On Land Between Two Muddy Rivers — George Sutherland

B. about 1660 in (probably) New Kent County, Virginia¹
M. about 1680 in (probably) Virginia¹
Wife: Elizabeth (possibly) Norment
D. before June 1699 in (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia²

To tell the story of George Sutherland, what we know is almost entirely contained in a series of documents about his estate after he died. But by putting the established facts into the context of history and geography, it’s possible to understand a little more about who he was.

George is thought to have been born in Virginia in about 1660 to Alexander Sutherland (also spelled Southerland), a man from Scotland;¹ George’s mother is completely unknown. Many researchers have claimed that Alexander’s pedigree connects to Scottish royalty, and this seems to be fraudulent, or at the very least unlikely. More probable is that Alexander came from more humble roots that are impossible to trace — his only appearance on a document is in a passenger list for a ship that arrived in York County, Virginia on November 1, 1654.¹ That puts him near the land his supposed son George later claimed. This fact, plus that the name Sutherland is less-than-common, makes a case that Alexander was the father of George.

After George came of age in around 1680, he married a woman named Elizabeth (her last name is thought to be Norment).¹ The couple had at least three sons, and possibly other children. Sometime during the 1680s or 1690s, George acquired land from some Indians, apparently giving them money or goods in return. This wasn’t a valid transaction in the eyes of the colony because legally, the King of England owned the land, and only he or his representatives could grant it to an individual. The title wasn’t disputed, though, until after George died.⁴

George’s land was located in a place described as Pamunkey Neck,² which was a geographic feature formed by two small rivers (the Pamunkey and Mattaponi) coming together to form a larger river (the York). It was these inland waterways that gave the Virginia Tidewater its climate, which in turn gave the colonists their livelihood. The rivers wide enough to be navigable supplied a way for planters to transport their tobacco to the ports where it could be shipped around the world. Deposits of the rivers made the soil very rich along the riverbanks, and this was the land granted to the wealthier settlers who came over from England.⁵ 

Working along the inland waterways of the Virginia Tidewater. (AI-generated image)

Places that weren’t along the water’s edge weren’t nearly as good for growing tobacco. “Neck” land was described as being “thin and barren.”⁵ This is probably the type of acreage George got in his deal with the Indians. Land of this type was said to be worth as low as “5 shillings an acre,” compared to the “rich bottom land” typically valued at £5 an acre.⁵ Perhaps this is why even without proper documentation, the courts posthumously cleared up the title and allowed his sons to inherit the land.

Since the single known record identifying George seems to suggest that he died at age 40 or younger, it leads to the question of how he died. The answer may lie in the climate of the region. The heat and the swampy nature of the Virginia Tidewater meant that mosquitos were a huge presence, and with that came diseases like malaria, typhoid fever and dysentery.⁵ This is pure speculation, but George may have been the victim of one of these illnesses. His death date is unknown, but it was before June of 1699.² It’s unknown when his wife Elizabeth died.

Children:
1. Joseph Sutherland — B. about 1680 in (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia;¹ D. about 1739, King William County, Virginia;¹ M. _____ Chiles, before about 1718, (probably) Virginia⁶

2. Phillip Sutherland — B. before June 1799 in (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia²

3. George Sutherland — B. before June 1799 in (probably) King and Queen County, Virginia²

Sources:

1    Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, Robert J. Walsh, 1985, pp. 12-13
2    English Duplicates of Lost Virginia Records, 1958, p. 62
3    “Southerland Famiy of King William County, Virginia,” Winston of Virginia and Allied Families, Clayton Torrence, 1927, pp. 389-394
4    Journal of the House of Burgesses, Vol. 3, page 283
5    Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America, David Hackett Fischer, 1989
6    There is a string of evidence that points to a Miss Chiles being the wife of Joseph. (1) In 1763, Fendall was executor to the probate of a man named Walter Chiles, implying a close relationship. (2) Walter Chiles had two sisters, one of whom married a Mr. Sutherland (Reports of Cases in the General Court of Virginia, 1829, p. 133). (3) The age of Walter Chiles and his sisters would put them on the generation of Fendall’s father, Joseph.

A Widow Taken to Court — Marie-Louise Chalifour

B. 13 Sep 1661 in Quebec City, New France¹
M. 18 Apr 1678 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: Joseph Vandandaigue
D. 29 May 1735 in Quebec City, New France³

When Marie-Louise Chalifour was in her old age, she was charged with an unusual offense — building a channel from a waterway that affected community interests downstream.

Marie-Louise was born in Quebec City, New France on September 13, 1661.¹ Her parents were Paul Chalifour (also spelled Chalifou) and Jacquette Archambault, the daughter of early Montreal settler Jacques Archambault. Louise became part of a very large family, which was typical for New France — she was the 7th of 14 children. All of her older siblings were girls, which placed a burden on her father to marry them off, and most of them were brides at a very young age. This was true for Louise who got married at age 16.

Louise’s husband was Joseph Vandandaigue, who was a carpenter that constructed buildings — this was the same occupation as her father, so it’s possible they had worked together on projects. Joseph had the unusual distinction of having been born in Brussels, Belgium; his name was originally Josef Van den Dyck when he arrived in the colony. Their wedding took place on April 18, 1678 at Notre-Dame in Quebec City,² and Louise brought a large dowry of 2,500 livres into her marriage, which included land and a house. By the end of the year, she gave birth to her first child;⁴ she had six more born by 1693, with two dying as infants. 

Newlyweds working on a farm. (AI-generated image)

Louise and Joseph made their home in Beauport, and in 1681, both were witnesses to an altercation between two of their neighbors, Jean de Rainville and Charles Turgeon.⁵ It was de Rainville’s wife who seems to have struck and injured Turgeon, and Louise and her husband must have been there because they were called to testify in court. The men involved ended up settling out of court.

After a long marriage together, Joseph passed away in January 1725.⁶ Louise was left to handle her farm on her own, and later that year was hit with a lawsuit coming from the seigneur of Notre-Dame-des-Anges, Jacques Pinguet de Vaucourt, claiming that she had rerouted a stream.⁷ It’s likely that the offender was really her husband, and that she was forced to take responsibility for it now that he was dead. The charge stated that de Vaucourt could no longer operate his grist mill, something that affected an entire community. Louise was ultimately fined 40 sols, a considerable amount of money. 

Map showing Joseph and Louise’s property in 1709.

Louise lived another 10 years, dying on May 29, 1735 in Quebec City.³ She was buried at Saint-Charles Borromée Cemetery in Charlesbourg.

Children:
1. Jaquette Vandandaigue — B. 27 Dec 1678, Quebec City, New France;⁴ D. 24 Apr 1714, Quebec City, New France;⁸ M. Pierre Boutillet (~1676-1715), 5 Oct 1699, Beauport, New France⁹

2. Marie-Anne Vandandaigue — B. 12 Jan 1680, Quebec City, New France;¹⁰ D. 31 Mar 1752, Montreal, New France;¹¹ M. (1) Antoine Bourg dit Lachapelle (~1662-1729), 26 Nov 1696, Beauport, New France;¹² (2) Pierre Thibault Leveilé (1688-1747), 6 Oct 1732, St-Laurent, New France¹³

3. Claude Vandandaigue — B. 2 May 1682, Quebec City, New France;¹⁴ D. 10 Mar 1752, St-François-de-Sale, Ile Jésus, New France;¹⁵ M. Marie Brideault (1691-?), 5 Nov 1708, Beauport, New France¹⁶

4. Jeanne Vandandaigue — B. Mar 1684, Quebec City, New France;¹⁷ D. 11 Sep 1684, Quebec City, New France¹⁸

5. Marie-Charlotte Vandandaigue — B. 29 Jun 1685, Beauport, New France;¹⁹ D. 8 Oct 1727, Montreal, New France;²⁰ M. Jean-Baptiste Dugas (~1670-1758), 9 Jan 1708, Beauport, New France²¹

6. Louise Vandandaigue — B. 23 Mar 1687, Beauport, New France;²² D. Oct 1725, Montreal, New France;²³ M. (1) Jacques Gervais (~1677-1708), 17 Nov 1704, Beauport, New France;²⁴ (2) Jean Étienne Boutin (1684-?), 14 Nov 1712, Beauport, New France;²⁵ (3) François Lefebvre (1679-1727), 17 Jan 1718, La Pairie, New France²⁶

7. Marguerite Vandandaigue — B. 7 Apr 1693, Beauport, New France;²⁷ D. 1693, Beauport, New France²⁸

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Marie-Louise Chalifour, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Joseph Vandandaigue and Marie-Louise Chalifour, Q., C. P. R.
3    Burial record of Marie-Louise Chalifour, Q., C. P. R.
4    Baptismal record of Jacquette Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
5    Court record of case between Charles Turgeon and Jean Rainville, 1 Sep 1681 to 10 Sep 1681, BAnQ
6    Burial record of Joseph Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
7    Court record of case between the seigneury of Notre-Dame-des-Anges and Louise Chalifour, 28 Jun 1725, BAnQ
8    Burial record of Jacquette Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
9    Marriage record of Pierre Boutillet and Jacquette Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
10  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
11  Burial record of Marie-Anne Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
12  Marriage record of Antoine Bourg Lachapelle and Marie-Anne Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
13  Marriage record of Pierre Thibault Leveilé and Marie-Anne Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
14  Baptismal record of Claude Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
15  Burial record of Claude Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
16  Marriage record of Claude Vandandaigue and Marie Brideault, Q., C. P. R.
17  Baptismal record of Jeanne Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
18  Burial record of Jeanne Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
19  Baptismal record of Marie-Charlotte Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
20  Burial record of Marie-Charlotte Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
21  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Dugas and Marie-Charlotte Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
22  Baptismal record of Louise Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
23  Burial record of Louise Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
24  Marriage record of Jacques Gervais and Louise Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
25  Marriage record of Jean Étienne Boutin and Louise Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
26  Marriage record of François Lefebvre and Louise Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
27  Baptismal record of Marguerite Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.
28  Burial record of Marguerite Vandandaigue, Q., C. P. R.

The Paid and the Poor — John Hughes

B. before 19 Mar 1755 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England¹
M. 26 Jun 1780 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England²
Wife: Betty Morris
D. before 1 Aug 1818 in Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England³

For centuries, a system of charity existed in England where the needy were taken care of by the community. A person was evaluated by their parish council — they were either able to pay the local rate, or they were considered to be poor. And if they were poor, they received regular handouts distributed at the town church.

During most (if not all) of his adult life, John Hughes was one of the poor. He was born in the village of Almondsbury, England, baptized at St. Mary’s Church on March 19, 1755.¹ John’s parents were Thomas and Elizabeth Hughes, but nothing else is known of the family. At age 25, John was married at Almondsbury to Betty Morris; the wedding took place on June 26, 1780,² and John was able to sign his name to the parish register, indicating that he may have had a basic education. The couple were known to have had six children, with the first baptized on March 22, 1781.⁴ Their youngest was baptized in 1798,⁵ but this isn’t always proof of a birth year because some waited a few years to bring their children to the church.

The conditions John’s family lived in were likely desperate, and by 1799, he began making visits to the church for assistance. That November, a line formed outside the vestry room at St. Mary’s for an effort called “clothing the poor.” Over 40 people were there to receive what the community could offer. John was allowed 7 yards of cloth, while other people got shirts, shifts, jackets or blankets (one woman was even given a petticoat that day).⁶

A few weeks later on January 29, 1800, John returned to the vestry room with a request for money: he wanted to build a house.⁶ So they gave him 1 pound and 1 shilling, the equivalent of about $100 in today’s money. The meager amount didn’t go far enough, and he asked for more in February; this time he was awarded 1 pound,11 shillings and 6 pence. Presumably John then built his family a dwelling where they could live, but there are no details about the house itself. He likely did much of the work along with his older sons, which gives the impression that John and his family were hard-working people. 

Building a house in Almondsbury. (AI-generated image)

Donation to John in 1800 Almondsbury vestry book.

Between 1801 and 1811, John didn’t appear in the vestry records. This may have meant he moved out of the area, but because he just built his house, that doesn’t seem likely. More plausible was that John was able to support his family during those years, and therefore didn’t seek the community’s help. In November 1811, his name was back on the list at clothing-the-poor day, and he received another length of cloth for his family.⁶

John was only about 63-years-old when he died, and his funeral took place at St. Mary’s on August 1, 1818.³ His wife Betty had passed away only a couple of weeks earlier,⁷ which suggests they may have died of the same illness, although there is no evidence of this. Within a generation, the vestry system was phased out in England because too many unemployed people overwhelmed it. New laws were passed during the 1830s requiring those getting public assistance to live in workhouses, which were essentially prisons for the poor. For that we can say that John was lucky to have lived at an earlier time.

Children:
1. George Hughes — B. before 4 Mar 1781, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;⁴ M. Ann Gastrell (?-1812), 22 Mar 1806, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England⁸

2. Sarah Hughes — B. before 8 Feb 1784, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England⁹

3. John Hughes — B. before 22 Apr 1787, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England¹⁰

4. Thomas Hughes — B. before 28 Nov 1790, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;¹¹ D. 15 Jun 1835, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;¹² M. Hester Keen (~1790-1868), 2 Jan 1811, Bristol, England¹³

5. William Hughes — B. before 26 Jan 1794, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England¹⁴

6. Hannah Hughes — B. before 25 Mar 1798, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;⁵ D. about 23 Apr 1821, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England;¹⁵ M. Stephen Bracey (1794-1872), 11 May 1816, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, England¹⁶

Sources:

1    Baptismal record of John Hughes, Bristol, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, Ancestry.com
2    Marriage record of John Hughes and Betty Morris, Bristol, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1938, Ancestry.com
3    Burial record of John Hughes, England, Bristol, Parish Registers, 1538-1900, FamilySearch.org
4    Baptismal record of George Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
5    Baptismal record of Hannah Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
6    Overseers order books, 1797-1817, England, Almondsbury, Gloucestershire, FamilySearch.org
7    Burial record of Betty Hughes, E., B., P. R.
8    Burial record of George Hughes, E., B., P. R.
9    Baptismal record of Sarah Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
10  Baptismal record of John Hughes (younger), B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
11  Baptismal record of Thomas Hughes, B., E., C. of E. B., M. & B.
12  Burial record of Thomas Hughes, E., B., P. R.
13  Marriage record of Thomas Hughes and Hester Keen, E., B., P. R.
14  Baptismal record of William Hughes, B., E., C. of E. M. & B.
15  Burial record of Hannah Bracey, B., E., C. of E. B.
16  Marriage record of Stephen Bracey and Hannah Hughes, B., E., C. of E. M. & B.

A Doctor in Colonial Maryland — Samuel Berry

B. before about 1670 in (probably) Charles County, Maryland¹
M. before 1700 in (probably) Charles County, Maryland¹
Wife: unknown
D. after 30 Nov 1734 in Charles County, Maryland²

At a time when anyone with basic knowledge could practice medicine, Samuel Berry was described as a doctor and a surgeon. His birthdate is estimated as before about 1667, and he was likely born in Charles County, Maryland.¹ This was a region of tobacco plantations, and many people named Berry lived in the area. Most were thought to be descended from a James Berry who arrived from Devonshire, England by 1652.³ With a lack of records aside from wills and land transactions, it’s impossible to piece them together.

Samuel’s name first appeared in a lawsuit suing a man named John Wilder in 1690 for an unknown reason;³ unfortunately the original source for this is lost. Also unknown was the name of the woman Samuel married, likely sometime during the 1690s.¹ They had at least six children, born between about 1700 and about 1718, and probably there were others. It’s possible Samuel was married more than once.

On October 2, 1704, Samuel bought 100 acres of land in Charles County, a plantation called “Hull,” and some adjacent property called “Hopewell.”⁴ The seller was Samuel Cawood, and the price was 3,000 pounds of tobacco. The land was located near the Mattawoman Creek, northwest of the present-day town of Waldorf; Berry Road runs through the area and was likely named after his descendants. Most interesting in the transaction record was that Samuel was referred to as “Doctor Samuel Berry,” suggesting that while he operated a tobacco plantation, he was also practicing medicine, a fact confirmed in other documents.

What did being a doctor mean in early 18th-century Maryland? It’s almost certain Samuel didn’t have any medical schooling in his background. He likely learned how to treat patients in some other way, such as an apprenticeship to another man serving as a doctor. By picking up the basics of how to care for the sick, Samuel could offer his services to those who had no other options. A doctor like Samuel made very little money from this, and his primary income would be from his tobacco farm.

Samuel’s name, sometimes written as Dr. Berry, appeared in other records as witness to transactions, or as someone who was owed money in a probate document.¹ The latter seems to suggest he may have been treating the person in their final illness, although this is speculation. As for the plantation he bought in 1704, there’s no reason to believe he ever moved from there, remaining until near the end of his life.

By 1732, Samuel seemed to be living in poverty. That year he filed for an exemption from paying taxes, and his request was granted.³ It’s likely that his wife had died by this time and he may have been physically unable to work. On November 30, 1734, he sought help from a son-in-law named John Robey, signing over all of his possessions in return for being taken care of in his old age.² The document specified that Robey was to receive “a feather bed and furniture, a wooden cupboard, two iron pots, an iron skillet and four pewter basins.” This seems to indicate that Samuel only owned some very basic items at that point in his life. His date of death is unknown, but he may have survived for another 10 or 15 years.³  

1734 document involving Samuel and his son-in-law, John Robey.

Connection to son-in-law John Robey (~1714-1804)
The only document linking Samuel Berry to John Robey who died in 1804 is the statement he made signing over his possessions in 1734. Two things suggest that this is accurate. One is that there were no other men named John Robey living in the region where Samuel was. The other is that one of John Robey’s sons was given the first name Berry.⁵ While neither of these proof points are solid genealogical evidence, the two of them together make the conclusion strong.

Children:
1. Elizabeth Berry — B. about 1700, Charles County, Maryland;¹ D. before 7 Apr 1794, Charles County, Maryland¹

2. Anne Berry — B. about 1701, Charles County, Maryland;¹ D. after 7 Sep 1775, (probably) Charles County, Maryland¹

3. William Berry — B. about 1703, Charles County, Maryland;¹ D. 19 Feb 1733, Charles County, Maryland;¹ M. Esther Wakefield (~1706-1753), before 1729, (probably) Charles County, Maryland¹

4. Humphrey Berry — B. about 1705, Charles County, Maryland;¹ D. before 22 Jan 1772, Charles County, Maryland;³ M. (1) Mary Smallwood (~1710-~1731), before 1729, (probably) Charles County, Maryland;¹ (2) Anne Lovejoy (~1712-1798), about 1732, (probably) Charles County, Maryland¹

5. (supposed) Mary Berry — B. about 1715, Charles County, Maryland;¹ D. before 1802, (probably) Charles County, Maryland;¹ M. John Robey (1714-1804), before 11 Dec 1734, (probably) Charles County, Maryland²

6. Samuel Berry — B. about 1718, Charles County, Maryland;³ D. before 18 Mar 1776, Charles County, Maryland;³ M. Anne Thomas (~1722-?), about 1738, (probably) Charles County, Maryland³

Sources:
1    Samuel Berry listing, Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties (website)
2    Document signing over property to John Robey, Charles County, Maryland Land Records, 1733-1743, Book O#2, p. 65
3    “Berry Family of Charles County,” Arthur L. Keith, Maryland Historical Magazine, 1906
4    1642-1753 Rent Rolls Charles County, Maryland, Hundred – Port Tobacco: Rent Roll page/sequence: 314/84
5    Mary Berry listing, Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia’s Northern Neck Counties (website)

Mother of Concord’s Colonial Inn — Rebecca Wheeler

B. about 1666 in Concord, Massachusetts¹
M. about 1684 in (probably) Concord, Massachusetts²
Husband: James Minot
D. 23 Sep 1734 in Concord, Massachusetts¹

In the historic New England town of Concord, Massachusetts, sits a landmark house now known as the Colonial Inn. The place has seen much over the years, but it began as a home belonging to James Minot and his wife Rebecca Wheeler.

Rebecca was born in Concord in about 1666 to Timothy Wheeler and Mary Brooks,¹ the third of their three girls; she also had a half-sister from her father’s first marriage. As one of Concord’s founders, Rebecca’s father was prominent in the town, serving as the captain of the militia.³ He also owned vast amounts of property in and around Concord. By early 1684, Rebecca married James Minot,² an accomplished man from Dorchester who worked as a physician and teacher in Concord. They began a family with the birth of a daughter in February 1685,⁴ and over the next 21 years their family grew to having ten children. During Rebecca’s childbearing years, James held many offices in Concord including justice of the peace, and like her father, he became captain of the militia.⁵

At the time Rebecca’s father passed away in July 1687, all three of her older sisters were deceased, and she became his primary heir along with her mother. In his will, Timothy Wheeler wrote, “To my Daughter Rebecca Minot, I give & bequeath after thee decease of my beloved wife, viz. my Homestead in Concord that is my house & Barn, with all thee appurtenances 'that' is joined to it, & also all my meadow in 'ye Great meadow', also I give to my Daughter Rebecca, my Mill in Concord, with all thee privileges of thereunto pertaining.”³ When Rebecca’s mother wrote her will in 1691, she specified that her daughter would receive “one silver cupp without letters, a standing cupp and a bible with silver clasps.”³ She left “land at the east end of town” to Rebecca’s three oldest children, girls who were born by the time the will was written. The old woman also gave 23 acres of land in Charlestown to Rebecca’s oldest son who was not yet born. 

A cup, a standing cup and a bible. (AI-generated image)

Some of the property described in Rebecca’s father’s will was in the heart of Concord, and at some point, likely after 1700, she and her husband James built a house there which survives to this day as part of the Colonial Inn.⁶ The earliest record of the building came when James and Rebecca deeded the house to their son James in 1716,⁶ and this is often credited with when it was built, but it may have been before that year. While the exact year of the house’s construction isn’t established, it’s likely that James and Rebecca lived there; the transfer of it to their son seems to have come at the time of his marriage.⁷

The house in Concord went on to have some notoriety. Rebecca’s son James passed it along to his son Ephraim, then to a cousin Timothy Minot, who worked as a doctor.⁶ On April 19, 1775, the “shot heard ‘round the world” marking the beginning of the American Revolution happened nearby, and Dr. Minot treated the wounded who were brought into the house.⁶ An addition to the house was said to have been used to store ammunition supplies, which was the reason the British marched into Concord. A generation or so later, the house came into the possession of the Thoreau family, and Henry David Thoreau lived there for a time in the mid-19th century.⁶

The Colonial Inn.

In 1897, the house was converted to what became known as the Colonial Inn.⁶ By then, a neighboring house was joined to the original Minot house with its addition to make a decent-sized hotel that’s still in operation today. Famous guests over the years have included John Wayne, Arnold Palmer, Jackie Kennedy, and F.D.R.⁸ The Colonial Inn is also known for having a ghost problem; over the years many have reported strange sightings in the rooms believed to have been used for wounded soldiers during the American Revolution.⁹

Rebecca passed away on September 23, 1734,¹ and she was buried with a gravestone that has a long inscription: “Rebeckah Minott ye vertuous Consort of James Minott Esq'r. A daughter of Capt. Timothy Wheeler, she was a person of serious piety and abounding charity, of great usefulness in her day, a pattern of patient Holy submission under a long confinement & resigned her Soul with Joy in death Sept. 23d 1734.”¹ James survived her by one year, dying in September of 1735.¹⁰

Rebecca’s grave. (Source: Find-a-Grave)

Children:
1. Rebecca Minot — B. 9 Feb 1685, Concord, Massachusetts;⁴ D. 23 Jun 1738, Concord, Massachusetts;⁴ M. Joseph Humphrey Barrett (1678-1763), 27 Dec 1701, Concord, Massachusetts¹¹

2. Lydia Minot — B. 12 Mar 1687, Concord, Massachusetts;¹² D. 14 Feb 1743;¹² M. Benjamin Barrett (1681-1728), 3 Jan 1705, Marlborough, Massachusetts¹³

3. Mary Minot — B. 16 Nov 1689, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁴ D. 3 Sep 1760, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Ebenezer Wheeler (1682-1748), 26 Sep 1706, Concord, Massachusetts¹⁵

4. Timothy Minot — B. 18 Jun 1692, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁶ D. 30 Nov 1778, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁶ M. (1) Mary Brooks (1699-1760);¹⁶ (2) Beulah Brown¹⁷

5. James Minot — B. 17 Oct 1694, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁸ D. 6 Feb 1759, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. (1) Martha Lane (~1695-1735), 14 Nov 1716, Concord, Massachusetts;⁷ (2) Elizabeth Merrick (~1694-1746), 1736¹⁸

6. Elizabeth Minot — B. 29 Jan 1697, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁹ D. 12 Nov 1764, Lincoln, Massachusetts;¹⁹ M. Daniel Adams (1690-1780), 23 Apr 1715, Concord, Massachusetts²⁰

7. Martha Minot — B. 3 Apr 1699, Concord, Massachusetts;²¹ D. 18 Jan 1738, Bedford, Massachusetts;²² M. James Lane, 30 Apr 1719, Billerica, Massachusetts²³

8. Mercy Minot — B. 15 Apr 1702, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁴ D. 25 Jul 1793, Sudbury, Massachusetts;²⁵ M. Samuel Dakin (1700-1758), 13 Dec 1722, Concord, Massachusetts²⁶

