Ebenezer Berry (1707 - 1761)

My fifth great-grandfather.

Born: (probably) 1 October 1703 (but possibly 23 September 1707) in Wenham, Essex, MA
Died:  1761 in Middleton, Essex County, Massachusetts

Father:  John Berry
Mother:  Rachel (or possibly Rebecca) ?

Siblings:
   Joseph Berry, (date unknown, but he's the oldest)
   Sarah Berry, 1695
   Hannah Berry, 1696
   Samuel Berry, 1699
   Ben Berry, 1709
 
Married: Phebe Curtis 3 September 1730 in Middleton, Essex County, Massachusetts

Children:  Phebe Berry, 1732  (The mother must have died in childbirth or shortly after.)

Married: Susanna Perkins 19 September 1734 in Middleton

Children:
   William Berry, 1735
   Elizabeth Berry, 1741
   Susannah Berry, 1742
   William Berry, 1745
   Ebenezer Berry, 1746
   William Berry, 1749
   Samuel Berry, 1751

When I see a name used multiple times like this, I assume that the first child with the name died young. The parents either liked the name a lot or wanted to honor the dead child, so they used it again. This is the only time I've seen one used three times (so far.) There is also the possibility that there was only one William, but that his birth date is not clear.

The son Ebenezer told someone, who later shared the information, that his father was a "gentleman" with much estate. He had been the proprietor of the Danvers Hotel. He said his father had been born "in North Andover, in the last house on the line near Middleton, on the old road."


Susanna Perkins 

I can't find anything about Susanna except their marriage was recorded in Middleton and her mother was named Elizabeth Perkins. She is not on the Middleton list of births, so she must have come from somewhere else.


Most of the records I have found list Phebe Berry as the mother of our ancestor Susannah. That is the information that I got from my mother, but I discovered that it is wrong. Too bad, because I had a lot of Phebe's ancestors listed in our family tree. Now I have had to eliminate many people going all the way back to the early 1400s.

This is a good time to explain how I'm doing this so you will understand what has gone wrong when errors are discovered.  I started with information that my mother gathered, mostly from records on file with the Mormon church. But those records are only as good as the knowledge of the person who filed them with the church.

Once I started to really get into all this, I discovered Geni.com. Through that website, I was able to match some of the oldest ancestors that we had recorded and, from there, I have been relying on what I find on the website. I went through and recorded tons of information. I have over 1000 pages of family trees (pedigree charts) going back over a 1000 years - and there is much more! However, this website is also only as accurate as the information that people like me enter into it. I have found mistakes and tried to avoid repeating them.

The next step for me comes when I write the blog posts. I start with the family trees I have compiled. Those control the organization of my posts. But I am doing a whole other search for information on each person as they come up. I might be able to find more, but I would have to pay to join one of the online sources, and there is no way to know if their information is any better than what I can find for free. Since many people are interested in genealogy right now and are posting the information on websites that are trying to put together a huge family tree that shows how the whole world is related, I am able to use their postings as a place to start. It is like we are all working together on this one massive project. 

But, of course, I have no way to be certain that their information is correct. Most people doing this are very careful, but, unfortunately, not all of them. Anyone who did a Google search on Phebe Curtis could have found the information that I found. There were two different sources. But it also took patience on my part to read through the stuff and find what I needed. As interesting as it was to discover and record all these names and dates on the pedigree charts, finding out about the bits and pieces of their lives is so much more interesting. Thank you, Google!

Jonathan Wilkins (1715 - 1761)

My fifth great-grandfather.

Born:  25 August 1715 in either Middleton or Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts
Died:  20 April 1761 (or possibly 1763) in Salem Village, Essex County, Massachusetts

Father:  Daniel Wilkins
Mother:  Mary Bailey

Siblings:
   Mary Wilkins, 1718
   Elizabeth Wilkins, 1721
   Mercy or Mary Wilkins, 1732

Married: Abigail Goodale on 5 October 1737

Children:
   Elizabeth Wilkins, 1739
   Jonathan Wilkins, 1744


Abigail Goodale  (1714 - 1797)

Born:  3 July 1714
Died:  1797

Father:  David Goodale (aka Goodell)
Mother:  Abigail Eliott

That's all I've found here.

Nils Johan Bredahl (1748 - 1782)

My fifth great-grandfather.

Born:  8 June 1748
Died:  15 October 1782 in Obrero, Sweden

Father:  Mattias Bredahl  (See below)
Mother:  Mariana Gustavgarden Palmfeldt  (See below)

Siblings: ***
   Eva Helmer Tina/Albertina Bredahl
   Lovisa Eleanora Bredahl
   Karl Axel Bredahl
   Anna Ulrika Bredahl

Married Beata Margareta Dahm

Children:
   Britta Christina Bredahl, 1777
   Johan Niklas Bredahl, 1778
   Orebro Nikolai Bredahl, 1779
   Eva Petronella Bredahl, 1789

Nils worked as the town notary/city registrar of the city of  Obrero, Sweden.


Beata Margareta Dahm

Born: 1754

Father: Anders Daniel Dahm (born 5 September 1719 in Obrero)
Mother: Britta Stina Sloberg (born 2 December 1730 in Obrero)

This is all the information I could find about Beata and her parents)


Mattias Bredahl (1715 - 1771)

Born:  18 May 1715 in St. Petri Parish, Malmo, Sweden.
Died:  in either 1771 or 1791 (See below)

Father:  R. Bredahl - Rector at Horby in the Diocese of Lund
Mother:  Hofwerberg Malmo
   This is all the information I have about the Bredahl ancestors.

Married: Baroness Mariana Gustavgarden Palmfeldt (aka Palmenfelt)

Mattias worked as Assessor and Auditor (military lawyer) of the Jonkoping Regiment

Mariana Gustavgarden Palmfeldt  (1721 - 1781)

Born: 1721
Died: 7 September 1781

Father: Johan Palmfeldt, Baron
Mother: Anna Catharina Lillie, Countess
   Mariana's parents were married  2 April 1707 at the Stockholm Palace.
   He was the Governor of Alfsborg Province

Siblings:
   Gustaf Helmar Palmfelt, 1717
   Eleanora Sofia Palmfelt, 1709
   Johan Lennart Palmfelt, ?

*** The above is what I had to share until I found a Swedish Genealogy Forum in which four or five people were discussing Nils and his parents.  I could make out only a tiny bit of what was written, but, fortunately, I have a daughter who is studying Swedish. She was able to figure out some more of what was written. It seems these people were debating whether Nils could be the son of Mattias and Mariana. Some said that Mattias had died early, which makes the 1771 date more realistic, and that in 1775 Mariana had appealed for help and said her four fatherless children were her only property. The four people that I have listed as Nils' siblings were mentioned on the forum as her children.

One argument was that because Nils was not listed as one of the four children, he must not be their son. My thinking is, though, that Nils would have been about 27 years old in 1775 and on his own, but why would she not list him as one of her children?

Another person mentioned that Mariana probably relocated to Stockholm in 1766 with her children Eva Helmer Tina and Karl Axel. Where was Mattias? Where were the other kids?  And what about Nils? He would have been 18 years old by then. The others might have been out of the house by then, too; Mariana was 45 years old, and Mattias was 51.

Here is another question that I have...Mariana was a countess. Her father was the Governor of Alfsborg Province, and her mother was a countess and lady in waiting. Why would Mariana be pleading for help? I suppose it is possible that she was disowned for some reason. She is the last one of the line with a title. I guess it is a family mystery!  I'll keep my eyes open for more information and add an update if I find anything new.

Edward Field (1767 - 1804)

My fourth great-grandfather.

Born:  12 June 1767 at Solihull, Warwickshire, England
Died:  1804

Father:  Edward Field
Mother:  Eleanor Ashbury

Siblings:
   Ann Field, 1760
   Mary Field, 1761
   Elizabeth Field, 1762
   Poole Field, 1765
   Sarah Field, 1769
   Eleanor Field, 1771

Married: Susan or Susanna Turner, 19 November 1810 at St. Martin, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England

Children:
   Edward Field, c. 1804
   William Field, c. 1806
   Ann Field, 1810


Susanna Turner (1778 - 1815)  (Also known as Susan)

Born: c. 1778 Wooten Wawen, Warwickshire, England
Died:  19 September 1815

Father:  Benjamin Turner  (See below.)
Mother:  Diana Brunt  (See below.)

Siblings:
   Dinah Turner, 1769
   John Turner, 1771
   Elizabeth Turner, 1775
   Benjamin Turner, 1780
   Mary Turner, 1784
   William Turner, 1788


Benjamin Turner  (1742 - 1815)

Born:  1742, at Ullenhall, Wooton Wawen. Warwickshire, England
Died:  19 September 1815

Married Diana Brunt on 8 April 1766


Diana Brunt  (1749 - ?)

Born:  9 April 1749 at Ullenhall, Wooten Wawen, Warwickshire, England

Father:  John Brunt
Mother:  Elizabeth ?

Siblings:
   Mary Brunt, 1745
   Samuel Brunt, 1744
   John Brunt, 1752
   Edward Brunt, 1755
   William Brunt, 1760
   Elizabeth Brunt, 1762

This is all the information I could find about Benjamin and Diana.
 

Joseph Morehead Emmons (1736 - 1774)

Fourth great-grandfather.

Born:  28 November 1736 in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts, Colonial America
Died: 9 January 1774 in Ipswich

Father:  Joseph Emmons
Mother: Sarah Holmes

Sibling:  Sarah Emmons

Married: Sarah Farrin

Child:  Mary Wilkins seems to have been an only child.

Sarah Farrin (1737 - 1817)

Fourth great-grandmother.

Born:  5 October 1737 in Amesbury, Ipswich, Massachusetts, Colonial America
Died:  27 October 1817 in Ipswich

Father: Jonathan Farrin
Mother:  Sarah Wells


Unfortunately, I have nothing else about Joseph and Sarah. However, their families had been in the Ipswich area for several generations, so I searched for information about Ipswich, which seems to go by Old Ipswich these days. We have quite a few ancestors from this area.

Virtual tour of Ipswich has lots of photos of the area. These towns that were around since before the American Revolution are very proud of their history, and I have found some interesting information by reading articles like this.

Also, if you do a Google search of The History of Ipswich, Essex, and Hamilton you will find a link to a book written in 1835 by Joseph B. Felt. This book can be read online or downloaded for free. (Sorry, the link I have doesn't seem to work directly; this was the best route I could find.)

Jonathan Wilkins (1744 - ?)

My fourth great-grandfather.

Born:  28 November 1744 in Middleton, Essex County, Massachusetts
Died:  ??

Father:  Jonathan Wilkins
Mother:  Abigail Goodale

Siblings:
   Mary Wilkins, 1718
   Elizabeth Wilkins, 1721
   Mercy Wilkins, 1732

Married:  Susannah Berry on 9 October 1764 in Middleton, Massachusetts

Children:
   Hannah Wilkins, 1767
   Jonathan Wilkins, 1769
   Moses Wilkins, 1770 (one source says 1766)
   Susannah Wilkins, 1772
   Betty Wilkins, 1774 (some sources don't show her - maybe she died young)
   Abraham Wilkins, 1778

Jonathan's profession is listed as a cooper (barrel maker).

He volunteered for Revolutionary War service in April of 1775 and served as a private for eight months in Captain Archelaus Towne's company, part of Colonel Ebenezer Bridges' Massachusetts Regiment. In April of 1782, he entered the service again, this time as a mariner on board the U.S. frigate Hague with Captain John Manley. Jonathan was wounded when Admiral Rodney's British fleet attacked the Hague. He was discharged in May of 1783. In 1820, he was awarded a monthly pension of $8 because of a disability from the wound. He received a first payment for 46 months in arrears of $376.49.

County tax records and two deeds involving land transactions still exist.

Jonathan's petition for Revolutionary War service was made before a judge in Hillsburough County, New Hampshire, where he had moved by that time. His home is listed as Mount Vernon, Hillsburough, N.H. in the Revolutionary War petition records. It states that he was 72 years old in 1820 and was living alone at the time of the application. It also gives his birth date as 16 September 1748, which is different than the date in other sources.

Susannah Berry

Born:  14 February 1742 in Middleton, Essex County, Massachusetts
Died:  23 December 1778 in Middleton

Father: Ebenezer Berry
Mother: Phebe Curtis

Siblings:
   Samuel Berry, 1731
   Elizabeth Berry, 1738
   Ebenezer Berry, 1746
   William Berry, 1749

I can't find much of anything about Susannah, except I would guess that since she died five weeks after her son Abraham was born, it is pretty likely that she died from complications from child birth. I find no evidence of Jonathan remarrying, so eleven year old Hannah may have become Abraham's substitute mother figure.

James Jakeman (1806 - ?)

Third Great-grandfather.

Born:  21 or 24 September 1806 in Astwood Banks, Worcestershire, or Coughton, Warwickshire, England
Died:  October 1882 ? in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England

Father: Job Jakeman (born c. 1777 in Sanborn, Warwickshire, England)
Mother:  Elizabeth Jane Bradbury (born c. 1781 in Sanborn, Warwickshire, England)
  *** I have no more information about these families.

Siblings: ???

Married: Ann Field on 13 November 1833 in Beoley, Worcestershire, England

Children:
   Joseph Field, 1831 (illegitimate son of Ann Field and Joseph Such)
   Henry Jakeman, 1834
   Sarah Jakeman, 1836
   William Jakeman, 1838
   Elizabeth Jakeman, 1838 (William and Elizabeth were twins who died at birth.)
   Ellen or Eleanor Jakeman, 1839
   Susan Jakeman, 1842
   Mary Jakeman, 1845
   Edward Jakeman, 1848
   David Jakeman, 1851
   James Thomas Jakeman, 1852

* Joseph adopted his mother's maiden name and that was the name used by his children.

James Jakeman was a needle-maker, and the area where the family lived was the world center for needle-making.  For a look at the area, I recommend the short video on the Forge Mill Needle Museum web site. Redditch once produced 90% of the world's needles.

Ann Field (1810 - 1882)

Third Great-grandmother.

Born:  24 February 1810 in Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire, England
Died:  9 October 1882 in Beaver, Beaver County, Utah

Father: Edward Field
Mother: Susannah or Susan Turner

Siblings:
   Edward field, c. 1804
   William Field, c. 1806

The information I received from my mother said that Ann Field caused a big scandal when she decided to abandon her husband and sons Edward and David in England to go to Utah and live with other Mormons. It said that she was disowned by her family in England.

However, I have found a conflicting story on a couple of LDS websites that claimed that Ann was listed as a widow on the 1861 census in England before she immigrated to Utah. Is someone trying to clear her reputation? The problem with that is that Edward was about 13 and David about 10 when she left them. I doubt she was have left them without a father to care for them.

Mary and James Thomas traveled to the US with her on the ship Amazon.