Family History & Genealogy

FAMILY HISTORY-GENEALOGY

Among family papers the research archives currently holds are: Adams, Andrus (Andrews), Bacon, Barber, Belden, Bissell, Bodfish, Bodwell, Braman, Brockett, Brockway, Buell, Buettes, Buttolph, Carver, Case, Chapman, Comstock, Cooper, Cornish, Craughwell, Crofut, Curtiss, Doolittle, Dudley, Dutton, Eggleston, Ellsworth, Ely, Eno, Ensign, Flamig, Flynn, Gillett, Goddard, Goodrich, Goodwin, Gridley, Griffen, Griswold, Harrington, Higley, Holcomb, Hoskins, Humphrey, Jackson, Kennedy, Ketchin (Kitchen), Latimer, Mallory, Mason, Mather, McLean, Mitchelson, Moses, Munson, Nazarian, Nobles, Northrop, Olcott, Owen, Palmer, Pattison, Pettibone, Phelps, Pinney, Quinn, Reed, Rice, Rowe, Sanford, Saxton, Seymour, Shaw, Shepard, Smith, St. John, Stebbins, Stockwell, Stone, Stowe, Terry, Tousignant, Toy, Tuller, Vining, Walker, Warner, Weed, Welden, Weston, White, Wilcox, Winslow,Woodbridge, and Zeidler.

Placing your ancestor in a community is not always an easy task for genealogists who depend upon vital records, censuses, land and tax records. Often research grinds to a halt when those records are not available. In the archives of the Society, is a manuscript that sheds considerable light on the early inhabitants of Simsbury. Written in 1810 by the, then Town Clerk, Benjamin Ely, it contains the names and amounts of land granted to Simsbury inhabitants in 1723. A portion of the list is published here. Original spelling has been retained. "At a town meeting of the inhabitants of Simsbury regularly convened January the second 1723 the said town granted to the several persons hereafter named the quantities of land hereafter exprefsed."

FIRST SETTLERS OF SIMSBURY

While searching for ancestors it is easy to become so enamored with dates and places that one forgets they were once living, breathing human beings with the same problems people have today. The early settlers of Simsbury faced many trials in settling the land often referred to as the first western frontier over the mountain from the Connecticut River Valley. Coming from Windsor, they sought land and employment in the pitch and tar manufactory being fueled by the abundant pine forests of what is now Simsbury. The "halfway covenant," which allowed the children of non members to participate in state endorsed Congregationalism, was not honored by the minister in Windsor and drove many to seek a more welcoming faith in the verdant Farmington River Valley. The settlement at Massacoh (as Simsbury was known until 1670) brought together many families whose descendants still live in the area. Other descendants traveled further west through New York with detours in other New England states.

THOMAS BARBER

Thomas Barber, an original patentee of Simsbury, was the son of Thomas Barber of Windsor who came from England with the Saltonstall party under Francis Stiles in 1635. He probably learned his carpentry trade from his father. We know that he built the first meeting house, church and gristmill
in Simsbury.

He received a commission of Lieutenant in the local militia. A famous story told about him is the incident of the drum warning. Apparently he noticed Indians surrounding the town and went onto his roof with a drum and beat out a warning that was heard by the militia company in Windsor who then marched to Simsbury's defense.

He married Mary Phelps b. 2 Mar 1644 in Windsor, daughter of William Phelps Sr., Mary Dover, in 17 Dec 1663 and had 8 children. At the time of his death 10 May 1713 his wife and five children were living and shared in his estate. He is buried in the Hopmeadow Cemetery near the sight of the now nonexistent meetinghouse.

The children of Thomas and Mary Phelps Barber were as follows:

1. John b. 1 Nov 1664 d. 1 Mar 1711/12 m. Mary Holcomb

2. Marcy (Mary) b. 11 Jan 1666

3. Sarah b. 12 Jul 1669 m. Lt. Andrew Robe

4. Joanna b. 1670 m 1st Josiah Adkins; 2nd Benjamin Colt

5. Annie b. 1671 d. 15 Nov 1722 m. Jonathan Higley

6. Thomas, Jr. b. 7 Oct 1672 d. 17 Jul 1714 m. Abigail Buel

7. Samuel b. 17 May 1673 d. 18 Dec 1725 m. Sarah Holcomb

8. Infant b. 1677

.
JOHN CASE

John Case was born in Aylesham, England. His date of birth is unknown but estimated to be about 1616 by his descendants. Originally John settled in Windsor and lived there until 1669 when he "removed" to the "Weatogue" area of Simsbury. He married Sarah Spencer, daughter of William and Agnes Spencer of Hartford, CT prior to 1658 and they had 10 children. Five of them were born in Windsor and five in Simsbury. Sarah died in 1691 at the age of 55 and John remarried Elizabeth Moore Loomis, widow of Nathaniel Loomis, with whom he had no issue.

The General Court appointed John Constable for Massacoh Oct. 14, 1669. He represented Simsbury at the General Court in 1670 and several times afterwards.

His children were:

1. Elizabeth b 1658 (Windsor) d. 9 Oct 1718 m. Joseph Lewis

2. Mary b 22 June 1660 (Windsor) d. 22 Aug 1725 m. (1) William Alderman and (2) James Hilliard

3. John, Jr. b.5 Nov 1662 (Windsor) d. 22 May 1733 (Simsbury)m. (1) Mary Olcott 12 Sept 1684 (2) Sarah Holcomb 1693

4. William b.5 Jun 1665 (Windsor) d. 31 Mar 1700 (Simsbury) m. Elizabeth Holcomb

5. Samuel b. 1667 (Windsor) d. 30 Jul 1725 m. (1) Mary Westover (2) Elizabeth Thrall

6. Richard b.27 Apr/Aug 1669 (Simsbury) d. 27 Apr 1746 (Simsbury) m. Amy Reed.

7. Bartholomew b.1 Oct 1670 (Simsbury) d. 25 Oct 1725 (Simsbury) m. Mary Humphrey.

8. Joseph b. 6 Apr 1674 (Simsbury) d. 11 Aug 1748 (Simsbury) m. Anna Eno.

9. Sarah b. 20 April 1676 (Simsbury) d. 2 May 1704 m. Joseph Phelps, Jr.

10. Abigail b. 4 May 1682 (Simsbury) m. Jonah Westover, Jr.

JAMES CORNISH

The Cornish Family of Simsbury suffers from an abundance of James's. This tends to make James Cornish (Old Mr. Cornish as he was referred to) a footnote in the settlement of Simsbury. He was a schoolteacher who traveled up and down the Connecticut River teaching in towns from Northhampton, Massachusetts to Norwalk, CT. He came to settle for a period in Westfield, Massachusetts where he was the first town clerk. He was a teacher in Northhampton as well as Clerk of the Courts. At one time he owned the area we know as Tolland and Granville, Massachusetts, which he bought from an Indian named "Captaine Toto" on 10 June 1686. It is believed he had a first wife but no record of her name or any issue has been found.

On one of his teaching assignments he met a twice-widowed woman Phebe Brown Lee Larabee and married her some time just before 1661 when he assumes the administration of the late Greenfield Larabee's estate and guardianship of his four children. Phebe and James have two sons, Gabriel and James, before she dies in 1664. James goes on to raise his and her previous children. Entries in the Diary of Joshua Hempstead (a grandson of Phebe's) tell of trips to Simsbury to see "Uncle James" and "Cousin James".

Having received land in Simsbury, James the elder moved here from Windsor with his son, James's family in about 1698. On the 29th of October 1698 he dies and his sons, James and Gabriel inherit his estate. In 1702, his son Gabriel dies in testate in Westfield, Massachusetts while James continues to flourish in Simsbury becoming one of the first deacons appointed by the First Church and a trusted leader of the community.James Cornish (the elder) married Phebe Brown Lee Larrabee bef 1661.

They had:

1. James (the deacon) b. abt 1663 d. 2 Apr 1740 m. 1st Elizabeth Thrall of Windsor 10 Nov 1693. They had: James m. Amy Butler; Elizabeth 25 Sept 1695; Joseph (Ensign); Benjamin 20 Mar 1700/01; and Sarah 19 Apr 1709 then m 2nd Hannah Hillyer 15 Apr 1715 they had: Gabriel 25 May 1716; Jemima 20 Nov 1718; Jabez Abt 1723; Mary; and Phebe.

2. Gabriel d. 24 May 1702 m. Elizabeth Wolcott. They had: James 23 Oct 1687 and Damaris 19 Feb 1691 m. William Tuller of Simsbury.

JOHN DRAKE

Genealogists have labored over the genealogy the Drake family for many years and various compiled records insist that the patriarch of the Connecticut family was the John Drake who was a passenger on the John and Mary during its 1630 voyage from Plymouth, England to Massachusetts Bay. Robert Charles Anderson, F.A.S.G. in his NEHGS Register article in Volume 147, April 1993, does not include this John Drake in his synthetic passenger list. (A synthetic list is one developed from specified contemporary records when actual lists do not exist.) His research determined that another John Drake, who subsequently returned to England, has been confused with the John Drake I (?-17 Aug 1659) who settled in Windsor, CT and appears in town records in 1640. In his book, The Great Migration Begins, Anderson writes that John Drake derived from Hampton in Arden, Warwickshire, England. The son of John Drake I, John Drake II, is granted land at Massacoe (Simsbury) in 1667. There has also been some confusion as to him being the true recipient of this grant. The grandson of John Drake II, John Drake III, recorded the birth of a child in Simsbury in 1674 while no record appears to place John Drake II as a resident of Simsbury except the registration of his children's births in Windsor Town Records which puts "Simsbury" after his name. To determine the correct John Drake it is necessary to look at the land records and bear in mind that men had to be 21 years of age to own land. In 1667, John Drake III born 14 Sept 1649, would have been 18 years of age and unable to contract for land ownership. This legal requirement would place John Drake II as the Drake who received the land in Simsbury.While it has been proved to our satisfaction that John Drake I was not of the John and Mary party, his actual origin in America is not easily proved. An interesting clue exists in his probate file and refers to trips his son, Job, made to "Pascataway" on his behalf. At the time of this probate in 1659, it appears that this refers to the New Hampshire area of Piscataqua where several Drake families resided. No obvious links were uncovered in New Hampshire State or Town records by our researchers. To confuse matters more, Drakes also founded the township of New Piscataqua or Piscataway, NJ in 1666.

These "problems" might intrigue some current day Drake descendants enough to research the original records in these areas.John Drake II married Hannah Moore 30 Nov 1648 in Windsor, CT.

They had the following 11 children:

1. John b. 14 Sept 1649 m. Mary Watson (Weston?)

2. Job b. 15 Jun 1651 m. Elizabeth Alvord

3. Hannah b. 8 Aug 1653 m. John Higley

4. Enoch b. 8 Dec 1655 m. Sarah Porter

5. Ruth b. 1 Dec 1657 m. Samuel Barber

6. Simon b. 28 Aug 1659 m. Hannah Mills

7. Lydia b. 26 Jan 1661 m. Joseph Loomis

8. Elizabeth b. 22 Jul 1664 Nicholas Buckland

9. Mary b. 29 Jan 1666 m. Thomas Marshall

10. Mindwell b. 10 Nov 1671 m. James Loomis

11. Joseph b. 26 Jun 1674 m. 1. Ann Foster; 2. Sarah Fitch Stoughton

JOHN HIGLEY

John Higley, son of Jonathan and Katherine Brewster Higley, was born 22 July 1649 in Frimley, Surrey, England and worked as a glove maker's apprentice. He emigrated to America in 1665 and settled in Windsor where he was indentured to John Drake, a prosperous merchant, and later his father-in-law. Higley became successful in own right importing rum from the West Indies and later, manufacturing tar, pitch and turpentine. In 1684, Higley bought the Wolcott Homestead north of present day Tariffville and moved his family there. He soon added huge adjoining tracts of land. The area was known as Higley town for over 150 years because of the numerous Higley descendants living there.By 1705, John Higley was the richest landowner in Simsbury with holdings of approximately 500 acres. He held many town offices, was the first Captain of the Traineband, and active in the start up of the copper mines in Turkey Hills, now East Granby. John married Hannnah Drake born 8 Aug 1653, daughter of his former master, John Drake and Hannah Moore Drake on 9 Nov 1671. Hannah Drake Higley died 4 August 1694. John Higley then married the widow, Sarah Strong Bissell. Sarah was the daughter of Return and Sarah Strong of Windsor. She was born 14 Mar 1665 and first married Joseph Bissell in Windsor 7 Jul 1687 and they had Joseph (21 Mar 1688) and Benoni (7 Dec 1689) Capt. Higley died at Simsbury 25 August 1714 and is buried in Hopmeadow Cemetery. His widow, Sarah Higley died in Windsor 27 May 1739. John Higley left land and books to each of his surviving children.

