Tuesday, May 20, 2014

52 Ancestors: #20 Edward Skillings (1711-1779)



Edward Skillings, my sixth great grandfather, was born on this date in 1711, in either Scarborough or Kittery, Maine, the second of five children born to Josiah Skillings and Elizabeth Lydston, and their second son. His older brother John had died at age 10, and his youngest two siblings both died so young there is no record of their names. His sister Elizabeth lived to adulthood, married twice, and had a large family.

Edward married Sarah Mills (some sources say Miller) in Scarborough or Kittery, Maine, on March 23, 1731/2. It is recorded in the records of Scarborough's Congregational Church. Sarah was born December 25, 1712, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the daughter of Benjamin Mills and Lydia Fernald.

Edward and Sarah lived in Scarborough and attended the First Congregational Church there.



In December of his marriage year, Edward was given a deed of land by his mother's second husband, Roger Deering, consisting of 100 acres of land in Scarborough, 1/6 of 1/2 of a sawmill on the Nonesuch River, and 1/6 of 1/2 of the stream.

Photo credit: Doug Kerr / Creative Commons


Edward and Sarah had 13 children, three of whom they named Josiah:

Elizabeth, b. 1733
Josiah, b. 1734; d. 1745
Lydia, b. 1736
Sarah, b.1738
John, b.1740
Catherine, b.1743
Josiah, b.1745; d. 1747
Simeon, b. 1747
Mark, b. 1750
Josiah (twin), b. 1752
Benjamin (twin), b. 1752
Rebecca, b. 1754
Edward, Jr., b.1756

Edward died in Scarborough on November 3, 1779 of smallpox, at 68 years of age. Although it is unknown when Sarah passed away, both Edward and Sarah were buried in what is known as a "lost cemetery," on Pig Knoll, on a crest alongside Running Hill Road. 


Photo credit:

U.S. History Images

Scarborough, Maine
[CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Sources:

 Davis Walter Goodwin, Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis, 3 volumes. (Baltimore, MD, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1996), 2:605-606.

Descendants of Thomas and Deborah (?) Skillings of Cumberland Co, Maine (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~arlene/Skillings/sources.htm#f418b)

Find-a-Grave memorials for Edward and Sarah (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gsr&GScid=2368981)

Libby, Charles Thornton. The Libby Family in America, 1602-1881 (Portland, B. Thurston and Co., 1881), p. 97.

Sargent, William M., Esq, "Records of the First Congregational Church in Scarborough, Maine," Maine Historical and Genealogical Recorder multiple (Baptisms: 2:162; 3:8-12; Marriages: 2:83-90; 144-150; 238-243).

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This is the 20th in a series, “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks,” coordinated by Amy Johnson Crow at No Story Too Small.

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2 comments:

  1. UnknownOctober 7, 2014 at 2:32 PM

    Edward and Sarah were my 8th great grandparents through their daughter Sarah marriage to Allison Libby. Nice to know how at least one died and where they are buried.

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    1. Pam Seavey SchaffnerOctober 7, 2014 at 5:05 PM

      Juanita, Allison Libby and Sarah Skilling are my fifth great grandparents. We should probably compare notes! Email me if you would like to. pgsoap@gmail.com

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