Memorial of the centennial anniversary of the settlement of Machias

Posted on October 11, 2010 by

This book has a wealth of information that is applicable to my search about my downeast ancestors. It was published in 1863 by C.O. Furbush and written by William B Smith. Below is the text from the genealogy section of the book about Benjamin Foss that can be found on pages 161 and 162. Again this book has not identified the proper first wife as mentioned in previous posts.

FOSS.

BENJAMIN m (1) SARAH GETCHELL, (2) HANNAH MILLER.

  1. Sally m Benjamin Blyther: — Thomas, Benjamin, William, Polly, Hannah, Sara
  2. Mary m Noah Mitchell:– Returned to Scarboro’.
  3. Benjamin m Anna Miller:– Jane, (Peter Reynolds,) Deborah, (Scribner Davis,) Samuel, George, Willia,, James, Eliza, (John Atchison,) Francis, Salome, (William Manchester.)
  4. Joseph m Ruth Fogg:–Keziah, (Daniel Berry,) Sally, (John Berry,) Lydia, (Freeman Berry,) Abigail, (Thomas Smith,) Joseph, Rufus.
  5. Eunice m London Atus:– Betsey, Louisa, George, Patience, Eunice, John, Moses, Susannah, (Hiram Scott,) Nathaniel, Sophronia, (Peter Henry.)
  6. Dorcas m (1) Edward Clark, (2) Charles Smith:– (1)Jonathan
  7. Israel m Betsey Connors:– Charles, Betsey, (William Howard,) Mary, (Isaac Noddin,) Sarah, (—- —-) James, John, Albert, Lucius, Caroline, (Jonathan Clark,) Lucy, (Stephen Berry,) Henry.
  8. William m Lydia Flynn:– Rebecca, (Isaac Sinclair,) William, Lucy, (Joseph Wallace,) Rufus, George H., Nancy S., (Joseph Cook.)
  9. Dennis m Lydia Hall:– Mercy, (James Foss,) Thomas, John H., David, Lewis, Sarah, (Simon Reynolds,) Levi, Jacob, Isaac.
  10. Mehitable m Robert West.
  11. Hannah m Amby Nash.
  12. Edward m Caroline Bowers:– Mary H. O’B., (John Davis,) George, E., Caroline L., (Asa Atchinson,) Lavinia W., (Nathaniel W. Hooper,) John W., Lizzie F., (Josiah D. Foss,) Samuel J. B., Charles F.
  13. Fanny m John Roberts:– Hannah, (—- —-) Margaret, (George Burnard,) William, Hiram, Silas T., Josiah, Mehitable, (—- Munson,) Hepzibah, (Alonzo Stuart,) Eliza, (Joseph Chambers.)
  14. Margaret m Luther Howe:– Samuel, Caroline, (Wm. Sanderson,) Stephen James, Talphenes, (A. G. Buckmore,) Harriet, (W. Ramsdell,) Robert, Mary E. O., Rosanna.
  15. Betsey m Frank Smith:– Margery, (Riley Davis,) David, Benjamin, James.
  16. Stephen m Eleanor Barney
  17. Lousia m James Foss:– Wm. Arrison, Hennah E., Lydia J., Jacob L., James W., Laura E., Tahphenes, (Stillman Foss,) Margaret, (—- Phalan,)
  18. Luther.
  19. Allen.

Smith, W. B. (1863). Genealogies. In Memorial of the centennial anniversary of the settlement of Machias. (pp. 161-162). Machias, ME: Printed by C.O. Furbush.

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The Narrative of the town of Machias

Posted on October 10, 2010 by

One of the books that have been helpful in learning about my downeast ancestors is The Narrative of the town of Machias. This book was written by George Washington Drisko. It was published in Machias, Me in 1904 by the Press of the Republican. On pages 425 and 426 is the genealogy of Foss Family. This book can be downloaded from Google Books. Here is the link to the book.

Below is the full text about Benjamin Foss from the genealogy section of the book. As noted in a previous post, Benjamin’s first wife was Sarah Mitchell. Benjamin and Sarah had their marriage recorded in the church records from Scarborough, Maine.

Foss

Benjamin Foss first comer to Machias, m. Sarah Getchell; m. 2nd Hannah Miller; children: Sally, Mary, Benjamin, Joseph, Eunice, Dorcas, Israel, Wm., Dennis, Mehitable, Hannah, Edward, Fanny, Margaret, Betsey, Stephen, Louisa, Luther, Allen.

Sally m Benj. Blyther; children: Thomas, Benjamin, Wm., Polly, Hannah, Sarah.

Mary m. Noah Mitchell, moved to Scarboro.

Benjamin m. Anna Miller; children: Jane, Deborah, Samuel, George, Wm., James, Eliza, Francis, Salome.

Joseph m. Ruth Fogg; children: Keziah, Sally, Lydia, Abagail, Joseph, Rufus.

Eunice m. London Atus; children: Betsey, Louisa, George, Patience, Eunice, John, Moses, Susanna, Nathaniel, Sophronia.

Dorcas m. Edward Clark; m. 2nd Charles Smith.

Israel m. Betsey Connors; children: Charles, Betsey, Mary, James, John, Albert, Lucius, Caroline, Lucy, Henry.

Wm. M. Lydia Flynn; children: Rebecca, William, Lucy, Rufus, Geo., Nancy

Dennis m. Lydia Hall; children: Mercy, Thomas, John, David, Lewis, Sarah, Levi, Jacob, Isaac.

Mehitable m. Robert West.

Hannah m. Amby Nash.

Edward m. Caroline Bowers; children: Mary, George, Caroline, Lavina, John W., Lizzie, Samuel, Charles F.

Fannie m. John Roberts; children: Hannah, Margaret, Wm., Hiram, Silas, Josiah, Mehitable, Hepzibah, Eliza.

Betsey m. Frank Smith; children: Marjory, David, Benjamin, James.

Stephen m. Eleanor Barney.

Louisa m. James Foss; children: Wm. A., Hannah, Lydia, Jacob L., James, Laura, Tahphenas, Margaret.

Charles Foss m. Mary C. Bowers, April 20, 1827; children: Amanda, Charles, Mary. Amanda d. young. Charles m. Eliza A Foss.

Mary d. unmarried.

Mary of Charles d. 1831; m. 2nd. Sarah Davis; children: Amanda, Melvina, John Q. A., Israel P., Emery C., James, Louisiana B., Franklin, Joseph, Izora.

Charles d. 1868, at 34 years.

Melvina m. John G. Richards. She d. in 1884.

Israel P. m. Aphia Knight; children: Linnie, Edgar, Bertha, Eva, Amelia, Merton. Aphia d. 1876. Israel m. 2nd. Leoniece H. Kilton children: Virgil, Ernest, Clifford, Edith, Mildred.

Emery m. Phebe J. Bryant children: Albert, Almeda, Willis, Alton, Mabel, Evalena, Thomas. James d. unmarried.

Louisianna B. m. Lewis Hall.

Franklin d. 1864.

Joseph W. m. Sarah Johnson children: Darrell Chester, Perley, Cleveland.

Izora m. Edgar Knight.

Drisko, G. W. (1904). Narrative of the town of Machias, the old and the new, the early and late. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://books.google.com/books?id=gTQw9S1THV8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=narrative of the town of machias&hl=en&ei=j8OxTJzEJoG78garwNmhCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

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More Benjamin Foss Sources from Google

Posted on October 3, 2010 by

I decided to spend more time on Google this week to continue my search for Benjamin Foss.

First, I found out another great piece of source information that pointed me to who Benjamin’s parents were and possibly the emigrating ancestor. This information came from the Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine, Vol. IV

FOSS

Benjamin Foss was probably a grandson of John Foss, the emigrant mentioned in the preceding narrative. He was in Scarborough in 1700 upon the resettlement of the town after its evacuation in 1676 on account of the Indian delegations. His wife’s name was Silence. They had Samuel, William, Susanna, Benjamin, Mary, John, Hannah, Peletiah and Thomas. His wife died in 1757. He removed to Machias in 1765 to help set up civilization in that sea-blown town.

In Volume III of the Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder I found the marriage of Benjamin Foss and Silence Winch.

Records of the First Congregational Church in Scarborough, Maine

Marriages

1731

Oct. 26, Benjamin Foss and Silence Winch.

In Volume VI of the Maine Historical Magazine Benjamin’s second marriage to Hannah Miller is recorded.

Machias Marriages from the Town Records

1800

Sept. 23, Benjamin Foss and Hannah Miller.

I think this is the last of my Google books searches for Benjamin Foss. I could not find anything else meaningful going through the results.

“Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine: Volume IV.” Google Books. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=xdsgysln66MC&dq=Benjamin%20Foss%20Machias%20Maine&pg=PA2203#v=onepage&q=Benjamin%20Foss%20Machias%20Maine&f=false&gt;.

“The Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder: Volume III.” Google Books. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=hrc-AAAAYAAJ&dq=%22Benjamin%20Foss%22&pg=PA83#v=onepage&q=%22Benjamin%20Foss%22&f=false&gt;.

“The Maine Historical Magazine: Volume VI.” Google Books. Web. 04 Oct. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=Ifc7AAAAIAAJ&dq=%22Benjamin%20Foss%22&pg=PA144#v=onepage&q=%22Benjamin%20Foss%22&f=false&gt;.

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Finding Benjamin Foss on Google

Posted on September 26, 2010 by

Today I decided to spend a few hours searching on Google books for Benjamin Foss. The Internet address for Google books is http://books.google.com. I decided to just put the search term Benjamin Foss Machias Maine. It is amazing how many books were returned from the search.

This first hit I reviewed was a book published by the Maine Historical Society. The book is called Collections of the Maine Historical Society, Volume III. In a section of the book about the history of Scarborough the following is stated:

Benjamin Foss – removed with his family to Machias 1765. The descendants of another branch of this family are numerous in this town and vicinity.

The second hit that I reviewed was an article in The Maine Historical Magazine, Volume VIII. Within this volume there is a section called Notes about Machias that states:

Benjamin Foss, from Scarborough, 1765:

Married first, Sarah Getchell Nov.  1762, and second Hannah Miller prior to 1800; nineteen children, sixteen of whom had families.

On the third hit, I found conflicting information on Benjamin Foss’s first marriage. In Volume IV of the Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder there is a section for the Records of the Second Congregational Church in Scarborough, Maine. Marriages.

Records of the Second Congregational Church in Scarborough, Maine. Marriages.

Nov. 7, 1762 Benjamin Foss and Sarah Mitchel

The church records state that Benjamin Foss married Sarah Mitchel not Sarah Getchell in November of 1762. I am not sure how the name Sarah Getchell became associated to the marriage of Benjamin. It may be because Joseph Getchell is one of the original settlers of Machias and is also from Scarborough.  An example of this association with Joseph Getchell is from the History of Cumberland Co., Maine. I found this book an Ancestry.com

In 1765 the following persons from Scarborough also joined the colony at Machias ; Morris O’Brien, and his two sons — Gideon and Jeremiah; Daniel Elliott, Joseph Holmes, Joseph and Ebenezer Libby, Benjamin Frost, Joseph Sevey, Joseph Munson, —- Balch, Ezekiel Foster, Joseph Getchell, and Benjamin Foss. Of the names upon the petition to whom the township of Machias was granted, in 1770, there appear no less than 54 from Scarborough.

In reviewing the Narrative of the town of Machias, which is also found on Google books, I find that it also states that Benjamin married Sarah Getchell. This inconsistency is probably recorded in all other materials that originate from Machias. The following is from the Narrative of the town of Machias.

Benjamin Foss first comer to Machias, m. Sarah Getchell; m. 2nd. Hannah Miller; children: Sally, Mary, Benjamin, Joseph, Eunice, Dorcas, Israel, Wm., Dennis, Mehitable, Hannah, Edward, Fanny, Margaret, Betsey, Stephen, Louisa, Luther, Allen.

That is all the time I have for research this week. Below is a listing with links of the books I referenced in this article.

“Collections of the Maine Historical Society: Volume III.” Google Books. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=zKITAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA211&dq=Benjamin+Foss+Machias+Maine&hl=en&ei=G3efTLzHAcP68AbSr9QY&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Benjamin%20Foss%20Machias%20Maine&f=false&gt;.

“The Maine Historical Magazine: Volume VIII.” Google Books. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=dvc7AAAAIAAJ&dq=Benjamin%20Foss%20Machias%20Maine&pg=PA76#v=onepage&q&f=false >.

“Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder, Vol IV.” Google Books. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=src-AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA32#v=onepage&q=%22Benjamin%20Foss%22&f=false&gt;.

“History of Cumberland Co., Maine : with illustrations and biographical sketches of its prominent men and pioneers.” Ancestry.com. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=25835&gt;.

“Narrative of the town of Machias, the old and the new, the early and late.” Google Books. Web. 26 Sept. 2010. <http://books.google.com/books?id=gTQw9S1THV8C&dq=Benjamin%20Foss%20Machias&pg=PA425#v=onepage&q=Benjamin%20Foss%20Machias&f=false&gt;

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My First Post

Posted on September 19, 2010 by

I hope that this will be the first of many blog postings about who I am researching and things that I find about my fathers family. Like most people that enjoy genealogy, I have an account on Ancestry.com and enjoy meeting my distant cousins. I am trying to limit my genealogy research to Sundays. It seems that once I start researching time flies by and I quickly use up hours and days.

I am currently narrowing and focusing my research to Benjamin Foss. Benjamin Foss was in the first United States Naval battle in the Revolutionary War in Machias, Maine. I believe that I am a descendant of Benjamin Foss. I am trying to locate birth and marriage records of my ancestors to prove this out. If you have any information that could help me, please share. It would be very appreciative.

Here is my line to Benjamin Foss:

 

William F Manchester

 

  1. Benjamin Foss
  2. Benjamin Foss m Anna Miller
  3. Salome Foss m William Manchester
  4. James Manchester m Katherine Johnson
  5. Milton Manchester m Mertie Church
  6. Florence Manchester m Philmore Smith, Sr
  7. Philmore Smith, Jr m Deborah Crooker

The picture shown here is of William Manchester. William married the granddaughter of Benjamin Foss. We are very fortunate to have a copy of this photograph.

Each week I will take the time to post what my research turns up.

More to come…..

Posted in Foss, Machias, Maine, Manchester | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments