George Gardiner (c1650-1724) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 47) Theme: "Good Deeds"

"Deed" can have a couple of distinct meanings: first, as an act or gesture illustrative of one's character, and secondly, as a legal document signed and delivered regarding ownership of property. Those two meanings intersect in George Gardiner's story.

But for the bold enterprising nature of his mother, my 8X great grandfather George might never have been born. And he certainly would never have shared in the ownership of substantial lands acquired through the good deeds of his mother's generous third partner. 

General area of the Good Deeds - South Kingstown, R.I.
Google Earth

To understand how these good deeds came about, it is necessary to explain a bit of the history of his parents. George was born about 1650 in Newport, Rhode Island to George Gardiner senior and Herodias Long. Both George senior and Herodias had had prior marriages and never officially married each other, instead following the Quaker custom of standing before witnesses and swearing to live together as husband and wife. From all appearances, they lived together happily as husband and wife for a couple of decades and had seven children, the third of whom was the George of our story. 

George's mother Herodias was a fanatic Quaker, at one time willingly walking some 70 miles from Newport to Boston with a young child in her arms to receive a whipping at the post for her religious beliefs.

When their relationship eventually soured, Herodias claimed that George was no longer supporting her and the children. She also claimed to regret having lived with George without going through a proper form of marriage. Thus on 3 May 1665 we find George Gardiner senior brought before the General Assembly court upon the petition of "Hored Long alias Gardner, his reputed wife."

According to Herodias, she had been forced to move in with Gardiner for the support he could provide following her divorce from her first husband, John Hicks. She said she had repeatedly begged  Gardiner to set her up in a separate house and "not to meddle with mee." This must be greeted with a healthy dose of skepticism since she appears to have been a strong-willed woman quite capable of standing up for herself.

The General Assembly found themselves unable to grant her divorce since there was no actual marriage to terminate! They decreed that Gardiner cease to trouble her and that the couple pay a fine for having lived together without being married.  

HOWEVER, the true cause of her wish to free herself from Gardiner can be found in another petition to the same General Assembly. Margaret Porter, wife of John Porter, a wealthy Rhode Island landowner, complained to the court that her husband had deserted her and gone to Pettaquamscut leaving her without means of supporting herself. In her petition, Margaret said that her husband "is destitute of all congugall love towards her, and suitable care for her". She requested that Porter be required to support her from his large estate. Porter was a well-respected member of the community and was expected to behave accordingly. The General Assembly sided with Margaret and ordered Porter to support her, which he arranged to do within the month. 

By this time, Herodias had already moved in with John Porter at Pettaquamscutt. Porter was one of the original purchasers of a huge tract of land called Pettaquamscutt from the Indian sachems of an area around what is now South Kingston, R.I. At first, the pretense was that she was working for him as his housekeeper, but no one really believed this. They were brought to court for living together without being married, but no mention can be found of any penalty or reprimand. 

Porter conveyed large tracts of his lands to her children, supposedly to fulfill a promise he had made to Herodias at the outset of their relationship. No record of a marriage between this couple has been found.

 

 

1724 Map of the 1657 Pettaquamscutt Purchase - Public Domain Image
John Porter's Pettaquamscut lands showing transfers to Herodias's sons

Divorce was almost unheard of at the time. One can only imagine how this scandal would have affected the children of the two divorcing couples. George junior would have been in his mid-teens at the time. 

About five years after all this turmoil, George Gardiner junior at about age 23 married Tabitha Bethiah Tefft. This couple would not cause any scandal during their lengthy marriage, during which they had a large family of at least 9 children (the 6th of whom was my 7X great grandmother Hannah Gardiner). 

It was during the early years of George and Tabitha's marriage that his stepfather John Porter performed his own good deed by transferring good title deeds to lands to George and his siblings.

Historical Marker regarding John Porter's acquisition of the lands
subsequently transferred to stepchildren including George
Photo used with permission of trashpaddler.com

George junior appears in the records only for such matters as having taken the oath of allegiance on 19 May 1671. On 16 November 1678 he and wife Tabitha sold Nicholas Gardiner 60 acres. Then on 29 January 1700, he and his wife for the love of their son Nicholas deeded him 60 acres of land.

On 17 November 1705, George and brothers Benoni, Henry, William and Nicholas, along with wives Tabitha, Mary, Joan, Elizabeth and Hannah Gardiner and Rebecca Watson, all of Kingstown, sold 410 acres on Point Judith Pond to John Potter for 150 pounds to be paid to Thomas Hicks of Flushing, Long Island.  (Thomas was a half brother of George, being a son of Herodias and John Hicks.) The good deeds continued.

George lived to about age 74, dying and being buried at Kingston, Rhode Island. Although there is no marker for his grave, he is believed to be buried in the Nathan Gardner Lot at South Kingston, Rhode Island.

Some Resources:

• Archer, Richard, "Fissures in the Rock: New England in the Seventeenth Century", University of New Hampshire, 2001, pages 73-77
• "Genealogies of Rhode Island, Volume 2", page 523
• Moriarty, G Andrews, "Herodias (Long) Hicks-Gardiner-Porter, A Tale of Old Newport" from "Genealogies of Rhode Island, Volume 1", pages 599-607
• "Some Notes on 18th Century Block Island", NEHGR Register, Volume 105, page 258
• Wikipedia article for Horodias Long and John Porter accessed online 8 November 2020
• Robinson, Caroline E, "The Gardiners of Narragansett, Being a Genealogy of the Descendants of George Gardiner the Colonist 1638", Providence Rhode Island 1919

Plain Wickenden (1650-c1695) (52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks 2020 Week #42) Theme: "Proud"

Being pious Baptists and perhaps afraid that their newborn daughter might grow up to be too proud, her parents sought to ensure humility by naming her "Plain". 

1999 photo of present-day First Baptist Church, Providence R.I.

My 8X great grandmother Plain Wickenden was born about 1650 in Providence, Rhode Island to Reverend William Wickenden and his first (unnamed) wife. Reverend Wickenden was associate pastor along with Reverend Chad Brown for the First Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island, and after Reverend Brown's resignation, he took over as sole pastor for several years. William is best known as one of the signers of the Providence civil compact in 1637 which is credited as being the first  document in America to enshrine separation of church and state. Wickenden Street in Providence is named in his honor.

