See also
| Husband: | Peter * STAPLES (1640-1719) | |
| Wife: | Elizabeth * BEADLE (1641-1720) | |
| Children: | Peter STAPLES (1675- ) | |
| James STAPLES (1678- ) | ||
| John * STAPLES (1680-1744) | ||
| Marriage | 1673 | Kittery, York, ME, US1 |
| Name: | Peter * STAPLES | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Peter * STAPLES (1620-1719) | |
| Mother: | Mary * GIBBS (1620- ) | |
| Birth | 1640 | Kittery, York, ME, US |
| Death | 6 Jun 1719 (age 78-79) | Kittery, York, ME, US |
| Burial | Old Fields Cemetary | |
| South Berwick, York, ME, US | ||
| Name: | Elizabeth * BEADLE | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Robert * BEADLE (1625-1647) | |
| Mother: | Mary * BAILEY (1621-1685) | |
| Birth | 1641 | Kittery, York, ME, US |
| Death | 6 Dec 1720 (age 78-79) | Kittery, York, ME, US |
| Name: | Peter STAPLES | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 1675 | |
| Name: | James STAPLES | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 1678 | |
| Name: | John * STAPLES | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Spouse: | Mary * DIXON (1679-1745) | |
| Birth | 1680 | Kittery, York, ME, US2 |
| Census | 1720 (age 39-40) | Kittery, York, ME, US3 |
| Death | 21 Nov 1744 (age 63-64) | Kittery, York, ME, US |
Maine Will Abstracts, 1640-1760 Source Page: Probate Office, 3, 14. Name: Peter Staple Will Text: In the Name of God Amen The Sixth day of June in the Year of our Lord one Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighteen I Peter Staple of Kittery in the County of Yorke in the Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New-England Yeoman being aged and weak in Body but of perfect mind and Memory thanks be given unto God Therefore Calling unto mind the Mortality of my Body do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament that is to Say Principally and first of all I give & Recommend my Soul into the hands of god that gave it. And for my Body I commend it to the Earth to be Buried in a Christian like and Decent manner at the discretion of my Executors hereafter named, And as Touching Such worldly Estate wherewith it hath Pleased God to bless me in this life I give devise and dispose of the Same in the following manner and form.Impr I give and bequeath to Elizabeth my dearly beloved wife her dwelling in and Improvement of my dwelling house during her Natural life and also all my household Stuff and other my moveable goods together with the one Third part of the Produce or Income of that my farm and Stock of Cattle which I have heretofore given and alienated to my Son Peter Staple for her Comfortable Support during her Natural life and if the abovesaid Income Shall not be Sufficient to maintain her She hath by these Presents Liberty to dispose of and Sell So much of my household goods or other moveables as Shall be Sufficient to Support her and what Household Goods & other Moveables Effects Shall remain at her Decease not disposed of by her for the aforesaid use I give the Same to my two Sons John & James Staples to be Equally Divided betwene them or those that Shall legally represent them.Item I do by these presents Confirm unto my Sons Peter Staple John Staple & James Staple their Heirs and Assignes forever the Lands which I have heretofore given them I do also give unto my Said Sons either Eighteen pounds in money or Six heat cattle between three and four years of age to be equally divided between them or those that Shall Lawfully represent them upon Condition of their defraying my funeral Charges and Obliging of themselves decently to bury my abovesaid wife Elizabeth their Mother after her decease. The abovesaid money or Cattle to be paid by my Said Son Peter to my other Sons John and James Staples their proportion.Item I do hereby Constitute make & ordain my three well beloved Sons Peter Iohn & Iames Staples my Executors of this my Last Will and Testament And I do hereby utterly disallow revoke & dissanul all and Every other former Testaments Wills and Executors by me in any ways before named And Willed Ratifying and Confirming this and no other to be my last Will and Testament In witness whereof I have hereunto Set my hand & Seal the day and Year above writtenSigned Sealed Published Pronounced & Declared by the Said Peter Staple as his last Will and Testament In the Presents of us the Subscribers.Iohn NewmarchPavl WentworthNicolas WeeksPeter Staple (Seal) his markProbated 7 April 1719. Inventory returned, 3 April 1719, at œ18:16:6, by John Dennit, and Joshua Remick, appraisers.
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RESEARCH NOTES on PETER STAPLE of KITTERY
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PISCATAQUA PLANTATION 1603-1648
It has been written that Peter Staple, the Immigrant and father of Peter Staple of Kittery, arrived in 1640. To understand what Peter found when he arrived, a brief history of the beginning of the Piscataqua Plantation follows.
Old Kittery' by Stackpole, p18-20, chap. II 'EARLIEST SETTLERS' (in part) " The honor of having first seen the shores of the Pascataqua is, doubtless, due to Martin Pring, who in 1603, sailing in the Speedwell and Discoverer, coasted along the shores of Maine from the Penobscot and sailed up a river three or four leagues, probably to Quamphegan Falls." --- "In 1614 Capt. John Smith of Pocahontas fame touched at a group of islands which he named for himself, the Smith Isles, but which somehow got the name, Isles of Shoals, as early as 1630, and have retained it." (Note: Capt. Smith mapped the coast of what is now Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts to the tip of Cape Cod, which Capt. Smith called Cape James, when he returned to England he presented his map to Prince Charles who named his discovery New England.) --- " The fishermen learned earlier than we know that there was good fishing near the the mouth of the Pascataqua, and the islands were manned, if not inhabited, when the mainland had only a few scattered settlers. For many years no woman was allowed to be a resident there. --- There is no historical record of any settler at the mouth of the Pascataqua earlier than 1623. --- Williamson's History of Maine, Vol. I., p.244; "Mention is also to be made at this time of the settlements commenced on the northerly banks of the Piscataqua and the river above. these were at Kittery Point, at Spruce Creek, at Sturgeon Creek (Eliot), at Quampeagan Falls (or the Parish of Unity), and the ancient Newichawannock (or Berwick), some or all of which were seven years of age in 1631, being collectively called the Plantation of Piscataqua. Note: The boundary between northeastern New Hampshire and southeastern Maine runs through the Piscataqua River and offshore to the Isles of Shoals.
In 'New Hampshire's Historic Seacoast' by Eva S. Spear (1969), II:7-10 The Lore of History, states (in part) Pannaway - The Fishmongers Guild of Plymouth, England employed David Thompson to outfit the ship Jonathan to establish a fishing village at his bay which he named Little Harbor. His village was called Pannaway, the first permanent settlement in New Hampshire, in 1623, now called Odiorne's Point (located at the mouth of the Piscataqua in NH). With possibly 10 men, increased later to 30, he erected dwellings and other necessary buildings, and set up salt works and frames upon which the cod and haddock were salted and dried. Dover Point - In that same spring of 1623, two brothers, William and Edward Hilton, set up their fish flakes on the Piscataqua River at Dover Point (Across the river from old Kittery). Their settlement was also permanent, and to this day the dispute remains unsettled about which arrived first, David Thompson the Hilton brothers.
'Old Eliot' bk.1:vol.1: p1; "At the court of elections, October 20, 1647, the Piscataqua Plantation was formed into a town by the name of Kittery; deriving it's name from Kittery in England." NOTE: The town of Kittery, now in Maine, takes it's name from the Manor of Kittery Court located in Kingswear, Devon, England, across the river Dart from the city of Dartmouth. Alexander Shapleigh, born about 1574 at the Manor of Kittery Court in Kingsweare, England gave Kittery Point, located at the mouth of the Piscataqua River, its name when he arrived in 1635 with his friend and business associate, Captain Francis Champernowne in their jointly owned ship 'Benediction'. The Shapleighs of Dartmouth and Kingsweare, England were known as Merchant Venturers, their ships traversed almost every sea, and were especially engaged in commerce between England and America. Alexander's fishing fleet was one of several stationed at the mouth of the Piscataqua River and 10 miles off shore around the Isles of Shoals. Alexander was a large importer of salt from the salt mines of France and Spain, he sold this to not only the English markets but to the numerous European fishing fleets. Alexander opened a trading post dealing in furs and supplying the many needs of fishermen, settlers and Indians. From 'The Shapleighs of England and America' by the Shapleigh Family Association website. COMMENT: As no Vital Records were kept of many of the men and women brought to the Piscataqua Plantation by the Merchant Venturers and Fishmongers in the 1600's, they remain unknown to us today. These men were sailors and fishermen who caught fish which was salted by workers in the fishmongers settlements and shipped to England, hunters and trappers for the fur trade, lumberjacks that cut the tall pines and workers manning the saw mills to make sailing masts, spars and lumber that was shipped to England, women performing domestic duties plus the farmers and their families living on lands granted to the Merchant Venturers and Fishmongers. Many of these Piscataqua Pioneers would die unknown, buried in unmarked graves in this harsh wilderness environment of sickness and hostilities.By 1640, the immigrants coming from England to New England had knowledge of where to locate. Many came to settle in southern New England were farmers. They settled there because the land and weather was better than northern New England. The first settlements at the Piscataqua were primarily involved in the fishing industry, which included the repair of boats and shipbuilding.COMMENT: The early historians indicate that the first Peter Staple came to Kittery in 1640, if this is true then he would have been at least 20 years old and born about 1620. Peter Staple of Kittery, died 1718-19 according to his colonial probate records. This would have made our Peter Staple of Kittery about 99 years old. This is very unlikely, his wife is reported to be born in 1641. Peter was more likely born about 1641/42, thus it would have been his father that arrived in 1940, and Peter of Kittery would have been born in or near the Piscataqua Plantation..
RESEARCH NOTES RELATING TO PETER'S ANCESTRY
I) RESEARCH BASED ON PUBLISHED STAPLE/S GENEALOGY AND LEGAL DOCUMENTS:
Notes 1 through 4 are compiled writings from published genealogists and Staples Family Historians that give us the basis for presenting strong circumstantial evidence regarding Peter Staple of Kittery's father, however, they are yet to be proved.1) Saco Valley Settlements and Families, (1895) G.T. Ridlon, Sr. p1159: "Peter Staples, Jr., of Kittery, made his will June 6, 1718, "being aged"; mentions wife, Elizabeth, and sons, Peter, John and James." NOTE: Ridlon refers to Peter of Kittery as "Jr.". This means that the given name of Peter's father was also Peter. This is the oldest genealogical (1895) book I have found that mentions the Peter Staple family of Kittery.
2) Old Eliot, Maine, Book Two, (1901-1903; 1985 ed. ) J.L.M. Willis, Vol VI:37, "The Staples Family by the Rev. Charles J. Staples." (b1856-d1936) Staples Family Historian, (in part) "The most consistent and authentic tradition connects the family to the eastward, possibly the abandoned outpost at Pemaquid, founded 1625, or earlier. There were other brothers, it is said, who settled in Massachusetts and Virginia." NOTE: Rev. C.J. Staples indicates Peter Staple of Kittery's family was in Maine prior to the formation of the town of Kittery.
3) Genealogical And Family History of the State of New Hampshire, (1908) Ezra S. Sterns, p 600: STAPLES (in part), "In 1640 three brothers named Staples --- Peter, Thomas and another whose Christian name is now unknown --- arrived at Kittery, Maine. Thomas removed to Fairfield, Connecticut, and Peter remained in Kittery. The name was long written Staple." NOTE: Sterns states that this Peter Staple arrived in Kittery in 1640, with two brothers, this must be the father of 'Peter Staple of Kittery' d 1718/19, and the two brothers would have been uncles of Peter Staple of Kittery. Therefore Peter of Kittery would be a Jr. as Ridlon states and it would be Peter of Kittery's father that 1st came to Kittery. This also indicates that since Kittery did not become a town until 1648, it would have been Kittery Point (named c1635) in the Piscataqua Plantation where Peter's father arrived.
4) "Old Kittery and her Families” (1903; 1985 ed) by Everett S. Stackpole, p96, states; Peter Staple had a grant in 1661 (Note: I have not found this land grant in the Kittery Town Meeting records started in 1648 and transcribed in 1852. Early records are reported to be incomplete.Stackpole in his book Old Kittery and Her Families, page 96, "Mary Batchelder married Thomas Turner and 4 July 1674, they sold their lot to Peter Staple." ------. "Joseph Hill, who married Susannah, dau of Christopher Beedle, Sen., relinquished all claim to this ten acre grant in favor of Peter Staples 20 March 1703-4." ------"Peter Staple had a grant in 1661. He married a widow named Elizabeth , and died about 1719, leaving three sons." Page752 " Peter Staple -- had a grant of land in 1671 ---".
5) “ Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire” (1928-1939) by S. Noyes, C.T. Libby and W.G. Davis. P216, Edwards, Stephen, Portsm, Robert Jackson’s serv., drunk and fined 1662; m. Elizabeth Beedle (4), b. 1641. She mar. 2nd bef. 1670 Peter Staples. List 298.NOTE: Elizabeth (Beedle) Edwards, Peter Staple of Kittery’s wife was born c 1641. I have found no record of Peter & Elizabeth's marriage.6) “Vital Records of Kittery, Maine, (1991), J.C. Anderson II, L.W. Thurston, C.G.. Introduction; (in part) states that; The original vital records of Kittery, Maine begun in 1674, some 27 years after Kittery was incorporated as the first town in the Province of Maine.NOTE: Original vital records of Kittery, pages 1 through 4L are lost (1674-1681), the first vital records found start in 1682. This is 42 years after it is reported that the first Peter Staple came to the Piscataqua. 7) Gen. Dict. of ME & NH, P656 Staples, Staple, lists 3 Samuel Staple, Kittery. Mrs Mendum and S.S. wit ag. Wm. Norman in Oct. 1651. Handwritten court records held at the Maine State Archives, Augusta, ME state that this case held at a court at Kittery started 11 March 1650 and ended 17 May 1651, names 'mis' Mendam & Samuel Staple as giving evidence that William Norman was married with a wife in England and was not divorced. William had also 'taken of her to his wife' Margery Randell. William was given "25 stripes on his bare skin at a post". Margery for lying and abusing authority was fined "twenty shillings" and she was granted a divorce. NOTE: This is the earliest mention of a Staple I have found in Kittery records. Who is Samuel Staple, living in Kittery in 1650/51 and was he related to Peter? How did 'mis' Mendam and Samuel know about William Norman's wife in England and that he was not divorced?
8) Peter signed his will with a "p", witness's of the signing were John Newmarch, Paul Wentworth (Dover, NH?) and Nicholas Weeks. NOTE: Peter's mark was a "p" not a s". The spelling of his name was entered by clerks as they heard him pronounce his name. The witnesses of his will were not neighbors, what was their common bond with Peter?Peters inventory had no weapons mentioned. This is unusual for this time period. Was he a Quaker?Re: A copy of Peter's Probate Documents can be ordered from the Register of Probate, York County Courthouse, PO Box 399, 45 Kennebunk Road, Alfred, ME 04002-03999) Peter's great-grandson, Peter b1723, eldest son of Capt. Peter (1699-1768) filled an Administration in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), England in Feb. 1769. NOTE: At this time this is the only document giving evidence that Peter was an English subject and that he or his father came from England south of the Humber within, the then, Province of Canterbury. See I-2 Recorded Family History, Generation 3.II) RESEARCH BASED ON Y-DNA GENETIC DATA:Paternal genetic test results of six of the members of the STAPLES SURNAME & DNA PROJECT (SSDP) are found in SSDP DNA Family Group A. All six descend from Peter Staple of Kittery. We are all 8th & 9th cousins according to our genealogy trails that go to the various three sons of Peter Staple of Kittery and our Y-DNA establishes our common ancestor to be Peter Staple (c1642-1718/19) of Kittery. This genetic data proves beyond a shadow of doubt our relationship to Peter of Kittery, his father, and allows us to reconstruct the Y-DNA of Peter Staple of Kittery, Massachusetts, now Maine.Ref; See Chapter II:2, Paternal Genetic Data, Reconstructing the YDNA of Peter Staple (c1642-1719). III) RESEARCH IN ENGLAND::Ongoing research during the surname era from about 1550 to 1699, where we may find written records connecting family generations has turned up a number of Staple and a few Stapel individuals, to date nothing has been found that connects to Peter Staple the immigrant or his son Peter Staple of Kittery.Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC) Administration records held at The Family Records Centre and The National Archives, KEW, in London, England are being searched to locate the administration filed by Peter's great-grandson Peter b 1723 in Feb 1769. These records may give us the location of Peter's family homestead in England. see I-2 Recorded Family History, Generation 3.The filing of the Administration with the PCC states that Peter's STAPLE family ancestors lived in England. This information can be further refined by using 'Boyd's Marriage Index' (BMI) and locating where STAPLE family marriages took place between 1538 and 1650, by County in England. - Cornwall 11 marriages; Devon 8 m; Essex 3 m; Gloucesters. 11 m; Hertfords. 2 m; Kent 19 m; London 16 m; Middlesex 13 m; Norfolk 7 m; Somerset 15 m; Suffolk 6 m; Surrey 19 m; Sussex 4 m; Worchesters. 8 m:The above may be further refined by listing where the name PETER STAPLE is found in the BMI 1538-1650 and IGI / British Isles 1550-1650 records- Cornwall, East Newlyn and Saint Enoder; Devon, Ottery Saint Mary and (Stapel) St Andrew, Chardstock; Hampshire, Sherfield Upon Loddon Parish Sherfield and Baskingstoke Parish Worting; Kent, Saint Peters, Thanet; London, St Botolph Without Aldgate:
PETER STAPLE - BMI / ENGLAND -1550-1650
1) Peter STAPLE, 1619; Grace Clis..., Saint Enoder, Cornwall.
