william holbrook and elizabeth poole (part 1 of 2)

William Holbrook and Elizabeth Poole,  6th great-grandparents of mine, recorded their intent to marry in Weymouth, MA. The entry is noted in the book,

Vital Records of Weymouth, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850: Marriages and deaths

for May 11, 1738. The annotation next to their marriage of CR2 stands for the church record of the First Church of Christ, South Precinct.

 

According to the History of Weymouth book, this was William's second marriage, and Elizabeth's first. (3_273) Most of the information I have on this couple is from this book, which I was able to access on ancestry.com.  The weymouth book lists 9 children of William and Elizabeth, although I was only able to find 4 (including my 5th great grandfather Abner) in the Vital Records of Weymouth, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850: Births. Perhaps the other children are listed in church records from the town. I had looked into locating church records from their church while researching another ancestor, Hannah Canterbury White, and found that the NEHGS library holds,

The book of records of the Second Church of Christ in Weymouth, Massachusetts : baptisms and marriages/ by John J. Loud. F74.W77 W76 1900.

I am not sure if this is the same church, but definitely worth looking at. The book is only 36 pages, but the notes state the records extend from 1722 to 1818; which may include William and Elizabeth's marriage in 1738, and their children's birth dates.

Another source of information for William and Elizabeth's children could be William's will and probate records.  The History of Weymouth book states the following...

He made his will 23 Nov. 1764, and his estate was distributed to his heirs 6 July, 1784.

Weymouth was still a part of Suffolk County at this time (until 1793), so I will need to locate William's probate from the following source:

Probate: George, Elijah, "Index Probate Records, Suffolk Co., MA 1636-1893" Boston, MA: 1895 3 Vol.'s

(to be continued...)

hannah canterbury white

Hannah Canterbury, my 6th great grandmother, was born April 20, 1722 in Weymouth to John and Hannah (Vinson?) Canterbury, as found in the Weymouth vital records book on newenglandancestors.org (listed under Hanah Canterbery). Also in the Weymouth records is a birth for her sister, Sarah, with a notation of the First Church of Christ, South Precinct¹. The Church in South Weymouth was not formed until 1723, with Pastor James Bayley (1-233), so Hannah's family most likely belonged to the First Church in Weymouth²(1_217), with a minister of Mr. Thomas Paine (not the famous writer) at the time of Hannah's birth. The fact that her sister's birth record was from the church in the South Precinct shows that Hannah and her family probably lived in South Weymouth.

The family outline in the History of Weymouth book (3_151) states that the probate record of Hannah's father John Cantebury shows the Canterbury family had 74 acres at the time of John's death at about 1783. (Suffolk Probate records 80:579) This land was passed onto Hannah's brother Jacob after both parents die by 1783 (suffolk probate 83:79). In 1788, Jacob sold some of this land to Reuben Burrell and Thomas Colson, who was the husband of Hannah's sister, Martha. (Suffolk Deeds 162:188,244). I do not know where the land passed on after that, but the 1876 Weymouth map on ancestry.com does not list a Canterbury in the vicinity of the church in the South Precinct. I also do not see a Colson listed in this area. I will have to find Deed records to get a better sense as to where Hannah grew up in South Weymouth.

Hannah was the oldest of 3 sisters and two brothers. She married when she was only 18 years old. In a paper titled Massachusetts Marriage Ways, the average age during the middle 1700s in the town of Hingham (next to Weymouth) was 23 for a woman, so Hannah marrying at age 18 would have been a little young. Hannah had her first child, Hannah, at the age of 20. Unfortunately; her baby died at not even one month old. The records do not show the baby's cause of death, but this must have been devastating for Hannah as a young new mother. A year later Hannah and Jeremiah had another child, a son named Luther. Their third child, another Hannah, was born in 1745, unfortunately dying at the age of 10. Hannah gave birth to a total of 9 children, the last one in 1760 at the age of 38. In 1756, her brother John died at Lake George, NY in the French and Indian War. Her last son, John born in 1760, was probably named after this brother (and her father).

Hannah died at the young age of 44, in Abington on September 12, 1765. Her oldest child, John was only 5 years old, and Jeremiah only 9. Her youngest daughter, Selah, my 5th great grandmother, was 11 years old. I am not sure how Hannah died, but if it was an illness, she must have been frightened to leave her husband and the remaining 7 children behind.

I do not know where Hannah is buried. She had ties to both Abington and South Weymouth. According to the History of Weymouth book, her brother John was buried at Reed Cemetery in Weymouth (1_334). Her other brother Jacob, also seems to be buried at Reed Cemetery according to Findagrave.com. I will first have to look there to see if there is a family plot. Also, if the 1794 death record in Weymouth for Jeremiah White is for her husband, it seems he was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in South Weymouth. It is possible that Hannah is not buried with her husband Jeremiah though, as she died almost thirty years before he did and he also remarried 2 other times. Finding these headstones will prove difficult as they are most likely faded and/or broken.

Notes:
1. The New England Historic Genealogical Society library has the following book : The book of records of the Second Church of Christ in Weymouth, Massachusetts : baptisms and marriages / by John J. Loud. F74.W77 W76 1900
2. There are records at the Massachusetts Historical Society on the First Church of Weymouth (North Precinct from 1724-1839). This does not cover when Hannah would have been a part of this church though. In the above catalog record, it states that births and other vital records before 1724 were recorded in the town meetings. The Family History Center library does hold microfilm for Weymouth Town Meeting, 1636-1860.