The Chandler and Brown Families in Colonial America

In the last several years, I've been especially interested in the lines of my family that intertwine in New England in the early-to-mid 1600s. On a recent trip to Boston, I visited American Ancestors (formerly The New England Historic Genealogical Society) and was able to spend a rainy afternoon in the stacks researching some of these families. In particular, I've been wanting to learn more about my Chandler ancestors, who are on my Dickson/Bellangee line, and married into the Brown family.

Immigrant Ancestors: William Chandler and Annis Bayford

My 10th great-grandparents, William Chandler and Annis Bayford, were from Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire, England, a market town that served as a major coach stop between London and Cambridge/Newmarket. The primary industry in Bishop's Stortford in the early 1600s was malting, the process of steeping, germinating, and drying grain to convert it into malt for use in brewing and distilling.

A contemporary view of Bishop's Stortford, England [source: Bishop's Stortford Town Council]

 

William was the eldest son of Henry Chandler, a glover, and his wife (Anne or Agnes), and was baptized at Bishop's Stortford on October 12, 1595. On January 29, 1622, William married Alice Thorogood. They had two daughters together, Elizabeth (1622-1636) and Sarah (1624-1626). 

Alice died in June 1625 and William married Annis Bayford later that year, on November 6, 1625. Annis was the daughter of Francis Bayford and his wife Johan. At the time of the wedding, William was the father of two young girls from his first marriage. Sadly, young Sarah died at about age two, just a year after his marriage to Annis. William and Annis had seven children together, six of them in Bishop's Stortford before they departed for Massachusetts. Only their youngest, also named Sarah, was born in the American colonies. 

1. William Chandler, b. 1626, d. 1633
2. Thomas Chandler, b. 1628, d. 1703, m. Hannah Brewer
3. Hannah Chandler, b. 1629, d. 1711, m. (1) George Abbot (2) Francis Dane 
4. Henry Chandler, b. 1632, d. young
5. John Chandler, b. 1634, d. 1703, m. Elizabeth Douglas
6. William Chandler, b. 1635, d. 1678, m. (1) Mary Dane (2) Bridget Henchman
7. Sarah Chandler, b. 1638, d. aft. 1713, m. (1) William Cleaves (2) (first name unknown)Wilson (3) Ephraim Stevens (4) (first name unknown) Allen 

William's eldest child, Elizabeth, died in 1636, and two of his children with Annis, William and Henry, also died young. When the Chandler family left England, the children who sailed with them were Thomas, Hannah, John, and William (this was a second William named for his late brother).

The red pin marks the location of Bishop's Stortford in England

The Chandlers in Roxbury

William and Annis Chandler were Puritans who were associated with Reverend John Eliot, a minister from the neighboring parish of Widford. Eliot left England for Roxbury, Massachusetts in 1631 and later became known as the “Apostle to the Indians” for his dedication to converting Native American tribes to Christianity. In modern times these efforts are regarded through a less complimentary lens, but in his own time, Eliot was widely revered for the sixty years he ministered at Roxbury and his interactions with local tribes.

For over 60 years Eliot served the [Roxbury] congregation faithfully and during that time became one of New England's most respected ministers. His duties in Roxbury brought Eliot into close contact with the Native Americans in the area, and he decided in the early 1640s to attempt to convert them to Christianity. Before this undertaking could begin, however, Eliot had to master the Algonquian language. In the absence of phonetic guides and printed vocabularies, this was no easy task. Undeterred, he studied the language diligently for several years under the tutelage of Cochenoe, a Long Island native whom the Puritans had taken captive during the Pequot War of 1637. By 1646 Eliot became sufficiently fluent to begin proselytizing.

Eliot preached to the native tribes for the first time at Nonantum (later Newton), Massachusetts on October 28, 1646. Although he began with a prayer in English, he conducted the major portion of the three-hour service in his listeners' own language. This initial effort was a great success, and within a short time Eliot had converted a number of natives. In addition to preaching and attracting missionaries and funds for future proselytizing efforts, Eliot sought to convert more natives by making Christianity available to them in printed form. In 1654 he published a catechism that served both to summarize Christian religious beliefs and to familiarize the native peoples with his written version of their language. In 1650 he began a translation of the Bible into an Algonquian language. Published in 1663, Eliot's Indian Bible was the first Bible printed in North America. [Source]

In 1637, William and Annis left England with their children and followed Rev. Eliot to Roxbury, where William’s name appears in a record titled “ye Estates and persons of ye inhabitants of Roxbury,” compiled between 1638 and 1640. This inventory notes that he owned 22 acres located near what are now Bartlett and Washington Streets in modern Roxbury. 

In Roxbury records, William’s trade was listed as “point maker," a craftsman producing metal tips for laces that were used to fasten garments before the widespread use of buttons. These were also known as "aglets." 

This is an example of the points, or aglets, produced in William Chandler's time.

William Chandler died on January 26, 1642 of consumption (now called tuberculosis), after a prolonged illness of nearly a year. His widow, Annis Bayford Chandler, remarried twice, first to John Dane on July 2, 1643. 

When he married Annis, John Dane was about 53 and a widower who had already raised four children. Annis was 40 with five children still living at home. In looking at the historical records, it's not clear if this marriage was a great deal for John Dane, as William Chandler apparently left behind a financial mess when he died. In 1649, Dane petitioned the court in Roxbury to settle Chandler’s estate upon him, noting he had “paid more debts of Chandler than ye house and land was worth, and also brought up ye children of Chandler.” John Dane died in 1658, at the age of 71. The Chandler and Dane families remained close. In 1658, Annis' son William Chandler married John Dane's granddaughter, Mary Dane. At the age of 75, having been twice widowed, John Dane's son Francis Dane married Annis Chandler's daughter Hannah, who was then a widow of 60. These Chandler and Dane families settled primarily in Andover, Massachusetts, and were embroiled in the witch trials there in 1692. This will be the subject of a future post.

After the death of John Dane, Annis Bayford Chandler married for a third time, to John Paraminter, on August 9, 1660. Annis was 57 and John was 72. He died in 1671 at the age of 83. Annis lived another twelve years, dying in Roxbury on March 15, 1683, at the age of 80.

The Next Generation: John Chandler and Elizabeth Douglas

William and Annis' fifth child, John Chandler, was my 9th great-grandfather. John was baptized on July 27, 1634 at St. Michael's Church in Bishop's Stortford. He was only seven years old at the time of his father’s death and was then raised by his stepfather, John Dane. 

St. Michael's Church was originally built in the early 1400s, on the site of a 7th century church. It looks much the same today as it would have when John Chandler was baptized in 1634. 

On February 16, 1658, John married Elizabeth Douglas, the daughter of William Douglas and Anne Mattle. William Douglas was born in 1610 in Scotland and Anne was born the same year in Ringstead, Northamptonshire, England. The Douglases settled in Northamptonshire and had three children there before immigrating to Massachusetts in 1640. They lived first on Cape Ann, where Elizabeth was born in 1641, before settling in Boston. William worked as a cooper (barrel maker) and was a member of the First Church of Boston. When he died on July 27, 1682, at age 72, Rev. Simon Bradstreet, the son of Governor Simon Bradstreet and the poet Anne Bradstreet, wrote that Douglas had been “an able Christian, and this poor church will much want him.” 

Elizabeth was sixteen when she married John Chandler in 1658. He was twenty-four. They settled in Roxbury, on a lot adjacent to John’s mother, Annis.

John and Elizabeth Chandler had eight children together:

1. John Chandler, b. 1659; d. 1659
2. Elizabeth Chandler, b. 1661; d. 1688; m. Robert Mason
3. John Chandler, b. 1665; d. 1743; m. Mary Raymond
4. Joseph Chandler, b. 1667; d. 1668
5. Hannah Chandler, b. 1669; d. 1692; m. Moses Draper
6. Mehetabel Chandler, b. 1673; d. 1758; m. John Coit
7. Sarah Chandler, b. 1676; d. 1711; m. (1) William Coit, (2) John Gardner
8. Joseph Chandler, b. 1683; d. 1749; m. Susanna Perrin

Their first child, John, lived only nine months. Around this same time, Elizabeth’s parents and most of her siblings, except her sister Anna, moved from Massachusetts to the growing settlement of New London, Connecticut. Today, Roxbury and New London are two hours apart by car, but it would have been a much longer and more difficult journey in the 1600s. Elizabeth likely did not see her parents and siblings often after this time.

Elizabeth Douglas Chandler was literate and well educated. During her life, she wrote extensively, including a 64-page autobiography entitled "Meditation, or Poem, being an Epic of the Experiences and Conflicts of a Poor Trembling Soul in the First Fourty Years of Her Life." This document survives in the archives of the Yale University Library.

In 1686, John Chandler and his eldest son, John Jr., decided to relocate the family from its longtime home in Roxbury. They were among the first settlers of New Roxbury, which was later renamed Woodstock and became part of Connecticut. They received Lot No. 10 in the first division of land. In 1688, two years after their arrival in Woodstock, Elizabeth moved the younger children from Roxbury to join them. Woodstock was still an hour away from her siblings in New London, but much closer than she had been in Roxbury.

John Chandler died in Woodstock on April 15, 1703. He is buried at Woodstock Hill Cemetery.

After John's death, in 1704, Elizabeth went to live with her daughter Mehetabel Chandler Coit in New London. She also had siblings and many nieces and nephews nearby. Elizabeth died in 1705 and is buried in the old cemetery in New London.

The Chandlers in Connecticut

John and Elizabeth’s youngest child, Joseph Chandler, born June 4, 1683, was my 8th great-grandfather. He was born in Roxbury, before the family moved to Woodstock.

On June 22, 1708, Joseph married Susanna Perrin, the daughter of John Perrin and Mary Polley. Susanna was named for her grandmother, Susanna Bacon Polley, who had immigrated from England aboard the ship Increase in 1635. Her father, John Perrin, had originally lived in Braintree, but at some point moved the family to Roxbury, where the Perrins likely met the Chandlers. After their marriage, Susanna and Joseph settled in Pomfret, Connecticut, just a few miles south of Joseph's family's home in Woodstock.

The Thomas Goodell Homestead/ James Ingalls Tavern in Pomfret was built in 1707, just a year before Joseph and Susanna were married and settled in Pomfret. It shows the style of colonial home that was typical at that time.

Joseph Chandler was made a selectman in Pomfret in 1716 and was admitted to the church on April 20, 1719. That same year, he served on the Committee for the Division of Land in Pomfret. City records from 1726 note that he was a collector of taxes. 

Joseph and Susanna had twelve children, all born in Pomfret:

1. Joseph Chandler, b. 1709; d. 1709
2. Joseph Chandler, b. 1710; d. 1780; m. Elizabeth Sumner
3. David Chandler, b. 1712; d. 1796; m. Mary Allen.
4. Susanna Chandler, b. 1713; d. 1801; m. William Sabin
5. Peter Chandler, b. 1716; d. 1733
6. Dorothy Chandler, b. 1718; d. 1773; m. (1) John Mason, (2) Jonathan Curtis
7. Hebzibah Chandler, b. 1720; d. 1810; m. (1) Bryant Brown
8. Stephen Chandler, b. 1722; d. 1752
9. Josiah Chandler, b. 1724; d. 1798; m. (1) Freelove Carpenter, (2) Lydia Richardson, (3) Mary Blanchard
10. Eunice Chandler, b. 1726; d. 1769; m. Josiah Burlingame
11. Daniel Chandler, b. 1729; d. 1790; m. Violet Burnham
12. Peter Chandler, b. 1733; d. 1816; m. (1) Mary Hodges, (2) Abigail Wales

Joseph died on January 5, 1749 at the age of 65. Susannah died on January 22, 1755 at the age of 75.

The Brown Family and the American Revolution

Joseph and Susanna’s daughter Hepzibah Chandler was born in Pomfret, Connecticut on August 12, 1720. In 1742, she married Bryant Brown, the son of Nathaniel Brown and Deborah Bryant of Killingly, Connecticut. The Browns descended from John Brown of Reading, Massachusetts, who was the family's immigrant ancestor. Hepzibah and Bryant lived for a short time in Ashford, Connecticut, but in 1745 moved to Thompson, Connecticut and settled on a farm given to Bryant by his grandfather. At that time, Thompson was a parish within the town of Killingly, Connecticut, and in 1785 became an independent town.

Hepzibah and Bryant Brown had eleven children together:

1. Jesse Brown, b. 1741; d. 1818; m. Experience Hughes
2. Mary Brown, b. 1743; d. 1772
3. Bryant Brown, b. 1745; d. 1798; m. Mary Dunbar
4. Deborah Brown, b. 1747; d. 1831; m. Eliakim Robinson
5. Joseph Brown, b. 1749; d. 1810; m. Elizabeth Gary
6. Peter Brown, b. 1751; d. 1756
7. Chloe Brown, b. 1753; d. 1756
8. Solomon Brown, b. 1755; d. young
9. Peter Brown, b. 1757; d. 1759
10. Chloe Brown, b. 1759; d. 1814; m. Solomon Wakefield
11. Solomon Brown, b. 1761; d. 1850; m. Betty Wheston

The gravestone of three of the Brown children who died young, located in the West Thompson Cemetery in Thompson, Connecticut. Inscription:
Brown, Peter son of Brant & Hepsibah died Sept 11, 1756 age 5years 5mos
Brown, Peter son of Brant & Hepsibah died Set 15, 1759 age 2years 4 mos
Brown, Chloe daughter of Brant & Hepsibah died Sept 14, 1756 age 3 years

Throughout the 1760s and 1770s, as Bryant and Hepzibah entered middle age, tensions between the American colonies and England steadily escalated. Protests over new taxes such as the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767 gave way to open conflict by the mid-1770s, marked by events like the Boston Tea Party (1773) and the first shots of the Revolutionary War at Lexington and Concord (1775). In 1774, Bryant served as a member of a Killingly committee that sent relief to Boston during during the British blockade.

The Boston Port Act, passed in March 1774 closed the Port from all commerce and ordered the citizens of Boston to pay a large fine to compensate for the tea thrown into the river during the Boston Tea Party. This Act helped unify the Thirteen Colonies in anger against the Crown, and the First Continental Congress met to coordinate a response to this and the other Intolerable Acts. [source: American Battlefield Trust]

As revolution loomed, Bryant was too old to take up arms, but his sons were at the right age to enlist in the fight. While I have not been able to determine if Bryant and Hepzibah's eldest son, Jesse Brown, and their youngest son, Solomon Brown, fought during the Revolutionary War, two of their sons, Bryant Jr. and Joseph, definitely did.

Bryant Brown, Jr. served as a sergeant in the response to the Lexington Alarm in April 1775. This was the first battle of the Revolutionary War, preceded by Paul Revere's famous ride to spread the alarm, and the moment of "the shot heard round the world" on Concord's North Bridge. Immediately following this incident, groups of volunteers were organized in Connecticut to go north to support American efforts in Massachusetts. Following the Lexington Alarm, Bryant served as a sergeant in the 3rd Connecticut Regiment from May 10 - December 16, 1775. This regiment was reorganized, and for the entirety of 1776, Bryant was an ensign in the 20th Continental Regiment under Colonel John Durkee. The 20th Regiment, and presumably that included Bryant, was at Fort Lee when the Americans were defeated by the British under the command of Lt. Gen. Cornwallis (as directed by Gen. William Howe, my husband's 3rd cousin, 9x removed). From January 1, 1777 to April 11, 1777, Bryant was a second lieutenant in the 8th Connecticut Regiment under Col. John Chandler. Col. John Chandler was Bryant's cousin, the son of his mother Hepzibah's brother Joseph Chandler. Bryant resigned from service on April 11, 1777, having served for two years in pursuit of American independence.

A painting entitled North Bridge, Concord, 1775, painted in 1909 by Frank T. Merrill

Joseph Brown, my 6th great-grandfather, also responded to the Lexington Alarm, in a group organized by John Elwell. It's quite likely that he and his brother Bryant headed to Connecticut in the same group of volunteers. At this time, Joseph was recently married to Elizabeth Gary, the daughter of Josiah Gary and Sarah Sprague of Pomfret, Connecticut. The wedding ceremony was performed on March 3, 1774, by Rev. Putnam, likely of the local Congregational Church. Joseph and Elizabeth's first child, Joseph Jr., was born in January 1775, just months before Joseph began his military service.

In May 1775, Joseph enlisted in the 3rd Connecticut Regiment, like his brother, where he served from May 1775 to November 1775. The 3rd saw action at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the Siege of Boston. While this battle ended in American defeat, the British lost more soldiers than they anticipated and were sobered by the fierce fighting from the lesser-equipped Americans. 

...the Connecticut 3rd... served with such distinction and brilliance at Bunker Hill and during the succeeding campaign. A large part of this Regiment was retained as guard at headquarters during the Bunker Hill Battle, but a detachment of Killingly men struck in at the last and helped cover Prescott's retreat. [source]

I don't know for certain where Joseph served between November 1775 and October 1777, but the fact that his second child, Randolph Brown, was born in April 1777 indicates that Joseph spent at least part of 1776 at home with his wife, Elizabeth. By October 1777, he had returned to the American forces, and that month he fought in the Battle of Germantown, an American defeat near Philadelphia, under the command of George Washington. Having survived this battle, Joseph was assigned to the brigade led by Brigadier General Jedidiah Huntington, composed largely of men from Connecticut. After the Battle of Germantown, Huntington's brigade joined Gen. George Washington's army at Towamensing, Pennsylvania, around October 11th and then moved with the army to the Valley Forge area for the winter encampment. Huntington's men helped construct earthworks to defend the encampment. The winter encampment at Valley Forge is, of course, a legendary moment in the Revolutionary War, and it's incredible that my 6th great-grandfather was there with George Washington during those months of cold, hunger, and suffering. Following Valley Forge, Joseph was assigned to the 5th Regiment in the Connecticut Line, part of the Continental Army. He served through 1779.

"The March to Valley Forge" by William Trego, 1883

Once Joseph was home, he and Elizabeth had seven more children together. Sadly, their first three children died in infancy, but the latter seven survived to adulthood.

1. Joseph Brown, b. 1775; d. 1775
2. Randolph Brown, b. 1777; d. 1777
3. Randolph Brown, b. 1779; d. 1779
4. William Brown, b. 1780; d. 1868; m. (1) Bridget Palmer (2) Sarah Loomis
5. Bryant Brown, b. 1782; d. 1814
6. Joseph Brown, b. 1784; d. 1877; m. Abigail Morse
7. Abigail Brown, b. 1786; d. 1849; m. Benjamin Seamans
8. Elizabeth Brown, b. 1788; d. 1868; m. (first name unknown) Manchester
9. George Brown, b. 1792; d. 1823
10. Samuel Brown, b. 1794; d. 1822

This brings us to my fifth great-grandfather, William Brown, and then my fourth great-grandmother, William's daughter Amelia Brown, both of whom I've written about before on this blog.

The Legacy of the Chandler and Brown Families

Like many early colonial families, William Chandler and Annis Bayford founded a lineage that extends across centuries of American history. The Chandlers helped build the towns and institutions of early New England, and their descendants went on to shape communities and industries throughout the nation. Among their many descendants are several notable Americans:

• U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes - The 19th President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes descends from William and Annis Chandler's son Thomas Chandler and his wife Hannah Brewer. William and Annis were his 5th great-grandparents. Rutherford B. Hayes is my 5th cousin, 6 times removed.
• Zachariah Chandler - Zachariah Chandler was a four-term U.S. Senator from Michigan and served as the Secretary of the Interior under President Ulysses S. Grant. He was also a noted abolitionist. He descends from William and Annis Chandler's son William Chandler, Jr. and his wife Mary Dane. William and Annis were his 5th great-grandparents. Zachariah Chandler is my 5th cousin, 6 times removed.
• John Chandler - John Chandler was a state senator and a U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts. He descends from William and Annis Chandler's son Thomas Chandler and his wife Hannah Brewer. John fought in the Revolutionary War as a teenager, and then served in the War of 1812 as a Brigadier General. After the war, he moved to Maine, where he was elected a U.S. Senator from that state. William and Annis were his 4th great-grandparents. John Chandler is my 4th cousin, 7 times removed.
• Seth Carlo Chandler, Jr. - Seth Carlo Chandler, Jr. was an astronomer famed for his discovery of the Chandler Wobble, an off-center motion exhibited by Earth as it rotates on its axis. There is a crater on the moon named after him. Like me, Seth Carlo Chandler, Jr. was descended from William and Annis Chandler's son John Chandler and his wife Elizabeth Douglas, and their son Joseph Chandler and his wife Susanna Perrin. William and Annis were his 5th great-grandparents. Seth Carlo Chandler, Jr. is my 4th cousin, 5 times removed.
• Harry Chandler, Norman Chandler, and Otis Chandler - Three generations of Chandlers owned the Los Angeles Times between 1917-1985 and their surname is well known in Los Angeles. Norman Chandler's wife, Dorothy Buffum Chandler, was a notable arts patron in Los Angeles, and the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, one of the largest performing arts centers in America, was named in her honor. Like me, Harry, Norman, and Otis Chandler descended from William and Annis Chandler's son John Chandler and his wife Elizabeth Douglas, and their son Joseph Chandler and his wife Susanna Perrin. William and Annis were Harry's 6th great-grandparents. Harry is my 5th cousin, 4 times removed. Norman is my 6th cousin, 3 times removed. Otis Chandler is my 7th cousin, 2 times removed.

While I don't know of any famous descendants from the Brown line, when I think of this family, I think of their dedication to their country and community. Joseph Brown, my 6th great-grandfather, served in the Revolutionary War alongside his brother Bryant, and endured one of the most famed hardships of that war, the winter camp at Valley Forge. Joseph's son, William Brown, my 5th great-grandfather, was the town doctor in Mendon, New York, and he provided care to his neighbors during a long and devoted medical career. The way they each served their communities makes me very proud to be their descendant.

The many branches of this particular tree are fascinating, and next up, I'll share details about the Chandler family in Andover, Massachusetts during the 1692 witch trials.

Finding My Second Great-Grandparents: The Kilcullen Family of Sligo, Ireland

Sligo, Ireland

In 2023, I wrote this post about my paternal great-grandmother Sarah Kilcullen, who emigrated from Sligo, Ireland to San Francisco in the early 1900s. Over the years, I'd explored many avenues to try to learn more about Sarah, but hadn't been able to come up with much new information. Her parents were still unknown, as was her place of birth in County Sligo. 

In advance of a trip to Ireland with my family this summer, I dug into my Kilcullen notes again to see if I could make any progress on this mystery. I also searched family history resources in Sligo and found the County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre. Since my upcoming travels included a stop in Sligo, I wondered if I might be able to visit the centre and look at local records, so I sent off an email query. 

Everyone encounters brick walls in their family history research. It can be frustrating and disheartening. It's easy to resign yourself to the idea that some mysteries just can't be solved. However, as I've learned many times in my genealogy work, you've got to keep trying, because the answers are out there. When you are stuck, seek assistance. I wrote the County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre asking for help, and boy did I get it. I'd like to say a huge thank you to Theresa and Lorraine, who received my message two months before I planned to arrive in Sligo, and were immediately responsive. They emailed back and forth with me, they started researching, and then Lorraine met me in Sligo and delivered a treasure trove of information and a handwritten family tree. To say I'm grateful is an understatement, and I'm also deeply appreciative of how quickly they worked. They really went above and beyond for me.

When I first got in contact with Lorraine and Theresa, they recommended I revisit my previous research to see if there were any gaps. In particular, they asked if I had contacted the San Francisco church where Sarah Kilcullen married Thomas Lacey in 1908. There is a marriage license visible online which lists their names and the date, but Lorraine and Theresa reminded me that the church might have more information. Well, of course I'd reached out to the church. Hadn't I? This is a great reminder that a solid research checklist is critical. If I'd created one for Sarah, I might have realized this oversight in my research sooner. It turns out that I had not actually made contact with the church.

I found an email for St. Teresa of Avila in San Francisco and sent them a message. Honestly, I expected nothing. Sarah and Thomas were married in 1908, two years after the great San Francisco earthquake and fire devastated the city, burning over 80% of San Francisco. Would records have been kept as the city struggled to rebuild? If so, would the church still have them 117 years later? The church was moved in 1924 and partially destroyed by fire in 1932, making me skeptical that marriage records would have survived. If they did, would anyone at the church have time to go searching through the old books? Despite the odds, just two days later, I received an email from the church with a scanned image of my great-grandparents' marriage record.

This record was full of information I already knew, including the date of the marriage and the names of Thomas Lacey's parents. It also shows that Sarah's younger sister Annie was a witness to the marriage. There was no doubt that this was my great-grandparents. It also clearly lists the names of Sarah's parents, information my family has been trying to find for many, many years. Thank you, St. Teresa of Avila for keeping and sharing your records! Thanks to them, I finally learned that Sarah's parents were Dominic Kilcullen and Catherine Kerins. I had never heard either of these names before. In all the research I'd done on Kilcullen families in Sligo, they had never appeared as a possibility. I passed along the names to the County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre and hoped they might be able to provide more information about the family.

Entering my busiest work moment of the year, I didn't have time to meaningfully research my newly-discovered second great-grandparents, so I showed up in Sligo in June hopeful that Lorraine and Teresa had been able to uncover more details. I can't really say enough about how lovely they were, and how deeply I appreciate all Lorraine's research and time. She put together a whole family tree, including Sarah's parents, grandparents, and siblings. She researched each sibling in detail, provided information about where the family lived and Dominic's occupation. She answered all my questions and gave me suggestions on what to search for next. It was such a fantastic experience, and I highly encourage anyone researching County Sligo ancestors to contact the County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre. Below, in a nutshell, is what I learned from Lorraine.

The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Sligo

The Kilcullen Family in Sligo

Sarah Kilcullen's parents were married on November 30, 1858 at The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in Sligo. Their marriage register lists them as Dominic Kilcullen of Knocknaganny and Catherine Keirnes of Old Pound Street. Catherine's surname, Kerins, is sometimes found with different spellings, but it is a popular surname in County Sligo, and it is traditionally spelled Kerins, so that's what I'll use here. The marriage registration also lists Dominic and Catherine's parents: Dominic Kilcullen and Alice Dunleavy, and Patrick Keirnes and Winifred Mulrooney.

In my last post about Sarah Kilcullen and her sister Annie, I mentioned that when Annie arrived at Ellis Island on October 10, 1907, she recorded her most recent address as Pound Street, Sligo, and her closest relative as Mrs. James Mulrooney, a cousin. This makes so much sense since learning that her grandmother's maiden name was Mulrooney and the Kerins family lived on Old Pound Street.

The location of Old Pound Street, just south of Sligo's city center

The area where the Kilcullen and Kerins families lived is just south of Sligo's city center. The area is called Knocknaganny, and Old Pound Street is located between R287 and Gallows Hill Road. When my family drove into Sligo this summer, we drove right through this neighborhood, not knowing yet that it was the Kilcullen family home. Now, it is filled with dense housing, just a three minute drive from the Garvoge River, flowing through Sligo's city center. Lorraine told me that when the Kilcullens lived there, it would have been farmland. 

Dominic Kilcullen is listed as a farmer on the baptismal records of his children, but Lorraine told me that at some point he transitioned to selling cattle. She also thought it possible that the Kilcullens may have originally come from Easky, a village located about 26 miles west of Sligo, right on the Atlantic Coast. There is a large concentration of people with the Kilcullen surname there. However, by the time Sarah was born, her family had been settled in the city of Sligo for some time.

A more detailed look at the neighborhood

The Children of Dominic Kilcullen and Catherine Kerins

Lorraine believes that Dominic and Catherine had twelve children:

1. M (perhaps Mary?) Kilcullen (b. 1859-1860)
2. John Kilcullen (b. 1861)
3. Bridget Kilcullen (b. 1863)
4. Dominic Kilcullen (b. 1865)
5. Thomas Kilcullen (b. 1867)
6. Catherine Kilcullen (b. 1869)
7. John Kilcullen (b. 1871)
8. Francis Kilcullen (b. 1873)
9. James Kilcullen (b. 1876)
10. Sarah Kilcullen (b. 1878)
11. Patrick Kilcullen (b. 1881)
12. Annie Kilcullen (b. 1883)

The first child for whom there are birth/baptismal records is John Kilcullen in 1861. However, Dominic and Catherine were married in 1858, and it would be extremely unusual to not have a child for three years after a marriage. Additionally, Dominic's death record was signed by a M. Kilcullen, stated to be his daughter. Lorraine proposed that M. Kilcullen was a first child whose records have not survived, and that her name was likely Mary, given naming patterns amongst Catholic residents in Sligo.

The second child, John, was born in 1861, but given that another John was born in 1871, it is almost certain that this first John died before that time, and the second John was named in his memory. Given that there were two other boys born after the first John, it sees likely that John died sometime between Thomas' birth in 1867 and the second John's birth in 1871, between the ages of 6-10. John's godparents are listed on his baptismal record as Michael Kearns and Margaret Kilcullen. This might be a brother of his mother, Catherine, and a sister of his father, Dominic.

Bridget, the third child, was born in 1862 and her godparents are recorded as Eugene Kilcullen and Anna Kilcullen. They may have been siblings or cousins of her father, Dominic. There are no further records for Bridget in Ireland, either marriage or death, and she does not appear in the Irish Census of 1901. Lorraine thinks this indicates that she either married and was never recorded with the name Kilcullen again, or she emigrated to the UK or America.

Dominic was born in 1865 and his godparents were listed as Eugene Kilcullen and Maria Kearns. On his civil birth entry, his father, Dominic Kilcullen Sr., listed the family's home as Marymount, Sligo. Marymount is a street in Knocknaganny, tucked right between Circular Road and R287, and around the corner from Old Pound Street. There are no further records for Dominic, Jr. in Sligo, and he does not appear in the 1901 census. Lorraine thought it was likely that he had emigrated, and I agree, because there are records for a Dominic Kilcullen in both Los Angeles and San Francisco in the early 1900s that I believe place him in America with some of his siblings.

Thomas Kilcullen was born in 1867. His godparents were Eugene Kilcullen and Sarah Kerins. Thomas's civil birth entry was registered by his father with an address of Cornageeha, which was part of Knocknaganny. Unfortunately, Lorraine located a death entry for a Thomas Kilcullen from Knocknaganny who died on March 17, 1891 (St. Patrick's Day) in the Sligo infirmary from Bright's disease. If this is our Thomas, he would have been 24 years old at the time of his death. He was unmarried and working as a laborer.

Bright’s disease is an archaic term for what is now referred to as ‘nephritis’. Nephritis is an inflammation of the kidneys, caused by toxins, infection or autoimmune conditions. It is not strictly a single disease, rather a condition with a number of types and causes. In glomerulonephritis, the most common type of nephritis, the infection affects the renal basin. In interstitial nephritis, the inflammation affects the space between the renal tubes. There are three main causes of nephritis, each with their own nomenclature. ‘Pyelonephritis’ is kidney inflammation that can develop when an untreated urinary tract infection spreads to the kidneys. ‘Lupus nephritis’ is caused by an autoimmune response during a lupus flare. Nephritis can also be caused by strain and injury to the kidneys during exercise, known as ‘athletic nephritis’. [Source: University of Leeds]

Catherine Kilcullen was born in 1869. Her godparents were Thomas Kilcullen and Eleonora (Ellen) Kerins. Like her sister Bridget, there are no further records for Catherine in Ireland, meaning she likely either married or emigrated. The time period when Catherine was a young woman was a time of frequent emigration by young Irish people, looking abroad for better work opportunities. Lorraine thinks it likely that most of the Kilcullen children left Ireland in their late teens and early twenties.

John Kilcullen (the second) was born in 1871. Lorraine was able to find his civil birth registration but not a baptismal record, so we don't know who his godparents were. We are certain that John emigrated to America in 1898, as Lorraine found him on a passenger list arriving in New York. I'll share more details about the post-emigration lives of the Kilcullen children later.

Francis Kilcullen was born in 1873, and his godparents were John Kilcullen and Maria Kilcullen. This is not completely confirmed, but it looks possible that at the age of 19, Francis joined the military. There is a Francis Kilcullen listed in Militia Attestation Papers who enlisted in the Sligo Royal Garrison Artillery as a gunner in 1896. Lorraine provided me with information about the military presence in Sligo and encouraged me to look at army records to confirm that this is the correct Francis Kilcullen. I'll be doing that soon.

James Kilcullen was born in 1876. His godparents were John Kilcullen and Maria Kilcullen. James can be found in the 1901 census living in Cornageeha with his mother and his younger brother, Patrick. He is listed as a farm laborer. It's unclear what happened to James after 1901. There is a James Kilcullen in the 1911 Irish census, living in a Sligo boarding house and working as a mason, but it's not certain that this is the same James.

Sarah Kilcullen, my great-grandmother, was most likely the next Kilcullen child, born in 1878. As noted in my previous post about Sarah, I have several different birth dates for her, ranging from 1883-1885. Her gravestone says 1883, a full five years after this Kilcullen child was born. Making this more complicated is the fact that the priest neglected to record the name of the female Kilcullen child baptized in Sligo on March 31, 1878. Civil records for this birth cannot be located, either. However, the two children born after this are clearly recorded, so this is really the only child that could be Sarah. Lorraine explained that while birth dates were noted accurately in baptismal records, ages often jump around in other records. For instance, Sarah's mother Catherine is listed as being age 50 in the 1901 Census. However, her baptismal record notes that she was born on January 13, 1841, which means she was actually 60 in 1901. Lorraine said that when the 1908 Old Age Pension was introduced, some people's ages jumped twenty years in the records, to ensure they'd qualify for the pension early. So, other than the initial baptismal record, ages and dates of birth can be taken with a grain of salt.

Patrick Kilcullen was born in 1881. His godparents were Dominic Kilcullen and Bridget Kilcullen. Patrick can be found in the 1901 census living in Cornageeha with his mother and his older brother James. Unfortunately, seven years later, Patrick died at the age of 27. His death record was registered by his brother James, so James was still living in Cornageeha in 1908. On the death record, Patrick is listed as a laborer. It says his cause of death is bronchitis and throwing up of blood, and indicates that he had been suffering from this condition for two years.

Annie Kilcullen was the last of the Kilcullen children, born in 1883. Her given name appears to have been Anne Maria. Like her sister Sarah, Annie's birth date varies wildly in records after her baptism. Immigration records indicate a birth anywhere from 1887-1889. It appears that Annie may have emigrated to America in her late teens, returned to Ireland, perhaps to care for her ailing mother, and then left for America permanently after that time. I'll provide more detail on this in an upcoming post about the Kilcullen children in America.

The Deaths of Dominic Kilcullen and Catherine Kerins

Dominic Kilcullen died on December 15, 1890, at the age of 66. The cause of death was Hemiplegia, which can mean many things, but likely refers to a stroke. His death record was signed by M. Kilcullen, his daughter, who resided on Circular Road. This road is adjacent to Old Pound Street. My great-grandmother Sarah would have been about 12 years old when her father died. Her sister Annie, the youngest Kilcullen sibling, would have been just 7 years of age.

Catherine Kerins Kilcullen died on March 30, 1907, at the age of 66. The cause of death was Influenza. Her death was registered by Annie Kilcullen, Sarah's younger sister. 

Lorraine believes that Dominic and Catherine would have been buried in Sligo Cemetery, just a 10 minute walk from Old Pound Street, but that their graves are likely unmarked.

Sligo Cemetery

The Kilcullen Children in America

A number of the Kilcullen children emigrated from Sligo to America. We know for certain that Sarah and Annie moved to San Francisco, married, had children, and died there. John and Dominic also went to America, and perhaps other Kilcullen siblings, as well. In my next post, I'll share the research I'm doing on what happened to the Kilcullens who left Ireland.

Again, a huge thank you to Lorraine and Theresa at the County Sligo Heritage & Genealogy Centre. I had not even hoped to receive this much information about the Kilcullens, who've been unknown to us for so long. I'm very grateful, and I know the cousins who read this will be, too.

Genealogy Goals for 2025

It's a new year and time to set my genealogy-related goals for 2025.

I started off 2024 with a bang, writing four lengthy posts between January and June. Those Capen, Gorton, Coles, Carpenter, and Arnold ancestors were very colorful and interesting, and those posts were really fun to write. Then, I wrote nothing from June until December. While I would love to have more time for writing in 2025, a look at my Google Calendar tells me that my schedule will be worse, not better, in the coming year. I will do my best to keep posting, though!

In 2024, I did get to attend a couple of (virtual) genealogical society meetings, and I dove into some Y-DNA issues with my dad. I continued researching and then writing about my early American ancestors. These are all wins.

For 2025, I think I will refrain from setting specific goals, and instead say that my general focus will be to research and write as much as possible, given the complexities of my schedule. Genealogy is a fun thing, not something I need to be worried about in terms of checking boxes right now. I do plan to continue writing about my early American ancestors on my Griffin line, especially those who lived in New York. From there, we'll see how it goes.

May you have a wonderful 2025!

Carpenter and Coles Ancestors: Founders of Musketa Cove (Glen Cove), New York

Glen Cove, New York - Formerly Musketa Cove

My last several articles have featured immigrant ancestors who helped found Rhode Island in the 1630s, including Samuel Gorton and Mary Maplet, Robert Coles and Mary Hawkhurst, and William Carpenter and Elizabeth Arnold. They all had children who moved from Rhode Island to Oyster Bay, on Long Island in New York, in the mid-1600s. Several of my family lines converge here, and would move around New York in the following centuries, leading to my second great-grandfather, John Thorne Griffin. John was born into a family of carpenters and ship builders in 1838. His early New York ancestors founded the community of Musketa Cove (now called Glen Cove) and the saw mill at the heart of that town in 1668.

Founders of Musketa Cove

On May 24, 1668 Joseph Carpenter of Warwick Rhode Island purchased about 2,000 acres of land to the northwest of the Town of Oyster Bay from the Matinecock Indians. Later in that year he admitted four co-partners into the project – three brothers, Nathaniel, Daniel, and Robert Coles, and Nicholas Simkins, all residents of Oyster Bay. The five young men named the settlement “Musketa Cove,” which in the Matinecock language means “this place of rushes.” These settlers have been known forever after as the five original proprietors of Musketa Cove. [Source: Glen Cove Public Library]

Glen Cove, New York today

The Descendants of William Carpenter and Elizabeth Arnold

In my last post, I wrote about my immigrant ancestors William Carpenter and Elizabeth Arnold. After emigrating to the American Colonies in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet, my 9th great-grandparents helped found Providence, Rhode Island. Their eldest son, Joseph Carpenter, is considered a founder of Musketa Cove (now called Glen Cove) on Long Island. 

Joseph Carpenter (my 8th great-grandfather) was born about 1636 in Providence, Rhode Island. Upon reaching maturity, Joseph moved to nearby Warwick and established a corn mill. In 1659, he married Hannah Carpenter, the daughter of William Carpenter and Abigail Briant. Hannah's father, William Carpenter, was unrelated to Joseph Carpenter's family, and the identical surnames are simply a coincidence.

Warwick town records show that Joseph Carpenter ran a corn mill adjacent to his home on the south side of the Pawtuxet River. By 1662, however, he was visiting Oyster Bay, on Long Island in New York, and negotiating with the native Matinecock people to buy land there. Oyster Bay lies south of Warwick, and would take about 3 hours to reach via car or 2.5 hours to reach via boat today. It's not clear how Joseph traveled between those two locations, but it would have been a longer journey in the 1660s. 

Dutch explorers named Oyster Bay in 1615 for its abundance of shellfish. The well-protected bay provided food for the Matinecock Indians and then became a magnet for traders, fishermen, shipbuilders, and sailors. The bay was the boundary between the Dutch New Amsterdam colony and the English New England colonies. [Source: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation]

Joseph's intent was to purchase of several hundred acres of land on either side of the stream that flowed along what is now Glen Street, where he planned to construct both a saw mill and a grist mill. This process took several years, and it's possible Joseph and his family did not actually move to New York until 1667/1668.

On May 24, 1668 Joseph Carpenter of Warwick Rhode Island purchased about 2,000 acres of land to the northwest of the Town of Oyster Bay from the Matinecock Indians. Later in that year he admitted four co-partners into the project – three brothers, Nathaniel, Daniel, and Robert Coles, and Nicholas Simkins, all residents of Oyster Bay. The five young men named the settlement “Musketa Cove,” which in the Matinecock language means “this place of rushes.” These settlers have been known forever after as the five original proprietors of Musketa Cove Plantation. [Source: Glen Cove Public Library]

A colonial map of Musketa Cove

Joseph Carpenter and Hannah Carpenter had five children together:

1. Hannah Carpenter (b. 1659; d. 1720; m. William Thorneycraft)
2. Tamsin Carpenter (b. 1660; d. 1706; m. John Williams)
3. Joseph Carpenter (b. abt. 1662; d. abt. 1692; m. Ann Thorneycraft)
4. William Carpenter (b. 1666; d. 1749; m. Elizabeth)
5. Nathaniel Carpenter (b. 1668; d. 1730; m. Tamar Coles)

In 1670, Hannah Carpenter died at the age of 30. Before her death, Hannah had inherited property in Pawtuxet from her father, William Carpenter, upon his death. In 1673, her widower, Joseph, deeded that property to her brother, Abiah Carpenter, keeping that parcel in William's Carpenter's family. In exchange, Abiah transferred some property he had obtained in Musketa Cove to Joseph, enlarging his holdings.  

Joseph remarried in 1674, to Anna Weeks. Anna was born in Oyster Bay in July 1651. She was the daughter of Francis Weeks, an English immigrant to New York, and his wife Elizabeth. Anna was 23 at the time of her marriage, 16 years younger than her husband, who was 39. Joseph and Anna had three children together:

1. Benjamin Carpenter (b. abt 1676; d. 1746; m. Mercy Coles)
2. Ann Carpenter (b. abt 1676; m. Samuel Weeks)
3. John Carpenter (b. 1683; d. 1760; m. Martha Feake)

Tamar and Mercy Coles, who married half-brothers Nathaniel Carpenter and Benjamin Carpenter, were sisters. They were granddaughters of my 9th great-grandparents Robert Coles and Mary Hawkhurst. Martha Feake, who married John Carpenter, was the granddaughter of my 10th great-grandparents, Robert Feake and Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, the founders of Greenwich, Connecticut. A lot of my family lines collide in Musketa Cove.

Glen Cove, New York

The Descendants of Robert Coles and Mary Hawkhurst

My 9th great-grandfather, Robert Coles, also arrived in America in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet. Like William Carpenter, he was a founding father of Rhode Island. His second marriage, to Mary Hawkhurst Coles, produced five children, including sons, Daniel, Nathaniel, and Robert Coles, Jr. After Robert's death, Mary married Matthias Harvye. In 1662/1663, Mary and Matthias moved to Oyster Bay, on Long Island, in New York. Mary's three sons went with them.

On April 3, 1663 he [Matthias] sold his share of the Mill property (he was part owner) for L150 as well as his dwelling house, 18 acres (12 of which had belonged to Robert Coles). Sometime before December 10, 1663, he along with his wife and her children by Robert Coles, as well as several of their Warwick neighbors moved to Oyster Bay, Long Island. He purchased twenty acres of land from John Richbell on October 29, 1664. Through the years he continued to acquire property through grants and purchases. [Source: Matthias Harvye, a Very Public Man." New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Vol. 123 (1997) pp 11-16]

Daniel Coles, my 8th great-grandfather, was born in 1637 in Ipswich, Massachusetts. In 1662, at the age of 25, he married Mahashalalhasbaz Gorton, daughter of the infamous Samuel Gorton. It was around this time that he moved to Oyster Bay, where he served as constable for a couple of years.

Nathaniel Coles married Martha Jackson, daughter of Robert Jackson, on August 30, 1667. Martha gave birth to their son, Nathaniel Coles, Jr. in Oyster Bay on August 24, 1668. 22-year old Martha died just weeks later, on September 17. As Nathaniel worked with his brothers to establish Musketa Cove, he was grieving the very recent death of his young wife and caring for a newborn baby. Nathaniel later married Deborah Wright, the sister of his brother Robert's wife, Mercy Wright. 

Robert Coles, the youngest Coles brother, was about 20 in 1668, the year Musketa Cove was settled. In 1670 he married Mercy Wright of Oyster Bay, the daughter of Nicholas Wright, and they went on to have nine children together. Later, in 1700, Captain Robert Coles served as Oyster Bay’s Company Commander in John Jackson’s militia regiment.

Arriving in Oyster Bay with their mother and stepfather in 1662/1663, the three Coles brothers decided to forge their own path. They connected with Joseph Carpenter and Nicholas Simkins, both of whom had also come to Oyster Bay from Rhode Island, and founded a new community and milling operation. They purchased about 2,000 acres of land from the Matinecock Indians and built a saw mill and homes, calling the fledgling town Musketa Cove.

The five proprietors built their homes along a narrow dirt road on a hill overlooking the saw mill. The street would become known as “The Place." The western-most home lot was that of Daniel Coles; the eastern-most of the five originals was of his brother Robert Coles. [Source: Glen Cove Heritage]

All three Coles brothers played critical roles in the early years of Musketa Cove, but Robert's contributions are the best documented.

Robert Coles served as informal “keeper” of the “Musketa Cove Proprietors’ Book”, a large, vellum-covered record book containing manuscript copies of the land transfers and legal agreements of the “Five Proprietors.” In addition to these official documents, Coles used the book to record his personal household accounts as well as the accounts pertaining to his one-fifth interest in the saw mill. These accounts have shed considerable light on the day-to-day life in Glen Cove in the 1670’s and 1680’s. Thousands of feet of boards and planks were exported to New York City by sloop for use in new construction as well as export to lumber-hungry colonies (like the sugar plantations of the Barbados) elsewhere. In addition, wainscoting, tile laths, roofing tile laths, ship timbers, “feather-edged boards” and custom-cutting of walnut and cedar were available from the Musketa Cove saw mill.

The coastal trading ships which carried Musketa Cove’s lumber to market in Manhattan gave local residents ready access to consumer goods from one of the largest cities in North America. If one needed a new hat, “Christian the boatman” would procure one and deliver it on his return trip to Musketa Cove. In this era, 7 shillings would by a pair of good quality shoes, or a pair of men’s stockings, or two and a half bushels of corn. A pound of tobacco cost a mere 6 pence, and clay pipes were a penny a piece. Rum appears regularly in the accounts. [Source: Glen Cove Heritage]

Robert Coles' house still stands at 34 The Place. It has been much revised since it was initially built, when it measured a modest 20x30'. The original building remains and forms the portion of the house to the right in the photo below. It is the oldest home in Glen Cove.

The Robert Coles homestead in Glen Cove, circa 2020.

The founders of Musketa Cove set aside space for a cemetery, which is in poor condition today but still exists at 82-92 McLoughlin Street in Glen Cove. It is unmarked and tucked between the Dickson Garden Apartments and McLouglin Street. The land was originally part of Joseph Carpenter's home lot, and it is believed that he, and perhaps some of the other original five proprietors of Musketa Cove, are buried there, along with their families and descendants.

The Carpenter and Coles families set the stage for a group of New York-based ancestors who were absolutely fascinating. I plan to share more about them in future posts.

The Carpenter and Arnold Families of Rhode Island

A map of Providence, Rhode Island in 1664, with the properties of original settlers shown.

In my previous posts about two of my 9th great-grandfathers Samuel Gorton and Robert Coles, I mentioned another of my 9th great-grandfathers, William Carpenter, who lived in close proximity to Gorton and Coles in colonial Rhode Island. While Samuel and Robert were known for their unwillingness to conform, both in religion and in society, William Carpenter apparently lived an upstanding and controversy-free life as a founding settler of Rhode Island. He was the brother-in-law of Benedict Arnold, who served three times as the governor of Rhode Island, and William held a number of community roles during his lifetime. Rhode Island may have been the refuge of nonconformists and troublemakers, but for the Carpenter and Arnold families, it was a place to build a new and idealistic community and serve that community in leadership.

William Carpenter was born in 1610 in Amesbury, Wiltshire, England. Amesbury is a small but scenic village located near the River Avon, and is known for being the home of Stonehenge, the world-famous prehistoric megalithic monument and archaeological site. Recently, Amesbury was also declared to be England's oldest settlement.

Carbon dating of bones of aurochs – the giant cattle that were twice the size of today's bulls – at the Blick Mead dig site, has shown that Amesbury has been continually occupied for each millennium since 8,820BC. Older than Thatcham, occupied since 7,700BC, it is in effect where British history began. [source: The Guardian]

Stonehenge [Source]

Little is known of William's early years. His father was Richard Carpenter, likely from Amesbury or the area immediately surrounding it in Wiltshire, but his mother is not known.

In 1634, William married Elizabeth Arnold. Elizabeth, who was born about 1611 in Ilchester, Somerset, England, was the daughter of William Arnold and Christiana Peak. In the early 1600s, her father, William Arnold served as the warden of St. Mary's Church in Ilchester.

A contemporary view of St. Mary Major in Ilchester

[William] Arnold had been important to his church in England, and Samuel Gorton writes in Simplicity's Defence that Arnold had been a great professor of religion in the west of England. Once in the New World, he became one of the original 12 members to organize the first Baptist Church in Providence, founded by Roger Williams in 1638. This church was also the first Baptist church established in America. [source: Wikipedia]

It is unknown how William Carpenter and Elizabeth Arnold met. Ilchester and Amesbury are about an hour apart via car in the modern day, so it would have been a much longer journey in the 1600s. However, Ilchester was a market town, and it's possible that William went there on business of some sort. The Arnolds were influential in Ilchester and it's likely that William and Elizabeth settled near them after their marriage.

The distance between Amesbury and Ilchester, southwest of London

Elizabeth had two brothers, Stephen and Benedict, and one sister, Joanna. She also had two first cousins that were close with her family, Frances Hopkins and Thomas Hopkins, the children of Elizabeth's late aunt, Joanna Arnold Hopkins.

In 1635, the Arnold family decided to leave England and settle in the American colonies. No exact reason for this decision has been recorded, but most religious figures departing England at that time were Puritans who hoped to create churches that reformed the problems they saw in the Church of England.

Beginning in 1630 as many as 20,000 Puritans emigrated to America from England to gain the liberty to worship God as they chose. Most settled in New England, but some went as far as the West Indies. Theologically, the Puritans were "non-separating Congregationalists." Unlike the Pilgrims, who came to Massachusetts in 1620, the Puritans believed that the Church of England was a true church, though in need of major reforms. Every New England Congregational church was considered an independent entity, beholden to no hierarchy. The membership was composed, at least initially, of men and women who had undergone a conversion experience and could prove it to other members. Puritan leaders hoped (futilely, as it turned out) that, once their experiment was successful, England would imitate it by instituting a church order modeled after the New England Way. [source: Library of Congress]

Elizabeth's brother, Benedict Arnold, a future President and Governor of Rhode Island, wrote a memoir later in his life. In it he recalled his family's journey to America.

Memorandom my father and his family Sett Sayle ffrom Dartmouth in Old England, the first of May, friday &. Arrived In New England. June 24° Ano 1635. Merom. We came to Providence to Dwell the 20th of April 1636. per me Bennedict Arnold.

Together on this journey were William Arnold, his wife Christiana, and their four children, daughters Elizabeth (23) and Joanne (17), and sons Benedict (19) and William (12). They were accompanied by Elizabeth's husband, William Carpenter, Elizabeth's cousins, Thomas Hopkins (19) and Frances Hopkins (21), and Frances Hopkins' husband, William Mann. Also traveling with them were a family from nearby Yeovil, in Somerset. They were Stukeley Westcott and his wife Juliana, along with their six children. The relationship between the Arnold and Westcott families is unclear, but one of the Westcott children on that voyage, Damaris, would later marry Benedict Arnold in Rhode Island. The Arnold and Westcott families departed from Dartmouth, England on May 1, 1635 and arrived in Massachusetts on June 24, nearly a two-month journey across the Atlantic Ocean. 

In mid-1635, Massachusetts saw a great influx of emigrants from England. In June and July alone, at least fifteen ships arrived carrying new settlers. However, William Carpenter, my 9th great-grandfather, was the first person with the surname Carpenter to permanently settle in the American Colonies. 

The Arnold and Carpenter families lived first at Hingham, Massachusetts, about 15 miles south of Boston. They were in Hingham for less than a year, however, and soon moved on to Providence, Rhode Island, where they arrived on April 20, 1636. 

An artist's rendering of Roger Williams arriving in Providence, greeted by the Narragansett people

Providence Plantation was founded by Roger Williams and five fellow settlers sometime in the Spring of 1636. As mentioned in previous posts, Roger Williams was banished from Massachusetts in 1635 due to his strong belief in the separation of church and state, something that ran counter to the very foundations of society in Massachusetts. The original Pilgrims and the Puritans that followed had come to the colonies specifically to create a godly society, and religion was at the center of their civic life. After his banishment, Roger Williams moved south into Narragansett territory, across the Sekonk River from Plymouth Plantation, where Massachusetts authorities had no jurisdiction. With Williams were four other men, William Harris, John Smith, Francis Wickes, and Thomas Angell. They were joined shortly thereafter by Joshua Verin, and the group negotiated with the Narragansetts for land in March 1636. 

The Arnolds and Carpenters arrived in Providence in April 1636. The connection between the Arnold/Carpenter family and Roger Williams isn't clear, but given how closely they followed Williams' path to Providence, it seems likely that they encountered each other in Massachusetts.  

William Carpenter and William Arnold's names are listed as original proprietors of Providence in a deed created by Roger Williams on October 8, 1638. There were fourteen men noted on this deed:

1. Roger Williams
2. Stukeley Westcott 
3. William Arnold
4. Thomas James
5. Robert Coles
6. John Greene
7. John Throckmorton
8. John Sweet
9. William Harris
10. William Carpenter
11. Thomas Olney
12. Francis Weston
13. Richard Waterman
14. Ezekiel Holyman

Included in this list was Stukeley Westcott, who had accompanied the Arnolds on their journey from England to the colonies. The Westcotts had initially gone to Salem after arriving in Massachusetts, and likely crossed paths with Roger Williams, who lived in Salem until his ouster in 1636. The Westcotts relocated to Providence in 1638, reuniting with the Arnold and Carpenter families. Also on this list of founders is my 9th great-grandfather, Robert Coles, who was at that point on a redemptive path after years of destructive behavior in Massachusetts.

The land that Roger Williams, and shortly thereafter, the Arnolds and Carpenters setttled, in modern-day Providence, was then the home of the Narragansett people. In his book The Arnold memorial; William Arnold of Providence and Pawtuxet, 1587-1675, and a genealogy of his descendants (pub. 1935), author Elisha Stephen Arnold said that William Arnold, "...felt for the Indians a conscientious kindliness and in his dealings with them was actuated by a sense of strictest justice." William Arnold, like Roger Williams, learned the Narragansett language and acted as interpreter for the native people with the English settlers on many occasions.

The Arnold contingent spent only a short time in Providence proper. They soon relocated about four miles south of town, along the Pawtuxet River. William Arnold was the first Englishman to settle in Pawtuxet, which later became the town of Cranston. He built a home in the wilderness about a mile north of the Pawtuxet Falls and was shortly followed by William Harris, William Carpenter, and Zachariah Rhodes (William's son-in-law). Rhodes and his brother-in-law Stephen Arnold built a grist mill near the falls and laid out what became known as the Arnold Road, which headed northward from Pawtuxet to join the Pequot Trail.

In 1639, William Arnold was one of twelve men who founded the first Baptist church in America. This church still exists and holds regular services. It is located at 75 North Main Street in Providence. While the church's website only mentions Roger Williams as their founder, in reality, it was a group effort that involved most of Providence's founding fathers. Church founders included Thomas Olney and Ezekiel Holyman. Holyman was the person who later baptized Roger Williams at the church. The group also included William Arnold, known throughout England and the Providence colony for his thoughtful study and practice of religion. As a religious leader and prominent landowner in the new settlements of Providence and Pawtuxet, Arnold held an important role in the community.

William Carpenter was also very involved in civic life. He was a carpenter by trade and built some of the homes in the Pawtuxet, including his own. He also acted as an surveyor of sorts, laying out paths for roads and bridges, and drawing boundary lines. He was appointed by Boston authorities as one of four men designated to keep the peace in Pawtuxet. He served as a commissioner and deputy for Providence to Rhode Island's General Court Assembly, acted as a warden (magistrate) in the General Court of Trials, served as town meeting moderator, and was elected to the Providence town council, just to name some of his roles. He also seems to have been a minister, as he performed the marriage ceremony for his daughter Priscilla to William Vincent.

William Carpenter and Elizabeth Arnold Carpenter raised their eight children in Pawtuxet.

1. Joseph Carpenter (b. 1635, d. 1683, m. (1) Hannah Carpenter (2) Anna Weeks)
2. Lydia Carpenter (b. 1638, d. 1711, m. Benjamin Smith)
3. Ephraim Carpenter (b. 1640, d. 1703, m. Susannah Harris)
4. Timothy Carpenter (b. 1643, d. 1726, m. Hannah Burton)
5. William Carpenter (b. 1645, d. 1676)
6. Priscilla Carpenter (b. 1648, d. 1690, m. William Vincent)
7. Silas Carpenter (b. 1650, d. 1695, m. Sarah Arnold)
8. Benjamin Carpenter (b. 1653, d. 1711, m. Mary Tillinghast)

Joseph Carpenter's wife was Hannah Carpenter, daughter of William Carpenter and Abigail Briant of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. While they had the same surname, they were not related.

Priscilla's husband, William Vincent, was her first cousin, the son of Frideswide Carpenter Vincent, William Carpenter's sister. 

Silas Carpenter's wife, Sarah Arnold, was the granddaughter of William Arnold and Christiana Peake, by their son Stephen. This means Silas and Sarah were first cousins once removed.

In 1640/1641, Providence, and the Arnolds/Carpenters by extension, faced one of the biggest problems to bedevil their new community. It was the arrival of my 9th great-grandfather Samuel Gorton, whose tumultuous journey through Rhode Island I chronicled in a previous post. The Arnolds and Carpenters were not fans of Gorton, to say the least.

Samuel Gorton. Not the most popular man in Rhode Island.

Having been banished from Aquidneck, Samuel Gorton and his followers came to Providence, where Gorton immediately made himself known by refusing to follow local regulations and stirring up the populace with his radical religious beliefs. Roger Williams did not allow Gorton to be recognized as a Providence resident, since Gorton fundamentally disagreed with the governmental systems Williams had created there.

The differences between Williams and Gorton were not on religious grounds but on the question of the concept of government. Gorton, in 1641, again attempted to be received in “town fellowship,” and again he was refused. The man who most strenuously opposed Gorton’s application at this time was William Arnold, who asserted that Gorton was “an insolent, railing and turbulent person” and that he had divided Providence “into parties aiming to drive away its founders.”

The bitter feelings that grew between Arnold and Gorton lasted for the lifetime of both men and were responsible for many of the disturbing events of the early period. Serious difficulties arose in Providence in November 1641, when a group of “eight men orderly chosen” rendered a decision against one of Gorton’s followers, Francis Weston, and attempted to confiscate his cattle. The Gortonists, which included Gorton, John Greene and Randall Holden, rallied behind Weston and rescued him and his cattle. A riot occurred as a result and blood was shed. Arnold and 12 others protested, and when Gorton and his followers moved into the Pawtuxet area three of the original Pawtuxet purchasers, William Arnold, Robert Cole and William Carpenter, as well as Benedict Arnold, William Arnold’s son, offered themselves and their land to the protection of Massachusetts in September 1642. [Source: Warwick Beacon, 2011]

When I wrote about Samuel Gorton, I reviewed a number of sources relating to the events that led up to the fateful raid on Shawomet. This assault by Massachusetts authorities resulted in the deaths of two women and the arrest and imprisonment of Gorton. What I did not fully realize at that time was that this raid was in fact a direct result of efforts by my Arnold, Coles, and Carpenter ancestors to take down Gorton.

The Arnolds, Coles, and Carpenter were highly offended by Gorton, who had moved with some of his adherents to Pawtuxet. They went to Boston and submitted themselves to the government and jurisdiction of Massachusetts on September 2, 1642. They were received by the General Court there and appointed justices of the peace. In doing this, these settlers allowed a foreign jurisdiction into the midst of the Providence government, a condition that lasted for 16 years. Gorton was unhappy about being under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts and moved with his followers another 12 miles (19 km) farther south, settling beyond the limits of Massachusetts' jurisdiction at a place called Shawomet.

[Benedict] Arnold and his father had already become proficient in the Narragansett and Wampanoag languages, and both harbored an intense dislike of Gorton. They devised a scheme to undermine their adversary and to simultaneously obtain extensive lands from the local Indians. Gorton had purchased Shawomet from Miantonomi, the chief sachem of the Narragansett people. Minor sachems Ponham and Sacononoco had some control of the lands at Pawtuxet and Shawomet, and Arnold, acting as interpreter, took these chieftains to Governor John Winthrop in Boston and had them submit themselves and their lands to Massachusetts, claiming that the sale of Shawomet to Gorton was done "under duress." Now with a claim to Shawomet, Massachusetts directed Gorton and his followers to appear in Boston to answer "complaints" made by the two minor sachems. When Gorton refused, Massachusetts sent a party to Shawomet to arrest him and his neighbors. [Source: Wikipedia]

Gorton would ultimately be redeemed, but my Arnold and Carpenter ancestors were surely relieved that their plan to remove him from Rhode Island was, at least temporarily, successful. They would never fully be rid of him, though. Upon his return in 1648 to Shawomet, which was then renamed Warwick, Samuel Gorton had enough influence to be acknowledged as a major political figure in Rhode Island for the rest of his life. 

Benedict Arnold and his wife and children left Providence in 1651 to settle in Newport. In 1657, he was named President of the Rhode Island colony, succeeding Roger Williams. His father, William Arnold and his brother in law, William Carpenter, stayed in Pawtuxet with their families. [Note: Benedict Arnold was the great-grandfather of the infamous turncoat Benedict Arnold (1741-1801) who betrayed George Washington and defected to the British army during the Revolutionary War.]

In 1658, Providence and Pawtuxet formally reunited. This period was a calm and peaceful one for the Providence community, and the Arnolds and Carpenters enjoyed nearly two decades without notable strife. This ended in dramatic fashion in 1675 with the start of King Philip's War, which was to devastate Rhode Island and all of the New England colonies. 

A colored woodcut from the 19th century depicting a scene from King Philip's War

King Philip’s War—also known as the First Indian War, the Great Narragansett War or Metacom’s Rebellion—took place in southern New England from 1675 to 1676. It was the Native Americans' last-ditch effort to avoid recognizing English authority and stop English settlement on their native lands. The war is named after the Wampanoag chief Metacom, later known as Philip or King Philip, who led the fourteen-month bloody rebellion. [Source: History.com] 

The war ravaged the New England region. Rhode Island was somewhat unique among the colonies in its relations with Native Americans. Roger Williams, from his earliest days in Rhode Island, advocated for fair treatment of Native Americans and Rhode Island's English settlers endeavored to live in peaceful coexistence with their Narragansett neighbors. In June 1675, the Wampanoag chief Metacom launched a series of raids on colonial towns, killing residents and burning homes. Initially, Rhode Island's leaders made efforts to maintain neutrality and negotiate peace, and the Narragansett people did not join the Wampanoags in their conflict with the English. However, both groups were inexorably drawn into the conflict as the violence spread.

On December 19, 1675, the Great Swamp Massacre took place in what is now West Kingston, Rhode Island. On that day, colonial militia forces preemptively attacked the Narragansett fort in order to prevent them from aligning with the Wampanoags. Somewhere between 300-600 Narragansetts were killed, including women, children, and the elderly. This shocking and unprovoked attack outraged the Narragansetts and brought them fully into the conflict. They joined forces with the Wampanoags and the allied Native American fighters began a campaign of destruction in Rhode Island. Over the next several months, the cities of Warwick, Providence, and Wickford were burned to the ground. 

A rendering of the burning of Providence

On January 27, 1676, William Carpenter's property was raided by a Native American group led by Canonchet, a Narragansett Sachem. It has been written that William Carpenter's son, William Jr., was killed during this attack. These accounts claims that William Carpenter built a block house that provided a strong defense against attacks, and his family and neighbors sheltered there while attempting to fight off a Native American assault in January 1676, but William Jr. and a household servant were both killed in the effort. This is not proven, however. William Jr. did die in January 1676, at age 23, but it's not conclusively known what caused his death.

On March 29, 1676, the Wampanoag forces sacked Providence, where the Arnold and Carpenter families were living. Having had advance warning that the Native American soldiers were approaching, all but about 30 of Providence's 500 residents fled to Aquidneck Island. 77-year old Roger Williams remained with a small group of men to face the attackers. The names of those who stayed with him were not recorded. It's possible that William Carpenter was among them, at age 66, or perhaps some of his sons. William Arnold was not there, having died the previous year. According to legend, Williams tried to reason with the Native Americans as they destroyed the town he founded. 

As Providence burned, a group of Native Americans from several tribes assembled on the banks of a salt cove across from the town. Williams walked out to talk with them across the water, his back to the burning town. The conversation between the warriors and the old minister lasted an hour. Roger Williams asked them why they burned and killed their kind neighbors. He told them, "This house of mine now burning before mine eyes hath lodged kindly some thousands of you these ten years." They said Rhode Island had joined the other colonies in the Great Swamp massacre. In a letter to his brother, Williams recounted his reply: I told them they … "had forgot they were mankind and ran around the country like wolves tearing the innocent and peaceable….They confessed they were in a strange way." Roger Williams then warned them that it was almost time to plant. The Indians said they didn’t care about planting; they would take food from the English. They argued some more, and finally Williams suggested he intervene to make peace. The Native Americans said they would spend the next month burning Plymouth Colony, and then they would talk to him. But they never used Rogers Williams’ services as a peacemaker. They did, however, tell him the safe way home. [Source: New England Historical Society]

Rhode Island's colonial government was unable to stop the bloodshed. However, on April 4, 1676 the General Assembly specifically requested the guidance of William Carpenter. " It was voted, that in these troublesome times and straits in the colony this assembly desiring to have the advice and concurrence of the most judicious inhabitant, do desire at there next sitting the company and counsel of William Carpenter." It's not known exactly what William might have done to help. The war ground on until August, when Metacom was killed. This brought an end to the violence, although a treaty marking the official end of the war would not be signed until April 1678.

After the war ended, William Carpenter returned to Providence and built a new home. Other family members who rebuilt in Providence included William's son Timothy with wife Hannah Burton, his daughter Priscilla with husband William Vincent, his son Silas with wife Sarah Arnold, his son Benjamin with wife Mary Tillinghast, his brother-in-law, Stephen Arnold with wife Sarah Smith, and his sister-in-law, Joanna Arnold Rhodes with husband Zachariah Rhodes.

The war was the greatest calamity in seventeenth-century New England and is considered by many to be the deadliest war in Colonial American history. In the space of little more than a year, 12 of the region's towns were destroyed and many more were damaged, the economy of Plymouth and Rhode Island Colonies was all but ruined and their population was decimated, losing one-tenth of all men available for military service. More than half of New England's towns were involved in conflict. Hundreds of Wampanoags and their allies were publicly executed or enslaved, and the Wampanoags were left effectively landless. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Arnold and Carpenter families were actively involved in rebuilding Providence after the war. The original settlers of Providence were largely elderly by this point, however. Roger Williams died in 1683. William Carpenter died on September 7, 1685, at age 75. Elizabeth Arnold Carpenter died a year and a half later, on February 22, 1687. Elizabeth's brother, Governor Benedict Arnold, died in 1678, but her sister Joanna and brother Stephen outlived her, dying in 1692 and 1699, respectively. All left many descendants.

A sketch of Providence dating from the early 1800s.

The material goods present at William’s home were inventoried after his death and appraised at £22. Listed among his belongings were many carpenter’s implements, including various types and sizes of saws and augers; chisels, plane irons, gouges, drawing knives, and adzes; a wainscot plough; a burr (drill or chisel); and a spokeshave. Despite the modest value of William’s personal estate, his tax assessments (on land, livestock, and saw mill he owned with sons Silas and Benjamin), were among the highest in Providence.

William Carpenter wrote a will on February 10, 1680, but he added a codicil after the death of his eldest son Joseph in 1683. This codicil indicated that Joseph had passed away and left his bequest to Joseph's son, Joseph Carpenter, Jr. Almost all bequests that William Carpenter made were of land, rights to subsequent land divisions, and rights of commoning (entitlements to pasturage on and/or divisions of common land). The amount of land he owned and willed to his descendants amounted to hundreds of acres. Also, William made a provision for his wife, Elizabeth, so that she would continue to live in comfort. He made bequests to all his surviving children, his daughters Lydia Smith and Priscilla Vincent, and his sons Silas, Benjamin, Timothy, and Ephraim. He also willed items to five of his grandchildren, Ephraim Carpenter, Jr. and Susanna Carpenter (children of Ephraim Carpenter), William Carpenter (eldest son of the deceased Joseph Carpenter), and Simon Smith and Joseph Smith (sons of Lydia Arnold Smith).

Most of William's descendants remained in the area near Providence after his death. There are still family members there to this day. However, William's two eldest sons, Joseph and Ephraim, moved to the Oyster Bay, New York area in the 1670s and set up milling operations in Musketa Cove, now known as Glen Cove. This branch of the Carpenter family would remain in New York for the next 200 years. Only then would the descendants of my third great-grandmother, Eliza Jane Carpenter Griffin, begin moving west.