Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

Though the most famous account of witch trials in colonial America lay with the village of Salem (now called Danvers) between 1692 and 1693, witchcraft hysteria spread throughout many other towns in Massachusetts and in colonies beyond, even starting several decades earlier. One of which was Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts. Lynn had its first “witch scare” in 1669 when a woman in the Quaker faith was brought up on charges. Her name was Ann (Holland) Bassett Burt and she presented herself as a healer. Ann’s good skills in healing the sick were unfortunately part of her downfall.  When a senior member of the community, who was estranged from his wife, was ailing, Ann spent time with him, trying to nurse him back to health. The following salacious accusation quickly fell upon her, leaving her husband Hugh Burt to come to her defense. The accusations against Ann did not end there. Several other members of the community slung further disparaging remarks her way, including that she cou...

It has only been in recent years that multiple states and regions in the U.S. pivoted from celebrating the yearly anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s arrival in the Americas on October 12, 1492, to honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day in its place. Had I written this article just a few years ago, I would have used this day to share the lore about my 3rd great-grandmother Margaret Marshall’s Native American roots. However, that family tale has since been debunked , leaving me with zero genetic ties to the indigenous peoples of America. However, although my DNA lacks this association, my extended family tree boasts an interesting connection to the Piscataway Indians, the natives living on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland before and during the development of the English colonies in the early 1600s. The Piscataway were an Algonquian-speaking nation, thought to have close ties with the Powhatans (you know, the tribe known to us in the somewhat true, somewhat false, fairytale story o...

  JULY 04, 2022 As the United States annually celebrates the 4th of July as the birth of our nation, what many forget is that the day only marks the ratifying of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, many of the famous signatures laid upon that document were not even etched in until August 2nd of that year. And more importantly, the many famous battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the years following, not leading up to. My 4th great grandfather, Hezekiah Marshall, testified to participating in one of those well-known engagements, The Battle of Trenton. In October of 1776, Hezekiah and his father’s team in Frederick, Maryland, were pressed into the service to haul baggage for the U.S. army, most of the time under the command of General Nathaniel Greene. At this time, and over the next two months, the Continental Army appeared to be on the losing side, and morale was low. Emanuel Leutze, 1851, oil painting of Continental soldiers unloading military provisions from a Co...

  DECEMBER 27, 2021 When looking forward, it’s always good to take a glance in the rearview mirror and check out where you came from. Without my ancestors paving the way, I wouldn’t have the life I live today. Week 52: Future The earliest known ancestor in my tree to have immigrated to the Americas was Edward Bosworth. His adventurous spirit led to my future here in the United States, and I have to assume his mindset at the time of his passage circled around setting up the best possible future for himself, his wife, and his kids. Unfortunately, his travels did not go quite as planned, and he paid the ultimate sacrifice. He sailed from England and arrived in Boston on a ship named Elizabeth & Dorcas in 1634. His death was recorded there in Boston Harbor. It is assumed his death was due to natural causes and that he died onboard the ship as it approached land because of a diary entry written by Samuel Sewall: Edward Bosworth, the Father, being ready to dye ask’d to be carried up...

  DECEMBER 20, 2021 Week 51: Holidays I have a pair of twin treasure chests that sit underneath the stairs in my house. They belonged to my maternal grandparents, and they’re filled with family picture frames, wartime correspondence, loose papers, little trinkets and other ephemera. A lot of the stuff that fills the chests has been placed in them at different times, so most of it is completely random and unrelated to the other stuff, which makes it even more fun to sift through, because it’s one surprise after another. Mary Dixon, “Post Cards”, scrapbook, Sutton, West Virginia, ca. 1908; privately held by descendant Kira D. Foltz. One such item is a very old scrapbook whose cover is pre-printed with POST CARDS. With a quick scan through the pages, it’s clear the collection belonged to Miss Mary Dixon of Sutton, West Virginia. Mary Lucretia Dixon was my great grandmother Beatrice’s older sister. She was born 30 November 1892 in Wadestown, Monongalia, West Virginia to Nathan and Eliz...

  DECEMBER 11, 2021 In addition to having ancestral lines in my family, I also have ancestral Lynes in my family. The surname Lyne sits on the paternal side of our tree. My 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Ellen, was born a Lyne. Margaret Ellen (Lyne) Scheetz, ca. 1880. Week 50: Lines My Lynes are thought to have originated in Bristol, England around the mid to late 1600s. It’s thought my 6th great grandfather was a Lyne who came to America with his brother. The two allegedly split up when they arrived, with my ancestor settling in Westmoreland County, Virginia and his brother settling in Granville, North Carolina. My Lyne married Miss Mary Edwards and raised a large family. One of their sons, Thomas Lyne, was my 5th great grandfather, born about 1745 in Westmoreland. This was during the colonial era when Virginia was still under British rule. When the Revolutionary War broke out, Thomas joined as a private in the 6th regiment of Virginia. He survived the war and started a family w...