WEST

The origin of the West name in our family in traced to Francis West (1606-1692), a carpenter who settled in Duxbury, Plymouth Colony by about 1638. Several theories have been proposed about his family roots in England, but none of these theories have good support. So, he is a mystery.

In February 1639/40, Francis married Margery Reeves (1608- ca1672) at Duxbury. Margery’s parents are not known at this time. As was recounted in one of the ancestor stories, Francis and Margery were sentenced to sit in the stocks for “incontinence before marriage” as their oldest child was born a little too soon after the marriage. Francis and Margery had five children; our ancestor is the youngest child, Peter (1648-1721). Peter West married Patience (last name unknown). We have lines of descent through two of the children of Peter and Patience, Elisha (1693-1738) and Margery (1678-1725). Elisha West married Mary Bearse; Mary Bearse was the great granddaughter of John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley, both Mayflower passengers.

Both of these lines of descent ultimately come together with James H. West (1804-1882). James married Hannah Mc’Intire whose parentage is likely from a Scottish line, but that has not been pinned down. James is the author of the infamous letter in which he attempts to make amends for all his sins. This letter was written to his children on Christmas Eve, 1881. Here are some excerpts from the letter.

I was born prone to evil as the sparks to fly upwards, and instead of seeking the Lord in the days of my youth, I followed my own evil inclinations and tried many ways and years to build up some earthly resting place for my own poor starving soul, and in my sin-blinded ignorance I blamed others and neglected myself and the evil spirits led me to many sins which produced great suffering,but the Lord in infinite mercy visited me and caused me to seek him with my whole soul and then through the scriptures of truth he made himself known unto me and has led me out of many evils and blessed me both temporally and spiritually for which I rejoice in his goodness and mercy and desire to lead all mankind to him, the only fountain of life and happiness. (Not only was he a sinner, he wrote run-on sentences.)

My great predominant evils were sensuality, indolence, unkindness to erring ones, blaming others, and neglecting my own evils which became numerous and large and looking to the evils of others, did not cure theirs or mine, but gave mine a chance to grow until they almost ruined my soul. . . (He never says exactly what he did; use your imagination. It sounds like he cheated on his wife and beat his kids.)

He then goes on (and on) exhorting his children to follow the path of righteousness as he is now so understanding of this and has managed to redeem himself.

This letter turns out not to have been a dying declaration as he lived until 1890. During that time, he seems to have made amends with at least one of his children as he wrote a codicil to his will making special mention of his daughter Sarah and her family for kindness to him.

James West and Hannah Mc'Intire had eight children who lived to fairly advanced ages. Here are a couple of oddities. James’s wife Hannah died in 1875. In 1877, at age 73, James married Melinda Mc’Intire Tucker Herring. Melinda was the younger sister of Hannah and she had been twice widowed. From her first marriage to Lorenzo Tucker, she had a son George Tucker born in 1839. It is odd enough that James married his sister-in-law, but there is one thing odder than that.

James and Hannah West had a daughter Hannah Maria West born in 1827. She first married Russell Higgins and was widowed. In 1876, she married George Tucker the son of Melinda Mc’Intire Tucker Herring who was not only her first cousin – he was sort of a step-brother. I do not know what became of that marriage. Hannah Maria was about 49 and George was about 36 so the first cousin thing did not really matter as they were not going to have children. However, in the later records she reverted to her prior marriage name and is called Hannah Higgins, widow, in her death record and this is the name used when her father’s will was probated. I have not found out what happened to George Tucker.

A little more trivia – James West had two sons who served in the Civil War and both of them were wounded, although survived and lived fairly long lives.

James West’s daughter Mary, who is our direct ancestor, was married to William Knowles. William died in the Civil War as did one of his brothers. Mary appears to have had an illegitimate child; that son was born 14 months after William died, but William is listed as the father on the birth record. That son does not seem to have survived early childhood. Mary died of cirrhosis of the liver.