Henry Robie of Castle Donington and Hampton, New Hampshire

English Origins

Henry Robie is believed to the son of Thomas and Mary Coxon Robie of Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England. If so, he was baptized on 12 February 1618. His family ancestry can be reliable traced for several generations and the family name is found in local records for centuries. 

Coming to America

The ship and date of sailing are unknown, but Henry's name is found in the Dorchester records by 1639. He didn't stay long in Massachusetts and by 1640 he was in Exeter, New Hampshire and later by 1650, he removed to Hampton, where he spent the remainder of his life. Like all upstanding citizens, Henry performed his civic duties, he acted as constable for the year 1661 and was chosen to be a selectman in 1656. He served as a justice of the peace for many years as well as that of judge of the court of sessions. 

Exeter was known as a lumber town and while there, Henry joined in the building of a sawmill. Later in life he was an innkeeper. 

Family

Henry married three times. [1] Ruth Moore who died 5 May 1673

                                            [2] Elizabeth (Philbrick)(Chase) Garland who died 11 Feb 1677

                                            [3] Sarah (Unknown) who died 23 Jan 1703 

Children: Mary, b. abt. 1644, m. 1663, Samuel Folsom, named in fathers will

                Thomas b. 1 March 1645/6, d. 1689 Falmouth

                 John b. 2 Feb 1648 my ancestor

                 Judith had an illegitimate child, named in fathers will

                 Ruth b. 3 March 1654, named in father's will

                 Deliverance b. 22 March 1657, m. Nathaniel Haseltine, not in father's will

                 Samuel b. 4 August 1659

                 Icabod b. 26 November 1664

                 Sarah b. 19 April 1679, not named in father's will

Life in Exeter and Hampton

Much of what we know about Henry Roby comes from the records of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County of which Exeter and Hampton were a part. I'm not sure when I last saw a name mentioned quite so many times as our Henry. Beginning in 1643 his name is found year in year out. He took the oath of fidelity in 1648. The following year he was made Clerk of the Market, and in 1650 he was a sworn commissioner for Exeter. 

Henry was sued by his neighbor and sued them in return. He once sued the very contentious Edward Colcord for suing him too much. Henry was also in court representing clients as their attorney. He was the town attorney for Hampton for several years. 

Henry seems to have been something of a hot head and was admonished in court in 1664 for reproaching the minister in reviling speeches concerning the ordinance of baptism. At the time there was huge dissent over the act of baptism, which caused hard feelings on both sides. Henry's wife, Elizabeth was ordered to be sent to jail in Boston for her 'contemptuous carriages' in court. She apologized and avoid prison. 

In 1647 in Exeter, Henry was fined for 'drawing wine and beer without a license'. In 1670 in Hampton he was granted a license, which was renew for many years. The court ruled he could keep an Ordinary but was bound not to let the town's children and servants 'lie tippling in his house'. This order was reinforced in 1679 when the court reminded him that the Ordinary was for travelers only, no townfolk could be served. Henry apparently like to serve himself. He was excommunicated from the church of Hampton by Rev. Moody for being a common drunkard. 

Henry's daughter Judith found her way into the court records when she had a child out of wedlock. The court ordered John Young, the father, to pay maintenance for the child. Apparently the couple never married and the Robys were often in court seeking payment. 

Henry died in 1688. The Reverend Cotton said of him, 'he would not have so honorable a burial as an ass'. This seems to be the case and it is said that 'when dead, his body was taken and thrown in a hole near the great rock in the rear of the old meeting house sometime in the night'. This was to avoid his creditors putting a lien on the body. 

Henry left a lengthy will and codicil. The inventory was extensive and include a 'looking glass that was bought in England'. He was evidently a successful businessman, despite his drinking. 

Sources: 

https://www.seacoastonline.com/news/20170119/life-of-early-hampton-settler-henry-roby

http://www.hampton.lib.nh.us/hampton/history/church/congregational/churchmanual/congo_1.htm

Henry Ambrose of Kersey, Suffolk; Immigrant to New England

English Origins

According to a 1992 article in the New Hampshire Genealogical Record. Henry Ambrose, immigrant to New England hailed from Kersey, Suffolk. Kersey is a scant 10 or so miles from Groton, home of John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Coincidence? I think not, and it's interesting to note, than another ancestor, John Gage, is likely the boy baptized in Kersey in 1605.

Kersey is a sleepy little village, once famous for its Kersey woollen cloth. Today, its famous for the houses that Henry Ambrose saw on a daily basis. 

Henry was born in 1613, baptized in the ancient church of St Marys.

New England

It is not known when he sailed for America but he was recorded in Hampton, New Hampshire in 1640. A carpenter by trade, Henry went where there was business. At some point, either before or after sailing, he married a woman named Susanna. In 1647 Henry sold his house and house lot to the Reverend Wheelwright, but it is believed he purchased another home as he remained in Hampton until 1649.

In 1650 Henry is recorded as living in Salisbury. In 1654 he was in Boston. 1656 Charlestown and finally back to Boston, where he died in 1658. 

Henry served on the Gran Jury as well as the Jury of Trial at various Quarterly Courts.

Family

Henry and Susanna had a relatively small family with large gaps between some of the children. Were there miscarriages in between?  

Ebenezer b. about 1640 probably in Hampton

Samuel bapt. 25 July 1641 Hampton

Henry b. June 1649

Abigail bp. 28 Dec 1654

Henry died in Boston. His inventory reveals his home to be typical of the time. Two stories with two rooms on each floor, plus a cellar. In the Great Chamber was found a long table with six stools and three chairs, a chest and sideboard and a second small table. The Great Lower Room was filled with a bed, a trundle bed, a table, kettle, cupboard with books and pewter. The Kitchen  had yet another table and chairs plus all the accouterments you'd need to prepare food. The rooms upstairs appear to have been used for storage. All in all his estate was valued at 337£.

Susanna

Susanna remained a widow for several years after Henry's death. She married in Salisbury on 2 October 1663 to John Severence. His wife, Abigail, died in 1658, same year as Henry, giving birth to her eleventh child. John ran several ordinarys (taverns) and was likely in need of a wife and mother for his children. He died in 1682, leaving Susanna a widow for the second time. She was still alive in 1692.

My Ancestry

I am descended from his son Henry who also married a woman, a widow, named Susanna.

John Smith and Deborah Parkhurst: Great Migration Immigrants to Watertown, Hampton and Martha's Vineyard

Apologies to all the John Smith's in the world, but dang, this is a hard name to research, it's just too common. The English origins of John Smith, who married Deborah Parkhurst are uncertain but noted Great Migration genealogist Robert Charles Anderson wrote an article in 1985 laying out his research and conclusion and difficult to trace without a serious clue. So, here is what I know about John Smith.

The Norcross Connection

On 1 December 1640 the General Court of Massachusetts handed down an order in a case involving one John Smith Jr. and 'his father' Jeremy Norcross. It is clear from their surnames that Norcross must be the step-father and not the biological father of John. Anderson believes that this John Smith is the man who received land in Watertown in 1636, 1637, and 1638. His grants were small indicating that he was single. 

On 14 September 1611 at St. Luke, Chelsea, Middlesex, Jeremy Norcross married Audrie Smithe, widow. They had children baptized at All Hallows, Bread Street, London. This couple and their children immigrated to Massachusetts and lived in Watertown. Anderson believes that she is the mother of immigrant John Smith. If so, he is birth is before the 1611 marriage and would fit with him being a young man in his twenties during the early Watertown grants. If true, then Smith was likely born in London, but his parental ancestry remains unknown as does his mother's maiden name.

Hampton

In 1642 Watertown audited all the grant lands to ascertain who remained in town and held their original land. John Smith Jr. is not on the list. He had removed to Hampton, New Hampshire. A list of first-comers, includes a Goodman Smith how arrived in the second summer (1639). He and his wife, Goodwife Smith, were assigned seats in the meetinghouse in 1650. Sadly, no first names were recorded. 

Goody Smith was Deborah Parkhurst, daughter of George and Phebe Leete Parkhurst of Watertown. Her mother died in Watertown in about 1644 and her father returned to England in 1655. 

Martha's Vineyard

In 1653 a John Smith is found in the records of Edgartown on Martha's Vineyard. He appears in the records for doing various civic duties such as Magistrate Assistant and for land grants. In 1659 he became one of the 10 associate proprietors of Nantucket. In 1662 he was part of the train band for Martha's Vineyard. This would indicate that he was not yet above 60 years old, when most men were relieved of duty. He is last recorded in Martha's Vineyard in 1664. 

Nantucket

In 1670, John Smith, of sound body and mind, wrote his will on the island of Nantucket. He says he was in perfect health. In his will he names his wife Deborah and children Phillip, John, Samuel, Deborah and Abigail. John and Samuel split the Nantucket property and Phillip got Martha's Vineyard.

