Moses Cleveland 1621-1702 of Woburn, Massachusetts

The Cleveland line is ground zero for me and genealogy.  I remember being a teenager and sitting in the New York Public Library on 42nd Street in the genealogy and history room and receiving the three volume Cleveland Genealogy.  And in that genealogy was my great-great-grandmother. What magic that was.  How could someone I was related to be in a book?  Later on, the Clevelands were the first family I cleaned up.  I did original research on each generation and noted all the errors in the Cleveland Genealogy.  I wrote an article about it and had it published as my first genealogical article.  So this line is in print already.  In the meantime, Moses's English origins were pinned down as well.  This line peramulates from England to Massachusetts to Connecticut to Nova Scotia to New Brunswick to Maine and back to Massachusetts.  It's quite something to be able to track ten generations that moved that often.

1. William Cleveland born about 1505 and buried at Ipswich, England on 28 November 1565.  His wife's name is not known who was buried on 31 December 1568.  He had:

2 Richard Cleveland was born July 1542 at Ipswich and died there after August 1605.  He married Alice (---).  He had:

3. Isaac Cleveland was baptized at Ipswich on 1 January 1584/5 and was buried there 3 June 1626.  He married about 1614, Alice (---) who was buried at Ipswich on 4 May 1626.  Isaac and Alice left six children to the charge of the parish, only three of whom have baptisms:  Moses, Aaron, and Enoch.

4. Moses Cleveland was baptized at Ipswich 2 February 1621 and died at Woburn, Massachusetts on 9 January 1701/2.  He married at Woburn on 26 September 1648 Ann Winn, born about 1626 and died at Woburn 6 May 1682, daughter of Edward and Johanna (---) Winn.  Moses and Ann had ten children:  Moses, Hannah, Aaron, Samuel, Miriam, Joanna, Edward, Josiah, Isaac, and Enoch.

5. Aaron Cleveland was born at Woburn 10 January 1653/4 and died there 14 September 1716.  He married there on 26 September 1675 Dorcas Wilson born at Salem, Massachusetts 29 January 1657 and died at Cambridge, Massachusetts 29 November 1714, daughter of John and Hannah (James) Wilson.  Aaron and Dorcas had nine children:  Dorcas, Aaron (from whom President Cleveland descends), Hannah, Moses, Sarah, Miriam, Isabel, Ann, and Benjamin.

6. Benjamin Cleveland was born at Woburn 16 May 1701 and died at Windham, Connecticut 7 July 1784.  He married at Windham, about 1723, Ann Clark, born Hartford, Connecticut 17 April 1702 and died at Windham 21 October 1754, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Burr) Clark.  Benjamin and Ann had six children: Esther, Aaron, Anna, Benjamin, Moses, and Chloe.

7. Benjamin Cleveland (Jr.) was born at Windham, Connecticut 30 August 1733 and died at Horton, Nova Scotia 19 March 1811.  He married at Windham on 20 February 1754 Mary Elderkin, born at Windham 9 December 1736 and died at Falmouth, Nova Scotia 24 April 1783.  Benjamin married secondly at Scotland, Connecticut on 25 March 1784, Sarah Hibbard, born 1733 at Norwich, Connecticut and died in 1830 in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.  Benjamin was a Baptist hymn writer.  Benjamin and Mary had twelve children: Anne, Roxalena, Martin Luther, Mary, Olive, Enoch, Cynthia, Eunice, Jerusha, Sarah, Nathan, and Aaron.

8. Rev. Nathan Cleveland born at Horton, Nova Scotia 10 October 1777, died at Alma, New Brunswick 30 June 1868.  He married at Liverpool, Nova Scotia on 10 November 1799, Diademia Dexter, born at Liverpool on 10 October 1778 and died at Alma, New Brunswick 16 August 1869, daughter of Ebenezer and Lydia (Rider) Dexter.  Nathan was a Baptist minister.  He and Diademia had three children:  Cynthia, John, and Rebecca.

9. John Cleveland was born at Alma, New Brunswick on 13 April 1802 and died there 1 April 1892.  He married at Hopewell, New Brunswick 12 June 1823, Amy Martin, born at Hopewell 24 December 1798 and died at Alma 19 July 1862, daughter of James and Prudence (Wickwire) Martin.  John was both a minister and carpenter.  John and Amy had thirteen children:  Thomas, Diademia, Rebecca, Prudence, John, Alexander, Nathan, Harriet, James, David Cuttin, Amy Ann, William Sears, and Susannah Pulsifer Cleveland.

10. Amy Ann Cleveland born at Alma 26 June 1840, died Beverly, Massachusetts 10 December 1911.  She married at Alma 17 November 1859, James Smith (Jr.), born at Alma on 8 April 1835 and died at Beverly 17 September 1904, son of James and Catherine (Sinclair) Smith.  James was a carpenter.  Amy and James had eight children: John Wesley, Johnston, Agnes Jane, Ann Maria, Alfred James, William Ackerman, Ada S., and David A. Daniel Cassinger Gravencroft Smith.

Sources:

“The English Origins of Moses Cleveland of Woburn, Massachusetts” by John Brooks Threlfall, MASSOG 32:22-26.

The Genealogy of the Cleveland and Cleaveland Families by H.G. and E.J. Cleveland (3 vols., 1899).  To be used only in conjuncture with the following article:

"The 1899 Cleveland Genealogy: Some Additions and Corrections," by Martin E. Hollick, NEHGS NEXUS Vol. X (1993):102-4.

Wilsons of New England . . . Volume J: Descendants of John Wilson of Woburn, Massachusetts by Ken Stevens (1991).

The American Genealogist 12 (1935-6):129-131 (Clark/Cleveland article).

Genealogy of the Elderkin Family by D.W. Elderkin (1888).

The Genealogy of the Dexter Family in America: Descendants of Thomas Dexter by W.A. Worden and R.L. Dexter (1905).

My Umbilical Line” by Martin E. Hollick, NEHGS NEXUS 15 (1998):154-5.

Comments

[Christine Lewis]

I am currently trying to connect the Nova Scotia Cleveland line to my mother's belief that she was related to Grover Cleveland . Her Great Grandfather was Edward Cleveland (1837-1913)of Blandford (Lunenberg),her Great great grandfather James Paulus Cleveland (1763-1828) .3xGG was James Sr. and 4X GG was Lord Elija Elisha Paulus Cleveland 1740-1764.
.If you have any idea how to connect these people I would be thrilled to know.
Thank you

[Martin Hollick]

I would suggest consulting the 3 volume Cleveland Genealogy which I cite in my blog posting. It is extensive. I would watch out for the information you already have. No one had a name like Lord Elija Elisha Paulus Cleveland in the 18th century (or any century for that matter).

[tdstanton]

In what Ipswich parish are the records for generation 3 found? Thanks.

[Martin Hollick]

Moses Cleveland was baptized at St. Stephen's Church. Isaac Cleveland was baptized at St. Mary at the Elms. Richard Cleveland was baptized at Saint Nicholas Church. Records are at all three churches.