9. Love Minot — B. 15 Apr 1702, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁷ D. 21 Oct 1772, Lincoln, Massachusetts;²⁷ M. John Adams, 13 Dec 1722, Concord, Massachusetts²⁸

10. Samuel Minot — B. 25 Mar 1706, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁹ D. 17 Mar 1766, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁹ M. (1) Sarah Prescott (1712-1737);³⁰ (2) Dorcas Prescott (1714-1803), 1738³¹

Sources:
1    Find-a-Grave listing of Rebecca (Wheeler) Minot
2    Estimated marriage date based on birth of oldest child Rebecca
3    The genealogical and encyclopedic history of the Wheeler family in America, Albert Gallatin Wheeler, 1914, pp. 134-141
4    Find-a-Grave listing of Rebecca (Minot) Barrett
5    A History of the town of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Lemuel Shattuck, 1835
6    Historic Buildings of Massachusetts: Concord’s Colonial Inn (1716)
7    Marriage record of James Minot and Martha Lane, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
8    New England’s Colonial Inns & Taverns: Centuries of Yankee Fare and Hospitality, Maria Olia, 2016, p. 8
9    The Ghosts of Concord’s Colonial Inn
10  Find-a-Grave listing of James Minott
11  Marriage record of Joseph Barrett and Rebecca Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
12  Find-a-Grave listing of Lydia (Minot) Stow
13  Marriage record of Benjamin Barrett and Lydia Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
14  Find-a-Grave listing of Mary (Minot) Wheeler
15  Marriage record of Ebenezer Wheeler and Mary Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
16  Find-a-Grave listing of Timothy Minot
17  Marriage record of Timothy Minot and Beulah Brown, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
18  Find-a-Grave listing of Col. James Minot
19  Find-a-Grave listing of Elizabeth (Minott) Adams
20  Marriage record of Daniel Adams and Elizabeth Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
21  Birth record of Martha Minot, Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1815, FamilySearch.org
22  Find-a-Grave listing of Martha (Minott) Lane
23  Marriage record of James Lane and Martha Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
24  Birth record of Mercy Minot, Concord Births – Massachusetts Vital Records Project
25  Death record of Mercy (Minot) Dakin, Concord Deaths – Massachusetts Vital Records Project
26  Marriage record of Samuel Dakin and Mercy Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
27  Find-a-Grave listing of Love (Minott) Flint
28  Marriage record of John Adams and Love Minot, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
29  Find-a-Grave listing of Deacon Samuel Minott
30  Marriage record of Samuel Minot and Sarah Prescott, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
31  Marriage record of Samuel Minot and Dorcas Prescott, Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1925, FamilySearch.org

A Bedfordshire Gentleman — Oliver St. John

B. about 1575 in Keysoe, England¹
M. (1) about 1597 in (probably) Keysoe, England¹
Wife: Sarah Bulkeley
M. (2) 16 Aug 1611 in (probably) Keysoe, England¹
Wife: Alice Haselden
D. before 23 Mar 1626 in (probably) Keysoe, England²

Some of the Puritan families who settled in New England came from English nobility. The father of one settler, Oliver St. John, had no title himself, but he had connections to both royalty and non-conformists. He was known to his contemporaries as a gentleman, and his son who was named after him became a prominent figure in Cromwell’s England.

In Oliver, we see an example of how nobility sometimes diminished in a few generations. He was born in Keysoe, England, a village in Bedfordshire, in about 1575 to Henry St. John and Jane Neale.¹ Oliver’s father was from a long line of knights,³ and his 3G grandmother was the grandmother of King Henry VII, which made Queen Elizabeth a third cousin once removed of Oliver. But even the low rank of knighthood had not passed down to Oliver or his father. His status in life seems to have come only through his connections.

Bedfordshire was loosely considered to be a part of East Anglia, which was a major center of Puritanism. In fact, 60% of the Massachusetts colony’s settlers would come from one of the eastern counties of England.⁴ This region also supplied most of the prominent ministers of early New England. Oliver became acquainted with many of them later in his life.¹ 

East Anglia map showing Keysoe.

In about 1597, Oliver married Sarah Bulkeley, the daughter of Reverend Edward Bulkeley,¹ and between 1598 and 1609, they had five children. Sarah’s brother was Reverend Peter Bulkeley (1583-1689), who later became a prominent New England Puritan minister.¹ Sarah died in about 1611,¹ and Oliver then married a woman named Alice Haselden;¹ and they had three children together.

One acquaintance of Oliver was Reverend John Cotton, an important figure in both Puritan England and New England. He once wrote of Oliver that he was “a Bedfordshire gentleman,” and “a person of incomparable breeding, virtue and piety.” He also said that “he was one of the completest gentlemen, without affection, that he ever knew.”¹ It’s evident from these words that Reverend Cotton must have known Oliver pretty well, and this wasn’t just a token compliment.

Oliver passed away before he could be a part of the Great Migration to New England. He made out his will on March 13, 1626, and it was proved on May 1st,² so he was likely very sick when he wrote it. One of Oliver’s legacies was in his children. Daughter Elizabeth married Puritan minister Samuel Whiting, and settled in Massachusetts in 1636.¹ And son Oliver rose to fame during the years that the Cromwells were in power, becoming Lord Chief Justice of England.⁵ 

Oliver’s son, Oliver St. John.

