[From "The History of Gilbert Brooks," by Jan P. Mongoven in 2010.]
Jabez Brooks was born May 13, 1700, at Woburn, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of the eight children of Jabez Brooks and Hepzibah Cutter. He left home by 1724, heading southwest toward the Connecticut River Valley. In his 1904 NEHG Register article, William Cutter wrote that Jabez “probably went to Connecticut.” Indeed, he had. Along with others from the increasingly crowded Massachusetts Bay area – including his younger brother, Samuel Brooks – the ambitious weaver settled among the gentle hills along the western bank of the Connecticut River at Middletown in Hartford (later Middlesex) County.
During the winter of 1724/25, Jabez began accumulating land around what is known as the South Farms portion of Middletown. The Brooks property at Hunting Hill in South Farms was a short distance from where the great river bends and narrows below Middletown.
In 2003, Ramona L. Curtis transcribed some local land records describing our ancestors’ transactions. These aid us in identifying the location of their home. From volume 3, page 495 of the record book: “January 29, 1724/5, Daniel Harris to Jabez Brooks, South Farms. Daniel Harris of Middletown, Hartford Co., Colony of Connecticut, New England, Yeoman, to Jabez Brooks of Woburne, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts Bay Province in New England, aforesaid Weaver, for £100, 18 acres of land scittuate lying and being in a place commonly called the South Farms in Middletown, being butted and bounded North on lands in the possession of Isaac Johnson, West on a highway, South on lands in the possession of Daniel Johnson, East on a highway, be the same more or less together with all and singular the said 18 acres of land with profits, etc. in my own proper right of a good sure and indefeasible [the person who inherits the property has the right to sell or transfer it] estate of inheritance.” It should be noted that the Johnson, Harris, and Brooks families were all related by marriage.
From volume 3, page 539: “August 28, 1725, William Whitmore to Jabez Brooks, Hunting Hill. I, William Whitmore of Middletown, Hartford Co., Connecticut Colony, in New England, Yeoman, for 60 pounds to be paid by Jabez Brooks of Middletown, Weaver, once certain parcel of land within the township of Middletown on the West Side of the Connecticut River, South from the town plot at a place called Hunting Hill, containing 10 acres, which is bounded East own my own land, West on comon [sic] land, North on John Williams’ land and South on common land or a highway.”
Jabez was a weaver by trade, in line with a family tradition set down by his paternal great-grandfather, clothier Henry Brooks of Woburn. In Middletown on April 4, 1728, Jabez married Ann Wickham. They had a son, Jabez III, who during the Revolutionary War served as Captain Jabez Brooks under the command of General Comfort Sage. But 28-year-old Ann died October 23, 1729. She was laid to rest in Old Farm Hill Cemetery, sometimes called Old South Farms Cemetery, a short distance from her home at Hunting Hill.
On April 13, 1732, Jabez married Abigail Johnson, the daughter of Daniel Johnson and Abigail Leek. Abigail was born December 8, 1707, at Middletown. Her father, Daniel, was a grandson of Captain Isaac Johnson, who arrived at New England with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. Jabez and Abigail had seven children: Ann, Abigail, Daniel, Hepzibah, Samuel Brooks (married Sibil Johnson), Ruhama, and Timothy.
Having remarried, Jabez acquired still more Middletown properties. One deed from volume 6, pages 281 and 282 read: “November 16, 1736, Daniel Johnson to Abigail Brooks, W. side Conn. River. I, Daniel Johnson Senior, or Middletown in the county of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut in New England, for the consideration of the paternal love and affection which I have for my Daughter Abigail the wife of Jabez Brooks of the same Middletown, do give 3 acres and fifty-two rods of land on the west side of the Connecticut River in Middletown near the dwelling house of the said Jabez Brooks..”
The Brooks family belonged to the First Church of Christ – later, the First Congregational Church – at Middletown, according to church record abstracts found on Ancestry.com.
Abigail Johnson Brooks was only 44 when she died, on August 31, 1752. Jabez buried her next to his first wife, Ann, in Old Farm Hill Cemetery. On February 16, 1758, Jabez took Rebecca Eaton Goodwin, the widow of Nathaniel Goodwin, as his third wife. They had no children but remained married until his death, nearly 36 years later.
Jabez Brooks is listed as head of household in the First Census of the United States, taken at Middletown in 1790. Actually, three men named Jabez Brooks lived in Middletown that year, and each is listed as a head-of-household. Jabez was 90, his son, Capt. Jabez Brooks (called Jabez Brooks Jr. in Middletown), was 61, and his son, Jabez, was 34. In the census, “Jabez Brooks” has one male over age 16 and three females in his household. A “Jabez Brooks Junr” has two males over 16 and two females in his home. Timothy and Samuel Brooks, two elderly sons of 90-year-old Jabez, are also shown on the Middletown census.
Jabez Brooks died at Middletown at 94, on September 19, 1794. He, of course, was buried at Old Farm Hill Cemetery near his old home. A lovely brownstone marker is inscribed: “In Memory of Mr Jabez Brooks, who died Septr 1794, in the 95th Year of his Age.” It should be noted that an inscription with “in the 95th year of his age” meant that the person would turn 95 at their next birthday. His widow, Rebecca, died at Middletown on January 28, 1801.
Find A Grave contributor MSue adds: Woburn, MA: Vital Records to 1873 p. 823 (NEHGS online database) BROOKS, Jabez, s. of Jabez and Hephzibah, May 13, 1700 birth record. CT NUTMEGGER_V36_191: Jabez was the son of Jabez and Hepzibah (Cutter) Brooks of Woburn, MA. Jabez had m (1) 4 Apr 1732 [sic: 1728] Anne Wickham who died 31 Oct 1729; (2) 13 Apr 1732 Abigail Johnson who died 31 Aug 1752; (3) 16 Feb 1758 at Middletown Rebecca (Eaton) (Goodwin). He had 8 children, 1 by Anne and 7 by Abigail, none with Rebecca. He d. 17 Sep 1794 and Rebecca d. 28 bur 30 Jan 1801 at Middletown.
Find A Grave contributor Irma adds: Jabez Brooks married Ann Wickham on April 4, 1728 (NOT 1732). Barbour vital records, volume 1 page 38.
Jabez Brooks was born May 13, 1700, at Woburn, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of the eight children of Jabez Brooks and Hepzibah Cutter. He left home by 1724, heading southwest toward the Connecticut River Valley. In his 1904 NEHG Register article, William Cutter wrote that Jabez “probably went to Connecticut.” Indeed, he had. Along with others from the increasingly crowded Massachusetts Bay area – including his younger brother, Samuel Brooks – the ambitious weaver settled among the gentle hills along the western bank of the Connecticut River at Middletown in Hartford (later Middlesex) County.
During the winter of 1724/25, Jabez began accumulating land around what is known as the South Farms portion of Middletown. The Brooks property at Hunting Hill in South Farms was a short distance from where the great river bends and narrows below Middletown.
In 2003, Ramona L. Curtis transcribed some local land records describing our ancestors’ transactions. These aid us in identifying the location of their home. From volume 3, page 495 of the record book: “January 29, 1724/5, Daniel Harris to Jabez Brooks, South Farms. Daniel Harris of Middletown, Hartford Co., Colony of Connecticut, New England, Yeoman, to Jabez Brooks of Woburne, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts Bay Province in New England, aforesaid Weaver, for £100, 18 acres of land scittuate lying and being in a place commonly called the South Farms in Middletown, being butted and bounded North on lands in the possession of Isaac Johnson, West on a highway, South on lands in the possession of Daniel Johnson, East on a highway, be the same more or less together with all and singular the said 18 acres of land with profits, etc. in my own proper right of a good sure and indefeasible [the person who inherits the property has the right to sell or transfer it] estate of inheritance.” It should be noted that the Johnson, Harris, and Brooks families were all related by marriage.
From volume 3, page 539: “August 28, 1725, William Whitmore to Jabez Brooks, Hunting Hill. I, William Whitmore of Middletown, Hartford Co., Connecticut Colony, in New England, Yeoman, for 60 pounds to be paid by Jabez Brooks of Middletown, Weaver, once certain parcel of land within the township of Middletown on the West Side of the Connecticut River, South from the town plot at a place called Hunting Hill, containing 10 acres, which is bounded East own my own land, West on comon [sic] land, North on John Williams’ land and South on common land or a highway.”
