William Jasper Dolvin

d. 1974
     William Jasper Dolvin married Emily Frances Gordy, daughter of James Jackson Gordy and Mary Ida Nicholson. William Jasper Dolvin died in 1974.

Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson1

b. circa 1814, d. 2 July 1891
     Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson was born circa 1814 at probably Wilkinson Co., GA.2,3,4 He was the son of John Nicholson and Frances Nunn. Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson married Martha John(s). Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson married Mary Elizabeth Dawson, daughter of Malekiah Dawson and Mary Marcus Brown, on 5 May 1870 at Chattahoochee Co., GA.3 Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson died on 2 July 1891 at Chattahoochee Co., GA.3

The numerous Nicholson family connections are given in History of Chattahooche County, Georgia by N. K. Rogers, pub 1933, reprint 1976.

Nathaniel and Martha were enumerated in the 1850 Marion Co., GA, federal census. He was a farmer, age 35, she was 32. Children in the houshold were James 12, Martin L. 10, Wm. 7, Leroy R. 5, and Daniel 2.

Nathaniel and Mary E. were enumerated in the 1870 Goblers Hill, Chattahoochee Co., GA. He was a farmer, age 55, she was 34. Children in the household were Nathaniel 19, Samuel 17, Martha 14, and Calvin 11.

N. N. and Mary E. were enumerated in the 1880 Coblers Hill, Chattahoochee Co., GA, federal census. He was a farmer, age 64, she was 43. Children in the household were Calvin 22, Ida 8, Ira 7, and Sallie 6.

The 1870 and 1880 censuses would indicate that Nathaniel and Mary Elizabeth were married earlier than other sources would indicate. In fact, it would appear that the children beginning with (Mary) Ida are of the second marriage. There are some inconsistencies, In 1850 Nathaniel's birthplace is indicated as North Carolina, in 1870 Nathaniel's birhplace is indicated as Georgia.

Child of Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson and Mary Elizabeth Dawson

Child of Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson

Citations

  1. [S47] Jr. Kenneth H. Thomas, "unknown short article title."
  2. [S67] 1850 Federal Census,, On-line Database.
  3. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition.
  4. [S336] Ancestry.com, 1864 Census for Re-Organizing the Georgia Militia.

Mary Elizabeth Dawson

b. 10 September 1836, d. 9 December 1909
     Mary Elizabeth Dawson was born on 10 September 1836.1 She was the daughter of Malekiah Dawson and Mary Marcus Brown. Mary Elizabeth Dawson married Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson, son of John Nicholson and Frances Nunn, on 5 May 1870 at Chattahoochee Co., GA.1 Mary Elizabeth Dawson died on 9 December 1909 at age 73.1

Child of Mary Elizabeth Dawson and Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson

Citations

  1. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition.

Martha John(s)

b. circa 1817
     Martha John(s) was born circa 1817 at NC.1 She married Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson, son of John Nicholson and Frances Nunn.

Citations

  1. [S67] 1850 Federal Census,, On-line Database.

James Thomas Gordy1

b. 13 November 1828, d. 10 October 1889
     James Thomas Gordy was born on 13 November 1828 at Baldwin Co., GA. He was the son of Wilson Gordy and Mary Scott. James Thomas Gordy married Harriett Emily Helms, daughter of Parmly Uriah Helms and Elizabeth Fisher, on 26 October 1854 at Chattahoochee Co., GA.2,3 James Thomas Gordy died on 10 October 1889 at Cusseta, Chattahoochee Co., GA, at age 60. He was buried at Cusseta City Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee Co., GA.2
Gordy was a wagonmaster for the Confederacy, enlisting in 1864 as a private in Co. B., 6th Ga. State Militia. He was a farmer and served as Tax Collector and was a Baptist. He is buried beside his wife in Cusseta.

Children of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms

Citations

  1. [S49] Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., "Carter-Gordy."
  2. [S888] Find A Grave Memorial; memorial page for James Thomas Gordy (13 Nov 1828–10 Oct 1889). Memorial no. 12951231, database and images: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12951231, accessed 16 August 2021, citing Cusseta City Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by: Elaine Gregory (contributor 48667910).
  3. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition, page 166, item 12.

Harriett Emily Helms

b. 28 July 1836, d. 14 February 1884
     Harriett Emily Helms was born on 28 July 1836.1 She was the daughter of Parmly Uriah Helms and Elizabeth Fisher.2,3 Harriett Emily Helms married James Thomas Gordy, son of Wilson Gordy and Mary Scott, on 26 October 1854 at Chattahoochee Co., GA.4,5 Harriett Emily Helms died on 14 February 1884 at Chattahoochee Co., GA, at age 47.1 She was buried at Cusseta, GA.

Children of Harriett Emily Helms and James Thomas Gordy

Citations

  1. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition, page 166, item 13.
  2. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition, page 166, item 26.
  3. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition, page 166, item 27.
  4. [S888] Find A Grave Memorial; memorial page for James Thomas Gordy (13 Nov 1828–10 Oct 1889). Memorial no. 12951231, database and images: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/12951231, accessed 16 August 2021, citing Cusseta City Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by: Elaine Gregory (contributor 48667910).
  5. [S676] Gary Boyd Roberts, Presidents 2009 Edition, page 166, item 12.

John Thomas Gordy

b. 1855, d. 1900
     Descendants include the Schley Gordys and the Frank D. Foleys of Columbus, Ga. John Thomas Gordy was born in 1855. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms. John Thomas Gordy died in 1900.

