Welcome! I really enjoy exchanging information with people and love that this blog helps with that. I consider much of my research as a work in progress, so please let me know if you have conflicting information. Some of the surnames I'm researching:

Many old Cape families including Kelley, Eldredge/idge, Howes, Baker, Mayo, Bangs, Snow, Chase, Ryder/Rider, Freeman, Cole, Sears, Wixon, Nickerson.
Many old Plymouth County families including Washburn, Bumpus, Lucas, Cobb, Benson.
Johnson (England to MA)
Corey (Correia?) (Azores to MA)
Booth, Jones, Taylor, Heatherington (N. Ireland to Quebec)
O'Connor (Ireland to MA)
My male Mayflower ancestors (only first two have been submitted/approved by the Mayflower Society):
Francis Cooke, William Brewster, George Soule, Isaac Allerton, John Billington, Richard Warren, Peter Browne, Francis Eaton, Samuel Fuller, James Chilton, John Tilley, Stephen Hopkins, and John Howland.
Female Mayflower ancestors: Mary Norris Allerton, Eleanor Billington, Mary Brewster, Mrs. James Chilton, Sarah Eaton, and Joan Hurst Tilley.
Child Mayflower ancestors: Giles Hopkins, (possibly) Constance Hopkins, Mary Allerton, Francis Billington, Love Brewster, Mary Chilton, Samuel Eaton, and Elizabeth Tilley.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Daniel Bryant of Scituate, Massachusetts, born 1659/60

 

Daniel Bryant was baptized at the Second Church of Scituate, Massachusetts on 5 Feb 1659/60, the son of John and Elizabeth (Wetherell) Bryant. His last name is sometimes spelled Briant. He is my 8th great-grandfather on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family. I haven't found a great deal of information on Daniel, so this sketch is a work in progress.

Daniel married Dorothy, whose maiden name is not known, by 1688. They had six children born Scituate:

Mercy born 21 Nov 1688

Elizabeth born 4 Feb 1690/91; died 1722

Dorothy born 5 March 1692/93

Rachael born 3 July 1695; died 20 Nov 1695

Rachael born 10 Jan 1696/97

Elisha born 30 June 1701

I don’t have proof, but I believe it is their daughter Dorothy who married Nathan Nye of Sandwich, Mass. and is my 7th great grandmother.

On 20 April 1692, Daniel Bryant of Scituate, planter, for five pounds, sold to Peter Collamer one half of a Great Lott of upland in Scituate near a place called Grassy Plain that had been granted to his father John Bryant. John had bequeathed half of the lot to Daniel and the other half to his brother John, totaling 57 acres. He signed the deed with his mark.

The 17 June 1692 will of Richard Dwelley of Scituate mentions Daniel Bryant on a long list of people owing a debt to the estate.

At Scituate on 11 May 1697 Daniel Bryant was allowed for his one white horse to be allowed on common, unfenced lands. In 1701, he was allowed a dark bay horse to do the same.

On 29 June 1697 Daniel Bryant sold his division of swamplands to his brother John Bryant.

I have not found death or probate information for Daniel or Dorothy. I’ve read other people having Daniel’s death as 1688 in Scituate and 1692 in Yarmouth, but but he is mentioned in the above 1701 record at Scituate.

Sources:

Dr. Percy Bryant, Descendants of John Briant, Sen., of Scituate, Mass., NEHGR, Vol 48, 1894

Jeremy Dupertuis Bangs, Seventeenth-Century Town Records of Scituate, Massachusetts, V. 3., 2001 

Torrey’s New England Marriages

Monday, April 19, 2021

Isaac Wright (1686-1766) and his wife Mary Cole (ca 1697-1759) of Plymouth and Plympton, Massachusetts

 

Isaac Wright was born 19 January 1686 at Plymouth, Massachusetts (calculated from his age at death), the son of Adam and Sarah (Soule) Wright.  I wrote about Adam and Sarah here.  He was a descendant of Mayflower passengers George Soule and Francis Cooke.  

On 19 December 1717, Isaac Wright married Mary Cole at Plympton, Massachusetts. Mary was born about 1697, probably at Plymouth. She was the daughter of John and Susannah (Gray) Cole. I wrote about John and Susanna here.  Mary and Isaac are my 7th great-grandparents from my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family.

Mary Cole’s parentage is established by the probate of the estate of John Cole which includes a quitclaim dated 15 March 1727 which is part says “we Isaac Wright of Plimpton…& Mary Wright his wife,” said Mary was daughter to Mr. John Cole and his wife Mrs. Susannah Cole both late of Plimpton, aforesaid deceased.

 Isaac and Mary had five children born Plympton:

Susannah born 9 December 1719

Joseph born 16 June 1721

Mary born 30 January 1726

Rachel b. 23 March 1732

Isaac born 3 Sept. 1736

I descend from Joseph who married Sarah Brewster, whom I wrote about here.

Isaac is mentioned in his father Adam Wright’s 9 April 1723 will. He had already deeded Isaac land where he was currently living.

Isaac, yeoman of Plimton, wrote his will 2 July 1760. He left the westerly end of his dwelling house to son Joseph “in consideration of his labour with me after he was of age” and also one half of all other real estate except the easterly end of his dwelling house. His son Isaac was to receive the easterly end of the house and one half of all other real estate except for westerly end of the house. To daughter Mary Thomson he left more than 6 pounds, besides what he had already given her. To daughter Rachel Wright, he gave more than 13 pounds. If anything remained of the estate after debts, funeral charges and legacies are paid, it was to be equally divided among children. Son Joseph named executor. The will was proved 7 April 1766.  His daughter Susannah is not mentioned; she died in 1737 at age 18.

Isaac Wright died Plympton 11 January 1766, aged 80 years “wanting 8 days.”

An inventory of Isaac Wright’s estate was taken 4 April 1766. It included a pew in the meeting house, homestead farm, cedar swamp and iron ore. Total amount of inventory was over 544 pounds.

Mary died 20 July 1759 at Plympton at age 62. Isaac died 11 January 1766 at Plympton. Isaac and Mary are buried at the Old Cemetery on Main Street in Plympton (also called Hillcrest).



Mary’s stone inscription reads:

In Memory of Mrs. Mary Wright

ye Wife of Mr. Isaac Wright

She Decd July ye 20th 1759

63d Year of Her Age

 Sadly, Isaac’s stone is in poor condition so I couldn’t read the inscription. It is two stones away from Mary.



Sources:

Wood, Ralph V. Jr., Francis Cooke of the Mayflower The First Five Generations, Picton Press, Rockport, Maine, 1996

 

Robert S. Wakefield, Mayflower Families in Progress, "George Soule of the Mayflower and His Descendants for Four Generations," third edition, published by GSMD, Plymouth, Mass., 1999

 

Robert S. Wakefield, Richard Wright of Plymouth, Mass., The American Genealogist, Vol 59, July 1983

Monday, April 12, 2021

Eleazer Jackson 1669-1736 and his wife Hannah Ransom (ca 1671-1758) of Sandwich, Plymouth and Plympton, Massachusetts

Eleazer Jackson was born October 1669 at Sandwich, Massachusetts, the son of Abraham Jackson and Remember Morton. His first name is spelled in a variety of ways including Eliazer.

On 29 Jan 1690/91, Eleazer married Hannah Ransom at Plymouth. Hannah was born ca 1671, the daughter of Robert Ransom. Martin Hollick identifies her mother as Abigail, maiden name unknown (see Sources). They are my 8th great-grandparents on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Davis’ side of the family.

Eleazer and Hannah had a huge family with the births of 14 children recorded in Plymouth:

John born on 19 August 1692

Eliezer born on 18 April 1694

Joanna born on 22 February 1695/6

Marcey/Mercy born 28 November 1697

Hannah born 28 April1699

Mary born 15 April 1701

Abigail born October 1702

Deborah born 11 March 1703/4

Content born 22 Nov 1705

Suzannah born 25 July 1706

Ransom born 22 June 1708

Benjamin born 2 Aug 1710

Experience 18 Aug 1713, died 16 Oct 1713

Ephraim 10 Sept 1714

I descend from Deborah who married Joshua Brewster, a descendant of William Brewster of the Mayflower. I wrote about that couple here.

On 10 August 1733, Richard Dwelling of Scituate, Mason, purchased 37 acres at Lakenham in Plimpton from Eleazer Jackson. This deed also included one acre of meadow.

In his will, dated 26 June 1736, and proved 24 Sept 1736, Eleazer Jackson of Plympton named his wife Hannah, three sons Ransom, Benjamin and Ephraim, who were to have his real estate in Plympton and Plymouth after the death of his wife; and his daughters Joanna Harlow, Hannah Pomeroy, Mary Cushman, Abigail Chandler, Deborah Brewster, Content Weston, and the children of deceased daughter Susanne. (Plymouth Co Probate file 11186; 7:226)

Eleazer died 14 July 1736 at Plympton, now Carver, is buried Lakenham Cemetery, North Carver. He is called Lieutenant on his stone which is in very poor condition. I have yet to do research to find if Eleazer’s service went beyond being a Lieutenant in the local militia and whether he was involved in any of the Colonial Wars.

Eleazer's gravestone at Lakenham Cemetery



Inventory of the estate of Eleazer Jackson, late of Plympton included wearing apparel, book, purse, bed furniture, wooden Ware, iron ware, cattle, swine, hay, sheep. Also his homestead, dwelling house, barn and land adjoining. Lot of land in L_____(Lakenham?), common land property in Plymouth and Plympton, Cedar swamp bought of George Bonum, Cedar swamp in the 8th great lot in South Meadow cedar swamp, and privilege of pew in the South Precinct meeting house. Dated 27 Dec 1736, signed Joseph Lucas, Ebenezer Ransom and Samuel Shaw.

Hannah married, as his third wife, George Barrows on 20 December 1736 at Plympton, Massachusetts.

Hannah died at Plympton 30 March 1758, at the remarkable age of 87.  She died just seven days after her second husband George. She is buried at North Carver’s Lakenham Cemetery.

Hannah Ransom Jackson Barrow's gravestone, Lakenham Cemetery



Sources:

Mayflower Families Fifth Generation Descendants, 1700-1880, William Brewster, NEHGS website AmericanAncestors.org

Martin E. Hollick, John Barrows of Plymouth, Massachusetts, NEHGR, April 2012