hingham house tour - thomas chubbuck jr house

In my last post, I wrote about the Hingham Historical Society's annual House Tour - and how two of the houses belonged at some point to my ancestors.  This post will show some deeds related to the Thomas Chubbuck, Jr. House.  

The Thomas Chubbuck Jr. House - 1778

Courtesy of Hingham Historical Society

Another house on the Hingham Historical House Tour that one of my ancestors lived in is the house of Thomas Chubbuck, Jr (b. 1757).  Thomas Chubbuck, Jr. is my 5th great grand-uncle, the brother of Sally (Chubbuck) French.  According to the Hingham Historical Society, Jeremiah Chubbuck, my sixth great grandfather, owned this land before his grandson Thomas Jr. built his house here.

The house description from the Hingham Historical website is as follows:

"Thomas Chubbuck, Jr. was a patriot and soldier of the Revolution, serving in the Battle of Bennington in 1777. He was descended from the first Thomas Chubbuck, a large landowner and early planter who arrived in Hingham in 1634. Upon his return from war in 1778, Thomas Jr. built this house atop a knoll in the Liberty Plain area on property owned by his father, Thomas, whose house at 1175 Main Street is also on the tour this year. This land was originally granted by the Town to Robert Peck. Subsequently, it was owned by the Thaxter family from 1641 to 1692 and was then purchased by Theophilus Cushing. It was part of the land that passed to the Chubbucks (detailed in 1175 Main Street history). In 1749, a portion of the land was mortgaged to Harvard University by Jeremiah Chubbuck to pay for his college tuition. Thomas deeded the land to Thomas Jr. who married Joanna Whiton, daughter of Captain Enoch Whiton and Joanna (Whiton), in 1787. Thomas Jr. died shortly after their marriage, and he and Joanna had no children, but Joanna lived here 60 more years until her death in 1850."

The land that this house is on is probably part of the 100 acres purchased from Seth Cushing by Thomas Chubbuck in 1742, recorded in the first deed I wrote about in the previous post, Suffolk County deed 73(164).  I have not found deeds which show how the land is transferred to the later generations of Chubbucks; I am assuming the land was handed down through wills or maybe part of some other deeds of land referenced above.  (see note 1)

I did find the Suffolk County deed 76(147), which records Jeremiah Chubbuck's first transaction with Harvard College.  The college treasurer pays to Jeremiah one hundred pounds for...

"a certain piece or parcel of land situate and being in Hingham aforesaid butted and bounded as follows, viz, eastwardly partly on the highway and partly on the land of Thomas Chubbuck, southerly on the land of Daniel Wyton, west on the river, and northward on Seth Cushing the whole containing by estimation about 40 acres be the same more or less now lying in partnership with my father Mr. Thomas Chubbuck, the land hereby intended to be granted is the one moiety or half part of the above described land and premises..."

dated March 1749

and another Suffolk deed 81(101) records the mortgage of Jeremiah's land to Harvard College; where the treasurer of the college pays fifty pounds for...

"one full moiety or half part of a certain piece of land with the fence thereon situate lying and being in Hingham aforesaid butted and bounded as follows viz southwardly on Accord Pond westwardly on the proprietor's land, and the land of Peter Ripley, northwardly on Seth Cushing's land, and eastwardly on the river, containing in the whole 45 acres..."

dated August 1748

I believe later in the deed it is stated that Jeremiah is expected to pay back the fifty pounds, with interest, and the deed will be void.  The language was a little difficult for me to understand while I was reading it quickly.
I am not sure that Jeremiah did pay the college back, as another deed records a division of land between Jeremiah Chubbuck and Harvard College, Suffolk County deed 87(66).

[Harvard College and Jeremiah Chubbuck] "do hold and enjoy in common and undivided a certain tract of land situate and lying at a place called the great plain in Hingham aforesaid containing in the whole sixty eight acres and thirty eight rods...and is bounded northerly with the land of Enoch Whitten easterly with the country road southerly with Daniel Whitten's land and westerly with the land of Peter Ripley and the said Enoch Whitten...that a partition and division of the same land be made between them...that the divisional line of said tract of land begin at a stake and heap of stones standing in or near the highway nine rods...from the northeast corner of said Chubbuck's dwelling house...college has northerly part containing about 30 acres...southerly part contains about 35 acres to be Jeremiah Chubbuck's... "

dated may 1755 

Eventually, the land that Jeremiah has left, the 35 acres, is probably handed down to his son Thomas, and Thomas' son Thomas, Jr. who builds the house pictured above.

notes:

1. There are some Suffolk County deeds which describe transactions between Seth Cushing and Jeremiah Chubbuck, it looks like Jeremiah and Seth exchange about 100 acres in Hingham back and forth.  It looks like Seth Cushing buys this land suffolk deed 67(236) and 67(237) back from Jeremiah Chubbuck in 1742.  These may be mortgages, as the end of the deed describes how Seth will pay Jeremiah.  Then also in 1742, suffolk deed 70(183), Jeremiah pays 600 pounds to Seth Cushing for part of this land, 100 acres.

hingham house tour - david cushing house

I was very excited when I came across the 89th Hingham House Tour website from the Hingham Historical Society. Unfortunately; I missed it!  I hope they do the same houses next year, especially the David Cushing house and the Thomas Chubbuck, Jr. house.  In the descriptions on their webpage, my Chubbuck ancestors (Thomas, Jeremiah, Thomas, and Sally) are mentioned as having lived in these historic houses that are still standing.

I thought it would be fun to try and track down the deeds related to these houses and my ancestors.  I will tackle the David Cushing House in this post.  I used the familysearch.org database of Massachusetts, Land Records.

The David Cushing House - 1719

Courtesy of Hingham Historical Society

From The Hingham Historical Society's website describing The David Cushing House:

"David died only four years after he built the house and it was subsequently owned by his brother Seth Cushing, before being sold to Thomas Chubbuck in 1742.  The Chubbuck family cared for the house until the early 20th century.  Three Chubbuck men are listed in the History of Hingham as residing at this Main Street property before it passed to Chubbuck daughters. First was Thomas (1674 -1753), then his son Jeremiah (born about 1700), and Jeremiah’s son, Thomas (1732/33, - 1802). It was this Thomas that sold half of the barn and house to his daughter Sarah’s husband, Captain Nathaniel French, and the other half of the house to his daughter Mary’s husband, Daniel Dill.  When Thomas’ son, Thomas, Jr. returned from serving in the Revolutionary War, he built a new home next door at 1191 Main (formerly numbered as 1193 Main), which is also on the tour this year."

Thomas Chubbuck (1674-1753)

The first Thomas Chubbuck mentioned was born in 1674 in Hingham.  He is my eighth great grandfather. The Suffolk County deed 73(164), shows that Thomas Chubbuck, of Hingham, yeoman, paid Seth Cushing twelve hundred pounds for...

"all that my [Seth Cushing] late dwelling house and barn with one acre of land convenient to the same also one moiety or half part of the land adjoining according to the quality as well as quantity thereof lying and being in the township of Hingham aforesaid at a place called great plain the whole of said plans contains by estimation one hundred acres...is butted and bounded easterly with the country road southwardly with the patten line westerly with the undivided lands northward with the land of Enoch Whiton and the heirs of Peter Ripley deceased..."

dated march 1742/1743 

Jeremiah Chubbuck

The above transaction was only 10 or so years before Thomas dies in 1753.  The Hingham Historical Society states that Thomas' son Jeremiah, my seventh great grandfather, also lived in this house.  The only transaction I found that mentions Thomas' land and a house being sold is in Suffolk County deed 90(22).  This deed states Thomas Chubbuck owes a debt to Samuel Clapp of Scituate; therefore, his estate gives to Samuel 1/4 of Thomas' dwelling house, barn, and 1/4 of the acre of land.  (see note 1)  This deed also states that Thomas' son Jeremiah is in charge of the estate.  I am not sure if this is the same land mentioned in the first deed of this post, but I do not see any other deed where Thomas sells his dwelling house to his son Jeremiah.  This deed does show that Thomas has a will, which I will have to find. (see note 2)   Maybe in his will, Thomas gives his dwelling house and land from the first deed to his son Jeremiah.  The History of Hingham book does state that Thomas gives to his grandson Thomas the northeast half of his land at Accord Pond.  Again, I am not sure this is the land where the original David Cushing house now stands.  Thomas does seem to have a lot of land in Hingham, according  to the Suffolk Deeds, so it is hard to tell which land is which.   

