I’d Like to Meet - Esther Agard - #52 Ancestors

I imagine that Esther Agard was a strong and remarkable woman. Strong because at the age of forty-three and pregnant, she survived a spring Atlantic crossing in 1683. Strong because with the death of her husband John, either during the crossing or shortly after arrival, it was Esther who is the founding member of the Agard family line in America. Remarkable because she survived and thrived. Two years after her son, John, was born, Esther married Samuel Storrs. She raised his five children, plus John and three of hers and Samuel’s. Those children are: Thomas Storrs b: 1886; Esther Storrs b: 1688; and Cordall Storrs b: 1692.

In his book, “Agards in America,” Frederick Browning Agard details the issues surrounding the origin of that family.  He starts with John the Elder coming from “somewhere in the British Isles in the mid-17^th century.” John dies at sea or in Massachusetts between 1683 and 1685.” There are various accounts: Phelps Leach’s “Lawrence Leach and some of his Descendants,” D.H Van Hoosear’s “Fillow Family Genealogy,” and a statement of E.V. Carrithers, professional searcher in Brighton, Sussex, England that the family sprang from England, Scropton in Derbyshire.

I imagine Esther was a strong and remarkable woman. I would love to hear her story.

53 Ancestors – Favorite Name - Metihable

Metihable would rate high on my list as a favorite family name. The first Metihable, Metihable Hall makes her appearance in our family in 1709 when she married John Agard of Mansfield, Connecticut. John was the son of John “The Elder” and Esther Agard. Since John “The Elder” died before or at the time of reaching Massachusetts, Esther is considered the founding member of the Agards in America.

Two years after John’s birth (16 July 1683), Esther married Samuel Storrs. A few years after that, the family moved to Mansfield, Connecticut. That is where John met Metihable Hall, the daughter of Benjamin and Metihable (Matthews) Hall.

But wait! Now that Esther has married into the Storrs family, we find that Samuel Storr’s first wife, Mary (Huckins) Storrs died shortly after giving birth to a daughter named Mehitable. Unfortunately, Mehitable Storrs was baptized 17 September 1683, and died shortly after.

The name of Mehitable was carried down through the Agard family line as well as the Storrs family line. That will be a good project for me one day – track all the Mehitables in our family!

Agard Family Do-Over – Researching the Storrs Family of Tolland County, Connecticut

It's a cold rainy day in Virginia, but the bluebirds and hummingbirds still come for some refreshment, entertaining us as we sit at our computers researching our family lines.

In 1685 Esther Agard (founding member of the Agards in America), married Samuel Storrs of Barnstable, MA. In 1698, Samuel, Esther and her son, John Agard, along with Samuel’s six children moved to Mansfield, Connecticut. It was there that Samuel and Esther had three more children, Thomas, Esther and Cordial, and those are the ones I have been working on today – especially Esther.

I had written down that she married William Hall. To verify that has been a challenge. I find birth and baptismal records for the children of William and Esther, but none of the records I came across said it was Esther Storrs. Until I found a USGenWeb Project document of Tolland County, Connecticut, Family Outlines, Hall Family of Tolland, Connecticut that lists the Hall family with a William Hall marrying Esther Storrs. The list of children in this document matches other lists I have seen.

In the meantime, I sent a note off to the Tolland County Historical Society to see if there might be other resources that confirms the union of William and Esther. And I, too, will keep searching.

Genealogy by the States – Connecticut

John Agard was only 2-1/2 when his mother Esther married Samuel Storrs.   We shall never know how John felt about joining a family of five girls and one boy all older than he. And we shall never know how he felt about his mother and stepfather adding three more children, Thomas b: 1686, Esther b: 1688, and Cordial b: 1692 to the already large family.

John was fifteen when he and his family moved to Mansfield, Connecticut where his stepfather, Samuel, became a landowner and prominent member of the community.

For instance, in 1702 Mansfield residents were not happy about the distance they had to travel for church and town business.  A town meeting was held and a vote conducted to apply to the General Court for authorization to divide the territory from the Town of Windham. This was approved, and Samuel was instrumental in getting this accomplished.  Samuel and Esther’s house is thought to have stood near the southern boundary of “Ponde Place” cemetery on Mansfield Street.

Storrs Monument located at Mansfield Center Olde Cemetery
First Cemetery in Tolland County 1693
Storrs family listed; John Agard not included

On 8 June 1709 John Agard married Mehitable Hall in Mansfield, and they had seven children: James b: 1710, John b: 1712, Joshua b: 1714, Benjamin b: 1716, Mahitabell b: 1718, Hezekiah b: 1722, and Judah b: 1724.

Little more is known of John.  He left no land records, no death or burial record; sadly no stone marks his grave. But he left his legacy as I am descended from his son John who moved to Litchfield, Connecticut and then on to New York State.

In tracing this family I utilized the following Connecticut resources:

Chronology of Mansfield 1702-1972, Mansfield Historical Society

Connecticut Nutmegger, Connecticut Society of Genealogists; C.H. Booth Library, Newtown, CT

Partial Genealogy of John and Esther Agard, by Roberts, Daniel; Godfrey Memorial Library in Middletown, CT

Agards in America, Agard, Frederick Browning; privately held and also at Godfrey Memorial Library

Mansfield, Connecticut, Town and Church Records, 1703-1850, copied from the records by Susan W. Dimock

The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Vol. II. Doherty, Frank; C.H. Booth Library

The Storrs Family Genealogical and Other Memoranda, Storrs, Charles; Godfrey Memorial Library.

Thanks to Jim Sanders at Hidden Genealogy Nuggets for suggesting this blog topic.