Well, that was unexpected...except that it wasn't really
I finally went to the Mid-West Genealogical Center today. I don't know why I haven't been before because it's only about 5 min. away. I had ordered some books and they were all there ready to pick up so it was a perfect opportunity. I went early this morning (I got there just after 9am) and planned to spend a couple of hours and heading home before it got really hot. When I next checked the time it was 1:13. Oy! But it's not like I don't have a history of losing track of time in libraries. o.O
Actually I was supposed to pick up my brother for the day (delayed from last weekend due to intense heat) but this past week at work was a stressful bitch that I'm not going to talk about right now, so I begged off.
A couple of weeks ago, while climbing the family tree, I found that a direct ancestor through my paternal grandmother's line, Timothy Ford, was one of the original founders of the New Haven Colony (Connecticut) in 1638. This would have been interesting in its own right, (at least for a history geek) but then I found a map of the original town plan that showed where everyone lived, including Timothy Ford.
This fired my imagination.
The first thing I looked at today at the genealogy center where several books on microfiche. Two of them (inscriptions from tombstones in New Haven before 1800) were fruitless - most of the older tombstones were too eroded to read.
The one I spent the most time on was Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, from 1638 10 1649. Basically it's the written record of the legal goings-on, beginning from the original treaty and purchase of land from the Quinnipiac Indians in 1638, through 1649. I was prepared for some dry, dry research. But I gotta tell you, for a bunch of Puritans there was a hell of a lot of thieving, drunkenness, lechery and fornication going on. *G* I might actually want to buy this. It was fascinating to read through.
Apparently if you had the money you were fined, if you were among the poorer schmucks then you were whipped - sometimes 'severely whipped'. Three married women were accused of (at different times) and brought to trial, for, what I could discern was, basically gossiping.
I didn't have time to read it there so I made copies, of a man who seems to have been accused of fornicating with a sow, impregnating it so that one of her litter was 'a monster'. I just scanned through the text but the 'monster' was described in detail and apparently the man was executed. I'll fill you in later when I've read it.
Oh, those racy Puritans! ;)
Timothy Ford wasn't a rich man, but he wasn't a poor one either. He apparently was neither socially nor politically ambitious. His name appears a few times in the records. The first time is when he signs the agreement for the foundation of New Haven. In early 1640 (I forgot to write the date down - I'll get it next time) he and 2 other gentlemen are fined 1s each 'for trees wch they did fall disorderly'. Whether they were felling trees in a disorderly fashion or cutting down timber to which they had no right, I have no idea.
He appears among the list of what land was parceled out to whom. Again, not rich but not poor, either.
On Jan 4, 1643, Timothy, along with 18 others, were fined 1s each for 'late coming to trayne' (presumably for the local militia. At least he wasn't among the among the 3 who were fined 2s each for 'twice late coming'.
He was listed among the men who gave their oath of fidelity to the governor in 1644 when New Haven was absorbed by the colony of Connecticut.
On April 7, 1646: 'Timothy Ford was complayned of for his powder being short in waight & dusty & soe not serviceable as it ought to bee, was fyned 2s6d. (In case you can't decipher that it probably means that the gunpowder that he supplied for probably militia 'trayning' was too adulterated (eight intentionally or unintentionally) with dust, etc. to be useful.
There's a seating plan of a General Court held on March 10, 1646 showing the position of Timothy toward the back on the left with his wife 'Goody Ford' in a corresponding position on the women's side on the right.
On Ancestry.com, in Timothy's information, it says he was born in 1611 in New Haven, CT, but since New Haven wouldn't exist for 27 years, that's rather doubtful. I just ran across a tidbit in one of the books that I brought home that said he was in Massachusetts previous to New Haven, which probably means he didn't come over on the ship with the bulk of the pilgrims who founded New Haven. The ship landed in Mass. first where they stayed for a year or so before scouting out the perfect site for their 'haven'.
Sorry if this has bored the spit out of people, but being a history nerd and it being personal, I find it endlessly fascinating. After I exhaust the history of Timothy Ford, there's William Ripley, supposedly one of the original founders of Jamestown, VA. You know! A contemporary of John Smith and Pocahontas! But that's for later.
Actually I was supposed to pick up my brother for the day (delayed from last weekend due to intense heat) but this past week at work was a stressful bitch that I'm not going to talk about right now, so I begged off.
A couple of weeks ago, while climbing the family tree, I found that a direct ancestor through my paternal grandmother's line, Timothy Ford, was one of the original founders of the New Haven Colony (Connecticut) in 1638. This would have been interesting in its own right, (at least for a history geek) but then I found a map of the original town plan that showed where everyone lived, including Timothy Ford.
This fired my imagination.
The first thing I looked at today at the genealogy center where several books on microfiche. Two of them (inscriptions from tombstones in New Haven before 1800) were fruitless - most of the older tombstones were too eroded to read.
The one I spent the most time on was Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, from 1638 10 1649. Basically it's the written record of the legal goings-on, beginning from the original treaty and purchase of land from the Quinnipiac Indians in 1638, through 1649. I was prepared for some dry, dry research. But I gotta tell you, for a bunch of Puritans there was a hell of a lot of thieving, drunkenness, lechery and fornication going on. *G* I might actually want to buy this. It was fascinating to read through.
Apparently if you had the money you were fined, if you were among the poorer schmucks then you were whipped - sometimes 'severely whipped'. Three married women were accused of (at different times) and brought to trial, for, what I could discern was, basically gossiping.
I didn't have time to read it there so I made copies, of a man who seems to have been accused of fornicating with a sow, impregnating it so that one of her litter was 'a monster'. I just scanned through the text but the 'monster' was described in detail and apparently the man was executed. I'll fill you in later when I've read it.
Oh, those racy Puritans! ;)
Timothy Ford wasn't a rich man, but he wasn't a poor one either. He apparently was neither socially nor politically ambitious. His name appears a few times in the records. The first time is when he signs the agreement for the foundation of New Haven. In early 1640 (I forgot to write the date down - I'll get it next time) he and 2 other gentlemen are fined 1s each 'for trees wch they did fall disorderly'. Whether they were felling trees in a disorderly fashion or cutting down timber to which they had no right, I have no idea.
He appears among the list of what land was parceled out to whom. Again, not rich but not poor, either.
On Jan 4, 1643, Timothy, along with 18 others, were fined 1s each for 'late coming to trayne' (presumably for the local militia. At least he wasn't among the among the 3 who were fined 2s each for 'twice late coming'.
He was listed among the men who gave their oath of fidelity to the governor in 1644 when New Haven was absorbed by the colony of Connecticut.
On April 7, 1646: 'Timothy Ford was complayned of for his powder being short in waight & dusty & soe not serviceable as it ought to bee, was fyned 2s6d. (In case you can't decipher that it probably means that the gunpowder that he supplied for probably militia 'trayning' was too adulterated (eight intentionally or unintentionally) with dust, etc. to be useful.
There's a seating plan of a General Court held on March 10, 1646 showing the position of Timothy toward the back on the left with his wife 'Goody Ford' in a corresponding position on the women's side on the right.
On Ancestry.com, in Timothy's information, it says he was born in 1611 in New Haven, CT, but since New Haven wouldn't exist for 27 years, that's rather doubtful. I just ran across a tidbit in one of the books that I brought home that said he was in Massachusetts previous to New Haven, which probably means he didn't come over on the ship with the bulk of the pilgrims who founded New Haven. The ship landed in Mass. first where they stayed for a year or so before scouting out the perfect site for their 'haven'.
Sorry if this has bored the spit out of people, but being a history nerd and it being personal, I find it endlessly fascinating. After I exhaust the history of Timothy Ford, there's William Ripley, supposedly one of the original founders of Jamestown, VA. You know! A contemporary of John Smith and Pocahontas! But that's for later.