james holbrook (part 2 of 3)

family life

James Holbrook's marriage intentions to Hannah Bates is recorded in the Vital Records of Weymouth, MA to the year 1850 (p91), on May 21, 1803.  I did not see a marriage date recorded, but usually it is within a couple of months of the marriage intentions.  James was 23 years old, Hannah was only 16 years old.  As I mentioned in my previous post, it is likely that James and Hannah were neighbors growing up, as their families are enumerated next to each other in the 1790 Census for Weymouth, MA. 

We are able to see how James and Hannah Holbrook's family had grown by viewing the census records from 1810-1830.  They had a total of 11 children; beginning with their first child, Oran in 1804 and ending with my 3rd great grandmother, Lucy in 1827. 

By the 1810 census, they had the following in their family household...

From james holbrook feb 2013

3 males under 10 (oran, minot, edmund); 1 male 26-44 (james); 1 female 16-25 (hannah)

The 1810 census above also shows many of James' siblings.  According to vital records for Weymouth all but one of James' siblings stayed in Weymouth.  It seems his sister Jerusha married and moved to Maine.  The census also shows that James' mother, Jerusha Holbrook, is enumerated in her own household, with another women, probably her daughter Sarah.  Since the listing is alphabetical, it is impossible to see if James was living close to his mother or his siblings.  They were in separate households though, so perhaps James bought his own land; or the land may have been part of his wife Hannah's family's property.  James' mother died in 1819 in Weymouth; she may have left a will which would probably discuss her land and perhaps her son James.  I will have to locate some deed and probate records for Weymouth in Norfolk County to find more details.  As I mentioned in my last post, James' father Abner died in 1788.  If he left a will, it would be in Suffolk County, as Norfolk County was not formed until 1793.

by the 1820 census...

From james holbrook feb 2013

2 males under 10 (william, james); 2 males 10-16 (edmund, minot); 1 male 16-18 (oran); 1 male 16-26 (oran); 1 male 26-45 (james); 2 females under 10 (loisa, hannah); 1 female 26-45 (hannah) (note 1)

The 1820 census actually shows which street James and Hannah are living on and who their neighbors were.  The notation on the top left corner states Boxbury Street.  This is the first document I have found which documents which part of Weymouth James lived in.  Unfortnately, Boxbury Street no longer exists in Weymouth, but I was able to find information from The History of Weymouth book on ancestry.com about James's house, which states is at 573 Union Street, not Boxbury Street.  The name Boxbury Street may have been an older street name for Union Street, or at least in the same areas, as five entries down on the next page the book discusses a deed of Christopher Bass, a neighbor of James, which mentions his land borders land Easterly on Boxbury Street. (2_933)  This section of the book was discussing a time a little later than this 1820 census, so Christopher Bass is not listed on this census.  Some of the other neighbors are mentioned though, such as Abner and John Holbrook, John and Jesse Shaw, Samuel Bates, and David Whitman.  This area of Weymouth is South Weymouth.  I have written a little about the area in a previous post on James' daughter Lucy, here; which includes a map of the possible location of James' land. 

By the 1830 census, James and Hannah's family grew even more; although some of the older children had since moved out. Oran and Minot moved have households of their own.  Two other children of James and Hannah are also not included in the 1830 census.  Edmund and Loisa both died three years earlier in 1827, the same year they had their last child Lucy (James was 48 years old and Hannah 41).  This must have been a very trying year for their family.  Lucy was born in May, Edmund died in September at the age of 19, and Loisa died in November at the age of 15.  The index of records for Weymouth does not list their cause of death.   

From james holbrook feb 2013

2 males under 5-10 (jeremiah, cornelius); 2 males 10-15 (james, william); 1 male 40-50 (james); 1 female under 5 (lucy); 1 female 5-10 (lindsay); 1 female 10-15 (hannah); 1 female 40-50 (hannah)

There is also another reference to James Holbrook in the History of Weymouth book, though I am not sure if it refers to James or his son.  It is a reference to those that joined the newly formed Democratic Association in Weymouth, in 1839. As it was only a year before Jame's death, and the passage in the book states names were "to form as complete an organization as possible of the Democratic young men of Weymouth" (2_694) it is likely it refers to his son James.  There are some other Holbrooks listed, including William, Abner, Sylvanus, and Asa.  It seems, if not James, at least the younger generation of Holbrooks, had a democratic leaning at this period in history.

continued...

notes
1. the 1820 census has two categories which includes the same age ranges: males ages 16-18, and males ages 16-26, so James and Hannah's son Oran, who is 16 years old is listed twice. 

to do
1. locate deed and probate records for Norfolk county to see where James got his land.  Weymouth was part of Suffolk County until 1793, when Norfolk County was formed.

• His father Abner died while Weymouth was in Suffolk County - 1789 Abner Holbrook Suffolk probate 19255 - from index on google books: Index to Probate Records of the County of Suffolk, MA G-O
• Also a book on google books: Suffolk deeds: liber -I-XIV [1629-87].  Did not find any references to this Holbrook Family. Some references to a John Holbrook and William Holbrook - land bordering Dyer family in Weymouth late 1600s.