Our 9th Great Grandfather and the Battle of Narragansett Swamp. 1675

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Tonight we take a moment to learn about our 9th Great Grandfather, John Harmon.
John fought in the Narragansett Swamp Fight in 1675. An outline of the battle is below, along with other events from the life of John and Sarah Harmon.

Simply,
Victor

Relationship Chart

9th Great Grandparents John Harmon Sr. married Sarah Roberts
to
Samual Harmon married Mercy Simpson
to
John Harmon married Mary Hasty
to
Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
to
Nancy Ann Williams married William Cantwell
to
Martha Cantwell married Jacob George
to
Frances George married Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler married Edwin Sherman Pierce
to
Walter Edwin Pierce married Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce married Walter Albert Mattson
to

Luella, Linda, John, Marvin
to
Us

John Harmon was a soldier in the Narragansett Swamp Fight in 1675. On November 2, 1675, Josiah Winslow led a combined force of over 1000 colonial militia including about 150 Pequot and Mohegan Indians against the Narragansett tribe living around Narragansett Bay. The Narragansett tribe had not yet been directly involved in the King Philip's War, but had allegedly sheltered many of King Philip's men, women and children and several of their warriors had reportedly been seen in Indian raiding parties. The colonists distrusted the Narragansett and feared the tribe would join King Phillip's cause come spring, which caused great concern due to the tribe's location. The decision was made to preemptively strike the Narragansett before an assumed uprising. Several abandoned Narragansett Indian villages were found and burned as the militia marched through the cold winter around Narragansett Bay. The tribe had retreated to a large fort in the center of a swamp near Kingston, Rhode Island. The building of such a defensive structure gives credence to the argument that the Narragansett never intended aggressive actions, thus the colonist's preemptive attack may have been unwarranted and overzealous.

Led by an Indian guide, on December 19, 1675 on a bitterly cold storm-filled day, the main Narragansett fort near modern South Kingstown, Rhode Island was found and attacked by the colonial militia from Plymouth Colony, Connecticut Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony. The massive fort occupying about 5 acres (20,000 m²) of land and was initially occupied by over a thousand Indians was eventually overrun after a fierce fight. The Indian fort was burned, its inhabitants, including women and children, killed or evicted and most of the tribe's winter stores destroyed.

It is believed that about 300 Indians were killed (exact figures are unknown) in the fighting. Many of the warriors and their families escaped into the frozen swamp; there hundreds more died from wounds combined with the harsh conditions. Facing a winter with little food and shelter, the whole surviving Narragansett tribe was forced out of quasi-neutrality some had tried to maintain in the on-going war and joined the fight alongside Philip. The colonists lost many of their officers in this assault and about 70 of their men were killed and nearly 150 more wounded. The dead and wounded colonial militiamen were evacuated to the settlements on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay where they were buried or cared for by many of the Rhode Island colonists until they could return to their homes.

The following is a first hand account of the battle: The close of the "Swamp fight," or "Storming of the Naragansett fort," in 1675, is thus described in Stiles' History of Windsor:

"Amid the shrieks of women and children and rattling of musketry . . . . the Indian defences were fired . . . . a dense column of smoke, which rose from the smouldering ashes, was all that was left of some 4,000 once brave and happy souls. It was a glorious victory for the English, but it brought sorrow as well as safety to their homes. 6 captains and 80 soldiers were killed or mortally wounded, and 150 wounded. Two days of exposure and three hours of hard fighting were followed by a distressing march through sleet and deep snows bearing with them their dead and wounded. The next morning the snow was exceedingly deep and the cold intense, and the jaded and frost bitten army could scarcely move. 400 troops were unfit for duty. (Capt. John) Mason was so badly wounded that he died in a
year after." Not only was John Moses in this battle, but we can fancy the feelings of a father when we know that he had two wounded sons with him on that terrible night march, boys of only 17 and 19 years. William and Thomas would both die in 1681 of wounds they received at the Swamp fight on December 19, 1675.

The Great Swamp Fight was a critical blow to the Narragansett tribe from which they never fully recovered. In April 1676, the Narragansett were completely defeated when their chief sachem Canonchet was captured and soon executed. On August 12, 1676 the leader of King Philip's War the Wampanoag sachem Metacom was shot in the heart by John Alderman, a Native American soldier in Benjamin Church's company. One of the greatest native uprisings in the New England failed.

John Harmon appears next in Wells, Maine, in 1677, when he received a grant of fifty acres of upland from the town. In 1679 he was engaged in the lumbering operations of the Curwen family of Salem and Wells, boarding with Francis Littlefield. At about this time he married Sarah Roberts, whose father, William Roberts, had been a victim of an Indian attack at Oyster River, New Hampshire in 1675. Their first child was born in 1680. On October 20, 1680, he bought from John Wentworth of York a farm of one hundred acres in Wells in the deed for which he is described as a planter. [York Deeds III:84] This farm was the family homestead during their residence in Wells. In 1714, Harmon deeded the property to his son Samuel, reserving a life estate in fifty acres. [York Deeds IX:3] He was received to full communion in the Wells church on June 26, 1726.

In 1726, Samuel Harmon, who had apparently developed unusual business ability as a millwright, bought a large tract of land in Scarborough and settled there, taking his father and mother with him.

In January, 1727, our great grandmother Sarah Harmon journeyed to Biddeford to sign a deed conveying her share of her father's property in Oyster River to Thomas Harris, but, John Harmon being too ill to leave Scarborough, it was necessary to take the deed home for his signature. He was one of the original members of the Scarborough church, founded June 26, 1728.

