French Family Association
The Official Website of the Surname French
Cutler, Washington County, Maine
Incorporated on 28 Jan 1826 from Plantation Number 11 ED
Chart #109, Freeman French, 1791
Taunton, Bristol County, MA
Cutler, Washington County, Maine
This chart updated by Mara French on 11/27/19. Numbers in brackets [ ] show sources and refer to the bibliography at the end of this chart. An asterisk (*) shows continuation of that line. Send any corrections or additions to this chart to marafrench@mindspring.com. This chart merges with FFA Chart 3, and the web page for Chart 109 will not be updated. Revisions: 2011, 2015, 2019.
Contents
Introduction
The ancestry goes back to John French, born 1610 in Essex, England, which has recently been combined with FFA Chart #3; please see FFA Chart #3 for details on the ancestry of this family. Joseph French’s parents were Seth French and Phebe Walker. Although this is not of my line, it will continue to be updated as Chart #3. My line is FFA Chart #6.
First Generation
1.1* Joseph French, b. 6 Mar 1743/4 in Berkley, Bristol County, MA, the son of Seth French, born 23 Mar 1713 and Phebe Walker, born 29 Sep 1713, both in MA. Joseph married Mary (Molly) Macomber on 30 Jul 1774. Mary was born in 1749 in Taunton, MA. Joseph served on the Continental Line of MA in 1776 during the Rev. War. He may have named his son after Col. Freeman.
Joseph died on 21 Sep 1793 at age 50 and Molly died 26 Sep 1794. Their son Freeman was orphaned when he was only 3. Freeman remained in Massachusetts until his military service in 1814 in Maine, and when he married in 1815 in Maine.
Second Generation
Children of Joseph French and Mary Macomber, 1.1
2.1* Freeman French, b. 17 Apr 1791 in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts. Freeman d. 18 Oct 1852 in Cutler, Washington County, ME. Freeman’s grandfather, brother, and second son were all named Seth. In various census records, his children state that he was born in Maine, but that was not the case.
Joseph, Freeman’s father, died on 21 Sep 1793 at age 50 and his mother Molly died 26 Sep 1794. Freeman was orphaned when he was only 3 and probably remained in Massachusetts with relatives. As per his military records, Freeman remained in Massachusetts at least until May 1814. He first appears in Maine in the War of 1812 in 1814 in Eastport, and in Cherryfield, Washington County, ME, on 24 Aug 1815 when he marries, and in the 1820 census.
His military records show that he was rather tall for that time, 5’ 11”, blue eyes, brown hair, light complexion, age 23, a farmer and laborer born in Taunton, Bristol, MA. He was a Private in the U.S. Infantry. His enlistment took place in Eastport, Maine, which is a small city consisting entirely of islands in Washington County, Maine. As he was in Eastport during his military service in May 1814 during the War of 1812, the troops were forced to leave the island when the island was captured by a British fleet under command of Sir Thomas Hardy on 11 Jul 1814 as part of the initiative to establish the colony of New Ireland. The town was returned to U.S. control in 1818. Freeman moved to nearby Cherryfield, Washington County, ME, as on 24 Aug 1815 he marries. At that time, Cherryfield had a population of about 220.
Marriage
Freeman m. Mary Ann “Polly” Davis on 24 Aug 1815 in Washington County, ME. She was b. 1795 in Plantation, Washington County, Maine, the daughter of John I. Davis Sr. (1756-1836) and Elizabeth Holmes (1764-1838). Mary Ann d. 1888 at age 93 in Penobscot County, Maine. She was living with her parents in the 1810 census, probably in Washington County, ME.
1800-1810 census – Freeman was probably living with relatives in Massachusetts as he was an orphan.
1814 May 2 – In the Military at age 23 during the War of 1812 prior to the peace establishment on 17 May 1815, enlisted in Freeport, Maine.
1815 Aug 24 -- Freeman m. Mary Ann “Polly” Davis in
Washington County, Maine.
1820 census – Plantation 11 (Cherryfield),
Washington County, Maine:
1 male 26-44, born 1776-1794, Freeman French, b. 1791
1 female 16-25, born 1795-1804, Freeman’s wife, Mary Ann Davis, b. 1795
3 males under 10, born 1810-1820 – because their parents married in 1815, these
3 sons must have been born between 1815-1820:
Edmund B. French, b. 26 May 1816, d. 8
May 1891
Seth Bryant French, b. 1817, d. 9 May
1887
John Davis French, 2 Jan 1820 in
Cutler, Washington, ME, d. 29 Oct 1903
1830 census – Freeman is listed as Foreman in
Cutler, Washington, ME
2 males 5-9, b. 1821-1825
2 males 10-14, b. 1816-1820, Seth Bryant French, b. 1817
1 male 30-39, Freeman French born 1791-1800, head of household
2 females under 5, b. 1825-1830
1 females 5-9, b. 1821-1825
1 female 30-39, b. 1791-1800, Mary Ann Davis b. 1795
1840 census -- Cutler, Washington County, Maine
lists Freeman French:
1 male 5-9, b. 1831-1835
1 male 10-14, b. 1826-1830, William French, b. 1829
1 male 40-49, Freeman French, head of household, born 1791-1800
1 female under 5, b. 1835-1840, Elizabeth French, b. 1836
1 female 5-9, b. 1831-1835, Mercy Jane French, b. 1833
1 female 10-14, b. 1826-1830
1 female 40-49, Freeman’s wife, b. 1791-1800
1850 census of Jonesport,
Washington Co., ME
Freeman French b. ca. 1795 in ME
Mary Davis, b. 1800, wife
William French, 20 – b. 1829
Mercy Jane French, 17 – b. 1833
Elizabeth French, 14 – b. 1836
Amantha French, 7 – b. 1843
1852 Oct 18 -- Freeman died at age 61 ½ in Cutler, Washington County, Maine, buried at the Cutler Cemetery. The website www.findagrave.com indicates he was born 17 Apr 1791 in Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.
1860 census –
1870 census –
1880 census --
1888 – Mary Ann died in Penobscot County, Maine.
Third Generation
Children of Freeman French and Mary Ann Davis, 2.1
3.1 Capt. Edmund B. French, b. 26 May 1816 in Washington County, ME, d. 8 May 1891 and is buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Bath, Sagadahoc, Maine, with his brother John. He m. Conisander Meralta Curtis on 25 Oct 1842 in Sagadahoc, ME. Details can be found on the www.findagrave.com website. They had children George E. French who died at birth in 1844, and Mary French who died at 1 year in 1855. Afterwards they had 3 more children who lived longer lives. Edmund appears in the 1850, 1860, and 1880 census in Bath, Sagadahoc, ME. He was a truckman, a day laborer, and a farmer.
3.2* Seth Bryant French, b. 1817 in Washington County, ME, d. 9 May 1887 in Cutler, Washington County, Maine. He was the son of Freeman French and Mary Davis according to the Cutler Cemetery where he was buried.
He m. Hannah Hawthorne and had 8 children. Hannah was born 28 Feb 1819 in Cutler, Washington County, ME, and d. 12 Dec 1895 in East Machias, Washington County, ME, and is also buried at the Cutler Cemetery. He was named after his great-grandfather, Seth French, who was born 23 Mar 1713 and died 9 Jun 1756 in Berkley, Bristol County, MA. Seth’s son was Joseph born 6 Mar 1743 in Berkley, MA, and his son was Freeman French, born 17 Apr 1791 when his father was almost 50.
In 1860 in Cutler, Washington, ME, the Agriculture Schedule shows that Seth owned 40 acres of improved land, 60 acres of unimproved land, the cash value of his farm was $1,500, he had 2 horses, 2 milch cows, 2 working oxen, 1 other cattle, 11 sheep, 1 swine, and the value of his live stock was $266. He had no bushels of wheat, rye, corn, oats, rice, tobacco, cotton bales, or wool. He is also listed in the 1870 Agriculture Schedule.
1880 census of Cutler, Washington, ME, Seth was married to Hannah (both age 62), states that both his parents were born in Maine, and he is living with his children Sarah E. French 21, Nellie E. French 18, and their grandchildren Melvin E. French 12, Roley French 9, and Clara Smith 12.
3.3 John Davis French, b. 2 Jan 1820 in Cutler, Washington, ME, d. 29 Oct 1903 in Bath, Sagadahoc, ME. He m. Zoa W. and had daughter Harriet Estelle. Both John and Zoa were buried at the Maple Grove Cemetery in Bath. He lived in the 1860 census in Cutler with his wife Zoah and 8 children: Mary 18, Nancy J. 16, Ephriam 14, Georgeanna 12, Emaline 10, William 5, Abigail 2, and Lucinda 2. They had a total of 10 children, whose gravestones appear on the www.findagrave.com website. In the 1880 census, they lived in Addison, Washington, ME. By the 1900 census, John was living in Bath, Sagadahoc, ME.
3.4 Julia A. French, b. 1823 in Cutler, Washington, ME, d. 1889.
3.5 Emeline French, b. 20 Sep 1826 in Cutler, Washington, ME, d. 19 Aug 1913 in Jonesport, Washington, ME.
3.6* William French, b. 3 Oct 1829 in Cutler, Washington, ME. He m. Mary Nash in 1850 in Waldoboro, Maine, and d. 3 Oct 1880 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine, the son of Freeman French and Mary “Polly” Davis. The 1880 census shows William b. 1830 in ME, married to Mary Nash, with children William B. b. 1860; Estell b. 1863; Elmus A. b. 1867; Charlie b. 1870; Sanburn b. 1874. In 1880 they were living in Waldoboro, Lincoln Co., ME, and William was a carriage maker.
William French, son of Freeman, born 1829 in ME, became William Nash, as per Jim Conant French. It states that both Freeman’s parents were born in Maine, which fits in with the criteria of his brother Sewell William (I refer to him as Old Man William because he had a son William) most of believe had changed his name in 1848. He was William Nash III, son of Catherine (Hoffsess) and Joseph Nash. William married Mary Nash in 1850, Mary was the daughter of Susan (Overlock) and Simeon Nash. Simeon and Joseph were brothers, making Old Man Wm and Mary 1st cousins.
"I went to the Augusta Library and saw the
request from WM to change his name, and that it was granted. I don't know why
he wanted it changed. There were several WM Nash's maybe he didn’t want to be
confused? Maybe he had a fight with his parents? My Uncle Reginald went to the
daughter of Charles French, Florence (Charles was Estelle and Elmus brother.) She was quite old at the time and not very
'helpful" She told Uncle Reggie she DID know why he changed his name but
he wasn't telling him. My Uncle left in a huff and that was that. Excerpts from an e-mail from Susan French Sieger 2013.
3.7 Hannah French, b. 1833 in Cutler, Washington, ME.
3.8 Mercy Jane French, b. 24 May 1834 in Cutler, Washington County, ME, d. 1910.
3.9 Mary Elizabeth French, b. 1836 in Cutler, Washington County, ME, d. 1904.
3.10 Amantha French, b. 1843 in Cutler, Washington County, ME.
Fourth Generation
Children of Seth Bryant French and Hannah Hawthorne, 3.2
All eight children were born in Cutler, Washington County, ME, and all were buried at the Cutler Cemetery. Half of them died before adulthood. All gravestones can be seen online at www.findagrave.com.
4.1 Lucretia French, b. Mar 1840, d. 1 Jul 1844 at age 4.
4.2 Capt. Gilbert B. French, b. 29 May 1845, d. 8 Mar 1872 at age 27, m. Elizabeth J. Ackley.
4.3 George W. French, b. 1847, d. 25 Feb 1901.
4.4 Melvin S. French, b. Jun 1850, d. 15 Jul 1852 at age 2.
4.5 Charles N. French, b. Mar 1853, d. 3 Oct 1854 at age 1.
4.6 Adavilla French, b. Jan 1856, d. 22 Apr 1864 at age 8.
4.7 Sarah French, b. 2 Sep 1858, d. 8 Nov 1889, m. Leffert R. C. Thurlow and had daughter Lillian.
4.8 Nellie E. French,
b. 1862, d. 21 Jan 1905, m. Forrest Shepard Stevens and had daughter Geneva
May.
Children of William French and Mary Nash, 3.6
4.9 Abigail Jane French, b. Jan 1856 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.
4.10 Delphina French, b. 7 Jan 1858 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.
4.11 William B. French, b. 21 Mar 1860 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine, m. Mary Elisa Collamore and had children Percy Benjamin French and Lawrence W. French. Census records from 1870-1940 provide additional descendants.
4.12 Estella French, b. 22 Dec 1863 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.
4.13 Elmus A. French, b. ca. 1867 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.
4.14 Charlie French, b. ca. 1870 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.
4.15 Sanburn French, b. ca. 1874 in Waldoboro, Lincoln County, Maine.
DNA Testing
Administered by Julia French Wood. For any questions regarding DNA, please email Julia at juliaFWood@aol.com.
A good source for research would be for a male with the
surname French of this line to take the DNA test. It is a simple test that
doesn’t involve blood. A kit is delivered to your house with special brushes
for you to take cheek swabs and the tip is injected into the tiny test tubes to
be returned to the lab. After the tests that you ordered are completed, in
about 4 weeks, you will be notified and can log in to your personal page at the
company to view your results and your DNA matches. They may match up with one
of the tests shown here: http://www.familytreedna.com/public/french/default.aspx?section=yresults. The Family Tree
DNA website gives a special lower price to those with the surname French. Read
about those who approve of it: http://www.familytreedna.com/testimonials.aspx. Julia French
Wood suggests the 37-marker test (Y-DNA37), but if you want to start with 25,
you can upgrade to a higher test at a later date if needed.
Bibliography
[1] Graveyards in Washington County, Maine: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GSfn=&GSmn=&GSln=French&GSbyrel=all&GSby=&GSdyrel=all&GSdy=&GScntry=4&GSst=23&GScnty=1225&GSgrid=&df=all&GSob=n
[2] Ezra Bartlett French of Waldoboro,
Lincoln County, Maine, who opened a law office, p. 123, “History of the Town of
Waldoboro, Maine” by Samuel L. Miller, website: http://archive.org/stream/historyoftownofw00lcmill/historyoftownofw00lcmill_djvu.txt
Search for “French” to
find Bartlett French, Ezra B. French, and Isaac French.
[3] French, Ezra
Bartlett (1810-1880) — also known as Ezra B. French — of
Damariscotta, Lincoln
County, Maine. Born in Landaff, Grafton
County, N.H., September 23,
1810. Republican. Lawyer;
member of Maine
state house of representatives, 1838-40; member of Maine
state senate, 1842-45; secretary
of state of Maine, 1845-50; newspaper editor; U.S.
Representative from Maine 3rd District, 1859-61. Died in Washington,
D.C., April
24, 1880. Interment at Hillside
Cemetery, Damariscotta, Maine. Search for Ezra Bartlett on the
Famous Frenches website as a Politician:
http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/FAMOUSFRENCHES/Politicians.htm