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THE ROYCE FAMILY

THE ROYCE LINE Robert Royce was born in England in 1602. He married Mary Sims on June 4, 1624 in England. Robert was a shoemaker and a tanner, also a deputy to the General Court of Connecticut from New London. Robert died in 1676 in New London, Connecticut and Mary died in 1696. Jonathan Royce I, Robert and Mary's son, was born in England and married Deborah Calkins on June 1660. Jonathan Royce II was born August 1678 at Norwich, Connecticut, married Ruth Beckwith March 1700. He died April 28, 1725. Nehemiah Royce was born March 1715 at Norwich, Connecticut. He married Abigail Gustin on March 14, 1739. He died in New Hampshire. *Jonathan Royce III was born January 18, 1745 at Lyme, Connecticut. He married Sarah Marvin on March 19, 1767. He died July 10, 1826. Sarah Marvin was a descendant of Priscilla Mullins Alden, (John) the heroine of the famous poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Jonathan Royce IV was born October 18, 1780 at Marlow, New Hamshire.He married Polly Emry on January 21, 1802 at Walpole, New Hampshire. Jonathan died on December 14, 1863 in Illinois. Abigail Emry Royce was born June 24, 1817 in New York state. She married Alexander Robert Fortune The Fortune family who was born in 1814 and died in 1866. Abigail died on August 13, 1894. John Alexander Fortune was born in 1843 in Lake Zurich, Illinois. He first married his cousin Mary Royce and they had four children, Orlin Robert, John, Maude and Ira. She died in 1879. His second marriage was to Carrie Myrick Ryder who was born in Holland, Michigan in 1864. They had nine children, Fred, Marie Lula, Roland, Fanny, Dewey, Grace, George and Vera. John Fortune died in Palo Alto on October 5, 1919 and Carrie died in 1941 at Palo Alto.

*JONATHAN ROYCE IV 1780-1863 The Royce's came from England to Connecticut before 1660 and later some of them lived in New Hampshire. Jonathan Royce IV was born on October 18, 1780 at Marlow, New Hampshire. He lived in Walpole New Hampshire to Essex County, New York. Polly Emry and Jonathan were acquainted in New York State and he followed her to Illinois. They were married January 21, 1802 at Walpole, New Hampshire. They bought a farm near Lake Zurich, northwest of Chicago, about one half mile from the lake itself. The family skated across the lake in the wintertime to get to the town east of the lake. All ten of the children were born at this farm. They later moved and bought a farm near Lake Champlain. Jonathan had a large brick house within sight of the lake and near "Split Rock". He had a family of twelve children and as land around him was getting pretty well filled up he decided to sell out and move west to Illinois so that there would be plenty of land for his children. All came along with his family except Polly and Phoebe who were already married. Jonathan bought a farm in Will County 30 miles southwest of Chicago near the town of Naperville. There was a existing log cabin on the farm, but in 1838 and 1839 he built a new farm house with lumber from trees on his own property. This farm was never out of the possession of some Royce family until after 1953. Jonathan would drive to Chicago with loads of grain to sell and sometimes one of the boys would go with him. The journey took most of a day to go and another day to return. In about 1849 Jonathan and two friends came to California to look for gold. For weeks they were getting their covered wagon in shape and the little boys were busy getting their play wagon ready so they could go too. At least they thought they were going, but when it came time to leave the men were up and gone early before the boys woke up. They were terribly disappointed but not too discouraged, because they were going to go anyway. They sneaked off from the farm, pulling Abbie in the wagon. Although it was some time before they were missed; they and the wagon were soon located quite a way down the road. Jonathan Royce IV died December 14, 1863 in Illinois. Polly Emry Royce died April 25, 1825.

THE EMRY FAMILY (not listed on the ancestry chart below) Joshua Emry was born November 21, 1709. He married Sarah Smith on March 28, 1728. Joshua died December 2, 1776. John Emry was born January 6, 1729 and married Abigail Webster on January 24, 1751. John died January 7, 1764. Johua (Joshua) Emry was born November 4, 1759. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. He married Ruth Scott on January 21, 1781. He died January 6, 1802. Mary or Molly Royce also called Polly, was born May 6, 1784. She married Jonathan Royce IV on January 21, 1802. She died April 25, 1825. Abigail Royce was born June 24, 1817 and married Alexander R. Fortune in 1836. Their children: William, Marion, John, Robert, Abigail, Lenore, Franklin and Fannie (twins), George and Cornelia.

ABIGAIL EMRY ROYCE (FORTUNE) 1817-1894 click: Abigail Royce Fortune (see Abigail's ancestry chart below) Abigail (Abbie) Emry Royce was born on June 24, 1817. She was one of twelve children who were born to Jonathan and Polly Royce. The family had moved to Illinois to have room for the big family. They had lived in Walpole, New Hampshire, then moved to Essex County, New York on a farm near Lake Champlain. The farm in Illinois was thirty miles from Chicago near Naperville. The farm house was built from trees on property. When Abbie married Alexander Fortune, The Fortune family they bought the farm near Lake Zurich, Illinois, and after Alexander Fortune's death she bought a farm in Grundy County, Iowa. Later when her brother-in law bought the farm she moved to Cedar Falls, Iowa. Pearl, the daughter of another of Jonathan's brothers, was born on the farm. Her father, Franklin apparently bought the farm from his brother, who in turn sold the farm and moved to California in 1909. Abigail Fortune's funeral was in Cedar Falls, Iowa in August of 1894. She is probably buried in the Grundy County cemetery, Iowa. Grace Melton's postscript: "Uncle "Rob" and Aunt Hannah lived at 1001 Ramona Street, Palo Alto. That is how our mother got our dad to come to California in 1912. We stayed there until we found a house to rent for 6 months. Then we bought 181 Addison, Palo Alto. Our dad always said the Uncle "Rob" skinned our grandmother out of her money and farm." Abigail Royce Fortune was a descendant of Priscilla Mullins and John Alden, hero and heroine of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish."

About John Alden: John Alden

About the Mayflower: Mayflower

The poem: The courtship of Miles Standish

About Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Longfellow

Abigail Royce Fortune's ancestry chart below: