoro Madureira, a pharmacist who is the opposite of her first husband. Together, they have a stable and peaceful, but boring, life until the day when Vadinho’s ghost appears in Dona Flor’s bed.

    Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands (novel)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dona_Flor_and_Her_Two_Husbands_(novel)Note: For the reference.
  • Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon (Gabriela, Cravo e Canela)
    The book tells the story of the romance between Nacib and Gabriela, set in Ilhéus in the 1920s, during the city’s cocoa-driven development. Gabriela’s sensuality wins over Nacib and many men, defying the law against female adultery. Published in 1958, the book was a worldwide success and became an acclaimed Brazilian soap opera.

Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriela,_Clove_and_Cinnamon
Note: For the reference.

Mestiço
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mestiço
Note: For the data.

Colonel Paulo Coutinho

(7) — four records

> The family photograph in this section is from the personal family photograph collection.

Jogo do bicho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jogo_do_bicho
Note: For the reference.

Military Police (Brazil)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Police_(Brazil)#:~:text=The Military Police was founded,on being exclusively police forces.
Note: For the text.

Gendarmerie
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gendarmerie
Note: For the reference.

World Bank Group
In Brazil, an emergent middle class takes off
https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2012/11/13/middle-class-in-Brazil-Latin-America-report
Note: For the text.

Living in Ilhéus and then Piranga

(8) — three records

> The family photographs in this section are from the personal family photograph collection.

Scenes of Salvador da Bahia by Carybé

Exposição “Carybé e o Povo da Bahia”
celebra a identidade cultural no Museu de Arte da Bahia

https://jornalgrandebahia.com.br/2024/12/exposicao-carybe-e-o-povo-da-bahia-celebra-a-identidade-cultural-no-museu-de-arte-da-bahia/
Note: For the Carybé illustrations above.

Juazeiro
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juazeiro
Note: For the text.

Thinking of Helena and Maria

(9) — four records

> The family photograph in this section is from the personal family photograph collection.

LAB – Latin American Bureau
Brazilian Maids: A Photo Essay
by Mike Gatehouse
https://lab.org.uk/brazilian-maids-a-photo-essay/
Note: For the text.

Vitória (Salvador)
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitória_(Salvador)
Note: For the text.

Geographicus Rare Antique Maps
1931 Papelaria Brazileira City Plan of Salvador, Brazil
https://www.geographicus.com/P/AntiqueMap/salvadorbahia-papelariabrazileira-1931
Note: For the map image.

Blame It On The Bossa Nova

(10) — two records

Sérgio Mendes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sérgio_Mendes
Note: For the reference.
and
Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herb_Alpert_Presents_Sergio_Mendes_%26_Brasil_%2766
Note: For the album cover artwork.



The Coutinho / Oliveira Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter 2 of 3, being the continuation of the history for this branch of the family. Here we delve into the emergence of our families into Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Paraíba and states in Brazil. As a reminder — in total, there are 6 chapters: the first set of 3 chapters is written in English; the second set of 3 chapters is translated into Portuguese.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman strategizing about their approach into looking for the widely scattered Coutinho / Oliveira family records.

Mr. Peabody and Sherman

A common lament among those people who do genealogy research should be — “Sherman, set the Wayback Machine to…”

This chapter of the Coutinho / Oliveira family history is the one where we wish that through some sort of magic, we had access to Mr. Peabody and Sherman’s Wayback Machine. (because > research reasons)

The records for the Coutinho and Oliveira families line are very scarce. In fact, we are only able to trace the line back for a few generations. In Brazil during this period, record-keeping did not appear to be very important unless you were a person of very high status. In fact, most records seem to have been kept by the Church, rather than the government. Thus, we are fortunate to have found what we have so far.

Also, it is more probable that many records may have not yet found their way to online databases. So, our fingers are crossed that his happens soon, since we will continue to research this family line.

Finally, as we wrote about in Chapter One, when we were documenting family heraldry in Portugal, there is a concurrence where both of the names Azeredo and Azevêdo are used on records we have located. These surnames are the same families, and this variance is mostly due to who was recording the information. This is a pattern seen in the normal variation of record-keeping, which began in a preliterate world, and has continued on into the 20th century. (1)

This is an excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911, and organized by the company Hartmann-Reichenbach. The red lines are railways. (Map image courtesy of Mapas Históricos da Bahia).

Ah Bahia!

This is where Portuguese Brazil began — at Porto Seguro, Bahia, circa 1500.

Most people do not understand the scale of the country of Brazil. It is the 5th largest country in the world, and has 26 states. The state of Bahia, where most of this family history takes place, has an area slightly larger than France, or similarly, Spain. Several of the smaller European countries could easily fit inside with some room to spare. The point is this — the distances are actually quite vast — and may not be understood by just referring to the map below.

The history of the Coutinho and Oliveira families takes place mostly within a triangle demarcated by the towns of Lençóis, Ilhéus, and the city of Salvador da Bahia. (2)

The de Azevedos Family Arrives in Brazil From Portugal

Let’s step back in time and take a look at how our branch of the de Azevedo family arrived in Brazil, and how they eventually connect with the Coutinho family. We wonder if any of them ever knew (?) of the old alliance of their ancient Noble Families, the House of Azerêdo – Coutinho.


Brasão de Manoel de Azeredo Coutinho Messeder, Fidalgo Cavaleiro,
from the Collection of The Brazilian National Archives, circa 1855.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The de Azevedos have been traced back to before 1740 in Portugal. From that generation, we have only the name of Domingos Gomes de Azevêdo da Costa. It is believed that he came to Brazil as the original forefather, sometime in the early decades of the 1700s. As the map below clearly shows, this is how many people pictured Brazil in that early century. Notice how it was natural for immigrants to settle along the coastlines, due to the fact that travel via ship(s) was the only way to get around a vast territory.

Recently elaborated Geographical Map of the Kingdom of Brazil in South America,
by Matthias Seutter, circa 1740. (Image courtesy of Old World Auctions).

We know that the son of the original forefather in Brazil was his (same-named) son: Domingos Gomes de Azevêdo, who was born 1740 in Diamantina, Minas Gerais, Brazil — died October 2, 1831. He married Ana Joaquina Sofia de Jesus. She was born in 1762, in Caetité, Bahia, Brazil. He is frequently recorded in documents as Captain Domingos Gomes de Azevêdo, and also as Domingos Gomes da Costa. His wife adopted the surname de Azevêdo instead of de Jesus, passing it on to her ten children.

Family Search has the following biography on him — 
“The illustrious Commander Domingos Gomes de Azevêdo was responsible for the creation of the settlement in the District of Paz do Gentio, in the municipality of Guanambi, Bahia. [near Caetité] He was born in the state of Minas Gerais, most likely in the Caetité region, in 1740. During the persecutions following the failure of the Minas Conspiracy, of which he was a part — with his entire family, belongings, associates, and friends, they fled from this defeat to Bahia. The Gomes de Azevêdo family arrived in the city of Caetité in the late last quarter of 1700 (meaning between 1775 and 1792), coming from the settlement of Tijuco (in Diamantina, Minas Gerais). Domingos Gomes de Azevêdo died in the city of Caetité on October 2, 1831.” (3)

Left: Joaquim José da Silva Xavier [Tiradentes], dressed in the report of ensigns of the paid troop of Minas Gerais, by José Wasth Rodrigues, circa 1940. (Image courtesy Museu Histórico Nacional, via Wikipedia Commons). Center: The Flag of the Conspirators, by Carlos Oswald, circa 1939. Right: Tiradentes Quartered, by Pedro Americo, circa 1893. (The last two images are courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Inconfidência Mineira (or The Minas Gerais Conspiracy)

This historical event “…was an unsuccessful separatist movement in Colonial Brazil in 1789. It was the result of a confluence of external and internal causes. The external inspiration was the independence of [the] thirteen British colonies in North America following the American Revolutionary War, a development that impressed the intellectual elite of many — particularly the captaincy of Minas Gerais.

The main internal cause of the conspiracy was the decline of gold mining in that captaincy. As gold became less plentiful, the region’s gold miners faced increasing difficulties in fulfilling tax obligations to the Portuguese crown (the tax over gold was one-fifth). When the captaincy could not satisfy the royal demand for gold, it was burdened with an additional tax on gold, called derrama.

The leader of the conspiracy plot was Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, also known as Tiradentes. When the plot was uncovered by authorities, Tiradentes was arrested, tried and publicly hanged. [And then drawn and quartered!] The anniversary of his death is celebrated as a national holiday in Brazil.” (Wikipedia) (4)

The state of Minas Gerais is located just south of Bahia. This is an excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911. We are using it again for continuity, and because it allows to show the communities in their proper places. The maps older than this era, do not show all of the locations. (Map image courtesy of Mapas Históricos da Bahia).

These Place Names Are Tongue Twisters!

The place names of towns and villages are a word salad, being derived from both the languages of various Native Peoples and the immigrant Portuguese.

Returning to the Domingos Gomes de Azevêdo family history, from Family Search, “According to studies and documents found in the archives of Itacambira, Minas Gerais, near Grão-Mogol, he resided at Sítio Bananal, in Itacambira. His son Joaquim was baptized in the church of Itacambira, thus leaving Itacambira for Ceraima, near Caetité and Guanambi.”

Baptism record of Joaquim Venâncio de Azevedo, from the records of
the Santo Antônio Church of Itacambira, Minas Gerais. (Family Search)

Thus, Domingos’s son Joaquim Venâncio Gomes de Azevêdo carries the line forward for another generation. He was born in 1797, and christened at Santo Antônio de Itacambira, Grão Mogol, Minas Gerais on July 7, 1797. He died October 25, 1844 in Caetité, Bahia and is buried at the Matriz de Sant’Anna Church, in Caetité, Bahia. His wife is named Maria Rosa de Azevêdo, but there is no further information on her. Joaquim was known as the Intendente de Caetité [the Mayor of Caetité ] from 1838, until his death in 1844. They had 12 children.

The signature of Joaquim Venâncio Gomes de Azevêdo, date unknown. (Family Search)

Joaquim and Maria Rosa’s son, José Venâncio Gomes de Azevêdo continues the history. He was likely born in Caetité , circa — died in 1874, in Lençóis, Bahia. He married Virginia Josefina Gomes de Azevêdo, born circa 1818 — died Date unknown, both likely in Caetité, Bahia.

José Venâncio Gomes de Azevêdo and Laura Angelica Viveiros Azevêdo, dates unknown.
(Family photographs).

They had 11 children, one of whom is:
José Venâncio Gomes de Azevêdo, born August 4, 1861* — died May 7, 1916, both events in Lençóis, Bahia. He married Laura Angelica Viveiros de Azevêdo on February 3, 1889. She was born on December 17, 1869 in Mucugê, Bahia — died August 7, 1939, Salvador, Bahia. She is buried in the Cemiterio do Campo Santo. He is recorded as being a Colonel Commandant of the 442nd Infantry Battalion.

*One month after they married, the newlyweds did a Civil Registration (Certidāo da Casamento) of their marriage on March 2, 1889. He stated that he was 27 years old and she was 19 years old at the time of their wedding.

Civil Registration (Certidāo da Casamento) of their marriage on March 2, 1889. The underlined text confirms their names and reported ages. (Family Search).

Family Search has this note attached to the records of Laura Angelica Viveiros de Azevêdo, “She was a devout Catholic and lived in the city of Lençois, Bahia, where she had 14 children, one of whom died at a young age. In honor of her 13 living children, she celebrated with a party and Mass at her home, where she had an altar devoted to Saint Anthony, a tradition that came from her family in the Azores, Santo Antônio da Costa Delgada, Portugal. Thus, each year, one of her 13 children was honored at the feast of devotion to the aforementioned Saint Anthony.” At this point in time, our resources account for 15 children.

Of their large number of children, one daughter, Guiomar Viveiros de Azevêdo, is the Grandmother of my husband, (who is coincidentally also named Leandro, after his Grandfather). This Grandparents history is written about in the section below titled, Getting to Know the Leandro and Guiomar Coutinho Family of Lençóis. (5)

Antique postcard of the Sertões do Brazil, (Brazil South American Festival Of Divine Natives), circa 1900, in the region of Chapada Diamantina, Brazil. (Center image courtesy of eBay and left and right stamp images are from Google searches).

Diamonds In The Rough

The Lençóis Diamond Cycle
The first records we know of for this family take us to the town of Lençóis, located in a central section of Bahia, known as the gateway to the Chapada Diamantina National Park. “The town was founded when diamond deposits were discovered in [the nearby settlement of] Mucugê in the mid-19th century. At that time, adventurers arrived in large numbers and set up tents that, from a distance, looked like stretched sheets, giving the town its name. This origin of the name reflects the aesthetics of the place and is inextricably linked to the history of the town and its development during the Diamond Cycle.”

Fold-out map titled, Author’s Sketch Map of Gold and Diamond Districts of Bahia
Derived from: The Diamond Trail: An Account of Travel Among the Little Known
Bahian Diamond Fields of Brazil
, by Hugh Pearson, 1926. Note that Salvador (labeled as Bahia), is very far to the east, on the right side of the map. (Courtesy of the Internet Archive).

Lençóis was the richest town in the Chapada during the Diamond Cycle. A French Consulate was even established there to facilitate the export of the precious stones. However, when the deposits were exhausted, Lençóis fell into decadence, surviving on the extraction of carbonates [salts] and having to put up with the excesses of the colonels, who provoked major conflicts in the region. The most famous of these was Colonel Horácio de Mattos*, who had great political influence, including with the Federal Government.” (Text derived from, History and Tourist Attractions of Lençóis in Chapada Diamantina)
*See The Problem With The ‘Coronelismo’ below.

The world had seen fevers like this before… In 1849, the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in California gave birth to the famous California Gold Rush, an event which forever changed the history of the American West. As we learned about Lençóis , the same phenomenon happened in nearby Andaraí, Bahia and this family was right in the middle of it.

Andaraí is located in the central region of Bahia, just south of Lençóis in Chapada Diamantina. This is an excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911, and organized by the company Hartmann-Reichenbach. The red lines are railways. (Map image courtesy of Mapas Históricos da Bahia).

Andaraí is also in the aptly named Chapada Diamantina (loosely translated as the Plateau of Diamonds), just south of Lençóis. “The discovery of diamond deposits in Andaraí occurred in 1845 or 1846, (and) …as a result, a large number of people eager for the mineral arrived in the region,” — just like the California Gold Rush. “The settlement of Andaraí was formed in the best-known, most active and highest quality mining area in the region, which grew and with it, commerce and processing industries arrived. After the end of the Diamond Cycle, the Andaraí economy became based on coffee cultivation and small-scale mining.” (Wikipedia) (6)

Alfredo Viero de Azevêdo Coutinho and His Families

Alfredo Viero De Azevêdo Coutinho, born May 2, 1854, in Andaraí, Bahia — died March 31, 1941 in Palmeiras, Bahia. He married Carolina Athahydes* (or Ataide) de Molina, the exact date is unknown because we do not have a marriage record. However, we believe that they probably married circa 1880, and that he was about ten or fifteen years older than her. Alfredo and Carolina are the Great-Grandparents of the present generation.
*We have seen many, many spelling variations on her name.

Carolina was likely born in the late 1860s, and it is reported that she died in 1898. Her name is recorded on various civil records in Lençóis until several years after her death. Through diligent research, we have been able to ascertain that Alfredo and Carolina had at least four children together (and probably more), all likely born in Lençóis, Bahia.

  • Leandro de Azevêdo Coutinho, born April 15, 1883 in Lençóis — died August 6, 1965 in Salvador.
    (Leandro carries the family line forward. See his spouses and children below).
  • Ana de Azevêdo Coutinho, born circa 1887 — died date unknown — circa 1911 — May 25, 1937*.
  • Manoel de Azevêdo Coutinho, born circa July 1890 — died January 23, 1891, in Itaparica, Bahia, aged about 7 months.
Death Registration record for Manoel de Azevêdo Coutinho, dated January 23, 1891.
  • Alvaro de Azevêdo Coutinho, born circa 1892/93 — died, Date unknown. He married Maria Juliana Paraguassu in 1915, in Lençóis, Bahia.

    * Records on Ana de Azevêdo Coutinho are quite scarce. We found her in a 1911 ship passenger listing along with her father. (See footnotes). She is also mentioned in his 1941 Will as leaving a “perpetual inheritance” to her younger siblings. (Specifically, this meant that she had the foresight to designate money for the perpetual maintenance of her tomb and burial space. She is interred at the Santa Casa de Misercordia cemetery in Salvador da Bahia).
Alfredo Viero de Azevêdo Coutinho and his son Leandro de Azevêdo Coutinho, circa 1903. (Family photograph).

After the death of his wife Carolina, Alfredo had a long-term relationship with another woman, but it doesn’t seem that they married. Even so, the births of their children were registered, and at her request, their names were recorded in his Will of 1941. Her name is Ernestina Francisca Oliveira. Ernestina was born circa 1884 — died September 21, 1954 in Bahia. She is also a Great-Grandmother of the present generation.

Alfredo is the father of nine (or more) children in total. Together, he and Ernestina had five children, all born in Lençóis.

  • Alcides de Oliveira Vieira, born circa 1907
  • Edgard de Oliveira Vieira, born circa 1909
  • Lamartine de Oliveira Vieira, born February 7, 1911 — died October 12, 1983. He married Lealdina Pereira Courado, born November 15, 1915 — died May 19, 1999. He had a son named Waldemar Dourado Vieira, (whose daughter, Isa Gunes Viera, was helpful with research on this family line). Thanks Isa!
  • Liduina Vieira de Oliveira, born circa 1913
  • Alice Vieira de Oliveira, born circa 1915

These family lines which go back further in time and are still being researched:

  • The 2x Great-Grandparents of this generation are Lourenço Vieira de Azeredo Coutinho Filho (meaning: Junior), and Antonia Coutinho. His origins may in th area around Grão Mogol in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
  • The 3x Great-Grandparents of this generation are (the same named) Lourenço Vieira de Azeredo Coutinho, and Maria Pereira de Arujo.

This branch of the family originated around 1754 with the marriage of José Vieira de Figueiredo and Andresa Teodora Grinalda (who would be the 4x Great-Grandparents). They adopted the Azeredo Coutinho surname from their mother for their children, and created the Vieira de Azeredo Coutinho family.

Alfredo Viero De Azevêdo Coutinho, Exporter of Cattle and Agricultural Products
Diary of… The State of Bahia, Volume III for 1924

We discovered that for a number of years in an official Brazilian publication titled Diary of…, Alfredo was listed as an Exporter of Cattle and Agricultural Products. We know that he was a landowner of considerable means. Observation: Based upon how well dressed he appears in the above photograph with his son Leandro, he seems quite successful. (7)

Left: Book cover of the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893. Right: The Brazil Building at the Exposition. “Brazil contributed $50,000 to construct its pavilion. The entire first floor was dedicated to a detailed exhibit on Brazilian coffee, with regional varieties from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais on display. At the rear, a São Paulo coffee plantation installation served complimentary coffee to visitors”. (Chicago Public Library)

Memoir of The State of Bahia, circa 1893

The State of Bahia commissioned and prepared a book titled, Memoir of The State of Bahia, for the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago in 1893.

Observation: You would think that this book would have been written with the idea of comporting a beneficial view of Lençóis at the time, but you would be wrong. The opinion of the authors was somewhat curt. (Some of this may be attributed to the decline of the town due to the mines having been exhausted).

Times change — Today, Lençóis is considered to be a very beautiful city with verdant, abundant nature and beautiful colonial-era homes.

Bookplate from, Memoir of The State of Bahia, circa 1893.

“The town is composed of 1500 houses. [and] This town is situated on a declivous ground [meaning: that it slopes downward] on the valleys of the rivers Lençóes and S. Jose, the two margins of the latter being connected by a bridge, and not far from the rivers S. Antonio and Ulinga.”

Here is what is stated about it by Colonel Durval de Aguiar:
“The town, standing on a declivous ground, has no beauty at all. A slope square, planted with a few trees and surrounded with lofty houses, the ground-floors of which are occupied by commercial establishments, leads on all sides to very uninteresting streets, of which some are paved with the very stones of the rock on which they were cut. A large and old lolly house on the square serves as a town-hall, and back of it, on Mineiros street, a floored house [only one?] is to be seen, which is used as a prison house and barrack. The parish church was never completed, wherefore its functions are performed in the church consecrated to O. L. of the Rosary, on Baderna street.”

Late 19th century antique postcard image captioned, “Lençóis town square on market day.” (Image courtesy of Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA).

There was an active commercial movement, which has diminished to a great extent after the mines began to lose their importance. A fair, very uninteresting and little resorted to, is held every Monday. Two schools are at work in the town.

The mines being thus abandoned, the inhabitants of the municipium applied themselves to the cultivation of the coffee-tree, of a rare quality and planted in the places called grotas, that is to say — in valleys crossed by rivers and rivulets and lying in a craggy ground, formed by numerous mountains, which have been turned topsy-turvy after the mining works were commenced. These grotas are extremely fertile and have, up to the present time, produced a great deal of coffee. The digging for carbonates, now highly prized and paid, is nowadays the principal business of the miners.” (8)

Leandro de Azevêdo Coutinho and Guiomar Viveiros (de Azevêdo) Coutinho. These printed photos were taken later in life, but the actual dates are unknown. (Family photographs).

Getting to Know the Leandro and Guiomar Coutinho Family of Lençóis

When Guiomar marries Leandro de Azevêdo Coutinho, her family surname gives way to the surname of Coutinho. All of their children were born in Lençóis.
Leandro de Azevêdo Coutinho, married Guiomar Viveiros de Azevêdo before 1908. She was born March 28, 1890 likely in Lençóis — died March 17, 1975 in Salvador. They had eight (or more) children together, as follows below.

Comment: Thanking Our Lucky Stars!
We did locate records for the births of two daughters: Dulce, and Eunice, which was incredibly helpful for our research. From those records, we were able to confirm exactly who were Leandro’s and Guiomar’s parents and grandparents.

  • Dulce de Azevêdo (Coutinho) Antunes, born May 22, 1908 — died February 29, 2000. She married Antonio Cardoso Antunes.
  • Carmen Viveiros de Azevêdo (Coutinho) Carrera, born July 5, 1910 — died circa 2004. She married José Carrera.
  • Possible unknown male child, circa 1911. (See footnotes).
  • Clarisse de Azevêdo Coutinho, born possibly in 1914 / died, Date unknown. She married Carlos Lopes Bittencourt.
  • Eunice de Azevêdo Coutinho, born May 24, 1917 — died Date unknown; unmarried.
  • Almir de Azevêdo Coutinho, born / died, Dates unknown.
  • Paulo de Azevêdo Coutinho, born June 29, 1919 in Lençóis — died November 28, 1990 in Salvador. He married Lindaura Almeida Oliveira.
    (Paulo and Lindaura carry the family line forward).
  • Waldette de Azevêdo Coutinho, born December 15, 1923 — died Date unknown ; unmarried.
  • Humberto de Azevêdo Coutinho, born April 20, 1927 — died June 24, 1971.
    He married Regina Chetto.
The pharmacy building still stands to this day at Avenida Rui Barbosa, 846, Lençóis.
(Present day location images courtesy of Google Image Search).

‘Dr. Leandro’ and The Pharmacy
Leandro d’Azevedo Coutinho graduated with a degree in Dentistry, but he never practiced the profession. Instead, he was for a number of years, a pharmacist, whose business was located in the center of town at Avenida Rui Barbosa, 846, Centro, Lençóis. The building still stands today and is now an O Boticário store, which sells beauty products and cosmetics. His granddaughter Cristina (Coutinho) Pinheiro relates that, “Leandro lived near the pharmacy and would walk to work early in the morning. Vovô Leandro [grandfather], was like the town doctor. He would always examine people and prescribe effective medicine. He wouldn’t charge people who could not afford to pay and many times he received chickens, turkeys, and fruits as payment. He was loved by everyone. People called him Dr. Leandro.” (9)

The Troubles

Plague, bandits, and colonels… oh my!
As a family, we always wondered quite seriously, the reasons why Dr. Leandro Coutinho chose to give up his life in Lençóis and resettle his family in Salvador da Bahia. We believe that there were a number of contributing factors. Namely, he had a wife and many young children to keep safe in an environment that was rather dangerous, and therefore quite difficult to abide. By the end of all these many troubles, we can understand why he eventually felt that ‘We have had quite enough of this nonsense, thank you, and goodbye!’

Bubonic Plague
As someone who had a medical education, Dr. Leandro probably became concerned (over time) about Lençóis being so very far from an urban hospital which could provide the appropriate level of care for his family, when necessary. From the National Institute of Health, “The arrival of the [bubonic] plague in Brazil at the dawn of the 20th century marked a new chapter in the nation’s public health history. The disease first struck the port city of Santos in 1899, spreading rapidly to other major urban centres such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, and Recife. These outbreaks prompted an urgent response from both the government and the scientific community, leading to the implementation of quarantine measures, public health campaigns, and the establishment of specialized health institutions. Over time, the incidence of plague in Brazil declined, thanks to improved public health measures, nevertheless, the disease continued to occur in some rural areas, with sporadic cases.

“For much of its history, Brazil’s population remained bound along the coastline. Geographic features, such as coastal mountain ranges and a relative lack of navigable rivers, stymied efforts to settle and exploit the vast interior… in the late 19th century, efforts to connect the interior to the coast came via the telegraph and railroad… At the same time, [this] created conditions for intensified conflict between newcomers and those who had long called the interior home.”(Latin American History) Compared to Brazil’s coastal-life-zones, not many people had moved to the interior of the country, and to this day, a huge majority of people still live on the Atlantic coast.

At left: Portrait of the bandit, Lampião, (Virgulino Ferreira da Silva), circa 1926. (Photograph attributed to Benjamin Abrahão Botto). At right: Circa July 1938, The severed heads of Lampião’s band exposed before the State Forensic Institute [in Salvador]. On the lowest level, the head of Lampião, immediately above is that of Maria Bonita. (Photographer unknown).
 

Lampião and Maria Bonita 
Living in the vast interior of Brazil, probably made his family more vulnerable to the exploits of people who (to put it politely) had deeply problematic anti-social behaviors. Lampião “was probably the twentieth century’s most successful traditional bandit leader.” The banditry endemic to the Northeast of Brazil was called Cangaço. Cangaço had origins in the late 19th century but was particularly prevalent in the 1920s and 1930s. Lampião led a band of up to 100 cangaceiros, who occasionally took over small towns and who fought a number of successful actions against paramilitary police when heavily outnumbered. Lampião’s exploits and reputation turned him into a folk hero, the Brazilian equivalent of Jesse James, or Pancho Villa. His image, as well as that of his partner Maria Bonita, can be seen across the entirety of the Northeast of Brazil.

The backlands had little in the way of law and order, even the few police in existence were usually in the pocket of a ‘Coronel [Colonel] — a leading landowner who was also a regional political chief – and who would usually take sides in any dispute.” (Wikipedia) Lampião and Maria Bonita and their extensive gang acquired a reputation as the Brazilian version of Bonnie and Clyde. Their crime spree went on for years, but they were stopped and beheaded in an ambush in July 1938.

At left: Colonel Horácio de Matos, circa 1900. (Photographer unknown). At right: Newspaper about the Prestes Column in Bahia. (See footnotes).

The Problem With The ‘Coronelismo’
In Lençóis, At that time this part of Bahia was a poor area subject to Coronelismo, the rule of The Colonels, who exercised near feudal powers in the backlands of Brazil.” (Latin American Bureau)

“Horácio de Queirós Matos was a politician and colonel from the Bahian backlands during the first half of the 20th century. [He] was the leader of a veritable army of gunmen, engaging in numerous armed conflicts throughout his life — including a crucial role in the pursuit of the Miguel Costa-Prestes Column, (a social rebel movement that broke out in Brazil between 1925 and 1927). He ruled for a quarter of a century… [in a manner similar to that] of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra (mafia)… with an iron fist in the backlands of Chapada Diamantina and Chapada Velha, where the Matos clan lived. His political career began with his promotion to lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, inheriting the family command from an uncle. After many battles against adversaries, he became absolute lord of the vast region of Chapada Diamantina.

Horácio served as mayor of Lençóis, then a wealthy mining center, and as a state senator, a true symbol of the Coronelismo that shaped Brazilian politics during the Old Republic. Despite a life marked by warlike tendencies, he longed for the disarmament of the backlands, and when this finally occurred, he was assassinated under mysterious circumstances after being unjustifiably arrested by the Getúlio Vargas administration (circa 1930) in the Bahian capital.”

It Seems That Leandro Held Two Jobs
When researching Leandro and Guiomar’s children, we found some very subtle evidence that Leandro was already working as a government tax collector during the time period in which they lived in Lençóis. (This was the profession that we know he took up in his later life in Salvador da Bahia). It makes sense that he could have had more than one profession, because he needed to support a growing family. We speculate that perhaps this tax collecting work may have created conflicts with The ‘Coronelismo’ and his associates. (10)

Land in Lençóis, and the Usucapião

‘Dr. Leandro’ was also a landowner of considerable means. When he took his family and left Lençóis for Salvador, it is quite unclear to those of us today as to what he did with it. There was many, many hectares of land. Family stories say that it was understood that this land was to be distributed among the generation of heirs after the last child of Leandro and Guiomar had passed on. (This was Waldette de Azevêdo Coutinho). The heirs generally understood and accepted this, but no one was watching the property carefully…

Contemporary Chapada Diamantina National Park travel poster.
(Image courtesy of Etsy).

In Brazil, there is a law known as “Usucapião” which allows for someone to take over the land legally, even though they may appear at first to be property squatters. What is required is this: for someone to move to the land, and follow a very specific procedure of behavior. From Reddit, a similar story about someone else’s family land in the nearby state of Minas Gerais — “the fact [that]someone was occupying the land, taking care of it, paying the taxes, paying for electrical bill and water, empowers them to claim the land. If someone occupies and takes care of it for 5 years in a row, they can claim ownership. So based on your story, there is no way of reclaiming the land and no way of making profit of it.” (See footnotes for this and other legal sources).

This type of thing may have happened to our family lands. Thus, this being Brazil, the land ownership has become more complicated through ‘usucapião’. (11)

1895 Map of the Atlantic Ocean shipping and passenger routes, from Lisbon, Portugal to Bahia, Brazil. Printed in Germany. (Image courtesy of Etsy).

Traveling on the RMS Magdalena

In the past eras, the only practical way to get to Brazil was to travel there by boat. (Unless, of course, you wanted to walk in, and that we can presume, would have been much more complicated for the Coutinho and the Oliveira ancestors!)

In this period, Portugal and its former colonies remained interconnected through trade and business. People traveled to find work, or engage in commerce. Importantly, many families had ties to both countries, so travel was common for visits or to reunite with relatives. Unlike Portugal, most people in Brazil live along the coasts. This has become so historically embedded within the culture, that it has became a common expression.

“…scraped along the sea like crabs…”
“Brazilians cling to the coast like crabs.”

Top, attributed to Historian Friar Vicente do Salvador, circa 1627,
and Bottom, the same sentiment improved upon by the author Jorge Amado.

When you move out of a country, this is called: Emigration. When you move into a country, this is called: Immigration. We have spent much time reviewing ship registers for both of these families, for ships which went back and forth between Portugal and Brazil. Most voyages from Europe to South America started in Southhampton, or Liverpool, England, and had several ports of call along the way.

It appears to us that the various individuals of the early 20th century, who were tasked with keeping the ship registers for these routes — Nationalities and destinations were always dutifully noted. noted that almost all people who were entering Brazil were marked as Immigrants. Is this because there was no place to mark if they were Emigrants, and not Immigrants? So perhaps, this form of categorization was just understood as the normal way of doing things?

The RMS Magdalena ship record for April 8, 1904 listing Leandro d’Azevedo Coutinho as a passenger bound for Brazil.

We found ship records from April 8, 1904 (and also from 1914) that indicate Leandro d’Azevedo Coutinho sailed to Brazil from Lisbon, Portugal. (There are other similar records, but we feel that these two are certainly him). He is recorded as being a Brasileira. We chose to focus on the 1904 journey, because we believe that this occurred before his first child was born. Why did he travel in 1904? We have no way of knowing for certain, but the possibilities include:

  • His honeymoon trip with his wife Guiomar.
  • His education. (We do not yet know where he went to dental school, nor pharmacy school.
  • Other business trips, such as purchasing supplies for his pharmacy business. His father Alfredo had an import/export business, so perhaps this too.
  • Maybe he was visiting friends or family in Portugal.

His final destination was either Bahia, or Rio de Janeiro, but the ship’s records indicate Rio. (We will never know for certain, but this could have been a data entry error, or perhaps he really did initially go to Rio de Janeiro for some reason).

The RMS Magdalena, which Leandro d’Azevedo Coutinho traveled on from Portugal to Brazil in 1904. (Image courtesy of Scottish Built Ships).

The ship was named RMS Magdalena and it regularly traveled as “a British steamship that was built in 1889 as a Royal Mail Ship and ocean liner for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company until 1923.” An advertisement which ran in The Times newspaper of London, on Saturday, Oct 20, 1900, read as follows:

ROYAL MAIL STEAM PACKET COMPANY, under Contract for Her Majesty’s Mails to West Indies, Brazil, and River Plate. Dates from Southampton:—Madalena, 5362 tons, (To Sail) Oct. 26, Ports: Cherbourg, Vigo, Lisbon, St. Vincent, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio, Monte Video, and Buenos Ayres. (12)

The beautiful houses that stood in the old Jardim de Nazaré neighborhood of Salvador
in the 1930s. (Image courtesy of Facebook).

In Salvador, Leandro Changes Professions

The years that Leandro and Guiomar lived in Salvador, are generally framed in the context of, “The Fourth Brazilian Republic, also known as the ‘Populist Republic’ or as the ‘Republic of 46’… [This] is the period of Brazilian history between 1946 and 1964. It was marked by political instability and the military’s pressure on civilian politicians which ended with the 1964 Brazilian coup d’état and the establishment of the Brazilian military dictatorship”. (Wikipedia)

In Salvador, Leandro changed professions and worked as a federal tax collector and auditor. He and his wife Guiomar lived in the neighborhood of Nazaré. In the long history of Salvador, this was one of the first areas to be settled. It is located not far from the historical section called the Pelourinho, which is now UNESCO World Heritage site. (See footnotes). Nazaré is also “home to numerous historic structures of the city; it is additionally the home of several government and academic centers.” (Wikipedia)

Family stories circulate that Guiomar was ever vigilant in her desire to make sure that her grandchildren had much to eat — even when they had already eaten. Cristina Pinheiro relates, “Every time we visited Vovô [grandmother] she would toast bread and butter and caramelize the sugar she put on top of it. We loved it so much! She was always sweet and calm”.

(This is the placeholder image — see the link below to watch the film clip).

Cidade do Salvador (1949, dir. Humberto Mauro). This short movie is about 21 minutes long, but quite worth viewing to appreciate the city of Salvador da Bahia in the mid-20th century. It’s available only in Portuguese, but don’t despair English language speakers, it is still quite interesting!

Please click on this link to watch the short film:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2vyJLy_Eo

Research Comment: The famous director Orson Welles, went to Bahia and the adjacent northeastern state of Ceará in 1941, to film footage for a proposed movie titled It’s All True, which was never finished. If you are interested, there is a link and some beautiful video footage of a long-vanished world, posted in the footnotes. (13)

Left: One of the family Jacaranda wooden chairs, (family photograph). Right: Hand-colored botanical illustration from Samuel Curtis’s “Botanical Magazine,” London, 1822. (This illustration was done in the era in which these chairs were created).

Touchstones

Sometimes in life we are fortunate to inherit something meaningful that connects us to the generations that came before us. Such is the case with a pair of chairs (one of which is shown above), that have come down to my husband Leandro Coutihno (born 1965), the grandson of Leandro and Guiomar Coutinho. It came to him through his paternal Aunt Carmen Viveiros (Coutinho) Carrera. The chairs are handmade of Amazonian Jacaranda wood and are over 200 years old.

We have one more chapter of the Coutinho and Oliveira families which follows. We move forward into the generation from which my husband Leandro emerges in the mid-20th century. (14)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Mr . Peabody and Sherman

(1) — two records

Ultra Swank
Mr Peabody and Sherman – The Original Cartoon
by Koop Kooper
https://www.ultraswank.net/television/mr-peabody-sherman-original-cartoon/
Note: For the 1960s film still.

Wayback Machine (Peabody’s Improbable History)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayback_Machine_(Peabody%27s_Improbable_History)
Note: For the reference.

Ah Bahia!

(2) — one record

Mapas Históricos da Bahia
Mapa da Bahia de 1911
https://www.historia-brasil.com/bahia/mapas-historicos/seculo-20.htm
Notes: This is a excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911, and organized by the company Hartmann-Reichenbach. The red lines are railways.

The de Azevedos Family Arrives in Brazil From Portugal

(3) — four records

The Brazilian National Archives
Category: Coats of arms at Arquivo Nacional (Brazil)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Coats_of_arms_at_Arquivo_Nacional_(Brazil)
Note: The above reference then links to this file below.

Collection of The Brazilian National Archives, circa 1855
Brasão de Manoel de Azeredo Coutinho Messeder, Fidalgo Cavaleiro
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brasão_de_Manoel_de_Azeredo_Coutinho_Messeder,_Fidalgo_Cavaleiro.tif
Note: Accession Number is — BR_RJANRIO_0D_0_0_0103_0003

Observation: When doing genealogy research, it is quite common to follow the lines of male ancestors, because historically there are more records for them. That being said, it is quite refreshing to discover lines that are well researched for our female ancestors, (especially when the male lines are, how shall we say, a bit sparse). For my husband’s Grandmother, Guiomar Viveiros (de Azevêdo) Coutinho, we were able to access the private Family Search records kindly provided by his cousin Maria Patrícia Bittencourt Ferreira. Thanks Pat!

> The family photographs in this section are from the personal family photograph collection.

Old World Auctions
Recently Elaborated Geographical Map of the Kingdom of Brazil in South America…
by Matthias Seutter, circa 1740
https://www.oldworldauctions.com/catalog/lot/128/473
Note: For the map image.

The flag proposed by the conspirators for the new republic, which became the basis for the current Flag of Minas Gerais. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

The Inconfidência Mineira (or The Minas Gerais Conspiracy)

(4) — five records

Inconfidência Mineira
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconfidência_Mineira
Note: For the text regarding The Minas Conspiracy.

Tiradentes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiradentes
Note: For the text.

Museu Histórico Nacional, via Wikipedia Commons
Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, dressed in the report of ensigns of the paid troop of Minas Gerais.
by José Wasth Rodrigues, circa 1940
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alferes_Tiradentes_01.jpg
Note: For the portrait.

The Flag of the Conspirators
by Carlos Oswald, circa 1939
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bandeira_da_Inconfidência_1789_Os_Inconfidentes.jpg
Note: For the painting.

Tiradentes Quartered
by Pedro Americo, circa 1893
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tiradentes_quartered_(Tiradentes_escuartejado)_by_Pedro_Américo_1893.jpg
Note: For the painting.

These Place Names Are Tongue Twisters!

(5) — six records

Mapas Históricos da Bahia
Mapa da Bahia de 1911
https://www.historia-brasil.com/bahia/mapas-historicos/seculo-20.htm
Notes: This is an excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911. We are using it again for continuity, and because it allows to show the communities in their proper places.

Joaquim Venâncio Gomes de Azevedo
Batismo de Joaquim Venâncio de Azevedo
 https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/sources/GZ6H-WBT
Note: The file name is, 1305241B-2330-4440-ADD6-8AA2A006184F.jpg

Documents of the Ordinances in Caetité
The signature of Joaquim Venâncio de Azevedo
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/GZ6H-WBT
Note: The file name is, A02ED4AB-C877-4AF1-AAB1-FF63C664C912.jpg

Downloadable file from:
Photographic portrait, Family Search Memories archive for
José Venâncio Gomes de Azevedo https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/G92F-5VR
Note: The file name is, 2657927E-E264-4FFC-AC4B-7FD606A65DE6.jpg

Downloadable file from:
Photographic portrait, Family Search Memories archive for
Laura Viveiros de Azevedo
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/G92F-TWM
Note: The file name is, FFBF93C1-E221-49C1-88AC-1E235E03CC0B.jpg

Downloadable file from:
Civil registration of marriage, Family Search Memories archive for
José Venâncio Gomes de Azevedo
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/G92F-5VR
Note: The file name is, 02BF08D8-49D4-4F44-8012-F6994AD7922E.jpg

Diamonds In The Rough

(6) — five records

ebay
Brazil South American Festival Of Divine Natives Antique Postcard K72076
https://www.ebay.com/itm/142525773982
Note: For the antique postcard image.

History and Tourist Attractions of Lençóis in Chapada Diamantina
Lençóis: The Gateway to Chapada Diamantina
by Author unknown
https://bahia.ws/en/guia-turismo-lencois-chapada-diamantina/#google_vignette
Note: For the text.

Fold-out map titled, Author’s Sketch Map of Gold and Diamond Districts of Bahia
Derived from:
The Diamond Trail : An Account of Travel Among the Little Known
Bahian Diamond Fields of Brazil

by Hugh Pearson, 1926
https://archive.org/details/DiamondTrailPearson/pearson-h-diamond-1926-RTL013509-LowRes/page/n9/mode/2up
Note: For the map image.

Mapas Históricos da Bahia
Mapa da Bahia de 1911
https://www.historia-brasil.com/bahia/mapas-historicos/seculo-20.htm
Notes: This is a excerpted portion of the General Map of Brazil published in January 1911. We are using it again for continuity, and because it allows to show the communities in their proper places.

Andaraí
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andaraí
Note: For the text.

Alfredo Viero de Azevêdo Coutinho and His Families

(7) — seven records

> The family photographs in this section are from the personal family photograph collection.

Alfredo Viero de Azevêdo Coutinho 1941 Civil Registration death certificate

Ca- Athahyde Molina de Azevedo Coutinho
Mentioned in the Record of UNKNOWN (in 1916)
Birth — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V4X-G8GG?lang=en
Note: This reference file is included because we believe it represents the best documentation of Carolina de Azevedo Coutinho’s maiden name: Carolina Athahydes Molina. Furthermore, listed on this record is her husband Alfred (as Ido Vieira de Azevedo Coutinho) and her son Alvaro de Azeredo Coutinho. Her name is also recorded on the above 1941 Civil Registration death certificate.

Passenger entries for Alfredo and Ana de Coutinho’s travel on the ship Ortega, dated July 2, 1911.

Alfredo de Coutinho (for Ana Coutinho passenger entry)
Migration — Brasil, Bahia, Salvador, Relações de passagieros e imigrantes, 1855-1964
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:71DC-QWW2?lang=en&cid=fs_email
Book page: 86, Digital page: 173/403
Note 1: Entries 14 and 15 from the top for Alfredo and Anna.
Note 2: Passengers entries for ship travel on the Ortega, dated July 2, 1911.

Manoel de Azevedo Coutinho
Death — Brasil, Bahía, Registros da Igreja Católica, 1598-2007
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6BZF-S1JX?lang=en
Digital page: 26/80, Left page near the top.
Note: Despite what the record indicates as ‘zero days age’ at death, the words on the record state that he was 7 months old, and died from a gastrointestinal infection.

Alvaro de Azevedo Coutinho
Marriage — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X9YD-YVPV?lang=en
Note 1: Record of his 1915 marriage to Maria Juliana Paraguassa.
Note 2: The records that he was born in 1892.

1954 Death Registration for Ernestina Francisco de Oliveira.

Ernestina Francisca de Oliveira
Death — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z2ZH-5HW2?lang=en
Note: For the data.

Left: Lamartine de Oliveira Vieira, date unknown. He is the Grandfather of Isa Gunes Viera, (pictured at right) who was helpful with research on this family line). Thanks Isa! (Family photographs).

Memoir of The State of Bahia, circa 1893

(8) — six records

> The family photographs in this section are from the personal family photograph collection.

World’s Columbian Exposition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World%27s_Columbian_Exposition
Note: For the reference.

Musings from the Rosenthal Archives
Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association
of the The World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893
https://csoarchives.wordpress.com/2018/04/23/the-worlds-columbian-exposition-of-1893/
Note: For the pop-up book cover, circa 1893.

Chicago Public Library
Latin American Country Buildings at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition
https://www.chipublib.org/blogs/post/latin-american-country-buildings-at-the-1893-worlds-columbian-exposition/
Note: For the data and Brazil Building photograph.

Memoir of The State of Bahia, circa 1893
by Dr. Francisco Vicente Vianna, José Carlos Ferreira, Dr. Guilherme Pereira Rebello
https://archive.org/details/memoirofstateofb00bahi/page/468/mode/2up
Book page: 468 – 470, Digital Page: 468 – 470/742
Note: Prepared for the World’s Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893.

Universidade Federal da Bahia – UFBA
A praça da cidade de Lençóes em dia de feira
by Photographer unknown
https://repositorio.ufba.br/bitstream/ri/17582/1/Dissertação Romulo de Oliveira Martins.pdf
Note: For the town image.

Getting to Know the Leandro and Guiomar Coutinho Family of Lençóis

(9) — seven records

> The family photographs in this section are from the personal family photograph collection.

Leandro de Aze-Cido Coutinho
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V4H-BBC2?lang=en
Note: Mentioned in the record as the Father of Dulce de Azevedo Coutinho, who is a sister of Paulo de Azevêdo Coutinho, his son.
and
Gisiomarde Azevedo Coutinho
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V4H-BBCL?lang=en
Note: Mentioned in the record as the Mother of Dulce de Azevedo Coutinho, who is a sister of Paulo de Azevêdo Coutinho, her son.

Note: Birth records for Leandro and Guiomar’s children are scarce, but we did locate records for their daughters Dulce and Eunice. From those records, we were able to confirm who Leandro’s parents and grandparents were.

Dulce de Azevedo Coutinho
Birth — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V4H-BBCK?lang=en
Note: Daughter, for her birthdate and confirmation of the parents and grandparents. (1908)

1911
Lean Dro de Azeredo Coutinho
Mencionado no Registo de Azevedo Edilude
Birth — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V4C-W5LD?lang=en
Note: Leandro and his daughter Carmen are noted in the birth document for a male child, who was previously unknown.

1914
Guiomar de Azevedo Coutinho
Mentioned in the Record of UNKNOWN
Birth — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V4D-6PSG?lang=en
Note: Possible birth record for Leandro and Guiomar’s daughter Clarisse.

Eunice
Birth — Brasil, Bahia, Registro Civil, 1877-2021
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6V46-9R7F?lang=en
Note: Daughter, for her birthdate and confirmation of the parents and grandparents. (1917)

Humberto de Azevêdo Coutinho com os seus três filhos, (da esquerda para a direita) Carlos, Mariza, e José Leandro, cerca de 1960s. (Foto de família).

The Troubles

(10) — seven records

NIH (The National Institute of Health)
The National Library of Medicine
125 years of the plague in Brazil: lessons learnt, historical insights
and contemporary challenges
by Igor Vasconcelos Rocha, Matheus Filgueira Bezerra, Marise Sobreira, Alzira Maria Paiva de Almeida
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11851657/
Note: For the text.

This image of a Plague Doctor is from this link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/140129-justinian-plague-black-death-bacteria-bubonic-pandemic

Latin American History
Road Building in Brazil
by Emily Story
https://oxfordre.com/latinamericanhistory/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-992?p=emailAWhHANH3NNSUI&d=/10.1093/acrefore/9780199366439.001.0001/acrefore-9780199366439-e-992
Note: For the text.

Lampião
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lampião
and
Maria Bonita (bandit)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Bonita_(bandit)
Note: For the text and photos.

LAB
Latin American Bureau
Brazil: the Prestes Column in Bahia
https://lab.org.uk/brazil-the-prestes-column-in-bahia/
Note: For the text and newspaper image.

Horácio de Matos
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horácio_de_Matos
Note: For the text and photos.

Coluna Prestes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coluna_Prestes
Note: For the data.

Land in Lençóis, and the Usucapião

(11) — four records

Reddit
Legal Advice: My grandfather’s land in Minas Gerais has had squatters living there for 40+ years. Is it still ours?
https://www.reddit.com/r/Brazil/comments/39tndd/legal_advice_my_grandfathers_land_in_minas_gerais/
Note: For the text.

Etsy
MapometryCo
Chapada Diamantina National Park Panoramic Art Print: Brazil Travel Poster
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1733895652/chapada-diamantina-national-park
Note: For the artwork.

Machado Meyer Advogados
by Fatima Tadea Rombola Fonseca, Marina Rosa Cavalli,
Iasmim De Souza Nunes, and Marina Rosa Cavalli
STJ Welcomes Action Of Usucapião Of Private Property
Without Real Estate Registration

https://www.machadomeyer.com.br/en/recent-publications/publications/real-estate/stj-welcomes-action-of-usucapiao-of-private-property-without-real-estate-registration#:~:text=The Superior Court of Justice,other requirements required by law.
Note: For the reference.

“The usucapio is a constitutionally guaranteed institute. It allows the acquisition of real estate property by proving the possession exercised without opposition and for a certain time, in addition to other requirements required by law. Because it is an original form of acquisition of property, there is no transfer of liens or encumbrances on the real estate property for the plaintiff (the usucapiente). The registration of the usucapio on the enrollment certificate, therefore, is not done to constitute the acquisition, but rather to give publicity to it and allow the exercise of the right to dispose of the property, in addition to regularizing the registry itself.”

A General Introduction to Real Estate Law in Brazil
by Pinheiro Neto Advogados 
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d95e5bc8-d57e-4ff0-9543-ad013fe64d14#:~:text=In Brazil, the right to,whoever may unlawfully hold it.
Note: For the reference.

“In Brazil, the right to own property is assured by Article 5, XXII of the Brazilian Federal Constitution. According to the Brazilian Civil Code (Law No. 10,406 of 2002), owners have the right to use, enjoy and dispose of their property, as well as to defend it from whoever may unlawfully hold it.”

Traveling on the RMS Magdalena

(12) — five records

Etsy
1895 Antique Map of the Atlantic Ocean
by Author unknown
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1528816009/1895-antique-map-of-the-atlantic-ocean
Note: Printed in Germany in 1895.

Leandro d’ Azevedo Coutinho
Migration — Brasil, Bahia, Salvador, Relações de passagieros e imigrantes, 1855-1964
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WH84-3MPZ?lang=en
Book page: 29, Digital page: 59/400
Note: For the data.

SN, Ships Nostalgia
SS MAGDALENA Route in 1900
https://www.shipsnostalgia.com/threads/ss-magdalena-route-in-1900.23933/
Note: For the data.

RMS Magdalena (1889)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Magdalena_(1889)
Note: For the text.

Alfredo V de Azevedo Coutinho
Migration — Brasil, Bahia, Salvador, Relações de passagieros e imigrantes, 1855-1964
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WS83-GKW2?lang=en
Note: For the reference.

In Salvador, Leandro Changes Professions

(13) — seven records

Facebook
Amo a História de Salvador
by Louti Bahia
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2630913453614695&id=729832370389489&set=a.729839003722159
Note 1: For the photo reference.
Note 2: The original photo caption reads, “The beautiful houses that stood in the old Jardim de Nazaré neighborhood in the 1930s.”

Fourth Brazilian Republic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_Brazilian_Republic
Note: For the text.

UNESCO World Heritage Convention
Historic Centre of Salvador de Bahia
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/309
Note: For the reference.

Nazaré (neighborhood)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazaré_(neighbourhood)
Note: For the text.

Youtube.com
CTAv Centro Técnico Audiovisual
Cidade do Salvador (1949, dir. Humberto Mauro)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf2vyJLy_Eo

It’s All True (film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It%27s_All_True_(film)
Note: For the reference.

(This is the placeholder image — see the link below to watch the film clip).

Youtube.com
Orson Welles – Four Men on a Raft
by Carlos J. Carpio L.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtaYuirQNpo
Notes: This is some of the best of all of the film that was shot in 1941. The preliminary portion explains the background, and the Welles footage begins at the 2:35 mark. (Total length is 9:55).

Touchstones

(15) — three records

> The family photograph in this section is from the personal family photograph collection.

Jacaranda copaia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacaranda_copaia
Note: For the reference.

Alamy
Jacaranda mimosifolia 
Handcoloured copperplate engraving by Weddell after an illustration
by John Curtis from Samuel Curtis’s “Botanical Magazine,” London, 1822

https://www.alamy.com/trinidad-fern-tree-jacaranda-mimosifolia-oval-leaved-jacaranda-jacaranda-ovalifolia-handcoloured-copperplate-engraving-by-weddell-after-an-illustration-by-john-curtis-from-samuel-curtiss-botanical-magazine-london-1822-image331462351.html?imageid=6592413D-131B-46C4-808D-92A84A7B07F9&pn=1&searchId=006951c8677a72657123955a412ba84c&searchtype=0
Note: For the reference

The Coutinho / Oliveira Line, A Narrative — One

This is Chapter 1 of 3, being the very first of our family line narratives that feature southern Europe and South America. Accordingly, this line will also be our first dual language family history, being written in two formats.

In total, there are 6 chapters: the first set of 3 chapters is written in English, and are labeled as One, Two, Three. The following second set of 3 chapters is translated into Portuguese, and are labeled as Primeira, Segunda, Terceira.

Eis um exemplo: No total, existem 6 capítulos: o primeiro conjunto de 3 capítulos está escrito em inglês e intitula-se Um, Dois e Três. O segundo conjunto de 3 capítulos está traduzido para português e intitula-se como Primeira, Segunda, Terceira.

After our wedding, we celebrated at Zuni restaurant in San Francisco, California.
(Family photograph).

Intertwined

When we married in 2008, we had already spent ten years together as a couple. As I sit here and tap the computer keys to write these chapters, I realize that we are coming up on nearly 30 years together as a family. So, what does it mean to have a family like ours? Especially one where, through your research, you discover long generational family histories going back for sometimes hundreds of years? 

My husband Leandro is from northeast Bahia, Brazil, and I [Thomas], am from northeast Ohio, USA — and for many years we have lived in various places: California, Ohio, Hawaii, Brazil, and now Portugal.

Our families are interconnected like two ribbons that have intertwined through time to create a strong silken cord that binds us all together. This chapter is about those family lines that originate from Leandro’s side of things; first in Portugal, and then in Brazil. (1)

— Thomas

The Battle of Aljubarrota (Castile vs Portugal, 1385), by Jean d’Wavrin (Chronique d’Angleterre).
(Image courtesy of the British Historical Society of Portugal).
The “Battle of Aljubarrota [was] fought between Portugal and Castille near the monastery of Batalha, [and was] called this name due precisely to the battle won by Portugal with the help of English archers with experience from France, in what was to be called the 100 year war”. This victory secured for the Kingdom of Portugal sovereignty against the ambitions of its neighbors.

What Does the Coutinho Family Name Mean in Portugal?

The deeper history of this family has been enlightening. On the paternal side of his family, Leandro’s father Paulo has the classic Portuguese surname of: Coutinho. This name is connected to the de Azervedo(s) (or the spelling variant) the de Azeredo(s). [Note the difference between the interim v, or r letter]. This led us to many interesting discoveries, but before we go there, we first we need to provide some general background information.

“The surname Coutinho is of Portuguese origin, belonging to the toponymic class of surnames, which are derived from the place where the initial bearer once lived or held land. Specifically, Coutinho comes from a diminutive form of couto, which referred to a fenced or enclosed place, such as a hunting preserve or a protected area. Therefore, Coutinho would have originally denoted someone who lived near or was associated with a small enclosed area or preserve.” (Wisdom Library)

Wikipedia also tells us that, “Coutinho is a noble Portuguese language surname. It is from Late Latin cautum, from the past participle of cavere to make safe.” (Wikipedia) (2)

Left and right: Photographs of the ruins of Marialva Castle in the Guarda District of central Portugal. Center: King Ferdinand I of Portugal (circa 1450), who created the office of the Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal, which became the Count of Marialva.

The Marshals of the Kingdom of Portugal

The office of Marshal of the Kingdom of Portugal (Marechal do Reino de Portugal, sometimes Mariscal) was created by King Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, in the course of the reorganization of the higher offices of the army of the Kingdom of Portugal. The Marshal was directly subordinate to the Constable of Portugal (Condestável), being principally responsible for the high administrative matters, including the quartering of troops, supplies and other logistical matters.

Commander Gonçalo Vasques de Azevedo was appointed the first Marshal of the Kingdom in 1382. This title then became known as The Count(s) of Marialva. The office then passed to his son-in-law, Dom Gonçalo Vasques Fernandes Coutinho — This office was maintained within the Coutinho family until the Iberian Union of 1580.

  • Dom Gonçalo Vasques Fernandes Coutinho, the First Count of Marialva, (circa 1385— circa 1450). In 1412, Fernandes Coutinho married Dona Maria de Sousa (died 1472), the natural daughter of Lopo Dias de Sousa, master of the Order of Christ.
  • Dom Gonçalo Coutinho, the Second Count of Marialva, (circa 1415 — January 20, 1464). He died in Tangier, Morocco. Gonçalo was married to Beatriz de Melo, daughter of Martim Afonso de Melo and Briolanja de Sousa.
  • Dom João Coutinho, the Third Count of Marialva, (circa 1450 — August 24, 1471).
  • Dom Francisco Coutinho, the Fourth Count of Marialva, (circa 1480 — February 19, 1543). He married Beatriz de Meneses, 2nd Countess of Loulé.
  • Dona Guiomar Coutinho, 5th Countess of Marialva, 3rd Countess of Loulé, who married Fernando, Duke of Guarda, (1510 — 1534). He was the son of Manuel I and Maria of Aragon. (The portion of the Castle of Guarda still stands to this day).
Arms of Coutinho, granted to Dom Vasco Fernandes Coutinho (born 1385)
by King Afonso V of Portugal in 1440. (See footnotes for all sources).

At first glance, we thought that this contemporary coat-of-arms was just a little bit plain Jane, (in Portuguese, you might say that it needs salt and pepper). Then we came to realize that this is what authenticity looks like.

Research Observation: It is rather astonishing in genealogy research, to come across an instance where you can specifically identify the foundational origin and formalization of a family surname by royal decree, (in this case, circa 1382). Prior to this period most common families did not have true surnames.

*Very nearly all Coutinho-named descendants in Portugal likely related to this man’s family line. Google tells us that this timeframe from then-to-now is about 650 years. (If we allow about 25 years or so between generations, this allows for approximately 26 generations of Coutinho(s). (3)

The Ancient Heraldry of the Coutinho Family

“Heraldry has been practiced in Portugal at least since the 12th century, however it only became standardized and popularized in the 16th century, during the reign of King Manuel I of Portugal, who created the first heraldic ordinances in the country. Like in other Iberian heraldic traditions, the use of quartering and augmentations of honor is highly representative of Portuguese heraldry, but unlike in any other Iberian traditions, the use of heraldic crests is highly popular”.

The Important Significance of the Livro do Armeiro-Mor
“The Livro do Armeiro-Mor is an illuminated manuscript dating back to 1509, [created] during the reign of King Manuel I of Portugal. The codex is an armorial, a collection of heraldic arms, authored by the King of Arms João do Cró. It is considered one of the masterpieces of illuminated manuscripts preserved in Portugal… [It is] the oldest surviving Portuguese armorial to this day, being the oldest source we have regarding certain arms, and also for the beauty of its magnificent illuminations, it is considered the most important Portuguese armorial. It has been called the supreme monument of what we can call Portuguese heraldic culture.

The Count of Marialva (Coutinho) armorial, from folio 48 of the Livro do Armeiro-Mor, circa 1509, by João do Cró for King Manuel I of Portugal.

The work… was entrusted to the custody of the Chief Armourer, Álvaro da Costa, appointed in 1511, in whose family the position and the custody of the book remained for more than ten generations. For this reason, the Livro do Armeiro-Mor escaped the great 1755 Lisbon earthquake, which destroyed, among many other things, the Chancellery of Nobility.” (Wikipedia)

One can observe that some representation of Coats-of-Arms feature the escutcheon (shield) tilted at an angle, and the addition of other decorative elements throughout, which make Portuguese armory unique. These elements, however, were added through artistic license by the original artist(s) who crafted the Livro do Armeiro-Mor. Observe also that the stars are not 5-points, but are 7-points. As such, these alterations and additions are not part of the fundamental original coat-of-arms criteria.

What Did the Colors Mean?
The colors in heraldry are called tinctures. Old French words were used to describe the colors of the background, which came to have different meanings. Red (vermelho) was the color of a warrior and nobility, blue (azul) for truth and sincerity, black (negro) for piety and knowledge, and green (verde) for hope and joy. Presently, Portuguese heraldry has seven colors (tinctures) including two metals (gold/ouro, silver/prata) and five colors (blue, red, purple, black, green).

  • Estucheon, the shape of the shield. “Since very early, the round bottom shield has been the preferred shape to display the coat-of-arms in Portugal, causing this shape to often be referred as the Portuguese shield”. 
  • Helm, the top center of this shape, where future generations might add elements to represent their individual family.
  • Charge, there is no charge, but only a yellow (ouro) field.
  • Ordinaries, In this family, they had 5 stars on a yellow (ouro) field, the designs that appeared on the field. A star with five points and straight sides is called a mullet.

Note: For an interesting history as to why the need for heraldry emerged in English history, see the chapter, The Ancient Bonds of Erth — One, Family Heraldry. That chapter covers symbolic thinking in a pre-literate world, the meaning of various shapes and colors, and what a Coat-of-Arms actually is, versus a Family Crest. The exact same reasons for these developments apply in a parallel manner to the Kingdom of Portugal, even though it was a different country. (https://ourfamilynarratives.com/2022/06/13/the-ancient-bonds-of-erth-one-family-heraldry/)

Coats of arms of principal families of the Portuguese nobility in the Thesouro de Nobreza, 1675. Note that the Coutinho family appears in the lower right corner of the page. The Helm at the top of the Coutinho Coat-of Arms appears to show a red lion holding a laurel wreath. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

There are extensive records for the noble classes of Portugal found in the three volume set of books titled, Nobreza de Portugal e Brasilia. These books feature the family names described above, and others.

“The Portuguese nobility was a social class enshrined in the laws of the Kingdom of Portugal with specific privileges, prerogatives, obligations and regulations. The nobility ranked immediately after royalty and was itself subdivided into a number of subcategories which included the titled nobility and nobility of blood at the top and civic nobility at the bottom, encompassing a small, but considerable proportion of Portugal’s citizenry.

The nobility was an open, regulated social class. Accession to it was dependent on a family’s merit, or, more rarely, an individual’s merit and proven loyalty to the Crown over generations. Formal access was granted by the monarch through letters of ennoblement. A family’s status within the noble class was determined by continued and significant services to Crown and country.” (Wikipedia)

The ranks of the titled nobility below The Royals, although similar to those in other European countries, have their idiosyncrasies in Portugal. They are listed here in hierarchical order and are slightly simplified for this family history.
Here are just a few examples of one ranked Noble in each category:

  • Dukedoms — The Duke of Viseu, created 1415.
  • Marquisates —The Marquis of Pombal, created 1769. Renowned for the rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake, tsunami, and fire which destroyed the city.
  • Countships — The Coutinho family as The Counts of Marialva, created 1440.
  • Viscountcies — The Viscount of São Jorge, created 1893.
  • Baronies — The Baron of Serra da Estrela, created 1818. (4)
The ceiling of the Coats-of-Arms Room within the Sintra National Palace, in Portugal.
(Image courtesy of Lifecooler).

We Are From Two of the 72 Portuguese Noble Class Families

The Coutinho Family later combined through marriage with another family from the same noble class. Known by both surname spellings, either Azerêdo or Azervêdo, this consolidation created the House of Azerêdo – Coutinho. The Coat-of Arms for each family is featured within the Sintra National Place of Portugal. “…King Manuel I created the Coats-of-Arms Room (Sala dos Brasões) between 1515 – 1518, using the wealth engendered by the exploratory expeditions in the Age of Discovery. The room features a magnificent wooden coffered domed ceiling decorated with 72 coats-of-arms of the King and the main Portuguese noble families.”

The Azevedo armorial, from folio 61 of the Livro do Armeiro-Mor, circa 1509, by João do Cró
for King Manuel I of Portugal.

Throughout this history, we have been focusing on the paternal family line of the Coutinho family. We also have interesting things to share about the maternal side, the Oliveira family…

What Does the Oliveira Family Name Mean in Portugal?

“Oliveira is a Portuguese (and Galician) surname, used in Portuguese-speaking countries, and to a lesser extent in former Portuguese and Spanish colonies. Its origin is from the Latin word olivarĭus , meaning olive tree. Its first documented use dates back to the 13th century, from Évora noble Pedro de Oliveira, and his son, Braga archbishop D. Martinho Pires de Oliveira. Further tracing of its origins show that it derives from ancient Roman aristocrats from the gens* Oliva. (*Individuals who shared the same descent from a common ancestor).

Left: Shields of the twelve tribes of Israel, from a work published by Pieter Mortier in Amsterdam, 1705. Right: Oliveira armorial, from folio 128 of the Livro do Armeiro-Mor, circa 1509, by João do Cró for King Manuel I of Portugal. Oliveira is found in the last section, which documents the “Houses of lesser category and more recent nobility. These were not, in 1509, great manorial Houses; they were lineages whose sons held minor positions at the court throughout the 14th and 15th centuries”. (Wikipedia)

Furthermore, this surname takes us back to Biblical times, where the olive and olive tree were always very important to the Hebrew culture. One of the 12 Hebrew tribes, [known as Asher], had an olive tree inside of the tribe emblem. This is compelling evidence that the Asher Hebrew tribe name could have likely been transliterated into the Portuguese Oliveira surname, to better align with Portuguese Christian society and culture.

In Portuguese, de Oliveira may [therefore] refer to both of the olive tree and from the olive tree. In archaic Portuguese, we find the register of surnames with variations of their spelling, such as Olveira and Ulveira. By the time of King Diniz I, king of Portugal in 1281, Oliveira was already ‘an old, illustrious and honorable family’, as the King’s Books of Inquisitions show.

Comment: I have been pondering about what my mother-in-law Lindaura would have thought about this next part of the history. We do not know how much she truly knew of her family’s history… However, one very specific fact that you could certainly know about her was that she was a very, very devout Roman Catholic. (All her roads led to Rome). This next part was a bit if a revelation to us.

“It is noteworthy to mention that the offspring of the [12 Tribes of Israel] intentionally settled between Galicia [northwest Spain] and Portugal for two reasons — First, because they were inland and far from the great centers of Spain, where the first killings of Judeans (pogroms) began. These pogroms were promoted by fanatical Catholic priests of the Dominican and Carmelite orders, who urged the ignorant Christian population to kill the New Christian Jews and the unconverted Judeans. Second, Galicia and Portugal gave them freedom to cross the borders among the different countries accordingly to the laws of each State”. (Wikitree) This lead to the population being labeled historically with the ethnic definition of Sephardic Jews.

Research observation: We know that this family surname is very old in Portugal, however, we don’t yet know when it connects with the line from which our family descends. We could be from the very old branch, or the branch of people who adopted this surname during the times of oppression, or both.

The Iberian monarchs responsible for expelling Jews from Portugal. Left: King Manuel I of Portugal, by Colijn de Coter, circa 1515. Center: Queen Isabella I of Spain, by Unknown painter, circa 1490. Right: King Ferdinand II of Spain, by by Michael Sittow, circa 1450. (See footnotes).

Sephardic Jews
Oliveira, de Oliveira, and d’Oliveira, have historically been used by Jews who settled in Portugal and Spain, and adopted a translated form of their family name to hide their Judean origin. Sephardic Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendants. The term Sephardic comes from Sepharad, the Hebrew word for Iberia. These communities flourished for centuries in Iberia until they were expelled in the late 15th century. (Over time, Sephardic has also come to refer more broadly to Jews, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, who adopted Sephardic religious customs and legal traditions, often due to the influence of exiles).

In 1492, the Alhambra Decree by the Catholic Monarchs expelled Jews from Spain, and in 1496, King Manuel I of Portugal issued a similar edict*. de Oliveira was one of the Conversos surnames adopted by Sephardic families after converting (often forced) to Christianity [Roman Catholicism]. This practice was a means of avoiding the Portuguese Inquisition [with the high probability of] prosecution and possible torture, if found as non-Catholics.

We learned from historian Laurence Bergreen in his book, Over The Edge of the World, that “Manuel’s harshest policies concerned the Jews of Portugal, who distinguished themselves as scientists, artisans, merchants, scholars, doctors, and cosmographers. In 1496, when King Manuel wished to take the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella as his wite, he was told that he could do so only on condition that he “purify” Portugal by expelling the Jews, as Spain had done four years earlier. Rather than lose this valuable segment of the population, Manuel encouraged conversions to Christianity — forced conversions, in many cases. As ‘new Christians’ (the title fooled no one), Portuguese Jews continued to occupy high positions in the government, and received royal trading concessions, in Brazil especially.” (Bergreen, see footnotes).

*Both the Spanish and Portuguese edicts ordered their respective Jewish residents to choose one of only three options: 1) Convert to Catholicism and therefore to be allowed to remain within the kingdom, 2) Remain Jewish and be expelled by the stipulated deadline, or 3) to be summarily executed. (Wikitree)

An engraving shows the burning of heretics by the Portuguese Inquisition.
(Image courtesy of Turning Portuguese via BBC News, and Wikipedia).

Despite Conversos Surnames, People Were Not Safe
In 1506, a Lisbon mob invaded one of the city’s old Jewish quarters and massacred around 3,000 people – including women and children. Under Manuel’s heir, João III, the Inquisition was set up in Portugal in 1536, focusing on New Christians suspected of secretly practising their old faith. It’s thought more than 40,000 individuals were charged by the Inquisition, which lasted until 1821 although the last public trial was in 1765. (BBC News)

According to historian Anita Novinsky of the University of São Paulo, a scholar of the Portuguese Inquisition, 1 out of every 3 Portuguese who arrived in Brazil in the first decades of the 16th century… were of Jewish descent. The de Oliveira(s) concentrated mainly in the Northeast Region and Minas Gerais in southeast Brazil. The chronicles of the time themselves attest to the presence of Levi, Levy, and de Oliveira families in large numbers in colonial Brazil.” (All above, except for BBC News and Wikitree, are derived from Wikipedia).

“The surname Oliveira, [is the] third most common in Brazil and sixth in Portugal.” (Oliveira Ledo Family, see footnotes). (6)

Left: Portrait of Henry The Navigator, attributed to painter Nuno Gonçalves, circa 1450-1470, Center: Christopher Columbus, by Unknown painter, circa 1519, Pope Julius II, by Raphael,
circa 1511. (See footnotes).

All Eyes On The Horizon

“The Portuguese began systematically exploring the Atlantic coast of Africa in 1418, under the sponsorship of Prince Henry the Navigator. In 1488, Bartolomeu Dias reached the Indian Ocean by this route.”

“In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain funded Genoese mariner Christopher Columbus’s plan to sail west to reach the Indies, by crossing the Atlantic. Columbus encountered a continent uncharted by Europeans (though it had been explored and temporarily colonized by the Norse 500 years earlier). Portugal quickly claimed those lands under the terms of the Treaty of Alcáçovas, but Castile was able to persuade the Pope, who was Castilian, to issue four papal bulls to divide the world into two regions of exploration, where each kingdom had exclusive rights to claim newly discovered lands. These were modified by the Treaty of Tordesillas, ratified by Pope Julius II.” Importantly, at the time, none of these explorers knew the true complete extent of the New World.

Planisphere World Map, by Francesco Rosselli, circa 1508. The far left blue line represents the Line of the Treaty of Tordesillas, 1494. The broken yellow line represents the Line of Demarcation from the Papal Bull Inter Caetera, 1493. The pink line represents the Treaty of Saragossa, 1529. (Map image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

In 1498, a Portuguese expedition commanded by Vasco da Gama reached India by sailing around Africa, opening up direct trade with Asia. While other exploratory fleets were sent from Portugal to northern North America, Portuguese India Armadas also extended this Eastern oceanic route, touching South America and opening a circuit from the New World to Asia (starting in 1500 by Pedro Álvares Cabral), and explored islands in the South Atlantic and Southern Indian Oceans. The Portuguese sailed further eastward, to the valuable Spice Islands in 1512, landing in China one year later. Japan was reached by the Portuguese in 1543. East and west exploration overlapped in 1522, when a Spanish expedition sailing westward, led by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan (and, after his death in what is now the Philippines, by navigator Juan Sebastián Elcano), completed the first circumnavigation of the world.

Left: Portrait of Vasco da Gama, by Artist unknown, circa 1525. Center: Contemporary illustration of Pedro Álvares Cabral, circa 1900. (No known portraits of him exist). Right: Portrait of Ferdinand Magellan, created 1550-1625, after his death. (See footnotes).

Spanish conquistadors explored the interior of the Americas, and some of the South Pacific islands. Their main objective was to disrupt Portuguese trade in the East.”

In summary, “As one of the earliest participants in the Age of Discovery, Portugal made several seminal advancements in nautical science. The Portuguese subsequently were among the first Europeans to explore and discover new territories and sea routes, establishing a maritime empire of settlements, colonies, and trading posts that extended mostly along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean coasts.” (Wikipedia) (7)

“The sea with an end can be Greek or Roman,
but the endless sea is Portuguese.”

attributed to Portuguese poet and writer Fernando Pessoa

Starting in 1500… the Coutinhos As New World Colonizers

Brazil is a remarkably old country when compared to a country like the United States, which is thought of as being about half the age of Brazil. In the present day, these countries have an important characteristic in common: they are both immigrant-inspired democratic republics, and each one has their own Constitution. Initially, each place was a far-flung colony of a distant European Kingdom, and the paths each took to the present day are quite different. (8)

Map of Brazil in Miller’s Atlas of 1519, by Lopo Homem.
(Image courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, via Wikimedia).

Old Brazil: From Colonial Captaincies to The First Republic

The Crown in Portugal, as did other sea-faring kingdoms, viewed resource extraction as the primary reason for having a colony. Simply put, they wanted all the resources and the wealth which this brought. “Colonial Brazil, sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese (at what they then aptly named Porto Seguro), until 1822, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal. During the 300 years of Brazilian colonial history, the main economic activities of the territory were based first on brazilwood extraction (brazilwood cycle), which gave the territory its name; sugar production (sugar cycle); and finally on gold and diamond mining (gold cycle). Slaves, especially those brought from Africa, provided most of the workforce of the Brazilian export economy after a brief initial period of Indigenous slavery to cut brazilwood.”

Series of Eight Figures, by Albert Eckout, 1641. (Images courtesy of the National Museum of Denmark, via the Kahn Academy).

“In 1630, the Dutch conquered the prosperous sugarcane-producing area in the northeast region of the Portuguese colony of Brazil. Although it only lasted for 24 years, the Dutch colony resulted in substantial art production. The governor Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen brought the artist, Albert Eckhout to Brazil to document the local flora, fauna, people, and customs.”

“Beginning in the early 16th century, the Portuguese monarchy used proprietorships or captaincies—land grants with extensive governing privileges—as a tool to colonize new lands… The history of the captaincies is turbulent, reflecting the needs of the Kings of Portugal, a small European country, to colonize and govern an enormous expanse of South America. Throughout the early colonial era Captaincies were granted, divided, subordinated, annexed, and abandoned. In 1548-49 when the captaincy of Baía de Todos os Santos (Bahia) reverted to the Crown due to [a] massacre, by indigenous cannibals, of its donee [a person given the gift of a powerful appointment], Francisco Pereira Coutinho [appointed on March 5, 1534] and his settlers; the King, Dom João III, established a royal governor (later a governor-general) at Bahia.”

In 1549, there were more troubles with the local native Peoples, and to make a complicated history much shorter — Captain Francisco Pereira Coutinho “was consumed by the Tupinambá in a cannibalistic feast” (!)

Mapa de Capitanias Hereditarias by Luiz Teixeira, circa 1574. In 1549,
the Captaincy Colonies of Brazil were united into the Governorate General of Brazil,
where they were provincial captaincies of Brazil. In the list on the right side of the map, the Coutinho family is listed as entry seven for Bahia. (Map courtesy of Wikipedia).

Brazil became independent of Portugal with the signing of the Treaty of Rio de Janeiro in 1825. For three years there had been “a series of political and military events that led to the independence” based upon the date of September 7, 1822 “when prince regent Pedro of Braganza declared the country’s independence from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves on the banks of the Ipiranga brook… in what became known as the Cry of Ipiranga.” (9)

The Town of Cachoeira in the Province of Bahia. (Image courtesy of O Globo | Cultura).

The Coutinho Family and The Oliveira Family Immigrate to Brazil

The Northeast Region of Brazil was the first area of discovery in Brazil, when roughly 1,500 Portuguese arrived on April 22, 1500. In the mid-16th century, settlers from Spain and Portugal, Olinda, and Itamaracá founded Filipéia de Nossa Senhora das Neves (today João Pessoa) at the mouth of the Paraíba do Norte River.

The Coutinho Family
It is certain that families with the surname Coutinho immigrated to Brazil during the colonial period, as we have already written about the lurid death of Francisco Pereira Coutinho of the Bahia Captaincy (see above). “Upon the discovery of Pereira Coutinho’s death, King João immediately appropriated the captaincy from its heir Manuel Pereira Coutinho in exchange for a hereditary pension of 400,000 reals. [The family was not interested in remaining in the Americas in any case.]” (Wikipedia) With that knowledge, we are sure that the Coutinho family line begins elsewhere in Brazil. We just don’t yet know who, nor where, the original immigrant was for this family line, until more records shake loose.

The Oliveira Family As Conversos in Brazil
The history of the Jews in Brazil is a rather long and complex one, as it stretches from the very beginning of the European settlement in the new continent. Although only baptized Christians were subject to the Inquisition, Jews started settling in Brazil when the Inquisition reached Portugal, in the 16th century. They arrived in Brazil during the period of Dutch rule, setting up in Recife the first synagogue in the Americas, the Kahal Zur Israel Synagogue, as early as 1636. As a colony of Portugal, Brazil was affected by the 300 years of repression of the Portuguese Inquisition, [which quickly enough] expanded its scope of operations from Portugal to Portugal’s colonial possessions, including Brazil, Cape Verde, and Goa, where it continued investigating and trying cases based on supposed breaches of orthodox Roman Catholicism until 1821.

Center: First edition frontispiece of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations, 1776. Background top: Image from Smithsonian Magazine, Sugar Masters in a New World. Background bottom: Sugar Mill in Pernambuco, by Franz Post, 17th century. (See footnotes).

Most Portuguese settlers in Brazil, who throughout the entire colonial period tended to originate from Northern Portugal, moved to the northeastern part of the country to establish the first sugar plantations. In his The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith attributed much of the development of Brazil’s sugar industry and cultivation to the arrival of Portuguese Jews who were forced out of Portugal during the Inquisition.

Interestingly, and somewhat ironically, many of the Jews who had been Sephardic Jews who had fled the Inquisition in Spain and Portugal to the religious freedom of the Netherlands. From 1630 to 1654 the Dutch controlled a long stretch of Northeastern Brazilian coast. In 1648-49 the [Portuguese] Brazilians defeated the Dutch in the first and second battles of Guararapes, and gradually recovered the Portuguese colonies of Brazil.
(Derived from both Wikitree and Wikipedia) (10)

Many other European nationalities, as well as many Japanese people, immigrated to Brazil during the 19th and 20th centuries. (See footnotes).

Historically, Why Were The Portuguese Attracted to Brazil?

The Portuguese people were not the only people who immigrated to Brazil, even though they are our focus for this family history. We learned some specifics we would like to discuss to help frame the long continuous stream of people immigrating from Portugal in Europe, to Brazil in South America:

  • “From 1500, when the Portuguese reached Brazil, until its independence in 1822, from 500,000 to 700,000 Portuguese settled in Brazil, 600,000 of whom arrived in the 18th century alone.
  • Between 1820 and 1876, 350,117 immigrants entered Brazil. Of these, 45.73% were Portuguese, [when] the total number of immigrants per year averaged 6,000].
  • From 1877 to 1903, almost two million immigrants arrived, at a rate of 71,000 per year.
  • From 1904 to 1930, 2,142,781 immigrants came to Brazil; the Portuguese constituted 38% of entries…” (Family Search)
Engravings made two years after the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.
Top row, left to right: Ruins of: St. Nicholas Church, São Paulo Church, Patriarchal Square.
Bottom row, left to right: Lisbon Cathedral, Tower of São Roque or Tower of the Patriarch,
Royal Opera House. Engravings by the French artist Jacques Philippe Le Bas, 1757.
(Images courtesy of get Lisbon).

After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake devastated that city, the country of Portugal was never the same again. It was (no pun intended), literally uprooted as a world class city. Over the centuries, it began experiencing severe economic problems, financial instability, and political turmoil, which drove many to seek opportunities elsewhere. Thus, Brazil became a significant destination for those fleeing poverty and seeking a better life. This sense of instability pushed many to emigrate. (Derived from Instituto de Ciências Sociasis).

“Portuguese Brazilians are Brazilian citizens whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Portugal. Most of the Portuguese who arrived throughout the centuries in Brazil sought economic opportunities. Although present since the onset of the colonization, Portuguese people began migrating to Brazil in larger numbers and without state support in the 18th century.

The majority settled in urban centers, mainly in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, working mainly as small traders, shopkeepers, porters, cobblers, and drivers. A smaller number became coal miners, dairy workers, and small-scale farmers outside of urban areas. Upheavals in Portugal after the 1910 Revolution and the establishment of the First Portuguese Republic caused a temporary exodus of Portuguese to Brazil.” (Wikipedia)

In the next chapter, we move forward with what we do know about the Coutinho and the De Azevedo families. Their lives unfold in the Brazilian states of Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Paraíba. Unlike many family lines we have researched in other chapters — we learn much about them through the lines of their grandmothers, rather than their grandfathers. (11)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Intertwined

(1) — two records

> The family photograph (and wedding announcement below) in this section are from the personal family collection.

June 2008 Wedding Announcement
for Thomas Harley Bond and Leandro José Oliveira Coutinho

What Does the Coutinho Family Name Mean in Portugal?

(2) — five records

The British Historical Society of Portugal
Battle of Aljubarrota, 1385
https://www.bhsportugal.org/anglo-portuguese-timeline/battle-of-aljubarrota
Note: For the image and text.

Wisdom Library
Meaning of The Name Coutinho
https://www.wisdomlib.org/names/coutinho#google_vignette
Note: For the text.

Coutinho
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coutinho
Note: For the text.

Ferdinand I of Portugal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_Portugal
and
King Ferdinand I of Portugal, (detail)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_I_of_Portugal#/media/File:Ferdinand_I_of_Portugal_-_Chronique_d’_Angleterre_(Volume_III)_(late_15th_C),_f.201v_-_BL_Royal_MS_14_E_IV_(cropped).png
Note:  For his image.

The Marshals of the Kingdom of Portugal

(3) — sixteen records

Marshal of Portugal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshal_of_Portugal
Note: For the text.

Count of Marialva
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_Marialva
Note: For the text and the Coutinho Coat-of-Arms.

Geneall
https://geneall.net/pt/titulo/739/condes-de-marialva/
Note 1: This website references this book,
Nobreza de Portugal e Brasil
Editorial Enciclopédia, Edição: 2, Lisboa 1989
Available at this link:
https://www.livraria-ler-com-gosto.com/nobreza-de-portugal-e-do-brasil-3-vols
Note 2: For the data.

These above volumes are also available as .pdf downloads at:
Volume 1
Open Repository of the University of Porto
https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/9376
File: tesedoutnobrezav01000065918.pdf
Volume 2
https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/9376
File: tesedoutnobrezav02000065920.pdf
Volume 3
MOA %E2%80%94 12.pdf

Vasco Fernandes Coutinho, 1st Count of Marialva
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_Fernandes_Coutinho,_1st_Count_of_Marialva
Note: For the data.

Gonçalo Coutinho, 2nd Count of Marialva
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonçalo_Coutinho,_2nd_Count_of_Marialva
Note: For the data.

Francisco Coutinho, 4th Count of Marialva
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francisco_Coutinho,_4th_Count_of_Marialvaand
Beatriz de Meneses, 2nd Countess of Loulé
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatriz_de_Meneses,_2nd_Countess_of_Loulé
Note: For the data.

Count of Loulé
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Count_of_Loulé
and
Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Guarda
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infante_Ferdinand,_Duke_of_Guarda
Note: For the data.

Costa of of the Coutinho family, counts of Marialva and counts of Loulé
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Armas_condes_marialva.svg
Note: The Coutinho Coat-of-Arms source file.

The Ancient Heraldry of the Coutinho Family

(4) — five records

Portuguese Heraldry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_heraldry
Note: For the text and artwork.

Opening pages to the Livro Do Armeiro Mor.

Livro Do Armeiro Mor, João Do Cró (ou João Du Cros)
by João do Cró (ou João du Cros), circa 1509
https://archive.org/details/livro-do-armeiro-mor-joao-do-cro-ou-joao-du-cros-backup/mode/2up
Note: Count of Marialva (Coutinho), folio 48
https://archive.org/details/livro-do-armeiro-mor-joao-do-cro-ou-joao-du-cros-backup/page/n111/mode/2up
Digital page: 112/292

Coats of arms of principal families of the Portuguese nobility
in the Thesouro de Nobreza, 1675.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_heraldry#/media/File:Fl-_27_Thesouro_de_Nobreza,_Armas_das_Familias_(cropped).jpg
Note 1: Observe the Coat-of-Arms of the Coutinho family in the lower right corner.
Note 2: For the artwork.

Portuguese Nobility
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_nobility
Note: for the text.

We Are From Two of the 72 Portuguese Noble Class Families

(5) — four records

Lifecooler
Palácio Nacional de Sintra (Palácio da Vila)
https://lifecooler.com/artigo/dormir/palcio-nacional-de-sintra-palcio-da-vila/326883
Note: For the Sala dos Brasões photograph.

Drawing of Sintra Royal Palace in 1509, by Duarte D’Armas.
(Image courtesy of the Libro das Fortalezas via Wikimedia Commons).

Sintra National Palace
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sintra_National_Palace
Note: For the text and the image above.

Livro Do Armeiro Mor, João Do Cró (ou João Du Cros)
by João do Cró (ou João du Cros), circa 1509
https://archive.org/details/livro-do-armeiro-mor-joao-do-cro-ou-joao-du-cros-backup/mode/2up
Note: Azevedo, folio 61
https://archive.org/details/livro-do-armeiro-mor-joao-do-cro-ou-joao-du-cros-backup/page/n135/mode/2up
Digital page: 136/292

What Does the Oliveira Family Name Mean in Portugal?

(6) — sixteen records

Oliveira (surname)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliveira_(surname)
Note: For the text.

Google Image Search
Shields of the Twelve Tribes of Israel
by Pieter Mortier, 1705
https://www.posterazzi.com/shields-of-the-twelve-tribes-of-israel-from-a-work-published-by-pieter-mortier-in-amsterdam-1705-poster-print-by-ken-welsh-11-x-17/
Note: This image is sourced from the contemporary website Posterazzi, but its original source is the “Shields of the twelve tribes of Israel, from a work published by Pieter Mortier in Amsterdam, 1705”.

Livro Do Armeiro Mor, João Do Cró (ou João Du Cros)
by João do Cró (ou João du Cros), circa 1509
https://archive.org/details/livro-do-armeiro-mor-joao-do-cro-ou-joao-du-cros-backup/mode/2up
Note: Armorial artwork for Oliveira, folio 128
https://archive.org/details/livro-do-armeiro-mor-joao-do-cro-ou-joao-du-cros-backup/page/n263/mode/2up
Digital page: 264/292, Right page, in the upper left corner.

Sephardic Jews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sephardic_Jews
Note: For the text.

Alhambra Decree
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra_Decree
Note: For the reference.

Wikitree
De Oliveira Name Study
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:De_Oliveira_Name_Study
Note: For the text.

Manuel I of Portugal
by Colijn de Coter, circa 1515
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuel_I_of_Portugal
Note: For his portrait.

Isabella I of Castile
by Unknown artist, circa 1490
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isabella_I_of_Castile
Note: For her portrait.

Ferdinand II of Aragon
by Michael Sittow, circa 1450
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_II_of_Aragon
Note: For his portrait.

Jewish Gen
The Jeff Malka Sephardic Collection: Sephardim.com Namelist
https://jewishgen.org/databases/sephardic/SephardimComNames.html
Note: For the data about the family surname de Oliveira.

Over The Edge of the World
by Laurence Bergreen
Chapter One: The Quest, paragraph 29
Note: We do not have a digital link to the text, but the book can be referenced here in English:
Over The Edge of the World
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_the_Edge_of_the_World

BBC News
Turning Portuguese
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/Turning_Portuguese
Note: For the text.

Wikitree
de Oliveira of Paraíba, Brazil
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:De_Oliveira%27s_of_Paribia%2C_Brazil
Note: For the text under the subhead, Sephardi Jews Settlement and Expulsion From Spain and Portugal

Seal of the Portuguese Inquisition.

Representation of Executions by Fire in Terreiro do Paço, in Lisbon, Portugal.
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inquisição
Note: For the engraved illustration.

Martins Castro
Oliveira Ledo Family: From Brick Making to the Colonization of Paraíba
https://martinscastro.pt/en/blogs/familia-oliveira-ledo/
Note: For this text —
“The surname Oliveira, [is the] third most common in Brazil and sixth in Portugal”.

All Eyes On The Horizon

(7) — fifteen records

Age of Discovery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_Discovery
Note: For the text.

Prince Henry the Navigator
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Henry_the_Navigator
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Henry_the_Navigator#/media/File:Henry_the_Navigator1.jpg
Note 1: Portrait attributed to painter Nuno Gonçalves, circa 1450.
Note 2: From the description, “Detail of standing man with moustache and Burgundian-style chaperon in the Panel of the Prince (third panel of the St. Vincent panels, usually dated c.1470, attributed to painter Nuno Gonçalves). This figure is most commonly identified as Prince Henry the Navigator (died 1460, aged 66). Several scholars (e.g. Markl, 1994; Salvador Marques, 1998) have recently disputed this identification, and instead proposed this to be an image of King Edward of Portugal (d. 1438, aged 47), although this is not yet widely accepted.”
Note 3: For his portrait.

Christopher Columbus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus
and
Portrait of a Man, Said to be Christopher Columbus
by Unknown painter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#/media/File:Portrait_of_a_Man,_Said_to_be_Christopher_Columbus.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

Pope Julius II
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Julius_II
and
Portrait if Pope Julius II
by Raphael
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Pope_Julius_II.jpg#/media/File:Pope_Julius_II.jpg/2
Note: For his portrait.

Planisphere World Map
by Francesco Rosselli, circa 1508
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_map_RMG_C4568_1.jpg
Note: For the map image.

The Departure of Vasco da Gama for Índia in 1497, by Alfredo Roque Gameiro, circa 1900.
(Image courtesy of the National Library of Portugal via Wikimedia Commons).

Vasco da Gama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama
and
Vasco da Gama, anonymous portrait, c. 1525
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasco_da_Gama#/media/File:Ignoto_portoghese,_ritratto_di_un_cavaliere_dell’ordine_di_cristo,_1525-50_ca._02.jpg
Note: For his portrait, and the image above.

Pedro Álvares Cabral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Álvares_Cabral
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Álvares_Cabral#/media/File:Pedro_Álvares_Cabral.jpg
Note 1: From the description, “Detail of painting “Vaz de Caminha reads to Commander Cabral, Friar Henrique and Master João the letter that will be sent to King Dom Manuel I”. It depicts Pedro Álvares Cabral, leader of the Portuguese expediction that discovered the land that would later be known as Brazil in 1500.”
Note 2: For his contemporary portrait, circa 1900.

Ferdinand Magellan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan
and
Half-length portrait of a bearded Ferdinand Magellan
(circa 1480-1521) facing front.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferdinand_Magellan#/media/File:Ferdinand_Magellan.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

Starting in 1500… the Coutinhos As New World Colonizers

(8) — one record

Bibliothèque Nationale de France, via Wikimedia
Map of Brazil in the Miller Atlas of 1519,
by Lopo Homem
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brazil_16thc_map.jpg
Note: The file name is, Brazil 16thc map.jpg

Old Brazil: From Colonial Captaincies to The First Republic

(9) — nine records

Portugal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal
Note: For the text.

Captaincy of Bahia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captaincy_of_Bahia
Note: For the text.

Fernando Pessoa
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernando_Pessoa
Note: For the reference.

Colonial Brazil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_Brazil
Note: For the text.

The National Museum of Denmark, via the Kahn Academy
Series of Eight Figures, by Albert Eckhout, 1641
by Rachel Zimmerman
https://pl.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-americas/new-spain/colonial-brazil/a/albert-eckhout-series-of-eight-figures
Note: For the artwork and text.

Captaincies of Brazil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captaincies_of_Brazil
Note: For the text.

Francisco Pereira Coutinho
https://ancestors.familysearch.org/pt/LYPV-1X2/francisco-pereira-coutinho-1450-1549

História do Rio para todos
Mapa de Capitanias Hereditarias
by Luiz Teixeira, circa 1574
https://historiadorioparatodos.com.br/timeline/1534-capitanias-hereditarias/km_c258-20190503153124-6/
Note: From the Collection of the Ajuda Library Foundation, Lisbon.

O Globo | Cultura
De mapas manuscritos a pintura, livro reúne imagens da Bahia entre os séculos XVII e XIX nunca antes publicadas num único volume

by Nelson Vasconcelos
https://oglobo.globo.com/cultura/noticia/2024/11/17/de-mapas-manuscritos-a-pintura-livro-reune-imagens-da-bahia-entre-os-seculos-xvii-e-xix-nunca-antes-publicadas-num-unico-volume.ghtml
Note: For the image, The Town of Cachoeira in the Province of Bahia.

The Coutinho Family and The Oliveira Family Immigrate to Brazil

(10) — seven records

Captaincy of Bahia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captaincy_of_Bahia
Note: For the text about Manuel Pereira Coutinho.

Die Inquisition in Portugal by Jean David Zunner (1685), via Wikipedia at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Inquisition#/media/File:1685_-_Inquisição_Portugal.jpg
Note: For the above image, Copper engraving of an auto de fé in Portugal.

History of the Jews in Brazil
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_in_Brazil
Note: For the text.

Wikitree
de Oliveira of Paraíba, Brazil
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:De_Oliveira%27s_of_Paribia%2C_Brazil
Note: For the text under the subhead, History of Northeastern Brazil

University of St. Andrews
Where we find new old books, chapter 4:
William Creech and a new first edition of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations

https://university-collections.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2015/12/15/where-we-find-new-old-books-chapter-4-william-creech-and-a-new-first-edition-of-adam-smiths-wealth-of-nations/
Note: For the book frontispiece photograph.

Smithsonian Magazine
Sugar Masters in a New World
by Heather Pringle
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/sugar-masters-in-a-new-world-5212993/
Note: For the background top image.

Sugar Mill in Pernambuco
by Franz Post, 17th century
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frans_Post_-_Engenho_de_Pernambuco.jpg
Note 1: File name is, Frans Post – Engenho de Pernambuco.jpg
Note 2: For the background bottom image.

Historically, Why Were The Portuguese Attracted to Brazil?

(11) — nine records

Brazilian propaganda poster incentivizing
Italian immigration to Rio de Janeiro, 1870s.

https://www.reddit.com/r/PropagandaPosters/comments/1iio0a3/brazilian_propaganda_poster_incentivizing_italian/
Note: For the poster artwork.

Estado de São Paulo Brazil O Immigrante (Europa-Santos) 1908
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Estado_de_São_Paulo_Brazil_O_Immigrante_(Europa-Santos)_1908.jpg#/media/Ficheiro:Estado_de_São_Paulo_Brazil_O_Immigrante_(Europa-Santos)_1908.jpg
Note: For the poster artwork.

Japanese Brazilian emigration propaganda poster
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Affiche_émigration_JP_au_BR-déb._XXe_s..jpg
Note: For the poster artwork.

Family Search
Portugal Emigration and Immigration
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Portugal_Emigration_and_Immigration
Note: For the data.

Derived from:
Instituto de Ciências Sociais de Universidade de Lisboa
The “Brasileiro”: a 19th century transnational social category
Chapter 10
by Isabel Corrêa da Silva
https://www.ics.ulisboa.pt/books/book1/ch10.pdf
Note: This is .pdf file of chapter 10.

Get Lisbon
The Tragic Earthquake of 1755
https://getlisbon.com/discovering/earthquake-of-1755/
Note: For the engravings made two years after the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake by the French artist Jacques Philippe Le Bas, 1757.

IMDB
Carmen Miranda
Portrait photograph by the Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000544/mediaviewer/rm3875448065?ref_=ext_shr_eml
and
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0034273/mediaviewer/rm3703311617?ref_=ext_shr_eml
Note: For her photograph, and the movie poster.

Portuguese Brazilians
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Brazilians
Note: For the text.

The McMahon / McCall Lines, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of two, where the narrative for this family shifts due to their immigration from Scotland to America during the twilight of the Victorian era. Like many other families from this period, they were seeking a new way: better wages for their skills, the chance to improve their lives, and better opportunities for their children.

Their Immigration to The United States

The McMahons traveled to America in two separate trips. On April 14, 1881, Patrick McMahon aged 47 and his sons, James aged 19, and Phillip aged 13, immigrated to the United States on the ship Parthia. They traveled in steerage. Their entrance point is via Castle Garden, New York. (Ellis Island did not open until 1892).

The steamship Parthia, circa 1881.

Seven months later on November 17, 1881, Elizabeth McMahon aged 35, and children Mary Jane aged 18, Edward aged 10, Ann Elizabeth aged 6, and Pat aged 3, arrive at Castle Garden, New York aboard the ship Bothnia. They also traveled in steerage. This is the last record we see for baby Patrick. We don’t know what happened to him, nor where he is buried. Did he die very soon after reaching America, or did he survive until he was in Ohio?

The steamship Bothnia, circa 1881.

We believe that Patrick and his older sons immigrated first to obtain gainful employment and prove that they could support the rest of their soon-to-be-immigrating family. It is assumed they moved to Ohio so that Patrick and his older sons could work in the quarries. We learned that they settled in Brownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio where there was an existing quarry. Also, Edward Bond (Patrick McMahon’s great-grandson) shared with Susan Bond (Patrick McMahon’s great-great-granddaughter) stories he heard as a child that the McMahons’ worked in the quarries near Amherst in Lorain County. It is not known how long the family resided in Brownhelm Township. At some point they moved to South Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and lived near the Bluestone Quarry where Patrick worked. For further history on the quarries, see the attached article in the footnotes, Quarry Story.

For map title detail: Range 19 Brownhelm TWP 6, map.
(Image courtesy of Larsen Fine Maps Gallery).

Brownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio, USA — one child

Upon reaching Ohio, the McMahon family first settled in Brownhelm Township in Lorain County. Records tell us they were living there when their last child was born.

  • Patrick Joseph McMahon born November 20, 1882 in Brownhelm Township, Lorain County, Ohio. We noticed the repetition of his first name from his slightly older brother… then it was not considered unusual to bestow the name of a deceased child to a younger sibling.

His birth information is derived from his 1945 Boyd County, Kentucky death certificate. We observed some errors in the information. It was stated that both his parents were born in Scotland, but they were born in Ireland. It was written that his father’s middle name was Patrick J. This infers that he believed his father Patrick’s middle name was Joseph. We believe that there is more evidence that his father’s middle name could have been Peter.

The patriarch of the family, Patrick McMahon, died from heart disease on July 17, 1886 in South Euclid, Ohio, far away from the Dublin, Ireland of his childhood. His tough life as a manual laborer likely took its toll on his health and well-being. On his death record, he is listed as Pat McMahon being 52 years, 11 months, 6 days old. A reverse dating with these numbers puts Patrick close to his original birthdate. Since he had a difficult time remembering his age, and was not educated, this variance is acceptable. (1)

Mary Jane McMahon, Our Scottish Ancestor

1881 to 1889 Mary Jane McMahon married John McCall

Our direct ancestor, Mary Jane McMahon, was born in Doune, Kilmadock, Perthshire, Scotland on August 4, 1863, the second child in a family of 12 children. She may have been named after her Great Grandmother Mary (Goggins) McKenzie and Grandmother Jane (McKenzie) McMahon.

In 1881, at age eighteen, Mary Jane immigrated to the United States with her mother and younger siblings. The McMahon family probably participated in the 1890 US Census. Unfortunately, the 1890 Census was destroyed by a fire in 1921 at the Commerce Department Building in Washington, D.C. The dates and locations used to reconstruct Mary Jane’s story in America are primarily from marriage records and the Ohio census’ from the years 1900 to 1940. The United States Commerce Department releases the census 74 years after it was officially taken. The 1950 Census was made available in 2022. 

Destruction of the 1890 Census by the Great Fire of 1921 at the Commerce Department Building
in Washington, D.C. (Image courtesy of raogk.org).

In researching genealogy it is not uncommon to find incorrect or inconsistent information in the census. We are sure the McMahon children never had more than an eighth grade education, whether in Scotland, or Ohio. The census always asks the question “can you read & write”. Mary Jane answered “yes” most of the time. While evaluating the 1900 through 1940 census’ which Mary Jane McMahon/McCall/Davin participated in, frequently the dates and ages recorded on them do not always align with the birth records. 

We have surmised that our ancestor did not always know the correct date or location of her birth, or her parents births so she guessed. Sometimes she got it right and sometimes she got it wrong. 

We do know that sometime between her arrival in Ohio in 1881 and 1883 Mary Jane McMahon met John McCall. They were issued a marriage license on February 22, 1884. John McCall signed the license with his mark an X which tells us he could not write. Mary Jane was not required to sign her name. 

John McCall and Mary Jane McMahon were married on February 28, 1884 in St. Paul Catholic Church in Euclid Township in Cuyahoga County. In 2007, St. Paul Church issued a copy of the marriage certificate to Susan Bond.

John McCall and Mary Jane McMahon marriage certificate, February 28, 1884. (2007 copy).

John McCall worked at the Bluestone Quarries as had his father-in-law Patrick McMahon. We do not have any information about John’s whereabouts before his marriage to Mary Jane. In the 1882 Cleveland Directory a John McCall- stonecutter, is listed. He was a boarder in the Clinton Hotel in Cleveland. We cannot know if this was our ancestor, John McCall. It was a very common name in the Cleveland area.

The Bluestone Quarry, South Euclid, Ohio, date unknown.
(Courtesy of the Euclid Historical Museum).

The Bluestone Quarries were situated in the small village of Bluestone. The village is now incorporated into the town of South Euclid. In its heyday, Bluestone was home to about 400 people and contained a general store and post office, two saloons, a temperance hall, a church, and boarding houses. The village sprang from the single industry of quarrying the rock from which the town took its name. Bluestone reached the peak of its growth in the 1890’s when immigrant laborers from Sweden, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada were working in five quarries.

Life was not at all easy for the women living in the town. There were epidemics, and all too frequently a sudden shrill note on one of the quarry’s whistles would blast an ominous portent, terrifying all who heard it. “Whenever the whistle blew all the women around would run down to that quarry to see if it was her husband who had been hurt or killed”. This description was shared by Mrs. Schroeder in the South Euclid Golden Jubilee booklet, 1917 -1967.

This photo is representative a typical mercantile store
that would have been in the village of Bluestone. (Image courtesy of eBay.com).

Note: All of Mary Jane’s children were born in the village of Bluestone, because the city of South Euclid did not exist until 1917. However, all of the birth records identify South Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio as the childrens’ birth location. 

Mary Jane and John McCall had three daughters born in the four years of their marriage:

  • Elizabeth M. McCall, born October 8, 1884 — died February 12, 1951
  • Margaret Ann (McCall) Taylor, born September 25, 1886 — died October 17, 1950
  • Mary Adele (McCall) Bond, born August 10, 1888 — died March 12, 1965 (We are descended from Mary Adele).

Copies of the baptismal certificates from St. Paul Church for each of the girls. are located in the footnotes under “Baptismal Certificates”. Pastor A. T. Martin recorded the names, and other information, in Latin. Also, on two of the certificates Mary Jane’s birth location is incorrect. 

In 1888, tragedy struck the McCall family. The story passed down is that John was seriously injured in a wagon accident while working at the quarries. We do not know when or how the accident occurred. Unfortunately, John died as a result of it. His injury may have been something he could have survived, but we know that medical treatment had not progressed in 1888. His death left Mary Jane, aged 25, with three very young daughters.

1888 death record for John Coll, from Ohio County Death Records, 1840-2001,
Cuyahoga Record of deaths, 1868-1908.

In Ohio in 1867, it became a statewide law to record deaths at the probate court of the county where the death occurred. Death Records were one-line entries in ledger books, listing additional information such as birthplace, and cause of death. Traditional death certificates were not required in Ohio until 1908.

It is on John’s daughters baptismal certificates and his death record in the Cuyahoga County ledger that we learned some information about him. For some unexplained reason, on his death record his last name is spelled “Coll”. All of the other information on the record is correct so we are confident this is our John McCall. The details we learned are: John “Coll” McCall died on October 12, 1888, aged 38.   His correct birth date is October 9, 1850. The death record also tells us that John was from Ramelton, County Donegal, Ireland. His parents are identified as John and Margaret. His official cause of death was blood poisoning, which leads us to speculate that he may have died from sepsis in an era when antibiotics did not exist. We are continuing to research John McCall’s birth family, and his immigration to the United States.

1888-1889
How Mary Jane McCall supported her daughters after her husband’s death is speculation. She may have lived with, or near, her mother and younger siblings. We know her father died in 1886. Patrick McMahon is buried in the St. Paul Church Cemetery in Euclid, Ohio. He is buried in Section 10, Row 4, Grave 26. John McCall is also buried at St. Paul Cemetery in an unmarked grave. 

Elizabeth McMahon and Mary Jane McCall were both widows with young children.

1890 – 1899  Mary Jane (McMahon) McCall married Michael Davin 
As previously shared, the 1890 Federal census was destroyed in 1921. There are very few resources for the period from 1890 until we see the 1900 census. However, we know that sometime between 1890-1891 Mary Jane met Michael Davin. On the 1900 census, we learned that Michael Davin was born in England in 1863. He immigrated to the United States in 1890. His occupation is listed as a quarryman so he most likely worked at the Bluestone Quarries. 

Michael Davin and Mary Jane McCall marriage application, 1891.

On January 2, 1891 Michael and Mary Jane applied for a wedding license. Michael signed his name with his mark, an X, indicating he could not write. Mary Jane and Michael were married on January 5, 1891 by Reverend A. T. Martin, the same pastor who married  Mary Jane and John McCall. It would be reasonable to assume that they were married in the same church because Reverend Martin was the pastor at St. Paul Church.

Mary Jane brought her three daughters to their marriage. She and Michael Davin had three more children and a set of stillborn twins. They were born in (Bluestone) South Euclid, Ohio.

  • John Martin Davin, born October 21, 1892 — died February 23, 1976
  • William Davin, born May 4, 1893 — died date unknown
  • Teresa Ann (Davin) Loebsack, born June 14, 1896 — died May 3, 1976
  • Unnamed stillborn twin boys, birth year unknown 
1900 — Dawn Of The Century
“New inventions meant exciting prospects for the 1900s”
Sheet music illustration by Edward Taylor Paull, (courtesy of pbs.org).

1900 – 1909  The Growing McCall/Davin Family
In addition to the births of the first three children listed on the June 7, 1900 Federal Census, we learned other important things about the Davin family. They lived in Euclid Township in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Michael and Mary Jane had five children living in the home. Listed are: Marguerite (actually Margaret Ann) McCall 13, Mary (Adele) McCall 11, John Davin 8, William Davin 6, and Teresa Davin 3. Elizabeth McCall, aged 15, was living and working as a servant for a family in Mayfield Township in Cuyahoga County. She was listed on their 1900 Census. The family had a daughter, aged three and twin boys aged one. Perhaps it was her job to care for the children. 

It is on the 1900 Census that we begin to observe a pattern where Mary Jane either guessed, or made up dates, and locations. She incorrectly records that she immigrated to the US in 1882, instead of 1881. She correctly identifies Scotland as her birth country, but lists that her parents were born in Scotland. As we know, this is incorrect. Patrick McMahon and Elizabeth McGuire/ McMahon were born in Dublin, Ireland.

The census asked the question of women “how many children were born” and “how many are living”. Mary Jane answered six children born and six living. This answer leads us to believe that the twins were born between 1901-1909. By the next census in 1910 Michael Davin is not listed with the family. It is assumed that he died between 1901-1909. We have not found any death records for him.

An Interview With Mary Jane’s Granddaughter Roberta
In 2007, Susan Bond, Dean Bond’s daughter, visited with Roberta Fumich. Dean and Roberta were first cousins and Mary Jane’s grandchildren. During the visit Roberta shared stories she remembered from her childhood. Because the stories came directly from Roberta they are included in Mary Jane (McMahon) McCall/Davin’s story.

Roberta (Loebsack) Fumich, circa 1996. (Family photograph).

Roberta speaking: “My Great Grandmother was called “Grandma Jane”. Mary Jane had three girls with John McCall, and two boys, a girl and stillborn twin boys, with Michael Davin. The story about the twins is that Mary Jane was carrying buckets of water, then tripped and fell on the buckets. When the twins were stillborn, they were bruised.”

Roberta said that her mother, Teresa (Davin) Loebsack, had memories of her father being very sick. Michael may have died when Teresa was still a little girl. It is possible he suffered from an illness while working at the quarries. 

One could certainly speculate that working at the Bluestone Quarries was bad for one’s health. In the McMahon/McCall/Davin families three men had worked in the quarries, and all three men died young.

1898 – 1906 Elizabeth McMahon and sons James, Philip, Edward, and Patrick
We wondered what happened to Mary Jane’s mother Elizabeth McMahon and her brothers after Patrick McMahon’s death in 1886. The destroyed 1890 Census might have given us some information, but until 1898 we have no record of them. Beginning in 1898, we find them in the Joliet, Illinois Business Directories. Listed are Elizabeth McMahon, a widow and her sons James, Philip, Edward, and Patrick. The boys are listed as laborers, except Patrick who was in school until the 1904 directory when he is listed as a laborer.  

1900 United States Census, Joliet Township, Illinois.

On the 1900 census for Joliet, Illinois, Elizabeth is the “Head of House” with three sons, James, Edward and Patrick living with her. Philip McMahon is not on this census and is no longer found in the Joliet Business Directories, so we assume that he left the area. James, Edward, and Patrick are identified in the 1900-1906 directories, as is their mother. From 1906 forward we have no additional information on James, Edward, and Philip McMahon. Our research will continue. There is no record of Elizabeth McMahon’s whereabouts from 1906 until her death in 1911.

Penny Postcard View of Winchester Avenue, Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky.

Patrick Joseph McMahon
There is quite a bit of information on the youngest son Patrick Joseph McMahon. By 1917 or earlier, he had moved back to Cleveland. In 1917, he registered for the WW I draft. After that the next record we found is the 1940 census. He was living in Boyd County, Kentucky married to Nancy J. Hutchinson, a widow. The 1940 Census asks the question “where were you living in 1935” and Patrick indicates he was living in New Haven, Connecticut.

Patrick Joseph McMahon died in Ashland, Boyd County, Kentucky. His death on May 18, 1945 was from bladder cancer that had metastasized to his lungs. Patrick is buried in Chardon, Ohio, at the Chardon Municipal Cemetery with his sister Ann Elizabeth (Rose) Norton and her husband Will Norton.  

1910 – 1919  A Decade of Change in the McCall/Davin Family
On the May 12, 1910 Census, Mary Jane Davin was the head of the home. Her family was living on Bluestone Road in Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County. Elizabeth McCall, 24, was living at home and working as a servant for a private family. Marguerite (Margaret) McCall, 22, was similarly working for a private family. John Davin, 18, was working as a janitor at a Club House, and Teresa Davin, 13, was likely in school. William Davin was 16 in 1910 and was not on this census. Mary Adele McCall, 21, was living and working as a maid for a family on Strathmore Avenue in East Cleveland. She was listed on their 1910 Census. Ironically, later in her life Mary bought a home on Strathmore Avenue.

In October 1910, two of Mary Jane’s daughters were married one week apart. (We bet that was a busy two weeks for Great Grandmother Mary Jane!)

Two examples of 1910 American wedding dress fashions:
Left: The Butterick Wedding Dress 3784, from May 1910, and
Right: The Story of the Seven Sisters: Women’s Magazines at NYPL, from October 1910.
(See footnotes)

On October 19, 1910, Margaret Ann McCall married Oscar C. Taylor. Roberta said that the Taylor family lived across the street from Margaret’s family on Bluestone Road. Margaret and Oscar had three sons: William “Bill” Taylor born March 19, 1914, a stillborn baby boy born 1918, and Malcom “Buck” Taylor born April 3, 1922. Oscar had an automotive repair business in East Cleveland where the family lived. Margaret and Oscar were married for 40 years.

A week before Margaret’s marriage, Mary Adele McCall married Earl Alexander Bond on October 12, 1910. Earl moved to Cleveland in 1903 from Jefferson County, Ohio. Mary and Earl had four sons; Robert Earl Bond born October 28, 1911, John Allen “Al” Bond born March 2, 1914, Dean Phillip Bond born August 15, 1919, and Edward Lee Bond born November 2, 1925.

Mary Adele (McCall) Bond, circa 1908. (Family photograph).

Roberta shared another story: “Mary and Earl Bond, moved to southern Ohio about 1915.” (with very young sons Robert and John Allen “Al”.) “Sometime in 1916, Mary had an (undiagnosed) “nervous breakdown”. Teresa went to southern Ohio on a train to bring the children back to Cleveland. Grandma Jane and Aunt Elizabeth took care of them.” 

Mary and Earl moved back to Cleveland before 1919 when Dean was born. At that time they lived in a house they owned on Alder Ave in East Cleveland. Per Roberta, “They had a difficult marriage, much of it attributable to Mary.”

Elizabeth McMahon, Mary Jane’s mother, passed away on December 25, 1911. She died at the home of her daughter, Ann Elizabeth Norton, in Hambden, Geauga County, Ohio. Her cause of death was a cerebral hemorrhage. On her death certificate it indicates that her burial location is “Euclid Creek”. This location is not a cemetery. (Research on her burial will continue).

While researching Ann Elizabeth (McMahon) Norton, we found that for some unexplained reason her name is often recorded as “Rose”. It is used on her death certificate and grave marker.

1920-1929  Mary Jane Davin Suffered a Serious Accident
When the January 9, 1920 Census was taken, Mary Jane, Elizabeth McCall, and Teresa Davin were renting their home on Bluestone Road in Cleveland Heights. On the census both Elizabeth and Teresa were working at the “electric factory” (General Electric at Nela Park). Elizabeth was an Inspector and Teresa was an Operator.

Three weeks later on January 28, 1920 Teresa Ann Davin aged 23, married Robert Loebsack. At the beginning of their marriage Teresa and Bob lived with Mary Jane and Elizabeth in the duplex on Bluestone Road. They had three children:

  • Roberta Jane (Loebsack) Fumich, born May 12, 1922—  died January 8, 2020
  • Alton Howard Loebsack, born September 25, 1925 —  died January 30, 1987
  • Luanne Terese Anne (Loebsack) Tarro, born February 22, 1935 —  died June 14, 2013
Huron Road Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, Penny Postcard.
(Image courtesy of eBay.com).

In 1925, the Loebsack’s were still living on Bluestone. Roberta said that “Grandma Jane would go to bed when it got dark and would get up with the sun. When she got up she would stoke the coal furnace. One morning, a gas bubble exploded and caught her nightgown on fire. Teresa had just purchased some ointment and quickly covered Mary Jane with it. However, she was very badly burned and was taken to Huron Road Hospital where she stayed for six months.”

“To care for Mary Jane, Teresa and Roberta moved in with Margaret and Oscar Taylor because they lived near the hospital in a caretaker’s house on the Blossom Estate. Every day one of the daughters (primarily Teresa and Margaret) would go to the hospital and help with Mary Jane’s rehabilitation therapy. Mary Adele helped when she could. Elizabeth worked at Nela Park and could not help them during the day but did help on weekends.”  

Thankfully, Mary Jane recovered from her burns and lived to age 89.

Newsboy Selling ‘Grit’, Irwinville Farms, Georgia, USA,
John Vachon for Farm Security Administration, May 1938.
(Image courtesy of alamy.com).

1930-1939 The “Great Depression” Years
On the April 9, 1930 census, five years after her recovery from the burn accident, Mary Jane Davin now 66, and Elizabeth McCall 44, had moved from the Bluestone house. The census tells us they were living at 1776 Urbana Road in Cleveland in a home they were renting for $37.00 a month. Elizabeth was the wage earner working as an inspector at an “electric lamp works” (General Electric at Nela Park).

On the census, one of the questions asked was “Is there a Radio Set in the home”? They reported yes, (they had a radio set in their home). This question was asked to learn how many homes had electricity in 1930. Although electricity was discovered in 1882, only half of the homes in the United States had electricity by 1925. An article in Ohio History Connections tells the story of Ohio’s major role in getting electricity into businesses and homes.

A family listens to the radio in the 1930s — the Census Bureau collected radio ownership data
in 1930 on the population schedule. National Archive photo from Radio In The 1930s.
(Image courtesy of United States Census Bureau).

This census had the fewest number of questions on any of the census’ available to us. As on past census’ Mary Jane’s answers on this census are incorrect. For example, she indicates she immigrated in 1910 (actual 1881) and that she could not read, nor write. On previous census’ she always answered that she could read and write. It appears that Mary Jane never became a naturalized citizen. On both of the 1930 and 1940 census’ she is listed as an alien citizen. Alien is a term used in federal and state law to identify a foreign-born person who lives in the United States, has not naturalized, and is still a citizen of a foreign country. This tells us that Mary Jane was never able to vote in a state or federal election.

The following excerpt from History.com gives a brief description of the Great Depression suffered by many, including our families, (see footnotes).

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers. By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed.

Short video (2:18) from the FDR Library titled The Great Depression. If the video does not load, here is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmeL7sp4hw

The Davins, Taylors, Loebsacks, and Bonds were not exempt from the effects of the depression. Elizabeth McCall continued to work at the General Electric Company in Nela Park and supported her mother. We learned on the 1930 Census’ that Oscar Taylor, Margaret’s husband, owned an auto repair garage in East Cleveland and supported his family. Bob Loebsack, Teresa’s husband, worked in a retail meat market (grocery store) to support his family. Earl Bond, Mary Adele’s husband, owned an auto repair business to support his family, and John Davin, Mary Jane’s son, was in the United States Navy living in California with his wife and daughter.

…in the middle of the night Elizabeth heard a loud noise that woke her up. She got up and could not identify the noise. The next morning they learned that Earl had died by suicide.

Remembrance from Roberta (Loebsack) Fumich

On February 24, 1932, Earl Bond committed suicide. At that time he was not living with his family at the Alder Avenue home in East Cleveland. Earl was living in University Heights with his sister Edna and her husband Bill Wicks. They found Earl hanged in their garage.

Aunt Elizabeth told Roberta that she knew when Mary and Earl were “having difficulties” because he would stutter. The story goes that “when they would fight, she would throw him out of the house. Further, Roberta said “she was sleeping at Aunt Elizabeth’s, when in the middle of the night Elizabeth heard a loud noise that woke her up. She got up and could not identify the noise. The next morning they learned that Earl had died by suicide. Elizabeth always believed the noise she heard in the middle of the night was when Earl died.”

For more about this episode in our family’s history, please see:
The Bond Line, A Narrative — Seven.

1936 Family Reunion at Bluestone Park, South Euclid, Ohio, with all of Mary Jane’s daughters and grandchildren. Missing: John Davin, living in California and William Davin, whereabouts unknown.
First Row: Alton Loebsack, Dean Bond, Roberta Loebsack, Edward Bond
Second Row: Elizabeth McCall, Margaret (McCall) Taylor, Mary Jane (McMahon) McCall/Davin,
Teresa (Davin) Loebsack, Mary A. (McCall) Bond.
Third Row: Robert Loebsack (holding Luanne Loebsack), Malcolm “Buck” Taylor, Oscar Taylor, Al Bond, Bill Taylor, Robert Bond. (Family photograph).

1940-1949 Pre and Post World War II
On the April 5, 1940 Census, Elizabeth McCall and Mary Jane Davin, aged 76, were living at 1751 Clarkstone Road in Cleveland in a home that Elizabeth owned. Elizabeth indicated that she had completed seventh grade. Mary Jane implied that she had completed eighth grade, however, it had to have been in Scotland. Elizabeth continued working as an assembler at the “Lamp Works” (General Electric at Nela Park) and made a monthly salary of $1,172. Before taxes it would have been $14,064 which in 1940, was a very good living for a single woman with a seventh grade education. Elizabeth McCall remained a single woman throughout her life. This is the last census we have available to glean information about Mary Jane. 

We do know her son, John Davin served his country in two World Wars as an officer in the United States Navy. Also during World War II, several of her grandsons served honorably. Dean and Edward Bond and Alton Loebsack served in the United States Navy. Malcom “Buck” Taylor served in the United States Army. Robert Bond served in the American Field Service.

1950-1954
On October 17, 1950 Margaret (McCall) Taylor, aged 64, died from uterine cancer. She is buried at the East Cleveland Township Cemetery, Cuyahoga County, along with her husband Oscar, son William, and Oscar’s parents. Four months later on February 12, 1951, Elizabeth McCall, aged 66, died from cerebral venous thrombosis, a blood clot in her brain. She is also buried with her sister Margaret at the East Cleveland Township Cemetery. Lastly, Mary Jane (McMahon) McCall/Davin died on February 16, 1954, aged 89 (and six months). We don’t have a copy of her death certificate but one could agree that she may have died of old age!

Mary Jane McMahon lived her first 18 years in the Central Belt of Scotland before immigrating to Ohio. There she spent 71 of her 89 years living in and around Cleveland, Ohio. She left a long line of descendants living all over the United States (and maybe the world). She is buried in Knollwood Cemetery in Mayfield Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. 

1965
Mary Jane’s third daughter, Mary Adele (McCall) Bond died, aged 76, on March 12. Her cause of death was congestive cardiac failure caused by cerebral vascular hemorrhage. She is buried with her husband Earl Bond at Whitehaven Cemetery in Mayfield Village, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

1976
Mary Jane’s fourth daughter Teresa (Davin) Loebsack, aged 79, died on May 3. She in Knollwood Cemetery near her mother. Buried with Teresa is her husband Robert Loebsack, died in 1970, and son Alton Loebsack, died in 1987. Three months before Teresa died, Mary Jane’s son, John Martin Davin, aged 84, died on February 23, in San Diego California. John is buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Fresno, Fresno County, California.

Mary Jane (McMahon) McCall Davin photographed on Christmas Day,
December 25, 1931, aged 67. (Family photograph).

When viewing the photograph of Mary Jane (McMahon) McCall Davin from 1931, it’s intriguing to see that the photographer chose the prop of a spinning wheel lamp to accompany her. She was descended from men who worked to build communities by freeing stone from the earth, and from mothers who spun threads, worked looms, and raised families.

The narrative of our Irish ancestors is built from their history. Like a piece of well-crafted Irish linen, it is woven carefully from the threads of family stories, their long lost records, and our desire to connect with them through time. (2)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Their Immigration to The United States

(1) — seven records

We looked at ship manifests for the New York harbor area and found this:
The Parthia, the ship they traveled on, is found in this file at the very top of the list:
https://stevemorse.org/cgi-bin/boat.php?series=&rollStart=&rollEnd=&volumeStart=&volumeEnd=&monthStart=&dayStart=&yearStart=&monthEnd=&dayEnd=&yearEnd=&boatkind=starts&boat=Parthia&&portkind=starts&port=&pageSize=50&database=all&local=yes&auth=&offset=51

Then follow this link for the manifest record: https://stevemorse.org/ellis2/mmminus.html?back=https://stevemorse.org/cgi-bin/boat.php?series=&rollStart=&rollEnd=&volumeStart=&volumeEnd=&monthStart=&dayStart=&yearStart=&monthEnd=&dayEnd=&yearEnd=&boatkind=starts&boat=Parthia&&portkind=starts&port=&pageSize=50&database=all&local=yes&auth=&offset=51&series=0&roll=435&frame=213&display=true

Note: Further guidance for this footnote:

  • At the bottom of the page, buttons are shown >
  • Series M237 Roll 435 Frame 213 >
  • The Display button is located below the Series M237 button. Frame and Display are the only important buttons. >
  • You enter the frame number and then hit display to see data as follows:
  • Frame 217: The ship manifest Frame 222: Patrick and his sons James and Phillip are listed as having traveled in steerage (about 2/3’s of the way down the page.)

Elza Mc Mahon
in the New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957

Date > 1881 > November > 17 > Bothnia
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=7488&h=11711370&tid=&pid=&queryId=427de71394a3060e85ccd472fd5aaffd&usePUB=true&_phsrc=BnY39&_phstart=successSource
Digital Page: 2/6: (bottom of page)
Note: Elizabeth and her children are listed near the bottom of the page.
and here:
Elza Mc Mahon
in the New York Port, Ship Images, 1851-1891
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2442696:8644?tid=&pid=&queryId=427de71394a3060e85ccd472fd5aaffd&_phsrc=BnY38&_phstart=successSource

Amherst Historical Society
Quarry Story
https://amhersthistoricalsociety.org/quarry-story/

Larsen Fine Maps Gallery
Range 19 Brownhelm TWP 6
https://larsenfinemaps.com/products/819
Note: For Brownhelm township map title detail.

Patrick Joseph McMahon,
Kentucky death certificate #9269
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TF-H3GF-F?cc=1417491&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AN9VP-XSM
Digital page: 2293/3534
Note: This document provides his birth place and date.

Pat Mcmahon
Death – Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6VG-1ZF
Digital page: 222/701, Left page, bottom, line 7.

Mary Jane McMahon, Our Scottish Ancestor

(2) — forty four records

John McCall & Mary Jane McMahon marriage license
Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016
Marriage records (Cuyahoga County, Ohio), 1810-1941; indexes, 1810-1952
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BJ7Z-H?i=154&cc=1614804
Book page: 220, Digital page: 155/322, Left page, 3rd entry.

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
Fate of the 1890 Population Census
https://raogk.org/census-records/1890-fire/

Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Bluestone Quarries
https://case.edu/ech/articles/b/bluestone-quarries#:~:text=The%20BLUESTONE%20QUARRIES%20were%20situated,a%20church%2C%20and%20boarding%20houses

Euclid Historical Museum
Bluestone Quarry
https://clevelandhistorical.org/index.php/files/show/5508
Note: For photograph.

The Proud Heritage of South Euclid Ohio; Golden Jubilee 1917-1967
https://www.garrisonhousebooks.com/product/19167/The-Proud-Heritage-of-South-Euclid-Ohio-Golden-Jubilee-1917-1967

Real Photo South Euclid Ohio Store Front Downtown Postcard
https://www.ebay.com/itm/372726256823

Baptismal Certificates, for the McCall Daughters
Note: These copies of the original St. Paul Church baptismal certificates are written in Latin:
Ego infrascriptus baptizavi = I baptized the undersigned,
nat = born / birth,
ex = from,
ex loco = from the place,
et = and,
Patrini fuerunt = we are sponsors

Elizabeth McCall Born October 8,1884 Baptized October 19, 1884
Margaret Ann McCall Born September 25, 1886 Baptized October 10, 1886
Mary Adele McCall Born August 10,1888 Baptized August 22, 1888

John Coll (McCall) death record
Ohio, County Death Records, 1840-2001, Cuyahoga
Record of deaths, 1868-1908
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6LS-Y5G
Book Page: 303, Digital Page: 384/701, Left page, middle, entry 3.

Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016, Cuyahoga
Marriage records 1890, vol 35
Michael Davin and Mary Jane McCall marriage record
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BP9S-PC?i=168&cc=1614804&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AZZ1P-NSPZ
Book page: 243, Digital page: 169/319, Right page, entry 3.

1900 — Dawn Of The Century
“New inventions meant exciting prospects for the 1900s”
Sheet music illustration by Edward Taylor Paull
From the article: Summing Up, Looking Forward and The Paris Exposition
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/1900-forward-exposition/

1900 census, Michael and Mary Jane Davin
United States Census, 1900  Ohio  Cuyahoga
Ed 218 Euclid Township (south half)
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DZK3-QG1?i=9&cc=1325221&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMMZZ-YG5
Book Page: 5/5B, Digital Page: 10/34, Entries 72 through 78.

Image of Roberta (Loebsack) Fumich, circa 1996.
(Family photograph).

Elizebeth C McMahon
Census – United States Census, 1900, Joliet Township, Illinois
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MSCQ-JQ5
Digital page: 36/51, Entries 68 through 71.

1940 Kentucky census, Patrick Joseph McMahon
United States Census, 1940, Kentucky, Boyd, Magisterial District 4
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9M1-S7JY?i=69&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AK7R9-QDF
  Book Page: 35B, Digital Page: 70/85, Entry line 60.

Patrick Joseph McMahon, Kentucky death certificate https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9TF-H3GF-F?cc=1417491&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AN9VP-XSM

1910 census, Mary Jane Davin and family
United States Census, 1910 Ohio Cuyahoga, Cleveland Heights, Ed 435
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKQ-9HPR?i=4&cc=1727033&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AMLZ5-8QJ
Digital Page: 5/14 Entry lines 46 through 50.

Two examples of 1910 American wedding dress fashions:
witness2fashion
Butterick Wedding Dress, May 1910
https://witness2fashion.wordpress.com/2019/05/02/butterick-wedding-dress-may-1910/
and
Huffington Post
The Story of the Seven Sisters: Women’s Magazines at NYPL, October 1910
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-story-of-the-seven-si_b_2989101

Margaret Ann McCall and Oscar Taylor marriage record
Ohio County Marriages, 1789-2016, Cuyahoga Marriage records 1910, vol 76
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BPS2-LJ?i=223&cc=1614804&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AZ832-4YPZ
Book Page: 355, Digital Page: 224/298, Right page, top entry.

Mary Adele McCall and Earle A. Bond marriage record Ohio County Marriages, 1789-2016, Cuyahoga Marriage records 1910, vol 76
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BPSG-XL?i=209&cc=1614804&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AZ8Q7-XW6Z
Book Page: 327, Digital Page: 210/298, Right page, last entry.

Elizabeth (McGuire) McMahon 1911 death certificate.

Elizabeth (McGuire) McMahon
Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953, 1911 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GPJR-BVT?i=1550&cc=1307272&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AX8D5-F6D
Digital page: 1551/2865
Note: Her actual birth year is 1846, not 1848 as listed.

Mary Jane Davin
in the 1920 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/33247675:6061?tid=&pid=&queryId=11f7c7ecd1f87166c178004c58b1f5f0&_phsrc=qGQ3620&_phstart=successSource
Book Page: 2B, Digital Page: 4/29, Entry lines 63 through 65.

Teresa Davin and Robert Loebsack marriage record
Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016, Cuyahoga
Marriage records 1919-1920, vol 115 
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:939K-BJ34-D3?i=158&cc=1614804&personaUrl=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AZ8WM-R2N2
Book Page: 220, Digital Page: 159/201, Left page, entry 4.

Mary Jane Davin
in the 1930 United States Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/73457206:6224
Book Page: Sheet 5B, Digital Page: 9/20, Entry lines 81 and 82.

Penny Postcard image of
Cleveland, Ohio, Huron Road Hospital (ClevOH297) https://www.ebay.com/itm/385218122138

Roberta Fumich death, email notes between
Thomas Harley Bond to Susan Deanna Bond on June 15, 2024:
Two quick questions about Roberta Fumich:
What does the “J” stand for in her middle name?
“- The J stands for Jane…”
She died in 2020. Do you know the date and do you have a file for this?
“… and she died on Jan. 8, 2020 – age 97! I don’t have a file for her death — I went to her memorial service.”

Alton H. Loebsack
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/138034360:60525

Luanne Terese Tarro
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/152515702:60525

Newsboy Selling ‘Grit’, Irwinville Farms, Georgia, USA (photo)
John Vachon for Farm Security Administration, May 1938
https://www.alamy.com/newsboy-selling-grit-irwinville-farms-georgia-usa-john-vachon-for-farm-security-administration-may-1938-image185170684.html?imageid=FAF7CE37-F79C-489E-B60A-C781AD84410D&p=240905&pn=5&searchId=fff6f73450e69a474356b250d67936d7&searchtype=0

Ohio History Central
Electricity https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Electricity#:~:text=1929.,to%20light%20cities%20at%20night

National Archive photo from the United States Census Bureau article,
Radio In The 1930s
https://www.census.gov/library/photos/radio-in-the-1930s.html

Great Depression History
https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history

Short video (2:18) from the FDR Library titled The Great Depression.
Note: If the video does not load, here is the url: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgmeL7sp4hw

Earl Alexander Bond 1932 death certificate.

Earl A. Bond death
Vital – Ohio Death Index, 1908-1932, 1938-1944, and 1958-2007

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VKPN-8YQ

Mary J Davin
in the 1940 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/32051230:2442
Book Page: Sheet 2B, Digital Page: 4/22, Entry lines 71 -72.

Margaret McCall Taylor (death)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161288506/margaret-taylor

Elizabeth McCall (death)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/127229270/elizabeth-mccall

Mary Jane Davin (death)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172552545/mary-jane-davin
Note: There is an error for her birth year. Her actual birth year is 1863.

Mary Adele (McCall) Bond 1965 death certificate.

Mary Adele (McCall) Bond
Note: The above document is unsourced and certain important information such as her death date is cropped off. See this file for more complete information:
Mary A Bond in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2022
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3132441:5763?tid=&pid=&queryId=07feb666-c93b-4a3c-9f62-f1ac3be52813&_phsrc=ZSs1&_phstart=successSource

Teresa A Loebsack (death)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172554197/teresa-a-loebsack

John Martin Davin (death) https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167944586/john-martin-davin

Ohio Postcards for Sale
OH.jpg
https://www.oldpostcards.com/uspostcards/ohio.html 

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of nine. We have wondered if Joseph Doty, Jr. moved from New Amsterdam, up to the Nine Partners area of the Hudson River Valley due to the influence of the family of his wife Geisje (Lucretia) Van Schaick. Perhaps he somehow connected with her family through the prevalence of the Dutch culture of Manhattan when he lived there? (His militia service was also was affiliated with the Dutch Burgher Guards).

Joseph also had his cousins Charles and Elias Doty from Oyster Bay, living in the Dutchess County area. So, it’s also possible that he and Lucretia could have connected through family, or the Dutch Reformed Church. Who knows, we’re just glad that they met!

Tintin struggles as he peers intently at a map of the Hudson River Valley. He is surrounded by clues and artifacts, piecing them together to try to puzzle-out the hidden locations.
(Image courtesy of Shutterstock).

From Wikipedia, The Adventures of Tintin is a series of 24 comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century. The country of Belgium was created in 1830, after it gained independence from the Southern Netherlands.

Let’s Talk About Place Names

During their lifetimes, our ancestors lived in a places that changed their name(s) quite a few times. This gets confusing. We have corrected the history in this chapter to reflect these transformations.

We have observed that many researchers have rather clumsily used inappropriate place names for locations mentioned in this history. Some of this is understandable, since two different countries clashed over who had control of the area. Be that as it may, many past record sources, and then more contemporary records, have not thought about this sufficiently. We are following them in time and have a longer view of how the area names and boundaries evolved. So let’s address this issue —

New Netherland vs. The Province of New York
The area was first known as New Netherland, a Dutch colony, until 1664. The English renamed it when they took control in 1664 as the Province of New York, after the Duke of York (later King James II).

New Amsterdam > Manhattan
First, it was called New Amsterdam, then the English changed the name to New York City in 1664, for the same reason cited above.

Fort Orange > Albany
Located on the upper Hudson River, it was named as Fort Orange by the Dutch. It was initially founded in 1614-1624 as a fur trading post. The English then renamed it Albany, designating it first as a settlement in 1664, a county in 1686, then as a city in 1686. It is the oldest city in New York State.

Early Autumn on Esopus Creek, by A. T. Bircher. (Image courtesy of The Old Print Shop).

Esopus > Wiltwyck > Kingston
This was a broad area on the upper Hudson River named by Native Peoples to describe a creek. The Dutch used this name because it was convenient to do so. In 1657, Peter Stuyvesant, the director-general of New Netherland, built a stockade to protect the Dutch, and renamed the Esopus village Wiltwyck. A few years later the English renamed portions of it as Kingston in 1669.

Kinderhook
This was a settlement which existed prior to 1651. First it was in Albany County, then this area became Columbia County in 1786, after the American Revolutionary War.

Ulster County
Derived from parts of the Esopus area by the Duke of York in 1683. Prior to that it was simply named Esopus. (Note: The Dutch were not very concerned about the names of interior settlements, since they concentrated mostly on extracting resources, such as beaver pelts from along the Hudson River). (1)

Manhattan 1660* (view from Governor’s Island), by L. F. Tantillo Fine Art.
(Image courtesy of the New Amsterdam History Center, via The Dutch Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art). *Technically, the location then is New Amsterdam.

The De Longs, and The Van Schaicks, Come to America

Both family genealogical histories for our 6x Great Grandmother Geisje (Lucretia) DeLong’s maternal and paternal lines begin in The Netherlands (Holland). These lines then cross the Atlantic Ocean to America in a like manner, with them then building new lives in a Dutch-controlled New Amsterdam (Manhattan), in a similar time frame. However, the two families then diverge slightly for a couple of generations, before coming together in the third generation. We’ll start with the De Longs, who are the paternal side. Please note that in all records there are several spellings for this family surname. Among them: Delange, De Lange, Delong, De Long.

The Paternal Line, the De Langes / De Longs —
During this period of history, it was completely normal for Dutch immigrants to enter America through New Amsterdam. We don’t know the amount of time this family actually stayed there, but it seems plausible that fairly quickly they chose to relocate again. This time, they moved northward up the Hudson River to the area known by the Dutch as Esopus. In that area, they are considered to be very early pioneers since that area was still a rough frontier.

Detail excerpt from The Provinces of New York and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania, 
and the Province of Quebec,
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776.
(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
The lower orange circle indicates where the De Longs and the Van Schaicka certainly first entered New Amsterdam. The upper blue circle indicates where the De Long family was active; the upper green circle, where the Van Schaicks were active.

The first DeLange to arrive in America was Franciscus Adrianus (Arie) De Lange, born about 1627 in Leur, Etten-Leur, Noord-Brabant, The Netherlands — died April 17, 1699 in Kingston, the Province of New York. He married Anna (maiden name unknown).

In the next generation, the De Lange line continues on in the Esopus and (then the) Kingston areas. Adrianus Franciscusz De Lange, was born about 1650, in the same location as his father Arie — died before April 17, 1699 in Brabant, an area of Kingston, Ulster County, the Province of New York. He married first Rachel Jansen, date unknown. He married second, Anna (maiden name unknown), date unknown.

The Maternal Line, the Van Schaicks
For Geisje (Lucretia) maternal family line, we return to The Netherlands. This history begins with Niclass Laurenzen Van Schaick, born about 1633 in Utrecht, The Netherlands — died about 1688 at Kinderhook, Albany County, the Province of New York. He married Jennetjie Cornelis circa 1664, before they immigrated to America. She was born about 1642, (possibly) in Beverwyck, Netherlands — died February 8, 1728, in the same location as her husband.

Fort Orange and The Patroon’s House, by L. F. Tantillo.
(Image courtesy of the New York State Museum).

As with the De Longs, we do not know how long the Van Schaicks were in New Amsterdam. Some of the literature suggests a family connection — and that perhaps Niclass was the brother of Gerrit Goosensz Van Schaick, who was also born in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Known as Goosen, he was one of the original settlers in the community of Fort Orange > Albany. It makes sense that Niclass and Jennetje would live in the same area.

Often, other researchers have not captured the birth of all ten of Niclass and Jannetje’s children. Maritje Van Schaick, our 7x Great Grandmother was the last of their children, born about 1683 at Kinderhook, Albany settlement, (Albany County in 1686). After several generations in America, the DeLange/DeLong family is finally joined by marriage to the Van Schaick family.
(See our Research Observation in the footnotes).

Marriage Record of September 6, 1703 for Frans Arie DeLong and Maritje Van Schaick.
(Note that their names are spelled differently).
From the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Albany, the Province of New York.

Frans Arie DeLong, born April 24, 1681, in Ulster County, the Province of New York — died May 29, 1755, in Beekman, Dutchess County, same Province. He married Maritje Van Schaick, September 6, 1703 She was born October 19, 1694, in Stuvesant/Kinderhook, Albany County [Columbia County, circa 1786] — died February 1758 in Dutchess County, Province of New York. Frans and Maritje (Van Schaick) DeLong had a large family of twelve children, with the eleventh being our 6x Great Grandmother, Giesje (De Lange/De Long) Doty. (2)

If the DeLange, or Van Schaick families were dressed in their very, very, very best clothes, their portraits would have looked somewhat like this. (Image courtesy of Nicole Kipar’s late 17th Century Costume history).

A Flourishing Family In The Hudson River Valley

The Joseph Doty Jr. family spent the arc of their lifetimes situated on either Long Island Sound, or within the Hudson River Valley. He was born in 1708 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York Province — died about 1788 likely in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer  County, New York State.

Marriage Record of March 20, 1743 for Joseph Doty Jr. and Giesje De Lange.
From the records of the Dutch Reformed Church in Fishkill (Rombout Patent), Dutchess County, the Province of New York.

On March 20, 1743, Joseph Doty Jr., married Geisje De Lange* at the Dutch Reformed Church located in the hamlet of Fishkill, Rombount Precinct, Dutchess County, New York Province. She was born in the Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County, the Province of New York, about 1725, daughter of Frans Arie DeLong and Maritje (Van Schaick) DeLong. She died after 1773, likely in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County.

*Geisje DeLong’s surname became anglicized to De Long (from De Lange). On many records, her first name is recorded as “Lucretia”. This was actually her nickname which she used for most of her life.

The Dutch Reformed Church in Fishkill, New York, date unknown.
(Image courtesy of ancestry.com).

Together Joseph and Lucretia had 10 children, who are listed below. The records cited are quoted from the The Doty-Doten Family in America (DDFA) book.
Note: All of their children were born in the Province of New York. We have made corrections to their birth locations.

The first five children, Ormond, Peter, Rebecca, Elizabeth, and Rhoda, were born in the Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County:

  • Ormond Doty was born November 24, 1746 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. He died in South Wallingford, Vermont, November 18, 1826. He married Phoebe Vail; she died at the same location, May 1, 1830. “It is reported that during the Revolution Ormond Doty lived at or in the vicinity of Albany, N. Y.; that he was a Loyalist and was imprisoned at Albany for some time on that charge, but at the intercession of his brothers, who were Patriots, he was released on the condition of going to South Wallingford, Vermont, at that time a wilderness. He removed there with his family, where they settled and remained.”
  • Peter Doty was born about 1750 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. He died in 1811 after a Will was written dated July 2, 1811. He married Catharine Overrocker, who died January 1820.“They lived Schaghticoke. N. Y. He was a prosperous farmer there. His Will, dated July 2, 1811, is on record at Troy, N. Y.”
  • Rebecca Doty (twin) was born about 1756 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess, New York. She married (1) John Irish; (2) Stutely Stafford.
    “She married first John Irish. He was killed as a British spy at Tinmouth, Vermont, during the Revolution. She married second, Stutely Stafford. They lived South Wallingford, Vermont.”
  • Elizabeth Doty (twin) was born about 1756 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Daniel Barheit.
  • Rhoda Doty (also known as Rhody), was born about 1759 in Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Jacob Stover.
    “They lived Schaghticoke. N. Y., and it is probable that descendants lived Schuylerville, Saratoga County, and Greenwich, Washington County, N. Y.”

    The next three children, Mary, Jacob, and Marian, were born in the same location, but renamed as the Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County:
  • Mary Doty (also known as Polly), was born about 1763 in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Leonard Schermerhorn. “They lived Berne, N. Y.”
  • Jacob Doty was born about 1766, in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County. He married Zilla Berrie. “He is said to have lived in Albany or vicinity, during the Revolution, but afterward removed to Vermont.”
  • Marian Doty was born about 1768 in Charlotte Precinct, Dutchess County. She married Ephraim Putnam.

    The last two children, Lydia and Nancy, were born in a new location: Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County:
  • Lydia Doty was born in December 1769, in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer County. She married Daniel Shaw about 1783. Lydia died November 2, 1830 in Schaghticoke, also in Rensselaer County.
    (We are descended from Lydia and Daniel).
  • Nancy Doty was born about 1773, in Lansingburgh, Rensselaer, County. She married Mark Jimney. (3)
Hudson River Scene, by John Frederick Kensett.
(Image courtesy of the Beacon Historical Society via the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

The Dutch Words Were — Kromme Elleboog

While doing research for this chapter on the Doty Family, we encountered these odd-seeming place names in the Hudson River Valley: Crum Elbow, or Crom Elbow. They seemed like real head scratchers to us, but we’ve seen other odd things — such as trying to interpret quill-pen written manuscripts where the writer was implausibly scribbling away while experiencing a serious medical emergency.

Therefore, we were delighted to learn the following, simply because it made this aspect of our family history, that much more interesting. From the Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook of 1933 —

In the seventeenth century, while the Dutch held sovereignty over the valley of the Hudson, that is: from 1609 to 1664, they established settlements at three places,—one on the site of the city of New York, one on the site of Albany and one on the site of Kingston. They made no attempt to explore or to clear the forested regions on either side of the river between New York and Albany, chiefly because they were greatly concerned with the trade in furs, and the three settlements just mentioned did an active business as trading posts.

Ignoring the hinterland [the interior land areas], the Dutch plied the river in sailboats, learned to know the river well and had names for many of the sailing courses and for natural features along the shores.

In 1664 sovereignty over the Hudson valley passed to the English. They, after a few years, began to be interested in the regions east and west of the river and in 1683 the colonial legislature passed an Act by which those lands were laid out into counties. Coincidently with the creation of counties there arose an era of speculation in land, during which the desirable tracts along the river were bought up and ultimately opened for settlement.

In the course of the development, government officials filed documents and conducted correspondence in English and encouraged the common use of that tongue. It took just about a century for the English language to supplant the Dutch and, while the two were in use at once, original documents were recorded in which may now be found many instances of phonetic spelling, occasions when an Englishman tried to write down the Dutch words he heard in use about him.

An instance of such phonetic spelling and of partial translation is the place-name: Krom Elbow. The Dutch words were: Kromme Elleboog, meaning a bent or crooked elbow. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; Kromme was rendered in the records as: Krom, Krum, Crom, Crum and even Crown (K being a characteristic Dutch letter and C English), while Elleboog was translated in full into Elbow.

[Excerpted from from an article by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds,
in The Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook for 1933.]

The following bit of information from the excerpt above, became very important with the ongoing history of the Doty Family. “In 1683… coincidently with the creation of counties there arose an era of speculation in land, during which the desirable tracts along the river were bought up and ultimately opened for settlement”. (4)

The Nine Partners Patent in Dutchess County

“The Great Nine Partners Patent, also known as the ‘Lower Nine Partners Patent,’ was a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, made on May 27, 1697, by New York governor Benjamin Fletcher. The parcel included about four miles (6 km) along the Hudson River and was eight to ten miles (13 to 16 km) wide, extending from the Hudson River to the Connecticut border…

It was the ninth of fourteen patents granted between 1685 and 1706 which came to cover the entirety of historic Dutchess County [which until 1812 also included today’s Putnam County]. (Wikipedia, 9 Partners) Some modern writers also refer to the patent as the Nine Partners area.

The sepia rectangle shows The Great Nine Partners Patent, a land grant in Dutchess County, New York, as surveyed by Richard Edsall, circa 1740. [It is barely legible] The map which overlays the The Great Nine Partners Patent map is from the Dutchess Count Historical Society yearbook of 1939, and indicates the many land patents that were scattered over the breadth of Dutchess County.

Note also in the lower left corner of Duchess County is the hamlet of Fishkill in the Rombout Patent. This is the place where Joseph Doty and his wife Giesje De Lange (Lucretia De Long) were married.

The Crum Elbow Precinct
Encouraging settlers to move into the new counties that lined the Hudson River superhighway was very successful.“Prior to 1734, there had been little settlement in the area, but it proceeded rapidly thereafter. Settlers came to the area up the Hudson, but also from New England. When the legislature divided Dutchess County into precincts in 1737, the Nine Partners Grant was included in the Crum Elbow Precinct.” (Wikipedia, 9 Partners)

Observation: The Province of New York used many Precinct Names in this era, but not many town names. “Towns” were quite frequently scattered, and being very tiny hamlets, of not much more than where two paths crossed. Some modern researchers have developed a tendency to magnify and enlarge some of these characteristics of places / hamlets / crossroads in their desire for a sense of a “town”.

So the historical place naming sequence (generally speaking) is:
> Counties (commencing in 1683)
> Patents (for Dutchess County, from 1685 until 1706)
> Precincts (or Dutchess County, in 1737, and then ongoing as needed for an administrative function)
> Town names (This varies, but precincts were eliminated in 1788. From that point on, only town names were used).

Detail excerpt from The Provinces of New York and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania,
and the Province of Quebec, by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776.
(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The area outlined in white (above) is the border of the Crum Elbow Precinct from 1697 through 1762. The Doty family lived within this Precinct for most of their time in Dutchess County. Seven years later, in 1769, the entire family relocated north to Lansingburg, Rensselaer County.

The Crum Elbow Precinct Is Divided Twice More
In 1762, the Crum Elbow Precinct was divided into two new precincts, called the Amenia and Charlotte Precincts. From that point forward, the Amenia Precinct was a separate entity. In 1786, Charlotte Precinct was divided again into: the Clinton Precinct and the Washington Precinct. Washington Precinct included the towns presently known as Stanford and Washington. Clinton Precinct included present-day Clinton, Hyde Park, and Pleasant Valley.

The later divisions of 1786 did not affect this family, because, in 1769, the whole family relocated to Lansingburg, Rensselaer County, which was the next county north of Dutchess County moving up the Hudson River.

The Doty family had lived in the Crum Elbow Precinct for many years, but we do not know exactly where. We likely never will know where unless some new records turn up. Some researchers have mentioned the Charlotte Precinct, but the Dotys only experienced that place name for about seven years before they moved. Some have mentioned the Clinton Precinct, but this precinct did not exist when they lived there. (5)

The Van Allen Homestead, by Henry A. Ferguson
(Courtesy of the Albany Institute of History & Art).

Literally Mending Fences Here And There

This was an era when there was no municipal government to take care of roads so that they were safe and passable. In addition, since many people had livestock, and boundary markers were generally a bit vague, someone had to pay attention to where the fences actually were. Joseph Doty was not alone in this role. Many of his neighbors had similar roles and a few interesting records do survive, such as —

In the book Records of Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County, New York, 1738… President Franklin D. Roosevelt (who knew he liked genealogy?), cited that Joseph Doty [Jr.] was:

  • Either an Overseer, or a Path Master of the High Ways in the Crum Elbow Precinct for the years: 1756 and 1759
  • Then the same role for the Charlotte Precinct four years later
  • The Delong family’s bridge (of his wife’s family) is also mentioned as being in the Charlotte Precinct in 1772
    (See footnotes). (6)

A Blacksmith, Probably in Good Circumstances

In the later 1760s, Joseph and Lucretia sold some of their properties in the Crum Elbow Precinct (which had recently been renamed as the Charlotte Precinct). There are two records which are written about in the Doty-Doten Family book, on page 505 — “Joseph Doty was a blacksmith, probably in good circumstances, his sons and daughters all being people of good position… June 5, 1767. Joseph Doty, blacksmith, of Crum Elbow, Dutchess Co., N. Y., mortgages land there. March 30, 1769. Joseph Doty, blacksmith, and his wife Cashea [Lucretia] of Charlotte, sell lots there, being part of nine partners, to Samuel Smith, Jr. of Jamaica, Queens Co., and Melancthon Smith of Charlotte.” The Precinct they lived in was populated by farmers and tradesmen. We speculate that Joseph may have learned the blacksmith trade during his time in Manhattan, perhaps as part of his militia service role.

From these old records we were able to learn his profession as a blacksmith. Also, we recovered an index record for the second land sale (likely due to the fact that we were fortunate to have a distinctive name such as Melancthon Smith to work with). The index indicates that the original deed is found on page 292, but the original record book is not cited. What’s more, we found a tax record for Joseph Doty of Nine Partners / Crum Elbow / Charlotte, for the time period of June 1754 – June 1768. This supports both his residency there, and the fact that since his tax record ends in June 1768, that there was change afoot. (See footnotes).

Dutchess County, Grantee Deed Indexes. (Image courtesy of Family Search)

Observation: Finding colonial era records in New York State is a very hit-or-miss affair, due to both the history of the area, and to be quite honest, the State of New York bureaucracy. They have not been very organized when it comes to digitizing older documents. We don’t have any records for when the Dotys first acquired property. So, we can only speculate as to when they left Fishkill, and moved north to the Crum Elbow Precinct. Does this mean that their residency there began about June 1754, as the tax records could imply? No, not really, because tax records for the years 1749, 1750, 1751, and 1752 are missing.

Records are quite scant. Censuses for population did not yet exist, nor did income taxes, and you cannot pay property taxes, unless you own property. (7)

Detail excerpt from The Provinces of New York and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania,
and the Province of Quebec, by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776.
(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
This map documents the family’s transition from the Crum Elbow Precinct in Dutchess County, to the new town of Lansingburg in Rensselaer County in 1769.

Where the Hudson Meets the Mohawk

In 1769, they moved to Lansingburgh [Village], New York, located further north in Rensselaer County. The specific area where they moved to was at first, very sparsely settled. This is where the Hudson River meets the Mohawk River. Just slightly north, across the rivers was the established community of Halfmoon, and the town of Albany was to the south. (Albany had long been established; initially as a Dutch trading post in 1614).

The book, the History of Rensselaer County records, “The purchase by Abraham Jacob Lansing on June 21, 1763, was followed soon after by his actual settlement. Two or three other families were already here… and several others soon followed. In seven years quite a settlement was formed. The map of the city plat laid out by Mr. Lansing was tiled May 11, 1771. The survey had taken place a year or two earlier, for quite a number of lots were sold in 1770, and the town-meeting that adopted the ‘proposals’ had met in January before the map was tiled.” This book does not record that they were purchasers of property there.

Initially the area was called the New City. A. J. Weise’s History of Lansingburgh records that there were an estimated 50 people living there in 1771, 400 living there in 1780, and that by 1790, the population had increased to 500 people. In 1788, the year that Joseph Doty, Jr. likely passed away, this enthusiastic description was written: “Elkanah Watson, a traveler, thus writes in his journal concerning New City, in the year 1788: “This place is thronged with merchants, emigrants, principally, from New England, who have enjoyed a very extensive and lucrative trade, supplying Vermont and the region on both banks of the Hudson,  as far as Lake George, with merchandise, and receiving in payment wheat,  pot [potash] and pearl ashes, and lumber.” (See footnotes). (8)

These two maps indicate the position of the ‘New City’ of Lansingburgh
near the town of Halfmoon, the Province of New York.
(Images courtesy of the Lansingburgh Historical Society).

Our story about the Dotys is nearing its final resolution with the Doty family name giving way to the Shaw family name in the next chapter. Be that as it may, we have one more chapter to go, where the Shaw name then gives way to the Devoe family name, of which we have much, much history.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Let’s Talk About Place Names

(1) — nine records

Tintin and Snowy

The Adventures of Tintin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tintin
Note: For information on Tintin and his creator Hergé.

Province of New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Province_of_New_York
Note: For the data.

History of Manhattan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Manhattan
Note: For the data.

Fort Orange (New Netherland)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Orange_(New_Netherland)
Note: For the data.

Verso of Bricher’s painting.

The Old Print Shop
Early Autumn on Esopus Creek
by A. T. Bricher, circa 1875
https://oldprintshop.com/product/147946
Note: For the landscape image.

Esopus Creek
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esopus_Creek
and
Esopus, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esopus,_New_York
Notes: For the data.

Kinderhook, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinderhook,_New_York
Note: For the data.

Ulster County, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulster_County,_New_York
Note: For the data.

The De Longs, and The Van Schaicks Come to America

(2) — ten records

The New Amsterdam History Center,
via The Dutch Collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Manhattan 1660 (view from Governor’s Island), by L. F. Tantillo Fine Art.
https://newamsterdamhistorycenter.org/fat-event/metropolitan-museum-of-art/
Note: For the panoramic artwork of New Amsterdam.

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map which indicate the areas of Esopus and New Amsterdam.

Franciscus Adrianus De Lange
https://www.geni.com/people/Franciscus-De-Lange/6000000002665615528
Note: For the data. (Use this file with caution!)

Adrianus Franciscuzs DeLange
https://www.geni.com/people/Adrianus-Franciscusz-De-Lange/6000000000115739032
Note: For the data. (Use this file with caution!)

Nicholas <Laurens or Gerrit?> Van Schaick
https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~rclarke/genealogy/page1/vschai-n.htm
Note 1: For the birth order of Maritjie with her siblings.
Note 2: She is listed as number eleven in the tracing, but looking closely, you will observe that she is child #10.

Nicholas Laurens Van Schaick (1633 – 1699)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Van_Schaick-116
Note: This document (also) lists Maritje as his daughter.

New York State Museum
Introduction to the Fort Orange Educational Guide
Fort Orange and The Patroon’s House
by L. F. Tantillo.
https://nysm.nysed.gov/fort-orange-educational-guide
Note: For the landscape image.

Frans Arie DeLong
https://www.geni.com/people/Frans-DeLong/6000000002665613104
Note: For the data. (Use this file with caution!)

Maria Van Schaak
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Albany > Albany, Vol II, Book 2
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6961/records/2220205
Book page: 230, Digital page: 234/308
Note: For the marriage record.

Research Observation: Unfortunately, many, many, (if not most), genealogical websites and family trees have incorrectly identified Lucretia’s mother, Maritje Van Schaick. Often she is listed as the daughter of Iden Van Schaick and Isabel Bloedgoet. Iden and Isobel did have a daughter named Maritje, but she is not the Maritje Van Schaick who was born in Kinderhook, New York. In fact, it is completely implausible that this mother (Isabel), uniquely gave birth to Maritje in 1680s Kinderhook, which is about 130 miles further north, when all her other children were born in New Amsterdam.

Nicole Kipar’s 17 the century Costume Archive
The Painter’s Family, circa 1630-35
by Cornelis De Vos
http://www.kipar.org/archive/period-galleries/galleries_dutch_paintings1.html
Note: For the family portrait.

A Flourishing Family In The Hudson River Valley

(3) — nine records

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/504/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 505-506, Digital pages: 504-506 /1048
Note: For the text.

Giesje De Lange
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
New York > Fishkill > Hopewell, Fishkill and MarbleTown, Book 14
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6961/records/2028806
Book page: 127, Digital page: 33/56
Note: For the marriage record of Joseph Doty, Jr, and Giesje De Lange [Lucretia (De Long) Doty]

Fishkill NY Dutch Reformed Church
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/87441358/person/320142427851/media/ecda803e-41ca-42b7-afa8-374708585ea5
Note: For the church image.

Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs:
a record of achievements of the people of the Hudson and Mohawk valleys in New York state, included within the present counties of Albany, Rensselaer, Washington, Saratoga, Montgomery, Fulton, Schenectady, Columbia and Greene

Volume 3
Cuyler Reynolds, 1866-1934, ed
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101030753469&seq=170
Book page: 1058, Digital page: 170/680
Note: On the page, see the entry for Doty-Eaton.

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/504/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 505-506, Digital pages: 504-506 /1048
Note: For the text, and for the brief biographies of the children.

Apparently, to this day this name is still used for streets in The Netherlands. (Image courtesy of: https://www.rtvdordrecht.nl/nieuws/de-kromme-elleboog-is-een-logische-straatnaam-voor-het-centrum).

The Dutch Words Were — Kromme Elleboog

(4) — five records

The Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook for 1933, Volume 18
Kromme Elleboog
A Seventeenth Century Place-Name in the Hudson Valley

by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds
https://issuu.com/dchsny/docs/dchs_yb_v018_1933_masterfile/s/15204965
Note: For the text.

Hudson River Scene
John Frederick Kensett, circa 1857
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11310
Note: For the landscape image.

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map which indicate the Great Nine Partners purchase and the Crum Elbow Precinct.

Timeline of Town Creation in the Hudson Valley
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_town_creation_in_the_Hudson_Valley
Note: For the data.

The Nine Partners Patent in Dutchess County

(5) — three records

(Wikipedia, 9 Partners)
Great Nine Partners Patent
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Nine_Partners_Patent
Note: For the text.

Untitled Manuscript Map of Great Nine Partners Patent
in Dutchess County, New York

by Richard Edsall (surveyor), circa 1740
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/140a7300-fcc4-0132-425e-58d385a7b928?canvasIndex=0
Note: For the map image, (Image ID 5376733)

Dutchess County Historical Society
18th Century Maps
by Author unknown
https://dchsny.org/18th-century-maps/
Note: For the DCHS 1939 Yearbook (map)

Literally Mending Fences Here And There

(6) — two records

Left: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882 — 1945.
32nd President of the United States, and Right: Frontispiece for Records of Crum Elbow precinct, Dutchess county, New York

Records of Crum Elbow Precinct, Dutchess County, New York, 1738-1761,
together with records of Charlotte precinct, 1762-1785,
records of Clinton precinct, 1786-1788, and
records of the town of Clinton, 1789-1799

by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 1882-1945, editor
https://archive.org/details/recordsofcrumelb00roos/page/n7/mode/2up
Note 1: Joseph Doty is listed as either an Overseer, or a Path Master of the High Ways in the Crum Elbow Precinct for the years: 1756 (page 28), 1759 (page 30); then for the Charlotte Precinct in 1763 (page 66).
Note 2: The Delong family’s bridge is mentioned in the Charlotte Precinct in 1772 (page 75).

The Making of the Hudson River School, The Improved Landscape
The Van Allen Homestead
by Henry A. Ferguson 
https://www.albanyinstitute.org/online-exhibition/the-making-of-the-hudson-river-school/section/the-improved-landscape
Note: For the painting.

A Blacksmith, Probably in Good Circumstances

(7) — three records

TuckDB Postcards
The Village Blacksmith
https://www.tuckdbpostcards.org/items/16508-the-village-blacksmith
Note: For the postcard image.

Joseph Doty
Mentioned in the Record of Melancthon Smith
Land – New York, Land Records, 1630-1975
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Z82J-HL6Z?lang=en
Note: For the land deed.
Book page: 2144, Digital page: Image 11 of 347

Crum Elbow tax lists: includes Nine Partners precinct, Crum Elbow precinct, Charlotte precinct, Amenia precinct, Clinton precinct, Washington precinct
by Clifford M. Buck
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/296090/?offset=0#page=13&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Book page 12, Digital page: 13/76
Note 1: Typed tax record for Joseph Doty of Crum Elbow, for the the time period of June 1754 – June 1768.
Note 2: Document identifier number 285952.

Where the Hudson Meets the Mohawk

(8) — five records

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map documenting the transition from the Crum Elbow Precinct in Dutchess County, to the hamlet of Lansingburg Village in Rensselaer County in 1769.

History of Rensselaer Co., New York
by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, circa 1880
https://archive.org/details/historyofrenssel00sylv/mode/2up
Book page: 293, Digital page: 292/844
Note: For the text on the history of Lansingburgh Village.

Albany, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany,_New_York
Note: For reference.

The History of Lansingburgh, N. Y.
From the Years 1760 to 1877

by A. J. Weise, A. M., circa 1877
https://ia801209.us.archive.org/6/items/historyoflansing00weis/historyoflansing00weis.pdf
Note 1: Book page 39 — for the text regarding population statistics.
Note 2: Book page 11 — for the quote from the traveler Elkanah Watson.
Note 3: Book page 7 — For the description of the original town map, as follows,
“The Map is filed in the Albany County Clerk’s office, and is marked number 18. The following description is attached to it: “This Map describeth a tract of land lying on the east side of Hudson’s river, about eight miles above the City of Albany, and is layed out in a regular square for the erecting a City by the name of Lansingburgh; the lots are one hundred and twenty feet long and fifty wide. The streets are seventy feet wide, and the alleys are twenty feet wide the oblong square (the Green or Park) in the center is reserved for publick uses. Laid down by a scale of ninety feet to an inch. June 7, 1771. 
Joseph Blanchard, Surveyor. May 11, 1771. A. Jacob Lansingh.”

Lansingburgh Historical Society
Old Maps of Lansingburgh
https://www.lansingburghhistoricalsociety.org/old-maps
Notes: For the two map images, described accordingly on their website —
“Detail showing New City within boundaries of (unlabeled) Stone Arabia, and Iron Hill north of it. Cropped from ‘A chorographical map of the Northern Department of North-America’ (1780)”
and
“This Map describeth a Tract of Land […] Lay’d out in a Regular form for the Erecting a city by the name of Lansinghburrough”

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Six

This is Chapter Six of nine. The settlement of the Isaac Doty family in Oyster Bay, Long Island was the first step in their journey away from the Plymouth Colony. Time brought even more change… In this chapter we will be focusing on the son Joseph Doty Sr. and his wife Sarah (whose last name is unknown), and their family.

Seascape

In the same way that a wave returns the borrowed grains of a sandcastle back to their beach — once gone, we only see the newly smoothed surface. And like that, we know very little about the life of our ancestor Joseph Doty Sr., because records about his life are very scant, or perhaps, they have not yet been discovered.

Seascape Near Heijst, by Willem Roelofs, 19th century. (Image courtesy of Fine Art America).

Despite this, we do know a few things about his lifetime: He lived his entire life in Oyster Bay, Long Island, the Province of New York. He married a woman named Sarah (maiden name unknown), and he was the father of four children. Joseph died remarkably young, probably around the age of 36. When he died, his wife Sarah was pregnant with their fourth child. We know these things from the only meaningful record we have from this portion of his life — his 1716 Will.

Author Ethan Allan Doty tells us in his book, The Doty-Doten Family in America,
“His will is recorded at Jamaica, Queens Co., N. Y. , signed Joseph Doughty of Oyster Bay, made July 7, 1716, and devises his estate to his eldest son Joseph, to his son Isaac, to his daughter Sarah, and to his wife Sarah, and provides for a child in case his wife be with child.” It seems likely that his Will was written in haste, so something must have been going on with either his health or perhaps he’d been in a life threatening accident. We do not know.

We can infer from this document that his children were all born in Oyster Bay, and that their names are:

  • Sarah Doty, born about 1706, “She married John Jackson, probably the son of James Jackson and Rebecca Hallett.”
  • Joseph Doty Jr., born about 1708, (We are descended from Joseph Jr.).
  • Isaac Doty, born 1711, and who probably died young
  • Elizabeth Doty, born about 1716, most likely after Joseph Sr.’s death. [She] Married there 1730, Daniel Dunning (or Downing). Marriage license issued to Daniel Dunning and Elizabeth Doty of Queens County,
    N. Y., August 4, 1730”.

Interestingly, the document also mentions receipts, which are “When an executor or administrator paid debts owed by the estate and collected money from those who owed the deceased person, receipts were issued which were filed with the annual accounting and final settlement. Among these will be receipts signed by the heirs as they receive money from the estate”. (Family Search)

  • His widow Sarah, received receipts for her share of above, January 29, 1717. From this date it is safe to assume that Joseph Sr. most likely died shortly after writing his Will.
  • Sarah (Doty) Jackson, wife John Jackson, received receipts May 7, 1724. 
  • Joseph Doty Jr. receipts for 178£*, in full. May 6, 1729. 
  • Elizabeth Doty received receipts for her share, July 24, 1736.

*Observation: It is certain that Joseph Jr. received this money from his late father’s estate around the time of his 21st birthday. The value of 178£ calculates to over $44,500 dollars in today’s currency, (see footnotes). Cha-ching!

It also seems that property Joseph Sr. owned in Oyster Bay was eventually sold, about two years after he died. On “July 30, 1718, Jervis Mudge, Thomas Cirby and Joseph Carpenter, executors of Joseph Doty, deceased, sell to Isaac Doty, Jr., certain land at Oyster Bay, which is an equal one-third of land given by their father, Isaac Doty, Sr., to his three sons, Joseph, Jacob and James.” (1)

A Panoramic View of New York Harbor As Seen From Long Island, 1727 by Henry Popple, and issued in 1733. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

Manhattan Calling

We know that Joseph Jr. was soon living in Manhattan, and that he didn’t have to travel very far to get there. Why was he there? Of course, we don’t know for certain. Nevertheless, receiving the equivalent of $44,500 plus dollars when you are aged 21 years in Colonial America, certainly eased this transition.

In those days, despite the Dutch having first colonized the area, the population was a mixture of many different types of people. The English population eventually came to dominant governance. Wikipedia tells us, “By 1700, the Lenape population [Native Peoples] of New York had diminished to 200. The Dutch West Indies Company transported African slaves to the post as trading laborers used to build the fort and stockade, and some gained freedom under the Dutch. After the seizure of the colony in 1664, the slave trade continued to be legal. In 1703, 42% of the New York households had slaves; they served as domestic servants and laborers but also became involved in skilled trades, shipping and other fields. Yet following reform in ethics according to American Enlightenment thought, by the 1770s slaves made up less than 25% of the population.”

It was into this colonial admixture of European Dutch and English immigrants, and enslaved peoples, that Joseph Jr.had moved. (2)

The image on the right shows the short distance that Joseph Doty, Jr. needed to travel to relocate to Manhattan. (Note that the geography of Long Island is not very accurate).
Plate 27-A from, A Plan of the City of New York (and) A Plan of the Harbour of New York
by Author unknown, circa 1730-35, from Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Print Department.
Plate 32-A from, A Plan of the City and Environs of New York [Grim’s General Plan
by David Grim, circa 1742-44, from from The New York Historical Society.

All three map plates shown above are derived from the book, The Iconography of Manhattan Island, Volume 1, by I. N. Phelps Stokes, circa 1915.

The Burgher Guards

The Burgher Guard of Manhattan, also known as the Burgher Militia, was a citizen militia organized by the Dutch West India Company in 1640 to protect New Amsterdam (Manhattan) from external threats. These local militias were utilized to supplement the presence of the Dutch garrison, and were known as the Burgher Guards. These citizen-soldiers, composed of adult male residents, were responsible for maintaining order and defending the colony. Membership in the Burgher Guard was a sign of citizenship and was initially restricted to certain residents, excluding indentured servants and enslaved Africans. 

After the English takeover in 1664, the Burgher Guard was eventually absorbed into the English colonial militia system, with the burgher class-right transitioning to the English concept of freemanship. (3)

Captain Charles Laroex’s Company of New York City Militia in 1738

The world of 1730s Manhattan was still a far-flung New England outpost of the British Empire, and despite a century of colonization, the English were still trying to figure out how to govern the area appropriately. With regard to defense, it was not practical for England to maintain standing armies throughout the colonies. So, it makes sense that they carried over one of the same systems that they already knew —that of forming local militias.

These groups were a community-based force, with Companies drawn from specific geographic areas within towns. They varied in size, with a minimum of 24 men to form a company and larger companies including officers like captains, lieutenants, and sergeants. Their main function included maintaining order, providing local defense, and assisting in emergencies. The militias also played a role in town governance, with records of town meetings reflecting militia-related concerns such as fence heights, road maintenance, and care for the poor.

When we discovered that our 6x Great Grandfather Joseph Doty, Jr. had been cited repeatedly by other researchers as being a private in Captain Charles Laroex’s Company of New York City Militia in 1738, but no one had provided any support for this intriguing fact. We searched high-and-low to verify this. A big concern was the fact that the 1911 fire at the State Library in Albany, New York had destroyed many colonial era records. “The English volumes of Colonial Manuscripts included censuses, assessment lists, muster rolls, and other items useful to genealogists, almost all of which were destroyed by the fire.” (See footnotes, NYG&B) However, despite our concerns, diligence finally paid off.

Detail from an article titled Great War Marks End Of Burgher Guards, found on page 10 of the August 19, 1917 edition of The Sun newspaper. (See footnotes).

We first found confirmation that the Laroex Company did indeed exist. It is mentioned in an August 19, 1917 The Sun newspaper article, “…But the old burgher spirit could not be ‘snuffed out’, and as late as 1738 the Independent companies in this city were almost exclusively Dutch American. They were Beekmans’s, Laroex’s, Stuyvesant’s, Richard’s, Van Horn’s and Cuyler’s and the Blue Artillery”. (The Sun) Digging further, we found a book at the Library of Congress, published in Amsterdam in 1850, titled Breeden Raedt Aen De Vereenighde Nederlandsche Provintien. (It had been translated from the original Dutch). This book contained many records of 1738 Manhattan, as well as the full rosters the various militia companies. (4)

Excerpted from Breeden Raedt Aen De Vereenighde Nederlandsche Provintien. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The Fires and Riots of 1741...

As we had written about the population of enslaved people in Manhattan at that time, “By the 1740s, 20% of the residents of New York were slaves, totaling about 2,500 people… After a series of fires in 1741, the city panicked over rumors of its black population conspiring with some poor whites to burn the city. Historians believe their alarm was mostly fabrication and fear, but officials rounded up 31 black and 4 white people, who over a period of months were convicted of arson. Of these, the city executed 13 black people by burning them alive and hanged the remainder of those incriminated.”

Propagandist illustrations documenting the New York Slavery Conspiracy of 1741, taken from The Evolution of Slavery, Abolition in NY, and the NY Courts, The Lemmon Slave Case.

Comment: That text about the 1741 riots and lynch mobs is difficult to read, but sometimes we see that there is much cruelty in history. We don’t know if Joseph Doty was still involved with the Laroex Company militia at that time, or quite honestly, if he even was still living in Manhattan by 1741. If he was there, we wonder if perhaps these events influenced his decision to leave the city? (5)

In due course he moved up the Hudson River to the community of Nine Partners – Crum Elbow Precinct in Duchess County and by 1744 he was married.

Before we leave Manhattan and the Oyster Bay area, we thought it would be very interesting to take a look at the history of oysters in New York Harbor. It’s not with every ancestor that you get to delve into something so unique!

Slurp, painting by Pam Talley. (Image courtesy of Fine Art America).

Oysters and New York’s Past

It might seem obvious, but why was the town which Isaac Doty and his family lived in called Oyster Bay?

In 1609, when English explorer Henry Hudson sailed into the harbor of what later became known as New York City, he “could not have seen… [that there] were 220,000 acres of oyster beds below the surface on the harbor floor, constituting nearly half of the oysters in the entire world”. Later in time, on nearby Long Island, the early Dutch settlers referred to the area as Oyster Bay due to the vast number of high-quality oysters native to the region. Oysters became a staple of the colonial New York diet. (Untapped New York)

It was the Lenape people [Native Peoples] who showed the settlers how to harvest oysters from the harbor. “The local Lenape had been living off the reefs for generations. They would open the oyster shells by wrapping the entire oyster in seaweed before tossing them fire”.

Mine oysters – Dredging boats in the Chesapeake, from Harper’s Weekly magazine, March 16, 1872. (Image courtesy of The New York Public Library Digital Collections).

“Oysters were always popular and in high demand. Literal tons of oysters were eaten everyday. Worried that the supply might not last, the local government introduced a conservation law in 1715, banning the harvest of oysters during the months without an R, which lasts from May to August. The popularity of New York oysters [continued to] spread across the nation and to Europe, where large shipments of oysters were being sold. In order to meet the demand, the conservation law from 1715 was lifted in 1807, prompting the unsustainable harvesting of the oyster reefs. The supply was still not enough to meet the demand, and so oysters from Long Island, Connecticut, and New Jersey were brought into New York. These oysters were able to be sold as New York oysters because they were in the harbor for a short amount of time”. (Untapped New York, and the Billion Oyster Project)

Historically, oysters were deeply woven into the life of East Coast cities, as Charles Dickens described enthusiastically in his 1842 travelogue American Notes. He then “describes cellars serving oysters, pretty nigh as large as cheese-plates”. (BBC)

Eventually, pollution in New York Harbor decimated the viability of the oyster harvest. Recent efforts to revitalize the harbor and bring back the native oysters is ongoing. “That thriving population of oysters is long gone. But over the past 10 years, one of New York’s most ambitious rewilding projects has sought to revive its once-famous oysters, adding 150 million larvae across 20 acres of harbour since its beginnings. The goal: restoring the city’s coastal habitat, improving water quality and educating the public.” (BBC) (6)

Detail excerpt from The Provinces of New York and New Jersey; with part of Pensilvania,
and the Province of Quebec, by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776.
(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

This map documents the family’s transition from Oyster Bay, Long Isand, to the Crum Elbow Precinct in Dutchess County, to the hamlet of Lansingburg Village in Rensselaer County.

Saying Farewell to Oyster Bay

When you eat a well prepared fresh oyster it should taste a bit like the sea… just a bit salty (and delicious!) We say this because, when we have been researching out ancestral lines, occasionally we come across an intriguing bit of family folklore that sometimes leads us down a new and exciting path. However, sometimes a fanciful story can lead us down a rabbit hole. Such is the story with a legend we encountered in the Doty-Doten book (DDFA) , and this story must be taken with a very large grain of salt. Like your food, you can immediately tell when it is just too salty.

Wikipedia tells us that “To take something with a ‘grain of salt’ or ‘pinch of salt’ is an English idiom that suggests to view something, specifically claims that may be misleading or unverified, with skepticism or not to interpret something literally. In the old-fashioned English units of weight, a grain weighs approximately 65 mg, which is about how much table salt a person might pick up between the fingers as a pinch.

On the left, Pliny the Elder, author of Naturalis Historia. He is also noted for dying in the AD 79 explosion of Mount Vesuvius, which buried the City of Pompeii. At right, a 1917 Morton Salt Company advertisement featuring the famous slogan, ‘When It Rains It Pours’ and an image of the Morton Salt Girl.

The phrase is thought to come from Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia, regarding the discovery of a recipe written by the Pontic King Mithridates to make someone immune to poison. One of the ingredients in the recipe was a grain of salt. Threats involving poison were thus to be ‘with a grain of salt’, and therefore less seriously.”

Ethan Alan Doty had written this, “The legend in the family was that Elsha Van Schaick was daughter and sole heir of an Amsterdam banker, and that she eloped with Francis De Long, who was a French officer. This story made it difficult to obtain full items [property?] of some branches, who were suspicious that they were to be defrauded of their share of valuable estate.”

Comment: What a great story! Even so, it’s just not true. We extensively researched the Van Schaick family. The closest this branch ever came to anything to do with banking was long after Lucretia’s lifetime. Another branch of the family is actually featured in a prestigious vanity book from 1881 titled, Contributions to the History of Ancient Families of New Amsterdam and New York, by Edwin R. Purple.* We suspect that this book was printed for Gilded Age Manhattan families who swirled in New York High Society circles.
* The perfect name for a writer of that genre. See “Quote or No Quote?” in the footnotes at the end of this chapter.

The Van Schaicks were indeed very early in New Amsterdam, and then Manhattan. Some branches of the family went into the Hudson River Valley, therefore the history truly develops from what branch of the family you belong within. Then, what was going on with this tale of a banking heiress and a French army officer? We came upon a well researched file about Lucretia’s father Frans DeLang, which covers this family legend. It states:

“In discussing the marriage of Joseph Doty and Geesje (Lucretia) De Long, the Doty Genealogy gives her parents as Frans and ‘Elsha’, the latter an obvious error and presumably confusion with Maritje’s youngest daughter Egge or Echa.” Lucretia’s mother was named Maritje Van Schaick.

“The story is also another of the 19th century attempts to assign a French heritage to a Dutch family. Frans was not a French officer, he was born to Dutch parents and in the new world. I doubt if Claas Van Schaick was an Amsterdam banker before emigration, and Maritje was not likely his sole heir.

“An even more inane version appears in the History of Danby (Vermont) which says Lucretia Doty was daughter of ‘Hielcha DeLong, the wife of Francis DeLong, a French officer. They say she let herself down from a two story building in Amsterdam in 1780, came to America, and settled on Long Island.’ So this puts American-born Frans in Amsterdam and eloping at the age of 99! I hope he didn’t hold her ladder.”

For an extensive history of the De Lange /De Lang / De Long family, please see the footnote for Frans DeLang at the end of this chapter. It is written by Delong family descendant Roy Delong, basing his observations on, “…the following notes from the late John D. Baldwin (50+ year Delong researcher). (Note various spellings of surname in this text…”). (7)

In the next chapter, we follow the Joseph Doty Jr. as he leaves Manhattan, and first ventures forth into Dutchess County. Then with his new wife Geisje ‘Lucretia’ De Long and their family, they settle in the oddly-named Crum Elbow Precinct in Dutchess County. Eventually, Life then takes them still further in their northward trek up the Hudson River Valley, and finally into Rensselaer County.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Seascape

(1) — seven records

Fine Art America
Seascape Near Heijst
painting by Willem Roelofs, 19th century
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/seascape-near-heijst-willem-roelofs-1822-1897.html
Note: For the seascape image.

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/500/mode/2up
Book pages: 501, Digital pages: 500 /1048
and
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/504/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 505, Digital pages: 504 /1048
Note: For the texts.

U.S. Probate Records Class Handout
Under the subtitle: Distributing the Estate
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/U.S._Probate_Records_Class_Handout
Note: To explain the role of receipts in a Colonial American Will.

Pounds Sterling to Dollars: Historical Conversion of Currency
https://www.uwyo.edu/numimage/currency.htm
Note: For the calculation of the inheritance value for Joseph Doty, Jr. from his late father’s estate when he was 21 years old.

Joseph Doty
in the Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3718/records/37992?tid=&pid=&queryId=ab22e56d-3bb2-4c0f-b15c-cffa1c314979&_phsrc=ylI10&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 422, Digital page: 434/537
Note: For confirmation of birth date and his Will date.

Joseph Doty
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/137781328
and
Joseph Doty
in the Global, Find a Grave Index for Burials at Sea and other Select Burial Locations, 1300s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60541/records/182712503
Joseph Doty
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/172015138/joseph-doty

Manhattan Calling

(2) — four records

A Panoramic View of New York Harbor As Seen From Long Island, 1727
by Henry Popple, and originally engraved by William Henry Toms
(who also signed it) & R.W. Seale, issued in 1733
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City#/media/File:New_York_Harbor_Waterfront_1727_panorama_map.jpg
Note: This is an inset from A Map of the British Empire in America with the French and Spanish Settlements adjacent thereto…

History of New York City
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City
Note: For the text.

The three map plates in this chapter are derived from the book,
The Iconography of Manhattan Island, Volume 1

by I. N. Phelps Stokes, circa 1915 —

Plate 27-A
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, Print Department
A Plan of the City of New York (and) A Plan of the Harbour of New York
by Author unknown, circa 1730-35
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/IA_Query_”sponsor-(Sloan)_date-(1000_TO_1925)_publisher-((New_York)_OR_Chicago_OR_Jersey_OR_Illan)”_(IA_iconographyofman01stok).pdf
Book pages: 260-261, for map explanation

Plate 32-A
from The New York Historical Society
A Plan of the City and Environs of New York [Grim’s General Plan]
by David Grim, circa 1742-44
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/84/IA_Query_”sponsor-(Sloan)_date-(1000_TO_1925)_publisher-((New_York)_OR_Chicago_OR_Jersey_OR_Illan)”_(IA_iconographyofman01stok).pdf
Book pages: 270-271, for map explanation

The Burgher Guards

(3) — one record

New Amsterdam Stories
What happened to the burgher right after the English invasion in 1664? 
https://newamsterdamstories.archives.nyc/english-invasion#:~:text=The burgher right continued to, a sign of municipal identity.
Note: For research on the text.

Captain Charles Laroex’s Company of New York City Militia in 1738

(4) — four records

Journal of the American Revolution
Colonial Militia on the Eve of War, Prewar Conflict (< 1775)
by Michael Cecere
https://allthingsliberty.com/2025/04/colonial-militia-on-the-eve-of-war/
Note: For research on the text.

(NYG&B)
New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
The 1911 State Library Fire And Its Effect On New York Genealogy
by Harry Macy, Jr.
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/knowledgebase/1911-state-library-fire-and-its-effect-new-york-genealogy
Note: For the text.

Page 10 article titled Great War Marks End Of Burgher Guards, found in the
August 19, 1917 edition of The Sun newspaper.

NYS Historic Newspapers
The Sun, 19 August 1917
Article: Great War Marks End of Burgher Guards
https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/?a=d&d=suna19170819-01.1.72&e=——-en-20–1–txt-txIN———-
Newspaper page: 10, Filmstrip pdf page: 72

V. Extracts From A Work Called Breeden Raedt Aen De Vereenighde Nederlandsche Provintien. Translated From The Dutch Original by Mr. C.
A List of the Company [of Militia]
Belonging Under the Command of Capt. Charles Laroexs
https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/public/gdcmassbookdig/extractsfromwork00mely/extractsfromwork00mely.pdf
Book page: 213-214
Note: For the listing of Joseph Doty in the 1738 New York City Militia Company of Captain Charles Laroexs.

The Fires and Riots of 1741...

(5) — two records

History of New York City
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_York_City
Note: For various texts.

The Historical Society of New York Courts
The Evolution of Slavery, Abolition in NY, and the NY Courts,
The Lemmon Slave Case
by Hon. Albert M. Rosenblatt
https://history.nycourts.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/20200420-Lemmon-Slave-Case-Slide-Presentation.pdf
Note: For the images.

Oysters and New York’s Past

(6) — six records

Fine Art America
Slurp 
painting by Pam Talley
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/slurp-pam-talley.html?product=poster
Note: For the oyster painting..

Untapped New York
Aw Shucks: The Tragic History of New York City Oysters
by Thomas Hynes
https://www.untappedcities.com/history-new-york-oysters/
Note: For the text.

History of New York Harbor
https://www.billionoysterproject.org/harbor-history
Note: For the text.

The Oysters of New York’s Past
by Wenjun Liang
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/1ce158b2123a4c9c9898278e98f015d5
Note: For reference.

The New York Public Library Digital Collections
Mine oysters – Dredging boats in the Chesapeake
from Harper’s Weekly magazine, March 16, 1872

https://iiif-prod.nypl.org/index.php?id=4018402&t=v
Note: For the 1872 image of the oyster farmers.

BBC
Oysters as large as cheese plates:
How New Yorkers are reclaiming their harbour’s heritage

by Anna Bressanin
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20241118-how-new-yorkers-are-reclaiming-their-harbours-heritage
Note: For the text.

Saying Farewell to Oyster Bay

(7) — eight records

Library of Congress
The Provinces of New York and New Jersey;
with part of Pensilvania, and the Province of Quebec.
by Thomas Pownall, and Samuel Holland, circa 1776
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ar104500/?r=0.402,1.183,0.673,0.371,0
Note: For sections of the map which document this family’s journey from Oyster Bay, Long Island to Rensellaer County, the Province of New York.

Encyclopædia Britannica
Pliny the Elder
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Pliny-the-Elder
Note: For the portrait.

Made In Chicago Museum
Morton Salt Company, est. 1848
https://www.madeinchicagomuseum.com/single-post/morton-salt-co/
Note: An advertisement from 1917/1918, featuring the original iteration of the Morton Salt Girl and the “It Pours” slogan on the blue can.

A grain of salt”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_grain_of_salt
Note: For just a pinch of the text.

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/504/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 505-506, Digital pages: 504-506 /1048
Note: For the text.

Contributions to the History of Ancient Families of New Amsterdam and New York
by Edwin R. Purple, circa 1881
https://archive.org/details/ldpd_6499396_000/page/n11/mode/2upBook page: 9, Digital page: 30/164

Professor Buzzkill podcast
Quote or No Quote? Who Said,
“If you don’t have anything nice to say, come and sit here by me”?

https://professorbuzzkill.com/2023/11/29/quote-or-no-quote-who-said-if-you-dont-have-anything-nice-to-say-come-and-sit-here-by-me/
Note 1: For the text.
Note 2: Gilded Age Society has some interesting stories —
“If you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, come sit here by me,” It was originally said by Alice Roosevelt, the eldest daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt. [From the Oyster Bay, New York social circles…]

By the time her father ascended to the Presidency, Alice Roosevelt was a prominent writer and well-known socialite in New York and Washington. According to the most solid evidence we have, what Alice said (or, more accurately, what she had embroidered on a couch pillow) was ‘If you can’t say something good about someone, sit here by me.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth

From all accounts, Alice Roosevelt was vivacious, intelligent, curious, and constantly in motion. She was known to come into the President’s office, unbidden, several times a day, to offer her thoughts and suggestions on politics and to make comments on social affairs. Apparently, this frustrated the President greatly. So much so, in fact, that, after multiple ‘Alice interruptions’ one morning, Teddy Roosevelt turned to an advisor and said, ‘I can either run the country, or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.’”

Frans DeLang
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/103424712/frans-delang?_gl=1*1hxjf0b*_gcl_au*MTM3MTk4NzE2Mi4xNzQ5MDYwMjEx*_ga*MTAxNTA3NTUwNi4xNzMyMjExNDYx*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*c2M1ZjIzNmVmLTZkNDEtNGRhYS05ZGEyLTQ1OTBlY2Q0OTZkOSRvNjkkZzEkdDE3NTQ3Njk1MzkkajM0JGwwJGgw*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*c2M1ZjIzNmVmLTZkNDEtNGRhYS05ZGEyLTQ1OTBlY2Q0OTZkOSRvNjgkZzEkdDE3NTQ3Njk1MzkkajM0JGwwJGgw
Note 1: For three quotes from the text.
Note 2: The content of this extensive history is researched and excerpted from
“…the following notes from the late John D. Baldwin (50+ year Delong researcher). (Note various spellings of surname in this text…”.

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Five

This is Chapter Five of nine. When our ancestor Edward Doty Sr. died in 1655, his son Isaac was only about seven years old. As he had grown up in a large family with eight other siblings. Some of these brothers and sisters stayed local and then had big families of their own… so, we speculate that he may have gotten just a bit tired of seeing so many Doty relatives everywhere he looked?

This suggests that he then sought out some new horizons. Author Ethan Allan Doty wrote, “At the death of his father he was just six years of age, and probably continued to live with his mother until about the time of her marriage to John Phillips, in 1667. It is somewhat doubtful where he spent the next five years of his life, but it is probable that it was in Sandwich. Mass.. where his brother Joseph was also, early in life, a resident. But it is possible that he may have visited in this period Oyster Bay on Long Island where he subsequently lived.” (Doty-Doten Family in America, DDFA) (1)

Map of New Netherland and New England, and also parts of Virginia, also known as the Novi Belgii Novæque Angliæ nec non partis Virginiæ tabula. Although this map is not considered to be very accurate for its geography, but it is correct for the time period in which Isaac Doty lived.

Drawn in 1685 by Nicolaes Visscher, it shows the distance that Isaac Doty traveled from the Plymouth Colony area which was undertake control of England — to the area of Oyster Bay, Long Island, New Amsterdam, which was under the control of the Dutch.
Created a mere 70 years later than the map above, A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England, by Braddock Mead (alias John Green) — this clearly shows how much cartography [map making] skills had improved in those years.

Breaking New Ground

For reasons which we continue to ponder, Isaac Doty, broke away from the Plymouth Colony and relocated much further west, settling at Oyster Bay, Long Island. At the time, this area was the border between the English settlements in the New York Colony, and the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam. We will write in detail about both the historical details and Isaac’s family history later on in this chapter. First, we would like to set the stage about what was happening in Long Island before he moved there.

The name ’t Lange Eylandt alias Matouwacs” appears in Dutch maps from the 1650s, with ’t Lange Eylandt translating to Long Island from Old Dutch. The English referred to Long Island as Nassau Island, after the House of Nassau of the Dutch Prince William of Nassau, Prince of Orange (who later also ruled as King William III of England). It is unclear when the name “Nassau Island” was discontinued. Another indigenous name from colonial time, Paumanok, comes from the Native American name for Long Island and means “the island that pays tribute.” (Wikipedia)

Writer John E. Hammond from The Oyster Bay Historical Society, [as quoted throughout,] tellsl us in The Early Settlement of Oyster Bay — “The original settlers of the area” and the group which Isaac Doty had the most contact with, were the Matinecocks. In their language, their name meant “at the hilly ground”. They were part of the thirteen tribes who made up the Matouwack Confederacy, (see map below).

“They were a part of the Algonquin language and cultural group but had no written language. When the first Europeans arrived in the early 1600s the total population of the 13 chieftaincies on Long Island was estimated at about 6,500.” Like many of our other family lines who were in New England in this era, they witnessed that the Europeans “had a great impact on the” Native Peoples; “many were decimated by diseases which they had no resistance to”. (2)

Shows areas of Long Island held by the various Native People tribes that made up the Matouwack Confederacy as of 1609. Isaac Doty interacted with the Matinecocs. (Image courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library).

The Matinecock People

As with other tribal groups in the area, “their leaders were called sachems and were shown great respect by the other members of the community”. Furthermore, “…the sachems sought the opinions of the other members of the community while sitting in council, and the sachem’s decision on any subject was always final”. When the Dutch and English settlers “began buying up the land”, many of the native sachems “thought this was just another form of tribute; many did not believe that they were actually selling off the rights to their land”.

The effect on the population from the diminishing ravages of disease cannot be underestimated. “By the year 1685, the last piece of land was bought by the European settlers”. By 1709, there were no Native Peoples left on the island “except small remnants of a few scattered communities. The remaining Matinecocks moved to join with the Shinnecocks and Montaucks… Those that chose to stay on their ancestral land settled within small hamlets near sites of their earlier villages and sought work on English plantations”. (Hammond)

An unknown artist’s representation of the Matinecock People (note the colonial era ship in the distance). This is a screen grab of a video about the Matinecocks which we have linked in the footnotes.

The decades before Isaac Doty’s arrival in the Oyster Point area saw the Matinecocks facing profound challenges, including conflicts like Kieft’s War and the Battle of Madnan’s Neck, which further impacted their population and landholdings. (Wikipedia, see footnotes). (3)

The Dutch Held New Amsterdam

In this period, Manhattan Island was called New Amsterdam* because it was under the control of the Dutch, who desired to control more land territory. Very close to the mouth of the Hudson River, there was also Long Island, where the Dutch controlled the western one-third, and the eastern two-thirds of Long Island was controlled by the English.
(*and sometimes it was also called, the New Netherlands)

The point where there was tension between the two empires, was more-or-less right through the area of Oyster Bay.

Left image: Map of Long Island [Long Iland sirvaide], by Robert Ryder, circa 1675. (Image courtesy of The Brooklyn Library). Right image: A contemporary map of Oyster Bay to better understand the true landscape and harbors. (image courtesy of Historical Nautical Charts of New York).

Again, as explained by writer Hammond, the Dutch and the British had different perspectives about what constituted the exact boundaries of Oyster Bay. This caused much confusion about who had the right to govern the area… The Dutch perspective was that only Part A below was Oyster Bay. (They referred to Part B as Martin Gerritsen’s Bay). The English perspective was that Oyster Bay was both Part A and Part B, as shown below.

The Dutch had difficulty in populating the territory after they claimed the New Netherlands and freely accepted English settlers within their territory. [This was] allowed, provided the English settlers swore an oath to the Dutch Directors and paid their tithes; one tenth of all their crops were taken by the Dutch as taxes.

The settlement at Oyster Bay was by a group of traders from Plymouth who neither swore any oath to the Dutch nor had any political connection with the Hartford or New Haven colonies. The Oyster Bay settlement was under no government and was therefore the center of a long dispute between the Dutch at New Amsterdam and the English in New England.” (4)

The Stuarts: King Charles II (reigned 1660 – 1685). The Houses of Stuart and Orange: James, first as the Duke of York, then King James II (reigned 1685 – 1688). Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General of New Netherland, (1647 – 1664).

The 1660s Brought Change and a Charter

Continuing with Hammond, “In 1660 King Charles II was restored to the throne in England. Believing that all of the English villages on the western end of Long Island were now theirs, the General Court of Hartford ordered on October 23, 1662, that all English towns on Long Island send representatives to the General Assembly at Hartford. This was the first time that the settlement at Oyster Bay came under the protection of any government other than themselves.

…on March 22, 1664, King Charles II gave the entire territory to his brother James, Duke of York [the future King James II] and Oyster Bay then became part of the North Riding of Yorkshire. In August 1664, Peter Stuyvesant was forced to relinquish all control over New Amsterdam. The Duke’s Laws were issued in 1665, and in 1667 the settlement at Oyster Bay received its charter from the new colony and thereby formally began the political entity we know today as the Township of Oyster Bay.

[From 1664 until 1776, what was once called the New York Colony became known as the Province of New York]. (5)

Oyster Bay, by William Langson Lathrop, 1933, via the Heckscher Museum. (Image courtesy of the Empire State Plaza & New York State Capitol).

Isaac Doty Acquires a Home and Land

The records for very old property deeds in the Oyster Bay Area are not that great, and many original documents are simple gone. We think that this may have had something to do with the fact that “Oyster Bay settlement was under no government” until the later 1670s, and even then, it took some time to get everything settled. There are however, a few bright spots where we have located either a mention of property he was involved with, or property he owned.

First, we need a little background about his life in Plymouth. When his father Edward Doty Sr., died, he left extensive land holdings which were divided up between his many children. One of those areas was property in Yarmouth, Barnstable County, on Cape Cod, near Plymouth County where Isaac had grown up. The map below show the town of Sandwich just south of Plymouth and not far from Yarmouth, which was to the east.

From the book The Doty-Doten Family in America (DDFA), written by his descendant Ethan Allan Doty, we learned that the settlement of Oyster Bay began thus, “The first purchase, as above said, was made in 1651 and by emigrants from Sandwich, the principal of whom were Peter and Anthony Wright, two brothers, who, with their father, had come from Lynn, Mass., to Sandwich, shortly before. The larger part of the emigrants for the next twenty or thirty years came from Sandwich and it is probable that Isaac Doty, having spent a portion of his minority there, was attracted by the reports of returning visitors to his new home on Long Island.” It was here that Isaac likely met the Wright family, of which, Anthony Wright was to have much influence on his life.

“The first purchase… was made in 1651 and by emigrants from Sandwich, the principal of whom were Peter and Anthony Wright, two brothers, who, with their father, had come from Lynn, Mass., to Sandwich, shortly before. The larger part of the emigrants for the next twenty or thirty years came from Sandwich… and that it is probable that Isaac Doty, having spent a portion of his minority there [in Plymouth and Sandwich], was attracted by the reports of returning visitors to [then relocate to] his new home on Long Island.”

He was received with favor. A piece of land for a house lot was at once granted, January 6 [or 23], 1673, and he proceeded to build a house upon it. It is probable that he was married by this time, as the house lot was seldom granted by the town to a young single man.

Oyster Bay property records from the description found in the book, The Village of Oyster Bay,
Its Founding and Growth From 1653 to 1700
, by Van S. Merle-Smith, Jr.
This set of two maps indicates at least some of the property that Isaac Doty owned in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York Colony. At left, the circle indicates property that he purchased circa 1682-1685. At right, Lot 23 in the township settlement. (Images derived from The Village of Oyster Bay, Its Founding and Growth From 1653 to 1700, by Van S. Merle-Smith, Jr.).

[Lot 23] — This plot was situated upon what is known in the present village as South street, at the head of that street and the corner of Pine Hollow road. He continued to live there several years, while he added constantly to his possessions through the neighboring country.”

All of the following records are from the The Doty-Doten Family in America book, unless noted otherwise:

1675
“On the town records it appears, under date of 26th June, 1675, Anthony Wright by a deed of gift to James Townsend and Isaac Douty, all of Oyster Bay, conveys a certain piece of meadow land at Monensscussott Beach in Sandwich in Plymouth Colony, said lot having been granted to said Anthony Wright by the town of Sandwich in return for certain services rendered the town. And Anthony Wright’s will, made 20th of 3d month. 1678, bequeaths to ‘James Townsend five shillings; to his wife, Elizabeth Townsend, two shillings six pence; and to Isaack Dotye, one cow.’

It is a matter of speculation why Isaac Doty should have received these repeated favors from Anthony Wright; for besides the direct gifts he probably owed his favorable reception in the town and the grants of land there by the town meeting to the influence of this same Anthony Wright. It can hardly have been by reason of any connection by marriage, for Anthony Wright was not married, or at least had no issue. He died September 9, 1680, and aside from the above bequests left his whole estate to Alice, the widow of his brother, Peter Wright.

Page 90 from The Village of Oyster Bay.

1676 through 1678
In 1676, his name appears in deeds; May 21, 1677. A list of the freeholders, among whom, entitled to one share of the town, was Isaac Doutty; [in] 1678, he bought one share at Unkaway Neck. [This strange name is an obsolete name for a section of land in the southern part of Oyster Bay].

The 1680s
July 5, 1681. He buys of the Indians a plot where he lives on the east side of Hempstead Harbor; October 16, 1682. Isaac Doughty and William N. Crooker hire for seven years the farm at Littleworth of Robert Godfree. Littleworth was in the western part of the town on the eastern side of Hempstead Harbor; it is now known as Glenwood [Glen Cove] and is in the town of North Hempstead; Up to this time the Indians had continued to hold a considerable part of their old possessions, but in 1685 Isaac Doughty, with a number of others, united and purchased from the chief of the Matinecocks [The Sachem] the balance of their lands in this vicinity.

“A List Of The Estates Of Ye Inhabitants Of Oyster Baye For A Contry Rate, This 29Te Of Sept 1683.” From Documentary History of the State of New-York, Volume Two by Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan). Image courtesy of the Internet Archive).

In 1688, his wife, Elizabeth, joins with him in executing a deed, which she signs with her mark; but the absence of her name in other deeds, both before and after, has no significance, as it was not customary at this time for the wife to sign deeds with the husband. Throughout this period Isaac Doty was frequently appointed to ‘lay out lots,’ to settle boundary lines and to act as commissioner for various purposes, which show him to have been held in high respect by his neighbors, and his judgment to have been greatly esteemed.

In 1703, he is mentioned as one of the proprietors of Littleworth, and in 1704, in a deed, calls his residence at Oyster Bay, New York. (6)

Farmer At The Plough, from  John Tobler’s Almanack, 1761, published by Christopher Sower, the Library Company of Philadelphia. (Image courtesy of Who Built America?)

In consideration of filial duty and affection

Isaac Doty, Sr. was born on February 8, 1648 in the Plymouth, Massachusetts Colony — died about 1728 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York Colony. He married Elizabeth Wood* about 1672, in the same location. Elizabeth was born in Portsmouth, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations — died about 1722 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York Colony.

*The John Wood Family
There is much information circulating online that records Elizabeth’s family surname as England, rather than as Wood. (However, the name England is an error. This mistake stems from a misreading of a 1684 Will of a man named Hugh Parsons. Please see the footnotes for a detailed explanation).

Together Isaac and Elizaeth had six children (all boys), who were born, lived and died in Oyster Bay, Long Island, the Province of New York. The land and civic records cited are from the The Doty-Doten Family in America (DDFA) book —

  • Isaac Doty, Jr. was born about 1673 — died after 1718
    He married Elizabeth Jackson and they lived in Oyster Bay. On March 29th, 1697, his father “By a deed of gift he conveys to his son, Isaac, Jr., a farm”.
  • Joseph Doty (Sr.?) was born about 1680 — died July 7, 1716. He married Sarah (last name unknown). On “June 9th, 1704. In consideration of filial duty and affection he conveys a farm to his son Joseph, and the same day another to his son Jacob.”
    We are descended from Joseph and Sarah.
Road to the Beach, Shinnecock Hills, by Charles L. Wright II, 1891
(Image courtesy of the Long Island Museum).
  • Jacob Doty was born June 19, 1683 — died after 1750. He married Penelope Albertson on September 2, 1713 in Oyster Bay. She was born in 1694 — death date unknown. (See June 9th, 1704 land record above).
  • Solomon Doty was born about 1691 — died about 1761. He married Rachel Seaman about 1722.
  • James Doty was born about 1693 — died about 1773. He married Catherine Latting about 1730. She was born about 1710 — died about 1781. In a notation for his brother Samuel Doty, it is shown that he had a farm near his brothers.
  • Samuel Doty was born about 1695 — died about 1741. He married Charity Mudge, and records indicate that this family were members of the Society of Friends [the Quakers]. On “March 5th, 1723. In consideration of his fatherly love for his son, Samuel, he conveys to him a farm, adjoining those of his brothers, Jacob, Joseph, Isaac and James.”
It is likely that the properties Isaac Doty Sr. gifted to his sons were located in the western section of Oyster Bay, near Hempstead Harbor. The views then would have been similar to this —
Paradise Woods, Southold, Long Island, by Whitney M. Hubbard.
(Image courtesy of the Long Island Museum).

Outside of records which account for property he left his sons, there are also a couple of civic records. Isaac Doty Sr., “was a member of the Episcopal Church of Oyster Bay and at the meetings held 12th January, 1703, and 14th January, 1707, was appointed vestryman; the first time his name is written Isaac Doughty; the second time it is Isaac Doty, Sr., his son Isaac being now also a householder”. According to idiom.com, A vestryman is a person who “is a member of the vestry, a committee of parishioners responsible for the financial and administrative affairs of a church. As a vestryman, he contributed to the decision-making process regarding church maintenance and community events”.

“September 29th, 1727. He acknowledged in person deeds made by him, 1702-3. [and] January 7th, 1728. He appeared before a magistrate to identify some old landmarks or boundary lines, testifying that he was then about seventy nine years of age. This is the last reference to him upon the records of the town, but he probably died shortly after, and must have been buried in the Episcopal Cemetery at Oyster Bay, though no stone now marks his resting place”.

In his summation about Isaac Doty Sr., author Ethan Allan Doty wrote, “It may be readily seen from the documents already quoted that Isaac Doty was of an exceptionally strong character. He possessed in a marked degree that element of industry and thrift which characterized, to greater or less extent, every one of the children of Edward Doty. With an energy that was commendable, he pushed out to a new territory, constantly extended his lines, and lived to see a prosperous settlement and each one of his sons provided with a farm well cleared and tilled, which his foresight had made possible, and which his fatherly affection had secured.

Upright in all his dealings, his word was respected by his neighbors, who were glad to refer their disputes to his arbitration. He was an active member and supporter of the established church of his town, and encouraged the attendance of his family. His posterity have generally maintained these characteristics, and there have been no more solid and highly esteemed men in the localities where they have lived than his immediate descendants on Long Island and in the western part of Dutchess County. N.Y.” (7)

A rare image of Christ Church in Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York Colony in 1750. Image courtesy of Historic Structures, see footnotes).

The Christ Church (Episcopal) of Oyster Bay

We looked into the available history for the Episcopal Church of Oyster Bay and found some interesting information about its founding. “From a genealogical record in Thompson’s History of Long Island it appears that a great-grandson of the Rev. John ‘was a leading man in the Episcopal ’ and did much toward the erection of a place of worship for that denomination on or near the site of the present Oyster Bay academy, which land is still known as the church lot. This Mr. Youngs was born in 1716, and his exertions must have been directed toward the completion of the church.

The question of the actual date of the erection of the first church is now definitively settled by a letter from the Rev. Mr. Thomas to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in which he speaks of a church having been erected in Oyster Bay. The date of the letter is April 22nd 1707.”

The church was built and thrived for many years, however, life did eventually intervene… Soldiers on both sides of the Revolutionary War took shelter there, and took wooden planks and stones from the church structure to supply their firewood and to build fortifications. “The church finally blew down, and the materials were sold at auction in 1804. The last vestige of the church having disappeared, and there being in all probability no Episcopalian in the parish, the church ground was taken for the location of an academy. One or more of the persons having charge of this new institution set out trees in the yard, took up tombstones and leveled graves, which at one time were numerous in all parts of the yard.” (History of Queens County, New York)

This means that if Isaac Doty Sr. and his wife Elizabeth were indeed buried there, then their graves ended up under ‘an academy’. Subsequent history indicates that the academy eventually evolved into another place of worship. In total, it is likely that through both rebuilding and remodeling, at least five church structures have likely stood on the site.

For an interesting historical viewpoint from more current times, the present (Episcopal) Christ Church in Oyster Bay (on that same site) has this distinction that, “The most famous parishioner of Christ Church was President Theodore Roosevelt, whose funeral took place here on January 8, 1919.” (8)

As we continue the generations of the Doty family, we move into the next two generations which follow — both ancestors are named with the same name. The first is Joseph Doty, Sr., followed by his son Joseph Doty, Jr., being the one who sought out new areas to live in the Hudson River Valley.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

(1) — one record

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/496/mode/2up
Book pages: 496-500 Digital pages: 496-500 /1048
Note: For the text.

Breaking New Ground

(2) — five records

Map of New Netherland and New England, and also parts of Virginia,
which is also known as the
Novi Belgii Novæque Angliæ nec non partis Virginiæ tabula
by Nicolaes Visscher, 1685
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Netherland#/media/File:Map-Novi_Belgii_Novæque_Angliæ_(Amsterdam,_1685).jpg
Note: For the map image.

Boston Public Library
Norman B. Levanthal Map & Education Center Collection
via Wikipedia
A Map of the Most Inhabited Part of New England
by Braddock Mead (alias John Green)
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_map_of_the_most_inhabited_part_of_New_England_(2674889207).jpg
Note: “This large, detailed map of New England was compiled by Braddock Mead (alias John Green), and first published by Thomas Jefferys in 1755. Green was an Irish translator, geographer, and editor, as well as one of the most talented British map-makers at mid-century. The map was re-published at the outset of the American Revolution, as it remained the most accurate and detailed survey of New England.”

Long Island
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Island
Note: For the text.

(Hammond)
The Oyster Bay Historical Society
The Early Settlement of Oyster Bay
by John E. Hammond
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/history-of-oyster-bay.html
Note: Their .pdf download of the town’s history is from:
The Freeholder, Spring 2003, Volume 7, no. 4. 3-9, 18-19.
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/uploads/4/9/5/1/4951065/__the_early_settlement_of_oyster_bay.pdf
Note: For the text.

The Matinecock People

(3) — four records

Brooklyn Public Library
Center for Brooklyn History Map Collections
The Indian Tribes of Long Island

(Designed, compiled and lithographed) by Victor G. Becker, 1934
https://mapcollections.brooklynhistory.org/map/the-indian-tribes-of-long-island-designed-compiled-and-lithographed-by-victor-g-becker/
Note: For the map image.

(Hammond)
The Oyster Bay Historical Society
The Early Settlement of Oyster Bay
by John E. Hammond
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/history-of-oyster-bay.html
Note: Their .pdf download of the town’s history is from:
The Freeholder, Spring 2003, Volume 7, no. 4. 3-9, 18-19.
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/uploads/4/9/5/1/4951065/__the_early_settlement_of_oyster_bay.pdf
Note: For the text.

Lost Matinecock Tribe of Flushing, College Point, Whitestone, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck, NY
by Thomas Byrne

Kieft’s War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kieft%27s_War
Note: For reference only.

The Dutch Held New Amsterdam

(4) — five records

Brooklyn Public Library
Center for Brooklyn History Map Collections
Map of Long Island [Long Iland sirvaide]
by Robert Ryder, circa 1675
https://mapcollections.brooklynhistory.org/map/long-iland-sirvaide-by-robartt-sic-ryder/
Note 1: From the Blathwayt Atlas in the John Carter Brown Library, 1949
Note 2: Also available at this link —
https://hdl.huntington.org/digital/collection/p15150coll4/id/2688/

Historical Nautical Charts of New York
Harbor Charts of Long Island – Page 2
Chart 367 – Oyster Bay 1916
https://www.old-maps.com/NY/ny_Nautical_Historical_LI_Harbors_2.htm
Note: This map better documents the land and harbors of Oyster Bay, New York.

(Hammond)
The Oyster Bay Historical Society
The Early Settlement of Oyster Bay
by John E. Hammond
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/history-of-oyster-bay.html
Note: Their .pdf download of the town’s history is from:
The Freeholder, Spring 2003, Volume 7, no. 4. 3-9, 18-19.
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/uploads/4/9/5/1/4951065/__the_early_settlement_of_oyster_bay.pdf
Note: For the text.

The 1660s Brought Change and a Charter

(5) — nine records

Charles II of England: History, Family, Reign & Achievements
https://simple.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_II_of_England
Note: For his portrait.

List of English Monarchs
Houses of Stuart and Orange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs
Note: For the portrait of James II.

Peter Stuyvesant,
Director-General of New Netherland, (1647 – 1664)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Petrus_(Peter_Pieter)_Stuyvesant_portrait_c1660.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

The Empire State Plaza & New York State Capitol
Oyster Bay
by William Langson Lathrop, 1933, via the Heckscher Museum
https://empirestateplaza.ny.gov/hall-new-york/long-island
Note: For the painting.

Isaac Doty Acquires a Home and Land

(6) — six records

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/496/mode/2up
Book pages: 496-500 Digital pages: 496-500 /1048
Note: For the text.

The Village of Oyster Bay,
Its Founding and Growth From 1653 to 1700

by Van S. Merle-Smith, Jr.
https://archive.org/details/villageofoysterb00merl/page/n5/mode/2up
Book page 62, Digital page: 62/136
Note 1: Small inset township map of home lots, titled The Town Spot Oyster Bay 1685.
Book page 73, Digital page: 72/136
Note 2: Description for Lot. 23 where Isaac Doty had his homesite. Also shown at left is property that he purchased circa 1682-1685.
Note 3: The background map was created from the book endsheets.
Book pages: front and back end sheets
Book page 90, Digital page: 118/136
Note 4: Isaac Doty’s surviving real estate records from 1677 through at least 1702.

(Hammond)
The Oyster Bay Historical Society
The Early Settlement of Oyster Bay
by John E. Hammond
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/history-of-oyster-bay.html
Note: Their .pdf download of the town’s history is from:
The Freeholder, Spring 2003, Volume 7, no. 4. 3-9, 18-19.
https://www.oysterbayhistorical.org/uploads/4/9/5/1/4951065/__the_early_settlement_of_oyster_bay.pdf
Note: For the text.

Documentary History of the State of New-York
Volume Two

by Edmund Bailey O’Callaghan
https://archive.org/details/documentaryhisto00ocal_0/page/n327/mode/2up
Book page: 306-307, Digital page: 328/766
Note 1: For the record of “A List Of The Estates Of Ye Inhabitants Of Oyster Baye For A Contry Rate, This 29Te Of Sept 1683.”
Note 2: See —Isack dotty…………..066, Left column, 19th entry

Who Built America?, Volume 1, Chapter 3
Family Labor and the Growth of the Northern Colonies, 1640-1760
Farmer At The Plough, from  John Tobler’s Almanack, 1761
published by Christopher Sower, the Library Company of Philadelphia.
https://www.whobuiltamerica.org/book/wba/part-i-colonization-and-revolution-1492-1815/family-labor-and-the-growth-of-the-northern-colonies-1640-1760/
Note: For the image

In consideration of filial duty and affection

(7) — eleven records

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/496/mode/2up
Book pages: 496-504 Digital pages: 496-504 /1048
Note: For the text.

John Wood of Rhode Island and
His Early Descendants on the Mainland

by Bertha W. Clark
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/28334/images/dvm_GenMono007787-00001-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=YEO2&pId=2000000000
Book pages: 11-11~1/2) and 15-16, Digital pages: 23-24/171 and 28-29/171).

Elizabeth (Wood) Doty And Susanna (Wood) (England) Carpenter
Of Rhode Island And Long Island:
Daughters Of John Wood, Not William England 

by Henry B. Hoff
Excerpted from:
The Mayflower Descendant: A Magazine of Pilgrim Genealogy and History
Volume: 54, Page 27, Winter 2005
https://www.americanancestors.org/DB407/i/14019/27/259013230
The same article is also found here:
Elizabeth Wood Doty
unknown – unknown – Burial Details Unknown
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/57325018/elizabeth-doty

From The Mayflower Descendant article by Henry B. Hoff:

“In the sketch of William England of Portsmouth, R.I., Austin’s Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island informs us that England’s widow Elizabeth married second Hugh Parsons whose 1684 will “to wife Elizabeth’s two daughters living on Long Island, viz.: Susannah Carpenter and Elizabeth Doty, certain legacies,” Subsequent works, such as the 1897 Doty genealogy and the 1901 Carpenter genealogy, explained the sole rationale for identifying Hugh Parsons’ stepdaughters as children of William England; namely, the marriage of Ephrain: Carpenter and Susanna England in Oyster Bay, Long Island on 3 December 1677. From this record Austin and others had assumed that this was Susanna’s first marriage and so her maiden name (and that of her sister Elizabeth) was England — and thus Hugh Parsons’ wife Elizabeth was the widow of William England.

However, since 1966 the correct identification of Susanna and Elizabeth has been available at the New England Historic Genealogical Society in Boston, Mass., and several other libraries from a typescript by Bertha W. Clark, “John Wood of Rhode Island and His Early Descendants on the Mainland.” On pages 10 through 16, Miss Clark, an accomplished genealogist, showed that Hugh Parsons married Elizabeth, the widow of John Wood of Portsmouth, and that her daughter Susanna Wood married first Josiah England and second Ephraim Carpenter. Miss Clark cited the 1655 settlement of John Wood’s estate.

The Empire State Plaza & New York State Capitol
Road to the Beach, Shinnecock Hills,
by Charles L. Wright II, 1891, via the Long Island Museum).
https://empirestateplaza.ny.gov/hall-new-york/long-island
Note: Named after the Shinnecock Nation, these sprawling hills in Suffolk County are the highest point on Long Island’s East End, and the only place on the island where one can see both shorelines. Charles L. Wright II (1876-1966) was born in Long Island and lived there until the age of 15 when he left to study art in Paris. Following his studies, Wright gained notoriety for his landscape paintings, especially of the area surrounding Shinnecock Hills, and for his movie poster art for RKO studios.

The Empire State Plaza & New York State Capitol
Paradise Woods, Southold, Long Island
by Whitney M. Hubbard, via the Long Island Museum
https://empirestateplaza.ny.gov/hall-new-york/long-island
Note: Whitney M. Hubbard (1875-1965) was educated at the Art Students League in New York. He led a secluded life in Greenport, Long Island for seventy years, producing a body of marine and landscape paintings. When he died in 1965, Hubbard’s paintings were not highly valued, but have since gained recognition for their exceptional quality and authentic impressions of Long Island.

Idiom.com English Dictionary
Vestryman Role
https://getidiom.com/dictionary/english/vestryman-role
Note: For the text.

The Christ Church (Episcopal) of Oyster Bay

(8) — three records

Historic Structures
Christ Church, Oyster Bay New York
https://www.historic-structures.com/ny/oyster_bay/christ-church-oyster-bay/
Note: For the 1750 church image.

History of Queens County, New York
with Illustrations, Portraits, & Sketches

Town Village and City Histories: Oyster Bay
https://archive.org/details/historyofqueensc00unse/page/n535/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 500-502, Digital pages: 536-538/617
Note: For the text and the image of the 1878 building of Christ Church, Oyster Bay.

Theodore Roosevelt, 1858 — 1919.
26th President of the United States

Christ Church Oyster Bay
History of Christ Church Oyster Bay
https://christchurchoysterbay.org/who-we-are/history
Note: For the text about President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Four

This is Chapter Four of nine. After more than a dozen years in the Plymouth Colony, Edward Doty’s life is about to take an affection new direction with his kindred. In this chapter, we are writing about his wife Faith, their children, and the end of this Mayflower Pilgrim’s journey with us.

The Freemen of 1633

In 1633, the Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, list ‘Edward Dowty’ as being a Freeman. This meant that in the Plymouth Colony, being a Freeman gave him a specific legal and political status that granted certain rights and responsibilities. Freemen were considered part of the community and had the right to participate in the colony’s governance by voting and holding office. They were also expected to uphold the laws and contribute to the colony’s success. (1)

This anecdote has been transmitted from father to son…

Edward Doty’s land dealings are where he created much of his prosperity. As we learned in Chapter Two, his real estate holdings commenced with the 1623 Division of Land. Even earlier than this, however, it appears that as a young man, he was a bit eager and impatient to be a landholder — as this story from Thacher’s History of the Town of Plymouth relates:

History of the Town of Plymouth, by James Thacher, page 330. (See footnotes).

Wikipedia also tells us that “… later [he was] granted an additional twenty acres. Records of the 1630s and 1640s show numerous land transactions by him apparently making him quite prosperous. Per the record of December 4, 1637, one such land transaction involved land being granted to him and Tristram Clarke, ‘his father in law.’ It is known that he did own land in central Plymouth where the Mayflower Society House now stands.” Also, “he periodically received land grants from court as with other residents, and received other property rights and benefits from being classed as a ‘first comer’ ”. (Wikipedia) (2)

Arrival of Winthrops Company in Boston Harbor 1630
by William Formby Halsall, 1880
(Image courtesy of Merchant’s House Museum).

The Arrival of The Francis

After the Francis left Ipswich, England in late April 1634, it arrived in Plymouth Harbor likely in late May, or early June 1634.

“The years 1630 to 1640 are known as the Great Migration. The largely Puritan immigrants from England settled in New England, north of the settlement at Plymouth Bay, in a stretch of land known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The major centers of the new colony were the eastern coastal Massachusetts towns of Boston and Salem. During the Great Migration, an estimated two hundred ships reportedly carrying approximately 20,000 people arrived in Massachusetts.” (Ebsco) The ship Francis anchored in Plymouth Harbor, but it may have also visited the Massachusetts Bay Colony to the north of Plymouth.

It turns out that in 1634, Edward was soon share his life in the Plymouth Colony with the Clarkes (also spelled Clearke) family, of which his wife #2 was a member. In a ship reference list simply titled, Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600’s (see footnotes), the ship Francis’s passenger list includes:

  • Clearke Thurston, aged 44, and
  • Clearke Ffaythe, aged 15, (listed as a Ward of J Pease)

We know that Thurston Clearke, is actually Thurston Clarke Sr., the Clark family patriarch. Ffaythe Clearke, is his daughter Faith Clarke. (Why she was traveling as a ward of J. Pease is unknown). He is listed as Pease John, aged 27, “From Baddow, Magna, Essex, bound for Salem, Edgartown”.

Writer Ethan Allan Doty, writes about Faith and her family, in Doty-Doten Family in America,“Faith Clarke was born 1610, and was at this time but sixteen years of age, was the daughter of Thurston Clarke and Faith [same named], his wife. They came to Plymouth from Ipswich, Suffolk, England, in 1634 in the Francis, he being at that time forty-four years of age. His name is sometimes written Tristram Clarke.

Besides their daughter Faith they had two sons, Thurston, Jr., and Henry. They probably had no issue. [Meaning the brothers] Under date of 1st April, 1690, we find: ‘The selectmen of Duxborough having reported that two of their inhabitants, Henry Clarke and Thirston Clarke, by reason of their age indiscretion & weakness of understanding are incapable of their own support notwithstanding that they have an estate sufficient, and John Dotey of Plymouth their nephew having promised to take prudent care of them Is allowed to recoup himself from their estate,’ under certain conditions mentioned. (Doty-Doten Family in America, DDFA)

Excerpted illustration from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, published in 1570.

The reason for their emigration was likely religious. The Clarke family, being from Ipswich, England, would have been very aware of the persecution of Protestants in their town’s history. Wikipedia states, “In the time of Queen Mary [ruled 1553 – 1558] the Ipswich Martyrs were burnt at the stake on the Cornhill for their Protestant beliefs… From 1611 to 1634 Ipswich was a major centre for emigration to New England. This was encouraged by the Town Lecturer, Samuel Ward”.

Who was George Clarke?
Not everyone who lived in the Plymouth Colony who had the surname Clarke was related to the Thurston Clarke family. “Since several of Doty’s court cases involved Thurston Clarke and George Clarke, it would appear that some of his legal situations, including fights, were the result of in-law domestic problems. (Wikipedia) However, Ethan Allen Doty’s history of this family, states that George Clarke was not related to the Thurston Clarke family. (Doty-Doten Family in America, DDFA)

On January 6, 1635 Edward Doty and Faith Clarke were married. The actual Court Record reads, “6th Jany 1634-5. Edward Doten and Fayth Clarke wore married.” 

Faith Clarke was born at Ipswich, England about 1619. When they married, Edward* was about 36 years old and Faith was about 16 years old. They had at least nine children over a period of about 16 years, all born at Plymouth, Massachusetts Colony. 
*Going forward, after the birth of his oldest son, we will now refer to him as Edward Sr. (3)

With Six Boys, and Three Girls

Back in this era children were born at home, and very few records were kept that have survived. For nearly all of the Doty children, their birth dates are educated guesses.

  • Edward Doty Jr., born about 1637 — died about December 20, 1675. He was married February 25, 1662 to Sarah Faunce in the same location. They had eleven children, with their last child Benjamin likely being born a few months after his father had already passed on.

    “It is related that in a storm on the 8th Feb., 1689-90. Edward Dotey, with his son John and Elkanah Watson, another resident of Plymouth, were drowned in Plymouth harbor, or, perhaps more properly, by the wreck of their vessel in attempting to enter the harbor… On the 18th March following, Sarah Dotey relict widdow of Edward Dotey late of Plimouth deceased,” made oath to an inventory of the estate, to which her brother-in-law, ” John Doten,” and son-in-law, James Warren, were witnesses. The widow continued to live in Plymouth until 1693, whereon the 26th April of that year she married John Buck, of Scituate, Mass… It is probable that at her second marriage Mrs. Buck removed to Scituate, where her death occurred 27th June, 1695.
  • John Doty, born about 1639-40 — May 8, 1701. He married first Elizabeth Cooke in Plymouth in 1667; she died in 1692. They had nine children. [Her mother was a daughter of Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins and her father was a son of Mayflower passenger Francis Cooke. (Wikipedia)]

    He married second Sarah (Rickard) Jones in 1695, also in Plymouth; they had three children. From his two marriages, John Doty had twelve children. It seems John Doty became the caretaker for his extended family. The following two passages are examples:

    “1690, April 1. The selectmen of Duxborough having reported that two of their inhabitants Henry Clarke and Thisten Clarke, [his maternal uncles] by reason of their age, indiscretion and weakness of understanding are incapable of their own support notwithstanding they have an estate sufficient, and John Dotey of Plymouth their nephew having promised to take prudent care of them, is allowed to recoup himself from their estate,” under certain provisions…

    In 1695, after the death of his brother Edward’s widow, [(Sarah (Faunce) Doty] he and Elmer Faunee were appointed guardians for her minor children.”
  • Thomas Doty, born about 1641 — died about 1679. He was married to Mary Churchill about 1638; they had two children both born in Plymouth. From Wikipedia, “On January 17, 1671 Mary Churchill confessed she had gotten pregnant by Thomas, son of Edward Doty, with whom she had ‘carnall coppulation’ three times – first time on July 15, second time on August 8 and the third was about “senight” after. A sergeant went to Mary Churchill’s house, found Doty there and took him into custody. Doty was warned ‘take heed lest evil come of such carriages’. Mary Churchill was fined and at the time of his court hearing Doty fled the colony, but the two finally married about the time of the birth of their first child.”
Puritans Going To Church, Mezzotint after George Henry Boughton, circa 1884.
  • Samuel Doty, born about 1643 — died November 15, 1715. He was most likely the first of the Doty siblings to leave Plymouth Colony, moving to New Jersey. He married to Jeane Harmon about 1678 in Piscataway, Middlesex, New Jersey; they had thirteen children. “He was the ancestor of the very large and influential branch of the Doty family, who, from the State of New Jersey, have gone forth as pioneers to the West and the South.” Comment: With thirteen children (!), no wonder they were a ‘large and influential’ branch of the family.
  • Desire (Doty) Sherman/ Holmes/ Standish, born about 1645 — died January 1731. She was married three times, and outlived all three of her husbands. All of her marriages took place in Marshfield, Massachusetts. With her three husbands she had twelve children. She married first William Sherman on December 25, 1667; he died in 1679. She married second Israel Holmes on November 24, 1681; he died in 1684. She married third Alexander Standish in 1686; he died in 1702. Observation: in 1667, her mother Faith (Clarke) Doty was remarried to John Phillips and they relocated to the town of Marshfield, just north of Plymouth. It seems that Desire likely lived near her mother.

    “She was a remarkable woman, as is evident from her history. Born on the High Cliff at Plymouth, losing her father at the age of ten years, her early married life especially unfortunate by reason of the insanity of her first* and the early death of her second husband, she not only successfully raised the young children left to her care, but her troubles had borne so lightly upon her that she attracted the attention of and married the well-to-do farmer of Duxbury [Alexander Standish, son of Miles Standish]. She lived to see her children well married and prosperous, and before her death her pathway was smoothed by hosts of grandchildren at Marshfield and Duxbury, who must have found delight in listening to the tales of one who had had such a long and varied experience.”

    *Observation: Please see the footnotes for two passages which describe some of the likely circumstances which contributed to William Sherman’s being described as having died from insanity.
A 1930 postcard image of the Governor Winslow House in Marshfield, Massachusetts. It was built in 1699, and is still standing today. Desire (Doty) Standish lived until 1731, so this building would have been something that she knew. (Image courtesy of Picture Rock Treasures).
  • Elizabeth (Doty) Rouse, born about 1647 — died April 7, 1741 in Marshfield, Massachusetts. She married John Rouse on January 13, 1675 in Plymouth; they had three children. She married second William Carver on January 28, 1718.
  • Isaac Doty, born February 8, 1648 — died (after) January 7, 1728 in Oyster Bay, Queens County (existent as Nassau in 1899), New York. He married Elizabeth Wood ENGLAND? about 1672 in the same county. 5 CHILDREN?
    We are descended for Isaac and Elizabeth.
  • Joseph Doty, born April 30, 1651 — died about 1732 in Rochester, Plymouth County (existent 1685). He was married three times and outlived all three of his wives. He married first Elizabeth Warren about 1674 in Plymouth; they had two children. He married second Deborah Hatch about 1680 in Sandwich, (Barnstable County, existent 1685); they had seven children. He married Sarah Edwards on March 9, 1712 in Rochester, Plymouth County. From his three marriages, John Doty had nine children.

    “He was thus, at the death of his father, but four years of age. He doubtless lived with his mother at Plymouth up to about the time of her marriage to John Phillips in 1667, and must have enjoyed considerable advantage in having the aid and counsel of his brothers, Edward and John, both of whom were now well established householders and prosperous and examplary citizens. The Colony records show that in 1672, he was living at Plymouth, and it is probable that he did not remove with his mother and sisters to Marshfield… Sepecan, or Scippican, was the early name for Rochester, Mass., which was also known as Mattapoiset. He became one of the original purchasers of Rochester, but apparently did not take up his residence there till about 1683.”
The town which became Rochester, was earlier known as Sepecan, or Scippican, and also as Mattapoisett. It is located in the southwestern corner of Plymouth County. (Map image courtesy of the Mattapoisett Museum).
  • Mary (Doty) Hatch, born about 1653 in Plymouth — died (before) June 13, 1728. She married Samuel Hatch July 10, 1677 in Scituate, Plymouth Colony. (4)

Know All Men To Whom It May Concern

Pilgrim Edward Doty Sr. died on August 23, 1655 at Plymouth after having been ill. As per the Doty-Doten Family in America (DDFA) book, “His Will is dated there three months earlier, and as it states him then sick it is probable that his sickness continued altogether many months.” Also note that whomever wrote the document, created yet another spelling of his surname — now written as Dotten.

May the 20th 1655

In the Name of God Amen

Know all men to whom It may concerne that I Edward Dotten senir: of the Towne of New Plymouth in New England being sicke and yett by the mercye of God in prfect memory and upon matture Consideration Doe by this my last will and Testament leave and bequeath my purchase land lying att Coaksett unto my sons; my son Edward I give a Double portion and to the rest of my sonnes equall alike if they live to the age of one and twenty if they Die before then to bee prted among the rest onely to my wife I leave a third During her life and then after to returne to my sonnes, And unto my loveing wife I give and bequeath my house and lands and meddows within the precincts of New Plymouth together with all Chattles and moveables that are my proper goods onely Debts and engagements to bee paied; As for my Share of land att Punckquetest if it come to anything I give it unto my son Edward; This being my last will and Testament; I Edward Dotten Doe owne it for my Act and Deed before these my loveing ffrinds whoe are Witnesses; and Doe sett my hand to the same; the Day and yeare abovewritten

Witness 
John howland Edward Dotten 
James hurst his Marke 
John Cooke 
William hoskins

Ther being many names besides Coaksett I mean all my purchase land According to the Deed

Att the generall court held the fift of March 1655; faith the wife of Edward Dotten Decased Did give up and make over all her right and enterest she had in the land of Edward Dotten Att Coaksett or places adjacent unto her Children this shee Did in the prsence of the said Court; held att Plymouth yt Day and yeare above expressed;

The above written Will and Testament of Edward Dotten Deceased was exhibited to the Court held att Plymouth the fift of March 1655 on the oathes of
Mr John howland
James hurst
John Cooke
and William Hoskins

Edward Sr. was interred at the Burial Hill cemetery… “Behind Plymouth’s town square, a steep hill abruptly rising to the height of 165 feet marks the site where the Pilgrims originally erected a stockade and meeting house. In the 1630s, however, the site began to be used as the town’s cemetery. Several of the Mayflower passengers were interred there, including Governor William Bradford, Church Elder William Brewster, and Mary Allerton, the last surviving passenger.” (TripSavvy)

Contemporary photograph of Burial Hill cemetery in Plymouth, Massachusetts. (Photo by Ken Weidemann / Getty Images, via the TripSavvy article).

[A few years] “after Doty’s death, Faith [Doty] married John Philips on March 14, 1667 as his 2nd wife. She moved to Marshfield and died there December 21, 1675. She was buried at Winslow Cemetery in Marshfield.” (Wikipedia) (5)

The Prosperity of An Early Investor

Upon Edward Doty Sr. death, he left a considerable amount of real estate through his wheeling & dealing / negotiating / bargaining / deal making / horse-trading / and investing. These properties were then distributed amongst his heirs. The place names for several of these locations have changed over the centuries, but we have been able to investigate historical documents and records to discern the locations as diagrammed on the two maps below. Note that several of the properties are situated further away from the Plymouth Colony.

The first map shows the property known by the names of Heigh Cliffe, or High Cliff, or Skeart Hill, described as “six acres of meadow there” and “a locality still known by that name, being the extreme north of town, bordering on Kingston.” (DDFA) It has been described by researchers that he likely maintained this location as his residence throughout his life, after relocating there from the initial Watson Hill site. The inventory of his estate identifies “three score acres of upland with the meadow adjoining it” [which is 60+ acres]. So it seems that indeed, he came to own more land at High Cliff than just the first six acres with which he started.

Manuscript map of Plymouth harbor, circa 1795. Note the inset detail written as Doten’s Cliff. (Image courtesy of Massachusetts Historical Society).

As we had learned in the The Doty Line, A Narrative — Two chapter, “In 1626, Edward Doty was one of twenty-seven Purchasers involved with the colony joint-stock company which afterwards was turned over to the control of senior colony members. That group [of investors] was called the “Undertakers”, and was made up initially of William Bradford, Myles Standish and Isaac Allerton, who were later joined by Edward Winslow, William Brewster, John Howland, John Alden, Thomas Prence, and four former Merchant Adventurers back in London. On the agreement, dated October 26, 1626, his surname appears as ‘Dotey’.” (Wikipedia)

Through an analysis of real estate place names, his Will, and the inventory of his estate, we have learned that Edward Doty eventually owned properties in the locations listed below on the following map.

This map of Massachusetts by John Hinton, 1781 , documents the locations where Pilgrim Edward Doty Sr. had held property more than a century earlier. (Map courtesy of the Library Congress).

New Plymouth
This area includes the lands known as High Cliff, and…

Clarke’s Island
Even though as a young man he was eager to set foot on this island in Plymouth Bay and was held back by other explorers on the Mayflower, ironically, he did eventually own the island.

The Dartmouth Tract
Doty had been an early investor in properties that fell to the southwest area of Plymouth. This area was eventually formalized by treaty as The Dartmouth Tract (or Old Dartmouth) in 1652, but he had been acquiring lands in that area for some years prior to that event. This area held several properties, including…

Coaksett (also known as Cohasset), and Mount’s Hill
These areas are mentioned in his Will, and are part of what became the town of Dartmouth. Of note, Mount’s Hill is where the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is located.

Lakenham
This area was originally part of part of the hamlet of Plympton (see map above), and eventually became known first as Carver, and then North Carver.

Punckquesett (spelled as Punckquetest in his Will)
This area eventually became Tiverton, until 1676, when the border between colonies of Massachusetts Colony and Rhode Island Colony were adjusted.

Yarmouth
He was described as a large purchaser at Yarmouth, located on Cape Cod. (6)

Item: a ‘candlesticke’

The inventory of Edward Doty Sr.’s estate in November 1655, contains an entry for “6 pewter dishes and a candlesticke”, which could be the item below. (Look closely — it is hanging on a larger display pedestal). It doesn’t really look like a ‘candlesticke’ to our modern eyes, but we are writing with a description of how someone else saw it nearly 400 years ago. In any case, the Pilgrim House Museum contains this item. It is rather remarkable that it has survived through time to our era.

We wonder about the times when either Edward Sr. or Faith once lit this simple candleholder — initially, it was probably the only source of light in their home, except of course, for the fire in their hearth. How many simple things do any of us hold in our hands today, of which one of our future descendants could write about in another 4oo years?

As it is sometimes said, just as one candle can light another without diminishing — that the flame will continue on from generation-to-generation. Of the many children this family brought forth, we are descended from their son Isaac Doty and his wife Elizabeth Wood. We will be writing about their lives in the next chapter. (7)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

The Freemen of 1633

(1) — one record

Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England
by New Plymouth Colony; Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff, David Pulsifer
https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n5/mode/2up
Book page: 3, Digital pages: 24/432
Note: ‘Edward Dowty’ listed as being a Freeman

This anecdote has been transmitted from father to son…

(2) — three records

Edward Doty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty
Note: For the text.

History of the Town of Plymouth,
from its first settlement in 1620, to the present time

by James Thacher, circa 1835
https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofp03thac/page/330/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 330, Digital page: 348/424.
Note: For the Clark’s Island story.

Merchant’s House Museum
Arrival of Winthrops Company in Boston Harbor 1630
by William Formby Halsall, 1880
https://merchantshouse.org/blog/seabury-tredwell-ancestry/
Note: For the image of the painting.

The Arrival of The Francis

(3) — eight records

Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600’s
 Over 7100 families and 290 ships

General list —
https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
and the ship Francis
https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/francis.htm

Edward Doty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty
Note: For the text.

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America

Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620
by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/26/mode/2up
Book pages: 27-28, Digital pages: 32-34 /1048
Note: For the text about Faith Clarke’s family, her parents and her brothers, and this quote below —
“Thurston Clarke, the elder died at Duxbury, Mass., 1661. His widow died about 1663, as appears by an entry in the records 1st June, 1663. ‘The Court have ordered concerning the disposing of the estate of Faith Clarke widdow, deceased, that her daughter Faith Dotey widdow shall have a quarte pte,’ etc.”

Ipswich
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipswich
Note: For the text.

The Armory
A Large Volume of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs 1570, by An Impartial Hand. Detailing the Burning at the Stake of the Protestant Martyrs Under Queen ‘Bloody’ Mary the 1st’s Rule, Published 1741, Formerly Part of the Richard Hoare Collection.
https://www.thelanesarmoury.co.uk/shop.php?code=19180
Note: For the excerpted illustration from Foxe’s Book of Martyrs.

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/16/mode/2up
Book pages: 17, Digital pages: 16/1048
Note: For the comment about George Clarke not being related to the Thurston Clarke family.

Ebsco
History of immigration from 1620 to 1783
https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/history-immigration-1620-1783#:~:text=The%20years%201630%20to%201640,as%20the%20Massachusetts%20Bay%20Colony.
Note: For the text.

With Six Boys, and Three Girls

(4) — eighteen records

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/n5/mode/2up
Book pages: 6- 29, Digital pages: 12-34/1048
Note: For various texts as noted below:

*Indicates specific passages from the Doty-Doten book:

*Edward Doty, Jr., and Sarah Faunce
“It is related thather death occurred 27th June, 1095.”
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/30/mode/2up
Book page: 31-32, Digital page: 30/1048

Library of Congress
Handbook of Old Burial Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts
Its history, its famous dead, and its quaint epitaphs

https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.handbookofoldbur00perki/?st=gallery
Book page: 6, Digital page: 12/86
Note: For the image of the sailing ship nears Clark’s Island.

*John Doty, and (w1) Elizabeth Cooke, (w2) Sarah Rickard
“1690, April 1. The selectmenfor her minor children.”
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/142/mode/2up
Book page: 143, Digital page: 142/1048
and
Edward Doty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty
Note: For the information about Elizabeth Cooke’s relatives.

Thomas Doty, and Mary Churchill
Edward Doty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty
Note: For Mary Churchill’s admission about Thomas Doty.
and
Plymouth Colony, Its History & People, 1620-1691
by Eugene Aubrey Stratton
https://archive.org/details/plymouthcolonyit0000stra/mode/2up
Note: The Wikipedia link lists the relevant page as 194.

Puritans Going To Church,
Mezzotint after George Henry Boughton, circa 1884.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Puritans_going_to_church)_-_G.H._Boughton_%2784_LCCN2006678318.jpg
and
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/529102656205618784/

*Samuel Doty, and Jeane Harmon
“He was the ancestor of … pioneers to the West and the South.”
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/276/mode/2up
Book page: 276, Digital page: 282/1048

*Desire (Doty) Sherman Holmes Standish
“She was a remarkable womana long and varied experience.”
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/492/mode/2up
Book page: 492, Digital page: 492/1048

Re: William Sherman and ‘insanity’
The following two passages describe some of the likely circumstances which contributed to William Sherman’s being described as having died from insanity. It is possible that perhaps he had a form of what we refer to today as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/490/mode/2up. (Please note the word choices are those of the original author).

“Desire Doty and her husband, William Sherman, lived at Marshfield. He was an extensive farmer there and an active man, and when the great Indian War, known as King Philip’s War, broke out in 1675, he, with most of the other able bodied men of the town, shouldered his musket and went to the front. The war proved in many respects a very severe one. The border settlements, which had now begun to be established at favorable points in the interior, as far as Springfield, were attacked, captured, burned and the settlers massacred. It taxed the utmost resources of the colony to cope with it, and it was not until some six hundred lives had been lost, twelve or thirteen towns had been destroyed and the colony had expended the immense sum of $500,000 that King Philip, the Indian chief, was tracked to his lair at Narragansett in the latter part of 1676 and killed.”

A group of Indians armed with bow-and-arrow, along with a fire in a carriage ablaze, burn a log-cabin in the woods during King Philip’s War, 1675-1676, hand-colored woodcut from the 19th century. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KingPhilipsWarAttack.webp

“In atrocities by the Indians on the defenseless settlers and on prisoners, this war was unquestionably a most harrowing experience for the colonists and William Sherman, by reason of the exposures and hardships, and witnessing the cruelties of that campaign, was subject after his return to periods of insanity during the balance of his life. In consideration of his affliction the colony, in 1675, granted him relief. And it has been noted before that, in 1677, after the death of Mrs. Faith Phillips, that thirty shillings of her estate by the consent of her sons, was to be divided in equal proportions between her daughters, Desire Sherman, Elizabeth Rouse and Mary Doten, unless the two younger sisters shall see reason, in respect of the low condition of the eldest, to consider her in that respect.”

Postcard MA Governor Winslow House Marshfield
from Picture Rock Treasures
https://www.ebay.com/itm/235827821669
Note: for the 1930 postcard image of the Governor Winslow House in Marshfield, Massachusetts

Elizabeth Doty
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/1409952/person/418525322/facts
Note: For the three children of Elizabeth (Doty) Rouse.

*Joseph Doty, and (w1) Elizabeth Warren, (w2) Deborah Hatch, w3) Sarah Edwards
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/626/mode/2up
“He was thus, at the death of his fatheroccupation than that of farmer.”
Book page: 626, Digital page: 626/1048

Mary Hatch
in the U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3824/records/152808?tid=&pid=&queryId=a87de511-8463-4be3-9006-5c96cb3e99c1&_phsrc=sWy4&_phstart=successSource
Note: For the reference on her husband.

Map image of southwestern Plymouth County
courtesy of the Mattapoisett Museum
https://www.mattapoisettmuseum.org

Know All Men To Whom It May Concern

(5) — three records

Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History.com
Will of Edward Doty
https://mayflowerhistory.com/will-of-edward-doty
Note: For the text.

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/22/mode/2up
Book page: 23/1035, Digital page: 22/1048
Note: For Edward Doty Sr.’s Will

Trip Savvy
The Top Things to Do in Plymouth, Massachusetts
by Rich Warren
https://www.tripsavvy.com/top-things-to-do-in-plymouth-massachusetts-5077597
Note: For the text and photograph.

The Prosperity of An Early Investor

(6) — five records

(DDFA)
Doty-Doten Family in America
Descendants of Edward Doty, an Emigrant by the Mayflower, 1620

by Ethan Allan Doty, 1897
https://archive.org/details/dotydotenfamilyi00doty/page/18/mode/2up
Book pages: 18-24, Digital pages: 18-26/1048
Note: For the descriptions of his lands at High Cliff, and other properties

Massachusetts Historical Society
Doten’s Cliff
Manuscript map of Plymouth harbor, circa 1795
https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=1711
and for detail:
https://www.masshist.org/database/viewer.php?item_id=1711&mode=zoomify&img_step=1&
Note: This early map shows the location for the High Cliff property.

Old Dartmouth
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Dartmouth
Note: For the land purchase information.

Library of Congress
A new and accurate map of the colony of Massachusets [i.e. Massachusetts] Bay,
in North America, from a late survey.

by John Hinton, 1781
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3760.ar088100/?r=-0.402,-0.067,1.841,0.917,0
Note: Published in London in 1780.

Item: a ‘candlesticke’

(7) — three records

Pilgrim Edward Doty Society
Edward Doty & Kin
https://www.edwarddoty.org/edward-doty-kin/
Note: For the oil lamp image.

Mayflower House Museum
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_House_Museum
and
Mayflower Society
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower_Society

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Three

This is Chapter Three of nine. Edward Doty was a farmer, but he is sometimes also written of as being a yeoman (which is the same as a farmer), or sometimes as a plantor (‘-or’ spelling). He was never a ‘Capital P’ Planter, which is something different.

“What is the difference between a colonial farmer & a Planter? The difference between a colonial farmer and a Planter is a farmer worked in small, family-run farms. Farmers also cleared land, dug ditches, built fences and farm buildings, plowed, and did other heavy labor. Planters were wealthy, educated men who oversaw the operations on their large farms, or plantations.” (IPL, Learneo Services) (1)

Mr. Hot Under The Collar?

You Prigger! No I’m not , you’re a Prancer!! You’re a Doxie! Is that so?! Gilt! Rum Dubber!! You’re a Palliard and always will be! Your family are Clapperdogeons! [Faux Gasp] You Filching Cove! You should talk, you’re a Filching Mort! You’re a Lubber and so are all your Lollpooping friends! Rook! Rook! Rook!

…And so it goes, on and on in every era… These are just a few of the Colonial Era insults that used to be bandied about by some of our forebears. The Offended might have occasionally whispered under their breath that The Offender was A Gentlleman of Three Outs. (See footnotes).

We mentioned in the last chapter that Edward Doty had a history of being in court frequently in the Plymouth Colony being on both sides of things. As an example of a typical case, here is an excerpt from The Plymouth Colony Archive Project, from the Records of the General Court 1 April 1633, Records of Plymouth Colony 1:12“William Bennet accuses Dowty of New Plymouth’ of slander by calling him a rogue. 😡 The foreman of the jury, Josuah Pratt found Dowty guilty and fined him 50 shillings, plus 20 for ‘the King’ and gave him eight month to make payment.”

An intriguing entry from 1643, (about Wolf Traps, yikes!) notes the following, “At a Townes meeting holden the xth ffebruary 1643 It is agreed That wolfe traps be made according to the order of the Court in manner following, That one be made at Playne Dealing — by Mr Combe, Mr Lee ffrancis Billington Georg Clark John Shawe and Edward Dotey.”

Near Watson Hill “in 1624, Edward received his share of land allotment [for a home lot] and in 1627, in an allotment given to “heads of families and young men of prudence” Edward was, also, given a share, even though he was unmarried, which shows him to have gained the confidence of the governor.” (Mayflower Ancestors)

This is a foldout map from the 1835 book, History of the Town of Plymouth,
by James Thacher, clearly shows where Edward Doty began his real estate holding in Plymouth with land near Watson’s Hill.

Watson Hill is uniquely remembered because it is the vantage point from which the Native Person Samoset first observed the Pilgrims. “Stephen Hopkins, who had previously lived at Jamestown and, through interaction with the Powhatan tribe of Virginia, knew a little of the Algonquian language Samoset spoke”.(World History Encyclopedia) This resulted in Samoset staying in Hopkins’s home that evening, which is the same home that Edward Doty was also living. We speculate, that through his association with first Samoset, and then Squanto, that perhaps Doty favored Watson Hill as his home site. We cover much about the relationship between the Pilgrims and Native Peoples in the [same-named] chapter The Pilgrims — The Native Peoples. (2)

Whatever Happened to Edwards’s First Wife?

Plymouth Archives have Edward Doty records for everything from court cases, to land-dealing records, to the birth of his children… it’s actually a bit exhausting to wade through all of it. That may be, but as we wrote, there are many straightforward records of his real estate transactions in the Plymouth documents. He left much property to his children upon his death, which we will review in the later chapter, The Doty Line, A Narrative — Four.

Edward Doty had two wives, but there are no credible surviving records about who wife #1 actually was. There has been speculation that his first wife was in England, but if that were true, historians should be able to locate something? However, the fact that Edward Doty’s origins in England are also quite obscure, doesn’t help matters much, does it? He could have married someone who arrived on a later ship?

The issue with that is the timing —Edward Doty received land in 1623, but both he and Edward Leister are listed under Stephen Hopkins’s name. This leads us to believe that neither man was yet married, probably because their indentures to Hopkins were coming to an end. In the 1627 Division of Cattle, as with our other Pilgrim ancestor George Soule, if Doty had been married then, his wife would have been entitled to an additional share. Yet, no spouse is listed for him. (Could have had a very short marriage between 1623 and 1627? Perhaps.) About seven more years would pass before he would meet his wife #2. During this interval, many, many ships came to the New England Colonies during the Great Migration. They brought immigrants to the far north of Maine, all the way south to and beyond Jamestown, Virginia. Some of these ships did come through Plymouth.

If indeed Doty had a wife in the Plymouth Colony before he married wife #2 in 1635, then certainly Governor William Bradford would have recorded this in his manuscript, Of Plimoth Plantation. It is highly unlikely that under the meticulous and watchful eyes of Bradford, that Doty’s first marriage would have been unobserved, much less disregarded, but it could have happened. (3)

From the original document Of Plimoth Plantation, by William Bradford. Edward Doty is listed as having had a second wife. Note that it indicates 7 children — after this was initially written, they had 2 more children, for a total of 9 children in the family. (Image courtesy of the State Library of Massachusetts, Digital Collections).

Comment: The following section below is adapted from a post made at Fine Artist Made, (see footnotes).

Edward Doty Wasn’t The Only Person Who Could Get Upset
— The Incident At Ipswich, England

Back in England, by 1630, Britain had already been entrenched, for a number of years, in a period of political turmoil, social unrest and economic uncertainty. On top of that, the Church of England, in consort with the Crown, had launched a campaign of religious persecution against a growing Puritan reform movement, whose mission was to revitalize a church grown stale, tyrannical and corrupt. The Great Migration of Puritans to British North America had begun, and would continue fitfully until the pending English Civil War.

The situation worsened for the Puritans in 1633, with the appointment of William Laud, a fierce opponent to their cause, as the Archbishop of Canterbury. They would need to take their chances in the untested wilderness of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

A romantic painting by Bernard Gribble (1872–1962), showing The Pilgrim Fathers Boarding the Mayflower for Their Voyage to America. Although the Mayflower was certainly not this grand and imposing, this painting does show what it was like for emigrants going to British North America to travel on merchant ships in that era.

The process, technicalities and red tape involved with preparations for a voyage of this magnitude were likely frustrating and expensive. Passengers (Puritans and Others) had to acquire licenses and documents to pass the port — then locate a ship. Finding an appropriate vessel would have involved an intensive search followed by serious negotiations. They had to procure provisions for their passage, as well as for their first year in New England. All this by necessity must have been accomplished surreptitiously.

Early in February 1634, two vessels were moored in Ipswich Harbor on the estuary of the Orwell River. Their passenger lists consisted largely of single men, married couples, and families — as many children as adults; some as young as one year old. They were middle class artisans and farmers. The first ship, called the Francis* was commanded by Master John Cutter and carried 84 passengers. The other was the Elizabeth with 101 passengers and Master William Andrewes at her helm. These two captains were planning to make their passage in tandem for their mutual benefit and safety. Their ships, rigged for a lengthy uncertain voyage, suddenly had their passages blocked.
(*Please see the last paragraph at the end of this chapter).

What happened was this: there was immediate opposition to this “progressive” contingent by the conservative officials in the Church of England, (who felt no sympathy for the Puritan’s case). On February 4, the Archdeacon of Suffolk’s agent, Henry Dade, the Commissary of Suffolk, wrote a letter from his office in Ipswich, to the Church of England’s principal leader, the Archbishop of Canterbury, William Laud. Dade reported that two ships were about to sail from Ipswich Port with men and provisions for their abiding in New England, and that in each ship “are appointed to go about six score men.” He supposed they were debtors or persons discontented with the government of the Church of England.

In this 1874 engraving, English Puritans Escaping to America, was captioned “strength of faith and character mark the faces of those setting forth to the New World”. (Image courtesy of British Heritage Travel).

[Our observation: It seems Dade had worked himself up into quite a frothy state.] He told the Archbishop that his intelligence had informed him, that some 600 more were planning to shortly follow and described the “ill effects of suffering such swarms going out of England could cause; that trade would be overthrown and persons indebted would flee to New England to avoid bankruptcy and be treated as religious men for leaving the kingdom because they could not endure the ceremonies of the church.

He blamed the Puritan minister, Samuel Ward, for inciting desire among his flock to relocate to Massachusetts. Ward was stationed in the ancient church of St. Mary-le-Tower, the civic church of the Corporation of Ipswich. The records of the Privy Council show that a warrant for tying up the two Ipswich vessels was issued within the week. A few days later, on February 14, similar steps were taken for the detention of ten other ships lying in the Thames near London — all under similar charters for Massachusetts Bay Colony.

(Here is where we invoke long story short…) After much drama, these conditions were imposed on everyone for the voyages:

  • If anyone blasphemes or profanes the holy name of God, they shall be severely punished.
  • On the ship, everyone must attend when the “Booke of Common Prayer” (established in the Church of England) were said at both Morning and Evening Prayers.
  • All persons must have the ‘Certificate from the officers of the port’ where they departed, have taken both the oath of allegiance and supremacie (the belief that a particular group is superior to others, and should dominate them).
  • That upon their return to this Kingdom they certify to the Board, the names of all persons transported, together with their proceedings in the execution of the aforesaid articles.

Finally, in mid to late April 1634, once the powers that be had sufficiently flexed their muscles, the Francis and Elizabeth set sail. Plying the vast Atlantic without further incident or loss of life, they entered the clear unfettered waters of the Massachusetts Bay some five to ten weeks later.

From left to right: William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Center: A painting, Ipswich England harbor, Boat on Beach, Sunset, by John Moore of Ipswich, and Right: Samuel Ward, of the ancient church of St. Mary-le-Tower

Then by November, Samuel Ward (thanks to Dade’s efforts), was banned from preaching for life for encouraging immigration to New England. There were riots in the streets of Ipswich. The Corporation of Ipswich refused to replace Ward, paid his stipend for life and after his death in 1640, supported his widow and eldest son who could not work himself. In 1637, Ward’s compatriot, Timothy Dalton, after his own suspension, immigrated to New Hampshire.

In the end, the Henry Dade as the Commissary of Suffolk’s unyielding persecutor of the Puritans of Ipswich — this would prove to be undoing. Amidst charges of corruption, oppression and extortion brought by a friend of Ward’s, a humble Puritan cobbler, he was compelled to resign his posts. (The cobbler himself was faced with excommunication and sought asylum in New England).

As for Dade’s accomplice, William Laud, the Archbishop of Canterbury — in 1645, in the midst of the English Civil War, in part, for his crimes against the Puritans — he was beheaded.

The importance of relating this saga about strife and bureaucracy in England, with the ship Francis, is that this ship brought our 9x Great Grandmother Faith Clarke (along with her father Thurston Clarke), to the Plymouth Colony. The good news is, that very soon, we will meet the new Mrs. Doty. (4)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

(1) — one record

IPL, Learneo Services
What Is The Difference Between A Colonial Farmer And A Planter?
https://www.ipl.org/essay/What-Is-The-Difference-Between-A-Colonial-17E05078F5C70CC6
Note: For the text.

Mr. Hot Under The Collar?

(2) — seven records

Medium
The Art and Science of Swearing
by Robert Roy Britt
https://medium.com/wise-well/the-art-and-science-of-swearing-5fadb0b6c979
Note: For the insult cloud artwork.

10 Colonial Insults for Lollpools, Doxies and Prigs
by The New England Historical Society
https://newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/lollpoops-doxies-prigs-ten-colonial-insults/#google_vignette
Note: For the reference, you _______!

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
EDWARD DOTEY (DOTEN, DOTTEN, DOTY, DOWTIE)
of Plymouth
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/DOTEYED.htm
Note: For the text.

Mayflower Ancestors
Edward Doty & Descendants
Edward Doty: 1599 – 1655
https://gardenmayflowerancestors.wordpress.com/
Note: For the text.

History of the Town of Plymouth,
from its first settlement in 1620, to the present time

by James Thacher, circa 1835
https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofp03thac/page/n11/mode/2up
Note: For the foldout map at the beginning of the book.

World History Encyclopedia
Samoset
https://www.worldhistory.org/Samoset/
Note: For the text.

Interview of Samoset With The Pilgrims, book engraving
by Artist unknown, circa 1853
File:Interview of Samoset with the Pilgrims.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interview_of_Samoset_with_the_Pilgrims.jpg
Note: For the image of Interview of Samoset With The Pilgrims

Whatever Happened to Edwards’s First Wife?

(3) — two records

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
EDWARD DOTEY (DOTEN, DOTTEN, DOTY, DOWTIE)
of Plymouth
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/DOTEYED.htm
Note: For the text.

State Library of Massachusetts Digital Collections
Of Plimoth Plantation: manuscript, 1630-1650
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/db0e9f79-477c-4a4c-979b-359c2be1d4ad
Note 1: The notation for Edward Doty having a wife from a second marriage is located very close to the end of the book.
Note 2: There are no page numbers, but the page is possibly — Digital page:534/546, left column.
Note 3: The document is digitized and available as a .pdf download at the above link, file name: ocn137336369-Of-Plimoth-Plantation.pdf

Edward Doty Wasn’t The Only Person Who Could Get Upset
— The Incident At Ipswich, England

(4) — seven records

Fine Artist Made
Incident at Ipswich, Part 1
https://www.fineartistmade.com/blog/blog-detail.php?Incident-at-Ipswich-part-1-68
and
Incident at Ipswich, Part 2
https://www.fineartistmade.com/blog/blog-detail.php?Incident-at-Ipswich-part-2-70
by Patrick Mealey and Joyce Jackson
Note: For the text.Historic UK

The Pilgrim Fathers Boarding the Mayflower for their Voyage to America
by Bernard Gribble, (1872–1962)
https://www.the-tls.com/history/early-modern-history/mayflower-voyage-400
Note: for the ship image.

British Heritage Travel
From East Anglia to A City Upon A Hill
https://britishheritage.com/from-east-anglia-to-a-city-upon-a-hill
Note: Primedia Archive, for the fleeing Puritans in a boat image.

The Life and Death of William Laud
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Life-and-Death-Of-Wiliam-Laud/
Note: For the Laud portrait.

Boat on Beach, Sunset
by John Moore of Ipswich (1821–1902)
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/boat-on-beach-sunset-12029
Note: For the Ipswich, England harbor scene.

The Digital Puritan
Samuel Ward
https://digitalpuritan.net/samuel-ward/
Note: For the Samuel Ward portrait.

The Doty Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of nine. This chapter covers the early dramatic events of the 162os: a foolish knife fight, how land was distributed, how cattle and other livestock were shared, and how The Colony started to find itself.

In the last chapter, we wrote about picturing our ancestors in our mind’s eye. One of the drawbacks about that way of pondering the Pilgrims is this — it is normal to picture them in a bucolic environment, with ordered streets, clean clothes, rosy cheeks. Hollywood has never really been very good at looking at how rough and tough things initially were for them.

When the Mayflower finally disappeared over the horizon, they were truly alone in the New World.

The Departure of the Mayflower for England in 1621 by N.C. Wyeth. This was part of a series of murals the artist created for the MetLife building in New York City in 1941. (Image courtesy of the Brandywine Museum of Art).

Only 53 Passengers Remained

Consider the fact that the Mayflower was the home of the Pilgrims for a long time and that it was a very old merchant ship.

“During the winter, the passengers [had] remained on board Mayflower, suffering an outbreak of a contagious disease described as a mixture of scurvy, pneumonia, and tuberculosis. After it was over, only 53 passengers remained—just over half; half of the crew died as well. In the spring, they built huts ashore, and the passengers disembarked from Mayflower on March 31, 1621.”

Captain Christopher “Jones had originally planned to return to England as soon as the Pilgrims found a settlement site. But his crew members began to be ravaged by the same diseases that were felling the Pilgrims, and he realized that he had to remain in Plymouth Harbor ‘till he saw his men began to recover.’  Mayflower lay in New Plymouth harbor through the winter of 1620–21, then set sail for England on April 15, 1621. As with the Pilgrims, her sailors had been decimated by disease. Jones had lost his boatswain, his gunner, three quartermasters, the cook, and more than a dozen sailors. Mayflower made excellent time on her voyage back to England. The westerly winds that had buffeted her on the initial voyage pushed her along on the return trip home. She arrived in London on May 16, 1621, less than half the time that it had taken her to sail to America. ” (Wikipedia)

Historian Caleb Johnson writes that, “Christopher Jones took the ship out on a trading voyage to Rochelle, France, in October 1621, returning with a cargo of Bay salt. [As the] master and quarter-owner of the Mayflower, [he] died and was buried at Rotherhithe, County. Surrey, England, on 5 March 1621/2. No further record of the Mayflower is found until May 1624, when it was appraised for the purposes of probate and was described as being in ‘ruinis’.  The ship was almost certainly sold off as scrap.” (Mayflower History.com)

With all of the many demands put upon the new shore-bound Plymouth community, our ancestor Edward Doty was about to steal the spotlight through a bit of infamy. (0)

Seeing Red + Flying Off The Handle = (We’re) Fit to Be Tied

Well, the two Edwards seemed to have had quite enough of each other and entered into a duel. It is reportedly the first duel fought in New England, which may be true, but how can you prove something like that? Who would want to?

Edward Doty and Edward Leister were both young men who were indentured servants in the home of the Stephen Hopkins family. Admittedly, the initial voyage of the Mayflower had been harrowing… they were both living as servants in a tiny, rather rough looking house, in far away new world colony… Mr. Hopkins ran a tavern (out of his home?) and just about everyone drank beer in those days because water could be contaminated… Was a young lady involved? Who knows? — but their rather intense dust-up has been featured by historians for over 400 years, which is a rather long time for a local fight to echo through history.

From the standpoint of their community, this fight took place slightly less than eight weeks after the Mayflower had departed for England. Everyone was probably exhausted after leaving the ship, continuing to care for the sick and dying, building huts to live in, and trying to source food in a new land. Who had the free time or energy to get caught up in a duel? Apparently, these two did.

Copy of Le Duel a l’Épée et au Poignard (The Duel with the Sword and Dagger),
from “Les Caprices” (Image courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art).

William Bradford, the Governor of the Plymouth Colony at the time, recorded the details in his journal, but that original document was eventually lost. Transcriptions of what was recorded have survived and we found an account published in a Boston newspaper called The Liberator, on June 12, 1840. In an intriguing way, we noticed this newspaper account falls (more-or-less) at the halfway point between the 1620s and our present era.

Excerpted newspaper account from The Liberator newspaper, June 12, 1840, page 4. (Image courtesy of Newspapers.com).

If history has a way a not-forgetting, then perhaps we all need to mind our manners in today’s world? It seems that Edward Doty had a history of being in court frequently in the Plymouth Colony being on both sides of things. Maybe he was a bit of a hot head? As elaborated upon by our quite far distant cousin Anna Kasper in her blog post, Anna’s Musings & Writings, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, Week 7: “…Edward Doty did not always make good on that promise of ‘a better carriage.’ He did not like to pay his servants, he just let his cattle kind of wander around, he got into fights, and is found in the Plymouth Court records numerous times! To say that Edward was notably a contentious man would be correct.”

We are reminded of our ancestor David Du Four from a separate family line who we chronicled in The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Two. (David did not seem to be a contentious man). We wrote this in the section subtitled:
For. Every. Little. Kerfuffle. With. Your. Neighbors.
“It seems that David Du Four had several showings in court because the records have survived. Here’s a little background on the times. In 1670s he was a “frequent flyer” at court, with several cases. In New Amsterdam, people from all walks of life could bring a case to court. They could defend the case themselves, or ask someone to speak for them.  It was not necessary for them to have a lawyer for every case. This is because…” there wasn’t a true court system existent. “To a degree, it seems like going to court was similar to being sent to the Principal’s Office. You had to go and plead your case.”

Then, whatever happened to Edward Leister? We don’t know very much. Governor William Bradford later recorded, “Lester, after he was at liberty, went to Virginia and there died”. American Ancestors has discerned a bit more, by evaluating some of the surviving colonial documents: “…in the 1623 division of land are two men with [the] first name [of] Edward but without surnames; these must be his two servants, Edward Doty and Edward Leister. But Leister is not in the 1627 division of cattle, so he must have left for Virginia between those two dates. He does not appear in the February 1623/4 list of those in Virginia living and dead, or in the February 1624/5 Virginia muster of inhabitants.”

Panoramic View of London in the early 1600s,
by Matthäus Merian der Ältere (Matthew Merian), 1638.

For Edward Doty, we do not know exactly when, nor where, he was born. He was recorded as being of London, but we don’t know if he had been born in another part of England and then had perhaps migrated to London. When he was a signer of the Mayflower Compact, there is speculation that he may have been slightly underage, but the Mayflower Society believe that he was probably at least 18 years of age. (It appears that there are a couple of other signers who were in similar circumstances). We do know however, that as an indentured servant to Stephen Hopkins, he was contracted to that obligation until the age of 25 years.

With that fact in mind, we can parse that he was likely born circa 1598. (0)

The Common Cause of Labor

“Working communally — also known as the “common course of labor” — was a key part of the business model planned for Plymouth Colony. In the original terms and conditions for funding and planting the colony, all the colonists agreed to work together for seven years at commercial fishing, trading, and farming “making such commodities as shall be most useful for the colony.” At the end of the seven years, the terms and conditions dictated that the colonists would receive a share of the common stock including land and livestock.

After three years, Plymouth Colony’s governor William Bradford ended communal work as related to farming, because it caused too much internal conflict and resulted in poor corn harvests. Without a good corn harvest to feed the colony and without regular supplies from England, the colony would not survive. It is interesting to note, however, that this injunction affected only grain and other field production. All other group work — hunting, fishing, trading and defense – continued as before and seemingly without tension.” (Plimoth Patuxet)

Edward continued to do his work for the Hopkins family as part of his commitment to the greater good. However, as one of the original settlers (the old-comers) within the Plymouth Colony, he was entitled a certain privileges which this status afforded him. One of these was the right to have land tenure.

The 1623 Division of Land in which Edward Doty received one acre. As described above, “These lye on the South side of the brook to the woodward opposite to the former”

It is likely that Edward was about 25 years old at this time. “In 1623 a parcel of land was allotted to each man to till for his family and to maintain those who were exempt from agricultural employment because of other duties. Each family was given one acre per family member. In abandoning the ‘common course and condition’ everyone worked harder and more willingly. The food problem was ended, and after the first abundant harvest under individual cultivation, the Pilgrims did not have to endure the meager rations of the first years. The plots assigned them permanently in 1624 became privately owned in 1627.” (Images of Old Hawaii)

“The people mentioned in the Division of Land came on the Mayflower (1620), the Fortune (1621), and the Anne (1623). A couple may have arrived on the Swan(1622) or the Little James (1623), but these were small ships carrying mostly cargo. The Division of Land is recorded in Volume XII of the ‘Records of the Colony of New Plymouth’ ”(TPCAP – The Plymouth Colony Archive Project)

At this time, one acre of land was distributed to each family member. As he was a single man, Edward Doty received one acre of land described communally as, “These lye on the South side of the brook to the woodward opposite to the former”. (Family Search) (0)

Animals Resting in a Pasture, by Paulus Potter, circa 1650.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

About The Division of Cattle

Like the distribution of land in 1623, in 1627, the Pilgrims divided their livestock (cattle, goats, etc.) into separate lots.

“The Pilgrims did not bring any large livestock animals with them on the Mayflower. In fact, the only animals known with certainty to have come on the Mayflower were two dogs, an English mastiff and an English spaniel, who are mentioned on a couple of occasions in the Pilgrims’ journals.

In 1624, [Governor William] Bradford reports that ‘Mr. Winslow came over, and brought a prety good supply, and the ship came on fishing, a thing fatall to this plantation. He brought 3. Heifers & a bull, the first begining of any catle of that kind in ye land’. Other cattle came, some nicknamed the Great Black Cow, the Lesser Black Cow, and the Great White-Backed Cow. By 1627, both the Lesser Black Cow and the Great White-backed Cow had calves.

The 1627 Division of Cattle. Edward Doty is listed as #11, as Edward Dolton. “The fourth lot fell to John Howland & his company Joyned to him his wife. To this lot fell one of the 4 heyfers Came in the Jacob Called ”

Onboard the Jacob in 1624 were four black heifers (a heifer is a young female cow that has not yet had a calf.) The four black heifers were nicknamed Least, Raghorn, Blind, and Smooth-Horned. There was also a Red Cow that belonged to the poor of the colony, which had a red female calf around 1625, and a male calf in 1627. By May 1627, there were 16 head of cattle and at least 22 goats living in Plymouth.” (Images of Old Hawaii)

It appears that Edward Doty, as part of the group of colonists (listed above as part of ‘John Howland & his company’), communally shared the ‘4 heyfers’ which had arrived on the ship Jacob in 1624. (0)

The Council for New England

We understand that Edward Doty was a man who didn’t die a poor man by the standards of his era. He was an early investor in the development of the Plymouth Colony and a land owner. The three passages excerpted below describe the business aspects he was involved with in those early decades.

“The Council for New England was a 17th-century English joint stock company to which James I of England awarded a royal charter, with the purpose of expanding his realm over parts of North America by establishing colonial settlements. The Council was established in November of 1620, and was disbanded (although with no apparent changes in land titles) in 1635. It provided for the establishment of the Plymouth Colony, the Province of New Hampshire, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the New Haven Colony, and the Province of Maine.”

Left image: The Stuarts, King James I (reigned 1603 – 1625). Painting of James VI and I
Wearing the Jewel Called the Three Brothers in His Hat, circa 1605, (after) John de Critz.
Upper right: The Seal of The Council For New England, and
Lower right: (Shown at a small scale, the actual Peirce Patent from 1621.. It is cited as one of the most important documents in Anglo-American history.)

“In 1621, King James I authorized the Council for New England to plant and govern land in this area. This Council granted the Peirce Patent, confirming the Pilgrims’ settlement and governance of Plymouth. Peirce and his associates, the merchant adventurers, were allotted 100 acres for each settler the Company transported. The Pilgrims had a contract with the Company stating all land and profits would accrue to the Company for 7 years at which time the assets would be divided among the shareholders. Most of the Pilgrims held some stock. The Pilgrims negotiated a more favorable contract with the Company in 1626. In 1627, 53 Plymouth freemen, known as “The Purchasers,” agreed to buy out the Company over a period of years. In turn, 12 “Undertakers” (8 from Plymouth and 4 from London) agreed to pay off Plymouth’s debts in return for trade benefits.” (Pilgrim Hall Museum)

“In 1626, Edward Doty was one of twenty-seven Purchasers involved with the colony joint-stock company which afterwards was turned over to the control of senior colony members. That group [of investors] was called the “Undertakers”, and was made up initially of William Bradford, Myles Standish and Isaac Allerton, who were later joined by Edward Winslow, William Brewster, John Howland, John Alden, Thomas Prence, and four former Merchant Adventurers back in London. On the agreement, dated October 26, 1626, his surname appears as ‘Dotey’.” (Wikipedia) (0)

We continue our narrative about the Edward Doty in the next chapter, with his initial focus on acquiring stability through land ownership. (After all, a farmer who works the land, might want to own it too.) Then we look back a bit at the immigration unrest in Ipswich, England — which was certainly not a merry place at this time.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Only 53 passengers Remained

(1) — three records

The Departure of the Mayflower for England in 1621
by N.C. Wyeth
https://collections.brandywine.org/objects/11394/the-departure-of-the-mayflower-for-england-in-1621?ctx=a8ad2d38-5e2e-466c-ae9e-f1f68e71df17&idx=8
Note: This was part of a series of murals the artist created for the MetLife building in New York City in 1941.

Mayflower
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayflower
Note: For the text.

Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History.com
The End of the Mayflower
https://mayflowerhistory.com/end-of-the-mayflower
Note: For the text.

Seeing Red + Flying Off The Handle = (We’re) Fit to Be Tied

(2) — seven records

The Met [The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
Copy of Le Duel a l’Épée et au Poignard (The Duel with the Sword and Dagger),
from “Les Caprices”
by Anonymous, (After Jacques Callot French, 17th century)
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/417395

Edward Doty and Edward Leister duel 1621
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-liberator-edward-doty-and-edward-lei/5952148/
Note: From Newspapers.com “The Liberator was a radical [their words] abolitionist newspaper published from 1831-65 in Boston, Massachusetts. A weekly four-page paper, it was the most influential abolitionist publication in the United States during the nineteenth century. At its peak, the Liberator was circulating 3,000 copies a week, primarily across the free North. It was funded and read largely by the free Black population in the North.”

HOW THE PILGRIM FATHERS SERVED DUELISTS.
The following account of the first duel fought in New England, and the second political offence committed in the Plymouth Colony, we take from a work entitled The New-England Chronology.’ The date of the event is June 8th, 1621.

The second offence is the first duel fought in New-England, upon a challenge to single combat, with sword and dagger, between Edward Doty and Edward Leister, servants of Mr. Hopkins. Both being wounded, the one in the hand, the other in the thigh, they are adjudged by the whole company to have their head and feet tied together, and so to lie for twenty-four hours, without meat or drink; which is begun to be inflicted. But within an hour, because of their great pains, at their own and their master’s humble request, upon promise of better carriage, they are released by the Governor.’
— Pa. Observer.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Two
https://ourfamilynarratives.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=13086&action=edit
Note: For the text in the section —
For. Every. Little. Kerfuffle. With. Your. Neighbors.

Anna’s Musings & Writings
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. Week 7: Landed. February Theme: Branching Out. My Contentious and Quarrelsome Mayflower Pilgrim Ancestor Edward Doty.
https://anna-kasper.com/2022/02/15/my-contentious-and-quarrelsome-mayflower-pilgrim-ancestor-edward-doty/
Note: For the text.
Hi cousin!

A contemporary reenactment of a farm laborer from the Plimouth Plantation Living Museum.

.American Ancestors 2020
Edward Leister
https://mayflower.americanancestors.org/edward-leister-biography#:~:text=Edward%20Leister%20came%20to%20Plymouth,%5BBradford%20442%2C%20445%5D.
Note: For the text.

Battlemaps.us
Panoramic View of London in the early 1600s,
by Matthäus Merian der Ältere (Matthew Merian), 1638
https://www.battlemaps.us/products/london-1600s-panoramic-view?srsltid=AfmBOoqFDoZLYTk2TCIRr2uUgV98KngVjw-QLKUO2raArsDdj_lOQJsq
Note: For the panoramic view of London.

The Mayflower Society
The Doty Family, Passenger Profile
https://themayflowersociety.org/passenger-profile/passenger-profiles/edward-doty/
Note: For the text.

The Common Cause of Labor

(3) — five records

Plimoth Patuxet Museums
As Precious As Silver
https://plimoth.org/yath/unit-3/as-precious-as-silver
Note: For the text.

Dividing the Land and Development of Towns
https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/Dividing-the-Land-and-Development-of-Towns.pdf
Note: For the text.

Plymouth Colony 1623 Division of Land document
Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 > Plymouth > Deeds 1620-1651 vol 1
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5Z3H?i=7&wc=MCBR-538%3A361612701%2C362501301&lang=en
Note 1: One acre of land for Edward Doty, as an unmarried man.
Note 2: This file is available at two locations. As indicated above, and also here:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5Z3H?i=7&wc=MCBR-538:361612701,362501301&lang=en
Book page: 4, Digital page: Image 8 of 239, Lower portion of page.
Note 3: He is the first Edward listed after Steven Hopkins’s name.

(TPCAP)
The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Plymouth Colony Division of Land, 1623
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/landdiv.html
Note: For the text. Additional context, “In 1623, the Pilgrims divided up their land. The people mentioned in the Division of Land came on the Mayflower (1620), the Fortune (1621), and the Anne (1623). A couple may have arrived on the Swan(1622) or the Little James (1623), but these were small ships carrying mostly cargo. The Division of Land is recorded in Volume XII of the ‘Records of the Colony of New Plymouth’, and reprinted in the ‘Mayflower Descendant’, 1:227-230. Each family was given one acre per family member.”

About The Division of Cattle

(4) — four records

Animals Resting in the Pasture
by Paulus Potter, circa 1650
File:Paulus Potter – Animals Resting in the Pasture.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paulus_Potter_-_Animals_Resting_in_the_Pasture.jpg
Note: For the painting image.

Plymouth Colony 1627 Division of Cattle document
Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 > Plymouth > Deeds 1620-1651 vol 1https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z7-5ZZW?i=31&wc=MCBR-538%3A361612701%2C362501301&lang=en
Book page: 52, Digital page: Image 32 of 239, Middle of page.
Note: For the image. Edward Doty is listed in the Fourth Lot, as #11, named Edward Dolton.

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Plymouth Colony Division of Cattle, 1627
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/cattlediv.html
Note: Additional context, “1627. At a publique court held the 22th of May it was concluded by the whole Companie, that the cattle wch were the Companies, to wit, the Cowes & the Goates should be equal devided to all the posts of the same company & she kept until the expiration of ten years after the date above written & that every one should well and sufficiently paid for there own pt under penalty of forfeiting the same. That the old stock with half th increase should remain for common use to be divided at then of the said terms or otherwise as location fallers out, & the other half to be their own for ever. Upon wch agreement they were equally divided by Lotts she as the burthen of keeping the males then being should be borne for common use by those to whose lot the best Cowes should fall & so the Lotts fell as followers. thirteenepsonts being portioned to one lot.”

Division of Cattle
https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/Division-of-Cattle.pdf
Note: For the text.

The Council for New England

(5) — six records

The Coat of Arms of King James VI and I

Council for New England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_for_New_England
Note: For the text.

Painting of James VI and I Wearing the Jewel Called the Three Brothers in His Hat, circa 1605
by (after) John de Critz 
File:Portrait of James I of England wearing the jewel called the Three Brothers in his hat.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_James_I_of_England_wearing_the_jewel_called_the_Three_Brothers_in_his_hat.jpg
Note: For the portrait of James I.

Digital Commonwealth
Seal of the Council for New England
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:h128nr41z
Note: For the seal artwork.

Plymouth Live
Important piece of American history is being brought to Plymouth
https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/important-piece-american-history-being-2587196
Note: For the Peirce Patent document image.

Pilgrim Hall Museum
Beyond The Pilgrim Story
https://pilgrimhall.org/bradford_17th_century_documents.htm
Note: Excerpted text is from the section, Willliam Bradford: a 1626 “Undertaker”.
Note: For the text.

Edward Doty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Doty#CITEREFBanks2006
Note: For the text.

The Doty Line, A Narrative — One

This is Chapter One of nine. We hope that you have taken the time to read the opening chapters we wrote based on the lives of The Pilgrims. It will help to make these The Doty Line chapters more accessible.

As the authors of this family history genealogy blog, we are in the 12th generation of Doty descendants in America. Pilgrim Edward Doty and his wife Faith (Clarke) Doty Phillips are our 9x Great Grandparents. He was one of our two Mayflower ancestors, with the other being Pilgrim George Soule whose family line is profiled in The Soule Line’s seven chapters.

A map of London during the Tudor Period and prior to 1561, by Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg in “Civitates Orbis Terrarum”. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

A Man “of London

Unfortunately, no one has been able to discern specifically the early origins for our __x Great Grandfather Pilgrim Edward Doty. We wished to uncover more, but for now, until more credible evidence turns up, we must settle for the 20,000 foot view as to where he came from. One of these fine days, someone, somewhere, perhaps an observant researcher — will discover a clue that will reveal his true origins. For us, his name first comes up first in connection with the voyage of the Mayflower.

It’s 1620. He is sailing westward to the new colonies in North America, and for a few years, he is an indentured servant to the Stephen Hopkins family. This means that he was responsible for contributing to the success of the Hopkins family for a period of time, and until he had achieved the age of 25 years, he could not be released from this condition. Edward Leister, his fellow indentured traveler with the Hopkins family, was of the same status.

The original document Of Plimoth Plantation, by William Bradford, page 530. Edward Doty is listed as traveling with the Steven (Stephen) Hopkins family. (Image courtesy of the State Library of Massachusetts, Digital Collections).

He is then briefly mentioned in a pamphlet titled Mourt’s Relation, written by Thomas Winslow of the New Plymouth Colony, with contributions from William Bradford. This booklet eventually gained great fame.

From the website Voyaging Through History

The manuscript was carried out of New Plymouth by Robert Cushman, Chief Agent in London for the settlers, on board the Fortune in 1621. When Mourt’s Relation was sold in John Bellamy’s London bookshop in the 1620s its readers could have scarcely imagined this would become one of the most well-known texts in American history… Perhaps the most significant feature of Mourt’s Relation is its inclusion of ‘The Mayflower Compact’: the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. Signed on November 21, 1620 (prior to landing), the text gave a legal framework of government to the eventual settlement… Over time the Mayflower Compact has become revered as an antecedent to the American Constitution.

Something else we were able to see within Mourt’s Relation, is this text below. This is the only reference yet where we have found any indication for his origin before the Mayflower sailed.

In this pamphlet, Edward’s name is mentioned as being of London next to the name of the man he was indentured to, “Steeuen Hopkins”, (Stephen Hopkins). For more about what Indentured Servitude was, please see our chapters on The Pilgrims — specifically the chapter: The Pilgrims — A Mayflower Voyage.

A note about name spellings:
Historical sources vary much in how these names are spelled. Stephen Hopkins’s first name is written as Steven, Stephen, or Steeuen in original documents. [We are using Stephen for our text]. Edward Doty’s surname has several spellings in original documents, including: Doty, Dotte, Doten, Dotten, Dotey, Dowty, and Dolton. [Whew! We are using Doty for our text].

Most importantly, we know that Edward Doty was one the people who ‘signed’ The Mayflower Compact. However, the names of the signatories to the document were not published for many years out of the fear of reprisals from the British Monarchy. In any case, we know that Edward could not write his name:

“One is that no copy of the original [Mayflower Compact] document survives. Therefore, unfortunately we can’t see his signature. But considering he signed other legal documents, including his Will, with ‘his mark,’ he appears not to have learned how to write and we wouldn’t see much in the way of a signature anyway. Nevertheless, all accounts of the document give him credit for being among the 41 men who signed the pact.” (AFHB – A Family History Blog, see footnotes). (1)

As with many of our ancestors, their ability to read, write, and sign their name was not as important then as it is today. Clearly, someone drafted the text to Edward’s 1655 Will and wrote his name. He then endorsed this with ‘his marke’, a double flourish which we have circled.

Being thus arrived in a good harbor

Only one primary source account exists which describes the events while the Mayflower was at sea. It was written by Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford in his History of Plymouth Plantation. It concludes with this dramatic passage:

Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element. And no marvel if they were thus joyful, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles on the coast of his own Italy; as he affirmed, that he had rather remain twenty years on his way by land, then pass by sea to any place in a short time; so tedious and dreadful was the same unto him.

When Edward Doty and Edward Leister arrived with the Hopkins family in Plymouth Harbor, there were no truly accurate maps of the area, but that was soon to change. The 1623 map below shows the location of the Plymouth Colony, along with other (new) local names. The nearby Native People populations are also indicated. (2)

This map from the book Three Visitors to Early Plymouth, captures the geography
of early New England, including most of the settlements that began in 1623.
(Image courtesy of the Internet Archive).

So, Who Was Stephen Hopkins?

He was a man of many accomplishments. Wikipedia sums it up best when they describe him: “Steven Hopkins (fl. 1579 – d. 1644) was an English adventurer to the Virginia Colony and Plymouth Colony. Most notably, he was a passenger on the Mayflower in 1620, one of 41 signatories of the Mayflower Compact, and an assistant to the governor of Plymouth Colony through 1636. He worked as a tanner and merchant and was recruited by the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London to provide the governance for the colony and to assist with the colony’s ventures.

He was also the only Mayflower  passenger with prior New World experience, having been shipwrecked [from the ship Sea Venture] in Bermuda in 1609 en route to Jamestown, Virginia. Hopkins left Jamestown in 1614 and returned to England. Hopkins traveled to New England in 1620 and died there in 1644.” (Wikipedia)

It is interesting to note that that he spent five years in Jamestown, Virginia after being shipwrecked. He was there for so long that his first wife Mary (who was living in England with their three children) died, leaving the children without a parent present. This could be one reason why he returned to England, where he married his second wife Elizabeth, who came with him on the Mayflower. For more information on the disastrous Jamestown Colony, please see our chapter, The Pilgrims — Colonial Pursuits.

The first page of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, printed in the First Folio of 1623. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

During his tenure in Bermuda (long story short), he was accused of treason and nearly beheaded. It is thought by scholars that the character of ‘Stephano’ in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest is based upon Stephen Hopkins’s experiences in Bermuda. (The play was first performed in November 1611). (3)

Living With The Hopkins Family in the Plimoth Plantation

The entire Hopkins family and their two indentured servants survived the first terrible winter, which is rather remarkable since so many other of their fellow travelers had passed away. What was it like for the indentured servants Edward Doty and Edward Leister to be living in the Stephen Hopkins home? Likely very crowded.

The image at the left shows the reproduction home of the Stephen Hopkins family located at the Plimoth Patuxet Museum historical site. The “elaborated” 1879 map at right show the location of that home within the context of William Bradford’s original sketch for New Plymouth. (See footnotes).

“The Mayflower Quarterly of December 2011, in an article on Plymouth-area taverns, has a paragraph on Stephen Hopkins, who kept an ‘ordinary’ (tavern) in Plymouth on the north side of Leyden Street from the earliest days of the colony.

The article defines a 17th-century ‘ordinary’ as a term for a tavern where set mealtimes and prices were offered. Terms such as ‘inn, alehouse and tavern’ were used interchangeably with ‘ordinary’ in early Plymouth records. Hopkins kept this tavern from the early colony days until his death in 1644. In the early 1600s he had also had an alehouse in Hampshire with his wife Mary and his mother-in-law Joan, which they maintained after he left for America in 1609.

Hopkins apparently had problems with the Court over his tavern. Plymouth records indicate that Hopkins let ‘men drink in his house upon the Lords day’, ‘for suffering servants and others to sit drinking in his house’ (contrary to Court orders), also to play games ‘& such like misdemeanors, is therefore fined fourty shillings.’ In addition, the Court had several charges against him ‘for selling wine, beere, strong waters, and nutmeggs at excessiue rates, is fined.’” (Wikipedia) (4)

Now that we have arrived in the new Plymouth Colony, the next chapters will narrate how the Doty Family grew, how they developed and changed, and what Life brought them during the subsequent generations.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

A Man “of London

(1) — six records

Tudor London
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tudor_London
Note: For the 1561 “Civitates Orbis Terrarum” map image.

State Library of Massachusetts Digital Collections
Of Plimoth Plantation: manuscript, 1630-1650
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/db0e9f79-477c-4a4c-979b-359c2be1d4ad
The actual page 530 is here:
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/server/api/core/bitstreams/4d69e338-cc1b-4eda-b2ff-57bfbbb5c6ed/content
Note 1: For the original document on which Edward Doty is listed as a passenger on the Mayflower.
Note 2: The document is digitized and available as a .pdf download at the above link, file name: ocn137336369-Of-Plimoth-Plantation.pdf
Digital page: 530/546. First page, right column at center, with the Steven (Stephen) Hopkins family.

Voyaging Through History, the Mayflower and Britain
Mourt’s Relation (1622)

https://voyagingthroughhistory.exeter.ac.uk/2020/08/25/mourts-relation-1622/
Note: For the text.

Mourt’s Relation or Journal of The Plantation at Plymouth
by William Bradford, 1590-1657; Edward Winslow, 1595-1655; 
(and Henry Martyn Dexter, 1821-1890)
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028815079/mode/2up
Digital pages: 100-102/242, Book pages: 43-45/176
Note: This edition is circa 1865.

(AFHB)
A Family History Blog
Signer of the Mayflower Compact
by Jamie
https://genealogy.thundermoon.us/blog/2020/09/26/signer-of-the-mayflower-compact/
Note 1: For the text, and the double flourish signature of Edward Doty.
Note 2: Jamie, the author of A Family History Blog, is another cousin. He is a descendant of Edward Doty’s son Isaac and his wife Elizabeth (England), as we are also.
Hi cousin!

Being thus arrived in a good harbor

(2) — two records

Mayflower
by Rootsweb Author, kee46@msn.com
https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ahopkins/cushman/mayflowe.htm
Note: For the text.

Three Visitors to Early Plymouth
by Sydney V. James, Samuel Eliot Morison, Isaack de Rasieres; John Pory; Emmanuel Altham
https://archive.org/details/plymtuxet005/plymtuxet005_epub/
Digital page: 2/133
Note: For the map image.

So, Who Was Stephen Hopkins?

(3) — three records

Stephen Hopkins (pilgrim)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(pilgrim)

The Bermudian.com (magazine)
The Wreck of the Sea Venture: The Untold Story
by Gavin Shorto
https://www.thebermudian.com/history/history-history/the-wreck-oftheseaventure-the-untold-story/
Notes: For the antique map image of the island of Bermuda, and the wreck of the Sea Venture ship painting.

The Tempest
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tempest
Note: For the folio image.

Living With The Hopkins Family in the Plimoth Plantation

(4) — three records

Stephen Hopkins’ House, Plimoth Plantation
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13127/stephen-hopkins-house-plimoth-plantation/
Note: For the replica house photograph,
stephen-hopkins-house-plimoth-plantation-13127.jpg

The Pilgrim Republic : an historical review of the colony of New Plymouth, with sketches of the rise of other New England settlements, the history of Congregationalism, and the creeds of the period
by John Abbot Goodwin, 1824-1884
https://archive.org/details/pilgrimrepublic01goodgoog/page/106/mode/2up
Book page: 106, Digital page: 159/722
Note: For the plan image of early Plymouth.

Stephen Hopkins (pilgrim)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hopkins_(pilgrim)
Note: As cited in the article (footnote 17) —
Suitably Provided and Accommodated: Plymouth Area Taverns
by Stephen C. O’Neill
The Mayflower Quarterly (Plymouth, MA: The General Society of Mayflower Descendants), December 2011, vol. 77, no. 4, pp. 335, 336

The Soule Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of seven. In this last narrative on the descendants of Pilgrim George Soule, we cover Generations Five and Six in America. Both of these generations carry the new family surname of Warner.

Preface

Our introduction to the Drinkwater name family goes back to the early 1970s, when first heard the name Mercy Drinkwater from our Grandmother Lulu Gore. Mercy was the 2x Great Grandmother to Lulu, and it was likely that Mercy’s first name evolved from an idea in Christian theology. The “seven lively virtues… are those opposite to the seven deadly sins. They are often enumerated as chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility.” (Wikipedia). We could see the name ‘Mercy’ falling right in line with that point-of-view. (1)

Just ask Homer Simpson which one has more fun.

However, we must admit a bit sheepishly that the ‘deadly sin’ part of our personalities cannot help but notice that when you say her name out loud, it sounds distinctly like you are either openly worrying about dehydration, or echoing the emergency response team from the Poison Control Center:
Mercy! Drink water!

So much… for lively virtue.

Woodbury, Connecticut Colony

Like our ancestors who founded the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts, the settlers who founded Woodbury, Connecticut were also religious objectors. “The founders of Woodbury came from Stratford, Connecticut, in the early 1670s. Ancient Woodbury consisted of the present towns of Woodbury, Southbury, Roxbury, Bethlehem, most of Washington and parts of Middlebury and Oxford.

Two groups of settlers came from Stratford. The first, religious dissidents unhappy with the church in Stratford, was led by Woodbury’s first minister, the Reverend Zachariah Walker. The second, led by Deacon Samuel Sherman, had been given approval by the general court to purchase land from local Native Americans in order to establish a new settlement. Together, fifteen families (about fifty people), arrived in ancient Woodbury, known as ‘Pomperaug Plantation’, early in 1673.” (Wikipedia, Woodbury Connecticut)

“By the end of the eighteenth century Woodbury had developed as a thriving center of agricultural trade because of its proximity to the Housatonic River, which provided a major navigational route to the coast. A measure of Woodbury’s wealth was the large number of artisans and tradesmen such as millers, blacksmiths, wheelwrights and clothiers as well as tinsmiths, tanners, joiners and goldsmiths.” (The Old Woodbury Historical Society)

Plan of the Colony of Connecticut in North America, by Moses Park, 1766.
Mercy Drinkwater is from the area of the larger circle to the left; Eliphaz Warner, from the smaller circle to the right. (Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library).

One of the things about our Ancestral Grandmothers is the fact that not many records survive about these women. The eras that they lived in didn’t allow the creation of many meaningful records due to the customs of the time: things like civic records, inheritance laws, even Census data until about 1850… there just isn’t much there, or even that has survived. So it is with Mercy Drinkwater, especially as a young child.

We know when she was born, and that she was the youngest of 12 children from her father’s first wife. Her mother Elizabeth (Benedict) Drinkwater, died in 1749 when Mercy was about 15 months old. Her father William then remarried Susannah Washburn in 1751, when Mercy was about 3. Then in 1758, when Mercy was 10 years old, the records tell us that both William and her step-mother Susannah (Washburn) Drinkwater died.

So our primary question became, Who then raised Mercy for the next 10-11 years until she married? Was it her mother’s family the Benedicts? Or perhaps an older sister? How did she meet her husband, Eliphaz Warner? When exactly did they marry? We were not able to resolve these questions. We have looked everywhere and we don’t think that the marriage record has survived. We have to infer from what we know.

Mercy Drinkwater, born March 25, 1748, New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut Colony — died October 22, 1813, Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont. She was the daughter of William Drinkwater and Elizabeth Benedict.

Eliphaz Warner, born September 1, 1742, Middletown, Hartford* County, Connecticut Colony — died March 12, 1816, Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont. He was the son of Jabez Warner and Hannah Warner. He married Mercy Drinkwater by 1769, in an unknown location* in Connecticut; together they had seven children.

*We believe that the exact record for their marriage has been lost. This could be due to destruction caused by the church burning down, arson from conflicts with the Native Peoples, natural forces like a flood… Sometimes when the organizing government domain changes, records disappear through lack of oversight. Hartford County became Middlesex County in May 1785, being created from portions of Hartford County and New London County. Perhaps the record was lost then?

What we do know is this — it is highly probable is that they married in one of the three communities where their family members lived: Ridgefield, New Milford, or Woodbury. We just don’t know exactly where at this time. (2)

“This old map of Middlesex County, CT was commissioned in 1934 by the Connecticut League of Women Voters. S. Jerome Hoxie illustrated the map and it was printed by The Riverside Press in Mystic Connecticut.” (See footnotes).

Eliphaz and Mercy (Drinkwater) Warner Children

The first two children were born in Judea Parrish, Woodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut Colony. “Before it became a separate town in 1779, and chose to name itself ‘Washington’, the area was known as ‘Judea’, and was part of Woodbury, Connecticut.” (Wikipedia, Judea Cemetery)

  • William S. Warner, born November 12, 1770 — died May 24, 1856, Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont. He married first, (1798) Lucy Coan, in Woodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut; they had 7 children. He married second, (circa 1816-17), Abigail Root; they had no children. He married third, (circa 1819) Prudence B. Nickerson, in Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont; they had 4 children. (We are descended from William and Prudence (Nickerson) Warner).
  • Dr. John Warner, born December 1772 — died September 4, 1839, Starkey, Yates County, New York. He married Mary DeWitt in October 1808.
  • Anna Warner, born 1773 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut Colony — died September 30, 1834, Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont. (Note: Anna may have been born in either Judea Parrish, Woodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut, or Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut. The records conflict on this detail).

    By 1776 the family moved from Connecticut to Sandgate, Bennington County, The Vermont Republic (1771-1791), where the next four children were born .
  • Elizabeth Warner, born 1777 — died April 7, 1845, Salem, Washington County, New York. She married Joel Bassett, born Feb. 5, 1782 — died September 5, 1840, same location.
  • Hannah Warner, born 1783 — died October 13, 1818, Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont.
  • Dr. James Warner, born 1785 — died February 21, 1813, Jericho, Chittenden County, Vermont.
  • Jabez Joseph Warner, born December 14, 1791 — died February 1, 1792 Sandgate, Bennington, County, Vermont.

A few years before they moved to the Vermont frontier, this document appears. It’s one of the few things with Mercy (Drinkwater) Warner’s name attached to it. Why was this document done in 1770, 12 years after her father William Drinkwater had died? We speculate that perhaps Mercy and her husband Eliphaz Warner wanted to make sure that any portion of his estate she was due, had been delivered? (3)

Administration papers from the estate of William Drinkwater, circa 1770.
From the Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999.

Colonel Seth Warner, a Distant Cousin

The Warner’s were a large family. And in those days, cousins married each other, which sometimes causes us to “fret and pull our hair out” when trying to figure out who is related to who… in this case our “cousinship” to Seth Warner is distant for us, but much closer to our Warner line during the 1760s and 1770s.

  • Seth Warner’s 2x Great-Grandfather, John Warner, Jr. was also the father of our 4x Great-Grandmother, Hannah (Warner) Warner.
  • She was married to her first cousin, Jabez Warner, our 4x Great-Grandfather.
  • Their son Eliphaz Warner, was our 3x Great Grandfather.

In 1754 Hannah and Jabez Warner moved to Woodbury, Litchfield, Connecticut Colony, a town next to Roxbury where lived Seth Warner and Ethan Allen, cousins via their Baker relatives. We can’t know how much they interacted some 150 years ago, but they were all of the same age and the adventuresome sort. At this time the state of Vermont did not exist yet. The area was called the New Hampshire Grants. It was a wild and unsettled area in the early 1760s. There were constant disputes between New York and New Hampshire as the Grants were being settled.

This print accompanied the narrative Seth Hubbell published in 1824 about his years spent struggling to establish a farm in the wilds of Vermont in 1789. (Image courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society).

Dr. Benjamin Warner, Seth’s father, moved his family to this area in 1763. We know that they settled in what is now Bennington, Vermont. But there is some evidence that Seth held property in a small section called Sandgate, about 20 miles north of Bennington. At this time, families from Roxbury, Woodbury, and other parts of Connecticut began moving into the New Hampshire Grants. The Hurds, the Hurlburts, the Bakers and the Allens settled throughout the area and eventually, the Eliphaz Warners settled in Sandgate.

Under-appreciated by History?
Seth Warner is famous in Vermont history through his activities with Ethan Allen of the Green Mountain Boys just prior to and during the Revolutionary War. However, we wonder if perhaps he has been under-appreciated by American historians in general. We learned, from a fascinating online article by writer Gene Procknow at All Things Liberty —

“The legendary stories of Ethan Allen and Vermont’s Green Mountain Boys have long been part of American folklore. Their heroically described exploits are fabled in many fictional accounts and in children’s books. Allen’s name is synonymously linked with the Green Mountain Boys as if he was their sole leader.  However, while Allen receives the fame, there is a strong case that Seth Warner, a lesser-known member of the Green Mountain Boys, was the more impactful military leader during the American Revolution.

From left to right, the Colonel Seth Warner Monument in Bennington, Vermont.
Center: The flag of the Green Mountain Boys,
Right: Green Mountain Rangers, 1776 by Lt. Charles M. Lefferts. (See footnotes).

During the revolution, Seth Warner emerged as the leader of the Green Mountain Boys.  A day after Fort Ticonderoga fell [Allan’s victory], Warner led a contingent of the Green Mountain Boys in capturing British forces at Crown Point [Warner’s victory]. Both Warner and Ethan Allen traveled to Philadelphia to meet with the Continental Congress to obtain military pay for the Green Mountain Boys and to obtain permission to enlist a Green Mountain regiment in the Continental Army.  They returned with both. [The Green Mountain Boys were then referred to as the Green Mountain Rangers, and Warner’s Regiment].

In July 1777, he ably commanded undersized rear guard units at the battle of Hubbarton, Vermont and rallied his troops to cement a patriot victory at Bennington* in August.  British losses at these two battles weakened their invasion force, which aided the Continental Army victory at Saratoga in October.  After the 1777 campaign, Warner continued leading his regiment despite declining health until the unit was disbanded on January 1, 1781.
* See the text, The Battle of Bennington below.

Seth Warner was the elected and recognized commander of the Green Mountain Boys during their entire service with the Continental Army, with Ethan Allen playing the important political roles of firebrand, publicist, and spokesperson. Clearly, the American cause benefited from Seth Warner’s military leadership, while Ethan Allen’s political leadership was critical to the formation of Vermont as a distinct, independent sovereign entity.” (All Things Liberty) (4)

Being Early to Bennington, Republic of Vermont

Even though Vermont is recognized as the 14th state of the United States, it was born out of a complicated mess of issues as to who had the right to live in that rural territory, and who had the right to govern it. Among the interested parties were (quite naturally) the Native Peoples, the French Government and their settlers, and the British Government and their settlers. Like a tide that kept washing in and out, people came in and went out. After the French were defeated in the French and Indian War, the rights to this area were given by the Treaty of Paris (in 1763), to the British.

Be that as it may, the New York Colony, and the Province of Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the Province of New Hampshire continued to squabble over who had the land rights to the territory. Much of this was due to the fact that the population of the area increased dramatically in a short period of less than 30 years. “In the 28 years from 1763 to 1791, the non-Indian population of ‘New Hampshire Grants’ rose from 300 to 85,000.

Plan of Sandgate (map), by Benning Wentworth, circa 1761.

New Hampshire’s [Colonial] governor, Benning Wentworth, [had] issued a series of 135 land grants between 1749 and 1764 called the New Hampshire Grants. Many of these were in a large valley on the west (or New York side) of the Green Mountains and only about forty miles from Albany. The town was laid out in 1749 and was settled after the war in 1761. The town was named Bennington for Wentworth. Ultimately, by 1754, Wentworth had granted lands for 15 towns. (Wikipedia, History of Vermont)

“The first settler in Sandgate was Reuben Thomas, who came from Woodbury, Connecticut. Congregational Church records show “1769, December 27th — Reuben Thomas Esqr. moved his family which was the first family into this town.” (Sandgate Vermont)

“In 1770, Ethan Allen—along with his brothers Ira and Levi, as well as Seth Warner—recruited an informal militia, the Green Mountain Boys, to protect the interests of the original New Hampshire settlers against the new migrants from New York. A significant standoff occurred at the Breakenridge farm in Bennington, when a sheriff from Albany arrived with a posse of 750 men to dispossess Breakenridge. The residents raised a body of about 300 armed men to resist. The Albany sheriff demanded Breakenridge, and was informed, ‘If you attempt it, you are a dead man.’ The sheriff returned to Albany.

In the summer of 1776, the first general convention of freemen of the New Hampshire Grants met in Dorset, Vermont, resolving ‘to take suitable measures to declare the New Hampshire Grants a free and independent district.’ On January 15, 1777, representatives of the New Hampshire Grants convened in Westminster and declared their land an independent republic, The Vermont Republic (from 1777 until 1791). Then in 1791, Vermont became a state.

Vermont, from actual survey, by Amos Doolittle and Mathew Carey, circa 1795. This map shows where the Warners were living in the small town of Sandgate, Vermont from 1776 onwards. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

Observation: 1776 is the year when the Eliphaz Warner family moved from the Woodbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut area to Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont Republic. They moved right into the very thick of things.

On June 2, [1776] a second convention of 72 delegates met at Westminster, known as the ‘Westminster Convention’. At this meeting, the delegates adopted the name ‘Vermont’ on the suggestion of Dr. Thomas Young of Philadelphia, a supporter of the delegates who wrote a letter advising them on how to achieve statehood. [One month later…] On July 4, the Constitution of Vermont was drafted during a violent thunderstorm at the Windsor Tavern owned by Elijah West. It was adopted by the delegates on July 8 after four days of debate. This was the first written constitution in North America to provide for the abolition of slavery (for adults), suffrage [voting rights] for men who did not own land, and public schools.” (Wikipedia, History of Vermont) (5)

The first page of the original Constitution for Vermont, with a vintage postcard featuring the Old Constitution House, the former Windsor Tavern. (See footnotes).

Or This Night Molly Stark Sleeps a Widow!

“During the summer of 1777, the invading British army of General John Burgoyne slashed its way southward through the thick forest, from Quebec to the Hudson River, captured the strategic stronghold of Fort Ticonderoga, and drove the Continental Army into a desperate southward retreat. Raiding parties of British soldiers and native warriors freely attacked, pillaged and burned the frontier communities of the Champlain Valley and threatened all settlements to the south. The Vermont frontier collapsed in the face of the British invasion. The New Hampshire legislature, fearing an invasion from the west, mobilized the state’s militia under the command of General John Stark.

General Burgoyne received intelligence that large stores of horses, food and munitions were kept at Bennington, which was the largest community in the land grant area. He dispatched 2,600 troops, nearly a third of his army, to seize the colonial storehouse there, unaware that General Stark’s New Hampshire troops were then traversing the Green Mountains to join up at Bennington with the Vermont continental regiments commanded by Colonel Seth Warner, together with the local Vermont and western Massachusetts militia. 

The combined American forces, under Stark’s command, attacked the British column at Hoosick, New York, just across the border from Bennington. General Stark reportedly challenged his troops to fight to the death, telling them ‘There are your enemies, the redcoats and the Tories. They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!’ ” (Wikipedia, History of Vermont) (6)

Battle of Bennington, 1777 by Alonzo Chappel. (Image courtesy of The Bennington Museum).

The Battle of Bennington

“The town is known in particular for the Battle of Bennington, which took place during the Revolutionary War. Although the battle took place approximately 12 miles (19 km) to the west in what is now the state of New York, an ammunition storage building located in Bennington was an important strategic target. On August 16, 1777, Gen. John Stark’s 1,500-strong New Hampshire Militia defeated 800 German (Hessian) mercenaries, local Loyalists, Canadians and Indians under the command of German Lt. Col. Friedrich Baum. German reinforcements under the command of Lt. Col. Heinrich von Breymann looked set to reverse the outcome, but were prevented by the arrival of Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys, the Vermont militia founded by Ethan Allen.” (Wikipedia, Bennington Vermont)

This illustration depicts Ethan Allen (pointing at the map) and the other leaders of the Green Mountain Boys, which included Seth Warner. (Image courtesy Library of Congress).

The “all-day battle fought in intense summer heat, the army of Yankee farmers defeated the British, killing or capturing 900 soldiers. Burgoyne never recovered from this loss and eventually surrendered at Saratoga on October 17. (Wikipedia, History of Vermont)

During the War, Eliphaz Warner was called to serve in several instances. Shown below is one of the payroll records “for service done to guard the frontiers”. (7)

From the book, Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War, 1775 to 1783,
by John E, Goodrich. “Payroll under Col. G. Warren’s Regiment under the command
of Capt. Gideon Ormsby”, pages: 76-77. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
For other rosters, see the footnotes.

Time’s Arrow Points in One Direction

If anyone has spent any time glancing over census data, it quickly becomes clear that early censuses were simple, and later ones grew increasingly more complex. “Statistics show that as the Nation’s population grew and its demographics changed, so did the decennial* census evolve in order to measure that growth and change. As a result, no two censuses are exactly alike. To count a population of 3,329,326 in 1790, the census cost $44,377, utilized 1,650 enumerators, and culminated in one published volume totaling 56 pages. The 1990 Census counted a population of 248,709,873, cost $2.5 billion, and culminated in published census reports totaling 450,000 pages.”
*All of the following censuses are decennial, meaning they recur every ten years.

1790 —
“The census began on Monday, August 2, 1790, and was finished within 9 months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved March 1, 1790. The 1790 population census was the First Decennial* Census of the United States.” (The National Archives)

The 1790 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont.

The 1790 census tells us that Eliphaz Warner had 8 people in his home, who were enumerated as follows (with our observations for people inserted):

  • 3 men of 16 years & upwards, including heads of families: sons William, John, and father Eliphaz — Head of Family
    • 1 boy under 16 years: son James
    • 4 women including heads of families: daughters Anna, Elizabeth, Hannah, and mother Mercy

In 1798, Eliphaz and Mercy’s oldest son William Warner, married (1) Lucy Coan, daughter of Mulford and Elizabeth (Howd) Coan, in Woodbury, Litchfield, Connecticut. William returned to Woodbury for their marriage, and together she went with him to Sandgate, Vermont. They had seven children, who are interwoven throughout the following years of Census data shown below. (8)

For clarity, here is a list of their seven children:

  • Mary Warner, 1799 — 1859
  • William Warner, Jr., 1801—1890
  • Joseph Warner, 1803 — 1890
  • Lucina Warner, 1805 — 1874
  • Gaylord Coan Warner, 1808 — 1886
  • Benjamin Stone Warner, 1810 — 1893
  • John Warner, 1812 — 1889
From the Vermont Historical Society, this painting titled Derby View, 1939 by William Dean Fausett, was painted to portray what colonial era Vermont would have looked like.

A New Century Begins

1800 —
“The census began on Monday, August 4, 1800, and was finished within 9 months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved February 28, 1800. The 1800 population census was the Second Decennial Census of the United States.”

The 1800 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont.

For the Eliphaz Warner family, there were 5 people living there, as follows:

  • 1 boy 10 thru 15: son James
  • 1 man 45 and over: Eliphaz — Head of Family
  • 2 women 16 thru 25: daughters Hannah, Anna
  • 1 female 45 and over: mother Mercy

    This same 1800 census shows us that son William Warner is counted as a separate household. He is likely living nearby, if not next door. He had four people living in his home, enumerated as follows:
  • 2 men 26 thru 44: William — Head of Family, and an (unknown male)
  • 1 girl under 10: daughter Mary
  • 1 woman 45 and over: mother Lucy Coan (William’s first wife)

Observation: As we analyzed the censuses, it became clear that these two families lived next door to each other and that their lives were all intertwined. Eliphaz always had William living nearby, and after Eliphaz was no more, William usually had a sibling, or one of his own children nearby.

1810 —
“The census began on Monday, August 6, 1810, and was finished within 9 months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved March 26, 1810. The 1810 population census was the Third Decennial Census of the United States.”

The 1810 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont. Note that Eliphaz’s name is positioned below his son William’s name.

This Census tells us that Eliphaz had 5 people in his home, who were enumerated as follows (with our observations of whom inserted):

  • 1 man 26 thru 44: son James (son John married, 1808 and lived in New York)
  • 1 man 45 and over: father Eliphaz — Head of Family
  • 2 women 26 thru 44: daughters Anna and Hannah (daughter Elizabeth married, 1808 and lived in New York)
  • 1 woman 45 and over: mother Mercy
Macdonough’s victory on Lake Champlain and defeat of the British Army at Plattsburg
by Genl. Macomb, Sept. 11 1814. Hand colored engraving by Benjamin Tanner, circa 1816.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The 1810 Census is the last census that Eliphaz and Mercy appear in. From this point forward, all descriptions will only be about William Warner Sr.’s family. The 1810 Census further tells us that William Sr. had 9 people in his home, who were enumerated as follows (with our observations of whom inserted):

  • 4 boys under 10: sons William Jr., Joseph, Gaylord, and Benjamin
  • 1 man 26 thru 44: William Sr. — Head of Family
  • 2 girls under 10: daughters Lucina, and (unknown girl)
  • 1 girl: 10 thru 15: daughter Mary
  • 1 woman 26 thru 44: mother Lucy Coan

When the War of 1812 broke out in the young United States, Vermont was mostly removed from the battle sites of the war. The closest battle was The Battle of Plattsburg, which took place at the northern end of Lake Champlain, not very far away in New York State. “A relatively small force of approximately 5,000 Americans, including 2,200 Vermont militiamen, defeated a formidable force of roughly 11,000 British sailors on Sept. 11, 1814. This battle ended the British Invasion from Canada.” (Vermont National Guard Museum) We have not located any records that confirm that this branch of the Warner family actually participated in this war.

Besides, William Warner Sr. had his hands quite full. There was a house abundant of young children, his parents were elderly, and it seems that his wife Lucy had her troubles also — Several members of this family died during this decade; all of them in Vermont. Son Dr. James Warner died February 21, 1813 in Jericho, Chittenden County and is buried there. Mercy (Drinkwater) Warner soon followed. She died in October 22, 1813 in Sandgate, Bennington County and is buried in the Sandgate Center Cemetary. Eliphaz Warner died March 12, 1816 in Sandgate and is buried near his wife Mercy. Daughter Hannah Warner died October 13, 1818 in Sandgate and is buried near her parents. (9)

This brings us to…

The Decade of Three Wives

William Warner Sr.’s first wife, Lucy Coan, who had come to Vermont with him from Connecticut, died on October 2, 1815. She is buried at Sandgate Center Cemetery.

William was a widower with young children. He remarried after 1815 to his second wife (2) Abagail (Root) Warner. She was born about 1784 (based on the age of 34 years listed on her death record). Abagail has left very few records. She died soon after they were married, on June 13, 1818; there were no children.

At age 25, (3) Prudence B. Nickerson entered the family when she married William Warner in 1819; they had 4 children, James Ward, Lucy Mercy, Ira Nickerson, and Mary Ann. Like Abagail Root before her, there are very few records of her life prior to when she married William Sr. We know she was born in 1794 supposedly in Massachusetts, although some documents identify her birth in Vermont. We also note that there was a 24 year age gap when they married – William was 49 at the time.

Together, they are our 3x Great Grandparents — we are descended from William and Prudence B. (Nickerson) Warner and their daughter Mary Ann Warner.

The 1820 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont for William Warner and his unmarried sister Anna Warner.

1820 —
“The census began on Monday, August 7, 1820, and was finished within 6 months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved March 14, 1820. The 1820 population census was the Fourth Decennial Census of the United States.” The census tells us that 10 people are living there. William Sr.’s sister Anna never married and is living next door, probably in her parents home. She is listed separately on this census. (10)

  • 2 boys under 10: sons Benjamin, John.
  • 1 boy 10 to 15: son Gaylord
  • 1 boy from 16 to 18: (unknown male)
  • 2 men 16 to 25: sons Joseph, William Jr.
  • 1 man 45 and upwards: William Sr. — Head of Family
  • 1 girl from 10 to 15: daughter Lucina
  • 1 girl/woman from 16 to 25: daughter Mary
  • 1 woman 26 to 45: (step-mother) Prudence.
Baaa-aaa-ah. Who knew? Where are the trees?
(Image courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society).

A World Awash in Merino Sheep

William Warner Sr. was a farmer, but we don’t know if he raised sheep. If he needed any, he wouldn’t have needed to go very far. From the Vermont History Explorer, “Vermont’s landscape looks very different today than it did nearly 200 years ago. Many places that are now covered with trees were open fields. In the 1830s and 1840s, those fields were full of Merino sheep. Almost 1.7 million sheep lived in Vermont in 1840. At the same time, fewer than 300,000 people lived in the state. There were nearly six times more sheep than people in Vermont! These sheep produced almost 3.7 million pounds of wool.”

The 1830 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont.

1830 —
“The census began on Tuesday, June 1, 1830, and was finished within 6 months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved March 23, 1830. The 1830 population census was the Fifth Decennial Census of the United States.” The census tells us that 9 people are living in the Warner home. William Sr.’s sister Anna is still living next door and is listed separately on this census.

  • 1 boy under 5: son Ira (likely an infant)
  • 1 boy 6 to 10: son James Ward
  • 1 boy 15 to 20: sons, Benjamin or John
  • 1 man 20 to 29: son Gaylord
  • 1 man 50 to 59: William — Head of Family
  • 1 girl under 5: (unknown girl)
  • 2 girls 5 to 9: daughter Lucy Mercy, and (unknown girl)
  • 1 woman 30 to 39: mother Prudence

This is the first census that begins counting the children that were born after Prudence and William Sr. married circa 1819. Their children were born in Sandgate, Bennington, Vermont.

Townscape of Bennington; Landscape View of Old Bennington, circa 1798, by Ralph Earl.
It is interesting to note how the landscape had changed from dense forest to open fields.
(Image courtesy of the Bennington Museum).

Son James Ward Warner was born September 26, 1820 — died October 25, 1908, in Kennewick, Benton, Washington. He married first (1) Jane Mary Walton in 1845 in Manchester, Vermont, they had 3 children, Sylvester C, 1842-1847 (possibly born before their marriage), Helen Agnes, 1848-1931 and James, born 1860 – ?. Jane died in 1854 in Wisconsin where they had moved; he married second (2) Anne Ross in 1856. She was born in 1826 in New York and died 1902 in Spokane, Washington; they had one son, William Abner, 1860 – 1912. It appears William Abner moved west to Washington State where his parents died and are buried in Spokane. He died in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California.

Daughter Lucy Mercy Warner was born May 2, 1823 — died November 14, 1879, Bennington, Bennington, Vermont. She married first in 1844 (1) Henry G. Stewart, 1806 – 1848; they had 1 daughter, Ellen 1845-1922. Ellen married Alexander Chapman in 1867 and they had two sons, George 1873 – ? and John, 1878 – 1938. After Henry Stewart’s death Lucy married second (2) Thomas Jefferson (TJ) Albro in 1859; they had 1 daughter, Theresa, 1860 – 1921. Theresa married Frank Henry Crawford in 1884 and they had 3 children, Randall who lived for 11 months in 1885, Buel, 1887 – 1958, and Alida “Lida” (Crawford) Beran, 1894 – 1945.

Son Ira Nickerson Warner was born May 20, 1830 — died March 6, 1877 in Aurora, DuPage, Illinois. By 1858 he married Julia Barrett, 1833 – ? ; they had 5 children, Charles D., 1859 – 1864, George A., 1864 – ?, Frederick A. 1866 – 1935, Ida Rowena, 1869 – 1943, and Lillian J., 1872 – 1899.

The 1840 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont.

1840 —
“The census began on Monday, June 1, 1840, and was finished within five months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved March 3, 1839. The 1840 population census was the Sixth Decennial Census of the United States.” The census tells us that 7 people are living there. William’s oldest daughter Mary (Warner) Meeker is living next door, and is listed separately on this census.

  • 1 boy 10 to 14: son Ira
  • 1 boy 15 to 19: son James
  • 1 man 60 to 69: William — Head of Family
  • 1 girl 5 to 9: daughter Mary Ann
  • 1 girl 15 to 19: daughter Lucy Mercy
  • 1 woman 40 to 49: mother Prudence
  • 1 woman 70 to 79: (unknown woman)
Taking the census — after a sketch by Thomas Worth. As published in Harper’s Weekly magazine, 1870. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

In 1833, Prudence and William had their last child, a daughter, Mary Ann Warner. She was born on February 9, 1833 — died April 10, 1899 in South Russell, Geauga, Ohio. On February 2, 1856 she married Peter A. DeVoe; they had 2 children. They are our Great-Great-Grandparents — we are descended from Peter and Mary Ann. For the history of Peter and Mary Ann’s further lives together, please see: The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Nine.

The 1850 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont.

1850 —
“The census began on Saturday, June 1, 1850, and was finished within 5 months, under the rules and directions established in an Act of Congress approved May 23, 1850. The 1850 population census was the Seventh Decennial Census of the United States.” The is the first Census where we see all members of the household listed.

Things seem to have quieted down a lot at the Warner home with just William and Prudence living there. In 1850, their daughter Mary Ann is living nearby in Sandgate, at her older sister Mary Meeker’s home, where her brother Ira is also residing. Mary Ann’s name is sometimes recorded as Ann, probably because (in this case) there were two people living there with the same name of Mary.

The 1850 United States census for Sandgate, Vermont.

William Warner Sr. died on May 24, 1856. He is buried at Sandgate Center Cemetery, at which a remarkable number of Warner family members are also interred. Near William are his wives Lucy, and Abagail, some of his siblings, and several of his children. For his estate papers, please see the footnotes. (11)

Sometimes Life Is A Circle

From the 1830s through this pre Civil War period, seven of William Sr.’s eleven children, relocated from Vermont to the Connecticut Western Reserve of Ohio. This emigration included his youngest daughter Mary Ann (Warner) DeVoe and her husband, Peter A. DeVoe. William’s surviving wife Prudence moved there by 1870 and is buried near their daughter.

As we learned more about Mary Ann Warner’s history — we found that by 1855, she had already been residing in the town of Wilton in Saratoga County, New York for three years. She is working as a weaver at the nearby Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company, in Victory Village. An ironic thing about her occupation, is the fact that the wool she was likely using to manufacture products, had likely been produced right in her old back yard in Bennington, Vermont. Like Mary Ann Warner at her loom — we ourselves also gather the threads, of family stories, and weave them into the warp and weft of a meaningful family narrative.

We are descended from two of the original Plymouth Pilgrim families, from the 1620 voyage
of the Mayflower. Both of these lines meet with our 2x Great Grandparents, through
the marriage of Peter A. DeVoe (for Edward Doty), and Mary Ann Warner (for George Soule).
Background image, Isolation: The Mayflower Becalmed on a Moonlit Night, by Montague Dawson.

With Generation Seven in America, the Warner family surname gives way to the surname of DeVoe. Mary Ann’s husband, Peter A. DeVoe, is a direct descendant of another Mayflower passenger, Pilgrim Edward Doty. Not only does this line of descent circle back to the Mayflower, but the DeVoe line traces its origins back to the same region of Holland where Pilgrim George Soule began his journey.

You can read about the DeVoe family, who have their own amazing history starting with, The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — One, Holland & Huguenots, and the Doty family, starting with, The Doty Line, A Narrative — One. (12)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Preface

(1) — one record

Seven virtues
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_virtues#:~:text=In%20Christian%20history%2C%20the%20seven,faith%2C%20hope%2C%20and%20charity.
Note: For the text.

Woodbury, Connecticut Colony

(2) — eleven records

Woodbury, Connecticut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodbury,_Connecticut
Note: For the text.

The Old Woodbury Historical Society
History of Woodbury
https://www.owhs.org/history.html
Note: For the text.

Boston Public Library
Norman B. Levanthal Map & Education Center Collection
Plan of the Colony of Connecticut in North America
by Moses Park, 1766
https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:z603vt46p
Note: For the map image. “Moses Park, a surveyor from Preston, Connecticut, executed this map in 1766 with the assistance of Asa Spaulding of Norwalk and Samuel Mott of Preston.”

Mercy Drinkwater
in the Connecticut, U.S., Town Birth Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)
New Milford Vital Records 1712-1860

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1034/records/191129?tid=&pid=&queryId=65f6527a-b69f-4af3-8bf1-1576fb5d0bef&_phsrc=dRx1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 76, Digital page: 74/232
Note: Listed as the 14th entry on the page.

Mercy Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584565
and
Mercy Drinkwater Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704122/mercy-warner
Note: For the data.

Eliphaz Warner
The Descendants of Andrew Warner (book)
Fourth Generation
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/15319/images/dvm_GenMono000758-00056-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=dRx5&pId=104&backlabel=Return&queryId=0095c2f420af5ec55c6e85937768fa6e&rcstate=dvm_GenMono000758-00056-0:227,1330,361,1362;361,1329,481,1353;352,1361,477,1388;332,1395,456,1420;336,1428,458,1453;324,1462,456,1491;359,1493,479,1523;320,1561,446,1588;466,1625,594,1653;502,1743,709,1774;191,1793,321,1821;429,1868,578,1897;890,104,1041,127;729,413,857,443;426,602,641,631;177,649,307,678;179,771,308,799;681,761,831,791;650,803,804,832;980,878,1128,909;947,999,1099,1034;365,1195,488,1219;348,1229,469,1254
Book page: 98, Digital page: 107/184

Eliphaz Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584550?tid=&pid=&queryId=e60befba-7e73-4827-b3c5-efdd800afda8&_phsrc=PRY1&_phstart=successSource
and
Eliphaz Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704105/eliphaz-warner
Note: For the data.

Middletown, Connecticut
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middletown,_Connecticut
Note: For the data.

KNOWOL
Historical Map of Middlesex County, Connecticut
https://www.knowol.com/information/connecticut/middlesex-county-map/
Note: For the map image and caption.

The Eliphaz and Mercy Warner Children

(3) — eight records

Eliphaz Warner
The Descendants of Andrew Warner (book)
Fifth Generation
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/15319/images/dvm_GenMono000758-00084-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=dRx4&pId=160&backlabel=Return&queryId=0095c2f420af5ec55c6e85937768fa6e&rcstate=dvm_GenMono000758-00084-0:268,488,490,523;500,489,714,516;183,529,337,564;336,529,493,563;903,649,1071,679;339,933,477,957;304,1033,420,1059;369,1066,492,1093;349,1398,468,1422;324,1431,444,1456;637,1560,835,1588;240,1603,419,1639;419,1602,573,1638;484,1763,633,1795;887,83,1037,105;314,159,435,183;378,193,499,216;379,226,495,250;349,292,473,316;328,358,449,382
Book page: 154, Digital page 163/184
Note: For his family records.

Judea Cemetery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judea_Cemetery
Note: For the text.

William Drinkwater
in the Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999
Woodbury District > Probate Packets, Downs, C-Edmond, M, 1720-1880
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007629576_00856?usePUB=true&_phsrc=VgH4&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=2465233
Digital page: 856/1417
Note: Case 1384 — Administration papers from the estate of William Drinkwater, circa 1770.

Colonel Seth Warner, a Distant Cousin

(4) — five records

Journal of The American Revolution
Seth Warner or Ethan Allen: Who Led the Green Mountain Boys?
by Gene Procknow
https://allthingsliberty.com/2014/05/seth-warner-or-ethan-allen-who-led-the-green-mountain-boys/
Note: For the text.

VT Digger, News and Culture
Then Again: Plagued by Ddversity, Wolcott’s First Settler Persevered
by Mark Bushnell
https://vtdigger.org/2018/09/09/plagued-adversity-wolcotts-first-settler-persevered/
Note: For the image.

The Historical Marker Database
Colonel Seth Warner
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=77023
Note: For the image, Photo 6 by Howard C. Ohlhous, October 24, 2008.

Flag of the Green Mountain Boys
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_the_Green_Mountain_Boys
Notes: Also known as the Stark Flag, this image is replica flag made by Amber Kincaid.

Uniforms of The American Revolution
Green Mountain Rangers, 1776
by Lt. Charles M. Lefferts, circa 1926
https://www.srcalifornia.com/uniforms/p24.htm
Note: For the image.

Being Early to Bennington (Vermont)

(5) — six records

History of Vermont
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vermont
Note: For the text.

Library of Congress
Plan of Sandgate (map)
by Benning Wentworth, circa 1809
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3754s.ar087800/?r=-1.311,-0.37,3.622,1.808,0
Note: For the map image.

Sandgate Vermont
Early Settlers
https://www.sandgatevermont.com/settlers.php

Library of Congress
Vermont, from actual survey
by Amos Doolittle and Mathew Carey, circa 1795
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3750.ct000093/?r=-0.878,-0.069,2.756,1.376,0
Note: For the map image.

Vermont History Explorer
The Vermont Constitution
https://vermonthistoryexplorer.org/the-vermont-constitution
Note: For the image of page one of the Vermont Constitution.

Hip Postcard
Vermont WINDSOR Old Constitution House, Built 1777 — DB
United States — Vermont — Other, Postcard

https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/vermont-windsor-old-constitution-house-built-1777-db/33113359
Note: For the vintage postcard image.

Or This Night Molly Stark Sleeps a Widow!

(6) — one record

History of Vermont
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vermont
Note: For the text.

The Battle of Bennington

(7) — eight records

Battle of Bennington, 1777 https://bennington.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/A4B796E5-ADE8-455B-8DF7-217237214000
by Alonzo Chappel.
Note: For the battle painting.

Bennington, Vermont
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennington%2C_Vermont
Note: For the text.

Library of Congress
[Ethan Allen, 1738-1789, full-length portrait, standing,
before “the Green Mountain Boays in Council”, examining map]
digital file from b&w film copy neg.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3a47655/
Note: For the image.

History of Vermont
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Vermont
Note: For the text.

Eliphaz Warner
The Descendants of Andrew Warner (book)
Fifth Generation
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/15319/images/dvm_GenMono000758-00084-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=dRx4&pId=160&backlabel=Return&queryId=0095c2f420af5ec55c6e85937768fa6e&rcstate=dvm_GenMono000758-00084-0:268,488,490,523;500,489,714,516;183,529,337,564;336,529,493,563;903,649,1071,679;339,933,477,957;304,1033,420,1059;369,1066,492,1093;349,1398,468,1422;324,1431,444,1456;637,1560,835,1588;240,1603,419,1639;419,1602,573,1638;484,1763,633,1795;887,83,1037,105;314,159,435,183;378,193,499,216;379,226,495,250;349,292,473,316;328,358,449,382
Book page: 154, Digital page 163/184
Note: For his Revolutionary War service records.

Library of Congress
Rolls of the Soldiers in the Revolutionary War,
1775 to 1783

by John E, Goodrich, circa 1904
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.rollsofsoldiersi01verm/?sp=7&r=-1.249,-0.065,3.497,1.718,0
Records from 3 sections as follows:
Shown with the Revolutionary War Subtitle Section.
— Col. G. Warren’s Regiment under command of Capt. Gideon Ormsby
Book pages: 76-77, Digital pages: 106-107/964

— Capt. Lemuel Bradley’s Company
Book page: 414, Digital pages: 444/964
— Capt. Richard Hurd’s Company in Col. Ira Allen’s Regiment
Book page: 457, Digital pages: 487/964

Time’s Arrow Points in One Direction

(8) — six records

STEM Fellowship
The Arrow of Time
https://live.stemfellowship.org/the-arrow-of-time/
Note: For the data.

Library of Congress
U.S. Census Connections: A Resource Guide
History of the U.S. Census
https://guides.loc.gov/census-connections/census-history
Note: For the text.

The National Archives
1790 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790
Note: For the data.

Eliphas Warner
in the 1790 United States Federal Census
Vermont > Bennington > Sandgate
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5058/records/398650?tid=&pid=&queryId=98a8efe8-5fcc-4d84-9d21-54d2862efc2c&_phsrc=Qmi3&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 21, Digital page: 1 of 2
Note: For the data.

Vermont History
Vermont Historical Society Mounting a Major Exhibition:
“For The Love of Vermont: The Lyman Orton Collection”

Derby View by William Dean Fausett, circa 1939
https://vermonthistory.org/lyman-orton-for-the-love-of-vermont-art-exhibition
Note: For the paining by William Dean Fausett.

William Warner
in the North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61157/records/1807060
Note: For the data about his 1798 marriage to Lucy Coan.

A New Century Begins

(9) — twelve records

The National Archives
1800 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1800
Note: For the data.

Eliphaz Warner
in the 1800 United States Federal Census
Vermont > Bennington > Sandgate
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7590/records/517748?tid=&pid=&queryId=4786d902-5d82-43a8-b238-b7cf626d86d1&_phsrc=Qmi4&_phstart=successSource

The National Archives
1810 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1810?_ga=2.101688962.2084972955.1741276218-755645739.1741276218
Note: For the data.

Macdonough’s Victory on Lake Champlain and Defeat of the British Army
at Plattsburg by Genl. Macomb, Sept. 11 1814.
Engraverː Benjamin Tanner, after painting by Hugh Reinagle, circa 1816
File:Macdonough’s victory on Lake Champlain and defeat of the British Army at Plattsburg by Genl. Macomb, Sept. 11 1814 (cropped).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macdonough’s_victory_on_Lake_Champlain_and_defeat_of_the_British_Army_at_Plattsburg_by_Genl._Macomb,_Sept._11_1814_(cropped).jpg
Note: For the engraved war image.

1810 United States Federal Census
Vermont > Bennington > Sandgate
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7613/records/613235?tid=&pid=&queryId=e72c38ad-6cba-40d7-8668-722546e89da1&_phsrc=LaX10&_phstart=successSource
Note: Digital page: 5/7
Note 1: For the data.
Note 2: We found this under the name of another community member: Stephen Scinter because it found not appear in searches using either Warner family name.

Vermont National Guard
Home > Museum >  > History > Wars > War Of 1812
Museum > > History > Wars > War Of 1812
https://vt.public.ng.mil/Museum/History/Wars/War-of-1812/#:~:text=A relatively small force of,the British Invasion from Canada.
Note: For the text.”>https://vt.public.ng.mil/Museum/History/Wars/War-of-1812/#:~:text=A relatively small force of,the British Invasion from Canada.
Note: For the text.

Dr. James Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/15098846/james-warner
Note: For her death record in 1813.

Hannah Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704110/hannah-warner
Note: For her death record in 1818.

Mercy Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584565
and
Mercy Drinkwater Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704122/mercy-warner
Note: For the data.

Eliphaz Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584550?tid=&pid=&queryId=e60befba-7e73-4827-b3c5-efdd800afda8&_phsrc=PRY1&_phstart=successSource
and
Eliphaz Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704105/eliphaz-warner
Note: For the data.

The Decade of Three Wives

(10) — ten records

Pinterest
Birds’ Nests (illustrations)
by Carl F. Gronemann
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/7951736837238337/
Notes: For the nest images.

Lucy Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584559https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704116/lucy-warner
and
Lucy Coan Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704116/lucy-warner?_gl=1*qogcgg*_gcl_au*MTgzMjczMjIxLjE3NDE0NDY3MzA.*_ga*MTQ0MTY4ODk1OS4xNzQxNDQ2NzMw*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MmMwNGE4ZTItNTkwOC00ZGIwLWFjMmItZWZiMjgxMTllMWVlLjIuMS4xNzQxNDU2ODEyLjU5LjAuMA..
Note: For the death data.

203 William Warner
The Descendants of Andrew Warner (book)
Sixth Generation
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/15319/images/dvm_GenMono000758-00134-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=mYH3&pId=260&backlabel=Return&queryId=38e8346280d3fd1c8363358237de551d&rcstate=dvm_GenMono000758-00134-0%3A172%2C1481%2C285%2C1510%3B285%2C1481%2C417%2C1509%3B667%2C1482%2C770%2C1515%3B581%2C1522%2C679%2C1551%3B915%2C1683%2C1009%2C1716%3B714%2C413%2C802%2C442%3B338%2C1152%2C476%2C1180%3B727%2C1250%2C809%2C1274%3B548%2C1281%2C636%2C1314%3B791%2C1280%2C892%2C1314
Book page: 254, Digital page: 263/814
Note: For the Lucy Coan marriage data.

Abaigail Warner
in the Vermont, U.S., Vital Records, 1720-1908
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/4661/records/475913?tid=&pid=&queryId=4f4a50a5-af4e-4843-8b1b-e00c55e93578&_phsrc=mYH31&_phstart=successSource
and
Abigail Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584543
and
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704098/abigail-warner
Note: For the data.

Prudence Nickerson
in the North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
W > Warner > The descendants of Andrew Warner
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61157/records/1810112
Book page: 254, Digital page: 262/812
Note: For her marriage information.

The National Archives
1820 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1820?_ga=2.45009575.2084972955.1741276218-755645739.1741276218
Note: For the data.

William Warner
in the 1820 United States Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7734/records/166385?tid=&pid=&queryId=6f327c11-f22f-48ff-a316-60e1b9de1f93&_phsrc=unJ1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 1/6
Note: For the data.

A World Awash in Merino Sheep

(11) — twenty one records

Vermont History Explorer
Sheep in Vermont
https://vermonthistoryexplorer.org/sheep-in-vermont
Note: For the text.

The National Archives
1830 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1830?_ga=2.68161170.2084972955.1741276218-755645739.1741276218
Note: For the data.

Wm Warner
in the 1830 United States Federal Census
Vermont > Bennington > Sandgate
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8058/records/781387?tid=&pid=&queryId=f25c311a-c9c4-4a64-bab4-cdb98f9bf760&_phsrc=unJ7&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 1/12
Note: For the data.

Townscape of Bennington; Landscape View of Old Bennington, circa 1798
by Ralph Earl
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:View_of_Bennington,_by_Ralph_Earl_(1798).jpg
Note: For the landscape image.

James Ward Warner
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/L69H-5CC
Note: For the data.

Lucy Mercy Warner
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/LZ6N-QJX
Note: For the data.

Ira N Warner
Pension – United States, General Index to Pension Files, 1861-1934
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QJD5-MLYG?lang=en
Notes: For the data. James Warner was the beneficiary of his brother Ira’s military pension?  We find this curious because he and Julia were married in 1860 at beginning of Civil War.

Ira Nickerson Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/39675687/ira-n-warner
Note 1: For the data. His death date on his tombstone is incorrect.
Note 2: Posted at the findagrave website:
“Civil War Soldier – Source The Beacon News Online, May 13, 2005.
Ira Nickerson Warner, born in Sandgate, VT 20 May 1830 was the son of William Warner and Prudence Nickerson. He enlisted 29 July 1862; mustered in 1 September 1862 as Private, Company E, 10th Vermont Infantry. He was wounded May 10, 1864 in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia, the second major engagement in Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant’s Overland Campaign; 30,000 soldiers lost their lives during this battle that lasted 14 days. Source: U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865. In 1865 he married Julia ___ and had a son Fred born in 1866. He died in 1877 of typhoid pneumonia in Aurora, Kane, IL.”

Library of Congress
Taking the census — after sketch by Thomas Worth, circa 1870.
https://www.loc.gov/item/93510014/
Note: For the illustration.

The National Archives
1840 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1840?_ga=2.46571940.2084972955.1741276218-755645739.1741276218
Note: For the data.

Wm Warner
in the 1840 United States Federal Census
Sandgate > Bennington > Vermont
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8057/records/3433594?tid=&pid=&queryId=e99fa725-5ecf-4b6d-a915-76171699b658&_phsrc=unJ9&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 9/15
Note: For the data.

The National Archives
1850 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1850?_ga=2.43385638.2084972955.1741276218-755645739.1741276218
Note: For the data.

William Warner
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
Sandgate > Bennington > Vermont
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/1138454?tid=&pid=&queryId=586edbac-fa8d-451e-b15b-03df2333af9c&_phsrc=unJ11&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 3/21
Note: For the data, entry lines 13 and 14.

Mary Hecker [Meeker]
in the 1850 United States Federal Census
Vermont > Bennington > Sandgate
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8054/records/1138439?tid=&pid=&queryId=672895b9-401b-4f6a-963d-4078278551fd&_phsrc=nVv10&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 2/21, entry lines 40 to 42.
Note: Her married surname is Meeker, but in this file it is incorrectly recorded as Hecker.

William Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/91584571
and
William Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/16704128/william-warner
Note: For the data.

William Warner Sr 1770-1856
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/85459977/person/44522992343/media/da5e28d8-21ce-479f-bba0-208da4f29196?queryId=41c505ab-9453-432d-bce5-448937b1d2c9&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=unJ4&_phstart=successSource
Note: For his photographic portrait. It is linked to this file: https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/85459977/person/44522992343/facts

William Warner
in the Vermont, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9084/records/1048224
Note 1: For the documents.
Note 2: There are 10 documents in this set of estate papers, organized as Will, administration papers, guardianship papers, and order papers.

Prudence B Warner
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/70522415?tid=&pid=&queryId=a898bdda-9ee5-4082-b05b-37c14c260542&_phsrc=Qok1&_phstart=successSource
and
Prudence B Nickerson Warner
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97254137/prudence-b-warner
Note: For the data.

Sometimes Life Is A Circle

(12) — two records

Warp and weft
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warp_and_weft
Note: For the data.

Isolation: The Mayflower becalmed on a moonlit night
by Montague Dawson, (British, 1890-1973)
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Isolation–The-Mayflower-becalmed-on-a-m/FD8D6C1A6976C620
Note: For the image of the Mayflower painting.

The Soule Line, A Narrative — Five

This is Chapter Five of seven, where we continue the historical development of the Soule line, as it enigmatically weaves its way slowly westward across the Province of Masssachsetts Bay.

Preface

Family surnames have evolved over time as generations change. Some of these changes happen through clerical records when family surnames were influenced by both profession, and whoever did the record keeping. Even understanding that, family surnames can also change through marriage. Let’s take a moment to review how our primary family surnames have shifted in just a few generations.

The Last Generation, in Europe — We began in chapter one with many name variations being encountered: Sol/Sols/Solis/Soltz/Soule, which connected through marriage with Lapis/Labis/Labus/Lapres/Laber.

Generation One, in America — In chapters two and three, Soule combined with:
Becket/Buckett, to standardize the Soule surname.

Generation Two, in America — (chapter four) The Haskell/Frowd family married with the Soule family, and the Soule name ended for our family. (The Stone and Hardy families also played important roles.)

Generation Three, in America — (Here: chapter five) The Haskell name ends for our family, and this generation is known by the name of Drinkwater.

This vintage crazy quilt, circa 1882, is captioned “The crazy quilt given to Mia in 2016 by Carolyn Crandall Bremner and family in honor of their grandparents…” (Image courtesy of the Minneapolis Institute of Art).

Every Stone, Every Leaf, Every Clue

A crazy quilt is made from irregular patches of cloth embroidered and gathered together with little or no regard to pattern, but — each piece of cloth has a story, and when they combine, they create a new unique tale. This is how it was with this generation of Drinkwater ancestors: just a crazy quilt of names, locations, dates, and hints of missing history.

We have created a narrative that tells much of their story, and when we see a point where we are not sure exactly what happened, we qualify that part and tell you what we think happened and why.

We have diligently turned over every stone, every leaf, every clue, by pouring through many different resources all trying in vain to locate some concrete information about the early life and parentage of our 6x Great Grandfather, Thomas Drinkwater. Short of holding a séance, we don’t think that his life before he and Elizabeth Haskell met will truly be known, unless new information is discovered and released. (We would welcome that event). (1)

Genealogy research can be quite serious work.

The New England Colonies in the 1670s

This chapter begins with the world of Colonial New England being in a state of continual flux. The part of Massachusetts where they lived for much of their lives, is an area we are already familiar with — the Plymouth Colony going back to the 1620 arrival of the Mayflower. A little more than fifty years after George Soule arrived there, the entire region was engulfed in what is considered to be one of the deadliest conflicts in colonial history, King Phillip’s War. Many, many lives were lost and untold records were destroyed.

We don’t know exactly how, or when, Thomas Drinkwater and Elizabeth Haskell met, nor when they married. The lifetimes of Thomas Drinkwater and Elizabeth Haskell (in total), cover the 50 years from circa 1670 through 1715-20. We believe that they were married before 1699. The lives of their children cover almost the full breadth of the 18th century, from 1700 through 1790.

In the section below, Navigating Their Lives, we created a reconciled list of their children’s birthdates, marriage dates with spouses, and death dates. We needed to consult about 50-60 sources to verify details, so not all of them have footnotes. In doing that, we saw a great lack of conformity in record reporting, even with other modern researchers. We have tried to account for this by noting some important dates that affect interpretation of the surviving records. These items are noted just below this map.

New England Colonies in 1677. (Map courtesy of the National Geographic Society).

1643 — The official establishment and charter of the Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Note: We are using Rhode Island Colony for brevity.

1661 — Middleborough / Middleboro / Middlebury is the name of the place formerly called Nemasket. The official town spelling is Middleborough. Middleboro is a shortened form cited in many historical documents for many years, even after 1661. Middlebury is now an archaic form. (Middleborough is just east of Plymouth on the map above. See the John Seeler 1675 map in The Soule Line, A Narrative — Four, for more clarity).

In 1677, Massachusetts was made up of Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony plus the areas of New Hampshire, the Province of Maine, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. The Connecticut Colony and the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, were originally settled by people from Massachusetts. Maine was not officially a state until 1820.

1685 — Plymouth County is established, in anticipation of the merger with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (Prior to this date, it was simply Plymouth Colony).
and
1685 — Bristol County is also established due to this intended merger.

1691 — PMB explained — is an acronym for the Province of Massachusetts Bay, a royal colony. (The Plymouth Colony merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other territories to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay, which included the counties of Barnstable, Bristol, and Plymouth). Note: We are using PMB (in bold) for this designation for brevity.

1788 — On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts officially becomes a State. (2)

Navigating Their Lives

We have no actual birth and death records for Thomas Drinkwater, so the dates for his lifetime are inferred. We believe he was could have been born circa 1670, possibly in Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts, or possibly in Newport, Rhode Island Colony. (Even though we lack concrete evidence for either location). He died between the dates of September 10, 1711, and certainly before June 21, 1715. (See footnotes).

Map titled, A New and Accurate Map of the Colony of Massachusets Bay, In North America
from a Late Survey, circa 1780. (Image courtesy of the Boston Public Library).

We have used colors to indicate on this map the different locations where the family lived and where the children were born.

  • Gray —
    Plymouth and Duxbury are the origin places for the previous generation, and Plymouth is a possible origin place for the father Thomas Drinkwater.
  • Yellow —
    The mother Elizabeth Haskell, was born in Middleborough, July 2, 1672, as were three of her children (see below).
  • Red —
    The location of Freetown turns up in records as a place they lived, but no children are recorded as having been born there.

The eight children of Elizabeth Haskell and Thomas Drinkwater are:

  • Blue —
    Warren (aka Walter) Drinkwater, born August 8, 1700 in Newport, Newport*, Rhode Island Colony — died May 5, 1734 in Falmouth, Cumberland**, Maine.
    Note: Did he change his name from Warren to Walter? No. (See our extensive footnotes).
  • Green —William Drinkwater, born about 1701 in Touisset (an area of) Swansea, Bristol, PMB — died 1758 in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut Colony. He married first Elizabeth Benedict, December 18, 1728 in New Milford, Connecticut Colony; they had 12 children. (We are descended from William and his wife Elizabeth.) He married second Susanna Washburn, March 14, 1751. They had 4 more children.
  • Yellow —
    George Drinkwater, born about 1702 in Middleborough, Plymouth, PMB — died November 21, 1737 in Yarmouth, Cumberland**, District of Maine. He married Elizabeth Parker.
  • Yellow —
    John Drinkwater, born March 19, 1703 in Middleborough, PMB — died after 1772 in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut Colony, United States. He married Elizabeth Staple, September 23, 1742 in Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island Colony.
  • Yellow —
    Elizabeth Drinkwater, born June 18, 1708 in Middleborough, Plymouth, PMB— died after June 18, 1729. She married John Dudly, May 2, 1717 in Dighton, Bristol, PMB.
  • Orange —
    Joseph Drinkwater, born November 10, 1709 in Taunton, Bristol, PMB — died April 18, 1784 in North Yarmouth, Cumberland, District of Maine. He married Jane Latham May 18, 1732 in the same location.
  • Yellow or Orange —
    Samuel Drinkwater, born April 25, 1711 in either Middleborough or Taunton, PMB — died between 1771 to March 6, 1789 in Dighton, Bristol, PMB. He married Dorrity Joselin, April 25, 1734 in same location where he died.
  • Teal —
    Patience Drinkwater, born December 10, 1713 in Swansea, Bristol, PMB —  died 1790 in Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts State.

*became Newport County (in 1703), **became Cumberland County (in 1760)

Roger Williams Sheltered by the Narragansetts, by A. H. Wray, circa 1856. (Image courtesy of the New York Public Library).

Roger Williams (c. 1603 – March 1683) was an English-born New England Puritan minister, theologian, and author who founded Providence Plantations, which became the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and later the State of Rhode Island. He was a staunch advocate for religious freedom, separation of church and state, and fair dealings with the Native Americans. (Wikipedia).

Our Analysis: All of the births and deaths of these Great Aunts and Uncles seem pretty straightforward, except for these facts: What this map shows is that their first child (Warren), was born in Newport, Rhode Island Colony, followed by the birth of (William) in Swansea, PMB. Both locations are far away from the towns of Plymouth, Duxbury, and Middleborough, Massachusetts.

The next three children who followed, were born in Middleborough, which is near Elizabeth’s parents who were still living (for a few more years). Other family members were presumably in the area — their availability would have been helpful to this young and growing family.

Next, for child number six (Joseph), we move away again from Middleborough, to Tauton/Dighton.

For child seven (Samuel), born in Middleborough or Taunton, (but likely in Taunton).

Lastly, there is child eight (Patience), born as her older brother William was, in Swansea, PMB. For much of this period, there seems to be much relocation up and down the Taunton Great River.

What does all this mean in the absence of records? We can infer that there were a few years where they seem stable and living in Middleborough. Why were they there? Her parents John and Patience Haskell were near the ends of their lives and it’s plausible that Elizabeth wanted to be near them. Most of the other locations look like they could possibly be maritime related, or at least related to owning property near water that could then transport crops to market. (3)

Newport Rhode Island in 1730, by J.P. Newell. (Image courtesy of Posterazzi).

The Newport Mystery

Warren being born in Newport, Rhode Island Colony seemed especially odd because it just didn’t fit into any patterns we had seen before. The question became, why Newport? There are no records of the Drinkwater family name in the Plymouth area, until we encounter Thomas. Even though these locations don’t look that far apart on a map, in the 1670s, people just didn’t just pick up and move across land that was still considered to be a dangerous wilderness. When necessary, they probably traveled by water.

Had Thomas Drinkwater been a mariner? A captain of trading ships? More importantly, was there a family connection to that area? This is what we found:

Excerpted from pages 72-73 of the Rhode Island Court Records, Vol. II. Records of the Court of Trials of the Colony of Providence Plantation, 1662-1670. (Image courtesy of Ancestry.com).

A Thomas Drinkwatter (Note the two t’s in the surname spelling) was in Providence, Rhode Island Colony court in November 1668, for a case about illegally burning a fence. He was found not guilty. This event took place in November 1668 which was about two years before Thomas Drinkwater of Plymouth was born. That far back in time (over 350 years ago), there were very few Drinkwaters yet in New England.

We find it quite plausible that this person could be a relative — possibly a father, or an uncle? The fact that the case was in a Providence court was probably due to the fact that Providence was a more secure location inside of Narragansett Bay. That same Bay would have been the local superhighway for travel.

Summary: Our 6x Great Grandfather Thomas Drinkwater may have been from England, but it is more likely that his father, also named Thomas, was an immigrant from England. Our great grandfather was either born at the Rhode Island Providence Plantations, or he immigrated, as a very young child, with his family to America. He married our 6X Great Grandmother Elizabeth Haskell, probably in Middleborough, Massachusetts. They then set out for a life that took them from Newport, Rhode Island, to Plymouth County, Massachusetts, up and down the Great Taunton River. This crazy quilt of a life eventually fostered our 5x Great Grandfather William Drinkwater. (4)

To Finally Slip Away

We learned that Thomas Drinkwater died Intestate (without a Will). On the fifth line in the Drinkwater document below it indicates “Lately dyed Intestate.” This document, dated June 25, 1715, appoints his wife, Elizabeth Drinkwater, as the administrator of his inventory, listed as goods, chattels and credits*.  The list of inventory is also shown below. The document lists September 20 and December 20, 1715 as dates by which the inventory needs to be completed.

We often see June 25, 1715 as the death date for Thomas Drinkwater. This document tells us that he died sometime before that date.

* Goods and chattels generally refer to property that is not real estate… In common law , the term broadly included any moveable property or property rights that did not involve land and real estate, including rights such as leases.” (Cornell Law School)

From the Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967.
The document date is June 25, 1715.
The inventory and administration papers of Thomas Drinkwater’s estate.

Notice on the above court document the signatures of Thomas Drinkwater’s sons William Hascall and Josiah Hascall. At first it appears as their signatures, but looking closely you can see the mark X indicating they could not write their names.

We have not located (nor has anyone else) an actual death record for Elizabeth (Haskell) Drinkwater, but nonetheless, we do not understand the 1715 date attached to her ‘findagrave.com’ website file. We believe that it is unlikely she actually died in 1715, because she is signing documents involved with the administration of her husband Thomas Drinkwater’s estate during that time. She had probably passed on by the early 1720s because several of her children are recorded as being involved in property transactions during that period.

We started this chapter by describing crazy quilts. Our Grandmother Lulu Gore used to sit in the church basement with her lady friends, everyone engaged in a group sewing activity. Working together, they carefully crafted quilts which were stretched tightly across wooden frames. It was always a shared experience — the quilting, the sewing, and the sharing of stories about the lives of their children. (5)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Every Stone, Every Leaf, Every Clue

(1) — one record

Minneapolis Institute of Art
Mia’s newest crazy quilt recalls a grandmother’s love—and talent
by Leslie Ory Lewellen
https://new.artsmia.org/stories/mias-new-crazy-quilt-recalls-a-grandmothers-love-and-talent
Note: For the crazy quilt photo.

The New England Colonies in the 1670s

(2) — four records

The National Geographic Society
New England Colonies in 1677
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/massachusetts-1677/
Note: For the map image.

Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colony_of_Rhode_Island_and_Providence_Plantations
Note: For location confirmation and dates.

Plymouth County, Massachsetts
About
https://www.plymouthcountyma.gov/about
Note: For the 1685 text.

National Park Service
Explorers and Settlers
Historical Background
https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/explorers/intro25.htm#:~:text=In%201691%2C%20Massachusetts%20was%20granted,as%20formerly%2C%20but%20also%20Plymouth.
Note: For this text: “In 1691, Massachusetts was granted a new charter, as a royal colony, and to it was attached not only Maine, as formerly, but also Plymouth.”

Navigating Their Lives

(3) — nineteen records

The Arms of Drinkwater of Salford County, Lancashire.
Note: We have not been able to prove this familial connection, but we wanted to address this matter since it is out there causing mischief.

Thomas Drinkwater Death
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/73615725
and
Thomas Drinkwater
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124601468/thomas-drinkwater
Notes: For both entries, the June 25, 1715 date given for his death is not correct. He died sometime between the dates December 10, 1713— when his last child was born and before June 25, 1715 when his wife was in court being named his administrator because he died Intestate. It is most likely he died near the June 1715 date because the court would not have waited too long after his death to have his inventory completed and his debts paid.

On September 11, 1715 he quitclaimed a deed to John Hascall (brother-in-law) for land his wife inherited from her father, who had passed away.

Thomas Drinkwater
in the Mayflower Deeds and Probates, 1600-1850
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3223/records/13888
Note: September 10, 1711 Quit claim deed record.

Thomas Drinkwater
in the Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9069/records/6848912
Plymouth > Probate Estate Files, No 6744-6790, Drew, William-Dunbar Jesse, Ca. 1686-1881
Digital pages: 104-108/1009 (5 pages Total)
Notes: Document file number is 6747. Probate date is January 21, 1715. It says that he lived in Midbury [Middleborough], Plymouth County.

Elizabeth Drinkwater
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/73615804
Note: For her death record.
and
Elizabeth Haskell Drinkwater
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124601558/elizabeth-drinkwater
Note: For her death record.

Boston Public Library
Norman B. Levanthal Map & Education Center Collection
A New and Accurate Map of the Colony of Massachusets Bay, In North America from a Late Survey
https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:wd3765665
Note: Published in London in 1780.

Sources to create a compilation of the Thomas Drinkwater / Elizabeth Haskell children, were derived from these files—

Thomas Drinkwater
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/21443362/person/1084690133/facts
Note: These files still required verification and clarity before we could use them.

The Strange Case of Warren and Walter Drinkwater of Freetown, MA – Ruth Wilder Sherman
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/174263639/person/152378340108/media/9c6b8570-ea8b-4eaa-8775-3b092cd01479?galleryindex=1&sort=-created&filter=p

“Although Mayflower records state Warren was born at Middleboro, MA, Rhode Island vital records claim he was born at Newport. Mayflower records have omitted Walter from their list of Thomas’s children, saying ‘although the Drinkwater Family names the eldest son Walter, a diligent search has failed to find any reference to such a person.’ The 1991 addendum to this volume further explains that “Walter changed his name from Walter to Warren” which simply adds to the confusion. (He’s called Warren at birth).

Files however, show there was such a person with two references to Walter and one to Warren taken from Plymouth County deeds. Aug. 1, 1721, Walter Drinkwater of Freetown, (sold) two-ninths to James Rayment; Mar. 15, 1722, Walter Drinkwater of Freetown, to Stephen Easton and Sep 17, 1723, Warren Drinkwater of Freetown to Thomas Croade. The files contain references to all eight of Thomas Drinkwater’s children who deeded one-ninth of the share of their father’s estate, with the eldest deeding two-ninths. The eldest appears to be Walter with no mention of Warren. So, from the records cited, there is a Warren born in 1700, a Walter in 1721, a Walter in 1722 and a Warren in 1723. The only explanation appears to be that Warren changed his name to Walter, it was recorded incorrectly in the records, or they were two separate men. William Coddington, Town Clerk recorded Warren’s birth as May 29, 1723. There is no known marriage or children.

Comments: His father was not alive in 1723, and it is not likely that his mother was either — so the town clerk William Coddington must have been writing about some other Drinkwater family. In addition, May 23, 1723 is after the other property transactions were already concluded.

To support the Ruth Wilder Sherman viewpoint, we provide the following:
Rhode Island, U.S., Vital Extracts, 1636-1899
for Warren Drinkwater
Vol. 04: Newport County: Births, Marriages, Deaths
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3897/records/51157
Book page: 94, Digital page: 218/691,
Note 1: The only Drinkwater reference on the page, it is found at the center, as entry 57
Note 2: It is a reference for a birth. The text reads, “57 DRINKWATER Warren, of Thomas and Elizabeth, Aug. 8, 1700.”
and
Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2
forWarren Drinkwater
Volume 2
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3718/records/12189
Book page: 298, Digital page: 301/551
Note: File is just below.

We also discovered several references to Warren Drinkwater connected with three of his brothers and their life in North Yarmouth, Province of Maine.

The above excerpt is from:
Ancient North Yarmouth and Yarmouth, Maine, 1636-1936: a history
Chapter III. North Yarmouth — A plantation. 1690-1733
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/21850/images/dvm_LocHist007949-00051-1?usePUB=true&pId=94
Book page: 79, Digital page: 97/473

As Warren Drinkwater, he is cited in the three court records a couple of years before he passed on:

Drinkwater, Warren
in the Maine Court Records, 1696-1854
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6888/records/41073?tid=&pid=&queryId=58b948a1-40a1-4b77-b90f-35852028f470&_phsrc=bgv5&_phstart=successSource
Note: Court case for debts, January 1732.
and
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6888/records/41108?tid=&pid=&queryId=92ddc495-1aaf-4e32-ac54-58fc3f20ac86&_phsrc=bgv7&_phstart=successSource
Note: Court case for debts, April 1732.
and
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6888/records/47593?tid=&pid=&queryId=3d6e8635-f754-4349-af35-e67ff42119c4&_phsrc=bgv9&_phstart=successSource
Note: Court case for debts, July 1732.

Conclusion: This ancestor was born named Warren Drinkwater. Walter is either his middle name (if he had one), a nick-name (if he had one), or it is a clerical error on past paperwork. OR WAS HE A TWIN?

Comment: Even though we are not descendants of the brother Joseph Drinkwater, we wanted to share this 1901 newspaper clipping we came across here: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/249845059/joseph-drinkwater . Please note that there are several documents at this location, but some of them could be unverified, apocryphal information.

New York Public Library
Roger Williams Sheltered by the Narragansetts
by A. H. Wray, circa 1856
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8bfe7940-ba01-0132-96dc-58d385a7bbd0
Note: For this image.

Roger Williams
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Williams
Note: For his short biographical text.

Posterazzi
Newport Rhode Island in 1730
by J.P. Newell
https://www.posterazzi.com/newport-rhode-island-in-1730-j-p-newell-poster-print-item-varsal900116360/
Note: For the harbor image.

The Newport Mystery

(4) — two records

Rhode Island Court Records, Vol. II. Records of the Court of Trials of the Colony of Providence Plantation, 1662-1670
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/17373/images/dvm_PrimSrc000293-00082-0?queryId=8d913042-3192-4727-84aa-18d70120de9b&usePUB=true&_phsrc=wcy1&_phstart=successSource&pId=99&rcstate=dvm_PrimSrc000293-00098-0:365,3358,655,3407;668,3348,900,3401;562,3423,790,3477;617,3569,819,3614;461,546,612,651;469,832,592,917;471,830,690,942;544,1039,769,1085;585,1182,752,1227;468,1396,586,1460;462,1891,499,1931;633,1956,883,2051;512,2028,751,2111;535,2244,680,2322;552,2452,705,2510;572,2663,724,2744
Book page: 72-73, Digital page: 160-161
Note 1: The Volume II title page is at this link: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/17373/images/dvm_PrimSrc000293-00046-0?usePUB=true&_phsrc=nIq5&pId=54
Note 2: In the original court record of the case is on page 253.
Note 3: In the manner in which the cases are transcribed, makes it appear that this case was tried in 1668, possibly in November.

To Finally Slip Away

(5) — three records

Cornell Law School
Legal Information Institute, Good and Chattels
https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/goods_and_chattels
Note: For the legal definition.

Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Probate Records, 1633-1967
Probate records 1708-1717 and 1817-1861 vol 3-3P
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-997D-ZXLV?lang=en&i=181
Book page: 341, Digital page: 182/710
Note: For the record of probate.

Thomas Drinkwater
in the Massachusetts, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9069/records/6848912
Plymouth > Probate Estate Files, No 6744-6790, Drew, William-Dunbar Jesse, Ca. 1686-1881
Digital pages: 104-108/1009 (5 pages Total)
Note 1: 2 documents presented within document file number is 6747.
Note 2: The probate date is January 21, 1715, and it says that he lived in Midbury [Middleborough], Plymouth County

The Soule Line, A Narrative — Four

This is Chapter Four of seven. In this Generation Two in America we learn a bit about the Stone, Haskell, and Hardy families who were early English immigrants to the Massachusetts Colony. Our 7x Great Grandparents John and Patience Haskell continue the history.

The Haskell Family Were Originally From Somerset, England

The Haskell family can be reliably traced back to William Haskell and Elinor Frowd of Charlton Parish, northern Wiltshire, England. This small Parish is near the Shire borders of Dorset, Somerset, and Wiltshire. Elinor and William had seven children, all baptized at this parish, including the oldest son Roger, who was Christened March 6, 1613/14. William Haskell died and is buried there, circa 1630.

From the Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages,
and Burials, 1531-1812
, this reads “Roger Haskall the son of William Haskall was baptized
the 6th day of March — 1613. (Image courtesy of Ancestry.com).

The widow Elinor Haskell, then married John Stone “a fellow also with a son, whose wife had died. John Stone had a Certificate from the Minister at Hawkhurst, that stated, they were conformable to the Church of England”, so they immigrated to America [sailing on] the “Elizabeth of London” and tradition is that they sailed from Bristol, England to Salem, [Massachusetts Colony] and anchored in the North River off Massey’s Cove. 

Observations: If they were comformable with the Church of England, they may have been Puritans. “On March 19, 1628, the King [Charles I] granted a royal charter to the Massachusetts Bay Company, promoting the settlement of the territory ‘from sea to sea’ that had been granted to the Puritans, and to govern its colonies. The charter was the first foundation of government for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.” (See footnotes). Therefore, we wonder if those people who were allowed to immigrate to the Massachusetts Bay Colony were encouraged to be Puritans. The Plymouth Colony never received this same status from any King of England. This is one of the contributing factors as to why the Plymouth Colony was eventually absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.

“It was common in those early days of the settlement of the new world, that you would gain a deed to the property after having lived there one year. It was an incentive to have people come from England and etc. to move to the new world or the frontier. Often they would apply for additional lands as the years went by.

The Hardships + Sacrifice Masseys Cove Salem 1626 The First Winter. A mighty nation was born God leading these noble men and women.” by John Orne Johnson Frost, circa 1920-28.
(Image courtesy of Historic New England).

Salem and Beverly was separated by a river, and from the increased traffic, it became necessary to provide the means to cross the river and a ferry was provided. John Stone owned and operated the ferry from Massey’s Cove in Salem, later selling it to William Dixie. In a grant of 1637, John Stone and family received 10 acres and on January 1, 1638 an additional 30 acres with him being recorded as having seven in the household…

Roger worked as a farmer and also with John Hardy as a fisherman. The first few years of the Salem Colony, they followed the sea and made fishing their livelihood. It was while he was thus employed, that he became interested in the daughter of John Hardy and undoubtedly had many occasions to come into contact with her during those great fishing years. Roger Haskell and Elizabeth Hardy marry before 1644, when the father-in-law [John Hardy] interceded [with] 6 acres of Meadow Land for Roger. They lived with the Hardys for several years before moving to a house of their own. They had nine children; John, William, Mark, Elizabeth, Hannah, Roger, Josiah, Sarah, and Samuel — 6 boys and 3 girls. 

John Hardy became a well-to-do landowner, and in his Will which “was proved on January 30, 1652… he bequeathed all his land lying near the Basse River to Roger Haskell — my son-in-law (being all the land given him by the town of Salem). He gave Roger a steer and a cow which Roger was then taking care of, also an Ox which John’s wife Elizabeth was to pick from three in the William Flint herd.

Providence 1650, by Jean Blackburn.
(Scene of colonial agriculture). (Image courtesy of Ag Learning Hub).

Roger served on a Jury 1655, 1662, and 1664, also was the Constable of the Basse River side for Salem for two years 1657 and 58. He was in the Court Record several times in connection with his job. Due to the land descriptions being somewhat clouded, Roger was in the courts many times clarifying descriptions. Old deeds and documents are most interesting and would often present a problem, as an instance, take this strange and unusual boundary, ‘running to a white oak with a birds nest in it’. Roger acquired considerable land holdings and was in court many times about boundaries.” (FamilySearch Library, 400 Years With Haskells — FSL400) (1)

Enter John Haskell

“John Haskell, [born about 1640, the husband of Patience Soule], was the first son of Roger Haskell, an emigrant from England, and Elizabeth Hardy whose father was in the fishing business. An interesting item was that John was sued for Breach of Promise in an Ipswitch, term of Court by John Proctor, in March of 1665 on behalf of his daughter Martha, which he won. 

It must have not deterred John though, because he married Patience Soule in January 1666.” (FSL400) Their marriage is recorded in the records for Middleborough, Plymouth, Massachusetts Colony.

Patience Sole in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. (Image courtesy of Ancestry.com).

The map below has three arrows on it, for indications as to where these ancestors were born and raised. John Haskell is from Salem [Essex County], indicated by the uppermost white arrow. We already know that Patience Soule is from Duxbury, as shown by the lower white arrow. The bright green arrow indicates where the town of Middleborough, just east of Plymouth, is located. This is where they lived and raised their own family.

A mapp [sic] of New England, by John Seller, circa 1675. A foundation in the early history of the mapping of New England, this map is the first printed version of William Read’s original survey of 1665. (Image courtesy of the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Collection, of the Boston Public Library).

1661 — Middleborough / Middleboro / Middlebury is the name of the place formerly called Nemasket. The official town spelling is Middleborough. Middleboro is a shortened form cited in many historical documents for many years, even after 1661. Middlebury is now an archaic form.

“As the town records were destroyed in the [King Phillip’s] war, it is impossible to give an exact list of men living in Middleborough… John [and Patience] lived in Middleborough before the year 1670, as the town records show birth of children between that time and the year 1684… [Nonetheless] it is hardly probable that the court at Plymouth would have incorporated a town unless there had been a larger number of inhabitants. We give below a list of forty-one who are known to have lived here, as the names are to be found in Plymouth records, in deeds, as office-holders and freemen, from records of births and deaths, as well as from reliable family note-books, and seven who were here according to generally accepted tradition.” – listed is John Haskall. (History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts – HTM) (2)

The Haskell children in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. (Image courtesy of Ancestry.com).

The Haskell Family Children

John and Patience had eight children over a period of about 16 years. All of the children were likely born in Middleborough, Plymouth County [as such in 1685]. All deaths were in the Province of Massachusetts Bay [as such in 1691], unless otherwise noted.

In 1685, Plymouth County and Bristol County were established, in anticipation of pending merger with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. (Prior to this date, it was simply Plymouth Colony).

In 1691, The Plymouth Colony merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other territories to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay, a royal colony. The included counties of Barnstable, Bristol, and Plymouth continued to exist). We use PMB for this designation for brevity.

  • John Haskell, Jr., born June 11, 1670 — died February 17, 1728 in Killingly, Connecticut. He married Mary Squire, March 2, 1700 in Middleborough; they had 12 children.
  • Elizabeth Haskell, born July 2, 1672 — died 1715 in Middleborough, Plymouth County. She married Thomas Drinkwater, circa 1695-99 in Middleborough; they had 8 children. We are descended from Elizabeth and Thomas.
  • William Haskell, born June 11, 1674 — died __________________.
  • Patience Haskell, born February 1, 1679 — died February 14, 1706 in Middleborough, Plymouth County.
  • Bethiah Haskell, born January 15, 1681 — died after March 1739 in Rochester, Plymouth County. She married first Richard Westcott, May 10, 1715 in Dighton, Bristol County. She married second Thomas Childs, August 29, 1727 in Rochester, Plymouth County; she married third, William Sherman; one child.
  • Mary Haskell, born July 4, 1684 — died date unknown. She married Scotto Clarke, April 17, 1706 in Rochester, Plymouth County; they had 10 children.
  • Josiah Haskell, born June 18, 1686 — died in Freetown, Bristol County, before March 1775. He married first Sarah Kenedy/Canady, March 26, 1718 in Middleborough, Plymouth County; they had 6 children. He married second Sarah Brayley, March 27, 1729 in the same location; they had four more children.
  • Susannah Haskell, born January 15, 1691 — died in Freetown, Bristol County, between 1723 and 1731. She married  Thomas Paine, February 21, 1712 in Taunton; they had 5 children. (3)

Also Known As Middleboro John

He was one of twelve who were freemen before the year 1689, and was a large owner of real estate in the Twentysix Men’s Purchase, [and the Sixteen Shillings Purchase], with other purchases. [These purchased properties can be inferred from the map shown below on the left]. At one time he owned, with his brother-in-law, Francis Walker, a tract of land bounded by Raven Brook and the Indian Path, which included the pasture land and swamp later owned by Joshua Eddy, Esq. (HTM)

Two maps from the book, the History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston. The map on the left is a foldout map, that was not completely digitally archived. The map on the right is from 1853, and shows the same area with the town of Middleboro indicated. (See footnotes).

Some records refer to John Haskell as Middleboro John because he owned so much property there. “He not only was a farmer, but also [did] work in wood. He traded 30 wooden oars to Erasmus/Eramus James for one black horse, to be delivered January 15, 1676 at Bass River Ferry. [About the oars], 12 of them to be 26 feet long, 12 to be 24 feet long, and 6 to be 22 feet long. 

Even though he lived in Middleboro there was a great many dealings in the public record, several Beverly business transactions where his father lived, and also with his Uncle William. The family may have thought John wasn’t given a fair share in his father, Roger Haskell’s, Will, for they had him sue his mother and her [second] husband William Berry. Also a forty acre adjustment of land with Richard Dodge which necessitated an original deed of his father’s.” (FSL400)

It would seem that life was pretty good, but fate sometimes intrudes… “they had none of the luxuries, or what we consider to-day comforts, of life; there was also the extreme danger from hostile Indians before King Philip’s War, and the constant annoyance and depredations from wolves and bears, which attacked not only their crops, but sometimes the settlers themselves.’’ (HTM) (4)

The Middleborough Fort and King Phillip’s War

For those of us living today, it’s somewhat difficult to appreciate the utter wilderness that New England was in this period, despite the fact that many native Peoples had lived in the area for many years. This was a region that was in transition and accordingly, it would never be the same. Our ancestors, the Haskell / Soule family were living in a frontier community during this period.

“The proximity to Plymouth [to the East] had for some time kept the early settlers here informed of the danger feared by the authorities. In accordance with the requirements of the laws of the colony, Middleboro men had built a fort for their protection on the western bank of the Nemasket River, not far from the old Indian wading-place, on the land owned in later years by Colonel Peter H. Peirce. No description of this has come down to us. It was evidently something more than a garrison house, and was large enough to accommodate, for more than six weeks, the inhabitants of the town, who, with the men, women, and children, probably numbered seventy-five or more. It was enclosed with a wall strong enough to have deterred the many roving bands of hostile Indians from attempting to attack or to surround it.

During King Phillip’s War, Nipmuc Indians Attack the Settlement of Brookfield, Massachusetts in August 1675, attributed to the English School. (Image courtesy of Meisterdrucke, UK).

The war began on the 24th day of June, 1675, [near] the then frontier town of Swansea. The Sunday previous, the Indians had killed many of the cattle belonging to the settlers. Nine men were killed on the highway, and shortly after eight more. Gershom Cobb, a resident of Middleboro, was among the number… Encouraged by the success of their first encounter, they extended their operations to other parts of the colony, stealthily hiding in woods and swamps, behind fences and bushes, killing the whites as they came upon them, and burning their houses.

Shortly before this, many occurrences had served to confirm the fears of the Middleboro settlers. Some of the Indians were sullen and morose, manifesting unusual boldness and eagerness in procuring firearms and powder at almost any cost. This, in addition to ofificiousness [in a domineering manner] in many acts of friendliness with the evident design of covering some plot, did not deceive the settlers, who found their cows milked, and occasionally some animal missing. Most of the inhabitants, especially those living far from the center, thought it unsafe to remain about their farms and came to the garrison, some taking their provision and household furniture, others in such haste that they left everything, on hearing of the attack on Swansea. They were unable to gather any of their crops, and no aid could be sent from Plymouth, as all of the available forces in the colony had been despatched [sic] to towns where the danger was even greater than at Middleboro.

Illustration from “Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Guns Of King Philip’s War.”
(See footnotes).

After the [Middleboro] mill was burned, many of the houses were destroyed by fire; among them the houses of John Tomson, William Nelson, Obadiah Eddy, John Morton, Henry Wood, George Dawson, Francis Coombs, and William Clark.

The inhabitants who had found refuge in the fort remained about six weeks; then it was deemed wise to go to Plymouth. With the small amount of provisions, arms, and ammunition, they would have been wholly unable to resist a siege or an attack from as large a band of warriors as had destroyed Swansea and other towns in the colony. After the abandonment of the fort, it was burned by the Indians. The inhabitants remained in Plymouth till after the close of the war, as did also the inhabitants of Dartmouth and Swansea.

In King Philip’s War, so far as [it] relates to Plymouth Colony, the decisive battle was the engagement at Scituate. If the Indians had not been defeated at that battle, it was their intention to go down along the coast, burn all of the houses, and destroy the inhabitants. Plymouth was not sufficiently fortified to have escaped the general massacre. The able-bodied men in the western part of the colony had joined the forces of Captain Church to meet the Indians, and their families had gone to Plymouth… The little fort at Middleboro was the only one on the west, and there was nothing to have prevented the Indians, had they passed Scituate, from continuing their march of destruction to Plymouth.” (History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts – HTM) (5)

We wonder what Patient (Soule) Haskell really looked like, what her personality was like,
what her thoughts were like?
Artwork which portrays Pilgrim and Puritan women almost always features pious, demure, serious, even dour poses . These moods are choices for ‘ideas about personality’ made by later artists, who are mostly men. As a consequence, these artworks never cover the full range of emotions these women felt from their lived experiences. (For images, see footnotes).

An Outcry

None of us really have any true control on how history records us. The only story we have found about Patience Haskell is a civic matter that involves ‘an out cry’ and a meeting house. From Middleboro History (HTM) —

May 20, 1700.
“Being a town meeting it was voted by the inhabitants that 40 shillings shall be raised on the town to be expended on the raising of the meeting house for the refreshment of such as shall be at the raising. It is likewise agreed on and carried by the vote of the inhabitants of the town that the meeting house shall be raised on that piece of land that lies between the two roads, that is to say, on the Northerly side of the County Road that leads to Plymouth and on the Southeast side of the road that leads to Bridgewater.”

Much more than a year later… August 5, 1701.
At a town meeting of the inhabitants of Midleberry Aug. 5, 1701, the meeting house was exposed to seale at an outcry and Patiance Hascall, the wife of John Hascall, bid five pounds, 2 shillings money to be paid to the selectmen within 3 months and the meeting house to be removed some time between this and winter.” Was this an auction to raise money to build a new meeting house, or tear down the old one? It’s confusing. (HTM)

Or maybe Patience was confused because she was just getting on in years?
Our take on this: If you believe that she was a little bit antsy to get things going on building the new meeting house, you could say she was being Mrs. imPatience Haskall — or —perhaps she got caught up in the moment, because she just wanted to win (!) That was a lot of money to spend back then, even for a meeting house. (6)

Exactly Nine Months Between Them

Patience died March 15, 1705, aged about 58 years and John died exactly none months later on May 15, 1706, aged about sixty-six years. They are buried in the Miles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Neither one left a Will; both dying intestate.

Patience (Soule) Haskell’s 1705/06 death record, and John Haskell’s 1706 death record, in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. (Image courtesy of Ancestry.com).

The next generation of this family line continues with the marriage and children of daughter Elizabeth Haskell to a new family line, that of Thomas Drinkwater. Due to the King Phillip’s War, many records from their time period were utterly destroyed, yet, we have been able to weave together a story about their life together. The next three generations are about the Drinkwater Family. (7)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

The Haskell Family Were Originally From Somerset, England

(1) — eight records

Roger Haskall in the 
Somerset, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages,
and Burials, 1531-1812

Charlton Musgrove > 1538-1764
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60856/records/938903?tid=&pid=&queryId=f306b694-0713-4f69-baa7-a51945fa9b57&_phsrc=BnS35&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 16/42. Right page, 6th entry from the top.
Note 1: For his Christening record.
Note 2: Note that church calendar years then ran from April to April in this period. Since his birthday was in March, he was actually born in March 1614, by today’s calendar.

John Stone
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/147265285?tid=&pid=&queryId=e9cc19b1-2d7f-4192-b44d-2ef32ecc451e&_phsrc=BnS32&_phstart=successSource
and
John Stone

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/183486616/john-stone

(FSL400)
FamilySearch Library
400 Years With Haskells
by Ivan Youd Haskell
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/559000-redirect#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Note: Family Search Identifier #692782, for the text and chart.

Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
William Francis Galvin
Historical Sketch of Massachusetts > Early European Contact
https://www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/cis/historical/historical-sketch.htm#:~:text=On%20March%2019%2C%201628%2C%20the,for%20the%20Massachusetts%20Bay%20Colony.
Note: For this text: “On March 19, 1628, the King granted a royal charter to the Massachusetts Bay Company, promoting the settlement of the territory “from sea to sea” that had been granted to the Puritans, and to govern its colonies. The charter was the first foundation of government for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.”

Historic New England
“The Hardships + Sacrifice Masseys Cove Salem 1626 The First Winter. A mighty nation was born God leading these noble men and women. JOJ Frost Marblehead.”
by John Orne Johnson Frost, circa 1920-28
https://www.historicnewengland.org/explore/collections-access/gusn/179828
Note: For the landscape image.

John Hardy, in the 
New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2496/records/2003?tid=&pid=&queryId=3ada0a72-b896-4161-ac7d-ea4862c0944a&_phsrc=Ixt2&_phstart=successSource

Ag Learning Hub
Agriculture During the Colonial Period in the Americas
https://aglearninghub.com/agriculture-during-the-colonial-period-in-the-americas/
Note: For the agricultural image.

Enter John Haskell

(2) — four records

(FSL400)
FamilySearch Library
400 Years With Haskells
by Ivan Youd Haskell
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/559000-redirect#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Note: Family Search Identifier #692782, for the text and chart.

This chart with our Haskell ancestors is found on digital page: 392/434.

Patience Sole in the
Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
Middleborough > Town and Proprietors’ Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2495/records/58976985?tid=&pid=&queryId=74e44bb9-cd86-4ead-b121-00571c865af0&_phsrc=zBu4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 3, Digital page: 3/136
Note: Her marriage record to John Haskell.

Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center Collection,
of the Boston Public Library
A mapp [sic] of New England,
by John Seller, circa 1675.
https://collections.leventhalmap.org/search/commonwealth:3f462s90h
Note: “A foundation in the early history of the mapping of New England, this map is the first printed version of William Reed’s original survey of 1665. The survey was commissioned by Massachusetts authorities to support the colonial boundaries as described in the first Massachusetts Charter of 1628.”

(HTM)
Library of Congress
History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston, 1834-1920
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyoftownofm00wes/?c=160&sp=5&st=pdf
Note: For the text.

The Haskell Family Children

(3) — four records

Plymouth County, Massachsetts
About
https://www.plymouthcountyma.gov/about
Note: For the 1685 text.

National Park Service
Explorers and Settlers
Historical Background
https://www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/explorers/intro25.htm#:~:text=In%201691%2C%20Massachusetts%20was%20granted,as%20formerly%2C%20but%20also%20Plymouth.
Note: For this text: “In 1691, Massachusetts was granted a new charter, as a royal colony, and to it was attached not only Maine, as formerly, but also Plymouth.”

John Haskall
in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
Middleborough > Births, Marriages and Death
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2495/records/11903022
Book page: 143, Digital page: 67/2504. Right page, bottom entries.
Note: This document lists — John, Elizabeth, William, Patience, Bethiah, Mary, Josiah, (skip a space) and Susannah.

Patience (Soule) Haskell (abt. 1648 – 1706)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Soule-82
Note: Although this file is quite good, we needed to research each individual child.

Also Known As Middleboro John

(4) — four records

(HTM)
Library of Congress
History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston, 1834-1920
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyoftownofm00wes/?c=160&sp=5&st=pdf
Note 1: For the text.
Digital page for the maps vary, see specific notes below —
Note 2: For the partial foldout Map of Original Purchases From The Indians, Digital pages: 627-628/779.
Note 3: For the Map of Middleboro in 1853, Digital page: 17/779.

(FSL400)
FamilySearch Library
400 Years With Haskells
by Ivan Youd Haskell
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/559000-redirect#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Note: Family Search Identifier #692782, for the text.

Wooden sports kayak paddle isolated on white background.
https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/wooden-sports-kayak-paddle-isolated-on-1662186265
Note: For the image.

Library of Congress
History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston, 1834-1920
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyoftownofm00wes/?c=160&sp=5&st=pdf
Note: For the text.

The Middleboro Fort and King Phillip’s War

(5) — three records

(HTM)
Library of Congress
History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston, 1834-1920
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyoftownofm00wes/?c=160&sp=5&st=pdf
Note: For the text.

Meisterdrucke, UK
Nipmuc Indians Attack the Settlement of Brookfield, Massachusetts in August 1675
attributed to the English School
https://www.meisterdrucke.uk/fine-art-prints/School-English/1090351/Nipmuc-Indians-attack-the-settlement-of-Brookfield,-Massachusetts-in-August-1675-(coloured-engraving).html
Note: For the image.

Frontier Partisans
Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Guns Of King Philip’s War
by Jim Cornelius
https://frontierpartisans.com/27781/firearms-of-the-frontier-partisans-the-guns-of-king-philips-war/
Note: For the illustration.

An Outcry!

(6) — one records

(HTM)
Library of Congress
History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston, 1834-1920
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyoftownofm00wes/?c=160&sp=5&st=pdf
Note: For the text.

Exactly Nine Months Between Them

(7) — eight records

Patience Hascol
in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
Middleborough > Town Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2495/records/11057713?tid=&pid=&queryId=cd915ce6-5e82-4813-b209-fa0ec3cae38a&_phsrc=zBu1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 4, Digital page: 19/1022
Note: For her death record.
and
Patience Haskell
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/73615547
and here:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124601265/patience-haskell
Note: For her death record.

John Hascol Sr
in the Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988
Middleborough > Town Records, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2495/records/11057672?tid=&pid=&queryId=86becdb1-9936-40bb-b51b-9eb6b558d52e&_phsrc=LSY18&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 4, Digital page: 19/1022
Note: For his death record.
and
John Haskell
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/73615461
and here:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124601170/john-haskell
Note: For his death record.

Library of Congress
A Fair Puritan
by E. Percy Moran
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3g04290/
Note: For the portrait on the left.
and
Quahog.org
Rhode Island History Exhumed
Old Stone Bank History of Rhode Island: Anne Hutchinson
https://quahog.org/FactsFolklore/History/OSBHoRI/Anne_Hutchinson
Note: For the portrait on the right.

The Soule Line — A Narrative, Three

This is Chapter Three of seven. It’s important to understand that this era was filled with much conflict. The new British America in which the Soule family lived, was exceedingly different from their European experience.

In this chapter, we are starting to explore the life experiences of the Second Generation in America. Like all generations, the one that follows sometimes does things a bit differently than their parents did…

“In my extreme old age and weakness been tender…”

Mary (Becket/Buckett) Soule died circa December 1676. She is buried in the Miles Standish Burial Ground, Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. We know her death date because — her son John Soule indicated this in his account of “the inventory of the goods of George Soule, circa 1679, that ‘since my mother died which was three yeer the Last December except some smale time my sister Patience Dressed his victualls.’ (Pilgrim Hall Museum)

George Soule died shortly before 22 January 1679, when inventory was taken of his estate. He is also buried at Myles Standish Burial Ground in Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts.

“George Soule [had] made his will on 11 August 1677 and mentions his eldest son John ‘my eldest son John Soule and his family hath in my extreme old age and weakness been tender and careful of me and very helpful to me.’ John was his executor and to whom was given nearly all of Soule’s estate.

But after he wrote his will, on 12 September 1677 George seemed to have second thoughts and made a codicil to the will to the effect that if John or any family member were to trouble his daughter Patience or her heirs, the Will would be void. And if such happened, Patience would then become the executor of his last Will and Testament with virtually all that he owned becoming hers. To put his youngest daughter to inherit his estate ahead of his eldest son would have been a major humiliation for John Soule. But John must have done well in his father’s eyes since after his father’s death, he did inherit the Duxbury estate. Twenty years later Patience and her husband sold the Middleboro estate they had received from her father.” (Wikipedia)

We observed that in the inventory list of his estate, there was this notation —“Item bookes” — which reinforces the observation that George Soule was a literate, educated man who read. Most people in the Plymouth Colony did not own books, unless it was a Bible. We wish we knew what the titles of these books were, but we will never know and can only dream of what their pages revealed to this ___ Great-Grandfather.

George Soule, with his long life, had outlived all of his associates who were involved in William Brewster’s Subterfuge, even King James I.

Upper image: George Soule Will which he drafted on August 11, 1677. Lower image: Codicil that he added on September 20, 1677.

Here is the codicil of September 12, 1677 —

If my son John Soule above-named or his heirs or assigns or any of them shall at any time disturb my daughter Patience or her heirs or assigns or any of them in peaceable possession or enjoyment of the lands I have given her at Nemasket alias Middleboro and recover the same from her or her heirs or assigns or any of them; that then my gift to my son John Soule shall be void; and that then my will is my daughter Patience shall have all my lands at Duxbury and she shall be my sole executrix of this my last will and testament and enter into my housing lands and meadows at Duxbury. (1)

Kids These Days!

We speculate that there isn’t a parent alive today (and also in the past for that matter), who hasn’t rolled their eyes and thought to themselves with a touch of exasperation, kids these days! George and Mary Soule were likely no exception.

Nathaniel
“Nathaniel may have caused the most colony trouble of any of his siblings. On 5 March 1667/8, he made an appearance in Plymouth court to ‘answer for his abusing of Mr. John Holmes, teacher of the church of Christ at Duxbury, by many false, scandalous and opprobrious speeches.’ He was sentenced to make a public apology for his actions, find sureties* for future good behavior and to sit in the stocks, with the stock sentence remitted [because the man he offended asked for mercy to be shown]. His father George and brother John had to pay surety for Nathaniel’s good behavior with he being bound for monies and to pay a fine.
*The Cambridge Dictionary defines surety as “a person who accepts legal responsibility for another person’s debt or behaviour.”

Three years later, on 5 June 1671, he was fined for “telling several lies which tended greatly to the hurt of the Colony in reference to some particulars about the Indians.” And then on 1 March 1674/5 he was sentenced to be whipped for “lying with an Indian woman,” and had to pay a fine in the form of bushels of corn to the Indian woman towards the keeping of her child.”(Wikipedia)

“His crime would have been punished (by the lesser punishment of a fine) if he had committed it with an English woman, but there is other evidence to suggest that sex with Native Americans caused particular anxiety (hence the whipping), as it breached the racial boundaries of the Bible commonwealth itself.) (Whittock)

We wonder is perhaps maybe Nathaniel and Elizabeth could have coordinated their schedules and just done their time together? Perhaps it would have been easier on George and Mary. (Image courtesy of the New York Public Library).

Elizabeth
“Elizabeth, like her brother Nathaniel, also had her share of problems with the Plymouth Court. On 3 March 1662/3, the Court fined Elizabeth and Nathaniel Church for committing fornication. Elizabeth then in turn sued Nathaniel Church “for committing an act of fornication with her… and then denying to marry her.” The jury awarded her damages plus court costs.

On 2 July 1667 Elizabeth was sentenced to be whipped at the post “for committing fornication the second time.” And although the man with whom she committed the act was not named, Elizabeth did marry Francis Walker within the following year.” Whittock writes, “These activities do not imply promiscuity on Elizabeth’s part, since many in her society considered intention to marry as allowing licit intercourse. Consequently, about 20 percent of English brides at the time were pregnant at marriage.” (Two sources, see footnotes).

Observations: OK, it’s 400 years later and we’re a bit late to the party. Although we don’t excuse his behavior, perhaps Nathaniel Soule was just both a mouthy cad and a foolish, horny young man? It seems to us however, that Elizabeth was judged a bit unfairly, and likely because she was a woman. Nathaniel Church probably led her on… that seems quite plausible since the court awarded her a judgement. Can you imagine the utter audacity it took for her to sue him in court? And as far as the second case goes, it was likely that her partner was her future husband Francis. But, who knows? Why was this man not named, and why was Elizabeth the only one who was publicly punished?

Around the time when Nathaniel Soule was born, the New England area was engaged in a war with some of the native tribes, namely The Pequots. The various wars with the Native Peoples came and went as the populations within the region shifted. Many of these conflicts played out during the lifetimes of George and Mary Soule’s children—we are going to write about the two major conflicts which directly affected this family. (2)

The Pequot War

“The Pequot War was fought in 1636–37 by the Pequot people against a coalition of English settlers from the Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and Saybrook colonies and their Native American allies (including the Narragansett and Mohegan) that eliminated the Pequot as an impediment to English colonization of southern New England. It was an especially brutal war and the first sustained conflict between Native Americans and Europeans in northeastern North America.

Even though our ancestors were Pilgrims and not Puritans, an event like this would have had the same consequences — Puritans Barricading Their House Against Indians, by Albert Bobbett. (Image courtesy of Media Storehouse).

To best understand the Pequot War, one needs to consider the economic, political, and cultural changes brought about by the arrival of the Dutch on Long Island and in the Connecticut River valley at the beginning of the 17th century and of English traders and settlers in the early 1630s. The world into which they entered was dominated by the Pequot, who had subjugated dozens of other tribes throughout the area during the 1620s and early ’30s in an attempt to control the region’s fur and wampum trade. Through the use of diplomacy, coercion, intermarriage, and warfare, by 1635 the Pequot had exerted their economic, political, and military control over the whole of modern-day Connecticut and eastern Long Island and, in the process, established a confederacy of dozens of tribes in the region.

The struggle for control of the fur and wampum trade [decorative strings of beads] in the Connecticut River valley was at the root of the Pequot War. Before the arrival of the English in the early 1630s, the Dutch and Pequot controlled all the region’s trade, but the situation was precarious because of the resentment held by the subservient Native American tribes for their Pequot overlords.

The war lasted 11 months and involved thousands of combatants who fought several battles over an area encompassing thousands of square miles. In the first six months of the war, the Pequot, with no firearms, won every engagement against the English. Both sides showed a high degree of sophistication, planning, and ingenuity in adjusting to conditions and enemy countermeasures.

The turning point in the conflict came when the Connecticut colony declared war on the Pequot on May 1, 1637, following a Pequot attack on the English settlement at Wethersfield—the first time women and children were killed during the war. Capt. John Mason of Windsor was ordered to conduct an offensive war against the Pequot in retaliation for the Wethersfield raid.

The most-significant battles of the war then followed, including the Mistick Campaign of May 10–26, 1637 (Battle of Mistick Fort, present day Mystic), during which an expeditionary force of 77 Connecticut soldiers and as many as 250 Native American allies attacked and burned the fortified Pequot village at Mistick. Some 400 Pequot (including an estimated 175 women and children) were killed in less than an hour, half of whom burned to death. 

Engraving depicting The Attack on The Pequot Fort at Mystic, from John Underhill Newes from America, London, 1638. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

The Battles of Mistick Fort and the English Withdrawal were significant victories for the English, and they led to their complete victory over the Pequot six weeks later at the Swamp Fight in Fairfield, Connecticut—the last battle of the war.” (Encyclopædia Britannica) (3)

King Philip’s War

Our Soule ancestors were used to thinking about kings and queens of the European sort, but now they were going to meet a local king, who was new to their understanding. The following is excerpted from the Native Heritage Project article, King Philip’s War:

“King Philip’s War was sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom’s War, or Metacom’s Rebellion and was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England, English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the Native American side, Metacomet, known to the English as ‘King Philip’s War.” 

“Throughout the Northeast, the Native Americans had suffered severe population losses due to pandemics of smallpox, spotted fever, typhoid and measles, infectious diseases carried by European fishermen, starting in about 1618, two years before the first colony at Plymouth had been settled. Plymouth, Massachusetts, [which] was established in 1620 with significant early help from Native Americans, particularly… Metacomet’s father and chief of the Wampanoag tribe.”

“Prior to King Philip’s War, tensions fluctuated between different groups of Native Americans and the colonists, but relations were generally peaceful. As the colonists’ small population of a few thousand grew larger over time and the number of their towns increased, the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Narragansett, Mohegan, Pequot, and other small tribes were each treated individually (many were traditional enemies of each other) by the English colonial officials of Rhode Island, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut and the New Haven colony.”

The New England Colonies in 1677. (Image courtesy of the National Geographic Society).

Over time, “…the building of [Colonial] towns… progressively encroached on traditional Native American territories. As their population increased, the New Englanders continued to expand their settlements along the region’s coastal plain and up the Connecticut River valley. By 1675 they had even established a few small towns in the interior between Boston and the Connecticut River settlements. Tensions escalated and the war itself actually started almost accidentally, certainly not intentionally, but before long, it has spiraled into a full scale war between the 80,000 English settlers and the 10,000 or so Indians.”

Drawing depicting the capture of Mrs. Rolandson during the King Philip’s War between colonists and New England tribes, 1857, Harper’s Monthly. (Image courtesy Library of Congress).

From Wikipedia: “The war was the greatest calamity in seventeenth-century New England and is considered by many to be the deadliest war in Colonial American history. In the space of little more than a year, 12 of the region’s towns were destroyed and many more were damaged, the economy of Plymouth and Rhode Island Colonies was all but ruined and their population was decimated, losing one-tenth of all men available for military service. More than half of New England’s towns were attacked by Natives.”

King Philip’s War began the development of
an independent American identity.
The New England colonists faced their enemies without support
from any European government or military,
and this began to give them a group identity separate and distinct from Britain.

The Name of War: 
King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity
by Jill Lepore

Nine Men’s Misery

Benjamin Soule, the youngest son of George and Mary Soule, “fell with Captain Pierce 26 March 1676 during King Philip’s War.” (The Great Migration) We observed this notation about and researched a bit further, learning that —

“On March 26, 1676, during King Philip’s War, Captain Michael Pierce led approximately 60 Plymouth Colony militia and 20 Wampanoag warriors in pursuit of the Narragansett tribe, who had burned down several Rhode Island settlements and attacked Plymouth Colony. Pierce’s troops caught up with the Narragansett, Wampanoag, Nashaway, Nipmuck, and Podunk fighters, but were ambushed in what is now Central Falls, Rhode Island.

The Narragansett War is another term used to describe King Philip’s War.

Pierce’s troops fought the Narragansett warriors for several hours but were surrounded by the larger force. The battle was one of the biggest defeats of colonial troops during King Philip’s War; nearly all of the colonial militia were killed, including Captain Pierce and their Wampanoag allies (exact numbers vary by account). The Narragansett tribe lost only a handful of warriors.

Ten of the colonists were taken prisoner. Nine of these men were tortured to death by the Narragansett warriors at a site in Cumberland, Rhode Island, currently on the Cumberland Monastery and Library property, along with a tenth man who survived. The nine men were buried by English colonists who found the corpses and created a pile of stones [a cairn] to memorialize the men. This pile is believed to be the oldest war memorial in the United States, and a cairn of stones has continuously marked the site since 1676.” (Wikipedia)

The plaque on the memorial pictured at left reads: NINE MEN’S MISERY, On this spot where they were slain by the Indians were buried the nine soldiers captured in Pierce’s fight, March 26, 1676. (Images courtesy of Atlas Obscura and History Net).

To this day, it is unclear if Benjamin Soule is buried near the battle site, which is now known as the Pierce Park and Riverwalk, Central Falls, Providence County, Rhode Island. Or, if perhaps he was one of the soldiers who were tortured and are buried near the cairn mentioned above.

“In terms of population, King Philip’s War was the bloodiest conflict in American history. Fifty-two English towns were attacked, a dozen were destroyed, and more than 2,500 colonists died — perhaps 30% of the English population of New England.” (Westfield)

In the next chapter, we move continue with the specific history of Generation Two in America of the Soule descendants. We will be focusing on George and Mary’s daughter Patience (Soule) Haskell, our 7x Great Grandmother and her husband John. (5)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

(1) — seven records

“In my extreme old age and weakness been tender…”

Mary Soule
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/89809163:60525
and here:
Mary Beckett Soule
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26862296/mary-soule?_gl=1*1e3xq4g*_ga*MzEyNDMzMzU1LjE3NDAzMzEyOTI.*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*N2Q1YTE1YTQtN2EwYi00ZjFlLTkzYTAtNzIxYzI5ZWMxN2IzLjEuMC4xNzQwMzMxMjkyLjYwLjAuMA..*_gcl_au*NjE1ODQzOTgzLjE3NDAzMzEyOTI.

Pilgrim Hall Museum
The Last Will and Testament of George Soule
https://www.pilgrimhall.org/pdf/George_Soule_Will_Inventory.pdf
Note: For the text.

George Soule
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2192512:60525
and here:
George Soule
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/5728447/george-soule

George Soule (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History.com
George Soule
http://mayflowerhistory.com/soule/
Note: For the text regarding his George Soule’s Will codicil.

Kids These Days!

(2) — four records

George Soule (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

Cambridge Dictionary
Surety definition
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/surety#google_vignette
Note: For the text.

Mayflower Lives Pilgrims in a New World and the Early American Experience
by Martyn Whittock
https://myuniuni.oss-cn-beijing.aliyuncs.com/files/sat/Mayflower Lives Pilgrims in a New World and the Early American Experience by Whittock, Martyn (z-lib.org).epub.pdf
Book pages: 242-244
Note 1: .pdf download file from the above link.
Note 2: Chapter 13, “The Rebels’ Story: the Billingtons, the Soules, and Other Challenges to Morality and Order”
Note 3: From the index: Soule, see: 14 The details of the Soules’ offenses and punishments can be found in C. H. Johnson, The Mayflower and Her Passengers, 207–208.

New York Public Library Digital Collections
Man and Woman in Stocks
https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e1-1d93-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99
Note: For the illustration.

The Pequot War

(3) — four records

Encyclopædia Britannica
Pequot War, United States history [1636–1637]
by Kevin McBride
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pequot-War
Note: For the text.

Deviantart.com
Colonial New England, 1620-40 (map)
by Ed Thomasten
https://www.deviantart.com/edthomasten/art/New-England-1620-40-245657170
Note: For the map image.

Media Storehouse
Felix Octavius Carr Collection
Puritans Barricading Their House Against Indians
by Albert Bobbett, circa 1877
https://www.mediastorehouse.com/heritage-images/puritans-barricading-house-indians-19044638.html
Note: For the image.

Engraving depicting The Attack on The Pequot Fort at Mystic
from John Underhill Newes from America, London, 1638
by Engraver unknown
File:Mystic Massacre in New England 1638 Photo Facsimile.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mystic_Massacre_in_New_England_1638_Photo_Facsimile.png
Note: For the Pequot Fort image.

King Philip’s War

(4) — eight records

Native Heritage Project
King Philip’s War
https://nativeheritageproject.com/2012/09/02/king-philips-war/

King Philip’s War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Philip’s_War

World History Encyclopedia
Death of King Philip or Metacom
https://www.worldhistory.org/image/13670/death-of-king-philip-or-metacom/
Note: For the illustration.

Britannica.com
King Philip’s War
https://www.britannica.com/event/King-Philips-War
Note: For the illustration, Metacom (King Philip), Wampanoag sachem, meeting settlers, c. 1911

A group of Indians armed with bow-and-arrow, along with a fire in a carriage ablaze, burn a log-cabin in the woods during King Philip’s War, 1675-1676, hand-colored woodcut from the 19th century.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:KingPhilipsWarAttack.webp
Note: For the illustration.

National Geographic | Education
The New England Colonies in 1677
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/massachusetts-1677/
Note: For the map image.

America’s Best History, Pre-Revolution Timeline – The 1600s
1675 Detail
https://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1675m.html
Note: For the illustration depicting the capture of Mrs. Rolandson during the King Philip’s War between colonists and New England tribes, 1857, Harper’s Monthly.

The Name of War: King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity
by Jill Lepore
Vintage Books, 1999
Book pages: 5-7
Note: For the text.

Nine Men’s Misery

(5) — eight records

George Soule in the 
New England, The Great Migration and The Great Migration Begins, 1620-1635
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2496/records/65782?tid=&pid=&queryId=41c48ad9-6fb5-45be-b3c3-255e8c9d21f4&_phsrc=GMi2&_phstart=successSource
Book pages: 1704-1708 , Digital pages: 393-397/795
Notes: Not all of this information is considered to be correct by today’s historians. Son Benjamin Soule’s death is mentioned on digital page 396/795.

Deviantart.com
The Narragansett War 1645 (map)
by Ed Thomasten
https://www.deviantart.com/edthomasten/art/The-Narragansett-War-1645-332325221
Notes: For the map image. Observe that the map has the incorrect year of 1645, which we have corrected.

Nine Men’s Misery
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Men’s_Misery
Note: For the text.

Atlas Obscura
Nine Mens Misery
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/nine-mens-misery
Note: For the image.

HMdb.org
The Historical Marker Database
Nine Men’s Misery
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=2924
Notes: For the text on the plaque. 

History Net
King Philip’s War And A Fight Neither Side Wanted
by Douglas L. Gifford
https://www.historynet.com/king-philips-war-and-a-fight-neither-side-wanted/
Note: For the battle illustration.

Benjamin Soule (Veteran)
1651 – 1676 – Pierce Park and Riverwalk
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/278272111/benjamin-soule
Note: For the plaque image.

Westfield State College
Institute for Massachusetts Studies
Historical Journal of Massachusetts, Volume 37, Fall 2009
“Weltering in Their Own Blood”: Puritan Casualties in King Philip’s War
by Robert E. Cray, Jr.
https://www.westfield.ma.edu/historical-journal/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Weltering-in-their-Own-Blood-Puritan-Casualties.pdf
Book pages: 106-123
Note: For the text.

The Soule Line — A Narrative, Two

This is Chapter Two of seven. During his lifetime in America, George Soule was known as both a farmer, and for animal husbandry (animals raised for products such as meat, milk, fibers for cloth, etc.). This was a typical profession of the time, if one was to survive in a far off colony, and pay off your debts to the English underwriters. (1)

For a Time, An Indentured Servant

As we learned in previous chapters, George was an indentured servant to the Edward Winslow family. This means that he responsible for contributing to the success of the Winslow family for a period of several years, and until he had achieved the age of 25 years, he could not be released from this condition. Elias Story his fellow travelers with the Winslow family on the Mayflower, was of the same status.

The original document Of Plimoth Plantation, by William Bradford, page 530. George Soule is listed as traveling with the Edward Winslow family. (Image courtesy of the State Library of Massachusetts, Digital Collections).

They arrived in Plymouth at the onset of a terrible winter and were woefully unprepared for their new environment. Within three months half of the people who had sailed, had died. Of the Winslow traveling group, Elias Story and Ellen More died first, and then Edward Winslow’s wife Elizabeth died. She was the last person to pass away in what colony Governor William Bradford called The Great Mortality.

The colony went through many struggles in the first year, but they received much help from the Native Peoples. This was especially true of the Wampanoag Confederacy who helped the settlers adapt and thrive in this new place. (2)

This map from the book Three Visitors to Early Plymouth, captures the geography
of early New England, including most of the settlements that began in 1623.
(Image courtesy of the Internet Archive).

The Common Cause of Labor

“Working communally — also known as the “common course of labor” — was a key part of the business model planned for Plymouth Colony. In the original terms and conditions for funding and planting the colony, all the colonists agreed to work together for seven years at commercial fishing, trading, and farming “making such commodities as shall be most useful for the colony.” At the end of the seven years, the terms and conditions dictated that the colonists would receive a share of the common stock including land and livestock.

After three years, Plymouth Colony’s governor William Bradford ended communal work as related to farming, because it caused too much internal conflict and resulted in poor corn harvests. Without a good corn harvest to feed the colony and without regular supplies from England, the colony would not survive. It is interesting to note, however, that this injunction affected only grain and other field production. All other group work — hunting, fishing, trading and defense – continued as before and seemingly without tension.” (Plimoth Patuxet)

George continued to do his work for the Winslow family as part of his commitment to the greater good. However, as one of the original settlers (the old-comers) within the Plymouth Colony, he was entitled a certain privileges which this status afforded him. One of these was the right to have land tenure.

The 1623 Division of Land in which George Soule received one acre. As described above, “these lye on the South side of the brooke to the baywards.”

“In 1623 a parcel of land was allotted to each man to till for his family and to maintain those who were exempt from agricultural employment because of other duties. Each family was given one acre per family member. In abandoning the “common course and condition” everyone worked harder and more willingly. The food problem was ended, and after the first abundant harvest under individual cultivation, the Pilgrims did not have to endure the meager rations of the first years. The plots assigned them permanently in 1624 became privately owned in 1627.” (Images of Old Hawaii)

“The people mentioned in the Division of Land came on the Mayflower (1620), the Fortune (1621), and the Anne (1623). A couple may have arrived on the Swan(1622) or the Little James (1623), but these were small ships carrying mostly cargo. The Division of Land is recorded in Volume XII of the ‘Records of the Colony of New Plymouth’ ”(The Plymouth Colony Archive Project – TPCAP)

At this time, one acre of land was distributed to each family member. George Soule received one acre of land “between the property of ‘Frances’ Cooke and ‘Mr. Isaak’ Allerton”, as he was a single man. (Wikipedia) (3)

Animals Resting in a Pasture, by Paulus Potter, circa 1650.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

About The Division of Cattle

Th next thing we learn about George is gained from what is known as The 1627 Division of Cattle. “In the 1627 Plymouth division of cattle George Sowle, Mary Sowle, and Zakariah Sowle were the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth persons in the ninth company.” (American Ancestors) From this we learn that George has married a woman named Mary and that they have a son whom they have named Zachariah. In total, as a family they received 3 cows and 2 goats.

So, who is Mary and where did she come from? (4)

The 1627 Division of Cattle. Note in the lower left corner that George, his wife Mary, and their son Zachariah all received animals.

The Arrival of The Anne and The Little James

It turns out Mary had been in Plymouth since 1623. George’s wife Mary presumably landed at Plymouth on the ship The Anne, on July 10, 1623. She leaves very few historical records. “Mary has been identified by many writers as Mary Buckett of the 1623 land division on that basis that no other Mary was available in the limited Plymouth population of the earliest years).”

The 1623 Division of Land in which Mary Buckett received one acre. “These following lye on the other side of the towne towards the eele-river. Marie Buckett [sic] adioyning to Joseph Rogers.”

The “Anne and Little James [with about 90 new settlers] were the third and fourth ships financed by the London-based Company of Merchant Adventurers to travel together to North America in support of the Plymouth Colony, following Mayflower in 1620 and Fortune in 1621. Anne carried mostly passengers, while the much smaller Little James carried primarily cargo, albeit with a few passengers as well. Soon after arrival, the crew of Anne went to work loading whatever timber and beaver skins could be provided as cargo and sailed straight back across the Atlantic to home on September 10, 1623, carrying Edward Winslow on the first of several voyages back to England.” (Wikipedia, and the Mayflower Quarterly Magazine, Fall 2022)

It is interesting to note that Edward Winslow chose to return to England in 1623, after having left there fearing the wrath of King James I. It seems like Edward probably figured that he was no longer threatened. By this point in time King James “was often seriously ill during the last year of his life. He suffered increasingly from arthritis, gout, and kidney stones. He also lost his teeth and drank heavily. He died in Hertfordshire on March 27, 1625…” (Wikipedia)

Research has determined that Mary Buckett, was likely born “Mary Beckett of Watford, Hertfordshire, was baptized on 24 February 1605, the daughter of John and Ann (Alden) Beckett. It was hypothesized that Mary came on the ship Anne in the care of the Warrens, and that explains George and Mary Soule’s apparent association with the Warren family in the 1627 Division of Cattle. The Warren family was also from Hertfordshire.

Mary Beckett 1605 birth record from the Watford, Hertfordshire, England Parish register.
(See footnotes).

Her father John Becket died in 1619, and no further record “of this Mary Beckett was located in Watford or any of the surrounding parishes; combined with the death of her father in 1619 and non-remarriage of her mother (still a widow in 1622), this further suggests custody of her was transferred to another family and she left the area.” (Caleb Johnson, Soule Kindred in America)

If you know Mayflower Pilgrim names and were wondering…
Researchers have not been able to yet connect her mother’s family surname of Alden, to the John Alden family of Plymouth.

Observation: With grandparents from this far back in time, we are grateful to know what we do know. Their birth records are highly probable, but not specific. We do know when they arrived at the Plymouth Colony, and we do know when they likely passed on. For now, we shall focus next on their family. (5)

Since These Beginnings…

George and Mary had at least nine children over a period of about 24 years. The first three children were born at Plymouth:

  • Zachariah Soule, born by 1627 — died before December 11, 1663. He was married before 1663 to Margaret Ford, who was possibly the daughter of William Ford. “He died during the 1663 Canadian Expedition [fighting Mohawk Indians] and his estate went to his brother John.” There were no children.
  • John Soule, born March 8, 1631/32 — died before November 14, 1707 at Duxbury. Married first circa 1656 to Rebecca Simmons; they had nine children. Married circa 1678 second to Esther Delano Samson; they had three children.
  • Nathaniel Soule, born circa 1637 — died at Dartmouth before October 12, 1699. Married circa 1680 to Rosamund Thorn.

The following six children were born at Duxbury:

  • George Soule, born about circa 1639 — died before June 22, 1704. He married circa 1664 Deborah _____, who was possibly surnamed Thomas; they had eight children.
  • Susanna Soule, born circa 1642 — died date unknown. She married circa 1661 to Francis West.
  • Mary Soule, born circa 1643 — died at Plymouth after 1720. She married John Peterson by 1665; they had nine children.
  • Elizabeth Soule, born circa 1644 — died at Middleboro, date unknown. She married Francis Walker by 1668.
  • Patience Soule, born circa 1648 — died at Middleboro, March 11, 1705/06. Married circa 1666 John Haskell in Middleboro; they had eight children. (We are descended from Patience).
  • Benjamin Soule, born circa 1651 — died at Rhode Island, March 26, 1676, during King Phillip’s War. (6)

Duxbury / Ducksburrow / Duxbarrow

From Wikipedia, “Historic records indicate Soule became a freeman prior to 1632/33 (Johnson) or was on the 1633 list of freemen, [and that in 1633/34, he] “was taxed at the lowest rate which indicates that his estate was without much significance.” We read this to mean that he and Mary were doing fine, but that comfort and prosperity was still not yet achieved. At this point, they had a couple of children, a small amount of acreage for farming, some animals, and certainly, a vegetable garden. George and Mary Soule took their family and moved slightly north of the Plymouth Colony because this new area offered a chance at more prosperity. Nevertheless, George remained involved in the civic life of Plymouth.

These are sample records that record Plymouth Colony deeds for George Soule in 1637 and 1639. In his lifetime there, he was involved in 22 property transactions.

If you recall from The Common Cause of Labor above, the “financial backers in London, [had] required [for the settlers] live together in a tight community for seven years. At the end of that term in 1627, land along the coast was allotted to settlers for farming. Thus, the coastline from Plymouth to Marshfield, including Duxbury, likely named after Myles Standish’s ancestral home of Duxbury Hall in Chorley, was parceled out, and many settlers began moving away from Plymouth.

This map indicates the location of Soule property in the northernmost part of Duxbury at Powder Point. (Image graphics adapted from a contemporary Alden Kindred of America map).

From the mid-1630s forward, a series of small pieces of property were (mostly) granted to him, but there was also a sale completed by 1639. “The 1638 land records note that ‘one acre of land is granted to George Soule at the watering place…and also a parcel of Stony Marsh at Powder Point, containing two acres.’ The land at the ‘watering place’ in south Plymouth was sold the next year, possibly as he was living in Duxbury at that time and did not need his property in south Plymouth. In 1640 he was granted a meadow at Green’s Harbor—now Marshfield.” (Several sources, see footnotes).

Old Dartmouth purchase deed from November 29, 1652.

“The General Court voted 5 March 1639/40 to pay these ‘Purchasers or Old Comers’ for the surrender of their [original land] patent. George’s interests in Old Dartmouth originated in 1652/3, when Plymouth Colony assigned ‘over one hundred thousand acres’ along Buzzards Bay to significant old-comers (i.e., persons ‘who arrived at Plymouth before 1627’), among them George.

This large coastal area, organized as Old Dartmouth in 1664, comprises today the towns of ‘Dartmouth, New Bedford, Westport, Fairhaven, and Acushnet, Massachusetts, and a strip of Tiverton and Little Compton, Rhode Island.’ Assignments were made shortly after 29 Nov 1652, the date on which the indigenous leader Wesamequen and his son Wamsutta ‘sold’ the land to William Bradford, Myles Standish, Thomas Southworth, John Winslow, John Cooke ‘and their associates, the purchasers or old-comers.’

Interests were then assigned to thirty-six old-comers, 7 Mar 1652/3, including George, who received an undivided one thirty-fourth share of the lands.‘As [the assignees] all had their residences in other parts of the colony, it was not expected that they would remove to this territory. It was merely a dividend in land, which cost them nothing to buy and [for a time] nothing in taxes to hold.’ George never settled in Old Dartmouth, but his sons George and Nathaniel did.” (WikiTree)

Gosnold on Cuttyhunk, 1602 by Albert Bierstadt. From Wikipedia, “The first European settlement in the Old Dartmouth area was at present-day Cuttyhunk Island by the explorer Bartholomew Gosnold in 1602.”

By the end of his life, his land holdings included property in several towns, those being Bridgewater, Dartmouth, Duxbury, Marshfield, Nemaskett, (i.e. Middleborough), and Plymouth. He distributed much of this land among his children during the last twenty years of his life. (7)

Excerpted from the book, Sketches of Early Middleborough. (See footnotes).

George’s Role In The Civic Life of The Plymouth Colony

“On 27 September 27, 1642 he appeared before the General Court as one of two ‘Deputies’ or representatives from Duxbury, Plymouth Colony having established representative government in 1639 after finding it no longer practicable to have all the colonists participate as individuals. The representatives were limited to terms of one year and denied the right of succession so we find George Soule serving each alternate year for many years, concluding in June 1654.”

“First in 1642 and last in 1662, he was assigned to at least five grand and petty juries.” George also served on important committees: one for granting land, in 1640 and 1645, a committee on magistrates and deputies in 1650, and another on boundaries in 1658.

We thought that this was curious. “On 20 October 1646 Soule, with Anthony Thatcher, was chosen to be on a ‘committee to draw up an order concerning disorderly drinking (smoking) of tobacco.’ The law, as drawn up, provided strict limitations on where tobacco could be smoked and what fines could be levied against lawbreakers.” (George was ahead of his time!)

Raleigh’s First Pipe in England, an illustration included in the 1859 book, Tobacco, its History and Associations, by Frederick William Fairholt.

As a defender of the colony —
In the 1630s, southeastern New England was rocked by the conflict of the Pequot War. We will be writing about this in the next chapter, but we note it here because George volunteered for Pequot War on June 7, 1637 as one of 42 men under Lieutenant William Holmes and Reverend Thomas Prence as chaplain. Despite this, “when they were ready to march . . . they had word to stay; for the enemy was as good as vanquished and there would be no need.” His name appears on “the 1643 Able to Bear Arms List, with George and his son Zachariah (listed as ‘Georg’ and ‘Zachary’). They appear with those bearing arms from Duxbury (written as ‘Duxbarrow’).” When his estate was evaluated, a gun was listed in the inventory valued at 15 shillings. (Several sources, see footnotes).

In the next chapter, we will take a look at George’s estate, his Will, and the behavior of some of his and Mary’s children. New England was changing with many more people pouring into the area whose aims were different from those of the Pilgrims. The character of some of these new immigrants contributed to tense circumstances, which then lead to ongoing wars with the Native Peoples. (8)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

(1) — one record

Animal husbandry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_husbandry

For a Time, An Indentured Servant

(2) — three records

State Library of Massachusetts Digital Collections
Of Plimoth Plantation: manuscript, 1630-1650
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/items/db0e9f79-477c-4a4c-979b-359c2be1d4ad
The actual page 530 is here:
https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/server/api/core/bitstreams/4d69e338-cc1b-4eda-b2ff-57bfbbb5c6ed/content
Note 1: For the original document on which George Soule is listed as a passenger on the Mayflower.
Note 2: The document is digitized and available as a .pdf download at the above link, file name: ocn137336369-Of-Plimoth-Plantation.pdf
Digital page: 530/546. First page, left column at center, with the Edward Winslow family.

Three Visitors to Early Plymouth
by Sydney V. James, Samuel Eliot Morison, Isaack de Rasieres; John Pory; Emmanuel Altham
https://archive.org/details/plymtuxet005/plymtuxet005_epub/
Digital page: 2/133
Note: For the map image.

The Common Cause of Labor

(3) — six records

Plimoth Patuxet Museums
As Precious As Silver
https://plimoth.org/yath/unit-3/as-precious-as-silver
Note: For the text.

Dividing the Land and Development of Towns
https://imagesofoldhawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/Dividing-the-Land-and-Development-of-Towns.pdf
Note: For the text.

Plymouth Colony 1623 Division of Land document
Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 > Plymouth > Deeds 1620-1651 vol 1
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5Z3H?i=7&wc=MCBR-538%3A361612701%2C362501301&lang=en
Note 1: One acre of land for George Soule, as an unmarried man.
Note 2: This file is available at two locations. As indicated above, and also here:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5Z3H?i=7&wc=MCBR-538:361612701,362501301&lang=en
Digital page: Image 8 of 239, Lower portion of page.

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Plymouth Colony Division of Land, 1623
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/landdiv.html
Note: For the text. Additionally, “In 1623, the Pilgrims divided up their land. The people mentioned in the Division of Land came on the Mayflower (1620), the Fortune (1621), and the Anne (1623). A couple may have arrived on the Swan(1622) or the Little James (1623), but these were small ships carrying mostly cargo. The Division of Land is recorded in Volume XII of the ‘Records of the Colony of New Plymouth’, and reprinted in the ‘Mayflower Descendant’, 1:227-230. Each family was given one acre per family member.”

George Soule (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

About The Division of Cattle

(4) — three records

Animals Resting in the Pasture
by Paulus Potter, circa 1650
File:Paulus Potter – Animals Resting in the Pasture.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paulus_Potter_-_Animals_Resting_in_the_Pasture.jpg
Note: For the painting image.

American Ancestors 2020
George Soule
https://mayflower.americanancestors.org/george-soule-biography
Note: For the text.

Plymouth Colony 1627 Division of Cattle
Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 > Plymouth > Deeds 1620-1651 vol 1
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5ZQL?i=33&wc=MCBR-538:361612701,362501301&lang=en
Book page: 56, Digital page: Image 34 of 239, Upper portion of page.
Note: For the image.

The Arrival of The Anne and The Little James

(5) — seven records

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Plymouth Colony Division of Land, 1623
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/landdiv.html
Note: For the text.

Plymouth Colony 1623 Division of Land document
Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 > Plymouth > Deeds 1620-1651 vol 1
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z7-5ZZ1?i=10&wc=MCBR-538%3A361612701%2C362501301&lang=en
Digital page: Image 11 of 239, Lower portion of page.
Note: One acre of land for Marie Buckett.

Mayflower Quarterly Magazine ( Vol 88 No 3) Fall 2022
by General Society of Mayflower Decendants
https://archive.org/details/mayflower-quarterly-magazine-vol-88-no-3-fall-2022/page/20/mode/2up
Book pages: 20-23, Digital pages: 22-24/28
Note: For the text.

Continuation of Research into the Origin of Mary Buckett,
early Plymouth colonist and wife of Mayflower passenger George Soule

By Caleb H. Johnson, With English research assistance from Simon Neal
Funded by the Soule Kindred in America, 2015
https://www.sherylaperry.com/histories/Caleb%20Johnson%202016%20Research%20Summary%20on%20Mary%20Bucket.pdf
Note: For the text.

James VI and I
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I
Note: Foe the text regarding the death of King James I.

Vital – England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Mary Becket
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J973-XY2?lang=en
The actual Watford Parish record is here:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRQK-16Z?i=72&lang=en
Film # 004946648
Digital page: 73/610, The entry is located on the right page, left column, in about the center.
Note: This document is very difficult to read.

Since These Beginnings…

(6) — seven records

Hip Postcard
Massachusetts, Plymouth – Children In Pilgrim Costume – [MA-786]
https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/massachusetts-plymouth-children-in-pilgrim-costume-ma-786/29106265
Note: For the image.

For their childrens’ birth, death, and marriage records, we combined data from these two sources:
The Mayflower Society
The Soule Family, Passenger Profile
https://themayflowersociety.org/passenger-profile/passenger-profiles/the-soule-family/
Note: Note that the birth information for George Soule Sr., on this file is now considered out of date due to Y-DNA data research.
and
American Ancestors 2020
George Soule
https://mayflower.americanancestors.org/george-soule-biography
Note: For the text regarding his childrens’ births, and deaths, and marriages.

Notes for the next two entries below:
There are strong arguments based upon the evidence, that Patience Soule’s likely birth year is actually 1648. (See WikiTree and the FamilySearch Library footnotes).

WikiTree
George Soule Sr (abt. 1601 – bef. 1680)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Soule-33
Note: For the text about Patience Soule’s probable birth year.
“Birth — Arriving at an estimated birth year, is not an exact science. At some times in the past Patience, the daughter of George Soule and Mary Bucket, has been placed earlier in the birth order of George’s children, hence 1630 in Plymouth. An article on John Haskell her husband in the American Genealogist also says born 1639-1640, but if you take the statement that she died in 1706 after 40 years of marriage, that makes her married about 1666. If she were married at 18, she would have been born in 1648. The newer Mayflower Society publications have Patience listed as the next to last child, and born about 1648. Her last child was born 1691, making her aged 43 at this birth [a usual age for birth of last child–after a long series of children].”

FamilySearch Library
400 Years With Haskells
by Ivan Youd Haskell
https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/559000-redirect#page=1&viewer=picture&o=info&n=0&q=
Notes: Family Search Identifier #692782, for the text and chart.

This chart with our Haskell ancestors is found on digital page: 392/434.

Patience (Soule) Haskell (abt. 1648 – 1706)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Soule-82
Note: Referenced for information about Patience Soule’s birth year.

Westernlady’s Weblog
Our Pilgrim Ancestor George Soule
https://westernlady.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/our-pilgrim-ancestor-george-soule/
Note: For the text regarding Zachariah Soule’s death on the 1663 Canadian Expedition.

Duxbury / Ducksburrow / Duxbarrow

(7) — nine records

George Soule (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England
by New Plymouth Colony; Nathaniel Bradstreet Shurtleff, David Pulsifer
https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp/page/n5/mode/2up
Book page: 3-4, Digital pages: 24-26/432
Note: ‘George Sowle’ listed as being a Freeman

Duxbury, Massachusetts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duxbury,_Massachusetts
Note: For the text.

Plymouth Colony July 1639 Soule Duxbury property
Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 > Plymouth > Deeds 1620-1651 vol 1
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z7-5CYK?i=71&wc=MCBR-538:361612701,362501301&lang=en
Digital page: 72/239, Top of page.
Note: For the record of 22 property deeds during his lifetime.

WikiTree
George Soule Sr (abt. 1601 – bef. 1680)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Soule-33
Note: For the text about the Old Dartmouth property and the deed image.

Old Dartmouth
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Dartmouth&oldid=1253342937
Note: For the 1652 deed image.

Gosnold at Cuttyhunk, 1602
by Albert Bierstadt
File:Gosnold at Cuttyhunk.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gosnold_at_Cuttyhunk.jpg
Note: For the painting image.

The New England Historical and Genealogical Register
Sketches of the Early History of Middleborough (Specific chapter)
by Waters, Henry Fitz-Gilbert Watres), and the New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1848
https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor001wate/page/334/mode/2up
Book page: 335, Digital page: 334/456
Note: For the excerpted book text.

Excerpt from Mayflower Deeds and Probates, 1600-1850.

Mayflower Deeds and Probates, 1600-1850
Mayflower Deeds and Probates
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3223/records/13373
Book page: 406, Digital page: 418/671

George’s Role In The Civic Life of The Plymouth Colony

(8) — four records

George Soule (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

Raleigh’s First Pipe in England
by Artist unknown, circa 1859
File:Raleigh’s first pipe in England.jpeg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Raleigh%27s_first_pipe_in_England.jpeg
Note: For the image, “An illustration included in Frederick William Fairholt’s Tobacco, its history and associations.”

American Ancestors 2020
George Soule
https://mayflower.americanancestors.org/george-soule-biography
Note: For the text.

Westernlady’s Weblog
Our Pilgrim Ancestor George Soule
https://westernlady.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/our-pilgrim-ancestor-george-soule/
Note: For the text.

The Soule Line — A Narrative, One

This is Chapter One of seven. We hope that you have taken the time to read the opening chapters we wrote based on the lives of The Pilgrims. It will help to make these The Soule Line chapters more accessible.

As the authors of this family history genealogy blog, we are in the 11th generation of Soule descendants in America. George and his wife Mary are our 8x Great Grandparents.

Introduction

The enigmatic Pilgrim George Soule was one of our two Mayflower ancestors. We use the word enigmatic to describe him because we didn’t know very much about him before he appears as a servant traveling with the family of Edward Winslow on that ship. His name appears on the Mayflower Compact as one of the signers. We also learned that he needed to be hidden for a time. Enigmatic and hidden… who doesn’t love to solve a mystery?

So, who was he and what were his origins? Much research has been done in the last decade to work toward a very plausible solution. First though, we should look at what he was not.

George Soule Was Probably Not an Englishman

Researchers at the Mayflower Society would be thrilled to find a birth record for this ancestor in England, but after decades of research, nothing credible has turned up. Additionally, cutting edge genetic research based on his possible Y-DNA chromosome male descendants in England — has also revealed nothing. As such, researchers decided to broaden their horizons and look at the life of the Pilgrims in Leiden, Holland during their years living there before they departed on the Mayflower.

It seems that this avenue of exploration may have yielded the clues his descendants have been looking for. Before we delve into that, we need to circle back for a concise review of the history from that era.

The Pilgrims were Separatists who chose to remove themselves from the Church of England and this act of defiance angered King James I, who was the head of the Church of England. He chose to persecute the Separatists, so in response, the Pilgrims escaped to Leiden, Holland. There they found a more compassionate environment for their point-of-view about religious matters.

View of Leiden From the Northeast, by Jan van Goyen, circa 1650.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

We must note however, that a very important aspect of their Leiden history, is the fact that William Brewster — as a member of the Pilgrim congregation and the future Governor of the Pilgrim Colony — was also a printer. King James I of England viewed Brewster’s printing work as criminal and subversive because it was critical of him and the Church of England. (For a more thorough explanation of this period, please see the chapter, The Pilgrims — Life in Leyden).

Our ancestor was very likely one of Brewster’s printing associates. Therefore, George Soule needed to be hidden for a time. Below is an excellent explanation of those events by the insightful researcher Louise Walsh Throop. We have gathered a very simple synopsis from three research papers she has published in the Mayflower Descendant and the Soule Kindred newsletter. Our synopsis is very basic, so we suggest that you consult her original work to appreciate the richness and clarity of her analysis. (See footnotes).

William Brewster’s Subterfuge

“Almost four hundred years after the event, the arrival of the
Mayflower off the shore of Cape Cod is still associated with a romantic
notion that its passengers were poor English farm folk, eager to take
the word of God to North America. Apparently the leaders were
also united in protecting William Brewster and his associates from the
wrath of King James I, and the romantic notion was part of a successful
deception.

…after May 1619 William Brewster was a fugitive who, if caught, would have been imprisoned or hanged. The printed work that incurred the wrath of King James I was published early in 1619. Entitled Perth Assembly, it was printed in
Holland by Brewster and smuggled into Scotland in a wine vat.” That this publication did not have the name of the printer, nor the location stated, made the printing press illegal under Dutch law.

Leiden Museum de Lakenhal
Perth Assembly, 1619
(Image courtesy of David Calderwood, Leiden University Libraries).
“A year before their departure for America, the Pilgrims published this pamphlet in Leiden. It was immediately banned in England since it criticised royal decisions that had been made during an assembly in Perth, Scotland in 1618. In this pamphlet, the Pilgrims express their dislike of the celebration of Christmas and Easter, the episcopal hierarchy and the practice of kneeling during Holy Communion.”

“Furthermore, when Brewster fled Holland, he brought with him
several of his associates in his printing venture in Leiden— probably to
protect them and prevent the King’s agents from eliciting information
about Brewster from them. To protect Brewster, names were changed
and documents altered—all part of a subterfuge.

The illegal printing of books critical of King James I and the
English Church was carefully planned. Two non-controversial books
were published in Latin in 1617 as a ‘front’ operation and perhaps
to gather the set type and gain income. William Brewster then faded
from view: he appeared in the Spring 1617 book trade catalog but
went underground and did not appear in the Autumn 1618 catalog.

Some of Brewster’s associates in this printing operation are
known—notably John Reynolds and Edward Winslow. [It was also with Winslow’s family that George Soule traveled as a servant on the Mayflower.] Brewster’s supporters and associates were also neighbors in Leiden—the city was teeming with printing associates ready to help.”

Illustration of Johannes Gutenberg’s First Printing Press, from 7 Ways the Printing Press Changed the World. (Image courtesy of History.com).

The Background History of Book Printing in Holland

When printing presses were becoming established, the interruptions which they caused in societies were problematic. The closest analogy we would have today, is when the internet came about and there was much fretting about the changes that were happening in society. In 16th century Holland, these interruptions were managed by regulation.

“Printing was regulated by local and/or regional authorities. Itinerant printers of the late 1500s traveled from town to town peddling pamphlets and broadsides produced on small hand-held presses. In 1608 Leiden banned foreigners from selling such printed matter by ‘calling out’ their wares. The basic printing laws in Holland were put forth in the edict of 1581, renewed and updated at various times from 1608 through 1651.

The salient point of these regulations was to require a printer to include information in his productions about his name, place, year, author, and translators. Anonymity and libel were illegal and fines for such behavior were heavy. Thus, by the printing regulations of the time, many of the books printed for Puritan and Separatist uses in Leiden and Amsterdam were illegal by reason of the omission of printer, author, or other essential data.

Illustration of a 15th century print shop, from 7 Ways the Printing Press Changed the World. (Image courtesy of History.com).

Around 1620 in Leiden, the book trade was in the middle of a transformation from a craft-based occupation peopled with printers, binders, type-founders and compositors to a commercially oriented industry peopled by booksellers, paper sellers, binders, typemakers, and printing firms.

The early printers in Leiden were actually small in number and appear to have known and worked or cooperated with each other. In any one year, there were probably no more than 20 printers working. The industry was growing, and after 1611 grew by 15 or more active workers in an average year. Leiden, with an estimated population in 1622 of 44,745, was home to a total of about 62 printers/booksellers in the period 1601-1625.”

A Friendly Neighbor, Johannes Sol

“A print shop in that period needed a minimum of three persons. William Brewster’s first assistant in this period was John Reynolds, who left after one year left when he married. [His second assistant was] Edward Winslow, who joined Brewster in Leiden late in 1617 after a four-year apprenticeship to stationer John Beal in London. Winslow, like Reynolds, married after assisting Brewster for about a year. Brewster also appears to have had assistance from the print shop of a friendly neighbor, Johannes Sol.

At Johannes Sol’s printshop, Johannes’s teenaged brother George Soule was available (no apprenticeship paperwork was needed). [Since we know George could read and sign his name, he probably also did proofreading.] The change of “Sol” to “Sowle” might have been part of Brewster’s subterfuge — to identify all Mayflower passengers as English.”

“On the recipe for a varnish used by El Greco” by Michel Faver-Félix. (Image courtesy of Conservar Património, no. 26, 2017, Associação Profissional de Conservadores Restauradores de Portugal).

It is likely that “Johannes Sol died suddenly during the winter of 1618/19. A Dutch printer… suffered an accidental, fiery death while boiling printing varnish in country house outside Leiden on a Sabbath day… the printer’s house was burned and he and his only daughter died in the fire.” His death left his younger brother George Sol, without a livelihood” and exposed him as an associate of William Brewster, who was a hunted man.”

Everyone in the Pilgrim community was worried about the long arm of King James I, and we wonder if perhaps the horrid death of Johannes Sol was something instigated by King James I? We will likely never know, but certainly, people were nervous. (1)

A Walloon Refugee Family

We have encountered many spelling alternatives when it comes to the surname for the Soule family. It seems that much of this variation is dependent upon who was doing the record-keeping and what culture they were from. Moreover, much spelling then could sometimes be phonetic. In addition, William Brewster seems to have altered the Sol spelling to Sowle/Soule as part of his great deception to make the name seem more English.

Several researchers have found records for this family that all seem to agree on the point that they were likely a Walloon refugee family. (For an understanding of what was occurring with the Walloons in Europe during this period, please see the chapter of another family line who was experiencing the same difficulties: The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — One, Holland & Huguenots. It is interesting to note that the Soule line connects through marriage to the DeVoe line in 6 generations).

 A Brief History of the Netherlands map, circa 1555, by Brian A. Smith, D.C. The orange circles indicate areas where our Jan Solis and Maecken Labus may have lived in the Walloon Provinces, before going to London, England for a few years.

From researcher Louise Walsh Throop, the “Father Jan Sols experienced in his lifetime the revolt of the Spanish Netherlands, led by William of Orange. In 1568 the 80 Years War between the Netherlands and Spain began. In the 1570s, Protestant refugees fled north to cities like Brussels and Antwerp or across the Channel to England. The assassination of William of Orange in 1584 was followed by the fall of Ghent, Bruges, Brussels, and Antwerp. Refugees fled north [about 1585] to the newly independent Dutch provinces of Holland and Zeeland, or across the  Channel to England. In the province of Holland are located the towns of Haarlem, Amsterdam and Leiden.” (2)

1820 illustration of the Dutch Reformed Church of Austin Friars, based upon illustration in A Topographical and Historical Description of London and Middlesex, by Edward Wedlake Brayley. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

The Dutch Reformed Church of Austin Friars

The “origins of George Soule this last variation of Sols/Soltz, i.e., ‘Solis,’ is a clerical variation on the Latinized version: Solius …the marriage record of Jan Solis of Brussels, to Maecken Labus, at the Dutch Reformed Church in Austin Friars, London, dated 30 August 1586,” and “…that “John Sols and his wife” were admitted into the congregation in 1585. Seven other children were born after they returned to Haarlem about 1590” (Soule Kindred newsletter, Summer 2019)

Entry for the marriage record of Jan Solis and Maecken Labus — August 30, 1586,
as published in The Marriage, Baptismal and Burial Registers, 1571-1874,
and Monumental Inscriptions of the Dutch Reformed Church, Austin Friars, London.
(Image courtesy of The Internet Archive).

“Jan and Mayken were Protestant refugees who were married at Austin Friars, London, England, 30 August 1586. They were the parents of seven known children baptized in Haarlem, Holland, between 1590 and 1599. The marriage record of Jan Sol in London, England, in 1586 gives his origin, misread in English as ‘Brussels’ whereas it was more likely referring to what is now Lille, France. ” (Wikitree)

Jan (or John in English) married Mayken/Maecken (Mary in English) in London in 1586 and may have lingered a year or two in or near London. Possibly a proposed tax on refugees provided the impetus for leaving London. The baptisms of seven children in Haarlem 1590-9 means that George Soule would have been born about 1601.” (Throop, 2011)

See the middle entry — August 30, 1586 marriage record for Jan Solis of Brussels, to Maecken Labus at the Dutch Reformed Church, Austin Friars, London, England. (Image courtesy of the Soule Kindred Newsletter, Summer 2019).

Indeed, they could have been from Brussels, or they could have been from Lille, France, or they could have been from both places. Due to the conflicts between Kingdoms at that time, the borders were always in flux and people were moving around much. (This same experience happened to our DeVoe family ancestors). What is most important is that they eventually ended up in Haarlem, Holland where they started their family.

Wikitree explains, “The Dutch Reformed Church records in Haarlem give the baptismal records for seven children of Jan Sols/Soltz, of Brussells, and his wife Mayken Labis/Labus/Lapres/Laber, including:

  • Geertrude, baptized February 25, 1590
  • Johannes, baptized October 6, 1591*
  • Sara, baptized September 5, 1593
  • Maria, baptized 28 March 28, 1596
  • Johanna, baptized March 19, 1597
  • Pieter, apparently twin with Susanna, baptized January 17, 1599
  • Susanna, apparently twin with Pieter, baptized January 17, 1599

*This oldest son is the printer Johannes Sol from Leiden.” So where is George Soule in this family group? He was presumably the youngest of the family. (3)

View of Haarlem with Bleaching Grounds, by Jacob van Ruisdael, circa 1665.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

George Soule — Born About 1601

“It is not outside the realm of possibility for Johannes Sol to have a younger brother George, whose Dutch name would have been Joris (also Goris/Jurgem/Jurian/Jurn/Jury/Janz) Sol.” This places George’s birthdate somewhere in the range of November 1599 to November 1602. Therefore, researchers use the date of 1601 for his birthdate, and cite points of evidence for the familial relationship:

“Four of the 14 male servants on the Mayflower signed the Compact: John Howland, George Soule, Edward Doty, and Edward Leister. With regard to these men, we have help in calculating birth years: servants were not eligible to marry until their contract was up, which normally was when a man reached the age if 25 years. Thus, using George Soule’s projected marriage about 1626, his birth year was 1601 or earlier.”

“The naming of his children. “George married about 1626 in Plymouth Colony, and named two children for his presumed parents: Jan/John and Mayken/Mary (Labus/Labis) Sol. George [named a son after himself, and] also named a daughter Susannah, presumably for his sister Susanna, bap. in 1599.” Hence the names: John, Mary, George, Susannah. Mary could have been named for his mother, and/or his wife. (Both sections are Throop, 2009)

“A series of matching Y-DNA test results in 2017 supports the kinship of George Soule to Johannes Sol.” (Throop, 2009 and Wikipedia)

The Sails Fill As The Mayflower Leaves Plymouth, 1620, by Peter Goodhall.
(Image courtesy of American Art Collector).

In Summary, Before We Sail to America —

“The available evidence points to a Dutch birthplace for George Soule with his possible father Jan Sol(s) moving from Brussels in Brabant to Haarlem in the Dutch province of Holland at least 10 years before George’s birth. Being born about 1601, and literate, George was probably handy when presumed brother Johannes Sol needed a printer’s devil or general helper about 1616-1617 in Leiden. About the middle of 1618, George apparently became involved in the efforts of the so-called Pilgrim Press, which was suppressed in September 1619. His association with Brewster and Winslow appears to have led to his inclusion on the passenger list of the Mayflower, and, like Brewster and possibly also Winslow, or he may have been hiding from the Dutch and English authorities.”

Our ancestor, the young George Soule, was likely born in 1601 in Haarlem, Haarlem, Netherlands. “It very well could have been the chance of a lifetime for young George Soule to be part of a group leaving Leiden in the middle of 1620 for the relative freedom of North America.” (Soule, Terry, and Throop, 2000, and Throop 2009) (4)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Note, that these four sections all use the same Louise Walsh Throop references:
George Soule Was Probably Not an Englishman
William Brewster’s Subterfuge
The Background History of Book Printing in Holland
A Friendly Neighbor, Johannes Sol

(1) — eight records

Library of Congress
History of The Town of Middleboro, Massachusetts
by Thomas Weston, 1834-1920
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyoftownofm00wes/?c=160&sp=5&st=pdf
Book page: 590, Digital page: 644/788
Note: For George Soule & Son 1671 signature

Mayflower Descendant, Volume 66, No. 1: Winter 2018
William Brewster’s Subterfuge
by Louise Walsh Throop
Book pages: 14-22
Note: .pdf file available for purchase from American Ancestors at,
https://shop.americanancestors.org/products/mayflower-descendant-volume-66-no-1-winter-2018?srsltid=AfmBOopdq6ksBjHLwiaPfTnd4DImwKhDX3pjK_h2UsoTorf_pmESZ-C5&pass-through=true
Note: For the text.

This statement by Throop is published as a response at this link: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Soule-33

“…in which I describe how William Brewster got out of Leiden before being picked up by the authorities, who were being pressured by the English ambassador. Brewster seems to have taken some of his print crew with him, including George Sowle, an English spelling [as his original name was Dutch and probably Joris Sol]. The modern proof is in y-DNA matching with a Forrest family from southern Scotland, as it appears an orphaned nephew of George Soule was adopted into a Forrest family, probably by remarriage of a widowed mother. The orphaned son was the only surviving child of a printer in Leiden named Johannes Sol; Johannes left an estate so the widow would have been quickly remarried so the new husband could have control of the estate, and baby boy. Johannes’ apprentice left in 1619 for Scotland, apparently taking tell-tale type from Brewster’s presswork, and probably also the (missing) Brewster press. His name was Edward Rabin and he is celebrated for being the first printer in Aberdeen, Scotland [see wikipedia]. In one of his diatribes against Sabbath-breaking and drinking, etc., he mentions without any names his former master who died in a fire [while working on a Sabbath], and whose estate was then (in 1623) under the control of unrelated person(s). The Forrest/Soule y-DNA matches are found on the Soule project housed with FamilyTreeDNA. This whole scenario is described in the article already mentioned in Mayflower Descendant. Now if you know someone who can research in the Netherlands, please let me know! The Soule Kindred in America has been focusing on English research in the past 10 years, probably because they received a bequest for research in England! They have found nothing.”

Merriam Webster Dictionary
Enigmatic definition
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/enigmatic#:~:text=An%20enigmatic%20person%20is%20someone,tested%20one’s%20alertness%20and%20cleverness.

Leiden Museum de Lakenhal
Pilgrims to America — And The Limits of Freedom (Exhibition)
via Heritage Leiden, Stadsarchief 1574 – 1816
Perth Assembly, 1619
(Image courtesy of David Calderwood, Leiden University Libraries).
https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/images-and-credit-lines-pilgrims
Notes: “A year before their departure for America, the Pilgrims published this pamphlet in Leiden. It was immediately banned in England since it criticised royal decisions that had been made during an assembly in Perth, Scotland in 1618. In this pamphlet, the Pilgrims express their dislike of the celebration of Christmas and Easter, the episcopal hierarchy and the practice of kneeling during Holy Communion.”

History.com
7 Ways the Printing Press Changed the World
by Dave Roos
https://www.history.com/news/printing-press-renaissance
Notes: For two illustrations, Johannes Gutenberg’s First Printing Press, and a 15th century print shop.

Further Searching for the Origins of Mayflower Passenger
George Soule: Printer’s Devil in Leiden?

by Louise Walsh Throop, M.B.A.
https://web.archive.org/web/20190403203131/https://soulekindred.org/resources/Documents/Newsletters/PDF-Newsletters/Vol.-43-No.-4-Autumn-2009.pdf
Note: For the text.

Conservar Património, no. 26, 2017
Associação Profissional de Conservadores Restauradores de Portugal
“On the recipe for a varnish used by El Greco”
by Michel Faver-Félix
https://www.redalyc.org/jatsRepo/5136/513654156004/html/index.html
Note: For the botanical images.

A Walloon Refugee Family

(2) — three records

The Most Remarkable Lives of Jan Jansen and his son Anthony
A Brief History of the Netherlands (map)
by Brian A. Smith, D.C.
https://ia801604.us.archive.org/32/items/2013JanAndAnthonyJansenPublic/2013 Jan and Anthony Jansen public.pdf
Book page: 3/145
Note: For the map.

Further Searching for the Origins of Mayflower Passenger
George Soule: Printer’s Devil in Leiden?

by Louise Walsh Throop, M.B.A.
https://web.archive.org/web/20190403203131/https://soulekindred.org/resources/Documents/Newsletters/PDF-Newsletters/Vol.-43-No.-4-Autumn-2009.pdf
Note: For the text.

Soule Kindred Newsletter
Fall 2011, Vol. XXXXV, No. 4
Continuing the Search for the Origins of George Soule and
Some Incidental Findings in the Search for His Descendants
by Louise Walsh Throop, M.B.A.
https://soulekindred.org/George-Soule-Research
Note: For the text.

The Dutch Reformed Church of Austin Friars

(3) — five records

London Remembers
First Dutch Church, Austin Friars
https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/first-dutch-church-austin-friars
Note 1: For the 1820 illustration of the church, based upon A Topographical and Historical Description of London and Middlesex, by Edward Wedlake Brayley.
Note 2: From Wikipedia, “In the night of 15–16 October 1940, just a decade before the Dutch Church celebrated its 400th anniversary, the medieval building was completely destroyed by German bombs. The church’s collection of rare books including Dutch Bibles, atlases and encyclopedias had been moved out of London for safe-keeping one day before the bombing raid that destroyed the building.” Via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dutch_Church,_Austin_Friars

Soule Kindred Newsletter
Fall 2011, Vol. XXXXV, No. 4
Continuing the Search for the Origins of George Soule and
Some Incidental Findings in the Search for His Descendants
by Louise Walsh Throop, M.B.A.
https://soulekindred.org/George-Soule-Research
Note: For the text.

Soule Kindred Newsletter
Summer 2019, Vol. LIII, No. 2
Soule Sleuths Make Headway in theSearch for George
by Marcy Kelly
https://soulekindred.org/Newsletters-2010s
Note: For the text, and the (personal photograph) image of the marriage record for Jan Solis and Maecken Labus, found in parish registers of Austin Friars.

The Marriage, Baptismal and Burial Registers, 1571-1874, and Monumental Inscriptions of the Dutch Reformed Church, Austin Friars, London; with a short account of the strangers and their churches
by London. Dutch Reformed Church, Austin Friars; William John Charles Moens, 1833-1904 editor
https://archive.org/details/marriagebaptisma00lond/page/134/mode/2up
Book page: 135, Digital page: 190/295
Note: For the text.

WikiTree
George Soule Sr (abt. 1601 – bef. 1680)
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Soule-33
Note: For the text.

Note, that these two sections all use the same Louise Walsh Throop reference:
George Soule — Born About 1601
In Summary, Before We Sail to America —

(4) — five records

American Art Collector
The Sails Fill As The Mayflower Leaves Plymouth, 1620
by Peter Goodhall
https://www.americanartcollector.com/shows/1584/peter-goodhall
Note: For the painting image.

Further Searching for the Origins of Mayflower Passenger
George Soule: Printer’s Devil in Leiden?

by Louise Walsh Throop, M.B.A.
https://web.archive.org/web/20190403203131/https://soulekindred.org/resources/Documents/Newsletters/PDF-Newsletters/Vol.-43-No.-4-Autumn-2009.pdf
Note: For the text.

George Soule
Family Search family tree that indicates a 1601 birth
in Haarlem, Haarlem, Netherlands
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:QDJH-P1T
Note 1: This circa 2000 reference is cited for this family tree.
Mayflower Families In Progress –
George Soule of the Mayflower and his descendants in the Fifth and Sixth Generations (Families 1-229) ([Plymouth, Massachusetts]: G
by John E. Soule, Col. USA, Ret., M.C.E., Milton E. Terry, Ph.D., and Louise Walsh Throop, M.B.A.,
Note 2: This publication is also available here —
George Soule of the Mayflower and his descendants in the Fifth and Sixth Generations, at: https://archive.org/details/georgesouleofmay2000soul/page/2/mode/2up
Note: For the data.

George Soule (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soule_(Mayflower_passenger)#cite_note-soulekindred.org-9
Note: For the text.

The Pilgrims — A Thanksgiving

This is Chapter Seven of seven. It is the last of our opening chapters on The Pilgrims. So far we have covered topics such as — how they thought differently than we do today, British colonization, their experiences in Holland, the Mayflower, Plimoth Plantation, and the Native Peoples they encountered. Finally, we get to the part that most of know, the Thanksgiving celebration. Like a great meal, pass the plate please, because there’s always more to share.

The Thanksgiving holiday is a national ritual that has moved like a resonant wave through American culture for more than 150 years. Iconic images such as those by painter Norman Rockwell have impressed generations, including our own family.

Freedom From Want, by Norman Rockwell, from the Saturday Evening Post magazine,
March 6, 1943. (Image courtesy of the Saturday Evening Port archives).

Freedom From Want

“One of Norman Rockwell’s most well known and adored paintings, ‘Freedom from Want’ was never actually on the cover of the magazine. It appeared as an inside illustration, along with the three other images that represented President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Four Freedoms: Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, and Freedom from Fear. Hundreds of variations of this image have been created, including ones for our magazine featuring The Muppets and The Waltons.” (The Saturday Evening Post)

These examples pay tribute to the themes represented in Norman Rockwell’s painting, Freedom From Want. (There are many, many versions of this iconic artwork). From left to right, the Peanuts Gang, the Legos, and the Muppets all gather to celebrate. (See footnotes).

The Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod Bay over 400 years ago. That has been a lot of time for some mythology about the first Thanksgiving to have developed — an event at which two of our ancestors were present. Some myths and rituals are good, because they bring all of us together. We think it will be interesting to look at and write a bit about, both this mythology and the actual history.

Myths are the body of legends and stories that belong to our different societies.  Occasions such as wedding ceremonies, funerals, baptisms, Bar Mitzvah, church services, college graduations, Super Bowl, and Heineken Cup (Rugby) are all examples of the various types of rituals that take place during our normal lives.

It is these myths and rituals that give our societies some meaning and contribute to stability. Indeed, one could say that stability requires its myths and rituals. 

Writer Brian Leggett,
writing on Joseph Campbell’s book, The Power of Myth

“For American culture, the story of the Pilgrims, including their “first Thanksgiving” feast with the local Native Americans, has become the ruling creation narrative, celebrated each November along with turkey, pumpkin pie, and football games. The Pilgrims and Plymouth Rock have eclipsed the earlier 1607 English settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, as the place where America was born.” (National Endowment For The Humanities – NEFTH) (1)

What Happened In That First Winter

Before we can get to the first Thanksgiving celebration we need to pass through the devastating winter which the Saints and Strangers experienced. When they disembarked, it was already a troublesome experience. “With passengers and crew weakened by the voyage and weeks exploring Cape Cod, the Mayflower anchored in Plymouth harbor in late December 1620. The weather worsened, and exposure and infections [began to] take their toll. (PBS)

Immediate decisions were made as to where to begin with the development of structures for shelter. This required felling trees and making their own lumber. — “First to be built was a Common House which would have several huts around it.  Then there would be living quarters built for the settlers.  There would be a total of 19 lots. Because of the hardships that the settlers had to endure in the coming months, the Common House had to be used as living quarters and a hospital. Just as the construction of the Common House began, a storm came along which featured snow that changed to rain. During the next three weeks, there were a number of storms that moved through while producing rain, snow, and sleet. Many settlers lived on the Mayflower and left the ship [only] to work until March when more dwellings were constructed in earnest.” (NY NJ PA Weather – NYNJPA)

The First Winter of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts, 1620. Colored engraving, circa 19th century. (Image courtesy of The Granger Collection).

“Many of the colonists [had fallen] ill. They were probably suffering from scurvy and pneumonia caused by a lack of shelter in the cold, wet weather. Although the Pilgrims were not starving, their sea-diet was very high in salt, which weakened their bodies on the long journey and during that first winter. As many as two or three people died each day during their first two months on land. Only 52 people survived the first year in Plymouth. When the Mayflower left Plymouth on April 5, 1621, she was sailed back to England by only half of her crew.” (Plimoth Pautexet)

By the spring of 1621, about half of the Mayflower’s passengers and crew had died. We obtained these charts from the Pilgrim Hall Museum, and they are perfect for explaining quite clearly what a difference one year made in their lives.

William Bradford kept a registry recording those who had passed. The Plymouth Colony Archive Project shares his entry below. On March 24, 1621 (only three months after they arrived), he wrote —

Elizabeth Winslow: March “Dies Elizabeth, the wife of Master Edward. This month, Thirteen of our number die.”

“And in three months past, die Half our Company. The greatest part in the depth of winter, wanting houses and other comforts; being infected with the scurvy and other diseases which their long voyage and unaccommodate condition bring upon them. So as there die sometimes two or three a day. Of one hundred persons, scarce 50 remain. The living scarce able to bury the dead; the well not sufficient to tend the sick: there being in their time of greatest distress but six or seven who spare no pains to help them. Two of the seven were Master Brewster, their reverend Elder, and Master Standish the Captain.

The like disease fell also among the sailors; so as almost Half their company also die, before they sail.”

(See footnotes — Deetz and Mayflower Society)

“Of the eighteen women who began the journey, only five (Susanna White, Eleanor Billington, Elizabeth Hopkins, Katherine Carver, and Mary Brewster) were alive by the spring of 1621. Of these 5 women, Katherine Carver, wife of Plimoth’s first governor John Carver, would not live to see the year’s end. William Bradford writes that John Carver died in April 1621, and Katherine “his wife, being a weak woman, died within five or six weeks after him.”

“About a year after the arrival of the Mayflower, [around the time of the first Thanksgiving] the ship Fortune reached Plimoth bringing more settlers in November 1621.  Amongst its passengers there were only two women, meaning this small contingent of  adult women were often spread quite thin between the colony’s domestic duties.” (Mayflower Society) (2)

To Celebrate With A Harvest Feast

The Thanksgiving holiday has not existed for 400+ years as many people likely assume. In fact, for a long period of time it was a forgotten event. One of the first places it was mentioned is a small book we referred to in the chapter, The Pilgrims — A Mayflower Voyage.

In fact, “as autumn came, the Pilgrims gathered to in a ‘special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors,’ wrote one of their number, Edward Winslow.” This same event was held again in 1623, but after that, there are no further records of it. (NEFTH)

Images left to right: Front cover for Mourt’s Relation, circa 1622. Photograph of the original 17th century volume (book) Of Plimoth Plantation. 1945 front cover for George F. Willison book, Saints and Strangers. (See footnotes).

Writer Joshua J. Mark in the World History Encyclopedia, helps us to understand the context of this period in the early 1620s: “The story of the First Thanksgiving comes from only two sources initially: Bradford and Winslow’s ‘Mourt’s Relation’, which gives a detailed account. The book seems to have been an initial success before going out of print and was only brought back to public notice in 1841.

By the fall of 1621, with Squanto’s [and Samoset’s] help, the colonists were able to bring in a good crop and had been shown the best hunting grounds and fishing streams. The colonists decided to celebrate with a harvest feast which has since been defined as the First Thanksgiving.

“Visit of Samoset to the Colony.” Illustration from the 1876 textbook,
A Popular History of the United States, by William Cullen Bryant, circa 1876.

The narrative of the event is usually given along the lines provided by the scholar George F. Willison in his 1945 ‘Saints and Strangers: Being the Lives of the Pilgrim Fathers & Their Families, with Their Friends and Foes’, which is loosely based on Bradford’s and Winslow’s earlier account:

As the day of the harvest festival approached, four men were sent out to shoot waterfowl, returning with enough to supply the company for a week. Massasoit was invited to attend and shortly arrived – with ninety ravenous braves! The strain on the larder was somewhat eased when some of these went out and bagged five deer. Captain Standish staged a military review, there were games of skill and chance, and for three days the Pilgrims and their guests gorged themselves on venison, roast duck, roast goose, clams and other shellfish, succulent eels, white bread, corn bread, leeks and watercress and other “sallet herbes”, with wild plums and dried berries as dessert – all washed down with wine, made of the wild grape, both white and red, which the Pilgrims praised as “very sweete and strong”. At this first Thanksgiving feast in New England, the company may have enjoyed, though there is no mention of it in the record, some of the long-legged “Turkies” whose speed of foot in the woods constantly amazed the Pilgrims.

Gift of Meat from Native Americans to Plymouth Colonists.
Hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration.
(Illustration courtesy of North Wind Picture Archives).

Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation, which references the event in more general terms. (It was brought back into print in 1856). Bradford writes:

They began now [fall of 1621) to gather in the small harvest they had, and to prepare their houses for the winter, being well recovered and in health and strength and plentifully provisioned; for while some had been thus employed in affairs away from home, others were occupied in fishing for cod, bass, and other fish, of which they caught a good quantity, every family having their portion. All summer there was no want. And now, as winter approached, wild fowl began to arrive [and] they got abundance of wild turkeys besides venison. (Book II. ch. 2)

Harvest time had now come, and then instead of famine, God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many for which they blessed God. And the effect of their particular planting was well seen, for all had, one way or another, pretty well to bring the year about, and some of the abler sort and more industrious had to spare, and sell to others, in fact, no general want or famine has been amongst them since, to this day. (Book II. ch. 4) (3)

The First Thanksgiving In 1621, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris. Another Ferris painting that, although somewhat romantic and popular, is wrong in most details.

What Was Really On The Menu?

Writer Joshua J. Mark continues: “Bradford mentions turkeys, which most likely were served as part of the feast, but no menu such as provided by Willison appears in the primary documents and, although cranberries probably grew in the nearby wetlands, nothing suggests they were harvested. Further, since the settlement had no ovens, butter, or wheat for crusts, there were no pies, pumpkin or otherwise. The most glaring misrepresentation of the First Thanksgiving story, however, which routinely adheres to the above passage from Willison, is that the Native Americans of the Wampanoag were invited to the feast; neither of the primary documents suggests this in any way.”

In addressing this quandary, Epicurious interviewed Kathleen Curtin the food historian at Plimoth Plantation (Plimoth Patuxet), who shares that “Most of today’s classic Thanksgiving dishes weren’t served in 1621,” says Curtin. “These traditional holiday dishes became part of the menu after 1700. When you’re trying to figure out just what was served, you need to do some educated guesswork. Ironically, it’s far easier to discern what wasn’t on the menu during those three days of feasting than what was!”

First Thanksgiving, by Artist unknown. (Image courtesy of Fine Art Storehouse).

She elaborates further, “Potatoes—white or sweet—would not have been featured on the 1621 table, and neither would sweet corn. Bread-based stuffing was also not made, though the Pilgrims may have used herbs or nuts to stuff birds. Instead, the table was loaded with native fruits like plums, melons, grapes, and cranberries, plus local vegetables such as leeks, wild onions, beans, Jerusalem artichokes, and squash. (English crops such as turnips, cabbage, parsnips, onions, carrots, parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme might have also been on hand.) And for the starring dishes, there were undoubtedly native birds and game… Fish and shellfish were also likely [served].

“While modern Thanksgiving meals involve a lot of planning and work, at least we have efficient ovens and kitchen utensils to make our lives easier. Curtin says the Pilgrims probably roasted and boiled their food. ‘Pieces of venison and whole wildfowl were placed on spits and roasted before glowing coals, while other cooking took place in the household hearth,’ she notes, and speculates that large brass pots for cooking corn, meat pottages (stews), or simple boiled vegetables were in constant use.” (4)

“To make victuals both more plentiful and comfortable”

“The Pilgrims had to sell their butter in 1620 to pay expensive port fees caused by delays with the Speedwell. Little did they know that they would not taste cows’ milk, butter, or cheese for another four years. On September 8, 1623, Gov. William Bradford and Dep. Governor Isaac Allerton wrote to the Merchant Adventures in London imploring them to send goats and cattle in order ‘to make victuals both more plentiful and comfortable’ and stating that “the Colony will never be in good estate till they have some.

The London investors agreed, and finally sent over one bull and three heifers in 1623 on the Anne and five more cows on the Jacob in 1624. From that time forward, the food shortages came to an end. Why would the addition of cattle make such a difference?

Young Herdsmen with Cows, by Aelbert Cuyp, circa 1655-60.
(Image courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art).

“As the Pilgrims knew, the addition of milk, cheese and butter was so important to the diet of English colonists that it was called ‘white meat.’ The concentrated calories, proteins, calcium and fats were life sustaining, and particularly important for growing children. Most of the Pilgrims came from yeoman farming backgrounds and knew how to effectively use dairy cows. Dairying was ‘women’s work’ and it was hard and labor-intensive. The Colony women would have worked from dawn to dusk taking care of their cattle.

By 1627, the colonists had sufficient cattle to actually divide them by family group among the 156 colonists. The 1627 Division of Cattle into 13 family groups acts as an invaluable census for all those living in Plymouth during that year. The growth in cattle also caused a demand for farms, which led to the settlement of Kingston, Duxbury, Marshfield, and other towns throughout the colony.” (Mayflower Society Newsletter) (5)

Adopted — A Day of For Thanksgiving

Due to the advocacy of one woman, and a President who listened to her, we eventually gained a national holiday in November.

“Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879), the writer and editor of the popular periodical Godey’s Lady’s Book, campaigned for the national observance of Thanksgiving Day beginning in 1846. She wrote to each sitting president advocating the adoption of the holiday, but it was only acted upon in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln (served 1861-1865) during the American Civil War as a means of encouraging national unity.

Sidebar: Sarah Joseph Hale was quite intriguing as she was an early advocate for equal educational opportunities for women. She was the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb” and retired in 1877 at the age of 89. That same year, Thomas Edison spoke the opening lines of Mary’s Lamb as the first speech ever recorded on his newly invented phonograph. Here is a 17 second audio clip (just below his photo), where Edison recalls the original event. Unfortunately, the original recording was too fragile and has not survived.

Inventor Thomas Alva Edison with his early phonograph, circa 1877. (Public domain)
Left image: A typical cover of Godey’s Lady’s Book, circa 1867. Note Hale’s name as editor on the front cover. Right image: Sarah Josepha Hale, 1831 by James Lambdin.

Americans already celebrated the holiday at different times in different places, but Hale wanted a specific national day of giving thanks to God for the blessings received during the past year. The Civil War context made such a day even more necessary, as both sides occasionally proclaimed days of thanksgiving to recognize and potentially foster divine support for their respective causes.” (World History Encyclopedia, WHE)

“Lincoln proved receptive to Hale’s ideas and officially declared the last Thursday in November “as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.” He added (in an October 3, 1863, proclamation written by Secretary of State William H. Seward) that Americans should “with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.” (Lincoln Presidential Library)

A public notice about one of several Thanksgiving proclamations Lincoln issued
during the Civil War, circa 1863. (Image courtesy of the Lincoln Presidential Library).

“The modern celebration of the holiday was formalized across the United States only as recently as 1963 under President John F. Kennedy (served 1961-1963), although it had been observed regionally for 100 years prior.” (WHE)

Finally, author Kathleen Donegan writes in Seasons of Misery: Catastrophe and Colonial Settlement in Early America, about the Pilgrims and the Native Peoples at the first celebration in 1621 —

“We love the story of Thanksgiving because it’s about alliance and abundance,” Donegan says… “But part of the reason that they were grateful was that they had been in such misery; that they had lost so many people — on both sides. So, in some way, that day of thanksgiving is also coming out of mourning; it’s also coming out of grief. It’s a very interesting narrative for a superpower nation. There is something sacred about humble beginnings. A country that has grown so rapidly, so violently, so prodigiously, needs a story of small, humble beginnings.” (6)

Finally, Thanksgiving Dinner is Just Not Complete Without Pumpkin Pie!

Every year without fail we gathered together for our annual Thanksgiving dinner. Sometimes we would have twenty people gathered around the table at our home. It would always start out very well mannered and civilized, and then evolve into loosened belts, catching up on goings-on, mountains of dishes, and people yelling at the inevitable football games playing on the afternoon television.

Top photo: Around 1990, it looks like everyone decided to go to a restaurant and let someone else do the cooking. (Mom probably appreciated that). From left to right, John Bond, Daniel Bond, Jo Ann White, and Marguerite Bond (who is casting glances at George Soule and Edward Doty). Middle right image, Susan Bond helping with a post dinner clean up. Bottom image, an example of our traditional family pumpkin pie, [with an overly crispy crust: ‘A’ for effort; ‘C+’ for execution].

Our mother was a good cook. Later in her life, we convinced her to write out some of her recipes and now we’re glad we did, except for the fact that she had very difficult handwriting to read. (Her excuse was always that when she was younger, she learned shorthand at secretarial school and it had ruined her handwriting. We would not disagree). In any case, for those of you who are interested — her actual recipe as she wrote it out, is transcribed in the footnotes. (7) By the way, the picture of the pie is not Mom’s, it’s from an experiment in pie making by one of her children!

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations


Freedom From Want

(1) — four records

The Saturday Evening Post
Thanksgiving
https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/collections/thanksgiving/
Note: For the text, and Norman Rockwell’s painting, Freedom From Want, 1943.

If It’s Hip, It’s Here
The 37 Best Parodies of Rockwell’s Freedom From Want (aka Thanksgiving Dinner)
https://www.ifitshipitshere.com/37-best-parodies-rockwells-freedom-want-aka-thanksgiving-dinner/
Notes: Freedom From Want — Peanuts version by Charles Schultz, Lego Version by Greg 50 on Flickr, Muppets version by Jim Henson

IESE Business School, University of Navarra
The Power of Myth, by Joseph Campbell
Review of this book by Brian Liggett
https://blog.iese.edu/leggett/2012/02/27/the-power-of-myth-by-joseph-campbell/
Note: For the text.

(NEFTA)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?
by Craig Lambert
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

What Happened In That First Winter

(2) — seven records

The First Winter of the Pilgrims in Massachusetts, 1620. Colored engraving, circa 19th century. (Image courtesy of The Granger Collection).
Note: As found here, Exploration and the Early Settlers from Of Plymouth Plantation, on page 106:
https://www.muhlsdk12.org/site/handlers/filedownload.ashx?moduleinstanceid=4199&dataid=8729&FileName=Of%20Plymouth%20Plantation.pdf
Note: For the winter artwork.

PBS Learning Media
The First Winter | The Pilgrims
https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/americanexperience27p-soc-firstwinter/the-first-winter-the-pilgrims/
Note: For the text.

(NYNJPA)
The Pilgrims Barely Survived Their First Winter At Plymouth
https://nynjpaweather.com/public/2023/11/17/the-pilgrims-barely-survived-their-first-winter-at-plymouth/
Note: For the text.

Plimoth Pautexet Museums
Who Were The Pilgrims?
Arrival at Plymouth
https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/who-were-the-pilgrims
Note: For the text.

Pilgrim Hall Museum
Charts About The Mayflower Passengers
https://www.pilgrimhall.org/ce_our_collection.htm
Note: We adapted these graphics for this chapter.

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Mayflower Passenger Deaths, 1620-1621
Patricia Scott Deetz and James Deetz

http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/maydeaths.html
Note: For the text.

The Mayflower Society
Women of The Mayflower
https://themayflowersociety.org/history/women-of-the-mayflower/
Note: For the text.

To Celebrate With A Harvest Feast

(3) — seven records

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

(VTHMB)
Voyaging Through History, the Mayflower and Britain
Mourt’s Relation (1622)
https://voyagingthroughhistory.exeter.ac.uk/2020/08/25/mourts-relation-1622/
Note: For the cover image.

State Library of Massachusetts
Bradford’s “Of Plimoth Plantation”
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/bradfords-manuscript-of-plimoth-plantation
Note: For the photograph of the original 17th century volume (book) Of Plimoth Plantation.

Saints and Strangers: Being the Lives of the Pilgrim Fathers & Their Families
by George F. Willison
https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.13804/page/509/mode/2up
Note: For the cover image.

(WHE)
World History Encyclopedia
Thanksgiving Day: A Brief History
by Joshua J. Mark
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1646/thanksgiving-day-a-brief-history/
Note: For the text.

“Visit of Samoset to the Colony”
Illustration from the 1876 textbook, A Popular History of the United States 
by William Cullen Bryant, circa 1876
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_popular_history_of_the_United_States_-_from_the_first_discovery_of_the_western_hemisphere_by_the_Northmen,_to_the_end_of_the_first_century_of_the_union_of_the_states;_preceded_by_a_sketch_of_the_(14597125217).jpg
Book page: 400, Digital page: 472/682
Note: For the Samoset illustration.

North Wind Picture Archives
Gift of Meat from Native Americans to Plymouth Colonists
https://www.northwindprints.com/american-history/gift-meat-native-americans-plymouth-colonists-5877641.html
Note: Fir the hand-colored woodcut of a 19th-century illustration.

What Was Really On The Menu?

(4) — three records

Fine Art America
The First Thanksgiving In 1621
by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/the-first-thanksgiving-in-1621-by-ferris-artist-jean-leon-gerome-ferris.html
Note: For the painting.

The Real Story of The First Thanksgiving
by Joanne Camas
https://www.epicurious.com/holidays-events/the-real-story-of-the-first-thanksgiving-menu-recipes-article
Note: For the text and historical insights.

Fine Art Storehouse
First Thanksgiving
https://www.fineartstorehouse.com/photographers/frederic-lewis/first-thanksgiving-11428168.html
Note: A depiction of early settlers of the Plymouth Colony sharing a harvest Thanksgiving meal with members of the local Wampanoag tribe at the Plymouth Plantation, Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1621.

“To make victuals both more plentiful and comfortable”

(5) — two records

Mayflower Society Newsletter, July 2024
by Lisa H. Pennington, Governor General
Note: For the text cited in the article —
2024: The 400th Anniversary of the “Great Black Cow”

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Young Herdsmen with Cows
by Aelbert Cuyp, circa 1655-1660
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/436064
Note: For the painting image.

Adopted — A Day of For Thanksgiving

(6) — eight records

(WHE)
World History Encyclopedia
Thanksgiving Day: A Brief History
by Joshua J. Mark
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1646/thanksgiving-day-a-brief-history/
Note: For the text.

Godey’s Lady’s Book
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godey’s_Lady’s_Book
Note: For the cover image.

Sarah Josepha Hale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Josepha_Hale
Note: For the text, and her portrait.

The audio file housed at —
The Internet Archive
Mary had a little lamb
by Thomas Edison
https://archive.org/details/EDIS-SCD-02
Note: For the audio clip reference only.

The Public Domain Review
Edison reading Mary Had a Little Lamb (1927)
https://publicdomainreview.org/collection/edison-reading-mary-had-a-little-lamb-1927/
Note: For the photograph of Thomas Edison, and the MP3 download link at the articles end for the actual audio file used in this chapter.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
Lincoln and Thanksgiving
https://presidentlincoln.illinois.gov/Blog/Posts/169/Abraham-Lincoln/2022/11/Lincoln-and-Thanksgiving/blog-post/
Note: For the text and 1863 proclamation image.

(NEFTA)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?
by Craig Lambert
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

Finally, Thanksgiving Dinner is Just Not Complete Without Pumpkin Pie!

(7) — one record

All records are family photographs, or ephemera. Below is a transcription of Marguerite’s Pumpkin Pie recipe exactly as she wrote it out —

The Pilgrims — The Native Peoples

This is Chapter Six of seven. Long before our ancestors had arrived in the New Plymouth, the native peoples who already lived there had more than a century of experience with the Europeans.

In the first chapter, The Pilgrims — Saints & Strangers, we briefly learned about some of the historical consequences of the Columbian Exchange. We were then choosing to apply a light touch to that history, but here in this chapter, we need to delve more deeply.

(The English Exporer) Bartholemew Gosnold trading with the Wampanoag at Martha’s Vineyard,
circa 1597. (Image courtesy of The Newberry Library).

The Americas and The Great Dying

“The first manifestation of the Columbian exchange may have been the spread of syphilis from the native people of the Caribbean Sea to Europe. The history of syphilis has been well-studied, but the origin of the disease remains a subject of debate.

There are two primary hypotheses: one proposes that syphilis was carried to Europe from the Americas by the crew of Christopher Columbus in the early 1490s, while the other proposes that syphilis previously existed in Europe but went unrecognized. The first written descriptions of syphilis in the Old World came in 1493. The first large outbreak of syphilis in Europe occurred in 1494–1495 among the army of Charles VIII during its invasion of Naples. Many of the crew members who had served with Columbus had joined this army. After the victory, Charles’s largely mercenary army returned to their respective homes, spreading “the Great Pox” across Europe, which killed up to five million people.” (Wikipedia)

This chart looks a bit heavy on the left side, doesn’t it?
Data gathered was from Wikipedia, and The National Library of Medicine, United Kingdom.
(See footnotes).

The Columbian exchange of diseases towards the New World was far deadlier. The peoples of the Americas had previously had no exposure to Old World diseases and little or no immunity to them. An epidemic of swine influenza beginning in 1493 killed many of the Taino people inhabiting Caribbean islands. The pre-contact population of the island of Hispaniola was probably at least 500,000, but by 1526, fewer than 500 were still alive. Spanish exploitation was part of the cause of the near-extinction of the native people. (Wikipedia)

In 1518, smallpox was first recorded in the Americas and became the deadliest imported Old World disease. Forty percent of the 200,000 people living in the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, later Mexico City, are estimated to have died of smallpox in 1520 during the war of the Aztecs with conquistador Hernán Cortés.  Epidemics, possibly of smallpox, spread from Central America, devastated the population of the Inca Empire a few years before the arrival of the Spanish. The ravages of Old World diseases and Spanish exploitation reduced the Mexican population from an estimated 20 million to barely more than a million in the 16th century. (Wikipedia)

Known as the Port St. Louis map, by Samuel de Champlain, circa 1605. This image shows Patuxet before the plague of 1617. It was included in the book, Les Voyages du Sievr de Champlain Xaintongeois, 1613. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

“There is disagreement regarding the number of Native Peoples before the first Europeans set foot in North America, but approximately five to eighteen million is currently the best estimate, and a much larger population of over 100 million including throughout the Americas and West Indies is probable. The arrival of Europeans… resulted in a catastrophic “demographic collapse” of up to 95% of the indigenous population. By the beginning of the 20th Century, the number of Native Americans in this country had been reduced to about 237,000 people through disease, war, and relocation.” (See footnotes, Ipswich) (1)

Passage excerpted from: Indian Narratives: Containing a Correct and Interesting History
of the Indian Wars, From the Landing of Our Pilgrim Fathers, 1620. It was published in 1854,
by Henry Trumbull, Susannah Willard, and Zadock Steele. (See footnotes).

Closer to Home in New England

“The Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, has inhabited present-day Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. In the 1600s, there were as many as 40,000 people in the 67 villages that made up the Wampanoag People, who firstly lived as a nomadic hunting and gathering culture. By about 1000 AD, archaeologists have found the first signs of agriculture, in particular the corn crop, which became an important staple, as did beans and squash.” (Mayflower 400)

Dr. Ian Saxine of Bridgewater State University, when interviewed near the time of the Mayflower’s 400th anniversary stated, “There is evidence that the inhabitants of the Outer Cape had interacted with European sailors from Portugal, England and France for at least 200 years. They traded, and at times, fought.” (GBH News) This area is shown on the right portion of the map below.


Map of Wampanoag Country in the 1600s.
Wampanoag territory in the 1600s was made up of about 67 villages, and this map shows some of them. The larger print shows the Wampanoag name, and the smaller print gives the modern name. (Map courtesy of Plimoth Patuxet Museums).

“Entire villages were lost and only a fraction of the Wampanoag Nation survived. This meant they were not only threatened by the effects of colonisation but vulnerable to rival tribes and struggled to fend off the neighbouring Narragansett, who had been less affected by this plague.

In the winter of 1616-17 an expedition dispatched by Sir Ferdinando Gorges found a region devastated by war and disease, the remaining people so “sore afflicted with the plague, for that the country was in a manner left void of inhabitants”. Two years later another Englishman found “ancient plantations” now completely empty with few inhabitants – and those that had survived were suffering.

In the years before the Mayflower arrived, the effects of colonization had already taken root.” (Mayflower 400)

Front cover and interior page from, Historical, Poetical and Pictorial American scenes:
Principally Moral and Religious: Being a Selection of Interesting Incidents in American History

to Which is Added a Historical Sketch of Each of the United States,
by John W. Barber and Elizabeth G. Barber, 1850. (Images courtesy of the Hathi Trust).

When the sickness came, the reduction of the population may have been incremental, episodic, and continuous, but in the end, it was relentless.
For the tribe with whom our family (mostly) interacted with, “the extraordinary impact of the Great Dying meant the Wampanoag had to reorganize its structure and the Sachems [the North American Indian chiefs] had to join together and build new unions.” (Mayflower 400)

“When we look back on the Aborigines, as the sole proprietors
of our soil, on the places which once knew them,
but are now to know them no more forever,
feelings of sympathy and sadness come over our souls.

In the light of history,
a tribe of men immortal as ourselves… have irrevocably
disappeared from the scenes and concerns of earth.

Joseph Felt writing in his 1834 book,
“History of Ipswich, Essex and Hamilton”

If you recall when we wrote in The Pilgrims — Saints & Strangers, we drew attention to the fact that people then had no concept of germ theory. The very healthy nature of the Native Peoples “proved their undoing, for they had built up no resistance, genetically or through childhood diseases, to the microbes that Europeans and Africans would bring to them. They did not cause the plague and were as baffled as to its origin as the stricken Indian villagers.

These epidemics probably constituted the most important geopolitical event of the early seventeenth century. Their net result was that the English, for their first fifty years in New England, would face no real Indian challenge.” (Lies My Teacher Told Me – LMTTM)

Drawing of a Wampanoag hut. (Image courtesy of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum).

Nature loves to exploit a new environmental niche, and viruses that complicate our lives are unintentionally skilled at exploiting new opportunities. We all know this, with the most recent example being the global SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

It was into this world of empty landscapes that Plimoth Plantation began. (2)

First Encounters With The Pilgrims

From the standpoint of the Native People, when the Pilgrims first arrived, their memories of some of their own having been taken prisoner and sold into slavery, led some to act aggressively. “The First Encounter… was not so much an attack on the English settlers as the Wampanoags defending themselves and their culture. Pilgrim records say the Nauset [a neighboring tribe of the Wampanoags] attacked once the Pilgrims had pulled their small boat ashore after spending the day exploring along the coast and were camped out near the beach. Although the Pilgrims and Nauset engaged in a brief firefight, there is no record of any deaths or injuries.

Saxine [of Bridgewater State University] said both sides felt they had won what was the first violent engagement between the Native Americans and the European settlers who would later colonize Plymouth. The Mayflower party felt that they had won because the Nauset fighters pulled back after this firefight,” Saxine said. “The Nauset probably felt they had won because the English people sailed away and left them alone.” (GBH News) (3)

The Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth, Massachusetts on board the Mayflower,
November 1620
(painting), by W.J. Aylward. (Image courtesy of Historynet.com)

These People Were Different.

“The story of the Pilgrims… has been told primarily from the English colonists’ point of view. How the Native Americans felt about the colonists’ arrival in the New World has been mostly absent from the story.” (GBH News)

“Four hundred years ago, this newly organised People [after the Great Dying] watched as yet another ship arrived from the east. These people were different. The Wampanoag watched as women and children walked from the ship, using the waters to wash themselves. Never before had they seen Europeans engage in such an act. They watched cautiously as the men of this new ship explored their lands, finding what remained of Patuxet and building homes. They watched them take corn and beans, probably winter provisions, stored for the harsh conditions that were to come. The Wampanoag People did not react.

Given the horrific nature of the past years, the Wampanoag People were understandably wary of this new group. Months would pass before contact. But in this time, they would have recognised the opportunity for a new alliance to help them survive.” (Mayflower 400) (3)

Discovering Indian Cornand Graves

In the book, 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, author Charles C. Mann, states to National Geographic —

“When the pilgrims arrived in Cape Cod, they were incredibly unprepared. “They were under the persistent belief that because New England is south of the Netherlands and southern England, it would therefore be warmer,” says Mann. “Then they showed up six weeks before winter with practically no food.” In a desperate state, the pilgrims robbed corn from Native Americans graves and storehouses soon after they arrived; but because of their overall lack of preparation, half of them still died within their first year.

If the pilgrims had arrived in Cape Cod three years earlier, they might not have found those abandoned graves and storehouses … in fact, they might not have had space to land. Europeans who sailed to New England in the early to mid-1610s found flourishing communities along the coast, and little room for themselves to settle. But by 1620, when the Mayflower arrived, the area looked abandoned.

“Having their guns and hearing nobody, they entered the houses and found the people were gone. The sailors took some things but didn’t dare stay. . . . We had meant to have left some beads and other things in the houses as a sign of peace and to show we meant to trade with them. But we didn’t do it because we left in such haste. But as soon as we can meet with the Indians, we will pay them well for what we took.”

“We marched to the place we called Cornhill, where we had found the corn before. At another place we had seen before, we dug and found some more corn, two or three baskets full, and a bag of beans. . . . In all we had about ten bushels, which will be enough for seed. It was with God’s help that we found this corn, for how else could we have done it, without meeting some Indians who might trouble us.”

“A couple of years before, there’d been an epidemic that wiped out most of the coastal population of New England, and Plymouth was on top of a village that had been deserted by disease,” says Mann. “The pilgrims didn’t know it, but they were moving into a cemetery,” he adds.

“The next morning, we found a place like a grave. We decided to dig it up. We found first a mat, and under that a fine bow. . . . We also found bowls, trays, dishes, and things like that. We took several of the prettiest things to carry away with us, and covered the body up again.”

“The newcomers did eventually pay the Wampanoags for the corn they had dug up and taken. Plymouth, unlike many other colonies, usually paid Indians for the land it took. In some instances Europeans settled in Indian towns because Natives had invited them, as protection against another tribe or a nearby competing European power.” (National Geographic, and LMTTM)

Massasoit Meeting English Settlers, from Lives of Famous Indian Chiefs by Norman B. Wood, 1906. (Image courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica).

“…just as the Pilgrims don’t represent all English colonists, the Wampanoags, who feasted with them, don’t represent all Native Americans. The Pilgrims’ relations with the Narragansetts, or the Pequots, were completely different.” (National Endowment For The Humanities – NEFTH) (5)

The Wampanoag Confederacy of Massasoit Sachem

The history that has come down to us today, records four individuals who made important differences in the lives of the Pilgrims, and helped them to succeed with their new colony endeavors.

Massasoit was the Sachem, or leader of the Wampanoag confederacy. Massasoit Sachem means the Great Sachem. Although Massasoit was only his title, English colonists mistook it as his name and it stuck. Massasoit needed the Pilgrims just as much as they needed him. [His] people had been seriously weakened by a series of epidemics and were vulnerable to attacks by the Narragansetts, and he formed an alliance with the colonists at Plymouth Colony for defense against them. It was through his assistance that the Plymouth Colony avoided starvation during the early years.

At the time of the Pilgrims’ arrival in Plymouth, the realm of the Wampanoag, also known as the Pokanokets, included parts of Rhode Island and much of southeastern Massachusetts. Massasoit lived in Sowams, a village at Pokanoket in Warren, Rhode Island. He held the allegiance of lesser Pokanoket Sachems [chiefs]. 

Massasoit forged critical political and personal ties with colonial leaders William Bradford, Edward Winslow, Stephen Hopkins, John Carver, and Myles Standish, ties which grew out of a peace treaty negotiated on March 22, 1621. The alliance ensured that the Pokanokets remained neutral during the Pequot War in 1636. According to English sources, Massasoit prevented the failure of Plymouth Colony and the starvation that the Pilgrims faced during its earliest years.

Massasoit Sachem images, from left to right: Pilgrim Edward Winslow comforting Massasoit. Center: A Map of New-England (Woodcut), attributed to John Foster 1677. Note: The crown, indicates the royal seat of Massassoit Sachem of the Wampanoags, and is drawn between the two branches of the Sowams River. Plimoth is nearby to the southeast. Right: 1902 postcard photo showing Profile Rock, …it was thought to be that of the Wampanoag Chief Massasoit Sachem. (See footnotes).

Massasoit was humane and honest, kept his word, and endeavored to imbue his people with a love for peace. He kept the Pilgrims advised of any warlike designs toward them by other tribes. It is unclear when Massasoit died. Some accounts claim that it was as early as 1660; others contend that he died as late as 1662. He was anywhere from 80 to 90 at the time.” (Wikipedia)

“In Winslow’s second published book, ‘Good Newes from New England (1624),’ he recounted at length nursing the Wampanoag leader Massasoit as he lay dying, even to the point of spoon-feeding him chicken broth.” (See footnotes, The Conversation) (6)

Samoset arriving at Plymouth Colony in 1621. (See footnotes).

Samoset, the Abenaki Native American

This is how we first learn of Samoset, “Yet, in March, a lone Indian warrior named Samoset appeared and greeted the settlers, improbably, in English. Soon, the Pilgrims formed an alliance with the Wampanoags and their chief, Massasoit. Only a few years before, the tribe had lost 50 to 90 percent of its population to an epidemic borne by European coastal fisherman. Devastated by death, both groups were vulnerable to attack or domination by Indian tribes. They needed each other.” (NEFTH) 

He “was the Abenaki Native American who first approached the English settlers of Plymouth Colony in friendship, introducing them to [the] natives Squanto and Massasoit who would help save and sustain the colony.

He was a Sagamore (Chief) of the Eastern Abenaki, who was either visiting Massasoit or had been taken prisoner by him sometime before the Mayflower landed off the coast of modern-day Massachusetts in November 1620. Massasoit chose him to make first contact with the pilgrims in March of 1621, and he has been recognized since as instrumental in bringing the Native Americans of the Wampanoag Confederacy and English colonists of Plymouth together in a compact which would remain unbroken for the next 50 years.”

All that is known of Samoset comes from these works except for a passing mention by the explorer Captain Christopher Levett who met Samoset in 1624 at present-day Portland, Maine, and considered it an honor based on Samoset’s role in helping to sustain Plymouth Colony in 1621. Samoset was highly regarded by other English and European colonists following his appearance in Mourt’s Relation, published in 1622. (World History Encyclopedia) (7)

Tisquantum. or Squanto, the Guide and Interpreter
by Charles de Wolf Brownell, circa 1864. (See footnotes).

Tisquantum, Who is Also Known as Squanto

“A Native American called Tisquantum was born in 1580. He became known as Squanto and little is known of his early life. Some believe he was captured as a young man on the coast of what is now Maine by Captain George Weymouth in 1605. Weymouth was an Englishmen commissioned to explore the American coastline and thought his financial backers might like to see Native American people.

“What do most books leave out about Squanto? First, how he learned English. Squanto spent nine years [in England, with three years being in the employ of Ferdinando Gorges]. At length, Gorges helped Squanto arrange passage back to Massachusetts. Some historians doubt that Squanto was among the five Indians stolen in 1605. All sources agree, however, that in 1614 an English slave raider, Thomas Hunt, lured 24 Native Americans on board his ship under the premise of trade. Their number included Tisquantum. Hunt locked them up below deck, sailed for Spain and sold these people into the European slavery in Málaga, Spain. Squanto escaped from slavery, escaped from Spain, and made his way back to England.

Malaga, Spain, circa 1572, 40 years before Tisquantum was delivered there in slavery.
(Image courtesy of Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg).

After trying to get home via Newfoundland, in 1619 he talked Thomas Dermer into taking him along on his next trip to Cape Cod as an interpreter. He searched for his homeland but tragically, he arrived as the Great Dying reached its horrific climax. His tribe had all been wiped out two years before.. His home village, Patuxet, was lost. — No wonder Squanto threw in his lot with the Pilgrims.” (LMTTM and Mayflower 400)

“Squanto’s travels acquainted him with more of the world than any Pilgrim encountered. He had crossed the Atlantic perhaps six times, twice as an English captive, and had lived in Maine, Newfoundland, Spain, and England, as well as Massachusetts.”
Excerpted from Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James W. Loewen, page 88.

“As translator, ambassador, and technical advisor, Squanto was essential to the survival of Plymouth in its first two years. Like other Europeans in America, the Pilgrims had no idea what to eat or how to raise or find food until American Indians showed them. [Massasoit was, as the Great Sachem of the Wampanoag Confederacy, the one who sent Tisquantum (Squanto) to live among the Pilgrim colonists.]

William Bradford called Squanto “a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. He directed them how to set their corn, where to take fish, and to procure other commodities, and was also their pilot to bring them to unknown places for their profit.” Squanto was not the Pilgrims’ only aide: in the summer of 1621 Massasoit sent another Indian, Hobomok, to live among the Pilgrims for several years as guide and ambassador.” (LMTTM)

Importantly, we learned that he “… facilitated understandings between the colony and its native neighbors and established trade relations with a number of villages.” (Wikipedia)

Pilgrim Fathers and Squanto, the Friendly Indian,
after an Illustration by C. W. Jefferys, 1926. (See footnotes).

“With spring, under the careful guidance of a Wampanoag friend, Tisquantum, the settlers planted corn, squash, and beans, with herring for fertilizer. They began building more houses, fishing for cod and bass, and trading with the Native Americans. By October, they had erected seven crude houses and four common buildings.” (NEFTH) (8)

Hobomok, A ‘Pneise’ of the Pokanoket

Almost nothing is known about Hobomok before he began living with the English settlers who arrived aboard the Mayflower. His name was variously spelled in 17th century documents and today is generally simplified as Hobomok, or Hobbamock. He was known as a Pneise, which means he was an elite warrior of the Algonquin people of Eastern Massachusetts. Also, he was a member of the Pokanoket tribe… whom Sachem Massasoit had authority over. William Bradford described him as “a proper lustie man, and a man of accounte for his vallour and parts amongst thed Indeans.”

