Freeman and Ellis Lines: Research Findings

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Freeman and Ellis Lines: Research Findings

Working file, started 30 September 2026; revised 1 October 2026 (pass 5).

Pass 1 (web): Plymouth Colony Records (PCR), vols 1-12, full text and page images; Winthrop Papers vols 3-5; Winthrop's Journal; Bradford's History of Plymouth Plantation (MHS 1912 ed.); Frederick Freeman's Freeman Genealogy (1875) and History of Cape Cod vol. 2 (1862); Lewis's History of Lynn.
Pass 2 (England): the National Archives (TNA) Discovery catalogue, which also indexes the West Sussex Record Office (WSRO); Hotten's Original Lists; Visitation of London 1633-35 (Harleian Society 15); Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines vol. 2 (1931); Laud's Works vol. 5.
Pass 3 (Ellis line): Sandwich, Plymouth, Plympton and Rochester vital records; Davis, Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth (1899); Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War; Pane-Joyce summaries of Brownson and McLean (NEHGR 1965-66).
Pass 4 (FamilySearch, logged in): the Family Tree profile of Edmund Freeman (L8SL-57Z) and its 47 attached sources; FamilySearch Full-Text search of Plymouth County deeds, probate, court and town records. This pass closed the two weakest links in the Ellis line.
Pass 5 (1 Oct 2026): the families who married in (Nye, Tupper, Churchill, Delano, Pontus, Bennett, Howland, Stephens, Harlow, Bartlett, Rider), Edmund's other children and in-laws, and the Ellis generations in more depth, from the Plymouth Colony Records, the Plymouth, Plympton, Sandwich and Middleborough vital records, the Mayflower Descendant, Weston's History of Middleboro, Hurd's History of Plymouth County, and the family genealogies of the Nyes (1907), Tuppers (1939) and Churchills (1904); then a FamilySearch full-text pass of Barnstable and Plymouth probate and deeds. Changes from this pass are marked (pass 5).

Scope: Edmund Freeman (1596-1682) in England and New England, his family, and the Ellis line from his daughter Elizabeth down to Nancy Ellis, who married Gideon Holbrook and was the mother of Richard B. Holbrook. The Holbrook line itself is in early-holbrook-family-england.md and Holbrook-Master-Family-Tree.md.

Companion files (pass 5): Freeman_Ellis_Master_Family_Tree.md holds the births, deaths, marriages and relationships for everyone named here and in the married-in families, with the evidence tier for each link. Freeman_Ellis_Anecdotes.md collects the incidents and quotations by person and date.

Evidence tiers used below

[Documented] A primary record, or a published transcript, index, abstract or archive catalogue description of one.
[Compiled] A secondary genealogy or history stating something, with or without a source.
[Tradition] Family or local lore with no stated source.
[Inference] Our own reasoning from the above.

Conventions. Dates are Old Style as recorded, with double years for 1 Jan to 24 Mar (1641/2 means 1642 in modern reckoning). PCR citations are volume:page in the printed edition (Shurtleff and Pulsifer, 1855-61). Most page numbers come from the running heads in the scanned text; pages checked against the page image are marked. FamilySearch items are cited by their image ID (3:1:...), which opens as https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:.... FamilySearch full-text transcriptions are machine OCR of handwriting and contain errors; quotations from them below have been read for sense and should be checked against the image before going into print.

1. Current picture

Question	Status
Edmund bapt. Pulborough, Sussex, 25 July 1596, son of Edmund Freeman and Alice Coles	Documented (Pulborough register, an 18th-century copy of the early entries)
His father was a Pulborough "woodbroker" (1600-01) and yeoman (1609-23) who sold timber to Thames shipwrights	Documented (WSRO and TNA deeds and suits), new
Edmund himself was "of London, Merchant" by Feb 1634 and "of London, gent." in 1639	Documented (WSRO), new
His brother-in-law John Beauchamp, London merchant, was one of the investors behind Plymouth Colony	Documented (Visitation of London; Bradford)
Why he emigrated	Not stated in any record. The documented facts point to family business ties with Plymouth's investors and a religious position the colony later called "Anabaptistry" (section 3)
Sailed on the Abigail from London in 1635 with John Winthrop Jr. as a fellow passenger	Documented
The 20 corselets of armor were used in the Pequot War, and in 1640 he was still asking to be paid for them	Documented (Hugh Peter to Winthrop, 1640), new
Principal founder of Sandwich (grant 3 Apr 1637)	Documented (PCR 1:57). Plymouth accused the Sandwich committees of admitting unfit people and taking most of the land (1639)
Bought the Sandwich Indian purchase from Bradford's partners (1647/8) and passed it to the town (1651)	Documented (PCR 12:210-212). Corrects the usual "1647 deed from the colony"
Bought land directly from Quachattasett, sachem of Manomet, for £8, 1 Jan 1663/4	Documented (Plymouth County deed, FamilySearch full text), new
Dropped as Assistant in 1646 for "professed Anabaptistry"	Documented (Winslow to Winthrop, 4 June 1646)
Refused to help the marshal against the Quakers (the famous story)	Misattributed. The 1659 fine was his son, Edmond Freeman Jr. (PCR 3:173)
Made a return trip to London in 1639	Documented (London deeds of May-July 1639; merchant's letters), new
Saddle and Pillion graves	Tradition (19th century). Bronze tablets placed 22 Aug 1910
Ellis line, all links from Elizabeth Freeman to Nancy Ellis	Documented at every step after this session (section 2). Two links that were weak are now closed by Middleborough and Plympton records found on FamilySearch
Tree corrections needed	Matthias Ellis's wife was Mercy (probably Nye), not Mary Burgess; Gideon Holbrook died 23 Jan 1842, not 1847; no record uses "David" for George Ellis or "Stevens" as Nancy's middle name (section 14)
Lt. Matthias Ellis's will (1744)	Found (pass 5). Names wife Mercy, sons Joel, Matthias and Malachi, and three daughters; proved 4 Oct 1748 (section 13.3)
Lucy, wife of Matthias Ellis (gen. 5)	Identified (pass 5): Lucia Bennett, b. Middleborough 2 Oct 1725, dau. of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. and Thankful (section 13.5)
Mayflower and other early-ship lines	New (pass 5). Richard Warren twice, through Phebe Harlow, mother of Phebe (Stephens) Ellis; John Howland, Elizabeth Tilley and John Tilley, through Lucy Bennett; Philip Delano (Fortune 1621) through Elizabeth Churchill; William Pontus of Leiden three times (section 13.8)
Nancy Ellis's dates	b. 21 Oct 1781 (from age at death); d. 29 Jan 1864, Plymouth; her will of 1860 names Richard B. Holbrook (section 13.7)

2. The line of descent

Gen.	Person	Evidence for the link	Confidence
1	Edmund Freeman, bapt. Pulborough 25 July 1596; d. Sandwich between 21 June and 2 Nov 1682. m. (1) Cowfold, Sussex, 16 June 1617, Bennett Hodsoll (bapt. All Saints Barking, London, 23 Aug 1596; bur. Pulborough 12 Apr 1630)	Pulborough and Cowfold registers	Documented
2	Elizabeth Freeman, bapt. Billingshurst, Sussex, 11 Apr 1624 (from 1633/4 Chancery depositions); d. after 1692. m. by Aug 1644 Lt. John Ellis (d. by 7 June 1677)	Edmund's will names "my Daughter Elizabeth Ellis"; PCR 2:76, 2:85-86	Documented
3	Lt. Matthias Ellis, b. Sandwich 2 June 1657; d. Sandwich 8 Sept 1748 (will proved 4 Oct 1748). m. c. 1678 Mercy (probably Mercy Nye, b. 8 Apr 1652, dau. of Benjamin Nye and Katherine Tupper; living 4 Oct 1748)	Sandwich town record: "Matthias Ellis the son of John Ellis"; Edmund's 1678/9 deed calls him "my grandson"	Documented
4	Capt. Joel Ellis, b. Sandwich 17 Jan 1679/80; d. Middleborough 21 June 1763. m. Plymouth 6 Apr 1710 Elizabeth Churchill, dau. of Sgt. John Churchill Jr. and Rebecca Delano	Sandwich birth register (first name worn, restored as Joel from a copy and by McLean); (pass 5) Matthias's will (1744) leaves land to "my son Joel," and Joel's receipt to the executor calls himself "one of the Children of Mathias Ellis Late of Sandwich"	Documented
5	Matthias Ellis, b. 7 Mar 1719/20; d. Middleborough by Mar 1790 ("Gentleman"). m. 7 Apr 1743 Lucia (Lucy) Bennett, dau. of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. and Thankful	Deed of gift, "Joel Ellis of Middleborough" to "my Loving son Matthias Ellis of Middleborough," May 1759 (acknowledged 22 May 1759; corrected from 1750, pass 5), recorded 18 Oct 1765	Documented
6	George Ellis, b. Middleborough 10 May 1747; living c. 1808. m. (1) Plympton 23 May 1773 Phebe Stephens (probably d. 24 Nov 1789), dau. of Edward Stephens Jr. and Phebe Harlow of Plymouth; m. (2) 1792 Experience Clark	Middleborough births: "George Ellis the Son of Mathias Ellis and by Lucia his Wife Was Born May the 10th 1747"	Documented
7	Nancy Ellis, b. 21 Oct 1781 (from age at death); d. Plymouth 29 Jan 1864. m. (1) Plymouth 1801 Richard Blackmer, mariner (d. by Feb 1808); m. (2) Plymouth, int. 29 Nov 1818, Gideon Holbrook, mariner, later "Gentleman" (d. 23 Jan 1842)	Plympton warning-out of 28 Mar 1785 names Nancy among the children of George and Phebe; 1805 quitclaim by the heirs of "our Mother Phebe Ellis Decd who was formerly Phebe Stephens," signed by Richard Blackmer and Nancy; 1833 record calls Nancy Blackmer's maiden name Ellis	Documented
8	Richard Blackmer Holbrook Sr., b. Manomet, Plymouth, 7 Aug 1821; d. Coupeville, Washington, 14 May 1894	Gideon Holbrook's will names son "Richard B. Holbrook," with "my wife Nancy Holbrook" as executor; (pass 5) Nancy's own will (1860) names "my children ... Richard B. Holbrook"	Documented

3. Edmund Freeman in England

The Pulborough family

His father, Edmund Freeman the elder (d. 1623)

[Documented] Deed of 14 Feb 1600 (42 Eliz.): John Morley of Halnaker and William Browne of Tangmere, esqs, convey to "Edmund Freeman of Pulborough, woodbroker" the land called Millards and the copyholds Pykehurst, Gooduse, Brookehouse and Averyes, Littlecombe Lands and The Waters, Fowles, Stoners and Willetts. WSRO Add Mss 40,254.
[Documented] Bond of 28 Mar 1601: William Johnson of St Olave's, Southwark, shipwright, bound to "Edmund Freeman of Pulborough, Sussex, 'woodbroker'" for £28. TNA WARD 2/49/174/8A.
[Documented] Court of Requests, Johnson v Freeman, 6 Oct 1601, over a bond "on account of a ship called The Providence bought of him." TNA REQ 2/147/16.
[Documented] Elizabethan Chancery suit Apsley v Freeman, George Apsley esq. v Edmund Freeman, "contract etc relating to lands called Freelands in Pulborough." TNA C 2/Eliz/A8/50.
[Documented] "Edmund Freman of Pulborough, yeoman," trustee in a marriage settlement, 19 Jan 1609. WSRO SAS-B/358.
[Documented] Settlement of 20 July 1620 on the marriage of his son William to Christian Hodsoll: "Edmund Freeman senr. of Pulborough, yeoman" conveys Pykhurst and other lands to trustees George Coles of Amberley, yeoman, and "John Bewchamp, citizen and salter of London." He signed with a mark. WSRO SAS-B/578.
[Documented] Buried Pulborough 6 June 1623. Will proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 18 June 1623, "Will of Edmund Freeman, Yeoman of Pulborough, Sussex," TNA PROB 11/141/674. Executors: sons Edmond and William. £20 to each child; over £800 in all besides lands (Dawes-Gates 2:349, citing "P.C.C., Swann, 59").
[Inference] A timber broker who sold to London shipwrights and dealt in a ship. The later family pattern of London and Thames-side trade starts here.

His mother, Alice Coles (d. 1651/2)

[Documented] Sister of George Coles of Amberley. Her will, "Alice Freeman, Widow of Reigate, Surrey," proved 5 Mar 1651/2, TNA PROB 11/221/67. It includes a bequest to Edmond Freeman and his wife (Dawes-Gates).
[Documented, published transcript] In 1649 John Beauchamp wrote that "the wife's mother ... lives with me at Ryegate" (Freeman Genealogy pp. 23-24).

His uncle, George Coles of Amberley

[Documented] Chichester consistory deposition, 30 Oct 1624: "George Coles of Amberley, yeoman, where he had lived some 23 years. Born in Wootton, Somersetshire. Aged about 65 years." WSRO Ep/I/11/13, f. 233. So born c. 1559 and at Amberley from c. 1601.
[Documented] Tenant of the malthouse in Amberley Castle, 1610 and 1623 (WSRO WISTON/4329-4330). Sued in 1622 by a Southwark tanner over "dealings in oaken bark" (TNA REQ 2/404/76).
[Inference] The Coles family was West Country in origin. There are several Woottons in Somerset.

His siblings (Dawes-Gates 2:349, citing the Pulborough register; FamilySearch tree)

William (c. 1598-1666). m. (1) Christian Hodsoll, Bennett's sister (bur. Cowfold 24 July 1635); m. (2) 15 May 1638 the widow Jane Gratwick of Cowfold. "Of Ratcliffe in the parish of Stepney" in 1630 (WSRO Add Mss 4118). "William Freeman of Cowfold, esq." by 1655 (WSRO Add Mss 2143); probably a Commonwealth JP.
Alice, bapt. 15 Apr 1601; m. Pulborough 27 Dec 1615 John Beauchamp.
Eleanor, bapt. 25 Aug 1603; bur. 7 Apr 1618.
John, bapt. 24 Jan 1604/5 (FamilySearch) or 29 Jan 1605/6 or 1606/7 (Dawes-Gates). Possibly the John Freeman of Sudbury, Mass.
Elizabeth, bapt. 27 Aug 1609; m. John Cuddington (see Beauchamp, below).
The FamilySearch tree also has Ellen (1592). Dawes-Gates does not list her, and 1592 is before the surviving register begins (1595).
[Documented] WSRO's catalogue for the Pulborough register (Par/153/1/1/1, 1595-1812) says the earlier entries were copied into the book in the 18th century. Edmund's own baptism is known only from that copy. (Seen on FamilySearch: "Pulborough. ... Baptism Registers 1595-1879," image provided by West Sussex County Council.)

First marriage: Bennett Hodsoll and her family

[Documented] m. Cowfold 16 June 1617 (WikiTree reads 26 June). Richard L. Bush, "The English Ancestry of Bennett Hodsoll, First Wife of Edmond Freeman of Sandwich," NEHGR 164 (2010):104-111.
[Compiled from Bush] Bennett was bapt. All Saints Barking, London, 23 Aug 1596, dau. of John Hodsoll and his first wife Anne Maundy. John Hodsoll married secondly Faith (Moorer) (Bacon) Bareham about 1614. [Inference] This resolves the "Faith" confusion in older sources: Faith was Bennett's stepmother.
[Documented] John Hodsoll the elder:
- "John Hodsoll of the City of London, mariner," leased a wharf at Ratcliff, 1592/3 (London Archives M/093/196).
- Bought Lower Northovers in Steyning for £310, 27 May 1607, as "John Hodsoll of London, gent." (WSRO SAS-BA/294).
- Sued by the Sherleys of Wiston over cutting timber (TNA C 2/JasI/S38/73).
- Will of "John Hodsell, Gentleman of Cowfold," 1617 (TNA PROB 11/130/640). It names his daughter Bennett, wife of Edmund Freeman.
- Bush describes him as a major supplier of wood products to the Royal Navy and an investor in the Virginia Company.
[Documented] Bennett's brother John Hodsoll the younger died 1628 (will TNA PROB 11/154/477, "Gentleman of Shermanbury"; inquisition post mortem C 142/582/161). His executors John Gratwicke and William Freeman were empowered to sell Long Dowsetts and Northovers (about 110 acres, West Grinstead and Steyning).
[Documented] Bennett was buried at Pulborough 12 Apr 1630.

The children of Edmund and Bennett

Child	Baptism	Notes
Alice	Pulborough 4 Apr 1619	m. Plymouth 24 Nov 1639 Deacon William Paddy, merchant; d. 24 Apr 1651
Edmund	Billingshurst 26 Nov 1620	m. (1) 22 Apr 1646 Rebecca Prence, granddaughter of Elder William Brewster; m. (2) 18 July 1651 Margaret Perry; d. by Jan 1703/4
Bennett (son)	Billingshurst 20 Jan 1621/2	d. between 28 Nov 1633 and 13 Jan 1633/4
Elizabeth	Billingshurst 11 Apr 1624	m. Lt. John Ellis. Our line
John	Billingshurst 28 Jan 1626/7	Major John Freeman of Eastham; m. Mercy Prence; d. 28 Oct 1719
Nathaniel	Billingshurst 2 Sept 1629	bur. Pulborough 12 Sept 1629

[Documented] The Billingshurst register (WSRO Par/21/1/1/1) has gaps from about 1622 to 1629. The 1622-1629 baptisms survive only because Edmund had them sworn in the 1633/4 Chancery depositions.
[Documented] Other register entries for an Edmund Freeman conflict with this family: a son John bapt. Pulborough 25 June 1633 and bur. Billingshurst 2 Oct 1634 (WikiTree research notes). Unresolved.

Where he lived, 1617-1635

Period	Place	Evidence
1617-19	Pulborough	Marriage and first baptism
c. 1619/20 to c. 1627	Billingshurst (about 6 miles NE of Pulborough)	1633/4 depositions (per Dawes-Gates)
1627-30	Pulborough	Dawes-Gates; Nathaniel's burial
Aug 1632	Possibly Shipley	Marriage there [Inference]
By Feb 1634 (or 1634/5)	London, "Merchant"	WSRO Add Mss 28,786
1639 (visiting)	London, "gent."	WSRO SAS-BA/295-298

The Hodsoll lands and the Chancery suit of 1633/4

[Compiled from primary] In January 1633/4 (FamilySearch contributors and Jacobus give 28 Nov 1633), Edmund, on behalf of himself and his five living children, sued his brother William, John Gratwicke gent., and others over the lands of his late father-in-law. The depositions gave the Billingshurst baptisms, said he owned lands in Pulborough and Billingshurst, and called him "a man of good credit and repute" (Dawes-Gates 2:350; Jacobus, Ackley-Bosworth Ancestry, 1960, pp. 24-27).
[Documented, catalogue only] Candidate TNA references, none dated in the catalogue:
- C 2/ChasI/F43/29, Freeman v Gratwick and others, replication.
- C 2/ChasI/F52/112, Freeman v Gratwick and others, pleadings.
- C 2/ChasI/F42/34, Freeman v Hudsot (probably "Hodsoll" misread), answer.
- C 21/F14/17, Freeman v Freeman, depositions taken in the country.
[Documented] Related suits: Hodsoll v Gratwicke, 1629, C 8/58/18; Freeman v Apsley, Exchequer, 1634, E 133/55/51; Apsley v Freeman, C 2/ChasI/A45/33 and A45/56.

London merchant, and the lands put in trust before sailing

[Documented] "A plott of the lands called Dousets lying in West Grinsted Nothover ... Wephams Coppyhould and East Coome lying in Pulburrough parcell of the possessions of Edmund Freeman of London Merchant ... in February 1634. By Henry Bigg, surveyor." About 148 acres in six parcels, showing "the Iland & Mote" at East Coome. WSRO Add Mss 28,786.
[Documented] WSRO SAS-BA/297, 14 June 1639. It recites that:
- Hodsoll's executors sold Long Dowsetts and Northovers to Edmund Freeman for £626;
- on 20 June 1634 the lands were assigned to John Beauchamp as Freeman's nominee;
- on 23 Feb 1634/5 Beauchamp and Freeman assigned them to four London citizens: Thomas Hinsman (merchant taylor), John Atwood (citizen and leatherseller), Abraham Martin (vintner) and James Jenkins (merchant taylor).
[Inference] He put his main Sussex property in the hands of London trustees about four months before the Abigail sailed. John Atwood later settled at Plymouth ("John Attwood of New Plymouth," 1639) and negotiated Beauchamp's 1645 settlement with the Plymouth partners.

Second marriage

[Documented] "Edmundus Freiman" m. "Elisabetha Raymer" at Shipley, Sussex, 10 Aug 1632 (WSRO Par/168/1/1/1). Shipley is next to the Freemans' district. Whether this is our Edmund is not proven, though Anderson and most compilers accept it or leave the maiden name open.
[Compiled] Brainard (TAG 17, 1940) and Dawes-Gates proposed a widow Perry, which would make Edward Perry a stepson rather than a son-in-law. Brownson and McLean say no evidence has been found that Edward Perry's wife Mary was Edmund's daughter. (Earlier notes cited them as NEHGR 115:86; Sibert gives the article as "Ezra Perry of Sandwich," NEHGR 115 (1961):181-198. Pass 5.)
(pass 5) [Compiled] On the other side, Jacobus (Ackley-Bosworth Ancestry, quoted by Pane-Joyce), Anderson (Great Migration Begins) and Paine (NEHGR 20:59) give Edmund a daughter Mary, born about 1636 in New England. Jacobus's points: no Edward Perry is on the 1635 Abigail list, though a young stepson would have come with his mother; and Edward's son Benjamin named a son Freeman Perry. Dawes-Gates contradicts itself (2:350n favours the stepson, 2:691 has "Mary [called Freeman]").
(pass 5) [Documented, transcript] The will wording is "my three Sons, namely, my son Edmond Freeman, and my son John Freeman, and Edward Perry" and "unto my son Edward Perry" (Freeman Genealogy pp. 14-15). Frederick Freeman's "son-in-law Edward Perry" in History of Cape Cod 2:78 is his paraphrase.
(pass 5) [Inference] The evidence leans to a daughter Mary born c. 1636: "my son" was ordinary usage for a son-in-law, the grandson's name points to the Freemans, and the stepson theory has no positive evidence.
[Documented] Shipley's register also has a 1632 list of gallery seat-holders (f. 56r) and a 1635 list of preachers (f. 55v). Not yet checked for Freeman.

John Beauchamp and the Plymouth investors

[Documented, published transcript] Visitation of London 1633-35 (Harleian Society 15, p. 59): Thomas Beauchampe of Cosgrave, Northants = Dorothy, daughter of [Richard?] Clark of Rode, Northants. Their son "John Beauchamp of London, marchant ao 1634" married "Alice da. of Edmond Freeman of Pulbury co. Sussex." Children John, Thomas, Alice, Mary, Edmund, Richard. Signed "JOHN BEAUCHAMP."
[Documented] Beauchamp was one of the London partners who financed Plymouth. In Andrews and Beauchamp v Sherley (15 Feb 1640/1) each of the three London partners was to put in about £1,100; Beauchamp paid £1,127 (Bradford 1912 ed. 2:311-312n). He also held the Muscongus patent of 1629/30 with Thomas Leverett.
[Documented] Letter of attorney, London, 11 July 1639: "I John Beauchamp of London Merchant ... constitute Edmond ffreeman of New England Gen[t] my true and lawfull Attorney." PCR 12:127-128.
[Documented] In the 1645 settlement Beauchamp made "his brother in law Mr Edmond ffreeman of Sandwich ... gen[t]" his attorney to collect £400 from Bradford, Prence, Standish and their partners, "wth speciall order to take it in land[s]." PCR 12:~130.
[Documented] Beauchamp's will, "John Beauchamp of Reigate, Surrey," 23 May 1655. TNA PROB 11/245/407.
"Bro. Coddington." Beauchamp's 1649 letter mentions "my bro. Coddington." Frederick Freeman (1875) took this as William Coddington of Rhode Island.
- [Documented] Dawes-Gates has Edmund's sister Elizabeth marrying "John Coddington."
- [Documented] WSRO SAS-BA/305 (1682) names "Mary Cuddington, widow and relict of John Cuddington of Sidlow Mill in Reigate, gent. decd." SAS-BA/307 (1693) shows the Cuddington coheiresses holding Northovers, the land Edmund sold in 1639.
- [Inference, strong] "Bro. Coddington" was John Cuddington of Reigate, husband of Elizabeth Freeman. There is no evidence of a link to William Coddington.

Why he emigrated

No record gives his reason. Anderson's Great Migration sketch, as cited on WikiTree, says it is unknown whether he was a Puritan or why he left.

What is documented

His first wife died in April 1630, seven months after the burial of their infant son Nathaniel.
In 1633/4 he was in Chancery against his own brother over his children's inheritance.
By Feb 1634 he was a London merchant. In Feb 1634/5 he placed his Sussex purchase with London trustees.
His sister's husband was a Plymouth investor, and a Plymouth-bound London leatherseller was one of his trustees.
In 1646 Plymouth's leaders regarded him as a professed Anabaptist and separatist (Winslow, section 6). In 1651 he and his wife were presented for not attending public worship (section 8).

Context, not about him directly

[Documented, context] Emigrants in 1635 needed a certificate of conformity from their minister and a certificate that they were not subsidy men. Hotten's list containing "EDMOND FREEMAN 45" is headed "Cert: from the Minister of their conformitie from the Justices, that they are no Subsedy men." [Inference] A man able to pay £626 for land and to bring twenty corselets was hardly "no subsidy man," so these certificates were formalities.
[Documented, context] Laud's annual reports for Chichester diocese (1634, 1638, 1639) found puritan activity in the east of the diocese around Lewes, not in west Sussex. Laud's 1639 report found "divers anabaptists and separatists" near Ashford in Kent.
[Documented, negative] The Chichester consistory deposition books, 1611-1663 (WSRO Ep/I/11/12-16), show no Freeman or Hodsoll causes.
[Inference] From about 1634 he lived in London, where separatist and early Baptist congregations were active (the Jacob-Lathrop-Spilsbury church split in 1633-38). Nothing ties him to them.

Assessment [Inference]: The documented pull was commercial and familial: Beauchamp's stake in Plymouth, the beaver trade, and Atwood. The documented push is less clear. His religious views, as later described, would have made conformity in England uncomfortable, but no English record shows him in trouble with the church.

Family traditions

[Tradition] Frederick Freeman (1875, p. 9): "Family tradition has it that 'he came from Devonshire.' There are circumstances indicating that he came 'from Oxford.'" Born "as is supposed, in the year 1590."
- [Inference] The Devonshire idea probably came from Samuel Freeman of Watertown, who "came in 1630 from Devonshire" and was "supposed to be brother of Edmund" (Freeman Genealogy p. 395, quoting Farmer).
- [Documented] The only Oxford link found near Pulborough is William Freeman of Hardham, husbandman, "born at Benson ... Oxfordshire," aged about 30 in 1609 (WSRO Ep/I/11/11). No kinship shown.
- The Sussex baptism of 1596 replaces the 1590 birth year, which is still on his grave tablet.
[Tradition, substantiated] "He came over as agent of men of the first respectability in England" (Freeman Genealogy p. 12n). The Beauchamp attorneyship and the custodian Russell's note that there are "many deeds of Edm. Freeman ... showing him to have been Mr. B.'s agent" support it.
[Compiled, broken] Online trees extending the Freeman line into medieval gentry (Fremingham, Stafford, Bassett, Baron Dudley) were judged broken in earlier notes. Nothing new supports them. A father who was a woodbroker and signed by mark does not fit a gentry descent.

4. The voyage and Lynn, 1635-1637

[Documented] Hotten's Original Lists (pp. 94-103), certificates at the Port of London for the Abigail, Richard Hackwell master:
- 1 July 1635: "Husb: Edward Freeman 34, vxor Elizabeth Freeman 35, Edmond Freeman 15, John Freeman 8," and further down "Elizab: Freeman 12, Alice Freeman 17."
- A separate admiralty list: "Edmund Freeman 45."
- Other Freemans on the ship: Marie 50, Jo 9, Sycillae 4 (17 June); John 35; Thomas 24.
- [Inference] The children's ages fit Edmund's family. The "Edward, 34" entry is taken to be Edmund with a clerk's error; the "Edmund 45" entry may be the same man. His real age was 38 or 39.
[Documented] The certificates run 15 June to 10 July 1635 at London. Wikipedia's "sailed from Plymouth, England on 4 June 1635" conflicts with this.
[Documented] Winthrop's Journal: the Abigail arrived in October 1635 after ten weeks at sea with about 220 people, "infected also with the small pox."
[Documented] Letter, 5 Nov 1635, Freeman to John Winthrop Jr.: "retaine for us mr. Geeres part and my part of the provicions left of the vndertaker ... Oure part is the eight part." The editors call him "Edmond Freeman of Pulborough, Sussex," and say he and Dennis Geere of Sussex were "fellow passengers of John Winthrop, Jr., on the Abigail." Winthrop Papers 3:214.
[Documented] Dennis Geere's certificate came from the minister of Isleworth, Middlesex, though he was a Sussex man. [Inference] Sussex emigrants were processed through London parishes; no larger Sussex group is documented.
[Compiled] Lewis, History of Lynn (1865), p. 153: among the new inhabitants of Lynn in 1635 was Mr. Edmund Freeman, "who presented to the Colony twenty corslets, or pieces of plate armor."
[Documented, new] Hugh Peter to John Winthrop, Salem, 6 Sept 1640, writing "in behalfe of Mr. Paddy this bearer, who earnestly desires some course may bee taken for what is due from the Country to his father Freeman for his Armes they had in the Pekot seruice for which hee might haue had 40li, and now desires but 15l ... I thinke Captayn Gibbons can tell best of these arms." Winthrop Papers 4:285-286.
- [Inference] The armor went to Massachusetts Bay's Pequot War campaign of 1637. It was a sale or loan, not a gift, and in 1640 Edmund's son-in-law William Paddy was still trying to collect for him. No matching entry was found in the Massachusetts Bay records, vol. 1.
[Compiled] Freeman Genealogy p. 12 says he lived briefly at Duxbury before Sandwich. Not verified.

5. Founding Sandwich, 1637-1651

The grant

[Documented] 3 Apr 1637: the court allowed "those tenn men of Saugust, viz^t, Edmond Freeman, Henry Feake, Thomas Dexter, Edward Dillingham, William Wood, John Carman, Richard Chadwell, Willm Almey, Thomas Tupper, & George Knott" to "haue liberty to view a place to sitt downe & haue sufficient lands for three score famylies, vpon the condicons ppounded to them by the GoQnor and Mr Winslowe." PCR 1:57. The conditions were not written into the record.
[Documented] Freeman is on the grand jury sworn 7 Mar 1636/7, his name added last (PCR 1:54). He was admitted a freeman of Plymouth 2 Jan 1637/8 (PCR 1:73-74). His name appears on a freemen list printed under 7 Mar 1636/7 (PCR 1:52-53), but that list was a running roll with later additions. Wikipedia's "January 23, 1637" is wrong.
[Documented] Winthrop's Journal, early 1637/8: "Another plantation was begun (and called Sandwich) about fifteen miles beyond Plymouth, towards Cape Cod, by many families, which removed from Sagus, otherwise Lynn." Hosmer ed. 1:259.

Questions and complaints, 1638-1640

[Documented] 5 June 1638: the court answered questions put by William Leverich and others. PCR 1:88-89.
- It replaced the term "vndertakers" with "committies," "their graunt being condiconall, and not absolute."
- Members still at Saugus who did not come would have no land: "when they made suite to us, it was as a people streitened & ptending remoueall."
- On the fear that the committees would "monopolize the cheife places of conveniency for lands, woods, meadowes," the court allowed that such damage might be "not to be suffered," but also that "if the committees be faythfull and able of estate, their paynes will not be small ... their paynes will require more then ordinary accomodacon."
[Documented] 6 Mar 1637/8: Standish and Alden to "goe to Sanditch, and set forth their bounds." PCR 1:80.
[Documented] 5 Mar 1638/9: the meadow already laid out at Sandwich to be divided again "by equall porcons, according to eich mans estate," with townsmen joined to the committees. PCR 1:117.
[Documented] 3 Sept 1639: "diuers of the committees of Sandwich haue not faythfully discharged that trust ... by receiueing into the said towne diuers psons vnfitt for church societie," and "haue disposed the greatest pt of the lands there already, and to very few that are in church societie." They were forbidden to dispose of more land or to "make sale nor convey any of their lands they haue assumed to themselves." PCR 1:131.
[Documented] 3 Oct 1639: Prence and Standish to settle "all differences & controQsies amongst the comittees and inhabit^s." Henceforth no one to be admitted or given land "w^thout consent & approbacon of Mr LeQich & the church." PCR 1:133-134.
[Documented] 16 Apr 1640: a general meeting before Prence, to settle differences "in genQall, or betwixt pticuler psons ... or betwixt them & the Indians." Ten men divided the meadow: five committee members (Freeman, Feake, Dillingham, Chadwell, Carman) and five townsmen (Vincent, Richard Bourne, George Allen, Robert Botfish, Joseph Holloway). PCR 1:147-150.
[Documented, image checked] In the meadow dividend, "Mr Ed Freeman" received 42 acres, the largest share. Next: Carman 28; Dexter 26 "if he come to liue here"; Feake 20; Chadwell 15; Holloway 15. PCR 1:149-150.
- [Inference] There are 58 named recipients. Frederick Freeman's "of the fifty-eight who became entitled to shares ... his portion was much the largest" refers to this 1640 meadow division.
[Inference] The committees, Freeman included, were accused of favoring themselves in the land, and Plymouth imposed Leverich's church as gatekeeper. Freeman's later "separation from the churches" would have put him at odds with that arrangement.

The Indian title and the transfer to the town

[Compiled] Frederick Freeman: "One of the conditions was the extinguishment of the Indian title." No source.
[Documented] Bradford's assignment of 24 Jan 1647/8: "about tenn yeares past" Bradford "and the Rest of his parteners ... being of the old Companie haue Purchased the Towne of Sandwidge of the Indians," paying "the vallew of sixteene pound nineteen shillings in Comodities." Bradford assigned the right to "Edmond ffreeman of Sandwidge" for £16 19s. Witnesses Thomas Willett and William Paddy. PCR 12:210.
[Documented] 7 July 1646: once Sandwich's inhabitants "haue payd a debt of xvij^li or xviij^li, oweing to the old company," the "comittees or vndertakers shall yeild vp the lands vndesposed of to the towne." PCR 2:106.
[Documented] 26 Feb 1647/8: six town agents (George Allen, John Vincent, William Newland, Robert Botfish, Anthony Wright, Richard Bourne) agreed to satisfy "the Just demaunds of the Comitties" and pay Freeman £17 "laid out for the Purchase." PCR 12:210-212.
[Documented] 20 Aug 1651: the town gave Freeman senior, "as one of the aforsaid vndertakers," several parcels, including 20 acres by John Ellis's land "by the beach." Freeman released to Sandwich all his right under Bradford's writing, "onely Reseruing ... that pcell Comonly called Plym Neck." Witnesses William Bradford and Nathaniel Morton. PCR 12:211-212 (release checked on the image).
[Documented] 3-4 June 1647: a "record of ye lands of Mr Edmond ffreeman graunted unto him by his dwelling house at Sandwitch": 80 acres upland, 20 acres meadow, and 6 acres on the beach "adioyning to a peece of land cald Cussett" (Scusset). PCR 12:143. [Inference] His house was at Scusset (West Sandwich, now Sagamore) by 1647, which fits the burial ground on Wilson Road.
[Inference] The usual line "in 1647 he received a deed from the Colony" is imprecise. The instrument came from Bradford and the Old Company partners, who had bought the land from the Indians about 1637.

Buying out the other founders

[Documented] 22 June 1642: William Almy, "late of Sandwich," sold his house, lands and all money due "for sondry charges by me disbursed in my vndertakership" to "Edmond ffreeman of Sandwich the yeonger" (the son), for £18. PCR 12:84.
[Documented] 6 Jan 1645/6: Richard Chadwell, ship carpenter, sold to "Edmond ffreeman thelder" his dwelling, barn, glass windows and "bedstead matt and bedcord," his right in Sandwich lands "by reason of his Committeeship," and money due "for the setling of the said plantacon," for £35 5s. PCR 12:118-119.

Incorporation and the name

[Documented] Sandwich's first deputies sat at the court of 4 June 1639 (PCR 1:126). No separate act of incorporation was found. [Inference] The customary "incorporated 1639" rests on this.
[Documented] "Sandwiche" is in the record by June 1638 (PCR 1:88).
The link to Sandwich, Kent is traditional; no 17th-century statement of the reason for the name was found.

6. Magistrate and Assistant, 1640-1646

[Documented] Elected Assistant 3 Mar 1639/40 (PCR 1:140-141), 2 Mar 1640/1 (2:8), 1 Mar 1641/2 (2:33), 1642/3 (2:52), 1644 (2:71), 3 June 1645 (2:81). On the bench as late as 5 May 1646 (2:99). Not on the list of 2 June 1646; William Thomas replaced him (2:100).
- [Inference] Six annual terms, 1640-1646. The "seven consecutive years" and the grave marker's "1640-1647" overstate it.
[Documented] 2 June 1640: Dimmock of Barnstable and Crow of Yarmouth "to joyne w^th Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwich, to heare and determine all causes & controQsies w^thin the three towneships" below a small sum. PCR 1:155. Renewed 5 June 1644 (2:73).
- Examples of the work: a court at Yarmouth before Winslow, Standish and Freeman to set the Yarmouth-Barnstable bounds (17 June 1641, PCR 2:19-20); whippings at Yarmouth "in such fitt season as shalbe thought meete by Mr Edmond Freeman" (Dec 1641, 2:28); whippings at Barnstable "in the p^rsence of Mr Freeman" (1641/2, 2:35-36).
[Documented] 27 Sept 1642: member of the council of war formed "for our p^rsent defence against the intended surprisall of the natiues." PCR 2:46-47.
[Documented] Edward Winslow to John Winthrop, Plymouth, 4 June 1646: "Our eleccion is over. mr. Bradford Gov[ernou]r the Assistants the same, saue onely mr. Thomas insteed of mr. Freeman whom I suppose the Countrey left out in regard of his professed Anabaptistry and separacion from the Churches." Winthrop Papers 5:80-81 (from MHS Collections 4th ser. 6:178-180).
[Documented, context] Winslow to Winthrop, Nov 1645, describes an October 1645 proposal "To allow and maintaine full and free tollerance of religion to all men that would preserue the Civill peace," which "the other three Assistants applauded." Governor Bradford would not let it come to a vote. Winthrop Papers 5:55-56. Freeman is not named. [Inference, unverified] He may have been one of the three.
[Documented] A month after being dropped, he sat as one of Sandwich's deputies (7 July 1646, PCR 2:104). At the same court he was fined 18 pence for absence (2:106, image checked).
[Compiled] Frederick Freeman: "His views were too liberal for the age" (History of Cape Cod 2:49).

7. The 1639 London trip and business as Beauchamp's attorney

[Documented] London deeds of 17 May, 14 June and 19 June 1639 (WSRO SAS-BA/295-298) name "Edmund Freeman of London, gent.," and are signed by him. SAS-BA/295 sold Lower Northovers (70 acres, Steyning) to William Whaley of Pulborough, dyer, for £400; it was enrolled in Chancery 8 Aug 1639 (so a C 54 close-roll copy should exist).
[Documented] A bill dated 20 July 1639 for £52 4s 8d owed to Arthur Mansfield, London haberdasher, "for a pcell of hatts ... put ... abord into the Planter." Mansfield's letters of 26 Feb 1639/40 and 17 Apr 1640 mention "the beauers & hatts you bought of me a little before your going hence." The April letter is addressed to "M^r ffreeman in New England passenger the last yeare in the Champion." PCR 12:120-125 (the 1640 letter checked on the image of p. 124). Paddy paid off the debt in 1644.
[Inference] He was in London in summer 1639 and sailed back that year in the Champion, while the Sandwich committees were under complaint. No secondary source reached mentions this trip.
[Documented] 25 Feb 1639/40, Freeman to John Winthrop: he has appointed "my Son William Paddy to receue of you for the Corne" (£11 13s 4d paid "long sins"), and asks about "A Cow appointed by Mr. Andrewes for Mr. Williames of Providens ... that Mr. Williames may haue a Cow to keepe her for haulfe the Calfe ... Mr. Williames hath sentt to me often tymes abought yt." Winthrop Papers 4:202. Mr. Williames is Roger Williams; Mr. Andrewes is Richard Andrews, another London partner.
[Documented] 27 June 1640, Winslow to Winthrop: "this weeke Mr. Hatherly made payment to Mr. Freeman and Mr. Atwood in Cows." Winthrop Papers 4:258.
[Documented] 1642: Bradford notes a letter from Richard Andrews "write to Mr. Edmond Freeman, brother in law to Mr. Beachamp." Bradford 1912 ed. 2:335-336. Freeman witnessed the Atwood articles of 15 Oct 1641 (2:300).
[Documented] 10 Mar 1642/3: as Beauchamp's attorney, sold Beauchamp's Scituate land to Timothy Hatherly for £40, quoting Beauchamp: "ffor my ground at Scittuate sell it if you can although it be neuer so little." PCR 12:90.
[Documented] 17 Mar 1645/6: in settlement of the £400, lands made over to Freeman as attorney, totalling £291 10s. PCR 12:128-132.
- Bradford's house at Rehoboth, £27.
- Winslow's house in Plymouth, "w^th ... Wainscote bedstead in the parlor ... a chaire in the studdy," £38.
- Prence's house, barn and lands, plus a farm at Jones River, £145.
- Standish and Alden's 300 acres at South River, Marshfield, £71 10s.
- Allerton's house on the south side of the high street, £10.
[Documented] He resold them 1647-1649 (PCR 12:132-183): 11 acres at Plymouth to Ephraim Hicks, £12; the South River tract to Arthur Howland (£21) and Thomas Chillingsworth (£26); Allerton's Jones River house to Willett and Paddy; the Rehoboth house to Stephen Payne, £12.
[Documented] Bradford to Winthrop, Dec 1645: Yarmouth Indians said Mr. Offley owed them "6 coats of trading cloath" for catching sturgeon, and "I am Informed by mr. freeman that many of the neighbours know these debts to be due." Winthrop Papers 5:57-58.
[Compiled, transcript] Beauchamp to "Cousin William Paddy," London, 20 July 1649: "I pray you tell your father, my brother Freeman, that I have received the box of writings he sent with the letter of attorney." Freeman Genealogy pp. 23-24, from the Old Colony records (volume and page not given).

8. Religion, the Sandwich church, and the Quakers

[Documented] 1640: the Sandwich church under Leverich took up Charles Chauncy's practice of the Lord's Supper "in the evening, and every Lord's day." Winthrop's Journal 1:332.
[Documented] 7 Oct 1651: "Edmond Freeman, Seni^r, and his wife" presented with Ralph Allen Sr and wife, George Allen and wife, William Allen, Richard Kerby, Peter Gaunt and wife, Rose Newland, Goodwife Turner and widow Knott "for not frequenting the publick worship of God." Margin: "These were refered to conferance and further consideracon" (image checked). No fine recorded. PCR 2:173. The law of 6 June 1651 set a 10s fine per default (PCR 11:57-58).
[Documented] 1654: the town was without a minister after Leverich left for Long Island. 8 June 1655: Governor Prence complained that "competent mayntainence hath not been afforded to the minnestry" and "due course hath not been taken for the suppressing of error." PCR 3:80.
[Documented] 5 Mar 1655/6: Sarah, daughter of Richard Kerby, "found faulty" for "diuers suspisious speeches by her vttered against Richard Bourne and Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwidge." Whipping suspended if she offended no more. PCR 3:96.
[Documented] The Perry marriage, son-in-law Edward Perry and Mary Freeman:
- 7 Mar 1653/4: Thomas Tupper barred from marrying people for "negligence in not causing Edward Perry ... to bee by him orderly married." PCR 3:47.
- 6 June 1654: Perry fined £5, and £5 more for every General Court, "for refusing to haue his marriage rattifyed before Mr Prence." PCR 3:52.
- Pane-Joyce (from Dawes-Gates): Edmund "appears to have countenanced this irregularity." [Compiled]
- 1663: Perry called to account "for a rayling letter which hee wrote to the Court." PCR 4:44.
[Documented] George Barlow appointed marshal for Sandwich, Barnstable and Yarmouth, 1 June 1658. PCR 3:141.
[Documented, correction] 3 Oct 1659: "Mr Edmond Freeman, Juni^r, for refusing to assist Gorge Barlow, the marshall of Sandwich, in the execution of his office, is fined ten shillings to the countreyes vse." PCR 3:173 (also seen in the FamilySearch full-text of the Court Orders).
- The same session fined Thomas Burgis Jr (10s) and Stephen Wing (20s, three refusals), fined Edward Perry 20s "for vseing threatning speeches to the abouesaid marshall," and ordered Barlow to search the houses of William Newland and Ralph Allen for Quaker "papers and writings."
- Frederick Freeman (1875, p. 13n) gave this refusal to the founder. The record names the son.
[Documented] 6 Dec 1659: Thomas Greenfield had brought the Quaker Mary Dyer from Rhode Island and was jailed as "a foraigne Quaker." "M^r Edmond Freeman, Seni^r, of Sandwich, appeering in Court and affeirming that the said Greenfeild hath house and land in the liberties of Sandwich," the court released him. PCR 3:178. [Inference] The only record of the elder Freeman acting for someone in the Quaker cases.
[Documented] 13 June 1660: William Newland testified that a message came "from Elizabeth Freeman" that Jacob Burgis had testified against Barlow's opponents out of fear, because Benjamin Nye threatened that if he did not attend Barlow against the Quakers "hee should not haue his daughter to wife." PCR 3:191. Which Elizabeth Freeman is not stated.
[Tradition] Rev. Benjamin Fessenden's letter of about 1722 to Thomas Prince says Freeman joined the Quakers but "afterwards left them ... upon a detection of some falsehood and villany among them, but never returned to special communion with the church." Frederick Freeman doubted it, since Edmund still paid ministry rates. History of Cape Cod 2:56-57n.
[Tradition] Frederick Freeman (1875, p. 19n): Edmund's first house was "in the easterly part of Sandwich," identified by a deed "1st mo., 5th, 1671" to William Allen, and "Quakers have prided themselves in pointing to the ancient edifice as the first in which 'Friends' Meetings' were publicly held." [Documented, conflicting] The first recorded Friends' meeting was 13 Apr 1657 at William and Priscilla Allen's house at Spring Hill. A 1671 sale does not fit a 1657 meeting unless the Allens were there earlier.
[Compiled, conflicting] Pane-Joyce calls him "a Deacon in his own church." No source is given, and it conflicts with Winslow's "separacion from the Churches."
[Inference] Frederick Freeman quotes Cotton Mather as if Mather had come round to Freeman's view. The Mather sentence is about Massachusetts' treatment of Quakers and does not mention Freeman.

9. Relations with the Wampanoag

[Documented] 1641: in the agreement between Barnstable and Nepaiton and Twacommacus, the land kept for them was bounded "from a pond to a tree by the wood side, marked by Mr Winslow, Capt Standish, & Mr Freeman." PCR 2:23-24.
[Documented] 1 Mar 1641/2: "Wee p^rsent M^r Edmond Freeman, of Sandwich, for lending a gun to an Indian." John Wing of Sandwich was presented for the same and Nicholas Symkins of Yarmouth "for lending a pistoll." Margin notes read "Discharged." "Discharged." "Remitted the same Court." (image checked). PCR 2:36. [Inference] Freeman was probably discharged, but the alignment of the notes is not certain. No Indian is named.
- The law of 4 June 1639: "if any man shall sell or lend any kynd of guns peeces or pistolls or any shott leade or pouder to any Indian hee shalbe punished for yt at the discretion of the bench." PCR 11:31-32.
- For comparison, Leverich himself was presented in 1653 "for chaunging a gun with an Indian" (PCR 3:36-37).
[Documented] Livestock in Indian corn:
- 4 Oct 1655: "In answare vnto two notes receiued from M^r Freeman concerning spoyle done in the Indians corn by horses att Mannomett," the court asked him "to proportion the fiue bushells ... and to pay his pte therof," and to have the other Sandwich owners pay their shares to the Indians. PCR 3:89-90.
- 2 Mar 1657/8: "Peter, an Indian liueing att Mashpea," complained that Sandwich horses ate his corn. PCR 3:132.
- 11 June 1664: order to "M^r Freeman, Richard Bourne, M^r Dexter, James Skiffe, and Wiliam Bassett": Nanquatnumacke "hath complained of wrong done to him in his corne by horses of Sandwich ... take some serious and effectuall course that the poor man may haue his corne preserued ... or otherwise wee shalbee in some straight what to doe in the case." PCR 4:68.
[Documented] 1 June 1663: liberty to Freeman senior to find land "to accomodate both himselfe and the children of M^r Willam Paddy, deceased, vizj, Samuell and Thomas Paddy ... about a ceder swamp." PCR 4:40 (not 3:40). 4 Aug 1663: Richard Bourne and Myles Black to "purchase the land of the Indians that M^r Freeman hath graunted vnto him and the children of M^r Paddy," reserving part of the cedar swamp for "the naighbourhood residing att Mannomett." PCR 4:45.
[Documented, new, from FamilySearch full text] The Indian deeds behind that grant, in a later registry copy (Plymouth County deeds, FamilySearch image 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ; OCR is poor, check the image):
- Quachattasett (Quechatasett), sachem, sold all the trees, poles and brush on a swamp near "Wanquarchit" (Waquanchett), next to a swamp called "Wm Freeman Swamp" partly held by Michael Blackwell, for £1 10s in goods. Dated the tenth day of a month in 1661 ("Six hundred Sixtyon"), acknowledged before John Alden, Assistant.
- "Know all men ... we Quechatasett Sachem of Monamett & Nanummett ... in Consideration of ... eight pound in hand paid by Edmond Freeman Senr of Sandwich in ye Colony of New Plymouth" sold a parcel of land by the ponds, bounded west by a little brook, "bounded upon ye Salt water taking in all ye necke of land," with all woods, swamps and "Lybert[y] of Commonage in ye woods for any sort of Cattle." Dated 1 Jan 1663 (1663/4). Signed by Quechatasett's mark; witnesses include Richard [Bourne] and Michael Blackwell (mark).
[Documented] 25 Feb 1678/9: land given by Nanumett to his son Ralph (Aspuchchamuck) lay "neare Wauquanchett adjoyning to the bounds of M^r Edmond Freeman seni^r called Poekquamscutt or a great rocke neare vnto the brooke," running by Partridge's marsh and Herring Pond. PCR 12:230-231. [Inference] Waquanchett (Weequansett) was in the Herring Pond country, now the Bourne-Plymouth line. His will left half of his Waquanchett land to grandson Thomas Paddy.
[Documented] Scorton ("Scauton") Neck:
- 29 Oct 1672: Secunke and his two sons proved by Indian witnesses "that all Scauton Necke was theire fathers land." The sons admitted selling the Barnstable end; Quachattasett, sachem of Manomet, said Secunke gave him the part next to Sandwich. The court gave the southern part to Barnstable. PCR 5:104-106.
- 27 Oct 1674: Ensign Thomas Dexter, Edmond Freeman Sen^r and Edmond Perry, "as agents for the towne of Sandwich," sued Samuel Fuller Sr of Barnstable (not Boston) for £20 for "his vnjust entry on theire lands att Scauton Necke" where he "forcibly cutt downe a certaine young tree, in defiance of theire title." Non-suited. PCR 7:192. Refiled 1674/5 and withdrawn (7:194-195). Fuller quitclaimed to Sandwich 30 June 1680 (6:47).
[Compiled] 1652 town order: Freeman, Edward Perry, George Allen, Daniel Wing, John Ellis and Thomas Tobey to "take care of all the fish that Indians shall cut up within the limits of the town," with whales "either Indian or white man gives notice of" sold for the town and the proceeds "divided equally to every inhabitant." History of Cape Cod 2:49-50.
[Documented] King Philip's War (Freeman was about 79; no personal role found):
- 2 Sept 1675: fifty-seven Indians "lately come in to Sandwich in a submissiue way" were judged to be in rebellion, "condemned vnto ppetuall seruitude," and sold by the Treasurer. PCR 5:174.
- 6 Dec 1675: southern Indians to come "noe further towards Plymouth then Sandwich ... on paine of death or imprisonment." PCR 5:183.
- 11 Apr 1676: "Scittuate and Sandwich proued very deficient" in their levies, which "caused a frustration of the whole designe." PCR 5:193.
- 21 July 1676: Keweenam, "an Indian sometimes liueing about Sandwich," sentenced to be beheaded for telling Tatoson of the weakness of William Clark's garrison at Eel River. PCR 5:205-206.
- For Lt. John Ellis's role, see section 13.

10. Other disputes and fines

[Documented] 4 Dec 1638: fined 10s for defective arms and presented for 6 swine unringed, entered under "Edward Freeman." PCR 1:107. The clerk also wrote "Edward Freeman" for the sitting Assistant in 1642 (PCR 7:30, 2:45).
[Documented] Land he sold at Marshfield: bounds shown to Arthur Howland (3 July 1654, PCR 3:62); Thomas Doged petitioned for a jury to divide land "soald by Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwidge, Seni^r" to Howland and Chillingsworth (6 May 1656, PCR 3:97-98).
[Documented] Thomas Tupper the elder released "Edmond Freeman, the elder" from all accounts "from the begining of the world," 22 Oct 1656. PCR 5:121.
[Documented] Arbitrator in the Allen v Chadwell highway dispute, 1663-1665. PCR 4:46, 48, 82, 118.
[Documented] 1674/5: the court sent a committee including "Mr Freeman" to settle who were proprietors of Sandwich. This is John Freeman, then an Assistant. PCR 5:158-159.
[Documented] Later entries for "Mr Edmond Freeman" (grand jury 1672, selectmen 1674 and 1678) cannot always be assigned to father or son. After 1682, "Senior" means the son.

11. Old age, death and burial

[Documented, transcript] Deed of gift, 24 Feb 1678/9, acknowledged 3 Mar 1678/9 before Thomas Hinckley. "I, Edmond Freeman the eldest, of Sandwich ... for and in consideration of the natural love and affection which I bear to the said Matthias Ellis, being my kinsman in blood, that is to say my grandson; and for diverse other good causes and considerations, as living with me until he ... came unto man's estate, being a support unto me in my old age and weakness."
- He gives Matthias his dwelling house and orchard, a quarter of the adjoining land (about 30 acres upland, bounded in part by the Old Field and a red oak marked on four sides), meadow bounded by "a Ditch called the Divell's Ditch," and a quarter of the Neck land (about 20 acres upland and 12 of marsh) "under Sagamore Hill near and unto which Hill there is a great Rock like the ridge of a house."
- Witnesses Richard Bourne, Samuel Eady, Joseph Dotey.
- Old Colony Deeds vol. 5 pp. 169-170, printed in Freeman Genealogy pp. 16-18.
[Documented, transcript] Mrs. Elizabeth Freeman died 14 Feb 1675/6 (town record, per Freeman Genealogy p. 19).
[Documented, transcript] Will, 21 June 1682, proved 2 Nov 1682. "I Edmond Freeman, the eldest of the name in Sandwich, being in a good measure in health of body." Executors "my three Sons, namely, my son Edmond Freeman, and my son John Freeman, and Edward Perry," and "my Daughter Elizabeth Ellis, executrix." Lands east of Matthias Ellis's to his sons; the Rye-field and Hedges-meadow and half the Waquanchett land to grandson Thomas Paddy; lands west and north of Matthias's in thirds, two to Edward Perry and one to Elizabeth Ellis. Witnesses John Fish and Nathan Nye (marks). Freeman Genealogy pp. 14-15; abstract in Mayflower Descendant 12:248. Old Colony Wills vol. 4 pt 2 (Freeman Genealogy gives p. 5; Geneamusings gives pp. 54-55).
[Documented, transcript] Two inventories (Freeman Genealogy pp. 21-22):
- "taken ... the fourth of Oct., 1682, at New Oxford," the goods "sett forth by Elizabeth Ellis of her father," appraised by Elkanah Cushman and John Randall. Includes a silver basin (£8), silver tankard (£4), silver spoon, silk cushion, a desk, "One dixionary & gt. Bible," a great wainscot chest, and old Holland sheets.
- Taken at Sandwich 22 Oct 1682 by Thomas Burge Sr and Michael Blackwell: one gun, a double silver salt cellar, "all the land at his late dwelling" £150, "Lands att Weequansitt" £5. Debts due at Boston and to Blackwell and Mr. Bourne.
- Open: "New Oxford" is unidentified. The Huguenot New Oxford in Worcester County was not settled until 1687. Possibly the widow Ellis's residence, or a misreading. Check the original.
[Tradition] The Saddle and Pillion. Two 19th-century versions:
- Amos Otis (1861, reprinted 1888): after his wife's death he gathered sons and grandsons, placed a flat rock "resembling a pillion" over her grave and one "resembling in shape a saddle" beside it, and gave a speech charging them to keep the spot sacred. Otis also gives him 92 years and 59 years of marriage, both wrong.
- Frederick Freeman (1875, pp. 19-20): he led his two sons and grandson Matthias to a field, and the pillion-shaped rock was hauled "by oxen driven by Ellis." He wrote that he remembered a ruined circular wall and two decaying oaks at the graves, and that all other graves on the old homestead had been ploughed away.
- Neither version is contemporary; the quoted speeches are family tradition.
[Documented] Bronze tablets placed on the stones 22 Aug 1910 by descendants. His reads: "Edmond Freeman Born in England 1590 Died in Sandwich 1682 A Founder of the Town of Sandwich in 1637 Assistant to Governor Bradford 1640-1647." Hers: "Elizabeth wife of Edmond Freeman Born in England 1600 Died in Sandwich 1675-6." Wilson Road, Sandwich (HMdb 120748).

12. Edmund's other children in New England (brief)

Alice m. Deacon William Paddy, Plymouth merchant and colony treasurer; d. 1651. Paddy's gravestone was found in 1830 under the Old State House in Boston. Their sons Samuel and Thomas Paddy were the grandsons for whom Edmund sought land in 1663.
Edmund Jr. Deputy for Sandwich seven years from 1669. The son fined in 1659 for refusing to help Barlow. His estate went to a contested administration in 1703-05, in which his son called the testimony of his uncle John Freeman, Esq., a "pack of lyes" (Miner Descent, from the probate).
Major John of Eastham. Deputy, selectman, Assistant from 1666, judge of Common Pleas 1692. His 1716 will freed his enslaved Black servants with "four acres of land, a horse, and a cow" (Freeman Genealogy p. 29).
Mary (disputed as his daughter; see section 3) m. Edward Perry, Quaker, clerk of the Sandwich meeting.

(pass 5) More on these households (quotations and dates are in Freeman_Ellis_Anecdotes.md, section 3)

[Documented] Paddy: in 1640 Winslow complained that Paddy "and some that inordinately cleaue to him" wanted Charles Chauncy settled at Jones River to "lay the foundacon of an Academy" (Winthrop Papers 4). Beauchamp's 1649 letter is addressed to "Cousin William Paddy," so the Bradford editor's "son-in-law" for Paddy is wrong; "Cousin" here means the husband of his niece [Inference]. Paddy died at Boston 24 Aug 1658; his gravestone, with a rhymed verse on the back, was found in 1830 under the Old State House (Freeman Genealogy pp. 25-26).
[Documented] Edward Perry: fined £5 per General Court in 1654 for refusing to have his marriage ratified before Prence (PCR 3:52); fined 20s in 1659 "for vseing threatning speeches" to Marshal Barlow and for killing a steer belonging to the colony (3:173); called to account in 1663 for "a rayling letter" to the Court (4:44). His goods distrained as a Quaker came to £89 18s, the largest amount listed for Sandwich (Besse, via Bowden 1:146n). First known clerk of the Sandwich Friends meeting, 1672-1694 [Compiled, Gould]; d. 16 Feb 1694/5. His writings were printed in Philadelphia as Evans 3205 (1726 or 1729), with no online text found.
[Documented] Major John Freeman: as lieutenant in 1674 ordered to take the escaped Indian Hoken, who "lyeth sherking and lurking about," and have him "sold or sent to Barbadoes"; in 1676/7 distributed the Irish relief contribution at Eastham; his father-in-law Prence left him books in 1673 (all via Dawes-Gates 2:356-361). His will (1716) freed "Tobye" and Bess with four acres, a horse and a cow [Compiled].
[Compiled] Edmund Jr.: his estate was administered from 5 Jan 1703/4 by his son-in-law Ezra Perry (Sibert, citing Barnstable probate). Dawes-Gates's death date of 29 Mar 1673 for him is Governor Prence's death date and is wrong.

13. The Ellis line

13.1 Lt. John Ellis (d. by June 1677)

Origins

[Tradition/speculation] The claim that he was a son of John Ellis and Blandina Masterson of Sandwich, Kent, and Leiden, goes back to J. Wingate Thornton's speculation printed in Freeman Genealogy (1875). WikiTree (Ellis-20241, drawing on Paulick, NEHGR 154 and 174) says the claims are disproven. That John Ellis did have a son John bapt. St Peter's, Sandwich, Kent, 28 Aug 1603, but nothing links him to New England.
[Unverified] A baptism at St Botolph Bishopsgate, London, 14 Sept 1623, circulates online with no source.
[Inference] The Kent town sharing the name Sandwich probably started the idea. His parentage is unknown. Brownson and McLean, NEHGR 119 (1965), is the authority to check.

Events

[Documented] On the 1643 list of Sandwich men able to bear arms. PCR 8:~192.
[Documented] 20 Aug 1644: a warrant summoned witnesses "in John Ellis & his wifes case," including Jonathan and Mary Fish, Jane wife of William Wood, and widow Joane Swift. PCR 2:76-77. [Inference] Married by August 1644.
[Documented] 4 June 1645: "John Ellis, of Sandwich, for abuseing himself wth his now wyfe by committing vncleanesse wth her before marryage, is censured to be whipt at publike post, and Elizabeth, his wyfe, to stand by whilst execucon of the sentence is pformed; wch was accordingly donn." Also fined £5 "for his long and tedious delayes ... for that he would not confesse the truth vntill this psent." PCR 2:85-86.
- [Inference] This was in the middle of Edmund Freeman's last year as an Assistant.
[Documented] 1653: "John Ellis approued by the Court to bee leiftenant off the millitary companie att Sandwidge." PCR 3:38.
[Documented, transcript] 13 Sept 1653: Richard Chadwell, Thomas Dexter and John Ellis given all whales coming ashore in Sandwich, paying the town £16 a whale in oil, corn and cattle. History of Cape Cod 2.
[Documented] 1654: on the committee that laid out the Sandwich-to-Plymouth highway. PCR 3:61-62.
[Documented] 1659: "John Ellis is allowed by the Court to keep an ordinary att Sandwich for the entertainment of strangers and trauellers ... but is prohibited to pmitt towne dwellers to stay drinkeing vnessesaryly att his house." PCR 3:161.
[Documented] 7 Mar 1659/60: oil "attached by the marshall Barlow, for the countrey, which said oyle John Ellice, of Sandwich, layed claime vnto" was returned to him. PCR 3:182.
[Documented] 6 June 1660: "Leiftenant Ellis hath engaged to trayne the milletary company of Sandwich for a season." PCR 3:189.
[Documented] c. Dec 1665: Ann Hoskins said Hester Rickard was "as drunke as a bitch, and found in private companie in an ordinary with John Ellis, of Sandwich." Ann acknowledged her fault in court. PCR 4:111-112.
[Documented] c. 1666: granted up to 100 acres at "Maconsett Necke." PCR 4:131.
[Documented] 1668: sued by Matthew Mayhew "for detaining a cow sundry yeares"; the jury found against Ellis. PCR 7:144-145. c. 1669: he won a small judgment against John Ewen for barn work not done. PCR 7:156.
[Documented] c. 1669/70: the Plymouth-Sandwich bound set to run "three quarters of a mile from any pte of the fence of John Ellis his feild, between his house and the sea." PCR 5:39-42. [Inference] His homestead was at the Plymouth end of Sandwich, near Scusset and Sagamore, where Edmund's was.
[Documented] 1670: an Indian, William, son-in-law of Cawsetan, complained "the oxen of Leiftenant Ellis had broken in to his corne att Breake Hart Hill"; about six bushels. PCR 5:47.
[Documented, transcript] King Philip's War: a town meeting "called, Feb. 28, by Lt. John Ellis and Benj. Hammond the constable" allowed families "to repair to the town garrison for safety"; in 1676 the town kept "a watch between Wayquonscott and the sea beyond Lt. John Ellis' land." History of Cape Cod 2.
[Documented] 7 June 1677: "Mistris Elizabeth Ellis and Mordica Ellis" bound as administrators of "the estate of John Ellis, Junir, of Sandwich, late deceased." PCR 5:235. The inventory (23 May 1677) should be in Plymouth Colony Wills vol. 3; not seen.
- Frederick Freeman also lists him among deaths in 1667, which is wrong.
- The "Junior" is unexplained. The 1658 Sandwich list has both a John Ellis Sr. and Jr.

