Author: Cheryl Harmon Bills cherylb@ida.net Title: Cheryl Harmon Bills File, and first uploaded to Ancestry.com by RobertMeggs66 in 2012 as a .txt file

Ships to America:

The True Love 10 Jun 1635 departed from London for Bermuda (or Summer/Somer Islands)<br>Robert Dennis, Master. 105 passengers listed; examined by minister of Gravesend

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From Some Descendants of Robert Dennis of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, 1957, by Elaine Dennis Young:

 It might be possible to ascertain who was the owner of the ship "Truelove," which with 'Robert Dennis, Mr.'; sailed from the Port of London, June 10, 1635, and is said to have landed about twenty people on Cape Cod and also to have touched at Portsmouth, Rhode Island, at this time. This was not Mr. Dennis' first voyage to the New World, as he had sailed the "Phillip" of London for the Somer Islands on July 20, 1634. On September 19, 1635, we find the "Truelove" with Mr. Jo. Gibbs. Had Robert, then, remained at Yarmouth, where we soon find him active in the affairs of the Colony? One authority states that he did, in fact, land his family in Rhode Island, but this seems doubtful for two reasons: first the names of his family are not recorded on the passenger list of the Truelove; and second, we do not find Robert at Portsmouth until some years later. We shall probably never know the truth of this, as we shall probably never know when and where Mary died; the mother of the baby who died at birth in 1649. That Mary was doubtless the Mary who, as a wife with Robert in 1656, signed the deed to Andrew Hallet of a house and land in Yarmouth. Early Yarmouth records were destroyed by fire so we may never know whether, as suggested by Savage, Robert of Portsmouth is the son of Robert of Yarmouth. It seems most unlikely. 

Charles C. Stickney, genealogist of the New Jersey Dennis family, says: "Robert 2nd was born at Portsmouth in 1645, purchased land there Aug 26, 1656, was made a freeman in 1671." Does it seem likely that an eleven year old boy would be buying land? One genealogy of the New Jersey family flatly states that Robert of Portsmouth did purchase New Jersey land in 1666, and again in 1691 only a few days before his death, which occurred in Portsmouth. Robert, of the New Jersey family, was the grandson of Thomas, who came with Winthrop and settled there. Thomas had a son John born on the ship Jewell. John had three sons, Samuel, Robert, and John -- all distinguished in New Jersey history. It is difficult to see how these professional genealogists could be so mistaken, but perhaps they did not have access to material which is now available."

The YARMOUTH MAN IS NOT OURS according to John Dennis.

Residence: 1640 of Yarmouth. Plymouth Colony records show he prefers charges against Ed Morrell for stealing. 

1643 Listed as able to bear arms in Yarmouth 

1643 On committee for laying out lands in Yarmouth 

1648 Received a grant of land in Rabbits Ravine and Member of Committee for Yarmouth 

1650 Propounded as a Freeman June 4 1651 "Early Town Records of Portsmouth" Town Meeting June 16, 1651: "Robert Dennis is received inhabitant amongst us and hath given his ingagement."

1656 Deeded a house and land to Andrew Hallet 

1656 August 25--Purchased 20 acres of land in Portsmouth from Job Hawkins and his mother of Boston.

1658 Served under direction of Captain Miles Standish and Mr. John Alden on committees to settle land disputes as recorded in "Freeman's History of Cape Cod."

1666 21 May--An associate of Daniel Pierce who purchased land from Governor Carteret, John Ogden, and Luke Watson for settling two townships.

1666 11 Dec In consideration of 80 pounds sterling, they transferred one-half the tract known as the Arthur Cull or Amboyle, originally owned by Governor Nicholls. On the back of the deed, Robert Dennis is listed as an associate of Daniel Pierce.

1671 Made a Freeman in Portsmouth--from 1651 to now, he is active in Yarmouth records--from this point on is busily engaged in Portsmouth records.

*It is Cheryl Bill's thoughts that this is the point when we begin to see Robert's son, Robert, and not this Robert. This is in disa[greement]....