A Getchell Lineage

A Getchell Lineage
from Salem to St. Stephen
Curt Fredrikson

tracing the families of

Samuel Getchell (1) (c.1617-1697)
of England and Massachusetts Bay Colony

his son, Samuel Getchell (2) (c.1658-1710)
of Salisbury, Massachusetts Bay Colony

his son, Joseph Getchell (3) (born c.1692)
of Wells, Maine (Massachusetts Bay Colony)

his son, Joseph Getchell (4) (c.1726-c.1820)
of Wells, Scarborough, & Machias, Maine (Massachusetts Bay Colony)

his son, Benjamin Getchell (5) (1751-1824)
of Scarborough & Machias, Maine (Massachusetts Bay Colony)
and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada

and his son, Samuel Getchell (6) (c.1780-1868)
of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada

by
Curt Fredrikson of Renton, Washington
February, 1998

Introduction
(Read this; some of it might be important)

As I was wasting a substantial portion of my second trip to Maine and New Brunswick (1992) in archives and libraries futilely searching for the missing presumed first wife of my ancestor, Benjamin Getchell of St. Stephen, N.B., two realizations slowly occurred to me. The first was that, while there are many familiy histories involving the Getchell family, they involved virtually no original research, consisting, mostly, of copying from two sources. The first source was the family histories compiled by Addison Cole Getchell and Everett Lamont Getchell. The second source was two books by George Washington Drisko of Machias, Maine. The Getchells’ work seems pretty sound. Drisko’s, at least regarding the Getchell family, seems less so. In any event, the latest of these was published in 1909 and none is accompanied by documentation or cites sources. The second realization was that, uncomfortable though it may be, I seemed able to document the line that appears to have started in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636 with the immigrant, Samuel Getchell, and led to Benjamin Getchell of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, and his son, Samuel, at more times and places than anybody else and was, therefore, the world’s foremost authority on this lineage. Being as arrogant as the next person, I thought it time to compile what I have and give people something fresh to copy!

This Getchell lineage is, still, based heavily on the Getchells’ works cited above. Anything not otherwise noted may be assumed to have come from them. I have added other information from primary and secondary sources which is keyed, to the extent possible, to a list of references at the end of this monograph. I started my Getchell research when I was new to genealogy and my note-taking was not as sophisticated as is necessary. As a result, some source citations are not as complete as I would like them to be and a few have simply slipped through the cracks, for which I apologize. However, I thought it more important to do the best I can with what I have and get it into circulation rather than holding it back until flawlessly polished, it being useless to you as long as I hang on to it and the risk always being there that it might never get to the public at all.

I have, also, added the occasional unproven speculation, which I hope I have made distinguishable from factual material. Just because I have not had time to verify a speculation does not make it untrue and I provide such speculations in the hope that they may be proven or disproven by others while I work on other genealogical projects. I would hope that you would try to add something new to the work of myself and those on whose efforts my own are built. This document is not comprehensive. There is more to be done. One would be hard-pressed to find a part of the world with more records available than colonial Massachusetts. If you will turn up just one new document pertaining to this lineage, you will have paid your dues to be able to call yourself a researcher. Don’t settle for what I have done; build on it!

Some comments on what some of what you will see here means. Locations are stated in terms of modern governmental entities. Therefore, you must keep in mind that Maine was part of Massachusetts until 1819 and New Brunswick a part of Nova Scotia until 1783. Also be aware that, until 1753, the year in British lands started in March, so a reference to the ”first month” may, actually, mean March. It, also, means that a two month error may turn up occasionally, so be wary. Numbers enclosed in brackets, [ ], refer to sources found at the end. Numbers enclosed in parentheses, ( ), refer to the number of generations in a surname other than Getchell about which I have further information not included here. Letters enclosed in brackets refer to speculative tangents which would clutter up the narrative. These will be found in the Appendix. “b.” means born, “bp.” means baptized, “m.” means married, and “d.” means died. “ELG” refers to the Everett Lamont Getchell genealogy (included at end for reference).

Because my research only covers Getchells who are my ancestors, I do not have information about subsequent Getchell generations or about unrelated families in areas where “my” Getchells lived. Otherwise, let me know if I can help and how you do. Good luck with your quest!

1. SAMUEL

b. possibly at West Monkton (NE of Taunton), Somerset, England, c. 1617 [A]
m. DORCAS ________ (d. 12 Jan 1684/5, Salisbury, Mass.) by 1648
d. Nov 1697, Salisbury, Mass.

Samuel Getchell is said to have come with his brother, John, from England to Salem in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1636. He and John were taxed at Marblehead on 1 Jan 1637/8 and were granted a 6 acre lot on the Neck at Marblehead which was laid out on 14 Nov 1638 [1]. He was called “Samuel Gatchell of Marblehead” in a legal action brought by William Vincen at Salem 25 Jan 1641/2 [2, V4, P59] and sold his real estate, presumably at Marblehead, in 1644 [-]. Samuel is mentioned as a debtor in the probate of the estate of Geo. Pollard of Marblehead 31 Dec 1646 [2]. Samuel settled in Hampton, New Hampshire, buying from William Hunton a 5 acre house lot and a 2.5 acre upland lot. As the proprietor of a house lot, he was granted a 1/147 interest in the Hampton “cow common” on 23 Feb 1646/7 [31]. He later sold his “late dwelling house” and land to William Godfrey of Hampton, 17 May 1648 [2, V1], and settled at Salisbury, Mass., in whose records he is called a “planter”, the same year (ELG says 1647). The Salisbury records also indicate that he was a commoner, that he was taxed in 1650 and 1652, and that he received land in 1654 [3]. He traded 3 acres of marsh to Edward Cottle for 30 shillings worth of boards “after the new mill begins to saw” 29 Sep 1658 [2, V2, P114]. Samuel and his wife, Dorcas, transferred 9 acres of land in Salisbury to their daughter, Susannah, and her husband, Joseph Norton, 11 Apr 1665 [2]. This document indicates that both Samuel and Dorcas were illiterate, Samuel signing with a mark resembling an “A” and Dorcas with a mark resembling a “2”. In 1678, Samuel sued Saml. Fowler and, in 1680, he and Dorcas were associated with Mary Osgood and Philip Rowell and his wife, Sarah, in action against John Ring and Martha Lampson [4]. It is said [4] that Samuel’s wills of 2 Apr 1684 and 6 Oct 1697 named his wife and children. Presumably, this means that all are accounted for in the two wills combined as Dorcas is presumed to be dead long before 1697.

Children:
i. Susannah, b. before 1648 (possibly 10 Mar 1642 at Hampton, N.H.) ; m. 10 Mar 1662, Jos. Norton of Salisbury [2, V4]
ii. Priscilla, b. 26 Dec 1648 [2, V4, P13], Salisbury, Mass.; m. Solomon Ransford of Boston [4]
2 iii. SAMUEL

2. SAMUEL

b. 8 Feb 1658/9, Salisbury, Mass. (date given in [2] as 8 Feb 1657)
m. 27 Nov 1679, ELIZABETH (2) JONES, of Amesbury, Mass. (d. 24 May 1735)
d. 7 Jul 1710, Salisbury, Mass.
Samuel was a shipwright [4]. He was credited 23 Sep 1676 with £2 14s 6d for service in Capt. Jonathan Poole’s company which was stationed at Hatfield, Mass., during the winter of 1676-7 [24]. He was an apprentice of Thomas Mudgett in 1678 [3]. He may have been the Samuel Getchell against whom John March brought debt litigation in 1703 [25, P79].

Children [3 and ELG]:
   i. Elizabeth, m. c.1700 Joseph Quinby; both d. by 1737
   ii. Hannah, b. 30 Jan 1680/1; m. 5 Dec 1701 Isaac Colby of Amesbury (d. by 1737)
   iii. Moses, b. 15 May 1682; m. Judith ______; Soldier in Salisbury 1703; res. Salisbury 1719; res. N. Yarmouth, Me., 1734 [4], 1737; selectman at Harpswell, Me., in 1740 and died there [4]
   iv. Eleanor, b. 3 Oct 1683; d. soon
   v. Eleanor, b. 2 Nov 1684; m. 28 Aug 1703 Benoni Cilley of Salisbury; d. by 1737 (possibly 28 Jun 1735)
   vi. Dorcas, b. 8 Sep or Oct 1685 (ELG says “May (?)”), Salisbury; m.5 Oct      1710 Ebenezer Ayres of Newberry, Mass.
   vii. Mary (twin), b. 12 Apr 1687, Salisbury; m. John Drisco; res. Salisbury near “Gatchell Rock” 1719; res. “New Meadows”, near Brunswick, Maine, 1734 and 1737
viii. Samuel (twin), b. 12 Apr 1687; taxed at Berwick 1713, m. 9 Nov 1714      Elizabeth Nason at Berwick [4]; res. Berwick 1737, 1756
3 ix. JOSEPH
   x. Nathaniel; possibly m. Susannah Ladd; res. Haverhill 1736 & 1737; res. Wells, Me., 1737
   xi. Joanna, b. 22 May 1695 (ELG says 1699); m. Noah Barnes; res. Brookfield, Mass., 1737
   xii. John, b. c.1697 (ELG says between 1688 and 1692); m. c.1722       Elizabeth ______; res. Scarborough before 1736, “New Meadows”, near      Brunswick, 1737; Capt. in French and Indian War; d. 1771
   xiii. Robert, b. 13 Jul 1702; m. 3 Feb 1725 Ruth Jones; res. Brookfield, Mass. 1737 & 1742

3. JOSEPH

b. possibly 1692 or 1693, Berwick, Me.
m. EUNICE (3) HATCH

It is commonly accepted that Joseph was born in Berwick, but I know of no evidence supporting this and I have difficulty reconciling this with his father having, apparently, lived his entire life in Salisbury. However, Getchells appear to have been so scarce in the area when he was born that Samuel is the only reasonable candidate for Joseph’s father. Joseph is said to have been a pioneer settler in Wells by 18 Mar 1713/14. He is mentioned in a land sale record there dated 17 March 1722 [5]. He was, also, mentioned on another land transaction 14 Nov 1730 [6]. There was a formal land boundary agreement between him and Daniel Morrison 1 May 1740 [26]. His wife, Eunice, was a witness to a land transaction between her father, Samuel Hatch, and her brother, Benjamin Hatch, 20 Sep 1718 [7], and was named an heir in her father’s will, which was probated 16 Oct 1758 [8].

Children:
   4 i. JOSEPH
   ii. Peninah
   iii. Hannah, bp. 1 Nov 1730
   iv. Joshua, bp. 25 Aug 1734; m. 1756 Phoebe Gray of Wells
   v. Abel

4. JOSEPH

bp. 20 Jun 1726, Wells, Me. [9][B]
m. 17 Jul 1750, MARY, widow of Israel Mitchell of Brunswick, Me. [33][C], at     Scarborough, Me. [10]
d. c.1822, Machias, Me. [ELG]

Joseph held the civil positions of “field drier (?) and fence viewer” in Scarborough [17]. In 1759, he is said to have been a corporal in the Penobscot expedition against French Canada. In 1765, he was among the first settlers of Machias, Me., and signed the petition to the General Court of Massachusetts for a grant of a township of land there in 1769 [14, P29]. He is said [ELG] to have built the first sawmill in eastern Maine at Machias c.1768, but it seems certain that the earliest settlers had sawmills operating before Joseph’s arrival [32]. Drisko says that Joseph’s mill was near the outlet of Bowker’s Lake [29]. On 11 Sep 1771, John Berry of Machias sold to Joseph Getchell his 3/32 share in “the Mill Merry Meeting” for £12 [11]. If this is the same mill, it suggests that Joseph was a partner rather than the sole builder. This mill was located on the Middle River “about two mile (sic) from the head of the tide”.   On 24 May 1778, Joseph pledged £1 10s, to be paid in lumber, toward the support of the Rev. James Lyon [14, P142]. Half of Joseph’s interest in the mill, along with half of his real estate, including his residence “on the northeast side of the Middle River at the head of said river where the salt water flows” and half of his salt marsh and fresh meadows were given by Joseph to his son, Joseph, 28 Dec 1780. The senior Joseph signed the transfer document with an “X” [12]. On 1 Mar 1798, Joseph sold to his son, Joseph, 125 acres, apparently, the balance of his real holdings, for £150 (interesting that the value of a 1798 transaction was not denominated in dollars) [13]. No mention was made of the mill. However, on 6 Jul 1817, Joseph Getchell, “gentleman” (which suggests to me that this is the elder, retired Joseph and not his son who, in keeping with the practice of the time, should have been identified by his occupation) sold two parts of his homestead lot, on which he lived, to Marshall Getchell for $1,000 [13]. The signature of a Mary Getchell appears on this document, but it is not clear whether this was the former Mary Mitchell (who, supposedly, died in 1804), Joseph’s daughter, or somebody else.

   In 1775, in what is said to be the first naval engagement of the Revolutionary War, the British schooner, the Margaretta, was captured by a party of Machias men. Joseph was, apparently, an aggressive participant, as reports say he was the second boarder after the leader, Jeremiah O’Brien. [15] [D]. He is said to have later served in the Continental army [16], but I find it uncertain whether the service was his or that of his son, Joseph.

Children:
   5 i. BENJAMIN
   ii. Mary, bp. Scarborough 9 Feb 1754 [10]
   iii. Joseph, bp. Scarborough 8 May 1757 [10]

5. BENJAMIN

b. 2 Jul 1751, Scarborough, Me. [17]
bp. 4 Feb 1753, Scarborough, Me [10, P43]
m. 1. c.1772, ______;2. 26 Aug 1783, Mehitable Meserve d. 1804 [27], Machias, Me. [18]
d. St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada; buried 22 Sep 1824 [30]

Benjamin signed the petition to the General Court of Massachusetts for a grant of a township of land at Machias in 1769 [14, P30]. About 1779 [15], he moved to the bank of the Schoodic (now St. Croix) River in Nova Scotia (now St. Stephen, N.B.), where he was one of the first settlers and the ancestor of the inhabitants of what was first called the Getchell Settlement, then Mayfield, and is now part of St. Stephen. It is said that he was a private in the Continental army, but his move to Canada suggests Loyalist sentiments. This appears to be supported by a statement made in his name 29 Mar 1785 by Samuel Milbery to the Governor of New Brunswick that he left Machias “to avoid taking up arms against Great Britain” [19]. However, it must be noted that Benjamin was trying to favorably impress the authorities in order to receive a grant of land and this would sound favorable whether factual or not. I have not seen conclusive evidence matching him with a Benjamin Getchell in the Continental army. On 7 Sep 1792, he was granted (grant #263) the land he had settled on, this being the 86 acre lot #2 in the Nehemiah Marks grant in St. Stephen [20]. Benjamin sold his “High Marsh Lot #55” in Machias to his brother, Joseph, for £10 on 29 Sep 1790 [13, V2, P162], and sold a “thatch lot”, “#51 in O’Brien’s thatch bed, so called”, in Machias to Consider Drew of Machias for £3 on 11 July 1792 [13, V1, P498]. Benjamin was, at this time, a “yeoman” in St. Stephen. Benjamin was buried in the “Methodist New Chapel yard” which is now beneath the parking lot of the Kirk McColl United Church in St. Stephen [30].

It seems likely that his first three children were not parented with Mehitable Meserve, but the identity of their mother has not been found after an extensive search of Maine and New Brunswick records [E].

Children [27 & ELG]:
   i. Betsy, b. 6 Jul 1773, Machias, Me.; m. William Mabee
   ii. Jonas, m. Nancy Marpole
   6 iii. SAMUEL
   iv. Daniel Meserve, b. 24 Jun 1785; m. Elizabeth Grimmer (b. c.1786; d. 21 Dec   1880); lived in Lynnfield, N.B.; d. 6 Jun 1876
   v. Polly, m. William Mitchell
   vi. Susannah, b c.1796, m. John Leeman; d 8 Oct 1868, “aged 72 years,
    7 months” (gravestone inscription); buried in St. Stephen Cemetery.
   vii. David, d. Mirimichi, N.B.
   viii. Mehitable, m. John Holmes

6. SAMUEL

b. c.1780, Gouldsboro, Me. [21]
m. JANE (2) McDOUGAL of St. Stephen, N.B. (d. 3 Mar 1866 [21])
d. 22 Jan 1868, buried at St. Stephen Cemetery [21]

The claim that Samuel was born at Gouldsboro has not been corroborated by records gathered by the local historical society there [E]. During the early years of his marriage, he lived on a ridge north of St. Stephen where he built a log cabin [22]. He appears on an 1815 tax list, at which time he was taxed 3s 0d [23]. In 1817, he built a house in which his descendants lived until his great-granddaughter, Marion A. Getchell, died, and her sister, Bernice Getchell, deciding she could not take care of it on her own, sold it in 1981. It burned two years later. An 1841 tax list shows Samuel owning £200 of real property and £50 of personal property [-]. An 1843 tax list shows him owning £300 of real property and £50 of personal property [-]. The 1851 Charlotte County census lists Samuel, a farmer, and his wife, Jane, living in St. Stephen Parish with their infirm adult son, Horatio [28].

Children [27]:

   i. Ebenezer, b. 23 Jul 1806 [30]; m. Eliza Mabee (cousin); d 185-
   ii. ELIZABETH MABEE, b.1809; m. JAMES DILL (5) HALEY of St. Stephen,
    d. 13 Aug 1857 [21]
   iii. Horatio Nelson
   iv. William Mabee, b.1815; m. Harriet Louise Joye 14 Sep 1842 [22]; d. 1908
   v. Harrison David, m.1. Sarah Joye; m.2. Abigail Joye, sister of Sarah
   vi. Harriet Ann, b.1819; m. Samuel Joye; d. 1864
   vii. Mary Elida, b. 1823; m. Robert Joye; d. 1882

REFERENCES

[1]      The History of Salem, Massachusetts, Volume II, Sidney Perley, self-published, Salem, Mass., 1926
[2]      Old Norfolk County (Massachusetts) records as abstracted in the Essex Antiquarian (“V_” indicates Essex Antiquarian volume number)
[3]      Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury (Massachusetts), David Hoyt
[4]      Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, Noyes, Libby, and Davis
[5]      York Deeds, Book 17, Folio 72 (page 211)
[6]      York Deeds, Book 14, Folio 50 (page 166)
[7]      York Deeds, Book 11, Folio 167
[8]      Maine Wills 1640-1760, William M. Sargent, A.M., Brown, Thurston, & Co., Portland, Me., 1887 (Page 724)
[9]      Records of First Church of Christ, Wells, Me. (LDS film #0441450)
[10]     Records of First Congregational Church, Scarborough, Me. (LDS film #0012228)
[11]     Lincoln County Registry of Deeds, Wiscassett, Me., Book 8
[12]     Lincoln County Registry of Deeds, Wiscassett, Me., Book 16, Page 209
[13]     Washington County Register of Deeds, Machias, Me.
[14]     Memorial of the Centennial Anniversary of the Settlement of Machias, George Washington Drisko, 1863 (LDS Library #0962197)
[15]     Glimpses of the Past, James Vroom (LDS film #0862075; also available on film from the Provincial Archives of New Brunswick (PANB), Fredericton, N.B.)
[16]     “Roots of the Past” newspaper column published in Machias Union-Republican c.1935-1940, found in files of Porter Memorial Library, Machias, Me. Copy in possession of author
[17]     Transcript of Scarborough, Me. civil records (LDS film #0012221)
[18]     “Earliest Marriages Recorded in Machias copied by Rev. Chas. H. Pope of Kennebunkport from loose papers in the town clerk’s office”, source unknown, copy in possession of author.
[19]     “Petition-Samuel Milbery and four other old inhabitants on Scuddock River”
(PANB film)
[20]     Charlotte County, New Brunswick, land grant index (PANB film)
[21]     Burial records, St. Stephen Cemetery, St. Stephen, N.B.
[22]     A History of the Getchell Settlement-Mayfield, D.M.L. Dougherty, St. Stephen, N.B.   Copy in possession of author.
[23]     Tax list is part of George Stillman Hill papers at PANB. Copy in possession of author
[24]     Quoted in two secondary sources as being from the Massachusetts Archives, Volumes 68 and 69. One source also names Soldiers of King Philip’s War by George M. Bodge, page 260.
[25]     Index to York County Court of Common Pleas and Sessions, 1695-1750 (Page 79), Maine State Archives, Augusta, Me.
[26]     York County Deeds (County Courthouse, Alfred, Me.), V121, P267 extracted in Downeast Ancestry before June, 1990.
[27]     Getchell genealogy, Marion A. Getchell, St. Stephen, N.B., Jan., 1976 (PANB film) [F]
[28]     1851 Charlotte County, N.B. census, page 85 (transcribed by PANB, transcript page 255)
[29]     Narrative of the Town of Machias, George Washington Drisko, Press of the Republican, Machias, Me., 1903
[30]     Records of McColl Methodist Church (PANB film #F23)
[31]     History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire, Volume II, Joseph Dow, Salem Press Publishing and Printing Company, Salem, Mass., 1893
[32]     Historical Account of Machias, Maine, typewritten transcript of a c. 1825 manuscript by Stephen Jones (b. c. 1738); copy at Porter Memorial Library, Machias, Me.; Thanks to Gerald F. Gower, Raymond, Me.
[33]     Maine Probate Abstracts, Frost, pp. 329 & 346; Thanks to Gerald F. Gower, Raymond, Me., and Joseph C. Anderson II, Dallas. Tex.
[-]        Source information lost; author feels inept!

APPENDIX

[A] The prospects of documenting Samuel Getchell in West Monkton appear unpromising. The librarian of the Local History Library in nearby Taunton says that, while there is a graveyard at West Monkton of sufficient age, the gravestones are, generally, too worn to be helpful. He also advises that the rectory burned in 1710, destroying the original records. I have seen the microfilms of the bishop’s transcripts of these records. They are fragmentary, with a span of about ten years starting in 1608 represented only by a single, faded, illegible (at least on film) page. On the other hand, there are wills known from Somerset Gatchells in the early 17th century and from West Monkton Gatchells a century later, so a West Monkton origin is plausible.

[B] Drisko [29] claims that Joseph Getchell was born in Hull, England. While this cannot be excluded, it seems a bit of a stretch when it appears convincing that his parents were colonial natives.

[C] Although the author does not have suitable documentation to support the conclusion yet, the obvious possibility is that Mary Getchell was the former Mary Berry, who married Israel Mitchell at Scarborough in 1730. That she would be a bit aged for childbearing by 1751 and later seems a legitimate enough concern that leaping to the obvious conclusion may be a poor idea.

[D] To dilute some of the hyperbole surrounding this event, I point out that the Margaretta displaced about 100 tons, while a full-sized warship like H.M.S. Victory, Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar a quarter-century later, displaced about 2,000 tons. On the other hand, the bullets and grenades Joseph faced were quite real, regardless of the size of the prize.

[E] It is worth considering that Benjamin’s first wife may have been from a Gouldsboro family and may have been left behind, pregnant with Samuel, in the care of her relatives while he went ahead to pioneer in the St. Stephen area. Gouldsboro families worthy of consideration are the Ash and Joye families. The Joyes are of particular interest, as they, later, moved to St. Stephen and several times intermarried with the Getchells. Vroom [15] alleges the existence of a land grant application in the Arthur M. Hill papers which stated that Samuel and his brother, Jonas, were born at or near St. Stephen.

[F] Marion A. Getchell was born at the turn of the century and died c.1980, living her life in the St. Stephen area. Although her genealogy is unaccompanied by documentation or references, she is the closest thing available to a “reporter on the scene”. While her work is not in a class with documentary evidence, the time and place of her life put her in a position to have access to information that may appear in no documentary record.

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