PETER STAPLE – IGI / BRITISH ISLES – 1550-1650
1) Peter STAPLE; Christening: 15 Mar 1594, East Newlyn, Cornwall, ENG.
2) Peter STAPLE; Burial: 01 Oct 1625, of Sussex, ENG.3) Peter STAPLE; Christening: 08 Jan 1629, Saint Peters (Isle of -) Thanet., Kent, ENG Father: Robert Staple
4) Peter STAPLE; Marriage: 24 June 1630, Elizabeth Grantham, Sherfield Upon Loddon, Hampshire, ENG (Note: 1630 Odiham Hundred = Sherfield = (Sherfield-upon-Loddon Parish, ~6m or ~9km from Basingstoke Parish.)
5) Peter STAPLES; Christening: 15 Feb 1634, St Botolph Without Aldgate, London, ENG Father: Nicholas Staples, Mother: Elizabeth
6) Peter STAPLE; Christening: 09 Nov 1634, Ottery Saint Mary, Devon, ENG Father: Marks Staple, Mother: Allice
7) Peter STAPEL; Marriage: 15 May 1634, Bridget Seller, St Andrew, Chardstock, Devon, ENG
Note: SFHA N6:2, J83 JCS; Shows a Peter Staple ca1555-? M12-11-1579 Alice Harte; ch Eliz. 11-1-1581-?, Kense (?) -3-30-1606, poss. Connection to Peter, memb. Chardstock p’sh 1641, Brigget Sellar (wid0 1-23-1679.
8) Peter STAPLE; Christening: 10 Jul 1642, East Newlyn, Cornwall, ENG. Father: Mathew Staple, Mother: Margery
9) Mrs. Peter STAPLE; Will: 02 Jan 1633, of Worting, Hampshire, ENG. (Note: 1633 Chuteley Hundred = Worting = (Basingstoke Parish)Is this the wife of Peter Staple, m 24 Jun 1630, Elizabeth Grantham, Sherfield-Uppon-Lodden, Hampshire, ENG?
10) Peter STABLE; Marriage: 31 Jul 1618, Ellin Atkinson, St. Peter, Leeds, Yorkshire, ENG.
THOMAS STAPLE – IGI/BRITISH ISLES, 1550 – 1650
Staples family tradition claims Peter Staple the immigrant arrived at Kittery, (ME) with Thomas Staple and another Staple whose Christian name is unknown. Using Peter (9 IGI entries) as a base, below is listed Thomas’s (from over 200 IGI entries) that matched the same location as a Peter.
1) Thomas STAPELS; Burial: 1561, of Sussex, ENG (see Peter #2)2) Thomas STAPELL; Christening: 03 Jun 1620 East Newlyn, Cornwall, ENG (see Peter #8) Father: Christopher Stapell
3) Thomas STAPLE; Christening: 29 Dec 1632, St Botolph Without Aldergate, London, London, ENG. (see Peter #5), Father: Thomas Staple, Mother: Agnes 4) a: Thomas STABLE; Christening: 02 Feb 1620, St Peter, Leeds, Yorkshire, ENG.
Father PETER Stable (see Peter #10 ?)
b: Lawrence STABLE; Christening: 27 Sept 1626, Saint Peter, Leeds, Yorkshire, England. Father PETER Stable (see Peter # 10 ?) Note: Did this PETER Stable have a son he named Peter?
5) Tho. STABLE; Marriage: 29 Nov 1614, Margaret Cooke, St Peter, Leeds Yorkshire, ENG.
STAPLE, STAPELL, EAST NEWLYN, CORNWALL 1566-1875
1500’s1566, 30 Apr; Christia Staple, Female Marriage; m Wyllm. Lucky1569, Feb 06; Johan Staple, female Christened; Father Wyllm. Staple
1578, 07 Apr; Water Staple, Christened; Father Wyllm Staple1580, 21 May; Robert Staple, Marriage; m Dorithy Nancolla
1580, 25 Jun; Julian Staple Female Christened; Father Robert Staple
1587, 16 Sept; John Staple, Christened, d 2 Oct 1587; Father Wyllm Staple1588, 19 Mar; John Staple, Christened; Father Robert Staple1594, 15 Mar; PETER Staple, Christened; Father Robert Staples
Note: 1595, 23 July, Spanish force of 400 attack and burned Mousehole, Newlyn & Penzance.
1600’s
1612, 09 Aug; Robert Staple, Christened; Father Christopher Staple
1614, 24 Feb; Mathew Staple, Christened; Father Christopher Staple
1617, 15 Mar; Richard Staple, Christening; Father Christopher Staple1620, 03 Jun; Thomas Stapell, Christened; Father Christopher Stapell1641, 06 May; Mathew Staple, Marriage; m Margery Gibs
1642, 10 Jul; PETER Staple, Christened; Father Mathew Staple, Mother Margery1644, 10 Nov; Jone Staple, Female Christened; Father Mathew Staple, Mother Margery1669, 27 Jul; Joane Staiple, Female Marriage; m John Pupnor 1698, 18 Sept, An Staple, Female Christened; Father PETER Staple
1700’s1701, 08 Jun; Eliza. Staple Female Christened; Father PEETER Staple, Mother Eliz.1704, 26 Mar; Peeter Staple, Male Birth; Father PEETER Staple, Mother Tempnc.1732, 31 July; Matthew Staple, Christened, Father PETER Staple, Mother Eliz.
1736, 11 Apr; Peter Stapell, Christened; Father PETER Stapell, Mother Elizth. 1739, 10 May; Eliz. Staple, female Christened, Father PETER Staple, Mother Eliz.1740, 06 Jul, John Staple, Christened, father PETER Staple, Mother Eliz.1743, 24 Jul, Ann Staple, Female Christened; Father PETER Staple, Mother Eliz.IGI Note: IGI information from the LDS Church published on the internet is not considered a primary or secondary genealogy source. To prove the information copies of the microfilmed original records from the specified location need to be procured.
NOTES:
1) Baptism and/or Christening of individuals show the date and the parish location. Births were not recorded in England until 1837.2) The ‘Calendar of Devon Wills’ for the 1600’s show a number of Staple’s (no Peter), however the actual wills were destroyed when Exeter was bombed in WW2.3) Parish records of Kingsweare started in 1601 and are not in the IGI.
4) Notes from the STAPLES FAMILY HISTORY ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER, James C. Staples President (1977-1987) on the origin of Peter Staple of Kittery (in part):
a) SFHA N1/80 3:2:5/8; James C. Staples/Martha S. Dildilian: p5, Peter Staple first appears in the records of Kittery now known as Eliot on April 13, 1671, when he is granted “10 acres of upland” by the town. P8 -- it is likely that Peter came, either directly from or as a second generation American from the southwest of England in Somerset, Dorset or Devon county, where the name of Peter Staple is occasionally found. --- the records suggest he arrived about 1670, unmarried, with means enough to buy his passage. b) SFHA N1/84 7:2:9; Willard I. Staples: I found only four Staples (from English records supplied by the Morman Library (CLDS)) with the given name Peter born within a reasonable time frame.1) Peter Staple, son of Mathew and Margery, chr. jul 10, 1642, at Newlyn East, Cornwall2) Peter Staple, son of Marke Staple and Alice, chr. Jan 9, 1635 (New Style) at Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire.3) Peter Staple, son of Robert, chr. Jan 8, 1629, at St. Peter’s, Thanet., Kent.4) Peter Staple, son of Nicholas and Elizabeth, chr. Feb 15, 1634, at St. Botolph’s without Aldgate in London.
c) SFHA N7/86 10:1:8; James C. Staples: --- evaluating all the evidence we have at hand suggests that Peter was born about 1640, possibly in the southwest of England, and that he came as a free (not indentured) young man of 18 or 19, landing in Kittery or one of the Islands off the Maine coast. He soon met and married Mary (Beadle), widow of Stephen Edwards, sometime in late 1670 or Early 1671. COMMENTS:Between the published evidence by Ridlon, Willis, Sterns and Stackpole, the "Administration" filed by the Staple Family in England, and the 'SSDP DNA Family Group A' genetic results, I currently believe that Peter of Kittery's father Peter Staple was the immigrant with his English homestead under the jurisdiction of the Prerogative Court Of Canterbury who arrived at the Piscataqua Plantation in c.1640. I am currently inviting help with this research from individuals who wish to participate in Y-DNA tests from -1) Male descendants of Peter of Kittery's three sons, Peter, John and James, living worldwide, interested in proving their family history, as we may be cousins.2) Individuals living worldwide with the surname Staple, Staples, Stapell or a variation of the spelling interested in researching their family branch history, as we could be related.
If you would like to participate as a member of our group in this research or if you have additional information that you would like to share, questions or comments please contact Art Staples, please give 'Peter Staple of Kittery' as the 'Subject' in your email.