Providence Lots at the time of Plain's Birth
William Wickenden's lot highlighted in pink
(another ancestor Stukely Westcott also highlighted)

Toward the end of his life, he also preached in New York City, a location not as tolerant of Baptist religious beliefs as was Rhode Island. William was imprisoned for 4 months and returned to Providence in broken health. He died 23 February 1670/71 at a place called "Solitary Hill".  

Because of her father's position and education, Plain would have been a well-educated woman for those times. It is possible that her privileged life could indeed have gone to her head, but her given name and character seemed to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.

She grew up knowing Samuel Wilkinson and married him about 1674 in Providence. With both her parents now being deceased, it isn't clear if anyone in her family objected to her marriage outside the Baptist faith. In any event, her down-to-earth nature stood her in good stead as the newlyweds moved out of the comfortable town of her youth to live on their farm in the wilderness about 10 miles north. 

Samuel was a Quaker, one of those who aspire to plain dress and plain talk. Perhaps her Plain name had attracted Samuel to her, but one might guess that she was actually a very attractive young woman. Especially if one is inclined to believe all the flowery language contained in the Reverend Israel Wilkinson's 1869 Memoirs of the Wilkinson Family in America. Like so many histories of that time, it is difficult to ascertain how much is factual and how much is inserted for over-the-top wordy effect. The language is anything but plain. For example, on page 327: 

Plain was an accomplished young lady of a sprightly disposition, and was discreet and prudent in her conduct notwithstanding her fearlessness and boldness, and was highly esteemed by all who were acquainted with her. She was possessed of more than ordinary executive ability, and performed feats that would astonish, and perhaps shock the exquisite sensibilities of modern ladies of fashion. Her education in consequence of her father's position in society, and the excellent opportunities of home instruction, was far superior to many of her day and sex. 

Notwithstanding being a peace-loving Quaker, Samuel was commissioned as captain in the provincial militia of Rhode Island and took part in King Philip's War.   When the war broke out, he sent Plain and their first-born child Samuel to Providence for greater safety while he performed his duties as a soldier. After the war ended, they returned to their farm. There they raised their family of six children, four sons and two daughters. Their fourth son, Joseph (1682-1740), was my 7X great grandfather. 

Samuel was active in civic affairs, acted as a surveyor and justice of the peace.

Plain did her part too, as described in 1869 by Reverend Israel Wilkinson, page 329: 

Plain was a decided character, and some traditional anecdotes are still related concerning her. After they were well established in their new home, she assumed and performed the duties of a pioneer housewife with an energy that bespoke the former training she had received at the hands of a Baptist minister of the primitive days of Rhode Island Colony.. . .

Cattle, sheep, swine and horses were soon raised, and luxuries began to flow  into their wilderness home, not however, without the toil and perseverance of Plain. Sugar, tea, coffee, raisins and the groceries so common now in every country store could not at that time be so easily obtained. Providence was ten miles away, and was but a small town. Boston was about forty miles distant, and abounded with the much coveted articles. Samuel could not leave his farm and stock long enough to do the shopping, and like a sensible man allowed Plain to do the small business of this kind. Mounted upon her own mare with panniers filled with the veal of the well fatted calf, killed the night before, and such other articles of farm produce as would find a ready sale by way of barter -- at three o'clock in the morning she might be seen wending along the bridle-path I have described, making her way to Boston. Winding through the forests, descending the hills, through the vales; turning now to the right, now to the left, as the blazed trees would indicate, till she came to the river at "Martin's Wade," when gathering up her feet to keep them out of the water, she would cross and arrive at what is now called Attleboro at sunrise. After breakfast she would remount and pursue her journey to "Shawmut," "the City of Notions," alias Boston; exchange her cargo, receive her longed for luxuries, and return home next day, and none the worse for wear! Now there's a wife for you! No wonder her husband valued her above rubies. 

Undertaking such a journey alone through the wilderness to conduct the bartering for groceries is indeed a remarkable feat. In addition to the potential perils of the wilderness trail, Boston itself posed significant danger for anyone of a Baptist or Quaker religion. It was common at the time for members of such faiths to be whipped or imprisoned. (For example, in addition to her Baptist father's treatment in New York mentioned above, another Quaker ancestor Herodias Long was whipped 10 lashes in Boston because of her faith.)  It is not known if or how Plain remained able to make these journeys to Boston after all the children started arriving.

No other anecdotes have been found, but she clearly had a self-reliant streak.  

Samuel died 27 August 1727 but no actual record has been found as to when Plain died; Family Search gives an unsourced date of 1695. 

Again quoting Reverend Israel Wilkinson, p.328:

The precise location of the old house of Samuel Wilkinson is at this late period (about 200 years after its first settlement) difficult to ascertain. The "Great Road" leading from Providence to Worcester is known to pass through his lands.. . .Within this solitary enclosure, by the side of a thrifty growth of at least the tertiary forest -- surrounded by a thick stone wall, may be seen some very ancient mounds of earth nearly leveled with the surrounding land, and marked by rough, unhewn, moss-covered stones. No inscription informs the passer by who sleeps beneath them, and the uncertain index of tradition hesitatingly points to them as being the last resting place of Samuel and Plain Wilkinson. 

She may have been called Plain and she may have refrained from feeling proud of herself. Nonetheless, she was a woman whose descendants can be justifiably proud to claim her as an ancestor.

 

Some Resources:

• "The Biographical cyclopedia of representative men of Rhode Island, Providence: National Biographical Publishing Co., 1881, p. 57 accessed online 26 September 2020 through Internet Archive at https://archive.org/stream/biographicalcycl00nati/biographicalcycl00nati_djvu.txt
• Wilkinson, Rev. Israel, Memoirs of the Wilkinson Family in America, Jacksonville, Ill: Davis & Penniman, Printers, 1869 accessed online 4 October 2020 through Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/memoirsofwilkins00wilk/page/476/mode/2up

John Westcott and Amey Clark Family (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 34) Theme: "Chosen Family"

Ever since Wescott cousin Jack Brown suggested that my great grandfather's name was probably meant to be George Gardiner (rather than "Garner") Wescott, I've been wanting to spend a bit more time among the relevant ancestors. The journey takes a bit of a twisting trail, but, in the end, I am convinced that Jack is correct. 

Unusual first or middle names are often found to reflect a lost maternal line surname somewhere back up the family tree. Looking at the siblings of my great grandfather George Garner Wescott, two of his brothers definitely have names that were surnames of earlier female family lines - Barton Wescott and Carver Wescott.

