#52Ancestors: John Lewis AIKEN, 1823-1861, Kingston ON

Another in the year-long challenge, #52Ancestors by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. I am a little behind, but every post is another post! Today I am writing about John Lewis AIKEN, in the LEWIS-RICE lines. And no, John's middle name does not make him a Lewis-line relative... 

John Lewis AIKEN was the 3rd of 11 children of Robert AIKEN & Martha PURDY - Martha being the granddaughter of the United Empire Loyalist, Gilbert PURDY, sr.  The link to my blog on Gilbert may be found here.  Note that the surname is often spelled AKIN or AKINS, but in this particular line, by the late 1800s it seems to have settled into AIKEN. The Aiken line goes back to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, with the first settler, Edward AIKEN sr & wife Barbara EDWARDS arriving before 1722. The families settled in Londonderry, New Hampshire, moving to Kingston Ontario, before 1818. 

On the 1842 Census of Canada West, ON, his father Robert Akins is shown as a Farmer. This census did not list family members, nor how many people were in the household. Thank heavens for the 1851/52 Census which listed everyone, including a married daughter, visiting from her home in Loughborough, a nearby township. 

On March 2, 1853, John Lewis AIKEN married Eliza Jane BAKER in Kingston ON. Unfortunately I have not found a marriage online - Ronald Makin Family Records [UEL} has a copy of their Kingston ON marriage certificate. Note Ontario began civil registration in 1869.

Children of John & Eliza are the following four, born in the region around Kingston ON: 

    1.  Robert Edwin, b. 23 Dec 1853; m. 9 Nov 1881 to Frances E. Ely;
              6 children

    2.  Alma Jane [ancestor], b. 28 May 1858, d. 11 Dec 1954 Vancouver
              BC; m.1st to Melancton Odell Andrews, 1 dau; m.2nd to 3 Dec 1885
              in Winnipeg MB to Isaac Charles LEWIS; 7 children

    3.  Charles C., b. abt 1860

    4.  Minnie C., b. abt 1861; m. Archie Thompson

    

John died unexpectedly, aged only 38 years, on Feb 16, 1861, leaving his wife with 4 very young children. I have not found his cause of death. Nor have I found his burial place, but it is likely in Kingston ON.

His widow, Eliza Jane, married John's older brother, Peter Clark Aiken, aka Clark, on July 1st, 1862, in Kingston. They had 2 girls:

    1.  Annie E., b. 1865, Kingston
    2.  Mary C., b. 1867, Kingston. 

It is clear that I need to dig deeper for more details of John Lewis AIKEN, perhaps in local newspapers in Kingston, directories, land records. I would like to have more information on his wife Eliza as well. I have a to-do list. Also I was surprised to see Eliza married her deceased husband's older brother. I have seen that type of intermarriage only once before. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: James PERRY, 1875-1966, England

Continuing the #52Ancestors year-long challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is my son-in-law's great-grandfather, James PERRY, born in Hartshill, Warwickshire, England.  The photo is apparently of James' father, John PERRY, jr.  

James, born in 1875 in Hartshill, Warwick, was the youngest of the 9 children of his parents, John PERRY jr & Sarah WHITE. His father worked as a hand-looming ribbon-weaver according to the 1841 Census, as did many others on the Census pages for Hartshill, a small hamlet. This was a fading occupation as mechanized looms began to take over the piece-work done on home looms. 

On Aug 2, 1898, James married Martha Jane DONAGHY, in Glasgow, Scotland. The certificate states both are working, James as a Coachman, Martha as a Restaurant Hostess.  Scottish marriage certificates are wonderfully detailed with names of both parents, their occupations, and mother's maiden name.  See below: 

The 1901 Census in Glasgow shows James working as an Iron Foundry Labourer, living in the parish of Townhead, with a number of other workers from Ireland. Here we see their first daughter, Lillian, 2 yrs old. I suspect the Foundry paid fairly well - and there were pages of Foundries listed in the Glasgow city Directory!! 

James and Martha had the following 5 known children:

   1.  Lillian Martha, b. Mar 23, 1899, Glasgow

   2.  John Robert, b. May 13, 1901, Glasgow

   3.  James Edward [ancestor], b. abt 1904, Hartshill, Warwick;
          m. Oct 6, 1928 Alberta Canada to Margaret Alice
          ATHERTON; 7 children

   4.  Ralph, b. Oct 1907, Hartshill, Warwick, d. Mar 1990
           Warwickshire

   5.  Edwin, b. Oct 1909, Warwickshire

As can be seen above, before 1904 James and Martha moved down to the hamlet of Hartshill in Warwickshire where his parents and some of his siblings were living. On the 1911 Census, James states his occupation as Inn Keeper - see image below of the Bowling Green Inn on Coventry Rd in Southam. Here in this photo one can also see that it is still open for business.

I do wonder how James came to be an Innkeeper, having worked in various servant or labouring jobs until this time. Southam is south of the large city of Coventry; Hartshill where he and his younger three children were born, is just north of Southam, a total of almost 25 miles between the two places. Perhaps there's a family story about his new opportunity, between 1909 and 1911.  

I have yet to do significant research on James' children other than for his namesake, James Edward PERRY. Clearly some research could be done by his descendants-?  

At the age of 91 years, James died April 1st 1966, in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and is apparently buried there. His wife, Martha, died 2 years later aged 93 years, on May 11, 1968, in Staffordshire.  There have been several trips to England, and perhaps one of the great-grandchildren have photos of their gravestones. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: Jane Rebecca McCABE, 1803-1883

Another in the year-long challenge, #52Ancestors by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. I am a little behind, but every post is another post! This week I am writing about Jane Rebecca McCABE, my 2nd great-grandmother on my mother's KUHN line, 3rd great-grandmother to my children, 4th to my grandchildren. 

Jane,  born Oct 25, 1803 in Morgantown, Pennsylvania, was the youngest of the three children of Edward McCABE from County Monaghan & Rebecca HUDSON.

Jane married Joseph Jacobus KUHN (1803-1878) on Nov 5, 1826 in the Conewago Chapel, Conewago, Adams, Pennsylvania. The service was presided over by the Reverend DeBarth. There is a lovely image of the KUHN obelisk in the Conewago Chapel cemetery, listing many of the Kuhn ancestors, siblings, their marriages, etc.

Children of Joseph & Jane, all born in East Berlin, Adams, PA: 

   1.  Edward John, b. 23 Sep 1827, d. 25 Feb 1906 Hanover PA; m. abt 1856
          in Missouri 1st Annie P. Gill [d.1862], 3 children; m. 2nd Sarah Jane
          Hilt, abt 1870 in PA, 6 children
   2.  Dr. Louis/Lewis DeBarth, Ancestor, b. 22 Oct 1829, d. 7 May 1908
            NY; m. 17 Jan 1864 to Amelia A PETTYGROVE [d. 1888], 10
            children
   3.  Sarah Jane, b. 25 Dec 1831, d. 29 Apr 1834. 
   4.  Maria Rebecca, b. 2 Feb 1834, d. 8 Nov 1857 in Cuba on honeymoon;
            m. 1857 to Charles F. Leisen.
   5.  Charles Edmund, b. 16 Nov 1836, d. 23 Nov 1909 in Denver CO;
            m. 1862 to Jennie M. Myers; 1 daughter
   6.  Jane Elizabeth, b. 5 Feb 1839, d. 8 Jun 1916; m. abt 1865 to Philip
            Reilly, 5 children
   7.  Joseph Augustine, b. 1 Sep 1841, d. 4 Oct 1918 Port Townsend WA
   8.  John Randolph, b. 28 Aug 1844, d. 2 Nov 1926; m. 13 Feb 1870
             Brooklyn NY to Henrietta M. Rabitte; 13 children
   9.  Dr. George Richard Montgomery, b. 2 Sep 1847, d. 5 Nov 1915
             Brooklyn NY; m. 13 Nov 1879 to Mary E. Hussey; 5 children

Unfortunately there is nothing further I have found about Jane Rebecca, aside from her having borne 9 children in 20 years. I have newspapers to search soon, hoping for any obituary write up on her. Her husband, Joseph J KUHN, died 18 Sep 1878, aged 74, in McSherrytown, Adams, PA. Five years later, she died 15 June 1883 in Brooklyn NY, aged 79 years.

She is listed on the very large KUHN obelisk with her husband, showing her maiden name - a treasure when I found this image.  

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: Joseph WHITEHEAD, 1716-1781, Virginia/NC, USA

Another in the year-long challenge, #52Ancestors by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. I am a little behind, but every post is another post! This week I am writing about the little I have found on my ex-husband's 5th Great-Grandfather, Joseph WHITEHEAD; 6th great-grandfather to my children, 7th to my grandchildren

Much of my information on this family came mainly from an online genealogy/descendancy site on Sumner County Tennessee settlers on Rootsweb, following Whitehead settlers from Virginia and North Carolina. A number of Whitehead men show up on Virginia Land Records indexes in the late 1600s and into the 1700s, including Richard, Thomas, John, Arthur, and William. However I am unable to access the actual record images at this point, which might assist in finding any possible relationships between the individuals, and to place Joseph and his parents more specifically in Isle of Wight county, Virginia. .

