Roots 2

I looked at the 11 generations of Strong men in the line of descent, and saw that they lived approximately to the ages of 78, 94, 26, 76, 86, 92, 53, 83, 42, 96, and 94. 

The average life span of these gentlemen was about 75 - that gives me 10 years to go! But of the 11, 6 lived beyond 80, and four of them beyond 90, so there's hope of a few years yet. I've always said my goal is at least 80, and anything after that is gravy.

Two other details came out of a more unsavory nature. 

One of my forebears was born to his parents three years before they were married. 

And in one case, a forebear was married, had fathered a child by that woman, then fathered other children after with another woman who was identified as his "wife" - but there is no marriage record, and, when the first woman died, she was said to have been married to my forebear for 75 years. That would indicate there was never a divorce, and that he and the second "wife" were never actually legally married. I'm descended through the second wife. But I would need to dig further to say for certain what the situation was - and I don't know if I really want to dig up skeletons in the family.

I found a few more details along the way. This picture, for example.  

Alanson Strong (1811-97, Great-great-great grandfather)

There are other grave markers. I'll post copies of those later.

Some other family details gleaned from sources along the way -

From: The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Mass, by Benjamin Woodbridge Dwight, 1871 (on Google Books):

Jedediah Strong (son of Elder John Strong of Northampton and Abigail Ford) b. May 7, 1637, (and bapt. April 14, 1639), m. Nov. 18, 1662, Freedom Woodward, bapt. at Dorchester, Mass., in 1642 (dau. of Henry Woodward, afterwards of Northampton, and " one of the pillars of the church," there, and Elizabeth hU wife). He was a farmer at Northampton until 1709, when at the age of 70 years and upwards he removed with his family to Coventry, Ct., where 24 years afterwards he d. May 22, 1733, aged 96 ; during the years 1677-8 & 9, he was paid 18 shillings a year for blowing the trumpet on Sunday to summon the people to church. His wife Freedom d. May 17, 1681, and he m. Deo. 19, 1681, for 2d wife Abigail Stebbins b. Sept. 6, 1660 (dau. of John Steb- bins, of Northampton, and Abigail Bartlett — dau. of Robert and Anne Bartlett, of Hartford, and afterwards of Northampton). She d. July 15, 1689, and he m. Jan. 5, 1691-2, for 3d wife Mrs. Mary (Hart) Lee widow of John Lee, of Farmington, Ct., and dau. of Stephen Hart, of Farmington. He lived with his first wife 19 years, with his second 7, and with his third wife 9, and notwithstanding his three marriages spent 33 years as a widower, and 61 unmarried. His wife Mary d. Oct. 10,1710, from the injury which she received the day previous, by the fall of the horse on which she was riding (on a pillion behind her husband), when just started well upon their way to Coventry, together, to visit their children. The record reads thus at Northampton : " Oct. 9, 1710, Jedediah Strong, and wife set out early in the morning to visit their children, at Coventry ; but when they came against the Falls (at S. Hadley) among the broad smooth stones, the horse's feet slipped up and he fell flat on the off side and by the fall killed the woman : though she was not quite dead then, but had life in her until the next day—yet never spoke a word." He was constable in 1683.

 --- I love the report that Jedediah blew the trumpet to summon people to church. Another church musician in the family! 

In his book The History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, Benjamin Dwight, the primary genealogist of the Strong family in America, makes the case that Elder John Strong sailed to Mass. in 1630, on the Mary and John, with his wife and 2 children, with the spouse and youngest child dying either en route or shortly after arrival. He then states that Strong married Abigail Ford, another Mary and John passenger, in December, 1630. The problem with this is that she was only 11 at the time. The most recent thought is that Strong and family came in 1635 on the Hopewell. Complicating matters is that he does appear as a probable passenger in synthesized lists for both ships.

Burton Spear in his work, Mary and John 1630 .pdf, clarifies the situation by submitting that Strong did arrive on the Mary and John, as a single man, then returned to England where he married and fathered the two children, returning to America with his family on the Hopewell. After the death of his wife he married Abigail Ford, now 16, probably in December 1635. The birthdates of subsequent Strong children tends to bear this out, as does the fact that Strong took the Freeman's Oath, in Boston, in 1636. Burton Spear also dismisses the idea forwarded by Dwight that Strong was born in Taunton, England, to a Richard Strong, as no records can be found to justify this. Records are available to show that he was probably born to John Strong, son of George Strong, of Chard, Somerset, England, between 1607 and 1610. (Steven Ferry, December 15, 2018.)

All current theories give the father of Elder John Strong as John Strong, son of George Strong. The ascription of Richard Strong as the father seems to come from the work of Dwight on Elder John Strong, based on recollections from Governor Strong. That tome has proved deficient in other areas as well, although it is a valuable source post colonialism. I would recommend that you open the father's page to change the name to John Strong, or at least as John Richard Strong, which does seem to find some favor. (Steven Ferry, December 30, 2019)

Pax et bonum