In addition to the Barton and Carver families, there was a Gardiner family line as well. George Garner's 3X great grandfather Josiah Westcott had married Hannah Gardiner on New Year's Day 1701. Hannah was the daughter of George Gardiner (c.1650-1753) and Tabitha Teft and the granddaughter of George Gardiner (1599-1677) and Herodias Long, a couple whose true story rivals any fictional account of infidelity and scandal. (You can read about their tempestuous relationship in a story I wrote five years ago about George Gardiner and Herodias Long, also as part of a "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge.)

One of Josiah Westcott and Hannah Gardiner's sons, Caleb, married another Gardiner and they named one of their sons Gardiner Westcott (1774-1808).  In turn, that Gardiner named one of his own sons Gardiner Westcott (1770-1853) who also had a son that he named Gardner (sometimes the "i" was dropped) Wescott (by now the first "t" was also sometimes dropped in some branches of the family more so than in others). The last Gardner Wescott lived from about 1813-1880 but did not seem to name any of his children Gardner. Whew! This Caleb Westcott line is a side branch in my tree, but does serve as an example of how the surname of a female ancestor can survive through the generations as a first or middle name and also of how the same given names were often recycled again and again throughout the family tree.

Gardner Westcott (died 1853) and wife Hannah
Buried Deerfield-Schuyler Cemetery, Deerfield, New York
Photo by Tom Morosco of Find a Grave Website

We descend through Caleb Westcott's younger brother Oliver Westcott (1720-1795). Oliver had a son named John Westcott. John and his wife Amey Clark were probably the first parents in the family to name one of their children George Gardiner Westcott (1784-1815) and their lives will form the basis of this week's story as my "chosen family".  

John Wescott (1745-1831) was my 5X great grandfather. He was the first-born child of Oliver Wescott and Susannah Wilkinson and spent his life at Scituate, Providence County, Rhode Island. On the 21st of October 1770, at age 24, he married 18 year-old Amey Clark and started a family with her. Seven children would eventually join them: Susannah, Christopher, Stephen (my 4X great grandfather), Artemus, Charles, Josiah, and finally the baby of the family (and the only one treated to a middle name) George Gardiner Westcott.

John and Amie's son George Gardiner Westcott born June 11, 1784

Given the lack of a middle name for the father John and the proliferation of Westcotts's descending from our immigrant ancestor Stukely Westcott at Providence, R.I., it is difficult to ascertain which records for John Westcott pertain to our John Westcott. Nevertheless, it seems certain he was a minister (probably Baptist) and is generally called Reverend John Westcott or Elder John Westcott. He was one of the first ministers in Scituate and continued his ministry into his 80s. He performed marriages in Scituate and Foster, R.I.

Although probably not a military person, John assisted in the American Revolutionary War through his work as a Justice in the Civil Service.  Several of his descendants' applications for membership in the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution ("DAR") have been based on this service. 

Amey died on her husband's birthday on 26 March 1814 at the age of 62. John died the day after Christmas in 1831 at the age of 87. Both are buried at the Westcott-Wilkinson Lot, Scituate, Providence, R.I.

Now, to get back to George Garner (or Gardiner) Wescott's name. When John and Amey's grandson Stephen H. Wescott and his wife Catherine Barton started their own family, it is quite likely that they were harking back to granduncle George Gardner Westcott for a name  for their second son. (They had named their first son "Artimus" in memory of another of the granduncles from the John and Amey Westcott family. Sons Barton and  Carver were named for female ancestral surnames.) It would be easy enough to forget the "d" in Gardiner through the passage of time. Or maybe they knew it should have a "d" or "di" but preferred the sound of the name without it. 

1850 U.S. Census for Farmingham, Washington Co., Wisconsin
Stephen and Catherine Wescott and Children including George

To the best of my knowledge, Garner isn't a common, or even uncommon, name except as a surname. (Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have named their son Samuel Garner Affleck, clearly with the intention of retaining the mother's name.) It seems very likely that our George's parents Stephen and Catherine were similarly intending to carry on one of the old family names - Gardiner. 

From the Civil War Pension File for "Garner Westcott"

But all records for George Garner Wescott are spelled without the "d", including his Civil War Pension records in which he used Garner as his first name. I'm not suggesting any amendments are in order, or that the records are wrong, but it does seem very likely that the intention was to honour the old family name of Gardiner.

In the end, although I may have chosen to write about John Westcott and Amey Clark's family as my "chosen family" for this week, it seems the story has really developed a mind of its own - the chosen family was obviously the Gardiners!

Some Resources:

• Mayflower "Silver Book" for John Howland, Volume 23, Part 2 "Fifth Generation Descendants of Lydia Howland Brown"
• National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution webpage located at  https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/?action=full&p_id=A123353 relating to Ancestor #A123353

John Brown Family (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 32) Theme: "Small"

Not knowing of any ancestors of small stature or small family size, nor any with a surname like Small or Little, I have chosen to devote this week to my Brown family, several of whom were buried at a cemetery including "little" in its name: The Ancient Little Neck Cemetery in Rhode Island.

Google Earth image of Little Neck Cemetery

1. First Generation - John (c.1585-1662) and Dorothy Brown

John Brown (my 10X great grandfather) was a well-to-do English shipbuilder who had known the Mayflower Pilgrim group at Leyden, but didn't join them in America until a few years later. By then, he was married to Dorothy and had at least three children: daughter Mary (c1614-1669) and sons James (1623-1710) and John Jr. (1630-1662). 

In 1635 John became a citizen in Plymouth Colony and began a term of 18 years on the board of assistants. By 1643, he was involved in purchasing land for a new settlement, and a couple of years later, the family moved to Rehoboth.

John was often a mediator in settling disputes between the English and the local Native Americans, both having great confidence in him. He was a man of some power and influence and stood fast for Plymouth Colony in the Gorton Plantations dispute with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was said that Brown and Hatherly were so vigorous and fearless in pushing their claim that they neutralized the efforts of Massachusetts Bay such that Plymouth finally prevailed. 

However, bad blood was still in evidence when the 1652 joint session of congress was to be held at Plymouth. The first day, only five of the six representatives required for a quorum were in attendance. Late on the second day, the representative from New Haven in Massachusetts Bay arrived with the excuse that he had been hindered by bad roads. John Brown also came in late with the excuse that he had been plagued with a toothache. The Massachusetts representatives took great offence to Brown's excuse. It was decided that when no quorum was available on the first day, no session would be held that year even if a quorum arrived later. The members headed for home with ill feelings all around. When the General Court of Massachusetts meddled in the affair by formally insisting upon an apology from one of the Plymouth members, Plymouth interpreted this as meaning that Brown had to apologize before he could take his seat. (Plymouth had insistently re-elected Brown as one of its two representatives for the next session.) The Plymouth position was that if for any reason one of their representatives could not take part, neither would the other (leading to a lack of a quorum). This would essentially dissolve the congress. Massachusetts wisely dropped the matter without an apology from Brown.

John's independent spirit got him censured by his stern pastor Newman in 1652. Brown sued the pastor for slander and was given a verdict of £100 damages plus his costs. As soon as he won, Brown apparently arose in court and remitted the money. He had just wanted to prove his point as a matter of principle!

A couple of years later, while sitting in the court, some of the men at Rehoboth wanted all the people to be compelled to pay their share for public worship as in the other Colonies. The other commissioner favored this, but Brown was in opposition. Rather than force the population to support religion, he said those that favored the tax could pay their share and he would secure the balance by binding his estate to make good any shortfall for the next seven years. This led to several years of ongoing disputes as the proposers of the tax did not take kindly to being coerced into paying their share after all!

After reaching the age of 70, John retired from public service and spent his remaining days on his estate where he died in 1662 at the age of 78. His son John had died just a short while before him, but his wife Dorothy lived on into her 90th year. He was also survived by daughter Mary, the wife of Captain Thomas Willett, a very prominent citizen who became the first mayor of New York City. 

John Brown Memorial
 Little Neck Cemetery
Photo courtesy Julie Nathanson from Find a Grave website

2. Second Generation - James Brown (1623-1710) and Lydia Howland

John and Dorothy's other son, James Brown, my 9X great grandfather, married Lydia Howland in about 1654. She was the American-born daughter of Mayflower passengers John Howland and and Elizabeth Tilley. The first of their 9 children were born in Rehoboth.

Fenced burial location of Lydia's mother Elizabeth Tilley Howland
Little Neck Cemetery
photo courtesy Barbara Hanno from Find a Grave website

Like his father, James took a very active role in public service. When the Baptists were persecuted in Massachusetts, he was one of the instigators in the move to the new settlement of Swansea. The motivation was clearly religious liberty; the First Baptist Church in Massachusetts was established here. 

James was among those authorized to dispose of Swansea lands. In order to be admitted, potential inhabitants had to agree in writing to abide by these main principles: not to hold any damnable heresies inconsistent with the faith of the Gospel or denying the Trinity, that it was acceptable to hold different opinions on baptism, and that no one could be admitted who would be a charge on the place. One of the First Signers was James Brown.

Brown and the other four trustees used a very undemocratic method for determining how much land a man would get. Men were divided into three ranks according to the judgment of the trustees as to their standing. Men of the first rank would get 3 acres, second rank 2 acres and third rank 1 acre. The majority were deemed second rank but more were third rank than first. (One must assume that Brown and the other trustees all classed themselves as first rank!) This worked for a surprising number of years without complaint, but was finally abandoned when some of the men were purportedly attempting to confer their first rank status on their heirs and assigns forever!

James Brown served as Selectman and Deputy for many years. Town meetings were sometimes held in his home. During his tenure, schools were established in Swansea in 1673 for teaching grammar, rhetoric, arithmetic, Latin, Greek and Hebrew in addition to reading and writing English.

Just prior to the outbreak of King Philip's War, Lieutenant James Brown was convinced that war was impending and on 14 June 1675 described his concerns to Governor Winslow. Like his father, James Brown had been held in high regard by the Native Americans but things were taking a turn for the worse. On Sunday 20 June when most of the townfolk were in church, some of Philip's men raided Swansea. Just one man was at home and surprised the raiders; violence ensued, marking the start of King Philip's War. One of James Brown's sons bore this news to Plymouth. Over the next few days, several Swansea residents were killed and half the town was burned.

After his famous brother-in-law Thomas Willett died, James Brown took over as "Assistant" from 1665. Even though he was a leading Baptist, whose adherents were often stigmatized, he was consistently selected to sit on the bench for 13 years. He lived until 1710 and was also buried in Little Neck Cemetery.

3. Third Generation - James Brown (1655-1718) and Margaret Denison

My 8X great grandfather James Brown was the oldest child born to James and Lydia (Howland) Brown. Less has been found about his life than his illustrious father and grandfather, who would both have been hard acts to follow. In 1676, he married Margaret Denison, daughter of George Denison and Ann Boradell. They went on to have a large family of about a dozen children including daughter Dorothy, my 7X great grandmother. Like so many other family members, James was buried at Little Neck Cemetery when he died in 1718. 

Burial Stone for James Brown
Little Neck Cemetery
Photo courtesy Julie Nathanson from Find a Grave

Little Neck Cemetery was founded in 1655 when the area was still a part of Rehoboth, MA. It is one of the oldest colonial cemeteries in Rhode Island and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Sixty-eight Browns are buried in this cemetery, although it is not certain how many of them are related to our John Brown family. 

Some Resources:

• History of Swansea MA 1667-1917 accessed 8 July 2020 on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/stream/historyofswansea00wrig/historyofswansea00wrig_djvu.txt
• Ancestry.com. History and genealogy of the Mayflower planters and first comers to ye olde colonie [database on-line]. Provo, UT: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
  Original data: Hills, Leon Clark,. History and genealogy of the Mayflower planters and first comers to ye olde colonie. Washington, D.C.: Hills Pub. Co., c1936-c1941.
• Find a Grave website located online at https://www.findagrave.com/ and its listing for Little Neck Cemetery link at https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/1808353/ancient-little-neck-cemetery

Abraham Perkins (c1610-1683) and Mary Wyeth (c1618-1706) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 31)Theme: "Large"

My  9X great grandparents Abraham and Mary (Wyeth) Perkins produced a large family. Both were probably born in England. Although there are online trees with suggestions for where and when they were born and married, reliable sources have not yet been found.

We know for certain that Abraham was in North America by 1638 when he became one of the founders of Hampton, Rockingham, New Hampshire. His land is located where the arrow points in the old map below. 

Early New Hampshire Settlers geni.com, Hampton Historical Society at 
http://www.hamptonhistoricalsociety.org/index.htm

Abraham and Mary have had varying numbers of children attributed to them (anywhere from 10-14). Whatever the actual number, it was clearly a large family. I've decided to go with the following 13: 

1. Abraham (1639-1677)
2. Mary (1639-1670)
3. Luke (1640-1708/09)
4. Humphrey (1642-1643) - one of the first burials at Hampton
5. James (1644-1644)
6. Timothy (1646-1657)
7. James (1647-1731)
8. Jonathan (1650-1688)
9. David (my 8X great grandfather 1653-1736)
10. Timothy (1657-1659)
11. Sarah (1659-1683)
12. Humphrey (1661-1711)
13. Abigail (1665-1675)

Five of the children died in childhood and some of the names were recycled for subsequent children, a practice common at the time. It seems that the oldest two, Abraham and Mary, were twins born probably 2nd June 1639 in Hampton, certainly among the first English folk born in the new settlement. 

Baptisms of the first two children (Mary and Abraham) on the 15th day of the 10th month of 1639
Hampton Town Records, Volume 1

Sadly, one of the children, Humphrey (1642-1643), had the less happy distinction of being among the first buried here. The earliest burials are all thought to be in the Pine Grove Cemetery, Hampton, but any stones this old are long gone. 

Abraham was considered a well-educated man with fine penmanship often put to good use for the town. I wonder if he might have been responsible for writing any of the town records - even though I must say we might find this penmanship difficult to read. He was an active participant in town life. On 10 May 1648, he was granted the right to build a water mill on the nearby falls. 

Hampton Town Records, Volume 1, page 38/73

He appears often in the records for early Hampton, including as  a collector of fines imposed on those who failed to perform their share of labor for upkeep of roads and being named to the Grand Jury to serve for a year. Over the course of time, we start to see his adult sons also being named in the town records. Son David (my 8X great grandfather) married Elizabeth Brown about 1675 and settled in Bridgewater, Massachusetts where they raised their family. David and Elizabeth's family was not as large as his parents: just 4  (all sons) survived to adulthood.

Abraham died 31 August 1683 at the age of 70 and Mary on 29 May 1706 at the age of 88. Both are buried at the Pine Grove Cemetery near where they had raised their large family. 

Pine Grove Cemetery
Photo courtesy ParkerMoulton, Find a Grave website

Some Resources:

• Dow, Joseph, History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire: From its Settlement in 1638, to the autumn of 1892, Vol. 1; Salem Press Publishing and Printing Company: 1894, available online at Google Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=iZU3N3rAtlQC&rdid=book-iZU3N3rAtlQC&rdot=1
• Hampton, New Hampshire Lane Memorial Library website located at http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/hazlett.htm
• Sawyer, Reverend Roland D., "The First Burials in Hampton" article, 1956, located at this website: http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/graves/sawyer.htm
• Hampton Historical Society webpage located at: http://www.hamptonhistoricalsociety.org/index.htm

Sarah Hartwell (1726-1817) and Joseph Carver (1727-1786) (52 Ancestors 2020 Week 20) Theme: "Travel"

For family historians, nothing can beat the thrill of travel to ancestral homelands! In the spring of 1999 my husband, my mother and I visited New England: so many graveyards, churches, memorials, libraries and historical societies. It was absolute bliss!

One part of the family we were looking for was our Carver line. My 7X great grandmother Elizabeth (Snow) Carver was one ancestor whose resting place we located during our travels in Massachusetts.

The author and her mother at Scotland Cemetery, Bridgewater, MA 1999

Stone for Elizabeth Carver who died in 1755

No matter how thoroughly we searched during our visit to Scotland Cemetery, we were unable to find Elizabeth's husband Joseph Carver (senior) who died in 1778. (Years later, we learned from his Find a Grave website memorial that there is no record of his having been buried here - nor apparently  anywhere else, for that matter!)

During our travels, we also visited the Foster, Rhode Island area where Elizabeth and Joseph Carver's son, another Joseph Carver and his wife Sarah (Hartwell) Carver (my 6X great grandparents) are buried at a very remote cemetery called the Hopkins-Ide Lot (also known as the Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Foster #26). This is in a very rocky wooded area and is definitely not your typical well-tended New England town cemetery.

Photo 1999 by Elinor Bardahl - we were all enjoying our visit to the site.

Joseph and Sarah's Stones behind a rusted iron fence

Lots of rocks in the vicinity

Directions point out how tricky it is to find the cemetery location:  You enter Tucker Hollow Road from Route #6, then watch for a lane near the foot of the hill. Enter the lane in front of telephone pole #15 and follow the lane to telephone pole #2. The entrance is just before Pole #2 on the north side of the lane. Well, even before the era of GPS, we were somehow able to find it!

Seeing where the couple were buried might lead one to the mistaken conclusion that they lived a very quiet, isolated and rustic life.

Sarah Hartwell was born 26 March 1726  and husband Joseph Carver was almost exactly a year younger, born 23 March 1727. Both grew to adulthood in Bridgewater, Plymouth Colony where they were part of large extended families. They married there on 25 September 1746 when he was 19 and she 20. Sarah and Joseph raised a family of 8 children with the first four also born in Bridgewater. It was sometime after the birth of their fourth child in 1753 that they moved their family to Providence, Rhode Island where Joseph was a merchant.

When we visited Providence in 1999, we did not know that Joseph had once been a businessman there. As a result, our travels did not include looking for any evidence of Joseph there. Living all the way across the continent makes a return trip impractical, even before travel was essentially shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic this year. This means it is definitely time for some virtual travel through the use of maps and online resources. Although perhaps not quite so satisfying as an actual visit, this often provides even more context to the overall family story.

A map of downtown Providence from 1770 shows the prime location of Joseph's land there.

1770 Map of Buildings in Central Providence, R.I.

Close-up showing location of Joseph Carver property 1770

This can be brought forward into the 21st century through the magic of Google Earth showing this same street layout in the downtown business district. When we traveled to Providence in 1999, we did not know of Joseph's connection to this particular property or we would certainly have visited and taken our own pictures, but we would not have obtained this interesting aerial view!

Same area of downtown Providence with the wedge-shaped Turk's Head Building built 1913
Google Earth Street View Image

Front View of Turk's Head Building, Providence
Joseph's property would have been down the right side toward the back
Photo 24 June 2007 by Infrogmation
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5license

Obviously, it was nothing like this when Joseph had his business there. But perhaps even in its early days, Providence was getting too large for Joseph's taste and he decided to move his family and his business into a more rural area. In 1769 he purchased property at Scituate, R.I. and moved his family there a year or two later.  The census for Scituate in 1774 lists Joseph Carver with five males over the age of 16 and one under the age of 5. (Apparently there was no interest in recording the number of females at that time.) Joseph was obviously an enterprising man. He had an interest in a forge known as Hopewell which he eventually sold to his eldest son Oliver (my 5X great grandfather) in 1778.

