Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: Genealogy Report: Gatchell/Getchell Descendants

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Gatchell/Getchell Descendants

26. SAMUEL⁴ GATCHELL III (SAMUELL³, SAMUEL², UNKNOWN FATHER¹) was born 12 Apr 1687 in Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, and died Unknown in probably Berwick, District of Maine. He married ELIZABETH NASON 09 Nov 1714 in South Berwick, District of Maine, daughter of BAKER NASON and ELIZABETH HATCH. She was born 23 Aug 1694 in Kittery, York County, District of Maine.

Notes for SAMUEL GATCHELL III:
Theodore Gatchell wrote in March 25, 1982: "Samuel Getchell III & Elizabeth Nason (not a Dorcas) who married in South Berwick in 1714 in a marriage following stripes to both in 1713 for fornication in face of which Samuel issued some unpleasant diatribes against the estimable justices."

On the muster rolls in the Massachusetts Archives, a Samuel Gatchell appears as the father of Dennis, James and Nathaniel, all three of whom served in the colonial militia, but it is suspected that Dennis was this Samuel's grandson, by his son Samuel.

Samuel himself served as a private for seven months in 1758 during the French and Indian War in a company raised in Berwick "for the reduction of Canada."

Children of SAMUEL GATCHELL and ELIZABETH NASON are:

55.	i.	SAMUEL⁵ GATCHELL IV, b. Bet. 1714 - 1720, South Berwick, District of Maine; d. Unknown, Bowdoinham, Maine.
	ii.	JANE GATCHELL, b. 1715; m. JOSHUA GRAY; b. 17 Nov 1714.
56.	iii.	JAMES GATCHELL, b. Bet. 1718 - 1719, Berwick, York County, District of Maine.
57.	iv.	NATHANIEL GATCHELL, b. Bet. 1720 - 1725, Berwick, York County, District of Maine.
	v.	BENJAMIN GATCHELL, b. Unknown.
	vi.	ELISHA GATCHELL, b. Unknown.
	vii.	JOHN GATCHELL, b. Unknown; d. Bet. 22 Oct 1794 - 02 Jun 1800; m. MARCY HEARL; b. Bef. 02 May 1725; d. Aft. 09 Dec 1796.

Notes for JOHN GATCHELL:
The following is John Getchell's will as documented in the Probate Records of Lincoln County, Maine 1760 - 1800, pages 350 - 351.

In the name of God - Amen- I John Getchell of Pownalborough, in the county of Lincoln, yeoman being of aged and infirm of Body, but of a sound disposing MInd and Memory, for which I desire to give thanks to God, My Creator - Calling to Mind the uncertainty of this life and the certainy of death, and wishing to settle all my affairs so that there may be no difficulty after my death, do make publish pronounce and declare this to be my last will and testament hereby revoking all formed wills and testments-

Imprmis - I give and bequeath my soul to my creator and my body I commit to the grave in hopes a Joyful resurrection through the Merits of our Blessed Redeemer -

Item. I give and bequeath to my beloved wife Marcy, the use and improvement of all my estate of every kind, wherewith it has pleased God to bless me, for and during her natural life, with full power and authority to dispose of so much thereof at any time as shall be necessary to for her comfortable support - and after her death, I hereby give and bequeath to my good and worthy friends Abraham Nason, Anna Nason his wife, all the rest and residue of my estate afore mentioned, and to their heirs forever to be disposed of them the said Abraham and Anna as they shall chuse - and I do hereby nominate and appoint my said friend Abraham Nason to be my executor to this my last will and testament - I further will that all my just debts be paid by my said executor - and that he see my body and the body of my beloved wife, be decently buried after our deaths -

In Testamony whereof I said John Getchell have hereto Set My hand and affixed My Seal this twenty second day of October Ammo Domini One thousand Seven hundred Ninety four -

Signed sealed published pronounced and declared by said John Getchell to be his last Will and Testament in the presence of us who in his presence and presence of each other subscribed our names as witnesses - Silas Lee, Nathan Dole, her mark Abigail Slowman, her mark Abigail Nason

Probated 2 Jun 1800 ( XIII, 325 - 326)

27. JOSEPH⁴ GETCHELL (SAMUELL³ GATCHELL, JR., SAMUEL², UNKNOWN FATHER¹) was born Bet. 1692 - 1693 in Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, and died Aft. 02 May 1758. He married (1) EUNICE HATCH 19 Dec 1716 in Wells, York County, District of Maine, daughter of SAMUEL HATCH and MARY LITTLEFIELD. She was born Bef. 13 Feb 1703/04, and died Unknown. He married (2) MARY JOY 28 Jan 1753. She was born Abt. 1690.

