Sunday, July 29, 2012

WILLIAM WILCOXSON 1601-1652

[Ancestral Link: Harold William Miller, son of Edward Emerson Miller, son of Anna Hull (Miller), daughter of William Hull, son of William E. Hull, son of Sarah Wilcox (Hull), daughter of Stephen Wilcox, son of Joseph Wilcox, son of Joseph Wilcoxson, son of William Wilcoxson.]


Birth: 1601, Walton on Trent, England
Death: May 29, 1651, Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA

WILLIAM WILCOXSON came to Boston on the good ship, "Planter" at age 34 with wife, Margaret aged 24 and son, John age 2. They sailed from London on April 15, 1635 and arrived at New England on May 6, 1635. He brought a certificate from the minister at St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England confirming his character.

Because William was a linen weaver by trade, he probably came from Derbyshire where they grew flax for weaving and many with the name of Wilcoxson lived. He may be the son of William Wilcoxson of Wirkswork. The will of William Wilcoxson, Sr. mentions a younger son, William, aged 25 years in 1626.

He was made a freeman in Massachusetts Colony on December 7, 1636, first living in Concord, Massachusetts, removing to and settling in Stratford, Connectcut by 1639 where he was one of the early settlers and had a homelot in the center of the village. He represented Stratford as deputy to the General Court in Hartford in 1647.

Some sources say that he left Stratford to live in Hartford and Windsor, but it is evident that he died in Stratford in 1651 and an inventory of his estate was taken in Stratford on June 16, 1652. In his will made in May of 1651. William left 30 pounds to the church in Concord, Massachusetts where they attended so many years before. His son, JOHN WILCOXSON, and daughter, PHEBE (WILCOXSON) BIRDSEYE, were my ancestors.

He married MARGARET BIRDSEYE around 1632 in England. After William's death, she married William Hayden of Windsor, Connecticut, and the Haydens removed to Killingworth, Connecticut before her death in 1675.

Other children of William and Margaret Wilcoxson: John Wilcoxson, Joseph Wilcoxson, Deacon Timothy Wilcoxson, Obediah Wilcoxson, Elizabeth Wilcoxson, Hannah (Wilcoxson) Hayden, Sarah Wilcoxson, Johannah Wilcoxson.

Family links:
Spouse: Margaret Birdseye Hayden (1610 - 1675)*

Children:
John Wilcoxson (1633 - 1690)*
Timothy Wilcoxson (1638 - 1713)*
Hannah Hayden (1644 - 1722)*
Phebe Wilcoxson Birdseye (1650 - 1743)*

Burial: Old Congregational Burying Ground, Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA
found on findagrave.com


William WilcoxCame to America in 1635 in the Ship Planter from London. He moved to Stratford in 1639. Died 1652. Was a representative at Hartford 1647. The Wilcox family is of Saxon origan and was seated at Bury St. Edmunds in the county of Saffolk England before the Norman conquest. In the county of Suffolk mentions 15 generations.
found on ancestry.com

History of William Wilcoxson
The first specific allusion to William Wilcoxson in either English or American records, is to be found in Hotten's "Original Lists of persons emigrating to America prior to 1700". There we find that William Wilcoxson, age 34, together with his wife Margaret, age 24, and their infant son John, age 2, sailed from London on the ship, Planter, April 5, 1635. Besides the Wilcoxson family, the Planter's list included the families of John Tuthill, Thomas Olney, George Giddings and William Beardsley, as well as several single persons, including Richard and Charles Harvey, William Felloe, Thomas Savage, Michael Willinson, Francis Peabody, Francis Baker, Thomas Greene and a few others. The vessel arrived at Boston, May 26th of the same year and we have the word of "Orcutt, "History of Stratford and Bridgeport", that his first American home was at Concord, MA. Since he appeared at Stratford, Connecticut in the year 1639 he could not have lived for more than four years there. At the very beginning of its settlement, Stratford was called Pequennocke, then changed to Cupheag Plantation and then to Stratford. The earliest map of Stratford (as it was in 1639) shows seventeen families living there. This map shows William Wilcoxson's lot in the central part of the "town". On one side of it was the lot of William Beardsley and on the other that of John Peat. Across the street lived widow Elizabeth Curtis, Francis Nichols, Thomas Fairchild and Arthur Bostwick. Further down the street lived Richard Harvey, who, with William Beardsley had come over in the Planter with William Wilcoxson. William Wilcoxson was selected to serve his town as Deputy in the Connecticut Assembly and was on intimate terms with Governors Winthrop and Bulkley. William Wilcoxson died early in the year 1652. This we know from the fact that there is record of the inventory of his will on June 16th, 1652. Margaret remarried in 1664 to William Hayden of Windsor, Connecticut, later removed to Killingworth (now Clinton, Connecticut). The name of this line was originally Wilcoxson, but the last syllable was generally dropped about the middle of the eighteenth century. From "Abner Wilcox and Lucy Eliza Hart Wilcox" the fact that just because the passengers of the Planter embarked with a blanket certificate from the minister of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, there is no reason to believe that William lived there. The records of the shire do not contain his name, and he was more likely from Derbyshire, the town of Biggin. If so, his father could have been the William Wilcoxson who married Anne Howdische 2/8/1575. Since William was a linen weaver, and Biggin was an area where flax was grown and woven into cloth, there is credibility to this theory.
found on ancestry.com

Extract from WILCOX FAMILY HISTORY; Wilcox, Owen N.; Cleveland Ohio, 1911
1600's, Connecticut
The following extract from Owen Wilcox' History is actually taken originally from HOTTEN'S ORIGINAL LISTS; Hotten, John Camden.
"William Wilcoxson came from England in 1636 in the ship "Planter," in company with Richard Harvey and William Beardsley, who settled in Stratford. He was made freeman (equivalent of one having the right of suffrage) in Massachusetts in 1636, and hence was one of the first proprietors and a prominent man in the township. In his will dated May 1651, he gave 40 Pounds to the Church in Concord. He left a widow and five sons, through whom the descendants of his name are widely scattered in the nation. the name has been contracted in some localities to Wilcox."
Also in Wilcox Family History:
An early map of Stratford shows that he resided at lot # 70, Elm Street. pg.6
An early diagram of the original church at Stratford shows that the family had a box pew on the left, near the front.pg.7
He held share # 13 in the Common Field. pg.7.
Of the seventeen families that made up the original group of settlers in Stratford, his was listed third and comprised William, Margaret and three sons. pg. 8
He was a representative of his district at the General Court which convened in Hartford as a lawmaking body. pg 12.
As a representative in 1647, he helped to pass a new law which required a note from a physician as well as a license from the Court in order to have permission to use tobacco. Only those over the age of 20 could apply for this "medical tobacco permit," and there were a number of additional restrictions placed upon the user of "the weed." Among the restrictions, it was not permitted to smoke in public, whether on the streets of the towns or in fields, unless the smoker was on a journey of more than ten miles. It was not permitted to smoke in the presence of others, exception made if the other person had already "accustomed himself to the vice." A similar law was passed the same year to govern the use of alcohol. One of the provisions of that law was to make bartenders responsible for monitoring the amount of alcohol consumed by individual patrons in a public house.
ancestry.com

William Wilcoxson
William Wilcoxson, head of our clan in America, was born in Ilkeston, Derbyshire, England in 1601 to William Wilcoxson and Anne Howdische. He had one older brother and two younger sisters. He was married to Margaret Birdseye in England. One source, states that her last name was Harvey and that she was the daughter of James and Elizabeth Harvey, born 26 Feb 1610 in Ilkeston Derbyshire.
This conflicts with other sources, but nothing has been verified.

William Wilcoxson, came to New England with his wife Margaret and son John on the ship, Planter in the summer of 1635.

At the time of William and Margaret's immigration (during the reign of Charles I), Archbishop Laud, Primate of England, was actively engaged in persecuting people of independent religious conviction and it was then almost as difficult for an Englishman to leave England as it was for a Russian to leave Russia in later times. The emigrant was required to submit certain guaranties of character and intention before he was permitted to embark. These included a certificate from some minister of the orthodox church and an "attestation from the Justice of the Peace". The entire group of passengers sailing with William and Margaret were vouched for in a blanket certificate of character by the minister of St. Alban's, Hertfordshire, England. Because of this fact, some have wrongly concluded that Williams and his fellow passengers were from Hertfordshire, and members of the church of St. Alban's. As explained elsewhere on this web page, this is probably incorrect.

The first specific allusion to William Wilcoxson in either English or American records, is to be found in Hotten's "Original Lists of persons emigrating to America prior to 1700". There we find that William Wilcoxson, age 34, together with his wife Margaret, age 24, and their infant son John, age 2, sailed from London on the ship, Planter, April 5, 1635. Besides the Wilcoxson family, the Planter's list included the families of John Tuthill, Thomas Olney, George Giddings and William Beardsley, as well as several single persons, including Richard and Charles Harvey, William Felloe, Thomas Savage, Michael Willinson, Francis Peabody, Francis Baker, Thomas Greene and a few others. The vessel arrived at Boston, May 26th of the same year. He was made a Freeman of Massachusetts Colony 7 December 1636, and was settled for a time at Concord, Massachusetts removing to Stratford in 1639.

At the very beginning of its settlement, Stratford was called Pequennocke, then changed to Cupheag Plantation and then to Stratford. The earliest map of Stratford (as it was in 1639) shows seventeen families living there. This map shows William Wilcoxson's lot in the central part of the "town". On one side of it was the lot of William Beardsley and on the other that of John Peat. Across the street lived widow Elizabeth Curtis, Francis Nichols, Thomas Fairchild and Arthur Bostwick. Further down the street lived Richard Harvey, who, with William Beardsley had come over in the Planter with William Wilcoxson.

William Wilcoxson was selected to serve his town as Deputy in the Connecticut Assembly and was on intimate terms with Governors Winthrop and Bulkley.

Children of William and Margaret (Birdseye) Wilcoxson--all born in Stamford, Connecticutt.
1. John, born 1633/4; died 19 March 1690; married (1) 1656, Johanna Titterton, (2) 1658, Deborah Titterton, (3) Elizabeth Bourne
2. Joseph, born 1535; died 9 February 1703, married 1658, Margaret Sheathers
3. Timothy, born 1637; died 13 January 1713; married 28 December 1664, Joanna Birdseye
4. Samuel, born 1640; died 12 March 1713/4; married 1665, Hannah Rice
5. Obadiah, born circa 1641; died 1 November 1714
6. Elizabeth, born 1642; died 16 April 1663; married 17 March 1664, Daniel Hayden
7. Hannah, born 1645/6; died 19 April 1722; married 7 March 1665, John Meigs
8. Sarah, born 26 October 1648, died 24 November 1691; married 1714/4, Mr. Griswold
9. Phebe, born 31 August 1650, died 20 September 1743; married (1) 11 December 1669, John Birdseye, (2) 1680, John Beach
10. Johanna, born 1653; died 4 October 1722

William died in 1652 in Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut. A record of the inventory of his will was dated 16-June-1652. Margaret remarried in 1664 to William Hayden of Windsor, Connecticut, later removed to Killingworth (now Clinton, Connecticut).
From "Abner Wilcox and Lucy Eliza Hart Wilcox" the fact that just because the passengers of the Planter embarked with a blanket certificate from the minister of St. Albans, Hertfordshire, there is no reason to believe that William lived there. The records of the shire do not contain his name, and he was more likely from Derbyshire, the town of Biggin. If so, his father could have been the William Wilcoxson who married Anne Howdische 2/8/1575. Since William was a linen weaver, and Biggin was an area where flax was grown and woven into cloth, there is credibility to this theory.
found on ancestry.com

A Founder of Statford Connecticut
From a site on internet to order a book called:

“Descendants of William Wilcoxson and His Wife Margaret”

William Wilcoxson was a linen weaver in England. He, his wife Margaret, and their son John arrived in America on the ship ‘Planter’ and settled in Concord, Massachusetts. Two other founders of Stratford, William Beardsley and Richard Harvey, were with him on the same voyage. William Wilcoxson was a freeman in Massachusetts in 1636. He left Concord, Massachusetts, for Connecticut and arrived in Stratford around 1639. In May 1647 he was a Duputy to the Connecticut Legislature for Stratford.

William had a large family—five sons and five daughters. Several of his children raised their families in Stratford. Others settled in Guildord, Killingworth, Simsbury, or Windsor.

The genealogy of this family is complicated by the variations in spelling of the surname. These include Willcoxkson, Wilcocson, Wilcocks, Wilcokson, and Wilkockson. Some branches of the family eventually shortened the name to Wilcox.
found on ancestry.com

Notes for William Wilcoxson from John Selby Wait:
The first specific allusion to William Wilcoxson in either English or American records, is to be found in Hotten's "Original Lists of persons emigrating to America prior to 1700". There we find that William Wilcoxson, age 34, together with his wife, Margaret, age 24, and their infant son, John, age 2, sailed from London on the ship, Planter, April 5, 1635. The vessel arrived at Boston, May 26th of the same year, and we have the word of Orcutt's "History of Stratford and Bridgeport" that his first American home was at Concord, Massachusetts. Since he appeared at Stratford, Connecticut in the year 1639, he could not have lived more than four years there in Massachusetts.

At the very beginning of its settlement, Stratford was called Pequennocke, then changed to Cupheag Plantation, and then to Stratford. The earliest map of Stratford (as it was 1639) shows seventeen families living there. William Wilcoxson's lot was in the center of the "town"; his neighbors were William Beardsley and John Peat. Across the street, lived the Widow Elizabeth Curtis.

William Wilcoxson was selected to serve his town as Deputy in the Connecticut Assembly and was on intimate terms with Governors Winthrop and Bulkley.William died early in the year 1652. This is known as fact as there is record of the inventory of his will on June 16, 1652. Margaret remarried in 1664 to William Hayden of Windsor, Connecticut, later removed to Killingworth, Connecticut.The name of this line was originally Wilcoxson, but the last syllable was generally dropped about the middle of the eighteenth century.From "Abner Wilcox and Lucy Eliza Hart Wilcox" the fact that just because the passengers of the Planter embarked with a blanket certificate from the minister of St Albans, Hertfordshire, there is no reason to believe that William lived there. The records of the shire do not contain his name, and he was more likely from Derbyshire, the town of Biggin. If so, his father could have been William Wilcoxson who married Anne Howdische 2/8/1575. Since William was a linen weaver, and Biggin was an area where flax was grown and woven into cloth, there is credibility to this theory. History from another source:William Wilcox also known as Wilcoxson. Came from England to Concord, Massachusetts on the "Planter" in 1635. A Freeman at Cambridge in 1636. Removed to Stratford, Connecticut, he later lived in Hartford and Windsor.
Ref: Planters of the Commonwealth, page 143
Nutmegger, volume 13, #2, page 248 Savage, volume 4, page 548
Bogue Family, page 393
Stratford Genealogy, page 1346
Cutter's Northern Ney York, volume 2, page 654
Cutter's New England Family, volume 1, page 159
Descendants of William Wilcoxson. page XIV, XVIII, XIX
Immigrant Ancestor-Virkus (seven volumes)
The below information was furnished to Gordon C. Nagle Sr, in May 1998, by Jane Trotman of Hidden Hills, California 91302. It is titled "Descendants of William Wilcoxson of Derbyshire, England and Stratford, Connecticut", reproduced by the mimeograph process in the Spring of 1963, from data accumulated by intermittent research and correspondence over a period of thirty years, written by Thomas Wilcox, P.O. 462, Pasadena, California 91102.
In Stratford, six more children were born to William and Margart. Their entire family comprised of nine children, all of whom lived to adulthood, married and had families of their own. We compute that by the year 1725 the strain of William Willcoxson, through his daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters, must have already passed into the bloodstream of at least seventy Connecticut families. By the time of the Revolution there were several thousand of his descendents in Connecticut. At that time it was impossible for a Wilcox to travel far in his native state without meeting some kind of kindsman. Obtaining so great a distribution at so early a date we would imagine that there is today scarcely anyone with pre-revolutionary lines who cannot trace distaff descent from William Wilcoxson. In our Preliminary Report we referred to him as Father of Connecticut. By sheer paternity we believe he deserves such a title. Of course, the great majority of William Wilcoxson's descendants are through females. Daughters and daughters-daughters to the nth generation. As a genealogist it has seemed to me sometimes that the main social function of our family in America has been to supply other families with ancestresses.Let us pause to think of our first American household as it existed in its happiest days, about 1630, before the spectre of death and separation had appeared and while all the children remained under the Stratford rooftree. At mealtime what a picture the whole group must have made, seated about the rough hewn trencher board--the parents at either end; the children in order of their strature; John and Joseph on either side of their father; Timothy, Elizabeth, Samuel, Hannah and Sarah filling up the mid-table and little Obadiah and baby Phoebe sitting down next to mother Margaret.

