Fairbanks Family Tree

Grampy's (Donald McGlew) mother, Grace Gertrude Fairbanks, was born on November 27, 1898, in Everett, MA, to Charles Otis Fairbanks and Delia Maria Knox.  Sometime before the 1910 census, the family had moved to Groveland, MA.

Photo shared by Ruth McGlew

Grace went to the Merrimack School of Groveland, MA, and graduated from Groveland High School.  She continued her education at MacIntosh Business School in Haverhill, where she learned bookkeeping. On the 1920 censes, Grace was 21 years old, living at home with her parents and siblings, and her occupation was listed as being a bookkeeper at a grocery store.

Photo shared by Ruth McGlew

Grace married Winfred Thomas McGlew, a widower with three children (Edith, Marion, and Winfred), on September 20, 1922, in Rowley, Massachusetts.  Grace and Winfred had four children together: Alice (b. 29 Sep 1925), Donald (b. 28 Nov 1926), Charles (b. 07 January 1928), and Winifred (b. 22 Feb 1930, about eight months after Winfred passed away).

Winfred McGlew and Grace Fairbanks
photo taken in Newburyport, MA.

After Winfred's death, Grace and her children moved in with her inlaws, Jeremiah and Luella McGlew.  Winfred's parents loved their grandchildren, and wanted Grace to stay with them in Rowley, but her brother (known to family/friends as Dick, but his given name was Charles Richard) convinced her that she should be with her own family.  So she and her children eventually relocated to Groveland to live with her parents.  Sometime before the 1940 census, Grace moved again to Haverhill (possibly because Grace wasn't getting the help she may have needed to support her four children, and possibly because living in the city made it easier to find and get to work).  On the 1940 census, Grace and her children are living at 484 1/2 Water Street, in Haverhill, MA.

Grace McGlew and her brother Dick, with her children Donald, Alice, Charlie, Winnie,
and a cousin (I'm uncertain of name, share if you know and I'll edit)

Grace passed away on July 5, 1985, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, at the age of 86, and was laid to rest in Groveland's Riverview Cemetery.

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Grace's parents were Charles Otis Fairbanks and Delia Maria Knox (I'll follow the Knox family line back in a later post).   Charles was born on Dec 16, 1868, in Rockport, MA.  On notes Uncle Charlie McGlew shared with me years ago, he had written that Charles "...had to start working when he was a very young man to help support the family.  He educated himself (and) was excellent at figures or math and spelling."

Charles was a mason by trade, and according to Uncle Charlie's records, some of the projects he worked on included the Boston Public Library and the Flat Iron Building in NYC.  He also was a farmer at their home in Groveland (181 School Street).

Charles and Delia married at the Congregational Church in Groveland, MA, on Dec 25, 1890.  They had ten children together.  Charles passed away on March 25, 1946, in Groveland, and was laid to rest in Riverview Cemetery.

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Charles' parents were Joel Fairbanks and Elizabeth Barton (b. July 25, 1831 to Richmond Barton and Eliza Thayer).   Joel was born in Damariscotta, Maine, on August 11, 1825.  On the 1865 Massachusetts State Census he was listed as a shoemaker, and the 1880 census notes his occupation as machinist.  On July 8, 1847 he married Elizabeth in Franklin, MA.  They went on to have 13 children together.  Over the course of their marriage, they resided in Hampton Falls, NH, as well as Rockport, Groveland, and Georgetown, MA.  Joel passed away on October 11, 1893, in Georgetown, MA, from what was recorded as "paralysis."

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Joel's parents were Calvin Fairbanks VII and Sally Perkins.  Calvin was born in 1780/1 (possibly May 29, 1780 in Northbridge, MA, according to a secondary source record of his birth, or in Stoughton, MA, as was written on his death record).  I have little information on him other than that he was a carpenter, that he and Sally had eight children together, and that he died in Pawtucket, MA, on July 26, 1858, at age 78, from what was recorded in the death record as "inflammation of the bladder."  At the time of Calvin's death, the town of Pawtucket was part of Massachusetts, but in 1861 the state border was adjusted and Pawtucket was ceded to Rhode Island.

