Luke Perkins was born 17
September 1695 in Beverly, Massachusetts, the son of Luke and Martha (Conant)
Perkins. Luke grew up in Kingston and then his family relocated. Some sources say
they went to Bridgewater but others say Wrentham, where a Luke Perkins was a
blacksmith. Luke and his father were both blacksmiths.
Luke married Ruth Cushman at
Plympton on 28 Jan 1716/17. She was born Plymouth 25 March 1700, the daughter of
Robert and Persis (Lewis) Cushman. Ruth was of Kingston at the time of their
marriage.
Luke and Ruth had three
children recorded in Plympton:
Ignatius, born 15 July 1720,
lived in Wrentham and Freetown.
Hannah, born 2 May 1723, m.
Capt. Nathaniel Shaw of Carver 10 May 1739. She d. 2 May 1802.
Mary, b. 28 June
1726.
I descend through their son
Ignatious who married Keziah Davis.
There also is a Luke Perkins
who came to Bridgewater from Ipswich and was the son of this Luke or his brother
John.
Luke appears many times in
Plymouth Court Records, often as the defendant. In 1720 through 1739 he was of Plympton. In 1739-1742 he was of Middleboro.
In 1720-21: Edmund Tilson (Plymouth Blacksmith) vs.
Robert Cushman (Plymouth Husbandman) and Luke Perkins Jr. (Blacksmith). Debt on
bond for 100 pounds. Cushman pleaded in abatement that his estate was not
attached as the law requires. Abated. Taxed at 1 pound 3 shillings 8
pence.
In 1724/5: Luke Perkins Jr.
(Plimton Blacksmith) by atty Elkanah (Leonard) v. Timothy Barden (Middleboro
Joyner). Case on note payable 10 Feb 1724/25 for 5 pounds 10 shillings. Default
by defendant. Judgment for 5 pounds 10 shillings and costs of 2 pounds 5
shillings.
In 1728: Luke Perkins (Plympton
Blacksmith) vs. Thomas Slack or Stack late of Plympton now of Attleborough,
bloomer, debt on bond dated 21 Jan 1726/27 for 72 pounds. Default by defendant.
Bond chancered. Judgment for 40 pounds 9 shillings 2 pence and 3 pounds 6
shillings costs. Appealed by defendant.
1729: William Randall
(Rochester Husbandman) vs. Luke Perkins Jr. (Plympton Blacksmith) case, on bill
dated 17 Feb 1729. For 5 pounds 15 shillings. Default by defendant.
1737: Isaac Lothrope Jr. vs.
John Shurtleff (Plympton yeoman). Case on book account for 35 pounds 15
shillings 6 pence. On demand for plaintiffs damage of 60 pounds. Default by dft.
Judgment for full amount and 2 pounds 4 shillings 6 pence costs. Appealed by
deft with Luke Perkins Jr. (Plympton Blacksmith) and Thomas Harlow as
sureties.
1738: Robert Brown Esq
(Plymouth) v. Luke Perkins (Plympton Blacksmith) by Attny Elkanah Leonard case
on 3 week note dated 20 Dec 1737 for 36 pounds. To pltfs damage of 60 pounds.
Default by deft. Judgment 36 pounds 18 shillings 8 pence plus costs. Appealed by
deft.
1738/9: Samuel Thatcher
(Middleboro Dealer) v. Luke Perkins Jr. (Plympton Blacksmith or Nailer). Case,
on book account for 11 pounds 14 shillings. Withdrawn. Costs for deft taxed 23
shillings 9 pence.
1739: Peleg Barrow (Plympton
Yeoman) v. Luke Perkins Jr. (Middleboro Blacksmith). Nonsuit. Costs for deft. 19
shillings 6 pence.
1739: Christopher Turner
(Dartmouth Yeoman) v. Luke Perkins Jr. (Plympton Blacksmith). Case continued,
pltf did not appear. Costs for deft. Taxed at 2 pounds 14 shillings 6 pence.
1739/40: Joseph Thomas Esq
(Plympton) v. Luke Perkins (Middleboro or Plympton Blacksmith) by Atty James
Otis Esq Debt on bond dated 19 Feb 1738. Jury for plntf 18 pounds. Appealed by
deft.
1739/40: Lothrop vs. Luke
Perkins Jr. (Middleborough Blacksmith) for 3 pounds 15 shillings 5 pence.
Default by deft.
1740: Abiel Leach (Middleboro
Yeoman) v. Luke Perkins (Middleboro Blacksmith) 2 pounds 17 shillings 6 pence.
Default by deft.
1740: Samuel Bartlet Esq v.
Luke Perkins Jr. (Middleboro Blacksmith) by Attny Otis Little for 18 pounds.
Default by deft. Judgment for 10 pounds plus. Appeale by deft.
1741: John Bishop (Plympton
Bloomer) v. Luke Perkins Jr. (Middleboro Blacksmith) for 2 pounds 6 shillings 3
pence. Default by deft. Judgment for full amount plus expenses.
1742: Joseph Leonard
(Middleboro Husbandman) v. Luke Perkins (Middleboro Husbandman) on note dated 15
May 1740 for 13 pounds in “decknails.” Default by deft. Judgment for 3 pounds 5
shillings plus costs.
1742: Joseph Sutten
(Charlestown Leather Dresser) v. Luke Perkins (Middleboro Blacksmith) for 33
pounds 9 shillings. Default by deft. Judgment 16 shillings 3 pence plus costs.
