WW2 - Canada, Dad on leave at home

It's not Memorial Day in Canada - we honour our veterans on November 11th each year.  But this photo of my Dad from WW2 is a lovely one.

He's home on leave January 1943 with one-year old first child, my big sister, and he's in uniform. I wonder if he's arrived home recently or is on his way back soon? Luckily Mom dated the photo on the back.

Dad never went overseas, and by the end of the war, he ended up trained to work on the new RADAR back East in Nova Scotia.  RADAR stands for "RAdio Detection And Ranging", and is now used as a noun: radar.

Their dog, Buddy, is partly behind him, as both Dad and Leita face the camera - I'm sure Mom is taking the photo.

And do you see behind them? That horse-drawn wagon?  Yes, that's how milk as well as ice was delivered to homes.  I think horse-drawn delivery stopped around 1948, in Vancouver BC.

Honour to all the veterans, from all countries, whatever their work, wherever they served.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #21: Thomas Milligan VINEYARD

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 21st installment, Thomas Milligan VINEYARD, my ex-husband's 2nd great-grandfather on his mother's side (RICE).  Note the surname Vineyard may also be found as VINYARD.  

There is apparently a line of Vineyards in the USA originating from Germany (Weinert).  However another line of Vineyard immigrants were Anglo-Scots, and apparently arrived in possibly Virginia in the 1700s, with one branch moving through to Tennessee and then to Illinois - this particular branch. 

Thomas appears to have been the youngest of 7 known children of John VINEYARD and Leanah SNEED, all born in Tennessee.  I do not yet have the place they were born, nor the previous ancestors details... research is never done!! And with a middle name of Milligan, I suspect a maiden name in his ancestors to research.

Born 12 Apr 1811, Thomas and his parents and family moved to Illinois after he was born.  On 16 August 1830, at the age of 19, Thomas married Priscilla POOLE, only 14 years of age at the time of their marriage. Only 2 years later, Thomas volunteered and fought with the D.Powell Company Regiment 3, Brigade 2, Illinois Mounted Volunteers from White county, during the Black Hawk War. 

Thomas and his new family are listed on the 1840 Census for White County, Illinois, as well as 1850, and 1860 Censuses, before his death in 1872.  I have not found him in the 1870 Census as yet.  Click on the county name for more information on White County history.

Priscilla died in 6 Sep 1857, six months after the birth of their 10th child.  Thomas and Priscilla's children are as follows, all  apparently born in Norris City near Indian Creek area; note not all children's spouses listed:

1. Rebecca Leannah, b. 1832, d. 1903
2. *Phillip Wesley [ancestor], b. 1834, m. 13 Dec 1855 to Margaret C.WALTERS; d. 6 Feb 1874 IL
3. Margaret Priscilla, b. 20 Jan 1836, m. abt 1856 to Lewis Jackson Oliver; d. 29 Jan 1910 IL
4. William Alexander "Alex", b. 18 Jan 1838, m. 14 Nov 1861 to Patsy C. Garrison; d. 1912
5. Mary Jane, b. 10 Feb 1841, d. 5 Aug 1913, Gossett, IL
6. Sarah Ann, b. 19 Nov 1842, d. 14 Sep 1927, Houston, TX
7. Martha Ellen, b. 10 Mar 1845, d. 3 Oct 1931, Muskogee, OK
8. Amanda, b. 1847, d. bef 1860 IL
9. John F., b. 3 Dec 1849, d. 5 Sep 1894
10. Jesse E., b. 23 Mar 1857, m. abt 1879 to Florence Stafford; d. 26 Aug 1901 Mayberry IL

Within a few months of Priscilla's death, on 30 Jan 1858, Thomas took a 2nd wife, Samantha J. Garrett.  

On the 1860 Census, Thomas is shown with his wife Samantha, previous children still at home: Martha, John, and Jesse, plus he and Samantha's 1st child, Daniel.  As well, Thomas' widowed mother, Leanah, aged 93, was living with them.  

Thomas and his family continued to live in White County IL, on his farm, and had 4 more children:

1. Daniel E., b. 13 Dec 1859, m. 24 Oct 1882 to Dicia A. McKenzie
2. Nancy Sharon, b. 21 Nov 1861
3. Susan E, b. 4 Oct 1863, m. 5 Apr 1891 to Charles Armstrong; d. 19 Jul 1894
4. Lovina, b. 1 Apr 1865, d. 10 Aug 1867

Samantha, Thomas' 2nd wife, died 21 Oct 1867, scarcely 2 months after her 4th child.  