The children of John and Hannah Drake Higley were:

1. John b. 10 Aug 1673 d. 1 Dec 1741 No known marriage

2. Jonathan b. 16 Feb 1675 d. May 1716 m. Ann Barber

3. Hannah b. 13 Mar 1678 d. 1678
4. Elizabeth b 13 Mar 1677 d 7 Dec 1743 m. Nathaniel Bancroft

5. Katherine (Ketren) b. 7 Aug 1679 m. James Noble

6. Brewster b. 1680 d. 17 Dec 1775 m. Hester Holcomb

7. Hannah b. 22 Apr 1683 d. 7 Nov 1768 m. Joseph Trumbull

8. Joseph b. abt. 1685 d. 3 May 1715 no known marriage

9. Samuel b. abt 1687 d. 1737 m. Abigail?

10. Mindwell b. abt. 1689 m. 1st Jonathan Hutchinson; 2nd James Teasdale; 3rd Nathaniel Fitch.

Then with his second wife, Sarah Strong Bissell, he had the following children:

11. Sarah b. 1697 m. Jonathan Loomis
12. Nathaniel b. 12 Nov 1699 d. Sept 1773 m. Abigail Filer (Fyler)
13. Joshua (twin) b. 8 Sept 1701 d. 2 Apr 1702
14. Josiah (twin) b. 8 Sept 1701 d. 31 May 1751 m. Dinah Gillett
15. Abigail b. 4 Nov 1703 d. July 1742 m. Peter Thorpe
16. Susannah b. 1705 m. Elisha Blackman
17. Isaac b. 20 July 1707 m. 1st Sarah Porter; 2nd Sarah Loomis

JOSHUA HOLCOMB

Joshua Holcomb was the eldest son of Thomas Holcomb, who emigrated to Windsor and died there in 1657/8. Joshua was born in April 1640. By 1667, he is living at Massacoh and was granted original land in Simsbury by King Charles II, April 23, 1687. He died the 1st of September 1690 in Simsbury.
He married Ruth Sherwood (possibly the daughter of Thomas Sherwood of Fairfield, CT) with whom he had ten children. His land was on the east side of the Farmington River near Terry's Plain. He was known to be "one of the sound, substantial men of his time" and was active in civil and religious affairs.

Their children were:

1. Ruth b.26 May 1664 m. John Porter

2. Thomas II b. 30 Mar 1666 d. 1731 m. (1) Elizabeth Terry (2) Rebecca Pettibone

3. Sarah b. 23 Jun 1668 d. 1763 m (1) Isaac Owens (2) John Case

4. Elizabeth b. 1670 d. 1762 m. (1) William Case (2) John Slater (3) Samuel Marshall

5. Joshua II b. 1672 d. 1727 m. (1) Hannah Carrington (2) Mary Hoskins

6. Deborah b. 1675 m. Daniel Porter (Carter?)

7. Mary b. 1676 d. 1745 m. (1) John Barber (2) Ephraim Buell

8. Mindwell b. 1678 m. Theophilus Cook

9. Hannah b. 1680 d. 1740 m. Samuel Buel

10. Moses III b. 1686 d. 1699

CAPTAIN BENJAMIN NEWBERRY & MAJOR JOHN TALCOTT

No history of the early settlers of Simsbury would be complete without mention of these two men who, although they did not actually reside in the town, are closely linked with it. They were both original patentees of Simsbury. Major Talcott was responsible for obtaining the deed from the original Native-American owners of the land to validate land claims of the early settlers while Capt. Newberry laid out the land.John Talcott (Bef 1636-23 Jul 1688) was born in Braintree, MA and came to Hartford, Connecticut with his father around 1636. He married Helena Wakeman of New Haven 29 Oct 1650. In Hartford he was a freeman, townsman, and deputy and succeeded his father as treasurer, post he held until 1676. At that time, he put in command of the troops raised for King Phillip's War. He made a name for himself as an "Indian" fighter and was quite successful at it. He is named as a patentee in the Charter of 1662.

