Jane “Sandusky”, “Indian princess”

Ancestror of Chester A. Arthur, 21st President of the United States.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_A._Arthur

Jane “Sandusky” married Stephen Flanders prior to 1646 at “Gorgeana”. Stephen Flanders, his wife Jane and two children moved to Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1649-50.

Some genealogists doubt that Jane “Sandusky” Flanders was an “Indian princess”, or any kind of Indian. Colonial records indicate that she had an excellent command of the English language. On the other hand, she was recorded as being an exceptionally fierce and violent woman, characteristics not usually associated with Puritan female colonists:

According to Henry Howe, an early Ohio historian, the origin and meaning of the name “Sandusky” was also a matter of some dispute. However, William Walker, principal chief of the Sandusky Wyandot tribe living at Upper Sandusky, Ohio in 1835-36, claimed that it meant, “at the cold water,” and should be pronounced “San-doos-tee.”

Permalink Reply by Elizabeth Irwin Kane on April 12, 2012 at 7:55pm Timothy, Your research has been a great help. My dad's family was from Freeport, Maine, and often surmised there was an Indian (with some pride, I might add). I'm descended from Stephen Flanders and Jane Sandusky through their son John.

Permalink Reply by Golanv Igvyi on August 26, 2011 at 1:57pm
_________________
There is no such thing as an "Indian Princess"

There were no chiefs or kings among the native inhabitants of this land before the Europeans showed up. The Europeans gave these titles to people who were considered "Leaders" (because they had shown wisdom and were good at giving advise and making choices) so that they would have someone to sign away lands. It is good that you have found a truth about your ancestry and I pray it helps you better understand yourself. Sadly many who find these truths think it will entitle them to money from one tribe or another. This is not the case. A few tribes have done well and can offer their members help but for the most part the Indians of Turtle Island are still being held down under the boot of oppression.

_________________

"The Flanders Family from Europe to America" Vol I. Ruth Edith Dunbar Flanders and Charles M Flanders.....

NOTES for Jane:
Jane Sandusky, was purported to be of Indian descent (based on her "hot' temper). This a tradition in the family, however there has never been a tribe of Sandusky Indians in the region of New England she was found in. However, ther has not been enough evidence found to refute it either.

She may have been the daughter of a French trapper, who were known to be coming down the St. Lawrence during this period. There is some belief that her name was some corruption of the French name of Saint Estr'ees; also the indications of her nervous, excitable temperament, given in the old court records, incline one to this belief. 

A ready tongue, together with no hesitancy to use it, were attributes that could not pass unrecorded in a community of Puritans, who tolerated nothing. That Jane possessed these attributes cannot be doubted, after reading the old court records. The offenses for which she was charged was commonplace and an everyday occurence in New England during this period. The lives of constant struggle against hardships of deprivations and the constant harshness of the Puritan code, coupled with the cultural and language differences Jane experienced, would account for much of the discord with her neighbors. Therefore, it isn't easy to judge her harshly for the misdemeanors she was charged with.

Some genealogists and family historians believe that Steven was married prior to his marriage to Jane. The common tradition that all Flanders are from one progenitor, coupled with the fact that Flanders were found in New York prior to Steven's arrival to New England, and those found in Virginia and Georgia causes a few to accept this convenient solution. He also may have have had brothers, who made their way at about the same time, or just prior to his arrival. Without any evidence to go on, one but may speculate. It may be far fetched to believe that all Flanders in this country originated from one common ancestor, but one would have to admit that Edith Flanders Dunbar, in her Book" The Flanders Family: From Europe To America, made one heck of a case b tying almost all Flanders together, back to Steven I.
_______

FROM TREE QUEST:

52 Ancestors: #1, Jane "Sandusky" Flanders

One of our most intriguing of ancestors – Jane “Sandusky” Flanders, my 9th great-grandmother.

The Bare Facts

Jane “Sandusky” lived in the Puritan colonies in the mid to late 1600’s. Given the birthdates of her children, she had to have been born sometime between 1615 and 1633. Jane was married to a planter named Steven Flanders. The date of their marriage is unknown but it presumably took place before the 1646 birth of their son, Stephen.