Jabez was a weaver by trade, in line with a family tradition set down by his paternal great-grandfather, clothier Henry Brooks of Woburn. In Middletown on April 4, 1728, Jabez married Ann Wickham. They had a son, Jabez III, who during the Revolutionary War served as Captain Jabez Brooks under the command of General Comfort Sage. But 28-year-old Ann died October 23, 1729. She was laid to rest in Old Farm Hill Cemetery, sometimes called Old South Farms Cemetery, a short distance from her home at Hunting Hill.
On April 13, 1732, Jabez married Abigail Johnson, the daughter of Daniel Johnson and Abigail Leek. Abigail was born December 8, 1707, at Middletown. Her father, Daniel, was a grandson of Captain Isaac Johnson, who arrived at New England with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. Jabez and Abigail had seven children: Ann, Abigail, Daniel, Hepzibah, Samuel Brooks (married Sibil Johnson), Ruhama, and Timothy.
Having remarried, Jabez acquired still more Middletown properties. One deed from volume 6, pages 281 and 282 read: “November 16, 1736, Daniel Johnson to Abigail Brooks, W. side Conn. River. I, Daniel Johnson Senior, or Middletown in the county of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut in New England, for the consideration of the paternal love and affection which I have for my Daughter Abigail the wife of Jabez Brooks of the same Middletown, do give 3 acres and fifty-two rods of land on the west side of the Connecticut River in Middletown near the dwelling house of the said Jabez Brooks..”
The Brooks family belonged to the First Church of Christ – later, the First Congregational Church – at Middletown, according to church record abstracts found on Ancestry.com.
Abigail Johnson Brooks was only 44 when she died, on August 31, 1752. Jabez buried her next to his first wife, Ann, in Old Farm Hill Cemetery. On February 16, 1758, Jabez took Rebecca Eaton Goodwin, the widow of Nathaniel Goodwin, as his third wife. They had no children but remained married until his death, nearly 36 years later.
Jabez Brooks is listed as head of household in the First Census of the United States, taken at Middletown in 1790. Actually, three men named Jabez Brooks lived in Middletown that year, and each is listed as a head-of-household. Jabez was 90, his son, Capt. Jabez Brooks (called Jabez Brooks Jr. in Middletown), was 61, and his son, Jabez, was 34. In the census, “Jabez Brooks” has one male over age 16 and three females in his household. A “Jabez Brooks Junr” has two males over 16 and two females in his home. Timothy and Samuel Brooks, two elderly sons of 90-year-old Jabez, are also shown on the Middletown census.
Jabez Brooks died at Middletown at 94, on September 19, 1794. He, of course, was buried at Old Farm Hill Cemetery near his old home. A lovely brownstone marker is inscribed: “In Memory of Mr Jabez Brooks, who died Septr 1794, in the 95th Year of his Age.” It should be noted that an inscription with “in the 95th year of his age” meant that the person would turn 95 at their next birthday. His widow, Rebecca, died at Middletown on January 28, 1801.
Find A Grave contributor MSue adds: Woburn, MA: Vital Records to 1873 p. 823 (NEHGS online database) BROOKS, Jabez, s. of Jabez and Hephzibah, May 13, 1700 birth record. CT NUTMEGGER_V36_191: Jabez was the son of Jabez and Hepzibah (Cutter) Brooks of Woburn, MA. Jabez had m (1) 4 Apr 1732 [sic: 1728] Anne Wickham who died 31 Oct 1729; (2) 13 Apr 1732 Abigail Johnson who died 31 Aug 1752; (3) 16 Feb 1758 at Middletown Rebecca (Eaton) (Goodwin). He had 8 children, 1 by Anne and 7 by Abigail, none with Rebecca. He d. 17 Sep 1794 and Rebecca d. 28 bur 30 Jan 1801 at Middletown.
Find A Grave contributor Irma adds: Jabez Brooks married Ann Wickham on April 4, 1728 (NOT 1732). Barbour vital records, volume 1 page 38.
[From "The History of Gilbert Brooks," by Jan P. Mongoven in 2010.]
Jabez Brooks was born May 13, 1700, at Woburn, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of the eight children of Jabez Brooks and Hepzibah Cutter. He left home by 1724, heading southwest toward the Connecticut River Valley. In his 1904 NEHG Register article, William Cutter wrote that Jabez “probably went to Connecticut.” Indeed, he had. Along with others from the increasingly crowded Massachusetts Bay area – including his younger brother, Samuel Brooks – the ambitious weaver settled among the gentle hills along the western bank of the Connecticut River at Middletown in Hartford (later Middlesex) County.
During the winter of 1724/25, Jabez began accumulating land around what is known as the South Farms portion of Middletown. The Brooks property at Hunting Hill in South Farms was a short distance from where the great river bends and narrows below Middletown.
In 2003, Ramona L. Curtis transcribed some local land records describing our ancestors’ transactions. These aid us in identifying the location of their home. From volume 3, page 495 of the record book: “January 29, 1724/5, Daniel Harris to Jabez Brooks, South Farms. Daniel Harris of Middletown, Hartford Co., Colony of Connecticut, New England, Yeoman, to Jabez Brooks of Woburne, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts Bay Province in New England, aforesaid Weaver, for £100, 18 acres of land scittuate lying and being in a place commonly called the South Farms in Middletown, being butted and bounded North on lands in the possession of Isaac Johnson, West on a highway, South on lands in the possession of Daniel Johnson, East on a highway, be the same more or less together with all and singular the said 18 acres of land with profits, etc. in my own proper right of a good sure and indefeasible [the person who inherits the property has the right to sell or transfer it] estate of inheritance.” It should be noted that the Johnson, Harris, and Brooks families were all related by marriage.
From volume 3, page 539: “August 28, 1725, William Whitmore to Jabez Brooks, Hunting Hill. I, William Whitmore of Middletown, Hartford Co., Connecticut Colony, in New England, Yeoman, for 60 pounds to be paid by Jabez Brooks of Middletown, Weaver, once certain parcel of land within the township of Middletown on the West Side of the Connecticut River, South from the town plot at a place called Hunting Hill, containing 10 acres, which is bounded East own my own land, West on comon [sic] land, North on John Williams’ land and South on common land or a highway.”
Jabez was a weaver by trade, in line with a family tradition set down by his paternal great-grandfather, clothier Henry Brooks of Woburn. In Middletown on April 4, 1728, Jabez married Ann Wickham. They had a son, Jabez III, who during the Revolutionary War served as Captain Jabez Brooks under the command of General Comfort Sage. But 28-year-old Ann died October 23, 1729. She was laid to rest in Old Farm Hill Cemetery, sometimes called Old South Farms Cemetery, a short distance from her home at Hunting Hill.
On April 13, 1732, Jabez married Abigail Johnson, the daughter of Daniel Johnson and Abigail Leek. Abigail was born December 8, 1707, at Middletown. Her father, Daniel, was a grandson of Captain Isaac Johnson, who arrived at New England with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. Jabez and Abigail had seven children: Ann, Abigail, Daniel, Hepzibah, Samuel Brooks (married Sibil Johnson), Ruhama, and Timothy.
Having remarried, Jabez acquired still more Middletown properties. One deed from volume 6, pages 281 and 282 read: “November 16, 1736, Daniel Johnson to Abigail Brooks, W. side Conn. River. I, Daniel Johnson Senior, or Middletown in the county of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut in New England, for the consideration of the paternal love and affection which I have for my Daughter Abigail the wife of Jabez Brooks of the same Middletown, do give 3 acres and fifty-two rods of land on the west side of the Connecticut River in Middletown near the dwelling house of the said Jabez Brooks..”
The Brooks family belonged to the First Church of Christ – later, the First Congregational Church – at Middletown, according to church record abstracts found on Ancestry.com.
Abigail Johnson Brooks was only 44 when she died, on August 31, 1752. Jabez buried her next to his first wife, Ann, in Old Farm Hill Cemetery. On February 16, 1758, Jabez took Rebecca Eaton Goodwin, the widow of Nathaniel Goodwin, as his third wife. They had no children but remained married until his death, nearly 36 years later.
