Militia Captain of Hingham, Massachusetts — John Smith

B. before 25 Jul 1623 in Stratton St. Michael, Norfolk, England¹
M. 8 May 1645 in Hingham, Massachusetts²
Wife: Sarah Woodward
D. 27 Apr 1695 in Hingham, Massachusetts³

Some men who settled in Puritan New England were well-suited to take on military leadership in their communities. This seems to be the case for John Smith of 17th-century Hingham, Massachusetts.

John was born in about 1623, and baptized on July 23rd at Stratton St. Michael, Norfolk, England.¹ His parents were Henry Smith and Judith Ray, and he was the second oldest of their five children. East Anglia was a hotbed of religious non-conformists, supplying many of the Puritans who went to New England. John’s family migrated in 1638, arriving in Massachusetts on the ship Diligent.⁴

The Smith family settled in Hingham, and on May 8, 1645, John married Sarah Woodward.² Over the next ten years, they had at least six children, with three dying young. Hingham was led by a minister, Reverend Peter Hobart, who often butted heads with the authorities in Boston for doing things like baptizing babies whose parents weren’t Puritan.⁵ His acts of independence were said to have spilled over into the militia, where Hobart’s brother Joshua served as captain. John was a lieutenant in the militia as early as 1661, and he was said to be “Captain Hobart’s able second in rank.”⁶

John’s service in the community extended to civic duties such as being a selectman in 1663, 1665, 1670, 1674, 1675, 1682, and 1683, and representative to the General Court in 1683, 1684, 1685 and 1686.⁷ But his military role may have been his primary focus in life. During King Philip’s War, he was said to have “commanded a fort” in Hingham.⁶ The fort was a garrison house, the place where he lived, which also provided a safe place for other settlers when the town came under attack. There were two other such forts in Hingham, and John was said to have headed one of them in addition to his own.⁶

Captain of the militia. (AI-generated image)

After Joshua Hobart died in 1682, John seems to have taken over the office of captain of the militia.⁶ He was called Captain John Smith, esquire in many Hingham town records, and sometimes he conducted marriages involving people in the military.⁸ His home was “on Main Street, opposite Leavitt Street,”⁶ which was in the heart of town, and he owned a lot of property in the area.

John wrote his will on April 27, 1695, and he died the same day.^1,7 The will was probated on June 6th, with an inventory of £1,106 18s,⁷ which was a substantial amount of money then. The inventory also showed that he owned one “Negro servant” valued at £15; slavery was fairly common in New England at that time. His wife Sarah lived on for many years, and she died on February 7, 1708.⁹

Children:
1. Sarah Smith — B. before 9 Jul 1646, Hingham, Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. before 8 Jun 1708, (probably) Massachusetts;¹¹ M. (1) James Stevens, 14 Mar 1664, Hingham, Massachusetts;¹² (2) Jonathan Franklin (?-1693), 1 Feb 1686, (probably) Massachusetts;¹³ (3) John Field, 30 Aug 1694, (probably) Massachusetts¹⁴

2. Mary Smith — B. before 9 Jul 1646, Hingham, Massachusetts;¹⁵ D. young¹⁶

3. Henry Smith — B. before 26 Mar 1648, Hingham, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 17 Apr 1678, (probably) Massachusetts¹⁸

4. Judith Smith — B. before 23 Feb 1651, Hingham, Massachusetts;¹⁹ M. Samuel Mason (1644-1705), 20 Jun 1670, Hingham Massachusetts²⁰

5. John Smith — B. before 18 Sep 1653, Hingham, Massachusetts;²¹ D. after 1 Nov 1728, (probably) Roxbury, Massachusetts;²² M. ______ Peck, 6 Apr 1680, Hingham, Massachusetts²³

6. Mary Smith — B. 10 Oct 1665, Hingham, Massachusetts;²⁴ D. young²⁵

Sources:
1    Christening record of John Smith, England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
2    Find-a-Grave listing of Lt. John Smith
3    Death record of John Smith, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
4    Great Migration: Passengers of the Diligent, 1638
5    Friends of the Old Ship Meeting House (website)
6    History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, Solomon Lincoln, 1893
7    WikiTree listing of John Smith
8    Town records show that a “Captain John Smith” was conducting marriages in Hingham in 1689 and 1690. One record stated, “Abraham Holms was married to Abigail Nicolls, widow the ninth day of April, 1895, by Captain John Smith, esquire, Justice of the Peace.”
9    Death record of Sarah Smith, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
10  Christening record of Sarah Smith, Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
11  David Franklin’s letter of Guardianship to his uncle John Smith, Suffolk County (Massachusetts) probate records, 1636-1899, FamilySearch.org
12  The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Vol. 6, Robert Charles Anderson, p. 508
13  Birth record of John Franklin, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
14  Marriage record of John Field and Sarah Franklin, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Christening record of Mary Smith (older), M., B. & C.
16  John’s daughter Mary, the twin of Sarah, disappeared from records after her christening.
17  Christening record of Henry Smith, M., B. & C.
18  Death record of Henry Smith, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Christening record of Judith Smith, M., B. & C.
20  WikiTree listing of Judith (Smith) Mason
21  Christening record of John Smith, M., B. & C.
22  Probate file of John Smith of Roxbury, Massachusetts, Probate Records, 1636-1899, FamilySearch.org
23  WikiTree listing of John Smith
24  Birth record of Mary Smith (younger), M., B. & C.
25  John’s second daughter Mary disappeared from records after her birth.

Farmer in Early Gowanus — Cornelis Lambertszen Cool

B. about 1590 in (possibly) Doorn, Netherlands¹
M. (1) before 1615 in Netherlands¹
Wife: unknown
M. (2) about 1638 in New Amsterdam, New Netherland¹
Wife: Aeltje Braconie
D. before 30 Dec 1643 in Gowanus, New Netherland²

Cornelis Lambertszen Cool was one of many Dutch men who migrated to New Netherland early, but left little mark, and his surname died out when his only son apparently died childless.

The origins of Cornelis are almost completely unknown. Based on ages of his children, he was born in roughly 1590,¹ and his middle name suggests his father was Lambert Cool. Some researchers have said Cornelis was born in a place called Doorn,³ which was near Amsterdam, Netherlands; since no documentation supports this, it cannot be taken as fact. He got married to an unknown woman, and they had three children born between about 1615 and 1623.¹

Cornelis was said to have migrated to New Netherland during the mid- to late-1630s.² The earliest record of him in America was on June 24, 1638 when he was a plaintiff in a court case in New Amsterdam — he had sued two men named Cornelis and Jan Van Voorst concerning a debt he was owed. It’s likely that Cornelis arrived with his family at least a year or two before that, but this is speculation. At some point, he remarried to a woman named Aeltje Braconie;¹ it’s unknown if the marriage took place in the Netherlands or America. It was a second marriage for her, and she had a daughter from her first husband. Cornelis had no children with his second wife.

During this time, Cornelis’ name appeared in several court records. On August 26, 1638, he was involved in the sale of a horse to Claes Cornelissen.² Then on November 25th, Cornelis had a dispute with Jan Celes for “damages sustained by the defendant’s hogs.”¹ This would suggest the two men were neighbors, and it’s known that Jan Celes lived at what is now Soho. Another curious mention of Cornelis in court records was on March 21, 1639, when he made a declaration of the discharge of Grietje Reyniers for “improper conduct when a waiting girl at Pieter de Winter’s tavern in New Amsterdam.”²

Hogs invading a Manhattan farm. (AI-generated image)

Later that year, on May 17 1639, Cornelis bought 50 acres in Gowanus, with the patent for the land being granted on April 5, 1642.² This is where he apparently took his family and lived for the rest of his life. Gowanus was one of the many new settlements that began during the 1630s, and Cornelis was one of its first farmers; it’s possible that he cultivated tobacco there.⁴

Cornelis lived only about four more years. His wife Aeltje was named as a widow in a document dated December 30, 1643,² so he had died by that date. Cornelis two daughters each left descendants, his son disappeared from records after May 1642.

Children (all by his first wife):
1. Aeltje Cornelis Cool — B. about 1615, Netherlands;⁵ D. Jan 1683, Flatlands, New York;⁶ M. (1) Gerret Wolfertse van Couwenhoven (~1610-?), 24 Jan 1635, New Netherland;⁶ (2) Elbert Elbertszen Stoothof, 27 Aug 1645, New Amsterdam, New Netherland⁶

2. Aechtje Cornelis Cool — B. before 1623, Netherlands;⁷ D. before 21 Jul 1647, New Amsterdam, New Netherland;⁷ M. Claes Janszen (1613-1648), before 22 Aug 1639, New Netherland⁷

3. Lambert Cornelissen Cool — B. about 1627, Netherlands;⁸ D. after May 1642, (probably) New Netherland⁸

Sources:
1    Listing of Cornelis Lambertszen Cool in Brouwer Genealogy Database
2    “Aeltje Braconie-Baddie-Cool-Bredenbent Family Notes,” New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, V. 65, John Reynolds Totten, Jul 1934
3    WikiTree listing of Cornelis Lamberts Cool
4    Gowanus Canal (Wikipedia article)
5    Estimated birth year based on age at first marriage
6    Listing of Aeltje Cornelis Cool in Brouwer Genealogy Database
7    Listing of Aechtje Cornelis Cool in Brouwer Genealogy Database
8    Listing of Lambert Cornelissen Cool in Brouwer Genealogy Database

Victim of an Abusive Husband — Susannah __________

B. about 1626 in England¹
M. about 1647 in (probably) Massachusetts¹
Husband: Thomas Dutton
D. 27 Aug 1684 in Billerica, Massachusetts²

The story of Susannah Dutton sounds almost contemporary: her husband acted violently against her, the neighbors reported it as a crime, and under oath, she claimed it never happened. Remarkably, this took place in a town in New England — in the year 1661.

Susannah has unfortunately sketchy origins. Some have said her maiden name was Palmer, and she was born sometime during the 1620s, but there is no documentation for this.¹ Almost certainly she was born in England, not America, because migration to the Massachusetts colony more or less began in 1630. In about 1647, she married Thomas Dutton,¹ and the couple settled in the village of Reading. The first record of her was the birth of her first child, Thomas, on September 14, 1648.³

By September 1659, the family had moved to the town of Woburn,⁴ and Susannah had five more children, with the youngest having been born that year. She was holding the baby when the incident occurred that was overheard by the family next door — in some sort of argument, Thomas repeatedly hit her with a stick. What brought on his anger isn’t known, but Susannah was afraid he would hurt the child, and perhaps kill him. Two of the witnesses reported that she was “crying out between blows.” Susannah’s oldest daughter, 10-year-old Mary, ran away in fear, and hid at a neighbors’ house.⁵

The family who reported the beating was named Carter. It was two teenaged daughters who both heard and saw what happened, perhaps by peeking through the window of the Duttons’ house. The next day, their father, John Carter, went over to confront Thomas, and he could see that Susannah was still crying from the attack of her husband. And a day or so later, she confided to the Carters that she could “still feel the blows.”⁵

But when the case came to trial, Susannah told the court that her husband never hit her. He of course denied the charges, and presented character witnesses in the form of his neighbors from Reading: twenty-one people signed a statement saying his treatment of Susannah was always “tender and loving.”⁵ It’s easy to understand why Thomas claimed innocence, but why would Susannah go along with it? Perhaps she was embarrassed by her private situation being made public, but more likely was that her only future was with her husband, so the matter needed to be brushed aside. The court nonetheless decided that Thomas was guilty, and he was fined £5 for beating his wife.⁵

Testifying to the charges of abuse. (AI-generated image)

There was no further reported violence between Susannah and her husband. She had three more children with him, the youngest being born in 1669.⁶ The family moved to Billerica, where Susannah died on August 27, 1684.² Thomas remarried soon after, but passed away in 1687.⁷

