Beriah Higgins was born about 1692 in Eastham, Barnstable, Province of Massachusetts Bay, the son of Joseph and Ruth Higgins, proven by the 1714 deed to Jonathan Higgins Jr.[1][2] His birth is not recorded in the Eastham town records, but that deed shows that Joseph Jr. (1690-1783) and Beriah were brothers and great-grandchildren of Lt. Joseph Rogers and grandchildren of Elizabeth (Rogers) Higgins.[1]
On 9 June 1714, Beriah's brother Joseph Higgins Jr. sold to Jonathan Higgins Jr. land in Eastham and land which he had bought from his brother Beriah, all of which "our Honoured great-grandfather Lieutt. Joseph Rogers gave to our Honoured grandmother Higgins in his last will."[1]
He married, by 1717 (birth of first child), Desire Cook, the daughter of
Josiah and Mary (Godfrey) Cooke, born on 14 June 1694 in Eastham.[1][3]
They resided in Truro from 1717-1724, and Provincetown from 1725-1736.[1] It is "barely possible"[3] that they moved to Middletown, Saybrook or Lyme, Connecticut. At least two of their children went to Connecticut: Beriah Jr. being of Middletown, and Thankful was in Saybrook and perhaps Lyme, dying in Hartland in 1792.[1][4] They "probably"[5] moved to Connectitcut where Beriah's son was referred to as "Jr." as late as 17 August 1749, the assumption being that Beriah Sr. died after that date in Connecticut.[5] Desire died sometime after 17 May 1736, when her last child was born, location unknown,[3] perhaps in Connecticut.[5]
No probate records have been found in Barnstable County or Connecticut Probate Records for Beriah or Desire.[3]
Children, first 3 born Truro,[6] last 3 born Provincetown:[7][3][1]
↑ Note: the 2013 edition of Mayflower Families - Rogers includes a mistake/misprint on Joseph's parents and incorrectly says he was the son of Jonathan and Lydia (Sparrow) on p. 137. (Link by $ubscription.) The lineage in that section, however, shows his father as Joseph.
↑ 3.03.13.23.33.4 Ann Reeves and Alice W.A. Westgate, Mayflower Families Through 5 Generations, Thomas Rogers, Vol. 19 (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2000), pp. 24, 79-80.
↑ 5.05.15.25.3 John D. Austin, Mayflower Families Through 5 Generations, Stephen Hopkins, Vol. 6 (Plymouth, MA: General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2001 [3rd edition]), p. 399.
DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Beriah by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA.
However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line.
It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with Beriah:
Higgins-5817 and Higgins-3211 appear to represent the same person because: Dates are about the same. Spouses have the same name, so they may need to be merged also.