In October of 1649, Jane and Steven were documented as living in York, Maine. By February of 1650, they had moved 28 miles south to Salisbury, Massachusetts. There they lost their first daughter, Mary, in May of 1650. They resided in Salisbury for the remainder of their lives, producing 5 other children (listed below). By the time they reached the end of their lives, Steven had become a very prosperous landowner and provided well for his heirs.

Jane passed away on November 19th, 1683 and Steven followed on June 27th, 1684.

Children of Jane “Sandusky” and Steven Flanders:

• • Mary, b. ____; d. May 4, 1650
• • Stephen, b. Mar. 8, 1646-7; d. bef. May 29, 1689
• • Mary, b. May 7, 1650; d. Nov. 11, 1719
• • Philip, b. Jul. 14, 1652; d. Aug. 27, 1712
• • Sarah, b. Nov. 5, 1654; d. Jan. 18, 1717
• • Naomi, b. Dec. 15, 1656; d. Jul. 24, 1718 (my ancestress via her son, John Darling)
• • John, Feb. 11, 1659; d. Dec. 24, 1716

Quick History Lesson

To understand our ancestors, you need to understand the time and area in which they lived. They came to the new world escaping religious persecution and ended up living under stringent Puritan rules of behavior that were strictly enforced. The land that they lived in was harsh, wolf and Indian attacks were common, towns were small and isolated, roads were few, and travel was limited. They were literally hacking their lives out of a wilderness.

Introducing Jane

Jane was, by all accounts, not an easy woman. Almost every clue into her personality comes from her recurring court appearances. She had a tendency to voice her opinion forcefully and frequently - to and about her neighbors - which resulted in her frequent presence in various courtrooms.

Her first appearance took place on October 16, 1649. Jane was charged in the York court with “abusing her husband and his neighbors”. A warrant was issued ordering her to appear in the next court. Interesting, she never did. Instead, the Flanders family apparently – in the dead of an east coast winter with all the dangers involved – up and moved 28 miles south to Salisbury. Probably the fact that Salisbury residents were not subject to the laws of York had something to do with it. (We know they moved at that time because, on February 3, 1650, Steven is documented as being a Salisbury townsman.)

But the move apparently did not deter Jane’s tendencies. On August 4th, 1953, Jane was charged with slander by William Osgood (interestingly, a 10th great-grandfather of mine). His suit claimed that Jane had said that he had threatened to beat her and that she reviled him by calling him a “foresworn wretch” and his wife a “mill mare”. The case was officially withdrawn but the same day, the court ordered Jane to be whipped “no more than 10 stripes” and to appear before the next court to attest to good behavior. Perhaps that decision to withdraw the case and do the whipping instead was a compromise that allowed Jane to avoid the most common punishments for slander - the ducking stool or brank (iron cage that covered the head) - while still satisfying her accuser’s wrath, though that is just my guess.

Whipping Post and Stocks

A decade passed before Jane next appeared in court. On April 12, 1664, both Jane and the Widow Peasly were admonished by the court and fined for “railing carriages and misbehaviors”. Then on February 10, 1666, Jane was tried and convicted of telling lies, making debate among neighbors, and casting great reproaches on several. She also acknowledged that she was often “distempered in her head”. She was ordered to not be allowed to give evidence, bound to good behavior, and sentenced to be whipped 10 stripes upon lecture day. Her husband, Steven, was fined the same day for “breach of the peace”; one assumes in response to something that took place in the trial.

The last court appearance of Jane is also my personal favorite. On November 22, 1679, Jane filed a complaint in the court again Samuel Getchell and his wife (another set of my 9th great-grandparents) for calling her names. Jane claimed that she and her daughter went into Getchell’s field to see where their cattle had broken in and Goodwife Getchell met them and asked if they had come to steal their corn. According to Jane, “I said no, I have no need of your corn. Then she said get off my ground, thou pennycoinquick – I am sure you are come to steal my corn. She had a pumpkin in her hand, she heft it up and said she would stove my head with it. Then I said if my cattle have stole your corn, your pigs have stole my wheat. Then she said come down, St. Dunstan, to hear how the devil lies. And likewise, Goodman Getchell does often provoke me by calling my children devils’”. The case was referred to the next Hampton court but there is no record of the result.

In a word, Jane was feisty.

The Indian Legend

Family lore has it that Jane “Sandusky” Flanders was of Native American descent. Tradition from more than one branch of the family holds that she was any or all of (1) a converted Indian maiden, (2) a native of the Sandusky Indian tribe, and/or (3) had the Indian name of “Sandusky”. But no documentation exists to back up this belief. And I’m afraid my detailed examination of the origin of these legends will have to wait for a different post, as it would take up too much space here.

What we do know is that without a paper trail, the only hope for providing proof of Native American descent is in DNA. And the oldest remaining generation in my family is 10 generations down from Jane, making them (at the most) 1/1024th Native American. In DNA terms, that means the maximum Native American DNA any of them could carry would be .0975%. DNA is a tricky item, it’s not very likely that Jane’s Native American DNA would pass down in its entirety, yet one of my uncles does show up with Native American DNA in his results. So it is possible that Jane was Native American.

Summary

Regardless of her Native American ancestry or not, Jane “Sandusky” Flanders is a fascinating person to me. You rarely find documentation of your female ancestors, much less have a chance to read their words and hear their voice. I admire the fact that Jane spoke her mind and I’m thrilled that her words bring her back to life for me.

Bibliography

• • The Flanders Family from Europe to America
• • The Old families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts ; with some related families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich and Hampton
• • Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts - Volumes I, III, & VII, Edited by George Francis Dow. Transcribed and Abstracted from the Original Court Manuscript by Harriet S. Tapley
• • Descendants of Stephen Flanders of Salisbury, Mass., 1646 : being a genealogy of the Flanders family by Ellery Kirke Taylor


The Truth Is Out There

Here be genealogy! Family history & mystery! Pirates! Scoundrels! Peasants and royalty! Touching tales and shocking scandals! You will laugh, you will cry, you will experience things you've never before imagined!! From : Tree Quest

https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/KLZP-4H7/jane-sandusky-indian...

Jane Sandusky (SAN -DOOS-TEE) possibly the daughter of French trappers (Saint Est-rées) living in the area where she was born - 1622–19 November 1683

Birth • 1 Sources 1622 York Village, York, York, Massachusetts Bay, British Colonial America

Age 61 Death • 4 Sources 19 November 1683 Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

Jane Flanders, "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001"

SPOUSES AND CHILDREN

Stephen Flanders 1620-1684

Marriage: 1643

Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

Jane Sandusky Indian 1622-1683

Children (7)

Stephen Flanders II 1646-1689

Mary Flanders 1st 1648-1650

Mary Flanders 1650-1719

Phillip Flanders 1652-1712

Sarah Flanders 1654-

Naomi Flanders 1656-1718

Cpl. John Flanders 1658-1716

PARENTS AND SIBLINGS

Steven
-
Marriage:

Unknown

Children (1)

Jane Sandusky 1622-1683

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~colby/colbyfam/b7.html#P1872

Jane (FLANDERS) was born in 1622 in York, York County, Maine. She died on 19 NOV 1683 at Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. (SOURCE: Early Vital Records of Essex County, Massachusetts to 1850 for Salisbury.) She has Ancestral File Number 1THJ-7P.

A Sandusky Indian Princess?

Jane (--?--) was also known as Jane Sandusky I have only found this name in the Family Ancestor File and it is quite questionable. Jane may have been an Indian according to one tradition but this is doubtful. In truth, she had an excellent command of English and there are no references to her as an Indian in any of the records. She was referred to by William OSGOOD as "a foresworn wretch." Her evidence in her suit against Goodwife GATCHELL reads as follows, "Shee had a pumkeng in her hand she held it up and said shee would stave my hed with it, then i said if my cattell have stooid your courne your piggs have stooid mine wheat; then she said com down: St: Donstan ******." She was brought before the court for abuseing her husband and neighbors on 16 October 1649 in Gorgeana, now York, Maine. Her death was recorded as 19 (9) 1683.6 --Rob Roy http://www.theroyfamily.com

===================

The Sandusky Indians were (originally) a tribe of Wyandot Hurons that centered in Erie County Ohio near the present site of Sandusky Ohio. The present name (from a Wyandot [Wendat] Indian word meaning “cold water” or “pure water”) was adopted in 1818. The first railroad arrived in 1835. In the 1850s Sandusky was a terminus of the Underground Railroad, an escape route for slaves.

The first printed reference to the name “Sandusky” appears on the De Lisle Map of 1718 in Paris. It shows “Lac Sandouske” with three islands intervening between it and Lake Erie. A long river flowing into Lake Erie at its southwest reaches corresponds to the Maumee. The river's name derives from the Wyandot words saandusti, meaning "water (within water-pools)" or from andusti, meaning "cold water". It was transliterated in various spellings by French and English colonists.

The first Sandusky to come to America was Antonio Sadowski of Poland who lived from 1669-1736. He was an active trader and merchant who purchased furs from the Indians for resale in Europe. He arrived in America about 100 years after Jane "Sandusky" was born.

Before 1768 a mixed group of indians began to assemble on land along the Sandusky River. They eventually became known as the "Senecas of the Sandusky." Many historians have claimed that there were probably few, if any, Senecas among them. The Sandusky family name was found in the USA, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Sandusky families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 8 living in Kentucky they comprised 47% of the Sandusky names found. at that time.

Based on the above, it is clear that the "Sandusky" name for Jane is a modern day appellation which has nothing to do with her being a Indian of the Sandusky tribe which did not exist at the time of her birth. The theory of her descending from French trappers who were present in Maine at the time of her birth is more likely.

(BOOK SOURCES: (1). Geneal. Dict. of Maine and New Hampshire, S. Noyles, Charles Libby & Walter Davis; (2). A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England bef 1692, James Savage; (3). The Flanders Family from Europe to America, Edith Flanders Dunbar, 1935, Tuttle Publishing Company.)

Spouse: Steven FLANDERS. Steven FLANDERS and Jane (FLANDERS) were married in 1645 in Maine. Children were: Stephen FLANDERS, Mary FLANDERS, Mary FLANDERS, Philip FLANDERS, Sarah FLANDERS, Naomi FLANDERS, Corporal John FLANDERS.

Jane “Sandusky” married Stephen Flanders prior to 1646 at “Gorgeana”. Stephen Flanders, his wife Jane and two children moved to Salisbury, Massachusetts in 1649-50. Stephen and Jane “Sandusky” Flanders had seven children:

• Steven Flanders, Jr., born in 1646.
• Mary Flanders, born about 1648 and died about 1650.
• Mary Flanders, born in 1650 and died in 1719.
• Phillip Flanders, born on 14 July 14, 1652 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married Martha Eaton Collins and died August 27, 1712 at Salisbury, Massachusetts.
• Sarah Flanders, born on November 5, 1654 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married John Newhall and died on January 18, 1717.
• Naomi Flanders, born on December 15, 1656 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married Benjamin Eastman and died July 24, 1718 at Salisbury, Massachusetts.
• John Flanders, born on February 11, 1658 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married Elizabeth Sargent and died on December 24, 1716 at Salisbury, Massachusetts.

Jane “Sandusky” Flanders died on November 19, 1683 at about age 61 at Salisbury, Massachusetts.

Some genealogists doubt that Jane “Sandusky” Flanders was an “Indian princess”, or any kind of Indian. Colonial records indicate that she had an excellent command of the English language. On the other hand, she was recorded as being an exceptionally fierce and violent woman, characteristics not usually associated with Puritan female colonists:

She was referred to by colonist William Osgood as “a foresworn wretch.”

A complaint to Salisbury court brought by Goodwife Flanders against Samuel Gachall and his wife for calling her vile names: “She and her daughter went into Gachell’s field to see where their cattle had broken in and Goodwife Gachell met them and asked if they had come to steal their corn. I said no, I haue no need of yor corn; then shee said ‘Geet of my ground thou pennycoinquick – I am sheure you are com to stell my corn.’ Shee had a pumkeng in har hand. She held it up & said shee woold staue my hed wth it. Then I said if my Cattell haue stooid your corne your piggs haue stooyd mine wheat. Then shee said ‘Com doun St Donstone to heare how the Deuill lies’ & Likewise good man gacheall doe often prouocke mee by calling my Children Deuills etc .” The epithet “pennycoinquick” that Goodwife Gachall hurled at Jane Flanders, when Jane and her daughter allegedly entered the neighbor’s cornfield in search of the Flanders’ cows, is a mystery. It sounds like it could be an Indian word, but could also be some obscure English insult. There was a prison at ”Pennycomequick” near Plymouth, England. “Pennycomequick” comes from the old Celtic name “Pen y cwm coet”, meaning “the head of a wooded valley”, or “Pen y cwm gwyk”, referring to a nearby creek.

On October 16, 1649, Jane was also brought before the local Court for abusing her husband and neighbors.

Excerpt from The Flanders Family: From Europe To America (2nd ed. volume I) by Stephen M. Flanders (2000): “Jane Sandusky, was purported to be of Indian descent. This is a tradition in the family; however, there has never been a tribe of Sandusky Indians in the region of New England she was found in. However, there has not been enough evidence found to refute it either.”…“A ready tongue, together with no hesitancy to use it, were attributes that could not pass unrecorded in a community of Puritans, who tolerated nothing. That Jane possessed these attributes cannot be doubted, after reading the old court records. The offenses for which she was charged were commonplace and an everyday occurrence in New England during this period. The lives of constant struggle against hardships of deprivations and the constant harshness of the Puritan code, coupled with the cultural and language differences Jane experienced, would account for much of the discord with her neighbors.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~colby/colbyfam/b7.html#P1872

Jane (FLANDERS) was born in 1622 in York, York County, Maine. She died on 19 NOV 1683 at Salisbury, Essex County, Massachusetts. (SOURCE: Early Vital Records of Essex County, Massachusetts to 1850 for Salisbury.) She has Ancestral File Number 1THJ-7P.

A Sandusky Indian Princess? Jane (--?--) was also known as Jane Sandusky I have only found this name in the Family Ancestor File and it is quite questionable. Jane may have been an Indian according to one tradition but this is doubtful. In truth, she had an excellent command of English and there are no references to her as an Indian in any of the records. She was referred to by William OSGOOD as "a foresworn wretch." Her evidence in her suit against Goodwife GATCHELL reads as follows, "Shee had a pumkeng in her hand she held it up and said shee would stave my hed with it, then i said if my cattell have stooid your courne your piggs have stooid mine wheat; then she said com down: St: Donstan

• ***** " She was brought before the court for abusing her husband and neighbors on 16 October 1649 in Gorgeana, now York, Maine. Her death was recorded as 19 (9) 1683.6 --Rob Roy http://www.theroyfamily.com

  ---

Steven Flanders, Jr., born in 1646. Mary Flanders, born about 1648 and died about 1650. Mary Flanders, born in 1650 and died in 1719. Phillip Flanders, born on 14 July 14, 1652 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married Martha Eaton Collins and died August 27, 1712 at Salisbury, Massachusetts. Sarah Flanders, born on November 5, 1654 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married John Newhall and died on January 18, 1717. Naomi Flanders, born on December 15, 1656 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married Benjamin Eastman and died July 24, 1718 at Salisbury, Massachusetts. John Flanders, born on February 11, 1658 at Salisbury, Massachusetts, married Elizabeth Sargent and died on December 24, 1716 at Salisbury, Massachusetts.

Jane “Sandusky” Flanders died on November 19, 1683 at about age 61 at Salisbury, Massachusetts.

Some genealogists doubt that Jane “Sandusky” Flanders was an “Indian princess”, or any kind of Indian. Colonial records indicate that she had an excellent command of the English language. On the other hand, she was recorded as being an exceptionally fierce and violent woman, characteristics not usually associated with Puritan female colonists:

She was referred to by colonist William Osgood as “a foresworn wretch.”

A complaint to Salisbury court brought by Goodwife Flanders against Samuel Gachall and his wife for calling her vile names: “She and her daughter went into Gachell’s field to see where their cattle had broken in and Goodwife Gachell met them and asked if they had come to steal their corn. I said no, I haue no need of yor corn; then shee said ‘Geet of my ground thou pennycoinquick – I am sheure you are com to stell my corn.’ Shee had a pumkeng in har hand. She held it up & said shee woold staue my hed wth it. Then I said if my Cattell haue stooid your corne your piggs haue stooyd mine wheat. Then shee said ‘Com doun St Donstone to heare how the Deuill lies’ & Likewise good man gacheall doe often prouocke mee by calling my Children Deuills etc .” The epithet “pennycoinquick” that Goodwife Gachall hurled at Jane Flanders, when Jane and her daughter allegedly entered the neighbor’s cornfield in search of the Flanders’ cows, is a mystery. It sounds like it could be an Indian word, but could also be some obscure English insult. There was a prison at ”Pennycomequick” near Plymouth, England. “Pennycomequick” comes from the old Celtic name “Pen y cwm coet”, meaning “the head of a wooded valley”, or “Pen y cwm gwyk”, referring to a nearby creek.

On October 16, 1649, Jane was also brought before the local Court for abusing her husband and neighbors.

Excerpt from The Flanders Family: From Europe To America (2nd ed. volume I) by Stephen M. Flanders (2000): “Jane Sandusky, was purported to be of Indian descent. This is a tradition in the family; however, there has never been a tribe of Sandusky Indians in the region of New England she was found in. However, there has not been enough evidence found to refute it either.”…“A ready tongue, together with no hesitancy to use it, were attributes that could not pass unrecorded in a community of Puritans, who tolerated nothing. That Jane possessed these attributes cannot be doubted, after reading the old court records. The offenses for which she was charged were commonplace and an everyday occurrence in New England during this period. The lives of constant struggle against hardships of deprivations and the constant harshness of the Puritan code, coupled with the cultural and language differences Jane experienced, would account for much of the discord with her neighbors.”

According to Henry Howe, an early Ohio historian, the origin and meaning of the name “Sandusky” was also a matter of some dispute. However, William Walker, principal chief of the Sandusky Wyandot tribe living at Upper Sandusky, Ohio in 1835-36, claimed that it meant, “at the cold water,” and should be pronounced “San-doos-tee.”

According to Henry Howe, an early Ohio historian, the origin and meaning of the name “Sandusky” was also a matter of some dispute. However, William Walker, principal chief of the Sandusky Wyandot tribe living at Upper Sandusky, Ohio in 1835-36, claimed that it meant, “at the cold water,” and should be pronounced “San-doos-tee.” Jane Sandusky Born 1622 York, Maine, United States Gender Female Died 19 Nov 1683 Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Person ID I17558571570 Master Tree Last Modified 9 Oct 2012

Family Stephen Flanders, b. 3 Oct 1620, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States , d. 27 Jun 1684, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Children

	1. Stephen Flanders,   b. 08 Mar 1646, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States ,   d. 29 May 1689, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States 

2. John Flanders, b. 11 Feb 1659, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States , d. 1745, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

Last Modified 10 Oct 2012 Family ID F16053353364 Group S

Family Stephen Flanders, b. 3 Oct 1620, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States , d. 27 Jun 1684, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States Children

	1. Stephen Flanders,   b. 08 Mar 1646, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States ,   d. 29 May 1689, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States 

2. John Flanders, b. 11 Feb 1659, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States , d. 1745, Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States

Last Modified 10 Oct 2012 Family ID F16053353364 Group S