Common Name in Early Massachusetts — William Baker

B. about 1658 in (probably) Concord, Massachusetts¹
M. 5 May 1681 in Concord, Massachusetts²
Wife: Elizabeth Dutton
D. 8 Jun 1702 in Concord, Massachusetts³

The ancestors of people who trace back to Puritan New England are often shadowy because they had a common first and last name. For William Baker, there’s only certainty about where he lived, when he married and when he died — and the many descendants he produced. Sloppy research has led to mixing him up with another man by the same name, William Baker born on October 19, 1655 in Ipswich, but that was definitely a different man.

The William Baker of this biography was born sometime during 1650s, likely in Concord, Massachusetts.¹ His parents were William and Mary Baker who lived in Concord by 1656. William Sr. was missing from a list of Concord residents dated March 6, 1654,⁴ and this has led some to jump to the conclusion that he must have migrated from England between the two dates. But this is highly unlikely since Puritans pretty much stopped leaving England during the 1650s; the persecution against them took a break while the Cromwells were in power. More plausible is that William Sr. was elsewhere in Massachusetts in March 1654, or he was left off the list by mistake. As for his origins in England, he’s impossible to trace because of his name.

After William came of age, he got married to a woman named Elizabeth Dutton, with the wedding taking place on May 5, 1681 in Concord.² William and Elizabeth had seven children between 1682 and 1696, two of whom died as infants. All of these births were noted in Concord records, which don’t offer up many more details of the family.

The period of time when William was farming his land and raising his family was fairly uneventful in that part of Massachusetts. King Philip’s War had ended Indian aggression there, and the 1680s and 1690s were peaceful in Concord. William seems to have kept a low profile; a 1689 list of freemen in the town (those eligible to vote on local issues) do not include his name. Likewise, his name doesn’t appear in town histories, and he probably had little to do with civic matters in the community.

When William’s wife Elizabeth died on April 7, 1698,⁵ four children were still underage, and this is likely the reason he remarried. There is some confusion, though, over whether he had one or two more wives. Some think he had a brief marriage with a woman named Sarah; a town record stated, “Sarah the wife of William Baker died September 1, 1699.” Other researchers say that William married a woman named Abigail Ballard, but there’s no record of that marriage either. William passed away at Concord on June 8, 1702.³

Old Burying Ground in Concord where William was likely buried. (Source: Find-a-Grave)

Children:
1. Mary Baker — B. 28 Mar 1682, Concord, Massachusetts;⁶ M. Thomas Whitney (1681-1747), 26 Jul 1704, Concord, Massachusetts⁷

2. Elizabeth Baker — B. 15 Sep 1684, Concord, Massachusetts;⁸ D. 23 Jan 1757, Concord, Massachusetts;⁹ M. (1) John Woolly, 29 Nov 1711, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁰ (2) Joseph Stow, 16 Jul 1719, Concord, Massachusetts¹¹

3. Susannah Baker — B. 25 Aug 1686, Concord, Massachusetts;¹² D. 5 Jun 1748, Plainfield, Connecticut;¹³ M. Samuel Spaulding (1686-1749), 22 Oct 1705, Concord, Massachusetts¹⁴

4. Thomas Baker — B. 25 Jun 1689, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁵ D. 9 Dec 1690, Concord, Massachusetts¹⁶

5. John Baker — B. 6 May 1692, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 3 Aug 1692, Concord, Massachusetts¹⁸

6. Sarah Baker — B. 15 Aug 1693, Concord, Massachusetts;¹⁹ D. 16 Feb 1743, Concord, Massachusetts;²⁰ M. Nathaniel Bell (1692-1749), 31 May 1711, Concord, Massachusetts²¹

7. Joseph Baker — B. 8 Jan 1696, Concord, Massachusetts;²² D. 3 Sep 1761, Littleton, Massachusetts;²³ M. Alice Jefts (1691-?), 11 Dec 1716, Concord, Massachusetts²⁴

Sources:
1    Estimated birth data based on age at marriage and place of marriage
2    Marriage record of William Baker and Elizabeth Dutton, Massachusetts Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
3    Death record of William Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
4    The History of Concord, Massachusetts, Volume 1, Alfred Sereno Hudson, 1904
5    Death record of Elizabeth (Dutton) Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
6    Birth record of Mary Baker, Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1635-1850, 1891
7    WikiTree listing for Mary Baker  
8    Birth record of Elizabeth Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
9    Find-a-Grave listing for Elizabeth Stowe  
10  Marriage record of John Woolly and Elizabeth Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
11  Marriage record of Joseph Stow and Elizabeth Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
12  Birth record of Susannah Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
13  WikiTree listing for Susannah (Baker) Spaulding  
14  Marriage record of Samuel Spaulding and Susannah Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
15  Birth record of Thomas Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
16 FamilySearch listing of Thomas Baker 
17 Birth record of John Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
18  Death record of John Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
19  Birth record of Sarah Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
20  WikiTree listing for Sarah (Baker) Ball  
21  Marriage record of Nathaniel Bell and Sarah Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
22  Birth record of Joseph Baker, C., M., M., B., M., & D.
23  Death record of Joseph Baker, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
24  Marriage of Joseph Baker and Alice Jefts, M. T. C., V. & T. R.

Of a Colonial Military Family — Mary Dakin

B. 28 Aug 1741 in Sudbury, Massachusetts¹
M. 1 Apr 1761 in Sudbury, Massachusetts²
Husband: Timothy Baker
D. after 7 Mar 1786 in (probably) Massachusetts³

Mary Dakin was touched by the wars of 18th-century America involving the men around her. She was born in Sudbury, Massachusetts on August 28, 1741, the second youngest child of Samuel Dakin and Mercy Minot.¹ Mary’s father was a military man, appointed as ensign in the Sudbury militia in 1745.⁴ By the time she was in her teens, her father took on a greater role as a captain who led 48 men during the French and Indian War.⁴ His service took him away from the family, and sadly, he was killed in an attack at a fort in New York on July 20, 1758.⁴

In the aftermath of Mary’s father’s death, she was documented in his probate records.⁵ Mary was 16-years-old and still underage, so she was assigned a guardian of her choosing. On a document dated September 16, 1758, it states “I have chosen Captain Stephen Hosmer of Concord to be my guardian,” followed by her name and mark. Captain Hosmer was also assigned to her younger sister Hannah; like their father, he served as an officer in the French and Indian War.

Document showing Mary's choice of guardian.

Mary was left 30 pounds in her father’s will to be given to her upon marriage, or when she turned 21, whichever came first.⁵ The same offer went to her sisters Dorothy and Hannah, but not to two other sisters who were married and had received money from him already. The girls would also receive a cow only if they got married. The five sisters were to divide up half of their father’s household goods, and would receive the other half if their mother remarried, or at the time of her death.⁶ Mercy Dakin didn’t remarry and passed away 35 years later, so this second provision was probably never applied.

A few years after Mary’s father’s death, she found a husband in Timothy Baker, and they got married on January 15, 1761 in Sudbury.² Timothy had also served as a soldier, and was one of the New England men who helped send French families in Acadia into exile.⁷ It’s also been said that he served in the American Revolution, but this isn’t certain. It is known that two of Mary’s brothers, Oliver and Samuel, enlisted as Minutemen in spite of being in their 40s.⁴

Mary gave birth to ten children from 1762 to 1786;^8,3 interestingly, her first six were girls and last four were boys. Little else is known of her life, and she appeared on no records after the birth of her youngest child. Mary’s husband Timothy died on April 14, 1810.⁹ The legacy of the military experience of the men in her life lived beyond Mary, and at least one great-grandson, Minot Kittredge, served in the Civil War, becoming wounded at Gettysburg in 1863.¹⁰

Children:
1. Mary Baker — B. 23 May 1762, Littleton, Massachusetts;⁸ D. 16 Sep 1828, Mont Vernon, New Hampshire;¹¹ M. Josiah Kittredge (1762-1850)¹¹

2. Hannah Baker — B. 21 Jan 1764, Littleton, Massachusetts;¹² D. 16 Feb 1825, Marlborough, New Hampshire;¹³ M. Levi Whitcomb (1763-1827), 4 Dec 1786, Templeton, Massachusetts¹⁴

3. Nancy Baker — B. 29 Sep 1766, Littleton, Massachusetts;¹⁵ M. John Farnsworth (1765-?), 29 Dec 1789, Groton, Massachusetts¹⁶

4. Beulah Baker — B. 15 Nov 1768, Littleton, Massachusetts;¹⁷ D. 15 Apr 1827, Nelson, New Hampshire;¹⁸ M. Joshua Kittredge (1761-1834), 10 Jun 1796, Packersfield, New Hampshire¹⁸

5. Alice Baker — B. 1 Oct 1770, Littleton, Massachusetts;¹⁹ D. 13 Aug 1858, Whitefield, New Hampshire;²⁰ M. Israel Abbott (1771-1840), 1 May 1791, Packersfield, New Hampshire²¹

6. Lydia Baker — B. 28 Jun 1773, Littleton, Massachusetts;²² D. 5 Jul 1854, Sudbury, Massachusetts;²³ M. Joshua Blodgett (~1771-?)²⁴

7. Samuel Dakin Baker — B. 20 Sep 1775, Littleton, Massachusetts;²⁵ D. 18 Jul 1844, Bradford, Vermont;²⁶ M. Sarah Prince (1777-1858)²⁷

8. Abel Baker — B. 16 Jun 1778, Littleton, Massachusetts;²⁸ D. 16 Aug 1867, Roxbury, Massachusetts;²⁹ M. Sarah Reed (1790-1867), 3 Dec 1807, Cambridge, Massachusetts³⁰

9. Stephen Baker — B. 15 Oct 1781, Littleton, Massachusetts;³¹ D. 12 Feb 1858, Randolph, Massachusetts;³² M. Eliza _______³³

10. Timothy Minot Baker — B. 7 Mar 1786, Littleton, Massachusetts;³ D. after 7 Jun 1860;³⁴ M. Elizabeth Wright (1785-1857), 29 Jan 1811, Medford, Massachusetts³⁵

Sources:
1    Birth record of Mary Dakin, Massachusetts Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001
2    Marriage record of Timothy Baker and Mary Dakin, M.V. & T.R.
3    Birth record of Timothy Minot Baker, M.V. & T.R.
4    History of Sudbury, Massachusetts, 1638-1889, Alfred Sereno Hudson, 1889
5    Probate Records 1648-1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts)
6    Concord, Massachusetts Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1893
7    An Historical Sketch of the Town of Littleton, Herbert Joseph Harwood, 1890, pg. 14
8    Birth record of Mary Baker, M.V. & T.R.
9    Death record of Timothy Baker, M.V. & T.R.
10  Letter from Samuel Farrington Kittredge to Sophia Kittredge French, September 12, 1893
11  Mary Kittredge memorial, Findagrave.com 
12  Birth record of Hannah Baker, M.V. & T.R.
13  Hannah Whitcomb memorial, Findagrave.com 
14  Marriage record of Levi Whitcomb and Hannah Baker, M.V. & T.R.
15  Birth record of Nancy Baker, M.V. & T.R.
16  Marriage record of John Farnsworth and Nancy Baker, M.V. & T.R.
17  Birth record of Beulah Baker, M.V. & T.R.
18  Beulah Kittredge memorial, Findagrave.com 
19  Birth record of Alice Baker, M.V. & T.R.
20  Death record of Alice Abbott, New Hampshire Death Records, 1654-1947
21  Marriage record of Israel Abbott and Alice Baker, N.H. Marriage Records, 1720-1920
22  Birth record of Lydia Baker, M.V. & T.R.
23  Death record of Lydia L_____, Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915
24  Death record of Lovie Blodgett Brown (June 7, 1905), Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915
25  Birth record of Samuel Dakin Baker, M.V. & T.R.
26  Death record of Samuel Dakin Baker, Vermont Vital Records, 1760-1954
27  Samuel Dakin Baker memorial, Findagrave.com  
28  Birth record of Abel Baker, M.V. & T.R.
29  Death notice of Abel Baker, The Boston Herald, August 17, 1867
30  Marriage record of Abel Baker and Sarah Reed, M.V. & T.R.
31  Birth record of Stephen Baker, M.V. & T.R.
32  Stephen Baker obit, The Trumpet and Universality Magazine, February 27, 1858
33  Death record of Minot Baker (July 24, 1862), Massachusetts Deaths, 1841-1915
34  1860 U.S. Census for Timothy Baker
35  Marriage record of Timothy Baker and Elizabeth Wright, M.V. & T.R.

Connecticut Family Patriarch — Richard Smith

B. about 1583 in Leicestershire, England¹
M. 13 Feb 1616 in Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England²
Wife: Rebecca Buswell
D. after 3 Jun 1669 in (probably) Wethersfield, Connecticut³

Richard Smith led a long life and founded a large family during Connecticut’s earliest years. He was born somewhere in England in about 1583,¹ with his exact origins uncertain. Of course the name Smith makes identifying him very difficult, but he was known to have lived much of his life in the village of Husbands Bosworth,² located in Leicestershire. It seems likely that he was either born there, or somewhere nearby. It should be noted that several notable people named Smith lived in Husbands Bosworth, including Erasmus Smith (1611-1691), and there may be a family connection, however this is impossible to verify.

Erasmus Smith of Husbands Bosworth.

The first time Richard appeared in records was in his marriage to Rebecca Buswell on February 13, 1615.² Rebecca was of a family from Husbands Bosworth, which is where the wedding took place. The couple settled there, and between about 1617 and 1638, they had eight children, of whom two died young.¹ Shortly after the youngest was born, they migrated to New England; it’s believed they lived for a couple of years in Hartford, Connecticut before moving to Wethersfield by 1646.⁵

Richard’s name was on a couple of property transactions in 1658 and 1662,⁵ but other than signing a petition to remove Wethersfield’s minister in August 1658,⁶ he was little mentioned in town records. Perhaps this was because his advanced age made him too old to hold any civic offices. He did serve on the jury of the court at Hartford in June 1648, December 1648, May 1650, and September 1650.⁷ Richard also brought a case against George Woolcott and his wife in May of 1651; the charge was “slander,” but no details about it survive. The court awarded him 28 pounds to be paid by Woolcott.⁷

Over the years, Richard had several contacts with Governor John Winthrop,¹ an unlicensed doctor who travelled around the colony giving treatment to patients.⁴ On February 21, 1653, Richard wrote to Winthrop describing the symptoms of his daughter-in-law, Lydia Wright Smith; modern analysis suggests she was suffering from a tapeworm. Richard himself was attended to by Winthrop on December 5, 1658, February 2, 1667, and June 3, 1669; the entry for the final treatment mentioned he had a fever. The was the last time Richard was known to be alive was on a list of freeman in Wethersfield dated October 1669, and he likely died within a few years of that date.³

Children:
1. Richard Smith — B. before 1 Jan 1617, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. Jun 1690, Wethersfield, Connecticut;¹ M. Mary Weed (~1618-1704), 1639, Wethersfield, Connecticut⁵

2. Susannah Smith — B. before 30 May 1619, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. 30 Nov 1692, Wethersfield, Connecticut;¹ M. Thomas Standish (~1612-1693), 1659, Wethersfield, Connecticut¹

3. Anne Smith — B. before 24 Feb 1622, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. (probably) young

4. Joseph Smith — B. before 25 Dec 1625, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. before 28 Aug 1673, Wethersfield, Connecticut;¹ M. Lydia Wright (1633-1689), 1653, Wethersfield, Connecticut¹

5. Mary Smith — B. before 11 Dec 1630, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² M. (1) Matthias Treat (~1620-1662), about 1648, Wethersfield, Connecticut;¹ (2) Anthony Wright (~1625-1679), before 1666, Wethersfield, Connecticut;¹ (3) John Smith (~1625-1683), about 1680, (probably) Wethersfield, Connecticut⁵

6. Rebecca Smith — B. before 11 Dec 1630, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. (probably) young

7. Jonathan Smith — B. before 4 Oct 1635, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. after 24 Apr 1711, (probably) Connecticut;⁵ M. (1) Hannah Adams, before 13 Jun 1660, (probably) Connecticut;⁷ (2) Martha Bushnell (~1637-~1705), 1 Jan 1664, Saybrook, Connecticut¹

8. Abigail Smith — B. before 21 Jan 1638, Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England;² D. after 1683, Huntington, New York;¹ M. (1) John Adams (~1637-1670), 24 Aug 1657, Easttown, Westchester, New York;¹ (2) John Betts (1627-?), 13 Mar 1673, Connecticut¹

Sources:
1    “The Doubtful English Ancestry of Richard Smith of Wethersfield, Connecticut,” Gale Ion Harris, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, V. 143, Jul 1989
2    "Isaac Buswell and Rebecca (Buswell) Smith of Husbands Bosworth, Co. Leicester, and New England," NEHGR, V.158, Jan 2004
3    The public records of the Colony of Connecticut from 1675-1678. Vol. II, p. 520, J. Hammond Trumbull and Charles J. Hoadly, 1852
4    The New England Historical Society (website) 
5    “Richard Smith of Wethersfield,” Donald Lines Jacobus, The American Genealogist, V. 25, 1949
6    The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, V. 1, p. 161, Sherman W. Adams & Henry R. Stiles, 1904
7    Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, V. 12, 1928

A Covenant for Founding a Community — Francis Bushnell

B. about 1580 in (probably) Thatcham, Berkshire, England¹
M. (1) 13 May 1605 in Horsham, Sussex, England²
Wife: Ferris Quenell
M. (2) 2 Jun 1629 in Horsham, Sussex, England³
Wife: Joan Kinward
D. before 13 Oct 1646 in Guilford, Connecticut¹

When Francis Bushnell sailed to New England in 1639, he joined his shipmates in signing a pledge to work as one. The document would become known as the Guilford Covenant, a rare written agreement for the establishment of a colonial community.

Francis spent his early life in southern England, born in about 1580, possibly in the village of Thatcham in Berkshire;¹ his parents are unknown. He first turned up in records at his marriage to a woman named Ferris Quenell on May 13, 1605.² Their wedding took place in Horsham, which is located in Sussex, and the couple settled there. Between 1606 and 1628, they had 11 children. Four of the children died young, including the final child who died along with Ferris within days of its birth.¹ Francis married a second wife, Joan Kinward, on June 2, 1629,³ but she passed away about two years later, buried at the church on June 21, 1631.¹

Puritanism was widespread across England, and Francis’ family were followers of that set of beliefs. All five of his surviving sons decided to leave England for the colonies in America, sailing to Massachusetts in 1635.¹ Francis stayed behind — it isn’t known what his circumstances were — but four years later, he made the move as well. He brought his youngest two children with him, daughters 18-year-old Rebecca and 14-year-old Sarah, and they boarded the ship St. John in the late spring of 1639.¹

The Bushnells were part of a small group of families led by a minister, Reverend Henry Whitfield. Their destination was the south coast of Connecticut, and unlike some Puritan migrations, they would be forming a new community right from the start. The leaders gathered onboard the ship to draft a contract, and when they were about 10 days into the voyage, it was agreed to by all of the men, 25 in total.⁴ Their names appeared on the document in order of rank of seniority and leadership, and Francis was the third one. It was a simple statement that committed everyone to collectively work for the the community as a whole:⁴

We whose names are herein written, intending by God's gracious permission, to plant ourselves in New England, and if it may be in the southerly part, about [Quinnipiac], we do faithfully promise each for ourselves and families and those that belong to us, that we will, the Lord assisting us, sit down and join ourselves together in one entire plantation and to be helpful to the other in any common work, according to every man's ability and as need shall require, and we promise not to desert or leave each other on the plantation but with the consent of the rest, or the greater part of the company, who have entered into this engagement. As for our gathering together into a church way and the choice officers and members to be joined together in that way, we do refer ourselves until such time as it shall please God to settle us in our plantation. In witness whereof we subscribe our hands, this first day of June 1639.

The Guilford Covenant.

The contract was initially called the Plantation Covenant, but it later took the name of the settlers’ new town, Guilford. After they arrived on the coast of Connecticut, Francis and the others divided up the land into tracts, built their houses, and formed their community. One of Francis’ sons, Francis, came down from Massachusetts to join him, and built a house next door.¹ The younger Francis also likely did some of the labor for his father, who was now about 60-years-old.

Francis lived in Guilford, Connecticut for just a few more years; he died there in 1646, with his will probated on October 13th.¹ As an early settler of New England, he had many notable descendants: William Samuel Johnson (signer of the U.S. Constitution), John Foster Dulles, Thomas Dewey, Mamie Eisenhower, Jill Biden, Adlai Stevenson, Bill Weld, Warren Buffet, Margaret Hamilton, and Jordana Brewster.⁵

The covenant Francis was a part of was also notable. It’s been said that “in terms of early colonial documents of this kind, there are only the Mayflower Compact and the Guilford Covenant.”²⁴ The original parchment is kept at the Massachusetts Historical Society, and in June 2014, a large granite tablet with the Covenant inscribed on it was dedicated at a park in Guilford.

The Guilford Covenant monument .

Children (all by Ferris Quenell):
1. Edmond Bushnell — B. before 27 Apr 1606, Horsham, Sussex, England;⁶ D. 28 Mar 1636, Medford, Massachusetts;⁷ M. Martha Hallor, 16 May 1627, Horsham, Sussex, England⁸

2. Francis Bushnell — B. before 8 Jan 1609, Horsham, Sussex, England;⁹ D. 4 Dec 1681, Saybrook, Connecticut;¹⁰ M. (1) Mary Grombridge (~1606-?), 27 Jun 1631, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹¹ (2) Grace Wells, before 1660, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut¹

3. William Bushnell — B. before 3 Feb 1611, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹² D. 12 Dec 1683, Saybrook, Connecticut;¹ M. Rebecca Chapman, about 1643, Saybrook, Connecticut¹

4. Stephen Bushnell — B. before Jan 1613, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹³ D. before 12 Mar 1625, Horsham, Sussex, England¹⁴

5. John Bushnell — B. before 23 Apr 1615, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹⁵ D. 5 Aug 1667, Boston, Massachusetts;¹⁰ M. Jane _____, about 1650¹⁰

6. Thomas Bushnell — B. before 31 Aug 1617, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹⁶ D. before 16 Sep 1617, Horsham, Sussex, England¹⁷

7. Mary Bushnell — B. before 25 Dec 1618, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹⁸ before 2 Mar 1629, Horsham, Sussex, England¹⁹

8. Rebecca Bushnell — B. before 15 Apr 1621, Horsham, Sussex, England;²⁰ D. before 11 Feb 1647, Guilford, Connecticut;¹ M. John Lord (~1625-?), about 1646, (probably) Connecticut¹

9. Richard Bushnell — B. before 20 Apr 1623, Horsham, Sussex, England;²¹ D. before 17 Jul 1660, (probably) Connecticut;¹ M. Mary Marvin (1628-1713), 11 Oct 1648, Hartford, Connecticut¹

10. Sarah Bushnell — B. before 20 Nov 1625, Horsham, Sussex, England;²² D. 1 Nov 1693, Halstead, Kent, England;¹ M. John Hoadley (1616-1668), 14 Jul 1642, Guilford, Connecticut¹

11. Elizabeth Bushnell — B. before 5 Mar 1628, Horsham, Sussex, England;²³ D. 10 Mar 1628, Horsham, Sussex, England²³

Sources:
1    Bushnell Family Genealogy, George Eleazer Bushnell, 1945
2    Marriage record of Francis Bushnell and Ferris Quenell, Sussex, England Parish Records, 1538-1910, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Francis Bushnell and Joan Kinward, E.P.R.
4    Plantation Covenant (Wikipedia article)  
5    Francis Bushnell listing in FamousKin.com  
6    Christening record of Edmund Bushnell, E.P.R.
7    Find-A-Grave listing for Edmund Bushnell  
8    Marriage record of Edmund Bushnell and Mary Hallor, E.P.R.
9    Christening record of Francis Bushnell (younger), E.P.R.
10  The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
11  Marriage record of Francis Bushnell and Mary Grombridge, E.P.R.
12  Christening record of William Bushnell, E.P.R.
13  Christening record of Stephen Bushnell, E.P.R.
14  Burial record of Stephen Bushnell, E.P.R.
15  Christening record of John Bushnell, E.P.R.
16  Christening record of Thomas Bushnell, E.P.R.
17  Burial record of Thomas Bushnell, E.P.R.
18  Christening record of Mary Bushnell, E.P.R.
19  Burial record of Mary Bushnell, E.P.R.
20  Christening record of Rebecca Bushnell, E.P.R.
21  Christening record of Richard Bushnell, E.P.R.
22  Christening record of Sarah Bushnell, E.P.R.
23  Christening and death record of Elizabeth Bushnell, E.P.R.

24  “375-Year-Old ‘Guilford Covenant’ Returns To Town,” Erik Hesselberg, Hartford Courant, June 8, 2014

Taken in by a Mayflower Pilgrim — Elizabeth Cole

B. about 1619 in (probably) Great Bowden, Leicestershire, England¹
M. about 1639 in Charlestown, Massachusetts¹
Husband: Thomas Peirce
D. 5 Mar 1688 in Woburn, Massachusetts²

Although Elizabeth Cole came to America in the Winthrop Fleet, she seems to have spent the first few years living in the household of a former Mayflower passenger. Elizabeth was from Great Bowden, England, a village in Leicestershire, born there in about 1619.¹ She was the second child of Ryse Cole (also spelled Cowles) and Arrold Dunnington.

Elizabeth’s parents were followers of Puritanism, and when she was about 11-years-old, they took the drastic step of joining the migration to America.¹ In the spring of 1630, a total of about 700 people, led by John Winthrop, sailed across the Atlantic on 11 ships. They landed at Charlestown, where a small number of settlers already lived. Most of the group would then go on to found Boston, but for a few months during the summer, everyone remained at Charlestown.

In August 1630, Charlestown was visited by a doctor who had been in America for a while, and he offered to treat the sick. His name was Samuel Fuller, a man about 50 years of age, who was an unlicensed practitioner of medicine.³ He had been one of the people who fled England in about 1610 to live in Leiden, Netherlands, then joined the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower in 1620. Before sailing, he took it upon himself to learn the basics of “medical knowledge” so that he could offer himself as a doctor to the new colony. His treatments were questionable by modern standards, using such things as “blood letting.”³

Fuller survived the early years of the Plymouth colony, and in 1630, he was at Charlestown to help treat the new arrivals. Elizabeth’s father must have had a respect for him, and being concerned about the rough conditions in Charlestown, asked the man to take his two oldest children into his household at Plymouth (although perhaps it was Fuller who offered it). So Elizabeth and her older brother Robert left their parents, and moved in with Fuller’s family.¹

Puritans were known for a practice called "sending out," which meant that parents would give their children over to live in another household for a period of time. It was done for various reasons, and most often to expose the children to an experience that will help them later in life.⁴ In Elizabeth and her brother's case, the arrangement seems to have lasted for three years, until Fuller died of small pox in 1633. In his will, he noted that Elizabeth had been in his care “committed to my education,” and was to be sent back to her parents in Charlestown upon his death. Interestingly, her brother was described in the same document as Fuller’s “servant.” There was also a boy from another family mentioned in the will.⁵

Samuel Fuller's 1633 will.

About six years after coming home to her family, Elizabeth married Thomas Peirce,¹ who also lived in Charlestown in his parents’ household. They settled in Woburn, a new town located inland; between 1643 and about 1662, she gave birth to 12 children, two of whom died as infants. Thomas took on a leadership role in Woburn, becoming sergeant of the militia, and having other civic posts.

Elizabeth and Thomas spent the rest of their lives in Woburn. He died first on November 6, 1683,² and she lived another few years, passing away on March 5, 1688.² Elizabeth’s large family gave her many descendants, among them were Governor Benjamin Pierce (of New Hampshire), President Franklin Pierce, Barbara (Pierce) Bush, George W. Bush, Jeb Bush and James Spader.⁶

Children:

1. Thomas Peirce — B. about 1640, (possibly) Woburn, Massachusetts;⁷ D. 8 Dec 1717, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. Rachel Bacon (1652-?), 25 Mar 1680, Woburn, Massachusetts²

2. John Peirce — B. 7 Mar 1643, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 25 Mar 1720, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. Deborah Converse (1647-?), 1 Jul 1663, Woburn, Massachusetts²

3. Elizabeth Peirce — B. 25 Dec 1646, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. (1) Thomas Whittmore (1645-1670), 9 Nov 1666, Woburn, Massachusetts;² (2) Hopestill Foster (1648-1679), 15 Oct 1670, Woburn, Massachusetts;² (3) Nathaniel Pierce (1655-1692), 23 Mar 1680, Woburn, Massachusetts²

4. Joseph Peirce — B. 22 Sep 1648, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. before 13 Aug 1649, Woburn, Massachusetts²

5. Joseph Peirce — B. 13 Aug 1649, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 21 Nov 1716, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. Mary Richardson, 24 Jun 1681, Woburn, Massachusetts²

6. Stephen Peirce — B. 16 Jul 1651, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 10 Jun 1733, Chelmsford, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Tabitha Parker (1658-1742), 18 Nov 1676, Chelmsford, Massachusetts⁹

7. Samuel Peirce — B. 20 Feb 1654, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 27 Oct 1655, Woburn, Massachusetts²

8. Samuel Peirce — B. 7 Apr 1656, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 5 Jul 1721, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. Lydia Bacon (1655-1717), 9 Dec 1680, Woburn, Massachusetts²

9. William Peirce — B. 7 Mar 1658, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 22 Aug 1720, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. Abigail Sommers (~1658-~1726), 8 Apr 1690, Woburn, Massachusetts²

10. James Peirce — B. 7 May 1659, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 20 Jan 1741, Woburn, Massachusetts;²

11. Abigail Pierce — B. 20 Nov 1660, Woburn, Massachusetts;² D. 9 Sep 1719, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. George Reed (1660-1756), 18 Feb 1685, Woburn, Massachusetts²

12. Benjamin Peirce — B. about 1662, (probably) Massachusetts;¹⁰ D. 25 Sep 1739, Woburn, Massachusetts;² M. Mary Reed, 10 Oct 1688, Charlestown, Massachusetts¹¹

Sources:
1    The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995
2    Transcript of Woburn Town Records of Births, Marriages & Deaths, 1641-1843, Family search.org
3    Samuel Fuller (Pilgrim) (Wikipedia article)  
4    Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America, David Hackett Fischer, 1989
5    Will of Samuel Fuller, 30 Jul 1633  
6    Famous Kin (website)
7    Birth is missing from Woburn town records which begin in 1641
8    Births, marriages, deaths, 1673-1770, Chelmsford, Massachusetts, FamilySearch.org
9    Town Records of the Town of Chelmsford [Massachusetts], 1650-1730, FamilySearch.org
10  Estimated birth year based on marriage date
11  Woburn Records of Births, Deaths and Marriages, from 1640 to 1873, Part III, p. 209, Edward F. Johnson, 1891

Medical Care From the Governor — Jonathan Smith

B. before 4 Oct 1635 in Husbands Bosworth, Leicestershire, England¹
M. (1) before 13 Jun 1660 in (probably) Connecticut²
Wife: Hannah Adams
M. (2) 1 Jan 1664 in Saybrook, Connecticut³
Wife: Martha Bushnell
D. after 24 Apr 1711 in (probably) Connecticut²

In the early days of the colony of Connecticut, many of the towns around Hartford formed a tight community. And when a person became sick, they just might have gotten treated by the governor. Such was the case with Jonathan Smith during the prime of his life. 

Jonathan was born in the heart of England, in a small village in Leicestershire called Husbands Bosworth. His parents were Richard Smith and Rebecca Buswell, and he was the seventh of their eight children. Jonathan was baptized on October 4, 1635,¹ and was likely born shortly before that date.

Sometime after Jonathan's younger sister was baptized in January 1638,¹ the family migrated to New England. It’s believed that the Smith family arrived in the Connecticut colony in about 1639 or 1640. This was near the end of the Great Migration, a time when Puritans in England sought to create a religious haven in America. By 1646, Jonathan’s parents settled in the town of Wethersfield, right next to Hartford.² This was where he came of age, and where he married a woman named Hannah Adams by June of 1660.²

The governor of Connecticut at this time was John Winthrop, Jr., the son of one of the founders of the Massachusetts colony. Governor Winthrop also served as an unlicensed doctor, and the journal he kept while treating patients has survived. He would travel from town to town with remedies of herbs, powders, and such things as “pulverized toads.”⁴ The population of the colony was about 5,000 people, and it’s been said that Winthrop gave medical care to 500 of them, one of whom was Jonathan. The medical journal showed that he was treated for unknown reasons on four occasions: April 19, 1658, January 13, 1659, June 30, 1660, and February 12, 1667.⁵ The entry for 1660 also included Jonathan’s wife, Hannah, and it was the only time she was mentioned in records; she died by the end of 1663.³

Governor John Winthrop of Connecticut.

Meanwhile, Jonathan involved himself in issues of the community. On August 17, 1658, his name was on a petition signed by 49 men and women of Wethersfield, including his father and two of his brothers.⁶ Jonathan was among 38 of the signers who were not members of the church (his father was). The petition was about a man named John Hollister who had been excommunicated, and the signers thought he had been treated unfairly. They blamed the minister who had been assigned to Wethersfield, a Reverend John Russell, and asked that they could chose another minister to replace him. The effort was successful, and Reverend Russell was ousted.

In 1662, Jonathan’s father (who was still living) gave him “all his real estate in Wethersfield,” said to be the Smith family homestead.² Not long after this, Jonathan remarried to Martha Bushnell, with the wedding taking place in her hometown of Saybrook on New Year’s Day 1664.³ They settled in Wethersfield, presumably in the home his father had given him. It was here that Jonathan’s first six children were born between 1664 and 1679. They lived for a few years at Middletown, where two more children were born, before finally moving to a place called Naubuc, which became Glastonbury in 1690.

Late in his life, Jonathan played a civic role in Glastonbury, becoming one of 34 men who petitioned for a new meetinghouse.⁶ After the church was established, he served as deacon;² he also put in nine years as deputy on the town council.² As he reached the end of his life, Jonathan followed his father’s example of dividing his land among his children. The last document showing this dispersal was dated April 24, 1711.² It’s likely that Jonathan passed away within a few years of this date. His second wife was thought to have died in about 1705.

