benjamin whiton and lydia stodder (part 3 of 3)

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death

Benjamin died on March 6, 1858 in South Scituate, at the age of 86.  The cause of death is listed as old age. Lydia lived 6 more years, died on February 5, 1864 in South Scituate.  She was 85 years old.  She also died of old age.  They are buried at the Liberty Plains Cemetery in Hingham, MA.  I visited the cemetery in May of 2010, and found Benjamin's headstone, broken, lying against a tree.  I don't think I looked for Lydia's gravestone at the time as I remember just happening upon Benjamin's while searching for other ancestors, I will have to go back and check.

From blog post benjamin whiton and lydia stodder

land after death

After Benjamin's death, in 1859, there are some Plymouth County deeds showing Lydia purchases land from her sons Richard and Joel in South Scituate, Abington and Hanover.  These deeds describe that this land was the purchased land by her sons from her husband in 1828 and 1831.  Richard and Joel also sell some of this land to their sisters, Elizabeth Whiting Burrell, and Lydia and Mary Whiting; with Elizabeth purchasing one half of house, and Lydia and Mary purchasing the other half. (Plymouth county deeds 293,130-132 - see note 5)  So the land that Benjamin sold off to his sons remains in the family after his death.

In 1860, Lydia, a widow, is living with her youngest daughter, Elizabeth, wife of James Burrell, in Scituate. According to the census, they are still neighbors with Joanna Whiting French and her unmarried children, Mary, Lydia and Jared.  The historical land ownership map for South Scituate in 1879, shows a more precise location of their land, with sisters Joanna Whiting French and Elizabeth Whiting Burrell across the street from each other, just south of Accord Pond.  The other siblings are not listed on this map, perhaps because they are sharing the house with Elizabeth, or they may be on the Abington side of their land (although I did not find them on the Abington map either).

From blog post benjamin whiton and lydia stodder

probate

Both Benjamin and Lydia left probate records, filed in Plymouth county.  Their son Richard is the administrator for both estates.  Benjamin's file contains an inventory, which is appraised at $88.88, and includes cedar shingles, pine lumber, farming tools, blacksmith tools, grindstones, cross saw and other saws, a cooking stove, 3 guns, beds and bedding, chairs and table, desk, crocken and earthenware, and an old silver watch.  There is no mention of land.  The court allowed his wife Lydia to have $55.00 out of Benjamin's personal estate.  (Plymouth county probates (13, 550); (100, 340); (1z, 29); (9, 461); and (101,389))

Lydia's probate file does mention real estate valuing $444.25 and a personal estate of $348.75; but I was unable to find an inventory in her files.  (Plymouth county probate 108,134)  The land must be from the land she bought from her sons in 1859, after her husband's death.  Another file mentions her personal estate again (Plymouth county probate 110,148)...

Said accountant [Richard] charges himself with several accounts received as stated in Schedule A, herewith/ exhibited,....$396.34

And asks to be allowed for sundry payments and charges as stated in Schedule B, herewith exhibited,.........$367.55

Balance,..........$28.79 

Richard Whiting, adm

The undersigned, being all except Joel Whiting of East Providence, RI, parties interested, having examined the foregoing account, / request that the same may be allowed without further notice.

Lydia Whiting / Elizabeth Burrell / Mary Whiting / Joanna French / Jared Whiting / Maria Howes 

There do not seem to be any files though that show where Lydia's land went after her death. She did not leave a will, and I did not find any other purchases of land in the deed index from her children.  I am not sure if this means that the children would have just automatically received her land after her death, or if there should be other documents created that would state this.

to do:
1. find more information on Benjamin's aunt Abigail - did she marry, when did she die, land, census, etc
2. where did lydia's land go - she had also purchased some from freeman french I think

benjamin whiton and lydia stodder (part 2 of 3)

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later years of marriage

1830's

As Benjamin and Lydia's children grew older, most did not travel far from them.  In 1830, one married daughter looks to be living in their household, Maria and her husband James Howes/House and their 4 year old son James.  They also have an older woman, aged 70-79 residing with them in 1830.  I am not sure who this would be as both of their mothers had passed by this time.  It could be Benjamin's aunt Abigail, who I wrote briefly about in the last post.  I think she sold her land to Benjamin and his brother Joseph.  This is just pure speculation on my part as to who this woman is though, as I have not looked at Abigail's age, death date, or possible entries of her own in the 1830 census yet.

Males under 5: 1 (james howes); Males 10-14:1 (jared); Males 20-29:1 (freeman howes); Males 50-59:1 (benjamin); Females 10-14:1  (elizabeth); Females 15-19:2 (pamelia, mary); Females 20-29:2  (lydia, maria howes); Females 50-59:1 (lydia); Females 70-79:1 (maybe aunt abigail whiton)

The records do not show that Benjamin and Lydia have any other children after Elizabeth, which gave them a total of 10 children.  All of them, except their first, Jared, lived into adulthood.

1840's

The household for Benjamin and Lydia in the 1840 census has one male between the ages of 20-29.  Their youngest son, Jared, would have been 21 years old.  This would make sense that he is still living with his parents as the records show that he never marries.  Another male between the ages of 30-39 is also living with them, which could be their son Joel who would have been 31 years old.  Joel had not married by this time either, although it is strange he is not included in the 1830 census.  (see note 1)  The only daughter that is living in their household in 1840 would have been Elizabeth, at the age of 19.