“Hobomak is known to us primarily for his rivalry with Squanto, who lived with the settlers before him. He was greatly trusted by Myles Standish, the colony’s military commander, and he joined with Standish in a military raid against the Massachuset” [a neighboring tribe].

The March of Miles Standish, Postcard image published by Armstrong & Co.
(Image courtesy of the Library of Congress, see footnotes).

Both Bradford and Winslow first record Hobomok’s actions in connection with a crisis in which Squanto was thought to have been kidnapped and possibly murdered. Long story short is that there were ongoing rival factions for control among the various Native nations, and therefore there was an attempt to have Massasoit driven “from his country.” Hobomak aided Miles Standish “to raid Nemasket at night to round up Corbitant and any accomplices.” This was a messy confrontation, but Squanto was released, and Massasoit remained as Sachem.

However, “The affair left the colony feeling exposed. They decided to protect the settlement by taking down tall trees, dragging them from the forest and sinking them in deep holes closely bound to prevent arrows from passing through. [This was the building of a stockade.] Moreover, Standish divided the men into four squadrons and drilled them on how to respond to an emergency, including instructions on how to remain armed and alert to a native attack even during a fire in the town.” (Adapted from Wikipedia)

An artist’s conception of the Plymouth Colony by 1630. (See footnotes).

“Hobomok helped Plymouth set-up fur trading posts at the mouth of the Penobscot and Kennebec rivers in Maine; in Aputucxet, Massachusetts, and in Windsor, Connecticut.” If you recall, the underwriters in London who had financed the voyage of the Mayflower still need to be reimbursed by the Pilgrims. The income generated by the sale and shipment of these fur skins back to the Europeans, helped to alleviate those debts. (LMTTM) (9)

Very Faithful in Their Covenant of Peace

When have written previously that it appeared that the demeanor of the Pilgrims had shifted during their years in Leyden, Holland. Perhaps after all of their harrowing experiences since they left there, some of them were becoming less strident in their views? We observed that instead of viewing the Native Peoples in America as Others — as they themselves had been treated in England — an appreciation and tolerance toward those who are different from them, had begun to take hold.

Left image: Portrait of Plymouth Colony Governor Edward Winslow, Attributed to the school of Robert Walker, circa 1651. Right image: Hand-colored woodcut of Edward Winslow visiting Chief Massasoit. (See footnotes).

“At the same time, Pilgrims did not actively seek the conversion of Native Americans. According to scholars like [Nathaniel] Philbrick, English author Rebecca Fraser and [Mark] Peterson, the Pilgrims appreciated and respected the intellect and common humanity of Native Americans.

An early example of Pilgrim respect for the humanity of Native Americans came from the pen of Edward Winslow. Winslow was one of the chief Pilgrim founders of Plymouth. In 1622, just two years after the Pilgrims’ arrival, he published in the mother country the first book about life in New England, “Mourt’s Relation.”

While opining that Native Americans “are a people without any religion or knowledge of God,” he nevertheless praised them for being “very trusty, quick of apprehension, ripe witted, just.” Winslow added that “we have found the Indians very faithful in their covenant of peace with us; very loving. … we often go to them, and they come to us; some of us have been fifty miles by land in the country with them.” (See footnotes, The Conversation)

“These epidemics probably constituted the most important geopolitical event of the early seventeenth century. Their net result was that the English, for their first fifty years in New England, would face no real Indian challenge.” (LMTTM) (10)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

The Americas and The Great Dying

(1) — eight records

The Newberry Library
(The English Exporer) Bartholomew Gosnold trading with
Wampanoag Indians at Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
by Theodor de Bay, circa 1597
https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/digital/collection/nby_eeayer/id/3563
Note: For the image.

Post-Columbian Transfer of Diseases chart, sources —
Columbian Exchange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange
Note: For the text and the image of, Sixteenth-century Aztec drawings
of victims of smallpox, from the Florentine Codex.
and
New Hypothesis for Cause of Epidemic among Native Americans,
New England, 1616–1619
by John S. Marr and John T. Cathey
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2957993/
Note: For the data, “…leptospirosis complicated by Weil syndrome, a rare but severe bacterial infection, spread by non-native black rats that arrived on the settlers’ ships.”
and
Smithsonian Magazine
Alfred W. Crosby on the Columbian Exchange
by Megan Gambino
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/alfred-w-crosby-on-the-columbian-exchange-98116477/?no-ist
Note: For the bottom image.

Library of Congress
Les voyages dv sievr de Champlain Xaintongeois,
capitaine ordinaire pour le Roy, en la marine. Divisez en devx livres.
ou, Iovrnal tres-fidele des observations faites és descouuertures
de la Nouuelle France
by Samuel de Champlain, circa 1605
https://www.loc.gov/item/22006274/
Book page: 80, Digital page: 112/436
Note: For book frontipiece and credits.
and
Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Port St. Louis (map)
https://plimoth.org/yath/unit-1/port-st-louis
Note: For the text and map.

(Ipswich)
Historic Ipswich
The Great Dying 1616-1619, “By God’s visitation, a Wonderful Plague.”
https://historicipswich.net/2023/11/17/the-great-dying/

Indian Narratives: Containing a Correct and Interesting History of the Indian Wars,
From the Landing of Our Pilgrim Fathers, 1620,
circa 1854
by Henry Trumbull, Susannah Willard, and Zadock Steele
https://archive.org/details/indiannarrative00steegoog/page/n10/mode/2up
Book page: 76, Digital page: 87/295
Note: For the text.

Closer to Home in New England

(2) — seven records

Mayflower 400
Native America and the Mayflower: 400 years of Wampanoag History
https://www.mayflower400uk.org/education/native-america-and-the-mayflower-400-years-of-wampanoag-history/
Note: For the text.

GBH News
Reframing The Story Of The First Encounter Between
Native Americans And The Pilgrims
by Bob Seay
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2019-11-28/reframing-the-story-of-the-first-encounter-between-native-americans-and-the-pilgrims
Note: For the text.

Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Map of Wampanoag Country in the 1600s
https://plimoth.org/yath/unit-1/map-of-wampanoag-country-in-the-1600s
Note: For the map image.

Hathi Trust
Historical, Poetical and Pictorial American scenes:
Principally Moral and Religious: Being a Selection of Interesting Incidents in American History to Which is Added a Historical Sketch of Each of the United States
, 1850
by John W. Barber and Elizabeth G. Barber
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t00057646&seq=199
Book page: 183, Digital page: 199/254
Note: For the text and the image.

History of Ipswich, Essex and Hamilton
by Joseph Barlow Felt, 1834
https://archive.org/details/historyofipswich00felt/page/2/mode/2up
Book page: 2, Digital page: 24/404
Note: For the text (pull-quote).

(LMTTM)
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note: Chapter 3: “The Truth About The First Thanksgiving”

(LAPM)
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
https://leidenamericanpilgrimmuseum.org/en
Note: For the illustration of the Wampanoag hut.

First Encounters With The Pilgrims

(3) — two records

GBH News
Reframing The Story Of The First Encounter Between Native Americans And The Pilgrims
by Bob Seay
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2019-11-28/reframing-the-story-of-the-first-encounter-between-native-americans-and-the-pilgrims
Note: For the text.

The Pilgrims arrive at Plymouth, Massachusetts on board the Mayflower,
November 1620
(painting)
by W.J. Aylward
https://www.historynet.com/how-collectivism-nearly-sunk-colonies/landing-of-the-pilgrims/
Note: For the painting image.

These People Were Different.

(4) — two records

GBH News
Reframing The Story Of The First Encounter Between Native Americans And The Pilgrims
by Bob Seay
https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2019-11-28/reframing-the-story-of-the-first-encounter-between-native-americans-and-the-pilgrims
Note: For the text.

Mayflower 400
Native America and the Mayflower: 400 years of Wampanoag History
https://www.mayflower400uk.org/education/native-america-and-the-mayflower-400-years-of-wampanoag-history/
Note: For the text.

Discovering Indian Cornand Graves

(5) — five records

National Geographic
A few things you (probably) don’t know about Thanksgiving
by Becky Little
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/151121-first-thanksgiving-pilgrims-native-americans-wampanoag-saints-and-strangers
Note: For the text.

Interesting Events in the History of The United States: being a selection of
the most important and interesting events which have transpired…

by John Warner Barber, 1798-1885
https://archive.org/details/intereventshistus00barbrich/page/n5/mode/2up
Note: For text and the illustration, Discovering Indian Corn.

(LMTTM)
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note 1: Chapter 3 for text, The Truth About The First Thanksgiving
Note 2: The travel map for Squanto was adapted from graphics on page 88.

Encyclopædia Britannica
Wampanoag People
Massasoit Meeting English Settlers
from ‘Lives of Famous Indian Chiefs’ by Norman B. Wood, 1906
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wampanoag#/media/1/635211/179338
Note: For the image.

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?
by Craig Lambert
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

The Wampanoag Confederacy of Massasoit Sachem

(6) — seven records

Primary Source Learning:
The Wampanoag, the Plimoth Colonists & the First Thanksgiving
https://primarysourcenexus.org/2021/11/primary-source-learning-wampanoag-plimoth-colonists-first-thanksgiving/
Note: For the image of Massasoit And His Warriors

Massasoit
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massasoit
Note: For the text.

The Conversation
The First Pilgrims and the Puritans Differed in Their Views on Religion,

Respect for Native Americans
by Michael Carrafiello
https://theconversation.com/how-the-first-pilgrims-and-the-puritans-differed-in-their-views-on-religion-and-respect-for-native-americans-240974
Note: For the text.

Images for the Massasoit collage —
Hathi Trust
Historical, Poetical and Pictorial American scenes:
Principally Moral and Religious: Being a Selection of Interesting Incidents in American History to Which is Added a Historical Sketch of Each of the United States, 1850
by John W. Barber and Elizabeth G. Barber
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiuo.ark:/13960/t00057646&seq=32
Book page: 16, Digital page: 32/254
Note: For the image of Massasoit.
and
The Massachusetts Historical Society
A Map of New-England (Woodcut)
Attributed to John Foster, 1677
https://www.masshist.org/database/68
Note 1: Originally published in William Hubbard’s Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians. Note 2: The Crown, indicates the royal seat of Massassoit, the Sachem of the Wampanoags, and is drawn between the two branches of the Sowams River.
and

File:Profile Rock (Assonet).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Profile_Rock_(Assonet).jpg
Note 1: Image, 1902 postcard photo showing Profile Rock; scanned from a private collection.
Note 2: …it was thought to be that of the Wampanoag Chief Massasoit Sachem, from: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/profile-rock

Samoset, the Abenaki Native American

(7) — two records

Samoset
Samoset arriving at Plymouth Colony in 1621
by Artist unknown
https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Samoset/601202

World History Encyclopedia
Samoset
https://www.worldhistory.org/Samoset/
Note: For the text. 

Tisquantum, Who is Also Known as Squanto

(8) — seven records

Antique Print Club
Tisquantum. or Squanto, the Guide and Interpreter
by Charles de Wolf Brownell, circa 1864
https://www.antiqueprintclub.com/Products/Antique-Prints/Historic-Views-People/Americas-Canada/Tisquantum-or-Squanto,-the-guide-and-interpreter-c.aspx
Note 1: For the antique image of Tisquantum. or Squanto.
Note 2: “Rare wood engraving with contemporary hand color, from Charles de Wolf Brownell’s ‘The Indian Races of North and South America: comprising an account of the principal aboriginal races; a description of their national customs, mythology, and religious ceremonies; the history of their most powerful tribes, and of their most celebrated chiefs and warriors…’,
published in Hartford, Connecticut in 1864 by Hurlbut, Scranton & Co.”

Artwork of Málaga in 1572 —
40 years before Tisquantum was delivered there in slavery
Extracted from:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squanto
Notes: Georg Braun; Frans Hogenberg: Civitates Orbis Terrarum, Band 1, 1572 (Ausgabe Beschreibung vnd Contrafactur der vornembster Stät der Welt, Köln 1582; [VD16-B7188) Universitätsbibliothek Heidelberg

(LMTTM)
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note 1: Chapter 3: “The Truth About The First Thanksgiving”
Note 2: For the map from page 88, which we adapted for this chapter.

Mayflower 400
Native America and the Mayflower: 400 years of Wampanoag History
https://www.mayflower400uk.org/education/native-america-and-the-mayflower-400-years-of-wampanoag-history/
Note: For the text.

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?
by Craig Lambert
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

Pilgrim Fathers and Squanto, the Friendly Indian
after an Illustration by C. W. Jefferys, 1926
https://www.art.com/products/p53691947530-sa-i8600719/pilgrim-fathers-and-squanto-the-friendly-indian-after-an-illustration-by-c-w-jefferys-1926.htm
Note: For the illustration.

Hobbamock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbamock#Hobomok_comes_to_live_with_English
Note: For the text about Squanto.

Hobomok, A Pneise of the Pokanoket

(9) — three records

Hobbamock
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobbamock#Hobomok_comes_to_live_with_English
Note: For the text.

(LMTTM)
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note: Chapter 3: “The Truth About The First Thanksgiving”

The Conversation
The First Pilgrims and the Puritans Differed in Their Views on Religion, Respect for Native Americans

by Michael Carrafiello
https://theconversation.com/how-the-first-pilgrims-and-the-puritans-differed-in-their-views-on-religion-and-respect-for-native-americans-240974
Note: For the text.

Very Faithful in Their Covenant of Peace

(10) — three records

Hand-colored woodcut of Edward Winslow visiting Chief Massasoit.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2017/11/19/after-first-thanksgiving-things-went-downhill/vvDRodh9iKU7IB2Wegjt8J/story.html
Note: For the image.

The British Empire
Plymouth Colony in 1630
https://www.britishempire.co.uk/maproom/massachusetts/massachusetts3.htm
Note: For the image.

Portrait of Plymouth Colony Governor Edward Winslow
Attributed to the school of Robert Walker, circa 1651
File:Edward Winslow.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Edward_Winslow.jpg
Note: For the portrait of Edward Winslow.

The Pilgrims — Plimoth Plantation

This is Chapter Five of seven. In this chapter we are going to share some of the knowledge we’ve gained about what it was like to live in the new ‘Plimouth’ Plantation, but first an interesting history that is quite literally, about a rock.

But now, God knows, Anything Goes!

Times have changed / And we’ve often rewound the clock / Since the Puritans got the shock / When they landed on Plymouth Rock
If today / Any shock they should try to stem / ’Stead of landing on Plymouth Rock / Plymouth Rock would land on them!

In 1934, Cole Porter wrote the classic Broadway musical Anything Goes!, and it was quite an enormous hit with the Depression Era audiences. In fact, some of those catchy songs are still popular to this day. However, he got the introductory details in the lyrics just a little off in the title song.

The Puritans didn’t land at Plymouth Rock. Our ancestors the Pilgrims did — or did they?

Stereoscopic card image, circa 1925. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

When you first lay eyes on Plymoth Rock, you can’t help but think, Is that all there is? (Cue singer Peggy Lee). It’s actually just pretty much a boulder. Even when you take a hopeful photograph wishing that through the magic of your camera, it will be… somehow more photogenic. It still ends up looking underwhelming — just like a rock from somebody’s yard down the street.

There are historical reasons for this. (1)

The Real Story of Behind Plymouth Rock

“There’s the inconvenient truth that no historical evidence exists to confirm Plymouth Rock as the Pilgrims’ steppingstone to the New World. Leaving aside the fact that the Pilgrims first made landfall on the tip of Cape Cod in November 1620 before sailing to safer harbors in Plymouth the following month, William Bradford and his fellow Mayflower passengers made no written references to setting foot on a rock as they disembarked to start their settlement on a new continent.

It wasn’t until 1741—121 years after the arrival of the Mayflower—that a 10-ton boulder in Plymouth Harbor was identified as the precise spot where Pilgrim feet first trod. The claim was made by 94-year-old Thomas Faunce, a church elder who said his father, who arrived in Plymouth in 1623, and several of the original Mayflower passengers assured him the stone was the specific landing spot. When the elderly Faunce heard that a wharf was to be built over the rock, he wanted a final glimpse. He was conveyed by chair 3 miles from his house to the harbor, where he reportedly gave Plymouth Rock a tearful goodbye. Whether Faunce’s assertion was accurate oral history or the figment of a doddering old mind, we don’t know.

By the 1770s, just a few years after Faunce made his declaration, Plymouth Rock had already become a tangible monument to freedom. As a revolutionary fever swept through Plymouth in 1774, some of the town’s most zealous patriots sought to enlist Plymouth Rock in the cause. With 20 teams of oxen at the ready, the colonists attempted to move the boulder from the harbor to a liberty pole in front of the town’s meetinghouse. As they tried to load the rock onto a carriage, however, it accidentally broke in two. The bottom portion of Plymouth Rock was left embedded on the shoreline, while the top half was moved to the town square.

On July 4, 1834, Plymouth Rock was on the move again, this time a few blocks north to the front lawn of the Pilgrim Hall Museum. And once again, the boulder had a rough ride. While passing the courthouse, the rock fell from a cart and broke in two on the ground. The small iron fence encircling Plymouth Rock did little to discourage the stream of souvenir seekers from wielding their hammers and chisels to get a piece of the rock. (Even today, chips off the old block are strewn across the country in places such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn.)

The long history of the Plymouth Rock in images.
Clockwise from the top left: The painting Memorial Housing the Plymouth Rock, (which was built circa 1920), the wharf which was built over the Rock, circa 1860s, a lithographic print of passengers arriving, Plymouth Rock in front of Pilgrim Hall, circa 1834, (note the painted numerals) and from the Historical Marker Database, the Plymouth Rock Marker. (See footnotes).

Finally, in 1880, at the same time that an America torn asunder by the Civil War was stitching itself back together, the top of Plymouth Rock was returned to the harbor and reunited with its base. The date ‘1620’ was carved on the stone’s surface, replacing painted numerals.

In conjunction with the 300th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival, Plymouth’s Rock’s current home, which resembles a Roman temple, was constructed. The boulder now rests on a sandy bed 5 feet below street level, encased in an enclosure like a zoo animal. Given all the whittling and the accidents, Plymouth Rock is estimated to be only a third or half of its original size, and only a third of the stone is visible, with the rest buried under the sand. A prominent cement scar is a reminder of the boulder’s tumultuous journeys around town.” (History.com) (2)

The Landing of the Pilgrims by Henry Bacon, 1877. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).
Comment: Was Plymouth Rock ever really this big? Or was the painter Henry Bacon just inspired?

English Clothing in the 1620s: Not What You Think

“Many people think the Pilgrims always wore black clothes. This may be because in many images of the time, people are shown wearing black clothes. This is because in the 1620s, the best clothes were often black, and people usually had their portraits painted while wearing their best clothes. It was not easy to dye cloth a solid, long-lasting black. It took a great deal of skill. People kept clothes made of such beautiful, expensive cloth for special occasions. Everyday clothes were made of many colors. Brown, brick red, yellow and blue were common. Other clothes were made of cloth that was not dyed. These clothes were gray or white, the natural color of the cloth.” (Plimoth Pautuxet)

Let’s just clarify something here at the get go —
The Pilgrims were not Puritans, even though they are sometimes labeled as such
by writers and artists from the past. (They just dressed similarly).

A Puritan Woman, About 1640 and A Puritan Man, About 1640.
These cards are from WD & HO Wills, a British tobacco company founded in 1786.
(The series is from 1929, English Period Costumes).
Note: The man’s clothing would likely have been more colorful, despite the fact that many Victorian era illustrators have frequently portrayed the Pilgrims as wearing black.

“Men wore a short jacket called a doublet, which was attached to breeches (which are knee-length pants), to form a suit. Usually they were made of wool cloth or linen canvas. A felt hat often completed the outfit. At the time when the Pilgrims first arrived in Massachusetts, colors were fashionable, and the colonists wore various hues. The wardrobe of colonist William Brewster, for example, included a pair of green trousers and a violet-colored coat.

Women colonists wore elaborate multi-layered outfits: a corset, multiple petticoats, stockings, a dress over those items, and a waistcoat or apron. They also wore linen caps called coifs over their hair, and felt hats as well.” (WordPress, George Soule History) (3)

The Everyday Life of The Settlers

Historian Carla Pestana shares her thoughts on their everyday lives with this story, and reflects on how the world they lived in, was quickly changing —

“One thing I got fascinated with was the everyday reality of the settlers’ lives. In the book, I tell the story of a man named Thomas Hallowell who gets called before the grand jury in Plymouth in 1638 because he’s wearing red stockings. The reason why his neighbors call him on this is that they know he doesn’t own red stockings and has no honest way to acquire them. So they think it needs to be looked into. When he’s called into court, he immediately confesses, yes, I was up in the very new town of Boston. I saw these stockings laying over a windowsill, drying, and I pocketed them, and brought them back to Plymouth, and put them on, and wore them in front of my neighbors, who knew I didn’t have them.

“It’s just so tempting..”.

That story tells you so much. The neighbors knew exactly what clothes he had, because clothes were really scarce and valuable. The materials to make clothing were not locally available, at first, and so it all has to be imported, which means that it’s expensive. Mostly they have to make do with what they have.

There were lots of references in letters, accounts, and even in the court records about people and their clothing, and about having to provide a suit of clothes to somebody, or having some shoes finally arrive on a ship, and what they’re able to do because the shoes have arrived. You’d think, shoes arrived, no big deal, but the shoes don’t just make themselves!

Cloth was is coming in, and it’s being traded with Native hunters, and it’s being used by local people to make clothes. They try to get sheep, so they can have wool and start making woolen cloth. All of this trade is connecting them to other places, where sheep are available, or skills are available, or the cloth is coming from, or the shoes are coming from. That little story about this man’s stockings really tells us so much.

Changes were happening in the wider world, of which they were part. English people are in Virginia and Bermuda. The English are going in and out of the Caribbean all the time, and thinking about setting up settlements down there. Fisherman operating off the Grand Banks and in the northern fisheries are always stumbling into Plymouth. Then shortly after Plymouth, the New Amsterdam [Manhattan Island] colony was founded so English have these not-too-distant European neighbors from the Netherlands. French fishing boats are constantly in the region, so there’s all kinds of activity, and people coming and going.

Woodcut engraving of 17th Century New England Cod-fishing.
(Image courtesy of Granger Art On Demand).

Almost immediately after Plymouth is founded, other peoples from England say, ‘Well, we can go there, too. We don’t need to be part of Plymouth, but we can go to that region, and actually mooch off of Plymouth for a while for food and supplies, and then go set up a trading post somewhere else.’ ” (Smithsonian) (4)

New England’s Great Migration Had Started

The eventual success of the Plimoth Plantation caught the attention of many investors and immigrants back home in England. The inset detail (below) is excerpted from the famous 1676 Map of New York and New England by John Speed of London. (And no, that dark spec next to the ‘New Plymouth’ name is not the Plymouth Rock before it went on all of its adventures).

As part of The Great Migration, a map like this, with all of the various harbors already named, helped familiarize people with this strange new world they had been hearing about.“It depicts the territories acquired by the British with the capture of New Amsterdam in 1664, which changed European influence in the colonies from the Dutch to the English. It is the first appearance of the name Boston, and the first map to use the term New York for both Manhattan and the colony.”

Inset detail showing the town of New Plymouth,
from A Map of New England and New York, by John Speed, circa 1676.
(Image courtesy of Raremaps.com).

“The Great Migration Study Project uses 1620 — the date of the arrival of the Mayflower — as its starting point. The peak years lasted just over ten years — from 1629 to 1640, years when the Puritan crisis in England reached its height.

Motivated primarily by religious concerns, most Great Migration colonists traveled to Massachusetts in family groups. In fact, the proportion of Great Migration immigrants who traveled in family groups is the highest in American immigrant history. Consequently, New England retained a normal, multi-generational structure with relatively equal numbers of men and women. At the time they left England, many husbands and wives were in their thirties and had three or more children, with more yet to be born.

Great Migration colonists shared other distinctive characteristics. New Englanders had a high level of literacy, perhaps nearly twice that of England as a whole. New Englanders were highly skilled; more than half of the settlers had been artisans or craftsmen. Only about seventeen percent came as servants, mostly as members of a household.” (American Ancestors) (5)

Let’s Put A Pin In That (Place) Name!

We have come across some name variations about the place where the Pilgrims established their colony, which seem to cause a bit of confusion. We believe that these names depend upon the era in which the history was written, so we have sorted them out a bit.

Plymouth
This is the location of the eventual (future) town on Cape Cod Bay where the Pilgrims established their settlement.

Plimoth Plantation, or Plymouth Plantation
This is name with which Governor William Bradford described their settlement in his journal Of Plimoth Plantation. This old-fashioned spelling was soon supplanted with the more modern spelling: Plymouth Plantation.

Plimoth Colony, or Plymouth Colony
Whether the Name is spelled as Plimoth, or Plymouth depends upon your source material, (and your computer’s fussy spell-check programming). They are the same place, just not the same spelling.

New Plimoth, or New Plymouth
Again, the same place. Some people have assumed that the Pilgrims named Plymouth after the English port city they knew. Actually, John Smith had already named the area New Plimouth on his 1616 map. See the chapter, The Pilgrims — A Mayflower Voyage.

Contemporary photograph of the Plimoth Patuxet historical site.
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

Plimoth Patuxet
This is the name of the museum and present day historical (replica village) site near the town of Plymouth. It is viewed as a more accurate representation of the cultures that co-existed at that time. “For the 12,000 years that the Wampanoag lived in and around what is now Plymouth, they called the land Patuxet, meaning ‘place of running water’ in the Wampanoag language. This land that is both Patuxet and Plymouth speaks to the emergence of an Indigenous-English hybrid society that existed here – in conflict and in collaboration – in the 17th century.” (See footnotes, The Enterprise) (6)

William Bradford’s 1620 Sketch of Plymouth

For our two Pilgrim ancestors — George Soule and Edward Doty — we have only been able to discern where the Soule family home was specifically located. We started with William Bradford’s 1620 Sketch of Plymouth, upon which he noted the two primary roads: one labeled the Streete, and the other the High Way. On this sketch, he also indicated where some homes were built, or intended to be built since it was Winter time.

The second map is from the 19th century. If you look closely, you can see that First Street (the Streete), had a name change to Leyden Street. This happened in 1823, when it was renamed in honor of Leiden, Holland.

Four different plat drawings showing the original housing sites for various Pilgrim families. Top row, left: William Bradford’s original drawing, “The meersteads & garden plots of which came first layed out 1620,” is the only known map of the original town layout.” Top row right: 19th century, origin unknown. Bottom row, left: This drawing was originally published in “The Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas), November 21, 1966. Bottom row, right: Origin unknown. (See footnotes).

The third sketch is from the 20th century and is an aerial view of the Plymouth Plantation* for a November 1966 newspaper article in the Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas). The George Soule home is tucked into the upper corner.
*Now known as the Plimoth Patuxet Museum, it opened in 1947.

Lastly, the image shown below at the lower right, appears as if it is from the mid-20th century. Note how several more homesites are accounted for, which earlier documents had not yet indicted. This brings us to any interesting point — it was a big challenge to work out exactly where the Soule house was, because all of these maps / had different authors / in different eras / with different purposes. Even the modern aerial photograph below does not account for a couple of new home additions to the Plimoth Patuxet site. (7)

The George and Mary Soule house as shown situated within Plimoth Patuxet Museum site. (Background image borrowed from Axiom Images, Aerial Stock Photos).

Leyden Street

In the last few years, archeologists have determined that the original location of Plimoth Plantation was likely Leyden Street in the present town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

From the article See Plymouth, “The Pilgrims began laying out the street before Christmas in 1620 after disembarking from the Mayflower. The original settlers built their houses along the street from the shore up to the base of Burial Hill where the original fort building was located and now is the site of a cemetery and First Church of Plymouth.

Leyden Street is a street in Plymouth, Massachusetts that was created in 1620 by the Pilgrims, and claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited street in the Thirteen Colonies of British America. It was originally named First Street, …named Leyden Street in 1823.” (See Plymouth) (8)

Left image: Leyden Street in the 1800s from a period stereographic photo. Right image: This is a contemporary tourist map which shows the locations of the original Plimouth Colony, where the streets William Bradford sketched are still in use. The arrow indicates the distance to the Plimoth Patuxet Museum site — about 3.2 miles, or 5 kilometers.

If you recall from previous chapters, we learned that the British nobility were interested in developing these American colonies so that they could extract resources and bring those resources back to Europe to make money — and — the Pilgrims also had a responsibility to pay off their debts to the underwriters, who had financed their Mayflower voyage.

This transactional relationship required our ancestors to learn and develop new skills to prosper in this, their new home. They owe much of this success to the help of The Native Peoples.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations


But now, God knows, Anything Goes!

(1) — three records

Anything Goes! (lyrics)
by Cole Porter
https://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/anythinggoes/anythinggoes.htm

Ella Fitzgerald – Anything Goes (Verve Records 1956)
We believe that the best version of this song, is this one.
Click on the link to listen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NTO2n35Xo0

Library of Congress
Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Mass. digital file from original
https://www.loc.gov/resource/stereo.1s13324/
Note: For the stereo scope image, circa 1925.

Plymouth Rock

(2) — eight records

History.com
The Real Story Behind Plymouth Rock
by Christopher Klein
https://www.history.com/news/the-real-story-behind-plymouth-rock
Note: For much of the text. Thanks Chris!

Colonial Quills
Saving Plymouth Rock
Massacusetts, Landing at Plymouth 1620

https://colonialquills.blogspot.com/2014/12/saving-plymouth-rock.html
Note: For the boat landing artwork.

The long history of Plymouth Rock in images,
with the five references which follow—
Memorial Housing the Plymouth Rock, Plymouth, Massachusetts
by E. Mote
https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/memorial-housing-the-plymouth-rock-plymouth-massachusetts-147875
Note: For the Roman temple-like image which houses the Plymouth Rock.

Library of Congress
Where the pilgrims landed, Plymouth Rock and Cole’s Hill, Plymouth, Mass., U.S.A.
https://www.loc.gov/item/2018649923/
Note: For the wharf image.

Library of Congress
Plymouth Rock, in front of Pilgrim Hall, “1834” b&w film copy neg.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3b43231/
Note: For the painted 1620 numerals image.

Mediastorehouse.com
Mayflower passengers landing at Plymouth Rock, 1620
https://www.mediastorehouse.com/north-wind-picture-archives/american-history/mayflower-passengers-landing-plymouth-rock-1620-5877623.html
Note: For the disembarking passengers image.

The Historical Marker Database
1. Plymouth Rock Marker
https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=2896
Note: For the photograph.

The Landing of the Pilgrims
by Henry Bacon, circa 1877
File:The Landing of the Pilgrims (1877) by Henry A. Bacon.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Landing_of_the_Pilgrims_(1877)_by_Henry_A._Bacon.jpg
Note: For the painting image.

English Clothing in the 1620s: Not What You Think

(3) — five records

Plimoth Patuxet Museums
What to Wear?
English Clothing in the 1620s: Not What You Think
https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/what-to-wear
Note: For the text.

George Soule History
Colony Lifestyle: Clothing
https://georgesoulehistory.wordpress.com/tag/mayflower/
Note 1: For the adapted text.
Note 2: Furthermore, it appear that this text above was adapted (or vice-versa), from:
What Did the Pilgrims Wear?
by Rebecca Beatrice Brooks
https://historyofmassachusetts.org/what-did-pilgrims-wear/

A Puritan Woman, About 1640 and A Puritan Man, About 1640.
These cards are from WD & HO Wills, a British tobacco company founded in 1786. (The series is from 1929, English Period Costumes).
Notes: Sources vary. For some of the text, see: https://tommies-militaria-and-collectables.myshopify.com/collections/wd-ho-wills-cigarette-cards For the card images; Google searches, such as: https://www.breakoutcards1.co.uk/a-puritan-woman-about-1640-24-english-period-costumes-1929-wills-card

The Everyday Life of The Settlers

(4) — three records

Smithsonian Magazine
Why the Myths of Plymouth Dominate the American Imagination
by Karin Wulf
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-myths-plymouth-dominate-american-imagination-180976396/
Note: For the text.

Interview of Samoset With The Pilgrims, book engraving
by Artist unknown, circa 1853
File:Interview of Samoset with the Pilgrims.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interview_of_Samoset_with_the_Pilgrims.jpg
Note: For the image of Interview of Samoset With The Pilgrims

Granger Art On Demand
Woodcut engraving of 17th Century New England Cod-fishing
https://grangerartondemand.com/featured/cod-fishing-17th-century-granger.html
Note: For the illustration. Woodcut engraving, American, 1876.

New England’s Great Migration Had Started

(5) — three records

A Map of New England and New York
by John Speed, circa 1676
https://www.raremaps.com/gallery/detail/33805/a-map-of-new-england-and-new-york-speed
Note: For the map image.

Alexandre Antique Prints, Maps & Books
John Speed
A Map of New England and New York.
https://www.alexandremaps.com/pages/books/M8290/john-speed/a-map-of-new-england-and-new-york
Note: For the history of the John Speed map.“It depicts the territories acquired by the British with the capture of New Amsterdam in 1664, which changed European influence in the colonies from the Dutch to the English.. It is the first appearance of name Boston, and the first map to use the term New York for both Manhattan and the colony.”
Note: For the text.

American Ancestors
New England’s Great Migration
by Lynn Fetlock
https://www.americanancestors.org/new-englands-great-migration
Note: For the text.

Let’s Put A Pin In That (Place) Name!

(6) — three records

Of Plymouth Plantation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation#:~:text=Of%20Plymouth%20Plantation%20is%20a,the%20colony%20which%20they%20founded.
Note: For the text.

The Enterprise
Why was Plimoth Plantation changed to Plimoth Patuxet Museums?
https://eu.enterprisenews.com/story/news/history/2024/03/21/why-was-plimoth-plantation-changed-to-plimoth-patuxet-museums/72710390007/
Note: For the text.

File: Plimoth Plantation 2002.JPG
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plimoth_Plantation_2002.JPG
Note: For contemporary photograph of the Plimoth Patuxet site.

William Bradford’s 1620 Sketch of Plymouth

(7) — six records

The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
Bradford’s 1620 Sketch of Plymouth
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/1620map.html
Note: For the map image.

Stagge-Parker Histories
George Soule 1600-1679
https://stagge-parker.blogspot.com/2009/05/george-soule.html
Note: For the map image.

File: Map of early Plymouth MA home lots.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map_of_early_Plymouth_MA_home_lots.png#mw-jump-to-license
Note: For the map image.

Genealogy Bank
April 2022 Newsletter
Mayflower Descendants: Who’s Who, Part 14
by Melissa Davenport Berry
https://www.genealogybank.com/newsletter-archives/202204/mayflower-descendants-who’s-who-part-14
Note 1: For the map image.
Note 2: This map was originally published in “The Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, Arkansas), 21 November 1966, page 25.” Original file name: arkansas-gazette-newspaper-1121-1966-plymouth-map.jpg

File:Plimoth Plantation farm house.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plimoth_Plantation_farm_house.jpg
Note: 2009 photo of a Pilgrim House, (George Soule and Mary Soule’s) from Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA.
Note: For the Soule house image.

Axiom Images, Aerial Stock Photos
https://www.axiomimages.com/aerial-stock-photos/view/AX143_108.0000260
Note: Borrowed as the background image of the Plimoth Patuxet site > The Plimoth Plantation museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts Aerial Stock Photo AX143_107.0000194

Leyden Street

(8) — four records

Phys.org
Researchers find evidence of original 1620 Plymouth settlement
https://phys.org/news/2016-11-evidence-plymouth-settlement.html
Note: For the text.

Leyden Street
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyden_Street
Note: For the stereographic photo and caption.

See Plymouth Massachusetts
Learn the True Story of the Pilgrims Along the Mayflower Trail —
Leyden Street
https://seeplymouth.com/news/learn-the-true-story-of-the-pilgrims-along-the-mayflower-trail/#:~:text=Leyden%20Street&text=After%20disembarking%20from%20the%20Mayflower,Thanksgiving%20was%20likely%20held%20nearby.
Note: For the text.

(Contemporary) Waterfront Visitors Center Map
https://seeplymouth.com/travel-guides/
Then use this link: https://seeplymouth.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DP-001-24_2024_Map.pdf
Note: To document the location of the Plimoth Patuxet site in relation to contemporary downtown Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Pilgrims — A Mayflower Voyage

This is Chapter Four of seven. Finally, after many troubles, both Pilgrim Soule and Pilgrim Doty board the Mayflower and sail with the Saints and Strangers to the New World. As we learned in the chapter The Pilgrims — Colonial Pursuits, several European nations in the 15th and 16th centuries were seeking to exploit the resources available in the New World. They just needed good maps to guide them on their various quests.

Samuel de Champlain, Explorer and Cartographer

One of the most famous early explorers and cartographers was the Frenchman, Samuel de Champlain (1574 — 1635). “He made between 21 and 29 trips across the Atlantic Ocean, [creating] the first accurate coastal map during his explorations [as he] founded various colonial settlements.

Born into a family of sailors, Champlain began exploring North America in 1603, under the guidance of his uncle, François Gravé Du Pont. From 1604 to 1607, he participated in the exploration and creation of the first permanent European settlement north of Florida. Champlain was the first European to describe the Great Lakes, and published maps of his journeys and accounts of what he learned from the natives and the French living among the Natives.” (Wikipedia) (1)

Known as the Port St. Louis map, by Samuel de Champlain, circa 1605. This image shows the Patuxet settlement (the future Plymouth Colony site), before the plague of 1617. Note the depictions of shelters and abundant cornfields. It was included in the book, Les Voyages du Sievr de Champlain Xaintongeois, 1613. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

Reliable Maps Were Difficult To Come By

“On March 3, 1614, Captain John Smith set sail for Monhegan Island, a rocky outcrop ten miles off the coast of Maine. The spot was popular for fishing, and the funders of Smith’s voyage expected fresh whale on his return. When Smith and the crew of his two whaling ships landed in what was then called Northern Virginia that April, however, they found rorqual and finback whales to be painfully difficult to catch. To make the trip worthwhile, most of the men fished and traded furs, while Smith and eight other shipmates explored the shore.

Smith quickly discerned that the half-dozen maps of the region he had in his possession were useless, saying that they ‘so unlike each to other; and most so differing from any true proportion, or resemblance of the Countrey [sic], as they did mee [sic] no more good, then so much waste paper, though they cost me more.’

With a humble set of surveying tools—a crude compass, astrolabe, sextant, a lead line to measure depth, a quill pen and paper—they gathered notes for their very own map of what Smith named ‘New England.’ The official map was published alongside Smith’s book, A Description of New England, in 1616.” (Smithsonian)

Captain John Smith’s map of New England, published in 1616. (Image courtesy of Smithsonian).

Many writers feel that the Pilgrims almost certainly had access to the map of New England published by Captain John Smith in 1616. An interesting fact: Some people have assumed that the Pilgrims named Plymouth after the English port city they knew in England. Actually, John Smith had already named the area New Plimouth on his 1616 map. “John Smith had studied the region… he even offered to guide the Pilgrim leaders. They rejected his services as too expensive and carried his guidebook along instead.” (Lies My Teacher Told Me – LMTTM)

An 19th century depiction of the Pilgrim Fathers leaving Delfshaven on their voyage to America. (Image courtesy of History Extra).

Observation: Recalling that two of the concerns which the Pilgrims had when they chose to leave Leyden, Holland, were these: Losing their English culture, and losing their religious viewpoint (their worldviews), to Dutch influence, to Dutch language, and to that culture. Did these ideas in any way influence the possibility that New Amsterdam needed to be avoided? It turns out that this observation is true — “The [Pilgrim] congregation obtained a land patent from the Plymouth Company in June 1619. They had declined the opportunity to settle south of Cape Cod in New Amsterdam because of their desire to avoid the Dutch influence.” (Wikipedia) (2)

But What Destination Exactly Were The Pilgrims Supposed To Sail To?

“In 1620, Virginia extended far beyond its current boundaries and the Mayflower was originally meant to land at its ‘northern parts,’ specifically the Hudson River. When the Mayflower attempted to sail around Cape Cod to reach the Hudson, contrary winds and dangerous shoals forced the ship to turn around and instead anchor in modern day Provincetown Harbor.” (The Mayflower Society)

Was something fishy going on?
“The textbooks say the Pilgrims intended to go to Virginia, where there existed a British settlement already. But “the little party on the Mayflower”, explains American History, “never reached Virginia. On November 9, they sighted land on Cape Cod.” How did the Pilgrims wind up in Massachusetts when they set out for Virginia? “Violent storms blew their ship off course,” according to some textbooks; others blame an “error in navigation.” Both explanations may be wrong. Some historians believe the Dutch bribed the captain of the Mayflower to sail north so the Pilgrims would not settle near New Amsterdam. Others hold that the Pilgrims went to Cape Cod on purpose.

Bear in mind that the Pilgrims numbered only about 35 of the 102 settlers aboard the Mayflower; the rest were ordinary folk seeking their fortunes in the new Virginia colony. George Willison [of Saints and Strangers book fame] has argued that the Pilgrim leaders, wanting to be far from Anglican control, never planned to settle in Virginia. According to Willison, they intended a hijacking.” (LMTTM)

The Virginia Company of Plymouth managed the northern section (in yellow), which was much larger than what is shown here. The Virginia Company of London was responsible for the southern section shown in blue. The yellow rectangle designates overlapped responsibility. Competition between the two branches with overlapping territory was intended to motivate efficient settlement.

We have some observations about “something fishy” going on —
Observation 1: Despite what history textbooks say about bad weather hampering their voyage, the Pilgrims still spent about six weeks exploring the coastline along what eventually became the Massachusetts Colony. Even back then, that is a long time to sail up and down the coast line. Suspicious? Perhaps, but the evidence is soft.

Observation 2: Virginia was quite a vast area at that time. Perhaps some writers get confused about what was actually designated as Virginia. The northern area where the Pilgrims settled, was still technically Virginia territory; it was just the very, very outer reaches of Virginia in 1620. Boundaries then were still in flux in North America. As such, this caused many disputes among both nations and their colonizers.

The Pilgrims Patent was in question because of this, and it was a fundamental reason why the Mayflower Compact was crafted. The definition of what was constituted as Virginia and as English territory, settled out in the decades after the Pilgrims landed, and was fully resolved as England gained more control of the area.

Observation 3: Despite their charter, they actually settled quite north of the Hudson River. The Dutch were slowly building strong militarized influence near the Hudson River. Since the Pilgrims had just left Leyden, they wanted to steer completely clear of anything Dutch, their culture, their language, their influences, etc.

Observation 4: Jamestown was further south, in the area that was shared by another charter, so why not go there? At this time, Jamestown was still a tough, difficult colony. If the Pilgrims thought Leyden was wrong for their families, then tales of the many struggles in Jamestown (cannibalism!), probably made going there out of the question. And, it was also a place named after someone who for years had worked actively against their safety and beliefs. So that was not a real possibility either.

What choices did they actually have? Perhaps they intended a hijacking, but it is also plausible that they just couldn’t sail south. (3)

The Mayflower — A Merchant Ship

“The Mayflower was [newly] built shortly before its purchase in 1608. Experts estimate that the length of the deck was between 80 and 90 feet and that the ship was 24 feet at its widest ” (Family Search)

“The Mayflower is first recorded in 1609, at which time it was a merchant ship travelling to Baltic ports, most notably Norway. It was at that time owned by Christopher Nichols, Richard Child, Thomas Short, and Christopher Jones II. The ship was about 180 tons, and rested in Harwich. In its early years it was employed in the transportation of tar, lumber, and fish; and possibly did some Greenland whaling. Later on in its life, it became employed in Mediterranean wine and spice trading.

In 1620, Thomas Weston assisted by John Carver and Robert Cushman, hired the Mayflower and the Speedwell to undertake the voyage to plant a colony in Northern Virginia. Christopher Jones was the captain of the Mayflower when it took the Pilgrims to New England in 1620.” (Rootsweb)

 Mayflower II on Her Sailing Trials in the Waters Off Brixham, South Devon, April 1957
by Montague Dawson. (Image courtesy of Bonhams).

“The Mayflower set sail for home on April 5, 1621, arriving back May 6, 1621. The ship made a few more trading runs, to Spain, Ireland, and lastly to France. However, Captain Christopher Jones died shortly thereafter, and was buried March 5, 1621 or 1622, in Rotherhithe, Surrey, England. The ship lay dormant for about two years, at which point it was appraised for probate.

This probate inventory is the last record of the Mayflower. The ship was not in very good condition, being called “in ruinis” in a 1624 High Court of Admiralty record (HCA 3/30, folio 227) written in Latin. Ships in that condition were more valuable as wood (which was in shortage in England at the time), so the Mayflower was most likely broken apart and sold as scrap.” (Rootsweb)

“After 1624, the Mayflower disappeared from maritime records. Several places in England claim to have a piece of the original ship, but there is no historical proof to support these claims.” (Orange County Register – OCR) (4)

Embarkation of the Pilgrims by Robert Walter Wier, 1857. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

Saints, and Strangers, and Pilgrims, and Debts…

At the time, the definition “of who was a Pilgrim was much narrower than it is today. On board the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower to the New World were 102 passengers and 30 crew.” Not Everyone on the Mayflower was a Pilgrim.

The Saints
Of the passengers, 40 or so comprised a band of English seekers of religious independence [religious Separatists, also sometimes called Brownists], These religious people – whose journey to the New World began in Leiden, Holland – referred to themselves as Saints, and to the others – who boarded in Southampton, England — as Strangers.

The Strangers
These passengers are identified as people who were sympathetic to the cause of the Saints, but not necessarily people who shared their exact, specific viewpoint on faith. Some of them were Adventurers, who had contracted with the merchant Thomas Weston (1584-1647), for a ship to take them to the New World. Weston had enlisted some of the Strangers to assist the Separatists in establishing a colony and turning a profit for the investors who financed the expedition.

The Pilgrims
Later in time, William Bradford [the Colony Governor, who once referred to] the so-called Saints as Pilgrims, from an Old Testament reference, and the name eventually stuck. During the bicentennial celebration in 1820 of the founding of Plymouth, the term Pilgrim was broadened to include all of the Mayflower passengers. “The English term ‘pilgrim’ originally comes from the Latin word peregrinus (per, through + ager, field, country, land), which means a foreigner, a stranger, someone on a journey, or a temporary resident”. (University of York)

From the Virginia Historical Society, An example of an Indentured servant agreement
from July 31, 1627. (Image courtesy of Bridgeman Images).

The Indentured Servants
Indentured servitude is a form of labor in which a person is contracted to work without salary for a specific number of years. Between one-half and two-thirds of European immigrants to the American Colonies between the 1630s and the American Revolution came under indentures. The contract [is called an] ‘indenture’, [and] may be entered voluntarily for a prepaid lump sum, as payment for some good or service (e.g. travel), purported eventual compensation, or debt repayment.

Historically, in an apprenticeship, an apprentice worked with no pay for a master tradesman to learn a trade. This was often for a fixed length of time, usually seven years or less. Apprenticeship was not the same as indentureship”.

The Pilgrims started out deeply in debt —
“Seeking the right to worship as they wished, the Pilgrims had signed a contract with the Virginia Company to settle on land near the Hudson River, which was then part of northern Virginia.” (History.com / Mayflower Compact))

“To pay for the journey to America, the Pilgrims took a loan for 1,700 pounds. This was an astronomical sum of money, considering the average day’s wage back then was 10 pence. To repay the loan, the Pilgrims signed a legal contract called an indenture, which obligated them to work for seven years, six days a week, harvesting furs and cod. However, more than half the Pilgrims died from the bitter cold the first winter.” (OCR)

The Pilgrims were finally able to erase their debt to the Merchant Adventurers by 1648. (NY NJ PA Weather – NYNJPA) (5)

However, before we sail, here are some statistics about those who were on board. Of the 132 people on board —

The Julian Calendar Versus The Gregorian Calendar

An important understanding about calendars —
We have come across this important bit of information which we would like to share — When original sources are cited by some writers, it’s important to verify if they are citing dates that make sense with the calendar that is in use today. At the historical time of this journey, two calendars were in use. (Many writers do not realize this error).

“Simply put, the Mayflower passengers used a different calendar than we do now. According to their old-style
Julian calendar,
the Mayflower departed England on September 6, 1620.
However, the actual anniversary of their departure,
according to the Gregorian calendar we use today,
was September 16, 1620.”

Tamura Jones, for
Vita Brevis, Mayflower Myths 2020


“When the Pilgrims lived in Leiden, [known as the Low Countries] the Dutch were using the Gregorian calendar, while the English were still using the Julian calendar.” The difference is about ten days.

“The Julian calendar is named after Julius Caesar, who introduced it as a reform of the Roman calendar. The Gregorian calendar is named after Pope Gregorius XIII, who introduced it as a reform of the Julian calendar. Henry VIII had thumbed his nose at the Pope by creating the Anglican Church, with the English head of state as the head of the Anglican Church. The English monarch was not going to jump at some papal decision. Great Britain and the many English colonies kept using the Julian calendar till 1751.” (Vita Brevis)

Note: In the following section, we have corrected the calendar dates to correspond to the Gregorian calendar we use today. (6)

The Speedwell and The Mayflower

“The Pilgrim’s arduous journey to the New World technically began on August 1, 1620, when a large group of colonists boarded a ship called the Speedwell in the Dutch port city of Delfshaven. From there, they sailed to Southampton, UK, where they met the rest of the passengers as well as a second ship, the Mayflower. The two ships disembarked from Southampton on August 15 with hopes of speedy crossing to northern Virginia.”

The Mayflower and Speedwell in Dartmouth Harbor 
By Leslie Wilcox, circa 1971.

Between August 22 and September 14. through the ports at both Dartmouth and Plymouth, “The Mayflower and Speedwell [had] twice set sail from England and returned because the Speedwell leaked. After the second return, the Speedwell was deemed unseaworthy, although no specific leak was found*. A significant reorganization of the voyage followed. The frustrated and exhausted Pilgrims docked at Plymouth and made the difficult decision to ditch the Speedwell. Some of the Pilgrims also called it quits in Plymouth, but the rest of the passengers and cargo from the Speedwell were transferred to the already overcrowded Mayflower.
*Later it was found to be deliberately sabotaged by the crew who didn’t want to make the long voyage across the ocean on that ship. (NYNJPA)

On September 16, 1620, 102 passengers and 25-30 crew members crowded on board the Mayflower and set sail again, a month behind schedule. (Some of the passengers had already been living on the ship for one month by this time). They were leaving behind some of the passengers and vital supplies and would be crossing the Atlantic Ocean at the height of the storm season.

The Mayflower was a modest merchant ship built to carry crew and cargo. It had no passenger cabins, beds, dining rooms, or toilets. It also had very little ventilation. The passengers stayed on the gun deck, which measured about five feet tall, preventing anyone taller from standing upright. At that time, all ships were cargo ships; the concept of passenger ships would not emerge for another two hundred years.

All three maps are from the Oklahoma Society of Mayflower Descendants. (See footnotes).

On November 21, the ship sighted American land, and the passengers rejoiced. However, as they approached the upper end of Cape Cod, they realized they were north of the area where King James had authorized them to settle. (This is the day when they signed The Mayflower Compact). After deliberating with the shipmaster, the Mayflower changed direction to sail south along the coast to its intended destination.

​Within a day, joy turned to terror as treacherous shallow waters and crashing waves threatened to splinter the ship. They could not continue south. Harsh winter weather was upon them, food and drink supplies were nearly gone, and passengers and crew were ill and dying. Having no choice, they reversed their course and sailed back to Cape Cod to look for a place to settle.

The Mayflower anchored at Provincetown. The long voyage was eventful. A baby was born, [They named him Oceanus Hopkins], a young passenger died [William Butten], a main mast cracked and fell during a storm, casting doubt on the ship’s fate until its repair; and a male passenger [John Howland]* fell overboard, requiring a dramatic rescue. In addition, the seas were often stormy, and the relentlessly cold and wet passengers suffered from seasickness, scurvy, dehydration, and hunger.

*Comment: “Howland not only made it to America and worked off his indenture, but married a pretty young woman in the new colony named Elizabeth Tilley. They produced ten children, who begat 88 grandchildren, from whom an estimated two million Americans descended over the next four centuries. These included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joseph Smith, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Humphrey Bogart, Chevy Chase, and both Presidents Bush.” (National Endowment For The Humanities – NEFTH) (7)

Man overboard!
John and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland should be proud of these four grandchildren,
if not many more of their two million (and counting) descendants.
From left to right: Ralph Waldo Emerson, poet and essayist; Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
32nd President of the United States; Humphrey Bogart, Hollywood legend;
and George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States.

What Was The Mayflower Compact?

“When Pilgrims and other settlers set out on the ship for America in 1620, they intended to lay anchor in northern Virginia. But after treacherous shoals and storms drove their ship off course, the settlers landed in Massachusetts instead, near Cape Cod, outside of Virginia’s jurisdiction. (History.com)

“English colonies at the time required “patents” – documents granted by the King or authorized companies which gave permission to settle at a particular place.  Since the Mayflower passengers had obtained a patent for Virginia, when they instead landed in New England this patent was no longer valid.” (The Mayflower Society)

Comment: See Observation 2 from above under the subtitle, But What Destination Exactly Were The Pilgrims Supposed To Sail To?

Tensions arose on board the ship, and “discord began before the colonists even left the ship. The strangers argued the Virginia Company contract was void. They felt since the Mayflower had landed outside of Virginia Company territory, they were no longer bound to the company’s charter. The defiant strangers refused to recognize any rules since there was no official government over them. Pilgrim leader William Bradford later wrote, ‘several strangers made discontented and mutinous speeches.’

[The strategy of the Pilgrim leaders was to] to quell the rebellion before it took hold. After all, establishing a New World colony would be difficult enough without dissent in the ranks. The Pilgrims knew they needed as many productive, law-abiding souls as possible to make the colony successful. With that in mind, they set out to create a temporary set of laws for ruling themselves as per the majority agreement.

On November 11, 1620 [November 21 on our Gregorian Calendar], 41 adult male colonists signed the Mayflower Compact, although it wasn’t called that at the time.

Signing The Mayflower Compact 1620, painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, circa 1899.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Mayflower Compact created laws for Mayflower Pilgrims and non-Pilgrims alike for the good of their new colony. It was a short document which established that:

  • The colonists would live in accordance with the Christian faith.
  • The colonists would remain loyal subjects to King James, despite their need for self-governance.
  • The colonists would create and enact “laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices…” for the good of the colony, and abide by those laws. 
  • The colonists would create one society and work together to further it.”
    (History.com)

“The influence of the Mayflower Compact has far outlasted and outgrown the Pilgrims’ original intent. Legally, it was superseded when the Pilgrims obtained a patent from the Council of New England for their settlement at Plimoth in 1621. However, the Compact had already gained symbolic importance in the Pilgrims’ lifetimes, as it was considered important enough to be read at government meetings in Plimoth Colony for many years.” (The Mayflower Society)

The text of the Mayflower Compact was published as early as 1622, (see Mourt’s Relation below). However, the names of the signatories of that document were not published for many years due to fears of political retaliation against them. Both of our ancestors, Pilgrim George Soule and Pilgrim Edward Doty, were signers. (8)

Front cover for Mourt’s Relation —“Erroneously attributed to fellow settler George Morton, scholars now believe the work to be written by Edward Winslow with contributions from William Bradford. Their names are not quoted as authors to avoid the association of the new settlement with fugitive Brownist separatists – a fact that could spell trouble for the fledgling colony.” ((VTHMB)

Mourt’s Relation

“The earliest text detailing the settlement of New Plymouth is known as Mourt’s Relation or ‘A Relation or Journal of the Beginning and Proceedings of the English Plantation Settled at Plimoth in New England’ (1622). The manuscript was carried out of New Plymouth by Robert Cushman, Chief Agent in London for the settlers, on board the Fortune in 1621. When Mourt’s Relation was sold in John Bellamy’s London bookshop in the 1620s, its readers could have scarcely imagined this would become one of the most well-known texts in American history.

Perhaps the most significant feature of Mourt’s Relation is its inclusion of ‘The Mayflower Compact’: the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. Signed on November 21, 1620 (prior to landing), the text gave a legal framework of government to the eventual settlement.” (Voyaging Through History, the Mayflower and Britain – VTHMB) (9)

An image of the original handwritten page of Governor William Bradford’s history Of Plimoth Plantation. In the footnotes, we have added an exact, line-by-line transcription with the original spelling and punctuation. (The words of the text have not been modernized). 

Being thus arrived in a good harbor

There is only one primary source account existing which describes the events while the Mayflower was at sea. It was written by Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford in his History of Plymouth Plantation. It concludes with this dramatic passage:

Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element. And no marvel if they were thus joyful, seeing wise Seneca was so affected with sailing a few miles on the coast of his own Italy; as he affirmed, that he had rather remain twenty years on his way by land, then pass by sea to any place in a short time; so tedious and dreadful was the same unto him. (10)

Top image: Frontipiece for the History of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford
(this edition), circa 1890. Background image: The first page of his original document,
Of Plimoth Plantation. (See footnotes).

What Was It Like to Live on the Mayflower Gun Deck?

Writer Jeff Goertzen describes it pretty gruesomely — “You’re crammed in a room, shoulder to shoulder with 100 other passengers. [The distance from the floor to the ceiling was only five feet — so anyone taller than that, was constantly bent over].*

It’s dark. It smells. It’s wet and very cold. There’s no privacy. No bathrooms. Your meals are pitiful — salted meat and a hard, dry biscuit. [hardtack biscuits] You, and people around you are sick, because the room is rocking side to side. There’s no fresh water and no change of clean clothes. In essence, you‘re trapped because land is thousands of miles away. These conditions seem inhumane, but this was the Mayflower, the Pilgrims’ only means of transportation to a better life in the New Land.

*Observation: (Looking at you Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, circa 1899). Many artists like you have painted scenes inside of the Mayflower (gun deck) showing fabulous amounts of head space, lots of light, healthy, noble looking voyagers, etc. We surmise that this made the paintings more palatable to your patrons, rather than realistic looking scenes of seasick people slightly hunched over in the dark?

Of the passengers, most of the men had been farmers and were used to working long, hard hours. But on the ship, they spent most of their time reading or playing board games. The men also met to talk about the journey and plans for their new home. The women: On the ship, women cared for the children, prepared the meals, and sewed clothes. Women were expected to obey their husbands, so they never questioned their decision to go to the New World. Of the children, there were 41 minors on board the Mayflower. Only ten were girls. The older girls helped care for the younger children and there was no place for them to play.” (OCR)

Amazing, isn’t it? We wonder which sizes they eventually had at the first Thanksgiving celebration. (Image modified from Quora clip art).

From Quora: “The Puritans [actually the Pilgrims] brought more beer than water on the Mayflower. They carried 42 tons [tun or tonne] of beer (in contrast to only 14 tons of water) and 10,000 gallons of wine. The beverage of choice for many extended voyages was beer. The casks of fresh water tended to go “off” during long storage. Even on land, water was questionable as a potable drink — sometimes even dangerous. Young children were often given beer to drink as their daily beverage. The brews weren’t necessarily crafted with an eye toward imbibing alcohol; they were actually carried to avoid the water on board the ship.”

Observation: So understandably, beer was the beverage of choice. Thus, as in other earlier historical periods — before there was reliable, clean, fresh water available for people to drink — everyone drank fermented beverages. The microorganisms of the beer-making process rendered the beverage safe, and even the children drank beer. However, we have pondered just how much they could have drunk on a voyage like this — not too much we gather, because the ship was always heaving too and fro.

The Mayflower was originally a merchant ship that transported goods across the English Channel. It’s “castle-like” structures fore and aft (front and back) of the ship were designed to protect the crew from the elements. This made it very difficult to sail against the North Atlantic westerly winds, which is why it took more than two months to complete the journey.

  1. Poop house: Despite this name, this was the living quarters for the Captain, and the higher ranking crew.
  2. Cabin: The general sleeping quarters for the Mayflower’s crew. The 20-30 crewmembers took shifts working the ship and sleeping in this small space.
  3. Steerage Room: Where the pilot steered the Mayflower with a special stick called a whip-staff, which moved the tiller, which then moved the rudder.
  4. Upper Deck: Where the seamen worked and attended to the ship.
  5. Forecastle: Where meals were cooked and the crew’s food supplies were kept.
  6. Capstan: A large apparatus used to lift and lower cargo.
  7. Gun Deck: Where the cannons were located — the ship carried 12 cannons to defend itself against pirates. Also, on merchant ships it was used to hold additional cargo, meaning this is where the ship’s passengers lived day in and day out. Note that there were no windows. All of the 102 passengers on the Mayflower’s journey to the new world lived in this cramped 58 foot x 24 foot space, [which equals 17.6 meters x 7.3 meters]. There was very little privacy and only the occasional opportunity to venture to the top deck to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.
  8. Cargo Hold: This is where the Pilgrims stored their cargo, which consisted of biscuits, salt, dried beef, salted pork, oats, peas, beer, wheat, clothing, canvas sheets filled with straw bedding, pots and pans, utensils, and tools for building and farming. (OCR) (11)
The Mayflower II from Britannica.

The Pilgrims have finally made it to America, but it is late and Winter was arriving — but truthfully, it had already started! In the next chapter, we are going to write about their initial arrival and life at the Plimoth Plantation.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

Samuel de Champlain, Explorer and Cartographer

(1) — three records

Samuel de Champlain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_de_Champlain
Note: For the text.

Library of Congress
Les voyages dv sievr de Champlain Xaintongeois,
capitaine ordinaire pour le Roy, en la marine. Divisez en devx livres.
ou, Iovrnal tres-fidele des observations faites és descouuertures
de la Nouuelle France
by Samuel de Champlain, circa 1605
https://www.loc.gov/item/22006274/
Book page: 80, Digital page: 112/436
Note: For the book frontipiece and credits.
and
Plimoth Patuxet Museums
Port St. Louis (map)
https://plimoth.org/yath/unit-1/port-st-louis
Note: For the text and map.

Reliable Maps Were Difficult To Come By

(2) — three records

Smithsonian Magazine
John Smith Coined the Term New England on This 1616 Map
by Megan Gambino
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-smith-coined-the-term-new-england-on-this-1616-map-180953383/
Note: For the text and the map image.

(LMTTM)
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note: For Chapter 3: “The Truth About The First Thanksgiving”

History Extra
(The official website for BBC History Magazine)
Your Guide to the Pilgrim Fathers, plus 6 interesting facts
https://www.historyextra.com/period/stuart/pilgrim-fathers-facts-history-mayflower-who-why-leave-religion-new-world/
Note: For the 19th century image of the Pilgrims leaving Delft.

But What Destination Exactly Were The Pilgrims Supposed To Sail To?

(3) — four records

The Mayflower Society
The Mayflower Compact
https://themayflowersociety.org/history/the-mayflower-compact/
Note: For the text.

(LMTTM)
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note: For Chapter 3: “The Truth About The First Thanksgiving”

Plymouth Colony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Colony
Note: For the text.

Virginia Company
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Company
Note: For the text and map.

The Mayflower — A Merchant Ship

(4) — five records

Take a Virtual Tour of the Mayflower
b
y Jessica Grimaud
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/virtual-tour-mayflower-ship
Note: For some dimensions of the Mayflower in 1608.

Mayflower
by Rootsweb Author, kee46@msn.com  
https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ahopkins/cushman/mayflowe.htm
Note: For the text.

Mayflower II on Her Sailing Trials in the Waters
Off Brixham, South Devon, April 1957
by Montague Dawson, (British, 1890-1973)
https://www.bonhams.com/auction/23272/lot/54/montague-dawson-british-1890-1973-mayflower-ii-on-her-sailing-trials-in-the-waters-off-brixham-south-devon-april-1957-together-with-ramseys-book-montague-dawson-rsma-frsa-the-greatest-sea-painter-in-the-world/
Note: For the ship image.

Embarkation of the Pilgrims
by Robert Walter Wier, 1857
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Robert_Walter_Weir_-_Embarkation_of_the_Pilgrims_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
Note: For the painting image.

Orange County Register
How 102 Pilgrims Crammed Inside the Mayflower
a Year Before Their First Thanksgiving
by Jeff Goertzen
https://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/20/ahead-of-thanksgiving-day-2017-a-look-back-inside-the-mayflower/amp/
Note: For the text.

Saints, and Strangers, and Adventurers, and Debts…

(5) — six records

The University of York
Pilgrims and Pilgrimage
https://www.york.ac.uk/projects/pilgrimage/intro.html
Note: For text regarding the definition of Pilgrim.

Indentured servant agreement between Richard Lowther and Edward Lyurd, 31st July 1627 (ink on paper)
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/american-school/indentured-servant-agreement-between-richard-lowther-and-edward-lyurd-31st-july-1627-ink-on-paper/ink-on-paper/asset/443693
Note: Example document, subtitled as “From the Virginia Historical Society, An example of an Indentured servant agreement from July 31, 1627.”

Indentured Servitude
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentured_servitude
Note: For the text.

History.com
Mayflower Compact
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact
Note: For the text.

Orange County Register
How 102 Pilgrims Crammed Inside the Mayflower
a Year Before Their First Thanksgiving
by Jeff Goertzen
https://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/20/ahead-of-thanksgiving-day-2017-a-look-back-inside-the-mayflower/amp/
Note: For the text.

(NYNJPA)
The Pilgrims Barely Survived Their First Winter At Plymouth
https://nynjpaweather.com/public/2023/11/17/the-pilgrims-barely-survived-their-first-winter-at-plymouth/
Note: For the text.

The Julian Calendar Versus The Gregorian Calendar

(6) — two records

Vita Brevis
Mayflower Myths 2020
by Tamura Jones
https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/07/mayflower-myths-2020
Note 1: This reference gives a very precise timeline for the Pilgrims journey from Holland to North America.
Note 2: For information about the differences between the Julian calendar and the Gregorian calendar.

Family Search Blog
When Did the Mayflower Land in America? The Answer Might Surprise You!
b
y  Jessica Grimaud
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/when-did-mayflower-land-depart

The Speedwell and The Mayflower

(7) — nine records

Descriptions of the voyage are combined from these four sources:
(OCR)
Orange County Register
How 102 Pilgrims Crammed Inside the Mayflower
a Year Before Their First Thanksgiving
by Jeff Goertzen
https://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/20/ahead-of-thanksgiving-day-2017-a-look-back-inside-the-mayflower/amp/
Note: For the ship cut away image, and some captions, which we adapted for this chapter.
and
The Oklahoma Society of Mayflower Descendants
The Voyage
https://www.okmayflower.com/voyage
and
https://www.okmayflower.com/maps-1
Note 1: For the maps, and voyage information.
Note 2: We have corrected the dates from this online article to match the Gregorian calendar as per the Vita Brevis footnote above.
and
History.com
The Pilgrims’ Miserable Journey Aboard the Mayflower
by Dave Roos
https://www.history.com/news/mayflower-journey-pilgrims-america
Note: For the text.
and
(Rootsveb)
Mayflower
by Rootsweb Author, kee46@msn.com  
https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ahopkins/cushman/mayflowe.htm
Note: For the text.

AP News
Meet John Howland, A Lucky Pilgrim — and Maybe Your Ancestor
by Mark Pratt
https://apnews.com/general-news-0d370c58d0034038b6a16c3f57c22af4
Note: Show off!

Massachusetts Society of Mayflower Descendants
The Mayflower and Speedwell in Dartmouth Harbor 
by Leslie Wilcox, circa 1971
https://www.facebook.com/MassMayflowerDesc/photos/a.397753117000504/408962462546236/?type=3
Note: For this rare painting showing the two ships together.

(NYNJPA)
The Pilgrims Barely Survived Their First Winter At Plymouth
https://nynjpaweather.com/public/2023/11/17/the-pilgrims-barely-survived-their-first-winter-at-plymouth/
Note: For the text.

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?
by Craig Lambert
https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

What Was The Mayflower Compact?

(8) — four records

History.com
Mayflower Compact
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact
Note: For the text.

The Mayflower Society
The Mayflower Compact
https://themayflowersociety.org/history/the-mayflower-compact/
Note: For the text.

File:The Mayflower at sea.jpg
by Artist unknown
by John Clark Ridpath
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Mayflower_at_sea.jpg
Note: From the 1893 textbook, United States; a history: the most complete and most popular history of the United States of America from the aboriginal times to the present day…

File:The Mayflower Compact 1620 cph.3g07155.jpg
Signing The Mayflower Compact 1620
by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris, circa 1899
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Mayflower_Compact_1620_cph.3g07155.jpg
Note: For the painting image.

Mourt’s Relation

(9) — two records

(VTHMB)
Voyaging Through History, the Mayflower and Britain
Mourt’s Relation (1622)
https://voyagingthroughhistory.exeter.ac.uk/2020/08/25/mourts-relation-1622/

Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History.com
The Mayflower Compact
http://mayflowerhistory.com/mayflower-compact
Note: We have included an exact, line-by-line transcription with the original spelling and punctuation. (The words of the text have not been modernized ).

In ye name of God Amen· We whose names are vnderwriten, 
the loyall subjects of our dread soueraigne Lord King James 
by ye grace of God, of great Britaine, franc, & Ireland king, 
defender of ye faith, &c

Haueing vndertaken, for ye glorie of God, and aduancemente 
of ye christian ^faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to 
plant ye first colonie in ye Northerne parts of Virginia· doe 
by these presents solemnly & mutualy in ye presence of God, and 
one of another, couenant, & combine our selues togeather into a 
ciuill body politick; for ye our better ordering, & preseruation & fur=
therance of ye ends aforesaid; and by vertue hearof, to enacte, 
constitute, and frame shuch just & equall lawes, ordinances, 
Acts, constitutions, & offices, from time to time, as shall be thought 
most meete & conuenient for ye generall good of ye colonie:  vnto 
which we promise all due submission and obedience.  In witnes 
wherof we haue herevnder subscribed our names at Cap=
Codd ye ·11· of Nouember, in ye year of ye raigne of our soueraigne 
Lord king James of England, france, & Ireland ye eighteenth 
and of Scotland ye fiftie fourth. Ano: Dom ·1620·| 

Being thus arrived in a good harbor

(10) — ____ records

Mayflower
by Rootsweb Author, kee46@msn.com
https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~ahopkins/cushman/mayflowe.htm
Note: For the text.

Library of Congress
History of Plymouth Plantation, circa 1890
by William Bradford, 1590-1657
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcmassbookdig.historyofplymout00bra/?st=gallery&c=16
Note: For the cover image.
and
First page of “Of Plimoth Plantation” from a circa 1900 publication.
by William Brewster
File:Of Plimoth Plantation First 1900.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Of_Plimoth_Plantation_First_1900.jpg
Note: For the background image.

What Was It Like to Live on the Mayflower Gun Deck?

(11) — four records

Take a Virtual Tour of the Mayflower
b
y Jessica Grimaud
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/virtual-tour-mayflower-ship
Note: For some captions describing various rooms on the 1620 Mayflower.

(OCR)
The Orange County Register
How 102 Pilgrims Crammed Inside the Mayflower
a Year Before Their First Thanksgiving
by Jeff Goertzen
https://www.ocregister.com/2017/11/20/ahead-of-thanksgiving-day-2017-a-look-back-inside-the-mayflower/amp/
Note: For the ship cut away image, and some captions.

Quora
Did settlers really land at Plymouth Rock because they were out of beer?
by James M. Volo
(MA in Military History and Wars , American Military University)
https://www.quora.com/Did-settlers-really-land-at-Plymouth-Rock-because-they-were-out-of-beer
Note: For the text and the barrels chart image.

Mayflower ship
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mayflower-ship
Note: For the Mayflower II ship image.

The Pilgrims — Life In Leyden

This is Chapter Three of seven. In this chapter, our ancestors really expand their horizons. They discover what it was like to be an exile in nearby Holland, and also, what it was like to boldly venture much further — to the unknown place in the New World across a great ocean.

In the century before our ancestors sailed on the Mayflower, there was much debate going on within the religious circles of Europe, about individual authority for direct religious experience. It is difficult for many of us today to quite understood how radical these thinkers were. This period was known as the Protestant Reformation and its development helped lead our ancestors (both figuratively and literally) out of the Old World and into a New World.

Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

“The Protestant Reformation was a religious reform movement that swept through Europe in the 1500s. It resulted in the creation of a branch of Christianity called Protestantism, a name used collectively to refer to the many religious groups that separated from the Roman Catholic Church due to differences in doctrine.

Martin Luther posting his 95 theses in 1517.
(Painting by Belgian artist Ferdinand Pauwels, via Wikimedia Commons).

The Protestant Reformation began in Wittenberg, Germany, on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther, a teacher and a monk, published a document he called ‘Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, or 95 Theses’. The document was a series of 95 ideas about Christianity that he invited people to debate with him. These ideas were controversial because they directly contradicted the Catholic Church’s teachings.” (National Geographic)

The Spread of Calvinism —
“Written between 1536 and 1539, [John] Calvin’s ‘Institutes of the Christian Religion’ was one of the most influential works of the era. Toward the middle of the 16th century, these beliefs were formed into one consistent creed which would shape the future definition of the Reformed faith. Through Calvin’s missionary work in France, his program of reform eventually reached the French-speaking provinces of the Netherlands.

Reformed theologians believe that God communicates knowledge of himself to people through the Word of God. People are not able to know anything about God except through this self-revelation. (With the exception of general revelation of God; ‘His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse’ [Romans 1:20].) Speculation about anything which God has not revealed through his Word is not warranted.” (Wikipedia)

From left to right: Portrait of Martin Luther, by Lucas Cranach the Elder, circa 1527. Title page to Disputation on the Power of Indulgences, by Martin Luther, circa 1519.
Portrait of John Calvin, by Artist unknown. Title page to Christianae religionis institutio,
by John Calvin, circa 1536. (See footnotes).

The Political Background —
“The Pilgrim migration can be viewed as an aspect of the major changes in church and state throughout Europe which we know as the Renaissance and Reformation and the beginnings of colonialism. The urge to return to an ideal form of the Christian church in conformity with what is described in the New Testament arose from a critical reading of ancient texts which characterized other fields of scholarly enquiry at the time as well. Similar study of the Bible had inspired Martin Luther, Menno Simons,and John Calvin. The state Church of England rejected by the Pilgrims was, however, part of a much larger movement opposed to the religious dominance of Rome and the political dominance of the Catholic Hapsburg Empire.” (Leiden American Pilgrim Museum – LAPM)

The English King “Henry VIII created the Church of England as a religious body unique from the Roman Catholic Church in order to achieve his goal of divorcing his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, in an attempt to remarry and father sons to continue his dynasty. The primary difference between the Catholic Church and the Church of England is that the Catholic Church recognizes the Pope as the Head of the Church, while the Church of England is led by the English monarch as Supreme Head of the Church.” (See footnotes). (1)

James I and England

In 1603, Queen Elizabeth of England was succeeded by James VI and I (James Stuart). He was the King of Scotland, the King of England and the King of Ireland, who faced many complicated religious challenges during his reigns in Scotland and England. For the purposes of this narrative, we are referring to him as James I and focusing solely on England.

Portrait of Jacobus I, 1566-1625, (James I, House of Stuart), by Artist unknown.
(Image courtesy of the Collection Museum Prinsenhof Delft / Loan Mauritshuis, The Hague).
“James I disliked Robert Browne’s followers, who did not care for the episcopal hierarchy of the Anglican state church. The king maintained that God had bestowed upon him his position as absolute ruler, making any criticism of him sacrilege. On James’s orders, the ‘Brownists’, the separatist movement to which the Pilgrims belonged, were fined, imprisoned or banished.”

“On his succession to the English throne in 1603, James was impressed by the church system he found there, which still adhered to an episcopate [the Bishops of the Church of England] and supported the monarch’s position as the head of the church. On the other hand, there were many more Roman Catholics in England than in Scotland, and James inherited a set of penal laws which he was constantly exhorted to enforce against them. Before ascending the English throne, James had [pledged] that he would not persecute “any that will be quiet and give but an outward obedience to the law,” but he soon reinforced strict penalties against Catholics. Partly triggered by Catholics’ disillusionment with the new King, the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 led to a new wave of anti-Catholicism and even harsher legislation.

James took an interest in the scholarly decisions of [religious] translators, [and] often participated in theological debate. A notable success was the commissioning of a new translation of the Bible, completed in 1611, which became known as the King James.”…and “Ironically, the most popular translation of that Bible, the King James version, came to be under a monarch who, in a sense, drove the Pilgrims from England.” (Wikipedia) and (National Endowment For The Humanities – NEFTH) (2)

It was one thing to disagree with the church hierarchy, but the political problem was that the head of the Church of England
was also the reigning king. And James I,
was a strong believer in unity when it came to his church;
he had no patience with religious rebels…

“Anyone who separates from the church is not just separating from the church, but they’re separating from royal authority,”
explains Michael Braddick, a historian at the University of Sheffield. “And that’s potentially very dangerous.”

Cited within the article,
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?
by Craig Lambert
HUMANITIES, November/December 2015, Volume 36, Number 6

Historic LabelsIdentifying Who “The Others” Are

Many historic references cite different terms when referring to the Pilgrims. They were religious non-conformists, who referred to themselves as Saints, not as Pilgrims. Later in time, William Bradford, the Plymouth Colony Governor, once referred to the Saints as Pilgrims, (from an Old Testament reference) and the name eventually stuck. In addition, “The English term ‘pilgrim’ originally comes from the Latin word peregrinus (per, through + ager, field, country, land), which means a foreigner, a stranger, someone on a journey, or a temporary resident”. (University of York)

People who disagreed with their views referred to them as English Dissenters, or Separatists, or (incorrectly) as Puritans, which was initially a pejorative phrase . The Separatists held many of the same beliefs as the Puritans, but “believed that their congregations should separate from the state church, which led to their being labelled Separatists.” In contrast, although they were perceived as similar, the Puritans wanted to work from within the established church framework to purify it from within.

“Pilgrims and Puritans get blended into one big origin story,
when in fact they are different peoples
with different colonies, patents, and perspectives.”

Abram Van Engen,
A History of American Puritan Literature*

*The Puritans “came to the Americas a decade later, in greater numbers, and with far more institutional resources at their disposal. Whereas 102 Pilgrims came over on the Mayflower, 1,000 Puritans came to Boston. Unlike the Pilgrims, the Puritans had an official charter from the King of England to establish a colony and had not separated from the Church of England.” (Washington University)

Finally, Some older texts refer to them as the Brownists. “The Brownists were a Christian group in 16th-century England. They were a group of English Dissenters or early Separatists from the Church of England. They were named after Robert Browne, [of] the 1550s, [and] the terms were used to describe them by outsiders…” (Wikipedia) (3)

1600s Pilgrim Couple Kneeling In Prayer is a painting by Herbert Paus.
(Image courtesy of History.com)

A Radical Notion At The Time

Having a direct experience of God, without intermediaries, was essentially what the Pilgrims sought in their religious beliefs. As such, “The Pilgrims strongly believed that the Church of England, and the Catholic Church, had strayed beyond Christ’s teachings, and established religious rituals, and church hierarchies, that went against the teachings of the Bible. This belief put them at odds with church officials, who in the early years of King James I tried to have them arrested and thrown in jail for refusing to participate in church rituals.

The Pilgrim church had a number of religious differences with orthodoxy. Here were some of the main points and differences as further explained by Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower History.com —

Predestination 
The Pilgrims believed that before the foundation of the world, God predestined to make the world, man, and all things. He also predestined, at that time, who would be saved, and who would be damned. 

Sacraments and Popery
To the Pilgrims, there were only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. The other sacraments of the Church of England and Roman Catholic church (Confession, Penance, Confirmation, Ordination, Marriage, Confession, Last Rites) were inventions of man, had no scriptural basis, and were therefore superstitions–even to the point of being heretical or idolatrous.

Church Hierarchy
The legitimacy of the Pope, the Saints, bishops, and the church hierarchy were rejected, as was the veneration of relics. The church of the Pilgrims was organized around five officers: pastor, teacher, elder, deacon, and deaconess (sometimes called the “church widow”). However, none of the five offices was considered essential to the church. 

Infant Baptism
The Pilgrims believed baptism was the sacrament that wiped away Original Sin, and was a covenant with Christ and his chosen people, and therefore children should be baptized as infants. 

Holy Days and Religious Holidays
The Pilgrims faithfully observed the Sabbath, and did not work on Sunday. Even when the Pilgrims were exploring Cape Cod, they stopped everything and stayed in camp on Sunday to keep the Sabbath. The Pilgrims did not celebrate Christmas and Easter. 

The Geneva (edition of the) Bible, from 1560.
(Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons via The Library of Congress).

Religious Texts
The Pilgrims used the Geneva edition of the Bible, first published in English in 1560. The translation and footnotes of the Geneva Bible were made by early Calvinists more trustworthy to the Pilgrims than the later King James Bible (first published in 1611) whose translation and footnotes were written by the Anglican church hierarchy.”

The red arrow indicates the location of the small village of Scrooby, in Nottinghamshire. From the atlas created by cartographer Christopher Saxton as part of his ‘Atlas of the Counties of England and Wales’ — a project commissioned by Queen Elizabeth I — Lincolnia nottinghamia, Map of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire from 1576. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia).

“Although most Puritans wanted to reform or ‘purify’ the Church of England [from within], a number of groups believed that the Church was irreparable. One such group of Separatists, as they were known, had its roots in the small village of Scrooby, in Nottinghamshire, England. It was in Scrooby, in the year 1607, that a group of people came together to form an illegal separate church after withdrawing from their Anglican parishes. As English citizens were required by law to become members of the Church of England, many of the Scrooby group suffered persecution, in the form of fines and imprisonments.” (See footnotes, The Plymouth Colony Archive Project – TPCAP) (4)

Excerpted detail showing the Village of Scrooby in Nottinghamshire, England. From the atlas created by cartographer Christopher Saxton as part of his ‘Atlas of the Counties of England and Wales.’

William Brewster and the Scrooby Village Congregation

William Brewster is an important figure in the life of our ancestor George Soule. Likely born in 1566 or 1567, probably in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire — he was an educated English official. He was an illustrious figure in the Plymouth community, and became the senior elder and the leader there, by virtue of his education and existing stature with those immigrating from the Netherlands.

“Beginning in 1580, he studied briefly at Cambridge University, before entering the service of William Davison, ambassador to the Netherlands, in 1584, giving him opportunity to hear and see more of reformed religion. [As such] Brewster was the only Pilgrim with political and diplomatic experience. With his mentor Davison in prison*, Brewster had returned home to Scrooby for a time, where he took up his father’s former position as postmaster in 1590.”

Sidebar: Davison was an English diplomat and secretary to Queen Elizabeth I. As a Secretary of some influence, he was active in forging alliances with England’s Protestant friends in Holland and Scotland to prevent war with France. He was involved in the 1587 execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, and was made a scapegoat for this event.

The Old Manor House in Scrooby, by Artist unknown. “Not one to miss details, we suspect that she was probably keeping an eye on things going on at Scrooby.” Illustration of Queen Elizabeth I from Saxton’s ‘Atlas of the Counties of England and Wales.’

Using the manor house at Scrooby was a very brave move for this group of people. At that time, property like this was technically owned by the King, even though the era of manor houses was giving way to one of private country mansions. “The Tudor period (16th century) of stability in England saw the building of the first of the unfortified great houses. During the second half of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and under her successor King James I, the first mansions designed by architects began to make their appearance [and came to] epitomize the English country house.”

“Following the campaign led by Archbishop Bancroft to force puritan ministers out of the Church of England, the Brewsters joined the Brownist church led by John Robinson and Richard Clifton, inviting them to meet in their manor house in Scrooby. Restrictions and pressures applied by the authorities convinced the congregation of a need to emigrate to the more sympathetic atmosphere of Holland, and Brewster organized the removal. Leaving England without permission was illegal at the time, so that departure was a complex matter. On its first attempt, in 1607, the group was arrested at Scotia Creek, but in 1608, Brewster and others were successful in leaving from the Humber,” [on the east coast of northern England]. (Wikipedia) (5)

Fleeing to First to Amsterdam, and Then to Leyden, Holland

“Robinson’s church lived for a year in Amsterdam, but in 1609 one of their fellow Brownist churches there led by John Smyth became the first Baptist church. In the controversy that followed, Robinson and Brewster decided to take their church to Leiden.” (Wikipedia)

Left page only: Permit from the city council of Leyden for 100 Englishmen to be allowed to settle in Leyden, dated February 12, 1609, via Heritage Leiden, Stadsarchief 1574 – 1816. (Image courtesy of Leiden Museum de Lakenhal).

Leyden, or Leiden?
A comment about spelling — the spelling of the city name at the time when the Pilgrims resided there was Leyden (with a y). That is the spelling we prefer to use for this history. However in the present day, the name is spelled Leiden (with an i), which you will see in some quoted contexts.

Images form left to right: “Boats like these sailed from Amsterdam to Leyden.” (Image courtesy of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum). ‘Imagined’ portrait of William Brewster, (Image courtesy of Family Search. The journey from Amsterdam to Leyden. Map of Holland: According to Astronomical Observations, circa 1791. (See footnotes).

“The move to Leiden was carefully prepared. The city’s permission included the statement, now famous, that Leiden ‘refuses no honest people free entry to come live in the city, as long as they behave honestly and obey all the laws and ordinances, and under those conditions the applicants’ arrival here would be pleasing and welcome.’

Putting inaction to fine words, the city refused to denounce the Pilgrims when the British ambassador requested information about them because they were rumored to be banished Brownists. Town officials let it be known that the city had heard nothing of their being either banished or Brownists, but rather that they were honest people of the Reformed religion – and would His Excellency please excuse them to the King in this matter.” (See footnotes, Leiden American Pilgrim Museum – LAPM) (6)

Winter Scene on a Canal, by Hendrick Avercamp, circa 1615. This painting shows typical winter activities that the Pilgrims would have experienced in Amsterdam and Leyden during the years
when they lived there. (Image courtesy of Wikiart.org).

The Brewster Press

The city of Leyden was the second largest in the Netherlands, with around 40,000 people living there by 1620. “Leiden’s city walls had to expand in 1611, when no more houses could be built in the gardens of the older residences. A city extension was carried out all along the northern side of the town. About a third of Leiden’s inhabitants were refugees from Belgium, and among so many thousands of newcomers, the group of 100 Pilgrims arriving in 1609 attracted little attention.”

Map of Leiden, by Pieter Bast, circa 1600.

“Brewster lived near St Peter’s church (Dutch: Pieterskerk) in Leiden with his wife and children. He was chosen as assistant and later as an elder to Pastor John Robinson. (He was still an elder when he travelled to Plymouth Colony in 1620).

In Leiden, the group managed to make a living. Brewster had struggled for money in Amsterdam, but in Leiden he taught English to [Calvinist] university students. Leiden was a fountain of academic publishing; and it was again becoming a major artistic center as it had been in the earlier 16th century. When the Pilgrims were in Leiden, the Latin School counted among its pupils Rembrandt van Rijn.” (LAPM)

Leiden Museum de Lakenhal
Perth Assembly, 1619
(Image courtesy of David Calderwood, Leiden University Libraries).
“A year before their departure for America, the Pilgrims published this pamphlet in Leiden. It was immediately banned in England since it criticised royal decisions that had been made during an assembly in Perth, Scotland in 1618. In this pamphlet, the Pilgrims express their dislike of the celebration of Christmas and Easter, the episcopal hierarchy and the practice of kneeling during Holy Communion.”

“Brewster printed and published religious books for sale in England, but they were prohibited there. The press was prolific, printing “seven books against the regime of the Church of England in 1618 alone. In 1618, Brewster’s press published ‘De regimine Ecclesianae Scoticanae’ by Scottish minister David Calderwood, which was highly critical of James I and his government. They followed it up in April 1619 with ‘Perth Assembly.’

King James ordered an international manhunt for the writer and printer, but Brewster went underground. According to historian Stephen Tomkins, Brewster handed himself over to the Dutch authorities, who refused to send him to his death in England and so told James that they had arrested the wrong person and let him go. Tomkins judges that Brewster’s printing operation ‘came close to ruining his church’s plans for America.’ ” (Wikipedia) Clearly, King James I was against minority opinion being shared publicly.

For our ancestor George Soule, most of his future life experiences would be shaped by this period with William Brewster, and his life underground. (See The Soule Line, A Narrative — _____). (7)

The life of man compared to a weaver’s shuttle.”
(
Copperstitch according to Adrian van Venne), from: J. Cats “Old age, country life, and court thoughts, on Sorgh-Vliet” Amsterdam, 1656. (Image courtesy of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum).

Pilgrim Occupations in Leyden

With so many refugees living in Leyden, the city welcomed some of them to work at the looms. Leiden American Pilgrim Museum notes, that among the Pilgrims, some worked at other professions —

  • Jonathan Brewster was a merchant who produced ribbon, that he exported to England.
  • Samuel Fuller, the Pilgrims’ physician in Plymouth Colony, was a serge-weaver in Leiden.
  • Myles Standish, the colony’s future military leader, was a soldier.
  • Isaac Allerton, later to become well-known as a merchant and Plymouth Colony’s representative in England, was a tailor in Leiden, a trade he had learned in London. 
  • Edward Winslow assisted William Brewster as a printer, (and significantly for us, had George Soule travel with him on the Mayflower as his Servant).
  • Nicholas Claverley was one of Leiden’s first tobacco-pipe makers, involved with other Englishmen in the tobacco trade that could be found wherever English soldiers were garrisoned. (Note: Nicholas Claverley is recorded as being part of the Pilgrim group in Leyden, but he did not travel on the Mayflower).

“But adults and children alike, who’d been farmers in England, now toiled from dawn to dusk, six or seven days a week, weaving cloth in the textile factories. Even with such hardships, the Pilgrims later regarded their Leiden years as a type of “glory days,” whose difficulties were nothing compared with the ordeals they faced in America.” (NEFTH) (8)

Family photographs from inside of the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum, the Netherlands, November 2023. Located in a beautifully preserved house built circa 1365-1370. (Family photos).

Clockwise from the top: Street views of Beschuitsteeg (Biscuit) Alley), a portrait of Pilgrim Edward Winslow over the fireplace mantle, a view of the storage pantry, the sleeping area*, the museum exterior at the intersection of Beschuitsteeg 9 and Nieuwstraat. *Note: Curiously, in that era, people did not sleep lying down, but instead, slept in a sitting position. Two people and a nursing child would have slept in this nook).

Choosing to Travel to The British Colonies in North America

By 1617, the Separatists were getting anxious to move again. “Their biggest concern after a decade in this foreign land was that their children were becoming Dutch,’ Nathaniel Philbrick, the author of Mayflower explains. ‘They were still very proud of their English heritage. They were also fearful that the Spanish were about to attack again.’

Indeed, a conflict was building between Spain’s Catholic King and European Protestant powers, which would soon embroil the continent in the Thirty Years’ War. Radical Protestants viewed this as a battle between the forces of good (Protestantism) and evil (Roman Catholicism), little short of Armageddon. ‘Everything seemed to be on the edge of complete meltdown,’ Philbrick says. ‘And so they decided it’s time to pull the ripcord once again. Even if it meant leaving everything they had known all their lives.’ ” (NEFTH)

However by then, something had changed, as something had started to shift in their demeanor by living in Leyden, and this affected their views in the future Plymouth Colony —

“They were much more tolerant than people think, particularly for their time,” [Historian Jeremy Bangs] says. ‘They did not require people in the Plymouth Colony to follow Calvinist beliefs. This led to a conscious construction of a society with separation of church and state.’ Bangs, whose extensive research has made him one of the pre-eminent authorities on the Pilgrims, cites a 1645 proposal by the Plymouth Colony leaders that Jews, Catholics, Unitarians and many other sects be accepted in the Plymouth Colony.”

Further, in a Smithsonian magazine interview about her book, The World of Plymouth Plantation, historian Carla Pestana explores Plymouth’s grip on the American historical imagination. She says, “I do think that in Plymouth they tended to be somewhat more tolerant of alternate religious views. Decades later when the Harvard president openly explains that he’s a Baptist and has to leave Massachusetts, he goes to Plymouth. The first Quaker in Massachusetts who gets converted goes to Plymouth. I actually think that’s one reason why Plymouth wins in the sweepstakes for becoming the most important founding moment in the region. They don’t kill witches like Salem. They don’t kill Quakers like Boston. Some of the worst things that people in the late 18th century were starting to be embarrassed about, about their ancestors, didn’t happen in Plymouth.” (Smithsonian, for both Bangs, and Pestana)

We will be writing more about this evolution of their worldviews in the chapter, The Pilgrims — The Native Peoples.

The Departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from Delfshaven on Their Way to America on July 22, 1620.
by Adam Willaerts, circa 1620. When they left Leyden,“They boarded {canal boats] at the Rapenburg, not far from the Pieterskerk and John Robinson’s house.” (Vita Brevis) From there, they sailed to Delfshaven where the Speedwell was waiting to take them to England.(Image courtesy of The Museum of Fine Arts Boston).

“Brewster and Robinson were the prime movers in the decision to sail for America, but once he was in hiding, the Separatists looked to their deacon John Carver and to Robert Cushman to carry on negotiations with the appropriate officials in London. Brewster returned to the Leiden congregation in 1620, when it was time for the Speedwell to sail to England. He had been hiding out in Netherlands and perhaps even England for the last year. At the time of his return, Brewster was the highest-ranking layman of the congregation and was their designated elder in Plymouth Colony.

When the passengers of the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Colony, Brewster became the senior elder, and so served as the religious leader of the colony in the colony, he became a Separatist leader and preacher, and eventually as an adviser to Governor William Bradford.

As the only university-educated member of the colony, Brewster took the part of the colony’s religious leader until pastor Ralph Smith arrived in 1629. Thereafter, he continued to preach irregularly until his death in April 1644. ‘He was tenderhearted and compassionate of such as were in misery,’ Bradford wrote, ‘but especially of such as had been of good estate and rank and fallen unto want and poverty.’ In 1632, he received lands in nearby Duxbury and removed from Plymouth to create a farm there.”

Our ancestor George Soule, had also done the same. (9)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations


Martin Luther and the 95 Theses

(1) — nine records

National Geographic
The Protestant Reformation
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/protestant-reformation/
Note: For the text.

Luther Posting His 95 Theses
by Ferdinand Pauwels
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Luther95theses.jpg#file
Note: For the painting.

Reformed Christianity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reformed_Christianity
Note: For the text about John Calvin and The Spread of Calvinism.

Nationalmuseum (Stockholm, Sweden)
Martin Luther
(portrait)
by Lucas Cranach the Elder, circa 1527
File:Martin Luther (1483-1546) (Lucas Cranach d.ä.) – Nationalmuseum – 22066.tif
https://collection.nationalmuseum.se/sv/collection/item/22066/
Note: For his portrait.

The Huntington Library
Globalizing the Protestant Reformations
[Title page of the]
Disputatio pro declaration virtutis indulgentiarum
(Disputation on the Power of Indulgences)

by Martin Luther, circa 1519
https://huntington.org/verso/globalizing-protestant-reformations
Note: For the book image.

Encyclopædia Britannica
John Calvin (portrait)
by Artist unknown
https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Calvin#/media/1/90247/113479
Note: For his portrait.

[Title page of the]
Christianae religionis institutio
by John Calvin, circa 1536
File:Christianae religionis institutio (1536).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christianae_religionis_institutio_(1536).jpg
Note: For the book image.

(LAPM)
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
The Political Background
https://leidenamericanpilgrimmuseum.org/en/page/pilgrim-life-in-leiden-the-political-background
Note: For the text.

The Church of England & Henry VIII | Reformation & Events
https://study.com/academy/lesson/henry-viii-and-the-anglican-church.html#:~:text=Henry%20VIII%20created%20the%20Church,sons%20to%20continue%20his%20dynasty.
Note: For the text from Who created the Church of England and why? and What’s the difference between Catholic and Church of England?

James I and England

(2) — three records

James VI and I and Religious Issues
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_VI_and_I_and_religious_issues
Note: For the text.

Collection Museum Prinsenhof Delft / Loan Mauritshuis, The Hague
Portrait of Jacobus I, 1566-1625, (James I)
by Artist unknown.
https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/images-and-credit-lines-pilgrims
Notes: For his portrait.
“James I disliked Robert Browne’s followers, who did not care for the episcopal hierarchy of the Anglican state church. The king maintained that God had bestowed upon him his position as absolute ruler, making any criticism of him sacrilege. On James’s orders, the ‘Brownists’, the separatist movement to which the Pilgrims belonged, were fined, imprisoned or banished.”

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Notes: For the pull-quote and the text.

Historic LabelsIdentifying Who “The Others” Are

(3) — six records

The University of York
Pilgrims and Pilgrimage
The Origins of the Terms ‘Pilgrim’ and ‘Pilgrimage
https://www.york.ac.uk/projects/pilgrimage/intro.html#:~:text=The%20English%20term%20’pilgrim’%20originally,journey%2C%20or%20a%20temporary%20resident.
Note: For the text that is the Latin definition for Pilgrims.

English Dissenters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Dissenters
Note: For the text that defines English Dissenters.

Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilgrims_(Plymouth_Colony)
Note: For the text that defines Separatists.

Washington University Art & Sciences
Pilgrims, Puritans, and the importance of the unexceptional
by John Moore
https://artsci.washu.edu/ampersand/pilgrims-puritans-and-importance-unexceptional
Note: For the text that clarifies the differences between Pilgrims and Puritans, and for the pull-quote by Abram Van Engen.

Brownists
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brownists
Note: For the text that defines Brownists.

1600s Pilgrim Couple Kneeling In Prayer
painting by Herbert Paus, via History.com
The Puritans
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/puritanism
Note: For the illustration of 1600s Pilgrim Couple Kneeling In Prayer.

A Radical Notion At The Time

(4) — four records

Caleb Johnson’s MayflowerHistory.com
Church and Religion
http://mayflowerhistory.com/religion
Note: For the text regarding key beliefs of the Pilgrim congregation.

File:Geneva Bible.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Geneva_Bible.jpg
Note: For the image of the Geneva edition of the Bible, first published in English in 1560.

File:Lincolnia nottinghamia Atlas.jpg
by Christopher Saxton, 1576
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincolnia_nottinghamia_Atlas.jpg
Note: For the map of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire from 1576. Atlas created by cartographer Christopher Saxton as part of his ‘Atlas of the Counties of England and Wales’. Contains hand-written marginal notes.

(TPCAP)
The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
by J. Jason Boroughs
http://www.histarch.illinois.edu/plymouth/jbthesis.html
Note: For the text from the section, Background: The colonization of New England.

William Brewster and the Scrooby Village Congregation

(5) — six records

William Brewster (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brewster_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

Scrooby
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrooby
Note: For the text.

Scrooby Manor House (illustration)
https://christianheritage.info/places/united-kingdom/east-midlands/bassetlaw/site/scrooby-manor-house/
Note: For the illustration.

Daniel Crouch Rare Books
Saxton’s Seminal Atlas of England and Wales in full original colour, circa 1579
https://crouchrarebooks.com/product/atlas/saxtons-seminal-atlas-of-england-and-wales-in-full-original-colour/
Note: For the image of Queen Elizabeth I.

File:Lincolnia nottinghamia Atlas.jpg
by Christopher Saxton, 1576
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lincolnia_nottinghamia_Atlas.jpg
Note: For the map of Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire from 1576. Atlas created by cartographer Christopher Saxton as part of his ‘Atlas of the Counties of England and Wales’. Contains hand-written marginal notes.

Manor House
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manor_house
Note: For text under the section, Decline of the Manor House.

Fleeing to First to Amsterdam, and Then to Leyden, Holland

(6) — six records

William Brewster (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brewster_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

Leiden Museum de Lakenhal
Permit from the city council of Leiden for 100 Englishmen
to be allowed to settle in Leiden, dated 12 February 1609.
Pilgrims to America — And The Limits of Freedom (Exhibition)
via Heritage Leiden, Stadsarchief 1574 – 1816
https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/images-and-credit-lines-pilgrims
Notes: (Left page only). This is the written agreement that granted permission for the Pilgrims – around 100 men and women – to settle in Leiden. The document was written on behalf of the city council by city secretary Jan van Hout on February 12, 1609. The religious community around John Robinson was probably larger than the hundred people mentioned in the agreement because children weren’t included.

(LAPM)
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
Pilgrim Life in Leiden — Coming to Leiden
https://leidenamericanpilgrimmuseum.org/en/page/pilgrim-life-in-leiden-coming-to-leiden
Note 1: For the text.
Note 2: Borrowed image, Boats like these sailed from Amsterdam to Leiden. Engraving by Adrian van de Venne, ca. 1630

Family Search Blog
The Life and Legacy of William Brewster
https://www.familysearch.org/en/blog/william-brewster-legacy
Note: For his portrait.

Map of Holland: According to Astronomical Observations, Measurements of Schnellius & c. and the Superiorly Redesigned Special Maps of F. L. Güssefeld, circa 1791.
https://www.loc.gov/resource/gdcwdl.wdl_01132/?r=-0.547,0.047,2.094,1.047,0
Note 1: This map of the Netherlands coast is the work of Prussian cartographer Franz Ludwig Güssefeld (1744-1807). It was drawn based on the calculations of the renowned Dutch mathematician Willebrord Snellius (1580-1626), a professor of mathematics at the University of Leiden, who conceived the idea of measuring the earth using triangulation. Snellius’s discoveries helped to determine the radius of the earth as well as led to more accurate ways of measuring the distance between two cities.
Note 2: Adapted to document travel from Amsterdam to Leyden.

Winter Scene on a Canal
by Hendrick Avercamp, circa 1615
https://www.wikiart.org/en/hendrick-avercamp/winter-scene-on-a-canal
Note 1: For this painting.
Note 2: Avercamp was famed for both his winter landscape paintings and for his superior ability as a draftsman. Today, his drawings are highly valued and are considered to be accurate records of Dutch clothing and lifestyles from this time period.

The Brewster Press

(7) — four records

(LAPM)
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
Pilgrim Life in Leiden — Leiden, a Fair and Beautiful City
https://leidenamericanpilgrimmuseum.org/en/page/pilgrim-life-in-leiden-leiden-a-fair-and-beautiful-city
Note: For the text.

Map of Leiden
by Pieter Bast, circa 1600
(via Geschiedenis)
https://doreleiden.nl/geschiedenis/
Note: For the map.

William Brewster (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brewster_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

(LAPM)
Leiden Museum de Lakenhal
Pilgrims to America — And The Limits of Freedom (Exhibition)
via Heritage Leiden, Stadsarchief 1574 – 1816
Perth Assembly, 1619
(Image courtesy of David Calderwood, Leiden University Libraries).
https://www.lakenhal.nl/en/story/images-and-credit-lines-pilgrims
Notes: “A year before their departure for America, the Pilgrims published this pamphlet in Leiden. It was immediately banned in England since it criticised royal decisions that had been made during an assembly in Perth, Scotland in 1618. In this pamphlet, the Pilgrims express their dislike of the celebration of Christmas and Easter, the episcopal hierarchy and the practice of kneeling during Holy Communion.”

Pilgrim Occupations in Leyden

(8) — three records

(LAPM)
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
The life of man compared to a weaver’s shuttle.
(
Copperstitch according to Adrian van Venne), from:
J. Cats “Old age, country life, and court thoughts, on Sorgh-Vliet”
Amsterdam, 1656 (For the title in English).
https://www.abebooks.de/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31525694547&cm_sp=collections-_-2gwY4IoWG3dukN4eR0KkQ0_item_1_37-_-bdp
Note: The original image was obtained form from the Leiden American Pilgrim Museum in November 2023.

(LAPM)
Leiden American Pilgrim Museum
Pilgrim Life in Leiden — Pilgrim Occupations in Leiden
https://leidenamericanpilgrimmuseum.org/en/page/pilgrim-life-in-leiden-pilgrim-occupations-in-leiden
Note: For the text.

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

Choosing to Travel to The British Colonies in North America

(9) — five records

(NEFTH)
The National Endowment For The Humanities
Who Were the Pilgrims Who Celebrated the First Thanksgiving?https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2015/novemberdecember/feature/who-were-the-pilgrims-who-celebrated-the-first-thanksgiving
Note: For the text.

Smithsonian Magazine
The Pilgrims Before Plymouth
by John Hanc
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/the-pilgrims-before-plymouth-111851259/
Note: For the text about religious tolerance.

Smithsonian Magazine
Why the Myths of Plymouth Dominate the American Imagination
by Karin Wulf
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/why-myths-plymouth-dominate-american-imagination-180976396/
Note: For the text.

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston
The Departure of the Pilgrim Fathers from Delfshaven on Their Way to America on July 22, 1620.
by Adam Willaerts, circa 1620
https://www.mfa.org/article/2022/the-departure-of-the-pilgrim-fathers-from-delfshaven-on-their-way-to-america
Note: For the (possibly contemporanious to 1620) painting.

William Brewster (Mayflower passenger)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Brewster_(Mayflower_passenger)
Note: For the text.

The Pilgrims — Colonial Pursuits

This is Chapter Two of seven. Here we are examining some of the colonization that England attempted in the decades before the Pilgrims sailed to British North America.

Preface Show Me The Money

The first wave of European colonization began with Spanish and Portuguese conquests and explorations, and primarily involved with the European colonization of the New World. The Spanish and Portuguese became profoundly rich.“It was not long before the exclusivity of Iberian [Spanish and Portuguese] claims to the Americas was challenged by other European powers, primarily the Netherlands, France, and England.

[Everyone wanted access to the (potential) resources available to them.] “…the English, French and Dutch were no more averse to making a profit than the Spanish and Portuguese, and whilst their areas of settlement in the Americas proved to be devoid of the precious metals found by the Spanish, trade in other commodities and products that could be sold at massive profit in Europe provided another reason for crossing the Atlantic — in particular, furs from Canada, tobacco and cotton grown in Virginia, and sugar in the islands of the Caribbean and Brazil.” (Wikipedia) (1)

Roanoke Wasn’t America’s Only Lost Colony, map courtesy of National Geographic, June 2018 issue. Note that the yellow arrows designate which three colonies we will profile.

England Finally Gets In The Game

“In the early 1600s it was finally England’s turn to play the game.  Much like the young Spanish conquistadores coming to America a century earlier, young English aristocratics, or for that matter anyone seeking social betterment, looked to America in the hope of finding American gold with which they could buy land and thus social status.” (Colonial Foundations)

La Virgenia Pars — map of the E coast of N America from Chesapeake bay to the Florida Keys,
with arms of Sir Walter Raleigh, English vessels, dolphins, fish, whales and sea-monsters”
by John White, circa 1585-1593. (Image courtesy of The British Museum).

Virginia Was the Mother of the Colonies
“The Spanish had established Saint Augustine, Florida in 1565 as a strategic outpost to protect Spain’s Caribbean empire from English privateers. Between Newfoundland and Spanish Florida was a vast unsettled territory. Raleigh named this area Virginia an honor to Queen Elizabeth, (the Virgin Queen), with whom he sought favors. For many years thereafter the vast temperate region of North America was referred to as Virginia. It had no boundaries, and no government.

Each of the other original colonies was directly or indirectly carved out of Virginia. It was the first territory to be claimed by England in North America. At its maximum extent, Virginia encompassed most of what is now the United States, as well as portions of Canada and Mexico.

Virginia was the first of the thirteen original states to be founded and settled. It was generally the tradition of the English during the colonial period to establish large geographic units, and then to subsequently sub-divide them into smaller more manageable units. This two-phase process was conducted in order to establish legal claims to maximum territory.” (See footnotes, How Virginia Got Its Borders – HVGIB) (2)

The Stuarts, King James I (reigned 1603 – 1625). Painting of James VI and I
Wearing the Jewel Called the Three Brothers in His Hat, circa 1605, (after) John de Critz .

King James I and the Virginia Company of 1606

Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, and the continued development of colonies in the Americas then fell to her successor. “It would have to wait for a new monarch before colonization would become a reality. That monarch was King James I, Elizabeth’s successor. In 1606, he chartered two joint stock companies for the purpose of establishing colonies in Virginia.” (See footnotes, HVGIB)

In Renaissance England, wealthy merchants were eager to find investment opportunities, so they established several companies to trade in various parts of the world. Each company was made up of investors, known as merchant adventurers, who purchased shares of company stock. Profits were shared among the investors according to the amount of stock that each owned. More than 6,300 Englishmen invested in joint-stock companies between 1585 and 1630, trading in Russia, Turkey, Africa, the East Indies, the Mediterranean, and North America.

Example colonial promotions for investors and settlers by The Virginia Company — The New Life of Virginea, circa 1612, from the University of Glasgow Library. A Good Speed to Virginia, circa 1609, and A True Relation, circa 1608, from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

The Virginia Company emerged at a time when European empires chartered corporations for their imperial efforts. The English East India Company and Dutch East India Company had both recently received royal charters by their governments. (See also The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — One, Holland & Huguenots). The Virginia Company represented a new strategy that relied less on protected trade and ports — this strategy was settler colonialism.

Images left to right: The front and back of the royal seal of James I of England as the president of the Council of Virginia, the inscriptions signifying: Seal of the King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, and For his Council of Virginia, circa 1606. The Virginia Company Coat of Arms and flag, circa 1620, the original seal of the London Company of Virginia. (Wikipedia)

Therefore, the English King James I needed money to continue England’s struggle against Spain and was very willing to charter two new colonization efforts to the New World, for the area (at that point) known overall as Virginia. For this effort he created The Virginia Company on April 10, 1606. It was an English trading company chartered with the objective of colonizing the eastern coast of America. “The [initial] Charter of 1606 [which] did not mention a Virginia Company or a Plymouth Company; these names were applied somewhat later to the overall enterprise.” (Wikipedia) Hence, the Virginia Company eventually became two companies:

 The Virginia Company of Plymouth was funded by wealthy investors from Plymouth, Bristol, and Exeter such as Sir John Popham. It was responsible for the northern part of Virginia (roughly what was to become New England). On August 13, 1607, the Plymouth Company established the Popham Colony along the Kennebec River in Maine. However, it was abandoned after about a year and the Plymouth Company became inactive. A successor company eventually established a permanent settlement in 1620 when the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, aboard the Mayflower.

The Virginia Company of Plymouth managed the northern section (in yellow), which was much larger than what is shown here. The Virginia Company of London was responsible for the southern section shown in blue. The white rectangle designates overlapped responsibility. Competition between the two branches with overlapping territory was intended to motivate efficient settlement.

The Virginia Company of London was responsible for the southern colony. It was primarily focused on the Chesapeake Bay area of today’s Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland. The company established the Jamestown Settlement in present-day Jamestown, Virginia in 1607. (Overall several sources utilized, see footnotes).

It is quite an understatement to say that establishing a new colony in The Americas took much in terms of resources, and quite honestly, a lot of luck too. Each country was literally building an entire new system for their explorations, along with an ambitious, concurrent new economic model. Hence, the results, whether they understood this or not, were quite new societies.

In summary, Spain, Portugal, and France moved quickly to establish a presence in the New World, while other European countries moved more slowly. The English did not attempt to found colonies until many decades after the explorations of John Cabot, and early efforts were failures—most notably the Roanoke Colony, which vanished about 1590. (3)

Left image: Sir Walter Raleigh, portrait by William Segar.
Right image: The House of Tudor, Queen Elizabeth I (reigned 1558 – 1603).

The Roanoke Colony, 1587 — ?

We learned from How Virginia Got Its Boundaries, that back “when Sir Walter Raleigh founded the first English settlement on Roanoke Island, there was no Virginia. There was only America… [and that] the failure of Roanoke Island was a financial disaster for Queen Elizabeth. She refused to invest further in colonial enterprises. Virginia remained in name only.” (See footnotes, HVGIB)

Some background —
From Wikipedia, Raleigh “was an English statesman, soldier, writer, and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonization of North America. He helped defend England against the Spanish Armada. He rose rapidly in the favour of Queen Elizabeth I and was knighted in 1585. He was granted a royal patent to explore Virginia, paving the way for future English settlements. In 1591, he secretly married Elizabeth Throckmorton, one of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting, without the Queen’s permission, for which he and his wife were sent to the Tower of London. After his release, they retired to his estate at Sherborne, Dorset.”

Observation: In addition to the cost of her war with Spain, Raleigh’s subterfuge of a marriage was another reason that Queen Elizabeth I decided not to further invest in his colonial adventures.

The Lost Colony, by William Ludwell Sheppard. This illustration from the 1876 textbook,
A Popular History of the United States, by William Cullen Bryant.

England’s desire for empire building finally started emerging — “Roanoke Colony was founded by the governor Ralph Lane in 1585 on Roanoke Island in present-day Dare County, North Carolina. Lane’s colony was troubled by a lack of supplies and poor relations with some of the local Native American tribes. A resupply mission by Sir Richard Grenville was delayed, so Lane abandoned the colony and returned to England with Sir Francis Drake in 1586. Grenville arrived two weeks later and also returned home, leaving behind a small detachment to protect Raleigh’s claim.

A second expedition led by John White landed on the island in 1587 and set up another settlement. Sir Walter Raleigh had sent him to establish the ‘Cittie of Raleigh’ in Chesapeake Bay. That attempt became known as the Lost Colony due to the unexplained disappearance of its population.”

John White illustrations of the Secoton Indians, circa 1585. “…in one of many scenes painted by John White, the Lost Colony’s artist governor. White’s realistic portraits of Native American life… became one of the earliest lenses through which Europeans saw the New World.”

From left to right: An Indian girl shows off an English doll, Equipment for curing fish used by the North Carolina Algonquins, Ritual dances, and the Village of the Secoton. (Images courtesy of The Trustees of The British Museum, and National Geographic).

“The ship was unable to return right away however, because the English at this point were deeply engaged in this struggle for their very survival against the mighty Spanish Armada.  Not until [after] the English survived this danger, three years after originally depositing the settlers in America, was a ship able to send supplies back to the colony.  But upon the ship’s arrival, the settlers were nowhere to be seen — nor was there any indication of where they might be or what had happened to them. The cryptic word ‘CROATOAN’ was found carved into the palisade, which White interpreted to mean that the colonists had relocated to Croatoan Island. Before he could follow this lead, rough seas and a lost anchor forced the mission to return to England.”

The news of the Lost Colony put a serious chill on any further thoughts about another such venture — until another generation came along at a time when the lure of gold seemed to be greater than the fear of failure.” (Overall several sources are utilized, see footnotes). (4)

Left image with inset: A fresh clue to the lost colonists’ fate emerged when curators backlit this 16th-century map of what is now coastal North Carolina and discovered a star-shaped symbol under a patch. Some researchers believe it may mark the location of a fort where the colonists fled after abandoning their settlement on Roanoke Island. (Image courtesy of the Trustees of the British Museum). Right image: Portrait of John Smith via History.com.

The Roanoke Colony in the Popular Imagination

In today’s world, it seems that almost everyone has heard something along the way about the legend of Roanoke Island. One might think that this is a somewhat new phenomena due to the current omni-presence of social media and clickbait alternative reality programming. However, interest in this mystery goes back much further — nearly 200 years .

“United States historians largely overlooked or minimized the importance of the Roanoke settlements until 1834, when George Bancroft lionized the 1587 colonists in ‘A History of the United States’. Bancroft emphasized the nobility of Walter Raleigh, …the courage of the colonists, and the uncanny tragedy of their loss. He was the first since John White to write about Virginia Dare, calling attention to her status as the first English child born on what would become US soil, and the pioneering spirit exhibited by her name. The account captivated the American public.” (Wikipedia)

George Bancroft’s History of the Colonization of the United States,
originally published in 1841.

There were investigations, but those were done in the very early days of the English presence in North America. Nothing conclusive was then determined about the fate of the colonists. Intriguingly, “Two decades later the English established their first permanent beachhead in the Americas, a hundred miles to the north on the James River, in what is now Virginia. Captain John Smith, the leader of the Jamestown colony, heard from the Indians that men wearing European clothes were living on the Carolina mainland west of Roanoke and Croatoan Islands.” (National Geographic)

Modern scholarship combined with many archeological excavations have all but concluded that the Roanoke Colonists were in the area, but had chosen to integrate into the local tribal cultures to survive.

“They say that the colony vanished and they left behind this cryptic message on a tree, ‘Croatoan,’ and no one knows what it means…
The reason they do this is mystery sells, right?
But Croatoan is Hatteras Island. It’s clearly labeled on the maps.”

Scott Dawson, President, Croatoan Archaeologist Society,
Lost Colony Museum on Hatteras Island

Most recently, Dawson revealed that “archaeologists found ‘buckets’ of hammer scale, a leftover material from blacksmithing… ‘This is showing a presence of the English working metal and living in the Indian Village for decades —We’re finding this whole metalworking workshop on the site and natives didn’t do that…’ and ‘The Lost Colony is a marketing campaign that started in 1937 and it created this myth of a colony that vanished, and none of that is real…” (WHRO Public Media)

Playbills from 1937 and 1938 productions of The Lost Colony play.

The marketing campaign from 1937 was a play — We learned that, “The Lost Colony is an historical outdoor drama, written by American Paul Green and produced since 1937 in Manteo, North Carolina… The play was written during the Great Depression by Paul Green, who had earlier won the Pulitzer Prize for drama.”

“The drama attracted enough tourists to stimulate the economy of Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Their hotels, motels, and restaurants thrived despite the bleak depression economy. The village of Manteo renamed its streets after historic figures in the drama. Originally intended for one season, the drama was produced again the following year and has since become a North Carolina tradition. Since 1937, more than four million visitors have seen it.”

Mystery sells. Mystery solved. (5)

John Hunt’s map of Fort George, at the failed Popham colony.
(Image courtesy of the Island Institute, The Working Waterfront).

The Popham Colony, 1607-1608

“The Popham Colony—also known as the Sagadahoc Colony—was a short-lived English colonial settlement in North America. It was established in 1607 and was located in the present-day town of Phippsburg, Maine, near the mouth of the Kennebec River. It was founded a few months after its more successful rival, the colony at Jamestown. (See Jamestown below).

Popham was a project of the Plymouth Company, which was one of the two competing parts of the proprietary Virginia Company that King James chartered in 1606 to raise private funds from investors in order to settle Virginia. At the time, the name “Virginia” applied to the entire east coast of North America from Spanish Florida to New France in modern-day Canada. That area was technically under the claim of the Spanish crown, but was not occupied by the Spanish.

The colony lasted just 14 months. It is likely that the failure of the colony was due to multiple problems: the lack of financial support after the death of Sir John Popham, the inability to find another leader, the cold winter, and finally the hostility of both the native people and the French. The settlement of New England was delayed until it was taken up by refugees instead of adventurers.” (Wikipedia) (6)

Jamestown settlement on the James River, Virginia, as it may have been in 1615, by Sidney E. King.
(Image courtesy of the National Park Service).

 The Jamestown Settlement, 1607

In the beginning, the Jamestown Colony was yet another English disaster. On May 14, 1607, a group of roughly 100 members of the Virginia Company founded the first permanent English settlement in North America on the banks of the James River. (Note: The two key words here are English and permanent). It was “known variously as James Forte, James Towne and James Cittie, the new settlement initially consisted of a wooden fort built in a triangle around a storehouse for weapons and other supplies, a church and a number of houses.

The settlers… suffered greatly from hunger and illnesses like typhoid and dysentery, caused from drinking contaminated water from the nearby swamp. Settlers also lived under constant threat of attack by members of local Algonquian tribes, most of which were organized into a kind of empire under Chief Powhatan.

Images from left to right, Portrait of Captain John Smith, Chief Powhatan, Map detail described “Powhatan held this state & fashion when Capt. Smith was delivered to him prisoner 1607”. Cropped detail of John Smith’s Map of Virginia used in various publications, first in 1612. (See footnotes).

An understanding reached between Powhatan and John Smith led the settlers to establish much-needed trade with Powhatan’s tribe by early 1608. Though skirmishes still broke out between the two groups, the Native Americans traded corn for beads, metal tools and other objects (including some weapons) from the English, who would depend on this trade for sustenance in the colony’s early years. 

After Smith returned to England in late 1609, the inhabitants of Jamestown suffered through a long, harsh winter known as “The Starving Time,” during which more than 100 of them died. Firsthand accounts describe desperate people eating pets and shoe leather. Some Jamestown colonists even resorted to cannibalism. George Percy, the colony’s leader in John Smith’s absence, wrote: 

“And now famine beginning to look ghastly and pale in every face that nothing was spared to maintain life and to do those things which seem incredible, as to dig up dead corpse out of graves and to eat them, and some have licked up the blood which hath fallen from their weak fellows.”

In the spring of 1610, just as the remaining colonists were set to abandon Jamestown, two ships arrived bearing at least 150 new settlers, a cache of supplies and the new English governor.” (History.com)

Tobacco was a key crop that saved Jamestown, although with later, unintended consequences. Left image: A School History of the United States, 1878 by David B. Scott. Notice how the residents of Jamestown were so eager to plant this crop, that they even planted it in the city streets. Right image: Petum Tabaccam, Plate 14B from the National Library of Medicine. (See footnotes).

Tobacco became Virginia’s first profitable export —
“A period of relative peace followed the marriage in April 1614 of the colonist and tobacco planter John Rolfe to Pocahontas, a daughter of Chief Powhatan who had been captured by the settlers and converted to Christianity. (According to John Smith, Pocahontas had rescued him from death in 1607, when she was just a young girl and he was her father’s captive.) Thanks largely to Rolfe’s introduction of a new type of tobacco grown from seeds from the West Indies, Jamestown’s economy began to thrive. 

Pocahontas Saving The Life of Capt. John Smith, Credited to the New England Chromo. Lith. Company, circa 1870. This is the same Captain John Smith who was the famous cartographer, (see his map near the end of this chapter).

This “genre artwork” lithograph is typical for the period with its historical inaccuracies. The scene is idealized; there are no mountains in Tidewater Virginia, for example, and the Powhatans lived in thatched houses rather than tipis.

In 1619, the colony established a General Assembly with members elected by Virginia’s male landowners; it would become a model for representative governments in later colonies. That same year, the first Africans (around 50 men, women and children) arrived in the English settlement; they had been on a Portuguese slave ship captured in the West Indies and brought to the Jamestown region. They worked as indentured servants at first (the race-based slavery system developed in North America in the 1680s) and were most likely put to work picking tobacco.” (History.com)

Observation: A number of historians actually document that this event — Tobacco fueled English colonization, the use of slave labor — was the true beginning of slavery for the future United States, despite the indentured servitude designation written above. (Historic Jamestowne).

Jamestown 1660s, by artist Keith Rocco.

“Also in 1619, the Virginia Company recruited and shipped over about 90 women to become wives and start families in Virginia, something needed to establish a permanent colony. Over one hundred women, who brought or started families, had arrived in prior years, but 1619 was when establishing families became a primary focus.” (Historic Jamestowne)

Wikipedia points out this grim fact about colonial life during this period, “Of the 6,000 people who came to the [Jamestown] settlement between 1608 and 1624, only 3,400 survived.” (7)

Captain John Smith and His Love of Maps

Captain John Smith was an ardent and skilled map maker. He published two maps in England of the east coast of North America, one in 1612, and the other in 1614. These early actions had much impact in how North America was eventually settled. Author Peter Firstbrook wrote in his book, A Man Most Driven: Captain John Smith, Pocahontas and the Founding of America

“When Smith was mapping New England, the English, French, Spanish and Dutch had settled in North America. Each of these European powers could have expanded, ultimately making the continent a conglomerate of similarly sized colonies. But, by the 1630s, after Plymouth and the Massachusetts Bay Colony were established, the English dominated the East Coast—in large part, Firstbrook claims, because of Smith’s map, book and his ardent endorsement of New England back in Britain.”

“Were it not for his authentic representation of what the region was like, I don’t think it would be anywhere near as popular,” says Firstbrook. “He was the most important person in terms of making North America part of the English speaking world.” (Smithsonian)

John Smith’s Virginia was originally published (separately) in London in 1612 and then in the 1612 Oxford publication of John Smith’s A Map of Virginia: With a Description of the Countrey, the Commodities, People, Government and Religion. Subsequently it appeared in several other works by Smith and other commentators on Virginia. It remained the most influential map of Virginia until the last quarter of the 17th century and many of the place names used by Smith remain in use.

Although our ancestors at Plymouth may have felt they were isolated in a new mostly Native world, they were in fact part of an incredibly complex and inter-connected European network of trade and ideas. (8)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

Preface Show Me The Money

(1) — one record

First Wave of European Colonization
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_wave_of_European_colonization
Note: For the text.

England Finally Gets In The Game

(2) — six records

National Geographic
Roanoke Wasn’t America’s Only Lost Colony
by Matthew W. Chwastyk
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/lost-colony-roanoke-virginia-mystery-map-interactive
Note: For the Colonial Pursuits map from the June 2018 issue.

List of North American Settlements by Year of Foundation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_North_American_settlements_by_year_of_foundation

Colonial Foundations
The Virginia Colony, Early 1600s
by Miles Hodges
https://spiritualpilgrim.net/02_America_The-Covenant-Nation/01_Colonial-Foundations/01c_Virginia.htm
Note: For the text.

(HVGIB)
How Virginia Got Its Boundaries
by Karl R. Phillips
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/boundaryk.html
Note: For the text.

Virtual Jamestown
Virginia (map)
by John Smith, circa 1612
http://www.virtualjamestown.org/jsmap_large.html
Note: Virginia was originally published (separately) in London in 1612, and then in the 1612 Oxford publication of John Smith’s A Map of Virginia: With a Description of the Countrey [sic], the Commodities, People, Government and Religion
Note: For the map image.

History.com
Mayflower Compact
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower-compact
Note: For the text.

King James I and the Virginia Company of 1606

(3) — nine records

Painting of James VI and I Wearing the Jewel Called the Three Brothers in His Hat, circa 1605
by (after) John de Critz 
File:Portrait of James I of England wearing the jewel called the Three Brothers in his hat.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_James_I_of_England_wearing_the_jewel_called_the_Three_Brothers_in_his_hat.jpg
Note: For the portrait of James I.

(HVGIB)
How Virginia Got Its Boundaries
by Karl R. Phillips
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/boundaryk.html
Note: For the text.

Colonial Foundations
The Virginia Colony, Early 1600s
by Miles Hodges
https://spiritualpilgrim.net/02_America_The-Covenant-Nation/01_Colonial-Foundations/01c_Virginia.htm
Note: For the text.

Virginia Company
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Company
Note: For the text, map, and images.

Plymouth Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Company
Note: For the text.

Virginia Company of London
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Company_of_London
Note: For the text and images.

Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Virginia Company of London
https://virginiahistory.org/learn/virginia-company-london
Note: For the text and images.

University of Glasgow
Special Collections of the Glasgow University Library
Americana
https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/library/files/special/exhibns/Americana/17th_century.html
Note: For image, The New Life of Virginea.

Jamestown, Virginia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia
Note: For the text.

The Roanoke Colony, 1587 — ?

(4) — twelve records

Walter Raleigh (portrait)
by William Segar
https://www.worldhistory.org/Walter_Raleigh/
Note: For his portrait.

Encyclopædia Britannica
Elizabeth I, Queen of England (portrait)
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Elizabeth-I
Note: For her portrait.

(HVGIB)
How Virginia Got Its Boundaries
by Karl R. Phillips
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/boundaryk.html
Note: For the text.

Walter Raleigh
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Raleigh
Note: For the text.

The Lost Colony, by William Ludwell Sheppard.
Illustration from the 1876 textbook, A Popular History of the United States 
by William Cullen Bryant, circa 1876
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_popular_history_of_the_United_States_-_from_the_first_discovery_of_the_western_hemisphere_by_the_Northmen,_to_the_end_of_the_first_century_of_the_union_of_the_states;_preceded_by_a_sketch_of_the_(14781233224).jpg
Notes: “This image depicts John White returning to the Roanoke Colony in 1590 to discover the settlement abandoned. A pallisade had been constructed since White’s departure in 1587, and the word “CROATOAN” was found carved near the entrance. White explained to his men that this was a prearranged signal to indicate that the colony had relocated, but was unable to search Croatoan Island for further information.”
Roanoke Colony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony
Note: For the illustration.

Roanoke Colony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony
Note: For the text.

National Geographic
It Was America’s First English Colony. Then It Was Gone.
by Andrew Lawler
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/lost-colony-roanoke-history-theories-croatoan
Note: For the text and illustrations.

(HVGIB)
How Virginia Got Its Boundaries
by Karl R. Phillips
http://www.virginiaplaces.org/boundaries/boundaryk.html
Note: For the text.

The Roanoke Map Collage —
The British Museum
La Virginea Pars map
by John White, circa 1585-1590
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_1906-0509-1-3
and
The First Colony Foundation
Hidden Images Revealed on Elizabethan Map of America
by Brent Lane
https://www.firstcolonyfoundation.org/news/hidden-images-revealed-elizabethan-map-america/
Note: Detail of ” La Virginea Pars” by John White showing the area of one of two paper patches (the northern patch) stuck to the map.
and
History.com
John White
By Artist Unknown
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/john-smith
Note: For the John White portrait.

Roanoke in the Popular Imagination

(5) — seven records

Roanoke Colony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roanoke_Colony
Note: For the text.

History of the Colonization of The United States
by George Bancroft, circa 1841
https://archive.org/details/historyofcoloniz00banc/page/n7/mode/2up
Book pages: 36-45, Digital pages: 66-74/568
Note: For the text and images.

National Geographic
It Was America’s First English Colony. Then It Was Gone.
by Andrew Lawler
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/article/lost-colony-roanoke-history-theories-croatoan
Note: For the anecdote about John Smith and stories of the Roanoke Colony.

WHRO Public Media
New Artifacts on Hatteras Point to the Real Fate of The Lost Colony
by Lisa Godley
https://www.whro.org/arts-culture/2025-01-20/new-artifacts-on-hatteras-point-to-the-real-fate-of-the-lost-colony?utm_source=enewsletter&utm_medium=enews&utm_term=text&utm_campaign=241213
Note: For the text.

The Lost Colony (play)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Colony_(play)

File:Playbill for the 1937 Federal Theatre Project production of Samuel Selden and Paul Green’s The Lost Colony.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Playbill_for_the_1937_Federal_Theatre_Project_production_of_Samuel_Selden_and_Paul_Green’s_The_Lost_Colony.pdf
Note: For the playbill cover artwork for the first year of the production of the play.
and
Library of Congress
The Lost Colony, Playbill from the 1938 production
by Paul Green and Samuel Selden
The Federal Theatre Project
https://www.loc.gov/resource/music.musftpplaybills-200221035/?st=gallery
Note: For the playbill cover artwork for the second year of the production of the play.

The Popham Colony, 1607-1608

(6) — two records

Island Institute, The Working Waterfront
Mysteries of Maine’s First European Colony
by Phil Showell
https://www.islandinstitute.org/working-waterfront/mysteries-of-maines-first-european-colony/
Note: For the text, and John Hunt’s map of Fort St George (Popham Colony).

Popham Colony
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popham_Colony
Note: For the text.

 The Jamestown Settlement, 1607

(7) — twelve records

The National Park Service
1492–1800 Colonial & Early National Period
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/fossils/1492-1800-colonial-early-national-period.htm
Note: For this painting, “Jamestown settlement on the James River, Virginia,” as it may have been in 1615, by Sidney E. King.

History.com
Jamestown Colony
https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/jamestown
Note: For the text.

Encyclopedia Virginia
Powhatan (d. 1618)
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/powhatan-d-1618/
Note: For image of Captain John Smith.
and
Legends of America
Chief Powhatan – Wahunsunacawh
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/chief-powhatan/
Note: For the image of Chief Powhatan.
and
File:Powhatan john smith map.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Powhatan_john_smith_map.jpg
Note: Map detail described “Powhatan held this state & fashion when Capt. Smith was delivered to him prisoner 1607”. Cropped part of John Smith’s Map of Virginia used in various publications, first in 1612.
Note: For the map detail.

File:Pocahontas Saving the Life of Capt. John Smith – New England Chromo. Lith. Co. LCCN95507872.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pocahontas_saving_the_life_of_Capt._John_Smith_-_New_England_Chromo._Lith._Co._LCCN95507872.jpg
Note: For the lithographic print.

For the tobacco illustrations —
A School History of the United States,
from The Discovery of America to the Year 1878

by David B. Scott
https://archive.org/details/schoolhistoryofu00scot/page/40/mode/2up
Bool page: 40, Digital page: 40/431
Note: For tobacco crop illustration.
and
NIH, The National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
Petum Tabaccam, Plate 14B
https://circulatingnow.nlm.nih.gov/2016/04/14/some-of-the-most-beautiful-herbals/page14b/
Note: For the tobacco plant illustration.

A Short History of Jamestown
https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm
Note: Regarding brides and families, 1619.

Historic Jamestowne
A Short History of Jamestown
https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/a-short-history-of-jamestown.htm
Note: For the text.

Jamestown, Virginia 1660s (painting)
https://keithrocco.com/product/jamestown-virginia-1660s/
Note: For his painting image of Jamestown.

Jamestown, Virginia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamestown,_Virginia
Note: For text regarding statistical survivals.

Captain John Smith and His Love of Maps

(8) — one record

Smithsonian Magazine
John Smith Coined the Term New England on This 1616 Map
by Megan Gambino
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/john-smith-coined-the-term-new-england-on-this-1616-map-180953383/
Note: For the text.

The Pilgrims — Saints & Strangers

This is Chapter One of seven. We have written seven opening chapters about the history of The Pilgrims. They are structured around certain themes which frame the context(s) of the times within which these people lived. Think of them as a multi-lane highway where all lanes point in one direction — forward in time. At certain points, some lanes are more important than others, but together, they all inform the future, where we live.

In American culture, many people think that they have heard so much over the years about the Pilgrims, that there is nothing more they need to know. We disagree, because they haven’t met our family yet.

Two of our ancestors—
Pilgrim George Soule and Pilgrim Edward Doty, were on the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower. They and their fellow travelers, occupy a very prominent space in the collective consciousness of American mythology.

We highly recommend that these chapters be read before taking a look at The Soule Line, A Narrative, or The Doty Line, A Narrative. As with all of our ancestral families, this research honors them. Simply put, that is why we write and share this blog — because sometimes we have to go back, to go forward.

Atlantic Overture

When our Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore died in 1975, we had to clean her house out of all its possessions. To be honest, although her home was quite neat and tidy, we just weren’t very efficient in getting rid of things. She had lived in that home for 55 years and most things that she owned meant something special to someone, so we took our time and distributed things carefully. We’re glad that we did.

Lulu was the genealogist of the family, and from her research, there had been whispers going on that we had a Mayflower ancestor — we just didn’t know who exactly. Then this book was found tucked amongst others, next to her favorite sitting chair in her dining room. When flipping through the pages, we came across a notation that she had made in the index at some moment in the past.

Who was this person named Soule, George? Is this the ancestor who had been whispered about? Our mother Marguerite (Lulu’s daughter), then took over the genealogy work and completed the history which led her back to our ancestor, Pilgrim George Soule. After Marguerite passed on, Susan (Marguerite’s daughter), took up the mantle as the family genealogist and was able to develop many more family lines because the world had changed. (Much more information was now readily available on the internet). Susan determined that we also had an additional Mayflower ancestor, Pilgrim Edward Doty.

We are descended from two of the original Plymouth Pilgrim families, from the 1620 voyage
of the Mayflower. Both of these lines meet with our 2x Great Grandparents, through
the marriage of Peter A. Devoe (for Edward Doty), and Mary Ann Warner (for George Soule).
Background image, Isolation: The Mayflower Becalmed on a Moonlit Night, by Montague Dawson.

To understand some things about our Pilgrim ancestors, it is important to first understand the times in which they lived. For example, they were coming from the Old World (their known worldviews), to the New World (a strange, unknown place). (1)

The Columbian Exchange

Historically, this time period had an over-arching theme which came to be known as: “The Columbian Exchange is[a] widespread transfer of plants, animals, and diseases between the New World (the Americas) in the Western Hemisphere, and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the Eastern Hemisphere, from the late 15th century on. It is named after the explorer Christopher Columbus and is related to the European colonization and global trade following his 1492 voyage. Some of the exchanges were deliberate while others were unintended.” (Wikipedia) Another aspect of this period is the natural advent of cultural clashes which we will touch upon about in The Pilgrims — The Native Peoples.

Christopher Columbus Arriving in The New World, illustration in
Il Costume Antico et Moderno, i.e. The Ancient and Modern Costume (1817–26).
(Image courtesy of Encyclopædia Britannica).

Observation: Maybe it is due to Hollywood movies, or perhaps it is just a natural way that the human mind works, but… it seems as if everyone, (with us included), tends to have a manner in which we project the consciousness of the present period back upon the times when our ancestors lived. They were not like those of us in the present day, because their eras were very much different from ours. To help understand their worldviews, we are going to outline three ways in which The Pilgrims were unlike people who are living today. (2)

Theirs Was A Pre-Scientific World

Our Pilgrim ancestors were living in a pre-scientific world in which religion was still the dominant player. That point-of-view might be a little hard for those of us in the modern world to understand. Before us, people didn’t have the perspective to comprehend things which we take for granted: stars and planets, germ-theory, equal opportunity, democratic rule, freedom of religion, etc.

New worlds were being discovered, but their world was still the Britain of their ancient forebears. What was ahead was a century of continued ongoing conflict in which royalty and the church were pitted against each other for control of the English people.

“The English Renaissance was a cultural and artistic movement in England from the early 16th century to the early 17th century. It is associated with the pan-European Renaissance that is usually regarded as beginning in Italy in the late 14th century. As in most of the rest of northern Europe, England saw little of these developments until more than a century later. Renaissance style and ideas, however, were slow to penetrate England, and the Elizabethan era in the second half of the 16th century is usually regarded as the height of the English Renaissance.

Shakespeare and his Friends at the Mermaid Tavern, by John Faed, circa 1850.
(Image courtesy of Meisterdrucke Fine Art Prints)

The English Renaissance is different from the Italian Renaissance in several ways. The dominant art forms of the English Renaissance were literature and music. Visual arts in the English Renaissance were much less significant than in the Italian Renaissance. The English period began far later than the Italian…” (Wikipedia)

To understand how much change was afoot in the world — here are just a few of the people who were alive during the century of 1530-1630 outside of England — artists, scientists, philosophers: Michelangelo, Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, René Descartes. Inside of England, it was a virtual hit parade of politicians, but also some explorers and writers: Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Sir Francis Drake, William Shakespeare, Walter Raleigh, Oliver Cromwell.

Our forebears lived during a time at the very beginning of scientific invention, even though much of this information took decades to develop and disperse across the world. The Enlightenment and the Age of Reason were yet to come. As an example, when our ancestors gazed with wonder upon the stars of the night sky, their conception of the world was very different from our understanding today… (3)

The Astronomer, by Johannes Vermeer, circa 1668. This painting was completed almost 50 years after the Pilgrims had already been in Plymouth, New England. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

The Earth Was The Center Of Their Universe

We think about what their journey on the Mayflower must have been like — sailing under the vastness of the night sky, with just the cool light of the stars to guide them. Or perhaps standing on the shores of the new Plymouth, staring out at a universe, something they may have wondered about — but then, they barely knew how to think about it like we do. In their world, the Earth was the center of the universe. This is called the Copernican Heliocentric model and what this means is, “…the Sun [is positioned] at the center of the Universe, motionless, with Earth and the other planets orbiting around it in circular paths… at uniform speeds.” (Wikipedia)

This of course, changed in the decades that followed, but few of the Pilgrims likely knew this. Ironically, the telescope was invented in the Netherlands in 1608 while they were living in Leyden [Leiden]. Through subsequent refinements and improvements, the telescope became fundamental in helping Galileo Galilei develop his theories, published in the  Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632), which was a rejection of the Copernican Heliocentric model.

Galileo Galilei at His Trial by the Inquisition in Rome in 1633., i.e. Galileo pushes away the Bible. (Courtesy of The Wellcome Collection via Wikimedia Commons).

This “was met with opposition from within the Catholic Church and from some astronomers. The matter was investigated by the Roman Inquisition in 1615, which concluded that his opinions contradicted accepted Biblical interpretations. Galileo later defended his views in Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems (1632), which appeared to attack and ridicule Pope Urban VIII, thus alienating both the Pope and the Jesuits, who had both strongly supported Galileo up until this point. He was tried by the Inquisition, found ‘vehemently suspect of heresy’, and forced to recant. He spent the rest of his life under house arrest.” (Wikipedia) (4)

Top left: Title page of Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published by Giovanni Battista Landini in 1632. Top right:  Early depiction of a ‘Dutch telescope’ from the “Emblemata of zinne-werck” by Johan de Brune, in 1624. Bottom image: It was nearly 350 years before we saw the first images of the Earth taken from the moon.“This photo was taken from the Apollo 11 Columbia command module, shortly before the lunar module was dispatched to the surface…July 1969″.

They Had No Concept of Germ Theory

We can thank our lucky stars* that we now live in a time when medicine has evolved beyond the ideas that were once widely believed in the time of these ancestors.

“In Tudor times, the understanding of medicine and the human body was based on the theory of the four bodily humours. This idea dates back to ancient Greece, where the body was seen more or less as a shell containing four different humours, or fluids: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. The humours affect your whole being, from your health and feelings to your looks and actions. The key to good health (and being a good person) is to keep your humours in balance. However, everyone has a natural excess of one of the humours, which is what makes us all look unique and behave differently. Shakespeare even mentions them on his plays: how medicine formed part of people’s lives and thoughts.” (Tudorworld.com)

Left image: From Humoralism and The Seasons— There were a number of things that could disrupt [the balance of the humours], including the kind of food you ate, whether or not you were getting enough sleep, and, of course, the changing of the seasons. Spring meant there might be an excess of blood in the body, yellow bile was dominant in the summer, black bile rose to prominence with autumn, and phlegm was associated with winter. Right image: Woodcut print of “Quinta Essentia,”
by Leonhart Thurneisser zum Thurn, circa 1574.

As shown in the images above, the belief then was that humours were tied to the different seasons, and hence, their corresponding astrological signs. [Observation: *Lucky Stars — The use of this funny expression seems to imply that our belief in Astrology is still ok, no?]

“Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 17th century and it was definitively disproved in the 1850s with the advent of germ theory, which was able to show that many diseases previously thought to be humoral were in fact caused by microbes.” (Wikipedia)

“The English of that era really couldn’t bathe even if they wanted to, notes V. W. Greene, a professor of epidemiology at the Ben Gurion Medical School in Beersheva, Israel. “There was no running water, streams were cold and polluted, heating fuel was expensive, and soap was hard to get or heavily taxed. There just weren’t facilities for personal hygiene. Cleanliness wasn’t a part of the folk culture.” (Lies My Teacher Told Me – LMTTM; See footnotes, V. W. Greene)

“Queen Isabella boasted that she took only two baths in her life,
at birth and before her marriage.”

“Colonial America’s leaders deemed bathing impure, since
it promoted nudity, which could only lead to promiscuity.”

excerpts from an article written by Jay Stuller
titled “Cleanliness has only recently become a virtue”
Smithsonian Magazine, February 1991

It’s no wonders perfumes were highly coveted possessions.

A representation by Robert Seymour of the cholera epidemic of the 19th century depicts the spread of the disease in the form of deadly air via miasma. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons).

It took another 230 to 300 years for the understanding of germ theory to take hold in the popular consciousness. As explained by Encyclopædia Britannica, “Developed, verified, and popularized between 1850 and 1920, germ theory holds that certain diseases are caused by the invasion of the body by microorganisms. Research by Louis Pasteur, [and others] contributed to public acceptance of the once-baffling theory, proving that processes such as fermentation and putrefaction, as well as diseases such as cholera and tuberculosis, were caused by germs.

Before germ theory was popularly understood, the methods taken to avoid illness and infection were based on guesses rather than facts. After germ theory’s development and popularization, effective sanitation practices resulted in cleaner homes, hospitals, and public spaces— as well as longer life spans for the people who had never before known how to avoid getting sick.” (Encyclopædia Britannica) (5)

There Was No Concept of An Inherent Bill of Rights

Despite what many people think, the Mayflower Compact was not a democratic declaration of rights. (This is covered in the chapter, The Pilgrims — A Mayflower Voyage). What we want to convey here is that the day-to-day personal rights and freedoms which now exist and which many take for granted didn’t exist at that time.

Much later than 1620, when the young United States adopted the Bill of Rights as the first 10 amendments to the Constitution in 1791, they began with the “First Amendment and Religion. The First Amendment has two provisions concerning religion: the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause. The Establishment clause prohibits the government ‘establishing’ a religion. The precise definition of ‘establishment’ is unclear. Historically, it meant prohibiting state-sponsored churches, such as the Church of England.” (See footnotes, United States Courts)

American statesman Patrick Henry (1736-1799) delivers his patriotic “Give me liberty, or give me death” speech before the Virginia Assembly in 1775. Henry was the leading proponent of the Bill of Rights as a bulwark against government overreach. (Original Artwork, printed by Currier & Ives).

For The Pilgrims and all of their forebears, they lived their entire lives under the rule of a Monarch. We understand from their history that The Pilgrims desired to have religious freedom to worship as they saw appropriate. This was certainly a minority opinion when you live under a King who took a strong interest in religious matters. That said, British law had been taking an ever so slow drift toward some personal rights, but the freedom of religious choice and worship was not among them.

However, in the long history of English common law, there were some milestones which came to eventually influence the future American Bill of Rights. These same developments were likely heard as the background music of the Pilgrims’ experiences in both England and Holland. As such, they may have been thinking about, or debating them occasionally, especially when new emigrants from England entered their community.

Three Key Documents From English Law, and One From Colonial Law

The Teaching American History website, helps us understand how these rights came to be — In the England of 1215, “the most important contribution of the Magna Carta is the claim that there is a fundamental set of principles, which even the King must respect. Above all else, Magna Carta makes the case that the people have a ‘right’ to expect ‘reasonable’ conduct by the monarch. These rights are to be secured by the principle of representation.” (See footnotes, Teaching American History – TAH )

It is interesting to observe that the Magna Carta is about equally distant in time from The Pilgrims, as they are from us today. Outcome: 7 out of the 26 rights in the U.S. Bill of Rights can be traced back to the Magna Carta.

Magna Carta, 1297: Widely viewed as one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy. Courtesy of the David M. Rubenstein Gallery at the National Archives.

The Pilgrims were English citizens who, even though they were in the New World, they were required to abide by British law. Soon after they left on the Mayflower, “The 1628 Petition of Right is the second of the three British documents that provided a strong common law component to the development of the American Bill of Rights. In the thirteenth century, the nobles petitioned the King to abandon his arbitrary and tyrannical policies; four centuries later, [and most importantly] it was the commoners who petitioned the King to adhere to the principles of reasonable government bequeathed by the English tradition.”

“The third British contribution to the development of the American Bill of Rights is the 1689 English Bill of Rights… several ancient rights of Englishmen are reaffirmed: the right to petition government for the redress of grievances, the expectation that governmental policy shall confirm to the rule of law… the freedom of speech and debate and that there were to be frequently held elections. Not included, however, in the declaration of rights [is] that Englishmen have are the right to the free exercise of religion and the right to choose their form of government.” (See footnotes, TAH)

Click the link to see a two minute video of the actual 1689 document: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bill-of-Rights-British-history/images-videos

Outcome: 7 of 26 rights in the U.S. Bill of Rights can be traced to the English Petition of Rights, and 7 more to the English Bill of Rights. However, with some duplication, these net out to be 10 rights.

From Colonial Law — The Massachusetts Body of Liberties of 1641

“The Massachusetts Body of Liberties, adopted in December 1641, was the first attempt in Massachusetts to restrain the power of the elected representatives by an appeal to a document that lists the rights, and duties, of the people. The document, drafted and debated over several years, combines the American covenanting tradition [to make an agreement; a covenant] with an appeal to the common law tradition.

Pilgrims Going To Church, by George Henry Boughton, circa 1867. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia).

Even more importantly, there is a distinctively qualitative difference in the emerging Colonial American version of rights. Unique is the emergence of the individual right of religious worship, the political rights of press and assembly, and what became the Sixth Amendment in the U.S Bill of Rights dealing with accusation, confrontation, and counsel. These are home grown.” (See footnotes, TAH)

Outcome: There is a strong relationship between the U.S. Bill of Rights and the Colonial past. 18 of 26 rights in the U.S. Bill of Rights, or 70%, can be traced directly to the Colonial tradition. And 15 of 26 rights, or 60%, come from one source alone: the Massachusetts Body of Liberties of 1641.

The currents for these reforms began with, and continued to thrive with, our ancestors when they came to this part of the world. This process still continues to evolve, even to this very day. (6)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations


Atlantic Overture

(1) — two records

Saints and Strangers: Being the Lives of the Pilgrim Fathers & Their Families
by George F. Willison
https://archive.org/details/dli.ernet.13804/page/509/mode/2up
Book page: 509, Digital page: 509/513

Isolation: The Mayflower becalmed on a moonlit night
by Montague Dawson, (British, 1890-1973)
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Isolation–The-Mayflower-becalmed-on-a-m/FD8D6C1A6976C620
Note: For the image of the Mayflower painting.

The Columbian Exchange

(2) — two records

Columbian Exchange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbian_exchange
Note: For the text.

Encyclopædia Britannica
Columbian Exchange
Columbus Arriving in the New World
by Unknown Artist
https://cdn.britannica.com/08/142308-050-B404CF9D/Christoper-Columbus-New-World-worlds-Western-Hemisphere-1492.jpg
Note: Christopher Columbus Arriving in The New World, illustration in
Il Costume Antico et Moderno, i.e. The Ancient and Modern Costume (1817–26).

Theirs Was A Pre-Scientific World

(3) — two records

English Renaissance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Renaissance
Note: For the text.

Shakespeare and his Friends at the Mermaid Tavern
by John Faed, circa 1850
https://www.meisterdrucke.ie/fine-art-prints/John-Faed/281952/Shakespeare-and-His-Friends-at-the-Mermaid-Tavern.html
Note: For the image of the painting.

The Earth Was The Center Of Their Universe

(4) — eight records

The Astronomer
by Johannes Vermeer
File:Johannes Vermeer – The Astronomer – 1668.jpg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johannes_Vermeer_-_The_Astronomer_-_1668.jpg
Note: For the image of the Vermeer painting.

Copernican Heliocentrism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copernican_heliocentrism
Note: This model positioned the Sun at the center of the Universe, motionless, with Earth and the other planets orbiting around it in circular paths, modified by epicycles, and at uniform speeds..

History of The Telescope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_telescope
Note: “The history of the telescope can be traced to before the invention of the earliest known telescope, which appeared in 1608 in the Netherlands“.

Galileo Galilei at His Trial by the Inquisition in Rome in 1633, i.e. Galileo pushes away the Bible.
Courtesy of The Wellcome Collection via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galileo_Galilei_at_his_trial_Wellcome_V0018717.jpg#/media/File:Galileo_Galilei;_Galileo_Galilei_at_his_trial_at_the_Inquisi_Wellcome_V0018716.jpg
Note: For the image of the trial of Galileo Galilei.

Galileo Galilei
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_Galilei
Note: For the text.

File:Galileos Dialogue Title Page.png
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Galileos_Dialogue_Title_Page.png
Note: “Frontispiece (by Stefan Della Bella) and title page of Galileo Galilei’s Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems, published by Giovanni Battista Landini in 1632 in Florence.”

File:Emblemata 1624.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Emblemata_1624.jpg
Note: “Early depiction of a ‘Dutch telescope’ from the “Emblemata of zinne-werck” (Middelburg, 1624) of the poet and statesman Johan de Brune (1588-1658).”

Science — 50 Photos Taken on The Moon
by Jessica Learish
https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/apollo-11-50th-anniversary-50-photos-taken-on-the-moon/
Note: For the July 1969 image, “This photo was taken from the Apollo 11 Columbia command module, shortly before the lunar module was dispatched to the surface.”

They Had No Concept of Germ Theory

(5) — eight records

What Were the Four Humours?
https://tudorworld.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Four-Humours-Information.pdf
Note: For the text.

Humoralism and The Seasons
by Elisabeth Brander
https://becker.wustl.edu/news/humoralism-and-the-seasons/
Note: For the text.

Humorism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humorism
Note: For the text.

Book illustration in “Quinta Essentia”
by Leonhart Thurneisser zum Thurn, circa 1574
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quinta_Essentia_(Thurneisse)_illustration_Alchemic_approach_to_four_humors_in_relation_to_the_four_elements_and_zodiacal_signs.jpg
Note: Woodcut print of the Alchemic approach to four humors in relation to the four elements and zodiacal signs.

V. W. Greene quoted in:
English-Word Information, Ablutions or Bathing, Historical Perspectives
https://wordinfo.info/unit/2701
Notes: “Colonial America’s leaders deemed bathing impure, since it promoted nudity, which could only lead to promiscuity.”
and
“The English of that era really couldn’t bathe even if they wanted to, notes V. W. Greene, a professor of epidemiology at the Ben Gurion Medical School in Beersheva, Israel. “There was no running water, streams were cold and polluted, heating fuel was expensive, and soap was hard to get or heavily taxed. There just weren’t facilities for personal hygiene. Cleanliness wasn’t a part of the folk culture.”

[LMTTM]
Lies My Teacher Told Me
by James W. Loewen
https://www.google.pt/books/edition/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me/5m23RrMeLt4C?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA1&printsec=frontcover
Book pages: 70-92
Note: Cited in LMTTM, by author Jay Stuller, — “Cleanliness has only recently become a virtue… Queen Isabella boasted that she took only two baths in her life, at birth and before her marriage.”
Cited in this article by author Jay Stuller —
Smithsonian Magazine
Cleanliness Has Only Recently Become a Virtue
by Jay Stuller
February 1991, pages 126-135

File:Cholera art.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cholera_art.jpg
Note: A representation by Robert Seymour of the cholera epidemic of the 19th century depicts the spread of the disease in the form of deadly air via miasma.

Encyclopædia Britannica
What Was Life Like Before We Knew About Germs?
https://www.britannica.com/story/what-was-life-like-before-we-knew-about-germs
Note: For the text.

There Was No Concept of An Inherent Bill of Rights

(6) — four records

United States Courts
First Amendment and Religion
https://www.uscourts.gov/about-federal-courts/educational-resources/about-educational-outreach/activity-resources/first-amendment-and-religion
Note: For the text.

(TAH)
The Origin of the Bill of Rights
by Natalie Bolton
https://teachingamericanhistory.org/resource/lessonplans/the-origin-of-the-bill-of-rights/
Note: For the text.

The National Archives
Magna Carta
https://www.archives.gov/exhibits/featured-documents/magna-carta
Note: For the image of the Magna Carta document.

Pilgrims Going To Church
by George Henry Boughton, circa 1867
File:George-Henry-Boughton-Pilgrims-Going-To-Church.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George-Henry-Boughton-Pilgrims-Going-To-Church.jpg
Note: For the image of Pilgrim church gathering.

The White Line, A Narrative — Four

This is Chapter Four of four. This is the concluding chapter that we are writing for the White family. They have been quite interesting, what with family legends at sea, modern reservoirs, a ship named Grumpus, Amish people, trees and vines…

This chapter will connect us to several other family lines which we have documented. These chapters are —

  • The Hoggarth Line, A Narrative — One and Two
  • The Peterman Line, A Narrative
  • The Bond Line, A Narrative — Seven

“Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady, That’s Me!”

Ralph Hiram White married “Sadie” i.e. Sarah Alice Elizabeth Hoggarth on August 23, 1924, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. She was born December 18, 1898 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada — died September 8, 1989 in Kirtland, Lake County, Ohio. Sadie was the daughter of John Richard Hoggarth Jr. and Alice Lavina Nelson Weegar.

For more about Sadie’s life before she met Ralph, see, The Hoggarth Line, A Narrative — One and Two.

Sadie’s personality would best be described as vivacious. She had bright red hair which made her stand out when she entered a room. But the most distinctive characteristic she had was her voice: slightly higher pitched and sing-song like. Talking with her was a contest where you just tried to keep up (!) with her rapid delivery. Thanksgiving dinners were festive affairs, but the conversation always reached a loud fever pitch because Sadie always set the pace.

This is the first ancestor we’ve had who is named Sadie — and with great delight, we just couldn’t resist sharing this…

The film clip above is about 5 minutes and is from the movie Funny Girl, released in 1968. As sung by Barbra Streisand, the song “Sadie Sadie” is still memorable to this day. If the clip doesn’t load, it can viewed at this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h51msoRqLSo

Ralph and Sadie lived lives anchored in two locations which were not very far apart from each other, on the east side of Cleveland. Their first census finds them living on 2164 Stearns Road, near an area referenced as University Circle. This neighborhood is famous for being a somewhat posh cultural hub. It was then and is now, “a busy cultural hub with institutions like the Cleveland Natural History Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, a modern mirrored structure with regularly changing exhibitions. Severance Hall hosts performances by the Cleveland Orchestra, and paths wind past roses and maple trees at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.” It is also the home of the famous Cleveland Museum of Art. (See footnotes).

However, trying to document this exact location sent us on a bit of an adventure, since urban renewal has altered the character of the section where they lived. In fact, it’s just about impossible to specifically map this, but we do know how to describe it.

2164 Stearns Road
1930 Census of Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Note that Ralph’s cousin Leo is living with them.

The postcard image below characterizes what Stearns Road was like then. It shows the Normal School, located about one block from their apartment building. Since we know the address they lived at, the Cleveland City Directory for 1930 led us to a man named Dewey M. Cupps (unrelated to our family), who lived at that location. Perhaps he lived there just before they did since the 1930 Directory material would have been gathered before the 1930 Census? Did they know each other? What was especially interesting for us was this anecdote we came across regarding Mr. Cupps and his family: “In 1930 he and his wife and their daughter lived in an apartment they were renting for $35 a month at 2164 Stearns Road in Cleveland, OH. They did have a radio. He worked as a motorman for a street railway.” Interestingly, that $35 rent would translate to about $625 in today’s money. That $625 would never cover the current cost of rent in that area in today’s market. (So it seems that, Mr. Cupps had a good deal then!)

The Cleveland City Directory for 1932 lists Sadie and Ralph by name and indicates that he works as a foreman at the Dairymen’s Milk Company in Cleveland. The 1930 census had listed him as an auto mechanic, so he must have changed jobs. He worked for the Dairymen’s Milk Company for many years.

Top image: Vintage postcard of Stearns Road, Cleveland, Ohio in the 1930s very close to their apartment building. Middle: Entries from the 1930 and 1932 Cleveland City Directory.
Bottom: The Dairymen’s Milk Company where Ralph White worked in 1932. (See footnotes).

The throes of the Great Depression occured during the 1930s. The following excerpt from History.com gives a brief description of the Great Depression suffered by many, (see footnotes).

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world, lasting from 1929 to 1939. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which sent Wall Street into a panic and wiped out millions of investors. Over the next several years, consumer spending and investment dropped, causing steep declines in industrial output and employment as failing companies laid off workers. By 1933, when the Great Depression reached its lowest point, some 15 million Americans were unemployed and nearly half the country’s banks had failed.” (1)

Euclid Was Once Vineyards

In the 1930s, the White family had moved to the nearby Cleveland Metro area known as Euclid. We have always thought of Euclid as a community given over to much small industrialization. However, 50 years earlier it was quite different. “In the 19th century, the area was largely agricultural. Over 200 acres were given over to vineyards in the 1880s.” (Case Western Reserve University)

“By the turn of the 20th century, winemaking was thriving in Ohio, with dozens of wineries located along the shores of Lake Erie and thousands of gallons of wine produced in this region. The area’s reputation for delicious wines increased vineyards throughout southern Lake Erie, which became famous as the “Lake Erie Grape Belt. Despite Prohibition, which effectively wiped-out winemaking in Ohio…” (The History of Wineries and Vineyards in Ohio)

Top image: Greater Cleveland, Ohio area map indicating the location of the city of Euclid.
Center: 1810 East 227th Street home where the Ralph White family lived for more than 25 years.
Bottom: That exact street location for the home. (See footnotes).
1810 East 227th Street
1940 Census of Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

The 1940 Census finds Ralph and Sadie as parents with two young children, Alice Ada (9) and Wayne (3). Ralph is still working at the Dairymen’s Milk Company. By the time of the 1950 Census, their children are teenagers and daughter Alice is attending high school. Ralph is now working as a garage manager in an auto repair business, and Alice is working as a switchboard operator. (2)

1810 East 227th Street
1950 Census of Euclid, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

What Was Life Like in Euclid During the 1940s and 1950s?

“During World War II, Euclid came to be home to the Tapco defense plant at 23555 Euclid Ave. With that plant came housing projects on East 200th Street and at Briardale Avenue. The post-World War II boom, and the prosperity that went with it, made Euclid an ideal place for families. Neighborhoods were like little villages, boasting their own community centers and activities. Euclid, which had been described as being “out in the country” 15 years earlier, was now a thriving suburb.

With Euclid’s railroad lines and location just beyond Cleveland’s borders, industry poured in. These industries paid taxes, and soon the Euclid Schools rivaled the esteemed Shaker Heights schools as the best in the area. With jobs plentiful and top-notch schools, the population kept on growing.” (Euclid Sun Journal article)

So many previous generations of White family men were farmers… It is interesting to note that Ralph Hiram White seems to have rejected that way of life. Perhaps he didn’t find that path fulfilling as a young man living in rural Middlefield township? His brother Forrest had similarly also decided to not be a farmer, but a postman instead.

Likely, Ralph was also conditioned by the era he was living in, having married in the “Roaring 1920s”. Sadie had always lived in either urban, or suburban environments, so perhaps this was the best way for them to have a happy and successful marriage. We know that people then considered Euclid was to be a desirable area to raise a family in. We speculate that they chose that community because it was a good functional midpoint for the both of them: her family was not too far away, his family was not too far away — and so, they located in an area that seemed to be a halfway point and raised their family.

Ralph died in May 1951 at the relatively young age of 55, from cardio vascular renal disease. His wife Sadie lived on for nearly forty more years, passing on in 1989.

Their Euclidian senior high school yearbook photos: Left, Alice Ada (White) Cameron, circa 1950 and Right, Wayne Ronald White, circa 1954.

Alice Ada White married Neil Paul Cameron circa 1957 and they lived in northeast Ohio their entire lives. They did not have children. (See footnotes). Wayne White became our brother-in-law when he married our sister Jo Ann Bond. Their story follows next. (3)

Oh That Matchmaker Marylou!

When Wayne and Jo Ann first met, it was a type of circular story, because it led from suburban Euclid back to rural Geauga County where the White family had long been established. As Ralph White’s son, Wayne had grown up in the somewhat more cosmopolitan suburbs of mid-century Cleveland, in Cuyahoga County. However, it seems that he, unlike his father Ralph, must have had an affection for rural township life. His cousin Marylou Portman (related through his uncle, Forrest White), was the person who initially introduced Wayne to Jo Ann. Jo Ann was a senior at Newbury High School, where she and Marylou were friends. They graduated in 1957.

Jo Ann and Marylou are shown in the 1957 Newbury High School yearbook.

Wayne Ronald White, born July 1, 1936, Cuyahoga County, Ohio — died [unknown date] 2020, in Chardon, Geauga County. He married [First] Jo Ann Bond, October 5, 1958, in Newbury, Geauga County — divorced November 16, 1977, also in Geauga County. She was born May 9, 1939, in Bedford, Cuyahoga County — died August 6, 2010, Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga County. (All locations are in Ohio).

Together they had two children:

  • Mark Alan White Sr., born 1959
  • Wendy Carol (White) Wright, born 1961

This was quite common for their generation…
Wayne and Jo Ann were married for 19 years, having married in 1958, at a young age. Nonetheless, as these things sometimes go, they both evolved and eventually grew apart. They decided to separate, and their marriage ended in a dissolution in November 1977.

In 1978, Wayne married a second time
Wayne Ronald White married [Second] Sharon L. Stivers, September 16, 1978, Geauga County, Ohio. She was born February 3, 1943. They lived in Middlefield and Claridon townships in Geauga County. (4)

Top image: A mid-century map showing the southern portion of Geauga County, Ohio circa 1950. Middlefield > Burton > Newbury townships are highlighted to show the east to west drift of the successive generations of the White family. Bottom image: From the 1966 Ohio Department of Highways map, “See The Wonderful World Of Ohio!” indicating with the green star, where their home was in Newbury.

Through the 1960s and 1970s

Wayne and Jo Ann settled in Newbury township, Geauga County. Despite spending his youth in the Cleveland suburbs, he returned to the pattern of his forefathers —by being the third generation of his family to live in Geauga County. As explained in the maps above, the White family kept moving westward across Geauga County township-by-township, generation-to-generation: Middlefield > Burton > Newbury. This started with his Great-Great-Grandfather James White, who was one of the first settlers in the area, having arrived in the Western Reserve sometime before 1810.

This Ford Semi-truck is similar to one that Wayne would have driven during his employment with the Cleveland Freight Lines Company.

He preferred to do manual labor…
Similar to his father Ralph, Wayne literally steered toward jobs that were mechanical in nature. First he was partner at a small Texaco gas station in Newbury, then he went to work for Cleveland Freight Lines driving large semi-trucks as part of a delivery fleet. Lastly, he worked for the Andrews Moving and Storage Company helping others to relocate.

Their family life centered around their children…
Mark and Wendy benefited from many school clubs and extra curricular activities: camping, sports, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and 4-H Clubs, which highlighted the end of summer at the Great Geauga County Fair. This fair “is Ohio’s oldest continuous county fair and home to one of the oldest existing agricultural societies in America. It is held annually in Burton, Ohio every Labor Day weekend as a ‘grand finale’ to the summer. It has been around for more than 200 years…” and “Many of the buildings on the grounds used today date back to the nineteenth century, [and are] listed on the National Register of Historic Places.” (Wikipedia)

The Wayne and Jo Ann White family in the 1960s and ’70s.
Upper left: Wayne, Jo Ann, Mark, and Wendy attending the July 1967 Bond family summer reunion. Upper right: Wendy, Wayne, and Mark at home, circa December 1970. Lower right: Wayne and Mark at the 1969 Great Geauga County Fair in Burton, Ohio. Lower right: Wendy practicing baton twirling in the summer of 1969. (Family photographs).

After the end of the marriage, Jo Ann returned to school to gain the practical skills she needed for gainful employment: she became a travel agent and worked in that vocation for 20 years. In the world then (prior to the vast changes the internet brought to the travel industry), everyone was heavily dependent upon travel agents to coordinate all of their travel needs. As such, travel agents could receive “perks” as part of their employment —where, for example, a cruise ship company might offer a free cruise to an agent so that the travel agent could get to know their product. Thus, Jo Ann traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, (and likely sold a lot of cruise packages).

Most interestingly, at the beginning of her career she went to the mainland of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in late 1979, or very early in 1980. At the time, this was rather remarkable. She went as part of a group of travel agents who were among the first travel agents to be in China in many, many decades. Their mission was to learn about the newly-opened culture and to promote travel there.

A bit of background…
From Wikipedia, “From February 21 to 28, 1972, United States President Richard Nixon visited the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in the culmination of his administration’s efforts to establish relations with the PRC after years of U.S. diplomatic policy that favored the Republic of China in Taiwan. His visit was the first time a U.S. president had visited the PRC, and his arrival in Beijing ended 25 years of no communication or diplomatic ties between the two countries.” Further on, “Beginning in 1978 and 1979, Deng Xiaoping promoted the development of tourism for purposes of economic development. As tourism became an important means of obtaining foreign currency for the government, China emphasized its exotic qualities to international tourists.”

1979 Pan Am Airlines People’s Republic Of China World Tours VTG Travel Booklet. (Image courtesy of eBay.com).

Jo Ann recounted that the hotel facilities were not very comfortable, and we remember that the photographs showed many of the Chinese guides dressed in military fatigues while wearing red hats. Her photographs from that time are now lost. The world has changed very much since then, but the photos of her standing on the Great Wall of China were impressive and exciting. (5)

For more about Jo Ann’s life, see The Peterman Line, and A Narrative,
and The Bond Line, A Narrative — Seven.

Four Generations of Women Gathered In One Photo

In the mid-1960s, Four Generations of Women Gathered In One Photo, was taken. That original version featured the matriarch, Lulu (DeVoe) Gore, her daughter Marguerite (Gore) Bond, her daughter Jo Ann (Bond) White, and finally her daughter Wendy White. That was the first time ever that we had been able to document those relationships in one photograph. Alas, just like Jo Ann’s travel photos, any copies seem to be lost.

From a genealogical standpoint, it’s not often that we have a family photograph like this one.
Taken in 1996, it shows four generations of women who have contributed to the White family line. Starting with the eldest person who is seated on the right — our mother, Marguerite Lulu (Gore) Bond, standing in back — Jo Ann (Bond) White. Seated on the left, Wendy Carol (White) Wright, holding her daughter Emily Grace Wright. (Family photograph).

A little more than thirty years later (as pictured above), we again had the opportunity to document an update to Four Generations of Women Gathered In One Photo. This time, Lulu had long ago passed on, and Emily, Wendy’s daughter, was brand new.

Multiple generations of the White family have enriched our lives. It is because of the endurance and the sacrifices of these ancestors that we are here today — and we thank them for that privilege. (4)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

“Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady, That’s Me!”

(1) — twenty one records

Ralph White
Birth – Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X695-C4C
Book page: 250, Digital page: 159/319, Entry #5526, left page.

Ralph White
in the Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2541/records/3357416

Ralph H White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42393802/ralph-h-white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 13 Sep 1895
DEATH: 11 May 1951 (aged 55)
Source: Cleveland Press, Reel #127
“White, Ralph H., 1810 E. 227th St., Euclid, husband of Sadie (nee Hoggarth), father of Alice Ada and Wayne Ronald of Euclid, brother of Blanche Hickox and Forest (deceased).” Name: White, Ralph H., Obituary date: May 12 1951

Ralph Hiram White 1951 death certificate.

Ralph Hiram White
Death – Ohio, Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6GK-Q7Q
Note: Death certificate

Ralph H White
in the U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60901/records/3666670?tid=&pid=&queryId=f648f269-693a-4a17-88f3-e67e507d53fb&_phsrc=RGK4&_phstart=successSource
Note: Confirms birth and death dates.

Sarah E. “Sadie” Hoggarth White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68174060/sarah_e_white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 18 Dec 1898 Toronto, Toronto Municipality, Ontario, Canada
DEATH: 8 Sep 1989 (aged 90) Kirtland, Lake County, Ohio, USA
Date: 1989-09-09
Source: Plain Dealer, pg. 10 sec. D

Sarah E. White
in the U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3693/records/66932914?tid=&pid=&queryId=049e9dc6-9371-4bba-ac96-7b36ef769db2&_phsrc=Nif12&_phstart=successSource
Notes: Birth, December 18, 1898.  Death, September 8, 1989

Sarah E Hoggarth
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973
1901-1925

Reel 076 > Marriage Records 1924 Jul – 1924 Dec
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1876/records/2726617
Book page: 235, Digital page: 235/1000, Last entry on the page.
Notes: Married on August 23, 1924.

Funny Girl | Sadie, Sadie, Married Lady | CineStream
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h51msoRqLSo
“A major critical and commercial success, Funny Girl became the highest-grossing film of 1968 in the United States and received eight Academy Award nominations. Streisand won the award for Best Actress for her performance, tying with Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter)… Funny Girl is considered one of the greatest musical films ever. In 2016, Funny Girl was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.”

Newly Renovated Office/Lab Opportunity in University Circle
https://images1.showcase.com/d2/mBtoR0y_n996Dofd0VmNcwhhWgYG6tdWL9LE1rFnQUo/document.pdf
Note: For this text, “…a busy cultural hub with institutions like the Cleveland Natural History Museum and the Museum of Contemporary Art, a modern mirrored structure with regularly changing exhibitions. Severance Hall hosts performances by the Cleveland Orchestra, and paths wind past roses and maple trees at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.”

For the 2164 Stearns Road collage —
Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery
Cleveland Normal School (postcard)
https://clevelandhistorical.org/index.php/files/show/4265
Cleveland City Directory 1930
https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16014coll29/id/41130
Book page: 1960, Digital page: 1952/2206
Note: The apartment is found here, for 2164 Stearns Road.
and
and for the Dewey Cupps reference:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18261196/dewey-marquis-cupps
“In 1930 he and his wife and their daughter lived in an apartment they were renting for $35 a month at 2164 Stearns Road in Cleveland, OH. They did have a radio. He worked as a motorman for a street railway.”
and
Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery
Cleveland City Directory 1932
https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p16014coll29/id/11603/rec/6
Book page: 1362, Digital page: 1363/1938
Note: They are listed by name.
Cleveland Memory.org
Dairymen’s Milk Company (plant)
https://clevelandmemory.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/press/id/6651/

Calculate the Value of $35 in 1930
https://www.dollartimes.com/inflation/inflation.php?amount=35&year=1930
Note: In 2024, $35 is worth about $625.

Sarah A White
in the 1930 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland (Districts 251-500) > District 0367
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/73830227?tid=&pid=&queryId=37ad860c-04ec-407a-b577-c8e0885aea44&_phsrc=Nif2&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 5A, Digital page: 7/40, Entries 47 through 49.
Note: Their home address is: 2164 Stearns Road; location not available to map.

For the 1810 East 227th Street collage —
David Rumsey Map Collection
Outline map of Cuyahoga Co. Ohio
By D. J. Lake, circa 1871
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~359116~90125968

and
Cleveland Public Library Digital Gallery:
Plat Book of Cuyahoga County, Ohio Volume 5 (Hopkins, 1927-1943)
https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll24/id/4985/rec/9
Then click on this link:
Plate 23, Euclid Village
https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll24/id/5011/rec/9

History.com
Great Depression History
https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/great-depression-history

Euclid Was Once Vineyards

(2) — five records

Case Western Reserve University
Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Euclid
https://case.edu/ech/articles/e/euclid
“In the 19th century, the area was largely agricultural. Over 200 acres were given over to vineyards in the 1880s.”

The History of Wineries and Vineyards in Ohio
by Sabah Drabu
https://cookingenie.com/content/blog/the-history-of-wineries-and-vineyards/

Sarah White
in the 1940 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Euclid >18-128
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/30166899?tid=&pid=&queryId=83b8a363-f27a-420c-9311-d006f513f017&_phsrc=Nif4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1B, Digital page: 2/36, Entries 58 through 61.

Ralph Hiram White World War 2 draft registration card

Mrs Sarah Elizabeth White [for husband Ralph]
in the U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1002/records/120585725?tid=&pid=&queryId=6c95d513-928b-4847-a09b-30c93a011a36&_phsrc=Nif10&_phstart=successSource

Sadie White
in the 1950 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Euclid >18-144
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62308/records/209660545?tid=&pid=&queryId=7458b34d-ee15-4201-924a-7b9230ac8945&_phsrc=Nif6&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 87, Digital page: 92/96, Entries 3 through 6.

What Was Life Like in Euclid During the 1940s and 1950s?

(3) — eight records

Smith’s Restaurant & Cocktail Lounge, Route 283, Euclid, Ohio [postcard]
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:7p88ck46k

Euclid Sun Journal Had Front Seat to Euclid History
https://www.cleveland.com/euclidsunjournal/2009/07/euclid_sun_journal_had_front_s.html

Euclidian ((Euclid High School yearbook, 1950)
Euclid Senior High School 
Alice White
https://archive.org/details/euclidian1950unse/page/28/mode/2up
Book page: 29, Digital page: 628/188, Right page, lower right corner.

Euclidian (Euclid High School yearbook, 1954)
Euclid High School
Wayne White
https://archive.org/details/euclidian1954unse/page/62/mode/2up
Book page: 62, Digital page: 62/218, Right page, upper right corner.

Alice Ada White Cameron
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64105413/alice-ada-cameron?_gl=1*1phbsey*_gcl_au*NTk4MzA1ODk2LjE3MzM5MzU2MjE.*_ga*MTg0ODQyNTE3Ny4xNzMzOTM1NjIx*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MWU3OTQyNzItNWU3OS00NmVlLTgxOWEtZDE2YmY0MTc4MWVjLjIuMS4xNzMzOTQ1ODM0LjQyLjAuMA..*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*MWU3OTQyNzItNWU3OS00NmVlLTgxOWEtZDE2YmY0MTc4MWVjLjIuMS4xNzMzOTQ1ODM0LjAuMC4w
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 11 Feb 1931 Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA
DEATH: 4 May 2000 (aged 69) Garrettsville, Portage County, Ohio, USA
and
Alice Ada Cameron
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/23516688

Alice Ada Cameron
in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2022

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5763/records/45462?tid=856575&pid=6903443108&ssrc=pt

Neilan Paul Cameron obituary.
(He was the spouse of Alice Ada White).

Oh That Matchmaker Marylou!

(4) — sixteen records

Jo Ann Bond
in the U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016

Ohio > Newbury > Newbury High School > 1957
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1265/records/410027197
Note: For Home Economics class photograph.

Wayne White
in the Ohio, U.S., Birth Index, 1908-2003

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3146/records/2662040?tid=&pid=&queryId=feab2f32-1670-470c-bd18-a363ff238cb2&_phsrc=LGc3&_phstart=successSource

Wayne White
in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2022

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/5763/records/10516626

Jo Ann Bond
in the U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-2016

Ohio > Newbury > Newbury High School > 1957
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1265/records/410026838?tid=&pid=&queryId=c818fe2f-0e0e-4e0d-a223-9586cfe7c310&_phsrc=LGc14&_phstart=successSource
Note: For her Senior Class graduation photo.

The following four documents are related to the adoption of Jo Ann Peterman Bond White by Dean Phillip Bond in 1948. The original documents were lost and in 1985, duplicate documents were sourced.

June 1985, Letter from Daniel Earl Bond to Clarence Arthur Peterman, Jr. requesting cooperation in providing evidence for adoption(s) of Jo Ann (Peterman) Bond by Dean Phillip Bond. (Family document).
1985 Telephone notes from Daniel Earl Bond’s correspondence with Clarence Arthur Peterman, Jr. Note: “She said she thinks he decided not to execute the form.”
Authorization form for adoption document duplicate.
Jo Ann Bond adoption form (duplicate).

Jo Ann (Bond) White in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records,
1908-1932, 1938-2018

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8822354:5763

Wayne R. White
in the U.S., Newspapers.com Marriage Index, 1800s-current

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62116/records/500861666?tid=&pid=&queryId=811f5bdd-b4e7-41f0-a668-8a082aa0ab49&_phsrc=LGc5&_phstart=successSource
Note: For 1958 marriage to Jo Ann Bond.

Wayne White
in the Ohio, U.S., Divorce Abstracts, 1962-1963, 1967-1971, 1973-2007

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2026/records/3176060
Note: For 1977 marriage dissolution with Jo Ann White.

Mark White
in the Ohio, U.S., Birth Index, 1908-2003

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3146/records/7022981?tid=&pid=&queryId=a59f6c5c-a869-4c40-8023-82e483b17e53&_phsrc=zLu2&_phstart=successSource
Note: Certificate #1959093136

Wendy White
in the Ohio, U.S., Birth Index, 1908-2003

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/3146/records/7834248?tid=&pid=&queryId=12a00a98-433b-4075-8ff6-dc1ec0a99c9c&_phsrc=zLu5&_phstart=successSource
Note: Certificate #1961098459

Wayne R White
in the Ohio, U.S., Marriage Abstracts, 1970, 1972-2007

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2025/records/794538?tid=&pid=&queryId=42e537cf-aa32-4836-8f72-c1a0b592aef3&_phsrc=LGc2&_phstart=successSource
Note: Marriage 1978 marriage to Sharon L. Stivers.

The National Archives
General Highway Map of Geauga County, Ohio
File:1950 Census Enumeration District Maps – Ohio (OH) – Geauga County – Geauga County – ED 28-1 to 28 – NARA – 26128376.jpg

See The Wonderful World Of Ohio!
1966, Ohio Department of Highways
https://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/Geauga_County,_Ohio?gid=2959dca8-9d79-5d71-914b-651274cf549a#position=9.0073/41.471/-81.263&year=1966

Through the 1960s and 1970s

(5) — five records

1961 Ford HD-1000 Diesel Tractor Truck
https://en.wheelsage.org/ford/h-series_trucks/ford_hd-1000_diesel_tractor_truck

Geauga County Fair https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geauga_County_Fair#:~:text=6%20External%20links-,History,Chardon%2C%20Ohio%20on%20October%2023.

1972 visit by Richard Nixon to China
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972_visit_by_Richard_Nixon_to_China

Tourism in China
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_China

1979 Pan Am Airlines People’s Republic Of China World Tours VTG Travel Booklet
https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/126864589042


The White Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of four. In this chapter we will write about Joseph White, his family and their 19th century lives, in the Trumbull and Geauga Counties of northeastern Ohio.

Tangible Artifacts

We have been fortunate with our ancestors Joseph and Belinda (Stitle) White, to have discovered a number of nice online photographic images of them. In the era we live in today, with nearly all photographs being created digitally, we benefit from and are grateful for the immediacy of an online electronic file. As such, electronic files don’t exist as tangible artifacts which you can satisfyingly hold in your hands.

With photographs having such immediacy today, does anyone remember what it was like to drop off your film at a local Fotomat, and then pick it up days later?

The days before Instagram.

As it is now, if electronic files go offline, there goes the history (!) This family genealogy blog, by also being electronic, is of that same tentative type. For some of our ancestors we have no images. Even so, for others we are fortunate to have some [paper] photo prints, a couple of daguerreotypes, and even a couple of very old tin types.

We sometimes wonder if this clear absence of physical photographic artifacts will have an impact on the work of those genealogists who follow us? (1)

Together For Almost Half A Century

Joseph White was born on September 25, 1831, in Weatherfield township, Trumbull County, Ohio — died October 13, 1905 in Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio. On February 6, 1856, he married Belinda Stitle in Trumbull County. She was born about 1837, location unknown — died October 1902, Geauga County, Ohio. She was the daughter of Henry Stitle and Elizabeth Bowman. Joseph and Belinda had nine children, (see footnotes).

February 6, 1856 marriage record for Joseph White and Belinda Stitle

The portraits of Joseph White and Belinda Stitle are undated, but we believe that they are circa 1856, being done near the time of their marriage.

In the previous chapter, we saw in the 1850 Census that Joseph White was living at the home of his parents James and Elizabeth White in Weathersfield Township, Trumbull County, Ohio. After they married, they continued living in that township, likely near his parent’s home. According to the 1932 book, Family History of James White and Fannie Pittinger, (which we referred to in chapter one), “They lived in Trumbull County about six years, when they moved to the north-eastern part of Middlefield, Geauga County.” [Ongoing, this book will be referenced as Pittinger].

The James White property in Weatherfield township, from an 1874 map. (Image courtesy of Historic Map Works).
1860 Weathersfield Census for the Joseph White family.

The 1860 Weathersfield Census finds them living there, and the family is growing. His wife Belinda and their two oldest sons William and Lemuel are inferred by their initials. (Some of our family members are descended from Lemuel). Joseph is working as a farmer.

“The first settlers in [nearby] Cuyahoga County followed the usual pioneer routine. They made clearances, planted corn, buckwheat, and rye, fenced in garden patches, and kept oxen, cows, and swine. When the soil had been “tamed” by other crops, they sowed wheat. They carried on their activities in spite of malaria, the ravaging of crops by multitudes of squirrels, and attacks on their livestock by wolves. Many were really professional land clearers who, after a few years, moved on to repeat the farm-making process elsewhere. The remainder, like the incomers [to the Western Reserve] who bought partially cleared holdings, became regular farmers.” (Case Western Reserve University) (2)

If I Were A Carpenter…

When his wife Belinda was 8 months pregnant with their fourth son James Albert, Joseph signed up for the Civil War Draft Registration service. [Comment: We cannot know if this busy young father with many children at home, did this out of a patriotic spirit, or if he was encouraged to do so. His enlistment date was August 24, 1864 and his discharge date was July 18, 1865 — less than one year as the Civil War was coming to an end]. We learned these dates from the Ohio, U.S., Soldier Grave Registrations information, which also told a couple of other interesting things:

  • His enlistment record lists him as a carpenter, not a farmer.
  • Curious about this declaration, we scanned the enlistment lists, and saw that many of the people who were listed as farmers, ended up serving in the infantry. (This means that they marched around a lot!)
  • We speculated that somehow he learned that listing himself as a carpenter would allow him to be valued in a specialized manner. This idea makes sense because he served in the Navy, and not the Army.
  • We had never heard of Ohio having a Navy during the Civil War, but they did, and it had more to do with the Ohio River, rather than Lake Erie. This makes sense, since the river border the southern states.
  • We also noticed that the ship he served on was called the Grampus.

    Seaman Joseph White, United States Civil War Navy recruit, likely boarded a train near Cleveland and made his way across Ohio to Cincinnati for his tenure of service. (3)

The Confederate Gunboat, Grumpus*

There were two ships with this odd name. The first was “a 252-ton stern-wheel river steamer, was built in 1856 at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, for civilian employment. Taken over by the Confederate Army [i.e., captured by them] in early 1862, she served as a transport and gunboat on the Mississippi River. Grampus was scuttled [purposefully sunk by Confederate forces] off Island Number Ten on 7 April 1862 when that fortification surrendered. However, she was apparently raised by Union forces and was probably destroyed by fire on 11 January 1863 under the name Grampus No. 2.”

“The second USS Grampus was a side-wheel steamer in the United States Navy… Originally named Ion, she was purchased by Rear Admiral David D. Porter for the U.S. Navy on 22 July 1863, at Cincinnati, Ohio, for US $9750. She was stationed at Cincinnati, Ohio, and used as a receiving ship for the Mississippi Squadron. By 14 November 1863, with Acting Master Elijah Sells in command, she was recognized as a ‘nice little receiving vessel in first-rate order,’ but contained no furnishings or weapons other than ten cutlasses and revolvers.” (Department of The Navy — Naval Historical Center)

This is likely where Joseph White put his carpentry skills to good use since this time period coincides with his enlistment dates. “With Acting Ensign C.W. Litherbury in command, Grampus remained at Cincinnati, Ohio, assisting in stripping of ships for conversion to gunboats, and effecting their delivery to fleet staging points for the Mississippi Squadron, principally Cairo, Illinois, and Mound City, Illinois.” (Wikipedia)

*Comment: With a name like Grumpus, doesn’t it sound like everyone was in a bad mood, or at least their nic-named Odd Uncle was having a tough day? (4)

Family Life in Middlefield and Burton Townships

After his service in the Navy during the Civil War, Joseph returned home to his family and that’s probably when he met his youngest son James for the first time. Pittinger records that, “they built for themselves a log house in the woods on land given to them by his father in the Spring of 1860 or 1861.” Since the Census of 1860 has them living in Weathersfield, it is probable that they moved after that census, or certainly after his Civil War service.

Middlefield township, Geauga County, Ohio. The upper right arrow indicates the first place they lived; the second lower left arrow, where they then moved.

Pittinger further states, “After a few years they sold this land and bought eighty acres one mile south of Middlefield Village and moved a house from the other side of the road to this land. Here they lived for several years…”

The Amish Community
Middlefield is renowned for its Amish community. In our modern era, the Amish might seem a bit anachronistic, but when the White family moved there, the Amish looked just like everybody else then. “The Amish are known for simple living, plain dress, Christian pacifism, and slowness to adopt many conveniences of modern technology.” (Wikipedia)

Late in the 19th century, “Amish from Holmes county, in search of fertile farm land, started migrating north into Geauga county, settling in Middlefield township… [this] community is the second largest settlement in Ohio and the fourth largest settlement In North America. Among the businesses are furniture, leather, bakeries, machine shops, stores and construction companies. Some Geauga County Amish supplement their income selling maple syrup, tapping into the extensive maple forests in the area.” (Middlefield Township History)

With the household crowded with the energy of four sons and one daughter, it’s rather nice to see that in the 1870 Census, Belinda finally has some help around the home. Elizabeth Watter, from Massachusetts and aged 47, is there is to help with all the never-ending chores.

The 1870 Census for Middlefield township, Geauga County, Ohio.

The Smithsonian Institution reminds us that a farmer’s wife “had their spheres of responsibility on the busy, self-sufficient farms of the era. As always, the family was the first concern of a homemaker, as she did the housework and child care. In addition, however, she would be responsible for the poultry, the dairy cows, the care of the milk and butter, the garden and the preserving of food for winter. Laundry, ironing, cooking, baking, sewing and mending took much of her waking hours. She also might be called on for occasional light work in the fields, but the mores of the era argued that women didn’t do field work. This was just as well, since she was busy from morning to night with her own work, in addition to being pregnant or nursing through most of her work years.” Observation: Neither of us will complain anymore about having too much to do.

Even though they seemed to prosper in Middlefield — in 1872, “they moved to Burton [the township next door] where they spent the remaining years of their lives.” (Pittinger)

It seems that the White family continued steadily forward season-to-season. Their lives, although filled with hard work, improved and they prospered. As we can see on the 1880 census below, even as the parents were in their 40s, their house continued to be filled with children. At this point, their oldest ones would soon start to create their own families within the community. However, we can’t learn anything more about the Whites (from the Census) for the next 20 years.

The 1880 Census for Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio.

The 1890s Census
Unfortunately, the 1890 Census was destroyed by a fire in 1921 at the Commerce Department Building in Washington, D.C. Actually, there was more than one fire, the first one occurring in 1896. First with these fires, then with the further catastrophic damage from the water used to put out the fires, then improper storage of the tatters that remained — the 1890 Census is considered to be utterly lost. (5)

Destruction of the 1890 Census by the Great Fire of 1921 at the Commerce Department Building
in Washington, D.C. (Image courtesy of raogk.org).

The Making of Modern America 

As the century wound down, we observed in the 1900 census much change within the White Family in the last 20 years. Many of their children have moved out of the home. We still see living there sons Milo (37), and Perry (24), both working as farm laborers, and daughter Lillie Belle (21), working as a school teacher.

Though their life was rural, Modern America was unfolding before their eyes — “The end of the 19th century saw the advent of new communication technologies, including the phonograph, the telephone, and radio; the rise of mass-circulation newspapers and magazines; the growth of commercialized entertainment, as well as new sports, including basketball, bicycling, and football, and appearance of new transportation technologies, such as the automobile, electric trains and trolleys.” (Digital History, Overview Of The Gilded Age)

Joseph White, circa late 1880s and 1890s. The background images are scenes of Burton township that era and are from the Burton Memory Project.

As a contrast to all this change, the photo montage above shows scenes from Burton township toward the final period of Joseph and Belinda White’s lives. We believe that the handsome photograph of him (above center) is from this period. Belinda White passed on in 1902, and Joseph White passed on a few years later, in 1905. Their lives were spent almost entirely within the arc of the 19th century.

Joseph and Belinda White, circa 1900.

For much of their lives, photography was expensive and formal, used to document only very special occasions. We rather like this informal snapshot of the Whites, showing them in a casual moment, waiting patiently, not quite sure how to pose for the camera. No doubt it was taken by someone who was happy to use a new portable camera to take a quick ‘snap’ of mom and dad.

In the next chapter, we will be writing about the second oldest son of this family, Lemuel White. He is the Great-Great-Grandfather of some of our family members. (6)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

Tangible Artifacts

(1) — one record

Rare Historical Photos
Fotomat: Remembering America’s Drive-Through Photo Processing Booths of the 1980s

https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/fotomat-old-photos/
Note: For the Fotomat “Drive Thru” photograph.

Together For Almost Half A Century

(2) — fourteen records

Joseph White
in the Web: Ohio, Find A Grave Index, 1787-2012

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/70559/records/630229?ssrc=pt&tid=49710386&pid=13176192222
and
Joseph White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43606915/j-whit
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 25 Sep 1831, Weathersfield Township, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA
DEATH: 13 Oct 1905 (aged 74)
“Joseph White was a farmer in Middlefield. He was the son of James White and Elizabeth Irwin of Weathersfield Twp. He was a Civil War veteran.”
Day of Death: 7 Sources incl. Geauga Co OH VR & Cemetery Records, compiled by Jeannette Grosvenor and the GCGS. Sometimes an online Ohio DC or obituary was the source for dates, locations, relationships. The Geauga Co Archives photo is used with their permission.

Joseph White
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Trumbull > 1833 – 1870
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/3883808?tid=&pid=&queryId=4ced6a08-68b7-4ff3-98cf-25e08d1f9408&_phsrc=Ftd3&_phstart=successSource
(Joseph)Book page: 253, Digital page: 127/498

Belinda (Stittle) White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/43606997/belinda_white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 1837, Lordstown, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA
DEATH: Oct 1902 (aged 64–65), Ohio, USA
The short biographical at the top says Belinda was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Stittle (or Stitle).

They had nine children, which are more than listed on the findagrave.com website, as follows:

  • William Henry White, 1856 — 1944
  • Lemuel White, 1858 — 1938
    (Some of our family members are descended from Lemuel).
  • Joseph Milo White, 1861 — 1949
  • James Albert White, 1864 — 1918
  • Mary E  (White) Fowler, 1867 — 1943
  • Charles E White*, 1870 — 1954
  • Lucy Ann (White) Donaldson, 1873 — 1956
  • Perry White, 1876 — 1958
  • Lillie (White) Dayton, 1878 — 1954

*Observations 1: There is some confusion with the name of this child. We have speculated that this might have been a twin birth of two boys: Robert and Charles. It is interesting to observe that the name “Robert” is overdrawn on the census sheet in another pen, and that the baby is one month old. However, the census was recoded in March, so this points to a February 1870 birthday, when the birth is listed as May 26, 1870. (see Observation 2) So what’s going on with this census?
Joseph White
in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Middlefield
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/38826285
Book page: 5, Digital page:5/37, Entries 31 through 39.

Observation 2: This file records a May 26, 1870 birth date for a Robert White. There is no record for a boy named Charles in this period. It is not clear if this is the date the birth was recoded, or it is the actual birthdate.
Birth – Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X692-SF2
Book pages: 28-29, Digital page: 47/319, Last entry on the page.

Observation 3: It is highly unlikely that when having twins, one preceded the other by two months (and then perhaps died?) We know that Charles White existed and that he used May 26, 1870 as his birthdate. Perhaps they just had a difficult time trying to name this baby?
Charles E White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68152107/charles_e_white

Information on Belinda Stitttle’s parents found in the gallery section of this link. (For names and dates only. Do not use for other information).
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/193290280/person/182514484827/facts

[Portrait of Joseph W. White]
Joseph W. WHITE
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/193290280/person/182514484792/media/d060d988-9081-4ec8-a710-a32dddb90b3e

[Portrait of Belinda O. Stittle]
Belinda O. STITLE
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/193290280/person/182514484816/media/99946359-9d39-4559-885a-7221de641b12

Family History of James White and Fannie Pittinger and their descendants
by Andrew J. White and Franc White
https://archive.org/details/familyhistoryofj00unse
Note: Pages 100-101 for family profile.

Historic Map Works
ITEM #US20160 
Weathersfield Township
From Trumbull County 1874, Ohio
Published by L. H. Everts in 1874
https://historicmapworks.com/Map/US/20160/Weathersfield+Township/
Note: For their first residence in Weathersfield by the James White home.

Joseph White
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Trumbull > Weatherfield
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7667/records/42167378
Book page: 114, Digital page: 2/76, Entries 8 through 11.
Note1: They are living next door to his brother John White’s family.
Note 2: His wife Belinda and their two oldest sons William and Lemuel are inferred by their initials.

Case Western Reserve University
Encyclopedia of Cleveland History
Agriculture
https://case.edu/ech/articles/a/agriculture

If I Were A Carpenter…

(3) — five records

Joseph White
in the U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

Ohio > 19th > Class 1, L-Z, Volume 2 of 4
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1666/records/1151389?tid=&pid=&queryId=39b64cdb-0ea9-4522-969f-ac79b801a601&_phsrc=ZiX6&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 581, Digital page: 555/624, Entry line 15.
Note: The ledger for this record has an entry date of June 27, 1863.

Enlistment Date24 Aug 1864
Discharge Date18 Jul 1865
Death Date1905
Burial PlaceMiddlefield, Ohio, USA
CemeteryMiddlefield
Branch of ServiceNav

Joseph White
in the Ohio, U.S., Soldier Grave Registrations, 1804-1958

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61438/records/295185?tid=&pid=&queryId=9d684c8c-0e68-4498-b68a-f5cd31af2fc1&_phsrc=ZiX1&_phstart=successSource
Note: Viewing this file requires a Fold3 membership.

Department of The Navy — Naval Historical Center
Online Library of Selected Images: Ships of the Confederate States
CSS Grampus (1862-1862)
https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/OnlineLibrary/photos/sh-us-cs/csa-sh/csash-ag/grampus.htm
“CSS Grampus, a 252-ton stern-wheel river steamer, was built in 1856 at McKeesport, Pennsylvania, for civilian employment. Taken over by the Confederate Army in early 1862, she served as a transport and gunboat on the Mississippi River. Grampus was scuttled off Island Number Ten on 7 April 1862 when that fortification surrendered. However, she was apparently raised by Union forces and was probably destroyed by fire on 11 January 1863 under the name Grampus No. 2.”
Note: For the historical information and the scuttled ships illustration.

Naval History and Heritage Command (for Grumpus ship images)
https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-53000/NH-53762.html
Note: For the historical information and the ship in battle illustration.

USS Grampus (1863)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Grampus_(1863)

Family Life in Middlefield and Burton Townships

(4) — eleven records

Joseph White
in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Middlefield
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7163/records/38826285
Book page: 5, Digital page: 5/37, Entries lines 31 through 39.
Note 1: They have now relocated to Middlefield, Geauga County, Ohio.
Note 2: In addition to wife Belinda, children are: (Wiliam) Henry, Lemuel, (Joseph) Milo, James, Mary, and Robert, who is one month old.
Note 3: Household servant Elizabeth Watter from Massachusetts.

The Smithsonian Institution
The Changing Role of Women on the Farm
by Eleanor Arnold
from Family Farming In The Heartland
https://folklife-media.si.edu/docs/festival/program-book-articles/FESTBK1991_10.pdf

Cover for the Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio.

Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio
Published by Titus, Simmons and Titus in 1874
In General: https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll25/id/163
Middlefield [map] https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll25/id/242

Amish
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish

11 Hidden Wonders of Amish Country That Redefine Rural America
https://www.journee-mondiale.com/en/11-hidden-wonders-of-amish-country-that-redefine-rural-america/
Note: For Amish carriage image.

Middlefield Township History
The Rich History of Middlefield Township
https://middlefieldtownship.us/history/

Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio
Published by Titus, Simmons and Titus in 1874
Burton [map] https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll25/id/240

Historic Map Works
ITEM #US20291 
Burton Township
From Geauga County 1900, Ohio
Published by Stranahan, H. B. and Company in 1900
https://historicmapworks.com/Map/US/20291/Burton+Township/Geauga+County+1900/Ohio/
Note: For Joseph White Burton township property detail.

Joseph White
in the 1880 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Burton > 067
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6742/records/23353169
Book page: 19, Digital page: 17/22, Entries 2 through 12
Note 1: They have now relocated to Burton, Geauga County, Ohio.
Note 2: In addition to wife Belinda (recorded as Melinda), children are: Wiliam Henry, Lemuel, Joseph (Milo), James, Mary E., Charles E., Lucy A., Perry and an Unnamed Daughter, one month old. (Could this be Lillie?)
Note 3: Lillie’s reported birth year on the 1900 Census is 1878.
Note 4: Son Robert from the previous census is absent. (He did not survive).

1890 — The 1890 census has not survived.
Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
Fate of the 1890 Population Census
https://raogk.org/census-records/1890-fire/
Note: For illustration and historical information.

The Making of Modern America

(5) — six records

Digital History
Overview Of The Gilded Age
https://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/era.cfm?eraid=9&smtid=1

Joseph White
Ohio > Geauga > Burton > District 0043

in the 1900 United States Federal Census
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/records/40096127
Book page: 14, Digital page: 27/38, Entries 21 through 25.
Note: Children present are Milo, Perry, and Lillie B.

Joseph W. White [Portrait as an older man]
Joseph W. White
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/49710386/person/13176192222/media/8d39039b-e965-46e9-a0a8-63f0adb1ae6f?queryId=12b514cb-2b3f-4e86-a421-619ca714e7ef&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=XhQ1&_phstart=successSource

Burton Collage:
The Cleveland Memory Project
Burton Memory Project
https://www.clevelandmemory.org/burton/

[Jpseph W. White and Belinda O. Stitle photograph, circa 1900]
Jester-White Family Photos_0002
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/169247482/person/142193537622/media/cfab5e55-dcf3-4b90-a316-ff8ba2b98190?queryId=d604decd-05d3-4736-8be0-d387bf974f0d&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=mkz17&_phstart=successSource

Joseph W White
in the Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998

Geauga > Probate Files, Vaughn, Jesse-Whitmore, Stephen
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8801/records/13935968?tid=&pid=&queryId=df692af4-633f-43bd-a63f-e64b23fbe746&_phsrc=kju25&_phstart=successSource
Notes: There are 11 images in this file. Joseph died intestate, meaning that he did not leave a Will.

The White Line, A Narrative — Three

This is Chapter Three of four. We continue this narrative about the White family moving forward through the end of the 19th century and into the first parts of the 20th century.

The Trees and The Vines

Let’s begin with Lemuel White, the son of Joseph and Belinda (Stitle) White.He was born September 16, 1858, Weathersfield township, Trumbull County, Ohio — died March 12, 1938 in Burton, Geauga County, Ohio. He married Jennie Ada Browne on December 21, 1889. She was born November 4, 1858 in Ohio — died April 17, 1930 in Middlefield township, Geauga County, Ohio. Her parents were Hiram Brown and Maria (Burnett) Brown.

Lemuel White and Jennie Ada Brown, circa 1889. We believe that these portraits were done around the time that they were married.

We were curious about the fact that these ancestors were married on the last possible day of 1889 — December 31, 1889 to be precise. It was a Tuesday. Was this date considered Good Luck for the New Year? Was there some sort of looming deadline? It was also just a bit noticeable that this was the first marriage for either of them, and that they were both 31 years old.

We wish that we knew how they met. Not knowing is just annoying, because the possibilities are many. On the midway of the county fair? Introduced by friends at a dance? A church social? We will never know the details, but the thing is, they did marry and we’re glad they did because some of our family members would not be here had they not married.

Eventually, together they had three children:

  • Blanche Marie (White) Hickox, 1892 — 1949
  • Forest Lemuel White, 1894 — 1947
  • Ralph Hiram White, 1895 — 1951
    (Some of our family members are descended from Ralph).

This family is truly about being anchored in one place. As farmers, they literally planted themselves on the landscape and worked on the farm for years. Lemuel and his wife Jennie Ada, as well as their two older children, all stayed local by living in rural Geauga County. Their youngest son, from whom some of our family members are descended, seemed eventually to be cut from a different quilt.

The 1890 census was destroyed in a fire — please see The White Line, A Narrative — Two, for details about that tragedy. If we look at the four censuses which follow the lost 1890 Census, we can see a familiar pattern realized.

1900 Census of Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio.
1910 Census of Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio.
1920 Census of Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio.
1930 Census of Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio.

Observation: With our ancestors, some people grow tall like The Trees, their roots anchored deeply into the Earth. And some people grow like The Vines, seeking out new horizons as they spread out across the World’s surface. We are blessed with both – our family lines are filled with both The Trees and The Vines, which makes writing about them much more satisfying. (1)

Burton Township and The Village Green

Burton township was the first permanent settlement in Geauga County. “In 1796, surveyors for the Connecticut Land Company designated an area five miles square surrounding this place as Range 7, Township 7 of the Connecticut Western Reserve. A landowner’s expedition on June 15, 1798, arrived at the northwest corner of the township. One of its members, Thomas Umberfield (Umberville) brought his family to the center of the township (now Burton Village) on June 21, 1798.

Here they built the first home, a simple log cabin located southwest of the spring at the end of Spring Street. The owner of the largest parcel of land in the township, Titus Street, was given the honor of naming the township. He named it after his son, Burton.” (Ohio History Connection)

If you gaze at the map below you can observe a town center, somewhat oval in shape, surrounded by a small grid of streets. This grid quickly yields to meandering country roads. This center area is the Village Green, the anchor for the town. It is also sometimes called The Square (even though that is not the true shape). This village green/historic district is now on the National Register of Historic Places. (See footnotes).

1927 Tax Map indicating the properties of the Lemuel White family
in Burton township, Geauga County, Ohio. It appears that Lemuel had the smaller piece of property labeled No. 50 above in 1900. In 1927, it looks like he had taken over the major portion of the property labeled No. 59 which used to belong to his father Joseph.

“In early Connecticut villages, the Village Green was surrounded by churches, the town hall, and prominent houses. The green was the common land to be used by the people of the township. When settlers arrived in the Connecticut Western Reserve, they chose the same pattern for their villages. This Village Green, platted on July 10, 1798, was given by the original landowners as a gift to the Township of Burton on October 5, 1803.

Some of the early uses of the Village Green in Burton have been to serve as a common pasturing area for farm animals, drilling area for the local militia, place for Independence Day celebrations, site for early agricultural exhibitions, and for maple sugaring. At different times, the school, church, and town hall were located on this green.” (Ohio History Connection)

Some of the imagery shown below is from the period when the Lemuel White family lived in the community. (2)

Top image: Vintage postcard showing the original log cabin Sugar House in the village green, date unknown. [This is where maple syrup is made]. Middle image, left: The Parmalee Brothers quail hunt April 1899. Middle image, right: 1915 poster for The Great Geauga County Fair. Bottom image: From 1909, an image of the west side of Main Street. (All images are courtesy of the Burton Memory Project ).

Lemuel, Jennie Ada, and Their Children

The family photograph below lets us appreciate the different generations of this family. Standing behind Jennie Ada and Lemuel are their three children — so let’s learn a bit more about them.

The White Family, from left to right: Ralph, Jennie Ada, Blanche, Lemuel, and Forrest, date unknown.

Blanche Marie (White) Hickox
The eldest child, she was born on October 3, 1892 — died May 30, 1949. She married John Lynn Hickox whose family were old and early pioneers in the area. Noted by a descendant of her son on the right photo below, “Bob’s mother. She died on May 30, 1949 of a stroke as her brother and family were leaving after a visit here on the farm where I now live. Her youngest son Leonard was on his senior trip at the time.”  —Trudy Hickox

Top left: (Young) Blanche Marie White, year unknown. Top right, (Adult) Blanche, year unknown.
The bottom image is of the Hickox family home near the village green in Burton township.
(House image from the Burton Memory Project).

Forrest Lemuel White
The photo below shows Forrest, who was the middle child. He was born January 16, 1894 — died, February 12, 1947. He was a lifelong resident of the area, spending much of his adult life in the neighboring township of Middlefield. He was married two times, first to Josephine (Hubrath) White who died in 1928. Then to his second wife Edith Isabelle (Powell) White, who survived him. He was active in the Volunteer Fire Department, the Knights of Pythias charitable fraternity, and was the mail carrier for Rural Route One for 21 years.

Top left: Forrest Lemuel White, date unknown. Top right: Colorful membership certificate for the Knights of Pythias charitable fraternity (Wikipedia). Bottom image: Even though this isn’t him, this photo represents what a tough job being a mail carrier would be in the winter time!
(Bottom photo courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution).

Ralph Hiram White
We save the best for last! (We are only writing that because some of our family members are descended from Ralph). He was born September 13, 1895 — died, May 11, 1951. If you look carefully at his WWI Draft Registration card, you can see that at the age of 21 years, he identifies himself as working as a farmer along with his father.

Ralph Hiram White World War I draft registration card.

That seems to be something that was destined to change within a few years. Unlike his two older siblings, he did not stay local, but moved north into the suburban cities of Cleveland Heights and Euclid, Ohio where he lived for the remainder of his life. Why this change away from many generations of his family being farmers? We’ve considered this for some time, and we have some thoughts… (3)

Generational Change

All of the White family children of this generation were born in the 1890s. This decade heralded many changes. “The period 1900 to the great stock market crash of 1929, was one of dramatic change in American society in general, agriculture in particular…. During this period, the Wright Brothers demonstrated their new flying machine at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, America opened the Panama Canal, a World War was fought and won…” (Frederick Jackson Turner, The Significance of the Frontier in American History).

The Khan Academy tells us in the article America Moves to The City, “Americans increasingly moved into cities over the course of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a movement motivated in large measure by industrialization. By 1920, more Americans lived in cities than in rural areas for the first time in US history…

In the United States the industrial revolution came in two waves. The first saw the rise of factories and mechanized production in the late 1700s and early 1800s and included steam-powered spinning and weaving machines, the cotton gin, steamboats, locomotives, and the telegraph. The Second Industrial Revolution took off following the Civil War with the introduction of interchangeable parts, assembly-line production, and new technologies, including the telephone, automobile, electrification of homes and businesses, and more. 

The businesses and factories behind the industrial revolution were located in the nation’s towns and cities. Eleven million Americans migrated from the countryside to cities in the fifty years between 1870 and 1920. During these same years an additional 25 million immigrants, most from Europe, moved to the United States—one of the largest mass migrations in human history—and while some settled on farms, most moved into the nation’s growing towns and cities.

So Ralph was right in step with his era — perhaps he preferred to live a life away from rural America and migrate into the opportunities afforded by living in the Cleveland inner suburbs.  Cleveland was the 5th largest city in America by 1920. (See footnotes).

In the next chapter, which is the last one for The White Line, A Narrative, we will write about Ralph’s family life with his wife Sadie (Hoggarth) White and their children. Our sister Jo Ann (Bond) White, was married to Ralph’s son Wayne White. As he was once our brother-in-law, we spent much time in our youth with their family. (4)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

The Trees and The Vines

(1) — twelve records

Lemuel White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32512778/l-whit
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 16 Sep 1858 Ohio, USA
DEATH: 12 Mar 1938 (aged 79), Ohio, USA

Lemuel White
in the Ohio, U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1671/records/2301646
Note: His obituary.

Lemuel White
in the Geneanet Community Trees Index

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/62476/records/5563616506
Note: His birth place is listed as Weathersfield township in Geauga County, but that location is actually in Trumbull County.

[Portrait of Lemuel White]
Lemuel White
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/49710386/person/13176201095/media/1c51dceb-5877-4c48-a429-dfb85b663e7e?queryId=b0d829fd-9003-4d57-b6ac-e97e717f9c6a&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=Nzf5&_phstart=successSource

Jennie Ada Brown White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32512931/jennie_ada_white
Note 1: Additional material from the findave.com website —
BIRTH: 4 Nov 1858, Ohio, USA
DEATH: 27 Apr 1929, (aged 70), Middlefield, Geauga County, Ohio, USA
Note 1: The findagrave website website lists only two children, but she had three: Blanche Marie (White) Hickox, Forrest Lemuel White, and Ralph Hiram White.
Note 2: Her death date on both the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index and her grave marker indicates 1930, not 1929.

[Portrait of Jennie Ada (Brown) White]
Jennie Ada Brown WHite
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/49710386/person/13423844714/media/dd66d4e4-839c-48b5-90cb-9c4b202c45a2?queryId=f4badb04-3e9c-4a52-a642-b502a9dae7e0&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=Nzf10&_phstart=successSource
Note: Written at the source for this file, “Jennie Ada Brown White was born in November 1858 and died April 27, 1930. She gave birth to 8 children, yet only 3 lived: Blanche Marie (my husband’s mother), Forrest Lemuel and Ralph Hiram White.”
— Trudy Hickox

Jennie Ada White
in the Ohio, U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1671/records/2216737
Note: Her obituary.

Lemuel White
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Geauga > 1877-1899
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/1024610
Book page: 160, Digital page: 267/447, Left page, middle entry.

Lemuel White
in the 1900 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Burton > District 0043
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7602/records/40096118?tid=&pid=&queryId=0140b2ee-a246-47df-a1fe-d860e8bc1a34&_phsrc=ttI2&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 14, Digital page: 27/38, Entries 21 through 24.
Note: Their three children are already born, Blanche (7), Forrest (6), Ralph (4).

Lemuel White
in the 1910 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Burton > District 0053
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7884/records/21706834
Book page: 9, Digital page: 11/17, Entries 45 through 49.

Lemuel White
in the 1920 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Burton > District 0061
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/33650965
Book page: 3B, Digital page: 6/24, Entries 59 through 63.
Note: They have a Hired Hand.

Lemuel White
in the 1930 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Burton > District 0004
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6224/records/72491910
Book page: 2B, Digital page: 4/14, Entries 88 through 91.
Note: They have a Boarder and a Hired Hand.

Burton Township and The Village Green

(2) — four records

Ohio History Connection
Remarkable Ohio, 9-28 Burton, Ohio —
First Permanent Settlement in Geauga County / The Village Green
https://remarkableohio.org/marker/9-28-burton-ohio-first-permanent-settlement-in-geauga-county-the-village-green/

National Register of Historic Places and National Historic Landmarks
Program Records, 2013–2017
Burton Village Historical District
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71988681

1927 Burton Township Tax Map
indicating the properties of the Lemuel White family
Note: There are three important steps to access this file:
1) Go to this link:
https://adp.geauga.oh.gov/departments/department-of-archives-and-records/history-and-research/records-available-for-research/
2) Select this link: Tax Maps See Geauga County Engineer’s Historical Maps
3) Refer to this graphic below for navigation. In the window that appears in the lower left-hand position of the screen, go to Burton township, (it matches the image below). Click on the small red star labeled 1927. (it will then highlight as green). The map will show up in the right-hand window.

This is enlarged for clarity. Good luck with the actual website!

Burton Collage:
The Cleveland Memory Project
Burton Memory Project
https://www.clevelandmemory.org/burton/

Lemuel, Jennie Ada, and Their Children

(3) — fourteen records

[Photo of the White family]
Ralph, Jennie, Blanche, Lemuel, and Forrest WHITE
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/49710386/person/13176201095/media/0ba18aa2-b334-457b-bb9d-8b3f55b6b5ed?queryId=6fc10f41-43d7-4754-b762-9f4a00d8ff71&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=Nzf6&_phstart=successSource

Blanche Marie (White) Hickox
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65197524/blanche-marie-hickox
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 3 Oct 1892 Burton, Geauga County, Ohio, USA
DEATH: 30 May 1949 (aged 56) Geauga County, Ohio, USA

[Photo of Blanche Marie White, younger)
Blanche Marie WHITE
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/27776269/person/12555699177/media/1b894498-8670-431d-a3b1-40fe70b5ccad?galleryindex=1&sort=-created

[Photo of Blanche Marie (White) Hickox, older]
WHITE, Blanche Marie
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/27776269/person/12555699177/media/5f2c3a17-c60b-422b-8992-5f20ba075191?galleryindex=2&sort=-created

John Lynn “Lynn” Hickox
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65197560/john_lynn_hickox
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 29 Aug 1881, Mesopotamia, Trumbull County, Ohio, USA
DEATH: 18 Sep 1950 (aged 69), Burton Station, Geauga County, Ohio, USA

Forrest L. White 1947 obituary
from his Findagrave.com file.

Forrest Lewcrel White [His middle name is Lemuel].
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29849130/forrest_lewcrel_white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 16 Jan 1894 Burton, Geauga County, Ohio, USA
DEATH: 12 Feb 1947 (aged 53) Middlefield, Geauga County, Ohio, USA

[Photo of Forrest Lemuel White]
Forest Lemuel WHITE
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/49710386/person/13423877817/media/e693ae88-aeff-4552-9c65-cb82fc2e712c?queryId=14e90997-5ac3-4fb9-987f-91f4111a2127&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=sUL11&_phstart=successSource

Josephine C (Hubrath) White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32512877/josephine-c-white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 1895 USA
DEATH: 8 Jun 1928 (aged 32–33), Middlefield, Geauga County, Ohio, USA
Note: First wife of Forrest White.

Edith Isabelle (Powell) White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29849043/edith_isabelle_white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: Jun 1899, New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, USA
DEATH: 16 Aug 1986 (aged 87), Middlefield, Geauga County, Ohio, USA
Note: Second wife of Forrest White.

Knights of Pythias
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_of_Pythias

Ralph White
Birth – Ohio, County Births, 1841-2003

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X695-C4C
Book page: 250, Digital page: 159/319                Entry #5526, left page.

Ralph White
in the Ohio, U.S., Births and Christenings Index, 1774-1973

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2541/records/3357416

Ralph H White
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42393802/ralph-h-white
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 13 Sep 1895
DEATH: 11 May 1951 (aged 55)
Source: Cleveland Press, Reel #127
“White, Ralph H., 1810 E. 227th St., Euclid, husband of Sadie (nee Hoggarth), father of Alice Ada and Wayne Ronald of Euclid, brother of Blanche Hickox and Forest (deceased).” Name: White, Ralph H., Obituary date: May 12, 1951.

Ralph Hiram White
in the U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918

Ohio > Geauga County > ALL > Draft Card W
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=20041023&collectionId=6482&tid=&pid=&queryId=5e594834-b3a5-40d0-b549-95b1c6a1078c&_phsrc=XgI1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 101/190

Generational Change

(4) — four records

Chapter 3: From the “Golden Age” to the Great Depression: 1900-1929.
Citing Frederick Jackson Turner, “The Significance of the Frontier in American History,” American Historical Association, Annual Report for the year 1893, Washington, D.C., pp. 199-227.
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CDOC-105sdoc24/html/ch3.html

Khan Academy
America Moves to The City
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/gilded-age/a/america-moves-to-the-city

Cleveland City Planning Commission
Cleveland In Perspective
https://planning.clevelandohio.gov/cwp/SummaryPersp.php#:~:text=Cleveland%20is%20now%20the%2033rd,most%20populous%20cities%20until%201970.
“Cleveland is now the 33rd largest city in America (in 2000), after having peaked as the 5th largest city in America in 1920 and having held onto a position in America’s top ten most populous cities until 1970.”

Art.com
Greetings from Cleveland, Ohio
https://www.art.com/products/p53776141616-sa-i6092797/greetings-from-cleveland-ohio.htm
Note: Vintage postcard image.

The Hoggarth Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of two. We first met John Richard Hogarth Jr., in the last chapter of our narrative about the Hoggarth family when he was born only a few months before his father John Richard Sr., passed away in 1871. During almost all of his life, he spelled his family surname with a double ‘g’ which is what we will do from this point forward.

Place Names Change All The Time

We find John Jr. in The Toronto City Directory for 1890, on page 798 learning the craft of being a carriage maker. He is boarding at 9 Alice Street, nearby his mother who is living at 12 Alice Street.

The Toronto City Directory for 1890, by R.L. Polk & Co., page 798, and from the
Historical Maps of Toronto, the 1893 Fisk and Co. Map of Toronto.

From, Lost Street Names of Toronto by Chris Bateman, we learned, “Generally speaking, Toronto’s street grid has remained largely unchanged since the early days of the city, but there are a few examples of streets which have [been] demolished, renamed or absorbed into other routes, never to be seen again. Here’s a look at a few: Albert, Louisa and Alice Streets (Eaton Centre).” When a new City Hall was built, and then the Eaton Centre shopping complex, Alice Street largely faded into history.

If you look very carefully at the map, on the north side of Alice Street, one can discern both number 9 (where John boarded), and number 12, (where Elizabeth lived). The blue rectangle represents modern urban development. From The Lost Street Names of Toronto, by Chris Bateman. This background map image is: Wadsworth and Unwin’s Map of the City of Toronto, 1872.

Then, the 1891 Census of Canada finds John living in Toronto with his mother, Elizabeth, and her 5 year old granddaughter (who is a child from one of her other children). John is 20 years old and we see more confirmation that he is working as a carriage builder. This census does not supply us with a specific street address, but it does tell us that they were located in the what was then referred to as East Toronto, in the district of Saint Lawrence Ward. This location is directly east from the old Alice Street location.

The 1891 Census of Canada.

Due to the fact that Toronto was experiencing rapid growth during this period, it seems that as the city grew, it kept incorporating outlying areas over time. For example, East Toronto had been considered an outlying village only a few years earlier. Now it was part of the city. The birds-eye-view image from 1893 (below) consists of three panels. The Hoggarths would have been living somewhere in the middle portion of the right panel.

Observation: In our present time, much of Toronto expanded greatly in an easterly direction. The part of Toronto where the Hoggarth family lived is now referred to as Old Toronto). (1)

1893 Barclay, Clark & Co. Bird’s Eye View Chromolithograph from Historical Maps of Toronto.

The Dixon Carriage Works

We learned from The Toronto City Directory for 1890 that John Richard Hoggarth Jr. worked for “W Dixon”, which is the name of the William Dixon Carriage Manufacturer company. Remember that his father had been a specialized blacksmith? It makes sense that John Jr. would work in an affiliated trade. We know from other research about his life, that this is where he likely learned his future trade, which was carpentry.

We learned about this period from writer Bonnie Durtnall: “Along with Blacksmiths, carriage and wagon makers and repairers played a significant role in the development of Ontario, physically and economically.  Wagons and carriages were the main mode of transportation. They not only carried people from one point to another, but they also conveyed various types of supplies and goods, including those for retailers. Until the railway made shipping goods faster and more practical, wagons fulfilled this essential role in any community…

Wagons and Carriages are similar in one way. They all required horse, oxen or mule power. Beyond that, shapes, sizes and styles differed. The purpose of each vehicle also varied. Wagons were designed for hauling goods and other items; carriages were for riding in… Most carriages and their winter version – cutters, were usually not intended for freight, although they could carry luggage and mail.”

Images related to the Dixon Carriage Works, top to bottom.
Top:‘Lawton Park’, Yonge St., northwest corner of Heath St. West, looking west, Toronto, Ontario (circa 1896). Photograph by John Fisken. Middle: A receipt from the company, circa 1873. Bottom: Adelaide Street where the factory was located, Adelaide Street During the Duke’s Visit (1901), Stereocard by M. H. Zahner. (See footnotes for credits).

There were actually two Dixon brothers — “William became a very accomplished Carriage Maker and at one point was in partnership with his brother, John. The Dixon Brothers Coach and Carriage Manufacturers was located at 149 Queen St. in 1863. They parted ways and each opened their own businesses in Toronto. William Dixon’s Longacre Carriage Works was on Adelaide St. West.” (From findagrave.com, see footnotes).

By the late 1890s, innovation had led to the decline of the traditional horse and carriage. The times were changing and people were in a hurry! Railroads had taken over, and people had just started learning about automobiles. John Dixon, the other Dixon brother, was exploring designs for an electric automobile.

“As described in a Globe newspaper account dated Dec. 7, 1896, Fred [Fetherstonaugh] got together with John Dixon, who owned the Dixon Carriage Works factory on Bay St. near Temperance St., and together they designed a vehicle that weighed 700 pounds and was steered using a tiller. It took [the inventor] Still 18 months to complete his work [on an electrical motor] and finally on Dec. 5, 1896, with a recent snow storm having made the streets impassable, the pioneer electric car made several circuits of the interior of the carriage factory.” (Toronto Sun)

Ultimately, nothing much came of all this work on an electric car. We wonder, was it because snow tires had not yet been invented? (2)

From the Toronto Sun, “Seen here is one of the few images of Frederick Barnard Fetherstonaugh’s pioneer electric vehicle. It was built in 1896 in John Dixon’s carriage factory on Toronto’s Bay St. Unfortunately, no one knows what happened to this uniquely Canadian creation.”

And Sadie Makes Three

On March 1, 1898, John Richard Hogarth Jr., married Alice Lavina Nelson Weegar. She was born February 25, 1880 — died, July 1, 1910. Alice was the daughter of Jacob Nelson Weegar* and Elizabeth Louisa (Herdon) Weegar.

From Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1942.

*It’s a bit odd, but sometimes her father Jacob Nelson Weegar dropped his surname Weegar and used Nelson as his surname, which it was not. The marriage record above is an example of this. What was the reason for this reinvention? We really don’t know, but we will put forward our theories in the upcoming The Weegar Line, A Narrative chapters.

From Ontario, Canada Births, 1832-1917.

On December 18, 1898, John and Alice welcomed the birth of their daughter Sarah Alice Elizabeth Hoggarth. In her life, Sarah liked to be called Sadie. (Our family members are descended from Sadie.) Being born 9 months and three weeks after their marriage, gave Sadie honeymoon baby status! (3)

To Renounce Forever All Allegiance and Fidelity To Any Foreign Prince…

John Hoggarth Jr. traveled to the United States and on August 15, 1905, signed a declaration that it was “my intention to become a citizen of the United States…” He also wrote that he had first visited the United States on July 3, 1900.

Shown above is John Richard Hoggarth Jr’s 1905 Declaration “to become a citizen of the United States” along with the 1905 flanking flags of Canada and the United States.

We don’t know why they chose to immigrate to the United States in 1905. Sometimes these matters have to do with employment and prosperity. They may have been following Alice’s family, since we can observe that they are living in the house of her father Jacob Nelson Weegar in Rockport, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. This is just across Lake Erie from Canada.

The 1910 United States Federal Census for Rockport, Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

Some of the other details we can discern are: John is working as a carpenter and the family is already naturalized. This census also confirms their 1905 immigration date. This west side of Cleveland suburb (Rockport) later became the Village of Rocky River. On maps from that period, their home is actually shown as being in the adjacent community of Lakewood.

In these 1952 maps of Cleveland, Ohio, we can get a sense of where the Hoggarth family lived. Above: The community of Lakewood (number 12) is located on the west side of Cleveland . Below: 1369 Marlowe Avenue, (Rockport neighborhood) Lakewood, where they lived with the Jacob Nelson Weegar family. (See footnotes for sources).
1369 Marlowe Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio. (See footnotes for sources).

We have been fortunate to locate a photograph of John Hoggarth. Comment: However, it is a bit difficult to date this image because this is a black and white photo and there is clearly some visible distortion. He appears to have blond hair and lightly colored eyes. The detachable collar he is wearing was a popular item for men’s fashion from circa the 1890s through 1915. He might be wearing a winter coat? We are guessing that this could have been taken around the time of his second marriage in 1914. (4)

Photograph of John Richard Hogarth Jr.

JHR Jr. Marries For A Second Time

Alice Lavina (Weegar) Hoggarth died in 1910 and four years after her death John remarried on May 21, 1914. His new wife was Teresa M. (Sirl) Payton. Teresa was born in Germany about 1879 and was the daughter of Carl Sirl and Margaret Nagel. She had been married to William Payton in 1899, but the marriage ended in divorce in March 1914.

From the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973.

Theresa brought her three daughters to the marriage: Margaret (Payton) Hoggarth Rhoades (1900-1976), Helen F. (Payton) Hoggarth (1901-1978), and Eleanor (Payton) Hoggarth (1906-1965). Now the Hoggarths were a blended family of six, including John’s daughter Sadie. (5)

The Hoggarth sisters circa 1916.
In the front: Eleanor; in the back, left to right: Sadie, Helen, and Margaret.

The Hoggarth Sisters

Sadie
(aka Sarah Alice Elizabeth)
Sadie’s story will continue on in The White Line,  A Narrative — Four.

Wedding photograph for the June 1920 wedding of Melvin Jacob Rhoades to Margaret Payton Hoggarth. From right to left: Margaret, Melvin, Bridesmaid Helen Hoggarth, and unknown man.

Margaret
On June 9, 1920, Margaret married Melvin Jacob Rhoades and they lived the rest of their adult lives in the Washington, D.C., area. They had a daughter named Aleen Marie (Rhoades) Cooley. Margaret passed on in 1976 and is buried in Winchester City, Virginia.

Helen and Eleanor
They seem to have lived with their parents for their adult lives. Helen worked for many years as a bookkeeper and accountant. She eventually worked her way up to become the Chief Clerk for the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company. (6)

The Cleveland City Directory of 1925

1925 finds the family continuing to live at 1430 Winchester Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio. Sadie is not listed in the census because she was working as an accountant and lodging in the home of her maternal grandfather Jacob Nelson Weegar.

1430 Winchester Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio. (See footnotes for sources).

Census materials have consistantly identified John’s trade as being a carpenter. We see this again in the Cleveland City Directory for 1925 on page 1457. He is listed at his home address, as his daughter Helen. (7)

The 1940 Census

The last census we find John Richard Hoggarth Jr. in is the 1940 census. He is 69 years old and likely retired because no occupation is listed. His wife Teresa (60), daughters Helen F. (39), Eleanor (33), and his grandson Richard L. Rhoades (16), are also living there. Their home is at 1467 Belle Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio in a neighborhood where they have lived in since migrating from Canada many years earlier.

1467 Belle Avenue, Lakewood, Ohio. (See footnotes for sources).

John Richard Hoggarth Jr. died on May 7, 1946. His cause of death was heart failure, and his wife Theresa lived on for another few years, passing on in 1950. Eleanor Hoggarth passed on February 22, 1965, and her sister Helen Hoggarth passed on August 2, 1978. The oldest daughter Sarah Alice Elizabeth (Hoggarth) White [i.e. Sadie], outlived all of them. She is our ancestor who will carry forward the history in the next chapter. (8)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

Place Names Change All The Time

(1) — six records

John Richard Hogarth [Jr]
in the 1871 Census of Canada
Ontario > Wellington South > Guelph
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=2934486&collectionId=1578&tid=&pid=&queryId=c48e496c-bc1a-429a-a0e4-18a6d835b46f&_phsrc=UYo20&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages: 500-501/544

Toronto Public Library
Digital Archive
The Toronto City Directory for 1890
by R.L. Polk & Co.
https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/internal/media/dispatcher/2117803/full
Book page: 798
Note: For John Hogarth working as a carriage builder.

Historical Maps of Toronto
1893 Fisk and Co. Map of Toronto
http://oldtorontomaps.blogspot.com/2013/01/1893-fisk-and-co-map-of-toronto.html
Note: For the 9 Alice Street location.

The Lost Street Names of Toronto
by Chris Bateman
https://www.blogto.com/city/2012/03/the_lost_street_names_of_toronto/

Historical Maps of Toronto
1893 Barclay, Clark & Co. Bird’s Eye View Chromolithograph
by Barclay, Clark & Co. Lithographers
http://oldtorontomaps.blogspot.com/2013/01/1893-barclay-clark-co-birds-eye-view.html

John R Hoggarth
in the 1891 Census of Canada

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1274/records/4103741
Book page: 24 , Digital page: 43/164, Upper page, entries 10 through 12.

The Dixon Carriage Works

(2) — seven records

Guelph Museums
McConnell’s Carriage Works Employees, c.1885
https://guelph.pastperfectonline.com/Photo/E850C32F-A117-455E-A4AA-466016278749

Laboring All Our Lives
Carriages And Wagons: From Minor Repair Work To Manufacturing
by Bonnie Durtnall
https://labouringallourlives.ca/carriages-and-wagons-from-minor-repair-work-to-manufacturing/
Note: For sepia toned photograph of carriage workers and excerpt from article.

For the Dixon collage (next three entries):
Toronto Public Library
Digital Archive
‘Lawton Park’, Yonge St., northwest corner of Heath St. West looking west, Toronto, Ontario
(circa 1896) 
Photograph by John Fisken
https://digitalarchiveontario.ca/objects/347844/fisken-john-lawton-park-yonge-street-northwest-corner?ctx=59219743900965fdde01e5eb65710c99b013da37&idx=99

Toronto Public Library, Digital Archive
Receipt of customer John Lauder Esq. Part of Morris Norman donation of business papers, 2002. [purple receipt]
To William Dixon, carriage manufacturer, carriages, buggies and sleighs of every description kept on hand or made to order, 1873
https://digitalarchiveontario.ca/objects/386538/to-william-dixon-carriage-manufacturer-carriages-buggies?ctx=af05aeea4ce078725be902414073ca6a4dc45d9e&idx=13

Adelaide Street During the Duke’s Visit (1901)
Stereocard by M. H. Zahner
https://jenikirbyhistory.getarchive.net/media/adelaide-street-during-dukes-visit-1901-358964
“A stereocard showing decorations on Adelaide Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in anticipation of the royal tour by the Duke of Cornwall and York (the future George V)”.

William Dixon
1834- 1904,  St. James Cemetery
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/257650592/william_dixon
Note: For biographical information.
“William became a very accomplished Carriage Maker and at one point was in partnership with his brother, John. The Dixon Brothers Coach and Carriage Manufacturers was located at 149 Queen St. in 1863. They parted ways and each opened their own businesses in Toronto. William Dixon’s Longacre Carriage Works was on Adelaide St. West.”

Toronto Sun
THE WAY WE WERE: Early electric car developed in Toronto
by Mike Filey, published January 25, 2020
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/the-way-we-were-early-electric-car-developed-in-toronto

And Sadie Makes Three

(3) — three records

John Richard Hoggarth
in the Ontario, Canada, Marriages, 1826-1942

Wellington > 1898
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/7921/records/3343865
Digital page: 41/99

Alice Lavina Weegar Hoggarth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81820811/alice_lavina_hoggarth
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH, 25 Feb 1880
Whitby, Durham Regional Municipality, Ontario, Canada
DEATH, 1 Jul 1910 (aged 30)
Lakewood, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA
Name: Hoggarth, Alice L.
Date: July 4, 1910
Source: unknown, Reel #38
Notes: Hoggarth-Alice L. (nee Weegar), wife of J. R. Hoggarth, at her residence, 1369 Marlowe st., Lakewood, Friday, July 1…

John Richard Hoggarth
in the Ontario, Canada Births, 1832-1917

York > 1890-1899
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8838/records/15569540
Note: For the birth of daughter Sadie.

To Renounce Forever All Allegiance and Fidelity To Any Foreign Prince…

(4) — eight records

J R Haggarth
Migration – Ohio, County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G996-KWFQ?view=index&personArk=/ark:/61903/1:1:QGT8-TP93&action=view&cc=1987615
Book page: 397, Digital page: 238/290
Note: Declaration No. 19790, signed August 15, 1905.

John Richard Hoggarth
in the Ohio, U.S., County Naturalization Records, 1800-1977

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60096/records/56842
Note: Although born in Canada, (on this form) his birthplace is noted as Great Britain because Canada is under the dominion of Great Britain, i.e. the British Empire.

The World Flag Chart
Flags of 1905
https://flaglog.com/1905

John R Hogarth
in the 1910 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Rockport > District 0036
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=135419572&collectionId=7884&tid=&pid=&queryId=33c5abe8-055a-44ff-84a3-0d93d935f7a4&_phsrc=UYo16&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 3/36 Entry lines 12-14.
Note 1: He is living with his wife Alice in the house of his father-in-law Jacob Nelson Weegar.
Note 2: Working as a carpenter and already naturalized.
Note 3: Confirms their 1905 immigration date.

Library of Congress
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
Vol. 12, 1913; Republished 1952
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?st=gallery
Note: For Lakewood community location.
and
1369 Marlowe Avenue links: (2 limages were joined to create the one image)
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?sp=41&st=image&r=-0.505,0.007,1.94,0.779,0
and
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?sp=42&st=image

John Richard Hoggarth
Photo gallery image (year unknown)
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/67591201/person/32170163263/gallery?galleryPage=1&tab=0&sort=-created&filter=s,p

JHR Jr. Marries For A Second Time

(5) — six records

[Second marriage]
John R Hoggarth
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973
1901-1925

Reel 049 > Marriage Records 1913 Dec – 1914 Jul
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=1056511&collectionId=1876&tid=&pid=&queryId=6d9ae5ff-a37b-4b19-9bdc-176ce36bacb6&_phsrc=oMw6&_phstart=successSource
Note: For marriage to Sirl/Taylor, 21 May 1914.

Theresa M Hoggarth
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/40783284
and
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81821100/theresa-m-hoggarth
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
Married:
1. William Payton, 26 Oct 1899, Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio
2. John Richard Hoggarth, 21 May 1914, Cuyahoga county, Ohio
Id#: 0150639
Name: Hoggarth, Theresa R
Date: Nov 3 1950
Source: Cleveland Press; Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #038.
“Hoggarth, Theresa R wife of the late John R., beloved mother of Mrs. Margaret Rhoades of Washington, D. C., Helen and Eleanor; grandmother and great-grandmother; residence, 1467 Belle Ave. “Friends may call at the Daniels Funeral Home, 15800 Detroit Ave. Services at St. Clement’s Church (corner of Marlow and Madison). Monday, Nov 6, at 10 a. m.”
Observation: We noticed that the findagrave.com notes do not mention her marriage to William Payton, nor her daughter Margaret.

Hoggarth family memorial marker from Alger Cemetery, Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. (Source: findagrave.com)

Theresa Sirl
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1876/records/2446703
Note: Her 1899 marriage to William Payton.

Sara E Hogarth
in the 1920 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland Ward 26 > District 0491
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/6061/records/76428272
Book page 21B, Digital page: 42/45, Entries 71 through 76.

Postcard image from left to right, The Payton (Hoggarth) sisters when very young:
Eleanor, Margaret, Helen. (The identity of the infant is unknown).

Hogarth Sisters Helen, Margaret & Eleanor (photo)
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/67591201/person/32170178138/media/5ca89bf4-7a07-460f-a089-fef75ff2080c?queryId=85ecad9f-8ae6-42fb-91a2-7b17be9d01f2&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=hWy1&_phstart=successSource
Note: Description from the file: “Sent by Terry Rhoades Gallagher granddaughter of Margaret.. This picture is a postcard from right to left Aunt Helen, My ( Terry ) my grandmother Margaret, & Aunt Eleanor..I don’t know who the baby is??”

The Hoggarth Sisters

(6) — seven records

Sadie A Hoggarth (photo)
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/67591201/person/270136386791/media/e4588971-178e-4e6b-a8b7-a46cbb85d5dd
Note: We used this file is for the Hogarth sisters photograph only. Other data on the file is not completely accurate.

Margaret Payton Hoggarth
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Cuyahoga > 1915 – 1930
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/61378/records/902399184
Book page: 454, Digital page: 222/1274, Last entry on the page.
Note: Records for her life spell her married surname in two forms: Rhodes, and Rhoades.

Margaret P. Rhoades
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/3007801/margaret-p.-rhoades
Note: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 10 Mar 1900
DEATH: 22 Nov 1976 (aged 76)

Wedding Rhoades Hogarth 9 Jun 1920 Cuyahoga County Ohio (photo)
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/67591201/person/32170178138/media/283d5dd5-6a56-4216-b0bf-b40cfa021bdd?queryId=23e78a18-b49c-4e3a-888e-a67d67a6bd74&searchContextTreeId=&searchContextPersonId=&_phsrc=UIM8&_phstart=successSource
Note: Description from the file: “Melvin & Margaret Hogarth Rhoades.. Maid of honor Helen Hograth, Margaret’s oldest sister.. I don’t know who the man is sitting on the table…. Picture was shared by Theresa Rhoades Gallagher..”
Note: For the Hoggarth/Rhoades wedding photograph.

Helen F Hoggarth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81821098/helen-f-hoggarth
Note: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 1901
DEATH: 2 Aug 1978 (aged 76–77)

Helen F Hoggarth
in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995

Ohio > Lakewood > 1954 > Lakewood, Ohio, City Directory, 1954
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2469/records/310934844?tid=&pid=&queryId=3e0a0e5d-706c-4e35-833b-9208dade123c&_phsrc=hWy7&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 291, Digital page: 159/667, Right page, left column, near top.

Eleanor Hoggarth
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81821097/eleanor-hoggarth
Note: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
BIRTH: 1906
DEATH: 22 Feb 1965 (aged 58–59)
Name: Hoggarth, Eleanor
Date: Feb 26 1965
Source: Plain Dealer; Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #118.
“Hoggarth. Eleanor Hoggarth, dearly beloved sister of Margaret Rhoades and Helen Hoggarth, dear aunt of John and Richard Rhoades and Aleen Cooley, daughter of the late John and Theresa (Sirl), suddenly Monday, late residence, 1467 B? Ave. “Friends received at the Nickels Funeral Home, 14500 Madison Ave. Funeral mass Friday, Feb. 26, St. Clement Church at 11 a. m.”

The Cleveland City Directory of 1925

(7) — three records

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?st=gallery
Vol. 12, 1913; Republished 1952
Note: 1430 Winchester Avenue link https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?sp=73&st=image&r=0.176,0.087,1.164,0.467,0

John R Hoggarth
in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995

Ohio > Cleveland > 1925 > Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, 1925
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=291671963&collectionId=2469&tid=&pid=&queryId=248734e5-a90c-47e0-b13d-51bf2d14ba6a&_phsrc=UYo1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 1457, Digital page: 726/1773, Right page, right column., center.

The 1940 Census

(8) — five records

John R Hoggarth
in the 1940 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Lakewood > 18-197
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/2442/records/30209052
Book page: 7B, Digital page: 14/22

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?st=gallery
Vol. 12, 1913; Republished 1952
Note: 1467 Belle Avenue link https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084cm.g4084cm_g06648195212/?sp=57&st=image&r=-0.371,0.138,1.617,0.649,0

John R Hoggarth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/81821099/john_r_hoggarth
Notes: Additional material from the findagrave.com website —
Id#: 0150638
Name: Hoggarth, John R.
Date: May 10 1946
Source: Source unknown; Cleveland Necrology File, Reel #038.
Hoggarth: John R., beloved husband of Theresa (nee Sirl); father and grandfather; residence 1467 Belle Ave. Services in charge of Holy Grail Commandery Knight Templar. No. 70.

1946 Death Certificate for John Richard Hoggarth Jr.

John R Hoggarth
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/2100335/person/6776450855/media/755efcb5-c0fe-4f87-9d66-ca33af9a06d1
Note: For death Certificate file.

The Hoggarth Line, A Narrative — One

This is Chapter One of two. Researching family lines is a little bit like digging through the soil of a garden where other people had previously had their own version of a garden. You find roots and old growth that lead you in different directions. Sometimes you find an old root that just keeps on going, and going, but you never find the end.

This chapter is about the Hoggarth family line. It will connect up to The Weegar Line — A Narrative, and The White Line — A Narrative. You will notice that this family surname was sometimes spelled slightly different depending upon who was recording the information. Sometimes as Hogarth, and sometimes as Hoggarth with the additional G.

Preface

Does anyone remember when everyone’s mothers had a set of brightly colored Tupperware bowls which nested inside of each other? Think about those bowls as a “stand-in” for understanding how one’s awareness shifts as we each grow up and experience new things. Every phase of our life lifts us outward from the center bowl, on to the next one, as our thinking and consciousness expands.

We grew up in the Great Lakes region of the United States, a land known for snowy winters, hot summers, and football. Our parent’s home was in Newbury township in Geauga County, Ohio just below the southern edge of Lake Erie. Technically speaking, we were about 25 miles east-southeast of the city of Cleveland, but out where we were living, it wasn’t even the suburbs — it was the country. In the summertime, while chasing fire flies in the backyard, one could gaze westward, and see the distant glow of the Cleveland lights under the dome of the night sky. We never thought much about things beyond those horizons.

After we each moved away, we came to appreciate just how close we had lived to another country — Canada — which was just across Lake Erie. Back then, neither of us paid any attention to that. Everyone is familiar with the long northern United States / Canada border which runs along the 49th parallel. What is astonishing about that line is this…

“Actually, many of Canada’s most populated regions (and about 72% of the population) are south of the 49th parallel, including the two largest cities Toronto (43°42′ north) and Montreal (45°30′ north). The federal capital Ottawa (45°25′ north), and the provincial capital of seven provinces (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia) are south of the 49th parallel. Three provinces, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia, are each entirely south of the parallel, but the vast majority of Canadian territory lies north of it.” (Wikipedia)

In other words, Canada has a lot of territory, but just about everyone likes to live near the Great Lakes. One branch of our family, the Hoggarths, were in this part of Canada early on and in this chapter we will be writing about their lives. (1)

The Province of Upper Canada

“The Canada Company was a private British land development company that was established to aid in the colonization of a large part of Upper Canada. It was incorporated by royal charter on August 19, 1826, under the Canada Company Act 1825 of the British parliament, which was given royal assent on June 27, 1825.” (Wikipedia)

Much of this area had been ravaged during the war of 1812. Prior to this, many of the settlers in Upper Canada had come from the American Colonies — some as Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. The British Crown was interested in fostering interest there in new settlement, by people who did not come from the American Colonies.

The three panel map below was produced in London in 1826. Its purpose being to show prospective new settlers the Royal Territories in Upper Canada. (2)

A Map of the Province of Upper Canada and the Adjacent Territories in North America … Shewing the Districts, Counties and Townships in which are situated the Lands purchased from the Crown by The Canada Company“. (Image courtesy of the Stanford Libraries).

Where is the Town of Guelph?

The enlarged map detail below shows where the town of Guelph was established around the time that this map was created. [See the orange circle at the west end of Lake Ontario and the city of Toronto]. This area was eventually organized as Wellington County.

“Guelph began as a settlement in the 1820s, established by John Galt, who was in Upper Canada as the first superintendent of the Canada Company. He based the headquarters, and his home, in the community. The area—much of which became Wellington County—was part of the Halton Block, a Crown reserve for the Six Nations Iroquois. Galt is generally considered Guelph’s founder… [He designed] the town to resemble a European city centre, complete with squares, broad main streets and narrow side streets, resulting in a variety of block sizes and shapes which are still in place today.” (Wikipedia)

“The founding was symbolized by the felling of a tree by Galt and William “Tiger” Dunlop… The name Guelph comes, via the Italian Guelfo, from the Bavarian Welf. It is a reference to the House of Welf, and was chosen to honour King George IV—the reigning British monarch at the time of the city’s founding—whose family, the Hanoverians, descended from the Welfs. It is for this reason that the city has the nickname The Royal City.” (Wikipedia)

From left to right: Left, Portrait of John Galt, by Charles Grey, 1835. Center, Coat of arms for The Canada Company, circa 1828. Right: Lithograph of George IV in profile, by George Atkinson, printed by C. Hullmandel, 1821.

Who Were the John Richard Hogarth Sr. Family?

When we first meet John Richard Hogarth Sr., he is 33 years old, and married to his wife Elizabeth who is 28. They are the parents of three daughters: Annie 5, Almira 3, and Sarah 1. (We learned this from the 1861 Census of Canada, conducted in their province on January 14, 1861).

They are living in the young city of Guelph, Wellington County, Ontario, and he is working as a “f__ier”. We can also see that he is from England.

