Leighton

 Leighton Lineage
Elizabeth Leighton

Leighton Migration
Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

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Elizabeth Leighton, 8th Great-Grandmother
1645 - 28 December 1674
b. Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire
d. TBD

Find a Grave (no record)

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Richard Pinkham 1642-1718

Married: TBD

Children: 

1. Richard Pinkham 1665-1718
2. Others TBD

______________________________________

Miscellanea
The original date of this post: 27 September 2025
Most recently updated: 27 September 2025

______________________________________

Morrill

Most recently updated: 

Morrill Surname Origin

Morrill Lineage
Mary Morrill 1620-1704

Mary Morrill > Experience Folger > William Swain Sr > Hephzibah Swain > Mary Pinkham > Mary Worth > David Day > Phedora Alice Day > Lenore Inez Steger > Barbara Lou Tridle

Morrill Migration
Norfolk, England > Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts

______________________________________

Mary Morrill, Bill's 8th & 9th Great-Grandmother
1620-1704
b. Norfolk, England
d. Nantucket, Nantucket, Massachusetts

Founders Burial Ground
Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Peter Folger 1617-1690

Married: 1644

Children:

1. Joanna Folger 1644-1719
2. Eleazar Folger 1648-1716
3. Bethsua Folger 1651-1725
4. John Folger 1658-1732
5. Experience Folger 1663-1739
6. Abiah Lee Folger 1667-1752

 Noted in her Find a Grave memorial bio:

Maternal grandmother of Benjamin Franklin: Mary Morrill 1620-1704 > Abiah Lee Folger 1667-1752 > Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790  

Third great grandmother of Capt Mayhew Folger (1774-1828) who was the captain the ship Topaz when he rediscovered the Pitcairn Islands in 1808

5th great grandmother of James A. Folger(1835-1889), the founder of Folgers Coffee in San Francisco California. 

Mentioned by name in Chapter 24 of Herman Melville's "Moby Dick":

"No good blood in their veins? They have something better than royal blood there. The grandmother of Benjamin Franklin was Mary Morrel; afterwards, by marriage, Mary Folger, one of the old settlers of Nantucket, and the ancestress to a long line of Folgers and harpooneers-all kith and kin to noble Benjamin-this day darting the barbed iron from one side of the world to the other."

______________________________________

Bibliography 

Ancestry ®. "Public Member Trees Database.” © 1997-2025 Ancestry®.  Ancestry.  ancestry.com/ Lawson-Robertson Family Tree. www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/10075800/family  User profile for William Harris Lawson, Jr., user Livingweb. Accessed 1 December 2025.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/63676434/mary-folger: accessed December 1, 2025), memorial page for Mary Morrell Folger (1620–1704), Find a Grave Memorial ID 63676434, citing Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Rosemarie Robson (contributor 50188319).

Geneanet. "Public Member Database." © 1996. Geneanet. en.geneanet.org Accessed 1 December 2025.

Google. "AI Overview." Search term, "Morrill Surname Origin." Google. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Morrill+Surname+Origin  Accessed 1 December 2025.

______________________________________

Miscellanea

Talking Kin™: Morrill

https://www.talkingkin.com/2025/09/morrill.html
© 2025 William H Lawson Jr

______________________________________

Weare

Most recently updated: 

Weare Surname Origin

Weare Lineage
Nathaniel Weare 1602-1680, father of Mary Weare 1633-1714

Mary Weare > John Swain Jr > William Swaine Sr > Hephzibah Swain > Mary Pinkham > Mary Worth > David Day > Phedora Alice Day > Lenore Inez Steger > Barbara Lou Tridle 

Weare Migration
Devon, England > Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

______________________________________

Mary Weare, Bill's 8th Great-Grandmother
1633-1714
b. Devon, England
d. Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Founders Burial Ground
Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Parents:
Nathaniel Weare
Sarah Swayne 1606-1682

