Susan Ransom wrote: > I have found, at the Library of Virginia, a Thomas > who served as a Colonial soldier and was killed in the > "Indian War" in 1779 [snip] The reference is undoubtedly to Gen. John Sullivan's expedition up the Mohawk River Valley against the Iroquois in 1779. See http://members.aol.com/mhecht7725/FRONTENAC/cayugas.html or google for "Sullivan's expedition" + Revolution Chris |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Christopher Brooks BROOKS Families of New England http://www.tributaries.org ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Hello, Well, am trying a long shot and an end run here in another attempt to find my Reuben Brooks b. 1790. Below is what little I have on a Lanson "Lonson" BROOKS b. 1796 in VT. He may have somehow been an acquaintance of, cousin, or even a brother to my Reuben BROOKS, or none of the above. the fact shown below that he was a resident of Berlin Twp., Erie County, OH in 1850 along with two sons of my Reuben, Absalom and William, and the fact that he was born six years after Reuben, and in VT, with prior CT roots gives me some small element of hope... Lanson's Father, Ebenezer Bunnel BROOKS was b. in Wallingford, CT in 1759, but more interestingly, died in 1796, the same year all of his children were baptised! Whether before of after his death, I don't know. Also, the actual birth dates of the children seem to be missing along with at least one son refered to as just BROOKS??? Hopefully, Chris, or a lister will be able to sort all of this out, and something positive will emerge. Hopefully, also, the three pieces of this: birth, marriage, and census, are all of the same person??? Notice also the John W. BROOKS in the census; haven't even started on him yet?? Dave, in wet Michigan Descendants of Ebenezer Bunnell BROOKS - 14 AUG 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First Generation 1. Ebenezer Bunnell BROOKS1,2 was born on 20 JUL 1759 in Wallingford, New Haven County, CT. He was born on 20 JUL 1759 in Wallingford, New Haven County, CT. He died in 1796. He has Ancestral File Number 19L0-TT0. Ebenezer Bunnell BROOKS and Mehitabel SMITH were married on 1 JAN 1783 in Cheshire, New Haven, Conn. Mehitabel SMITH2 (daughter of John SMITH and Mary COOK) was born on 28 APR 1761 in Wallingford, New Haven County, CT. She has Ancestral File Number 19L0-V3L. Ebenezer Bunnell BROOKS and Mehitabel SMITH had the following children: +2 i. Lanson (Lonson) BROOKS (born about 1796). 3 ii. BROOKS2 was born in 1796. He was christened on 24 JUL1796 in Cheshire, New Haven, Conn. He has Ancestral File Number 19L0-TWD. 4 iii. Vergil BROOKS2 was born in 1796. He was christened on 24 JUL 1796 in Cheshire, New Haven, Conn. He died on 23 MAY 1806. He has Ancestral File Number 19L0-TXL. 5 iv. Ebenezer B. BROOKS2 was born in 1796. He was christened on 24 JUL 1796 in Cheshire, New Haven, Conn. He has Ancestral File Number 19L0-TZS. 6 v. Ursula BROOKS2 was born in 1796. She was christened on 24 JUL 1796 in Cheshire, New Haven, Conn. She died on 15 JUN 1807. She has Ancestral File Number 19L0-V00. 7 vi. Rebecca BROOKS2 was born in 1796. She was christened on 24 JUL 1796 in Cheshire, New Haven, Conn. She died on 19 MAY 1816. She has Ancestral File Number 19LK-H48. Second Generation 2. Lanson (Lonson) BROOKS (Ebenezer Bunnell-1) was born about 1796 in Cheshire, New Haven County, CT. He was christened on 24 JUL 1796 in Cheshire, New Haven County, CT. He appeared in the census in 1850 in Berlin Twp., Erie County, OH. End of BROOKS-NE-D Digest V02 Issue #142 1850 Census index of Berlin Twp., Erie County, OH. BROOKS, Abigail b: [c1817 in NY ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.471 w/fam.299 BROOKS, Absalom b: [c1814 in NY ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.470(b) @fam.299 BROOKS, Albert b: [c1842 in OH ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.466(b) w/fam.227 BROOKS, John W. b: [c1798 in VT ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.460 @fam.132 BROOKS, Lanson b: [c1796 in VT ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.460 @fam.125 BROOKS, Mary b: [c1820 in NY ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.466 @fam.226 BROOKS, William b: [c1817 in NY ] d: [after 1850 ]; in census 1850 Ohio: Erie Co., Berlin Twp. pg.466 @fam.227 Dave, in very humid PA, goofle@zoominternet.net ==== BROOKS-NE Mailing List ==== BROOKS-NE-L@rootsweb.com --------------------------------------- IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0 North America Lanson Brooks Male Event(s): Christening: 24 JUL 1796 Of, Cheshire, New Haven, Connecticut Parents: Father: Ebenezer Bunnell Brooks Mother: Mehitabel Smith Film Number: 177917 Page Number: 1156 Reference number: 44581 © 1999-2002 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Lanson (Lonson) BROOKS and Mary SMITH were married on 8 MAY 1834 in Geauga County, OH. IGI Individual Record FamilySearch™ International Genealogical Index v5.0 North America LONSON BROOKS Male Marriages: Spouse: MARY SMITH Marriage: 08 MAY 1823 , Geauga, Ohio Source Information: Batch No.: Dates: Source Call No.: Type: Printout Call No.: Type: M514291 1806 - 1842 0873461 V. A-C Film NONE Sheet: 00 © 1999-2002 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Prepared by: Dave Felzke davefff@comcat.net Sources 1. GEDCOM file submitted by Howard Austin, hbaustin@mn.rr.com. Created on 22 Apr 2003. Imported on 11 Jun 2003. Married 1 Jan 1782 to ?. 2. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998).

Hi, Quite some time ago I posted looking for my Brook connections and still haven't found them, so i figured to try again... Joseph Brooks (29 Mar 1831 - 12 Sep 1899 ) Born in England, died in Providence, RI His death record confirms his parents names, George Brooks and Alice UNKNOWN. Joseph married another BROOKS (yes rather incentuous sounding huh ?) by the name of Eurana/Urana/Urania and possibly (based on census records Lurena). Eurana Brooks (abt 1837 - pre1899) Born in Maine, assumedly died in RI Parents names based on Census records were Benjamin Brooks (b.abt 1804) and Mary UNKNOWN (b. abt 1810). Benjamin and Mary also had 3 other children at least: Reuben (abt 1831), Alonzo (abt 1839) and Mary (abt 1841). According to the 1850 census, they were farmers. Benjamin and Mary Brooks, ages 55 and 50, live with their son Alonzo, daughter Mary, and a child Sarah A in the 1860 census. In the 1870 census Benjamin and his wife Mary, ages 66 and 58, appear in the Norridgewook, Somerset, ME census on page 86. Both were born in ME, he working as a farmer and she keeping house. They live next door to their son, Alonzo Brooks, and his family. There is an IGI record (which I know is horrifically unverified) of Eurana and Joseph getting married in Lewiston Maine on 23 Feb 1855. Here are some census clues for Joseph and his wife Eurana: 1860 - Joseph and Lauraanna Brooks, ages 27 and 26, appear in the Census for Saco, York, ME, p.66. Their daughter Clara E. is less than a year old. Joseph is an operator in a mill. Clara E is my gg grandmother so I am rather positive this is them. 1880 - There are two listing for a Joseph and Lurana Brooks in the 1880 Rhode Island US census. The one for Joseph as a machinist lists a daughter Leslie, age 5 born in Massachusetts. The second listing shows Joseph as a foreman of a jewerly store, and lists a son George, age 15. The latter may be Joseph D. Brooks, according to city directories, and he is NOT the relative I believe I an chasing. The other Joseph Brooks IS the one I an seeking and according to the US Census for Providence, RI, he was a machinist, married to Lurena Brooks with a daughter Leslie. The appear on page 121C. Ok...I am hoping perhaps this falls into the lap of someone that has a connection here. I look forward to any help in identifying (a) how they tie into the Brooks branches you all have, and (b) obviously more about Joseph, Eurana, and each of their Brooks parents. Thanks Dale

Passing this along from Susan Ransom, who sent it to the list before I had a chance to process her subscription. The reference is to "Why I'm a Doubtin' Thomas," one of Carol Pullen-Reynolds's web pages at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brooks/NYBROOKS.htm, and Susan's comments are really addressed to Carol. Chris Christopher Brooks, List Administrator: ============================================ BROOKS-NE-L (Brooks Families of New England) at RootsWeb.com ============================================ Hi, I'm very interested in any information on Thomas Brooks, born about 1700, and his ancestry. I much enjoyed your article "Why I'm a Doubtin' Thomas". I too am dissatisfied with the evidence available, although I have not done near as much investigation as you seem to have done. I have not been researching this line long (Thomas was my ancestor) but I have found, at the Library of Virginia, a Thomas who served as a Colonial soldier and was killed in the "Indian War" in 1779, leaving a widow Mary and 5 children, not named. Per the DAR, there were at least 13 Thomas Brookses in the Revolution. I would appreciate your help, and hope this small bit of information is of use to you. Susan Brooks Ransom suunie@earthlink.net

Dear Chris and List, I found the John Brooks' House on the National Register of Historic Places (see below). However, it is not vacant as the register reads, the caretaker of the museum has lived in the upstairs portion for 20 years. I found an article in the NY Times dated April 8, 1984 which stated the house was in process of being restored and classes related to colonial times would be scheduled in the house. Guess that never happened when the museum decided to change themes. I will get in touch with the executive director next week, she is due to return from a family emergency on Tuesday. Fondly, Jeanne Brooks, Capt. John, Sr., House ** (added 1975 - Building - #70000738) 199 Pembroke St., Bridgeport Historic Significance: Architecture/Engineering Architect, builder, or engineer: Curtiss,John Architectural Style: Other Area of Significance: Architecture Period of Significance: 1750-1799 Owner: Private Historic Function: Domestic Historic Sub-function: Single Dwelling2 Current Function: Vacant/Not In Use

Dear Chris and List, Yes, Chris, I will definitely type up the handwritten record and post it to the list. It's only four or five pages but guess what? According to this record, Rev. Nathan Birdseye didn't have 6 children, he had 12! Lord have mercy... Fondly, Jeanne

Kathy Chiappetta wrote: > Very interesting, Chris! After mentioning "Beardsley", I > started reading about Clarence Birdseye on the Birdseye website > (lots of mergers and acquisitions with that company!!). However > you arrived at the point I might have gotten to by next week!! I went straight to "About Our Founder." :-) Question: Since the product name is pronounced "bird's eye," and the website bio has the story about the medieval ancestor shooting a hawk through the eye, does that mean that the personal name was actually pronounced "bird's eye?" Hi, I'm Frank Johnson. Pleased to meet you, I'm Bird's Eye Brooks. ????? Does anyone know a Birdsey/Birdseye personally? Or an accomplished researcher of this surname? Chris

It is indeed sad, though hardly unusual, to hear of the plight of Capt. John's papers and belongings. Discovery Museum president Paul Audley wrote me, back in March 2003: > The Discovery Museum collection includes the Captain John > Brooks house and estate. This includes a wonderful 1787 home, > period furnishings (thru Victorian), many photographs, > documents, 3 bibles and a treasure trove of "stuff." We're > hoping for some help in getting a start on locating any > remaining heirs. [snip] Mabel Francis Wilder inherited the > property from her uncle, John, as a life estate, and left it to > the museum in her will (as required by Capt. John). Discovery > has had the property since 1959. > John5 has a clear descendent line to the donor of the > collection at we have at the museum. You are welcome to send > someone (or come yourself) to review them. It is a treasure > trove of old photographs, family record, correspondence, > bibles, etc. > John5 and Polly had 6 children, including 2 Johns (one died at > age 3). We follow the fifth child, Birdsey, to our eventual > donor, Mabel Francis Wilder. Our donor received the estate from > her uncle, John Brooks, a sea captain. > Thanks for your help on this. It will be important to the > museum to be able to locate the heirs and determine the future > of this great collection. I suspect the last paragraph means that they were hoping to find a direct descendant who would fund preservation and perhaps display of the Brooks items. Mr. Audley thanked me profusely in writing for furnishing the donor's ancestry, but the above invitation to "send someone or come yourself" was as close as I got to even a rough inventory of the collection. I didn't realize that the house was slowly deteriorating out back. I spent several years at the New England Ski Museum, and recall a Saturday morning when I was on duty alone when a visitor walked in the door and offered us a collection of the "Annalee" line of dolls connected with skiing. The collection consisted of not only production items but conceptual and production mockups and stuff like that, and was being offered by the company namesake and founder herself. I got all excited and called the executive director at home, whose response was, "Are they offering any money to pay for its upkeep?" We turned the offer down without even looking at the collection. Mr. Audley's name no longer appears on the museum website. But it certainly wouldn't hurt if you and other descendants in this Fairfield County Brooks line were to email the current executive director of the museum and share your hopes that they can find a way to archivally preserve and display at least the paper documents in this collection — or, failing that, that the Discovery Museum could gift or even sell them to an institution which could provide archival storage, cataloguing, and eventually access. [Connecticut State Library? Godfrey Museum?] As for the 1787 house … perhaps sale or gift to a local or regional preservation group? Linda Malkin, Executive Director malkin@discoverymuseum.org Discovery Museum and Planetarium home page: http://www.discoverymuseum.org/index.html Thanks for the legwork and update, Jeanne. Chris |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Christopher Brooks BROOKS Families of New England http://www.tributaries.org |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Jeanne Jain wrote: > Capt. John Brooks (5f), John (4f), John (3f), Benjamin > (2f), John (1f) > > Well, I also visited the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport > on Wednesday. I have good news and bad news. First the > bad news: Capt. John Brooks' house which was willed to > and moved to the museum grounds from Pembroke St., East > Bridgeport is not at all an exhibit attached to the > museum, in fact it is found in the woods behind the > museum. It doesn't look too bad from the outside, > although a bit overgrown, but the inside is in very bad > shape. There are a few pieces of his furniture inside > but everything is dirty and only partially covered with > sheets, etc. I was very disappointed as I expected to > see something quite different. > > The good news is the children's museum, which at one time > was an art, science and industry museum, has a wealth of > Brooks' genealogical information and antiques. Although > all of Capt. John Brooks' personal effects are packed > away in boxes in a closet, it doesn't seem like they will > be exhibited any time soon. I was not able to get copies > of any of the documents as the staff member assisting me > was afraid light would further deteriorate the already > fragile documents I was interested in. However, he did > give me a copy of all the inventory sheets regarding the > John Brooks Collection. Some of the more interesting > items are: Two Family Bibles, one of which includes a > certificate of Thaddeus Beecher's donation to the Lincoln > Monument in Illinois and an engraving of the minister who > performed the marriage of Capt. John Brooks to Mary > (Polly) Coe, numerous photographs of Capt. John Brooks > and other Brooks family members, Capt. T. Beecher and > other Beecher and Wilder family members, Sea > Journals, numerous letters, several pieces of China Trade > Porcelain, copper Lustreware Pitcher, Liverpool ware > water pitcher, the giant key to his house, a document > signed by President James Madison and Secretary of State > James Monroe appointing Josiah Burr as Principal > Assessor, and lastly, a record of the Birdsey family > written in pencil on composition book paper. I did manage > to convince the staff member to give me a copy of the > Birdsey family record because it appeared rather stable. > However, when he went to copy it, the book began to fall > apart so although I didn't get all of the pages, I did > get most of it. Anyway, he agreed to either let me come > back to take photographs of the documents I want or > perhaps they could do it for me. But first he wants to > consult with someone who is familiar with the > preservation of documents before that can be done. > > I left there feeling sad that all these wonderful pieces > of history were packed away in a closet. Although most, > if not all, of the articles were gifted to this museum, > in my opinion, they should be properly displayed or > perhaps given to another museum for safekeeping.

Very interesting, Chris! After mentioning "Beardsley", I started reading about Clarence Birdseye on the Birdseye website (lots of mergers and acquisitions with that company!!). However you arrived at the point I might have gotten to by next week!! Thanks! Kathy (Hartford County, CT and brought up in Fairfield County) At 02:40 PM 8/13/2005 -0400, Christopher Brooks wrote: >Jeanne Jain wrote: > > > The handwritten in pencil record at the Discovery Museum > > does not read "Birdsey" but instead reads "Birdseye". I > > have seen it spelled both ways, but does anyone know if > > this Connecticut family is related to the frozen food > > giant's family? > >"The Birdseye family in America had its origin in John Birdseye, >who came from England to Stratford, Fairfield County, Conn., in >the early days of that colony ... and died in 1694, aged >seventy-four ..." ["The Empire State in Three Centuries," v. 3, >Century History Company. USGenWeb Oneida County, NY pages, under >Bios, Rufus Pomeroy Birdseye"] > >Dorothy/5 Birdsey married John/4 Brooks, Jr., father of Capt. >John/5 of Bridgeport. And yes, it's often to usually spelled >Birdseye, though I assume pronounced Birdsey, which is the way >I've been spelling it. However, the frozen food tycoon spelled it >the old way, so I guess I'll have to change my spelling. > >http://www.birdseyefoods.com/corp/about/clarenceBirdseye.asp >"Clarence Birdseye, Father Of Frozen Food" > >After consulting my well-used ouija board, some time back I added >Dorothy/5 Birdsey's ancestral line to John/1Birdsey at the >Tributaries web site. :-) > >Within the Brooks surname in New England, I know of > >* Birdsey/6, son of Capt. John/5 and Polly Coe (Fairfield County >line) > >* Birdsey/7, son of Asaph/6 and Abigail Hatch in the Cheshire >line > >* Birdsey, line unknown, b. 1783 at Goshen, CT to Joseph and >Amanda Brooks > >Thanks, Jean, for a fun and productive query. May we look forward >to a transcription of the m.s. you copied? > >Chris > > > > > > > >==== BROOKS-NE Mailing List ==== >To unsub, send ONLY the word UNSUBSCRIBE to > BROOKS-NE-L-request@rootsweb.com >or BROOKS-NE-D-request@rootsweb.com

Jeanne Jain wrote: > The handwritten in pencil record at the Discovery Museum > does not read "Birdsey" but instead reads "Birdseye". I > have seen it spelled both ways, but does anyone know if > this Connecticut family is related to the frozen food > giant's family? "The Birdseye family in America had its origin in John Birdseye, who came from England to Stratford, Fairfield County, Conn., in the early days of that colony ... and died in 1694, aged seventy-four ..." ["The Empire State in Three Centuries," v. 3, Century History Company. USGenWeb Oneida County, NY pages, under Bios, Rufus Pomeroy Birdseye"] Dorothy/5 Birdsey married John/4 Brooks, Jr., father of Capt. John/5 of Bridgeport. And yes, it's often to usually spelled Birdseye, though I assume pronounced Birdsey, which is the way I've been spelling it. However, the frozen food tycoon spelled it the old way, so I guess I'll have to change my spelling. http://www.birdseyefoods.com/corp/about/clarenceBirdseye.asp "Clarence Birdseye, Father Of Frozen Food" After consulting my well-used ouija board, some time back I added Dorothy/5 Birdsey's ancestral line to John/1Birdsey at the Tributaries web site. :-) Within the Brooks surname in New England, I know of * Birdsey/6, son of Capt. John/5 and Polly Coe (Fairfield County line) * Birdsey/7, son of Asaph/6 and Abigail Hatch in the Cheshire line * Birdsey, line unknown, b. 1783 at Goshen, CT to Joseph and Amanda Brooks Thanks, Jean, for a fun and productive query. May we look forward to a transcription of the m.s. you copied? Chris

Jeanne, I don't know the context of the note, but I'm wondering if it's really "Beardsley". There's a wonderful Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport, which is most likely named after the Beardsley family. I'm not sure if Rootsweb will accept a website link, but do a search for Beardsley Zoo and that will give you the site. They have 2 baby tigers, that were born in April. Kathy At 07:46 AM 8/13/2005 -0700, Lois Jeanne Jain wrote: >The handwritten in pencil record at the Discovery Museum does not read >"Birdsey" but instead reads "Birdseye". I have seen it spelled both ways, >but does anyone know if this Connecticut family is related to the frozen >food giant's family? > >Jeanne Jain > > >==== BROOKS-NE Mailing List ==== >Is the subject line current? Is it relevant >to your question?

Jeanne Jain wrote: > I may be the only one working on this line [snip] Well, I'm working on it too, though not with the same personal connection which I'm sure you bring to bear on it. > I located Pine Island Cemetery in South Norwalk in a > desolate area behind Mathew Lockwood Mansion at Norwalk > State Heritage Park. Good work, and thanks for sharing the inscriptions. Chris

The handwritten in pencil record at the Discovery Museum does not read "Birdsey" but instead reads "Birdseye". I have seen it spelled both ways, but does anyone know if this Connecticut family is related to the frozen food giant's family? Jeanne Jain

Capt. John Brooks (5f), John (4f), John (3f), Benjamin (2f), John (1f) Well, I also visited the Discovery Museum in Bridgeport on Wednesday. I have good news and bad news. First the bad news: Capt. John Brooks' house which was willed to and moved to the museum grounds from Pembroke St., East Bridgeport is not at all an exhibit attached to the museum, in fact it is found in the woods behind the museum. It doesn't look too bad from the outside, although a bit overgrown, but the inside is in very bad shape. There are a few pieces of his furniture inside but everything is dirty and only partially covered with sheets, etc. I was very disappointed as I expected to see something quite different. The good news is the children's museum, which at one time was an art, science and industry museum, has a wealth of Brooks' genealogical information and antiques. Although all of Capt. John Brooks' personal effects are packed away in boxes in a closet, it doesn't seem like they will be exhibited any time soon. I was not able to get copies of any of the documents as the staff member assisting me was afraid light would further deteriorate the already fragile documents I was interested in. However, he did give me a copy of all the inventory sheets regarding the John Brooks Collection. Some of the more interesting items are: Two Family Bibles, one of which includes a certificate of Thaddeus Beecher's donation to the Lincoln Monument in Illinois and an engraving of the minister who performed the marriage of Capt. John Brooks to Mary (Polly) Coe, numerous photographs of Capt. John Brooks and other Brooks family members, Capt. T. Beecher and other Beecher and Wilder family mem! bers, Sea Journals, numerous letters, several pieces of China Trade Porcelain, copper Lustreware Pitcher, Liverpool ware water pitcher, the giant key to his house, a document signed by President James Madison and Secretary of State James Monroe appointing Josiah Burr as Principal Assessor, and lastly, a record of the Birdsey family written in pencil on composition book paper. I did manage to convince the staff member to give me a copy of the Birdsey family record because it appeared rather stable. However, when he went to copy it, the book began to fall apart so although I didn't get all of the pages, I did get most of it. Anyway, he agreed to either let me come back to take photographs of the documents I want or perhaps they could do it for me. But first he wants to consult with someone who is familiar with the preservation of documents before that can be done. I left there feeling sad that all these wonderful pieces of history were packed away in a closet. Although most, if not all, of the articles were gifted to this museum, in my opinion, they should be properly displayed or perhaps given to another museum for safekeeping. Fondly, Jeanne Jain