The 1861 Census for the town of Guelph, Wellington, Canada.

We do not know where he and Elizabeth married, nor exactly what year they came to live in Upper Canada. However, we did find their final resting places in the Woodlawn Memorial Park cemetery. From that we learned the following:

John Richard Hogarth was born in 1826, and from the 1861 census data, we know that it was in England. He died on December 19*, 1871 in Toronto, York County, Ontario. (We will cover the events surrounding his death further down in this narrative). Elizabeth Jane (Lindsay) Hogarth was born in 1839, also in England. She died May 22, 1893 in Guelph, Wellington County, Ontario. Please see the footnotes for a complete list of their children.
*His official death certificate states December 19, 1871, but the findagrave website lists December 20. (3)

Furrier versus Farrier

Trying to discern quill pen writing can be a real challenge to interpret in some of these old documents. When we first came across something that listed John Richard Hogarth Sr.’s profession, we honestly thought it said “furrier” which was intriguing. (Did his wife Elizabeth have gorgeous coats to wear to church?) However, it later became clear that we had not looked closely enough. JRH was what is known as a “farrier” which is the polar opposite of a furrier. A farrier is a specialized blacksmith that shoes horses.

Britannica explains it well:
[A blacksmith is a] “craftsman who fabricates objects out of iron by hot and cold forging on an anvil. Blacksmiths who specialized in the forging of shoes for horses were called farriers. The term blacksmith derives from iron, formerly called “black metal,” and farrier from the Latin ferrum, [for] iron.

Shoeing, 1844. Painting by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, held at the Tate Britain, London. (Image courtesy of Media Storehouse).

Blacksmiths made an immense variety of common objects used in everyday life: nails, screws, bolts, and other fasteners; sickles, plowshares, axes, and other agricultural implements; hammers and other tools used by artisans; candlesticks and other household objects; swords, shields, and armour; wheel rims and other metal parts in wagons and carriages; fireplace fittings and implements; spikes, chains, and cables used on ships; and the ironwork, both functional and decorative, used in furniture and in the building trades.”

From the Wellington County Directory and Gazetteer, 1871-1872, we learned that John’s farrier business was located in the old town section of Guelph, on Nottingham Street. The orange oval indicates the approximate location. (The map is from the year 1847, see footnotes).

The Guelph Historical Society writes: “In the earliest days of settlement, a blacksmith was an extremely important figure. He was the proverbial jack-of-all-trades. While farmers took care of their tools, it was the blacksmith who was trained to make and repair these same tools. Using forge, anvil and hammer, the blacksmith worked with the single most important and common metal of the period – iron…

Village Blacksmith (1947)
This simple silent film from British Pathé shows what it was like for a village blacksmith, or a farrier, to practice his trade. Note: if the film does not load, it can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs5WBTAzo6s

As Guelph was considered by many as a stop-over in its early years, the blacksmith was involved in a fair amount of vehicular repair. He saw to the shoeing of horses and acted as a veterinarian. This function was essential in a world where horses and oxen played a primary role. In fact, in May 1828, Lynch imported the first horse – a mare – and the first cow, which he loaned to community members. As the only horse within a 14-mile (20 kilometer) radius, she was so over-worked that her healthy condition rapidly deteriorated. Within a few months, she was skin and bones. Fortunately, a merchant, J. D. Oliver, imported a team of horses later that year and the mare received a well-earned rest.” (Guelph Historical Society) (4)

Cityscape of Guelph, Ontario, Canada – 19th Century. (Image courtesy of iStock by Getty Images).

Not All Children Are Found In A Census

When we looked at the files for John and Elizabeth’s gravesite information, we learned that they had a son who had died between the time of the 1861 and 1871 censuses. He was their first son and they named him John R (likely for the name Richard) Hogarth Jr. He was born in 1862 and he died on December 20, 1869, aged 6-7 years. We have observed in other family lines, that it was not unusual for parents to reuse lost children’s names with subsequent sibling births. (5)

The Tragedy in the 1871 Census

When we looked at the 1871 Census of Canada we were struck by a stark observation. Where was the father? This is what we were able to discern:

1) Although it was unusual to not have a father present, perhaps he was working somewhere else when the census was conducted?

2) A decade later the family has grown. There are now five daughters: Anne (14), who is not in school. The next three are all attending school — Elmira [Almyra Maud] (12), Sarah (11), Mary (9). Martha (4) is yet too young for school. We surmise that perhaps the oldest daughter Anne is not in school because she is helping her mother with the childcare of her siblings, or perhaps she has a job.

3) We see that another son has been born and that he has received the same name as his previous deceased brother. This is John Richard Hogart Jr. (2), from whom our family members are descended. [After this point we will drop the (2) designation from his identification and simple refer to him as Jr.]

4) Observation: This John Richard Hogarth Jr. (later in his life) identified different years for his birth depending upon when he was asked. We have observed this behavior in other family lines, and this is not unusual for the time period — because thoughts about one’s age were more fluid then. He eventually settled on the year 1871, but this census data makes us wonder if he was born in 1870, or 1871? Other pages of this census indicate ages younger than 1, such as 1/12 for a one month old child. John Jr.’s later records state that he was born March 1, 1871, so technically if that is true, he was one month old, and the census enumerator recorded his age incorrectly. Otherwise, he was 13 months old at the time of this census.

The 1871 Census of Canada for the community of Guelph, the Province of Ontario, conducted on April 2, 1871. Note: We excerpted the mother Elizabeth Hogarth from the bottom of the previous census page and inserted her with her family for this exhibit.

We cast a wider net in searching for John Richard Hogarth Sr. and found him in a nearby community, but there were surprises. He is shown below on line 18. If you scan the top columns left to right, the far right category is titled “Infirmities” with column 22 labeled as “Unsound mind”. Suddenly it now made sense why he had not been listed on the Guelph census. He was living in a nearby city and was recorded on the Toronto / York census. It seems that he was housed in an institution that was then referred to as a “lunatic asylum”. (6)

The 1871 Census of Canada for the Province of Ontario, conducted on April 2, 1871.

The Provincial Lunatic Asylum

In the Victorian era, medical science was evolving and mental health science was just non-existent. If someone had something that was viewed as incurable, they were frequently housed away from their home. It seems the John Richard Sr. was suffering from a “brain disease”, but we don’t specifically know what those terms mean today.

“Until the mid-19th century, mental illness was hidden away in Canadian society, and it was left to family members, prisons, and so-called “madhouses” to shoulder the responsibility of caring for the mentally ill. Around 1850, mental healthcare practices throughout North America were called into question and reforms were enacted. Reformers called for humane and hygienic treatment protocols, centralized in one institution, and this movement led to the construction of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum in the City of Toronto.”

North View of the Provincial Lunatic Asylum, Toronto, Ontario,
Lithograph from, Scrobie & Balfour, publishers, circa 1850.

Comment: We ponder his condition — was it an organic illness like a cancerous tumor, or perhaps was it the result of the environmental influences from his occupation as a farrier? Could he literally have been kicked by a horse which led to other complications? It’s a tragic story no matter how you look at it, and we will never know the answer to these questions.

1874 Hart & Rawlinson City of Toronto with Fire Limits
Published by Hart & Rawlinson, Toronto. (Image courtesy of Historical Maps of Toronto).

When he passed on, John Sr. was only 44 or 45 years old. His wife Elizabeth had 7 children living at home. It also became apparent to us that their young son John Richard Hogarth Jr., never knew his father. (7)

John Richard Hogarth Sr.’s 1871 death certificate.

Life for Elizabeth Hogarth Afterwards

On John Richard Sr.’s death certificate file, it indicated that they lived in St. Patricks Ward in Guelph. Throughout the 1870s there are several tax records for Elizabeth Hogarth, or Mrs. Hogarth as she was sometimes recorded. These provide some information about her life with her children.

Excerpted detail from an 1873 tax assessment.

At first she lived on Nottingham Street, likely at or near to where John Richard Sr. had his blacksmith shop. By 1873, she owned her own home at a new address: Surrey 166 about two blacks away. Through these years all of her children continued to live with her. She also owned at least two cattle and a hog or two. (Our ancestors in those days had to be quite resourceful. They couldn’t just stop by the Safeway to pick up some groceries!) She likely produced her own milk, butter, and meat. They probably had a summer garden also.

With seven children to support, in those times, it was quite normal for a woman to remarry. (We noticed that there were no records of tax assessments for her after 1874, but we knew that she lived until 1893. So, we went looking…

It seems that she married again, this time to bachelor William B. Chisholm on August 27, 1875. He was born in Elgin, Scotland and worked as a “cooper” (a barrel maker). Of particular note, we see that this document provides two important pieces of information: the names of her parents, and her birth location in London, England.

By the time of the 1881 census, we find that she is listed as Elizabeth Chisholm, aged 45 and living in Guelph. With her are three of her children: Mary (16), Martha (14) and John Jr. (11). Similar to the 1871 census of 10 years earlier, there is no husband present on the record. This is because Elizabeth’s second husband William B. Chisholm is very ill. He died in July 1882 of consumption, which was then the way which people generally described tuberculosis. As such, he had probably been housed at a hospital or sanitarium that specialized in the treatment of people who had that incurable condition. We can infer this from the fact that his death was in Ontario County and not Wellington County where Guelph is located, and that he was also missing from the 1881 census.

About 15 months later, on October 13, 1883, Elizabeth married for a third time to William Hewes, who was from England. He worked as a “drover”, which means “one who drives cattle, sheep, etc. to market; a dealer in cattle.” (See footnotes). It is interesting to note that for this third marriage, she had already returned to using the Hogarth surname when she married William Hewes.

We have not located a death certificate for Willam Hewes, therefore we do not know if the marriage lasted until his passing, or if it ended in a divorce. (We have not located records which indicate that she ever used the surname of her third husband.) However, we do know from The Toronto City Directory for 1889, that by that time, she was living at 12 Alice Street near the city center, and using the Hogarth surname. She died in 1893, and chose to be buried next to her first husband John Richard Hogarth Sr., with that family name on the grave marker. (8)

The Toronto City Directory for 1889, by R.L. Polk & Co., page 714 and from the
Historical Maps of Toronto, the 1893 Fisk and Co. Map of Toronto.

Why We Cannot Move Further Back In Time

We have not been able to go further back in time with the Hogarth and Lindsay family lines due to the fact that there is not reliable data available. One important aspect of this research is this: both the first names and the family surnames of these ancestors are very, very common. Many, many people with British cultural backgrounds were named John Hogarth, or Elizabeth Jane Lindsay.

Another important concern —much of what exists online within the websites of both Ancestry.com and Familysearch.com has become unusable due to so much information being published without reliable evidence for support. We try our best to maintain high standards for our research, and will not write a family history from records and conclusions which are questionable. As more online records become available in the future, we will monitor this and add data for these families when appropriate.

For now, the next chapter is about their last born son, John Richard Hogarth, Jr., his years in Canada, his marriage and children, as well as his naturalization in the United States.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials, 
Notes, and Observations

Preface

(1) — three records

Tupperware mixing bowls
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1578572501/your-choice-vintage-tupperware-mixing

SAS Blogs
Where do Canadians live? (graphically speaking)
https://blogs.sas.com/content/graphicallyspeaking/2021/11/11/where-do-canadians-live/

49th Parallel North
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/49th_parallel_north

The Province of Upper Canada

(2) — five records

Stanford Libraries
Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection
A Map of the Province of Upper Canada and the Adjacent Territories in North America … Shewing the Districts, Counties and Townships in which are situated the Lands purchased from the Crown by The Canada Company.
https://exhibits.stanford.edu/ruderman/catalog/kz809km4822
Note: Produced in London, circa 1826.

Canada Company
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada_Company

Guelph
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guelph

File:John Galt – Charles Grey 1835 (cropped).jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Galt_-_Charles_Grey_1835_(cropped).jpg
Note: For portrait.

Lithograph of George IV in profile, by George Atkinson,
printed by C. Hullmandel, 1821
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_IV#/media/File:His_Most_Excellent_Majesty_George_the_Fourth,_lithograph_by_T.C.P.,_from_the_original_by_George_Atkinson,_profile_artist_to_His_Majesty,_printed_by_C._Hullmandel,_published_by_G._Atkinson,_Brighton,_November_15,_1821.jpg
Note: For portrait.

Who Were the John Richard Hogarth Sr. Family?

(3) — seven records

John Hogarth
in the 1861 Census of Canada

Canada West > Wellington
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=794650132&collectionId=1570&tid=&pid=&queryId=4d5a5f14-a36f-460f-8e3b-6459b81a30a7&_phsrc=iwD3&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 45, Digital page: 556/1610. Entry lines 16 through 20
Note 1: He is lasted as being a Farrier (a specialized blacksmith)
Note 2: He is 33, wife Elizabeth is 28. Their children are: Annie 5, Almira 3, Sarah 1.
This census data is also found here:
Elizth Hogarth
Census – Canada, Ontario, Census, 1861

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MQQ1-WMP
Book page: 45, Digital page: 208/620

Library and Archives Canada
Pre-Confederation, 1825 to 1867 > Census of 1861 > Ontario > Districts and sub-districts: Census of 1861
https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/collection/research-help/genealogy-family-history/censuses/Pages/pre-confederation.aspx#1861

York County, Ontario
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_County,_Ontario

John Richard Hogarth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229263133/john_richard_hogarth

Elizabeth Jane Lindsay Hogarth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229263159/elizabeth_jane_hogarth

Note 1: This Ancestry file (immediately below) is here for the sibling list only. The general file contains several factual errors, so please refer to it with caution:
1) Problem — The second son John Richard Hoggarth Jr. (2) is not listed.
2) Problem — The location for the mother’s birth is likely incorrect.
John Richard Hogarth
https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/person/tree/87252877/person/44564322138/facts?_phsrc=zON15&_phstart=successSource
Note 2: This file lists John Richard Sr., and Elizabeth Hogarth’s children. Of important note, is that the first son John Richard is listed, but the second one John Richard is not. (The researcher probably thought this was a record keeping error, or they just didn’t notice this discrepancy).
Anne Hogarth 1857-
Almyra Maud Hogarth 1858-1928
Sarah Hogarth 1860-
John Richard Hogarth Jr. (1) 1862-1869
Mary Hogarth 1865-1928
Martha Hogarth 1869-1928
[We have added] John Richard Hoggarth Jr. (2) 1870 or 1871-1944

Furrier versus Farrier

(4) — seven records

Blacksmith
https://www.britannica.com/topic/blacksmith#ref321444

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer was a favorite of Queen Victoria.

Shoeing, 1844 (1938)
by Edwin Henry Landseer
https://www.mediastorehouse.com/heritage-images/shoeing-1844-1938-14928366.html

John Hogarth in the Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906
Wellington County Directory and Gazetteer, 1871-1872
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=334062&collectionId=3789&tid=&pid=&queryId=3e3471e8-06f5-4931-afb9-01b14959b0ca&_phsrc=iwD7&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 45, Digital page: 25/128

Guelph’s Historical Maps And Their Present Usage For Heritage
And Cultural Resources Using GIS Technology

by Anne Holman
https://www.guelphhistoricalsociety.ca/downloads/may-2018-newsletter.pdf
Note: Plan of the Town of Guelph, 1847, by Donald McDonald. (Private Collection)

Archives, Historic Guelph, Volume 46
The Most Important Craftsman In Town
https://www.guelphhistoricalsociety.ca/archives/historic-guelph/volume-46/the-most-important-craftsman-in-town

Village Blacksmith (1947)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hs5WBTAzo6s

Cityscape of Guelph, Ontario, Canada – 19th Century
https://www.istockphoto.com/pt/vetorial/cityscape-of-guelph-ontario-canada-19th-century-gm1165760324-320880947

Not All Children Are Found In A Census

(5) — one records

John R Hogarth
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/229263163/john_r_hogarth

The Tragedy in the 1871 Census

(6) — four records

John Richard Hogarth [Jr]
in the 1871 Census of Canada

Ontario > Wellington South > Guelph
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=2934486&collectionId=1578&tid=&pid=&queryId=c48e496c-bc1a-429a-a0e4-18a6d835b46f&_phsrc=UYo20&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages: 500-501/544
Note 1: His mother is listed as being English, on page 500 (bottom image, entry 20) is aged 36 and married, but where is the father?
Note 2: JRH Jr. is listed as 1 year old, on page 501, top image, entry 6.

1871 Canadian census
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1871_Canadian_census#:~:text=April%202%2C%201871,-General%20information&text=All%20inhabitants%20of%20Canada%20were,New%20Brunswick%2C%20and%20Nova%20Scotia.
“All inhabitants of Canada were included, including aboriginals. While this was the first national census of Canada, only four provinces were enumerated: Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.”
and
https://library-archives.canada.ca/eng/collection/research-help/genealogy-family-history/censuses/Pages/dominion-canada.aspx#1871

John Hogarthin the 1871 Census of Canada
Ontario > Toronto West > St Patricks Ward
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1578/records/3169459?tid=&pid=&queryId=99accf29-73ba-4a29-ba27-95c9e0da2080&_phsrc=sGo2&_phstart=successSource
Note: For mental asylum census.

The Provincial Lunatic Asylum

(7) — four records

CanadARThistories via Open Library
The Provincial Lunatic Asylum
(Centre for Addiction and Mental Health),
Toronto (1850)
https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/canadarthistories/chapter/the-provincial-lunatic-asylum-centre-for-addiction-and-mental-health/

Images of the Toronto Provincial Asylum, 1846-1890
by Nathan Flis
https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/scientia/2009-v32-n1-scientia3237/037628ar.pdf

1874 Hart & Rawlinson City of Toronto with Fire Limits
http://oldtorontomaps.blogspot.com/2013/01/1874-hart-rawlinson-city-of-toronto.html

John Hogarth
in the Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1950

York > 1871
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/records?recordId=1681563&collectionId=8946&tid=&pid=&queryId=82ec3039-6f5e-45dd-9839-109e19f28f27&_phsrc=iwD1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 410, Digital page: 87/124, Right page, entry 1.
Note: Death certificate, entry number 027222.

Life for Elizabeth Hogarth Afterwards

(8) — eleven records

Elizabeth Hogarth
Tax – Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899

1871
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:682V-CK1V
Digital page: 355/593, entry 135
Note: Living on Nottingham Street, likely near where her husband had his blacksmith business.
Note: 7 children living at home, and 2 cattle, 1 hog.

Elizabeth Hogarth
Tax – Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899

1872
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:66NZ-Z5PS
Digital page: 58/581, entry 229
Note 1: Living on Nottingham Street, likely near where her husband had his blacksmith business.
Note 2: 7 children living at home, and 2 cattle.

Elizabeth Hogarth
Tax – Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899

1873
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:66N7-D3NV
Digital page: 339/581, entry 26
Note 1: Now living at 166 Surrey address, in Guelph. She owns this property.
Note 2: 7 children living at home, and 3 cattle, 1 hog.

Elizabeth Hogarth
Tax – Canada, Ontario Tax Assessment Rolls, 1834-1899

1874
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6D3J-S1RX
Digital page: 43/608
Note 1: Continues living at 166 Surrey address, in Guelph.
Note 2: 7 children living at home, and 3 cattle, 3 hogs.

[Marriage 2]
Elizabeth Hoggarth
Marriage – Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMND-KWT
Book page: 202, Digital page: 208/508 Center entry #009723
Note 1: This document provides information about her parents and that she is from London, England.
Note 2: This is the first place we see the Hogarth surname spelled with 2 g’s.

[Marriage 3]
Elizabeth Hogarth
Marriage – Canada, Ontario Marriages, 1869-1927

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FMJH-8DQ
Book page: 546, Digital page: 401/628, Right entry #013176.

Old Occupations & Trade Names, and what they mean
https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~george/oldprofessions.html
Note: Regarding drover.

Elizabeth Chisholm
in the 1881 Census of Canada
Ontario > Wellington South > Guelph
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1577/records/3509449?tid=&pid=&queryId=40c105eb-a1c7-4171-b728-52e1fe02c870&_phsrc=rim13&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 21, Digital page: 225/263, Lower page, entries 16 through 19.

William B. Chisholm death certificate, 1882.

William Chisholm
in the Ontario, Canada, Deaths and Deaths Overseas, 1869-1950
https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/8946/records/891754?tid=&pid=&queryId=cce51ff9-ade1-4427-a19d-95f1d73be186&_phsrc=dsN20&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 291, Digital page: 31/84, Right page, Entry 1.
Note: Death certificate, entry #012936 (barely legible).

Toronto Public Library
Digital Archive
The Toronto City Directory for 1889
by R.L. Polk & Co.
https://digitalarchive.tpl.ca/internal/media/dispatcher/2117802/full
Book page: 714, Right column, lower portion.
Note: For Elizabeth Hogarth living at 12 Alice Street in 1889.

Historical Maps of Toronto
1893 Fisk and Co. Map of Toronto
http://oldtorontomaps.blogspot.com/2013/01/1893-fisk-and-co-map-of-toronto.html
Note: For the 12 Alice Street location.

With All Our Ancestors — This Is How We Research Their Lives

We grew up in a family where people (on both sides) had forever been telling stories about their ancestors, although much of it was apocryphal.* Yet nothing was truly researched, nor documented meeting today’s contemporary standards. The world was so different then, and doing research on your family made you indebted to only a few available sources. Much work was done by writing letters to people, who knew people, who researched cemeteries, and had family bibles.

*An apocryphal story is probably not true, although it is often told and believed by some people to have happened. (Via the Cambridge Dictionary)

Then One Afternoon…

Around 1967, or thereabouts, our maternal grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore sat down at her dining room table, delicately unfolded and smoothed with her hands, a very large fan-fold style family tree. It was a decades old project at that point, having been carefully researched and crafted by her hand. Lulu’s husband Harley had passed on nearly thirty years earlier. It was his desire near the end of his life, to know more about his family origins — so, as we understand it today, this was when our family history started to become real to us.

When we met to discuss this, present were Lulu’s daughter Marguerite and her granddaughter Susan, both of whom shared an interest in family history. Grandson Thomas was also present, but being somewhat younger, he was told to “sit still, and don’t touch anything”.

This is an example of a fan-fold style family history chart. (Image courtesy of Amazon.com).

This is when we first heard stories about some New England ancestors, ongoing suspicions about there perhaps being a Mayflower relative.., all of it still very vivid today as memories. Peppering our Grandmother with questions, we tried to understand how it all fit together. Lulu had her grand chart, many photographs, and lots of anecdotal stories. She had opened the past to us, and for her, she was likely pleased that she had a daughter and granddaughter to share this legacy with.

Lulu Gore passed on in 1975 and her daughter Marguerite Bond took over the task of researching family history via traditional methods. When she retired in the 1980s, she relied mostly on resource books, and trips to both the local Western Reserve Historical Society in Cleveland, Ohio and the Geauga County Courthouse in Chardon, Ohio. In addition, she traveled to Plymouth, Massachusetts to research the 1620 history of the Mayflower, and to the small city of Steubenville, in Jefferson County, Ohio (to research her husband Dean’s side of the family). Time went on, and she did what she could while slowing losing her ability to retain memories.

Comment: Marguerite swore that she would never, ever work on a computer. (She came from a generation which viewed a “thingamajig” like a computer with much trepidation, and in her case, some disdain). True to her word, and quite ironically, about the time that online databases started to appear, Marguerite decided to disappear — passing on in 1999. She passed her research on to her daughter Susan. (1)

This is a sample page of the type of research which Marguerite did. (Good luck reading her handwriting!) It documents a portion of the Gore family line, which we have covered in the chapter: The Gore Line, A Narrative — Six.

Hide and Seek

In 1999, the world was in the midst of the newly flourishing Go-Go-Days of the Internet. Both Susan and Thomas were living at the epicenter of this change, both residing in San Francisco, California. Suddenly, it became quite apparent that we now had new resources to help us work out “how it all fit together”. However, this didn’t happen quickly. Even though resources had greatly evolved, it took much time for the databases to be sufficiently trustworthy for our needs. We then had to dig-in and look at everything with fresh eyes. Back then much research was like a game of Hide and Seek.

Susan spent years making new discoveries, but also verifying the work of her Grandmother and Mother. She sometimes spent time tramping around cemeteries, looking for relatives whose records had fallen away.

Twenty-five years later, for our present research, we have been using the online sources: Ancestry.com, FamilySearch.com, and the Internet Archive. Depending upon the family line, we also seek out resources and databases far beyond these three websites. As an example, when we documented the Irish families on our father’s side, we utilized much of the invaluable resources available on the website ScotlandsPeople.com. That chapter alone,
The McMahon and The McCall Lines, A Narrative, took one year of dedicated research and writing. (You will be able to see, at the end of each chapter we list the specific print and website resources for that chapter).

Covid 19
It’s worth emphasizing that the Ancestry and FamilySearch databases can sometimes be unreliable. Here is our viewpoint on this —

Covid 19 required that many people stay at home to prevent further spread of the virus to others. As such, many people decided to undertake projects which involved new hobbies. This is a polite way of saying that many people (would-be-tree makers) launched their own family tree projects, when most of them had no research experience. Hence, the Ancestry and FamilySearch websites became a perfect storm of poorly researched, and inaccurate information. There is still some valuable information to be found therein, but one must look very, very carefully with great discernment at what is presented. If there can be secondary sources (such as books, actual documents, etc.), which verify discoveries, then the information can probably be acceptable. (2)

Why Context Is Important

Context provides us an opportunity to understand the world as it once existed but is no more, and most importantly, narrate the world in which our ancestors lived.

Family trees are only interesting up to a point, then they can get a bit mundane. Think of historical biographies. If they were written in such a way that “this person married that person, and then they had children”, it’s likely that this category of interesting books would struggle to find readers. We would be a much poorer society for it.

“What is intelligence, and how does it work?”

Intelligence is the ability to tell stories... The “story” that I am talking about is a much broader category, and it is that type of story that forms the basis for thought. It is our superior ability to tell that kind of story that separates us from the animals.

Your brain likes these things I write, both fiction and non-fiction, because the conscious part of your brain is a story engine. It evolved to connect a bunch of observed facts into a coherent story that makes them all make sense together, and to make plans, which are also stories.

Devon Eriksen

One thing which we came to realize, is that much family history is written about the Men who were our Grandfathers, but much less is written about the Women in their lives. In some circumstances, we have been unable to learn anything about some of our Grandmothers other than their name, because scant information is available.

When it comes to historical books about women who were mostly lost to history, we often think of this book by author Jill Lepore: Book of Ages, The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin. She was the youngest sister of her very famous brother, inventor, printer, writer, diplomat, and one of the founding fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin. They were close as siblings, but their individual lives went in very different directions, and Jane Franklin left only a few records. The author did a remarkable job in telling her life story, making it possible for those of us who are alive today, to understand, appreciate, and ponder Jane’s life.

If you notice in the above chart on the right, we see that in the Josiah Franklin family, there were an astonishing number of seventeen children born from two different mothers. Women often had many children in those days, and sometimes they died in childbirth. Whenever that happened, the husband frequently remarried pretty quickly because someone needed to provide directly for the children. If the husband was the one who died, the wife also sometimes remarried quickly. This had much to do with preserving prosperity because inheritance laws back then were not favorable to women.

From the Pulitzer Prize winning book, Prairie Fires, The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser, we admired this excerpt because it’s a point of view which captures the essence of us seeking out our ancestors.

“DISCOVERING how Charles Ingalls and his family came to find themselves a few miles from the shores of Lake Pepin, just a few years after Pepin County was first marked on a map, is a detective story tracking generations into the past. Pieces of the family portrait survive, but the whole remains elusive, obscured under the soot of time. It may never be complete.

That is always a problem, in writing about poor people. The powerful, the rich and influential, tend to have a healthy sense of their self-importance. They keep things: letters, portraits, and key documents, such as the farm record of Thomas Jefferson, which preserved the number and identity of his slaves. No matter how far they may travel, people of high status and position are likely to be rooted by their very wealth, protecting fragile ephemera in a manse or great home. They have a Mount Vernon, a Monticello, a Montpelier.

But the Ingallses were not people of power or wealth. Generation after generation, they traveled light, leaving things behind. Looking for their ancestry is like looking through a glass darkly, images flickering in obscurity. As far as we can tell, from the moment they arrived on this continent they were poor, restless, struggling, constantly moving from one place to another in an attempt to find greater security from hunger and want. And as they moved, the traces of their existence were scattered and lost. Sometimes their lives vanish from view, as if in a puff of smoke.

So as we look back across the ages, trying to find what made Laura’s parents who they were, imagine that we’re on a prairie in a storm. The wind is whipping past and everything is obscured. But there are the occasional bright, blinding moments that illuminate a face here and there. Sometimes we hear a voice, a song snatched out of the air.”

With those thoughts in mind, there is one final thought we would like to bring forward… (3)

Genealogy Is Not Genetics

When testing for genetic ancestry became available, four of us from a family of seven siblings thought it might be interesting to look into our family’s genetic history to ascertain how similar we are. The idea was that if we each used a different company, we could look and see how similar the genes each of us inherited are to each other, and how the research science shaped this outcome. Of note: Our family, like many of our ancestors, is a blended family with the same biological mother, but two biological fathers. (See the chapters The Peterman Line, A Narrative and The Bond Line, A Narrative — Seven for the history).

What we learned by using different companies, is that the quality of the results varied widely. Some of that was to be expected, since three of us (Daniel, Richard, Thomas) are males and could research both the X and Y chromosome lines. Our sister Susan was researching only the X line, because at this time, that is only what can be done for females. However, some of the companies we enlisted didn’t seem too interested in our genetics, as much as they were interested in selling us other products, etc.

Perhaps also we were influenced by family reunions where people said “We’re English through and through. Or, we sometimes heard “That’s your Irish side.” Hollywood also likely influenced our expectations due to its simplistic presentation of various immigrant cultures. What we learned is that we are Northern European for the most part, with some of us presenting a bit more Dutch than we knew was possibly in there. The Neanderthal genes were also a surprise!

The idea of inheriting genes which determine your culture has been roundly disproved by genetic research. Some behaviors can be determined through the influence of genetic inheritance, but to be honest, all of us are a rather varied admixture of our ancestors. This chart shows why:

For someone alive today, the number of genealogical ancestors doubles each generation. But each DNA fragment (colored bars) is inherited through a random, zigzagging path up the family tree, meaning DNA is inherited only from a small fraction of one’s ancestors. (Image courtesy of The Conversation, see footnotes).

The word “Gene” and “Genealogy” both come from the same root word “genə-, also gen-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning give birth, beget, with derivatives referring to procreation and familial and tribal groups”. <Familial and tribal groups> is the most important aspect of this definition in the sense that it is the most meaningful.

Therefore, we are a product of both Nature (our genes) and Nuture (our environment). With regard to our genealogy, we feel that it’s essentially about our community and our familial bonds. Those are the things which remain.

For over 400 years, our ancestors migrated westward from Europe to new lives in North America, settling primarily in the United States. In the 2020s, both Thomas and Susan also migrated. Susan moved to Chesapeake, Virginia, and Thomas — contrary to the drift of his ancestors — moved to Europe. He now lives in Lisbon, Portugal. (4)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Then One Afternoon…

(1) — three records

Apocryphal [definition]
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/apocryphal

TreeSeek Genealogy Fan Wall Chart | Large Blank Fillable Pedigree Form for Family History and Ancestry
https://www.amazon.com/TreeSeek-Genealogy-Fillable-Pedigree-Ancestry/dp/B0131UD0CK?

The Western Reserve Historical Society
https://www.wrhs.org

Hide and Seek

(2) — seven records

Ancestry.com article [history]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancestry.com#:~:text=Ancestry%20officially%20went%20online%20with,of%20Ancestry.com%20in%201996.
and
Ancestry.com homepage link:
https://www.ancestry.com

FamilySearch.com article [history]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FamilySearch
and
FamilySearch.com homepage link:
https://www.familysearch.org/en/

Internet Archive article [history]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Archive
and
Internet Archive homepage link:
https://archive.org

Scotland’s People website
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk

Why Context Is Important

(3) — four records

Devon Eriksen
Devon’s Substack article, “What is Intelligence?”
https://devoneriksen.substack.com/p/what-is-intelligence?r=2q1yxd&utm_medium=ios&triedRedirect=true

Book of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane Franklin
by Jill Lepore
https://scholar.harvard.edu/jlepore/publications/book-ages-life-and-opinions-benjamin-franklins-sister

The Electric Benjamin Franklin
Temple’s Diary — A Tale Of Benjamin Franklin’s Family, In the Days Leading up to The American Revolution
https://www.ushistory.org/franklin/temple/part9_070276.htm?srsltid=AfmBOor21c9XyhhDFVFoUtLdlCSEigt_lMU4HHj9oCH0ixJr5POTBoWz

Prairie Fires, The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
by Caroline Fraser
https://prairiefiresbook.com

Genealogy Is Not Genetics

(4) — two records

The Conversation [article]
DNA says you’re related to a Viking, a medieval German Jew or a 1700s enslaved African? What a genetic match really means
by Shai Carmi and Harald Ringbauer
https://theconversation.com/dna-says-youre-related-to-a-viking-a-medieval-german-jew-or-a-1700s-enslaved-african-what-a-genetic-match-really-means-222833

Etymology Dictionary
https://www.etymonline.com/search?q=gene

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of seven, where we conclude the history of the McClintock family. The story of their daughter Clara McClintock, our Great-Grandmother, continues in The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Ten and Eleven.

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

The arc of experience for this branch of the McClintock family was mostly embodied in the 19th century, and almost all of them were farmers. Even so, change abounded due to the progress of the agricultural sciences, and the invention of the railroad which brought food to market.  In 1790, farmers made up 90% of America’s labor force. By 1850, when Dexter McClintock was new to Ohio, that proportion had shifted, with farmers making up 64% of the labor force. In 1900, when his life had closed, farmers made up 38% of the labor force. (See footnotes). (1)

Solon Township, Plate 195 of the Atlas of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, from Actual Surveys by and Under the Directions of D. J. Lake, 1874. (Image courtesy of the Cleveland Public Library Digital Collection).

One Generation To The Next

Our Great-Great-Grandparents are Dexter and Sarah Olive (Dickinson) McClintock. Dexter McClintock, The eighth child & fourth son of James Sr. and Hepzibah McClintock was born August 15,1819 in Phelps, Ontario, New York — died April 12, 1899 in Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio. He married Sarah Olive Dickinson November 6, 1840, in Phelps, Ontario, New York. She was born on April 22, 1822 in Phelps, Ontario, New York and baptized in the Dutch Reformed Church at Howes Cave*, New York on May 19, 1822. She died on September 23, 1906, Novelty, Geauga, Ohio. Her parents were Elijah Dickinson and Elizabeth Bice.
*“Howes Cave is a hamlet in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The community is 5.3 miles east of Cobleskill.” (Wikipedia).

Together they had seven children. Their first child was born in New York state, and the other six children were born in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.

  • Hepzebah A. (McClintock) Martin, born about 1842 in Phelps, Ontario, New York — died after 1911.
  • Milo Alphonso McClintock, born December 30, 1844, Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio — died November 20, 1920, Twinsburg, Summit, Ohio.
  • Walter Ransom McClintock, born October 18, 1848, in Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio — died June 12, 1924, Sherman, Iosco, Michigan
  • Martha Elizabeth (McClintock) Cochran, born June 13, 1853, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio — died July 6, 1925, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio
  • Charles D. McClintock*, born November 10, 1856, Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio — died July 22, 1937, Limestone Township, Peoria, Illinois (*Please see extensive notes on Charles McClintock in the footnotes).
  • Clara Antionette (McClintock) DeVoe, born July 14, 1860, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio — died September 6, 1932, Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio. (We are descended from Clara).
  • Sarah A. (McClintock) Hoyt, born September 20, 1863, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio — died November 15, 1927, Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California
Destruction of the 1890 Census by the Great Fire of 1921 at the Commerce Department Building
in Washington, D.C. (Image courtesy of raogk.org).

We have four censuses of the family in this area, from 1850 through 1880. Each one shows a prospering and growing family, with some children eventually splitting off as they form families of their own.

Due to a major fire in 1921, and the subsequent water damage, there are almost no 1890 Census records existing. “A January 10, 1921 fire at the U.S. Department of Commerce building in Washington, DC, destroyed the majority of the population schedules from the 1890 Census. The fire left an enormous gap in many families’ genealogical record. Although alternative records may provide some information, the loss of the 1890 Census schedules remains an insurmountable obstacle for many researchers attempting to trace families between the 1880 and 1900 censuses.” (Census.gov)

Dexter died in 1899, so the family census records were lost for him and his wife Sarah. She died in 1906, so there should be a 1900 Census record of her located somewhere. We just haven’t found it, but will continue to look. (2)

This gallery is a collection of images from 19th century Solon, Ohio history. The center image is
“Members of the Chamberlain family… clearing land at what is believed to be their property located on Liberty Road…Other well known families at the time were the McConougheys, and the McClintocks…” (See footnotes for resources).

They Were A Well Known Family

The gallery above is designed to evoke a feeling of what the rural and agricultural life of these ancestors must have been like. When they first arrived in the Western Reserve there were almost no roads, so they had to make their own if they wanted to get anywhere. If you wanted to eat, you were the one responsible for growing most of your own food. (This was similar to the wilds of New Hampshire their forebears had encountered when they arrived from Scotland). Things had evolved over the 170 years — there were some opportunities for education, and there were some small stores for sundry items. However, life was still very agricultural.

We think of Dexter and Sarah’s lives as being slow-and-steady, generation-to-the- next-generation. For example, he never seemed to miss a property tax payment. We have observed over 25 years of property tax payments made on the properties shown in the Solon map — starting in 1844, through 1880. (Dexter also made some property tax payments in the nearby township of Chagrin Falls in the 1850s, so they probably lived there during part of their lives together).

Solon, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Property tax payment for, 1844

He must have been well respected in the community, because he was identified in The Western Reserve Register for 1852 as the Constable for that year. Observation: Here again he seems to demonstrate his same principle of stepping-up when necessary: if you wanted good roads, healthy food, a safe community… you had be to be responsible for that yourself.

The Western Reserve Register for 1852, announces in the last line that Dexter McClintock is Constable for the year 1852.

“Duly sworn Ohio constables are considered peace officers under Ohio law… The office developed from its British counterpart during the colonial period. Prior to the modernization of law enforcement in the middle 19th century, local law enforcement was performed by constables and watchmen. Constables were appointed or elected at the local level for specific terms and, like their UK counterparts the Parish Constable, were not paid and did not wear a uniform. They were often paid a fee by the courts for each writ served and warrant executed. Following the example of the British Metropolitan Police established in 1829, the states gradually enacted laws to permit municipalities to establish police departments.” (Wikipedia) (3)

Annals of Cleveland, Volume II, Abstract 71, Real Estate

The 1850s weren’t drama free for this family — they got a jump start on their own rehearsal for The Civil War. This was a case that pitted one brother against another brother with his two sons.

In the previous chapter, we wrote about tippling. As we know in this modern era, an occasional alcoholic drink is fun, and with moderation, not a problem. Unfortunately, some people may be more persuaded to drink by their genetics, life experiences, or both. This was the case with 3x Great Grandfather, James McClintock Sr.’s brother, Samuel McClintock. We believe Samuel was the first family member to arrive in the Solon area, because he was paying property taxes as early as 1831. But this case started earlier than that…

An example of an 1806 handbill advertising land sales. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The following paragraphs and timeline describe the history of this court case and are taken directly from the abstract.

July 1829
Charles Seymour, a resident of Canandaigua, New York and agent of the State of Connecticut, in July 1829 issued a printed hand bill describing lands of the state which were for sale.

April 1830, until November 1830
Seymour agreed on April 27, 1830 to give Samuel McClintock, [who was] the owner of a farm in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, his selection of any tract of 125 acres listed on the hand bill [for land in Ohio] and $400 in cash in exchange for the Manchester farm. Samuel made his selection on November 8, choosing part of lot 33 and the west end of lot 34 in Solon Township, Ohio. (See the map below).

Dexter McClintock property as shown in this excerpted inset image from Solon Township, Plate 195. The property to the north belongs to his brother Joshua John (J.J.) McClintock. The lot to the west belongs to Romain Steward (R.S.) McClintock, who we infer is the grandson of Joshua John.

December 1830, until October 1832
The deed to the Ohio land was executed on December 16 by Isaac Spencer, treasurer of Connecticut, and sent to Seymour. Samuel desired to make an arrangement with [Samuel’s] brother, James McClintock Sr., for an interest in the property and asked for a new deed in James’ name. Since the state treasurer had already passed title to Samuel, it was impossible to make a new deed. Samuel moved from New York State to Michigan about October 1832.

November 1832, until May 1834
Under Samuel’s instructions, Seymour held up delivery of the deed until James should pay $30 still due to Seymour, which amount Samuel had lent his brother. James complied and Seymour delivered the deed to James on November 21, 1832 and also drew a separate deed to be executed by Samuel to James. Samuel signed the deed on July 5, 1833 and it was recorded on May 30, 1834.

About 1836
Samuel reputedly was a heavy drinker and lost his property in New York and in Michigan because of that habit. He moved to a farm near Parma [Ohio] about 1836. Later James permitted him to occupy a small piece of lot 34 near Solon. It was agreed between the brothers that Samuel could stay on the property for his lifetime, or purchase it at its cost price, if he would join a temperance society. At that time Samuel was a widower.

A temperance pledge signed by those who pledge to stop or reduce their use of alcohol, similar to those common during the 1830s and 1840s. (Image courtesy of Virginia Commonwealth University).

1841, until October 1844
In 1841 James [Sr.] sued Samuel for forcible entry and detainer in the court of Justice of the Peace Simeon D. Kelley of Solon Township… During the trial a temperance pledge signed by Samuel was offered as evidence. F. W. Bingham tendered $30 in gold on behalf or [of?] Samuel for the purpose of obtaining a deed to the part of lot 34 occupied by Samuel. James Sr. continued to pay the taxes on the property until March 29, 1841. At that time, he deeded the land to his son, James Jr., for $700. This deed was recorded October 30, 1844.

September 1845, until January 1854
James [Sr.] died [in September 1845] and James Jr. sold the real estate to [his brother] Dexter McClintock [our ancestor] for $1,125 on September 25, 1845. Dexter took possession and made many improvements on the property in the years that followed. James Jr., died in 1849.” [Correction, the actual date James Jr. died is January 1, 1854].

Legal Notice, published in: The Cleveland Leader, on Wednesday, May 18, 1859, page 2. We see that some of the late James McClintock Jr.’s children (Orvil, Seth, Edith) are listed.

May 1859
This legal notice was published about five years after the court proceedings. We don’t know why specifically, but speculate that perhaps some of the children were getting older and the court required this?

Comments: Outside of his reputed tendency to drink, we don’t understand what the motivation was by Samuel McClintock for the lawsuit. The facts seem pretty clear as to the history of events. Not to be too cynical, but it seems quite likely to have been about his need for money after all of his various failures and disappointments. (4)

We Hear That She Liked To Be Called Clarrie

Our Great Grandmother, Clara Antionette (McClintock) DeVoe is someone that we don’t know much about, even though we seem to know much about everyone else around her. She was Dexter and Sarah’s second youngest daughter, born July 14, 1860 and grew up in Solon, Ohio.

Clara DeVoe in her later years, circa 1920s. (Family photograph).

On November 18, 1877, our Great Grandfather Clinton DeVoe, married Clara Antoinette McClintock in Solon, Ohio. She died on November 6, 1932 in Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio. (5) Together they raised five children: George, Lulu (our grandmother), Anna, Lena, and Nell.

Clinton DeVoe and Clara McClintock marriage license, 1877.

For more about Clara’s life, please see the chapters, The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Ten and Eleven.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

The more things change, the more they stay the same…

(1) — two records

Book Browse
Well-Known Expressions
“The more things change, the more they stay the same”
https://www.bookbrowse.com/expressions/detail/index.cfm/expression_number/483/the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same#:~:text=The%20first%20recorded%20use%20of,French%20novelist%2C%20critic%20and%20journalist.

Quora
How did we go in the United States from 90 percent of people being farmers two centuries ago to less than 2 percent today?
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-percentage-of-people-in-the-US-that-worked-in-agriculture-in-the-1800s#:~:text=By 1850, farm people made,105.7 million, the report said.

One Generation To The Next

(2) — thirty-nine records

Atlas of Cuyahoga County, Ohio,
from Actual Surveys by and Under the Directions
of D. J. Lake (1874)
https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll24/id/502/
and
Plate 195 Solon
https://cplorg.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4014coll24/id/493
Note: For the map image.

Dexter McClintock
in the Web: Ohio, Find A Grave Index, 1787-2012

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7887384:70559?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635845738
and
Dexter McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19154853/mccl

Sarah Olive Dickinson
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Howe’s Cave > First Reformed Church, Records, 1810-1919
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2267436:6961
Book page: 82, Digital page: 36/55 Left page, entry 61.
Notes: Parents are Elijah Dickinson and Elizabeth Bice. Birth date: April 22,1822, and baptism date: May 19, 1822.

Howes Cave, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howes_Cave,_New_York

Sarah Olive McClintock
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/95142176:60525?tid=&pid=&queryid=0c1a50eb-796e-4a47-aaa6-c928ab070a29&_phsrc=mZH1&_phstart=successSource
and
Sarah Olive Dickinson McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97413613/sarah-olive-mcclintock

Hepzebah A. (McLintock) Martin
in the 1850 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Solon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13455018:8054?tid=&pid=&queryId=24fb4c69-b8cb-4ccf-a1e0-6fe3f4a86964&_phsrc=Lgc11&_phstart=successSource
Notes: This record cites her age as 10 years old and her birthplace as New York State. She is also known as “Hepsie” throughout her life.
Digital page: 20/30, Entries 6 through 9.

Research about Hepzebah A. (McClintock) Martin: The first record we have of her is the 1850 census, and it unclear to her in her history what her birth year actually is.

  • 1860 Census: Michigan, married to William Martin, has a one year old daughter named Adele, and revises her birth year to be 1839 in Ohio. She is living in Michigan near her Great Uncle Freeman McClintock’s family, and other McClintock relatives in the area.
  • 1870 census, she cites birth year as about 1836 in New York, and is living right next door to the Freeman McClintock family.
  • 1880 and 1910 censuses, she claims her birth year to be 1842 in New York
  • 1911, listed in a Detroit, Michigan directory as a widow of William Martin
  • Death by 1930, her death and maiden name are confirmed on her daughter Adele’s death certificate.

Milo Alphonso Mcclintock
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8GD-385
and
Milo Alphonse McClintock
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/71580788:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866426
and
Milo Alphonse McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/114531073/milo-alphonse-mcclintock
Note: For his birth and death dates.

Wallie R Mc Clintick
in the Michigan, U.S., Death Records, 1867-1952

Certificates, 1921-1945 > 204: Iosco
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3230051:60872?tid=&pid=&queryId=619697c6-78c6-4abd-8a08-f506d6bb081b&_phsrc=zqx43&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 327/2300
Note: For his birth and death dates.
and
Walter Ransom Mcclintock
Mentioned in the Record of Oney R Mcclintock (Walter Ransom Mcclintock’s Son)

Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X89H-XQW
Digital page: 2219/3295
Note: For confirmation of his middle name as Ransom.

Martha Elizabeth Cochran
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6S8-14F
Note: For birth and death dates.
Digital page: 507/2983
and
Mattie McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2802910:1876
Book page: 115, Digital page: 576/1017, Entry 2.
Note: For their marriage information.

Our research about Charles McClintock: It seems he was married four times and lived in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. This affected obtaining accurate birth and death information on him. The history with twelve footnote entries, is as follows:

Charles D. McClintock
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/178374076:60525
Note: For birth and death dates
and
Charles E. McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213188701/charles-e.-mcclintock
Note: For birth and death dates.

Charles McClintock
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Solon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43661488:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=0ccfa077-c465-4643-b42b-2204b2d90758&_phsrc=LFc29&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 50, Digital page: 11/27, Entries 25 through 40.
Note: Inferred birth date is 1856.

Charles McClintock
in the 1880 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Solon > 075
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/44931741:6742?tid=&pid=&queryId=de63bba2-000c-4507-bee6-7e79435ba8fb&_phsrc=LFc40&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 13, Digital page: 13/18, Entries 1 through 3.
Note: Marriage No.1 is inferred, to Phebe. The 1880 census in Rosefield, Peoria, Illinois states that he first married at age 22, which would confirm his birth year as 1856, and confirm that he and Phebe married in 1878.

Charles D. Mcclintock
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1152821:61378
Book page: 41, Digital page: 207/447, Right side, entry 3.
Note: Marriage No. 2 date is December 29, 1886, to Evangeline Alexander.

Chas D McClintock
in the Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952

Registers, 1887-1925 > 1911-1915 > 1911 Washtenaw-1912 Barry
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/651244:9093?tid=&pid=&queryid=af7ab19c-d5ea-4623-a12f-7e366b935c27&_phsrc=LFc11&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 427?, Digital page: 281/656, Left page, entry 78971.
Notes: Marriage No.3 date is July 15, 1911, to Mary S. Beck.
Observation: We wonder if this marriage took place in Detroit because his oldest sister Hepsie (McClintock) Martin was living there?

Charles D McClintock
in the U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995

Ohio > Cleveland > 1916 > Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, 1916
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/315294244:2469?tid=&pid=&queryid=91a5df14-4722-4119-9c5a-dcc91c95266c&_phsrc=SqZ35&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 504/1133, Left page, right column, entry 4 under McClintock.
Note: They are living in Cleveland. This is the last city directory we find for him in Cleveland, Ohio.

1916 Cleveland, Ohio, City Directory, page 1016.

Mary S Beck McClintock
in the Pennsylvania, U.S., Death Certificates, 1906-1970

1934 > 063501-066500
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/5290214:5164
Digital page: 1887/3528
Notes: By 1920 she was widowed. It’s unclear if the informer knew her well, but the husband’s name is wrong: Robert John McClintock?, when all other records record Charles D. McClintock.

Mary S Mcclintock
in the 1920 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Cleveland Ward 21 > District 0417
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/104724814:6061
Book page: 13A, Digital page: 25/41, Entries 26 through 28.
Note: By 1920 she is living with her daughter in Cleveland (again); states that she is married. Charles D. McClintock is not on this census.

Charls E Mcclintock
in the 1930 United States Federal Census

Illinois > Rosefield > District 0094
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/87288507:6224
Book page: 2B, Digital page: 4/16, Entries 65 and 66.

Charles E. McClintock
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/178374076:60525
Note: For birth and death dates.

Charles E. McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/213188701/charles-e.-mcclintock
Notes: We believe that his middle initial is actually D, not E, and his actual birth year is 1856.

Clara A De Voe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6SP-PMB
Digital page: 1360/3428
and
Clara A. McClintock
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/99PJ-5J7
Note: For death certificate birth and death dates.
and
Clara McClintoch
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ6L-7YN
Note: For marriage date of November 18, 1877 to Clinton Chauncey DeVoe.

Sadie A McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Marriage Records and Indexes, 1810-1973

1876-1900 > Reel 011 Marriage Records 1878 Sep – 1881 Jan
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2430290:1876?tid=&pid=&queryId=b4ad8a6e-6781-4183-98b3-6d07ddde4add&_phsrc=AQQ34&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 506, Digital page: 507/1030, Entry 1.

Labeled as an Obituary, but it is actually a copy of her death certificate.
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/tree/157973032/person/322095985501/media/d6df20ce-513e-4409-90b1-96b2ea6862a0
Notes: For her birth date in Ohio, and for her death date of November 15, 1927, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
and
Norwalk. Death Certificates
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89SV-MXBV?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AQP7Y-1ZNZ&action=view
Digital page: 1725/2729

Random Acts of Genealogical Kindness
Fate of the 1890 Population Census
https://raogk.org/census-records/1890-fire/

The United States Census Bureau
U.S. Census Bureau History: 1890 Census Fire, January 10, 1921
https://www.census.gov/history/www/homepage_archive/2021/january_2021.html#:~:text=A January 10, 1921 fire,in many families’ genealogical record.

Deytie McLintock
in the 1850 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Solon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13455016:8054?tid=&pid=&queryId=81babe28-0b53-493a-a3a8-b2763239de54&_phsrc=NhM1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 20/30, Entries 6 through 9.

Dexter McClintock
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43661483:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=3c64b783-fd2b-49f0-8bbc-6103316ee9e4&_phsrc=NhM3&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 50, Digital page: 11/27, Entries 35 through 40.

1870 Census, page enhancement for legality:
Dexter, 51
Sarah, 48
Milo, 24
(Walter) Ransom, 19
Martha. 17
Charles, 13
Clara, 10
Sarah, 8
Notice that Dexter’s brother Joshua John is living next door.

Dyler Mcclintick
in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Solon
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/38891740:7163
Book page: 13, Digital page: 13/23, Entry lines 14 through 21.
Note: The document is barely legible.

Dert McClintock
in the 1880 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Solon > 075
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/25436133:6742
Book page: 13, Digital page: 13/18, Entries 1 and 2.
Note: Observe that Charles is married and living in the home with his wife Phebe.

They Were A Well Known Family

(3) — seven records

It is from the next three footnotes that we gathered images for the Solon Gallery:

Authors, Arsonists and Industry Make Up History of Solon (photos, video):
The stories of our towns

https://www.cleveland.com/solon/2014/07/authors_arsonists_and_industry.html
and
Solon Historical Society
W.P. Trimple General Store
https://www.solonhistoricalsociety.org/2022/08/24/solon-businesses/
and
History of the City
https://www.solonohio.org/DocumentCenter/View/553/Article-II-?bidId=
Note: It is from this document that we saw the comment about the “well thought of nature” of the McClintock family.

The Western Reserve Register for 1852
Townships
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/26616/images/dvm_LocHist011047-00045-0?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=87
Book page: 64, Digital page: 88/229
and
The Western Reserve Register for 1852 : containing lists of the officers of the general governments and of the officers and institutions on the reserve
https://archive.org/details/westernreservere00inhuds/page/n51/mode/2up
Digital page: 52/121, Left panel, center.

Dexter McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869

1844-1845
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1195948:2100?tid=&pid=&queryId=81650450-8ff3-4ec5-9d61-75b89fe67b89&_phsrc=SqZ1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 310/682, Left column, entry 6.
Note: This is the first evidence of a property tax payment made in Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

Constables in the United States
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constables_in_the_United_States

Annals of Cleveland, Volume II, Abstract 71, Real Estate

(4) — four records

Annals of Cleveland,
Vol. II. Abstracts of the records of court cases in Cuyahoga County
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/28306/images/dvm_LocHist012267-00246-1-0?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=400
Book page: 111-112, Digital page:: 470-471/3048

Notes: these two pages document the facts of the Court Case brought by Samuel McClintock against his brothers.

Library of Congress
[Handbill example]
Lands for sale: the following tracts of land are offered for sale on very reasonable terms…
by Samuel Baird, 1806
https://www.loc.gov/resource/rbpe.15100300/?sp=1

The Second Great Awakening in the United States
https://www.thecollector.com/american-second-great-awakening/
Note: For temperance pledge example.

Legal Notice, found in:
The Cleveland Leader, on Wednesday, May 18, 1859
https://www.newspapers.com/image/78793034/?xid=637&_gl=1*qfra6i*_gcl_au*NDc1NTQ2MzQyLjE3MjE3MjYyNjk.*_ga*MTc5NjEyOTEzMC4xNzIxNzI2MjY5*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MzE4NjdkMjctNjEyNy00YzQzLTk5OTAtMDg4YTgxZjVhYjNhLjEuMS4xNzIxNzI4MjM5LjEwLjAuMA..*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*MzE4NjdkMjctNjEyNy00YzQzLTk5OTAtMDg4YTgxZjVhYjNhLjEuMS4xNzIxNzI4MjM3LjAuMC4w
Note 1: The Cleveland Leader, Wednesday, May 18, 1859, newspaper archive, page 2.
Note 2: There are 7 columns on the page from left to right. This is excerpted from Column 6, about halfway down the page.

We Hear That She Liked To Be Called Clarrie

(5) — one record

Clinton C. Devoe
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XZ6L-7YF
Book pages: 247, Digital pages: 160/322, Right page, Entry 2.

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Six

This is Chapter Six of seven. In this chapter, our ancestors who have been in New Hampshire since it was a Province and part of British North America, made the major decision to move Westward. They packed their belongings and left New Hampshire and headed to New York State.

The Sotzmann-Ebeling Map of New Hampshire, Circa 1796. (Image courtesy of Boston Rare Maps).

Be Fruitful and Multiply

James McClintock,(Sr.), born January 3, 1778, Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — died September 1845, Bainbridge, Geauga, Ohio. He married Hephzibah Jones in circa 1803, in New Hampshire. She was born in 1784, in New Hampshire Province — died July 13, 1871, Laingsburg, Shiawassee, Michigan. They had nine children. The first five were born in Hillsborough (town), Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

  • Thirza (McClintock) Taylor, born about 1807, Hillsborough (town), Hillsborough, New Hampshire — died June 25, 1893, Cuyahoga, Ohio.
  • Mahala L. (McClintock) Short, born about 1808, Hillsborough (town), Hillsborough, New Hampshire — died June 29, 1827, Phelps, Ontario, New York
  • Dr. Freeman Brazilla McClintock, born October 28, 1811, Hillsborough (town), Hillsborough, New Hampshire — died March 18, 1882, Laingsburg, Michigan
  • Sarah (McClintock) Short, born about 1812, Hillsborough (town), Hillsborough, New Hampshire — died August 10, 1872, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio
  • Joshua John McClintock, born about July 29, 1814 — died July 23, 1892, Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio
  • The last four were born in two locations in New York State:
  • James McClintock (Jr.), born about 1818, Phelps, Ontario, New York — died January 1, 1854, Bainbridge, Geauga, Ohio
  • Dexter McClintock, born August 15, 1819, Phelps, Ontario, New York — died April 12, 1899, Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga, Ohio (We are descended from Dexter.)
  • William McClintock, born August 13, 1821, Lyons* (Arcadia), Ontario, New York — died July 6, 1893, West Union, Fayette, Iowa
    Note: *Wayne County, New York was created in 1823. The Town of Arcadia was formed from the Town of Lyons in 1825.
  • Louisa M. McClintock, born about 1827, Arcadia, Wayne, New York — died after 1870 location unknown (1)
A View of Manchester, N.H. — A lithographic print by J.B. Bachelder, 1855. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The Censuses of 1800 through 1830 and Their Differences

These censuses are the second, third, fourth, and fifth that the United States had completed. Each year the government was learning a little more about what data it needed to know in able to run the country, and also some new questions to ask. Unfortunately, when we analyze these forms today, we still see many tic marks, but not much detail.

For the 1800 census, James McClintock was unmarried. We do not know with whom he was living in 1800. We are sure in was in Hillsborough, New Hampshire.

The 1810 Census in New Hampshire
Then in 1810, we first encounter the James McClintock family when he and his wife Hephzibah (Jones) McClintock were married and had children living in their home. They were still residing in Hillsborough, New Hampshire where both of them had grown up.

1810 Census excerpt, Hillsborough, New York
Map Of The State Of New York, Published by A. Finley Philadelphia,1824. The yellow circle indicate the area within which they lived during the 1820s. (Image courtesy of the Internet Archive).

The 1820 Census In New York
By 1820, they have more children and have left New Hampshire behind them. They are now living in the town of Phelps, Ontario County, New York. The reasons that they left New Hampshire are unknown, but there was a large westward migration already occurring in this era. Perhaps they were seeking additional farmland because arable land meant prosperity to farmers. James’s brother Samuel either came with them, or he was already in New York State, which may be one reason why they moved there — there was a family connection.

1820 Census excerpt, Phelps, New York. Note James as entry #738, and his brother Samuel as entry #739.

The 1830 Census In New York
It appears that the family has moved locally from the town of Phelps in Ontario County, to the town of Arcadia, just slightly north in the new (April 1823) Wayne County. This is the first Federal census we see where there is an actual printed form for the census taker to utilize for consistency. Prior to this, many census takers just made up their own forms trying to adhere to guidelines they were given.

1830 Census excerpt, Arcadia, New York. We overlaid it on an 1830 period accurate template for category clarity.

We also know that by this time, James’s brother Samuel had left New York state and moved further west to the Ohio Country, where he was paying property taxes as early as 1831 in what is now Solon, Ohio. We already had members of other family lines living in this area, but we believe that it’s plausible that he was the first member of the McClintock branch of our family to arrive there. We also understand that he was quite the drinker… (2)

1831 Property tax record for Samuel McClintock in Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio.

Let’s Pause A Moment for Some Refreshment, Shall We?

As we learned from the census, for a portion of the 1820s and at the beginning of the 1830s, the James McClintock Sr. family lived in New York State. We came across an interesting account of what it was like to live in Arcadia, New York during this period —

“Up to 1830 the state of temperance was bad enough. Within a distance of three miles along Mud creek there were four distilleries, operated by Harrison, Luce, Sherman, and Mansfield. Whisky was sold as low as twenty-five cents a gallon, and was drank on all occasions. Whether at general training, Fourth of July, logging-bee, raising, or harvesting, the liquor was freely used. It stood upon the sideboard to treat the casual visitor and teacher, doctor, and preacher were alike accustomed to potations from the cup. Ladies met to help along a quilting, and the “sling” imbibed made conversation spirited. If any failed to provide this stimulus it was made a subject of sharp comment. As years went by, a feeling prevailed that this system should be broken up. A preacher found intoxicated was dismissed, and in the county medical society a member accustomed to using liquors to excess was expelled. Still, tippling was common in taverns and in groceries.”

“Apologies for Tippling” by William Charles and George Moutard Woodward, circa 1800. This political cartoon shows some of the many reasons people found for “tippling” or drinking excessively. Courtesy of the Library Company of Philadelphia.

Some of our ancestors were Pilgrims, some were Quakers, some were Presbyterians, some were Catholics — and some were, …non-conformers.

“For the colonists of the 1600s and 1700s much of daily life was filled by tiring drudgery, but throughout the long hours of the work day, beer, cider, rum, and other intoxicating beverages provided a dependable source of comfort. Each day was supplemented by a generous allotment of alcoholic beverages imbibed from their waking hours all the way through the late evening. As author Corin Hirsch states in Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England, “From breakfast cider to afternoon beer to evening flips, toddies and glasses of Canary wine, alcohol lubricated almost every hour of every day.” Drinking accompanied a diverse range of occasions that often took place in taverns, or during meals, work breaks, business meetings, weddings, funerals, trials, and legislative sessions. Daily, day-long “tippling” was simply a fact of life in the colonial period.

While this behavior may be frowned upon in the modern era, colonials viewed the constant intake of liquor as a necessary and beneficial practice. Despite a lack of scientific understanding, the early settlers of North America knew that drinking from certain water sources could make a person deathly ill. Without proper sanitation practices or a way of discerning contaminated water from clean, they largely avoided it, instead seeking hydration from beverages unintentionally sanitized through the processes of fermentation and distillation. Alcohol was not only potable, but also was seen as a healthy, invigorating substance, which was even used in the treatment of disease. While the relatively staid puritan communities of New England such as Windsor admonished drunkenness, they hailed alcohol as the “good creature of God”. (Windsor Historical Society)

“A woman’s liquor raid – How the ladies of Fredericktown, Ohio, abolished the traffic of ardent spirits in their town.” Line engraving from the Police Gazette.

Observation: James McClintock Sr.’s 2x Great Grandfather Thomas Mclintoch of Glasgow had been a “Maltman” (a brewer), and his Grandfather William McClintock was fond of his homemade “rhum”…so, it seems like “tippling” probably ran through the veins of the McClintock family. Despite this, Freeman McClintock maintains in his biographical profile that his “parents instilled into the minds of their children principles of morality and religion.” Perhaps his uncle Samuel never got that family message.

It’s compelling to ponder ‘about how many’ of our ancestors were likely tipplers, and how over the decades, this behavior paved the way for future temperance movements. (3)

And Back to The Census…

The 1840 Census in Ohio
After decades of censuses in other locations, the McClintock family has immigrated in en masse to the Western Reserve of Ohio. We’ve been able to determine through tax records (starting in 1833) that along with James and his wife, most of their adult children also relocated to this area of northeast Ohio.

1840 Census excerpt, Bainbridge, Ohio.

The census above is for the father James McClintock, Sr. who was living in Bainbridge township at the time of the census. On another 1840 census his son James Jr. and other siblings lived in Solon township. (4)

Map of the Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826. On this map, Geauga County is still combined with the future Lake County and Solon and Bainbridge townships are colored yellow. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Western Reserve of Ohio

In the early part of the 18th century, the Ohio Country was frequently referred to as the West, and from the perspective of New Englanders who settled it, it was indeed pioneer country. By the 1830s and 40s, the Western Reserve wasn’t thought of as a frontier anymore, but actually, it still was in many ways.

The Western Reserve area of northeastern Ohio, was originally established as The Firelands of Ohio, created by the Connecticut legislature in 1792 to help compensate her citizens for their losses when some of the towns were ravaged during the Revolutionary War. Connecticut had a history of belief that her manifest destiny was the inherent right of their northern and southern borders to extend from New England all the way to the Pacific Coast. This area was chartered and land sales were managed by the Connecticut Land Grant Company. The company eventually failed, and Connecticut yielded on their idea of manifest destiny, but the Western Reserve endured. Ohio became a state in 1803.

For all of our many ancestors from here, we believe that this is very true — “Following the Revolutionary War, for the next 25 years, Ohio became the primary destination of westward bound pioneers because of the fertile farmland in the Ohio River Valley. Some families stayed for the remainder of their lives.” (Family Search) For the James McClintock Sr. family, when his children were seeking prosperity for their own future families, owning land in Ohio beckoned. (5)

This is a small pen and ink sketch of farmers in the Western Reserve,
which I did in the Spring of 1980. (Thomas Harley Bond)

The Settling of Solon Township, Ohio

Wikipedia informs us that, “In 1820, the first settlers arrived from Connecticut… The township was named after Lorenzo Solon Bull, who was the son of Isaac Bull, one of the first settlers. Purportedly, the selection of young Lorenzo’s middle name was due to its derivation from the “father of democracy”, Solon, the lawmaker of Ancient Greece. The early settlers faced challenges common to pioneers, but in Solon, drainage and wetlands issues complicated settlement and agriculture. Overcoming these obstacles, Solon Township became an arable farming area, producing corn and wheat crops and supporting dairy farms…”

The vast majority of the McClintocks were farmers, with the notable exception of two people, the siblings: Dr. Freeman McClintock, and William McClintock. Although Freeman farmed in Solon, Ohio for a few years, he eventually gave it up and went on to do many remarkable things throughout North America. “The first man who built a house at the Center [of Solon Township] was Freeman McClintock, who located there in 1832 or ’33. He resided there in his log cabin two or three years before any joined him.”

Ohio Log Cabin and Farm by Granger.

We find this historical anecdote to be interesting, but not completely accurate. We know that his uncle Samuel was already living there. Freeman’s wife Lydia came with him, and his parents arrived in October 1833. Many of his siblings were also leaving New York on the canal boats, schooners, and wagons headed his way. We determined these things based upon his biography and the county tax records. (See footnotes).

William McClintock preferred the legal profession. He was a lawyer, having been admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1849. Eventually he moved his family west to Iowa and became the founder and publisher of a newspaper. (Both brothers have interesting biographical links in the footnotes). (6)

“..Nothing Can be Said to be Certain, Except Death and Taxes…”

We know that the McClintocks had arrived in Ohio by 1831, because there are property tax records in Cuyahoga County which support this. When we analyzed the years 1833 through 1844, we saw some interesting patterns. It appears that in most years, James Sr. either owned most of the land, or was paying most of the taxes for some reason. For example in 1836, James Sr., was paying everyone’s property tax even though some of that land belonged to some of his children. (Gee, thanks dad!)

McClintocks listed in the Cuyahoga County 1852 landownership map index

James Sr. died in September 1845, but the exact date was not recorded.

Later in that same month, there are record documents from a future court case, which state that — “James Jr., sold the real estate to Dexter McClintock [our ancestor] for $1,125 on September 25, 1845” and that “James Jr. died in 1849[*] and there was considerable dispute among his heirs and the heirs of James Sr., as to the ownership of the property.”
*Correction: James Jr.’s correct death date is recorded as January 1, 1854. He died of typhoid fever, leaving behind a wife and several small children: wife Betsey, and children, Orvil, Antionette, Seth, Edith, and James. (7)

We will be covering this court case in the next chapter, The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Seven). The case involves land, alcoholism, temperance societies, gold, and lots of ruffled feathers.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Be Fruitful and Multiply

(1) — thirty two records

Boston Rare Maps
The Sotzmann-Ebeling Map of New Hampshire, Circa 1796
https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/sotzmann-ebeling-new-hampshire-1796/
Note: For the map image.

James McClintock Sr
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/58353478:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=75768616&pid=42330432184
Note: Birth and death dates
and
James McClintock Sr.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95744747/james_mcclintock
and
Ohio Cemetery Records
Gravestone Inscriptions in Old Southwest Burying Ground, Bainbridge, Geauga Co., OH
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48347/images/OHCemeteryRecords-000382-157?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=304646
Book page: 157, Digital page: 167/506, Lower section, entry 3 from the bottom of the page.

Hephzibah “Hepsie” Jones McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/92303259/mccl
Note: There are some minimal family records.

Hepzidah McClintock
in the Michigan, U.S., Death Records, 1867-1952

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1403875:60872?tid=&pid=&queryId=78c1cb54-4fc6-46dd-897e-ede148c8d4b1&_phsrc=orQ32&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 203, Digital page: 590/651, Left page, entry 636.
Notes: The information for her parents, and the county name, are incorrect on this file (transcription errors?). She appears to have been living with her son Dr. Freeman McClintock, who died in Michigan.

Thirza Taylor
in the Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998

Cuyahoga > Estate Files, Docket 34, Case No 9031-62092, 1813-1913
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6426020:8801
Digital pages: 2 through 7/209
and
The Connection: When Thirza’s younger brother James Jr. died on January 1, 1854, his wife Betsey McClintock remarried eight months later (on August 10, 1854), to Tirza’s son Philonzo Taylor Jr. (Thirza lost a brother and gained a daughter-in-law). Here is the 1850 census to document the Taylor family —
Thirza Taylor
in the 1850 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13469152:8054?tid=&pid=&queryId=0d8c99c5-6e9b-49d3-af1f-1446805483c0&_phsrc=IPg31&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages: 9-10/30, Entries 38-42, and 1-4 (next page top).
and
The August 10, 1854 remarriage:
Betsey Ann McClintock
in the Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993

Geauga > 1841 – 1854
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/900862477:61378?tid=&pid=&queryId=7b4f7af5-2a9c-4c25-a297-4327d843e3c4&_phsrc=IPg6&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 412/437, Left page, entry 2.

Mahala Short
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/26447561:60525?tid=&pid=&queryId=ce7d9371-67a5-4f32-b666-460c32adfea5&_phsrc=Lml7&_phstart=successSource
and
Mahala Short
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53699209/mahala-short
Notes: We connected her husband Shubal Short through her residence with her family who lived in Phelps, Ontario, New York and this lawsuit, where her husband is named: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/28306/images/dvm_LocHist012267-00246-1-0?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=400
Notes: The McClintock family is connected to the Short family of Phelps, Ontario County, New York through 3 marriages:

Dr Freeman McClintock
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/86876122:60525?tid=&pid=&queryId=2b92d9cc-fbdc-4124-862f-bcb7bc69167a&_phsrc=aWz3&_phstart=successSource
and
Dr Freeman McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/33127439/freeman-mcclintock
Note 1: For birth and death dates.
Note 2: The McClintock family is connected to the Short family of Phelps, Ontario County, New York through 3 marriages:

  • Sarah McClintock, married Sidney Smith Short about 1831
  • Mahala McClintock, married Shobal Pula Short Sr. about 1826
  • Freeman Brazilla McClintock, Lydia A. Short, on November 27, 1831, as identified in American Biographical History of Eminent and Self-made Men : Michigan volume, The Sixth Congressional District

Dr. Freeman McClintock led a dynamic life and was profiled in this book — American Biographical History of Eminent and Self-made Men : Michigan volume, The Sixth Congressional District
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/25026/images/dvm_LocHist010122-00622-0?pId=704
Book pages: 50-51, Digital pages: 797-798/984

image4
Handwritten note, gallery image for Joshua John McClintock
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1173647/person/-1913123119/media/11ee9170-8904-4927-9240-ed38c9b3fa82?queryId=8f38b5df-7553-47d9-b0ec-1f41dd4ae931&_phsrc=xAm11&_phstart=successSource
Notes: Below is the handwritten document, that also provides information about his wife Lucy Seward. His birth location is incorrect being listed as Manchester. The family never lived in Manchester, but in the nearby town of Hillsborough, where  his other siblings from the same timeframe were likely born.

Handwritten document posted on Ancestry.com. (See comments above).

J J McClintock
in the Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998
Cuyahoga > Will Records, Vol X-Y, 1892-1893
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/13657472:8801?tid=&pid=&queryId=1dbe9c61-e191-4563-aedd-fb10ce11e962&_phsrc=AKd1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 206/682
Note: For death date.
and
will [of JJ McClintock]
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1173647/person/-1913123119/media/7a207c15-7b42-4acf-b42b-b3fc2648f551?galleryindex=1&sort=-created
and
will p2
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/1173647/person/-1913123119/media/54bd5581-d1fe-4174-90d8-1993a9606f73?galleryindex=2&sort=-created
Note: There are two pages to this hand drafted document as indicated by the two links above. The Will is found in an ancestry.com photo gallery.

James McClintock [Jr.]
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/53699189/james_mcclintock
Note: For his birth and death dates.

Dexter McClintock
in the Web: Ohio, Find A Grave Index, 1787-2012

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7887384:70559?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635845738
and
Dexter McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/19154853/mccl

William McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/108474075/william_mcclintock
Notes: For his birth and death dates.

Observation: Not to be outdone by his older brother Freeman, it appears that William McClintock was also a very accomplished man. A newspaper he started named the Fayette County Union was published continuously until 1944.

Portrait and Biographical Album of Fayette County, Iowa.
Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County
by Lake City Publishing Company
https://archive.org/details/portraitbiogra00lake/page/272/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 273, Digital page: 272/698
and a transcribed copy —
Fayette County, Iowa
Biography Directory
Portrait & Biographical Album of Fayette County Iowa
Containing Full Page Portraits and Biographical Sketches of Prominent and Representative Citizens of the County
Lake City Publishing Co., Chicago, March 1891
https://iagenweb.org/fayette/bios/1891/373b.htm

Library of Congress
Fayette County Union (West Union, Iowa) 1866-1944
https://www.loc.gov/item/sn83025183/

Louisa McClintock
in the 1870 United States Federal Census

Michigan > Shiawassee > Sciota
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/27514564:7163?tid=&pid=&queryid=2efdaa07-be2b-4470-a5cc-681975d47192&_phsrc=dPv25&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 2, Digital page: 2/32, Entries 12 and 13.
Notes: Louisa’s birthdate is inferred from this record. In 1870, she is living in Michigan taking care of her mother, who died there the next year.

The Connection: Throughout the 1850s and 186os she is making property tax payments in Solon, Cuyahoga, Ohio. The last record for Ohio is:
Louisa M McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869
1865
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1320613:2100?tid=&pid=&queryid=8220d991-1796-464a-8766-f71723b626c5&_phsrc=FPj1&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 26, Digital page: 500/558

Wayne County, New York
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_County,_New_York
Note: For founding date.

Library of Congress
A View of Manchester, N.H.
by J.B. Bachelder, 1855
https://www.loc.gov/resource/cph.3g08323/
Note: For the landscape painting.

The Censuses of 1800 through 1830 and Their Differences

(2) — eleven records

The National Archives
The 1810 Census
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1810
Note: “The census began on Monday, August 6, 1810, and was finished within 9 months…”, and for the form questions: 
https://www.archives.gov/files/research/genealogy/charts-forms/1810-census.pdf

James McClintock
in the 1810 United States Federal Census

New Hampshire > Hillsborough > Windsor
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/187893:7613?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 2/2, Entry 16.

Map Of The State Of New York
Published by A. Finley Philadelphia,1824
https://archive.org/details/dr_map-of-the-state-of-new-york-published-by-a-finley-philada-1824-copy-ri-2587002

The National Archives
1820 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1820
Note: “The census began on Monday, August 7, 1820, and was finished within 6 months…”, and for the form questions:
https://www.archives.gov/files/research/genealogy/charts-forms/1820-census.pdf

James McClintock
in the 1820 United States Federal Census

New York > Ontario > Phelps
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/567539:7734?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 10/12, Entry 11.
Note: He is entry #738 and the next entry #739, is his brother Samuel. 

The National Archives
1830 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1830
Note: “The census began on Tuesday, June 1, 1830, and was finished within 6 months,…” and for the form questions:
https://www.archives.gov/files/research/genealogy/charts-forms/1830-census.pdf

James McClintick
in the 1830 United States Federal Census

New York > Wayne > Arcadia
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/163551:8058
Digital page: 35/48, Entry 17.

Samuel McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869

1831-1833
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1665566:2100?tid=&pid=&queryid=c0b09afb-af21-4cc1-ae13-d957d6a769a8&_phsrc=NeN1&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 194/636, Last entry.

Let’s Pause A Moment for Some Refreshment, Shall We?

(3) — three records

History of the Town of Arcadia
https://wayne.nygenweb.net/everts/arcadiaeverts.html

Windsor Historical Society
Colonial Boozing
https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/colonial-boozing/

Medium
The Temperance Movement Was Totally Badass
https://medium.com/@benfreeland/the-temperance-movement-was-truly-badass-dfeaed03a3e0
Note: For temperance illustration of Fredericktown, Ohio reformers.
You go, girls!

And Back to The Census…

(4) — three records

The National Archives
1840 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1840
Note: “The census began on Monday, June 1, 1840, and was finished within five months…”, and for the form questions:
https://www.archives.gov/files/research/genealogy/charts-forms/1840-census.pdf

James Mcclintock
in the 1840 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Geauga > Bainbridge
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2629792:8057?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 9/14, Entry 3.

The Western Reserve of Ohio

(5) — four records

Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Reserve_Including_the_Fire_Lands_1826.jpg
Note: On this map, Geauga County is still combined with the future Lake County and Russell township is not yet named.
Note: For the map image.

History of the Firelands
https://lymevillage.org/history-of-the-firelands/

United States Migration to Ohio, Northwest Territory, Southwest 1785 to 1840 – International Institute
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/United_States_Migration_to_Ohio,Northwest_Territory,_Southwest_1785_to_1840-_International_Institute

Connecticut Western Reserve
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Western_Reserve
Note: For the map of “Connecticut’s land claims in the Western United States.”

The Settling of Solon Township, Ohio

(6) — two records

Solon, Ohio
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solon,_Ohio

History of Cuyahoga County, Ohio …
With Portraits and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
by Crisfeld Johnson
https://archive.org/details/historyofcuyahog00injohn/page/516/mode/2up?q=“McClintock”
Book page: 517, Digital page: 516/534

“Nothing Can be Said to be Certain, Except Death and Taxes…”

(7) — seven records

Death and Taxes [idiom]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_and_taxes_(idiom)#:~:text=%22Death%20and%20taxes%22%20is%20a,certain%2C%20except%20death%20and%20taxes.

James Mcclintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869
1833-1835
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1651638:2100?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 65/658, Entries 8 through 17 (based upon name).

James McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869
1835-1837
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1647946:2100?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 487/648, Entries 7 through 18 (based upon name).

James McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869

1842-1843
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1607066:2100?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 537/686, Entries 10 through 14 (based upon name).

James McClintock
in the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, U.S., Tax Lists, 1819-1869

1844-1845
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1195813:2100?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635866414
Digital page: 303/682, Entries 12 through 17 (based upon name).

Listed in the Cuyahoga County 1852 landownership map index
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/21248/images/dvm_LocHist007250-00029-1?ssrc=pt&treeid=18269704&personid=635866414&usePUB=true&pId=52
Digital page: 54/107, Entry 20.

Annals of Cleveland.
Vol. II. Abstracts of the records of court cases in Cuyahoga County
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/28306/images/dvm_LocHist012267-00246-1-0?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=400
Book page: 111-112, Digital page:: 470-471/3048

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Five

This is Chapter Five of seven, about our family line, the McClintocks. We have always been interested in genealogy, but we wonder about the current “epidemic” happening on websites like Ancestry and Family Search. Is this present situation a product of living in these times — due to the exponential growth of the internet, and the availability of genetic DNA testing? Our ancestors presumably framed their thoughts on ancestry a little bit differently…

A Certain Cultural Cachet…

“What is that wonderful cologne you’re wearing?” “Ohhh, do you like it? It’s Eau de Bunker Hill! Absolutely everybody’s wearing it!”

Sometimes we wonder why everybody who likes to look into their ancestry — or at least those who talk about aspects of it at a family reunion, always think they may have a famous relative. Why is there always someone who seems so invested in the idea of having an ancestor who fought at Bunker Hill? Is it something about the name? Is it a password for a certain level of American cultural cachet?

This is not the Bunker Hill you are most likely thinking of — this is Bunker Hill, Miami. And not that Miami, either. This is Bunker Hill, Miami, Indiana.

In this history, we encountered several stories where someone insisted their ancestors were directly connected to Bunker Hill, i.e., “I’m descended from ______ McClintock, who was a ______, and who fought at Bunker Hill.” Rest assured, this did not happen in our branch of the McClintock family line. If it had happened, we’d celebrate it, but we will never just make something up. (1)

John and Christen Raised Many Children

William and Agnes McClintock’s last child was John McClintock (Sr.), born about 1744 in Tyngstown, New Hampshire Province — died October 9, 1803, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. He married Christen McNeil on December 29, 1768, in Derryfield, New Hampshire Province. She was born July 20, 1748, Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — died March 27, 1790, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. They had at least eight children.

The first four children were born in: Derryfield, New Hampshire Province.

  • Rachel (McClintock) Knox, born February 22, 1770 Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — died January 22, 1835, Pembroke, Merrimack County, New Hampshire
  • Margaret McClintock, born September 14, 1771, Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
  • Agnes McClintock, born August 2, 1773, Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
  • William McClintock, born August 2, 1773, Derryfield, New Hampshire Province — death date unknown

    The next four children were born in: Hillsborough* (town), New Hampshire Province. (*See notes on Revolutionary War payments.)
  • Daniel McClintock, born December 15, 1775, Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — death date unknown
  • James McClintock (Sr.), born January 3, 1778, Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — died September 1845, Bainbridge, Geauga County, Ohio (We are descended from James). (James and John were twins).
  • John McClintock (Jr.), born January 3, 1778, Hillsborough (town), New Hampshire Province — died January 13, 1808, Hillsborough, New Hampshire Province
  • Samuel McClintock, born about 1788 — died after 1860, Bedford, Cuyahoga, Ohio

    Comment: After the birth of the twins John and James McClintock, there was a fall off in the frequency of births (or at least reasonably believable birth records). Christen the mother, died in 1790 at 41 years old. She may have had more children between 1778 and 1788, but we just cannot verify that she did. With the exception of Samuel, who was born in 1788 — and we only knew about him due to tax records and a court case. (For more about Samuel, see The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Six, and Seven). (2)

The 1790 Census

In the 1790 census, we see that John is living near his brother Alexander. “The census began on Monday, August 2, 1790, and was finished within 9 months.” (The National Archives). The data collected was very simple with only these categories applied and no other details:

  • Name of head of family
  • Number of free white males age 16 years and upwards, including head of family
  • Number of free white males under 16 years old
  • Number of free white females, including head of family
The 1790 Census, the first census of the new United States.

In John’s home he is counted as the Head of Home (category: free white males 16 years and upwards, including head of family). There are 5 free white males under 16 years of age, and 5 (free white females, including head of family). When we compare the birth records of their children to the category ages in this census, the five boys under 16 line up, but the five females do not. We also know that John’s wife Christen died in March about 5 months before the census was conducted. This means that she was never counted in a census. We also know that there were three daughters at that time. The inclusion of the two additional females is unknown.

In the Derryfield town records, if within the community there was a child in need, either without a parent, or a parent unable to care for them… then that child would be sheltered at a home within the community. Such was the case with a woman named Elizabeth Massey and her unnamed child who was described as sickly. Perhaps the additional females were of this sort.

The 1790 census is the only census where we directly find John McClintock. He died in 1803. Near the end of his life, around the time of the 1800 census, he could have been living in the home of one of his children. If that happened, he would not have been listed as the Head of Household. (3)

This inset map shows the communities of Hillsborough, Goffstown, and Derryfield where the McClintocks were living between the 1740s and 1803. An Accurate Map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England… by Samuel Langdon, circa 1757. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).
This is an example of the Association Test document from the community of Hampton, New Hampshire. (Image courtesy of Hampton History Matters).

The Beginning of the Revolutionary War

The Association Test
“In March 1776 the Continental Congress resolved that all persons who refused to sign the Association to defend the cause of the Colonies should be disarmed. To put this resolve into effect, the New Hampshire Committee of Safety directed the local authorities, usually the selectmen, to have all adult males sign the Association and to report the names of those who refused to sign. The end result amounted to a census of the adult male inhabitants of New Hampshire for 1776…” (Inhabitants of New Hampshire 1776)

From this document we learned that the elder, Michael and William McClintock, signed the Association Test, and that they were both still living in Derryfield. William’s sons Alexander and John [our ancestor] also signed, but were then living in the nearby town of Hillsborough. (4)

U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John McClintock, New Hampshire, 1st Regiment, 1777-1780, Captain Jason Waits Company, Colonel John Stark’s Regiment.

The First New Hampshire Regiment

John McClintock joined the First New Hampshire Regiment On March 15, 1777 for an agreed three year term of service. However, he served less that the agreed three years. Records indicate that during this “appointed” period, he was a Private in this Regiment. This required him to travel where he was needed which seems to be tours in the Northern Territory, and then some of the battles listed in the text below.

Military Commanders associated with the First New Hampshire Regiment. From Left to Right: Major General John Sullivan, Colonel John Stark, and Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Cilley. (See footnotes for resources).

“The 1st New Hampshire Regiment was authorized as New Hampshire State Troops on May 22, 1775, and was organized as 10 companies of 800 volunteers from Hillsborough and Rockingham counties… commanded by John Stark. The regiment was adopted into the Continental Army on June 14, 1775, and assigned to General John Sullivan’s brigade on July 22, 1775. The regiment saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Note: the battle was fought on June 15, 1775…John joined in 1777, that’s why our John McClintock was never there.

On January 1, 1777, the 5th Continental Regiment was re-organized to eight companies and re-designated as the 1st New Hampshire Regiment. With the resignation of John Stark, [Joseph] Cilley took command of the 1st New Hampshire and led them during the Saratoga Campaign of 1777, and the Battle of Monmouth, and the Battle of Stony Point in 1778. In 1779, Cilley and the 1st New Hampshire were with Gen. Sullivan in his campaign against the Iroquois and Loyalists in western New York.” (Wikipedia)

Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth, by Emanuel Leutz, circa

We discovered records from the town of Hillsborough which made us understand that John McClintock likely only participated in battles which occurred between March of 1777 and March of 1779.Why he left before the end of three years probably had to do with the fact that he was responsible for a wife and seven children at home. Additionally, he became the Constable of the town of Hillsborough in March 1779.

From the History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921, it states, “John McClintock was chosen Constable, the most important office in town. It was not only his duty to maintain peace, but he performed the functions of sheriff and collector of taxes. No town meeting could be called without his signature to the warrant, and altogether it was the most difficult office to fill. Not infrequently persons chosen to the positions refused to serve, and the Selectmen had to find some one willing to fill the vacancy. Sometimes the man elected was compelled to find a substitute. The reward for filling the round of arduous duties was slight.”

We also saw this curious passage in the book, “Another Scotch-Irish family, four strong, were the McClintocks, always eager for an argument, but never ready to give up. They were a stalwart race, though not as tall as the Monroes or as slim as the Andrews.” Collins Dictionary defines stalwart as: ” A stalwart supporter or worker is loyal, steady, and completely reliable.” (We guess that’s why the Hillsborough Town Council must have thought John would be a good town constable!)

Observation: We don’t know if during his tenure in the army he was ever allowed to see his wife and children. He had a big family, and it seems to us that his wife Christen became pregnant with twin sons during the days just before he left to serve in the war. (These children are their last two sons: John Jr., and James, our ancestor. There is an extensive history of some wives and families being Camp Followers during the war, but we see no record of this with our family).

American soldiers at the siege of Yorktown, by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger, watercolor, 1781.

Catch-As-Catch-Can*
When the Revolutionary War started, the American Patriot side of the conflict was not very well-organized initially. Who would expect them to be? The situation was more in the vein of a civil war when things started up. The history of how the troops were outfitted and supplied, was one of making do with what was at hand, until much later. (When France started supplying uniforms to the American Rebels, as payback against the British, who they were really angry with, about… many, many things…)
*From the Merriam Webster Dictionary, “using any available means or method: hit or miss”

The Uniforms of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment 1775-1784 A Historical Research Project, taught us that “The 1st NH began the war in civilian clothing, being composed of minute and militia companies responding to the “Lexington Alarm”. As the war progressed, the unit was issued several different uniforms, including two different sets of brown coats with red facings, brown coats with white facings and green coats with maroon facings From our recent research we can find no mention of the unit ever having been issued the traditional blue coats with white facings as prescribed for New England regiments by Washington in his 1779 uniform regulations.”

Revolutionary War Payments
Birth records for James and John (Jr.) McClintock indicate that they were born in Hillsborough, NH. Revolutionary War payment records for their father, John Sr., indicate that he was from Goffstown, which is the town adjacent to Derryfield. It seems strange to us that there is a notation about Goffstown, when all other records point first to Derryfield and then to Hillsborough.

A Picturesque View of the State Of The Nation, from “How was the Revolutionary War paid for?” by the Journal of the American Revolution.

Furthermore, the book History of Manchester, Formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire.., author Potter writes “It is interesting to note the readiness with which the towns, composing the ancient Amoskeag, contributed to the patriot cause. Their people were ever ready to respond to the call of country; thus Bedford, Chester, Derryfield, Goffstown, and Londonderry in 1777, 1778, and 1789, furnished the following regular soldiers, or “three years men;” [John McClintock Sr. is listed under Goffstown].

These Revolutionary War payment records list John McClintock Sr. as being 27 years old in 1777. He was actually closer to 33 years of age, and he either did not know his correct age, or someone wrote it down incorrectly. His gravestone very clearly records that he was 59 years old when he died in 1803, therefore, born in 1744.

In 1780, the residents of Hillsborough petitioned the government for funds to have a bridge built over the nearby Contoocook River “which we should have built four or five years ‘a goe had it not ben for this unhappy war.” We don’t know if the petition was honored or not, but this is the only place we have ever seen the actual quill pen signatures of John McClintock Sr. and his brother, Alexander.

Hillsborough, New Hampshire government petition of May 8, 1780.

In the years 1782-1784, John McClintock Sr. was paying “non resident taxes” on property that he continued to own in Derryfield. We wonder if this property was actually in Derryfield or the next door town of Goffstown? Just a few years later, his death and that of his wife Christen, are recorded as being in Hillsborough. (6)

An example advertisement seeking the return of Deserted Soldiers during the Revolutionary War.

Robert Finney and the Indian Corn Incident.

Parsing through legal documents written in a form of English which is 250 years old, can be somewhat puzzling. We found records of a court case brought by the Selectmen of the Town of Hillsborough against John McClintock Sr. which we now call Robert Finney and the Indian Corn Incident.

It seems that for some unknown reason two of these Selectmen, Samuel Bradford and John McColley, approached John McClintock Sr., and agreed to pay him money and Indian Corn, if he would arrange “for the hire of a Certain Robert Finney who the said McClintock had procured to enlist into the Continatal Army said year as a man for the said Town of Hillsborough.” [Then] “immediately after his Muster Diserted and Never Joined the Army at all and your petitioners vehemently Suspect that this Disertion was advised and Countinanced by the sd [said] McClintock.” It seems that John did arrange for the man to join, and then, Robert Finney disappeared.

Apparently, John was paid the money, but the men who were buying the service of Mr. Finney were understandably not happy that he had deserted. They wanted their money back. This went to trial in 1782, and “Judgement entered against the Persons who Signed the said note for the sum of 47 16 8d Damage and 3 13 8d Cost of Court as appears of Record.” This means that Bradford and McColley lost. No reasoning was provided for the decision, but it seems to us it could be like this: How could a veteran of the War, who is also the Town Constable, encourage someone to be a deserter? There was no proof of that belief. This bubbled up now and then and went on until 1786, when some amicable decision was finally reached by everyone involved. (7)

In the next chapter, we follow our 3x Great Grandfather James McClintock as his family leaves New Hampshire and eventually resettles in the Western Reserve of northeast Ohio.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

A Certain Cultural Cachet…

(1) — one record

Bunker Hill current and former clerk-treasurers must repay $6K, audit says
[sotto voce] > The town has faced scrutiny over the past decade
https://www.wrtv.com/news/wrtv-investigates/bunker-hill-current-and-former-clerk-treasurers-must-repay-6k-audit-says
Note: For the photo, and a bit of the scandal too…

John and Christen Raised Many Children

(2) — sixteen records

John McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96906535/john-mcclintock?_gl=1*7cddiw*_gcl_au*MTk5MDU4MTkzOC4xNzIyODU4NDQ0*_ga*MTQ4NjkxODM4NC4xNzIyODU4NDQ0*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*OTM1MmQyNGYtOWRhYS00MzZiLTk3NDgtOTdhY2I2ZjAwZGUxLjQuMS4xNzIyODc2OTUzLjEwLjAuMA..*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*OTM1MmQyNGYtOWRhYS00MzZiLTk3NDgtOTdhY2I2ZjAwZGUxLjQuMS4xNzIyODc2OTUzLjAuMC4w
Note: Birth and death dates

Cristen Macniel
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Marriage Records, 1700-1971

1700-1900 > McCh-McGo
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/90143222:61836
Digital page: 209/3386

From the Nashua Telegraph newspaper, August 25, 1954.

Nashua Telegraph (Nashua, New Hampshire)
1954 > August > 25
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/6931/images/NEWS-NH-NA_TE.1954_08_25-0015?ssrc=pt&treeid=75768616&personid=42330432825&usePUB=true&pId=500458511
Digital page: 15/22
Note: Newspaper article about old cemetery monuments which cites the Christen (Mc Neil) McClintock headstone.

Cristieu McNeill
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Index, 1659-1900

Melendy – Mooers
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/477356:4582?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635945484
Digital page: 3779/5042
Note: For her birth date.

Christen McClintock
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/63229320:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=75768616&pid=42330432884
Note: For her birth and death dates.
and
Christen McNeil McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96906517/christen-mcclintock

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne, page 144.

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/144/mode/2up?view=theater
Note: For the Bible Hill Burial Ground photo.

Rachel McClintock Knox
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150016663/rachel_knox
and
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/172507:4582?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635978912
Note: For her birth and death dates.

History of Pembroke, N. H. 1730-1895
by Nathan Franklin Carter and Trueworthy Ladd Fowler
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028836471/page/186/mode/2up
Book page: 186, Digital page: 186/459
Note: For the marriage record of (18) Daniel Knox to Rachel McClintock.

Margaret McClintock
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Index, 1659-1900

Lewis – McDonald
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/172506:4582?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635978916
Digital page: 3219/5039

Agnes MacClintock
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Records, 1631-1920

Lewis – McDonald
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/283652:61833
Digital page: 3221/5039

William Macclintok
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Records, 1631-1920

Birth Certificate> 1631-1900 > McCalley-Myc
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/283648:61833
Digital page: 1125/3740

Daniel McClintok
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Birth Records, 1631-1920
Birth Certificate> 1631-1900 > McCalley-Myc
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/283647:61833?tid=&pid=&queryId=8392da29-618e-440e-85ba-9c629b4af1f0&_phsrc=Azi10&_phstart=successSource
Digital page: 1123/3740

James McClintock Sr
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/58353478:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=75768616&pid=42330432184
Note: Birth and death dates
and here:
James McClintock Sr.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95744747/james-mcclintock

John McClintock [II]
Lewis – McDonald
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/172528:4582
Digital page: 3241/5039
and
https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/new-hampshire-births-deaths-and-marriages-1654-1969/RecordDisplay?volumeId=13805&pageName=11374&rId=246296673
Note: For his birth date.
John McClintock II
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96906548/john_mcclintock
Note: For his death date.

Samuel McClintock
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

Ohio > Cuyahoga > Bedford
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43833580:7667?tid=&pid=&queryid=c3f3887a-3273-44c0-8ee0-f2e68300c68f&_phsrc=mfA15&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 36, Digital page: 36/50
Notes: We were able to deduce that this is Samuel McClintock who is the brother related to James McClintock, the primary subject of the next chapter, The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Six.

1860 Bedford, Cuyahoga County, Ohio Census record. We were able to discern the McClintock surname, his age of 72 years, and NH as part of his birthplace. Hence — Samuel McClintock, born about 1788, likely in Hillsboro [Hillsborough], NH.

It appears that he is a boarder in the Perkins home. Furthermore, the 1860 Ohio census is completely illegible. So we were able to manipulate the file in a photographic program to discern enough data to confirm that this is indeed our ancestor.

The 1790 Census

(3) — five records

The National Archives
1790 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790

John McClintock
in the 1790 United States Federal Census

New Hampshire > Hillsborough > Hillsborough
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/215073:5058?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635945483
Digital page: 3/3, Left columns, Entry 16 above Alexander McClintock.
and
The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 172, Digital page: 172/567

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n224/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 218, Digital page: 225/407,
Note: Representative notice of support for Elizabeth Massey and her child. These notices are numerous within these records.

Library of Congress
An accurate map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England…
by Samuel Langdon, 1723-1797
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3740.ar086900/?r=0.343,0.005,0.964,0.464,0
Note: The map is circa 1757, and is cropped to feature the town of Hillsborough.

The Beginning Of The Revolutionary War

(4) — five records

Inhabitants of New Hampshire, 1776
by Emily S. Wilson
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/49199/images/FLHG_InhabitantsofNH-0071?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=52151
Book pages: 4 and 71, Digital pages: 4/170 and 71/130

Signers of the Association Test, and “credited as belonging to the training band of Hillsborough in 1776”
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/108/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 109-110, Digital pages: 108-110/567

Not pictured here in the footnotes, but in the preceding chapter —
U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John McClintick
New Hampshire > 01st Regiment, 1777-1780 (Folders 6-12)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/4282/images/miusa1775a_113592-00612?pId=1245062
Document name: miusa1775a_113592-00612 .jpeg
Digital page: 613/740

Shown above:
U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John McClintick
New Hampshire > 01st Regiment, 1777-1780 (Folders 6-12)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/4282/images/miusa1775a_113592-00693?pId=1247116
Document name: miusa1775a_113592-00693.jpg
Digital page: 694/740

Shown above:
U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783 for John McClintick
New Hampshire > 01st Regiment, 1777-1780 (Folders 6-12)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/4282/images/miusa1775a_113592-00656?pId=1246304
Document name: miusa1775a_113592-00656 .jpeg
Digital page: 657/740

The First New Hampshire Regiment

(5) — sixteen records

First New Hampshire Regiment Commander Gallery credits:
The Revolutionary War on Staten Island
Sullivan’s raid [in his own words] of Staten Island, August 22, 1777
https://revolutionarywarstatenisland.com/2017/06/
Note: For his portrait.
and
Frontier Partisans
Live Free Or Die: John Stark
https://frontierpartisans.com/31962/live-free-or-die-john-stark-all-american-badass/
Note: For his portrait.
and
The Society of the Cincinnati in the State of New Hampshire
Colonel Joseph Cilley, 1st Regiment, N.H. Continental Line
https://www.socnh.org/joseph-cilley/
Note: For his portrait.

1st New Hampshire Regiment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1st_New_Hampshire_Regiment

Washington Rallying the Troops at Monmouth
by Emanuel Leutz
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BattleofMonmouth.jpg
For: The battlefield image painting.

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 235, Digital page: 234/567,
Note: Hillsborough town notes re: John McClintock as Constable
Book page 232, Digital page: 232/567
Note: For the comment, “Another Scotch-Irish family…”

Collins Dictionary
Stalwart
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/stalwart

American soldiers at the siege of Yorktown,
by Jean-Baptiste-Antoine DeVerger, watercolor, 1781
https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Soldiers_at_the_siege_of_Yorktown_(1781),_by_Jean-Baptiste-Antoine_DeVerger.png
Note: For the soldier uniform(s) image.

Merriam-Webster Dictionary
Catch-As-Catch-Can
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catch-as-catch-can
Note: The meaning of Catch-As-Catch-Can is using any available means or method : hit-or-miss.

The Uniforms of the 1st New Hampshire Regiment 1775-1784
A Historical Research Project
https://www.continentalline.org/CL/article-000201/

Shown above:
John McClintock
in the U.S., Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783

New Hampshire > 01st Regiment, 1777-1780 (Folders 6-12)
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1246570:4282
Document name: miusa1775a_113592-00666 .jpeg
Digital page: 667/740
Note: This is a transcribed record.

Journal of the American Revolution
How was the Revolutionary War paid for?https://allthingsliberty.com/2015/02/how-was-the-revolutionary-war-paid-for/

History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire : including that of ancient Amoskeag, or the middle Merrimack Valley, together with the address, poem, and other proceedings of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of Derryfield at Manchester, October 22, 1851
by C. E. Potter, (Chandler Eastman)
https://archive.org/details/historyofmanches00pott
Book page: 184, Digital page: 184/763

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n6/mode/2up
Notes: For John McClintock —
Book page: 21-22, Digital page: 29/425, Non resident taxes for 1782
Book page: 40-41, Digital page: 49/425, Non resident taxes for 1783
Book page: 59-60, Digital page: 67-69/425, Non resident taxes for 1784

The Indian Corn Incident

(6) — four records

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n224/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 218, Digital page: 225/407,
Note: Representative notice of support for Elizabeth Massey and her child. These notices are numerous within these records.

Alexandrew McClintock
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Government Petitions, 1700-1826

Box 11-20 > Box 14: Oct 1779-Sept 1780 > May 1780
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/25354:62199?tid=&pid=&queryid=e7a12054-205b-44de-bf89-7aca26e34e48&_phsrc=mfA11&_phstart=successSource
Digital pages: 9-10/16
Notes: Their signatures are on page 10. His actual name is Alexander McClintock.

Forgotten Voices of the Revolutionary War
Deserter Ads, People of Color, and Racial Descriptions at the Redding Encampment
https://forgottenvoicesrevwar.org/deserter-ads-people-of-color-and-racial-descriptions-at-the-redding-encampment/
Note: For “Deserter Ad of William Berry and William Benson, both at Redding during the winter of 1778- 1779.”

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 140-141, Digital pages: 140/567
Note: For Robert Finney and the Indian Corn Incident.

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Four

This is Chapter Four of seven, as we continue with the unfolding history of the McClintock family.

This chapter of our narrative has two parts. The first part is about wars and conflict; the second part, peace and community. It is unusual for us to find so many records about an ancestor who was not well known to history. This is due to the fact that William McClintock was deeply involved as an Selectman for the town of Derryfield in both governmental and religious matters, (and that the records have survived!)

Colonists Walking to Church, by James S. King (Public domain).

Before the American Revolution, a town like Chester had a widely scattered population. The History of New Hampshire states, that “men, women and children had been accustomed to walk six and eight miles to attend [religious] services.” (Ya gotta hand it to these ancestors… show of hands for anyone who does this today on a regular basis…) (1)

In Times of War, We Suffer

In the year 1748, there was palpable fear in Tyng’s Township of Indians (Native Peoples) attacking the settlers. “There seems to have been more fear of the Indians this year than in any other. There were several garrisons kept in town. The house now occupied by Benjamin Hills still has the port-holes through the boarding…” (These portholes are related to the sides of a wooden ship which was repurposed to build the wall of a house. The portholes were windows which the setters would shoot through toward people they viewed as aggressors.) Below is an example of a petition that our ancestors, who appear to have lived far from the town center. (History of Old Chester)

The third petition of 1748.

Our ancestors were inhabiting the lower reaches of the British New Hampshire Province. The upper portion was a border area, sparsely filled with the French, who had their various alliances with Native Peoples. Hence, the region was a border area filled with conflict, some of it percolating down to southern New Hampshire. “In British America, wars were often named after the sitting British monarch, such as King William’s War or Queen Anne’s War. There had already been a King George’s War in the 1740s during the reign of King George II, so British colonists named this conflict after their opponents, and it became known as the French and Indian War.” (Wikipedia) (2)

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm trying to stop Native Americans from attacking British soldiers and civilians as they leave Fort William Henry at the Battle of Fort William Henry, during the French and Indian War. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Military Service in Two Wars

The French and Indian War
“The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years’ War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. Two years into the war, in 1756, Great Britain declared war on France, beginning the worldwide Seven Years’ War. At the start of the war, the French colonies had a population of roughly 60,000 settlers, compared with 2 million in the British colonies. The outnumbered French particularly depended on their native allies. The British colonists were supported at various times by the Iroquois, Catawba, and Cherokee tribes, and the French colonists were supported by Wabanaki Confederacy members Abenaki and Mi’kmaq…” (Wikipedia)

American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement with Great Britain, 1783-1784,
London, England, by Benjamin West
(oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware
From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin. The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.

Records show that that William and his twin brother Michael were involved in military service for two wars during the decades of the 1740s through the 1770s. William McClintock achieved the rank of Sergeant, and his brother Michael achieved the rank of Captain. We found records of military payments in pounds and shillings, made to William McClintock and his brother Michael. Browne writes in the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, “Paid by the Sundrey persons hereafter Named to Nethaniel Martin Teopilus Griflfen & Nat Baker as volenters men they went to Noumber four about the Retreet from Ty — are as followeth
William mc Clintok 0 6 0 0″ (See the notes from the Harvard Library at the end of this section, for an explanation about payments).

The conflict William was paid for was the siege of “Number four about the retreat from Ty” [Tyngstown] which “was a frontier action at present-day Charlestown, New Hampshire, during King George’s War”.(Collections of The Bennington Museum, Bennington, Vermont)

The Association Test
“In March 1776 the Continental Congress resolved that all persons who refused to sign the Association to defend the cause of the Colonies should be disarmed. To put this resolve into effect, the New Hampshire Committee of Safety directed the local authorities, usually the selectmen, to have all adult males sign the Association and to report the names of those who refused to sign. The end result amounted to a census of the adult male inhabitants of New Hampshire for 1776…” (Inhabitants of New Hampshire 1776)

From this document we learned that both Michael(Nicheall) and William signed the Association, and that they were both still living in Derryfield. William’s sons Alexander and John also signed, but were then living in the nearby town of Hillsborough.

Battle of Bennington, 1777 by Alonzo Chappel. (Image courtesy of The Bennington Museum).

The Battle of Bennington, Revolutionary War
John Stark of Derryfield, New Hampshire was friends with both of the McClintock brothers as he had served with them as one of the town administrators during the 1760s. During the Revolutionary War, he “was commissioned [as] a brigadier general of the New Hampshire militia and was ordered to lead a force to Bennington, there to cooperate with Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys posted at Manchester.

Stark agreed to take the independent command, so long as he was issued a commission from only New Hampshire. He refused to take orders from Congress or from any Continental officer.  As the historian Richard Ketchum has emphasized, “the effect was startling.  Within six days, twenty-five companies – almost fifteen hundred men – signed up to follow him, some of them even walking out of a church service when they heard of his appointment. [In August 1777] General Stark marched his force to Bennington – a small village that one British officer called ‘the metropolis of the [future] state of Vermont.’” (Champlain Valley NHP, see footnotes)

From the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, “Paid by indeviduels to hold on John Nutt Enoch Harvey Theophilus Griffin & David Farmer and others went with General Stark at the Battel at Benenten are as folloeth (viz)
Micheal mc Clintok   1  2  0  0
William mc  Clintok   1  4  0  0″

It’s unclear if William and Michael were paid in (£) Pound sterling, shillings, and pence, or in the scrip of the Continental Congress. “When the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1775, it authorized the issue of bills of credit to the value of two million Spanish milled dollars as a way of funding the Revolutionary War. The Continental Congress granted a charter to create the Bank of North America in Philadelphia to issue the notes. Paul Revere of Boston engraved the plates for the first of these bills, which were known as Continental Currency. As had been the case in the days of Colonial Scrip, each of the colonies printed its own notes, some denominated in pounds, shillings, and pence, and others in dollars.” (Harvard Library)

The Stamp Act of 1765 was one of the outrages which helped lead to the American Revolution in 1776. At the time, the British government was forcing American Colonists to pay for the costs of the French and Indian War through extra taxation.

Observations: In 1755, when the French and Indian War began, both of the brothers would have been 46 years old. When the conflicts for the Revolutionary War began in 1775, they would have been 68 years old. We thought that might be a bit too old to serve, but the records for the date of the Battle of Bennington correspond to gaps in their records with the town administration of Derryfield. So, even though they were older, it seems possible. Family Search records that the age range for Servicemen during the French and Indian War, and the Revolutionary War, was 16-60 years. Additionally, author Browne wrote in The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921,“An examination of this list made nearly a year after the battle of Lexington shows that… of the forty-seven men eighteen were over fifty years of age, and beyond the military limit, though this did not deter the most of them from entering the service sometime during the war.” (3)

William Wore Many Hats in Addition to His Tricorne Cap!

As we wrote about in the last chapter, our McClintock ancestors lived in an area that had several names (Tyng’s Township, circa 1727 > Derryfield, circa 1751 > Manchester, circa 1810). William McClintock was the most active member of the town administration and there are many records which feature his various responsibilities. From the book, the History of Manchester, 1735-1921, author Browne writes:

“…a board of officers known as “Select Men,” usually consisting of five of the most prominent men in the community, were chosen to look after matters in the intervals [between town meetings]. Finally these came to be elected for a year, and the meetings were made annual, unless some uncommon subject demanded a special meeting, and March, the least busy period of all the year for the tillers of the soil, was selected as the month in which to hold these gatherings. Soon the Selectmen became known as ‘The Fathers of the Town,’ a very apt term, considering that they were in truth masters of the situation and lawmakers as well as lawgivers.

New England town meeting image courtesy of Winchester News. (Public domain).

The next officer of importance to the Selectmen, and we are not unmindful of the Moderator, who must have been the oldest official, was the person who was intrusted [sic] with the keeping of the records, the Clerk… There had to be men to keep the peace, and the restrictions were very rigid in those days, and these officers were called ‘Constables.’ As soon as the time came when money was needed to finance the public business taxes had to be assessed, which called for ‘Assessors,’ though the Selectmen usually performed this duty, and do until this day in most country towns. In order to obtain these taxes, men had to go out and collect them, for even then money was not paid over until called for, and this duty was performed for a time by the Constable. (The History of Hillsborough, 1735-1921)

Records for Michael and William McClintock were gathered from two sources: Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H. 1751 – 1782, and The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921).

RoleYearsBroad duties
Assessor1751Raised money
Committees1751, 1754, 1769, 1778
Constable1756Collects taxes
Moderator1753, 1754, 1758, 1766, 1767, 1769, 1775Manages meetings
Preacher1759
Selectman1754,
1758 through 1760
1763 through 1765
1769 through 1772
Administration
Surveyor of Highways1758, 1779Field work

Michael McClintock had several roles over the years, but he seems to have spent more time doing other activities such as his agricultural work. With his brother being involved in local government more deeply, he must have been quite aware of what was going on at different times, but chose to keep a lower profile.

Public notice posted by Michael McClintock the year he was a Constable, advising the townspeople of an upcoming meeting. (Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, p. 61)
RoleYearsDuties
Constable1757 through 1759Collects taxes
Deerkeeper1766
Surveyor of Highways1766Field work
Tithingman1752, 1760, 1761, 1771Preserves order during church services

In January 1776, New Hampshire became the first colony to set up an independent government and the first to establish a constitution. (Wikipedia) By 1778, town records indicate that William McClintock was part of a committee involved in the framing a new state Constitution.

Comment: To create the above charts, we did an extensive analysis of the copious administrative records for both William and Michael McClintock. If interested in that level of detail, please see the many index entries listed in the footnotes of the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H., 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII. (4)

In Times of Peace, We Try to Build A Community

The Colonial Meeting House
“A colonial meeting house was a meeting house used by communities in colonial New England. Built using tax money, the colonial meeting house was the focal point [central focus] of the community where the town’s residents could discuss local issues, conduct religious worship, and engage in town business.” [It] was usually the largest building in the town.

Most were almost square, with a steep pitched roof running east to west. There were usually three doors: The one in the center of the long south wall was called the “Door of Honor,” and was used by the minister and his family, and honored out-of-town guests. The other doors were located in the middle of the east and west walls, and were used by women and men, respectively. A balcony (called a “gallery”) was usually built on the east, south, and west walls, and a high pulpit was located on the north wall.

From the Derryfield history, the 1754 seating plan for the town Meeting House.

Following the separation of church and state, some towns architecturally separated the building’s religious and governmental functions by constructing a floor at the balcony level, and using the first floor for town business, and the second floor for church.

“They were simple buildings with no statues, decorations, stained glass, or crosses on the walls. Box pews were provided for families, and single men and women (and slaves) usually sat in the balconies. Large windows were located at both the ground floor and gallery levels. It was a status symbol to have much glass in the windows, as the glass was expensive and had to be imported from England.” (Wikipedia)

The following YouTube.com video, by photographer Peter Hoving, beautifully explains the layout and concepts behind New England Meeting Houses. Some of which he as photographed in New Hampshire.

If the above video does not run for some reason, it can be linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgmQzbnkOU

In the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield, in describing the period after the French and Indian War, “An era of prosperity had dawned upon the province, but unfortunately for the harmony and welfare of the new town two combative elements of human life made up the minds and sinews of the men of Derryfield. Its inhabitants consisted of two distinct races, the Scotch-Irish who had begun to settle within the bounds of its territory as early as 1720, with others following from time to time… while the grant of the Tyng township in 1735 called thirty or more families of the English colony of Massachusetts, the latter largely along the banks and at the mouth of Cohas brook.

The Scotch Presbyterians, who somewhat outnumbered their contemporaries, were imbued with their set, vivid views of what constituted their civil and religious liberties, while the English in their belief were as rigid and dogmatical as they. We see the coloring of this difference of opinion coming to the surface almost immediately, for within a year of the granting of the charter a controversy arose relative to the building of a meeting-house and settling of a minister.”

The gist of this history seems to be that there were two groups of people who made up Derryfield: the Scotch Presbyterians, and the resettled English from Massachusetts. (Remember that Massachusetts had once long been an “overlord” of New Hampshire province). It seems that in an era when religious practice was a very strong component of people’s lives, both sides had resolute religious viewpoints.

Center: Irish Bible, circa 1690, Background top: Section of a mural depicting The Rev. John Wise of Ipswich, and Bottom: Illustration artwork for a barn in the English style. (See footnotes).

In the town records of Derryfield, we saw William McClintock involved as early as 1752, in conducting Presbyterian religious services out of his home. Apparently, since the town lacked a meeting center, and a Preacher (as they termed it), it was not unusual to do religious services at one’s home, or even one’s barn. Additional town records indicate that the Selectman who administered the town were actively interviewing and seeking “preachers’ throughout the 1750s. Occasionally they would find someone, but it seems that it was never a long-term solution.

In this era, town residents had been paying taxes and fees which were collected to provide for a a town center, i.e. a Meeting House. This was a normal New England circumstance — that a Meeting House would exist at the center of the “village” and this facility would be where town meetings, town administration, and religious services would be conducted. For myriad reasons that are not important now, locations would be chosen, taxes would be paid, things would be agreed to, and then at the next town meeting, all of it would be undone as different sides squabbled. This literally delayed construction for decades.

Comment: No wonder they couldn’t get a Preacher. Who would want to work in that environment if everyone was so inflexible and argumentative.

A meeting house building plan and site would eventually be agreed to, and construction begun, but the building was only used as the Meeting House for a short period, before being replaced by another structure, built by a new generation. Lost tax revenues due to the Revolutionary War didn’t help matters. (5)

From The Town Church of Manchester, by Thomas Chalmers, 1869 (1903 edition).

A Rhum and A Sunset

Not everything was about war and politics. The book, The Town Church of Manchester records, “The records of Tyngstown contain an interesting account of the expense of the raising of the meetinghouse. [As monetary records for pounds and shillings] The first two items are —
To Joseph Blanchard for Rum & Provisions  2  5  3
To the Rev’d M’r Thomas Parker  2  0  0

After all our respect for the piety of the fathers, preaching seems to have been a secondary matter when it came to “rum and provisions.’” Rum was an important factor in that raising, for it constituted both the first and the last items in the bill of expenses. The last item is —

“Had of William McClinto for Raiseing 6 g’lls [gallons] of Rhum 
at 18s per G’ll [gallon] @ 5  8  0″

After all, William was the descendant of a Glasgow “Maltman” (a brewer).

I measured off 20 acres of Meadow and Swamp for
William McClintock in the meadow below his house to
Abraham Merrill and others for which McClintock
paid me a Dollar and I paid him
11/ Hampshire old Tenor for 1/2 a pint of Rum

Matthew Patten
December 28th, 1770 diary entry from
The Diary of Matthew Patten of Bedford, N.H.


Matthew Patten lived in Bedford, not very far from William McClintock. From the quote above, observe the odd words like “Hampshire old Tenor” to describe the form of payment. We forget that as America was being settled each province had it’s own currency. It must have been very confusing to travelers back then.

Example of the currency use in the New Hampshire Province before 1799. (Google images).

From the article, Money in The American Colonies, we learned from writer Ron Michener, “The monetary arrangements in use in America before the Revolution were extremely varied. Each colony had its own conventions, tender laws, and coin ratings, and each issued its own paper money. The units of account in colonial times were pounds, shillings, and pence (1£ = 20s., 1s. = 12d.). These pounds, shillings, and pence, however, were local units, such as New York money, Pennsylvania money, Massachusetts money, or South Carolina money and should not be confused with sterling. [the English currency] To do so is comparable to treating modern Canadian dollars and American dollars as interchangeable simply because they are both called dollars… after 1799, in which year a law was passed requiring all accounts to be kept in dollars or units, dimes or tenths, cents or hundredths, and mills or thousandths.”

The Sotzmann-Ebeling Map of New Hampshire, Circa 1796. (Image courtesy of Boston Rare Maps).

In 1769, New Hampshire created five counties: Cheshire, Grafton, Hillsborough, Rockingham, and Strafford. Subsequently, much of the historical records have William and Michael McClintock in the records of both Hillsborough County and the city of Manchester. New Hampshire became a state in 1781. However, for most of their lives, they lived in the Province of New Hampshire, without a County, in the small town of Derryfield.

We are not sure how long either Michael McClintock or William McClintock lived. For Michael, we do know this — From the National Archives, “The census began on Monday, August 2, 1790, and was finished within 9 months.” In Derryfield, Hillsborough County, there is a record of a Michael McClintock living there with a woman. Both are recorded as being over 16 years of age. A general issue for genealogical research with this first census, is that it provides almost no detail, nor context. By the time 1790 rolled around, Michael would have been about 81 years old. It could be him, we just cannot say for sure. The last tax record we have for him is from the Derryfield history, for the “Continental County and Town Tax” for 1779-80.

As for William McClintock, the same tax record observation applies to him. We are not sure that he was still living by the time of the 1790 census, because there is no record of him being counted directly. He had five children and perhaps he could have been living in one of their homes? As we know with Michael… the 1790 census only records someone as being either over, or under 16 years of age, providing no further detail. However, since there was no listing for William McClintock we can assume he was probably no longer living by 1790.(6)

In the next chapter, we will meet our 4x Great Grandfather, John McClintock (Sr.), the youngest son of William and Agnes McClintock.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

(1) — one record

Colonists Walking to Church, 19th-Century Print
by James S. King
https://www.magnoliabox.com/products/19th-century-print-of-colonists-walking-to-church-f1299
Note: For the family image.

History of New Hampshire
by J. N. McClintock
https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_8e6FpX4eu1wC/page/130/mode/2up?q=%22men%2C+women+and+children+had+been+accustomed+to+walk+six+and+eight+miles+to+attend%22
Book page: 131, Digital page: 130/691

In Times of War, We Suffer

(2) — one record

History of Old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869
by Benjamin Chase 1799-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldches00chas/page/558/mode/2up
Book page: 107, Digital page: 106/702
Note: For the Third Petition of 1748.

Military Service in Two Wars

(3) — nineteen records

French and Indian War
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_War

Louis-Joseph de Montcalm trying to stop Native Americans from attacking British soldiers and civilians as they leave Fort William Henry at the Battle of Fort William Henry
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montcalm_trying_to_stop_the_massacre.jpg
Note: For the battle image.

American Commissioners of the Preliminary Peace Agreement
with Great Britain, 1783-1784, London, England, by Benjamin West
(oil on canvas, unfinished sketch), Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware
From left to right: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Paris_(1783)#/media/File:Treaty_of_Paris_by_Benjamin_West_1783.jpg
Note: The British commissioners refused to pose, and the picture was never finished.

Office of The Historian of the Department of State
Treaty of Paris, 1763
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1750-1775/treaty-of-paris#:~:text=The%20Treaty%20of%20Paris%20of,to%20the%20British%20colonies%20there.

Fort at Number 4
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_at_Number_4

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n6/mode/2up
Book pages: 109-110, Digital pages: 129-131/425
Note: Descriptions of payment for year 1776 military service to “Noumber four about the Retreet from Ty” and “the Battel at Benenten”

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n128/mode/2up
Book pages: 108-110, Digital pages: 129-131/425
Note: For payments due to military service.

This file confirms the above footnotes, for military service payments:
History of Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
History of Manchester
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/23240/images/dvm_LocHist008921-00058-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=38
Book page: 45-46, Digital page: 71-72/878

Inhabitants of New Hampshire, 1776
by Emily S. Wilson
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/49199/images/FLHG_InhabitantsofNH-0071?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=52151
Book pages: 4 and 71, Digital pages: 4/170 and 71/130

Battle of Bennington, 1777
by Alonzo Chappel.
https://bennington.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/A4B796E5-ADE8-455B-8DF7-217237214000
Note: For the battle painting.

Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership
Threads of History
John Stark, The Hero of Bennington
https://champlainvalleynhp.org/2022/08/john-stark-the-hero-of-bennington/

Battle of Bennington
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Bennington

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1782 — 1800, Volumes II and IX

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow00nhgoog/page/n128/mode/2up
Book pages: 108-110, Digital pages: 129-131/425
Note: For payments due to military service.

Harvard Library Curiosity Collections
American Currency, Continental Currency
https://curiosity.lib.harvard.edu/american-currency/feature/continental-currency

Stamp Act Congress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stamp_Act_Congress

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/110/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 111, Digital page: 110/567
Note: For the quote about military age over 50 years.