Joseph signed up on 6 July 1775 to fight for the "Patriots" in the American Revolution and was discharged on 17 December of that same year. We don't know just how far he might have traveled while participating in the War.

But he did seem to have traveled around a bit after this, showing up in the records of Fair Haven, Vermont in 1782. He and others apparently petitioned the town for certain land rights there. However, a Remonstrance by a man named Benoni Hurlburt claimed that Carver was a "transient person from the State of Rhode Island" who had used Hurlburt's name on the petition without his knowledge and consent and against his interest. Perhaps Carver was retaliating since he and the other petitioners were complaining that they had themselves been unjustly treated and deprived of their rights without being informed or represented. (After looking at maps, my guess is that this land dispute in Fair Haven relates to the lands on which he wished to install his various undertakings referred to below.) 

Time for more armchair travel.

Google Earth map showing proximity of Fair Haven, Vermont to the Poultney River

Joseph established an iron works and lumber mill near Fair Haven on the Poultney River but across the state line in New York, naming the falls there "Carver's Falls". There is now a dam in the area, but pictures of the Falls can be found online at this site: http://www.newenglandwaterfalls.com/vt-carverfalls.html.

Hampton, N.Y. - also close to the Poultney River

No doubt this is the same iron works referred to in the History of Washington County, New York where a man by the name of Carver was reported to have built an iron forge in the northern part of Hampton in its very early days. Hampton is just 5 miles from Fair Haven, Vermont. Apparently the boundary between New York and  Vermont was disputed for many years and the proximity of these locations shows how it was likely all part of the same general business that Joseph conducted.  The iron was brought from the west side of Lake Champlain, probably along the river systems including the Poultney, and was used to make flat and square bar-iron for blacksmiths' use.

Joseph Carver died in Foster, Rhode Island just before Christmas in 1786. In addition to the iron works in New York, Joseph also owned land in Vermont and two farms in Foster and one in Scituate, R.I., all of which he left to his sons. Apparently wife Sarah was not happy with this and did not accept the legacies given to her in the will in lieu of her dower rights.

Joseph Carver's stone in the Hopkins-Ide Lot, Foster, R.I.
Photo by the author 1999

Sarah was living with son Oliver at the time of the 1790 census but later moved in with her daughter Sarah and son-in-law Timothy Hopkins. Sarah Carver died in Scituate on 27 June 1817 in her 93rd year.

Sarah's stone in the Hopkins-Ide Lot at Foster, R.I.
Photo by the author 1999

Their quiet resting places belie the varied and interesting lives they led, encompassing the American Revolutionary War and family and business life throughout Plymouth colony (Massachusetts), Rhode Island, Vermont and New York. Sarah and Joseph were well-traveled citizens of their time.

Resources:

Adams, Andrew Napoleon, History of the Town of Fair Haven, Vermont: in Three Parts; Leonard & Phelps, printers, 1870; available online through Google Books; pages 25-26 and 514.

Johnson, Crisfield, History of Washington Co., New York; Philadephia: Everts & Ensign, 1878; available online through Google Books; pages 363 and 369.

Joseph Wilkinson (1683-1740) and Martha Pray (c1693-1784) (Week 47) Theme: "Sporting"

Not remembering a single ancestor who was much involved in sport, I did recall one male ancestor who was known to have used a hunting lodge near Providence, R.I. Another story I recalled was about a female ancestor who had saved the family's apple harvest by shooting a bear. Whether or not hunting to provide food for the family qualifies as "sport" or was simply a question of survival, I went looking for these ancestors in my family tree. Imagine my delight at finding that the two were husband and wife! This is their story.

Joseph and Martha, my 7th great grandparents, both came from solid Rhode Island stock. He was born there 22 January 1683 to Samuel Wilkinson and Plain Wickenden. She was born there about a decade later to John Pray and Sarah Brown. Both families had been well settled in the Providence area since at least the mid 1650's. Both of their mothers were granddaughters of some of the earliest Baptist settlers who founded Providence - William Wickenden and Chad Brown.

Earliest Providence settlers include Joseph's great grandfather William Wickenden
 and Martha's great grandfather Chad Brown

Joseph and Martha were married in Providence in 1713 and would go on to have a large family of 15 children. (I descend from daughter Susannah born between 1720-1725; she would marry Oliver Westcott, great grandson of Stukely Westcott whose lot is also shown on the map above).

As the population of Providence increased over the generations, new settlements were set off from the old. Joseph had already moved to the northwest part of the nearby town of Scituate, R.I. by 1703 before it was officially set off and when it was known by the name of Chapumiscook. He had been granted 137 acres of land there in 1700. There was just a crooked trail leading to his property from Providence at the time and travel would have been done on horseback.

Joseph was a prominent man in the early years of Scituate, often elected to town council and chosen deputy. He erected the first barn there, brought the first cow to town, and was a surveyor who was kept very busy in town activities. His home was on the most northern turnpike and was considered to be a very good farm. When the barn was erected, a barn-raising bee had been held and a fermented honey beverage called metheglin (mead with herbs or spices added) was consumed by the happy barn-raisers. One relative named Hopkins who attended the barn-raising could still recall his enjoyment of the event several decades later when he was a very old man!

Locations of Scituate and Providence, R.I.
Google Earth

Joseph was known to have used the hunting lodge that was built at Scituate for the convenience of hunters from nearby Providence. The lodge was situated near a brook and in an area with  tender grass and berries that attracted deer and other game, plentiful in the region at that time.

Early in their married years, Joseph and Martha often had to keep guard over their sheep at night to protect them from bears and wolves. The sheep were kept in log enclosures near their house and one night Joseph and Martha were awakened by the sound of logs being rolled away. The couple had to get up to rescue their sheep. (The sheep would have been vital to provide the wool for Martha to spin and weave into cloth for the family's clothing needs.)

Another time, a bear came to visit when Martha was home alone. She had just one much-valued apple tree full of ripe fruit that the bear was shaking from the tree. As this was their only source of apples (probably for pies and, even more importantly, for the cider that was a mainstay beverage among these early settlers), Martha knew she had to act. She took her husband's loaded shotgun (kept handy for just such an eventuality), aimed and took one shot to frighten away the bear. This so frightened Martha herself that she dropped the gun and raced back into the house and shut the door. When her husband returned home, he found the bear dead under the apple tree. Not only had she saved her fruit, but she provided the family with a good supply of meat. As far as we know, however, this one shot was Martha's one and only attempt at hunting.

Joseph must have been away working his land quite often for another story is also told about Martha's adventures when she was home alone. A large party of Native Americans arrived at her doorstep. Although she didn't understand their language, she understood that they wanted food, so she obliged. They returned in a few days with some nice fresh venison for her. After this, they were frequent welcome visitors at the Wilkinson household where there would be friendly bartering of moccasins and other leather goods for food.

Joseph died 24 April 1740 in Scituate, leaving Martha with several children still at home. She would outlive him by 44 years, dying 22 May 1784. The site of Martha's grave is unknown, but Joseph is buried in the Westcott-Wilkinson Lot also known as Rhode Island Historical Cemetery Scituate #14 on the Hartford Pike. Only 14 burials were made here including Joseph and Martha's grandson Reverend John Westcott and his wife Amey Clarke Westcott, my 5th great grandparents.

Westcott-Wilkinson Lot
Photo courtesy Gene Kuechmann from findagrave.com

Much of the town of Scituate as Joseph and Martha would have known it is now submerged under the Scituate Reservoir, built in the early years of the 20th century to provide water for Providence. Driving through the area leaves one with an uneasy sense of quiet foreboding, perhaps a reflection of the tragic consequences for many displaced residents. Although some were happy to resettle, many left unwillingly. Some were said to have committed suicide as a result of their homes, farms, barns, schools, churches and numerous cotton mills being destroyed for the project. Many cemeteries were also flooded. Although no Wilkinsons could be found in the list of displaced landowners, the unfortunate consequence for descendants of these early Scituate settlers is that it is challenging to find surviving subject matter for photographs of ancestral locations.

Scituate Reservoir, RI
Google Earth Image

Sources and Further Reading:

• "The History of Scituate, RI" accessed online on 13 November 2015 at this link
• Beaman, C.C., "An Historical Sketch of the Town of Scituate, RI" published by order of the town council and delivered at Scituate, RI on 4 July 1876 accessed online here
• Wikipedia article for "Scituate Reservoir"
• Ancestry.com, Rhode Island Births 1636-1930; Rhode Island Vital Extracts 1636-1899; Rhode Island: Find a Grave Index 1663-2013
• Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
• Find A Grave website: Westcott-Wilkinson Lot on www.findagrave.com
• Roberts, Gary Boyd, "Genealogies of Rhode Island Families volume 1", New England Historical and Genealogical Society, 1989
• Scituate Reservoir Condemnation Map Index accessed online 19 November 2015 at this North Scituate Public Library website.

Chad Brown (c1600-c1650) (Week 45) My Theme: Religious Freedom

For a man with such an ordinary surname, my 10th great grandfather Chad Brown led an extraordinary life.

Born in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England in about 1600, the first record that can be found for him is for his marriage there on 11 September 1626 to Elizabeth Sharparowe. Their first son John (my 9th  great grandfather) was born in High Wycombe about 1630. We know this because the three emigrated from England to Boston on the ship Martin in 1638 when young John was stated to be 8 years old. Clearly the motivation for their move was the proverbial desire for religious freedom that led so many of my ancestors to America.

After first arriving  in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it quickly became apparent that Chad's Baptist beliefs were running against the Puritan tide in that colony: no religious freedom was to be found here either. He soon moved with his family to Providence in Rhode Island, recently purchased from the Naragansetts by Roger Williams as a separate settlement for his Baptist group of followers.  Brown and 12 others signed an agreement called the Providence Plantation Compact. He was on a committee of 4 men who compiled the first form of government for Providence Colony - set out to separate church and state and to provide for religious freedom.

As a surveyor, he was on the committee that set out the original lots of the settlers along "Towne Street" in Providence.

Chad Brown's lot (shown in pink 3 lots south of ancestor Stukely Westcott
and a few lots away from another ancestor William Wickenden)

In 1642, Chad Brown was ordained as the minister of the First Baptist Church in Providence, Rhode Island. There is some dispute as to whether he should be called its first minister or second (after Roger Williams himself) but it is agreed that he is certainly the first ordained minister of the Baptist Church in America. During his pastorship, the congregation worshipped in a grove or orchard and in the homes of its members. The iconic building that stands today wasn't built until later.

First Baptist Church, Providence, R.I.

Chad Brown was a man of cool temperament and was well known as an arbitrator of disputes in the colony. He was a well-respected leader whose advice was often sought.

Chad and Elizabeth had a family of about 9 children, some born in England and some in Providence. Chad continued as pastor until his death, which may have been as early as 1650. (Other records give the date of his death as 1663 or 1665 and that of Elizabeth as being the 1650 death.) First buried on the site at the corner of College and Benefit Streets, his remains were removed later to the North Burial Ground where a memorial was installed in 1792.

1792 Memorial to Chad Brown, North Burial Ground, Providence, RI
Photo courtesy Jen Snoots of Findagrave.com

Chad's son John Brown (my 9th great grandfather) ably filled his father's footsteps in being a Baptist pastor in Providence and in involvement in community affairs and responsibilities. John married Mary Holmes, daughter of Obadiah Holmes, another prominent Baptist in early Rhode Island.

Brown University, an Ivy League university named for Chad's descendant Nicholas Brown, is situated primarily upon Chad's original homestead in Providence. It was established in 1784 and was the first college in the United States to accept students regardless of their religious beliefs. Religious freedom here prevailed!

Location of Brown University, Providence, RI
Google Earth Image

Sources:

• "The Chad Brown Memorial 1638-1888"
• Genealogical Publishing Co., "Genealogy of Rhode Island Families", Baltimore: 1983, 2 volume set
• Ancestry.com, "U.S. and Canada Passenger and Immigration Lists"
• Familysearch.org article dated 9 May 2013 for "Rev Chaddus Brown"

Stukely Westcott (1592-1678) (Week 38) Theme: "Favorite Place"

There can be no one favourite place for me when it comes to my ancestors. Wherever I find them, that is my favourite place of the moment. I've chosen to write about my 9th great grandfather Stukely Westcott this week, not only because he was one of the founders of Rhode Island (which is indeed a lovely place), but also because I continue to find him cropping up in various places in my life.

First Baptist Church in Providence, RI
Congregation first established by Roger Williams and others including Stukely Westcott

I appreciate his memorable first name - no ubiquitous John or William for this Stukely. Perhaps because the name is so recognizable, it has enabled me to discover fellow descendants in unexpected places. I spoke briefly about my discoveries about Stukely at a meeting of the Alberta Family Histories Society in Calgary, Alberta, only to discover that the woman seated beside me was another descendant, as was one other member of that audience. After moving to Victoria, British Columbia, I discovered to my delight that a new friend also has Stukely in her family tree.

It seems that Stukely was his mother's maiden name - she was Mary Stukely (sometimes spelled Stucley). Mary and her husband Stephen Guy Westcott were living in Ilchester, Somerset, England when Stukely was born in 1592.

Location of Ilchester and Yeovil, Somerset, England
Google Earth image

Little is known of Stukely's childhood in Somerset. There is one report of Stukely Westcott being listed in a tithe book for adolescents in 1607 and of his name appearing in 1619 in the Court book list of tenants.

When Stukely was 27 he married Julianna Marchante in Yeovil on 5 October 1619. Their family started to grow with the birth of Damaris in about 1620, followed by Samuel in 1622 and other children including Robert, Mercy, Amos and Jeremiah (my 8th great grandfather) in 1633.

This was a time when religious differences continued to pervade England. Although many years had passed since King Henry VIII had broken from the Catholic Church, there were many Protestant factions that did not feel that the resulting English church satisfied their belief systems. Stukely and Julianna were among those who chose to leave England for religious freedom in America. Stukely sailed from Dartmouth, Devon on 1 May 1635 with wife Julianna, and children Robert, Damaris, Mercy, Samuel (13), Amos (4) and Jeremiah (2). They arrived in Salem, Massachusetts on 24 June 1635. Stukely was named a Freeman of Salem the following year.

By 1638 he was applying for a license to remove his family from the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. To understand the reason for this, it is necessary to step back a few years.

A man named Roger Williams had come to Plymouth in about 1631 to be their religious leader. Williams, a Baptist, was a man of very definite views and a man of conviction. He believed in separation of Church and State. He also felt that the settlers didn't own the land but that it belonged to the Native Americans. This was not a popular view among the other settlers and there was some talk of shipping him back to England. To escape this fate, Williams fled into the wilderness where he was eventually welcomed by the Native Americans. He made a deal with two of the sachems (chiefs) to acquire tracts of land in the area. Soon he was joined by some of his supporters. On 8 August 1638 Williams admitted 12 loving friends and neighbours into equal ownership with him in Rhode Island at a place they called "Providence" in recognition of its having provided their refuge from persecution. Stukely was in that group. The following year he was excommunicated from his former church in Salem.

Stukely was one of the largest landowners in Rhode Island, owning up to 20,000 acres. He co-founded the First Baptist Church of Providence, was several times chosen "assistant" and was frequently elected deputy to the Colonial Assembly.

First Baptist Church in Providence, RI 1999

Having escaped the religious intolerance of England and then of Plymouth/Massachusetts Bay, the Baptists in Rhode Island were a remarkably democratic people. There was a minimum of government, a maximum of civil liberties and religious freedom for all. One man's faith was considered to be as good as any other's. The town radiated a friendly and cooperative spirit with settlers often addressing one another as "Neighbour". One interesting anecdote shows that although one man's faith was considered to be as good as another's, it had yet to be decided whether this extended to women as well or whether this would go against God's word that women be subject to their husbands. A man named Joshua Verin had forbidden his wife to attend Roger Williams' church meeting as she wished to do. (The families were next door neighbours as can be seen near the top of the map below.) In the end, after much debate, the wife won the right to attend and Verin dejectedly left the community by himself.

Layout of lots in early Providence, Rhode Island
(Stukely's lot highlighted in yellow; other ancestors
were Chad Brown and William Wickenden)

All was not sunshine and prosperity for the new colony despite all the freedom and good will. They had very few resources after fleeing Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay and were struggling to feed and house themselves. The other colonies tried to claim their lands for themselves and the local native tribes were waging war in an attempt to rid New England of the unwanted settlers. Roger Williams was able to broker an alliance with the Narragansett tribe but war against other tribes wiped out the Pequots and peace remained elusive.

In 1642, Williams returned to England and obtained a patent from Parliament for the lands covering essentially all of what is now Rhode Island. However, with Civil War raging in England, it was uncertain whether the land grant made by Parliament would be respected should King Charles prevail. Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were still eyeing the Rhode Island lands for their own expansion.

Amidst all the turmoil, the settlers did make some progress. Homes were built on long narrow lots (as shown on the map above) giving each family access to water and ample land to plant an orchard, build a house and out buildings as well as provide each with space for their own family burial ground. A visit to this area will show that these lots essentially ran along what is now Benefit Street with each family's lot running sharply uphill.

Benefit Street area of Providence originally settled by Roger Williams
 and his followers including Stukely Westcott
Google Earth Image

In 1647 Stukely moved his family to Warwick, a few miles south of Providence. The Society of Stukely Westcott Descendants of America put up a marker in his honour on his original lot in 1935. When we visited the area in 1999, we tried to locate this marker, but were not having any success. As so often happens in these matters, serendipity was about to lend a hand. When we stopped to ask a local in a residential area of Warwick if he might know where we could find it, he said he certainly did.  He turned out to be the president of the local historical society and gave us a bit of a tour before setting us on the correct path to Stukely's memorial. (He also asked us if by any chance we shared a common ancestor with him - Chad Brown of Providence. I have subsequently regretted not getting his name and contact information after learning some years later that I do in fact also descend from Chad Brown.)

Memorial to Stukely Westcott in Warwick, RI

Julianna predeceased Stukely and is no doubt buried at Warwick, RI. Stukely lived to the grand old age of 84. Unfortunately, notwithstanding many instances of cooperation and good will with the Native American tribes, Stukely was driven from his home by them during King Philip's War. It was said that he was 84, wifeless and infirm when carried to the house of his grandson Dr. Caleb Arnold in Portsmouth where he died 12 January 1677/78.

Sources:

• "Genealogy of Rhode Island Families", 2 volume set, Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore 1983 
• Ancestry.com, "U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index 1500s-1900s"; Place: Salem, Massachusetts; Year: 1636; Page 72
• Eleanor Wescott Trismen talk of 8 August 1964 quoted from the website at http://www.ctol.net/~billw/s
• Whitman, Roscoe L., "History and Genealogy of the Ancestors and Some Descendants of Stukely Westcott", 1932, pages 411-412
• Greene, W.A., "The Providence Plantations for Two Hundred and Fifty Years", 1886