Paul Shackford Grants Land to his Son John Shackford (Blog 521)

On August 18, 1777, Paul Shackford who was living in Wells at the time, sold land in Coxhall, Massachusetts (now Lyman, Maine) to his son John Shackford in consideration of Love, Good Will, and Seven Pounds, Ten Shillings. The land Paul sold to his son included fifty acres on the southwesterly side of the one hundred and sixty acres of land he had purchased from Nathaniel Clark on March 23, 1758. The deed transferring the land to John was registered on April 23, 1796. Paul would have been about 57 years old and John 32.

We believe these deeds are referring to the Paul Shackford b abt 1720-1728, son of Joshua and Elizabeth (Barnes) Shackford who married Sarah Day, son of Joseph and Patience (Hilton) Day and John Shackford abt 1743-1745 – perhaps 1827 who married a Day, Hannah Hatch, and Abigail Littlefield. We are currently working to learn as much as we can about this John Shacford who we believe was the father of Samuel Shackford of Duxbury, Vermont.

The deeds involved are shown below: First the deed showing Paul purchasing 160 acres of land from Nathaniel Clark of Wells.

Know all men by these presents that I Nathaniel Clark of Wells in the County of York and Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Blacksmith for and in consideration of twenty four pounds lawful money paid me by Paul Shackford of Wells aforesaid Husbandman the receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge do freely & absolutely grant bargain sell convey and confirm unto the said Paul his Heirs and assigns forever One Hundred and Sixty acres of land being Part of a Tract of Land containing Eight Hundred acres purchased by Benjamin Bronsdon which lies and is within the bounds of as large Tract of Land at the head of the Townships of Wells aforesaid and Arundell called Coxhall that is today One Hundred & sixty acres of land being part of my part of one Moiety or half part of the said Tract of land containing eight hundred acres which Moiety or half part was conveyed by Benjamin Wormwood aforesaid to me to me the said Nathan & Adam Clark in equal halves to be Divided by Deed of Sale Dated the twenty third Day of March 1758.  To have and to hold the said One Hundred & Sixty Acres with the Privileges of Appurtenances to the same belonging to the said Paul his Heirs & Assigns forever And I do convenant with the said Paul that I am the Sole owner of the said one hundred & sixty acres that I am lawfully seized in fee of the same, that the same is free from all encumbrances and that I will Warrant and Defend the same to the said Paul his Heirs & Assigns forever against the lawful Claim & Demands of all Persons.
In Testimony where of I have hereunto set my Hand & Seal this thirtieth Day of Decem in the seventh year of his Majesties Reign Annoque Domini 1766.  Signed Sealed & Delivered in Presence of Joseph Wells Nathl Wells
Nathaniel Clark (seal) York/Oct 10th 1767 Nathaniel Clark personally appearing acknow this instrument as his free act & Deed before Nathl Wells Just Peace
Recorded according to the Orignl recd June 27 1789
Att Dan Moulton Regr

Followed by the Deed showing Paul selling 50 of these acres to his son John.

Know all men by these presents that Paul Shackford of Wells in the County of York and Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Yeoman in consideration of ye Love & good Will I bear to my son John Shackford yeoman & in consideration of Seven pounds ten Shillings Lawful money paid me by my son do hereby give grant sell and convey unto him my said son Shackford his heirs & assigns forever fifty acres of Land lying & being in ye Township of Coxhall it being the South Westerly part of one hundred & Sixty Acres of Land which I ye sd Paul Shackford purchased of Mr Nathaniel Clark as may appear by Deed Dated March ye 23th 1758 and also by my Deed dated December ye 30th 1766. To have and to hold the said granted bargained premises together with all there appurtenances free of all incumbrances whatsoever to him the said John Shackford his heirs and assigns forever as an absolute Estate of inheritance in fee Simple and I the said Paul Shackford for my self my heirs Exers and adminrs do Covenant and Engage the above demised premises to him the sd John Shackford his heirs and assigns against the Lawful Claims of any person or persons Whatsoever forever to Warrant Secure and Defend by these presents In Witness whereof I do hereunto set my hand and Seal this Eighteenth Day of August Anno Domini One Thousand seven hundred and seventy seven . Signed Sealed & Delivered in presence of Joseph  Storer Jr Reuben Hatch of York ss August 18th 1777 Then Paul Shackford above Named acknowledged the above written Instrument to be his free act & Deed , Before Joseph Storer Just Peace
Received April 23rd 1796  Wm Frost Regr

1795 map of Coxhall (now Lyman) drawn by Robert Swainson, surveyor

We’re still trying to understand where this property was located — it’s a bit complicated as the boundaries between townships in York County, Maine have changed as well as the names of these areas. Also the deeds do not clarify how the land was subdivided. This 1795 map of Coxhall (now Lyman) may give an approximate clue as it shows the older boundaries. We believe we’ve approximated the location of the land (see blue arrow) however still need to research more deeds to determine what John did with the property and determine if that property owner is shown in the York County 1856 map. We’ll probably update this blog as we learn more about this property.

