William Cahoon Sr (abt. 1633 - 1675)

Born about 1633 in Tillyquhoun, Dunbartonshire, Scotland [uncertain]

Husband of Deliverance (Unknown) Lombard — married 26 Jun 1662 in Newport, Rhode Island

Descendants

Died 24 Jun 1675 at about age 42 in Rehoboth, Bristol, Massachusetts

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Deborah Dahl [send private message], L Arnold [send private message], and Stacey Davis [send private message]

At some point a determination needs to be made regarding the LNAB for William, Cahoon, Cohoon or Colquhoun. We have yet to find proof of his surname.

It is doubtful anyone ever could. Please read What is in a Name below.

Biography

William Cahoon Sr was born in Scotland.

William Cahoon Sr migrated from Scotland to Massachusetts.

Birth

William Cahoon, pref Colquhoun was born in 1633-1635 possibly in Tullyquhoun/Tully-Colquhoun, Dunbartonshire, Scotland.

The Battle of Dunbar

The full story on how William Colquhoun/Cahoon came to America In January 1649, Oliver Cromwell’s anti-Royalist forces executed King Charles I of England in London. Until that time, Scotland had sided with Cromwell in the English Civil War. But the king had been born in Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, and his murder dismayed his northern countrymen, who later that year defied the English Commonwealth by proclaiming as king his son, Charles II. War was on… ^[1]

Marriage

In 1661, William, still an indentured servant, was one of the original settlers of Block Island, Rhode Island. After fulfilling the term of his indenture, William Cahoon purchased land on Block Island. William Cahoon was listed as a resident of Block Island who was admitted as a freeman of the Rhode Island Colony in May of 1664 by the Rhode Island General Assembly. William served on a Newport, Rhode Island, grand jury in 1665. William married Deliverance Peck either on Block Island or in Newport, Rhode Island on 26 Jun 1662. The couple’s first four children likely were born on Block Island or in Newport.

Children

William and Deliverance Peck had the following children:

1. Joseph Cohoon b: 1655 in > Bristol, RI; m1 Elizabeth Warwich; m2 Hannah Kent (b: 2 JUL 1667) at Bristol, Bristol, Rhode Island

1658 Block Island was sold by Mass. Bay Colony.

2. Samuel Cohoon b: ABT 1663 in Block Island, Newport, RI; m1 Mary Hunter b: BEF 1679 in Nansemond, VA. Possibly two other marriages.

3. Mary Cohoon b: 1664 in Block Island, Newport, RI; m1 Thomas Jones.

4. William Cohoon b: ABT 1665 in Block Island, Newport, RI (1669?); m1 Elizabeth Nickerson b: 1676 in Chatham, Barnstable, MA. Possible 2nd marriage ca. 1690 in Chatham, Barnstable, MA.

• 5. Archibald Cohoon b: 1665 in Block Island, Newport, RI ~ unable to find an Archibald Cohoon born to Deliverance and William. And unless a twin to William, born in 1665, unlikely to be born that year.^[2]

6. Angus Cohoon b: 1667 in Block Island, Newport, RI

7. James Cohoon b: 15 FEB 1670 in Block Island, Newport, RI; m1 Mary Davis, m2 Martha Unknown.

Block Island was incorporated by the Rhode Island general assembly in 1672.

8. John Cohoon b: 9 MAR 1673 in Block Island, RI, or Newport, RI; m1 Martha Rawley; m2 Comfort Peet b: ABT 1694 in Swansea, Bristol, MA.

9. Nathaniel Cohoon b: 2 FEB 1675 in Block Island, RI, or Newport, RI; m1 Jane Jones.

Sometime between December 1669 and February 1670, the Cahoons moved to Swansea, a town in southwestern Massachusetts. William and Deliverance’s last three children were born in Swansea. William was recorded in town records as one of the first signers admitted to the town. At a meeting of the Swansea townsmen on December 24, 1673, William Cahoon was designated the town brick maker. The record, which includes two different spellings of William’s surname, reads:

"At a town meeting of the townsmen, December 24, 1673, it was agreed upon by and between the townsmen in behalf of the town and William Cohoun brickmaker that for and in consideration of a lot and other accommodations or grantes and given him from the town unto him the said William Cohoun. It was therefore agreed and concluded upon by the parties above as that the said William Cahoun shall supply all the inhabitants of the town with bricks at a price not exceeding twenty shillings a thousand in current pay putting between man and man."

William’s brick works was located on the banks of the Palmer River.

Death

King Philip's War

Two years later, in 1675, war broke out between the Native Americans and the colonists. Relations between the native inhabitants and English settlers in the colonies had been deteriorating for some years. The war is known in American history as King Philip’s war. William Cahoon was among the first casualties of the war.

While Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoags had tried to maintain friendly relations with the colonists ever since the English colonial settlement in Plymouth in 1621, tensions grew over the succeeding years with the English pushing ever farther onto Indian lands. After Massasoit’s death in 1661, his sons Wamsutta and Metacom (also known as Philip or King Philip) determined to resist further encroachment. Philip was successful in organizing a confederation of his Wampanoags and most other tribes in New England. In June of 1675, three Wampanoags were executed by the English, which enraged the tribe. In retaliation, Indians attacked settlers in Swansea, one of the first incidents in what would come to be known as King Philip’s War.

On 24 June 1675, the residents of Swansea attended religious services. As they returned home they were attacked by Indians; several of the colonists were killed and others seriously wounded. The survivors, including William and Deliverance and their seven children, gathered in the home of Reverend John Miles. The wounded needed medical help. William and another man volunteered to go to the neighbouring town of Rehoboth and return with a doctor, and the two men left that evening. Their mutilated bodies were found the next day. William Cahoon died at age forty-two, leaving Deliverance with young children to care for in the midst of war between the colonists and the Indian confederation. ^[3]

The site of the Miles house, known as the Miles Garrison House, is located at the west end of Miles Bridge in Swansea, just south of the Swansea/Rehoboth line, and just north of where William Cahoon’s residence and brick works would have been located. The bridge crosses the Palmer River.

A plaque erected at the site in 1912 lists the names of the eleven colonists who died at Swansea, including the name of “William Cahoone.”

William Cahoon experienced war and hardship and opportunity during his forty-two years, as a youth and warrior in Scotland, as a prisoner of war and indentured servant, and as a freeman in Massachusetts, until he met his untimely death in the Indian wars in New England.

A few years after the death of William Cahoon, his widow Deliverance married Caleb Lumbert [I believe this to be a misspelling of his surname, Lumbard, which I have seen commonly] of Barnstable, Cape Cod, and she and her children moved to Barnstable.

Deliverance’s remarriage and relocation to Cape Cod established our Cahoon ancestors’ presence on the Cape through many succeeding generations.

Research Notes

Birth

William was born about 1633, in a small village in the Vale of Leven, now West Alexandria, Dunbartonshire on the western shore of Loch Lomond, lands in the western highlands of Scotland that are the ancestral home of Clan Colquhoun in the Baronies of Luss/Colquhouns . Another theory for his birth suggests that he was born in London, England if he were actually a son of Sir John Colquhoun.

I very much disagree with the theory of John and William being born in London. Scottish parents, particularly in those days and since would rather not have their children on Sasainn [English] soil. Lady Margaret Ogilvy, for one, after hiding out in France for some time after Culloden still managed to get home to Scotland to give birth to her only son, David Ogilvy in 1751. ~ anonymous_macy-angell

William Cahoon|Cohoone|Colquhoun was indeed born in the area this family hailed from. "The present villages of Luss and Tullichewan are located less than nine miles apart, which were part of the Baronies of Luss/Colquhouns in the 17th Century." Tullichewan is not a village, it was an estate. Originally called Tuloch Eoghain, "the hill of Eoghan." In the 17th century it was acquired by the Colquhoun family and was known as Tully-Colquhoun or Tillyquhoun; and then Tullichewan. The Tullichewan estate was sold by the Colquhoun clan to James Buchanan in 1792. ~ anonymous_macy-angell

William was originally thought to have been the son of Alexander Colquhoun and his wife, Marion Stirling but that was certainly laid to rest recently and all research laid bare the very fact of his wrongly called parents had only been married for 10 months, producing one girl child who died within hours of birth and did not leave time for another child to be born to the marriage. Alexander Colquhoun died very shortly - within days - of his daughter's death.~ anonymous_macy-angell

William Colquhoun was likely the second son of John Colquhoun and Katherine Graham. Once, some time ago, I argued against this. I no longer do. People had focussed too much energy on trying to fit a round peg into a square hole. It just became too much trouble finally for anyone to support the Alexander and Marion parentage after many realised it was impossible to be. Enter a new tale, but true - John Colquhoun was mad for Katherine Graham, his wife's sister. So much so it seems he might have turned to sorcery. Long story short, he lost his lands, money, titles...and his wife, Lillias Graham for the love of Katherine. It was a very serious crime in Scotland to do this sort of thing for you were accused of incest if you slept with your wife's sister. You did not need a drop of her blood in your bloodline; it was considered incest. Read the rest of the story here ^[4]

The Scottish have a unique way of naming their children. What I am giving you here may help establish, or at least give more reasoning as to why I believe John Colquhoun and Katherine Graham are the parents of John Cowan Colquhoun and William Colquhoun: [scroll down to the John and Sara passenger's list then scroll down to the 25th name. You will find John 'Coehon' and to the right several variations.] ^[5] ~ anonymous_macy-angell

Birthyears, if they are correct, for both John Cowan Colquhoun/Coehon and William Colquhoun/Cahoon, are very appropriate for them being John’s sons. Their names are appropriate for the boys as well – John Cowan was named for his grandfather, John Colquhoun, 15th Laird of Luss [b 1523] and William was named for Katherine’s grandfather, Sir William Graham (4th Earl of Montrose/ 5th Earl of Menteith / 1st Laird of Ochiltree) and my reasoning for that is as their first son was named John then William was a logical name to give the second son as William was a much used name in the Graham family. ~ anonymous_macy-angell

What is in a Name?

By now you have read about William's unfortunate life of troubles but let us go back to when he came to the Colonies. He was likely as near death as could be after the long march to get to the ship to be taking him away from his homeland. Yes, he was young, but the young can be weary as much as anyone. His surname - and how it was spelled - was the least of his worries. Colquhoun may "look" complicated to say but it is quite simple - "Co-hoon".

You might now imagine that if his name was repeated back to him and sounded correct that he would not have thought to make certain it was spelt correctly. The person checking his information would have simply spelled it "Cohoon". And down the way an "e" was added to the end by possibly William himself. ^[6]

Obviously, we would all love to know all the facts and I see from above the PM is no different, however, this is one we might call "Scottish Mist" and I do not mean the drink. It is likely something that is hard to find or does not exist. Please also read here ^[7]

Parentage

There is conflict regarding the parentage of William Cahoon. William Colquhoun (1633-1675) claimed Citation Needed in his later years that he was the son of Sir John Colquhoun. While there are no official records to prove this relationship, William's birth occurs not long after John and Katherine's elopement and Sir John would have had motive to keep the existence of any child, he had with Katherine a secret since such offspring could have been used as proof of his 'incest' with Katherine. It should be noted that William is not a name used by the Colquhouns but is common within the Graham family. More research is necessary to establish true parentage.

Indeed, more research is needed but if you read about the Scottish naming scheme it is easy to see how John Cowan was named for John Colquhoun's grandfather and how William was named for Katherine's grandfather. If, of course, this is the case. I am not claiming this is necessarily the end to the case. ~anonymous_macy-angell

Whoever this man was, he was not a son of Alexander Colquhoun the Younger. I have therefore created an alternative father to link him to until his true identity is known, and parentage ascertained. ~ Mark

