Friday, June 30, 2023

52 Ancestors - Week 486: #880 Sampson Underhill (1692-1732) of Salisbury, Massachusetts and Chester, New Hampshire

Sampson Underhill (ca1692-1732) is #880 on my Ahnentafel List, my 7th great-grandfather, who married #881 Elizabeth Ambrose (1698-1782) in 1718 in Salisbury, Massachusetts.

I am descended through:

*  their son, #440 John Underhill (1721-1793), married $441 Joanna Healey (1718-1908) in 1741.
*  their son, #220 John Underhill (1745-1816), married #221 Hannah Colby (1745-????) in 1767.
*  their son, #110 Amos Underhill (1772-1865), married #111 Mary Metcalf (1780-1855) in 1801.
*  their daughter, #55, Mary Ann Underhill (1815-1882) in 1839. married #54 Samuel Vaux (1816-1880) in 1839.
*  their daughter, #27 Abigail A. Vaux (1844-1931), married #26 Devier James Lamphear Smith (1839-1894) in 1861.
*  their daughter, #13 Abbey Ardell Smith (1862-1944), married #12 Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946), in 1887.
*  their son, #6 Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976), who married #7 Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977) in 1918.
* their daughter, #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), who married #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) in 1942.
*  their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

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1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Name:                         Sampson Underhill[1–5]

*  Sex:                            Male

2)  INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Birth:                           about 1692, England[1-3]

*  Death:                          before 27 March 1732 (before about age 40), widow Elizabeth Underhill sold land; Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States[1-2]

*  Probate:                       15 May 1732 (about age 40), administration granted to wife Elizabeth; Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States[5]
 
3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Spouse 1                       Elizabeth Ambrose 1698-1782
*  Marriage 1:                   15 January 1717/8 (about age 25), Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States[1,4]

*  Child 1:                         John Underhill 1720-1793
*  Child 2:                         Jeremiah Underhill 1724-    
*  Child 3:                         Moses Underhill 1726-1804
*  Child 4:                         Hezekiah Underhill 1727-1800

4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):    

Two significant Underhill family surname books have been published, and they agree on the particulars of the ancestry and life of Sampson Underhill.  The books are:

(1)  Josephine C. Frost (editor), Underhill Genealogy, Volume IV (n.p. : Myron C. Taylor in the Interests of The Underhill Society of America, 1932)[1].

(2)  Edwin R. Deats (compiler) and Harry Macy, Jr. (editor), Underhill Genealogy, Volume VI (Baltimore, Md. : Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore MD, 1980).

Nearly all descendants of Sampson Underhill claim Captain John Underhill as his ancestor, but research does not reveal the connection.  If Sampson descended from Captain John, he would have had to have been his grandson.  Capt. John left northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire and was residing in Stamford CT prior to October 1642.  It would seem that all of his children were too young to have been left behind, and the period of his stay in NH was too short to form lasting attachments[1].

Charles Bell, who wrote the History of Chester, New Hampshire in 1863, distinctly states that Sampson Underhill was born in England and emigrated to Ipswich MA[1,3];  he must have had some reason for making this statement.

Sampson Underhill was born in about 1692, probably in England[1,3].  He came to America and settled in Ipswich.  On 15 January 1717/8, he married Elizabeth Ambrose, daughter of John and Sarah (Eastman) Ambrose, in Sandwich, Massachusetts by the Reverend Caleb Cushing[1-2,4].  They had four children, all born and recorded in Salisbury:

*  John Underhill (1721-1793), married 1741 Joanna Healey (1718-1809).
*  Jeremiah Underhill (1724-????).
*  Moses Underhill (1726-1804) married 1753 Anna Glidden (1738-1808).
*  Hezekiah Underhill (1727-1800), married 1751 Tabitha Sargent (1726-1803).

The Frost book provides summaries of many events in the life of Sampson Underhill[1]:

*  Sampson Underhill first appears in the available public records in Essex County, Massachusetts land records, when on 2 January 1716/7 he, styled clothier, purchased from Ebenezer Hackett of Salisbury MA, cordwainer, for 105 pounds, his homestead and about 35 acres of land in Salisbury, and had for his neighbors Robert Carr, James Purrington and Jacob Bradbury.  The sale was agreed upon by Hackett's wife, Hannah, and acknowledged 9 May 1717 (Liber 28, p281)[1].

*  The Archives of the State of New Hampshire show that on 3 April 1717, Samson, of Salisbury MA, conveyed to Samuel Smith of Haverhill MA his right to the common land in Kingston NH which is certainly convincing that he must have been in Kingston before residing in Salisbury (V13 p247)[1].

*  On 8 May 1717 he sold the above property to Jacob Bradbury, retaining four acres, which included the dwelling house, barn and orchard.  The description of the boundaries are about the same, except he adds the name of Nathaniel Ambrose as a neighbor. (Liber 28, p379).  On 30 September 1717 he conveyed the four acres to Thomas Flanders (Liber 67, p104)[1].

*  On 28 November 1717, Samson Underhill of Salisbury MA, received land and buildings in Hampton NH from James and Mary Hall of that place, indicating contemplated removal (V10 p131).  However, Essex County land records show that on 14 June 1720 he was still in Salisbury, when he and his wife Elizabeth conveyed 11 acres there to William Dannels, tanner (Liber 38, p92).  On 10 December 1722 he purchased five acres in Salisbury from Jacob Hook in the "Cow Common so called", bounded on the north by his own land (Liber 44, p217).  He sold this property 6 September 1723 to Samuel Fowler "late of Amesbury, now of Salisbury." (Liber 31, p88)[1].

