The Ancestry of Daniel Inman1

A. Edward1 Inman, whose place of origin and ancestry are unknown, was probably born about 1620. he was at Providence at an early date. In 1645 Edward was one of the "25 acre men" signing for his free grant, and on 27 Oct. 1651 he became a townsman. Edward also lived in Warwick for a short time, being recorded as an inhabitant of that town in 1648. He was a glover and a planter.

At an early date Edward had a six-acre home lot at Providence with "dwelling house, barne yard, etc.", which he sold 2 Sept. 1667 to Stephen Paine of Rehoboth, merchant. On 14 May 1666 he and John Mowry bought from William "Minnion" of Punskepage, Mass. 2000 acres of land lying from Loquesit northward, bounding partly on the Pawtucket River. On 13 May 1669, calling himself late of Providence, he received a deed for 500 acres of land on the Pawtucket River from the Indian William "Manannion" for £20, this deed being confirmed by King Phillip and others.

The purchase of 1666, more than three square miles, was Wesquadomeset, the present Sayles Hill in the town of North Smithfield and surrounding territory. It was here that Edward had his silver mine. This was the second precious metal mine to be recorded in the Colony since the one at the Island. The agreement under which Edward and seven other men were to work this mine was signed in 1675.

Edward was among the twelve signers of the Providence Oath of Allegiance of 1651/2. As such, he showed himself to be one of the young leaders who were not only running the economic and political affairs of the town, but who were also holding together the remnants of the Colony of Providence Plantations while Roger Williams was in England trying to persuade Parliament to restore the charter.

In 1651 and 1658 Edward was elected Commissioner to attend the General Court of Commissioners at Portsmouth. In 1659 and 1660 he was elected to the Town Council. Edward was again elected Commissioner in 1662, to serve in the Court held in Warwick. He was a Deputy to the General Assembly at Newport in 1666 and 1667, and was again chosen Deputy in 1672, 1676, and 1678.

Edward married (1) _____ and (2) Barbara Phillips, widow of Michael. Edward died in 1706, at which time his wife, Barbara, was still living.

Children, all by first wife:

  1. Joanne2, d. 1718; m. 1666, Nathaniel Mowry.
  2. John, b. in Providence, 18 July 1648; d. 6 Aug. 1712; m. Mary Whitman.
  3. Edward (see B), b. 1654.

B. Edward2 Inman (Edward1), born in Providence, 1654. Married Elizabeth Bennett, dau. of Samuel and Anne Bennett. Edward was a carpenter. He died in Smithfield no earlier than 1721.

Children:

  1. Edward3 (see C).
  2. Samuel, m. (1) Elizabeth _____, (2) 24 Dec. 1737, Mehipsabeth Makintine. A freeman of Providence in 1708.
  3. Francis, d. 11 Feb. 1776; m. (1) Rose Bull, (2) Susanna Bartlett. A freeman of Providence in 1708. Later settled in Bellingham, Mass.
  4. Benjamin.
  5. Joseph, d. 9 May 1734; m. 8 Dec. 1717, Deborah Smith. A freeman of Providence in 1720.
  6. Isaiah, d. in Glocester, R.I., 2 Feb. 1755; m. (1) _____, (2) 14 Oct. 1744, Sarah Cutler.

C. Edward3 Inman (Edward2, Edward1), lived in Providence, Glocester, and Smithfield, R.I. Married (1) Mary Malavery, dau. of John and Elizabeth Malavery, (2) 5 Jan. 1745, Lydia Whipple2. Edward was a farmer3 and a miller4. he was also a surveyor in Glocester in 17342. Edward owned a house and farm adjacent to the Branch River and also owned a grist mill and a sawmill on that river3. Much of his land was along the Seven Mile Line that divides Glocester from Smithfield5, some being at the junction of the Tarkill with the Branch3 near that line6. Edward died in Smithfield 11 June 17553. Although he left a personal estate, exclusive of any land, valued at 1300 pounds3, it should be borne in mind that 1753-6 were years of very high inflation in New England. Edward's second wife, Lydia, died 14 July 1764.2

Children, all by Mary:

  1. Michael4, d. 1736; m. Hannah _____. A freeman of Glocester in 1732.
  2. Elisha, m. in Glocester, R.I., 16 Jan. 1745, Abigail Darling.
  3. Israel, m. in Glocester, 8 Sept. 1751, Freelove Whipple.
  4. Abraham, a freeman of Glocester in 1739.
  5. Edward (see D).
  6. Elijah, b. in Providence, 1715-9; d. in Luzerne Co., Penn., 1804; m. in Glocester, 24 July 1740, Susannah Inman.
  7. Susanna, _____ Walling.
  8. Priscilla, m. Daniel Walling.
  9. Penelope, m. John Mowry.
  10. Mary, m. _____ Walling.

D. Edward4 Inman (Edward3, Edward2, Edward1) was probably born in the Providence area. He moved from Glocester, R.I. to Dudley, Mass in 17707 and died in Dudley in 1778.8 His wife, Dorcas8 _____ was still living in 1789.9

Children:

  1. Possibly Dinah,5 m. in Glocester, 1753, Jeremiah Phillips.
  2. Rachel, m. in Glocester, 1755, Jeremiah Phillips. Jeremiah bought land in Dudley in 1768 which he sold in 1769 to Edward Inman (D).
  3. Edward, m. in Glocester, 1763, Sarah Arnold. Living in Glocester in 1788.
  4. Ruth, m. Phillip Mowry. Living in Dudley in 1773.
  5. Jemima, m. (1) Joseph Benson of Glocester, who bought land in Dudley in 1770, m. (2) Daniel Barrett.
  6. Benjamin. Bought land in Dudley in 1773. Served in the Revolutionary War.
  7. Joseph (see E).
  8. Nathan, m. in Dudley, 1775, Martha Esten. Served in the Revolutionary War. Sold his land in Dudley in 1789.

E. Joseph Inman (Edward4, Edward3, Edward2, Edward1) was probably born in Glocester, R.I. He married in Dudley, Mass., 17 Aug 1775, Lucy Sprague,10 dau. of John and Judith (Green) Sprague.11 Joseph served 43 days as a private in Capt. Nathaniel Healy's Company of Col Jonathan Holman's Regiment and marched to Rhode Island on an alarm in Dec. 1776.12 He was stationed at Providence in Jan. 1777.12 Joseph is also listed among the men belonging to Capt. J. Sprague's Division, Oct. 1777. Upon the death of his father in 1778, Joseph received under the terms of the will8 one-half of his father's farm in Dudley. This farm, located in the southwest part of the town along the Quinebaug River, was sold by Joseph in 1791.7 Joseph moved to Pomfret, Conn. in 179713 but apparently lived for a while in Woodstock, Conn. prior to this time and following his departure from Dudley.13 He moved from Pomfret to Ontario, N.Y., 1814-16,14 and died in Ontario, 16 Nov. 1819, while at work in the woods felling a tree.15

Known children:16

  1. Daniel (see Genealogy of the Daniel Inman Family).
  2. Lydia, b. c. 1778; d. in Ontario, N.Y., 23 May 1826 or 1828; m. in Pomfret, Conn., 1805, James Leavens, son of Benjamin Leavens. Lived at Pomfret until about 1810 when she moved to Ontario. James drowned in the Genesee River at Rochester, N.Y., 12 Nov. 1827.17 He and his wife are buried in the Furnaceville Cemetery, near Ontario.

          Children:

  1. Harriet, b. Pomfret, Conn., 19 April 1806; d. 1831; m. 1826, Joseph W. Gates.
  2. Leona, b. Pomfret, 3 July 1807; d. 1812.
  3. Lucy, b. Pomfret, 2 Jan. 1809; d. 1895; m. 1832, Joseph W. Gates.
  4. Henry, b. Ontario, N.Y., 15 Jam. 1811; d. 6 April 1883; unmarried.
  5. Lewis, b. Ontario, N.Y., 18 Feb. 1812; d. Fowlerville, Mich.; m. 10 Feb. 1844, Clarissa Mack.
  6. James, b. Ontario, 6 Oct. 1814; d. 1 April 1856, bur. at Furnaceville, N.Y.; m. 27 May 1855 Hannah Simmons.
  7. George, b. Ontario, 6 Oct. 1814 (twin of James); m. 17 Dec. 1839 Nancy Clarinda Stedman.

Notes and References

  1. Data under Edward (A) principally from The Providence Oath of Allegiance and its Signers 1651-2, Richard Le Baron Bowen, Providence, 1943. Data Under Edward (B) largely from reference 2 below.
  2. Genealogical Dictionary of Rhode Island, John O. Austin, 1887.
  3. Will and probate records of Edward Inman (C), Smithfield probate records, vol. 2, pp. 171-4.
  4. Glocester, Rhode Island land record 8-259.
  5. Smithfield and Glocester, Rhode Island land records.
  6. In 1806 the northern part of Glocester became Burrillville and the northern part of Smithfield became North Smithfield, hence Edward Inman's land would be described today as being in Burrillville and North Smithfield.
  7. Land records of Worcester Co., Massachusetts, vol. 68, p. 159.
  8. Will of Edward Inman (D) of Dudley, Massachusetts, executed at Dudley 12 Sept. 1774 and probated at Worcester 1 Sept. 1778.
  9. Land records of Worcester Co., Massachusetts, vol. 108, p. 50.
  10. Vital Records of Dudley, Massachusetts, Systematic History Fund, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1908.
  11. Although not listed among the nine children of John and Judith Sprague in C. W. Chamberlain's The Spragues of Malden, Massachusetts, a Lucy Sprague born in Killingly, Connecticut, 29 May 1753 is given as a tenth child in vol. 8 of C. W. Bowen's History of Woodstock, Connecticut, and is also found in the Killingly vital records. John Sprague moved to Woodstock, Connecticut, which adjoins Dudley, Massachusetts, no later than 1775.
  12. Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War, vol. 8, p. 642.
  13. Pomfret, Connecticut land record 9-37; Aug. 30; acknowledged Apr. 30; recorded May 1, 1798; Adonijah Blackmar to Joseph Inman.
  14. See Daniel Inman's Ancestry.
  15. Vital Records of Rhode Island 1636-1850, vol. 8, James N. Arnold. This reference mentions an item in the Providence Gazette. The place, month, and year of death are confirmed by a report in the Ontario Repository, 30 Nov. 1819.
  16. The 1790 and 1800 Census schedules for Dudley, Massachusetts and Pomfret, Connecticut, respectively, suggest that Joseph and Lucy Inman probably had another son and daughter in addition to the two known children.
  17. Data on Lydia (Inman) Leavens and her family primarily from the The Leavens Name, Philo French Leavens, Passaic, New Jersey, 1903.