There were numerous famous descendants of Oliver St. John, including Calvin Coolidge, Bette Davis, John Kerry, Orson Bean, and Kyra Sedgwick.⁶

Children by Sarah Bulkeley:

1. Oliver St. John — B. about 1598, (probably) Keysoe, England;¹ D. 31 Dec 1673;¹ M. (1) Johanna Altham;¹ (2) Elizabeth Cromwell, 21 Jan 1638;¹ (3) Elizabeth Oxenbridge, 1 Oct 1645¹

2. Dorothy St. John — B. about 1602, (probably) Keysoe, England;¹ M. Richard Westland (?-1646), 13 Jun 1625, Keysoe, England¹

3. Elizabeth St. John — B. before 12 Jan 1604, Keysoe, England;⁷ D. 3 Mar 1677, Lynn, Massachusetts;¹ M. Samuel Whiting (1597-1679), 6 Aug 1629, Boston, England¹

4. Edward St. John — B. before 20 Jul 1606, (probably) Keysoe, England¹

5. Judith St. John — B. about 1607, (probably) Keysoe, England;¹ D. Jul 1607, (probably) Keysoe, England¹

6. Judith St. John — B. about 1609, (probably) Keysoe, England;¹ M. John Percival, 25 Sep 1633, Odell, England¹

Children by Alice Haselden:
1. Mary St. John — B. before 12 Jul 1612, (probably) Keysoe, England¹

2. Anne St. John — B. before 10 Dec 1613, (probably) Keysoe, England;¹ M. John Knapp, about 1637, England¹

3. John St. John — B. before 13 Sep 1615, (probably) Keysoe, England¹

Sources:
1    The Bulkeley Genealogy, Donald Jacobus, 1933, pp. 29-33
2    Will of Oliver St. John, Gentleman of Keysoe, Bedfordshire, The National Archives (U.K.)
3    Memoir of Rev. Samuel Whiting, D,D., and of his wife, Elizabeth St. John, William Whiting, pp. 38-39
4    Albion’s Seed: Four British Folkways in America, David Hackett Fischer, 1988, p. 33
5    Oliver St. John (Wikipedia article)
6    FamousKin.com listing of Oliver St. John
7    Christening of Elizabeth St. John, England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org

Man With Almost No Paper Trail — “James” Fleming

B. about 1778 in Virginia^1,2
M. before 24 Jun 1802 in (probably) Washington County, Kentucky³
Wife: ______ Hand
D. before 1830 in Ohio or Indiana⁴

James Fleming is the speculative link to the paternal ancestors of Mary Fleming (1819-1907). The details which are written here are based on much circumstantial evidence and my own DNA test results.

There are several facts that are certain about the father of Mary. His last name was Fleming, he was born in Virginia (possibly the part that’s now West Virginia),² and since Mary was born in Ohio in 1819,^2,5 we can place him there. He was also married to a woman born in New Jersey² — a less-than common combination of husband and wife birthplaces in early 19th-century America. 

1880 U.S. Census showing Mary (Fleming) Sutherlin and birthplaces of her parents.

Mary first appears in records in Parke County, Indiana, where she married in 1838.⁶ We know that she had a brother Eli who was born in 1804,^7,8 and that two other men also appear to be brothers, James (born 1802)^3,9 and Henry (born 1810).¹⁰ I share various segments of DNA with a few descendants of all three. While these men showed up in records in Parke County, no potential father lived among them, which suggests that their father was deceased by 1830. Also significant is that while the older two brothers were born in Kentucky, Henry was born in Ohio. (There is also a possible sister Susannah who was born in 1823, but it’s uncertain if she might be the daughter of Eli.¹³)

The migration of the Fleming family emerges led by the unnamed father: Virginia to Kentucky to Ohio to Indiana. My DNA results show clustered matches with descendants of another couple who had a similar path, Eli and Jane Hand, except that they wound up in Illinois instead of Indiana.¹⁴ What’s more is that Jane’s maiden name was Fleming, and in 1840, one of her children had a farm sandwiched between two of the Parke County Flemings.¹⁵ We have to assume they were closely related. 

1840 U.S. Census showing George W. Hand between son and son-in-law of Mary Fleming's brother James.

Eli Hand and Jane Fleming were married on July 14, 1804 in Washington County, Kentucky, and accompanying their marriage license was an affidavit verifying the bride’s age signed by James Fleming.¹⁶ Family stories among Eli Hand descendants suggest that this was Jane’s brother.¹⁷ There are also Washington County tax lists between 1796 and 1800 naming a James Fleming, possibly the same man from the marriage record.¹⁸ Jane Fleming said her family had moved to Kentucky during the 1780s, and had been born in Virginia.¹⁷ 

1804 marriage record of Eli Hand and Jane Fleming showing her brother James as witness.

