The Marshalls of Nova Scotia: Discovering Roots in New England

I have previously written about the Vidito line of my family dating back to 1630 in France, escaping to New York in 1660 and then settling in Nova Scotia after the American Revolution. Along the way we connected with other branches, including the Barnum and Pickett lines, all of which led to my great grandmother, Leafy May Vidito. She was born in Bridgetown, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia on January 29, 1901, and married my great grandfather, George Angus Grant on March 24, 1920 in Annapolis Royal, NS. Today, I am going to begin tracing back one branch of my great grandfather, George Angus Grant’s tree, which, like my Vidito line, also connects back to Colonial America.

George was born on August 31, 1899 in Annapolis Royal, NS to his parents, Norman Grant and Bertha Early. He served in WW1 prior to marrying Leafy May Vidito. Leafy died January 8, 1989, and George died January 16, 1992. A few years ago I came across a post on a genealogy forum about the Grant family in Nova Scotia, and after I contacted the person, we found out we were second cousins! He gave me some amazing information on my great grandfather, George, including that when he retired his childhood home was up for sale so he and his daughter, Anna purchased it! He lived the remainder of his days in his childhood home and passed away at the age of 92.

George’s father, Norman Grant was born November 27, 1865 in Lawrencetown, Annapolis Co., NS. His birth registration has December 27, 1865 as his date of birth, but the 1901 census and his death record both have November 27, 1865 as his date of birth.  His parents are John Grant and Samantha Marshall. It is Samantha Marshall, my 3^rd great grandmother, that we are going to trace back today on her paternal line.

Marriage Register for John Grant and Samantha Marshall

Samantha Marshall was born August 23, 1843 in Annapolis Co., NS to her parents, Enoch Marshall and Jane Hanspiker. Samantha married John Grant on Christmas day 1864 in Harmony, Annapolis Co., NS. They had two children that I know of by documentation, Norman and Florence. Samantha’s husband, John, died November 8, 1872, just shy of 8 years after they were married. On the 1881 census Samantha is the “Head” of the house, living with her two children. By 1891 Samantha’s daughter, Florence had married James Slocomb and Samantha was living with them. Samantha died June 27, 1931 in Outram, Annapolis Co., NS. She was 87 years old when she died of stomach cancer and was buried in the Whitman Burying Ground, South Williamston, Annapolis Co., NS.



Samantha Marshall's Registration of Death

Samantha’s father, Enoch Marshall was born in 1807 in Annapolis Royal, NS to his parents, David Marshall and Elizabeth Beardsley. I have been unsuccessful in finding a death record for him, but there is an Enoch Marshall on the 1861 census living in Annapolis, NS with 3 males and 3 females in the household. There are also 2 listings for an Enoch Marshall in the City Directory in 1867 and 1869.

Enoch’s father, David Marshall was born September 17, 1786 in Clarence, Annapolis C., NS to his parents, Isaac Marshall and Mary Robbins. David married his wife, Elizabeth Beardsley on August 23, 1806. Elizabeth died of old age on August 17, 1867 in Port Williams, Annapolis Co., NS. David died on Feb 20, 1876, also of old age, and also in Port Williams, Annapolis Co., NS.

Death Register for David Marshall

David’s father, Isaac Marshall, is the first ancestor we find who connects the Nova Scotia branch of this family to the Massachusetts branch. There is some conflicting information about him, but this is what I can tell from records: Isaac was born June 10, 1748 in Ipswich, Massachusetts to his parents, William Marshall and Elizabeth Nason; he married his first wife, Mary Robbins in 1772; moved to Nova Scotia some time prior to David’s birth in 1786; and died December 6, 1824.

The conflicting information is about when Isaac moved to Nova Scotia, where he married Mary Robbins and who is great grandfather is.

In a handwritten book of marriages from ancestry.ca’s Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, we find the record of Isaac and Mary’s marriage. It reads, “Isaac Marshall and Mary Robbins both of Walpole are married by Joshua Clap, Esq., May 6^th, 1772”.

According to the book History of the County of Annapolis, Isaac and his family had moved to Nova Scotia in 1760. He is listed as being one of four great grandsons of William Marshall (born 1595), the first immigrant of this line to come to America. The information here lines up with records I’ve found pertaining to his birth, wife, and son, David, however, from the records I have found, Isaac is not a great grandson of William Marshall. He is the son of William Marshall (1710-1797), grandson of John Marshall Jr., (1671-1713) and great grandson of John Marshall Sr., (1632-1702), and 2^nd great grandson of yet another John Marshall.