Francis Marion Gordy

b. 1857, d. 1930
     Dr. Gordy was a state legislator. Francis Marion Gordy was born in 1857. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms. Francis Marion Gordy died in 1930.

Mary Gordy

b. 1860
     Seven children among these are the Scarbroughs of Columbus. Mary Gordy was born in 1860. She was the daughter of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms.

David Crockett Gordy

b. 1869
     David Crockett Gordy was born in 1869. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms. David Crockett Gordy married Sallie E. Nicholson, daughter of Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson.

Sallie E. Nicholson1

b. circa 1873
     Sallie E. Nicholson was born circa 1873 at GA.2 She was the daughter of Nathaniel Nunn Nicholson. Sallie E. Nicholson married David Crockett Gordy, son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms.

Citations

  1. [S47] Jr. Kenneth H. Thomas, "unknown short article title."
  2. [S362] 1880 Federal Census,.

Charles Lee Gordy

b. 1871
     Charles Lee Gordy was born in 1871. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms.

William Mack Gordy

b. 1873
     Moved to Atlanta, descendants include Forsyth Gordy of Altanta. William Mack Gordy was born in 1873. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms.

Arthur Gordy

b. 1875
     A son is former State Sen. A. Perry Gordy of Columbus. Arthur Gordy was born in 1875. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms.

Frederick Gordy

b. 1878
     Moved to Conway, Ark. Children include Dr. Fred Gordy, Mrs. Eula Dunaway both of Conway, and Mrs. Mollie Riddle of Little Rock, Ark. Dr. Fred's children include Peter Gordy (m Ann Trafford) of Boston; Luke and Ellen Gordy and Mrs. Jill Moon of Conway. Frederick Gordy was born in 1878. He was the son of James Thomas Gordy and Harriett Emily Helms.

Wilson Gordy1

b. 1801, d. 1890
     Wilson Gordy was born in 1801 at Baldwin Co., GA. He was the son of Peter Gordy and Ruth Wilson. Wilson Gordy married Mary Scott in 1825 at Baldwin Co., GA. Wilson Gordy married Martha Sheffield in 1882. Wilson Gordy died in 1890 at Chattahoochee Co., GA. He was buried at Mount Olive Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee Co., GA.2

Wilson Gordy moved to Muscogee Co. shortly after it was opened for settlement ini the late 1820s and his land became a part of Chattahoochee Co. in 1854. He died there at age 89, having been a Baptist and active in civic affairs. He is buried there with his first wirfe, Mary, in Cusseta. Wilson and Mary Gordy had 10 children, of those twn, one daughter married and moved to Tenn; two sons died withoug issue, one in the Civil War and one in La., and two sons died young.

From FindAGrave, unsourced, accessed 17 Aug 2021:
Wilson Gordy's parents: Peter Gordy III(1775-1844) and Ruth Wilson(1776-1844). Wilson married 1st: Mary Scott(1809-1881)on Nov.20,1825, daughter of John R. Scott and Rebecca Radney, Scott of Sussex County. The Scotts were married Nov. 21,1802. Wilson's 2nd wife: Martha J. Sheffield(1809-1918), they married April 23, 1882, Wilson was age 81, there were no children: He did however have 11 children with Mary Scott: John W. Gordy(1826-1840); James Thomas Gordy(1828-1889), who was grandfather to Lillian Bessie Gordy, Carter, President Jimmie Carter's mother; Green P. Gordy(183--); Gilbert Perry Gordy(1831-1864); Sarah Rebecca Gordy(1834--); William S. Gordy(1836-1863); Henry M. Gordy(1837-1927); Mary Ann Gordy,Bagley(1939-1916); David Crockett Gordy(1842-1858); George Gaines Gordy(1847-1928); Inf. Gordy (---). 1 daughter married & moved to Tenn; 2 sons died without issue; 1 died in the Civil War & 1 in La. and 2 sons died young. Wilson moved to Muscogee Co. in 1833, shortly after it was open for settlement. His land became part of Chattahoochee Co. in 1854. He was a Baptist & into civic affairs. In 1839, Wilson built the oldest church in Chattahoochee Co., Mt. Olive Baptist Church located behind the Chattahoochee Co. Courthouse. He was known as the best carpenter of what would be Chattahoochee Co. Wilson Gordy is mentioned in President Jimmy Carter's book "A Remarkable Mother". President Carter writes: "My mother's(Lillian Gordy, Carter), great grandfather Wilson Gordy was the first of his family to be born in Georgia in 1801. He was descended from Peter Gordy, who was born in Somerset Co.,Maryand, in (1710?). The Lower Creek Indians were forced out after Wilson moved to West Ga. near he Chattahoochee River. Dr. Frank Gordy wrote "Wilson Gordy said, many years ago, 3 Gordy Brothers came to Maryland from Scotland. Peter was the father of Wilson Gordy.

Child of Wilson Gordy and Mary Scott

Citations

  1. [S48] Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., "Carter-Gordy."
  2. [S888] Find A Grave Memorial; memorial page for Wilson Gordy (30 Jan 1801–21 Jan 1890). Memorial no. 59412621, database and images: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59412621, accessed 16 August 2021, citing Mount Olive Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by: Elaine Gregory (contributor 48667910) .

Mary Scott

b. 10 March 1809, d. 1 April 1881
     Mary Scott was born on 10 March 1809.1 She married Wilson Gordy, son of Peter Gordy and Ruth Wilson, in 1825 at Baldwin Co., GA. Mary Scott died on 1 April 1881 at age 72.1 She was buried at Mount Olive Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee Co., GA.1

Child of Mary Scott and Wilson Gordy

Citations

  1. [S888] Find A Grave Memorial; memorial page for Mary Jane Scott:ITAL Gordy (10 Mar 1809–1 Apr 1881). Memorial no. 59412656, database and images: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59412656, accessed 17 August 2021, citing Mount Olive Cemetery, Cusseta, Chattahoochee County, Georgia, USA; Maintained by: Elaine Gregory (contributor 48667910) .

Martha Sheffield

d. 1918
     Martha Sheffield married Wilson Gordy, son of Peter Gordy and Ruth Wilson, in 1882. Martha Sheffield died in 1918.

Peter Gordy1

     Peter Gordy was the son of Leonard Gordy and Nellie (?) Peter Gordy married Ruth Wilson. Peter and other members of his family came to Hancock Co., Georgia from Maryland before 1803. He moved to Baldwin Co. after 1805 and died in Muscogee Co. c. 1844.

Child of Peter Gordy and Ruth Wilson

Citations

  1. [S49] Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., "Carter-Gordy."

Ruth Wilson

     Ruth Wilson married Peter Gordy, son of Leonard Gordy and Nellie (?).

Child of Ruth Wilson and Peter Gordy

Leonard Gordy1

Child of Leonard Gordy and Nellie (?)

Citations

  1. [S49] Kenneth H. Thomas Jr., "Carter-Gordy."

Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield

b. 1585
     Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield was born in 1585 at England. He was the son of Possible Common Ancestor Sherwood. Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield married Alice Tiler by 1612. Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield married Mary Onge circa 1638 at Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT.1 Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield left a will on 21 July 1655. His estate was inventoried in October 1655 at Fairfield, Fairfield Co., CT.

Thomas came to Boston in the Frances, April 1634, ae. 48, with wife Alice, ae.47, and children Anna (14), Rose (11), Thomas (10), and Rebecca (9). He came to Wethersfield with the first settlers, 1635, was a carpenter, and sold his lands to George Wyllys, 25 Mar. 1640. He removed to Stamford, where he lived until 1648, when he sold to John Holly, and settled in Fairfield. 2


The maiden names of Thomas' two wives are in dispute. While some (Loomis) give their names as Alice Seabrook and Mary Fitch, Jacobus debunk's these surnames.


THE TWO WIFES OF JOSEPH LOOMIS


From NEHGR 92:203 (April 1938)

THE SECOND WIFE OF JOSEPH LOOMIS OF WINDSOR, CONN.--For many years it has been stated that the second wife of Joseph Loomis (son of Joseph and Mary (White) Loomis) was Mary Chauncey, but the contributor never found any documentary proof of this statement.

Careful search, however, shows that Joseph Loomis married 28 June 1659 Mary Sherwood, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Fitch) Sherwood. ("Some Early Records and Documents of and Relative to the Town of Windsor, Conn., 1639-1703," 1903, p. 39.)

Thomas Sherwood married secondly, about 1638, Mary Fitch, daughter of Thomas and Ann (Reeve) Fitch, by whom he had six children, Mary, Ruth, Stephen, Matthew, Abigail, and Isaac. ("Daniel L. Sherwood and His Paternal Ancestors," 1929; also "History of the Fitch Family," 1930, vol. 1.)

Mary Sherwood, the oldest of this group of six children, was born about 1639 and so was twenty years of age at the time of her marriage to Joseph Loomis. The names of her three brothers, Stephen Matthew, and Isaac were given to three of her sons.

Mary (Fitch) Sherwood married secondly, in 1658, John Banks. In her will she mentions her children, Mathew, Mary, Ruth and Isaac Sherwood, and "daughter" Hannah Lumis.

As Mary (Fitch) (Sherwood) Banks had no daughter Hannah Loomis through marriage, it is safe to say that "granddaughter" was meant for "daughter," thereby proving the identity of the second wife of Joseph Loomis.

Cleveland, Ohio      Elisha S. Loomis.


However, in the same volume, July 1938, page 303, Donald Lines Jacobus adds:

THE SECOND WIFE OF JOSEPH LOOMIS OF WINDSOR, CONN.-The conclusion of Mr. Elisha S. Loomis (ante p.203) that the second wife of Joseph Loomis, Jr., was Mary Sherwood, daughter of Thomas and Mary, is Amply justified. But in quoting the will of her mother, Mrs. Mary Sherwood-Banks, he states that it mentions her "daughter" Hannah Lumis.

In April 1938 the contributor of this note examined the will and made the following abstract of that portion under discussion: "I giue to my son steuen sharwods daughtour Ruth sharwod . . .to my son Mathew sharwods daughtour mary sharwod . . . I giue to hanah Lomis my Red Pluch peticot and ye best of my tow gren aporons and my Cearsy peticot and one pair of sheats . . . to my daughtour Ruth . . . to my sone steuen . . . to my sone Jsack . . . to my son mathew . . ."

From this abstract it is noted that Mrs. Banks gave legacies to her son Stephen Sherwood's daughter Ruth, to her son Matthew Sherwood's daughter Mary, and then to "Hannah Lumis" without specifying relationship. Hannah Loomis was the eldest surviving child of Joseph Loomis by his second wife, Mary Sherwood, and Mary (Sherwood) Loomis had been dead over a decade before Mrs. Banks wrote her will. The granddaughter was undoubtedly intended in this legacy, as Mr. Loomis concluded, but there is no reason to correct a supposed error in the will.

What, may one inquire, is the record evidence for the statement that Mary, second wife of Thomas Sherwood and mother of the above Mary (Sherwood) Loomis, was born a Fitch? In 1886 an account of the Sherwood family appeared in Orcutt's "History of Stratford," which carefully distinguishes between the Fairfield and Stratford Sherwoods, and states the name of the second wife of Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield as Mary, without any indication as to her name at birth. Three years later, Mrs. Elizabeth Hubbell Schenck published the first volume of her "History of Fairfield," and in the account of the Sherwood family, on page 408, states the second marriage of Thomas Sherwood to Mary (without any mention of the name Fitch) and also the second marriage of this Mary to John Banks; yet on page 351, in her account of the Banks family, she states of Mr. John Banks: "His second wife was Mary Fitch wid. of Thomas Sherwood 1 of Fairfield."

This seems to be the origin of all subsequent statements that this Mary was born a Fitch. It cannot fail to strike the careful genealogist as odd that Mary was identified as a Fitch in the account of her second husband's family, but was not identified at all in the account of the family of her Sherwood husband, who was the father of all her children. It is also to be noted that Mrs. Schenck's account of the Sherwood family was supplied by W. L. Sherwood of Newark, N. J., who was engaged in compiling a Sherwood Genealogy (never published), who had worked on the family many years, and who had a knowledge of the family never equaled by any subsequent historian.

The account of the Banks family, on the other hand, appears to have been the work of the late Mrs. Schenck herself; and with all due respect to the memory of this estimable historian, her work as a genealogist was at times very erratic. It will be seen (page 351) that she presents a detailed abstract of the will of John Banks, including a legacy to his step-son Matthew Sherwood; and on turning to the Sherwood family, it will be seen that this Matthew Sherwood, the son of Thomas and Mary did marry a Mary Fitch. In fiew of the many demonstrable lapses of this character which may be found in the genealogical section of Mrs. Schenck's book, it is perhaps fair to suggest that her eye was caught by this marriage of Matthew Sherwood to Mary Fitch and that in a moment of abstraction she wrote the name Fitch after the name of Matthew's mother, Mrs. Mary Sherwood-Banks.

However that may be, neither the present writer, in research in the original records covering several years while he was engaged in compiling "Families of Old Fairfield," nor the late Orrando Perry Dexter, who worked on the Fairfield records for seventeen years, and whose manuscripts are accessible at the Fairfield Historical Society, found the slightest evidence for identifying Mrs. Mary Sherwood-Banks as a Fitch. The two books referred to by Mr. Elisha S. Loomis are both based, so far as early American records are concerned, very largely on previous publications, hence the statements in them can hardly be accepted in lieu of contemporary record evidence except where the record evidence is directly cited.
New Haven, Conn.      Donald Lines Jacobus.


And Jacobus again in TAG 27, #3, 1951:

SHERWOOD OF FAIRFIELD AND STRATFORD, CONN.

The duplication of the same name, Thomas Sherwood, in the neighboring towns of Fairfield and Stratford, seems still to be troubling those who have to use secondary sources instead of gong to the contemporary records, though in this case with little excuse, since the best secondary sources are correct and in agreement.

A copy of a typed manuscript called "Fitch, Sherwood, Seabrook and Beach," by Miss Helen M. Wright, and dated 1943, has been given to the Connecticut State Library in Hartford, and thus "published" in the sense of being made publicly accessible to seekers after genealogical knowledge.

On page 13 she writes: "Jacobus names Sarah Seabrook as the wife of Thomas Sherwood, but that is certainly a mistake. The will of Thomas Wheeler in 1654 shows that his daughter Sarah was the wife of Thomas Sherwood (junior), and the will of Thoams Sherwood Jr. names his wife as Sarah, in 1658. Thomas Sherwood, senior, had no wife Sarah; his wives were Alice and Mary."

It is almost unique for the present writer to answer publicly a charge of this sort. However, the incessant, continuing, and utterly inexcusable confusion between the Thomas Sherwoods of Fairfield and Stratford has become a thorn in the flesh. The reference is undoubtedly to the first volume of "Families of Old Fairfield" (1930), so let us see what "Jacobus" actually says.

On page 548 Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield appears, with his wives Alice and Mary, precisely as Miss Wright has it;; an don the next page his son Thomas, Jr., is carried forward, with a statement of his (first) marriage to Sarah Wheeler, with citation of the 1654 will of her father Thomas Wheeler, precisely as Miss Wright has it. But on page 523, under Robert Seabrook, is stated the marriage of his daughter Sarah, by 1642, to "Thomas Sherwood, of Stratford." And on page 560, under the heading "Sherwood Family (Stratford)," is found the record of this Thomas Sherwood, no known connection of the Fairfield family, who represented Stratford several times in the General Court between 1645 and 1654; who married Sarah Seabrook; who was mentioned 1 Jan. 1657 (1657/8) in Stratford records as "having departed this life:; whose will was dated 4 Jun 1657; and the inventory of whose estate was taken 4 June 1658. There are deeds from his children in Stratford, some of which are cited, mentioning their grandfather Seabrook and thus proving that their mother was daughter of Robert Seabrook, a Stratford settler who had died early.

Just where is the mistake? Except of too great haste on the part of this writer in consulting printed sources and consequent confusion between the two Sherwood families; and of impulsiveness in charging a mistake against one who at least had the advantage of personally consulting the contemporary records in Fairfield and Stratford. She errs in referring g to the "will of Thomas Sherwood Jr. . . . in 1658," whom evidently she mistakes for Thomas Jr. of Fairfield. The will of 1657, proved in 1658, is that of Thomas Sherwood "of Stratford," so described in the will and in the records of his estate, and nowhere called "Jr." Actually, Thomas Jr. of Fairfield who married Sarah Wheeler had four wives in all and his estate was administered in 1698/9.

