Woman of the First House In Billerica — Elizabeth Poulter

B. 1 Sep 1633 in Rayleigh, Essex, England¹
M. 22 Nov 1654 in Boston, Massachusetts²
Husband: Jonathan Danforth
D. 7 Oct 1689 in Billerica, Massachusetts³

Like most women of her day, Elizabeth Poulter had the primary identity of being a wife and mother. But there were some other facts about her life as a Puritan settler that give her a bit of a story, including the importance of her home.

The path Elizabeth followed to New England was fairly typical. She was born September 1, 1633 in the town of Rayleigh, England,¹ which was in Essex. Her parents were John and Mary Poulter and she was one of at least three children. The East Anglia region of England was the source of the majority of Puritan settlers to England, and so being in a family that followed that set of beliefs was only natural. Where Elizabeth differs a bit was in the fact that her family didn’t join the mass migration of the 1630s. Her father died in 1639, and Rayleigh records show that his will was proved there on May 30th.¹ Even though Elizabeth was 6-years-old, her father bequeathed her £100 (a substantial amount of money) to be paid to her when she came of age.

It was Elizabeth’s mother who migrated to America, bringing along Elizabeth and her brother John. The date of this move is uncertain and may have been as late as 1653.⁴ At some point, the widow Mary Poulter married John Parker, and their family was part of the first settlers of the new community of Billerica. On November 22, 1654, Elizabeth (presumably with her inheritance awarded) was the bride in the first wedding held at Billerica.² Her husband was Jonathan Danforth, a surveyor from Suffolk, England, and he would become a prominent member of the town.

Elizabeth’s husband and step-father formed a tight relationship, and together took purchased a piece of property called the “Farm Grant.”¹ It was on this land that Jonathan and Elizabeth’s house was built, said to be the first one in Billerica. The style of architecture was called a saltbox, a distinctly-shaped structure of 17th-century New England. These homes had a long, low roof line extending to the back, so that there were two stories in the front and one in the back. This was where Elizabeth presumably gave birth to her eleven children, raising many of them to adulthood.

Sadly, Elizabeth didn’t live an especially long life; she passed away on October 7, 1689 at the age of 54.³ Jonathan remarried about a year later,⁵ and he died in 1712.⁶ Their saltbox house was said to have survived until the 1880s.⁷ Elizabeth was an ancestor of Bette Davis.

Children:
1. Mary Danforth — B. 29 Jan 1656, Billerica, Massachusetts;⁸ D. May 1732, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;⁹ M. John Parker (1647-1699)⁹

2. Elizabeth Danforth — B. 27 May 1657, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. 9 Dec 1739, Westborough, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Simeon Hayward (1648-1733), 7 Mar 1687, Billerica, Massachusetts¹²

3. Jonathan Danforth — B. 18 Feb 1659, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹³ D. 11 Jan 1711, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Rebecca Parker (1661-1754), 27 Jun 1682, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁵

4. John Danforth — B. 23 Jan 1660, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;⁷ D. 7 Feb 1661, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts⁷

5. John Danforth — B. 22 Feb 1661, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;⁷ D. 4 Jun 1662, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts⁷

6. Lydia Danforth — B. 1 Jun 1664, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁶ M. Edward Wright⁷

7. Samuel Danforth — B. 5 Feb 1666, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 19 Apr 1742, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Hannah Crosby (1672-1752), 8 Jan 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁹

8. Anna Danforth — B. 8 Mar 1668, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁰ D. 13 Aug 1737, Billerica, Massachusetts;²¹ M. Oliver Whiting (1665-1736), 22 Jan 1690, Billerica, Massachusetts²²

9. Thomas Danforth — B. 29 Apr 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts;²³ D. 31 Jul 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts²⁴

10. Nicholas Danforth — B. 1 Apr 1671 Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁵ D. 8 Mar 1694, Billerica, Massachusetts²⁶

11. Sarah Danforth — B. 23 Dec 1676, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁷ D. 15 Oct 1751, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁸ M. (1) William French (1668-1723), 22 May 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts;²⁹ (2) Ebenezer Davis (1676-1753)²⁸

Sources:
1    “The Poulter Family of Rayleigh, Essex, England and Billerica, Massachusetts,” NEHGR, V. 141, 1987
2    Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Elizabeth Poulter, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001
3    Death record of Elizabeth Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
4    Date of arrival in America roughly based on Elizabeth Poulter’s marriage in 1654.
5    Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Esther Converse, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
6    Death record of Jonathan Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
7    Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, William Richard Cutter, 1908, p. 165
8    Birth record of Mary Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Mary (Danforth) Parker
10  Birth record of Elizabeth Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  Death record of Elizabeth Hayward, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
12  Marriage record of Simeon Hayward and Elizabeth Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13  Birth record of Jonathan Danforth (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Death record of Jonathan Danforth (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Rebecca Parker, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Birth record of Lydia Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Birth record of Samuel Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18  Death record of Samuel Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Marriage record of Samuel Danforth and Hannah Crosby, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Birth record of Anna Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
21  Death record of Anna Whiting, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22  Marriage record of Oliver Whiting and Anna Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
23  Birth record of Thomas Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
24  Death record of Thomas Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25  Birth record of Nicholas Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
26  Find-a-Grave listing of Nicholas Danforth
27  Birth record of Sarah Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
28  Find-a-Grave listing of Sarah (Danforth) Davis
29  Marriage record of William French and Sarah Danforth, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

Keeping the Property She Inherited — Joanna Larkin

B. 8 Mar 1676 in Charlestown, Massachusetts¹
M. (1) 1693 in Beverly, Massachusetts²
Husband: Joshua Dodge
M. (2) 20 Apr 1696 in Beverly, Massachusetts³
Husband: John Thorndike
D. 12 May 1716 in Beverly, Massachusetts⁴

When Joanna Larkin’s husband died in 17th-century New England, his probate file had a remarkable claim: his widow was the rightful owner of most of their joint property.

Joanna was born on March 8, 1676 to John Larkin and Joanna Hale;¹ she was one of six children, two of whom died young. Her father died when she was 2-years-old in a smallpox epidemic.⁵ Her mother remarried to William Dodge in 1685,⁶ and he had several children of his own. This is how 9-year-old Joanna met her first husband, Joshua Dodge, who was her 16-year-old step-brother. They married in about 1693.²

Step-siblings who would one day get married. (AI-generated image)

Sadly their marriage didn’t last long. After Joanna got pregnant, Joshua died at age 24 on April 15, 1694;⁷ their son was born six months later. Since there was no will for Joshua, the probate file was quite detailed, and it suggested that Joanna had brought her own property and possessions into the marriage.⁸

To understand Joanna’s holdings, we need to look at her progenitors. Her grandparents were all part of the Great Migration from England to Massachusetts during the 1630s. Maternal grandfather Robert Hale was a prominent man in Charlestown, but he died young,⁹ and her grandmother Joanna remarried to a man named Richard Jacob¹⁰ who left her widowed again.¹¹ When she passed away in 1679, she had property from both husbands, and bequeathed it to many of her descendants, including young Joanna. The will said “And my remaining acres of land in the field I give to be equally divided between my Daughter Larkin’s four children.”¹¹ This amounted to three acres to be split between Joanna and her siblings.

In addition to this, Joanna had 2 acres left to her by her father, also in Charlestown, that was “in the hands of her brother Edward,” and “a legacy” from her paternal grandmother, Joanna Penticost.¹² In looking at the inventory for Joshua Dodge’s estate dated September 20, 1695, the list has very few items that weren’t the part of what Joanna had gotten from her own deceased relatives.⁸ In addition to land, there were pewter platters, table and cupboard cloths, napkins and other items from her two grandmothers. And also “4 tablecloths and 4 towels” from her mother.⁸

Inventory of Joshua Dodge’s estate.

Describing these possessions as belonging to Joanna was so that she could retain them even if she took a second husband. Usually a widow lost the joint property she had with her husband if she got remarried. And presumably Joanna did keep everything when on April 20, 1696, she married John Thorndike.³

Joanna and John had a total of eight children together born between 1697 and 1712. They lived in a house that John built during the early years of their marriage; it is a New England “salt box,” and it is still standing today.¹³ Joanna didn’t live to see most of her children grow up because she passed away on May 12, 1716 in Beverly.⁴ Her husband John remarried twice more, and died in 1760.¹⁴

Child by Joshua Dodge:
1. Joshua Dodge — B. 20 Sep 1694, Beverly, Massachusetts;¹⁵ D. 20 Dec 1772, Beverly, Massachusetts¹⁵

Children by John Thorndike:
1. Robert Thorndike — B. 4 Feb 1697, Beverly, Massachusetts;¹⁶ M. Elizabeth Woodbury (1696-1781), 20 Nov 1718, Beverly, Massachusetts¹⁷

2. Paul Thorndike — B. 5 Feb 1699, Beverly, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. Mehitable Woodbury (1705-?), 30 Sep 1725, Beverly, Massachusetts¹⁹

3. John Thorndike — B. 22 Aug 1701, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁰ D. 10 Jul 1769, Beverly, Massachusetts;²¹ M. (1) Elizabeth Ober (1704-1750), 13 Nov 1723, Beverly, Massachusetts;²² (2) Sarah Cleeves (1728-1833), 18 Feb 1753, Beverly, Massachusetts²³

4. Joanna Thorndike — B. 1 Aug 1703, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁴ D. 27 Mar 1775, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁵ M. Ebenezer Lovett (1702-1778), 17 Apr 1725, Beverly, Massachusetts²⁶

5. James Thorndike — B. 11 Jan 1706, Beverly, Massachusetts;²⁷ D. 20 Feb 1787, Tewksbury, Massachusetts;²⁸ M. Anna Ober (1708-1787), 21 Jan 1728, Beverly, Massachusetts²⁹

6. Herbert Thorndike — B. 3 Jan 1708, Beverly, Massachusetts;³⁰ D. 10 Jul 1746, Beverly, Massachusetts;³¹ M. Abigail Ober (1708-1796), 4 Feb 1731, Beverly, Massachusetts³²

7. Edward Thorndike — B. 10 Apr 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts;³³ D. 21 Apr 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts³⁴

8. Sarah Thorndike — B. 17 Sep 1712, Beverly, Massachusetts;³⁵ M. Joshua Thorndike, 14 Dec 1738, Beverly, Massachusetts³⁶

Sources:

1    Birth record of Joanna Larkin, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Joshua Dodge and Joanna Larkin, U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Ancestry.com
3    Marriage record of John Thorndike and Joanna Dodge, Massachusetts Marriages, 1695-1910, FamilySearch.org
4    Death record of Joanna Thorndike, The Massachusetts Vital Records Project – Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts, Vol. 3, p. 577
5    Find-a-Grave listing of John Larkin
6    Marriage record of William Dodge and Joanna Larkin, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
7    WikiTree listing of Joshua Dodge
8    Probate record of Joshua Dodge
9    Find-a-Grave listing of Robert Hale
10  Marriage record of Richard Jacob and Joanna Hale, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  Probate record of Joanna Jacob
12  Probate record of Joanna Penticost
13  Capt. John Thorndike House (Wikipedia article)
14  Death record of John Thorndike, Massachusetts Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910, FamilySearch.org
15  Find-a-Grave listing of Deacon Joshua Dodge Jr.
16  Birth record of Robert Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
17  Marriage record of Robert Thorndike and Elizabeth Woodbury, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
18  Birth record of Paul Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
19  Marriage record of Paul Thorndike and Mehitable Woodbury, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
20  Birth record of John Thorndike (younger), M.T.C., V. & T.R.
21  Death record of John Thorndike (younger), M.T.C., V. & T.R.
22  Marriage record of John Thorndike and Elizabeth Ober, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
23  Marriage record of John Thorndike and Sarah Cleeves, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
24  Birth record of Joanna Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
25  Death record of Joanna Thorndike Lovett, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
26  Marriage record of Ebenezer Lovett and Joanna Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
27  Birth record of James Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
28  Death record of James Thorndike, Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1620-1850, AmericanAncestors.org
29  Marriage record of James Thorndike and Anna Ober, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
30  Birth record of Herbert Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
31  Death record of Herbert Thorndike, Massachusetts Vital Records, Beverly, Vol. 2, p. 575
32  Marriage record of Herbert Thorndike and Abigail Ober, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
33  Birth record of Edward Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
34  Death record of Edward Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
35  Birth record of Sarah Thorndike, M.T.C., V. & T.R.
36  Marriage record of Joshua Thorndike and Sarah Thorndike

Married to a Much Older Man — Marie-Françoise Cassé

B. about 1671 in (probably) Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France¹
M. about 1689 in New France¹
Husband: Étienne Blanchon
D. 14 Jan 1750 in Beaumont, New France²

In the early days of New France, teenaged girls often married husbands who weren’t young. Such was the case for Marie-Françoise Cassé, and this set the course for the rest of her life.

Françoise was born to Antoine Cassé and Françoise Pilois, and she was the fourth of ten children; her birth was in about 1671, likely in Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, but the record for her baptism is missing.¹ When Françoise was about 7-years-old, her family moved to the south shore community of Beaumont.³ Three years later, the 1681 census showed that only 14 families were living there.⁴

In about 1689, Françoise got married to a curious choice of husband. His name was Étienne Blanchon, and he had a cloudy background. A man by that name had arrived in New France before Françoise was born, and he was a Carignan-Salières Regiment soldier.⁵ This Étienne Blanchon was married twice, but was said to have left his second wife by 1684 to move back to France.⁵ Then about five years later, Françoise married a man with the same name who had no known origins. Some think it’s the same man. What is known as a fact is that the Étienne who Françoise married was a lot older than she was, said to be born in about 1632.⁶ This would put their age difference at almost 40 years. 

Married to an older man. (AI-generated image)

Françoise gave birth to her first child, a daughter, in September 1690.⁷ By the end of the decade she had five more, a total of four girls and two boys — both of the sons died young. Étienne passed away in 1712,⁶ and this began a widowhood for Françoise which lasted over 36 years. She never remarried, and with no males in her household, she looked out after her own affairs. Only her oldest daughter was married at the time her husband died, and she had to help arrange the marriages of the other three girls.

Sadly, two daughters died early in their marriages.^8,9 The older of the two, Charlotte, passed away not long after giving birth to her only child, a son Étienne Carpentier,¹⁰ and Françoise took over guardianship of the boy when his father also died in 1724.^11,12 Ten years later, Françoise appeared in court over a lease dispute with an innkeeper named David.¹² The property in question belonged to grandson Étienne as part of his inheritance, and since he was still a minor, she represented his interests. Young Étienne was attending a seminary at the time and had rented the house he owned in Quebec City to David, who apparently was displaying “bad conduct,” and had committed the crime of selling liquor to some Indians.¹³ He was also delinquent on his rent, giving cause for eviction. The court record doesn’t show the outcome of the case.

Françoise died in Beaumont on January 14, 1750 at the age of about 78.² She had lived long enough to see her grandson Étienne ordained as a priest, taking the name Father Bonaventure Carpentier, and he became a noteworthy figure in Canada.¹⁴ In 1758, he served as a missionary to the Acadians who were living in exile in present-day New Brunswick. The English brutally attacked their settlement, forcing Father Bonaventure to flee into the woods with his followers.

Nine years later, Father Bonaventure was accused of fathering a son with an Indigenous woman, which caused him to be recalled to Quebec.¹⁴ He stepped aside for a while, then defiantly resumed his role as a priest, saying that “no one had the right to remove him.”¹⁴ Was the charge of infidelity true? In 2024, a male-line descendant of the illegitimate child had a Y-DNA test done, and he matched closely with descendants of French man named Florent Carpentier of 17th-century Normandy.¹⁵ So it sounds like Françoise’s grandson really did have sexual relations while serving as a priest, a scandal that she thankfully didn’t live to see.

Children:
1. Marie-Françoise Blanchon — B. 28 Sep 1690, Beaumont, New France;⁷ D. 29 Apr 1768, Beaumont, Quebec;¹⁶ M. Jacques Fournier (1684-1767), 27 Nov 1708, Beaumont, New France¹⁷

2. Charlotte Blanchon — B. 26 Mar 1692, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;¹⁸ D. 26 Sep 1716, Quebec City, New France;⁸ M. Étienne Carpentier (1688-1724), 25 Nov 1715, Quebec City, New France¹⁹

3. Catherine Blanchon — B. 28 Feb 1694, Beaumont, New France;²⁰ D. 10 Jun 1720, Beaumont, New France;⁹ M. Claude Rancourt (1691-1743), 4 May 1717, New France²¹

4. Etienne Blanchon — B. 1 Nov 1695, Beaumont, New France²²

5. Bernard Blanchon — B. 25 Mar 1698, Beaumont, New France;²³ D. 2 Apr 1698, Beaumont, New France²⁴

6. Suzanne Blanchon — B. 29 Sep 1699, Beaumont, New France;²⁵ D. 15 Nov 1772, Quebec City, Quebec;²⁶ M. Louis Parent (1695-1777), 27 Nov 1719, Quebec City, New France²⁷

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Marie-Françoise Casse
2    Burial record of Marie-Françoise Casse, Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Baptismal record of Charlotte Casse (Françoise’s sister), Q., C. P. R.
4    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
5    WikiTree listing for Étienne Blanchon
6    Burial record of Étienne Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
7    Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
8    Burial record of Charlotte Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
9    Burial record of Catherine Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
10  Baptismal record of Étienne Carpentier (younger), Q., C. P. R.
11  Burial record of Étienne Carpentier (older), Q., C. P. R.
12  Court record of case concerning house lease involving Étienne Carpentier, BAnQ 
13  Court record of case involving man named David selling brandy to Indians, BAnQ 
14  “Carpentier, Bonaventure,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography
15  “Father Bonadventure – born Étienne Carpentier – He was recalled to Québec City in 1768…,” Genealogy Quebec Forum
16  Burial record of Marie-Françoise Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
17  Marriage record of Jacques Fournier and Marie-Françoise Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
18  Baptismal record of Charlotte Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
19  Marriage record of Étienne Carpentier and Charlotte Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
20  Baptismal record of Catherine Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
21  Marriage record of Claude Rancourt and Catherine Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
22  Baptismal record of Etienne Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
23  Baptismal record of Bernard Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
24  Burial record of Bernard Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
25  Baptismal record of Suzanne Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
26  Burial record of Suzanne Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.
27  Marriage record of Louis Parent and Suzanne Blanchon, Q., C. P. R.

Early Settler of Reading, Massachusetts — Robert Burnap

B. about 1595 in (probably) Hertfordshire, England¹
M. about 1624 in Amwell, Hertfordshire, England¹
Wife: Anne Miller
D. 27 Sep 1689 in Reading, Massachusetts²

Robert Burnap came from an unknown English family to start fresh in Puritan Massachusetts, and became the patriarch of a large American family.

While we don’t know much about Robert’s origins, he was likely born in about 1595 in Hertfordshire because he later married and raised his family there.¹ His wife was Anne Miller, and they were wed in about 1624 in the town of Amwell.¹ While living in Hertfordshire, they had seven healthy children and another who may have been stillborn; most of the children were baptized at Hoddesdon. One record identified Robert’s profession as a chandler (candlemaker).³

A candlemaker. (AI-generated image)

The town of Hoddesdon is located on the eastern border of Hertfordshire, in close proximity with East Anglia and its population of religious dissenters. Robert became one of them, and in about 1638, he migrated to New England with his family.¹ He settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts, before moving to the new town of Reading as one of its earliest settlers. Robert and Anne may have had more children there, but documentation is sketchy on this.

Robert served for many years as a Reading selectman, an indicator that he had a strong sense of civic duty. During the years 1654 to 1671, there were only two years (1657 and 1661) where he wasn’t one of the town’s selectmen.¹ In May 1678, we find his signature on a petition to the General Court in Boston concerning Reading’s militia.⁴

There is a court case record from 1653 with the testimony of Robert (a bit hard to read): “saith the outside of the dry cask… goods came in, was chalky and one of the panes on it was broken and a hole into it about a foot long. On one side of the cask was rotten [clear] through, as if [chalk?] or some other thing like [chalk?] had gotten into it, which might very well be, for the cask was very bad. Further this deponent saith that he did help unpack all the goods.”⁵ It would seem that Robert had received delivery of something, perhaps from England, that arrived in poor condition. 

1653 testimony of Robert Burnap.

In May 1684, Robert was involved in a land dispute along with son Thomas.⁴ In the ruling it was ordered that 121 acres be divided into three lots, with one part going to the people who sued him (William and Hannah Hawkins). By now, Robert was in his late 80s, and he passed away on September 27, 1689.² Wife Ann preceded him in death in 1681.⁶ Robert and Ann were the ancestors of the first governor of Minnesota, Henry Hastings Sibley, Governor Endicott Peabody of Massachusetts, Kyra Sedgwick, Alan Shepard, and Michael Strahan.⁷

Children:
1. Thomas Burnap — B. about 1625, (probably) Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England;⁸ D. 10 Feb 1691, (probably) Reading, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Mary Pearson, 3 Dec 1663, Reading, Massachusetts⁸

2. Anne Burnap — B. before 30 Apr 1626, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England;³ D. 20 Mar 1630, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England³

3. Robert Burnap — B. before 28 Nov 1627, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England;³ D. 18 Oct 1695, Reading, Massachusetts;³ M. (1) Ann _______ (~1631-~1661);⁹ (2) Sarah Brown (1650-1713), 28 May 1662, Reading, Massachusetts¹⁰

4. Isaac Burnap — B. before 20 Mar 1630, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England;³ D. 18 Sep 1667, Reading, Massachusetts;³ M. Hannah Antrim (1638-?), 8 Sep 1658, Massachusetts¹¹

5. Anne Burnap — B. before 15 Apr 1632, Great Amwell, Hertfordshire, England;³ D. 16 Mar 1692, Dorchester, Massachusetts;³ M. (1) John Wight (1633-1653), about 1652, (probably) Massachusetts;¹² (2) Isaac Bullard (~1630-1676), 11 Apr 1655, Dedham, Massachusetts;¹³ (3) David Jones (~1628-1694), 18 Mar 1685, Dorchester, Massachusetts¹⁴

