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| The Blinn Family of Maine | |||||||||||||||||||
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The Blinn Family arrived in the Woolwich, Maine area in the early mid 1700s. The first to come was James Blinn, who we believe arrived as a teenager and worked on the Harnden farm. (There supposedly was a document in my family with this information, but was lost in a fire when my grandfather was a boy, Jef) Samuel Harnden was a propietor of Nequasset Township and built a blockhouse in 1742, the home of the Harndens for fifty years. James Blenn signed the petition in 1754 to make Woolwich its own township, so he had to have arrived in the 1740's. All of the Blinns in this area of Maine, to my knowledge, are descended from him. For many years up until the mid 1800s, the family used a variety of spellings for their name. The most common was Blenn; but Blen, Blynn as well as the current Blinn were also found. James Blinn was a great-grandson of Peter Blinn, who first came to America in the 1670's and settled in Wethersfield, CT. His grandfather, also James, moved to Boston MA where his father William and he himself were born. We do not know what prompted him to move down east. There are several legends around that James was a foundling and given the name Blinn, this is not the case. The family spread into the neighboring townships; like Bath, Wiscasset, Pittston and particularly Dresden, where they gave their name to Blinn Corner and Blinn's Hill. Euphia Blinn theorizes that the split was due to the Revolutionary War as Woolwich was originally mostly pro independence while Dresden was mostly loyalist. I think that the split was more mundane, an issue of land, as Dresden was newer than Woolwich and it seemed to be easier to get land up the river. As we do not have a precise date for the family going to Dresden we may never know the reason, but contacts continued between the two branches for awhile as some younger members of the family spread up there too. I have had to divide up the original "Blinns of Maine" page as it was getting too much information on it. The split of the information into a Dresden, Maine and Woolwich, Maine page is very arbitrary as the family spread all over the area as well as mixing generations back and forth. It is just more convienient to divide the information along a geographical line as information in books seems to center in this fashion as the Blinn family was not so famous and most of the book references are from histories of small localities rather than huge general reference books covering larger geographical areas.The information on these pages is far from complete and if anyone notices mistakes or has anything to add, please contact me. My own direct ancestors' names are colored burgandy. |
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| Blinn Genealogy | |||||||||||||||||||
Generation 1 James Blinn, born 14 Feb 1725 in Boston MA died 13 Nov 1813 in Woolwich ME. He married 01 Jan 1751 in Woolwich to Jane Gilmore, born abt 1731 died 30 Oct 1799 in Woolwich. Some sources say that Jane was the daughter of David Gilmore, but I am unsure as another Jane, daughter of David, lived in Woolwich and was married to John Carlton, the accused Tory, and they could not be the same woman. David Gilmore came with his three year old son from Limerick Ireland in 1735 and was soon followed by his family. To my knowledge there was only the one Gilmore family in Woolwich at the time so they are probably related, but I don't know how yet. Most likely our Jane was the daughter of the first David and the other Jane was a niece, daughter of son David, but of course this is just speculation until I can find out for sure. James was chosen as fence viewer for Georgetown in 1758. He also served two months in Boothbay in 1776 during the Revolutionary War. Children of James and Jane: Ann, Harrison, James, Lydia, Mary, David, Theophilus, Charles, Francis, and an unnamed baby. Descendants of James are underlined. |
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| For an ancestral tree of James Blinn of Woolwich click here | |||||||||||||||||||
