William Wetherell was Puritan minister who was born about 1602, likely in Yorkshire England. He was educated at Cambridge, Corpus Christi College, where he was listed as being from York. He received his BA in 1626 and MA in 1627. [The Genealogical Advertiser, 1:21 (March 1898)]  I have yet to find his parents. His surname is sometimes spelled Witherell. Corpus Christi College at Cambridge William Wetherell married Mary Fisher on 26 March 1627 at St. Mildred’s, Canterbury, Kent. "Witherill, William, M.A. of Maidstone, ba[chelor]., about 25, and Mary Fisher, of Bought ..read more

Ruth Harding is my 5th great-grandmother on my grandmother Milly Booth Rollins’s side of the family. She has long been a stubborn brick wall as I could not find her birth information. What I knew about her is that she married Nehemiah Eldredge in 1796 as Miss Ruth Harding of Chatham. Their Marriage Intentions:  Mr. Nehemiah Eldredge of Harwich - Miss Ruth Harding of Chatham Jany 30th 1796. (Harwich Vital Records  p 178) Intentions were also published in Chatham.  (Chatham Vital Records p 165) Nehemiah Eldredge was born 7 June 1775, the son of Elnathan and Dorothy (Freeman) Eldre ..read more

This isn’t my usual post as Emma Dunham Kelley Hawkins is not in my direct line—she is my first cousin, three times removed. I had basic information on Emma since the early days of my esearch. She was born Emma Dunham Kelley on 11 November 1863 at Dennis on Cape Cod, the daughter of Isaac Dunham and Gabrelia (Chase) Kelley (Dennis VR vol 3, p 1061).  Emma’s Misidentification  In 2003 I was contacted by Dr. Katherine “Kathy” Flynn who was researching the ancestral lines of Emma Kelley Hawkins. She informed me that Emma had been identified as one of the first important African Ameri ..read more

Robert Cushman was born Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 4 October 1664 (calculated from age at death), the son of Thomas and Ruth (Howland) Cushman. I wrote about Thomas and Ruth here. He is my 9th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side and is a descendant of Mayflower Passengers John Howland, Mary Allerton and her parents Isaac and Mary (Norse) Allerton, Elizabeth Tilley and her parents John and Joan (Hurst) Tilley. His great-grandfather Robert Cushman was an important Pilgrim leader at Leiden. Robert married Persis Lewis about 1697. She was born Swansea in Bristol ..read more

John Benson was born about 1660-65 (estimated by approximate age at birth of first child) probably at Hull in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, the eldest son of John Benson and his wife whose name is unknown (although there is a great deal of unsubstantiated information about her identity out there). I wrote about his father John here. John is my 8th great grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family. John’s birth was unrecorded and his father did not leave a will, but he is shown to be the son of John Benson through deeds. In 1708 and 1710 John Benson Sr of Mi ..read more

Thomas Freeman was born “at Cape Cod,” which I believe refers to Eastham, on 26 April 1731, the son of Thomas and Dorothy (Cole) Freeman (birth is recorded in a group of births of Thomas Freeman Senior’s children, Harwich Town Records First Record Book p 211, some of his siblings say born Harwich). I wrote about Thomas and Dorothy Freeman here. He is my 7th great-grandfather on my grandmother Milly (Booth) Rollins’ side of the family.  On 17 January 1750[/51] Thomas Freeman Jr. of Harwich married, at Chatham, Esther Rider (also seen as Ryder) of Chatham. (Chatham Vital Records p 53 ..read more

Charles Westgate was born 26 March 1805, at Rochester, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Birth is estimated from age at death. He may have been the son of Benjamin Westgate/Westcott/Waistcoat and Rhoda Hawl/Hall, but I need to find documentary evidence. If anyone has a source for this, I’d love to hear from you! There is a 1824 probate file, no. 22326, for a Benjamin Westgate of Rochester and I was hoping for a will but he died 20 September 1824 intestate. Charles Westgate of Plymouth married Lydia Polden of Plymouth, also spelled Paulding, on 4 November 1827 at Plymouth. (Plymouth VR 1:465) Lyd ..read more

Thomas Howes was born about 1680 in the part of Yarmouth that later became Dennis, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. He was the son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Mayo) Howes. He is my 6th great grandfather on my grandmother Millie Booth Rollins’ side of the family. My research on this family is a work in progress, primarily because of a fire that destroyed many Yarmouth records and a lack of early Chatham records. Thomas Howes of Yarmouth married Content Smith on 11 December 1701 at Eastham on Cape Cod (Orleans-Eastham Vital Records, 1637-1853, p 342). They were married by Jonathan Sparrow, Esq, who is als ..read more

George Morton was born about 1587, possibly in Yorkshire, England. His birth year is based on his estimated age at marriage.  I have not discovered his parents, although there’s plenty of conjecture, mostly in older resources, some stating he was from Austerfield, Yorkshire. His marriage record states he was from York. He is my 11th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family. He was one of the leaders of the Pilgrim contingent at Leiden, Holland, who settled there to practice their Separatist beliefs in peace. He helped conduct business on behalf of the ..read more

John Benson was born in England about 1635. He was less than four years old when he migrated to Plymouth Colony in 1638 on the Confidence, which left Southampton in April, with his parents, John and Mary, and sister Mary. The passenger list spells the name Binson from “Consham” in Oxfordshire. Fred Benson wrote that Consham is an error deciphering old handwriting and should be Caversham. In 1911 the village, which is located on the River Thames, was transferred to Berkshire and became part of the borough of Reading. The family first lived at Hingham and removed to Hull ..read more