Sunday, December 20, 2015

Coonradt 1860 Census page

I'm having to add this image because it is hidden from me where I once relied on the record:

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Seeking help and input on Hovey, Dane, Warner families of Ipswich and Quaboag (Brookfield)

So I'm working on one of those New England families upon which the sources disagree or themselves express uncertainty.  I am entering my notes and sources on James Hovey's profile for what I've found so far. 

The Hovey part of the equation is pretty solid: Daniel the immigrant lived for a time in Ipswich and then moved to the new community of Quaboag (now Brookfield) in 1668.  His son Daniel Jr. stayed behind in Ipswich, and son James came to Quaboag, started a family and then was killed by Native Americans in 1675.  All the sources agree on these facts.   It's also well established that Daniel Jr. married Esther Treadwell in 1666 and had several children.  He died in Ipswich in 1695 and his will is in the Hovey Family Book that is referenced.  

All the sources I've seen indicate that Daniel Jr. had a first wife named Rebecca who he married in Ipswich and who died giving birth to their first child, a son named Daniel, in 1665.  Torrey's New England Marriages prior to 1700 lists this Rebecca as Rebecca Dane, but with a question mark by the name. 

The Dane Family records, indicate that Rebecca Dane was John Dane's daughter, but that she married James Hovey, not Daniel.  The Hovey book's theory is that, yes, James Hovey's wife was John Dane's daughter, but that her name was Priscilla and she was the mother of James Hovey's three children in Quaboag.  

I believe the source of this is that in John Dane's will in 1684, he leaves 30 pounds to his grandson, Daniel Hovey, who had not yet reached adulthood.  This could refer to either family in the Hovey Book because both families had a son named Daniel, but it leans much more heavily towards James Hovey's son.  If you go to the page for James' son Daniel (page 62), it is noted that he received a sum from John Dane his grandfather and that he became a doctor. 

In Daniel Hovey Jr's will from 1695, there is no mention of a son Daniel and there don't appear to be any records of this son after his birth in 1665.  You'd have to surmise that he died shortly after his birth, and that thus he is not the grandson John Dane was referring to.

The records of the town of Quaboag seem to tell a different story altogether, however.  They have James Hovey married to Priscilla Warner, daughter of John Warner and Priscilla Symonds.  They indicate that James' three children are all children of Priscilla Warner and thus would not be related to the Danes. 

From my vantage point here at my computer in California, I'm unable to go digging through the actual source material, so I'd love additional input from folks who have access to either the originals, or other secondary sources that might shed light on this confusion. 

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Global Family Reunion Connection to Immigrant Ancestor John Dane

Are y'all prepared for some serious family-tree related gloating? Well, I hope so because I've found a direct connection between James Spader and the colonial immigrant ancestor/progenitor of the Dane Family in America, John Dane. Turns out that James' Forster/Foster forebears, from his great grandmother Elizabeth Thompson Forster (Bowditch) are descended from Reginald Foster and Elizabeth Dane, John Dane's daughter. I am a direct male line descendant of his son John Jr. In terms of the global family reunion the effect of this is not huge - John Dane was already at 18 steps and he will be at 16 steps after the system updates tonight. My own personal connection will remain the same because my Higginson connection is still closer. But I'm sure you'll understand the significance for me personally of making this connection through my surname. Who knew a few days ago that this is where my research was heading? Of course, giving credit where it's due, I have to mention Frederick Clifton Pierce's book "Foster Genealogy" upon which this line relies. I verified all of his work against whatever sources I could, but there are a couple of points where his work is the only link.