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 The Messervy Settlement in New Hampshire

I made a commitment to follow the #52ancestors program of Amy Johnson Crow for 2022 and crossing fingers, this will result in a weekly blog post about a Messervy ancestor.  I am hoping that ancestor by ancestor, I can update research and tell a story simultaneously.  We shall see!  The #52ancestors has a weekly theme and this one is foundations.  I have previously blogged about the foundation Messervy for Newfoundland and for New Zealand.  Having done some work on the US lines this past week, I decided to post about Clément Messervy, who very early on emigrated to New Hampshire, specific date unknown but was paying taxes by 1673.   Of course, at that time, New Hampshire was one of the 13 British colonies that were part of the American revolution many years later, and became the United States.

Gorey in Jersey today, with Mont Orgueil Castle on the right.  The church on the left was only built in 1832. The castle's existence is noted as early as 1209, so this dominant structure would have been part of Clément's daily vista. 

 

If you go on the Messervey website, look at this Clément Messervy ( there are so many) and on the descendant tab, you will see that it goes on and on: https://messervey.one-name.net/descend.php?personID=I1579&tree=Messervey  and I have not even entered many beyond the mid-1800s. Clément Messervy was the son of Jean Messervy and possibly a mother named Marie.  Some sources suggest the mother was Marie Machon[1], but there is no record of this, and the Marie Machon who married a Jean Messervy is not the appropriate timing. With my experience researching Messervys, I can attest that Jeanand Marie are the names of most early era couples.  One record we can confirm is Clément's baptism, which took place in Gorey, Grouville, Jersey on 13 May 1655.[2] The digital copy of the parish record only names the father, an unfortunate practice of that era.  If you google Clément Messervy, you may find some references cite 13 May 1655  as his birthdate - this is his baptismal date, not a birthdate. 

 

What led Clément Messervy to leave his homeland of Jersey to cross the Atlantic in the 1600s?  My own direct line ancestor, Philippe Messervy to Newfoundland, did not emigrate until the latter 1700s.  The French system of inheritance predominant in Jersey meant that younger sons may receive nothing.  Jersey is a small island and there were limits to expanding land. Clément, however, appears to be the eldest son.  Another motive for emigration often arose through the fisheries. Jersey was very engaged with fishing and shipbuilding.  In fact, we know from reading about Philippe Messervy that Jersey fishers were known to be itinerant fishers in both Newfoundland and New England waters.  Eventually, many of these itinerant fishers began to overwinter and this occurred earlier in New England.  



This image is the harbour entry into Portsmouth, New Hampshire

 The image above is attributed to about 1632, and thus, was what  Clément would have seen arriving as a young man some years later.  While not nearly grand as Gorey's castle. the flog and structure on the left of the image was referred to as Castle Island. When he set foot on what was known then as Strawberry Banke, there were still some fishers of English origin, originally sent from Dorset to establish a commercial fishing business.  This did not work out but it may explain why Clément came where he did, with knowledge of a somewhat established community. 

Clément's children were mostly born in Portsmouth but his death is recorded as occurring in Newington, not so far away. He married Elizabeth (Unknown) in Welches Grove.  By 1673 he was already paying taxes in Portsmouth and apparently took the Oath of Allegiance in 1685[3] and there is evidence that he had a seat in the town Meeting House and there was existence of a will.  Opportunities may have been the same or better in Jersey but we will never know.  Early Messervy family members were often in prestigious positions fin Jersey and many became prosperous in the trading of fish from Atlantic seas. 


Clément and Elizabeth had several children, not all confirmed.  However, based on my research, there were nine.  Clément, son of the first Clément, was born in 1678 in Portsmouth and became a prominent member of the community. His son Nathaniel was the captain who sailed to Louisbourg in Cape Breton to fight the French at the siege of Louisbourg - read about him in an earlier blog post. As with any early North American settler, it is a challenge to imagine their lives, confronted by weather, occasional battles with the aboriginal settlers, emergence of hostilities between the colonies and Great Britain.   This was the story of Clément Messervy, whose descendants moved across New England communities, some being people of great achievement. 


[1] The godfather of Clément (from parish register)was Abraham Machon, which may have led to a Marie Machon supposed connection, but to date I have not found any connection.  Godfathers were drawn from many sectors aside from family, especially those who may exercise some prestige in the community. 

[3] Meserve, Albion K.P. Branche des Etats-Unis in Généalogie De La Famille Messervy (Messervy, J.A.), Jersey, CI:1899, p. 47. 



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