James Stackpole

Male 1652 - 1736  (84 years)


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  • Name James Stackpole 
    Born 1652  Ireland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died 1736  Rollinsford, Strafford Co. NH Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Tradition says that James was taken prisonner on the coast of Ireland when a boy only 14 years old and brought to this country. Stealing young people, transporting them to America and selling them into servitude was common at the time. Many from Ireland and Scotland were forcibly taken from their beds at night by men dressed as English soldiers and compelled to go on board a vessel bound for America. The persons who practiced such a crime were called "Spirits". A royal order was passed against them in 1682. Gov. Simon Bradstreet conjectured in 1680 that there were then living 60 such Irish immigrants and 120 Scots who had been sold as "servants".(1)

      Where and how James Stackpole lived before the year 1680 is not known. In April of that year he is first mentioned in the "Cochecho Province Rate" as taxed two shillings and one penny.(2) In December of the same year he is incidentally mentioned as hauling boards from Thomas Holmes' mill at Salmon Falls to Cochecho Point. In 1681 he was taxed in Dover four shillings and one penny and the following year his tax was eight shillings and two pennies. It was in 1680 that he signed a petition with the inhabitants of Kittery to King Charles II asking for abatement of taxes thus indicating a previous residence in that town.(3) The inventory of the estate of John Bready of Kittery 9 Oct. 1681 included the following: "due from James Stagpoole 22S".(4).

      In 1680 he settled as a squatter in Dover, that part which is now Rollinsford, NH on land that had been granted in 1656 to Joseph Austin. None of the Austin family every lived here. The next lot north had been granted to Henry Tibbetts at the same time. James cleared a portion of both lots and built his house on that of Austin. Perhaps he had been there earlier but, probably his residence had been in upper Kittery now South Berwick previous to that date. On 20 May 1710 he received a deed from Thomas Austin, only son of Joseph Austin, who conveyed to him "for twenty pounds of current money all that tract of land granted to said Joseph Austin in 1656... lying in ye range of lots between St. Alban's Cove and Quamphegan" bounded south-east by the Newichawannock River, north-east by Henry Tibbett's hundred acre lot, north-west by Ralph Twombly's hundred acres and Thomas Hanson's hundred acres and south-west by a highway between this lot and Thomas Kenne's (Canney) hundred acre lot. The lot purchased contained one hundred acres of rich land. That the priced paid was only a nominal one is shown by the fact that only four years later 30 Nov. 1714 he sold forty acres of upland from this lot to William Frost for L120.(5)

      A brook flowed through his farm which is still called Stackpole's Brook as it was in the old deeds. The location of James Stackpole's house is shown in 1709 in the return of the Sligo road laid out that year. Thus we see that James had built a house just north of the creek called Stackpole's Brook some time before the took a deed of the farm from Austin. April 20th, 1743 Samuel Stacpole sold to his nephew Joshua Stackpole a small lot of land five rods by eleven on which stood the house in which James was living in 1709 just north of Stackpole Brook and including a part of the present highway. Just east of it was the Landing Place and a bridge over the brook for the repair of which the town paid in the year 1800 "for plank for Stacpole's Bridge $5.44."

      On this small lot of land lived Joshua as a blacksmith. Here his widow Abigail was living in 1795. It seems that her youngest son Tobias inherited the property and he willed it to his son Ebenezer Stacpole in 1821. Jonathan Whitehouse who married Lucy Stacpole was then living in the house. Ebenezer lived here till about 1830 when he moved the house to St. Alban's Cove and the land was purchased from Tobias Stackpole by Samuel Hale on 10 Jan. 1831. The house was put in its new location in spite of the public protest of Mr. Roberts but, the location seems to be described in a deed from Daniel Goodwin to Aaron Stackpole 26 July 1765, 48 rods of land on the road from St. Alban's cove to Quamphegan, 17 rods from a stone near the brook that empties into the cove. The house is still in good condition and occupied. Originally the main entrance was in the middle of the southern side.(6)

      About the time that the Indians came down on Salmon Falls in 1689 James moved to the other side of the river for protection and for several years kept an "ordinary" or tavern a few rods east of the old cemetery at Great Works on the spot where lived the Rev. John Wade and the Rev. Jeremiah Wise. The Court of Sessions at Yrok 4 July 1693 made the following record: "Lycence is granted to James Stagpole of barwick to sell by retaile beere, Cyder, rum, provision and lodging, he giving ten pounds bond to their Majesties to observe the laws in that case provided." The license was renewed annually up to 1698 and his place was called a "publick house of entertainment". A supply of ardent spirits at such places was the rule without exception. It is true that this as usual led to some disorders and James was complained of and once fined 20 shillings and admonished yet, his license was at the same time renewed. He bought the place where he lived in Berwick parish on 2 Nov. 1696 for £15 and sold it on 22 Nov. 1699 to John Wade, minister. At the later date he is called "James Stackpoll of Dover in New Hampshire, husbandman". The land was 3 1/4 acres, "near the meeting house" bounded on the southeast by the way going from the Great Works to the river, northwest by the burying place "with all the housing, trees, fences and Privileges pertaining thereto." The burying place still is used and is on the hill just south of the Great Works River.(7)

      James Stacpole had grants of land in both Dover and Kittery. "April ye 11 1694. By the committee chosen by the freeholders of ye town of Dover for granting land, given and granted unto James Stagpole his heirs and assigns forever, fifty acres of land above Indigo Hill near Salmon Falls River, not intrenching upon any former grant." This grant was confirmed in town meeting five days later.(8)

