Servitude

I've suspected for a long time that Roger Amidon was an indentured servant, given the fact that he first appears on the rolls of Salem, Massachusetts in 1633, but doesn't appear on a manifest of ship's passengers. As many as half of the passengers on these early ships were indentured for some reason, and often weren't listed on the ship's manifest.

Here is a record from Plymouth Colony records which, while not confirming my theory, might strengthen it:

June 3, 1662; PCR 4: 18:

Captaine Willett is appointed by the Court to purchase the lands of the Indians which is graunted vnto such that were servants and others that are ancient freemen, which they thinkes meet to add to them to haue enterest in the said graunt, the tenure wherof is extant in the x of the Court. It was further graunted by this Court, that the abousaid servants and ancient freemen shall haue libertie.incase they can not procure Saconett Necke according to the x graunt, to looke out some other place, vndisposed of, for theire accomodation.

Theire names are as followeth: James Cole, Senir, William Merricke, john Hanmore, Gorg Partrich, Nicholas Wade, Josepth Beedle, Thomas William, John Rouse, Richard Bishop, Abraham Sampson. Gorge Vicorey, John Vobes, samuell Chandeler, John Irish, Roger Annadowne, Petter Collymore, William Sherman, John Haward, Wwalter Woodworth, Thomas Pope, John Smaley, Richard Beare, William Tubbs, William Shirtliffe. Richard xas an ancient freeman, Josias Cooke as a servant andd as an x freeman, John x, Senir, as an ancient freeman and as a servant.

Josias Cooke and John Was x are to bee considered with a x portion in reference to the condition abouemensioned, as being both ancient freemen and servants.

More Amidons

My branch of the Amidon came to Michigan from Vermont in the middle of the 19th century. My Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Russell Amidon was born in Readsboro, Vermont in 1802 to Ralph Amidon and Sally Brown, who is described in some accounts as a "gypsy." I recently found the following artifact:

Deed from Edward CRUMB to Ralph AMIDON

Deed from Edward CRUMB to Ralph AMIDONBennington County, Vermont 1 May 1804Know all men by these present that I Edward CRUMB of Readsboro in the County of Bennington and State of Vermont for the consideration of six hundred dollars received to the full satisfaction of Ralph AMIDON of Readsboro of the County of Bennington and State of Vermont do give grant bargain sell and confirm unto the said Ralph AMIDON his heirs and assigns a certain tract or parcel of land lying in Readsboro bounded as follows: Beginning at the south west corner of Right No. 15 thence on the south line of said Lot to the Deerfield River thence up said River to the West Branch thence up said Branch so far as to all the land that Billington CRUMB bought of Abraham BROWN and to the west line of said right thence on the west line southerly to the first mentioned bounds meaning all the land that I bought of my father Billington CRUMB containing in two Deeds by estimation one hundred acres.To have and to hold the before granted and bargained premesis with the appurtenances thereof unto him the said Ralph AMIDON heirs and assigns forever to their own proper use benefit and behoof and also I the said Edward CRUMB do for my self my heirs executors and administrators covenant with the said Ralph AMIDON his heirs and assigns that at and until the ensealing of these present I am well seized of the premises as a good and desirable estate in fee simple and have good right to bargain and sell the same in manner and form as above written and that the same is free and clear of all encumbrances whatsoever and furthermore I the said Edward do by these present bind myself and heirs to warrant and defend the above granted and bargained premises to the said Ralph his heirs and assigns against all claims and demands whatsoever in witness whereof I here unto set my hand and seal the first day of May A.D. 1804 Signed sealed and delivered in the presence of:John WHITNEYLydia BAILYEdward CRUMB (Seal)State of Vermont Bennington CountyReadsboro May 1, 1804Personally appeared Edward CRUMB Signer and sealer of the above written instrument and acknowledged the same to be his free act and Deed Before me.John WHITNEY Justice PeaceReceived for Record May first 1804[FHL Film #28767 Readsboro Vermont Town Clerk Land Records Book 1 Page 27]

Who is Roger Amidon, I

All of the Amidons in Frank Best's 1904 genealogy are said to be descended from Phillip Amidon, son of Roger Amidon and his second wife Joanna Harwood. However, Roger had five children, with his first wife Sarah, a son Ebenezer born 1638 in Salem, Massachusetts; a daughter Sarah, born 1640 in Weymouth, Massachusetts; and daughters Lydia, Mary, and Hannah, all born between 1642 and 1666 in Rehoboth, Massachusetts where Sarah died in 1666. Records of these births were probably lost when Rehoboth was burned in 1675 during King Phillip's War.

Interestingly enough Roger had some other descendents through his daughters, including Mary. Mary married John Johnson on 15 December 1665. They moved to Westerly, RI, a town I lived in for nearly 20 years! They had 4 children, Mary b. 1675, probably in Rehoboth; Joseph b. 1677 in Rehoboth; Jonah b. 1682/1683 in Westerly; and John b. 1684 in Westerly died 1733.

John Worrell Johnson died in Westerly in 1702. His wife mary Amidon Johnson died in Westerly in 1703.

Their son Joseph Johnson married a Sarah Dolliver, and had a number of descendents.

This research is all unverified, off the New England genealogical web. I need to go back to the historical room at the Westerly Public Library (shown above) and verify this data.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

Maybe I'm changing my mind once again!

After watching the premier of Dr. Gates' (he is professor of English specializing in African-American studies at Harvard--see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Louis_Gates,_Jr.) new PBS show, African-American Lives II, and his new web site (http://www.theroot.com/), I reenergized about genealogical research. Dr. Gates speaks at IPFW tonight, I'm asking my research methods students to attend his lecture, and I'm meeting him at a reception at the Chancellor's house tonight.

Back when I had the opportunity to teach First Year writing (it's been too long--I love teaching freshmen), I often gave my students this assignment: talk to your parents, or a grandparent, and try to identify the most distant ancestor your family has a direct link to. Do some research, find as much about this person, where they lived, what they did, and write an essay about this experience. It was an assignments students tended to engage in because the more they resesarched, the more they engage with the subject matter. It didn't seem to matter what the family situation was--some of my students who were adopted or living with foster parents wrote some of the best papers!

While listening to Dr Gates, I realize I've never written this essay myself, despite the fact that I've done an enormous amount of research on my ancestor, Roger Amidon (Ammidowne, Annadowne), who first appears in the records of Salem Massachusetts in 1630. It's time to write that essay, "Who is Roger Amidon?"

Back to the Navy Project

Happy Super Tuesday!

In chasing projects, I'm no different than any of my students--sometimes the project I'm working on is a dead end, or I come to the realization that the topic is too big. The latter is what I am facing with the Canonical Hours project--I just don't have the time to devote to it.

So instead I will turn to the article on the Navy Nuclear program as a high-reliability organization. As you saw from last week, the article has some methodological problems, and some some literature review issues I need to address. So I've change my mind--I'm going to address those issues.

I've added a link to John's blog to the website.