was an American pioneer

Mehitable Angell b. 1800

/ Kirstin Miller

Mehitable Angell 6th great aunt on RootsMagic tree.
Mehitable was born January 31, 1800 in Johnston, Rhode Island to Israel and Susannah Luther Angell. Israel Angell’s life is documented because he was a Colonel in the American Revolution and he and General George Washington wrote letters back and forth. Israel also explored the west from August 4 to October 9, 1788. The ‘west’ only went as far as Ohio, Israel kept a journal of his travels, these are published in Rhode Island History magazine of January and April, 1963. Israel’s kids would have heard stories of his western travels. Only 2 of his 17 kids moved west: Mehitable and her younger brother Henry.

Mehitable married William Wilkinson. Henry married William’s sister Eliza Wilkinson and they all moved across the country, first stop Hennepin, Illinois where they were on the 1850 census. Henry and his family stayed there in Illinois. Mehitable and her family went 200 miles further west to Jefferson Township in Buchanan County, Iowa where they were on the 1856 Iowa census. When the Wilkinson’s set up their home it would have been on acres and acres of prairie- Iowa was 80% tall grass prairie in 1850. Mehitable’s family farmed, she and William had four children they stayed there in Jefferson Township. Mehitable was a widow the last 12 years of her life and lived with her son and family. She is buried in Spring Creek Cemetery. The address is LaPorte City, Iowa and it’s surrounded by cornfields on three sides, I 380 is on the 4th side. From the cemetery a person can see the interstate. From the interstate in certain seasons a person can see the cemetery.
Headstone Mahetebel Wilkinson wife of W B Wilkinson

Mehitable Angell is probably the reason Delia and Charles Angell ended up in Iowa. When Delia’s mom died in 1847 her dad Dexter went to New York where his dad and brothers were. Delia and Charles stayed in Indiana with their older sister, then left for Iowa. Delia stayed with Charles and his family until she married and had a daughter Matilda Flood, who had a daughter Philippa Mockford who had a daughter Elizabeth Speedy.

Sources

  • Iowa census 1856, Buchanan, Jefferson at Ancestry
  • Angell Family Bible, typed up sheet. Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600-1914 database at FamilySearch

Martha Bliss b. 1622

/ Kirstin Miller

Martha Bliss 9th great grandma on RootsMagic tree

Martha was born in Daventry, England December of 1622. Her dad was Thomas, her mom Dorothy Wheatley Bliss. The Bliss family went to America around 1640, they lived in Plymouth Colony. In 1646 Martha married Nicholas Ide -this marriage is probable, has been and is debated. There’s no record of the marriage or even a record of the last name of Nicholas’s wife, but it’s probable and likely that these 2 married and had at least 10 children. Martha was called to testify in court when Elizabeth Walker, a child, was found drowned in a river by 2 boys who ran to tell Martha. All involved had to testify in court and the child’s drowning was judged an accident. The Ide and Walker families were close, husbands served on committees, children probably played together.

Court record: Rehoboth, the seauenth of August, 1664. Wee, whose names are subscribed heerto, doe heerby signify to all psons whom it may conserne, that Elizabeth Walker, the daughter of Phillip Walker, of the towne of Rehoboth, was accedentally drowned ; shee, being sent to scoole, was found alsoe accedentally in the riuer first by two youthes and they makeing knowne the same to two wemen, the wife of Nicholas Jyde and the wife of Roger Annadowne, and then to Wiliam Sabine, whoe forth with came and drew her out of the water, as hee saith. From the testimony of the afor specifyed psons, together with other concurring cercomstances, wee, the subscribers, conceiue that the child, which was two yeares and an halfe old, before specifyed, came accedentally to her end.

Sources

Benjamin English b. 1705

/ Kirstin Miller

Benjamin English 7th great uncle on RootsMagic tree

Benjamin was born February 3, 1705 in New Haven Connecticut, British America. He lived through the early days of the Revolutionary War and died towards the end of it, murdered in the Invasion of New Haven. This July 5, 1779 invasion is in lots of sources. Benjamin’s daughter in law Abigail provided a first hand account of his death in court. It’s sad and tragic but makes a reader appreciate all that went in to making America a free country 240 years ago.

Map of Hew Haven invasion

Drawing of 1779 Jul 5 invasion of New Haven

Benjamin was named after his dad, the 2nd of seven children. He married Sarah Dayton, “Benjamin English and Sarah Daton both of New Haven were Joined in marriage to Each other the 25th day of Sept:1735 Isaac Dickerman Justice of Peace.” Benjamin and Sarah stayed in New Haven and had at least 5 children. They named their first son Benjamin, he was s a Captain in King Philips War.

Sources

Clementina Benight b. 1800

/ Kirstin Miller

Clementina Benight 4th great grandma on RootsMagic tree

Clementina was born on February 20, 1800 in northern New York state. Her family moved to Prairieton, Vigo County, Indiana where she married Dexter Angell on May 10, 1820. Clementina and Dexter had 4 children and they farmed in Prairieton for awhile.

The 1820 US census shows Clementina and Dexter together in Prairieton, Clementina’s dad and brothers close by. The 1830 census places them in Providence, Rhode Island on the east side of the river. On the 1840 census, Clementina is back in Prairieton, she is head of household, with her children. (1840 census clementina is 10th from bottom on list.) Clementine’s dad Joseph and a brother are neighbors. The 1840 census shows Dexter stayed in Providence.

Benight, Clementina headstone

Clementina Angell headstone 1847 or so.

Clementina died around 1847 and is buried in New Harmony Cemetery in Prairieton. Her Find a Grave memorial includes a photo and text of the headstone inscription, too faded to read in the photo: Wife of Dexter Angell Aged 47 Years. Clementina’s daughter Delia Angell named her 3rd daughter Clementina.

Sources

William Plaise b. 1571

/ Kirstin Miller

William Plaise 10th great grandpa on RootsMagic tree

William was born in 1571 in England. On July 19 1596 he married his first wife Margerie Smith at St. Botolphs church. The church was first built in the 1100s then rebuilt in the 1500s and again in the 1700s. It’s still there in London.

Snapshot of the parish record of their marriage, “July Anno 1596. William Plasse and Margerie Smith weare married the 19 day in Anno Domino” [?]. William and Margerie are last on this snapshot of a 2 page document image.

Plaise, William and Margerie Smith 1596 marriage

William and Margerie 1596 marriage

William was a widow in 1618 and married Phebe Manning, also a widow. In 1637 William and family sailed to America and settled in Salem, also known as Naumkeag. William was a gunsmith in London and also in Salem where his skills were highly valued in the new colony. When he requested 10 acres of land, he received it in May, 1637. “ Willm Plaise requested a ten acre lott and it is granted’.

William was 66 when he came to America, he lived 10 more years and stayed in Salem. He shared his gunsmith skills and tools with Richard Waters, 2nd wife Phebe’s son. In William’s estate papers an inventory included: one feather bed, two feather bolsters, one great Bible, one psalme book, one chest, and ‘tools that Richard Walters [Waters] hath’. William died in 1646 his burial place is unknown.

Sources

Harm Henrichs b. 1877

/ Kirstin Miller

Harm Siebelt Henrichs 3rd great uncle on RootsMagic tree.

Harm was born on July 1, 1877 in Aurich, Lower Saxony, Germany. With his 8 brothers and sisters, mom Maria and dad Henrich he sailed to America and arrived in Baltimore on March 18, 1885. The US 1900 census shows the Henrichs family in Ripley Township, Butler County Iowa. Harm and his siblings Fred, Tena and Mattie are living with Henrich and Maria, the older children have started families of their own in Butler County.

The 1930 census of Jefferson Township in Butler County shows Harm, his wife Jennie and their 2 kids living on their own farm. Harms’s sisters are neighbors: William and Tena Henrichs Jacobs, Enno and Annie Henrichs Frerichs, John and Marie Henrichs Stoppelmoor, Harry and Flora Henrichs Endleman. Harm’s bothers John and Fred lived close by in Ripley and West Point townships. They all lived on farms. They built houses, barns, shelters for their livestock, chicken houses; cleared and laid out crop fields.

Ebenezer Lutheran Church Butler Center, Iowa

They also built a church: Ebenezer Lutheran Church, no longer around. The photo is from the book Mission in a Mile by Henry Freese, 2002. Harm is 4th from left. Left to right: Ben Jasper, Harry Endelmann- brother in law, Frank Reints, Harm Henrichs, Rigt Ooster, Enno Frerichs -brother in law and grandpa of Stanley Roose, dad of Mary Frerichs Roose. Stopping work to snap a photo probably took a lot of convincing on the photographer’s part. The photo doesn’t have a date, it’s probably around 1905

The 1940 census shows Harm was still farming, age 62, with Jennie. Their daughter Anna is 2 farms away, married to Addo Janssen with one son Robert. Their son Henry is in Jefferson Township, married to Delma DeBower.

Sources

  • Mission in a Mile by Henry Freese, 2002, page 152. A Building Project with text: Ben Jasper, Harry Endelmann, Frank Reints, Harm Henrichs, Rigt Ooster, Enno Frerichs. Author’s permission to post photo. More on this book.
  • US Census 1900, 1930, 1940 at Ancestry and FamilySearch
  • Maryland Baltimore passenger lists index 1820-1897 at FamilySearch

Joan Hurst b. 1568

/ Kirstin Miller

Joan Hurst 11th great grandma on RootsMagic tree.

Joan Hurst was baptized March 13, 1568 at St Mary’s Parish in Henlow, Bedfordshire, England. Her first husband was Thomas Rogers who died around 1595. Her 2nd husband was John Tilley. They married September 20, 1596 in the same St Mary’s Parish. They had 5 children, Elizabeth Tilley was the youngest she was baptized in the same church as her mom. In 1620 Joan 52, John 48 and Elizabeth 13 were on the Mayflower and in America by November. Joan’s husband John was in the exploring party on December 6 noted for the first contact with American Indians. By January 1621 the exploring parties found a location to set up their colony, an abandoned Wampanoag village. The men built shelters, with each man responsible for his own family, ‘by that course men would make more haste than working in common’. In February this group had homes, food and water sources and supplies unpacked form the Mayflower.

Tilley, John 1620 Mayflower exploring party

1620 Mayflower exploring party

By March the number of passengers and crew, was down from 102 to 47 souls. In Bradford’s History. “Of these hundred persons which came first over in this first ship together, the greater half died in the general mortality, and most of them in two or three months’ time.”

Joan Hurst, her husband John Tilley, John’s brother Edward Tilley and Ann, his wife, they died the first winter and were buried in Coles Hill Burial Ground. Joan and John’s daughter Elizabeth was left an orphan and eventually married another passenger John Howland. Elizabeth and John had 10 kids who all survived so today this couple has more than 2 million Mayflower diverse descendants. I’m working on getting this Mayflower connection officially verified, the 400th anniversary was November 2020, greatly hampered by the global pandemic.

Sources

Polly Ann Howard b. 1813

/ Kirstin Miller

Polly Howard 4th great grandma on RootsMagic tree.

Polly was born on October 17, 1813 in Indiana, not yet a state. Her mom Phoebe was from Kentucky and her dad Elbert from Georgia. Polly was the only sister with four brothers. In 1833 Polly married Benjamin Swain. By 1837 Benjamin, Polly and Polly’s parents and brothers were in Lake, Illinois. In Lake, IL Benjamin was known as Yankee Swain- the only resident not recently from England, Germany, Ireland, Poland, etc. Polly and Benjamin had 4 children. Polly was suddenly a widow in 1847.
In 1849 she married Jacob Montgomery he was also a widow. The 1850 census showed Jacob, Polly and their kids. Next door were Charles and William, Jacob’s sons from his first marriage. Polly’s dad and brothers were also nearby, married with families. By 1855 Polly Howard Swain Montgomery with Jacob, his kids, her kids, their kids, Polly’s dad and her Howard brothers, they all moved to Floyd County, Iowa where they owned land. And they attended church, the Howardville Church is still right there today. Polly’s dad Elbert held services in his home as the church was being built. A couple sources state Howardville or Howard Grove Township is named for the Howards.

Polly, 45, and her brother Sanders, 36, both died in 1858 and are buried in Howardville Cemetery.

Howard, Polly headstone closeup

Polly Howard Swain Montgomery headstone closeup

Sources

Samuel Hill b. 1652

/ Kirstin Miller

Samuel Hill 8th great grandpa on RoostMagic tree.

Samuel was born in 1652 in Malden, Massachusetts son of Joesph Hill and second wife Hannah Smith. Samuel’s dad Joseph, was well known in Malden: a lawyer, town rep, deputy etc. Samuel fought in King Philips war between 1675-79 in Captain Brocklebank’s command and may have been a sergeant. In Newbury, Massachusetts on the coast, about 40 miles northeast of Malden, Samuel married Abigail Wheeler on May 20, 1679.

Hills, Samuel and Abigail Wheeler marriage 1679

Samuel Hill and Abigail Wheeler marriage 1679

Samuel and Abigail stayed in Newbury and had more than 10 children. On August 5, 1732 Samuel was 80 years old and wrote his will. ‘Weak in body but of perfect mind and memory, the mortality of my body … give and command my soul to the hands of God that give it’.  Samuel’s will mentioned his widow Abigail and  listed his children. His inventory included silver, books, armor, pewter, earthenware, Indian and English corn, barrels and casks and cooper’s tools to make barrels and casks. Samuel is buried in Bridge Street Cemetery in Newbury, Massachusetts, his headstone is still there.

Sources

Lydia Parrish b. 1687

/ Kirstin Miller

Lydia Parrish 8th great grandma on RootsMagic

Lydia was born in Groton, Massachusetts on April 20, 1687, the daughter of John Parrish and his 2nd wife Mary Wattles.

Parrish, Lydia 1687 birth register

Lydia’s family moved from Groton to Ipswich, Massachusetts, then to Preston, Connecticut. In Preston on May 20, 1705 Lydia married Christopher Tracy.

Lydia’s brother and sisters also married into the Tracy family. Benjamin P. married Mary T., Sarah P. married David T. and Elizabeth P. married Frencis T. All these Tracy and Parrish families stayed in the Preston, New London Connecticut area. Lydia and Christopher had 9 children. Lydia was a widow in 1725 and the executor of her husband’s estate. After her husband’s death Lydia probably lived with a daughter and family, and probably died around 1745.

Sources