Karla: You wrote asking me more details about Israel PERKINS, and why I believe I have a candidate for his origin. Here's my answer. I'm sending it to the PERKINS-L@rootsweb.com list as well, for two reasons; somebody else might be interested, and somebody might notice errors! I think it a good chance that the person I have in my database as "Israel PERKINS Jr.," or more likely a possible son or grandson, might very well be your "Israel Perkins of Hampden Co, West Springfield, Mass 1830s-60s." Israel Jr. was born in 1757 in Enfield, Conn., and so would have been 73 in 1830 (and an improbable 103 in 1860). Since there was an Israel Junior, why not an Israel III? As long as you understand I have no SOURCE to support that. Enfield is less than 20 miles from Springfield, Mass. According to Allen's "History of Enfield," the town was very bad for agriculture, and a poor community. For example, in 1715 Thomas PERKINS tried to settle "The Swamp," but "was so much annoyed by the wild beasts" that he quit. I doubt we are discussing the depredations of squirrels and raccoons here. . . . Also, of Israel PERKINS Sr. and his 11 siblings, 1 died an infant, 1 died a child, and of the remaining 9 only 1 or possibly 2 are known to have died in Enfield. Of Israel PERKINS Jr. and his 8 siblings, *none* are known to have died in Enfield. Emigration from Enfield was constant, and at least one Israel PERKINS "removed to Massachusetts," although this was almost certainly Israel, Sr., and he probably returned to Enfield as in later life he was under the care of the town. I would suggest that he took his family out of Enfield, and returned for his final years. Good luck, and I hope the remainder of this message proves useful. Darrell A. Martin formerly of Springfield, Vermont currently in exile in Addison, Illinois darrellm@sprynet.com ----- This is best viewed using a monospaced font like Courier, with an on-screen line length of at least 55 characters ----- ========================== Research on Israel PERKINS -------------------------- Enfield, Suffield, and Woodstock, Mass. "seceded" and joined Conn. some time in 1750-1753. I will refer to this town simply as "Enfield." Do not confuse it with the later Enfield, Mass. which was one of the towns drowned by the Quabbin Reservoir. Almost all of what follows is taken from my analysis of all the PERKINS references I could find in "The History of Enfield, Connecticut," a three-volume combination of town history and vital records "compiled from all the public records of the town known to exist" by Francis Olcott Allen, published in 1900. I worked from the photoreprint in Chicago's Newberry Library. I have not seen the original records, nor do I know what, if any of them, still exist. Please feel free to use any of what follows as a guide to your research. If you wish volume and page references for any statement(s) I make, contact me at darrellm@sprynet.com. Please do NOT feel free to quote me as a source. I wasn't there to observe the events! Should you confirm what I have here, by your own investigation, I would appreciate (but do not request) that you acknowledge whatever help I have been. More important, please help other researchers when you get a chance. This analysis may be republished in its entirety, that is, including these rather testy- sounding paragraphs, without further permission. Darrell A. Martin 23 November 1997 First Generation ---------------- 1. THOMAS PERKINS, son of John Perkins and Deborah Browning, was born in Topsfield, Mass. 4 May 1667. He died 3 June 1709 in Enfield. The time of Thomas' removal to Enfield is not certain. A grant of land in Enfield was made to him in 1680, the year of the first permanent settlement there; he was probably living there by 1683. His grandfather Thomas Perkins willed him a piece of land in Topsfield in 1685. A deed dated 21 October 1692 transferred the land to John Robinson of Topsfield, from "Thomas Perkins of Enfield, Hampshire Co., Mass." He married SARAH RICHARDS 5 December 1694 in Enfield. She was born 23 February 1661? in Hartford, Conn. She died 8 September 1746 in Enfield. He was probably a farmer. Thomas Perkins and Sarah Richards had the following children: 2 i. THOMAS JUNIOR was born 22 September 1695 probably in Enfield. ii. JOHN (DIED AN INFANT) was born in Enfield 4 February 1697/8. John died 18 February 1697/8 in Enfield. (Twin to Sarah) iii. SARAH (DIED AN INFANT) was born in in Enfield 4 February 1697/8. Sarah died 2 March 1697/8 in Enfield. (Twin to John) iv. JOHN (DIED AN INFANT) was born in in Enfield 25 April 1699. John died 18 July 1699 in Enfield. v. MARY was born in Enfield 7 August 1700. She married OBADIAH MILLER 7 November 1728 in Enfield. vi. HANNAH was born in Enfield 28 March 1703. Second Generation ----------------- 2. THOMAS PERKINS JUNIOR was born in Enfield 22 September 1695. Thomas died 7 October 1768 in Enfield. He married twice. He married MARY ALLEN 23 July 1718 in Enfield. Mary was born 26 February 1695/6 in Enfield, the daughter of John Allen and Bridgett Booth. Mary died 9 December 1739 in Enfield. He married MARY STANDISH of Stafford, Conn. 10 March 1740/1 in Enfield. Thomas Perkins Junior and Mary Allen had the following children: i. MARY (DIED AN INFANT) was born in Enfield 13 June 1719. Mary died 15 July 1719 in Enfield. ii. THOMAS III was born in Enfield 15 December 1720. Thomas died 7 October 1768 in Enfield. iii. JOHN was born in Enfield 27 September 1723. John died ca 1 February 1782. 3 iv. ISRAEL was born 16 October 1727. v. DANIEL was born in Enfield 27 August 1730. Daniel died 1803 in Enfield. vi. MARY was born in Enfield 11 October 1732. Mary died after 1769. vii. JOSEPH (DIED YOUNG) was born in Enfield 1 February 1735/6. Joseph died before 1744 in Enfield. viii. ELIAS was born in Enfield 1 December 1739. Elias died after 1769. Thomas Perkins Junior and Mary Standish had the following children: ix. HANNAH was born in Enfield 23 April 1742. Hannah died 30 January 1766. x. JOSEPH was born in Enfield 21 January 1743/4. xi. TRIPHENA was born in Enfield 6 February 1746/7. xii. EZRA was born in Enfield 18 March 1748/9. Third Generation ---------------- 3. ISRAEL PERKINS was born in Enfield 16 October 1727. Israel died ca 1793? in Enfield. He married DORCAS MOORE 21 March 1748/9 in Enfield. Israel Perkins and Dorcas Moore had the following children: i. PHINEAS was born in Enfield 8 October 1750. ii. LUCIA was born in Enfield 9 June 1753. iii. DORCAS was born in Enfield 10 September 1755. ** iv. ISRAEL JUNIOR was born in Enfield 24 September 1757. (I have no further information on Israel Jr.) * v. RUSSELL was born in Enfield 13 June 1760. Russell died 31 January 1813 in Weathersfield, Vermont. He was buried in the Ascutneyville Cemetery there. He married SARAH -----. He resided in Weathersfield by 1798. (Russell is my direct ancestor, and so I have a lot more information on him.) vi. HULDAH was born in Enfield 16 September 1762. vii. HANNAH was born in Enfield 28 May 1765. viii. LINUS was born in Enfield 24 September 1769. ix. MOLLEY was born in Enfield 6 December 1772.