Zeruiah Cooley

Notes:

Zerui'ah Is a Biblical name. She was the mother of the three leading heroes of David's army: Abishai, Joab, and Asabel, "the sons of Zeruiah". - Dr William Smith's Dictionary of the Bible... Vol 4

Zeruiah married Joseph Jennings on 12 Apr 1727 in Brimfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. Joseph was born on 27 Apr 1704 in Brookfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts; died about 1746 in Brimfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Zeruiah married Joseph Frost about 1746 in Rowe, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. Joseph was born about 1694 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts; died about 1775 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

(Research):Massachusetts Political Organization
Hampshire county was created from Non-County Area 1 (towns of Springfield, Northampton, Hadley, and all territory within 30 miles) on 7 May 1662. It effectively covered the entire western part of the province. Non-County Area 1 was eliminated (Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 2:52)
Hampden county was was set off from the northern half of Hampshire Co 1 Aug 1812.

Benjamin3 married Margaret Bliss on 30 Jan 1700/01 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. Margaret (daughter of Samuel Bliss and Sarah Stebbins) was born on 23 Nov 1683 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts; died est 1744 in Probably Brimfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Daniel is buried in the Springfield Cemetery in Springfield Massachusetts. The original burial grounds were at the river front behind the Old First Church. In 1849, to make way for the railroad, 2024 bodies were moved to the cemetery on the hill. They were placed in a mass grave. The main entrance to the cemtery is on Maple St but the graves are at the Pine Street entrance. Most of this information is found in the Cooley genealogy book by Mortimer E. Cooley published in 1941.

(Research):On 10 May 1643, Non-County Area 1 was formed by the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony comprising the unsettled, unorganized area which, at the time, extended from the Connecticut River basin an indefinite distance westward into the ill-defined "Western Country". Also on this date the four orginal counties were created
o Middlesex
o Essex
o Suffolk
o Norfolk (now a part of SW Maine)
(Mass. Recs., 2:38)
Springfield was founded (for non-religious reasons) in 1636 by William Pynchon thus it was simply in the Connecticut River basin until 1643 when it found itself in Non-County Area 1 (Winthrop expanding his power base).
Hampshire county was created from Non-County Area 1 (towns of Springfield, Northampton, Hadley, and all territory within 30 miles) on 7 May 1662. It effectively covered the entire western part of the province. Non-County Area 1 was eliminated (Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 2:52)
Hampden county was was set off from the northern half of Hampshire Co 1 Aug 1812.

Daniel married Elizabeth Wolcott on 8 Dec 1680 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. Elizabeth (daughter of Simon Wolcott and Martha Pitkin) was born on 19 Aug 1662 in Windsor, Connecticut Colony; died on 3 Jan 1706/07 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts; was buried about 1707 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Cemetery: Re-interment

Notes:

Elizabeth is buried in the Springfield Cemetery in Springfield Massachusetts. The original burial grounds was at the riverfront behind the Old First Church. To make way for a railroad, 2024 bodies were moved to the cemetery on the hill in 1849 and placed in a mass grave. The main entrance to the cemtery is on Maple St but the graves are at the Pine Street entrance. Most of this information is found in the Cooley Genealogy by Mortimer E. Cooley published in 1941.

Cemetery:
Buried behind the Springfield church, the bodies were disinterred and moved to the Springfield Cemetery.

Notes:

Note: According to these dates he was 101 years old at his death. Mortimer Cooley in the Cooley Genealogy noted that Samuel Bliss was aged 102 at his death (101 years, 5 months).
From Boston Post-Boy, Boston, Massachusetts dated 17 Jul 1749. "On the 19th past [19 June 1749] died at Springfield, Mr. Samuel Bliss, in the 102d Year of his age: He was born in that Town, Sept 7, 1647; and has left alive 6 Children, 38 grandchildren, 114 Great-Grandchildren, and 10 great-great-grandchildren".
Children and death years: Samuel Jr-1st, 1692; Nathaniel 2nd, 1751; Sarah, ?; Margaret, est 1744, Thomas Bliss, 1767; Hannah, 1711; John 1784; Samuel Jr-2nd, 1724; and Ebenezer, 1784.
By my count four childern were definitely alive after 19 Jun 1749: Nathaniel 2nd, Thomas, John, and Ebenezer. Sarah's death date is unknown so if after 1749 she would be the 5th child alive.

Samuel married Sarah Stebbins on 2 Jan 1671/72 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. Sarah (daughter of Thomas Stebbins and Hannah Wright) was born on 6 Aug 1654 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony; died on 6 Nov 1721 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died as a resident in the long meddowe of Springfield.

Notes:

According to research completed in 2000 by Eleanor L. Cooley Rue, circumstantial evidence links the Benjamin Cooley christened in Tring, Hertfordshire, England (chr 1615) to the Benjamin Cooley of Springfield through the posited marriage of Richard Sikes and Phebe Cooley (chr 1609), Benjamin's sister. The only evidence found by Cooley-Rue was in Benjamin Cooley's will which used the phrase "cousen Sikes". She concluded that "cousen" meant brother-in-law which it did not. Cousen was primarily used to refer to neices and nephews. A major problem with Cooley-Rue's logic is that Richard and Phebe Sikes's church activities, and his becoming a freeman are well documented* while there is no record of Benjamin and Sarah Cooley's church activities prior to 1643 (to become an accepted member of Massachusetts Bay Colony church membership was mandatory). Assuming unaccompanied women seldom made the voyage from England to New England and further assuming Phebe Cooley and Benjamin Cooley traveled together, it appears to me that information about Benjamin and Sarah must be uncovered before a link can be made between Phebe Sykes and Benjamin Cooley. *Richard Sykes joins Dorchester church 4 Nov 1639; he becomes a freeman 13 May 1640 in Cambridge; Richard marries Phebe Sykes 13 May 1640 also the date she joined the Dorchester church. Their first child Rebecca born 6 Dec 1640 in Roxbury (Pynchon's hometown).

(Research):Early Massachusetts Bay Colony political organization.

The four original counties all formed 10 May 1643 were:
o Middlesex
o Essex
o Suffolk
o Norfolk (now a part of SW Maine)
Formed in addition were
o Non-County Area 1
o Non County Area 2
Agawam Plantation (later Springfield) was founded in 1636 by William Pynchon. At that time it was simply a village in the Connecticut River basin under the jurisdiction of Connecticut Colony. Pynchon changed the name of the village to Springfield in 1641. On 10 May 1643, Non-County Area 1, was formed comprising the western portions of Massachusetts Bay Colony of which Springfield was a part (Winthrop expanding his power base). The area had no western boundary and extended an indefinite distance westward into the ill-defined "Western Country". On 7 May 1662 Hampshire County was formed (towns of Springfield, Northampton, Hadley, and all territory within 30 miles), effectively covering the entire western part of the province. (Mass. Recs., vol. 4, pt. 2:52) On 1 Aug 1812 Hampden County, containing Springfield, was created from Hampshire County (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 137/p. 291). Springfield remains in Hampden County to this day.

Benjamin1 married Sarah (wife of Ensign Benjamin Cooley) [?] about 1642 in Probably in the New World. Sarah was born about 1621 in Probably England; died on 23 Aug 1684 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Sarah's surname is unknown but that hasn't deterred many people from inserting a surname for her based on wild speculation or simply a mis-reading of the "Cooley Genealogy".

As to the latter, on page 41 the following is written:
"1. Benjamin (b. about 1617, in Springfield in 1642/3, with his wife Sarah (Savage)."
The "Savage" in parentheses after Sarah's name refers to author James Savage who wrote a comprehensive work called "Genealogical Dictionary of New England", 1862. Yet, hundreds of would-be "researchers" have casually looked at this entry in the Cooley Genealogy and assumed that Sarah's surname was "Savage" and have incorporated that name into their family databases. In 2006 I observed 222 databases in myfamily.com's recklessly ill-conceived One World Tree that had used the name Savage as Benjamin Cooley's wife's surname.
Other surnames for Sarah have been "Colton" (surname of Benjamin's business partner and lifelong friend and associate in Longmeadow, Quartermaster George Colton), "Collen" (a "Sarah Collen" joined the Dorchester church on 20 Nov 1640), and Tremaine (unknown origin but entertained then discarded by Mortimer Cooley in the Cooley Genealogy).

Notes:

From Society of Colonial Wars in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts page 395: Wolcott, Captain Simon (1625-1687, Simsbury, Conn. Captain of the Simsbury Train Band, 1673. Deputy to the General Assembly 1673. Trooper from Windsor under Major March, 1657.

Simon married Martha Pitkin on 17 Oct 1661 in Windsor, Connecticut Colony. Martha (daughter of William Pitkin and Elizabeth [wife of William Pitkin Jr]) was born about 1638 in Berkhampsted, Hertfordshire, England; was christened on 12 Dec 1642 in Berkhampsted, Hertfordshire, England; died on 13 Oct 1719 in Windsor, Hartford Co, Connecticut Colony. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

(Research):Berkhamsted is a historic market town close to the western boundary of Hertfordshire, England. People have been living in the Berkhamsted area for over 5,000 years. There is evidence of flint working in the Neolithic period and metal working in the late Iron Age and Roman periods. The high street is on a pre-Roman route known by its Saxon name Akeman Street. The earliest written reference to Berkhamsted is in 970 AD. Berkhamsted was recorded as a "burbium" (an ancient borough) in the Domesday Book in 1086. The oldest known extant jettied timber-framed building in Great Britain, built 1277-1297, survives as a shop on the town's high street.

Notes:

I have downgraded Nathaniel's birth date to an estimation because it is not clear he or his father were members of the Church of England and the current Bliss descendant sources of baptism data come from Gloucestershire Anglican Parish Registers.

NATHANIEL BLISS of Springfield Massachusetts Bay Colony, (son of Thomas Blisse Sr and Margaret Hulings or Hulins) was born in England, came to America with his father in 1635, and removed to Springfield with his mother in 1643, about seven years after that place was purchased from the Indians by William Pynchon. Three years later, when they were well settled, he married Katharine, daughter of Deacon Samuel Chapin, of Springfield 20 Nov 1646, a few days before his sister Mary was married to Joseph Parsons. In Springfield his home lot was ten rods wide and was the second below the present William Street. He died 18 Nov 1654. Widow Bliss married Thomas Gilbert 31 Jul 1655. Nathaniel d..Springfield. Mass., 18 Nov. 1654, his mother d. there 28 Aug. 1684, thus accounting for Nathaniel not being mentioned in her will.
From: NEXUS, Vol viii, No 6, New England Historic Genealogical Society, pub Dec 1991:
(A-172) BLISS/CHAPIN \endash Nathaniel2 BLISS was the Son of Thomas & Margaret (HULINS) BLISS, poss a 2nd m. for Thomas. Son Nathaniel d .Springfield. Mass 18 Nov. 1654, his mother d. there 28 Aug 1684, thus accounting for Nathaniel not being mentioned in her will. (The American Genealogist 52[1976]:193-97, 60[1984]:202: and A.T. Bliss, Genealogy of the Bliss Family in America, Vol. 1[1982], pp. 27-32, 41-42)
Information supplied to NEHGS by: Eleanor L. Rue, 14201 Idaho-Maryland Rd.. Nevada City. CA 95959 and Elizabeth B. Kennedy, 77 Dockham Shore Rd., Gilford, NH 03246.

Nathaniel married Katherine Chapin on 20 Nov 1646 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Katherine was christened about 1626 in Berry Pomeroy, Devonshire, South West England; died on 4 Feb 1711/12 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Widow Katharine Bliss, about eight months after her husband's death, m(2) 31 Jul 1655 Thomas Gilbert; by him she had four more children. When Gilbert died 5 Jun 1662 she soon m(3) Samuel Marshfield 28 Dec 1664; by him she had four children making twelve in all. For most widows and widowers not much time was lost in mourning or widowhood*. For men with small children it was of utmost importance to bring a new mother into the family. But times were hard for a widow with little children too and men at this time outnumbered the women in the colonies so there was no lack of suitors for single women. *An exception to this was Nathaniel's own mother, Margaret Hulings, who didn't re-marry after her husband, Thomas Bliss Sr's death in 1650. She removed to Springfield in 1651 and quite admirably raised her young children of 8, 10 (twins), 12, 15, and 17. By this time the oldest three, Nathaniel, Mary, and Lawrence hand struck out on their own.

(Research):Devon, also known as Devonshire, is a county of England, reaching from the Bristol Channelin the north to the English Channel in the south. It is part of South West England, bounded by Cornwall to the west, Somerset to the north east, and Dorset to the east. Devon has also featured in most of the civil conflicts in England since the Norman conquest, including the Wars of the Roses, Perkin Warbeck's rising in 1497, the Prayer Book Rebellion of 1549, and the English Civil War (1642-1651).
Berry Pomeroy is a village, civil parish and former manor in the former hundred of Haytor, today within South Hams district of Devon, England, about two miles east of Totnes. It was the caput (a Latin word meaning literally "head" and by metonymy "top") of a large feudal barony whose holder is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ralph de Pomeroy, who held in total within Devon 54 manors, three smaller parcels of land and six houses in Exeter, capital of Devon. It was one of only eight feudal baronies in Devon. The family retained the barony until 1547. It comprised almost 32 knight's fees in the Cartae Baronum of 1166. The family came from La Pommeraye, Calvados, near Falaise in Normandy. - Wikipedia

Notes:

Married:
The records say the 9th month of 1646. Since the year ended the 24th of March at that time, the ninth month would be November.
From MVR: "Nathainell Bliss & Katheryne Chapin were married 9 mon 20 day 1646.

Notes:

Children's birth years derived from "Francis" passenger list.

Thomas married Hannah Wright on 14 Nov 1645 in Springfield, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Hannah was born about 1626 in England; died on 16 Oct 1660 in Springfield, Hampshire Co, Massachusetts. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]