He married for the third time on 19 Jan 1868, to a widow, Martha J. Thompson; no further children are listed.  Thomas died only 4 years later, on 16 Jun 1872, while visiting a Dr. Berry in his office in Hoodville, Hamilton county, IL.  I clearly need to research what relationship the two had, as to why he was visiting Dr. Berry. 

I know very little about Thomas - aside from his military history, occupation as farmer, and his many children.  He seems to have been a relatively successful farmer in the area, and there may be more histories of White County IL which may have additional details. 

If you have any questions or further information you could share, please contact me via calewis at telus dot com, or in the Comments below.  

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #20: Rachel PIERSOL

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 20th installment, another woman ancestor with virtually no details about her aside from Birth, Marriage, Death.  

The PIERSOL family grew up around Morgantown, Berks, Pennsylvania, with many other Welsh immigrants with surnames such as Davis, Evans, Hudson, Jenkins, Hughes, Bowen, Allen, Owen. Interestingly, I noted that a Pearsall Family DNA study shows that the males have a Swedish origin from perhaps 2000 years ago; they list many spellings for the Piersol/Pearsall surname. If this is your surname, do check out their site for testing. 

Note: I have a copy of the Caernarvon Township map of Warrants/Surveys/Patents of landowners, constructed in 1934 from original drafts.  This may be requested of me by direct-message or below, using my email address as shown; for personal use only, not for publication, as it is copyrighted. 

Rachel is my 5th great-grandmother on my mother's lines.  The PIERSOL surname is spelled many ways, of course: e.g., Pearsall, Pearsol(l), Piersol(l), Persall, and so on.  

Rachel's father was Richard PIERSOL, born about 1677, apparently in Wales. He immigrated with his father (name either John or Richard Sr.), about 1683. His family settled in Pennsylvania. On about 1720, in Caernarvon, Richard married Bridget BROWN about 1720. Bridget emigrated before that date, but I know nothing about Bridget's family.Well, except that a Richard Brown was one of the executors of her will - a brother? Maybe. Richard was the only living son, along with at least 4 sisters, as named in his father's will, 1777. 

Rachel PIERSOL was born about 1723 in Caernarvon Township/Morgantown area - note that Morgantown (Morgan's Town) was not laid out until about 1770. She married Jacob MORGAN in 1739 in Honey Brook, Chester, PA.  Honey Brook is only about 5 miles south of Morgantown area. 

Much is known of Jacob MORGAN (Sr) as he was very well known in the region in various roles, e.g., as a Judge and other official capacity; a Captain in the Seven Years War (French & Indian Wars), in Col. Weiser's regiment; plus a Colonel in the Revolutionary War.  A number of DAR and SAR applications may be researched, based on Jacob Sr. or his son Jacob Jr. MORGAN's military service.

Rachel and Jacob seem to have settled in the Caernarvon/Morgantown area, raising their 7 known children:

1. Rebecca, b. 1741; m. John Price
2. Jacob (Jr.), b. 1742; m. Barbara Leisure Jenkins, 6 children
3. Benjamin, b. abt 1745; m. Harriett Ashton, at least 1 son
4. Mary [ancestor], b. 20 Jun 1748; m. John/Jonathan HUDSON, 7 children
5. Sarah, b. abt 1750; m. Joseph Jenkins
6. Frances, b. est. 1752
7. John, b. est 1755 

In the mid 1780s, Jacob & Rachel appear to have moved for a time to Philadelphia, returning to Morgantown area before 1791. I still have much research to do on Jacob's various roles in his very active life.

Rachel died at the age of 68 years, on 19 Dec 1791 in Montgomeryville, apparently. I am not certain why she was there - visiting relatives? Or one of her married daughters?  Her husband, Jacob, died the following year on 11 Nov 1792, aged 76, in Morgantown.  The gravestone - a large horizontal one on a raised base - has details of both Jacob and Rachel, and can be seen here on FindAGrave.  