      The town records of Kittery declare that 16 July 1702 there were lotted and laid out to James Stagpole Senr 20 acres of land part of a grant made in 1694 to Gilbert Warren. Four acres of it were on the north side of the Great Works River, the rest on the south side extending to the York line, adjoining Warren's land. The land passed into possession of James Jr. and was bequeathed by him to his brother John. On 20 May 1728 John sold it to Gilbert Warren.(9) James Stagpole of Summersworth, yeoman sold to Thomas Wallingsford of Sommersworth, Gent. in May 1728 for £30 the 50 acres of land which had been granted to James Stagpole Jr. 10 May 1703 and which had been given to his father.(10)

      On 23 Feb. 1726 James sold to Nathan Lord of Berwick "a certain grant of land containing fifty acres granted to me at a legal town meeting held at Kittery May the tenth 1703."(11)

      A petition was dated 25 April 1715 by "The Inhabitanes that are Nerer ye New Meten house than ye old Cocheco Pint" asking to be assigned to the new place of worship which was at what is now Dover city. Among the petitioners were "Jeames Stagpool" and "fileon Stagpool". A footnote to the petition as given in the New Hampshire State Papers explains that the petitioners were "nearer ye new Meeting house at Cocheco than to the old on Dover Neck". The new church at Cocheco was erected in 1713 and the inhabitants of Sligo and vicinity were rated there, though it is certain that they often found it more convenient to ford the "Sluiceway" and attend church at the Great Works settlement.(12)

      James and Philip signed a petition 25 April 1729 for a new parish in the north-east part of Dover. The petiton was granted and Somersworth was made a parish 19 Dec. 1730. Rev. James Pike was the first pastor of this church. He died here 19 March 1792 after a pastorage of 65 years. The church records were burned with the parsonage in 1812.(13)

      In his old age James divided his homestead between his sons Philip and Samuel reserving a 3 acre lot of the southeast corner for himself. The deed to Philip was dated 17 Nov. 1732. It conveyed the northern part of his farm, 15 rods wide on the river and varying in breadth "to ye uppermost Corner or point of my land next to ye Meeting house... Excepting al ye old Apple trees yt I sot formerly which I do reserve dureing ye life of me & my wife for our own use." The lot contained 16 acres.(14)

      On 20 April 1734 James, for "paternal love & affection", conveyed the southern part of his farm, 50 acres, to his son Samuel extending from the river towards the meeting house and bounded on the south by land of Thomas Hobbs with buildings thereon, "Excepting & Reserveing unto my Self out of ye premises ye House wherein I now live & ye land whereon it Stands & to extend from Ye House towards Capt. Wallingfords house by ye River & ye little field before my Dore adjoining to Thomas Hobbs land Being in al about two or three acres be it more or less & lying on ye South & South westerly side of ye Road yt leads from Thos Hobbss House to ye Gutter Behinde my own House", providing also that James and his wife Margaret should have half the produce of the land conveyed during their lives including "half of ye Syder yt may be made".(15)

      James died in 1736 as shown by the inventory of his estate made by Nathaniel Perkins and Thomas Wallingford 12 Aug. 1736. Administration was granted to his son John of Biddeford 14 July 1737.(16)

      In his old age James lived down by the river near the wading place which was at the head of Little Johns Falls opposite Chadbourne's mill. The spot is easily found by the bricks which the frost brings to the surface. It is probable that here he built a cabin before the year 1680 and that he returned to it in his declining years leaving the house north of the brook to his son Samuel. Five pounds was all the old shack was worth. His widow Margaret had the use of it till her death and then the house and three acres passed into the possession of Thomas Wallingford. The price paid for it was £120.(17)

      The cemetery on the hill is the spot where rest four generations of the Stackpole family. There are good reasons for believing that the following persons were buried here: James and his wife Margaret (Warren), Samuel Stacpole who died in 1758, Philip Stacpole and wife Mercy (Thompson), Joshua Stacpole and wives Lucy (Baker) and Abigail (Hobbs), James Stacpole and wife Elizabeth (Pierce), Stephen Stacpole and first wife Esther (Warren), Philip Stacpole Jr. and wife Elizabeth (Tibbetts), and Anne (Grey) wife of William Stacpole.(18)

      REFERENCES

      History and Genealogy of the Stackpole Family- Everett S. Stackpole, p.55, p.57, pp.58-67; p.71.

      Collection of the New Hampshire Historical Society- Vol. VIII, p.16; Vol. IV, p.511.

      Mass. Archives- Vol.III, p.288.

      York Deeds- Vol. V, pt I, fol. 14; Vol. 31, p.100.

      New Hampshire Probate Records- Vol. 14, p.284.

      Genealogical Dictionary of Maine & New Hampshire- p.654
      N.E.H.G.R.- Vol. 19, pp.55-6.

      Collection of the Maine Historical Society- Vol.IV, p.511.
    Person ID I12947  Master File
    Last Modified 22 Apr 2012 

    Family Margaret WARREN,   b. 1656, Kittery, York Co. ME Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 1749, Dover, Stafford Co. NH Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 93 years) 
    Children 
     1. James Stackpole, Jr.
     2. John Stackpole,   b. 1680, York Co. ME Find all individuals with events at this location
     3. Catherine Stackpole
     4. William Stackpole
     5. Margaret Stackpole
     6. Philip Stackpole
     7. Honor Stackpole
     8. Samuel Stackpole
    Last Modified 22 Apr 2012 
    Family ID F7377  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart