Father and Sons in the Revolution – Hendrick Van Arsdalen

B. 25 Jul 1731 in Hillsborough, New Jersey
M. about 1755 in (probably) New Jersey
Wife: Catherine Brokaw
D. 24 Mar 1820 in Somerset County, New Jersey

There was a generation of men in colonial America who came along at the right time to have been a soldier in the American Revolution. Most were born during the 1740s and 1750s, but some were before and and after that period, and this was the case of Hendrick Van Arsdalen and his sons.

Hendrick was born in Hillsborough, New Jersey on July 25, 1731 to Christoffel Van Arsdalen and Magdalena Van Henglen, one of 9 children. In about 1755, Hendrick married Catherine Brokaw. Between about 1756 and 1771, they had seven children; at least two of them died as infants. During those years, Hendrick made his home in Somerville, but for about 4 or 5 years he moved with his family to Hunterdon County.

When the American Revolution began in 1775, many men in Somerset County took up arms for the cause. Records show that Hendrick enlisted as a private in Jacob Ten Eyck’s company, and he was part of a march to Bergen County beginning on July 8, 1776. His 16-year-old son Christopher joined the army with him, and the two fought in the same regiment.

New Jersey was central to the American Revolution, especially after Washington crossed the Delaware in his famous surprise attack on Christmas of 1776. During much of 1777, the main body of the Continental Army was camped within 50 miles of where Hendrick lived. Around the first of the year, he was paid £1.5.3 for helping to capture a “Tory wagon” in Bound Brook. There was a military effort to block such wagons from delivering supplies to British troops. 

1777 muster roll showing Hendrick and Christopher, halfway down second column.

It’s not known for how long Hendrick continued to serve. He was on the muster rolls throughout 1776 and 1777, appearing for a final time on January 1, 1778. By that date, he had two sons who had enlisted; besides Christopher, 15-year-old Jan had joined up. It’s likely that Hendrick didn’t serve beyond that time and Christopher substituted for his father. There was also a family story that Hendrick became impoverished because he was paid for his service in worthless Continental script, forcing him to sell some or all of his property.

After the war, when the U.S. government was formed, Hendrick was a member of the Federalist party. He lived out his life in Somerset County with his wife, Catherine. She died on December 10, 1819 and he passed away just a few months later on March 24, 1820.

Children:
1. Hendrick Van Arsdalen – B. about 1756, Somerset County, New Jersey; D. young, (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey

2. Hendrick Van Arsdalen – B. about 1758, Somerset County, New Jersey; D. young, (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey

3. Christopher B. Van Arsdalen — B. 20 Apr 1760, Somerset County, New Jersey; D. 1 Jun 1840, Somerset County, New Jersey; M. Sarah Dumont (1764-1846), 30 Apr 1789, Somerset County, New Jersey

4. Jan Van Arsdalen — B. about Sep 1763, Somerset County, New Jersey

5. Mariya Van Arsdalen — B. about Apr 1766, Hunterdon County, New Jersey

6. Hendrick Van Arsdalen — B. about 1768, New Jersey

7. Isaac Van Arsdalen — B. about Jul 1771, Somerset County, New Jersey

Sources:
Our Brokaw-Brogaw heritage, Elsie E. Foster, 1967
History of Hunterdon and Somerset Counties, New Jersey, Everts & Peck, 1881
Revolutionary War pension application of Christopher Van Arsdalen
Sons of the American Revolution application of John Edward Van Arsdale, 1963
New Jersey Probate Records, 1678-1980, FamilySearch.org

A Historic Set of Petitions in Her Defense — Alice Frost

B. about Nov 1594 in Stanstead, England
M. (1) 19 Nov 1612 in Stanstead, England
Husband: Thomas Blower
M. (2) about July 1640 in (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts
Husband: William Tilley
D. after 1668

During the mid-17th century, a Puritan wife and mother became the unlikely catalyst in an unusual political action — women organizing petitions without the involvement of any men. But Alice (Frost) Tilley was a well-regarded midwife who was sitting in jail, and women who knew her believed she was innocent.

Alice was baptized on December 1, 1594 in Stanstead, England, a village in Suffolk. Her parents were Edward Frost and Thomasine Belgrave, and she was one of about 8 children. Her father worked as a clothier, which was someone who had a business making cloth. On November 12, 1612, Alice married Thomas Blower in Stanstead. They settled in nearby Sudbury, where Alice gave birth to about 8 or 9 children between about 1613 and 1630. At least three of her children died as infants.

St. James Church in Stanstead, where Alice was baptized. (Source: Find-a-Grave)

Sudbury was a “hotbed of Puritan sentiment” and Alice seems to have taken up those beliefs, despite the risk of punishment involved. Citizens could be fined for not attending the Anglican church, and in January 1633, Alice was ordered by the court to pay £100 for “her notorious contempt of ecclesiastical laws & jurisdiction.” The following year in June, the fine was cancelled because she had “removed herself long since from Sudbury where the offense was given.” Alice and her family may have moved to London, where her daughter was married in January 1634. Not long after that, they left England for the colony in Massachusetts.

Alice settled in Boston, but by September 9, 1639, her husband Thomas had died. The following year, she married a wine merchant named William Tilley; it’s believed that he lived in Barnstable, but that their wedding was in Dorchester. He may have been 10 to 15 years younger than Alice. It was during the early years of her marriage to William that she was known to have been an active midwife in the Boston and Dorchester area.

In about 1649, Alice was accused of malpractice. The details of the charges against her haven’t survived, but it's known that she was found guilty and locked up in the Boston jail. The job of a midwife was challenging; a woman who took on that role could be called upon at any hour of the day or night to help deliver another woman’s baby. Often there were complications, and sometimes midwives needed to make medical decisions in order to save the mother and child. It’s hard to say if Alice did anything wrong, but what is known is that when she was put into prison, many women came to her defense.

In a society where men made all of the decisions, the women of Boston and Dorchester organized petitions asking for Alice to be released. It’s considered to be the first case in America where women acted in a collective way to do such a political thing. There were a total of six petitions, one of which had almost 300 signatures. One petition was worded to declare that Alice was “the ablest midwife we know in the land.” Another said that she was the only midwife they felt comfortable with to treat them. A petition in Boston pleaded with authorities to “hear the cries of mothers and children yet unborn.” The first action by authorities in response to the petitions was to allow Alice to leave jail only to attend childbirths and return afterwards, but eventually, she was completely freed.

A petition in support of Alice Tilley signed by the women of Boston.

It’s not known when and where Alice died. Her husband seemed to have business dealings in Maine during the early 1650s, and they may have moved there, but both were also tied to Boston in the 1660s. Alice was last known to be living in 1668. Her descendants include George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush, Henry Fonda, Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda and Bridget Fonda.

Children:
1. Hannah Blower — B. about 1613, Sudbury, England; D. May 1630, Sudbury, England

2. Alice Blower — B. 30 Jun 1615, Sudbury, England; D. 3 Nov 1690, Braintree, Massachusetts; M. Richard Brackett (1610-1690), 6 Jan 1634, London, England

3. Sarah Blower — B. about 1619, Sudbury, England; D. 1673, Kittery, Maine; M. (1) Henry Lynn (1611-~1644), 1636; (2) Hugh Gunnison (1610-1658), 15 Mar 1647, Boston, Massachusetts; (3) Francis Morgan (1610-?), 18 Jul 1665, Kittery, Maine

4. Joshua Blower — B. Dec 1621, Sudbury, England; D. Aug 1623, Sudbury, England

5. Thomas Blower — B. Feb 1624, Sudbury, England; D. Apr 1625, Sudbury, England

6. Mary Blower — B. Feb 1625, Sudbury, England; D. Feb 1639, Sudbury, England

7. John Blower — B. Mar 1627, Sudbury, England

8. Thomas Blower — B. May 1630, Sudbury, England

9. (probably) Pyam Blower — B. about 1632, Sudbury, England; D. 1 Jun 1709, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth Belcher (1640-1709), 31 Mar 1668, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Sources:
Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume I, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, Robert Charles Anderson, 2011
Find-A-Grave
Damnable Heresy: William Pynchon, the Indians, and the First Book Banned (and Burned) in Boston, David M. Powers, 2015
Separated by Their Sex: Women in Public and Private in the Colonial Atlantic World, Mary Beth Norton, 2011
Sudbury, Suffolk (Wikipedia article)

His Murderers Were Set Free — Honoré Danis

B. 30 Oct 1669 in Montreal, New France
M. 15 Nov 1694 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Catherine Brunet
D. 16 Aug 1722 in Lachine, New France

When an Indigenous person was guilty of a crime in the colony of New France, the fear of retaliation by the person’s tribe often prevented true justice. Such was the case following the murder of Honoré Danis.

Honoré was born in Montreal on October 30, 1669 to Honoré Danis dit Tourangeau and Perrine LaPierre. His father was an early settler in Montreal and his mother was a Fille du Roi. Honoré had a twin sister named Catherine and nine other siblings. He also had two half-brothers from his father’s earlier marriage. Honoré’s father was 45-years-old when he was born, and he died in 1690.

On November 15, 1694, Honoré married Catherine Brunet, the 13-year-old daughter of a man involved in the fur trade. Brides of that age were fairly common in Montreal, but often a young girl stayed in her parents’ household for a year or two before sharing a bed with their husband. Honoré and Catherine’s first child was born in 1698, and by 1711, they had six more. The family moved to Lachine in around 1700 where Honoré made a living as a carpenter.

There are records of three court cases involving Honoré during this time. The first was dated December 24, 1694 when he sued a man named Claude Robillard for “damage cause by a defective wheat thrasher.” The second trial happened in early 1712 with another man, Pierre Raimbault, charging Honoré with being delinquent on a payment for some land. The third court record was from June 30, 1720; he was one of three men who were each ordered to build 24 feet of a rough fence on the property of a woman referred to as “widow Danis.” 

The events that took Honoré’s life began on the evening of August 14, 1722 when five Mohawks living at Sault-Saint-Louis bought some brandy from Lachine settlers. Sault-Saint-Louis was a Jesuit mission on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River populated by Mohawks who had converted to Christianity. It was said that after the five men became intoxicated on the brandy, they got into a fight with some French residents of Lachine, and among them was Honoré, who ended up dead as a result.

Mission Sault-Saint-Louis.

The five Mohawks were arrested, but a group of tribal leaders came to the place where they were being held and demanded their release. The situation was tense, because punishing the men who killed Honoré could lead to a violent reaction from their tribe. The governor in charge agreed to let them go as long as they would “stay in their village” from then on. The governor then decided to prosecute the French settlers who had sold liquor to the Mohawks, which was against the law. Two men, three women and a 14-year-old boy were tried in court, and two of them, Charles and Angeliqué LeDuc, were found guilty and fined 500 livres.

Many years later, Honoré’s widow Catherine remarried to a man at Fort Frontenac. It isn’t known when she died.

Children:
1. Marguerite Danis — B. 23 Jan 1698, Montreal, New France; D. 10 Aug 1784, Laval, Quebec; M. Charles-François Raymond (1697-1746), 24 Nov 1721

2. Jean-Baptiste Danis — B. 7 Feb 1701, Lachine, New France; D. 14 Mar 1701, Lachine, New France

3. Marie-Catherine Danis — B. 19 May 1702, Lachine, New France; D. 21 Aug 1739, Montreal, New France; M. Jean Custeau (1699-1769), 11 Sep 1724, Montreal, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Danis — B. 21 Apr 1704, Lachine, New France

5. Marie-Anne Danis — B. 4 Sep 1706, Lachine, New France

6. Jean-François — B. 8 Jul 1709, Lachine, New France; D. 14 Jan 1731, Montreal, New France

7. Marie-Josephe Danis — B. 1711, Lachine, New France; D. 1732, Montreal, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Chabot (1701-1771), 23 Jan 1732, Montreal, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
L'autre Marie Morin: une femme abandonnée en Nouvelle-France 1667-1748, Marcel Myre, 2004

Likely Death at the Hands of the Iroquois — Louis Gasnier

B. Sep 1612 in Igé, Perche, France
M. 11 Jun 1638 in Igé, Perche, France
Wife: Marie-Madeleine Michel
D. (probably) June 1661 in Iroquois country south of Quebec

During the early years of the New France colony, settlers were often victims of Iroquois raids resulting in their deaths. This is almost certainly what happened to farmer Louis Gasnier.

Louis was born in Igé, France, a village in Perche, on or about September 13, 1612. His parents were Louis Gasnier and Marie-Marguerite Launay, and he had at least three brothers. We know that Louis was literate because he signed many documents as an adult, and he did so with a flourish in his signature. 

Louis' signature from various documents.  

When Louis was in his 20s, he worked at a mill with his father. On June 11, 1638, he married Marie-Madeleine Michel at St-Martin-du-vieux-Belleme in Igé. They had a son born the following year, who died young, and a daughter born in 1642. Around this time, families were being actively recruited to help populate France’s colony in Canada, and one man leading the effort, Robert Giffard, was from the Perche region. Because of this people like Louis were persuaded to pick up and move probably motivated by the promise of a better life.

The first place where Louis settled in New France was Cap-Tourmente, located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River near the eastern end of Île-d’Orleans. Cap-Tourmente was originally set up as a farm by Samuel de Champlain in 1626 to use as a source of food for the fledgling Quebec colony. The farm was attacked and destroyed by the English in 1628; after France regained control of their colonies, the farm was rebuilt, and in 1646, Louis signed a lease to live there for six years. 

Before that time was up, on October 6, 1650, he was also granted land of his own in the settlement of Beaupré. His property included 5 arpents of river frontage (about 367 feet) and had a length of four and a half miles. In about 1653, Louis built a house and moved in. His family now included five more children and two more were added by 1659. 

Just two years later, Louis’s life seems to have come to an abrupt end. It’s believed he was among of a group of 8 people who were captured in a raid by a band of Iroquois on the morning of June 18, 1661. During the 17th century, the Iroquois were a constant threat to French settlers up and down the St. Lawrence River. The people captured that day were forcibly taken to the tribe’s village near Lake Champlain in what is now New York. There the victims were tortured, then killed; one of them was known to have been beaten with “clubs and iron rods” before being scalped by the Iroquois. 

On July 14th, Louis’ estate was inventoried, and because an inventory for a known victim of the Iroquois massacre was done the same day, it’s a clue that Louis suffered the same fate. Louis’ possessions at the time of his death included livestock, farm equipment and a small boat. His wife Marie-Madeleine remarried in 1666. She passed away in 1687.

Louis’ children spelled the family name as Gagné. Other variations were Gagnier and Gagner. Louis was the 9G grandfather of Celine Dion. The house Louis built in 1653 still stands today in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, although it's been quite modernized.



Children:
1. Louis Gasnier — B. Sep 1639, Saint-Côsme-de-Vair, Perche, France; D. young

2. Louise Gagne — B. Jan 1642, Igé, Perche, France; D. Apr 1721, Saint-François-Xavier-de-la-Petite-Riviére, New France; M. Claude Bouchard (~1626-1699), 25 May 1654, Quebec City, New France

3. Marie Gasnier — B. 5 Sep 1644, Quebec City, New France; D. 18 Nov 1717, Beaupré, New France  M. (1) Andre Berthelot (1640-1687), 26 Jan 1659, Quebec City, New France; (2) Jacques Abelin (~1644-1704), 30 Jul 1690, Beaupré, New France

4. Pierre Gagné — B. 27 Mar 1647, New France; D. 25 May 1714, Cap-Saint-Ignace, New France;  M. Louise Faure (~1636-1714), 28 Oct 1668, New France

5. Olivier Gagné — B. 7 May 1649, Cap-Tourmente, New France; D. before Jul 1738, (probably) Île-d’Orleans, New France; M. Elizabeth Pépin (1662-1738), 8 Nov 1679, Île-d’Orleans, New France

6. Louis Gagné — B. 7 Jul 1651, New France; M. Marie Gagnon (1659-1722), 9 Feb 1678, Château-Richer, New France

7. Anne Gagné — B. 27 Oct 1653, New France; M. François Normand Lacroix (1641-1710), 11 Sep 1670, Beaupré, New France

8. Ignace Gagné — B. 12 Mar 1656, New France; D. 20 Jul 1702, Quebec City, New France; M. Louise Tremblay, 6 Nov 1689, LAnge-Gardien, New France

9. Joachim Gagné — B. 1659; D. 7 Feb 1688, New France; M. Therese-Louise Marcoux (1667-1735), 12 Jan 1682, Beauport, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
Gagnier (Gagne) History Web Site, by Rev. John F. Gagnier 
FamousKin.com

Flemish Carpenter in New France — Joseph Vandendaigue

B. about 1653 in Brussels, Spanish Netherlands
M. 18 Apr 1678 in Quebec City, New France
Wife: Marie-Louise Chalifour
D. 10 Jan 1725 in Charlesbourg, New France

Many American colonies included many foreigners, but New France settlers rarely came from a country other than France. So when Belgian Joseph Vandendaigue settled along the St. Lawrence, he must have been quite an outsider. Nonetheless, he seemed to adapt well to his new home. 

Joseph was born in Brussels in about 1653, which was then a part of the Spanish Netherlands. Ethnically, it was in the heart of Flanders, and Joseph’s family had the Dutch name of Van Den Dyck. His father’s name was Josse or Joseph and his mother was Madeleine Dubois, but nothing else is known of them.

Brussels in the 17th century.

Joseph had at least a basic education and learned the trade of carpentry. In 1672, war broke out between the Netherlands and several other countries, and by 1675, France had control of Brussels. But a contract signed by Joseph on May 21, 1671 shows that he was gone by that time working as a carpenter for Jesuits in New France. Once in Canada, Joseph changed his name to Vandendaigue, and he settled in Beauport, a district in the Quebec City area. 

Once in New France, Joseph's name was translated into Vandendaigue, and he settled in Beauport, a district in the Quebec City area. On April 18, 1678, he married Marie-Louise Chalifour. She brought a large dowry of £2,500 into the marriage, which included land and a house. Later that year, she gave birth to a baby girl. They had six daughters and one son born between 1678 and 1693; two of the girls died as infants.

The rest of Joseph’s life was spent applying his carpentry skills to the construction of homes; it’s likely that he made interior woodwork and cabinetry rather than framework construction. In July 1715, when he was in his early 60s, he received custody of his oldest daughter’s children after they were orphaned. The five grandchildren ranged in age from 2 to 15.

Jospeh died in Charlesbourg, New France on January 10, 1725. His wife Marie-Louise lived another ten years, passing away in 1735. Both are buried at Saint-Charles Borromée Cemetery in Charlesbourg.

Children:
1. Jaquette Vandendaigue — B. 27 Dec 1678, Quebec City, New France; D. 24 Apr 1714, Quebec City, New France; M. Pierre Boutillet (~1676-1715), 5 Oct 1699, Beauport, New France

2. Marie-Anne Vandendaigue — B. 12 Jan 1680, Quebec City, New France; D. 31 Mar 1752, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Antoine Bourg Lachapelle (~1662-1729), 26 Nov 1696, Beauport, New France; (2) Pierre Thibault Leveilé (1688-1747), 6 Oct 1732, St-Laurent, New France

3. Claude Vandendaigue — B. 2 May 1682, Quebec City, New France; D. 10 Mar 1752, St-François-de-Sale, Ile Jésus, New France; M. Marie Brideault (1691-?), 5 Nov 1708, Beauport, New France

4. Jeanne Vandendaigue — B. Mar 1684, Quebec City, New France; D. 11 Sep 1684, Quebec City, New France

5. Marie-Charlotte Vandendaigue — B. 29 Jun 1685, Beauport, New France; D. 8 Oct 1727, Montreal, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Dugas (~1670-1758), 9 Jan 1708, Beauport, New France

6. Louise Vandendaigue — B. 23 Mar 1687, Beauport, New France; D. Oct 1725, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Jacques Gervais (~1677-1708), 17 Nov 1704, Beauport, New France; (2) Jean Étienne Boutin (1684-?), 14 Nov 1712, Beauport, New France; (3) François Lefebvre (1679-1727), 17 Jan 1718, La Pairie, New France

7. Marguerite Vandendaigue — B. 7 Apr 1693, Beauport, New France; D. 1693, Beauport, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
Find-A-Grave

Main Inhabitant on a Maine Island — John Dollen

B. about 1626 in (probably) England
M. (1) about 1658
Wife: (probably) Sarah Gridley
M. (2) before 1700
Wife: Mary Waters
D. after 1706 in (probably) Boston, Massachusetts

The life of John Dollen is tied to the early history of Pemaquid, Maine, a settlement established in 1631, and of Monhegan Island, 12 miles off the coast. These places were not part of a Puritan colony; they were founded by Englishmen interested in fishing and fur trading. Because they were so remote, neither place had much protection from enemy invasion. In addition, Monhegan Island was exposed to pirates who sometimes attacked and plundered it.

Into this wild place came John Dollen (also spelled Darling), an Englishman born in about 1626. How exactly he migrated to Pemaquid, whether he moved directly from England, or from one of the American colonies, isn’t known. By the 1650s, he was married to a woman who was believed to be Sarah Gridley of Boston. Together, they had several children that included three daughters. In around 1656, John purchased most of Monhegan Island (totaling 400 acres) from Thomas Elbridge, a son of one of the original patent holders. He paid for the land with three gallons of liquor, presumably a valuable thing in 17th century Maine.

The rugged landscape of Monhegan Island.

For the next 20 or so years, John seems to have divided his time between Pemaquid and Monhegan, but became more identified with the island. He was said to be the “principal inhabitant” of Monhegan. His primary occupation was as fisherman, but he also ran a tavern on the island (in the records it was called a "house of public entertainment"). It's likely that the tavern served men passing through on ships.

In 1675, Pemaquid was drawn into King Philip’s War which was playing out to the south in Massachusetts. John served as a sergeant under Thomas Gardiner in a company called the “Devonshire Militia.” Pemaquid was vulnerable because it was so far away from major English settlements, and the Indians could easily raid the town. Tensions rose after one English ship owner tried to enslave some Indians, causing the Indians to attack Pemaquid. It was said that the town was “enveloped in one devouring mass of flame.”

John was among the people who returned to Pemaquid in 1678 to rebuild it. He was made constable of Monehgan and a justice of the sessions court. Ten years later, another war broke out, this time with France. Once again the Maine coast was targeted by enemies, and in August 1689, the French and Indians destroyed Pemaquid, killing and capturing the people who lived there. John’s married daughter Grace was one of the victims who was hauled away by the Indians; her young daughter was probably murdered.

It’s believed that in his old age John moved away from Pemaquid and Monhegan. His first wife had died and at some point he married a woman named Mary Waters. John was listed as living in Boston in 1700 and 1706. His second wife’s death was recorded at Boston on November 4, 1717, and John had died maybe several years before she did.

Children by (probably) Sarah Gridley:
1. Grace Dollen — B. 1659, Pemaquid, Maine; D. 19 Jan 1734, Flatbush, New York; M. Denys Hegeman, about 1680, (probably) Pemaquid, Maine

2. Joanna Dollen — M. (1) Reynald Kelly; (2) James Mander

3. Patience Dollen — M. Walter Mander

Sources:
Letter from Maine Historical Society librarian, Marian B. Rowe, 12 Jul 1949
Soldiers in King Philip’s War, George Madison Bodge, 1906
Genealogy website of John Blythe Dobson

Deaf Man Killed By a Train — Jackson Sutherlin

B. about 1815 in (probably) Putnam County, Indiana
M. 17 Jan 1838 in Parke County, Indiana
Wife: Mary Fleming
D. 1 Apr 1878 in Merriam, Kansas

Jackson Sutherlin spent his adult life with a hearing disability that was likely severe. But in spite of being able to operate a farm, in his old age, he carelessly walked into a dangerous situation that caused his death.

According to census records, Jackson was born in Indiana in about 1815. Given the approximate date, he was probably named for the hero of the Battle of New Orleans, Andrew Jackson. There’s no paper trail connecting Jackson to his parents, but through DNA testing of his descendants, as well as circumstantial evidence, it’s been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that his parents were William Sutherlin and Mary “Polly” Franklin (see below). He seems to have been their youngest child, and he had as many as 8 siblings. The family lived on a farm in Putnam County, and because his father was no longer a young man, Jackson likely shouldered a lot of the work. His mother died by about 1830, and it’s believed that his father died before 1840.

The earliest instance where Jackson was recorded by name was on a marriage record dated January 17, 1838 in neighboring Parke County. His bride was Mary Fleming, who appeared to have come from a family who lived there. Just about everything else we know about Jackson came from census records, and they told a story of a man who faced many challenges in life. He was identified as being illiterate, so he almost certainly received no education as a child. And wherever personal wealth was listed, Jackson usually had less than the others on the same page.

