b. 1700

Mehitable Rude b. 1725

/ Kirstin Miller

Mehitable Rude 7th great grandma on RootsMagic tree.

Mehitable Rude was born on April 23, 1725 in New London County, Connecticut. Mehitable’s parents were John and Mary Lester Rude. Her great and 2nd great grandparents migrated from England and had been in New London for at least one generation.

Mary married Isaac Tracy in New London on July 13, 1742. They had 12 kids. The Tracy and Rude families of New London were connected through marriages: Mehitable Rude m. Isaac Tracy, Esther Rude m. Francis Tracy, Nathan Rude m. Thankful Tracy. All these Tracys are on the maternal [mom] side of my tree. A Tracy cousin, Deborah is on the paternal [pop] side of my tree.

By 1770 Mehitable and her family were in Goshen, New York, about 20 miles west, in southern New York farm county. There Isaac died in 1786. As a widow Mehitable moved 100 miles northwest to Chemung County, New York, probably to live with one of her children, grandchildren. Mehitable wrote her will on April 26, 1814. She died March 19, 1820, she was 94 years old and is buried in the Wellsburg Baptist Cemetery. Her gravestone is inscribed, “Memory of Mehetable Tracy Died March 19t 1820 Et 94 Yrs 10 m & 26 d.”

At Find a Grave, snapshot of gravestone photo “Added by: whitepaper on 14 Apr 2014”.

Mehitable’s will was presented in court on December 6, 1820. “In the name of God Amen I Mehatable Tracy … being weak in body but of sound mind calling to mind the uncertainty of Life … make this my last will and testament … what little property or estate that I have left after all my debts are fully paid I give to my daughters Bethsheba, Mehitable, Lois, Keturah and Betsy”.

Sources

  • New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 at Ancestry
  • Find a grave memorial 9931034 gravestone photo “Added by: whitepaper on 14 Apr 2014”.
  • Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 at Ancestry

Garbrand Roos and Teentje Janssen b. 1764

/ Kirstin Miller

Garbrand Roos and Teentje Janssen 5th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Garbrand Harms Roos and Teentje Dirks Janssen lived in Niedersachsen- English language, it’s Lower Saxony- a German state. Aurich is a district in Lower Saxony which contains the municipality of Krummhörn, that includes the little village of Visquard. Visquard is on the north western coast of Germany, on the Wadden Sea, part of the North Sea.

Google Maps, Visquard, a photo of the little village

Garbrand was born around 1764, Teentje was born on April 18, 1775. Garbrand and Teentje married around 1797 and had at least 3 children: Maria Garbrand Roos, Jan Garbrand Roos and Harm Garbrand Roos.

Garbrand has a definition in ceramics as the final firing. “Garbrand garbrand (keramik) Definition of garbrand (keramik) in German English dictionary: finishing firing (ceramics)”. And “Probably an altered spelling of North German Garbrand or Gerbrant, from a Germanic personal name, composed of the elements gar, ger ‘spear’, ‘lance’ + brand ‘fire’, ‘flame’.

Germany, the place and the people, have thousands of years of complex history, a person could spend a lifetime learning and understanding. Lower Saxony, the Roose family probable ancestor home, included chieftains, counts and countesses, kings and queens, and Paleolithic reindeer hunters. France, Holland, Napoleon, Prussia, Russia, the Kingdom of Hannover, the Roman Empire, and more were rulers of the area through the years.

There are several records for Garbrand and family, from church registers, hand written, in German. This record is indexed as a burial record for Garbrand, he died on April 1, 1817 then was buried on April 9, 1817. “Garbrand Harms d. 1 Apr 1817, spouse Teetja Janssen, burial 9 Apr 1817 in Visquard, Krummhörn, Amt Aurich, Königreich Hannover, Deutsches Reich, original place name Visquard, Visquard, Hannover, Deutschland. Page 241 of Staatliche Archivverwaltung Der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik. Church Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Visquard (Kr. Emden). Note: Taufen, Heiraten u Tote 1726-1839”.

Sources

Anna Maria Fuchs b. 1743

/ Kirstin Miller

Anna Maria Fuchs was the 6th great grandma on RootsMagic tree.

Anna was born on January 1, 1743 in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Her grandparents came to America from Germany. Anna was baptized in the Lutheran church of Berks County. On the record, “Fuchs, Anna Maria, b. Jan. 1, 1743; bap. Jan. 15, 1743. Sponsors, John Nicolaus Holder and wife.”

Anna’s dad Jacob Fuchs of Northkill is on the record and 2 of her sisters have the same record. Northkill, Pennsylvania was the 1st official Amish settlement in America, established in 1740 by Swiss and German Protestant Amish immigrants. Followers of Jakob Ammann, they rejected ‘modern technology’ and respected simplicity, practiced pacifism. Anna’s dad was from Northkill, possibly his religion was Amish then at his marriage he joined the Lutherans.

