This Lemuel comes up every few months. Steve Shutt, who is new to both the list and to genealogy, sent along a file -- partly his own findings, and partly from his grandmother's DAR application, if I'm not mistaken -- which identifies Lemuel as the son of a William Brooks, of the Springfield line of William/1 Brooks and Mary Burt. Lemuel's father is said to have been William, of Enfield, CT. The map reveals Enfield next to Suffield, which was an economic satellite of Springfield, MA, just across the colony's border. The pieces fit so nicely, geographically and chronologically, that I thought I would circulate this working hypothesis on Lemuel's origins. ========================= Known/proven from vital records, etc. -------------------------------------------------- 1. William Brooks (1610? - 1688) + Mary BURT 2. Benjamin Brooks + Mary BARNARD 3. * William Brooks, b. 1 Aug 1708, Springfield and then nothing further. From Kathleen W. Talley DAR app., 1980: -------------------------------------------------- * William Brooks, father of Lemuel, m. 1731 at Enfield, CT, Esther KIBBE. ========================= Steve's data suggests that the asterisked Williams above are the same man. I think he's right. I think Lemuel's ancestral line is 1. William Brooks (1610? - 1688) + Mary BURT 2. Benjamin Brooks (1671 - 1755) + Mary BARNARD 3. William Brooks, b. 1 Aug 1708, Springfield + Esther KIBBE 4. Lemuel, b. 1748 Enfield, d. 1831 OH + Keziah HASKILL, Esther SPRAGUE William/1 was approximately 61 years old when Benjamin was born. He did not marry until 1654, and then proceeded to sire 16 natural children through 1679, when he would have been about 69 years of age. At least, that's according to the gospel to date. I have some alternative thoughts which I'll be sharing when they're ready. Chris ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Christopher Hapgood Brooks Researching BROOKS Families of New England |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||