Ellen Chase's genealogy of the family of William (1727-1791) and Rachel Leverett

 

Ellen Chase’s Genealogical Record

 

Data furnished by Miss Ellen Chase in reference to the family of William Leverett (1727-1791) and Rachel Watts Leverett.

 

From Will of William Leverett who died at Needham, Mass. Dec. 1791. A copy sent March, 1863 by William Leverett to his brother Washington. “Beloved wife, Raches. Two sons William & Daniel. Seven daughters: Rachel Dana, Polly Cook, Sarah Pratt, Betsey Robbins, Catherine Walker, Lucy Leverett & Rebecca Leverett.”

 

From this it appears that five daughters were married before the will was made. The two youngest daughters, and the two sons were unmarried. Rachel Leverett Dana and Polly Leverett Cook were twins, b. 1759 in Boston.

 

Data concerning the Dana family were obtained from Paige’s “Town History of Cambridge.”

 

Rachel Leverett, b. Boston, 1759, m. 1781 Josiah (3) Dana. Joseph (2). William (1). Apparently in Cambridge, Mass. Later lived in Chester, Vermont. They had two children born in Cambridge: Sarah, b. 1784. Josiah Jr. b. 1787. She d. 1800.

 

Concerning Polly, the twin sister, the only data furnished: Polly Leverett, a twin, m. Joshua Cook of Chester, Vermont.

 

The third child, Betsy, died at 2 years.

 

The fourth child, Sarah, or Sally (1765-1791), m. Oliver Pratt in 1788, age 23. She died at age 26, in 1791, the same year as her father. She was alive when he made his will.

 

The fifth child, a second Betsey, b. 1767, m. Elisha Robbins. See Hist. Cambridge.

 

The sixth child Catherine, or Katy, b. 1769, m. before 1791, James Goodwin Walker of Livermore, Maine. Joseph Leverett was raised by this uncle and aunt, and his son James Walker Leverett, was named for this great uncle.

 

The seventh child, William, b. and d. in 1771.

 

The eighth child, a second William, b. Jul. 15, 1773, m. 1799, Lydia Fuller, d. Dec. 9, 1807. They had six children: William, b. Jan. 1800; Sarah Fuller, b. May 18, 1801; Thomas Jefferson, b. March 22, 1803; Joseph, b. Sept. 4, 1804; Washington and Warren, b. Dec. 19, 1805. Lydia Fuller Leverett Married 2d, Joshua Griggs, May 5, 1811. They had two children: George, b. Sept. 1813, John Williams, b. Nov. 30, 1816. She died April 21, 1842.

 

The ninth child Lucy, b. 1775, m. Nov. 15, 1798, Joseph White of Brookline, Mass. They had four children, Joseph, William, Rachel, m. Mr. Hall, and perhaps Mrs. Perry of Pawtucket.

 

The tenth child, Rebecca, b. 1778, m. William or Geo. Robinson. They had six children: 1. William; 2. Rebecca, m. Mr. Tolman of Camden, Maine; 3. Joseph; 4. Rachel, m. Mr. Burns of Belfast, Maine; 5. Deborah, m. Mr. Ginn of Belfast, Me. 6. A daughter who m. Mr. Ireland of Needham, Mass.

 

The eleventh child, Daniel, b. 1780. His son Daniel Leverett was father of George Vasmer Leverett, Boston lawyer (1846-1917). Mrs. George V. Leverett was daughter of Benjamin Leverett, and a cousin of her husband. No data as to other descendants of Daniel Leverett.

18th Century Leveretts

on kindle, $4.99
Paperback $8.40 + shipping, Amazon

Anyone who found their name in this blog, for example in the Otis' genealogy, might be interested in this book. The central dilemma of those who descend from James Walker, or from Joseph before him, or either of the two Williams before that, is that it stops at that second William, and he's in the heart of the 18th century. Records were scarce, especially for people who were impressed from Boston Harbor, or who just appeared from England at what in Boston is known as "the times of hardship." Such was the life of our ancestors. There are two gaps in the ancestry - one assuming that that second William came from a third (it was popular to assume that for quite a while, and it's plausible). In that case, William (~1692) may have been a child of Hudson's before Hudson died. The second theory is that somehow the Leverett men (Joseph and Washington) were right in the lists they made, though they couldn't have been absolutely right. To be brief, their lists, identical, had two Williams descending through two Johns, and before that Knight and Thomas the barber. Though the youngest of the Johns, John Esq. (1758) could not have fathered the oldest of the Williams (~1727), there are ways to envision the descent so that it would be possible for Thomas the barber and Knight to be part of the picture.

This second theory is supported by their own lists of their ancestors, which included two Johns and two Williams.

This book covers everyone: the Johns, the Williams, Knight and Thomas, Hudson, Joseph and Washington - it lays out the problem. I, the author, see myself more as presenting the issue than making up my mind about the solution. I'm leaning toward the second one, though. Their own written lists cannot possibly be right, but they give a window into what they thought was true, and basically I would, and did, start from there.

The book is not entirely genealogy. Boston was an interesting place. The Leveretts were well known. The place was hopping. Enough said.

Notes on Notes from Ellen Chase

Having just transcribed Notes from Ellen Chase, below, I am astounded. This was a browned piece of typed papers, two stapled together, single space, probably typed by Frank Leverett in the late 1930's. He gives his spin on the notes from Ellen Chase. But the central question I had going in, namely whether Joseph Leverett married a cousin when he married Mary Turner, went unanswered, or rather, answered contradictorily. I will explain.

Joseph married Mary Turner, who he met in Maine, and who was descended from a John Turner of Medfield, Mass. But now it appears that his mother, Lydia Fuller, had a grandfather, Captain Robert Fuller, who married twice: first, to Mary Turner, and second, to Deborah Williams. Ellen Chase at some point says that we are descended from Deborah ("from whom we come"). Frank, the author, seems to think we come from Mary Turner, in which case, it is relevant that this Mary Turner comes from a John Turner of Medfield. This is a subject I will delve into when I get time.

One possible clue is to look at their son, William Fuller, and the way he named his children. At the moment I'm not sure who his children were, besides Lydia, though I have dug it up in the past. But William, who was the Revolutionary War soldier of our line, would have reflected the family of either Deborah or Mary in the naming of his children, possibly. I look for independent verification. I see here the possibility of both Frank and Ellen imposing their own conclusions on the situation.

There is also a contradiction in the general characterization of Lydia. In this passage she is maternal, calming, commanding, and careful. I see her many years earlier, left widowed with six children under eight, sending 6-yr.-old Joseph up to Maine to live with his paternal aunt. Maybe it was me who was imposing a sense of desperation, or inability to handle a growing boy? He comes back through Boston on his way to Illinois, now 30, and visits a mother he hasn't seen in 24 years, as far as I know. To me it's like visiting a birth mother who gave you up for adoption. It's not just like that, it is that.

There are a number of other interesting stories in Ellen's account. One is the connection to John Eliot, worth exploring. Another is the story of John Eaton, who married Alice (Unknown), and was mentally ill. Somewhere in there the Eaton family, who had owned the ridge above the Charles River, in Dedham, where Powder House Rock now stands, gave that land over to the Fullers. Capt. Robert Fuller apparently built that Powder House. It is now one of the oldest standing buildings in Dedham, but it owes its survival to the fact that the woods surrounding it, on a ridge above the Charles downtown, is basically a park, left alone for its historical value. I would like to know why Robert built that Powder House. It has been speculated that it was because he knew trouble (the Revolution) was coming.

Another surprise is that we are related to the Bunkers of Bunker Hill, apparently, and to the Parkers of Muddy River. Of the Parkers of Muddy River I'll say this: Somehow Leverett land moved over to the Parkers in the late 1600's, and I was never able to discern why. But being related would be a good explanation. Parker is one of those names that is so common, that in looking them up you encounter warnings: Don't confuse this John Parker with that one; there are too many of them; it's too hard to tell them apart. Well, as most genealogists do, I'll accept what's given to me, and I'll probably even repeat it, but I'll try to source it and I won't necessarily believe it. One thing I've found is that just because something gets repeated frequently, doesn't necessarily make it true.

