John and Elizabeth (Howland) Dickinson and Family

This sketch about John and Elizabeth Dickinson is uncomfortable for me to present to you because there have been some discussions and controversial comments about them. To begin with, our ancestor, Charles Dickinson, may not be their son because he was born in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Their other children were born in Long Island, New York. I see no indication that the family ever lived in Rhode Island, so I am worried about presenting our possible link to this couple that I have entered into our family tree. Some researchers say that this couple did not have a son named Charles. There are other disagreements about John's birthdate and questions about whether he had one, two, or three other marriages, and so on. Having told you all the above, I will go ahead with my original plan to tell you about this family but with a lack of confidence in the strength of their story. If we learn later that our ancestor, Charles Dickinson, was definitely NOT the son of this couple, I will undo my error and try to find Charles' true parents.

John Dickinson/Dickenson emigrated from England to Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1640. He was born in 1602 in Ely, Cambridge, England. He had a wife named Mary Taylor and two wives named Frances, according to some researchers. Frances Foote was the name of one of them. On the 10th of July in 1651, he married Elizabeth Howland Hicks, the widow of Ephraim Hicks in Duxbury, Plymouth, Massachusetts. John and Elizabeth had at least five children, as follows:

1654 Joseph
1666 Charles, our ancestor
1671 Hannah
1674 Richard
?       Elizabeth

In 1658, John bought a lot on Oyster Bay from John Hinksman. In 1677, John is on a list of Freeholders of Oyster Bay, Long Island,  New York. The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, .... The town of Oyster Bay extends from Long Island Sound in the north, south to the waters of South Oyster Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, pictured here:

Elizabeth died in Oyster Bay, Long Island in 1683 at the age of 48. She "willed to her granddaughter, Elizabeth Dickinson: 1 pair of sheets and 1 pair of pillowcases. The residue to her 3 daughters, Elizabeth Dickinson, Lidia Browne, and Hannah Bosworth." [Lidia may have been the daughter of Ephraim Hicks]. John died in 1684, at age 82.  

JOHN DICKINSON
BORN: 1602 in Ely, Cambridge, England
MARRIED: 1)Mary Taylor, 2) Frances Foote, 3) Elizabeth (Howland) Hicks 10 Jul 1651
DIED: 1684 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY

ELIZABETH HOWLAND
BORN: 11 Oct 1634 in Plymouth, Plymouth, MA
MARRIED: 1)Ephraim Hicks in 13 Sep 1649 Plymouth, Plymouth, MA
DIED: 26 Jan 1683 in Oyster Bay, Long Island, NY
Sources: John's birth: Pedigree Resource File submitted by Eugene D. Tidwell 3484 E. Summer Hill Dr., Salt Lake City, UT 84121 edtidwell@netzero.net on 21 Jun 2000; Ancestral File (TM), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, June 1998 (c), data as of 5 JAN 1998, Family History Library, 35 N West Temple Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84150 USA;"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JQR9-BH3 : 11 February 2018, John Dickenson in entry for Richard Dickenson, 27 Sep 1674); citing , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 504,743; DICKINSON, John (1630-1676) & Frances (FOOTE) (1629-), M/2 Frances BARNARD 1677; B 1648?; Wethersfield, CT/Hadley DICKINSON/DICKERSON?, John (-1680) & 2/wf Elizabeth (HOWLAND) HICKS (-1691, Oyster Bay), w Ephraim; 10 Jul 1641; Plymouth "Pedigree Resource File," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:MBT9-BZ9 : accessed 24 December 2018), entry for Elizabeth Howland; file (2:2:2:MM95-RQX), submitted 11 May 1999. Pedigree Resource File submitted by Researcher, Eugene D. Tidwell 3484 E. Summer Hill. U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s
Resided at Oyster Bay Long Island Co. New York John DICKINSON bought a lot from John Hinksman in 1658 of Oyster Bay, Long Island Co., New York. 

THE SAMUEL and HANNAH (WILCOX) CLARKE FAMILY

Samuel Clarke, the son of Jeremiah Clarke, married Hannah Wilcox, the daughter of Stephen Wilcox in 1693 in Kingston, Washington County, Rhode Island. Samuel and Hannah were both born in Kingston c. 1675. They started their family c. 1700 and resided in Westerly, Washington, RI:

John 
Audley, male b. abt. 1706 (Audley was Samuel's mother's maiden surname)
Samuel
Hannah, our ancestor, b. abt 1725
Samuel
Sarah

Pictured at left in modern time,
Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. (Wikipedia)

Samuel and Hannah died in their 80s in 1761.

SAMUEL CLARKE
BORN: abt 1675 in South Kingston, Washington, RI
MARRIED: 1693 in North Kingston, Washington, RI
DIED: 1761 in Westerly, Washington, RI

HANNAH WILCOX
BORN: abt 1675 in North Kingston, Washington, RI
DIED: 18 Oct 1761 in Westerly, Washington, RI
SOURCES:  Researcher, Leon Stiles, historian for Stiles and Affiliated Families Assn..re the birth of Samuel; : Elda Esch Dickinson, Benoni Dickinson and his Descendants; Compiler, John Osborn Austin, "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island, page 423, genealogy of the Wilcox family..

THE PETER AND MARY (BABCOCK) CRANDALL FAMILY

It is apparent that Peter and Mary were both born in Westerly, Rhode Island, and Mary's birthdate is 1670, Peter's birthdate is c. 1655. I have no date of their marriage. Their children, all born in Westerly, are as follows:

c. 1684 Charity
c. 1695 John
1697    Peter
1724   Samuel, our ancestor
           James
           Reuben
           a daughter

Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state. Above is a photo of one of the beaches of today in Westerly,

 "Peter took the oath of allegiance in Westerly 17 May 1679: was a Freeman in 1681; deputy from 1699-1704; Justice of Peace and Lieut. of Militias and was an important man of his time." said John C. Crandall in his book, "Crandall Genealogy" published in 1949.

This week I have been reading and taking notes from a special Rhode Island volume that I found at my local genealogy society called, "Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island" by compiler, John Osborne Austin, published in 1982. Mr. Austin lived in Providence, RI all of his life, was a genealogist and compiler of genealogical information. Many of our Rhode Island ancestors are listed and written about in this fine compilation. Therefore, I feel better equipped to share what I am learning from this compiler who had ready access to the Rhode Island records.

Mr. Austin tells of 1)Peter Crandall's deed: " On May 9, 1692, Peter deeded his son-in-law, George Brown, about 60 acres, house, etc. (that he bought of Joe Babcock) reserving to own use for life, mowing grass and orchard."

2) On Oct 14, 1700, Peter was chosen to be the Moderator of the Town Meeting. On the 23rd of October, he was chosen Town Sealer.

3) On Oct 2,1711, Peter, with 33 others, bought 5,300 acres of the vacant lands in Narragansett.

4) On Mar 14, 1715, Peter sold his brother, Joseph, of Kings Town, 30 acres in Westerly.

Peter died in 1734. Mr. Austin  wrote that Peter's wife, Mary, was the administrator of Peter's will and she inherited some money, his silver buttons, buckles, seal, wearing apparel, beds, spinning wheel, cards, warming pan, mare, cow, 5 swine, 6 bee hives, etc.

PETER CRANDALL
BORN: c. 1655 in Westerly, Kings, RI
DIED: 1734 in Westerly, Kings, RI

MARY BABCOCK
BORN: 1670 in Westerly, Kings, RI
DIED:   1735 in Westerly, Kings, RI
SOURCES:WFT#1088,vol.5. about Peter's birth; "Genealogy of Elder John Crandall", Pg 14 regarding Peter's becoming a freeman and his occupation as deputy; Elda Esch, " The Descendants of Benoni Dickinson", 1998; researcher,Leon Stiles, papers about the lineage of Robert Shepard; WFT1088,vol.5.discussion of the marriage of Peter and Mary; A.P.Crandall Book, page 14 re Mary Babcock's death; American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI); Birth year: 1654; Birth city: Newport; Birth state: RI, from Family Data Collection re Peter's birth data, individual records; Source number: 1938.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: GRG from U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900;  Genealogical Publishing Co.; Baltimore, MD, USA; Volume Title: New England Marriages Prior to 1700 from U. S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700; John Osborne Austin, " Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island", 1982.

CHARLES and MARY (WINTERTON) DICKINSON and Family

Charles Dickinson was evidently proud of his title, "Vestryman" because he used it in the records that he left behind. A Vestryman is not a member of the clergy but is a member of the church council. Charles was born in 1666 in Narragansett, Rhode Island.

 Narragansett is a beautiful seaside town with splendid natural assets. The Town of Narragansett, of course, is the namesake of the Indian tribe of the area. At the beginning of the English colonization, the town site was merely part of a much larger territory called “Narragansett Country.” Most likely, the town simply adopted the name to distinguish itself from surrounding areas and villages, which had earlier selected appellations recalling their English heritage. (The Native American word “Narragansett” translates roughly into English as “people of the small point”.) Narragansett had existed for almost two centuries primarily as a simple farming and fishing community.

 Below is a photo of a beach in the Town of Narragansett in 2018. Scarborough Beach is Rhode Island’s most popular and well known beach. Located 35 miles south of Providence on Ocean Road in Narragansett, it is a 26 acre facility with 2,325 feet of beach frontage.

Charles married four times to: Hester Gilbert in 1685; Phillippa Greene in 1691; Sarah______?, and Mary Winterton c. 1714. We have a list of Charles' and Mary's children as follows, all born in Rhode Island:


 

1714 Ann
1716 Charles
1718 Phillip
1718 Phillis
1720 Phebe
1723 Sarah
1726 Thomas, our ancestor

CHARLES DICKINSON
BORN:  1666 in Narragansett, Washington, RI
MARRIED: 1714 in Atteboro, Bristol, MA
DIED: 14 Sep 1740 in Narragansett, RI

MARY WINTERTON
BORN:  abt 1698 in RI
DIED: unknown
SOURCES:  World Family Tree Vol. 2, Ed. 1, Brøderbund Software, Inc., Release date: November 29, 1995, Page number: Tree #4543, Mary's birth; "Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F8QN-TRV : 10 February 2018), Mary in entry for son, Charles Dickinson, 27 Feb 1716; citing SOUTH KINGSTON,WASHINGTON,RHODE ISLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 908,271;Paul M. Gifford, "The English Ancestry of Charles Dickinson (1658-1740) of South Kingstown, Rhode Island," The American Genealogist, Vol. 89, No. 2 (April 2017): pages 152, 154.

SAMUEL and HANNAH (RUNDLE) BROWN and family

There aren't many records about this couple and their children but I do have a few facts to share with you. Samuel was born in 1689 and Hannah was born in 1690. They were married in 1704 in the state of New York. I only know of one of their children, named Mary, who is our ancestor. Mary was born in about 1732 in Rye, Westchester, New York.  We could then say that this small family probably lived in Rye,  Westchester County, New York in the early 1730s. 

Colonial Rye was a small farming community, but its position along the Westchester Path (later, the Boston Post Road) made it an important post and stagecoach stop. The post from New York to Boston started in 1673 and took 14 days. By 1722, stagecoaches were traveling over the road (known as the King’s Highway) and stopping in Rye. The center of Rye moved from the Long Island Sound area to the King’s Highway, aided by Strang’s Tavern at what is now the corner of the Post Road and Rectory Street and the Square House. Both taverns were the center of colonial life, providing local residents and travelers with food, drink, shelter, entertainment, news and politics.



I like to picture in my mind little Mary Brown,  with her parents,visiting some of the places along this King's Highway. 

Samuel died in 1750, at age 61. Hannah lived to be 94. She died in 1784.

SAMUEL BROWN
BORN:  1689
MARRIED: 1704 in  ,New York
DIED: 1750

HANNAH RUNDLE
BORN:  1789
DIED: 1784
SOURCES: FamilySearch.org's Ancestral File: TXTP-FH; FamilySearch.org's Ancestral File: GC3C-F9 re vital records of Samuel and Hannah Rundle Brown. Rye Historical Society: Some history of the colonial years in Rye.

ASHBEL and ANNE (PINNEY) PHELPS

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Mackey and Shepard families tomorrow! It is always a day for keeping in touch with one another over a fine meal and conversation. I can imagine that this Hebron, Tolland, Connecticut family celebrated this holiday in the 1700s, much like we'll do tomorrow. 


Here is a picture of Hebron's Old Town Hall.

I find it interesting that our grandmother, Fanny Carver Shepard's ancestors lived in Hebron from 1702 to 1828. Their surnames were: CARVER, TARBOX, FILER, PINNEY, PHELPS, LAIGHTON, and BURNHAM. In a way, it sort of reminds me of how many Shepard and Mackey families have lived in the Akron, Summit, Ohio area for that long c. 1918 to 2018...and all of our various surnames. (The Shepards came to Akron a bit later, in the 1920s.)

Ashbel, Anne and all their children were born in Hebron:
1732 Ann
1734 Ashbel
1737 Asenath, our ancestor
1740 Ursula
1742 Olive
1746 Oliver
1746 Isaac
1748 Abigail
1749 Martha
1751 Roswell
1752 Elihu

ASHBEL PHELPS
BORN: 1704 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
MARRIED: 9 Nov 1731 in Tarrington, CT
DIED: 18 Oct 1787 in Hebron, CT
BURIED:Anne and Ashbel, at the Andover Road Cemetery in Hebron

ANNE PINNEY
BORN: 24 Jan 1712 in Hebron
DIED: 28 Jan 1789 in Hebron
SOURCES: "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F73K-1W5 : 11 February 2018; "Connecticut Marriages, 1640-1939," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7LW-M8M : 12 May 2016), Asaell Phelps and Anne Pinney, Marriage 09 Nov 1731, Hebor, Tolland, Connecticut, United States; Connecticut State Library, Hartford; FHL microfilm 1,376,165;Ashbel Phelps, "Find A Grave Index"database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGV-V89T : 13 December 2015), Ashbel Phelps, 1787; Burial, Hebron, Tolland, Connecticut, United States of America, Andover Road Cemetery; citing record ID 123122185, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com;
Ann Pinney, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7WW-MJM : 11 February 2018), Ann Pinney, 24 Jan 1712; citing ; Anna Phelps in entry for Asahel Phelps, "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934"database,FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7KK-8X8 : 9 February 2018), Anna Phelps in entry for Asahel Phelps, 18 Oct 1787; citing , reference item 4 p 340; FHL microfilm 1,376,165; Anna Pinney Phelps, "Find A Grave Index"FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVGV-V89Y : 11 July 2016), Anna Pinney Phelps, 1789; Burial, Hebron, Tolland, Connecticut, United States of America, Andover Road Cemetery; citing record ID 123122160, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

THE FAMILY OF SAMUEL AND AMY (BURNHAM) FILER

Samuel and his family were all born in Connecticut. He was a farmer in the town of Hebron in Tolland County. He and Amy were married on the 4th of October in 1727 and then had six children as follows:

1728 Amy
1730 Samuel
1733 Abigail
1736 Ann
1741 Elizabeth
1743 John

In 1761, on a list of the "Grantees of Thetford, VT" containing 62 signatures of men from Hebron, Samuel and his descendants, John, Samuel, Samuel, Jr., and Samuel III appear. Thetford was settled by 1764 by John Chamberlin, in Orange County, Vermont on the Connecticut River. Chamberlin was the agent of the Hebron signers.