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Calvin's parents were Joel Fairbanks VI and Mary Gale.  Joel's birth date is recorded in the Medway vital records as Jan 26, 1747.  Joel and Mary married sometime before 1772.  He was a Revolutionary War soldier, and appears to be one of the Minutemen who responded to the Lexington Alarm of 1775 with Capt John Boyd's company from Wrentham.

From the book:  "A History of the Town of Franklin, Mass: From Its Settlement to the Completion of Its First Century, 2d March, 1878; with Genealogical Notices of Its Earliest Families, Sketches of Its Professional Men, and a Report of the Centennial Celebration" published by the town of Franklin in 1879.

He seemed to have moved quite a few times during the course of his life, and was recorded as residing in Stoughton, Hopkinson, Oxford. According to Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America, 1633-1897 by Lorenzo Sayles Fairbanks,  "He and his children were rovers and it has been difficult to trace them. Their records are necessarily imperfect." So far, Joel's date of death is yet to be  discovered, but is assumed to have been sometime after 1778 due to records of military service.

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Joel's parents were George Fairbanks V and Jerusha Twitchell (b. 1725 to Benjamin Twitchell and Mary Wallis).  George V was born on Dec. 12, 1722 in Medway, MA.  George V and Jerusha's intention to marry was recorded in the Medway vital records on July 27, 1745.  He and Jerusha had ten children together, and lived in Medway, on George's inherited family homestead (85 1/2 acres of land), until their deaths.  George V died on Sep 29, 1795, and Jerusha passed just over three months later, on Jan 9. 1796.

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George V's parents were George Fairbanks IV and Sarah Harding (b. Feb 22, 1696).  George IV was born on Oct. 2, 1694, in Medway, MA.  George IV and Sarah had 13 children together, only 6 of whom grew to adulthood and married.  The family lived in the eastern section of Medway that eventually became the town of Millis* almost two hundred years later, in 1885.  George died in 1754.  I have not found a date of death for Sarah.

* Some clarification of the changing town names of Millis/Medway/Medfield/Dedham: Millis was first settled in 1657 and was officially incorporated in 1885. Millis was originally part of Dedham, Massachusetts, until that town granted the lands of Millis, and other present day surrounding towns, to Medfield in 1651. In 1713, pioneers of Medfield applied for a grant to create a new town and, when approved, named this new land Medway. This new town consisted of West Medway (the present day town) and East Medway (present day Millis). Lansing Millis, the founder of the town, successfully incorporated Millis into the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on February 24, 1885. (source)

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George IV's parents were George Fairbanks III and Sarah (maiden name possibly Ballard, but not confirmed).  George III was born on March 26, 1650, in Medfield, MA.  He first married Rachel Adams in 1671, and they had two children together.  After she passed away, he remarried a woman named Susanna (maiden name unknown), with whom he had six more children.  After Susanna's death, he married once more, to Sarah (Ballard?) in 1686/7.  George III and Sarah had five children (the fourth of whom was our direct ancestor, George IV).

George III had inherited the southern portion of his father's farm in Medfield (later Medway), and lived upon it with his family.  George was one of the founders of the new town of Medway, when it split from Medfield in 1713.  He died on May 5, 1737, and Sarah passed away on Jan 26, 1748.

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George III's parents were Captain George Fairbanks II and Mary Adams.  George II was born in Sowerby, West Riding, Yorkshire, England, circa 1619, and immigrated to the colonies with his parents in 1633.  On Aug 26, 1646, he married Mary Adams, and they had seven children together.  They has originally settled in Dedham, MA, but in 1657 they moved to Sherborne (later known as Medfield) and were the first settlers there.

George was a resident commander and member of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.  He and his family resided in a stone garrison house near the northern border of Boggestow Pond.  This fortified home also served as a place of refuge from Native American attacks during King Philip's War.

Excerpt taken from 

"History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918, Volume 1" 

edited by Louis Atwood Cook

On February 21-22, 1676, the settlement of Medfield was attacked by approximately 300 Nipmuc and Narragansett warriors. "Some 17 residents and soldiers were killed, at least one resident was taken alive hostage and never returned, many were wounded, at least one was scalped and so bloodied that friends and neighbors could not recognize her, one was killed by friendly fire, 32 houses besides barns, two mills and other buildings were burnt, horses and livestock were burnt alive and an unknown number of Native-Americans were killed." (source)

"On February 22nd the Indians made an attack on the palisades at the farms, but were repulsed and retired to the southward. The Fayerbanke palisade sheltered six families from the Sherborn side, numbering 38 souls, and six families from Medway side, 30 souls." (source)

George and his family were sheltered within the stone fort (the Fayerbanke palisade) and survived the attack.

George drowned at the age of 62, on Jan 10, 1682/3.  Mary died on Aug 11, 1711, in Mendon, MA.

Archaeological digs have been undertaken at the site of George Fairbank's stone house within just the past decade.  Here are some interesting articles about the digs and their findings:

Local historian to talk about what digs at Bogastow Farm reveal early Millis

Millis archeological dig casts new light on local history

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George II's parents were Jonathan Fairbanks (surname also recorded as Fairebanke, Fairbanck, and Fayerbanke) and Grace Lee.  Jonathan was born in England circa 1595, and married Grace (surname uncertain, either Smith or Lee).  They immigrated with their six children from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony sometime between 1633 and 1635, and originally settled in Boston.  By 1636, the family relocated to a new settlement in Dedham, as one of the founding families of this new community. Jonathan Fairbanks was one of the signers of the Dedham Town Covenant, on August 15, 1636, when the new town was founded and named.

Jonathan Fairbank's signature on the Dedham town covenant, 1636.

In 1636 Jonathan was granted 12 acres of land and an additional for 4 of wetlands in the wilderness, of Dedham, MA.  He built a house, The Fairbanks House, which is still standing today and is believed to be the oldest surviving timber frame house in North America. Tree ring dating of several of the timbers used in the construction of the house's kitchen has confirmed a construction date of the late 1630s-early 1640s.  This link has more information about the construction of Jonathan Fairbanks' house, as well as what daily life would probably have been like for the family during the years they lived in this home.  According to James L. Parr's book Dedham: Historic and Heroic Tales from Shiretown, residents during the 1600s (Jonathan and Grace, or their descendants), according to customs of the time, carved hex signs into the wooden mantle to protect the house from fire and witches. Shoes have also been found in the attic and behind the chimney, and would have been placed there to prevent evil spirits from entering the house.

Sketch of the Fairbanks house (Copied from notes shared by Uncle Charlie).

Jonathan passed away on Dec 5, 1668, and Grace in either 1673 or 1676 (records unclear), both in Dedham, and were buried in the Old Village Cemetery (no gravestones remain).  

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The Fairbanks line in England can be tentatively traced back about five more generations, but I haven't found the documentation yet to prove these relationships.  The earliest possible ancestor named in this line is Willam Fayerbanke, who lived in Sowerby, West Riding, Yorkshire, England, was born circa 1455 and died circa 1518.  I'm hoping to someday be able to more thoroughly research Jonathan Fairbank's ancestors in England, and will post again if/when I'm able to verify earlier generations of his line.  

Chase Family Tree

In this post, I'm going to focus on Jeremiah Thomas McGlew's wife, Martha Luella (Chase) McGlew, and the Chase family tree.   

Click HERE for a larger image of this chart.

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Martha Luella Chase was born in Groveland MA, on July 26, 1874.  Her parents were Charles Chase and Mary (or Abby) Ricker Chase.  She seems to have gone by her middle name, Luella, throughout her life, often being named in various public records as "M. Luella Chase."  

Luella married Jeremiah McGlew in December of 1889.   Their marriage record states her age as 18, but according to her birth certificate, she would have actually been 15 when she wed (and Jeremiah would have been thirty).  They went on to have nine children together, including Winfred McGlew, our direct ancestor.  

