Jane Crane's Maternal Line

My previous post talked about the 1st cousin connection of Jane and her husband, Isaac Kelsey, through her father and his mother. I now want to talk a little about Jane's mother, Martha Daggett.
Martha and John Crane married in 1694 in Killingworth. I have five children for them - Hannah, Jane, Ebenezer, Concurrence, and Eleanor. They may have had a first child, John, but I can find no info for him at the present time.
Martha died in Killingworth, possibly in the same year, 1711, as her husband. But Martha was not born in Killingworth.
Martha Daggett was born in 1672 in Edgartown, Massachusetts. The county is known as Dukes today, but back when Martha was born it was known as Martha's Vineyard. 
Martha's parents were Thomas Daggett and Hannah Mayhew. Martha had 9 siblings - Thomas, Samuel, John, Joshua, Jemima, Mary, Patience, Israel, Ruth. 
Thomas and Hannah were my 9th great-grandparents.
Thomas was an early settler on Martha's Vineyard, even before Thomas Mayhew moved there and bought the land that included Edgartown (Great Harbor). He was a son of John Doggett and Alice Brotherton, although his mother is debatable among researchers. His father, John, was part of the Winthrop Fleet and was one of the original settlers of Watertown, Massachusetts. Thomas served as clerk and, later, justice of the county courts on Martha's Vineyard.

Governor Thomas Mayhew

Hannah Mayhew was the daughter of Thomas Mayhew and Jane Gallion. Her father purchased the land that consisted of Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands. He established himself as its "First Governor for life". Hannah was known as her father's "favorite daughter' and it gave her much freedom to do what most women were not allowed to do for that time period. She owned several lots of land that remained as her sole possession after her marriage to Thomas. Her father's will even extracted a promise from Thomas not to meddle in his wife's property.  
Some of the settlers dubbed her "Deputy Governor" due to her involvement in her Father's Administration, only withdrawing after her father's death at which time her nephew, Matthew, became Governor.
On an interesting side note, the Governor's assistant in converting the local Indians was Peter Foulger (Folger), grandfather of Benjamin Franklin.

Isaac Kelsey and Jane Crane - Cousins

As the Crane family enters my family tree, it becomes a bit interesting (and confusing). 
See, Jonah Kelsey's parents were Isaac Kelsey and Jane Crane.
Isaac Kelsey spent his entire life in Killingworth - from the time he was born in 1699 until the time of his death in 1751. He is buried in the Old Southwest Cemetery.
Jane Crane, like her husband, spent her entire life in Killingworth, also - from her birth in 1701 until her death in 1776. She, too, is buried in the Old Southwest Cemetery. 
Isaac and Jane are my 7th great-grandparents.
I have 6 children for them - the three oldest boys are Silvanus, Jonah, Reuben, their only daughter Phebe, and the two younger boys, Isaac and Aaron.
Now, comes the interesting, and confusing part of my Crane family line. Isaac's parents were John Kelsey and Phebe Crane. Jane's parent's were John Crane and Martha Daggett (originally Doggett). Not so confusing yet, just interesting that Isaac's mother and Jane's father were both Cranes.
But, they share the same grandparents, because Isaac's maternal grandparents were Henry Crane and Concurrence Meigs AND Jane's paternal grandparent's were Henry Crane and Concurrence Meigs. Yes, Isaac and Jane were first cousins.
Naturally, this made their children not only siblings but 2nd Cousins to one another - and on down the descendent line, also.
I once told my Dad that not only were we father and daughter but we were also 10th cousins, he got mad at me. Hahaha, he told me never to say that to him again. 
So, Isaac's parents, John Kelsey and Phebe Crane, and Jane's parents, John Crane and Martha Daggett, were my 8th set of great-grandparents.
This makes Henry Crane and Concurrence Meigs my 9th great-grandparents. 
It also makes Henry my second ancestor to have been one of the twelve original settlers of Killingworth.

Kelsey Roots in Killingworth Connecticut

The Kelsey roots run deep in Killingworth, Connecticut. So deep, as a matter of fact, that William Kelsey, along with his son, John, were there at the very beginning.
So who was William and John Kelsey?
Well, Hannah Kelsey's parents were Jonah Kelsey and Martha Nettleton. Jonah's parents were Isaac Kelsey and Jane Crane. Isaac's parents were John Kelsey and Phebe Crane (yes, Jane and Phebe were from the same Crane family. Phebe was Jane's Aunt). John Kelsey was the son of John Kelsey and Hannah Disborough, and John was the son of William Kelsey. 
So, William and John were my 10th and 9th great-grandfathers, respectively.

