lucy ann holbrook torrey (part 1 of 4)

childhood

Lucy Ann Holbrook was born May 15, 1827 in Weymouth, MA to James Holbrook and Hannah Bates. She was the youngest of 11 children. When Lucy was born, her mother was about 40 years old, and her dad 48.

When Lucy was 3 in 1830, her household from the census probably consisted of the following family members. (note 1)

From lucy holbrook blog post

2 males 5-10 (brothers Jeremiah and Cornelius)
2 males 10-15 (brothers James and William)
1 male 40-50 (father James)
1 female under 5 (Lucy)
1 female 5-10 (sister Lindsay)
1 female 10-15 (sister Hannah)
1 female 40-50 (mother Hannah)

Her two oldest brothers, Oran and Minot, had already married and moved out.  Also, an older brother and sister, Edmund and Louisa, had died in 1827; when Lucy was only months old. They probably died of an illness, which would have been frightening for Lucy's mother to worry about her newborn also becoming sick.

In 1840, when Lucy was only 13, she experienced the loss of her father, James. The 1840 census shows Lucy's mother, Hannah, as head of household; living with what seems to be a younger family. (note 2)

From lucy holbrook blog post

2 males under 5 (nephews Charles and George)
1 male 10 thru 14 (nephew Oran)
1 male 15 thru 19 (brother Cornelius or Jeremiah - both not married yet)
1 male 30 thru 39 (brother Oran (died in 1840))
2 females 10 thru 14 (Lucy, sister Lindsay)
1 female 30 thru 39 (sister-in-law Lydia (Oran's widow))
1 female 40 thru 49 (Hannah - although probably around 53 years old?)

This younger family living with Lucy and her mother most likely is Lucy's brother Oran's family. Oran may have been sick as he also died in 1840, leaving a wife and 3 children. Maybe the family moved in with Hannah for support. Lucy probably helped take care of her nephews, although the oldest, Oran, was actually a couple of years older than she.

continued...

notes:

1. 1830 US Federal Census : 1830 US Census; Census Place: Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Page: 179; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 60; Family History Film: 0337918. accessed on ancestry.com

2. 1840 US Federal Census : Year: 1840; Census Place: Weymouth, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 192; Page: 287; Image: 586; Family History Library Film: 0014679. accessed on ancestry.com

children of william holbrook and elizabeth pool (part 2 of 2)

According to the History of Weymouth  book on ancestry.com (3_273), the following are the children of William Holbrook and his first wife, Margaret Torrey :

children born at weymouth by first wife:

• william b. 20 Oct. 1734; d. 21 July, 1736
• Samuel b. 2 Dec. 1735

The same book lists the following as the children of William Holbrook and his second wife, Elizabeth Pool, all born at Weymouth:

• William b. 16 Mar. 1739; d. at Lake George, 10 Sept. 1756, about 19 yrs.  A soldier under General Winslow
• Abner b. 9 Mar. 1741
• Cornelius d. 14 Dec. 1742
• Nathaniel b. 7 Mar 1744
• Margaret b. 16 Feb. and d. 30 June 1747
• Adam b. 4 Aug. 1750, d. 13 or 19 Sept. 1832 ae 82 yrs.  He was non compos and never married
• Margaret b. 18 Apr 1754, d. unm 17 jan 1816, ae 62 or 65 yrs
• Mary, m. ____ Hunt of Cummington
• William, bp. 5 Mar. 1758; resided in East Abington

As mentioned in my last post, not all of these births are recorded in the Weymouth Vital Records;  Cornelius and Mary are both not found in the above Record Book.  Looking quickly, it may be that Cornelius was not a son of William and Elizabeth, but actually William's father Cornelius, who died in 1742.  I will have to look closer at these dates and records.

Looking at William and Elizabeth's family with the information from the Weymouth book, they had at least 8 children, 7 of which survived to adulthood.  Also, most likely in their household was Samuel, from William's first marriage. 

The Weymouth book also states that William and Elizabeth resided in South Weymouth.  The first federal census of 1790 shows the following Holbrook families living in Weymouth, MA : Ab, Jon, Elisha, Nathan, Silvanus, and widow Holbrook.  It looks like at least Abner and Nathaniel stayed in Weymouth.  I will have to do a little more research to find Adam, Margaret, Mary and William.  Perhaps some of them are living together and are not listed indivually in the census.  It is likely that William and Elizabeth had died before this census was taken, William would have been 81 and Elizabeth about 75 years old in 1790.  The Weymouth Vital Records book does not have an obvious match for the death of Elizabeth or William; but according to the History of Weymouth book, William made his will in 1767, and it was distributed 20 years later in 1787 (3_273). 

The book also has a couple of paragraphs of the location of the house of William's grandson, James Holbrook, on Union Street (2_933).  I have been to this area of South Weymouth to locate the gravestones of James and his wife Hannah Holbrook. Perhaps this land was handed down to James through his grandfather William.  The earliest map I have found from Weymouth, MA (Historic Land Ownership database on ancestry.com) is from the late 1800's, so I am not able to see where William owned property.  I will have to check the suffolk deeds to see where exactly he lived.  I also was not able to find where Elizabeth and William were buried.  Maybe they were also buried at the Elmwood Cemetery on Union Street, like their grandson James, if their house was located in this area.

To do:
1.  Locate probate in Suffolk index and order probate. at NEHGS
2.  Locate any deeds of William in suffolk deed books. at NEHGS
3.  Trace children of William and Elizabeth to see which towns they settled in.

books:
1.  Representative men and old families of southeastern Massachusetts ... on google books