How Searching Google Books Led Me to More Goff Family Records
For the last several years part of my research has focused on Licking County, Ohio, about 30 miles east of Columbus. There my 3rd Great Grandfather, Abner Goff and his father, Daniel purchased 200 acres for $1,000 in 1813 after moving from Clarendon, Rutland, Vermont. In a search for “Abner Goff” in Google Books I [...]
William Sears Will – 1885 – Piscataquis County, Maine
On our recent visit to the Moosehead Lake area of Maine, I located the will of William Sears, father of Emily Sears Templeton, and my wife’s great-great grandfather. The will was executed in 1885, about three years before his death. William left eight of his nine surviving children one dollar each. The tenth child, [...]
The Biographical Notes of Nana
We recently had the opportunity to look through a drawer of ”memories” during a recent visit with Ruth’s uncle. One of the treasures was a spiral notebook written by Ruth’s great grandmother, Mabel Louise Hervey (1863-1960), wife of George Rogers Wales and mother of Susan Hervey Wales Rollason. The 30 plus pages of the spiral ring notebook start at [...]
John Kilborn (1651-1711) – a 300 Year Journey Back Home – a Tombstone Tuesday Post
300 years ago this week (November 25, 1711) John Kilborn, one of the founders of Glastonbury, CT died. According to a family history [1], John was instrumental in providing the land and building the parsonage for the first pastor, a requisite for establishing a new town. His father and grandfather arrived in Connecticut in 1635 [...]
Still Making Canoes at the Age of 76
During our recent trip to Moosehead Lake, Maine, we visited the Moosehead Historical Society in Greenville Junction. This was just a short walk from where Ruth’s mother grew up. Following an excellent guided tour we stopped in the office to see what they might have about the Templeton family. Several files! [...]
Memories from Kineo
Today the weather was perfect as we took Ruth’s mother, Ruth Templeton Rollason, back to Kineo, an island on Moosehead Lake in Maine where she lived all of her childhood summers. The shuttle captain loaned us his golf cart so that we could see the island. We had the best guide – Ruth’s mom [...]

Samuel Templeton – Deed to Eben Robbins 1854 Kirkland, Penobscot, ME

Sep 072012

Click on image to open document

At the Registry of Deeds for Penobscot County, Maine I also found a deed dated 4 Nov 1854 by which Samuel Templeton transferred property to Eben W Robbins for $1. This is the same 50 acres that Samuel purchased from his father, Adam for $400 18 years earlier. From the deed we see that Ebenezer Robbins is living on the property in Kirkland (now Hudson) Penobscot, Maine.

What’s the story? Eben W. Robbins married Samuel’s sister, Mary Ann Templeton. It is very likely that Samuel and Mary Ann’s mother, Barbra (Barbary) Templeton was living with the Robbins, since there is a record of her death in Hudson in 1859.

Note, too, that an Amiel Robbins was a witness to this transaction. Most likely this is the son of Amiel Robbins who died in this area in 1833. The questions are: Is Amiel Robbins the brother of Susannah Robbins, Samuel’s wife? Is Eben a brother as well? Food for thought and more analysis – a good subject for another post.

Amiel Robbins – d. 1833 Penobscot County, Maine

Templeton, Uncategorized No Responses »

Sep 062012

Click on image to see document

In the records of the Probate Court of Penobscot County, Maine I found this inventory of the estate of Amiel Robbins, who died, as stated here, on 20 July 1833, in Milton, Penobscot County. Why do I find this of interest? Ruth’s 2^nd great grandparents were Samuel Templeton and Susannah Robbins. We know that Samuel was the son of Adam Templeton, but to this point the family has not been able to identify the parents of Susannah. In the probate records Amiel Robbin’s wife’s name is listed as Susannah. Also of note is that Samuel and Susannah Templeton named a son Amiel.

The Amiel Robbins family was listed in the 1830 census in Boydstown, Penobscot, Maine, a household of 7 members with the male head between the ages of 50 and 59. Boydstown is now Orneville Township, located just south of Milo, Piscataquis, ME. This area of Penobscot County became part of the new Piscataquis County when it was created in 1838.

Adam Templeton – deed to son, Samuel – 1836

Templeton, Uncategorized No Responses »

Sep 052012

Click image to open pdf of deed

Having just returned from a wonderful vacation to Greenville, ME , we delight in the time we were able to spend with Ruth’s mother in the town where she grew up. I also had an opportunity to visit the courthouses in Bangor, Penobscot County and Dover-Foxcroft, Piscataquis County. Over the next several days I look forward to posting several of my discoveries, i.e. more pieces to the puzzle that makes the stories of our families.

At the Registry of Deeds in Bangor I found a deed from Adam Templeton to son Samuel dated 29 March 1836 for 50 acres of land in Kirkland (now Hudson), Penobscot, Maine. We also discover several additional pieces of information in the details:

Adam Templeton acquired this property on 31 Jan 1831 from Richard Lancaster as “fulfillment of certain payment.” This places Adam in the area by 1831. Since he appeared in the census of Swanville, Waldo, Maine in 1830, we can pinpoint the time of migration to Kirkland.
The deed is also signed by “Barbra” – Adam’s wife. Note: in most other documents we find Barabee.
The deed is witnessed by Charlotte Templeton, their daughter.
Samuel paid his father $400 for the piece of property.

Silas and Elizabeth Estabrooks – A Tombstone Tuesday Post

Stiles, Uncategorized No Responses »

Dec 272011

Along a country road just a few files north of Sackville, New Brunswick, lies the Midgic Cemetery, the burial place for many members of the Estabrooks family, including Silas and Elizabeth.

Silas and Elizabeth Estabrooks, Midgic Cemetery, New Brunswick

Silas Estabrooks, a farmer, was born in this area in 1811 and died February 20, 1895. His great grandfather, William Estabrooks, came to Canada from Rhode Island as a young boy with his mother and step father.

Elizabeth Trerice Estabrooks was born in 1817, daughter of Elisha Trerice and Anna. Elizabeth’s great-great grandparents, Samuel Porter and Remember Makepeace came to Nova Scotia from Lebanon, CT in 1761, part of the New England Planters (see description.)

Silas and Elizabeth’s daughter, Matilda Jane Estabrooks was the mother of Angie Stiles, Ruth’s grandmother.

Midgic Cemetery, north of Sackville in eastern New Brunswick

Harry Carl Templeton (1880 – 1968)

Continuing Quests, Surnames, Templeton No Responses »

Nov 172011

Several weeks ago I posted about my ongoing search for more of the story of Emma (Emily) Sears Templeton Jenkins. More detail on my search for Emma is found on this page which explains our search for the missing 53 years of of the story of my wife’s great grandmother. One of the tasks I listed was to request the Social Security application for a Harry Templeton, who was living with an Emma Templeton in Waterville, Maine in the 1900 census.

A copy of Harry’s SS Application arrived in today’s mail. Indeed Harry was a brother of Fred Templeton (my wife’s grandfather) since he lists his parents as Emma Sears and Frank Templeton. The Emma living in Waterville, Maine is indeed Fred’s mother.

From his WWI Draft Registration card we know that he was living in Wyoming in 1918. At the time of his Social Security application (1937) he was living in Sedona, AZ. He died and was buried in Yavapai County Cemetery on November 13, 1968 according to records found at the website of the Sharlot Hall Museum in Prescott, AZ (www.sharlot.org). There is no marker.

Another piece of the puzzle and a new member of the family. We hope that we can learn more about Harry’s life.

Job Lane House (1713) – Bedford, MA

Uncategorized, Wales No Responses »

Nov 042011

Job Lane (1689-1762)

On a sunny August Sunday afternoon in 2008, Ruth and I visited a home first built by Ruth’s 7^thgreat-grandfather, Job Lane (1689-1762). Located on the Old North Road, just north of

Job Lane House
Bedford, MA

Bedford, Massachusetts, the home was built by Job Lane for his bride, Martha Ruggles at the time of their wedding in 1713. Maintained by the Bedford Historical Society, the home is open for tours one Sunday each month. The original home was from the front door to the right. The left portion of the home was built more than one hundred years later.

The property for the home was part of a larger 1,500 acre parcel which Job Lane’s grandfather, Job Lane (1620 – 1697) was given as payment for building a home for the grandson of Governor Winthrop in New London, CT in 1664.

The house is maintained by Friends of the Job Lane House. More information and hours for tours can be found here. The Bedford Historical Society also maintains an extensive list of historical papers from the Lane family that can be viewed at http://www.bedfordmahistory.org/Lane%20Family%20Papers/index.html.
Job Lane’s son – Job Lane Jr. (1718-1796) was a private in the Bedford Company that marched to Concord on April 19, 1775 to defend against the attack by the British troops. Hit in the leg by a musket ball, Job Lane served only one day, but was a part of that historical step in our nation’s history. His wound left him crippled; some reports say that his leg was amputated. Fortunately he survived for another twenty-one years to see the fruits of the struggles – the birth of our new nation.

Job Lane. Jr’s great granddaughter, Abigail Kittredge Richardson, was the grandmother of George Rogers Wales. The line: George Wales; Susan Howard Rogers; Abigail Kittredge Richardson; Hannah Bacon; Hannah Lane; Job Lane, Jr; Job Lane. Many of these families are found back to the earliest of English days in towns such as Woburn and Billerica, MA.

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