*  On 2 January 1723/4, the NH land records state that Samson and Elizabeth Underhill of Salisbury MA convey to Nicholas Perryman, shopkeeper of Exeter NH, all their right or equity that he should have in the estate of David Leavitt, late of Exeter, conveyed 12 December 1723, by Edward West and wife Alice of Hampton.  This deed suggests a relationship to the Leavitt family, but a search has not discovered the connection[1].

*  Sampson Underhill of Salisbury conveyed to Gideon Counn (?) on 21 September 1726 all his right, etc, that he has or ought to have in the real and personal estate which he bought of Cornelius Couer, deceased, which was his and part his mother's, Elizabeth Couer, her thirds, as widow of John Couer (Liber 50, p67)[1].

*  Nathaniel Ambross of Salisbury MA on 20 December 1724 sold to Samsom Underhill certain land in that place "situated near ye province line between MA and NH, which my father Henry Ambross lived upon and died seized upon", consisting of 28 acres with dwelling house "bounded easterly by land of Benjamin Gill; to enjoy after the death of my mother Susanna Ambross - lease to said Underhill the farm during the life of his said mother Susanna" (Liber 47, p263)[1].

* Samson Underhill, clothier of Salisbury, on 1 November 1725 conveyed for 80 pounds to John Webster and Ephraim Eaton of the same place, "which money the said Webster and Eaton (hired of the Rev Mr Theophilus Cotton of Hampton) stand bound for the payment of same which money the said Underhill received for his use" - convey "my homestead land where I now dwell in Salisbury." (Liber 47, p264)[1].

*  On 26 June 1727, Sampson Underhill of Salisbury conveyed to Samuel Hutchins of the same place, a farm there, near the Province line between MA and NH which formerly belonged to Mr Henry Ambross, "saving the old home in which said Henry lived."  This was acknowledged 3 January 1727/8 in the Province of NH (Liber 54, p42)[1].

*  Samson Underhill of Salisbury, alias Hampton, purchased land in Chester of Peter Weare of Hampton on 27 March 1730. (NH Archives, v21 p322)[1].

*  The manuscript of H.B. Underhill states that "on April 1 1730, Sampson Underhill sold his farm of 50 acres in Salisbury MA, upon which he had lived and kept tavern, for 500 pounds and went to Chester NH where he bought Lot No. 28 and settled.  This lot was situated on the south side of the road nearly opposite the present location of the Congregational Church and on the main street of the village as it now is."[1]

*  On 28 September 1731, Samson Underhill of Chester NH conveyed to Page Bachelder land there (NH Archives, v51 p364)[1].

*  Sampson Underhill was apparently ill at this time, for he replied to an order to appear before the Court on 7 December 1731, he wrote:  "I am very much lame in my hips and knee yt I cannot ride on a horse nor gett up on a horse but in very much pain to me."[1]

*  On 27 March 1732, Elizabeth Underhill, widow of Samson, of Chester, received land there from William Powell. (NH Archives v29 p146)[1].

It is evident that Sampson Underhill's family resided in Salisbury, Massachusetts until 1730, when he bought land in Chester, New Hampshire.

Sampson Underhill died between 16 December 1731 and 27 March 1732[1,5].  He is probably buried in the area near the Old Liberty Pole and Soldier's Monument in Chester, New Hampshire.

The probate records of the Province of New Hampshire show that on 15 May 1732, Elizabeth Underhill was appointed administratrix of the estate of her husband, Sampson Underhill.  Elizabeth Underhill gave bond, with Jacob Stanyan and Joseph Norton both of Hampton NH, as sureties, for the administration of her husband's estate 15 May 1732.  An inventory was taken 31 May 1732 by Jacob Sargent and Samuel Emerson, showing the value of the estate as 483 pounds 19 shillings 6 pence[1,5].

In the settlement of the estate of Sampson Underhill, clothier, the amount of the estate was £360.0.6, the expenditures was £590.15.10, which was allowed 25 August 1742;  expenses  were asked for and allowed to: "bringing up a son named Hezekiah for 4-1/2 years; to bringing up another son named Moses for 6-1/2 years;  to the maintaining, supporting and clothing a sick son named Jeremiah for 10 years as he having fits, in one of them he fell into the fire and burned his hand so that it is useless."  On 25 August 1742, the executors were licensed to sell the real estate[1,5].

5.  SOURCES

1. Josephine C Frost (editor), Underhill Genealogy, Volume IV  (N.p.: Myron C. Taylor, in the interests of the Underhill Society of America, 1932), pages 16-22, #1 Sampson Underhill family sketch.

2. Benjamin Chase, History of Old Chester From 1719 to 1869 (Auburn, N.H. :  the author, 1869), pages 602-603, Sampson Underhill family sketch.

3. Charles Bell, Facts Relating to the Early Inhabitants of Chester, N. H. (Concord, N.H. : G. Psrker Lyon, 1863), page 37, Sampson Underhill family sketch.

4. Topsfield Historical Society, Vital Records of Salisbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (Topsfield, Mass. : Topsfield Historical Society, 1915), Marriages, page 503, Sampson Underhill and Elizabeth Ambrose entry, 15 January 1717/8.

5. Henry Harrison Metcalf (editor), Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire, Vol. II, 1718-1740; State Paper Series Vol. 32 (Bristol, N.H. : R.W. Musgrove, Printer, 1914), pp 439-440, Sampson Underhill of Chester, 1732.

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NOTE:  Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post 
 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog in 2014.  I have extended this theme in 2023 to 520 Ancestors in 520 Weeks.


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