 In the Gazette of Orange County, Vermont is an obituary of Samuel Filer, who was buried in the old cemetery in Hebron, CT.
Tombstone: "Here lies Intered [sic] the body of Capt. Samuel Filer who died June 27, 1783 in the 76th year of his age. My body lies beneath this tomb and shewd whereto all flesh must come. No state or worth not Grace and save. There's no distinction in the grave." Samuel died in Hebron, Connecticut.

SAMUEL FILER
BORN: 9 Sep 1707 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
MARRIED: 4 Oct 1727 in Hebron
DIED: 27 Jun 1783  in Hebron
BURIED: at the old cemetery in Hebron 

AMY BURNHAM
BORN: 1703 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
DIED: unkown
SOURCES: Fyler, Wadsworth: "Fyler History and Genealogy" 929.273 F993f on page 41 at FamilySearch.org; CT Deaths and Burials Index 1650-1934 at FamilySearch.org; CT Marriages 1640-1939 on microfilm 1376165 at FamilySearch.org; CT State Library Record of the burial of Samuel Filer; CT Deaths and Burials 1772-1934, reference, pg. 6, Microfilm 3,340 at FamilySearch.org.

SAMUEL and ESTHER (CHURCH) CARVER and Family

Samuel Carver was born in Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts in 1704. At age 14, Samuel moved with his parents from Weymouth  to Canterbury, Connecticut in 1718 and he worked on his father's farm.

 He met Esther Church in Canterbury and they were married in 1727. In 1735, he and his wife and first three sons moved to Bolton, CT and lived there for the rest of his life. He and Esther owned the covenant at Bolton as of 29 Aug 1731, and she was admitted to the Congregational church there on 19 Mar 1733. Here is the list of their children below, all born in Connecticut:

1730 David, our ancestor
1732 Samuel
1734 John
1736 Sarah
1738 Esther
1740 Ebenezar
1743 Jonathan
1744 Submit
1747 Mary
1751 Joseph

Esther (Church) died about 1755 and soon after her death Samuel married Rachel Loomis and had 5 more children. Rachel died in 1775.

Samuel's last will and testament, signed on 1 May 1, 1779, probated 12 Jun 1780 in Hartford County, CT, reads in part:
"Imprimis, I give and bequeath unto my eldest son, David Carver, of Hebron, the sum of five shillings money for his part of my estate, to be paid to him by my executors in a convenient time after my decease." 
Sons Samuel, John, Ebenezar, and Joseph, all of Bolton, and married daughters, Esther Berdman, of Norwich and Mary Williams of Hartford, were each to receive the same amount and under the same conditions as David. The remainder of the real and personal property was to go to the daughters Sarah and Submit Carver. They were named executors of the testament which was signed in the presence of Benjamin, Sarah, and Anna Talcott. An inventory of the estate of 14 Jun 1780 taken by Benjamin Talcott and Samuel Cooley, appraisers, revealed a house and land, a beaver hat, deerskin breeches, six pewter plates, a porringer, a trammel, an hour glass, four sermon books and a few animals. The total value of the estate was nearly 100 pounds.



           Note: Porringers were commonly used for containing a wide variety of food and drinks such as bread, vegetables and milk.  The bowl and handle style was traditionally silver or pewter. We can trace the original form of the porringer back to the 1600’s. Back then they were crafted without any intent for a cover or lid. This indicates that they were primarily intended for fairly solid food, which would have been less vital to keep warm (than soup or stew for example).

According to researcher, Bruce F. Bond, Samuel was buried at Ludlow, Hampden, Massachusetts.

SAMUEL CARVER
BORN: 4 Nov 1704 in Weymouth, Norfolk, MA
MARRIED: 1) Esther Church in 1727 in Canterbury, Windham, CT
2) Rachel Loomis in 1755 in Bolton, Worcester, CT
DIED: 7 May 1780 in Bolton, Tolland, CT
ESTHER CHURCH
BORN: 4 Nov 1711 in Canterbury, Windham, CT
DIED: abt 1755 in Bolton, Worcester, CT
SOURCES: Connecticut Church Record Abstracts 1630-1920; New England Historical and Genealogical Register 1847-2011. 

BENJAMIN KNIFFEN and GERTRUDE (PURDY) and FAMILY

The Shepard history is moving right along! Today we begin to learn about our fifth great grandparents. I counted about 12 fifth great grandparent couples and their families who I can tell you about, starting with Benjamin Kniffen who was born in 1705 in Rye, Westchester, New York and his wife Gertrude Purdy, also born in Rye, seven years later. 

Rye is the oldest permanent settlement in Westchester County. It began in 1660 when a few Connecticut people from Greenwich settled there. Their first treaty with the Mohegan Indians gave them the land between Milton Point and the Byram River (Peningoe Neck); then the mile-long “Manussing” Island. Within several years their combined purchases comprised all of what is now the City of Rye, Town of Rye, Harrison, White Plains, parts of Greenwich, North Castle, and Mamaroneck. In 1665, Connecticut merged these settlements under the name of Rye after ancestors in Rye, England. In 1683, Rye was ceded unwillingly to the Province of New York by King Charles II as a gift to his brother, the Duke of York. But when a New York court severed the Harrison area from the settlement in 1695, the Rye colonists rejoined Connecticut in protest. In 1700, Rye again became part of New York by royal decree, this time permanently. The New York State Legislature officially established the Town of Rye boundaries in 1788.

For two centuries, Rye remained a secluded community. Land was cleared for farming and cattle grazing. Docks were built on Long Island Sound, and oystering was an important occupation. Homes along Mill Town Road, now Milton, led to grist mills on Blind Brook.

Communication with the outside world came slowly. The Rye-Oyster Bay ferry, which began service in 1739, was a great community event. The New York-Boston stagecoach made its first run in 1772 using the Square House, then an Inn, as a stopping place. 

The young lives of Gertrude and Benjamin were while Rye was quite an isolated place. They married ten years before the Bay Ferry began running, on the 13th of June in 1729. Their ten children were all born in Rye, as follows:

1729 Benjamin, our ancestor
1730 Elizabeth
1731 Roger
1733 Gertrude
1734 Phoebe
1737 Andrew
1738 Sarah
1742 Mary
1746 Elizabeth
1749 Jemima

Gertrude evidently died soon after giving birth to her last child in 1749, at the age of 37. Benjamin named all of his sons and daughters in his will. He died on the 4th of April in 1783, at age 78.

BENJAMIN KNIFFEN
BORN: Jan 1705 in Rye, Westchester, NY
MARRIED: 14 Jun 1729 in Rye, Westchester, NY
DIED: 4 Apr 1783 in Rye, Westchester, NY
GERTRUDE PURDY
BORN:       1712 in Rye, Westchester, NY
DIED:         1749 in Rye, Westchester, NY
SOURCES:Family Group Record of the Kniffen Family at Ancestral File, FamilySearch.org; Wills 1787-1905 of Westchester, NY. 

SAMUEL AND HANNAH (CLARK) CRANDALL AND FAMILY

This family lived in Westerly, Rhode Island for a number of years. Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state.

Samuel and Hannah were married in 1747 and reared eleven children, listed below:

1747 Katherine
1749 Samuel
1752 Festus
1755 Hannah Clark, our ancestor
1755 Tamar
1757 Ethan Allen
1759 Susannah
1762 Fanny
unk   Delight
unk  Jane
unk   Mary

In the 1747 Colonial Census Index of Westerly, Washington County,  Rhode Island,  Samuel, head of his family, is 23 years old. [The year of his marriage.]

SAMUEL CRANDALL
BORN: 16 Jul 1724 in Westerly, Washington, RI
MARRIED:     1747  in Westerly
DIED:              1813   in Providence, Providence, RI

HANNAH CLARK
BORN: abt. 1727 in Westerly, Washington, RI
DIED: abt.  1821 at age 94
SOURCES: World Family Tree CD #1276, Vol. 2 about the family's vital records; Rhode Island Births 1636-1930; Elda Esch, "Benoni Dickinson and His Descendants"; John Cortland Crandall, "Elder John Crandall of Rhode Island and His Descendants, New Woodstock, NY, 1949; Family History Library Temple Records; Nellie Willard Johnson, 1937, "The Descendants of Robert Burdick of Rhode Island", the Goodwin-Burdick Family Association, page 21; and the Rhode Island Births and Christenings 1600-1914 on microfilm 936,814.

The Family of Thomas Dickinson

Thomas Dickinson and his wife, Mary Crandall , were married on the 20th of May in 1748. Soon after their marriage they had a son, Samuel, our ancestor, who was born on the 20th of December in 1748. This family lived in North Stonington, New London, Connecticut.

For most of the 18th century, this town's inhabitants focused on carving out homesteads and farms from virgin forests. This was a slow, generations-long process, as pioneers girdled massive, centuries-old trees until they rotted and fell to the ground, and then began the difficult work of clearing ground and moving boulders. Roads began to be forged through the receding wilderness, beyond just cattle paths and old Pequot trails. Colonial surveyors in 1753 marked out the future route of the Pawcatuck-Voluntown Road (today known as Route 49). In 1768, a weekly stagecoach was opened between Norwich, Connecticut and Providence, Rhode Island via North Stonington and Pawcatuck; this road became the Norwich-Westerly Road, today known as Route 2.

The paragraph above, from Wikipedia, gives us a brief idea of how Thomas and his neighbors spent their days in the 1700s. 

THOMAS DICKINSON
BORN: 1726 in Kingston, Rhode Island
MARRIED: 20 May 1748 in North Stonington, New London, CT
DIED: 1790 in Rhode Island

MARY CRANDALL
BORN: 1726 in Naragansett, RI
DIED: 1813 
SOURCES: (I am unable to cite my sources here today because my genealogy database has disappeared from my computer all of a sudden. I apologize and will add the sources when I am able to restore my database from backup copies ASAP)

John McKinnon and Jean Paterson and son

These fourth great grandparents  lived in Kilcalmonell, Mull Island, Argyllshire, Scotland when their son, our ancestor, was born:

1740 John McKinnon, our ancestor

KILCALMONELL and KILBERRY, a parish, in the county of Argyll, contains the village of Tarbert. The former of these two ancient parishes, now united, derives its name from the Gaelic term signifying "the burial-place of Malcolm O'Neill." The church of Kilcalmonell was built about the year 1763 and it seats 600 people.

The land was primarily used for potatoes and herring fishing.  The population in 1843 was about 1200. Tarbert was anciently part of the Gaelic overkingdom of Dál Riata and protected by three castles – in the village centre, at the head of the West Loch, and on the south side of the East Loch. The ruin of the last of these castles, Tarbert Castle, still exists and dominates Tarbert's skyline. 

Here is a photograph of Tarbert as it looks today:

Despite its distinction as a strategic stronghold during the Middle Ages, Tarbert's socioeconomic prosperity came during the Early Modern period, as the port developed into a fishing town. At its height, the Loch Fyne herring fishery attracted hundreds of vessels to Tarbert.

The parish records were not kept until the year 1780. 
Therefore, we need to depend on the above bit of history of Kilcalmonell [from FamilySearch.org] and Tarbert [from Wikipedia] to satisfy us for now.

DANIEL UNDERHILL AND ABIAH CONKLING FAMILY

All of the members of today's family were born and lived in New Castle, Westchester, New York. Daniel and Abiah were married around 1770 and I know of three of their children, listed below:

Sarah 28 Nov 1770, our ancestor
Amy      abt.   1773
Benjamin       1775

In the 1790 Federal census of Salem Town in Westchester County there is a Daniel Underhill listed with one son over the age of 16 and three females and spouse. This may be our Daniel but I'm not certain.


The first European settlers in the area where this family lived were Quakers, who settled in present-day Chappaqua (a neighborhood of New Castle) in 1753, and constructed a meeting house,which still stands today on Quaker Street. [See the photo at the left.] Several Underhill researchers believe that many Underhill folks were members of this old meeting house. Perhaps we will one day find marriage records of our Daniel and Abiah among any possible Quaker records available at the New Castle Historical Society there. I have contacted the society for assistance with this.

DANIEL UNDERHILL
BORN: 1730 in New Castle, Long Island, NY*
Married: c. 1770 in New Castle, Long Island, NY
DIED:   1824 (age 94)  in New Castle, Long Island, NY

ABIAH CONKLING
BORN: 1751 in New Castle, Long Island, NY
DIED: 4 May 1857 place unknown (age 106!!!)

*All of my records name Long Island, NY as the place where these events occurred. Evidently, however, New Castle is today considered to be in Westchester County which is at the northern "neck" before entering Long Island. Perhaps that neck territory included all or part of Long Island in their configurations in the 1700s. I wasn't able to find any history that mentioned my supposition, however.

SOURCES: 1790 Federal census; Family Group Record, Anc. File (www.familysearch.org).

BENJAMIN KNIFFEN AND MARY BROWN AND FAMILY

Our featured 4th great grandparents and their children, on today's Shepard blog, lived in Rye, Westchester, New York. As I understand it, Westchester is a "neck" between Long Island and New York state and the red triangular area on the enlarged map is the town of Rye. Benjamin, Mary, and most of their children were born in Rye. Rye was at one time a part of Fairfield County, Connecticut, which was a belonging of the Sachem Ponus, of the Ponus Wekuwuhm, Canaan Parish, and which was probably named for that chieftain, "Peningoe Neck". This location must have been a pleasant place to live because several of our ancestors lived and stayed in Westchester County and  Long Island for a number of years.

Benjamin and Mary were married in 1753 and had the following known children:

1763 Benjamin
1766 James in Salem, Westchester, NY
1769 Deborah
1775 Abraham

BENJAMIN KNIFFEN, JR. 
BORN:  1729 in Rye, Westchester, NY
MARRIED: 21 Mar 1753 in Rye, Westchester, NY
DIED: 1789  in Rye, Westchester, NY

MARY BROWN
BORN: abt 1732 in Rye Westchester, NY
DIED: unknown
SOURCES: Family Group Record, Anc. File (www.familysearch.org Marriage source for Benjamin Kniffen and Mary Brown, also birth sources for the family.

THE FAMILY OF SOLOMON TARBOX

Hebron, Tolland, Connecticut is where the Tarbox family members were born and lived. Solomon was born there in 1733. His wife, Asenath Phelps, was born there in 1737. Below are the birthdates of their children:

1756 Solomon
1758 Zenas
1760 Godfrey
1763 Asenath, our ancestor
1765 Triphene
1768 Hannah
1773 Adriel (male)
1778 Anna Barnice

Solomon died on the 20th of December in 1777, possibly a victim of the Revolutionary war. A short time later, Asenath gave birth to her last child, Anna Barnice.