It was said that Jane’s father had served in the American Revolution as a colonel, then went west after the war;¹⁷ this was a typical migration for former soldiers who were paid with bounty land instead of money. Washington County was one of the places many veterans ended up. It was a remote environment to grow up, making social connections often challenging, and some families experienced multiple marriages between two families. And my DNA suggests that this happened between the Flemings and the Hands, because I show strong matches with descendants of Eli Hand’s brother, George Callahan Hand. Through detailed study of my DNA, I’ve determined that James Fleming must have been married to an unnamed sister of Eli.¹⁹

More proof of this is that the Hand family came from New Jersey,²⁰ which was also the birthplace of Mary Fleming’s mother. Also the second son in the family that ended up in Parke County, Indiana was named “Eli H. Fleming,”²¹ and the first born son of Eli Hand was named “James Fleming Hand,”¹⁷ adding more merit to the idea that there was a strong relationship between the two families.

By 1810, the family of Eli Hand moved to Ohio (they would eventually settle in Illinois).²² That same year, Henry Fleming was born in Ohio, then his sister Mary in 1819. The family moved to Indiana within the next ten years, but unfortunately, the name James Fleming isn’t found in records either in place. The younger James Fleming and Eli Fleming were both listed in the 1830 census for Parke County. Eli had an adolescent girl in his household who was too old to be his daughter, and therefore could be his sister Mary. He also had a woman in her forties, who could be his mother as a widow. That would mean James Fleming had died before 1830.³

Will there ever be a paper trail to validate the identity of Mary Fleming’s father? Probably not, what is shown here falls short of the threshold of genealogical proof. Still, it’s worth presenting, especially since the people and scenario I have named here offer an explanation to the unusual migration pattern of Mary Fleming’s parents, and at the same time, fits with my DNA results.

Children:
1. James Fleming — B. 24 Jun 1802, (probably) Washington County, Kentucky;³ D. 10 Nov 1858, (probably) Polk County, Iowa;³ M. Catherine ______ (~1803-?)⁹

2. Eli H. Fleming — B. 16 Feb 1804, (probably) Washington County, Kentucky;²³ D. 6 Sep 1876, Humboldt, Kansas;²³ M. Sarah ________ (~1810-?)⁸

3. Henry Harrison Fleming — B. about 1810, Ohio;¹⁰ D. after 16 Jan 1876, (probably) Humboldt County, California;²⁴ M. (1) Nancy ______ (~1810-?);¹⁰ (2) Nancy Jones (1829-1905), 20 Aug 1854, Clackamas County, Oregon²⁵

4. Mary Fleming — B. 16 Aug 1819, Ohio;^2,5 D. 31 Mar 1907, Grady County, Oklahoma;⁵ M. Jackson Sutherlin (~1815-1878), 17 Jan 1838, Parke County, Indiana⁶

5. (possibly) Susannah Fleming — B. about 1823, Indiana;¹³ D. after 1875, (probably) Allen County, Kansas;¹³ M. John R. Butler (1814-1901), 15 Feb 1841, Daviess County, Missouri²⁶

Sources:
1    The approximate birth year for James Fleming is based on the age of his oldest known child.
2    1880 U.S. Census, Everett, Kansas (showing birth places of daughter Mary’s parents)
3    Find-a-Grave listing of James Flemming (this is James’ son) 
4    1830 U.S. Census, Parke County, Indiana
5    Find-a-Grave listing of Mary Sutherlin 
6    Marriage record of Jackson Sutherlin and Mary Fleming, Indiana, U.S., Marriages, 1810-2001, Ancestry.com
7    Local news paragraph in newspaper Humboldt Union (Kansas), 26 Sep 1907
8    1860 U.S. Census, Allen County, Kansas Territory
9    1850 U.S. Census, Polk County, Iowa
10  1850 U.S. Census, Holt County, Missouri
11  1840 U.S. Census, Parke County, Indiana (showing Eli and James Fleming)
12  Document regarding purchase of public land by Henry Harrison Fleming, Parke County, Indiana, 30 Sep 1834
13  1875 Kansas State Census, Allen County (listing shows Susan age 52 in household of Eli Fleming age 71)
14  1850 U.S. Census, Crawford County, Illinois
15  1840 U.S. Census, Parke County, Indiana (showing Henry Evans, George W. Hand and Asa Fleming)
16  Marriage record of Eli Hand and Jane Fleming, Kentucky, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965, Ancestry.com
17  Hand Family Scrapbook, compiled by Margaret Smith Isaac, 1986, pp. 43-44
18  Washington County, Kentucky Tax Books, 1797-1875, FamilySearch.org
19  Joining Hands: Using My DNA to reunite a Midwest family named Hand, Laura Mitchell, 2024
20  Hand Family Scrapbook, compiled by Margaret Smith Isaac, 1986, p.1
21  Document regarding purchase of public land by Eli H. Fleming, Parke County, Indiana, 10 Sep 1838
22  Hand Family Scrapbook, compiled by Margaret Smith Isaac, 1986, pp. 37-39
23  Find-a-Grave listing of Elijah H. Fleming 
24  1876 voters in Humboldt County, California, California, U.S., Voter Registers, 1866-1898
25  Marriage record of Henry H. Fleming and Nancy O’Connor, Western States Marriage Index, 1809-2011, Ancestry.com
26  Marriage record of John Butler and Susannah Fleming, Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002, FamilySearch.org