"Coffin Maker" in New England

Mom and I agreed that Kenelm would have been a dandy name to keep in the family.  After all, neither one of us ever knew a Kenelm while we were growing up and before we saw the name on a family tree, we had never heard of the name.  Kenelm’s older brother was famous for being the third governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and arriving on the Mayflower in 1620 and beings the third signer of the Mayflower Compact.  Kenelm to leave England for the New World until and held the dubious title to those of us in the modern world as coffin maker.

Kenelm was the third son of Edward Winslow and his wife Magdalene Ollyver.  He was born in Droitwich, Worcester, England on 29 Apr 1599 as the fourth of eight children.   Both of his parents were dead by 1620 and of the eight children in his family, two daughters died very young, a sister and brother remained in England and brothers Edward, John, Kenelm and Josiah lived out their lives in the America. Edward lived in Plymouth, John settled in Boston, Josiah in Marshfield and Kenelm became one of the founders of Assonet, MA or Freetown, MA as it is known today.  There must not have been much left for the brothers in England and the opportunities in the New World must have been irresistible.  We learn in history that many of the earliest immigrants came to America in search of religious freedom.  I’m sure that this was a main component for most, but after those first few colonies were established, I’m sure word got back about the opportunity for land and so called riches that were available for any willing to take the risk.  England is a small island with a generation of sons looking for these new opportunities.  By the time, Kenelm and his brother Josiah arrived in 1629, there was already a thriving English community on American soil.

I’m sure that Kenelm probably enjoyed his status as being the brother of an important man in the colony.  He probably had some responsibilities that arose from his brother’s position.  I know that Kenelm was a surveyor of highways for a time and was fined for neglecting his job.  His name also appears on a few legal matters where he didn’t come out the winner.  One of the more interesting things that I read about Kenelm that he was committed to prison for “uttering opprobrious words against the church at Marshfield, saying that they were all liars.”  Kenelm ended up in jail and probably offended most of the town of Marshifield…which might explain why he moved to Assonet, MA. 

I found it rather fascinating to see Kenelm Winslow labeled as a coffin maker.  As it turns out, it meant that he was an excellent carpenter.  In fact, he was probably one of the first carpenters that had been trained in England to bring his craft to the America and train other craftsman here.  There is an interesting article online on at http://www.antiquesandfineart.com/articles/article.cfm?request=835 that talks about Kenelm Winslow.  There is supposedly some furniture that was made by Kenelm Winslow in the Metropolitan Museum of Art but as I read it, there is no proof that Kenelm was the actual carpenter. 

Kenelm married in Jun 1634 to a widow, Eleanor Newton Adams.  He and his wife had three sons and a daughter who all lived to adulthood.  Kenelm, himself lived to be 73 years old and died on 13 Sep 1672 while on a visit to Salem, Essex Co., MA.  His wife died in 1681 in Marshfield, MA.  So…thanks to the immigration of my 9^th great grandparents and their four children, there are many Winslows in America who can trace their lineage back to a coffin maker in New England.

Descendants of Kenelm WINSLOW, Esq.

Generation No. 1

1.  KENELM⁹ WINSLOW, ESQ.  (EDWARD⁸, KENELM⁷, WILLIAM⁶, THOMAS⁵, THOMAS WILLIAM⁴, WILLIAM³ WYNCELOW, JOHN² WYNSLOWE, WILLIAM¹ WYNCELOWE) was born 29 Apr 1599 in Droitwich, Worcester, England, and died 13 Sep 1672 in Salem, Essex Co., MA.    He married ELEANOR NEWTON Jun 1634 in Assonet, Freetown, MA.  She was born Jun 1598 in Hertferdshire, England, and died 05 Dec 1681 in Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA.

     

Children of KENELM WINSLOW and ELEANOR NEWTON are:

               i.   KENELM¹⁰ WINSLOW, b. 29 Apr 1635, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; d. 11 Nov 1715, Harwich, Barnstable Co., MA; m. (1) MERCY WORDEN, 23 Sep 1667, Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., MA; b. Abt. 1640, Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., MA; d. 22 Sep 1688, Dennis, Barnstable Co., MA; m. (2) DAMARIS EAMES, Bef. 1693; d. Aft. 27 Mar 1729.