See "What is in a Name" above

COLQUHOUN / COHOON DNA

What I am leaving you with here proves nothing at all definitively. This is part of a print-out from Family Tree DNA results that I have copied and pasted into a smaller lot for people to look at but I ask that you do visit the links so that you might learn more about what it all means in terms of the DNA of not only the Colquhoun clan but of anybody. There are "markers" which I could not fit into my little make-shift DNA chart and there are relatives of Colquhoun from Ireland, Scotland, England, Wales, Tobago and the United States listed as well. These are all over 100 years old so you won't find yourself on these lists, should you have taken the test. The markers are very important to determining whom is really related to the Colquhoun family. There are also some DNA results which show they have been ruled out as Colquhoun/Cohoon. The two "pictures" are to the right of this bio. Full results are here ^[8] and also here ^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ The First Colquhoun in America (https://dougcahoon.wixsite.com/clan-colquhoun-tour/copy-of-beginnings-of-colquhoun)
2. ↑ Scottish Prisoners of War Society, Children of William Cohoon and ___________ (https://spows.org/battle-of-dunbar/battle-of-dunbar-prisoners-of-war/battle-of-dunbar-prisoner-profiles/william-cahoon/)
3. ↑ Find-a-Grave Website: Profile created by: David Cahoon, Record added: 17 April 2008, Find A Grave Memorial# 26080818; Find A Grave: Memorial #26080818
4. ↑ [S37] Mosley, Charles, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003. (http://www.thepeerage.com/p24572.htm#i245712)
5. ↑ John and Sara Passenger List out of London 1651 and bound for New England with Scottish Prisoners. (this alphabetises the list and adds spelling variations) (https://www.us-roots.org/colonialamerica/main/john&sara.html)
6. ↑ Colquhoun, Wikitree (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colquhoun)
7. ↑ Clan Colquhoun Clan History Name (https://www.clancolquhoun.com/how/)
8. ↑ Scottish Prisoners of the Civil Wars (Dunbar and Worcester) - Y-DNA Classic Chart (https://www.familytreedna.com/public/ScottishPoWs?iframe=yresults)
9. ↑ Calhoun, Colquhoun - Y-DNA Classic Chart (https://www.familytreedna.com/public/calhoun?iframe=yresults)

Acknowledgements

• Cahoon-44 was created through the import of Lent_Vise_2011-05-11aa.ged on May 26, 2011 by Bryan Sypniewski.
• Cahoon-44 was adopted Oct 28 2013 - Tom Quick
• Profile created by Stacey Davis, (firsthand knowledge) was merged into Cahoon-44.
• Cohoon-33 was created by Deborah Dahl through the import of MarilynTurner.ged on May 10, 2014.
• Cohoon-33 was merged into Cahoon-44
• Find A Grave: Memorial #26080818 for William Cahoon, b: 1633 Dumbarton, West Dunbartonshire, Scotland; d: 24 Jun 1675 Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA; buried: Palmer River Churchyard Cemetery, Rehoboth, Bristol County, Massachusetts, USA

I am placing these here as they are not effective citations without links for the reader to visit and verify the information. However, they are not mine to erase and as there are a few with books if people want to find these in a library or purchase somewhere else:

• Information on William Cahoon from Deborah A. Cahoon Didick, "Famous and Infamous Cahoons" (s.l.: Hazelnut Press, 1999);

• Lila Cahoon, "The Cahoons of America and Where to Find Them" (Cardston, Alberta: Lila Cahoon, 1991), p. 385-387;

• Stephen Lance Calhoun, "From Soldier to Brickmaker: The Life of William Cahoone c1633 to 22 June 1675," published in Orval O. Calhoun, "800 Years of Colquhoun, Colhoun and Cahoon Family History in Ireland, Scotland, England, United States of America, Australia and Canada" (Baltimore: Gateway Press, 1976-1991), vol. 3, p. 22-66;

• information provided by genealogist Burt Derrick of Harwich, Massachusetts.

• RootsWeb: COHOON - WILLIS and the FAMILIES we came from This link is not working

• William Cahoon First Colquhoun in the Colonies, William Colquhoun Blogspot. This link presents nothing new that other links have so it is moved here because perhaps someone wants to see for themselves.