Upper Level: George Godfrey 1707-1768 Mercy Knowles 1717-1758

Thursday, June 24, 2010

George Godfrey 1707-1768 Mercy Knowles 1717-1758

George Godfrey headstone

George Godfrey
Parents: Moses Godfrey and Deborah Cooke
Born abt 1707 Massachusetts
Married 1) Mercy Knowles 1 Nov 1733 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
2) Jane Collins 9 Nov 1758 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Died 4 Dec 1768 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Buried: Old Chatham Burial Ground
Sources
Book by Frederick Freeman, 1862: The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of the 10 Towns of Barnstable County, Volume 2, page 610
Note: the above book is available for free on Google Books
The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1972) Page 237
Mayflower Deeds and Probates page 305
Headstone: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46517150/george-godfrey
Family Search
ancestry.com

Mercy Knowles
Parents: Richard Knowles and Martha Cobb
Born 9 Aug 1717 Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Died 14 May 1758 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Buried: Old Chatham Burial Ground
Sources
Book: The History of Cape Cod: The Annals of the 13 Towns of Barnstable County and of ..., Volume 2, page 610
Memorial: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/142976743/mercy-godfrey
Family Search
ancestry.com

CHILDREN

*Richard Godfrey
Born 1735 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Married Lydia Doane 23 Dec 1756 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Children: Doane, Joseph, Molly, Richard, George, Polly, Lydia, Dorcas, James, Benjamin
Died 5 Oct 1825
Sources
Book: History of Chatham, Massachusetts by Smith, page 331,332
Hart Cemetery, Holden, Penobscot, Maine
Holden Vital Records
Book: History of Brewer, Orrington, Holden & Eddington by Thayer & Ames
Chatham, Massachusetts Vital Records
Eastham, Massachusetts Vital Records
North America, Family Histories
The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011, Vol 127
Family Search
ancestry.com
Knowles Godfrey
Born 1737 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Occupation: fisherman/seafaring man
Note: mentioned in Mayflower Deeds and Probates page 305
Married Jerusha Ryder 23 Oct 1760 Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Children: Knowles Jr, Mercy
Note: the two children survived the smallpox epidemic and were raised by their grandfather (George) and their uncle, Benjamin.
Died 19 Jan 1766 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Note: Knowles and his wife died in the small pox epidemic.
Sources
Birth year: The New England Historical and Genealogical Register Vol 127
Mayflower Birth and Deaths Vol. 1 & 2
For more about the epidemic:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1775%E2%80%9382_North_American_smallpox_epidemic
Family Search
ancestry.com
Mercy Godfrey
Born 1740 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Married George Bearse  12 July 1762 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts, USA
Children: Lucy, Mercy, Hannah, Moses, Elizabeth, David

Marriage record of Mercy Godfrey and George Bearse (his surname is spelled many ways)

Died
Buried
Sources
The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 page 41 Volume 127
NOTE: lists her name as MERCY not Mary
Family Search
ancestry.com
Benjamin Godfrey
Born 1742 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Military: French and Indian Wars in 1760.
Occupation: Merchant, trader in Liverpool, Nova Scotia, where he owned shares in
cargoes shipped in and out of port. He was Rate Collector for Queens County in 1780.
Married Bethiah Atwood 2 Aug 1762 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Note: Marriage intentions were published on 27 July 1762
Children: Lucy, Joseph, Elizabeth, Matthew, Deborah, Ruth, Gideon, Hannah, Frances, John, Benjamin
Migration: to Canada arriving in Nova Scotia in 1790
Died: 26 March 1805 Liverpool, Queens, Nova Scotia, Canada
Sources
Marriage to Bethiah: Massachusetts Vital Town and Vital Records
US and Canada Passenger and Immigration Lists by Leonard H Smith Jr and Norma H Smith, Nova Scotia Immigrants to 1867, Vol. 2, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1994. page 274
Occupation: Family Search
ancestry.com
George Godfrey
Born 1745 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Married Rebecca Howes 15 Apr 1766 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Children: Molly, David
Died 24 May 1769 Massachusetts
Sources
Family Search
ancestry.com
James Godfrey
Born 1747 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sources
The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 page 42 Volume 127
Family Search
ancestry.com
Martha Godfrey
Born 1748 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Two possible marriages - the first to Joshua Howes in 1771, the second to Barzallai Hopkins
IF she is the woman that married both men, she died in 1821 in Maine
Sources
Birth year: The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 page 42 Volume 127
Family Search
ancestry.com
Sarah Godfrey
Born 1750 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Married Jonathan Nickerson 3 Nov 1772 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sources
Birth: The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 page 41 Volume 127
Jonathan's birth: American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) Volume 125 page 174 Heads of families. at the first U.S. census. Ms. By U.S. Bureau of the Census. Washington, 1908. (363 p.):18
Family Search
ancestry.com
Jonathan Godfrey
Born 1755 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sources
Birth: The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011 page 41 Volume 127
Family Search
ancestry.com
Molly Godfrey
Born 1757 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Married Simon Ryder 2 Oct 1776 Chatham, Barnstable, Massachusetts
Sources
Family Search
ancestry.com

