The oral tradition carried by Audrey Mae (née Spencer) MacDonald was that the first Vaughn woman in American — in Audrey Mae’s, Edith Anna’s, and John Edward’s direct line — was named Gillian.

McPartland’s book on the history of East Greenwich gives the following Vaughn information: Two sons of John and Gillian Vaughn are George and Daniel. Both sons were born in Newport, Rhode Island.  George (1650-1704) married Margaret Spink and they had four sons and two daughters. Daniel (1653-1715) married Susannah Grimes. Both brothers are among the list of names of founders who were granted land in the Act for the Incorporation of East Greenwich, Rhode Island.

Whereas George stayed and settled in East Greenwich, Daniel  returned to Newport to live.  Since there is no further information of Daniel in East Greenwich and since George and Margaret’s children are recorded in McPartland’s book, and since Audrey Mae’s, John Edward’s, and Edith Anna’s mother’s birth name was Vaughn, there is good reason to believe that the three children are descendants of one of George and Margaret’s sons.  As McPartland reports in her book, George was one of “Those who staid and went not away”. More research is needed to substantiate the direct ancestry line of Audrey Mae, Edith Anna and John Edward, the children of Mary Jane (née Vaughn) Spencer to George and Margaret (née Spink) Vaughn.

Again, web site author alleges that Audrey Mae, Edith Anna, and John Edward Spencer descend from one of the above children of George and Margaret Vaughn, but more genealogical research is necessary.  Unfortunately, web site author did not ask or write down this information, and all three children are no longer here. However, the three children inspired their descendants to not forget the oral tradition that they carried forward to the next generation.

The web site author’s knowledge of her recent genealogical history is as follows:

The following photo is of the Vaughn family in front of their house, located on the west side of South County Trail (aka Route 2), South of Division Road. Audrey Mae’s, Edith Anna’s and John Edward Spencer’s mother, Mary Jane, was reared here on the farm. Audrey Mae recalls that it was always said that the Vaughns were rich in land, but poor in money, as they had only one son to work the farm with the father.  (More research is needed as Audrey Mae’s birthday book give the names of three sons.) However, it was said that Mary Jane, although always frail and thin, could do the work and did work the farm.

Photo is of Audrey Mae’s, Edith Anna’s and John Edwards’ maternal grandparents, Lydia and Charles, and the children’s mother, Mary Jane, and her siblings, Martha, Susan, Walter (seated in chair) and Eben.

 

 

 

The Lydia Edith (née Spencer) and Charles Augustus Vaughn Family Line:

• Mary Jane married William J.B. Spencer. Their three children are Edith Anna, John Edward (“Ed”) and Audrey Mae. Mary Jane did not want to be buried in her Vaughn historical cemetery or the historical cemetery of the Spencers.  Fearful of vandalism in the historical cemeteries, Mary Jane wanted to be buried in a cemetery with perpetual care near their home in Coventry, R.I. She was the first of a number of Spencer and Vaughn descendants in Lot 29 and Lot 50, Rathbun cemetery, corner of Washington Street and Knotty Oak Road, Coventry, R.I..
  

  Mary Jane (née Vaughn) and Wm. J.B. Spencer’s wedding photo

  Mary Jane (née Vaughn) and Wm. J.B. Spencer’s marriage license

   

  Mary Jane and sister, Rachael, and William J.B. and brother, Alfred Ernest, at Mary Jane & William’s 50th wedding anniversary

• Margaret Allen Vaughn Gardner (1867-1936) married George Gardner. Their granddaughter, Alice Barber, and Audrey Mae often talked about Vaughn genealogy. Today, Audrey Mae’s children often correspond with Alice.
• Martha married Harry Kirby in 1893. Their anniversary was 10/24/1943.
  Photo of Martha and husband, Harry Kirby, at their 50th Wedding Anniversary.   June 24th, 2004 of Glimpses of the Past, Morning Conversations with Audrey, Audrey Mae commented on her aunt Martha and uncle Harry’s family: “Martha married Harry Kirby, who was full of fun and always making me laugh with his jokes. He always was making everyone laugh. Their first child was Harry Jr. Their second son was Raymond who everyone called Ray, and he was full of fun like his dad. Their daughter Viola was full of fun like Ray, and their youngest daughter Marian was quiet. Every other thing, we were all over there as Martha made big dinners every Sunday. Martha laughed right along with them.”                                                                          Audrey Mae named her third son, Vaughn Ray, after her Vaughn ancestry and after Martha’s second son, Ray.  Martha and Harry’s granddaughter, Lillian Dodge, has four sons.
• Susan Harriet Vaughan Wilson (1875-1931) married into Wilson family (www.findagrave.com)
• Rachael  married Walter Smith. They had no children. When Walter died, she lived with her sister, Mary Jane, in the Coventry, R.I. house after Mary Jane’s and Wm. J.B.’s children married and moved away.  Rachael took the bus to Providence where she worked in sales at the Outlet company. Audrey Mae’s children always called her Aunt Rachael. Later in life, she moved back to Providence where she died.  Web author knows she is buried with her spouse Walter, but web author does not know the cemetery of their burials.  June 27th, 2004 of Glimpses of the Past, Morning Conversations with Audrey, Audrey Mae commented on her aunt Rachael: “Yes, (Rachael lived in Coventry with Audrey’s parents) until she moved back to the city where she died. Rachael was the youngest daughter and she was serious and everything had to be just right.  She sold silk stockings (at the Outlet, a department store in Providence) so everything was proper in her space.  There were long stockings and garters and long stockings with seams down the back.  She married Walter, a comical man who was so funny and smart.  He had something to say about everything.  He died long before she did.”
• Ebeneezer Vaughn was called “Uncle Eben” by Audrey Mae’s children
• Walter Vaughn, the older son, was not healthy child and was not able to help on the farm.

Audrey Mae’s second daughter, Crystal, inherited Audrey Mae’s birthday book(s).  These books give additonal information on Charles Augustus and Lydia Edith’s children.  Audrey Mae (or another ancestor) wrote the number 9 over each of the children to show they are in the 9th generation in East Greenwich, R.I. area:

• Margaret A. Vaughn Gardiner B. 1867   D. 1/27/38
• Martha  E. Vaughn Kirby      B. 4/25/71   D  1960
• Mary Jane Vaughn Spencer  B  1/14/1877  D. 2/11/55  mother wrote Sunday over her name..Maybe born on Sunday…
• Eben James Vaughn   B.  5/22/1884   D. 1960?
• Walter Augustus Vaughn   B. 1879   D. 1931
• Charles Edgar Vaughn   B.  4/9/1872 or 1873   D. 1950
• Susan Vaughn     B. 1875  D. 2/23/1931
• Rachael Edna Vaughn Smith  B. 5/21/1882   D. 1959?

A 2003 interview with Audrey Mae on her mother’s family of origin, including amusing thoughts on her childhood recollection of changing clothing fashions :

The Vaughn family farm was at Barton’s Corners (aka Rocky Hill).
Mary Jane Vaughn and her brothers and sisters:

• Eben(ezer)
• Susan ?  “older girl who did all the sewing; made Audrey Mae’s clothes;  (as a child ) Audrey Mae did not like the style; clothes made by hand”
• Margaret married Gardner; “They had a bunch of kids”
• Martha married Harry Kirby (full of fun); They had two sons and a daughter…
• Rachael married Walter Smith
• Mary Jane married Wm Joseph Briggs Spencer; children: Edith Anna, John Edward (“Ed”), Audrey Mae
• Walter  “sick child; always sat in little rocking chair”

There is no mention here of Charles Edgar Vaughn, born 4/9/1872 but his name is found in Audrey Mae’s birthday book as one of the siblings. Web site author remembers Audrey Mae saying that there was only one son to work the farm with the father, so that made it very difficult. However, Audrey Mae often told the story of how her mother, Mary Jane, could and would do the work on the farm. Audrey Mae’s eldest daughter tells the story that her grandfather, Wm J.B. Spencer said “one of the reasons he married Mary Jane was to get her off her farm as she was doing all the housework on the Vaughn farm.”  Mary Jane was always very thin. No wonder.

Spencer, Spink, Gardner, Kirby, and Wilson descendants, If you have any additional information on the Vaughn cemetery or family line, please add a comments and web site author will add this to the web site.  Thanks.