OUR ROWLEY FAMILIES PT. 2

Man, through all ages of revolving time, deems his own land...a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest ~ Elizabeth Gaskell

the ties that bind

The Brighams and Crosbys lived for many generations in Holme Upon Spalding Moor in the county of Yorkshire, England, sharing close ties as landowners and neighbors. The ties that bound these families together culminated in the marriage of our grandmother Constance Brigham (11GGM) to Robert Crosby (11GGF) ca. 1622 and the marriage of Constance's sister Anne Brigham (12A) to Robert's cousin Simon Crosby (2C13x) in 1634.

A unique family connection existed for the Brigham sisters with their cousins Thomas (1C13) and Sebastian Brigham (1C13x) (bottom row). The older Brigham brothers, John (12GGF) and Thomas (13U) (middle row) married the Watson sisters, Constance (12GGM) and Isabel (13A). This meant that, for all four cousins, both their aunt and uncle were blood relatives.

Another tie that bound the six young people (shown at the bottom of the tree) was the Puritan faith that led all of them across the ocean to America in the 1630's. The first ones to make the voyage, in 1635, were Simon Crosby, Anne Brigham Crosby and Thomas Brigham, written about in our post on Cambridge.

Grandma Constance in Rowley

Our Grandma Constance Brigham Crosby (11GGM), while still living in England, had seen her share of sorrow. No records remain showing death dates but we know that, by 1638, both of Constance's sons and her husband Robert Crosby (11GGF) had died. Constance, at 34, was left with three daughters to raise on her own. And, with her only sister Anne gone to America, Constance must have felt very alone.

Perhaps the Reverend Ezekiel Rogers' decision to flee the Anglican constraints on his Puritan beliefs helped to prod Constance into action. She and her half-brother, Thomas Elithorpe (12U), decided to follow Reverend Rogers to New England. They sailed, in 1638, on the ship John. Listed with Constance on the ship's roster were her three daughters, Jane (11A), 11, Mary (10GGM), 9 and Hannah (11A), 4.

Constance and cousin Thomas settled in Rowley with the rest of Reverend Rogers' flock. In 1643, Grandma Constance became a landowner. That year "Custace Crosbie"was granted one and a half acres of land just like the rest of the townspeople.

Constance never remarried, an extreme rarity in those days. She certainly had plenty of time to find another husband as she lived to almost 80. Either she was an independent-minded woman or she had traits which made her unattractive as a wife. I'm opting for the former.

the Crosby cousins in Rowley

Our grandfather Robert Crosby (11GGF) had a first cousin, Thomas (1C14X), who had seen his own share of sorrow back in old Holme Upon Spalding Moor. By 1640, three of his four sons had died, one of them Simon Crosby (2C13) in Cambridge. Thomas and his wife Jane Sotheron (3C13X) (another cousin our ours) had only four grandchildren, all boys. Three of them were Simon's children living in Cambridge with their mother Anne Brigham Crosby (12A). Thomas and Jane had taken their other grandson, Anthony (3C12X), to raise when both his parents died.

In 1641, Thomas and Jane made a bold decision. Although no spring chickens at that time, Thomas, 65 and Jane, 58, decided to sail across the ocean and settle in Cambridge to be with their daughter-in-law and their grandchildren. There was just one kink in their plan. Shortly after their arrival, Anne remarried and moved with the kiddies to Braintree.

In 1649, Thomas and Jane reverted to Plan B. They took Anthony and moved to Rowley where so many of their friends and family had settled. Thomas received his own grants of land in Rowley and, in 1656, he bought our uncle John Haseltine's homestead with a "dwelling-house, barn, orchard home-lot... planting-lot, meadows, etc."

Thomas and Jane lived in Rowley until their deaths, Thomas in 1661 at age 86 and Jane in 1662 at age 80.

Grandson Anthony studied medicine, probably in Boston, and became the first doctor in the town of Rowley. He was sole heir of his grandfather Thomas, including lands that Thomas still owned in England. Sadly, however, Anthony died in Rowley in 1773 at only 37 years of age, leaving a wife and three boy under 12.

Anthony's widow, Prudence, married Seaborn Cotton, son of Reverend John Cotton, the preeminent minister and theologian of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Seaborn was so named because he was born on the passage from England to the New World.

Richard and Mary Langhorne

Our Grandma Constance (11GGM) raised her three daughters in Rowley. Her middle daughter, our grandmother Mary (10GGM), married Richard Langhorne (10GGF) in 1647.

The first record we have of our grandfather Richard Langhorne in New England just happens to be his marriage to Mary Crosby. You may remember his brother,Thomas Langhorne (11U), from our Cambridge and Petty Crimes posts. He was our uncle who got in trouble for his wandering eyes and loose mouth. Most probably the Langhorne brothers came to New England shortly before 1646.

Richard, already a landowner in 1666, was granted an additional 100 acres of land that "lyeth on the Highway that goeth from Ipswich to Andover." That was quite a sizable grant. Richard also received, in 1667, part of the Hog Island Marshes.

Blue = Rowley proper Red = Richard's 100 acres Yellow = Hog Island Green = Bradford

Note: The lands that the town of Rowley held were quite extensive. All four markers in the above map show land that belonged to Rowley.

sorrow

Richard and Mary Langhorne had nine children, five boys and four girls. Their first child, a son named Thomas (10U), died in 1653 at the age of 5. Then, starting in 1660, a series of deaths hit the Langhorne family hard. In 1660, they lost two sons, Samuel (10U) at age 6 and their second Thomas (10U) at age 3. Mother Mary Crosby Langhorne (10GGM) died in 1667 at the age of 38, two days after giving birth to their third Thomas (10U). When Mary died, she left six children, the oldest 17 and the youngest only two days old. If all that wasn't bad enough, 1668 turned out to be the worst year of all for the unfortunate Langhornes. Father Richard Langhorne (10GGF) died early that year at age 51. Four months after his father's death, Richard, Jr. (10U), died at only three years of age. One month later, the baby of the family, the third and last Thomas (10U) died at eight months. After Thomas' death only the four sister's remained.

Richard's death

It appears that Richard had gone across the river to Haverhill when he fell ill. Sadly, he died away from his home in Rowley. From the deposition of Jonathan Platts: "going to Haverhill when Richard Longhorne was sick...went over with the daughter of Richard Longhorne to see him..." Richard, understandably worried about the fate of his young children was advised "to leave them to the disposal of their Grandmother to which Longhorne replied that he would and also to their two Aunts..."

Note: Most probably the daughter who went with Jonathan Platts to see her father as he lay dying was our grandmother Elizabeth Langhorne (9GGM), the eldest, 18 at the time.

"disposal" of the children

When Richard died, he left four daughters and two sons. Both sons died only months after their father. Elizabeth (9GGM) was the oldest at 18, then came young Constance (10A) who was 15, Sarah, (10A) 8 and Bethia, (10A) 6. Luckily, the girls had their grandmother, Constance Brigham Crosby (11GGM) and two aunts, Hannah (11A) and Jane (11A) Crosby to look after them.

Also lucky, the two oldest girls were married within three years of their father's death. Constance (10A) married in 1670 when she was only seventeen. Our grandmother Elizabeth (9GGM) married Abraham Haseltine (9GGF), son of the herdsman Robert Haseltine (10GGF).

Richard's will

"The last will and testament of RICHARD LONGHORNE of Rowley in the county of Essex made Februarie 10.1668:

First I give to my daughter ELIZABETH a Double portion whom also I constitute and appynt to be the executresse of this my last Will and Testament together with my beloved brother THOMAS LONGHORNE (11U) whom also I constitute and appoynt to be the other Executor... if the sayd Elizabeth shall die without heirs of her owne body my will is that the one half of the Estate given her by this my last Will and Testament be equally divided between my other three daughters...and then all my estate both of lands houses cattle household stuffe and all my moveables to be divided equally (my debts being first paid) amongst my children, my daughter Elizabeth haveing a double portion as aforesaid lastly I constitute and appoynt JOHN PECKARD, JOHN JOHNSON and JAMES BAILEY (all of Rowley aforesaid) to be overseers to see this my will performed."

