The Newcomb Family Update

The Newcomb Family:

 

First Generation

1.  Francis Newcomb^1–3 was born circa 1605 in probably St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England.¹ He died on 27 May 1692 at the age of 87 in Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.¹ Francis Newcomb [aged 30] set sail from London for New England in April 1635 with wife Rachel [aged 20] and two children, Rachel [aged 2½]and John [aged 9 months] aboard the Planter, Nicholas Trarice, Master. Also on board the ship were Rachel's mother, Rachel, and her 2nd husband, Martin Sanders and three half-siblings.
The Newcombs settled in Boston, where on 28 February 1635/6 Rachel became a member of the Boston First Church. They removed to Mt. Wollaston, which became Braintree on 13 May 1640 [now Quincy]. Rachel was one of thirteen Boston church members recommended to the Church of Christ at "Mount Wollystone" on 16 February 1639/40. At Braintree, Francis acquired several tracts of land, one being near the Iron Works and another on the south side of the Monaticut River. He probably resided at or near the "Neck."

Francis died 27 May 1692 at Braintree. The Hancock Cemetery records there gave Francis' age as 100, but since he was listed as being 30 in 1635, an age of about 87 would be more likely.

Francis Newcomb and Rachel Brackett were married on 27 May 1630 in All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England.¹ Rachel Brackett, daughter of Peter Brackett and Rachel [Brackett], was born circa Apr 1614 in All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England.⁴ She was baptized on 28 Apr 1614 in All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England.⁵ She died after 22 Mar 1685/6 at the age of 71 in probably Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.⁶

 

Francis Newcomb and Rachel Brackett had the following children:

 

                              i.   Rachel Newcomb³ was born circa Nov 1631 in All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom.³ She was baptized on 13 Nov 1631 in All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom.³ Rachel's age is given as 2 ½ on 6 April 1635.

              2             ii.   John Newcomb, born ca Aug 1634, All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom; married Ruth Marshall, ca 1658, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married Elizabeth [Newcomb]; died ca 1721, Massachusetts.

              3            iii.   Hannah Newcomb, born ca Oct 1637, Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married James Thorp, 8 Jan 1657/8, Dedham, Massachusetts Bay, British America.

              4            iv.   Mary Newcomb, born 1 Apr 1640, Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married Samuel Deering, 9 Dec 1657, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married George Spear, 27 Apr 1675, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.

                             v.   Sarah Newcomb was born on 30 Jun 1643 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

              5            vi.   Judith Newcomb, born 16 Jan 1645/6, Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts; married Ensign Samuel Jennison, 30 Oct 1666, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; died 1 Mar 1723, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

              6           vii.   Peter Newcomb, born 16 May 1648, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married Susan Cutting, 26 Jun 1672, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married Mary Phillips, ca 1703, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, British America.

                          viii.   Abigail Newcomb was born on 16 Jul 1651 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

              7            ix.   Leah Newcomb, born 30 Jul 1654, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married William Price, bef 1688, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.

              8             x.   Elizabeth Newcomb, born 26 Aug 1658, Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married John Pidge, 3 Jul 1677, Dedham, Massachusetts Bay, British America; married James Emery, 28 Dec 1695, Dedham, Massachusetts Bay, British America.

 

Second Generation

 

2.  John Newcomb (Francis-1) was born circa Aug 1634 in All Saints, Sudbury, Suffolk, England, United Kingdom.³ He died circa 1721 at the age of 87 in Massachusetts.³ John's will was written on 13 May 1721.

John Newcomb and Ruth Marshall were married circa 1658 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ Ruth Marshall was born (date unknown).

 

John Newcomb and Elizabeth [Newcomb] were married.³ Elizabeth [Newcomb] was born (date unknown).

 

3.  Hannah Newcomb (Francis-1) was born circa Oct 1637 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ She was baptized on 15 Oct 1637 in Boston, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

Hannah Newcomb and James Thorp were married on 8 Jan 1657/8 in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ James Thorp was born (date unknown).

  

4.  Mary Newcomb (Francis-1) was born on 1 Apr 1640 in Braintree, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

Mary Newcomb and Samuel Deering were married on 9 Dec 1657 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ Samuel Deering was born (date unknown).

 

Mary Newcomb and George Spear were married on 27 Apr 1675 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ George Spear was born (date unknown).

 

5.  Judith Newcomb^7–9 (Francis-1) was born on 16 Jan 1645/6 in Braintree, Norfolk Co., Massachusetts.^3,9–10 She died on 1 Mar 1723 at the age of 77 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.^7,9 There has been some confusion as to Judith's actual maiden name. Howard Jennison wrote that it was Macomber  and that her father was Zebedee Macomber. Jennison noted other variations such as McComb and McCumber. He also linked the Macombers to brothers John, William and Thomas of Devonshire, England. Descendants for the latter could not be found. John's line was fairly well documented; so William became the probable progenitor.
Howard Jennison also presented an item from the Holden Genealogy and other sources that Judith's maiden name was Newcomb. She was the daughter of Francis and Rachel Newcomb of Braintree, Massachusetts.
Francis Newcomb is well documented in several books and Massachusetts Vital Records. Judith Newcomb's birth is recorded in the Braintree births as 16 January 1645. [Various sources for the Jennisons give Judith Macomber's birth as 13 August 1674 or 1647 in Watertown.] The key was in locating a marriage record for Samuel and Judith on 10 October 1666, the date of their marriage in Watertown. Online searches failed.

Mary Walton Ferris' Dawes-Gates Ancestral Line [Vol. I] included chapters on both the Jennison and Newcomb families. Included in the Newcomb chapter [p. 461] was a photocopy of the original Watertown Vital Records for 1666. The third entry appears to read Samuell Jenisson & Judith Mucombe joyned in Marriage this 30 of October. There is an upstroke on the N that makes it look like an M. Thus the bride's maiden name is Nucombe in the record.
Ferris noted on p. 460 that Newcomb had "been erroneously identified as Macomber for at least 80 years." She noted Macombe was understandable, but the addition of the 'r' was a mystery. Also on the photocopy was the marriage entry for Judith's brother, Peter. The name was written as NuCom.
Since records for a Judith Macomber appear nonexistent, there is little doubt that the wife of Samuel Jennison was Judith Newcomb.
Judith was born in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1645. She married Samuel Jennison at Watertown in 1666. She died there in 1723.

Judith Newcomb and Ensign Samuel Jennison were married on 30 Oct 1666 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.^3,7,9 Ensign Samuel Jennison^8,11, son of Robert Jennison and Grace [Jennison], was born on 16 Oct 1645 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.⁷ He died on 15 Oct 1701 at the age of 55 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.⁷ Samuel Jennison was admitted as a freeman at Watertown, Massachusetts on 11 October 1682. He had considerable property, mostly in land holdings. Jennison was referred to as "yeoman" or "Gentleman" in many deeds. The title of "Ensign" was probably granted through British authority. In the British army an ensign carried the flag.
Samuel was Watertown town clerk in November 1691, constable 1693-95, and in December 1694 was on a committee to audit the accounts of the constables from 1687 to date. He was chosen moderator of the yearly town meeting on 4 November 1692. Samuel was a selectman for 1691 and 1692. He was a tithing collector in March 1682/3, handled contributions for the ministry in 1691 and 1693. In July 1694, Samuel was deputized to assist a committee charged with the responsibility of filing an "information" in the Superior Court for Shubael Child. Child had been kept in the unheated town prison during the previous winter and his feet became frozen, causing him to be permanently crippled. Child had been imprisoned for a "temporary mental unbalance."  
His will was dated 30 November 1700.  In the will, Samuel named sons Samuel, William, Peter and Robert, as well as daughters Judith [Barnard], Rachel [Barron], Grace [Holden] and Lydia. [Mercy, 1671/2, at age two, and William's twin sister, Elizabeth died prior to 1700.] He also made bequests to his grandchildren, Mary Jennison, James and Samuel Barnard, Timothy Barron, John Holden and Joseph Bowman.

 

Samuel Jennison and Judith Newcomb had the following children:

 

              9              i.   Judith Jennison, born 13 Aug 1667, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married James Barnard, 1 Dec 1692, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married John Bemis, 30 May 1726, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

                             ii.   Mercy Jennison was born on 23 Jan 1669/70 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹² She died on 28 Feb 1671/2 at the age of 2 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹²

           10            iii.   Rachel Jennison, born 8 Oct 1671, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married Timothy Barron, 10 Mar 1698/9, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married John King, bef 1721, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

           11            iv.   Samuel Jennison, born 12 Oct 1673, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married Mary Stearns, 2 Nov 1699, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; died 2 Dec 1730, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

           12             v.   William Jennison, born 17 Oct 1676, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married Elizabeth Golding, 20 Jun 1700, Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts; died 19 Sep 1744, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

                            vi.   Elizabeth Jennison¹² was born on 17 Oct 1676 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹² She died before 30 Nov 1700 at the age of 24 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.¹² Elizabeth, twin to William, was not named in her father's will, so probably died prior to the date the will was written - 30 November 1700.

           13           vii.   Grace Jennison, born 11 Feb 1678, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married John Holden, 7 Nov 1699, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; died 7 Jan 1757, Concord, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

           14          viii.   Peter Jennison, born 1 Oct 1681, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married Jane [Jennison], bef 1710, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; died 17 Jan 1722/3, Sudbury, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

           15            ix.   Robert Jennison, born 24 Jul 1684, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married Dorothy Thomas, abt 1719, Boston, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts; died 1779, Auburn, Worcester Co., Massachusetts.

           16             x.   Lydia Jennison, born 18 May 1688, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; married John Traine, 5 May 1707, Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts.

 

6.  Peter Newcomb (Francis-1) was born on 16 May 1648 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

Peter Newcomb and Susan Cutting were married on 26 Jun 1672 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ Susan Cutting was born (date unknown).

 

Peter Newcomb and Mary Phillips were married circa 1703 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, British America.³ She was the widow of Jonas Humphrey. Mary Phillips was born (date unknown).

 

7.  Leah Newcomb (Francis-1) was born on 30 Jul 1654 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

Leah Newcomb and William Price were married before 1688 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ William Price was born (date unknown).

  

8.  Elizabeth Newcomb (Francis-1) was born on 26 Aug 1658 in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³

Elizabeth Newcomb and John Pidge were married on 3 Jul 1677 in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ John Pidge was born (date unknown).

 

Elizabeth Newcomb and James Emery were married on 28 Dec 1695 in Dedham, Massachusetts Bay, British America.³ James Emery was born (date unknown).

 

Sources:

        1. Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines: Volume I: Dawes & Allied Families (United States: Privately printed, 1943), p. 459-462; digital images, World Vital Records,  (: accessed .

        2. Richard Charles Anderson, "The Great Migration Begins," database, NEHGS, American Ancestors (http://americanancestors.org: accessed 19 May 2011), Rachel Brackett Newcomb; citing p. 203- 206.

        3. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration, Vol. V: M-P (Boston, MA: NEHGS, 2007), 242-245.

        4. "Henne-Tallman Tree", database, Ray Gurganus, Our Family Tree (www.gurganus.org : accessed 28 May 2011), "Henne-Tallman Tree," Brackett Family; submitted 2010 by gloriajean, [contact information for private use].

        5. John Brooks Threlfall, "The English Ancestry of Richard and Alice [Blower] Brackett of Braintree," article, NEHGS, American Ancestors (http://americanancestors.org : accessed 30 May 2011), Brackett ancestry; citing prior publication in The American Genealogist (April 1976).

        6. "Brackett Family", database, Brackett Family (http://ralphinla.rootsweb.ancestry.com/bracket7.htm : accessed 18 May 2011), "Brackett Family," Rachel Brackett; submitted September 1999 by Ralph Dean Clark, [contact information for private use].

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

        8. Howard Jennison, Jennison Family History (Ponca City, Oklahoma: H. Jennison, 1994), p. 14-15.

        9. Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, p. 460-461.

        10. Samuel A. Bates, "Braintree Births [L-N] 1640-1793," database, rootsweb/ancestry.com, Braintree Births [L-N] 1640-1793 (http://freepages.genealogy/rootsweb.ancestry.com: accessed 12 September 2010), Newcomb births; citing Braintree Vital Records.

        11. Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, p. 371-2.

        12. , Jennison Family History, p. 14.