Direct Ancestors M - Z
SCROLL DOWN DIRECTLY TO GET TO M-Z LISTING OF ANCESTORS.
Clicking on a name takes you to the Family Tree Chart where that person is identified, almost always as a great-grandparent. These ancestors were discovered by building a family tree for each woman who married one of the Bissell men descending from Captain John Bissell to Richard Meredith Bissell, see that basic "family tree trunk" at Richard Bissell Family Tree Chart. (I have not yet found ancestry information on Julia Richardson Bissell.)
Note that some ancestors appear in two or more ancestry lines of the Bissell family and hopefully you'll find links from one of their locations to the other among various family tree charts. The best example of this is Robert White and Bridget Allgar, whose four daughters Mary, Elizabeth, Sarah and Anna are each Bissell Great-grandmothers.
If it's a person about whom I've been able to find more information, after their name is will say "[BIO]" -- click on that and you will connect to any significant amount of biographical information I've found. In a few cases, that information is linked to a separate page, e.g., 9th Great-grandfather Captain John Bissell; more often it is a few paragraphs linked on one of the "Early Settlers" pages, such as 11th Great-grandfather Francis Sprague, who came to Plymouth, MA in 1623; or it may be a paragraph or just a sentence or two, for example Great-Aunt Sarah Day Gunn Kellogg (killed by Indians in 1677, her son captured by Indians but rescued from Canada the next year) on the apppropriate Ancestors A-L or Ancestors M-Z page. For most of these ancestors, I don't have any information other than date and/or place of birth that is found in their Family Tree Chart.
Robert Sprout -- b. about 1634; Sprout came to New England as an indentured servant, the evidence for which is from:
Plymouth Colony: Its History and People 1620-1691 Part Two : Topical Narratives Chapter 11: Man and Master. On 4 May 1658 Robert Sprout complained to the court that his former master, Walter Briggs, was keeping the document of his indenture from him to avoid complying with his obligations, and the court ordered Briggs to give Sprout the indenture. Briggs lived in Scituate between 1652 and 1660.
Below is the record found that told us of Robert Sprout's Indenture:
At a "Court of Assistants holden at Plymouth the 4th of May 1658 " -
Court Assistants William Collyare, John Alden, Josia Winslow and
Thomas Southworth, " appeared Robert Sprout, formerly servent to
Walter Briggs, and complained that his master keeps his indenture
from him at the end of his term. Wherefore the Court orders, that
Walter Briggs shall return the said Robert Sprout his indenture and
that the said Sprout may have his libertie to worke with any other
man in Scittuate until June Court next " ....(Sic)
A month later: " Att the General Court holden at Plymouth the fifth
of June 1658, before Thomas Pence, Gov. William Collyare, John Alden
Josias Winslow, Thomas Southworth, William Bradford and Thomas
Hinckley, Assistants Ec. Walter Briggs complained against Robert
Sprought in an action of the case to the damage of twenty pounds, for
not serving one year of his (indenture) time, and for other debts and
dues. The jury finds for the defendant the cost of the suit." (Sic)
Thus, Robert Sprout is now a "freeman"
It is estimated that Robert Sprout was born ca 1631 / 1632 and that estimate is gauged on the earliest record found on him in Scituate history - when " in 1652 Robert was appointed to care for a widow of Scituate, who was destitute after her husbands death". It is thought that in order for any one to be "appointed" to a task of responsibility - one had to be at least 21 years of age. Reasonable deduction, yes, but not the proof I seek.
Robert Sprout was born in Scotland, about 1634, the son of James Sproat. He married Elizabeth Samson/ Sampson, daughter of Henry Sampson about 1661 in MA. Robert was indentured to Walter Briggs prior to 1658, when he complained to the court that his former master was keeping the indenture document from him to avoid complying with his obligations. Robert arrived in New England about 20 years after the first Pilgrims arrived. Emigrating from Scotland, Robert worked to pay for his passage. Robert settled in Scituate. Robert's will, recorded in Plymouth County Probate Records lists his seven children.
Thomas Oldham, Sr. was born in Derbyshire in 1624. In 1643, he was in Duxbury, MA. He was perhaps the youth that came from London in 1635 on theElizabeth and Ann. He may have been the brother of John Oldham, his fellow passenger. Thomas married 20 Nov 1656 Mary Wetheral, daughter of Reverend William Wetheral. Thomas died 7 Mar 1710/11 in Scituate, MA.
William Perry -- born about 1620, Pulborough, Sussex, Eng.
Father Edmund Perry, b. 27 Jan 1599, Devon Co., Eng.; died unknown location and date. William's mother was Sarah Crowell, b. 1592, Devon, Eng.; died 8 Jun 1659, Sandwich, MA. Edmund's parents John Perry and Sarah Rader were born in London.
William was a planter, resided in Scituate beginning in about 1637, then in Marshfield in 1657. Spelled "Perie" in Plymouth records. He married Susanna Carver, b. about 1621. Regarding Susanna Carver, see Robert Charles Anderson, “The wifes of Michael Barstow and Richard Carver of Watertown, Massachusetts and the identity of the wives of William Randall of Scituate and William Perry of Marshfield,” N.E.H.G.R., 146, (1992), 230-234.
Inventory of William's estate taken 16 Jan 1692/93.
Check out Alice H. Dreger’s article "William Perry of Scituate and Marshfield, Massachusetts," The American Genealogist 70 (Jan. 1995): 42-48.
John Rogers and his daughter Ann Rogers Hudson --
From the book, John Rogers of Marshfield and some of his Descendants, by Josiah Drummond, published by Smith and Sales, 1898.
"Neither the date or place of his birth, nor the time when he came to this country has been ascertained. The name of John Rogers is given in the 1643 list of freemen of Scituate, although the date of his admission has not been found. On September 20, 1699, John Rogers-, the son of John Rogers^ of Marshfield, gave a deposition before the Justices of the Court at Plymouth, that, in or about the year 1647, his father, John Rogers, lived in Scituate on a lot of land between the land of Thomas Hicks and the land of John Stockbridge, adjoining Hicks's swamp; and about the year 1647, "my father John Rogers afore- said, being about to move out of said Scituate" (in effect) sold his house and land to Thomas Simons, " and my father removed out of Scituate about the time aforesaid..."
John married Frances, last name uncertain. Their children, part probably born in England, and the others in Scituate, were (in the order listed in John, Sr.'s will): John, b. about 1632; Joseph; Timothy; Ann; Mary; and Abigail. Ann is listed in the will as "Ann Hudson," as she had by that time married John Hudson, SEE Bisbee Chart 2.1 - Jotham Bisbee.
This book also reports that John Rogers may have been a friend of William Wetherell and came to Scituate and Marshfield for that reason. In 1665, Wetherell acknowledged in a legal document that he had sold, "..."ten acres of up- land laying at N. W. side of Nemassakeetpit brook." as recorded in Duxbury land records.
Ann Rogers was probably born in Scltuate. She married (1st) George Russell, probably son of George Russell; he died before 1659. She married (2nd) John Hudson, who died about 1688, leaving her surviving him. She and her first husband had two children. Her first of four children with her second husband was Hannah Hudson, the Bisbee ancestor, born about 1657.
Another good source is "Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966):
A Reprinting, in Alphabetical Order by Surname, of the Sixteenth Multi-Ancestor Compendia (plus Thomas Hayley of Winter Harbor and His Descendants)" compiled by Maine's Formost Genealogist, 1916-1963 Walter Goodwin Davis with an Introduction by Gary Boyd Roberts Director of Special Research Projects New England Historic Genealogical Society Volume III Neal - Wright pp. 234-235.
"JOHN ROGERS was one of the inhabitants of Scituate listed as able to bear arms in 1643. He took the Oath of Fidelity in Scituate January 15, 1644(5). He may possibly be the John Rogers who proposed to take up his freedom in the Plymouth Colony September 7, 1641, and who was admitted March 1, 1641/2. He presumably came from England with his wife Frances and several children, but nothing certain is known of his origin or his life before his appearance in Scituate. He moved to Marshfield in 1647. His son John Rogers signed a deposition in Plymouth court on September 29, 1699, in which he says that in or about the year 1647 his father John Rogers lived on a lot of land between the land of Thomas Hicks and the land of John Stockbridge, adjoining Hicks' swamp, that about 1647 being about to move out of Scituate his father sold his house and lands to Thomas Simons and did so move, and that the deponent who lived with him many years had never heard him lay any claim to the said land after he removed from it.
In 1651 John Rogers of Marshfield was fined for vilifying the ministry and bound to good behavior in the sum of L20. He was fined for not attending town meetings in 1649, 1651-1653. Probably he had Quaker sympathies. He died in 1661. His son John, Junior (Ann's brother) was later a Quaker and was fined on several occasions for his Quaker beliefs, including one fine levied by John Alden. Typical of the time, John, Senior left his house and lands to his son and ten shillings to his daughter Ann.
Pierce, Michael -- Militia Captain who died fighting Indians in King Philip's War, 1676. He married (1) Persis EamesBet. 1642 - 1643 in Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts, daughter of Anthony Eames and Margery Pierce. He settled in Hingham, Massachusetts, in 1646, and moved to Scituate, Mass. the following year. He was commissioned a Captain by the Colony Court in 1669.
Riley, John. Click Here to go to Bisbee Family Tree Chart with John Riley
The publications of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society and The Irish Pioneers of the Connecticut Valley report that John Riley and his wife Margaret O’Dea came to Springfield in 1640. (John was the nephew of a man also named John Riley who was married to a Grace O’Dea and they had come from Ireland in about 1634, settling in Hartford, CT. Margaret O’Dea was the younger sister of Grace O’Dea. John (the uncle) and his wife Grace moved to West Springfield sometime around 1650.)
John and Margaret may have come from County Longford, Ireland. When they came to Springfield in 1640, they settled in the area called “Ireland Parish” (south of the present day city of Holyoke) near “Riley Brook.”
In addition to their daughter Margaret, they had a daughter Mary born in 1665. She married Joseph Ely and they are ancestors to Harriet Beecher Stowe and her siblings, including Henry Ward Beecher.
Source 23, Hale, House and Related Families at p. 727 confirms that on 30 Mar 1680 at Court in Springfield, John Riley of Springfield was bound in the sum of 20 Pounds for the appearance of his daughter Margaret “for the fowl sin of fornication.” She had a daughter born 6 July 1680.
Additional material on Henry Sampson, from the early Plymouth Plantation records found on the website www.pilgrimhallmuseum.org :
Editha Stebbins -- founding pioneer of the Connecticut River Valley
John Searle -- John Searle the emigrant removed from Boston in 1633. in company with others to Springfield, Mass., as first settlers. His home lot was a little north of the present Union railmad station. He married March VK 1639, Sarah Baldwin. They had a son John, born March 30, 1641. I lis widow, Sarah, married April 28. 1642, Alexander Edwards, who came from a border town in Wales. In 1653 they removed from Springfield as first settlers to what is now the city of Xorthampton. They are the ancestors of all of the names of Edwards and Searl in the Connecticut \'alley.
http://www.archive.org/stream/historyandgenea01pomegoog/historyandgenea01pomegoog_djvu.txt
Thomas Swift was a First Settler in Dorchester in 1634. Per Dorchester history, he was made a Freeman May 6, 1635. He was an enterprising man, and a quarter-master in troublesome times ; a member of Mr. Warham s church ; a maltster by trade. His wife was Elizabeth. Their children were Thomas, born June 17, 1635, married Elizabeth Vose HISTORY OF DORCHESTER. 87 in 1657, and Sarah Clapp in 1676 ; Obadiali, born July 16, 1688; Elizabeth, born February 26, 1640; Ruth, Aug. 24, 1643 married William Greenough, of Boston, Oct. 10, 1660; Joan, married John Ba ker, of Boston, Nov. 5, 1657. He died May 4, 1675. His wife died January 26, 1677. By his will it appears that William Sumner and John Ca- pen are his brothers in law. SEE Searle Chart 2.3
Andrew Warner --
Andrew Warner, in addition to his role as a founder of towns and colonial leader, was a maltster. A maltster is someone who prepares barley for use in brewing (which requires water, malted barley, hops and yeast). Malt-houses were established early in New England, and they continued in some of the villages on the Connecticut River more than a century. Andrew Warner leased a malt-house in Hadley, and it was burnt in 1665. He then built malt-works for himself, and was the maltster of Hadley, and his son Jacob seems to have succeeded him. In addition to being a maltster, Andrew Warner had a still. Small stills, often called limbecks, were common in England at that time and used to distill coridials, sweet waters and medicinal waters, from herbs, flowers, spices, etc. The early settlers of Massachusetts had many of these small stills in their houses, which appeared in their inventories, valued at from 15 to 45 shillings each. There were some at Hartford and Windsor. Andrew Warner, when he lived in Hadley, had a small still valued at 10 shillings. More information about Andrew Warner's maltster occupation is available in the notes of Searle Chart 9.0 -- Sarah French.
Richard Webb, born 1580. He was a founding settler of Hartford in 1636 with Rev. Thomas Hooker and was also a founder of Norwalk, CT. From Wikipedia:
Richard Webb (May 5, 1580 – July 1665) was a founding settler of Hartford and Norwalk, Connecticut. He served as a deputy of the General Court of the Connecticut Colony from Norwalk in the session of May 1656.
He came to America from England in 1626, and originally settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He went to Hartford in Oct. 1635, with the congregation of Thomas Hooker. His home was on the west aide of Main Street, near the present corner of Church Street. In Hartford he served as a grand-juror in 1643, as a townsman in 1649, and as a surveyor of highways in 1650.[2]
He was one of the signers of the agreement for planting Norwalk, June 19, 1650.[2] He moved there soon after.[2]
He is listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founders of Hartford in the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford, and he is also listed on the Founders Stone bearing the names of the founders of Norwalk in the East Norwalk Historical Cemetery.
