Refusing to Help Support Elderly Mother — Sarah French

B. 29 Oct 1671 in Billerica, Massachusetts¹
M. 4 Aug 1691 in Billerica, Massachusetts²
Husband: Joseph Crosby
D. before 1727 in Billerica, Massachusetts³

When people reach a certain age, their elderly parents often become their responsibility, and bitter disagreements among siblings sometimes make the job messy. This was even true in colonial New England, as the record of a case involving Sarah French Crosby reveals.

Sarah was born into the French family of Billerica, Massachusetts on October 29, 1671.¹ She was the second child of the couple William French and Mary Lothrop, but each of them had children from previous marriages. Sarah’s father was in his late sixties when she was born, and her half siblings from him were all adults by that time. Her mother’s two surviving children from her earlier marriage were still underaged, though, so she grew up their presence; half-brother Isaac Stearns would figure into the later court dispute.

In 1681, Sarah’s father died, and she inherited some land from him,³ which she brought into her marriage ten years later. On August 4, 1691, Sarah married Joseph Crosby, the son of a Billerica tavern keeper.² Their first child was born about a year later;⁴ Sarah and Joseph went on to have a total of 12 children, of which all but the youngest were known to have lived to adulthood. All evidence showed that Sarah’s family wasn’t well-off. Joseph worked as a farmer and part-time tailor, but seemed to have sold off some of their property to pay their debts.³ A deed from 1714 shows that they got £80 in return for some of their Billerica land (it’s to be noted that Sarah was named alongside her husband in the transaction).⁵

The issue over Sarah’s mother came up in 1722. By now she had been widowed a third time, and was unable to support herself. The surviving children were Sarah, her two full-blooded sisters, and older half-brother Isaac. When their mother needed help, only Isaac stepped forward, but he felt it was unfair that the girls offered nothing. So Isaac and their mother brought the grievance to court.⁶ Officially, the husbands of the sisters were being sued, and it was Joseph Crosby, not Sarah, who appeared as the litigant. The issue dragged out in the courts for at least a year,⁶ and no resolution is given in the archived files. 

The petition of Sarah’s mother against her and her sisters.

Sarah and her husband, along with sisters Mary and Hannah and their husbands, were a united front. Their argument was that Isaac had been given property by their mother, while the women received nothing, so he should foot the bill to take care of their mother. The petition filed by Joseph and Hannah’s husband Nathaniel implied that Isaac had all of their “mother’s movables” in his possession, basically accusing him of taking advantage of the old woman. But Isaac’s stance was that whatever extra property he had gotten was inheritance from his father’s estate, which the sisters had no claim on.

Sarah passed away by 1727.³ Ironically, her feeble, old mother outlived her and was alive as late as 1735.⁷ Joseph also survived Sarah, and died at an unknown date before December 23, 1737.³

Children:
1. Joseph Crosby — B. 3 Sep 1692, Billerica, Massachusetts;⁴ D. about 1744, Worcester, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Hannah Maynard (1694-?), 21 Apr 1714, Marlborough, Massachusetts⁹

2. Sarah Crosby — B. 12 Jun 1694, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. before 31 Dec 1760, (probably) Andover, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. (1) Thomas Hunt (1689-1709), 22 Jul 1709, Providence, Rhode Island;¹² (2) Ephraim Abbott (1682-1748), 6 Jan 1716, Andover, Massachusetts;¹³ (3) John Dane (1692-1763), 1 Aug 1749, Andover, Massachusetts¹⁴

3. Rachel Crosby — B. 18 Apr 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. (1) Samuel Stearns (1693-1730), 1719, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁶ (2) Thomas Wyman (1687-1760)³

4. William Crosby — B. 13 Feb 1698, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 1 Jan 1754, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Hannah Ross (1702-1756)³

5. Mary Crosby — B. 12 Jan 1699, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁹ D. 1738, Dedham, Massachusetts;³ M. Eleazer Ellis (1692-1745)³

6. Thomas Crosby — B. 12 Oct 1701, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁰ D. 7 Dec 1745, Billerica, Massachusetts;²¹ M. Hannah Parker (1692-1729), 27 Jun 1724, Billerica, Massachusetts²²

7. David Crosby — B. 27 Mar 1703, Billerica, Massachusetts;²³ M. Sarah Foster (~1709-~1751)³

8. Prudence Crosby — B. 11 May 1705, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁴ M. Jeremiah Fisher (1701-~1766), 20 Jan 1725, Needham, Massachusetts²⁵

9. Hannah Crosby — B. 9 Mar 1707, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁶ M. (1) John Peploe (~1707-?);³ (2) Samuel Watts³

10. Deborah Crosby — B. 23 Jul 1709, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁷ M. Peter Russell (1700-1759), 21 Mar 1727, Andover, Massachusetts²⁸

11. Robert Crosby — B. 20 Jul 1711, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁹ D. 10 Sep 1743, Townsend, Massachusetts;³⁰ M. Mehitable Chandler (1709-1768)³

12. Pelletiah Crosby — B. 5 Nov 1713, Billerica, Massachusetts³¹

Sources:
1    Birth record of Sarah French, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Joseph Crosby and Sarah French, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
3    Simon Crosby the Emigrant: His English Ancestry and Some of His American Descendants, Eleanor Francis Crosby, 1914
4    Birth record of Joseph Crosby (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
5    1714 deed of Joseph Crosby, Middlesex (Massachusetts) Deeds, 1715-1716, FamilySearch.org
6    Mary Mixer case, Middlesex (Massachusetts) Court Records, 1652-1798, FamilySearch.org
7    Find-a-Grave listing for Mary Mixer, but uncertain about the original source
8    WikiTree listing of Joseph Crosby (younger)
9    Marriage record of Joseph Crosby and Hannah Maynard, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
10  Birth record of Sarah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  The Early Records of the Town of Providence, Vol. 5, 1894
12  Marriage record of Ephraim Abbott and Sarah Hunt, M., T. C. V. & T. R.
13  Marriage record of John Dane and Sarah Abbott, M., T. C. V. & T. R.
14  Probate file of John Dane, Essex County, Massachusetts, probate records and indexes 1638-1916, FamilySearch.org
15  Birth record of Rachel Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Marriage record of Samuel Stearns and Rachel Crosby, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
17  Birth record of William Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18  Death record of William Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Birth record of Mary Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Birth record of Thomas Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
21  Death record of Thomas Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22  Marriage record of Thomas Crosby and Hannah Parker, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
23  Birth record of David Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
24  Birth record of Prudence Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25  Marriage record of Jeremiah Fisher and Prudence Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
26  Birth record of Hannah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
27  Birth record of Deborah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
28  Marriage record of Peter Russell and Deborah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
29  Birth record of Robert Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
30  Find-a-Grave listing of Robert Crosby
31  Birth record of Pelletiah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

Tangled Family in Frontier America — William Sutherland

B. before 1770 in Burke County, North Carolina¹
M. 1787 in (probably) Burke County, North Carolina²
Wife: Mary “Polly” Franklin
D. after June 1, 1830 in (probably) Indiana³

Those who followed a trail from the colonial South to the American Midwest, carving out farms in raw wilderness, often left few records along the way. Such was the case for William Sutherland who went from North Carolina to Indiana during the period 1790 to 1820. It takes detective work and DNA evidence to piece together some of his story.

William was believed to be the second oldest child of William Sutherland and Mary “Polly” Owen, born about 1769 in Burke County, North Carolina.¹ He was a young boy when his father went off to serve in the American Revolution,⁴ and he probably took on responsibilities on the farm by the time he was ten. There would be eight younger siblings in the family, with the youngest born in about 1792.⁵ William’s brother Fendall was about three years older, and they were likely close. The two brothers married sisters, Lydia and Mary “Polly” Franklin. The dates of both marriages are unknown, but William seems to have been about 18-years-old at the time of his wedding.²

The military service of William’s father would play an important factor in the lives of William and his siblings. As a veteran of the Revolution, William Sr. earned a considerable amount of bounty land.⁶ He shared the land with his sons, and this began a migration of the family into the west. In 1801, William Jr. appeared on a tax list in Lincoln County, Kentucky, living near the Green River.⁷ On the same record were his father and brother Fendall. While Fendall had 100 acres and 2 horses, William had only 50 acres and a single horse. 

A farm in Kentucky. (AI-generated image)

By now William had started a family of his own, but not all of the children are confirmed with written records. When William was still living in North Carolina, the 1800 census described his family as one boy age 10 to 15, one girl age 10 to 15, two boys under 10 and 1 girl under 10.⁸ These children are thought to be Isaac, Ervin, William, Jordan and Ann. During the next decade, William continued to live in Kentucky, gaining title to his Lincoln County farm upon the death of his father in 1803.⁹ It was said that William’s mother Mary came to live in his household “for many years.”¹⁰ In about 1808, he relocated to Adair County, Kentucky,¹¹ and the 1810 census showed that more children were added to the family: two boys under 10 (Jesse and possibly John) and one girl under 10 (possibly Mary).¹²

William was listed on Adair County tax lists through 1815, then disappeared from records, suggesting he left the region after that date. We pick up his trail in Orange County, Indiana on a voting list dated August 1819.¹³ The following year, he was listed in the 1820 census in Orange County with some new additions to his family: two girls and one boy, all under the age of ten.¹⁴ The boy is almost certainly Jackson Sutherlin, who was thought to be William’s youngest child (see here).

Two brothers of William — Fendall and George — had also moved to Indiana, and all three settled in Putnam County by the early 1820s.¹⁰ A land deed shows that William purchased 80 acres there on May 25, 1824.¹⁵ In his listing in the 1830 census in Putnam County, his household consisted of one man age 60 to 70 (himself), one girl age 15 to 20, and one boy age 10 to 15 (Jackson).³ William’s son Ervin lived next door with his wife, and on the other side of Ervin was William’s younger brother George. 

1830 U.S. Census showing William Sutherlin with his son and brother listed below him.

William’s wife Mary had likely died by the 1830 census. This was the last known record of William; other researchers have claimed he died in Marysville, Missouri in 1856, but this was a son of Fendall who was also named William.

How DNA Helps Identify William’s Family
I am a descendant of Jackson Sutherlin, and because I received a very large amount of his DNA, I was able to connect him to William because I have so many matches with the Franklin family (see my proof in Jackson Sutherlin’s biography.) The key piece of DNA evidence is a segment on chromosome 5 which I share with both Sutherland/Sutherlin and Franklin descendants. This segment is also shared by descendants of Ervin Sutherland, making them Franklin descendants as well, and firmly connecting Ervin to William Sutherland. Of William’s other listed children, Jesse, Mary and Ann seem fairly certain because of information passed down in their families, but I can’t use the same DNA proof with the segment on chromosome 5. The other names on the list come from a printed book that didn’t cite its sources.

Children (all except Ervin and Jackson are uncertain):
1. Isaac Sutherland — B. about 1788, (probably) Burke County, North Carolina⁵

2. Ann Sutherland — B. about 1795, (probably) Burke County, North Carolina;¹⁶ D. before 8 May 1823, (probably) Adair County, Kentucky;¹⁷ M. John H. Boyer (1795-1868), 4 Apr 1815, Adair County, Kentucky¹⁸

3. William Sutherland — B. about 1797, (probably) Burke County, North Carolina⁵

4. Ervin Sutherland — B. about 1798, (probably) Burke County, North Carolina;¹⁹ D. 10 Dec 1878, (probably) Polk County, Missouri;²⁰ M. Susannah Keith (~1806-?), 27 Nov 1821, Orange County, Indiana²¹

5. Jordan Sutherland — B. about 1799, (probably) Burke County, North Carolina;²² D. after 21 Aug 1850, (probably) Vermillion County, Illinois;²² M. Martha Patsy Bailey, 24 Aug 1831, Adair County, Kentucky²³

6. John Sutherland — B. about 1802, (probably) Lincoln County, Kentucky^5,14

7. Mary Sutherland — B. 28 Jan 1803, (probably) Lincoln County, Kentucky;²⁴ D. 24 Feb 1879, Morgan County, Illinois;²⁴ M. John H. Boyer (1795-1868), 8 May 1823, Adair County, Kentucky¹⁷

8. Jesse R. Sutherland — B. about 1805, (probably) Lincoln County, Kentucky;²⁵ D. before 1860, (probably) Polk County, Missouri;²⁶ M. Tabitha Wilson (~1805-?),18 Sep 1826, Putnam County, Indiana²⁷

9. [UNKNOWN FEMALE] Sutherlin — B. between 1810 and 1815, (probably) Adair County, Kentucky³

10. [UNKNOWN FEMALE] Sutherlin — B. between 1810 and 1820, (probably) Adair County, Kentucky¹⁴

11. Jackson Sutherlin — B. about 1815, (probably) Orange County, Indiana;³ D. before 22 Apr 1878, Merriam, Kansas;²⁸ M. Mary Fleming (1819-1907), 17 Jan 1838, Parke County, Indiana²⁹

Sources:
1    Birth year estimate based on ages of children
2    Marriage year based on the age of his children
3    1830 U.S. Census, Putnam County, Indiana
4    Pay roll of Capt. George B. Wallace’s company in the Virginia Regiment, 1 Jun 1777
5    Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, Robert J. Walsh, 1985
6    Land grant to William Sutherland, a private in the continental line of North Carolina, 20 May 1693
7    1801 personal property tax list of Lincoln County, Kentucky, FamilySearch.org
8    1800 U.S. Census, Burke County, North Carolina
9    Probate record of William Sutherland, Lincoln County, Kentucky, 22 Jan 1803, FamilySearch.org
10  “Pioneer Life of Fendel Sutherlin,” Anne Sutherlin Waite, Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol. 31, No. 4, 1930, p. 372
11  Adair County, Kentucky Tax Books, 1802-1878, FamilySearch.org
12  1810 U.S. Census, Adair County, Kentucky
13  History of Orange County, Indiana, Orange County Genealogical Society, 1985
14  1820 U.S. Census, Orange County, Indiana
15  Land deed of William Sutherlin, United States, Patent Records, 1824, FamilySearch.org
16  Estimated birth year based on age at marriage.
17  Marriage record of John Boyer and Mary Sutherlin, Kentucky, U. S., County Marriage Records, 1783-1965, Ancestry.com
18  Marriage record of John Boyer and Ann Sutherlin, K., U. S., C. M. R.
19  Estimated birth year based on age at marriage and various census records.
20  Find-a-Grave listing of Ervin Sutherlin
21  Marriage record of Irvin Sutherlin and Susannah Keith, Indiana, U. S., Marriage Index, 1806-1861, Ancestry.com
22  1850 U.S. Census, Vermillion County, Illinois
23  Marriage record of Jordan Sutherland and Mary Patsy Bailey, Kentucky, Marriages, 1785-1979, FamilySearch.org.
24  Find-a-Grave listing of Mary Boyer
25  1850 U.S. Census, Polk County, Missouri
26  1860 U.S. Census, Polk County, Missouri showing Tabitha Sutherland as a widow
27  Marriage record of Jesse Sutherland and Tabitha Wilson, I., U.S., M. I.
28  “Death on the Rail: A Deaf Man Killed While Walking on a Railroad Track,” The Kansas Star, 11 Apr 1878
29  Marriage record of Jackson Sutherlin and Mary Fleming, Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007, FamilySearch.org

Progenitor of an American Family — Robert Luckey

B. about 1690 in (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland^1,2
M. about 1710 in (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland^1,3
Wife: Isabelle Baird
D. before 21 Nov 1757, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania⁴

Robert Luckey was one of the thousands of Scots-Irish who helped populate America for generations to come. He began by settling in Pennsylvania, and producing children whose lines spread all over the country.

Little is known about Robert’s beginnings. He was said to be from Londonderry, Ireland,² and if not from there, he likely came from some part of what is now Northern Ireland. It’s hard to establish a birth year for Robert, but we know that his son Hugh was born in 1713 because it’s on his gravestone, so a rough year of birth year of 1690 is applied to Robert.¹ He married in about 1710 to Isabelle Baird,^1,3 and they went on to have at least 12 children, with the oldest ones born in Ireland. Their order of birth is unknown, so the list below names them in a random order.