Art Staples [email protected]
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RECORDED FAMILY HISTORY
The exact location of the ancestral home of this Staple family is unknown at this time, however there is strong evidence that it is located somewhere in England south of the Humber. This is based on an Administration filed by this Staple family with the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (Ref: I:2, Generation 3), Boyd's Marriage Index and Wills held by The National Archives in England of Staple families (Ref: I:1 Origin of the surname Staple, section 2).
GENERATION - 1
"Old Kittery and her Families” by Everett S. Stackpole, p752, Peter STAPLE, had a grant of land in 1671, and he bought land of Thomas Turner on Long Reach, July 4, 1674. The “Map of Middle Parish of Kittery (now Eliot) on p106, shows the 1674 lot location of Peter STAPLE on the Pascataqua (now Piscataqua) River. The 'Staples Family History Association Newsletter' (SFHAN), Jan 1980, ed. James C. Staples, with Martha S. Dildilian, Ross P. Staples, and Mrs Burton Murdock wrote about the life of Peter's mother in law, Mary (Bayly) Beadle, Bachiller, Turner family and the Peter & Elizabeth (Beadle) Staple family of Kittery. Ross P. Staples states in-part; The Staple homestead was part of a grant given to Peter's father-in-law Robert Beadle in 1641 from the Deputy Governor of Maine, Thomas Gorges. This grant passed from Robert's widow Mary in 1648 to her son-in-law Peter Staple in 1674, (who with his other holdings) enlarged it into an 80 acre farm. The homestead passed to Peter jr. in 1694 and to his son Capt. Peter. In 1765 the Staples family sold the property and the land became the Hamscom Boatyard until 1889 when it became a 100-room summer hotel. In 1902 the hotel was converted into a religious and intellectual center, a guest, John Greenleaf Whittier gave it the name of "Green Acre". In 1929 the property became the present 100-acre Green Acre Baha'i School of Eliot, Maine. My wife Eve and I toured the property in 2003.
Articles published in the SFHAN and reproduced here are - The Map of the Middle Parish of Kittery 1632-1700; The Staples Homestead On The Piscataqua River; Immigrant Peter Staple's Mother-In-Law: Mary ( ) Beedle Bachiler Turner; Who was Peter Staple's Mother-In-Law; Nathaniel Hawthorne Knew Thomas Waite; and a July 2006 comment by Art Staples on Nathaniel Hathorne in Raymondtown, ME. The SFHAN articles show the connection of Mary Bachiler with Hester Prynne and gives information that Peter's mother-in-law, Mary Beadle Batchelder was the woman upon whom Hawthorne patterned the heroine of the Scarlet Letter. To view these reproduced articles in PDF format click HERE NOTE: To return to this page click BACK on your internet browser. Peter STAPLE (1) married Elizabeth (BEADLE or BEEDLE) Edwards, widow of Stephen Edwards who was a servant to Robert Jackson, Portsmouth, NH, alive 1662. 'Genealogical. Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire', p216 & Hoyt's Salis. 879,61). and daughter of Robert BEADLE or BEEDLE and Mary. 'Gen. Dict. of ME & NH', p87. Robert BEEDLE or BEADLE, Kittery, had a grant from Gorges in 1641. List 298; Widow Mary married, 2nd Rev. Stephen Batchelder. 3rd Thomas Turner. Daughter Elizabeth BEEDLE or BEADLE, married 1st Stephen Edwards, 2nd Peter STAPLE. Note; Elizabeth was a widow 13 Dec 1669, when she was granted 5 acres. Note: For Peter & Elizabeth's marriage see 'Old Kittery' by Stackpole, p752; According to his Inventory, Peter STAPLE was a Husbandman. His farm produce and stock of cattle produced income. The “Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire”, p656, lists Peter as a Highway Surveyor 1673; Constable for lower Kittery 1676, Grand Jury 1686, 1689-90, 1699; The NE Historical & Genealogical Register; pub. year 1928; Vol. 82; p72-74: Records of the First Church of Berwick, ME; Starting on p72, are - The Records of the Church of Christ at Barwick, organized December 21, 1701. P74 lists Peter Staple as one of the seventeen Foundation Brethren, however the Staple name does not appear in any other place in the records. Since this record is in 1701, this is either Peter Sr. or Peter Jr as Capt Peter would have been about one year old. Peter turned over the Staple homestead to his son Peter Jr in 1694. Peter, m abt 1669-1671 (“Old Elliot”, p37), wid. Elizabeth (BEEDLE or BEADLE) Edwards, b 1641, she is mentioned in her son Peter Jr's will written 6 December 1720 as "my Honored Mother", living at the homestead, 3 children, dau of Robert and Mary (BAILEYor BAYLY) BEEDLE of Kittery, ME. Peter STAPLE, died early 1719, Kittery, now Eliot, Maine. His will is dated June 6, 1718, and probated April 7, 1719. “Maine Wills”, p 215-6, York Probate 3, 14 docket # 17865”. Peter's Adm., Will (He refers to himself as Yeoman and made his mark "p") the will was witnessed by John Newmarch, Paul Wentworth and Nicholas Weeks. Peters Inventory (refers to him as Husbandman). These records are at the York County Courthouse, Alfred, ME. His wife Elizabeth and three sons, Peter STAPLE, John STAPLE and James STAPLE are mentioned in his will. “Old Kittery”, p 752-758; “Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire”, p 656; “Old Eliot” Book Two, Vol. VI, p29 – 43. The lineage from Arthur B. Staples (jr) to Peter Staple of Kittery has been approved by the "Piscataqua Pioneers" (#1747). According to local historians Peter & his wife are probably buried in unmarked graves in the Old Burial Field or on their farm as was the custom at the time.. Children:
i Peter STAPLE (jr), [Carpenter] b. Kittery, Maine; b. aft 1670, d. Dec 17, 1721, in Kittery, Maine. Married Jan 8, 1694/95, in Kittery, Maine, Mary LANG, b 1678. Eight Children.
ii John STAPLE, [Carpenter] b. c 1677, (+/- 60 in 1737, “GDM&NH” p656) Kittery, Maine; Will, 21 Nov. 1744 – 16 July 1745. Married in Kittery, Maine, Mary Dixon. The Court of Quarter Sessions, Kittery, 5 Jan 1696/97, states (in part) "John Staple and Mary now his Wife", this indicates that John and Mary were married in 1695/96. Eleven Children.
iii James STAPLE, [Tailor] b. c 1678, Kittery, Maine; 1721, Deacon of the Second Parish, Kittery (now Eliot); d.1725, aged 47 in Kittery, Maine. Married Apr 15, 1701, in Kittery, Maine, Mary Tetherly, Eight Children.
GENERATION – 2 Peter STAPLE (jr), (2)-(Peter1), [Carpenter] b. aft 1670, Kittery, Maine; Selectman 1713-1714; d Dec 17, 1721 (Aged 51yr est.), Kittery, Maine, m Jan 8, 1694/95, Mary LANG, b 1678 in Sagamore Creek, NH, d aft 1721, 8 children, dau of Robert LANG and Ann WILLIAMS, of Sagamore Creek, Portsmouth, NH. See Gen. Dict. ME & NH, p 413 LANG, 7 Robert. Lived at the family homestead. In 1694 the Staple homestead was conveyed to Peter by his parents in 1694 (SFHA V3:2p9). The Court of General sessions, Kittery; Province and Court Records of Maine and County of York court records, present both a Peter and Peter Jr. for various offenses in 1696/7/8, 1701, 1710/11. and License to keep a Public House of Entertainment, 1704, 1708, 1710, however these recordings start in 1696, two years after the Staple homestead was conveyed to Peter Jr.. Burial of Peter Jr & his wife was probably somewhere on the Staple Farm or in the 'Old Burial Field', in unmarked graves. Peter Jr's will written 6 December 1720 he gives to -- "my Beloved Son Peter Staple my house & out houses together with my homestead and land whereon I now dwell & posses which land is Bounded on the South West by the river of Piscataqua on ye North West by Maj Hammonds & John Rogers their lands on the North East by John Rogers his Land & on the South East by Joseph Hill his land & William Tetherby his land ---. In his will Peter Jr. gives his occupation as Carpenter, however the will also shows that the Staple Farm produced income from produce of the farm and from stock of Cattle and other Creatures. Supposed To Be The Son Of Peter I? Old Eliot, Book Two, Vol. VI. p29 - The Early Families of Eliot and Kittery, Maine. By William Fogg, 1859, states "Peter Staples 2, supposed to be a son of Peter 1, married Mary Lang, Jan 8, 1696. He died December 17, 1721." Obviously this is a case for Y-DNA analysis and I am pleased to announce that Peter 1 and Peter 2 come through as Father & Son! See the Reconstructing The Y-DNA of Peter Staple (c1642-1719) GENERATION – 3 Captain Peter STAPLE/STAPLES, (3)-(Peter2, Peter1), b Aug 20, 1699, d July 1, 1768 (Aged 68yr, 10mo, 11d, of Kittery, ME, re; PCC) m1st May 31, 1721, Joanna KING, b Oct 12, 1699 in Kittery, ME, 2 children, dau of Richard KING and Mary LYDSTON of Kittery, ME. See Gen. Dict. ME & NH, p 401, KING, 11 Richard, 12 Ensign Richard. Moved to Berwick. To date, I have not located his place of burial.
