Dumbleton, John
John DUMBLETON (1620 - 1702) and Mercy (? - 1704)
my 9g-grandparents
John DUMBLETON first appeared in Windsor, CT in 1639-40, a single man of about 20. He was an indentured servant of Mr. William WHITING, of Hartford. His wife was Mercy, possibly Mercy MARSHFIELD, daughter of Thomas MARSHFIELD, also of Windsor.
John and Mercy were probably married in Windsor, and perhaps their first child was born there, but by 1650 they were in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the rest of their 11 children were born in Springfield. John died on 27 Jul 1702 and Mercy died on 4 Jul 1704, both in Springfield. So John must have sided with Springfield in its disputes with Hartford.
Some of the public member trees on Ancestry have filled in the parents and grandparents of John and Mercy. I am working on verifying the details.
Signature of John DUMBLETON [HMB, Vol. II, p. 31]
Windsor, Colony of Connecticut
The Connecticut River was explored by the Dutch, as early as 1614, but they made no permanent settlements, with the possible exception of a trading post in 1633, at the present location of Hartford. The English settlers in Boston and Cambridge began to consider this area in the early 1630s, first coming to Windsor in 1633, Wethersfield in 1634, Hartford and Springfield in 1636. The Colony of Connecticut was formed in 1636, consisting of these 3 initial settlements. The Saybrook Colony, established in 1635, merged with Connecticut in 1644. The New Haven Colony, established in 1637, merged with Connecticut in 1664. Springfield left Connecticut and became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1640.
1755 map shows the Connecticut River from Hartford, CT to Springfield, MA. [source] For scale, Springfield is about 15 miles N of Windsor, which is 5 miles N of Hartford, which is 5 miles N of Wethersfield.
In Windsor, the Little Meadow and surrounding area, including the "stone house" of Roger LUDLOW, was "drowned very deep" in the Great Flood of 1639. The hill to the south of the Roger LUDLOW property was called the Island, because the surrounding area was often flooded. The road next to Little Meadow was called Island road. [HRS, Vol. 1, p. 141]
John was working on the farmland in Windsor that William WHITING, of Hartford, had purchased from Mr. Roger LUDLOW. This farm was on the south side of Windsor, on the southwest side of the Rivulet, later called Farmington River. This was very near the property of Thomas MARSHFIELD, lending credence to the claim that John's wife Mercy was actually Mercy MARSHFIELD, daughter of Thomas.
William WHITING was said to be the wealthiest of the early settlers in Hartford. He immigrated to New England in 1630 with two brothers, and was in Hartford/Windsor in 1632-3, along with the first English in the area. Their father was John WHITING, Mayor of Boston, Lincolnshire, England. William was born in Deptford, Kent, England, about 1602, and died in Hartford, 1647. [G, p. 107]
Many young people in England, who wished to emigrate to America, but lacked the money, agreed to a period of indenture, usually 7 years, in exchange for their travel expense. John DUMBLETON worked for William WHITING in Windsor for 5 years, implying that he had already served 2 years.
John Dumbleton's indenture, from The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor [HRS]
Servants were employed whose services had been secured for a given time before they left England, frequently for a specified time, to the party who paid their outfit and passage to New England. Their services were transferable. These servants of the Plymouth House were here now more than four years from the first settlement, and must have been employed in cultivating the land and caring for the cattle, — as we can think of no other employment for them.
John Dumbleton was a servant of Mr. Wm. Whiting of Hartford. He tells us in an affidavit, made in 1684, that he worked for his "master" on the Ludlow lot in Windsor, "as a servant," until his seven years' term of service expired in 1644; then he cultivated the land "to halves" for four years; "and after I paid £20 a year." He appears to have been but nineteen years old when his service began. These servants were sometimes sent over as an investment or business venture, by parties in England. Letchford's Notes (p. 372), gives the "accounting" of Barnabas Davis, an agent sent over by Mr. Woodcock, to look after his investments in Windsor, and elsewhere, in which appears the following: "Touching the two servants, they cost, between us, £22 10s. I had for one of them, from Mr. Long, an house valued at £20. The other servant, being married, having a wife and three children, hath been a burden to me and no profit, so I am to allow Mr. Woodcock half the value of the house aforesaid, £10.
Prince's Chronology says, "The company, who came to Salem with Gov. Endicott, 1629, brought 180 servants at an expense of £16 10s. each (£3,000). The fatality was so great the first year and provisions so scarce, that the servants that survived were given their liberty that they might shift for themselves."— Trumbull's Hist. Conn., i. 9. Of the 27 deaths among the Windsor people before May 10, 1638-8, eight were servants. — Old Ch. Rec. [HRS, Vol. 1, p. 40]
DUMBLETON, John, 1640, a servant of Mr. Whiting, of Hartford (whom he seems to have served 2 yrs. before coming to N. E.), who worked the lands bo't of Mr. Ludlow, 5 yrs. until his term of service expired, after which he worked the land on shares ("to halves") for four years, "and after I paid £20 a year." He was 20 yrs. old when he came to W. and says "there was little improvement on the land when I came upon it [prob. 1639] but I plowed and brake up considerable quantity of it." This information appears in his affidavit in the case of Whiting's Sons vs. John Bissell, to recover the land under the plea of defective title. After D. left it, it was sold to Miles Murwin, who found it "too hard" for him and was released. We find no mention of Dumbleton while he was here; in 1676 and 1684, he was res. in Springfield. Did he occupy Roger Ludlow's "stone house" mentioned in Whiting's deed? [HRS, Vol. 1, p. 155]
Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony
Springfield was first settled by the English in 1636, originally called Agawam Plantation, as the northernmost village in the Connecticut Colony. Unlike Windsor, Wethersfield and Hartford, it was situated on the east side of the Connecticut River, making it safer from Indian attacks. It was still very much on the frontier in 1640, when a famine struck. An argument over a purchase of grain from the Indians caused a discord which changed the relationship between the settlers in Springfield and Hartford, with Windsor lying between the two. As a result, Springfield, although physically and ideologically closer to the settlements down river in Connecticut, was politically aligned with and became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, with its theocratic headquarters in Boston.
Springfield was in Hampshire County, formed in 1662, and was in the southern part of Hampshire, that became Hampden County, MA in 1812. Please see my page on Springfield for more information.
John and Mercy DUMBLETON, coming from Windsor, were married and living in Springfield by 1650. [HMB, Vol. I, p. 43] In 1655 and several years after, he was a Selectman for Springfield. He served several terms as fence viewer and appraiser of livestock, and in 1662 he was surveyor of highways. Several times he was commissioned to make a "pound," or enclosure for livestock. A poor man with no family connections became a landowner and leading citizen—something which would have been nearly impossible in old England!
When John and Mercy came to Springfield in 1650, they joined a community of less than 80 families. In [HMB, Vol. I, pp. 39-44] we have a list of earliest settlers and their arrival dates, including 101 by 1650. These were heads of household, including several who didn't remain in Springfield very long.
John DUMBLETON's home-lot on the north side of Springfield, MA. Cropped from the map of the "Home Lots, Wet Meadow, Wood Lots and Planting Grounds of Some of the First Settlers of Springfield". [HMB, Vol. I, p. 1]
John DUMBLETON acquired or was granted several small properties in Springfield, including a home lot on the north side, between Main Street and the Connecticut River. This lot was 10 rods (165 feet) by 50 rods (825 feet), which amounts to 3⅛ acres.
Dated the l0the of February 1652
There is granted vnto John Dumbleton by reason his other lot proved barren that he cannot subsist on 14 ackers next to John Lambe at Chickepey provided in case hee remove the towne within five yeers hee shall resigne it up agayne in to the towns hand the sayd 14 ackers pvided the towne give him for the charge hee hath bin in breaking of it up as two indifferent men shall judge. [HMB, Vol. I, p. 226]
Descendants of John and Mercy
John and Mary had about 11 children, all born in Springfield, except possibly the first 1 or 2. The most complete source of information on the family is the 3-page chapter in [DLJ, pp. 521-4] which I consider to be very authoritative. Many records are also found in both volumes of [HMB].
1 John DUMBLETON b: abt. 1620 in England, d: 27 Jul 1702 in Springfield, age 82
+ Mercy m: abt. 1647 in Windsor, Hartford, CT, d: 04 Jul 1704 in Springfield
......2 Mary DUMBLETON b: abt. 1649 in Windsor, d: 03 Feb 1675/76 in Springfield, age 25
...... + Joseph BODURTHA b: 15 Jan 1649 in Springfield, m: 30 Jan 1671/72 in Springfield, d: aft. 1707, age 58+
......2 John DUMBLETON b: 02 Jan 1650/51 in Springfield, d: 27 Oct 1675, age 25; killed by Indians
...... + Lydia LEONARD b: 20 Oct 1650 in Springfield, m: 18 Mar 1675, d: 18 Mar 1683, age 32; drowned
......2 Mercy DUMBLETON b: 01 Mar 1652/53 in Springfield, d: 06 Jun 1689 in Springfield, age 36
...... + Samuel BODURTHA b: 01 Oct 1651, m: 28 Apr 1681, d: 14 Sep 1728, age 76
......2 Sarah DUMBLETON b: 05 Jan 1654/55 in Springfield, d: 03 Jan 1693/94 in Westfield, Hampden, MA, age 38
...... + Thomas ROOTE b: 1648 in Farmington, CT, m: 25 Jan 1692, d: 16 Aug 1709 in Westfield, MA, age 61
...... + Josiah LEONARD b: 28 Mar 1658 in Springfield, m: 19 Dec 1678 in Springfield, d: 15 Feb 1688/89 in Springfield, age 30
......2 Samuel DUMBLETON b: 12 May 1657 in Springfield, d: 10 Jun 1657 in Springfield, age 4 weeks
......2 Samuel DUMBLETON b: 15 May 1658 in Springfield, died young
......2 Lydia DUMBLETON b: 16 Apr 1661 in Springfield, d: 31 Jan 1739 in Springfield, age 77
...... + Jonathan BURT b: 12 Sep 1654 in Springfield, m: 08 Dec 1681 in Springfield, d: 19 Jun 1707 in Longmeadow, MA, age 52
...... + Daniel COOLEY b: 02 May 1651 in Springfield, m: 17 Jun 1709 in Springfield, d: 09 Feb 1727 in Springfield, age 75
......2 Elizabeth DUMBLETON b: 1663 in Springfield, d: 03 Nov 1692, age 29
...... + Nathaniel BURT b: 18 Jan 1663 in Longmeadow, MA, m: 21 Jan 1691 in Springfield, d: 19 Jul 1749, age 27
......2 Nathaniel DUMBLETON b: 10 Jun 1664 in Springfield, d: 13 Feb 1737 in Springfield, age 72
...... + Hannah ALLEN b: Abt. 1675 in Northampton, MA, m: 29 Dec 1696 in Northampton, Hampshire, MA, d: Abt. 1745, age 70
......2 Rebecca DUMBLETON b: 04 Oct 1667 in Springfield, d: 16 Feb 1693/94 in Springfield, age 27
...... + Joseph LEONARD b: 20 May 1644 in Springfield, m: 02 Mar 1692/93, d: 09 Aug 1716 in Springfield, age 72