If you have further information about Rachel PIERSOL and her parents, or if you have questions about any of this information, contact me via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments section below.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #19 : John GRUMMAN

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 19th installment, for John GRUMMAN/GROMAN, my 8th great-grandfather on my mother's lines. He is a very early settler in Connecticut, apparently arriving about 1649. 

John GRUMMAN, was b. 24 Feb 1627 in Cranfield, Bedford, England (abt 50 miles north of London); parents were John GRUMMAN and Elizabeth WHEELER.  The surname GRUMMAN may also be found spelled in various ways as Grumant, Grumand, Groman, Gromman, and so forth.  John arrived in the New England Colony before 1650, settling in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is not clear if he came with any siblings, or any family members.   (Photo from Wikipedia)

In 1651, in Connecticut, he married his first wife, Sarah TRY who was born about 1630 in Long Island, New York, of early settlers to that area, Michael TRY, and [Unknown] PHILLIPS.  John and Sarah had 6 children (4 boys, then 2 girls), of whom the youngest, our direct ancestor, was Sarah GRUMMAN, b. 1675 in Fairfield, as were all the children.  

Children of John and Sarah:

• John, b. 1652
• Samuel, b. 1667
• Thomas, b. 1669
• Michael, b. 1671
• Elizabeth, b. 1673
• *Sarah [ancestor], b. 1675, m. Samuel JENNINGS in 1691; 10 children (3 boys)
• ?possibly Abigail, b. 1685.  -- mentioned in his will, unclear of relationship.

The gap between the first and second child has not been explained; possibly it has been discussed in various books or articles I have yet to find and read.  Normally I would expect that showed the death of a wife, and subsequent marriage.  However it has not shown up in the usual early records of marriages in early New England.  Of course, the date itself may be in error... Research to do.

In 1664, John GRUMMAN was made a Freeman of Fairfield Connecticut, according to a history of Fairfield. 

Many of the details I have about my ancestor John GRUMMAN has come from two sources: Jennings Family Association, and a particular book, "The descendants of John Grumman(t) of Cranfield, Bedfordshire, and Fairfield, Connecticut, and his wife Sarah Try"  by Marion G. Phillips;  New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Mass. : Newbury Street Press, 2007.  Histories of early settlers in Fairfield also contain details and summary information.  

John died after 2 Jun 1685 in Fairfield Connecticut; Sarah, his wife, died died a few years later on 8 Apr 1691, same place.  There is apparently a will dated 2nd June 1685, mentioned in several trees and sources, but never detailed.  Perhaps it may be found on the NEHGS site in their databases.  In his will, he lists children John, Samuel, Thomas, Michael, Sarah who had married Samuel Jennings, and Abigail. I have yet to see the will.  There may well be additional tidbits of information and confirmation of some details of this early settler of Fairfield Connecticut. 

Addition, August 29, 2019:  WikiTree has the transcribed will of John GRUMMAN, taken from "The American Genealogist" vol.32.  Thank you to a friendly reader for providing me with this helpful detail. 

If you have any further information or any questions, do please contact me via email calewis at telus dot net, or in comments below. Thank you so much for reading about this early New England settler.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #18 : Freelove MITCHELL, b.1755, Rhode Island

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 19th installment, for Freelove MITCHELL (1755-1834), my ex-husband's 4th great-grandmother on his mother's line.

I am fascinated by the various names given to children in the 1700s, and here is another one:  Freelove MITCHELL. How does someone name a beautiful little baby girl "Freelove"?  Apparently, it was a relatively common name in this time. Who knew?

I have lots of research still to do on this particular Freelove. I meant to do it earlier, but here we are, and I'm diving in with what I have found to date.  The Olin Family Society has 'webcards' for families of the Olin line, online, apparently linking to various sources. However until I can get at the sources, these cards can only be considered as clues requiring further research on my part.

Freelove MITCHELL was born 21 Nov 1755, on Block Island, Rhode Island. Mitchell is a familiar name on Block Island, and various Mitchell men were made Freemen in the late 1600s and early 1700s.  

A number of men's names are mentioned, but not details of their families, in a book titled "A History of Block Island: from it's discovery, in 1514, to the present time, 1876"  by Rev. Samuel Truesdale Livermore, published 1877; p.336.