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

Survey of the Town of Coxhall, 1795, Robert Swanson, at DigitalMaine Repository, contributed by Maine State Archives. Land was surveyed at 200 rods to an inch https://digitalmaine.com/planbook_20/8/

“York. Deeds 1799-1789,” digital images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 13 April 2024), Paul Shackford purchased land from Nathaniel Clark; V46 p 101 [Image 108 of 588].

“York. Deeds 1761-1767,” digital images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 9 April 2024), Joseph Day sold land to Paul Shackford, son-in-law; Vol 38, p 211 [Image 491 of 562].

“York. Deeds 1795-1796,” digital images, FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 12 April 2024), Paul Shackford grants land to son John Shackford.

Copyright 2024 Joanne Shackford Parkes (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere).

My DNA Matches Eight Shackford Descendents – will other Shackford Descendents Test to Increase the Knowledge of Shackford Ancestors? (Blog 487)

About a year ago I took an Ancestry DNA test and had 68 Shared Ancestor Hints and 667 4th cousins or closer and was in 8 DNA Circles.  In one year, these numbers have increased significantly! As of Jan 1, 2019, I have 94 Shared Ancestor Hints and 972 4th cousins or closer, and 13 DNA Circles.  I’ve corresponded with many of  the descendents of my shared Ancestors and shared the information I’ve gathered about these shared ancestors.  In some cases, folks have graciously shared copies of photos and newspaper articles that they have inherited about these shared ancestors.

In the past month I’ve focused on my shared SHACKFORD ancestors who I found by clicking on the 972 4th cousins or closer box, then entering Shackford into the Search Matches box, then researching their shared matches.  I wrote to those who have private family trees — some responded, others didn’t and also reviewed and flushed out some the trees of those with whom I share DNA until I found the shared ancestor.

Here’s the DNA connections with seven different Shackford descendents that I found (names deleted to keep their privacy).   I thank them for sharing their DNA with Ancestry or Family Tree DNA and for corresponding with me as we jointly tried to find the ancestral links.

My hope is that over time, these individuals and or other Shackford descendents will share their DNA with My Heritage, FamilyTree DNA, or GEDMATCH so that we can determine which chromosomes are shared amid Shackford ancestors and jointly learn more about this family history.

My DNA Matches

1. 2018 Dec 30, XXXX XXXXX 2,468 centimorgans shared across 63 DNA segments, MY SISTER

2. 2018 Dec 30, XXXXX XXXXX, FTDNA match of 50 cm, 10 cm longest segment WILLIAM SHACKFORD & MERCY ROSE via daughter Emeline Shackford m Peter Cushing [my ancestor WILLIAM BROWN SHACKFORD] FOURTH COUSIN (Larger DNA matches on chromosomes 3, 13, and 21)

3. 2018 Dec 20, XXXXX XXXX, 30.0 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment SAMUEL SHACKFORD & MARY COOMBS via daughter Susannah Shackford m Joseph Connick, [my ancestor LEVI SHACKFORD], SIXTH COUSIN

4. 2018 Dec 21, XXXX XXXX, 19.5 centimorgans shared across 2 DNA segments, SAMUEL SHACKFORD & MARY COOMBS via daughter Susannah Shackford m Joseph Connick [my ancestor LEVI SHACKFORD], SIXTH COUSIN ONCE REMOVED

5. 2018 Dec 21, XXXXXX, 11.0 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, SAMUEL SHACKFORD m MARY COOMBS via daughter Susannah Shackford m Joseph Connick to William Shackford Connick, [my ancestor LEVI SHACKFORD] SIXTH COUSIN

6. 2018 Jul 28, xxxxxxxx, 6.1 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, JOSHUA SHACKFORD & ELIZABETH BARNES via son Paul Shackford [my ancestor SAMUEL SHACKFORD]l, SEVENTH COUSIN TWICE REMOVED, no shared matches [Note:  this is a very small DNA match so still verifying

7. 2018 Dec 20,  xxxxxx xxxxx xxxxx, 12.0 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, includes George Franklin Shackford, match at WILLIAM SHACKFORD and DEBORAH TRICKEY via Samuel Shackford [my ancestor JOSHUA SHACKFORD], 8th COUSIN

8. 2018 Dec 21, xxxxx xxxxx, 9.1 centimorgans shared across 1 DNA segment, WILLIAM SHACKFORD m DEBORAH TRICKEY via daughter Mary Shackford m Henry Nutter, [my ancestor JOSHUA SHACKFORD], EIGHTH COUSIN ONCE REMOVED

I’m hoping this blog might encourage other Shackford descendents to test their DNA.  I’d be glad to help others flush out their trees in these tools to maximize the matches.

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

Copyright 2019 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

 

 

Samuel Shackford (1761-1844) of Wells, Maine, Revolutionary War Pensioner (Blog 475)

Samuel Shackford, the son of Paul and Eunice (Day) Shackford was born on July 24, 1761 in Wells, Maine.  He was only 18 on June 6, 1780 when he served for eight months with the men mustered by Nathaniel Wells to defend the eastern part of Massachusetts. After the completion of his enlistment, he returned to Wells where he married Sarah Whittum on March 4, 1784.  He later moved to Sanford, Maine where he worked as a farmer.  Samuel remained in Sanford where he married Eunice Day on November 15, 1787 and Charity Cousins on November 18, 1805.

In response to the Revolutionary War Act of June 7, 1832, Samuel gave the following testimony documenting his service:

Maine District of
Special District Court of the U States
Kennebunk August 7 1832

On this seventh day of August aforesaid personally appeared
in open Court before the District Judge

Samuel Shackford a resident of Sanford in the
county of York, and state of Maine aged seventy one
years, who being first duly sworn according to law doth
on his oath make the following declaration in order
to obtain the benefit of the act of Congress passed-
June 7th 1832.
That he served as herein stated.
I enlisted at Wells (now Kennebunk) in the state
Maine, in April 1780 in Capt Daniel Clarks company
for the term of eight months – we marched to Portland
in the same state, where we were principally employed
in erecting works of defense during the full period of
my enlistment or until some time in December of
that year, when we were dismissed and returned home
There were five companies in the corps to which I
belonged and were commanded by Col Prime of York –
Nathan Lord of Berwick, I think was Adjutant, and
Gen Wardsmoth commanded at Portland during said
time. I was born in Wells in the year 1761 and have
resided now about forty years in Sanford, in this state
adjoining to Wells. I enlisted and served voluntarily
as above stated. I have no other record of my age except
that which my father kept in the great Bible I now have.
All my neighbors can state my general character for that
Mr David Day resides near me, and also Mr Samuel Cole
and Mr David Clark, and others who are respectable.

He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or annuity
except the present, and declares that his name is note on the
pension role of the agency of any state Samuel Shackford (signed)
sworn to and subscribed this day and your aforesaid.
Before
Arthur Wise U.S. Judge for the
District of Maine
Know the said Court do hereby declare their opinion that
the above named applicant was a revolutionary soldier and
served in the states.

Samuel’s testimony did not mention the name of his father but does refer to his father’s Bible which he now has in his possession.  We assume it’s the same Bible which was referred to as “Bible per Granville Shackford” (his grandson) in Samuel Burnham Shackford’s Shackford Genealogy manuscript which is the only source we’ve found for Samuel’s parents, Samuel’s birth date, and a list of his children.  Hoping the Bible is saved somewhere or at least a transcription of those pages are within the Samuel Collection. (There were boxes and boxes of material and I only had 6 hours to review the materials — hoping to be back someday.)

Samuel is listed in the 1840 census as a pensioner and received his final pension payment in the third quarter of 1844.  He died on 9 Sept 1844 and is buried on Mouse Lane in Sanford, Maine. In 2009 I corresponded with a wonderful gentleman who described how to find the gravestone, shared that Samuel’s gravestone was worn and damaged to the point that it was unreadable but he was making sure a flag was placed on Samuel’s grave.

CHILDREN:

Andrew Shackford  (1795-1858) – married his cousin Hannah Shackford

Sarah Shackford (1789-????)

Robert Shackford  (1793-????)

Eunice Shackford (1806-1822)

Christopher Shackford (1809-1870) – married Mehitable Maddox and Louisa Hill

Susan Shackford (1811-1883) – married John Thompson

Bethia Shackford (1813-1815)

Lusanna Shackford (1821-1870) – married Freeman Goodwin

[Samuel is my first cousin six times removed with a shared relative Joshua Shackford and Elizabeth Barnes]

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

Emery Edwin, William Morell Emery, The History of Sanford, Maine. 1661-1900.(Fall River, Mass: William Morell Emery, 1901), page 83; digital images, Google eBook(http://www.books.google : accessed 21 October 2013.

“Index to Final Pension Payment Vouchers, compiled 1818 – 1864,” digital images, Fold3(https://www.fold3.com : accessed 8 July 2017), Samuel Shackford

Maine Society Sons of the American Revolution MESSAR(http://www.messar.org/patriots.html : accessed 5 January 2014), .

“Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files,” digital images, Fold3(http://www.fold3.com : accessed 2 July 2018), Samuel Shackford.

Secretary of the Commonwealth, Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War. A Compilation From the Archives(Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Co, 1906), page 2; digital images, Mocavo(www.mocavo.com : accessed 15 February 2014.

“Shackford Genealogy Manuscript,” 13 October 1925; typed manuscript, SG SHA 5; Shackford collection. [manuscript] by Samuel Burnham Shackford, Shackford collection. [manuscript] SG SHA 5; New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

Copyright 2019 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

Wednesday Wedding – Mary Shackford Marries Joshua Chase about Sept 7, 1780 (Blog 318)

Mary Shackford, the daughter of John Shackford and Deborah Seaward was born Sept 15, 1759.   We believe she also went by the name Polly Shackford and is the person to whom Doctor Joshua Chase of Newbury formally announced his intention to marry on September 7, 1780.

The announcement reads: “1780 Doct Joshua Chase of Newbury informed of his intention
of marriage with Polly Shackford, of Portsmouth and I posted up their intent. Sept 7, 1780.”

We assume that Dr Joshua Chase and Polly Shackford married but have not yet found a record of the marriage.  We also don’t know if they lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire or Newbury, Massachusetts.  We do know from Paul Shackford’s probate records (he was her grandfather) that Mary died before 29 Jan 1787.  Her son, Joshua Chase who was born about 1782 was listed as a heir in Paul’s probate records.