Luke Perkins, blacksmith, of Wrentham, mortgaged 30 may 1755 to Thomas Arnold of Smithfield, Rhode Island, real estate, blacksmith shop and tools in Wrentham, for 14 pounds, 11 shillings. (Suffolk Records) It seems like this is "my" Luke Perkins, as his family has a connection with this town and he was a blacksmith.
A colonial blacksmith was a respected tradesman in his community, as he was responsible
for creating and maintaining the tools and other items utilized by almost all the other
tradesmen, as well as for households and farms. He practiced his craft in his workshop to turn raw metal,
such as iron and steel, into functional items like horseshoes, farming
hoes, kettles, and barrel supports. This required years of training. From what I've read, it wasn't unusual for blacksmiths to move to where the best demand was for a blacksmith.
He may be buried at the
Old Burial Ground in Plympton with his parents. There is a broken stone propped
up behind Luke and Martha Perkins' stones that is engraved "Luke Perkins"
but no dates visible.
 | |
| Possibly Luke's gravestone, Plympton, Mass. |
I'd love to hear from anyone who knows more about Luke and Ruth!
Source not listed
above:
"An Account of Part of the Family of Abraham Perkins of
Hampton NH, who lived in Plymouth County, Mass.," by Joseph W. Porter, NEHGS,
Vol. 50, page 34-40, 1896
I was quite interested in your blog post. We are both descendants of Abraham Perkins. Your Luke, Sr. was brother to my David. David Perkins and his wife Elizabeth lived in Bridgewater.
ReplyDeleteLuke Jr. Had cousins in Bridgewater which is why he may have gone there. David's son, Thomas and his descendants today, lived there. My ancestor was David's son Abraham who left Bridgewater to go to Rhode Island. He was also a blacksmith.
I enjoy your bog, cousin!
Midge Frazel
Hello Midge: Thanks for your nice words. Isn't it interesting how many men in the family were blacksmiths?
ReplyDeleteHave you read anything about Abraham 1 being a blacksmith? I read that he left a will, but haven't tracked that down yet to see if it mentions blacksmith tools. Chris
Hi there, I am a descendant of Mary Perkins. I believe my Mary was the daughter of Luke and Ruth mentioned above, born June 28, 1726. I'm wondering if you have any information about Mary. I have her as marrying Samuel Dike, in 1747. Do you have any knowledge of what happened to the Mary Perkins, daughter of Luke and Ruth Perkins mentioned in this page? Any help would be appreciated, thank you. Amy
ReplyDeleteHi Amy, I'm sorry but all I have is Mary's birth date. They've been a hard family for me to research! Chris
DeleteHi there, thanks for the reply all the same Chris. I have found the same thing to be true. She is elusive this Mary Perkins. I wondered if she died young but since she's a Mayflower descendant, I am sure that might have been so noted in the records. I will keep looking. I've just turned in my first app. to Plymouth for Mayflower passenger Samuel Fuller. It hasn't been that long so I imagine I'll be waiting a while. I guess that makes us distant cousins of some kind. Thank you again for the reply! You have a great blog! Amy
DeleteHi Chris, I stumbled across your Perkins/Cushman blog and sure enjoyed reading it! We appear to be distant cousins through two Perkins siblings. I am the 6th great granddaughter of Luke Perkins, b. to Luke Perkins and Ruth Cushman Perkins. There doesn't appear to be a vital record of birth for him, just the three you have mentioned. The Mayflower Society Allerton Silver Books has my Luke "named" as the 4th child (after Ignatius, Hannah, & Mary) of Luke Perkins and Ruth Cushman, They state he was "b. ca 1726 (based on age at d.") I had the two Luke's you mention above mixed up on my family tree until a few weeks ago. When I got it corrected it led me to the Allerton/Howland Mayflower lines, and seven different Pilgrims! I am hoping to be able to get this line with my Luke proven. His daughter, Jemima, is in another of my already proven Mayflower lines, so I am hoping that is a plus for me. Wonderful blog! I am glad I ran across it! Jan
ReplyDeleteJan, My apologies for the tardy response. Blogger hasn't been notifying me of comments.I haven't seen your Luke as son to Luke b. 1695. It's always challenging when a birth isn't recorded! That's great he's included i the Allerton Silver Book though, especially since it opens up so many more Mayflower lines for you. Chris
DeleteI have been researching my family for about 5 years and have just worked my way back to the Mayflower. I believe that John Howland, Elizabeth Tilley Howland, Isaac Allerton, Mary Norris Allerton and Mary Allerton are ancestors of mine. I would like to have my research verified by someone with more expertise than I have? Are there people who have the credentials to do this?
ReplyDeleteHello, NEHGS in Boston has professional genealogists for hire. Website is www.americanancestors.org. Chris
DeleteAfter watching Houses With History on HGTV where they restored the 1707 Luke Perkins/Russell homestead in Plympton, I headed to the Internet for more information. There I discovered that Luke III married Ruth Cushman, daughter of Robert Sr. and Persis Lewis. I am directly descended from Isaac and Mary Allerton Cushman and Ruth's brother, Robert Jr. I am relatively new at this genealogy business, but if I can be of any help to you, please feel free to contact me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a small world it is!.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Grant Leary
Carolyn, It was so exciting to see Luke and Ruth (Conant) Perkins' house on television. I had no idea it was still standing and to see it restored made my heart sing. I descend from their son Luke who married Ruth Cushman.
Delete