According to the book History of the County of Annapolis, William was born in 1595, was a native of Cranebrook, Kent County, England and emigrated to New England on the ship Abigail, June 17, 1635. The ship master was Robert Hackwell, and the passengers were “duly certified by the minister and the Justice of the Peace as being Conformists, and as having taken the oaths of allegiance and supremacy.” To corroborate, I checked the Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600s and there is a William Marshall, age 40 on the ship Abigail which sailed in the Spring of 1635, departing from London and arriving in Massachusetts Bay. There were also four more listings for Marshalls on the Pilgrim Ships: 1) Francis Marshall, age 30, March 16, 1635 from London, England to New England on board the ship Christian; 2) Edmund Marshall and his family, May 6, 1635 from Weymouth to Massachusetts Bay on board the ship Hopewell; 3) Jo. Marshall, age 14, July/Sept 1635 from London, England to Massachusetts Bay also on board the ship Hopewell; and 4) Thomas Marshall, July-Sept 1635 from London to Massachusetts Bay on board the ship James. The Ship Lists are incomplete, so it is possible there were others with the name Marshall who immigrated to America, of which Isaac could be a descendant.

I will have to be content with not having a clear answer on this matter since I can’t find any further documentation to connect William Marshall (b.1595) to Isaac Marshall.

So let’s get back to what I do know… Isaac’s parents are William Marshall and Elizabeth Nason. William Marshall was born July 28, 1710 in Billerica, Middlesex County, Massachusetts to his parents John Marshall Jr., and Eunice Rogers. William married Elizabeth Nason December 4, 1736 in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts, and he died in Granville, Annapolis Co., NS on March 31, 1797. From this we know both Isaac and his father moved to Nova Scotia.

Marriage Register for William Marshall and Elizabeth Nason

John Marshall Jr., was born August 1, 1671 in Billerica, Middlesex Co., MA to his parents, John Marshall and Mary Burrage. He married Eunice Rogers December 8, 1695/6 in Billerica, Middlesex Co., MA. He died January 25, 1713 and is buried in Billerica, Middlesex Co., MA.

John Marshall Sr., appears to be the ancestor on this line that came over from England. He was baptized March 1, 1631 in Redbourn, Hertfordshire, England, and his parents names are John and Mary Marshall. I am unsure when he immigrated to New England, but it had to be prior to November 27, 1665 because he married Mary Burrage on this date in Billerica, Middlesex Co., MA. He died November 5, 1702 and was buried in Billerica, Middlesex Co., MA. His headstone reads, “HERE LIES Ye BODY OF Serjeant JOHN MARSHALL AGED 70 YEARS DYED NOVEMBER Ye 5^th. 1702”. So here we learn another great piece of information: John served in the military and was a Sergeant.  

The one constant in genealogy is you are never done. For every question you find an answer to, you find more questions to be answered! So this is the best information I have AT THIS TIME on my Marshall ancestors. As I continue to research and as more documents become available hopefully I will be able to fill in some blanks and find clarification for conflicting information.

Until next time… happy hunting, my fellow gene geeks!

Sources:

1861 Census of Canada (ancestry.ca)
1881 Census of Canada (automatedgenealogy.com)
1891 Census of Canada (automatedgenealogy.com)
1901 Census of Canada (automatedgenealogy.com)
1911 Census of Canada (automatedgenealogy.com)
A Genealogy and History of the Chute Family InAmerica (1894)
American Genealogical – Biographical Index (ancestry.ca)
Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906 (ancestry.ca)
Canada, Soldiers of the First World War, 1914-1918 (Library and Archives Canada)
Family Data Collection – Births (ancestry.ca)
Family Data Collection – Individual Records (ancestry.ca)
History of the County of Annapolis
Massachusetts, Find A Grave Index, 1620_2013 (ancestry.ca)
Massachusetts, Marriages, 1633-1850 (ancestry.ca)
Massachusetts, Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 (ancestry.ca)
Massachusetts, Town Death Records, 1620-1850 (ancestry.ca)
Massachusetts, Town And Vital Records, 1620-1988 (ancestry.ca)
Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics

Pilgrim Ships Lists Early 1600s, compiled by Anne Stevens

U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s – Current (ancestry.ca)
U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 ancestry.ca)

Genetic Genealogy and Me

I’ve been planning to share my experience with having my DNA tested for a while, but now seems the perfect time since I am taking an online Genealogy course through Future Learn and this week’s class was about genetic genealogy! So a big shout out to Graham Holton at the University of Strathclyde for explaining such a complicated subject in such an easy to understand way!

 

There are a few different types of DNA testing: Y-DNA STR, Y-DNA SNP, Autosomal (atDNA) and Mitochondrial (mtDNA).

Y-DNA Tests: These tests can only be done on males. STRs (Short Tandem Repeats) are repeated patterns of chemical bases that can be measured in the Y chromosome. STRs look for similarities between results because closely matching results indicate descent from a common male line ancestor. STRs are useful for genealogy because they measure the number of repeats at selected locations. They are useful for the period around 1500, but are unreliable for periods prior to that. Mutations occur at different rates, for example, in a 500 year period, one family could have 1 mutation, while another family has 3 mutations. 

There are 2 major types of mutation, which are relevant for genealogists. The first involves changes in STRs, the second involves mutations known as SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism). SNPs occur when a single chemical base in the DNA changes at a specific location. Once a SNP mutation occurs it is usually permanent, unlike STRs which are prone to further changes. SNPs can be used to identify a specific branch of descendants because of their stable nature. Prior to recent advancements SNPs could only be able to be used to distinguish between different branches of very large genetic groupings thousands of years ago. However, now we can see SNPs that occurred hundreds of years ago, during a time of recorded history, therefore making it easier to decipher more specific groupings. For example, SNP CLD51 indicates descent from the Macdonalds of Kinlochmoidart, who are descended from John Macdonald, 9^th of Clanranald, who died in 1593. Through DNA testing, a student at the University of Strathclyde was found to be a descendant.

Autosomal DNA Test: Autosomal tests are useful for both males and females because it gives information on all ancestral lines (father’s mother’s line, mother’s father’s line, mother’s mother’s line, etc.). At present, Autosomal tests are good for going back around 5 generations with confidence. Furthermore, if a number of known relatives take this test it is possible to identify which segments of DNA have been inherited from specific ancestral lines. This test gives information on the X chromosome, and also indicates a percentage of your ancestry that comes from various geographical origins. I did the Autosomal DNA test so I will have an example of this when I discuss my results (see Ancestry Composition). 

Mitochondrial DNA Test: mtDNA testing is the opposite of Y-DNA testing, (mother to daughter instead of father to son), however, mtDNA is also passed from mother to son, but cannot be passed on by sons. There are fewer mutations with mtDNA than Y-DNA which means it isn’t good at telling us if we are related to an individual with a close genetic match. However, it can show you a probable common female line ancestor from about 400 to 500 years ago, and which part of the world a female line ancestor lived in several thousand years ago.

MY DNA RESULTS

I took the Autosomal DNA test through 23andMe. All of the information below is from 23andMe. It will cover ancestry composition, my maternal line haplogroup information and Neanderthal ancestry information. Since only males carry the Y DNA I do not have results for my paternal line haplogroup. A male relative, from my father’s line, would have to take this test in order for me to get these results. I had hoped to find a match through DNA testing but haven’t… yet. Fingers crossed!

Ancestry Composition:

99.3% European

65.9% British & Irish

5.7% Scandinavian

5.2% French & German

21.5% Broadly Northwestern European

0.4% Iberia

<0.1% Broadly Southern European

0.1% Ashkenazi

0.4% Broadly European

0.3% Middle Eastern and North African

0.2% North African

0.1% Broadly Middle Eastern & North African

0.1% South Asian

0.1% Sub-Saharan African - West African

0.1% Yakut

0.1% Unassigned

Maternal Line:

My maternal line haplogroup is H8, an ancient subgroup of H, tracing back to present-day Turkey and Syria around 30,000 years ago. H8 migrated to the Altay Mountains of Central Asian.

Fun fact: Famous people from Haplogroup H are Luke the Evangelist, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte, Prince Philip and Susan Sarandon.

Neanderthal Ancestry:

It is estimated that my genome-wide percentage of Neanderthal is 2.6. Neanderthal characteristics are heavy eyebrow ridge; long, low bigger skull; and prominent nose with developed nasal chambers for cold-air protection. I am ranked 57^th among my matches on 23andMe, some with a percentage as low as 1.3%, some as high as 3.4%.

Although the Neanderthal percentage was a fun portion of my testing, the truly helpful part was the matches to other users at 23andMe. To date I have 854 DNA relatives just on the 23andMe site alone. I also upload my results to GEDmatch.com and have found further matches there, although I haven’t done much with that yet since I’ve barely scratched the surface with my original matches on 23andMe.

I have been fairly selective in sending invitations to matches because it can be incredibly overwhelming when you get a high volume of responses all at once. I tend to send messages/an invitation to share genomes to closer DNA relative matches (2^nd to 4^th cousins) because it is easier to find the shared ancestor with a closer matching relative than a distant relative, although I will also contact distant relatives if they have surnames and geographical locations that match my genealogy research. Most of my matches are 3^rd to distant cousins. I’ve been matched to three 2^nd-4^th cousins, but 1 is “private” so I can’t contact them. He’s a male from Northern Europe and we share 4 segments of DNA. Which is cool to know, but I can’t really do anything with this information without knowing the specifics, such as which segments we share, what some of his ancestors’ surnames are, etc. Grr! I’m waiting for a response from the other two. 

I’ve had two successful matches, where we could pinpoint our shared ancestor. That’s been very exciting, since one was confirming the ancestral line of my great grandmother’s biological father. She was adopted so that was the information I needed to confirm my genealogical research, and it was the initial reason I did DNA testing to begin with! That was a fantastic day.

Now I’m hoping to find a male ancestor on my father’s line (Farrer), so that I can find out his haplogroup. So far, no luck, but sometimes with genealogy research, it’s a matter of patience; waiting for new information to emerge. I have recently found a cousin from my Farrer line, however, he is a descendant from a female in that line so he has a different haplogroup. Without the benefit of DNA testing I would never have known of this cousin. Now I have his ancestors’ names and locations that I can compare with my own research to find our shared ancestor. What I know so far is that his Farrer ancestors and mine were in the same geographical location, in the same time frame and have the same surname. I’m confident this is our probable connection. Now I just need to figure it out! Which is why my kitchen table and office wall look like this…

Happy hunting, fellow gene geeks!

Coming to Canada, Kissing Cousins and DNA.

In a prior post I wrote about my Vidito line, from my 7^th to 10^th great grandfathers. To recap, my 10^th great grandfather, Jean Vittiteau, a Huguenot fled from France due to religious persecution, and immigrated to New York via Amsterdam about 1660. At the close of the American Revolution my 6^th great grandfather, John Vidito and his family sought refuge in Nova Scotia. This is where we pick up today.

John Vidito was born in 1737 in Long Island, New York. He served in the Military in Connecticut in 1759 and was married to his wife, Sarah (maiden name unknown) some time prior to 1771. According to documentation they had four children: Charlotte, Phebe, Jesse and Jacob. 

Jacob is my 5^th great grandfather. He was born in 1781 in Long Island, New York and was in Annapolis, Nova Scotia with his family by 1784. We know this because his mother died in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia in 1784. Jacob married Mary Elizabeth Weatherby and from the records I’ve found, they had six children: Jacob, John, Mary Eliza, Sarah, James and my 4^th great grandfather, Robert Weatherby Vidito. Robert was born in 1816 in Annapolis, Nova Scotia and married Mary Ann Vidito. That’s right, they both had the surname Vidito. I was fairly certain right away that they were related, but needed to map out the families to figure out how.

Mary Ann Vidito was born in 1818 in Annapolis, Nova Scotia to her parents, John Vidito and Ann Daley. Johns’ parents are Jesse Vidito (1771-1850) and Isabel Fisher (1774-1844). Jesse’s parents are (drum roll please…): John and Sarah Vidito, my 7^th great grandparents, who settled in Nova Scotia at the close of the American Revolution. Jesse and Jacob are brothers, which means Robert Weatherby Vidito and Mary Ann Vidito are second cousins.

Robert and Mary Ann had one child that I’ve found documentation for, my 3^rd great grandfather, Samuel Vidito. He was born October 9, 1836 in Annapolis, Nova Scotia and married Elizabeth McKenzie on December 23, 1857 in Nictaux, Nova Scotia. Their children, according to documentation, are: William Henry (1860-1944), Charles (1863-?), Elias (1864-1931), Katy M. (1871-1937) and Milford (1876-?). 

Elias Vidito is my 2^nd great grandfather. He was born June 10, 1864 in Nictaux Falls, Nova Scotia. He married Mary Jane Sabean on June 11, 1888 in Wilmot, Annapolis, Nova Scotia. They had many children: Chester, Laura, Herman, Maggie, William Wilbert, Ernest Willard, Percy, Milford, Ada, Aubrey, Bessie, Leafy May, Eva May, Clarence Walter, Victoria, and Helen Mae.

Leafy May is my great grandmother. She was born January 29, 1901 in Bridgetown, Annapolis, Nova Scotia. She married my great grandfather, George Angus Grant on March 24, 1920 in Paradise, Annapolis, Nova Scotia. They also had many children: Daisy, Murray, Harold, Gerald, George, Margaret (Peggy), Shirley, Anna and my grandfather, Angus Freeman Grant. 

I recently had my DNA tested through 23andMe and was matched to over 800 cousins, ranging from 3^rd to distant. I contacted a potential match on my Vidito line and received a message from her the other day confirming that her 2^nd great grandparents are also Elias Vidito and Mary Jane Sabean! This means we are 3^rd cousins! It is exciting to have made a confirmed match to a new relative, AND it confirms that my research is correct. Now going forward I can compare other matches to her DNA and mine, and if we both get a match, we know we are related through this line!

Sources:

www.novascotiagenealogy.com

Vidito, John Vidito of New York City and His Descendants, A Huguenot Founder of an American Family, by Alice L. Priest

My Pickett Lineage In Colonial America

Previously on Unearthing Ancestors I have written about my Vidito and Barnum lines. Both of these ancestral lines arrived in America in the 1600s. Today, I will explore another line of my Pilgrim ancestors that links the Vidito and Barnum families: the Pickett family. The Picketts were early settlers of Connecticut. In the book History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896, Pickett is referred to as an “ancient” name. When this book was written (1896) there were still headstones with this name standing in good condition in the town's first burial ground. Originally called The Old Town Plot, it was renamed Wooster Street Cemetery in 1820. I haven’t visited Danbury yet, but I hope to, and I would definitely go to this cemetery to see if any of the original headstones are still there.

 

Credit: Jan Franco

The earliest documentation I have found for a Pickett ancestor is Zerubabbel Pickett, born about 1591 in Kent, England. He is my 11^th great grandfather. His son, John Pickett was born about 1616 in Derbyshire, England. John married his wife, Margaret Metcalfe in Derbyshire in 1642 and they arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1648. Four of their children (John, James, Thomas and Sarah) were baptized on September or November 19, 1648 in Salem (MA Vital Records says September, The Genealogy and History of the Families of Old Fairfield says November). Either way, we know they were born prior to that time, most likely in England. From baptism and estate records, we know John and Margaret went on to have three more children after their arrival: Rebecca, Daniel and Jacob.

 In 1660 John and Margaret moved to Stratford Township, Fairfield County, Connecticut. John served as Constable in 1667, Selectman in 1669, and Deputy to Colonial Assembly from 1673 to 1675. Margaret passed away on October 6, 1683 in Stratford at the age of 62. Thomas died, also in Stratford, on April 11, 1684.

It is John and Margaret’s son, Thomas Pickett (my 9^th great grandfather) who married Sarah Barnum (my 9^th great grandmother), connecting the Pickett and Barnum families. Thomas was born about 1643 in England, and as we know was baptized in Salem, Massachusetts in 1648. He and Sarah married in 1690 in Norwalk, Connecticut. Thomas had children from before and after this date, giving us a good idea of which children are from his first marriage, to Abigail Seymour:  Abigail, Jacob, Hannah, Ephraim and Thomas; and which are from his marriage to Sarah: Sarah, James, Joseph, Benjamin and Ebenezer.

Thomas and Sarah’s daughter, Sarah Pickett, is my 8^th great grandmother. She married John Vidito, my 8th great grandfather, and the grandson of Jean Vittiteau, a Huguenot refugee who  arrived in New York in 1660. 

I hope I have concisely presented the links between my Barnum, Vidito and Pickett ancestral lines.  If you are a visual person, here is a picture of this branch of my tree, which I’ve taken from my Grant/Farrer Family Tree on www.ancestry.ca.

Sources:
History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896
The Genealogy and History of the Families of Old Fairfield
Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850, Vol: Salem-V2
Boston, MA: Births, Baptisms, Marriges and Deaths, 1630-1699
U.S. and Canada, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s - 1900s

U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700
U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900
Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)
Millenium File (ancestry.ca)
Family Data Collection - Individuals, Births, Deaths (ancestry.ca)

Happy researching!