Ancestors from Dennis/Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Mass. Part 1 B-K

I’m starting a new project…organizing my direct ancestors by the towns in New England where they lived. I love learning about the towns in which they lived and will list my favorite resources. Please add a comment on your family from these towns and your favorite resources as well. Much of the genealogical information is a work in progress! I have blogged about many of the ancestors listed, but some I don't know enough about yet to write a sketch of their lives.

I'm starting with ancestors who lived in Dennis, because that's one of the towns to which I feel the most connected. My grandmother was born in the Ferry Street, West Dennis house her great grandfather Hiram Kelley built in 1829 and she told me so many stories about living on the Cape. Most of my ancestors lived in a part of Yarmouth that spun off into Dennis but I've combined both towns to make things a bit simpler. 

Lots of cozy inbreeding in my Dennis families! Just have to look at the Bakers, Chases and Kelleys--lots of cousins marrying cousins.

Francis Baker, b 1611, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, married Isabel Twining (daughter of William and Anne Twining) and lived in a part of Yarmouth that because Dennis. I descend from three of their children.

1.      Nathaniel 2 b. 1642 who married Mary Pierce by 1670 (Mary was born probably in Duxbury 1644/45, daughter of Abraham and Rebecca Pierce) and died 1691 at Yarmouth, I then descend through their son Silas 3 b. 1678, married Deliverance Kelley 1723 at Yarmouth (Deliverance was born about 1707, Yarmouth, the dau of Jeremiah Kelley and Sarah ?Chase), d. Yarmouth 1752. Then through their daughter Hannah Baker born 1729 at Yarmouth, m. Eleazer Kelley 1749 at Yarmouth (now West Dennis), have not found her death record.

2.      Elizabeth b. ca 1658, married John Chase in 1674; have not found her death record. Then through their daughter Sarah Chase born in Yarmouth, m. Jeremiah Kelley about 1688, died West Dennis 1727.

3.      William, birth unknown, married Mercy Lawrence in 1689 (she was born about 1673 at Watertown, the daughter of George Lawrence and Elizabeth Crispe), died 1727 prob. at Yarmouth. I then descend through their daughter Dorcas Baker, born 1696 at Yarmouth, m. William Chase 1715 at Yarmouth, died about 1745 at Harwich.

Richard Berry, b. after 1622 in England, married Alice ____, 11 children born Yarmouth (now Dennis), including son Samuel who I descend from who married Elizabeth Bell (she was the daughter of John Bell) and raised his family in Yarmouth/Dennis. Their son Samuel 3 Berry b. Yarmouth/Dennis in 1691 married Rebecca Gray of Harwich (I haven’t found her birth info) and they raised their family in Harwich. I then descend through their daughter Thankful Berry who was born Harwich 1716, m. Richard Chase 1735 at Harwich and died Harwich 1807. 

John 3 Burgess, son of John 2 of Sandwich and Yarmouth. He was born ca 1674 probably in Yarmouth and married Sarah Nickerson (she was born Yarmouth about 1644, the daughter of William Nickerson and Anne Busby). He died likely in Yarmouth ca 1723. Their son John 4 Burgess was born Oct 1710 at Yarmouth and married Alice Baker (she was born 1716, the dau of John Baker and Hannah Jones). Their daughter Zilpha Burgess was born 1742 at Yarmouth and she married Samuel Chase of Yarmouth.

William Chase born England about 1595, married Mary ___, lived in Roxbury and then Yarmouth (in an area that became Dennis) where he died in May 1659. I then descend through William 2 Chase born ca 1627, married Mary ____ about 1644, died Yarmouth (now Dennis) 1685.  I then have two different lines from William 2 Chase.

1.      Through William 2 and Mary’s son John 3 Chase, born Yarmouth 1649, married Elizabeth Baker in 1674 (Elizabeth was born ca 1648, daughter of Francis Baker and Isabel Twining) and died 1735. I then have two different lines from John and Elizabeth:

o   Sarah 4 Chase, born ___ Yarmouth, m. Jeremiah Kelley about 1688, died 1727 at West Dennis.

o   Thomas 4 Chase, born 1679 Yarmouth, m. 1^st Sarah Gowell (Sarah born about 1682 the dau of Richard Gowell and Hannah Remick of Kittery, Maine), m. 2^nd Jane Phillips 1727, died Yarmouth 1767.  Then through Thomas and Sarah’s son Richard 5 Chase born Yarmouth 1715, married Thankful Berry (she was born Harwich 1716, daughter of Samuel Berry and Rebecca Gray), lived Harwich and then died Dennis 14 Jan 1794. I then descend through two different children of  Richard and Thankful’s children:

o   Through Richard and Thankful’s son Samuel 6 Chase who was born Yarmouth Feb 1738, m. Zilpha Burgess (she was born about 1758 in Yarmouth, daughter of John Burgess and Alice Baker) and died before 1778 probably in Harwich.

o   Through their daughter Rebecca Chase born Yarmouth 1747, m. Shubael Baker 1764 at Harwich (Shubael was born Yarmouth 1741 the son of Shubael Baker and Lydia Stewart).

2.      I also descend through William 2 and Mary’s daughter Elizabeth 3 who was born about 1656 and married Daniel Baker of Yarmouth/Dennis, died likely in Yarmouth/Dennis before 30 Aug 1711.

John Darby, b. ca 1610 Dorset Co., England, married to Alice ___, immigrated to Plymouth Colony and settled at Yarmouth.  I descend through daughter Mary Darby who married Nicholas Nickerson and raised her family in Yarmouth.