SOLOMON TARBOX
BORN: 30 Aug 1733 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
MARRIED: 04 Sep 1755 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
DIED: 20 Dec 1777 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
ASENATH PHELPS 
BORN: 14 Dec 1737 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
DIED:  05 Dec 1802 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
SOURCES: CONNECTICUT MARRIAGES 1640-1929; CONNECTICUT BIRTHS AND CHRISTENINGS 1649-1906.

THE DAVID CARVER FAMILY

David Carver's early years were in Canterbury, Connecticut but at age 5 years his family moved to Bolton, Tolland, CT. He met and married Amy Fyler there on the 13th of March in 1749. Shortly thereafter he and Amy moved to Hebron, CT. He bought land in Hebron in December 1750 and started his own farm. The photograph above is of the old Hebron Town Hall.

David and Amy had eight children and raised them on this farm:

1750 Amy
1753 David, Jr.
1756 John
1759 Joseph
1761 Aldrick, our ancestor
1763 Jonathan
1766 William Warren
1769 Aaron

The 1790 census list shows that the David Carver household had 3 males ages 16 and over and 2 males under 16. There were 7 females [probably some were wives of the older sons plus female grandchildren.]

 Wife, Amy, died in April 1794. Then David moved to Granby, Massachusetts with his daughter, Amy, and his three youngest sons, Jonathan, Warren, and Aaron. He purchased two acres of the land and a mill from Joseph Munger for 60 pounds, leased the water rights for the term of 900 years, but in 1803 he transferred his rights to his sons. He then bought some other land in the area and farmed it for the rest of his life. The farm was later acquired by his great-grandson, Henry Ingalls Carver, who built a fine home on it.

DAVID CARVER
BORN: 05 Jan 1730 in Canterbury, Windham, CT:
MARRIED: 13 Mar 1749 in Bolton, Tolland, CT
DIED:   1805 in Ludlow, Hampden, MA

AMY FYLER
BORN: 16 Oct 1728 in Hartford, Hartford, CT
DIED: 11 Apr 1794 in Grandby, Hampshire, MA
SOURCES: Connecticut Marriages 1640-1939 via FamilySearch.org; Connecticut Births and Christenings 1649-1906 via FamilySearch.org; Hebron Vital Records 0002972, page 25. 1790 Federal Census of the State of Connecticut.

The Conrad Huffman Family

As I mentioned last week, we are beginning to study our fourth great grandparents of our Shepard family tree today. Conrad Huffman and his wife, Charity Kuykendall, were both born in Germany. They married about 1744. Their first two or three children were born in Germany, also. The other children were born in Hampshire County, Virginia.

Adam unknown date and place
Elizabeth abt. 1747 in Germany
Benjamin        1750         " (?), our ancestor, [see text below]
Christopher    1753 Hampshire
John        1755 Hampshire
Henry abt. 1757       " 
Nancy Ann    1760       "
Conrad 23 Feb 1764  "
Sarah     1767  "
Philip   abt.    1769  "
Mary   abt.    1775  " ** See comments below



We could assume that Conrad and his family arrived in America c. 1752 when we notice that Christopher was born in Hampshire, VA. But, researcher, Alice Chilcote, a descendant of the Huffman family, found a record of Conrad and his family on the ship, "Saint Andrew", arriving in Philadelphia on the ninth day of September in 1749. She also found a record stating that Conrad bought 398 acres of land on the South Branch of the Potamac River on the 29th day of September 1749 from Lord Fairfax. These records contradict the birthplace of Benjamin, our ancestor.  He must have been born in Virginia, not Germany.

On the 1781 Tax List of Hampshire County, Conrad had no slaves. In the 1782 Tax List there were 12 Whites and 1 Black person living at the Conrad Huffman household. Family tradition says that Conrad died at age 101 sometime before the 20th of March 1817, the date that his will was proved.

**Since Charity died before 1770, Mary could not be her child. Perhaps Conrad had a second wife?

CONRAD HUFFMAN
BORN: abt 1715 in Maglebury, Pomerania, Germany
MARRIED: abt 1744 in Germany
DIED: before 20 Mar 1817

CHARITY KUYKENDALL
BORN:  abt 1726 in Germany
DIED: bef 1770 in Mill Creek, Hampshire, VA

SOURCES: 
United States Census, 1810," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XH2Q-FWV : accessed 28 August 2018), Conrad Huffman, Hampshire, Virginia, United States; citing p. 801, NARA microfilm publication M252 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 69; FHL microfilm 181,429; 1781 Tax List of Hampshire County, VA; 1782 Tax List of Hampshire County, VA; Researcher, Alice Chilcote, sent Marjorie Shepard copies of records of land ownership and passenger list of Conrad Huffman family.

**

THE FAMILY OF MR. AND MRS. BILLS

Mr. and Mrs. Bills were both born in the state of Maine. Mrs. Bills' maiden name was Mary Youngs. Their daughter, Ann Elizabeth Bills (our ancestor), was also born in Maine in 1824.

SOURCE: Elda Esch's book: "Benoni Dickinson and His Descendants"

ANDREW HILL AND FAMILY

There is not much to relate to you about this family because Andrew died about the same year that his only child, our ancestor, Mercy Hill, was born,  in 1800. All that is known about Andrew's spouse is her initial E., no name. They were probably married circa 1798 in Warren County, New York. 

ANDREW HILL
BORN: unknown
MARRIED:  abt. 1798 in ,Warren, NY
DIED:  abt. 1800 in Warrensburg, Warren, NY
SOURCE: Elda Esch "Benoni Dickinson and His Descendants"

SAMUEL DICKINSON

This third great grandfather was born in North Stonington, Connecticut on the 26th of December in 1748. He married his first wife, Mary, when he was age 22 in Greenwich, Washington County, New York c. 1770. In 1775, Samuel moved his family to the East Bank of the Hudson River to be further from the danger of Indians.

 On the sixth of June in 1776, he enlisted in the Revolutionary War at Cambridge, New York. He was a private in Captain Theodore Woodbridge's Company. He received an honorable discharge at Fort Hanyx, New York on the 15th of April in 1777.

In November of 1778, Hannah Crandall became Samuel's second wife. In 1779, Samuel served as a protector of his neighborhood for a half a month, while living near Saratoga Falls, Washington County, New York. In 1781, he was involved in three tours, each lasting one month under Captain Perrigo. At age 33, he enlisted in Captain Charles Miller's Company of Colonel Sam Canfield's Connecticut Regiment, in April  1782. He was honorably discharged on the 4th of April 1783.

In 1790, the Dickinson family was living in New Castle Twp., West Chester, New York when Samuel is age 42. In the later census of 1810, Samuel is living in Washington County, New York.  On Samuel's application for pension on the 23rd of March in 1819, he says he has no real estate or income. His personal property is as follows: a small 3 year old cow, a hand made shovel, a tobacco box, a jack knife, 2 pint bowls, an old carving knife, 3 small tubs, 2 pails and a pair of old spectacles. He and his wife, age 64, are living with their children for support. In 1820, in Chester Twp., Warren, NY Samuel is age 71, 9 months and 22 days old and is in open court to obtain his pension. He died at age 75.