James Blinn of Woolwich Will In The Name of God Amen. I, James Blen of Woolwich, County of Lincoln, State of Massachusetts, Yeoman. Do make & declare this my last will & testament revoking all others. -------- Impirmis [cant read the word clearly], All my debts & funeral charges to be spedily paid by my Executor, after named. Item. I give & bequeath to my Beloved Son James Blen four dollars-------- Item. I give & bequeath to my Beloved Son Charles Blen a good milch cow.----- Item. I give & bequeath to my Beloved Son Theophilus Blen Sixty four Dollars--- Item. I give & bequeath to my Beloved Son Harrison Blen four Dollars--- Item. I give & bequeath to my other four Beloved Children, vis, David Blen, Francis Blen, Ann Ryan, & Lydia Preble all the rest & residue of my estate real & personal not disposed of in maner aforesaid, in whatever consisting & wheresoever lying, equaly to be divided between the four, David, Francis, Ann & Lydia, according to quantity & quality. Lastly, I constitute & appoint Samuel Preble, my Son in law, who married my Daughter Lydia, Executor of this my Will & Testament. In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand & seal this twentythird day of June one thousand eight hundred James (?) Blen [initial illegible] Signed & Sealed in my presense Galen Otis Samuel Trott J Winship [Rev Josiah Winship] |
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| I have a photocopy of this will. I believe that the original of this document is at the Woolwich Historical Society | |||||||||||||||||||
excerpt from a letter by Jane Blinn of AZ James Blinn, son of William and Elizabeth Blin, born in Boston, Mass. Feb 14, 1725 and shows that he died in Woolwich , Maine age 88 yrs on Jamuary 20, 1813 or November 13, 1813. Married January 1, 1750 or 1751 to Jane Gilmore, dau. of David Gilmore. His marriage intentions published Feb. 1, 1751. One book says he not [sic] buried in cemetery but might be buried on his farm. From the book The Blen Family, by Rev. Henry O. Thayer it says "Family tradition has given James, first of the name in Woolwich an undefined relationship with the Harnden family, a foundling or infant adopted, or a child or youth brought up. His reported age at death will fix death about 1724-5 and hence not in W if then associated with the Harnden family rather in Wilmington. He is first noted in Captain Sam Harnden's employ in 1748 in labor on Lynde's land" James Blen chosen fence viewer of Georgetown, 1758 James Blin shows as 2 months at Boothbay 1776 service Records of Woolwich 3/4/1760 at Paines, a road from M. H. to Jonathan Carlton request of James Blin 1765 if a road from the road and down Fepes neck to road leaves from James Blins to M.H. If a road from Sam Greenleafs to country road from Mr. Gould to M.H. road from John Farrums to James Blin. 1790 pg 110 road from Chop bridge to E.I. ne. Woolwich near James Blinns. 1805 pg 242 road from Gould to Blin to Lee and Hedge mills and to Chop Creek. Lincoln probate records, page 137, May 30,1786, Vol 3, 101 inventory of James Blin of Woolwich. James Blin, Reg. soldier has archives on Sec. coast service of Capt. Davis and Co. 1762, 1765, census Woolwich, Maine is James Blin 1800 there is a copy of a Will. (As a side note to this letter, my grandfather, James Elmore Blinn, said he remembered a document in the family that tied James to the Harndens, but unfortunately this was lost in a fire which destoyed thier home on Arrowsic when he was a child. Jef) |
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Generation 2 (James and Jane) 1. Ann Blinn, see the Woolwich page. 2. James Blinn, see the Woolwich page. 3. Lydia Blinn, see the Woolwich page. 4. Mary Blinn, see the Woolwich page. 5. David Blinn, see the Dresden page. 6. Theophilus Blinn, see the Descendants of Theophilus page. 7. Charles Blinn, see the Woolwich page. 8. Francis Blinn, see the Dresden page. 9. Harrison Blinn, see the Dresden page. |
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Everyone on these pages is grouped according to which child of James and Jane they are descended from. I tried to order them by name and age. I hope this is not too confusing |
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| Go to Blinns of Woolwich, Blinns of Dresden, or Descendants of Theophilus. | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Sep 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||
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| blinn records that I havent fit in yet: Van Buren Blinn died 28 Oct 1893 in Dresden ME married Margaret H Lowell in 1865 children: Percival H, Maurice L, Marion A marriages Eliza Blen married 7 Feb 1867 in Dresden ME to Henry Coker Marble war records Regiment 4TH Maine Infantry Company Company "G" Last Name Blinn First Name Bradford MI H. Age 20 Rank Private Residence Wiscasset M/S S Mustered into Service March 10, 1862 Date of Rank Remarks Missing in action at the battle of Gettysburg (Listed as a recipient of the Remarks Kearney Cross - B.P.T.) |
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| Blinn, Bradford H of WISCASSET ME married OLIVER, CLEMENTINE R. of WISCASSET 21 Apr 1864 in Wiscasset | |||||||||||||||||||