First European Mother in Canada — Françoise Langlois

B. about 1599 in France¹
M. before 1620 in France²
Husband: Pierre Desportes
D. 20 Apr 1632 in Dieppe, France²

The year before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock, an anonymous French ship brought a handful of settlers to a small enclave on the St. Lawrence River. One of them was Françoise Langlois, who became the first European woman to give birth there.

Little is known about Françoise’s background, though some have said she was born in 1599, the daughter of Guillaume Langlois and Jeanne Millette in Calvados, France,^1,2 which is in Normandy. After marrying a man named Pierre Desportes,² the two were recruited to become pioneer colonists in Canada. Up until 1608, the region had only seen seasonal seasonal visits from men who fished and traded with the Indians. Then explorer Samuel de Champlain decided to make a permanent settlement, building a small wooden enclosure at a bend in the St. Lawrence called Quebec. Part of his plan was to bring over women along with their husbands, and in 1619, Pierre and Françoise, along with her sister Marguerite and husband Abraham Martin, signed on.²

During that first year, Françoise’s daughter Hélène was born. The record of the child’s baptism is lost, but later records for Hélène identified her birth year based on her age. Hélène's godmother was Hélène Boulle, Champlain’s wife, who arrived in Quebec in late July 1620, therefore putting the historic birth during the second half of that year.³ No other child’s birth preceded Hélène, and she was the first to be born in the colony. Françoise seems to have had no other children born to her.

The birth of Hélène. (AI-generated image)

Living conditions in Quebec were challenging because the settlement was isolated, and the winters were bitterly cold. Champlain had intended to have more people migrate to Canada, but very few did, and by 1627, the population was only 55.² Françoise and the other women worked together for their survival, pooling resources and midwifing for each others babies. When supply ships were delayed, the colony experienced periods of starvation, often having to grind peas into soup as their only nourishment.⁴

Françoise was a godmother to a child of another Quebec settler in 1627,² and to another child on May 18, 1629.⁵ Two months later, the colony was invaded by Englishman David Kirke, and most of the French settlers were forcibly taken back to France by way of England. Françoise, Pierre and Hélène ended up in the city of Dieppe.² According the records of the Church of Saint-Jacques, Françoise passed away on April 20, 1632.² It isn’t known when Pierre died, but it was within a couple of years of her death.²

After France regained control of the Quebec settlement in 1633, Françoise’s young daughter Hélène returned to Canada. She would go on to marry twice, and giving Françoise many descendants, including Madonna, Céline Dion, Jim Carrey, Angelina Jolie, Bridget Fonda, Julianne Hough, Jack Kerouac. Ricky Gervais, Cliff Arquette, Roseanna Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Emeril Lacasse, June Foray, Leo Durocher, Chloë Sevigny, Pierre Trudeau and Justin Trudeau.⁶

Child:

1. Hélène Desportes — B. 1620, Quebec City, New France;³ D. 24 Jun 1675, Quebec City, New France;⁷ M. (1) Guillaume Hébert (~1614-1639), 1 Oct 1634, Quebec City, New France;⁸ (2) Noël Morin (~1609-1680 ), 9 Jan 1640, Quebec City, New France⁹

Sources:
1    Françoise’ birth is estimated on her age when she came to Canada.
2    Hélène’s World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth Century Quebec, Susan McNelley, 2014
3    Généalogie du Québec et d’ Amérique française listing of Helene Desportes
4    Baptismal record of Helene Martin, Q., C. P. R.
5    Baptismal record of Louis Couillard, Q., C. P. R.
6    FamousKin.com listing for Françoise Langlois
7    Burial record of Hélène Desportes, Q., C. P. R.
8    Marriage record of Guillaume Hébert and Hélène Desportes, Q., C. P. R.
9    Marriage record of Noël Morin and Hélène Desportes, Q., C. P. R.

Hard-working Indentured Servant — Joachim Martin

B. about 1636 in Aytré, France¹
M. (1) 5 Nov 1662 in Quebec City, New France²
Wife: Marie Chalifour
M. (2) 16 Jun 1669 in Quebec City, New France³
Wife: Anne-Charlotte Petit
D. 30 Jun 1690 in Saint-Pierre, Île d'Orleans, New France⁴

Joachim Martin was like many of the men who populated New France: he started out as an indentured servant and made a life for himself when his service ended. He was born about 1636 in Aytré, France to Jacques Martin and Luce Chaslut.¹ Aytré was a village on the coastline just south of La Rochelle, a major seaport for ships coming and going to New France. Joachim’s mother died when he was a young boy and his father remarried. The family moved into La Rochelle by 1649.⁵

On April 11, 1656, Joachim signed a contract to become a laborer in New France.¹ The agreement said he was to receive the sum of 75 livres per year for three years. He boarded the ship Le Taureau on April 30th along with 30 other indentured men; the crossing took about six weeks, arriving at Quebec City on June 15th.⁶ Typically, Joachim would have been assigned to work for someone doing labor for their farm, household, or business, but no record survives of who he might have worked for.

Joachim’s 1656 labor agreement.

Boarding the ship to Canada. (AI-generated image)

After his term of service was up in February 1660, Joachim bought a farm in L’Ange-Gardien on the Beaupré Coast, but cancelled his purchase the following day.¹ He may have at this point signed another contract of servitude. There was a shortage of women in New France, and on November 5, 1662, Joachim married a 13 year-old girl named Marie Chalifour at Notre-Dame de Quebec.² Her father, Paul Chalifour, offered to build the couple a house 18 by 16 feet, and he promised to feed them “until All-Saints’ Day 1663,”¹ but Marie died within the year.⁷ In 1664, Joachim settled on the Île d’Orleans; he was listed in 1667 as having 9 arpents of land under cultivation.⁸

Joachim married a second wife, Anne-Charlotte Petit on June 16, 1669 in Quebec City.³ Between 1671 and 1689, they had eight children. The family lived on Ile d’Orleans until 1680 when Joachim signed a 3-year sharecropping lease under Pierre Denis.¹ The deal offered workable land with 6 arpents of river frontage in La Canardiére. The land had “a habitable house, barn, stable yards [and] garden.” Joachim was required to share half of his crops with Denis.

