Are you a Mayflower Fanatic in search of Mayflower Families?

Question

My Sarah Blackmer, wife of Archelaus Brown is often conflated with Sarah Blackmer, daughter of Mayflower descendent Branch Blackmer.  Sarah the Mayflower descendent married James Harlow, also a Mayflower descendent, both share Richard Warren as their ancestor and possibly others.

Branch also had another daughter Sarah who died young and shares the same approximate birth year as my Sarah.

All of their profiles need further development and good sourcing.

Unfortunately, I have yet to find the parents of my Sarah, Perhaps she is hiding my first Mayflower ancestor?

Care to jump in and help out?

Thanks!

Comments

I assume you're looking for the parents of (this) Sarah Blackmer, the wife of Archelaus Brown? Archelaus' parents came from Essex County, Mass., before they relocated to Brimfield in Hampshire/Hampden County. Have you researched all probate records available in the various Massachusetts counties for her assumed maiden name of Blackmer? I would focus on that above all, in the hopes that either a parent, a sibling or other close relative might mention a Sarah Brown sometime between 1777 (assumed date of marriage) and her death in 1816, or her children if after 1816. Then the next step would be to try land records/deeds with that surname. Assume nothing - check all the counties in the state, then branch out north and south. There's no easy solution.

Best of luck!

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Thanks Bobbie.  I lived in Rhode Island from 2017-2019.  I was able to visit their grave sites but had not gotten to the point of researching town records.  I am now in Washington State.  I imagine I will pick up the hunt with more gusto once I finish mourning the fact that I had to leave New England. It still hurts.

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I was in mourning for decades when I left (southern Mass.) I completely understand. My life's work seemed to center on finding a decent lobster roll and a view of the ocean on every vacation. (Midwest for 40 years). You just need to start planning your retirement locale.

Get yourself into the probate and land records, learn how to use them. That's your most likely solution.

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Yeah, I have dabbled a bit and was headed that way before I left RI.  Thanks for the push!

Answer 1

Here's a land record that suggests she had inherited the property involved (from Hampshire County deeds vol. 28 page 427):

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89ZH-G3C1?i=241&cc=2106411&cat=438974

It was originally laid out to John Bullen. So perhaps she descends from him or perhaps there is a deed where he sold land to someone and she descends from that person.

Comments

John Bullen's probate file begins here: Hampshire County, file #22-18.

His will, dated 24 Aug 1778 and proved 6 Oct 1778, names a daughter Sarah Rockwell (apparently wife of Nathaniel Rockwell), and also a Sarah Green (relationship not mentioned).

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Barry and Bobbie,  These are great!  Thank you very much!

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I looked a little more, and now I'm less sure about the deed. When a couple sells land, the language "in her right" often signals that the land actually was possessed by the woman, often by inheritance.

Here is the deed in which Archelaus and Sarah Brown purchased that same land that they sold a few years later:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9ZH-LJWM?i=369&cc=2106411&cat=438974

The text is copied from that older deed into the newer deed, including "in her right." The copying is so bad that the second deed says "the sd. Wales" without first having referred to someone named Wales. That's because grantors in the older deed were Waleses.

However, I notice that the grantor was Oliver Wales, his brother Shubael Wales owned adjoining land, and that Shubael Wales had a twin sister Sarah. Shubael was born 6 October 1754 in Union, Tolland County, Connecticut, son of Ebenezer and Deborah (Ward) Wales. He has a Revolutionary War pension application while residing in Wales (previously called South Brimfield). He states his birthdate in Union, and that matches the one recorded for him and his twin sister Sarah.

So I would definitely look more at Sarah Wales, born 6 October 1754, to see if she would fit as the wife of Archelaus Brown.

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This is perhaps close enough that you could detect the family relationship with autosomal DNA, if you are lucky. So you might try temporarily hooking up Ebenezer Wales and Deborah in your Ancestry tree, wait a day or two, and see if you score any new Thrulines.

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Awesome Barry! Thank you.

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I am currently packing for a trip to Hawaii, our first time and a COVID delayed reward for our daughter who graduated last year from college.  I will have to dig into this upon my return.  Thank you again.

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I have a marriage record that says my Sarah Blackmer is of Western (Now Warren), MA.  My thought was to track Blackmer's from that local.

Please believe me when I say I greatly welcome any help on my Sarah Blackmer.   My intent however, was to help the other Sarah and her husbands profiles get more attention as they are Mayflower descendants and could be better documented. So as not to confuse them with my Sarah.

But, indeed, breaking the wall on my Sarah would be the most exciting development on my ancestors in some years!

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So this is interesting.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales,_Massachusetts

Wales, MA (aka South Brimfield), named for James Lawrence Wales.   

John Bullen, founding settler.

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So, I leave for Hawaii in the morning and I can not let this go.

Sarah m. Archelaus Brown, in Warren, Mass. as seen here.

https://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Worcester/Warren/Images/Warren_M080.shtml

in the same listing, Solomon Blackmer, Jr. marries in Warren a few years later.  Possibly a brother?

He is this Solomon. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blackmer-270

If they are siblings, then this Solomon would be their father.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Blackmer-251

On this profile, it says his daughters are unknown.

Hypothesis, Sarah Blackmer, wife of Archelaus Brown, of Warren (Western) MA is the daughter of Solomon Brown Sr, of Warren (Western) MA.  Well it is a start, lots to look at yet however.

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I checked for a probate file for Solomon Blackmer in Hampshire County, sadly none was found. (Here is the film it should be on: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSQQ-Q436?i=485&cat=2656883)

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Landed, 82 and breezy.  Thanks Bobbie!

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Have a wonderful time.