A more recent account of the Fairfield family, and a badly garble one, appeared in Your Ancestors [3:338 ff; March 1949]. In this it is stated that Thomas Sherwood, Sr., was born in Nottinghamshire, England, and his two wives are partly identified as Alice Seabrook, daughter of Robert Seabrook and Alice Goodspeed, and Mary Fitch. A County Nottingham origin for Sherwood seems to be based on nothing more substantial than the fact that Sherwood Forest is located there. The only reason for concluding that any Thomas Sherwood married a daughter of Robert Seabrook is that deeds of children of Thomas Sherwood of Stratford refer to their grandfather Seabrook. Hence any statement that Alice wife of Thomas Sr. of Fairfield was a Seabrook is based on a confusion between the two families. Alice was called 47 in the shipping list in 1634, hence born not far from 1587. One Robert Seabrook married Alice Goodspeed at Wingrave, Bucks, 12 Sept. 1596, some nine years after their alleged daughter was born. For a detailed explanation of the origin of the error, which has often been repeated, that Mary, second wife of Thomas Sherwood Sr., was a Fitch, see my note in The New England Hist. and Gen. Register [92:303: July 1938].

The account under consideration says, "the truth of this statement [that Mary was a Fitch] is borne out in published records. The 'Powers Banks' Genealogy calls Thomas Sherwood's wife, at the trial of Good Dame Knapp, 'Mary Fitch Sherwood.'" The records relating to "Goody Kanpp" are in the printed New Haven Colony Records, and may readily be consulted. Regardless of what the cited genealogy may call Goody Sherwood in referring to the case, these contemporary records do not state the maiden name of Thomas Sherwood's wife Mary. She may have been a Fitch - or a Smith or anything else. One can never make a positive negative statement. But I will assert that no contemporary record has ever been seen or produced or cited, which proves or even remotely suggests that Mary was a Fitch; and until some kind of documentation is forthcoming, the conscientious genealogist can only enter her as Mary ----.

Other errors or unsupported statements in this account are too numerous to be examined in detail, and can be mentioned only briefly. The will of Thomas Sherwood Sr., names his seven daughters by his "former wife" (Alice), obviously in order of birth. Jane is the eldest. But in this account, Jane is made the youngest, born at the incredibly late date of 1639, and it is stated that the mother died that year at her birth. There is no record in existence of the death of Alice, nor of the birth of Jane, and if Jane's baptismal record is in existence, it will have to be sought in England. The second daughter, as written in the will, is "Tamsen," a variant form for Thomasine, the feminine of Thomas. I suspect, but cannot prove that she was wife of William Belden of Wethersfield. She is entirely omitted in this account, and in her place is substituted a non-existent Elizabeth, the wife successively of John Tomson and Daniel Finch. Margaret was the third daughter named in the will, and hence almost certainly born before 1620. She is here married to Elias Maverick of Charleston, Mass. Date of marriage not stated. Wyman's Charlestown shows that Elias Maverick did marry one Margaret Sherwood on 8 Dec. 1669, and that she had a child born as late as 1687. Husbands are provided for the daughters Rebecca and Jane but without citation of any evidence. There is, to my certain knowledge, no record in Fairfield which proves these marriages, hence, while they may be correct, the reader is entitled to ask for documentation.

Of the children of Thomas Sr. by his second wife, Isaac is correctly married to Elizabeth Jackson, who is correctly made daughter of John Jackson by Elizabeth Smith, but the said Elizabeth Smith is then called the daughter of Henry and Ann (Pynchon) Smith. Mr. Henry Smith of Springfield, as is well known, returned to England, and is will, made in 1681, refers to his daughter "Elizabeth Smith, not yet disposed of in marriage" [Waters, Gen. Gleanings in England, 1:723]. But John Jackson had children born 1662 to 1677; and the chief evidence for identifying his wife Elizabeth as a Smith is the fact that the will of Giles smith of Fairfield in 1669 names his daughter Elizabeth Jackson, and no other Fairfield Jackson of that period is known to have had a wife Elizabeth!

This much space has been accorded to Sherwood errors because of the strange and unusual status of the genealogy of that family. Orcutt's History of Stratford in 1886 distinguished correctly between the two Sherwood families, of Stratford and Fairfield, and gave some account of both, mainly correct in the early generations. Mr. W. L. Sherwood, of Newark, N.J., years ago did much research and compiled a manuscript genealogy of the family, which was used by Mrs. Schenck in her History of Fairfield (1889), with due acknowledgment to Mr. Sherwood. This account was limited to the Fairfield Sherwood family and did not include the Stratford family. Mr. Orrando P. Dexter of Fairfield labored seventeen years on the Fairfield families, working independently through the primary record sources regardless of what was in print, and his notes are preserved at the Fairfield Historical society. When I was compiling Families of Old Fairfield, I also went independently through the record sources, checking my conclusions with those of my predecessors.

The amazing thing is that, although I was able to add some details, partly through use of the Dexter papers and partly through my own efforts, I found myself substantially in agreement, in distinguishing between the two families and through the early generations of each, with the previously published accounts. For the Sherwoods are, without question, a very difficult family. Unfortunately, during the past fifty years, there have been other investigators of the family, working at a distance from the records, unable to credit the existence in adjacent towns of two Thomas Sherwoods, and pursuing their own notions and guesses as to what ought to be so. Some of their lucubrations have been published and, as so often happens, their theories and guesses by mere repetition have found acceptance in some quarters in preference to the above-named printed sources which tell the story as the records reveal it to be.

Children of Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield and Alice Tiler

Children of Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield and Mary Onge

Citations

  1. [S533] Elisha S. Loomis, "Mary Sherwood."
  2. [S535] Donald Lines Jacobus Families of Old Fairfield.
  3. [S535] Donald Lines Jacobus Families of Old Fairfield, Page 548.

Mary Onge

b. 23 March 1605/6, d. 4 January 1693/94
     Mary Onge was born on 23 March 1605/6. She married Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield, son of Possible Common Ancestor Sherwood, circa 1638 at Wethersfield, Hartford Co., CT.1 Mary Onge married Sergeant John Banks on 18 January 1658/59 at Fairfield, Fairfield Co., CT.1,2 Mary Onge died on 4 January 1693/94 at age 87. She left a will on 6 January 1693/94.2

Children of Mary Onge and Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield

Citations

  1. [S533] Elisha S. Loomis, "Mary Sherwood."
  2. [S535] Donald Lines Jacobus Families of Old Fairfield, Page 548.

Ruth Holcombe1,2

b. 26 May 1664, d. 9 January 1709
     Please note the Corrections in McCracken that correct the date of death given in the first installment. That death date was erroneously taken from Simsbury Records where a child of that name did die on that date, but she was not a daughter of Joshua, but of a Thomas Holcombe who can only be Thomas (Joshua, Thomas), who was listed in the second McCracken installment. It is further asserted that this Ruth, the eldest child of Joshua Holcombe, married at Simsbury, John Porter, born 21 March 1658, probably at Waterbury, died 1739/40 at West haven, son of Dr. Richard Porter. This wedding is not in Simsbury Records.

Deanna Holcomb Bowman added children via e-mail in July 1998; Joshua, Hezekiah, John, Timothy, Dr. Hezekiah, Richard and Lydia.

After their marriage, Ruth and Richard lived in Simsbury long enough for their first child to be born there, but they later setteld in Waterbury. Ruth Holcombe was born on 26 May 1664 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.3 She was the daughter of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood. Ruth Holcombe married Richard Porter, son of Daniel Porter and Mary (?), circa 1685/86.4 Ruth Holcombe died on 9 January 1709 at age 44.

Children of Ruth Holcombe and Richard Porter

Citations

  1. [S65] Deanna Holcomb Bowman Thomas Holcomb, Vol. I:Pg. 18/Item 41.
  2. [S268] Carol Laun, "Ruth Holcombe."
  3. [S331] Edwin Stanley Welles, Hartford, Windsor, Fairfield, Page 17.
  4. [S420] Carol Laun, "Ruth Holcombe."

Capt. Thomas Holcombe1,2,3,4,5

b. 30 March 1666, d. 5 March 1730/31
     Capt. Thomas Holcombe was born on 30 March 1666 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.3,6 He was the son of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood. Capt. Thomas Holcombe married Elizabeth Terry, daughter of Leftenant John Terry and Elizabeth Wadsworth, on 1 January 1690. Capt. Thomas Holcombe married Rebecca Pettibone, daughter of John Pettibone Sr. and Sarah Eggleston, on 5 December 1700 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.7 Capt. Thomas Holcombe left a will on 13 May 1729. He died on 5 March 1730/31 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 64.8

He signed the covenant at the installation of the Rev. Dudley Woodbridge as pastor of Simsbury, 10 April 1697 as did also Ruth Holcombe, either his mother or sister, Elizabeth, probably his wife, and Hannah his sister.

Probate of both Thomas and Rebecca is in Manwaring 3:64. His will is dated 13 May 1729, in which he names wife Rebeckah, eldest son Thomas, son Daniel, five younger sons Daniel, Consider, Return, James and Enoch; two daughters Elizabeth and Rebeckah. Various real estate and a fourth part of the grist mill at the Falls are mentined; executors: wife Rebeckah and son Daniel; witnesses: Nathaniel Higley, John Griffen, Samuel Higley; inventory of £869/3/7 was taken 7 April 1731 by Benjamin Adams, Joshua Holcombe and Nathaniel Higley. The wife's will was dated 14 April 1731, mentions husband Thomas Holcomb's will, names daughter Rebeckah executrix. This man appears properly on the newly-cut tombstone in Granby Cemetery but his two wives are condensed into one who bears the first name of the first wife and the maiden name of the second. In addition to the children listed by McCracken, McPherson adds also Benoni, Ann, Miriam (b 9 April, 1717), Sarah (b. 5 Sept 1719), making McPhersons total 14 children

Thomas' will: "I, Thomas Holcomb of Simsbury in the County of Hartford, do make this my last will and testament: I give to my wife, Rebeckah, 1/3 part of my moveable estate, to her and her dispose forever, my two guns only excepted. Also, I give her the improvement of the 1/3 part of all my improvable land during all the time she remains my widow, and also the improvement of 1/2 of my dwelling house, both lower and upper rooms, and cellar. I give to myeldest son, Thomas Holcomb, 6 acres of land lying on the north endo of that land I bought of Bissell, west of that I have already given him, being the north corner of myland. I give unto my son Daniel Holcomb 3 acres of land where his house and orchard now standeth, and that free from any incumbrance of improvement by my widow. I give unto my five younger sons, viz., Daniel Holcomb, Consider Holcomb, Return Holcomb, James Holcomb, and Enoch Holcomb, all my lands within fence, both meadow and upland, with all the remainder of the land I bought of Bissell, with all the land given and measured out to me in the last division, and also my lott of land under Popatunock, to them in equal shares. I give to my four younger sons, Consider, Return, James, and Enoch, with my two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebeckah, all the lands that shall or may be set out to me, or properly appertaining to my estate, my Town division agreed on, to them in equal shares; but in case the Town division shall be nullified and a division be made to the proprietors, that then my will is that my two eldest sons, Thomas and Daniel, shall have equal shares with my six other children last named, if such a division be made to the proprietors. I give to my sons, Consider and James, my dwelling house and barn, with my fourth part of the grist mills at the Falls to be to them in equal shares. I give to my two sons, Return and Enoch, my two guns. I give to my two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebeckah, 20 pounds to each. I appoint my wife Rebeckah and son Daniel executors."

Witnesses: Nathaniel Higley, Gohn Griffen, Samuel Higley


Bowman notes that:

Seaver has Miriam born in 1717 married Noah Case in 1740, and Sarah born in 1719 married Ichabod Miller in this family. Since Thomas' will states my 6 sons and 2 daughters Elizabeth and Rebeckah they can not belong. Simsbury records mention birth and marriage of Sarah, daughter of Thomas, but she belongs to Captain Thomas' first son, Thomas III, and his wife Mary Manning who were married in 1714. Miriam belongs to Joshua who married Hannah Carrington in 1694. He had two Miriams, one born in 1716 died young, and the one born in 1719 married Noah Case.

Sarah is also placed here by Seaver incorrectly. Spear places her in the correct family but wrong relation. She is a daughter, not daughter in law of Thomas Holcombe III.

In 2010, Carol Laun of the Salmon Brook Historical Society attempted to sort out the very confusing information in various records about the three Thomas Holcombes of Granby. Much of the information on Thomas3, Thomas4, and Thomas5 is from her as of yet unpublished manuscript.

Children of Capt. Thomas Holcombe and Elizabeth Terry

Children of Capt. Thomas Holcombe and Rebecca Pettibone

Citations

  1. [S23] Jesse Seaver, The Holcomb(e) Genealogy, Page 11.
  2. [S25] Hannah Elizabeth Weir McPherson, Holcombe Genealogy, Page 30.2/Item A-4-2.
  3. [S44] George E. McCracken, "Thomas Holcombe."
  4. [S65] Deanna Holcomb Bowman Thomas Holcomb, Vol.I:Pg 19-21.
  5. [S184] CSG #11841. Mrs. Carol A. Laun, "unknown short article title."
  6. [S331] Edwin Stanley Welles, Hartford, Windsor, Fairfield, Page 19.
  7. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 20.
  8. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 139.

Sarah Holcombe1,2,3

b. 23 June 1668, d. 1763
     Sarah Holcombe was born on 23 June 1668 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT. She was the daughter of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood. Sarah Holcombe married John Case, son of John Case and Sarah Spencer, in 1693. Sarah Holcombe died in 1763 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.

Bowman Weir is in error here stating that Sarah married Bartholomew Case.

Ruth Cost Duncan does not show a marrige by Sarah to a Bartholomew and does not show a marriage of Bartholomew (John's younger brother) to anyone other than Mary Humphrey.

Children of Sarah Holcombe and John Case

Citations

  1. [S65] Deanna Holcomb Bowman Thomas Holcomb, Vol. I:Pg. 21.
  2. [S25] Hannah Elizabeth Weir McPherson, Holcombe Genealogy, Page 43.1/Item A-4-3.
  3. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 3/item 2.

John Case1,2

b. 5 November 1662, d. 22 May 1733
     John Case was born on 5 November 1662 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.3,4 He was the son of John Case and Sarah Spencer. John Case married Mary Olcott, daughter of Thomas Olcott Jr. and Mary (?), on 12 September 1684 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.5 John Case married Sarah Holcombe, daughter of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood, in 1693. John Case died on 22 May 1733 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 70.4

John moved with his family to Simsbury when he was seven years old. With the exception of one year spent in Windsor during the King Philip War, John lived all his life in Simsbury and died there. He is buried in the Simsbury cemetery next to his mother. He lived and worked on his fahter's farm at Weatogue until he married at age 22. (Charles Case, p. 116)

John's wife Mary and their son John both died in 1685, presumably at childbirth.

For a numbr of years after the death of Mary and John, he remained single farming his property on Bissell Brook and living on his home lot nearby, acquiring additional lands.

Two years after his mother died, John married Sarah, and within a span of ten years, John and Sarah had six children.





Children are listed in Goodwin and Savage's Genealogical Dictionary.

Child of John Case and Mary Olcott

Children of John Case and Sarah Holcombe

Citations

  1. [S94] Nathaniel Goodwin, Genealogical Notes, or Contributions to the Family History of Some of the First Settlers of Connecticut and Massachusetts, Page 276/Item III.
  2. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 3/Item 2.
  3. [S186] Charles C. Case, The Yankee Generations: A History of the Case Family in America, Page 116.
  4. [S418] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case 2nd Edition, Page 2.
  5. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 16.

John Case1,2,3

b. 22 August 1694, d. 2 December 1752
     John Case was born on 22 August 1694 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.4,5,6 He was the son of John Case and Sarah Holcombe. John Case married Abigail Humphrey, daughter of Lt. Samuel Humphrey and Mary Mills, on 24 January 1716/17 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.7 John Case died on 2 December 1752 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 58.

(Charles Case) "After his marriage, John, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, engaged in farming his land throughout his life. Like them, he performed his civic duties, but he did not seek positions in public life, preferring to devote himself tohis family and his farm."

