An Enthusiastic Welcome to All Problem Solvers

The people and information on this site have been selected because they represent our family's most significant Genealogy Brick Walls. While only two of our problem families are represented at this time, additional puzzles are planned and should be available soon. It is our hope that by making our research available in this way, we may find cousins and other genealogists who are researching these same individuals and collaborate our efforts.

Who were these people...?

If you know anything that may help us chip through these bricks, please click here to contact me! Corrections of all kinds are also welcome.

John Bolton and Zilpah Peirce, Boston, Massachusetts, 1803

John Bolton and Zilpah Peirce were married in Boston in Feb 1803 and had one daughter, Elizabeth Everett Bolton, born in Boston in May 1806. Our family has been searching for three generations to identify who these Bolton ancestors actually were. After years of frustrating hit-and-miss attempts, about five years ago we decided to methodically research and eliminate, one-by-one, the members of every Bolton family we identified to have been living in Massachusetts during the targeted time period. To keep them all straight, we gave the most likely John Bolton candidates identifying names and also grouped the families by their primary counties of residence. The project was completed this year, and only one family and, thankfully, only one John Bolton, remained probable. Unless we find any conflicting documentation to the contrary, we have decided to "claim" the candidate we have called "John Bolton (the Uncle) of Bridgewater" as our Ancestor.

John Bolton (the Uncle) of Bridgewater, 1756-1819

John Bolton (the Uncle) of Bridgewater was born there in 1756, the only son of John Bolton and Elizabeth Hayward. As a young man he enlisted in the Continental Army and served in the Revolutionary War until its end in 1781. In 1797, after just a few months of marriage and no children, he divorced his first wife, Betsy Denny, very publicly in the Boston newspapers. He married Zilpah Peirce almost six years later and they had one daughter, Elizabeth Everett Bolton, in 1806. Zilpah died when Elizabeth was two years old and John's health and finances went steadily downhill. He died in Boston in 1819.

It would be lovely to say that our Bolton Brick Wall has been fully destroyed. However... as so often happens, with one problem solved, others present themselves. Our next Bolton tasks, in addition to trying to identify Zilpah Peirce's family, will be to determine the accurate parentage of both of John's parents, John Bolton and Elizabeth Hayward.

John Bolton "Jr." and Elizabeth Hayward, Bridgewater, Massachusetts, 1751

John Bolton "Jr." (c1726- ) and Elizabeth Hayward (c1726-1801) were married in Bridgewater in 1751 and had four children. Their third child, and only son, John Bolton was born in Feb 1756.

While it appears probable that John "Jr." was the grandson of John Bolton (1660-1722) and Sarah Chesebrough (1663-1729), and therefore the great grandson of Nicholas Boulton (c1600-1683) the Immigrant, the parentage of John Bolton "Jr.", born circa 1726 has not yet been determined.

John Bolton (1660-1722) and Sarah (Chesebrough) Bolton (1663-1729) had eleven children, six of them sons. The only son we have been able to eliminate from consideration at this point in our research is the eldest, John Bolton (1686-1755) who, according to land records, his will and the division of his estate, had five daughters and no sons. The remaining five brothers and therefore possible fathers, in order of birth are Samuel Bolton (1688- ), Nicholas Bolton (1695- ), Elisha Bolton (1700-1777), Joseph Bolton (1704- ) and Nathaniel Bolton (1706-1770).

Although he was identified as "John Bolton Jr." in the record of his marriage to Elizabeth Hayward, it is believed that the title of "Junior" was used only as a means of distinguishing him from his older uncle, Ensign John Bolton , of Bridgewater. Unfortunately, the parentage of Elizabeth (Hayward) Bolton (c1726-1801) is also uncertain and an issue we are working to solve.

It's very exciting to think that we have probably found our elusive Ancestor, John Bolton. We have to laugh, though, if we were thinking that identifying him would have actually meant the solving of our Bolton Brick Wall. Without even pausing for breath, we have begun the hunt for not only his Bolton Grandparents, but his Hayward Grandparents as well.

Our Bolton People

What began as our Bolton Brick Wall project, with John Bolton (the Ancestor) and Zilpah Peirce as our only two "problem" people, has grown to include John's parents, John Bolton "Jr." and Elizabeth Hayward, and the search to identify their parents. The first link below lists all the known people who were a part of John and Zilpah's lives in Boston and the second link lists their descendants, descendant families and associates. The third link lists the known descendants, descendant families and associates of Nicholas Boulton, the Immigrant. Nicholas is the earliest known ancestor of most of the Boltons of Plymouth and Bristol Counties and his list includes our own small group of Bolton Ancestors. Among the descendant families and associates, ancestors of some individuals may also appear, and by necessity, there is duplication of some of the people between lists.

The Five "John Bolton" Primary Candidates

Our research included twenty-one John Boltons who resided in Massachusetts during the time period we identified as probable, their families and associates. All but five of the Johns were eliminated relatively quickly for a variety of reasons, and the remaining five were then researched thoroughly enough to determine sufficient evidence to eliminate them (or not) from further consideration.

We gave each of these five candidates a descriptive name in order to keep them straight as we pieced together their lives. The first two of this group to be researched and eliminated were John Bolton of Vermont and John Bolton of Lowell. The final three, John Bolton (the Nephew) of Bridgewater, John Bolton of Berkley and John Bolton (the Uncle) of Bridgewater were more difficult to eliminate, until finally, the Uncle of Bridgewater was the only one left.

Other Bolton Families in Massachusetts

In order to organize the several other Bolton families we found in Massachusetts during the same time period, we attempted to group them on the lists linked below by their primary County locations. In doing this, we have kept family lines together, even though various members and/or generations of the family, may have originated from or moved to other locations.

Our Bolton Family

Come inside using the link below for the full story...

CONNECTED -- Walter Hinds and Walter Hinds, County Cavan, Ireland

Yes! It's True... Our "Missing Link has been Found -- and his Name is Walter Hinds!

Walter Hinds of the 1800s was our ancestor and he was the primary subject of our Hinds Family research. Neither Walter nor Hinds appeared to have been common names in County Cavan in the 1700s or early 1800s. So when we identified a second Walter Hinds, this one of the 1700s, it just seemed unreasonable to ignore the possibility that these two Walters were very likely related.

Walter Thomas Hinds of the 1800s

Our Ancestor Walter Hinds of County Cavan, Ireland, was born about 1798. His parents and siblings were a mystery. He married Margaret Charters, probably around 1840, and they had eight children: John Hinds, James Hinds, Robert Hinds, Bella Hinds, Fanny Hinds, Henry Hinds, Edward Hinds and Richard Hinds We learned from our research that Walter was identified most often, probably to distinguish him from his relatives with the same name, as Walter Thomas Hinds.

Walter Hinds of the 1700s

Three wills were found in Dublin at the National Archives of Ireland that introduced us to the earlier, 1700s, Walter Hinds, his brother, John Hinds, and Walter's eldest son, Ralph Hinds, all of County Cavan, Ireland. Through the wills we learned of several additional Walter Hinds family members.

A Tale of Two -- Now Three -- Walters Connected

We can now shout to the rooftops that through Memorial Deeds and other land records, our two Walters have been connected -- with yet another Walter Hinds! Come inside using the link below for the full story...

Preview of Coming Attractions

One of the aspects of genealogy that makes it so rewarding is the never-ending supply of "Brick Walls" we run into. Chipping through the bricks, and solving the puzzles, even when the solutions present more puzzles, is a joy! This website has given us the opportunity to share our problem people and to compare and discuss our information with others. We're excited about the answers we've already found -- and our cousins and new friends, too! We have additional puzzles we plan to share, and some that are currently in various stages of development include:

John Richard Watts and Jane Fleming, London, England, 1828

Jane Fleming married John Richard Watts, an officer in the East India Company, in Apr 1828 at St. Dunstan, Stepney, London. She was his second wife and the mother of all but his first son. John's parents were listed on his birth record as "John" and "Sarah" and he may have had a sister named "Mary Ann", but no further information is known about who his family was. Nothing at all is known about Jane's parents, birth or life before her marriage.

Francis West (c1605-1692) of Duxbury, Massachusetts

What was the relationship between the Francis West who appeared in Duxbury, Plymouth County, Massachusetts in the 1630s and the Captain Francis West who arrived in Jamestown, Virginia in 1608? Many sources have noted that they were the same man, or that Francis of Duxbury was a descendant of Francis of Jamestown. Just as many, however, have reported that there was no relationship between the two men at all. Inquiring minds want to know...

Thomas Brown(e) (c 1760-1817) in England and Wales

Thomas Brown(e), born c 1760, was likely the son of Henry and Mary Browne of Abbots Bromley, Staffordshire, England. He married, first, Jane Flemming of that village in 1789, immigrated to Monmouthshire, Wales, and married, second, Jane Williams in 1798 after his first wife's death. Some of his descendants immigrated to Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1847.

John (Primus) Conger (c 1640-1712) of Woodbridge, New Jersey

Researchers, for years, have been trying to learn about the early life of John Conger. His name simply appeared in the marriage records of Newbury, Massachusetts, when he married Mary Kelly in Apr 1666. His country of origin has never been learned, although it is believed by some Conger researchers that his surname was originally "Belconger". Other variations of the Conger name have also been suggested over the years. John and Mary Conger relocated to Woodbridge, New Jersey before 1669. The produced a total of nine children and a very long line of descendants.

Jonathan Arnold (1758-1838) in NY, CT and PA

Who was Jonathan Arnold's first wife and the mother of his first four sons? Jonathan was born in Oct 1758 in Aquebogue, Suffolk County, New York. While still a teenager, he served first for New York and then Connecticut in the Revolutionary War and later appeared on the Census of 1790 in Warwick, Orange County, New York. He brought his four sons, David, Shubel, Thomas and Heman into his marriage in 1798 with Mary (Polly) Lester, and they had seven more children. They lived in Wayne County, Pennsylvania. Whom, where and when did Jonathan marry first?

Content and Accuracy

The site is a work in progress, built from ongoing research which, by its nature, is incomplete. Where secondary sources have been used, attempts have been made (or are being made) to locate a primary source or original document to verify or disprove the secondary source information. In most cases, erroneous information that had originally been included, and then proven to be incorrect has been identified and explained. In some instances, however, false information was deleted entirely. These deletions occurred primarily in the very beginning of the research process - before it was learned that "bad" information, with verification and source citations, could be a valuable tool in future research. All opinions expressed and conclusions drawn are those of this researcher unless attributed to another source.