David Howes 1768-1843 of Dennisport, Mass. Part II

I wrote about David Howes, my fourth great-grandfather, and his wife Rebecah Baker before. (Visit here for the post.) One thing that bothered me was not finding anything concrete about his maritime career, even though he’s referred to as “captain.” I got some great suggestions on where to look to find more, including trying the Custom House in New Bedford, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day to do the research I’d like to do!

A little recap: David was born Chatham about July 1768 to Thomas Howes and Hope Sears. Although his birth wasn’t recorded, he is shown to be their son through court records.  He married Rebecca/Rebecah Baker on 11 December 1788 at Dennis and they had 10 children, including my great-great-great grandmother Abagail who married Hiram Kelley. Rebecca was born 18 December 1770, the daughter of Shubael Baker and Rebecca Chase. Rebecca died 4 December 1841 and David on 5 February 1843. They are buried side by side at Swan Lake Cemetery in Dennisport.

This week another descendant of David and Rebecca, Marge Howes Perry, sent me information she discovered in the Dennis Historical Society’s on-line archives mentioning Capt. David Howes and the coasting Schooner Hope’s Lady.  Woooo! Marge has been incredibly generous sharing information she discovers with me, including correcting my information when I had the wrong ancestry for Rebecca Baker (those plentiful Bakers and Chases are certainly hard to trace!). Thank you, Marge!

Not great resolution, but here is David's signature from a document

For anyone who has a connection to Dennis and surrounding towns, the Society’s archives are tremendous! I can’t imagine the hours of work the volunteers put in to scan, upload and transcribe so many photographs and documents. Years ago I brought some old family photos for Burt Derick to scan and those have been put on the website. Talk about dedication!! The Society also has a nice monthly newsletter for members that I always look forward to receiving. To view the archives, go to dennishistoricalsociety.org and click on “archives.” They are adding new items constantly.

The Schooner Hope’s Lady was built in Harwich along the Herring River ca 1805 and owned by Job Chase.  Job was David’s step-father, but the only father he knew as his father died when David was five months’ old.  Job was a very successful business man with a large fleet of coasting vessels. He had a tendency for naming his vessels Hope—Hope and Polly, Hope and Phebe, Hope Mary, Delight in Hope, Hope and Hannah, Hope for Peace, Land Hope and more.  I like to think he named them after his beloved wife and that David was at the helm of a vessel named after his mother. Because of the size of his fleet, Chase gave his captains complete discretionary powers in deciding where to go and what to do.  Shipmasters of Cape Cod by Henry C. Kittredge has a nice write up on Job. His son Job continued and expanded his business (Job was son of Hope, so David’s half-brother).

A later schooner, the Effie F. Morrisey aka Ernestina

 Showing what a small world the Cape was, my ancestor Patrick Kelley, a shipwright of Harwich, did work on the vessel, making me wonder if he also built her. Patrick is my fifth great-grandfather, born 1753, died 28 October 1834, married Dorcas Chase.

13 February 1817, 

Bill/receipt, 6 September 1817, Capt. Job Chase from Patrick Kerley (aka Kelley)  for making bow sprit for Schooner Hope Lady, two days, $2.50. Includes jobs for Schooner Rosebud as well, total for jobs $6.79.

I’m not positive it is this David who commended the Hope’s Lady as it could have been his son David who was also a mariner. David was born 1789, so I’m thinking at about age 26 he would be a bit young to command Hope’s Lady, but that may be wishful thinking.

Summary of the documents pertaining to David Howes from the DHS archives:

Landing permit, Plymouth (North Carolina) 12 April 1815, David Howes, Master of the Schr. Hope's Lady of Harwich, permission to land granted, ballast only. 

Demand Note, Plymouth, NC, 13 February 1817, $2,738.05 received on board the schooner Hope Lady bound for Boston under my command, yr ob servt David Howes.

Custom House Receipt, Barnstable, 4 October 1817, Schooner Hope's Lady, Captain House, 1.45 tons, fees $3.23. Originals are available to view at dennishistoricalsociety.org.

Undated listing of Hope's Lady crew and charges, includes Esary Hous 4 times is charge, David  Hous 15 times is charge. Note: Esary is probably David's son Ezra born 1793.

Receipt, Dennis, 21 Feb 1818, Ezra Howes receipt for balance owed to David Howes of $4.99 from an original bill of $19.22 for timber and drawing.

 

John Washburn ca 1672-1750 and Lydia Billington ca 1677 to 1716, Plymouth, Marshfield and Kingston, Mass.

John Washburn was born about 1672 likely in Plymouth, Mass., the son of Phillip and Elizabeth (Irish) Washburn. John is my 7^th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family. Washburn is spelled in a variety of ways in records including Washburne, Washburn, Washband and Washbone.  