Sometime during the prime of his life, Robert took his family to America. Between 1717 and 1775, it was said that 200,000 people of Scottish descent living in Ireland migrated to the English colonies, the largest group of immigrants to that date.⁵ Since they were late-comers compared to the people already living there, the lands near the coast were taken and so the Scots-Irish settled inland. Many of them arrived in Philadelphia, and this appears to be the case for Robert.⁶ From there, he went west to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he operated a farm.⁴

Working on a Pennsylvania farm. (AI-generated image)

The six sons and six daughters of Robert and Isabelle were each mentioned in the will he wrote on April 30, 1754,⁴ and from here we can glean that none of them were underage, although at least two girls were unmarried. The land Robert owned was to be divided between two sons, Samuel and Robert, while each of the other children was bequeathed an amount of money between three and five shillings. The will was probated on November 21, 1757,⁴ so Robert likely died not long before that date; Isabelle seems to have survived him.

As new lands opened up during the following years, many of Robert’s children moved on. By 1762, at least five of them had migrated to Rowan County, North Carolina,⁷ and we can track the descendants of these people to places all over the South and Midwest. The ones we know stayed in Pennsylvania also had later generations who moved west. This is the legacy of Robert — one of many Scots-Irish men who became the ancestor of thousands who formed the backbone of the United States.

A personal note
As of yet, I don’t know the line that gets me back to immigrant ancestor Robert Luckey. I have a proven ancestor, Joseph Luckey, born sometime during the 1790s in Rowan County. From circumstantial evidence, I estimate that Joseph was either the grandson or great-grandson of Robert. Since Robert was the progenitor of the Luckey family of Rowan County, the only thing that would seem to disprove a link were if there was an unrecorded illegitimacy in the lineage. There’s nothing to suggest that scenario.

Children:
1. Hugh Luckey — B. Feb 1713, (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland;⁸ D. 14 Apr 1786, Chester County, Pennsylvania;⁸ M. Jane Findley (1710-1782)⁹

2. Andrew Luckey — B. about 1718, (possibly) Londonderry, Ireland;¹⁰ D. 30 Oct 1770, Hopewell, Cumberland County, Pennsylvania¹⁰

3. Ann Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 7 Aug 1782, (probably) Fayette County, Kentucky;¹¹ M. Samuel Hillis (1707-1782), before 20 Aug 1753, (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania⁴

4. Mary Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 20 Aug 1753;⁴ M. William Orr⁴

5. Jane Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 20 Aug 1753⁴

6. Agnes Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 20 Aug 1753, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina;⁴ M. Robert Pendry⁴

7. Samuel Luckey — B. about 1733, Martic, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 4 Jan 1801, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina;¹² M. Mary _____ (~1735-?), before 1765¹³

8. John Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 6 Oct 1772, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina;¹⁴ M. Mary Anna ______, before about 1760¹⁵

9. Sarah Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 20 Aug 1753⁴

10. Isabella Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 25 Dec 1757, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina;¹⁶ M. William Slavin (1723-1762), before 25 Dec 1757, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina¹⁶

11. James Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 20 Aug 1753, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina⁴

12. Robert Luckey — B. (probably) Lancaster County, Pennsylvania;⁴ D. after 6 Oct 1772, Rowan County, North Carolina;¹⁴ M. Mary Holmes (1735-?), before 1755¹⁷

Sources:
1    It’s hard to establish a birth and marriage year for Robert, but we know that his oldest son Hugh was born in 1713 because it’s on his gravestone.
2    Old Sands Street Methodist Episcopal Church of Brooklyn, N.Y., Edwin Warriner, 1885
3    WikiTree listing of Robert Luckey
4    Probate records of Robert Luckey, Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683, 1994, FamilySearch.org
5    Scotch-Irish Americans (Wikipedia article)
6    The migration story for Robert Luckey fits the many Scots-Irish who came around that time and wound up living in eastern Pennsylvania.
7    The children who moved to North Carolina are Samuel, John, Isabella, James and Robert.
8    Death record of Hugh Luckie, U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970, Ancestry.com
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Hugh Luckie
10  Geni.com listing of Andrew Luckey
11  Find-a-Grave listing of Samuel Hillis
12  Will of Samuel Luckey, transcribed on his listing on WeRelate.org
13  WeRelate.org listing of Samuel Luckey, Sr. of Rowan Co. NC
14  Will of Robert Luckey, transcribed on his listing on WeRelate.org
15  Geni.com listing of Esther Knox (Luckey)
16  Find-a-Grave listing of John Slavin
17  WeRelate.org listing Robert Luckey

Up the Coast of Massachusetts — Margaret Norman

B. before 4 Feb 1614 in Charminster, Dorset, England¹
M. (1) about 1637 in (probably) Salem, Massachusetts²
Husband: Robert Morgan
M. (2) before 21 May 1690 in (probably) Salisbury, Massachusetts³
Husband: Samuel Fowler
D. after 20 Feb 1694 in (probably) Salisbury, Massachusetts⁴

Margaret Norman arrived in the Massachusetts colony two years before the Winthrop Fleet, then spent her long life in various towns up the coast above Boston.

There is a baptism for Margaret recorded in Charminster, Dorset, England on February 4, 1614.¹ Her parents were Richard and Florence Norman, and she was the third of their six children. Charminster was just north of Dorchester, which was seeing activity amongst those seeking to colonize New England. Margaret’s father became involved in the Dorchester Company, and sometime around 1628, the family boarded a ship bound for America.¹

Since the motivation for moving was a commercial one, it isn’t certain if the Norman family were Puritans. They settled on Cape Ann in what is now Massachusetts, and this was where Margaret came of age. In about 1637, she married a man named Robert Morgan probably in Salem.² They started a family with the birth of a son in 1638,³ and had eight known children by 1663.

Something happened to the family’s standing in the community in about 1669, and it involved Margaret’s 19-year-old son Benjamin trying to steal some horses.⁴ The young man reacted badly to authorities, and they pushed back by excommunicating him for being a “stupefied sinner.” After this, his father Robert disappeared from town records, which suggested that the family was looked down upon for raising such a son.

Robert passed away in 1672, probably in November or December,⁵ leaving Margaret with an uncertain future. She took a new husband named Samuel Fowler, but the date of their marriage is uncertain. We only know that it was before May 21, 1690, when their names appeared on a document together.³ Samuel lived in the town of Salisbury, and presumably this is where Margaret moved to. Salisbury was about as far north as you could go on the Massachusetts coast, and Samuel Fowler was described as a shipwright. The village was near the mouth of the Merrimack River, but while proximity to the water was important, it was mostly an agricultural community.

Margaret made her mark on the 1690 document.

A document dated February 20, 1694 established that Margaret was still alive.³ It was concerning Samuel having his son look after them in their old age. In it, he stated “Margaret, my now wife, after her return from Beverly, the place of her present sojourning, to my present habitation, or to other as may be provided by or for me for her entertainment, to settle and abide in the time of our old age, and other our present want of sight and decay of other members and faculties.” In return for his son’s promise, he was deeded his entire estate.

After that date, nothing more is known of Margaret, and her death was unrecorded. Samuel passed away in January 1711.⁶

Children (all by Robert Morgan):
1. Samuel Morgan – B. about 1638, Salem, Massachusetts;⁷ D. before 20 Nov 1698, Beverly, Massachusetts;⁸ M. (1) Elizabeth Dixey (1641-1690), 15 Oct 1658;⁷ (2) Mary Phippen (1644-?), about 1692, Massachusetts⁷

2. Luke Morgan – B. before 23 Jun 1650, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;⁹ D. Apr 1732, Cape Sable, Nova Scotia⁴

3. Joseph Morgan – B. before 23 Jun 1650, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. 23 Oct 1731, Beverly, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Deborah Hart, 12 Jul 1669, Lynn, Massachusetts¹²

4. Benjamin Morgan – B. before 23 Jun 1650, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;¹³ D. 1677, Cape Porpoise, Maine⁴

5. Robert Morgan – B. 15 Oct 1650, Salem, Massachusetts¹⁴

6. Bethiah Morgan – B. before 29 May 1653, Salem, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. Samuel Weed (1652-?), about 12 Mar 1676, Massachusetts¹⁶

7. Moses Morgan – B. (probably) Salem Massachusetts;⁸ D. 1677, Cape Porpoise, Maine⁴

8. Aaron Morgan – B. 24 May 1663, Salem, Massachusetts¹⁶

Sources:
1    “The English Origins of Richard Norman of Salem Massachusetts,” Leslie Mahler, The American Genealogist, V. 77, 2002
2    WikiTree listing of Margaret (Norman) Morgan (read bio under heading “At Massachusetts Bay Colony”
3    The Fowler Family: a Genealogical Memoir of the Descendants of Philip and Mary Fowler, of Ipswich, Mass: Ten Generations: 1590-1882, Matthew Adams Stickney, 1883, pp. 24-25
4    “Whatever Happened to Brother Morgan?” Charles C. Wainwright, Historically Speaking: Stories from the Historical Archive of the First Parish Church in Beverly, Massachusetts
5    WikiTree listing of Samuel Morgan
6    Vital Records of Salisbury, Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849, 1915
7    WikiTree listing of Samuel Morgan
8    Probate record of Samuel Morgan, Massachusetts, U.S. Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991, Ancestry.com
9    Baptismal record of Luke Morgan, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
10  Baptismal record of Joseph Morgan, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  WikiTree listing of Joseph Morgan
12  Marriage record of Joseph Morgan and Deborah Hart, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13  Baptismal record of Benjamin Morgan, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Baptismal record of Robert Morgan (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Baptismal record of Bethia Morgan, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Birth record of Elizabeth Weed (Bethia’s oldest child), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Baptismal record of Aaron Morgan, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

Greek Farmer Married 3 Times — Ioannis K. Bouloucheris

B. about 1836 in (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece^1,2
M. (1) about 1856 in (probably) Lakonia, Greece^1,3
Wife: UNKNOWN
M. (2) 15 Feb 1864 in Geraki, Lakonia, Greece¹
Wife: Kyriakoula Maroudas
M. (3) before 1886 in (probably) Lakonia, Greece^4,5
Wife: Eleni _______
D. before 6 Jun 1914 in (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece⁶

Piecing together the life of someone who lived in a place that hardly preserved records can be challenging. But for Ioannis K. Bouloucheris of Lakonia, Greece a few key documents help to tell his story.

Ioannis was born in about 1836, likely in the village of Apidia,⁷ where the Bouloucheris family seems to have originated from.¹ (The Greek spelling of Bouloucheris is Μπουλουχέρης.) His father was called Konstantinos, but his mother’s name is unknown. Based on Greek tradition, she may have been Athanasia since that was the name of Ioannis’ oldest known daughter. There is no evidence that Konstantinos had any children besides Ioannis.

Apidia is in the southernmost region of Greece, a mountainous area where for generations, people have made a living off the land. Ioannis was born at a time just after the Greek War of Independence, and the population was recovering from that. After he came of age, it’s likely that Ioannis made a living as either a goatherd or an olive grower. Life centered around family, the church and the village, which formed a tight-knit community, and we can assume Ioannis practiced all the customs of the Greek culture. 

Growing olives in Lakonia. (AI-generated image)

The farmers’ census of 1856 is the first place Ioannis is recorded.³ His father is shown as a married man living in Apidia with only two household members, and since those two would have to be Konstantinos and his wife, it suggests that Ioannis was already out on his own. And this is backed by the listing of what appears to be Ioannis right below his father. It shows that he was also a married man in a household of two people, so it seems that Ioannis had taken a wife when he was about 20.

The name of Ioannis’ first wife is unknown; most likely she was a young girl from the area. She was deceased by February 6, 1864 when Ioannis applied for a license to marry a second wife.⁸ Her name was Kyriakoula Maroudas, age 18, from the nearby village of Geraki, where the wedding took place on February 15th.¹ As with most Greek marriages, the union was probably arranged, perhaps by the bride and groom’s fathers. 

Marriage license record of Ioannis and Kyriakoula.

Ioannis and Kyriakoula seem to have had four children together, with the first born in about 1867;⁹ there may have been others who died young. Noticeably missing are sons honoring each of their fathers, which would follow a certain order in the naming tradition. A child named Konstantinos may have been born to Ioannis’ first wife, then died young. If that’s true, Ioannis’ first son with Kyriakoula would have been named Dimitrios after her father, but that boy must have also died. 

One other place where Ioannis was recorded was on lists of voters in his village. In Greece, when a priest needed to be replaced (often because they had died), that parish would have an election among its eligible citizens for a new one. On such occasions, a list was made of the men of that village, and for Apidia, this happened in 1868 and 1879.^10,2 Ioannis appears to be on both of these lists. The one from 1868 also shows his father Konstantinos, who is gone by 1879 (he probably passed away). Only the 1879 voters list has the ages of the men, and it suggests a birth year for Ioannis of about 1837 — a close match to the age given on the 1864 marriage record.

Although it hasn’t been firmly proven, Ioannis married a third wife only known as Eleni.⁵ They had a son born in 1886,⁴ so Kyriakoula must have died sometime before that date. While there has been no record of this third marriage, the weddings of two daughters of Ioannis are documented. The first was for his oldest surviving child Athanasia on July 14, 1884,⁸ and the second was for daughter Stamata. That marriage took place in Apidia on April 6, 1896,¹¹ and we know that Ioannis was in attendance. Interestingly, the groom’s parents were the great-grandparents of David and Amy Sedaris, and the descendants of this marriage were referenced in the show Finding Your Roots.¹²

The wedding of Stamata was the last known record of Ioannis, so he died some time after that date. When his daughter Eleni was listed on a ship arriving at Ellis Island on June 6, 1914,⁶ she identified her closest relative back in Greece as her sister Athanasia, so it can be assumed that Ioannis was deceased by then.

Child by unknown mother:
1. (supposed) Konstantinos Ioannou Bouloucheris — B. (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece; D. young

Children by Kyriakoula Maroudas:
1. (supposed) Dimitrios Ioannou Bouloucheris — B. (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece; D. young

2. Athanasia Ioannou Bouloucheris — B. about 1867, (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece;⁹ D. after 6 Jun 1914, Greece;⁶ M. Peter A. Parthenios, after 14 Jul 1884, Myrtia, Lakonia, Greece⁹

3. Stamata Ioannou Bouloucheris — B. about 1873, (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece;¹¹ M. Spyridon Illia Sideras (1870-?), 6 Apr 1896, Apida, Lakonia, Greece¹¹

4. George John Bollhan — B. 1876, Apidia, Lakonia, Greece;⁴ D. 11 Jan 1927, Birmingham, Alabama;¹³ M. Mildred Holotz (1886-1962), 19 Jan 1920, Chicago, Illinois¹⁴

5. Eleni Ioannou Bouloucheris — B. 1877, (probably) Apidia, Lakonia, Greece;⁶ D. after 1939, Greece;¹⁵ M. Andrew Hiotis (1867-1940), after 6 Jun 1914, (probably) St. Paul, Minnesota⁶

Children by Eleni _________:
1. James John Bolheres — B. 1886, Apidia, Lakonia, Greece;⁴ D. 11 Jul 1941, Minneapolis, Minnesota;⁵ M. Minnie Louise LaBrie (1893-1950), 17 Jun 1918, St. Paul, Minnesota¹⁶

Sources:
1    Marriage record of Ioannis K. Bouloucheris and Kyriakoula Maroudas, Greece, Peloponnese, Lakonia Vital Records, 1859-1950, MyHeritage.com
2    Voter List of Elous Municipality, 1878, Apidia, General State Archives of Lakonia
3    Greece, Farmers Census 1856, MyHeritage.com
4    Male town registers, 1844-1959, Apidia, Lakonia, Greece
5    Death record of James Bolheres, Minnesota, Death Records and Certificates, 1900-1955, FamilySearch.org
6    Listing of Eleni Boulouchery, New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists, 1820-1957, Ancestry.com
7    Searching for the name Bouloucheris or Μπουλουχέρης almost always leads to the small village of Apidia. The surname simply isn’t found anywhere else in Greece.
8    Marriage license of Ioannis K. Poulos and Kyriakoula Maroudas, Greece, Sparta Marriages, 1835-1935, MyHeritage.com
9    Marriage license of Panagiotis A. Panou and Athanaso Bouloucheri, Metropolis of Monemvasia and Sparta, Licenses, Miscellaneous Collection, compiled by Gregory Kontos
10  Voter List of Elous Municipality, 1868, Apidia, General State Archives of Lakonia
11  Marriage license of Spiros Syderis and Stamata Bouloucheris, G., S. M.
12  “Ancient roots,” Finding Your Roots, Season 2, Episode 9, 18 Nov 2014
13  Death record of George Bolhan, Alabama, U.S., Deaths and Burials, 1881-1974, Ancestry.com
14  Marriage record of George Ballhan and Mildred Holotz, Cook County, Illinois, U.S., Marriages Index, 1871-1920, Ancestry.com
15  Estimated date from stories told by Margaret Bolheres to Laura Mitchell
16  Marriage certificate of James Bolheres and Minnie LaBrie

A Dangerous Place to Settle — Jonathan Franklin

B. before about 1657 in (probably) England¹
M. before 21 Dec 1687 in (probably) Massachusetts²
Wife: Sarah Smith
D. 19 Mar 1693 in Haverhill, Massachusetts³

Many settlers in colonial America were victims of Indian raids — the random killing of civilians by indigenous warriors. Very often this happened in frontier settlements. Such was the case for Jonathan Franklin, who lived too near the edge of his colony, and too near territory that was under dispute with the French.

About Jonathan’s origins, nothing is known. Since there seems to be no record of his parentage in New England, it’s assumed he was born somewhere in England. Based on the age of his oldest known child, his birth year was before about 1666. There was also a record in Charlestown dated 1677 naming a man who was a glove maker,¹ a profession that appears on a later document tied to Jonathan.⁴ If that was him, then the assumption is that he was at least age 20, and this pushes his birth year back before 1657.¹

Jonathan married a widow named Sarah Stevens (her maiden name was Smith),¹ and they had three sons born between 1687 and 1692. Jonathan moved to the town of Haverhill by June 15, 1689, as a deed shows he was living there.⁴ He bought 11 acres of land where he was residing from a Boston widow for £14. The deed also mentioned that he worked as a “skinner and glover,” occupations that involved making leather from animal skins.

Haverhill was on the northern border of Massachusetts, and was surrounded by raw wilderness. Jonathan’s home may have been close to the town’s boundaries and not within any sort of stockade. In Haverhill, it was said that “the Indians for some time past had been hovering over the town in such a manner as kept the inhabitants in continual alarm. Small parties were almost daily seen traversing the adjacent woods and slyly approaching the farm houses in search of plunder.”⁵

A family being watched. (AI-generated image)

The Indian raid that took Jonathan’s life happened on March 19, 1693,³ but the town records didn’t make note of any of the details. Typically in such an attack, a small group of warriors would choose a time when a man was unready to defend himself, like breaking into a house before daybreak. Another way they would strike at settlers was to find someone alone outside their house. It was said that Jonathan’s death was the only aggression that year at Haverhill, so it was an isolated incident.

A year later, Jonathan’s widow Sarah remarried,⁶ and she moved down to the Boston area with her new husband and sons. Sarah passed away in about 1708.⁷

Children:
1. John Franklin — B. 21 Dec 1687, Boston, Massachusetts;⁸ D. before 1729;⁹ M. Lydia Tower (1687-), 15 Mar 1712, Hingham, Massachusetts¹⁰

2. Jonathan Franklin — B. about 1690, (possibly) Hingham, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Esther Parmalee (~1698-1788), 3 Dec 1718, Killingsworth, Connecticut¹²

3. David Franklin — B. 4 May 1692, Haverhill, Massachusetts;¹³ D. before 11 Sep 1739, (probably) Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Elizabeth Ayers (~1691-1752), 18 Jun 1713, Boston, Massachusetts¹⁵

Sources:
1    Notes and queries column about the Franklin family, Boston Evening Transcript, 1905
2    Marriage year based on birth date of his oldest son
3    Vital Records of Haverhill, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849, V. 2, p. 402
4    Deed of Sarah Leverett to Jonathan Franklin, 15 Jun 1689, Essex Deeds 1701-1705, FamilySearch.org
5    History of Haverhill, Massachusetts, George Wingate Chase, 1861
6    Marriage record of John Field and Sarah Franklin, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
7    Guardianship record of David Franklin, 8 Jun 1708
8    Birth record of John Franklin, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
9    Probate file of John Smith of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Probate and Family Court Records, FamilySearch.org
10  Marriage record of John Franklin and Lydia Tower, Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Ancestry.com
11  Estimated birth of Jonathan is based on it being a date between the recorded births of John and David.
12  Marriage record of Jonathan Franklin and Esther Parmalee, Connecticut, Vital Records Prior to 1850, FamilySearch.org
13  Birth record of David Franklin, Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
14  Sep 11, 1739, Suffolk County MA, letters of administration of the estate of David Francklyn to Elizabeth Francklyn, unindexed probate files of Massachusetts, FamilySearch.org
15  Marriage record of David Franklin and Elizabeth Ayers, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

Brooklyn Family Patriarch — Coert Stevense Van Voorhees

B. about Apr 1637 in Drenthe, Netherlands¹
M. before 1665 in (probably) New York¹
Wife: Marretje Gerritse Van Couwenhoven
D. after 1702 in (probably) Flatlands, New York¹

By virtue of being one of several siblings who migrated from Europe, Coert Stevense Van Voorhees became one of the earliest generations of a great American family.

Coert came from Drenthe, a region of the Netherlands, and he was born there about 1637 to Steven Coerts Van Voorhees and Aaltjen Wessels, one of their three known children.¹ His mother died when he was a child and his father remarried, producing six half-siblings.²

Coert was an adult when his 60-year-old father took the family to America, settling in Flatlands, part of present-day Brooklyn. His father purchased a large tract of land on November 29, 1660,³ and presumably Coert received part of it, or bought a farm of his own nearby. There’s no record of Coert’s marriage, but by about 1665, he wed Marretje Gerritse Van Couwenhoven,¹ daughter of one of the earliest Dutch settlers of Flatlands. Between about 1667 and 1683, they had five sons and four daughters. 

On a farm in Flatlands. (AI-generated image)

As a large landowner in Flatlands, Coert held many offices. In 1677, he was a deacon of the Dutch Reformed Church,¹ and in 1689, he was captain of the militia.¹ He was also a representative of Flatlands at an assembly held in New Amsterdam on April 10, 1664;¹ presumably this was in regard to the English takeover of the colony which happened that year. And he was a delegate to “The Convention at New Orange” on March 26, 1674,¹ which took place after New Netherland formally ceased to exist. Coert was also a church elder in 1679 and 1684.¹

On March 8, 1692 Coert purchased property at Gravesend, New York, which he transferred to his son Albert on June 20, 1699.¹ Coert was last known to be alive in 1702, but it isn’t known when he died.¹ It’s believed that his wife Marretje was deceased by 1709. They were both the ancestors of Howard Dean, Paul Giamatti and Thomas Kean.⁴

Coert had four half-brothers, and the Van Voorhees family grew to a tremendous size over the years, leading the family association website to claim they are “the largest Dutch Family in America.”⁵

Children:
1. Gerrit Coertsen Van Voorhees — B. before 1666, (probably) Flatlands, New York;⁶ D. before 23 Sep 1704, New Utrecht, New York;⁶ M. (1) Mensje Janse;⁶ (2) Willemptje Pieterse Luyster (~1665-?), 26 Apr 1685, Flatlands, New York⁶

2. Aeltie Coertse Van Voorhees — B. before 1666, Flatlands, New York;⁷ D. 12 Nov 1746;⁷ M. Joost Rutgerz Van Brunt (?-~1746), 16 Apr 1687, Flatbush, New York⁷

3. Stephen Coertsen Van Voorhees — B. about 1667, Flatlands, New York;⁸ D. 16 Feb 1724, Gravesend, New York;⁸ M. (1) Eegje Jans;⁸ (2) Eva ______⁸

4. Albert Coertsen Van Voorhees — B. about 1670, Flatlands, New York;⁹ D. before 14 Apr 1748, (probably) Flatlands, New York;⁹ M. (1) Sara Willemse Cornel (?-1736), before 1695;⁹ (2) Willempje Suydam, 15 May 1743; (3) Ida Suydam (1678-?), 1 Dec 1744⁹

5. Marretje Coertse Van Voorhees — B. about 1675, Flatlands, New York;¹⁰ M. Jacob Remsen¹⁰

6. Neeltje Coertse Van Voorhees — B. 30 Jun 1676, (probably) Flatlands, New York;¹¹ D. 4 Aug 1750, (probably) Monmouth County, New Jersey;¹¹ M. Garret Roelfse Schenck (1671-1745), Flatlands, New York¹¹

7. Cornelis Coertsen Van Voorhees — B. before 23 Jun 1678, (probably) Flatlands, New York;¹² M. Antje Remsen (1681-?)¹²

8. Annetie Coertse Van Voorhees — B. before 5 Dec 1680, Flatlands, New York;¹³ M. Jan Rapalje (1673-?)¹³

9. Johannes Coertsen Van Voorhees — B. 20 Apr 1683, Flatlands, New York;¹⁴ D.10 Oct 1757;¹⁴ M. (1) Barber Achyase Van Dyck (1682-1743), 19 Nov 1703;¹⁴ (2) Sarah Van Vliet (1694-?), 2 May 1744¹⁴

Sources:
1    Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Coert Stephense Van Voorhees
2    Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Stephen Coert Van Voorhees
3    Steven van Voorhees (Wikipedia article)
4    FamousKin.com listing of Coert Stevense Can Voorhees
5    History of the Van Voorhees Family (website)
6    Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Gerrit Coertsen Van Voorhees
7    Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Aeltie Coertse Van Voorhees
8    Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Stephen Coertsen Van Voorhees
9    Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Albert Coertsen Van Voorhees
10  Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Marretje Coertse Van Voorhees
11  Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Neeltje Coertse Van Voorhees
12  Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Cornelis Coertsen Van Voorhees
13  Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Annetje Coertse Van Voorhees
14  Brouwer Genealogy Database listing for Johannes Coertsen Van Voorhees