Category French Line
William Kelsey, my 9th great paternal grandfather, arrived in New England in 1632 and was one of the original founders (proprietors) of Hartford, Connecticut. He was a member of the Braintree Company (Congregation) and a follower of Reverend Thomas Hooker…. Continue Reading →
Bigod (Beget/Begatt/Beggett/Baggett) Eggleston was a man with a mysterious name, mysterious origins, and a mysterious marital history… One estimate suggests that Bigod Eggleston is the ancestor of more than 12 million Americans. Founders Series: Bigod Eggleston – Windsor Historical Society… Continue Reading →
The Episcopal Parish of St. Gabriel was organized December 14 1842. Its original members were Isaac Underhill, George Spalding, Fitch Bissell, John Spencer (my 2nd great-grandfather), Alonzo M. Smith, Quarles Bedorthy, Samuel Loomis and Henry A. Bliss. The corner stone… Continue Reading →
Eight U.S. Presidents (Barack Obama. George W. Bush, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, John Quincy Adams and John Adams) walked through this yard to attend classes at Harvard University. The oldest part, and center… Continue Reading →
This post highlights a few aspects of the remarkable life of my 8th great paternal grandfather, Rev. Increase Mather (1639-1723). Increase is considered an influential representative of American Puritanism in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in seventeenth-century New England. (Increase is… Continue Reading →
John Spencer French 1931 – 2014 First sail upon returning home from Korean War – Long Island Sound This photograph was in a box of slides that contained photographs he took while serving during the Korean War. I found it… Continue Reading →
In researching my family history, I have encountered brick walls, bits and pieces, and on occasion a wealth of material. The richest vein of information that I uncovered has been material on Horace and Abram French. Horace E. French, son… Continue Reading →
“The inhabitants are largely agriculturalists, and remarkably free from the evils of litigation.” Thus is the description of the residents of Bloomfield, Connecticut, including my ancestors, in 1836. Below are my posts on the Spencer/Eggleston family: Spencer Family – Hartford,… Continue Reading →
The following post highlights the skill and longevity of the work done by carvers of gravestones in New England. Below are gravestones of direct ancestors (French, Simonds, Eggleston, Goodwin, Shed, Davis, and Thompson) from my paternal line and Butler from… Continue Reading →
Jesse French is my 5th great paternal grandfather (p. 61) Jesse French came from Billerica in 1763, and owned and occupied the estate on Pearl Street, above referred to as the “Upton place.” He was born April 6, 1739. Little… Continue Reading →