The 1681 census shows that Joachim owned a gun and 10 head of cattle, with 15 arpents under cultivation.⁹ In 1683, he was hired by a wealthy woman in Quebec City, Anne Auber, to deliver building materials for her new house; he was paid by the boatload.¹ By 1685, Joachim and his family returned to Île d’Orleans, to the parish of Saint-Pierre, where his last two children were born.^10,11 The house where the family of 10 lived measured 24 by 18 feet.¹

Joachim's land in Saint-Pierre.

In 1690, Joachim spent 9 days in the hospital at Quebec City, but returned home, and he died on June 30, 1690 at the age of 54.⁴ His wife Anne remarried twice and outlived all of her husbands, dying on March 3, 1736 in St-Augustin, New France.¹² They were ancestors of Ricky Gervais and Matt LeBlanc.

Children (all by Anne-Charlotte Petit):
1. Louis Martin — B. 12 Jun 1671, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹³ D. 24 May 1749, Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatiere, New France;¹⁴ M. Louise-Angelique Ratté (1680-1749), 12 Jan 1700, St-Pierre, Ile d’Orleans, New France¹⁵

2. Marie-Anne Martin — B. 4 Apr 1673, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁶ D. 6 Feb 1709, Riviére-Ouelle, New France;¹⁷ M. Pierre Roy (~1669-1734), 12 Feb 1691, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France¹⁸

3. Marguerite Martin — B. 6 Jan 1675, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁹ D. 14 Nov 1751, Quebec City, New France;²⁰ M. (1) Jean-Pierre Jollet (~1670-?), 18 Feb 1692, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;²¹ (2) Henri Rémi Picoron (1677-1746), 9 Feb 1705, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France²²

4. Marie-Angelique Martin — B. 4 Mar 1678, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;²³ D. 9 Nov 1758, St-Pierre, Île d'Orleans, New France;²⁴ M. (1) Pierre Chantal dit Lafleur (~1667-1707), 12 Jan 1696, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁵ (2) Pierre Chatigny dit Lepine (~1681-1731), 26 Nov 1710, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France²⁶

5. Catherine-Françoise Martin — B. 19 May 1680, La Canadiére, New France;²⁷ D. 16 Jan 1747, Kamouraska, New France;²⁸ M. Jean-Baptiste Labouriére (1680-?), 11 Feb 1697, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France²⁹

6. François-Lucien Martin — B. 22 Jun 1683, Quebec City, New France;³⁰ D. 13 Feb 1747, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;³¹ M. Marie-Françoise Autin (1689-1747), 25 Nov 1710, Riviere Ouelle, New France³²

7. Jean-Baptiste Martin — B. 2 Dec 1686, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁰ D. 4 Aug 1761, Kamouraska, New France;³³ M. Marie Genest Labarre (1670-1761), 25 Feb 1710, St-Pierre, Ile d’Orleans, New France³⁴

8. Marie-Charlotte Martin — B.16 Jan 1689, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹¹ D. 3 Dec 1749, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France;³⁵ M. (1) Louis Vernas dit Dufresne (?-1720), 25 Feb 1710, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;³⁶ (2) Pierre Raté (1699-?), 14 Oct 1725, Quebec City, New France³⁷

Sources:
1    Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Vol. 26, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
2    Marriage record of Joachim Martin and Marie-Chalifour, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Joachim Martin and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q., C. P. R.
4    Burial record of Joachim Martin, Q., C. P. R.
5    WikiTree listing of Marie Martin (Joachim’s sister)
6    “Les engagés levés par François Peron pour le Canada en 1656,” Le blogue de Guy Perron
7    Burial record of Marie Chalifour, Q., C. P. R.
8    Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
9    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
10  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Martin, Q., C. P. R.
11  Baptismal record of Marie-Charlotte Martin, Q., C. P. R.
12  Burial record of Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q., C. P. R.
13  Baptismal record of Louis Martin, Q., C. P. R.
14  Burial record of Louis Martin, Q., C. P. R.
15  Marriage record of Louis Martin and Louise Angelique Raté, Q., C. P. R.
16  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Martin, Q., C. P. R.
17  Burial record of Marie-Anne Martin, Q., C. P. R.
18  Marriage record of Pierre Roy and Marie-Anne Martin, Q., C. P. R.
19  Baptismal record of Marguerite Martin, Q., C. P. R.
20  Burial record of Marguerite Martin, Q., C. P. R.
21  Marriage record of Jean-Pierre Jollet and Marguerite Martin, Q., C. P. R.
22  Marriage record of Henri Rémi Picoron and Marguerite Martin, Q., C. P. R.
23  Baptismal record of Marie-Angelique Martin, Q., C. P. R.
24  Burial record of Marie-Angelique Martin, Q., C. P. R.
25  Marriage record of Pierre Chantal dit Lafleur and Marie-Angelique Martin, Q., C. P. R.
26  Marriage record of Pierre Chatigny dit Lepine and Marie-Angelique Martin, Q., C. P. R.
27  Baptismal record of Catherine-Françoise Martin, Q., C. P. R.
28  Burial record of Catherine-Françoise Martin, Q., C. P. R.
29  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Labouriére and Catherine-Françoise Martin, Q., C. P. R.
30  Baptismal record of François-Lucien Martin, Q., C. P. R.
31  Burial record of François-Lucien Martin, Q., C. P. R.
32  Marriage record of François-Lucien Martin and Marie-Françoise Autin, Q., C. P. R.
33  Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Martin, Q., C. P. R.
34  Marriage record of Jean Baptiste Martin and Marie Genest Labarre, Q., C. P. R.
35  Burial record of Marie-Charlotte Martin, Q., C. P. R.
36  Marriage record of Louis Vernas dit Dufresne and Marie-Charlotte Martin, Q., C. P. R.
37  Marriage record of Pierre Raté and Marie-Charlotte Martin, Q., C. P. R.

