Civil War Relatives

A direct descendant of Pilgrim Richard Warren, my husband's lineage is full of military history, from Revolutionary War patriots like Reverend Blackleach Burritt to an uncle, Alvin Chapin Brock, who was killed in World War II.

Numerous relatives, direct and indirect, fought in the Civil War. Two of his great-grandmother's brothers, Loren and Ira Nichols Burritt fought with Company K, 56th Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers at Gettysburg. We have copies (thanks Alicia!!) of the Civil War correspondence from his great grand uncle, Ely Burritt, to his wife, Charlotte Hawkins Burritt.

His maternal great-great-grandfather, Sobieski L. Chapin served first with Company C, 76th New York Infantry and on April 3, 1864 transferred to the Signal Corps of the Potomac.  His paternal great-great grandfather, Alvan Dinsmore Brock, was a Captain with Company L, 31st Maine Infantry.

Luckily, his love of history has spurred a new interest in his genealogy, as I continue to uncover military affiliations. It's also the inspiration, well.. that and a new Harley Ultra Glide, that has inspired our 2010 summer vacation.  We're starting in Gettysburg, and will cover six other states in search of our relatives.  Watch our Civil War Harley Tour blog for postings along the journey!

Witch Relative was That??

The Raymond branch of the Brock family had been somewhat neglected in my research, as there were no new "discoveries" in quite some time.  Depending on the family, and their infamy, the further back you look, the more difficult the information is to find. We were certain about the direct connection between Mary Jane Raymond and her husband, Norman Lewis to Mabel Chapin Brock (her grandparents),  but there wasn't much else.

A few weeks ago, I found that Mary Jane and Norman Lewis were buried in the North Bingham Cemetery, Potter County, Pennsylvania. The discovery of the cemetery led to the discovery and validation of several other previously unknown family members, including Mary Jane's parents, Joel Raymond and his wife Lydia Matilda Grover, who had earlier been known simply as Matilda, and was thought to have been his only wife. Seems Joel had a first wife, Jane Searles, who died in 1838 at the age of 21, and is also buried in North Bingham Cemetery.

Joel's parents, William Greenleaf (1786-1874) and Elizabeth Freeman Raymond (1788-1875) are also in interred in the North Bingham Cemetery. William's parents, Amos Raymond (1757-1852) and Alice Day Joslin (1757-1828) were found in nearby Raymond Cemetery, Allegany County, Pennsylvania.

Amos' parents, William (1725-1780) and Mercy Davis Raymond (1725-1810) were found in Salem, Massachusetts. William's parents, Paul (1695-1759) and Tabitha Blach Raymond (1702-1737) were from Beverly, Massachusetts, as were Paul's parents, William (1666-1709) and Mary Kettle Raymond (1659-1746).

All of this, five generations, from finding one verified clue in one remote cemetery. It was as if a genealogical flood gate had opened!!

Now any reference to Salem or the surrounding area, especially in the late 1600, early 1700's, sends me immediately on a witch hunt. Like the Mayflower pilgrims, there is a plethora of information on those who lived in and around Salem during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. Those were some of the darkest and most dangerous days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when neighbor turned against neighbor, all on the say so of a few young girls (and political greed).  Was it possible that one of our ancestors was involved too?

William Raymond, mentioned previously, was the son of William (1637-1709) and Hannah Bishop Raymond (1646-1738). William Sr., according to testimony found in the Court Records of Salem, given on December 28, 1697, arrived in America with his brother, John, in 1652. He was a prominent citizen of Beverly, appointed as Lt. Commander of the Beverly troops in 1683 by the General Court. His name was also seen spelled as "Rayment".

Hannah, his wife, was the daughter of Edward Bishop and his first wife, Hannah Moore. Edward owned a sawmill and was also a well-respected citizen of Beverly. After Hannah died in 1680, Edward married Bridget Oliver, the widow of Thomas Oliver. Bridget Oliver Bishop was also well known in Beverly, but for all the wrong reasons. She owned a tavern and was reputed to be unruly and outspoken, favoring red bodices and bright laces, not your typical Puritan wife.

On April 18, 1692, a warrant was issued for Bridget's arrest.

The charge? Witchcraft.

She was the first to be put on trial and the first to be executed, hung for the crime of witchcraft on June 10, 1692.  Edward Bishop and his daughter, Hannah Bishop Raymond are both on record as testifying at the trial of Rebecca Nurse, also accused and hung as a witch.  Edward's son, Edward Jr., and his wife, Sarah Wilde, were also arrested for witchcraft and their property seized. They were taken to jail in Boston where they remained incarcerated for 37 weeks. They escaped prosecution and death, and in 1703, moved to Rehoboth, Massachusetts.

So while our family doesn't have a direct bloodline (at least not one that I've found yet) to a an accused witch,  the fate of the bloodline did hang (no pun intended) in the balance with Edward Bishop's marriage to Bridget Oliver. In 1693, less than a year after the death of Bridget, Edward married his third wife, Elizabeth Cash.

There is a memorial to Bridget Bishop and the other 19 victims of the Salem Witch Trials actively put to death at the Burying Point Cemetery on Charter Street, Salem, Massachusetts. In 1956, Bridget Bishop was exonerated by an act passed by the Massachusetts General Court.

You just never know where the genealogy trail will take you!