Baking Bread and Having Babies — Marguerite Ténard

B. about 1633 in Milly-la-Fôret, Île d’France, France¹
M. 23 Nov 1666 in Montreal, New France¹
Husband: Charles Boyer
D. after 16 Feb 1678 in (probably) La Prairie, New France²

The women of 17th century France who signed up for a new life in America often faced a hard existence. This was true for Marguerite Ténard, who was born south of Paris in the village of Milly-la-Fôret in about 1633. Her parents were named Barthélemy Ténard and Jeanne Govin, but nothing else is known of her childhood or family.

Marguerite was 33-years-old when she was recruited as a Fille du Roi in 1666,³ somewhat old for a first-time bride. Details are sketchy regarding ships transporting that year’s group of women to New France, and no significant reference to the migration has survived in journals, documents or letters. By using New France marriage records from the fall of 1666, 25 likely Filles du Roi have been identified, and Marguerite was one of them.

After arriving at Quebec City, Marguerite was apparently sent to Montreal for the courtship process, and on November 23rd, she married Charles Boyer,¹ a man who worked at the hospital there. Nine months after her wedding, Marguerite gave birth to her first child. She had five more children by 1678, two of whom died young.

In about 1671, Marguerite’s husband Charles moved the family to La Prairie,⁴ a seigneury on the south shore of the St. Lawrence near Montreal. Over the next several years, they worked hard as they farmed various concessions of land. The lease they agreed to in 1675 required more than growing crops and tending animals.⁵ Among other work defined in the contract, Marguerite was to provide 12 pounds of bread each week for a nearby Jesuit mission. This must have taken an enormous effort to fulfill, especially with young children and a husband to look after.

Women in New France baked bread in outdoor ovens like this one.

Not long after the birth of her last child, Marguerite died, probably in about March of 1678.² Charles remarried in October of that year,⁶ and lived until 1703.⁷

Children:
1. Marie Boyer — B. 24 Aug 1667, Montreal, New France;⁸ D. 10 Oct 1749, Yamaska, New France;⁹ M. André Forand (1643-1721), 30 Dec 1684, La Prairie, New France¹⁰

2. Joseph Boyer — B. 7 Jan 1669, Montreal, New France;¹¹ D. about 1670, New France¹²

3. Antoine Boyer — B. 10 Apr 1671, La Prairie, New France;⁴ D. 27 Mar 1747, La Prairie, New France;¹³ M. (1) Marie Perras (1673-1736), 4 Feb 1692, La Prairie, New France;¹⁴ (2) Catherine Surprenant (1686-1762), 9 Sep 1737, La Prairie, New France¹⁵

4. Jean-Baptiste Boyer — B. 17 Aug 1673, La Prairie, New France;¹⁶ D. 1734;¹⁷ M. Anne Caillé (1675-1717), 10 Feb 1698, La Prairie, New France¹⁸

5. Marguerite Boyer — B. 5 Jul 1675, La Prairie, New France;¹⁹ D. 17 Nov 1708, Montreal, New France;²⁰ M. (1) Claude Guichard (~1664-?), 7 Nov 1689, La Prairie, New France;²¹ (2) Jean Bonnet (~1669-?), 4 Oct 1694, Montreal, New France²²

6. Louise Boyer — B. 16 Feb 1678, La Prairie, New France;² D. before 1681, New France¹²

Sources:
1    Marriage record of Charles Boyer and Marguerite Ténard, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Baptismal record of Louise Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
3    Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)
4    Baptismal record of Antoine Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
5    A Drifting Cowboy (blog)  
6    Marriage record of Charles Boyer and Louise Therese Lebreuil, Q.C.P.R.
7    Burial record of Charles Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
8    Baptismal record of Marie Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
9    Burial record of Marie Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
10  Marriage record of André Forand and Marie Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
11  Baptismal record of Joseph Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
12  Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
13  Burial record of Antoine Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Antoine Boyer and Marie Perras, Q.C.P.R.
15  Marriage record of Antoine Boyer and Catherine Suprenant, Q.C.P.R.
16  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
17  WikiTree listing for Jean Baptiste Boyer  
18  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Boyer and Anne Caillé, Q.C.P.R.
19  Baptismal record of Marguerite Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
20  Burial record of Marguerite Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
21  Marriage record of Claude Guichard and Marguerite Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Jean Bonnet and Marguerite Boyer, Q.C.P.R.

In the Earliest Town on Cape Cod — Nathaniel Fish

B. before 20 Jun 1619 East Farndon, England¹
M. (1) about 1646 in (probably) Sandwich, Plymouth Colony²
Wife: (possibly) Mehitable _________
M. (2) about 1656 in (probably) Sandwich, Plymouth Colony²
Wife: Lydia Miller
D. before 14 Mar 1694 in Sandwich, Massachusetts³

During the late 1630s, when the Plymouth colony expanded eastward onto Cape Cod, the first town was called Sandwich, and Nathaniel Fish was one of its earliest settlers.

Nathaniel was born in East Farndon, England, a village in Northamptonshire, and baptized on June 20, 1619.¹ His birth date isn’t known, and because his brother John was baptized at the same time, it’s likely the two boys weren't newborn infants. Nathaniel’s parents were Thomas Fish and Mary Sprigg; besides John, there were three other boys and two girls in the family. By 1622, they seem to have moved to the village of Great Bowden, located just to the north in Leicestershire.¹

Sometime in the late-1630s, Nathaniel migrated to New England with his brothers Jonathan and John.⁴ They were each in their late teens or 20s when they arrived in the Plymouth colony seeking an opportunity to become part of some new towns. The place they ended up was Sandwich, located where Cape Cod connects to the mainland. Records show that on April 16, 1640, Nathaniel was granted an acre and a half outside of town as part of a division of land among established settlers,¹ so he must have been there at least a year or two at the time.

Location of Sandwich on Cape Cod.

Nathaniel got married in about 1646 to a woman whose name may have been Mehitable.² She died by 1656,² and he took another wife named Lydia Miller², the daughter of Sandwich's minister. It’s uncertain how many children he fathered, but it was thought to be about ten, mostly boys. The youngest was born in 1668.⁵

Nathaniel didn’t seem to take a leadership role in his community. He did serve on the grand jury at least once, and was mentioned in a couple of court cases. In 1644, he was summoned to appear as a witness in a trial for a man accused of having out-of-wedlock sex, but it isn’t known what testimony he had to offer.⁶ In another case in 1654, Nathaniel was fined 20 shillings for welcoming an escaped indentured servant into his home and “abetting him in his stubbornness toward his master.⁶”

Tragedy struck Nathaniel’s family in August of 1664 when his oldest son was killed in a construction accident.⁷ The young man was only 18 when he joined a work crew which was trying to a build a dam at a mill, and an earthen bank collapsed on him. He died at home four days later. In an investigation into the accident, Nathaniel said that he hadn’t wanted his son to work on the dam that day, but the young man did anyway, leading to his death.

Nathaniel’s daughter Lydia went through another sort of ordeal in 1677. The girl, who was still in her teens, was raped by Ambrose Fish,⁸ who was possibly Nathaniel’s son from his first wife. The punishment for the accused was a public whipping, then the man was simply released. Lydia went to live with a maternal aunt in Billerica, far away from Sandwich.⁹

A few years later in 1682, Nathaniel fell on hard times, and the town proposed giving him aid.¹ When he passed away in about 1694, he left an estate that was worth only £31, including a two-room house, 8 acres of land and a few personal possessions.³ His wife Lydia survived him and it isn’t known when she died.

Children by his first wife:
1. Thomas Fish — B. about 1648, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;⁷ D. 19 Aug 1664, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony⁷

2. Nathaniel Fish — B. 27 Nov 1648, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony¹⁰

3. (probably) Ambrose Fish — B. about 1650, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;⁸ D. before 11 Sep 1691;¹¹ M. Hannah Swift, about 1675, (probably) Sandwich, Plymouth Colony¹²

4. John Fish — B. 13 Apr 1651, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;¹³ D. 8 Mar 1730, Barnstable, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. (1) Margaret Freeman (1652-?);¹⁵ (2) Phebe Lovell (1655-1732), 11 Nov 1724, Barnstable, Massachusetts¹⁶

Children by Lydia Miller:
1. (probably) Mercy Fish — B. (probably) during the 1660s in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;¹⁷ D. 29 Mar 1734, Sandwich, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Joshua Blackwell (1653-1737), about 1681, Sandwich, Massachusetts¹⁷

2. Lydia Fish — B. (probably) during the 1660s in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;⁹ D. 8 Sep 1712, Billerica, Massachusetts;⁹ M. John Jefts (1651-1712), 6 Apr 1688, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁹

3. Nathan Fish — B. (probably) during the 1660s in Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;²⁰ M. Deborah Barrows (~1668-?), 20 Dec 1687, Plymouth, Plymouth Colony²¹

4. Jonathan Fish — B. about 1662, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony²²

5. Thomas Fish — B. about 1665, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony;²³ D. before 23 Apr 1736, Duxbury, Massachusetts;²⁴ M. Margaret Woodworth (1673-1723), 10 Jan 1697, Marshfield, Massachusetts²⁵

6. Samuel Fish — B. 10 Aug 1668, Sandwich, Plymouth Colony⁵

Sources:
1    “The Fish Family of Great Bowden in Leicestershire, England,” John Dean Fish, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Vol. 53, 1922
2    WikiTree listing for Nathaniel Fish  
3    Nathaniel Fish inventory, Barnstable County Probate Records, V. 1
4    The Fish Family in England and America, Lester Warren Fish, 1948
5    Birth record of Samuel Fish, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, FamilySearch.org
6    Records of the colony of New Plymouth in New England, 1855, V. 2 & 3
7    Records of the Colony of New Plymouth “Plymouth Colony Court Orders, 1661-1668,” Nathaniel D. Shurtleff, 1855
8    Court record of Lydia Fish rape case, Plymouth Court Records
9    WikiTree listing for Lydia Fish  
10  Birth record of Nathaniel Fish (younger), Vital Records of Sandwich, MA to 1885, 1996
11  Probate record of Ambrose Fish
12  Birth record of Ephraim Fish (son of Ambrose), “Sandwich, MA Vital Records,” The Mayflower Descendant, V. 14
13  Birth record of John Fish, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Death record of John Fish, Vital Records of Sandwich, MA to 1885, 1996
15  WikiTree listing of John Fish  
16  Marriage record of John Fish and Phebe Lovell, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
17  WikiTree listing for Mercy Fish  
18  Death record of Mercy Blackwell, Vital Records of Sandwich, MA to 1885, 1996
19  Marriage record of John Jefts and Lydia Fish, Records of the County of Middlesex in the Commonwealth of Mass., FamilySearch.org
20  WikiTree listing for Nathan Fish  
21  “Nathan and Deborah (Barrows) Fish of Falmouth, Massachusetts,” Robert E. Bowman, The American Genealogist, V. 80, 2005
22  WikiTree listing for Jonathan Fish  
23  WikiTree listing for Thomas Fish  
24  Index of Obituaries in Boston Newspapers 1704-1795, Ogden Codman, 1968
25  Marriage record of Thomas Fish and Margaret Woodworth, “Marriages from the Early Records of Marshfield, MA,” The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, V. 6

A 30-Year Life in New France — Pierre Turgeon

B. about 1669 in (probably) Beauport, New France¹
M. 16 Nov 1695 in St-Joseph-de-Pointe-Lévy, New France²
Wife: Marie-Anne Carrier
D. 9 Nov 1699 in Quebec City, New France³

The story of Pierre Turgeon is of a man who lived just long enough to provide a bloodline and name to pass on to descendants. He was born in about 1669 to Charles Turgeon and Pasquiere Lefebvre,¹ who had migrated to Quebec from France a few years earlier. Pierre's parents were past 40-years-old when he was born, and many of his older siblings had been born in France. His baptism is missing from the parish records; the family lived in the seigneury of Beauport, and documents there were somewhat spotty at that time.

Pierre’s father was said to be a confrontational character in Beauport, often having disagreements with his neighbors,⁴ and it isn’t known how this might have influenced Pierre. One of his older sisters, Marie-Anne, chose to become a nun in 1677,⁴ and after all the siblings were of age, Pierre’s parents moved back to France in 1691.⁴ By this time, Pierre had left the nest, moving to Pointe-Lévy in Lauzon, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence across from Quebec City. In 1690, he was noted as having an assigned seat at the church there, St-Joseph-de-Pointe-Lévy.⁵ On November 16, 1695, Pierre married Marie-Anne Carrier,² who had grown up in Pointe-Lévy. Together, they had two sons born in 1696 and 1698. 

Marriage record of Pierre and Marie-Anne.

Pierre was present at his brother-in-law Charles Carrier’s marriage contract signing on May 24, 1699,⁶ but something happened to him soon after, and on June 16th, he went to Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec to be treated for an illness or injury.⁷ Hôtel-Dieu was a hospital run by nuns, and one of them was Pierre’s sister Marie-Anne; perhaps she took care of him, but this is impossible to know. It’s also a mystery if he stayed in the hospital for any length of time, or was simply given medicine and released.

Whatever the case, Pierre died at Hôtel-Dieu on November 9th of that year;³ he was just 30-years-old. His wife Marie-Anne was left with two small boys, and remarried in May of the following year,⁸ but she passed away before the end of 1705.⁹

Children:
1. Joseph Turgeon — B. 9 Nov 1696, St-Joseph-de-Pointe-Lévy, New France;¹⁰ D. 19 Mar 1765, St-Joseph-de-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec;¹¹ M. Marguerite Boutillet (1702-1783), 12 Feb 1721, L’Ange Gardien, New France¹²

2. Charles Turgeon — B. 8 Sep 1698, St-Joseph-de-Pointe-Lévy, New France;¹³ M. Catherine Lemoine (1682-1760), 23 Nov 1733, New France¹⁴

Sources:
1    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
2    Marriage record of Pierre Turgeon and Marie-Anne Carrier, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Burial record of Pierre Turgeon, Q.C.P.R.
4    Our French-Canadian Ancestors, V. 28, pp. 205-213, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
5    1690 list for assigned seating at St-Joseph de la Pointe-Lévy
6    Marriage record of Charles Carrier and Marie Gesseron, Q.C.P.R.
7    Registre Journalier des Malades de L’Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec, Marcel and Gisèle Monarque, 2005
8    Marriage record of Louis-Theandre Lemieux and Marie-Anne Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
9    Burial record of Marie-Anne Carrier, Q.C.P.R.
10  Baptismal record of Joseph Turgeon, Q.C.P.R.
11  Burial record of Joseph Turgeon, Q.C.P.R.
12  Marriage record of Joseph Turgeon and Marguerite Boutillet, Q.C.P.R.
13  Baptismal record of Charles Turgeon, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Charles Turgeon and Catherine Lemoine, Q.C.P.R.

Migration Up the St. Lawrence — Charles Boyer

B. (probably) 7 Sep 1673, Quebec City, New France¹
M. (1) 9 Feb 1699 in Charlesbourg, New France²
Wife: Marie-Marguerite Vanier
M. (2) 19 Aug 1715 in Charlesbourg, New France³
Wife: Marie-Madeleine Vivier
D. 18 Mar 1727 in Chambly, New France⁴

Charles Boyer was of the subset of French Canadian colonists who started out near Quebec City and ended up near Montreal. He was born during the early 1670s to Étienne Boyer dit LaFontaine and Marie-Therese Viel. Charles’ mother was a Fille du Roi and his father was a Carignan-Salières Regiment soldier, and the couple married in Quebec City in 1671.⁵ There was no baptismal record in the family for a child named Charles, but a baby named “Hugues” who was born on September 7, 1673 may actually have been him.¹ Charles' marriage contract called him Hugues, and there’s no other reference to a Hugues Boyer in parish records.

Baptism of "Hugues Boyer," who is assumed to be Charles.

There was some drama early in Charles’ life when his mother decided to go on a trip to France; he was the only child at the time and seems to have stayed in Quebec with his father. When his mother returned months later, she was pregnant by another man, and in early 1677, Charles’ half-sister was born.⁵ His parents seemed to patch up their marriage and had ten more children together, but only three of them survived, all boys.

On February 9, 1699, Charles got married to Marie-Marguerite Vanier at the St-Charles church in Charlesbourg.² It was a double wedding with his younger brother Louis also getting married that day. Charles’ bride was not yet 15-years-old, which wasn’t unusual in New France. A few months into their marriage, there was some friction between his mother and his mother-in-law when they had an argument which escalated beyond words. Charles’ mother ripped the hat off his mother-in-law’s head, throwing it to the ground and ruining it. The two women ended up in court over their fight.⁵

Charles and Marguerite lived in Beauport, then later in a section of Charlesbourg called St-Romain. Between November 1700 and June 1714, they had seven children born, although one may have been stillborn because it was unnamed in the burial record.⁶ In addition to that, at least one other child died as an infant. Sadly, Marguerite passed away on April 18, 1715.⁷ On August 19th, Charles married a second wife, Marie-Madeleine Vivier, who was the widow of Michel Bouron. During the fall of 1716, he sold his farm,⁸ and the family moved west.

On March 16, 1717, Charles purchased a concession in the seigneury of St-Laurent on the island of Montreal.⁹ He and second wife Madeleine had two children born in 1721 and 1725. Meanwhile, Charles’ oldest daughter, Marie-Josephte got married in 1722 to Antoine-Joseph Bouron,¹⁰ who was the brother of Madeleine’s first husband.

Charles was in the settlement of Chambly when on March 18, 1727, he died at the age of 53.⁴ Chambly was the site of a fort that was being used at the time to defend against the English, and it isn’t known if he was farming there, or involved with the fort itself. His burial was at a small cemetery just outside the fort walls. Madeleine was pregnant when he died, and later gave birth to a son who was baptized at St-Laurent.¹¹ Curiously, there’s a road not far from the Chambly fort that’s called “Rue Charles-Boyer,” but it isn’t known if it was named for him.

Rue Charles-Boyer in Chambly, Quebec.

Children by Marie-Madeleine Vanier:
1. Marie-Françoise Boyer — B. about 17 Nov 1700, Beauport, New France;¹² D. 10 Apr 1701, Beauport, New France¹³

2. Marie-Josephte Boyer — B. 24 Jun 1704, Charlesbourg, New France;¹⁴ D. 24 Dec 1742, (probably) Montreal, New France;¹⁵ M. (1) Antoine-Joseph Bouron (1696-1741), 7 Jan 1722, St-Laurent, New France;¹⁰ (2) Jean-Baptiste Dumouchel (1710-1783), 2 Jul 1742, Montreal, New France¹⁶

3. Jean-Baptiste Boyer — B. 14 Nov 1706, Charlesbourg, New France¹⁷

4. Pierre Boyer — B. 14 Dec 1708, Charlesbourg, New France;¹⁸ M. Marie-Josephe Gatien, 25 Nov 1743, Montreal, New France¹⁹

5. Madeleine Boyer — B. 2 Dec 1710, Charlesbourg, New France;²⁰ M. Jean-Baptiste Boudeau, 1739, Quebec City, New France²¹

6. Baby Boy Boyer — B. Dec 1712, Charlesbourg, New France;⁶ D. before 13 Dec 1712, New France⁶

7. Charles-François Boyer — B. 28 Jun 1714, Charlesbourg, New France²²

Children by Marie-Madeleine Vivier:
1. Marie-Louise Boyer — B. 19 Mar 1721, St-Laurent, New France;²³ D. 5 Sep 1789, Boucherville, Quebec;²⁴ M. Gilles-Joachim Laverdure, 7 Oct 1748, Boucherville, New France²⁵

2. Michel Boyer — B. 2 Mar 1725, Montreal, New France;²⁶ M. Josette-Marguerite Dulignon, 7 Jan 1760, Michilimackinac, New France²⁷

3. Antoine Boyer — B. 20 Sep 1727, St-Laurent, New France;¹¹ D. 7 Sep 1790, Cahokia;²⁸ M. (1) Marie-Louise Brigade Dufour (1742-1766), 24 Oct 1757, Detroit, New France;²⁹ (2) Louise Rouillard, 6 Nov 1769, Sault-au-Recollet, Quebec³⁰

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Hugues Boyer, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Charles Boyer and Marie-Marguerite Vanier, Q.C.P.R.
3    Marriage record of Charles Boyer and Marie-Madeleine Vivier, Q.C.P.R.
4    Burial record of Charles Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
5    King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, pp. 246-247, Peter Gagne, 2000
6    Burial record of Baby Boy Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
7    Burial record of Marie-Marguerite Vanier, Q.C.P.R.
8    Sale of land from Charles Boyer to Louis Pépin, 4 Oct 1716, Florent de La Cetière, notary
9    Sale of land from Jean-Baptiste Vanier to Charles Boyer, 16 Mar 1717, Florent de La Cetière, notary
10  Marriage record of Antoine-Joseph Bouron and Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
11  Baptismal record of Antoine Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
12  Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
13  Burial record of Marie-Françoise Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
14  Baptismal record of Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
15  Burial record of Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
16  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Dumouchel and Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
17  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
18  Baptismal record of Pierre Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Pierre Boyer and Marie-Josephe Gatien, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Madeleine Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
21  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Boudeau and Madeleine Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
22  Baptismal record of Charles-François Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
23  Baptismal record of Marie-Louise Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
24  Burial record of Marie-Louise Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
25  Marriage record of Gilles-Joachim Laverdure and Marie-Louise Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
26  Baptismal record of Michel Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
27  “Michilmackinac Families,” Diane Wolford Sheppard, 2016
28  Old Cahokia: A Narrative and Documents Illustrating the First Century of its History, Joseph Desloge, 1949, p. 98
29  Marriage record of Antoine Boyer and Marie-Louise Brigade Dufour, Tanguay Collection, p. 504
30  Marriage record of Antoine Boyer and Louise Roulliard, Q.C.P.R.

Young Girl in Early Salem — Anna Palgrave

B. 1626 in (probably) Great Yarmouth, England¹

M. about about 1651 in (probably) Salem, Massachusetts²
Husband: Nicholas Woodbury
D. 10 Jun 1701 in Beverly, Massachusetts³

When Anna Palgrave was still a child in colonial Massachusetts, her mother died and she seemed to live without close family around her during her teen years. Anna was born in about 1626 to Richard Palgrave and Joanna Harris, their only known child. She was baptized on October 29th in Great Yarmouth, England, a town on the east coast of Norfolk.¹

In March 1630, Anna’s father died, and her mother married a widowed Puritan minister named John Youngs.² He brought children into the marriage, and had several more with Anna's mother. The family migrated to New England on the ship Mary Anne, arriving on May 15, 1637,² and they settled in Salem. By 1639, Anna’s mother died,² leaving her without a living biological parent. It’s likely that Reverend Youngs had more of a hand in raising her than her own father, but when he remarried that year, her status in his household is uncertain. She was only about 13-years-old, so she wasn’t yet an adult.

In October of the following year, Reverend Youngs headed a group of New Englanders who sought to form a new community on the northeast part of Long Island.⁴ This became the town of Southold, named for the place he was from in England. Southold is thought to be the first English settlement in what later became New York (some claim that distinction belongs to Southampton). While Anna may have still been a part of Reverend Youngs’ family, there’s nothing to verify that she moved with them to Long Island, and she likely separated from them at this time.

What then happened to Anna? Perhaps she was left behind under someone else’s supervision. One possibility is that she may have become a servant, or lived in the household, of a Salem man named John Thorne. He died about July 1646 and left his estate to her; Thorne seems to have been unmarried and had no descendants. Anna also inherited property in Great Yarmouth from her father when he died, and presumably had full title when she came of age. This has been described as “a vast amount of land.” She kept what she inherited all during her life, although there’s no evidence that she ever returned to England.

Salem in the 17th century.

Curiously, Anna turned up in a Salem court record in July of 1645. The case was concerning another woman, Susan West, who was charged with “immodesty towards Anna Palgrave.” Also mentioned as a witness was Tristam Dolliver, a man about ten years older than Anna. West had been accused of immodesty the year before, but was let off with a warning. In Puritan communities, being immodest meant wearing too much fancy clothing, such as lace, or exposing too much hair or skin in public. The suggestion here is that Anna tattled on the other woman for such an offense, but this is speculation.

In about 1651, Anna married Nicholas Woodbury and they made a home in eastern Salem, which later was split off to become Beverly, Massachusetts. She gave birth to nine children between 1653 and 1668, with two children dying young.

Anna appeared in another court case in January 1673 as a witness against a woman who was guilty of “abusive carriage” at Sunday services. The incident seemed to be about some bickering over seating, and a woman who wouldn’t slide over to allow space for another to squeeze in. The transcript gives Anna speaking in her own words about what happened:

“Goodwife Wolfe came in to the seat, and there not being enough room for her to sit down between us, [she] stood up in the seat before Goodwife Stackhouse, a good while till at last I being ashamed to see them, as I thought, contend for the upper hand, I spoke to Goodwife Stackhouse desiring of her to sit a little farther that Goodwife Wolfe might sit down. But she would not.” 

Her story went on to say that Mrs. Stackhouse wouldn’t give an inch until Mrs. Wolfe actually sat down on her lap for a few minutes. After Mrs. Wolfe got up and found a seat elsewhere, Mrs. Stackhouse called for her husband, who took her home. This little scene was important enough for the courts to get involved in 1670s Salem!

On May 16, 1686, Anna’s husband Nicholas died, leaving an estate worth £2,573; some of this was the property she had owned from her inheritances before she was married. She lived another 15 years and passed away in Beverly on June 10, 1701, and the land she held onto all those years was divided up among her surviving children.

Children:
1. Abigail Woodbury — B. before 4 Dec 1653, Salem, Massachusetts; D. before 28 Aug 1655, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts

2. Joanna Woodbury — B. Mar 1653, Salem, Massachusetts; D. before 30 Jun 1714, Boston, Massachusetts; M. Samuel Plummer (1647-1718), 5 Dec 1670, Newberry, Massachusetts

3. Nicholas Woodbury — B. May 1654, Salem, Massachusetts; D. before 31 Jul 1657, (probably) Beverly, Massachusetts

4. Abigail Woodbury — B. before 28 Aug 1655, Salem, Massachusetts; D. 28 Jan 1742, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Richard Ober (1641-1715), 26 Dec 1671, Beverly, Massachusetts

5. Nicholas Woodbury — B. 31 Jul 1657, Salem, Massachusetts; D. 13 Oct 1691, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Mary Elliott (1662-1729), 4 Jun 1684, Salem, Massachusetts

6. Joseph Woodbury — B. 20 Sep 1659, Salem, Massachusetts; D. 14 Oct 1714, Manchester, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth West (1663-?), 19 Dec 1687, Beverly, Massachusetts

7. Isaac Woodbury — B. 1661, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts; D. Oct 1733, Ipswich, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth _______ (1668-1703), about 1687

8. Andrew Woodbury — B. before 20 Sep 1665, Salem, Massachusetts; D. 3 Jun 1694, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Emma Elliot (~1665-?), about 1688 

9. Benjamin Woodbury — B. before 26 Apr 1668, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 23 Mar 1698, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Mary Woodbury (1674-1712), 23 Mar 1693, Beverly, Massachusetts

Sources:
Genealogical Sketches of the Woodbury Family, Charles Levi Woodbury, 1904
Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volumes I - IX, edited by George Francis Drew, 1912-1921, 1975
John Youngs (Wikipedia article)
WikiTree

Near the Staging of the Quebec Siege — Jacques Dubois

B. 14 Jun 1697 in Beaumont, New France¹
M. (1) 8 Aug 1717 in Quebec City, New France²
Wife: Marie-Madeleine Deseve-Poitevin
M. (2) 11 Nov 1720 in Ste-Foy, New France³
Wife: Marie-Therese Migneron
M. (3) 30 Jun 1744 in Beauport, New France⁴
Wife: Marie-Marguerite Menard
D. 20 Mar 1781 in St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec⁵

Sometimes a person’s life is defined by the history during which they lived. Such is the case for Jacques Dubois, whose community was heavily affected by the events along the St. Lawrence River in Canada in 1759.

Jacques was born in the côte-du-sud (south shore) town of Beaumont on June 14, 1697.¹ His parents were François Dubois and Marie Guay, and he was the oldest child of three, although there may have been other siblings who died as infants. At the time of his birth, there was no church at Beaumont and Jacques was taken up river to St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy for his baptism. Eventually the family moved near Pointe-Lévy.

On August 8, 1717, Jacques married Marie-Madeleine Deseve-Poitevin;² the couple had one daughter, but it isn’t known where they lived, and by 1720, Madeleine passed away. Jacques took a second wife, Marie-Therese Migneron, with the wedding taking place on the north shore at Ste-Foy on November 11, 1720;³ the parish record called him Pierre instead of Jacques, but his former wife is clearly identified, so this was certainly his marriage. Soon after that, he was living in Lauzon, and two daughters were born there in 1724 and 1732.

Jacques’ second wife Therese passed away on February 11, 1742,⁶ and he married a third woman, Marie-Marguerite Menard on June 30, 1744.⁴ The wedding was in her hometown of Beauport on the north shore, then he took her back to where he lived in Lauzon. His farm was among a small group of settlers on the Etchemin River, a tributary that flowed into the St. Lawrence from the south; Jacques’ widowed mother had been identified as living there as early as 1723.⁷ Even today, the area isn’t very built up, and looking from above, the ribbon farms can still be seen. A road was built there in 1751, giving much-needed access to the homes along the Etchemin, and “Dubois’ house” was mentioned as being on a turn in the road.⁷ It was here that his youngest two children were born in 1746 and 1757.

View of where Jacques lived along the Etchemin River.

Then came the turbulent years that upended the lives of all the people living in New France. Many factors caused war to break out between France and England, and when it did, the conflict played out in North America as the French and Indian War, also known as the Seven Years War. In 1754, English colonists in America outnumbered French colonists by 20 to 1, and dominated them economically. France was seeing no profit from its territory along the St. Lawrence River, and England’s naval forces ruled the seas. All of these circumstances led to French losses that allowed the English to sail into the Quebec area unopposed during the summer of 1759.

A British fleet of 8,000 men landed along the St. Lawrence on June 18, 1759, prompting many people to abandon their homes and seek shelter elsewhere. The intentions of the British invaders was to make nice with the French civilians, and at first, they did. But when they met with some resistance, their attitude changed. On July 25th, General Wolfe issued an order that his troops were free to “seize and bring in the farmers and their cattle, and to destroy and lay waste what they shall judge proper.”⁸ He also said to “burn every house and hut.” The execution of this order was carried out by lower level officers, and some of them didn’t hesitate to level the farms all along the south shore of the St. Lawrence. 

There are no specifics as to whether Jacques’ home was one of the burned out farms, but the Etchemin River was very close to the action, so it’s likely his place was affected. The English established a camp at Pointe-Lévy near the church where Jacques attended,⁹ and it became the main staging area for the attack on Quebec City, which was directly across the water. For two months, the British blasted their canons at the capital city; it was said that from September 5th to 8th, “a continual parade of troops” passed near the mouth of the Etchemin on their way to the climactic battle at the Plains of Abraham. The English captured Quebec on September 18th, but for those on the south shore, the war wasn’t over.

British forces on the St. Lawrence River in 1759.

It took several months for the English to completely neutralize the French around Lauzon. By the time winter set in, fighting was difficult for both sides, but the English held an advantage with their sheer numbers. For a time, St-Joseph church at Pointe-Levy was controlled by a small French force,⁷ but in early February 1760, they abandoned the position and retreated to the Etchemin River.⁷ Then on February 24th, the English crossed from Quebec with a force of 3,000 soldiers, and the French force moved up the St. Lawrence to St-Antoine-de-Tilly, leaving Pointe-Lévy settlers defenseless.⁷ Two days later, the English set fire to their houses;⁷ it was said that everything that wasn’t destroyed the previous summer, was now burned, and this almost certainly included Jacques’ house. He and his family, along with the other civilians, had to find shelter nearby.

After the war was over, and the English had charge of all of Canada, Jacques and the other people returned to their farms, and presumably, they rebuilt their homes. Life eventually returned to the community and their church, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, where Jacques was noted as having a bench in 1763.¹⁰ He lived many more years, dying on March 20, 1781.⁵ His wife Marguerite survived him, and passed away in 1798.¹¹

Child by Marie-Madeleine Deseve:
1. Marie-Charlotte Dubois — B. about 1720, New France;¹² D. 7 Oct 1751, Lauzon, New France;¹² M. Joseph Guilbault (1712-1799), 10 Jan 1741, Lauzon, New France¹³

Children by Marie-Therese Migneron:
1. Genevieve Dubois — B. 24 Jan 1724, Lauzon, New France;¹⁴ D. 26 Dec 1794, Quebec City, Quebec;¹⁵ M. Jean-Baptiste Roy (1713-1796), 7 Feb 1747, Lauzon, New France¹⁶

2. Angelique Dubois — B. 29 Mar 1732, Lauzon, New France;¹⁷ D. 14 May 1772, Lauzon, Quebec;¹⁸ M. Jean-Baptiste Huard (1731-1811), 9 Aug 1756, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec¹⁹

Children by Marie-Marguerite Menard:
1. Jacques Dubois — B. 22 Apr 1746, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, New France;²⁰ D. 21 May 1827, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec;²¹ M. Marie-Charlotte Dussault (1712-1799), 28 Jul 1766, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec²²

2. Marguerite Dubois — B. 11 Jun 1757, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, New France;²³ D. 22 Jan 1817, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec;²⁴ M. Michel-Amable Dussault (1753-1815), 4 Nov 1777, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec²⁵

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Jacques Dubois, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Jacques Dubois and Marie-Madeleine Deseve-Poitevin, Q.C.P.R.
3    Marriage record of Jacques Dubois and Marie-Therese Migneron, Q.C.P.R.
4    Marriage record of Jacques Dubois and Marie-Marguerite Menard, Q.C.P.R.
5    Burial record of Jacques Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
6    Burial record of Marie-Therese Migneron, Q.C.P.R.
7    Monographie: La Paroisse de St-Romuald d’Etchemin, Benjamin Demers, 1906
8    Revisiting 1759: The Conquest of Canada in Historical Perspective, Philip Alfred Buckner and John G. Reid, 2012
9    Lévis, Quebec (Wikipedia article)  
10  Histoire de la Seigneurie de Lauzon, Volume 2, Joseph-Edmond Roy, 1898
11  Burial record of Marie-Marguerite Menard, Q.C.P.R.
12  Burial record of Marie-Charlotte Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of Joseph Guilbault and Marie-Charlotte Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
14  Baptismal record of Genevieve Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
15  Burial record of Genevieve Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
16 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Roy and Genevieve Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
17  Baptismal record of Angelique Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Angelique Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Huard and Angelique Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Jacques Dubois (younger), Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Jacques Dubois (younger), Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Jacques Dubois and Marie-Charlotte Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
23  Baptismal record of Marguerite Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
24  Burial record of Marguerite Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
25  Marriage record of Michel-Amable Dussault and Marguerite Dubois, Q.C.P.R.

Rural Kansas Fruit Wholesaler — Thomas Michael Carey

B. 7 Oct 1864 in Gardiner, Kansas¹
M. 21 Oct 1895 in Burlington, Kansas²
Wife: Bertha Gertrude Kightlinger
D. 5 Feb 1937 in Coffeyville, Kansas¹

This is the story of a man who lost both of his parents when he was very young, yet managed to become a successful businessman in rural Kansas. He had a fine house, a wife and children, and was a well-respected member of his community. But he also had a secret that he kept from his family: he fathered a child by another woman before he was married. This fact was proven true using Ancestry DNA testing in 2017.

Thomas Michael Carey was born October 7, 1864 in Gardiner, Kansas to Simon Carey and Elizabeth Sutherlin, their first and only child.¹ Simon was an Irish immigrant who had moved to the Midwest and enlisted in the Union army during the Civil War.³ After he was discharged when the war ended, he died, probably from an injury he received while in the army.³ Thomas was just a year old, and his widowed mother married another Civil War soldier by the name of James Hampton.⁴ She died when Thomas was about 4-years-old.⁵

After he was orphaned, Thomas went to live with his maternal grandparents, Jackson and Mary Sutherlin.⁵ James Hampton had offered to raise his stepson because he was said to be interested in developing the boy’s “musical abilities.”⁶ But Mary Sutherlin insisted on taking young Thomas into her household. The 1880 census showed that the family lived in Everett, Kansas.⁷

In about 1890, Thomas and his widowed grandmother settled in Parsons, Kansas.⁸ It was here that he likely met up with a 19-year-old girl named Laura Ross, whose aunt and grandmother lived on the same block. In 1893, Laura became pregnant and claimed that Thomas was the father, but he refused to marry her.⁹ There is a story that he paid Laura $75 and then broke off contact. The child was born on October 7, 1893¹⁰ and was named for his father (he would later go by the name Thomas Michael Mitchell). The boy never met his biological father.

In March 1895, Thomas was still living in Parsons,¹¹ but later that year traveled to Burlington, Kansas to marry Bertha Gertrude Kightlinger on October 21st.² By the following year, they had settled in Coffeyville, where their first child together was born 1900,¹² and three more followed by 1913. Thomas took a job at Wells Brothers, a large merchandise distribution company. He seemed to have a talent for business and soon became the head of the grocery division; then in December 1902, he quit to set out on his own.¹³ The new company he founded was called the Carey Commission, which specialized in the wholesale of fruits and vegetables.¹⁴

Thomas during the prime of his life.

During the next couple of decades, Thomas’ income provided a comfortable life for his wife and children. The Coffeyville newspaper reported that the family moved into their “beautiful new home” in April of 1909, a two-story house with a large wrap-around porch.¹⁵ Thomas later added a garage and driveway for his 1912 car, a “fine five-passenger Chalmers.”¹⁶ The family often hosted gatherings and community events, such as a children’s Halloween party¹⁷ and a meeting of the Coffeyville Ladies Sewing Club,¹⁸ both events of which were mentioned in the paper.

Meanwhile Thomas’ business grew, and with his profits he invested in two commercial buildings in Coffeyville, each with storefronts of various local businesses. One of the buildings which he purchased in 1914 is still in use today; at the top of the main entrance just below the roofline is the name “CAREY.” It was considered to be “one of the best business and office buildings in the city.”¹⁹

The name "CAREY" is above the center window.

On January 2, 1911, Thomas was at one of his cold storage warehouses when a pipe he was trying to fix exploded.¹⁶ The blast injured three men and Thomas got the worst of it. It was said that the force of the explosion burned his face and “his coat was torn to shreds.” He spent a couple of weeks in the hospital. By January 27th, he was recovered enough that he was seen in a store buying a cap to cover the injuries on his neck and ears.²⁰ On the 31st, the newspaper wrote that he was “beginning to look like himself again,” and was “seen quite often on the streets shaking hands with friends and telling of his experience in the explosion.”²¹

Thomas was a member of a Masonic temple in Pittsburg, Kansas, and belonged to the Methodist-Episcopal Church in Coffeyville.¹ On June 6, 1916, he was elected president of the board of trustees of the church,²² and he was still in this position as late as February 1921.²³

The Carey Commission was dissolved in May 1917 and split into smaller businesses, one of which he retained as The Carey Fruit Company.²⁴ Thomas and some associates applied for a charter with “a capitalization of $100,000.” He had his headquarters in Coffeyville, and plants in Bartlesville, and in Parsons, where he was planning to build an “up-to-date” cold storage warehouse.²⁵ His business was described in 1921 as handling train carloads of fruits and vegetables that were housed in his warehouses for distribution. Most of the produce could only be stored for up to five or six days, otherwise it would go bad, so the inventory had to be turned around within that time.

