Six Children On a 17th-Century Ship — Annis Austin

B. before 1 Feb 1597 in (probably) Titchfield, England
M. 16 Oct 1614 in Titchfield, England
Husband: Edmund Littlefield
D. before 7 Mar 1678 in Wells, Maine

Among the thousands who migrated to Puritan Massachusetts was Annis Austin, who made her 1638 journey along with six children. Usually a woman would be traveling with a husband, but hers had already moved there, and he was awaiting her arrival.

Annis (also spelled Agnes) was one of seven children born to Richard and Annis Austin. She was baptized on February 1, 1597 in Titchfield, England, a village in Hampshire. While just a teen, Annis married Edmund Littlefield on October 16, 1614. Edmund made a living as a cloth-maker, which was the main industry in Titchfield. They had at least ten children, born between about 1616 and 1635; only the first child is known to have died young.

By 1636, Puritan beliefs led the Littlefields to abandon England for the colonies in America. For some reason, Edmond left first, taking their two oldest sons with him. He must have gotten word to Annis to join him because in the spring of 1638, she boarded the ship Bevis with children ages 3 to 13. Traveling with her were two men referred to as “servants”: John Knight, a carpenter, and Hugh Durdal. Also on the Bevis was Annis’ brother Richard, who was traveling with his wife and children. He settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts, and among his descendants was Stephen Austin, famous in Texas history, and the man that the city of Austin is named after.

Even with Annis’ brother and servants present on the ship, the crossing must have been challenging. The Bevis was a “merchant sailing ship,” and therefore not really designed for passengers. With six children in tight quarters likely feeling the effects of sea-sickness, Annis had to tend to them and make sure they stayed out of trouble. It must have been a relief to reach the dock in Boston.

Annis and Edmond didn’t remain in Massachusetts. The Littlefields became followers of Reverend John Wheelwright, an influential preacher who had been on the same ship as Edmund. When Wheelwright clashed with the authorities in Boston, he was forced to leave, and a group of 175 people went with him. This set the course for the rest of Annis’ life, as she made a home first in Exeter, New Hampshire, then in the town of Wells, Maine.

Edmund passed away in 1661, and during her widowhood, Annis was taken care of by her son Thomas. She wrote a will on December 12, 1677, and an inventory of her estate was made on March 7 1678, so she died between those two dates. Annis had many descendants, including President Millard Fillmore and Elon Musk.

Children:
1. Anne Littlefield — B. before 11 Feb 1616, Titchfield, England; D. Jan 1617, Titchfield, England 

2. Edward Littlefield — B. before 17 February 1718, Titchfield, England; D. Jun 1635, Titchfield, England

3. Francis Littlefield — B. before 17 Jun 1619, Titchfield, England; D. before Nov 1712, Wells, Maine; M. (1) Jane Hill (1620-1646), about 1646, Massachusetts; (2) Rebecca Rust (1630-1685), 14 Dec 1646, Wells, Maine; (3) Mary Wade (1633-1713), before 1689, (probably) Massachusetts

4. Anthony Littlefield — B. 7 Oct 1621, Titchfield, England; D. 11 Dec 1661, York County, Maine; M. Mary Page (1635-1663), about 1652, (probably) Maine

5. John Littlefield — B. before 1 Nov 1624, Titchfield, England; D. 9 Feb 1697, Wells, Maine; M. Patience Wakefield (~1635-~1702), about 1655, Gloucester, Massachusetts 

6. Elizabeth Littlefield — B. before 22 Jul 1627, Titchfield, England; M. John Wakefield (1616-1674)

7. Mary Littlefield — B. about 1630, (probably) Titchfield, England; M. (1) John Barrett; (2) Thomas Page

8. Thomas Littlefield — B. before 10 Aug 1633, Titchfield, England; D. before Mar 1690, Berwick, Maine; M. (1) Ruth ______, before Jan 1664; (2) Sarah ______, after 1674 

9. Hannah or Anne Littlefield — B. before 10 Aug 1633, Titchfield, England; D. about 1680, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts; M. Peter Cloyes (1639-1708), 1663, Wells, Maine

10. Francis Littlefield — B. before 24 Mar 1635, Titchfield, England; D. 6 Feb 1674, Wells, Maine; M. Meribah Wardwell (1637-?), 1652, Wells, Maine 

Sources:

Aboard the Hopewell to a New Life — William Lane

B. about 1581 in (probably) Beaminster, England¹
M. before 1606 in (probably) Beaminster, England¹
Wife: Agnes _______
D. before 5 Jul 1654 in Dorchester, Massachusetts¹

On a day in May of 1635, 18 brave families boarded a ship bound for America, and William Lane was among them. They were Puritans, said to be seeking a religious haven, and all were from South West England. William didn’t stand out among the group — he wasn’t a leader or minister, and he left no significant legacy. He simply represented the many who came to populate New England.

We don’t know when William was born, but calculating the average age of men when they got married, his birth year was about 1581.¹ He first turned up in records on June 18, 1606 as the father of a child at a christening, so it’s likely he married in about 1604 or 1605.¹ His wife was only known by the first name of Agnes,¹ and the christenings took place in Beaminster,¹ a village in the western part of Dorset. It isn’t known how long he lived there because only his first three children show up in town records. The birth of his fourth child in about 1613 likely took place somewhere else, and reportedly, a sixth child was born in the village of Cruwys Morchard in 1620.² All totaled, there were seven children born to William and Agnes.

William lived at a time when those who believed in Puritanism were leaving England in large numbers. The Great Migration brought families to the newly settled Massachusetts colony, and on May 8, 1635, William and Agnes along with their son Andrew boarded the ship Hopewell sailing out of Weymouth.¹ Two other children, George and Sarah, sailed on another ship that left in March,¹ and oldest daughter Annis was already married so she came over with her husband.¹ Youngest daughters Mary and Elizabeth were likely on the Hopewell, but not named on the passenger list. 

Arriving on the Hopewell. (AI-generated image)

The Lane family settled in Dorchester,¹ which was already populated by other settlers from South West England. Within in a year, many of them formed a group who went off to settle along the Connecticut River, but William didn’t join them, perhaps because he was already past 55 years of age. Instead he acquired land in the Dorchester area; one tract was of 3 acres located “in the neck,” a grant he received on January 2, 1638.¹

Little else is mentioned in records about William. His wife Agnes likely died during the 1640s, and in his old age, William took in his daughter Mary, whose husband Joseph Long had returned to England and died there.³ When William wrote his will in 1651, he saw to it that Mary would receive 24 acres of land, and be allowed to stay in his house as long as she needed.¹

William passed away in Dorchester some time before July 5, 1654 when the inventory was taken for his estate.¹ It was valued at £82 10 s 8-1/2 d, not including his real estate. William was the ancestor of Pete Seeger and actress Amanda Bearse.⁴

Children:
1. Annis Lane — B. before 18 Jun 1606, (probably) Beaminster, England;¹ D. 14 Feb 1683, Hingham, Massachusetts;⁵ M. Thomas Lincoln (~1600-1691), about 1630, (probably) Beaminster, England¹

2. William Lane — B. before 28 Aug 1608, (probably) Beaminster, England;¹ (probably) died young¹

3. Andrew Lane — B. before 9 May 1610, (probably) Beaminster, England;¹ D. 1 May 1675, Hingham, Massachusetts;⁵ M. Tryphena _______ (1612-1707)¹

4. George Lane — B. about 1613, England;¹ D. 11 Jun 1689, Hingham, Massachusetts;⁷ M. Sarah Harris (?-1695), before 1638¹

5. Sarah Lane — B. about 1617, England;¹ D. 19 Aug 1695, Hull, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Nathaniel Baker (?-1686), before 1639¹

6. Mary Lane — B. 22 Oct 1620, Cruwys Morchard, England;⁹ D. before 7 Sep 1671, (probably) Middletown, Connecticut;⁹ M. (1) Joseph Long (~1600-~1651), before 1636, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Joseph Farnsworth (?-1659), after May 1651, Dorchester, Massachusetts;⁹ (3) John Wilcox (~1620-1676), 20 Apr 1660, Dorchester, Massachusetts⁹

7. Elizabeth Lane — B. about 1627, England;¹ D. 23 May 1655, Boston, Massachusetts;¹⁰ M. Thomas Rider, about 1647¹

Sources:
1    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
2    WikiTree listing of Mary Lane
3    Massachusetts Archives, Book 9, p. 16
4    FamousKin.com listing of William Lane
5    Find-a-Grave listing og Avis (Lane) Lincoln
6    Find-a-Grave listing of Andrew Lane
7    Find-a-Grave listing of George Lane
8    Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah Baker
9    WikiTree listing of Mary Lane
10  Find-a-Grave listing of Elizabeth (Lane) Rider

Scots-Irish Man in Early Indiana — Robert Hunter

B. about 1780, Downpatrick, County Down, Ireland¹
M. before 1803, location unknown²
Wife: Naomi _______
D. after 1850, (probably) Knox County, Indiana³

Robert Hunter represents the non-French Europeans who began populating the Midwest at the turn of the 19th century. Many of these people were of the Mid-Atlantic English colonies who had just won their independence, but Robert came from Ireland with a heritage that traced back to Scotland.

Robert was born in about 1780 in the town of Downpatrick,¹ which is in present-day Northern Ireland. Nothing is known of his family or childhood. This leaves the curious question, when and why did he come to America? If he came as a boy with his parents, that would have been during the American Revolution, which seems doubtful. More likely was that he traveled on his own as a young adult. He probably landed at a place like Philadelphia in about 1800, and soon after, headed west. 

Map showing Downpatrick, Ireland.

Robert wound up in Vincennes, a former French trading post in what is now Indiana.⁴ Through later records, we know that he married a woman named Naomi.³ She was of an English heritage, and had been born in Delaware,^3,5 but without a maiden name, her family has been impossible to track. Between about 1803 and about 1832, they had up to a dozen children.⁶

The village of Vincennes during Robert’s day was a lively place, with all of the characteristics of the American frontier. His neighbors were a mix of families from places like Kentucky and Virginia, and those descended from the French fur traders who came a generation earlier. Robert’s home was likely a log cabin, but also may have been a simple wooden structure; records show that he lived at the corner of 4th and Dubois.⁷

Robert’s name turned up on several court records during this time, starting in June 1806 when he served on a jury.⁴ The record described the 12 jurors as “good and lawful men, who [were] elected tried and sworn.” The trial doesn’t seem to have gone forward, though.

In July 1813, he and his wife were somehow involved with unlawful actions concerning a woman named Fanny Dixon.⁸ The woman was assaulted by a man named Wrexham Ellis, and Naomi seems to have been an important witness. Then in a court case tried in February and March of 1815, Robert brought charges against the same woman for stealing a coffee pot and a tin pan in July 1813.⁹ The suggestion is that both incidents are related and may have happened at the same time. The coffee pot and tin pan were valued at 50¢ each. The court record said that Fanny Dixon took the items “with force and arms,” but this may have been boilerplate language. 

Court document about 1815 case.

In another colorful case that October, Robert was summoned to court along with three other men as witnesses to a “riot.”¹⁰ The details of this case are sketchy, so it’s hard to really make sense of it. In yet another case in 1816, Robert was named as owing some money along with three other men.¹¹ One significant detail was that a transcript of part of the record indicated that his signature is on the document, meaning he was literate.

Since Robert was an immigrant, at some point it seemed important to him to become an American citizen. So on March 1, 1830, he foreswore allegiance to Ireland and became naturalized.¹ Sometime during the 1820s, Robert moved out of Vincennes to a new area of farms in Knox County called Harrison Township. The 1830 census listed him there,¹² and he was listed again in 1840 and 1850.^13,3 The Hunters were members of the Indiana Church, a Presbyterian church in Knox County. Robert was admitted to the church for the first time in a meeting on July 4, 1824, and Naomi was admitted a couple weeks later.¹⁴

Robert’s personality is revealed by an incident involving the church when he was brought in to “converse with” elders about charges against him.¹⁴ The record told that that in August 1830 he had shown up drunk at a church election, and in June 1831, he had struck another parishioner, and also had encouraged “fighting and swearing.” The elders ended up ruling that Robert be suspended from church membership until “he brings forth fruitment for repentance.” It wasn’t until June 29, 1834 that he was restored to his full standing in the church. 

Standing before the elders. (AI-generated image)

After his suspension from the church was lifted, Robert seems to have behaved himself because there were no further records of misconduct. The last known record of Robert and his wife Naomi was their appearance in 1850 U.S. Census.³ They were both missing in the 1860 census, so presumably they passed away before that date.

Children (the ones who are named in records):
1. Isabelle Hunter — B. about 1803, Indiana;¹⁵ D. 8 Jan 1872, Vincennes, Indiana;¹⁶ M. John Baptiste Edeline (1802-1849), 11 Jun 1826, Vincennes, Indiana¹⁷

2. James Hunter — B. about 1805, Indiana;¹³ D. 12 Sep 1848, Knox County, Indiana;¹⁸ M. Parmelia Westfall (1808-1870), 10 Jul 1831, Knox County, Indiana¹⁹

3. (possibly) Elizabeth Hunter — B. between 1805 and 1810, Indiana;²⁰ M. Ephraim Jordon (~1809-?), 6 Mar 1834, Knox County, Indiana²¹

4. (possibly) Jane Hunter — B. about 1810, (probably) Knox County, Indiana;²⁰ M. William Jordon, 5 Nov 1828, Knox County, Indiana²²

5. Robert Hunter — B. about 1822, Indiana;³ M. (1) Martha Thacker, 1 Oct 1846, Knox County, Indiana;²³ (2) Zerena Lafter (~1827-?), 21 Jun 1849, Knox County, Indiana²⁴

6. Naomi Hunter — B. about 1832, (probably) Knox County, Indiana;³ D. after 1880;²⁵ M. John Kensler (1825-1899), 7 Oct 1851, Knox County, Indiana²⁶

Sources:

1    Naturalization record of Robert Hunter, 1 Mar 1830, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage date is based on age of oldest known child, Isabelle
3    1850 U.S. Census, Knox County, Indiana
4    Knox County Minutes of the Court of Common Pleas, 1801-1806, FamilySearch.org
5    “My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com
6    The names of Robert and Naomi Hunter’s children are gathered from various sources. Their relation to Robert and Naomi is implied in some cases because they were the only family named Hunter living in Knox County, Indiana at the time. Based on early census records, the number of children may have been as high as 12.
7    Miscellaneous papers found in the vault of the clerk, City Hall, Vincennes, 1784-1815, FamilySearch.org
8    Assault and battery case of Wrexham Ellis, Indiana Memory (website)
9    United States vs. Fanny Dixon, Indiana Memory (website)
10  United States vs. James Lansdown, Indiana Memory (website)
11  Recapitulation of debt and damages case, Indiana Memory (website)
12  1830 U.S. Census, Knox County, Indiana
13  1840 U.S. Census, Knox County, Indiana
14  Minutes of the Session of the Upper Indiana Church, compiled by Mary Aline Polk, Helen Polk and Mary R. Hribal, 1965
15  1870 U.S. Census, Vincennes, Indiana
16  Marriage record of Isabella Hunter, Indiana, U.S., Marriage Index, 1806-1861, Ancestry.com
17  Find-a-Grave listing for Isabella (Hunter) Edeline
18  James Hunter’s death date was mentioned on several Ancestry family trees. His wife was living without a husband in the 1850 U.S. Census.
19  Marriage record of James Hunter and Parmelia Westfall, Indiana, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1802-1892, Ancestry.com
20  1820 U.S. Census, Vincennes, Indiana
21  Marriage record of Ephraim Jordon and Elizabeth Hunter, I., U.S., M. I.
22  Marriage record of William Jordan and Jane Hunter, I., U.S., C. M.
23  Marriage record of Robert Hunter and Martha Thacker, I., U.S., M. I.
24  Marriage record of Robert Hunter and Zerena Lafter, I., U.S., M. I.
25  1880 U.S. Census, Vincennes, Indiana
26  Marriage record of John Kensler and Naoma Hunter, Indiana, U.S., Marriage Certificates, 1960-2012, Ancestry.com