(pass 5) Further entries [Documented unless marked]

c. 1655-57: one of four men engaged to build the town mill; the town paid "the account of Lt. Ellis for drum, muskets &c. purchased," £10 6s 7d (History of Cape Cod 2, transcript).
1659: the town gave him charge of whales and oil-fish with James Skiff, then sold him "the right of all such fish" for three years, and commissioned him to run the Barnstable line (History of Cape Cod 2, transcript).
1665: ordered to pay 20 shillings "for a whale hee had" (PCR 4:99).
1668: the jury in Mayhew's suit awarded Mayhew "a sufficient good cow, of a reasonable stature, and not exceeding eight yeares old, and three pound damage" (PCR 7:146-147).
1677: Brownson and McLean, as quoted online, put his birth "not later than 1627" and his death before 23 Mar 1676/7 [Compiled].

Children (Brownson and McLean via Pane-Joyce): Elizabeth (c. 1645, m. Samuel Briggs), Bennet (27 Feb 1647/8 by PCR 8:6, or 1648/9 by the VR editors and Pane-Joyce; m. Obadiah Eddy), Mordecai (24 Mar 1650/1), Deborah (c. 1652, m. Joseph Doty), Joel (20 Mar 1654/5, d. young), Samuel (c. 1656), Matthias (2 June 1657), Manoah (c. 1659), Freeman (c. 1661), Gideon (c. 1663), William (c. 1665). The daughters Elizabeth and Bennet and the son Freeman carry Freeman family names.

13.2 Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis

[Documented] 1680: "Elizabeth Ellis, widdow, and Joseph Dotey, of Sandwich," with others, proprietors of "the lands of Sepecan" under a deed of 22 July 1679 from Gov. Josiah Winslow and Treasurer William Bradford, sued Lt. Ephraim Morton of Plymouth for trespass, £200. PCR 7:227-228. She took up land at Sippican (later Rochester).
- (pass 5) The complaint: on 12 May Morton "did, with diuers others ... forcably enter vpon the lands of the said Sepecan" and "did deface the bound markes of the said land of the said Ellis and Dotey," a pine tree "marked with two noches on the one syde, and three noches on the other syde, standing neare Sepecan Necke, a little below the rocke house, or wigwam." Verdict for the plaintiffs, 20 shillings and costs. PCR 7:228-229.
(pass 5) [Compiled] At the first Sippican division, 15 Apr 1679, she drew a home lot, named first after the minister and the ministry; in 1687 "Mrs. Ellis was living on her land in Sippican." Mattapoisett and Old Rochester (1907), from the proprietors' records.
[Documented, transcript] Executrix of her father's will; she "sett forth" the goods for the "New Oxford" inventory, 4 Oct 1682.
[Compiled] d. probably 24 June 1692, Rochester (intestate). Not verified.

13.3 Lt. Matthias Ellis (1657-1748)

[Documented] b. Sandwich 2 June 1657, "the son of John Ellis." Sandwich town book (Kardell, Vital Records of Sandwich 1).
[Documented, transcript] Lived with his grandfather Edmund until adulthood and received his house in 1678/9 (section 11).
[Tradition] Drove the oxen that hauled the Saddle and Pillion stones (Freeman Genealogy p. 19).
[Documented] His wife was Mercy, not Mary Burgess. The Sandwich register records nine children "of Matthias Ellis and Mercy Ellis his wife": [Joel] 17 Jan 1679/80; Matthias 5 Nov 1681; [John] 17 Aug 1683; Mercy 17 Aug 1685; Experience 26 July 1687; [Mala]chi 8 Oct 1689; Remember 1 Dec 1691; [Mehit]abel 31 Dec 1693; [Sam]uel 12 Nov 1699. Bracketed names are restored from a worn page (Kardell 1:33-34; McLean, NEHGR 119:265-266).
[Compiled] Brownson and McLean identify her as Mercy Nye, b. 8 Apr 1652, dau. of Benjamin Nye and Katherine Tupper; living 13 Nov 1744. The Sandwich register has "Mercy Nie the daughter of Beniamen Nie" born 8 April.
- [Inference] "Mary Burgess" (Freeman Genealogy 1875; Davis 1899) probably drifted over from his brother Manoah's wife Mary. Manoah Ellis "and Mary, his wife, of Sandwich" were fined for fornication before marriage in 1679/80 (PCR 8:154).
- Benjamin Nye is the man who, in the 1660 Barlow testimony, reportedly threatened to withhold "his daughter" from Jacob Burgis. (pass 5) That daughter appears to be Mary Nye, who married Jacob Burge (1660 per Frederick Freeman, 1670 per the 1907 Nye genealogy), not Mercy.
(pass 5) Status of "Mercy Nye": probable, not proven.
- For: Brownson and McLean, NEHGR 119 (1965):262, 265-266 (not read directly; cited by Pane-Joyce and the Rogers pages), and the earlier, unsourced Genealogy of the Nye Family (1907) p. 30, whose list of Mercy's children has several errors. Weak supporting links: Matthias Ellis Jr. witnessed the will of John Nye (Mercy's putative brother), proved 1722, and a later Nye will mentions woodland bought "of Mathias Ellis and William Bassett."
- Against or open: no primary record names her maiden name. WikiTree's profiles treat it as unknown. WikiTree's summary of a deed of 9 June 1704 has Benjamin Nye giving his lands to son Jonathan "in exchange for keeping himself, his wife Katherine and daughter Mercy in their infirmity"; if the deed says that, a dependent daughter Mercy in 1704 fits badly with a wife whose husband was alive until 1748 (unless it reads "daughter Mercy Ellis"). Three other Sandwich girls named Mercy were born 1650-52 (Mercy Wing, Mercy Wright, Mercy Lander). Matthias's brother Freeman also married a Mercy, so later "Mercy Ellis" entries are ambiguous. None of Matthias and Mercy's nine children has a Nye family name.
- Next: read Brownson and McLean directly and find the 1704 deed's own wording.
[Documented] Admitted townsman 1681; grand juror 2 June 1685 (PCR 6:160); a Sandwich agent to run the Sandwich-Mashpee line with the "South-sea Indians," 1705 (pass 5: their agents were Caleb Popmit, Acapesko, Old John, Sunkation and Caleb Pognit); "Lt. Matthias Ellis Sr." on the 1730 list.
(pass 5) [Documented] As "Mathias Ellis Senr," witness with William Bassett to the will of Capt. Thomas Tupper (proved 20 May 1706). In 1718 administration on the estate of "John Ellis your Son ... Singleman" was granted to him. Barnstable Probate, FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-5SK6 and 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-53HW.
(pass 5) [Documented] His will, 30 Nov 1744, proved at Barnstable 4 Oct 1748 before Silvanus Bourn (FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793Z and 793P; key phrases read from the image):
- "Being advanced in years and under considerable Decay of Bodily strength ... Considering that My Departure Draweth near."
- To "my Loveing wife Mercy" (the image reads Mercy; the machine transcription says Mary) the use of "the Westerly End of My Now Dwelling house Both Lower & upper Rooms & the Leantue on the Back Side of it and the Seller under it," and of "my orchard Called the Little Orchard," while a widow; son Malachi to provide her clothing, firewood and other necessaries.
- To son Joel: "the two Half Lotts in the woods that were formerly my son Johns," half his apparel, his cutlass, belt and cane, and £20 old tenor after his mother's death.
- To son Matthias: "my Lott & Share in said Town Neck in Sandwich," and an acquittance of "all the Money I paid for him to Sheriff Lothrop."
- To daughters Mercy Morton, Experience Churchill and Mehitable Merrick: the personal estate, except husbandry tools.
- To son Malachi: the housing, lands and meadows, the tools, half the apparel, "all my arms & ammunition Except my Cutlash & belt before Given to my son Joel," and his common rights.
- Executors "my said wife Mercy and my said son Malachi"; administration was committed to "Mercy Ellis & Mallack Ellis Executors" on 4 Oct 1748, so Mercy was living then. Witnesses Elisha Tupper, Eldad Tupper Jr., Samuel Jennings.
- Inventory 12 Oct 1748: real estate £2,543 old tenor; arms and ammunition; "Great Bible & Small Books"; spectacles; three beds; cows, heifers, calves and sheep (machine reading).
- Receipt (3 Apr, probably 1750): "Joel Ellis of Middleborough ... Gent and one of the Children of Mathias Ellis Late of Sandwich" received £20 and "the one half of the deceased his wearing apparel also his Cutlash his Belt." Stephen Churchill of Plymouth signed for his wife Experience and for Mercy Morton and Mehitable Merrick. FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793J.
- Not named in the will: daughter Remember and son Samuel (b. 1699).
[Documented] Death: "Lieut Matthias Ellis Sen Died September the 8th" (1748) in the Sandwich register. Other sources give 20, 21 or 30 Aug 1748. (pass 5) The probate of 4 Oct 1748 fits 8 Sept.

13.4 Capt. Joel Ellis (1679/80-1763)

[Documented] b. Sandwich 17 Jan 1679/80 (name restored; see above).
[Documented] m. Plymouth 6 Apr 1710 Elizabeth Churchill. Plymouth VR: "The children of Joell Ellice and Elizabeth Ellice his wife: Joell born on the 21st of Feb. 1711/12; John born on the 18th of Sept. 1714."
[Compiled] Children (Brownson and McLean via Pane-Joyce): Joel 1711/12, John 1714, Samuel 1716, Matthias 7 Mar 1719/20, Rebecca 1721, Elizabeth 1723, Ensign Charles 1726, Thomas 1728/9.
[Documented] Plympton VR calls him "Capt. Joel of Middleborough." He moved from Plymouth to Middleborough. Wife Elizabeth d. 3 Apr 1753; he m. (2) Middleborough 27 Mar 1758 Jemima (Tupper) Bennett, widow of Samuel Bennett. d. Middleborough 21 June 1763.
[Compiled, superseded] Davis (1899) makes Joel a son of Samuel Ellis of Plympton. Brownson and McLean and the Sandwich record place him as son of Matthias. (pass 5) His father's will and his own receipt as "one of the Children of Mathias Ellis Late of Sandwich" settle it.
(pass 5) Elizabeth Churchill's parents [Documented births and marriage; Compiled for Rebecca's parentage]. Plymouth VR Book 1 p. 9: "The children of John Churchill & Rebeckah Churchill his wife: Elizabeth born the 7th day of Oct. 1687," then Rebeckah 1689, John 1691, Sarah 1695, Hannah 1697. Book 1 p. 128: "John CHURCHILL married Rebekah DELLENO 28 Dec. 1686." The Churchill Family in America (1904) pp. 5-6 calls Rebecca "daughter of Philip" and Elizabeth the wife of "Joel Ellis, of Plympton." So Elizabeth was the eldest child of Sgt. John Churchill Jr. (c. 1656/7-1723) and Rebecca Delano (c. 1656/7-1709). The rival candidates (daughters of Eleazer or Joseph Churchill) do not fit. Her ancestry is in section 13.8.
- Her gravestone, Cemetery at the Green, Middleborough: "In Memory of Madam Elisabeth Elles Wife of Cap. Joel Elles Who Died April 3 1753 in the 66th Year of Her Age" (Find a Grave 29369456).
- The Churchill book swaps the husbands of her daughters Rebecca and Elizabeth, calls her son Matthias "Matthew," and misdates Thomas; use the vital records.
(pass 5) [Documented] Deeds and court, from FamilySearch full text:
- 1717: a grantee in John Soule's deed of the Middleborough burying ground "near the land I formerly gave for a training Green" (Weston p. 312).
- 1722: bought a 20-acre house lot in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase from "John Churchell of the Town of Plymouth," his father-in-law (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-JD4S).
- 1729/30: lent the town £1 toward the cost of its agents in London (Weston).
- 1744: with "Elizabeth Ellis his Wife," gave son Joel of Plympton about 100 acres there by the Winnetuxet River (3:1:3QS7-99Z7-RFYN).
- 1747: John Murdock of Plymouth sued "Joel Ellis of Middleborough Gent" and Timothy Morton of Plymouth, cooper, on their bond of 20 Feb 1743/4 for £352; they defaulted, judgment was £186 18s 2d old tenor, and Ellis appealed (3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-3SDY-G).
- 27 Mar 1758: "Capt Joel Ellis & Jemima Bennet both of Middleb[orough]" married by Rev. Sylvanus Conant (3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9G2-H).
- 21 May 1759: gave sons Charles and Thomas his homestead "whereon my said son Thomas Ellis now Dwells" and his other lands in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase, reserving their use for his life; "Jemima Ellis the wife of the said Joel" released her dower (3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-PQPY).
- May 1759: gave son Matthias his share (13.5).
- Not the Joel Ellis of Rochester, cordwainer, whose estate was inventoried in 1732, nor Joel Ellis of Plympton (d. 13 June 1803 aged 64).

13.5 Matthias Ellis (1719/20-c. 1790) and Lucy

[Documented, new, FamilySearch] Deed of gift: "Know ye that I Joel Ellis of Middleborough ... for ... the Love good will and affection which I have and Bear towards my Loving son Matthias Ellis of Middleborough" gives him 48 acres in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase and 4 acres in the Five Men's Purchase, Middleborough (bought from Hutchinson and Oliver), and half his eight-acre meadow lot in the Lower Meadow. Recorded 18 Oct 1765. FamilySearch image 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-P3KJ. This closes the Joel-to-Matthias link.
- (pass 5, correction) The year is 1759, not 1750. The acknowledgment reads "Plymouth ss Middleborough May 22. 1759. The above named Joel Ellis personally appeared" (read from the image), and the companion gift to Charles and Thomas is dated 21 May 1759. The deed's own date line ("Twenty third Day of May ... fifty [nine?]") is unclear in the transcription.
- (pass 5) The same page records that on 29 May 1759 Matthias bought from John Williams of Lebanon, Connecticut, "the farm or Homestead that my honored father Joseph Williams Late of Middleborough Died Seized of," 65 acres in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase, for £140.
[Documented, new] Middleborough births, children "of Matthias Ellis and Lucia [Lucy] his wife" (FamilySearch 3:1:3QHK-P31H-SPL6 and 3:1:3QHK-P31H-S52D):
- Mary, 7 Nov 1743
- Joseph, 1 Apr 1745
- George, 10 May 1747
- Cornelius, Wednesday 18 Oct 1749
- Ebenezer, Thursday 15 Jan 1752
- Betty, Sunday 12 May 1754
- Gamaliel, Tuesday 27 Sept 1757
- Daniel, Tuesday 17 Sept 1760
- Lucy, 17 Jan 1763
[Documented, new] Lucy's family: in 1758 (deed recorded 1766) and 1763 (recorded 1765), "Matthias Ellis & Lucy Ellis his wife" joined John Morton and Elizabeth his wife, John Bennett the second, and Lemuel Jackson and Jemima his wife, all of Middleborough, in selling shares of inherited land in the Little Lot Men's Purchase to Jedidiah Holmes and to John Miller. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RCFY and 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-G8N3.
- [Inference, lead] The grantors look like co-heirs of one estate, so Lucy, Elizabeth Morton and Jemima Jackson may be sisters, with John Bennett 2nd a brother or nephew. If they were children of Samuel Bennett and Jemima Tupper, Joel's 1758 remarriage to the widow Jemima Bennett would have made Matthias and Lucy stepsiblings-in-law. Untested.
- (pass 5) Resolved in outline: Lucy was Lucia Bennett, daughter of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr., not of Samuel.
  - [Documented] Middleborough VR (Mayflower Descendant 6:228): "Lucia Bennet the Daughter of Joseph Bennet Junr & of Thankfull his wife was born October 2 1725."
  - [Documented] Her siblings (MD 7:243, 9:48, 12:230, 15:24): William (9 June-20 Aug 1727); Priscilla (19 May 1729-16 May 1745); Elizabeth (2 July 1731); John (7 Feb 1733/4); Joseph (d. 19 Nov 1737). Elizabeth and John fit "Elizabeth Morton" and "John Bennett the second" of the 1758 and 1763 sales [Inference]. Jemima Jackson's birth was not found, so she may be a cousin.
  - [Documented] "Leiut Joseph Bennet the Son of Capt Peter Bennet Deceased January the 3rd 1741/2" (MD 15:24). He died intestate and insolvent; his widow Thankful, as administratrix, got leave of the Superior Court to sell land and sold it at public vendue to Seth Samson (recorded 18 Dec 1746; FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-X4CX). Thankful later married Samson (1758) [Compiled, Weston].
  - [Compiled] Weston's catalogue of First Church members: "Lucia Ellis, wid. of Matthias, m. 1743, o. Bennet, mo. 273, d. Oc. 3, 1804, ae. 79." Member 273 is "Thankful Bennet, m. 1724, 2d. m. Seth Samson 1758, o. Sproat." The same catalogue ties George to Lucy: "Phebe Thomas, w. Azel, m. 1796, o. Ellis, dau. of Geo., gr. mo. 623, d. in the St. of Me. Feb. 3, 1851," where 623 is Lucy. (The numbering was worked out from cross-references; check the printed page.)
  - [Compiled] Marriage 7 Apr 1743, Middleborough, citing Genealogies of Mayflower Families 1:665 (Brennan, Bosworth database). The primary marriage entry (MD 30:8) was not seen.
  - [Compiled] Joseph's father, Capt. Peter Bennett (Sept 1674-22 Oct 1749), m. 30 Oct 1700 at Bridgewater Priscilla Howland (22 Aug 1681-3 Mar 1746), daughter of Lt. Isaac Howland and Elizabeth Vaughan, and granddaughter of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley of the Mayflower (Sibert). See section 13.8.
(pass 5) [Documented, identification probable] "ELLES, MATTHIAS, Middleborough. Private, Capt. Nehemiah Allen's co., Col. Theophilus Cotton's regt.; service, 31 days, on a secret expedition to Rhode Island in Sept. and Oct., 1777." Mass. Soldiers and Sailors 5. He would have been 57.
(pass 5) [Documented, identification Inference] Sons in the Revolution (Mass. Soldiers and Sailors 5): Joseph, corporal of Capt. Nathaniel Wood's minute company on the Lexington alarm (marched to Marshfield), and later Rhode Island and Dartmouth alarms; Cornelius, Rhode Island, Oct 1777; Ebenezer and Gamaliel, who enlisted together on 20 June 1775 in Capt. Josiah King's company, Col. Brewer's regiment, were at Roxbury in Dec 1775, and marched "from Dorchester to New York" in April 1776, Ebenezer later a sergeant; Daniel, at Hull in 1776 aged 15-16, at Rhode Island 1777, 1780 and 1781, and in Col. Abijah Stearns's "regt. of guards" at and about Boston, Apr-July 1778, while Burgoyne's surrendered army was held at Cambridge.
[Documented] Ensign Matthias Ellis in a 1770 estate account; excused from serving as constable, Middleborough, 1783.
[Documented, new] d. by Mar 1790. "Mathias Ellis late of Middleborough ... Gentleman deceased": estate represented insolvent; son Joseph Ellis administrator; inventory July 1790; widow Lucy's dower set off April 1791 by Jacob Bennet, Ebenezer Briggs and Nathan Darling; account 1792. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L97D-8CL4, 3:1:3QS7-997D-8CGB and related files.
[Documented] Not to be confused with another Matthias Ellis, "Labourer" of Middleborough, d. by 1782 (administrator Nathaniel Sprague; son Samuel aged 16 chose a guardian in 1782), or with Matthias Ellis Jr. of Sandwich (b. 1739), who married Rachel Tupper in 1759.

13.6 George Ellis (b. 1747) and Phebe Stephens

[Documented, new] b. Middleborough 10 May 1747, son of Matthias and Lucia (above). This closes the Matthias-to-George link.
[Documented] Marriage: "Mr. George Ellis of Middleborough & Mrs. Phebe Stephens of Plimpton" (Middleborough VR 2:75, published May 1773). Plympton VR: "Georg Eless and Phebe Stephens, May 23, 1773." FamilySearch 3:1:3QHK-F31H-SRST and 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1FL.
[Compiled plus Documented] Phebe was a daughter of Edward Stephens Jr. and Phebe Harlow, m. Plymouth 1747 (Davis 2:252-253; Plymouth VR). Edward Stephens's administrators sold land to George Ellis in 1794, and the 1790 estate account lists "the farm in Plymouth with the Buildings thereon occupied by George Ellis & to him sold." FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-TSYD and 3:1:3QS7-897D-8Z8M.
[Documented, probable] Revolutionary service: a George Ellis in Capt. Robert Finney's company, which marched from Plymouth to Bristol, R.I., 11 Dec 1776 (10 days), and in Capt. Nathaniel Goodwin's company on the "secret expedition against Newport," 25 Sept-31 Oct 1777 (Mass. Soldiers and Sailors 5:303). [Inference] Plymouth companies; very probably our George.
- (pass 5, correction) The earlier note that George was among the men raised as guard to Burgoyne's surrendered army is wrong. Hurd, History of Plymouth County (1884) pp. 145-146 (the page behind FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89DX-85RP), lists "George Ellis" among Plymouth's "Enlistments for thirty days' service in Rhode Island in September, 1777" under Capt. Nathaniel Goodwin, which matches the Newport expedition above. The guard list that follows on the same page names Thomas Ellis. Among Matthias's sons the guard-type service belongs to Daniel (13.5).
- (pass 5) [Documented, identification probable] Plymouth town offices: in March 1774 George Ellis, with James Warren and Josiah Morton Jr., was "Chosen to take care of Plimouth beach"; in March 1777 he was fence viewer and field driver (Records of the Town of Plymouth 3).
- (pass 5) [Documented] c. 1777, a Plymouth list of evidence against suspected Tories: "Mrs Ellis Says about Seven months ago Mr Churchell Came to her house & talked Verry high against America." Which Mrs. Ellis is not stated.
[Documented, new] The warning-out, 1785 (Plympton selectmen's warrant, recorded among Plymouth County Court of General Sessions papers; FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9GD-G; read from the image):
- Margin: "Plimton George Ellis & family."
- "you are hereby required to Warn George Ellis and his Wife Phebe and seven Children viz. Sarah, Phebe, Molly, George, Matthias, Nancy & Stevens forthwith to depart this Town. They came into Town some time in the Month of May in the year one Thousand Seven Hundred and eighty four, and were last from the Town of Plymouth."
- "Given under our hands & Seals at Plimton this Twenty eighth Day of March Anno Domini 1785. Thomas Gannett ... Selectmen."
- The constable's return (April 1785, Gideon Bradford Jr.) says he warned George, his wife Phebe and seven children to depart to the town they were last from.
- [Documented, context] Warning out was a routine Massachusetts step to deny a newcomer legal settlement (and so poor relief) in a town. It does not mean the family was destitute or was actually removed.
[Documented] Phebe was living in March 1785 and dead by 1792. The FamilySearch tree's death year of 1786 is unverified. (pass 5) [Documented] The Plymouth church list of deaths for 1789 has "George Ellis's Wife," 24 Nov 1789 (Plymouth Church Records, Colonial Society of Massachusetts 22). [Inference] This is very probably Phebe.
[Documented] George m. (2) intention 19 May 1792, marriage 4 June 1792, Experience Clark, both of Plymouth (Plymouth VR Book 2 p. 369; Court of Sessions returns). (pass 5) [Documented] She was a daughter of William Clark of Plymouth: "George Ellis & Experiance Ellis" join the other heirs of William Clark in a deed recorded Jan 1809 (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-2DXX). This is the latest record of George found.
[Documented] "George Ellis of the town and County of Plymouth ... Yeoman" in deeds 1788-1796. His homestead "was Nathaniel Donhams homestead," near Southers Marsh in the Plymouth-Plympton commons (1791, 1796 deeds). He witnessed wills and served as agent and trustee in a 1790 court case.
[Documented] No record uses a middle name "David." [Inference] "George David Ellis" in the FamilySearch tree may come from a merge with David Ellis of Hanover (b. 1744) or be a compiler's addition. His death is not yet found (not on Burial Hill, and no Plymouth probate found).
(pass 5) Phebe's ancestry (details in section 13.8 and the master tree):
- [Compiled] Davis 2:252: Edward Stephens, son of Edward and Mary (Churchill), "m., 1747, Phebe, d. of William Harlow," and among their children "Phebe, m. George Ellis."
- [Documented] Plymouth VR: Edward Stephens b. 19 Sept 1721, son of Edward Stephens and Mary Churchill (m. 23 Dec 1708); Phebe Harlow b. 21 Oct 1728, daughter of William Harlow Jr. and "Marsey" (Mercy Rider, m. 24 Feb 1714/15).
- [Inference] Mary Churchill was a daughter of Eleazer Churchill, son of John Churchill and Hannah Pontus. George Ellis (through Elizabeth Churchill) and Phebe Stephens were therefore third cousins.

13.7 Nancy Ellis, Richard Blackmer and Gideon Holbrook

[Documented, new] Nancy was one of the seven children of George and Phebe named in the 1785 warning-out, sixth of seven. (pass 5) [Documented] Her death record gives her age as 82 years 3 months 8 days at 29 Jan 1864, which puts her birth at 21 Oct 1781 (Massachusetts death records vol. 175 p. 336, as cited in Holbrook-Master-Family-Tree.md).
[Documented, new] Quitclaim, 22 May 1805 (acknowledgments to Nov 1806; recorded 6 Apr 1816), to "George Ellis Jnr" of pasture land near Seth Harlow's homestead, a right in Harlow's Cedar Swamp, and woodland, all "decended to us from our Mother Phebe Ellis Decd who was formerly Phebe Stephens." Richard Blackmer and Nancy his wife acknowledged it 17 Jan 1806. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SFBP.
- (pass 5, correction) The grantors are named on the preceding page (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SNM7, read from the image): "Elisha Morton & Sarah his wife of Hebron at the Eastward, Azel Thomas & Phebe his wife of Middleborough, Polly Ellis, Richard Blackmore & Nancy his wife, Zeba [?] Ellis, Stephen Ellis & George Ellis all of Plymouth, Mattathias Ellis of Wareham ... & Isaac Ellis of said Middleborough," for $18 paid "by our Brother George Ellis Jun.r of Plymouth ... Mariner." The signatures include Mattathias Ellis, Azel Thomas, Phebe Thomas, Richard Blackmer, "Nancy Ellis Blackmer" and Stephens Ellis. Sarah Harlow appears with Rosseter Cotton in the witnesses' column, not as a grantor [Inference from the layout].
- [Inference] So Sarah was the wife of Elisha Morton of Hebron, Maine; Molly ("Polly") was living and unmarried in 1805; and Ziba (or Zeba) and Isaac are probably younger children of Phebe born 1785-89, after the warning-out. The second "George Ellis" among the grantors is unexplained; it may be the father.
[Documented] The middle name "Stevens" appears in no record. [Inference] Added by a compiler from her mother's surname; her brother was named Stephens Ellis.
[Documented] First marriage: intention 1801, "Richard BLACKMER & Nancy ELLIS both of Plymouth" (Plymouth VR p. 291). Richard was b. Plymouth 1 Nov 1772, son of Branch Blackmer and Sarah Waite.
[Documented] Children of Richard Blackmer and Nancy (Plymouth VR p. 419): Sarah, 27 Dec 1801 (m. Ezra Clark); Nancy, 3 Jan 1804 (m. Seth Holmes, then Josiah Morey); George Ellis Blackmer, 7 Apr 1806 (m. Rebecca Bartlett).
[Documented] A 1833 Plympton marriage record calls Nancy (Blackmer) Holmes "the daughter of Mr Richard Blackmer & Nancy his wife, whose maiden name was Ellis." FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9L4-D.
[Documented, new] Richard Blackmer, "late of Plymouth, Mariner," died intestate by Feb 1808. Josiah Sturtevant, physician, appointed administrator 29 Feb 1808 (Plymouth County probate case 2104). Inventory 15 Apr 1808: about 7 acres with a house and small barn, 4 acres of pasture, 28 acres of woodland ($600 real estate); personal estate $124.59. The estate was insolvent. On 5 July 1810 Nancy bought back part of the homestead from the administrator for $40 (Plymouth deeds 114:28). FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-897D-ZH86 and related files.
- In 1804-05 Richard was a mariner and part-owner of land and a pew with James Harlow Jr.
[Documented] There was a second Nancy Ellis of Plymouth, who married Clift Bailey in 1807. Ours is the one who married in 1801.
[Documented] Second marriage: intention "Gideon HOLBROOK & Mrs. Nancy BLACKMAN both of Plymouth," published 29 Nov 1818 (Plymouth VR, intentions of 1818, FamilySearch 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1PL; pass 5, correcting the earlier "early 1819 ... apparently 7 Oct 1819"). Davis gives 1818, which fits; the Holbrook master tree has the marriage in Dec 1818.
[Documented] Gideon Holbrook "of Plymouth, Mariner" (1800 bond for a house with Thomas Davis; 1817 sale to John Burgess Jr.). He m. (1) 1788 Sarah Clark. Appraiser in many Plymouth estates, 1816-1840.
- (pass 5) [Documented] The 1800 bond was for "a Certain Dwelling House and the Land adjoining thereto" at Training Green in Plymouth town; he took the deeds in Aug 1805 and sold "my dwelling house & lot of land ... on the easterly side of the training green" to John Burgess Jr., mariner, for $1,300 in 1816/17 (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RNQC; 3:1:3QS7-L9ZW-36N6). His first wife Sally died 1 Mar 1818 and was buried at Manomet. [Inference] The household moved from Training Green to Manomet Ponds about 1817.
- (pass 5, correction) The Sandwich Street homestead and its 1842-1874 deeds belong to the other Plymouth Gideon Holbrook (1786-1868), son of Capt. Eliphalet, not to Nancy's husband. Nancy's household was at Manomet.
[Documented, new] Gideon Holbrook's will, 18 June 1841, proved at Plymouth on the second Monday of April 1842 (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-897D-JZGX):
- To "my said wife" the use of all his estate for herself and the children under twenty-one, with power to sell outlands; later her thirds for life and all the household furniture.
- The residue to "my children Lois Tribble wife of Isaac Tribble, Martha Covington, Betsey Morton wife of Ichabod Morton, Gideon Holbrook, Richard B. Holbrook, Elisha Holbrook, Polly Holbrook & Eliphalet Holbrook & to my Grand daughter Jerusha the daughter of my daughter Harriet Davie deceased."
- "I do appoint my wife Nancy Holbrook Executor." Witnesses Nathaniel Clark, Ezra Clark, Luther Lucas. He is styled "Gentleman."
- So Gideon died between June 1841 and April 1842, not in 1847. The 1847 Plymouth death of a "Gideon Holbrook" is a child aged 3y 7m, son of Gideon and Annette.
[Documented] 1850: partition of Gideon's real estate, one third to "his Widow Nancy Holbrook for her use during her life," the rest to Lois Tribble, Martha Covington, Betsey Morton, Gideon, Elisha, Richard, Mary and Eliphalet Holbrook, and Jerusha Hobart. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L97D-DWZQ.
[Documented] 1846: Gideon Holbrook, seaman, 26, "son of G. & N. Holbrook," m. Lucretia W. Bartlett (Plymouth VR p. 612). [Inference] Nancy's son, b. c. 1820.
[Documented] Nancy was living in 1858. A deed of 1855 bounds land "by land owned by Nancy Holbrook, formerly wife of Richard Blackmer," on the road from Ponds road to the Manomet House. In 1858 she sold a lot in the southerly part of Plymouth "being the same conveyed to me by Josiah Sturtevant Administrator on the estate of my former husband Richard Blackmer." FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RQQ4 and 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-RXVT. [Inference] She lived in the Manomet section of Plymouth.
[Compiled] Davis: Gideon's children by Nancy were Gideon (m. Lucretia W. Bartlett), Richard B., Elisha, Mary and Eliphalet. [Inference] Richard B. Holbrook was Nancy's son and was named Blackmer after her first husband.
(pass 5) [Documented] The estate after Gideon's death:
- The will (18 June 1841; proved 11 Apr 1842) gave Nancy the use of the whole estate "In order to enable my wife Nancy Holbrook to bring up those of my children who may be under the age of twenty one years, having entire confidence in her judgment & discretion," with power to sell outlands for the children's "comfortable support & education" (FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VD5L).
- Inventory, Aug 1842, $3,991.50: the homestead with about an acre of orchard, a dwelling house ($500) and barn, land joining the Parsonage lot, wood and pasture at Rocky Hill, half a cider mill and its house, pew no. 36 on the lower floor of the meeting house, oxen, steers, three cows and two pigs (3:1:3QS7-L97D-JZSG; machine reading).
- 1849: "Elisha Holbrook, of Plymouth ... Yeoman" sold his ninth to David Clark, "reserving to my mother Nancy Holbrook the use, income and improvement" of it for five years "provided she so long live" (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-NZCK).
- 1853: Gideon Holbrook 2d, mariner, had died intestate; David Clark petitioned to administer on 5 Dec 1853 (3:1:3QS7-997D-48CQ). In 1861 Gideon 2d's share, "in Manomet village so called," was bounded by "the highway leading past the house of Ezra Clark and the meeting house" and by "the dower lands of the widow of the late Gideon Holbrook" (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-R4CP).
- 1865: Eliphalet Holbrook, then "of Worcester," bought out five ninths of the widow's thirds from his sisters and the Tribble and Hobart heirs; the other four ninths were already his and Elisha's (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5WF5).
(pass 5) [Documented] Nancy's will, 6 Sept 1860, signed by her mark (Plymouth Probate, FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-997D-86QQ; machine reading, image not checked): "I make no bequest to my children Nancy Morey Richard B. Holbrook, & Eliphalet Holbrook, nor to my Grand children David Clark, Lucy Peterson wife of Charles H. Peterson, Lewis Clark, Sarah Ellis wife of James Ellis for the reason that I feel under obligation to dispose of what little property I may leave to my other children who have chiefly borne the expense of my support and not for want of any affection toward them." Furniture and clothing to daughter Mary; the rest to Elisha and Mary, executors. Proved January 1865 on Mary's petition (3:1:3QS7-L97D-X8C9). The grandchildren named are the children of her late daughter Sarah (Blackmer) Clark.
(pass 5) [Documented] Nancy died 29 Jan 1864 at Plymouth, a widow (Massachusetts death records, as cited in the Holbrook master tree).
(pass 5) [Compiled] Richard B. Holbrook was born 7 Aug 1821 at Manomet (Farrar, Washington Historical Quarterly 7, 1916, p. 245n; Cook, A Particular Friend, Penn's Cove, 1973); he is listed at "Manomet Ponds" in the 1851 Plymouth directory [Documented]. His later life is in the Holbrook files.

