"START," for #52ancestors challenge: John BALL, c.1635-1717, Kittery, Maine

John BALL, is my 7th great-grandfather on my mother's lines. Born approximately 1635, likely in Kittery, York, Maine, he is the end-point of this line. Kittery is on Pascataqua River, the border between Maine and New Hampshire. Historically, Kittery began to be settled by the English settlers as early as 1623, and was incorporated as a town in 1647.

I have very few records of John BALL. He had land grants in Kittery, as early as 1649, where he and three other men are listed as having a grant at Cape Nattucke, Kittery. Note the line pointing to his name, Jno Ball, in roughly the top third of the map of Lower Kittery on this page. He's mentioned as a witness on several land sales for Wm. Pepperell, and in regards to his will in 1717, registered/recorded in York County, Maine. His marriage date is estimated from records of his children's marriages, showing their adult status. Not very much information at all for such an early settler in the region.

It is known that he had an uncle, his father's brother Richard Ball, as John (1635-1717) was executor of his [Richard's] estate. His father may have been the John BALL, a fisherman, who was a juryman in court held at Gorgeana, Maine, March 15, 1649.

John BALL married Joanna [unknown surname] perhaps 1665-1670s, in Kittery Maine, per Torrey's New England Marriages to 1700, Vol.1, p78. Her parents were also unknown.

John and Joanna had the following known children, all born in Kittery, in no particular order:
   1.  William, m. Mary Roberts 14 Sep 1687, Kittery, York, ME
   2.  Thomas,
   3.  John [jr.], m. Anne Allen 9 Dec 1717, Kittery, York, ME
   4.  Joanna, d. bef 1717; m. Benjamin Hutchins [s/o Enoch, Mary] in 1702
   5.  Mary,  m. Joseph Crockett jr. 12 Oct 1700
   6.  Elizabeth, [ancestor], d. 1 Mar 1725/26; m. [1] Edward Hammons, 1 dau.; m. [2] Francis PETTYGROVE/PETTEGREW  20 Oct 1706; 7 children; our line through their son Thomas. You can see Francis P's land in the map, above John Ball.

As mentioned above, it is known he purchased land, e.g., at Eagle Point in April 1667, as well as land on Spruce Creek, from Thomas Withers. The map of Lower Kittery at the top of this blog, loosely dated 1635-1700, shows his Spruce Creek land. It is unclear what occupation he had, perhaps a fisherman. He left only a minor mark in the history books, as many do. He worked, married, had children, wrote a will, and died.

He wrote his will on 6 June 1717, which is fully transcribed on p. 398, Vol.8 of  York Deeds, part of the collection Maine: Early Wills and Deeds 1640-1760.  This can be seen on AmericanAncestors website. In his will, signed/marked by both himself and his wife, he provides to give all property, house, goods and chattels, to his daughter Elizabeth and her husband Francis Pettygrew [sic]. This was to be in payment for their assistance in providing nursing and personal care needs. No mention is  made of their other children or grandchildren. Possibly John had already provided for them. One child would have already died before this date, daughter Joanna.

Scarcely 10 days later, on 17 Jun 1717, John Ball died.

John's wife Joanna, died 9 years later, on March 1726, in Kittery, York, Maine.

Several additional sources for these details included [a] The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623-1660, 1908 by Charles H Pope; [b] Old Kittery and Her Families, 1903 by Everett Stackpole;  [c] Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, 1928 by Charles T Libby; and, [d] New England Marriages prior to 1700, by Clarence A. Torrey.

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If any of these are ancestors of yours, I would be happy to hear from you with your comments or corrected information. I am also very happy to share any details I might have that are not shown on this post. Contact information is found at the very bottom of this blog.

Blooger has a glitch which is stopping me from replying to your comments, but please do know that I appreciate your comments very much. You make my day! Thanks so much for stopping by to read my family blog. 

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #31: Mary FERNALD, Kittery.

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow , here is my 31st installment, Mary FERNALD, continuing my research on early settlers, particularly the women - and finding so much still to do!  Mary is my 5th great-grandmother in my mother's lines.

Mary was one of 8 children of James FERNALD and Mary HINCKS, b. 14 May 1712. The FERNALD families were early Kittery ME settlers. James' father was the original immigrant, arriving about 1632.  I have no information at present about Mary HINCKS' family, other than her birthplace as New Castle NH in abt 1680.

On 15 Oct 1734, in Kittery, Mary FERNALD married John ADAMS, b. 29 Aug 1706 in Kittery. The couple appear to have stayed in Kittery, and had 7 children that we know of to date, all born in Kittery:
   1.  Mark, b. 4 Oct 1735
   2.  John Jr, b. 4 Feb 1735/7; on 22 Oct 1761, m. Mary Hill
   3.  Eleanor [ancestor], b. 4 Oct 1739;  m. Thomas PETTYGROVE 31 Aug 
           1764; d.1796, Calais ME; 5 children
   4.  Thomas, b. 24 Dec 1742
   5.  Joseph, b. 4 Jul 1744
   6.  Benjamin, b. 2 Feb 1745/6
   7.  Mary, b. 17 May 1752

As there is a 6 year gap from 1746-1752, one might suspect John was away on various skirmishes, or they had one or more infants who died young.  Both John Jr, and younger brother Joseph, were commissioned officers in the navy, fighting against the British in the Revolutionary War.  

Unfortunately, as happened much more often than now, Mary died soon after Mary Adams, her 7th child, was born in 1752.  I have not found records of a gravestone/cemetery, which means I need to do more research. Her husband, John, died about 1787 in Kittery, so I ought to be able to find his grave, but so far, I haven't been able to do so. John Adams is rather a common name and after wading through hundreds of names, I still haven't seen 'my' man. 

So once more, we have a 1700s ancestor, a woman who is known only by her parents, her marriage, her children, her untimely death - recorded, but no stone.

If you have further information about Mary or the Fernald/Adams families, I would be very pleased to hear from you via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments section below. Ditto if you have corrections to my information.  Thanks for stopping by.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #29 : Samuel HUTCHINS, 1682-1742

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow , here is my 29th installment, Samuel HUTCHINS, my 6th great-grandfather on my mother's lines. (The Hutchins line leads quickly to the Pettygrove line on my mother's mother's lines.)

Samuel HUTCHINS was born 20 Aug 1682 in Kittery Maine (date not proven but found online); he was the 5th son of the 8 children of Enoch HUTCHINS & Mary STEVENSON, who married 5 Apr 1667 in Dover, N.H., about 20 miles up the Pascatagua River. All children were listed in Enoch's will, written Jun 7, 1693; deceased May 9, 1698, killed by Indians. Samuel, aged 16 years, received 5 shillings, as did many of the children.  The oldest two sons received a division of the real estate, one plot can be seen on a map of Lower Kittery, 1635-1700. Other family surnames which intermarried with the Hutchins/Hutchings family may be found here as well: Fernald, Pettigrew (Pettygrove), Ball, Hammons. Note that HUTCHINS is sometimes spelled Hutchings.   

Unfortunately, after his father Enoch was killed, Samuel, his younger brother Jonathan, and his mother Mary, were captured by the same Indians on May 9, 1698 and taken to Canada. [Old Kittery and Her Families, 1903, by Everett S. Stackpole]. I can't imagine how distraught his siblings and other family members must have been at this time. They were returned by the new year, apparently. 

Samuel is thought to have married a Sarah March, but this may be the wife of 'the other' Samuel Hutchins in Maine.  He is shown to have married Hannah MERRILL on January 4, 1715/16, as seen below, in the Newburyport, Massachusetts, marriage register:  

In 1720, Samuel was made a Field Officer in Kittery, as protection for Indian raids; his house was made into a garrison for this purpose.   About 5 years later, he sold his house in Kittery and moved to Salisbury, 30 miles south of Kittery. Later he and Hannah moved to Arundel - before 30 June 1729 [Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire]. Arundel is about 20 miles north of Kittery. 

Samuel and Hannah had the following children - the first 5 children were baptized all together on 26 Apr 1719:

1. Sarah, bap 26 Apr 1719
2. Caleb, bap 26 Apr 1719; on 3 Jan 1754 m. Daniel Merrill; several children
3. Samuel (Jr.) bap 26 Apr 1719; m. Sarah Barter
4. Hannah, b. abt 1717, bap 26 Apr 1719; m. (1) Lemuel Perkins, (2) John Burbank
5. Simeon, bap 26 Apr 1719; m. Agnes Durrell
6. Levi;  on 22 Oct 1748  m. (1) Rebecca Hutchins;  (2) Eunice March
7. Mary [ancestor], on 12 Feb 1730  m. Thomas PETTYGROVE; 9 children
8. Lydia, b. abt 1720; m. (1) John Jellison, (2) John Durrell
9. Joseph;  m. Elizabeth Bryar
10. David
11. Abigail, b. 1724; poss. died before 1742

Samuel's will was written 20 October 1742, and he likely died shortly afterwards.  

His will was probated 28 Dec 1742; inventory appraised at £722: 6: 9.  - Wife Hannah received house and estate to reside; - Sons Simeon and Levi were given the real estate holdings to share, plus a gun each.  - Levi also received his Mare and an equal share with his mother- David received a gun plus 5 shillings.  
- His daughters received 5 shillings each as well: Mary, Hannah, Lydia; all were married by this time.  
- As Abigail was not mentioned, it is likely that she had died before this date. 
- Caleb, Joseph & Samuel received 5 shillings each. 

If you have further information on this particular Samuel HUTCHINS or his family, I would appreciate learning more.  And if you have questions or comments, you can reach me via calewis at telus dot com or in the Comments below.  I always appreciate corrections and additions!  Thanks for stopping by.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #12: James FERNALD

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 12th installment, for James FERNALD, my 6th great-grandfather, on my maternal line. James is the son of the Immigrant settler in the Kittery area, John FERNALD. 

James' father, John, is listed as one of the early settlers after 1632, on the Kittery Maine town website, under Historical Notes (halfway down the page).   I have more research to do in this Fernald line, and see that no mention of John's wife, James' mother, is made on records.  Several family trees give the name of Mary Norman, but no document/supports for that statement.

James was born in 1675 in Kittery, now York county, Maine, and married Mary HINCKS (possibly this surname is as a widow) in about 1700-1705. No marriage record is yet found.  I suspect that there are other siblings of James, but as yet I have not found clear proof of relationship.  

James and Mary had at least 8 children, b. Kittery, named in his will, dated 2 Apr 1739:
 - Elizabeth, named as his eldest, married James Fogg
 - Mary* [direct ancestor], b.14 May 1712, m. John ADAMS, 15 Oct 1734; 7 children
 - James (jr.)
 - Joanna, married George Rogers, 25 Dec 1736
 - Anne, unmarried at this time
 - Marget, unmarried
 - Dorcas, unmarried
 - Unice [Eunice], unmarried

In 1728/9 James' name is listed with a number of others in deeding land designated for a second church, on land between Kittery and Eliot, on "Gower's Hill", belonging to the Fernalds.  The link goes to a very attractive 1730 church - scroll down to the lower section where the second church is listed as a Congregational church, first served by Rev. John Eveleth (another important name in my family tree) from 1729-1734.  A timeline about Kittery and Eliot may be found here.

James will has been transcribed by others, from Maine Wills, 1640-1760 (pub 1887) p.444.  The value of his land and and goods was set at over 4160 pounds.  He states in his will a number of times that he is bequeathing "...besides what She has already had out of my Estate."  This seems to indicate that he had already given goods or lands to his daughters and one son before his decline. 

Two of the three Witnesses on the Will are unknown-to-me Fernalds: Lydia Fernald and Benjamin Fernald. More clues are here for researching the early Fernald history in Kittery and Eliot.  As early settlers in the Kittery area in Massachusetts, the Fernald family is likely written up in journals and books/histories of the region.  It is clear a trip to our BC Genealogical Society library is needed so I can search in the NEHGS databases online there! 

If you have questions or comments, please leave them below, or contact me via calewis at telus dot net.