Sarah Glines of Moultonborough, NH
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While investigating the Chandler branch of my family tree, one that takes me all the way back beyond my 10th great-grandparents William Chandler (1595-1641) and Annis Bayford Chandler (1603-1683), I ran across one of many unfamiliar names that prompted me to dig a little deeper into a new direction. All this was prompted by a simple mention of a single name under my fifth great grandfather Moses Chandler (1751-1800). Under the entry of Moses Chandler, the text states "and Sarah Glines, Moultonboro, NH."
The text is called The Descendants of William and Annis Chandler who Settled in Roxbury, Mass. 1637, by George Chandler, and available from Higginson Book Company in Salem Mass. Using standard "record keeping" found in genealogy books, the number (like #450 associated with Moses Chandler) refers to a specific person within a family tree. The number is based on a person's generation and sequence of birth, with the original ancestor being labeled #1, his firstborn child being labeled #2, and so on. Both males and females are assigned a unique number. After this point, the numbering sequence continues only through the males into the next generation. The reason the path focuses exclusively on males is because, traditionally, males are the ones who keep their last name. With each new entry, the parentheses summarize the path from the new individual all back through the males to the first name in the book. For example, Moses Chandler (#450) is the son of Sanborn (1730-1790), grandson of Moses (1695-1756), great grandson of William (1659-1727), great-great grandson of Thomas (1630-1703), and great-great-great grandson of William, the first name in the book.
The Chandler Branch, Quick Summary from William to Moses
To give a sense of perspective, William and Annis (my tenth-great-grandparents) arrived in Roxbury, Massachusetts 17 years after the Mayflower landed off the coast of Massachusetts (1620). Thus, these were some of the earliest English settlers in the “new world.”
The Chandlers brought with them four children (Hannah, Thomas, John, and William), all of whom were born in Hertfordshire, England. Their fifth child (Sarah) was born in Roxbury. This family story continues through Thomas #3 (163-1703), William #10 (1659-1727), Moses #46 (1693-1756), Sanborn #170 (1730-1790), to Moses #450 (1751-1800), as summarized by the “branch” shown here.
Moses Chandler and his siblings were born to Sanborn and Hannah while the family was living in Hampton, NH. The family moved inland and north to Moultonborough, NH while the children were young. According to the Chandler genealogy, the wife “was crazy when they came into Moultonborough and remained so until her death.”
Moses had two sisters (Hannah and Comfort) and four brothers (Joseph, Ebenezer, Aretas, and Abraham). As they were growing up, the boys and their father spent a lot of time hunting and trapping.
Moses, the oldest son, and three of his brothers (Joseph, Ebenezer, and Aretus) served in the Revolutionary War. Along with the Glines brothers (John and Israel Jr. Glines), these brave young men served from about 1775-1780, enlisted in Reeds Regiment, Bedel’s Regiment, Welches’ Regiment, and Frye’s Company First Regiment.
The Chandlers brought with them four children (Hannah, Thomas, John, and William), all of whom were born in Hertfordshire, England. Their fifth child (Sarah) was born in Roxbury. This family story continues through Thomas #3 (163-1703), William #10 (1659-1727), Moses #46 (1693-1756), Sanborn #170 (1730-1790), to Moses #450 (1751-1800), as summarized by the “branch” shown here.
Moses Chandler and his siblings were born to Sanborn and Hannah while the family was living in Hampton, NH. The family moved inland and north to Moultonborough, NH while the children were young. According to the Chandler genealogy, the wife “was crazy when they came into Moultonborough and remained so until her death.”
Moses had two sisters (Hannah and Comfort) and four brothers (Joseph, Ebenezer, Aretas, and Abraham). As they were growing up, the boys and their father spent a lot of time hunting and trapping.
Moses, the oldest son, and three of his brothers (Joseph, Ebenezer, and Aretus) served in the Revolutionary War. Along with the Glines brothers (John and Israel Jr. Glines), these brave young men served from about 1775-1780, enlisted in Reeds Regiment, Bedel’s Regiment, Welches’ Regiment, and Frye’s Company First Regiment.
Moses: Second-born in the Sanborn Chandler Family
As mentioned above, Moses and his siblings were born in Hampton, NH, but the family moved about 70 miles inland and north to Moultonborough when the children were still rather young. This is where Moses and his siblings grew up, and it's where Moses would marry his future wife Sarah Glines. As you can see, each child born to Moses and Sarah has his or her own unique number, starting with 449. Being the second-born, Moses is number 450.
