52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, No. 51, Benjamin CLAP, 1710-1793

Following the challenge from Amy Johnson Crow to write a post weekly, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, here is the 51st ancestor, Benjamin CLAP, 1710-1793, in Scituate, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Only one more to research and write as I did an extra one in order to have the Christmas season free for family! 

I have very little evidence on this ancestor, and am not entirely convinced he belongs here, but... some records seem to indicate he's the right man.  Benjamin would be the 5th great-grandfather to my ex-husband through his mother's RICE line, 6th great-grandfather to our children.  Note that Clap is sometimes spelled with two Ps.  

I only know his name in relation to a daughter, Abigal [sic], who married Joshua Baily in Scituate. There appears to have been a second (Lieut.) Benjamin Clapp born and buried in Stoughton MA, about 23 miles west of Scituate. That particular Benjamin Clap is definitely not "my" Benjamin.  I can keep those different families separate because of several of the children.  Massachusetts Vital Records, Marriage Records, give names and details, but no images (Ancestry, Family Search), however the details help to distinguish the several Clap/p and Baily families in the region.

Massachusetts Birth records for Scituate show Benjamin CLAP born 26 April 1710, of father Joseph CLAP (no mention of his mother).  He apparently had a sibling named Joseph Clap (jr).  

Benjamin CLAP was married to Grace TILDEN on 23 Oct 1734, in Scituate MA. She may be a descendant of the original Tilden ancestor, Nathaniel; he arrived in March 1634/5 with wife Lydia, 7 children, and 7 servants!  Three children's records naming Benjamin and Grace have been found to date, all born in Scituate:
  1.  Abigal [ancestor],  b. 21 Aug 1735, d. abt 1790 MA; m. 2 Oct 1756 to Joshua BAILEY, 3 children known
  2.  Benjamin (jr), b. 13 Oct 1737
  3.  Elijah, b. 6 Oct 1746   

Note: the significant gap between the 2nd and 3rd child; there may be missing children, or other reasons for this gap.  I have not looked for children/marriages for the two boys, or other children, to date.

The 1790 Census for Scituate (5 pages, 3 columns) states there were 2856 persons in the village, and I was able to find only one "Benj Clapp".  Other Clapp names in Scituate on the1790 Census were Augustus, Constant, David, Desire, Dwelley [truly - clear as a bell],  Elijah, James, John, Joshua, Lewis, Samuel, Sarah, Silvanus, William, and Zilpha.  Augustus, Zilpha and Benjamin were all listed beside each other, with Lewis a few lines above. 

With probate records, land records, and more, I might be able to find out who belongs with whom, but that can keep for another research trip through Massachusetts early records.  So far, it's clear that Augustus Clapp was Town Clerk for a period of time in the early 1800s, but I haven't looked for his parents. Hmm, in 1793, he shows up on a Plymouth county MA Probate Docket for Benjamin Clapp of Scituate.  Clearly there is some sort of relationship here.  It's slow going browsing through the MA estate files and probate dockets, not impossible, but needs careful searching.

It's also important to note that there are several Abigal-named women who married a Bailey in Scituate:  one  married a John Bailie 19 Feb 1700, another married a Willliam Baily 24 Dec 1741, and one married Joshua in 1756 (our ancestor).

Massachusetts registers for Scituate show that in 1793, sometime before Oct 21st, Benjamin Clapp died.  His name is third in the list for deaths in 1793; no actual 1793 dates were written down on the register until late in October, for some reason.  The previously mentioned (Lieut.) Benjamin Clapp in Stoughton MA apparently died 11 Oct 1793.  A number of family trees state that my Benjamin who married Grace died 11 Oct 1793 - so I believe there has been some ongoing confusion between the two.  From the hand-written register, it looks significantly more likely that Benjamin died in the first month(s) of the year 1793.  

As is usual with this challenge, I have so many records to search, for several significant people.  I have now found - I believe - that Benjamin's father is Joseph, and Joseph's father is Samuel - who had 8 or 9 children!  Busybusybusy - my brain is churning.  I do love trying to read very old hand-written registers, as the cleric tries to squeeze everything on the paper, yet save room for more details of other children.  

If you have further information on the Scituate MA ancestor, Benjamin CLAPP, I would be quite thrilled to read more details.  I'll do more research of course, but a few more bread crumbs would be very welcome!  You may contact me via calewis at telus dot net or in the Comments below.  Thanks for stopping by. 

