My Old Ohio Home - Hook

John Hook and John Hook, Junior, Canaan, Maine–Court Cases

2024-11-07T00:00:00-05:00

Familysearch has recently made available a full text search of documents they have online that are not yet indexed. They are at https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text, although you will might need to start here: https://www.familysearch.org/search/full-text.

I found three court cases in Kennebec County, Maine, involving John Hook, and his son John Hook, Junior, of Canaan, Maine. They are from the Kennebec County Supreme Judicial Court, May 31, 1803 and September 27, 1803, and the Kennebec County Court of Common Pleas, December 9, 1806.

Here are my transcriptions. Note, there is no title on the original book.

May 31, 1803

Page 33 of the original book (familysearch's image 35 in the collection) says:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Kennebec
At the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, begun and holden at Augusta within and for the County of Kennebec, on the last Tuesday of May, being the 31st day of said month Anno Domini 1803, by the Honorable Theodore Sedgwick, Samuel Sewall, and George Thatcher, Esquires, Justices.

Page 103, image 105 says:
Case 97

Asher Spaulding of Anson and Ithamar Spaulding of Norridgwock, Traders, and John Harlow Esqr of said Norridgwock in the County of Kennebec complain, that at a Court of Common Pleas begun and held at Augusta within and for said County of Kennebec on the second Tuesday of December last past, by the consideration of the Justices of said Court, they recovered Judgment against John Hook of Canaan in said County, Yeoman, for the sum of eighteen Dollars & eighty three cents damages, and costs of suit taxed at nine Dollars eighty three cents, from which Judgment the said Hook appealed to this Court, and recognized to prosecute the same with effect; but has failed so to do. Wherefore the said Asher, Ithamar, and John prays affirmation of said Judgment with additional damages and costs. It is therefore considered by the Court, that the said Asher, Ithamar, & John recover against the said John Hook Jr, the sum of Nineteen Dollars and twenty eight cents damages & Costs taxed at 18.86.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89SV-293Z-S?view=fullText&keywords=John%2CJohn+Hook%2CCanaan&groupId=TH-1961-29360-26176-42

There is a boilerplate record of that case as well which adds the following breakdown of the court costs. It is in a separate database called Kennebec Court Case Files, May 1803, and is image 152 on that roll of film.

Kennebec
to the Honorable the Justices of the Supreme Judicial Court at Augusta in the County of Kennebec and for the County of Kennebec, on the last Tuesday of May A.D. 1803

Humbly shew Asher Thornton of Anson in said County and Ithamar Spaulding of Norridgewock in said county, traders, and John Harlow of said Norridgewock, Esquire, that at a Court of Commpn Pleas, held at Augusta in and for said county on the 2nd Tuesday of December last, they recovered Judgment agains John Hook Junior of Canaan in said county, yeoman, for the sum of $18.83 cents damage and costs of suit; from which Judgment he appealed to this Honorable Court and recognised to prosecute the same, but failed so to do; wherefore the complainant pray affirmation of the said judgment with additional damages costs.

costs

of Common Pleas	9.83
Court's bill	2.50
Attorney's fees, etc	1.75
Copy of the case	1.15
attendance 3 days	.99
Travel, 80 miles	2.64
-----
Total	18.86

There are other figures on the page. I don't know what they refer to:

18.83

.45

-----

19.28

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99N7-8VJP?view=fullText&keywords=John+Hook%2CJohn&groupId=TH-1951-41561-14871-66

September 27, 1803

Page 129 of the original, image 129, says:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts

At the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, begun and holden at Augusta in and for the County of Kennebec on the fourth Tuesday of September, being the twenty-seventh day of said month, Anno Domini 1803 by the honorable Francis Dana, Esq., Chief Justice, Simeon Strong and George Thacher, Esqs., Justices.

Pages 156 and 157, images 158 and 159 say:

Case Number 143

Benjamin Kelley of Loudon in the County of Rockingham and State of New Hampshire, Physician Complains that at a Court of Common Pleas begun and held at Augusta within and for the County of Kennebec on the second Tuesday of December last, by the consideration of the Justices of said Court, he recovered Judgement against John Hook and John Hook Junior both of Canaan in said County of Kennebec yeomen for the sum of twenty seven Dollars and twenty eight Cents Debt and twenty one Dollars and forty five Cents Costs. From which Judgment the said John & John Jr appealed to this Court and entered into Recognizance as the Law directs to prosecute his said appeal with effect, but has failed so to do. Therefore the said Kelley prays affirmation of said Judgment with additional Debt and costs. It is therefore considered by the Court that the said Kelley recover against the said John Hook and John Hook Jr the sum of twenty eight Dollars and fifty one Cents Debt and Costs of suit taxed at $ 30.49 Cents.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89SV-29SJ-6?view=fullText&keywords=John+Hook%2CJohn&groupId=TH-1961-29360-26176-42

December 9, 1806

Page 276 of the original, image 287, says:
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Kennebec
At a Court of Common Pleas begun and holden at Augusta within and for our County of Kennebec on the second Tuesday of December being the ninth day of said month, Anno Domini 1806, by the Honorable Joseph North, Daniel Corry, Nathaniel Dummer and Charles Robins, Esquires
Continued actions

Pages 306 and 307, images 317 and 318, say:

Case 160
Benjamin Kimball, Junior, of Concord in the County of Rockingham & State of New Hampshire, Hatter, plaintiff, vs John Hook & John Hook Junior both of Cornville in our County of Kennebec, yeomen, defendants in a plea of Debt, for that the said Kimball by the consideration of our Justices of our Court of Common Pleas holden at Waterborough within and for our County of York to wit at Augusta in our County of Kennebee on the fourth Tuesday of August eighteen hundred and three recovered Judgment against the said John Hook & John Hook Junior for the sum of forty seven dollars & ninety two cents damage & eleven dollars and fifty one cents for his costs of suit as by the record of our said Court remaining fully appear. Which Judgment is in full force unserved & in every part unsatisfied. Whereby an action hath accrued to the plaintiff to demand & recover of the said John Hook & John Hook Junior the sums aforesaid with interest for the same. Yet the said John Hook & John Hook Junior tho often requested have not paid either of the sum aforesaid or the interest but unjustly detain it to the damage of the said Kimball (as they say) the sum of one hundred dollars. This action was commenced & entered the last May term & was from thence continued from term to term until this term, And now in this term the Defendants although solemnly called to come into Court doth not appear but make default. It is therefore considered by the Court that the plaintiff recover against the Defendants the sum of seventy one dollars & thirty two cents damage & costs taxed at $25.93 cents.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L995-23YF?view=fullText&keywords=Hook&groupId=TH-1961-28640-2698-43

Some Hook marriages in Canaan, Maine, 1802 to 1804

2024-11-07T00:00:00-05:00

Here are some Hook marriages in Canaan, Maine, from the years 1802 to 1804. I say "some," but those were the only ones I found. And "1802 to 1804," but the records extended a few years in either direction if I remember right. At any rate here they are in chronological order.

These records are on films that haven't been indexed to match the page of the original books. An explanation of how to find the image of the original record follows each transcription.

Norridgewock Vital Records, 1779 to 1882

Joseph Hook, of Canaan
Sally Webb, of Canaan
Event Date 30 Aug 1802
Event Place Norridgewock, Somerset, Maine, United States

Image 4 of the film informs us that it is of the Norridgewock Vital Records, 1779 to 1882. Image 13 is the grooms' index telling us that the marriage of Joseph Hook is on page 256 of the original book. Image 164 is of page 256, on which we find:

Joseph Hook with Miss Sally Webb, both of Canaan, August 30, 1802

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4D6-B5G

John Hook
Sally Oaks
Event Date 12 Jun 1803
Event Place Canaan, Somerset, Maine, United States

image 37: Caanan, Maine, Vital Records, 1784 to 1891
image 43: the index: the John Hook marriage is on page 6 in the old book, page 21 in this one.
image 63: page 21 of this book which says:

1803, June 12, John Hook to Sally Oaks

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4FQ-XL2

Abigail Hook
James Dudly
Event Date 30 Aug 1803
Event Place Canaan, Somerset, Maine, United States

image 37: Caanan, Maine, Vital Records, 1784 to 1891
image 41: the index: the James Dudly marriage is on page 6 in the old book, page 21 in this one.
image 63: page 21 of this book which says:

1803, August 30, James Dudly to Abigail Hook

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4FQ-6Z9

Lucy Hook
Philip Powers
Event Date 5 Apr 1804
Event Place Canaan, Somerset, Maine, United States

image 37: Caanan, Maine, Vital Records, 1784 to 1891
image 48: the index: Philip Powers marriage is on page 7 in the old book, page 22 in this one
image 63: page 22 of this book which says:

1804, April 5, Philip Powers to Lucy Hook, by Bryce McLeellan, J.P.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4FQ-N93

This last record turns out not to belong to the Hook family. Lucy "Hook" should be Lucy Hood, as we will see in a following article, maybe.

James Dudley and Abigail Hook, of Orono and Veazie, Maine

2018-10-09T00:00:00-04:00

There are a few family trees on ancestry.com, familysearch.org, and rootsweb.com that identify James Dudley, the husband of Abigail Hook, as the son of Samuel⁶ Dudley of Pittston, Maine. None, however, show how to make the connection between a James Dudley born in Pittston and one who died in Veazie. Since there was more than one James Dudley in Maine at the time, I thought I would lay out the reasons why we can come to that conclusion.

First of all, The History of the Dudley Family by Dean Dudley records the first six generations in this line from Governor Thomas¹ Dudley as Samuel², Stephen³, James⁴, Samuel⁵, and Samuel⁶. The book informs us that Samuel⁶ was born in New Hampshire and settled in Pittston, Maine, having bought land there in 1771 while still "of Brentwood, N. H."

The author then quotes a letter he received in 1888 from Mrs. Sarah Crocker of East Pittston, Maine, a granddaughter of Samuel⁶. In it she says "Uncle James went to Oldtown, Me., and kept a tavern there."(footnote)Dean Dudley, The History of the Dudley Family, with Genealogical Tables, Pedigrees, Etc. (Wakefield, Mass.: Dean Dudley, publisher, 1886), pages 430, 431.

James Dudley and Abigail Hook filed an intention to marry in Pittston, Maine, in 1803, in which Abigail is described as "of Canaan."(footnote)Henry Sewall Webster, editor, Vital Records of Pittston, Maine, to the year 1892 (Gardiner, Maine: The Reporter-Journal Press, 1911), p. 187. No location for James is given in the transcription, implying that James was of Pittston, the home of Samuel⁶ Dudley.

Secondly, the first son of James and Abigail (Hook) Dudley was named John H Dudley. His birth is recorded in the Pittston records and in the Maine Vital Records, Copied from Old Records, as occurring on Feb 29, 1803.(footnote)Vital Records of Pittston, Maine, p. 51, as: "John, s. James and Abigail, Feb. 29 [sic], 1803″. Microfilm of Maine Vital Records, Copied from Old Records, at New England Historic and Genealogical Society, as: "John Dudley, Feb 29, 1803, Pittston. Father: James Dudley, mother: Abigail Dudley." Note: I wonder if recording the date as February 29, 1803, reflects some Quaker influence. I think it would have been a correct date in the Quaker year, which ran from March 1 to the end of February. His birth is on the Orono records as happening on February 29, 1804.(footnote)Orono Town Records, 1806-1838, microfilm copy at New England Historic and Genealogical Society, as: Family of James Dudley and Wife: John H. Dudley born on 29 Feb 1804. Ruth Gray's transcription of the Old Town records gives the location as Pittston.(footnote)Ruth Gray, editor, Vital Records of Old Town, Maine, prior to 1892 (Camden, Maine: Picton Press, 1996). Either two different boys named John H Dudley were born on the same leap year day, or his parents moved from Pittston to Orono/Old Town and recorded their earlier children's births there.

Finally, The Centennial Celebration and Dedication of the Town Hall, Orono, Maine, March 3, 1874, says:

"A settlement was commenced between fifty and sixty years ago about a mile west of the Bangor road, of which the late James Dudley, who migrated from Pittston, Kennebec county, was facile princeps."(footnote)Centennial Celebration and Dedication of the Town Hall, Orono, Maine (Portland, Maine: Bailey and Noyes, 1874), page 137. Now digitized and at Google Books and HeritageQuestOnline.com.

For the preceding reasons, I believe we are on solid ground when we identify James Dudley, husband of Abigail Hook, as the son of Samuel Dudley of Pittston.