Prudence Adams is my 5th
great-grandmother. According to my great-grandmother's
records, Prudence was born on July 29, 1741. My great-grandmother
also recorded that Prudence married Lancelot Larkham in 1763.
Lancelot and Prudence's first six children were born in
Richmond, Rhode Island between 1767 and 1774. These births
are recorded in Richmond town records and in The
Vital Record of Rhode Island. Since Lancelot
served an apprenticeship in Richmond from 1749 until he left
to fight in the Old French and Indian War in 1760, my best
guess is that Prudence was probably from Richmond, and most
likely a member of the Adams family of Rhode Island who
descends from the Scotsman, James Adams, who emigrated to
Lynn, Massachusetts*. Since much of the
information on the Adams family of Rhode Island is incomplete,
I haven't been able to prove Prudence's parentage, and can
only speculate on her probable ancestry (see below).
Prudence and Lancelot Larkham had the
following children:
- John Larkham, born on March 18, 1767
in Richmond, Rhode Island; married Desire
Morgan [daughter of Ebenezer and Desire (Branch)
Morgan] on February 6, 1785 in Voluntown, Connecticut;
died after 1850 in Carlisle, Schoharie County, New
York. John died prior to 1819, because in his will,
Lancelot referred to John as deceased.
- Thomas Larkham, born March 15, 1768
in Richmond, Rhode Island; married Sarah
Crandall [daughter of John and Kezia (Shaw)
Crandall] on November 25 1790 in Voluntown,
Connecticut; died on December 18, 1821 in Hartford,
Washington County, New York.
- Sarah Larkham, born on May 15 1769
in Richmond, Rhode Island, married Benjamin
Colegrove [son of Benjamin and Sarah (Colegrove)
Colegrove] on March 1, 1789 in Voluntown, Connecticut;
died probably in Brookfield, Madison County, New York.
- Joseph Larkham, born on September 19,
1770 in Richmond, Rhode Island. I have found no other
record of Joseph Larkham, and he wasn't named in
Lancelot's will, so I assume he died very young.
- Prudence Larkham, born on August 24
1772 in Richmond, Rhode Island; married William
Himes; died probably in Berlin, Rensselaer
County, Rhode Island.
- Lot Larkham, Jr.,
born March 14, 1774 in Richmond, Rhode Island;
married Elizabeth Kennedy [daughter
of Daniel and Lucretia (Whipple) Kennedy] on April 28,
1796 in Voluntown, Connecticut; married Olive Gorton
on November 28, 1816 in Voluntown,
Connecticut; married Sarah Ann Phillips
on April 6, 1835 in Voluntown, Connecticut; died May
22, 1847 in Voluntown, Connecticut.
- Patience Larkham, born November 17,
1779 in Voluntown, Connecticut; married John
Witter [son of John and Tacy (Porter) Witter]
about 1799. They moved to Brookfield, Madison County,
New York, but she probably died in a place further
West.
In
1779, just before the birth of their seventh child, Patience,
Lancelot and Prudence moved to Voluntown, Connecticut. It was
here that they established a farm and lived out the remainder
of their lives.
Prudence and Lancelot were Baptists, and are recorded on the
membership lists of the First General Baptist of Richmond in
1770 and the North Kingston Six Principle Baptist Church in
1784 and 1786.
On
October 21 1799, Prudence Adams Larkham died in Voluntown.
She was 59 years old. All of her children had married and
left home by this date.
Postscript: Prudence's
middle name may have been Maria. I have a cross-stitched
bookmark that reads, "Maria Adamf" (with an old-fashioned
s). I have no idea who else this could have belonged to.
* I suspect that Prudence (Adams) Larkham
may be a daughter of John & Patience (Hall) Adams of
Richmond Rhode Island. Information on the family of this
couple is very incomplete, however my speculation is based on
several facts:
1) A daughter of John & Patience (Hall) Adams was
Patience Adams, who married Thomas Webster on November 17,
1765 in Richmond, Washington County, R.I. (Vital Record of
Rhode Island, Vol. 5, p. 1). Patience and Prudence have the
same maiden name (Adams) and Patience and Thomas' marriage
date (1765) was close to Prudence & Lancelot's (1763);
2) Prudence's husband, Lancelot Larkham, was apprenticed to
Margaret (Webster) Enos. Margaret's father, John Webster,
witnessed Lancelot's apprenticeship contract. Thomas Webster
was the nephew of Margaret Webster and the grandson of John
Webster. Thomas Webster married Patience Adams (see #1 above).
3) Lancelot & Prudence were listed as members of the
First General Baptist Church of Richmond (Vital Record of
Rhode Island, Vol. 11, p. 406). Thomas and Patience (Adams)
Webster were also members of this church and have the exact
same dates of membership as Lancelot and Prudence.
4) Lancelot & Prudence named their eldest son John and
their youngest daughter Patience. Lancelot & Prudence's
daughter, Sarah named all of her children according to
traditional naming patterns. Her youngest daughter, who
should have been named for a grandmother, was named Patience.
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