Marrying a Cousin – a Family Habit

Over the years, as I’ve continued to research my ancestral tree, I’ve encountered several situations where there were marriages between distant cousins. There were times that, in my enthusiasm, I wrote about these discoveries before I had thoroughly checked them out and I later had to issue retractions. But my tree has been pretty stable for quite a while now – even my brick walls haven’t yielded much to increased scrutiny in the last few years. So, I spend most of my genealogical research working for others instead of working on my own tree. Thus, I hope this will be my final posting on this topic.

With such deep roots in colonial New England, most specifically in MA and CT, it’s not unexpected that the various branches of my tree will occasionally overlap. There are some earlier ones, including a 2^nd cousin marriage and a 3^rd cousin marriage in the descendants of Joseph Rogers (1602). And there are 3^rd cousin marriages in the descendants of John North (1611) and another in the descendants of John Beach (1623). These are all in the ancestral tree of my grandmother Vera Levy.

But the farther one gets from the roots back in the Great Migration of 1630-1640, the more likely that situations will occur where individuals will end up marrying distant cousins – usually unknown to them at the time. And my family is no different. We have now had this occur in the last four generations of my immediate family. Below I have tried to document these situations in a common format. For each person I have listed their birth year as names tend to repeat themselves in families. I have also given the maiden names or previous married names for the women. Most of the below connections are through common ancestors who were part of the Great Migration, but a few of them go back one or two generations in England as several family members came during the Great Migration.

 

·         My paternal grandparents were 10^th cousins:

o   Erskine Russell (1894), Louis Russell (1871), Walter James Russell (1852), Hester [Disbrow] Russell (1807), Solomon Disbrow (1781), Deborah [Squire] Disbrow (1755), John Squire (1720), Samuel Squire (1693), Samuel Squire (1652), Ann [Wheeler] Squire (1629), Thomas Wheeler (1589), Thomas Wheeler (1563)

o   Vera [Levy] Russell (1895), Caroline [Northrop] Levy (1872), Lawrence Northrop (1835), Catherine [Canfield] Northrop (1813), Samuel Canfield (1789), Ithamar Canfield (1764), Elizabeth [Judson] Canfield (1732), Rebecca [Sherman] Judson (1701), Rebeckah [Wheeler] Sherman (1672), Isaac Wheeler (1642), Ephraim Wheeler (1619), Thomas Wheeler (1563)

 

·         My paternal grandmother and her second husband were 7^th cousins (see here):

o   Vera [Levy] [Russell] Rogers (1895), Caroline [Northrop] Levy (1872), Lawrence Northrop (1835), Joel Northrop (1801), Cyrus Northrop (1773), Joel Northrop (1742), Abigail [Terrill] Northrop (1699), Daniel Terrill (1659), Roger Terrill (1616)

o   Charles Rogers (1865), Sarah [Hubbard] Rogers (1844), Harvey Hibbard (1804), Irene Frink (1775), Lydia [Sawyer] Frink (1742), Hannah [Terrill] Frink (1702), Josiah Terrill (1689), Thomas Terrill (1656), Roger Terrill (1616)

 

·         My maternal grandparents were 7^th cousins (see here):

o   Harold Pierpont (1898), Annie [Merrill] Pierpont (1858), Nathan Merrill (1823), Anna [Perkins] Merrill (1792), Huldah [Wooding] Perkins (1763), Desire [Sperry] Wooding (1732), John Sperry (1683), Richard Sperry (1652), Richard Sperry (1605)

o   Sarah [Blackman] Pierpont (1898), Alice [Talmadge] Blackman (1870), Stephen Talmadge (1843), Anna [Sperry] Talmadge (1800), Moses Sperry (1765), Joseph Sperry (1737), Able Sperry (1700), Daniel Sperry (1665), Richard Sperry (1605)

 

·         My parents are cousins several ways. In this one they were 9^th cousins (see here), but also see additional connections in notes 3, 4, 5, 6 below:

o   Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Erskine Harold Russell (1894), Louis Russell (1871), Lois [Cook] Russell (1955), Sally [Barton] Cook (1835), Almira [Beecher] Barton (1803), Joseph Beecher (1779), Titus Beecher (1740), Joseph Beecher (1698), Joseph Beecher (1647), Isaac Beecher (1623)

o   Sylvia [Pierpont] Russell (1924), Harold Pierpont (1898), Wilson Pierpont (1855), Charles Pierpont (1824), Sally [Beecher] Pierpont (1794), Enos Beecher (1769), Jesse Beecher (1741), Isaac Beecher (1716), Samuel Beecher (1687), Isaac Beecher (1650), Isaac Beecher (1623)

 

·         My wife’s parents were 10^th cousins, once removed (see here):

o   Charles David VanDeCar (1923), Gertrude [Duba] VanDeCar (1901), Rachel [Swaney] Duba (1883), Nancy [Kitchen] Swaney (1849), Sarah [Sicklesteel] Kitchen (1824), Nancy [Turner] Sicklesteel (1805), Sarah [Millard] Turner (1771), Mary [Fuller] Millard (1721), Samuel Fuller (1682), John Fuller (1655), Samuel Fuller (1612), Edward Fuller (1575), Robert Fuller (1548)

o   Mary Ellen [Wright] VanDeCar (1926), Frank Wright (1873), Abigail [Barrows] Wright (1841), Amelia [Bedford] Barrows (1821), Molly [TInkham] Bedford (1787), Joseph TInkham (1757), Deborah [Fuller] TInkham (1733), Seth Fuller (1692), Samuel Fuller (1658), Samuel Fuller (1624), Samuel Fuller (1580), Robert Fuller (1548)

 

·         My wife and I are 10^th cousins (see here). As I stated above, there are three different paths from myself back to Joseph Rogers because of some early cousin marriages in his family – only one of them is shown here:

o   Alan Harold Russell (1948), Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Vera [Levy] Russell (1895), Caroline [Northrup] Levy (1872), Mary Lois [Rogers/Drake (see note 1)] Northrup (1851), Benjamin Rogers (1814), Joseph Rogers (1772), Benjamin Rogers (1738), Benjamin Rogers (1704), John Rogers (1672), John Rogers (1642), Joseph Rogers (1602)

o   Donna Ruth [VanDeCar] Russell (1947), Mary Ellen [Wright] VanDeCar (1926), Frank Wright (1873), Abigail [Barrows] Wright (1841), Andrew Barrows (1815), Spencer Barrows (1787), Malachi Barrows (1760), Deborah [Totman] Barrows (1731), Experience [Rogers] Totman (1707), Eleazar Rogers (1673), Thomas Rogers (1638), Joseph Rogers (1602)

 

·         My son and daughter-in-law are 8^th cousins, twice removed (see note 2):

o   Christopher Alan Russell (1979), Alan Harold Russell (1948), Sylvia [Pierpont] Russell (1924), Harold Pierpont (1898), Annie [Merrill] Pierpont (1858), Nathan Merrill (1823), Elijah Merrill (1788), Icabod Merrill (1754), Caleb Merrill (1735), Nathaniel Merrill (1702), John Merrill (1669), John Merrill (1636)

o   Pamela Marie [Coulter] Russell (1979), Marva [Walton] Coulter (1949), Kenneth Walton (1910), Harriet [Benton] Walton (1882), Frances [Merrill] Benton (1840), Lloyd Merrill (1804), Theodore Merrill (1761), Elijah Merrill (1720), Abel Merrill (1680), John Merrill (1636)

 

·         My daughter and son-in-law are 11^th cousins:

o   Matthew Christman (1979), James W Christman (1949), Lois Virginia Bradley (1927), Elmer Howard Bradley (1892), Richard William Bradley (1853), Matthew Bradley (1822), Mary Copeland [Burr] Bradley (1800), Mary Polly [Copeland] Burr (1772), Mehitable [Dunbar] Copeland (1735), Samuel Dunbar (1704), Sarah [Thaxter] Dunbar (1668), Abigail [Church] Thaxter (1648), Richard Church (1608)

o   Kimberly Ann [Russell] Christman (1980), Alan Harold Russell (1948), Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Erskine Russell (1894), Louis Russell (1871), Walter James Russell (1852), Hester [Disbrow] Russell (1807), Lydia [Bennett] Disbrow (1782), Mary [Munroe] Bennett (1757), Ebenezer Monroe (1736), John Munro (1701), Sarah [Church] Munro (1643), Richard Church (1608)

Notes

1 – She was adopted and her name changed from Lois Irene Rogers to Mary Lois Drake when very young – see here.

2 – When I published this originally, I had noted that our daughter-in-law believed that her great-great-grandmother, Frances Merrill, was a native American who had been adopted. Subsequently, I was able to prove that this was not the case here.

3 – Through another connection my parents are 8^th cousins, once removed:

o   Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Vera [Levy] Russell (see connection above back to Roger Terrill)

o   Sylvia [Pierpont] Russell (1924), Harold Pierpont (1898), Annie [Merrill] Pierpont (1858), Nathan Merrill (1823), Elijah Merrill (1788), Sarah [Frisbie] Merrill (1756), Abigail [Culver] Frisbie (1718), Ruth [Tyler] Culver (1693), William Tyler (1667), Abigail [Terrell] Tyler (1644), Roger Terrill (1616)

4 – Through another connection my parents are 9^th cousins:

o   Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Erskine Russell (1894), Louis Russell (1871), Walter James Russell (1852), Hester [Disbrow] Russell (1807), Solomon Disbrow (1781), Deborah [Squire] Disbrow (1756), John Squire (1720), Samuel Squire (1693), Sarah [Seeley] Squire (1666), Nathaniel Seeley (1627)

o   Sylvia [Pierpont] Russell (1924), Sara [Blackman] Pierpont (1898), Clarence Blackman (1870), Isaac Minor Blackman (1844), Nancy [Crofutt] Blackman (1807), Samuel Crofutt (1770), Sarah [Seeley] Crofutt (1743), James Seeley (1722), James Seeley (1681), Nathaniel Seeley (1660), Nathaniel Seeley (1627)

5 – Through another connection my parents are 10^th cousins, once removed:

o   Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Erskine Russell (1894), Louis Russell (1871), Walter James Russell (1852), Silas Russell (1803), Parmea [Smith] Russell (1781), Demeous [Worden] Smith (1758), Sarah [Husted] Worden (1734), Ebenezer Husted (1693), Angell Husted (1654), Rebecca [Sherwood] Husted (1625), Thomas Sherwood (1586)

o   Sylvia [Pierpont] Russell (1924), Sara [Blackman] Pierpont (1898), Clarence Blackman (1870), Isaac Minor Blackman (1844), Joel Martin Blackman (1812), Isaac Blackman (1789), Phebe [Beardslee] Blackman (1755), Joseph Beardsley (1727), Joseph Beardsley III (1709), Deborah [Stewart] Beardsley (1669), Bethia [Rumball] Stewart (1641), Rose [Sherwood] Rumball (1623), Thomas Sherwood (1586)

6 – Through another connection my parents are 9^th cousin, once removed:

o   Vernon Harold Russell (1920), Vera [Levy] Russell (1895), Caroline [Northrop] Levy (1872), Mary Lois [Rogers] Northrop (1851), Lois Irene [Chaffee] Rogers (1814), Caleb Chaffee (1781), Thomas Chaffee (1731), Abigail [Lyon] Chaffee (1707), Elizabeth [Newell] Lyon (1688), Abraham Newell (1625), Frances [Foote] Newell (1582), Robert Foote (1553)

o   Sylvia [Pierpont] Russell (1924), Harold Pierpont (1898), Wilson Pierpont (1855), Mary Ann [Warner] Pierpont (1828), Jared Warner (1785), Hannah [Foote] Warner (1760), Ichabod Foote (1711), Joseph Foote (1666), Robert Foote (1627), Nathaniel Foote (1592), Robert Foote (1553)