gibsonknox on Family Tree Circles

North Carolina info from their web site

I am interested in tracing my family history. Where do I start?
Contact a Genealogical Information Specialist at the State Library of North Carolina, Genealogy Section, 4647 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-4647, or call (919) 807-7460.

their state archives site is confusing and not a beginner friendly site. it also soes not seem they have anything on the web. it is a all hands on site search in NC.

hope this helps
kate

Forward


While I started out using Lyford, 1912, History of the Town of Canterbury, New Hampshire 1727-1912, in two volumes, which my family has an original copy of and Hoyt, 1897, Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury (New Hampshire), which I found in the City of St. Louis Library, Genealogy Room for the foundation of this book, I soon delved into the research end for this book. Wherever possible I went back and checked both Llyford and Hoyt?s information with original records. I soon started expanding the original work with information I gleaned from all my research. I tried to footnote everything that did not come from Llyford and Hoyt. I then went and added the wills of any I could find to make this more of a ?story? than just genie lines and dates. This has taken hundreds of hours of research, typing and reams of paper. I printed out all the research I used to write this book, so I could back tract easily. Most of my research material came from pre nineteen hundred information, as that was when most people were busy writing their genealogies

It is most likely that most of the Morrill?s of the Northeast part of the country are descendants of ABRAHAM MORRILL. So opens most of the books I have found written on ?the Morrill?s? or the descendents of Abraham Morrill.

In doing the research for this book I came across a few other interesting facts. Most of Abraham?s male and quite a few of the female descendents were educated people for the times. The males could read and write many leaving books in their wills. When one considers the cost of owning a book in the 1600 and 1700?s,, the Morrill?s must have considered the cost worthwhile.

Many were active in government, either on the local or state level. They represented their towns in the State legislative, owned, and ran their own businesses. Many also seemed to be blacksmiths; trades handed down by father to sons. Most owned not just the lot of land their houses sat upon, but large acreage and farms. One even owned a square mile of land by the time he died!

When the call for arms came, to help with the struggle for freedom in the new country, they answered the call! From sixteen to sixty, they went to fight. Ezekiel Morrill, at the age of 70 and six of his sons served in the Revolutionary War as well as cousins and uncles.

They were a religious lot, not a few of them becoming deacons of their churches or reverends of their towns. Some even were a bit to far ahead of their times and ran against the grain, but even with that they were still accepted as an integral part of the community.

While this book is mostly facts and dates take a few moments, while you are reading, to look between the lines. Read the wills I have included and think about what they left behind to the next generation. Was it a book? Or perhaps the pewter plates and spoon? Most people of the early colonial times ate from wood or earthen bowls, with carved wooden spoons.

And lastly, while we do not know much about the women who raised, married and buried the men named Morrill we know they came from ?good? stock, as we are a part of them.

It is most likely that most of the Morrill?s of the Northeast part of the country are descendants of ABRAHAM MORRILL. So opens most of the books I have found written on ?the Morrill?s? or the descendents of Abraham Morrill.

In doing the research for this book I came across a few other interesting facts. Most of Abraham?s male and quite a few of the female descendents were educated people for the times. The males could read and write many leaving books in their wills. When one considers the cost of owning a book in the 1600 and 1700?s,, the Morrill?s must have considered the cost worthwhile.

Many were active in government, either on the local or state level. They represented their towns in the State legislative, owned, and ran their own businesses. Many also seemed to be blacksmiths; trades handed down by father to sons. Most owned not just the lot of land their houses sat upon, but large acreage and farms. One even owned a square mile of land by the time he died!

When the call for arms came, to help with the struggle for freedom in the new country, they answered the call! From sixteen to sixty, they went to fight. Ezekiel Morrill, at the age of 70 and six of his sons served in the Revolutionary War as well as cousins and uncles.

They were a religious lot, not a few of them becoming deacons of their churches or reverends of their towns. Some even were a bit to far ahead of their times and ran against the grain, but even with that they were still accepted as an integral part of the community.

While this book is mostly facts and dates take a few moments, while you are reading, to look between the lines. Read the wills I have included and think about what they left behind to the next generation. Was it a book? Or perhaps the pewter plates and spoon? Most people of the early colonial times ate from wood or earthen bowls, with carved wooden spoons.

And lastly, while we do not know much about the women who raised, married and buried the men named Morrill we know they came from ?good? stock, as we are a part of them.


kate

Change of Calendar

In the year 1751 the English Parliament passed an act by which the old style of computing time was altered to the new. Eleven days were to be taken from September 1752 and the first day of January was to be the first day of the year, instead of March 25 as formerly. This last change accounts for the double dates so often found between these two periods. Thus it was that the year 1752 began on the first day of January, The 3rd of September was reckoned the 14th, and that intermediate eleven days were omitted from the calendar. The new style was first adopted by Catholics in 1582 and not generally by Protestants till sometime after. Russia has still not changed to using the new dates. To meet the wishes of both the Catholics and the Protestants it was customary from the first settlement of this country till 1752 to give double dates from January 1st to March 25th. Thus January 9 1725 would be written January 9 1724-25 or 1724/25. March was the 1st month and April the 2nd ect., all dates before 1752 are in old style. To convert a day to the new style or present dates you must add ten days from 1500 to 1700, 1600 was a leap year and eleven days from 1700 to 1752. Example September 2 1625 becomes September 12 1635.

Footnote: Thwing, Walter, 1908, History of the First Church of Roxbury, Massachusetts 1630-1904, Page 36

3. Sarah, his daughter, born in England ca 1625 married 1646 to Tobias Davis ca 1643-1646. He was born ca 1621 in Massachusetts and died 23 April 1690. She died 23 January 1648-1649 in Roxbury, Massachusetts due to a miscarriage. In 1635 a grant of six or seven acres was made to Tobias Davis for a corn mill and a fulling mill. He had a blacksmith shop close to the estate of his father-in-law, Isaac Morrill. He married 2nd Bridget Kinman in 1649.
Child:
Sarah Davis born 10 February 1646-1647 in Roxbury, Massachusetts married Timothy Stevens. They had ten children: Timothy, Sarah, John, Joseph, Elizabeth, Marie, Hannah, Samuel, Abigail and Nathaniel Stevens

4. Katherine born in England ca 1627 married John Smith 1 August 1647 in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
Children born in Massachusetts:
Waitstill Smith born 11 January 1659 married Charles Davenport and died 9 August born 1747
Children listed in Isaac Morrell (Morrill)?s will:
Isaac Smith born 20 June 1655
John Smith born 4 November 1651
Francis Smith born 23 December 1658 Reading, Massachusetts married Ruth Maverick, daughter of Elias and Anna (Harris) Maverick. They had eight children: John, Isaac, Katherine, Abraham, James, Benjamin, Mary and Elias Smith
Abraham Smith born 10 April 1661
Mary Smith born after her grandfather?s will

5 Isaac born 26 November 1632 died January 1633 in Massachusetts

6 Isaac born 5 February 1633-1634 died the same day in Massachusetts

7. Hannah born 16 September 1636 in Massachusetts married Daniel Brewer (Bruer), her cousin, son of Daniel and Hannah (?) Brewer 5 November 1652. He was born ca 1624 in England and died 9 January 1708 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. She was born 9 January 1673 in Massachusetts. She died 6 October 1717 in Roxbury, Massachusetts. He purchased or inherited the family homestead, where they lived.
Children:
Ann Brewer born 9 May 1660
Hannah Brewer born 5 July 1765
Daniel Brewer born 7 February 1669 in Roxbury, Massachusetts married Catherine Chauncy. They had one child: Isaac Brewer He was a tavern keeper and was well known in the community

8. Elizabeth born May 1638 died 1638 in Massachusetts

9. Abraham 6 June 1640 died 20 December 1661


Note: Savage, James in A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settler of New England, Before 1692 Vol. 3 Morehouse-Morse states the following: Ezekiel of Reading (Massachusetts) perhaps a brother to Abraham or son of him (we know this not to be true) or his brother Isaac (also not true) had wife Mary and died on a visit to Roxbury, (Massachusetts) 22 May 1663. His will 31 May 1664 mentions father-in-law and mother, without naming them. His widow probably married 12 August following (1664) to Thomas Hodgman of Roxbury. No children born to them.

?Henry of New Haven born 1644 had a daughter Sarah born 1650 and he died 1665.?

He then goes into Isaac Morrill?s information. There is much misinformation when it comes to the dates and names of the Isaac?s children. I have also found reference that there were tthree brothers who came to America; however I have never found the name or any more information about the supposed third brother.

