Author: ancestorquests

Moving from Dover to Nantucket

The 1660s brought tremendous change to Edward’s life. Early in that decade, as he approached sixty, he uprooted his family and moved to the Island of Nantucket.

This removal, to territory previously unsettled by Europeans, wasn’t accomplished in one go. It started in 1659 and took a couple of years to complete. And he didn’t move far from water – he merely exchanged the rivers of Dover for the streams and coves of Nantucket.

By 1670 Edward Starbuck had been a Nantucket resident for many years. He had already established one weir with Thomas Macy and he sought permission to establish another one on Long Pond.^[1] According to the entry in the deed book, dated 23 August 1670, Edward was again partnering with Thomas Macy, but the venture was open to whoever else in town want ed to join in. Tristram Coffin is on record as having entered the partnership, but it appears Richard Swain dissented. No reason was given for that. Other entries in Nantucket records are notable for having townsmen note their dissent to majority decisions. Nantucketers apparently placed a lot of importance on the opinion of each citizen.                                                                                                                           

As he approached and entered his eighties, it is clear Edward Starbuck was taking a smaller part in public affairs. He had worked hard to make his businesses successful, to serve his community, and to accumulate land, thus becoming economically comfortable. During his last decade of life, Edward passed most or all his remaining land on to his children. He also stepped back from Nantucket responsibilities. There are references to a “Mr. Starbuck” who had town duties in the 1680s but it is difficult to tell if those referenced Edward, who would have been in his seventies and eighties, or Nathaniel, who would have been in his forties and fifties. Either could be a Mr. Starbuck.

Edward continued to witness deeds and make land agreements through the 1680s. Along with several others, he gave up commonage space to John Trott.^[1] A “Mr. Starbuck” was appointed town trustee in 1690, but it’s more likely that was Nathaniel as Edward was eighty-five by then and passed away just eight months later.^[2]

The answer to that question is a resounding “maybe.” The possibility goes up a notch to a solid “likely” if we stretch Derbyshire to include what we call Starbucky Territory, the watery world that was home to a century of Starbuck families from the mid-1500s to mid-1600s and beyond.

Starbucky Territory is at the confluence of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, and Nottinghamshire. Not content to confine themselves to one continent, let alone one county, the Starbucks ranged across parish and county borders throughout the area connected by the Trent, Derwent, and Erewash Rivers. (For a more details, see Starbucky Territory.)

A deeper dive

A deeper dive

Part 1 of this post listed three categories of printed sources which stated Edward’s birthplace was the county of Derbyshire. The books and journals are not definitive evidence, but with so many sources agreeing on the same county (not just “England”), Derbyshire must be taken seriously.

Two authors in particular, John Farmer and Charles Edward Banks, gave us more than just a location. They gave us who and what they used for their sources.

Many Starbuck family historians and New England researchers believed Edward Starbuck came from Derbyshire, but no original record has been found to prove that. There is an excellent possibility for his baptism in the parish records of Derby in February 1603/4, but with church records in other Starbucky Territory locations such as Sawley starting long after Edward’s birth year it’s impossible to be sure the Derby baptism belongs to him.^[1] However, corroborating evidence from DNA testing shows that Edward was from Derbyshire, or nearby, which strengthens the possibility the Derby baptism belongs to him.  

Types of DNA Tests

atDNA: The DNA kits available from Ancestry, 23 & Me and other companies test autosomal-DNA, often abbreviated atDNA. This type of DNA helps us find close-ish relatives, up to approximately fifth or sixth cousins. Genealogical relationships beyond that are difficult to prove with autosomal DNA testing alone.^[2] These tests might be able to identify a common ancestor who was born about 200 years ago but that doesn’t get us back into the 1600s.

Y-DNA: What does get us back far enough is Y-DNA testing. This is for paternal (surname) lines only because it tests the Y chromosome. All males inherit it, often unchanged, from their fathers.^[3] For additional details on Y-DNA see A Little More on DNA.

Testing Starbuck Men

We used Y-DNA tests from four Starbuck men for our analysis.^[4] Testers A and B are descendants of Edward Starbuck. They were born in the United States. Testers C and D were born in England. The following table lists each tester, their genetic distance from Tester A and approximately how many generations might be between them and their common ancestor.^[5] The total genetic distance for tester D is broken down between faster changing markers (f) and slower changing markers (s). The faster changing ones are expected to mutate more rapidly and may change within a generation or two. Slower markers might pass unchanged for centuries. Where and when each tester’s last known paper trail Starbuck ancestor lived is also included.^[6]

No marriage record was found in England or New England which could be positively identified as Edward’s. Marriage records for an Edward, which predated his immigration to Dover, were found near Edward’s English origin but none were to a lady named Katherine. There is no doubt he had a wife named Katherine when he lived in Dover and on Nantucket. Beginning with a deed in 1653, three original records identified Katherine as Edward’s wife. The deeds are the only original records found thus far which include her given name. As with most records made on a woman after her marriage, no mention was made of her maiden name.

Despite the lack of a marriage record, Katherine has been identified with the surname Reynolds in several compiled sources, sometimes with the addition, “of Wales.” Clarence A. Torrey listed many of the histories in his New England Marriages to 1700.^[4]

Of the nine books and four issues of The Register Torrey used (all printed between 1870 and 1988), each identified Edward’s wife as Katherine Reynolds but without an original source to back their statements up.^[5]

Most family historians credit Katherine as the mother of all of Edward’s children. That may be true, but it is also possible Katherine was Edward’s second or possibly third wife. She may have been the birth mother of all or just some of Edward’s children:

• Sarah, possibly born in Derby in 1631, or as late as approximately 1633^[1]
• Nathaniel likely born in 1634 or 1635 based on his death in 1719 while “in his 85^th year”^[2]
• Abigail born between 1635 and 1638, but possibly as late as 1639^[3]
• Gap of up to 15 years
• Dorcas mostly likely born in the 1640s, possibly as late as 1648-50^[4]
• Jethro born in 1650 if his traditional age at death is correct, but possibly between Abigail and Dorcas instead^[5]

As noted above, there could have been a gap of up to fifteen years between Abigail and Dorcas. That spread could also have been as few as eight or nine years if Abigail was born in 1639 and Dorcas before 1648. If Jethro was born earlier than 1651, his birth could conceivably fill an eight- or nine-year gap since Edward’s wife (or wives) were having children approximately every three or four years.

Is it possible to give the same land away twice? Is it legal? Usually, the answer to those questions is a resounding, “NO!” But in the case of land apportioned to Edward Starbuck in colonial Dover the quick answer is, “Yes, he did.” But the real question is why and how did he do that? To find a reason, we must study Edward’s land grants in the Dover town records and Rockingham County deeds.

Edward Starbuck’s Back River Land

This is the timeline of the land Edward Starbuck received along the Back River which flowed on the west side of Dover Neck:

• 1642-Edward Starbuck received 20 acres on the Back River (entered in the town books at some point after 1647 when they restarted after the early records were lost)[1]
• 1652-The twenty acres were still in Edward’s possession (entered in the town books in the 1690s)[2]
• 1652-1662-Edward Starbuck gave Joseph Austin the Back River land during this period (no record of the event was placed in the town records until a later one which implied the action)[3]
• 1663-Joseph Austin’s probate inventory includes his Back River property[4]
• 1664-Edward Starbuck regifted the Back River land to Humphrey Varney (recorded in Dover town records, and in Rockingham deeds in 1699)[5]
• 1696-Humphrey Varney sold the land he received as a gift to William Blackstone (recorded 1699)[6]

Other important facts to know are: