"Capt. John Shapleigh (John3) of that part of Kittery now Eliot, Maine, captain in the militia, a member in 1734 of the Congregation Church in what is now Eliot, born probably about 1689, died at Kittery 15 March 1758/9. He m. 29 Nov. 1733, Dorcas Littlefield of Wells." (1)

John & Dorcas had 4 sons & 4 daughters.

Notes

• Some of the Shapleigh's former slaves left Kittery for Casco Bay islands not far from Merrymeeting Bay and early travel to Auburn was often up the Androscoggin River, although rocks and falls limited the size of the vessels accessing the area. Androscoggin Historical Society: The First African-American Settler of Auburn, Maine
• Brian J.L. Berry wrote The Shapleigh, Shapley and Shappley Families, a 1993 genealogy, which includes a mention of Primus Shapley;

There is pretty good reason to believe that Primus Shapleigh of Auburn may have ties with a Primus Shapleigh who was freed from slavery when Captain John Shapleigh of Kittery, Maine, died on October 7, 1759. Captain Shapleigh had several "Negro" persons listed in his inventory including a person called Primus. (Maine Probate Abstracts, Volume I, page 507, item 10/243). It is possible that Primus the 1759 freedom finder was the father of Primus of 1800 Auburn. The First African-American Settler of Auburn, Maine by Douglas A. Hall

Citations

1. Alexander Shapleigh of Kittery, Maine and Some of His Descendants, by Ralph Bartlett, NEHGR, 1941, Vol. 95 pg 266

Links

• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/k/a/h/John-B-Kaherl/GENE15-0034.html
• http://olddeadrelatives.com/getperson.php?personID=I33675&tree=main