Not only did Thomas run a large business, but he was also a leader in Coffeyville’s business community. In August 1917, he was named the head of a committee to regulate the cost of gas.²⁶ Also in November 1921, he attended a conference about improving the roads in and out of Coffeyville.²⁷ In December, it was reported that he was also on a committee to get improvements to the public schools, including building a new junior high.²⁸

In about 1918, Thomas moved his family into a larger house in Coffeyville. The new place featured a concrete staircase leading to the entry and a columned porch above the front door. Like his earlier home, it’s still standing today, and dominates the block that it’s on. About ten years later, after the children married and moved out, Thomas and his wife moved to a more modest house a few blocks away.²⁹

Thomas' house during the 1920s.

On February 5, 1937, Thomas died in the hospital after a brief illness, and he was buried in Fairview Cemetery in Coffeyville.¹ Bertha lived another 9 years, dying on October 31, 1946.³⁰

Proof that Thomas Carey fathered Thomas Mitchell
Laura Ross told her son Thomas that his father was named Thomas Carey and that he was named after him.⁹

During the 1890s, Thomas Carey of Coffeyville, Kansas was the only one by that name in the entire state who was unmarried and the right age to fit Laura Ross’ story.³¹

The 1893 Parsons City Directory had Thomas Carey and Mary Sutherlin living in separate houses on Felix Avenue. Laura Ross’ grandmother and aunt were listed in the 1891 Parsons City Directory as living on the same street about a block away; this was a place where the extended family gathered every week for Sunday dinner, including Laura.^8,9

Thomas Michael Carey and Thomas Michael Mitchell share the same first and middle names, which fits the story that one was named after the other. No one else in Laura Ross’ extended family was known to have either the name Thomas or Michael.

A son of Thomas Mitchell had his Y-chromosome tested and although no exact matches turned up, many of the closest ones were of Irish heritage, as it would be if Thomas Carey was Thomas Mitchell’s father. The closest match, at 34 of 37 identical markers, is for a man with the surname Carey.

And most importantly, two granddaughters of Thomas Mitchell have Ancestry DNA and 23andMe matches with several people descended from Thomas Carey. The closest match for one of them is with Thomas Carey’s great-granddaughter at 147 centimorgans on 7 segments. This reads as being a virtual certainty that the two people descend from a recent common ancestor.

Child by Laura Ethol Ross (born out-of-wedlock):
1. Thomas Michael Mitchell — B. 7 Oct 1893, Oswego, Kansas;³² D. 10 Mar 1980, Monterey Park, California;³² M. (1) Tillie R. Nack (1894-1915), 11 Nov 1912, Tacoma, Washington;³³ (2) Hazel Laura Elwood (1901-1964), 11 Feb 1921, Los Angeles, California;³⁴ (3) Lillian Myrtle Johnson (1909-2002), 8 Mar 1944, Alhambra, California³⁵

Children by Bertha Gertrude Kightlinger:
1. Gladys Mae Carey — B. 10 Apr 1900, (probably) Coffeyville, Kansas;¹² D. 22 Jun 1979, Muskogee, Oklahoma;¹² M. Sidney Ross Rugh (1899-1967), about 1920¹²

2. Floyd Thomas Carey — B. 10 Sep 1903, Coffeyville, Kansas;³⁶ D. 30 Oct 1938, Coffeyville, Kansas;³⁶ M. Eva L. Maloney (1904-1968)³⁶

3. Donald Meredith Carey — B. 6 Jan 1906, Coffeyville, Kansas;³⁷ D. 17 Sep 2000, (probably) Tulsa, Oklahoma;³⁷ M. (1) Blanche Abston (~1900-?);³⁷ (2) LIVING, 7 Dec 1952, Tulsa, Oklahoma³⁷

4. Aileen Hortense Carey — B. 10 Aug 1913, (probably) Coffeyville, Kansas;³⁸ D. Jul 1982, Oklahoma;³⁸ M. Norman Huhnerman (1916-1979)³⁸

Sources
1    “Tom Carey is Dead After Brief Illness,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, February 6, 1937
2    Marriage record of Thomas Carey and Bertha Kightlinger, Kansas Marriages, 1840-1935, FamilySearch.org
3    Simon Carey Civil War record, Missouri Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865, FamilySearrch.org
4    Marriage record of James H. Hampton and Elizabeth C. Carey, Kansas County Marriages, 1855-1911, FamilySearch.org
5    1870 U.S. Census, Johnson, Kansas
6    Family story as told by Patricia (Carey) Bishop in a message board post dated March 20, 2001
7    1880 U.S. Census, Everett, Kansas
8    1891 and 1893 Parsons, Kansas city directories
9    Stories told to me July 1976 by Thomas Michael Mitchell
10  Family bible of Laura Ethol (Ross) Sheridan
11  1895 Kansas State Census, Parsons, Kansas
12  Find-a-Grave listing for Gladys M. Rugh  
13  “Tom Carey to Leave,” The Coffeyville Record, December 10, 1902
14  “Three Men Burned in an Ammonia Explosion,” The Coffeyville Daily Herald, January 2, 1911
15  Coffeyville Daily Herald, April 6, 1909
16  “Tom Carey an Autoist,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, May 20, 1912
17  “In Social Circles,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, November 1, 1909
18  “U.C.T. Ladies’ Sewing Club,” The Coffeyville Daily Herald, March 4, 1910
19  “Big Real Estate Deal,” The Daily Earth (Coffeyville, Kansas), March 17, 1914
20  “Tom Carey is Out Again,” The Coffeyville Daily Herald, January 27, 1911
21  “Tom Carey Out Again,” The Coffeyville Daily Herald, January 31, 1911
22  “Carey President of Board,” The Sun (Coffeyville, Kansas), June 6, 1916
23  “M.E. Church Has Made Big Gains in Past Year,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, February 11, 1921
24  “Applies for Charter,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, May 7, 1917
25  “Mr. Carey’s Parsons Plans,” The Coffeyville Weekly Journal, May 17, 1917
26  “Gas Committee Named,” The Sun (Coffeyville, Kansas), August 9, 1917
27  “Coffeyville-Caney Road is Taken Up,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, November 10, 1921
28  “Secretary York’s Report as Read to Chamber of Commerce Last Night,” The Coffeyville Daily Journal, December 8, 1921
29  1928 Coffeyville, Kansas city directory
30  Find-a-Grave listing for Bertha Gertrude (Kightlinger) Carey  
31  1900 U.S. Census Soundex for the name Thomas Carey in Kansas
32  Death record of Thomas Michael Mitchell, California Death Index, 1940-1997, FamilySearch.org
33  Marriage record of Thomas Sheridan and Tillie Nack, Washington County Marriages, 1855-2008, FamilySearch.org
34  Marriage record of Thomas Mitchell and Hazel Elwood, California Marriages, 1850-1945, FamilySearch.org
35  Marriage record of Thomas Mitchell and Lillian Johnson, California Marriages, 1850-1945, FamilySearch.org
36  Find-a-Grave listing for Floyd Thomas Carey  
37  Find-a-Grave listing for Donald Meredith Carey  
38  Find-a-Grave listing for Aileen (Carey) Huhnermann 

What’s In a Virtue Name — Waitstill Strong

B. about 1677 in Northampton, Massachusetts¹
M. (1) 19 Dec 1701 in Northampton, Massachusetts²
Wife: Sarah Janes
M. (2) 7 Mar 1708 in Northampton, Massachusetts³
Wife: Mindwell Bartlett
D. 13 Nov 1762 in Northampton, Massachusetts⁴

Puritans in colonial New England applied great importance to the naming of their children. They often gave them names that represented their devotion to their religion, using virtuous words such as thankful, patience and silence as first names. But some virtue names were more curious than others, such as the one given to a man named Waitstill Strong.

Waitstill was born about 1677 in Northampton, Massachusetts to Thomas Strong and Rachel Holton.¹ What does the name mean? There’s speculation that it expressed a desire of parents when they had wanted a child of the opposite sex; “wait-still” was a reminder to trust in God that they would get their wish in the future.⁵ The Waitstill of this biography was the fourth son in a row born to his mother, so maybe she chose his unusual name for that reason. And her next baby did turn out to be the daughter she wanted.

After he came of age, Waitstill married a woman named Sarah Janes. The wedding took place in Northampton on December 19, 1701,² and about a year later, they had a son who was also given the name Waitstill, although most likely the child was simply named for his father. A couple of years later, Sarah passed away, and on March 7, 1708, Waitstill took a second wife who had the vanity name of Mindwell Bartlett.³ (It’s easy to imagine that they were the only couple ever named Waitstill and Mindwell.) Between 1709 and 1721, they had seven children, one of whom died as an infant.

Some examples of New England Puritan virtue names.

Waitstill spent his life in Northampton as a farmer, but he also owned 300 acres at nearby Cold Spring (present-day Belchertown) which he sold in 1728.⁶ Many sources say that he served as a sergeant in several military campaigns between 1722 and 1725, but given that he had a son with the same name who was a more appropriate age, the younger man was probably the one involved.

Waitstill’s wife Mindwell died on June 26, 1741,⁷ and since all of their children were grown, he didn’t remarry. He lived on for many years, and died in Northampton at the age of about 85 on November 13, 1762.⁴

Child by Sarah Janes:
1. Waitstill Strong — B. 18 Jan 1704, Northampton, Massachusetts;⁸ D. 9 Oct 1792, Southampton, Massachusetts;¹ M. (1) Esther Root (1683-?), 23 Nov 1736, Northampton, Massachusetts;⁹ (2) Mary Wright, 23 Feb 1752, Massachusetts¹⁰

Children by Mindwell Bartlett:
1. John Strong — B. 2 Dec 1709, Northampton, Massachusetts;¹¹ D. 19 Oct 1779, Northampton, Massachusetts;¹² M. (1) Hannah Root (1722-?);¹² (2) Eunice Brown (1730-1786), 11 Nov 1762¹

2. Mindwell Strong — B. 30 Oct 1711, Northampton, Massachusetts;¹² D. 26 Jun 1754, Southampton, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Samuel Clapp, (1711-1775) 23 Nov 1732, Northampton, Massachusetts¹⁵

3. Submit Strong — B. 23 Dec 1712, Northampton, Massachusetts;¹⁶ D. 24 Apr 1788, Easthampton, Massachusetts;¹⁷ M. Jonathan Clapp (1713-1782), 23 Jan 1735, Northampton, Massachusetts¹⁸

4. Phebe Strong — B. 3 Dec 1714, Northampton, Massachusetts;¹⁹ D. 13 Nov 1753, Northampton, Massachusetts;²⁰ M. John Wright (1713-1795), 18 Mar 1741, Northampton, Massachusetts¹

5. Benjah Strong — B. 30 Jun 1717, Northampton, Massachusetts;²¹ D. 12 Jan 1783, Northampton, Massachusetts;²² M. Mabel Bartlett (1721-1795), about 1740, (probably) Northampton, Massachusetts¹

6. Eleazer Strong — B. 1 Apr 1721, Northampton, Massachusetts;²³ D. young¹

7. Ithamar Strong — B. 1 Apr 1721, Northampton, Massachusetts;²⁴ D. 28 Jul 1805, Northampton, Massachusetts;²⁵ M. Experience King (1726-1795), 23 Jun 1750, Northampton, Massachusetts¹

Sources:
1    The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong of Northampton, Mass., V. II, Benjamin W. Dwight, 1871
2    Marriage record of Waitstill Strong and Sarah Janes, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Waitstill Strong and Mindwell Bartlett, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
4    Find-a-Grave listing for Waitstill Strong  
5    Behind the Name (website)  
6    The History of Northampton, James Russell Trumbull, 1902
7    Death record of Mindwell Strong, Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910, FamilySearch.org
8    Birth record of Waitstill Strong (younger), Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1635-1915, FamilySearch.org
9    Marriage record of Waitstill Strong and Esther Root, Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, FamilySearch.org
10  WikiTree listing of Waitstill Strong (younger)  
11  Birth record of John Strong, M. B. & C.
12  WikiTree listing of John Strong  
13  Birth record of Mindwell Strong, M. B. & C.
14  Find-a-Grave listing for Mindwell (Strong) Clapp  
15  Marriage record of Samuel Clapp and Mindwell Strong, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
16  Birth record of Submit Strong, M. B. & C.
17  Death record of Submit Strong Clap, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
18  Marriage record of Jonathan Clapp and Submit Strong, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
19  Birth record of Phebe Strong, M. B. & C.
20  Find-a-Grave listing for Phebe (Strong) Wright  
21  Birth record of Benjah Strong, M. B. & C.
22  Find-a-Grave listing for Benjah Strong  
23  Birth record of Eleazer Strong, M. B. & C.
24  Birth record of Ithamar Strong, M. B. & C.
25  Find-a-Grave listing for Ithamar Strong