Robert Cathcart of Tisbury

John's 9th great-grandfather.

How we’re connected
  1. Robert Cathcart of Tisbury
  2. ↓ Mary Cathcart
  3. ↓ Eunice Hatch
  4. ↓ Susannah Childs
  5. ↓ Capt. Nathaniel Swift
  6. ↓ Solomon Swift
  7. ↓ Leroy E. Swift
  8. ↓ Le Roy Warren Swift
  9. ↓ Rachel Winter Swift
  10. ↓ Francis Swift Perry
  11. ↓ a living parent
  12. ↓ John

b. c. 1650 · d. 22 Mar 1718

9th great-grandfather of John, Perry and Patrick Long (generation 11)

Descent to John

Every generation, from the recorded chain. Each link shows its confidence; a dashed link is Traditional.

  1. 9th great-grandfatherRobert Cathcart of Tisburyc. 1650 – 171827HS-GH5●Verified
    link●Verified
  2. 8th great-grandmotherMary Cathcart1690 – 1735LKKM-6LZ●Verified
    link●Verified
  3. 7th great-grandmotherEunice Hatchb. 1721L2KQ-R2V●Verified
    link●Verified
  4. 6th great-grandmotherSusannah Childs1746 – 1807K8BV-PBN●Verified
    link●Verified
  5. 5th great-grandfatherCapt. Nathaniel Swift1776 – 1849MF8H-YW2●Verified
    link●Sourced
  6. 4th great-grandfatherSolomon Swift1804 – 1885MYBT-VP3●Sourced
    link●Sourced
  7. 3rd great-grandfatherLeroy E. Swift1836 – after 1874L1VB-5P9●Sourced
    link●Sourced
  8. 2nd great-grandfatherLe Roy Warren Swift1869 – 1919LW29-V4G●Sourced
    link●Sourced
  9. great-grandmotherRachel Winter Swiftb. 18969JGN-43B●Sourced
    link●Sourced
  10. grandfatherFrancis Swift Perry1923 – 2011L1V1-8D2●Sourced
  11. a living parent
  12. John

What We Know

Robert Cathcart of Tisbury, on Martha's Vineyard, was a Scot by tradition, born about 1650. [3] "It is not known when he came to this country." [1] By family tradition, as Charles Banks recorded it, he carried a bullet wound from border or clan fighting. [1] [3]

He first appears in 1690, buying twenty acres in Tisbury. [4] He kept an inn, and he was the town clerk of Tisbury from March 1693 until his death. [1] [3] In 1700 the town negotiated with him to fill its vacant pulpit. [2] About 1690–91 he married Phebe Coleman, born at Nantucket on 15 June 1674. [3] [7] He died at Boston on 22 March 1718, and administration of his estate was granted on 1 October 1719. [3] [5]

Their daughter Mary, born in 1693, married Thomas Hatch, and John, Perry and Patrick Long descend from them. [3] [6]

The Nantucket records call him "Gershom of the Vineyard". [7] The FamilySearch Family Tree merges him with his son Gershom, born in 1698. [8]

Open questions

  • His parents are unknown. His eldest son Thomas and second daughter Jane may follow the Scottish naming custom, hinting at a father Thomas and a mother Jean; unproven.
  • A Y-DNA test of a male-line Cathcart descendant could identify his family in Scotland.

Notes

  1. Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 2 (1911), 277–78.
  2. Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 2 (1911), 314.
  3. Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 3 (1925), 95–98.
  4. Dukes County, Massachusetts, Deeds, vol. I, 101.
  5. Dukes County, Massachusetts, Probate Records, vol. III, 121.
  6. Vital Records of Tisbury, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1910).
  7. Vital Records of Nantucket, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1925–28).
  8. “Robert Cathcart (27HS-GH5),” FamilySearch Family Tree, read 17 October 2026, familysearch.org.

Life

Migration:
A Scot by tradition; it is not known when he came to this country.[1][2]
Residence:
First recorded in 1690, buying twenty acres in Tisbury, Martha's Vineyard.[3]
Occupation:
Kept an inn.[1][2]
Office:
Town clerk of Tisbury from March 1693 until his death.[1][2]
Event:
In 1700 the town negotiated with him to fill its vacant pulpit.[4]
  1. Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 2 (1911), 277–78.
  2. Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 3 (1925), 95–98.
  3. Dukes County, Massachusetts, Deeds, vol. I, 101.
  4. Charles Edward Banks, The History of Martha's Vineyard, Dukes County, Massachusetts, vol. 2 (1911), 314.

Family

Spouse:
Phebe Coleman (1674-1766) LYBQ-711
Child on the line to the brothers:
Mary Cathcart (1690-1735) LKKM-6LZ

Appears On

  • The Swift, Winter & Peckham Lines●Verified9th great-grandfather via the Swift maternal line to John, Perry, and Patrick. Innkeeper and town clerk of Tisbury, Martha’s Vineyard; a Scot by tradition, parents unknown. Sources: Banks, History of Martha’s Vineyard, vol. 2, 277–78, and vol. 3, 95–98; Dukes County Deeds, vol. I, 101; Dukes County Probate, vol. III, 121

Sources

  • FamilySearch Family Tree: 27HS-GH5↗
  • Banks, History of Martha’s Vineyard, vol. 2, 277–78, and vol. 3, 95–98
  • Dukes County Deeds, vol. I, 101
  • Dukes County Probate, vol. III, 121

Mentioned On