Ages of Servicemen in Wars
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/Ages_of_Servicemen_in_Wars
Notes: Revolutionary War Duration, 1776-1783 > Typical Years of Birth, 1757-1767 > Typical Ages 16 to 60

The History of Hillsborough, New Hampshire, 1735-1921
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/historyofhillsbo01brow/page/n5/mode/2up?view=theater
Book pages: 225-226, Digital pages: Page numbers are inaccurate.
Note: For descriptions of Assessor, Selectman, Constable.

Manchester A Brief Record of its Past and a Picture of its Present…
by Maurice D. Clarke, 1875
https://archive.org/details/manchester00clarrich/page/n5/mode/2up
Book pages: 33-34, 38, Digital pages: Page numbers are inaccurate.

William Wore Many Hats in Addition to His Tricorne Cap!

(4) — three records

Winchester News
Chaos Reigns on Fourth Night of Town Meeting
https://winchesternews.org/20231118chaos-reigns-on-fourth-night-of-town-meeting/
Note: For the New England town meeting image.

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
Book page: 61, Digital page: 67/407,
Note: For Michael McClintock constable posting.

From the Derryfield History, we see many index entries for the McClintock family. From the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H., 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII.

History of New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_Hampshire
Note: Regarding new state Constitutional issues

In Times of Peace, We Try to Build A Community

(5) — eight records

Colonial Meeting House
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonial_meeting_house

History of Old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869
by Benjamin Chase 1799-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldches00chas/page/96/mode/2up
Book page: 96, Digital page: 96/702
Note: The Ground Plan of the Old-Meeting House as Seated in 1754…

Colonial Meeting Houses of New England – (2007}
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSgmQzbnkOU

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
Book pages: 10-11, Digital pages: 15/407
Note: For the description of the two different communities which made up Derryfield.

Credits for Church and Barn Gallery:
BIBLE, Irish — 1690
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2020/english-literature-history-childrens-books-and-illustrations/bible-irish-1690
and
Historic Ipswich
Mural depicting The Rev. John Wise of Ipswich
https://historicipswich.net/2022/11/15/john-wise/
and
English Historical Fiction Authors
Barn image cover artwork for The Red Barn Murder
by Regina Jeffers
https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-red-barn-murder.html

Towns of New England and Old England, Ireland and Scotland … connecting links between cities and towns of New England and those of the same name in England, Ireland and Scotland
https://archive.org/details/townsnewengland02stat/page/n10/mode/1up
Book page: 120, Digital page: 120/225

A Rhum and A Sunset

(0) — ____ records

The Town Church of Manchester
by Thomas Chalmers, 1869 (1903 edition)
https://archive.org/details/townchurchofmanc00chal/page/n5/mode/2up
Book pages: Frontispiece and 26, Digital pages: 26/155
Note: Frontispiece photograph, and the Rhum quote.

The Diary of Matthew Patten of Bedford, N.H.
(Copied of Matthew Pattens diary)
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/23193/images/dvm_LocHist008938-00132-1?ssrc=pt&treeid=18269704&personid=635978899&usePUB=true&pId=256
Book page: 257, Digital page: 257/545

Money in the American Colonies
by Ron Michener, University of Virginia
https://eh.net/encyclopedia/money-in-the-american-colonies/

Boston Rare Maps
The Sotzmann-Ebeling Map of New Hampshire, Circa 1796
https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/sotzmann-ebeling-new-hampshire-1796/
Note: To document the five original counties established in 1769.

The National Archives
1790 Census Records
https://www.archives.gov/research/census/1790

Michael McClintock
in the 1790 United States Federal Census

New Hampshire > Hillsborough > Hollis
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/213949:5058?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=643749156
Digital page: 4/4, Right column, entry 1.

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Three

This is Chapter Three of seven. So many of our ancestors came to British North America through the classic New England colonies: Massachusetts, Vermont, New York. In this chapter we learn about one place which is new to our history — New Hampshire Province.

People Were Hearing Stories About America

What was pulling Presbyterians from Scotland and the Ulster, Ireland plantations to New Hampshire in British North America? “In the early 1700s, however, [the English] Parliament imposed strong restrictions on trade, which caused severe problems in both Irish and Scottish commerce. This in turn led to more conflict between the Irish and the Scots settlers over rapidly dwindling resources, made especially urgent by a harsh winter in 1717...

“Beginning of petition dated March 26, 1718, sent by 319 “Inhabitants of the North of Ireland” to the “Right Honourable Collonel Samuel [Shute] Governour of New England,” expressing interest in moving to New England if encouraged. New Hampshire Historical Society.”

The situation was dominated by the Ulster-Irish /Ulster-Scots Presbyterians and their sympathizers in Scotland. “New England was being touted as a paradise of opportunity, cheap land, and religious tolerance – things very much lacking in Ulster at this point – and in 1718 a petition was signed by over 300 Ulster Scots families to ask the governor of Massachusetts for land. Rev. William Boyd undertook the long journey from Ulster to Boston to give the petition to Gov. Samuel Shute, who was amenable to the idea. Between 1718 and 1755, what is known as the Great Migration took place, with hundreds of thousands of Scots travelling across the Atlantic to Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.” (Worcester Historical Museum Library and Archives)

Across the ocean in the British Colonies of North America, “In 1679 King Charles II separated New Hampshire from Massachusetts, issuing a charter for the royal Province of New Hampshire, with John Cutt as governor.  New Hampshire was absorbed into the Dominion of New England in 1686, which collapsed in 1689. After a brief period without formal government (the settlements were de facto ruled by Massachusetts) William III and Mary II issued a new provincial charter in 1691. From 1699 to 1741 the governors of Massachusetts were also commissioned as governors of New Hampshire.

The province’s geography placed it on the frontier between British and French colonies in North America, and it was for many years subjected to native claims, especially in the central and northern portions of its territory. Because of these factors, it was on the front lines of many military conflicts, including King William’s War, Queen Anne’s War, Father Rale’s War, and King George’s War. By the 1740s most of the native population had either been killed or driven out of the province’s territory.

Governor Benning Wentworth, by Joseph Blackburn, circa 1760, (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Since the political powers in Massachusetts had been used to running things in New Hampshire, there were many disputes about borders which were not resolved until 1741. “Benning Wentworth in 1741 became the first non-Massachusetts governor since Edward Cranfield succeeded John Cutt in the 1680s.” (Wikipedia) (1)

The Province of New Hampshire

“New Hampshire has been known as the Province of New Hampshire, the Upper Province of Massachusetts, the Upper Plantation of Massachusetts, and New Hampshire Colony.” (American History Central)

Notice in the very old, (very brown) 1757 map of the New Hampshire Province below, that most of the settlement is located in the southeastern corner. These communities are not far from the location of the port of Portsmouth, and also hug the northern Massachusetts border. This map doesn’t yet delineate a true shape for the state.

An Accurate Map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England…
by Samuel Langdon, circa 1757. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The Massachusetts Colony had been settled much earlier, and the terrain was a far more friendly environment for farming and settlement. New Hampshire was mountainous and the soils were more like what was found back in Scotland.

The terrain of New Hampshire Colony was rough and covered with forests, rivers, plateaus, and mountains. The soil was rocky, which made it difficult for farmers to cultivate fields and raise certain crops. The plentiful forests provided access to timber. New Hampshire features around 1,300 lakes and ponds, plus 40,000 miles of streams… Access to rivers and the coast made fishing and whaling popular. The thick forests provided wood that was used for timber, including masts for ships. The forests were also full of animals that provided valuable furs for trade.” (American History Central) (2)

Thomas. Cole’s engraving of the White Mountains, New Hampshire. (Image courtesy of the Syracuse University Art Museum).

The Scotch Range of New Hampshire

Four travelers — Michael McClintock and his wife Margaret; William McClintock and his wife Agnes — immigrated to the Province of New Hampshire around 1731. From William Copley’s book, Scotch-Irish Settlers in New Hampshire, 1719-1776, we learned that the “date and place of first mention of residence in the New World” is 1731. This date is “Extracted from several sources, mainly New Hampshire Provincial Deeds, 1641-1771,” and it implies that they had the resources to acquire property. They arrived either in 1731, or shortly before that time.

They had left the Scottish Belt (Glasgow) behind and moved to what was known as the Scotch Range in New Hampshire. “The southernmost towns in New Hampshire… town names like Londonderry, Antrim, Bedford” were brought over from Scottish and Irish locations (Quora). Additionally, “The Scotch-Irish settlements, like Londonderry, were Presbyterian.” (American History Central)

The Copley book record (cited above) is conclusive for us because it documents two records for each couple, both of which agree in the details: dates, spouses, and family surname spellings. The book, History of Old Chester, from 1719 to 1869, by Benjamin Chase, also contains information about our family, but importantly, the surname is oddly recorded as “McClento”. This matches up like a hand and glove to the Copley book for their journey, along with land records.

From this point forward, unfortunately, there isn’t really any history about their wives. This often happens with ancestral lines.

A View of Portsmouth in Piscataqua River, aquaqtint print by J.F.W. Des Barres, circa 1781. (Image courtesy of Boston Rare Maps). Note that this image was created half a century after they journeyed from Scotland. Portsmouth must have been much simpler when they arrived.

Due to their arrival date (1731 or earlier) in the Colonies, we believe that it is certainly plausible that the four traveled together. Very few ship records exist from that time period, but it is likely that they ventured from the port at Glasgow, Scotland to the port at Portsmouth, New Hampshire Province. It’s also interesting to note that as twins, both men would have been 22 years old, which means that they had reached their age of majority in Scotland.

In the Old Chester book, Chase further records: “The first [settlement] in that part of Chester was by William and Michael McClento. Michael was in Londonderry and bought land there in 1731, and 1733. He is in Chester in 1744. William McClento of Kingstown [Kingston] bought of Thomas Packer of Dracut, 1 lot in the 3d range in ‘Tyngstown,’* in June, 1739. So they probably settled there under a claim from Tyngstown, about 1740. But so far as Chester was concerned, they were squatters.”

*Tyngs Township was one of the early names for Derryfield. The name was changed in 1751.

Please note: Judging distances on this map is deceiving. This inset from the Langdon map above, shows the communities in which they lived. William’s family walked up to 120 miles from Kingston to Londonderry and from there, both families went to Chester.

“The Proprietors sued them, and a verdict was rendered in favor of the defendants, Dec. 8, 1743, and appealed. The land on which they settled was not lotted until 1745. They came up from Londonderry on foot with their effects. [That is a distance of up to 120 miles]. It is said by some that Michael settled on No. 1, 4th D… William with his pack, and his wife with a ‘bairn’* in her arms, forded the brook some distance below the present road, with the water to their ‘haunches,’ and erected a hut [log cabin] near the river, but afterwards built at the Huse place, on lot No, 4. William’s wife was Agnes.”

*Bairn is a Northern England English, Scottish English and Scots term for a child. It originated in Old English as “bearn”, becoming restricted to Scotland and the North of England c. 1700. (Wikipedia)

“Michael McClento had a daughter Nancy. He used to buy thread and perhaps fine linen cloth, and he and his daughter would take each a pack, and carry it to Boston to sell, taking from four to six days, and sometimes netting them three pounds.” (3)

The Mt. Desert Widow Book Half-Problem

There has been much confusion between the histories of the McClintock family and the Gamble family and we would like to address this. We know that the McClintock families and the Gamble families knew each other because they lived in the same communities.

William McClintock had a son named Alexander McClintock who was born about 1738. In 1760, he married a woman named Janet Gamble, and in 1895 a book titled The Mt. Desert Widow : Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family from First Landing… by Greenleaf Cilley and Jonathan Cilley was published. This is where the troubles began.

At the end of the 19th century, it was very popular to publish family histories that were essentially vanity publications. These sources can be invaluable for genealogy research, but they can also be problematic unless they are very, very carefully reviewed.  Sometimes materials that were submitted to the authors were not well vetted. (This is a problem created by families where stories get repeated over time until someone writes them down, and then storytelling becomes a fact, when [ha!] in fact, it is nothing like that.)

It seems as if someone blended together the history of another William McClintock family who are Irish, and immigrated from Ireland… (There was a William McClintock family from Ireland living in Portsmouth, New Hampshire during this period, but this is not our family.) Our William McClintock family is from Scotland — and our family never lived in Ireland. As we said, no one thought to look carefully at the history…

Parts of the McClintock family history, such as the towns where they lived: Londonderry, Derryfield, Hillsborough, are certainly true, and the stories of the bridges which they built, are likely true. However, other parts of the Gamble/McClintock history are completely wrong.

The Mt. Widow book had wrong arrival dates, direct statements that Michael and William were father and son, it cites Ireland as their origin location, etc., but none of this is true. What we do know is that William Gamble was born in Derry, County Cavan, Ulster, Ireland, and that he came to New Hampshire in 1736, after our ancestors were already there. We looked at his birth information, along with his will, his marriages, and estate probate records to verify his information. It’s unfortunate that in the present day, so many “tree-makers” cite a record like the Mt. Widow book, but for our family it is quite simply not accurate.

One last thing, we discovered a book titled (the) History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire… by Chandler Eastman Potter, which was published in 1856 — 40 years earlier that the Mt. Widow book. The story in the Mt. Widow book was lifted almost word-for-word from the previous book, and it still reads like family apocrypha. (See footnotes).

Cohas Brook in Manchester, New Hampshire. It is likely that the sites where our McClintock ancestors (possibly) built bridges were probably similar to this image.

As problematic as some of the information is, it is plausible that the information about the bridges which the McClintocks built is accurate, because it does describe where they were living. (We are taking it as anecdotal evidence because this is the only place where we have seen this information). “They were industrious, thriving people and… built the first bridge across the Cohas, and also another across the little Cohas on the road from Amoskeag to Derry. These bridges were built in 1738… The McClintocks were voted 20 S. [shillings] a year for 10 years for the use of the bridges. The McClintocks moved to Hillsboro, N.H., where their descendants yet reside.” (Note: Hillsboro is also spelled as Hillborough, and the spelling in old documents varies). (4)

Polyonymous: Which Means — Known By Several Different Names

This area of New Hampshire Province where they lived went through name changes during their lifetimes. In 1722, a man named John Goffe settled in Old Harry’s Town, in the British Province of New Hampshire. (Even so, this was never an official name for the place). Five years later in 1727, Tyngstown (or “Tyng’s Township”) was established. McClintock’s were in the area by 1731.

Hand-drawn map indicating the boundaries of the newly-formed town of Derryfield. From the book, the Early Records of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N.H.

Some sources indicate that their community was sometimes referred to as Nutfield because of the Chestnut trees, and in 1751, Tyngstown was rechartered as Derryfield, which was created from carving out sections from portions of the other surrounding communities, such as Chester.

From the book, the Early Records of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N.H., “…As this territory was not deemed of sufficient size to make a “respectable township,” enough was taken from the adjoining towns to make up the desired area… Thus the Derryfield charter covered about thirty-five square miles of coimtry [a colonial word for country > meaning, land] from the following sources: eight square miles of Tyng township, nine square miles of the northwestern portion of Londonderry, formerly Nutfield, and seventeen and three-fourths square miles of Chester, erstwhile called “the chestnut country.” The name of Derryfield is claimed to have originated from the practice of stock [sheep and cattle] owners of Londonderry in allowing their herds to graze on the clearings within its limits, and arising from the term “Derry’s field.”

Cows Grazing Under The Oaks, by Edward Mitchell Bannister, circa 1893

So then, the question becomes, did they move from Chester to Derryfield, or did Derryfield come to them? It seems that Derryfield came to them.

On June 21, 1788, after the American Revolution, the Province of New Hampshire becomes the State of New Hampshire. In 1810, long after both William and Michael had passed on, Derryfield was renamed “Manchester” and remains named that to this day. (5)

Comment: Since various record writers have used town names from different eras in a mix’n match fashion, the proper sequence is this: Harry Town, circa 1722 > Nutfield (unofficial) > Tyng’s Township, circa 1727 > Derryfield, circa 1751 > Manchester, circa 1810.

The Family of William McClintock

William McClintock, who along with his twin brother Michael, was born on September 18, 1709, in Glasgow Scotland, the son of Thomas and Margarit (Gilhagie) Mclintoch. William married Agnes (last name unknown) before 1731, in Scotland.

As a reference point for an extended Colonial New England family from this time period, we like the sensibility of this portrait — The Peale Family, by Charles Willson Peale, circa 1771–1773.

We’ve uncovered records that William and Agnes had at least five children, all born in the Province of New Hampshire. The first three children were likely born in Chester; the last two, in Tyngstown, (all locations eventually becoming Derryfield > Manchester).

  • William Jr., about 1736 — death date unknown
  • Alexander, about 1738 — death date unknown
  • Mary (McClintock) Starrett, September 29, 1739 — December 19, 1785
  • Janet (McClintock) Dickey, about 1742 — June 11, 1811
  • John McClintock, about 1744 — October 9, 1803, (We are descended from John).

We believe that William and his brother Michael made their livings in agriculture, through farming and some animal husbandry. Even though this was not their background in their younger lives in Glasgow, Scotland, it was the primary occupation of their community in New Hampshire. Even with that, both of them, but especially William, were deeply involved in the local government through various activities. In the book index for the Derryfield History, there are almost one hundred entries for “Sergeant” William McClintock alone. In addition, his brother Michael, his sons William Jr., Alexander, and John are all also indexed with numerous entries. (6)

In the next chapter, we will explore the life of this family during the years before, and during the Revolutionary War, as well as their lives within the community.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

People Were Hearing Stories About America…

(1) — five records

Worcester Historical Museum Library and Archives
The Water is Wide: Scottish Journeys to Ireland and New England, 1603-1718
https://worcesterhistorical.com/worcester-1718/the-water-is-wide-scottish-journeys-to-ireland-and-new-england-1603-1718/

History of New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_New_Hampshire

Timeline of New Hampshire History
https://www.nhhistory.org/Timeline?id=1676.1

Benning Wentworth
by Joseph Blackburn, circa 1760
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Governor_Benning_Wentworth.jpg
Note: For his portrait.

New Hampshire Colony Facts, 1622–1761
https://www.americanhistorycentral.com/entries/new-hampshire-colony-facts/

The Province of New Hampshire

(2) — one record

Library of Congress
An accurate map of His Majesty’s Province of New-Hampshire in New England…
by Samuel Langdon, 1723-1797
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3740.ar086900/?r=0.343,0.005,0.964,0.464,0
Note: The map is circa 1757.

The Scotch Range of New Hampshire

(3) — eleven records

Book, not available online:
COPELY, WILLIAM. Scotch-Irish Settlers in New Hampshire, 1719-1776.
In Historical New Hampshire (New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord), vol. 50:3/4 (Fall/Winter 1995), pp. 213-228.
“Date and place of first mention of residence in the New World. Extracted from several sources, mainly “New Hampshire Provincial Deeds, 1641-1771,” which is on microfilm at the New Hampshire Historical Society.”

Michael McClintock
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1609990:7486
Note: Page 222, His wife Margaret is with him. This is the record of their New Hampshire residency in 1731.
and
Michael McClento
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1612648:7486?tid=&pid=&queryId=8a6a4302-ef12-4ec3-bf2f-96f04e36caf7&_phsrc=PXe49&_phstart=successSource
Note: The McClento surname agrees with the history in Chester book, (see below).

William McClintock
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1610051:7486
Note: His wife Agness is with him. This is the record of their New Hampshire residency in 1731.
and
William McClento
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1612649:7486?tid=&pid=&queryId=47d1a30e-7c5b-4b2d-a03b-10ed68419e19&_phsrc=PXe43&_phstart=successSource
Note: The McClento surname agrees with the history in Chester book, (see below).

History of Old Chester, from 1719 to 1869
Chapter XVII : A Notice of the Early Settlers, or the Genealogical and Biographical History of Chester
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/23246/images/dvm_LocHist008953-00319-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=573
Book page: 558-559, Digital page: 573-574/713
Note: Fully transcribed record. The family name is recorded here as McClento.
and
History of Old Chester [N. H.] from 1719 to 1869
by Benjamin Chase 1799-1889
https://archive.org/details/historyofoldches00chas/page/558/mode/2up
Book page: 558-559, Digital page: 558-559/702

Quora reference about The Scotch Belt of New Hampshire
https://www.quora.com/Why-did-the-Scotch-Irish-leave-Scotland-and-Ireland-What-were-their-reasons-for-coming-to-America

Syracuse University Art Museum
White Mountains, New Hampshire (engraving)
Thomas Cole, circa 1831
https://onlinecollections.syr.edu/objects/29389/white-mountains-new-hampshire
Note: For the landscape image.

Boston Rare Maps
A View of Portsmouth in Piscataqua River
(Lovely Aquatint View of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
from The Atlantic Neptune, circa 1781)
by J.F.W. Des Barres
https://bostonraremaps.com/inventory/atlantic-neptune-portsmouth-new-hampshire-1781/
Note 1: For the landscape image.
Note 2: these comments were attached at the file source — Lovely Aquatint View of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, from The Atlantic Neptune, circa 1781)

Bairn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bairn#:~:text=Bairn%20is%20a%20Northern%20England,the%20word%20Bain%20is%20used.

The Mt. Desert Widow Book Half-Problem

(4) — seven records

Agnes
in the North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000
The Mount Desert Widow: Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family from First Landing : On the Coast of Mount Desert Down to the Present Day 
(From the Knox County Historical and Genealogical Magazine, August 1896)
Article by Greenleaf and Jonathan P. Cilley
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3949974:61157?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=635978908
G > Gamble > The Mt Desert Widow : Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family…Book page 192, Digital page: 198/207
and
The Mount Desert Widow: Genealogy of the Maine Gamble Family from First Landing : On the Coast of Mount Desert Down to the Present Day 
https://archive.org/details/mountdesertwidow1895cill
Book page 192, Digital page: 192/196

William Gambell
in the New Hampshire, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/128905:8996?tid=&pid=&queryId=f8150094-67fe-4e60-a4a6-0db37ffebc35&_phsrc=cMr5&_phstart=successSource

William Gamble
in the U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1611488:7486?tid=&pid=&queryId=9f251364-4870-42e0-b43f-def86aefbdc2&_phsrc=xam12&_phstart=successSource

William Gamble
in the Geneanet Community Trees Index

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6737731216:62476

History of Manchester, formerly Derryfield, in New-Hampshire : including that of ancient Amoskeag, or the middle Merrimack Valley, together with the address, poem, and other proceedings of the centennial celebration of the incorporation of Derryfield at Manchester, October 22, 1851
by C. E. Potter, (Chandler Eastman)
https://archive.org/details/historyofmanches00pott
Book page: 184, Digital page: 184/763

Cohas Brook, Manchester, New Hampshire (postcard)
High-Resolution Image File – 600 DPI Scan #419277
https://www.cardcow.com/stock-photo/419277/
Note: For Cohas River image.

Polyonymous: Which Means — Known By Several Different Names

(5) — five records

Merriam-Webster dictionary
Polyonymous
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/polyonymous

Timeline of Manchester, New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Manchester,_New_Hampshire

Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII

by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n4/mode/2up
Book page: 8-10, Digital page: 13-15/407,
Note: For the town map and Derryfield naming information.

From the Derryfield History, we see many index entries for the McClintock family. From the Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H., 1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII.

Index page from the Derryfield book, as shown above:
Early Records of the Town of Derryfield: Now Manchester, N. H.
1751 — 1782, Volumes I and VIII
by George Waldo Browne
https://archive.org/details/earlyrecordstow01nhgoog/page/n390/mode/2up
Book page 384, Digital page: 391/407

Defunct Placenames of New Hampshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Defunct_placenames_of_New_Hampshire#cite_note-Fogg-1

The Family of William McClintock

(6) — six records

Mary M. Starrett
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/88923493:60525?ssrc=pt&tid=18269704&pid=643749176
and
Mary M. McClintock Starrett
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7624518/mary-m.-starrett

Colonial Gravestone Inscriptions in the State of New Hampshire
Alphabetical List of Towns and Cemeteries > New Boston
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/48183/images/GravestonesNH-006438-102?pId=232883
Book page: 102, Digital Page: 102/160
Note: The exact text reads, “DICKEY, Janet, d. June 11, 1811, ae. 69yrs.”

John McClintock
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/96906535/john-mcclintock?_gl=1*7cddiw*_gcl_au*MTk5MDU4MTkzOC4xNzIyODU4NDQ0*_ga*MTQ4NjkxODM4NC4xNzIyODU4NDQ0*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*OTM1MmQyNGYtOWRhYS00MzZiLTk3NDgtOTdhY2I2ZjAwZGUxLjQuMS4xNzIyODc2OTUzLjEwLjAuMA..*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*OTM1MmQyNGYtOWRhYS00MzZiLTk3NDgtOTdhY2I2ZjAwZGUxLjQuMS4xNzIyODc2OTUzLjAuMC4w

Cows Grazing Under The Oaks
by Edward Mitchell Bannister, circa 1893
https://www.groganco.com/auction-lot/edward-mitchell-bannister-american-1828-1901_2524D4E929
Note: For the landscape image.

The Peale Family
by Charles Willson Peale, circa 1771–1773
Collection of the New-York Historical Society.
from The American Yawp, 4. Colonial Life
https://www.americanyawp.com/text/04-colonial-society/
Note: For the family portrait image.

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — Two

This is Chapter Two of seven, where we explain just what the heck was going on in Scotland and England with all of the squabbling going on between the various monarchs. We also get to meet our 6x Great-Grandfather and his family, who were definitely not monarchs!

If you are a stickler for details as we are…

… then we really like you! Sometimes we need to pause and explain why we see records which have odd differences when they are recording similar information. A note about place names, standard spelling, and what is this “shire” thing all about?

Shire means that the area is the fiefdom of a Sheriff. Not the type of Sheriff you and I might encounter today, but one from the Middle Ages. It all begins with “Malcolm III (reigned 1058 to 1093) appears to have introduced sheriffs as part of a policy of replacing previous forms of government with French feudal structures. This policy was continued by Edgar (reigned 1097 to 1107), Alexander I (reigned 1107 to 1124)…” and so on and so forth, and finally, “were completed only in the reign of King Charles I (reigned 1625 to 1649).”

“Historically, the spelling of the county town and the county were not standardized. By the 18th century the names County of Dunbarton [with n] and County of Dumbarton [with m] were used interchangeably.” Additionally, “In Scotland, as in England and Wales, the terms ‘shire’ and ‘county’ have been used interchangeably, with the latter becoming more common in later usage. Today, ‘county’ is more commonly used, with ‘shire’ being seen as a more poetic or [an] archaic variant.” (Wikipedia)

In practical terms, this means that the area near Loch Lomond is called: Dunbarton > Dunbartonshire > County of Dunbarton (with either n or m). Similarly, the area south of there around Glasgow is called: Lanark > Lanarkshire > County of Lanark. (1)

The Central Belt of Scotland

If you look at this map from 1710, you can observe a cinched-in area in central Scotland that looks like the country is almost corseted, (see the yellow oval). The McClintocks and the other families from the surrounding communities, lived in this area — what is generally still referred to as the Central Belt of Scotland. These generations from the 1600s were the parents and grandparents of our ancestors.

The National Archives, The North Part of Great Britain Called Scotland. By Herman Moll, Geographer, 1714.

Observation: Sometimes ancestry research is like a treasure hunt through the internet with many red herrings thrown into your path. This is the case with this family, which we originally thought was from Bonhill, Dunbartonshire, but when we looked much more closely at the details — we saw lots of things that made us reconsider the paths other “researchers” had taken. Suffice it to say that we found accurate, reliable records for our family. (2)

The Thomas Mclintoch Family of Glasgow

Our 7x Great Grandparents are Michael Mclintoch and Jonat Wining. [Note the spelling of McClintock for this family.] They had a son named Thomas Mclintoch who married Margarit Gilhagie, our 6x Great Grandparents. We don’t know Thomas’ birthdate but know he was baptized on October 5, 1662 by his parents at the High Church of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland. This building in the present day, “is the oldest cathedral in mainland Scotland and the oldest building in Glasgow.” (Wikipedia) The name High Church is how it was referred to after 1560.

Thomas Mclintoch baptism record for 1662. (Image courtesy of Scotland’s People). Honestly, we’re not sure if this is written in Latin? or perhaps, Scottish Gaelic?

Thomas and his wife Margarit (Gilhagie) Mclintoch on March 10, 1698 baptized their son, Michael Mclintoch, who was likely named for his grandfather. He must have died young because they used the name Michael again for another son born later. (Comment: This idea of repeating a deceased child’s name for a later subsequent child might seem very odd to us today. However, we have seen this in many family lines during earlier centuries.)

On September 18, 1709, they had twin boys and named them Michael and William. (We are descended from William). We will be writing about them extensively in the following chapters. In our research we discovered additional siblings. The known children of Thomas and Margarit (Gilhagie) Mclintoch are as follows:

  • Jonet, May 12, 1696 — death date unknown
  • Michael, born March 10, 1698 — death date before 1709
  • James, born March 23, 1701 — death date unknown
  • Agnes, born November 12, 1702 — death date unknown
  • Elizabeth, September 11, 1705 — death date unknown
  • Michael, September 18, 1709 — death date unknown
  • William, September 18, 1709 — death date unknown

By 1723, Thomas Mclintoch had died. We discovered on the death register that he was what was know as a Maltman. “The name Maltman means a brewer, which is a craft which goes back to prehistoric times in Scotland. By the seventeenth century maltmen or brewers were well established in every town. Their craft symbol of malt shovels and sheaves of corn can still be found on gravestones all over the country.” (Scotland’s A Story to Tell…see footnotes)

Thomas Mclintoch death record for 1723. (Image courtesy of Scotland’s People).

In an era when clean water was not necessarily safe enough to drink, everyone drank fermented or distilled beverages like beer or whiskey, because the fermentation process killed the nasty microorganisms. Hence, Brewers were considered important, and it was a protected Guild.

Our ancestors might have been enjoying fermented beverages to pass the time, but much had been going on in Europe which affected their peace and prosperity… (3)

John Calvin Was a Big Interrupter to The Status Quo

For centuries Europe had been struggling with dueling monarchies, fractious wars, and shaky alliances —but the world was slowly changing. Some of the English and Scottish monarchy knew this and had been plotting ways to hold things together through state centralization.

The gist of it is this: The Reformation had brought much change to Europe through the rise of the Protestant religion, greatly influenced by the French theologian John Calvin. “He was a principal figure in the development of the system of Christian theology later called Calvinism, including its doctrines of predestination and of God’s absolute sovereignty in the salvation of the human soul from death and eternal damnation.” (Wikipedia)

For a veeerry looonng time much ado was made about whether you were Protestant, or Catholic. In 1534, the English King, Henry the VIII, wanted to divorce his first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon, a devote Catholic. The Pope, in Rome disagreed. So Henry got cranky and had all of the Catholics removed, along with their power, because he was mad at the Pope. The English then adopted a form of worship in the Anglican Church, which was technically Protestant, but still looked rather Catholic in its painstaking presentation.

John Calvin, French theologian ((1509-1564), The Houses of Stuart and Orange: King William III (reigned 1689 – 1703), Queen Anne (reigned 1702 – 1707), and then she continued as Queen under The House of Stuart, (reigned 1707 – 1714).

For years afterward, there were still a lot of Catholics in England, Ireland and Scotland. By the reign of James VI and I,* “…he was the last Catholic monarch of England, Scotland, and Ireland. His reign is now remembered primarily for conflicts over religious tolerance, but it also involved struggles over the divine right of kings. He was deposed in 1688, and later that year leading members of the English political class invited William of Orange [a Protestant] to assume the English throne.
*[He was King James VI in Scotland. When he became King of England, after Queen Elizabeth I’s death, he also became King James I].

Until the Union of Parliaments, [when the Scottish and English parliaments merged], the Scottish throne might be inherited by a different successor [a non Protestant] after Queen Anne, who had said in her first speech to the English parliament that a Union was very necessary.” (Wikipedia) Anne’s father was Catholic, but she and her sister Mary were raised Protestant. As writer Hamish MacPherson puts it in The National, “The English nobility’s obsession with securing the ‘correct’ succession for Queen Anne overrode all other considerations…” (i.e., they wanted only a Protestant in charge of things).

Long story short, between 1706 and 1707, things were worked out by the Acts of Union, whether people liked it or not.

The Parliamentof England and The Parliament of Scotland

“The Acts of Union refer to two Acts of Parliament, one by the Parliament of England in 1706, the other by the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. They put into effect the Treaty of Union agreed on July 22, 1706, which combined the previously separate Kingdom of England and Kingdom of Scotland into a single Kingdom of Great Britain. The Acts took effect on 1 May 1, 1707, creating the Parliament of Great Britain, based in the Palace of Westminster.” (Wikipedia)

How did this affect our ancestors living in Scotland? Our Glasgow brewer ancestor, Thomas Mclintoch would have interacted much with the growers of wheat, barley, rye, and corn, because he needed their products to do his craft. Price fluctuations, embargoes, crop failures, taxes, exports to England, etc., would have brought additional stresses… If the Scots had a feeling of autonomy, they were now completely beholden to England. The years leading up to the Acts of Union had been difficult for the Scots. (4)

A Scotsman, An Englishman, and a Volcano, Walk Into a Bar

“The Scottish economy was severely impacted by privateers during the 1688–1697 Nine Years’ War and the 1701 War of the Spanish Succession, with the Royal Navy focusing on protecting English ships. This compounded the economic pressure caused by the seven ill years of the 1690s, when 5–15% of the population died of starvation.” (Wikipedia) But this may not have been all that was going on —

From the Daily Mail, “Crop failures that lead to Scotland signing up to the 1707 Acts of Union with England were caused by tropical volcanic eruptions thousands of miles away, scientists have claimed. When the two lava-chambers blew their tops within three years of each other, first in 1693 and then a second in 1695, the Caledonian temperature dipped by about 1.56C across Caledonia. The added cooling meant plants like wheat and barley did not grow properly, leading to a famine that killed up to 15 per cent of the country’s population.”

And from Science magazine, “the second-coldest decade of the past 800 years stretched from 1695 to 1704. Summertime temperatures during this period were about 1.56°C lower than summertime averages from 1961 to 1990, the team will report in a forthcoming issue of the Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research

All of this coincides with two major volcanic eruptions in the tropics: one in 1693 and an even larger one in 1695. The one-two punch likely sent Scotland into a deep chill that triggered massive crop failures and famines for several years, the team speculates.”

“The migration of Scot-Irish settlers to America began in the 1680s but did not occur in large numbers until the 1720s. Although the Scottish emigrants, in coming to America, were assured freedom to exercise their Presbyterian religion at a time when the Stuart monarchy favored spreading the Anglican Church throughout the British Isles, the most important motivation for Scottish emigration was economic.”(Encyclopedia of North Carolina) (5)

Presbyterianism

Our research on American records has determined that these ancestors followed the Presbyterian line of Protestant faith. In the European world in which they lived, religions had always been sanctioned by the Monarchies, or the Pope, or a combination of the two. The Acts of Union had guaranteed the Scots the right to self-determination in worship, but we believe that they were still a bit wary about believing this right truly existed.

“The word Presbyterian is applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.

Presbyterian church government was ensured in Scotland by the Acts of Union in 1707, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. In fact, most Presbyterians found in England can trace a Scottish connection, and the Presbyterian denomination was also taken to North America, mostly by Scots and Scots-Irish immigrants. The Presbyterian denominations in Scotland hold to the Reformed theology of John Calvin and his immediate successors, although there is a range of theological views within contemporary Presbyterianism.” (Wikipedia)

Times were rather tough. There were economic troubles, wars, crop failures, absentee landlords… and religious considerations. We’re certain these ancestors were hearing reports about new opportunities in America. It was probably due to the lack of opportunity for economic advancement and a desire to break free from the hierarchical restrictions of Scottish culture which made the younger McClintocks seek to move on. (6)

In the next chapter we will write about the twin sons Michael and William McClintock and their move to America.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

If you are a stickler for details as we are…

(1) — three records

Playing Detective, 1950s (photo)
https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en/noartistknown/playing-detective-1950s-photo/photograph/asset/8677960

Shires of Scotland
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shires_of_Scotland

Dunbartonshire
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbartonshire

The Central Belt of Scotland

(2) — one record

The National Archives
The North Part of Great Britain Called Scotland.
“With Considerable Improvements and many Remarks not Extant in any Map.
According to the Newest and Exact Observations”
by Herman Moll, Geographer, 1714
https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/jacobite-1715/geographers-map-scotland/

The Thomas Mclintoch Family of Glasgow

(3) — seventeen records

Thomas Mclintoch
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/9444758:60143?tid=&pid=&queryId=29665721-b3bc-46cf-81e3-90eaeb046c41&_phsrc=doN9&_phstart=successSource
and here:
Thomas Mclinto
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1515775:60143?tid=&pid=&queryId=1df482c4-0a37-46c3-97a7-ee527c0ee257&_phsrc=HNd3&_phstart=successSource
and here:
Scotland’s People
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/saved-images/N1pTU1l2d0U1WmNNMDMzdFlNUk0waHRlNXR4dUlVUTNxY0lOdXVZWlBrTG4vTzhRZk9rZkx5NWtOOWdLeld3PQ==

1723 death record for Thomas Mclintoch.

Glasgow Cathedral
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasgow_Cathedral

Michael Mclintoche
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12584581:60143?tid=&pid=&queryId=dd9446ff-1e7a-440f-9eb5-41145af4a704&_phsrc=PXe62&_phstart=successSource
Note: His parents are, Thomas Mclintoche and Margarit Gilhagie

Michael Mcclintoch
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7823422:60143
and
William Mcclintoch
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/3584815:60143

Jonet, 12 May 1696
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/7051421:60143

James, 23 Mar 1701
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/20653534:60143

Agnes, 12 Nov 1702
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/11591501:60143

Eliz. Mcclintock
in the Scotland, Select Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/12445644:60143

Scotland’s People 1723 Death Register record
[for Thomas McClintock which also lists his profession as Maltman]
https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/saved-images/N1pTU1l2d0g0SjBNMDMzdFlNSkF3UnRlNXR4dUlVUTNxY0lOdXVZWlBrTGovTzhRZk9nYkxDNWtOOWdLeld3PQ==

1662 baptism record for Thomas Mclintoch.

A Story to Tell, Pubs & Bars
The Maltman, A Story of Architecture and History
https://www.scotlandspubsandbars.co.uk/location/the-maltman/#:~:text=The%20name%20Maltman%20means%20a,gravestones%20all%20over%20the%20country.

The Tradeshouse of Glasgow
Maltmen
https://www.tradeshouse.org.uk/crafts-maltmen/

History of Malting
https://www.brewingwithbriess.com/malting-101/history-of-malting/
Note: For Malt floor image.

Brief History of the Incorporation of Maltmen of Glasgow
https://www.tradeshousemuseum.org/maltmen.html
Note: For the guild symbol.

Our Story
https://www.arranwhisky.com/about/our-story
Note: For the Master Distiller image.

John Calvin Was a Big Interrupter to The Status Quo

(4) — seven records

John Calvin
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Calvin

KUNSTKOPIE.DE
Portrait of John Calvin (1509-64)
Attributed to the Swiss School
https://www.kunstkopie.de/a/swiss-school/portrait-of-john-calvin-1-2.html
Note: For his portrait.

James II of England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_II_of_England
Note: For his portrait.

List of English Monarchs
Houses of Stuart and Orange
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_monarchs
Note: For their portraits.

Queen Anne
File:Dahl, Michael – Queen Anne – NPG 6187.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dahl,MichaelQueen_Anne-_NPG_6187.jpg
Note: For her portrait.

This is How Famine Forever Changed Scottish History
by Hamish MacPherson
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18626007.famine-forever-changed-scottish-history/

Acts of Union 1707
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acts_of_Union_1707

A King, A Queen, and a Volcano, Walk Into a Bar

(5) — five records

How Volcanoes Helped Create Modern Scotland: Crop famine that led to country signing up to the 1707 Acts of Union with England…
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7766021/Crop-famine-lead-Scotland-signing-Union-caused-tropical-volcano.html

How a Volcanic Eruption Helped Create Modern Scotland
https://www.science.org/content/article/how-volcanic-eruption-helped-create-modern-scotland?rss=1?utm_source=digg

Complexity in Crisis: The volcanic cold pulse of the 1690s and the consequences of Scotland’s failure to cope
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377027319303087

View of Gunung Api
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AMH-8034-KB_View_of_Gunung_Api.jpg
Note: For the volcano illustration.

Encyclopedia of North Carolina
Scottish Settlers
https://www.ncpedia.org/scottish-settlers

Presbyterianism

(6) — one record

Presbyterianism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presbyterianism

The McClintock Line, A Narrative — One

This is Chapter One of seven, about a family line which begins in Europe and through the remarkable deeds of two twin brothers, they found an expansive family line in America.

Clara (McClintock) DeVoe is our Great-Grandmother on our mother Marguerite (Gore) Bond’s maternal side of the family. Through her family, she is our direct connection to Scotland during the period of colonial immigration. On our father Dean Bond’s side of things, some of our Irish relatives went to Scotland to find work (and survive) during the Great Hunger of the potato famine. They also had many children there, but maintained their cultural identity as Irish people. (His side then immigrated to the United States in the 1880s).

Clara McClintock’s family also immigrated, but at a much earlier time than the Irish side did. Their story starts here…

Scotland in the Early Middle Ages, (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons). This general map of Scotland is attributed to Robert Gordon of Straloch, circa 1654. Along the right side of the map is an inset with representations of the islands north of Scotland.

Fàilte! (This Means Welcome in Scottish Gaelic)

Our story begins in the Highlands of Scotland, around the shores of the famous Loch Lomond. Our ancestors in this family line are descended from the Clan McClintock families who lived there. The Loch is pictured in this map almost exactly in the center section.

This inset map from the top image indicates the area around Loch Lomond where the Clan Colquhoun were situated, and it is from this area where the McClintock name originates.

But first, let’s explain the origins of the surname, and then its affiliation as a “Sept” of the Clan Colquhoun from this area. (1)

All Around Loch Lomond

The following text is excerpted from The History of the McClintock Family, by Col. R. S. McClintock. “The name Mac Lintock, McLintock or McClintock is a Highland one, and, in Scotland, though nowhere else, is chiefly to be found in the South-western Highlands and especially in the district round Loch Lomond, formerly subject to the Laird of Luss whose name was Colquhoun.

In Gaelic it is spelt ‘Mac Ghiolla Fhionntog’, or – to adopt the Scottish method which omits the mute letters – ‘Mac’ill’intog’, and means ‘son of the servant (i.e. religious follower) of Fintag’. Fintag, like the better known name of Fintán, is a diminutive of Fionn (anglicized Finn) meaning fair-haired.”

Saint Fintan of Clonenagh (circa 524 – 603)

[R. S. McClintock was] “…making researches in Edinburgh [and discovered] …the record of an action taken in 1528 by the Abbot of Cambuskenneth against the parishioners of the parish of Kilmarnock in Dumbartonshire. These parishioners were sued for refusing to pay their “tiends” or tithes which were due to the Abbot, who was patron of the parish… probably caused by the Abbot neglecting to appoint a minister and [instead] putting the stipend into his own pocket.

However this may be, we have a list of the defaulting parishioners with the amounts of their assessments, and among such names, in modern spelling… we find three McClintocks: Andrew of Ballagane, Donald of Balloch and Andrew of Boturich: probably there was only one Andrew – who was assessed on two separate holdings. Balloch is at the south end of Loch Lomond where the river Leven flows out of the Loch and Ballagane and Boturich lay 2 and 4 miles respectively to the northwards.”

“I had always imagined that the McClintocks were people of importance and I pictured them as striding over the heather in kilts with an eagle’s feather in their bonnet, but this dream was rudely shattered when I was lunching with the Duke of Argyll at Rosneath – I asked whether there were many of the name in Argyll. ‘Oh yes,’ said the Duke, ‘there are plenty – they are mostly tinkers, water tinkers.’* Water tinkers, I may mention, is a branch of the trade much looked down upon by the other tinkers. However, the Duke added “They’re very good chaps: you’d like them.” 

From our research, we have learned that “Water Tinkers” were likely tinsmiths who traveled by boat. (2)

From left to top right: Portrait of the 28th Clan Chief — Colonel Sir Alan Colquhoun of Luss (1838–1910). Frontispiece and Crest from Chiefs of Colquhoun and their country, Volume 2, and Excerpt from the Gill Humphreys Clan Map of Scotland. (See footnotes for image sources).

Clan Colquhoun

“Clan Colquhoun (Scottish Gaelic: Clann a’ Chombaich) is a Highland Scottish clan whose lands are located around the borders of the Loch Lomond lake. The Clan Colquhoun International Society, the official organization representing the clan considers the following names as septs* of clan Colquhoun. However several of the names are claimed by other clans, including Clan Gregor – traditional enemy of clan Colquhoun.

As follows — Calhoun, Cahoon, Cahoone, Cohoon, Colhoun, Cowan, Cowen, Cowing, Ingram (or Ingraham), Kilpatrick, King, Kirkpatrick, Laing (or Lang), McCowan, McMains (or McMain), McManus, McClintock and McOwan, Covian, McCovian.

*In the context of Scottish clans, septs are families that followed another family’s chief, or part of the extended family and that hold a different surname. These smaller septs would then be part of the chief’s larger clan. A sept might follow another chief if two families were linked through marriage, or, if a family lived on the land of a powerful laird [estate owner], they would follow him whether they were related or not.

The clan chief’s early stronghold was at Dunglass Castle, which is perched on a rocky promontory by the River Clyde. Dunglass Castle was also close to the royal Dumbarton Castle, of which later Colquhoun chiefs were appointed governors and keepers.” (Wikipedia)

“The Colquhouns can claim to be both a Highland and Lowland clan, as their ancient territory bestrides the Highland Boundary Fault, where it passes through Loch Lomond”. (The National). (3)

We Know Where They Lived — But, How Did They Live?

We are of course curious about the lives of these relatives, but we know little about them until they immigrate to British North America. They did come out of the Scottish culture of the late 17th century, so what was that like?

“The Highlands, for most people, started at Loch Lomond and The Trossachs.  They still do – but no longer in the sense understood by Lowland Scots until well into the 18th century.

The Highlands were a different society, where the Highland clan system held different values. The feudal system of Lowland Scotland (and England), where ‘vassals’ held land from ‘superiors’, did not prevail in the Highlands. Instead land tenure was closely linked to kinship and loyalty – members of the clan had an allegiance to their chief, a kind of mutual protection whereby the clansfolk lived securely in their territories but would unswervingly answer the chief’s call to arms if it came.  In effect, clans were – potentially – private armies. In mediaeval Scotland they had even threatened the established monarchy.

Antique Scottish Landscape Highland Cattle on Loch Pathway Mountains, by A. Lewis

A clan’s wealth was formerly measured in cattle (as a means of seeing them through the harsh Highland winters). Many of the clans around Loch Lomond and The Trossachs, closest to the Highland line, and with the rich farms of the Lowlands within easy reach, gained a reputation as cattle-thieves. At the very least they had expertise both in cattle-droving or protecting cattle from other marauding clans.” (Clans of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs)

There Were Established Levels to Everything
“Scotland in this period was a hierarchical society, with a complex series of ranks and orders” for those that lived in the urban centers and the rural areas:
Of course, at the top we can see the Monarchy, and just below them are the High Noble Classes, consisting of the Dukes and Earls.

A table of ranks in early modern Scottish society, (Wikipedia).

In rural society, we see some middle ranking people, mostly defined by how much land they owned. At the Rural Top were the Lairds / Bonnet Lairds, who owned the most; the Yeoman, (still major landholders); the Husbandmen (smaller landholders); the Cottars (peasant farmers). In urban society, at the upper end we see the Burgesses, and the Alderman Bailies, who were essentially different levels of municipal administrators. Then the merchant class, craftsmen, workers, and brute laborers. (Wikipedia)

Observation: This societal hierarchy was probably very hard to transcend. In records that have survived to this day, we see that our later McClintock ancestors could sign their names, and read and write. We know this through their participation in local government. But some other accounts also describe them in a bit “rougher” terms regarding their behaviors. In regard to Scotland, we are not sure about what social rank they were inhabiting, but they were from Glasgow, so it was likely the Merchant Class, or Craftsmen. They had to have the resources necessary to pay for their ship passage to the Colonies, and to then provide for themselves afterwards.

Detail from Slezer’s Prospect of Dunfermline, by John Slezer, circa 1693

“17th century Scotland looked very different to today: it was predominantly rural, the landscape being made up of clusters of small farms, surrounded by narrow strips of cultivated ground (rigs) in an otherwise barren landscape. There were few trees or hedges, but plenty of bogs, mountains and moorland. There were very few roads, with access generally being by muddy tracks that were frequently impassable due to the weather. Most of the farms were quite small – usually less than 300 acres in total. Individual families lived on as little as 20 acres and survived by subsistence farming. 

The departure of King James to London in 1603 [as Heir to the English throne after Elizabeth I’s death] brought about change, particularly for wealthy Scottish landowners. If they wanted to remain part of the King’s court and retain their political influence, then they had to follow James to England. As a result, many became ‘absentee’ landlords. In England, however, they became aware of potential improvements and alternative methods of farming that would fuel the agricultural revolution that followed in the 18th century.” (Scottish Archives for Schools, a division of the National Records of Scotland)

The actions of these absentee Scottish landlords precipitated a big change in Scotland called the Lowland Clearances. From Wikipedia, “As farmland became more commercialized in Scotland during the 18th century, land was often rented through auctions. This led to an inflation of rents that priced many tenants out of the market. Thousands of cottars and tenant farmers from the southern counties (Lowlands) of Scotland migrated from farms and small holdings they had occupied to the new industrial centers of Glasgow, Edinburgh and northern England or abroad.” Big population changes were starting to occur. (4)

Inset image from the Robert Gordon of Straloch map of Scotland from the Introduction. This map shows the location of the city of Glasgow in the Lanarkshire District, just south of Loch Lomond.

Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow

Our ancestors had begun in the areas around Loch Lomond, but had migrated south down the River Clyde, to the area of the City of Glasgow in Lanarkshire. From Wikipedia, “By the 16th century, the city’s tradesmen and craftsmen had begun to wield significant influence, particularly the Incorporation of Tailors, which in 1604 was the largest guild in Glasgow; members of merchant and craft guilds accounted for about 10% of the population by the 17th century. With the discovery of the Americas and the trade routes it opened up, Glasgow was ideally placed to become an important trading centre with the River Clyde providing access to the city and the rest of Scotland for merchant shipping...

The engraving above shows Glasgow, Scotland, the area where our ancestors lived circa 1700. (Public domain).

Access to the Atlantic Ocean allowed the import of slave-produced cash crops such as American tobacco and cotton along with Caribbean sugar into Glasgow, which were then further exported throughout Europe. These imports flourished after 1707, when union with England made the trade legal.” Interestingly in 1726, the famous English novelist Daniel Defoe (of Robinson Crusoe) describes “Glasgow as ‘The cleanest and best-built city in Britain’; 50 ships a year sail to America.”

It is from this location that two brothers decided to immigrate directly from Glasgow to the British Colonies in North America. This city underwent much change in the century after they left, losing much of its rural character. (5)

Who Immigrated to North America in the 17th Century?

“Immigration to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries reflects a complex blend of motivations. European royals, political, and business leaders sought wealth, power, and resources. Missionaries wanted to convert Native Americans to Christianity, while others looked to escape religious persecution. Violent conflicts, high land rents, and criminal punishments also caused—or forced—people to sail to the colonies.

The first immigrants came mainly from northern European countries. They arrived to establish a new life in North America—the British colonies, New France, New Netherlands, New Sweden, or New Spain. In the 18th century, European migration to North America continued and increased, as colonies became more established.

English, Welsh, Irish, Scottish, and Scots-Irish people from Ulster [Ireland] left their homelands for myriad reasons. Religious refuge was sought by Quakers, Puritans, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, and Catholics, for example. And as the British agricultural system shifted in favor of larger landholders—through the 18th-century Enclosure Movement—smaller farmers were forced off their lands. This prompted many to journey across the Atlantic.” (Ancestry) (6)

Who are the — Scots / Scotch-Irish / Scots-Irish / Ulster-Irish / Ulster-Scots ?

We have been observing how some writers use different terms when describing these ancestral groups who came to British North America. (It’s confusing enough to drive one to drink!) Our ancestors appear to have come directly from Scotland to New England, without stopping over in England, or Ireland (now chiefly known as Ulster-Scots). Therefore, we agree with  this expression — “Scotch is the drink, Scots are the people.”

The Highlander on the right looks a bit like he is wearing a kilt that’s pretty close to that of the Clan Colquhoun tartan?

Writer Michael Montgomery helped us understand these various descriptors when he wrote, “I began noticing Scots-Irish [no small h]. I observed that academics and genealogists used it to some extent… to conform to usage in the British Isles, where today people from Scotland are called Scots rather than Scotch. 

In the United States Scotch-Irish [notice the small h] has been used for Ulster immigrants (mainly of Presbyterian heritage) for more than three centuries and well over one hundred years for their descendants. Why Scotch-Irish rather than Scots-Irish? Simply because, as we will see, people of Scottish background were known as Scotch in the eighteenth century, so that term was brought to America, where it took root and flourished.

In the nineteenth century Scotch-Irish widened to encompass other Protestants (Anglicans, Quakers, etc.) and eventually some writers applied it to Ulster immigrants collectively [Ulster-Scots] because they were presumed all to have absorbed the Scottish-influenced culture of Presbyterians who had come to Ulster from Scotland in the seventeenth century.” (7)

Therefore, it seems that these ancestors are, to put it simply, Scots.

We don’t definitively know why the McClintocks came to British North America, but we do understand that they were likely Presbyterians based upon their histories. In the next chapter, we will lift a glass and toast to them as they eventually make plans to journey across the Atlantic Ocean to their new home.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Fàilte! (This Means Welcome in Scottish Gaelic)

(1) — one record

How to Pronounce Fáilte? (WELCOME!) | Irish, Gaelic Scottish, Pronunciation Guide
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijgg-z1nPqs#:~:text=Information%20%26%20Source%3A%20Fáilte%20(Irish,a%20word%20meaning%20%22welcome%22.

All Around Loch Lomond

(2) — four records

Saint of the Day – 17 February
Saint Fintan of Clonenagh (c 524 – 603)
The “Father of the Irish Monks”.
https://anastpaul.com/2021/02/17/saint-of-the-day-17-february-saint-fintan-of-clonenagh-c-524-603-father-of-the-irish-monks/

Fintán of Taghmon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fintán_of_Taghmon
Note: “In Scotland, he is venerated as the patron saint of Clan Campbell.”

Scotland in the Early Middle Ages (map)
Attributed to Robert Gordon of Straloch, circa 1654
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atlas_Van_der_Hagen-KW1049B11_038-SCOTIA_REGNUM_cum_insulis_adjacentibus.jpeg
Note: “In 1654 Joan Blaeu (1598-1673) published an atlas which was completely dedicated to the kingdom of Scotland. Blaeu composed this atlas in cooperation with the Scottish Government. The framework of the atlas was a collection of manuscript maps by the Scottish pastor Timothy Pont (c. 1560- c. 1614). This material had been prepared for publication from 1626 under orders from Blaeu by the Scottish cartographer Robert Gordon of Straloch (1580-1661) who completed the collection with 11 new maps. This general map of Scotland is one of those new maps. Along the right side of the map is an inset with representations of the islands north of Scotland.

A History of The McClintock Family
By Col. R. S. McClintock
https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/12464119?h=4f58fa

Clan Colquhoun

(3) — seven records

Clan Colquhoun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clan_Colquhoun
and
Sept
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sept

Clan Colquhoun Tartan

Colquhoun Gallery Images:
Colquhoun Tartan Shop
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/382383824601666368/
Note: For the portrait of the 28th Clan Chief — Colonel Sir Alan Colquhoun of Luss (1838–1910).
and
Chiefs of Colquhoun and their country, Volume 2
https://digital.nls.uk/histories-of-scottish-families/archive/96522650#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&xywh=-1363,-196,5224,3907
Note: For Arms and Book Frontispiece.
and
Scot Clans
Clan Colquhoun History
http://109.74.200.198/scottish-clans/clan-colquhoun/
Note: Excerpt from Gill Humphreys Clan Map of Scotland

File:Dunglass Castle.jpg
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunglass_Castle.jpg
(Image courtesy of Wikipedia Commons)

The Best Tales from Scotland’s Most Prolific Lowland Clans
By Hamish MacPherson
https://www.thenational.scot/culture/20061267.best-tales-scotlands-prolific-lowland-clans/

We Know Where They Lived — But, How Did They Live?

(4) — seven records

Friends of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs Park Clans
Clans of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs https://www.lochlomondtrossachs.org.uk/park-clans

Antique Scottish Landscape Highland Cattle on Loch Pathway Mountains
by A. Lewis
https://www.1stdibs.com/art/paintings/landscape-paintings/lewis-antique-scottish-landscape-highland-cattle-on-loch-pathway-mountains/id-a_12176282/
Note: For the landscape painting.

Scottish Society in the Early Modern Era
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_society_in_the_early_modern_era
Note: For “A table of ranks in early modern Scottish society”

The Scottish Archives for Schools
Seventeenth Century Scotland
https://www.scottisharchivesforschools.org/unionCrowns/17thCenturyScotland.asp

Prospect of Dunfermline
by John Slezer, circa 1693
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:17thC_Scottish_Lowland_farm.jpg
Note: For the illustration.

General History of the Highlands
The Living Conditions in the Highlands prior to 1745 (Part 1)
https://www.electricscotland.com/history/working/index.htm
Note: For the plough image.

Lowland Clearances
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowland_Clearances

Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow

(5) —three records

History of Glasgow
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Glasgow

Port Glasgow from the South East, circa 1700.
Drawn by J. Fleming, engraved by Joseph Swan.
https://randomscottishhistory.com/2018/05/23/port-glasgow-pp-87-98/
Random Scottish History, Port Glasgow, pp.87-98
Note: For the landscape image.

Timeline of Glasgow History
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Glasgow_history

Who Immigrated to North America in the 17th Century?

(6) — one record

Immigration in the 1600s and 1700s
https://www.ancestry.com/c/family-history-learning-hub/1600s-1700s-immigration

Who are the — Scots / Scotch-Irish / Scots-Irish / Ulster-Irish ?

(7) — two records

The Ulster-Scots Language Society
Scotch-Irish or Scots-Irish: What’s in a Name?
By Michael Montgomery
http://www.ulsterscotslanguage.com/en/texts/scotch-irish/scotch-irish-or-scots-irish/

Scotch Whisky – A Primer From Vintage Direct
https://www.nicks.com.au/info/a-scotch-whisky-primer-761065
Note: For the vintage whisky advertisements.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Eleven

This is Chapter Eleven of eleven, being the last chapter of our narrative about the DeVoe Line. We hope that you have enjoyed following along, for this family line was sincerely, the most difficult to have researched due to certain enigmatic records… However, as we move toward the end of the 20th century, life still engages the DeVoe(s), as it has for many centuries.

Pressed Blossoms

Both of our grandmothers long out-lived our grandfathers. As such, neither of us knew our grandfathers at all. Susan knew both of our grandmothers: Mary Adele (McCall) Bond and Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore. However, Grandma Mary died when I was quite young, so Grandma Lulu was really the only grandmother I ever knew. She lived nearby and was a strong influence on our family.

More than fifty years ago she made me a birthday card with a few pressed blossoms from her garden and I recently found it tucked-in amongst some family photographs I was reviewing for this history. She was an avid gardener and the perfect simplicity of this card still means much to me.

— Thomas, with Susan

Most Signed Their Name With an “X”

Our ancestors are a mixed lot when it came to their educations. If they had money, they likely had the “3 R’s” of education: ‘reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic. These educations seemed to be offered to our male relatives first, then second to the female relatives. If our ancestors didn’t have money, some of them still could sign their name.

If they were poor, generally speaking, education was an unobtainable luxury. We have seen so many documents where they simply signed their names with an “X” which was accepted at that time. This made them dependent upon the courtesy of strangers, because witnesses were required to vouch for the signee.

Observation: Coming to understand this has helped explain why we have records for some of our ancestors that are inconsistent, with weird name spellings, incorrect locations, etc. It became apparent that many of our relatives couldn’t comprehend the words, but they knew that they were signing a contract, a deed, or a will...

The Class of ’99

Having an education became an increasingly important need as the world became more modern. Our Grandmother Lulu was the first person ever in her family, who as a young woman, to have graduated from high school — in the Chagrin Falls, Ohio, high school Class of 1899. (Then known as the Union School on Philomethian Street). None of her siblings accomplished this.

What is remarkable is this — that especially in that era, there were many people who thought it wasn’t necessary for a woman to be educated. Despite that prejudice, we believe that she was likely encouraged by her grandfather Peter A. DeVoe, who was a man who valued education. She became the beneficiary of his guidance, support, and encouragement throughout her youth. Most certainly, she always spoke fondly, almost reverently, about him.

The Union School, built in 1885, was the home of the High School until 1914. Photograph courtesy of cfhs.me — Discover Chagrin Falls History.

Coming from a poor family and achieving this feat was rather astonishing and must have taken tremendous effort on her part. To accomplish this, she moved away from her parents in Russell township, and lived as a household servant for a family in Chagrin Falls while attending school.

After her high school graduation, she went through teacher training and at the very beginning of the 20th century, she worked as a schoolteacher at different one-room schoolhouses in the area. One of the schools is located in Chester township, in Geauga County, and was then known as District School No. 2, or also, as the Scotland School. It still stands today and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (1)

The former Chester Township District School No. 2 was also known as Scotland School.  Originally built in 1847, it was used as a one-room schoolhouse until 1926, when it closed.

Some Things Change, and Then… Some Things Transform

In the present day, the Village of Chagrin Falls in Ohio, is considered to be an upscale place to live with many nice homes, beautiful scenery, good schools… Typical town boosters might describe it enthusiastically, like this: “Chagrin Falls, Ohio, nestled in the picturesque Cuyahoga County, offers a charming and idyllic lifestyle that beckons residents seeking tranquility, beauty, and a strong sense of community.”

When our grandparents were alive, they certainly would have been much more circumspect in their description of the area. In their era, Chagrin Falls was a nice, but small working-class hamlet, with a village center remarkable for its triangular shape, and a bent wood bandstand where they would waltz to music. We can recall our mother Marguerite describing that many of the houses in her 1920s childhood, really needed painting, — and this was before the Great Depression.

Images of the town of Chagrin Falls, Ohio from the 1870s through the 1910s. Top row, left to right: The High Falls, after which the town is named. Right: The Chagrin Falls park band which performed in the Triangle Park gazebo. Middle center image: Map of the town from the 1892 Cuyahoga County Atlas. Bottom row, left: Main Street. Center: The Atlas cover sheet. Right: Triangle Park in the 1870s before the gazebo was built.

Our grandparents would put Marguerite in the Model T and go to the village for a haircut about once a month, while they also took care of other errands. Mom had an uncle on her father’s side who gave haircuts, (maybe Uncle Forest?) and also another uncle on her mother’s side (Uncle Frank) who did the same. It turns out that Uncle Frank was the craftier of the two, because he always gave her a lollipop when her haircut was done. Apparently it was always a drama to get her to go and see Uncle Forest, and who could blame a kid when lollipops were involved?

Marguerite Lulu (Gore) Bond, circa 1922. (Family photograph).

Knowing our mother as we did, in our mind’s eye, it seems likely she got bored hanging out at the farm, and longed for a bit more excitement in her life. When she was a young teenager, she worked for a time at Speice’s Drug Store as a soda-fountain jerk. The shop was located near the center of the Chagrin Falls village, about as far away from the farm as she could get in those days. It was the first job she had in a long career associated with food.

From Wikipedia: Soda jerk… is an American term used to refer to a person… who would operate the soda fountain in a drugstore, preparing and serving soda [we actually said soda-pop] drinks and ice cream sodas. The drinks were made by mixing flavored syrup, carbonated water, and occasionally malt powder over either ice or a few scoops of ice cream. The drink would then be served in a tall glass with a long-handled spoon, most commonly known as a “soda spoon”, and drinking straws.”

Likely thinking she was a bit older than she actually was, we’re certain that Mom pictured her career as a soda fountain jerk with starry eyes… After all, the Depression was in full swing and after the local movie theater let out, all the cool kids went to the soda fountain. Maybe she thought her new career would be like this scene from a Hollywood movie?

To this day, as far as we know, Chagrin Falls, Ohio,
has never had palm trees, nor pith helmets.

Our mother led an interesting life. To see more about her, here are some of the other narratives in which she is written about. (Please see The Gore Line, A Narrative — Eight, The Peterman Line, A Narrative, and The Bond Line, A Narrative — Seven). (2)

Lulu Mae DeVoe Becomes Mrs. Harley Gore

It is through Lulu that we connect to the Mayflower through two different family lines. We will be writing about this lineage when we document the Warner line.

Harley William Gore and Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore
around the time of their wedding in 1905. (Family photographs).

In 1905, Lulu left her teaching career behind and married Harley William Gore becoming both a mother and a farmer’s wife. We believe that they met at a dance, or perhaps a picnic, and were introduced by mutual friends or family. At that time, it was a typical way to meet a young man during the Edwardian era. Social relationships were strictly defined by an unwritten set of rules. Young women had chaperones and one didn’t date, one was courted… All these years later, we’ve lost the thread of details about their courtship, but Grandmother used to mention dances in Triangle Park, in Chagrin Falls, and picnics at Pioneer Park at Punderson Lake in Newbury township.

Harley William Gore and Lulu Mae Devoe marriage application, 1905.

They had three children, all born in Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio:

  • Leland Harley Gore, born September 30, 1906 — died October 1, 1993
  • Elwyn Clinton Gore, born May 12, 1909 — died February 13, 1935
  • Marguerite Lulu (Gore) Peterman Bond,
    born June 28, 1920 — died March 4, 1999 (We are descended from Marguerite).

Some material for this aspect of our family narratives is covered in other narratives. We have written quite a bit about their life together, their children, and their extended family. (Please see The Gore Line, A Narrative — Eight).

We know that Grandma Gore was born at home and that there was no birth certificate. However, at some point in her life she needed one (perhaps to collect Social Security?) and the family had to “locate” two very ancient ladies that testified that she was born when and where she was… (3)

Parlor Games

For most people, television didn’t become a viable option for home entertainment until the middle of the 1950s. In prior decades, our ancestors had to be creative in how they entertained themselves in their limited leisure time. First, with the advent of the Edison phonograph, and then the development of home radios, suddenly there were many more options.

The Golden Age of Radio
As a result, its popularity grew rapidly in the late 1920s and early 1930s, and by 1934, 60 percent of the nation’s households had radios. One and a half million cars were also equipped with them. The 1930s were the Golden Age of radio.

The History of the Radio Industry in the United States to 1940
Carole E. Scott, State University of West Georgia

For our ancestors who were of an older age by the time the mid-century period came along, some of their traditional entertainment choices prevailed. One such choice was card games — especially Gin Rummy, Pinochle, and Canasta!

Most people today have probably not heard of Canasta, but it was extremely popular in the late 1940s through the 1950s. Our Grandmother, along with our Uncle George, our Aunts, and their respective spouses, (and other friends) would gather at each other’s homes for potluck Canasta parties. Up to ten tables would be arranged, and the games began. Everyone would compete, shift to different players at other tables, and eventually someone would win a prize. We could be a bit wistful and say times were simpler then — and in some aspects they were, but in other ways, not so much — it was just another era. (4)

One Day in 1966, the Cleveland Press Came to Call

Lulu Gore in her flower garden in July 1966, as published in the following article Gifted Gardener Is Mrs. Lulu Gore, from the Cleveland Press, July 1966. (Family photograph).
Gifted Gardener Is Mrs. Lulu Gore, Published in the Cleveland Press, July 1966.
Garden photographs courtesy of finegardening.com.

Being Rooted In One Place

Lulu had deep devotion to her family, and her farm, but her passion was her ardent love of gardening, as the above article from the Cleveland Press newspaper highlights. We recall how the long rows of peony plants which lined her driveway, how the ancient maple trees surrounding the house provided shade in the hot summers, the way that boughs of lilacs perfumed the Spring air… We were allowed to play in these gardens, but there was an ever-present warning to be careful, stay on the garden paths, and not damage the plants… (in other words, we needed to be respectful of her hard work).

Her extended family filled the surrounding communities and existed in many ways like our Irish ancestors did with their kith, kin, and clan sensibilities. This gives us pause to think that perhaps this is what it was like for many of our European ancestors in their communities before they immigrated first to the British Colonies in America, then to the United States. Communities gather together for a few generations and then they change, with some leaving and establishing their own respective “center”.

For those of us who have moved around much as adults, it sometimes feels a bit constraining to think about living in one place for a very long time, but this is what Lulu did. She planted deep roots in her community and lived her entire life like the progressive rings from one of her grand maple trees — all within a five mile radius of where she was born.

“A single great tree can make a kind of garden, an entirely new place on the land, and in my mind I was already visiting the place my maple made, resting in its shade.

I’d decided on a maple because I’ve always liked the kind of light and air an old one seems to sponsor around itself. Maples suggest haven. They always look comfortable next to houses, in summer gathering the cool air under their low-hanging boughs and ushering it toward open windows.

Now I knew this wouldn’t happen overnight, probably not even
in my lifetime, but wasn’t that precisely the point?
To embark on a project that would outlast me, to plant a tree whose crown would shade not me, but my children or, more likely, the children of strangers?

Tree planting is always a utopian enterprise, it seems to me,
a wager on a future the planter doesn’t necessarily expect to witness.”

Michael Pollan, “Putting Down Roots
The New York Times Magazine, May 6, 1990

Lulu Mae (Devoe) Gore died four days before she would have been 93 years old. She is buried in Riverview Cemetery in Russell, Ohio next to her husband Harley William Gore, amidst many generations of other extended family members. (For more on their lives together, please see the chapter, The Gore Line, A Narrative —Eight).

She had once written a poem, titled…

When I Quit

When I quit this mortal shore
And mosey ’round this earth no more,
Don’t weep, don’t sigh, don’t grieve, don’t sob
I may have struck a better job.

Don’t go and buy a large bouquet
For which you’ll find it hard to pay.
Don’t hang ’round me looking blue,
I may be better off than you!

Don’t tell folks I was a Saint
Or anything you know I ain’t.
If you have stuff like that to spread
Please hand it out before I’m dead.

If you have roses, bless your soul.
Just pin one on my button hole.
But do it while I’m at my best
Instead of when I’m safe at rest.

She was the person in our family who helped us gain an appreciation for genealogical research. One day she looked off into the middle distance and made a comment about her family having had picnics at cemeteries. That sounded (!) completely odd to us, but it turns out it was once a thing. From Atlas Obscura: “During the 19th century, and especially in its later years, snacking in cemeteries happened across the United States. It wasn’t just apple-munching alongside the winding avenues of graveyards. Since many municipalities still lacked proper recreational areas, many people had full-blown picnics in their local cemeteries. The tombstone-laden fields were the closest things, then, to modern-day public parks.”

Lulu’s handwritten genealogy notes as she diagrammed her family relationships. (Family epherma).

Furthermore, “One of the reasons why eating in cemeteries become a “fad,” as some reporters called it, was that epidemics were raging across the country: Yellow fever and cholera flourished, children passed away before turning 10, women died during childbirth. Death was a constant visitor for many families, and in cemeteries, people could “talk” and break bread with family and friends, both living and deceased.”

One wonders if perhaps in their collective afterlife… our family members are still enjoying each other’s company breaking bread at family picnics? (5)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

The Class of ’99

(1) — two records

Flickr.com
One-room school house
Photograph by Steve Mather
https://www.flickr.com/photos/mathersteve/29573949615
Note: “Circa-1900, one-room school house. Wood & cast iron desks with inkwells. Tall stool and cone-shaped dunce cap. Teacher’s wooden desk with oil lamp. American flag. Slate chalk board. Framed photos of of American Presidents…”

The National Register of Historic Places
Ohio — Geauga County
Chester Township District School No. 2 (added 1982 – – #82001463)
https://nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/oh/geauga/state.html

Some Things Change, and Then… Some Things Transform

(2) — seven records

Benefits of Living in Chagrin Falls, OH
https://www.morsemoving.com/benefits-of-living-in-chagrin-falls-oh/#:~:text=Chagrin%20Falls%2C%20Ohio%2C%20nestled%20in,town%20has%20much%20to%20offer.

Discover Chagrin Falls History
Landmarks > High Falls
https://cfhs.me/?c=landmarks&t=high-falls
Schools, Churches, Libraries > Union School
https://cfhs.me/?c=schools-churches-libraries&t=union-school
Landmarks > Bandstand
https://cfhs.me/?c=landmarks&t=bandstand
Business > Druggists
https://cfhs.me/?c=business&t=druggists
Note: For historical photographs from this area.

Part 1. Chagrin Falls (1892 atlas map)
by George F. Cram, J. Q. A. Bennett, and J. H. Beers
https://archive.org/details/dr_part-1-chagrin-falls-12048097
Note: “This atlas gives a detailed cartographic record of the City of Cleveland, Ohio, and the surrounding areas in Cuyahoga County in 1892. 52 maps show Cleveland. Cram was known mostly for his world atlases and occasional regional atlases. This city and county atlas may be one of the few that he published.”

Soda Jerk
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soda_jerk

Lulu Mae DeVoe Becomes Mrs. Harley Gore

(3) — two records

A Mini-History of Newbury
Marian Gould Bottger and the Newbury Bicentennial Committee, 1976
https://www.newburyohio.com/Newbury_MiniHistory.pdf

H.w. Gore
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XDK5-YMD
Book page: 77, Digital page: 67/226. Right page, entry 1.

Parlor Games

(4) — two records

The History of the Radio Industry in the United States to 1940
Carole E. Scott, State University of West Georgia
https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-history-of-the-radio-industry-in-the-united-states-to-1940/#:~:text=The Golden Age of Radio&text=As a result, its popularity,the Golden Age of radio.

Canasta
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canasta
Whitman Canasta Playing Cards Set with Box Red Roses MCM Vintage Double Deck
Note: Canasta playing cars image courtesy of eBay.com.

One Day in 1966, the Cleveland Press Came to Call
and Being Rooted In One Place

(5) — ten records

The article about our Grandmother’s floral garden was published in July 1966 in the Cleveland Press newspaper, which ceased publishing in 1982.

Cleveland Press
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleveland_Press

Fine Gardening.com
Revisiting an Ohio Garden photographs
https://www.finegardening.com/article/revisiting-an-ohio-garden
and
Mike and Brenda’s Ohio Garden
https://www.finegardening.com/article/mike-and-brendas-ohio-garden
Note: Due to the fact that no photographs survive of Lulu Gore’s expansive mid-century flower gardens, these contemporary photographs are (only) representative due to their similarity.

“Settle somewhere, become established, as in We’ve put down roots here and don’t want to move away. This metaphoric expression, first recorded in 1921, likens the rooting of a plant to human settlement”.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/put-down-roots#

Putting Down Roots
Essay by Michael Pollan
The New York Times Magazine, May 6, 1990
https://michaelpollan.com/articles-archive/putting-down-roots/

Lulu Mae Gore April 1975 death notice..

Lulu M Gore
in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/817894:5763?tid=&pid=&queryId=8aceffb0-6b99-4026-88c8-c5331138b985&_phsrc=rxA1&_phstart=successSource

Lulu Gore
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/61357205:60525

Lulu DeVoe Gore
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/98032392/lulu-gore

Atlas Obscura
Remembering When Americans Picnicked in Cemeteries
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/picnic-in-cemeteries-america

A historic image of the Woodland Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.
(Image courtesy of Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, via Atlas Obscura).

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Nine

This is Chapter Nine of eleven. In this chapter we write about the two Peters: father Peter M., and his son Peter A. We try to consistently use the letters of their middle names to distinguish them from each other, because it seems that in life, they each used their middle initial frequently to do exactly that. Despite this, it is ironic that we have never seen documentation which actually informs us of either of their complete middle name(s).

A Chip Off The Old Block?

As we learned in the previous chapter, Peter A. DeVoe was the fourth of eight children born to his father Peter M. DeVoe and his mother Alida (Shaw) DeVoe. We don’t know very much about the first twenty years of his life, but his father was a prosperous farmer, so it’s likely that the younger Peter A. followed the same model — at least for a while, anyway.

Map excerpted from the 1813 edition of H.G. Spafford’s gazetteer: A gazetteer of the
State of New-York. Albany, 1813. (Image courtesy of the Library of Congress).

The above map shows the eastern edge of New York State and the western edge of Vermont as they abutted each other just after the War of 1812, and before the commencement of the Civil War. The three principal communities indicated show where our ancestors lived during this period, prior to the westward emigration of our Great-Great-Grandparents to the Ohio Country. (1)

Learning From the 1855 New York State Census

Here is what makes the 1855 New York state census unique and also very helpful with our research: “The 1855 New York state census is notable because it was the first to record the names of every individual in the household. It also asked about the relationship of each family member to the head of the household—something that was not asked in the federal census until 1880. 

The 1855 New York state census also provides the length of time that people had lived in their towns or cities as well as their state or country of origin—this is particularly helpful for tracing immigrant ancestors. If born in New York State, the county of birth was noted, which is helpful for tracing migration within New York State.”

Peter A. DeVoe is listed on line 10, as being 20 years old, living in his parents’ home, working as a farmer, and that he was born in Saratoga County, New York.

1855 New York State Census for Easton, Washington County.

In 1855, Mary Ann was already residing in the town of Wilton* in Saratoga County, for three years, having moved there from Sandgate, Vermont. She is shown on line 24, as being 22 years old, and working as a weaver. We can also observe that she was born in Vermont, and that she is a boarder among ten other women who are also working as weavers. All of these women are living in a boarding house belonging to Bethelvel Shaw.

1855 New York State Census for Wilton, Saratoga County.

*In carefully analyzing the census materials, we learned that the landlord, Bethelvel Shaw and his family, ran a boarding house (which appears to have been situated amongst other boarding houses), in Victory Village, Saratoga County, New York. For both the 1855 and 1860 censuses, it is that same location, [despite being recorded as Wilton on the 1855 census].

Left to right, top: A cotton flower and bole, a millworker weaver working bobbins.
Center: Map of the Victory Mills hamlet in Saratoga County, New York, where our 2x Great Grandmother Mary Ann lived and worked in the early 1850s. Bottom: Stereoscopic view of a cotton mill in Lowell, Massachusetts, (See footnotes for credits).

When Mary Ann Warner lived there she worked as a weaver, so we analyzed histories of Saratoga County and maps from that era. We learned that there were very few mills that processed wool or cotton in Saratoga County during the period of 1852 through 1855. Having determined that she was recorded as living in Victory Village, the only place she could have worked at was the nearby Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company. (2)

The Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company

We don’t know what brought Mary Ann Warner to come and leave Vermont and move to Saratoga County, New York, but it plausibly could have been for economic opportunity. In the 1820s, one of the first cotton factory mills to have opened to great success in the United States was in Lowell, Massachusetts, and word likely spread out from there about employment.

As the National Park Service writes: “The term ‘mill girls’ was occasionally used in [1840s] antebellum newspapers and periodicals to describe the young Yankee women, generally 15 – 30 years old, who worked in the large cotton factories… To find workers for their mills in early Lowell, the textile corporations recruited women from New England farms and villages.”

Female textile workers often described themselves
as
mill girls, while affirming the virtue of their class and
the dignity of their labor. 

These “daughters of Yankee farmers” had few economic opportunities, and many were enticed by
the prospect of monthly cash wages and room and board
in a comfortable boardinghouse.

The Mill Girls of Lowell
The National Park Service

Beginning in 1823, with the opening of Lowell’s first factory, large numbers of young women moved to the growing city. In the mills, female workers faced long hours of toil and often grueling working conditions. Yet many female textile workers saved money and gained a measure of economic independence. In addition, the city’s shops and religious institutions, along with its educational and recreational activities, offered an exciting social life that most women from small villages had never experienced.”

Recruitment flyer for mill workers, circa 1840s.
(Image courtesy of Medium, via Thinking Citizen Blog).

Although not as famous as the factories in Lowell, Massachusetts, the Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company grew to be a very large business enterprise. It operated under several owners until finally closing in the year 2000.

From the Eustace Families Association website:
“The village of Victory is a suburb of Schuylerville, Saratoga County, New York. Victory is located just south of Schuylerville on Fish Creek, a tributary to the historic Hudson River… Victory is the product of the industrial revolution. The number of textile mills, which required abundant waterpower, grew rapidly during the mid-1800s… [By 1846], The Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company [was built as] a three-story cotton cloth manufacturing plant costing $425,000. The company flourished and the number of employees living near the mill increased. In 1850, the cotton mill employed 160 men, 209 women, working at 12,500 spindles and 309 looms and produced over 1,800,000 yards of cotton cloth.”

“The development and expansion of Victory Mill coincided with the Potato Famine in Ireland. As a result, many Irish Catholic immigrants found work at the mills and as early as 1847, there was already a significant number of Irish families settled there.” Observation: The frequency of Irish family names was something that we took note of when we analyzed the census materials. In this era, on our father’s side of the family, our Irish 2x Great Grandmother Elizabeth (McGuire) McMahon also worked as a weaver at a mill in Doune Village, Stirlingshire, Scotland. (See The McMahon and The McCall Lines, A Narrative). (3)

The City’s Shops and Religious Institutions… Offered an Exciting Social Life

To be honest, we really don’t know how, nor where, Peter A. and Mary Ann met. Were they introduced by friends at a dance, or a picnic? We have read that for many of the young women who worked in the mills, churches offered an acceptable social outlet for their young lives. At nearly 170 years ago, one can only conjecture what the circumstance was.

We also understand from his 1909 obituary, “He and his wife confessed Christ and united with Baptist Church in the East”. This explains how they became involved with the Baptist Church — but for all of the Dutch generations before him, his family had been devout members of the Dutch Reformed Church. Was this conversion the influence of Mary Ann’s family, or was it a natural progression of life, as one moves away from their parent’s home and ventures out into the world to find one’s self?

Photos to record the wedding of Peter A. and Mary Ann (Warner) DeVoe, circa 1856.
Marriage date: February 2, 1856
(Contemporary family photographs obtained from daguerratypes).
The Descendants of Andrew Warner > Seventh Generation, page 381.

Peter A. DeVoe and Mary Ann Warner were married on February 2, 1856. The location is likely either in Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont, or in Easton, Washington County, New York. However, we cannot yet confirm the exact location, because a specific marriage record has not been discovered. We will keep on searching for it, but for now, we have relied on other credible sources for their marriage date. Mary Ann Warner is the youngest daughter of our 3x Great-Grandparents William Warner of Vermont, and his third wife, Prudence Nickerson.

Peter A. and Mary Ann had two children:

  • Clinton Chauncey DeVoe, born in New York, April 10, 1858 — died November 19, 1930 (We are descended from Clinton).
    For the specifics about Clinton Chauncey DeVoe’s life, please see
    The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Ten.
  • Charles Raymond DeVoe, (see below)

Charles Raymond DeVoe was the younger son in the family. He was born at home in Russell, Geauga County, Ohio on November 4, 1861. He died July 28, 1939 also in Russell, Ohio. Charles DeVoe married Adeline M. “Addie” Parker, on November 4, 1884, in Geauga, Ohio. She was born on November 10, 1865 in Munson, Geauga, Ohio, the daughter of DeWitt Clinton Parker and Lucina Robinson. She died on March 25, 1944 in Auburn, Geauga, Ohio. (4)

Marriage License for Charles R. Devoe and Addie M. Parker,1884.

The Years Before the Civil War — How Did They Travel?

We do not know by which route Peter A., Mary Ann, and young Clinton Devoe traveled to Northeast Ohio. In the late 1850s, for people emigrating westward to Ohio from the counties in New York and Vermont where our ancestors lived — they would have likely traveled by a combination of canals, railroads, and roads.

This contemporary image indicates the travel options that existed in the 1850s
between Saratoga County, New York and the Western Reserve of Ohio. (Image courtesy of Quora).
Red = roadway routes, Blue = canal routes, Black = railway routes

The Canal Routes
The primary water route was a series of linked canals, dominated by the Erie Canal, which connected with the Champlain Canal. The Champlain ran between the Saratoga and Washington County borders, where Peter A’s parents and other relatives lived. It would have been very easy for them to access this route. Wikipedia states about the Erie, “The Erie’s peak year was 1855 when 33,000 commercial shipments took place.”

View on the Erie Canal (1830-32) by John William Hill
via The New York Public Library.

The Railway Routes
During this decade, railroad lines were also being constructed. If a traveler were fortunate, a rail line might exist for their destination. From Wikipedia: “The Mohawk and Hudson Railroad opened in 1837, providing a bypass to the slowest part of the canal between Albany and Schenectady. Other railroads were soon chartered and built to continue the line west to Buffalo, and in 1842 a continuous line (which later became the New York Central Railroad and its Auburn Road in 1853) was open the whole way to Buffalo.

The Roadway Routes
Roadways, however, were a rough, mixed-bag of environments. What type of road surface one encountered depended upon the circumstances of the area you were passing through. There were: improved surfaces, packed dirt, corduroy (felled trees were used as planks), and pathways through fields. Taking a land route the entire way would have been the most difficult option.

We heard family stories about wagon travel, but to be honest, we just do not know how they made their way to northeast Ohio. What we do know is that the western end of the Erie Canal, and the endpoint for the railroads [in 1859], was at Buffalo, New York, on Lake Erie. This became the decision point about what to do next.

Inset image: Horse drawn covered wagon. (Image courtesy of Little House books).
Background image: Gathering With Covered Wagon, 20th century image correct for
Conestoga wagon, oxen, style of dress, and Ohio designation.
(Image courtesy of digitalcommonwealth.org).

At Buffalo, a horse drawn wagon, or a heavy covered wagon such as the Conestoga wagon, would have been required for travel across Pennsylvania to the their new home in the Western Reserve of Ohio. This type of wagon was extremely popular in the years just before the Civil War, which started in 1861. (5)

Map of the Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826. On this map, Geauga County is still combined with the future Lake County and Russell township (pink area) is not yet named. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

Many New Englanders Were Moving to the Western Reserve in Ohio

We believe that their attraction to northeast Ohio was most likely because the influence of family members from Mary Ann’s side of the marriage. She was part of a large, extended Warner family.

Note: Her father William S. Warner Sr., was married three times: first to Lucy Coan which brought seven children into the world, and second to Abigail Root —a brief marriage due to Abigail’s death; without children. William Warner’s third marriage was to Mary Ann’s mother, Prudence B. Nickerson, bringing four more children.

From William’s first marriage to Lucy Coan, five older brothers of Mary Ann’s were living in the Western Reserve of Ohio, all of them in Geauga County. Her older sister, Lucina married Clark Reed and they settled in Pike County, in southeast Ohio. The Warner siblings migrated to Ohio in two waves. The first was in the 1830s, and the second was in the 1850s. The Willoughby Independent Newspaper, of Willoughby, Ohio, in 1881, recounts:

“Out of a family of eleven children of William Warner, Sr. of Sandgate, Bennington County, Vermont, seven migrated to Geauga County, Ohio at a time in American history when Ohio was considered the far west. Six located permanently in Geauga County, the other, Lusina (Warner) Reed, removed with her husband Clark Reed, to Pike County, Ohio.”

“The first to arrive was Gaylord C,. who came in 1830 followed the next year by his brothers, William Jr., Joseph and Benjamin and later John and a sister, [Mary] Ann, who married Peter DeVoe and settled in Russell. For the past 120 years these Warners, with their descendants, have contributed their bit to the progress of the Western Reserve. There are at present descendants of the family living in 10 of the 16 townships of Geauga. Besides many who moved on to help build a bigger and better America.” For many decades up to the present time, a yearly Warner Family Reunion has been held. The first reunion was in 1880 at the home of William Warner Jr.

Peter A. DeVoe’s 1909 obituary states that they entered Ohio in 1859. The 1860 United States Federal Census records them living in Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.

1860 United States Federal Census for Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.
1863 Civil War draft registration record for the counties of northeast Ohio in 1863.
Note that below Peter’s name is his younger brother Chauncey Devoe,
who must have been living in the area before he returned to New York state.

In the midst of the Civil war period, Peter A.’s younger brother Chauncey must have been living in the area, because he and Peter registered for Civil War service. Even though the War did not affect Ohio very much, Peter’s obituary in 1909 states, “His musical talent was above the ordinary… He served for a short time in the Civil war as a musician.”

March 1870 United States Federal Census for Russell township, Geauga County, Ohio.

By the time of the March 1870 census, Prudence Warner, Mary Ann’s mother, is living with them. We observed that one of the children listed — Warren French, is the neighbor’s child who must have been residing there also. We are neither sure when, nor how, Prudence Warner in her elder years traveled to Ohio from Sandgate, Vermont. Since it was the 1860s, railroad lines were fast developing, and it is quite possible that perhaps the entire trip was by railroad. (6)

Russell Township, from the Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio
Published by Titus, Simmons and Titus, Philadelphia. Image courtesy of historicmapworks.com.

The Last Township to be Named

If you look carefully at the 1826 Western Reserve Firelands map/illustration a few paragraphs above, you can see that Russell township is not yet named. When researching why this is, we came across this passage from the 1878 book, the History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio:
“Russell was the last to be peopled, of all the townships, and the most of her early inhabitants removed to her borders from the surrounding country. This is said by her historians to have resulted from the high prices at which the proprietors held the land. It was also due to the generally low estimate which prevailed, set upon her soil and timber.”

This was rather startling to read, because (at present) the township is heavily forested and there is also much farmland. We wonder if perhaps local politics and land speculation was affecting the early settlers, of which there were many in our family. From the 1880 edition of the Pioneer and General History of Geauga County..., we learned that both aspects were true.
“At the commencement of its settlement, it was called the West Woods by the people of Newbury. The reason why it was not settled as soon as the adjoining townships, I suppose, to be that the speculators who bought of the Connecticut Land company, held it out of the market, or held it above the market price.”

Interestingly, we learned that other people from Bennington County, Vermont, where the Warner family hailed from, were present in the area since the 1820s…
“Clark Robinson moved from Shaftsbury, Bennington County, Vermont, to Middlefield, in the fall of 1820… and bought a lot of land in Russell Center at three dollars per acre…on the eighth of November, 1825, moved his family into the body of a log house…” (7)

The Legacy of Briar Hill and Old Riverview

Riverview Chapel, 1930s newspaper epherma, Old Riverview / Briar Hill Cemetery,
Russell township, Ohio.

Amongst old family ancestry records we discovered a portion of a small 1910s(?), 1920s(?) newspaper article about our 2x Great Grandfather Peter A. Devoe. It describes how in earlier years he had donated a portion of his land to create the Riverview Cemetery, an adjunct to the Briar Hill Cemetery. If you examine his property map (shown above) from 1874, you can discern on the upper corner that it says Wesleyan Cemetery and shows a small indication labeled ‘Ch’ for a church, or chapel.

From the 1880 edition of the Pioneer and General History of Geauga County..., we discovered this:
“The Wesleyan Methodist Church. — About the year 1848 there was a division among the Methodists on the slavery question, a part of the members withdrew, and a Wesleyan Methodist church was organized embracing two families that were left of a Congregational church, that was formed in the northwest part of Russell, in the summer of 1840, when J. M. Childs was chosen deacon, and A. H. Childs was chosen clerk, which had become reduced to the two families mentioned, when their organization was given up, and they, uniting with those who came away from the Methodist Episcopal church, formed the Wesleyan Methodist church, and in 1850 they bought a piece of land of L. T. Tambling, two miles north of the center, on the west side of the Chillicothe road, a nice sandy knoll for a burying ground, and to build a meeting house on, and four of them paid for it, to-wit: H. Cummins, John Wesley, David Nutt, and J. M. Childs, and had it deeded to the trustees of the first Wesleyan Methodist church in Russell, and to their successors in office. The first three named that paid for the burying ground are dead and gone to their reward ; Mr. Childs is living yet. He says that in 1851 they began to make preparations to build a meeting house, but, being poor, and new beginners, it went on slow, but with a hard struggle with poverty and bad management, it was finished.”

The Wesleyan Cemetery eventually became known as Briar Hill Cemetery. The meeting house became the Riverview Chapel where Baptist religious services were held. Peter A. Devoe and his extended family members gathered there for worship. Our Grandmother Lulu Mae (DeVoe) Gore often spoke of his love of music and how he would lead musical performances at the chapel.

There are six generations of our family buried in Riverview Cemetery. These family lines are: Bond, DeVoe, Gore, McClintock, and Warner. (8)

They Joined Their Ancestors

Both Peter and Mary Ann were descended from many generations of people who earned their living as farmers from an agrarian economy. They carried on that tradition, as their sons did after them.

Mary A. Devoe death record, 1899.

Mary Ann (Warner) DeVoe was the first to pass away on April 10, 1899. We have found two records about her death, and they indicate that she died from either consumption, or measles.

Peter A. DeVoe was born on June 23, 1834 in Saratoga County, New York. After his wife Mary Ann passed away, he lived into the 20th century for another ten years . He died on October 31, 1909 from an accidental fall. This newspaper account describes what happened. Peter’s obituary (further below) speaks to how beloved he was in his community. (9)

An account of his death was published in
The Geauga Republican, or the Cleveland Leader, on November 3, 1909.
Peter died on October 31, 1909. This obituary was published (likely in the Geauga Republican)
on November 12, 1909.

In the next chapter we will write about Peter and Mary Ann’s son Clinton Chauncey DeVoe, his wife Clara Antionette McClintock, and their children.

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

A Chip Off The Old Block?

(1) — one records

Library of Congress
State of New-York for Spafford’s gazetteer, 1813
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3800.ct003432/?r=-0.195,0.049,1.46,0.862,0
Note: For a portion of the map image.

Learning From the 1855 New York State Census

(2) — eight records

New York Genealogical & Biographical Society
New York State Census Records Online
https://www.newyorkfamilyhistory.org/subject-guide/new-york-state-census-records-online#1855

Peter M Devoe
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

New York > Washington > Easton
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/48630571:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=35ec4bd5-43de-42e5-bb2e-505bfa1707e1&_phsrc=Rxw27&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 160, Digital page: 28/80, Entries 23 through 29.

Mary A Warner
Census – New York State Census, 1855

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K63D-4G5
Digital page: 247/481, Entry 24.
Note: This census is recoded as Election District 2 / Wilton, but the location it covered for our Great-Great-Grandmother Mary Ann Warner is actually the small town of Victory Village, just south of Wilton. See the notes below on Bethuel Shaw.

Bethuel Shaw (or Nathaniel Shaw)
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118426704/bethuel-sha
Notes: Much research was done on Bethuel Shaw, and the following was determined — He and his family ran a boarding house (which appears to have been situated amongst other boarding houses), in Saratoga County, New York. For the 1855 “Wilton” census and for the “Victory Village” 1860 census, it is the same location because the names of the neighbors are exactly the same (the Taylor family and the Kelly family). On the 1860 census, his name Bethuel is recorded as Nathaniel.

History of Saratoga County, New York, with Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers
by Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester, 1878
https://archive.org/details/cu31924028833064/page/n7/mode/2up

New Topographical Atlas Of Saratoga Co. New York
From Actual Surveys by S.N. & D.G. Beers and Assistants

Stone & Stewart, Publishers. Philadelphia. 1866
https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/saratoga/Atlas.html

Gossypium barbadense, cotton plant
Illustration from the Botany Library Plate Collection held at the
Natural History Museum, London
https://www.mediastorehouse.com.au/mary-evans-prints-online/gossypium-barbadense-cotton-plant-8613143.html
Note: For the cotton plant illustration.

Resources for History Teachers
The New England Textile Industry in the 19th Century
http://resourcesforhistoryteachers.pbworks.com/w/page/125185436/The%20New%20England%20Textile%20Industry%20in%20the%2019th%20Century
Note: For the Lowell, Massachusetts stereoscopic view card mill image.

The Saratoga Victory Manufacturing Company

(3) — four records

The Mill Girls of Lowell
https://www.nps.gov/lowe/learn/historyculture/the-mill-girls-of-lowell.htm#:~:text=To find workers for their,board in a comfortable boardinghouse.

Eustace Families Association
http://www.roneustice.com/Family History/IrishFamiliessub/EustisVictoryMills/VictoryMills.6.7.09.htm

Thinking Citizen Blog — Massachusetts (Part Two) Textiles, Shoes, Telephones
https://john-muresianu.medium.com/thinking-citizen-blog-massachusetts-part-two-textiles-shoes-telephones-55beeb38c6de

“Several companies owned and operated the facility over the years and unfortunately ended up closing its doors in 2000.”
https://www.villageofvictory.com/about-historical-victory/

The City’s Shops and Religious Institutions… Offered an Exciting Social Life

(4) — five records

The Descendants of Andrew Warner
> Seventh Generation
Compiled by Lucien C. Warner and Mrs. Josephine Genung Nichols
https://archive.org/details/descendantsofand00warn/page/380/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 381-382, Digital page: 380-382/804, Right page, entry 355.
Note: “Ann (or Mary Ann) Warner marries Peter DeVoe”

Charles R. Devoe
Marriage – Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2016

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XD2M-HMQ
Book page: 321, Digital page: 182/516      Right page bottom, entry 3.
Note 1: Spouse is, Addie Parker / Adeline M. Parker
Note 2: Marriage date, November 4.1884, in Geauga County, Ohio

Chas Raymond Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8MR-L8D
Digital page: 1544/3320
Note: This file also documents his birth date.

Charles Raymond DeVoe death certificate, 1939.

Addie Parker Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X8ML-Y6F
Digital page: 2697/3295
Notes: Birth date and location, death date and location. 

Addie M. (Parker) DeVoe death certificate, 1944.

Adeline M. Parker
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/99B3-JDD
Note: Addie DeVoe’s parents are: DeWitt Clinton Parker and Lucina Robinson.

The Years Before the Civil War — How Did They Travel?

(5) — five records

Quora map image
How would someone in the 1850s get from New York to Kansas?https://www.quora.com/How-would-someone-in-the-1850s-get-from-New-York-to-Kansas

CBS News
All Hail The Erie Canal
“View on the Erie Canal” (1830-32) by John William Hill
via The New York Public Library
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/all-hail-the-erie-canal-200th-anniversary/
Note: For the landscape painting.

Erie Canal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erie_Canal

Covered Wagon With Horses photo
Little House Books
http://lhbooks.weebly.com/covered-wagons.html
Note: For the covered wagon image in color.

Gathering With Covered Wagon
by Associated Photofeature Syndicate, 58 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts
https://www.digitalcommonwealth.org/search/commonwealth:0r96gd67j
Note: For the covered wagon image, sepia toned.

Many New Englanders Were Moving to the Western Reserve in Ohio

(6) — six records

Western Reserve Including the Fire Lands 1826
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_Reserve_Including_the_Fire_Lands_1826.jpg
Note: On this map, Geauga County is still combined with the future Lake County and Russell township is not yet named.

North America, Family Histories, 1500-2000 for Ann Warner
W > Warner > The Descendants of Andrew Warner
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/61157/images/46155_b290135-00262?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=1810137
Book page: 254-255, Digital page: 262-263/812
Note: Entry 355 on page 263, is a notation for her marriage to Peter Devoe.

P Devon
in the 1860 United States Federal Census

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/43403745:7667?tid=&pid=&queryId=a14478bc-ce31-4745-9564-8089cb4f9791&_phsrc=cUK2&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 18, Digital page: 18/25, Entries 27-29.

Peter Devoe
in the U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865

Ohio > 19th > Class 1, A-K, Volume 1 of 4
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1035699:1666?tid=&pid=&queryId=74778971-fe58-4cc5-a090-2f50318fd932&_phsrc=cUK4&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 145, Digital page: 168/338, Entries 13 and 14.

Peter De Voe
Census – United States Census, 1870

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M62W-W7Z
Book page: 2-3, Digital page: 612-613/733
Notes: Entries 35 through 40 at the bottom of the left page and entry 1
at the top of the (next right) page.

Extracts from the Willoughby Independent, 1881, Willoughby, Ohio Newspaper
Judy Jane Stebbins, 3/1/2013
https://usgenwebsites.org/OHLake/newspaper/Willoughby%20Independent%201881c%20Stebbins.pdf

The Last Township to be Named

(7) — three records

Cover for the Atlas of Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio.

Historic Map Works
Russell, Fowler’s Mills
From Lake and Geauga Counties 1874, Ohio

Published by Titus, Simmons and Titus in 1874
https://historicmapworks.com/Map/US/24292/Russell++Fowler+s+Mills/

History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio
https://archive.org/details/oh-geauga-lake-1879-williams/page/n9/mode/2up
Book page: 207, Digital page: 318/443

1798 – 1880, Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches
of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men
by The Historical Society of Geauga County
Russell > For Early Proprietors, and > Early Events:
https://archive.org/details/oh-geauga-1880-historical-society/page/109/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 109-110, Digital page: 109-110/821

The Legacy of Briar Hill and Old Riverview

(8) — two records

Russell Township
Township Cemeteries
https://russelltownship.us/departments/administration-1/cemetery
Note: For the Riverview Chapel image.

1798 – 1880, Pioneer and General History of Geauga County, with Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men
by The Historical Society of Geauga County
Russell > The Wesleyan Methodist Church
https://archive.org/details/oh-geauga-1880-historical-society/page/113/mode/2up?view=theater
Book page: 114, Digital page: 113/821

They Joined Their Ancestors

(9) — four records

Mary A. Devoe
Vital – Ohio Deaths and Burials, 1854-1997

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F6D5-ST5
Book page: 8, Digital page: 435/469, Left page, entry #4828.
Note: her cause of death is listed as consumption (tuberculosis).

Peter Devoe
Death – Ohio Deaths, 1908-1953

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X6XS-W2N
Digital page: 98/3051

Peter A. DeVoe death certificate, 1909.

Peter Devoe
in the Ohio, U.S., Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center Obituary Index, 1810s-2016

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2222115:1671?tid=&pid=&queryId=8f21bb29-7ea3-4d5b-9aed-f7ae3dc6ea30&_phsrc=bTB3&_phstart=successSource

Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 for Peter De Voe
Geauga > Probate Files, Dutton, Charles O-Downing, Cornelia A
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/8801/images/005441006_01234?pId=15350799
Digital pages: 1234 through 1250
Note: There are about 17 images in this docket.

Peter Devoe
in the Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018

D
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6201688:5763?tid=&pid=&queryId=138f15d6-7ebf-4d55-ae45-6660f57adcfa&_phsrc=Wxe18&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 335, Digital page: 30/2684, Entry 15 from the bottom.

The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Seven

This is Chapter Seven of eleven parts. An unusual circumstance has required an unusual chapter for our DeVoe family history. We’ve created this unique chapter to address both the scarcity of records on this branch of the family, and to document our insights about working through a knotty challenge like this.

Ballston Spa was the “Center” of Saratoga County

Saratoga County Courthouse, built 1819. From the Saratoga Today newspaper article
How Ballston Spa Became the County Seat, published April 1, 2021.

If you give a couple of ne’er-do-well convicts a lighted candle, they just might burn the jail down — and this is exactly what happened. According to the newspaper, Saratoga Today
“Fire broke out in the courthouse in the middle of the night on March 23 [1816]. Two prisoners, Fones Cole of Northampton (held on a forgery charge) and Peter Drapoo (a horse thief) used a candle they purchased from the jailor (reportedly for playing cards) to set fire to their cell and escape. Two other prisoners also escaped during the fire but a fifth prisoner, George Billings, was chained to the floor and perished in the flames.”

After the drama of that event, for three years, different interested Saratoga County towns vied for the new courthouse to be built in their community, but when all was said and done, the new courthouse stayed in Ballston Spa, opening in 1819. “The style of the building was essentially the same as the original building on Courthouse Hill, though they built this one out of brick.

At the time of this chapter in our family history, the Surrogate of the County of Saratoga was George Palmer, esq., and he was working from this new courthouse. (1)

Our Dilemma With Peter M. DevoeThat “M” is Pretty Important!

In our search for our 3x Great Grandfather, Peter M. Devoe — as sometimes happens in genealogy research, you find yourself tracing a relative who has a rather common name. In this part of the world at that time, there were many, many Devoe(s) living in New York State. Also, the first name of Peter was (and stilll is!) quite popular. Occasionally we might luck out and see a middle name initial: Peter D., Peter J., etc., but without that special “M” nothing could be certain we had the right person.

And then there’s the surname. The Holland Society records these variants for the Devoe surname: De Voew, De Vous, Devoe, Du Fou, Du Voe, D. Fou, d. Fou, D. Vou, De Voe, Devou, De Vous, Vous, Du Vou. In a preliterate world, we find many of these spellings on census records, court records, correspondence… you name it!

We found his 1829 marriage record to Alida Shaw, and we will be writing about his and his family’s life together in the next chapter. The only other document we have located, where we are certain that it is him, is the Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe. This 1832 Will is a treasured document from our research, — it is the only document that captures the name of Peter M. Devoe, and lists all the people who are his likely siblings. Being a rare item, we feel that it is important to explain to readers exactly how we came to these conclusions. (2)

Reading The Will by David Wilkie, 1820. (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).

The Enigmatic Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe

We are presenting the actual pages of Elias Devoe’s will as written on July 17, 1832, and probated on October 8, 1832. Each page has the actual words, first shown in the court copy, with a transcription following.

Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, page 1.

“Be it remembered that on this 8 day of October 1832, came before me George Palmer, Surrogate of the county of Saratoga, at my offices in the village of Stillwater Maria Devoe and Hoffman Steenburgh executors named in the last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe late of the town of Halfmoon in said County deceased and showed to said Surrogate that they and duly cited and notified Isaac M. Devoe, Peter M. Devoe, Maria Devoe, Elizabeth Quackenbush, Getty Gray, Catherine Vandekar, Alida Devoe, Anna Quik, Martin Van Curen and Asahel Philo Guardian to Maria Van Curen and Alida Van Curen minors, being the heirs at law and next of kin of the said deceased that they would on the said 8 day of October, at the place aforesaid present said will to the said Surrogate to be proved and allowed as a will of real a personal estate, and also on Cornelius Devoe, also an heir and next of kin of the said deceased to the same effect.

An example of American mourning artwork, circa 1830.
(Image courtesy of herald net.com).

And leave being given to the said Maria and Hoffman they then and there produced to said Surrogate a certain instrument in writing purporting to be the last Will and Testament of the said Elias bearing date the Seventeenth day of July in the year of our Lord, one thousand, Eight hundred and thirty two and that then and there introduced Abram Van Wart and James McNiece who”

Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, page 2.

“being duly sworn did say that they were present and saw the said Elias _____ said instrument by signing the same, and adopting the seal and heard him declare the same to be his last Will and Testament and that they put their names to the same as witnesses in the presence of the testator and of each other, and of Platt Burtis, who also signed his name as a witness in presence of the said testator and of this witnesses. And that the said testator at the time of so executing the same was of sound mind and memory, and Hoffman Steenburgh also a witness to said Will being duly sworn says that at a subsequent day he was called on to be a witness to said Will, that the testator acknowledged to him that he executed said instrument as his Will and that when he so made his acknowledgement he was of sound mind and memory and then this deponent put his name to said Will as a witness in presence of the said testator. And hereupon the said James further said that he wrote said Will by actions of the testator, and that he was perfectly rational and knew well what he was about. And on the application of the said executors, I adjourned the further hearing and consideration of the proof of said Will until the 13th day of October, 1832 at 12 O clock noon, at my office in the village aforesaid, at which time and place came the said Platt Burtis also a witness to said Will, who being duly sworn and said that he was in presence of the testator at the time the above named Abram and James signed their names to said Will, that he then signed his, that the said testator in presence of these three witnesses acknowledged the execution of said instrument as his last Will and Testament and that at the time thereof, the said testator was of sound disposing mind and memory. And the said witnesses declared the testator above the age of twenty-one. It appearing to said Surrogate that said Will was properly executed, and that the testator at the time of executing the same was in all respects competent to devise real estate, and not under restraint, the said Surrogate records said Will and certifies to be in the words and figures following: In the name of God, Amen. I, Elias Devoe of the town of Halfmoon, in the county of Saratoga and State of New York being weak in body, but of sound mind and memory, and knowing the uncertainty of this life, for the purpose of making a disposition of such property real and personal, wherewith it has pleased Almighty God to bless me in this present world do make this my last Will and Testament, as follows, viz: Item. I give devise, and bequeath unto my”

Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, page 3.

“beloved wife Maria Devoe all my real estate, situate in the town of Halfmoon in the county of Saratoga aforesaid for and during her natural life, or as long as she shall live excepting therefrom my right in the mill lot, one third of which belongs to the estate of Cornelius Fonda, Deceased, one third to Henry Fonda, and the remaining third to myself, and also my store on the west side of the canal together with the basin on the east side of the same and also a small piece of Lands along the west side of the new roads, leading from the aquaduct [sic] to Tartalus Frosts and north of the road leading from the aquaduct [sic] to the village of Middletown all of which I do hereby except from this above devise of my real estate to my said wife Maria. Item. I do also hereby give, devise and bequeath unto my said wife Maria all my personal property for her own and sole use, benefit, and behoof forever. Item. From and after the death of my said wife, Maria, I do hereby give devise and bequeath unto my two sons Elias Devoe and Stephen Devoe all the real estate above given devised and bequeathed unto my said wife Maria to be divided equally between them share and share alike to them, their heirs, and assigns forever. Item. I give devise and bequeath unto Elias Link son of John Link, of the town of Watervliet in the county of Albany the above mentioned excepted small piece of land lying on the west side of the new road leading from the aqueduct to Tartalus Frosts and north of the road leading from the aqueduct to the village of Middletown, to him his heirs and assigns forever. Item. I order will and direct that my right in the mill lot above mentioned excepted be sold by my executrix and executor hereinafter named for the purpose of paying off and satisfying my just debts and the overflows if any there be, I hereby give to my said wife Maria. Lastly, I do hereby nominate, constitute and appoint my said wife Maria Devoe executrix and Hoffman Steenburgh Executor of the town of Halfmoon in the county of Saratoga aforesaid, of this my last will and testament, hereby revoking and annulling all former wills by me made, if any therebe. In witness whereof I have hereunto in my hand and seal, as and for my last will and testament this seventeenth of July, in the year of our Lord, One thousand Eight hundred and thirty two in the presence of the subscribing witnesses disinterested persons who have”

Hereunto subscribed their names as witnesses hereto in my presence and in the presence of each other. Elias Devoe, SS. Witnesses present Abram M. Van Wart of Halfmoon, Saratoga County. Platt Burtis, Jas. [or Jan] McNiece of Halfmoon, Saratoga County. Hoffman Steenburgh of Halfmoon, Saratoga county.

I, George Palmer, Surrogate of the county of Saratoga do certify that the preceding record is a true copy of the last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe, of Halfmoon, in said county, deceased.

George Palmer, esq.” (3)

Further Notes Regarding Elias Devoe’s Estate

In an earlier era of America, when someone died, if their estate had any debts such as unpaid bills, mortgages which were not yet completed, etc., the courts required that their assets be evaluated for sale to satisfy the debts owed. This was very difficult for some families.

An example of 1830 American currency.

Some of the other Surrogate Court documents which follow from the Probate of the Will, are shown with a transcription, or are simply described:

March 11, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: This is a public notice for people to appear before the court Surrogate George Palmer on April 27, [1833], is they have concerns about property being sold to pay off debts from the estate.

April 27, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: Land surveying is described.

July 19, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: George Palmer is acknowledging that some property has been sold.

October 12, 1832
This notice regards the documentation that the Van Curen children are heirs to the Will of Elias Devoe.

Portrait of Two Children, circa 1830, American School.
(Artwork courtesy of Mutual Art).

“ Asahel Philo, Esq. Is appointed special guardian to Maria Van Curen and Alida Van Curen infant heirs and ___ next of kin of Elias Devoe late of Half Moon deceased, for the sole purpose of appearing for and taking care of this interest under an application of Maria Devoe and Hoffmann Steenbergh executors named in the last will of the said deceased to have the same ____ __recorded as a ____ of __ formal estate. George Palmer, esq.”

October 21, 1833
This notice describes guardianships for both the Devoe and Van Curen children who are mentioned in Elias Devoe’s Will.

“Asahel Philo is appointed guardian to Elias Link and to Stephen Devoe & Elias Devoe; and also Maria Van Curen & Alida Van Curen infant heirs as days [daughters], of Elias Devoe late of Halfmoon deceased, to take care of the interest of said infants under the application of Hoffman Steenbergh one of the executors of said Elias for the authority to mortgage, base or __ so much of the residue os his real estate as said be moneys [?] to pay the balance of his assets. George Palmer, esq.”

December 2, 1833
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: It seems that at this point Elias Devoe had enough debts that what was sold previously, did not fulfill the obligations to pay off all of his estate debts. More land was to be sold and very specific descriptions of the property dimensions are specified.

Note: As stated in the chapter The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Six, this Probate document is where we learned of the death of our 4x Great-Grandfather, Martinus Devoe.

“…to the estate of the said deceased, by mortgage or lease, it is ordered by said Surrogate, and he doth hereby order, pursuant to the Revised Statutes, that the said Executor Sale the following real Estate of the said deceased, to enable him to pay the balance of the debts of the said deceased, vis, that certain piece, track or parcel of land situated in the town of Halfmoon and county of Saratoga and being part of a lot of land known and distinguished in the map of Halfmoon patent by the name of the mill rights which lately belonged to Martin Devoe, deceased, described and bounded as follows…”

February 20, 1834
Further notes regarding Elias Devoe’s estate: Confirmation for the land sale to Joseph Knights in the amount of $130.88 on “first Monday of December last” — (December 2, 1833). (4)

What Do We Know About Elias Devoe, Outside of His Death?

Compiled sample, Index — United States, New York Land Records,
1630-1975, page 584. (For the year 1830).

There just aren’t a lot of records… but, there are tax records for his land holdings in the Halfmoon / Waterford community, so we believe that he was a farmer like many of his other relatives. Shown above is a representative sample of a land sale he did with his father Martin Devoe in 1830. In this case, Martin as the Grantor, was transferring ownership of a portion of his land to the Grantee, his son Elias DeVoe.

When he was a teenager, we know that Elias DeVoe served in the 2nd Regiment of Varian’s New York Militia in the War of 1812. His commander was Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Varian of Westchester County. In the years after the war, there are no records of a pension being drawn for his service. (5)

To Sum Up, Who Were These Ancestors?

From our family stories, we knew that Canada was somehow involved in the story of Peter M. Devoe’s father, but the information was (to be polite) rather cloudy. The story about Canada found its resolution in the chapter: The DeVoe Line, A Narrative — Five. We had also heard that there were up to twelve children in this family, which made us conclude that inherited resources were apt to be thinly spread. That realization supported our idea as to why some of the descendants of these Devoe siblings eventually emigrated west to the northeast Ohio frontier.

When looking at the various censuses in the previous chapter, we were especially interested in the 1810 census — this seemed to represent the largest number of people who were living together. Since records no longer exist, we really had no idea of the actual names for some of the household occupants, but now we think we know. The Will of Elias DeVoe was the key document which helped us solve this riddle. In 1810, including Martinus, listed are 14 people total:

  • 2 woman 26 to 45 years old: the mother Maria, and daughter Marytje
  • 3 boys under 10 years old
  • 1 boy 10 to 16 years old
  • 2 men from 26 to 45 years old: Martinus – the Head of Household and one more
  • 2 girls under 10 years old
  • 4 girls 10 to 16 years old
Compiled image for the 1810 United States Federal Census
for Halfmoon, Saratoga County, New York.

It took many hours of research, but we were able to correlate the next of kin from this Will, the Notice of Probate, one birth record, and several census records. Now we finally have the identities of all of the siblings of our 3x Great Grandfather Peter M. Devoe. Listed in the chart below are the immediate family — only the parents, Martinus and Maria (Steenbergh) Devoe, and their children.

Now that we have resolved the enigma of this era of our family’s records, let’s move on to the life of our 3x Great Grandfather Peter M. Devoe and his family. (6)

Following are the footnotes for the Primary Source Materials,
Notes, and Observations

Ballston Spa was the “Center” of Saratoga County

(1) — one record

Saratoga Today [newspaper article]
How Ballston Spa Became the County Seat, published April 1, 2021
https://saratogatodaynewspaper.com/history/item/13327-how-ballston-spa-became-the-county-seat

Our Dilemma With Peter M. Devoe — That “M” is Pretty Important!

(2) — one record

Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany,
New York, 1683–1809

Excerpted from Year Books of the Holland Society of New York
http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/part3.html
Note: Listed under “D” in the Preface to The Index at the bottom of the scrolled file.

The Enigmatic Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe

(3) — four records

New York Probate Records
https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/New_York_Probate_Records
“Probate is the “court procedure by which a will is proved to be valid or invalid” and encompasses “all matters and proceedings pertaining to the administration of estates, guardianships, etc.” Genealogists often refer to ‘Probate Records’ as “All records which relate to the disposition of an estate,” whether the person died leaving a will (testate) or not (intestate).”

Reading The Will
painting by David Wilkie, 1820
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilkie,_David_-_Reading_the_Will_-_1820.jpg
Note: For the genre painting.

Elias Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6723613:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=88d79b36-b6ab-407f-9e67-eda45e0e1fb4&_phsrc=dYM5&_phstart=successSource
October 8, 1832
The Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe.
Book pages: 39-42, Digital Pages: 402-404 /538

This mourning picture from about 1830 sold for over $22,000
https://www.heraldnet.com/life/this-mourning-picture-from-about-1830-sold-for-over-22000/
Note: This is an example image from the period and not related to our specific family.

Further Notes Regarding Elias Devoe’s Estate

(4) — five records

Image of Currency from 1830
Philadelphia, Bank of the United States, December 2, 1830
https://www.currencyquest.com/item.php?item_id=2475

Mutual Art
Portrait of Two Children, circa 1830
American School, 19th Century
https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Portrait-of-Two-Children/A0CFE61DF82FAAD6
Note: For their portrait.

Elias Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359086:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=3f388875-8429-4056-b4e4-a90559098290&_phsrc=Teb3&_phstart=successSource
Book page: 17, Digital page: 16/538
Note 1: October 12, 1832, This notice regards the documentation that the Van Curen children are heirs to the Will of Elias Devoe.
Note 2: The date on this Ancestry file is not correct.

New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Elias Devoe
Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359187:8800
October 21, 1833
Book page: 45 , Digital page: 30/538
Note: This notice describes guardianships for both the Devoe and Van Curen children who are mentioned in Elias Devoe’s Will.

New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 for Elias Devoe
Saratoga > Minutes, 1832-1842
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/8359187:8800
Book pages: 55-56 , Digital pages: 35-36/538
Note: December 2, 1833, This Probate document describes additional land sales to satisfy the debts of Elias Devoe’s estate. Most importantly it states, “the mill rights which lately belonged to Martin Devoe, deceased…”

What Do We Know About Elias Devoe, Outside of His Death?

(5) — six records

Pritzker Military Museum & Library
Soldier Dress & Uniform in the War of 1812
https://www.pritzkermilitary.org/soldier-dress-uniform-war-1812#:~:text=Soldiers%20wore%20a%20single%2Dbreasted,wools%20were%20used%20as%20well.
Note: For soldier uniform images.

Elias Devoe
in the U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815

https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/351001:4281?tid=&pid=&queryId=179239cb-6fcf-484d-8ac2-0f12cfd342cc&_phsrc=mAt30&_phstart=successSource
and here:
Elias Devoe
Military – United States, War of 1812 Index to Service Records, 1812-1815

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29K-9VCL
Digital page: 1,429/2,229

New York State Militia Index, as of 4 July 1812
Gary M. Gibson, ed.
Derived primarily from the Military Minutes of the Council of Appointment
of the State of New York 1783-1821,

Volume II (Albany: James B. Lyon, 1901) pp.1400-1409
https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/Warof1812/2018/Issue28/NewYorkStateMilitiaIndex.pdf

Elias DeVoe
Index to Land – United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DCPC-2Q2M
Book page: 584, Digital page: 142/627
Note: For 1830.

Grantor Vs. Grantee: What Do They Mean In Real Estate?
https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/real-estate/grantor-vs-grantee/#:~:text=What%20Is%20a%20Grantor%3F,their%20property%20to%20someone%20else.

To Sum Up, Who Were These Ancestors?

(6) — eight records

Elias Devoe
in the New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999

Saratoga > Wills, Vol 0007-0009, 1791-1836
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/6723613:8800?tid=&pid=&queryId=88d79b36-b6ab-407f-9e67-eda45e0e1fb4&_phsrc=dYM5&_phstart=successSource
Book pages: 39-42, Digital Pages: 402-404/538
Note: October 8, 1832, The Last Will and Testament of Elias Devoe.

Town of Half Moon Cemeteries
West Cresent Cemetery, Town of Half Moon Saratoga Co NY
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/16573/images/dvm_LocHist004233-00071-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=69
Book page: (SAHM 18) or 2, Digital page: 72/76
Note: For Elizabeth (DeVoe) Quackenbush marriage to Isaac Quackenbush

Town of Half Moon Cemeteries
West Crescent Cemetery, Town of Half Moon Saratoga Co NY
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/16573/images/dvm_LocHist004233-00071-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=69
Book page: (SAHM 18) or 2, Digital page: 72/76
Note: For Gitty (DeVoe) Gray marriage to James Gray
and
Gitty Gray
in the U.S., Find a Grave Index, 1600s-Current

https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/60525/records/25706499?tid=&pid=&queryId=a224a20b-c0af-4610-9121-3d82a76423d0&_phsrc=UnS7&_phstart=successSource

Headstone DeVoe Elida wife of Issac
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/81477860/person/320109355934/media/84c3c62d-6fc3-4895-a264-272f2b4f5d47?queryId=ff05a863-5bc7-4690-ae93-4ad0f7355844&_phsrc=sRF2&_phstart=successSource
Note: For confirmation of her marriage to Isaac M. Devoe.

Town of Half Moon Cemeteries
Union Cemetery Crescent Town of Half Moon Saratoga Co NY
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/16573/images/dvm_LocHist004233-00066-1?ssrc=&backlabel=Return&pId=64
Book page: (SAHM 17) or 2, Digital page: 67/76
Note: We believe that the death dates for the wives are in error.

Martin Devoe
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/95514353/martin-devoe?_gl=1*1y0v87m*_gcl_au*NjkzNDQwODk0LjE3MDMyMzUyNDU.*_ga*MzQ2NDI3NzguMTcwMzIzNTI0Nw..*_ga_4QT8FMEX30*MGI0MjUzNzYtMWEyZi00ZDdmLTlmNGItMWEzMTc1ODQxM2FhLjEwLjEuMTcwMzY5Njg3Ny41OS4wLjA.*_ga_LMK6K2LSJH*MGI0MjUzNzYtMWEyZi00ZDdmLTlmNGItMWEzMTc1ODQxM2FhLjEwLjEuMTcwMzY5Njg3Ny4wLjAuMA..
Note: This record is for Elizabeth (West) DeVoe, the wife of Martin DeVoe.

Peter Devoe
in the U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989

New York > Bought > Bought, Book 6
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/216615:6961
Book page: 13, Digital page: 59/105, Peter M. DeVoe, entry 1 / Cornelius DeVoe, entry 3.
Note: For the marriage dates both men.