13.8 Ancestry of the wives (pass 5)

Full entries are in Part Four of Freeman_Ellis_Master_Family_Tree.md; incidents are in Freeman_Ellis_Anecdotes.md, sections 6, 8 and 11.

Mercy (wife of Lt. Matthias): Nye and Tupper [probable, see 13.3]

[Documented] "Benjamin Nye and Katherne Tupper marryed the xixth october 1640" (Sandwich VR; PCR 1:153). "Mercy Nie the daughter of Beniamen Nie was borne the 8th of Aprill" 1652 (Sandwich VR).
[Compiled] Benjamin Nye came in 1635, probably on the Abigail: he, Thomas Tupper, Thomas Landers and Thomas Greenfield were legatees of Dennis Geere, who died on arrival and whose will Edmund Freeman witnessed (Kardell, Vital Records of Sandwich, introduction). His parents are unknown; the Biddenden, Kent, pedigree in the 1907 Nye genealogy is "almost certainly spurious," and Hilder, Nye and Shaw (NEHGR 158, 2004) point to Sussex. His homestead at 85 Old County Road, East Sandwich, is dated 1678 by dendrochronology.
[Documented] Thomas Tupper, shoemaker, one of the ten men of Saugus (1637), died 28 Mar 1676 "in the 98th yeer of his age"; his wife Anne died 4 June 1676 "in the: 90th: yeer of her age" (Sandwich VR). [Compiled] English candidates (NEHGR 159, 2005, via Sibert): a Thomas Tupper who married Agnes Wedson at Tillington, Sussex, in 1614, with a daughter "Katherin" baptised at Petworth in 1620; or a Thomas son of Anthony baptised in 1590 "in Bury," probably Bury in West Sussex, next to Pulborough [Inference]. Neither is proven.

Elizabeth (wife of Capt. Joel): Churchill, Delano, Pontus [Documented to her parents; Compiled above them]

Parents: Sgt. John Churchill Jr. (c. 1656/7-13 June 1723) and Rebecca Delano (c. 1656/7-6 Apr 1709), married 28 Dec 1686 (13.4).
John Jr. was a son of the immigrant John Churchill (d. 1 Jan 1662/3; PCR 8:23) and Hannah Pontus (m. 18 Dec 1644).
Rebecca was a daughter of Philip Delano, bapt. at the Walloon church in Leiden 7 Dec 1603, who came on the Fortune in Nov 1621, by his second wife Mary (Pontus) Glass (m. 17 Jan 1653/4). His first wife was dead by then, so Rebecca, born c. 1656/7, was Mary's daughter [Inference].
Hannah and Mary were daughters of William Pontus (d. 9 Feb 1652/3), at Leiden "William Pautes, fustian-worker, from near Dover," who married "Wybra Hanson, maid," there on 4 Dec 1610 with William Brewster a witness (Leiden notes quoted in The Churchill Family in America, 1904). John Jr. and Rebecca were first cousins.
[Inference] No Mayflower line runs through Elizabeth. The Churchill book's "Mary Doty" as Eleazer Churchill's second wife is a misreading of Henry Churchill's 1687/8 marriage (Plymouth VR), and Eleazer is not in her line anyway.

Lucy (wife of Matthias): Bennett and Howland [Documented to her parents and grandfather; Compiled above]

See 13.5. Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. > Capt. Peter Bennett and Priscilla Howland > Lt. Isaac Howland and Elizabeth Vaughan > John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley (Mayflower), and Elizabeth Tilley's parents John Tilley and Joan Hurst (Mayflower).
[Compiled] Peter and Priscilla were fined for the early birth of their first child (married 30 Oct 1700, child born 28 Mar 1701) (Sibert; court record not seen).

Phebe (wife of George): Stephens, Churchill, Harlow, Bartlett, Warren, Rider [Documented at every link below Rebecca and Sarah Bartlett]

Father's side: Edward Stephens Jr. (b. 19 Sept 1721) > Edward Stephens and Mary Churchill (m. 23 Dec 1708) > Eleazer Churchill (b. 20 Apr 1652) > John Churchill and Hannah Pontus. So Phebe also descends from William Pontus, giving the family three Pontus lines in all.
Mother's side: Phebe Harlow (b. 21 Oct 1728) > William Harlow (b. 26 July 1692) and Mercy Rider (m. 24 Feb 1714/15) > Samuel Harlow (b. 27 Jan 1652/3) > Sgt. William Harlow and his first wife Rebecca Bartlett (m. 20 Dec 1649; PCR 8). Samuel was born within that marriage, more than five years before Harlow married Mary Faunce in 1658, so the line runs through Rebecca Bartlett [Inference from Documented dates].
Rebecca Bartlett and her sister Sarah (m. 23 Dec 1656 Samuel Rider) were daughters of Robert Bartlett and Mary Warren (both Anne, 1623), and Mary was a daughter of Richard Warren (Mayflower) [Compiled, standard].
Mercy Rider (b. 14 Nov 1696) was a daughter of John Rider and Hannah (Barnes), and John a son of Samuel Rider and Sarah Bartlett (Davis 2:216 [Compiled]; Plymouth VR p. 84 [Documented] for Mercy's birth). So Phebe Harlow descends from Robert Bartlett and Mary Warren twice, and her parents were second cousins [Inference].
[Compiled] The Harlow Old Fort House, 119 Sandwich Street, Plymouth, built by Sgt. William Harlow (legend 1677, with timbers from the fort on Burial Hill; a 1996 assessment says 1700 or later), passed to Samuel Harlow (1692), then to Phebe Harlow's father William (1728), left the family in 1765, and later belonged to Phebe Stephens's uncle Eleazer Stephens (1778-84) and her nephew Lemuel Stephens (from 1822) (Davis Part I pp. 321-322).
[Inference] Elder Thomas Faunce, who identified Plymouth Rock in 1741, was the brother of Sgt. Harlow's second wife and is not a blood relation.

Generations from the early-ship ancestors to Nancy Ellis [Inference, counting from the links above]

Richard Warren (1) > Mary Warren > Rebecca Bartlett > Samuel Harlow > William Harlow > Phebe Harlow > Phebe Stephens > Nancy Ellis (8) > Richard B. Holbrook Sr. (9).
John Howland (1) > Isaac Howland > Priscilla Howland > Joseph Bennett Jr. > Lucy Bennett > George Ellis > Nancy Ellis (7).
Philip Delano (1) > Rebecca Delano > Elizabeth Churchill > Matthias Ellis > George Ellis > Nancy Ellis (6).
Not yet checked: Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, the Warren and Howland volumes, where William Harlow (gen. 5 from Warren) and Lucy Bennett (gen. 5 from Howland) should appear; and whether the General Society of Mayflower Descendants has accepted these lines.

14. Corrections for the FamilySearch and Ancestry trees

Item	Tree has	Evidence shows
Wife of Lt. Matthias Ellis (1657)	Mary Burgess	Mercy, probably Mercy Nye (Sandwich births 1679/80-1699)
Name of George Ellis	George David Ellis	George only; no record uses David
George's parents	(Matthias, unproven)	Matthias and Lucia (Lucy) Ellis of Middleborough (birth record, 1747)
Phebe (Stephens) Ellis's death	1786	Living 28 Mar 1785; dead by 1792
Nancy's name	Nancy Stevens Ellis	Nancy Ellis; no record uses Stevens
Gideon Holbrook's death	1847	23 Jan 1842 (will proved April 1842)
Lucy, wife of Matthias Ellis (1720)	no maiden name	Lucia Bennett, b. 2 Oct 1725, dau. of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. and Thankful (pass 5)
George Ellis's Revolutionary service	guard to Burgoyne's army	Rhode Island, Dec 1776 and Sept-Oct 1777; the guard list names Thomas Ellis (pass 5)
Nancy Ellis's dates	c. 1778-84 to ?	b. 21 Oct 1781; d. 29 Jan 1864 (pass 5)
Nancy's marriage to Gideon Holbrook	1819	int. 29 Nov 1818 (pass 5)
Richard B. Holbrook Sr.'s dates	1830-1898 (Collins-Reed Master Family Tree)	7 Aug 1821 - 14 May 1894 (pass 5; also flagged in the Holbrook master tree)
Joel-to-Matthias deed of gift	1750	May 1759 (pass 5)
Edmund's freeman date	23 Jan 1637 (Wikipedia)	2 Jan 1637/8 (PCR 1:73-74)
Edmund's Barlow refusal	Edmund senior	Edmund junior (PCR 3:173)
Edmund's birth	1590 (grave tablet)	Bapt. 25 July 1596
Elizabeth Freeman's marriage	"4 June 1645"	By Aug 1644 (4 June 1645 is the court sentence)

15. Discrepancy log

Item	Versions	Sources	Status
Edmund's birth year	1590 vs bapt. 1596	Freeman 1875, grave tablet vs Pulborough register	Resolved: 1596
Where the Abigail sailed from	Plymouth, England, 4 June vs London, June-July	Wikipedia vs Hotten	Resolved: London
Years as Assistant	1640-1647 / seven years vs six terms 1640-1646	Marker, F. Freeman vs PCR 2:99-100	Resolved: 1640-1646
Barlow refusal	Edmund Sr vs Edmund Jr	F. Freeman 1875 vs PCR 3:173	Resolved: Jr
The 1647 "deed from the colony"	Colony vs Bradford and Old Company, 24 Jan 1647/8 (the 1651 release says 14 Jan)	Secondary accounts vs PCR 12:210-212	Source resolved; day open
1663 land grant citation	PCR 3:40 vs 4:40	Sibert Ancestry vs PCR	Resolved: 4:40
Samuel Fuller Sr's town	Boston vs Barnstable	Sibert Ancestry vs PCR 7:192	Resolved: Barnstable
First marriage date	16 vs 26 June 1617	Dawes-Gates, Bush vs WikiTree	Check Cowfold register
Bennett's mother	Anne Maundy vs Faith	Bush vs Dawes-Gates	Resolved: Anne Maundy; Faith was her stepmother
Brother John's baptism	24 Jan 1604/5 vs 29 Jan 1605/6 or 1606/7	FamilySearch vs Dawes-Gates	Open
Chancery suit date	28 Nov 1633 vs Jan 1633/4	Jacobus vs Dawes-Gates	Probably bill vs depositions
Beauchamp's parents	Notts, Mary Clarke vs Northants, Dorothy Clark	Bradford 1912 note vs Visitation	Resolved: Visitation
"Bro. Coddington"	William Coddington vs John Cuddington of Reigate	F. Freeman vs WSRO deeds	Probably Cuddington
Second wife	Raymer vs widow Perry vs unknown	Shipley register vs Brainard vs Anderson	Open
Mary (Freeman) Perry	Daughter vs stepdaughter vs no evidence	Tree vs Dawes-Gates vs Brownson and McLean	Open
Deacon	"Deacon in his own church" vs "separacion from the Churches"	Pane-Joyce vs Winslow 1646	Winslow is contemporary
Allen house as first Friends' meeting	Freeman's 1671 house vs Allens' Spring Hill house 1657	F. Freeman vs Quaker history	Open
"New Oxford" in the 1682 inventory	Unidentified	Freeman Genealogy p. 21	Open; check original
Will pagination	OC Wills 4 pt 2 p. 5 vs pp. 54-55	F. Freeman vs Geneamusings	Check original
Matthias Ellis (1657)'s wife	Mary Burgess vs Mercy (Nye)	Freeman 1875, Davis vs Sandwich VR	Resolved: Mercy
Joel's father	Matthias vs Samuel	Brownson and McLean vs Davis	Matthias (Sandwich VR)
Matthias (1657)'s death	8 Sept vs 20, 21 or 30 Aug 1748	Sandwich register vs others	8 Sept fits the probate of 4 Oct 1748 (pass 5)
Mercy's maiden name	Nye vs unknown	Brownson and McLean, Nye 1907 vs WikiTree; the 1704 "daughter Mercy" deed	Probable Nye; read the article and the deed (pass 5)
Lt. John Ellis's death	1667 vs by June 1677	F. Freeman vs PCR 5:235	Resolved: 1677
Lt. John Ellis called "Junior" in 1677	Unexplained	PCR 5:235	Open
Joel-to-Matthias deed year	23 May 1750 (OCR slightly unclear)	FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-P3KJ	Resolved: May 1759, acknowledged 22 May 1759 (image read, pass 5)
Lucy's father	Samuel Bennett (hypothesis) vs Joseph Bennett Jr.	Earlier lead vs Middleborough VR	Resolved: Joseph (pass 5)
George's guard service	Burgoyne guard vs Rhode Island	Earlier reading vs Hurd p. 145-146	Resolved: Rhode Island; the guard was Thomas Ellis (pass 5)
Phebe (Stephens) Ellis's death	1786 vs 24 Nov 1789	FamilySearch tree vs Plymouth church records	Probably 1789 (pass 5)
Molly Ellis in 1805	Missing vs present	Earlier reading vs grantor list	Present as "Polly Ellis" (pass 5)
Nancy's second marriage	1818 vs 1819	Davis vs earlier reading of Plymouth VR	Resolved: int. 29 Nov 1818 (pass 5)
Gideon Holbrook's death	1847 vs 1841/2	Tree vs will	Resolved: 23 Jan 1842
Richard B. Holbrook Sr.'s dates	1821-1894 vs 1830-1898	FamilySearch, Farrar, census vs Collins-Reed tree	1821-1894; Farrar gives 1893 for the death (pass 5)
Harriet (Lowe) Holbrook's birth	12 June 1834 vs 12 June 1839	Holbrook master tree vs Farrar 1916	Open (pass 5)
Brownson and McLean on Ezra Perry	NEHGR 115:86 vs 115:181-198	Earlier notes vs Sibert	Probably 181-198 (pass 5)
Bennet Ellis's birth	27 Feb 1647/8 vs 1648/9	PCR 8:6 vs VR editors, Pane-Joyce	Open (pass 5)
Mordecai Ellis's death	5 Feb 1706/7 vs 5 Feb 1709/10 vs 1715	VR editors vs Pane-Joyce vs Annals	Open (pass 5)
Mary Nye's marriage to Jacob Burge	1 June 1660 vs 1 June 1670	F. Freeman vs Nye 1907	Open (pass 5)
Thomas Tupper's birth	1578 vs bapt. 1590	Sandwich death record vs NEHGR 159 candidate	Open (pass 5)
Edmund Jr.'s death	29 Mar 1673 vs by Jan 1703/4	Dawes-Gates vs administration	Resolved: by 1703/4; 1673 is Prence's date (pass 5)

16. Records to request, and next steps

A. England

The National Archives (Kew). PCC wills are digitised; a free account usually lets you download them.

PROB 11/141/674: will of Edmund Freeman Sr, yeoman of Pulborough, 1623.
PROB 11/221/67: will of Alice Freeman, widow of Reigate, 1651/2.
PROB 11/130/640 (John Hodsell, Cowfold, 1617) and PROB 11/154/477 (John Hodsoll, Shermanbury, 1628).
PROB 11/245/407: will of John Beauchamp of Reigate, 1655.
Not digitised (order a copy or view at Kew): Chancery pleadings C 2/ChasI/F43/29, F52/112 and F42/34, and depositions C 21/F14/17, to find the 1633/4 suit and its depositions. Also E 133/55/51 (Freeman v Apsley, 1634); REQ 2/147/16 and WARD 2/49/174/8A (the ship Providence); C 142/582/161 (John Hodsoll's inquisition post mortem, which should name the Freeman children as heirs).
C 54 close roll, 15 Chas I: the Chancery enrolment of SAS-BA/295 (8 Aug 1639).

West Sussex Record Office (copying service): Add Mss 28,786 (the 1634 plot of "Edmund Freeman of London Merchant"); SAS-BA/294-298 and 305-308; SAS-B/578; Add Mss 40,254; Add Mss 4118; SAS-B/358. Check Edmund's signature and any seal. Also the Shipley register (Par/168/1/1/1) for the 1632 marriage, the 1632 gallery seat list and the 1635 list of preachers.

B. New England

Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories vol. 4 pt 2: Edmund's will and both inventories, to identify "New Oxford." Vol. 3: Lt. John Ellis's inventory of 1677. (Plymouth County Registry; images on FamilySearch.)
Plymouth Colony Deeds vol. 5 pp. 169-170: image of the 1678/9 deed to Matthias Ellis. Also the 1671 deed to William Allen, and the image of the 1661 and 1663/4 Quachattasett deeds (FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ).
Sandwich town records, books 1-3 (Sandwich Town Archives; FamilySearch microfilm): the source of Frederick Freeman's town-meeting quotations.
Brownson and McLean, "Lt. John and Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis of Sandwich," NEHGR 119-120 (1965-66) (AmericanAncestors.org): Lt. John's origins, the 1677 inventory, the "Junior" problem, Mercy Nye, and the later generations.
Plymouth County probate, George Ellis: his death and estate (after c. 1808), which may name his children and settle who Ziba and Isaac Ellis were.
(pass 5, replaces the Samuel Bennett item) Plymouth probate for Lt. Joseph Bennett (d. 1741/2), which should list his children and settle whether Jemima Jackson was Lucy's sister; and Mayflower Descendant 30:8 for the Ellis-Bennett marriage of 1743.
(pass 5, done) Nancy's death (29 Jan 1864) and will (1860) are found. Still open: a reading of the will's image, and the 1865 probate papers for any inventory.
Richard B. Holbrook's birth (7 Aug 1821 per Farrar and Cook): a Plymouth record of it, and his 1894 Washington death record or obituary for his stated birthplace and parents.
Anderson, Great Migration 1634-1635, vol. II pp. 576-582, Brainard TAG 17:87-95, McLean TAG 40:103-110, and Bush NEHGR 164:104-111, read directly.
The Fessenden letter (c. 1722) to Thomas Prince (Prince Collection, Boston Public Library or MHS): the source of the Freeman-Quaker tradition.
Massachusetts Archives (Pequot War accounts): the 1640 claim for Freeman's armor.
(pass 5) The 9 June 1704 deed of Benjamin Nye to his son Jonathan (Barnstable County deeds burned in 1827; look for a later recorded copy or the Nye Family Association's transcript), to see whether "daughter Mercy" is Mercy Ellis.
(pass 5) Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, the Warren and Howland volumes, for the Harlow and Bennett lines (section 13.8).
(pass 5) Evans 3205, Edward Perry's collected writings (Readex Early American Imprints, through a library), for anything he wrote about the Freemans.
(pass 5) WPA, Told by the Pioneers vol. 2 pp. 153-154 (1938), for the full January 1854 letter from "E. Holbrook" at Penn Cove to his mother Nancy.

Sources

Primary records, published or online

Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, ed. Shurtleff and Pulsifer, vols 1-12 (1855-61): vols 1-2 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp ; 3-4 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0304newp ; 5-6 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0506newp ; 7-8 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0708newp ; 11-12 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo1112newp
Winthrop Papers, vols 3-5 (MHS): https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/ ; Freeman to Winthrop Jr., 1635, https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/index.php/view/PWF03d181 ; Freeman to Winthrop, 1640, https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/index.php/view/PWF04d185 ; vol. 5, https://archive.org/details/winthroppapersv5wint
Winthrop's Journal, ed. Hosmer: https://archive.org/details/winthropsjournal01wint
Bradford, History of Plymouth Plantation (MHS 1912), vol. 2: https://archive.org/details/historyofplymout02brad
Hotten, Original Lists (1874): https://archive.org/details/originallistsofp00hottuoft
Visitation of London 1633-35 (Harleian Society 15): https://archive.org/details/visitationoflond01sain
Laud, Works vol. 5 pt 2: https://archive.org/details/worksofmostrever52laud
TNA Discovery catalogue (also indexes WSRO): https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ (items cited by reference above)
Vital records: Plymouth (van Antwerp), https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofpl00vana ; Plympton, https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofpl00plym ; Sandwich (Kardell), https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofsakard ; Rochester, https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofro01roch
Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War vol. 5: https://archive.org/details/masssoldiers05bostrich

FamilySearch (logged in; open as https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/ + ID)

Family Tree, Edmund Freeman, L8SL-57Z: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L8SL-57Z
Pulborough baptism of Edmund Freeman, 25 July 1596: 1:1:Q2QW-CQSV (image 3:1:S3HY-698Q-RVS)
Middleborough births, children of Matthias and Lucia Ellis: 3:1:3QHK-P31H-SPL6 ; 3:1:3QHK-P31H-S52D
Joel Ellis to son Matthias, deed of gift, 1759/1765 (with Matthias's purchase from John Williams, 1759): 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-P3KJ
Matthias and Lucy Ellis with the Mortons, Bennett and Jacksons, 1758 and 1763: 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RCFY ; 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-G8N3
Estate of Mathias Ellis, Gentleman, 1790-92: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-8CL4 ; 3:1:3QS7-997D-8CGB ; 3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VHN9
George Ellis and Phebe Stephens marriage: 3:1:3QHK-F31H-SRST (Middleborough) ; 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1FL (Plympton)
Plympton warning-out of George Ellis and family, 28 Mar 1785: 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9GD-G
Quitclaim by the heirs of Phebe (Stephens) Ellis, 1805/1816: 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SFBP
Estate of Richard Blackmer, mariner, 1808: 3:1:3QS7-897D-ZH86 ; 3:1:3QS7-L97D-ZHDF
Nancy Blackmer's deed from the administrator, 1810: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-2ZJK ; her 1858 sale: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-RXVT ; 1855 bounds: 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RQQ4
Nancy (Blackmer) Holmes, "whose maiden name was Ellis," 1833: 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9L4-D
Will of Gideon Holbrook, 1841/2: 3:1:3QS7-897D-JZGX ; partition 1850: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-DWZQ
Quachattasett deeds to Edmond Freeman, 1661 and 1663/4 (later registry copy): 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ
Revolutionary lists, Plymouth (Hurd, History of Plymouth County p. 146): 3:1:3QS7-89DX-85RP
(pass 5) Will, probate, inventory and receipts of Lt. Matthias Ellis, Barnstable, 1744-1750: 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793Z ; 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793P ; 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793J ; administration on John Ellis, 1718: 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-53HW ; will of Capt. Thomas Tupper, 1706: 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-5SK6
(pass 5) Joel Ellis deeds and court: from John Churchill, 1722: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-JD4S ; to son Joel, 1744: 3:1:3QS7-99Z7-RFYN ; Murdock v Ellis and Morton, 1747: 3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-3SDY-G ; to sons Charles and Thomas, 1759: 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-PQPY ; marriage to Jemima Bennet, 1758: 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9G2-H
(pass 5) Thankful Bennett's sale of Lt. Joseph Bennett's land, 1746: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-X4CX
(pass 5) Quitclaim grantors, 1805 (preceding page): 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SNM7 ; William Clark heirs' deed with George and Experience Ellis, c. 1808: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-2DXX ; Branch Blackmer's will, 1818: 3:1:3QS7-997D-V85F
(pass 5) Plymouth intentions of 1818 (Gideon Holbrook and Mrs. Nancy Blackman): 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1PL
(pass 5) Gideon Holbrook: Training Green house, 1800-1817: 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RNQC ; 3:1:3QS7-L9ZW-36N6 ; will (fuller copy): 3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VD5L ; inventory 1842: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-JZSG ; Elisha's sale 1849: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-NZCK ; Gideon 2d's estate 1853: 3:1:3QS7-997D-48CQ ; Manomet deeds 1861: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-R4CP ; 3:1:3QS7-99Z7-RWBC ; widow's thirds 1865: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5WF5
(pass 5) Will of Nancy Holbrook, 1860: 3:1:3QS7-997D-86QQ ; probate 1865: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-X8C9

Pass 5 published sources

Vital Records of Sandwich (Kardell and Lovell, NEHGS 1996)
Mayflower Descendant vols 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16 (Middleborough VR): https://archive.org/details/mayflowerdescendv6mass and companion volumes
Thomas Weston, History of the Town of Middleboro (1906): https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofm00west_0
D. Hamilton Hurd, History of Plymouth County (1884): https://archive.org/details/historyofplymout00hurd
Records of the Town of Plymouth vols 1 and 3: https://archive.org/details/cu31924092203680 ; https://archive.org/details/cu31924092203706
Plymouth Church Records (Colonial Society of Massachusetts 22-23): https://archive.org/details/plymouthchurchre22firs
The Churchill Family in America (1904): https://archive.org/details/churchillfamilyi01chur
G. H. Nye and F. E. Best, A Genealogy of the Nye Family (1907): https://archive.org/details/genealogyofnyefa00nyeg
Tercentenary Dedicatory Volume of the Tupper Family Association (1939): https://archive.org/details/tercentenarydedi00tuppuoft
Mattapoisett and Old Rochester (1907): https://archive.org/details/mattapoisettoldr01leon
Adadourian, "Dying, and, Behold, We Live" (1899): https://archive.org/details/dyingandbeholdwe00adad
V. J. Farrar, ed., "Diary of Colonel and Mrs. I. N. Ebey," Washington Historical Quarterly 7 (1916): https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/WHQ/article/view/5490/4564
Sibert Ancestry: Thomas Tupper, https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Aikens/T/Tupper/ThomasTupperSr.html ; Philip Delano, https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Howland/D/Delano/PhilippeDelano.html ; Peter Bennett, https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Howland/B/Bennett/PeterBennett.html
WikiTree: Benjamin Nye, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Nye-6 ; Malachi Ellis, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellis-1122
Brennan, Bosworth database (Lucia Bennett): https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cbrennan/genealogy/Bosworth/d0000/g0000011.html
Wikipedia: Harlow Old Fort House, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlow_Old_Fort_House ; Benjamin Nye Homestead, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Nye_Homestead ; Philip Delano, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Delano

Compiled and secondary

Frederick Freeman, Freeman Genealogy (1875): https://archive.org/details/freemangenealogy1875free
Frederick Freeman, History of Cape Cod vol. 2 (1862): https://archive.org/details/historyofcapecod02free
Alonzo Lewis and J. R. Newhall, History of Lynn (1865): https://archive.org/details/historyoflynness00lewi
Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines vol. 2 (1931): https://archive.org/details/dawesgatesancest00ferr_0
William T. Davis, Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth (1899): https://archive.org/details/ancientlandmarks1899davi
Amos Otis, Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families (1888 reprint), via https://minerdescent.com/2010/05/17/edmund-freeman
R. C. Anderson et al., The Great Migration vol. II (2001), pp. 576-582 (not read directly; cited via WikiTree)
Richard L. Bush, NEHGR 164 (2010):104-111 (summarised at https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Harding/F/Freeman/EdmondFreeman.html)
Pane-Joyce Genealogy: https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr01/rr01_240.html ; https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr03/rr03_188.html ; https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr06/rr06_331.html
WikiTree: Freeman-92 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Freeman-92 ; Freeman-1212 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Freeman-1212 ; Ellis-20241 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellis-20241
James Warren Gould, "History of Quakers on Cape Cod": https://capecodquakers.org/history/
HMdb, Edmund Freeman Saddle and Pillion Burial Ground: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=120748
Wikipedia, Edmund Freeman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Freeman

# Freeman and Ellis Lines: Research Findings
Working file, started 30 September 2026; revised 1 October 2026 (pass 5).
- **Pass 1 (web):** Plymouth Colony Records (PCR), vols 1-12, full text and page images; Winthrop Papers vols 3-5; Winthrop's Journal; Bradford's *History of Plymouth Plantation* (MHS 1912 ed.); Frederick Freeman's *Freeman Genealogy* (1875) and *History of Cape Cod* vol. 2 (1862); Lewis's *History of Lynn*.
- **Pass 2 (England):** the National Archives (TNA) Discovery catalogue, which also indexes the West Sussex Record Office (WSRO); Hotten's *Original Lists*; *Visitation of London 1633-35* (Harleian Society 15); Ferris, *Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines* vol. 2 (1931); Laud's *Works* vol. 5.
- **Pass 3 (Ellis line):** Sandwich, Plymouth, Plympton and Rochester vital records; Davis, *Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth* (1899); *Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War*; Pane-Joyce summaries of Brownson and McLean (NEHGR 1965-66).
- **Pass 4 (FamilySearch, logged in):** the Family Tree profile of Edmund Freeman (L8SL-57Z) and its 47 attached sources; FamilySearch Full-Text search of Plymouth County deeds, probate, court and town records. This pass closed the two weakest links in the Ellis line.
- **Pass 5 (1 Oct 2026):** the families who married in (Nye, Tupper, Churchill, Delano, Pontus, Bennett, Howland, Stephens, Harlow, Bartlett, Rider), Edmund's other children and in-laws, and the Ellis generations in more depth, from the Plymouth Colony Records, the Plymouth, Plympton, Sandwich and Middleborough vital records, the *Mayflower Descendant*, Weston's *History of Middleboro*, Hurd's *History of Plymouth County*, and the family genealogies of the Nyes (1907), Tuppers (1939) and Churchills (1904); then a FamilySearch full-text pass of Barnstable and Plymouth probate and deeds. Changes from this pass are marked **(pass 5)**.
**Scope:** Edmund Freeman (1596-1682) in England and New England, his family, and the Ellis line from his daughter Elizabeth down to Nancy Ellis, who married Gideon Holbrook and was the mother of Richard B. Holbrook. The Holbrook line itself is in `early-holbrook-family-england.md` and `Holbrook-Master-Family-Tree.md`.
**Companion files (pass 5):** `Freeman_Ellis_Master_Family_Tree.md` holds the births, deaths, marriages and relationships for everyone named here and in the married-in families, with the evidence tier for each link. `Freeman_Ellis_Anecdotes.md` collects the incidents and quotations by person and date.
**Evidence tiers used below**
- **[Documented]** A primary record, or a published transcript, index, abstract or archive catalogue description of one.
- **[Compiled]** A secondary genealogy or history stating something, with or without a source.
- **[Tradition]** Family or local lore with no stated source.
- **[Inference]** Our own reasoning from the above.
**Conventions.** Dates are Old Style as recorded, with double years for 1 Jan to 24 Mar (1641/2 means 1642 in modern reckoning). PCR citations are volume:page in the printed edition (Shurtleff and Pulsifer, 1855-61). Most page numbers come from the running heads in the scanned text; pages checked against the page image are marked. FamilySearch items are cited by their image ID (3:1:...), which opens as `https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:...`. FamilySearch full-text transcriptions are machine OCR of handwriting and contain errors; quotations from them below have been read for sense and should be checked against the image before going into print.
---
## 1. Current picture
| Question | Status |
|---|---|
| Edmund bapt. Pulborough, Sussex, 25 July 1596, son of Edmund Freeman and Alice Coles | Documented (Pulborough register, an 18th-century copy of the early entries) |
| His father was a Pulborough "woodbroker" (1600-01) and yeoman (1609-23) who sold timber to Thames shipwrights | Documented (WSRO and TNA deeds and suits), **new** |
| Edmund himself was "of London, Merchant" by Feb 1634 and "of London, gent." in 1639 | Documented (WSRO), **new** |
| His brother-in-law John Beauchamp, London merchant, was one of the investors behind Plymouth Colony | Documented (Visitation of London; Bradford) |
| Why he emigrated | Not stated in any record. The documented facts point to family business ties with Plymouth's investors and a religious position the colony later called "Anabaptistry" (section 3) |
| Sailed on the *Abigail* from London in 1635 with John Winthrop Jr. as a fellow passenger | Documented |
| The 20 corselets of armor were used in the Pequot War, and in 1640 he was still asking to be paid for them | Documented (Hugh Peter to Winthrop, 1640), **new** |
| Principal founder of Sandwich (grant 3 Apr 1637) | Documented (PCR 1:57). Plymouth accused the Sandwich committees of admitting unfit people and taking most of the land (1639) |
| Bought the Sandwich Indian purchase from Bradford's partners (1647/8) and passed it to the town (1651) | Documented (PCR 12:210-212). Corrects the usual "1647 deed from the colony" |
| Bought land directly from Quachattasett, sachem of Manomet, for £8, 1 Jan 1663/4 | Documented (Plymouth County deed, FamilySearch full text), **new** |
| Dropped as Assistant in 1646 for "professed Anabaptistry" | Documented (Winslow to Winthrop, 4 June 1646) |
| Refused to help the marshal against the Quakers (the famous story) | **Misattributed.** The 1659 fine was his son, Edmond Freeman Jr. (PCR 3:173) |
| Made a return trip to London in 1639 | Documented (London deeds of May-July 1639; merchant's letters), **new** |
| Saddle and Pillion graves | Tradition (19th century). Bronze tablets placed 22 Aug 1910 |
| Ellis line, all links from Elizabeth Freeman to Nancy Ellis | **Documented at every step** after this session (section 2). Two links that were weak are now closed by Middleborough and Plympton records found on FamilySearch |
| Tree corrections needed | Matthias Ellis's wife was Mercy (probably Nye), not Mary Burgess; Gideon Holbrook died 23 Jan 1842, not 1847; no record uses "David" for George Ellis or "Stevens" as Nancy's middle name (section 14) |
| Lt. Matthias Ellis's will (1744) | **Found (pass 5).** Names wife Mercy, sons Joel, Matthias and Malachi, and three daughters; proved 4 Oct 1748 (section 13.3) |
| Lucy, wife of Matthias Ellis (gen. 5) | **Identified (pass 5):** Lucia Bennett, b. Middleborough 2 Oct 1725, dau. of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. and Thankful (section 13.5) |
| Mayflower and other early-ship lines | **New (pass 5).** Richard Warren twice, through Phebe Harlow, mother of Phebe (Stephens) Ellis; John Howland, Elizabeth Tilley and John Tilley, through Lucy Bennett; Philip Delano (*Fortune* 1621) through Elizabeth Churchill; William Pontus of Leiden three times (section 13.8) |
| Nancy Ellis's dates | b. 21 Oct 1781 (from age at death); d. 29 Jan 1864, Plymouth; her will of 1860 names Richard B. Holbrook (section 13.7) |
---
## 2. The line of descent
| Gen. | Person | Evidence for the link | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Edmund Freeman**, bapt. Pulborough 25 July 1596; d. Sandwich between 21 June and 2 Nov 1682. m. (1) Cowfold, Sussex, 16 June 1617, **Bennett Hodsoll** (bapt. All Saints Barking, London, 23 Aug 1596; bur. Pulborough 12 Apr 1630) | Pulborough and Cowfold registers | Documented |
| 2 | **Elizabeth Freeman**, bapt. Billingshurst, Sussex, 11 Apr 1624 (from 1633/4 Chancery depositions); d. after 1692. m. by Aug 1644 **Lt. John Ellis** (d. by 7 June 1677) | Edmund's will names "my Daughter Elizabeth Ellis"; PCR 2:76, 2:85-86 | Documented |
| 3 | **Lt. Matthias Ellis**, b. Sandwich 2 June 1657; d. Sandwich 8 Sept 1748 (will proved 4 Oct 1748). m. c. 1678 **Mercy** (probably Mercy Nye, b. 8 Apr 1652, dau. of Benjamin Nye and Katherine Tupper; living 4 Oct 1748) | Sandwich town record: "Matthias Ellis the son of John Ellis"; Edmund's 1678/9 deed calls him "my grandson" | Documented |
| 4 | **Capt. Joel Ellis**, b. Sandwich 17 Jan 1679/80; d. Middleborough 21 June 1763. m. Plymouth 6 Apr 1710 **Elizabeth Churchill**, dau. of Sgt. John Churchill Jr. and Rebecca Delano | Sandwich birth register (first name worn, restored as Joel from a copy and by McLean); **(pass 5)** Matthias's will (1744) leaves land to "my son Joel," and Joel's receipt to the executor calls himself "one of the Children of Mathias Ellis Late of Sandwich" | Documented |
| 5 | **Matthias Ellis**, b. 7 Mar 1719/20; d. Middleborough by Mar 1790 ("Gentleman"). m. 7 Apr 1743 **Lucia (Lucy) Bennett**, dau. of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. and Thankful | Deed of gift, "Joel Ellis of Middleborough" to "my Loving son Matthias Ellis of Middleborough," May 1759 (acknowledged 22 May 1759; **corrected from 1750, pass 5**), recorded 18 Oct 1765 | Documented |
| 6 | **George Ellis**, b. Middleborough 10 May 1747; living c. 1808. m. (1) Plympton 23 May 1773 **Phebe Stephens** (probably d. 24 Nov 1789), dau. of Edward Stephens Jr. and Phebe Harlow of Plymouth; m. (2) 1792 Experience Clark | Middleborough births: "George Ellis the Son of Mathias Ellis and by Lucia his Wife Was Born May the 10th 1747" | Documented |
| 7 | **Nancy Ellis**, b. 21 Oct 1781 (from age at death); d. Plymouth 29 Jan 1864. m. (1) Plymouth 1801 **Richard Blackmer**, mariner (d. by Feb 1808); m. (2) Plymouth, int. 29 Nov 1818, **Gideon Holbrook**, mariner, later "Gentleman" (d. 23 Jan 1842) | Plympton warning-out of 28 Mar 1785 names Nancy among the children of George and Phebe; 1805 quitclaim by the heirs of "our Mother Phebe Ellis Decd who was formerly Phebe Stephens," signed by Richard Blackmer and Nancy; 1833 record calls Nancy Blackmer's maiden name Ellis | Documented |
| 8 | **Richard Blackmer Holbrook Sr.**, b. Manomet, Plymouth, 7 Aug 1821; d. Coupeville, Washington, 14 May 1894 | Gideon Holbrook's will names son "Richard B. Holbrook," with "my wife Nancy Holbrook" as executor; **(pass 5)** Nancy's own will (1860) names "my children ... Richard B. Holbrook" | Documented |
---
## 3. Edmund Freeman in England
### The Pulborough family
**His father, Edmund Freeman the elder (d. 1623)**
- **[Documented]** Deed of 14 Feb 1600 (42 Eliz.): John Morley of Halnaker and William Browne of Tangmere, esqs, convey to "Edmund Freeman of Pulborough, woodbroker" the land called Millards and the copyholds Pykehurst, Gooduse, Brookehouse and Averyes, Littlecombe Lands and The Waters, Fowles, Stoners and Willetts. WSRO Add Mss 40,254.
- **[Documented]** Bond of 28 Mar 1601: William Johnson of St Olave's, Southwark, shipwright, bound to "Edmund Freeman of Pulborough, Sussex, 'woodbroker'" for £28. TNA WARD 2/49/174/8A.
- **[Documented]** Court of Requests, *Johnson v Freeman*, 6 Oct 1601, over a bond "on account of a ship called The Providence bought of him." TNA REQ 2/147/16.
- **[Documented]** Elizabethan Chancery suit *Apsley v Freeman*, George Apsley esq. v Edmund Freeman, "contract etc relating to lands called Freelands in Pulborough." TNA C 2/Eliz/A8/50.
- **[Documented]** "Edmund Freman of Pulborough, yeoman," trustee in a marriage settlement, 19 Jan 1609. WSRO SAS-B/358.
- **[Documented]** Settlement of 20 July 1620 on the marriage of his son William to Christian Hodsoll: "Edmund Freeman senr. of Pulborough, yeoman" conveys Pykhurst and other lands to trustees George Coles of Amberley, yeoman, and "John Bewchamp, citizen and salter of London." He signed with a **mark**. WSRO SAS-B/578.
- **[Documented]** Buried Pulborough 6 June 1623. Will proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 18 June 1623, "Will of Edmund Freeman, Yeoman of Pulborough, Sussex," TNA PROB 11/141/674. Executors: sons Edmond and William. £20 to each child; over £800 in all besides lands (Dawes-Gates 2:349, citing "P.C.C., Swann, 59").
- **[Inference]** A timber broker who sold to London shipwrights and dealt in a ship. The later family pattern of London and Thames-side trade starts here.
**His mother, Alice Coles (d. 1651/2)**
- **[Documented]** Sister of George Coles of Amberley. Her will, "Alice Freeman, Widow of Reigate, Surrey," proved 5 Mar 1651/2, TNA PROB 11/221/67. It includes a bequest to Edmond Freeman and his wife (Dawes-Gates).
- **[Documented, published transcript]** In 1649 John Beauchamp wrote that "the wife's mother ... lives with me at Ryegate" (Freeman Genealogy pp. 23-24).
**His uncle, George Coles of Amberley**
- **[Documented]** Chichester consistory deposition, 30 Oct 1624: "George Coles of Amberley, yeoman, where he had lived some 23 years. Born in Wootton, Somersetshire. Aged about 65 years." WSRO Ep/I/11/13, f. 233. So born c. 1559 and at Amberley from c. 1601.
- **[Documented]** Tenant of the malthouse in Amberley Castle, 1610 and 1623 (WSRO WISTON/4329-4330). Sued in 1622 by a Southwark tanner over "dealings in oaken bark" (TNA REQ 2/404/76).
- **[Inference]** The Coles family was West Country in origin. There are several Woottons in Somerset.
**His siblings** (Dawes-Gates 2:349, citing the Pulborough register; FamilySearch tree)
- **William** (c. 1598-1666). m. (1) Christian Hodsoll, Bennett's sister (bur. Cowfold 24 July 1635); m. (2) 15 May 1638 the widow Jane Gratwick of Cowfold. "Of Ratcliffe in the parish of Stepney" in 1630 (WSRO Add Mss 4118). "William Freeman of Cowfold, esq." by 1655 (WSRO Add Mss 2143); probably a Commonwealth JP.
- **Alice**, bapt. 15 Apr 1601; m. Pulborough 27 Dec 1615 John Beauchamp.
- **Eleanor**, bapt. 25 Aug 1603; bur. 7 Apr 1618.
- **John**, bapt. 24 Jan 1604/5 (FamilySearch) or 29 Jan 1605/6 or 1606/7 (Dawes-Gates). Possibly the John Freeman of Sudbury, Mass.
- **Elizabeth**, bapt. 27 Aug 1609; m. John Cuddington (see Beauchamp, below).
- The FamilySearch tree also has **Ellen** (1592). Dawes-Gates does not list her, and 1592 is before the surviving register begins (1595).
- **[Documented]** WSRO's catalogue for the Pulborough register (Par/153/1/1/1, 1595-1812) says the earlier entries were copied into the book in the 18th century. Edmund's own baptism is known only from that copy. (Seen on FamilySearch: "Pulborough. ... Baptism Registers 1595-1879," image provided by West Sussex County Council.)
### First marriage: Bennett Hodsoll and her family
- **[Documented]** m. Cowfold 16 June 1617 (WikiTree reads 26 June). Richard L. Bush, "The English Ancestry of Bennett Hodsoll, First Wife of Edmond Freeman of Sandwich," *NEHGR* 164 (2010):104-111.
- **[Compiled from Bush]** Bennett was bapt. All Saints Barking, London, 23 Aug 1596, dau. of John Hodsoll and his first wife Anne Maundy. John Hodsoll married secondly Faith (Moorer) (Bacon) Bareham about 1614. **[Inference]** This resolves the "Faith" confusion in older sources: Faith was Bennett's stepmother.
- **[Documented]** John Hodsoll the elder:
- "John Hodsoll of the City of London, mariner," leased a wharf at Ratcliff, 1592/3 (London Archives M/093/196).
- Bought Lower Northovers in Steyning for £310, 27 May 1607, as "John Hodsoll of London, gent." (WSRO SAS-BA/294).
- Sued by the Sherleys of Wiston over cutting timber (TNA C 2/JasI/S38/73).
- Will of "John Hodsell, Gentleman of Cowfold," 1617 (TNA PROB 11/130/640). It names his daughter Bennett, wife of Edmund Freeman.
- Bush describes him as a major supplier of wood products to the Royal Navy and an investor in the Virginia Company.
- **[Documented]** Bennett's brother John Hodsoll the younger died 1628 (will TNA PROB 11/154/477, "Gentleman of Shermanbury"; inquisition post mortem C 142/582/161). His executors John Gratwicke and William Freeman were empowered to sell Long Dowsetts and Northovers (about 110 acres, West Grinstead and Steyning).
- **[Documented]** Bennett was buried at Pulborough 12 Apr 1630.
### The children of Edmund and Bennett
| Child | Baptism | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Alice | Pulborough 4 Apr 1619 | m. Plymouth 24 Nov 1639 Deacon William Paddy, merchant; d. 24 Apr 1651 |
| Edmund | Billingshurst 26 Nov 1620 | m. (1) 22 Apr 1646 Rebecca Prence, granddaughter of Elder William Brewster; m. (2) 18 July 1651 Margaret Perry; d. by Jan 1703/4 |
| Bennett (son) | Billingshurst 20 Jan 1621/2 | d. between 28 Nov 1633 and 13 Jan 1633/4 |
| **Elizabeth** | Billingshurst 11 Apr 1624 | m. Lt. John Ellis. **Our line** |
| John | Billingshurst 28 Jan 1626/7 | Major John Freeman of Eastham; m. Mercy Prence; d. 28 Oct 1719 |
| Nathaniel | Billingshurst 2 Sept 1629 | bur. Pulborough 12 Sept 1629 |
- **[Documented]** The Billingshurst register (WSRO Par/21/1/1/1) has gaps from about 1622 to 1629. The 1622-1629 baptisms survive only because Edmund had them sworn in the 1633/4 Chancery depositions.
- **[Documented]** Other register entries for an Edmund Freeman conflict with this family: a son John bapt. Pulborough 25 June 1633 and bur. Billingshurst 2 Oct 1634 (WikiTree research notes). Unresolved.
### Where he lived, 1617-1635
| Period | Place | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| 1617-19 | Pulborough | Marriage and first baptism |
| c. 1619/20 to c. 1627 | Billingshurst (about 6 miles NE of Pulborough) | 1633/4 depositions (per Dawes-Gates) |
| 1627-30 | Pulborough | Dawes-Gates; Nathaniel's burial |
| Aug 1632 | Possibly Shipley | Marriage there [Inference] |
| By Feb 1634 (or 1634/5) | London, "Merchant" | WSRO Add Mss 28,786 |
| 1639 (visiting) | London, "gent." | WSRO SAS-BA/295-298 |
### The Hodsoll lands and the Chancery suit of 1633/4
- **[Compiled from primary]** In January 1633/4 (FamilySearch contributors and Jacobus give 28 Nov 1633), Edmund, on behalf of himself and his five living children, sued his brother William, John Gratwicke gent., and others over the lands of his late father-in-law. The depositions gave the Billingshurst baptisms, said he owned lands in Pulborough and Billingshurst, and called him "a man of good credit and repute" (Dawes-Gates 2:350; Jacobus, *Ackley-Bosworth Ancestry*, 1960, pp. 24-27).
- **[Documented, catalogue only]** Candidate TNA references, none dated in the catalogue:
- C 2/ChasI/F43/29, *Freeman v Gratwick and others*, replication.
- C 2/ChasI/F52/112, *Freeman v Gratwick and others*, pleadings.
- C 2/ChasI/F42/34, *Freeman v Hudsot* (probably "Hodsoll" misread), answer.
- C 21/F14/17, *Freeman v Freeman*, depositions taken in the country.
- **[Documented]** Related suits: *Hodsoll v Gratwicke*, 1629, C 8/58/18; *Freeman v Apsley*, Exchequer, 1634, E 133/55/51; *Apsley v Freeman*, C 2/ChasI/A45/33 and A45/56.
### London merchant, and the lands put in trust before sailing
- **[Documented]** "A plott of the lands called Dousets lying in West Grinsted Nothover ... Wephams Coppyhould and East Coome lying in Pulburrough parcell of the possessions of **Edmund Freeman of London Merchant** ... in February 1634. By Henry Bigg, surveyor." About 148 acres in six parcels, showing "the Iland & Mote" at East Coome. WSRO Add Mss 28,786.
- **[Documented]** WSRO SAS-BA/297, 14 June 1639. It recites that:
- Hodsoll's executors sold Long Dowsetts and Northovers to Edmund Freeman for **£626**;
- on 20 June 1634 the lands were assigned to John Beauchamp as Freeman's nominee;
- on **23 Feb 1634/5** Beauchamp and Freeman assigned them to four London citizens: Thomas Hinsman (merchant taylor), **John Atwood (citizen and leatherseller)**, Abraham Martin (vintner) and James Jenkins (merchant taylor).
- **[Inference]** He put his main Sussex property in the hands of London trustees about four months before the *Abigail* sailed. John Atwood later settled at Plymouth ("John Attwood of New Plymouth," 1639) and negotiated Beauchamp's 1645 settlement with the Plymouth partners.
### Second marriage
- **[Documented]** "Edmundus Freiman" m. "Elisabetha Raymer" at Shipley, Sussex, 10 Aug 1632 (WSRO Par/168/1/1/1). Shipley is next to the Freemans' district. Whether this is our Edmund is not proven, though Anderson and most compilers accept it or leave the maiden name open.
- **[Compiled]** Brainard (TAG 17, 1940) and Dawes-Gates proposed a widow Perry, which would make Edward Perry a stepson rather than a son-in-law. Brownson and McLean say no evidence has been found that Edward Perry's wife Mary was Edmund's daughter. (Earlier notes cited them as NEHGR 115:86; Sibert gives the article as "Ezra Perry of Sandwich," NEHGR 115 (1961):181-198. **Pass 5.**)
- **(pass 5) [Compiled]** On the other side, Jacobus (*Ackley-Bosworth Ancestry*, quoted by Pane-Joyce), Anderson (*Great Migration Begins*) and Paine (NEHGR 20:59) give Edmund a daughter Mary, born about 1636 in New England. Jacobus's points: no Edward Perry is on the 1635 *Abigail* list, though a young stepson would have come with his mother; and Edward's son Benjamin named a son **Freeman Perry**. Dawes-Gates contradicts itself (2:350n favours the stepson, 2:691 has "Mary [called Freeman]").
- **(pass 5) [Documented, transcript]** The will wording is "my three Sons, namely, my son Edmond Freeman, and my son John Freeman, and Edward Perry" and "unto my son Edward Perry" (Freeman Genealogy pp. 14-15). Frederick Freeman's "son-in-law Edward Perry" in *History of Cape Cod* 2:78 is his paraphrase.
- **(pass 5) [Inference]** The evidence leans to a daughter Mary born c. 1636: "my son" was ordinary usage for a son-in-law, the grandson's name points to the Freemans, and the stepson theory has no positive evidence.
- **[Documented]** Shipley's register also has a 1632 list of gallery seat-holders (f. 56r) and a 1635 list of preachers (f. 55v). Not yet checked for Freeman.
### John Beauchamp and the Plymouth investors
- **[Documented, published transcript]** *Visitation of London 1633-35* (Harleian Society 15, p. 59): Thomas Beauchampe of Cosgrave, Northants = Dorothy, daughter of [Richard?] Clark of Rode, Northants. Their son "John Beauchamp of London, marchant ao 1634" married "Alice da. of Edmond Freeman of Pulbury co. Sussex." Children John, Thomas, Alice, Mary, Edmund, Richard. Signed "JOHN BEAUCHAMP."
- **[Documented]** Beauchamp was one of the London partners who financed Plymouth. In *Andrews and Beauchamp v Sherley* (15 Feb 1640/1) each of the three London partners was to put in about £1,100; Beauchamp paid £1,127 (Bradford 1912 ed. 2:311-312n). He also held the Muscongus patent of 1629/30 with Thomas Leverett.
- **[Documented]** Letter of attorney, London, 11 July 1639: "I John Beauchamp of London Merchant ... constitute Edmond ffreeman of New England Gen[t] my true and lawfull Attorney." PCR 12:127-128.
- **[Documented]** In the 1645 settlement Beauchamp made "his brother in law Mr Edmond ffreeman of Sandwich ... gen[t]" his attorney to collect £400 from Bradford, Prence, Standish and their partners, "wth speciall order to take it in land[s]." PCR 12:~130.
- **[Documented]** Beauchamp's will, "John Beauchamp of Reigate, Surrey," 23 May 1655. TNA PROB 11/245/407.
- **"Bro. Coddington."** Beauchamp's 1649 letter mentions "my bro. Coddington." Frederick Freeman (1875) took this as William Coddington of Rhode Island.
- **[Documented]** Dawes-Gates has Edmund's sister Elizabeth marrying "John Coddington."
- **[Documented]** WSRO SAS-BA/305 (1682) names "Mary Cuddington, widow and relict of John Cuddington of Sidlow Mill in Reigate, gent. decd." SAS-BA/307 (1693) shows the Cuddington coheiresses holding Northovers, the land Edmund sold in 1639.
- **[Inference, strong]** "Bro. Coddington" was John Cuddington of Reigate, husband of Elizabeth Freeman. There is no evidence of a link to William Coddington.
### Why he emigrated
No record gives his reason. Anderson's *Great Migration* sketch, as cited on WikiTree, says it is unknown whether he was a Puritan or why he left.
**What is documented**
- His first wife died in April 1630, seven months after the burial of their infant son Nathaniel.
- In 1633/4 he was in Chancery against his own brother over his children's inheritance.
- By Feb 1634 he was a London merchant. In Feb 1634/5 he placed his Sussex purchase with London trustees.
- His sister's husband was a Plymouth investor, and a Plymouth-bound London leatherseller was one of his trustees.
- In 1646 Plymouth's leaders regarded him as a professed Anabaptist and separatist (Winslow, section 6). In 1651 he and his wife were presented for not attending public worship (section 8).
**Context, not about him directly**
- **[Documented, context]** Emigrants in 1635 needed a certificate of conformity from their minister and a certificate that they were not subsidy men. Hotten's list containing "EDMOND FREEMAN 45" is headed "Cert: from the Minister of their conformitie from the Justices, that they are no Subsedy men." **[Inference]** A man able to pay £626 for land and to bring twenty corselets was hardly "no subsidy man," so these certificates were formalities.
- **[Documented, context]** Laud's annual reports for Chichester diocese (1634, 1638, 1639) found puritan activity in the east of the diocese around Lewes, not in west Sussex. Laud's 1639 report found "divers anabaptists and separatists" near Ashford in Kent.
- **[Documented, negative]** The Chichester consistory deposition books, 1611-1663 (WSRO Ep/I/11/12-16), show no Freeman or Hodsoll causes.
- **[Inference]** From about 1634 he lived in London, where separatist and early Baptist congregations were active (the Jacob-Lathrop-Spilsbury church split in 1633-38). Nothing ties him to them.
**Assessment [Inference]:** The documented pull was commercial and familial: Beauchamp's stake in Plymouth, the beaver trade, and Atwood. The documented push is less clear. His religious views, as later described, would have made conformity in England uncomfortable, but no English record shows him in trouble with the church.
### Family traditions
- **[Tradition]** Frederick Freeman (1875, p. 9): "Family tradition has it that 'he came from Devonshire.' There are circumstances indicating that he came 'from Oxford.'" Born "as is supposed, in the year 1590."
- **[Inference]** The Devonshire idea probably came from Samuel Freeman of Watertown, who "came in 1630 from Devonshire" and was "supposed to be brother of Edmund" (Freeman Genealogy p. 395, quoting Farmer).
- **[Documented]** The only Oxford link found near Pulborough is William Freeman of Hardham, husbandman, "born at Benson ... Oxfordshire," aged about 30 in 1609 (WSRO Ep/I/11/11). No kinship shown.
- The Sussex baptism of 1596 replaces the 1590 birth year, which is still on his grave tablet.
- **[Tradition, substantiated]** "He came over as agent of men of the first respectability in England" (Freeman Genealogy p. 12n). The Beauchamp attorneyship and the custodian Russell's note that there are "many deeds of Edm. Freeman ... showing him to have been Mr. B.'s agent" support it.
- **[Compiled, broken]** Online trees extending the Freeman line into medieval gentry (Fremingham, Stafford, Bassett, Baron Dudley) were judged broken in earlier notes. Nothing new supports them. A father who was a woodbroker and signed by mark does not fit a gentry descent.
---
## 4. The voyage and Lynn, 1635-1637
- **[Documented]** Hotten's *Original Lists* (pp. 94-103), certificates at the Port of London for the *Abigail*, Richard Hackwell master:
- 1 July 1635: "Husb: Edward Freeman 34, vxor Elizabeth Freeman 35, Edmond Freeman 15, John Freeman 8," and further down "Elizab: Freeman 12, Alice Freeman 17."
- A separate admiralty list: "Edmund Freeman 45."
- Other Freemans on the ship: Marie 50, Jo 9, Sycillae 4 (17 June); John 35; Thomas 24.
- **[Inference]** The children's ages fit Edmund's family. The "Edward, 34" entry is taken to be Edmund with a clerk's error; the "Edmund 45" entry may be the same man. His real age was 38 or 39.
- **[Documented]** The certificates run 15 June to 10 July 1635 at London. Wikipedia's "sailed from Plymouth, England on 4 June 1635" conflicts with this.
- **[Documented]** Winthrop's Journal: the *Abigail* arrived in October 1635 after ten weeks at sea with about 220 people, "infected also with the small pox."
- **[Documented]** Letter, 5 Nov 1635, Freeman to John Winthrop Jr.: "retaine for us mr. Geeres part and my part of the provicions left of the vndertaker ... Oure part is the eight part." The editors call him "Edmond Freeman of Pulborough, Sussex," and say he and Dennis Geere of Sussex were "fellow passengers of John Winthrop, Jr., on the Abigail." *Winthrop Papers* 3:214.
- **[Documented]** Dennis Geere's certificate came from the minister of Isleworth, Middlesex, though he was a Sussex man. **[Inference]** Sussex emigrants were processed through London parishes; no larger Sussex group is documented.
- **[Compiled]** Lewis, *History of Lynn* (1865), p. 153: among the new inhabitants of Lynn in 1635 was Mr. Edmund Freeman, "who presented to the Colony twenty corslets, or pieces of plate armor."
- **[Documented, new]** Hugh Peter to John Winthrop, Salem, 6 Sept 1640, writing "in behalfe of Mr. Paddy this bearer, who earnestly desires some course may bee taken for what is due from the Country to his father Freeman for his Armes they had in the Pekot seruice for which hee might haue had 40li, and now desires but 15l ... I thinke Captayn Gibbons can tell best of these arms." *Winthrop Papers* 4:285-286.
- **[Inference]** The armor went to Massachusetts Bay's Pequot War campaign of 1637. It was a sale or loan, not a gift, and in 1640 Edmund's son-in-law William Paddy was still trying to collect for him. No matching entry was found in the Massachusetts Bay records, vol. 1.
- **[Compiled]** Freeman Genealogy p. 12 says he lived briefly at Duxbury before Sandwich. Not verified.
---
## 5. Founding Sandwich, 1637-1651
### The grant
- **[Documented]** 3 Apr 1637: the court allowed "those tenn men of Saugust, viz^t, Edmond Freeman, Henry Feake, Thomas Dexter, Edward Dillingham, William Wood, John Carman, Richard Chadwell, Willm Almey, Thomas Tupper, & George Knott" to "haue liberty to view a place to sitt downe & haue sufficient lands for three score famylies, vpon the condicons ppounded to them by the GoQnor and Mr Winslowe." PCR 1:57. **The conditions were not written into the record.**
- **[Documented]** Freeman is on the grand jury sworn 7 Mar 1636/7, his name added last (PCR 1:54). He was admitted a freeman of Plymouth 2 Jan 1637/8 (PCR 1:73-74). His name appears on a freemen list printed under 7 Mar 1636/7 (PCR 1:52-53), but that list was a running roll with later additions. Wikipedia's "January 23, 1637" is wrong.
- **[Documented]** Winthrop's Journal, early 1637/8: "Another plantation was begun (and called Sandwich) about fifteen miles beyond Plymouth, towards Cape Cod, by many families, which removed from Sagus, otherwise Lynn." Hosmer ed. 1:259.
### Questions and complaints, 1638-1640
- **[Documented]** 5 June 1638: the court answered questions put by William Leverich and others. PCR 1:88-89.
- It replaced the term "vndertakers" with "committies," "their graunt being condiconall, and not absolute."
- Members still at Saugus who did not come would have no land: "when they made suite to us, it was as a people streitened & ptending remoueall."
- On the fear that the committees would "monopolize the cheife places of conveniency for lands, woods, meadowes," the court allowed that such damage might be "not to be suffered," but also that "if the committees be faythfull and able of estate, their paynes will not be small ... their paynes will require more then ordinary accomodacon."
- **[Documented]** 6 Mar 1637/8: Standish and Alden to "goe to Sanditch, and set forth their bounds." PCR 1:80.
- **[Documented]** 5 Mar 1638/9: the meadow already laid out at Sandwich to be divided again "by equall porcons, according to eich mans estate," with townsmen joined to the committees. PCR 1:117.
