B. 8 Mar 1676 in Charlestown, Massachusetts
M. (1) 1693 in Beverly, Massachusetts
Husband: Joshua Dodge
M. (2) 20 Apr 1696 in Beverly, Massachusetts
Husband: John Thorndike
D. 12 May 1716 in Beverly, Massachusetts
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; she was one of six children, two of whom died young. Her father died when she was 2-years-old in a smallpox epidemic. Her mother remarried to William Dodge in 1685, 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.
Sadly their marriage didn’t last long. After Joanna got pregnant, Joshua died at age 24 on April 15, 1694; 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.
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, and her grandmother Joanna remarried to a man named Richard Jacob who left her widowed again. 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.” 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. 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. 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.
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.
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. Joanna didn’t live to see most of her children grow up because she passed away on May 12, 1716 in Beverly. Her husband John remarried twice more, and died in 1760.
Child by Joshua Dodge:
1. Joshua Dodge — B. 20 Sep 1694, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 20 Dec 1772, Beverly, Massachusetts
Children by John Thorndike:
1. Robert Thorndike — B. 4 Feb 1697, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Elizabeth Woodbury (1696-1781), 20 Nov 1718, Beverly, Massachusetts
2. Paul Thorndike — B. 5 Feb 1699, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Mehitable Woodbury (1705-?), 30 Sep 1725, Beverly, Massachusetts
3. John Thorndike — B. 22 Aug 1701, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 10 Jul 1769, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. (1) Elizabeth Ober (1704-1750), 13 Nov 1723, Beverly, Massachusetts; (2) Sarah Cleeves (1728-1833), 18 Feb 1753, Beverly, Massachusetts
4. Joanna Thorndike — B. 1 Aug 1703, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 27 Mar 1775, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Ebenezer Lovett (1702-1778), 17 Apr 1725, Beverly, Massachusetts
5. James Thorndike — B. 11 Jan 1706, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 20 Feb 1787, Tewksbury, Massachusetts; M. Anna Ober (1708-1787), 21 Jan 1728, Beverly, Massachusetts
6. Herbert Thorndike — B. 3 Jan 1708, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 10 Jul 1746, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Abigail Ober (1708-1796), 4 Feb 1731, Beverly, Massachusetts
7. Edward Thorndike — B. 10 Apr 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts; D. 21 Apr 1711, Beverly, Massachusetts
8. Sarah Thorndike — B. 17 Sep 1712, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. Joshua Thorndike, 14 Dec 1738, Beverly, Massachusetts
Sources:
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Monday, October 20, 2025
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.
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.
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.
Saturday, October 11, 2025
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
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.
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.
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.
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