FROM ANOTHER WEBSITE (geni.com Webb family site):
About Richard Webb, Sr.
Richard Webb, Sr., b. 15 May 1580 in Norwich, Dorsetshire, Eng. Died 1 Jan 1675/75, Norwalk, CT
THIS LINE NEEDS TO BE CHECKED - IS JEREMIAH WEBB OF NORTHAMPTON THIS RICHARD WEBB'S SON ??
Richard Webb Sr., son of immigrants Alexander Webb and Mary Wilson Webb, was born at he family compound in Bearley, Warwickshire on May 15, 1580. He married Grace Wilson on May 1, 1610 in England. Richard and Grace (Wilson) Webb had a son on almost exactly 9 months after their marriage in England. The son was named (as is common for first born sons) after his father. Records conflict on the date Richard landed in Boston--some records indicate it was 1616 (putting it here before the famous Mayflower) while others indicate it was 1626. Richard Webb Sr. was voted a 'freeman' in Cambridge in November 6, 1636 (the same year his brother John came to America as a member of the British military). A 'freeman' indicates that the person was not an indentured servant, was a landowner, was an active member of a local church, and was entitled to vote and hold public office.
To Hartford, CT
On September 4,1633 a new minister and his family arrived in Cambridge (then called New Town) aboard the shipGriffin. Also on board the Griffin were Reverends John Cotton and Samuel Stone. The Reverend Thomas Hooker, son of Puritan parents in England, had been harassed by Church of England Archbishop William Laud because Hooker did not conform to the strict terms the Archbishop required of all ministers. After his arrival in New Town, disagreements emerged between Hooker and John Cotton, another minister. Cotton believed only male church members should be allowed to vote in town affairs. Hooker believed all men should be allowed to vote, regardless of church affiliation. The disagreement was resolved in 1636 when Hooker led about 100 men, women and children from Cambridge through the wilderness frontier to what is now Hartford, CT. Richard Webb and his family were among the Hooker contingent.
This profile's picture is of two monuments to the founders--original proprietors--of Hartford and both include the name of Richard Webb. At the left is Adventurers' Boulder plaque at the corner of Main and Arch streets in Hartford. At the right is Founders' Monument in the Center Church Burial Ground. Richard Webb was a grand juror in 1643, townsmen in 1649, and surveyor of highways in 1650.
To Norwalk
On June 19, 1650, Richard Webb signed on as 'planter' (original proprietor) for a new community not far from Hartford, present day Norwalk. The first of settlers of Norwalk arrived from Hartford in 1649 and the town became official on September 11, 1651, when the General Court of the Connecticut Colony agreed that “Norwaukee shall bee a townee”. Connecticut probate records for Richard Webb indicate his land was inherited through his third wife, Elizabeth Gregory Grant. Elizabeth was the widow of a Seth Grant prior to marrying Richard Webb. Prior to his move to Norwalk, he was a member of the First Church in New Haven, CT. Church records indicate he was 'dismissed' as a church member in 1650, which would have coincided with the move to Norwalk. In May of 1656, Richard Webb served as representative from Norwalk to the General Assembly of Connecticut.
John Webb
John WEBB. Born (about 1615-S11)(in 1615-S10)(1627-1634-S3)(about 1632-S7) in Dorsetshire, England (S10); the son of Richard Webb and Grace Wilson. He was in Boston on 9 March 1634. He married (1) Anna BASSETT in (1640-S10)(about 1640-S11) at (Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut)(in Massachusetts-S10)(in Boston-S11). He was a Brazier (Brass Worker) in 1649 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. He was a Blacksmith about 1655 in Northampton, Hampshire Conty, Massachusetts. He was an Inn Keeper on 28 Sep 1658 in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. He married (2) Elizabeth SWIFT on 16 October 1667 at Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts. (S3). He died (19 MAY 1670-S3,S10) at (Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts-S3,S10) and was buried there.
Rev. William Wetherell was a Puritan in England. He was educated at Cambridge, obtaining a BA 1626 and a MA 1627. He was shown to be from York. Licensed as a Cure of Souls, William was also a teacher at Boughton, England and later taught at Maidstone in England. William was cited for teaching the catechisms of William Perkins, a well-known Puritan. Shortly thereafter, William, his wife, Mary Fisher, and children, along with a servant, Ann Richards, boarded the ship Herculesfor New England, arriving 1635. William briefly settled at Charlestown, establishing the first grammar school there before moving to Newtowne (Cambridge), MA and by 1638 to Duxbury, MA where church beliefs were similar to those he espoused in England. He later moved to Scituate, where he had been invited as minister of the 2d Church of Scituate 2 Sep 1645, which position he would hold until his death 9 Apr 1683/84.