On 15 Jan 1775, Freelove married Caleb OLIN, and they moved to Shaftsbury, Vermont fairly soon afterwards. All of their 11 children were born in Vermont. About 1814, the parents moved with their youngest son, Soloman, to the Canton area of New York state, where both parents died within a few years of each other. (Caleb is one of the sons of Henry Olin whom I wrote about as #16 in this series, by the way.)

Children of Caleb & Freelove:

1.   Naomi, b. 15 Sep 1777 Shaftsbury VT; d. 12 Aug 1864 Addison VT; m. Daniel Smith
2.   Thomas Dickens, b. 25 Apr 1779 Shaftsbury VT; d. 20 Aug 1860 Canton NY; m. Experience Miller Conkey
3.   Rebecca, b. 9 Jul 1782 Addison VT; d. 8 May 1862 Canton NY; m. Jonathan Day
4.   Joseph* [direct line], b. Mar 1784 Addison VT; d. 27 Jan 1873 Nicholville NY; m. Huldah B. Smith, 9 children
5.   Benjamin, b. 29 May 1786 Addison VT; d. 5 Dec 1853 Canton NY; m. Sarah Egbert/Edgebert
6.   Justin, b. 11 Apr 1788 Shaftsbury VT; d. 18 Nov 1864 Dartford WI; m. Polly Tower
7.   Caleb [Jr.], b. 30 Oct 1789 Shaftsbury VT; m. Polly Moore
8.   Henry, b. 3 Sep 1793 Shaftsbury VT; d. 8 Dec 1874 Birmingham MI; m. Polly Stewart/Stuart
9.   David, b. 16 Jan 1795 Addison VT; d. 8 Aug 1860 DeWitt MI; m. Anna Edgebert
10.   (Dr.) Soloman, b. 5 Mar 1798 Panton VT; d. 5 Apr 1865 South Sodus NY; m. Hannah Moore
11.   Sarah, b. 16 Jun 1800 Shaftsbury VT; d. 30 Apr 1884; m. Harvey Healey

There may be a few clues in these names which might assist in researching and identifying Freelove's correct parents.  The "Dickens" as middle name of Thomas, their first boy, may relate to either parents' mother's maiden name, for example, a working assumption that needs further research.

Note that parents married just towards the end of the Revolutionary War, and there are several military records indicating that (as one example of a son in the war).  Caleb served  in Shaftsbury VT with Capt Cyprian Downey's company.

Freelove died several years before her husband, in July 1834, in Canton, New York.  She was 79 years of age.

If you have information about Freelove Mitchell and her family, please do not hesitate to contact me via email calewis at telus dot net, or in comments below.

(Almost) WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Two James TERWILLIGERS

My 2nd great-grandfather, & his son, my great-grandfather, two James TERWILLIGERS; through my maternal lines.
I particularly appreciate the visible differences in clothing and hair styles of these two men, with photos taken about 30 years apart.  Both photos found in the younger son's TERWILLIGER SOUVENIR ALBUM.

Taken in approximately 1860-1865, the photo to the right is of James M. TERWILLIGER, likely as a formal photo for the Senate.  James would be in his 40s here.  I would love to know what on earth his middle name is, as I have yet to see any document with his full name.
Born on 30 January 1825, New Scotland, Albany, New York; and died 18 October 1909, Roselle, Union, New Jersey, at the home of his elder son, below.

This is James Grover "Grove" TERWILLIGER, the eldest son of James M. TERWILLIGER, above;  the photo taken approximately 1885-1890.
Born 27 May 1856, Syracuse, Onondaga, New York; and died 17 March 1929, Syracuse, Onondaga, New York.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #17: the wrong Moses JACKSON

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 17th installment, for Moses JACKSON, my 7th great-grandfather on my maternal lines.  However it now seems with new research, that this is NOT my 7th great-grandfather.  Instead, I seem to have been following the wrong JACKSON.  

The following begins what I found on a Moses Jackson - whom I believed to be the correct person. HOWEVER, SOME DETAILS DEFINITELY APPEAR TO BE FALSE, and definitely confusing. That is, it appears that I have been following - as others did - a SECOND Moses Jackson.  

I will be spending a chunk of time over the coming weeks trying to clarify my steps back to my known facts: an Elizabeth JACKSON b. abt 1695 in Fairfield who on 6 Mar 1716/7 married Michael JENNINGS b. 3 Dec 1693 in Fairfield, whose daughter Beulah JENNINGS b. abt 1722 who on 26 Oct 1743 married Samuel TREAT b. 13 Aug 1714 in Milford.  

Oh my.  I'm back to the drawing board indeed.  

Below are the details I had found over seven years ago when I was first beginning research on the TREAT line.  Clearly some steps are quite wrong. I am printing this however, to help others if they hit this page, to see the errors, and NOT reprint the errors in their own trees! 

WRONG BEGINS HERE, note that some details are clearly correct for a Moses Jackson, but not for his wife Hannah Trowbridge:
Moses was born approximately Jan or Feb 1647/8 in Connecticut, likely Fairfield, where his father, Henry JACKSON was building a gristmill. It is not clear who his mother was, his father's will does not name her; several family histories state her name to be Mary Abbott.  Henry's wife was alive at the time of his will dated 11 Nov 1682, several years before he died in 1686.

Moses apparently married 24 Oct 1672 in Fairfield, to Deborah.  Deborah's surname is listed as HUBBELL in Barbour's transcriptions of vital records in towns of Connecticut, but is listed as HYATT in Clarence Torrey's well-known book on New England Marriages before 1700.  Deborah died after the birth of her 2nd or 3rd child, sometime after 1678.  

His second wife, married in New Haven on 6 July 1688, may have been Hannah TROWBRIDGE, b. 6 Jul 1668.  The Trowbridge family is well-known in early settlers' records, having arrived from Taunton, England, in 1634.  Hannah's parents were William TROWBRIDGE (1633-1690) and Elizabeth LAMBERTON (1632-1716).  

The children of Moses and Deborah, 1st wife, appear to be:
  1. Rebecca, b. abt 1674
  2. Deborah, b. abt 1678

The children of Moses and Hannah, 2nd wife, appear to be the following:
  3. Gershom [son], b. 1689, died young
  4. Thankful, b. 1693 [this child is not proved]
  5. *Elizabeth [ancestor], b. abt 1695/ m. 6 Mar 1716/7 to Michael JENNINGS, 4 daus.

More records and histories need to be researched for clarification of Moses' wives and children. There may be a third wife as well.  Either Deborah or Hannah may have had several more children as well.  It is confusing since there appears to have been another Moses Jackson in Connecticut, who could have been an uncle or cousin perhaps.

Moses died at the age of approximately 64 years, on 13 Nov 1712, in Fairfield, Connecticut; his wife Hannah had died about 1697. Some records state he died in Stratfield, which is a neighbourhood on the eastern side of the town of Fairfield. Land records may show where Moses might have been living in the late 1600s to early 1700s. 

THIS ENDS MY WRONG SECTION ON MOSES JACKSON, SON OF HENRY JACKSON.

If you have comments or further information about this confusing situation, do let me know via email at calewis at telus dot net, or below.  I welcome all bright spotlights on my tree-in-progress!  
  

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #16: Henry OLIN

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 16th installment, for Henry OLIN.  Henry is my ex-husband's 5th great-grandfather, on his mother's line (Rice).  

Henry OLIN was born approximately 1719, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island. East Greenwich is one of the oldest towns in Rhode Island, legally established in 1677. The first OLIN known to settle in the area was his father John OLIN.  There is an Olin Family Society, also on Facebook [closed group], and their society's 'webcards' genealogy with various OLIN family tree lines, which I have not investigated as thoroughly as I need to. And there are several books published about this very early settler, available through Internet Archive. 

Henry apparently had 4 wives (sequentially, of course), with a total of 16 children. The records are not clear as to which wife was the mother of which children, specifically the mother of our direct descendant, his son, Caleb, b. in 1753. 

One can see several breaks in the children's births which may indicate the death of a wife, and a subsequent marriage:  (a) after #2, John's birth;  (b) after #7, Henry's birth; (c) after #8, Sibil's birth. The birth years are not listed for daughters Susannah and Rebecca, who are listed in published works as born between son Pelig's birth and son Caleb's birth.  