Maternal Lineage:
Sarah Swayne 1606-1682

Spouse: John Swain Sr 1633-1717
Married: 1660
Children:

1. Mary Swain 1661-1714 
2. John Swain Jr 1664-1738
3. Stephen Swain 1666-1712
4. Sarah Swain 1670-1727
5. Joseph Swain 1673-1766 
6. Elizabeth Swain 1676-1760 
7. Benjamin Swain 1679-1757 
8. Hannah Swain 1681-1765 
9. Patience Swain 1685-1747 

______________________________________

Nathaniel Weare, Bill's 9th Great-Grandfather
1602 - 1 March 1680

b. Devon, England

d. Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Cemetery TBD

Ancestry | Find a Grave 

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Sarah Swayne 1606-1682
Married: 1629
Children: 

1. Hester Weare 1629-1718
2. Nathaniel Weare 1631-1718
3. Mary Weare 1633-1714

______________________________________

Bibliography 

Ancestry ®. "Public Member Trees Database.” © 1997-2025 Ancestry®.  Ancestry.  ancestry.com/ Lawson-Robertson Family Tree. www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/10075800/family  User profile for William Harris Lawson, Jr., user Livingweb. Accessed 1 December 2025.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/123011980/mary-swain: accessed December 1, 2025), memorial page for Mary Weare Swain (1633–1714), Find a Grave Memorial ID 123011980, citing Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Rick Valentine (contributor 47475621).

---, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168646119/nathaniel-weare: accessed December 1, 2025), memorial page for Nathaniel Weare (1602–1 Mar 1680), Find a Grave Memorial ID 168646119; Maintained by Beensker (contributor 47625231).

Geneanet. "Public Member Database." © 1996. Geneanet. en.geneanet.org Accessed 1 December 2025.

Google. "AI Overview." Search term, "Weare Surname Origin." Google. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Weare+Surname+Origin  Accessed 1 December 2025.

______________________________________

Miscellanea

Talking Kin™: Weare

https://www.talkingkin.com/2025/09/weare.html
© 2025 William H Lawson Jr

______________________________________

Godfrey

Most recently updated: 

Godfrey Surname Origin

Godfrey Lineage
Richard Thomas Godfrey 1685-1624, father of Jane Elizabeth Godfrey 1624-1662.

Jane Elizabeth Godfrey > Martha Bunker > Puella Hussey > Lydia Gorham > Thomas Worth > Barzillai Worth > Mary Worth > David Day > Phedora Alice Day > Lenore Inez Steger > Barbara Lou Tridle > Bill, Lynn, & Lori Lawson

See notes on George Bunker 1621-1658, spouse of Jane Elizabeth Godfrey for additional lineage information about their being dual-generation great-grandparents.

Godfrey Migration
Cardington, Bedfordshire, England > Essex, England > Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts > Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

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Jane Elizabeth Godfrey, Bill's 8th & 9th Great-Grandmother
16 March 1624 - 31 October 1662
b. Essex, England
d. Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Founders Burial Ground
Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Parents:
Richard Thomas Godfrey 1685-1624
Elizabeth Mead 1600-1624

Maternal Lineage:
Elizabeth Mead 1600-1624

Spouse 1: George Bunker 1521-1658
Married: 1544
Children: 4

1. Elizabeth Bunker 1646-1700
2. William Bunker 1648-1712
3. Mary Bunker 1652-1724
4. Ann Bunker 1654-1698
5. Martha Bunker 1656-1744

Spouse 2: Richard Swain 1595-1682

Jane Elizabeth Godfrey (8th Great-Grandmother and mother of 7th Great-Grandmother Martha Swain) married Richard Swain (9th & 10th Great-Grandfather) after the death of George Bunker (8th & 9th Great-Grandfather).  

Married: 15 September 1658

Children: 1

1. Richard Swain Jr 1660-1707

______________________________________

Richard Thomas Godfrey, Bill's 9th & 10th Great-Grandfather

3 January 1585 - 16 October 1624
b. Cardington, Bedfordshire, England
d. Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts

Cemetery TBD

Ancestry | Find a Grave (no record)

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Elizabeth Mead 1600-1633
Married: 23 Apr 1629 at Cardington, Bedford, England
Children: 

1. Jane Elizabeth Godfrey 1624-1662
2. Others TBD

______________________________________

Bibliography 

Ancestry ®. "Public Member Trees Database.” © 1997-2025 Ancestry®.  Ancestry.  ancestry.com/ Lawson-Robertson Family Tree. www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/10075800/family  User profile for William Harris Lawson, Jr., user Livingweb. Accessed 30 November 2025.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124028077/jane_elizabeth-swain: accessed November 30, 2025), memorial page for Jane Elizabeth Godfrey Swain (16 Mar 1624–31 Oct 1662), Find a Grave Memorial ID 124028077, citing Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Rick Valentine (contributor 47475621).

Geneanet. "Public Member Database." © 1996. Geneanet. en.geneanet.org Accessed 30 November 2025.

Google. "AI Overview." Search term, "Godfrey Surname Origin." Google. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Godfrey+Surname+Origin  Accessed 30 November 2025.

______________________________________

Miscellanea

Talking Kin™: Godfrey

https://www.talkingkin.com/2025/09/godfrey.html
© 2025 William H Lawson Jr

______________________________________

Sears

 Sears Lineage
Deborah Sears 1639-1732

Sears Migration
Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

______________________________________

Deborah Sears, 8th Great-Grandmother
16 September 1639 - 17 August 1732
b. Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
d. Yarmouth, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Find a Grave

Parents:
Richard Sears 1590-1676
Dorothy Jones 1603-1678

Maternal Lineage:
Dorothy Jones 1603-1678

Spouse: Zachariah Paddock Sr 1636-1727

Married: 1659
Children:

1. Zachariah Paddock Jr 1664-1717
2. John Paddock 1668-1717
3. Robert Paddock 1670-1750
4. Nathaniel Paddock 1677-1756
5. Judah Paddock Sr 1681-1770

______________________________________

Miscellanea
The original date of this post: 29 September 2025
Most recently updated: 29 September 2025

______________________________________

Folger

Most recently updated: 

Folger Surname Origin

Folger Lineage
Peter Folger 1617-1690, father of Experience Folger 1663-1739

Experience Folger > William Swain Sr > Hephzibah Swain > Mary Pinkham > Mary Worth > David Day > Phedora Alice Day > Lenore Inez Steger > Barbara Lou Tridle

Folger Migration
Norfolk, England > Nantucket County, Massachusetts

______________________________________

Experience Folger, Bill's 7th & 8th Great-Grandmother
(7th as mother of William Swain 1688-1770 and 8th as mother of John 1690-1750)
1663 - 4 June 1739
b. Nantucket County, Massachusetts
d. Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Founders Burial Ground
Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Parents:
Peter Folger 1617-1704
Mary Morrill 1620-1704

Maternal Lineage:
Mary Morrill 1620-1704

Spouse: John Swain Jr 1690-1750

Married: 1687
Children:

1. William Swain Sr 1688-1770
2. John Swain 1690-1750
3. Stephen Swain 1703-1785

______________________________________

Peter Folger, Bill's 8th & 9th Great-Grandfather

1617-1690
b. Norfolk, England
d. Nantucket, Massachusetts

Founders Burial Ground
Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Noteworthy:

Maternal grandfather of Benjamin Franklin:
Peter Folger 1617-1690 > Abiah Lee Folger 1667-1752 > Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790

 
Author of "A Looking Glass for the Times" Internet Archive | Google Books

Tags: Immigrated_to_USA

Parents:

John Folger 1589-1660
Meribah Gibbs 1594-1664

Maternal Lineage:
Meribah Gibbs 1594-1664

Spouse: Mary Morrill 1620-1704
Married: 1644

Children:

1. Joanna Folger 1644-1719
2. Eleazar Folger 1648-1716
3. Bethsua Folger 1651-1725
4. John Folger 1658-1732
5. Experience Folger 1663-1739
6. Abiah Lee Folger 1667-1752

______________________________________

John Folger Jr, Bill's 9th & 10th Great-Grandfather

1589 - 21 October 1660
b. Norwich, City of Norwich, Norfolk, England

d. Dukes County, Massachusetts

Tower Hill Cemetery
Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Noteworthy:

Tags: Immigrated_to_USA

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Meribah Gibbs 1594-1664
Married: 1617
Children: 

1. Peter Folger 1617-1690
2. Mary Folger TBD-1689

______________________________________

Bibliography 

Ancestry ®. "Public Member Trees Database.” © 1997-2025 Ancestry®.  Ancestry.  ancestry.com/ Lawson-Robertson Family Tree. www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/10075800/family  User profile for William Harris Lawson, Jr., user Livingweb. Accessed 1 December 2025.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/124418716/experience-swain: accessed December 1, 2025), memorial page for Experience Folger Swain (1663–4 Jun 1739), Find a Grave Memorial ID 124418716, citing Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Tena Kennedy Painter (contributor 47059355).

---, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/10904442/peter-folger: accessed December 1, 2025), memorial page for Peter Folger (1617–1690), Find a Grave Memorial ID 10904442, citing Founders Burial Ground, Nantucket, Nantucket County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Randy Eutsler (contributor 47007637).

---, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20850783/john-folger: accessed December 1, 2025), memorial page for John Folger Jr. (1590–22 Oct 1660), Find a Grave Memorial ID 20850783, citing Tower Hill Cemetery, Edgartown, Dukes County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Ryan D. Curtis (contributor 46858513).

Folger, Peter. "A Looking Glass for the Times," 1878. Former spirit of New England revived in this generation. Providence: © Sidney S Rider 1883. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/ms12folder3item1/page/n5/mode/2up  Accessed 1 December 2025.

Geneanet. "Public Member Database." © 1996. Geneanet. en.geneanet.org Accessed 1 December 2025.

Google. "AI Overview." Search term, "Folger Surname Origin." Google. 

https://www.google.com/search?q=Folger+Surname+Origin  Accessed 1 December 2025.

______________________________________

Miscellanea

Talking Kin™: Folger

https://www.talkingkin.com/2025/09/folger.html
© 2025 William H Lawson Jr

______________________________________

Howland

Most recently updated: 

Howland Lineage
Henry Howland 1566-1635, father of John Howland 1591-1672, father of Desire Howland 1627-1683

Desire Howland > Shubael Gorham > Lydia Gorham > Thomas Worth > Barzillai Worth > Mary Worth > David Day > Phedora Alice Day > Lenore Inez Steger > Barbara Lou Tridle

Howland Migration
Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England > Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts > Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

______________________________________

Desire Howland, Bill's 8th Great-Grandmother
22 May 1627 - 13 October 1683
b. Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts
d. Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Cobb's Hill Cemetery East and West
Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Parents:
John Howland 1592-1672
Elizabeth Tilley 1607-1687

Maternal Lineage:
Rose Marshe, mother of Joan Hurst, mother of Elizabeth Tilley, mother of Desire Howland

Spouse: John Gorham Sr 1619-1676

Married: 20 February 1643
Children:

1. Desire Gorham 1644-1700
2. Temperance Gorham 1646-1715
3. Elizabeth Gorham 1648-1683
4. James Gorham 1650-1707
5. John Gorham Jr 1651-1715
6. Joseph Gorham 1654-1726
7. Jabez Gorham 1656-1726
8. Mercy Gorham 1658-1725
9. Lydia Gorham 1661-1744
10. Hannah Gorham 1665-1728
11. Shubael Gorham 1667-1750

Tags: Mayflower_Descendant

______________________________________

John Howland, Bill's 9th Great-Grandfather
1592 - 23 February 1672
b. Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England
d. Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Burial Hill
Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts

Ancestry | Find a Grave

Parents:

Henry Howland 1566-1635

Margaret Howland 1567-1629

Maternal Lineage:
Margaret Howland 1567-1629

Spouse: Elizabeth Tilley 1607-1686
Married: 1624
Children:

1. John Howland Jr 1627-1702
2. Desire Howland 1627-1683
3. Hope Howland 1629-1683
4. Elizabeth Howland 1631-1692
5. Lydia Howland 1633-1711
6. Hannah Howland 1637-1705
7. Joseph Howland 1640-1704
8. Jabez Howland 1644-1712
9. Ruth Howland 1646-1679
10. Isaac Howland 1649-1723

Tags: Immigrant_to_USA | Mayflower_Passenger

______________________________________

Henry Howland, Bill's 10th Great-Grandfather
1566 - 17 May 1635 (68-69)
b. Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England
d. Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England

St. Peter and St. Paul Churchyard
Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England

Ancestry | Find a Grave | WikiTree 

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Margaret Howland, maiden name TBD
Married: 30 July 1629 at Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England
Children: 7

1. Arthur Howland 1591-1675 
2. John Howland 1591-1672
3. George Howland 1593-1643
4. Humphrey Howland 1595-1646
5. Margaret Howland 1602-1646
6. Simon Howland 1604-1636
7. Henry J Howland 1604-1671

______________________________________

Margaret Howland, Bill's Nth Great-Grandmother

Maiden Name TBD

1567 - 31 July 1629 (61-62)
b. Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England
d. Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England

St. Peter and St. Paul Churchyard
Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England

Ancestry | Find a Grave | WikiTree 

Parents & Maternal Lineage TBD

Spouse: Henry Howland 1591-1675

Married: 30 July 1629 at Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England

Children: 7

1. Arthur Howland 1591-1675 
2. John Howland 1591-1672
3. George Howland 1593-1643
4. Humphrey Howland 1595-1646
5. Margaret Howland 1602-1646
6. Simon Howland 1604-1636
7. Henry J Howland 1604-1671

______________________________________

Bibliography 

Ancestry ®. "Public Member Trees Database.” © 1997-2025 Ancestry®.  Ancestry.  ancestry.com/ Lawson-Robertson Family Tree. www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/10075800/family  User profile for William Harris Lawson, Jr., user Livingweb. Accessed 28 November 2025.

Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18676934/desire-gorham: accessed November 28, 2025), memorial page for Desire Howland Gorham (22 May 1627–13 Oct 1683), Find a Grave Memorial ID 18676934, citing Cobb's Hill Cemetery East and West, Barnstable, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Ryan D. Curtis (contributor 46858513).

---, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6613808/john-howland: accessed November 28, 2025), memorial page for John Howland (1592–23 Feb 1672), Find a Grave Memorial ID 6613808, citing Burial Hill, Plymouth, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.

---, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48356201/henry-howland: accessed November 28, 2025), memorial page for Henry Howland (1566–17 May 1635), Find a Grave Memorial ID 48356201, citing St. Peter and St. Paul Churchyard, Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeshire, England; Maintained by Anonymous (contributor 50603362).

Geneanet. "Public Member Database." © 1996. Geneanet. en.geneanet.org Accessed 28 November 2025.

WikiTree contributors, "Henry Howland (1564-bef.1635)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Howland-326 : accessed 28 November 2025).

---, "Margaret (Unknown) Howland (abt.1567-1629)," WikiTree: The Free Family Tree, (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-42345 : accessed 28 November 2025).

______________________________________

Miscellanea

Talking Kin™: Howland

https://www.talkingkin.com/2025/09/howland.html
© 2025 William H Lawson Jr

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