New England Historical & Genealogical Register
1852, Vol. VI, Page 184: Early records of Boston

Verbatim

"Isaac ye son of Isaac Morrell borne 26 (9) 1632 & buried (11) 1632.
Issac ye son of Isaac Morrell borne 5 (12) 1633
Abraham ye son of Isaac Morrell borne 6 (4) 1640
Hanna ye daughter of Isaac Morrell borne 16 (7) 1636
Elisabeth ye daughter of Isaac Morrell borne (3) 1638"
Old calendar add two months to convert to new calendar

Insert:
Robert Ring of Salisbury, planter, conveyed to Isaac Morrill of Salisbury, planter, land, 14 1/2 rods by 46 rods, bounded by a highway, highway leading to Hanpton and robert Ring. Wit: Tho: Midget abd Moses Pengry. Ack. 16:2:1670, before robert Pike

Footnotesw:

See: Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Vol. 6, 1675*1678, Page 35
The Essex Antiquarian, 1903, The Essex Antiquarian a Monthly Magazine, Vol. 7, Page 138: Thomas Mudget and Abraham Morrill knew each other before his death












Footnotes:

Thwing, Walter, 1908, History of the First Church of Roxbury, Massachusetts 1630-1904 Pages 18 and 95
Roxbury Church Records, Page 174
Ellis, Charles, 1847, The History of Roxbury Town, Page 71
Drake, Francis, 1908, The Town of Roxbury; Registry Department of the City of Boston, Doc # 93, 1905, Page 111
Ellis, Charles, 1847, The History of Roxbury Town, Page 95
ibid.. Page 95
ibid.. Page 130
New England Historical Genealogical Society, 1912, Vital Records of Reading, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Page 209
Moyer, Jeannie, Morrell, Morrill Families Association, Vol. 1 #4 December 1981, Page 12
New England Historical Genealogical Society, 1912, Vital Records of Reading, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Page 209
Williamson, Lois, 1977, Morrill Lineage, Vol. 1, Page 79
* old calendar dates
New England Historic-Genealogical Society, 1852, The New England Historical and Genealogical Society Register, Vol. 6, Page 184
ibid ..Vol. 6, Page 184
ibid ..Vol. 6, Page 184
Williamson, Lois, 1977, Morrill Lineage, Vol. 1, Page 80
New England Historic-Genealogical Society, 1852, The New England Historical and Genealogical Society Register, Vol. 6, Page 184
ibid ..Vol. 6, Page 184
Savage, James A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Before 1692, Vol. 3 Morehouse-Morse, most books do not list a ninth child

When a person is listed as ?of (a town name)? that means he/she was living there at whatever date or event was mentioned; i.e. Tamsin married John Jaques, of Kingston, New Hampshire 21 February 1743. Meaning he was living in Kingston, New Hampshire at the time of his marriage.

Association Test was the (United States) oath of loyalty to the new country.

Yeoman is a farmer who cultivates his own land: a freeholder below the gentry who cultivates his own land.

Husbandman is a ?farmer? who raises meat, i.e. cattle, swine, goats or chickens.

A rod being 16 ? linear feet or 30-? square yard

British money ?= pound i.e. ?2:4:0 = 2 pounds, 4 Shillings and 0 denaris.
2 farthings = 1/2 penny 4 farthings = 1 penny
12 pennies = 1 shilling 5 shillings = 1 crown
4 crowns = 1 pound sterling (silver) and 21 shillings = 1 guinea

An epidemic swept through the ?colonies? in 1735 of what was called throat distemper (Cynanche maligna) and had a high mortality rate among the young. According to records over one thousand persons died of this disease that year and the preceding year in New Hampshire alone. It appeared again in 1754-1755 and one last time ca 1784.

i will post free sites web's addys in the comming weeks for all who need them.
i have been doing this for over 35 yrs and was once a reg family geni researcher.
i teach a beginning geni class at the local hs for night adult ed classes
if i can help with my limited time i will.
i am not good at getting back at some sites, but will keep this one 1 on my desk top
also it may take me a while to read e-mail as i spend 6-8 hr a day researching and writting my books, so have patience.
i have over 1700 pages on MORRILL's(3yrs working) and am starting my CLOUGH's followed by GIBSON,& KNOWLES. I have my MAUER published and have a pretty good booklet written by someone else on the Jansen/JOHNSON of PA and the TUTTLE's. but i hope to take their info and expnad and add to it.
kate

Salisbury, Massachusetts was founded in 1638 as a "plantation". In the spring of 1639, the records show that the grantors agreed that each settler should have two pieces of meadowland and a certain amount of planting land, according to wealth of the grantees?four acres to every one hundred pounds.

A strip of territory extended from the Merrimac river north a distance of almost ten miles, including also within its scope what is now the town of Seabrook, a portion of Hampton and Kingston, all three in New Hampshire, the Powwow River on its western border, which separated it from Amesbury and its eastern boundary the Atlantic Ocean.

The first settlement was very near the ocean, where the original land grants were made, and later become known as the East Parish. At first this collection of settlers named their community Colchester, but the General Court in 1640 changed the name to Seabury, by which name it was first incorporated as a town. A goodly number of the immigrants in this town came from Seabury, England.

Of the families first settling Salisbury, Massachusetts the Curriers built ships, saw-mills and laid the first brick for a woolen-mill, the Morrill's, ?Ensign Morrill and his two sons? operated the first machinery, the Browns were merchants and mechanics of note, the Rowell's operated brick yards and saw-mills and built the first brick building in 1628 the ?Franklin Hawk? building where the first public meeting on slavery was held.

Salisbury, New Hampshire was founded in 1768.

South Hampton, New Hampshire was incorporated in 1742. This town was one of the first granted by Governor Benning Wentworth. When the New Hampshire-Massachusetts border was established in 1741, territory that was in Amesbury and Salisbury, Massachusetts, became part of New Hampshire. South Hampton was chartered in 1742 from that territory.

Much of the area was already settled when the boundary line was changed, and some residents petitioned to become part of a town closer to them. The east end was annexed to Hampton Falls in 1742 and the west side was separated to form Newton in 1748. At one time, the town was home to over twelve different religious sects.

Stanstead County, Canada is situated in the southern part of that portion of Lower Canada, which is called the Eastern Townships. It is bounded on the north by the counties of
Shefford and Sherbrooke, east by Sherbrook County, south by the State of Vermont, USA and west by Miesico and Shefford counties. It is about thirty-eight miles long from east to west and twenty miles wide from north to south and contains about six hundred and thirty square miles.

Wilmington, Massachusetts was first settled in 1665 and was officially incorporated in 1730, from parts of Woburn, Reading and Billerica. Minutemen from Wilmington responded to the alarm on April 19,1775 and fought at Merriam's Corner in Concord. Wilmington men also fought at Bunker Hill. The Middlesex Canal passes through Wilmington.Chartered in 1792 and opened in 1803. It provided freight and passenger transport between the Merrimack River and Boston.

I will add the towns by alphabetically

Andover, New Hampshire was granted a charter in 1746, by the Masonian Proprietors, to sixty hardy settlers and called New Breton, in honor of the captors of Cape Breton, some of who were among the first settler. The first settler came from Boscawen and settled in this town in 1761. New Brenton was incorporated in June 1779 as Andover with a line running ?Northeasterly Bounds of Salisbury? and on the ?Westerly side of Pemigiwasset? (Footnoted) River. A church was organized in 1782.

Andover, Massachusetts was incorporated in 1646 as part of Essex County. In 1634, the Great and General Court of Massachusetts set aside a portion of land in what is now Essex County for an inland plantation, including parts of what is now Andover. In order to encourage settlement, early colonists were offered three years' immunity from taxes, levies and services (except military service). In May, 1646 the settlement was incorporated as a town and was named Andover. This name was likely chosen in honor of the town of Andover in England, which was near the original home of some of the first residents. The first recorded town meeting was held in 1656. By 1705, Andover's population had begun to move southward and the idea of a new meeting house in the south end of town was proposed. This was strongly opposed by the people living near the original meeting house in the north, but the dispute was finally settled in 1709 when the Great and General Court divided Andover into two parishes, North and South. After the division of the two parishes, South Andover established the South Parish "Burying-Yard", as it was called. For many years Andover was geographically one of the largest towns in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; in 1826 a third parish was established and West Parish Church was constructed on Reservation Road. In 1854, a measure was passed to divide the town into two separate political units according to the old parish boundaries. The name Andover was assumed by the more populous and wealthy West and South parishes, while the name North Andover was given to the North Parish.


Amesbury, Massachusetts was settled in 1642, incorporated 1668 and soon after the rushing waters of the Powwow River was harnessed for mills and the modest farming community began its ascent into American industrial history. Amesbury is believed to be the site of the first American factory to produce machine-made nails. Shipbuilding, followed in the 19th century by textile mills, dominated the settlement?s early industry. From 1853 until well into the 1900?s, Amesbury carriages, known around the world for their workmanship and style, were the economic heartbeat of the town.

Atkinson, New Hampshire was formerly Haverhill, Massachusetts and before that it was Plaistow, Massachusetts incorporated 3 September 1767.

my footnote number did not show up in the transfer:
Bouton, Nathaniel, D>D>, 1875, Vol.11, Page 117-119
I ALWAYS footnote
kate