Chapter 54 - My Boardman Ancestors

My name is Christopher Boreman and I have been asked by my great, many greats actually, grandson, Charles Baker, to write a story about my life and about the lives of some of my ancestors as well as some of my descendants, all of whom are related to both Charles as well as myself. When he asked me to write such a story, which was in the middle of the night and we were both sound asleep, my first reaction was to say no. I have been dead for over 370 years and who in their right mind gives a damn about me and some of my many long dead relatives. But following hours of discussion and snoring, Charles finally convinced me that many people do care about their long dead ancestors and besides, writing such as story should be fun and it would give me something to do in this otherwise sometimes boring heaven-above-earth place that is now my home. Anyway, as I said, he finally convinced me, so here goes what I hope is an enjoyable and interesting story about our many common Boreman/Bordman/Boardman ancestry.

St. James the Great Church, Claydon

I, Christopher Boreman, was born in my parents' home in the small village of Claydon in Oxfordshire, England in the year 1581. I was baptized on the 1st of December in 1581 at the beautiful St James the Great Parish Church in Claydon which incidentally still exists to this day as shown in this recent photograph, although honestly the church has changed a lot since I was last there. I was only 6-1/2 years old when my father, Thomas Boreman, unexpectedly died in June of 1587 at the young age of only 27 years old. Obviously I was caught totally off guard with the sudden death of my father and I had no idea that at this time in history early deaths were not all that uncommon. Hospitals did not even exist except as sites for the poor and homeless and for those dying of diseases like leprosy and while the few doctors that could be found were well intended, they were mostly ignorant as to treatments and to the causes of death. In any case, there were no doctors or hospitals in rural Claydon where the total population was no more than 300. My only sibling, my sister Joan, was only three when our father died and we were left to be raised by our mother, Dorothy Gregory Boreman, who was at the time only 28 years old. Fortunately for my mother she had plenty of love and help in Claydon both from her in-laws and from her own family and while I do not remember his name, other than "Father", my mother soon remarried following our father's death and we continued to live in our family home in Claydon. But then, I am getting ahead of myself. Let us begin this family history story with what I have learned, albeit not much, about my great grandfather, William Boreman (Charlie's 13th great grandfather.).

Banbury is in northeast corner of County Oxford

William Boreman's name first appears in the year 1527 in ancient tax records of the village of Banbury in County Oxfordshire.  Banbury is located about 6-1/2 miles south of my hometown of Claydon up in the southeastern corner of Oxfordshire and about 64 miles northwest of London. While it is entirely possible that William's ancestors lived in the area of Banbury for many, many generations, no records exist that confirm this likelihood.  What is known is that people occupied this area as far back as 200 BC and that by the time of William Boreman's life the population of Banbury was somewhere around 1,400.  We do not know the exact years of William's birth and death although based on the birth of his son Thomas, who was born around 1519, and his tax payment records, it is estimated that he was born around 1490.  We could not learn the name of Samuel's wife nor the names of any of Samuel's children other than my grandfather, Thomas Boreman. However, in a subsequent "Lay Subsidy" tax record for Banbury area for the year 1546, there were five Boreman names listed all of whom, including Thomas, were quite likely sons of William Boreman.

King Henry VIII

William Boreman probably lived in Banbury for his entire life which is estimated to have ended in the year 1557. Since his name does not appear in any town records other than the tax records, it is unlikely that he served in any leadership roles in the community. More likely is that he may have been involved in some manner in the weaving industry for Banbury during the period of his lifetime was famous for it cloth and woolen industries. Also prominent during this time period was the leather working industry which engaged numerous skinners, tanners, shoemakers, and saddlers. William of course, may have simply been a farmer and a supplier of material to either or both the woolen and the leather industries. Whatever occupation he served, during most of William's lifetime King Henry VIII was King of England and despite Henry's tumultuous reign including war with France beginning in 1513, and England's departure from the Catholic Church in the 1530s, it is unlikely that our William Boreman ever left the greater Banbury area during his entire lifetime or even cared much about the changes that were taking place within his country of England.