Children (all by Martha Bushnell):
1. Jonathan Smith — B. 20 Nov 1664, Wethersfield, Connecticut;² D. 8 Apr 1735, Middletown, Connecticut;² M. Alice Leek (1664-?), 25 Dec 1695, Middletown, Connecticut²

2. Richard Smith — B. 1 Nov 1667, Wethersfield, Connecticut;² D. before 6 Jun 1749, Glastonbury, Connecticut²

3. Joseph Smith — B. 14 Oct 1672, Wethersfield, Connecticut;² M. Sarah House (1675-?), 2 Jan 1696, Glastonbury, Connecticut²

4. Martha Smith — B. 14 Nov 1674, Wethersfield, Connecticut;² D. Connecticut;² M. Joseph Long (1668-?)²

5. Ebenezer Smith — B. 18 Mar 1676, Wethersfield, Connecticut;² D. 10 Feb 1752, Haddam, Massachusetts;² M. Mary²

6. Gershom Smith — B. Nov 1679, Wethersfield, Connecticut;² D. 28 Aug 1747, Glastonbury, Connecticut;² M. Hannah Judd (1681-?), 4 May 1710, Glastonbury, Connecticut²

7. Deborah Smith — B. 23 Sep 1682, Middletown, Connecticut²

8. Francis Smith — B. about 1685, Middletown, Connecticut;² D. after 1749;² M. Hannah Hubbard (1690-?), 8 Feb 1711²

Sources:
1    “Isaac Buswell and Rebecca (Buswell) Smith of Husbands Bosworth, Co. Leicester, and New England,” NEHGR, V.158, Jan 2004 Vital Records of Saybrook, 1647-1834, 1952
2    “Richard Smith of Wethersfield,” Donald Lines Jacobus, The American Genealogist, V. 25, 1949The History of Wethersfield, Connecticut, Sherman W. Adams, 1904
3    “The Doubtful English Ancestry of Richard Smith of Wethersfield, Connecticut,” Gale Ion Harris, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, V. 143, Jul 1989
4    The New England Historical Society (website)  
5    John Winthrop, Jr., Winthrop Medical Journal, (Transcribed from microfilms of the original) 
6    Glastenbury for Two Hundred Years: A Centennial Discourse, Alonzo Bowen Chapin, 1853

Petitioning For Her Children’s Money — Mary Cheever

B. before 29 Nov 1640 in New Haven, Connecticut¹
M. (1) 22 Nov 1671 in Boston, Massachusetts¹
Husband: William Lewis
M. (2) 3 Jan 1692 in Farmington, Connecticut¹
Husband: Thomas Bull
D. 10 Jul 1728 in Farmington, Connecticut¹

As the daughter of a famous New England school headmaster, Mary Cheever knew how to be forthright. And she made her own personal plea when confronted with a legal issue involving her husband’s estate.

Mary was born in about November 1640 in New Haven, Connecticut, and baptized on the 29th.¹ Her parents were Ezekiel and Mary Cheever, and she was the second of six children. Her mother died when she was about 9-years-old,² and her father remarried in 1652,² giving her five half siblings. When Mary was young, her father had his own school in New Haven, but moved to Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1650 to serve as headmaster of a grammar school.² By 1670, he had gained a reputation that landed him the job of headmaster at the prestigious Boston Latin School. In spite of her father's illustrious career, it doesn't seem that Mary ever received an education because a later document was signed with her mark instead of a signature.³

On November 22, 1671, Mary got married to William Lewis, a man who was about 20 years older than she was.¹ He was a widower with ten children, some who were almost as old as Mary. The wedding took place in Boston, then she moved to his home in Farmington, Connecticut. The house where they lived still survives today in the middle of a condo complex. Over the next ten years, Mary gave birth to six children, of whom three died as infants. Meanwhile, William served as captain of Farmington’s militia, and was directly involved in King Philip’s War.⁴

William passed away on August 18, 1690, leaving Mary alone with several underaged children.¹ Probate began with an inventory on August 28th, followed by other proceedings leading to the distribution of the estate between Mary, her children, and the eight surviving children of his first wife.⁵ But there was an issue that upset Mary — £100 given to her children by her father Ezekiel Cheever was lumped into the rest of the estate. So she wrote to the court, likely by dictating her words to someone who put it on paper:

To the Honored Adjourned Court sitting in Hartford, April 8, 1691:
I understand that in the distribution of my honored husband, Captain William Lewis deed his estate, made by the county court March 8, 1691, your worships have seen [fit] to dispose of my estate or that part viz., the hundred pounds sterling expressed in the jointure made by my honored father Ezekiel Cheever for the only use of me, my heirs and assigns, by which act of distribution I do apprehend that either myself or the three youngest children of the aforesaid Captain William Lewis is, or each of us, wronged. Therefore, having this opportunity, I do see [fit] by my petition to move the honored court to consider the case and to act and do in it according as the rules of equity, law & reason do require. In case my prayer be not considered and my expectation answered herein, I do declare myself justly aggrieved and dissatisfied, and do propose my own intention to make my application to the court of Assistants for relief according as the law do direct.
Your Humble Petitioner, Mary Lewis⁵

Presumably this was all settled favorably for Mary, and on January 3, 1692, she remarried.¹ Her second husband, Thomas Bull, was a widower whose first wife had died in 1691; interestingly, he had been one of the two men that conducted the inventory of William’s estate. Since Mary was already in her 50s, she had no children with Thomas. After he died on May 13, 1708,⁵ he left her a third of his estate, including a house for her use during the rest of her life. Specifically she was also given “the service and command of my negro man named Taylor during her abode in my said house.”³ Slaves were unfortunately common in New England at that time; there had also been several mentioned in William’s inventory who were said to be awarded freedom after he died. 

Receipt showing that Mary had received £30 from her husband's estate.

Mary lived a long life, dying in Farmington at age 87 on July 10, 1728.¹ She had some very important descendants: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, W.K. Kellogg, and Mitt Romney.⁶

Children (all by William Lewis):
1. Elizabeth Lewis — B. 20 Oct 1672, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. 1674, Farmington, Connecticut¹

2. Ezekiel Lewis — B. 7 Nov 1674, (probably) Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. 14 Aug 1755, Boston, Massachusetts;¹ M. (1) Mary Braden (1669-1703), 18 Mar 1702, Boston, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Abigail ________ (~1678-?), 11 Oct 1704, Boston, Massachusetts¹

3. Nathaniel Lewis – B. 1 Oct 1676, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. 24 Feb 1752, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ M. (1) Abigail Ashley (1681-1727), 25 Nov 1699, Westfield, Massachusetts;¹ (2) Thankful Pomeroy (1679-1773), 4 Jul 1726, Northampton, Massachusetts¹

4. Abigail Lewis — B. 19 Sep 1678, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. 24 Jan 1707, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ M. William Wadsworth (~1671-1751), 10 Dec 1696, Farmington, Connecticut¹

5. Joseph Lewis — B. 15 Mar 1680, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ D. about 1680, Farmington, Connecticut¹

6. Daniel Lewis — B. 16 Jul 1681, Farmington, Connecticut;¹ M. Mary Strong (1692-1751), 1 May 1718, (probably) Farmington, Connecticut¹

Sources:
1    Book VXIII of the Genealogy of the Lewis family, William Richard Cutter, 1891
2    Ezekiel Cheever and some of his descendants, John Tyler Hassam, 1879
3    Probate file of Thomas Bull, Farmington, Connecticut, 1708
4    History, Charter and By-laws: List of Officers and Members Together with a Record of the Service Performed by Their Ancestors in the Wars of the Colonies, Society of Colonial Wars, Illinois, 1896
5    Lewisiana, or the Lewis Letter, V. 16-17, 1905
6    FamousKin.com 

The Legacy of a Puritan Woman — Martha Stooke

B. about 1597 in Essex, England¹
M. 6 Sep 1623 in Epping, Essex, England²
Husband: George Minot
D. 23 Dec 1657 in Dorchester, Massachusetts¹

Martha Stooke was part of a mass migration of people, who left their homes in England, bringing their traditions and beliefs to the Massachusetts colony. Like many Puritans who settled in New England, Martha was from Essex, born in about 1597.¹ Nothing is known of her family; her last name sometimes appeared in records as “Stocke.” On September 6, 1623, she married George Minot in the village of Epping,² and afterwards settled in Saffron Walden.

Martha gave birth to at least three sons in Saffron Walden (one of whom died young),^1,3 before boarding a ship bound for America in about 1630. Some researchers have claimed that she and her family arrived on the Mary and John, but this doesn’t appear to be true. The passengers of that ship founded the town of Dorchester (now a part of Boston), where the Minot family settled, but most of those people were from Dorset, a long distance from Essex, so Martha's family was likely on a different ship.

As George became one of Dorchester’s town leaders, Martha gave birth to two more sons in 1631 and 1635.¹ Years later, in the late 19th century, a male line descendant claimed to be the owner of the cradle Martha used when her sons were young.⁴ If it’s true, this is a remarkable item of early Americana. The cradle is of a simple design, a paneled box made of oak, mounted on two rockers, with round knobs on each corner and a short hood. A photo of it appeared in an 1893 book which showed two people representing Martha and George admiring a baby. The cradle is said to be in the collection of the Old State House in Boston.

Martha's cradle as shown in an 1893 book.

The house where Martha raised her boys was also preserved for generations. The year the home was built is unknown, but may have been as early as 1640. It had two stories and an attic, and was said to have been solidly-built, with an exterior of brick walls covered by wood.⁴ Sadly, the house burned to the ground in 1874, and only survives today in a quaint illustration and photograph.

The house in Dorchester where Martha and her family lived.

Perhaps the greatest legacy of Martha was her contribution to a political activity organized by women. The one thing females had exclusive authority over during colonial times was childbirth. In 1649, malpractice charges were brought against a Dorchester midwife named Alice Tilly, and women like Martha came forward to defend her. As Tilly was locked up in jail, a series of petitions were circulated in the Boston area that were written and signed by women, with no men involved. Martha’s signature appeared on two of the petitions, one in May 1649, and the other in May 1650. Their action worked, and Tilly was eventually released and allowed to continue her practice.⁵

Martha passed way on December 23, 1657 at the age of about 60,¹ and her husband George died in 1671.¹

Children:
1. George Minot – B. 11 Jul 1624, Saffron Walden, England;³ D. about 19 May 1626, Saffron Walden, England³

2. John Minot – B. 2 Apr 1626, Saffron Walden, England;¹ D. 12 Aug 1669, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹ M. (1) Lydia Butler (~1629-1667), 19 May 1647;¹ (2) Mary Dassett (1630-~1677)¹

3. James Minot – B. 31 Dec 1628, Saffron Walden, England;¹ D. 30 Mar 1676, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹ M. (1) Hannah Stoughton (1637-1670), 9 Dec 1653;¹ (2) Hephzibah Corlett (1650-1691), 21 May 1673, Cambridge, Massachusetts¹

4. Stephen Minot – B. 2 May 1631, (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹ D. 16 Feb 1672, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹ M. Truecross Davenport (1634-1692), 10 Nov 1654¹

5. Samuel Minot – B. 18 Dec 1635, Dorchester, Massachusetts; D. 18 Dec 1690, Dorchester, Massachusetts;¹ M. Hannah Howard (1643-?), 23 Jun 1670¹

Sources:
1     “Minot Family,” Lemuel Shattuck, Esq., The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, Vol. I, 1847
2    England Marriages, 1538-1973, FamilySearch.org
3    WikiTree listing for George Minott (1624-1626)  
4    Good Old Dorchester: A Narrative History of the Town, 1630-1893, William Dana Orcutt, 1893
5    “The Ablest Midwife That Wee Knowe in the Land: Mistress Alice Tilly and the Women of Boston and Dorchester,” Mary Beth Norton, The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 55. No. 1, Jan 1998

Disappeared on a Trip to England — Joseph Long

B. about 1600 in (possibly) Broadmayne, Dorset, England¹
M. about 1636 in (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts²
Wife: Mary Lane
D. before 22 May 1651 in (probably) England³

When someone crossed the Atlantic during the 17th century, the loved ones left behind never knew if they would see them again. And in the case of New England settler Joseph Long, who took a trip from Boston to London in about 1650, his story ended in a mystery.

There’s unproven information about Joseph’s origins, but plenty of circumstantial evidence of his probable identity. Many researchers believe he was born about 1600 into the Longe family who lived in Devon County, England.¹ On January 28, 1611, a Joseph Longe married Elizabeth Hill, and it’s said that this was Joseph’s father.⁴ Joseph was later known to have a half-brother William, and a child by that name was born to this couple in 1616.¹

Joseph’s supposed father was a “gentleman” who “held land at Broadmayne.”¹ The location of Broadmayne is significant because it was only a few miles from Dorchester, England, which would supply much of the population of Dorchester, Massachusetts, the place where Joseph would one day live. In 1624, Longe was one of the investors in the Dorchester Company, an attempt to establish a fishing settlement in New England.¹ The plan ultimately failed, but this gives further evidence of his connection to Joseph.

St. Martin's Church in Broadmayne, Dorset.

Joseph first appeared in Dorchester, Massachusetts in about 1638.² He married a woman named Mary Lane, and they had two sons born during the early 1640s.⁵ Then in about 1650, Joseph’s father died back in England, leaving an estate that required Joseph’s presence in order to collect an inheritance of £60.⁶ This was a hardship because Joseph was “not in good health.” But he had to go, so he said goodbye to his wife Mary, and sailed back across the Atlantic. He arrived in London, and wrote to Mary on the day before he was to have a meeting about the estate.⁶

This was the last anyone heard from him. What happened to Joseph? It’s possible that whatever sickness he had became worse, and he died from it shortly after writing the letter. Or he may have succumbed to his illness on the voyage back to America. The distance between England and Massachusetts made solving his disappearance a challenge for his wife. After a period of time, she went to the authorities to have Joseph legally declared dead, which was done in a ruling on May 22, 1651.³ Mary went on to have two more husbands before she passed away in Connecticut in 1671.⁷

Children:
1. Joseph Long — B. 1640s, (probably) Dorchester, Massachusetts;⁵ D. 26 Aug 1676, Dorchester, Massachusetts;⁸ M. Mary, 3 Dec 1661⁸

2. Thomas Long — B. 1644, Dorchester, Massachusetts;⁵ D. Nov 1711, Windsor, Connecticut; M. (1) Sarah Wilcox (1648-1718), about 1666, (probably) Hartford, Connecticut;⁸ (2) Sarah Elmer (1664-1741), before 1688, (probably) Connecticut⁸

Sources:
1    Dorchester & Fordington (website)  
2    The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999
3    Records of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay in New England, p. 232
4    Marriage record of Joseph Longe and Elizabeth Hill, 28 Jan 1611, Colyton Church, Devon, England
5    Probate records of Joseph Farnsworth, 2 Jan 1659,
6    Massachusetts Archives, Book 9, p. 16
7    Probate records of Mary (Lane) Wilcox, 7 Sep 1671
8    Long Family Genealogy (website) 

Miller on the Connecticut Coast — Francis Bushnell

B. before 8 Jan 1609 in (probably) Horsham, Sussex, England¹
M. (1) 27 Jun 1631 in Horsham, Sussex, England²
Wife: Mary Grombridge
M. (2) before 1660 in (probably) Guilford, Connecticut³
Wife: Grace Wells
D. 4 Dec 1681 in Saybrook, Connecticut⁴

When New England colonists formed their first settlements, it was essential to have a grist mill for grinding their grain. Along with a mill, each community needed someone with the skill to run it, and Francis Bushnell was such a man.

Francis came from the town of Horsham in Sussex, England, baptized at the church there on January 8, 1609.¹ He was the second oldest child of Francis Bushnell and Ferris Quenelll; they would have eight more children, but Francis’ mother died while delivering her last child in February 1628.⁵ On June 27, 1631, Francis married Mary Grombridge,² and over the next couple of years, they had two daughters, one of whom one died young.

The year 1635 was a turning point in the lives of the Bushnell family, with Francis and his four surviving brothers each moving to New England.⁵ It’s easy to imagine they came to this decision together, joining the Puritan migration that left England in large numbers during that decade. Francis, along with wife Mary and 1-year-old Elizabeth, sailed aboard the Planter, which left in April.⁴ Two of his brothers were on the same ship, including Richard, who was about age 14; it’s believed that both became part of Francis’ household when they got settled in the colony.⁵ The other two brothers arrived on different ships.⁵

Records show that Francis first lived in Salem,⁵ and during this time, he and his wife had two more daughters. On February 8, 1637, Francis was granted 24 acres of land at a place outside of Salem called Muddy River.⁵ He was said to be a carpenter, a valuable skill for living in a wilderness because a man often had to build his own house. His time in Massachusetts lasted just a couple of years, and after Francis’ father migrated to the coastal Connecticut town of Guilford, he moved his family there as well.⁵ By about 1647, four more children were born, completing the family.⁵ (There are no birth or baptism records of the children born in New England, and what is shown in the list below is a rough estimate of their birth years.)

When the man who operated Guilford’s mill died in May 1648, Francis was asked to take his place.⁶ The survival of an early colonial town depended on the crops they could grow, so a mill was a vital part of the community. Powered by rushing water in a stream that emptied into the Atlantic, the Guilford mill turned corn into cornmeal, a staple in the New England diet. Francis accepted the role of miller on the condition he could be exempted from militia duty, and the town leaders agreed to it.⁵ He was nearly 40-years-old at this time.

How a grain mill works.

Francis lived in Guilford for about another dozen years. He never became a freeman, which meant he failed to take an oath of loyalty to the town; his name was on a list of eight Guilford men without that status.⁶ In the fall of 1648, his wife Mary was taken to court over letting their hogs get into a neighbor’s property and causing considerable damage.⁵ She died sometime in the next 12 years, and Francis married a second wife named Grace Wells.³ In 1658, he was appointed by the Connecticut General Court to inspect a mill and dam in New Haven, and report if there needed to be any repairs.⁵ The General Court received his findings on February 28th, and noted that they would take his advice on suggested improvements.

Not long after that date, Francis moved to the nearby town of Saybrook, located at the mouth of the Connecticut River, where he had acquired 200 acres about a decade earlier.⁵ Francis was said to have built the first corn mill on Oyster River, and afterwards he was given a farm in return for keeping the mill for the people of Saybrook.⁶ He was said to be one of the leaders in Saybrook, and a deacon in the church.⁷ Most New England communities sought to formalize land ownership with the indigenous people who considered it theirs. On a document dated July 4, 1665, the leader of the Mohegan tribe confirmed a huge grant of land to Saybrook; he referred to the six men who signed it as “my loving friends,” one of whom was Francis.⁵

At some point, Francis likely retired as miller. He spent the rest of his years in Saybrook, and died there on December 4, 1681.⁴ Francis was a direct ancestor of a signer of the U.S. constitution, William Samuel Johnson, and of billionaire Warren Buffet.⁸

Children (all by Mary Grombridge):
1. Mary Bushnell — B. before 20 Apr 1632, Horsham, Sussex, England;⁹ D. before 17 Jun 1634, Horsham, Sussex, England¹⁰

2. Elizabeth Bushnell — B. before 2 Feb 1634, Horsham, Sussex, England;¹¹ D. 26 Apr 1672, Guilford, Connecticut;¹² M. William Johnson (~1630-1702), 2 Jul 1651, Guilford, Connecticut⁵

3. Martha Bushnell — B. about 1637, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;⁵ D. (possibly) about 1705, Connecticut;¹³ M. Jonathan Smith (1635-1711), 1 Jan 1664, Connecticut⁵

4. Sarah Bushnell — B. about 1639, (probably) Salem, Massachusetts;⁵ D. before 14 Jan 1689;⁵ M. Joseph Ingham (?-1710), 20 Jun 1655, Connecticut⁵

5. John Bushnell — B. about 1641, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;⁵ D. Jun 1686, Saybrook, Connecticut;¹⁴ M. Sarah Scranton (1645-1695), 15 May 1665, Connecticut¹⁵

6. Mary Bushnell — B. about 1643, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;⁵ D. about 1727, Connecticut;⁵ M. Samuel Jones (?-1704), 1666, Guilford, Connecticut⁵

7. Hannah Bushnell — B. about 1645, (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;⁵ M. Stephen Hosmer (1645-1693), about 1668, Connecticut⁵

8. Samuel Bushnell — B. about 1647, (probably) Connecticut;⁵ D. 14 Dec 1699, Saybrook, Connecticut;⁵ M. (1) (probably) Susannah (?-1683), Connecticut;⁵ (2) Ruth Sanford (1659-?), 17 Apr 1684, Connecticut⁵

Sources:
1    Christening of Francis Bushnell, England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, FamilySearch.org  
2    Marriage of Francis Bushnell and Mary Grombridge, England, Sussex, Parish Registers, FamilySearch.org  
3    New England Marriages Prior to 1700, page 125, Clarence Almon Torrey, 1985
4    The Great Migration, Robert Charles Anderson, 1999, page 511 

5    Bushnell Family Genealogy, George Eleazer Bushnell, 1954, pages 25-32  
6    The history of Guilford, Connecticut, from its first settlement in 1639, Ralph Dunning Smith,
7    Manual of the Congregational Church of Old Saybrook, Conn., Charles A. Kirtland, 1888
8    Famous Kin (website)  
9    Christening of Mary Bushnell, Sussex, England, Parish Registers, (1538-1910), FamilySearch.org  
10  Burial of Mary Bushnell, Sussex, England, Parish Registers, (1538-1910), FamilySearch.org
11  Christening of Elizabeth Bushnell, Sussex, England, Parish Registers, (1538-1910), FamilySearch.org 
12  Find-a-Grave listing for Elizabeth (Bushnell) Johnson  
13  WikiTree listing for Martha Bushnell  
14  Find-a-Grave listing for John Bushnell  
15  A Genealogical Register of the Descendants of John Scranton of Guilford, Conn., 1855, page 16