I’d like to introduce you to one of our Genetic Matches, John Morrill b.1640 who married in Kittery, ME in 1665. A descendant of John Morrill (Morrell) is a 25 marker genetic match to our family. John was known to have been adopted and was born in 1640. The birth father is not known and despite testing of Morrell families on both sides of the Atlantic no suitable match has been made.

There are two Babb’s who could have potentially fathered the child. Phillip or a Babb you might never have heard of, Edward. Edward appears on a census of the inhabitants of the Isles but is never seen again in the records. He is a probable brother to Phillip, though we may never know for sure. Could it be that Edward fathered a child and passed away shortly thereafter? Friends and family taking on an orphan would certainly have been a possibility and the Isles were no place for a baby in the early years. Further, Illegitimate children were common in this place and time. Could it be that Phillip fathered such a son and gave him up for adoption? Could it be that he was fathered back in England and brought to America? Why would Phillip keep his other boys and not this one?

This connection isn’t without it’s questions. 1640 is 12 years earlier than Phillip is known to have been in the Isles of Shoals/Kittery area. John is rumored to have been born in England or Ireland, but no real facts survive. Could John have been a Babb?

I’ve contacted two of John’s descendants to explore this further and will post more as new information becomes available.

Repost: Originally posted on Nov 19, 12