The early inhabitants of Simsbury called upon him frequently to intervene on their behalf with the Native-Americans regarding land claims. He also help sort out problems regarding the placement of the meetinghouse, calling of ministers and land distributions. The original land had come to John Griffin as the payment for damage done by a Massaco tribe member, Manahannoose. The title was in question since the laws of the Colony had not been observed.

The original participants from the Massaco tribe were no longer alive. Maj. Talcott entered into negotiations with the heirs and successors of the original signers and for an exchange of land and money secured a legal deed to not only the original land but also managed to nearly double the amount. For his services he received 300 acres of land in the Canton area.

Capt. Benjamin Newberry (Bef 1630-11 Sep 1689) was the son of Thomas Newberry of Dorchester, MA and settled in Windsor after the death of his father. He married Mary Allyn 11 Jun 1646 and had nine children. He was an original patentee of Simsbury. The area of land he owned became known as
Newberry's Plain and later, Westover's Plain and Hoskins Station. In 1663 he was appointed by the General Court of Connecticut to lay out the remaining lots so that they might be given to those in Windsor who desired to come to Massaco.

After the burning of the town on 26 Mar 1676, he again helped to decide where the returning settlers should build based upon their personal safety. Those returning settlers were required to rebuild homes within six months of the committee's determination. Interestingly, Capt. Newberry was summoned to
court in 1681 to explain why he had not yet built a "mansion house". Eventually, Newberry sold his land in Simsbury and lived out his life in Windsor.

SAMUEL WILCOXSON

Sergt. Samuel Wilcox (son) was the sixth named Patentee of Simsbury. He is believed to have been born about 1640 and died in Simsbury 12 Mar 1712/13. He was one of ten children of William Wilcoxson and his wife, Margaret who came to America in April 1635 aboard Planter. Samuel is mentioned as being from Hartford although his parents had settled in Stratford. He was a Sergeant in the Simsbury Trainband serving with the militia periodically from May 1689 to May 1712. He was a distinguished citizen of Simsbury, living at Meadow Plain and one often comes across his name in town records where his acts as town attorney in many land transfers. His branch of the family dropped the final syllable of the name and became Wilcox.

He had four proven children:

1. Samuel, jun b. 15 Apr 1666 (Windsor) d. 17 Sept 1713 m. Thankfull Mindwell Griffen had Hannah b. 1 Nov 1692; Samuel b. 20 Apr 1695; John b. 10 Apr 1698; Joseph b. 3 Jul 1701; Mindwell b. 1704 and Ephraim b. 4 Feb 1707.

2. William d. 22 Mar 1733 (Simsbury) m. Elizabeth Wilson in Simsbury 18 Jan 1699/1700 and had: Elizabeth b. 11 Oct 1700; William b. 22 Apr 1702; Martha b. 30 Oct 1704; Azariah b. 27 July 1706; Amos b. 20 Feb 1708/9; Mary b. abt 1713 Daniel b. 17 Jan 1717.

3. Joseph m. Abigail Thrall in Simsbury 29 Apr 1703 and had: Abigail (birth date unknown) died 30 Jan 1713. Joseph b. 9 Feb1705/6; a daughter (name unknown) b. 10 Aug 1709; Sarah b. 2 Apr 1712; Hezekiah b. 25 Jun 1713; Abigail b 15 Dec 1715; (twins) Nathaniel and Marcy b. 5 Sept 1719.

4. Margaret dies possibly in childbirth of son Benoni b. 7 Dec 1714/15.

These brief genealogies of early Simsbury settlers began as a series of articles in a local genealogy newsletter and were written by Dawn Hutchins Bobryk.