vitals sources
go to Lois Shafter's page
..... There is no proven connection between John and Josiah White of Rockingham, VT. Josiah's son was born in Leominster, MA, in 1741 and Josiah White moved from Leominster, MA, to Charlestown, NH, then across the river to Rockingham. He was in Charlestown by the time John of Claremont married. There is good evidence that Lois Shafter was put out to work at a young age. Richmond and Charlestown, NH, are not far apart, and Josiah, who appears to have had the means to support a child and servant, may have taken in Lois, and this may be how John and Lois met. Claremont and Richmond are not near each other, and it is very unlikely John and Lois would have met without a mediary circumstance. No record has been found to definately make John the son of Josiah the same as John of Claremont, however. John, son of Josiah, would have been 32 if he married Lois Shafter. This may not have bee his first marriage. Josiah settled in Rockingham along with most of his children. His son Abijah moved to Weathersfield and served in the same Revolutionary regiment as John. More records in New Hampshire and Vermont need to be consulted to hopefully add more to this theory.
There was a John White who had a tavern in Claremont, no date known, succeeded by John Newell, who moved to Weathersfield. Maybe the two men were being confused here. John White of Weathersfield supposedly had a mill there in the north of the town. By a description of it's location, it was near the border with Springfield? He doesn't appear in any of the town records.
children of John and Lois (Shafter) White:
Louisa
Susan
vital records sources: John's birth date (if he was the son of Josiah) comes from the Leominster, MA, vital records. His marriage comes from the records of Rev, James Wellman of Cornish, NH, published in The New England Historic Genealogical Register, vol. 72, p. 245.
To be researched: deed records in VT. Son John was still in Weathersfield in 1801 when he married.
all text and photographs © 1998-2005 by Doug Sinclair unless where otherwise noted