And the parents, what were their thoughts as they beamed at each other through this gamut of carefree, youthful eyes? Did they imagine a time when the descendants of these devoted children would be almost "as the sands of the sea for multitude"? Did they envision the infinitely varied adventures and destinies in store for this brood and their many descendants? Could they conceive that out of these loins would come men and women who would pioneer states, cities and communities then undreamed of that from them would descend soldiers, captains and generals to take part in struggles for the establishment and preservation of a great nation; that from them would come judges, senators, ministers, missionaries, scientists and any number of undistinguished but honorable citizens, each taking some part in a highly complex civilization?The ultra-individualistic William Wilcoxson descendant of today who thinks that he has nothing in common with a tenth cousin in far away Oregon, Alaska, Florida or California, should think sometimes of this first family and reflect that when we go far enough back on the tribal stem all Wilcoxsons coalesce and join at the Stratford hearth.Lamentably William Wilcoxson did not live to be an old man. He died early in the year 1652. This we know from the fact that there is record of the inventory of his will of June 16, 1652. Hence, all of the nine children were under age when he passed away. John, the oldest, was but 19, while Phoebe, the youngest, was but a babe in arms. Thus came the first tragedy to a family that was to suffer more than its due share of untimely deaths, orphaned children and scattered kinsmen.For the years immediately subsequent to 1652 there is no record to indicate how the widow Wilcoxson and her brood managed to exist in that wild, raw country. However, neighbors were generous in those days. The were few in numbers, but those few were all of kindred race and similar religion. All were bound to each other by a feeling of loneliness in those vast solitudes, so far removed from pleasant-memoried England. Quite likely the family were aided after the father's death by their pioneer neighbors and the friendly counsel of the good minister, Rev. Adam Blakeman, pastor of the first Statford church.Just when or where it was that the widow Wilcoxson met William Hayden (an immigrant of 1630) of Windsor we do not know. It may be that the two families had known each other in Derbyshire or that they had become acquainted at Concord.However, the legend, as given in "Records of the Connecticut Line of the Hayden Family", is to the effect that Margaret married William Hayden sometime in the year 1663. The latter had then removed from Windsor to Hamonoscett (later Kenilworth, Killingworth and finally Clinton) with his three motherless children and there he joined by Margaret and the younger Wilcoxson children. By that time,John, Joseph, Timothy remained at Stratford with their families. Elizabeth removed with her husband, Sergeant Henry Stiles to Windsor while Joseph, already the father of three children, followed his mother and father-in-law to Killingworth. There he settled permanently. Samuel, who married the following year at Widsor, probably did not live long at Killingworth, if at all. The unmarried children who accompanied their mother to Killingworth and three in their lot with the Haydens were, therefor,Hannah (who the following year became the bride of her step-brother Daniel Hayden) Sarah, Obadiah, and Phoebe. Margaret Wilcox Hayden, our first ancestress in America, died at Killingworth in 1675.
John S. Wait: From The History of Stratford (Connecticut), The First Settlers. (p86): and The Complete Book of Emigrants, p 128.William Wilcoxson came from England to America on board the ship "Planter" (Nicholas Travice, master) which sailed from London to New England the morning of April 2, 1635. A total of thirty-eight persons were listed as..."the parties having brought certificates from the minister of St. Albans in Hertfordshire and attestations from the justice of the peace according to the Lord's orders." This party, along with eighty others and the crew filled the small ship.William was made a freeman in Massachusetts Colony December 7, 1636, settling in Concord prior to moving to Stratford in 1639. He was a juryman, or deputy, in Hartford in 1647. At the time of his death, he left a widow and five sons. His will, in which he gave 30 pounds to the church at Concord, is dated May, 1651/52. There is a record of the inventory of his estate dated June 16, 1652.His sons, Timothy and John, remained in Stratford, but Joseph settled in Killingworth in 1661. Samuel eventually settled in Simsbury, and Obadiah settled in East Guilford (now Madison.)Little is known of William's true origins in England. Although he, his wife and son, and thirty-five others received a blanket certificate of character from the minister at St. Albans, this alone does not attest to his home as being in Hertfordshire. His trade was 'linen weaver,' and at the time of his departure this embryonic industry was centered in the towns of Belpre, Chesterfield, and Wirksworth in Derbyshire. The parish records of Derbyshire confirm that many Wilcoxsons lived in the surrouding villages. In the will of a 'William Wicoxson' of Wirksworth (dated 1626) behests are made to George, Anne, 'Mazie,' and William (descibed as a younger son, age twenty-five.) Peter Wilcoxson signed as a witness. As the younger son, William would not be entitled to receive any lands or property according to English Common Law. Therefore he would have been apprenticed to a trade (in this case linen-weaving.) Age, place, and trade provide strong evidence that this is the William who emigrated to America.Other records show that he was born in 1620 in Stratford Connecticut and his father was John Wilcoxson. Both records have him married to Margaret Birdseye, although the John records have the marriage at being 1645 - after a lot of his children were born. These records apparently originated from the church of Latter Day Saints (July, 1996)Note: WILLIAM, the freem. in Massachusetts. of 7 December 1636, came in the Planter from London, in the ship's clearance call. linen weaver, aged 34, with w. Margaret, 24, and s. John, 2, but at what town he first sat down, is not cert. We can be sure it was not Boston, nor Salem, nor Charlestown, nor Dorchester, nor Roxbury, nor Watertown, and of the few others Concord seems most likely. To what part of Connecticut. he first rem,. is unkn. or at what time; but he is seen in 1647, as rep. at Hartford, and prob. in a high degree is it, that he had more s. and ds. Joseph, Samuel, Obadiah, Timothy, Elizabeth wh. m. at Windsor 16 April 1663, Henry Stiles; and Hannah, wh. m. also at W. 17 March 1665, Daniel Hayden; Sarah, wh. m. 1665, John Meigs; and Phebe, married 11 December 1669, John Birdseye, jr. of Stratford, so that it is not improb. that he had chos. W. for his resid. Yet he may have early rem. to Stratford, where he died 1652. Some of his descend. have sunk the last syl. of the ancestor'sname.
found on ancestry.com

MARGARET BIRDSEYE (WILCOXSON) 1611-1655

[Ancestral Link: Harold William Miller, son of Edward Emerson Miller, son of Anna Hull (Miller), daughter of William Hull, son of William E. Hull, son of Sarah Wilcox (Hull), daughter of Stephen Wilcox, son of Joseph Wilcox, son of Joseph Wilcoxson, son of Margaret Birdseye (Wilcoxson).]



Old Congregational Burying Ground, Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut
Final resting place of Margaret Birdseye Wilcoxson Plot: PETER PRUDDEN'S GARDEN - NO TOMBSTONE REMAINS


The old Norman Church at Herfordshire, England.

IMMIGRATION
AT THE AGE OF ABOUT 24 MARGARET SAILED FROM LONDON TO AMERICA WITH HER HUSBAND WILLIAM AND HER 2-YEAR-OLD SON JOHN.
found on ancestry.com

Mary Elizabeth Meyer Buoys great grandmother
Margaret Birdseye 1611-1655 is the 6th great grandmother of Mary Elizabeth Buoy. also the 7th great grandmother of Humphry Bogart.
found on ancestry.com
Arrival William Wilcoxson's (1601-1652) father may have been William Wilcoxson (1560-1626) at Wirksworth, Derbyshire, England whose sons were George, William (the younger son), Anne, and Mazie. William Wilcoxson (1601-1652) was a "lynen weaver" in Derbyshire, England. He married Margaret Birdseye (1611-1670) in about 1632 in England and their first child/son John was born there. William Wilcoxson (34) and wife Margaret (24) and son John (2) sailed 05 April 1635 from England aboard "The Planter" and arrived at Boston on 26 May 1635. They went to Concord, MA first where William Wilcoxson was a Freeman in 1636. Two more children were born there. In 1639 William Wilcoxson went to Pequonnocke and the Cupheag Plantation (soon Stratford, Connecticut) with his wife and 3 small children. Their homelot was #70 and it was on Elm Street and the had a share in the Common Field. Eight more children were born there. William Wilcoxson served as a Deputy in the Court of the governing body of Stratford and on 20 and 25 May 1647 was a Representative to the Connecticut General Court at Hartford for Stratford. William Wilcoxson's will was dated 29 May 1651 and his estate inventory was 16 June 1652. Son Joseph Wilcoxson (1635-1703) was born at Concord, MA and went with his parents and siblings to Stratford, Connecticut in 1639 as a child. He married Anna (some believe her to be Anna Shailor/Shaler as son William inherited 12 Acres of land from Goodman Shailer and it might be presumed that this was his grandfather and therefore the father of Anna, Anna's ancestry information sought!) at Stratford, Connecticut in about 1658 and their first 2 children were born there. The family moved to Killingworth, Connecticut in about 1665 as did Joseph Wilcoxson's mother and step-father. Six more children were born there. Widow Anna was living in 1708 when she petitioned for the custody of her Farnham grandchildren. Granddaughter Margaret Wilcoxson (1673-1763), daughter of Joseph Wilcoxson (1635-1703), married Joseph Graves (1672-1714) in about 1697 and they raised 5 children at Guilford, Connecticut.
Sources: Genealogical Dictionary, Savage, 1860 -
found on ancestry.com

Saturday, July 28, 2012

WILLIAM KELSEY 1600-1680

[Ancestral Link: Harold William Miller, son of Edward Emerson Miller, son of Anna Hull (Miller), daughter of William Hull, son of William E. Hull, son of Sarah Wilcox (Hull), daughter of Stephen Wilcox, son of Hannah Kelsey (Wilcox), daughter of John Kelsey, son of William Kelsey.]
Hartford Founders monument Wm Kelsey



Grave marker



"The original Founders Monument in the Ancient Burying Ground, also sometimes referred to at the "Old" or "Center" Cemetery. The cemetery is located at the rear of the First Congregational ("Center") Church at the corner of Main and Gold Streets in Hartford."



Founders Monument Ancient Burying Ground Hartford Connecticut

1st plan of Killingworth-Clinton Connecticut


Ancient Burying Ground Hartford Connecticut



This marker is one of a series of reproduction stones placed in a row in an area of Kelsey family stones. With two exceptions, each is marked only with a first name and date. This is one of those exceptions. These stones correspond to the names and dates of second and third generation Kelsey family members who died in Killingworth, now Clinton. This stone may have been placed for the William (1673-1718) who married Elizabeth SHEATER and who was the father of William, Ephrain, Jehiel, Matthias, Mary, Deborah, and Gamaliel. According to descendant Lucia Finley, "As both his son John and grandson John are buried here, this is likely for William Kelsey born about 1600 Chelmsford, Essex, England and died 1680 Killngworth, Middlesex, Connecticut. This William was the son of George and Elizabeth Hammond Kelsey. He married Bethia Hopkins and had the following children: Mark, Bethia, Priscilla, Anna, Hester, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel and William Kelsey."

Headstone Details
Cemetery name Indian River Cemetery
Name on headstone William Kelsey
Birth 1600 - Chelmsford, Essex, England
Death 1680 - Killngworth, Middlesex, Connecticut.


The Dove House in 18th century walled gardens of Felbrigg Hall, Norfolk




1836, Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut

Preliminary drawing for Connecticut Historical Collections, John Warner Barber, New Haven, 1836. When Barber made his drawing, the village was known as Killingworth and was the most populous part of that town. It incorporated as Clinton in 1838. Source: Source The Connecticut Historical Society, John Warner Barber Collection.

Birth: unknown
Death: 1680

This marker is one of a series of reproduction stones placed in a row in an area of Kelsey family stones. With two exceptions, each is marked only with a first name and date. This is one of those exceptions. These stones correspond to the names and dates of second and third generation Kelsey family members who died in Killingworth, now Clinton. This stone may have been placed for the William (1673-1718) who married Elizabeth SHEATER and who was the father of William, Ephrain, Jehiel, Matthias, Mary, Deborah, and Gamaliel.

Accoprding to descendant Lucia Finley, "As both his son John and grandson John are buried here, this is likely for William Kelsey born about 1600 Chelmsford, Essex, England and died 1680 Killngworth, Middlesex, Connecticut. This William was the son of George and Elizabeth Hammond Kelsey. He married Bethia Hopkins and had the following children: Mark, Bethia, Priscilla, Anna, Hester, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel and William Kelsey."

Burial: Indian River Cemetery, Clinton, Middlesex County, Connecticut, USA
found on findagrave.com

THE KELSEY KINDRED GENEALOGY HOW IT ALL BEGANBy 1890, Leroy Huron Kelsey #5369 of St. Joseph, Missouri had had some success on gathering data on his branch in Kentucky. In 2 or 3 years several more Kelseys in Denver, Chicago, New York, and Connecticut had pooled findings in the keeping of Horatio Nelson Kelsey #3553 in Chicago. A slow but steady flow of information was encouraging the task to embrace all William Kelsey descendants in America.In October 1908, Mr. Edward A. Claypool, a professional genealogist, was engaged by Horatio N. Kelsey. He started immediately to send out blanks seeking information to some 1200 suspected descendants, which by 1914 had increased to about 2500. Mr. Claypool died in July 1916, but in little less than eight years his work had generated a formidable amount of family data and, equally important, had alerted at least a dozen more descendants of William #1, who enjoyed the ancestor hobby. Our project was wounded, but not fatally!On December 16, 1916, Horatio Nelson Kelsey, who by now had moved to New York City, joined with professor Francis Willy Kelsey #3643 of Ann Arbor, MI (an internationally known Archaeologist and Egyptologist) and David Stone Kelsey #7004 of Connecticut to arrange for continued work on our genealogy by Miss Azalea Clizbee, a reputable genealogist.Expense money was a major problem but the work survived another 10 years. With added problems caused by World War I, our family history was laid aside until 1927, when Joseph Jonathan Kelsey #3805 and Earl Leland Kelsey #7398, both of Connecticut, picked up the torch sparked by the prospect of a formal organization which would be called The Kelsey Kindred.During the summer of 1926, Joseph J. Kelsey of Clinton, Connecticut, who began collecting data about the same time Mr. Claypool died, met by chance in the Town Clerk's office in Killingworth, Connecticut with Mr. Earl Leland Kelsey of Torrington, Connecticut, who had been more or less interested in his ancestors since boyhood. They discussed the possibility of the printing of a Kelsey Genealogy book. At another chance meeting of these two Kelseys in July 1927, this time in the Office of the Town Clerk of Clinton, Connecticut. It was agreed that something should be done towards publishing the book, holding a reunion and other matters related thereto, but nothing definite was decided upon. However, Earl L. Kelsey was not surprised when about 2 months later he received a circular signed by Joseph J. Kelsey as chairman of the "Kelsey Genealogy Committee", asking for contributions to help finish the work. He replied and received notification that he was to act as secretary of this committee and to secure the services of Horatio N. Kelsey as treasurer. Horatio consented to act in this capacity. Then came the slow procedure of securing a new mailing list, as the old one of 1915 was almost worthless. So, a larger committee was formed. All known descendants of William Kelsey and through the efforts of this committee, Volume I was published and the 1st Annual Reunion and business meeting was held September 15, 1928 in Clinton, Connecticut.

AN ASSOCIATION OF DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM KELSEY, THE PURITAN ANCESTOR, ORGANIZED SEPTEMBER 13, 1928
Since The Kindred was organized in 1928, it has published 7 genealogy volumes containing family histories of the descendants of William Kelsey. Our genealogist, Paula R. Carter, has over 58,000 descendants, all serial numbered and indexed in our computer and more data arrives each week. Unfortunately, there are many, many lines of descent that are still unknown. The Kindred, presently, has well over 850 active members and receiving new applications weekly. The genealogy volumes were financed by dues, donations, large gifts and loans from Kindred members.

THE ANCESTOR - WILLIAM KELSEY
William Kelsey, the first of the Kelsey name in America, was born in 1600, Chelmsford, Essex County, England. He was the son of George Kelsey Jr. and Elizabeth Hammond and had 2 brothers: John and Henry.William Kelsey was one of the original "Braintree Company" followers of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who came to America and they were the first settlers of "New Towne" (now Cambridge) Massachusetts in 1632. Reverend Hooker joined them the following year.In June, 1636, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Stone, with more than 50 families of the "first church" (Mr. Hooker's) removed to Connecticut where, in the valley of the same name, they established another "New Towne" which was changed to "Hartford" on February 21, 1637. Among these were William Kelsey.Coming to "Hartford" with the Hooker Company, William Kelsey was one of the "original proprietors" and, as such, his name appears on the "Founders Monument" in the "ancient burying ground" of the First Congregational Church of that city, presently known as "Center Church". His name is also found on the "Adventurers Boulder" located at City Hall, Hartford, Connecticut.In March 1663, William Kelsey and 26 others migrated to the "Hammonasset Plantation" and founded the Town of "Kenilworth", later changed to "Killingworth". In 1838, the town was separated into North and South parts. The South part called "Clinton" and the North, "Killingworth".William Kelsey had 9 children: (his wife or wives have not been verified). Mark, Bethia (recent data questions this daughter's name; and, it is thought that it may be either Hester or Esther), Priscilla, Mary, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel, and William Jr.Mark Kelsey lived in Windsor and Wethersfield. He first married Rebecca Hoskins, second Mrs. Abigail Atwood. Rebecca was the daughter of John Hoskins and his wife, Ann Filer. John Hoskins came to New England on the "Mary and John" in 1630. Mark and Rebecca had 8 or more children.Priscilla Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, Connecticut. She married Cornelius Gillette. They had 9 children.Mary Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, Connecticut. She married Jonathan Gillette (brother of Cornelius Gillette). They had 10 children.John Kelsey removed to Killingworth with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 27. He married Hannah Disborough 2 years later in Hartford, Connecticut. They had 9 children. John and his father are noted as two of the first settlers of Kenilworth.

Abigail Kelsey also accompanied her father, William Kelsey, to Killingworth at the age of 18. She married Lieutenant John Hull. They had 4 children.Stephen Kelsey lived and died in Hartford, Connecticut. He married Hannah Ingersoll. They had 10 children.Daniel Kelsey also removed to Killingworth with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 13. He later married first Mary Stevens. They had 5 children. He married second, Jane Chalker. They had 5 children.William Kelsey Jr. was born 3/23/1654. It is supposed that he died young before the family removed to Killingworth, Connecticut.
found on ancestry.com

William Kelsey (1600-1680)
The following is from The Original Ancestor and Immigrant:William Kelsey was one of the original Braintree Company, which came with the Reverend Thomas Hooker from the parishes of County Essex in Old England to Cambridge, Massachusetts in New England in 1632. In June 1636, Reverend Hooker and fifty of his congregation moved to Connecticut where they settled Hartford. Among this congregation was William Kelsey. As one of the original proprietors of Hartford, William Kelsey's name appears on the Founder's Monument. He owned 16 acres of land and had a "working shoppe" on his lot. In 1663, he moved with a colony of 16 families to a new town called Killingworth on the south shore of Connecticut.The following notes are from Ellie Burch:William was possibly the son of George Kelsey, who was born about 1572 in Thorpe, Essex County, England, and Elizabeth Hammond, born in 1575 in Cheshire, Essex County, England. George died in 1599 in Thorpe. They had the following children: William (see above), John (abt 1602-1680, married to Martha Lingwood), and Henry (born about 1604, married to Mary Manning).
found on ancestry.com

William Kelsey
Part of Thomas Hooker's "Congregation of Braintree" near Newtowne, Cambridge. There is mention of him there on 29 March 1632 (before Hooker arrived there). Freeman on 4 March 1635. He followed Hooker to Hartford, Connecticut, in June 1636. Perhaps because of a religious dispute involving his daughter Bethia, he sold his house in Hartford on March 1663 (to his son Stephen) and moved to the new settlement called "Killingworth." On 11 May 1671, he is mentioned as the deputy from Killingworth to the General Court at Hartford (held in "Jeremy Adams' Tavern"). His date of birth is established by mention of him in a September 1674 Court in Harford (Private Controversies, Hartford, Vol. 1, 128). Also mentioned in Winthrop's Journal (Vol. I, 104-105). The link below goes into minute detail about surviving records of William Kelsey.

Edward A. Claypool and Azalea Clizbee. "A Genealogy of the Descendants of William Kelsey: A genealogy of the William Kelsey family who settled at Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1632; at Hartford, Connecticut, in 1636; and at Killingworth, Connecticut, in 1663." Vol. I (New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse and Taylor, 1928).

"WILLIAM KELSEY, born in England about 1600, died about 1680 at Killingworth and was probably buried there. He married, probably about 1625-1628 in England, BETHIA HOPKINS(?), born about 1605-1610, in England; died (???). (Bethia possibly died about 1636 and William may have married a second wife shortly after this, who would thus have been the mother of the four younger children, and possibly of John6.) There is no mention of William Kelsey's wife in any known records.
Children: 9 (KELSEY), five sons and four daughters. *
i MARK, born about 1628; died before February 27, 1722/3. 
ii BETHIA, born about 1630; died (???); married before September 1665, David Phillips. That this Bethia Kelsey, wife of David Phillips, was a daughter of William1 seems beyond contradiction. Hinman says that it was Bethia Kelsey, widow of William1 who became the wife of David Phillips of Milford, but the Hartford Town Records disprove this by the record of September 1665, when it was voted that "the town will give tenn pounds to David Phillips, of Milford provided he remove from Hartford with Bethia Kelsy (wrongly copied as Kelly) his wife, at such a time as the townsmen appoynt him." As William1 was living for at least ten years after this meeting, it could not have been his widow who was here named, so it must have been a daughter. Nothing further is known of Bethia and her husband, David Phillips.
iii PRISCILLA, born about 1632; died (???).
iv MARY, born about 1633; died April 18, 1676.
v JOHN, born about 1636; died July 22, 1709.
vi ABIGAIL, born April 19, 1645; died May 12, 1717.
vii STEPHEN, born November 7, 1647; died November 30, 1710.
viii DANIEL, born July 6, 1650; died June 5, 1727.
ix WILLIAM, born March 23, 1654; died (???). It is supposed that he died young, without issue, before the family removed to Killingworth."
Proprietors' Records of Cambridge:
"William Kellsie--In the Towne one house with Garden and backside aboute halfe a roode Creeke land Northwest long street north east--south east Andrew Warner south west. "Moore one smale lott hill aboute three Ackers Symon Sakett north east Samuel Dudley southeast Mathew Allen southwest the high way to the Common Palls on the north west. "Moore In the Great Marsh, aboute three Ackers to oyster bancke bay southeast Richard Lord southwest John Talcott northwest Abraham Morrell northeast."Moore In West end aboute halfe an Acker Andrew Warner southwest William Spencer north west and northeast The Creek southeas-. "Moore In Westend ffield aboute Three ackers Garrad Haddon southeast the hi--way to fresh pond southwest Edmond gearne--north West the highway to the great swamp (???) northeast --"
Paige's History of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Prince's Annals; Cambridge, Massachusetts, Register Book, with the Proprietors' Records, pp. 24, 42; Cambridge, Massachusetts, Town Records, (published 1901): 5, 9, 13; Colonial Records of Massachusetts, Vol. I, p. 370.

