Harrison Genealogy Repository

Notes

Ann applied for a Rev War Widow's Pension on the service of her first husband, John Cunningham, and she claimed that all of her former husbands were also in the Battle of King's Mountain.

Ann Craig, widow of James Craig who were in Carroll County TN when James died in 1828. She was there in 1840 on the Carroll County census and also listed on this 1840 census was a Thomas Craig. Do you have any info on him being related to this set of Craig's? I have a Thomas Craig b. abt 1806 TN on the 1850 Benton County Census with 2nd wife, Sarah Allen and 5 daughters. ^[S332]

Notes

Said in COBB-SEELY by John B. Cobb (d.1970) to have been born in 1615

in Canterbury, Eng. from whence he came to Dorchester, Mass in 1635.

THOMAS LINCOLN OF TAUNTON AND JOSEPH KELLOGG OF HADLEY AND 144 RELATED

COLONIAL FAMILIES by Ruth Lincoln Kaye, pub by Professional Printing

Co., Washington, D.C., 1973

p. 255 - ROBINSON

Name Origin: son of Robert

Family Origin: Canterbury, Co. Kent, England. It is claimed that

Robinsons were Saxon thanes before the time of William the Conqueror.

On October 14, 1637, 'William Robinson of St. Dunstan, Canterbury,

bachelor, about 21, married at Patrixbourne Margaret Beech, same

place, virgin of like age, daughter of Agnes Beech, alias Streeter,

now wife of Mr. Streeter of the same place'. This William Robinson was

our emigrant, who had gone to the colonies in 1635 and then returned

to marry and bring over his bride. It is more likely he was 27,

however, than 21. Worthy of note here is William's second marriage in

1665 to Ursula, widow of emigrant Stephen Streeter, who bears the same

name as that of the stepfather of Margaret Beech William's first wife,

undoubtedly showing a relationship that existed between the Robinsons

and Streeters in England. Further, Canterbury records show the

marriage of Margaret's mother: 'John Streeter of Fordwich, yeoman age

34, married Ann Beach of Hackington, widow, age 45c, 15 Dec. 1624'.

Ann and Agnes are interchangeable names of the day.

1. William Robinson (1609-1668) first came, according to Hotten

(Original Lists of Persons of Quality [passenger lists]) on the Mathew

in 1635 to Dorchester. He settled there and was a member of the church

in 1636, and in 1637 returned to England to marry Margaret Beech (d.

1664). (He was) Freeman in 18 May 1642; he belonged to the Ancient and

Honorable Artillery Company of Boston in 1643. He was town constable

1659. In 1651 he bought all of the estate of John Phillips of Boston,

for the sum of 150 pounds, showing he certainly had prospered at his

trade of corn miller. At death he was worth 435 pounds 12 shillings 6

pence.

A bit of information was recently brought to light by a direct

descendant of Bradford Robinson of Concord, who discovered this record

in Dorchester Church January 12, 1654: 'same daye William Robinson was

excommunicated for Laciviousnes upon the Accusation & witnes of mary

Atherton & her two daughters sister Holland Goodwiffe (_?_)ales Weekes

& Bates & ffor his obstinacie in not heareing the church haveinge

beffore admonished him.' This term covers a variety of offenses from

leering to lewd remarks to exciting lustful desires. William at age 45

seems to have been an earthy fellow, if the accusations are true,

though it must be said in all fairness that proof of the charges is

not in the church record. The same record shows that other women

admitted in church that they had lied on several matters. William not

having admitted his errors, we cannot be (say) fully for sure that he

was guilty. Fourteen years later, he died most terribly, as told in

the diary of Rev. John Eliot: 'William Robinson was drawn through by

cogwheel of his mill and was torn in pieces and slain.'

Controversy exists over the number of William Robinson's wives. Some

say there was a wife Prudence before Margaret, but the compiler does

not believe there was a Prudence. Origin of the confusion arises in

his will because of the ambiguity of wording in which he leaves ten

shillings to each grandchild 'excepting my sonn Increase eldest sonn,

that bears my name, and my daughter Prudence which beares my wives

name'. This was the section of the will dealing with bequests to

grandchildren, and his daughter Prudence had two children, named

Margaret and Prudence, one for William's wife Margaret Beech, and the

other for William's daughter Prudence, mother of the children. One

must interpolate the omitted worrd daughter, thus: 'my daughter

Prudence (daughter) which beares my wifes name'. But, to the literal,

it meant he had a wife named Prudence, whereas there is no factual

basis for believing in one.

William Robinson married (2) Aug. 21, 1666, Ursula Adams Streeter

Hosier (1619-79), twice widowed, having been married first to Stephen

Streeter, shoemaker of Gloucester whth whom she came to this country,

and to Samuel Hosier in 1657. Ursula Adams was the daughter of Henry

of Braintree; she was the great aunt of Samuel Adams, signer of the

Declaration of Independence; great aunt of John Adams, second

President of the United States; and great-great aunt of John Quincy

Adams, sixth President of the United States.

(It then lists his children as I have shown them)

Sources cited: (for the entire American ancestry of Mehitabel

Williams) Gen Ref A,B,C (5,16,18), D,F,J (1), N, O, Q

(6), R (I don't have the key to these references) The Pilgrim's

Republic by John Goodwin History of Hingham, pub. by the town Ancestry

of Richard and Frances Dighton Williams by C.C. Wms. Richard Williams

and the Cromwell Family by Drummond Williams Family by G. Williams, 3

vols. Ancestry of Edw. Blake and Clarissa Glidden by Sumner Genealogy

of Samuel Williams by J.H. Drummond Richard Williams of Taunton by C.

C. Williams Contributions Biographical, Genealogical, Historical by

Peirce Ancestors of Amyntas Shaw by I. Knowlton Old Colony Historical

Collections of Taunton.

WARNER HARRINGTON ANCESTRY, by Frederick Chester Warner, (LDS Film #

0186101), pub. in 5 vols. Boston, Mass, 1949.

GENEALOGICAL DICTIONARY OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF NEW ENGLAND by James

Savage, Vol. 3:

ROBINSON, William, Dorchester 1636, freeman 10 May 1642, artillerly

co. 1643, had Samuel, bapt. 14 June 1640; Increase, 14 Mar. 1642;

Prudence, 1643; and Waiting, 26 Apr 1646; and he d. 6 July 1668. His

will, though without date, was allowed 31 July following. It names,

beside his own offspring Mary Streeter, my wife's daughter. His widow

Ursula who had been widow of Samuel Hosier, as Stephen Streeter at an

earlier day, was not probably mother of these children, m. 15 July

1673, Griffin Crafts; and this fourth husband buried her, but supplied

his loss by another wife Prudence, m. John Bridge of Roxbury; and

Waiting m. Joseph Penniman of Braintree.