......2 Hannah DUMBLETON b: 1670 in Springfield, d: 25 Oct 1737 in Springfield
...... + Thomas MERRICK b: 02 Jan 1663/64 in Springfield, m: 18 Dec 1690 in Springfield, d: 16 Aug 1743 in Springfield
1. Mary DUMBLETON was born about 1649 in Springfield, MA or Windsor, CT, and died on 3 Feb 1675/76 in Springfield, at age 25. She married on 30 Jan 1671/72 in Springfield, to Joseph BODURTHA/BEDORTHA, born 15 Jan 1649 in Springfield, died after 1707.
Mary's birth date and place are uncertain. She may or may not have been the first born. The family moved from Windsor to Springfield in 1650, according to Springfield records. [HMB, Vol. I, p. 43] However, [HMB, Vol. II, p. 562] doesn't give a birth date for Mary. In [DLJ, p. 522] her birth is about 1649, in Springfield. The Millennium File says Mary was born 1648 in Springfield. The American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) says 1650 in MA. No birth or baptism records from Springfield or Windsor are found.
Joseph was a son of Reice BODURTHA and Blanche LEWIS. The name is spelled BEDORTHA about half the time, and descendants have used both spellings. [BF]
Mary and Joseph were both about 22 when they married. Mary died a little over a year later, giving birth to her son, John Jr.
Joseph BODURTHA married (2) on 2 Oct 1678 to Lydia (LEONARD) DUMBLETON, widow of Mary's brother, John DUMBLETON. Lydia was born 20 Oct 1650 in Springfield, and drowned in Springfield on 18 Mar 1683, at age 32. She left 2 children.
Joseph lost his wife, his father, and his younger brother John, as their canoe capsized when they were returning from church services, across the Connecticut River, on 18 Mar 1683. [BF, p. 9] The following year, Joseph's first two children died.
Joseph married (3) on 24 Jul 1684 to Hannah MARSHFIELD, daughter of Samuel and Catherine MARSHFIELD. They had 7 children.
With his 3 wives, Joseph had 10 children. Only 1 is known to have lived past age 44. Of these, 2 died in infancy, 2 more in childhood, 1 son died at 21, 1 son died at 33, and 4 daughters married SMITHs. (I'm still working on how all these SMITHs are related.)
1 Joseph BODURTHA b: 15 Jan 1649 in Springfield, d: Bet. 1707–1723, age 58+
+ Mary DUMBLETON b: Abt. 1649 in Springfield, m: 30 Jan 1671/72 in Springfield, d: 3 Feb 1675/76 in Springfield, age 26
......2 John BODURTHA b: 3 Feb 1675/76 in Springfield, d: 24 Nov 1684 in Springfield, age 8
+ Lydia LEONARD b: 20 Oct 1650 in Springfield, m: 02 Oct 1678 in Springfield, d: 18 Mar 1683 in Springfield, age 32; drowned
......2 Mary BODURTHA b: 04 Sep 1679 in Springfield, d: 27 May 1684 in Springfield, age 4
......2 Sarah BODURTHA b: 18 Oct 1681 in Springfield, d: 08 May 1766 in West Springfield, age 84
...... + Samuel ELY b: 09 May 1668 in West Springfield, m: 07 Dec 1704, d: 23 Aug 1732 in West Springfield, age 64
+ Hannah MARSHFIELD b: 20 May 1661 in Springfield, m: 24 Jul 1684, d: 10 Nov 1711 in Springfield, age 50
......2 Hannah BODURTHA b: 04 Nov 1685 in Springfield
...... + Jonathan SMITH b: bef. 24 Mar 1678 in Woodbury, CT, m: 30 Jun 1708 in Farmington, Hartford, CT
......2 Joseph BODURTHA b: 12 Dec 1686 in Springfield, d: May 1708, age 21
......2 Mary BODURTHA b: 19 Sep 1691 in Springfield, d: 26 Feb 1715/16 in Springfield, age 24
...... + Benjamin SMITH b: 1691 in MA, m: 08 Jan 1712/13 in Springfield
......2 Esther BODURTHA b: 30 Dec 1693 in Springfield, d: 13 Feb 1693/94 in Springfield, age 5 weeks
......2 Desire BODURTHA b: 20 Jun 1696 in Springfield
...... + Samuel SMITH b: 24 Aug 1689 in Westfield, Hampden, MA, m: 11 Apr 1723 in Springfield, d: 1 Jul 1724 in Springfield, age 34
......2 Deacon John BODURTHA b: 15 Dec 1698 in Springfield, d: 1732 in Springfield, age 33; smallpox
...... + Ruth LEE b: 01 Apr 1697 in Westfield, MA, m: 27 Nov 1717, d: 08 Sep 1758, age 61
......2 Jacob BODURTHA b: 16 Mar 1702 in Springfield, d: 23 Mar 1702 in Springfield, age 7 days
......2 Martha BODURTHA b: 15 Jul 1703 in Springfield, d: 01 Apr 1748, age 44
...... + Job SMITH b: 29 Dec 1700 in Westfield, Hampden, MA, m: 1729, d: 23 Aug 1786 in West Springfield, age 85
2. John DUMBLETON was born on 2 Jan 1650/51 in Springfield, and died 27 Oct 1675, at age 25. He was killed in King Philip's War. He married on 18 Mar 1675 to Lydia LEONARD, born 20 Oct 1650 in Springfield, died 18 Mar 1683, age 32. She drowned in the Connecticut River, along with her husband's brother and father, on their way back from church services.
As mentioned above, the birth dates and places of John and his sister Mary are uncertain. We know that the family moved from Windsor, CT to Springfield, MA in 1650, from records in both places. The distance is only about 15 miles, so there may have been some travel back and forth. In [DLJ, p. 522] we are told that all the children were born in Springfield, with Mary about 1649 and John on 2 Jan 1650/51. The Millennium File has John born 2 Jan 1650 in Springfield. A marriage record for John and Lydia says John was born in 1650 in MA. I think [DLJ] has it right.
King Philip's War began in June 1675. The leader of a coalition of warriors from neighboring Indian tribes was known as King Philip. Once a friend of the English, he had become increasingly hostile, and was intent on the annihilation of the settlements. Springfield was attacked by a force of about 600 warriors, on 5 Oct 1675, and was nearly burned to the ground. For the next several months,, in what has been called the Siege of Springfield, the survivors faced sporadic attacks by marauding groups. On 27 Oct 1675, John DUMBLETON was with a small party that went to Westfield, where they were attacked by Indians. John and two young men were killed. Accounts of the exact events vary.
The winter was passed in a state of practical imprisonment for fear of skulking Indians. Mr. Pynchon visited Westfield, where the mills were, with Goodman Dumbleton and two young men, and three men were killed by Indians. Mr. Pynchon attended the May General Court, and was chairman of a committee to consult with Captain Mosely as to the military situation. [MAG, p. 172]
Rev. Edward Taylor, the minister at that place says in his records, "Our soil was moistened by the blood of three Springfield men—young Goodman Dumbleton, and two sons of Goodman Brooks, who came here to look for iron ore on land bought of John Pynchon, who accompanied them, but they fell in the way by the first assault of the enemy." [WMH, Vol. I, pp. 57-8]
During the winter, which, providentially, was exceptionally mild, Westfield was twice attacked by marauding bands; first, soon after the affair at Northampton, when Mr. Granger, a planter, was wounded, and the dwelling of Mr. Cornish and the house and barns of John Sacket were burned, with their contents. About the same time three young men of Springfield, one a son of Mr. Gumbleton and the others sons of Mr. Brooks, went out to examine some iron ore lands owned by Mr. Pynchon, and were killed. In this manner depredations were continued all through the winter, and the people of Springfield were almost daily alarmed by the reports of Indians in the vicinity. They had thought to abandon the settlement, but were strictly enjoined not to do so by an order of the general court. [AMC, Vol. I, p. 52]
As the Indians had destroyed the town’s grist-mill it was necessary to carry grain ten miles to Westfield for grinding. Hence, three weeks later, on October 27, 1675, tragedy came again to those harassed people. The diary of the Rev. Edward Taylor of Westfield relates that “our soil was moistened by the blood of three Spring field men, young Goodman (John) Dumbleton, who came to our mill and two sons of Goodman Brooks (John, aged eighteen and William, aged twenty) who came here to look after some iron ore on the land he had lately bought of Mr. John Pynchon, who, being persuaded by Springfield folk, went to accompany them but fell in the way by the first assault of the enemy”. [HAW, p. 269]
John and Lydia had 1 child, Mary, still an infant when John was killed. After 3 years Lydia remarried, to Joseph BODURTHA, widower of Mary DUMBLETON, John's sister (above).
1 Lydia LEONARD b: 20 Oct 1650 in Springfield, d: 18 Mar 1683 in Springfield; drowned
+ John DUMBLETON b: 02 Jan 1650 in Springfield, m: 18 Mar 1675, d: 27 Oct 1675 ; killed by Indians in King Philip's War
......2 Mary DUMBLETON b: abt. 1675, d: 17 May 1759 in Springfield
...... + Samuel DAY b: 20 May 1671 in Springfield, m: 22 Jul 1697 in Springfield, d: 19 Oct 1729 in Springfield
+ Joseph BODURTHA b: 15 Jan 1649 in Springfield, m: 02 Oct 1678 in Springfield, d: Bet. 1707–1723
......2 Mary BODURTHA b: 04 Sep 1679 in Springfield, d: 27 May 1684 in Springfield
......2 Sarah BODURTHA b: 18 Oct 1681 in Springfield, d: 08 May 1766 in West Springfield
...... + Samuel ELY b: 09 May 1668 in West Springfield, m: 07 Dec 1704, d: 23 Aug 1732 in West Springfield
3. Mercy DUMBLETON was born on 1 Mar 1652/53 in Springfield, and died 6 Jun 1689 in Springfield, age 36. He married on 28 Apr 1681 to Samuel BODURTHA, born 1 Oct 1651, died 14 Sep 1728, age 76. They had 5 children, of whom 3 died in infancy, 1 died at age 17, and Samuel Jr lived to age 75..
Samuel was the brother of Joseph BODURTHA, who married Mercy's brother's widow (above). The parents of Samuel and Joseph were Reice BODURTHA and Blanche LEWIS.
Samuel married (2) on 30 Jul 1691 to Mary REMINGTON, who died 27 Sep 1747 in Springfield. Mary's parents were Thomas REMINGTON and Mehitable WALKER. Mary was the widow of Abel LEONARD, brother of Lydia LEONARD.
1 Samuel BODURTHA b: 01 Oct 1651, d: 14 Sep 1728, age 76
+ Mercy DUMBLETON b: 01 Mar 1652/53 in Springfield, m: 28 Apr 1681, d: 06 Jun 1689 in Springfield, age 36
......2 Samuel BODURTHA b: 27 Feb 1682 in Springfield, d: 4 Jun 1757 in West Springfield, MA, age 75
......2 Mercy BODURTHA b: 16 Mar 1683, d: 17 Mar 1683, age 1 day
......2 Lydia BODURTHA b: 29 Jan 1685, d: 04 Feb 1685, age 6 days
......2 John BODURTHA b: 08 Aug 1687, d: 30 Aug 1704, age 17
......2 Mary BODURTHA b: 07 Jan 1689, d: 01 Sep 1689, age 7 months
+ Mary REMINGTON m: 30 Jul 1691, d: 27 Sep 1747 in Springfield
4. Sarah DUMBLETON was born 5 Jan 1654/55 in Springfield, and died 03 Jan 1693/94 in Westfield, Hampden, MA, age 38. She married (1) on 19 Dec 1678 in Springfield, to Josiah LEONARD, born 28 Mar 1658 in Springfield, died 15 Feb 1688/89 in Springfield, age 30. Sarah was 24 and Josiah was 20 when they married. They had 3 children, in Springfield. Josiah LEONARD was the son of John LEONARD and Sarah HEALD.
Josiah LEONARD and Sarah DUMBLETON were my 8g-grandparents. See the Josiah LEONARD page.
Sarah married (2) on 25 Jan 1692 to Thomas ROOTE, born about 1648 in Farmington, CT, died 16 Aug 1709 in Westfield, MA, age 61. Sarah was 37 and Thomas was about 43 when they married. Sarah had 3 children and Thomas had 6 from previous marriages. Thomas had lived in Westfield, about 8 miles west of Springfield, since 1670, and it looks like Sarah and her 3 children moved to live with him in Westfield. She was married to Thomas less than 2 years when she died, 52 days after giving birth to twin girls.
Thomas ROOTE/ROOT and his 2nd wife, Mary SPENCER, were my 8g-grandparents. Sarah was his 3rd wife, and they had a pair of twin daughters on 12 Nov 1693, in Westfield. See the Thomas ROOTE page.
1 Sarah DUMBLETON b: 05 Jan 1654/55 in Springfield, d: 03 Jan 1693/94 in Westfield, MA
+ Josiah LEONARD b: 28 Mar 1658 in Springfield, m: 19 Dec 1678 in Springfield, d: 15 Feb 1688/89 in Springfield
......2 Josiah LEONARD b: 21 Oct 1680 in Springfield, d: 14 Feb 1748/49 in Springfield
...... + Ruth ALLEN b: 05 Jan 1679/80 in Northampton, MA, m: 16 Dec 1702 in Northampton, MA, d: Bet. 1748–1766 in Springfield
......2 Sarah LEONARD b: 16 Sep 1682 in Springfield, d: 24 Apr 1702
...... + Joshua POMEROY b: 24 Sep 1675 in Deerfield, Essex, MA, m: 01 May 1700 in Deerfield, MA, d: 1714
......2 Mary LEONARD b: 12 Mar 1686/87 in Springfield, d: 03 May 1766 in Westfield, MA [my 7g-grandmother]
...... + John ROOT b: 25 Dec 1676 in Westfield, MA, m: 14 Apr 1703, d: 01 Oct 1744 [my 7g-grandfather]
+ Thomas ROOTE b: 1648 in Farmington, CT, m: 25 Jan 1692 in Springfield, d: 16 Aug 1709 in Westfield, MA
......2 Thankful ROOT b: 12 Nov 1693 in Westfield, MA
...... + John PARSONS b: 23 Jul 1693 in CT, m: 20 Jun 1716, d: 07 Feb 1773 in Enfield, Hartford, CT
......2 Mercy ROOT b: 12 Nov 1693 in Westfield, MA, d: ; died young
The mortality rate was high, and widows/widowers with children were anxious to remarry. As a result, it was not uncommon to have several spouses. Thomas ROOTE had 3 wives, including 2 of my 8g-grandmothers, Mary SPENCER and Sarah DUMBLETON. In other words, Mary LEONARD married her stepfather's son, John ROOT. Mary and John were 5 and 15 when their parents married, so they probably lived in the same household for some time. My 6g-grandfather, Elisha ROOT, had an interesting family story to tell.
5. Samuel DUMBLETON was born 12 May 1657 in Springfield, died 10 Jun 1657 in Springfield, age 4 weeks.
6. Samuel DUMBLETON was born 15 May 1658 in Springfield, probably died young.
7. Lydia DUMBLETON was born 16 Apr 1661 in Springfield, died 31 Jan 1739 in Springfield, age 77. She married (1) on 8 Dec 1681 in Springfield, to Lieut. Jonathan BURT Jr, born 12 Sep 1654 in Springfield, died 19 Jun 1707 in Longmeadow, MA, age 52. Lydia was 20 and Jonathan was 27 when they married. They had 6 children, in Springfield.
Jonathan BURT Jr was the son of Jonathan BURT Sr and Elizabeth LOBDELL, and Jonathan BURT Sr was a son of Henry BURT and Eulalia. So Jonathan Jr and Nathaniel Jr were 1st cousins, who married sisters Lydia and Elizabeth DUMBLETON.
Lydia married (2) on 17 Jun 1709 in Springfield, to Daniel COOLEY, born 2 May 1651 in Springfield, died 9 Feb 1727 in Springfield, age 75. She was 48 and he was 58 when they married. They lived in Springfield, and had no children together. Lydia outlived both of her husbands.
1 Lydia DUMBLETON b: 16 Apr 1661 in Springfield, d: 31 Jan 1739 in Springfield, age 77
+ Lieut. Jonathan BURT Jr b: 12 Sep 1654 in Springfield, m: 08 Dec 1681 in Springfield, d: 19 Jun 1707 in Longmeadow, age 52
......2 Jonathan BURT b: 25 Mar 1683 in Springfield, d: 11 Jan 1684 in Springfield, age 9 months
......2 Lydia BURT b: 09 Mar 1686/87 in Longmeadow, d: 14 Dec 1767 in Longmeadow, age 80
...... + Jonathan ELY b: 21 Jan 1683, m: 19 Feb 1708 in Springfield, d: 27 Jul 1753 in Longmeadow, age 70
......2 David BURT b: 30 Jan 1689 in Springfield, d: 29 Jun 1786 in MA, age 97
...... + Jerusha COLTON b: 22 Feb 1711 in Springfield, m: 02 Feb 1731 in Springfield, d: 14 Nov 1740 in Springfield, age 29
......2 Elizabeth BURT b: 23 Feb 1689, d: 31 Jan 1769, age 79
...... + Jonathan CHAPIN b: 12 Feb 1665 in CT, m: 25 Mar 1710 in Springfield, d: 23 Feb 1761, age 96
......2 Nathaniel BURT b: 08 Nov 1694 in Springfield, d: 14 Jan 1735, age 40
......2 Sarah BURT b: 31 Oct 1701 in Springfield, d: 14 Jul 1739, age 37
...... + Ephraim COLTON b: 09 May 1705 in Longmeadow, m: 16 Nov 1732, d: 30 Sep 1750, age 45
+ Daniel COOLEY b: 02 May 1651 in Springfield, m: 17 Jun 1709 in Springfield, d: 09 Feb 1727 in Springfield, age 75
8. Elizabeth DUMBLETON was born about 1663 in Springfield, and died 3 Nov 1692, age 29. She married on 21 Jan 1691 in Springfield, to Nathaniel BURT Jr, born 18 Jan 1663 in Longmeadow, MA, died 19 Jul 1749, age 86.
They lived in the southern part of Springfield, called Longmeadow, which became a separate town in 1783. When Elizabeth and Nathaniel lived there, it was still part of Springfield.
Nathaniel BURT Jr was a son of Nathaniel BURT Sr and Rebecca SIKES, and Nathaniel BURT Sr was a son of Henry BURT and Eulalia. So Jonathan Jr and Nathaniel Jr were 1st cousins, who married sisters Lydia and Elizabeth DUMBLETON.
Nathaniel BURT Jr was married 3 times. He married (1) on 21 Jan 1691 in Springfield to Elizabeth DUMBLETON, as mentioned above. (I'm not sure whether this was a Gregorian or Julian date, so it was either 90/91 or 91/92.) He was 28 and she was about 28. She died on 3 Nov 1692, after less than 2 years of marriage, with no known offspring.
He married (2) on 18 Jan 1699/00, to Mary FERRY, born 6 Jun 1671 in Springfield, daughter of Charles FERRY. So he was 37 and she was 28 when they married (on his birthday). They had 3 children, and she died 2 Jun 1639.