No comments:

From a Funeral Program

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little - but not for too long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that we once shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey that we all must take

And each must go alone

It's all part of the Master's plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the hills we know

And bury your sorrow among the trees

Miss me, but let me go.

The Line

Every minute someone leaves this world behind.
We are all in “the line” without knowing it.
We never know how many people are before us.
We can not move to the back of the line.
We can not step out of the line.
We can not avoid the line.

So while we wait in line -

Make moments count.
Make priorities.
Make the time.
Make your gifts known.
Make a nobody feel like a somebody.
Make your voice heard.
Make the small things big.
Make someone smile.
Make the change.
Make love.
Make up.
Make peace.
Make sure to tell your people they are loved.
Make sure to have no regrets.
Make sure you are ready.

I'm My Own Grandpa

Many, many years ago when I was 23,
I got married to a widow
who was as pretty as could be.
She had a grown up daughter
who had a hair of red.
My father fell in love with her
and soon the two were wed.
This made my dad my son-in-law
And changed my very life.
My daughter was my mother,
for she was my father's wife.
To complicate the matters worse,
although it brought me joy,
I soon became the father
of a bouncing baby boy.
My little baby then became a brother -in-law to dad
and so became my uncle though it made me very sad.
For if he was my uncle,
then that also made him brother to the widow's grown-up- daughter,
who of course, was my stepmother.
Father's wife then had a son,
who kept them on the run.
And he became my grandson, for he was my daughter's son.
My wife is now my mother's mother
and it makes me blue.
Because, although she is my wife,
she's my grandma too.
If my wife is my grandmother,
then I am her grandchild.
and every time I think of it,
it simply makes me wild.
For now I have become the strangest case you ever saw.
As the husband of my grandmother,
I am my own grandpa!

Quotes from the Prophets

President Gordon B Hinckley: "It is good to look to the past to gain appreciation for the present and perspective for the future. It is good to look upon the virtues of those who have gone before, to gain strength for whatever lies ahead. It is good to reflect upon the work of those who labored so hard and gained so little in this world, but out of whose dreams and early plans so well nurtured, has come a great harvest of which we are the beneficiaries. Their tremendous example can become a compelling motivation for us all, for each of us is a pioneer in his own life."

President Spencer W Kimball: "I hope to see us dissolve the artificial boundary line we so often place between missionary work and temple and genealogical work, because it is the same great redemptive work!"

President Joseph Fielding Smith: " The responsibility on behalf of our kindred dead rests with equal force on all, according to our individual ability and opportunities...the greatest and grandest duty of all is to labor for the dead."

The Passing of the Pot (Chamber Pot)

As far back in childhood
As memory may go
One household vessel greets me
That wasn't made for show
Beneath the bed twas anchored
Where only few could see
But served the entire family
With equal privacy
Some called the critter Peggy
And some the thundermug
And others called it badger
A few called it jug
To bring it in at evening
Was bad enough no doubt
But heaven help the person
Who had to take it out
Our big one was enormous
And would accomodate
A watermelon party
Composed of six or eight
When nights were dark and rainy
It was a useful urn
On icy winter mornings
The cold rim seemed to burn
At times when things were rushing
And business extra good
Each took his turn a waiting
Or did the best he could
Sometimes when in a hurry
To our disgust and shame
We fumbled in the darkness
And slightly missed our aim
The special one for company
Was decorated well
But just the same it rendered
That old familiar smell
Today this modernism
Relieves me a lot
And only in my vision
I see that homely pot.
(author unknown)

Poem about ancestors

Though steep is the path I follow today,
The footprints of time will show me the way.
For many have traveled a smiliar road,
And carried an equal of heavier load.

No troubles I face are new to this earth,
That man has not faced from time of his birth.
The route has been charted and roads have been paved
By legions before me who were stalwart and brave.

Their steps never faltered nor courage grew dim,
For they trusted the Lord and let Him led them.
If my faith and my trust remain steadfast and true,
God will guide and protect me in all that I do.
- Dolores Karides

The Elusive Ancestor

I went searching for an ancestor.
I cannot find him still.
He moved around from place to place
and did not leave a will.
He married where a courthouse burned.
He mended all his fences.
He avoided any man who came to
take the US census

He always kept his luggage packed,
This man who had no fame,
and every 20 years or so,
This rascal changed his name.
No one else inthis world is
searching for this elusive man,
so I play "Gene-solitaire"
To find him, if I can!

I'm told he's buried in a plot,
with tombstone he was blessed;
but the weather took engravings,
and some vandals took the rest.
He died before the county clerks
were appointed to keep records
No family Bible has emerged -
In spite of all my efforts.

To top it off, this elusive ancestor
who has caused me many groans -
left me even one more challenge:
He brothed a lady,
by the name of "Jones"!
(Got this from a publication
put out by the DUP organization
that names the author: Merrell Kenworthy)

Poem: Heaven's Door

If I should go before you,

If life on earth were through;

I'll stop just inside Heaven's door,

and there I'll wait for you.

You've but to look 'cross star filled skies,

Past the moon and then beyond;

To know my leaving could never break,

This heart's undying bond.

And if you should go before me,

If your journey on earth were through;

You know I will be close behind,

I'll never be far from you.

Across the span of time and space,

This love will reach this far;

For you'll always carry a bit of my heart,

No matter where you are.

Allison Chambers Coxsey©1995 ~ All Rights Reserved

Which Shall It Be? by Adelaide Proctor

Which shall it be?

"Which shall it be? Which shall it be?
I looked at John and John looked at me,
And when I found that I must speak,
My voice seemed strangely low and weak:
˜Tell me again what Robert said,"
And then I, listening, bent my head.
This is his letter:˜I will give
A house and land while you shall live,
If, in return, from out your seven,
One child to me for aye is given."

I looked at John's old garments worn;
I thought of all that he had borne
Of poverty, and work, and care,
Which I, though willing, could not share;
I thought of seven young mouths to feed,
Of seven little children's need,
And then of this.

˜Come, John,said I,
We'll choose among them as they lie
Asleep. So, walking hand in hand,
Dear John and I surveyed our band:
First to the cradle lightly stepped,
Where Lilian, the baby, slept.
Softly the father stooped to lay
His rough hand down in a loving way,
When dream or whisper made her stir,
And huskily he said: ˜Not her!"

We stooped beside the trundle bed,
And one long ray of twilight shed
Athwart the boyish faces there,
In sleep so beautiful and fair;
I saw on James rough, red cheek
A tear undried. E'er John could speak,
He's but a baby, too," said I,
And kissed him as we hurried by.

Pale, patient, Robbie's angel face
Still in his sleep bore suffering's trace.
˜No, for a thousand crowns, not him!"
He whispered, while our eyes were dim.
Poor Dick! bad Dick! our wayward son”
Turbulent, restless, idle one”
Could he be spared?
Nay, He who gave
Bade us befriend him to the grave;
Only a mother's heart could be
Patient enough for such as he;
˜And so," said John, ˜I would not dare
To take him from her bedside prayer."

Then stole we softly up above,
And knelt by Mary, child of love;
˜Perhaps for her ˜twould better be,"
I said to John. Quite silently
He lifted up a curl that lay
Across her cheek in a wilful way,
And shook his head: ˜Nay, love, not thee,
The while my heart beat audibly.

Only one more, our eldest lad,
Trusty and truthful, good and glad,
So like his father. ˜No, John, no!
I cannot, will not, let him go."

And so we wrote, in courteous way,
We could not give one child away;
And afterward toil lighter seemed,
Thinking of that of which we dreamed,
Happy in truth that not one face
Was missed from its accustomed place;
Thankful to work for all the seven,
Trusting the rest to One in heaven."

Thursday, June 24, 2010

George Godfrey 1707-1768 Mercy Knowles 1717-1758

No comments:

Post a Comment