William Eldred/Eldredge, born about 1622 in England, married Ann Lumpkin, settled at Yarmouth where he died about 1679. I then descend through Jehosophat 2 Eldredge, born about 1658 at Yarmouth, married Elizabeth Covell, died 1732 Chatham.  A few generations later James Harding 6 Eldredge, born 1797, Chatham, married Rosanna Wixon, returned to Dennisport where he died in May 1873. I descend through James’ daughter Rosana born Harwich 1826, married Valentine Kelley, and lived in Dennisport next door to her dad. She died there in 1911. 

Ann Gamlett. She was born about 1608, married Samuel Ryder in 1628 at Northampton, England, emigrated and settled at Yarmouth. Haven’t found her parents. 

John Hall, b. ca 1611 Warwickshire, England, married Bethia (Farmer?), 2^nd Elizabeth Larned/Learned or possibly Pease, emigrated to Charlestown and then moved to Barnstable and finally ca 1644 Yarmouth/Dennis where he died in 1696. I then descend through his son John Hall who was born Charlestown 1638, m. Priscilla Bearse 1660-1661, probably at Yarmouth, died 1710 at Yarmouth. Then descend through Esther Hall born Yarmouth 1672, married John Ryder, died Yarmouth 1709-1718. 

Thomas Howes, born England about 1590, m. Mary ?Burr, died Dennis, then Yarmouth, 1665. He was one of the three original proprietors of Yarmouth.  Before that they were in Lynn in 1637. I descend through two of their sons:

1.      Joseph who was b. about 1630, m. Elizabeth Mayo at Yarmouth 1653-56, died there 1695. Then through son Samuel who was born about 1653 at Dennis/Yarmouth, m. Rebecca Howes, died Dennis 1723. Then through their daughter Hope Howes who was born Dennis/Yarmouth about 1682, m. Richard Sears of Yarmouth/Dennis.

2.      Thomas  b. about 1634, m. Sarah Bangs of Eastham about 1657, died Yarmouth 1676. Then through his daughter Rebecca Howes b. 1657 Yarmouth/Dennis, m. her cousin Samuel Howes and died Yarmouth/Dennis after Jan 1723. 

Teague Jones, origins unknown, married wife whose name is unknown, lived at Yarmouth now Dennis where he likely died before 1702. I descend through his son Jeremiah born before 1650 probably at Yarmouth/Dennis and married Sarah Dillingham, and 2^nd Elizabeth Folland, then through  Jeremiah and Sarah’s daughter Hannah who married John Baker of Yarmouth/Dennis in 1699. 

David Kelley/O’Kelley, born Ireland between 1630-1636, m. Jane Powell about 1655 at Plymouth, died Yarmouth/Dennis in 1697. I have two lines from David as my gg grandparents were cousins.

1.      I descend through his son Jeremiah 2 of West Dennis, who was born Yarmouth/Dennis about 1664, m. Sarah Chase about 1688, died Dennis 1728. Then Eleazer 3 Kelley born Yarmouth/Dennis 1697, m. 1^st Sarah Browning in 1721 who was born Kingston RI in 1694, 2^nd Phebe Baker. Then through Patrick 4 Kelley born Yarmouth/Dennis 1723, m. first Bethiah Baker in 1748 at Yarmouth/Dennis, m. 2^nd Elizabeth Ellis in 1782, died Harwich 1800-1810. Then through Patrick 5 born prob Harwich 1753, in 1777 at Harwich he m. Dorcas Chase who was born Harwich in 1757. Then Oliver 6 born Harwich 1795, in 1815 at Brewster m. Priscilla Chase who was born 1796 at Harwich, died Harwich 1883. Then Valentine 7 born Harwich 1828, m. 1852 at Dennis, Rosana Eldredge who was born 1826 at Harwich, they moved to Dennis Port where they raised their family including my gg grandmother Mary Ann Kelley who was born Dennisport 1855, m. David Howes Kelley 1881. Then through their daughter Ethel Kelley who was born West Dennis 1890, m. Wallace Booth 1910 at Brockton, died Falmouth 1981. 

House at 50 Ferry Street, West Dennis built by my ggg grandfather Hiram Kelley

2.      I have a second line through Jeremiah 2, Eleazer 3, Eleazer 4 born Yarmouth/Dennis 1728, m. Hannah Baker in 1749 (Hannah was born 1729 in Yarmouth/Dennis), died 1803. Then Elihu 5, born 1759 at Yarmouth/Dennis, m. Thankfull (possibly Baxter) about 1784, he died West Dennis in 1841. I then go through Hiram 6, born 1800 at West Dennis, m. Abagail Howes in 1820 at South Dennis (she was born 1799 in Dennisport), then David Howes Kelley mentioned above. 

Some of my favorite Dennis resources:

Dennis Historical Society’s monthly newsletter

Burton Derick, Dennis Source Records, Volume 1: Church Records, 2004.

Burton Derick, Dennis Source Records Volume 2: Annals of South Dennis, 2009

Burton Derick, Cemetery Inscriptions of Dennis, MA, 1993

Nancy Thacher Reid, Dennis, Cape Cod: From Firstcomers to Newcomers, 1639-1993, 1996.

Charles Swift, History of Old Yarmouth: comprising the present towns of Yarmouth and Dennis : from the settlement to the division in 1794, with the history of both towns to these times, 1884