The Ancestors of Martha's Vineyard III: The Homestead of Robert Luce

 

 

My 9^th great-grandparents, Henry Luce and Remember Litchfield, were the parents of ten children. I'm descended from Robert and Remember, their two eldest children. The focus of this post is Robert, my 8^th great-grandfather and their first-born child. 

 

[See the 27 Oct 2025 post, The Ancestors of Martha’s Vineyard I: the Merry Family, for details about Remember, my 8^th great-grandmother.]  

 

Robert Luce (1667-1714)

Desire (last name unknown) 

maternal 8^th great-grandparents  

 

Robert was born in Scituate, Massachusetts and was the first Luce child born in the New England colonies. In 1668, his parents moved to Rehoboth, where his sister, Remember, was born in 1669. Two years later the family moved to Martha's Vineyard. 

 

Robert and his wife, Desire, whose surname was possibly Norton (a common name on the Vineyard), were married about 1687. They were the parents of seven children, four daughters and three sons. All were born and married in Tisbury. Unfortunately, details are lacking on most of the Luce family.  

 

• Judith (1689-unknown) married Jonathan Dunham in 1718. 
• Henry Luce II (1690-1769) and Hannah Merry (1692-1780) married in 1710. They were my 7^th great-grandparents. 
• Samuel (1692-1760) married Thankful (last name unknown) about 1717. 
• Jonathan (1696-1763) married Lydia Burgess in 1724. He was a church deacon with responsibilities such as managing church finances and distributing aid to the poor.
• Desire (1700-unknown) married Joseph Burgess about 1721.
• Mary (1701-unknown) married Jacob Robinson in 1724.
• Mercy (1703-unknown) married Shubael Luce in 1724.  

 

− THE HOMESTEAD − 

 

In 1687, Robert built a home near Lambert's Cove in Tisbury on the north end of the Vineyard. It was similar to the 1686 Jethro Coffin House below, the oldest house on Nantucket Island. Both are the typical Colonial New England style — 1½ story frame houses with the iconic sloped roof of a saltbox-style house, named after the shape of the boxes used to store salt. 

 

Left: A rotogravure photo of the Jethro Coffin house on Nantucket Island taken ca. 1910. Photo Credit: Digital Commonwealth (CC BY-NC-ND) 

 

Transcription: THE ANTIQUE HUNTER LOVES THIS PLACE−Built in 1686, this house still stands as one of the oldest, if not the most ancient house, on Nantucket Island. Visitors now pay for the privilege of inspecting its interior. 

 

 

 

Incredibly, Robert's house still stands today. Although additions have been made, the original part of the house has the same characteristics as those of the Jethro Coffin house. [Photos and descriptions of the additions can be viewed in the links below.]

 

Robert Luce homestead (Photo credit: Trulia.com)

 

The Robert Luce homestead, which included 21 acres of land, was sold in "as is" condition for $5,999,000 on 1 December 2021. According to the Trulia.com listing, the house was last updated in 1995. An excerpt from the description states, 

 

"The Robert Luce homestead now known as Red Farm is one of the first and oldest English style houses in West Tisbury and is still on the original site. The antique homestead has been carefully renovated preserving the character of exposed framing, the builder's marks, and the large cooking fireplace with bread oven."

 

 

 

 

 

Left: Red Farm on Martha's Vineyard          (Photo credit: Trulia.com) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Right: Aerial view of the Robert 

           Luce homestead.                              (Photo credit: Trulia.com)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The main house at Red Farm (Photo credit: Trulia.com)

The bread oven in the fireplace can be seen in the photo on the left. (Photo credit: Trulia.com)

− THE SHIPS ON THE WALL −

 

A 1992 article published in The Dukes County Intelligencer revealed some remarkable discoveries on Martha's Vineyard. It was written by Jonathan Scott, a Professor of Art and Architectural History and owner of a Martha's Vineyard company that specializes in building restorations. The title, "Historic Ship Drawings Found on Boards in Early Houses," immediately caught my attention. My interest in old ships is minimal, but the architecture of old houses and the treasures that can be revealed are another story.

 

When Jonathan's crew stripped down some of the Vineyard houses to expose their original states, they often found drawings of ships on floors, wood-paneled walls, and on exterior boards that had been carved by a knife or some other sharp object. Jonathan emphasized that these were akin to graffiti, possibly done by young boys or carpenters. However, the carvings were done with enough skill and detail that it was possible to identify various types of ships from the "early Colonial period and slightly later," about 1630 through the early to mid-1700s. 

 

Jonathan Scott's article exposed one of those unexpected treasures — it included information on Robert Luce's house. During major renovations in 1973, numerous "very early carved ship drawings" were discovered in the 286-year-old house. The details were impressive. Two of the carvings depicted sloops that were built in the early 1700s. Tony Higgins, a member of the crew, photographed the carvings. When combined with characteristics in the construction of the house, Jonathan and others were able to confirm its age, as well as the types of vessels that were commonly seen in the waters around the island.    

  

(Scott, 120)

 

(Scott, 122)

 

Sadly and "according to tradition," Robert Luce died by drowning while sailing from Tisbury on Martha's Vineyard to Nantucket. The circumstances and exact date of his death are unknown, but it was sometime before 27 April 1714 when his eldest son, Henry, was appointed administrator of his estate. (Banks, Vol. 3, 249) 

With the ship carvings in mind, Jonathan Scott wondered "... if it might have been a sloop like this one, pictured on a board in his own house, that carried Robert Luce to a watery grave off Nantucket."   

  

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− SOURCES −

 

Banks, Charles E. The History of Martha’s Vineyard, Duke’s County, Massachusetts, Vol III. (1931). Edgartown: Dukes County Historical Society, 1925. Google Books. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89067299883&seq=26 

 

Jackson, B. Darrell. “The Family of Henry and Remember Luce of Martha’s Vineyard.” The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 177 (Summer 2023):245-257. 

 

"Listing 73-72 83 89 9 Red Farm." Trulia.com. https://www.trulia.com/home/73-72-83-89-9-red-farm-west-tisbury-ma-02575-2070459972 

Scott, Jonathan. “Historic Drawings Found On Boards in Early Houses,” 115-128. The Dukes County Intelligencer, Volume 33, Number 3 (February 1992). PDF file. Martha's Vineyard Museum. https://mvmuseum.org/

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Bradish-Scott Family History − January 2026