SAMUEL DICKINSON
BORN: 26 Dec 1748 in North Stonington, New London, CT
MARRIED: 1) abt 1770 in Greenwich, Washington, NY to Mary (unknown surname); 2) 3 Nov 1778  in  ,Washington, NY to Hannah Crandall
DIED: 22 Jan 1824 in Warrensburg, Washington, NY 
SOURCES: Elda Esch Dickinson, "Benoni Dickinson and his Descendants" Repository: Marj Shepard residence; Death Date of Samuel Dickinson Bibliography: CD 16 Pedigree Resource File, Copyright 2000, Intellectual Reserve, Inc.;Marriage Information-Samuel DickinsonTITLE Benoni  Book, and Leon Stiles, historian for Stiles and Affiliated Families Assn.; Military-Samuel Dickinson TITLE: Benoni Book--At age 27 in the Revolutionary War; Tidwell,Eugene D. #328798-06211001337333484 E.Tidwell,Eugene D. E. Summer Hill Dr.Salt Lake City, UT edtidwell@netzero.net; Reproduced from Pedigree Resource File CD 16, Copyright 2000, Intellectual reserve, Inc.; Copy of Samuel Dickinson's Pension Record sent by way of researcher, Allen Kratzer.

CAPTAIN JOSEPH SMALLWOOD'S FAMILY

Joseph Smallwood was born near Norfolk, in Princess Ann County, Virginia about 1760. He was a sea captain and must have had business dealings in England because that's where he met and married his wife, Magdalena Margaret MacRobie. Margaret, or Maggie, the names she preferred, was born about 1765 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England. Margaret and Joseph were married in their early 20s about 1785, in England.

Soon after their marriage, they settled on Prince Edward Island where Joseph's occupation was listed as a farmer in 1786.  John and Maggie had eight children, all born in Charlottestown, Queens, PEI, Canada:

1786 John
1788 Dorinda
1790 Eleanor Helen, our ancestor
1792 Mary
1794 James
1795 William
1797 Margaret
1802 Catherine

From 1786 to 1800, the family resided at Lot 38 in Prince Edward Island. In 1800, John purchased more property at Lot 56 in PEI. 

CAPTAIN JOSEPH SMALLWOOD
BORN: abt 1760 near Norfolk, Princess Ann, VA
MARRIED: abt 1785 in , England
DIED: unknown

MAGDALENA MARGARET MACROBIE
BORN: abt 1765 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, England
DIED: unknown

SOURCES: Baptismal records of all of the Smallwood children via Family Search. org Citation: "Prince Edward Island Baptism Card Index, 1721-1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/KCXV-TYB : 11 March 2018),  Smallwood children,  , Ch'Town , Prince Edward Island, Public Archives, Charlottetown; FHL microfilm 1,487,766; interviews with Mildred Stewart Shepard, descendant of this couple; "The Benoni Book" by Elda Esch re the Smallwood family of Prince Edward Island, Canada.

JOHN McKINNON and CATHARINE CARSWELL and Family

Red Deer
The largest and most impressive land animal to be found on the Isle of Mull, Red Deer are numerous and widespread on the island. There are also two small herds of Fallow Deer which can be found at Knock and Lochbuie.

The John McKinnon family, lived on Mull Island in Argyllshire, Scotland in the 1700s. The father, John McKinnon, was born on the 13th of May in 1740. He was listed as a carpenter in the 1779 census and following censuses.  He married Catherine Carswell, born in 1762. They had the following known children:

1787 Mary, our ancestor
1788 Donald
1791 John 
1794 Archibald

JOHN McKINNON
BORN: 13 May 1740 , , Scotland
MARRIED: unkown date
DIED: 1806 in Masonville, Delaware, NY
SOURCES: John Mckinnon, born 13 May 1740; citing , reference 2:18S2JJD, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1067771; Occupation taylor according to written family histories. Also see Duke of Argyll census of 1779 in which he is shown as "taylor age about 50". He is apparently on the area called "Ceannabhagh" living with a family of Lachlan Mclean and his wife Katherine McInnon. This may be sister or daughter; Bibliography: "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XTT9-DYC : 10 February 2018), John Mckinnon, 13 May 1740; citing , reference 2:18S2JJD, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 1067771 +.

DONALD H. and MARGARET STEWART and their family

Donald and Margaret Stewart were the parents of our ancestor, John Stewart, according to John's birth records. Margaret's maiden name was also Stewart. Donald and Margaret were both born in Perthshire, Scotland and were married there in  1788. Their children were all born in Blair Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland as follows:

1790 John, our ancestor
1792 Margaret
1794 Alexander
1797 Donald
1799 Robert
1799 Jannet
1801 Donald
1805 Charles
1806 Helen

Blair Atholl is a village in Perthshire, Scotland, built about the confluence of the Rivers Tilt and Garry in one of the few areas of flat land in the midst of the Grampian Mountains. The Gaelic place-name Blair, from blàr, 'field, plain', refers to this location and Atholl, which means 'new Ireland'.

DONALD H. STEWART
BORN: abt 1764 in Inverack, Blair, Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland
MARRIED: 03 Jun 1788 in Blair, Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland
DIED: Unknown

MARGARET STEWART
BORN: abt 1768 in , Perthshire, Scotland
DIED: unknown
SOURCES: IGI records of John Stewart's marriage and birth from FamilySearch.org. Pedigree charts sent to Mildred Shepard from her Stewart family in Prince Edward Island, now in the custody of Marjorie Shepard at her residence.

SARAH UNDERHILL

Greenwich, Ohio in 2018

Sarah Underhill,  James Kniffen's wife, was born in Salem, Westchester, New York on the 12th of March in 1766. All of their children were born in New York as follows:

1787 James
1791 Charity
1795 Deborah
1797 Benjamin T.
 1801 Amy, our ancestor
1802 Daniel
1812 Esquire W.
 1814 William
no date    Phoebe

After James' death in 1841, Amy lived with her son, Benjamin and his wife, Bloomy (Hobby) Kniffen in Greenwich, Huron, Ohio. Amy died in Greenwich in 1851, at age 81. She and James are both buried in the Kniffen Cemetery in Greenwich.

SARAH UNDERHILL
BORN: 12 Mar 1766 in Salem, Westchester, NY
DIED:                1851 in Greenwich, Huron, OH
BURIED: Kniffen Cemetery in Greenwich, Huron, OH
SOURCES: Marriage record in the Ancestral File at LDS in Salt Lake, Utah; 1850 Federal Census showing Sarah Kniffen, age 79, residing at the home of her son and his wife

JAMES KNIFFIN

This third great grandfather was born in Salem, Westchester, New York in 1766. His parents were Quakers and attended meetings at the Amawalk Meeting House in Westchester County as did his future wife's family. Quakers had been active in north central Westchester County since the mid-18th century. The current meeting house in Westchester was the third they built; fire destroyed both predecessors. Taking up most of the property is the meeting's cemetery, which contains many graves of its members from the earlier years. The headstones of those graves strongly reflect Quaker burial practices.

James married Sarah Underhill in 1787 in New Castle, Long Island, New York and started their family there. In the spring of 1824, James and his family left from Cayuga County, NY and headed for Greenwich, Huron, Ohio, where James had purchased 800 acres of forest land on a previous trip to the area several years before. This trip was made on a schooner on Lake Erie, a vessel that is powered by the wind; often having several masts. You're most likely to see a schooner in an old seaport or tourist harbor, since it's an old-fashioned kind of boat with at least two masts and sails. There are still places you can ride on a schooner, but schooners were most common along the east coast of the United States in the eighteenth century. Schooners were historically used for fishing and transporting cargo, and sometimes for racing. The word schooner was probably first used in Gloucester, Massachusetts, coined from the Scottish scon, "to send over water, to skip stones." [Source: Wikipedia]

Huron County's first family surnames were Kniffin, Underhill, Brady, and Sutton. James was listed as  "First Family Member #53".[Source: Robert O. Smith, researcher]. Evidently, the Kniffin family was quite happy in Greenwich and lived there for many years.