Recognition of his services in King Philip's War came in 1728, when John Harmon of Scarborough, "alive," received a grant in Narragansett No. 3, Souhegan West, now known as Amherst, New Hampshire. He was still living, at what must have been an advanced age, in 1734, when he sold to Phineas Jones of Falmouth

"all Right, Title and Interest in any of ye Lands Granted to the Narregansett Solgers or that may or shall hereafter be granted by ye General Court to ye sd Narregansett Soldiers which belongs to ye sd. Harmon by virtue of his being in the Narragansett Warrs." [York Deeds XVII:30.]

John Harmon's name appears in a list of Hampton and Salisbury soldiers at Black Point Garrison, Oct. 12, 1676, under command of Lieut. Tippen or Tappan. This was after the Narragansett Fort fight in which he took part on Dec. 19, 1675. It is said that during a parley with the Indians, who appeared at the Garrison 100 strong, the inhabitants took the opportunity to escape to the westward towns of Wells, Portsmouth, etc. John Harmon settled in Wells to which place he probably escaped with the other inhabitants of Black Point. In this attack the Indian chief, Mugg, or Mog Hegon, was killed by Lieut. Tippen, who was sent from Boston with a company of soldiers.

John Harmon, at Wells, took the Oath of Allegiance to the Massachusetts Government, Nov. 6, 1677. In 1677 grants of land were made to John Harmon upon condition, "that he build a house and lives therein." His name appears in a list of inhabitants of Wells from 1641 to 1687. In 1698, 50 acres were granted to John Harmon, the same lying between Webhanet and Ogunquit rivers, on the King's highway. In 1686, John Harmon, of Wells, made a complaint before the grand jury that Richard Rogers had entered upon his land at Wells and carried off 18 loads of candle wood. Rogers was found guilty of trespass and fined, "5 barrels of tar at 5 gallons per barrel." (This term, "candle wood", applied to pitch knots which were used in place of candles.) (History of Wells by Bourne.)

In 1694 a grant of land was made to John Harmon in Kennebunk. The earliest permanent settlers of Wells when it included Kennebunk, were the ancestors of the Harmons and others who were here prior to 1653. (Kennebunk by Remick.)

YORK COUNTY (Maine) DEED.

"To all People to whom these presents shall Come, that I John Harmon do Send Greeting. Know ye that I ye said John Harmon John Harmon to his son of ye Town of Wells in ye County of York in ye Province of Mass. Bay in New England for and in Consideration of ye love good Will and affection, which I bear towards my well beloved Son Samuel Harmon Now living in ye Town of Wells, husbandman have given granted and by these presents do Absolutely give grant unto my sd. Son Samuel Harmon his heirs Exrs. Admrs. halfe my sd. Land lying and being in ye Township of Wells containing 100 acres of Upland butting upon Mr. Wheelwright's land and So runs up into the Country Twenty poles in breadth till ye 100 acres be Accomplished with 5 acres of Meadow lying at Merryland And after my decease do give unto my sd. Son Samuel Harmon his heirs ye other halfe of My sd. Upland and Hadow Lying and being in ye Township of Wells and County aforesd. To have and to hold all ye sd. land as afore Mentioned unto ye sd. Samuel Harmon his heirs Exrs. Admrs, forever In Witness Whereof I have hereunto Set my hand and Seal this thirty day of April in ye thirteen year of ye reign of our Soveraign Lady Anne of Great Brittaine ffrance, Ireland Queen and ct. Anno Dom. 1714."
Signed Sealed and Delivered John Harmon (A seal)
In ye presence of us his J:H mark.
James Wiggins.
James Tanner.

Our 14th Great Grandfather. Hung for Murder and Deer Poaching.

Thomas Fienes, Baron Dacre. Our 14th Great Grandfather.

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Our digital family reunion this evening finds Utah Valley enveloped in a nice winter storm. I'm in my chair listening to Vivaldi as I research our family history. We have a very interesting ancestor to meet tonight in our online gathering. His name is Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre and his wife Mary Neville our 14th Great Grandparents.

Our 14th Great Grandmother Mary Neville.

It amazes me how many of our family lines all come into contact during the reign of Henry VIII of England. Many of our ancestors served in Henry's Court and were counted as his good friends, and yes - his lovers.

Let us begin with the Relationship Chart

14th Great Grandfather Thomas Fiennes Baron Dacre and Mary Neville
to
George Fienes and Ann Sackville
to
Frank Wheatlye and Mary Fiennes
to
Thomas Bliss b. abt. 1590 England married Dorothy Wheatley
to
Mary Martha Bliss married Nathanial Harmon
to
John Harmon Sr. married Sarah Roberts
to
Sarmal Harmon married Mercy Simpson
to
John Harmon b. 1716 d. 1742 and Mary Hasty b. 1721 d. 1753
to
Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
to
Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
to
Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
to
Frances George and Henry Fiddler
to
Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
to
Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
to
Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
to their children
Luella, Linda, John, Marvin
to
US

Thomas Fiennes was the 9th Baron Dacre. He was born in 1515 and hung on the gallows in 1541. Dacre was the son of Sir Thomas Fiennes and Jane Sutton daughter of Edward Sutton, 2nd Baron Dudley. When his father died in 1528 he became heir apparent to his grandfather's title and the family seat at Herstmonceux Castle in Sussex, and he succeeded to the title at the age of approximately 19 in 1533. In 1536 he married Mary Nevill, daughter of George Nevill, 5th Baron Bergavenny.

The Crest of Thomas Fiennes, 9th Baron Dacre

Here are the important facts concerning our 14th Great Grandfather.

• Thomas was a young boy at the time of his father's death in 1528.
• Thomas married our Great Grandmother Mary Neville in 1536 just before his nineteenth birthday.
  
• The couple had three children. Gregory (George) was our 13th Great Grandfather.
  
• Thomas was a Peer of England and served King Henry VIII. In May 1536 Lord Dacre (Thomas) sat on the controversial trial of Queen Anne Boleyn and her brother, George Boleyn on charges of incest. Both were found guilty and condemned to death by beheading.
  
• Lord Dacre gathered a force of 200 men to help Henry VIII against the rebellion of the North.
  
• Lord Dacre served on the jury who found Lord Darcy guilty of Treason.
  
• Lord Dacre was a member of the Commission of Sewers to search and defend the coast of England.
  
• When Henry VIII's son Edward was christened, Lord Dacre was appointed to bear teh spice plates. A month later, when the Queen Jane Seymour, was buried, he was one of those to bear the canopy over her corpse at the funeral.
  
• Lord Dacre met Henry VIII's next bride, Anne of Cleves, upon her arrival from Germany.

On the last day of April 1541, when he was 24 years old, Thomas and several of his friends trespassed in Laughton Park, Susses to hunt deer belonging to Sir Nicholas Pelham. During the evening hunt they were discovered by the gamekeeper. A fight broke out. The gamekeeper was stabbed by the sword and died. Although not the one who delivered the fatal blow, our 14th Great Grandfather was still an accomplice and stood trial.

During the trial he was found guilty and sentenced to hang. Henry VIII did not pardon him.
The following is the complete transcript of the trail in the original language and spelling.

'...There was executed at Saint Thomas Wateringe, three gentlemen, John Mantell (Lord Dacres brother-in-law), John Frowds, and George Roidon; they died for a murther committed in Sussex, in companie of Thomas Fines, Lord Dacres of the South: the truth whereof was thus. The said Lord Dacres, through the lewd persuasion of some of them, as hath beene reported, meaning to hunt in the parke of Nicholas Pelham, esquire, at Laughton, in the same countie of Sussex, being accompanied with the said Mantell, Frowds, and Roidon, John Cheinie, and Thomas Isleie, gentlemen, Richard Middleton, and John Goldwell, yeomen, passed from his house of Hurstmonceux, the last of Aprill, in the night season, toward the same parke, where they intended so to hunt; and coming unto a place called Pikehaie, in the parish of Hillingleigh, they found one John Busbrig (or Busbridge), James Busbrig, and Richard Summer standing togither: and as it fell out, through quarelling, there insued a fraie betwixt the said Lord Dacres and his companie on the one partie, and the said John and James Busbrig and Richard Summer on the other, insomuch that the said John Busbrig received such hurt, that he died thereof the second of Maie next insuing. Whereupon, as well the said Lord Dacres as those that were there with him, and diuerse other likewise that were appointed to go another waie to meet them at the said parke, were indicted of murther; and the seauen and twentith of Jun the Lord Dacres himselfe was arraigned before the Lord Audleie of Walden, then lord chancellor, sitting that daie as high steward of England, with other peers' of the realme about him, who then and there condemned the said Lord Dacres to die for that transgression. And afterward, the nine and twentith of Jun, being Saint Peter's daie, at eleuen of the clocke in the forenoone, the shiriffs of London, accordinglie as they were appointed, were readie at the tower to haue receiued the said prisoner, and him to haue lead to execution on the Tower Hill; but as the prisoner should come forth of the tower, one Heire, a gentleman of the lord chancellor's house, came, and in the kings name commanded to staie the execution till two of the clocke in the afternoone, which caused manie to think that the King would haue granted his pardon. But neuerthelesse, at three of the clocke in the same afternoone, he was brought forth of the tower, and deliuered to the shiriffs, who lead him on foote betwixt them unto Tiburne where he died. His bodie was buried in the church of Saint Sepulchers. He was not past foure and twentie yeeres of age, when he came through this great mishap to his end, for whom manie sore lamented, and likewise for the other three gentlemen, Mantell, Frowds and Roidon. But for the said yoong lord being a right towardlie gentleman, and such a one as manie had conceiued great hope of better proofe, no small mone and lamentation was made; the more indeed, for that it was thought he was induced to attempt such follie, which occasioned his death, by some light heads that were then about him...'

The case was tried in the court of King's Bench on June 27th, before the lord chancellor (Lord Audley of Walden), 'sitting that day as high steward of England.' Lord Dacre at first pleaded 'not guilty;' but, 'overpersuaded by the courtiers, who gaped after his estate, to confess the fact', he pleaded guilty, and 'cast himself on the king's mercy, as the only way to save his own and his servant's life.'

The whole company was indicted on the charge of murder. Although the combined innocence of Dacre and his party was so clear that the privy council hesitated long before ordering a prosecution, and then probably only under pressure from the King Henry VIII, now nearing his worst, 'cruelly, royally vindictive', was resolved that the young man should die, and his 'surpassing self-wilfullness' drove his councilors to a decision, though not without a long and stormy debate.

The judges attempted thereupon to use their influence with the king to obtain mercy. The king, however, was determined, and Dacre was ordered to be executed next day, June 29th, at 11 a.m., on Tower Hill.

Upon his death, our Great Grandmother Mary was penniless. Because of his crime, Thomas lost his titles, lands and wealth.

Mary Neville and her son, our 13th Great Grandfather Gregory (George).

Shortly thereafter, King Henry VIII took pity on the young widow and return some of the land and wealth so she could be cared for to the end of her days.

Simply,
Victor

A Few Pictures of the Oldest Delgrosso Children

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
I found several pictures of the oldest Delgrosso children taken when they were younger and put them into a short slide show. The pictures were found in a box of old photos in Luella's closet. Luella and Charles have started the long overdue 'decluttering' of their home. It took them a lifetime to accumulate the stuff and I told them that it cannot take another lifetime to get rid of it. My point was simple enough. They are both in their 70's and need to start thinking about living a simpler, less cluttered life.

"When you die, much of this will be thrown away," I told them recently. "How would we know what's important and what isn't? You need to start the sorting process - keeping what is most important and tossing the unnecessary."

Dad's hours have been cut back at Walmart, leaving him extra time to persuade and help mother into what she considers a Herculean task. This new sorting project will keep them busy for the foreseeable future. I'll post the more interesting pictures as they are excavated from the mounds of 'stuff' occupying every nook and corner of their home.

