Curmuckhell, John

Published on: 23 August 2016
Updated: 24 May 2018
Researchers: B. Craig Stinson
Editors: Teresa Rust

John Curmuckhell had no known children. [GDMNH 129]

John Curmuckhell is a name found on, A list of the passengers aboard the John and Sarah of London John Greene Mr. bound for New England, dated 11 Nov 1651. ~ Suffolk Deeds, LIBER I., Massachusetts, 1880. Google Books Online

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Scots at Oyster River
John Curmuckhell (d. 1677) and Alexander Mackaneer (d. abt. 1670)
by B. Craig Stinson
23 July 2016

John Curmuckhell married the daughter of a fisherman from York County, John Pearce. He was killed by Indians on April 7, 1677. Fellow Scot Andrew Rankin and five other residents of the Brixham section of York County were also slain that day as they were clearing land for the spring planting. Curmuckhell’s small estate was administered by his brother-in-law, fellow Scot Micum McIntire. Some histories claim in error that McIntire then married Curmuckhell’s widow; McIntire was actually married to Dorothy, a sister of Curmuckhell’s widow Anne.

Alexander Mackaneer was probably not one of Valentine Hill’s Scots, but he was one of the Dunbar prisoners. He married Dorothy, the younger daughter of fisherman John Pearce of York. When we see him as a free man, probably in his mid-30’s, he is suffering from lameness and weakness; he died about 1670, leaving no children. His widow Dorothy married fellow Scot Micum McIntire.

John Curmuckhell, aka Carmicle, Cernicle, Carnicle, Chirmihill, Cyrmihill

1657 – taxed at Oyster River [HTDNH 77]
26 Dec 1660 – purchased land from John Pearce (aka Pierce), a fisherman from York County
married Pearce’s older daughter Anne [HTDNH p77]
6 July 1675 – Anne Pearce Curmuckhell was taken to court for not frequenting the public worship of God on the Lord’s Day [HTDNH 77]
7 April 1677 – John Curmuckhell was killed by Indians [GDMNH 129]. The victims included Andrew Rankin, Lewis Bean, John Frost, John Palmer, William Roans, and Isaac Smith, who was visiting from Chelsea, in addition to Curmuckhell.
11 Sep 1677 – Curmuckhell’s brother-in-law Micum McIntire administered his small estate. [GDMNH 129]
Ann Pearce Curmuckhell remarried later that year. Her second husband was John Bracy. [GDMNH 129, 553] He was an interesting character whose story is worth following. [HYM 267-270]
[Note: HTDNH p77 is the source that claims erroneously that his widow married Micuim McIntyre of York]
John Curmuckhell had no known children. [GDMNH 129]

Alexander Mackaneer
John Pearce’s younger daughter Dorothy Pearce first married Scot Alexander Mackaneer (unknown date).
[Note: Stinson suspects he is the “Alexander M’Nair” who is #77 on “The Dunbar Prisoners” list.] [see also GDMNH 451]
In 1666 he and his wife were excused for their 5-week absence from church due to his lameness and weakness.
Mackaneer died about 1670; he had no children [GDMNH 451]

Before 4 Sep 1671 Dorothy Pearce Mackaneer married Micum McIntire (#61 on the Dunbar Prisoners list) [GDMNH 451, 553, 472]

*More on Micum McIntire in his section

Sources:
GDMNH Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, Noyes, Libby, and Davis, Portland, Maine: The Southworth-Anthoensen Press, 1928-1939, pp. 129, 451, 472, 553.
HTDNH History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire, vol. 1, Everett S. Stackpole and Lucien Thompson, 1913, p. 77.
History of York, Maine, vol. 1, Charles Edward Banks, Boston: Society for the Preservation of Historical Landmarks in York County, 1931-1935, pp. 267-270, 282
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=thurtle-walker&id=I317

B. Craig Stinson
July 23, 2016
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