No signature

Witness: Anthony Crosbie, Daniell Ela, John Ward.

Proved in Ipswich Court Mar. 30, 1669, by the Witnesses.

Note: When Richard died, the inventory of his property and land amounted to £732. His debts were £11. Our grandmother Elizabeth's double portion must have looked quite attractive to future husband Abraham Haseltine (9GGF).

Note: Our cousin Dr. Anthony Crosby (3C12X) who witnessed Richard's will also reportedly tended him when he was ill in Haverhill. And, in another petty Puritan squabble, Elizabeth and her husband Abraham Haseltine later sued Anthony over a parcel of land.

guardianship

In colonial America, women had few rights. If a mother died, the legal matter of the children's inheritance was still safe in their father's hands. If a father died, however, the mother had no legal rights over the children's inheritance.  In their teen years, when orphaned or fatherless children approached the age when they could receive their inheritance, a guardian was appointed by the court to protect and oversee the property and monies due to the child. A guardian’s responsibility focused on the property of the orphan rather than on the orphan himself.  The actual raising and care of these children was left to the womenfolk, generally family.

Guardianship was one area of the law where the Puritans seemed to release a little of their rigid control. The fatherless children were allowed to choose their own guardian.

In the case of the Langhorne children, young Constance was the first to choose her guardian when she was sixteen. From the Ipswich Quarterly Court Records, Vol; 5, p. 91 comes this entry - "Constance Longhorne made choice of Richard Thurlay as her Guardian, Mar. 30, 1669, who gave bond for the estate in his hands..." By all accounts, everything proceeded smoothy from there.

When the next daughter, Sarah, came of age, however her choice caused a bit of a furor. From a petition to the Court dated 4 May 1674, "Sarah Longhorne who was 'left yong and of Tender agge,' having been left under the charge of an executor, petitioned the court for a guardian..." Sarah decided upon neighbor Daniel Wicom to be her guardian.

This choice did not sit well with Grandma Constance. From court records:

"To this Honoured Court now sitting at Ipswitch: 4.3.1674 Constance Crosbie Grandmother to this Orphan Sarah Longhorne understanding that Daniel Wickham is like to be perswaded to accept of Guardianship for her: I thinking that she had need of one that hath more experience to oversee her and for other Reasons I am very unwilling & doe desire that such a thing may not be proceeded in or granted till Thomas Longhorne of Cambridge, her uncle, Knowes and Gives his consent; for he takes more care of the children than I expected he would have don : not more at psent, your poor & Humble servant & Handmaide Custance Crosbie"

It's entirely possible that Thomas Langhorne (11U) gave his approval of Daniel Wickham because there are no records showing that Sarah's choice was reversed by the Court.

Both young Constance and Sarah's guardian choices were unusual for the day. Generally, guardians were chosen from family members. But, since the Langhorne children had a true dearth of male family members other than their uncle Thomas Langhorne in Cambridge, their choices were most probably neighbors they had come to trust.

Note: Here's a cute story involving Sarah's choice of guardian, Daniel Wickham: When John Acey called our Grandpa Abraham Haseltine (9GGF) "a lying church member," Daniel Wickham said "if all the church members who told lies were cast out of church, there would be few left." Maybe Daniel was a good guardian choice, after all.

Finally, in 1679, youngest daughter Bethiah made her choice of guardian. From Ipswich Quarterly Court Records we find that in her seventeenth year "Bethiah Longhorne chose her uncle Thomas Longhorne as her guardian.'

Now that choice probably made Grandma Constance happy. Constance died in 1684 at the age of 80.