Jabez Brooks is listed as head of household in the First Census of the United States, taken at Middletown in 1790. Actually, three men named Jabez Brooks lived in Middletown that year, and each is listed as a head-of-household. Jabez was 90, his son, Capt. Jabez Brooks (called Jabez Brooks Jr. in Middletown), was 61, and his son, Jabez, was 34. In the census, “Jabez Brooks” has one male over age 16 and three females in his household. A “Jabez Brooks Junr” has two males over 16 and two females in his home. Timothy and Samuel Brooks, two elderly sons of 90-year-old Jabez, are also shown on the Middletown census.
Jabez Brooks died at Middletown at 94, on September 19, 1794. He, of course, was buried at Old Farm Hill Cemetery near his old home. A lovely brownstone marker is inscribed: “In Memory of Mr Jabez Brooks, who died Septr 1794, in the 95th Year of his Age.” It should be noted that an inscription with “in the 95th year of his age” meant that the person would turn 95 at their next birthday. His widow, Rebecca, died at Middletown on January 28, 1801.
Find A Grave contributor MSue adds: Woburn, MA: Vital Records to 1873 p. 823 (NEHGS online database) BROOKS, Jabez, s. of Jabez and Hephzibah, May 13, 1700 birth record. CT NUTMEGGER_V36_191: Jabez was the son of Jabez and Hepzibah (Cutter) Brooks of Woburn, MA. Jabez had m (1) 4 Apr 1732 [sic: 1728] Anne Wickham who died 31 Oct 1729; (2) 13 Apr 1732 Abigail Johnson who died 31 Aug 1752; (3) 16 Feb 1758 at Middletown Rebecca (Eaton) (Goodwin). He had 8 children, 1 by Anne and 7 by Abigail, none with Rebecca. He d. 17 Sep 1794 and Rebecca d. 28 bur 30 Jan 1801 at Middletown.
Find A Grave contributor Irma adds: Jabez Brooks married Ann Wickham on April 4, 1728 (NOT 1732). Barbour vital records, volume 1 page 38.
Jabez Brooks was born May 13, 1700, at Woburn, Massachusetts. He was the eldest of the eight children of Jabez Brooks and Hepzibah Cutter. He left home by 1724, heading southwest toward the Connecticut River Valley. In his 1904 NEHG Register article, William Cutter wrote that Jabez “probably went to Connecticut.” Indeed, he had. Along with others from the increasingly crowded Massachusetts Bay area – including his younger brother, Samuel Brooks – the ambitious weaver settled among the gentle hills along the western bank of the Connecticut River at Middletown in Hartford (later Middlesex) County.
During the winter of 1724/25, Jabez began accumulating land around what is known as the South Farms portion of Middletown. The Brooks property at Hunting Hill in South Farms was a short distance from where the great river bends and narrows below Middletown.
In 2003, Ramona L. Curtis transcribed some local land records describing our ancestors’ transactions. These aid us in identifying the location of their home. From volume 3, page 495 of the record book: “January 29, 1724/5, Daniel Harris to Jabez Brooks, South Farms. Daniel Harris of Middletown, Hartford Co., Colony of Connecticut, New England, Yeoman, to Jabez Brooks of Woburne, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts Bay Province in New England, aforesaid Weaver, for £100, 18 acres of land scittuate lying and being in a place commonly called the South Farms in Middletown, being butted and bounded North on lands in the possession of Isaac Johnson, West on a highway, South on lands in the possession of Daniel Johnson, East on a highway, be the same more or less together with all and singular the said 18 acres of land with profits, etc. in my own proper right of a good sure and indefeasible [the person who inherits the property has the right to sell or transfer it] estate of inheritance.” It should be noted that the Johnson, Harris, and Brooks families were all related by marriage.
From volume 3, page 539: “August 28, 1725, William Whitmore to Jabez Brooks, Hunting Hill. I, William Whitmore of Middletown, Hartford Co., Connecticut Colony, in New England, Yeoman, for 60 pounds to be paid by Jabez Brooks of Middletown, Weaver, once certain parcel of land within the township of Middletown on the West Side of the Connecticut River, South from the town plot at a place called Hunting Hill, containing 10 acres, which is bounded East own my own land, West on comon [sic] land, North on John Williams’ land and South on common land or a highway.”
Jabez was a weaver by trade, in line with a family tradition set down by his paternal great-grandfather, clothier Henry Brooks of Woburn. In Middletown on April 4, 1728, Jabez married Ann Wickham. They had a son, Jabez III, who during the Revolutionary War served as Captain Jabez Brooks under the command of General Comfort Sage. But 28-year-old Ann died October 23, 1729. She was laid to rest in Old Farm Hill Cemetery, sometimes called Old South Farms Cemetery, a short distance from her home at Hunting Hill.
On April 13, 1732, Jabez married Abigail Johnson, the daughter of Daniel Johnson and Abigail Leek. Abigail was born December 8, 1707, at Middletown. Her father, Daniel, was a grandson of Captain Isaac Johnson, who arrived at New England with the Winthrop Fleet in 1630. Jabez and Abigail had seven children: Ann, Abigail, Daniel, Hepzibah, Samuel Brooks (married Sibil Johnson), Ruhama, and Timothy.
Having remarried, Jabez acquired still more Middletown properties. One deed from volume 6, pages 281 and 282 read: “November 16, 1736, Daniel Johnson to Abigail Brooks, W. side Conn. River. I, Daniel Johnson Senior, or Middletown in the county of Hartford and Colony of Connecticut in New England, for the consideration of the paternal love and affection which I have for my Daughter Abigail the wife of Jabez Brooks of the same Middletown, do give 3 acres and fifty-two rods of land on the west side of the Connecticut River in Middletown near the dwelling house of the said Jabez Brooks..”
The Brooks family belonged to the First Church of Christ – later, the First Congregational Church – at Middletown, according to church record abstracts found on Ancestry.com.
Abigail Johnson Brooks was only 44 when she died, on August 31, 1752. Jabez buried her next to his first wife, Ann, in Old Farm Hill Cemetery. On February 16, 1758, Jabez took Rebecca Eaton Goodwin, the widow of Nathaniel Goodwin, as his third wife. They had no children but remained married until his death, nearly 36 years later.
Jabez Brooks is listed as head of household in the First Census of the United States, taken at Middletown in 1790. Actually, three men named Jabez Brooks lived in Middletown that year, and each is listed as a head-of-household. Jabez was 90, his son, Capt. Jabez Brooks (called Jabez Brooks Jr. in Middletown), was 61, and his son, Jabez, was 34. In the census, “Jabez Brooks” has one male over age 16 and three females in his household. A “Jabez Brooks Junr” has two males over 16 and two females in his home. Timothy and Samuel Brooks, two elderly sons of 90-year-old Jabez, are also shown on the Middletown census.
Jabez Brooks died at Middletown at 94, on September 19, 1794. He, of course, was buried at Old Farm Hill Cemetery near his old home. A lovely brownstone marker is inscribed: “In Memory of Mr Jabez Brooks, who died Septr 1794, in the 95th Year of his Age.” It should be noted that an inscription with “in the 95th year of his age” meant that the person would turn 95 at their next birthday. His widow, Rebecca, died at Middletown on January 28, 1801.
Find A Grave contributor MSue adds: Woburn, MA: Vital Records to 1873 p. 823 (NEHGS online database) BROOKS, Jabez, s. of Jabez and Hephzibah, May 13, 1700 birth record. CT NUTMEGGER_V36_191: Jabez was the son of Jabez and Hepzibah (Cutter) Brooks of Woburn, MA. Jabez had m (1) 4 Apr 1732 [sic: 1728] Anne Wickham who died 31 Oct 1729; (2) 13 Apr 1732 Abigail Johnson who died 31 Aug 1752; (3) 16 Feb 1758 at Middletown Rebecca (Eaton) (Goodwin). He had 8 children, 1 by Anne and 7 by Abigail, none with Rebecca. He d. 17 Sep 1794 and Rebecca d. 28 bur 30 Jan 1801 at Middletown.
Find A Grave contributor Irma adds: Jabez Brooks married Ann Wickham on April 4, 1728 (NOT 1732). Barbour vital records, volume 1 page 38.
Gravesite Details
95 years.
