Lemuel Churchill (1723-1800) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Lemuel Churchill

Born 12 Jul 1723 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay

Ancestors

Son of Barnabas Churchill and Lydia (Harlow) Churchill

Brother of Barnabas Churchill, William Churchill, Ichabod Churchill, Joseph Churchill, Isaac Bradford Churchill, Thomas Churchill, Ebenezer Churchill, Lydia (Churchill) Ewer and John Churchill

Husband of Lydia (Silvester) Churchill — married 13 Oct 1747 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts, Colonies

Husband of Abigail (Ryder) Churchill — married 4 Nov 1752 in Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay

Descendants

Father of Nathaniel Churchill, Lemuel Churchill 3rd, Abigail (Churchill) Ring, Ezra Churchill and Lydia Churchill

Died 19 Dec 1800 at age 77 in Chebogue Point, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada

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Profile last modified 21 Mar 2024 | Created 15 Oct 2013

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1 Biography
2 Research Notes
- 2.1 External Files
3 Sources

Biography

Lemuel Churchill was born on July 12, 1723 in Plymouth, Plymouth, Massachusetts Bay, son of Barnabas Churchill (1686–1760) and Lydia Harlow (<1693–>1739).^[1]

His siblings were:

Barnabas Churchill (1714–1760)
William Churchill (1716–>1756)
Ichabod Churchill (1719–1745)
Joseph Churchill (1721–~1753)
Isaac Churchill (1726–1761)
Thomas Churchill (1730–1777)
Ebenezer Churchill (1732–1775)
Lydia Churchill (1734–1787)
John Churchill (1739–1819)

Lemuel (24) married Lydia Silvester (20) (born on November 4, 1726 in Plymouth, Massachusetts) on October 13, 1747 in Plymouth, Colonies. Their known son was Nathaniel Churchill (~1748–1820)

Lemuel (29) married Abigail Ryder (27) (born on February 6, 1725 in Plymouth) on November 4, 1752 in Plymouth. Their known children were:

Lemuel Churchill (1754–1773)
Abigail Churchill (1756–1833)
Ezra Churchill (1758–1843)
Lydia Churchill (1760–1847)

Lemuel died on December 19, 1800 in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, aged 77. He was buried in Chebogue Cemetery, Rockville.^[2] ^[1]

Research Notes

From the Geni profile: Just south of the present day town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia is a large tract of land that extends well out into The Gulf of Maine. This area is known today as Town Point and Chebogue. Most of the land has been cleared for well over two centuries and is currently in use as farm land. Large areas of green fields dominate the landscape. The remnants of ancient rock walls still separate the fields into small plots. The wharfs and buildings of small fishing operations still dot the shore line. As one passes through the area they are left with the impression of times long past, of the hardship in daily living and the backbreaking work of clearing the rocky land. The life of the first settlers in the area was not an easy path to follow.

On the North East part of Town Point is an old church which is positioned at the head of a small rural lane. This lane winds it's way down to the sea. This area is well protected from the open waters of The Bay of Maine. It leads to the entrance of the Chebogue River and a large area of salt marshes. To the left, just before the lanes end, is the Old Town Point Cemetery. Many of the graveyards in this cemetery mark the final resting places of the first settlers of Chebogue. The lane continues to the sea a short distance past the cemetery to a place known to this day as Churchill's Landing. 1723 -= Lemuel Churchill was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1723. He was the son of Barnabas Churchill and Lydia Harlow. His father was a man of the sea. 1746 - Lemuel first married Lydia Sylvester, daughter of Solomon, at Plymouth in 1747. They had one son Nathaniel born at Plymouth in 1749. Lydia died two years later in 1751.

Lemuel then married Abigail Ryder in 1752. She was the daughter of Joseph Ryder and Abigail Warren. Over a period of four years, 1754 to 1760 they had four children all born in Plymouth. He owned a partial share of his father's property on Sandy Gutter Road in Plymouth. He sold this share as he had purchased another property in Plymouth earlier from Zephaniah Holmes. This new home was the one that his family lived in until their departure to Nova Scotia.