Anna married John Kryder around 1760 and they had 2 sons and 3 daughters. Anna was a widow at age 60 and lived 18 more years. Both Anna and John are buried at Aaronsburg Reformed Cemetery in Aaronsburg, Centre County, Pennsylvania.

Sources

Jonathan Rawson and Bathsheba Tracy b. 1749

/ Kirstin Miller

Jonathan Rawson and Bathsheba Tracy, 6th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Jonathan Rawson was born March 15, 1749 in Mendon, Massachusetts.  Bathsheba Tracy was born  27 April 1752 in Preston, Connecticut. Jonathan and Bathsheba married on January 1, 1772 in Preston. They had three sons and three daughters born from 1773 to 1788. Jonathan is said to be a private in the American Revolution but there aren’t any records to prove this, only ‘REV WAR’ inscribed on his and Bathsheba’s headstones. Jonathan and Bathsheba joined their sons Solomon and William in Lyndon New York where, “The first settlement was made in 1808 by Solomon Rawson and his brother William. They came with their wives from Pennsylvania.” William ran a tavern, Solomon was a deacon of the church. “Rawson is[was] a postal hamlet near the northeast corner of the town, lying partly in Allegany county. It derives its name from Lyndon’s pioneer. Solomon Rawson.”

Bathsheba and Jonathan died around 1827 and both are buried at  Rawson Cemetery, next to Rawson Church  in Cattaraugus County, New York, USA. The cemetery is also known as Lyndon Cemetery and on the county line between Allegany and Cattaraugus counties. On Google maps the address is Rawson Rd, Cuba, NY 14727.

Rawson cemetery and church via Google maps https://goo.gl/maps/8TuXzSfb3N9AsTnp9

The Rawson family came to America from England in the 1630s, On my maternal side Francis Tracy married Elizabeth Parrish, their son Isaac Tracy married Mehitable Rude, their daughter Bathsheba Tracy married Jonathan Rawson their daughter Margaret married Joseph Benight, their daughter Clementina married Dexter Angell, their daughter Delia married William Flood, their daughter Matilda married Richard Mockford their daughter Philippa married Harve Speedy and had a daughter Elizabeth Speedy who married Stanley Roose, my grandparents.

The Tracy family came to America in the 1630s too. On my paternal side Jonathan Tracy married Mary Griswold, their son Christopher married Lydia Parrish, their daughter Deborah Tracy married David Dewey, their son David married Sarah Witter, their daughter Sarah married John Connable whose daughter Lydia married Obed Gaines, whose son William married Sarah Swain, their daughter Mary Ella married James Miller their son William is the dad of Faber Miller who married Gladys Cable, my grandparents

Sources

Nathaniel Gaines and Elizabeth b. 1705

/ Kirstin Miller

Nathaniel Gaines and Elizabeth b. 1705, 7th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree

Nathaniel was born in Galstonbury, Connecticut around 1705. His mom and dad were Samuel and Rebecca Couch Gaines. His grandparents Henry and Jane Partridge Gaines migrated to American in 1637. In 1728, Nathaniel married Elizabeth, her last name, parents aren’t known. Elizabeth was probably born around the same time. Nathaniel and Elizabeth had 4 sons and 1 daughter. The family stayed in Glastonbury, right in the middle of Connecticut, near the Connecticut River.

On June 9, 1749 Nathaniel is mentioned in his dad Samuel’s will, “for love and affection” to “my son Nathaniel Gaines of Glastonbury” 22 acres “the land whereon I now dwell.”

photo via Waste Not, Want Not: The Colonial Era Midden
“Various personal items from the Goodsell site: a plain brass shoe buckle, a fragment of a silver shoe buckle frame with a repair, a 1746 George II halfpenny, a child’s small thimble, and part of a brass jackknife handle with a rococo design – AHS, Inc., Storrs”

Nathaniel died in 1755. Elizabeth wasn’t in Nathaniel’s will so she died before. In 1755 they were both in their 50s. Nathaniel’s will was presented in court, with an inventory of his estate, on April 28th. The inventory was a page and a half and included an old great coat, a Holland shirt, a pair of shoe buckles, 2 blankets, a chest of drawers, 9 wooden plates, 2 forks and 2 knives, an iron pot and a frying pan, an axe, a pitch fork, livestock and land. Older sons Nathaniel Jr and Joseph Gaines oversaw the estate and made an agreement with their siblings on July 3 1759 when the youngest sibling was still a minor. Middle son David moved to Vermont where grandson Obed Gaines was born in 1793. Obed and his family went west to Iowa where granddaughter Mary Ella Gaines married James Miller- they were grand parents of Faber Miller born in 1905.