And now, the short slide show made from pictures recently unearthed in the furnace room.

Simply,
Victor

Thoughts From the Fortress

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,

Am I the only one who's noticed the dark clouds of gloom and doom hovering over so many people's heads these days? When I listen to them they remind me of a tune I once heard on the old TV show "Hee Haw". If I remember correctly, it's lyrics were, "Doom despaire and utter poverty, deep dark depression and complete misery. If it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all..."

My office desk is located at the crossroads of three of our five simulators at the Space Center, so I get to listen to people from every part of the State, along with my own staff and the staff of Central School, tell me their premonitions of impending doom. They feel the Apocalypse is nigh. They see the writing on the wall.

Much of their concern stems from the gloom and doom news commentary heard on radio and television from commentators who make their living by selling doomsdayism. They drive people into hysterical panics for ratings and the selling of books, pamplets and newsletters.

I remember once talking to someone whom I thought was reasonably intelligent about my plan to get a flu shot later that same day. He urged me not to get it. He'd heard that the government put something into the shot to make us deathly sick. The purpose was to thin the surplus population. How many things like that have you heard? The internet is ripe with them, and it will only get worse as 2012 comes closer.

"There has never been so much unrest in the world," I've heard some say (funny, but they've forgotten both world wars).
"Have you noticed the strange weather, just as foretold," others say (funny, but have they forgotten the dust bowl of the 30's? Just to name one example).

I've lived long enough to see bad times come and go. Just from what I know about history, I guarantee there have been worse times. I challenge anyone to bring me evidence that what we see and hear today is worse than anything that has happened in the past. You'll find it difficult if not impossible to do so. Isn't it a pity students today aren't spending more time studying history? Without that historical foundation, our students lack the mental tools needed to sift through the propaganda to see what's true and relevant.

I bring up this topic for one reason. I fear that Fear Itself may eventually be the agent responsible for the collapse of our free society. And from freedom's ashes would rise a police state, as has happened in the past. When people are frightened, they are more inclined to surrender their personal liberties in return for safety. We see it happening today. We fear terrorism, so we spend billions of dollars on ultra top secret agencies which in turn watch us, listen to us, and track what we say and do. I wonder if the terrorists have won to some degree, through our reactions and overreactions to their threats and deeds.

Our ancestors fled the old world and came to America for the very freedoms we are in danger of losing if we are not careful. They fought in our nation's wars to protect those freedoms. It is up to us to take measured and prudent actions not to lose the very thing they fought and died for, even if it means risk. We cannot let fear run our lives.

Nobody ever said freedom was free.



A Lesson from Growing Up in the Old Days.

The picture above reminds me of the kind of South Dakota parenting that raised me in the 60's and 70's. I remember once telling my mother I hated her. I was an impatient youngster who wanted everything my way. I wanting to go outside and join my friends in a dirt clod fight down at the vacant lot at the end of the street. Mother wanted me to spend my precious play time cleaning my room or something equally as painful. I got a couple good swats on the rear end for saying what I said and got sent to my room. A few minutes later she heard me laughing. It was my way of telling her that the spanking didn't hurt. The event escalated to the point where I told her I wanted to run away and never come back. She agreed, telling me that if I didn't want to be a part of the family I should go and find a family that would let me do anything I wanted - when I wanted. She drove me out of town and deposited me on the side of the road with a small suitcase she'd helped me pack. She told me she loved me and wished me well. She jumped into the Rambler station wagon and drove away.

I was suddenly on my own, on the highway leading to the Reservation. I could see myself getting taken by away by a band of Sioux Indians thinking I was General Custer's great great grandson or something. I burst into tears, and for the first time in my life, was truly frightened of being alone. A moment later the Rambler came back. The 60 seconds or so it took her to make a U turn taught me the lesson she wanted me to learn. It was a hard lesson for me to learn but one I've never forgotten. Would a parent dare try something like that today? I ask that because Utah is about to pass a law forbidding parents from leaving unattended children in parked cars, let alone on the side of a road. It was a different world back then.

Thanks for that lesson Mom.

Simply,
Victor

Williamson Line. Our 6th Great Grandmother, Rebecca Fincher. A Quaker Minister

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello Williamsons,
I'm hoping this post finds you all safe from the wind, snow and ice that seems to be dominating a large section of the country tonight. As for the conditions at the Fortress, the outside temperature tonight will flirt with 0 degrees but shouldn't go below. It was a cold morning, too cold in fact to walk to school. I drove the Battlestar instead.

Relationship Chart

6th Great Grandparents. Joseph Bennett and
Rebecca Fincher b. 1708 PA. .
to
Phebe Bennett b. 1738 married John Willis
to
Bennett Willis 1780-1814 and Catherine Nossaman 1782-1842
to
Jonathan Willis 1807-1889 and Arabella Phelgar 1809-1865
to
Margaret Ann Willis 1835-1921 and George Matthew Williamson 1834-1928
to
William Jonathan Williamson and Effie Helen Victor
to
Vennie, Ima Della, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles, Maurice.
to
US

Tonight I'd like to post something about our 6th Great Grandmother, Rebecca Bennett Fincher. She was a Quaker, like so many of our ancestors who immigrated from England to escape religious persecution. This information on Rebecca was taken from a period source, a Quaker digest. It speaks of her faith in God. What I also find interesting is that it lists her as a minister in the Gospel. The actual words are "she came forth in the ministry.."

To learn more about the ministry of early Quaker women, please read the article below the paragraphs detail the life of Rebecca Bennett.

And now, may I introduce you to our 6th Great Grandmother (of my generation). She is a woman all Williamsons in our family line can be proud of.