Born in [est] 1714 in Isle of Wight, Virginia, USA, apparently Joseph [and parents?] moved to settle in Edgecombe County, North Carolina when he was a young child. Joseph apparently married Faith LANE in North Carolina, likely about 1735 when he would have been 21 years of age, Faith 20 years. Her father is sometimes listed as Benjamin Lane [not verified as yet]. Some genealogies/trees state that Faith died much later, marrying a second time to William Bynum. Confusion reigns. 

Three children were born in Edgecombe county, North Carolina:

   1.  Benjamin, b. abt 1736

   2.  Mary, ancestor, b. 1 July 1738, d. abt 1773; m. abt 1762 to Matthew
            JOYNER, 4 children

   3.  Joseph jr., b. abt 1740

Four other possible children have been connected to Joseph sr: Tobias, John, Martha, and Elizabeth.  However I do not feel confident here, as it also appears that trees and histories mix the two Josephs' details, marriages, other children. On the other hand, they may indeed be Joseph & Faith's children. 

Joseph's wife, Faith, died in May 1752, in Edgecombe co., North Carolina. He married a second time, to Pheribe Applewhaite [a fascinating name], in 1771, in Halifax North Carolina. Apparently no children were born to them. Pheribe would have been over 40 yrs. His children by Faith,were adults by the time he married Pheribe. 

Joseph died 17 Feb 1781 in Halifax, Halifax Co., North Carolina. His will names his wife Pheriby, and the 4 children mentioned above. There is no mention of the first two male children Benjamin & Joseph jr.  This confusion might indicate that the will is actually for his son, Joseph Jr.  At this point, I am assuming that Joseph WHITEHEAD sr, and Faith LANE his first wife, may NOT be valid, and/or may have been confused with others of the same name. The daughter [listed above] - Mary, who married Matthew JOYNER - has additional records on her marriage and children so support that her father was Joseph. Their first child's name was Benjamin Joyner.  

As can be seen, Joseph's history is scant and poorly substantiated.  More research on the websites of the Library of Virginia, as well as in the Virginia Historical Society, is necessary. My to-do list is long on this Whitehead family line. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: Hannah BROOKS, 1726-1759, Connecticut

Another in the year-long challenge, #52Ancestors by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow. I am a little behind, but every post is another post!  Here I am writing about  my 5th great-grandmother on my maternal TERWILLIGER line:  Hannah BROOKS, born in Wallingford CT

Hannah was the eldest child of Stephen BROOKS & Hannah BARNES, and was born April 5, 1726 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut. Siblings were Stephen jr (1728), Jerusha (1731),  Martha (1735), Thomas (1738), Lois (1740, and Abraham (1743).  The first BROOKS immigrant seems to have been Henry BROOKS, who married in 1676 in Wallingford. Hannah would be the 4th Brooks generation in Connecticut.

Hannah's first husband was John Clark, (1727-1749), whom she married Sep 9, 1747 in Waterbury Connecticut. Their child was John Clark jr, born May 11, 1748; her husband John died Oct 1, 1749 scarcely 5 months later. 

On May 1st, 1751, Hannah married Cornelius GRAVES (1724-1812), in Waterbury. Cornelius was a farmer, owning a "considerable amount of land at New Cambridge," paying taxes 1749-1776. For information and genealogy details of the GRAVES line, The Graves Family Association online shows the first immigrant John GRAVES (abt 1605-after 1650), #166 in the numerous Graves lines listed on this site.  

Hannah and Cornelius had 4 sons:

    1.  Stephen Wells [ancestor], b. Feb 2, 1752, East Plymouth, CT, d. Jun 6, 1828 Harwinton CT; m. Dec 8 1778 in Harwinton CT to Ruth JEROME; 7 children.

   2.  Benjamin, b. Mar 12, 1754 New Hartford CT d. Nov 29 1836 Perrysville NY; m. Aug 15, 1776 in Durham CT to Eunice [Jerusha] Hale; 3 children known.

   3.  Cornelius jr, b. Mar 1756 in New Hartford CT, d. Oct 7 1781 in the Revolutionary War. 

   4.  Jacob, b. Sep 1, 1758, New Hartford CT, d. 26 Nov 1758. 

I'm uncertain why their eldest child was the only one to be given a second name, Wells. It keeps niggling at me to do more research on this issue. 

As you can see, Hannah's 4th son died Nov 26, 1758, scarcely 3 months old.  At aged 33 years, Hannah died the week before Jacob, on Nov 14, 1759, in Waterbury CT.  She is apparently buried in Green Hill Cemetery, in Bristol, Hartford, CT.

Cornelius married for a second time on Aug 13, 1761, to Phebe Prindle (1733-1821), and had one more son, also named Jacob, b. Jul 12, 1762, likely born in New Cambridge CT. 

As is sometimes the case, there is little information on the women in this time period.  Their birth, their parents, marriage, and death: with possible dates/places. I found a few more details this time through several websites [including Amazon, AmericanAncestors, FindMyPast, FamilySearch], but of course there are other sources I also need to dig deeper in - archives, town clerks, and more. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: Thomas PICKTON, 1791-1853, Cheshire England

Continuing the #52Ancestors year-long challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is Thomas PICKTON in the PERRY line, a 4th great-grandfather to my son-in-law, 5th to his children. 

It is rather challenging finding details of Thomas' life in and around Weaverham Parish in Cheshire in the west of England. I have a possible christening, a marriage, a death. I'm comfortably sure of his spouse, and their names on the 6 children's christenings.  But there are very sparse details of his and his family's daily lives, interests, social network, and so on. 

Thomas was born about 1791 in Cuddington, a hamlet which had about 200 inhabitants in 1800. In searching the Parish Register for the region, I have only found his children's baptisms, and his marriage. No Picktons before that time - although I did find one William Pickton in early-mid 1600s in Whitegate a few miles away with a small family. For Thomas and his family, census records of 1841 and 1851 provided additional information of birth county, estimated age.

Thomas, a farmer, married Mary SAVAGE, daughter of George SAVAGE & Hannah LEE [not yet verified], on August 6th, 1811, in the village of Frodsham, in her parish church, St Laurence Church.   

They had 7 children that I have been able to find in the Parish Registers for Weaverham, which covers Cuddington. Not all life details have been found as yet for each child. 

All were born in Cuddington:

    1.  Mary, bap 30 May 1813; m. abt 1839 to William Podmore, 1 dau known

    2.  John, est 1816

    3.  Elizabeth, bap 12 Jul 1818; m. Jun 15, 1854 to James Gaskins [widower]

    4.  Hannah/Ann [ancestor], bap Feb 11, 1821, d. Nov 27, 1889,;
              m. Dec 239 Dec 1841 to George BOSTOCK sr.; 8 children

    5.  Thomas [jr], bap Jun 8, 1823

    6.  Sarah, bap Feb 12, 1826

    7.  Ellen, bap Feb 14, 1830; m. Mar 6, 1855 to Jesse Moss; 3 daughters

I managed to find a note that there was a two-storey grammar schoolhouse* in Weaverham, which may mean their children attended. Perhaps they all were able to do basic reading, writing, and arithmetic perhaps along with a few other topics such as history. I noticed that the 7th child, Ellen, signed her name at her marriage in 1855, while her mother had only made her mark at her marriage in 1811. (*Some Aspects of Education in Cheshire in the Eighteenth Century, by Derek Robson, pp134-135.) 

 Thomas died Aug 12, 1853 and his death was registered in Northwich, Cheshire.  His wife Mary, died a few years later, in 1859, registered in Northwich. It is possible that they were living with one of their children in Northwich, with either/both of their sons taking over the farm at this time. More research to do.  

PICKTON is not a common name at all in this parish in the 1700s and early 1800s, and rare or absent in nearby parishes. It is possible that Thomas moved to this parish as a young man, perhaps for work on a farm, and stayed. So many possibilities. So little actually known.

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: James BEEBE ~1641-1728

Continuing the #52Ancestors year-long challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is another very early immigrant to Connecticut, James BEEBE. James and his wife, Mary BOLTWOOD, are my 8th great-grandparents on my mother's line, 9th to my children, and 10th to my grandchildren. 

James was apparently born in Broughton, Northampton, in about 1641. Although I have been able to find the baptisms of all his siblings, I have not found James' baptism. 

His parents were John BEEBE & Rebecca LADD, and James was the youngest of the 8 children.  In May of 1650, on the voyage from England to Connecticut, both his father and mother died. Two of his siblings were aged 20 and 22, and apparently took on the responsibility of raising their siblings. By March of 1651, the Beebe family appear to have joined with the Rev. Blinman, and settled in New London, CT. Several appear to have moved to Hadley, MA. after a time.

 "A Monograph of the Descent of the Family of BEEBE, from the earliest known immigrant -- John, of Broughton, England, 1650" compiled by Clarence Beebe, of New York., John BEEBE's will, and other histories and registers, provided most of the information I have on James BEEBE.  On page 15 of the Monograph mentioned, it is stated that he was apprenticed to Thomas Stanley until he was 25 years old, i.e., in 1666. I was unable to find documents detailing the skills he was to be learning during that apprenticeship.

A year after his apprenticeship ended, on 24 Oct 1667, James married Mary BOLTWOOD, daughter of Robert BOLTWOOD and Mary GERNOR, in Hadley, Hampshire, MA.  Mary had been born in Massachusetts in 1646; she was the eldest of the five known Boltwood children. 

James and Mary had the following children, all born in Hadley MA:

   1.  Mary, b. 1668, .

   2.  James jr., b. 1669, d. 1670, Hadley

   3.  Rebecca, bap. 9 Dec 1670

   4.  Samuel [ancestor], bap 26 Jun 1672, d. 1731 Litchfield CT; m. 1698 in Wethersfield CT to Hannah ORCUTT; 8 children 

His wife, Mary, died on 19 Aug 1676 in Hadley, Hampshire, MA, leaving James with 4 children under 8 years old.  On 19 Dec 1679, James married for a second time, to Sarah Benydicke [Benedict] in Norwalk, Connecticut; no further children from this marriage.  I have no information on Sarah and her parents, whether she was a widow at the time, nor when she died. However two Benedict men were 2 of the earliest settlers of Danbury, and she is likely related to them.

I have just found a bit of history of the first settlers in Danbury, 8 men and their families, including James BEEBE. Click on this LINK to read more about this early history.  

In Danbury, James held a number of positions: "Commissioner in 1691, a Lieutenant in 1696, a Justice of the Peace for many years from 1698, a Deputy to the General Assembly in 1710, and Captain of the Train Band, from 1716." [from the Monograph mentioned above]  All those details seem to indicate he was well thought of, and respected in the community.

James died 22 Apr 1728, 87 years of age, in Danbury, Fairfield county, CT, and is buried in Danbury, but the cemetery is not known. A gravestone was mentioned in a centennial sermon in Danbury, but it is not visible. 

I am still researching this BEEBE immigrant from England, and hopefully I will find more information about his occupation and other social-political events that may have influenced the family.  

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: Edward AIKEN, Sr., 1661-1747, New Hampshire

Continuing the #52Ancestors year-long challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is my ex-husband's 5th great-grandfather, Edward AIKEN, Sr., 6th great-grandfather to our children, 7th to the grandchildren. Note that Edward's great-grandson Robert AIKEN married Martha PURDY, the granddaughter of the original United Empire Loyalist, Gilbert PURDY. Hopefully, you're drawing out a family tree with all this information-!  This is the coat of arms of the Londonderry County council, from Wikipedia, above.

Edward AIKEN, Sr., born approximately 1661 in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, was the original immigrant to New Hampshire, before 1723. He married Barbara EDWARDS, in estimated 1689/90. I have not found records of their marriage, nor any information of their parents as yet. 

He brought his wife and 4 sons over, and was one of the original proprietors listed in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Much of the information of this family was gathered from Probate records as well as a book, The History of Londonderry, by Rev. Edward L. Palmer, published in 1851, a book written primarily by his father. There are some errors, and as the Aiken sons kept using the very same names over and over again in each generation, the errors are not surprising. 

The following children of Edward and Barbara are listed in several compilations; note their birth dates are estimates, as is their birth order; all born in N.Ireland:
    1.  William, b. 1691, d. 16 Oct 1745 Londonderry NH;  m. 23 Dec 1725 to
              Janet Wilson, 6 children
    2.  James, b. 1693, d. 1 May 1753 Londonderry NH; m. 26 Oct 1725 to
             Jean Cochrane
    3.  Nathaniel, [ancestor], b. 14 May 1696, d. 17 Jul 1782 Londonderry NH;
              m. 1 Dec 1725 to Margaret COCHRANE; 8 known children
    4.  Edward Jr., b. 1698; more research needed. he is often conflated with
              his father.
    5.  Eleanor [possible], b. est 1700; not researched.

Did you notice the spate of marriages in Oct-Dec 1725?  And the two Cochrane sisters marrying two Aiken brothers? 

The family remained in Londonderry New Hampshire, marrying with many descendants.  Edward's wife Barbara died 3 Aug 1744 in Londonderry NH, aged 79, and is buried next to her husband.

Edward died 3 years later 15 Nov 1747, aged 86 years, in Londonderry NH. He is buried next to his wife Barbara, in Forest Hill Cemetery, East Londonderry [FindAGrave, Memorial ID #18085552]:
Inscription,

  HERE  LIES  BURIED /  THE  BODY  OF  MR  /  EDWARD AIKEN /  

  WHO  DEPARTED   /  THIS  LIFE  NOVR  / 15  1747  IN  THE  / 

   86th  YEAR  OF  /  HIS  AGE

The term "Mr." is a notation of a 'gentleman'.  I have not found a will for Edward AIKEN, Sr., and I would be thrilled to find more information about his life in Londonderry, Northern Ireland.  The Presbyterian Scots in Northern Ireland were very challenged by having to abide to the "official church" - the Church of Ireland [Anglican].  The original group of settlers in this area came with their pastor, Rev. James MacGregor, around 1717. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: William JEFFS (est.1675-1732/33), Warwick, England

Continuing the #52Ancestors year-long challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is my son-in-law's 8th great-grandfather, 9th for his and my daughter's children, William JEFFS (birth est 1675-?) from Warwick, Warwickshire, England. I'm referring to him as William-2, as there are several Williams in this family.  

Apparently the surname JEFFS comes from the time of the [1066] Norman-French, Geoffroi, later spelled Jeff. The final 's' is shortened from the old patronymic 'son', i.e., Jeffson became Jeffs.  

Warwick is a medieval town, on the River Avon, and the St Mary's Church the JEFFS family attended has a 174ft high tower, seen in the photo here. Information can be found on several sites by googling the church. The image here was uploaded to Wikipedia by the photographer, Matthew Field [matthewfield.com].

From digging through page after page of several different versions of early Parish Registers in Warwick [St Mary's Church], I've managed to find a few details. The first item is that I can only find one family named JEFFS [or variant] in the Parish. That's good news for research, in that Jeffs individuals found are likely to be William's family - children or parents, possibly siblings. No siblings of William-2 found after an exhaustive review of several hundred pages and two different registers!  

I believe I've found William-2's father, also named William-1 [of course!], who was buried 14 Feb 1728/29. I never found a "Widow Jeffs" buried, however. Still, it shows he was living near or with his son William. As mentioned before, I've estimated William-2's birth year to be approximately 1675.  And I'm assuming he was born in Warwick region. 

William-2 married Mary [unknown surname] in approximately 1700 in St Mary's Church, Warwick, although I have yet to find the marriage in the register. I'll keep on looking in the other nearby churches in case they married in Mary's original church. 

William-2 and Mary had the following nine children, all christened at St Mary's Church:
    1.  Sarah [ancestor], bap 21 Jun 1702, d. 23 Nov 1755; m. 13 May 1727 to
            Richard PARSONS; 3 known children
    2.  William-3, bap 26 Mar 1704; m. est 1725 to Mary ___; 1 known child
    3.  Thomas, bap 20 Oct 1706; m. unknown; 1 known child 
    4.  Mary, bap 20 Mar 1707/08; m. unknown; 1 known child
    5.  Elisabeth, bap 6 Jan 1710/11
    6.  Anne, bap 2 Apr 1714
    7.  Alice [Alce], bap 2 Sep 1716
    8.  John, bap 20 Nov 1718; m. est 1745 to Elizabeth who was buried
             26 Jul 1750; their son Samuel also died in same month.
    9.  Richard, bap 24 Nov 1721

It is clear I need to continue searching for more details of the JEFFS children, and also for additional historical information of the region. For example, in the Burial section, one month I saw there were 23 burials, where normally there are 2-8 burials per month. Epidemics? Harsh winters? Inadequate resources in the family for food and heat? 

Four years after his father died, William-2 was buried, 16 Feb 1732/33., aged approximately 58 or thereabouts. I have no idea of the cause of his death, nor if his wife were still living. So far, I have not found a will, but that is not unusual for this time period. 

As usual when researching 'ordinary folk' in the early 1700s there are limited resources to check. To date I've found no court cases, no wills,  nor any additional church records. I can check the Hearth Tax rolls from 1662-1672 to see if there are any JEFFS men in Warwick or very close by. And also check the Victoria County books for Warwickshire to see if any JEFFS men are mentioned at all, as well as to check the region for trades, challenges, and more.  

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!! 

#52Ancestors: Anna Barbara ADAMS 1698-1753

Continuing the #52Ancestors  challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 5th great-grandmother on my maternal KUHN line, Anna Barbara ADAMS, abt 1698-1753.  The photo here is of the village of Neckartailfingen, a drawing done in 1683, from the forest log of Andreas Kieser. It is believed the ADAMS and KUHN families may have lived here. 

Anna Barbara ADAMS and her husband, John KUHN, plus their 4 living adult children, emigrated to Pennsylvania between 1730-1742. They had been said to be living in the Wuerttemberg region - now the southwest portion of Germany. I haven't been able to definitively pinpoint where she was born, nor her husband's birthplace. The Kuhns have "always" been of the Catholic faith, so I still have a few more options for research.  

John KUHN was a carpenter, and was responsible for the erection of the first Catholic church in Goshenhoppen in the early 1740s for the region's first Catholic priest: Father Theodore Schneider, signature on the right [1741].  

In several different KUHN trees, and also on one questionable document, it appears that she may have been born in Schlaitdorf, close to the Neckar River. As the Kuhn family likely came with others from the same region, I have been researching as many of the early immigrant in-laws and neighbours as possible, in their region of Pennsylvania. Challenging. So far, nothing definite has been found, but several crumbs, perhaps! 

Anna Barbara's parents were apparently Hans Jacob ADAMS and Margareta SCHAFER. As it is said her daughter was born in/near Schlaitdorf, it is likely her parents lived here and may have been born here as well. Another in-law states the family lived in Neckartailfingen, a smaller village within a kilometer from Schlaitdorf, on the Neckar River.  

Her mother Margareta died on 26 Jan 1753, on apparently the same day/year as Anna Barbara's death, in Berks county, Pennsylvania. This may indicate a serious illness going through the community, or, may be an error in transcription. I have not found the church register information for this time period.  

Children of Anna Barbara ADAMS and John KUHN, all born in Wuerttemberg region: 

    1.  Henry, b. abt 1718, d. 22 Aug 1765 Salisbury, Northampton, PA; m.
         bef 1741 to Anna Margaret Schmidt [1720-1773]; 10 known children.

    2.  John George, [ancestor],  b. abt 1720, d. 1762 in PA, aged only 42;
          m. 27 Nov 1744 in father's home, Macungie PA, to Catherine RIFFEL
          [1725-1799]; 5 known children

    3.  Eva Mary, b. abt 1722, d. abt 1756 aged 34, after 6th child, Macungie PA;
         m. 24 Apr 1743 in father's home, Macungie PA to Philip Schmidt;
         6 known children

    4.  Joseph, abt 1724, d. 1782, aged 58 Macungie PA; m. to unknown person;
         1 son

Re other ADAMS or SCHAFER/SHAEFER individuals or families in the region:
There is one other Adams at the same time in the community: a Simon Adams marrying Catharine Eck/Egg on 13 Feb 1776, but I would have expected an Adams or Schafer individual to be witnesses.  One Catharine Schafer [dau of Henry Shaefer] married Solomon Grett 10 Nov 1816; no witnesses listed. No other Schafer individuals show up in church records of this time and place.

Note that Burials for the old Goshenhoppen Church [Bally, Berks, PA] begin in 1765, marriages from 1741, baptisms. also from 1741.  These details are from compilations produced and published by Barbara Brady O'Keefe, Miami FL, in 1982 [copyrighted]. Not all baptisms would be of babies, it must be noted, so I cannot make assumptions about a baptism following shortly after a birth.

I need to keep digging into the compilations of the Goshenhoppen church to see if I can find more clues to follow. Plus search for the Catholic church records on FamilySearch and online. And wouldn't it be lovely to find a family Bible-? of any of the Kuhn, Adams, or Schafer families.

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

#52Ancestors: Joseph PURDY, 1653-1709, Grandfather of UEL

Continuing the #52Ancestors  challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is Joseph PURDY, who is the grandfather of my children's United Empire Loyalist [UEL], Gilbert PURDY [1721-1778]. 

I know very little about Joseph, having only recently begun to attempt to take the PURDY line back a little further in time.  

From what I have found to date, Joseph born 1653, was the third son of Francis PURDY and Mary BRUNDAGE, settlers from England, possibly from Suffolk England, arriving before 1644.  All of the  five known children were born in Fairfield county, Connecticut. Francis died unexpectedly 4 Oct 1658 when Joseph was only 5 years old. His widow, Mary, married very shortly thereafter to John Hoyt; no further children known. 
Joseph apparently moved to the region of Rye New York in 1677, selling several pieces of his Fairfield Connecticut property in 1678. Rye was a patented township in about 1686. The map shows Rye abuts the Connecticut border with New York. 

Joseph PURDY married in 1680 to Elizabeth OGDEN, in Rye New York. Elizabeth's parents may be John OGDEN & Judith BUDD, but this has yet to be confirmed. Note there are conflicting lists of children for Joseph and Elizabeth with no agreed-on order of birth. 

The following group of 11 children, not all with birth dates, nor listed in valid birth order [most birthdates are estimates only], were apparently all born in Rye, Westchester, NY:

• Elizabeth, b. est 1681
• Samuel, b. est 1682
• Joseph jr, b. 1683, d. 15 Jun 1777 White Plains, Westchester NY
• John, b. est 1685
• David, ancestor, b. 1687, d. Oct 1766, Ulster Co., NY; m. est 1719 to _____ RUTTENBERG in Newburgh NY; only one son known [ancestor, Gilbert PURDY, sr.] 
• Jude [girl], b. est 1689
• Jonathan, b. 1693, d. 1772
• Mary, est 1695
• Francis, b. 1697, d. 1760
• Daniel, b. est 1699
• Phebe, b. est 1701, d. 1761

The names of all his sons and his four daughters are mentioned in his will, which was very helpful, confirming they are all his children. Likely they are all Elizabeth's as well. Joseph's will is dated 15 Oct 1703 in Rye; he died approximately 20 Oct 1709, and the Probate was proved in 26 Oct 1710.  I have just noticed there are no witnesses listed at the end of the abstracted will. Unusual. The Will abstract may be found on either sites: Ancestry or AmericanAncestors,  part of "Early Wills of Westchester."

Joseph died in 1709 in Rye, Westchester, New York, aged about 56 years old. It is believed he is buried in the small PURDY BURYING GROUND in Rye, along with his wife and several children. His wife, Elizabeth, died in 1742; she does not seem to have remarried, which is surprising as many of their children were under age and would have needed guardians. Clearly more digging is required to see if there are court records re guardianship.

As is usual with researching early ancestors, I am left with a number of confusing or conflicting information to be researched. Those children - I would like to find confirmed spouses and residences for them. Also, I need to find Elizabeth's will. Guardianship records [court records] need to be searched for. And I need to search more documents clarifying whether Elizabeth married for a second time. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!

52Ancestors: Joshua HORTON [sr] 1643-1729, 2nd generation

Continuing the   #52Ancestors  challenge by genealogist Amy Johnson Crow, here is the senior Joshua HORTON, born 1643 in Southold, Suffolk, [Long Island], New York.  Southold was founded in 1640 by Puritans from New Haven Connecticut colony, directly across the Long Island Sound. 

Joshua is my 8th great-grandfather, 9th to my children, 10th to grandchildren. 

Joshua is the 3rd of 7 children of Barnabas HORTON and his second wife, Mary LANGTON. Barnabas married first to Anne Smith in Leicestershire, England, about 1623, and they had 3 children; she died shortly after their 3rd child in 1628. 

Joshua HORTON was born in 1643 in Southold, on Long Island, New York.  Approximately 1665, he married Mary Tuttle/TUTHILL who had been born approximately 1647.  Her parents are suggested to have been John & Joan Tuttle, but this has not yet been proven.  Several online trees suggest they were Henry and Bridget Tuttle, but there are significant differences in children's names making this couple not proven. 

Children of Joshua and Mary, all born in the town of Southold, all birthdates are only approximate: 
    1.  Elizabeth, b. 1665
    2.  Joshua [jr] [ancestor],  b. 1669, d. 1744 Elizabethtown NJ; m.
            Elizabeth GROVER, about 1690; 8 known children  
    3.  Joseph, b. 1671  
    4.  Sarah, b. 1673
    5.  Bethia, b. 1679
    6.  Ephraim, b. 1686
    7.  Mary, b. 1687
    8.  Zerviah  [or Zeruiah], [female] b. 1689

Note the approximate 6 year gap between the 5th and 6th children, perhaps due to one [or more] unknown child's death.  

I have a long list of further suggested research, mainly at the NEHGS site, American Ancestors, for wills, probates, land records, taxes, and additional church records. I have no marriages nor death records for the children other than my direct ancestor. Hopefully by next year I may have found more and relevant records!  

This family descends by marriage through my BUELL line, and then to the TERWILLIGER LINE. 

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If these are your ancestors, I am happy to share what little I have on these ancestors. And if there are errors, please do let me know, via calewis at telus dot net, or in the Comments below and I will get back to you either by email or in the Comments. I appreciate the opportunity to correct any issues in these family trees.

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!!