The Dodge Family

The Dodge Family:

First Generation

 

1.  John Dodge¹ was born circa 1574 in East Coker, Somerset, England.² He died circa Sep 1635 at the age of 61 in Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England.¹ John Dodge's will was dated 2 April 1635 and proved 15 October 1635. He probably died in late September or early October. Named in the will were his wife, Margery and children William, Richard, Michael and Mary. Also named were grandsons John [Richard] and William [Michael]. At the time of his death, John was a resident of Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England.

John Dodge and Margery [Dodge] were married circa 1600 in Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England?.² Margery [Dodge] was born circa 1580 in Somerset, England.² She died after 1635 at the age of 55 in Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England.¹

 

John Dodge and Margery [Dodge] had the following child:

 

              2              i.   Richard Dodge, born ca 1602, Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England; married Edith Brayne, 5 May 1628, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England; died 15 Jun 1671, Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.

 

 

Second Generation

 

2.  Richard Dodge^3–4 (John-1) was born circa 1602 in Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England.³ He died on 15 Jun 1671 at the age of 69 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.³ eRichard Dodge was born about 1602, probably in Middle Chinnock, Somerset, England. He married Edith Brayne on 5 May 1628 at Stoke sub Hamdon. The couple had eight children: Richard (bp. 1628, died young), Margery (bp. 7 September 1630, buried 2 February 1630/1), John (bp. 29 December 1631) and Mary (bp. 19 April 1635) were all born in East Coker; Sarah (b. c1641, bp. 3 July 1644 in Salem), Richard (bp. 3 July 1644 in Salem); Samuel (b. c1645), Edward (c1649) and Josesph (4 June 1651) were born in Beverly.   Richard Dodge first appeared in Salem in 1638. His brother William had arrived in Salem on 29 June 1629 on the Lyon's Whelp. There is a possibility that William returned to England, married, and returned to New England about 1636, perhaps with brothers Richard and John.
Richard was received as a resident of Salem on 29 October 1638 and was given a 10 acre lot on the 12th of November. On the 26th of that month, he and William were granted half shares of an 80 acre farm at the eastern end of the Conant, Balch and Woodbury farms. They also received 12 acres of meadowland. Richard acquired an additional 40 acres on 1 December 1641. These tracts were located on the border between Beverly and Wenham.
This North Beverly land was called "Dodge Row" lying just east of Lake Wenham. Richard joined the Salem church on 5 March 1643/4 and was made a freeman 30 April 1646.

In 1653 Richard was first on the list of donors to Harvard College. He also dedicated a piece of land for the local burying ground, called "the Cemetery on Dodge Row."

Dodge was one of the petitioners for the town of Bass River and a founder of the community's church in 1667. Bass River became Beverly in 1668.

Dodge's estate was valued at over £1700. He left sons John, Richard and Samuel each a farm valued at over £100. Sons Edward and Joseph were given the family homestead, worth £1000. 

Richard Dodge and Edith Brayne were married on 5 May 1628 in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England.^3,5 Edith Brayne, daughter of Edward Brayne and Elizabeth [Brayne], was born circa May 1608 in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England.³ She was baptized on 17 May 1608 in Stoke-sub-Hamdon, Somerset, England.⁵ She died on 27 Jun 1678 at the age of 70 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.³

 

Richard Dodge and Edith Brayne had the following child:

 

              3              i.   Edward Dodge, born ca 1649/50, North Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts; married Mary Haskell, 30 Apr 1673, Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts; died 13 Feb 1727, Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.

 

 

Third Generation

 

3.  Edward Dodge³ (Richard-2, John-1) was born circa 1649/50 in North Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.³ He died on 13 Feb 1727 at the age of 77 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.³ Edward Dodge and his brother Joseph were co-executors of their father's will. They seemingly got along well with each other and family members as the disposition of the farms they jointly inherited were amicably divided. During his lifetime, Dodge held several town offices.

Edward Dodge and Mary Haskell were married on 30 Apr 1673 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.³ Mary Haskell, daughter of William Haskell and Mary/Marie Tybbot, was born circa 1651 in Gloucester, Essex Co., Massachusetts. She died in 1737 at the age of 86 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁶ The Gloucester Vital Records give 28 June 1660 as the birth date of Mary Haskell [Hauscall in the records]. This is also the date recorded for her sister Sarah. If Mary was born in 1660, then she would have been 12 when she married in 1673. A marriage at that age was unacceptable in Puritan New England.
The Haskell Family of North America - Descendants of William Haskell and Elinor Foule [http://hfa.haskells.net/haskellfamilyna/pafc04.htm#3191C8] website notes that Mary's grandfather, Walter Tybbot, made his will on 5 June 1651. This will named all of his grandchildren, including the four sons of his daughter Mary [Wm. Haskell]. Mary would have been his first granddaughter and was not named in the will.
Gloucester was without a trained town clerk around the time, which could easily explain the error in recording Mary's birth.