Yarmouth Nova Scotia Genealogies by George S Brown indicates that Lemuel arrived in Nova Scotia in the spring of 1762 aboard the schooner of Capt. Seth Barnes and in the company of Edward Tinkham. Edward and Seth were married to cousins of Abigail Rider. Patrick Gowen, Seth Barnes, Cornelius Rogers, George Bridgeo and Lemuel Churchill were among the first perminent settlers at Chebogue. It is unlikely that Lemuel's decision to leave Plymouth and re-settle in Nova Scotia had anything to do with the America Revolution. The Revolution of the Thirteen Colonies did not start until 1775. The First Return of Settlers 1763-64 shows Lemuel as being alone without family, six cattle, no sheep, hogs or schooner, occupying two acres of a land grant of 117 acres. The English Crown was offering free land to all British subjects. The land became available as a result of the Expulsion of the Acadians over the period 1756-1763. England wished to populate the vacated lands with loyal British subjects. They received documented land grants along with William Curtis and John Symonds on 07 April 1767, five years after their arrival. These grants were of the original Yarmouth Township Line Grants recorded in 1787. The origianal grants of that year were Lot 141=1 acre, Lot 271=21 acres, Lot 128=149 acres and Lot # 34=70 acres.The first grant of land to Lemuel would have been located at what is now called Churchills Landing and the other locations not necessarily adjacent to the original or each other. Later land recordings indicated that he owned as much as 760 acres consisting of three separate plots in the same area. " 1st. Division = 1 share, lot # 21 for a total of 128 acres; 2nd. Division = 1 share, lot # 149 for a total of 470 acres; 3rd. Division = 1 share, lot # 70 for 164 acres for a grand total of 762 acres. Another grant shows lot # 12, 1 acre at Chebogue Town Point. In 1775 Lemuel sold 100 acres of upland, 15 acres of salt marsh, dwelling house and shop known as lot #21 to Seth Barnes the captain of the ship that originally brought him to Churchills Landing. He re-purchased this same property in 1778.

Lemuel's second wife, Abigail, arrived with the rest of the family perhaps in 1764 or 1765. There is no record of the date of her arrival. At that point there would likely have been a crude home built to accommodate them. The son Nathaniel would have been about thirteen years of age and likely very helpful with the clearing of land. It would have been difficult to survive just from the land at that early stage of settlement. It is likely subsistence from the sea was a key factor in their survival. Records indicate that he did own Churchills Landing and Lemuel was from a seafaring family. Construction of a small sailed fishing vessell of the type common to Cape Cod Bay could have been easily accomplished.

In 1766 Lemuel Churchill and his son Nathaniel helped frame, board and roof the first Congregational meeting house in Chebogue. In 1668 they built the minister's residence. Lemuel was one of the men who called the Rev. Jonathan Scott to the ministry at Chebogue in 1767. Abigail Churchill entered into a covenant with the Church at Chebogue on 18 Dec 1767, and was the first woman admitted to the Church on 10 January 1773.

And now to the fascinating tale of Abigail Rider, wife of Lemuel Churchill. It was without doubt that Abigail was strong willed and a proponent of women's rights long before many others of the period. It appears that a domestic dispute arose between Abigail and husband Lemuel. The crux of the matter was the refusal of a daughter to tend to the livestock after being instructed to do so by Lemuel. Abigail sided with her daughter against Lemuel and also accused Lemuel of being abusive. It would have been unheard of during that period of history and religious climate to disobey a husbands command. The dispute apparently deteriorated to the point that there was intervention by the local Church officials. This saga apparently started in 1772 and lasted until 1776.

THE JOURNAL OF THE REVEREND JONATHAN SCOTT: "Sat., August ye 1, 1772. Visited Mrs. Churchill who was confined some time by reason of Bodily Weakness: I convers'd with her on divine Things; but found no Satisfaction or Comfort in so doing. Returned home Dejected and Perplexed, not knowing what to do for the Souls of my poor flock"

In THE RECORDS OF THE CHURCH OF JEBOGUE IN YARMOUTH, NOVA SCOTIA: 1766-1851, Lemuel was accused of being abusive to his wife Abigail. The church records indicate that he "complains abroad that He can never give satisfaction, nor live in Peace in his own House." ( pp. 62, 73).

Rev. Scott wrote in his journal, "Sat. August ye 31, 1776 "But the greatest trial I have met with this week, was the Treatment from a Member of the Church (Mrs. Abigail Churchill) When I admonished her for some Failings, in Company with Deacon Crocker and Deacon Robbins" From 5 Sep 1776 to 12 Nov 1776, the Church at Jebogue acted to censure Abigail Churchill for "immoral conduct" in the following matter: "That your Husband bid, or commanded your daughter Lydia to go and take care of some of your Creatures, and she refused, and said she would not. And on your Part, you countenanced you Daughter in her Disobedience, that you did not give her a Word of Reproof for her daring Crime, but on the Contrary broke out at your husband in an impious and aggravating Manner, by which you countenanced the Child, and oppos'd your Husband... you directed your Speech to your Husband [he being angry] and said, "Are you possessed with the Devil?" This Speech was like Fuel to the Fire, no doubt... When you received Abuse from your Husband, you acknowledged that you told him, that, "If you could, you would split, or break his Head with an Iron you then had in your Hand." Here we will just observe that you complain much of your Husband's Abuse to you, and think and say that his Treatment was inhuman: And we can assure you, that we utterly abhor it also, and are no more in Love with it than you are. Notwithstanding, it is manifest and evident even to a Demonstration, that the Spirit and Temper which you exercised in the sad Affair, was as disagreeable to the Rules of God's Word, as that which your Husband exercised toward you."

It appears that Abigail at some point agreed to admit partial fault to the Rev. Scott, for the situation that had developed. She did however refuse to sign any sort of public apology to the Church. It appears that Lemuel gets off "scot-free" of any repercussions of the affair. He apparently was never a member of the Church. The 14 July 1791 account of the Chebogue Church lists families in "Jebogue in Yarmouth, from Broad-Brook to the Little River," among whom were Lemuel Churchill and his son Ezra Churchill.

The gravestones of Lemuel and Abigail are side by side in the Cemetery above Churchill Landing. They are thin grey slate and have acquired the expected patina of their age. They are cared for by the Yarmouth Historical Society. Perhaps the fact that the graves are side by side indicates that Lemuel and Abigail eventually came to reconciliation after the domestic dispute.

1770/1787 NS Census - 1773 - 1 man, 1 boy, 1 woman, 2 girls, total 5 - 5 Americans. 1793/94 - Yarmouth Census of Poll Tax 1793/94, 2 shillings 5 pence.

Name: Lemuel Churchill. Given Name: Lemuel . Surname: Churchill. A Given name was found in addition to a first name in the NAME tag.

File @O10@.

External Files

File O10 File: Format: jpg. image STYPE jpeg. SIZE 137646. WDTH 550. HGHT 914. Lemuel Churchill in Yarmouth. RIN 5a09aa0b-493e-41b9-9301-2dd23ae3a458 Physical Description: Ancestry.com. A History of the County of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia [database on-line]. Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data: Campbell, J. R.. A history of the county of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Saint John, N.B.: J. & A. McMillan, 1876. CREA 2024-03-21 19:15:23.221 USER zRPd+fhr4YQ0zI7pgxJHUFnYJm+Q5WPKEAVZvk7dkDay2FzUMrTjsiwfZIbBhv8Pa5viWyG9cLNazCpiDt1OSA== ENCR 1. CLON TID 58879734. PID 38039440765. OID 8ff43d1d-3449-4da8-b238-8e3dbfe344cb. USER Mfq5GLUutSWu8Na3M1QHIkDY8xyf1zVI8FaFysI+UpcZJ8BYjIxStWWIg7fwssK8QpTFx2p947nqdIHqECmg==. ENCR 1. 2013-07-30 03:07:58.000. Origin: u MSER LKID 8ff43d1d-3449-4da8-b238-8e3dbfe344cb. ATL N

Sources

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/30291218/lemuel-churchill: accessed April 15, 2023), memorial page for Lemuel Churchill (12 Jul 1723–19 Dec 1800), Find a Grave Memorial ID 30291218, citing Chebogue Cemetery, Rockville, Yarmouth County, Nova Scotia, Canada; Maintained by Cindy Titus (contributor 46960395).
↑ Burial: Title: Web: International, Find A Grave Index Author:.
Ancestry Record 70699 #391878 (accessed before 15 April 2023).

1770-87 Census of Nova Scotia
1793/94 Yarmouth Census of Poll Tax
The Nova Scotia Churchills by GR Churchill published 2008
Townpoint Cemetery, Chebogue, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, gravestone
Warren Silver Book, Richard Warren of the Mayflower, Fifth Generation, Volume Eighteen, Part 2, Second Edition, Published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2011, Page 28

Lemuel Churchill (1723 - 1800)

Contents

Biography

Research Notes

External Files

Sources