My 5th-great-grandfather, Isaac Weekes, son of Ammiel & Phebe (Small) Weekes, was born 11 April 1747 in Harwich, Massachusetts and died 12 July 1792 in New Hampshire. He married 25 December 1773 in Harwich, Thankful Nickerson, who was born there 17 November 1751 and died c. 1838, daughter of Joshua & Thankful (Eldridge) Nickerson.
On May 19, 1780, Thankful was in Harwich, on Cape Cod, giving birth to my 4th-great-grandfather, her last child, Isaac Weekes. An anonymous recorder of our family history noted that this birth occurred on “The Dark Day.” It is now known that there were massive forest fires burning in the western territories, which caused a smoky cloud to cast itself over the New England states. It was so dark that day that New Englanders had to light their candles and lamps at noontime. Of course then they had no way of knowing the reason for this ominous darkness during the day.
Perhaps nowhere was our character better defined than by Abraham Davenport of my hometown of Stamford when he spoke about The Dark Day in 1780. He was a public servant in Hartford when a mysterious episode brought darkness to the daytime skies throughout New England. There was a prevailing belief that Judgment Day was upon the land, threatening a shutdown of the Legislature, when Davenport stood and said: “I am against an adjournment. The Day of Judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. I wish therefore that candles may be brought.”
~ Gov. Dannel P. Malloy
(Inaugural Address, January 5, 2011)
Isaac & Thankful were the parents of four children:
1. Deborah Weekes, born c. 1776, died 18 March 1855. She married Capt. Isaiah Small, who was born 6 June 1771 in Harwich, and died 13 January 1826 in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, son of Edward & Hannah (Cole) Small. Deborah & Isaiah were the parents of four children.
2. Capt. Reuben Weekes, born 15 October 1776 in Harwich, died 19 May 1800. He married (as her first husband) 21 September 1797 in Harwich, Anna Burgess, who was born 16 June 1770 and died 21 February 1843. Reuben & Anna were the parents of two children.
3. Jemima Weekes, born c. 1778 in Harwich, died 22 September 1798. She married (as his first wife) 5 January 1797 in Harwich, Capt. George Phillips, who was born there 24 January 1774, and died 8 October 1855, son of Smalley & Hepzibah (Bassett) Phillips. Jemima & George were the parents of a son.
4. Isaac Weekes (my 4th-great-grandfather), born 19 May 1780 in Harwich, died there 22 October 1841. He married 9 March 1803 in Harwich, Elisabeth Allen, who was born there 24 January 1784, and died 11 July 1868, daughter of Seth & Anna (Gage) Allen. Isaac & Elisabeth were the parents of twelve children.
Last Revised: 5 September 2024