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The Revolutionary War
As I studied the information about Moses Chandler, I ran across all kinds of documents linking him to the Revolutionary War. As I struggled to decipher the handwritten records, I saw several other names that captured my attention, including Joseph, Ebenezer and Aretus Chandler, and John and Israel Glines. I frequently saw at least one Glines brother listed on the same page as Moses.
At first I thought, "maybe John is a brother of Moses' future wife. And maybe this is how they met." On further reflection, I suspect these folks all knew each other growing up because all of them were raised in Moultonborough. Nevertheless, I decided to spend some time studying John and Israel Glines. This is before I realized that there would be two sets of Glines brothers worth studying, these guys (born in the 1750s) and another set (born in the 1730s). Eventually I put the pieces together and figured out that the younger Glines family members (born in the 1750s) were the ones involved in the war. This makes sense because men in their 20s would have been more capable soldiers than men in their 40s. Here are some of the several documents, obtained through ancestry.com that helped me put together the the story. As I collect each new piece of information, I typically make notes (highlights, etc.) and save documents with file names based on years.
At first I thought, "maybe John is a brother of Moses' future wife. And maybe this is how they met." On further reflection, I suspect these folks all knew each other growing up because all of them were raised in Moultonborough. Nevertheless, I decided to spend some time studying John and Israel Glines. This is before I realized that there would be two sets of Glines brothers worth studying, these guys (born in the 1750s) and another set (born in the 1730s). Eventually I put the pieces together and figured out that the younger Glines family members (born in the 1750s) were the ones involved in the war. This makes sense because men in their 20s would have been more capable soldiers than men in their 40s. Here are some of the several documents, obtained through ancestry.com that helped me put together the the story. As I collect each new piece of information, I typically make notes (highlights, etc.) and save documents with file names based on years.
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Who was Sarah Glines?
It can be fairly difficult to track down someone with a common name. Back in the day, many girls were named Sarah. And sometimes only a woman's married name appears in an historical record. For example, a birth record might list the parents' names, but not always the mother's maiden name. It can also be tricky to track down names that could be spelled in a variety of ways, especially last names. Such was the case when I studied another branch of my tree: the name Morris was also spelled Morres, for example. Finally, there can also be transcription errors that come from trying to decipher the handwriting in some of the old records. For example, when looking up information on Sanborn Chandler, I once discovered a relevant record listed under the name Lanborn Chandler. Let's just say this type of work is kind of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle from a box that contains the pieces to dozens of puzzles, and some of the pieces are missing, and other pieces are broken!
I had an especially difficult time tracking down Sarah Glines because I got myself caught up following a different woman with a similar name. I suppose I should have known better, right from the start. But at the time, I had very little experience with tracking down ancestors, so I was bound to make a few mistakes. Early in the process of doing this research, I wasn’t so good at understanding the importance of location, and I second-guessed a few things, which led me down some incorrect paths. I found someone named Sarah Glynne who was born in Westford, Mass, despite the fact that this location is 100 miles from Moultonborough, the location where Moses and Sarah were married. This Sarah's birth date was close enough to my “best guess,” so I ended up attaching her to the family tree as the wife of Moses. Besides, most references to Sarah came from after she married Moses, and at that point, her name had become Sarah Chandler.
Perhaps I should have known, right from the start, that Sarah Glynne was the wrong person due to the spelling of her last name, but that’s not always a useful indicator—especially back in the days when not that many people knew how to read and write, and other people did their best to record relevant information, after which the person in question simply wrote “X” for their “mark.” There were all kinds of discrepancies in terms of the way names appear in old documents. But the real problem with attaching Sarah Glynne to the tree is that I was unable to find any information about possible brothers named John and Israel. Furthermore I lacked any solid evidence to track her to the correct location of Moultonborough, NH. And perhaps the final straw was finding records that clearly stated that the correct Sarah was born in NH, not Mass.
So just a few days ago (July 2023), I sat down and began reconsidering this portion of the family tree, focusing on the connection between Moses and the Glines family. Having spent more time studying actual maps of New England, complete with trying to get a better understanding of distances, etc., it became clear to me that I needed to focus my attention on the residents of Moultonborough, NH. I also decided to spend more time looking into the Glines “brothers” John and Israel. Some people might call this a side-track. But it can be very helpful to study siblings, parents, aunts, and uncles for the purpose of increasing confidence of someone’s identity in the context of their larger family. Furthermore, the fact that Sarah and Moses eventually named their first-born son Israel, that suggested to me that maybe just maybe there was some family significance to that name. Perhaps she wanted to name a son after her brother? Little did I know at the time, Israel turned out to be not just the name of her brother, but also the name of her father.
I had an especially difficult time tracking down Sarah Glines because I got myself caught up following a different woman with a similar name. I suppose I should have known better, right from the start. But at the time, I had very little experience with tracking down ancestors, so I was bound to make a few mistakes. Early in the process of doing this research, I wasn’t so good at understanding the importance of location, and I second-guessed a few things, which led me down some incorrect paths. I found someone named Sarah Glynne who was born in Westford, Mass, despite the fact that this location is 100 miles from Moultonborough, the location where Moses and Sarah were married. This Sarah's birth date was close enough to my “best guess,” so I ended up attaching her to the family tree as the wife of Moses. Besides, most references to Sarah came from after she married Moses, and at that point, her name had become Sarah Chandler.
Perhaps I should have known, right from the start, that Sarah Glynne was the wrong person due to the spelling of her last name, but that’s not always a useful indicator—especially back in the days when not that many people knew how to read and write, and other people did their best to record relevant information, after which the person in question simply wrote “X” for their “mark.” There were all kinds of discrepancies in terms of the way names appear in old documents. But the real problem with attaching Sarah Glynne to the tree is that I was unable to find any information about possible brothers named John and Israel. Furthermore I lacked any solid evidence to track her to the correct location of Moultonborough, NH. And perhaps the final straw was finding records that clearly stated that the correct Sarah was born in NH, not Mass.
So just a few days ago (July 2023), I sat down and began reconsidering this portion of the family tree, focusing on the connection between Moses and the Glines family. Having spent more time studying actual maps of New England, complete with trying to get a better understanding of distances, etc., it became clear to me that I needed to focus my attention on the residents of Moultonborough, NH. I also decided to spend more time looking into the Glines “brothers” John and Israel. Some people might call this a side-track. But it can be very helpful to study siblings, parents, aunts, and uncles for the purpose of increasing confidence of someone’s identity in the context of their larger family. Furthermore, the fact that Sarah and Moses eventually named their first-born son Israel, that suggested to me that maybe just maybe there was some family significance to that name. Perhaps she wanted to name a son after her brother? Little did I know at the time, Israel turned out to be not just the name of her brother, but also the name of her father.
More than One Generation of John and Israel Glines
While digging around through various records of Glines family members connected to Moultonborough, NH, I ran across a reference to an older Israel Glines (1731-1815) as well as an older John Glines (1733-1819)! So, in addition to the younger guys, John (1756-1806) and Israel (1758-1835), there was also an older pair. It seemed likely that all these fellows were all related, but how? Then I asked myself, based on their ages, which of these guys would have gone to war in the 1770s? Are either of these guys the brothers of Sarah, or possibly her father and uncle? Then, I began reading historical accounts (found on Ancestry.com), and I discovered all kinds of new things about people who are most definitely legitimate members of my family tree.
The Older Glines Brothers and their Father: John Sr. and John Jr. and Israel
The Older Glines Brothers and their Father: John Sr. and John Jr. and Israel
The older John and Israel were born in Oyster River, NH, along with their older sister Ann (b. 1729). Their parents John Glines Sr. (1706-1757) and Mary Basford Glines (1706-1758) (b.1729) moved the family to Canterbury, NH (about 40 miles away) while the children were young. Once resettled in Canterbury, more children were born into the family. According to the History of the Town of Canterbury, New Hampshire, the father John Glines Sr. was an early resident of the town of Canterbury, along with a younger brother William. See excerpt of the book in next section (below).
Can you see why this gets so confusing? Now we have three generations of Johns! So let's start with the eldest John (my 7th great grandfather) who had several children, including sons names John Jr. and Israel (my 6th great grandfather). Then Israel went on to have several children, including sons named John and Israel Jr, as well as a daughter named Sarah (my 5th great grandmother). That's easy for me to say now. It wasn't so easy to figure out!
Can you see why this gets so confusing? Now we have three generations of Johns! So let's start with the eldest John (my 7th great grandfather) who had several children, including sons names John Jr. and Israel (my 6th great grandfather). Then Israel went on to have several children, including sons named John and Israel Jr, as well as a daughter named Sarah (my 5th great grandmother). That's easy for me to say now. It wasn't so easy to figure out!
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Israel (my 6th Great Grandfather) and his Brother John Jr.
Hunting and Trapping: John Jr. and Israel
In 1750, when John Jr. and Israel were approaching the age of 20, they set off together, and traveled 130 miles north to Coos County, New Hampshire. In these forests, located north and west of the White Mountains, the brothers spent time trapping and hunting. Each young man named a river after himself, John’s River and Israel’s River. They probably stayed in the mountains for a couple years. These excerpts provide historical accounts of Coos County, NH, which indicates that a lot of hunting and trapping took place in Coos County, NH. Among those hunters and trappers were John and Israel Glines. |
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Israel's and John's Rivers
I decided to go on line and look up modern information about John's and Israel's River. Considering that Israel is my 6th great grandfather, it is exciting to know that a river in NH still bears his name! We are FAMOUS! If you have difficulty reading the screenshots, below, you can check out the website directly using the links provided.
Sarah (my 5th Great Grandmother) and her Brothers Israel Jr. and John
Introducing the Younger Glines brothers and Sarah (Glines) Chandler
By the time Israel Sr. was 22, he had found his way to Moultonborough, NH. This is where he married Fanny Rand and where the couple raised their eight children, including John, Israel Jr., and my 5th great grandmother Sarah. The elder Israel (former hunter and trapper who named a river) and his wife stayed in this area for their entire lives, spending their final years in the nearby town of Sandwich, NH.
As for John, he returned to Canterbury, NH and married a young lady named Abigail. At this point in time, I cannot tell you her maiden name. John and Abigail had five children. While the family was still expanding, John and his family moved to Eaton, NH (not far from Moultonborough). John resided there for the rest of his life.
War
John Glines Sr. Enlist in His Majesty's Service
I believe it is important to add one more detail about John Glines Sr. (my 7th great grandfather) before continuing the story of his grandchildren John, Israel Jr., and Sarah. While searching through a variety of records under the name of John Glines, I ran across a Will dated March 16, 1757 when John Sr. was 51 years old.
As stated in his will, John Sr. enlisted in "his Majesty's service" without knowing "whether I shall return to my family again." Sadly, it appears that he did not return. He died that same year. Unfortunately, this means that John Sr. never got to watch his grandchildren grow up.
I believe it is important to add one more detail about John Glines Sr. (my 7th great grandfather) before continuing the story of his grandchildren John, Israel Jr., and Sarah. While searching through a variety of records under the name of John Glines, I ran across a Will dated March 16, 1757 when John Sr. was 51 years old.
As stated in his will, John Sr. enlisted in "his Majesty's service" without knowing "whether I shall return to my family again." Sadly, it appears that he did not return. He died that same year. Unfortunately, this means that John Sr. never got to watch his grandchildren grow up.
John and Israel Jr. Enlist in The Revolutionary War
Unlike the older Glines brothers (born in the 1730s), father and Uncle to the younger brothers, John and Israel Jr. (born in the 1750s) faced very different circumstances as they were entering adulthood. The younger pair did not have the luxury of traveling north to try making a living by trapping and hunting in the White Mountains. Only 20 years after their grandfather John Sr. died while serving his Majesty, young John and Israel Jr. were headed off to war against the crown.
I have already posted a variety of records related to the war, some of which include the names of John and Israel Jr. These brave young men, along with several of the young Chandler men helped fight for America's independence. They served from about 1775-1780, enlisted in Reeds Regiment, Bedel’s Regiment, Welches’ Regiment, and Frye’s Company First Regiment.
Unlike the older Glines brothers (born in the 1730s), father and Uncle to the younger brothers, John and Israel Jr. (born in the 1750s) faced very different circumstances as they were entering adulthood. The younger pair did not have the luxury of traveling north to try making a living by trapping and hunting in the White Mountains. Only 20 years after their grandfather John Sr. died while serving his Majesty, young John and Israel Jr. were headed off to war against the crown.
I have already posted a variety of records related to the war, some of which include the names of John and Israel Jr. These brave young men, along with several of the young Chandler men helped fight for America's independence. They served from about 1775-1780, enlisted in Reeds Regiment, Bedel’s Regiment, Welches’ Regiment, and Frye’s Company First Regiment.
Life After War
John and Israel Jr.
Eventually, both John and Israel Jr. married and had families of their own. John married Sarah Sanborn on February 6, 1777 (before completing military service). Sarah Sanborn most likely connects this branch of my family tree to another significant branch, but I have yet to pin down the intersection. It might turn out that John Glines is not only an uncle, but also a grandfather! As for Israel, I am still working out his situation. Early investigation suggests he married a woman named Margaret Paine, but not until 1799. Perhaps this was a second marriage? I do not yet know anything yet about possible children. Both John and Israel Jr. are 5th great uncles, so I have spent less time on them than their sister Sarah who is my 5th great grandmother.
Eventually, both John and Israel Jr. married and had families of their own. John married Sarah Sanborn on February 6, 1777 (before completing military service). Sarah Sanborn most likely connects this branch of my family tree to another significant branch, but I have yet to pin down the intersection. It might turn out that John Glines is not only an uncle, but also a grandfather! As for Israel, I am still working out his situation. Early investigation suggests he married a woman named Margaret Paine, but not until 1799. Perhaps this was a second marriage? I do not yet know anything yet about possible children. Both John and Israel Jr. are 5th great uncles, so I have spent less time on them than their sister Sarah who is my 5th great grandmother.
Sarah
Sarah Glines married Moses Chandler (#450 in the Chandler genealogy), one of her brother's military colleagues, possibly also someone who they probably knew when they were young children since both families had called Moultonborough, NH their home. By the time of their marriage on either January 7 or May 29, 1781 (depending on which record is correct), Moses was already 29 years old and Sarah was 21.
Sarah Glines married Moses Chandler (#450 in the Chandler genealogy), one of her brother's military colleagues, possibly also someone who they probably knew when they were young children since both families had called Moultonborough, NH their home. By the time of their marriage on either January 7 or May 29, 1781 (depending on which record is correct), Moses was already 29 years old and Sarah was 21.
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The Children of Moses Chandler and Sarah Glines
Altogether, Moses and Sarah had only two children, Israel (1786-1844) named after Sarah's father, and Aretus (1788-1841), named after one of Moses' brothers. The family resided in Moultonbourough, NH. Israel married Ruth Batchelder on August 30, 1807. The Batchelder name is another one like Chandler and Sanborn that plays a prominent role on my mom's mom's side of the family tree.
Israel (#1109 in the Chandler genealogy) is my 4th grandfather, and the father of Almira Chandler (1825-1914), the final Chandler in this branch of my family tree. Though Israel and Ruth started out in Moultonborough, NH, they eventually moved (sometime between 1814 and 1825) to 60-acre plot of farmland near Bridgewater, a small community 30 miles west and south of Moultonborough.
Israel (#1109 in the Chandler genealogy) is my 4th grandfather, and the father of Almira Chandler (1825-1914), the final Chandler in this branch of my family tree. Though Israel and Ruth started out in Moultonborough, NH, they eventually moved (sometime between 1814 and 1825) to 60-acre plot of farmland near Bridgewater, a small community 30 miles west and south of Moultonborough.
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Almira Chandler (1825-1914), my 3rd great grandmother
Almira Chandler (#2449 in the Chandler genealogy) is the end of the "Chandler line" in my family tree. When she married William Henry Barnes (1822-1863) in 1845, the Chandler branch merged with the Barnes branch, and later would merge with the Morris branch. Almira and William Barnes Sr. had two sons, Frank (1850-1895) and William Jr. (1853-1924).
Almira was born in Bridgewater, NH, which is also where she grew up. In 1845, she married William in Massachusetts, and the two of them settled in the Peabody-Danvers area, not far from Boston. |
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During the mid 1850s, Ambrotype photos (image exposed on glass and preserved in a protective case) became affordable for people of moderate means. I have been lucky enough to have several such photos handed down to me, including a beautiful solo image of Almira from about 1860 and a complete set of Almira, William Sr., Frank and William Jr. William Jr. (my second great grandfather) is in the bottom right corner.
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Almira's son William Henry Barnes Jr.
In 1877, William Henry Barnes Jr. married a beautiful young woman named Caddie E Porter (1857-1941). They started out in the Danvers-Peabody area of Massachusetts (which is where Caddie grew up) but, within the first year had moved to Attleboro, Massachusetts (near Providence, Rhode Island). Attleboro is where their children William, Alice, and Maud were born and raised. My mother remembers the house at 103 Division Street because it remained in the family for decades. You can read about Caddie and William H Barnes Jr. on the "Caddie Porter" page of this website.
In 1877, William Henry Barnes Jr. married a beautiful young woman named Caddie E Porter (1857-1941). They started out in the Danvers-Peabody area of Massachusetts (which is where Caddie grew up) but, within the first year had moved to Attleboro, Massachusetts (near Providence, Rhode Island). Attleboro is where their children William, Alice, and Maud were born and raised. My mother remembers the house at 103 Division Street because it remained in the family for decades. You can read about Caddie and William H Barnes Jr. on the "Caddie Porter" page of this website.
The Family Tree from Sarah Glines to Me
Just as I started this adventure with a summary of the Chandler family tree, starting around 1600 with William (#1) and Annis Chandler and leading to Moses Chandler (#450) who married Sarah Glines, I'd like to close by showing the rest of the tree, leading from Sarah all the way down to my mother's mother (and eventually my mother and me). Future installments of this work will include explorations into the Batchelder and Sanborn family lines, as well as any other families that I can track down. And let's not forget the Morris side, which goes back more than a dozen generations. For a small sample of the Morris story, see the "Frank Morris" page of this website.
