52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No.34 - Mary McCURDY (1778-1855)

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog based on Themes. Last week's theme was Defective, Dependent, Delinquint and I wrote about my 3rd great-grandfather Jacob ORMSBEE's unusual second wife.  This week's theme is NON-POPULATION SCHEDULES/censuses.  Rather than follow the theme, I'm choosing to write about another 3rd great-grandparent:  Mary McCURDY.

Mary McCURDY is the only daughter I have found to date, for parents, Neil and Abigail McCURDY. Her father was born 4 Jul 1745, Rathlin Island, Antrim, just off the northern coast of Northern Ireland, and apparently settled before 1775 in the St. Andrews region, New Brunswick, Canada. This is on the border with Maine, on Passamaquoddy Bay - a very fluid friendly border area for many years. Nothing is known about the history of his wife Abigail, to this date. Apparently a group of Rathlin Island families and individuals came over to Lubec ME, not far away (dates unknown), as found on one of several histories of McCurdy family lines.

It is speculated that there were also two sons born to Neil & Abigail McCURDY in New Brunswick:  George, (abt 1782-1835), and Alex (?1785-?).  Their names show up after Neil's death, in notices in the New Brunswick newspapers, but no other details have been confirmed. Daniel Johnson's newspaper transcriptions have been very helpful for NB ancestors.  Mysteries abound with this early family.

Mary McCURDY was born in March 1778. Her birthplace has been stated to be Halifax county, Nova Scotia in several histories; however that appears most unlikely as her parents lived in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, for all their life, as far as can be determined.

At the Christ Church & Trinity Anglican Church, on 4 Dec 1801, Mary married Thomas PETTYGROVE, in St. Stephen, which is literally across the St. Croix River from Calais, Maine. Thomas PETTYGROVE was born Oct 1765 in Kittery, York, Maine, but the family moved to Calais before 1792.  At that time, Thomas and his elder brother Francis each bought a hundred acres of land in the region of Calais, settling there, and raising their families.  Note that Calais ME was incorporated as a town in 1809.  Her husband's surname is often spelled Pettegrow or Pettegrew.

Mary and Thomas had the following children, b. in Calais, ME unless indicated otherwise:

1. Thomas, b. 20 Jan 1804; m. Mary ___ 
2. Neal McCurdy, b. 18 Mar 1805, d. 4 May 1883 Pulaski WI; m. in Calais ME, 10 Mar 1833, to Abigail Hammond Pope, 6 children; m.2nd in WI to Lucinda 1854 in WI, 2 children; m. 3rd in WI to Eunice in 1860s.
3. Caroline Elizabeth, b. 4 Jun 1806; m. in Calais ME, to James Stewart est 1825
4. Elizabeth, b. 29 Sep 1808
5. Sarah Ann, b. 27 Aug 1809, d. 9 Jul 1895 Easton WI; m. in Calais ME, 25 Apr 1838 to  Jonathan Corliss Colby, 9 children
6. Mary Charlotte, b. 30 Jan 1811 Bailyville ME, d. 7 Oct 1889 Eagle Creek, OR; m in Calais ME, 9 Jul 1834 to Phillip Foster; 9 children (Oregon Territories pioneer settlers by sea)
7. Francis William (F.W.), [direct ancestor] b. 12 Oct 1812, d. 5 Oct 1887 Port Townsend Washington territories; m. 1842 (in ?New York) to Sophia RULAND [direct ancestor], 7 children (Oregon/Washington pioneer settlers by sea)
8. William A., b. abt 1818; m. in Calais ME, abt 1857 to Julia A. ___; one son, William A. (1859)
9. Abigail R., b. 1820, d. aft April 1, 1852 after 5th child; m. in Calais, ME, Oct 1843 to John C. Smith, 5 children
10. Lucy K., b. 1822, d. after 1900 ME; m. in Calais ME, 23 May 1854 to John C. Smith (yes her deceased sister's husband), 4 children.

She certainly saw sadness with losing children, either through death or migration.  #6 Mary Charlotte and #7 Francis William both disappeared to the west coast of America, over 3400 miles distant; they and their families were part of the opening of the Oregon territories (which became WA and OR).   #2 Neal her 2nd son, and #5 Sarah Ann, her 3rd daughter,  both moved with their families to Wisconsin, over 1300 miles distant.  #9 Abigail died after 5 children.

Thirty-three grandchildren she never met, and four children never seen again, plus one daughter who died as a young woman.  Challenges and losses. I always wonder if there are packets of letters to and from her children, sitting in an attic somewhere, which would provide more details of her life, and/or the lives of her children. 

I have not researched all details possible for the various other children.  I have researched #6 and #7 because of my connection with #7, and his sea migration together with his sister #6 and her husband and family to the west coast, in 1843.

Obviously if you have any information or corrections about Mary McCURDY and her family, I would be very pleased to receive this.  You may send details through my email at bottom of page, or in the Comments section below.  Please note that FindAGrave notes on memorials for her and her husband have inaccuracies.  I have added a few comments to their pages to help with corrections.

Blogger - or my computer - is still not letting me "reply" to your comments, for some unknown reason. If I don't reply to your Comment, please know that I'm totally thrilled you came to read my post and commented!  You truly make my day.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, No. 38: Francis PETTEGREW, 1669-1747

Following the challenge from Amy Johnson Crow to write a post weekly, 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, here is my 38th installment, Francis PETTYGROVE/PETTIGREW.  He is my 6th great-grandfather on my maternal lines, and was born and settled in the Kittery, Maine, region. 

Earlier Pettygrove families spelled their surname variously: as Pettegrew or Pettigrew, later as Pettigrove, and in my recent ancestors, as Pettygrove. All variants are found currently in the United States. Because the name appears to be of French origin, some have assumed that Francis came from France, but this assumption has not been proven.  Perhaps long before Francis was born, a French Pettigrew settled in England?  

Francis PETTYGROVE was apparently born about 1669 in Kittery.  In 20 Oct 1706, he married, first, Elizabeth BALL Hammons, the widow of Edward Hammons. Elizabeth's parents were John Ball and wife, Joan/Joanna. Elizabeth brought to the marriage her daughter by Edward, Joanna Hammons, b. 20 Apr 1701. 

Francis and Elizabeth had 7 children that we are aware of, born in Kittery:

1. Mary, b 12 Oct 1707, m. Francis Allen
2. John, b 3 Dec 1708, m. Mary____
3. Francis, b 27 Jan 1709/10, m. Elizabeth Hutchins
4. *Thomas [ancestor], b 27 Sep 1713, m. Mary HUTCHINS 12 Feb 1729/30, 9 children
5. William, b 29 Jun 1716, m. Lydia (?Ball); Wm d. abt 1748
6. Joseph, b 20 Sep 1719, d. bef 1747
7. Benjamin, b 9 Jun 1723

Note that the Hutchins wives of #3 and #4 above, are apparently NOT sisters. Two Hutchins brothers, Enoch and John, were very early settlers in Kittery, and it is likely the women are cousins. However, this has yet to be proved. The 3rd Hutchins wife, in the paragraph that follows, also needs to have her paternity determined.

Elizabeth BALL Hammons died several years after her youngest son, Benjamin, was born.  Francis married, second, another Elizabeth - widow Elizabeth HUTCHINS Davis.  There were apparently no children of this second marriage. I have yet to determine the relationships between the three Hutchins women who married into the Pettygrove family! 

Francis is listed in 1703 as having a land grant in the Kittery area.  After marrying Elizabeth BALL Hammons, his father-in-law, John BALL, deeded a house & 30 acres for them.  Later, in 1717, John BALL conveyed the whole of his land to his son-in-law, for maintenance of himself and his wife Joan/Joanne, during their lifetimes. 

Francis died approximately 1747, in Kittery.  His 2nd wife, Elizabeth Hutchins Davis, and the "two surviving sons waived adm. in favor of Francis Allen".  Note that Francis' eldest daughter, Mary, married Francis Allen.  I do not have a death date for Francis' 2nd wife, Elizabeth Hutchins Davis, nor do I have burial information for Frances and his two wives.

Most details have come from Old Kittery and Her Families (by Everett S. Stackpole), and Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire (by Sybil Noyes, Charles T. Libby, & Walter G. Davis). 

If you have more information, or corrections to the above details, please do not hesitate to contact me via calewis at telus dot net or in the Comments below. Thanks for stopping by.

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.