Notes for JOSEPH GETCHELL:
In 1725, he moved to Wells, Maine, from Brunswick, Maine.

The following excerpts from early York County, Maine, deeds -- as printed in the Downeast Ancestry newsletter -- appear to reference this Joseph Getchell and his family.

JOSEPH & MARY GETCHELL; JOSHUA AND PHEBE GETCHELL (V.33; F.202)
Joseph Getchell, husbandman, and Mary his wife, late widow of George Gray, late of York, deceased; Joshua Getchell, husbandman, and Phebe his wife, of Wells, and Joshua Gray of York, labourer which said Phebe and Joshua are the children and heirs of said George Gray deceased and with their said mother Mary Getchell are heirs of their said brothers George and Robert Gray deceased and for and in consideration of the sum of 14 pounds, 13 shillings, 4 pence paid by John McIntire Jr. of York, yeoman, (they) sell him Beech Ridge, 3 1/2 acres, late the estate of the first named George Gray, deceased. Dated 2 May 1758.

JOSEPH GETCHEL OF WELLS (V. 21; P.267) Joseph Getchel and Daniel Morrison both of Wells,--agree to a property line between their lands in Wells. Dated 1 May 1740.

Children of JOSEPH GETCHELL and EUNICE HATCH are:

	i.	PENINAH⁵ GETCHELL, b. Nov 1717; m. ZEBULON STEWART; b. 20 May 1713.
58.	ii.	JOSEPH GETCHELL, b. Abt. 20 Jun 1726, Wells, York County, District of Maine; d. 1822, Machias, Maine.
	iii.	HANNAH GETCHELL, b. Bef. 01 Nov 1730, Wells, York County, District of Maine.
59.	iv.	JOSHUA GETCHELL, b. Bef. 25 Aug 1734, Wells, York County, District of Maine; d. Bet. 05 Jan - 20 Mar 1797, probably in Wells, District of Maine.
60.	v.	ABEL GETCHELL, b. Abt. 1736; d. 1777, Near Stillwater, Massachusetts.

28. JOHN⁴ GATCHELL (SAMUELL³, SAMUEL², UNKNOWN FATHER¹) was born 1697 in Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts, and died 10 May 1771 in Brunswick, District of Maine. He married ELIZABETH WHITAKER Bef. 1719, daughter of WILLIAM WHITAKER and SARAH EMERSON. She was born 07 Apr 1698 in Haverhill, Massachusetts.

Notes for JOHN GATCHELL:
From the 1909 "Family of Samuel Getchell" by Everett Lamont Getchell:
On June 22, 1720, John Getchell was granted land in Scarboro, Maine, at a Proprietors' meeting held at that place. He served as a corporal in Capt. John Gray's company from June 3 to Nov 22, 1725 (mass. Arc., vol. 9, pg 221). In 1736 he, with his wife Elizabeth and their eight children, moved to New Meadows, a part of Brunswick, where he was elected one of the selectmen in the first town meeting. The next year his name appears as one of the signers of a petition by the inhabitants of "Sheepscott, Whiscasick and Damriscotty" to the Hon. Spencer Phips, Esq., Gov.-in-Chief, etc., praying for protection against the Indians. In 1739, he bought of Arthur Noble land on the Winnegance River. He was made Captain of the militia company at Brunswick, and in March 1748 (from the 7th to the 18th) he led a company of men on a scouting expedition up the Kennebec, going as far north as the Belgrade lakes, and Snow Pond in sidney. In 1751, he was captain of a company in which his son John, Jr., was sergeant, and which performed guard and scout duty. He was the King's surveyor, and made numerous surveys in all the adjoining towns. In 1760 "John Getchell, Gentleman", of Brunswick, sold to George Coombs land in Georgetown (York Co. deeds). He was a noted Indian fighter, and a man of great influence in the region. He is described by one who remembers seeing him as "a large, portly, venerable-looking old man, especially when he appeared on Sunday with white wig and triangular hat."

He was buried in the Gatchell/Getchell graveyard, near Brunswick, Maine. His tombstone is inscribed "Here Lies Body of Capt. John Gatchell Who Died May ye 10th 1771 In ye 74th Year".

The following excerpts from early York County, Maine, deeds -- as printed in the Downeast Ancestry newsletter -- appear to reference this John Gatchell.

JOHN GITCHEL OF NEW MEADOWS (V.20; F.127) John Gitchel of a place called New Meadows near Brunswick, yeoman, for 42 pounds in current money of New England paid by Capt. Dominicus Jordan of Fallmouth---for lands in Scarborough on a branch of the Spurwink River, 20 1/2 acres. Witness: John Gechell. Dated 20 Dec. 1737.

JOHN GATCHEL OF NEW MEADOWS (V.19; F.2j3) John Gatchel of (The) New Meadows, yeoman, for 50 pounds money or bills of credit of this province, paid by Seth Fogg of Scarborough, sold tract of land and meadow in Scarborough--south side of the North Branch of Spurwink River. The land was a grant to John Gatchel by proprietors meeting at Scarborough 22 June 1720. Dated 18 Nov. 1738.

JOHN GATCHEL OF NEW MEADOWS (V.20; P.235) John Gatchel of New Meadows, formerly of Scarborough, yeoman, for 5 pounds, sells to Joseph Poak (or Poke) of Scarborough, cordwainer--any right, title, etc., to lands, marsh or meadow in Scarborough. Dated 20 Nov. 1738.

JOHN GATCHEL of Brunswick (V.22; F.22) Arthur Noble (a trader) and Sarah (his wife) of Georgetown for 300 pounds received from John Gatchell, Israel Mitchell of Brunswick and Christopher Mitchell of Georgetown for the southerly half part of a tract of land bounded on the western side by the Winnieganie River. Dated 10 Jan. 1739.

JOHN GEACHELL OF BRUNSWICK (V�30; F.244) John Barber of Falmouth, yeoman, for 20 pounds paid by John Geachell of Brunswick (New Meadows) yeoman,...l/4 acre of land in Falmouth, being fourth lot in number fronting on middle street. Dated 30 Apr. 1754.

JOHN AND ELIZABETH GATCHELL OF BRUNSWICK (V.33; F.145)
John Gatchell of Brunswick, gentleman, and Elizabeth, his wife, and Christopher Mitchell of Georgetown, husbandman, for 53 pounds received from Sam'l Browne and Benjamin Ring, both of Georgetown, lands on Winegance Creek. Witness: John Getchell Jun. Dated 13 Sep. 1757.

JOHN GATCHEL OF BRUNSWICK (V.35; F.149) John Gatchel of Brunswick, gentleman, for 12 pounds paid by Jonathan Mitchel of Georgetown, sells 80 acres on Winnegansett to the north... land which the said John Gatchel bought of Col. Arthur Noble, late of Georgetown, in company with Christopher Mitchel and Israel Mitchel. Dated 20 June 1759.

Notes for ELIZABETH WHITAKER:
The case for Elizabeth's maiden name was researched and eloquently and convincingly espoused in an article in the Downeast Maine genealogical newsletter many years ago. It was published as follows:

            WHO WAS ELIZABETH (__________) GATCHELL?
                  by Lillian Seebohm

Undoubtedly, one of the greatest challenges to a genealogist tracing family lines is to be
able to discover the surname which belongs in the (_________) which so frequently follows the given name of an early ancestress. I have sought to meet this challenge in one case; and I here set forth the conclusion I have reached regarding the maiden name of Elizabeth Gatchell, the wife of Capt. John3 Gatchell (Samuel2-1), of Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts and Scarborough and Brunswick, Maine. My research into the Gatchell family has shown me that there are still a large number of descendants of John3 and Elizabeth Gatchell in Maine, several of whom are actively tracing their ancestral lines. I should like to submit my hypothesis for their consideration and for consideration by any other person who may find it of interest.

The first child of John3 and Elizabeth (_________) Gatchell was John4 Jr., born at Scarborough, April 25, 1719. On November 7, 1742, he married Mary Barbour of Falmouth. In his History of Durham, Maine, Everett Stackpole lists the twelve children of John4 and Mary Gatchell (although he ascribes them to John3). The eleventh child and youngest daughter was Elizabeth W., born February 15, 1764, who married Samuel Tracy. The International Genealoqical Index to the Latter Day Saints' (Mormon) genealogical collection contains this entry: "Gatchell, Elizabeth Whitecar, married Samuel Tracy at Brunswick, Cumberland County, Maine, May 28, 1783." Here was a woman bearing the given name of her grandmother; and her middle name was certainly a surname, possibly her grandmother's maiden name. In several of my family lines, I had encountered instances where a female child was named for her grandmother, with the grandmother's maiden surname being the child's middle name. I felt, therefore, that here was a possible clue to the identity of Elizabeth (_________) Gatchell.

"Whitecar" somehow did not seem to be an actual surname, but rather a corruption or misspelling of a name. Broken into syllables and spoken, it can become "Whi-te-car" or a common surname "Whitaker". Assuming that this was the name, I looked for other instances of the spelling "Whitecar". In Massachussetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolution it appears among a large number of variant spellings of the name Whitaker. In the 1820 federal census, a Moses Whitecar appears in Montville, Maine. The index to volumes 1-50 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register lists a dozen different spellings under the heading "Whitaker" - among them "Whitacar", "Whitacer" and "Whiticar". The vital records of Beverly, Massachusetts, show the marriage in 1716 of Abraham Whitticer and Lydia Stone. Subsequently, Lydia "Whitecar" owned the covenant and had a child baptized in 1718; and in 1724, a Lydia "Whitecar" married Edward Whittington of Marblehead. I was satisfied that "Whitecar" could well be "Whitaker". The problem, then was to find an Elizabeth Whitaker who could feasibly have become the wife of John3 Gatchell.

Savage's Genealogical dictionary of New England has the following entry in Volume IV, page 507: "WHITACRE, WHITTACRE, or WHITAKER, Abraham, Haverhill, had prob. Abraham, born about 1657; William, about 1659; and with son Abraham took oath of allegiance November 1677." The mention of Haverhill in connection with the name Whitaker was my cue to consult the Haverhill vital records.

Of the Whitaker (Whiticker, Whitticker) families I found there, I list only the two, which pertain to this study:

I. Abraham, married 19 March 1656 to Elizabeth Simmons; Children:

1. Abraham Jr., born 28 February 1657
*2. William, born 21 December 1658
3. Isaac, born 30 July 1661
4. Hannah, born 15 April 1664; died in infancy
5. Jacob, born 26 May 1665
6. Hannah, born 16 September 1668; died young
7. Henry, born 24 September 1672
8. Hannah, born 19 March 1674/5
9. John, born 27 August 1679

II. William, son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Simmons) Whitaker, married 15 January 1684 Sarah Emerson, daughter of Robert; Children:

1. William, born 4 December 1685
2. Sarah, born 5 June 1687
3. Mary, born 14 May 1689
4. Ruth, born 11 June 1691
5. Hannah, born 7 August 1693
6. Priscilla (twin), born 13 March 1696
7. Steven (twin), born 13 March 1696
8. Elizabeth, born 7 April 1698
9. Daniel, born 14 December 1699
10. Thomas, born 21 January 1702

(William Whitaker married a second time in January 1703, his wife Sarah having died in August, 1702. The children of the second marriage are not of importance to this story.)

It is my belief that Elizabeth Whitaker (or Whiticker, as it is spelled in the Haverhill records) became the wife of John3 Gatchell circa 1718. I advance the following facts as support for this assertion:
1. In the NEH&GR, Volume 63, page 265 et seq., appears an article on "The Family of Samuel Getchell of Salisbury, Massachussetts", by Everett Lament Getchell and Frederick G. Getchell. In this article, Elizabeth Gatchell is said to have been born in 1697 and to have died on 10 May 1771. However, the gravestone of John3 Gatchell, in the Gatchell graveyard, which is located on what is now the Naval Air Station at Brunswick, bears this inscription: "Here lies ye body of Capt. John Gatchell who Died May ye 10th In ye 74th Year". This would indicate that he was born in 1697. It seems highly improbable that John and Elizabeth were born in the same year and died on the same day. The Elizabeth Whitaker born in Haverhill on 7 Ap 1698 would surely have been of a suitable age to have married John3 Gatchell.

2. Haverhill is very close geographically to Salisbury, and there seems to have been a great deal of social and commercial intercourse among the towns of northern Essex County. John Gatchell's brother Nathaniel married a Haverhill woman and resided there for several years before moving to Maine.

3. Perhaps the most convincing evidence is the appearance among the children of John and Elizabeth the names borne by members of Elizabeth's family which do not appear in the earlier generations of John's family nor among his siblings. Their seventh child was Ruth; Elizabeth had a sister Ruth. The eighth child was Stephen; Elizabeth had a brother Stephen. The ninth child was Sarah; Elizabeth's mother was Sarah. The eleventh and youngest child was William, Elizabeth's father was William.

The Haverhill vital records provide no information regarding the marriage of Elizabeth Whitaker. Charles Pope, in his The Haverhill Emersons lists the children of William Whitaker/Whiticker and Sarah Emerson without further comment. In an article "Early Whittlers, Widgers and Whittakers in Essex County" which appeared in the Essex Institute Historical Collections, Vol. XLIX, David Hoyt shows whom each of the children of William Whitaker married, with the exception of Hannah and Elizabeth. He states that Hannah probably died young; of Elizabeth, he says nothing further.

Since I have not yet been able to find proof in the official records to which I have access, and since such information apparently has also eluded others, I invite other Gatchell descendants to join me in seeking to either prove or disprove my theory regarding the identity of Elizabeth
(________) Gatchell.


Children of JOHN GATCHELL and ELIZABETH WHITAKER are:

61.	i.		JOHN⁵ GATCHEL, JR., b. 25 Apr 1719, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine; d. 1795, Durham, District of Maine.
	ii.		SAMUEL GATCHEL, b. 28 Oct 1720, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine; d. 1760, Brunswick, District of Maine; m. (1) MARGARET; b. Abt. 1721; m. (2) MARY REED; b. Abt. 1721; m. (3) JOANNAH DRISCO, Aft. 24 Mar 1739/40; b. 31 Oct 1722, Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts.

Notes for SAMUEL GATCHEL:
From the 1909 "Family of Samuel Getchell" by Everett Lamont Getchell:
He was one of the founders of Vassalboro, Maine, in 1760. In York Co. deeds, he is called variously housewright, yeoman, etc. In 1767, he bought land at Augusta, Maine. He served as a Unknown in Captain Foster's company in 1779, defending the frontiers of Lincoln County.

	iii.	JUDETH GATCHEL, b. 17 Apr 1722, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine.
62.	iv.	SARAH GATCHELL, b. 1723, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine.
	v.	ELIZABETH GATCHEL, b. 12 Jan 1728/29, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine; m. (1) STEPHEN DAY, Aft. 22 Jan 1759, Georgetown, District of Maine; b. Abt. 1729; m. (2) JABEZ LEWIS, 08 Dec 1772, Hallowell, Kennebec County, District of Maine; b. Abt. 1729.
	vi.	DORKES GATCHEL, b. 18 Oct 1730, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine; m. WILLIAM GANNON, 28 Aug 1748; b. Bet. 1725 - 1730.
63.	vii.	MARY GATCHEL, b. 23 Apr 1732, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine.
	viii.	RUTH GATCHEL, b. 09 May 1734, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine; m. (1) JAMES WINSLOW, 12 Nov 1750; b. Abt. 1730; m. (2) JOHN MARINER, 10 Oct 1761, Brunswick, Cumberland, District of Maine; b. Unknown.
64.	ix.	STEPHEN GATCHELL, b. 1735, Scarborough, Cumberland County, District of Maine.
	x.	ABIGAIL GATCHELL, b. 10 May 1737, Brunswick, Cumberland County, District of Maine; d. 21 Dec 1737, Brunswick, Cumberland County, District of Maine.
65.	xi.	WILLIAM GATCHELL, b. 06 Sep 1740, Brunswick, District of Maine; d. Aft. 1790.

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