Henry's children by his various wives : 

1. Justin,  b. 17 Jul 1739; d. 7 Jul 1821, Liecester, VT
2. John, (3rd), b. 17 Sep 1741; d. 24 Sep 1831, Shaftsbury, VT
3. Pelig Olin, b. 20 May 1746; d. Cambridge NY [son]
4. Susannah, b.?
5. Rebecca, b. ?
6. **Caleb [ancestor], b.8 Dec 1753, Old Warwick, RI; m. 15 Jan 1775 to Freelove Mitchell; 11 children
7. Henry, b. abt 1754, d. young
8. Sibil, b. abt 1758  [dau]
9. Paris, b. 1765, d. bef 1780  [son]
10. Hannah, b. 1767
11. Sarah, b. 1770
12. Ezra, b. 1772
13. Phoebe, b. 1774
14. Henry, b. 1776
15. Nancy, b. 1779
16. Joseph, b. 1781

We know more about Henry's father, than we do about Henry.  Henry's father, John OLIN, was originally from Wales, pressed on board a British war vessel, before 1678. Only 14 years of age, he apparently managed to leave the ship in Boston Harbor and settled in East Greenwich RI in about 1678. John married Susannah Spencer in East Greenwich on 4 Dec 1708; the Spencer family were also originally from Wales. They had at least four children: Joseph, John, Henry, and Eleanor.  John was known to be a farmer in RI.  Interestingly, John is described in one record as being of medium stature and with red hair. 

Henry lived to be over 100 years of age, with a death date of 7 July 1821 (102 years).  He is said to have died in Leicester, Vermont, where others of his family had also settled. 

I clearly have a great deal of research still to do on this line.  My mother-in-law had a brother whose middle name was OLIN, which I thought unusual and got me started researching the Olin line.  

If you have any information or questions about any of the above details, do contact me via calewis at telus dot com, or leave a comment below.  

"National Siblings Day" -? Okay - here's mine!

1947:
I'm on the left, big sister on the right, well-loved baby brother in the middle, raring to get down those steps and go-go-go!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - 1963

Almost Wordless...

My mother's mother, Marguerite Josephine TERWILLIGER Kuhn, whom we called "GrandPete" (and variations), with two of her three daughters: my two Aunts Barbara Russell and Dot (Dorothea) Mathieu. My mom was the baby of the family, and the shortest.  

I'm amused to see both my aunts smoking cigarettes, as did my mom all her life. I think the photo must have been taken in California, from the background. In 1963, GrandPete is 83, Barb is 51, Dot is 49.

This photo was in my personal photo album which Mom made for us three kids one Christmas - it took her most of the year, and she typed each label.  She scrounged for photos from neighbours and relatives, and made slightly different ones for each of us.  Later, we went through our respective albums, and copied more of each others' photos.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #15: Vincent MEGGS / MEIGS

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 15th installment, for Vincent MEGGS/MEIGS, my 10th great-grandfather on my maternal side.

Vincent is another immigrant settler from the south of England, apparently from the parish of Chardstock in Dorset.  Luckily the Bishop's Transcripts of the parish [1579-1641] were found in 1991 and copied by a researcher, providing excellent confirmation of 3 of his children, plus the name and details of his wife.  

Vincent's surname is recorded as  "also known as Vincent LOVE" in a record of being landlord of the Angle Inn, in Axminster. This AKA surname might indicate he was an illegitimate child.  

Note that the surname MEGGS comes from 'Margaret's son': i.e., Megs/Maggs as a nickname for Margaret.  It is spelled many ways; John, Vincent's third child, apparently changed the spelling to "Meigs". 

Much of my information comes from Rick Meigs' detailed genealogies of the Meigs brothers, online at http://meigs.org/Vincent.htm  as well as from a book by Henry Benjamin Meigs, who published in 1901 "Record of the Descendants of Vincent Meigs, who came from Dorsetshire, England to America about 1635." pub Baltimore, MD, John S. Bridges & Co. [available online].  I am very grateful for the work done by many individuals on these early settlers to America.  

Vincent is believed to have been born about 1583 in Dorset, and married Emma Strong about 1608 in the parish of Chardstock.  Emma's parents were William & Margaret; Margaret's will in 1621 confirms Vincent as Emma's husband.  We do not know Vincent's parents' names or details.  Interestingly there is another will from Axminster (adjacent parish) of a John Maggs 1632, listing children and wife, and also listing "overseers: Vincent Maggs, Thomas Lovinge".  However the relationship of this John to Vincent is not clarified.  A father? brother? uncle?