About 1698 John married Lydia Billington, probably at Plymouth. She was born about 1677, likely in Marshfield, the daughter of Isaac and Hannah (Glass) Billington. I wrote about that couple here.

John was dismissed from the Plymouth Church in 1703 and made a Deacon. Maybe this was when he first went to Kingston. He and Lydia are in the 1708 Plymouth Church records as being admitted on 31 October of that year so they did return. 

Lydia and John had 10 children, recorded Plymouth Vital Records:

1. John born 19 April 1699

2. Ichabod born 7 Feb 1700/01

3. Mercy born 21 April 1702

4. Elisha born 5 November 1703

5. Ephraim born 6 June 1705

6. Barnabas born 12 February 1706/07

7. Jabez born 10 April 1708

8. Ebenezer born 17 August 1709

9. Thankfull born 24 Feb 1714/15

10. Baby stillborn September 1716

The first seven children were baptized on 27 March 1709 at the Plymouth Church.

Sadly Lydia died giving birth to her 10^th child on 22 September 1716. She was about 39 years old. The record calls her Desire Washburn, confusing her with her sister Desire. "Desre wife of John Woshbon died 23 September 1716 being delevered of a child, both deceased."  Records don’t show a Desire Washburn and the transcription of the Plymouth Church records has Lydia wife of John Warshband dying 22 September 1716.

I descend from their son John who married Abigail Phillips.

In 1708 John Washburn of Plymouth sold land that was his grandfather Irish's to Samuel Bradford.

John married, second, Wiborah/Wybra Bumpus circa 1717. She was the daughter of Joseph and Wybra (Glass) Bumpus.She died 6 February 1743/44 at Kingston and is buried at the Old Burying Ground there.

Wiborah Bumpus Washburn's gravestone (Source: findagrave.com)

John Washburn Jr. served as a grand juror in 1719/20.

During the December 1721 court, John Washburn, Jacob Mitchell etc. of Plymouth petitioned for a way to be laid out "to the mills and Meeting at Jones River." Petitioners complained that the selectmen of Plymouth refused to lay out the way. Court ordered the selectmen to appear at next term to show cause why they did not lay out the way "unless in the mean time they do it." At a later session, the selectmen were advised to go to the place and consider where the way may be best laid out to accommodate the neighbors there in general and accordingly to do it. When the selectmen still did not lay out the way at Jones River, the court appointed a committee to lay out the way and to report at next term. The petitioners were to pay the charge of the committee.

From what I understand, Jones River Village became the town of Kingston. The town has a Jones River Village Historical Society that keeps its headquarters at the Major John Bradford Homestead.

John married, third, at Kingston 13 December 1744, Mehitable (Barrow) Wright, widow of Adam Wright and daughter of Robert and Ruth (Bonum) Barrow. There was no issue by the second or third wife. I also descend directly from Mehitable’s first husband Adam Wright by his first wife.

John lived at Plymouth, then at Kingston where he was a Deacon of the Church.

Because Lydia’s children inherited her part of the estate of her brother, Seth Billington, who died in 1718, there were guardianships on 22 September 1721 for the children of John Washburn. Ichabod, Elisha, Ephraim, and Barnabas Washburn, minors over the age of 14 years, chose Francis Adams, clothier of Plymouth, as guardian. Adams was also appointed the same day for Jabez, Ebenezer and Thankful Washburn, minors under the age of 14. Presumably, John Washburn Jr., aged 22, and Mercy Washburn, aged 19, were considered of age, having attained their majorities at ages 21 and 18, respectively.

On 20 March 1743/44, after the death of his second wife, in two separate deeds, John Washburn of Kingston conveyed all of his property “for love” to his sons Ephraim and Barnabas Washburn. This was followed on 4 April 1744 by a deed from Ephraim and Barnabas Washburn to John Washburn, leasing to their father his homestead and adjacent property for his natural life.  Since his estate was disposed of in his old age, there is no probate for John Washburn.

Deacon John Washburn died 17 June 1750 in his 79^th year and is buried at the Old Burying Ground near the First Church, Kingston, Mass. I’ve also seen his death as 27 June.

John Washburn's gravestone (source: findagrave.com)

I haven’t found a death record for Mehitable Barrow Washburn, but there is a probate file for her in 1754. Her son Samuel Wright was administrator of her estate. She was of Kingston at the time of her death, so I would guess she is buried at the Old Burying Ground there.

Sources Not Listed Above:

Nahum Mitchell, History of the Early Settlement of Bridgewater, 1897

George Ernest Bowman, Washburn Notes,  Mayflower Descendant, volume 15 (1913) and 16 (1914)

Harriet W. Hodge, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume Five, Edward Winslow and John Billington, published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 1997

Charles M. Thatcher, Old Cemeteries of Southeastern, Mass, a compilation of records by Charles M. Thatcher in the late 1880s, 1995