Macomber Genealogy

Macomber

   Macomber is Scottish in origin. The family was first found in Perthshire where they were seated from very ancient times. McComber is an Anglicized form of a Gaelic name, probably Mac Ciaragáin (‘descendant of Ciaragán’), a personal name based on a diminutive of ciar (‘black’, ‘dark’), but erroneously identified with cíor (‘comb’). However, the Irish evidence is for Ó Ciaragáin, not Mac Ciaragáin, so the Mac prefix is surprising.
   The Coat of Arms is gold with a red lion rampant and a red stripe across the top of the shield. The Crest is a rampant mountain cat. The Family Motto is "Touch not the cat bot a glove" (translated: "Don't touch the cat without a glove").
   Our lineage to this family can be traced to JOHN MACOMBER, who was born in 1585 in Bridgeport, St. Mary's, Dorsetshire, England. On June eighth, 1607, he married EDITH LOCKE in St. Mary's, Bridgeport, Dorset, England. Edith died on May 10, 1636, and is buried at St. Mary's, in Dorsetshire, along with her husband, who died on the sixth of July, 1650. But they had a lot of children first...

CHILDREN OF JOHN MACOMBER AND EDITH LOCKE

THOMAS MACOMBER b: 12 Sep 1608. No further information.

WILLIAM MACOMBER b: @ 25 Mar 1610. Christened at Bridgeport, St. Mary's, Dorsetshire, England. Family listed below.

ZEPORAH MACOMBER b: 11 Nov 1611. No further information.

JOHN MACOMBER b: 26 Oct 1613. Record from "Aug. 20, 1644, William Maycumber of Duxborrow(???) sent forth to bring in John Macomber for non-appearance for making allarum at Taunton." No further information.

ALICE MACOMBER b: 23 Nov 1615. No further information.

EDMOND MACOMBER b: 24 Aug 1617. No further information.

RICHARD MACOMBER b: 3 Dec 1619. No further information.

MARIE MACOMBER b: 12 Oct 1621. No further information.

THOMAS MACOMBER b: 14 Sep 1623. Family listed below.

EDITH MACOMBER b: 27 Dec 1625. No further information.

ROBERT MACOMBER b: 2 Dec 1627. No further information.

   An old tradition concerning "three brothers" who came to America seems to be verified in the case of the Macombers, for William was in Duxbury in 1638; Thomas in Plymouth in 1643; and John in Taunton in 1643. No descendants of Thomas have been found.
   William Macomber traveled to America and became a cooper. Traditionally, a cooper is someone who makes wooden barrels, kasks, buckets and other similar wooden objects. Barrel making is also referred to as cooperage. William's trade is evidenced by the following note, which is the first mention of William in America: "Will'm Maycumber, of Dorchester, cooper, is lycensed to dwell within this gov'ment, at Plymouth or elsewhere, upon the testymony of his good behavior hee hath brought with him." (Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. I. p. 82.) The testimony of good behavior is likely to have been obtained from the person with whom he served his apprenticeship in learning the trade of a cooper. The date of the above record is April 2 1638.
   Under date of Sept. 3, 1638, are found the following records: "Will'm Maycumber, a cooper, is graunted an island lying on the north side Powder Poynt, & containing about three or four acres of land, provided that the committees of Duxborrow doe consent thereunto, and that he doe not stop the townes cattle from the fresh water thereupon," and "Liberty is graunted to Will'm Maycumber, cooper, to fetch tymber to make hoopes of for vessels for the colonies use at Clarks Island and Sagaquash." Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. I. p. 95.
   Aug. 3, 1640, "Will'm Maycumber is granted the wood fitt for coopery growing upon Wood Island, to be used by him so long as he followeth his trade, and forbidding all others to cutt there except for the loading of boats and vessells to carry away the hay." Plymouth Colony Records, Vol. I. p. 159.
   William settled in Marshfield, Mass. In 1644 he was fined for speaking against the Indians. He was a surveyor in Marshfield in 1653.
   William married URSULA MATHEW or THOMAS (b. 1612 in Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts -- Surname given as Mathew in NEHGR vol. 125, p. 82, "Sons of John Briggs of Taunton, Massachusetts") on the 16th of January, 1633/34 in Bridgeport, St.Mary's, Dorsetshire. They had the following children (the dates are a hodgepodge, and names keep repeating, so either they renamed children after dead siblings, or a genealogist gave up and included every birth date recorded by everyone):

   William died on the 27th of May, 1670, in Marshfield, Barnstable, Massachusetts. It is probable that the early generations of Marshfield Macombers were buried not far from the house where they lived, and near to a tomb built by William Macomber (1748-1815). This is south from the house above mentioned a short walk and on the opposite side of the road.
   A bond of administration on the estate of the late William Macomber of Marshfield was given, June 6, 1670, by Ursilla Macomber, widow, of Marshfield, Thomas Macomber of Taunton, cooper, and Matthew Macomber of Marshfield.
   Amazingly, the farm occupied by William Macomber is still in the possession of the Macomber family, being owned by his descendant of the ninth generation, Herbert Israel Macomber. The original house was a garrison house for protection against the Indians, the ends being brick and the rest of wood. It was burned about the time of the Revolutionary War. It stood very near to the house now occupied by the widow of Israel Hatch Macomber, which is the nearest house to the Railway Station at Marshfield Hills. The land extended down to the Bay and included the small island above mentioned.
   William's daughter SARAH MACUMBER (MACOMBER) was born in 1645. She married WILLIAM BRIGGS on the sixth of November, 1666, in Tauton, Massachusetts. They had the following children:

CHILDREN OF WILLIAM BRIGGS AND SARAH MACUMBER

WILLIAM BRIGGS b: 25 Jan 1667/68 in Taunton, Ma. He married Elizabeth Lincoln (b: 24 APR 1669) on 13 Oct 1693 in Taunton, Ma. They had a daughter, Sarah Briggs, on 5 Jul 1694 in Taunton, Ma. He then married Mehitable Blake (b: 2 Apr 1673) on 16 June 1696 in Milton. Children were Agnes (b: @ 1697), Nathaniel (b: 1698), Mehitable (b: 1703), Eliphalet (b: 1706) and Seth (b: 1709) in Tauton, Ma. He died on 20 Feb 1730/31 in Taunton, Ma.

THOMAS BRIGGS b: 9 Sep 1669 in Taunton, Ma. He married Abigail Thayer on 24 Oct 1689 in Taunton, Ma. Children: Thomas (b: 9 Oct 1690), Sarah (b: 10 DEC 1693), Nathaniel (b: 18 June 1695), Abiel (b: @. 1700), James, Abigail, Jemima, and Mary. He died on 1 July 1746 in Taunton, Ma.

SARAH BRIGGS b: 10 Sep 1669 in Taunton, Ma. No further information.

ELIZABETH BRIGGS b: 14 Mar 1670/71 in Taunton, Ma. No further information.

HANNAH BRIGGS b: 4 Nov 1672 in Taunton, Ma. No further information.

MARY BRIGGS b: 14 Aug 1674 in Taunton, Ma. No further information.

MATTHEW BRIGGS b: 5 Feb 1676/77 in Taunton, Ma. He married Abigail Burt (b: 28 Jan 1676/77) in Taunton, Ma. Children: Elizabeth, Lydia, Matthew Jr. (b: @. 1710), Daniel (b: @. 1712), James (b: @. 1713), Josiah (b: 1715). He died on 8 March 1764 in Dighton, Ma.

JOHN BRIGGS b: 19 Mar 1679/80 in Taunton, Ma. No further information.

   Sarah died following the birth of her son John, on the 20th of March, 1681, in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts. Then William married again, to ABIGAIL MASON on the second of July, 1680, in Dedham, Massachusetts, but we have no record of any children from that union. William died on the third of January, 1727/28, in Taunton, Massachusetts, and is buried at Oakland Cemetery.

GENEALOGY JOHN MACOMBER (b. 1585) married EDITH LOCKE and begat... WILLIAM MACUMBER (b. 1610), who married URSULA MATHEW or THOMAS (b. 1612) and begat... SARAH MACUMBER (1645 - 1681), who married WILLIAM BRIGGS (b: @1649) and begat... JOHN BRIGGS (1680 - 1750), who married HANNAH ROCHET and begat... PHINEHAS BRIGGS (1710 - 1754) who married ESTHER FINNEY, and begat... PHINEHAS BRIGGS JR. (1750 - 1835) who married SARAH or RHODA WATTLES (1759 - 1845) and begat... LEMUEL BRIGGS (b. 1773), who married CONTENT CLINTON and begat... POLLY BRIGGS (1811 - 1867) who married DAVID SANDERSON (1804 - 1884) and begat... MELISSA SANDERSON (1839 - 1921) who married LABAN HAUSE (1831 - 1906) and begat... FRANK HAUSE (1867 - 1951) who married FLADELLA RAYMOND (1869 - 1961) and begat... CARLISLE HAUSE (1891 - 1972) who married MARJORIE MARCHANT (1892 - 1939) who begat... CARLETON MARCHANT HAUSE, SR. (1917 - 1983) who married JEANNE BRUNNER (1918 - 2000) and begat... CARLETON MARCHANT HAUSE, JR. (b. 1939) who married MARTHA WENK (b. 1940) and begat... JEFF (who married LORI ANN DOTSON), KATHY (who married HAL LARSEN), ERIC (who married MARY MOONSAMMY), and MICHELE HAUSE (who married JOHN SCOTT HOUSTON).