Vincent and Emma had 4 children that we know of, the younger 3's christening records were detailed from the parish of Chardstock:

1. Vincent, b. bef 14 Dec 1608; no marriage/children known of; d. 3 Nov 1700, New London CT
2. Mary Ann, b. bef 16 Apr 1610
3. *John, [direct ancestor], b abt 29 Jan 1611/2; m Thomasina FRYE abt 1632; 5 children
4. Mark, b 25 Aug 1616; m. Avis ___ about 1658; at least one child (Hannah)

Vincent is first found at Weymouth MA in 1641, but the family made plans in 1643 to leave and settle in Rehoboth MA [with Rev. Samuel Newman].  Several years later, the family appears in New Haven, CT, in 1646.  By 1658, Vincent appears to have moved to live with his son John in Hammonasset [Madison], New Haven, CT. 

Vincent made his will, dated September 2, 1658 "on his deathbed", witnessed by son John, which was probated on December 2, 1658.  Local tradition has it that Vincent was the first to be buried at the Hammonasset Cemetery, Madison, New Haven, CT, as the cemetery grave yard opened in 1658.  However any gravestone or exact location is unknown at this time. 

 

If you know more information on the MEIGS/MEGGS family, I would be pleased to hear from you; contact me directly via calewis at telus dot com, or in the comments below. 

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS: #14, William LANE

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 14th installment, for William LANE, the immigrant settler, my 10th great-grandfather.

Born in the Dorset area in England in the late 1500s (1575?), William LANE was known to be in Dorchester about 1635, and settled in Hingham by 1637.  Question marks about his marriage show the following (p.450, C.A. Torrey's "New England Marriages Prior to 1700," rev. 1992):

Clearly there are more questions than answers about his marriage and birthdate on this record. Taken from the 1992 revision, note that all settlers and wives were listed, with information about birth, date, places, if known or identified. Unfortunately, this marriage item leaves me full of questions.  We clearly don't know if the woman with him was his 1st wife and mother of some or all of his children or, was his 2nd wife, possibly mother of any or none of his children.  His wife's name is not confirmed.  

The record of the Hopewell 1635  shows passengers "William Lane and family". The Great Migrations apparently describe the family as likely including : "William Lane of Beaminster, Dorset, who settled at Hingham, MA.  Family members: Agnes Farnsworth, wife;  Avis (Lane) Lincoln, 28, daughter, and her husband, Thomas Lincoln;  Andrew Lane, 24, son, and daughters  Mary and Elizabeth Lane."   

His children were as follows, all born in Dorsetshire, England between 1606-1619, not listed in any particular order :
 - Agnes/Avis/Anis, m. before 1635 to Thomas Lincoln "The Cooper"; settled in Hingham
 - *Andrew [direct ancestor] abt 1610, m. abt 1639 in Hingham to Tryphena [1612-1670]; Hingham
 - Elizabeth, m. Thomas Rider
 - George, m. Sarah _____
 - Mary, m. (1) Joseph Long, and (2) Joseph Farnsworth
 - William, 
 - Sarah,

He is known to have owned a number of parcels of land in Hingham area. He apparently worked as a farmer and also as a "felt-maker".  

William died before 6 July 1654, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, possibly where his daughter Elizabeth (Lane) Rider and family lived; this date is when his will was probated. The will was signed and dated "28. 12 mo  1650."  The following was taken from the Abstract of the will: 
 "William LANE, of Dorchester.  Inventory, prized by John Wiswall, Wm Clarke,  5 July 1654.
   Amt. 82. 10. 08 1/2.  Joseph Farnsworth deposed.  [Will, vol. V. p. 364.]  (See p.54)."  

His will lists his children with daughters' married names (note variant spellings), in transcribed Suffolk County Wills (p. 54 mentioned above).  Interestingly, in the will, he calls Joseph Farnsworth his "beloved brother", rather than ?brother-in-law. This does give some credence that his wife was indeed Agnes Farnsworth; however, it is still not proved. 

If you have questions or more information about William Lane and his family, I would love to hear from you.  Please leave a comment below, or contact me via calewis at telus dot net.