Simply,
Victor

REBECCA BENNETT

Rebecca Fincher, daughter of John Fincher, Sr., was born in Uwehlan Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, Ninth mo. 6th, 1708. In the year 1724, she was married to Joseph Bennett, of Kennett, in the same county. In the year 1737, she with her husband and family removed into York county in the same State, on the west side of the Susquehanna River. The next year she came forth in the ministry, a service for which she had without doubt been long preparing. Her labours in this line were " to the edification and comfort of Friends, her conversation adorning her ministry."

She continued faithful to the duty assigned her as long as life was given her. Four days before her death, she walked to the meeting at Newbury, to which she belonged, which was nearly a mile from her residence. She was in that meeting earnestly concerned in the love of the Gospel to entreat all present to prepare for their final change; telling them that when sickness came upon them, they would have enough to do to struggle with the pains of the body. She also exhorted them, that as there were commotions and the noise of war,* in the earth, to trust in the Lord, who is the sure Refuge and Defence of his people.

On her way to her residence after meeting, she was taken ill, " and departed this life the 6th day of the Eleventh month, 1757, in peace with God, as we have reason to think, and in unity with his people." Her age was forty-nine years and two months.

Information on Early Quaker Women Ministers.

What role and influence did Christian women have in 17th and 18th century America? Most people’s answer to this question would be heavily colored by the image of Puritan women, who practiced a religion which idealized female submission to men in both this world and the next. These were not, however, the only Christian women in America — there were also many Quaker women, and they lead dramatically different lives.

Why would unbelievers and skeptics care about the sorts of lives lead by Quaker women several hundred years ago? Rebecca Larson offers readers a picture of how women can live in Christianity which, for some people, is disturbingly radical even today. At the time, it was often cause for scandal and legal action.

Although Quaker women, like Quaker men, had to live by strict rules regarding dress, language and conduct, they both also lived by a radical Protestant theology which taught that all believers had equal access to the Holy Spirit — and, therefore, to the ability to teach and preach God’s message. Because of this, Quaker women had unparalleled freedom and authority in their families, their church, and their own lives:

Although the Puritan model of female submission to male ministerial authority has shaped our views of women in early America, in 1700 Quakerism was one of several religious alternatives for colonial Americans and "possibly the most potent religious movement in the colonies outside Puritan New England." Women's participation in the ministry, traditionally a masculine prerogative, sprang from Quaker belief in both genders' capacity to be guided by the Holy Spirit in inspired preaching.

Larson begins by exploring the early history of Quakerism - George Fox had a revelation that a person could look inward for guidance to God's truth and did not have to rely upon a university or church education for it. According to Fox, the Christian reliance upon "hireling priests" resulted in people losing the gift of preaching through the Holy Spirit.

In theory, this was supposed to be the basis for the entire Protestant Reformation - a priesthood of all believers. In practice, however, professional priests remained the norm and most believers continued to defer to men for that role. Quakers, however, not only put that theory into practice, they also refused to recognize a gender distinction in whom the Holy Spirit might touch. Therefore, women were given the same chances to preach that men were given.

Did any of these women matter? They certainly did - their numbers helped ensure that, with between 1300 and 1500 Quaker women ministers being active in the Anglo-American world during this era. Quakers as a group constituted the third-largest religious denomination in the colonies, holding considerable political and economic power in many places. This was a time when few women wrote and even fewer were actually published — but despite this, these women saw their sermons and tracts reach an eager transatlantic audience.

As Larson shows, preaching women were not simply strange novelties. In fact, they exerted real power over the direction of mid-century Quaker reform efforts. For example, when it seemed that Quakerism might grow soft and complacent in the face of religious toleration and material prosperity, female worked to promote a return to the strict tenets of early Quakerism.

Because of the efforts of these ministers, Quakerism moved toward a commitment to pacifism and universal abolition when such opinions were unfashionable among successful Quakers. But the female reformers won. Thus, largely because of their persistent message, colonial Quakers renounced politics and slave-holding, and settled into their now familiar work for quiet activism and social justice.

Daughters of Light: Quaker Women Preaching and Prophesying in the Colonies and Abroad,

1700-1775, by Rebecca Larson

There was also a great deal of cultural cross-pollination resulting from their efforts — women ministers circulated throughout British North America, bringing their particular perspectives to new areas and they also traveled back and forth across the Atlantic. Some even traveled during pregnancy, leaving small children at home to be cared for by their husbands or the Quaker community:

Quakers created a unique transatlantic culture, embracing both mysticism and rational capitalism, female spiritual leaders and shrewd male merchants, as they attempted to balance, in historian Frederick Tolles' words, the cultivation of the outward plantation and the "inward plantation" of the spirit.

In their unprecedented public role, they reached diverse audiences in courthouses, meeting-houses, and private homes consisting of men and women, members of other faiths as well as to Quakers, Native Americans and even slaves. Over time, even female Quaker preachers became more and more welcome throughout the colonies. People grew accustomed to seeing them and hearing their message, leading to even greater influence in culture and politics.

The story of these women is very important and, unfortunately, it is largely unknown. We can be thankful that Rebecca Larson has brought it to us.

Our 9th Great Grandparent Francis Fincher, a Quaker. His Story of Persecution and Immigration (Williamson / Willis Line)

This is a photograph of Shell Cottage in Himbleton, Worcestershire, England, a home of members of the Fincher family from mid 1500's through 1800. The photograph was taken in November 1988 by Buel Rodgers -- his wife Bonnie Fincher Rodgers, a direct descendant of Francis the Quaker, is pictured in front of the thatched cottage.

Hello Williamsons!
Today we learn about our 9th Great Grandparents, Francis and Alice Fincher of Worcester England. Once again we discover that we descend from good Quaker families that suffered for their religious beliefs and came to America for religious freedom.

Relationship Chart

9th Great Grandparents Francis the Elder b. 1599 Himbleton, Worcester England. and Alice Hart b. 1600

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Francis Fincher the Immigrant b. 1626 England. and Mary Achelley
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John Fincher b. 1679 in Worcestershire England and Martha Taylor b. 1680 England.
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Joseph Bennett and Rebecca Fincher b. 1708 PA. and Joseph Bennett of PA.
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Phebe Bennett b. 1738 married John Willis
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Bennett Willis 1780-1814 and Catherine Nossaman 1782-1842
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Jonathan Willis 1807-1889 and Arabella Phelgar 1809-1865
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Margaret Ann Willis 1835-1921 and George Matthew Williamson 1834-1928
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William Jonathan Williamson and Effie Helen Victor
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Vennie, Ima Della, Inez, Lillie Ethel, Josie, Emmett, Walt, Charles, Maurice.
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US

Francis Fincher, a Quaker from Worcester, England, arrived at Philadelphia, Pa., 7 mo., 28th day,1683 aboard the ship Bristol Comfort accompanied by his second wife, Mary (Achelley) Fincher, his small children and servants. He was called a glover. He came from Worcester, England, where along with his Quaker friends, he was severely persecuted for his religious beliefs.

In The Collection of the Suffering of the People Called Quakers, by Besse, are several accounts of Francis Fincher's hardships. Under caption 1662, Besse says:

"On the 12th of the month called January, Friends being peaceably met at the House of Robert Smith in Worcester, a marshal with a File of musquetiers (being of those called the Clergy-Band) came, and in an hostile manner forced all the men there met, being eighteen, to go with them. They shewed no Order or Warrant, but guarded them through several streets to their Captain's House, who ordered the Soldiers to carry them to the Marshal's. They were kept about three Days and three Nights, it being the time of a General Sessions there, at which, though they were never called to appear or answer for themselves, an Indictment was found against them, upon the Evidence of but one man, and he an infamous Person, who had been formerly arraigned for Murder, and was afterwards distracted (insane). From the Marshal's they were removed to the Town Gaol and there remained. Their names were ..... Francis Fincher (listed among others)."

After a long account of the trial, this follows:

"In like manner, at the same assizes, John Pike . . . . Francis Fincher (and others) were convicted of being at a meeting and sentenced to pay 5 pounds each, or to be sent to the House of Correction for three months."

Besse tells of another attack on the Quakers in 1670 at Grafton-Flyford coming with a warrant and

"from Francis Fincher was taken all His Goods for a fine of 20 pounds. They said Francis Fincher was taken on his knees in prayer and having heard that he was fined 20 pounds went to Justice Packington at Bowling Green to expostulate the case with him, whether he thought Prayer to God a Breach of the Law. Packington told him he might pray at home, and that he stood convicted on Oath of the informers. Francis, with Christian Boldness, exhorted him to Justice and Equity, which when Sands, the other Justice, who was also at Bowls, heard he threatened Francis, that if he did not hold his tongue, he would send him where he would be loth to go. A short time after, the officers brought three carts to his House and carried away the best of his goods, took possession of the rest, and sold all, and within a few weeks after he was taken from his family (he having a wife and several small children) and committed him to Worcester Gaol where he lay several months."

Again in 1681 Francis Fincher was sent to Worcester Gaol having been taken praying in the street, being kept out of the meeting place by Constables.

Small wonder that Francis Fincher was glad to come to a land where Quakers were welcome. Records show that he was a First Purchaser from William Penn. In May 1682 he had purchased 1,250 acres in the province of Pennsylvania (Samuel Hazard's Annals of Penna. - 1609-1682 - Philadelphia 1850, appendix p. 639; Pennsylvania Archives, Vol. 1, p. 42.)

"First purchasers" were entitled to both land in the country and "liberty" land in the city of Philadelphia. The location of his city land is given in Welsh Settlements of Pennsylvania, by Charles Browning, 1912, p. 438. In describing the early roads of Pennsylvania, it mentions Fincher's land on the Schuylkell River.

"Fincher's land was bounded on the west by a street or road, the one to the ferry, and he also bought land bounded on the south by this road. That is, Fincher had 35 acres on the upper side of Market Street and across the street was the Haverford Friends' Burying Ground."

Francis Fincher only lived one year after coming to America, but during that time he was active in the affairs of Pennsylvania. He was elected a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly from Philadelphia in 1684. At the session of the Assembly held at New Castle, 3rd month, 10, 1684, he was elected Speaker, but declined to serve. The record states

"Francis Fincher, a member of the House, being chosen Speaker by major Votes of the House; he in modest manner was pleased to refuse that Choice, with the humble acknowledgement of his own insufficiency for so great an undertaking." (Pennsylvania Archives, Votes and Proceedings of the House of Representatives of Province of Pennsylvania, Vol. 1, p. 46). He died three months later, 6 mo., 1684.

In 1953 Evelyn Fincher [co-author of Fincher in the USA, 1683-1900] had a short time in England and visited Chaucer House London, where she saw Dr. Howard Collier's manuscript on the Finchers, and made brief notes. Dr. Collier, a prominent Quaker physician of Worcester, England, has worked on the Finchers there. He said that Francis Fincher was a Worcester skinner and glover who lived in Kingston (Worcester) and belonged to a well-known Puritan family that resided at Shell and Himbleton. At the time that Francis was a widower with small children he was an important man in that part of the County that lies between Pershore and Droctwich and Worcester. He was born 1626 on property called "Tomes" in Himbleton. His mother's name was Alice Hart; father known as Francis the Elder, died in 1649 when Francis, the Quaker, was 23 years old. His first wife was Elizabeth, and that marriage probably took place prior to 1660.

Photos and a Dennis family history from Cousin Diane. Grandma Violet's neice.

Hello All,
Cousin Diane from California sent the following pictures to be included in the blog. She also included corrections to other photographs throughout the blog that she was familiar with. Thank you Diane. The purpose of this blog is to give an accurate history of the family. All corrections are wanted and encouraged.