The area in Connecticut that was later to become Kenilworth was originally known as the Hammonassett Plantation. In order to incorporate, the settlement had to have, at least, 30 families reside on their lot of land (acquired by drawing "lots", most likely from a hat) for a period of 4 years that began after a 2 year period, giving settlement families time to relocate. Each lot consisted of 3 parcels of land - one to build a house, one for a salt marsh to grow salt hay for their horses, and a wood lot for heating, building, and cooking.
In 1669, there were only 21 families who lived in the settlement of Kenliworth for this 4 year period. It would take until 1685 for the requirements to be met that granted them incorporation. Over time, the town would become Killingworth.
By 1734, the town had grown out from the original settlement location. Families in the northern section of town found it difficult to travel the five miles for Church attendance (an integral part of their lives) and town meetings. Talk began by the families in the north to create a new "society", and in 1838, Killingworth did just that. The Northern society retained the name of Killingworth, while those families in the southern section of the town became Clinton, and the Congregational Church became the 1st Congregational Church, while the newly formed Killingworth built the 2nd Congregational Church.
Needless to say, the original settlement site lies along present day Main Street in Clinton.
Killingworth is noted for being the birthplace of Yale University. In 1694, Abraham Pierson, then Pastor of the Congregational Church, was selected as one of ten trustees to form a new college. The Collegiate School operated out of Rev. Pierson's home (site located in present-day Clinton). Upon Pierson's death, the school was moved to New Haven, and later, changed its name to Yale.
If you're wondering, the Kelsey family were part of the families in the northern section of the town. 
Of the original 21 settlers, these surnames will come up in future blog posts - Kelsey, Crane, Meigs, Stevens, Hull, and Nettleton, as I am a direct descendent of them.
Killingworth was not the only town that William was an original settler. William was my Kelsey immigrant ancestor, having been born about 1600 in Chelmsford, Essex, England. 
William, the son of George Kelsey and Elizabeth Hammond, arrived in America as part of the Braintree Company followers of Rev. Thomas Hooker. He, along with the other followers, became the first settlers of Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1632.
In 1636, when Rev. Hooker removed to Connecticut, along with about 50 families of his followers (including William), they became the first settlers of Hartford. William's name can be found on the Founders Monument at Center Church in Hartford.
After moving to Killingworth in 1663, William remained there until his death in 1680.

Hannah Kelsey - Who's daughter was she?

So, who were the parents of my 5th great-grandmother, Hannah Kelsey?
Well, I found three possibilities in the indexed records of old Connecticut for Killingworth. Two of these Hannah Kelseys were born in 1755, and one in 1757.
The first Hannah was born in Jul of 1755 and was the daughter of Isaac Kelsey and Hannah Bushnell.  The second Hannah was born in Aug of 1755 and was the daughter of another Isaac. I believe this Isaac to be the brother of Jonah. Isaac had married Martha Wilcox.
The third Hannah was born in 1757, probably in August or September of that year as the baptism records the date of September 18th.
So, three Hannah's are born in Killingworth in the 1750s. Which one is my Hannah?
Let's go back to her marriage to Joel. 
Hannah and Joel married in 1787 in Killingworth and moved to Wallingford where Joel resided. I know of only two children for them - Hannah and Joel. The Hale Collection of Newspapers and Cemetery Inscriptions places Hannah's death in Wallingford in 1839 at the age of 82 with a birth year of about 1757, and other abstracts from old Connecticut records place her burial in the Center Cemetery in Wallingford with the same vital information as stated above, with the exception of the death year - 1838 instead of 1839. 
Now, indexed church records from the First Congregational Church in Killingworth which was alphabetized into 4 volumes records Hannah and Freelove, daughters of Jonah, deceased, owned the covenant (basically, placing themselves in commitment to the Church) in 1781. This is taken from Volume 2 page 51. Also in Volume 2, page  70 records the marriage of Hannah and Joel in 1787.  Page 68 of the same Volume records Freelove's marriage to Samuel Hull in 1781. Volume 2, also, on pages 37 and 55, respectively, record the baptisms of Freelove and Hannah with Jonah and Jonas listed as father. I believe Jonas is Jonah and that it might be a transcription error. 
So, the bottom line is, between Hannah's marriage record, baptisim record, o.c. record, and obituary newspaper records, I believe that my Hannah was the daughter of Jonah Kelsey and Martha Nettleton.

Joel Curtiss and Hannah Kelsey

Joel Curtiss and Hannah Kelsey, the grandparents of Kelsey Curtiss, had married in Killingworth, Connecticut. The old Connecticut records give the date as 17 Dec 1787. But the old records do not give the names of their parents.
I believe the parents of Joel Curtiss to be Joseph Curtiss (also spelled Curtis and Curtice) and Martha Hart. Likewise, I believe the parents of Hannah Kelsey to be Jonah Kelsey and Martha Nettleton.
It is true for Connecticut online records that they are more of a listing or index than actual records with specific information. It is also true that I haven't thoroughly examined and separated the names, dates and locations, but I believe that I have a pretty good idea of who is who. This is based on location as well as names.
So, let's talk location. 
Joel Curtiss was born in 1761 in Wallingford, Connecticut. Hannah Kelsey was born in 1757 in Killingworth, Connecticut. 
Now, Connecticut has only eight counties, and four of them were original counties formed in 1666. The original four are Fairfield, Hartford, New Haven, and New London. The concluding four counties are Litchfield, Middlesex, Tolland, and Windham.
Now, the town of Wallingford, where Joel was born, has always been in New Haven County. Wallingford was established in 1667, a year after the formation of New Haven County. 
Killingworth, on the other hand, was part of New London County until 1785, when it was included in the newly formed Middlesex County. Hannah was born when the town was still a part of New London. 
The present day counties of New Haven, Middlesex, and New London counties are located in the southern part of Connecticut, with New Haven to the west of Middlesex County, and New London to its east. Because the towns that Joel and Hannah were born in were in neighboring counties, the distance between Wallingford (Joel) and Killingworth (Hannah) is only a direct distance of a little over 15 miles.
Now, with Joseph Curtiss (father of Joel), I made the mistake of connecting him as a son of Benjamin Curtiss and Miriam Cook. This was an error that has recently been rectified as Joseph could not have been their son. Benjamin and Miriam were married after the date of Joseph's birth. 
Joseph was, in fact, the son of Joseph, brother of Benjamin, and Ann Stevens. 
It should also be mentioned here, briefly, that there is actually two lineages of Curtiss' in the early days of Connecticut. One lineage traces back to the widow Elizabeth Curtiss, and the other lineage traces back to Richard Curtis who moved from Dorchester, MA to Wallingford, CT. These two family lines did intermarry, so from here on out, whenever I speak of Richard's descendants, I will use the Curtis spelling. Likewise, when I speak of the widow's descendants I will use the Curtiss spelling. 
Future posts will talk more on the Curtis branch. For now, let's focus on the Kelsey branch.
As I mentioned before, I believe that Hannah was the daughter of Jonah Kelsey and Martha Nettleton. 
I have 13 children for Jonah and Martha. I had a fourteenth child, John, but I removed him from the tree because I could not find any record of him as a child of Jonah and Martha. 
Of these 13 children, I have found baptism index listings for old Connecticut records. They are: Martha (1747), Phebe (1755), Hannah (1757, father's name transcribed as Jonas), Freelove (1759), Jonas (1761), Nancy (1763), Sarah (1765), James (1767), and Hubbard (1770). All were baptized in Killingworth.
I found only three with transcribed birth listings from the old Connecticut records. They are: Jesse (born 25 Feb 1746), Martha (born 13 Oct 1747), and Jane (3 Aug 1749). All three were born in Killingworth.
There were only two that I did not find a birth or baptism listing. I include them as they were included as children of Jonah and Martha in the book,  A genealogy of the descendants of William Kelsey who settled at Cambridge, Mass., in 1632, at Hartford, Conn., in 1636, and at Killingworth, Conn., in 1663.


The write-up in this book for Seymour (1751), and Nathan (1753) is pretty in-depth, so I have included them in the tree.

select pages above and to the left are from the book mentioned above. They pertain to Jesse, Freelove, Nathan, and Seymour.








In my next post, I will explain why I believe the Hannah Kelsey who married Joel Curtis was the daughter of Jonah and Martha.

It All Starts with Emma Curtiss

The woman in this photograph, holding her daughter, is Emma Curtiss Spencer. 
Emma was the daughter of Kelsey Curtiss and Eliza Sutliff. She was the second wife of Rodolph Spencer, and the daughter she is holding, Lilla, was their only child.

These connections are important to me. Lilla was my great-grandmother. Emma and Rodolph were my 2nd great-grandparents. Kelsey and Eliza were my 3rd great-grandparents. The connections are important, but there is one name to keep in mind - Kelsey Curtiss. 
Kelsey was the son of Joel Curtiss and Mary Hall.

This is Joel
and Mary.







The Minnesota Death Record for Kelsey names his father as Joel Curtiss, but does not name his mother. 
Joel and Mary may have had as many as eleven children. According to the 1830 U.S. Census, there were 7 children under the age of 20 years old living in their household. I can only account for 5 of them. The 1850 U.S. Census includes 4 more children born after 1830. 
So, I have confirmed 9 out of a possible 11 children. They are: Emeline, Laura, Cynthia, Kelsey, Mary, Esther, Catherine, Darius, and Harriett.
Emeline died at the age of 28 years, and even though she was married to John Russell, they had no children. Esther died at the age of 21 years, unmarried. 
Laura died in 1907. She had been married to William Kibbs. They had two children.
Cynthia married Henry Fowler. They had 5 children. Their youngest, Etta, had married Charles Wever and moved to Alameda County in California where Charles was a coroner. Cynthia lived with them in her later years and died in Alameda County.
I don't have much information on Mary, Darius, or Harriett, although Darius may have fought during the Civil War. 
Catherine married D. J. Slicer and had three children. Her portrait is displayed below.

Catherine Curtiss Slicer

This branch of my family tree - Emma, Kelsey, and Joel - leads to extraordinary people in European history. And not just one branch, but several. So, this is the path I'll be following for awhile on this blog.

Next post, I'll be switching branches over from the Curtiss' to the Kelseys, and why I believe Joel's mother, Hannah Kelsey, was the daughter of Jonah Kelsey and Martha Nettleton.