Sources

Henry Mockford and Ann Farrant b. 1776

/ Kirstin Miller

Henry Mockford and Ann Farrant 5th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

Henry Mockford was born in November 10, 1776, then baptized on February 9, 1777 at the church in Rottingdean, Sussex, England. The church was and still is St Margaret’s Church named for Margaret of Antioch who inspired Joan of Arc and possibly sliced the head off a dragon. In the church there are stained glass windows made by William Morris and Edward Burne-Jones. The stained glass is famous and considered some of the artists best work.

Photo by Luiza Serpa Lopes, Own work, Public Domain [screenshot, partial]

On April 8 1802 Henry married Ann Farrant, maybe in that same church. Ann was born in 1781, probably in Sussex where she and Henry stayed and had 3 sons and a daughter. In Sussex town and village names have changed through the years. The area today includes Brighton, Bishopstone and Seaford: 30 miles south of London, 30 miles northwest of France, across the English Channel with incredible coastlines.

In 1841 England took it’s first census. Henry had already died, Ann is on both the 1841 and 1851 census. In 1841 Ann was 60 years old and lived with her son Samuel and wife their kids Frederick, Henry and Phoebe. Robert Ann’s son, Samuel’s brother was also in the house. In 1851 Ann and Robert share a home. Robert is 30 and his occupation is agricultural laborer. Ann is 70 and her occupation is ‘Parish Relief” and widow of an ag. laborer. Ann probably received a small amount from the parish. On this census page all the men work as agricultural laborers. Occupations on other pages are: carpenters, blacksmiths, scholars, boatmen, gardeners, millers, stablemen, coast guards and bargemen. The first page lists the area covered, “The whole of the five parishes East Blatchington, Bishopstone, Denton, South Heighton, Tarring Neville and including the battery, the Coast Guards Station House and Blatchington Village … “

1851 England census showing town included

Henry died in 1834 at age 56. Ann died in 1857 she was 76. Son Richard stayed England until 1861 when he and his family left for Monroe New York in America. Richard’s son Henry (great grandpa of Elizabeth Speedy Roose) was already in Monroe, New York and had a home set up for his parents.

Sources

Mary English b. 1715

/ Kirstin Miller

Mary English 6th great grandma on RootsMagic tree.

Mary English was born December 29, 1715 in New Haven, Connecticut. Her parents were Benjamin and Rebecca Brown English and she was a middle child of 8. Her grandparents came to America in the mid 1600s  her 2nd great grandpas Peter Bulkeley and John Jones were two of the first pastors in the new world. A disagreement between the pastors brought Mary and her family to Connecticut, “The trials and discouragements at Concord (Peter Bulkeley’s church) continued, and in 1644 Mr. Jones and several families removed to Fairfield. Conn. With them went Mr. Bulkeley’s sons, Thomas (Mary’s great grandpa) and Daniel, the former married to a daughter of Mr. Jones (Mary great grandma).”

In New Haven, CT 1740 Mary married Samuel Connable. There is a family story in a published genealogy that Mary’s robin egg blue wedding dress was still preserved by family members in 1886. Another family story tells that Mary and Samuel left for their new home in Fall Town, Massachusetts they rode together, shared the same horse, Mary carrying a bag of housewares. The stories may or may not be true but were shared through the generations then published in 1886.

Map via Genealogical memoir of the Cunnabell … at HathiTrust

Mary lived to age 86, she died a few years before Samuel. They’re buried in Bernardston nearby where they lived. Their headstones are still right there. Near Old Cemetery is Charity Farm, gifted to the city in the 1830s as “source of income to assist the industrious and deserving poor”. In Mary and Samuel’s time the area was Bald (Ball) Mountain today Bald Mountain Rd goes from Old Cemetery to Charity Farms, now a public park, dogs welcome, with walking trails and fantastic views.

Charity Farms via http://www.townofbernardston.org/index.php/8-uncategorised/52-charity-farm

Sources, free sources linked

Stephen Angell b. 1705

/ Kirstin Miller

Stephen Angell 5th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree.

Stephen Angell was born in 1705 in Providence, Rhode Island. His parents were John and Sarah Clemence Angell. His great grandpa, Thomas Angell, with Roger Williams was a founder of Rhode Island colony in 1636, both immigrated from England. In that small community the families are intertwined through generations. His grandparents, great grandparents descend from the small group in 1636.

Genealogy of the descendants of Thomas Angell at Archive.org

Stephen married Martha Olney, her family also original RI immigrant settlers.  They married in on May 16, 1728. Stephen and Martha had 10 children. They may have been Quakers (Friends). They lived in Providence for awhile then moved to Johnston about 5 miles west. Stephen is mentioned in a couple wills. The will of his grandma,  Sarah Smith Clemence  in 1725, “Item I Give to Every one of my Grand Children five shillings a peice in paper money”. The court named Stephen “bond to council for his administration” on his father’s estate  “administration of all singular … goods and chattels and credits of his father John Angell … year 1745”.  Stephen inherited the family farm.

Stephen wrote his will March 7, 1771. The inventory lists blacksmith, carpenter, cooper and farming tools. Daughters had received their portions at their marriages, older sons had received their portions earlier too. Son William received rights on Olney Mills, Daniel and William were in charge of their mom’s support. Their mom Martha Olney Angell objected to the will provisions at court,  the court approved the will anyway on July 25, 1772.

Sources, free sources linked.

William Crooks and Mary Weir b. 1715

/ Kirstin Miller

William Crooks and Mary Weir 6th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree.

William and Mary were born around 1715 probably in Pennsylvania. Names of their parents and their home country are unknown, they may have been born in America.  They  married on November 18, 1736 in Philadelphia at the First Presbyterian Church. They had 8 children and the family lived on a farm. Mary Weir has only her marriage record, nothing else. William’s records include a list of founders of Springfield Township in 1743, Bucks County, PA “Immigrants came rapidly into the township during the first years of its settlement, for we have the names of over thirty, probably all heads of families, who were living there, 1743, German and English: James Green, Stephen Twining, William Crooks, …”

William has several  ‘Pennsylvania Land Warrants’ showing acres of Pennsylvania land purchased at 15 pounds per acre in the mid 1700s. 15 ponds in 2020 is about $4000.

William’s will, Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999

William wrote his will in December of 1776 at age 61.  He died soon after. His will mentions wife Mary, sons Henry, Thomas and Robert, daughters Rosanne, Jeannette, Mary and Margaret, grandsons William Crooks and James Dagle. Widow Mary and son Henry are overseers of the will. William had called Mr. William Hopkins to come and help write the will. Hopkins got to William’s home and found William ‘sitting up in a chair and smoking his pipe’ and of sound mind and memory.  William died in 1776 or 77, Mary died about 4 years later.

Henry, overseer of the will, had a son Andrew whose daughter Elizabeth Crooks married William Stewart. Elizabeth and William travelled west to Shell Rock, Iowa where their youngest Elizabeth Margaret Stewart married Manford Speedy: dad of Harve, grandpa of Elizabeth Speedy.

Sources

  • Marriage, U.S., Presbyterian Church Records, 1701-1970 at Ancestry
  • Pennsylvania, Land Warrants and Applications, 1733-1952 at Ancestry
  • William’s will, Maryland Register of Wills Records, 1629-1999 at Ancestry
  • History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania at HathiTrust
  • Church photo, High Street, with the First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia at Presbyterian Historical Society

Jacob Bair and Barbara b. 1750

/ Kirstin Miller

Jacob Bair and Barbara 4th great grandparents on RootsMagic tree

Jacob Bair and Barbara – last name unknown- were born around 1750, probably in Maryland. Their parents are unknown, it’s likely  their parents migrated from Germany. Jacob and Barbara  married around 1780 and moved from Maryland to Pennsylvania where they had at least 7 children. By 1820 the Bair family had traveled 350 miles  west to Stark County, Ohio.  In Stark County they joined hundreds of other German immigrants that moved from Pennsylvania to Ohio: Bair, Bowman, Druckenbrod, Essig, Fryberger, Fuchs, Grubb, Harter, Kryder, Miller, all moved together.

Barbara died in  Stark County around 1820. Jacob lived 20 more years. Jacob’s estate was brought to the county court on December 18, 1840. On January 5 1841 an inventory and legal papers were presented.  Peter Loutzenheiser ‘a venerable pioneer’ was the overseer and “Abraham Bair, Jacob Bair and John Bair sons of said Jacob Bair” are mentioned in the will. Jacob’s inventory included: A tea kettle, a plough shovel, an auger, a psalm book, a pair of sheep shears, pewter dishes and plates, a light body coat, a pair of pantaloons, 2 shirts, 1 flannel shirt, 2 pocket books, yarn & threads and weavers reeds & shuttles.

Jacob’s will, Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998

Jacob and Barbara are buried in Henry Warstler Cemetery, Plain Township, Stark, Ohio, United States, their headstones long gone. In the Henry Warstler country church cemetery there are 62 Bair burials. In Stark County 442 Bairs are buried.  Jacob and Barbara’s 2nd great granddaughter Fiana Druckenbrod married William Miller, they moved to Bremer County, Iowa. In the summer Fiana returned to Stark Co. for Bair family reunions. Fiana and William’s daughter Lola kept in touch with her Stark Co. relatives, they visited her in Greene, Iowa.

Sources

  • Jacob’s will, Ohio, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1786-1998 at Ancestry
  • Early records of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Canton, Ohio at FamilySearch
  • Find a Grave memorials
  • Bair family, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014 at Ancestry