Hi Joel: I don't find a death entry in the Mendon, MA vital records for James Keith, or his wife Mary (Hodges) Keith. I do find the entry for George Keith 12 Jan 1774 in his 57th years G.R.1 which is Old Cemetery, Mendon, MA. As for the children of James III and Comfort - daughter Rachel was also b. in Mendon 15 Apr 1728 Mendon, MA vr pg 109 dau Susanna b. 05 Mar 1725 Mendon, MA vr pg 109. Regards, Alison Franks Archivist, Rawson Family Association ----- Original Message ----- From: "Joel Keith" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2001 4:33 PM Subject: [MA-MENDON] Re: Keith Family of Mendon & Uxbridge > My name is Joel B. Keith. I have been researching my family history for 5 years. I am a new list member. My Mendon connection started in about 1716. James KEITH II was born in Old Bridgewater, Plymouth Co., MA in 1669. His parents were the Rev. James & Susannah (EDSON) Keith. Rev. Keith was the first minister of that town. The Rev. had nine children, the oldest of whom was James Keith II. James II married Mary HODGES, daughter of Henry & Esther (GALLUP) Hodges, on 3 Sept 1695, at Bridgewater. Nahum Mitchell states in his book A History of Bridgewater (Reprint 1983, Heritage Books) that he and his family left Bridgewater in about 1719, however James' must have gone to Mendon about 1716, for his son George and two younger children, were born in Mendon in 1717 and after. > In the book KEITH: Collected Genealogies of Keith, Keath & Keeth Families in New England (1997, Gateway Press) Larry Keith reveals that James II was a Proprietor of Mendon, and on 26 Aug 1735, was chosen Moderator of the Proprietors' Meeting. I have gleaned some extracts from the Mendon Proprietors' Records, put online through David Blackwell's New England Books site, which I have not been able to access for several months (though I can't tell why?). These excerpts mention James Keith II only as a member of a team of surveyors in relation to land transactions in the town. Does anyone out there have access to this book, either online or in printed form? I would be most appreciative of copies of anthing relating to James Keith. > James & Mary Keith had the following children: At Bridgewater, James III (1696), Mary (1698), Gershom [Captain Gershom] (1701), Israel (1703), Faithful (1704), Esther (1707), Jane [Jean?] (1709), Simeon (1712), Job (1715)), and in Mendon, George b. 08 Jun 1717, d. 12 Jan 1774, "in his 57th year", in Mendon; Micah b. 01 Mar 1719/1720, m. Bathsheba BALLOU, 27 Jan 1742, [place?]; and Abigail b. about 1721, she married George ALDRICH on 19 Nov 1741 at Mendon. Is this perhaps the GEORGE ALDRICH mentioned in the last digest?James II died 21 Oct 1739 in Mendon, I have no records for his wife Mary Hodges Keith's death. > James Keith III and his wife, Comfort THAYER, were married in Uxbridge, on 17 May 1722, which is odd because their first child, Noah, was born on 10 Jun 1723, in Mendon. Their remaining children, beginning with Susanna in 1726/7, were all born in Uxbridge. James III died on 16 Nov 1770 in Uxbridge, and his wife Comfort d. 22 Aug 1775, aged 75 yrs. Does anyone have access to burial info for this couple? ently procured a copy of the Will & Inventory of James Keith III of Uxbridge. Quite a long one, and in very cryptic hand! I have managed to transcribe most every word though. If you stare at something long enough, it clicks. > James III & Comfort had eleven children, their tenth being a son, Comfort Keith. Comfort was born 06 Mar 1742/43 in Uxbridge. He married 1) Deborah NELSON, dau. of Nathaniel & Deborah, 31 Oct 1765, she died 7 Dec 1774 aged 32 yrs., probably of complications from childbirth. 2) Jerusha ALDRICH, dau of Jacob & Mary (FLETCHER) Aldrich, 3 Mar 1776 in Uxbridge. They had eleven children, all at Uxbridge, the fourth of whom was Warren Keith. > Warren was born on 08 Jun 1780 in Uxbridge. He married twice: 1) Jemima Merrifield, 24 Jul 1803, at Barre VT, she d. in childbirth, 08 Apr 1816 in Mendon. 2) Susan Parthenia MAYHEW WEST, 01 Jan 1818, at Mendon. She was a very mysterious woman! No one is quite sure if her maiden name was Mayhew or West. I believe it was Mayhew, and she married a West before she married Warren. Mr. West would have been her 1st husband, so Warren was the second. Their children were: at Mendon, Susan S. (1818), Julia M. (1819), Wealthy (1821), Drusilla L. (1822), Deliah E. (1823), Deborah E. (1824); and at Uxbridge, Simeon Doggett (1829), and Lyman W. (1830). Warren seperated from Susan and the children about 1834. He died 03 Jun 1839, in Steuben Co., NY. > Susan was not a woman who could abide long without a husband. Probably for financial as well as personal motives, she married again. She married Andrew Robinson, about 1839-1840, probably at Oakham, Worcester Co., MA. She appears under the 1840 census as Susan Robinson, head of household, with three of her children, Deborah, Simeon & Lyman. In the 1850 Census, Susan is listed as the head of household, with her daughter Julia EVERTON, widow of Ariel, and a 74 year old butcher named Caleb Adams. She managed not to marry him! She was 56 years old in this census. She died on 30 Nov 1855, and was buried in Upton by her children as: Susan P., widow of Andrew Robinson, and also of Warren Keith, d. Nov. 30, 1855. What a stroke of luck for me! Both husbands' names on the stone! > To wrap up, I will tell you that I recently found the website of the Mendon/Uxbridge Unitarian Universalist Church. While browsing through their site, I remembered that Simeon Doggett Keith, my gg-grandfather, was christened in Mendon. I was looking at the sucession of ministers when I found that a man named Rev. Simeon Doggett was a minister of the church in about 1819. I had always wondered where Simeon got such a unique name. Now I know! > I would love to have any comments or questions forwarded to this list or to me directly at [email protected] I would be happy to share more indepth info with anyone interested. And if anyone has additional info on any of these families, I would like to have it as well. > Genealogically, > Joel B. Keith<br clear=all><hr>Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at <a href="http://explorer.msn.com">http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p> > > > ============================== > Ancestry.com Genealogical Databases > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/rwlist2.asp > Search over 2500 databases with one easy query! >