I'm looking for my BROOKS grandparents and am confused. On Rootsweb and other message boards, I see that JOHN BROOKS, born abt. 1668 in or near York, ME married ELEANOR FRYE (born abt. 1668 in Kittery, York, ME). Eleanor's parents: Adrian FRYE b: ABT 1635 in Axbridge,Somersetshire, England and Sarah WHITE, b: ABT 1640 in Kittery,York Co.,Maine No parents were listed for John BROOKS. Their daughter was Elizabeth BROOKS who married Ebenezer FELLOWS, born 1692 in Salisbury, MA and died in Kingston, NH in 1741 or '42. Ebenezer was the son of Samuel FELLOWS and Abigail BARNARD, both from Salisbury, MA. I know for sure that Samuel and Abigail Fellows are my grandparents and assumed John Brooks and Eleanor Frye were also UNTIL I found this (a paste from a Rootsweb entry): "Note: Many trees show wife as Elizabeth Brooks, but this is apparently in error. Kingston Vital Records: "Ebinr Fellowes and Elisabeth Brocket were Joned in marrege november ye 12 1718." My question is whether any of your Brooks researchers descend from Elizabeth Brooks and Ebenezer Fellows and have documentation that Elizabeth was really a Brooks...and not a Brockett (more likely Brackett) and, if so, if you might have some more information about John Brooks and Eleanor Frye. At this point, I'm trying to gather information about both surnames...Brooks and Brackett/Brockett...just in case. Thank you for any help you might be able to send my way. Jan Saremi

Jan Saremi wrote: :On Rootsweb and other message boards, I see that JOHN BROOKS, born :abt. 1668 in or near York, ME married ELEANOR FRYE (born abt. 1668 :in Kittery, York, ME). [snip] :No parents were listed for John BROOKS. [snip] Most of what I've seen of John Brooks comes from the Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, a well-regarded work compiled from the original manuscript records, which includes transcriptions of many of the original lists and records relied upon -- as scanty as they often are. Page 112: ============================= "JOHN, ±28 in 1696, had Kit. gr. 1694, sold 1696. Lists 290, 298. He m. by 1692 Eleanor Frye (1), who was gr. adm. 26 Nov. 1712. She m. 2d 8 Jan. 1712-3 John Bishop and by 1716 had removed to Kingston. Ch: ELIZABETH, b. 24 Jan. 1695, m. Ebenezer Fellows (1)." [The table continues with the other children Robert, Sarah, Hester and John.] List 290, for which only a note reporting an error in Stackpole, Families of Old Kittery, is included, was titled Sufferers from the Indians in the Second War. List 298, comprising six pages of fine print, is titled Land Grants in Kittery, and to Whom Laid Out. The authors explain, "This list is abridged from a ledger account made for the Proprietors in 1764. Locations are generally omitted, also almost all grants after 1699; and where a man had several grants laid out to himself, some of them are usually omitted." On p. 34 is found 1694. John Brooks; 1696, self; 1718, Wm. Godsoe. On p. 35 is found 1682. To same, 20; 1699, John Brooks; 1709, self. Source: Davis, Walter Goodwin, Charles Thornton Libby and Sybil Noyes, "Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire". Portland, ME: 1928–1939; repr. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1996. ============================= I haven't found the BROOKS surname in the York area before John's appearance. (I haven't worked a lot on this line, though, and I hope someone will correct me if such evidence does exist.) I've got him tentatively identified as an emigrant and the founder of the Kittery line. He doesn't match any of the sons named John sired by the 9 other founders known to have come over by 1660. He's also the only one of all the founders to name a son Robert, a Norman rather than a biblical or an English name, which sets him off in my mind as an emigrant (and perhaps an Anglican). Do we have other Kittery line descendants subscribed here? Chris