It is not know when John died, but his son John sold the Nantucket land in 1674 and moved to Hampton, New Hampshire. So his father was dead prior to 1674. His mother may have died about 1686 when Phillip sold the family homestead to his brother Samuel. 

Quakers

Many of the early settlers of Nantucket were Quakers and quiet a few folk left Hampton when they were being persecuted. I wonder if John was a Quaker? 

Deborah Smith Batchelder

I descend from daughter Deborah. She was born about 1640, probably in Hampton. She married Nathaniel Batchelder, grandson of the Reverend Stephen Batchelder. She died quite young in 1676 in Hampton. 

Sources:

[1]The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB283/i/12790/23/0

[2]http://history.vineyard.net/jsmith.htm (Early settlers of Edgartown - online)

Benjamin Brown and his wife Sarah Brown? of Hampton and Seabrook, NH 1647-1736

Benjamin Brown of Hampton and Seabrook was the third child and second son of John and Sarah Brown, English immigrants to New Hampshire. He and all of his siblings were born in New Hampshire which makes it likely that his parents met and married in New England. [1] In his genealogy of the family, Joseph Dow suggest that Sarah might have been Elizabeth Brown, same parents, different given name. Noyes, Davis, Libby say that the information on Sarah Brown's ancestry comes from one Asa Brown who first made the claim in 1851 and again in 1868. The tradition of the marriage is undocumented and based solely on family history. [2] There is no way to prove or disprove his claim. Make of that what you want. 

Children

The couple had at least ten children in a 21-year period. This is typical of families in the pre-birth control era where children arrived about every 2 years. They lost only one child at a young age. They were:

William b. 5 June 1680 m. Ann Heath, d. September 1725

Sarah b. 11 Sept. 1681 d. Oct. 1684

Benjamin B. 20 Nov. 1683, m. 7 Jan 1718, Sarah d/o Ebenezer Gove, d. 9 Feb 1766

Elizabeth b. 16 July 1686, m. Benjamin Green, d. 6 Mar 1769

John b. 18 Mar 1688, m. Abigail d/o Edmund Johnson, d. 1746

Jacob b. Mar. 1691, m. Mary Green, (2) Jemima Rowell, d. 23 Apr. 1762

Stephen b. 17 July 1693, m. Martha Heath, d. 1 Dec 1723

Mary b. 1696, m. Thomas Cram, d. 31 Mar 1756

Thomas b. 21 May 1699, m. Mehetable d/o Joseph Towle, d. Nov 1765

Jeremiah b. 20 Nov 1701, m. Mary Weare d/o Nathaniel, d. June 1758

Residence

Benjamin lived in Seabrook, south of Taylor's River on land given to him by his father. This land was very close to the line with Massachusets, near Salisbury and was probably originally owned by Timothy Dalton. It was on the Rocks Road. There is still a Rocks Road in Seabrook, not to far south of Brown's River. He executed many deeds, both buying and selling parcels of land, including marsh and thatch land. 

Occupation

Like his father, John Brown, Benjamin and his brothers were engaged in the raising of cattle. With the rich salt grass of the great Ox Common at their disposal, they were able to feed and raise their herd. [3] 

Like all men at that time, Benjamin performed his civic duty as he was called to do. He served as one of the Selectmen in 1696, 1705, 1710, and 1711, and served as representative in 1697. He was also a signer of the 1683 Weare Petition to the king in opposition of Robert Mason, Esq. [4] Doubtlessly he was called to act as a juror in one of the quarterly courts. 

RIP

Benjamin died in 1736, having lived a good long life. His wife Sarah died abt. 1730.

See John Brown of England and Hampton-his father

Sources:

[1] Dow, Joseph, 1807-1889, and Lucy Ellen Dow. History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire: From Its Settlement In 1638, to the Autumn of 1892. Salem, Mass.: Printed by the Salem press publishing and printing co., 1893. Volumes 2, p. 47  (available online)

[2] Noyes, Sybil, Walter Goodwin Davis, and Charles Thornton Libby. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine And New Hampshire. Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1972. p. 114 (available online)

[3] Brown, Warren, 1836-. History of the Town of Hampton Falls, New Hampshire From the Time of the First Settlement Within Its Borders. Manchester, N.H.: Printed by the John B. Clarke Co., 19001918.

