Essex County, Massachusetts was created on May 10, 1643 by the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, when it ordered "that the whole plantation within this jurisdiction be divided into four sheires."
Mary Kitchen Robinson was born in Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. Her parents were John and Elizabeth Kitchen.
She married Timothy Robinson. Timothy was born on April 28, 1644 and was the son of William Robinson.
Mary and Timothy had a son, Timothy Robinson.
She was left a widow when Timothy died when he was only 23 in 1668 in Salem. Since married women could not own any property, everything he owned, including food on hand, was inventoried and she was allowed a little more than 2/3. The rest went to her son when he was of age.
After his death, Mary married Thomas Hanson. He was born about 1643 in Dover, Strafford County, New Hampshire and was the son of Thomas Hanson and Mary Paul.
Mary and Thomas' children probably included:
Mercy Hanson Church (1670, married John Church, Jr. son of John Church),
Thomas Hanson
(about 1680)
John Hanson (about 1681, married Elizabeth Meader),
Elizabeth Hanson (1686, possibly married Ebenezer Downes),
Nathaniel Hanson (1692, married Martha Bickford),
Abigail Hanson Young (1693, married Jonathan Young),
Isaac Hanson (died 1706),
and
James Hanson, (married Ruth).
In 1675 Thomas was on the tax list of Dover Neck.
In 1689, Thomas' mother, Mary Paul Hanson, was killed at Waldron's Garrison in the Cocheco massacre during King William's war.
Thomas wrote his will on April 24, 1710 and added a codicil on May 6, 1710.
Thomas died in 1711 in Dover, New Hampshire.
His estate was inventoried on November 8, 1711 and his will was proved on December 5, 1711.
Mary White Rowlandson,Talcot
was captured by Native Americans
during King Philip's War
(1675-1676).
Salem is in Essex County, Massachusetts and was a significant seaport in early America. John Endicott obtained a patent from England and arrived there in 1628. Salem originally included much of the North Shore, including Marblehead. Salem Village also included Peabody and parts of Beverly, Middleton, Topsfield, Wenham and Manchester-by-the-Sea.
During the 17th and 18th centuries an adult unmarried woman was considered to have the legal status of feme sole, while a married woman had the status of feme covert. A feme sole could own property and sign contracts. A feme covert was not recognized as having legal rights and obligations distinct from those of her husband and could not own any property. When a woman became a widow she became a feme sole again.
King William's War (1688–97) was also known as the Second Indian War, Father Baudoin's War, or Castin's War. It was the North American theater of the Nine Years' War.
A blockhouse or garrison house is a small, isolated fort. The typical blockhouse was two stories with the second story overhanging the first. It had small openings to allow residents to shoot attackers without being exposed.
European and indiginous American fought fierce battles, sometimes called the Indian Wars, as the Europeans expanded their territory.