James died on the 18th of April in 1841 and was buried in the Kniffin Cemetery in Greenwich.

JAMES KNIFFIN 
BORN: 12 Mar 1766 in Salem, Westchester, New York
MARRIED:       1787 in New Castle, Long Island, NY
DIED: 18 Apr 1841 in Greenwich, Huron, Ohio
BURIED: KNIFFIN CEMETERY in Greenwich, Huron, OH
SOURCES: Bibliography: Ancestral File searched 23 Oct 2001, AFN: Xtv1-31.Federal censuses of 1790, 1800, 1810, 1820 and1830. Ancestry. com, Quaker Records..BIRTH: JAMES KNIFFEN Research notes from Amawalk Monthly Meeting IN Westchester County, NY [database online] BIRTH OF JAMES KNIFFEN; Information about the trip on the schooner:http://www.rootsweb.com/-ohhuron/kniffin. 

ASENATH TARBOX

This third great grandmother was born on the third of January in 1763 in Hebron Township, Tolland County in Connecticut. She married Aldrich Carver on the twelfth of September in 1782 when she was 19 years old.  They had the following children:

1782 Joseph
1785 John
1787 Asenath
1789 Jared
1791 Anne
1793 Aldrick, our ancestor

This family remained in Hebron throughout their lives.
Asenath died on the 8th of December in 1822 in Hebron.

ASENATH TARBOX
BORN: 03 Jan 1763 in Hebron Twp., Tolland, CT
MARRIED: 12 Sep 1782 in Hebron
DIED:   08 Dec 1822 in Hebron
SOURCES:  Connecticut births and christenings 1640 to 1906;
Connecticut marriages 1646 to 1939; Federal censuses of 1790, 1800, 1810 and1820 at Hebron, Tolland, CT.

ALDRICK CARVER

Aldrick didn't always play by the rules. He joined the Continental Army in January 1778  at age 16 as an artificer (definition: a craftsman in the armed forces). He was assigned to a post at New Windsor, NY, where he worked as a harness maker, and later he worked on building the fort at West Point.

In 1779, at West Point, he came down with a fever (about 18% of the army was constantly ill) and was furloughed from the army to relieve the burden on the army hospital staff, and sent home. 

While at home, he was busy romancing both Lucy Taylor and Asenath Tarbox. Lucy decided to give birth to her son even though Aldrick had already married Asenath in September 1782. Lucy's son, David Carver, married Aldrick's niece, Shirley Tarbox.

Aldrick was placed on the pension roll on 14 Jul 1819, listed as a Private, Massachusetts line. He died in 1822 and is buried at the Old Cemetery in Hebron, Tolland County, Connecticut. A Revolutionary marker is on his grave.

ALDRICK CARVER
BORN: 04 Jul 1761 in Hebron Twp., Tolland, CT
MARRIED: 12 Sep 1782 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
DIED: 08 Dec 1822 in Hebron, Tolland, CT
SOURCES: Connecticut births and christenings 1649-1906, microfilm at FamilySearch.org; Second Book of Marriages, Hebron, Tolland, CT; on Fiche #0896863=12 Sep 1782 Corver, Alarick and Arjenath Tarbox on page 13; Connecticut Pensioners, 1835

SUSANNAH PERRIN

Like her husband, Abraham Cuppy, Susannah was born in Mill Creek, Hampshire County, Virginia, three years later than Abraham's birth, on the third of March in 1766. She and Abraham had thirteen children, as follows:

1787 Elizabeth in Virginia
1789 Margaret VA, our ancestor
1791 Sarah VA
1793 Anne VA
1797 John Perrin in Ohio
1797 Mary   OH
1799 William OH
1802 Abraham P. OH
1804 Rachel OH
1804 Perrin OH
1810 Sarah  OH
1818 Perrin OH
unknown date and place Abraham

Susannah died on the 8th of September in 1841 in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson, Ohio and she is buried next to her husband at the Mount Pleasant M.E. Cemetery.

SUSANNAH PERRIN
BORN: 3 Mar 1766 in Mill Creek, Hampshire, VA
Died: 8 Sep 1841 in Mount Pleasant, Jefferson, OH
SOURCES: Will Book 3-199, proof of marriage; Alice Chilcote, researcher, death record information

ABRAHAM CUPPY

Last week, I gave you some information about John Cuppy, Abraham's father, by mistake. John Cuppy is a fourth great grandfather. Abraham is our third great grandfather who was born on the 12th of December in 1763 in Mill Creek, Hampshire County, Virginia. Mill Creek is a 14 mile-long tributary stream of the South Branch Potomac River, belonging to the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay watersheds. The stream is located in Hampshire County in today's West Virginian Eastern Panhandle. Mill Creek flows into the South Branch west of Romney Bridge near Vanderlip along the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Route 50).

Abraham and his brother John were soldiers in the Revolutionary War, who served as spies and scouts on the Ohio River. Abraham is listed on a DAR plaque in the Jefferson County Courthouse in Steubenville, Jefferson county, Ohio. I hired a researcher in April 2003, named Reva Ashcroft of Steubenville, and she is the person who told me about the plaque.

Abraham married Susannah Perrin in Antietam, Washington County, in Maryland in 1786 and they resided in Virginia until about 1797 when they migrated to Smithfield Township in Jefferson, Ohio. Abraham was on a tax list there in 1806 which means that he was a land owner. In the 1810, 1820, 1830 and 1840 Federal Censuses, Abraham and his family are listed in Mt. Pleasant, which is in Smithfield Township. Susannah and Abraham had a large family of thirteen children.

Abraham died on the third day of November in 1840 in Mt. Pleasant. He is buried at the Highland M.E. Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant. His will was probated on the 23rd of November in 1840.

ABRAHAM CUPPY
BORN: 12 Dec 1763 in Mill Creek, Hampshire, VA
MARRIED:     1786 in Antietam, Washington, MD
DIED: 3 Nov 1840 in Mt. Pleasant, Jefferson, OH
BURIED: Highland M. E. Cemetery in Mt. Pleasant
SOURCES:Find a Grave Index online #64459185; Will Book 3-199, Last will of Abraham Cuppy. See Will Book 3-199, Last will of Abraham Cuppy...born 12 Dec 1763 
in<BR>Hampshire County, VA; 1806 Tax List of Smithfield Twp., Jefferson, OH; Federal Censuses 1810-1840 of Smithfield Twp., Jefferson, OH; Abraham's Will examined and copies sent to Marjorie Shepard by Reva Ashcroft, researcher; Ohio marriages 1800-1958.

Johannes Koppe

Researcher, Alice Chilcote, a descendant of Johannes Koppe, said, "There are two versions of the original spelling of the immigrant's name: Johannes Koppe and Jan Koptje, one being the German form and the other being the Dutch form. There are Koppe inhabitants in Germany today and Koptje folk living in Holland.  Either name in Anglicized form becomes John Cuppy."

"Another spelling for first name is John, Johann.!Another spelling for last name is Cuppye, Cuppett, Cuppje.!Sorce of information:Fern Marvel Parkin.!Birth place listed as S. E. Germany/South East Prusia.!Came over to USA in 1748 on a Morovian ship, landed in Phil. !Johan Coppje took the name of John Cuppy. In his own rough draft of is will he wrote: I Johan Coppje etc.,and than he signed it John Cuppy. Sons took the name of Cuppett.!Cuppytown is now New Cumberland, Handcock Co.,West Va.. Records of Berlin Cuppett. !Escaped France to Switzerland then to US. !Write to county Seat Hampshire Co.,West Va. for records of 1762-1778.!John was a luthern." Written by Reva Ashcroft, researcher. 

Researcher, Kathy Alvis Patterson, a Gen Circles member, wrote these  notes re Johannes Koppe . "Shriner Manuscript, unpublished, Vigo Co., Indiana Library in Terra Haute. John Cuppy, immigrant and progenitor of the Cuppy family in America, was born about 1730 near the border of Germany and Holland. Descendants of this man are indebted for the early data on John Cuppy to the manuscripts of Dr. Draper, found in the Wisconsin Historical Society's Kellog Frontier Advance. Dr. Draper recorded an interview with John Cuppy, Jr., the eldest of the immigrant, held during three days, Aug 21st to 23rd of 1860, when the son nearing the age of one hundred and living in Wayne Twp., Montgomery Co., OH...John Cuppy, Jr. stated that his father was of German ancestry, that he arrived in New York City around 1750, that he married Margaret Parker, a native of New Jersey, in 1754; and that he settled in Morris County, New Jersey, near Morristown where he worked as a stone mason and farmer and where the first three children were born.
   ...in the spring of 1762 they moved to Hampshire Co., VA, and settled on Mill Creek, a south drain of the South branch of the Potomac river...where four more children were born.  It was on Mill Creek that the Cuppy family lived prior to, during, and for sometime following the Revolutionary War.  The children were brought up as farmers and hunters of wild game and enjoyed some school opportunities.  There were two closely related families also who settled Hampshire County with the John Cuppy family, those of Margaret Parker Cuppy's brother, Benjamin Parker, and sister Anne Parker, who married John DeVore."

These notes appeared at FamilySearch.org about our Cuppy ancestors: 
"Name was originally Johan Coppje or Koupay. Stone mason/far mer. Arrived in New York in 1746. Engaged in Indian warfare and was in an expedition to Canad a. Lived near Morristown, NJ until 1763 when the family remove d to Hampshire Co., VA., near Romney. In 1769 he established settlement rights on 400 acres in th e Sandy Creek Glades of Monongalia Co., VA (now WV). Then s old his rights in 1781. In 1794, he sold his property in Hampshire Co. and settle d north of Wellsburg, WV, (then VA) along the Ohio River. 
 John Cuppy, (Johannes Koppe) immigrant and progenitor of the Cuppy family in America, was born about 1730 near the border of Germany and Holland. He was of German ancestry and arrived in America in 1750. Reportedly he was a young sailor and he jumped ship upon arriving in New York City. He married Margaret DeVore Parker, a native of New Jersey, in 1754 and settled in Morris County, New Jersey, near Morristown where he worked as a stone mason and farmer and where the first three children were born. In 1762 the family moved to Mill Creek, Hampshire County, Virginia, where four more children were born. It was on Mill Creek that the Cuppy family lived prior to, during, and for some time following the Revolutionary War. The children were brought up as farmers and hunters of wild game and enjoyed some school opportunities. The two oldest sons of John Cuppy and Margaret Parker (John Cuppy Jr. and Abraham Cuppy) served with the militia during the Revolution. The Hampshire County Military Service Claims Court reveal that on November 13, 1782, John Cuppy Sr. was credited with "having supplied one rifle gun worth three pounds" (Virginia State Library Booklet). Although too old to serve in the armed forces, John Cuppy Sr. had proved his loyalty to the American cause, and his descendants are entitled to membership in such patriotic organizations as the Daughters of the American Revolution on the basis of his contribution. On August 16, 1787, John Cuppy Sr. bought a tract of 350 acres for 140 pounds. It appears that at this time, old John and his wife Margaret were hoping to entice their sons to settle near the old home place on Mill Creek and buying up additional land in that community. The Indian trouble did not stop at the close of the Revolutionary War. The Indians in Ohio were making almost constant war on the encroaching settlers of the western frontier. John Cuppy Jr. and his brother Abraham were members of Captain Samuel Brady's Scouts. The Indian raids continued in Ohio until General Anthony Wayne, known as Mad Anthony, was chosen to take the field against the raiders. With a large force of men, he overthrew the Indians at Maumee Rapids and forced the signing of the Treaty of Greenville in 1794. Following this treaty, John Cuppy Sr. sold their land on Mill Creek for 575 pounds (Deed Book 9, pages 369 and 407, Hampshire County, Virginia) and moved to live with their eldest son, John Cuppy Jr. and family at Tomlinson Run in Brooke County, Virginia now Hancock County, West Virginia. Edited by Mindy Cuppy Bell from "The John Cuppy Family in America" The minute books of Hampshire County, Virginia (now West Virginia) reveal that in 1788 John Cuppy Sr. served on the Grand Jury. John Cuppy Sr.'s name appears many times in the early Brooke County Court Orders. In 1797 he was a road viewer. When the government wanted to build a new road, they had "road viewers" who went out and decided where a road should be built. These people would report back to the court and the process continued. If everyone was in favor the surveyor would begin to lay off the road and the people who lived along the road would build it. John Cuppy Sr. died in 1802 and left a will, dated August 4, 1801, and proven in the September term of court in 1802 (Will Book 1, page 13, Brooke County, Virginia). The will of John Cuppy, Sr. reads as follows: "In the name of God, Amen. I, John Cuppy, of the County of Brooke and Commonwealth of Virginia, being weak in body but of sound and per suit mind and memory, considering the uncertainty of this mortal life and sound mind, blessed be the Almighty God for the same, do make and publish this my last will and testament in manner and form as follows, viz., that is to say, First and principally, I give and recommend myself unto the hand of Almighty God who gave it, and my body I recommend to the earth to buried in decent form at the discretion of my executors, not doubting but at the General Resurrection I shall receiv e same again by power of the Almighty God. And as touching such worldly estate as it has pleased God to bless me in this life, I give, demise, and dispose the same in the following manner: First, I do constitute and appoint my wife, Margaret Cuppy, and my two sons, John and Abraham, my sole and whole executors to decide in all cases whatsoever to the best advantage and the mutual happiness of the heirs of my estate. Second, I give and bequeath unto my dear and loving wife all my personal estate, perishable property, to dispose of as she may choose. Third, I give and bequeath unto my grandson, John Cuppy, son of Abraham Cuppy, all my land estate, he the said John paying an equal share of the value of said land to all my heirs if he think proper to hold the land and the said Abraham Cuppy shall have full power to choose for the boy whether or not he shall keep the land or not at the value share of. Fourth, and as to what clothing there may be left of my wearing apparel, they are to be equally divided among my three sons as may suit themselves, and I do hereby alter, disallow, revoke, and disannul all and every other former testaments, wills, or legatees, or executors, by me in anywise before mentioned. In testimony of which, I hereunto set my hand and seal this 4th day of August in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and one. John Cuppy (SEAL) 

JOHANNES KOPPE
BORN: 1729 in Grunow, Mecklenburg, Germany
MARRIED: abt 1754 in Morristown, Morris, New Jersey
DIED:  Dec 1802 in Wayne Twp., Montgomery, Ohio
SOURCES: FamilySearch.org notes about his will, occupation, military, and other affairs; Researchers Chilcote and Ashcroft about his name and family details; Researcher and descendant, Pam Bolton, contributed his baptismal record in Germany as 25 Jul 1729.