I am updating my Asa/Asahel Brooks query and hope that someone will be able to give me a lead as to who his parents were. Asa left New England by the mid 1820's and one will see that he didn't stay in one place too long. Perhaps someone has an Asa/Asahel Brooks in their family that they know little about that would fit my Asa. Since he left New England early, it is possible he wasn't heard from again. Asa/Asahel Brooks b circa 1800 Mass (his age and birthplace are consistent in the 1850, 1860, and 1870 census) d sometime in the 1870's probably in Iowa; m circa mid 1820's probably in Vermont to Betsy Mears. Betsy b circa 1804 in Mass daughter of Isaac and Polly (Longgon) Mears of Mass. (The Mears line is in Middlesex Co, Tewksbury, Mass for many years). Isaac Mears moved his family to Vermont circa 1810. Known children of Asa/Asahel and Betsy Brooks: (1) Harvey Brooks b circa 1827, NY (2) Polly Brooks b 1828 NY, *** my ancestor (3) Henry Brooks b circa 1833 Penn By 1820 Asa Brooks would be approximately 20 years old. I have not been able to place him with any Brooks family in the 1820 census in New England. Census reports show: 1820: Vermont, Bennington Co., Sandgate Twp Isaac Mears family is here. Asa Brooks marries Betsy Mears by mid 1820's. Before 1827, the Isaac Mears family and Asa and Betsy Brooks travel west across the country together. 1830: New York, Saratoga Co., Concord Twp Asa Brooks and Isaac Mears on same page. Asa is listed as Azekiel Brooks in census index. 1840: Illinois, Rock Island Co. Asa Brooks and Isaac Mears families on same page. 1850: Wisconsin, Iowa Co., Pulaski Twp Asa and Betsy Brooks and their two sons, Harvey and Henry 1860: Iowa, Mitchell Co., Richfield Twp Asahel and Betsy Brooks; son Henry is on same page; son Harvey is nearby in Bremer County. 1870: Iowa, Mitchell Co., Lincoln Twp Asahel and Betsy Brooks and son Henry and his family; son Harvey back in Illinois, Rock Island County. 1880: Illinois, Rock Island Co., Hampton Twp Widow Betsy Brooks Asa Brooks sons, Harvey and Henry were in the Civil War. I am awaiting their pension files. Any clues or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Martha Heinrichs

Martha Heinrichs wrote: > I am updating my Asa/Asahel Brooks query and hope that someone will >be able to give me a lead as to who his parents were. Asa left New >England by the mid 1820's and one will see that he didn't stay in one >place too long. Perhaps someone has an Asa/Asahel Brooks in their >family that they know little about that would fit my Asa. Since he left >New England early, it is possible he wasn't heard from again. > > Asa/Asahel Brooks > b circa 1800 Mass (his age and birthplace are consistent in the >1850, 1860, and 1870 census) [snip] Martha, I looked for any Asa Brooks >1795 and <1806. I got seven hits -- this seems to be the peak timespan of this name's popularity in the Brooks families. Your target has adopted a particularly effective disguise to blend into his peers. :-) Of my seven, five are matrimonially accounted for. Only two are not: 1. Asa/6, of the Glastonbury, CT line, b. 31 May 1798, prob. Gill, MA, s/o Pvt. Levi/5 Brooks and Lydia BUCK. Asa had a son James Norman Brooks. I have nothing further. Others on the list are researching this line. 2. Asa/6, of the Haddam, CT line, b. say 1802. s/o Daniel Jr. Nothing further. Of course, it's likely there quite a few other Asas roaming the landscape back then. Individually, we each only hold a few pieces of a gigantic puzzle. You mentioned Tewksbury, which abuts Burlington, I believe, which was set off from Woburn. You also mentioned a son named Henry, the true "power name" in the line of Henry/1 Brooks. These are both pointers, however faint, towards the Woburn line. I've found the name Asa to be about evenly distributed between the lines of Henry and Capt. Thomas Brooks. It's infrequent in CT and rare to nonexistent in the Springfield and Scituate lines. I have the published Tewksbury VR to 1850 here, if you can think of any MEARS angles that might shed new light on Asa's identity, or his wife's. I'm pretty certain without looking, though, that any Brookses up there were Woburnites. Thanks for a nicely written query, BTW. It's a lot easier for others to follow up and do some looking when the relevant facts are clearly and concisely stated -- and no more. We've picking up new subscribers each week, so please feel welcome to lurk for a while and then try your query again. Chris