The book Seven Generations of the Descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase states that William Plaisted was appointed guardian of Mary’s son Joshua sometime before 1792.  It also states that Mary’s husband Joshua Chase (Joshua’s father) died in Newbury Dec 1802 which leaves us wondering Dr Joshua Chase was not the guardian of Joshua.

CHILDREN:

Joshua Shackford (abt 1782-????) –

 

SOURCES:

Chase John Carroll and George Walter Chamberlain, Seven Generations of the Descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase (Derry, New Hampshire: Record Publishing Company, 1928), page 80; digital image, FamilySearch.org (https://dcms.lds.org : accessed 10 January 2016

Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, , Doct Joshua Chase, ; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 24 January 2016); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records

 

 

Tuesday Tip – Add a Field Called Research Question to Roots Magic! (Blog 317)

I love researching Shackford Family History but have to admit that I’m not a very focused genealogy  researcher.  Many times while searching for a  information about a specific Shackford I’ll come across other semi-related information and will go totally off track in my research efforts.  I might spend hours or even days working on my “off track effort” with the belief that I’ll use that information sometime later for research on that other person. Days later I realize that I didn’t make much forward movement in my original research about a particular Shackford.

While I was recently  Dear Myrt’s Gen Tools Webinars and thinking about the various tools I use for my research, I developed an idea to help me focus.  The discussion about other researchers use of  Word, Evidentia, their genealogy software, and many other tools to help them organize their genealogy research led me to realize that I have the tools to help myself focus.  I recognized that to improve my focus I needed to spend the time to write out the main research question I have for each person I’m researching and focus my research on that particular question.  So I created a new field in RootsMagic called Research Question (see below) and used the Notes section to summarize the facts that help me answer that one key question.

I tested out this new field with Joshua Chase, born about 1782, the son of Joshua Chase and Mary Shackford (daughter of John Shackford and Deborah Seaward, grand daughter of Paul Shackford).  I’ve already searched for his birth record to no avail.  However I was puzzled by a comment in John Carrol Chase’s book about the Descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase which states that William Plaisted became the guardian of Joshua Chase who was authorized to sell land inherited from Paul Shackford but also infers that Joshua’s father Dr Joshua Chase was still alive.  I found the Essex County Probate Records discussing this land sale but wondered why would a guardian have been appointed if the father is living and why William Plaisted who does not seem to be family member.  So I started with this research question “What document appoints William Plaisted as guardian of Joshua Chase?”

Right after I started creating Research Questions in my RootsMagic, Randy Seaver’s January 31, 2016 Best of the Gene-Blogs included a reference to a fabulous article by Harold Henderson on the Board for Certification of Genealogists titled Ten-Minute Methodology: How to Ask Good Research Questions  which states “a specific question is a magical thing. By concentrating our attention we focus on the right person and learn more than we expected about him.”

From this article I learned that I needed to improve my Research Question which now states “What document appoints William Plaisted as guardian of Joshua Chase, born about 1782 in Portsmouth, the son of Dr Joshua Chase and Mary Shackford ?”

And yes – when we concentrated on this one question we learned unexpected things about Joshua resulting in more research questions which we’ll share in a future blog.

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

Chase John Carroll and George Walter Chamberlain, Seven Generations of the Descendants of Aquila and Thomas Chase (Derry, New Hampshire: Record Publishing Company, 1928), page 80; digital image, FamilySearch.org (https://dcms.lds.org : accessed 10 January 2016

“Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881,” digital images, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/essex-county-ma-probate-file-papers-1638-1881 : accessed 30 January 2016), Joshua Chase, minor, Essex County, MA Probate Case File No. 5145.

Henderson, Harold, Guest Author, Ten-Minute Methodology: How to Ask Good Research Questions Board for Certification of Genealogists Springboard, http://bcgcertification.org/blog/2016/01/ten-minute-methodology-how-to-ask-good-research-questions/

Seaver, Randy, Best of the Genea-Blogs – 24 to 30 January 2016, Genea-Musings, http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/01/best-of-genea-blogs-24-to-30-january.html

Copyright 2017 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not just copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

Treasure Chest Thursday – Probate Abstract — John Shackford (1725-1764), son of Paul and Rebecca (Hudson) Shackford (Blog 316)

We know that John Shackford, the son of Paul and Rebecca (Hudson) Shackford was born September 16, 1735 in Newbury, Massachusetts and that he married Deborah Seaward on Dec 19, 1758  at the Queens Church in Portsmouth.  We believe she was the daughter of Giles and Mary (Hodgdon) Seaward and was his first cousin once removed.

John’s probate records tell us he was a mariner and we believe but have not yet proven that he was the captain of the:

Brig Tortuga which sailed to Antigua from Piscataway on 24 July 1760

Brig Brotherhood which sailed from Piscataqua to Barbados on 15 Jan 176, arrived there 10 April 1761, and returned to Portsmouth on 3 May 1761

Ship Nevin from Piscataqua to Barbados on 16 Feb 1764 and the

Brig Amherst from Piscataqua to Barbados on 5 Mar 1762, returning on 1 Jul 1762, leaving Portsmouth to Virginia on 10 Dec 1762, leaving Virginia for Piscataqua  on 12 May 1763, and from Picataaqua to the West Indies on 8 Sept 1763

John’s father Paul’s 1787 probate records list’s two of his children and then lists the Heirs of John Shackford which verifies that he died before his father – we have not found any direct sources but have old notes from a Shackford descendant of his line that tell us that he died on Nov 2, 1764 aboard a ship while traveling from London to Boston.  The timing of his probate record (1765) confirms that his death date was probably around this time.

John left Deborah with either two or three very young children who were listed as heirs of his father’s estate:

Mary Shackford (1759-bef 1787) m. Joshua Chase – son Joshua Chase is mentioned in Paul’s probate records

John Shackford (1761-1800) m Amelia Moore – John is mentioned in his father’s estate

poss Deborah Shackford – there is a Deborah listed as a heir in Paul’s estate – just not sure if it is another child or John’s wife.

We do not know when John’s wife Deborah died or if she remarried but believe she was alive in May 1800 as she is mentioned in her son’s obituary as “his venerable, widowed mother, already fainting beneath trials peculiarly fevere, needs every confolation to ftrengthen dying fortitude”  Deborah’s death date is listed as either 8 Jun 1808 or 14 May 1811 in Rosemary Melville’s From Trickey to Thorpe: a History of the Trickey, Shackfords, Sewards, Calalahan’s publication but no source is noted.

PROBATE ABSTRACT FOR

JOHN SHACKFORD 1765 PORTSMOUTH

[Administration on the estate of John Shackford of Portsmouth, mariner, granted to his widow Deborah Shackford, June 18, 1765.]
[Probate Records, vol. 23, p. 460]
[Bond of Deborah Shackford, with Giles Seaward and John
Bartlett, mariners, as sureties, all of Portsmouth, in the sum of
L500, June 18, 1765, for the administration of the estate;
witnesses, Samuel Marshall, William Parker.]
[Warrant, June 18, 1765, authorizing Samuel Penhallow and
William Knight, both of Portsmouth, merchants, to appraise
the estate.]
[Inventory, Oct 22, 1765; amount, L229, 9.6; signed by
Samuel Penhallow and William Knight.]

We are thankful that Mr Otis Hammond summarized this probate record and are hoping to find and share the original on a future trip to Portsmouth!

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

Melville Rosemary, From Trickey to Thorpe: a History of the Trickey, Shackfords, Seawards, Callahans (about 1993), page 77; digital image, FamilySearch.org (http://familysearch.org : accessed 20 January 2016.

Hardon Henry W, Newington, New Hampshire Families in the Eighteenth Century (Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, Inc, 1991), page 164

Dolliver Louise Pearsons Historian General, Lineage Book National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Volume XXIII. 22001-23000 1898 (Washington, D.C.: 1907), page 313; digital images, Google Books (http://books.general.com : accessed 4 July 2014.

Hammond Otis S., Editor, Director of the New Hampshire Historical Society, Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire, Volume 8 (1940), page 181; digital images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/catalog/search : accessed 24 January 2016.

Hammond Priscilla, Vital records from the Parish register of Queen’s Chapel Portsmouth, New Hampshire (Concord, New Hampshire: n.p., 1943), page unknown

Massachusetts “Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915,” database, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 29 March 2015), John Shackford b 16 Sep 1735

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 10 April 1761, p. 2, col. 1..

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt John Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 16 January 1761, p. 2, col. 2..

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 206), Capt John Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 25 July 1760, p. 3, col. 2

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt John Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 5 March 1762, p. 1, col. 3..

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt John Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 8 May 1761, pp. 1, 2, cols. 3, 1..

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 17 February 1764, p. 1, col. 3..

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt John Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 10 December 1762, p. 2, col. 1..

“New Hampshire Gazette: Newspaper Abstracts, 1756-1769,” database, New England Historical Genealogical Society (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 21 January 2016), Capt John Shackford; New Hampshire Gazette (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 13 May 1763, p. 3, col. 2..

Vital Records of Newbury Massachusetts to the End of the Year 1849 Volume I.-Births (Salem, Mass.: The Essex Institute, 1911), page 472; digital images, Essex County Ma (http://essexcountyma.net/ : accessed 12 July 2014

Copyright 2017 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

 

Military Monday – Miss Maria Louise Grouard References Paul Shackford’s Service as Basis of Her Daughters of the American Revolution Application (Blog 315)

While researching Paul Shackford, we discovered that one of his descendants, Maria Louise Grouard, the daughter of John Hanson and Amelia Moore (Shackford) Grouard had applied for and been accepted for membership into the National Society of the Daughter’s of the American Revolution based on Paul’s service in the early wars and listed him as a patriot of the Revolution. Our independent research has shown that at the age of 55, Paul was under the Command of Capt Richard Greenleaf’s Fifth Company of the Militia in the Town of Newbury, a unit which was responsible for readiness to respond to service within the limits of the town.  We also believe that he is the Paul appointed from March 22 1771 to March 12, 1779 as the keeper of the powder and ammunition.

We wondered what interested Maria in her family history and learned that her father died when she was only 12 so she spent her teen years with with her mother Ameilia Moore (Shackford)  Grouard and possibly heard stories about her ancestry from her uncle William Moore Shackford.  Her interest in history is reflected by her 1904 membership in the the American Historical Association while she was employed at the Briarcliff School.  We appreciate Maria’s application to this organization as we’re confident she must have submitted proof of her lineage and Paul’s service to be accepted. We’d researched how we could obtain a copy of her DAR application but learned that while we could cite the information gathered, we could not share it in our blog so for now we’ll work to independently collaborate Maria’s research.  We’d also love to know if Maria did her genealogy research herself, if she participated in local DAR meetings, what motivated her to apply to be a DAR member, and most importantly if she left copies of her research with any family members or a local library.

Here’s how the Lineage book of members accepted in 1898 which was published in 1915 documented Maria’s ancestry:

MISS MISS MARIA LOUISE GROUARD. 22899
Born in Allegheny, Pennslyvania.
Descendent of Paul Shackford, Capt. Ephraim Dennet and
Jonathan Dennett, of New Hampshire.
Daughter of John Hanson Grouard, M. D., and Amelia Moore Shack-
ford, his wife
Granddaughter of Ephraim Grouard and Maria Corson, his wife;
Capt. Samuel Shackford and Sarah Cottle, his wife.
Gr.-granddaughter of Edmund M. Grouard and Susannah Dennet,
his wife; John Shackford and Amelia Moore, his wife.
Gr.-gr.-granddaughter of Jeremiah Dennet and Susanna Peverly,
his wife; John Shackford and Deborah Seaward, his wife.
Gr.-gr.-granddaughter of Ephraim Dennet and Lydia Water-
house, his wife, m. 1751; Paul Shackford and Rebecca Hudson, his
wife, m. 1727.
Paul Shackford, who had served in the early wars, was a
patriot of the Revolution. He was born in Portsmouth, N.
H.; died in 1787 in Newburyport, Mass.. 22899
Born in Allegheny, Pennslyvania.
Descendent of Paul Shackford, Capt. Ephraim Dennet and
Jonathan Dennett, of New Hampshire.
Daughter of John Hanson Grouard, M. D., and Amelia Moore Shack-
ford, his wife
Granddaughter of Ephraim Grouard and Maria Corson, his wife;
Capt. Samuel Shackford and Sarah Cottle, his wife.
Gr.-granddaughter of Edmund M. Grouard and Susannah Dennet,
his wife; John Shackford and Amelia Moore, his wife.
Gr.-gr.-granddaughter of Jeremiah Dennet and Susanna Peverly,
his wife; John Shackford and Deborah Seaward, his wife.
Gr.-gr.-granddaughter of Ephraim Dennet and Lydia Water-
house, his wife, m. 1751; Paul Shackford and Rebecca Hudson, his
wife, m. 1727.
Paul Shackford, who had served in the early wars, was a
patriot of the Revolution. He was born in Portsmouth, N.
H.; died in 1787 in Newburyport, Mass.

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

American Historical Association Officers Committees Act of Incorporation Constitution List of Members February 1904 (n.d.), page 34; digital image, Google Book (https://books.google.com : accessed 25 January 2016.

Currier John J, History of Newbury, Mass. 1635-1902 (Boston: Damrell & Upham, 1902), page 568-570; digital images, HathiTrust (http://babel.hathitrust.org/ : accessed 6 January 2016

Dolliver Louise Pearsons Historian General, Lineage Book National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution Volume XXIII. 22001-23000 1898 (Washington, D.C.: 1907), page 313; digital images, Google Books (http://books.general.com : accessed 4 July 2014.

Copyright 2017 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

Treasure Chest Thursday – Deborah (Shackford) (Libbey) Currier’s Will (Blog 314)

We know that Paul and Rebecca (Hudson) Shackford had a daughter Deborah who was born on May 24, 1731 in Newbury and was listed as Paul’s heir as Deborah Currier in his January 1787 probate record.

We can’t find a marriage record for Deborah Shackford but with the help of Bonnie, another Shackford researcher, we’ve both come to the belief that the Deborah Currier whose will dated 7 Sep 1799 and is found in probate records dated 23 April 1801 is most likely the same person.   We believe she first married Theodore Libbey who died in 1759, then married Caleb Currier in 1768.  She outlived her second husband and left this will leaving her estate to children of both husbands. 

Deborah is listed in her father’s estate as Deborah Currier and this death notification was published in the United States Oracle of the Day on April 18, 1801: In this town, … Mrs. Deborah Currier, widow, aged 68. 

Also this theory aligns with Samuel Burnham Shackford’s Shackford Genealogy.

From Deborah’s will we learn, that :

1. Deborah was married to Caleb Currier who is deceased (probably the same Caleb wrote a will dated March 22, 1784 and died on April 3, 1784 leaving his estate to his wife Deborah and mentions three sons William, Caleb, and Thomas, from a previous marriage).
2. Deborah’s husband Caleb Currier had a son named William and a grandson named Caleb.
3. Deborah was first married to a Mr Libbey and had a son named John Libbey who moved to Newburyport and a daughter Mary who married a John Mushaway.  [he was her second husband as she had married Samuel Lamson in 1774]
4. Deborah had four grandchildren living at the time the will was written: Catherine [Lamson] Currier and Rebecca Mushaway daughters of her daughter Mary and  Hannah Libbey, and Rebecca Libbey, daughters of John Libbey.
5. Deborah knew Nathaniel Folsom to whom she loaned money and Jeremiah Libbey, Margery, Ward, and William Walker who signed her will.