1840 Census Scituate, MA

1 male 20-29 (jared); 1 male 30-39 (joel); 1 male 60-69 (Benjamin); 1 female 15-19 (elizabeth); 1 female 60-69 (Lydia); Persons Employed in Agriculture: 1

Six out of the 9 living children are not listed in the 1840 census, but most stayed close to home.  It looks like three of their daughters are all living together in the surrounding town of Abington.  They may be living on the land that their father sold to their brothers in 1828, which is all in the general vicinity of the borders of Scituate, Abington and Hingham; close to what is left of Benjamin's land.  The head of this household in Abington is their daughter Lydia, the eldest at age 37.  The other ages in Lydia's household seem to match up with Mary, age 28, and Pamelia, age 26.  Lydia and Mary never marry according to later census records and their death records.  Their sister Pamelia did marry, but died fairly young in 1843.

Three other children, Maria, Joanna and Richard, are also married by 1840.  Maria stays in Scituate until at least 1846, when her last child is born there; but she does eventually move to Boston by the 1850 census. Joanna is married and living in Abington with her family.  The census does not show that she is near her three sisters listed above; but if she is not living near them in 1840, she and her family eventually becomes neighbors with her sisters and her parents by 1850.

Richard removes to the nearby town of Hingham, MA with his family by the 1840 census and remains there throughout his life.  According to his wife's death record; though, it looks like they were probably living on the North side of Hingham, a little bit away from his siblings and parents.  Richard sold most of his land that he owned in the Scituate/Abington area back to his mother and siblings by 1859. Joel also ends up selling his land in Scituate/Abington back to his family in 1859, and leaves the area for Providence, RI and Seekonk, MA by 1847. (see note 2)

grandchildren

Since 5 out of their 9 living children are residing near Benjamin and Lydia in the Scituate/Abington line area near Accord Pond, they were able to stay close to at least some of their children and therefore grandchildren.  Out of the families that lived close to Benjamin and Lydia, though, Joanna was the only one to have children.  They had 8 grandchildren from their daughter Joanna, all born before Benjamin and Lydia died.  Even though their daughter Elizabeth was married, the census shows she does not have children.  The same for the unmarried children, Lydia, Mary, and Jared.  I also did not find any evidence that Richard, living in North Hingham, had any children.  Benjamin and Lydia's daughter that died young, Pamelia, also did not have children in the census.  Their daughter Maria had 7 children, but seems to have been living in Boston, where it would be likely Benjamin and Lydia did not visit often.  (see note 3).  Their other son, Joel, who moved to RI and later Seekonk, MA looks to have had at least one child, but again, not sure if they were able to visit them.

continued...


notes:

1.  The 1830 census has one male between the age of 20-29 living with Benjamin and Lydia, which I attributed to Freeman Howes, their daughter Maria's husband.  This would make sense as the other ages for Maria and her son James fit, and they are living close to Freeman's parents, head of household Coomb's House.  Coomb's household also contains a male between the ages of 20-29, so it is possible Freeman is still living with his parents, while Maria and her son are living with her parents.  Then that 20-29 male in Benjamin and Lydia's household could be Joel.

2.  Sons Richard and Joel sell land back to mother and siblings in 1859

• Plymouth county deeds 293,130 Their mother, Lydia, widow, purchases parcel of land lying partly in South Scituate and partly in Abington - bounded southerly by the highway, easterly by land of Leonard Cushing, northerly by Accord Pond, and westerly by land of David H. Greely.  Originally land purchased from their father in 1828 (162,253).
• Plymouth county deeds 293,131 Their sister Elizabeth Whiting Burrell purchases the easterly lot of land from land they purchased from their father (162,253), which includes 1/2 of house - to be shared with their sisters, Lydia and Mary.
• Plymouth county deeds 293, 131 : Their sisters, Lydia and Mary Whiting purchase the westerly lot of land from land they purchased from their father (162,253)  which includes 1/2 of house - to be shared with their sister Elizabeth Whiting Burrell.
• Plymouth county deeds 293, 132 : Their mother, Lydia Whiting, widow, purchases 2 1/4 acres of land in Abington from her son Joel.  Bordered easterly by heirs of Joseph Whiton, southerly by land that was just sold to Lydia from Richard and Joel in first deed above.  This is part of the land that Joel purchased from his father Benjamin in 1831 (169,274), and partly land Joel purchased from another deed (173,44).
• Plymouth county deeds 293,133 : Richard purchases from Joel woodland partly in Abington, partly in Hanover, bounded northerly by land just given to Lydia from Joel and Richard.  This is part of same land the sons purchased from their father in 1828 (162,253)

3.  It looks like their daughter Maria continues to live in Boston in 1860, while her husband Freeman is living in Scituate with his sister Lucy.

benjamin whiton and lydia stodder (part 1 of 3)

early years of marriage

Benjamin Whiton and Lydia Stodder, my fifth great-grandparents, were married December 10, 1797 in Hingham, MA.  There marriage is listed a few times in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 on ancestry.com.  A heading before one of the marriage entries states that "The persons hereafter named were married by the Rev. Henry Ware, pastor of the First Church in Hingham."  Rev. Henry Ware was later known for his Unitarianism influence in the Congregational religion.  I am a little surprised that Benjamin and Lydia were married in the First Church of Hingham because Benjamin's family lived in the Southern part of Hingham, as I will show later in this blog post.  At this time, there was another church in the southern part of the town, with Rev. Shute as their pastor.  (History of the Town of Hingham / Solomon Lincoln, page 36)

The above database also has a record of intention for Benjamin and Lydia in November of 1797, as seen below.

