The Family Historian

Frank H. Rathbun, editor, is offering hard copies of the

Historian. A set is 64 issues and he will sell them for $200.00 which includes

mailing.

Contact Frank at:rathb@aol.com

or call (703)-278-8512

nnn

Check Out Our New Web Page !

 Cousin Jesse Rathbun of Florida has designed a new web page for our family. 

Go to: http://www.therathbunrathbonerathburnintlfamilyassoc.org/Thank you Jesse for the hard work you did in designing our new wonderful web page!

We are so blessed to have family

members John & Mary Bowen as our reunion co-

ordinators for

the 2011 reunion, as they

have experience in setting up

pastreunions in

our nation’s capitol.

They have just announced our dates of reconnection as July 1-6, 2011 in Washington D. C. at the

Double Tree Hilton, Crystal City,

Arlington VA.

Terrific summer hotel rates, free in-

out parking , easy access via metro, train and airport

should encourage all

cousins to participate in this special reunion.

Share this info with all members of your

family. See attachments

to this email for details about the reunion and

a poster for your local genealogy

library or historical society. Or have them contact Maureen at:

rathbunregister@yahoo.com to register for info or updates.

z Acronyms zIn an effort to make life easier and more readable when using

our family association name, we will henceforth be called, “RRRIFR”

RRRIFR REUNION DATES ANNOUNCED

R A T H B U N ~ R A T H B U R N ~ R A T H B O N E I N T E R N A T I O N A L F A M I L Y R E U N I O N

THE RATHBUN REGISTER2 0 1 0 E D I T I O N

V O L 1 I S S U E 2

Our RRRIFR Board President & Wife

A NOTE FROM ROB

Rathbone Genealogy by John. C. Cooley was published by Press of the Courier Job Print, Syracuse NY in 1898. The author, John Clark Cooley the son of Robert and Electra Williams (Rathbun) Cooley was born in Oswego, New York on 04 Nov 1819, and died there 05 Sep 1903.

There is a short section at the end of his book called Errata. (13 pages) In this section, the most current date was June 7, 1901. A second add i t ion was la te r published about 1901. There was no index to this orginal book. In 1966-Margaret Dale published an index.

I n 1 9 8 7 , " H i g g i n s o n " b o o k company sold copies of the original with the Dale 1966 index. Frank H. Rathbun wrote the preface to this edition in January 1987.

Frank's purpose in writing the Family Historian was to publish the early generations of the family to cor rect and add to the information by Cooley. He used Cooley's book on the family as his starting point. Frank wanted to write a readable Historian and he felt footnoting for references would only make the Historian unreadable and too long and expensive.

Robert Boehm RathbunRRRIFR. Genealogist

Bowling Green, Kentucky

Jerry L. and Susan D. Rathbun of Fort Wayne, Indiana

Before moving back to Indiana we lived in Arlington VA, and worked in Washington DC. We have one daughter and one grandson and in June will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.

Sue retired from the retail field after 30 years, her last position was Assistant Store Manager for L.S.Ayres, now Macy's. She operated her own Child Day Care Center for several years.

I spent 2 years on active duty with the U.S. Army following college as a Senior Instructor at the Engineering School at Fort Belvoir, VA. I retired from defense contractor, The MagnavoxElectronic Systems Company, now part of Raytheon, after 25 years as an Engineering Services

Manager.

We enjoy spending time with family, working in the yard and garden, and cruising theCaribbean. The last few years it has been a pleasure for both of us to work with and associate

with our Rathbun, Rathbone, Rathburn cousins.

English LineageUPDATING OUR HISTORY

  For many years, family historians have accepted Cooley's version of the family's earliest generations.  However, by the 1940's many found that they could not prove what Cooley had stated in his genealogy.  A great deal of research was done, most by Frank H. Rathbun of Fairfax, Virginia.   He established the current thinking on the early records of the family as in his publication; The Rathbun Rathbone Rathburn Family Historian. It was generated from 1981 to 1996.

The English lineage of John Rathbun, the immigrant is the following: 1 ) William Rathbone was born about 1538, in Ditton, Prescott, County Lancashire, England.  The name of his first wife and the mother of Thomas, his son, is unknown. William was buried as "William Rathbone of Ditton" on 8 June 1587. 2) Thomas Rathbone, son of William, was baptized

28 December 1566, at Farnworth Chapel, Prescott, County Lancashire, England and died there 7 November 1623.  He married Grace Coppowe, the daughter of John Coppowe on 13 October 1588, at Farnworth Chapel. Thomas was named for a brother who had died young.

3) Thomas Rathbone, the son of Thomas and Grace (Coppowe) Rathbone, was the shoemaker of Hough Green, and the father of John Rathbun, the immigrant. He was baptized 9 January 1595/96, at Farnworth Chapel, Prescott, County Lancashire. He died February 1653/54 in Ditton, County Lancashire, England.  He had married a

widow, Mrs. Alice Chidwell, at Farnworth Chapel on 13 April 1616.OUR IMMIGRANT ANCESTOR, JOHN

1.  JOHN1 RATHBUN was born 08 Mar 1629/30 in Prescott Parrish, County Lancashire, England, and died Bef. 06 Oct 1702 in New Shoreham, Newport, Rhode Island.  He married MARGARET ACRES abt. 1654 in County Lancashire, England. She was the daughter of THOMAS ACRES and MARGERY HOUGHTON.  She was born Sep 1633 in Prescott Parrish, County Lancashire, England, and died Aft. 15 Sep 1716 in New Shoreham, Newport, Rhode Island. Notes for JOHN RATHBUN:

He was the second son, and the third child of Thomas and Alice Rathbone. Thomas, his father, was the shoemaker in the hamlet of Hough Green in Ditton Township, about two miles from Farnworth Chapel.  When Thomas died, his estate inventory mentioned a shop containing "shoes, leather and things belonging to a shoemaker."  His will men-tioned his "new house" and a "garden and stock-yard" and "two cows, one heifer, one little calf and one mare." The inventory also included a corn cart, a vegetable cart, a plow, plow parts, a harrow and extra wheels and rims.  His total assets were 29 pounds shillings and two pence. The family was Anglican. Johnʼs father, Thomas had a family of six children. He married in the area to Margaret Acres, the daughter of Thomas Acres, a neighbor of the Rathbones. It would appear that after being left a small sum of money from his father's estate in 1654, he left (continued on pg. 4 ->

ENGLISH LINEAGE (CONTINUED FROM PG. 3)

England with his bride and settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts where others from County Lancashire had settled.  His name first appeared in the American records when he was listed among 12 Massachusetts men who met at the Roxbury home of Dr. John Alcock to consider the purchase of Block Island. It was a small island twelve miles off the coast of Rhode Island. In 1658, the possession of Block Island was transferred from the Colony of Massachusetts to private individuals with its sale to Richard Bellingham, Daniel Dennison, John Endicott and William Hawthorne.  They in turn made the last transfer of land as a whole to the company of twelve men who met at Dr. Alcock's. A second meeting in 1661 was held where the number of individuals had grown to sixteen. Only seven of the sixteen actually moved to the island. The others were only investors.  Drawings were held to assign each of the proprietors a "great lot" in both the northern and southern sections of the land.  John, less affluent than some of the others pooled his funds with Edward Vorse, another native of County Lancashire and bought half shares. Their land in the southern section lay along the southeastern coast and their land in the north consisted of “a lot”. Totally, they had 420 acres. Years later it was discovered that a mistake was made in the original survey. In 1671, the lawyers for the estate of Dr. Alcock granted John Rathbun an additional 60 acres "what land shall be found wantinge...in some convenient place in the commonland". "John Williams Acquits John Rathbon ......John Williams  Attorney to John Green Attorney to the Guardians of the Children of the Late Mr John Alcock of Roxbury...And as An Executor to the Estate..by marrying Eldest Daughter of the sd Alcock. doe Acquitt..John Rathbon..from the payment of thirty pounds which hath been Recived

Eleven pounds five shillings of the sd Alcock...And the Rest by Thomas Terry & myselfe..is in full payment of Atwo And thirtieth part of Block Island And twelve Acres & Ahalfe of Land which was to be Deducted out of the two And thirtieth part..Above sd which..John Rathbon bought of my father Mr John Alcock..as by an Account upon the block Island book of Accounts 5th day of June 1672. Wit John WilliamsEmanull WoolleyJohn  X Guniellhis markeNew shoram Octobr  10th 1682John Gunniell Attested to the Above  Jeames Sands  Simon Ray"

He was given land near the center of the island stretching from near where the center of town is today to the ocean east of town.  In October of 1680, he made his last payment of his share of the original purchase. According to the New Shoreham town books, a barque was built to transport the cattle to the island.  A shallop was built by Samuel Deering and Simon Ray who no doubt charged the others for the transportation to the island.  The families met in Taunton for the trip to New Shoreham in April 1661. John was listed as a freeman of New Shoreham in 1664.  He re-presented New Shoreham in the Rhode Island General Assembly for five years.  In 1685, he was a member of the Crown Party that supported King James' order vacating the Rhode Island colonial charter.  He signed with his mark "JR".  That same year, King James was overthrown during the Glorious Revolution and the Crown Party was out of favor in Rhode Island. It appears that during his political career he kept a (Continued on pg. 5

ENGLISH LINEAGE (CONTINUED FROM PG. 4)

home on the mainland in Newport.  In 1674, he was living in Hammersmith, a section of Newport.He returned to Block Island about 1685.  In 1702, he was listed as a proprietor of the town wharf in Newport.

Block Island was invaded by a French privateer in July of 1698.  The invaders asked some of the islanders which persons had money and they directed them to John Rathbun.  At the Rathbun home, the invaders seized John, Jr. who they tied, stripped to the waist and whipped.

John's will dated February 12, 1702 at Block Island described him as a "yeoman". Although listed of Block Island, the inventory of his estate indicates he considered Newport his principal home. He conducted some sort of business there as his will referred to a "shop" there.   His will was probated October 16, 1702.  He named his wife, Margaret; sons John, William, Joseph, Samuel and Thomas; daughters Sarah, Margaret and Elizabeth and grandchildren: John, son of John and John, son of William. The will was witnessed by James Welch and Roger Dickens (Book 1 Page 285). His widow Margaret survived him at least fourteen years, as in March of 1716 it was stated “as widow and relict of John Rathbun, deceased" she made a deposition on Block Island regarding properties. John was baptized in the Anglican Church in England.  He may have been a Quaker in Newport as his son's birth is registered in Quaker records there.He was a slave owner as he left a slave to his son, Thomas, at his death. (contributed by Rob Rathbun)An interesting online site for The Parish of Farnworth near Prescott:http://www.la-opc.org.u/Farnworth-near-Prescot/index.html

Cheshire in relationship to the UK

OUR LEGAL ADVISOR

Peter Rathbun who some of you met at the 2009 Rathbun Family Reunion, andwho has donated his professional time in helping the new family organization with legal matters will be leaving Fort Wayne soon. He will be returning to his previous position as General Counsel of the American Bible Society in New York City. He plans to keep in touch with the family and will still be available as an advisor. We will hope to see him and his wife Peggy in Washington DC at our reunion in 2011.

St. Luke’s Parish of Farnworth in Widnes.

Editor: Maureen Lewnes, RRRIFR Secretary