Notes from Ellen Chase

Copy of notes sent by Ellen Chase of Brookline, Mass., in December, 1934. They pertain to families that our Fuller ancestors connect with.

“I have nothing new to communicate in reference to the Leverett line. I have busied myself summing up the our main lines as already on record at home. The Leverett portion is small but the Fuller part is ample.

1.     Thomas Fuller came to Massachusetts about 1635. He died in 1690 – connects with Ralph Fuller of Worwell in Aldeburgh, Norfolk County, England, near Needham. He married Hannah Flower in 1643. Thomas Fuller had dealings with the Indians, and is figured on the Town Seal receiving a deed. He was on a committee to have charge of money left for a Latin School. He was a Lieut. of the Dedham Co. In 1672, he gave five pounds to Harvard College. Was on a committee to lay out Deerfield, Mass. Representative in General Court.

 

2.     John Fuller (1645-1719) son of Thomas, was wounded Dec. 19, 1675 in the Narragansett Fort fight. Representative 1696, 1705-1711, 1715-17. Married Judith Gay in 1672, daughter of John Gay who came in the “Mary and John,” which brought west of England party.

 

3.     Capt. Robert Fuller ((1685-1769) married Mary Parker in 1713. He was Selectman, Town Clerk, and Treasurer continuously. John (1) Parker came in the “James” from Marlboro, Wiltshire, England. John (2) Parker, born 1666, Died 1729, married Mary Turner, daughter of John Turner. He or his father in King Philip’s War. Mary Turner died in 1715. Mary Parker, 1684, who married Capt. Robert Fuller seems to have been daughter of John (2) Parker and Mary Turner. John Turner was our ancestor, concerning whom Miss Chase gave the following; John (1) Turner of Medfield, Mass., where he dug a well in 1665. The selectmen made a very thorough business in settling with him, clearing all accounts “from the beginning of the world unto this day, as well as for killing of wolves, as for other things.” In 1675 he contributed 2 bushels of corn to the new brick college. (Harvard?)

After Mary Turner’s death John (2) Parker married Deborah Williams. Miss Chase says “Through whom we come,” but does not make clear our connection with her. She came of the Roxbury family. She then gives the following notes on the Williams family:

In Yarmouth, England, Stephen (1) Williams married Margaret Cooke. Their son Robert was the settler. He was Warden of the Guild of Cordwainers in Norwich, England. He sailed on the “Rose” and was one of the Apostle Eliot’s flock in Roxbury, Mass. Was member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. He married Elizabeth (3) Stalham. Christopher (1) Stalham married Joan Drake. John (2) Stalham of Norwich, England married Alice Gibson. Elizabeth Stalham was not keen about leaving home, but dreamed if she got to America she “would become the mother of a long line of worthy ministers of the Gospel.” Nine year after her death two descendants, cousins, John and William Williams graduated (from Harvard?) and the record ever since has been remarkable. Bishop Williams of Connecticut; the Founder of Williams College; a President of Yale College; a Chief Justice, etc. sharing her blood.

4.     Lieut. Robert Fuller (1714-1788) married Sarah Eaton. Was long Selectman and Town Clerk, and in 1767 a Representative. The Eatons are traced back five generations before Sarah Eaton as Follows; 1) Wm. Eaton of Kent, married Jane Hussey; 2) Nicholas Eaton, married Katherine Masters. Said to have been Mayor of Doer, Church Warden, etc. 3) John Eaton, helped build a foot bridge over Charles River; a surveyor owned the land on which the old Powder House yet stands. Married in England. Abigail, widow of H. Doman. 4) John Eaton, married Allice Ellis? 5) Wm. Eaton, married Mary Starr. 6) Sarah Eaton, married Robert  (4) Fuller, as above. The Starr family are traced back four generations from Mary Starr as follows: Thomas (1) Starr, a wool merchant of Cranbrook, Kent, England; Comfort (2) Starr M.D. Church Warden in Ashford, Kent; came to America in the “Hercules.” He had a sister named Sure Trust. He lived near Miles Standish in Duxbury, a while. In 1638 an early benefactor of Harvard College. In 1639 subscribed toward first Town House in Boston. Was buried in King’s Chapel ground. Inventory “over 613 pounds.” John (3) Starr gave 10 acres to Harvard College. Married Martha Bunker, daughter of George Bunker of Charlestown. He (Bunker) gave Woburn its Common, and 8 acres to Harvard College. In the Anne Hutchinson controversy he was one of the Charlestown men taking sides with Sir Harry Vane, Cotton and Wheelwright. Was banished, and the written remonstrance deemed seditious. Ten of the twelve then recanted, but Bunker and James Brown stood their ground, and were ordered disarmed unless they gave satisfaction. Deacon Comfort (4) Starr of Dedham, married Mary Stone. Mary (5) Starr married Wm. Eaton. The Stone line. - they lived in Great Bromley, where the settlers, Simon and Gregory Stone were christened. Simon Stone, settler, sailed in the “Increase,” bringing his 4 yr. old son Simon, Marie 3 yrs. and John, 5 weeks. In 1894, a pear tree of his planting, said to be still bearing fruit, had a trunk 3 ft. in diam., 6 ft. from the ground. The son, Simon Stone Jr. married Mary Whipple. In 1675 he was chosen to keep the town book of Watertown. He spelled off hand “Sider for old Thorpe beryall, etc.” He was often representative. Mary Stone married Deacon Comfort Starr (see above).  The Whipple line. Matthew Whipple, clothier of Hocking, Essex, England, married Joanna -----? Deacon John Whipple, settler, a ruling elder, agent for Mr. Saltonstall in his business affairs, foefee of a grammar school, clerk of the writs, Representative, married Sarah Hawkins. Mary Whipple his daughter married Simon Stone Jr. (see above).

5.     Lieut. Wm. Fuller (1743-1802) married Sarah Hunting in 1769. Soldier on Lexington Alarm Rolls. Helped fortify Dorchester Heights. Served at time of Gen. Burgoyne’s leading these parts. Selectman, assessor, town treasurer, Representative, school committee man, justice of the peace, and died leaving an estate of  $20,000.00. 

 

6.     Lydia Fuller (1777-1842) married 1^st Wm. Leverett (1773-1807) in 1799, 2^nd Joshua Griggs in 1811. Is buried in Brookline. Miss Chase’s Aunt, Maria Dalton, writes of her grandmother Lydia Fuller Leverett Griggs: She made long winter visits at our house and delighted once a week to give Catherine an evening home, while she sat with her knitting work by the nursery grate till the children were asleep. The even click of her needles was of itself a lullaby, while her erect dignified figure, dimly discerned by the firelight, for she would have no other, seemed the impersonation of protecting care. The embodiment of executive force too was this honored grandmother of the good old Fuller stock. Not stern in manner, nor severe in speech, not exacting in disposition, but commanding by nature. As soon as she crossed our threshold her presence was felt from the top to the bottom of the house. Increased punctuality, frugality and fidelity in the kitchen, discipline and order in the nursery, invariably attended her coming, and human nature in the household generally, was held to the end of her stay at the highest pitch, willy nilly, by her unconscious influence.” 

 

7.     Joseph Leverett (1804-1878) married Mary Turner 1828. Descendant of John Turner of Medfield, Mass. See P. 1.

Transcriber's Note: This was typed onto a browned piece of paper that I found in genealogy files. I suspect it was typed in the 1930's by Frank Leverett but have no direct evidence. Frank, or whoever the author is, puts his own spin on the information, so I don't believe Ellen Chase can be quoted directly here.