From blog post benjamin whiton and lydia stodder

1800's

Their marriage intention record indicates that Benjamin and Lydia were both from Hingham, but they did not stay in Hingham for long. By 1800, they are living in Scituate, MA; a neighboring town, with two boys under the age of 10.  I matched the children up to those in the vital records database on ancestry.com.

1800 Census, Hanover (actually states Scituate on lower page)

Benjamin Whiting: 2 males under 10 (Jared and Richard), 1 male 26-44 (Benjamin), 1 female 26-44 (Lydia)

Scituate is in Plymouth County, so I browsed the Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986 available on family search.  I was looking for a purchase of land around the time of their marriage in 1797.  There is nothing listed before 1800 for a Benjamin Whiton/Whiting or a Lydia Stodder/Whiting purchasing land in Scituate in the Plymouth County deed index on family search.  I did eventually come across (by luck) Benjamin's original purchases of land in Scituate (and Abington) after their marriage by looking through other deeds in Plymouth County.  Two purchases are filed in vol. 126 (159).  This volume is for the year 1816; however, these transactions took place in October 1797 and April 1800.  Benjamin, named as a blacksmith, first purchases land in Scituate from Ebed Vining, which abuts his father Benjamin's land.  A couple of years later, he purchases land in Abington, bordering Accord Pond, which also borders Scituate.

1797 Scituate purchase:

Paid by Benjamin whiting 3d of Hingham in the county/ of Suffolk blacksmith/ the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge, do hereby hive, grant, sell and convey unto the said/ Benjamin Whiting, 3d his heirs and assigns forever a certain piece/ of land lying in Scituate in the county of Plymouth aforesaid/ containing 114 rods be the same or more or less, butted and bounded/ as follows, beginning at the highway leading from Abington/ to Hingham at the northeast corner of the land of Benj. Whiting, jr/ then runs south fifteen ? ? east eighteen rods with ?/ Benjamin Whiting's land then south seventy one ? east five rods/ nineteen links with the lands of the said Benjamin whiting then north/ twelve ? west twenty one rods and links to the highway...

1800 Abington purchase:

a certain piece of land laying in Abington in the county/ aforesaid containing six acres and a half and 22 rods bounded as/ follows viz beginning at the highway leading from accord/ pond to Hanover, then southwest corner of the land of Thankful/ Dunbar then runs easterly with her land thirty six rods and a/ half to the land of Enoch Dunbar to the line between Scituate and/ Abington then southerly with said lines and said Dunbar land to the/ land of David? Chubbuck twenty five rods and a half then westerly/ with said Chubbuck’s land forty eight rods and then links to the highway/ then northerly with said highway twenty four rods and a half to/ the first named corner...

There is another Plymouth county deed dated after Benjamin and Lydia's marriage, in 1804, which has Benjamin purchasing land with his father Benjamin.  This land is 16 acres lying in both Abington and Hanover from Joseph Jacob. (Plymouth County deed 100, 133)  Although it does not state it in the deed, this land is most likely abutting or at least in the same general area as the first two deeds.  At this time, Abington borders Scituate and Hanover (this part of Abington is now Rockland, and this part of Scituate is now Norwell). Benjamin's father eventually gives this land entirely to Benjamin in his will.

So from these deeds we learn that Benjamin is a blacksmith, and he owns land in Scituate, Abington and Hanover, near Accord pond.  We also learn that Benjamin is close to his father, as he purchases land with him.

The following is a current map of the area where Benjamin owns land (from OpenStreetMap), with Accord Pond in the center. The boundary lines are:  Southwest of Accord Pond is Rockland, (which was Abington when Benjamin purchased the land); to the East of Rockland, is Norwell, (which was Scituate when Benjamin purchased land there); to the North of Rockland and Norwell is Hingham, where Benjamin's father owns land; south of Rockland and Norwell is Hanover, where Benjamin purchases land in 1804 with his father, partly lying in Abington (currently Rockland).


View Larger Map

1810's

Benjamin and Lydia reside in Scituate throughout their lives, as shown by the rest of the censuses.  The 1810 census does not match up as nicely as the 1800 census, though.  According to the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, they should have 3 sons and 3 daughters by 1810.  Their youngest son would have been Joel, who would only be a year old.  The category of males between the ages of 10-15 only list one son, but they have two at this age, Jared, 12 and Richard, 10.  Maybe Jared at the age of 12 was apprenticed to another family or just living with someone else.  It is also possible the census enumerator mistakenly put one dash instead of two.  I still think this is their family, even with the missing son.

