Stories

Not far from the grave of William Red ford (about half a mile) upon a little knoll is another Covenanter's grave,—the grave of another "forefather of the hamlet." Here "Old Mortality" would have lingered lovingly, for Walter Ker had been a prisoner in the Whig's Vault of Dunottar Castle, near Stonehaven, on the North Sea, south of Aberdeen. Throughout the long defense of the Covenant the name of Ker had been constantly conspicuous in the low countries among its defenders. Sir Walter Scott...

Pages 520/1 of Provincial and State Papers of New Hampshire, 1936, (Henry Harrison Metcalf) JOHN DAVIS 1756 HAMPSTEAD    In the Name of God Amen this 15th day of November 1756 I John Davis of Hampstead in the Province of New Hampshire in New England Weaver: * * *   Imprimis I Give and bequeath to Sarah my Dearly beloved wife the one half of my Dwelling House the improvement thereof. During her natural life with her thirds of the rest of my Estate   Item I Give to my well beloved sons namely...

Margaret (Jones) Brockway, who married Wolston Brockway, was possibly the daughter of Lewis Jones and Deborah Palmer. The following snippet from the book "Tillotson, Tillison, Tillitson" by Margaret Tillotson Ragsdale connects Mary Jones as a sister to Margaret Jones.      "...Brockways owned contiguous acres and seemed chummy. Wolston and Jonathan co-signed an instrument early in 1709; Wolston had drawn lots for the Tillotson brothers; Jonathan and Wolston’s widow signed the administrator’s...

The following is a snippet from a book by Margaret Tillotson Ragsdale:      "Brockways owned contiguous acres and seemed chummy. Wolston and Jonathan co-signed an instrument early in 1709; Wolston had drawn lots for the Tillotson brothers; Jonathan and Wolston’s widow signed the administrator’s bond; the Brockway son Jonathan and a Tillotson son, David, were close friends. These incidents cry out the relationship between Mary (Jones) Tillotson and Margaret (Jones) Brockway. The crux of the...

John Davis was the seventh great grandfather of actress Bette Davis.  Here is a story on him: John Davis , [another source states he was the son of THOMAS DAVIS, brother to JAMES] son of James & Cicely (Thayer) Davis, was b. 28 Jan 1621/23 in Newbury, Essex Co MA, and d. 18 July 1694 in Haverhill MA.  He married 10 Dec 1646 in Haverhill MA to Jane Peaslee, dau of Joseph & Mary (Johnson) Peaslee.  She b. 1627 in Haverhill MA and d. 12 Jan 1684 in Dover, Strafford Co NH. According...

     In the name of God, Amen. The first day of April in ye year of our Lord God. One thousand Six hundred Eighty-five, I, John Davis of Oyster River, in the Province of New Hampshire, being of perfect memory (blessed be the Lord for it) and calling to mind the frailty of my nature and the certainty of death, & how soon it shall please God to call me hence, I know not, I do here make my last Will & Testament, revoking & annulling all & every Will or Wills, Testament or...

     Here is a culmination of what we've found in our research:      Joyce's maiden name was Baker, from her marriage record to Nicholas Butler. (1)(2)  Her father's name was Richard, and most books cite that he was a miller of Ashford and his wife's name was Margaret.  (1) Administration of Richard's will speaks of children: Thomas, Joane, Joyce, and Mary Baker.  Thomas supposedly mentioned his sister Joyce in a will, to which Nicholas Butler was a witness. (20)  Joyce's mother's maiden...

BIOGRAPHY: William Sterling of Haverhill, Mass., and of Lyme, Connecticut, and His Descendants.       William Sterling was born presumably not far from London, England, in 1637. From the inscription on his grave-stone in Sterling City, Lyme, Conn., it would appear that he was born in 1632, as it states taht he died 1719 "in the 87th year of his age." However, as William gave his age as 30 in 1667, and again as 35 in 1672, (New England Reg., 8-53), we may safely assume that the grave recrod...