52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - a writing challenge

One of the hardest things for me in trying to keep up this blog has been figuring out who and what to write about. Genealogist and blogger, Amy Johnson Crow, offers a great suggestion for people like me. Her 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks is a writing challenge composed of a series of weekly prompts designed to get one thinking about an ancestor and the information we as family historians have collected about them. Anyone can sign up and Amy encourages participants to write blogs, make Facebook posts or use whatever other avenues they may have to share their research with others. I have decided to give it a try but since this is already week 6 of the challenge I am already behind. I'm not sure I will be able to write every week but hopefully, this will be the push I need.

Week 6 Prompt:  Same Name

Do you share your name with an ancestor? What about a name that keeps repeating itself in your family tree? Do you have an instance of ancestors naming two children the same?

In addition to researching my ancestors, I have also been working on those of my husband. His 5th great grandfather was Edward Foster. I wrote an article about him a few years ago for the Nova Scotia Genealogist (2016, Vol. 34) and it was during my research for it that I discovered the OTHER Edward Foster.

Both Edwards were born in Massachusetts and settled in Nova Scotia. It appears much of the confusion over the two Edwards arises from a Geneology of the Foster Family written by Frederick Clifton Pierce in 1899. My own research and that of others with whom I have corresponded revealed numerous inaccuracies. A quick search online suggests Pierce's works are not to be taken at face value.

My Edward Foster was born around 1750 possibly in the Boston area. He married Martha Peabody in the USA. Some sources suggest they had as many as 13 children, however, I have found actual documentation for only 5 - Edward, William, Elizabeth, Mercy, and John - none of who were born in Nova Scotia. Edward Sr. was a Sandamanian and a loyalist who fled to Halifax with General Howe after the Seige of Boston in 1776. He was a blacksmith and operated a very successful iron-works with his son, Edward. Because of his loyalty to the British, Edward Sr. was awarded a number of parcels of land in Halifax County, document copies of which are available online through the Nova Scotia Archives (Example is shown). He died in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia on April 24, 1786. His wife Martha died ten years later in 1796 also in Dartmouth. Edward and Martha's children and their descendants married well and can be found in many well-known families from the early days of  Halifax/Dartmouth including Piers, Lawson, Creighton, and Howe. 

The Other Edward Foster married Mary Pease either in the US or Nova Scotia (sources disagree). They moved to Port Medway, Queens County, Nova Scotia between 1759 and 1762 and lived there for the remainder of their lives. The births and subsequent lives of their children are well documented in the pages of The Liverpool Township Book. The children, born between 1756 and 1768, are listed as Anna, Milton, Joseph, John, and Mary; the first two being born in Massachusetts and the remaining three in Queens County. This Edward Foster died in Port Medway on January 4, 1813.

If one looks for Edward Foster on Ancestry.com., you will find many, many trees that have these two families extensively intertwined. I have, on numerous occasions, politely sent along bits of my research with sources to tree owners however little seems to change. The bottom line is, do your own research and watch out for those little green leaves.... they might be poison ivy.