Ancestral Characters...

I enjoy watching programs like “Who Do You Think You Are” and Henry Louis Gates series “Finding Your Roots!”  I was bitten by the genealogy bug many years ago….probably even when I was a child because I loved listening to the stories of my grandparents and various other relatives.  The guests find that their family mysteries are seemingly solved with a short TV episode, although I must say they are missing out on all of the fun.

Genealogy is a journey!  There are a lot of interesting stops along the way, but always something new on the horizon.  There are even walls that may take years to tear down if ever.  Every few years there seems to be some new tools to add to the treasure chest.  Like those programs, I am picking and choosing some “interesting ancestors.”  My great great grandfather who had 17 children.  He was married to one sister, ran off with another sister and after she died, married a “widow” who turned out to be a divorcee.  In the early 1900’s, this was somewhat of a scandal.  Here are the blogs I wrote about George Christian Shawver:

George Christian Shawver - 1st Family

George Christian Shawver - 2nd Family

George Christian Shawver - 3rd Family

My 10th great grandfather has all of the credentials of a hero and significant figure in history.  He was the first man to navigate Boston harbor.  That probably doesn’t sound all that important to today’s generations but to someone in 1630 it was significant.  Ships could navigate in a safe passage in and out of Boston, which could arguably be called one of the most important cities in Colonial America.  He really was one of the more important people of his generation.

John Gallop - 10th Great Grandfather

John Gallop - The rest of the story

I have Mayflower ancestors that came on that first ship. Elizabeth Tilley was a teenager whose parents died during that first winter and she ended up marrying one the two bachelors who made the trip, namely John Howland.  There are a lot descendants who can claim ancestry to John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley.  (Mayflower Ancestry - Part 1)

Then there is John Billington.  He was considered to be the troublemaker of the group causing constant tension among the passengers.  His two boys nearly blew up the ship during the journey playing with flint around gun powder.  John Billington also turned out to be the first man hung for murder in the new world.  (Mayflower Ancestry - Part 2)

William White was one of the nearly ⅓ of the passengers who died that first winter.  There is a lot to be admired anyone who undertook the journey on the Mayflower.  These people didn’t know what they would face and took the hazardous trip to be able to practice their religious beliefs without the interference of a government.  William White’s wife, Susanna ended up marrying the first governor of the colony, Edward Winslow..who turns out to be my 9th great grandfather’s older brother.  (Mayflower Ancestry - Part 3)  Kenelm was quite an interesting fellow as well…(Coffin Make in New England)

My father’s great grandfather (Washington Abraham Johnson) was a 1st cousin to Pres. Andrew Johnson which is interesting enough.  However, his younger brother Nicholas Johnson was interesting in his own way.  If you talk to his family members, Nicholas disappeared after the Civil War and ran off to California abandoning his wife and children as well as aged father.  I am not sure I will ever find what happened  to him. (Nicholas Johnson - Man of Mystery)

There are a lot more characters in my ancestry.  I had ancestors who were among the first settlers here and as far as I can find, I don’t have an ancestor who arrived any later than 1810.  I have been very lucky, I have known 3 great grandmothers, 2 grandmothers, 2 grandfathers, and a great grandfather.  Every one of these people have made me who I am.  I am not like most of those celebrities in those TV shows because I do know a lot about my history.  When I began doing research more formally, I did it with my mother. Mom was my best resource for stories about her family and many years ago she took the initiative on long ago conversation with her father in law to give us a great starting point on his family. We lost Mom back in 2005 - I know she is breaking down all those brick walls...sure wish she could tell me what she has learned. This is my favorite picture of my Mom...in her signature red, her favorite color.

John Gallop...The Rest of the Story

The Gallup family has been exceptionally well researched.  Part of it is thanks to the fact that they are one of the early settlers of the "New World" with John Gallop having arrived in 1630 on the "Mary & John".  In addition, if you are doing any genealogical research, you have to be thankful to have New England ancestry because there is a wealth of records to draw from.  Not only that, these families have numerous connections and one never knows when you will run into another "cousin!"  That can be both a good thing and bad thing.

John Gallop was born about 1591 in Mosterne, Dorset, England to John Gallop and Mary Crabb.  He married Christobel Bruschett on 19 Jan 1617 at St Mary's, Bridport, Dorsetshire, England.  Their family started fairly quickly, and they had the following six children:

Joan b. 1618 d. 1691 m. Thomas Joy
John b. 1619 d. 1675 m. Hannah Anna Lake
William b. 1622 d. ?
Francis b. 1625 d. 1625
Nathaniel b. 1629 d. 1676
Samuel b. 1629 d. 1667-1679

Most of the American Gallup's that I have seen are descended from John, but there are a few descended from Nathaniel.  I have talked about John Gallop and the endeavor to get his wife and family to join him in America from England.  (See John Gallop - 10th Great Grandfather) There is much more to the story of John Gallop though.  He was an important man in America early in its history.  John Gallop was a talented ship captain and explorer of early New England.  It wasn't too long after he arrived, that he began exploring the coast near Boston and is considered to be one of the early explorers of the Connecticut coast.  During one of his exploratory forays up the coast, he discovered a shorter and safer course through the islands that were in Boston harbor.  The coastal areas were uncharted, and John Gallop helped provide valuable knowledge for future sailors.

You have to remember that John Gallop's entry into America was almost 10 years after the Mayflower had landed.  During that time, the population in America had grown and the colonists were running out of space.  John Gallop's forays up the coast provided much needed exploration for the colonists and potential land for the new arrivals as well as opportunity trade with the Native Americans.  At first, these traders were welcome because they brought items that were welcomed because they provided items that made the Native American's lives easier. These traders who traveled and brought goods and food from the Rhode Island and Connecticut coasts back to Boston.  They also provided communication as weJohll as goods and services to new settlements in Maine.  Eventually the colonists would begin to make new settlements in Connecticut and Rhode Island and captains like John Gallop were extremely important to the success of some of these early settlements.

When the possibility of profit, it was well apparent that there were going to be those who took advantage of the situation.  Some of the new settlements in Maine (whose land was claimed by the French) experienced the results of those wanting to take advantage of the profit.  An English captain named Dixy Bull was robbed by French privateers of beaver skins that were being transported for trade.  This English captain upset at being robbed decided to turn pirate raid ships bringing goods into Boston harbor.  John Gallop was sent out with his friend John Mason to attempt to find and stop Dixy Bull.  They ended up stranded because of a storm in Cape Ann harbor.  When they started again in the Spring, they spent several months patrolling the Maine coast for Dixy Bull.  He had decided to escape the pursuit and traveled to Virginia where he was eventually captured.

John Gallop was one of the early grantee's of land in the northern part of Boston and had land on the southeastern portion of a penninsula called Gallop's point.  He also owned Nix Mate Island and Gallop's Island.  After John Gallop's family arrived in 1933, the colonies were beginning to change rapidly.  Conneticut became the "land of opportunity" for many of the settlers.  Soon Dutch traders began to venture into the mix as well as English explorer, John Oldham.  In addition, there were tribal wars that was definitely going impact the area.  The small relatively friendly Connecticut tribes lost in battle to the Mohegans, a branch of the Mohawks and the new colonists were about to land right in the middle of local rivalries.  It was apparent that the Natives were no longer to be considered necessarily friendly.

During the spring of 1636, John Gallop was sailing with his three sons (John, Samuel & Nathaniel) with goods on a trading trip.  He saw a ship anchored off of Block island and noticed that the rigging was loose and the ship appeared to be deserted.  As he got closer to the ship, he recognized it as John Oldham's ship and noticed that there were men who appeared to be Native American's laying asleep on the deck.  As he hailed them, some of the Natives slipped over the side on a canoe and headed to shore.  Others loosened the anchor and tried to slip away.  John Gallup and his sons pursued the ship and the boys armed the guns and shot them towards the ship.  Some of the Natives tried to hide below and John Gallop pursued the ship and rammed it with his own and tied the two ships together.  Some tried to escape and John and his son took a few prisoners.  They found John Oldham in his cabin murdered with his skull bashed in.  John Gallop took the valuables off of the ship attempted to tow the ship to shore, but was unable to do so and eventually had to let it loose.

When news of the murder spread throughout the colonists, it spread a lot of fear but also a quest for revenge.  You could argue that this incident was a turning point.  No longer would the colonists view the Natives as friends or vice versa.  The upcoming battles would eventually escalate into a war that we know today as "King Philip's War!"  It is interesting to note that John Gallop was not a man who was necessarily allied with the Puritans and their religious beliefs.  He was considered by the language of the day a "God Fearing" man and had a good relationship with the Puritan community as well as a good relationship with the local Native Americans.  I believe that John Gallop can be considered to be one of the most important men of the young colony.  He was an experienced sailor who navigated and charted the waters of the New England coastline as well as discovering route through the maze of Boston channel to the city of Boston that made the route safer and easier to navigate.

John Gallop doesn't really appear in the records much after the incident with Oldham and his ship.  It assumed that he lived out his life still sailing his ship and living in his home on Gallop's point with his family.  We know that he died in 1649 because his will enter's probate.  We also know that his wife, Christobel Bruschett is still alive and that he is survived by his oldest son John Gallup, Jr, daughter, Joan Gallup (Joy) as well as sons Samuel and Nathaniel.  His son William Gallop returned to England and is reported as dying while fighting for Cromwell.

John Gallop - 10th Great Grandfather

My 10^th great grandfather set sail for Boston on March 20, 1630 on the Mary and John as part of the Winthrop Fleet.  John Gallop was one of the first grantees of land in the northern part of Boston where he had a house and wharf right in the northern part of town.  It was called Gallop’s Point…and I have no idea what it is called today, but in 1630 it was a distinctive location associated with a distinctive person.

John Gallop was born about 1591 in Mosterton, County Dorset, England to John Gallop and Mary Crabbe.    When John Gallop made his voyage to Boston in 1630, he left his wife and children behind in England to what may have been perceived an uncertain future.  Not too long after his arrival, he became an important part of the new colony.  He was important enough that Governor Winthrop feared he would return to England and wrote to the Rev. John White:

I have much difficultye to keep John Gallop here by reason of his wife will not come. 

                I marvayle at the woman's weaknesse.  I pray pursuade her and further her coming by all means.  If she will come, let her have the remainder of his wages; if not, let it be bestowed to bring over his childre, if so he desires.  It would be about 40 pounds losse to him to come for her.

                                                Your assured in the Lord's worke,

                                                Massachusetts, July 4, 1632

                                                                J. Winthrop.

Finally on September 4, 1633, John Gallop’s wife and children arrived on the Griffin after an eight week crossing.  John Gallop himself traveled out to the ship and piloted the ship through a new channel that he had discovered in the Boston harbor…and so began the long history of the Gallup family in the United States.  I am descended from his oldest son, John as well as President, George H. W. Bush, President George W. Bush, George Horace Gallup (founder of Gallup poll) and Emily Dickinson.

 

Very early in my genealogy research, I was curious about the Gallup family.  My great grandfather’s mother was a Gallup and I knew that this was a prominent family.  Not knowing where to start, I started looking at the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) books that we had in my local library.  They were interesting, but I got the feeling that I was well out of my depth.  I knew Edith Gallup was the daughter of Silas Gallup and Phoebe Montanye…but little else.  At a family funeral, my great uncle told me about a book that he had bought many years before that contained a Gallup genealogy.  He let me borrow the copy of the book…and you might say a whole new world opened up for me.  I found that my Edith Gallup had a long and interesting family that stretched back to the beginnings of this country.  The first Gallup genealogy was published about 1896, the copy that I was using was published in 1966.  During the next several weeks, I input all 12,000 Gallups in my database and began my fascination with this family and its numerous allied families.  It is a fascination that still pulls at me today.  There seems to always be some new detail that needs to be found.  I might never have happened, if that long ago Reverend hadn’t convinced John Gallop’s wife, Christobel Bruschett and their children to make that eight week journey from England.  It boggles my mind to think of all the things that had to happen in my family’s history to be where I am and who I am.