Children:
1. Thomas Dutton – B. 14 Sep 1648, Reading, Massachusetts;³ D. 1 Jan 1728, Middlesex County, Massachusetts;³ M. (1) Rebecca Brabrook (1648-1721), 1 Jan 1679, Billerica, Massachusetts;⁸ (2) Sarah Converse (~1648-1738), Nov 1721⁹

2. Mary Dutton – B. 14 Sep 1651, Reading, Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. 9 Jul 1678, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Jacob Hamlet (~1641-1703), 21 Dec 1669, Billerica, Massachusetts¹²

3. Susannah Dutton – B. 27 Feb 1654, Reading, Massachusetts;¹³ D. Dec 1723, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. (1) John Durrant (1650-1692), 16 Nov 1670, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁵ (2) Justinian Holden (1644-1699), 6 Dec 1693, Woburn, Massachusetts¹⁴

4. John Dutton – B. 2 Mar 1656, Reading, Massachusetts;¹⁶ D. 7 Apr 1735, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁷ M. (1) Sarah Shedd (1658-1721), 20 Sep 1681, Billerica, Massachusetts;¹⁸ (2) Ruth Frost (?-1738), May 1721, Billerica, Massachusetts¹⁹

5. Elizabeth Dutton – B. 28 Jan 1659, Woburn, Massachusetts;⁴ D. 7 Apr 1698, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁰ M. William Baker (1650-1702), 5 May 1681, Woburn, Massachusetts²¹

6. Joseph Dutton – B. 25 Jan 1661, Woburn, Massachusetts;²² D. 24 Jan 1734, Haddam, Connecticut;²³ M. (1) Rebecca Merriam (1662-1693), 19 Aug 1685, Reading, Massachusetts;²⁴ (2) Mary Cutler (1663-1744), 7 Dec 1693, Charlestown, Massachusetts²⁵

7. Sarah Dutton – B. 5 Mar 1662, Woburn, Massachusetts;²⁶ D. about 1750, (probably) Reading, Massachusetts;²⁷ M. Samuel Lewis (1641-1698), 2 Apr 1683, Charlestown, Massachusetts²⁸

8. James Dutton – B. 22 Aug 1665, Woburn, Massachusetts;²⁹ D. 12 Jul 1755, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;³⁰ M. Mary Robbins, 9 Dec 1690, Groton, Massachusetts³⁰

9. Benjamin Dutton – B. 19 Feb 1669, Woburn, Massachusetts⁶

Sources:
1    Find-a-Grave listing of Susanna (Palmer) Dutton
2    Death record of Susannah Dutton, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
3    Find-a-Grave listing of Thomas Dutton Jr.
4     Birth record of Elizabeth Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
5    Sex in Middlesex: Popular Mores in a Massachusetts County, 1649-1699, Roger Thompson, 1989
6    Birth record of Benjamin Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
7    Find-a-Grave listing of Thomas Dutton, Sr.
8     Marriage record of Thomas Dutton and Rebecca Draper, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
9     Marriage record of Thomas Dutton and Sarah Converse, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
10  Birth record of Mary Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
11  Death record of Mary Hamlet, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
12   Marriage record of Jacob Hamlet and Mary Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13  Birth record of Susannah Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
14  WikiTree listing of Susannah (Dutton) Holden
15  Marriage record of John Durrant and Susannah Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16  Birth record of John Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
17  Find-a-Grave listing of John Dutton
18  Marriage record of John Dutton and Sarah Shedd, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Marriage record of John Dutton and Ruth Frost, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
20  Death record of Elizabeth Dutton Baker, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
21  Marriage record of William Baker and Elizabeth Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22  Birth record of Joseph Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
23  Find-a-Grave listing of Joseph Dutton
24  Marriage record of Joseph Dutton and Rebecca Hitch, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25  WikiTree listing of Joseph Dutton
26  Birth record of Sarah Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
27  WikiTree listing of Sarah (Dutton) Lewis
28  Marriage record of Samuel Lewis and Sarah Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
29  Birth record of James Dutton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
30  WikiTree listing of James Dutton

Wife of a Puritan Preacher — Mary Greenway

B. before 9 Nov 1605 near Mildenhall, Wiltshire, England¹
M. 1 May 1629, Southwark, England²
Husband: Thomas Millet
D. 5 Jun 1682 in Gloucester, Massachusetts³

The life of Mary Greenway typifies many of the women who found themselves part of the Great Migration to New England of the 1630s. She settled first with her husband and children in a town close to Boston, then moved to a community which was further away, all the while participating in various aspects of Puritan society. And near the end of her life, she experienced the dangers of living a remote settlement.

Mary was born in about 1605 near Mildenhall, Wiltshire, where she was baptized on November 9th.¹ Her parents were John and Mary Greenway (also spelled Greenaway), and she was the third of six known children, all girls. (Because there is a gap in the ages of the sisters, it’s believed that John may have had two different wives named Mary, but this is uncertain.) 

Mildenhall Church. (AI-generated image)  

When Mary was in her early 20s, she moved to an area of London called Southwark, and this is where she married her husband Thomas Millet on May 1, 1629.² Everyone in Mary’s life seemed to be Puritan followers, and in 1630, her parents and younger sisters migrated to the Massachusetts colony in America.⁴ This was the beginning of the Great Migration to New England, and after having two sons born in Southwark, Mary and Thomas moved as well.² One of her boys had died, but she was pregnant with a third son on the trip, and he was born after they got settled in Dorchester,² where Mary’s parents already lived.

Dorchester became Mary’s home for the next 20 years. She and Thomas were admitted as members of Dorchester’s Second Church on August 23, 1636;² Mary’s parents were also admitted around the same time. Five more children were born in Dorchester, with the youngest in 1647. Mary’s husband took an active role in the church as an unordained preacher;² he also served as the town clerk, and it was said that a fire at their house destroyed some of Dorchester’s earliest records.²

Mary was among 21 women who signed a remarkable petition in Dorchester in 1649.⁵ It was to support a midwife named Alice Tilly, who was accused of causing the deaths of several women and children in her care. Over 200 women signed six petitions in the Boston area. What makes this significant is that it’s the earliest example in America of women organizing around a cause without the involvement of any men; this is because issues of childbearing were strictly a female domain.

Petition in support of Alice Tilley signed by Mary.

In 1655, Mary, Thomas and the children moved to Gloucester,² which was in an area north of Boston. It’s likely that they were solicited because of John’s service as a preacher. During their time in Gloucester, Mary was known to have testified in court twice. The first time was in 1657 when she was witness to a conversation between two men that was pertinent to a dispute they had with each other.⁶ The other case happened in January 1668 involving a man accused of moving a boundary marker on Mary’s son’s property. She and John said in court that although they had no proof he did this, they were “vehemently suspicious” that the man did this.⁷

During the 1670s, Mary and Thomas made one last move, this time to the remote village of Brookfield.² By this time they were in their late 60s, but Thomas was still in demand as a preacher. It turned out to be a fateful decision because Brookfield was attacked during King Philip’s War, and much of the town was destroyed.⁸ Soon after the violence, Thomas died,² perhaps of injuries received in the raid. Mary returned to Gloucester where her husband’s estate was settled on September 26, 1675.² She lived out her final years in Gloucester, and passed away on June 5, 1682.³

Children:
1. John Millett — B. before 6 May 1630, Southwark, England;² D. before 13 Apr 1635, (probably) Southwark, England²

2. Thomas Millett — B. before 16 Aug 1632, Southwark, England;² M. (1) Mary Eveleth (~1633-1687), 21 May 1655, Gloucester, Massachusetts;⁹ (2) Abigail Colt (1657-1726), 20 Dec 1689, Gloucester, Massachusetts¹⁰

3. John Millett — B. 8 Jul 1635, Dorchester, Massachusetts;² D. 3 Nov 1678, Gloucester, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Sarah Leach (~1635-1725), 3 Jul 1663, Gloucester, Massachusetts¹²

4. Jonathan Millett — B. 27 Jul 1638, Dorchester, Massachusetts;² D. 15 Aug 1638, Dorchester, Massachusetts²

5. Mary Millett — B. 26 Aug 1639, Dorchester, Massachusetts;² D. 23 Jan 1695, Gloucester, Massachusetts;¹³ M. Thomas Riggs (1633-1722), 7 Jun 1658, Gloucester, Massachusetts²

6. Mehitable Millett — B. 14 Mar 1642, Dorchester, Massachusetts;² D. 28 Sep 1699, Gloucester, Massachusetts;¹⁴ M. Isaac Elwell (1643-1715), before 1666²

7. Bethiah Millett — B. about 1646, (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts;² D. 15 Apr 1669, Dorchester, Massachusetts;² M. Moses Ayers, before 10 Sep 1667, (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts²

8. Nathaniel Millett — B. 1 Dec 1647, Dorchester, Massachusetts;² D. 9 Nov 1719, Kettle Cove, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. Ann Lester (1650-1718), 3 May 1670, Gloucester, Massachusetts²

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Mary Greenway, England, Wiltshire, Church Records, 1518-1990, FamilySearch.org
2    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
3    Death record of Mary Millet, Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910, FamilySearch.org
4    The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to NewEngland, 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995
5    1649 petition in support of Alice Tilley signed by the women of Dorchester, FamilySearch.org
6    Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Vol. 2, FamilySearch.org
7    Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Vol. 4, FamilySearch.org
8    Thomas & Mary Greenway Millett: Milletts In America, Donald Glen Millett, FamilySearch.org
9    Marriage record of Thomas Millett and Mary Eveleth, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
10  Birth record of Thomas Millett (Mary’s grandson), Massachusetts, Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.org
11  Death record of John Millett, M., D. & B.
12  Marriage record of John Millett and Sarah Leach, M., S. V. R.
13  Death record of Mary Riggs, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
14  Death record of Mehitable Elwell, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Death record of Nathaniel Millett, M., T. C., V. & T. R.

One of the Colonial Virginia Elites — John Page

B. about 1627 in (probably) Bedfont, Middlesex, England¹
M. before 26 Jun 1648 in England²
Wife: Alice Luken
D. 23 Jan 1692 in Middle Plantation, Virginia¹

During the mid-17th century, Virginia became a colony with a distinct class structure; if you came from England, you were either from a rich family, or were an indentured laborer. Somewhere near the top of the social pyramid was John Page, a man who brought his wealth and status to Virginia, and left a mark on some of its institutions.

John was likely born in Bedfont, Middlesex, England in about 1627.¹ This was just outside of London; in fact the location today is very close to Heathrow Airport. His father was Francis Page, said to be a wealthy “gentleman”³ (John’s mother’s name is unknown). There was at least one other child in the family, a sister named Elizabeth.³ Little is known about John’s early life until when he was about 20, he married a woman named Alice Lukin, also of the London-area. Soon after, they had their first child, a daughter named Mary.⁴

During this time, John was described as being a merchant,³ and there was talk of opportunity in colonial America among some of his peers. Tidewater Virginia was the object of their interest because of the lucrative tobacco crop, and the offer of vast amounts of plantation land to those who could afford it. This was also the era of Oliver Cromwell, and many upper class men were Royalists. All of these factors likely played a part in what motivated John to leave England. 

John Page. (AI-enhanced illustration)

The first mention of John in Virginia was for a land claim on the south side of the York River. The headright system gave any man an additional 50 acres for each person he transported to the colony, and on September 11, 1653, John filed papers naming himself, his wife Alice, his young daughter Mary and his sister Elizabeth as headrights.³ At some point, Elizabeth married another Virginia elite, Edward Digges,³ who served as governor of the colony from March 1655 to December 1656. John’s association with his brother-in-law no doubt brought him into the circle of men who governed the colony. From 1665 to 1677, John served in the House of Burgesses³ (the lower house of Virginia’s bicameral system). Then from 1677 to 1692, he served in the Governor’s Council³ (the upper house of Virginia). Together, it gave him 30 years of influence in the colony.

John’s family settled at a place called Middle Plantation,³ where at least two more children were born. Middle Plantation was located on high ground between the York and James Rivers, and it had been established in 1632, but it wasn’t until John moved there that it became a significant town. He built his house from brick,³ an early example of Virginia architecture, and also a sign of his status. In 1678, he donated the land and money for Bruton Parish Church,⁵ a structure that stood until it was replaced in 1715. 

Building a brick house in Virginia. (AI-generated image)

At some point, John acquired the title of “Colonel,” which was noted on his tombstone, but there doesn’t seem to be any military role appearing in any of the data about his life. He did have some involvement in Bacon’s Rebellion, firmly standing with the Royalists.⁶ Governor William Berkeley took refuge at John’s house during the rebellion,⁶ and John’s wife Alice was kidnapped by Bacon near the end of the insurrection to be used as a human shield.⁷

Not everything John did is to be admired. Like the men around him, he had many enslaved people working for him, but in addition to that, he was also an agent for the Royal African Company.³ The RAC was a business set up by the crown of England in 1660 to monopolize trade along the coast of western Africa. Early charters of the company forbade the trading of slaves, but that changed in 1672, and this was the period when John was said to be an agent. So no doubt some of his wealth was made from the brutal practice of enslaving Africans.

John did have two notable achievements in his life. One was that he was involved in the founding of William & Mary College, the second oldest university in the colonies (Harvard being the oldest). John was said to have played “a pivotal role in supporting the efforts of Reverend Doctor James Blair,”³ the man who worked with authorities in England to set up a place of higher learning in Virginia. John’s other claim to fame was that he was an advocate for moving the colony’s capital from Jamestown to Middle Plantation.³ In this way, he was a sort of a visionary regarding the future of Virginia. 

Unfortunately for John, he didn’t live to see either plan carried out, because he died on January 23, 1692.¹ William & Mary was founded a year later, and by the end of the decade, the capital was indeed moved to Middle Plantation, which was renamed in honor of the King: Williamsburg. John’s wife Alice survived him, and she passed away in 1698.⁸

Original tombstone of John Page. (Source: Find-a-Grave)

The bloodlines of John found their way into many of the First Families of Virginia, including Byrd, Chiles, Dilliard, Tyler, Pendelton, Burwell, Nelson, Randolph, Carter, Harrison and Waller.³ One of his grandchildren was Mann Page, who accumulated over 70,000 acres of land. Great-great grandson John Page served as governor of Virginia from 1802 to 1805, and a 4G grandson was President John Tyler.³ The site of John’s home is today in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg, a place that attracts thousands of visitors every year. Perhaps this was John’s greatest legacy.

Children:
1. Mary Page — B. before 26 Jun 1648, (probably) London, England;⁴ D. about 1669, Jamestown, Virginia;⁹ M. Walter Chiles (1630-1671), before 1665, (probably) Jamestown, Virginia⁹

2. Francis Page — B. about 1657, Middle Plantation, Virginia;¹⁰ D. 10 May 1692, Williamsburg, Virginia;¹⁰ M. Mary Digges (1658-1690), Gloucester County, Virginia¹⁰

3. Matthew Page — B. 19 Jan 1659, Middle Plantation, Virginia;¹¹ D. 9 Jan 1703, Gloucester County, Virginia;¹¹ M. Mary Mann (~1672-1707), 1689, Gloucester County, Virginia¹¹

Sources:
1    Find-a-Grave listing for John Page
2    Marriage date based on the baptism of his oldest known child
3    John Page (planter) (Wikipedia article)
4    Baptismal record of Mary Page, England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org
5    “Bruton Parish Church” (Wikipedia article) 
6    Rosewell, Garland of Virginia, Claude O. Luciano, 1978
7    “Bacon’s Rebellion: America’s First Revolutionary?” Military History Online 
8    Find-a-Grave listing of Alice (Lukin) Page
9    WikiTree listing of Mary (Page) Chiles
10  Find-a-Grave listing of Capt. Francis Page
11  Find-a-Grave listing of Col. Matthew Page

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.

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