This is a hand colored picture of Grandma Vesta (Violet's mother) taken when she was 10 or 11 years old. The unsigned writing on the back said: "This was taken when you were about 10 or 12, Myra sent me these two, which were about an inch squareand very dim, had copies made, and then enlarged of course you know who it is Dear."

This photo was taken in the early 1950's. The lady sitting in the occasional chair is Martha Sarah Dennis Turner "Mattie". She was the first child of John Dennis (Violet's grandfather) and Julia Spirlock, born on January 3, 1863. She was therefore Great Grandmother Vesta's half sister. She was visiting her two daughters; Madge and Nancy.

Our Great Great Aunt Martha (Mattie) was Hot Springs, South Dakota's First Bride. Cousin Diane sent the following clipping from he Hot Spring's newspaper celebrating her 96th birthday.
(Click to enlarge and read). This clipping tells the story of our Great Great Grandfather Dennis and the family as they moved throughout the west, finally settling in Cascade, South Dakota. It is a fascinating read.




In this photo (taken in the late 1940's) you have Walter Pierce (Violet's brother), Grandmother Violet and the Josslyn family. Diane remembers running to Vesta (her grandmother) yelling that a strange lady with a suitcase was walking up the drive (a taxi was pulling away) - Vesta dropped what she was doing and ran out to meet her daughter. This was taken in Pomona, CA.


This is a photo of Great Grandmother Vesta with her husband 2nd husband Henry Deaver, taken on their wedding day.


Thanks Diane!


Simply,
Victor

Our Cousin, Samuel Sewall. Magistrate of the Salem Witch Trials

Samuel Sewall

Hello All,
It’s getting late and time to post my evening’s research. Tonight we are privileged to meet Samuel Sewall, our 1st cousin, 12 times removed. He is known for his extensive diary detailing the live of his Puritan family. He attended Harvard University. He was an assistant magistrate in the Salem Witch Trials. In fact, he was the only magistrate that publicly regretted his role. Later in his life he became the Chief Justice of Massachusetts. Also remember from a previous post our 9th great grandparents from another line were accused of being a witch during that trial. So, our great grandparents were judged by our 12th cousin. Isn't it interesting the way our family lines twist and turn and, at times, intercept.

There is much more below in this person’s interesting life.

We begin with the Relationship Chart:

Henry Sewell and Margaret Grazebrook are my 12th Great Grandparents. The chart above takes us to my 7th Great Grandparents John and Harmon and Mary Hasty. From them the family line goes as follows:

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Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
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Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
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Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
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Frances George and Henry Fiddler
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Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
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Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
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Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
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Luella Mae Mattson and Charles Ray Williamson
to
US

The information below is taken from Wikipedia on the life of this famous cousin.

Simply,
Victor

The Life of Chief Judge Samuel Sewall.

Sewall was born in Bishopstoke, Hampshire England, on March 28, 1652, the son of Henry and Jane Sewall (née Dummer), and grandson of Henry Sewall, the mayor of Coventry, England. He emigrated with his parents from England to the Massachusetts colony in 1661 where they settled in Newbury, Massachusetts. It is there the young Samuel grew up along the Parker River and Plum Island Sound. Like other local boys he attended school at the James Noyes House, receiving his primary education from the Reverend James Noyes. A devout Puritan, he later moved Boston to attended Harvard University, (graduating in 1671), hoping to study for the ministry, but he eventually left to pursue a career in business. He also entered local politics, and was elevated to the position of assistant magistrate in the judiciary that in 1692 judged the people in Salem accused of witchcraft. Sewall was perhaps most remarkable among the magistrates involved in the trials in that he was the only magistrate who, some years later, publicly regretted his role, going so far as to call for a public day of prayer, fasting, and reparations. In Salem, Sewall's brother Stephen had opened up his home to one of the initially afflicted children, Betty Parris, daughter of Salem Village's Reverend Samuel Parris, and shortly afterward Betty's 'afflictions' appear to have subsided.

Apart from his involvement in the trials, Sewall could be very liberal in his views. In The Selling of Joseph (1700), for instance, he came out strongly against slavery, making him one of the earliest colonial abolitionists. There he argued:

"Liberty is in real value next unto Life: None ought to part with it themselves, or deprive others of it, but upon the most mature Consideration."

He regarded "man-stealing as an atrocious crime which would introduce amongst the English settlers people who would remain forever restive and alien," but he also believed that

"There is such a disparity in their Conditions, Colour, Hair, that they can never embody with us, and grow up into orderly Families, to the Peopling of the Land."

Although holding such segregationist views, he maintained that:

"These Ethiopians, as black as they are; seeing they are the Sons and Daughters of the First Adam, the Brethren and Sisters of the Last ADAM, and the Offspring of God; They ought to be treated with a Respect agreeable."

His 1725 essay "Talitha Cumi" refers to the "right of women." It is republished for the first time since 1725 in the appendix to the most recent biography of Sewall .

His Journal, kept from 1673 to 1729, describes his life as a Puritan against the changing tide of colonial life, as the devoutly religious community of Massachusetts gradually adopted more secular attitudes and emerged as a liberal, cosmopolitan-minded community. As such, the diary is an important work for understanding the transformation of the colony in the days leading to the American Revolution.

In 1717, Sewall was appointed chief justice of Massachusetts.

Our 11th Great Aunt, Tried for Witchcraft.

Mary Bliss Parsons

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Tonight we meet our 11th Great Aunt Mary Bliss Parsons, daughter of our 11th Great Grandfather and his second wife Margaret Hulins. We are descended from this same Thomas and his first wife Dorothy through another daughter with the same name "Mary Martha" who married Nathanial Harmon.

Our Great Aunt had an interesting life, to say the least. Yet once again we have a relative accused of witchcraft, providing another fascinating chapter in America's early history. We begin with the Relationship Chart:

Relationship Chart


Thomas Bliss b. abt. 1590 England married Dorothy Wheatley and 2nd wife Margaret Hulins
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Mary Martha Bliss married Nathanial Harmon (1/2 sister Mary Bliss Parsons, daughter of 2nd wife Margaret)

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John Harmon Sr. married Sarah Roberts
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Sarmal Harmon married Mercy Simpson
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John Harmon b. 1716 d. 1742 and Mary Hasty b. 1721 d. 1753
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Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
to
Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
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Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
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Frances George and Henry Fiddler
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Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
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Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
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Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
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Luella Mae Mattson and Charles Ray Williamson
to
US

Mary Bliss Parsons with Daughter

The Mary (Bliss) Parsons Story

ary Parsons is perhaps the most infamous resident of Northampton's early settlement period. She was involved in witchcraft-related trials in 1656 and 1674, and possibly again in 1679. Her story is a fascinating one that sheds light on the workings of the Puritan mind and the complicated social and cultural situation of the period.

The Parsonses were one of the first families of Northampton; Historic Northampton's buildings are located on what was once Parsons family land, where Mary and her husband, Cornet Joseph Parsons, started their family in the newly settled town. The Parsonses moved to Northampton in 1654, where the were very successful. Cornet Joseph Parsons earned his title as a color-bearer in the Hampshire Troop of Horses, and held various positions of merit in the town. In his early career, he earned money and distinction working as a merchant and fur trader for the Pynchon family, and eventually kept the first house of entertainment in Northampton; the Parsonses would eventually become the wealthiest family in Northampton. Their wealth can also be measured in terms of their family size: Mary and Joseph had a total of eleven children, most of whom lived to adulthood.

But soon after the Parsonses moved to Northampton, rumors of witchcraft began to circulate, implying that the family's success came at the expense of other families, and was the result of Mary's dealings with the devil. To head off the allegations, Joseph Parsons initiated a slander case in 1656, which he won. But eighteen years later, Mary was officially accused of and tried for witchcraft in 1674. She was eventually acquitted, but it seemed that the residents of Northampton, despite any court decrees, were convinced that Mary was a witch. Mary may have been the subject of another witchcraft inquiry in 1679; however, no records remain to prove this theory. Joseph and Mary Parsons left Northampton in 1679 or 1680, amid lingering questions and gossip.

The story of Mary's trial in Northampton serves to show how the law courts worked in such complicated cases, and establishes a pattern that can be seen in witchcraft trials across New England, eventually culminating in the Salem Witch Hysteria in 1692.

For more information on our Great Aunt and detailed information on her trials please refer to the following web site:

http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~sam/bliss/mary.html

Simply,

Victor

The Magna Carta, Signed by our 26th Great Grandfather and 27th Great Uncle

A Stained Glass Representation of Gilbert De Clare

From the Fortress of Solitude
Pleasant Grove

Hello All,
Today we meet our 26th Great Grandfather, Richard De Clare and 27th Great Uncle, Gilbert De Clare, both signers of the Magna Carta (and for those of you that don't know what the Magna Carta is, Google it and learn about one of history's defining document providing the foundation of our freedoms).

We begin with the Relationship Chart.

Relationship Chart

26th Great Grandfather Richard De Clare and Adela Meschines
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Abeliza De Clare and Lord William de Percy Brother 27th Great Uncle Earl Gilbert De Clare
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Matilda De Percy and William De Vavasour
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Robert Le Vavosour and Julian De Ross
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John De Vavasour and Alice Cockfield
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Sir William Le Vavasour and Nicholea Walleys
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Henry Vavasour and Constance Mowbray
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Henry Le Vavasour and Annabel Fitz Hugh
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William Vavasour and Elizabeth Stapleton
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Henry Vavasour and Lady Margaret Anne Efame Skipwith
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Elizabeth Vavasour and William Sewarby
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Margaret Sewarby and Sir Geoffrey Pigott
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Thomas Pigott and Isabel Gascoigne
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Margaret Pigott and Sir James Metcalfe
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Margaret Metcalf and William Hilton
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Mark Roger Hilton married Ellen Manwaring
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Thomas Roberts married Rebecca Hilton
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John Harmon Sr. married Sarah Roberts
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Samual Harmon married Mercy Simpson
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John Harmon married Mary Hasty
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Martha Harmon b. 1740 and William Williams B. 1740 Prince George Maryland.
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Nancy Ann Williams and William Cantwell
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Martha Cantwell and Jacob George
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Frances George and Henry Fiddler
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Eldora Elizabeth Fiddler Edwin Sherman Pierce
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Walter Edwin Pierce and Vesta Althea Dennis
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Violet Mae Pierce and Walter Albert Mattson
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Luella Mae Mattson and Charles Ray Williamson
to
US

The De Clare Family Shield

The Magna Carta

In 1215, when King John confirmed Magna Carta with his seal, he was acknowledging the now firmly embedded concept that no man--not even the king--is above the law. That was a milestone in constitutional thought for the 13th century and for centuries to come. In 1779 John Adams expressed it this way: "A government of laws, and not of men." Further, the charter established important individual rights that have a direct legacy in the American Bill of Rights. And during the United States' history, these rights have been expanded. The U.S. Constitution is not a static document.

King John Signing the Magna Carta

Like Magna Carta, it has been interpreted and reinterpreted throughout the years. This has allowed the Constitution to become the longest-lasting constitution in the world and a model for those penned by other nations. Through judicial review and amendment, it has evolved so that today Americans--regardless of gender, race, or creed--can enjoy the liberties and protection it guarantees. Just as Magna Carta stood as a bulwark against tyranny in England, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights today serve similar roles, protecting the individual freedoms of all Americans against arbitrary and capricious rule.