Lt. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Connecticut

From Tracy genealogy: ancestors and...:

From Putnam's Monthly Historical Magazine:

                    See Tracy Family Post 

Mutual Ancestors In A Backus Book

The New England ancestry of Dana Converse Backus

Main Author: Backus, Mary Elizabeth (Neilson) 1876-

Published: [Salem, Mass.] Printed for private distribution [1949].

Subjects: Backus family (William Backus, d. 1661).

William Backus (d. 1661), the original immigrant, was both an ancestor of Dana Converse Backus and me.  William's daughter, Sarah Backus, was one of his children who was my ancestor.

William Backus m. (perhaps Sarah Charles)

his daughter Sarah Backus m. John Reynolds

their daughter Sarah Reynolds m. John Post

their daughter Sarah Post m. Timothy Backus

their son John Backus m. Joanna Cleveland

their son John Backus m. Jerusha Baker

their son John Backus m. (perhaps Hannah Fuller)

their daughter Laura Backus m. Thomas Richmond

their daughter Cynthia Richmond m. James More

their daughter Addie More m. William Powers

their son Ralph Powers m. Beatrice Cameron

their son Richard Powers m. J. Garrett

Me

William's son, Stephen Backus, was my ancestor as well.  Stephen is an ancestor through both his son, Timothy, and his daughter, Rebecca.  

William Backus m. (perhaps Sarah Charles)

Stephen Backus m. Sarah Spencer

Timothy Backus m. Sarah Post

John Backus m. Joanna Cleveland

John Backus m. Jerusha Baker

John Backus m. (perhaps Hannah Fuller)

[See Above Lineage For Descendants, Including Me]

William Backus m. (perhaps Sarah Charles)

Stephen Backus m. Sarah Spencer

Rebecca Backus m. William Baker

Benjamin Baker m. Jerusha Parish

Jerusha Baker m. John Backus

John Backus m. (perhaps Hannah Fuller)

[See Above Lineage For Descendants, Including Me]

Grissell Fletcher [also in the Backus book] was also an ancestor of mine through her daughter, Hannah Jewell.

Thomas Jewell m. Grissell Fletcher

Hannah Jewell m. John Parish

Benjamin Parish m. Mary Tracy*

Jerusha Parish m. Benjamin Baker

Jerusha Baker m. John Backus

John Backus m. (perhaps Hannah Fuller)

[See Above Lineage For Descendants, Including Me]

Lieutenant Thomas Tracy is another ancestor of mine who was also in the Dana Converse Backus ancestry.  Thomas Tracy's son, Jonathan, had a daughter, Mary*, who married Benjamin Parish.

Also of note: Matthew Marvin (also in the book) was my son-in-law's ancestor, through his daughter, Sarah Marvin. 

Moulthrops Of Bay County

Michigan, Probate Records, Bay Estate files 1858-1900...:

Bay County, Michigan

Probate File# 199

Image 143

Image 144  8 July 1872

Census 1870

Event Place Michigan [Bay County, Bay City]

Gannid Moulthrop M 45 Connecticut

Mary Moulthrop F 31 Michigan

Flora Moulthrop F 10 Michigan

Guy Moulthrop M 6 Michigan

William Moulthrop M 1 Michigan

Guy Henry Moulthrop, son of Granas and Mary Clay Moulthrop, was named in the Tracy Genealogy: Ancestors and Descendants of Thomas Tracy...:

Lieutenant Thomas Tracy

Source

There is a lot of controversy over the origins of Lt. Thomas Tracy. [Source]  From my blog: Did Lt. Thomas Tracy Marry The Widow Mason?  This publication indicated that Thomas Tracy married Edward Mason's widow.

More about Lieutenant Thomas Tracy (uncertain of their reliability):

Genealogical and Family History of Southern New York and the ..., Volume 3, By Cuyler Reynolds, profiled the Tracy family; and Genealogy of the Family of Lt. Thomas Tracy, of Norwich, Connecticut  By Matilda Ormond Taylor Birchard Abbey.

My lineage:

Lieutenant Thomas Tracy m. ?
Son Jonathan Tracy m. Mary Griswold
Daughter Mary Tracy m. Benjamin Parrish
Daughter Jerusha Parrish m. Benjamin Baker
Daughter Jerusha Baker m. John Backus
Son John Backus m. Hannah Fuller
Daughter Laura Backus m. Thomas P. Richmond
Daughter Cynthia Richmond m. James More
Daughter Addie More m. William S. Powers
Son Ralph N. Powers m. Beatrice Cameron
Son Richard N. Powers m. J. Joann Garrett
Daughter (Me)

Susan Barker, Daughter Of Richard Tracy

A Deed dated 1600:

Source

Engaged To Nathan Hale?

Source

From Old Houses Of Antient [sic] Town Of Norwich [Connecticut]:

Uriah Tracy (b. 1753), was the son of Joseph and Anna (Hinckley) Tracy. He married in 1794, Lydia Hallam of New London, who was said to have been engaged to Capt. Nathan Hale, "the martyr spy." Uriah Tracy buys in 1790 the Benedict Arnold house, where he afterward resided, and died in 1832. For a short time, his son, George William Tracy, carried on the store in partnership with Edward Tracy. At the death of George William Tracy, which occurred in 1834, this line became extinct.

The Dreamer Blog has posts concerning the romances of Nathan Hale.

Meet The Griswolds

Note: This history was written in 1866; this blog post doesn't necessarily account for any updates and/or corrections to the text below.

From the History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession by the Indians, to the ..., by Frances Manwaring Caulkins:


The brothers Matthew and Edward Griswold were natives of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England.

Lieut. Francis Griswold, the Norwich proprietor, was a son of Edward and Margaret born about 1632. He appears to have been a man of capacity and enterprise and took an active part in the affairs of the plantation, serving as representative to the General Court for eleven sessions, beginning October 1664 and ending May 1671. It is not known when he was married or to whom. Not even the household name of his wife is found in the records at Saybrook or Norwich. At the former place is the following registry

Lieut. Griswold died the same month, October 1671, cut down apparently by some sudden attack of disease, leaving seven of the above named children, varying in age from an infant of days to eighteen years. Thomas Adgate and John Post, Sen., acted as guardians to the younger children. The daughters were very early provided with eligible partners. ... Mary to Jonathan Tracy July 11, 1672, second marriage to Eleazer Jewett...


Uncle Warren is a descendant, too, of Francis Griswold.

Tracy Lineage

My Tracys... and the Tracy lineage from the Genealogical and family history of Western New York (may have errors):

Genealogical record of Thomas and Harriet Clapp McKnight...:

Tracy information on a message board.

Tracy Family

The parents of Mary Tracy (b. 1682) who married Benjamin Parish are said to be Jonathan Tracy and Mary Griswold.  It says so here in the History of Norwich, Connecticut:

Thomas and Jonathan Tracy, second and third sons of Lieut. Thomas, settled upon the wild unreclaimed lands on the east side of the Shetucket then belonging to Norwich but afterward included in Preston.  Jonathan married, July 11, 1672, Mary, daughter of Francis Griswold.  

The will of Thomas Tracy was executed April 6, 1721, but not proved till 1724. He probably died early in that year.

Tracy Genealogy:

Did Lt. Thomas Tracy Marry The Widow Mason?

An article in The New England historical and genealogical register, Volume 61 (see below), disputed a widely-held belief that Lieutenant Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Connecticut, married Mary, the widow of Edward Mason, in Wethersfield, Connecticut, circa 1640/41.

In all accounts for about forty five years of Lieut. Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Conn., the progenitor in America of a large family, it is positively asserted that his first wife was Mary, the widow of Edward Mason, whom he married in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1640 or 41. The statement has been so long unquestioned and accepted as a fact by all writers about the Tracy family that it will be necessary to convince people of the falsity of the account by quoting the authorities in detail which show that Mary Mason lived and died in Wethersfleld as the Widow Mason. 

See the image above for the rest.

Has anyone solved the mystery as to the identity of Lt. Thomas Tracy's wife's identity?  Not yet; the jury is still out on this one as far as I can tell.

Benjamin Parrish & Mary Tracy

Benjamin Parrish and Mary Tracy were the parents of my 6th great-grandmother Jerusha Parrish.  Jerusha married Benjamin Baker.  Their daughter, Jerusha Baker, married John Backus.  Probate documents for their son, also named John Backus, can be seen here.

Tracy shield or coat-of-arms or.....

From Genealogy of the family of Lieutenant Thomas Tracy of Norwich, Connecticut, the marriage for Mary Tracy and Benjamin Parrish was noted :

The Parrish children were noted in The Genealogical Magazine: