The History of Martha's Vineyard by Dr. Charles Banks:
Volume III Family Genealogies:  pp. 92-94

THE CLIFFORD FAMILY

Compiled by Dr. Charles Banks, c. 1925.
Transcribed and prepared for the web by C. Baer 1999.
[Comments in brackets added by C. Baer, 1999. Sources upon request.]


30. JACOB CLIFFORD, b. 7 Apr. 1679 in Hampton, N. H. was the first of this family to come to the Vineyard. He was the son of John3 and Sarah (Godfrey) Clifford of that town, and grandson of John2 the emigrant, who settled in Hampton. According to the family genealogists the first of this name was George1 Clifford who came from Arnold, Nottinghamshire to Boston, bringing with him his son John2 above named. Jacob Clifford m. ELIZABETH MAYHEW (62) and it was through this marriage, doubtless, that he became connected with the island. He settled in C. as a farmer and d. 9 May 1715. His wid. m. (2) Ichabod Allen (14) 4 Nov. 1728 [in Chilmark.]

40. HANNAH, b. 1 Aug. 1701.
41. MARY, b. (1703); m. (1) SAMUEL HATCH (44) 1 Dec. 1724 [in Chilmark]; (2) HENRY LUCE (13) 11 Feb. 1747-8.
42. SARAH, b. 4 Mch. 1705. m. DAVID DUNHAM (62) 11 Apr. 1723 [in Chilmark.]
43. JOHN, b. 7 July 1707; d. 27 Mch 1728. "It is said he died well. He died at Mr. Cobbs of Newtown." (Homes' Diary).
44. ELIZABETH, b. 14 May 1710.
45. BENJAMIN, b. [-----].
46. JACOB, b. 11 May 1715.

 

46. JACOB CLIFFORD, (Jacob,4 John,3-2 George1), b. 11 May 1715 (posthumous). Res. C., farmer; he m. BATHSHEBA SKIFFE (81) 8 Nov. 1742, who was b. abt. 1724 and d. Oct. 1784. He d. 19 Mch. 1787.

50. JOHN, b. 1743-4, m. ELIZABETH SMITH 8 Nov. 1770 at Providence where he resided. They were parents of Benjamin Clifford b. 1773 who m. Achsah Wade 1795 and the latter's son John Henry Clifford b. 16 Jan. 1809 was Governor of Mass. 1853-4.
51. BATHSHEBA, b. (1745); d. 1788.
52. SARAH, b. (1747); m. ZACHARIAH LUCE (166) 19 Nov. 1767 [in Tisbury.]
53. BENJAMIN, b. 1749; d. 1766.
54. HANNAH, b. 1752; d. 1765.
55. JACOB, b. 1754.
56. VINAL, b. 1755.
57. NATHAN, b. 1758.
58. STEPHEN, b. 1764; d. 22 June 1790.

 

55. JACOB CLIFFORD, (Jacob,5-4 John,3-2 Georgel), b. 1754; res. T., farmer. He m. LYDIA GRAY (103) 26 Nov. 1780 [in Tisbury], who was bapt. 24 Oct. 1764. He d. 17 Dec. 1787 and his wid. m. (2) Martin Luce (651).

70. JOHN GRAY. b. 1783; d. y.
71. LYDIA, bapt. 5 July 1787 [in Tisbury]; m. ELIJAH SMITH (16[?]) 27 June 1805 [in Tisbury.] [She died 11 Jan. 1861 in Holmes Hole of "reumatick fever." Elijah was born in 1783 and died in 1848. They had a daughter Sophronia Smith (1809-1894).]

 

56. VINAL CLIFFORD, (Jacob,5-4 John,3-2 George1), b. 1755; res. T., farmer. He m. (1) BETTY LUCE (392) 27 Jan. 1780 [in Tisbury], who was bapt. 3 May 1761 and d. 31 Jan. 1797; m. (2) THANKFUL GRAY (42) 23 Sept. 1802 [in Tisbury], who was b. 1772. He was "drowned or perished with cold on the bank of Homes Hole harbour" 13 Dec. 1806.

80. STEPHEN, m. PRUDENCE NORTON (245) 31 Jan. 1813 [in Tisbury.] ["Dency" died a widow of dyspepia and "softening of the brain" on 4 Jun 1860 in Holmes Hole. They had a daughter Louisa Clifford who was born on 4 Mar 1817 in North Tisbury and m. Baxter Downs (1811-1888) on 4 May 1834 in Tisbury. Louisa died on 26 Nov 1874 in Tisbury, at age 57, of "cancer of stomach" and is buried in Village Cemetery, Vineyard Haven.]
81. ZACCHEUS.
82. EDMUND.
83. HANNAH.
84. SARAH.

By Second Wife:

85. ELIZABETH, b. 20 Sept. 1803; m. NATHAN CLIFFORD (96) 30 Mch. 1826 [in Tisbury.]
86. MARY, b. 1805. [Was she the "Mary A. Clifford" (b. 30 Sep 1805 in Tisbury), who appears with #96 Nathan in the 1850 Chilmark census?]

 

57. NATHAN CLIFFORD, (Jacob,5-4 John,3-2 Georgel), b. 1758 [in Tisbury]; res. T., farmer. He m. URANA LUCE (415) 6 Dec. 1781 [in Tisbury], who was b. 21 Mch. 1760 and d. 26 Oct. 1845. He d. 1852 aged 95 years [sic. He died 17 May 1853 in Chilmark of "old age."] Revolutionary soldier and pensioner.

90. RUTH, 1782; m. ELISHA TILTON (295) 22 Sept. 1804 [in Tisbury.]
91. NANCY, b. 18 Aug. 1784; m. HOVEY LUCE (744) 11 May 1806 [in Tisbury. They had a daughter Elizabeth A. "Betsey" Luce who m. Albert C. West.]
92. JACOB, b. 1787; m. ABIGAIL LUCE (569) 8 Aug. 1813 [in Tisbury.] [Jacob died in Tisbury on 27 Nov. 1845 of "plurasy." Abigail died of "lung fever" in Holmes Hole on 20 Nov. 1856. They had a son Capt. Jacob Clifford, born 22 Oct. 1825 in Tisbury, mariner, who m. Emily S. West (dau. of William and Polly) on 30 Apr. 1848 in Tisbury. (They, in turn, had a daughter Helen M. Clifford, b. 14 Aug. 1849 in Tisbury, who m. Edwin P. Littlefield of Bangor on 16 Oct. 1866 in Tisbury.) The younger Capt. Jacob died of consumption in Holmes Hole on 8 Nov. 1859. His wife Emily died 22 Feb. 1873 in Vineyard Haven of cancer of the uterus. Jacob and Abigail also had son Philander P. Clifford, b. 22 Oct. 1815 in Tisbury, who m. Mary (McDonad?) Hall of London on 13 Aug. 1855 in West Tisbury.]
93. POLLY, b. 1789; m. DAVID LUCE (567) (int. [in Tisbury]) 2 Feb. 1817.
94. BATHSHEBA, b. 1791; m. STEPHEN SKIFFE (171) 11 Jan. 1811.
95. JOANNA, b. 1793; m. VINAL SKIFFE (115) [intention recorded 23 May 1820 in Tisbury.]
96. NATHAN, b. 16 July 1798 [sic 22 Oct. 1797 in Tisbury?]; m. ELIZABETH CLIFFORD (85) [on 30 Mar. 1826 in Tisbury.] [They had the following children, all born in Chilmark: Catharine G. Clifford (b. 30 Jun 1827); Mary E. Clifford (b. 23 Dec. 1830; did she m. P. Wainright of Hoboken on 18 Sep 1862 in Chilmark?); Thankful G. Clifford (b. 3 May 1834; m. Peter Wainwright of Hoboken, NJ on 1 Jun 1855 in New Bedford. See also the 31 May 1861 issue of the Vineyard Gazette); and Vernal Clifford (b. 6 Mar. 1837; m. Georgia M. Daggett on 11 Dec. 1866 in Tisbury; did he die in Dec. 1922?)]
97. JOHN, b. 1799; m. ALMIRA LOOK (240) 14 Aug. 1827. [They had a daughter Caroline Clifford, b. c. 1830-1 in Tisbury, who m. Albert O. Look in Tisbury on 12 Jun 1850.] [Almira was likely the "Elmira Clifford", born 16 Jan. 1802 in Tisbury, who appears with #57 Nathan in the 1850 Tisbury census.]
98. ARVIN, b. 1801; perh d. y.

[Who was Tisbury mariner Alfred Clifford? He was b. 26 Jul 1813 in Tisbury. He m. (1) Content A. Skiff (1815-1855) on 23 Oct. 1839 in Tisbury, and (2) Sarah B. Davis in West Tisbury on 25 Oct. 1858. His marriage record calls him the son of "Joanah Clifford." He had a son Stephen L. Clifford, b. 7 Oct. 1848, and a daughter Anna Williams Clifford (1863-1864). Alfred died in 1880.]

 


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