We’ll keep looking for source information that helps support this theory that Deborah Shackford first married Mr Libbey then Caleb Currier.

  Deborah (Shackford) (Libbey) Currier’s Will

I Deborah Currier of Portsmouth in the County of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, Widow Do make this my last Will & Testament viz
I give unto William Currier (son of my late husband William Currier deceased) one feather bed – I also give unto Caleb Currier grandson of my said husband Caleb one
Desk. The said bed & desk being formerly my said husband Caleb Currier’s Property.
I give devise & bequeath unto my son Jno Libbey now of Newburyport two thirds of the Money due or which may be due to me from Mr Nathaniel Folsom on his note of hand or of any other money due to me or which may be due at the time of my decease. I also give unto my said son John Libbey one feather bed being the
one I purchased anew tick or covering for; & also six birch Chairs
I give devise & bequeath unto my Daughter Mary Massurey (wife of Mr John Massurey) [believe this is actually Mushaway based on a review of the rest of the probate records, jsp] of Portsmouth the other third part of the money due or which will be due me from Mr Nathl Folsom for the note aforesaid at the time of my decease
I also give unto my said Daughter Mary one feather bed – I give devise & bequeath unto Hannah Libbey Daughter of my son John Libbey my silk gown – I also give devise & bequeath unto Deborah Libbey Daughter to my said John my gold necklace I also will & direct that all my wearing apparel not before disposed of be equally divided among or between or between my four granddaughtes viz Catherine Currier & Rebecca Massurey children of my before named daughter Mary Massurey and Hannah Libbey & Deborah Libbey children of my said son John Libbey & my said Daughter Mary Massurey & to their heirs & assigns they equally paying my funeral charges & expenses of setting the business of my estate And I hereby appoint my said son John Libbey sole Executor of this my last will & testament. I witness whereof I hereunto after my mark & seal the seventh day of September 1799 Deborah her mark Currier seal
The Mark made & sealed & declared by
Deborah Currier to be her will in presence of us who signed in each others presence
Jeremiah Libbey Margery G Ward Wm Walker Recorded truly WW

All posts on this website are a work in progress.  We’d love to learn of any corrections or additions to the information shared.  Also we’d love it if  you’d like the post here or at http://www.facebook.com/shackfordgenealogy) as that helps share the post with others. Thanks!

SOURCES:

“DIED,” The United States Oracle of the Day (Portsmouth, New Hampshire), 18 April 1801, Deborah Currier; digital images, America’s Historical Newspapers (infoweb.newsbank.com : accessed 6 April 2024), America’s Historical Newspapers.

Massachusetts “Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915,” database, FamilySearch(http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 8 July 2014), Deborah Shackford

New Hampshire, County Probate Estate Files, Deborah Currier Case 6812; “New Hampshire, County Probate Estate Files, 1769-1936,” digital images, Family Search(http://www.familysearch.org: accessed 20 January 2016); >Rockingham>Case no 6749-6845 1800-1801>Image 779-790 of 1230

“New Hampshire, Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982,” digital images, Ancestry.com(http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 January 2016), Deborah Currier.

“Shackford Genealogy Manuscript,” 13 October 1925; SG SGA 5; Shackford collection by Samuel Burnham Shackford; New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts. (56) William Shackford, Shackford Genealogy Manuscript #44 Deborah Shackford.

Copyright 2024 Joanne Shackford Parkes  (sharing a link to this post is appreciated but please do not just copy this material and paste it elsewhere)

Wednesday Wedding – Who did Sarah Shackford Pearson (1728-1814) Marry – We Only Know his last Name was Pearson. (Blog 312)

In an effort to learn who Sarah (Shackford) Pearson, daughter of Paul and Rebecca (Hudson) Shackford married, we are listing the information that we do know about Sarah and a list of possible next steps in our search for information about Mr Pearson.

1. Sarah Shackford was born in Newbury, Massachusetts February 1st, 1728.  Her parents were Paul Shackford and his wife Rebecca.

Anno 1728
Sarah Shackford ye daughter of Paul Shackford and
Rebecca his wife was born February 1st.

2. Sarah is listed as Sarah Pearson in her father’s Jan 29, 1787 probate records. This indicates that she married a Mr Pearson before 1787.  Mr Pearson may or may not have been her first husband.

3. Sarah would have most likely been married around the age of 20-30 i.e. 1748-1758. We’ve reviewed every record of a Sarah Shackford FamilySearch and Ancestry can not find any marriages of a Sarah Shackford in that timeframe that do not connect to another Shackford.

4. Sarah’s will and codicil tell us:

a) She was a widow living in Haverhill when she wrote her will on March 6, 1811 but died in Newburyport.  The probate record expenses show she was cared for through Aug 15, 1814 which is most likely her death date.

b.) She had a grandchild William Smith to whom she left $100 but because her estate was less than her legacies, he may have received $28.89.  She might not have been close to him – her codicil stated that if he had died before his legacy was received, she left this $100 to Mary Jane Brown.

c. She left $100 to Amelia (Moore) Shackford, wife of her deceased nephew John Shackford but but because her estate was less than her legacies, Amelia may have received $28.89 She also left Amelia her gold necklace.

d. She left Mary Richards of Boston her gold ring.

e. She left $50 to James Prince who was also appointed administrator.  He received $14 because the estate was less than her legacies.  She also appointed him as guardian of Mary Jane Brown the daughter of Else Smith of Boston to whom she left the remainder of her estate. Mary would have received nothing as there was no remainder to the estate.

5. Sarah is buried in the Old Hill Burying Ground, Newburyport, Massachusetts.

NEXT STEPS IN OUR SEARCH FOR SARAH’S HUSBAND

Review the other Pearson’s and Smith’s buried in the Old Hill Burying Ground to see if her husband and/or children are buried there. (thanks to Bonnie, a descendant of one of Paul’s other daughters for this idea!)

See if we can find find out more information about William Smith, Mary Richards, Else Smith, or Mary Jane Brown who are mentioned in Sarah’s will (not as easy as looking for information about Shackfords!)

Research Haverhill records to see if we find any land records for Sarah Pearson.

Continue to follow land records from Paul Shackford’s probate to learn what happened to the portion left to Sarah.

Search for newspaper articles that mention Sarah Pearson.

Continue to search for a marriage record for Sarah and for a Mr Hudson who married a Sarah – perhaps she had a middle name which was used as her primary name when she was married?

Look for the administration portion of Sarah’s probate record, the details of the disbursements of her estate may help us find her grandchild, his parents, and thus her husband.

Search for records of her siblings which may have additional information about Sarah’s family.

Review probate records of male Pearsons in Essex County born abt 1728 who died before 1814 (this presumes Sarah married someone who died in Essex County)

Does anyone else have any additional ideas?

SOURCES:

“Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881,” digital images, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/essex-county-ma-probate-file-papers-1638-1881 : accessed 8 January 2016), Sarah Pearson, Case No 21033

“Find A Grave Index,” Index, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : accessed 13 January 2016), Mrs Sarah Pearson, Find A Grave Memorial# 86522518

Massachusetts, Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, , Sarah Shackford, birth, 1 February 1728; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 25 August 2013); Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records.

 

Sunday’s Obituary – Paul Shackford (abt 1702-1786) (Blog 310)

Paul Shackford, the son of John and Sarah (Hudson) Shackford was born about 1702. In 1726 he owned land in Newbury on Fish Street next to the ten rods of land that Samuel Greenleaf was purchasing from Jonathan Dole.

The next year, on Dec 9th, 1727 he married Rebecca Hudson.

In 1732 Paul purchased land in Newbury from John Dole for the sum of 78 pounds and 5 shillings.  He attended Newbury’s Third Parish where he and three other gentlemen would council some “Youes that Play at meeting.”  In 1757 when he was 55 years old he was on the Larrum List of the Fifth Company which was under the command of Capt Richard Greenleaf and according to Currier, was most likely the  keeper of the powder and ammunition from April 4, 1771 through the end March 1779.

Paul’s death announcement was published in multiple newspapers – we know of The Essex Journal, the Salem Mercury, the Centurion, and the Massachusetts Gazette. This is the announcement from The Essex Journal.

‘Died’ on the 4th inftant, Mr. Paul
Shackford, of this town, in the 84th
year of his age.  He was buried in the Old Hill Burying Ground and his probate file which listed his heirs was started on Jan 29, 1787.

CHILDREN:

Sarah Shackford (1728-1814) married ?????? Pearson

Deborah Shackford (1731-????) married Caleb Currier

John Shackford (1735-1764) – married Deborah Seward

Sumner Shackford (1737-????) – served in Second Regiment of Militia in the County of Essex and Capt Beniah Young’s Company on Crown Point Expedition

Rebecca Shackford (1743-????)

We’re hoping that when we learn more about Paul’s children, we may learn more about Paul.

Updated 1/12/2016 – Thanks to input from one of Paul’s descendants, have corrected name of Sarah’s husband to Pearson.

SOURCES:

“At Newburyport,” Salem Mercury (Salem, Massachusetts), 23 December 1786, Paul Shackford; digital images, Newsbank.com (http://www.newsbank.com : accessed 10 January 2016).

“At Newburyport,” Massachusetts Gazette, 22 December 1786, Paul Shackford; digital images, Newsbank.com (http://newsbank.com : accessed 10 January 2016); Date 1786-12-22; Vol VI; Iss: 289; Page 3.

Currier John J, Ould Newbury, Historical and Biographical Sketches (Boston: Damrell and Upham, 1896), pages 105-6, 437 and 492; digital images, Hathi Trust (http://hathitrust.org : accessed 12 July 2014.

“Died.,” The Essex Journal and New Hampshire Packet, 20 December 1786; digital images, Godfred Memorial Library (http://godfred.org : accessed 25 September 2013). Died, on the 4th instant, Mr. Paul Shackford, of this town, in the 84th year of his age.

Find A Grave, Find A Grave, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com : accessed 1 August 2014), Paul Shackford, Find A Grave Memorial # 86619212.

“U.S., Newspaper Extractions from the Northeast, 1704-1930,” Images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 17 January 2015), Paul Shackford.