6. Baby Burnap — B. before 18 Oct 1634, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England; D. before 18 Oct 1634, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England

7. Edward Burnap — B. before 12 Feb 1636, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England¹⁵

8. Sarah Burnap — B. before 12 Feb 1636, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, England;¹⁶ D. after 15 Nov 1688, (probably) Massachusetts;¹⁷ M. (1) John Southwick (1624-1672), 3 Feb 1669, Salem, Massachusetts;¹⁸ (2) Thomas Cooper (~1654-1712), 12 Jun 1674, Salem, Massachusetts;¹⁹ (3) Cornelius Browne (1632-1701), 20 Nov 1684, Salem, Massachusetts²⁰

Sources:
1    The Burnett Genealogy, Edgar Albert Burnett, 1941, pp. 6-7
2    Death record of Robert Burnap, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
3    The Burnap-Burnett Genealogy, Henry Wyckoff Belknap, 1925, p. 26
4    Our Colonial and Continental Ancestors: The Ancestors of Mr. and Mrs. Louis William Dommerich, Louis Effingham de Forest, 1930, pp. 62-63
5    Testimony of Robert Burnap, 26 Aug 1653, FamilySearch.org
6    Death record of Ann Burnap, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
7    FamousKin.com listing of Robert Burnap
8    WikiTree listing of Thomas Burnap
9    WikiTree listing of Robert Burnap
10  Marriage record of Robert Burnap and Sarah Brown, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  Marriage record of Isaac Burnap and Hannah Antrum, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
12  WikiTree listing of Ann (Burnap) Jones
13  Marriage record of Isaac Bullard and Ann Wight, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  Marriage record of David Jones and Ann Bullard, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Christening record of Edward Burnap, England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
16  Christening record of Sarah Burnap, E., B. & C.
17  WikiTree listing of Sarah (Burnap) Brown
18  Marriage record of John Southwick and Sarah Burnap, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Marriage record of Thomas Cooper and Sarah Southwick, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Marriage record of Cornelius Brown and Sarah Cooper, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

Dropping Her Crepe — Marie-Madeleine Bordeleau

B. 23 Oct 1761 in Post Vincennes, New France¹
M. 9 Jul 1779 in Vincennes, Virginia Territory²
Husband: Jean-Baptiste Renaud dit Deslauriers
D. 21 Feb 1819 in Vincennes, Indiana³

Marie-Madeleine Bordeleau lived during an era when Creole culture dominated her community, and she was mentioned in a folk story handed down over the generations.

Marie-Madeleine was born in the French fur trading outpost at Fort Vincennes on October 23, 1761.¹ Her parents were Antoine Bordeleau and Marie-Catherine Caron, and she was one of ten children, only four of whom are known to have survived to adulthood.

Vincennes was a lively place when Marie-Madeleine was a girl, and the people there often gathered for traditional celebrations centered around holidays. As in New Orleans, the Tuesday before Lent was a time for wild behavior, and one of the events was a competition between marriageable girls that involved cooking skills. It was a contest to see who could flip the most crepes without dropping one, and the winner would have the honor of choosing which man she would like to marry.

The story was told to a writer who was compiling a book about Vincennes culture in the 1930s, and it was prefaced that it may not be “historically accurate,” but it was said that at the crepe-flipping contest in 1778, the girl who won beat out her “pretty” rival, Marie Bordeleau. Supposedly a woman who was a friend of the winning girl distracted Marie-Madeleine with conversation until she dropped one of her crepes, causing her to lose.⁴

Flipping a crepe. (AI-generated image)

Whether or not the story is true, Marie-Madeleine did find a husband the following year. It was an eventful time in Vincennes because the Americans under George Rogers Clark had attacked the fort in February, freeing the French settlers from British rule. Later that year, on July 9th, Marie-Madeleine married Jean-Baptiste Renaud dit Deslauriers at St. Francis Xavier Parish.² Attending the service were her parents, her godfather, two uncles, and presumably many of the people in town. The wedding was conducted by Father Gibault, who served as priest for the entire Illinois Territory at that time. The priest hadn't visited Vincennes in many months, so it was the very first American wedding to be held there.

The date of Marie-Madeleine’s marriage and birth of her first child suggests that she was pregnant before she got married. Her first child, Genevieve, was born October 11, 1779,⁵ and was followed by eleven more, the youngest born in 1803.

Marie-Madeleine died on February 21, 1819 in Vincennes.³ Her husband survived her, and he died in 1834.

Children:
1. Genevieve Deslauriers — B. 11 Oct 1779, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;⁵ D. before Feb 1819, (probably) Vincennes, Indiana;⁷ M. Joseph Marion Edeline (1774-1819), 18 Feb 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory⁸

2. Marie Desanges Deslauriers — B. 11 Jan 1782, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;⁹ M. Guillaume Tougas (1779-?), 6 Jul 1801, Vincennes, Indiana Territory¹⁰

3. Archange Deslauriers — B. 22 Apr 1784, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;¹¹ D. Feb 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹²

4. Jean-Baptiste Deslauriers — B. Feb 1786, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;¹³ D. Jul 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹⁴

5. Pierre Deslauriers — B. 13 Sep 1787, Vincennes, Virginia Territory;¹⁵ D. 2 Mar 1860, Vincennes, Indiana;¹⁶ M. Marie-Theotiste Ravellette (1795-?), 12 Nov 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory¹⁷

6. Barbe Deslauriers — B. 2 Oct 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory¹⁸

7. Victoire Deslauriers — B. 11 Jul 1791, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;¹⁹ D. Feb 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory²⁰