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #33: Joshua BAILEY, Scituate, MA

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow , here is my 33rd installment, Joshua BAILEY, sometimes written as Baily.  The BAILEY ancestors are in my ex-husband's lines; Joshua would be his 4th great-grandfather through his mother's side.

Joshua BAILEY, b. 17 Jun 1735, Scituate, Massachusetts, was the 2nd child of 5 known children of Deacon Joseph BAILEY and his wife, Elizabeth WHITE, all children born in Scituate, a town first settled in 1633. 

Check out this link for the free version of the History of Scituate Massachusetts, from its first settlement to 1831, by Samuel Deane.  A fascinating account including details of life, land planning, parishes, rivers, roads, mills, and town records and mores!   

How does one pronounce "Scituate"-?  Answer:  SIT-chew-it.  

On 2 Oct 1756, Joshua married Abigail CLAP(P), b. 21 Aug 1736 in Scituate. Although I have yet to confirm her parents' details, the CLAP family were early settlers in Scituate, the original settler being Mr. , according to the previously mentioned History. More research is needed here.  It may well be that her father is Benjamin CLAP(P), wife Grace____, but this is not yet proven.

I have been able to find only three children to date of Joshua and Abigail, all born in Scituate:

1. Elijah, chr. 21 May 1758
2. Miranda, chr 15 Apr 1759
3. Grace [ancestor], b. 7 Feb 1765, m. Jabez HEALY, 2 sons known

As you can see by the birth years above, it is likely there are several more children not yet found. Jabez HEALY, Grace's husband, was discussed several weeks ago. And I have yet to go looking for more children, more details, additional records.  

I believe that this is the Joseph Bailey listed as a Revolutionary War Patriot, but this still needs more research to confirm.  There were other Bailey men from Massachusetts, of course.  I also have not confirmed a cemetery burial for Joshua, or his wife, Abigail.

If you have questions about this information, or have additional details or corrections, do please contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments section below.  Thanks for visiting.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #30: Jabez HEALY, 1763-1838

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow , here is my 30th installment, Jabez HEALY, my ex-husband's 3rd great-grandfather. 

Jabez (or Jabes) HEALY was the 8th child, 5th boy, of parents Joshua HEALY Jr and Sarah NEWELL; Jabez was b. 29 Sep 1763 in Dudley MA. 

At the age of 16 years, Jabez served during the Revolutionary War, while living in Massachusetts [Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol.7, page 658].  This also states he was 16 years old, 5'6" tall, and had a dark complexion.  So young.  I wonder how his mother felt about her youngest son heading out to battle at that age. According to one story, he lost a leg in the war, and he became a shoemaker.  Click on this link and scroll down the page for more information on the work of a shoemaker in early Vermont.

He married Grace BAILEY 28 Nov 1785; her parents were Joshua Bailey & Abigail Clapp, and Grace was b. 7 Feb 1765 in Hanover MA. 

Jabez and Grace appear to have moved to Shoreham Vermont shortly after they married.  I am having difficulty teasing out their children, which surprised me.  Apparently there was another Jabez Healy (or two or three) and they seemed to be having similarly-named children. Notes about Jabez [public trees, from a family bible] indicate he had up to 11 children with Grace, and more children with the next 2 wives; I do not have their names.  FamilySearch shows a number of Healy family histories I could dig through, as I continue to search other records in both Vermont and New York.

To date I have only two children I am certain of:

1.  Ezra, b. 14 Mar 1790, Shoreham, VT
2. Calvin [ancestor], b. abt 1801, Shoreham VT, m. 29 Dec 1825 to Mary OLIN; 7 children

The 1800 Census of Shoreham VT shows 8 household members, 6 under 16, 2 over 25 [parents].  My big question is to keep searching for names of those young'uns!  Clearly Calvin, the direct line ancestor, had many siblings.  

By 1805, the family had moved from Vermont to Potsdam, New York.  (scroll down for names of early settlers in Potsdam, including Jabes [sic] Healy).  

Jabez' first wife, Grace, died 3 Jul 1811 in Potsdam.  He apparently remarried at least twice more, having more children, but I don't have any details as yet.  He remained in the region, moving to nearby Parishville, where he is found on the 1830 Census, living with one of his married children.  

Jabez died 1 Dec 1838 in Potsdam, New York, and is buried in Grant Cemetery, Potsdam, New York, where his first wife, Grace, is also buried.  The cemetery is also known as South Potsdam Cemetery.

If you have further information, or questions, on this particular Jabez HEALY, do contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below.  I appreciate any corrections or suggestions - this is a work constantly in progress.