Wedding Wednesday

My Grandparents on their Wedding.

Thornton Headstones

Samuel Thornton b. 1816 in Canada East he died April 28, 1874 Chloe Blanchard b.  March 6, 1819 d. Nov 30, 1876	Phebe Carter Thornton Clark daughter of Samuel and Chloe b. 1843 d. Jan 4, 1898	Nathan Thornton Son of Samuel and Chloe b. 1853 d. 1878 of TB
Benjamin Son of Samuel and Chloe never married

John Clough of Salisbury, MA

English Origins

John Clough of Salisbury, MA was born approx. 1613 in England and is believed to have sailed from London on "The Elizabeth" in 1635. The ship manifest lists a passenger named Jo:Cluffe - 22 (age). I believe that the spelling using the "ff" gives us an idea of how the name Clough was pronounced. It is not known where he was from in England, and it is believed that he came as a servant to another settler. The General Court of Massachusetts granted John Cluffe a lot with his masters consent in March 1638/9.

Salisbury 

In 1639 John became one of the original proprietors of the new settlement of Salisbury.  He was a carpenter and farmer. There seems to have been a second John Clough in Massachusetts at the same time who was a tailor by trade. John engaged in multiple purchases and sales of land.  In 1651 he bought 2 acres of marshland in the 'higgledee piggledee lots'. I love that, higgledee piggledee. Below is a map of the original house lots in Salisbury; John's is outlined in blue.

In 1650 he took the oath of fidelity. He held many town offices including serving on the Grand Jury and acting as town constable.

John signed his will and in his probate inventory were listed several books. 

Family

His wife Jane/Jone was not listed on the manifest for the Elizabeth and it is unknown when she arrived or when they married. Their first living child was not born until 1642, so it seems unlikely that they were married for more than a year or two at that time.

Children of Jane and John Clough 
Elizabeth b. 16 Dec 1642, m. William Horne, named in her fathers 1691 will
Mary b. 30 July 1644 not named in will
Sarah b. 28 June 1646 m. 14 may 1667 Daniel Merrill My Ancestors
John b. 9 March 1648/9 m. 13 Nov 1674 Mercy Page
Thomas b. 29 May 1651 m. 10 March 1680 Martha Gile
Martha b. 22 March 1654 m. 13 Nov 1674 Cornelius Page
Samuel b. 20 Feb 1656/7 m. 3 Aug 1679 Elizabeth Brown, only son to move to Amesbury, he was a blacksmith

RIP  

Their eldest daughter Elizabeth's husband was killed in the June 1689 attack of Dover, NH. Many histories have Elizabeth also being killed by she was named in her father's will so that doesn't seem likely. Jane Clough died in 1680 and John remarried in 1686/7 to the twice widowed Martha Cilley. John wrote his will on 3 July 1691, he died on the 26th of July.  Their descendants erected a memorial plaque near the area where they are believed to have been buried.

See this post on Nathaniel Merrill husband of Jane Clough

Sources:
Great Migration 1634-1635, C-F. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume II, C-F, by Robert Charles Anderson, George F. Sanborn, Jr., and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001.
https://www.americanancestors.org/DB115/i/7373/107/235157654

Hoyt, David Webster, 1833-1921. The Old Families of Salisbury And Amesbury, Massachusetts: With Some Related Families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich And Hampton. Providence, R.I.: [Snow & Farnham, printers], 1897-1917.

Wedding Wednesday : Clover Rowell and John Thornton

This is my great grandparents wedding invitation.  I wish I had a wedding portrait.  My great grandfather had previously been married, but his wife died only a year later.  Clover and John were married in 1893, my grandfather was not born until 1899.  They had two sons, but the youngest Wayne, died at age 10.  

Puritan Crime & Punishment #3 Unbecoming Speeches

Have you ever sat in church on Sunday (or whatever day you go) and listened to a really bad sermon.  I admit that I have, and I admit to daydreaming, checking out my fellow suffers and frequent checks of my watch.  Imagine if you have to sit through a really bad, really long sermon every Sunday and complaining about it got you brought into court.  Ditching the Sunday service was not an option, neither was sleeping through the sermon, someone was there watching you, ready to wake you up. 

This comes from the Records and Files of the Quarterly Court of Essex County

Mrs. Holgrave presented for reproachful and unbecoming speeches against Mr. William Perkins, an officer of the church, viz:

if it were not for the law, shee would never com to the meetinge, the teacher was soe dead, and accordingly shee did seldom com and withall pswaded goodwife vincett to com  to her house, on the Saboth daye, and reade good bookes, affirminge that the teacher was fitter to be a Ladyes chamberman, then to be in the pulpitt

Witnesses were: Sarah Vincent, Grace Duch and William Vincent

Punishment: fined and made to confess in public

You know your a Puritan if....you call you minister a bore and you land in court.

Thomas Carter (1610-1675) England to Salisbury, Massachsuetts

Cathedral of St. Albans

English Origins 
Thomas Carter of Salisbury, Massachusetts was born in England around 1610, his origins and parents are unknown.  In 1635 he was listed on the manifest for the ship "The Planter" bound for the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  He was 25 years old and a servant to man named George Giddings. 

George was a yeoman originally from Clapham in Bedfordshire. In 1634/5 he married a young lady from a prosperous family  from St. Albans, Hertfordshire. The wife's name was Jane Lawrence and her family seem to have been the impetus to leave for the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her mother, step father and sibling also sailed on the Planter.  It seems likely that  Thomas Carter and the other "servants" were also  from. St. Albans. George probably paid Thomas' passage in return of a set amount of years labor.  The ship manifest reads:

2 April 1635

 theis underwritten are to be transported to New England, imbarqued in The Planter, Nicolas Frarice, Mr. bound thither, the parties have brought certificates from the Minister of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and attestecon from the justices of peace according to the Lords order. 

Those underwritten were George Giddings age 25, his wife Jane age 20, their servants Thomas Carter age 25, Michael Willinson age 30 and Elizabeth Morrison age 12.

George, Jane and Thomas settled first in Ipswich.  In 1638 Thomas was made a Freeman, which implied church membership, and a release from his indenture. He was granted land in Ipswich that year, but did not stay long. The Giddings family  remained in Ipswich and apparently did quite well for themselves. 

Three Thomas Carters There were three contemporary Thomas Carters, each with a wife named Mary, in Massachusetts and their histories are all mixed up on Ancestry.com, so proceed with caution if you are looking for background on Thomas. This Thomas was not married to either Mary Dalton or Mary Parkhurst, his wife's maiden name remains unknown. For a bio of Thomas Carter of Woburn see The blog of Heather Wilkinson, Nutfield Genealogy.

Salisbury Thomas was married by the 1641 birth of his and his wife's first child.  They had nine children all told, all who lived to adulthood save one.  By 1641, Thomas was living in Salisbury, Massachusetts.  He was one of the first proprietors of that town. Thomas, unlike some of his neighbors, kept his name out of the courts, so little is known about him. In 1664 he made his mark on the agreement to create the new settlement of Amesbury.  He served on the Essex Grand Jury in 1666. 

RIP His will was written on 30 Oct 1676 and it was proved by 14 November of that same year. He named his wife Mary in his will, so she outlived him. He gave each of his five living daughters 5 pounds and split the rest of his estate between his two living sons, John and Samuel, and his wife Mary. 

Children of Thomas and Mary Carter
1.  Mary b. Oct 6, 1641 m. Joseph Lancaster named in her father's 1676 will
2.  Thomas b. 1643 d. Aug. 14, 1669
3.  Martha b. Feb 1645 died young
4.  Martha b. March 1647 named in father's will 
5.  Elizabeth b. April 1649, named in father's will

6. John Carter was born in Salisbury, Massachusetts 18 May 1650. He took the oath of fidelity in 1677. He married by 1681 to Martha Brown of Salisbury, daughter of William Brown. William Brown is most known for his outrageous accusations and testimony against Susanna North Martin who lost her life as a result of his and others testimony during the Salem witch trials. 
7. Abigail b. Feb 1652/3 m. Stephen Flanders, Jr. 
8. Samuel b. Oct. 25, 1656 
9. Sarah b. ? m. April 1681 John Davis


Sources:
Hoyt, Old Familes of Salisbury and Amesbury
Henry Sweetser Burbage, Genealogy and Family History of the State of Maine

1859: A Bad Year for the David Thornton Family

The news of late is full of talk of the current flu season, and how virulent the current edition of the virus is.  The local TV news showed reporters questioning people about whether they had had a flu shot, many had but a surprising number had not. This made me think about the David Thornton family who lived in Wheelock, Vermont who suffered a tremendous loss during a flu epidemic in 1859.  

David Thornton was born in Canada East in 1808. His parents were Samuel and Katherine Baker Thornton, both from Campton, New Hampshire. The Thornton family eventually settled in Wheelock, Vermont. David married Lydia Clark, born in Wheelock, daughter of Dudley and Polly Folsom Clark.  The Clarks were also from Campton, New Hampshire, in fact the marriage occurred in Campton.  

In the 1850 census, David and Polly  as well as her parents lived with their children on the farm.  Next door, was David's brother John, who lived with his family including their Samuel and Katherine Thornton. A third brother, Samuel, who was my ancestor, lived in Greensboro, Vermont. 

Influenza epidemics are nothing new.  The worst on record was the 1918 "Spanish Flu" which killed approximately 25,000,000 people worldwide.  There was an epidemic in 1793 that seemed to have centered on Vermont, it was a "putrid fever" and influenza which killed over 500 people in 5 counties in four weeks. In 1857-1859 there was a world wide out break of the flu that was described as "extremely severe".  

There was no flu shot, no Tamiflu, not even a dose of NyQuil to ease the symptoms.  What they did have was a whole lot of quackery  like Week's Magic Compound. This ad is from the December 30, 1859 edition of the Burlington Free Press.  I guess a desperate person will try anything. 

On 6 Feb, 1859 eight year old Sumner, 6 year old Adoniram Judson and 3 year old Frank Andrew Thornton died. I cannot fathom the pain that the parents must have felt. A few weeks later on 19 March 1859 Keziah C. Thornton, aged 20 died. I do not know for sure that they died of influenza, but I am sure that they died of some type of infectious disease. 

In the 1870 census the David Thornton family had left Wheelock and returned to Campton, New Hampshire. David and Lydia's oldest son, John, died in 1873. The remaining children outlived their parents. 

Sources:

Chronicling America, The Burlington Free Press, December 30, 1859

Wikipedia, list of epidemics

Adoniram Judson was a Baptist minister from Salem, MA.  At first I thought the name was a typo, but apparently he was named for this man.