"WILLIAM KELSEY TO THOMAS FISHER "The 19th of ye second month, 1636: Know all men by these presents that I William Kelsey of ye Newtowne, have solde and past over all ye Righte Title and Interest I have in any parsell of meddowe Ground lieing and being In ye New Towne Aforesaid, unto Thomas ffisher to him and to his Aires for ever: as his or yer proper Righte. In Wittnes Whereof I have sett my hand; ye Daye and yeare above mencioned: (signed) "William Kelsey his marke"

The will of Jonathan Gilbert (Gillett) (his son, Jonathan Gillett, who died before his father, married William Kelsey's daughter Mary) 10 SEP 1674, N. E. Hist. and Gen. Register, Vol. IV, 34:

"...that little land I bought of Mr. Callsey." Church of Killingworth in the old "Church Records":
"Know all men by these presents that I, William Kelsey of Killingworth, being desirous to promote religion and the maintenance thereof, according to my power, do freely give to be paid yearly and forever after my decease Twenty shillings in current ountry pay, to the Church of Killingworth, for the use of the ministry that shall from time to time be there called, and for the ensurance thereof I do firmly bind over my land in the Neck field, purchased of John Meigs, Jun., unto the Church of Killingworth, and do give full power to him or them that are or from time to time shall be Deacons of the said Church, or in their absence, to any two of the Brethren thereof to demand, recover or dispose of the money as aforesaid, and upon refusal to pay or in case of non-solvency, to seize upon the land and use and improve it as they see cause for the aforesaid end. "In Witness whereof I do hereunto set my hand this present day of June 6, 1674. (Signed) William Kelsey his mark."
Killingworth Records, Vol. I, 36-37:
"June eight 1674. These presents testifie that I William Kellsey of Kinollworth in the Countie of new London in the Collonie of Conetiqut, do and heareby give unto my son John Kellsey all my house Lott Containning Six acres more or Less * * * Also my Cowyard on the north side of the Street over agaynst my house Sixty rods of Land more or Less * * * Also I give unto him my division of meadow Lying on the river * * *. "The marke of William Kellsey." (Signed)

ibid., 38:

"These presents testifie that I William Kellsey of Kenellworth * * * do give unto my son Daniell Kellsy of the Same town * * * my north Lott * * *."William his marke Kellsey (Signed) "June 8, 1674."
found on ancestry.com

William Kelsey
WILLIAM KELSEY from The Great Migration Begins Immigrants to New England 1620 - 1633 by Robert Charles Anderson, Boston 1995
ORIGIN: Unknown
MIGRATION: 1633
FIRST RESIDENCE: Cambridge
REMOVES: Hartford 1635, Killingworth by 1668
FREEMAN: In Killingworth section of 1669 Connecticut list of freemen (as "William Keilsey") [CCCR 2:525].
EDUCATION: Signed deed by mark [CaBOP 42].
OFFICES: On 11 May 1671 "W[illia]m Callsey" was deputy to Connecticut General Court from Killingworth [CCCR 2:147].
On 24 March 1657/8 "William Kelsey is freed from watching, warding and training" [CCCR 1:314].
ESTATE: Granted one rood for a cowyard in Cambridge, 5 August 1633 [CaTR 5]. Granted three acres in Westend Field, 4 August 1634 [CaTR 9]. Granted a proportional share of one in the meadow ground, 21 April 1635 [CaTR 13].
In the Cambridge land inventory on 5 October 1635 "William Kellsie" held five parcels: half a rood in town with one house, garden and backside; three acres on Small Lot Hill; three acres in the Great Marsh; half an acre in the West End; and three acres in Westend Field [CaBOP 24]. On 19 April 1636 "William Kelsey of the New Towne [Cambridge]" sold to Thomas Fisher his right in "any parcel of meadow ground lying and being in the New Towne aforesaid" [CaBOP 42].
In the Hartford land inventory of February 1639 "Will[ia]m Kelsy" was credited with twenty-one parcels: one acre with dwelling house, outhouses, yards and gardens; three acres "lying partly in the neck of land"; one rood in the Little Meadow; two roods eighteen perches in the North Meadow; five acres, three roods and thirty-eight perches of meadow and swamp in the North Meadow; one acre eight perches on the east side of the Great River; five acres in the Cowpasture; nine acres three roods in the Middle Oxpasture (annotated "sold Wm. Spencer"); five acres of meadow on the east side of the Great River "which he received in exchange of William Spencer"; one acre, two roods and fourteen perches in the neck of land; three roods thirty-seven perches in the neck of land; seven acres, twenty-four perches in the Cowpasture; two acres, one rood and thirty-one perches in the neck of land "part whereof he received of Edward Ellmer"; threescore perches in the neck of land; three acres, three roods and twenty perches in the neck of land; one acre, thirty-three perches in the neck of land "which he bought of John Maynord"; three acres in the neck of land "which he bought of Richard Goodman"; one acre in the neck of land "which he bought of John Tayllcott"; five acres on the east side of the Great River "part of which he bought of William Edwordes"; thirty perches of swamp on the east side of the Great River "which he bought of William Edwordes"; and two roods "that he bought of William Williams and did sometime belong to John Beddell" (annotated "sold G. Granis 1664") [HaBOP 141-44]. (Five of these parcels were marked as given to "Steven Callsey" in 1670/1.)

On 21 September 1676 the will and inventory of William Kelsey were presented at New London County Court; these documents do not, unfortunately, survive [TAG 69:28, citing New London County Court Records, Trials, 3:83].

BIRTH: By about 1609 based on estimated date of marriage.
DEATH: Killingworth between June 1675 and 21 September 1676 [TAG 69:218].
MARRIAGE: By 1634 _____ _____, who was "born about 1613 and living at Hartford in December 1666" [TAG 68:213-14]. (Several false leads regarding the identity of the wife of William Kelsey have been carefully examined and discarded by George E. McCracken and Gale Ion Harris [TAG 37:38-42, 68:211-14]. Based on onomastic evidence Harris suggests that her given name was Hester.)
CHILDREN:
MARK, born say 1634; married (1) Windsor 8 March 1658/9 Rebecca Hoskins [WiLR 1:58]; married (2) Windsor 26 December 1683 Abigail (_____) Atwood, widow of Captain Thomas Atwood [WiLR 1:58; CTVR 52 (giving only the year of the event)].

HESTER, born say 1636; married (1) by 1656 James Eggleston, son of BIGOD EGGLESTON; married (2) Windsor 29 April 1680 James Eno; married (3) Windsor 10 June 1686 John Williams. (See TAG 68:208-10 for a detailed discussion of Hester's marital career, which includes full documentation.)

JOHN, born say 1638; married by 1668 Hannah Desborough [TAG 38:210-11, 68:214].

PRISCILLA, born about 1640 (aged 17 on 22 December 1657 [TAG 68:214, citing WMJ 74]); married by January 1659[/60?] Cornelius Gillett, son of JONATHAN GILLETT [TAG 68:214].

MARY, born about 1644 (aged 14 in May 1658 [TAG 68:215, citing WMJ 109]); married Windsor 23 April 1661 Jonathan Gillett [Grant 39], son of JONATHAN GILLETT.

ABIGAIL, born Hartford 19 April 1645 [HaBOP 575]; married Killingworth 3 December 1668 John Hull [TAG 68:215].

STEPHEN, baptized Hartford 7 November 1647 [HaBOP 578]; living 1670/1 [HaBOP 141-44].

DANIEL, born Hartford [blank] July 1650 [HaBOP 581]; married (1) Killingworth 27 March 1672 Mary Stevens [TAG 68:215]; married (2) by 1693 Jane Chalker [TAG 68:231].

COMMENTS: William Kelsey appears in a list dated 7 January 1632/3 of those who were to make fence [CaTR 5], but this list was actually compiled at a later date.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1993 Gale Ion Harris published a definitive study of the family of William Kelsey [TAG 68:208-15]. We rely on his conclusions here, except for a few minor adjustments in approximated dates to conform with the guidelines used in these volumes.
found on ancestry.com

Notes for William Kelsey
1632 - William Kelsey was one of the original "Braintree Company" followers of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who came to America and were the first settlers of "New Towne" (now Cambridge) Massachusetts.
1634 - William made freeman.
1636 - William sold a meadow at Cambridge. In June, Reverend Hooker and Mr. Stone, with more than 50 families, the Kelseys included, established another "New Towne", laster changed to Hartford. As one of the original members of the First Congregation Church (presently known as Center Church), William's name appears on the "Founders Monument" in the ancient burying ground of that church.
William's name also appears on the "Adventurers Boulder" located at City Hall, Hartford, Connecticut.
1663 - In March, William and 26 others migrated to the "Hammonossit Plantation" and founded the town of Kenilworth, later changed to Killingworth. In 1738, the town was separated into north and south parts. The south part became "Clinton" and the north remained "Killingworth".
found on ancestry.com

Founders Monument, Hartford, Connecticut
Founders Monument, located in the Ancient Burying Ground, also known as the Center Church Cemetery. "The Council of the Founders organized the Ancient Burying Ground Association in 1982 as a committee of the Founders. An earlier organization of the same name was formed in 1836 and erected the Founders Monument in 1837. A brownstone obelisk which listed the names of the city's founders, the monument had deteriorated severely, despite various conservation efforts.
"The Ancient Burying Ground Association determined that it was impossible to restore the 1837 monument. A replacement monument, carved from beautiful, durable Connecticut granite, was dedicated on August 6, 1986. While the new monument retains the size and proportions of the original, the Founders' names are now listed in alphabetical order. Several names, omitted from the 1837 monument, are now included."
[Monument Base - East Face]
Erected by the Society of the Descendants of The Founders of Hartford A. D. 1986 to Commemorate the 350th Anniversary of the City. This stone replaces the original sandstone monument of 1837
found on ancestry.com

The Adventurer's Boulder, Hartford, Connecticut
The plaque reads:
In Memory of the Courageous
Adventurers
Who Inspired and Directed by
Thomas Hooker Journeyed Though the
Wilderness from Newton (Cambridge)
in the Massachusetts Bay to
Suckiaug (Hartford) - October, 1635
Matthew Allyn William Lewis
John Barnard Mathew Marvin
William Butler James Olmsted
Clement Chaplin William Pantry
Nicholas Clarke Thomas Scott
Robert Day Timothy Stanley
Edward Elmer Thomas Stanley
Nathaniel Ely Edward Stebbins
Richard Goodman John Steele
William Goodwin John Stone
Stephen Hart John Talcott
William Kelsey Richard Webb
William Westwood
From the Society of the Descendants
of the Founders of Hartford
To the People of Hartford
October 15, 1935
found on ancestry.com

William Kelsey, immigrant ancestor
William Kelsey, immigrant ancestor, was born doubtless in England, but may have been of the Scotch family of Kelso, as the name was frequently spelled in early records. He settled in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as early as 1632 and was a proprietor in 1633. He was admitted a freeman March 4, 1634-35. He sold a meadow there April 19, 1636. He removed to Hartford where he lived until 1663 and then settled in the adjacent town of Killingworth, Connecticut. He was deputy to the general court in 167i.
Children:
1. Abigail, born April, 1645.
2. Stephen, November 7, 1647, mentioned below.
3. Daniel, born 1650.
4. Mark, married, March 8, 165859, Rebecca Hoskins; second, December 26, 1683, Abigail Atwood; resided in Wethersfield and Windsor, Connecticut; children: i. Rebecca, born January 2, 1659; ii. Thomas, October 16, 1663; iii. John, died June 18, 1685.
5. Lieutenant John, resided in Hartford; was admitted freeman 1658; removed to Killingworth: married Phebe Disbrow, daughter of Nicholas; children: John, Joseph, Josiah and three daughters
found on ancestry.com

BETHIA HOPKINS (KELSEY) 1605-1680

[Ancestral Link: Harold William Miller, son of Edward Emerson Miller, son of Anna Hull (Miller), daughter of William Hull, son of William E. Hull, son of Sarah Wilcox (Hull), daughter of Stephen Wilcox, son of Hannah Kelsey (Wilcox), daughter of John Kelsey, son of Bethia Hopkins (Kelsey).]


All Saints Church, Hursley, Hampshire, England




Old Church, Hursley, Hampshire, England - Probably All Saints Church

She's not a Mayflower descendant

Some note about Bethia Hopkins:

William Kelsey and Bethia Hopkins married back in England.
Bethia Hopkins was not the daughter of Stephen Hopkins of the Mayflower.
There were two Bethia Hopkins in Hartford at about the same time. The older of the two was the one who married William Kelsey and settled in Hartford.
I am not aware of anyone who has found the parents of the Bethia Hopkins who married William Kelsey, we really do not know who Kelsey's Bethia's parents were.
There was a John Hopkins in Hartford at the same time as Kelsey's Bethia, but Bethia married back in England, so there is no reason to necessarily connect John and Bethia. However, the Hartford John Hopkins named his own daughter Bethia, but that Bethia is NOT the same person as the Bethia who married William Kelsey. Thus is is possible that John Hopkins and Kelsey's Bethia Hopkins might have been siblings (thus the two Bethias were aunt and niece)
found on ancestry.com

Friday, July 27, 2012

NICHOLAS DISBOROUGH 1612-1683

[Ancestral Link: Harold William Miller, son of Edward Emerson Miller, son of Anna Hull (Miller), daughter of William Hull, son of William E. Hull, son of Sarah Wilcox (Hull), daughter of Stephen Wilcox, son of Hannah Kelsey (Wilcox), daughter of Hannah Disborough (Kelsey), daughter of Nicolas Disborough.]

Nicholas Disborough
The origins of Nicholas Disborough (also spelled Disbrowe, Desborough, etc.) are somewhat obscure. Because he had only daughters, with no sons to carry on the family name, chroniclers and genealogists have show little interest in him. What is known is that he was born in England, perhaps in Saffron Walden, Essex, between 1613 and 1620, and settled in Hartford, Connecticut.He fought in the Pequot War of 1637, and was later granted fifty acres of land for that service. His homelot in Hartford was on the east side of the road to the cow pasture, which later became North Main Street. He was an early member of the First Congregational Church of Hartford.

He married MARY-1 BRONSON on 2 April 1640, probably in Hartford. Mary was baptized on 6 March 1622/3, in Lamarsh, Essex, England, shortly before her mother's death. She was the daughter of Roger Brownson of Earl's Colne and his wife, Mary Underwood, and the sister of John Bronson.Mary was raised by her stepmother Margaret, and was an extremely rebellious and "high-spirited" girl -- to the point of being a juvenile delinquent. She accompanied her older brothers John and Richard to the New World when still a very young girl. Once there, she apparently lacked adequate adult supervision. In the Spring of 1640, four boys (John Olmstead, Jonathan Rudd, John Pierce, and Nicholas Olmsted) got into trouble with the authorities for "wanton dalliances, lacivious caridge, and fowle mysdemeanors at sundry times with Mary Brunson." Mary and the first three boys were "corrected;" Nicholas Olmsted was fined and pilloried.
Nicholas and Mary had five daughters:
i Mary born circa 1641 married Obediah Spencer
ii Sarah born circa 1642 married Samuel Eggleston
iii Hannah born 20 December 1644 married John Kelsey v Phebe baptized December 1646 probably died young
iv Abigail born 1 February 1648/9 married (1) Robert Flood married (2) Matthew Barnes/Barnard
found on ancestry.com

Nicholas Disborough
Nicholas Desborough (Disbro, Desbrough, Disborow Desbrow), Hartford, 1639, a proprietor “by courtesie of the town”; his home-lot was on the east side of road to the Cow Pasture (North Main St.), not far from the present tunnel. He served in the Pequot War; received a grant of fifty acres for his services, May 11, 1671. He married 1640, Mary Brunson, probably sister of John. Chosen chimney-viewer, 1647, 1655, 1663, 1669; surveyor of highways, 1665; freed from training, etc., March 6, 1672-3, when sixty years old. He married (2), after 1669, Elizabeth, widow of Thwaite Strickland.1 Cotton Mather (Magnolia, vi. 69) tells a marvellous story of molestations in Desborough's house by invisible hands, in 1683. He died in 1683; inv. August 31, £81. 15.[1]
found on ancestry.com

Disturbing for him
One of the last episodes in Nicholas' life was perhaps the most disturbing for him. In 1683, Cotton Mather (1663-1728), one of the most renowned Puritan clergymen of his time, tells how Nicholas was beset by witchcraft:" In the year 1683, the house of Nicholas Desborough, at Hartford, was very strangely molested by stones, by pieces of earth, by cobs of Indian corn, and other such things, from an invisible hand, thrown at him, sometimes thro' the door, sometimes thro' the window, sometimes down the chimney, and sometimes from the floor of the room (tho' very close) over his head; and sometimes he met with the in the shop, the yard, the barn, and in the field. There was no violence in the motion of the things thus thrown by the invisible hand; and tho' others besides the man happen'd sometimes to be hit, they were never hurt with them; only the man himself once had pain given to his arm, and once blood fetch'd from his leg, by these annoyances; and a fire, in an unknown way kindled, consum'd no little part of his estate. This trouble began upon a controversie between Desborough and another person about a chest of cloaths, which the man apprehended to be unrighteously detain'd by Desborough; and it endur'd for divers months; but upon restoring of the cloaths thus detain'd, the trouble ceased. At Brightling in Sussex, in England, there happened a tragedy not unlike to this, in the year 1659. 'Tis recorded by Clark in the second volume of his "Examples.""Nicholas died in August of that same year.
found on ancestry.com