While searching for information on Luella, I stumbled across a community cookbook called The Rowley Cook Book: True and Tried Recipes, which was published in 1922 and consisted of recipes contributed by women of Rowley, MA and "Arranged by the Historical Society for the benefit of restoring the Platts-Bradstreet House."  Luella's contributions to this cookbook were: 

PLAIN MOLASSES COOKIES — 1-2 cup sugar , 1-2 cup shortening, 1 cup molasses , 1 teaspoon salt, 2-3 cup cold water, 2 rounding teaspoons soda, 1 teaspoon ginger.  Mix sugar, molasses and shortening, add water, then 2 cups of flour sifted with soda, salt and ginger. Add enough more flour to roll. — Mrs Luella McGlew 

APPLE CUSTARD — Peel and core as many apples as will set in a dish you are going to use.  Fill the holes where the cores were with sugar and pour over them a custard made a bit sweeter than usual and bake. — Mrs Luella McGlew

BEEF WITH TOMATO — Select 2 1-2 lbs of beef solid meat ,wash well and place in baking dish. Sprinkle Well with salt and pepper, also a dash of cayenne. Cut up 2 medium sized onions, add to meat, and lastly add 1 large can of tomatoes. Cover dish and bake in moderate oven for 3 hours. Take from oven, place meat on large platter and add to it tomato gravy, also 1 package of elbow macaroni which has been boiled tender and pour over meat. — Mrs Luella McGlew

On the 1930 census, Luella's occupation was listed as "laundress."  She passed away on October 3, 1937, in Rowley MA.

Martha Luella (Chase) McGlew
photo shared by Ruth McGlew

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Luella's mother, Mary A. Ricker (it appears that the A stands for Abby), was born in either 1850 or 1851 in Groveland, MA to William and Eliza Ricker.  She passed away on Feb. 3, 1904 from "general debility" in Ipswich, MA.  In following her maternal line back, I was able to reach the late 1600s and discovered that our family has ties to the Salem Witch Trials, as both the accused and as the accusers (I'll delve more into that lineage in a later post).

Luella's father, Charles Frederick Chase, was born in Haverhill MA on January 2, 1853, to John and Martha Thayer (Fowler) Chase.  John was a shoemaker by trade (on the 1880 United States Federal Census his occupations listed as "works in shoe fact.), and married Mary on Dec. 3, 1873.   He died in Rowley, MA from "pulmonary tuberculosis."

I was also able to follow Martha's family back on her paternal side to when her ancestors immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony.  The Fowlers, Herricks, and Kimballs were founding families in the North Shore area of Massachusetts, and have ties to the Salem Witch Trials as well as the King Philip's War.  I'll follow up on those lines back in later posts.  

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Charles' father, John Chase, was also listed as a shoemaker.  Her was born aprox. 1826 to Frederick and Mary (Stinson) Chase.  John married Martha Fowler (b. April 7, 1829 to John Fowler and Lydia Brown) in Haverhill, MA, on June 7, 1849.  He passed away only four years later, on August 12, 1853, leaving her a widow with two young children at the age of 24.  Martha remarried on Dec. 27, 1857, to widower John Bradley.  Tragically, she died from consumption only two years later, at the age of 30.  I have located a Charles F. Chase, age 12, living with a Putnam family in Danvers MA on the Massachusetts 1865 State Census. Andrew Merriam Putnam's wife, Sarah (Fowler) Putnam, was Martha's sister.  My assumption is that he, and possibly his older brother Henry, went to live with his aunt and uncle after his mother's death.

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Frederick Chase (John's father) was born on Dec. 10, 1800 in Haverhill, MA, to John and Betsey (Kelley) Chase.  He married Mary Stinson (born on April 13, 1804, in Goffstown, NH, to Samuel Stinson and Abigail Potter) on December 13, 1823.  Frederick is listed on the census as being a farmer.  Frederick and Mary had six children together.  He passed away in Haverhill on Jan 10, 1867, and Mary lived until June 8, 1874.

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I have been unable to trace back the Chase family line any further - there are at least two different John Chases living in Massachusetts during the correct time period, and I have not yet been able to pinpoint which is "our" John Chase.  If I have a breakthrough at any point I'll be sure to update this post.