 

Thomas Chubbuck (1732-1802)

Another deed may show the David Cushing house being handed down to Thomas Chubbuck, my sixth great grandfather and Jeremiah's son.  Suffolk Deed 100(200), records Thomas' purchase of land from his father Jeremiah.  Thomas Chubbuck, yeoman of Hingham, pays thirty four pounds to Jeremiah Chubbuck, of Hingham, gentleman,...

"all that my [Jeremiah Chubbuck] piece or parcel of land lying and being in the township of Hingham aforesaid is part of my homestead it is butted and bounded north with the land of Samuel Whiten, and west with the land of Peter Ripley, and this line is twenty four rods and sixteen links to a stake and heap of stones and then it runs with the said Jeremiah Chubbuck's land southeast eighty nine degrees...and then with the said Jeremiah's land northeast forty six degrees...and then easterly with the orchard that being one acre and no more, the whole contains fourteen acres..."

dated Sept 1761

Thomas was about 30 years old when he purchased this property, and seems to have spent the rest of his life here.  As the Hingham Historical society notes in their information about the Hingham House Tour, Thomas does eventually sell his house and land to two son-in-laws, Daniel Dill and Nathaniel French.  As the following deeds show; though, Thomas remains in his house probably until his death in 1802, living with his son-in-law and daughter Nathaniel and Sally French, my fifth great grandparents.

Daniel Dill and Nathaniel French

Suffolk deed 167(55), records the transaction of half of Thomas Chubbuck's house to Daniel Dill, the husband of his daughter Mary.  Daniel Dill pays fifty pounds to Thomas for,

"one half of one acre of land in the south parish of Hingham, together with one half of the dwelling house and barn standing thereon, bounded easterly on the road leading from Boston to Plymouth partly and partly on land purchased of the town to begin at the southeast corner of Enoch Whiton land and to run southerly by my said land and the said road til it comes four rods southerly of said barn northerly on land of mortgaged to Francis Barks westerly on my own land and southerly on my own land to run as far westerly to make one acre, also I sell to him three acres of land in Hingham..."

dated 1789

Eleven years later, in 1800, Thomas' other son-in-law, Nathaniel French, my 5th great grandfather, also purchases half of this house from Thomas Chubbuck.  This deed shows that Thomas probably remained in the house and was cared for by Nathaniel.  This transaction is recorded in Suffolk deed 195(149):

"...that I, Thomas Chubbuck of Hingham...yeoman...in consideration of three hundred dollars already paid me by Nathaniel French of Hingham aforesaid mariner in boarding me and for the further consideration that he provide me suitable and comfortable maintenance and support during my natural life and pay all my just debts the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge have given, granted, bargained...one undivided half of one acre of my homestead in Hingham aforesaid with one half of the dwelling house and one half of the barn thereon standing the whole lying in common with the other moiety which I sold to Daniel Dill, the said acre of land is bounded as follows viz easterly of land I bought of the town partly and partly on the post road from Boston to Plymouth beginning at the southeasterly corner of Enoch Whiton's land and running with my said land and said road until it goes four rods southerly of said barn southerly on my own land and westerly on Daniel Dill's land partly and partly on Nathaniel French's land and northerly on Enoch Whiton's land - also included in the same consideration one other piece of land containing one quarter of an acre more or less in front of the aforesaid homestead, which last mentioned land I bought of said town of Hingham for the description of which reference being had to the records of said town - also included in the same consideration one other piece of land in Hingham aforesaid containing four acres more or less, bounded easterly on the aforesaid post road partly and partly on Daniel Dill's land southerly on said Nathaniel French's land westerly on Accord pond river and northerly partly on said Nathaniel French's land and partly on said homestead...

dated Aug 1800

notes:

1. I looked through the Suffolk County grantor deed index to see if Samuel Clapp sold this part of the land and house back to the Chubbuck family.  I did not find any deeds for Samuel Clapp selling land in Hingham.  
2. Thomas Chubbuck's (d. 1753) will would be in Suffolk County.  Only v.2-3 indexes for Suffolk County probate are online; which does not include Chubbuck, need vol. 1. 

george lane french revisited

After looking through the information and records available through the History of the Town of Hingham book and the Hingham and Weymouth Vital Records, I thought it would be good to put down some of the conflicting information on George French's family to keep track of it all.

According to the Hingham book, George Lane French had a son George who marries, first a Delight Rice in 1785, and secondly an Anna Rice in 1791. There seems to be two George French's around the same age at this time though, as the Hingham vital records has another George, with a middle name of Lincoln, marrying a Sally in December of 1790 and then a Betsey in 1804. So in 1790 there should be three George French's living in either Weymouth or Hingham; George Lane, his son George, and the George Lincoln French. I have no proof as to which George is George Lane's son, other than the Hingham book which states the George who marries Delight and Anna is George Lane French's son. The other George is not mentioned in the Hingham book at all.

The census for 1790 only has one George French, living in Hingham, that I have found. This George's family includes the following; 2 males under the age of 16, 1 male over the age of 16 and 2 females. As I mentioned in a previous post, this George does not seem to match the family of George Lane French. It also would not match the George who married Sally in December of 1790, as he would not be married and have children at the time of the census in April. This George in the 1790 census is probably the George who marries Delight Rice in 1785, as according to the Hingham book, they have 2 sons by 1790 under the age of 16 and one daughter. The other two people listed on the census would be George and his wife Delight. I should note that I did not find records of George and Delight's children in the Hingham records on newenglandancestors.org. The vital records of Hingham do show, however, that George's wife Delight and his son Phinneas, both die in 1791 at the almshouse in Hingham.



George Lincoln French is not listed in the 1790 census, probably because he could still be living with his parents (whoever they are) as he did not marry until December 1790. George Lane French is not listed either as a head of household in 1790, even though he is still living, most likely in Hingham. He could either be living with one of his children or already at the almshouse in Hingham, where he dies in 1814. I know from the Hingham Vital records that George and Sarah had at least three sons, Joshua, George and Nathaniel. The Hingham history book states they had 6 sons and one daughter (Phinneas, Theodore, Perez, and Sarah d. as infant). Let's say that George in the 1790 census is George Lane's son, we would know that his father is not living with him as there is not another male over 16 listed in the family.

George's first son, Joshua was born in 1764. I did not find him in the 1790 census, nor did I find any vital records of marriage or death in the Hingham or Weymouth records. The History of the Town of Hingham book has Joshua's death on August of 1778. If he does die in 1778, he obviously would not be listed on the 1790 census. There must be some church or town records that The Hingham author used for his data that I have not found yet.

I next looked at George's son Nathaniel, my 5th great grandfather. Nathaniel does not marry until 1797, but he is 22 years old in 1790, which means he could be living on his own. He is not listed in the 1790 census in either Hingham or Weymouth though. On another note, I want to address the possibility that Georges' son Nathaniel may not be "my" Nathaniel that marries Sally Chubbuck. I came to the conclusion that Nathaniel's (my 5th great-grandfather) parents were George Lane French and Sarah Tower through possible birth dates I obtained for Nathaniel trough the censuses. Using the 1800 and 1810 census for Nathaniel, he would have been born between 1766-1774. I then looked in the Hingham vital records for a Nathaniel born between those years and there was only one listed, the son of George Lane and Sarah, who was born January 19, 1768. I came to the conclusion that this is most likely my Nathaniel French. There is also a death record for a Nathaniel French for 1818. The records indicate that this Nathaniel would have been 42 when he died, which would not make sense for the age of Nathaniel if he were born in 1768. If this record is correct, the Nathaniel that dies in 1818 would have been born around 1776, which is too late for my 5th great-grandfather, who was probably born between 1766-1774. If my Nathaniel died in 1818, he would be about 52 years old. The Hingham records that I have access to on newenglandancestors.org were transcribed, which could have resulted in a transcription error, perhaps it does say he was 52 years old at death, and not 42. It is also important to note that the History of the Town of Hingham book lists my great-grandfather's death in 1819 at the age of 52, which makes more sense. I will have to find the original record of death to see which is the correct date for additional proof that I have the correct parents for Nathaniel. (I am not sure if it was recorded at the town or at a church). This death date of 1818 or 1819 does make sense for Nathaniel who marries Sally Chubbuck as his wife is listed as widow in the 1820 census. So there is some question as to Nathaniel's parents, but judging from the census information, it seems likely that they are George Lane French and Sarah Tower. I would like to find more of a connection between Nathaniel and George Lane French, possibly through probate and land records of Jonathan French (George Lane French's father) or Sarah's father, Nathaniel Tower.

Getting back to George Lane French's location in 1790, it is also important to look at his other sons that are stated in the Hingham book. Looking at their ages in 1790 though shows they would probably be too young to be listed as a head of household in the 1790 census. We still have not found where George Lane French and his family are all living at this time. As I mentioned earlier, it could be possible that they are in the almshouse by 1790, which would mean we would not find George in the census. There are a couple of more options to explore for George's location in 1790 though; his parents, parents-in-law, and brothers.

I checked to see if George's father or father-in law were living in 1790. However, George's father Jonathan died in 1780 and his father-in-law, Nathaniel Tower, died in 1767 according to the Hingham book. George Lane French also had two brothers that could have been helping him at this time. I found in the Hingham vital records that George had a brother Theodore born in 1744. According to the Hingham book, Theodore is still living in 1790 with a wife, a son and a daughter. Theodore is listed in the 1790 census in Hingham, MA. Unfortunately, I have let my subscription to ancestry.com lapse, so I am unable to see who is listed in his household. George had another brother, according to the Hingham book. The book names a Jonathan who was born about 1753 and marries in 1776. (I did not find his birth in the Hngham Vital records on newenglandancestors.org). There is also a Jonathan French listed as a head of household in the 1790 census for Hingham, which I will have to look at once I renew my subscription to ancestry.com. Jonathan and his wife would have had 4 boys and maybe 2 girls when the 1790 census was taken. It is also important to note that the Hingham book states that both Theodore and Jonathan reside on French Street, the same street that George Lane French's father Jonathan resided on. Perhaps their father Jonathan gave his property to his two sons, as George had already moved out and had his own land at the time of his father's death. The book states that George Lane French resided on Hersey Street. Also, George Lane French's son, George, who is listed in the 1790 census is not on the same census page as his uncles Theodore and Jonathan French.

to do list:
1. find where hingham book obtained information on George Lane French's family - church records maybe (Check out Peter Hobart's journal, published in NEHGR 121(1967):3-25, 102-127, 191-216, 269-294 - peter was the minister of the old ship church - although these records seem to end in 1688 http://dunhamwilcox.net/ma/hingham_ma_marr.htm)
2. find where George and his possible sons are buried - maybe with father/grandfather jonathan french - where is he buried
3. find almshouse records
4. find probate of nathaniel tower (d. 1767) and jonathan french (d. 1780 no probate listed in hingham book) see if they list grandchildren or george lane french and sarah tower french.  Hingham was in Suffolk County until 1793. (UPDATE: index online for suffolk county probate, P-Z; no nathaniel tower - some sarah towers.  The index for A-F is not available online yet, so could not check for Jonathan French)
5. look at 1790 census for brothers theodore and jonathan to see if george lane and his family could be living with them