John Codner - Joan Bartoll Family Group

What We Know About This Family

Noteworthy

Many records exist for John Codner, an early Marblehead settler who owned a lot of property, but my narrative of his family starts with three questions: 1) was he married before he married Joan Bartoll Chapman; 2) did he have other children besides the two surviving when he wrote his will; and 3) was Christopher Codner of Marblehead or any of other Codners in Marblehead related to him?

An Overview of Their Lives

John Codner was a fisherman, and had a fishing station at the cove later designated "Codner's Cove" as early as 1662. He was in possession of the land around that cove when he died in 1709 or 1710, and Marblehead history has photos of three houses he built. Researching the Codners with certainty is difficult -- there were a few Codners in the area at the time and many of the vital records have dates that are estimates. One genealogical source records that John Codner deeded a house to his son, John, in 1664 who was soon to be married. John Codner is mentioned in many records, and one took a 1st wife Elizabeth. I think it's quite possible that our John Codner married twice and had a son, bit I cannot find confirmation. The Documents section contains copies of these records. I'm not able to ascertain whether they refer to our John Codner.

John married the widow of Edmond Chapman. She was the daughter of John and Parnell Hodder Bartoll. I could find no records of children from her first marriage. She had two daughters with her second husband, John Codner, whose will identifies them. The eldest was Joane, also spelled Joana, Joan, Jone, and Joane. The younger was Deliverance, whose children's births are attributed to Benjamin and "Lidia." Her father's will names her "Deliverance," and also names all her children. I suspect she used one name when she became a church member, and this resulted in confusion about whether Benjamin Gale had two wives or one.

John Codner wrote his will while sick not long before his death. In it, he named his daughters, Joan Blackler and Deliverance Gale; his son-in-law, William Blackler; his "loving son-in-law, Benjamin Gale;" his grandchildren: John, Ambrose, Benjamin, Samuel, Mary, Elizabeth,, and Deliverance Gale; and his grandchildren: William. John, Elias, and Elizabeth Blackler. He left the house that William Blackler was living in to the Blacklers, and he left the house that he was living in to the Gales. William Blackler's sister Elizabeth was apparently living with her brother and was granted the right to live in the house during her lifetime. He also left an object I can't read and a cash amount to Mary Condey (?), the wife of John. There was a landowner named Samuel Condey in Marblehead about 1660, but I could find no records for Mary or John Condey or Condoy. He did not identify a relationship. His daughter Joan had a daughter Mary who married Thomas Mackolley, but I can find no records of them. A copy of the extract that shows these names is in the Documents section.

In 1725, division of the real estate was granted to the grandchildren. Deliverance Codner Gale was mentioned as deceased, but the seven children named in the 1710 will were still surviving. The daughters were identified by their married names: Mary Dodd, Elizabeth Girdler, and Deliverance Knight. The Blacklers were not mentioned by individual name, so I don't know which of them were still living.

In Revolutionary War times, the fourth William Blackler, descendant of William and Joan Codner Blackler, served under Colonel John Glover, who in turn reported to George Washington. Colonel (later General) John Glover was the husband of Deliverance Codner's fourth great granddaughter Hannah Gale, the namesake of the schooner that was the first armed for military duty and is known as the first vessel in the US Navy. Colonel Glover organized the Marblehead sailors who transported Washington's troops and supplies across the Delaware on Christmas night in 1776. Captain Blackler was given the honor of commanding the vessel that transported General Washington across the Delaware.

What Else We Need to Learn

The goal of this project is to trace every line of ancestry to the arrival of its first immigrant to America. The basic information of each couple is considered complete when we know the dates of birth, marriage, and death for both spouses. their parents' names (or whether they were the immigrant), and the child or children in our ancestry line.

The research on this family has missing gaps. Further details may come to light later.