Ship Owner in Early Connecticut — John Plumb

B. before 28 Jul 1594 in Great Yeldham, England¹
M. 27 Mar 1616 in Hitcham, England²
Wife: Dorothy Chaplin
D. Jul 1648 in Branford, Connecticut³

When Puritans migrated to New England during the 1630s, among them were men who had a certain amount of wealth. For John Plumb, this translated into being able to own a boat, which allowed him to make a living along the Connecticut River.

John was christened on July 28, 1594 in Spaynes Hall, Great Yeldham, England,¹ which is in the northern part of Essex. His parents were Robert Plumb and Grace Crackbone and he was one of at least nine children. 

Record of John's birth.

On March 27, 1616, John married Dorothy Chaplin in Hitcham, Suffolk,² and between 1617 and 1635, they had nine children. John and his family lived in Ridgewell Hall,³ a manor house that still survives today (although it was modified in the 18th and 19th centuries).⁴

John is listed on the Essex Visitation of 1634 (a sort of upper class census in England),² but he sold his estate at about that time and it is said that he used the money to buy a ship that he sailed to America. He landed at Dorchester, and moved to the then remote town of Wethersfield, Connecticut,³ the second settlement in Connecticut after Windsor.

In his nine years living in Wethersfield, John held several offices. He was a magistrate in 1643, was named member of the court at Hartford on February 9, 1637, town clerk in 1641, and a collector of customs in 1644.⁵ Starting in 1638, he was a member of Connecticut’s General Court “off and on until 1644.”⁵ And John has been noted to have been the first ship owner in Wethersfield.

John often made voyages up and down the Connecticut River trading with the Indians.³ It is likely that his vessel was used to carry Captain Mason and his men to Narragansett Bay during the Pequot War in 1637.⁶ The Pequots were defeated, and this allowed for settlement of Connecticut to continue. In the aftermath, John was appointed to buy corn from Indians to help feed the people of Wethersfield on April 5, 1638.³

Attack of a fort in the Pequot War.

In 1644, John sold most of his Wethersfield property, consisting of 13 parcels of between 2 and 204 acres,⁵ and moved to the new settlement of Branford,³ which was located on the coast of Connecticut. John was one of its earliest settlers; he was elected town clerk and held this office until his death.³

John died in July of 1648 in Branford,³ and his will was proved a month later with an estate valued at over £3,661.⁷ His wife Dorothy survived him by at least 21 years. Only three of his children were alive at the time of his death; one of them, Samuel, helped found a new settlement that became Newark, New Jersey.⁸

Famous descendants of John Plumb include Franklin Delano Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, Gloria Vanderbilt, Anderson Cooper, and Helen Hunt.⁹

Children:
1. Robert Plumb — B. 30 Dec 1617, Ridgewell, England;¹¹ D. 12 May 1655, Milford, Connecticut;¹¹ M. Mary Baldwin (1625-1708), 9 Jan 1642, Milford, Connecticut¹²

2. John Plumb — B. 27 May 1619, Ridgewell, England¹³

3. William Plumb — B. 9 May 1621, Ridgewell, England¹³

4. Ann Plumb — B. 16 Oct 1623, Ridgewell, England¹³

5. Samuel Plumb — B. 4 Jan 1626, Ridgewell, England;¹³ D. 22 Jun 1703, Newark, New Jersey¹⁴

6. Dorothy Plumb — B. 16 Jan 1627, Ridgewell, England¹³

7. Elizabeth Plumb — B. 9 Oct 1629, Ridgewell, England¹³

8. Deborah Plumb — B. 28 Jul 1633, Ridgewell, England¹³

9. Dorcas Plumb — B. 12 Jan 1635, Wethersfield, Connecticut;¹⁵ D. 21 Apr 1725, Northampton, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. John Lyman (1623-1690), 12 Jan 1655, Branford, Connecticut¹³

Sources:
1    Christening record of John Plume, England, Essex, Parish Registers, 1538-1997, FamilySearch.org
2    “John Plumb of Connecticut and His Cousin, Deputy Governor Samuel Symonds of Massachusetts, Clifford L. Stott, The American Genealogist, Vol. 70, 1995
3    McArthur-Barnes ancestral lines, Selim Walker McArthur, 1964, pp. 189-190
4    Ridgewell Hall, Historic England (website)
5    The Plumb Family, H.B. Plumb, 1893
6    The Founders of Saybrook Colony and their descendants, 1635-1985, compiled by the Old Saybrook Founders Committee, 1985 [source about Captain Mason and Dorothy Plumb’s death]
7    History of the Colony of New Haven (website)
8    Find-a-Grave listing of Dorothy (Chaplin) Plumb
9    WikiTree listing of Samuel Plumb
10  FamousKin.com listing pf John Plumb
11  Find-a-Grave listing of Robert Plumb
12  Marriage record of Robert Plumb and Mary Baldwin, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Vol. II, Clarence A. Torrey, 2011, p. 1205
13  “Chaplin Ancestors of Plumb and Parke of Connecticut,” Clifford L. Stott, The American Genealogist, Vol. 82, 2007, p. 259
14  Find-a-Grave listing of Samuel Plumb
15  Find-a-Grave listing of Dorcas (Plumb) Lyman

A Promise to his Dying Wife — Abel Kittredge

B. 14 Nov 1798 in Packersfield, New Hampshire¹
M. (1) 28 Jan 1824 in Nelson, New Hampshire²
Wife: Sophia Lyman
M. (2) 29 Nov 1838 in Nelson, New Hampshire³
Wife: Anne Marie Lyman
D. 13 Sep 1882 in Boston, Massachusetts⁴

Abel Kittredge was a humble, hard-working man, who spent most of his life in a small New England town. And when his happiness was shattered by the death of his young wife, he took her suggestion on who he should marry next.

Abel was born to Joshua Kittredge and Beulah Baker on November 14, 1798 in Packersfield, New Hampshire (later renamed Nelson).¹ He was one of eight children and the oldest son; his father also had three daughters from an earlier marriage.

Records in Nelson show that Abel joined the First Congregationalist Church in 1822.⁵ About two years later, on January 28, 1824, he married Sophia Lyman,² the adopted daughter of the church pastor, Reverend Gad Newell. They soon had two children, Sophia and Edward.^5,7 Unfortunately, Sophia suffered some physical complications after the birth of their third child, Samuel Farrington.⁹ She weakened even more after giving birth to a fourth child in 1835,¹⁰ who died at the age of one year.¹

Besides working as a farmer, Abel learned the skills to make cabinets and furniture. A desk that he made in about 1830 has been handed down in the family so that we can see his craftsmanship and design abilities. A note attached to the back states that it was built so he could gain initiation into a guild of cabinet makers.¹¹ It’s believed that Abel owned a cabinet-making shop during this time. 

Desk built by Abel in about 1830.

It was also in about 1830 that Abel had his portrait done.¹² In the days before photography, the only way to preserve one’s face for posterity was by sitting for an artist. The man who captured Abel’s likeness was Rufus Porter, a renown painter who worked in watercolor. The portrait was done as a profile, and it shows a handsome young man with a determined gaze — this was Abel in the prime of his life.

Rufus Porter's watercolor painting of Abel.

By the late 1830s, it became clear that Sophia was not going to recover from her last pregnancy, and sadly, her life came to an end on May 2, 1838.¹³ Before her death, she asked Abel to marry her younger half-sister, which must have been an emotional prospect for him.¹⁴ He kept his promise, and on November 29th, married Anne Marie Lyman.³ About a year later, Anne Marie gave birth to a son; she went on to have two more children with him (one died young).^15,16,17

1838 was a particularly rough year for Abel. Along with losing Sophia, a building he owned, presumably for his cabinet-making business, went up in flames.¹⁸ The fire was started in a lightning storm in early July; it was said that materials which were kept there essentially made it a tinder box, and the fire destroyed the building with everything in it. Abel had no insurance, so he presumably took a huge financial loss.

As for Abel’s personal property, he lived on land in Nelson where his father had built a large house during the 1790s.¹⁹ His brother Herbert and nephew Russell lived on the land as well; presumably they all had their own houses for their families. A letter written by a cousin in 1846 described that Abel was constructing a house that year.²⁰ “The chimney is up so [the family] can use the oven, but the shed has to answer for the kitchen, parlor and sitting room.” The letter also said how hard Abel had worked in “haying” season, and the fact that only one of his grown sons was available to help with the labor.

Soon Abel’s older children were leaving the nest. In 1849, sons Edward and Samuel took off for the California gold rush,²¹ and daughter Sophia married a minister from Maine,²² who left her widowed a few years later. By 1860, Abel lived in Boston with Anne Marie, their sons Henry and Minot, and Sophia’s 3-year-old daughter, Nancy French.²³ He was listed on the census with the occupation of “market man.” Minot went on to serve in the Union army during the Civil War, and he participated in the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.^24,25

Letter written by Abel in 1877.

Abel and Anne Marie moved back to Nelson by 1870,²⁶ but she passed away in 1879.²⁷ In his final years, Abel moved into the household of granddaughter Nancy,²⁸ who now lived in Boston and was married to a carriage maker, George Hewes.²⁹ One family member warmly recalled a particular spot where Abel always sat next to a window in Hewes’ kitchen.³⁰ He became sick with pneumonia, and died on September 13, 1882 at the age of 83.⁴

Identifying images of Abel
I inherited a collection of family photos which had belonged to Abel’s daughter, Sophia. Some of the photos had writing on them, but many didn’t, and none were identified as Abel, a fact that was frustrating. But in February 2023, I came into contact with another descendant of Abel, who owns the desk and watercolor painting shown above. This gave me hope that I could use the painting to identify Abel in Sophia’s photos.

The first images I looked at were two daguerreotypes of couples. Because daguerreotypes were so expensive, I assumed that each couple would have to be people closely related to Sophia. Unfortunately, both are badly damaged because they were not in protective cases, but I made copies and cleaned them up in Photoshop as best as I could. One couple has a woman who looks like the wife of Abel’s son Edward, Deborah (Lewis) Kittredge. Another unmarked photo in the collection taken in the 1860s is of the same man.

This led me to speculate that because Sophia was so close to her father, the other daguerreotype couple has to be Abel and his second wife Ann Marie. The people in the photo seem to be of the right age, and the woman looks like the same person that is in an 1860s photo who I strongly suspect was also Ann Marie. The man in the photo is hard to see, but seems to have the same determined gaze as what I see in the Abel painting.

Next I looked through the other types of photos. I found a tintype which seems to resemble the man in the watercolor portrait. It’s challenging to firmly draw a conclusion because of the age difference, and the fact the painting is in profile, but I believe it's likely a photo of Abel.

  

In Sophia’s collection were also two small tintype copies of silhouette portraits of a man and a woman. I always wondered who these people were. The clothing in the silhouettes was a strong clue and I was able to put a date on them of about 1825. It made sense that they were Abel and his first wife Sophia based on the fact their daughter owned them. The silhouette of the man doesn’t perfectly match the watercolor, but there were similarities in the facial features.

When I was done, I compared the five possible images of Abel Kittredge. With the exception of the more badly damaged of the daguerreotypes which is probably Abel, I feel confident that the other images are all definitely him.

Children by Sophia Lyman:
1. Sophia Newell Kittredge — B. 22 Nov 1824, Nelson, New Hampshire;⁶ D. 22 Dec 1900, Los Angeles, California;³¹ M. James Riddle French (1810-1857), 7 Aug 1849, Nelson, New Hampshire²²

2. Edward Lyman Kittredge — B. 14 May 1827, Nelson, New Hampshire;⁷ D. 16 May 1906, Boston, Massachusetts;³² M. Deborah Lewis (1822-1906), 30 Nov 1854, Boston, Massachusetts³³

3. Samuel Farrington Kittredge — B. 14 Mar 1830, Nelson, New Hampshire;⁸ D. 24 Nov 1907, Boston, Massachusetts;³⁴ M. Marietta Prudy Fillebrown (1835-?), 24 Nov 1853³⁵

4. Charles Stone Kittredge — B. 15 Dec 1835, Nelson, New Hampshire;⁹ D. 1 Mar 1837, (probably) Nelson, New Hampshire³⁶

Children by Anne Marie Lyman:
1. Minot Melville Kittredge — B. 24 Nov 1839, Nelson, New Hampshire;¹⁵ D. 25 Jun 1903, Boston, Massachusetts;³⁷ M. Martha E. Marsh (~1845-?), 19 Nov 1867, Boston, Massachusetts³⁸

2. Henry Sumner Kittredge — B. 23 Nov 1843, Nelson, New Hampshire;¹⁶ D. 27 Oct 1912, Boston, Massachusetts³⁹

3. Charles Wheeler Kittredge — B. Jul 1849, Nelson, New Hampshire;¹⁷ D. 26 Sep 1853, (probably) Nelson, New Hampshire⁴⁰

Sources:
1    Birth record of Abel Kittredge, New Hampshire, Births and Christenings, 1714-1904, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Abel Kittredge and Sophia Lyman, New Hampshire, Marriage Records, 1637-1947, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage of record Abel Kittredge and Anne Maria Lyman, N. H., M. R.
4    Death record of Abel Kittredge, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
5    A History of Nelson, New Hampshire, Parke Hardy Struthers, 1968, p.101
6    Birth record of Sophia Newell Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
7    Birth record of Edward Lyman Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
8    Birth record of Samuel Farrington Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
9    Birth record of Charles Stone Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
10  Death record of Charles Stone Kittredge, New Hampshire, Death Records, 1654-1947, FamilySearch.org
11  Abel Kittredge desk, privately owned by one of his descendants 
12  Watercolor portrait of Abel Kittredge, privately owned by one of his descendants 
13  Find-a-Grave listing of Sophia (Lyman) Kittredge
14  A family tradition told to me by Nancy Elwood (1935-2005) and Maude Graham (1905-1983).
15  Birth record of Minot Melville Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
16  Birth record of Henry Sumner Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
17  Birth record of Charles Wheeler Kittredge, N. H., B. & C.
18  The Farmer’s Cabinet (newspaper), Amherst, New Hampshire, 13 Jul 1838, P. 3
19  A History of Nelson, New Hampshire, Parke Hardy Struthers, 1968, p.225-226
20  Letter from B.G. Newell to Sophia N. Kittredge, Nelson, New Hampshire, 17 Aug 1846
21  George Lyman Kittredge – Teacher and Scholar, Clyde Kenneth Hyder, 1962, pp. 2-5
22  Marriage record of James R. French and Sophia N. Kittredge, N. H., M. R.
23  1860 U.S. Census, Boston, Massachusetts
24  Letter from Minot Kittredge to Abel Kittredge, near Chancellorsville, Tennessee, 9 May 1664
25  Letter from Samuel Farrington Kittredge to Sophia N. French, West Newfield, Maine, 12 Sep 1893
26  1870 U.S. Census, Nelson, New Hampshire
27  Death record of Ann Kittredge, N. H., D. R.
28  1880 U.S. Census, Boston, Massachusetts
29  Marriage record of George H. Hewes and Nancy S. French, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
30  Letter from Deborah Kittredge to Sophia N. French, Roxbury, Massachusetts, 9 Dec 1889
31  Find-a-Grave listing of Sophia Newell (Kittredge) French
32  Death record of Edward L. Kittredge, M., S. V. R.
33  Marriage record of Edward L. Kittredge and Deborah Lewis Benson, M., S. V. R.
34  Death record of Samuel F. Kittredge, M., S. V. R.
35  Marriage record of Samuel F. Kittredge and Marietta P. Fillebrown, M., S. V. R.
36  Death record of Charles Stone Kittredge, N. H., D. R.
37  Death record of Minot M. Kittredge, M., S. V. R.
38  Marriage record of Minot M. Kittredge and Martha E. Marsh, M., S. V. R.
39  Death record of Henry S. Kittredge, M., S. V. R.
40  Find-a-Grave listing of Charles W. Kittredge

Ex-Soldier Settles on Island — Jean Soucy dit Lavigne

B. about 1641 in Abbeyville, France¹
M. 1670 in (probably) Île d'Orléans, New France¹
Wife: Jeanne Savonnet
D. before 22 Aug 1679 in New France²

Jean Soucy dit Lavigne was one of 1,200 soldiers who arrived in New France in 1665, and he was one of the 400 who didn’t return to France. There were many options of where he could live, and he ended up in a somewhat unlikely place. 

There is no surviving record of Jean that shows his birth or age. He was born about 1641 in Abbeyville, France,¹ an ancient city in the Picardy region, and his parents were Claude Soucy and Françoise de Vaime. All other details of his origins are unknown.

Jean came to New France as a soldier during an effort by France to protect their North American colony. From June to September in 1665, over a thousand troops were transported across the Atlantic. This was called the Carignan-Salières Regiment, and Jean served in the company of Grandfontaine.³ In April 1665, Jean's company was camped on the Île de Oléron in France.³ He left on board the ship L' Aigle d'Or on May 13th.³ The crossing took an agonizing three months; the hull was eaten with worms and was said to have sprung a leak. On August 18th, the ship arrived in New France; upon the return trip to France, it was deemed no longer seaworthy.³

The soldiers worked to protect the colony against the Mohawk Indians. Jean was involved in building a fort on the Richelieu River and a road connecting two outposts.³ In 1666, he took part in an expedition that took possession of some Mohawk land.³ When the Carignan-Salières Regiment returned to France at the completion of their mission, Jean decided to stay in New France.

On October 6 1669, Jean signed a bond to marry a Fille du Roi named Madeleine Marechal, but a week later, the marriage contract was cancelled.³ Why the marriage fell through isn’t known, but she may have already promised herself to another man who she ended up marrying. Madeline later got into trouble for “scandalous conduct,” and was banned from Montreal.³

After the marriage with Madeleine fell through, Jean married another Fille du Roi, Jeanne Savonnet, on the Île d'Orléans; the exact date of their marriage is unknown.¹ The couple had four children born between 1671 and 1677. Perhaps the reason Jean’s marriage isn’t recorded was that by this time he was living on the remote island, Île-aux-Oies.³ One of the men he had served with in the Grandfontaine Company, Pierre Bécart, had became seigneur of two small islands in the middle of the St. Lawrence.³ In about 1669, Jean was asked to help build him a house, and in return, he received some land to clear for a farm.³ Île-aux-Oies only measured 3 miles in length and 2/3 of a mile at its widest point, so very few people could settle there.⁴

Location of Île-aux-Oies.

Jean died in about 1679 because Jeanne remarried on August 22nd of that year.² It’s been speculated that he may have drowned because there is no record of a burial. Because he lived on a small island, he would have been out on the water frequently, which would increase the odds of having an accident. His wife Jeanne survived her second husband, and married a third whom she also outlived;⁵ she passed away in 1721.⁶ Jean was the ancestor of Chloë Sevigny and Dan Aykroyd.

Children:
1. Anne Soucy — B. 5 Sep 1671, Île-aux-Oies, New France;⁷ D. 4 Feb 1743, Rivière-Ouelle, New France;⁸ M. (1) Jean Lebel (?-1699), 16 Aug 1689, Rivière-Ouelle, New France;⁹ (2) Jacques Bois, 24 Nov 1704, Rivière-Ouelle, New France¹⁰

2. Pierre Soucy — B. 13 Apr 1673, Île-aux-Oies, New France;¹¹ D. 7 Jan 1760, Riviere Ouelle, New France;¹² M. Elisabeth-Ursule Fouquereau (1679-1758), 13 Jan 1699, Riviere Ouelle, New France¹³

3. Marie-Anne Soucy — B. 15 Feb 1675, Île-aux-Oies, New France;¹⁴ D. 1 Feb 1755, Yamaska, New France;¹⁵ M. (1) Charles Pelletier (?-1713), 24 Nov 1701, Rivière-Ouelle, New France;¹⁶ (2) Robert Gaulin, 15 Apr 1716, Ste-Famille, New France;¹⁷ (3) Charles Dubois (1680-1747), 20 Sep 1732, Laval, St-François de Sales, New France¹⁸

4. Guillaume Soucy — B. 5 Apr 1677, Île-aux-Oies, New France¹⁹

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Jean Soucy dit Lavigne
2    Marriage record of Damien Bérubé and Jeanne Savonnet, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Vol. 10, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990, pp.179-186
4    Ile-aux-Grues (Wikipedia article)
5    Marriage record of François Miville and Jeanne Savonnet, Q. C. P. R.
6    Burial record of Jeanne Savonnet, Q. C. P. R.
7    Baptismal record of Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
8    Burial record of Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
9    Marriage record of Jean Lebel and Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
10  Marriage record of Jacques Bois and Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
11  Baptismal record of Pierre Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
12  Burial record of Pierre Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
13  Marriage record of Pierre Soucy and Elisabeth-Ursule Fouquereau, Q. C. P. R.
14  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
15  Burial record of Marie-Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
16  Marriage record of Charles Pelletier and Marie-Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
17  Marriage record of Robert Gaulin and Marie-Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
18  Marriage record of Charles Dubois and Marie-Anne Soucy, Q. C. P. R.
19  Baptismal record of Guillaume Soucy, Q. C. P. R.

His Land Became a Cemetery and a Park — Ralph Hill

B. before about 1596 in England¹
M. (1) 2 Aug 1616 in Binfield, Berkshire, England²
Wife: Johann Trebick

M. (2) 21 Dec 1638 in Plymouth, Massachusetts³
Wife: Margaret _________
D. 19 Apr 1663 in Billerica, Massachusetts⁴

The history of people’s lives is often tied to the land where they lived, and Ralph Hill of Billerica, Massachusetts still has a connection to the property he owned during the 17th century.

Ralph was a Puritan immigrant during the Great Migration, the wave of people who settled in New England during the 1630s. He likely came from Berkshire, England, where a “Raffe Hill” was listed on a marriage record in the village of Binfield. The wedding took place on August 2, 1616, and his bride was called “Johan Treebeecke” on the record, the only place where her name ever appeared.² Also in the Binfield records are christenings for Ralph’s children Jane in 1618,⁵ Joan in 1620,⁶ Margaret in 1625,⁷ and Ralfe in 1627.⁸ Jane and Ralfe (or Ralph) were known to be his daughter and son, so these records almost certainly prove that this was Ralph Hill who ended up in America. 

A wedding at All Saints Church in Binfield. (AI-generated image)

The exact year Ralph migrated to the Plymouth colony isn’t known. His wife Johan died at some point, because on December 21, 1638, Ralph married a widow named Margaret Toothaker.³ There has been speculation that Margaret Toothaker’s maiden name was French, based on the fact that Ralph mentioned “brother William French” in his will. But to Puritans, the term “brother” often meant two people who had a close friendship, not that they were literally brothers or brothers-in-law. 

Ralph sold his land at Plymouth on September 16, 1643,⁴ and moved to the town of Woburn, where he was chosen as a selectman in 1649.⁴ As time went on, colonists began to develop more settlements, a process where groups of men arranged to get large amounts of land to form communities. On October 23, 1654, a petition was received by the General Court asking for recognition of a new settlement that would become Billerica; it was signed by 14 men, including Ralph and his son.⁴ The request was granted in January of the following year. Ralph was given the largest plot of land when the original 1,500 acres was parceled out;⁴ over the next few years, he added to his property as the town acquired additional land.⁴

Ralph chosen as one of five Billerica selectmen in 1660.

On July 25, 1660, Ralph, his son and three other men were approved to build a stable for their horses near the new Billerica meetinghouse.⁴ Most of the settlers walked to Sunday services, but Ralph and the others asking for a stable lived too far away. The following year, Ralph and three others were given the authority to decide where everyone in town would sit inside the meetinghouse.⁴ Puritans always had assigned seating in their churches. If anyone objected to where they were placed, they could submit an appeal to the committee.

Ralph wrote his will on November 18, 1662,⁴ and the following spring, he gave a half acre of land to the town for a burial place.⁴ This became the South Cemetery, or Old South Burying Grounds, and many of Billerica's earliest settlers have graves there. On April 19th, Ralph died, and was the first burial in the cemetery.⁴

About 30 years after Ralph's death, his step-son, Roger Toothaker, was a Salem witch trial victim.⁹ Ralph became his step-father when he married Margaret, and he was the only father Toothaker ever knew. As an adult, he became a physician with a wife and large family. Then in 1692, three Salem girls accused Toothaker of witchcraft. One of the girls was a servant to a doctor who was Toothaker's competitor, and this may have been their motivation to claim he was casting spells on them. He was arrested, and his wife and one daughter accused and arrested as well. Toothaker was sent to Boston Prison, and in June 1692, he died there.

Ralph had a lasting legacy on Billerica; the wooded property he acquired in 1658 is today a hiking park known as Ralph Hill Conservation Area.¹⁰ The park consists of 61 acres of forest, wetlands and rock formations bordering on the Concord River. It has a beaver pond and nesting areas for birds native to the region. Ralph’s descendants include George W. Bush, Jeb Bush and Barbara Bush.¹¹

Children by Johann Trebick:
1. Jane Hill — B. before 8 Nov 1618, Binfield, Berkshire, England;⁵ D. 20 Dec 1646, Woburn Massachusetts;¹² M. Francis Littlefield (1619-?)¹²

2. Joan Hill — B. before 17 Sep 1620, Binfield, Berkshire, England;⁵ D. before 23 Jun 1635, Binfield, Berkshire, England¹³

3. Margaret Hill — B. before 22 Jan 1625, Binfield, Berkshire, England;⁷ D. 15 May 1626, Binfield, Berkshire, England¹⁴

4. Ralph Hill — B. before 8 Apr 1627, Binfield, Berkshire, England;⁸ D. 9 Apr 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. Martha Toothaker (~1635-1703), 15 Nov 1660, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁶

Children by Margaret __________:
1. Nathaniel Hill — B. 1642, Plymouth, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 14 May 1706, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;¹⁷ M. Elizabeth Holmes (~1646-1685), 21 Jun 1667, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁷

2. Jonathan Hill — B. 20 Apr 1646, Woburn, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Martha Hartwell (1649-1695), 11 Dec 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁹

3. Rebecca Hill — B. about 1650, Woburn, Massachusetts;²⁰ D. 29 Mar 1669, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁰ M. Caleb Farley (1645-1712), 5 Jul 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts²¹

Sources:
1    Estimated date of Ralph’s birth based on his age at his first marriage.
2    Marriage record of Ralph Hill and Johann Tribick, England Marriages, 1538-1973, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Ralph Hill and Margaret ________, U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, FamilySearch.org
4    History of Billerica, Massachusetts: With a Genealogical Register, Henry Allen Hazen, 1883
5    Christening record of Jane Hill, England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
6    Christening record of Johan Hill, E., B. & C.
7    Christening record of Margaret Hill, E., B. & C.
8    Christening record of Ralph Hill (younger), E., B. & C.
9    Roger Toothaker (Wikipedia article)
10  “Free Trail Walk at Billerica’s Ralph Hill Conservation Area,” Michael Sanders, 2014, Sudbury Patch
11  FamousKin.com listing for Ralph Hill
12  Death record of Jane Littlefield, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
13  Death record of Joane Hill, England, Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, FamilySeach.org
14  Death record of Margaret Chill, England, Berkshire, Parish Registers, 1515-1993, FamilySearch.org
15  Death record of Ralph Hill (younger), M., T. C., V .& T. R.
16  Marriage record of Ralph Hill and Martha Toothaker, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Find-a-Grave listing of Nathaniel Hill
18  Birth record of Jonathan Hill, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Marriage record of Jonathan Hill and Mary Hartwell, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Find-a-Grave listing of Rebecca (Hill) Farley
21  Marriage record of Caleb Farley and Rebecca Hill, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

The Railroad Needed Her Land — Martha Van Tuyl

B. 20 Jun 1767 in (probably) Sussex County, New Jersey^1,2
M. 7 Sep 1788 in New Jersey³
Husband: John Ross
D. 27 May 1853 in Somerset County, New Jersey¹

When Martha Van Tuyl's husband died, he left her with a modest farm, but when the earliest railroads were being constructed, the property was in the way.

There is no clear paper trail identifying Martha’s beginnings except for the fact she was born in New Jersey on June 20, 1767.¹ Because there was a noted Van Tuyl family in Dutch America, her connection to it can be assumed, and with her firstborn son being named “John Van Tuyl Ross,” that indicates her father was named John Van Tuyl.⁴

A deeper dive into who that might be leads to a John Van Tuyl born on Staten Island in 1734 and died in Sussex County, New Jersey in 1771.^5,6 While this isn’t 100% proven to be her father, it’s very, very likely. John Van Tuyl’s father lived in Somerset County, and when John’s widow Mary died in 1773,⁶ Martha may have been taken in by relatives in the place that we know she would ultimately live.⁷ It’s important to note, though, that this is my own speculation.

The first record where Martha's name appeared was her marriage to John Ross on September 7, 1788 in New Jersey.³ They settled first in Piscataway, then in the town of Bound Brook.³ Martha gave birth to a baby boy on March 3rd of the following year³ (suggesting that she may have been pregnant at the time of her marriage), and the child died as an infant.³ She had nine more children by 1806, with one more dying young.

Young mother burying a child. (AI-generated image)

On March 2, 1808, Martha's husband John died; it appeared to have been sudden.⁸ She was left with one third of his estate to live on with the rest divided up among the children when the youngest came of age.⁹ Running a farm must have been a challenge with four boys under the age of 10, and only one old enough to do much of the physical work.

Martha owned at least two slaves during the time she lived as a widow.¹⁰ Slavery in New Jersey was being phased out, but if a slave was born before 1804, it was still legal to keep them. Martha freed a man named Joseph in 1829,¹⁰ and a woman named Susan in 1843.¹⁰ She was one of the last slave owners in the state of New Jersey.

After all of the children had grown and moved away, Martha had to deal with a threat to her farm. The Elizabethtown and Somerville Railroad was chartered to build a line between the two towns,¹¹ and needed part of her land for the project. She was able to negotiate a payment of $1,300 for the land, which apparently included a stable and barn.¹²

Somerville, New Jersey in about 1840.

Work was to begin in 1841, but on May 1st of that year, Martha’s children, led by oldest son John, filed a suit against the railroad company, charging that by order of the will, their mother only had one third ownership, and they held title to the other two thirds.¹² The court ruled in favor of the railroad, though, and the land was given up;¹² the project was completed in 1842.¹¹

Martha died on May 27, 1853 at the age of 85.¹ She was buried in Bound Brook Presbyterian Cemetery next to her husband.

Children:
1. John Van Tuyl Ross – B. 3 Mar 1789, New Jersey, (probably) Piscataway, New Jersey;³ D. 23 May 1790, (probably) Piscataway, New Jersey³

2. Sarah Ross – B. 12 Dec 1790, Piscataway, New Jersey;¹³ D. 19 Jan 1872, Jerseyville, Illinois;¹³ M. Jeremiah Reading Parsell, 31 May 1815, Raritan, New Jersey¹⁴

3. John Ross – B. 25 Dec 1792, Bound Brook, New Jersey;¹⁵ D. 16 Nov 1881, Somerset County, New Jersey;¹⁵ M. Joanna Sebring (1792-1874), 1 Apr 1816, Somerset County, New Jersey¹⁶

4. Martha Anderson Ross – B. 7 Sep 1794, Bound Brook, New Jersey;³ D. 6 Nov 1838, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;¹⁷ M. Isaac Staats (1791-1869)¹⁷

5. Esther Ross – B. 26 Sep 1796, Bound Brook, New Jersey;¹⁸ D. 29 May 1864, Morris County, New Jersey;¹⁸ M. David R. Runyon (1795-?), 28 Jan 1818, Somerset County, New Jersey¹⁹

6. Joseph Ross – B. 5 Dec 1798, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;³ D. 29 Jun 1875, Somerset County, New Jersey;²⁰ M. Phebe Talmage (1805-1881), 30 Oct 1823, Somerset County, New Jersey²¹

7. Peter B. Ross – B. 16 Jan 1801, Bound Brook, New Jersey;³ D. 14 Sep 1878, New Jersey;³ M. Sarah B. Smith (1802-1898), 13 Nov 1828, Somerset County, New Jersey²²

8. James S. Ross – B. 4 Mar 1803, Bound Brook, New Jersey;²³ D. 14 Jul 1878, Jersey County, Illinois;²³ M. Alletta Van Arsdalen (1803-1886), 29 Mar 1826, Bound Brook, New Jersey²⁴

9. William Ross – B. 5 Dec 1804, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;³ D. 15 Oct 1805, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey³

10. William Ross – B. 26 Jul 1806, (probably) Bound Brook, New Jersey;³ D. 6 May 1882, Bridgewater, New Jersey;²⁵ M. Elizabeth Winsor (1810-?), 13 May 1835, Somerset County, New Jersey²⁶

Sources:
1    Find-a-Grave listing of Martha (Van Tuyl) Ross
2    Speculative birth place based on that John Van Tuyl (who died in Sussex County, New Jersey) was her father (see footnote 5). 
3    The Ross Family of New Jersey, Bob Ross, 1990, pp. 631-633
4    The Dutch had a tradition of naming their first two sons after grandfathers, and first two daughters after grandmothers. Since John and Martha Ross named their second son and second daughter for John’s parents, the name “John Van Tuyl” is almost certainly in honor of her father.
5    Before arriving at the idea that John Van Tuyl born in 1734 was Martha’s father, I eliminated every other possibility in the family. The others were the wrong age and/or their offspring were fully accounted for.
6    Probate record of John Van Tuyl, Calendar of New Jersey Wills: 1771-1780, Vol. 5, Abraham Van Doren Honeyman, p. 553
7    Martha’s presumed grandfather was Abraham Van Tuyl, who had several married children at the time Martha would have become an orphan. It’s my belief that Martha’s aunt Sarah (Van Tuyl) Bolmer took her in, and that’s who Martha named her firstborn daughter after instead of her own biological mother. Of course this is my own speculation.
8    Find-a-Grave listing of John Ross
9    The will of John Ross, Middlebrook, New Jersey, 26 Feb 1808
10  Somerset County Historical Quarterly, Vol. 2, 1913, pp. 45-47
11  New Jersey Railroad Information (website)
12  Ross v. Elizabeth-Town & Somerville Railroad, 2 N.J. Eq. 422 (N.J. Ct. of Ch. 1841, New York Court of Chancery)
13  Find-a-Grave listing for Sarah (Ross) Parsell
14  Marriage record of Jeremiah Parsell and Sarah Ross, New Jersey, U.S., Compiled Marriage Records, 1684-1886, Ancestry.com
15  Find-a-Grave listing for John Ross
16  Marriage record of John Ross and Joanna Sebring, N.J., U.S., C. M. R.
17  Find-a-Grave listing for Martha Staats
18  Find-a-Grave listing for Esther (Ross) Runyon
19  Marriage record of David Runyon and Esther Ross, N.J., U.S., C. M. R.
20  Death record of Joseph Ross, New Jersey, U.S., Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1711-1878, Ancestry.com
21  Marriage record of Joseph Ross and Phebe Talmage, New Jersey, U.S., Marriage Records, 1670-1965, Ancestry.com
22  Marriage record of Peter Ross and Sarah Smith, N.J., U.S., M. R.
23  Find-a-Grave listing for James S. Ross Sr.
24  Marriage record of James Ross and Alletta Van Arsdalen, N.J., U.S., M. R.
25  Death record of William Ross (younger), New Jersey, U.S., Deaths and Burials Index, 1798-1971
26  Marriage record of William Ross and Elizabeth Winsor, N.J., U.S., M. R.