- **[Documented]** 3 Sept 1639: "diuers of the committees of Sandwich haue not faythfully discharged that trust ... by receiueing into the said towne diuers psons vnfitt for church societie," and "haue disposed the greatest pt of the lands there already, and to very few that are in church societie." They were forbidden to dispose of more land or to "make sale nor convey any of their lands they haue assumed to themselves." PCR 1:131.
- **[Documented]** 3 Oct 1639: Prence and Standish to settle "all differences & controQsies amongst the comittees and inhabit^s." Henceforth no one to be admitted or given land "w^thout consent & approbacon of Mr LeQich & the church." PCR 1:133-134.
- **[Documented]** 16 Apr 1640: a general meeting before Prence, to settle differences "in genQall, or betwixt pticuler psons ... or **betwixt them & the Indians**." Ten men divided the meadow: five committee members (Freeman, Feake, Dillingham, Chadwell, Carman) and five townsmen (Vincent, Richard Bourne, George Allen, Robert Botfish, Joseph Holloway). PCR 1:147-150.
- **[Documented, image checked]** In the meadow dividend, "Mr Ed Freeman" received **42 acres**, the largest share. Next: Carman 28; Dexter 26 "if he come to liue here"; Feake 20; Chadwell 15; Holloway 15. PCR 1:149-150.
- **[Inference]** There are 58 named recipients. Frederick Freeman's "of the fifty-eight who became entitled to shares ... his portion was much the largest" refers to this 1640 meadow division.
- **[Inference]** The committees, Freeman included, were accused of favoring themselves in the land, and Plymouth imposed Leverich's church as gatekeeper. Freeman's later "separation from the churches" would have put him at odds with that arrangement.
### The Indian title and the transfer to the town
- **[Compiled]** Frederick Freeman: "One of the conditions was the extinguishment of the Indian title." No source.
- **[Documented]** Bradford's assignment of 24 Jan 1647/8: "about tenn yeares past" Bradford "and the Rest of his parteners ... being of the old Companie haue Purchased the Towne of Sandwidge of the Indians," paying "the vallew of sixteene pound nineteen shillings in Comodities." Bradford assigned the right to "Edmond ffreeman of Sandwidge" for £16 19s. Witnesses Thomas Willett and William Paddy. PCR 12:210.
- **[Documented]** 7 July 1646: once Sandwich's inhabitants "haue payd a debt of xvij^li or xviij^li, oweing to the old company," the "comittees or vndertakers shall yeild vp the lands vndesposed of to the towne." PCR 2:106.
- **[Documented]** 26 Feb 1647/8: six town agents (George Allen, John Vincent, William Newland, Robert Botfish, Anthony Wright, Richard Bourne) agreed to satisfy "the Just demaunds of the Comitties" and pay Freeman £17 "laid out for the Purchase." PCR 12:210-212.
- **[Documented]** 20 Aug 1651: the town gave Freeman senior, "as one of the aforsaid vndertakers," several parcels, including 20 acres by John Ellis's land "by the beach." Freeman released to Sandwich all his right under Bradford's writing, "onely Reseruing ... that pcell Comonly called **Plym Neck**." Witnesses William Bradford and Nathaniel Morton. PCR 12:211-212 (release checked on the image).
- **[Documented]** 3-4 June 1647: a "record of ye lands of Mr Edmond ffreeman graunted unto him by his dwelling house at Sandwitch": 80 acres upland, 20 acres meadow, and 6 acres on the beach "adioyning to a peece of land cald **Cussett**" (Scusset). PCR 12:143. **[Inference]** His house was at Scusset (West Sandwich, now Sagamore) by 1647, which fits the burial ground on Wilson Road.
- **[Inference]** The usual line "in 1647 he received a deed from the Colony" is imprecise. The instrument came from Bradford and the Old Company partners, who had bought the land from the Indians about 1637.
### Buying out the other founders
- **[Documented]** 22 June 1642: William Almy, "late of Sandwich," sold his house, lands and all money due "for sondry charges by me disbursed in my vndertakership" to "Edmond ffreeman of Sandwich the yeonger" (the son), for £18. PCR 12:84.
- **[Documented]** 6 Jan 1645/6: Richard Chadwell, ship carpenter, sold to "Edmond ffreeman thelder" his dwelling, barn, glass windows and "bedstead matt and bedcord," his right in Sandwich lands "by reason of his Committeeship," and money due "for the setling of the said plantacon," for £35 5s. PCR 12:118-119.
### Incorporation and the name
- **[Documented]** Sandwich's first deputies sat at the court of 4 June 1639 (PCR 1:126). No separate act of incorporation was found. **[Inference]** The customary "incorporated 1639" rests on this.
- **[Documented]** "Sandwiche" is in the record by June 1638 (PCR 1:88).
- The link to Sandwich, Kent is traditional; no 17th-century statement of the reason for the name was found.
---
## 6. Magistrate and Assistant, 1640-1646
- **[Documented]** Elected Assistant 3 Mar 1639/40 (PCR 1:140-141), 2 Mar 1640/1 (2:8), 1 Mar 1641/2 (2:33), 1642/3 (2:52), 1644 (2:71), 3 June 1645 (2:81). On the bench as late as 5 May 1646 (2:99). **Not** on the list of 2 June 1646; William Thomas replaced him (2:100).
- **[Inference]** Six annual terms, 1640-1646. The "seven consecutive years" and the grave marker's "1640-1647" overstate it.
- **[Documented]** 2 June 1640: Dimmock of Barnstable and Crow of Yarmouth "to joyne w^th Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwich, to heare and determine all causes & controQsies w^thin the three towneships" below a small sum. PCR 1:155. Renewed 5 June 1644 (2:73).
- Examples of the work: a court at Yarmouth before Winslow, Standish and Freeman to set the Yarmouth-Barnstable bounds (17 June 1641, PCR 2:19-20); whippings at Yarmouth "in such fitt season as shalbe thought meete by Mr Edmond Freeman" (Dec 1641, 2:28); whippings at Barnstable "in the p^rsence of Mr Freeman" (1641/2, 2:35-36).
- **[Documented]** 27 Sept 1642: member of the council of war formed "for our p^rsent defence against the intended surprisall of the natiues." PCR 2:46-47.
- **[Documented]** Edward Winslow to John Winthrop, Plymouth, 4 June 1646: "Our eleccion is over. mr. Bradford Gov[ernou]r the Assistants the same, saue onely mr. Thomas insteed of mr. Freeman whom I suppose the Countrey left out in regard of his professed Anabaptistry and separacion from the Churches." *Winthrop Papers* 5:80-81 (from MHS Collections 4th ser. 6:178-180).
- **[Documented, context]** Winslow to Winthrop, Nov 1645, describes an October 1645 proposal "To allow and maintaine full and free tollerance of religion to all men that would preserue the Civill peace," which "the other three Assistants applauded." Governor Bradford would not let it come to a vote. *Winthrop Papers* 5:55-56. Freeman is not named. **[Inference, unverified]** He may have been one of the three.
- **[Documented]** A month after being dropped, he sat as one of Sandwich's deputies (7 July 1646, PCR 2:104). At the same court he was fined 18 pence for absence (2:106, image checked).
- **[Compiled]** Frederick Freeman: "His views were too liberal for the age" (*History of Cape Cod* 2:49).
---
## 7. The 1639 London trip and business as Beauchamp's attorney
- **[Documented]** London deeds of 17 May, 14 June and 19 June 1639 (WSRO SAS-BA/295-298) name "Edmund Freeman of London, gent.," and are signed by him. SAS-BA/295 sold Lower Northovers (70 acres, Steyning) to William Whaley of Pulborough, dyer, for £400; it was enrolled in Chancery 8 Aug 1639 (so a C 54 close-roll copy should exist).
- **[Documented]** A bill dated 20 July 1639 for £52 4s 8d owed to Arthur Mansfield, London haberdasher, "for a pcell of hatts ... put ... abord into the Planter." Mansfield's letters of 26 Feb 1639/40 and 17 Apr 1640 mention "the beauers & hatts you bought of me a little before your going hence." The April letter is addressed to "M^r ffreeman in New England **passenger the last yeare in the Champion**." PCR 12:120-125 (the 1640 letter checked on the image of p. 124). Paddy paid off the debt in 1644.
- **[Inference]** He was in London in summer 1639 and sailed back that year in the *Champion*, while the Sandwich committees were under complaint. No secondary source reached mentions this trip.
- **[Documented]** 25 Feb 1639/40, Freeman to John Winthrop: he has appointed "my Son William Paddy to receue of you for the Corne" (£11 13s 4d paid "long sins"), and asks about "A Cow appointed by Mr. Andrewes for Mr. Williames of Providens ... that Mr. Williames may haue a Cow to keepe her for haulfe the Calfe ... Mr. Williames hath sentt to me often tymes abought yt." *Winthrop Papers* 4:202. Mr. Williames is Roger Williams; Mr. Andrewes is Richard Andrews, another London partner.
- **[Documented]** 27 June 1640, Winslow to Winthrop: "this weeke Mr. Hatherly made payment to Mr. Freeman and Mr. Atwood in Cows." *Winthrop Papers* 4:258.
- **[Documented]** 1642: Bradford notes a letter from Richard Andrews "write to Mr. Edmond Freeman, brother in law to Mr. Beachamp." Bradford 1912 ed. 2:335-336. Freeman witnessed the Atwood articles of 15 Oct 1641 (2:300).
- **[Documented]** 10 Mar 1642/3: as Beauchamp's attorney, sold Beauchamp's Scituate land to Timothy Hatherly for £40, quoting Beauchamp: "ffor my ground at Scittuate sell it if you can although it be neuer so little." PCR 12:90.
- **[Documented]** 17 Mar 1645/6: in settlement of the £400, lands made over to Freeman as attorney, totalling £291 10s. PCR 12:128-132.
- Bradford's house at Rehoboth, £27.
- Winslow's house in Plymouth, "w^th ... Wainscote bedstead in the parlor ... a chaire in the studdy," £38.
- Prence's house, barn and lands, plus a farm at Jones River, £145.
- Standish and Alden's 300 acres at South River, Marshfield, £71 10s.
- Allerton's house on the south side of the high street, £10.
- **[Documented]** He resold them 1647-1649 (PCR 12:132-183): 11 acres at Plymouth to Ephraim Hicks, £12; the South River tract to Arthur Howland (£21) and Thomas Chillingsworth (£26); Allerton's Jones River house to Willett and Paddy; the Rehoboth house to Stephen Payne, £12.
- **[Documented]** Bradford to Winthrop, Dec 1645: Yarmouth Indians said Mr. Offley owed them "6 coats of trading cloath" for catching sturgeon, and "I am Informed by mr. freeman that many of the neighbours know these debts to be due." *Winthrop Papers* 5:57-58.
- **[Compiled, transcript]** Beauchamp to "Cousin William Paddy," London, 20 July 1649: "I pray you tell your father, my brother Freeman, that I have received the box of writings he sent with the letter of attorney." Freeman Genealogy pp. 23-24, from the Old Colony records (volume and page not given).
---
## 8. Religion, the Sandwich church, and the Quakers
- **[Documented]** 1640: the Sandwich church under Leverich took up Charles Chauncy's practice of the Lord's Supper "in the evening, and every Lord's day." Winthrop's Journal 1:332.
- **[Documented]** 7 Oct 1651: "Edmond Freeman, Seni^r, and his wife" presented with Ralph Allen Sr and wife, George Allen and wife, William Allen, Richard Kerby, Peter Gaunt and wife, Rose Newland, Goodwife Turner and widow Knott "for not frequenting the publick worship of God." Margin: "These were refered to conferance and further consideracon" (image checked). No fine recorded. PCR 2:173. The law of 6 June 1651 set a 10s fine per default (PCR 11:57-58).
- **[Documented]** 1654: the town was without a minister after Leverich left for Long Island. 8 June 1655: Governor Prence complained that "competent mayntainence hath not been afforded to the minnestry" and "due course hath not been taken for the suppressing of error." PCR 3:80.
- **[Documented]** 5 Mar 1655/6: Sarah, daughter of Richard Kerby, "found faulty" for "diuers suspisious speeches by her vttered against Richard Bourne and Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwidge." Whipping suspended if she offended no more. PCR 3:96.
- **[Documented]** The Perry marriage, son-in-law Edward Perry and Mary Freeman:
- 7 Mar 1653/4: Thomas Tupper barred from marrying people for "negligence in not causing Edward Perry ... to bee by him orderly married." PCR 3:47.
- 6 June 1654: Perry fined £5, and £5 more for every General Court, "for refusing to haue his marriage rattifyed before Mr Prence." PCR 3:52.
- Pane-Joyce (from Dawes-Gates): Edmund "appears to have countenanced this irregularity." [Compiled]
- 1663: Perry called to account "for a rayling letter which hee wrote to the Court." PCR 4:44.
- **[Documented]** George Barlow appointed marshal for Sandwich, Barnstable and Yarmouth, 1 June 1658. PCR 3:141.
- **[Documented, correction]** 3 Oct 1659: "**Mr Edmond Freeman, Juni^r**, for refusing to assist Gorge Barlow, the marshall of Sandwich, in the execution of his office, is fined ten shillings to the countreyes vse." PCR 3:173 (also seen in the FamilySearch full-text of the Court Orders).
- The same session fined Thomas Burgis Jr (10s) and Stephen Wing (20s, three refusals), fined Edward Perry 20s "for vseing threatning speeches to the abouesaid marshall," and ordered Barlow to search the houses of William Newland and Ralph Allen for Quaker "papers and writings."
- Frederick Freeman (1875, p. 13n) gave this refusal to the founder. The record names the son.
- **[Documented]** 6 Dec 1659: Thomas Greenfield had brought the Quaker Mary Dyer from Rhode Island and was jailed as "a foraigne Quaker." "M^r Edmond Freeman, Seni^r, of Sandwich, appeering in Court and affeirming that the said Greenfeild hath house and land in the liberties of Sandwich," the court released him. PCR 3:178. **[Inference]** The only record of the elder Freeman acting for someone in the Quaker cases.
- **[Documented]** 13 June 1660: William Newland testified that a message came "from Elizabeth Freeman" that Jacob Burgis had testified against Barlow's opponents out of fear, because Benjamin Nye threatened that if he did not attend Barlow against the Quakers "hee should not haue his daughter to wife." PCR 3:191. Which Elizabeth Freeman is not stated.
- **[Tradition]** Rev. Benjamin Fessenden's letter of about 1722 to Thomas Prince says Freeman joined the Quakers but "afterwards left them ... upon a detection of some falsehood and villany among them, but never returned to special communion with the church." Frederick Freeman doubted it, since Edmund still paid ministry rates. *History of Cape Cod* 2:56-57n.
- **[Tradition]** Frederick Freeman (1875, p. 19n): Edmund's first house was "in the easterly part of Sandwich," identified by a deed "1st mo., 5th, 1671" to William Allen, and "Quakers have prided themselves in pointing to the ancient edifice as the first in which 'Friends' Meetings' were publicly held." **[Documented, conflicting]** The first recorded Friends' meeting was 13 Apr 1657 at William and Priscilla Allen's house at Spring Hill. A 1671 sale does not fit a 1657 meeting unless the Allens were there earlier.
- **[Compiled, conflicting]** Pane-Joyce calls him "a Deacon in his own church." No source is given, and it conflicts with Winslow's "separacion from the Churches."
- **[Inference]** Frederick Freeman quotes Cotton Mather as if Mather had come round to Freeman's view. The Mather sentence is about Massachusetts' treatment of Quakers and does not mention Freeman.
---
## 9. Relations with the Wampanoag
- **[Documented]** 1641: in the agreement between Barnstable and Nepaiton and Twacommacus, the land kept for them was bounded "from a pond to a tree by the wood side, marked by Mr Winslow, Capt Standish, & Mr Freeman." PCR 2:23-24.
- **[Documented]** 1 Mar 1641/2: "Wee p^rsent M^r Edmond Freeman, of Sandwich, for lending a gun to an Indian." John Wing of Sandwich was presented for the same and Nicholas Symkins of Yarmouth "for lending a pistoll." Margin notes read "Discharged." "Discharged." "Remitted the same Court." (image checked). PCR 2:36. **[Inference]** Freeman was probably discharged, but the alignment of the notes is not certain. No Indian is named.
- The law of 4 June 1639: "if any man shall sell or lend any kynd of guns peeces or pistolls or any shott leade or pouder to any Indian hee shalbe punished for yt at the discretion of the bench." PCR 11:31-32.
- For comparison, Leverich himself was presented in 1653 "for chaunging a gun with an Indian" (PCR 3:36-37).
- **[Documented]** Livestock in Indian corn:
- 4 Oct 1655: "In answare vnto two notes receiued from M^r Freeman concerning spoyle done in the Indians corn by horses att Mannomett," the court asked him "to proportion the fiue bushells ... and to pay his pte therof," and to have the other Sandwich owners pay their shares to the Indians. PCR 3:89-90.
- 2 Mar 1657/8: "Peter, an Indian liueing att Mashpea," complained that Sandwich horses ate his corn. PCR 3:132.
- 11 June 1664: order to "M^r Freeman, Richard Bourne, M^r Dexter, James Skiffe, and Wiliam Bassett": Nanquatnumacke "hath complained of wrong done to him in his corne by horses of Sandwich ... take some serious and effectuall course that the poor man may haue his corne preserued ... or otherwise wee shalbee in some straight what to doe in the case." PCR 4:68.
- **[Documented]** 1 June 1663: liberty to Freeman senior to find land "to accomodate both himselfe and the children of M^r Willam Paddy, deceased, vizj, Samuell and Thomas Paddy ... about a ceder swamp." PCR 4:40 (not 3:40). 4 Aug 1663: Richard Bourne and Myles Black to "purchase the land of the Indians that M^r Freeman hath graunted vnto him and the children of M^r Paddy," reserving part of the cedar swamp for "the naighbourhood residing att Mannomett." PCR 4:45.
- **[Documented, new, from FamilySearch full text]** The Indian deeds behind that grant, in a later registry copy (Plymouth County deeds, FamilySearch image 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ; OCR is poor, check the image):
- Quachattasett (Quechatasett), sachem, sold all the trees, poles and brush on a swamp near "Wanquarchit" (Waquanchett), next to a swamp called "Wm Freeman Swamp" partly held by Michael Blackwell, for £1 10s in goods. Dated the tenth day of a month in 1661 ("Six hundred Sixtyon"), acknowledged before John Alden, Assistant.
- "Know all men ... we Quechatasett Sachem of Monamett & Nanummett ... in Consideration of ... eight pound in hand paid by Edmond Freeman Senr of Sandwich in ye Colony of New Plymouth" sold a parcel of land by the ponds, bounded west by a little brook, "bounded upon ye Salt water taking in all ye necke of land," with all woods, swamps and "Lybert[y] of Commonage in ye woods for any sort of Cattle." Dated 1 Jan 1663 (1663/4). Signed by Quechatasett's mark; witnesses include Richard [Bourne] and Michael Blackwell (mark).
- **[Documented]** 25 Feb 1678/9: land given by Nanumett to his son Ralph (Aspuchchamuck) lay "neare Wauquanchett adjoyning to the bounds of M^r Edmond Freeman seni^r called Poekquamscutt or a great rocke neare vnto the brooke," running by Partridge's marsh and Herring Pond. PCR 12:230-231. **[Inference]** Waquanchett (Weequansett) was in the Herring Pond country, now the Bourne-Plymouth line. His will left half of his Waquanchett land to grandson Thomas Paddy.
- **[Documented]** Scorton ("Scauton") Neck:
- 29 Oct 1672: Secunke and his two sons proved by Indian witnesses "that all Scauton Necke was theire fathers land." The sons admitted selling the Barnstable end; Quachattasett, sachem of Manomet, said Secunke gave him the part next to Sandwich. The court gave the southern part to Barnstable. PCR 5:104-106.
- 27 Oct 1674: Ensign Thomas Dexter, Edmond Freeman Sen^r and Edmond Perry, "as agents for the towne of Sandwich," sued Samuel Fuller Sr **of Barnstable** (not Boston) for £20 for "his vnjust entry on theire lands att Scauton Necke" where he "forcibly cutt downe a certaine young tree, in defiance of theire title." Non-suited. PCR 7:192. Refiled 1674/5 and withdrawn (7:194-195). Fuller quitclaimed to Sandwich 30 June 1680 (6:47).
- **[Compiled]** 1652 town order: Freeman, Edward Perry, George Allen, Daniel Wing, John Ellis and Thomas Tobey to "take care of all the fish that Indians shall cut up within the limits of the town," with whales "either Indian or white man gives notice of" sold for the town and the proceeds "divided equally to every inhabitant." *History of Cape Cod* 2:49-50.
- **[Documented]** King Philip's War (Freeman was about 79; no personal role found):
- 2 Sept 1675: fifty-seven Indians "lately come in to Sandwich in a submissiue way" were judged to be in rebellion, "condemned vnto ppetuall seruitude," and sold by the Treasurer. PCR 5:174.
- 6 Dec 1675: southern Indians to come "noe further towards Plymouth then Sandwich ... on paine of death or imprisonment." PCR 5:183.
- 11 Apr 1676: "Scittuate and Sandwich proued very deficient" in their levies, which "caused a frustration of the whole designe." PCR 5:193.
- 21 July 1676: Keweenam, "an Indian sometimes liueing about Sandwich," sentenced to be beheaded for telling Tatoson of the weakness of William Clark's garrison at Eel River. PCR 5:205-206.
- For Lt. John Ellis's role, see section 13.
---
## 10. Other disputes and fines
- **[Documented]** 4 Dec 1638: fined 10s for defective arms and presented for 6 swine unringed, entered under "Edward Freeman." PCR 1:107. The clerk also wrote "Edward Freeman" for the sitting Assistant in 1642 (PCR 7:30, 2:45).
- **[Documented]** Land he sold at Marshfield: bounds shown to Arthur Howland (3 July 1654, PCR 3:62); Thomas Doged petitioned for a jury to divide land "soald by Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwidge, Seni^r" to Howland and Chillingsworth (6 May 1656, PCR 3:97-98).
- **[Documented]** Thomas Tupper the elder released "Edmond Freeman, the elder" from all accounts "from the begining of the world," 22 Oct 1656. PCR 5:121.
- **[Documented]** Arbitrator in the Allen v Chadwell highway dispute, 1663-1665. PCR 4:46, 48, 82, 118.
- **[Documented]** 1674/5: the court sent a committee including "Mr Freeman" to settle who were proprietors of Sandwich. This is John Freeman, then an Assistant. PCR 5:158-159.
- **[Documented]** Later entries for "Mr Edmond Freeman" (grand jury 1672, selectmen 1674 and 1678) cannot always be assigned to father or son. After 1682, "Senior" means the son.
---
## 11. Old age, death and burial
- **[Documented, transcript]** Deed of gift, 24 Feb 1678/9, acknowledged 3 Mar 1678/9 before Thomas Hinckley. "I, Edmond Freeman the eldest, of Sandwich ... for and in consideration of the natural love and affection which I bear to the said Matthias Ellis, being my kinsman in blood, that is to say my grandson; and for diverse other good causes and considerations, as living with me until he ... came unto man's estate, being a support unto me in my old age and weakness."
- He gives Matthias his dwelling house and orchard, a quarter of the adjoining land (about 30 acres upland, bounded in part by the Old Field and a red oak marked on four sides), meadow bounded by "a Ditch called the Divell's Ditch," and a quarter of the Neck land (about 20 acres upland and 12 of marsh) "under Sagamore Hill near and unto which Hill there is a great Rock like the ridge of a house."
- Witnesses Richard Bourne, Samuel Eady, Joseph Dotey.
- Old Colony Deeds vol. 5 pp. 169-170, printed in Freeman Genealogy pp. 16-18.
- **[Documented, transcript]** Mrs. Elizabeth Freeman died 14 Feb 1675/6 (town record, per Freeman Genealogy p. 19).
- **[Documented, transcript]** Will, 21 June 1682, proved 2 Nov 1682. "I Edmond Freeman, the eldest of the name in Sandwich, being in a good measure in health of body." Executors "my three Sons, namely, my son Edmond Freeman, and my son John Freeman, and Edward Perry," and "my Daughter Elizabeth Ellis, executrix." Lands east of Matthias Ellis's to his sons; the Rye-field and Hedges-meadow and half the Waquanchett land to grandson Thomas Paddy; lands west and north of Matthias's in thirds, two to Edward Perry and one to Elizabeth Ellis. Witnesses John Fish and Nathan Nye (marks). Freeman Genealogy pp. 14-15; abstract in *Mayflower Descendant* 12:248. Old Colony Wills vol. 4 pt 2 (Freeman Genealogy gives p. 5; Geneamusings gives pp. 54-55).
- **[Documented, transcript]** Two inventories (Freeman Genealogy pp. 21-22):
- "taken ... the fourth of Oct., 1682, at **New Oxford**," the goods "sett forth by Elizabeth Ellis of her father," appraised by Elkanah Cushman and John Randall. Includes a silver basin (£8), silver tankard (£4), silver spoon, silk cushion, a desk, "One dixionary & gt. Bible," a great wainscot chest, and old Holland sheets.
- Taken at Sandwich 22 Oct 1682 by Thomas Burge Sr and Michael Blackwell: one gun, a double silver salt cellar, "all the land at his late dwelling" £150, "Lands att Weequansitt" £5. Debts due at Boston and to Blackwell and Mr. Bourne.
- **Open:** "New Oxford" is unidentified. The Huguenot New Oxford in Worcester County was not settled until 1687. Possibly the widow Ellis's residence, or a misreading. Check the original.
- **[Tradition]** The Saddle and Pillion. Two 19th-century versions:
- Amos Otis (1861, reprinted 1888): after his wife's death he gathered sons and grandsons, placed a flat rock "resembling a pillion" over her grave and one "resembling in shape a saddle" beside it, and gave a speech charging them to keep the spot sacred. Otis also gives him 92 years and 59 years of marriage, both wrong.
- Frederick Freeman (1875, pp. 19-20): he led his two sons and grandson Matthias to a field, and the pillion-shaped rock was hauled "by oxen driven by Ellis." He wrote that he remembered a ruined circular wall and two decaying oaks at the graves, and that all other graves on the old homestead had been ploughed away.
- Neither version is contemporary; the quoted speeches are family tradition.
- **[Documented]** Bronze tablets placed on the stones 22 Aug 1910 by descendants. His reads: "Edmond Freeman Born in England 1590 Died in Sandwich 1682 A Founder of the Town of Sandwich in 1637 Assistant to Governor Bradford 1640-1647." Hers: "Elizabeth wife of Edmond Freeman Born in England 1600 Died in Sandwich 1675-6." Wilson Road, Sandwich (HMdb 120748).
---
## 12. Edmund's other children in New England (brief)
- **Alice** m. Deacon William Paddy, Plymouth merchant and colony treasurer; d. 1651. Paddy's gravestone was found in 1830 under the Old State House in Boston. Their sons Samuel and Thomas Paddy were the grandsons for whom Edmund sought land in 1663.
- **Edmund Jr.** Deputy for Sandwich seven years from 1669. The son fined in 1659 for refusing to help Barlow. His estate went to a contested administration in 1703-05, in which his son called the testimony of his uncle John Freeman, Esq., a "pack of lyes" (Miner Descent, from the probate).
- **Major John** of Eastham. Deputy, selectman, Assistant from 1666, judge of Common Pleas 1692. His 1716 will freed his enslaved Black servants with "four acres of land, a horse, and a cow" (Freeman Genealogy p. 29).
- **Mary** (disputed as his daughter; see section 3) m. Edward Perry, Quaker, clerk of the Sandwich meeting.
**(pass 5) More on these households** (quotations and dates are in `Freeman_Ellis_Anecdotes.md`, section 3)
- **[Documented]** Paddy: in 1640 Winslow complained that Paddy "and some that inordinately cleaue to him" wanted Charles Chauncy settled at Jones River to "lay the foundacon of an Academy" (*Winthrop Papers* 4). Beauchamp's 1649 letter is addressed to "Cousin William Paddy," so the Bradford editor's "son-in-law" for Paddy is wrong; "Cousin" here means the husband of his niece [Inference]. Paddy died at Boston 24 Aug 1658; his gravestone, with a rhymed verse on the back, was found in 1830 under the Old State House (Freeman Genealogy pp. 25-26).
- **[Documented]** Edward Perry: fined £5 per General Court in 1654 for refusing to have his marriage ratified before Prence (PCR 3:52); fined 20s in 1659 "for vseing threatning speeches" to Marshal Barlow and for killing a steer belonging to the colony (3:173); called to account in 1663 for "a rayling letter" to the Court (4:44). His goods distrained as a Quaker came to £89 18s, the largest amount listed for Sandwich (Besse, via Bowden 1:146n). First known clerk of the Sandwich Friends meeting, 1672-1694 [Compiled, Gould]; d. 16 Feb 1694/5. His writings were printed in Philadelphia as Evans 3205 (1726 or 1729), with no online text found.
- **[Documented]** Major John Freeman: as lieutenant in 1674 ordered to take the escaped Indian Hoken, who "lyeth sherking and lurking about," and have him "sold or sent to Barbadoes"; in 1676/7 distributed the Irish relief contribution at Eastham; his father-in-law Prence left him books in 1673 (all via Dawes-Gates 2:356-361). His will (1716) freed "Tobye" and Bess with four acres, a horse and a cow [Compiled].
- **[Compiled]** Edmund Jr.: his estate was administered from 5 Jan 1703/4 by his son-in-law Ezra Perry (Sibert, citing Barnstable probate). Dawes-Gates's death date of 29 Mar 1673 for him is Governor Prence's death date and is wrong.
---
## 13. The Ellis line
### 13.1 Lt. John Ellis (d. by June 1677)
**Origins**
- **[Tradition/speculation]** The claim that he was a son of John Ellis and Blandina Masterson of Sandwich, Kent, and Leiden, goes back to J. Wingate Thornton's speculation printed in Freeman Genealogy (1875). WikiTree (Ellis-20241, drawing on Paulick, NEHGR 154 and 174) says the claims are disproven. That John Ellis did have a son John bapt. St Peter's, Sandwich, Kent, 28 Aug 1603, but nothing links him to New England.
- **[Unverified]** A baptism at St Botolph Bishopsgate, London, 14 Sept 1623, circulates online with no source.
- **[Inference]** The Kent town sharing the name Sandwich probably started the idea. His parentage is unknown. Brownson and McLean, NEHGR 119 (1965), is the authority to check.
**Events**
- **[Documented]** On the 1643 list of Sandwich men able to bear arms. PCR 8:~192.
- **[Documented]** 20 Aug 1644: a warrant summoned witnesses "in John Ellis & his wifes case," including Jonathan and Mary Fish, Jane wife of William Wood, and widow Joane Swift. PCR 2:76-77. **[Inference]** Married by August 1644.
- **[Documented]** 4 June 1645: "John Ellis, of Sandwich, for abuseing himself wth his now wyfe by committing vncleanesse wth her before marryage, is censured to be whipt at publike post, and Elizabeth, his wyfe, to stand by whilst execucon of the sentence is pformed; wch was accordingly donn." Also fined £5 "for his long and tedious delayes ... for that he would not confesse the truth vntill this psent." PCR 2:85-86.
- **[Inference]** This was in the middle of Edmund Freeman's last year as an Assistant.
- **[Documented]** 1653: "John Ellis approued by the Court to bee leiftenant off the millitary companie att Sandwidge." PCR 3:38.
- **[Documented, transcript]** 13 Sept 1653: Richard Chadwell, Thomas Dexter and John Ellis given all whales coming ashore in Sandwich, paying the town £16 a whale in oil, corn and cattle. *History of Cape Cod* 2.
- **[Documented]** 1654: on the committee that laid out the Sandwich-to-Plymouth highway. PCR 3:61-62.
- **[Documented]** 1659: "John Ellis is allowed by the Court to keep an ordinary att Sandwich for the entertainment of strangers and trauellers ... but is prohibited to pmitt towne dwellers to stay drinkeing vnessesaryly att his house." PCR 3:161.
- **[Documented]** 7 Mar 1659/60: oil "attached by the marshall Barlow, for the countrey, which said oyle John Ellice, of Sandwich, layed claime vnto" was returned to him. PCR 3:182.
- **[Documented]** 6 June 1660: "Leiftenant Ellis hath engaged to trayne the milletary company of Sandwich for a season." PCR 3:189.