On March 15, 1744 war was declared by France against England, this war lasted until 1760 when the French surrendered Montreal to the British, thus ending the French and Indian wars in North America. On February 5, 1745, the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved a campaign to move against the French-held fortress of Louisburg, Nova Scotia. The First Massachusetts Regiment under William PEPPERRELL, Lt. General and Commander-In-Chief, embarked for Nova Scotia in April of 1745. Captain Lieut. Peter STAPLE(S), commissioned February 5, 1744, of Artillery commanded the 1st Company of 30 men. By May 1, 1745 the troops had laid siege to the fortress and on June 17, 1745 the fortress surrendered. The First Company was subsequently commanded by Richard Mumford, commissioned June 3, 1745. Ref: NEHGR 22:117, 24:368, 25:253. After this victory Lt General William PEPPERRELL was knighted. Capt Peter’s surname was STAPLE, however military records refer to him as both STAPLE and STAPLES, Sir William’s niece Sarah was the mother of Margery FROST. Capt. Peter had two sons by his first wife Joanna King, Peter Staple, bapt 27 Oct. 1723, m bef 1745, Susannah Tetherly b 16 Feb. 1725/26 and Nathaniel Staple bapt 25 June 1727, m Margery Frost (See generation 4 below). Peter Staple, 1699-1768, died intestate. The Probate Records, File # 17867, held at the Register of Probate, York County, Alfred, ME records that the Colonial Court found Capt. Peter's Estate insolvent on 17 Oct 1768. His eldest son Peter filed an Administration for intestate with the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PCC), England in Feb. 1769, research of the records in England shows that the PCC overturned the verdict of the Colonial Court in York County on Capt Peter's Estate in favor of his son Peter. The PCC, the most senior probate court in England and Wales handled matters of probate affecting the personal estates of English subjects dying in England and Wales as well as overseas, when petitioned, and acted as a court of first instance for many disputed wills and grants of administration. The book English Estates Of American Colonists, American Wills and Administrations in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 1700-1799, by Peter Wilson Coldham (1980) p110 lists - "Staple, Peter, of Kittery, York Co., Mass., Lieutenant on half pay. Administration to James Fitter, attorney for son Peter Staple at Kittery. (Feb.1769)." NOTE: This Administration presented to the PCC is the only written legal document found to date that shows that the descendants of Peter Staple (c1642-1718/19) were English subjects. According to the Family Records Centre Factsheet on PCC Wills and Probate Records, Scotland, Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands all have their own separate systems of Probate.
GENERATION – 4
Nathaniel STAPLE/STAPLES, (4)-(Peter3,2,1) [Farmer] b May 3, 1727 in Kittery, ME, d Nov 4, 1800 (Aged 73yr, 6m), in Cape Elizabeth, ME, m Margery FROST, b Jan 5, 1727/28 in Kittery, ME, d Apr 1, 1775 (Aged 48yr, 3m), in Cape Elizabeth, ME, 10 children, dau of Charles FROST and Sarah PEPPERRELL of Kittery, ME. Lived at the Staples Farm. "Mass. Revolutionary War Soldiers & Sailors, Vol14, p848, lists Staples, Nathaniel, Private, Capt Joseph Pride's co., in a detachment of Cumberland Co. Militia commanded by Nathaniel Jordan, esq.; joined Oct 1, 1779; discharged Oct 23, 1779; service at the Eastward. A search of Cemeteries in Cape Elizabeth by myself and later, Constance C. Murray, of the Cape Elizabeth Historical Preservation Society did not find the resting place of Nathaniel and his wife Margery. It was concluded that they are probably buried in one of the corners of their farm. A copy of a divorce decree signed by Nathaniel as one of the selectmen, “Cape Elizabeth, Past to Present” by the Historical Preservation Society, p 9, shows he signed his surname as Staple. The birth records held in the old ledger at the South Portland Municipal Building lists his family as Staples. NOTE; Margery Frost’s great-grandfather, Major Charles FROST, 1631-1697, Commander-in-Chief of the Militia of King Philips War, June 1675-1690. Major Charles FROST married Mary BOWLES, dau of Joseph BOWLES or BOLLES, baptized Worksop, England, 19 Feb. 1608, settled Winter Harbor, ME in 1640, later of Welles, ME, 1657, d there 1678; m Mary, prob. Howell. Joseph is one of my 28th generation great-granfathers (gen ggf) and this lines “Portal Ancestor” to European History and Royal Genealogy. See “Ancestral Roots, Seventh Edition” p 170, Line 202, # 42; “Magna Charter Sureties, 1215”, fifth Edition, p 101, Line 82, # 17: (On June 15, 1215, at Runnemede, 9 direct ancestors were present at the signing of the Magna Charter, 7 Sureties or Barons out of the twenty-five present, Richard de Clare, Earl of Clare, 28 gen ggf; Saher de Quincy, Earl of Winchester, 29 gen ggf; Rodger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, 29 gen ggf; Gilbert de Clare, 27 gen ggf; William de Mowbray, 27 gen ggf; John de Lacy, Constable of Chester, Baron of Holton, 27 gen ggf; Hugh Bigod, later Earl of Norfolk, 28gen ggf; 1 Noble, advisor to the king out of fifteen present, William Marshal, Earl of Penbroke, 28 gen ggf; and John King of England, 28 gen ggf. "Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists”, 2nd Edition, David Faris, see Bolles, p 35. The lineage from Arthur Batchelder Staples (jr) (#1854) to CHARLEMAGNE, 40th gen ggf, has been approved by the “Order of the Crown of Charlemagne in the United States of America”. Direct lines include ALFRED THE GREAT, 38th gen ggf; ROBERT THE STRONG, 37th gen ggf; RODRIGO DIAZ de BIBAR (VIVAR) or "EL CID" of Spain, 33rd gen. ggf; MALCOLM III of SCOTLAND and ST. MARGARET, Queen of Scotland, 31st gen ggp; FREDERICK III "BARBAROSSA" of Germany, 30th gen ggf; LOUIS IX "ST. LOUIS" of France, 27th gen ggf; and FREDERICK III "BARBAROSSA" of Germany, 30th gen ggf. My family branch lineage of Staple/s and Frost to my Portal Ancestor, Joseph Bowles or Bowles, continues by lineage through the families Goodrick and Dymoke to Sir Lionel de Welles, KG, 6th Lord Welles, b 1406, of Welle, Lincolshire, England, d 29 Mar 1461 in the Battle of Towton, m 15 Aug 1419 at St. Oswald's, Methley, co, d bet 14 Oct 1434-14 Apr 1447, one of my 19th generation great-grandparents, they are the common ancestors to all generations of European history listed in the above Note.
Two published articles state that Nathaniel Staple/s and Peter Staples came from England. 1) 'Biographical Review of Cumberland County, Maine', 1896, see - http://www.raynorshyn.com/megenweb/cumberland/biographies/index.html scroll down to Staples, Edward R, p398. I saw this book on my first trip to Raymond, ME at the Raymond Town Library, where Barbara Thorp, Librarian pointed it out to me. --- Edward Russell Staples, ---"his great-grandfather, Nathaniel Staples, having emigrated from England, to this country, locating at Cape Elizabeth, where it is supposed, his son Peter, Edwards's grandfather, was born and reared." 2) 'Memories of a Busy Life, written by Josephine (Hayden) Brooks, 1916-1919. See - http://www.raymondmaine.org/historical_society/default.htm click on 'Online Resources", go to 'Local', click on 'Memories of a Busy Life'. I was sent an entire copy of this a number of years ago, and if my memory is correct the letter is at the Kennebunkport Historical Society. This is a wonderful eye witness account of life at Raymond & Casco of Josephine when she was young. --- "Peter Staples, with his wife Salley (Dingley) Staples came from England when they were young and settled in the town of Raymond,"---. The first part of this very interesting letter and includes (From my family branch) Jane (Hayden) Staples, Dau of Joseph Dingley Staples ( Joseph is referred to Grandfather Staples) & his wife Elizabeth Davis, see Gen. 6. Jane is a sister to Nathaniel Staples, referred to as Uncle Nat. Aunt Esther is Esther Mann wife of Nathaniel, see Gen. 7; 'Qumby' is Hosea Quimby Staples, see Gen. 8; Great-Grandfather Peter Staples, is the son of Nathaniel Staples & Margery Frost, of Cape Elizabeth, see Gen. 4 & 5, and his Peter's wife Sally (Dingley) Staples, is the dau of Capt Joseph Dingley & Mary Jackson, see Gen 5. Did this Staples family branch emigrate from England to Cape Elizabeth and then to Raymondtown? Traveling from family research in Raymond and Casco, ME, to the Cape Elizabeth Town Hall, looking for records about Nathaniel Staples, my father and I are directed to the South Portland Municipal Building which holds the vital records of the era we are researching. In the 'Old Ledger' in the clerks vault a book is located listing Nathaniel Staples, His wife Margery Frost, and their ten children. This vital record states that Nathaniel and his wife along with three of their ten children were born in Kittery, Maine. Our first visit to Kittery, dad & I met with local historian Edward H. Vetter of Eliot, ME. Edward gave us a tour of Eliot pointing out historical places and where various Staple Families lived over time. Edward advised me what genealogical books to procure to trace my family branch. After compiling information from the books a trip was made by me and Eve my wife to Kittery Town hall to compare the town records to the genealogical records in Stackpole's book. . Comment: The primary and secondary information state that both Nathaniel and his son, Peter were born in Kittery and are descendants of Peter Staple, c1642-1718/19. Nathaniel and his family moved to Cape Elizabeth between 5 Apr 1752, the date son Peter was baptized and 27 Oct 1754, birth of next born, son Elliot at Cape Elizabeth. Nathaniel's son Peter is one of the first thirty settlers of Raymondtown and was settled there prior to 1775. In addition, my Y-DNA has been matched to six other 8th & 9th cousins descending from Peter Staples of Kittery, confirming our relationship, see Chapter II, 'Family History Based on Genetic Data'; section 2, 'Paternal Genetic Research'. Coupling sourced evidence of genealogical primary and secondary information with my 37-marker Y-chromosome DNA test results proves beyond a shadow of doubt my Staple & Staples Family History lineage to Peter Staple (c1642-1718/1719) of Kittery.
GENERATION – 5 Peter STAPLES, (5)-(Nathaniel4, Peter3,2,1) [Farmer] b Feb 19, 1750/51 in Kittery, ME, d Dec 21, 1846 (Aged 96yr, 10m), in South Casco, ME, m Nov 6, 1775 (Raymond, ME Town Records); Nov 14, 1775 (Windham Town Records) in Windham, ME, Sarah DINGLEY, b Sept 20, 1755 in Falmouth, ME, d May 8, 1854 (Aged 98y, 8m) in South Casco, ME, 9 children, dau of Capt Joseph DINGLEY and Mary JACKSON of Raymondtown and South Casco, ME. Lived at family farm in South Casco close to Sebago Lake. From this time on the family surname would be known as STAPLES. 'Old Eliot' Book two, Vol VI, p 39, states Peter 5 (son of Nathaniel) was amoung the early settlers of Raymond now Casco, ME. Peter, Sarah and some of their family are buried in the Manning Cemetery, South Casco, off Capt Dingley Road and the Cape Road, above the brook flowing between Thomas Pond and Lake Sebago, their family graves are located in front of the Dingley family row of graves. NOTE; Peter Staples was one of the first 30 settlers of Raymondtown, 'The Origin and History of Raymondtown' by Ernest Harmon Knight, 2nd printing 1996, p 48 & 49; lists among the 30 settlers, Peter Staples, one Lott, 100 Acres, No. 13, second Range. Raymondtown now consists of Raymond, Casco and part of Naples, ME. His father-in-law, Capt Joseph Dingley was the first settler of Raymondtown and was Captain of Raymond co., 4th & 5th Cumberland co., during 1776-1779. A History of Casco, Maine, 1976 by The Casco Bicentennial History Committee, p28, carries the following story about Peter Staples - "Partway between the Stone Bridge Farm and Dingley's mills (South Casco) was the home of another early settler. In 1775, Captain Joseph's daughter Sarah married Peter Staples. They built a home about half a mile from her family's home, somewhere in the vicinity of the present (1976) Lake Region Lumber Company. It has already been said that Captain Dingley was much opposed to the marriage of both his children. One story told which, if true, must have caused this friction to flare, involves Captain Dingley's discovery that corn kept disappearing from his corn crib. Not wishing to stay up nights, he set up a bear trap to catch the culprit. One morning he glanced out at his corn crib and who should be caught in the trap but his son-in-law, Peter. Captain Joseph went about his morning chores as usual. Late in the morning, he looked up, as though he had just seen Peter, and casually released him. Apparently the Staples-Dingley marriage was fruitful in spite of parental objections, for the 1851 map shows four dwellings marked with the name Staples in the same vicinity as the original 100 acres of Peter Staples."
This DINGLEY line leads through marriage of the HOLMES and BREWSTER families to Elder William BREWSTER, my 13th generation great-gradfather, who came to America on the Mayflower in 1620 and was the ruling elder of the Pilgrims until his death in 1644. The lineage from Arthur Batchelder Staples (jr) to Elder William BREWSTER has been approved by the “General Society of Mayflower Descendants” (#69129) and “The Elder William Brewster Society”. Vital Records for generations 5, 6, 7 & 8 are held at the Raymond Maine Town Hall. Also see “Early Families of Raymond, Maine” by Robert L. Taylor; “The Origin and History of Raymondtown” by Ernest Harmon Knight; “The History of Casco Maine” by Melissa Jill Kludge.
GENERATION – 6 Joseph Dingley STAPLES, (6)-(Peter5, Nathaniel4, Peter3,2,1) [Farmer, Shoemaker] b Apr 12, 1777 in Raymondtown, ME, d Nov. 4, 1861 (Aged 84yr, 7m), Raymond, ME, m Nov. 7, 1799 in Standish, ME, Elizabeth DAVIS, b Nov. 12, 1779 in Raymondtown, ME, d Aug 2, 1857 (Aged 77yr, 9m), in Raymond, 16 children, dau of John DAVIS, III and Jane STANFORD of Scarborough and Raymond, ME. Lived on the family farm at n.e. end of Panther Pond. Joseph and his wife are buried in the early grave section of Raymond Village Cemetery on Mill Street. A glimpse into the past of what a home in the wilderness of Raymondtown was like is found in 'The Origin and History of Raymondtown', by Ernest Harmon Knight [This book is one of many books Ernest Knight, 100 years old in Sept. 2004, published and is a must for anyone researching family history of the area. Contact the Raymond Town Library for copies to purchase.]. First roads and land for houses had to be cleared of large trees and boulders by manual labor, then logs were cut and cabins were built. Ernest gives a detailed account of early life in his book, I shall take a small part of this information from page 81 (in part). --- the needs of our forefathers were relatively simple compared to the multitudinous needs of our present day sophisticated society, ---- . Water has always been a necessity. At first from brooks or ponds, wells were later dug and stoned to amazing depths. Buckets and long counterbalanced well sweeps gave way to pumps ---- made of long logs with a hole bored through the center, the plunger at the bottom and a box built on the top to carry the handle and spout. ---- In the first homes heat for warmth came from a cavernous fireplace with a crane to support the pot, replaced by a massive chimney when larger homes with several rooms were built, each room having its own fireplace ----. Lighting of homes was far from brilliant, day or night. At first any openings had to be covered with oiled paper or cloth to let in a little light and the first glass was poor, of small area and expensive. ----. At night candles of tallow or bayberry wax were used or a smoky "slut", a container of animal fat with pieces of cloth acting as wicks. ----. With early lighting as it was there is small wonder that barn and house chores were finished before dark and days work started at dawn. Elementary changes of this sort are not appreciated by the current generations who are accustomed to instant availability and push button selectivity. GENERATION – 7 Nathaniel STAPLES, (7)-(Joseph D.6, Peter5, Nathaniel4, Peter3,2,1) [Farmer] b Aug 13, 1805 in Raymond, ME, d Oct 21, 1891 (Aged 86yr, 2m), in Raymond, ME, m Dec 22, 1834, Esther MANN, b Oct 20, 1815 in Raymond, ME, d Mar 7, 1911 (Aged 95yr, 5m), in Raymond, ME, 10 children, dau of Fisher MANN and Eleanor PLUMMER of Casco, ME. Lived on the family farm at n.w. end of Panther Pond. Esther MANN is the granddaughter of Lt. Obadiah MANN, Sr., 1743-1824; Minute Man at the battle of Lexington and Bunker Hill. He afterwards served his country for three years in the Revolutionary War. “Mann, Jordan, Ridlon & Green, Pioneer Families” by Alfred A. Mann. NOTE: Military Records list his surname as both MANN and MAN. Nathaniel & Esther Staples are buried at the Longley / Staples Cemetery (Private) off Plains Road on a knoll in the woods overlooking Panther Pond and above what the old Geo. Map referred to as Staples Brook.
GENERATION – 8
Hosea Quimby STAPLES, [Peddler, Preacher, Poet, Carpenter, Inventor, Farmer] (8)-(Nathaniel7, Joseph D.6, Peter5, Nathaniel4, Peter3, 2,1) b Feb 8, 1836 in Raymond, ME, d Oct 16, 1935 (Aged 99yr, 8m), in Lynn, MA, m1st Jan 26, 1858, Annorilla Shaw, d Sep 20, 1860, Aged 25 yrs (t.s.), I child. The 1860 Census of 11 June 1860 , South Casco, lists Hosea Q. Staples, wife Annorilla and son Willis E. age 10/12, living with Annorilla's parents Ira and Julie Shaw, Hosea is listed as a peddler. Hosea Quimby m2nd 1869 in Mechanics Falls, ME, Rachel T. MAYBERRY, b Mar 9, 1842 in Casco, ME, d Mar 2, 1935 (Aged 93yr) in Lynn, MA, 3 children, dau of Capt Oliver Alonzo S. MAYBERRY (War of 1812) and Betsey HASKELL of Casco, ME. The 1870 Census of East Raymond, ME, lists Willis Staples, age 11, Farm Laborer, living with Nathaniel, Farmer and Esther Staples, H.Q.'s parents. The Census of Lynn, MA, 10 June 1870, Hosea Q., House Carpenter, and Rachel Staples, living in Lynn, MA with several boarders, and Mary M Mayberry. The 1880 Census of Lynn, Essex Co. MA, lists Hosea Q. Staples, Variety Wood Works, Rachel his wife, their three children and Willis I, aged 20, Wood Worker, Henry Jennings and Mary M. Mayberry. The Census of Lynn, MA, 5 June 1900, lists Hosea Quimby, Rachel, ch Oliver Everett, Edith his wife, their son Raymond E, along with H.Q.'s other ch Lotan N. & Bertha M., and Mary M Mayberry, Henry Parsons. According to Art Staples Sr., Quimby and Rachel moved to Lynn after their marriage in 1869 where they lived for about 38 years. About 1907, an elderly relative asked Quimby and Rachel to return to the farm in Raymond, ME and take it over as they were too elderly to continue with the work. The Census of Raymond Town, 18 April 1910, lists Hosea Staples, age 74, Rachel T, age 68, their grandson Raymond E. age 16 (He lived in Lynn, MA and visited his grandparents from time to time.), Joseph Yates age 82 and Mary M. Mayberry age 75. Researching ' Deaths from the Annual Reports, of the Municipal Officers of the town of Raymond', 1907-1926, listed on the 27 Dec 1907, is the death of Sarah Yates, age 83 yrs, 7 mos, 16 dys, parents: Joseph Staples & Elizabeth Davis. Sarah is Sarah Staples "Sally" b 11 May 1824, d 27 Dec 1907, m 1st 25 Sept 1849, in Poland, ME, William H. Johnson of Poland, she of Raymond; m2nd 1858, Joseph P. Yates. On 10 June 1912 is recorded the death of Joseph P. Yates, aged 84 years, 8 mos. Sarah is the sister of Nathaniel Staples, gen 7 and Aunt of H.Q.The Raymond Town Census of 19 & 20 January 1920 Lists Hosea Q, Staples, Head, age 83, Rachel T, wife, age 77, and, Mary M. Mayberry, sister-in-law, age 88, single. Mary M. Mayberry is Rachel's older sister, b 4 May 1836, whom never married and apparently lived with H.Q. & Rachel Staples from 1869/1870 until her death at Raymond, ME 27 Aug 1922, 90 yrs, 2 mos, 17 dys, she was known to Art Staples Sr. as Auntie Mim. According to Art Staples Sr, H.Q & Rachel lived at the farm located on the Meadow Road side of Panther Pond, not far from Raymond Village center until the fall of 1930, when they moved to spend the winter with their son Lotan in Lynn, MA. They died at Lotan's home in Lynn, MA within 7 months, 14 days of each other in 1935. Art Sr. remembers that Hosea became blind and Rachel read the newspapers and bible to him, however when she passed away Hosea seemed to 'will himself' to die. The farm house in Raymond was sold to a family friend, Mr. & Mrs. True of Portland, ME. Mrs. True was a school teacher in Portland, ME and was known as Auntie to Art Sr. In the early 1960's I helped my father and his two sisters sell the remaining 8 acres of Staples land between Meadow Rd and Panther Pond. Quimby, evidently, was holder at different times of both the Raymond, Me and Lynn, MA gold-headed and ebony Boston Post Cane. Starting in 1909, the canes were given by the newspaper to 700 New England town's to be presented to their oldest resident on a yearly basis. Quimby's first ballot in a presidential election was cast for Abraham Lincoln and he remained a member of the Republican party throughout his life, although he said that 'he always regarded principal above party". Quimby is also listed by the 'Raymond - Casco, Maine, Historical Society under 'Boston Post Cane ' as holding the cane from 1930-1935. http://www.raymondmaine.org/historical_society/default.htm Hosea Quimby and Rachel Staples are buried at Lakeside Cemetery, Casco Village, Rt. 121, overlooking Pleasant Lake. They are located to the right of the cemetery road on the side of the hill in a Mayberry family plot with Rachel's parents. There is a tall obelisk monument with their names and dates inscribed on one of the four sides.
NOTE; Rachel Mayberry is the great great granddaughter of William and Bathsheba (DENNIS) MAYBERRY, second settlers of Windham, ME between 1737-1740. Rachel’s grandfather William MAYBERRY and her great-grandfather Capt Richard MAYBERRY served in the 5th company, 11th regiment of the Massachusetts Bay Forces at “Thompson’s War” (1775), Dorchester Heights (1776), Bennington, Ticonderoga, Hubbardton, Saratoga, Stillwater (1777), Valley Forge (1777-78), Monmouth and West Point (1778). Accounts of their years of service are recorded in “Windham in the Past” by Dole, p’s 193, 201-207, 213-215, 217; “History of Casco, ME”, by Kluge, p 414; “Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, 17 vols”, Vol 10, p 382. The lineage from Arthur Batchelder Staples (jr) to William and his father Capt Richard MAYBERRY (#157969) has been approved by the “National Society, Sons of the American Revolution”. Between the graves of Capt. Richard and his wife Martha (Bolton) is a field stone monument with a bronze plaque that reads - In Memory of Captain Richard Mayberry, 1735-1807, Pioneer and Patriot Officer of the Revolution, Hubbardston, Stillwater, Valley Forge, Monmouth, The Maine Society Sons of the American Revolution Erect This Tablet, 1929.
GENERATION – 9
Lotan "Joe" Nathaniel STAPLES, [Retired from the G.E. Electric Meter Division] (9)-(Hosea Q.8, Nathaniel7, Joseph D.6, Peter5, Nathaniel4, Peter3, 2,1) b Jul 2, 1876 in Lynn, MA, d Jul 15, 1965 (Aged 89yr), in Lynn, MA, m Jan 21, 1903, Boston, MA, Luella May WOOD, b Jan 17, 1878 in Hingham, MA, d Jun 6, 1953 (Aged 75yr, 5m), in Lynn, MA, 4 children, dau of Walter Fessenden WOOD and Hannah Elizabeth CARTER of Cohasset, Hingham, and Lynn, MA. Lotan and Luella, along with Luella's parents, Luella's sister Alice (Fifield and are buried at Pine Grove Cemetery, Lynn, MA.
NOTE; This Wood family has been traced back to Samuell WOODS, 1733/34-1828 of Randolph, MA, Corporal, Capt Eliphalet Sawen’s co. of Minute-men, Col Benjamin Lincoln’s regt., April 19, 1775. “ Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors in the War of the Revolution, Vol. 17, p851”. Luella WOOD and her family branches are rich in eastern Massachusetts “South Shore” history. Family History is found in the vital records and genealogy books of Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, Braintree, Weymouth and Plymouth. Where Was ZIBA WOODS, Luella May Wood's 5th Generation Great-Grandfather Born? Ziba Wood's monument sits on top of the hill at Beechwood Cemetery, Cohasset, MA., buried within this plot are members of his family mentioned on the four sides of the monument. According to the book "Cohasset Mass. Genealogies & Town History (1909, reprinted 1948) by Davenport" - p486, "Ziba, said to have come from VT, b. abt. 1775". Many Wood family tree pedigrees carry the information Ziba was born in VT - a Col. Ziba Woods (1787-1869) did reside in Burlington & Westford, VT, but his birth & death dates & location are wrong for this Ziba (See NEHGR [1910] 64:210). We know that Ziba (1775-1856) married Abigail Shaw 1775-1826 as she is listed below him on his monument as his wife, and their marriage is listed in the Vital records of Bridgewater, Vol. II, marriages p417 and East Bridgewater, marriages p327, Plymouth county, MA. At the Quincy Historical Society, Quincy, MA, I was shown a copy of the genealogy manuscript of Dr. Ebenezer Alden, who kept records of families he knew during his time period. In Dr Alden's papers their is information on a Samuel Woods, of Weymouth, was a cooper, owned land in east part of Randolph adjoining Cochato River and south of Pain's bridge, was here when the second meeting house was raised 1764 and also present at raising of present meeting house in 1825 & died in 1828 in 94 or 95 year (b ~1733/34), married May 9, 1758 at Weymouth, Esther Hollis, b 1739, their six children born in Randolph are listed and the sixth born is "Ziba. m. ___ Shaw. Res. in Cohasset". See NEHGS CD, "Genealogies of the Families of Braintree, Mass. 1640-1850", (Sprague) [5755]. The Sinking of the Fishing Schooner MAINE in 1846. One published account in the 'Narrative History of Cohasset' by E.V. Bigelow, 1898, 1981 printing, p428-431, sticks out in my mind as showing how close I became to never being, except for a duty conscious unknown English mate. (In part and not word for word) At nine o'clock in the evening, August 16, 1846, the fishing schooner Maine, with Capt Joshua Litchfield of Beechwood and his crew of ten, was hove to for the night, pitching and heaving on the sea at the entrance of Massachusetts Bay. Coming towards them was a huge ocean packet, the Hibernia, on her way from Boston to England (one of the early Cunarders), a side-wheel steamboat that was fitted with masts and sails to help out their steam power. Suddenly there was a crash and then the paddle wheels began to crunch the masts and the shattered frame of the little fishing schooner. The crew of Cohasset fishermen were swept under the great wheel like bits of rubbish in a mill race. The Captain stopped the packet, but there was nothing to be found but angry waves, the Captain said, "It's no use to stop and search for them poor jacks!". But the mate said to the captain, "It is our duty, we must go!", and a lifeboat was lowered. The Five fishermen out of ten and the Capt that were not killed caught hold of floating wreckage, the Capt lost his grip and was not heard from again. The other five were eventually found by the brave mate with his crew in the lifeboat. The five fishermen were taken aboard the Packet and the Captain turned her bow towards Halifax, Nova Scotia. There the fishermen were turned over to the American counsel and returned to Boston. Before they returned home all their people had been convinced they were all lost. A Provincetown fishing boat had picked up a body near the cape and placed it upon the Provincetown wharf and it was identified as Captain Litchfield, the next day the five fishermen returned home. One of the five alive was Alfred Fessenden Wood (1831-1918) 15 years old at the time, of Beechwood, (part of Cohasset, MA), grandfather of my paternal grandmother Luella May Wood.
As a Postscript to this event - Alfred F. Wood's father, Osborn Wood (1798-1855) of Beechwood, in October, 1847, married as his third wife Mary C. (Ellms) Litchfield, widow of Joshua Litchfield, Captain of the fishing schooner Maine, who drowned along with five of his crew. According to Davenports Cohasset Mass. Genealogies, p244, 247, Francis Mayhew Lincoln Sr., his son, Isaiah Lincoln survived, their brother Ezekiel Lincoln drowned. Francis M Lincoln's father was Jerome Lincoln, m 1804 Nancy Pratt, she survived him and in 1831, married as her 2nd husband, Ziba Wood (1775-1856), father of Osborn Wood (1798-1855) and grandfather of survivor Alfred F. Wood (1831-1918).
Another Staple Family Tree Relationship: John Staple was at Weymouth (MA) by 1639, he died at Dorchester July 1683. He and his wife, thought to be named Rebecca, had 5 children, his fifth born was John Staple b abt 1647 in Weymouth, m Sarah Atkins, one of ten daughters of Thomas and Elizabeth Atkins of Plymouth and "Kennebec" in the area now known as Phippsburg, ME. John & Sarah Staple had 6 children, their 1st born was John Staples, prob. born at Braintree abt 1673, m Jemima Jewett had 3 daughters, Jemima, b 1694; Sarah, b 1696; Mary, b 1698. Jemima Staples, b 1694 m 1711 Jonathan Clark (who was now Jemima's step-brother.), son of Joseph and Damaris (Francis) Clark and had 13 children, their 2nd born was Lydia Clark b 1715/16, m 1735 Thomas Hollis, b 1714 of Weymouth, son of Samuel and Abigail (---) Hollis. Thomas & Lydia (Clark) Hollis had a dau Esther, b Apr 16 1739 at Weymouth, m Samuell Woods at Weymouth. Samuel Woods is Luella May Wood's 6th generation great-grandfather. NOTE: Y-DNA test results show no DNA family branch relationship between surname descendants of Peter Staple of Kittery, now Eliot, ME, my 11th generation surname great-grandfather and surname descendants of John Staple, d 1683 of Weymouth, MA, one of my 13th generation great-grandfathers. To see the DNA data click HERE
GENERATION – 10
Arthur Batchelder STAPLES, [Retired from the G.E. Steam Turbine Design Division] (10)-(Lotan N.9, Hosea Q.8, Nathaniel7, Joseph D.6, Peter5, Nathaniel4, Peter3,2,1) b in Lynn, MA, d in Peabody, MA, m, Lynn, MA, Dorothy Harriett Ward, name at birth Gytha BOYD, b in Charlestown, MA, d, Beverly, MA , 3 children, dau of Beatrice Jeanette (CANN) (BOYD) (Ward) Face, dau of Charles W. & Harriett S. (LEWIS) CANN of Port Maitland, Nova Scotia and Joseph F. BOYD, son of Jacob G. & Edna (DELANEY) BOYD of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Staples family gravesite for generations 10 & 11 is at Forest Hill Cemetery, Lynnfield, MA.
NOTE: The CANN families were largely “men of the sea”. Their story can be found in “West Nova Ships and their men. The Cann Boats” by George Brown Cann, Aug 2002.
NOTE: The BOYD family, through marriage with the DELANEY, COOK and RING families can be directly traced to 1620 Mayflower passengers who signed the Mayflower Compact. Elder William BREWSTER, 2 lines, my 14th generation great-grandfather (gen ggf) through my mothers lineage, 13th gen ggf through my fathers lineage; James CHILTON, 13th gen ggf; Francis COOKE (married Hester MAHIEU, accepted by the National Huguenot Society. First Huguenot in North America to have surviving descendants.), 12th gen ggp; Stephen HOPKINS, 2 lines 12 & 13th gen ggf; John HOWLAND, 2 lines, 12 & 13 gen ggf, and John TILLEY, 2 lines, 14th gen ggf. Sources leading from Joseph F. BOYD to Manasseh COOK (common ancestor to the six Mayflower lines.) were researched and compiled by an archivist at the Yarmouth County Museum and Archives Yarmouth, NS, Canada, http://yarmouthcountymuseum.ednet.ns.ca for Arthur B. Staples (jr) the three reports are filed in the Archive Section of the Museum. Oct 26, 2000 & Nov 10, 2001, are filed in the “Archival BOYD Supplementary File”; Jun 27, 2001 is filed in the “Archival COOK Supplemental File”; Sources for the marriage of Manasseh and Bethia (TRASK) COOK, to the Mayflower passengers were compiled from Yarmouth Nova Scotia Genealogies by G.S. Brown and the General Society of Mayflower Descendants publications including, Mayflower Families (Silver Books), Mayflower Families in Progress (Pink Booklets) and John Howland of the Mayflower by E.P.White. The line from Arthur B. Staples, Jr, #69,129 to Francis Cooke has been approved by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants. NOTE: To see each of my grandparents pedigrees by PDF file see I-3 GRANDPARENTS LINEAGES.
GENERATION – 11, 12 & 13
Arthur Batchelder STAPLES, jr. [Retired from Staples Consulting Incorporated] (11)-(Arthur B.10, Lotan N.9, Hosea Q.8, Nathaniel7, Joseph D.6, Peter5, Nathaniel4, Peter3, 2,1) b in Lynn, MA, m, France, Evelyne Raymonde JUSSERAND, b in Giroux, France, dau of Raymond JUSSERAND and Georgette DELAIGUE of Issoudun France. Our immediate family descendants are son, Arthur Raymond and Lynda (Pierce) Staples, granddaughters Kirsten Brook Staples and Ashlee Kate Staples; Daughter, Suzanne Evelyne (Staples) Neal, Dr. Robert Bryson Neal, dec., and grandson Jonathan Bryson Neal; Son, Steven Frank and Martha (Fisher) Staples.
NOTE: Birth, Marriage and Death dates have been omitted for generations 10 & 11, 12 & 13. Vital Records for generations 10, 11, 12 & 13 are found in the various city and town records where the individuals were born, lived and died as well as various publications on the history and genealogy of those areas.
November 1996: Last Update: 17 December 2007
| 1 | "US New England Marriages prior to 1700". |
| 2 | Edmund West, "Family Data Collection - Births" (Provo, UT 2001). |
| 3 | "ME Census, 1800-1890". |