Mary's brother John was born about 1649 [aged 69 in 1718] and her sister, Ruth was born about 1654. The Haskell website suggests that Mary was born in the latter half of 1651 after the writing of Walter Tybbot's June will.

 

Edward Dodge and Mary Haskell had the following child:

 

              4              i.   Hannah Dodge, born Apr 1692, Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts; married Samuel Curtis, 15 Jun 1720, Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.

 

 

Fourth Generation

 

4.  Hannah Dodge (Edward-3, Richard-2, John-1) was born in Apr 1692 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁷ She was baptized on 17 Apr 1692 in Beverly, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁷

Hannah Dodge and Samuel Curtis were married on 15 Jun 1720 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁸ Samuel Curtis⁸, son of John Curtis and Mary Looke, was born on 31 May 1698 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁸ Samuel Curtis was born and raised in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He married there in 1720 to Hannah Dodge and their children were born there. The Curtises moved to Oxford in 1748. Samuel bought a tract of 200 acres and kept an inn from 1749 to 1751. In 1750 Samuel deeded 50 acres to son Samuel. He deeded the remaining 150 acres to son Noah in 1752, keeping half of the house for himself. Noah deeded the land back to Samuel the next year and released all claims on his father's estate. According to the Oxford historian, the family left the town about the time of the Revolutionary War.
The family had a negro "servant-child" named Flora who was baptized at Topsfield in 1741.

 

Samuel Curtis and Hannah Dodge had the following children:

 

                              i.   Hannah Curtis was born on 14 Jul 1722 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                             ii.   Rebecca Curtis was born on 9 Mar 1723 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹ She died on 3 Dec 1726 at the age of 3 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

              5            iii.   Mary Curtis, born 8 Jun 1726, Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts; married Amos Singletary, 6 Sep 1742, Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts; died 28 Jun 1799, Sutton, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

                            iv.   Samuel Curtis was born on 26 Feb 1727/8 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                             v.   Noah Curtis was born on 28 May 1731 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                            vi.   Rachel Curtis was born on 18 Mar 1732/3 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                           vii.   Eunice Curtis was born on 15 Jan 1736 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                          viii.   Elijah Curtis was born on 7 Jul 1737 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                            ix.   John Curtis was born on 15 Apr 1741 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

                             x.   Rebecca Curtis was born on 7 Mar 1742/3 in Topsfield, Essex Co., Massachusetts.⁹

 

Sources:

        1. Joseph Thompson Dodge, "Dodge Family of Essex County," article, NEHGS, Americanancestors.org (http://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 25 July 2011), John Dodge death; citing prior publication in NEHGS Register (October 1892).

        2. Simmons Family, Roy W. Simmons online [http://www.storycapsule.com/simmons/familytree/pedigree.php], accessed 29 Oct 2009.

        3. Dodge, "Dodge Family of Essex County," Dodge family.

        4. Doug Sinclair, Doug Sinclair, Doug Sinclair's Archives (http://dougsinclairsarchives.com/dodge/richarddodge.htm : accessed 26 July 2011), Richard Dodge family.

        5. Sinclair, Doug Sinclair's Archives, Edith Brayne.

        6. Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines: Volume I: Dawes & Allied Families (United States: Privately printed, 1943), p. 351-353; digital images, World Vital Records,  (: accessed 27 July 2011; Haskell  chapter.

        7. Ma-vital records.org, "Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts until the end of the year 1849," database, MA-vitalrecords.org, Vital Records of Beverly, Massachusetts until the end of the year 1849 (http://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Essex/Beverly/: accessed 17 August 2011), Hannah Dodge baptism; citing town records.

        8. Walter Goodwin Davis, The Ancestry of Lt. Amos Towne 1737-1793: of Arundle [Kennebunkport], Maine (Portland, ME: The Southworth Press, 1927), p. 67 [Curtis chapter]; digital images, World Vital Records, World Vital Records (http://www.worldvitalrecords.com : accessed 17 August 2011.

        9. Davis, The Ancestry of Lt. Amos Towne 1737-1793, p. 67-68 [Curtis chapter].