8. Marie Anne Deslauriers — B. 1 Feb 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²¹ M. François Mallet (1790-?), 14 Aug 1818, Vincennes, Indiana²²

9. Françoise Deslauriers — B. 1 Feb 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²³ D. Jun 1835, Vincennes, Indiana;²⁴ M. Louis Lacoste dit Languedoc (1790-1838), 11 May 1816, Vincennes, Indiana²⁵

10. François Xavier Deslauriers — B. 13 Feb 1798, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²⁶ D. 8 May 1837, Vincennes, Indiana;²⁷ M. Cecile Racine, 7 Aug 1820, Vincennes, Indiana²⁸

11. Adélaide Deslauriers — B. 20 Jan 1800, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;²⁹ M. François Racine, 26 Jul 1824, Vincennes, Indiana³⁰

12. Catherine Deslauriers — B. 22 Jul 1803, Vincennes, Indiana Territory;³¹ D. 2 Mar 1865, Vincennes, Indiana;³² M. Joseph Cardinal (1799-?), 14 Jul 1823, Vincennes, Indiana³³

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Crepeau, “Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901
2    Marriage record of Jean Baptiste Renault Deslauriers and Marie Magdaleine Bordeleau, R. of the P. of S.F.X.
3    Death record of Madeleine Renaud, A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, collected and compiled by Mrs. Alta Amsler Bernice Mutchmore, and Paul R. King, 1930s
4    Creole (French) Pioneers at Old Post Vincennes, Joyce Doyle, Loy Followell, Elizabeth Kargacos, Bernice Mutchmore, and Paul R. King, 1930s
5    Baptismal record of Genevieve Renaud Deslauriers, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church records: Baptisms, 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
6    Death record of Jean-Baptiste Renaud Deslauriers, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church records: Marriages and Deaths, 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
7    Marriage record of Joseph Edline and Cecile Delisle, I.M.
8    Marriage record of Joseph Edeline and Genevieve Renaud, I.M.
9    Baptismal record of Marie-Desanges Renauld, R. of the P. of S.F.X.
10  Marriage record of Guillaume Tougas and Desanges Deslorier, I.M.
11  Baptismal record of Archange Renault, S.F.X.C.C.R.
12  Burial record of Archange Renaud, A.C.S. of C.R., K.C., I.
13  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Deslauriers (younger), S.F.X.C.C.R.
14  Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Deslauriers (younger), A.C.S. of C.R., K.C., I.
15  Baptismal record of Pierre Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
16  Geni listing of Pierre Deslaurier
17  Marriage record of Pierre Deslauriers and Marie-Theotiste Ravellette, I.M.
18  Baptismal record of Barbe Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
19  Baptismal record of Victoire Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
20  Burial record of Victoire Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
21  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
22  Marriage record of François Mallet and Marianne Deslorier, I.M.
23  Baptismal record of Françoise Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
24  Vital records of Françoise Deslaurier, Indiana Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
25  Marriage record of Louis Languedoc and Françoise Deslaurier, I.M.
26  Baptismal record of François Xavier Deslauriers, S.F.X.C.C.R.
27  Geni listing of François Xavier Renaud dit Deslauriers
28  Marriage record of François Xavier Deslauriers and Cecile Racine, I.M.
29  Birth record of Adelaide Desloriez, I.B. & C.
30  Marriage record of François Racine and Adelaide Delorier, I.M.
31  Birth record of Catherine Deslaurier, I.B. & C.
32  Geni listing of Catherine Cardinal
33  Marriage record of Joseph Cardinal and Catherine Delaurier, I.M.

Maid Servant in Colonial Massachusetts — Mary Blott

B. before 24 Dec 1609 in Harrold, Bedfordshire, England¹
M. 4 Mar 1635 in Roxbury, Massachusetts²
Husband: Thomas Woodford
D. before 27 May 1662 in (probably) Hartford, Connecticut³

During the Great Migration of the 1630s, thousands of Puritans left England to make a new life in the Massachusetts colony. Most of these people came as families, or were men traveling alone. But a few were single women, and such was the case with Mary Blott.

Mary came from the heart of England, baptized in the village of Harrold in Bedfordshire on December 24, 1609.¹ Her parents were Robert Blott and Susanna Selbee, and she was the oldest of their ten known children. The three who were boys all died young,⁴ so it was a female-dominated household. Mary’s youngest sister was still a baby when she left home.

Mary belonged to a Puritan family during a time when many were migrating to America. Most traveled over together, but Mary preceded her parents by a couple of years.³ We know this because her name turned up in the early records of Roxbury, Massachusetts as the “63rd member” of the church.³ She was described as “a maid servant,”³ which means she must have signed a contract committing to a length of service in the colony. Typically these contracts were for three years, which perfectly fits the timeline for when she arrived until she got married. While male servants would often receive land at the end of their service, women were only given food, clothing and lodging for the time they were servants. 

Working as a servant. (AI-generated image)

Mary’s new husband was Thomas Woodford, and their marriage took place on March 4, 1635 in Roxbury.² Thomas had also come over from England in 1632,⁴ and perhaps they were on the same ship. Mary’s parents and siblings migrated to the colony in about 1634,³ but while they stayed in the Boston area, Mary and her husband moved away to Hartford, Connecticut sometime before 1639.³ Mary gave birth to three known children, all daughters.

The Woodford family moved up the Connecticut River to Northampton, Massachusetts in about 1656,³ but it isn’t certain that Mary was still living. She was never mentioned in Northampton records or her husband’s will dated May 27, 1662,³ and it’s thought that she died in Hartford during the 1650s. Mary had some very notable descendants, including Princess Diana, Prince William, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan, Bess Truman, Humphrey Bogart, John Lithgow, Glenn Close, Katharine Hepburn, Helen Hunt, Matt Damon, Ethan Allen, Nathan Hale and J.P Morgan.⁵

Children:
1. Mary Woodford — B. about 1636, Roxbury, Massachusetts;⁴ D. 17 Apr 1684, Northampton, Massachusetts;⁶ M. Isaac Sheldon (1629-1708), about 1653, Hartford, Connecticut⁷

2. Hannah Woodford — B. about 1642, Hartford, Connecticut;⁴ M. Samuel Allen (1634-1719), 29 Nov 1659, Northampton, Massachusetts⁴

3. Sarah Woodford — B. before 2 Sep 1649, Hartford, Connecticut;⁴ M.(1) Nehemiah Allen (~1636-1684), 21 Sept 1664, Northampton, Massachusetts;⁴ (2) Richard Burke (1649-1689), 1 Sep 1687, Northampton, Massachusetts;⁸ (3) Judah Wright (1642-1725), 11 Jul 1706, Northampton, Massachusetts⁹

Sources:
1    Christening record of Mary Blott, England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Thomas Woodford and Mary Blott, U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Ancestry.com
3    Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995
4    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
5    FamousKin.com listing of Thomas Woodford
6    Sheldons in America (website)
7    “Isaac Sheldon of Windsor, Conn.,” NEHGR, V. 117, Charlotte Alling Hunt, Apr 1963
8    Marriage record of Richard Burke and Sarah Allen, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
9    Marriage record of Judah Wright and Sarah Burke, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

Mariner in Early 18th Century Boston — David Franklin

B. 6 May 1692 in Haverhill, Massachusetts¹
M. 18 Jun 1713 in Boston Massachusetts²
Wife: Elizabeth Ayers
D. before 11 Sep 1739 in (probably) Boston, Massachusetts³

During the first few decades of the 18th century, Boston was one of the most important ports in the English colonies. And its location made it a base of supplies for military efforts against the French in and around Maine, as well as an entry point to New England for goods in general. For David Franklin, this was an opportunity to make a living for himself and his family.

David was born in Haverhill, Massachusetts on May 6, 1692 to Jonathan and Sarah Franklin,¹ the youngest of three sons. Haverhill was on the border with New Hampshire, then considered a frontier, and sometimes a dangerous place. When David was a baby, an Indian raid took the life of his father.⁴ His mother remarried a year later on August 30, 1694 to a man named John Field of Boston.⁵ From there, the records don’t say if the family remained in Haverhill or moved south to the Boston area, but it seems likely they relocated to the safer location, and David did end up in Boston as an adult.

A document dated June 8, 1708 reveals a few details of David’s circumstances at age 16.⁶ It’s a letter of guardianship, signed by David saying that he chose his “honored uncle, John Smith of Roxbury” as the person who would look after him until he reached a legal age. Roxbury was just south of Boston, so this places David at least in the area. And the fact this was a guardianship meant that his mother was deceased. 

Document showing John Smith of Roxbury as David's uncle.

But who was John Smith? Besides having the most common name in Anglo-America, he was also living in a densely populated area. It’s been assumed that he was the brother of David’s mother Sarah (making her last name Smith), but this is far from a proven fact. John Smith of Roxbury did write a will dated November 21, 1728 which names David and his brothers as heirs.⁷ This might mean he was indeed the brother of their mother, and in looking at family records, we find that he had a sister named Sarah.⁸ But at the time of John and Sarah’s father’s will in 1695, she was clearly not married to anyone named Franklin,⁸ so the mystery remains

What is certain is that on June 18, 1713, David got married.² His bride was Elizabeth Ayers of Boston, and the wedding was officiated by Reverend Benjamin Colman. Reverend Colman was a prominent minister in Boston, said to be greatly influenced by “Cotton Mather and Ezekiel Cheever.”⁹ He was associated with the Brattle Street Church at the time David got married, so this may be where the wedding took place. We know that David later had a pew at the Old South Meeting House,³ and one source says that “in 1711, when the Old South Church meeting-house was destroyed in the Great Fire of Boston, it was with Brattle Street Church that they gathered for worship until May 1713.”¹⁰ The church was a “plain unpainted meeting-house” at the time David and Elizabeth would have been married there.

Where did David live during this time? Several sources say he was a sailor from Hull,¹¹ a small town located at the tip of a narrow peninsula marking the entrance to Boston Harbor. The main reason for anyone to live there was to use it as a place for boats to land, and people made a living by fishing, transporting goods, and repairing ships. David’s connection to this place makes a lot of sense — it would seem he may have lived here (or kept his boat here) until he could acquire property in Boston. Meanwhile, he and Elizabeth started a family in 1714, with a total of 8 children born to them by 1735. All were recorded as being born in Boston, so perhaps he kept his boat in Hull and had a house in Boston at the same time. 

Operating a shipping boat in Boston. (AI-generated image)

During these years, Boston harbor was a busy place, and one of the main activities was to run supplies up the coast for English military forces dealing with the French.¹² A series of wars took place in the first couple of decades of the 18th century, with French using Indian allies to harass and raid any English settlers they felt were encroaching on their territory. The English in turn felt the French were making false claims on Maine, which was then part of Massachusetts. The conflict flared up from 1722 to 1725 in what became known as “Dummer’s War,” named for the governor of Massachusetts. As troops from England and New England carried out military activities in Maine, small ships based in Boston delivered basic supplies to the men — food, ammunition, and other goods.

David was known to have been a part of this effort. A record dated November 15, 1725 showed that he was the captain of a sloop called George, and commanded four seamen who worked for him.¹³ A sloop was a single-masted sailboat, generally with one sail in front of the mast and one behind. The simple design meant that it took fewer sailors to handle, but the size was limited, and David’s sloop weighed 60 tons. George was also said to be was armed with four guns;¹³ whether or not this was used during David’s ownership isn’t known, though he was sailing into a war zone. 

Around this time, David had both his home and boat in Boston. On June 26, 1726, he purchased property on the waterfront that included “beach and flats,” plus a small wharf that was shared with someone else.¹⁴ The lot was described as being on “Sea Street,” which is an archaic designation believed to be Federal Street. The exact location is today no longer at water’s edge because Boston’s coastline has been completely transformed by landfill over the years. The records also show he deeded the property to another man less than two years later,¹⁴ but later records show him with the same or similar property.¹⁴

Boston newspapers offer a glimpse into David’s travels as a mariner. Each day the paper would report on the comings and goings in the Boston customs house, and David was mentioned at least 19 times.¹⁵ Between the years 1729 and 1733, he took his ship to such places as North Carolina, Virginia, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland; there was even a trip to Antigua in the Caribbean. In 1734, David seems to also have acquired a license to operate a tavern.¹⁴ Whether he put this to use or not isn’t known. It’s easy to imagine that he used the location of his residence to start this sort of business. 

Map showing places David traveled.

One of the dangers of raising a family on a busy waterfront was shown on May 11, 1739 when one of David’s children died in the harbor. The May 14th edition of the Boston Post reported it this way, “Last Friday, a little boy, son of Capt. David Franklin, was drowned near a wharf at the South End.”¹⁶ It isn’t certain if this was one of David’s known children, which would have to be William age 12. The death notice seems to suggest it was a much younger child; perhaps it’s one that’s missing from records.

David didn’t live very long after that event. Sometime before September 11th, he passed away of an unknown cause.³ He died intestate and this produced an extensive probate file. His estate inventory included his pew at Old South Meeting House valued at £12, as well as “a house, land, old wharf and barn.”³ David’s wife Elizabeth remarried in 1742.¹⁴ Information about David’s children is incomplete. We do know that his son John followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a mariner. By virtue of working on ships, he would wind up in Virginia and North Carolina,¹¹ bringing a massive amount of descendants into a different part of the American story.

Children:
1. Elizabeth Franklin — B. 15 Jun 1714, Boston Massachusetts;¹⁷ M. Samuel Wiswell (1700-?), 17 Oct 1733, Dorchester, Massachusetts¹⁸

2. Anna Franklin — B. 18 Sep 1715, Boston Massachusetts;¹⁹ M. Benjamin Hart (1715-?), 18 Sep 1735, Boston, Massachusetts²⁰

3. David Franklin — B. 24 May 1719, Boston Massachusetts²¹

4. Jonathan Franklin — B. 21 Jan 1721, Boston Massachusetts;²² D. before 24 Oct 1734, (probably) Boston Massachusetts²³

5. John Franklin — B. 6 May 1725, Boston Massachusetts;²⁴ D. before 2 Jun 1729, (probably) Boston Massachusetts²⁶

6. William Franklin — B. 7 Feb 1727, Boston Massachusetts¹¹

7. John Franklin — B. 2 Jun 1729, Boston Massachusetts;²⁵ D. about 1818, Burke County, North Carolina;¹¹ M. Phoebe ______ (~1735-1820), about 1759, (probably) Hardy County, (West) Virginia¹¹

8. Jonathan Franklin — B. 24 Oct 1734, Boston Massachusetts²³

Sources:
1    Birth record of David Franklin, Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of David Franklin and Elizabeth Ayers, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
3    Probate file of David Franklin, Massachusetts, Probate Records, 1636-1899, FamilySearch.org
4    The History of Haverhill From Its First Settlement in 1640 To The Year 1860, George Wingate Chase, 1861, p. 165
5    Marriage record of John Field and Sarah Franklin, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
6    David Franklin guardian bond, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Probate and Family Court Records, FamilySearch.org
7    Probate file of John Smith of Roxbury, M., P. R.
8    WikiTree listing of John Smith (bef. 1623 - bef. 1695)
9    Benjamin Colman Papers, 1641-1806, Massachusetts Historical Society
10  “This House which I have built: The Foundation of the Brattle Street Church in Boston and Transformations in Colonial Congregationalism,” Cara Elliot, The Gettysburg Historical Journal, V. 10, 2011
11  “A Mystery Story: The Case Of the Origins of John Franklin, Sr. (1729-1819) of Burke County, North Carolina,” Franklin Family Researchers, V. 6, 1993, p. 18
12  “Genealogical: Published Every Monday and Wednesday,” Boston Evening Transcript, 5 Jun 1905
13  Muster roll of ship George, Massachusetts Archive, V. 91, pp.199-200
14  Inhabitants and estates of the town of Boston, 1630-1800, Annie Haven Thwing, 2001
15  Various editions of The Boston Gazette and The Boston Weekly Newsletter, 1729-1733
16  Death notice in The Boston Post, 14 May 1739
17  Birth record of Elizabeth Franklin, M., B. & C.
18  Marriage record of Samuel Wiswell and Elizabeth Franklin, Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850, Ancestry.com
19  Birth record of Anna Franklin, M., B. & C.
20  Marriage record of Benjamin Hart and Anna Franklin, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
21  Birth record of David Franklin (younger), M., B. & C.
22  Birth record of Jonathan Franklin (older), M., B. & C.
23  Birth record of Jonathan Franklin (younger), M., B. & C.
24  Birth record of John Franklin (older), M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25  Birth record of John Franklin (younger), M., T. C., V. & T. R.