- **[Documented]** c. Dec 1665: Ann Hoskins said Hester Rickard was "as drunke as a bitch, and found in private companie in an ordinary with John Ellis, of Sandwich." Ann acknowledged her fault in court. PCR 4:111-112.
- **[Documented]** c. 1666: granted up to 100 acres at "Maconsett Necke." PCR 4:131.
- **[Documented]** 1668: sued by Matthew Mayhew "for detaining a cow sundry yeares"; the jury found against Ellis. PCR 7:144-145. c. 1669: he won a small judgment against John Ewen for barn work not done. PCR 7:156.
- **[Documented]** c. 1669/70: the Plymouth-Sandwich bound set to run "three quarters of a mile from any pte of the fence of John Ellis his feild, between his house and the sea." PCR 5:39-42. **[Inference]** His homestead was at the Plymouth end of Sandwich, near Scusset and Sagamore, where Edmund's was.
- **[Documented]** 1670: an Indian, William, son-in-law of Cawsetan, complained "the oxen of Leiftenant Ellis had broken in to his corne att Breake Hart Hill"; about six bushels. PCR 5:47.
- **[Documented, transcript]** King Philip's War: a town meeting "called, Feb. 28, by Lt. John Ellis and Benj. Hammond the constable" allowed families "to repair to the town garrison for safety"; in 1676 the town kept "a watch between Wayquonscott and the sea beyond Lt. John Ellis' land." *History of Cape Cod* 2.
- **[Documented]** 7 June 1677: "Mistris Elizabeth Ellis and Mordica Ellis" bound as administrators of "the estate of John Ellis, Junir, of Sandwich, late deceased." PCR 5:235. The inventory (23 May 1677) should be in Plymouth Colony Wills vol. 3; not seen.
- Frederick Freeman also lists him among deaths in 1667, which is wrong.
- The "Junior" is unexplained. The 1658 Sandwich list has both a John Ellis Sr. and Jr.
**(pass 5) Further entries** [Documented unless marked]
- c. 1655-57: one of four men engaged to build the town mill; the town paid "the account of Lt. Ellis for drum, muskets &c. purchased," £10 6s 7d (*History of Cape Cod* 2, transcript).
- 1659: the town gave him charge of whales and oil-fish with James Skiff, then sold him "the right of all such fish" for three years, and commissioned him to run the Barnstable line (*History of Cape Cod* 2, transcript).
- 1665: ordered to pay 20 shillings "for a whale hee had" (PCR 4:99).
- 1668: the jury in Mayhew's suit awarded Mayhew "a sufficient good cow, of a reasonable stature, and not exceeding eight yeares old, and three pound damage" (PCR 7:146-147).
- 1677: Brownson and McLean, as quoted online, put his birth "not later than 1627" and his death before 23 Mar 1676/7 [Compiled].
**Children** (Brownson and McLean via Pane-Joyce): Elizabeth (c. 1645, m. Samuel Briggs), Bennet (27 Feb 1647/8 by PCR 8:6, or 1648/9 by the VR editors and Pane-Joyce; m. Obadiah Eddy), Mordecai (24 Mar 1650/1), Deborah (c. 1652, m. Joseph Doty), Joel (20 Mar 1654/5, d. young), Samuel (c. 1656), **Matthias** (2 June 1657), Manoah (c. 1659), Freeman (c. 1661), Gideon (c. 1663), William (c. 1665). The daughters Elizabeth and Bennet and the son Freeman carry Freeman family names.
### 13.2 Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis
- **[Documented]** 1680: "Elizabeth Ellis, widdow, and Joseph Dotey, of Sandwich," with others, proprietors of "the lands of Sepecan" under a deed of 22 July 1679 from Gov. Josiah Winslow and Treasurer William Bradford, sued Lt. Ephraim Morton of Plymouth for trespass, £200. PCR 7:227-228. She took up land at Sippican (later Rochester).
- **(pass 5)** The complaint: on 12 May Morton "did, with diuers others ... forcably enter vpon the lands of the said Sepecan" and "did deface the bound markes of the said land of the said Ellis and Dotey," a pine tree "marked with two noches on the one syde, and three noches on the other syde, standing neare Sepecan Necke, a little below the rocke house, or wigwam." Verdict for the plaintiffs, 20 shillings and costs. PCR 7:228-229.
- **(pass 5) [Compiled]** At the first Sippican division, 15 Apr 1679, she drew a home lot, named first after the minister and the ministry; in 1687 "Mrs. Ellis was living on her land in Sippican." *Mattapoisett and Old Rochester* (1907), from the proprietors' records.
- **[Documented, transcript]** Executrix of her father's will; she "sett forth" the goods for the "New Oxford" inventory, 4 Oct 1682.
- **[Compiled]** d. probably 24 June 1692, Rochester (intestate). Not verified.
### 13.3 Lt. Matthias Ellis (1657-1748)
- **[Documented]** b. Sandwich 2 June 1657, "the son of John Ellis." Sandwich town book (Kardell, *Vital Records of Sandwich* 1).
- **[Documented, transcript]** Lived with his grandfather Edmund until adulthood and received his house in 1678/9 (section 11).
- **[Tradition]** Drove the oxen that hauled the Saddle and Pillion stones (Freeman Genealogy p. 19).
- **[Documented]** His wife was **Mercy**, not Mary Burgess. The Sandwich register records nine children "of Matthias Ellis and Mercy Ellis his wife": [Joel] 17 Jan 1679/80; Matthias 5 Nov 1681; [John] 17 Aug 1683; Mercy 17 Aug 1685; Experience 26 July 1687; [Mala]chi 8 Oct 1689; Remember 1 Dec 1691; [Mehit]abel 31 Dec 1693; [Sam]uel 12 Nov 1699. Bracketed names are restored from a worn page (Kardell 1:33-34; McLean, NEHGR 119:265-266).
- **[Compiled]** Brownson and McLean identify her as Mercy Nye, b. 8 Apr 1652, dau. of Benjamin Nye and Katherine Tupper; living 13 Nov 1744. The Sandwich register has "Mercy Nie the daughter of Beniamen Nie" born 8 April.
- **[Inference]** "Mary Burgess" (Freeman Genealogy 1875; Davis 1899) probably drifted over from his brother Manoah's wife Mary. Manoah Ellis "and Mary, his wife, of Sandwich" were fined for fornication before marriage in 1679/80 (PCR 8:154).
- Benjamin Nye is the man who, in the 1660 Barlow testimony, reportedly threatened to withhold "his daughter" from Jacob Burgis. **(pass 5)** That daughter appears to be Mary Nye, who married Jacob Burge (1660 per Frederick Freeman, 1670 per the 1907 Nye genealogy), not Mercy.
- **(pass 5) Status of "Mercy Nye": probable, not proven.**
- **For:** Brownson and McLean, NEHGR 119 (1965):262, 265-266 (not read directly; cited by Pane-Joyce and the Rogers pages), and the earlier, unsourced *Genealogy of the Nye Family* (1907) p. 30, whose list of Mercy's children has several errors. Weak supporting links: Matthias Ellis Jr. witnessed the will of John Nye (Mercy's putative brother), proved 1722, and a later Nye will mentions woodland bought "of Mathias Ellis and William Bassett."
- **Against or open:** no primary record names her maiden name. WikiTree's profiles treat it as unknown. WikiTree's summary of a deed of 9 June 1704 has Benjamin Nye giving his lands to son Jonathan "in exchange for keeping himself, his wife Katherine and daughter Mercy in their infirmity"; if the deed says that, a dependent daughter Mercy in 1704 fits badly with a wife whose husband was alive until 1748 (unless it reads "daughter Mercy Ellis"). Three other Sandwich girls named Mercy were born 1650-52 (Mercy Wing, Mercy Wright, Mercy Lander). Matthias's brother Freeman also married a Mercy, so later "Mercy Ellis" entries are ambiguous. None of Matthias and Mercy's nine children has a Nye family name.
- **Next:** read Brownson and McLean directly and find the 1704 deed's own wording.
- **[Documented]** Admitted townsman 1681; grand juror 2 June 1685 (PCR 6:160); a Sandwich agent to run the Sandwich-Mashpee line with the "South-sea Indians," 1705 (**pass 5:** their agents were Caleb Popmit, Acapesko, Old John, Sunkation and Caleb Pognit); "Lt. Matthias Ellis Sr." on the 1730 list.
- **(pass 5) [Documented]** As "Mathias Ellis Senr," witness with William Bassett to the will of Capt. Thomas Tupper (proved 20 May 1706). In 1718 administration on the estate of "John Ellis your Son ... Singleman" was granted to him. Barnstable Probate, FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-5SK6 and 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-53HW.
- **(pass 5) [Documented] His will**, 30 Nov 1744, proved at Barnstable 4 Oct 1748 before Silvanus Bourn (FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793Z and 793P; key phrases read from the image):
- "Being advanced in years and under considerable Decay of Bodily strength ... Considering that My Departure Draweth near."
- To "my Loveing wife Mercy" (the image reads Mercy; the machine transcription says Mary) the use of "the Westerly End of My Now Dwelling house Both Lower & upper Rooms & the Leantue on the Back Side of it and the Seller under it," and of "my orchard Called the Little Orchard," while a widow; son Malachi to provide her clothing, firewood and other necessaries.
- To son Joel: "the two Half Lotts in the woods that were formerly my son Johns," half his apparel, his cutlass, belt and cane, and £20 old tenor after his mother's death.
- To son Matthias: "my Lott & Share in said Town Neck in Sandwich," and an acquittance of "all the Money I paid for him to Sheriff Lothrop."
- To daughters Mercy Morton, Experience Churchill and Mehitable Merrick: the personal estate, except husbandry tools.
- To son Malachi: the housing, lands and meadows, the tools, half the apparel, "all my arms & ammunition Except my Cutlash & belt before Given to my son Joel," and his common rights.
- Executors "my said wife Mercy and my said son Malachi"; administration was committed to "Mercy Ellis & Mallack Ellis Executors" on 4 Oct 1748, so **Mercy was living then**. Witnesses Elisha Tupper, Eldad Tupper Jr., Samuel Jennings.
- Inventory 12 Oct 1748: real estate £2,543 old tenor; arms and ammunition; "Great Bible & Small Books"; spectacles; three beds; cows, heifers, calves and sheep (machine reading).
- Receipt (3 Apr, probably 1750): "Joel Ellis of Middleborough ... Gent and one of the Children of Mathias Ellis Late of Sandwich" received £20 and "the one half of the deceased his wearing apparel also his Cutlash his Belt." Stephen Churchill of Plymouth signed for his wife Experience and for Mercy Morton and Mehitable Merrick. FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793J.
- Not named in the will: daughter Remember and son Samuel (b. 1699).
- **[Documented]** Death: "Lieut Matthias Ellis Sen Died September the 8th" (1748) in the Sandwich register. Other sources give 20, 21 or 30 Aug 1748. **(pass 5)** The probate of 4 Oct 1748 fits 8 Sept.
### 13.4 Capt. Joel Ellis (1679/80-1763)
- **[Documented]** b. Sandwich 17 Jan 1679/80 (name restored; see above).
- **[Documented]** m. Plymouth 6 Apr 1710 Elizabeth Churchill. Plymouth VR: "The children of Joell Ellice and Elizabeth Ellice his wife: Joell born on the 21st of Feb. 1711/12; John born on the 18th of Sept. 1714."
- **[Compiled]** Children (Brownson and McLean via Pane-Joyce): Joel 1711/12, John 1714, Samuel 1716, **Matthias 7 Mar 1719/20**, Rebecca 1721, Elizabeth 1723, Ensign Charles 1726, Thomas 1728/9.
- **[Documented]** Plympton VR calls him "Capt. Joel of Middleborough." He moved from Plymouth to Middleborough. Wife Elizabeth d. 3 Apr 1753; he m. (2) Middleborough 27 Mar 1758 Jemima (Tupper) Bennett, widow of Samuel Bennett. d. Middleborough 21 June 1763.
- **[Compiled, superseded]** Davis (1899) makes Joel a son of Samuel Ellis of Plympton. Brownson and McLean and the Sandwich record place him as son of Matthias. **(pass 5)** His father's will and his own receipt as "one of the Children of Mathias Ellis Late of Sandwich" settle it.
- **(pass 5) Elizabeth Churchill's parents [Documented births and marriage; Compiled for Rebecca's parentage].** Plymouth VR Book 1 p. 9: "The children of John Churchill & Rebeckah Churchill his wife: Elizabeth born the 7th day of Oct. 1687," then Rebeckah 1689, John 1691, Sarah 1695, Hannah 1697. Book 1 p. 128: "John CHURCHILL married Rebekah DELLENO 28 Dec. 1686." *The Churchill Family in America* (1904) pp. 5-6 calls Rebecca "daughter of Philip" and Elizabeth the wife of "Joel Ellis, of Plympton." So Elizabeth was the eldest child of Sgt. John Churchill Jr. (c. 1656/7-1723) and Rebecca Delano (c. 1656/7-1709). The rival candidates (daughters of Eleazer or Joseph Churchill) do not fit. Her ancestry is in section 13.8.
- Her gravestone, Cemetery at the Green, Middleborough: "In Memory of Madam Elisabeth Elles Wife of Cap. Joel Elles Who Died April 3 1753 in the 66th Year of Her Age" (Find a Grave 29369456).
- The Churchill book swaps the husbands of her daughters Rebecca and Elizabeth, calls her son Matthias "Matthew," and misdates Thomas; use the vital records.
- **(pass 5) [Documented] Deeds and court, from FamilySearch full text:**
- 1717: a grantee in John Soule's deed of the Middleborough burying ground "near the land I formerly gave for a training Green" (Weston p. 312).
- 1722: bought a 20-acre house lot in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase from "John Churchell of the Town of Plymouth," his father-in-law (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-JD4S).
- 1729/30: lent the town £1 toward the cost of its agents in London (Weston).
- 1744: with "Elizabeth Ellis his Wife," gave son Joel of Plympton about 100 acres there by the Winnetuxet River (3:1:3QS7-99Z7-RFYN).
- 1747: John Murdock of Plymouth sued "Joel Ellis of Middleborough Gent" and Timothy Morton of Plymouth, cooper, on their bond of 20 Feb 1743/4 for £352; they defaulted, judgment was £186 18s 2d old tenor, and Ellis appealed (3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-3SDY-G).
- 27 Mar 1758: "Capt Joel Ellis & Jemima Bennet both of Middleb[orough]" married by Rev. Sylvanus Conant (3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9G2-H).
- 21 May 1759: gave sons Charles and Thomas his homestead "whereon my said son Thomas Ellis now Dwells" and his other lands in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase, reserving their use for his life; "Jemima Ellis the wife of the said Joel" released her dower (3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-PQPY).
- May 1759: gave son Matthias his share (13.5).
- Not the Joel Ellis of Rochester, cordwainer, whose estate was inventoried in 1732, nor Joel Ellis of Plympton (d. 13 June 1803 aged 64).
### 13.5 Matthias Ellis (1719/20-c. 1790) and Lucy
- **[Documented, new, FamilySearch]** Deed of gift: "Know ye that I Joel Ellis of Middleborough ... for ... the Love good will and affection which I have and Bear towards my Loving son Matthias Ellis of Middleborough" gives him 48 acres in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase and 4 acres in the Five Men's Purchase, Middleborough (bought from Hutchinson and Oliver), and half his eight-acre meadow lot in the Lower Meadow. Recorded 18 Oct 1765. FamilySearch image 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-P3KJ. **This closes the Joel-to-Matthias link.**
- **(pass 5, correction)** The year is **1759**, not 1750. The acknowledgment reads "Plymouth ss Middleborough May 22. 1759. The above named Joel Ellis personally appeared" (read from the image), and the companion gift to Charles and Thomas is dated 21 May 1759. The deed's own date line ("Twenty third Day of May ... fifty [nine?]") is unclear in the transcription.
- **(pass 5)** The same page records that on 29 May 1759 Matthias bought from John Williams of Lebanon, Connecticut, "the farm or Homestead that my honored father Joseph Williams Late of Middleborough Died Seized of," 65 acres in the Twenty-six Men's Purchase, for £140.
- **[Documented, new]** Middleborough births, children "of Matthias Ellis and Lucia [Lucy] his wife" (FamilySearch 3:1:3QHK-P31H-SPL6 and 3:1:3QHK-P31H-S52D):
- Mary, 7 Nov 1743
- Joseph, 1 Apr 1745
- **George, 10 May 1747**
- Cornelius, Wednesday 18 Oct 1749
- Ebenezer, Thursday 15 Jan 1752
- Betty, Sunday 12 May 1754
- Gamaliel, Tuesday 27 Sept 1757
- Daniel, Tuesday 17 Sept 1760
- Lucy, 17 Jan 1763
- **[Documented, new]** Lucy's family: in 1758 (deed recorded 1766) and 1763 (recorded 1765), "Matthias Ellis & Lucy Ellis his wife" joined John Morton and Elizabeth his wife, John Bennett the second, and Lemuel Jackson and Jemima his wife, all of Middleborough, in selling shares of inherited land in the Little Lot Men's Purchase to Jedidiah Holmes and to John Miller. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RCFY and 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-G8N3.
- **[Inference, lead]** The grantors look like co-heirs of one estate, so Lucy, Elizabeth Morton and Jemima Jackson may be sisters, with John Bennett 2nd a brother or nephew. If they were children of Samuel Bennett and Jemima Tupper, Joel's 1758 remarriage to the widow Jemima Bennett would have made Matthias and Lucy stepsiblings-in-law. Untested.
- **(pass 5) Resolved in outline: Lucy was Lucia Bennett, daughter of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr., not of Samuel.**
- **[Documented]** Middleborough VR (*Mayflower Descendant* 6:228): "Lucia Bennet the Daughter of Joseph Bennet Junr & of Thankfull his wife was born October 2 1725."
- **[Documented]** Her siblings (MD 7:243, 9:48, 12:230, 15:24): William (9 June-20 Aug 1727); Priscilla (19 May 1729-16 May 1745); **Elizabeth** (2 July 1731); **John** (7 Feb 1733/4); Joseph (d. 19 Nov 1737). Elizabeth and John fit "Elizabeth Morton" and "John Bennett the second" of the 1758 and 1763 sales [Inference]. Jemima Jackson's birth was not found, so she may be a cousin.
- **[Documented]** "Leiut Joseph Bennet the Son of Capt Peter Bennet Deceased January the 3rd 1741/2" (MD 15:24). He died intestate and insolvent; his widow Thankful, as administratrix, got leave of the Superior Court to sell land and sold it at public vendue to Seth Samson (recorded 18 Dec 1746; FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-X4CX). Thankful later married Samson (1758) [Compiled, Weston].
- **[Compiled]** Weston's catalogue of First Church members: "Lucia Ellis, wid. of Matthias, m. 1743, o. Bennet, mo. 273, d. Oc. 3, 1804, ae. 79." Member 273 is "Thankful Bennet, m. 1724, 2d. m. Seth Samson 1758, o. Sproat." The same catalogue ties George to Lucy: "Phebe Thomas, w. Azel, m. 1796, o. Ellis, dau. of Geo., gr. mo. 623, d. in the St. of Me. Feb. 3, 1851," where 623 is Lucy. (The numbering was worked out from cross-references; check the printed page.)
- **[Compiled]** Marriage 7 Apr 1743, Middleborough, citing *Genealogies of Mayflower Families* 1:665 (Brennan, Bosworth database). The primary marriage entry (MD 30:8) was not seen.
- **[Compiled]** Joseph's father, Capt. Peter Bennett (Sept 1674-22 Oct 1749), m. 30 Oct 1700 at Bridgewater **Priscilla Howland** (22 Aug 1681-3 Mar 1746), daughter of Lt. Isaac Howland and Elizabeth Vaughan, and granddaughter of **John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley** of the *Mayflower* (Sibert). See section 13.8.
- **(pass 5) [Documented, identification probable]** "ELLES, MATTHIAS, Middleborough. Private, Capt. Nehemiah Allen's co., Col. Theophilus Cotton's regt.; service, 31 days, on a secret expedition to Rhode Island in Sept. and Oct., 1777." *Mass. Soldiers and Sailors* 5. He would have been 57.
- **(pass 5) [Documented, identification Inference] Sons in the Revolution** (*Mass. Soldiers and Sailors* 5): Joseph, corporal of Capt. Nathaniel Wood's minute company on the Lexington alarm (marched to Marshfield), and later Rhode Island and Dartmouth alarms; Cornelius, Rhode Island, Oct 1777; Ebenezer and Gamaliel, who enlisted together on 20 June 1775 in Capt. Josiah King's company, Col. Brewer's regiment, were at Roxbury in Dec 1775, and marched "from Dorchester to New York" in April 1776, Ebenezer later a sergeant; Daniel, at Hull in 1776 aged 15-16, at Rhode Island 1777, 1780 and 1781, and in Col. Abijah Stearns's "regt. of guards" at and about Boston, Apr-July 1778, while Burgoyne's surrendered army was held at Cambridge.
- **[Documented]** Ensign Matthias Ellis in a 1770 estate account; excused from serving as constable, Middleborough, 1783.
- **[Documented, new]** d. by Mar 1790. "Mathias Ellis late of Middleborough ... Gentleman deceased": estate represented insolvent; son Joseph Ellis administrator; inventory July 1790; widow Lucy's dower set off April 1791 by Jacob Bennet, Ebenezer Briggs and Nathan Darling; account 1792. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L97D-8CL4, 3:1:3QS7-997D-8CGB and related files.
- **[Documented]** Not to be confused with another Matthias Ellis, "Labourer" of Middleborough, d. by 1782 (administrator Nathaniel Sprague; son Samuel aged 16 chose a guardian in 1782), or with Matthias Ellis Jr. of Sandwich (b. 1739), who married Rachel Tupper in 1759.
### 13.6 George Ellis (b. 1747) and Phebe Stephens
- **[Documented, new]** b. Middleborough 10 May 1747, son of Matthias and Lucia (above). **This closes the Matthias-to-George link.**
- **[Documented]** Marriage: "Mr. George Ellis of Middleborough & Mrs. Phebe Stephens of Plimpton" (Middleborough VR 2:75, published May 1773). Plympton VR: "Georg Eless and Phebe Stephens, May 23, 1773." FamilySearch 3:1:3QHK-F31H-SRST and 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1FL.
- **[Compiled plus Documented]** Phebe was a daughter of Edward Stephens Jr. and Phebe Harlow, m. Plymouth 1747 (Davis 2:252-253; Plymouth VR). Edward Stephens's administrators sold land to George Ellis in 1794, and the 1790 estate account lists "the farm in Plymouth with the Buildings thereon occupied by George Ellis & to him sold." FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-TSYD and 3:1:3QS7-897D-8Z8M.
- **[Documented, probable]** Revolutionary service: a George Ellis in Capt. Robert Finney's company, which marched from Plymouth to Bristol, R.I., 11 Dec 1776 (10 days), and in Capt. Nathaniel Goodwin's company on the "secret expedition against Newport," 25 Sept-31 Oct 1777 (*Mass. Soldiers and Sailors* 5:303). **[Inference]** Plymouth companies; very probably our George.
- **(pass 5, correction)** The earlier note that George was among the men raised as guard to Burgoyne's surrendered army is wrong. Hurd, *History of Plymouth County* (1884) pp. 145-146 (the page behind FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89DX-85RP), lists "George Ellis" among Plymouth's "Enlistments for thirty days' service in Rhode Island in September, 1777" under Capt. Nathaniel Goodwin, which matches the Newport expedition above. The guard list that follows on the same page names **Thomas** Ellis. Among Matthias's sons the guard-type service belongs to Daniel (13.5).
- **(pass 5) [Documented, identification probable]** Plymouth town offices: in March 1774 George Ellis, with James Warren and Josiah Morton Jr., was "Chosen to take care of Plimouth beach"; in March 1777 he was fence viewer and field driver (*Records of the Town of Plymouth* 3).
- **(pass 5) [Documented]** c. 1777, a Plymouth list of evidence against suspected Tories: "Mrs Ellis Says about Seven months ago Mr Churchell Came to her house & talked Verry high against America." Which Mrs. Ellis is not stated.
- **[Documented, new]** **The warning-out, 1785** (Plympton selectmen's warrant, recorded among Plymouth County Court of General Sessions papers; FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9GD-G; read from the image):
- Margin: "Plimton George Ellis & family."
- "you are hereby required to Warn George Ellis and his Wife Phebe and seven Children viz. Sarah, Phebe, Molly, George, Matthias, **Nancy** & Stevens forthwith to depart this Town. They came into Town some time in the Month of May in the year one Thousand Seven Hundred and eighty four, and were last from the Town of Plymouth."
- "Given under our hands & Seals at Plimton this Twenty eighth Day of March Anno Domini 1785. Thomas Gannett ... Selectmen."
- The constable's return (April 1785, Gideon Bradford Jr.) says he warned George, his wife Phebe and seven children to depart to the town they were last from.
- **[Documented, context]** Warning out was a routine Massachusetts step to deny a newcomer legal settlement (and so poor relief) in a town. It does not mean the family was destitute or was actually removed.
- **[Documented]** Phebe was living in March 1785 and dead by 1792. The FamilySearch tree's death year of 1786 is unverified. **(pass 5) [Documented]** The Plymouth church list of deaths for 1789 has "George Ellis's Wife," 24 Nov 1789 (*Plymouth Church Records*, Colonial Society of Massachusetts 22). **[Inference]** This is very probably Phebe.
- **[Documented]** George m. (2) intention 19 May 1792, marriage 4 June 1792, Experience Clark, both of Plymouth (Plymouth VR Book 2 p. 369; Court of Sessions returns). **(pass 5) [Documented]** She was a daughter of William Clark of Plymouth: "George Ellis & Experiance Ellis" join the other heirs of William Clark in a deed recorded Jan 1809 (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-2DXX). This is the latest record of George found.
- **[Documented]** "George Ellis of the town and County of Plymouth ... Yeoman" in deeds 1788-1796. His homestead "was Nathaniel Donhams homestead," near Southers Marsh in the Plymouth-Plympton commons (1791, 1796 deeds). He witnessed wills and served as agent and trustee in a 1790 court case.
- **[Documented]** No record uses a middle name "David." **[Inference]** "George David Ellis" in the FamilySearch tree may come from a merge with David Ellis of Hanover (b. 1744) or be a compiler's addition. His death is not yet found (not on Burial Hill, and no Plymouth probate found).
- **(pass 5) Phebe's ancestry** (details in section 13.8 and the master tree):
- **[Compiled]** Davis 2:252: Edward Stephens, son of Edward and Mary (Churchill), "m., 1747, Phebe, d. of William Harlow," and among their children "Phebe, m. George Ellis."
- **[Documented]** Plymouth VR: Edward Stephens b. 19 Sept 1721, son of Edward Stephens and Mary Churchill (m. 23 Dec 1708); Phebe Harlow b. 21 Oct 1728, daughter of William Harlow Jr. and "Marsey" (Mercy Rider, m. 24 Feb 1714/15).
- **[Inference]** Mary Churchill was a daughter of Eleazer Churchill, son of John Churchill and Hannah Pontus. George Ellis (through Elizabeth Churchill) and Phebe Stephens were therefore third cousins.
### 13.7 Nancy Ellis, Richard Blackmer and Gideon Holbrook
- **[Documented, new]** Nancy was one of the seven children of George and Phebe named in the 1785 warning-out, sixth of seven. **(pass 5) [Documented]** Her death record gives her age as 82 years 3 months 8 days at 29 Jan 1864, which puts her birth at 21 Oct 1781 (Massachusetts death records vol. 175 p. 336, as cited in `Holbrook-Master-Family-Tree.md`).
- **[Documented, new]** Quitclaim, 22 May 1805 (acknowledgments to Nov 1806; recorded 6 Apr 1816), to "George Ellis Jnr" of pasture land near Seth Harlow's homestead, a right in Harlow's Cedar Swamp, and woodland, all "decended to us from our Mother Phebe Ellis Decd who was formerly Phebe Stephens." Richard Blackmer and Nancy his wife acknowledged it 17 Jan 1806. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SFBP.
- **(pass 5, correction)** The grantors are named on the preceding page (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SNM7, read from the image): "Elisha Morton & Sarah his wife of Hebron at the Eastward, Azel Thomas & Phebe his wife of Middleborough, Polly Ellis, Richard Blackmore & Nancy his wife, Zeba [?] Ellis, Stephen Ellis & George Ellis all of Plymouth, Mattathias Ellis of Wareham ... & Isaac Ellis of said Middleborough," for $18 paid "by our Brother George Ellis Jun.r of Plymouth ... Mariner." The signatures include Mattathias Ellis, Azel Thomas, Phebe Thomas, Richard Blackmer, "Nancy Ellis Blackmer" and Stephens Ellis. Sarah Harlow appears with Rosseter Cotton in the witnesses' column, not as a grantor [Inference from the layout].
- **[Inference]** So Sarah was the wife of Elisha Morton of Hebron, Maine; Molly ("Polly") was living and unmarried in 1805; and Ziba (or Zeba) and Isaac are probably younger children of Phebe born 1785-89, after the warning-out. The second "George Ellis" among the grantors is unexplained; it may be the father.
- **[Documented]** The middle name "Stevens" appears in no record. **[Inference]** Added by a compiler from her mother's surname; her brother was named Stephens Ellis.
- **[Documented]** First marriage: intention 1801, "Richard BLACKMER & Nancy ELLIS both of Plymouth" (Plymouth VR p. 291). Richard was b. Plymouth 1 Nov 1772, son of Branch Blackmer and Sarah Waite.
- **[Documented]** Children of Richard Blackmer and Nancy (Plymouth VR p. 419): Sarah, 27 Dec 1801 (m. Ezra Clark); Nancy, 3 Jan 1804 (m. Seth Holmes, then Josiah Morey); **George Ellis Blackmer**, 7 Apr 1806 (m. Rebecca Bartlett).
- **[Documented]** A 1833 Plympton marriage record calls Nancy (Blackmer) Holmes "the daughter of Mr Richard Blackmer & Nancy his wife, whose maiden name was Ellis." FamilySearch 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9L4-D.
- **[Documented, new]** Richard Blackmer, "late of Plymouth, Mariner," died intestate by Feb 1808. Josiah Sturtevant, physician, appointed administrator 29 Feb 1808 (Plymouth County probate case 2104). Inventory 15 Apr 1808: about 7 acres with a house and small barn, 4 acres of pasture, 28 acres of woodland ($600 real estate); personal estate $124.59. The estate was insolvent. On 5 July 1810 Nancy bought back part of the homestead from the administrator for $40 (Plymouth deeds 114:28). FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-897D-ZH86 and related files.
- In 1804-05 Richard was a mariner and part-owner of land and a pew with James Harlow Jr.
- **[Documented]** There was a second Nancy Ellis of Plymouth, who married Clift Bailey in 1807. Ours is the one who married in 1801.
- **[Documented]** Second marriage: intention "Gideon HOLBROOK & Mrs. Nancy BLACKMAN both of Plymouth," **published 29 Nov 1818** (Plymouth VR, intentions of 1818, FamilySearch 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1PL; **pass 5, correcting the earlier "early 1819 ... apparently 7 Oct 1819"**). Davis gives 1818, which fits; the Holbrook master tree has the marriage in Dec 1818.
- **[Documented]** Gideon Holbrook "of Plymouth, Mariner" (1800 bond for a house with Thomas Davis; 1817 sale to John Burgess Jr.). He m. (1) 1788 Sarah Clark. Appraiser in many Plymouth estates, 1816-1840.
- **(pass 5) [Documented]** The 1800 bond was for "a Certain Dwelling House and the Land adjoining thereto" at Training Green in Plymouth town; he took the deeds in Aug 1805 and sold "my dwelling house & lot of land ... on the easterly side of the training green" to John Burgess Jr., mariner, for $1,300 in 1816/17 (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RNQC; 3:1:3QS7-L9ZW-36N6). His first wife Sally died 1 Mar 1818 and was buried at Manomet. **[Inference]** The household moved from Training Green to Manomet Ponds about 1817.
- **(pass 5, correction)** The Sandwich Street homestead and its 1842-1874 deeds belong to the other Plymouth Gideon Holbrook (1786-1868), son of Capt. Eliphalet, not to Nancy's husband. Nancy's household was at Manomet.
- **[Documented, new]** **Gideon Holbrook's will**, 18 June 1841, proved at Plymouth on the second Monday of April 1842 (FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-897D-JZGX):
- To "my said wife" the use of all his estate for herself and the children under twenty-one, with power to sell outlands; later her thirds for life and all the household furniture.
- The residue to "my children Lois Tribble wife of Isaac Tribble, Martha Covington, Betsey Morton wife of Ichabod Morton, Gideon Holbrook, **Richard B. Holbrook**, Elisha Holbrook, Polly Holbrook & Eliphalet Holbrook & to my Grand daughter Jerusha the daughter of my daughter Harriet Davie deceased."
- "I do appoint my wife Nancy Holbrook Executor." Witnesses Nathaniel Clark, Ezra Clark, Luther Lucas. He is styled "Gentleman."
- So Gideon died between June 1841 and April 1842, **not in 1847**. The 1847 Plymouth death of a "Gideon Holbrook" is a child aged 3y 7m, son of Gideon and Annette.
- **[Documented]** 1850: partition of Gideon's real estate, one third to "his Widow Nancy Holbrook for her use during her life," the rest to Lois Tribble, Martha Covington, Betsey Morton, Gideon, Elisha, Richard, Mary and Eliphalet Holbrook, and Jerusha Hobart. FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L97D-DWZQ.
- **[Documented]** 1846: Gideon Holbrook, seaman, 26, "son of G. & N. Holbrook," m. Lucretia W. Bartlett (Plymouth VR p. 612). **[Inference]** Nancy's son, b. c. 1820.
- **[Documented]** Nancy was living in 1858. A deed of 1855 bounds land "by land owned by Nancy Holbrook, formerly wife of Richard Blackmer," on the road from Ponds road to the Manomet House. In 1858 she sold a lot in the southerly part of Plymouth "being the same conveyed to me by Josiah Sturtevant Administrator on the estate of my former husband Richard Blackmer." FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RQQ4 and 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-RXVT. **[Inference]** She lived in the Manomet section of Plymouth.
- **[Compiled]** Davis: Gideon's children by Nancy were Gideon (m. Lucretia W. Bartlett), Richard B., Elisha, Mary and Eliphalet. **[Inference]** Richard B. Holbrook was Nancy's son and was named Blackmer after her first husband.
- **(pass 5) [Documented] The estate after Gideon's death:**
- The will (18 June 1841; proved 11 Apr 1842) gave Nancy the use of the whole estate "In order to enable my wife Nancy Holbrook to bring up those of my children who may be under the age of twenty one years, having entire confidence in her judgment & discretion," with power to sell outlands for the children's "comfortable support & education" (FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VD5L).
- Inventory, Aug 1842, $3,991.50: the homestead with about an acre of orchard, a dwelling house ($500) and barn, land joining the Parsonage lot, wood and pasture at Rocky Hill, half a cider mill and its house, pew no. 36 on the lower floor of the meeting house, oxen, steers, three cows and two pigs (3:1:3QS7-L97D-JZSG; machine reading).
- 1849: "Elisha Holbrook, of Plymouth ... Yeoman" sold his ninth to David Clark, "reserving to my mother Nancy Holbrook the use, income and improvement" of it for five years "provided she so long live" (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-NZCK).
- 1853: Gideon Holbrook 2d, mariner, had died intestate; David Clark petitioned to administer on 5 Dec 1853 (3:1:3QS7-997D-48CQ). In 1861 Gideon 2d's share, "in Manomet village so called," was bounded by "the highway leading past the house of Ezra Clark and the meeting house" and by "the dower lands of the widow of the late Gideon Holbrook" (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-R4CP).
- 1865: Eliphalet Holbrook, then "of Worcester," bought out five ninths of the widow's thirds from his sisters and the Tribble and Hobart heirs; the other four ninths were already his and Elisha's (3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5WF5).
- **(pass 5) [Documented] Nancy's will**, 6 Sept 1860, signed by her mark (Plymouth Probate, FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-997D-86QQ; machine reading, image not checked): "I make no bequest to my children Nancy Morey Richard B. Holbrook, & Eliphalet Holbrook, nor to my Grand children David Clark, Lucy Peterson wife of Charles H. Peterson, Lewis Clark, Sarah Ellis wife of James Ellis for the reason that I feel under obligation to dispose of what little property I may leave to my other children who have chiefly borne the expense of my support and not for want of any affection toward them." Furniture and clothing to daughter Mary; the rest to Elisha and Mary, executors. Proved January 1865 on Mary's petition (3:1:3QS7-L97D-X8C9). The grandchildren named are the children of her late daughter Sarah (Blackmer) Clark.
- **(pass 5) [Documented]** Nancy died 29 Jan 1864 at Plymouth, a widow (Massachusetts death records, as cited in the Holbrook master tree).
- **(pass 5) [Compiled]** Richard B. Holbrook was born 7 Aug 1821 at Manomet (Farrar, *Washington Historical Quarterly* 7, 1916, p. 245n; Cook, *A Particular Friend, Penn's Cove*, 1973); he is listed at "Manomet Ponds" in the 1851 Plymouth directory [Documented]. His later life is in the Holbrook files.
### 13.8 Ancestry of the wives (pass 5)
Full entries are in Part Four of `Freeman_Ellis_Master_Family_Tree.md`; incidents are in `Freeman_Ellis_Anecdotes.md`, sections 6, 8 and 11.
**Mercy (wife of Lt. Matthias): Nye and Tupper [probable, see 13.3]**
- **[Documented]** "Benjamin Nye and Katherne Tupper marryed the xixth october 1640" (Sandwich VR; PCR 1:153). "Mercy Nie the daughter of Beniamen Nie was borne the 8th of Aprill" 1652 (Sandwich VR).
- **[Compiled]** Benjamin Nye came in 1635, probably on the *Abigail*: he, Thomas Tupper, Thomas Landers and Thomas Greenfield were legatees of Dennis Geere, who died on arrival and whose will Edmund Freeman witnessed (Kardell, *Vital Records of Sandwich*, introduction). His parents are unknown; the Biddenden, Kent, pedigree in the 1907 Nye genealogy is "almost certainly spurious," and Hilder, Nye and Shaw (NEHGR 158, 2004) point to Sussex. His homestead at 85 Old County Road, East Sandwich, is dated 1678 by dendrochronology.
- **[Documented]** Thomas Tupper, shoemaker, one of the ten men of Saugus (1637), died 28 Mar 1676 "in the 98th yeer of his age"; his wife Anne died 4 June 1676 "in the: 90th: yeer of her age" (Sandwich VR). **[Compiled]** English candidates (NEHGR 159, 2005, via Sibert): a Thomas Tupper who married Agnes Wedson at Tillington, Sussex, in 1614, with a daughter "Katherin" baptised at Petworth in 1620; or a Thomas son of Anthony baptised in 1590 "in Bury," probably Bury in West Sussex, next to Pulborough [Inference]. Neither is proven.
**Elizabeth (wife of Capt. Joel): Churchill, Delano, Pontus [Documented to her parents; Compiled above them]**
- Parents: Sgt. John Churchill Jr. (c. 1656/7-13 June 1723) and Rebecca Delano (c. 1656/7-6 Apr 1709), married 28 Dec 1686 (13.4).
- John Jr. was a son of the immigrant John Churchill (d. 1 Jan 1662/3; PCR 8:23) and Hannah Pontus (m. 18 Dec 1644).
- Rebecca was a daughter of **Philip Delano**, bapt. at the Walloon church in Leiden 7 Dec 1603, who came on the ***Fortune*** in Nov 1621, by his second wife Mary (Pontus) Glass (m. 17 Jan 1653/4). His first wife was dead by then, so Rebecca, born c. 1656/7, was Mary's daughter [Inference].
- Hannah and Mary were daughters of **William Pontus** (d. 9 Feb 1652/3), at Leiden "William Pautes, fustian-worker, from near Dover," who married "Wybra Hanson, maid," there on 4 Dec 1610 with William Brewster a witness (Leiden notes quoted in *The Churchill Family in America*, 1904). John Jr. and Rebecca were first cousins.
- **[Inference]** No *Mayflower* line runs through Elizabeth. The Churchill book's "Mary Doty" as Eleazer Churchill's second wife is a misreading of Henry Churchill's 1687/8 marriage (Plymouth VR), and Eleazer is not in her line anyway.
**Lucy (wife of Matthias): Bennett and Howland [Documented to her parents and grandfather; Compiled above]**
- See 13.5. Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. > Capt. Peter Bennett and Priscilla Howland > Lt. Isaac Howland and Elizabeth Vaughan > **John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley** (*Mayflower*), and Elizabeth Tilley's parents **John Tilley and Joan Hurst** (*Mayflower*).
- **[Compiled]** Peter and Priscilla were fined for the early birth of their first child (married 30 Oct 1700, child born 28 Mar 1701) (Sibert; court record not seen).
**Phebe (wife of George): Stephens, Churchill, Harlow, Bartlett, Warren, Rider [Documented at every link below Rebecca and Sarah Bartlett]**
- Father's side: Edward Stephens Jr. (b. 19 Sept 1721) > Edward Stephens and Mary Churchill (m. 23 Dec 1708) > Eleazer Churchill (b. 20 Apr 1652) > John Churchill and Hannah Pontus. So Phebe also descends from William Pontus, giving the family three Pontus lines in all.
- Mother's side: Phebe Harlow (b. 21 Oct 1728) > William Harlow (b. 26 July 1692) and Mercy Rider (m. 24 Feb 1714/15) > Samuel Harlow (b. 27 Jan 1652/3) > Sgt. William Harlow and his **first** wife Rebecca Bartlett (m. 20 Dec 1649; PCR 8). Samuel was born within that marriage, more than five years before Harlow married Mary Faunce in 1658, so the line runs through Rebecca Bartlett [Inference from Documented dates].
- Rebecca Bartlett and her sister Sarah (m. 23 Dec 1656 Samuel Rider) were daughters of **Robert Bartlett** and **Mary Warren** (both *Anne*, 1623), and Mary was a daughter of **Richard Warren** (*Mayflower*) [Compiled, standard].
- Mercy Rider (b. 14 Nov 1696) was a daughter of John Rider and Hannah (Barnes), and John a son of Samuel Rider and Sarah Bartlett (Davis 2:216 [Compiled]; Plymouth VR p. 84 [Documented] for Mercy's birth). So Phebe Harlow descends from Robert Bartlett and Mary Warren twice, and her parents were second cousins [Inference].
- **[Compiled]** The Harlow Old Fort House, 119 Sandwich Street, Plymouth, built by Sgt. William Harlow (legend 1677, with timbers from the fort on Burial Hill; a 1996 assessment says 1700 or later), passed to Samuel Harlow (1692), then to Phebe Harlow's father William (1728), left the family in 1765, and later belonged to Phebe Stephens's uncle Eleazer Stephens (1778-84) and her nephew Lemuel Stephens (from 1822) (Davis Part I pp. 321-322).
- **[Inference]** Elder Thomas Faunce, who identified Plymouth Rock in 1741, was the brother of Sgt. Harlow's second wife and is not a blood relation.
**Generations from the early-ship ancestors to Nancy Ellis** [Inference, counting from the links above]
- Richard Warren (1) > Mary Warren > Rebecca Bartlett > Samuel Harlow > William Harlow > Phebe Harlow > Phebe Stephens > Nancy Ellis (8) > Richard B. Holbrook Sr. (9).
- John Howland (1) > Isaac Howland > Priscilla Howland > Joseph Bennett Jr. > Lucy Bennett > George Ellis > Nancy Ellis (7).
- Philip Delano (1) > Rebecca Delano > Elizabeth Churchill > Matthias Ellis > George Ellis > Nancy Ellis (6).
- **Not yet checked:** *Mayflower Families Through Five Generations*, the Warren and Howland volumes, where William Harlow (gen. 5 from Warren) and Lucy Bennett (gen. 5 from Howland) should appear; and whether the General Society of Mayflower Descendants has accepted these lines.
---
## 14. Corrections for the FamilySearch and Ancestry trees
| Item | Tree has | Evidence shows |
|---|---|---|
| Wife of Lt. Matthias Ellis (1657) | Mary Burgess | **Mercy**, probably Mercy Nye (Sandwich births 1679/80-1699) |
| Name of George Ellis | George David Ellis | **George** only; no record uses David |
| George's parents | (Matthias, unproven) | **Matthias and Lucia (Lucy) Ellis** of Middleborough (birth record, 1747) |
| Phebe (Stephens) Ellis's death | 1786 | Living 28 Mar 1785; dead by 1792 |
| Nancy's name | Nancy Stevens Ellis | **Nancy Ellis**; no record uses Stevens |
| Gideon Holbrook's death | 1847 | 23 Jan 1842 (will proved April 1842) |
| Lucy, wife of Matthias Ellis (1720) | no maiden name | **Lucia Bennett**, b. 2 Oct 1725, dau. of Lt. Joseph Bennett Jr. and Thankful (pass 5) |
| George Ellis's Revolutionary service | guard to Burgoyne's army | Rhode Island, Dec 1776 and Sept-Oct 1777; the guard list names Thomas Ellis (pass 5) |
| Nancy Ellis's dates | c. 1778-84 to ? | b. 21 Oct 1781; d. 29 Jan 1864 (pass 5) |
| Nancy's marriage to Gideon Holbrook | 1819 | int. 29 Nov 1818 (pass 5) |
| Richard B. Holbrook Sr.'s dates | 1830-1898 (Collins-Reed Master Family Tree) | 7 Aug 1821 - 14 May 1894 (pass 5; also flagged in the Holbrook master tree) |
| Joel-to-Matthias deed of gift | 1750 | May 1759 (pass 5) |
| Edmund's freeman date | 23 Jan 1637 (Wikipedia) | 2 Jan 1637/8 (PCR 1:73-74) |
| Edmund's Barlow refusal | Edmund senior | **Edmund junior** (PCR 3:173) |
| Edmund's birth | 1590 (grave tablet) | Bapt. 25 July 1596 |
| Elizabeth Freeman's marriage | "4 June 1645" | By Aug 1644 (4 June 1645 is the court sentence) |
---
## 15. Discrepancy log
| Item | Versions | Sources | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edmund's birth year | 1590 vs bapt. 1596 | Freeman 1875, grave tablet vs Pulborough register | Resolved: 1596 |
| Where the *Abigail* sailed from | Plymouth, England, 4 June vs London, June-July | Wikipedia vs Hotten | Resolved: London |
| Years as Assistant | 1640-1647 / seven years vs six terms 1640-1646 | Marker, F. Freeman vs PCR 2:99-100 | Resolved: 1640-1646 |
| Barlow refusal | Edmund Sr vs Edmund Jr | F. Freeman 1875 vs PCR 3:173 | Resolved: Jr |
| The 1647 "deed from the colony" | Colony vs Bradford and Old Company, 24 Jan 1647/8 (the 1651 release says 14 Jan) | Secondary accounts vs PCR 12:210-212 | Source resolved; day open |
| 1663 land grant citation | PCR 3:40 vs 4:40 | Sibert Ancestry vs PCR | Resolved: 4:40 |
| Samuel Fuller Sr's town | Boston vs Barnstable | Sibert Ancestry vs PCR 7:192 | Resolved: Barnstable |
| First marriage date | 16 vs 26 June 1617 | Dawes-Gates, Bush vs WikiTree | Check Cowfold register |
| Bennett's mother | Anne Maundy vs Faith | Bush vs Dawes-Gates | Resolved: Anne Maundy; Faith was her stepmother |
| Brother John's baptism | 24 Jan 1604/5 vs 29 Jan 1605/6 or 1606/7 | FamilySearch vs Dawes-Gates | Open |
| Chancery suit date | 28 Nov 1633 vs Jan 1633/4 | Jacobus vs Dawes-Gates | Probably bill vs depositions |
| Beauchamp's parents | Notts, Mary Clarke vs Northants, Dorothy Clark | Bradford 1912 note vs Visitation | Resolved: Visitation |
| "Bro. Coddington" | William Coddington vs John Cuddington of Reigate | F. Freeman vs WSRO deeds | Probably Cuddington |
| Second wife | Raymer vs widow Perry vs unknown | Shipley register vs Brainard vs Anderson | Open |
| Mary (Freeman) Perry | Daughter vs stepdaughter vs no evidence | Tree vs Dawes-Gates vs Brownson and McLean | Open |
| Deacon | "Deacon in his own church" vs "separacion from the Churches" | Pane-Joyce vs Winslow 1646 | Winslow is contemporary |
| Allen house as first Friends' meeting | Freeman's 1671 house vs Allens' Spring Hill house 1657 | F. Freeman vs Quaker history | Open |
| "New Oxford" in the 1682 inventory | Unidentified | Freeman Genealogy p. 21 | Open; check original |
| Will pagination | OC Wills 4 pt 2 p. 5 vs pp. 54-55 | F. Freeman vs Geneamusings | Check original |
| Matthias Ellis (1657)'s wife | Mary Burgess vs Mercy (Nye) | Freeman 1875, Davis vs Sandwich VR | Resolved: Mercy |
| Joel's father | Matthias vs Samuel | Brownson and McLean vs Davis | Matthias (Sandwich VR) |
| Matthias (1657)'s death | 8 Sept vs 20, 21 or 30 Aug 1748 | Sandwich register vs others | 8 Sept fits the probate of 4 Oct 1748 (pass 5) |
| Mercy's maiden name | Nye vs unknown | Brownson and McLean, Nye 1907 vs WikiTree; the 1704 "daughter Mercy" deed | Probable Nye; read the article and the deed (pass 5) |
| Lt. John Ellis's death | 1667 vs by June 1677 | F. Freeman vs PCR 5:235 | Resolved: 1677 |
| Lt. John Ellis called "Junior" in 1677 | Unexplained | PCR 5:235 | Open |
| Joel-to-Matthias deed year | 23 May 1750 (OCR slightly unclear) | FamilySearch 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-P3KJ | Resolved: May 1759, acknowledged 22 May 1759 (image read, pass 5) |
| Lucy's father | Samuel Bennett (hypothesis) vs Joseph Bennett Jr. | Earlier lead vs Middleborough VR | Resolved: Joseph (pass 5) |
| George's guard service | Burgoyne guard vs Rhode Island | Earlier reading vs Hurd p. 145-146 | Resolved: Rhode Island; the guard was Thomas Ellis (pass 5) |
| Phebe (Stephens) Ellis's death | 1786 vs 24 Nov 1789 | FamilySearch tree vs Plymouth church records | Probably 1789 (pass 5) |
| Molly Ellis in 1805 | Missing vs present | Earlier reading vs grantor list | Present as "Polly Ellis" (pass 5) |
| Nancy's second marriage | 1818 vs 1819 | Davis vs earlier reading of Plymouth VR | Resolved: int. 29 Nov 1818 (pass 5) |
| Gideon Holbrook's death | 1847 vs 1841/2 | Tree vs will | Resolved: 23 Jan 1842 |
| Richard B. Holbrook Sr.'s dates | 1821-1894 vs 1830-1898 | FamilySearch, Farrar, census vs Collins-Reed tree | 1821-1894; Farrar gives 1893 for the death (pass 5) |
| Harriet (Lowe) Holbrook's birth | 12 June 1834 vs 12 June 1839 | Holbrook master tree vs Farrar 1916 | Open (pass 5) |
| Brownson and McLean on Ezra Perry | NEHGR 115:86 vs 115:181-198 | Earlier notes vs Sibert | Probably 181-198 (pass 5) |
| Bennet Ellis's birth | 27 Feb 1647/8 vs 1648/9 | PCR 8:6 vs VR editors, Pane-Joyce | Open (pass 5) |
| Mordecai Ellis's death | 5 Feb 1706/7 vs 5 Feb 1709/10 vs 1715 | VR editors vs Pane-Joyce vs *Annals* | Open (pass 5) |
| Mary Nye's marriage to Jacob Burge | 1 June 1660 vs 1 June 1670 | F. Freeman vs Nye 1907 | Open (pass 5) |
| Thomas Tupper's birth | 1578 vs bapt. 1590 | Sandwich death record vs NEHGR 159 candidate | Open (pass 5) |
| Edmund Jr.'s death | 29 Mar 1673 vs by Jan 1703/4 | Dawes-Gates vs administration | Resolved: by 1703/4; 1673 is Prence's date (pass 5) |
---
## 16. Records to request, and next steps
### A. England
**The National Archives** (Kew). PCC wills are digitised; a free account usually lets you download them.
1. PROB 11/141/674: will of Edmund Freeman Sr, yeoman of Pulborough, 1623.
2. PROB 11/221/67: will of Alice Freeman, widow of Reigate, 1651/2.
3. PROB 11/130/640 (John Hodsell, Cowfold, 1617) and PROB 11/154/477 (John Hodsoll, Shermanbury, 1628).
4. PROB 11/245/407: will of John Beauchamp of Reigate, 1655.
5. Not digitised (order a copy or view at Kew): Chancery pleadings C 2/ChasI/F43/29, F52/112 and F42/34, and depositions C 21/F14/17, to find the 1633/4 suit and its depositions. Also E 133/55/51 (*Freeman v Apsley*, 1634); REQ 2/147/16 and WARD 2/49/174/8A (the ship *Providence*); C 142/582/161 (John Hodsoll's inquisition post mortem, which should name the Freeman children as heirs).
6. C 54 close roll, 15 Chas I: the Chancery enrolment of SAS-BA/295 (8 Aug 1639).
**West Sussex Record Office** (copying service): Add Mss 28,786 (the 1634 plot of "Edmund Freeman of London Merchant"); SAS-BA/294-298 and 305-308; SAS-B/578; Add Mss 40,254; Add Mss 4118; SAS-B/358. Check Edmund's signature and any seal. Also the Shipley register (Par/168/1/1/1) for the 1632 marriage, the 1632 gallery seat list and the 1635 list of preachers.
### B. New England
7. **Plymouth Colony Wills and Inventories vol. 4 pt 2:** Edmund's will and both inventories, to identify "New Oxford." Vol. 3: Lt. John Ellis's inventory of 1677. (Plymouth County Registry; images on FamilySearch.)
8. **Plymouth Colony Deeds vol. 5 pp. 169-170:** image of the 1678/9 deed to Matthias Ellis. Also the 1671 deed to William Allen, and the image of the 1661 and 1663/4 Quachattasett deeds (FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ).
9. **Sandwich town records, books 1-3** (Sandwich Town Archives; FamilySearch microfilm): the source of Frederick Freeman's town-meeting quotations.
10. **Brownson and McLean, "Lt. John and Elizabeth (Freeman) Ellis of Sandwich," NEHGR 119-120 (1965-66)** (AmericanAncestors.org): Lt. John's origins, the 1677 inventory, the "Junior" problem, Mercy Nye, and the later generations.
11. **Plymouth County probate, George Ellis:** his death and estate (after c. 1808), which may name his children and settle who Ziba and Isaac Ellis were.
12. **(pass 5, replaces the Samuel Bennett item)** Plymouth probate for Lt. Joseph Bennett (d. 1741/2), which should list his children and settle whether Jemima Jackson was Lucy's sister; and *Mayflower Descendant* 30:8 for the Ellis-Bennett marriage of 1743.
13. **(pass 5, done)** Nancy's death (29 Jan 1864) and will (1860) are found. Still open: a reading of the will's image, and the 1865 probate papers for any inventory.
14. **Richard B. Holbrook's birth** (7 Aug 1821 per Farrar and Cook): a Plymouth record of it, and his 1894 Washington death record or obituary for his stated birthplace and parents.
15. **Anderson, *Great Migration* 1634-1635, vol. II pp. 576-582**, Brainard TAG 17:87-95, McLean TAG 40:103-110, and Bush NEHGR 164:104-111, read directly.
16. **The Fessenden letter (c. 1722) to Thomas Prince** (Prince Collection, Boston Public Library or MHS): the source of the Freeman-Quaker tradition.
17. **Massachusetts Archives** (Pequot War accounts): the 1640 claim for Freeman's armor.
18. **(pass 5)** The 9 June 1704 deed of Benjamin Nye to his son Jonathan (Barnstable County deeds burned in 1827; look for a later recorded copy or the Nye Family Association's transcript), to see whether "daughter Mercy" is Mercy Ellis.
19. **(pass 5)** *Mayflower Families Through Five Generations*, the Warren and Howland volumes, for the Harlow and Bennett lines (section 13.8).
20. **(pass 5)** Evans 3205, Edward Perry's collected writings (Readex *Early American Imprints*, through a library), for anything he wrote about the Freemans.
21. **(pass 5)** WPA, *Told by the Pioneers* vol. 2 pp. 153-154 (1938), for the full January 1854 letter from "E. Holbrook" at Penn Cove to his mother Nancy.
---
## Sources
**Primary records, published or online**
- *Records of the Colony of New Plymouth*, ed. Shurtleff and Pulsifer, vols 1-12 (1855-61): vols 1-2 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0102newp ; 3-4 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0304newp ; 5-6 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0506newp ; 7-8 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo0708newp ; 11-12 https://archive.org/details/recordsofcolonyo1112newp
- *Winthrop Papers*, vols 3-5 (MHS): https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/ ; Freeman to Winthrop Jr., 1635, https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/index.php/view/PWF03d181 ; Freeman to Winthrop, 1640, https://www.masshist.org/publications/winthrop/index.php/view/PWF04d185 ; vol. 5, https://archive.org/details/winthroppapersv5wint
- Winthrop's Journal, ed. Hosmer: https://archive.org/details/winthropsjournal01wint
- Bradford, *History of Plymouth Plantation* (MHS 1912), vol. 2: https://archive.org/details/historyofplymout02brad
- Hotten, *Original Lists* (1874): https://archive.org/details/originallistsofp00hottuoft
- *Visitation of London 1633-35* (Harleian Society 15): https://archive.org/details/visitationoflond01sain
- Laud, *Works* vol. 5 pt 2: https://archive.org/details/worksofmostrever52laud
- TNA Discovery catalogue (also indexes WSRO): https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ (items cited by reference above)
- Vital records: Plymouth (van Antwerp), https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofpl00vana ; Plympton, https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofpl00plym ; Sandwich (Kardell), https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofsakard ; Rochester, https://archive.org/details/vitalrecordsofro01roch
- *Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War* vol. 5: https://archive.org/details/masssoldiers05bostrich
**FamilySearch** (logged in; open as https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/ + ID)
- Family Tree, Edmund Freeman, L8SL-57Z: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L8SL-57Z
- Pulborough baptism of Edmund Freeman, 25 July 1596: 1:1:Q2QW-CQSV (image 3:1:S3HY-698Q-RVS)
- Middleborough births, children of Matthias and Lucia Ellis: 3:1:3QHK-P31H-SPL6 ; 3:1:3QHK-P31H-S52D
- Joel Ellis to son Matthias, deed of gift, 1759/1765 (with Matthias's purchase from John Williams, 1759): 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-P3KJ
- Matthias and Lucy Ellis with the Mortons, Bennett and Jacksons, 1758 and 1763: 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RCFY ; 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-G8N3
- Estate of Mathias Ellis, Gentleman, 1790-92: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-8CL4 ; 3:1:3QS7-997D-8CGB ; 3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VHN9
- George Ellis and Phebe Stephens marriage: 3:1:3QHK-F31H-SRST (Middleborough) ; 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1FL (Plympton)
- Plympton warning-out of George Ellis and family, 28 Mar 1785: 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9GD-G
- Quitclaim by the heirs of Phebe (Stephens) Ellis, 1805/1816: 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SFBP
- Estate of Richard Blackmer, mariner, 1808: 3:1:3QS7-897D-ZH86 ; 3:1:3QS7-L97D-ZHDF
- Nancy Blackmer's deed from the administrator, 1810: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-2ZJK ; her 1858 sale: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-RXVT ; 1855 bounds: 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RQQ4
- Nancy (Blackmer) Holmes, "whose maiden name was Ellis," 1833: 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9L4-D
- Will of Gideon Holbrook, 1841/2: 3:1:3QS7-897D-JZGX ; partition 1850: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-DWZQ
- Quachattasett deeds to Edmond Freeman, 1661 and 1663/4 (later registry copy): 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ
- Revolutionary lists, Plymouth (Hurd, *History of Plymouth County* p. 146): 3:1:3QS7-89DX-85RP
- **(pass 5)** Will, probate, inventory and receipts of Lt. Matthias Ellis, Barnstable, 1744-1750: 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793Z ; 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793P ; 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-793J ; administration on John Ellis, 1718: 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-53HW ; will of Capt. Thomas Tupper, 1706: 3:1:3Q9M-C9YB-5SK6
- **(pass 5)** Joel Ellis deeds and court: from John Churchill, 1722: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-JD4S ; to son Joel, 1744: 3:1:3QS7-99Z7-RFYN ; Murdock v Ellis and Morton, 1747: 3:1:3Q9M-CSR7-3SDY-G ; to sons Charles and Thomas, 1759: 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-PQPY ; marriage to Jemima Bennet, 1758: 3:1:3Q9M-C9B2-G9G2-H
- **(pass 5)** Thankful Bennett's sale of Lt. Joseph Bennett's land, 1746: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-X4CX
- **(pass 5)** Quitclaim grantors, 1805 (preceding page): 3:1:3QS7-89ZW-SNM7 ; William Clark heirs' deed with George and Experience Ellis, c. 1808: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-2DXX ; Branch Blackmer's will, 1818: 3:1:3QS7-997D-V85F
- **(pass 5)** Plymouth intentions of 1818 (Gideon Holbrook and Mrs. Nancy Blackman): 3:1:3QHK-F31H-S1PL
- **(pass 5)** Gideon Holbrook: Training Green house, 1800-1817: 3:1:3QS7-L9Z7-RNQC ; 3:1:3QS7-L9ZW-36N6 ; will (fuller copy): 3:1:3QSQ-G97D-VD5L ; inventory 1842: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-JZSG ; Elisha's sale 1849: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-NZCK ; Gideon 2d's estate 1853: 3:1:3QS7-997D-48CQ ; Manomet deeds 1861: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-R4CP ; 3:1:3QS7-99Z7-RWBC ; widow's thirds 1865: 3:1:3QS7-89Z7-5WF5
- **(pass 5)** Will of Nancy Holbrook, 1860: 3:1:3QS7-997D-86QQ ; probate 1865: 3:1:3QS7-L97D-X8C9
**Pass 5 published sources**
- *Vital Records of Sandwich* (Kardell and Lovell, NEHGS 1996)
- *Mayflower Descendant* vols 6, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16 (Middleborough VR): https://archive.org/details/mayflowerdescendv6mass and companion volumes
- Thomas Weston, *History of the Town of Middleboro* (1906): https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofm00west_0
- D. Hamilton Hurd, *History of Plymouth County* (1884): https://archive.org/details/historyofplymout00hurd
- *Records of the Town of Plymouth* vols 1 and 3: https://archive.org/details/cu31924092203680 ; https://archive.org/details/cu31924092203706
- *Plymouth Church Records* (Colonial Society of Massachusetts 22-23): https://archive.org/details/plymouthchurchre22firs
- *The Churchill Family in America* (1904): https://archive.org/details/churchillfamilyi01chur
- G. H. Nye and F. E. Best, *A Genealogy of the Nye Family* (1907): https://archive.org/details/genealogyofnyefa00nyeg
- *Tercentenary Dedicatory Volume of the Tupper Family Association* (1939): https://archive.org/details/tercentenarydedi00tuppuoft
- *Mattapoisett and Old Rochester* (1907): https://archive.org/details/mattapoisettoldr01leon
- Adadourian, *"Dying, and, Behold, We Live"* (1899): https://archive.org/details/dyingandbeholdwe00adad
- V. J. Farrar, ed., "Diary of Colonel and Mrs. I. N. Ebey," *Washington Historical Quarterly* 7 (1916): https://journals.lib.washington.edu/index.php/WHQ/article/view/5490/4564
- Sibert Ancestry: Thomas Tupper, https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Aikens/T/Tupper/ThomasTupperSr.html ; Philip Delano, https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Howland/D/Delano/PhilippeDelano.html ; Peter Bennett, https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Howland/B/Bennett/PeterBennett.html
- WikiTree: Benjamin Nye, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Nye-6 ; Malachi Ellis, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellis-1122
- Brennan, Bosworth database (Lucia Bennett): https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cbrennan/genealogy/Bosworth/d0000/g0000011.html
- Wikipedia: Harlow Old Fort House, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlow_Old_Fort_House ; Benjamin Nye Homestead, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Nye_Homestead ; Philip Delano, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Delano
**Compiled and secondary**
- Frederick Freeman, *Freeman Genealogy* (1875): https://archive.org/details/freemangenealogy1875free
- Frederick Freeman, *History of Cape Cod* vol. 2 (1862): https://archive.org/details/historyofcapecod02free
- Alonzo Lewis and J. R. Newhall, *History of Lynn* (1865): https://archive.org/details/historyoflynness00lewi
- Mary Walton Ferris, *Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines* vol. 2 (1931): https://archive.org/details/dawesgatesancest00ferr_0
- William T. Davis, *Ancient Landmarks of Plymouth* (1899): https://archive.org/details/ancientlandmarks1899davi
- Amos Otis, *Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families* (1888 reprint), via https://minerdescent.com/2010/05/17/edmund-freeman
- R. C. Anderson et al., *The Great Migration* vol. II (2001), pp. 576-582 (not read directly; cited via WikiTree)
- Richard L. Bush, NEHGR 164 (2010):104-111 (summarised at https://sibertancestry.org/Alphabet/Harding/F/Freeman/EdmondFreeman.html)
- Pane-Joyce Genealogy: https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr01/rr01_240.html ; https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr03/rr03_188.html ; https://mathcs.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr06/rr06_331.html
- WikiTree: Freeman-92 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Freeman-92 ; Freeman-1212 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Freeman-1212 ; Ellis-20241 https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ellis-20241
- James Warren Gould, "History of Quakers on Cape Cod": https://capecodquakers.org/history/
- HMdb, Edmund Freeman Saddle and Pillion Burial Ground: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=120748
- Wikipedia, Edmund Freeman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_Freeman