Rebecca Morgan (abt. 1715)

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

From a warrant for the arrest of Rebecca Morgan issued to the Sheriff of York Co. 19 Jan 1744: "Rebecca Morgan... She having had a bastard Child born of her body at Arundel aforesaid about two months before the Date of Said presentment (Oct. 1738) & also for committing the second Crime of Fornication & having one other Bastard Child born of her body in Arundel aforesaid Some time in or about ye beginning of the Month of June 1742..."^[1]

"Rebecca Morgan, of Arundell in said County singlewoman appearing and being Convict of fornication in having two Bastard Children viz: one born of her Body at Arundell aforesaid some time in or about the beginning of June 1742 ordered she pay a fine to the King of Twenty shillings Lawfull money & fees of court or receive ten stripes on her Naked back at the Post & pay fees as aforesd & to Stand Committed till Sentence performed"^[2]

July 1747: "Rebecca Morgan of Arundell in Said Count Singlewoman appeared to answer a sd presentment of the Grand Jury Exhibited against her for being Guilty of the Act of fornication She having had a Bastard Child in Arundell aforesaid some time in or about the month of May 1745 and being thereof convict and it appearing to the Court that this is the Second Bastard Child she has been convicted of having before this court Ordered by the court She receive Eight Stripes on her naked Back at the Post and pay cost of Court thirty three shillings & Six pence or pay a fine to the King of Twenty Shillings & cost as aforesaid."^[3]

"At a Lawfull Town Meeting augt. ye 27th 1749 mr. Moses Foster Chosen Moderator for the meeting then ye Town agreed with mr. John Murphy to take the child which Rebecah Morgan left in the Town when She was Carried to York Gaol in June 1747 which becom a Town Charge and the sd Murphy was to Recover Twenty pounds old Tenner & give Security to ye Selectmen to Save ye Town from any further Charges a bought it. and at this sd meeting Samll Williams was alowed Six pounds old Tenner for keeping Rebechah Morgans child Thomas 8 weeks..."^[4]

"At a Lawfull Town Meeting January ye 8th 1747/8 Then Mr. Jacob Wildes was Chosen moderator for that meeting and then the Town voted mr. Samuel Robinson fourty Pounds old Tenner he Taking Rebecca Morgains child known and caled by the Name of Thomas Huf until he Cometh to ye Eage of one & Twenty years the Said Robinson freeing the Town from any further Charge a bought that voted... and... Samuel Williams was voted Eighteen pounds old Tenner for his keeping Rebecca Morgains Child known by the Name of Thomas Huff..."^[5]

"Rebecca Morgan appeared to answer a Presentment of the Grand Jury Exhibited against her for fornication She having a Bastard Child born of her Body in Arundell within three months before April 1749 and She Declaring She is now above Six months gone with Child and not able to pay the fine nor to receive the Corporal Punishment which might be laid upon her Ordered She be Dismist for the present upon her promising to appear at the next Court."^[6]

Rebecca was unmarried in July 1748 when she deeded her brother Samuel's grant on the Saco Road to her brother-in-law Samuel Wildes.^[7]

Thomas Huff has been an elusive figure to several researchers. At this point, there seems to be several people who could be possibilities, however, they are all eliminated except for the child of Rebecca Morgan. If we look at the children of Thomas Huff Sr. we can eliminate all of these people. Of the children of Thomas Jr., George moved to Edgecomb and left no descendants in the area, and Thomas III moved to Parsonsfield and then to Hartland (a complete list of his children is given by George Huff in his notes at the Maine State Library) leaving no descendants in the area. Of the children of James, he may have been the father of Thomas who married Lavinia Hutchins, however, there is no evidence to support another child of James by this name (a complete list of his descendants is given in the NEHGR Vol.116, pp.176-86). If we look at the children of Charles, they too are eliminated by George Huff's research and by the research done by William Thompson in his Records of Kennebunk and Kennebunkport Families, Vol. III, pp. 834ff. If one looks carefully at all the available information (which is sketchy at best) it points to our Thomas being the son of Rebecca Morgan. I believe the effort to place him as a child of James by previous researchers was due to their desire to make Thomas "legitimate". We must remember that many people would not want to admit that their ancestor was born out of wedlock.

So, who was the father of Thomas Huff? At this point I have not been able to determine that. A search of the court and town records does not reveal his identity. Perhaps he actually was a son of James by his mistress Rebecca Morgan? If this were the case why would the town give Thomas to Samuel Robinson and not to his natural father? Another unanswered question concerns the identity of the other children. As Thomas was the only child mentioned in the town records we may assume that the first two had died before that time or they had been placed with other families previously. The identity and fate of the last child is unknown.

Sources

1. ↑ York Co. Court of Sessions- file 10-366
2. ↑ York Co. Court of Sessions- Vol.10, p.366 Apr. 1745
3. ↑ York Co. Court of Sessions- p.496; warrant in file 10-425
4. ↑ Kennebunkport Town Records- Book I, p.135
5. ↑ Kennebunkport Town Records- Book I, p.136
6. ↑ York Co. Court of Sessions- Vol.10, p.496
7. ↑ Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire- Noyes, Libby, & Davis, pp.491-2