Children of John Case and Abigail Humphrey

Citations

  1. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 8/Item 8.
  2. [S25] Hannah Elizabeth Weir McPherson, Holcombe Genealogy, Page 43/Item A-4-3-1.
  3. [S186] Charles C. Case, The Yankee Generations: A History of the Case Family in America, Pages 126-134.
  4. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 16.
  5. [S186] Charles C. Case, The Yankee Generations: A History of the Case Family in America, Page 126.
  6. [S418] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case 2nd Edition, Page 5.
  7. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 37.

Sgt. Daniel Case1,2,3,4

b. 7 March 1695/96, d. 28 May 1733
     Ruth Cost Duncan cites the Simsbury Vital Records. Sgt. Daniel Case was born on 7 March 1695/96 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.5 He was the son of John Case and Sarah Holcombe. Sgt. Daniel Case was baptized on 21 November 1697 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.5,6 He married Penelope Buttolph, daughter of Sgt. David Buttolph and Mary Buck, on 7 May 1719 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT. Sgt. Daniel Case died on 28 May 1733 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 37. He was buried at Hopmeadow Cemetery, Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.

Children of Sgt. Daniel Case and Penelope Buttolph

Citations

  1. [S65] Deanna Holcomb Bowman Thomas Holcomb, Vol. I:Pg. 54.
  2. [S94] Nathaniel Goodwin, Genealogical Notes, or Contributions to the Family History of Some of the First Settlers of Connecticut and Massachusetts, page 277/Item 28.
  3. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 9/Item 9.
  4. [S25] Hannah Elizabeth Weir McPherson, Holcombe Genealogy, Page 43.1/Item A-4-3-2.
  5. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 16.
  6. [S256] Albert C. Bates, Rev. Dudley Woodbridge, Page 14.

Mary Case

b. 1698, d. 1732
     Bowman discussed in detail the Mary Case's and Joseph Adams'. There was this pair, on page 54 of her genealogy and then another pair on page 56. Mary Case was born in 1698. She was the daughter of John Case and Sarah Holcombe. Mary Case married Joseph Adams in 1726. Mary Case died in 1732.

Capt. Jonathan Case1

b. 15 April 1701, d. June 1787
     Johathan served in the 9th Co., Capt. Jonathan Pettibone, Campaign of 1755, French & Indian War. Capt. Jonathan Case was born on 15 April 1701 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.2 He was the son of John Case and Sarah Holcombe. Capt. Jonathan Case married Mary Beaman, daughter of Samuel Beaman and Margaret Chapman, on 10 May 1721. Capt. Jonathan Case died in June 1787 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 86.

Children of Capt. Jonathan Case and Mary Beaman

Citations

  1. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 9/Item 10.
  2. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 17.

Sarah Case1,2

b. 14 May 1699, d. 5 October 1750
     Sarah Case was baptized on 14 May 1699. She was the daughter of John Case and Sarah Holcombe. Sarah Case married John Alderman, son of William Alderman and Mary Case, on 28 October 1719 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT. Sarah Case died on 5 October 1750 at age 51.

Children of Sarah Case and John Alderman

Citations

  1. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 3/Item 2.vi.
  2. [S418] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case 2nd Edition, Page 2, item 2.vi.

Hannah Case1

b. 1709, d. 18 September 1799
     Hannah Case was born in 1709 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT. She was the daughter of John Case and Sarah Holcombe. Hannah Case was baptized on 16 October 1709. She married Noah Humphrey, son of Lt. Samuel Humphrey and Mary Mills, on 27 April 1726 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT. Hannah Case died on 18 September 1799 at Canton, Hartford Co., CT.

Children of Hannah Case and Noah Humphrey

Citations

  1. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 3.

Elizabeth Holcombe1,2,3,4

b. 4 April 1670, d. 26 February 1762
     McCracken: Died at age 92 having outlived all three husbands. Issue by the first two (Case, Slater) only. Simsbury Records twice record her three husbands. McPherson gives date of marriage to John Slater as Mar. 10, 1704. Elizabeth Holcombe was born on 4 April 1670 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.5 She was the daughter of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood. Elizabeth Holcombe married William Case, son of John Case and Sarah Spencer, in 1688. Elizabeth Holcombe married Deacon John Slater, son of John Slater and Abiah Gillett, on 10 February 1703/4 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.6 Elizabeth Holcombe married Deacon Samuel Marshall. Elizabeth Holcombe died on 26 February 1762 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT, at age 91.7

Children of Elizabeth Holcombe and William Case

Children of Elizabeth Holcombe and Deacon John Slater

Citations

  1. [S44] George E. McCracken, "Thomas Holcombe."
  2. [S23] Jesse Seaver, The Holcomb(e) Genealogy.
  3. [S25] Hannah Elizabeth Weir McPherson, Holcombe Genealogy, Page 44.1/Item A-4-4.
  4. [S101] Ruth Cost Duncan, John Case, Page 3/Item 3.
  5. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 9.
  6. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 19.
  7. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 174.

Deacon Samuel Marshall

b. 1653, d. 1727
     Deacon Samuel Marshall married Rebecca Newberry. Deacon Samuel Marshall was born in 1653. He married Elizabeth Holcombe, daughter of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood. Deacon Samuel Marshall died in 1727.

Deacon John Slater

d. 1717
     Deacon John Slater was the son of John Slater and Abiah Gillett. Deacon John Slater married Elizabeth Holcombe, daughter of Joshua Holcombe and Ruth Sherwood, on 10 February 1703/4 at Simsbury, Hartford Co., CT.1 Deacon John Slater died in 1717.

Children of Deacon John Slater and Elizabeth Holcombe

Citations

  1. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 19.