More About KENELM WINSLOW:

Burial: Nov 1715, Winslow Cemetery, Dennis, Barnstable Co., MA

Military service: King Philips War

More About MERCY WORDEN:

Burial: Sep 1688, Winslow Cemetery, Dennis, Barnstable Co., MA

              ii.   ELEANOR "ELLEN" WINSLOW, b. 1637, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; d. 27 Aug 1676, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA; m. SAMUEL BAKER, 29 Dec 1656, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA; b. 02 Oct 1638; d. 14 Feb 1699, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA.

More About ELEANOR "ELLEN" WINSLOW:

Burial: Winslow Cemetery, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA

             iii.   NATHANIEL WINSLOW, b. Abt. 1639, Plymouth, Plymouth Co., MA; d. 01 Dec 1710, Freetown, Bristol Co., MA; m. FAITH MILLER, 03 Aug 1664, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA; b. Abt. 1645, Yarmouth, Barnstable Co., MA; d. 09 Nov 1729, MA.

More About NATHANIEL WINSLOW:

Burial: Burying Hill, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA

             iv.   JOB WINSLOW, b. 1641, Marshfield, Plymouth Co., MA; d. 14 Jul 1720, Freetown, Bristol Co., MA; m. RUTH CHASE COLE, 1673, Swansee, Bristol Co., MA; b. 15 Apr 1651, Eastham, Barnstable Co., MA; d. Aft. Jul 1720.

Generations of Micajah's

Micajah is a common name in Pennington research and almost all of them are related.  There are three generations of Micajah and they have been confused by researchers for decades.  When I first started researching Micajah Pennington – I reached the same conclusions that many other researchers had made. 

The first generation of Micajah’s starts with Micajah, Sr who was born in 28 Aor 1743 probably in Rowan Co.,  NC and probably died sometime after 1815 in either Ashe Co., NC, Grayson Co., VA or Lee Co., VA.  Since Ashe Co. NC didn’t become a county until 1799, Micajah’s children were born probably in Wilkes Co., NC.  Micajah worked for many years as a surveyor and owned many parcels of property.  His signature is on many land documents so it is also very likely that he was fairly well educated.  He is recorded on the tax list in 1815 and may have lived as late as 1817.  I suspect that Micajah, Sr. probably died around Grayson Co., VA because that was the location of his land parcels; however his son Micajah, Jr. is even more mysterious.

Micajah, Jr. was born 13 Dec 1763 probably around the Wilkes Co., /Ashe Co., NC area as the second son of Micajah Pennington and Rachel Jones.  His wife’s name was unknown.  It is apparent that he was married to a woman of a similar age from at least 1790 until 1840.  We know this because he is recorded in the census in every year with another woman of a similar age.  It wasn’t until the 1850 census when all the members of the household were recorded in the census.  So, therefore the name of his wife is unknown.  Now…this hasn’t stopped researchers from claiming that the Micajah Pennington who married Linthey “Cynthia”  Jones in 1822 was Micajah, Jr and therefore claiming that Cynthia was the mother of Micajah, Jr.’s children.  There was also a record of a marriage to a Nancy Baker in 1812.  The supposition was the Micajah, Jr’s wife died and he married Nancy Baker.  She died sometime before the marriage to Cynthia Jones.  In fact, we don’t know who Micajah, Jr’s wife was and probably will never know her identity unless someone has a magic document in hiding.

Marriage record with Nancy Baker

Now Micajah, Jr had a son named Micajah III.  Micajah III was born about 1794 and was probably the second or third son of Micajah, Jr.   It is Micajah III who married Nancy Baker on 13 Aug 1812 in Madison Co., KY.  Nancy was the daughter of Rezin Baker and Eleanor Roberts.  She was born about 1797 and died around 1821 in Lee Co., VA.  Micajah Pennington III then married a Cynthia Williams on 8 Dec 1822 in Clay Co., KY.  Cynthia was the widow of William Jones.  The Cynthia Jones that everyone assumed was Micajah’s  wife was mistakenly listed as Cynthia Corey and she was married to another William Jones in 1818 and was actually was recorded with her husband in the 1850 census.

 

Micajah III and his wife Cynthia probably died sometime before 1850.  The exact date or location is at this point unknown.  However, they left behind three children:  twins Phebe and Nancy and yes…another Micajah Pennington.  All three were probably born in Kentucky and all three married had families of their own.  Micajah C. was born 6 Apr 1825 in either IN or KY and married a widow named Jane Robertson Parnell on 29 Oct 1848 in Jackson Co., MO.  They had two children…and they finally broke the Micajah streak…this time they gave their youngest son the middle of Micajah.  Micajah C. died 23 July 1892 in Christian Co., MO.

Marriage record with Cynthia Williams aka Linthey Jones

This entire tangled skein was unraveled several years ago with a genealogy partnership between me and several other researchers.  The documents that we have were provided by the research and persistence of Rosalie Graham.  I’m sure that there will be more insights into these Micajahs…perhaps someday; someone will discover what happened to Micajah III and his wife Cynthia and perhaps the name of Micajah, Jr.’s mysterious wife.  I would be happy to be able to do a search on Micajah Pennington, Jr and not find him married to Cynthia Corey.  It is harder to correct misinformation than to spread it.

My Mayflower Ancestry - Pt 3

It is fun to study one’s maternal lines – you never know what you’ll find or where they will end up.  In our search for information on my Mom’s Allen line – we kept running into research that just wasn’t quite right.  The family story was that we were related to Ethan Allen of the Green Mountain boys from the Revolutionary War…so everyone was trying to make the Ethan Allen’s line mesh with our Adoniram Allen line…and they never worked.  It turned out that the tie was not with the Allen line but rather with their mothers…who were sisters.  It was a lesson well learned and I have found some interesting family lines on the maternal side of the family…and here is one that ties my father’s family and mother’s family together by marriage!

William White was a passenger on the Mayflower and he died on 21 Feb 1620.  Beyond that there really isn’t much more information.  He was married to a woman named Susanna and traveled on the Mayflower with his son Resolved.  Susanna White gave birth to a son named Peregrine on board the Mayflower while it was docked off of Cape Cod while the Pilgrims were trying to find a place to place their colony.  William White was one of the passengers who died on during that first winter leaving his wife with two young children to care for.  I don’t that anyone has found anything concrete on William White’s ancestry – White has to be almost as common of a name as Johnson to research.  There were a few Whites in Leiden, Holland who were possibilities, but they have been discounted.  No one knows what Susanna White’s maiden name was either.  So, she remains Susanna, wife of William White and Edward Winslow.  After the death of her husband in February, she married another widower who had lost his wife as well, Edward Winslow. 

Edward Winslow was one of the leaders of the Plymouth colony and was in fact its’ third governor.  Edward came on the Mayflower with his brother, Gilbert and his wife, Elizabeth.  Elizabeth died soon after arrival and Gilbert went back to England.  Edward married Susanna in May of 1621.  They had five children but only two lived to adulthood and had children.  Several of Edward’s brothers came within a decade, one of whom was Kenelm Winslow, my 9^th great grandfather.  So…with all of the research that Mom and I did…the only tie we ever found between my parents was when Mom’s 9^th great grandmother married Dad’s 8^th great-granduncle.  Susanna lived to be an old woman and died almost 50 years after the arrival of the Mayflower in 1680.  Edward died in 1655 while on journey to Hispaniola and was buried at sea.

Here are my lines is my line to William White & wife, Susanna.

• William White m. Susanna
• Resolved White m. Judith Vassal
• Anna White m. John Hayward
• Sarah Hayward m. David Allen
• David Allen m. Sarah Baker
• Adoniram “Teges” Allen m. Elizabeth Morris
• Morris Allen m. Rachel Bishop
• Ailey Allen m. William Kelly
• John Ward Kelly m. Melvina Robertson
• Sarah Rachel Kelly m. John Lyons Tannahill
• Oliver Richard Tannahill m. Capitola Friddle
• Betty Jean Tannahill m. Eugene Johnson
• Me!

Here is my line to Edward Winslow’s brother, Kenelm – both were sons of Edward Winslow and Magdalene Ollyver…

• Kenelm Winslow m. Eleanor Newton
• Kenelm Winslow m. Mercy Worden
• Kenelm Winslow m. Bethia Hall & Edward Winslow m. Sarah
• Hannah Winslow m. Edward Winslow (yes they were first cousins)
• Sarah Winslow m. Seth Pope
• Winslow Pope m. Mary Wheelock
• Francis Pope m. Belinda Willey
• Winslow Lonsdale Pope m. Nancy Ann Marie Lyons
• Shirlie Louisa Pope m. Ulpian Grey Johnson
• Frank Stewart Johnson m. Helen Gage
• Eugene Johnson m. Betty Tannahill
• Me!

Both of these lines were branches off of maternal lines in my family.  My advice is to not forget the women in the family.  You might find some of your most interesting ancestors!