One fascinating aspect of genealogy is that, as you go back in time in the United State to the colonial period, the greater the likelihood that you will find extensive marriages among the members of two large families. Those of us who have been tracing Bunker/Williams families have learned of the marriages between members of the Williams, Wilbur and Philbrick families. Recently, some of us learned of our connections to the Folsom family and Soule families.

In reviewing material from the Folsom Family Association and pages from a publication on the Philbrick family the following connections between the Philbricks and the Folsoms and the Folsoms and the Winslows (Bunker descendants) can be observed. These might provoke some additional comments or information to share.

Family #1:

Capt. Benjamin Folsom b. 1730 m. Mercy Taylor
Children:

	Peter Sanborn Folsom b. 1766 m. Betsey Philbrick (Family #3)
	Betsey Folsom, b. May 26, 1769 d. 1813 m. Stephen Philbrick (Family #4)

Family #2:

James Philbrick b. 1714 m. Elizabeth Rand
Children:

	Titus Philbrick b. 1744, according to Chapman's Philbrick family history, which also listed no marriages or children. (Family #5)
	Stephen Philbrick b. May 16, 1763 d. 1844 (Family #4)

Family #3:

Betsey Philbrick m (1) Nathaniel Folsom b. 1748, son of Jeremiah Folsom, and (2) Peter Sanborn Folsom.
Peter and Betsey had the following children:

	Titus Philbrick Folsom b. 1796
	Stephen Philbrick Folsom b. 1805 m. Polly Soule b. 1802 (Family #6)

Family #4:

Betsey Folsom and Stephen Philbrick had 12 children. There no apparent connections among the children to any of the following families (Bunker, Folsom, Soule, Wilbur, Williams, Winslow).

Family #5:

Titus Philbrick had no marriage or children listed in Chapman's Philbrick genealogy. Janet Hinkley's research shows Titus Philbrick b. April 4, 1743, and m. October 22, 1767 to Abigail Allen. If this is the same Titus Philbrick, Titus and Abilgail Allen Philbrick had the following children who married sons or daughters of Samuel and Sobriety Bunker Williams:

	Ruth Philbrick m. Joshua Williams* on November 27, 1805 (Family #7)
	Sally Philbrick m. Joshua Williams* on June 4, 1819
	Mary Philbrick b. February 1778 m. October 28, 1800 Samuel A. Williams b. November 26, 1779**
	Stephen Philbrick b. June 13, 1792 m. June 12, 1815 Hannah Williams**

* Joshua Williams m. (1) Ruth Philbrick and (2) Sally Philbrick
** Further descendant information is available.

Family #6:

Stephen Philbrick Folsom b. 1805 m. Polly Soule b. 1802
Children:

	Mary Darling Folsom m. Samuel Winslow***
	Lavina Thompson Folsom m. Samuel Winslow***
	Sarah Folsom m. Elias Winslow***
	William Folsom b. April 10, 1835 m. Sylvina Winslow b. July 7, 1838, the daughter of Stephen Winslow, b. Sept. 16, 1809, elder brother of Samuel and Elias Winslow.***

*** Samuel, Elias and Stephen Winslow were sons of Nathaniel Winslow (b. in New Hampshire in 1775), who married Elizabeth Williams in August 1803 in Avon, Franklin Co., Maine. Elizabeth was daughter of Samuel and Sobriety Bunker Williams. Additional data is available.

Family #7:

Joseph and Ruth Philbrick Williams m. November 27, 1805, and their daughter, Mary married Moses Bunker. They were married on December 15, 1830, according to Janet Hinkley's research. According to the Bunker Genealogy, Volume III, Moses Bunker, b. April 8, 1805 in Vienna, Maine, married Polly Williams, b. September 6, 1808 in New Portland, Maine, on December 15, 1830. They had five children, for who some additional information is available.  Children named Mary in the Williams family were often called "Polly," according to research, and therefore the "Polly Williams" married to Moses Bunker as shown in the Bunker genealogy is almost certainly the same Mary Williams, daughter of Joseph and Ruth Philbrick Williams.   Joshua Williams descends from Sobriety Bunker (D15-II as numbered by the Bunker Family Association numbering system), and Moses Bunker (D-120) descends from Sobriety's youngest brother, Elijah (D41), and therefore Mary Williams and Moses Bunker are first cousins, once removed. 

One can list these families on a large piece of paper to look at in generational sense. Unless the Titus Philbrick, son of James Philbrick is a different Titus Philbrick than the one who had children marrying descendants of Samuel and Sobriety Bunker Williams (which is unlikely), this presents an interesting lineup of members of the Philbrick, Williams, Folsom and Bunker/Winslow families.

Now here are the challenging questions:

1. What is the relationship, if any, of the Betsey Philbrick who married Peter Sanborn Folsom to the other members of the Philbrick family (e.g. Stephen, Titus and James)?
2. What is the Jeremiah Folsom connection to Benjamin Folsom, if any?

If you have any comments, please contact us.

Last updated on February 24, 2008 © Bunker Family Association 1997-2008