Record of Jackson and Mary's marriage.

It was also noted in more than one census record that Jackson was deaf, and on the 1870 census, he was described as “deaf and dumb,” which literally meant that he couldn't speak. The 1840 census has a mark in a column indicating that someone in his household was blind. Since it's known that neither he nor the people with him were blind, it seems likely that this was a mistake, and that the mark should have gone in the deaf column. If it was true that he was deaf in 1840, he had a hearing problem at a young age, and possibly from birth. 

Jackson and his wife Mary had seven children born between 1840 and 1859. The family moved around a lot, never seeming to own any land. From 1838 to about 1844, they lived in Putnam County, then they moved to Missouri, and were listed on the 1850 census in Holt County. In about 1854, Jackson and his family returned to Indiana for maybe a couple of years, but they were back in Missouri by 1859. The 1860 census had Jackson’s household enumerated twice — once in Anderson County, Kansas, and a few weeks later in Lexington, Missouri. They were in Johnson County, Kansas in 1865, and finally in 1870, in Jackson County, Missouri.

The area of the country where Jackson lived during the 1850s and 1860s was a violent place. Before the Civil War, Northwest Missouri and northeast Kansas were hotbeds of sentiment regarding the issue of slavery. Jackson’s farms were in a region where acts of terror frequently took place between pro- and anti-slavery gangs. This must have been a difficult environment to raise a family. The situation remained dangerous right through the Civil War.

After 1870, Jackson seems to have moved at least one more time to Merriam, Kansas, which was a few miles southwest of Kansas City, and it was here that he met a tragic end just eight years later. On April 1, 1878, Jackson headed on foot into town, and for some unknown reason, chose to walk along the bed of the railroad track. For anyone else, this would have been a good option — it was probably easier to gain a footing — but Jackson was deaf, and couldn’t hear the train that came that day.

From the engineer’s view, he could see the man up ahead and sounded his whistle, but Jackson kept walking. The engineer gave a second whistle, and with no reaction this time, he applied the brakes of the train. It was too late to avoid hitting poor Jackson, who was hurled towards the gutter of the track bed, and got tangled up in the mechanism of the train. After the engine came to a stop, those onboard rushed out to help Jackson, and found he was in very bad shape. They managed to get him home where he died several hours later, never having regaining consciousness. 

1870s train belonging to Fort Scott & Gulf, the railroad company of Jackson's accident.

An inquest was held that ruled the railroad wasn’t guilty of wrongdoing, the argument being that an ordinary person would have easily stepped away from the path of the train, and they had no way of knowing Jackson was deaf. His wife Mary survived him by many years, later moving to Labette County, Kansas, and she passed away in 1907 in Oklahoma.

Proof of Jackson Sutherlin’s Parents
Jackson was my 3G grandfather, and because he’s so far back on my pedigree, I thought that solving the mystery of his parents would be impossible with my DNA. But as I studied my DNA matches, and identified the segments I shared with them, I realized I inherited a large amount of DNA from Jackson.

The matches who clustered with Jackson’s descendants showed that most shared segments with me on chromosomes 5, 6 and 20, each with more than 40 cM. By using DNA Painter to map my chromosomes, I noticed something unusual with the segment on chromosome 5. While some matches on that segment had ancestors named Sutherlin, others did not, and they had a different name in common: Franklin. I began to make a list of them, and I tried to trace as many as I could up their Franklin line. And each one I could trace led to the same couple, John and Phoebe Franklin who lived in Burke County, North Carolina in the late 18th century. I soon found that John and Phoebe Franklin had two daughters who married two brothers named Sutherlin. Further, I found that both Sutherlin brothers, Fendel and William, had moved to Putnam County in Indiana.

I felt that one of these two Sutherlin-Franklin couples had to be Jackson’s parents, so I then looked at the 1820 and 1830 census records for Fendel and William. Did they have any sons born between 1810 and 1820? Both of them did, but Fendel’s children are well-documented, and both sons in that age-range are accounted for. But William Sutherlin had a son born between 1810 and 1820 who has never been identified in genealogical data. I now believe that he must have been Jackson. He was apparently a late-in-life child, perhaps the youngest in the family. This may explain why knowledge of his parents didn’t get passed along; Jackson’s children never had contact with their paternal grandparents.

After I found that William Sutherlin and his wife Mary “Polly” Franklin were the likely parents of Jackson, I wanted to see what would happen with my Ancestry ThruLines™. So I entered them into my Ancestry^® Family Tree, along with their parents, William and Mary (Owen) Sutherlin, and John and Phoebe Franklin. These two couples would now be among my 5G grandparents.

And ThruLines showed I had many DNA matches with the descendants of both couples. William and Mary (Owen) Sutherlin revealed 46 DNA matches through 6 children besides William, and 15 of the matches shared at least 15 cM with me. The results for John and Phoebe Franklin were even stronger. I had 56 DNA matches through 7 children besides Mary, and 15 of the matches shared at least 15 cM with me. I also manage my sister’s DNA test on Ancestry, and I know that she inherited a bit more of the chromosome 5 “Franklin” segment; she showed 83 DNA matches through John and Phoebe Franklin, descendants of 8 children besides Mary, and 25 of the matches shared at least 15 cM with her. (These numbers keep growing as more people are tested.) 

My DNA, along with my sister’s, has revealed a strong suggestion that the parents of Jackson Sutherlin were William Sutherlin and Mary “Polly” Franklin. When this is combined with the circumstantial evidence of the 1820 and 1830 census records, I feel that this is enough to consider it to be true. 

Children:
1. Sarah Ann Sutherlin — B. 16 Feb 1840, (probably) Putnam County, Indiana; D. 26 Jan 1901, Payne County, Oklahoma; M. Thomas Jefferson Nail (1833-1902), 3 Oct 1859, Westport, Missouri

2. Elizabeth C. Sutherlin — B. about 1844, Missouri; D. about 1869, Kansas; M. (1) Simon C. Carey (~1844-1865), 24 Dec 1863, Ray County, Missouri; (2) James Hiram Hampton (~1834-1893), 13 Aug 1868, Allen County, Kansas

3. Susan Sutherlin — B. about 1846, Missouri

4. Catherine Sutherlin — B. about 1848, Missouri; D. before 25 Jul 1860

5. Andrew Jackson Sutherlin — B. about 1852, Missouri; D. after 17 Aug 1870

6. James Madison Sutherlin — B. 22 Apr 1854, Indiana; D. 18 Jan 1948, Grady County, Oklahoma; M. Sarah Margaret Smith (1861-1933), about 1877

7. William M. Sutherlin — B. Sep 1859, Missouri; D. after 17 Aug 1870

Sources:
Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007
1840, 1850, & 1860 U.S. Census records
1865 Kansas Census
“Death on the Rail: A Deaf Man Killed While Walking on a Railroad Track,” The Kansas Star, 11 Apr 1878

Adultery & Divorce in Early New England — Sarah Wilcox

B. 3 Oct 1648 in Hartford, Connecticut
M. (1) before 22 Jan 1668 in (probably) Hartford, Connecticut
Husband: Thomas Long
M: (2) 3 Oct 1684 in (probably) Connecticut
Husband: David Ensign
D. 3 Feb 1718 in (probably) Connecticut

The story of Sarah Wilcox sounds almost contemporary. A married woman has an affair with another man and gets caught, then she divorces her husband and marries her lover. The twist in Sarah’s saga is that she lived in Puritan Connecticut — not today, but in the 17th century.

Sarah was born in Hartford on October 3, 1648 to John Wilcox and Sarah Wadsworth. She was the only child of the couple and her mother died within two weeks of her birth. Sarah’s father remarried three times giving her ten half-siblings. One of Sarah’s step-mothers brought children from a previous husband into the marriage, and when Sarah came of age, she married one of them. His name was Thomas Long and he was technically her step-brother. The wedding took place by about 1668, and on August 31, 1669, Sarah gave birth to a son. By early 1679, she had five more children.

Then Sarah met a married man by the name of David Ensign and began “keeping company” with him. Adultery was a crime in colonial New England and subject to prosecution in court, so they were risking a lot with their actions. In 1679, both were charged with having sexual relations on many occasions, suggesting that they were serious about each other, and likely in love. On September 4, 1679, Sarah and David were each arrested and charged with “accompanying together in a secret manner and in an obscure place.” Two weeks later, Sarah’s husband Thomas put up his property as bond in order to get her released from jail. 

Scandalous behavior in colonial New England.

After getting out of prison, Sarah apparently continued her affair with David. In 1681, Thomas sued for divorce on the grounds that Sarah was guilty of adultery, and the divorce was granted on December 15th. She had to wait for another year and a half for David to be divorced from his wife. Soon after, the two lovers married, and in 1688, she had a baby boy.

Within a couple of years, Thomas and the former wife of David each married new spouses. Everyone continued to live in Hartford; it isn’t known in which household Sarah’s older children were raised. She remained with David for the rest of her life, dying on February 3, 1718. David died in 1727 at the age of 83. Sarah is the ancestor of actress Julie Bowen.

Children by Thomas Long:
1. Joseph Long — B. 28 Jan 1668, Hartford, Connecticut; D. after May 1713, (probably) Coventry, Connecticut; M. Martha Smith (1674-?), before 1694, (probably) Connecticut

2. William Long — B. 4 Feb 1671, Hartford, Connecticut; D. Jul 1740, Coventry, Connecticut; M. Mary Henbury (1672-1759), 1701, Hartford, Connecticut

3. Jerusha Long — B. 1672, Hartford, Connecticut; D. 11 Jan 1723, Hartford, Connecticut

4. Sarah Long — B. 1673, East Greenwich, Rhode Island; D. Mar 1756, Morris County, New Jersey; M. John Colver, 30 Jun 1695, Groton, Connecticut

5. Mary Long — B. 1676, Hartford, Connecticut; M. Ephraim Bushnell, 9 Nov 1697, Old Saybrook, Connecticut

6. Hannah Long — B. 26 Feb 1679, Saybrook Point, Connecticut; M. Simon Large (~1670-~1702), 24 Jun 1700, Saybrook, Connecticut; (2) Jonathan Moore (1679-1770), 9 Jan 1705

Children by David Ensign:
1. David Ensign — B. 10 Oct 1688, Hartford, Connecticut; D. 4 Dec 1759, Hartford, Connecticut; M. (1) Hannah Smith (1689-1719), 16 May 1709, Hartford, Connecticut; (2) Sarah Moody (1702-1776), 29 Apr 1726

Sources:
New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, Volume 2, William Richard Cutter, 1913
Women Before the Bar; Gender, Law and Society in Connecticut, 1639-1789, Cornelia Hughes Dayton, 2012
Find-A-Grave

FamousKin.com listing for Sarah Wilcox

Arranging a Prenup in 1641 — Mary ______

B. about 1615 in England
M. (1) date and place unknown
Husband: Thomas Horton
M. (2) 1641 in Springfield, Massachusetts
Husband: Robert Ashley
D. 19 Sep 1683 in Springfield, Massachusetts

This is the story of a woman whose life before her marriage is completely unknown, but her later life is somewhat well-documented. Her name was Mary and she came from England in the 1630s to settle in the Connecticut River Valley. It isn’t known if she arrived with her parents, or if she was already married to her husband, Thomas Horton. He was one of the earliest settlers of Springfield, Massachusetts, and was there by 1636. Mary had two sons with him, one born in about 1638 and the other in about 1640.

Thomas died in 1641, and Mary was on her own with two small children, so she needed to marry another man. But her husband didn’t leave her penniless; she had their house and 15 acres of land. While offering this to a new husband, she wanted to make sure that her sons were the beneficiaries of the inheritance, so she had her wishes put in writing in what we would consider today as a prenuptial agreement. By August 7th, she became engaged to Robert Ashley, an unmarried settler of Springfield, and the prenup was recorded in town records. 

The founder of Springfield, William Pynchon, recorded the arrangement and signed his name to it. In it, Mary agreed to give Robert possession of the house, property and all of her goods in return for the promise to pay her sons £15 when they each came of legal age. In addition, Robert was to use the profits from the farm to provide educations for the boys, and apprenticeships if they wanted to learn a trade.

William Pynchon.

Before her marriage, Mary appeared again in town records, cited for having sold a gun to an Indian. Such transactions were strictly forbidden in New England towns because of the potential danger of arming people who might turn hostile. When Mary was brought before authorities, she said she didn’t know she had broken the law and promised to get the gun back. The court told her if she didn’t retrieve the gun, she would be punished. Presumably she was able to get her gun back because there was no further record of the case.

Mary married Robert Ashely probably in the fall of 1641, and the following June, she gave birth to twins, one of whom didn’t survive. She went on to have four more children with the youngest born in 1652. Mary and Robert ran a tavern from about 1646 to 1660. On June 27, 1655, the town leaders issued an order that they not sell “wine or strong waters” to the Indians. At the time they didn’t even have a license to sell liquor, but the order authorized them to serve alcohol to “English” patrons only.

Mary was often mentioned in town records alongside her husband, so it’s likely she played an active role in their business. It was also noted that although Robert couldn’t sign his name, Mary could write “fairly well.” She got involved in financial matters, too. Robert used his own labor to pay for transactions at the town store, a not uncommon practice in the days before there was formal currency. On October 10, 1656, Mary disputed a transaction with the man who ran the store, sending one of her boys to say that two days of labor from her 11-year-old son were not accounted for.

Decades before the Salem witch trials, Springfield had some witch trials of its own, and the people who were accused were among the Ashley tavern’s clientele: Hugh and Mary Parsons. During one of the hearings on February 27, 1650, Mary Ashley gave testimony, reporting about a conversation she had with Mary Parsons when she had visited the Ashley tavern recently. The case centered around the death of one of the Parsons children and whether the parents were guilty of witchcraft. As in Salem, the accusations started amongst townspeople who judged their behavior to be strange and suspicious. The Parsons were eventually acquitted.

After 1660, Mary and Robert built a new house on the western bank of the Connecticut River in a location that was more protected from flooding than where they had been living. They remained at their new home for the rest of their lives; Robert died in 1682 and Mary passed away on September 19, 1683.

Mary’s descendants include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, J.P., Morgan, Clint Eastwood and Bess Truman.

Children by Thomas Horton:
1. Jeremiah Horton — B. about 1638, (probably) Springfield, Massachusetts; D. 18 Aug 1682, Springfield, Massachusetts; M. (1) Mary Gibbard (1644-?); (2) Ruth Ely (1641-1662), 3 Aug 1661, Springfield, Massachusetts; (3) Mary Wright

2. Thomas Horton — B. about 1640, Springfield, Massachusetts; D. 8 Mar 1716, Rehoboth, Massachusetts; M. Sarah

Children by Robert Ashley:
1. David Ashley — B. 3 Jun 1642, Springfield, Massachusetts; D. 8 Dec 1718, Springfield, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Glover (1646-1722), 24 Nov 1663, New Haven, Connecticut

2. Mary Ashley — B. 3 Jun 1642, Springfield, Massachusetts; D. 3 Jun 1642, Springfield, Massachusetts

3. Mary Ashley — B. 6 Feb 1643, Springfield, Massachusetts; D. 9 Mar 1701, Farmington, Massachusetts; M. John Root, 18 Oct 1664, Springfield, Massachusetts

4. Jonathan Ashley — B. 25 Feb 1645, Springfield, Massachusetts; D. Feb 1705, Hartford, Connecticut; M. Sarah Wadsworth (1649-1705), 10 Nov 1669, Springfield, Massachusetts

5. Sarah Ashley — B. 23 Aug 1648, Springfield, Massachusetts; 18 May 1698, Connecticut; M. Philip Lewis (~1646-1724), 1669, Hartford, Connecticut

6. Joseph Ashley — B. 6 Jul 1652, Springfield, Massachusetts; D. 18 May 1698, Springfield, Massachusetts; M. Mary Parsons (1661-1711), 16 Oct 1685, Springfield, Massachusetts

Sources:
The Ashley Genealogy, Francis Bacon Trowbridge, 1896
“Robert Ashley,” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Henry Fritz-Gilbert Waters, 1879

Bridging a French and Indian Culture — Agnes Richard

B. 5 May 1719 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France
M. (1) about 1735
Husband: François Godere
M. (2) 8 Aug 1756 in Post Vincennes, New France
Husband: Jean-Baptiste Vaudry
D. before Jul 1778 in Post Vincennes

During the 18th century, the waterways of colonial Canada drew many of its French people deep into the West, and in the process created a mixed culture of both European and Indigenous influences. It also brought the mixing of blood, and one person who embodied both of these things was Agnes Richard.

Agnes was born in Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France on May 5, 1719 to Jean-Baptiste Richard and Marie-Anne You. Her father was an interpreter of Native American language who spent time in the Illinois country, and her mother was half-French and half-Native American. They had married in Montreal and already had a one-year-old girl when Agnes was born; later, they had a son.

Agnes' baptismal record.

When Agnes was about three-years-old, her father went to Fort Ouiatenon to work as a blacksmith. Men didn’t usually bring their families to such places, but Agnes’ mother wanted to return to her people, so special permission was granted. The family loaded up canoes and made the journey up the St. Lawrence, across the lengths of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie, and up the Maumee River, finally arriving at the fort on the Wabash River. Typically such a journey took at least 2 months. Parts of the trip required portages where the family traveled on foot; it’s likely that young Agnes had to walk for at least some of the distance. She spent the rest of her life in the Illinois country, and probably never again visited the Montreal area.

Agnes’ new home was a fur trading outpost that was set up next to the Indian village (it's possible that this was where her mother had grown up). A small fort was built in 1717 by a group of French men that included Agnes’ father, and during the time the family settled there, it was a lively place. There were houses within the fort and many more just outside of it. Every year, French men and Indians from other places would gather at Ouiatenon to trade furs and goods. The population grew to as much as 3,000 people during the 1740s, and was said to be made up of French, Indians and people of mixed blood. Agnes likely received no education, as she was unable to sign her name as an adult.

When she was still a teen, Agnes married a French man named François Godere. There is no record of her marriage, or of the births of her children, but later records of her children as adults establish a timeline. Between about 1736 and about 1752, she gave birth to five sons and five daughters, with two of the girls dying young. One of the girls drowned in the Wabash River in 1750, “15 leagues” from Post Vincennes, and she was buried at the church there. Agnes and her husband were described in the burial record as being residents of Ouiatenon, but at some point soon after, the family relocated to Vincennes.

Wabash River near Vincennes.

During the mid-1750s, Agnes’ husband François died, and on August 8, 1756, she married Jean-Baptiste Vaudry at St. Francis Xavier church in Vincennes. She must have been far along in a pregnancy at her wedding since she gave birth to a daughter two months later. Agnes had two more children, with the youngest born in 1761. Jean-Baptiste served as an interpreter at a meeting with Indian tribe leaders in 1775 and was one of the signers of the Vincennes oath of allegiance to America in 1778, but Agnes had died by that time.

Children by François Godere:
1. Pierre Godere — B. about 1735, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 24 May 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Susanne Bolon (1740-?), 5 May 1760, Post Vincennes, New France

2. Rene Godere — B. about 1736, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 9 Feb 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Catherine Campeau, 3 Mar 1761, Vincennes, New France

3. Marie-Anne Godere — B. about 1737, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 31 May 1792, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Louis Boyer, 12 Jan 1758, Post Vincennes, New France

4. François Godere — B. about 1739, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 12 Jul 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory; M. Marie-Therese Campagnot (~1745-1803), 18 Jan 1773, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

5. Louis Godere — B. about 1740, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 15 Jun 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Barbe-Elizabeth Levron (1748-1798), 8 Feb 1770, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

6. Marie-Louise Godere — B. about 1745, Ouiatenon, New France; D. 18 Jul 1774, Prairie du Rocher, Illinois Territory

7. Agnes Godere — B. about 1749 (probably) Ouiatenon, New France; D. 6 Dec 1750, Illinois Territory, New France

8. Ursule Godere — B. about 1750, (probably) Ouiatenon, New France; D. 12 Nov 1756, Post Vincennes, New France

9. Toussaint Godere — B. about 1751, (probably) Ouiatenon, New France; D. 30 Oct 1792, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Barbe Chapart (1758-?), about 1775, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

10. Marie-Josephe Godere — B. about 1752, (probably) Ouiatenon, New France; M. Amable-Charles Bolon (~1750-?), 26 Jan 1773, Post Vincennes, Illinois Country

Children by Jean-Baptiste Vaudry:
1. Marie Vaudry — B. 17 Oct 1756, Post Vincennes, New France; D. 7 Nov 1801; M. Antoine Richardville (1759-?), 14 Jul 1779, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

2. Marie-Ursule Vaudry — B. 20 Apr 1759, Post Vincennes, New France; D. 23 Oct 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Pierre Gamelin, 24 Jul 1778, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

3. Jean-Baptiste Vaudry — B. 18 Feb 1761, Post Vincennes, New France; M. Marie-Claire Chappard

Sources:
“Detroit River métis Families – Part 16 – Tiverage to You Families,” Diane Wolford Sheppard, 2015
Fort Ouiatenon and Feast of the Hunters’ Moon School Guide, Tippecanoe Historical Association
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Marriages and Deaths 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999

Torture Death by Iroquois — Guillaume Richard

B. about 1641 in St-Leger, Charente-Maritime, France
M. 26 Nov 1675 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Agnes Tessier dite Lavigne
D. 2 Jul 1690 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

Towards the end of the 17th century, the Montreal area was often a dangerous place to live. Guillaume Richard dit LaFleur not only made his home there, he sought to defend it from the Iroquois, and in the process, he lost his life in a most brutal way.

Guillaume was born in about 1641 to Jean Richard and Anne Meunier in St-Leger, Charente-Maritime, France. Guillaume’s father was a grain merchant, and nothing else is proven about his family, but some descendants claim that his ancestor was a Welshman named John Richards, who helped King Charles IX to escape a 1572 massacre. 

In 1664, Guillaume joined the Carignan-Saliéres Regiment, a company of soldiers recruited to help deal with Iroquois aggression in New France. He shipped out on May 13, 1665, and after a terrible voyage, arrived in Quebec on August 19th. His assignment was for two years, but like many Carignan-Saliéres soldiers, he opted for staying in New France. He was raised to sergeant and went to a place on the eastern end of Lake Ontario that became Fort Frontenac. He eventually was put in charge of the post and remained in that position until 1675.

On November 26, 1675, Guillaume married Agnes Tessier dite Lavigne in Montreal; she was the daughter of Urbain Tessier, an early settler of Montreal. They had eight children born between 1676 and 1690. In 1677, Guillaume served as “sergeant of the garrison” at Montreal, and in 1684, was a lieutenant. Then he was captain of the militia at Pointe-aux-Trembles, where he had moved with his family in 1679. In addition to his military role, he pursued the fur trade and was said to operate a thriving business.

The Iroquois tribes living south of Montreal continued to be a threat to French settlers. From the beginnings of Quebec, the French had allied with the Huron tribes to the north and west, who were enemies of the Iroquois. This and other factors led to Iroquois raids on towns near Montreal during the late 17th century, notably Lachine in August of 1689, where many French settlers were massacred. Militias in Montreal sought to fight back against the Iroquois.

It was in this effort that Guillaume was killed. On July 2, 1690, he was part of a group of 25 men who found themselves overwhelmed by party of about 100 Iroquois warriors at a ravine on the end of the island of Montreal. Some were killed in the fight, but Guillaume was one of the unlucky ones who were captured alive. In the Iroquois culture, prisoners of war were executed in slow, painful ways. It was said that Guillaume was burned alive, which likely was carried out in a ritual that kept victims alive for hours.  When the Iroquois were done, they quickly buried the bodies of Guillaume and three other prisoners in a makeshift grave. Four years later, the bodies were recovered an reinterred in the cemetery at Pointe-aux-Trembles.

Example of Iroquois torture of Frenchmen in the 17th century.

Guillaume’s widow Agnes remarried and had five more children, and she died in 1733. Given that Guillaume died at the hands of Indigenous people, it’s interesting that his son Jean-Baptiste went on to become an interpreter of Native American languages, and he married the daughter of a woman from the Wea tribe (part of the Miamis). The children from this marriage continued Guillaume's bloodlines in Vincennes, Indiana. 

Children:
1. Agnes Richard — B. 23 Aug 1676, Montreal, New France; D. 4 Apr 1757, Repentigny, New France; M. Jean Moreau Duplessis (~1664-1735), 1 Dec 1703, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

2. Pierre Richard — B. 8 Aug 1678, Montreal, New France; D. 12 Jan 1744, L’Assomption, New France; M. Catherine Larrivee (1686-1759), 11 Oct 1706, Boucherville, New France

3. Guillaume Richard — B. 26 Feb 1680, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Richard — B. 19 Mar 1682, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; M. Marie-Anne You, 15 Aug 1718, Montreal, New France

5. Claude Richard — B. 30 Jan 1684, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

6. Marie-Anne Richard — B. 10 Apr 1686, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 17 Jul 1710, Contrecoeur, New France; M. Mathieu Coitou (1681-1752), 23 Nov 1705, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

7. Marie-Madeleine Richard — B. 14 Mar 1688, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 7 Oct 1726, Varennes, New France; M. (1) Pierre Lambeye Larose (1681-1721), 22 Nov 1706, Pointe-aux-Trembles, Quebec; (2) Pierre Desjardins (~1700-1767), 24 May 1723, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

8. Urbain Richard — B. 25 Mar 1690, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 10 Aug 1760, St-Sulpice, New France; M. (1) Marguerite Fleuricourt (1697-1740), 23 jan 1719, Riviére-des-Prairies, New France; (2) Marie-Catherine-Collet (1695-?), 19 May 1749, St-Sulpice, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
“Richard dit Lafleur, Guillaume,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography
Coulée Grou (Wikipedia article)

Ambitious Man in Early New England — Benjamin Lyman

B. 10 Aug 1674 in Northampton, Massachusetts
M. 27 Oct 1698 in Northampton, Massachusetts
Wife: Thankful Pomeroy
D. 14 Oct 1723 in Northampton, Massachusetts

Benjamin Lyman was an example of what was possible in colonial America — a man could work hard and perhaps rise a few rungs up the economic ladder.

Benjamin was a third generation member of one of the founding families in the Connecticut River valley. He was born in Northampton, Massachusetts on August 10, 1674 to John Lyman and Dorcas Plumb, one of 10 children. Benjamin’s father served as a captain in King Philip’s War. His father died in 1690, and at some point, Benjamin inherited his house in Northampton. It was considered the family homestead; the house passed down in the family for several generations until it was sold in 1827.

On October 27, 1698, Benjamin married Thankful Pomeroy, the daughter of church deacon Medad Pomeroy in Northampton. Between 1699 and 1722, they had 12 children, only one of whom died young.

Benjamin was a lieutenant and he served in Queen Anne’s War; his name was in a list of 25 soldiers from Northampton who served from 1704 to 1713. Queen Anne’s War was a conflict between France and England that affected their colonies during the years 1704 to 1723. Northampton was brought into the fighting by virtue of being on the western frontier of Massachusetts. The French operating out of Quebec allied with Indian tribes to perform raids on communities in the vicinity. With such a threat, the men of Northampton enlisted in fighting the French and their Indian allies. It isn’t known exactly what fighting Benjamin was involved in; some sources claim he was in a scouting party that fought Indians on May 20, 1709, but his name isn’t on the list of the men who were there.

After the war was over, Benjamin was said to be “an enterprising and thriving man.” Along with the house in Northampton, he acquired many other tracts of land, including 500 acres in what was described in his probate record as "Bedford." He also owned an African-American slave named Nancy; during the early 18th century, there was a substantial slave population in Massachusetts. In 1721, Benjamin was one of three men appointed to lend government money to individuals. The “public bank” was a system of dealing in paper currency in colonial New England. On the local level, trustees were authorized to distribute currency as loans to individuals in the community as they saw fit, so Benjamin's position was one of some authority.

Benjamin died on October 14, 1723 at the age of 49, leaving behind his wife and large family. His estate was valued at £1,147, which was a decent amount of wealth. His widow Thankful remarried a man named Nathaniel Lewis, and she died in 1773 at the age of 94. Considering his financial success in life, it seems appropriate that among Benjamin’s descendants are Franklin Delano Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, Gloria Vanderbilt and Anderson Cooper.

The third page of the inventory of Benjamin's estate.

Children:
1. Joseph Lyman — B. 22 Aug 1699, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 30 Mar 1763, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Abigail Lewis (1701-1776), 1727

2. Benjamin Lyman — B. 19 Dec 1701, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 1702, Northampton, Massachusetts

3. Benjamin Lyman — B. 4 Jan 1703, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 1 May 1792, Easthampton, Massachusetts; M. Mary Mosley (1707-1782)

4. Aaron Lyman — B. 1 Apr 1705, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 12 Jun 1780, Belchertown, Massachusetts; M. Eunice Dwight (~1708-?), 12 Dec 1733

5. Eunice Lyman — B. May 1707, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. Jun 1720, Northampton, Massachusetts

6. Hannah Lyman — B. 14 Jul 1709, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 25 Dec 1792, Belchertown, Massachusetts; M. Nathaniel Dwight (1712-1784), 2 Jan 1735

7. Caleb Lyman — B. 8 Aug 1711, Northampton, Massachusetts

8. Susannah Lyman — B. 18 Jul 1713, Northampton, Massachusetts

9. William Lyman — B. 12 Dec 1715, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Jemima Sheldon (1721-1785), about 1751, Northampton, Massachusetts

10. Daniel Lyman — B. 18 Apr 1718, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 16 Oct 1788, New haven, Connecticut

11. Elihu Lyman — B. 10 Jul 1720, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 1758

12. Medad Lyman — B. 20 Mar 1722, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 1776, Nord-Est, Haiti; M. Mary Bassett (1711-1760)

Sources:
Genealogy of the Lyman Family in America and Great Britain, Lyman Coleman, 1871
Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of Boston and Eastern Massachusetts, William Richard Cutter, 1908
History of Northampton, Massachusetts: From its Settlement in 1654, Volume 1, James Russel Trumbull, Seth Pomeroy, 1898

To America From 18th-Century Ireland — Michael Clifford

B. (probably) 1720s in Ireland
M. (1) (probably) 1740s in Ireland
Wife: (first name unknown) Painter
M. (2) (probably) 1750s in New Jersey
Wife: Sarah Gray Moffatt
M. (3) (probably) 1760s in Maryland
Wife: Elizabeth
D. 1785 in Rowan County, North Carolina

During the early 18th century, the lure of America attracted many to leave Europe and settle in the English colonies. It was people like Michael Clifford who began populating the frontiers, although in his case, it took a few moves to ultimately land where he made his life.

Michael was born somewhere in Ireland, likely during the 1720s. Some researchers have identified his parents without citing any sources, so those names won’t be considered here. It’s almost certain that Michael’s family was of Scots-Irish descent because Irish Catholics didn’t come to America in any great numbers until 100 years later. After Michael came of age, he married a woman who is believed to have had the surname “Painter,” and they had three children together.

Sometime during the 1750s, Michael bought passage for his family aboard a ship bound for the American colonies. An 18th-century voyage could be a hazardous trip, and sadly his wife seemed to have become sick and died onboard the ship. He must have been devastated to have her body buried at sea, facing an unknown future with three young children to look after.

Philadelphia was his likely port of entry; from there he went to New Jersey for a time. There he met and married a woman named Sarah Gray Moffatt, and it’s believed that they had three children together before moving on to Frederick County, Maryland. On February 20, 1766, Michael acquired 12 acres of land near present-day Woodsboro. Sarah seems to have died while he lived there, and he married a third wife, Elizabeth. He had another two children, although it isn’t certain which woman was the mother of them because exact marriage and birth years are unknown.

Around 1775, Michael took his family to North Carolina, settling in what was Rowan County. Perhaps he found that land was cheaper there because he bought 230 acres on February 18, 1778, then another 640 acres on June 7th of the same year. The location was on Dutchman’s Creek in an area that later became Montgomery County. In 1783, Michael sold 50 acres to his son-in-law Richard Haines for the small amount of 25 shillings. He did the same for his son John in August of 1784. 

Dutchman's Creek today is still a wilderness. (Source: Google Maps)  

It’s likely that Michael’s health was failing by 1784, because he wrote his will on December 16th, and it was probated the following year. Michael was survived by his wife Elizabeth and his eight children. From North Carolina, his descendants fanned out all across the United States — the deep South, the Midwest, the prairie lands, and the Far West. Today, tens of thousands of people can trace their roots to Michael Clifford. 

Children by Miss Painter:
1. John Clifford — B. about 1746, Ireland; D. 16 Dec 1826, Rowan County, North Carolina; M. (1) Rachel Gray; (2) Alsey Galloway (~1755-?)

2. Eleanor Clifford — B. (probably) 1740s, Ireland; D. 1789, Lincoln County, Tennessee; M. Charles Westerman (1750-~1820)

3. Sarah Clifford — B. (probably) 1740s, Ireland; M. (1) Isaac Wilcoxson; (2) Richard Haines

Children by Sarah Gray Moffatt:
1. Jacob Clifford — B. (probably) 1750s, New Jersey; D. 21 Sep 1805; M. Nancy Ann Boone (1762-1829), Rowan County, North Carolina

2. Catherine Clifford — B. (probably) 1750s, New Jersey; M. Mr. Pippins

3. Elizabeth Ann Clifford — B. (probably) 1750s, New Jersey; D. about 1811; M. (1) James Woods; (2) John Jennings

Children by Sarah Gray Moffatt or Elizabeth:

1. Eve Clifford — B. about 1757, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. 10 Oct 1800, Davie County, North Carolina; M. Ebenezer Eaton (?-1810), 1777, Rowan County, North Carolina

2. Michael Clifford — B. about 1759, New Jersey; D. 30 Jul 1835, Sangamon County, Illinois; M. (1) Phoebe Eaton (?-~1810), 18 Mar 1781, Frederick County, Maryland; (2) Elizabeth Webb (~1782-?), 1811, Woodford County, Kentucky

Sources:
“Michael Clifford, Sr. and Descendants,” A.E. Collier, The Heritage of Rowan County, North Carolina, 1991
American Revolution pension application of Michael Clifford [his son], Sangamon County, Illinois, 8 Oct 1832

Poor Creole in Indiana — François Louis Ravellette

B. 14 Sep 1819 in Vincennes, Indiana
M. 23 May 1842 in Vincennes, Indiana
Wife: Susanne Gaile
D. 26 Dec 1863 in Vincennes, Indiana

Many of the descendants of the original French settlers of Vincennes became second-class citizens of the town their ancestors founded. This was true of François Louis Ravellette; he owned little and left no mark on the community. But perhaps his wealth was in the Creole heritage he passed on to his children.

François (also known as Francis or Frank) was born in Vincennes, Indiana on September 14, 1819 to François Ravellette and Elizabeth Turpin, one of seven children. Both of his parents traced back to the 18th century French fur traders who were the first European inhabitants of the middle of North America. His parents also each had Native American heritage, another ingredient of being Creole. There are no photos of François, but the indigenous ancestry can be seen in images of some of his descendants.

Details about François’ life are unfortunately sketchy. He grew up on a farm in the Vincennes area and he likely lived his entire life in the same area. On May 23, 1842, he married a 15-year-old girl, Susanne Gaile, at St. Francis Xavier Church in Vincennes. Their first child was born in 1844 and died young, but they went on to have seven more, with the youngest one born posthumously. Two of the children were twins, born in 1850.

St. Francis Xavier Church during 1800s.

Most of what we know about François comes from the 1860 census. The value of his property in 1860 was $340 which was well below average for the people in the area. He and his wife were illiterate and none of his children ages 10 to 14 attended school. It’s also safe to say that French was spoken in the home, likely a Creole dialect spoken in that region of America; later generations passed down the story that one of his daughters could speak French.

François didn’t live to a ripe old age — he was 44-years old when he died on December 26, 1863. His wife Susanne was pregnant with their final child and gave birth the following February. She remarried in 1866, but passed away in October 1869.

Children:
1. Joseph Ravellette — B. 5 Mar 1844, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 7 Sep 1845, Vincennes, Indiana

2. Elizabeth Ravellette — B. about 1845, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 1880, St. Francisville, Illinois; M. Jacob Charles Valle (1845-1899), 30 Dec 1872, St. Francisville

3. François Ravellette — B. 2 Apr 1848, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 20 May 1913, St. Francisville, Illinois; M. (1) Mary Channet (1848-1871); (2) Josephine Elizabeth Greemore (1853-1921)

4. Mary Louise Ravellette — B. 3 Oct 1850, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 2 May 1918, Vincennes, Indiana; M. (1) William Marion Edeline (1848-1876), 24 Nov 1868, Knox County, Indiana; (2) Robert James Wilhite (1850-1938), 3 Sep 1880, Vincennes, Indiana

5. William Ravellette — B. 3 Oct 1850, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 10 Dec 1929; M. Melissa Gharst (1870-1952)

6. Andrew Ravellette — B. 13 Oct 1858, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 28 Mar 1931

7. Eliza Ravellette — B. 26 Jun 1861, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 23 Feb 1941, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Robert Baker (~1842-?), 15 Nov 1880, Vincennes, Indiana

8. Marguerite Helen Ravellette — B. 12 Feb 1864, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 22 Sep 1906, Lawrenceville, Illinois; M. Oliver Levi Stangle (1859-1923), 2 Apr 1883, Vincennes, Indiana

Sources:
“Ravellettes from Indiana Roys, Griffith, etc.,” Genealogy.com
1860 U.S. Census
Indiana Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993, FamilySearch.org

Digging a Home Into a River Bank — Josiah Richardson

B. 7 Nov 1635 in Charlestown, Massachusetts
M. 6 Jun 1659 in Concord, Massachusetts
Wife: Remembrance Underwood
D. 22 Jun 1695 in Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Josiah Richardson was one of the early settlers of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. He was born in Charlestown on November 7, 1635 to Ezekiel and Susannah Richardson, the third of their six children. When Josiah was 5-years-old, the family moved to Woburn as some of the founding members of that town. His father died when he was 12.

Sometime during the 1650s, Josiah arrived in Chelmsford with his younger brother James. He was a young man and had to rely on his skills to make a start. It was said that his first home in Chelmsford was a crude structure “partly formed by digging in the bank” of the river; during the first few years, almost all of the homes in the town were made of logs. Chelmsford had close proximity to Native American villages, and on May 17, 1658, Josiah signed a petition to the General Court asking that the settlers be given permission to trade with the Indians. The petition was said to be signed by every adult male in town.

On June 6, 1659, Josiah married Remembrance Underwood, a woman whose family also lived in Chelmsford, but they traveled to Concord for the wedding. Over the next 16 or so years, they had eight children. As the years passed, Chelmsford became more established, and Josiah played a part in its development. In 1663, he and another man were chosen to help lay out the main road going from town to town and into Boston. Then in 1669, he built a saw mill with William Fletcher and Thomas Henchman. It was the second sawmill in Chelmsford and was badly needed to produce wood for building new houses.

Merrimack River near where Josiah helped build a sawmill.

Josiah eventually settled at a place described as on “the road leading from Westford to Lowell.” His property was handed down in the Richardson family to an Edward F. Richardson who lived into the 20th century. Josiah was said to have been a militia captain at one time, but sources aren’t clear as to when this was. He was also town clerk from 1690 to 1694. Around that time, the town paid him £10 for “services done.”

On June 22, 1695, Josiah died in Chelmsford. He likely passed away suddenly because he didn’t leave a will. He was only 60-years-old. His estate was valued at £697, a large amount of money at the time. Josiah’s descendants include Franklin Pierce.

Children:
1. Sarah Richardson — B. 25 Mar 1660, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 30 Jan 1748, Tyngsboro, Massachusetts; M. William Fletcher (1657-1712), 10 Sep 1677, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

2. Mary Richardson — B. 14 Apr 1662, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Thomas Colburn (~1648-1728), 17 Sep 1681, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

3. Josiah Richardson — B. 18 May 1665, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 17 Oct 1711, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Mercy Parish (1668-1743), 14 Dec 1687, Dunstable, Massachusetts

4. Jonathan Richardson — B. 8 Oct 1667, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 21 Feb 1753, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. (1) Elizabeth Bates (1671-1722), 8 Nov 1692, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; (2) Elizabeth Bunker (~1673-1752), 18 May 1724, Charlestown, Massachusetts

5. John Richardson — B. 14 Feb 1670, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 13 Sep 1746, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth Farwell (1672-1729), 31 Jan 1694, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

6. Samuel Richardson — B. 21 Feb 1673, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 28 Apr 1754, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Rachel Howard (1682-1727), 27 Jan 1703, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

7. Remembrance Richardson — B. 20 Apr 1674, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. before 12 Mar 1696

8. Susanna Richardson — B. about 1676, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; D. 1739, Chelmsford, Massachusetts; M. Henry Farwell (1674-1738), 23 Jan 1696, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

Sources:
Find-A-Grave
WikiTree
History of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, Wilson Waters, 1917
The Richardson Memorial, John Adams Vinton, 1876