1810 Census Scituate, MA

1 male under 10  (joel); 1 male 10-15 (Jared is 12 and Richard is 10); 1 male 26-44 1 (Benjamin); 3 females under 10 (Lydia, Maria, Joanna); 1 female 26-44 (Lydia)

1815

Benjamin's father, also Benjamin, died around 1815 and fortunately left a will; which shows how he divided his land among his children.  He left his son Benjamin more land adjacent to his land Benjamin already owns. (Plymouth Probate 47,135)

"He gave his eldest son Benjamin 8 acres in Abington, in common and undivided with the land of the said Benjamin, also 1/2 acre of the old place so called, said half acre to be taken off the easterly side of said place adjoining the home lot of said Benjamin, also 1/2 acre of land where his shop stands."

This 8 acres in Abington is part of the deed Benjamin purchased with his father in 1804, which was 16 acres in Abington and Hanover.  The other part of Benjamin's inheritance, the 1/2 acres, were probably in Scituate, where Benjamin must also have had his blacksmith shop.  According to an earlier deed, his father Benjamin purchased land in Scituate and Abington in 1761.  (See note 1 and 2)

1820's

In 1820, Benjamin and Lydia are still living in Scituate.  The 1820 Census matches up with their growing family according to the records found in Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988.  They now have 3 boys and 5 girls.  Their oldest son, Jared, unfortunately died before this census was taken, at the young age of 20 in 1817.  Benjamin and Lydia had another son in 1819, also naming him Jared.  They also have one more daughter after the 1920 census, Elizabeth, born in 1821.

1820 Census Scituate, MA

1 male under 10 (jared); 1 male 10-15 (joel); 1 male 16-25 (richard); 1 male 45 and over (benjamin); 2 females under 10 (mary, pamelia); 2 females 10-15 (maria, joanna); 1 female 16-25 (lydia); 1 female 26-44 (lydia)

1823 

In 1823, Abigail Whiton of Hingham, sells land in Hingham to a Benjamin Whiton of Hingham, yeoman and a Joseph Whiton of Hingham, Cooper.  This seems to be Joseph's family, as Abigail would be his aunt, Joseph his brother, and it is signed by another sibling, Aseneth his sister.  But Benjamin is not usually listed from Hingham, and he is also usually listed as a blacksmith, not yeoman.  This land is for one acre in Hingham to Benjamin (southeast side) and one acre to Joseph (northwest side), bounded northeasterly on Benjamin Whiton land, southeasterly on Abigail Whiton's land, southwesterly on the cartway, and northwesterly on Joseph Whiton's land.  If this is our Benjamin, and there does not seem to be other Benjamin Whiton's in the area at this time, this is the first land he owned in Hingham, where he grew up.  (Plymouth county deed 149,291) (see note 3)  

1828

In 1828, Benjamin sells what seems to be most of his land to his sons Richard and Joel for $750.00. Mentioned in this deed:

• the land Benjamin's house resides on in Scituate
• another lot that lies in Abington and Scituate (lying opposite the first mentioned scituate lot - south of Accord Pond)
• another six acres in Abington that Benjamin purchased from Ebed. Vining
• and finally the sixteen acres Benjamin and his father purchased from Joseph Jacobs in Abington and Hanover.  (Plymouth county deeds 162,253)

The only land not mentioned is the land in Hingham he bought from Abigail Whiton in 1823, if that is even our Benjamin.

1829

In 1829, the estate of Abner Morton sells land to Benjamin Whiton of Scituate containing 1 1/4 acre in Abington and 3/4 of the dwelling house, subject to the improvement of the widow of Abner.  This land is north of Benjamin's land and west of his brother Joseph's land. (Plymouth County Deed 165,263)  I find it interesting that the deed states it is north of his land, as it seems he sold his land to his children already. Apparently, he did keep some of his land.  Only a couple of years later in 1831; however, Benjamin does sell this land from Abner Morton to his son Joel Whiting, shoemaker of Scituate. (Plymouth county deeds 169,274) (Joel sells this land back to his mother after Benjamin's death in 1859 293,132)

1831

Another indication that Benjamin still has land is just a couple of years later, in 1831, there is a judgement against Benjamin Whiton by Bela Tower, for Benjamin to sell some of his land.  Benjamin owes $48.23 to Bela and is ordered to give him the southerly part of his land in Abington, appraised at $58.96 (looks like the court received the difference in sum).  This land contains 9 acres, bounded southerly by partly Tilson Gardner's land and Noah Gardner, westerly on land in the town of Abington, northerly by land of him, Benjamin Whiton, easterly by road leading to Tilson Gardner. (Plymouth county deed vol 173,30)  This is probably the judgement referenced in The court of Common Pleas, 1825-1834, vol. 14/David Thomas Konig p 250.  It seems like this was a difficult time for Benjamin; perhaps that is why he was selling his land to make money to pay off some debts.  He was able to keep most of his land in his family though, by selling it to his sons.

continued...

notes:

1.  I was able to find an earlier deed, from 1761 (Plymouth County Deeds 47,5) with a Benjamin Whiton, cordwainer of Scituate, sells to a Benjamin Whiton, cooper of Hingham, land in Scituate near Accord Pond.  On the preceding page is another deed, where Benjamin Whiton purchases land from Thomas Chubbuck in Abington, bounded north by Accord Pond line between Scituate and Abington (Plymouth County Deeds 47,4).  The purchaser of these lands (Benjamin Whiton, cooper of Hingham) is Benjamin's father, and the seller is most likely his grandfather.

2. One of Benjamin's brothers, Joseph, also receives land about "3 acres lying partly in Scituate and partly in Abington being the remainder of the old lot not already given to Benjamin."  This brother also receives the land in Hingham, where his father Benjamin resided (looking at the Hingham historical map shows where Benjamin grew up in Hingham, very close to the Scituate, Abington border near Accord Pond.)

3.  There was a Benjamin S. Whiting, son of Perez, born in 1815, and lived in the Plymouth area - there are a lot of deeds with this Benjamin purchasing and selling land in Plymouth.  This Benjamin has a brother Charles who I also see much of in census and deed documents.

richard stodder and monica marsh

My 5th great grandmother, Lydia Stodder, is indexed in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 on ancestry.com as having died February 5, 1864. This record connects my family to Richard Stodder and a Mary Marsh as her parents.

death of lydia stodder whiting in Hingham, MA

I have not been able to find a record of marriage for a Richard Stodder and Mary Marsh, but there is one for Richard Stodder and Monica Marsh, on May 30, 1773 in Hingham, MA. This marriage would be in the same time period of Lydia's birth around 1779. All other records for Monica do not refer to her as Mary, so I am not sure why Lydia's death record would have recorded her mother's name as Mary, if these are in fact the correct parents. Maybe it is an incorrect transcription or someone mistakenly informed them of the wrong name at the time of Lydia's death.

marriage of richard stodder and monica marsh in hingham, ma

I wanted to find more information on Richard Stodder and Monica Marsh to see if I could connect them further with Lydia Stodder.

The first place I checked was History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, Volume 3, page 201, which lists Lydia as the daughter of Richard Stodder and Monica Marsh. The problem with these town history books, is many times the source of their information is not noted. I am not sure where the authors found the children of Richard and Monica, as I have not been able to locate birth records for them. Maybe they are in the Hingham church records somewhere, but I did not find them in the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988. The only records I did find were the death records of the three unnamed children, which states Richard as their father and no mention of a Mary or a Monica.



History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, Volume 3, page 201
Richard Stodder and Monica Marsh family

The next record produced would be Lydia's marriage to Benjamin Whiton. Unfortunately, marriage records from Massachusetts for this time period usually do not provide the parent's names. This is also the case for Lydia's marriage to Benjamin. Lydia's supposed siblings listed above also do not list their parents on their marriage records.

marriage of Benjamin Whiton and Lydia Stodder in Hingham, MA

If Lydia is part of this family, her mother Monica, dies in 1810 in Hingham. There is an entry for Monica Stodder's death in Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, and the date of 1810 matches. This only shows that there was a Monica married to a Richard Stodder in Hingham that dies in 1810, but still does not connect any of their children to this couple. Since the probate records are accessable online for Plymouth County, I searched the index to see if there was a Monica or a Mary Stodder listed which may show this connection. There are many Mary's; however, none with a date around 1810. I did the same for Richard's death of 1819, but again there was no match in the probate index. (note 1)

Although the History of Hingham book states that Lydia's siblings are Gridley Stodder and Mary Stodder, I have not found any evidence to support this. The 1790 census does show that Richard Stodder from Hingham has 2 males under 16 living in the household and 4 total females. This would account for Gridley and another male child and for females: Lydia, Mary, and Richard's wife Monica, plus one more female. Perhaps another widow and child, maybe a sister to Richard or Monica, is living with them at this time; or maybe Richard and Monica have another son and daughter that is not accounted for in the History of Hingham book.  By 1800, the census shows that Richard and Monica are living by themselves in Hingham.   I am not sure where their supposed son Gridley would have been living in 1800.   He was 19 years old, and not married yet; but he does not seem to be listed as a head of household in the area. Maybe he was on a ship at this point, as his later profession is a mariner.

I also searched for death information on these siblings listed in the Hingham book.  Gridley's death does not list any parents, and I was unable to find Mary's death record. Mary's husband Ichabod Stodder does have some probate records online, but since Mary died before Ichabod (according to History of Hingham book), Mary is not mentioned in the probate. His supposed sister-in-law, Mary's sister, Lydia, is also not mentioned. Lydia's brother Gridley does have some probate records online, but they are for gaurdianship appointed to Jedidiah Lincoln, as Gridley is unable to take care of himself in 1810, at the age of 32. His death record states he was a mariner, but also insane. It seems strange to me that although he was incapable of taking care of himself, Gridley was married in 1807. Maybe something happened to him after marriage, or maybe they were married inspite of it.

None of these records have shown a connection of Lydia Stodder to Richard and Monica together, or to her siblings Gridley and Mary. So far, the only connection I have that Lydia is connected to Richard Stodder is Lydia's death recorded mentioned first in this post, from the Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 database. There does not seem to be any other Richard Stodder's in Hingham for this time period, so it is likely that Lydia is the daughter of Richard and Monica; but not conclusive. Hingham town and church records will have to be located to find more evidence than the History of Hingham book provides.

notes:

1. I also searched the Plymouth County Probate index for Monica Marsh's siblings, and Richard Stodder's siblings; hoping I would find one that mentions either Monica Stodder as wife of Richard Stodder; or one that mentions any nieces and nephews as children of Richard and Monica. I obtained sibling information for both from the History of Hingham book, shown below. There were some probate records online for them, but none mention Monica or Richard or their children.

benjamin whiton and joanna gardner

I know that the names of one set of my 6th great-grandparents are Benjamin Whiton and Joanna. I know this because my 5th great grandfather, their son Benjamin Whiton (b 1772), died in 1858 and the death index for the South Scituate vital records on americanancestors.org lists Benjamin and Joanna as his parents. This death record also states Benjamin was 85 years old when he died, and was born in Hingham. According to the Hingham records available on americanancestors.org, a Benjamin Whiton and a Joanna Gardner married in Hingham on April 27, 1766. This was the only Benjamin Whiton in Hingham listed on the Hingham index marrying a Joanna during this time. As of now, this is the best documentation I have that Benjamin Whiton and Joanna Gardner are my 6th great grandparents.

The History of the Town of Hingham (1893), also came to the conclusion that Benjamin and Joanna Gardner are Benjamin's parents; as seen in the excerpt below from google books:



The book has a bit more information on the couple than I have been able to find using only online resources. I was only able to locate the birth records of two of their children on americanancestors.org, Benjamin (mentioned above b. 1772 d. 1858) and Joanna (b. 1768). The Hingham book has my 6th great grandparents having 6 children in Hingham. My guess as to where the authors found this information would be church records, land records, or probate.

Rather than writing a post on information I have on Benjamin and Joanna, I am going to focus on how I will eventually go about finding these church records, land records, and probate records. These documents will provide further evidence that Benjamin and Joanna are who I think they are.

My first step will be to go to the Hingham Public Library as it looks like they have a large collection of historical documents for the town of Hingham, including vital records. The NEHGS database online that I have access to seems to only be a handwritten transcription of Hingham records, so looking at copies of the original documents may provide more information. In these birth records I would be looking for Joanna's last name, hopefully Gardner, and other children of Benjamin and Joanna.

The Hingham Public Library also produced a list of other historical documents which may be of interest. One item I would be looking for is a deed or will of Joanna Gardner's father to see if he mentions Joanna and her husband Benjamin Whiton, further evidence that Joanna's last name is Gardner. The resource list for Hingham Public Library states they hold some Hingham deeds. According to the History of Hingham book, Joanna's father was John Gardner who died in Hingham in 1802.


Joanna Gardner's family from History of the Town of Hingham, vol 2 (1893)


If Hingham Public Library does not have the deeds or probate I am looking for, I will next have to find these records at the courts. Hingham was part of Norfolk County until 1803, so I need to find a probate book which indexes records in Norfolk and maybe even Plymouth County since the year is so close to the change in counties. There is a book titled, Probate index, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1793-1900, which would tell me if John Gardner created a will. Hingham Public Library does not hold this book though, but the New England Historic Genealogical Library does. The actual records are also on microfilm at NEHGS and the Family History Centers. The Family History Centers also hold microfilm of Land records - Deeds, 1793-1890 for this time period from Norfolk County. I will have to do the same for Plymouth County probate and deeds - both at Family History Center. The NEHGS library also holds Plymouth County probate index and records.

I do have some idea of where Benjamin and Joanna may have lived in Hingham. Gathering information from historical maps, census, and the Hingham history book, I wrote about Benjamin's land in another post. It would be great to find the deeds or probate relating to these land transactions.

While I was researching another ancestor in Hingham, George Lane French (whose grandson would marry Benjamin's grandaughter), I came across a resource that may also provide information on the Whitings in Hingham. There are church documents available for the First Church in Hingham, records by Reverend Ebenezer Gay, which the Massachusetts Historical Society and the New England Historical Genealogical Society both hold. From all the information I have on the Whitings though, it seems they lived in the Southern part of Hingham. Therefore, they may not be listed in these documents which are from the First Parish, not the Second Parish. The document that the Massachusetts Historical Society holds does state in the description that it contains some information on the Second Parish though. I am not sure if the Hingham Public Library holds similar documents, but they may be included in their Hingham Vital Records 1633-1900 on microfilm, as this is how the NEHGS catalogs the document in their library.

I have not been able to find a similar document for the Second Parish which lists births, marriages and deaths for Hingham. The only book I found that might contain some information is Two hundred years in South Hingham, 1746-1946, at the NEHGS library. This looks to be a history of the Second Church of Hingham, so it probably does not contain much vital records.

Once I find more information on Benjamin and Joanna, I will write a little about their life together in Hingham. I produced a lengthy to do list below organized by repository; hopefully I will be able to visit at least one library in the near future. I also searched the cenuses for 1790-1810, as these are the censuses available when Benjamin and Joanna were supposedly living. I will put all this information together in another post, but have noted my thoughts below.

Looking at census :

1790 Hingham,
Benjamin Whiting Senior: 1 male over 16, 1 female (prob. Benj. parents)
Benjamin Whiting Junior: 3 males under 16 (Joseph, Archelaus, Luther); 1 male over 16 (Benj), 2 females (Joanna, Asenath) (but where would his son Benjamin be - he would be abt. 18 years old in 1790 - but not married yet - maybe he is apprenticed somewhere - he becomes a blacksmith)

1800 Census, Hingham
Benjamin Whiton Jr.: 1 male 16-25 (Luther or Joseph, Benj. and Archelaus are married), 1 male 45 and over (Benjamin), 1 female 26-44 (Asenath - did she marry), 1 female 45 and over (Joanna)
Benjamin Whiton: 1 male 45 and over, 2 females 45 and over (probably Benj. parents - and maybe a mother in law)
1800 Census, Hanover (actually Scituate on lower page)
Benjamin Whiting: 2 males under 10 (Jared and Richard), 1 male 26-44 (Benjamin), 1 female 26-44 (Lydia)

1810 Census, Hingham
Benjamin Whiton: 1 male 26-44 (Luther or Joseph or Archelaus whose wife died), 1 male 45 and over (Benj), 1 female under 10 (? maybe archelaus daughter elizabeth - mother died, archelaus enlisted in 1812), 1 female 26-44 (Asenath)

to do:

Hingham Public Library :
1. vital records on microfilm
    a. see if Joanna's last name is listed on birth record of their son Benjamin
    b. find birth records of other children of Benjamin and Joanna
    c. find marriage record of Benjamin and Joanna - does it provide any more information
2. look for deeds and/or probate records for Benjamin Whiting Sr.(d.1806) and John Gardner (d.1802) to see if they list Benjamin and Joanna or their children.
3. look at George Lincoln's Diary
4. book on the History of the Second Church of Hingham, Two hundred years in South Hingham, 1746-1946 : the story of a church and a community / by Donald F. Robinson

NEHGS:
1. vital records - contains Rev. Ebenezer Gay for First Parish - maybe has info on second parish
2 book History of Second Church, Two hundred years in South Hingham, 1746-1946 : the story of a church and a community / by Donald F. Robinson
3. probate index and records on microfilm for norfolk county, MA - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
4. probate records and index for plymouth county - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
5. book on Whiting Genealogy : The Whiton family in America and genealogy of the descendants of Thomas Whiton (1635).
6. book on Whiting family : Memoir of Rev. Samuel Whiting, D.D., and of his wife, Elizabeth St. John, with references to some of their English ancestors and American descendants / William Whiting. Also a database online at americanancestors.org
7. There are three pages in the NEHGS library catalog when you search under subject Whiting Family.

Massachusetts Historical Society:
1. town records - contains Ebenezer Gay records but also contains some Second Parish information

Family History Centers :
1. probate index and records on microfilm for norfolk county, MA - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
2. land deeds for Norfolk County - looking for information on John Gardner and Benjamin Whiton, Sr. linking parents to Benjamin and Joanna.
3.  do the same for Plymouth County probate and deeds

more maps and property

After spending a lot of time looking at the maps on the Historic Land and Atlas database available on ancestry, I wanted to organize some of my thoughts and research process.

I was able to locate some of my ancesters, mainly the Whiting (Whiton) families in South Scituate and South Hingham. I thought it would be interesting to track the land as it may have been passed from family member to family member. This will eventually help me when I am able to search the probate and land records. I used both the maps and the local histories of both Hingham and Hanover as a basis for my conclusions.

Benjamin Whiton (my 6th great grandfather) married Joanna Gardner in 1766 in Hingham, MA. According to The History of the Town of Hingham book, Benjamin was a farmer who lived near Accord Pond in South Hingham.

The Historical Sketch of the Town of Hanover states that this Benjamin lived in a house where Eleazer Chubbuck now lives. The book was published in 1858.

Also according to the Hanover book, Eleazer Chubbuck married Benjamin's Granddaughter Elizabeth (Betsey b. 1801). So Benjamin's land probably went to his son Archelaus. Betsey's mother died in 1803, and her father Archelaus enlisted in 1812 (probably died in war). This would have left Betsey alone at age 11, her grandparents were already dead at this time too. Maybe she moved in with one of her aunts or uncles, and the property was left to Betsey - where she later lived with her husband Eleazer Chubbuck. The property from the map looks like they lived on Gardner Street.

Another son of Benjamin that lived in this area was Joseph. The Hingham books states that Joseph resided on Gardner Street near Accord Pond and that Joseph's son Joseph (another one of Benjamin's grandchildren), stayed on at his paternal homestead. I also find J.M. Whiting on the map on Gardner Street living two houses up from Eleazer Chubbuck, which is probably Joseph and therefore his father Joseph's house. Perhaps Benjamin divided his land and gave some to his granddaughter Betsey (through his son Archelaus) and some to his son Joseph, who passed it on to his son Joseph. So Betsey and Joseph, who are living on Gardner Street in South Hingham in 1879 are cousins, both grandchildren of Benjamin Whiton and Joanna Gardner.

There is still a house between J. Whiting and E. Chubbuck on the map of Hingham. It would make sense if this house were also on Benjamin's original property. The map states the house belongs to E Beal. Looking at The History of the Town of Hingham book, this is probably Edwin Beal who married Elizabeth Chubbuck (daughter of Eleazer Chubbuck and Betsey Whiting).

Elizabeth would have been living next to her parents on the map. If this were originally Benjamin Whiting's property - Elizabeth Chubbuck Beal would be his great-granddaughter, living next to two of Benjamin's grandchildren. So perhaps Benjamin's property was split amonst them all - or further subdivided by his grandchildren. As seen in the excerpt above, The History of The Town of Hingham book does state that Edwin Beal lived on Gardner St.

Map of South Hingham which lists the properties I have discussed above

Benjamin also had a son Benjamin (my 5th great grandfather) that lived in Hingham near Accord Pond, accoring to the Hanover book. The History of Hingham book states Benjamin removed to Scituate. According to the census data, he did move to South Scituate, which was right down the street from Hingham and where his father lived. He must have built or bought his own house, as he is not in Hingham where his father lived. I have no direct evidence as to where his property went when he died, but it seems it probably went to his children as many of them are living in the same area of South Scituate near Accord Pond.

Benjamin's daughter, Joanna, married Freeman French and lived in South Scituate. We can see F. French on the South Scituate map below Accord Pond. Another daughter of Benjamin and Lydia's, Lydia Whiting, never married and lived with her brother Jared and sister Mary Whiting (both probably never married either). The censuses for 1860-1880 have this family of siblings living next door to Freeman and Joanna French. They are not listed on the property map of South Scituate, so maybe they lived on the same property in a second house. Elizabeth, another daughter of Benjamin and Lydia's, married James Burrill. On the censuses and the map of Scituate, there is a J. Burrill living across the street from Freeman French and Joanna. Elizabeth probably resides in her parent's house as she and her husband lived with her mother Lydia after her father Benjamin died. The second oldest son of Benjamin and Lydia was Richard, who married Mary Stoddard. Richard had died by the time the Scituate map was made in 1879, but his wife Mary was living in Hingham. I was not able to locate a Mrs. Mary Whiting on the map in Hingham, but as they were living in Hingham, they most likely did not have his father's property. Benjamin and Lydia's other children had either died by the time the map was created in 1879, or removed to another town after marrying.

Map of South Scituate with Benjamin Whiting's property as discussed above

to do list:
1. list picture of jos. j whiting and amasa whiting house
2. find mary whiting - widow of richard whiting on hingham map - look in census
3. create family chart to explain relationships better

joanna whiting (whiton) french

Joanna Whiting, another one of my 4th great grandmothers, was born March 16, 1807, two-hundred and three years ago today. She was born to Benjamin Whiting and Lydia Stoddard in Scituate, in the part of that town that later became known as South Scituate (1849) and then Norwell. The Whiting (Whiton) family was not originally from Scituate though, but resided in Hingham. At some point, Joanna's father Benjamin Whiton moved to Scituate, maybe he started out there after his marriage to Lydia, as that is also where all of Joanna's siblings are born.

Joanna was the 5th child out of 10 that Benjamin and Lydia had. She married Freeman French on December 28, 1826, when she was about 19 years old. The marriage intention was recorded in Joanna's town of Scituate and the marriage was recorded in Benjamin's town of Hingham. I am not sure if this means the marriage took place in Hingham, but the couple did live in Hingham soon after their marriage as their first two children (Henry Freeman and Joanna Whiting) were born there in 1825 and 1827 respectively. Soon after, they must have made a move to Abington, as that is where they are living in the 1830 census. Joanna and her family made another move to South Scituate by 1841, when their daughter, Lydia Helen French (my 3rd great grandmother), was born there.

Here is an excerpt for Freeman and Joanna from The History of the Town of Hingham... on googlebooks, listing Joanna and Freeman's children:

It seems that Joanna and Freeman settled in South Scituate according to the 1850-1880 censuses. Joanna died at age of 80 of "chronic hepatitis" in South Scituate, two years before her husband Freeman died. It is happy to see they lived a long life together. Joanna's death record states she was buried at South Hingham. Since both the Whiton and French families resided in South Hingham, she was probably buried with either Freeman's family or her own.

Both families were from the "Liberty Plains" area of Hingham, near Accord pond, according to The History of the Town of Hingham. I did a general search on google for Hingham cemeteries to find a cemetery close to Accord Pond and the Liberty Plains area. I came across the USGenWeb site for Hingham, which includes a map for cemeteries located in Hingham. I did also check the larger Hingham Cemetery off of Water Street as there is a list of people buried there online, but Joanna and Freeman are not listed at this cemetery. There are a lot of other French families listed here though. So my next step will be to visit the Liberty Plains Cemetery, which is located on Main Street between Longmeadow Road and Ritter Road in South Hingham. Hopefully the stones will still be legible. UPDATE : found Joanna and her husband at Liberty Plains Cemetery, Hingham - see blog post here
I also wanted to see if I could find the property of Freeman French and Joanna on a map for Scituate during that time they lived there. The Historic Land Ownership database on ancestry also has a map for this town for 1879. I found a F. French listed on the "Scituate Town, Scituate Village South, South Village South" map on the border of Rockland and South Hingham, down the street from the other French and Whiting families in South Hingham, on Accord Pond.



For any locals that may know this area, it is about where the old Ground Round Restaurant was(now it is Not Your Average Joes), in Norwell, right up the street from the Home Depot in Rockland - across from the pond. It looks like this is also Main Street, although it is not labeled on the map. This does explain why they were buried in South Hingham, as they were living right down the road. So although the census information makes it seem like they moved from place to place, they really ended up close to home, only living in Abington for about 10 years in between.
to do list:
1. search the liberty plains cemetery to find joanna and freeman french. UPDATE : found Joanna and her husband at Liberty Plains Cemetery, Hingham - see blog post here