The exact year of the birth of my grandfather (Charles' 12th great grandfather), Thomas Boreman, is not known for certain although it is believed to be sometime between 1517 and 1520 and it is fairly certain that he would have been born in his parents' home in Banbury. Thomas is believed to have married a young girl by the name of Isabel probably in Banbury around the year of 1640 and we believe that they moved up to rural Claydon located about 6-1/2 miles north of Banbury shortly following their marriage. It was here in Claydon that Thomas spent his entire life as a small farmer living in a farmhouse on land that he rented from the head of a wealthy English noble family, titled the Viscount Saye and Sele, whose family had been granted hundreds of acres of land given to them by the English Crown for their services following the Hundred Years War back in the 15th century. This arrangement was very common during and prior to my lifetime as actual ownership of land by the common man was extremely rare.  My grandparents raised a total of nine children during their lifetimes including my father, Thomas Boreman, the youngest of his parents' five sons, who was born around 1560.

Market in Old England

One of the interesting things about living close to Banbury was the frequency of public markets held within the Banbury village. Here my grandfather was able to sell many of the goods that he raised on his farm including not only livestock but also items such as grains and wools that were in high demand at the time.  Each week he undoubtedly would have hooked up his horse and wagon loaded with farm goods and hauled them to Branbury for sale at the market. His sons of course, as they got older would have helped on the farm as well as assisting their father at the multiple fairs and markets that were held in Branbury during the summer months. One thing that can be learned when reviewing Thomas' last will and testament that he wrote in April of 1576 was that his farm contained many tools which may very well have been used to construct items such as wooded barrels, tubs, buckets, butter churns, and so forth. This is interesting because many of his descendants were "Coopers" which was an occupation that constructed such wooden items for a living. My occupation was a cooper as was the occupation of my father Thomas Boreman as well as my son Samuel who moved to America in 1638. Thomas' final will and testament listed among other things that he was passing to his children at his death his horse, his 2 cows, 3 heifers, 60 pigs, and much hay and grain along with of course his tools and household furniture and clothes. My grandfather, Thomas Boreman, died in Claydon in December of 1579 at the age of around 60 and he is buried in the graveyard surrounding the St James the Great parish church in Claydon. My grandmother Isabel outlived her husband although the actual date of her death I do not know. She too is buried alongside my grandfather, her husband, at the St. James the Great parish church.

Thomas Boreman home in Claydon

My father, Thomas Boreman, son of Thomas Boreman "the Elder", was around 19 years old when his father died in late 1679. Fortunately for both of them, my grandfather was able to attend my father's wedding to Dorothy Gregory at the St. James the Great Church that took place on the 16th of February in 1679.  My parents following their wedding moved into a home in Claydon and my father continued working at his father's nearby farm employed as one of its several coopers. I was born in 1581 at my parent's home. The old photograph of their home shown above was obviously taken around 300 years after my birth, closer to your birth Charles, but it really has not changed that much since my younger days. Our windows did not have glass of course, and our toilets consisted most of pots that were dumped outside. Anyway, as I mentioned at the beginning of our story, I was only around 6-1/2 years old when my father unexpectedly died in June of 1587.  We do not know this for certain but the bubonic plague was killing many during this time period in England, and considering that my father was only 27 when he died, the plague might very well have been the cause of his early death. If it was the plaque, fortunately my mother and my younger sister and I survived.  What is tragic however, although I do not know that the cause was the plague, was that at least five of my father's siblings, my aunts and uncles, died like my father at a fairly young age in the 1570s and 1580s. It was not all that uncommon during this time period that adults did not survive on the average beyond their late 50s to their mid 60s. My father's early death obviously lowered the average of age of deaths in this period of the late 16th century.

Living next door to our home in Claydon were Felix and Margaret Tredwell Carter and their six children including their daughter Julian Carter who was several years younger than I. She was born in Claydon in December of 1581. We were friends from a young age and not surprisingly we married on the 19th day of November in the year 1604. She was 20 and I was 22. Our marriage of course, was at the St. James the Great Parish Church. Attending the wedding were numerous family members from both sides of our families including my wife's older sister, Elizabeth Carter, who had married my cousin Thomas Boreman back in 1596. Thomas Boreman was the son of my father's older brother and my uncle, William Carter, who also attended our wedding. He was an old man at the time, around the age of 54 and only one of two surviving siblings of my father.

Shortly following our marriage Julian and I decided to move to nearby Banbury where the possibility of my finding a good job as a cooper had a far greater chance for success.  We lived in Banbury for almost fifteen years and during this period we had five children including our son Samuel, who is your 9th great grandfather Charles, who was born on 20 August 1615.  Unfortunately in May of 1619, my father-in-law, Felix Carter, died and Julian convinced me that it was important that we move back to Claydon so that we could care for her mother who was at this point 68 years old and seriously in need of help. We moved back to Claydon and into the Carter home which we soon inherited; Julian's mother died a few years later in 1621; Julian and I had two more children. I died unexpectedly in March of 1640 at the age of 58 and was buried in the graveyard alongside the St. James the Great Parish Church and next to many of my relatives and ancestors.  I, Christopher Boreman, 10th great grandfather of Charles Baker, lived a good life, fairly long by the standards of the early 17th century.  Most of my children were adults at the time of my death, many were married, and my son Samuel who was now 24 years old was living in America. Julian survived me by over twenty years before her death and burial alongside me. We lived a good life but as illustrated by our son Samuel's move to America, times were changing in England and he understood why it was important for him to leave England and his home.

William Fiennes, Viscount Saye-and-Sele

(1582-1662)

It is not surprising that my son Samuel Boreman and probably other members of his family became Puritans and that Samuel eventually emigrated to America in 1638. It has been said that by the early 17th century the name "Banbury" had become synonymous with Puritanism as the inhabitants of the villages of Banbury and Claydon were for the most part Puritans who were strongly opposed to both the Roman Catholic practices of the Church of England as well as the leadership of the current King of England, Charles I (1625-1642). In fact one of the king's strongest opponents was a man by the name of William Fiennes who was the current Viscount Saye and Sele who as we stated earlier was the landowning family of much of the property surrounding Banbury and Claydon including land upon which sat most of the Boreman family homes.  William Fiennes besides opposing Charles I on many issues including his attempts to raise money from landowners to fight a war against France, was also a strong advocate of colonization in America and he devoted a lot of time and money to organizing colonies in various states including a settlement bearing his title name, the Village of Sayebrook (now spelled Saybrook) in Connecticut (see map below). Samuel Boreman, like most everyone in his community, including the leaders of his local church, became an avid Puritan and as a young and highly opinionated man it is not surprising that he like so many others chose to leave England and emigrate to America. Both myself and Samuel's mother Julian cautiously gave our son our approval to leave and wished him luck in the New World.

Location of Wethersfield on Connecticut River

Samuel departed England in the early spring of 1638 and after a long voyage his ship landed in the Boston area in early July. Shortly following his arrival he moved north of Boston to the new community of Ipswich located about 30 miles north. It was here in Ipswich where he expected that he might be granted land plus he knew that his cousin [actually his second cousin] Thomas Boreman and his family had settled there back in 1634 and he knew that they would welcome him at their home while he built his own house.  The early records of Ipswich show that my son and your 9th great grandfather Charles was finally granted land in Ipswich in August of 1639 and within a few years he owned three different parcels and his occupation was listed not surprisingly as a "Cooper."  Apparently Samuel soon realized that his business of manufacturing wooden barrels, casks, buckets, tubs, and other containers was not well suited for the Ipswich area as due to the larger population and numerous farms and the general rocky environment surrounding Ipswich, there was a shortage of available trees and saplings that he could cut down. Furthermore the land that he purchased was quickly becoming void of trees. In 1640, Samuel Boreman made the decision that if he was going to grow his business, he needed to move west into Connecticut where forests were more common and land was available. He therefore  sold his land in the Ipswich area and moved to the new community of Wethersfield located on the Connecticut River about 7 miles south of Hartford, Connecticut.

Mary Bett's name on monument

Samuel's move to Wethersfield ultimately proved to be an excellent decision. First, he met soon after his arrival his future wife, Mary Betts, who was living with her mother Mary Betts, in Hartford.  Mary's mother of course, Charles, was your 10th great grandmother.  She and her husband John Betts had sailed to America around 1634 along with their children but unfortunately John died on the voyage or shortly after their arrival. Mary was at this point forced to begin a new life without her husband. She and her children moved to Hartford in 1636 shortly following its original founding. Apparently the "Widow Betts" did pretty well for herself for she was soon granted by the "courtesy of the town" a great piece of land in Hartford (currently near the intersections of Trumbull and Wells Streets) upon which she operated one of  Hartford's first schools for children. Mary Betts died in 1647 apparently stricken by an "epidemical sickness" and she is now credited by the City of Hartford as being one of the town's original settlers. Her daughter also named Mary Betts, married my son Samuel Boreman shortly after Samuel's arrival in Connecticut in 1641.When they married Mary Betts was only 18 years old and Samuel was 26. I should know this but I cannot remember, but it is written by some that the Betts family was originally from our hometown of Claydon in Oxfordshire. If this is the case, it is possible that Samuel may have known the Betts family in Claydon before they left for America in 1634 although in 1634 Samuel would have been only 19 years old when his future wife Mary was only 11. 

The Cooper Business

Samuel Boreman's life prospered following his marriage and his arrival in Wethersfield. As the population of New England increased so did the demand for barrels and other containers and Samuel's soon to be large cooper business was a huge beneficiary of the demand. The fact that Wethersfield sat on the Connecticut River with access to the Atlantic Ocean plus the fertile soil in the area and the growth of multiple varieties of plants from corn to peas and rye resulted in a huge demand for shipping containers. As his wealth increased so did the amount of land that he purchased or was granted from his town. At one point it is said that he owned upwards of 1,000 acres much of which was covered with trees and even at the time of his death in 1673, he owned around 350 acres. Several of Samuel's larger purchases were from an Indian chief by the name of Warramuggus who was the "Sachem of the Wongunks" tribe that lived in the Wethersfield area. Since Indians at the time were ignorant of the concept of land ownership it is likely that Chief (Sachem) Warramuggus had no idea that he was giving up his tribe's land when he accepted gifts from the local whitemen including Samuel.  It is not surprising therefore, that eventually the Wongunk Indian Tribe completely disappeared, a not to uncommon occurance as the whiteman moved westward in America.

My son Samuel unlike his forbearers, myself included, was very active in his town's affairs.  He was elected for eight years as a Townsman, he was a surveyor of highways, and he served on numerous occasions on various town and church committees. In 1646 he was a Town sealer of weights and measures and in 1659 he was a Customs Master. Furthermore he served fifteen times between years 1642 and 1662 as a juror on the Particular Court or Court of Magistrates and on the Grand Jury in 1660 and again in 1662. And finally and most importantly, he served 18 terms beginning in 1657 as the Representative of the Town of Wethersfield as the Deputy to the Colony of Connecticut. This role of course was a great honor and shows how important my son Samuel was in his community.

Samuel Boreman home in Wethersfield

Between 1642 and 1666, Samuel and Mary had ten children including your 8th great grandfather and their seventh child, Daniel Boreman, who was born at his parent's home on the 4th of August in the year 1658. Like so many of his contemporaries, Samuel died fairly young at the age of only 57 in 1673. The fact that he left no final will and testament when he died, strongly suggests that his death was sudden and unexpected. Fortunately Samuel's wealth left his wife Mary in fairly good shape especially considering that she was still taking care of a large family including her youngest daughter Martha who was only seven when her father died.  Mary died at the age of around 61 in August of 1684.  By this point her children were grown and most of them had married.  Unfortunately two of the sons of Samuel and Mary had died in 1675 during the King Philip's War reflecting that even during this period of New England history wherein the population had grown to around 80,000 people, life was still not easy and peaceful.

Daniel Bordman (noticed that he spelled and signed his name differently than his predecessors) was around 15 years old when his father died and around 26 years old when his mother died, and the fact that he was their seventh child and fourth son probably meant that he inherited very little money and no land.  Despite this fact, he was fortunate to marry the oldest daughter and child of Samuel and Mary Butler Wright, a young girl by the name of Hannah Wright, who was only 17 when she married Daniel on the 8th day of June in 1683. The Wright family like the Boreman family had been early settlers in Wethersfield and undoubtedly the marriage between their daughter and the Boreman's son had been prearranged for some time which was not all that uncommon during this period of history. This would have worked out well for both Daniel and his new wife as the Wright family allowed them to live initially on a lot and home owned by Daniel's new father-in-law and then two years later in 1685, Daniel and Mary were given 25 acres of land by Mary's brother, Samuel Wright Jr., upon which to build a house. Undoubtedly, Daniel worked in his father's cooper business while he was growing up, however at some point he changed his focus to the glazing business which during this period would have consisted of making glasswear as opposed to installing window glass. It is likely during Daniel's lifetime that only the very few wealthy families in Wetherfield owned homes with glass in their windows and the glass if it were used had probably been shipped in from England. Most windows at the time were simply covered with wooden shutters and sometimes a thin and partially transparent fabric on the windows. It is no wonder than most homes during this period were rather dark on the interior.  At least one could drink wine from one of my grandson's glasses and hopefully his business became fairly successful.

Daniel Bordman like many of his close ancestors and descendants lived during a rather tumultuous time in American history for it seemed that there was always a war or battle taking place somewhere not far from home. The King Philip's War fought between 1675 and 1678 was a series of engagements mostly between the Americans and the Indians who were under the leadership of an Indian by the name of Metacomet (who I understand Charles is one of your other great grandfathers.) The subsequent King William's War which took place between 1688 and 1697 was a war initiated by the French and the English but here again it was a series of battles fought primarily between the American and British troops and the Indians who were fighting in support of the French. And finally the Queen Anne's War fought between 1702 and 1713 was also a war between the French and English which also involved the Indians who as always were the big losers. This war was fought primarily in Canada or just south of Canada but American troops including some from Wethersfield were engaged. While there is no evidence that Daniel Bordman fought in any battles during any of these three "Wars," it is highly likely that he was a member of the local militia and it is entirely possible that he may have marched with his militia to some of the possible engagements particularly during the King Philip's War when Daniel was still in his late teens and before he was married. As we previously mentioned, we know that two of Daniel's brothers were actually killed during the King Philip's War in 1675.  Whether or not Daniel actually fought in any battles, the effects of constant wars and the threat of Indian attacks must have had a major impact on everyone in all of the New England communities (including, unfortunately, the Native American Indians themselves). Despite the constant threats facing the citizens of Wethersfield from both Indians attacks as well as epidemics, the population grew from around 500 residents at the time of Daniel's birth in 1658 to around 1,000 by the year of his death in 1724.  On the positive side for Wethersfield following the demise of the Indian population, the farmlands and the village itself spread westward and mills and other commercial buildings were built.

Daniel Bordman was by no means as active in his community as was his father, but he did hold several public offices. He was elected as a selectman, a collector (of taxes), a surveyor, and a member of the school committee as well as a few other minor positions such as a fence viewer (administrator of fence laws and inspector of new fences), sheep master (carer of strayed sheep and other farm animals), etc. Also during the Queen Anne's War in 1704 he was appointed with others to help fortify several homes in Wethersfield as forts as a place to hide in the event of an Indian attack.  Perhaps Daniel's biggest role along with his wife's was their job as parents for between 1684 and 1707 they had 12 children including their second son and my great grandson, Daniel Boardman (Jr.) who was born on the 12th day of July in the year 1687. Daniel (Jr.) was your 7th great grandfather Charles. What is really interesting is that their third daughter Martha who was born in 1695 is also your 7th great grandmother. Both Daniel (Jr.) and Martha are your great grandparents on your mother's side of your family. 

New Milford, Connecticut

Home of the Rev. Daniel Boardman

Not surprising in 1724 a serious epidemic again hit the Wethersfield and Hartford area and Daniel Bordman died along with his youngest son Charles who died on the same day as his father. His older brother Israel died several months later. Israel was married and 27 years old when he died, Charles was only 17, and their father Daniel died at the age of 65.  Apparently Daniel was aware that his life was nearing it's end for shortly before his passing he wrote his Last Will and Testament. His will is kind of interesting and at the same time a little confusing. Daniel Bordman left all of his then living sons land that he owned in the nearby villages of Newington, Litchfield, and New Milford with two exceptions one being your 7th great grandfather Daniel Boardman Jr. In Daniel Jr's case his father left him only "one gunn, in his own possession."  His son Israel who died shortly after his father, he left only a small sum of money and also no land. My first reaction was that Daniel Sr. did not get along with his son Daniel Jr. and that willing him only a gun that Daniel Jr. was already using was his father's way of insulting his son, especially considering that Daniel Jr was his second oldest son. However, after reviewing more about the life of Daniel Jr and realizing that at the time of his father's death, he was a minister at a church in New Milford, Connecticut and he and his family were living at a home that was owned by his church, it is very possible that Daniel Jr. had told his father that he did not want to be willed anything when his father died and that everything should be given to his mother and brothers and sisters. If this is truly the case, Daniel Jr. was a remarkable and generous man.

Hannah Bordman Treat's grave

Daniel Bordman's wife and your 8th great grandmother, Hannah Wright Bordman, was 59 years old when her husband died in 1724. Not surprisingly especially during this time period in history, Hannah remarried shortly after her husband's death. Her new husband's name was James Treat (1666-1742) who like Hannah had recently lost his spouse. Hannah Wright Bordman Treat died in 1746 at the age of 80 outliving both of her husbands and five of her children including her son Daniel Jr. whose story we are about to relate.

First Congregational Church

New Milford, Connecticut

Daniel Boardman (Jr.) is the last of your ancestors Charles to have the surname of Boreman or Bordman or Boardman at least in this line. It is not that uncommon back in history where education was limited that spelling of surnames varied considerably. Daniel was somewhat unique among our many ancestors Charles in that unlike myself and some of my ancestors and descendants, this Daniel Boardman was not a tradesman, not a cooper or a glazier or even a farmer.  In 1709 at the age of 22, Daniel graduated from a college in Saybrook, Connecticut then known as "Collegiate School" that had been established by clergy and been founded back in 1701. The school, following Daniel's graduation, moved to New Haven in 1716 and shortly after changed it's name to Yale College (and many years later to Yale University.)  You must be proud that your 7th great grandfather was one of the very early graduates of Yale. Shortly after graduating Daniel was hired as a teacher at the Hopkins Grammar School in Hadley, Massachusetts where he worked for one season lasting around eight months. Then in 1712 he was hired as a minister by the small village of New Milford in western Connecticut and over the next few years they built him a dwelling home and eventually by 1716 a new church.  Our Daniel Boardman remained as the church minister for many years up until his death on 25 September 1744 at the age of 57. He truly must have been a highly respected man and a skilled administrator of what eventually became a large parish over the almost 28 year period that he was their minister.  The First Congregational Church United Church of Christ celebrated its 300 anniversary in 2016. On the website of the First Congregational Church the following is written about their first minister:
 
    "In 1712, there were twelve families in the "plantation." Mr. Boardman, from Wethersfield, had been called to "preach ye gospel here." In 1713, the town voted to lay out a pastor's lot and dig and stone up a well for Mr. Boardman if he became a settled minister. . . . . The town also voted to pay the minister "one third in grain and two thirds in labor, grain, and pork." They were hard working people, but so poor that Mr. Boardman could not be settled for nearly four years; nevertheless he continued to preach in view of settlement. He was supported by the people as best they could. Finally in 1716, Mr. Boardman was settled, or moved in officially."  The Rev. Daniel was then ordained and served as the minister until his death in 1744.

Gravestone of the Rev. Daniel Boardman

On the 20th day of February in the year 1716, the new Rev. Daniel Boardman married Hannah Wheeler who was possibly from Stratford, Connecticut although I could not verify Hannah's background nor the names of her parents.  Hannah gave birth to a daughter in 1717 whom they named Hannah obviously after her mother. Unfortunately Charles, your 7th great grandmother, Hannah Wheeler Boardman, died unexpectedly in June of 1719. The cause of her death is unknown although it might possibly have occurred while trying to give birth to a second child or more commonly perhaps as a result of a sickness without a cure. During this early period of our country's history, diseases as simple as measles could be deadly. Hannah was only in her early 30s when she died. Not unexpectedly Daniel Boardman remarried within a year following Hannah's death. His new wife was named Jerusha Sherman and like her new husband she too was a widow. Together Jerusha and Daniel had five children, four girls and one boy. Daniel Boardman lived a good life overall and he was a highly respected man within his church as well as within his village of New Milford. He died at the age of only 57 on the 25th of September in 1744 and he was buried alongside his first wife Hannah in the Center Cemetery in New Milford, Connecticut. We have to believe that a large crowd was present at both his church funeral service as well as at his burial.

This Charles is the end of my story about my Boreman ancestors and descendants. Daniel's daughter, Hannah Boardman (1717-1756) married a man by the name of Benjamin Cowles in 1736 and they are your 6th great grandparents. Daniel's sister Martha Boardman married a man by the name of Samuel Churchill and they are both your 7th great grandparents.  Hope you enjoyed the story.

Signed: Christopher Boreman

I would like to thank my 10th great grandfather Christopher Boreman for taking the time out in his boring life in Heaven to write the biographies of my many Boardman ancestors. I cannot promise that he might not have made a few errors in his biographies but overall I think that what he laid out is mostly accurate.  For the record I would like to relate below how my Boardman ancestors tie into our present day family.

6th Great Grandparents: Hannah Boardman and Benjamin Cowles 
                                         (1717-1756)                   (1713-1803)
                                                                 |
5th Great grandparents: Thankful Cowles and Asa Johnson
                                         (1738-?)                      (1735-1791)
                                                                 |
4th Great grandparents: Anna Johnson and Elijah Starkweather
                                        (1775-?)                  (1756-1847)
                                                                 |
3rd Great grandparents: Adaline Starkweather and John J. Yawger
                                        (1818-1849)                    (1817-1895)
                                                                 |
2nd Great grandparents: Elsie Ann Yawger and David S. Coapman
                                         (1844-1918)                 (1844-1910)
                                                                 |
Great grandparents:        Marian E. Coapman and Eugene H. Ferree
                                         (1867-1895)                     (1866-1952)
                                                                 |
Grandparents:                  Florence A. Ferree and Douglas Patterson
                                          (1891-1938)                   (1888-1979)
                                                                 |
My Parents:                            Marian Patterson and Charles Baker
                                          (1916-1973)                 (1916-2000)

and the other line from Daniel's sister:

7th Great Grandparents: Martha Boardman and Samuel Churchill
                                          (1695-1780)                  (1688-1767)
                                                                 |      
6th Great grandparents: Jesse Churchill and Jerusha Gaylord
                                         (1726-1806)             (1731-1769)
                                                                 |
5th Great grandparents:  Martha Churchill  Benajah Boardman**
                                         (1751-1813)            (1749-1813)
                                                                 |
4th Great grandparents: Rebecca M. Boardman and William B. Hall
                                         (1783-1805)                  (1774-1842)
                                                                 |
3rd Great grandparents: Elizabeth Hall and Mosely Hutchinson          
                                         (1801-1877)            (1795-1861)
                                                                  |
2nd Great grandparents: Mary R. Hutchinson and David D. Ferree
                                         (1825-1901)                     (1826-1869)
                                                                  |
Great grandparents:        Eugene H. Ferree and Marian E. Coapman
                                         (See above for rest of line.)  

 **    Benajah Boardman is also in our Boardman family line. He was a great grandson of Daniel Bordman (1658-1725) and Hannah Wright (1665-1746) through their son Israel Boardman, brother of the Rev. Daniel Boardman.