Griffin Headstones from Vermont

The first photo is the Essex Common Burial Ground in what is now Essex Corners Vermont. Samuel Griffin and Mercy Bailey are buried here along with a number of his children and grandchildren. The next two photo's are for Samuel's son Dan Griffin's son Almon Daniel Griffin. It is in Waterbury, Vermont. It records Almon's death along with his first wife and daughter, Philinda L Walsworth 1837-1895 and Mabel 1887-1888, and Almons 2nd wife Sarah C. Ladd 1846-1913. The next photo is Sameuel's son John's daughter Jane who married Erastus Bentley it is located in Jericho. Discovering her identity was one of the most adventurous research project we have undertaken. The next two photo's are for Samuel's son Samuel's two daughter daughters the first Sylvia Griffin Fuller is in the Essex Junction Cemetery. The last set of photos is for Samuel's daughter Rossette and her husband Eleazer Hunt they are in the Essex Common Burial Ground.

The Nettleton's of Killingworth

Asahel Griffin/Mercy Nettleton Griffin/ Samuel Nettleton and Dinah Healey/ John Nettleton and Sarah Woodmansie/John Nettleton and Martha Hull. The emigrant ancestor to the Nettleton’s of Killingworth was John. John Nettleton was born March 18, 1630/31 in Warwick, England. The original volume of records for Killingworth contains just over 200 pages. John is not numbered among the group of men who are listed at the “Proprietors” however his name is found throughout those 200 some odd pages. We find his name associated with land grants, town business, we have included his signature on a document where he served as a witness to a court proceeding. We find his marriage record in that original volume. He married Martha Hull, 29th Day of May 1670. Written in the early town records is a list of his children. His death is also recorded on the same page with his son Samuel. There are not as many records available for John’s son John. When the Congregational Second Society split off from the First Society the clerks copied many of the original town documents into a separate set of ledgers in essence creating a duplicate set of records. Its ironic that the with the exception of the first volume of records the remaining original ledgers have been lost. The record we have for the family of John Jr. and his wife Sarah Woodmansie is found in the records created by Aaron Elliot for the Second Society. It is found on the very last page that he wrote. We included the marriage records for John and Sarah. One is found in the land deeds the other in the town records. All of the church records relating to the Nettletons have been lost. We have a marriage record for John and Sarah. He also have their death record which appears on the same page with that of their son John and his wife. “Sarah the widow and Relict of John Nettleton December 10, 1723”. “John Nettleton Died 13th of February 1714/15”. Their son Samuel’s family, with the date of birth for Mercy Nettleton Griffin, and his marriage to Dinah Healey is also found in the collection created by Elliot. Click on images to enlarge.

Will of Nehemiah Smith 3rd of Groton

Nehemiah/Nehemiah/Nehemiah and Sarah Anne Bourne. Nehemiah Smith’s probate file is quite large. In it he names 13 of his children his daughter Dorothy having died before her father. Each child is named then the phrase “hath set out to him”. He also identifies them as his second daughter, third daughter etc. His wife Dorothy Wheeler Smith serves as Executrix to his will.

Mehitable Smith and Joshua Abell of Norwich

Found in the pages of the Norwich town record is a marvelous little document that records the life of Mehitable Smith, daughter of Nehemiah, and her husband Joshua Abell. In most cases the town records are a simple chronological collection of the birth, marriages and deaths in a community. In some volumes each category is organized separately. In some cases all of the data for a family is accumulated and written in one concise little record. I have often wondered about the process. Was it something the town clerks did of their own volition? Did the head of a household initiate it? I don’t know the answer but what I do know is that when you come across one it is a joyous occasion. Such is the case with the family of Mehitable and Joshua. The record starts with their marriage then lists their children. The document records her death and Joshua’s subsequent marriage to Bethiah Gader. It then lists the children born to Joshua and Bethiah. It ends with the death records for Joshua and Bethiah. We have included the record as part of this essay. One thing I would like to note is the fact that they had an unnamed son who is unaccounted for in most histories. He was born the first of January and died the sixth of January 1678. The next year, 1679, a son who they named Nehemiah was born the 15th of January and according to the record “died the same month and year”. Mehitable died March 14, 1684. Joshua remarried and had 6 more children 4 of who where still living at the time of his will, his daughters Mehitable and Bethiah having died before their father. Joshua was a very successful farmer. Deed records would seem to indicate that at the time of his death he owned about 1,000 acres. Joshua’s will has two components. In one component he passes on an inheritance to Mehitable’s two daughters Anne and Martha who he refers to as my two eldest daughters. The second component is the inheritance for Bethiah’s 4 remaining daughters. In 1724 in Connecticut women did not own property. In Joshua’s will each of his daughters is granted a portion of his property however the land deeds are recorded in the name of their husbands. Joshua did include the provision that if they divorced or if the husband died first the property would be left to his daughters. He lists Anne’s husband Nathaniel Fitch and Martha’s husband Obadiah Smith. For Bethiah’s daughters he wrote “Thomas Lathrop his wife my daughter Lydia” the same for John Leffingwell and Sarah, Hugh Calkin and Phebe, John Lathrop and Elizabeth. The probate file also contained an extensive inventory of his personal and household goods two pages of which we have included. Joshua Abell is buried in the Old Norwich Burying Ground. His headstone reads “Here lies ye Body of Mr. Joshua Abell Who Departed This Life March ye 1, 1725 & in ye 76 year of his Age” There are pictures of Joshua’s headstone available on the Internet. We have also include a copy.

Documentary History for Hannah Smith and Stephen Bradley

The marriage of Hannah Smith, the daughter of Nehemiah, and Stephen Bradley is found in the town records for New Haven. The remainder of their documentary history is found in the pages of the records from Guilford. The Guilford records are some of the most difficult to dissect. They are scattered among a number of different volumes. The earliest town records for births, baptisms and marriages are not available. However at some point in time the town recognized that those early records were being lost to the ravages of time. In the 1800’s they set about to copy the records in a new set of ledgers. This second copy is readily accessible and easy to follow. Unlike many other such transcriptions that reorganized and reformatted the original records it appears that in Guilford they simple started on page one and tried to recopy the original just at it had originally unfolded. Also luckily for us there is an alternative source woven among the original land records. As with most of the early Connecticut towns the land records were also used to record vital records. We have included the family records from both sources. The rewritten copy is written in a beautifull hand. The land records are very rustic reflecting the fact that they were written over 300 years ago. In addition to the birth records we have a death record for the first Sarah. For Stephen and Hannah’s son Stephen 2nd we have included his marriage record to Sarah Ward and the birth record for his son Stephen 3rd. All three Stephens happen to be part of my family tree. We also have a few pages from Capt. Bradley’s will. We also have included a few documents from the life of Stephen Bradley. There is a record in which he is given a grant of land for which he is required to furnish the town with a payment in Indian Corn. The next document is a list of names that represents the leading men of Guilford. On the list Stephen is referred to as “Captain” Stephen Bradley a reflection on his standing in the Guilford Militia. The title of Capt. is also reflected in his death record. Stephen and his son Stephen 2nd both appear on the same page in the “Record of Mortality Guilford. We also have the registration for the earmarks that he and his son Stephen used for their livestock.