Dear List, I may be the only one working on this line but here's what I have found on my travels in Connecticut on Wednesday: I located Pine Island Cemetery in South Norwalk in a desolate area behind Mathew Lockwood Mansion at Norwalk State Heritage Park. Although the cemetery is part of the historic park, it is only accessible through the back road to the city dump of all things. There are two entrances just wide enough for one car and no road to speak off, you have to drive on the grass and hope you don't run over anyone's grave. It was extremely secluded and I ventured forth with great trepidation. Most of the stones were so old and worn I could barely read the names. At first I didn't recognize any familiar names but decided I would take a deep breath, be brave and check out the graves in the farthest corner of the cemetery. Lo and behold, there I found Eli Brooks' grave along with that of his wife and two of his children. Along side Eli's was the grave of his daughter Julia Brooks (my ggg grandmother) and her husband, Reuben A. Rogers. I knew that Eli's son, Jeremiah T. was also buried ! in the same cemetery so proceeded to search for his grave also. I found it, quite by accident as although it was at one time a very tall monument, it had been toppled and was overgrown with bushes and not readable except for the names. I had read the cemetery is (or will be) restored which is probably the reason a pink ribbon was tied around the base of Jeremiah T.'s toppled monument. Eli Brooks-Died December 28, 1857 Age 65 years 4 months (Born August 23, 1792) Nancy (Taylor)-March 20, 1783-January 6, 1866 Alanson-Died December 28, 1849 Age 23 years 3 months Sarah A.-Died September 28, 1854 Age 24 years 1 month Reuben A. Rogers-July 6, 1812-February 12, 1880 Julia A. (Brooks)-February 7, 1822-February 29, 1904 Jeremiah T. Brooks Mary A. (Knapp) (Jeremiah T. was born March, 1820 and died November 30, 1911) As far as I know Eli Brooks had just the four children I found buried there. Jeanne Jain

Here's a link to the On-Line Institute for Advanced Loyalist Studies, where Dave found the court-martial record. http://www.royalprovincial.com/ Chris

Dave Felzke wrote: > Found this a while back. Have no clue which John this was > but possibly John, b. 1751 in Bowenton, Cumberland County, NJ > and died in 1777 during the Revolutionary War. If this is the > correct John, then he would be the son of Timothy Brooks b. > 1727 in NJ, and the Grandson of Timothy BROOKS b. 23 Apr 1687 > in Woburn, MA??? If not, then I have no clue. > > The write up of the General Court Martial shows that at > first this John BROOKS was a "Rebel" and changed sides which > was very common in our Revolutionary War. The "Defence" of this > John BROOKS and his partner to me shows that both were very > young to have come up with such a story... > The Prisoners being put upon their Defence, say that they > quitted their Post together in Order to get some apples, that > they fell into a Creek and lost their Arms, and the next > morning gave themselves up to Major TIMPENNY at Staten Island > Island [sic] and deny having any intention of deserting to the > Rebels and further say they ventured their Lives to come in > from the Rebels to serve His Majesty. Dave, Great find! I interpret the last paragraph above more ambiguously than you do. "They ventured their Lives to come in from the Rebels to serve His Majesty" might mean that they deserted a prior enlistment in the patriot forces; or it might mean simply that they risked beatings, tar-and-featherings, imprisonment, property confiscation, or other life-threatening retaliation and/or disapprobation to oppose their neighbors and openly support the British. Since patriot sentiment was much weaker in the New York City area than further north in Massachusetts, perhaps your interpretation is the correct one. The Orange Rangers (or any ranger unit in the King's service) would have been a "partisan" unit composed of loyalist inhabitants under British commanders. The 500 lashes ordered would effectively be a death sentence, even though the deserters were "spared" the actual death penalty. How much more humane if the British had simply shot them. I don't find a John born exactly in 1727 or 1751, nor an eligible John who died in 1777 (my three Johns who died in that year did so in Massachusetts and Connecticut). Robert Peacock Brooks mentions a John/6, no birth date (est. 1752), "killed in the Revolution." If this is the same man, the line would be John/6, Timothy/5, Timothy/4, Timothy/3, Timothy/2, Henry/1. But the date is late enough that a man of this name could come from a number of different Brooks origins. Generally by the time of the Revolution the Brooks males are in the 5th to 7th generation of descent, with John and William being by far the most common given male names. Thanks for posting! Chris |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Christopher Brooks BROOKS Families of New England http://www.tributaries.org ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Good evening, I thought I would update everyone on the prospects of DNA testing to establish or disprove relationships among the early Brooks founders in New England. A previous list thread (about a year ago?) on this subject can be found in the list archive via a keyword search on "DNA." Clearly the first round of any testing ought to look at whether Henry Brooks of Woburn and Capt. Thomas Brooks of Concord were brothers, as has been suggested and for which there is circumstantial but primary evidence. A related question, which could perhaps be tested in the same round, would be whether Thomas Brooks of Haddam shares a common male ancestor with the other two. Y-chromosome testing, which requires just a cheek swab, can establish the probability that male test subjects share a common male ancestor within a number of generations. The more expensive and comprehensive the test, the closer the point in time can be established in which the common ancestor probably lived. Testing wouldn't tell us that Henry and Thomas Brooks had a shared father John. What it could tell us is that the chances of Thomas and Henry having a common ancestor within 10 or 15 generations are 95%, or 50%, or even zero. To proceed we need males surnamed Brooks with a proven direct descent from any of these three founders. At least two testees should represent each founder, ideally more. At the moment we are at least one person short for Capt. Thomas's line, and I don't have anyone at all identified for the Haddam line. There's a lot more information, including beginner tutorials, at http://www.familytreedna.com/dna101.html. If you are a direct male descendant, with the Brooks surname, of any of these three men, and would be interested in participating, please drop me a line offlist. I'm particularly interested in descendants of either of the Thomases mentioned. Chris |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Christopher Brooks BROOKS Families of New England http://www.tributaries.org ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Jean McKee wrote: > While at the NEHGS some time last spring or winter, I > perused a book on Cheshire, England, and the English Civil War. > In his masterful Tributaries piece on Henry, Chris questions > his participation in that War as Cheshire is counted as a > Cromwell stronghold. I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers. :-) I'm trying to research the New England Brooks origins in a manner that will stand up to research scrutiny in decades to come. So when a question of chronology pops out, I will address it to the best of my ability rather than simply pass it by for the next researcher to puzzle over. Actually, Cheshire seems to have been by and large a Royalist stronghold, but I think that's what you meant to say. Lady Antonia Fraser wrote an excellent biography of Oliver Cromwell which I read, as well as several other works on Cromwell and the Civil War(s) (there were actually two of them) to try and acquire some historical background in which to place young Henry. After reading in depth about the careful recruiting of Cromwell's New Model Army � he wanted only devout soldiers who would accept tight discipline � it seemed unlikely to me that a boy of 13 or so would be a soldier in this army. And If you've ever watched a modern-day blacksmith (farrier) shoe a large horse, it's hard to imagine an undersized boy doing this brawny task. But then Cromwell's mounts were really ponies (when compared with the size today's horses), and the idea of a youth assisting his father in their care would seem quite plausible. Chris