He married (3) on 8 Mar 1740, to a widow, Mary CROWFOOT, who died 23 May 1753. He was 77, and she was probably beyond childbearing age, when they married. Nathaniel's 3 known children were from his 2nd wife, Mary. [HMB, Vol. II, p. 541]
1 Nathaniel BURT b: 18 Jan 1663 in Longmeadow, d: 19 Jul 1749, age 86
+ Elizabeth DUMBLETON b: 1663 in Springfield, m: 21 Jan 1691 in Springfield, d: 03 Nov 1692, age 29
+ Mary FERRY b: 06 Jun 1671 in Springfield, m: 18 Jan 1700, d: 02 Jun 1739 in Longmeadow, age 67
......2 Mary BURT b: 20 Oct 1700 in Longmeadow, d: 03 Aug 1773 in Wilbraham, Hampden, MA, age 72
...... + Isaac COLTON b: 30 Jul 1698 in Enfield, CT, m: 18 May 1722 in Springfield, d: 6 Mar 1773 in Wilbraham, MA, age 74
......2 Experience BURT b: 21 Oct 1703 in Springfield, d: 22 Sep 1772, age 68
...... + George COLTON b: 27 Jan 1708 in Longmeadow, m: 27 Apr 1731 in Springfield, d: 09 Mar 1784, age 76
......2 Nathaniel BURT b: 04 May 1711 in Springfield, d: 08 Sep 1755 in Lake George, Warren, NY, age 44
...... + Sarah CHAPIN b: 26 Oct 1706, m: 11 Jan 1739, d: 13 Nov 1790, age 84
+ Mary CROWFOOT m: 08 Mar 1740, d: 23 May 1753
9. Nathaniel DUMBLETON was born 10 Jun 1664 in Springfield, died 13 Feb 1737 in Springfield, age 72. He married 29 Dec 1696 in Northampton, MA, to Hannah ALLEN, born about 1675 in Northampton, MA, died about 1745, age 70. They had about 8 children, in Springfield.
There is a slight mixup between Nathaniel and Hannah's children, John and Hannah. In [HMB, Vol. II, p. 562] it is claimed that John was born 10 Jun 1701, and Hannah on 20 Nov 1704, and that Hannah married Lamberton COOPER. However, Springfield records indicate that John was born 10 Jun 1704 and Hannah on 20 Nov 1701, and I have found no record of Hannah's marriage. Records for this family seem sparse.
1 Nathaniel DUMBLETON b: 10 Jun 1664 in Springfield, d: 13 Feb 1737 in Springfield, age 72
+ Hannah ALLEN b: Abt. 1675 in Northampton, MA, m: 29 Dec 1696 in Northampton, MA, d: abt. 1745, age 70
......2 John DUMBLETON b: 27 Oct 1697, d: 28 Nov 1697, age 1 month
......2 Elizabeth DUMBLETON b: 20 Mar 1699
...... + Zachariah WALKER m: 03 Nov 1736 in Springfield
...... + Lieut. Benjamin SHELDON
......2 Hannah DUMBLETON b: 20 Nov 1701, d: 13 Dec 1730, age 29
......2 John DUMBLETON b: 10 Jun 1704 in Springfield, d: 22 Apr 1756 in West Springfield, MA, age 51
......2 Nathaniel DUMBLETON b: Jul 1706, d: 03 Sep 1706
......2 Mary DUMBLETON b: 09 Feb 1707/08, d: 19 Jan 1779 in Wilbraham, Hampden, MA, age 70; unmarried as of 1758
......2 Nathaniel DUMBLETON d: 08 Dec 1711
......2 Samuel DUMBLETON b: 21 Jun 1713
...... + Mercy TOUSLEY
10. Rebecca DUMBLETON was born 4 Oct 1667 in Springfield, died 16 Feb 1693/94 in Springfield, age 27, just 37 days after giving birth to her only child. She married on 2 Mar 1692/93 to Joseph LEONARD, born 20 May 1644 in Springfield, died 9 Aug 1716 in Springfield, age 72.
Joseph LEONARD was the 3rd of 15 children born to John LEONARD and Sarah HEALD, my 9g-grandparents. Rebecca was the 4th of Joseph's 6 wives. [HMB, Vol. II, p. 598] [DLJ, pp. 682-4]
1 Joseph LEONARD b: 20 May 1644 in Springfield, MA, d: 09 Aug 1716 in Springfield, MA, age 72
+ Mary FELLOWS bapt: 09 Feb 1650/51 in Hartford, CT, m: 24 Mar 1671/72, d: 29 Jan 1680/81 in Springfield, age 29
......2 Mary LEONARD b: 1674 in Springfield, d: 1676 in Springfield, age 2
......2 Samuel LEONARD b: 16 May 1677 in Springfield, d: 17 Jul 1713, age 36
...... + Penelope PHILLIPS m: 03 Jun 1701 in Springfield, d: 30 Mar 1765
......2 John LEONARD b: 12 Sep 1679 in Springfield, d: 14 Oct 1679 in Springfield, age 1 month
......2 Lieut. Joseph LEONARD b: 01 Jan 1680 in Springfield, d: 19 Oct 1737 in West Springfield, age 57
...... + Sarah BECKWITH b: 15 Dec 1684 in Lyme, Connecticut Colony, m: 1704, d: 28 Feb 1773, age 88
+ Elizabeth LYMAN b: 6 Nov 1655 in Branford, New Haven Colony, m: 29 Mar 1683, Springfield, d: 6 Jul 1689, Springfield, age 33
......2 Mercy LEONARD b: 06 Nov 1683 in Springfield, d: 13 Nov 1683 in Springfield, age 7 days
......2 Elizur LEONARD b: 15 Mar 1685 in Springfield, d: 30 May 1688 in Springfield, age 3; "a piece of a hovel in his father's yard fell on him."
......2 Mehitable LEONARD b: 01 Sep 1686 in Springfield, d: 08 Jul 1689 in Springfield, age 2
......2 Elizabeth LEONARD b: 14 Jun 1689 in Springfield, d: aft. 1751, age 61+
...... + James PHILLIPS m: 11 Jan 1710/11 in Springfield, d: bet. 1751–1766 in Springfield, age 40-56
+ Ann FORD m: 16 Jan 1689/90, d: 16 Jan 1690/91 in Springfield; widow of Thomas NEWBERRY of Windsor, CT
+ Rebecca DUMBLETON b: 04 Oct 1667 in Springfield, m: 02 Mar 1692/93, d: 16 Feb 1693/94 in Springfield, age 27
......2 Ebenezer LEONARD b: 10 Jan 1693/94 in Springfield
...... + Joanna STEVENSON
+ Margaret d: 01 Dec 1711 in Springfield; widow of John THOMPSON, who d: 1694 in Middletown, CT
+ Sarah KILBOURNE m: Bet. 1712–1715; widow of Joseph CRANE
11. Hannah DUMBLETON was born about 1670 in Springfield, died 25 Oct 1737 in Springfield, age 67. She married on 18 Dec 1690 in Springfield, to Thomas MERRICK, born on 2 Jan 1663/64 in Springfield, died 16 Aug 1743 in Springfield. [GBM, pp. 269-74]
1 Hannah DUMBLETON b: 1670 in Springfield, m: 18 Dec 1690 in Springfield, d: 25 Oct 1737 in Springfield
+ Thomas MERRICK b: 02 Jan 1663/64 in Springfield, d: 16 Aug 1743 in Springfield
......2 Hannah MERRICK b: 27 Aug 1692 in Springfield, d: 17 Jul 1716 in Springfield
......2 Thomas MERRICK b: 05 Feb 1694 in Springfield, d: 13 Aug 1733 in Northampton, MA
...... + Abigail BREWER b: 20 Oct 1705 in Springfield, m: 23 Jul 1724 in Springfield
......2 Jonathan MERRICK b: 1695, d: 02 Jun 1772 in Springfield ; he was not in [GBM]
...... + Mary
......2 Miriam MERRICK b: 01 Mar 1697 in Springfield, d: 1728 in Springfield
...... + Joseph WRIGHT m: 08 Jan 1714 in Springfield
......2 David Deacon MERRICK b: 23 Feb 1698/99, d: Nov 1757
...... + Mary COLTON b: 1709, m: 28 Jan 1635, d: Jan 1792
......2 Rachel MERRICK b: 28 Mar 1701
...... + Zebulon MYGOT m: 24 Nov 1720
......2 Ebenezer MERRICK b: 11 Sep 1703 in Springfield
...... + Mehitable MOORE m: 1725
......2 Moses MERRICK b: 02 Jan 1707/08 in Springfield, d: bef. 1759
...... + Lydia STEBBINS m: 1743, d: 1780
Sources
[AMC] Our county and its people : A history of Hampden County, Massachusetts (1902) by Alfred M. Copeland Vol I Vol II Vol III
[BF] Record of the Bodurtha family, 1645-1896 by Hannah Maria Bodurtha
[DLJ] Hale, House and Related Families, Mainly of the Connecticut River Valley (1952) by Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman (This has chapters on several allied families: Burt pp. 486-91; Dumbleton pp. 521-4; Ely pp. 535-43; Keep pp. 651-2; Kilbourn pp. 652-68; Leonard pp. 678-91; Scott pp. 728-30; Smith pp. 730-3; Stoddard pp. 734-46)
[G] Genealogiae; or, Data concerning the families of Morse, Chipman, Phinney, Ensign and Whiting (1925) by William Inglis Morse, Mary Lovering Holman, Nellie Goodrich Eno, Juliet M. Morse
[GBM] Genealogy of the Merrick-Mirick-Myrick family of Massachusetts (1902) by George Byron Merrick
[HAW] The story of western Massachusetts (1949) by Harry Andrew Wright
[HMB] The first century of the history of Springfield; the official records from 1636 to 1736, with an historical review and biographical mention of the founders (1898) by Henry Martyn Burt, Vol I Vol II
[HRS] The history and genealogies of ancient Windsor, Connecticut, 2 volumes (1891-2) by Henry Reed Stiles
[JFH] Springfield, Massachusetts on josfamilyhistory
[MAG] Springfield, 1636-1886 : history of town and city, including an account of the quarter-millennial celebration at Springfield, Mass., May 25 and 26, 1886 by Mason Arnold Green
[WMH] Western Massachusetts a History (1926) Vol I Vol II Vol III Vol IV
Updated 21 Jul 2021 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.