Witchcraft at the Disborough house

(The Nicholas Disborough family are on Guy's father, Morris Pierce's, side of the family) "In the year 1683, the house of Nicholas Disborough, at Hartford, was very strangely molested by stones, by pieces of earth, by cobs of Indian corn, and such other things, from an invisible hand, thrown at him, sometimes thro' the door, sometimes thro' the window, sometimes down the chimney, and sometimes from the floor of the room, (tho' very close) over his head; and sometimes he met with them in the shop, the yard, the barn, and in the field. "There was no violence in the motion of the things thus thrown by the invisible hand; and tho' others besides the man happen'd sometimes to be hit, they were never hurt by them; only the man himself once had pain given to his arm, and once blood fetch'd from his leg, by these annoyances, and a fire in an unknown way kindled, consum'd no little part of his estate. "This trouble began upon a controversie between Disborough and another person, about a chest of cloaths which the man apprehended to be unrighteouslydetained by Desborough; and it endured for divers months: but upon the restoring of the cloaths thus detain'd, the trouble ceas'd." ---Mather's Magnalia per "Coe-Ward Memorial": Nicholas Disbrow, Hartford, 1639, an immigrant ancestor, a proprietor by courtesy of the town. His home lot was on the east side of the road to the cow pasture, now Main street, not far from the tunnel. He was chimney viewer 1647-55-63 and 69; surveyor of highways 1665; freed from training 6th March 1673, when 60 years old. By reason of his having been very strangely molested by "stones, earth and cobs thrown at him from an invisible hand" his name is honored with a place in Mather's Thaumaturgus. From Conn. Col. Records, 1671, "This Court grants Nicholas Disbrow 50 acres upon the account of his service at the Pequot War." In 1640 he married probably as 2d wife Mary Bronson, and after 1669, says Porter, he married Elizabeth, widow of Thwaite Strickland. He died 1683, aged 71 years"When his estate was settled in August 1683...the following family were listed: Obadiah Spencer's wife, Samuel Eggleston's wife, John Kellcy's wife and Robert Flood's wife." Notes on possible connections: A Mercy Desborough, of Fairfield was the only woman to be found guilty of witchcraft during the Fairfield outbreak in 1692/93. Reprieved by Conneticut authorities after the Mass governor pardoned the remaining Salem accused in 1693. Born about 1640. Her maiden name was Holbridge, when she was a servant to Gershom Bulkeley of New London in 1661. (Could she be a niece of Nicholas'?) A Peter Disbrow came from England 1660, one of the first and principle proprietors of Rye, NY in 1665, removed to Stamford, Connecticut.
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Nicholas Disborough Accusations of Witchcraft
1637-1673, Connecticut
"But I proceed to give an account of some other things lately hapning in New-England, which were undoubtedly praeternatural, and not without Diabolical operation. The last year did afford several Instances, not unlike unto those which have been mentioned. For then Nicholas Desborough of Hartford in New-England was strangely molested by stones, pieces of earth, cobs of Indian Corn, etc., falling upon and about him, which sometimes came in through the door, sometimes through the Window, sometimes down the Chimney, at other times they seemed to fall from the floor of the Chamber, which yet was very close; sometimes he met with them in his Shop, the Yard, the Barn, and in the Field at work. In the House, such things hapned frequently, not only in the night but in the day time, if the Man himself was at home, but never when his Wife was at home alone. There was no [Page 34] great violence in the motion, though several persons of the Family and others also were struck with the things that were thrown by an invisible hand, yet they were not hurt thereby. Only the Man himself had once his Arm somewhat pained by a blow given him; and at another time, blood was drawn from one of his Legs by a scratch given it. This molestation began soon after a Controversie arose between Desborough and another person, about a Chest of Clothes which the other said that Desberough did unrighteously retain: and so it continued for some Moneths (though with several intermissions) . In the latter end of the last year, when also the Man's Barn was burned with the Corn in it . but by what means it came to pass is not known. Not long after, some to whom the matter was referred, ordered Desberough to restore the Clothes to the Person who complained of wrong; smce which he hath not been troubled as before. Some of the stones hurled were of considerable bigness; one of them weighed four pounds, but generally the stones were not great, but very small ones. One time a piece of Clay came down the Chimney, falling on the Table which stood at some distance from the Chimney. The People of the House threw it on the Hearth, where it lay a considerable time: they went to their Supper, and whilest at their Supper, the piece of Clay was lifted up by an invisible hand, and fell upon the Table; taking it up, they found it hot, having lain so long before the fire, as to cause it to be hot. [56] [56] These experiences of Nicholas Desborough were reported by the Rev. Joh Russell, of Hadley, in a letter of August 2, 1683, which may be found in the Mather Papers (pp. 86-88). Russell says he received the account from "Capt. Allyn, a neer neighbor to Disborough." John Allyn, long secretary of the colony, was one of the foremost men in Connecticut. From: Increase Mather, Remarkable Providences An Essay For the Recording of Illustrious Providences (Boston, 1684) George Lincoln Burr, ed., Narratives of the Witchcraft Cases 1648-1706, (New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1914) 3-38Source: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=9190113

MORE ON THE DISBROW "WITCHES": NICHOLAS DISBROW; website material transcribed by Todd Shermanin 1995 from his grandfather's work (Jay Sterner) in 1956. All we know of Nicholas at this particular moment in history is that he was born at Walden in Essex in 1612, and that his father too was a joiner in that village. So far I have found no mention of when he came to America but as to what happened after he arrived in Hartford, the record is surprisingly explicit. In the first place, we learn from the later pension rolls that he had hardly got himself settled before he had to drop the work of clearing his land and leave with all the younger men on an expedition which was to wind up in a burst of glory. For in the spring of '37 came the first of the terrible Indian wars that were to culminate in New England with King Phillip's War and were to continue as the frontier moved westward for the next 250 years. This one became known as the Pequot War and was the settler's introduction to the Indian technique of pillage, burning and massacre which was to become so familiar later. Connecticut acted very promptly and, from the five or six hundred settlers now scattered along the valley, collected a tiny force of seventy men at Hartford under Major John Mason who, early in May, sailed down the river in "a shallop, a pinnace, and a pink" to Saybrook where they were joined by twenty men from Boston and seventy Mohegans under their chief Uncas. On May 20th they sailed out of Saybrook eastward past the known location of the Pequot stockade near Stonington. They landed near Point Judith and then, doubling back, surprised the Indians just before dawn on Friday, May 26th, 1637 - "with the moon as light as day." Within two hours the place was burned to the ground and over 700 savages were dead. Cotton Mather, that first flower of Puritan divinity, gives us, in his inimitable 17th Century English a brief but vivid flash of what followed. True, he wasn't present in person but his few words show such restrained good taste and such sympathetic kindliness toward the poor misguided red brethren that they deserve preservation here. He says - "Twas a fearsome sighte to see them (the Indians) thus frying in ye fryer, and ye streams of blood quenching ye same; and horrible was ye stincke and sente thereof. But ye victory seemed a sweete sacrifice, and they gave prayse thereof to God." The campaign wound up on July 13th with the Great Swamp Fight (not to be confused with the one thirty eight years later in King Phillip's War) which calmed down the Indians for nearly a generation. From the Pequot War onwards we are able to follow the career of Nicholas with surprising detail. He was a property owner in Hartford by 1639, where he lived at the north end of Burr Street, now North Main Street. In 1640, when he was twenty-eight, he married Mary Brunson though no mention is made of whether he was a widower or a bachelor at the time. Ground for speculation on this romance is provided by the following quotation from the Public Records of Connecticut (Vol. I, p. 45)during his suit against the Royal Governor Allen which we shall touch on shortly. "On April 6th, 1640, in the Particulars Court, Mary Brunson, now wyfe to Nicholas Disbrowe, and....certayne other females....were corrected for wanton dalliance and selfe pollution." In 1660 he obtained permission to build a 16-foot-square shop on the highway--probably the first recorded road-side stand. He held the office of "Chimney Viewer" (Tax Assessor) in 1647, 55, 63, and 69. In 1665 he was Surveyor of Highways, thus preceding your Uncle Don in that office by exactly 270 years. In 1669, Mary Brunson having presumably died meanwhile, Nicholas now 57 married again, this time Elizabeth, the young widow of one Thwaite Strickland, and the mother of four children. This union of June and December seems to have been the cause of no end of excitement for our Henry Disbrow in the neighborhood of Oyster Bay that same summer as we shall later see; but the marriage itself must have worked out smoothly enough for we find no entries to the contrary. For his services in the Pequot War, Nicholas was on May 11th, 1671 granted fifty acres of land. On March 16 1673, at the age of 60, he was freed from further liability for military service. A little later he was charged with practicing witch-craft, the charge apparently being dragged into the proceedings surrounding a disputed bill for a chest he had made and delivered to Colonel Allyn. It was here too that Mary Brunson's unfortunate girlhood experience was entered as evidence of something or other. Through all these years Nicholas continued his trade of furniture maker and when he died in 1683 he left a total property of a sizable estate for Hartford in those days. He is today rated highly as the earliest American cabinet maker. In Ormsbee's "Early American Furniture Makers" we find - "A two drawer chest was discovered in the early 1920's ornamented with an elaborately carved all-over design on the front. On the back of the lower drawer of this chest is written in 17th Century handwriting - `Mary Allyn's Chistt Cutte and Joyned by Nich Disbrowe.' This is the earliest piece of American furniture of proven origin." Mary was the daughter of Col. John Allyn, Secretary of the Colony (who later, as Governor tried to get out of paying the bill as we have seen above). "In Mr. Lockwood's opinion, Disbrowe was no ordinary carver and his designs are distinguished by undulating bands of carved tulips flowing from stiles to rails without breaking...Disbrowe's designs were carefully worked out to fit the individual piece and no two pieces were identical." When we come to Henry Disbrow shortly now, we shall refer again to Nicholas, but before proceeding with our family history, there are one or two things worth jotting down, both as to the Disbrows and as to the political events leading up to what follows. As the Colony of Connecticut grew through the years covering the life of Nicholas, two factions developed among its worthy citizens; one centering around Hartford which we might call the liberals, and one around New Haven which were definitely the conservatives - the democrats and the theocrats, the ungodly and the Puritans. The more liberal were irked by the strict blue laws of the Puritans and preferred the laxer viewpoint of the Dutch in New Amsterdam and the regions more under their influence. The Puritans of the Guilford and the New Hagroup feared the back-sliding of those from Hartford. This conflict crystallized upon the uniting of all Connecticut under one governor and the Royal Charter which was granted by Charles II in 1682. This charter defined Connecticut as all that land stretching South from the border of Massachusetts to the Sea, or to Latitude 41 North; and West from Narragansett Bay all the way to the Southern Ocean (the Pacific), thus including all of Long Island, all of New York State north of Manhattan, part of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and all the distant unknown West north of 41 Texas was but a fly-speck beside this - had there been a Texas at that time. What is today Westchester County as well as all of Long Island, was then Fairfield County Connecticut so far as the English were concerned. The Dutch, however, had other ideas and claimed all this land clear to Narragansett Bay. When the British took New Amsterdam in 1664, the local confusion was dispelled somewhat, but there was argument and actual fighting over these Connecticut claims which involved all the other bordering states at one time or another until the Revolution put an end to it. Henry Sterner refers to this in his letter of Dec. 19th, 1932. So, for years before the British occupation of New Amsterdam and for long afterward, the district north and east of Manhattan, particularly Long Island and the mainland bordering the Sound, was filling with settlers from Connecticut who were disgruntled with one group or the other of the two factions. One lot, under Robert Treat, even migrated to the banks of the Passaic, founding Newark and transplanting Puritanism to our own fair State for a brief, a very brief, interval. In 1672 Treat returned home where he won laurels for himself in King Phillip's War, and eventually became the Royal Governor. He it is who figures as the judge in the following bizarre incident. It seems there was a special court, presided over by Robert Treat, Esq., which was held at Fairfield on June 2nd, 1692, convened by order of the General Court to try the "Witche Cases." At this trial it was testified that Mercy Disbrow, wife of Thomas Disbrow of Fairfield County, had bewitched animals and a child. Witnesses told of optical illusions - a pig that looked well on the table but could not be eaten, an enchanted canoe that went upstream of itself, high tide made low, etc., etc. One said Mercy could not read one word of a panel of the Bible in her hand although she could read other books without difficulty. On September 14th 1692 a true bill was found against Mercy Disbrow in these words - "Mary Disbrow is complained of and accused as guilty of witchcraft, for that on the 29th of April, 1692 and in the 4th Y're of their Majesties (William and Mary) Reign, and at sundrie other times, she hath, by the instigation and help of the devill in a preternatural way, afflicted and done harme to the bodies and the estates of sundrie of their Majesties subjects, or to some of them, contrary to the Law of God, the peace of our souveraigne Lord and Lady, King William and Queen Mary, their Crowne and Dignity." On September 15th, 1692 test by water was made. Two witnesses testified that Mercy and another woman, Elizabeth Clawson, bound hand and foot were thrown into the water and swam like corks. On October 8th the Jury was sent out a second time and again found her guilty, seeing no reason to change the verdict. Thereupon Governor Treat sentenced her to die on October 17th although Jos. Eliot and Timothy Woodbridge made a statement in which they say that to them "the evidence stands on slender and uncertain grounds, some of the statements and some of the witnesses being quite untrustworthy. From the easy deception of her senses and the subtle devices of the Devill, do not think one of the witnesses competent." She must have received a stay of execution for on May 12th, 1693 Samuel Wills, Wm. Pitkin, and Nathan Stanley request a further reprieve for Mercy Disbrow - say none of the evidence against her amounts to much." There is no record the sentence was ever carried out; on the contrary it would appear that she was still alive in 1707, in which year she is mentioned as Thos. Disbrow's widow when his will was probated."Source: http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/genealog/disbrow/disbro03.html
found on ancestry.com


Nocholas Disborough Service in the Pequot War
1637, New England
For his services in the Pequot War, Nicholas was on May 11th, 1671 granted fifty acres of land. On March 161673, at the age of 60, he was freed from further liability for military service. A little later he was charged with practicing witch-craft, the charge apparently being dragged into the proceedings surrounding a disputed bill for a chest he had made and delivered to Colonel Allyn.It was here too that Mary Brunson's unfortunate girlhood experience was entered as evidence of something or other Source: http://www.afn.org/~afn09444/genealog/disbrow/disbro03.html
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Witchcraft?
“Nicholas Disborough of Hartford in New England was strangely molested by stones, pieces of earth, cobs of Indian corn, etc., falling upon and about him. . . . The molestation began soon after a controversy arose between Disborough and another person about a chest of clothes.”This is from “Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of New England” by John Putnam Demos, at page 293, published in 1983 by the Oxford University Press. Nicholas Disborough is counted among the first Puritan settlers of the Colony of Connecticut. I hope for the sake of all involved that more a more mundane source of the flying corn cobs was found.
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Nicholas and Mary (Bronson) Disborough
The real origins of Nicholas Disborough (also spelled Disbrowe, Desborough) are somewhat obscure. Because he only had daughters, with no sons to carry on the family name, chroniclers and genealogist have shown little interest in him. He was born in England, perhaps in Saffron Walden, Essex, June 16, 1620. Nicholas was an immigrant ancestor coming to Hartford, Connecticut. Nicolas fought in the Pequot War of 1637, and was later granted fifty acres of land for that service. (The Perquot War was a moonlit pre-dawn in May 1637. English Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and Connecticut Colony, with Mohegan and Narragansett allies, surround a fortified Pequot village at a place called Missituck (Mystic). But within an hour, the village is burned and 400-700 men, women, and children are killed. The Pequot War was the first major conflict between European colonists and Native Americans in northeastern America, and its influence on colonial and United States Indian policy extended well beyond the region and the period. Although a small conflict by today's standards, it set the stage for the ultimate domination of all northeastern Native tribes by English colonists and set the policy for the treatment of other tribes throughout the country over the next three centuries. The underlying causes of the War are complex and its consequences are far-reaching. For the first time, northeastern tribes experienced the total warfare of European military methods. For the first time, the English Puritans realized they held the power to dominate the people they saw as Godless savages. The battle cuts the heart from the Pequot people and scatters them across what is now southern New England, Long Island, and Upstate New York. ) His homelot in Hartford was on the east side of the road to the cow pasture, which later became North Main Street. He was an early member of the First Congregational Church of Hartford. He married Mary Bronson on April 2, 1640, probably in Hartford. Mary was baptized on March 6, 1622/23, in Lamarsh, Essex, England, shortly before her mother's death. She was the daughter of Robert Brownson of Earl's Colne and his wife, Mary Underwood. Mary was raised by her stepmother Margaret, and was an extremely rebellious and "high-spirited girl - to the point of being a juvenile delinquent. She accompanied her older brothers, John and Richard, to the New World when still a very young girl. Once there, she apparently lacked adequate adult supervision. In the Spring of 1640, four boys (John Olmstead, Jonathan Rudd, John Pierce, and Nicholas Olmstead) got into trouble with the authorities for "wanton dalliances, lacivious caridge, and fowle mysdemeanors at sundry times with Mary Brunson." Mary and the first three boys were "corrected;" Nicholas Olmsted was fined and pilloried. Nicholas and Mary had five daughters: 1. Mary born about 1641 and married Obediah Spencer 2. Sarah born about 1642 and married Samuel Eggleston 3. Hannah born December 20, 1644 and married John Kelsey 4. Phebe baptized in December 1646 and probably died young 5. Abigail born February 1, 1648/9 and married (1) Robert Flood and (2) Matthew Barnes/Barnard. His name does not appear often in the colonial records. He was appointed Surveyor of Chimneys in 1646/7, and again in 1654/5, 1661/2, and 1668/9; and was appointed Surveyor of Highways in 1665. Nicholas was a carpenter and cabinetmaker by profession. On 28 March 1660, he received permission to build a carpenter's shop on the highway next to his own fence. His name appears on the Hartford list of freemen dated 13 October 1669. Mary died by 1670, probably in Hartford. In late 1670, Nicholas married Elizabeth (Shepard) Spencer, the daughter of Edward and Violet (------) Shepard of Cambridge, the mother of five children and the widow of Thwaite Strickland who died in Hartford shortly before June 21, 1670. Administration of Thwaite's estate was granted to Nicholas on September 1, 1670. Nicholas was freed from training in the militia on March 6,1672/3, probably because he had reached his sixtieth birthday. One of the last episodes in Nicholas' life was perhaps the most disturbing for him. In 1683, Cotton Mather (1663-1728), one of the most renowned Puritan clergymen of his time, tells how Nicholas was beset by witchcraft: "In the year 1683, the house of Nicholas Desborough, at Hartford, was very strangely molested by stones, by pieces of earth, by cobs of Indian corn, and other such things, from an invisible hand, thrown at him, sometimes thro' the door, sometimes thro' the window, sometimes down the chimney, and sometimes from the floor of the room (tho' very close) over his head; and sometimes he met with the in the shop, the yard, the barn, and in the field. There was no violence in the motion of the things thus thrown by the invisible hand; and tho' others besides the man happen'd sometimes to be hit, they were never hurt with them; only the man himself once had pain given to his arm, and once blood fetch'd from his leg, by these annoyances; and a fire, in an unknown way kindled, consum'd no little part of his estate. This trouble began upon a controversie between Desborough and another person about a chest of cloaths, which the man apprehended to be unrighteously detain'd by Desborough; and it endur'd for divers months; but upon restoring of the cloaths thus detain'd, the trouble ceased. At Brightling in Sussex, in England, there happened a tragedy not unlike to this, in the year 1659. 'Tis recorded by Clark in the second volume of his "Examples."" Nicholas died in August of that same year. An inventory of his estate dated August 31, lists among his effects the following: " his Wearing Clothes and Lining and money, Bedsted and cord a Bed and 3 Boulsters . . . a rugg . . . a Trundle bedsted and 2 Hatchets . . . Tin wear earthen ware 8 glass bottells . . . 12 Spoones and wooden ware Two churns Tubs and payles, 2 Iron potts and pot Hookes a chaffin dish . . . tosting Iron and Tongs, Hooke and Tramill a frying pann an hower glass and Chamber pott . . . Gun and old Pistole and a Sword and ammunition 2 payre of gloves . . . Bibles and other bookes Two tables . . . 2 Table cloathes and 4 pillowbeers 5 napkins 2 Toweles, 3 payre of Sheets, five pound of Ginger . . . and 5 Cushions, In meale English and Indian old Hogsheads and Barrills . . . Three howes and an adze . . . Two Smoothing Irons . . . Indian corn upon the ground Hay in the Barn, a mans Sadle and bridle . . . The dwelling house and Barn and out houses Home lott and orchard £65.00.00, Three acres of pasture and Land adjoyning £20.00.00, [?] upland over the great river 4 acres and a halfe £40.00.00, A cannew halfe a bushel of oat meale . . . a grindstone . . . a bason a pint pott and a chamber pott, one bed an old [?] a Blanckett and a payre of sheets a boulster and 2 pillows, An old Spade and a payer of [?], his part in the Mill £2.00.11, his Lott at [?], Debts owing to the Estate Mr [?] Nath Cole." The total value of the estate was £210.07.11, with debts against the estate owed to several individuals totaling £81.15.00. As he died intestate, the administration of his estate was granted to his step-son Joseph Strickland (since he had no sons of his own) on December 18, 1683. His second wife Elizabeth, by whom he had no children, died in Hartford and was buried on March 30, 1694. References:Genforum.comOurWorld.cs.comRich Houghton (email rich_houghton@thomas.senate.gov)
found at
http://bapresley.com/genealogy/hawkins/kelsey/nicholasdisborough.html