[4]Belknap, Jeremy, 1744-1798. The History of New-Hampshire. Philadelphia [Pa.]: Printed for the author by Robert Aitken, 178492.

John Brown of Hampton, New Hampshire 1589-1687

Could there be a more common name than John Brown? Could his parents have not, at the very least, given him an amazing first name to differentiate him from the zillions of other John Browns? Ah well, well just have to work with it. According to Robert Charles Anderson, there were at least nine John Browns who immigrated during the Great Migration. Many of their individual facts have become confused and combined. I will do my best to sort out those that belong to our guy. So, here is what I know about John Brown of Hampton, New Hampshire.

English Origins

John's origins are unknown. There, that's it. We have no idea where in England he came from. Some websites suggest he was the son of one Angus Brown of Scotland, but offer no proof. 

Immigration

Another disappointment. We have no idea when and on what ship John came to America. He is not the John Brown who arrived on The Elizabeth in 1635. That was the John who ended up in Rehoboth, in Massachusetts. 

Hampton

Well, here is something we know, at last. John Brown received a grant of land for a house lot in Hampton in June 1640. [1][2] Noyes, Libby, Davis in their book which I will abbreviate to GDMNH and Dow both claim he was awarded a farm but I don't see his name recorded as such. But in a 1645 list of the division of the Cow Common, John Brown received 2 shares, beside his farm. [3]There is a river that runs along the boundary of the Cow Common called Brown's River, you can still see it today, just look for the Great Salt Marsh of Hampton. In a 1663 inventory of the cow common, John Brown is listed as having one share originally owned by William Moulton and one bought off of Thomas Sleeper, but originally owned by the Widow Bristow. [4] John clearly became prosperous in Hampton and 1653 he paid the 3rd highest tax rate. 

According to Joseph Dow, John Brown did not live on his 4 acre house lot, but rather a 10 acre lot he bought from John Sanders. This seems to allay the idea that John was awarded a 'farm', but rather purchased it at a later time. His son Benjamin settled on a part of his father's farm, located in the South-Easterly portion of the town of Seabrook. 

Marriage and Family

John was married to a woman named Sarah, maiden name unknown. They had eight children, 3 girls and 5 boys. Lane Memorial Library has an amazing data base, hosted by Roots Web, that contains the genealogical data on over 20,000 people connected with Hampton. John Brown and his family are included. 

His children were:

Sarah Brown, b. abt. 1643 Hampton, d. 1678, Charlestown, m. John Poor. 

John, born abt. 1644, d. 29 Aug. 1683

Benjamin born abt. 1647, m. Sarah Brown, d. abt. 1739

Elizabeth Brown abt. 1650, d. 5 Oct. 1689, m. Isaac Marston

Jacob Brown, born in 1653, d. 13 Feb 1739/40, m. Sarah Brooklin

Mary born September 13, 1655, married Nathan Parker, m. 15 April 1675

Thomas Brown, born July 14, 1657, 29 June 1744, m. Abial Shaw

Stephen Brown, born in 1659, killed 29 June 1677, Battle of Black Point, Maine

Sadly, but not unexpected, John lost several of his children as young adults, including his youngest son, Stephen, still a teenager, killed at the Battle of Black Point. This was the last battle of King Philip's War in Maine and was a disaster for the English militia. 

Sarah died 6 July 1672. John died 28 Feb. 1686/87, supposedly aged 98, hence the birth year of 1589. Age at death was often exaggerated, so this may or may not be his real age. He was freed from military training in 1662. If he had been born in 1589, he would have been 73 years old. This is out of the norm for most men, who were released from duty in about their 60th year or so.

See Benjamin Brown- his son

Sources:

[1] Hampton Records Vol. 1, available online from the Hampton Lane Memorial Library. (The grant is best seen in the photos rather than microfilm.)

[2] Dow, Joseph, 1807-1889, and Lucy Ellen Dow. History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire: From Its Settlement In 1638, to the Autumn of 1892. Salem, Mass.: Printed by the Salem press publishing and printing co., 1893. p. 18

[3] Dow, Vol. 1, p. 33

[4] Dow, Vol. 1, p. 62

[5] Dow, Vol. 2, p. 617

James Philbrick (1619-1674) Bures St Mary, Suffolk, England to Hampton, New Hampshire

english origins

The Philbrick Family of Hampton, New Hampshire has been traced to their English home in Bures St. Mary, County Suffolk. There they lived in a world of Manor Courts and rolls, a way of life which evolved over hundreds, if not thousands of years. James was born into this life and christened at St Marys on  2 December 1619. [1] At some time after the 1631 christening of a daughter, [2] Thomas Philbrick and his family sailed to New England and a newly invented way of life. 

hampton
After a few brief stops in Massachusetts the Philbrick family settled in the New Hampshire town of Hampton.  James was  a mariner by trade. The waters of coastal New Hampshire were akin to today's highways, bringing exports, especially wood products such as pipe staves and masts for ships, to the larger ports in exchange for English imports of cloth and other goods. In addition to working on the water, James farmed, buying marsh land in 1650 with his brother Thomas Jr. The rich marsh salt grass was cut and used as fodder for cattle.

12 : 10 mo : 1650, James ffilbrooke and Tho: ffilbrooke jr bought of Edward Colcord marsh in Hampton, bounded by Jno Wedgwood, Will: Cole and Willi ffifield, way to landing place.

12 : 10 mo : 1650 Edward Colcord mortgages to James ffilbrick and Tho: ffilbrick jr marsh which was formerly possessed by Walter Roper, adjoining Rob: Page and the beach.

On 12 Feb. 1667/8 James Philbrick of Hampton, mariner, sold to Nathaniel Batcheller of Hampton, five acres of pasture in Hampton, bounded by the highway against land of John Huggins, and Moses Coxe, called the hop land, 6 Feb. 1667. Witnessed by Henry Down, Judith Philbrick. James' wife Anne signed and released her dower. James' brother Thomas had sold to Moses Cox a similar five acres at "ye old hop ground" bounded by the highway, Nathaniel Bacheller and James ffilbrick on 1 Mar. 1663/4. [3] 

In 1670 he was chosen to run the line between Exeter and Hampton and in 1671 he was granted lot no. 52 of 40 acres in the south of the town called “The new plantation” which became Seabrook.


family
James married Anna Roberts, daughter of Thomas and Rebecca Unknown Roberts of Dover by 1650.  According to Torrey, he had married in 1644 a Jane? Roberts, but nothing more is known about her. [4] Their first child was born July 1651. More children followed and by 1668 they had eight children. [5]

1. James PHILBRICK b: 13 JUL 1651
2. Apphia PHILBRICK b: 19 Mar 1654/55         
3. Esther PHILBRICK b: 1 Mar 1656/57 m. Sylvanus Nock and James Beard
4. Thomas PHILBRICK b: 14 Mar 1658/59
5. Sarah PHILBRICK b: 14 Feb 1660/61 d. young
6. Joseph PHILBRICK b: 1 OCT 1663
7. Elizabeth PHILBRICK b: 24 JUL 1666 (This Elizabeth may have been the Elizabeth PHILBROOK who married Nathaniel BERRY, son of Joseph, on 2 July 1691.
8. Mehitabel PHILBRICK b: 19 JUL 1668 died young

It was once believed that Bethia Philbrick who married Caleb Perkins in 1677 was also a child of James and Anna. [6] The Hampton Lane Memorial Library genealogy site does not include her as a child. Her profile on the genealogy site WikiTree also disputes her parentage and lays out a compelling case for her to be the daughter of Thomas Jr. [7] Thomas and his wife are recorded as being the parents of Bathia Philbrick how was born on 15 December 1654.

death
James died on 16 November 1674, he drowned along with another man in the Hampton River. [6] His widow Anna probated his estate. The following year she married widower William Marston on 5 July 1675. Between them they had 15 children.

sources:

[1] https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_queries/5c742b1d4325a6c1515a04aa?locale=en

[2]https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/5a7dbd8cf493fdbb8f6a5380?locale=en&search_id=5c742c104325a6c1515a066f&ucf=false

[3] Old Dover Records

[4] New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1568/i/21175/1178/426899539

[5] The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.)

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/rd/11683/281/241826069

[6] The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018.)


https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/i/11683/281/241825813

[7] https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Philbrick-17

[8]Sanborn, George Freeman, Jr., and Sanborn, Melinde Lutz. Vital records of Hampton, New Hampshire : to the end of the year 1900. Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1992. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016)

https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1701/rd/40198/116/1085551776

*Moriarty, G. Andrews, "The English Connections of Thomas Felbrigge or Philbrick of Hampton, N.H.," (NEH&GR, Oct. 1954), v. 108, p. 258

*Noyes/Libby/Davis, "Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire," (1939), p. 545.