In the First Congregational Church records of 1724-1917 under Baptisms, pg. 123, Cornelia Brooks, who married Robert Paddock, is found with the notation on 6 Sept. 1840 with "admissed to church Wyoming, NY." On page 143, 1 Sept. 1848 "Robert Paddock and Cornelia A. his wife from Chh Wyoming, NY." (Chh seems to be the standard abbreviation.) It looks like they would have missed any federal census, but maybe show up in a NY State one in 1845, but that is a trip to Albany. Then, page 150, there is 1 Sept. 1848 Robert Paddock letter to Rockford, Illinois Cornelia A, his wife, letter to New Haven I had lost Robert Paddock, as Cornelia was the one to whom property passed with a Trustee of her brother-in-law James H. Dill, husband of Catherine Brooks Dill. The last notation is p. 357 after a subject heading of "Corrections" May 1866 "Mrs. Cornelia Paddock died Feb. 17, 1894. Written in below is Orange, NJ Oct. 18/85 or 18/88 (The writing is squeezed into a small space so hard to tell.) From various newspaper articles and such, I know her son John was a Professor and lived in New Jersey. Cornelia inherited the property across the road from our house settled by Enos/3 (Henry/1, Thomas/2). Enos/3 gave 100 acres to Enos, Jr./4, it passed on to Jere/5, then Jeremiah/6 and then the arrangement for Cornelia. Robert Paddock's name appears in the property papers for a while, then he just faded from the scene, so I guess I may find his end in Illinois. Well, part of the story is added to/filled in, but more to do, as always. I am on to check Illinois censuses and find the work I did on deeds two years ago. Cheshire Jean