George Smith 1618 to 1662 New Haven Connecticut

George Smith was one of the founding fathers for New Haven. He was part of the group that gathered around the Reverend John Davenport and sailed to America on the Hector. They arrived off the coast of Massachusetts in the fall and in the spring of 1638 they sailed up Long Island Sound to land at New Haven. The Davenport group, that included George Smith, had been joined by a number of people who had been living in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. George lived a quiet unassuming life in America and died at a relatively young age in 1662. We have included his death record as well as the marriage record of his widow in 1668, which is the primary source for her name, Sarah. The point of this essay is to hopefully provide some clarity to his ancestry. There were two Smith families in New Haven, one the family of George and his wife Sarah, the other Sarah Smith and her husband Nehemiah. The passage of time has served to confuse the family lines between the two. The confusing dynamic is the fact that the wife in both families were named Sarah and the birth dates of the families flow together in a nice symmetry. What we would like to present here is the documentary history for George Smith’s family. The review is the result of a page-by-page examination of the original New Haven town records. In this time frame there were only a dozen or so children born in any one year. There were only a few marriages each year. It is an easy exercise to gain an appreciation of who was a member of which family. Dates flow in an orderly fashion. There is real consistency in the way family groups are referenced. One item that is regularly noted is the place of origin of people moving from one Congregational Society to another. Sarah and Nehemiah are noted as being from Stratford. George’s family is firmly rooted in New Haven. What we have in George Smith’s case is the birth record for four of his children Samuel, Ebenezer, Joseph and Nathan. Each record includes the phrase “son of George Smith”. We have the baptismal records for his children. Also included are the marriage records for his children as found in the index written by the New Haven city clerks based on the original records. If you spend any amount of time reviewing the records for any given town clear patterns emerge. Each member of a family leaves behind a paper trail, birth, baptism, and marriage. death, children, court and land records. Based on this review of volume one of the New Haven town records we offer this opinion of the family of George and Sarah Smith. Included are birth dates for John and Elizabeth obtained from family histories. John was born April 18, 1647 and he married Grace Winston. Elizabeth born September 16, 1649 married John Hall. Samuel was born December 4, 1651 and he married Obedience Lamberton. Ebenezer was born November 15, 1653 and he married Mary. The marriage is not found in the New Haven records. Joseph, August 14, 1655 married Lydia Bristol. Nathan was born October 27, 1656 married Ester Goodyear. ------ Note: Many family trees constructed for the family of George Smith include Sarah, Mercy and in particular Hannah Smith the daughters of Sarah and Nehemiah Smith. Their only connection to the family of George Smith is in the index to the city records where all of the “Smith” marriages are included as a single list. Otherwise, there is not a single document in the New Haven records that supports such a claim. We have included the index of all of the Smiths born in the early years of New Haven. There is no record for a marriage between George Smith and Sarah Ann Bourne but there is a marriage record for the marriage of Anne Bourne and Nehemiah Smith.

John Alling and Ellen Bradley of New Haven

John Alling falls into the category of one of the original immigrant ancestors of a family tree in America. It would seem that he followed a cousin Roger Alling, who was born in Bedfordshire, to New Haven within a few years of the founding of that Colony. Family histories place his birth at sometime in 1627 in England. The family history for the two cousins, published in 1875, describes him as an “energetic and successful Planter”. John married Ellen Bradley. Their marriage is recorded on the 4th page of the original New Haven town records. “John Allen and Elling Bradley were married by………14th of October 1652”. The marriage record underscores the evolution that occurred in family names as families sought a new beginning in the new world. “En” endings switched back and forth from “en” to “ing” and back again. Allen became Alling, Ellen became Elling and back and forth. In the birth records for their children some contain an Allen spelling some an Alling spelling. Eventually the family settled on the Alling spelling which was changed back to Allen after several generations. Tracing the family history of John and Ellen is made even more difficult by the fact that they share family names with that of his cousin Roger Alling. Children and in particular marriages have became somewhat intermingled in the family histories of the two families. We will add a list of Roger’s family at the end of the essay for clarity. The confusion comes from an index written at some point for the original set of town records. The index lists all of the marriage records for the two separate families as one list. With the two families sharing some of the same names it can be difficult to keep the two groups separate. We will include the list in our documentation. Ellen Bradley was a member of a family that came to New Haven a few years after the Allings. The Bradley immigration was led by her half brother William who brought his stepmother Elizabeth and her young family to America. Elizabeth Bradley brought her children Nathan, Stephen, Daniel, Joshua and their sister Ellen to the new world. Stephen’s family tree eventually merged with that of the Griffins his fourth great granddaughter Sylvia marring Samuel Griffin 3rd.------ Ellen’s birth is recorded in the parish records of Bingley, Yorkshire near West Riding, “Ellin the daughter of Daniell Broadley de West Morton”, the date is June 24, 1632. Her name has been written Ellin, Ellen, Elling, and in her Will, Eloane. She gave birth to nine children seven of whom grew to adulthood. At the top of her will is written the date May 1700. It includes the notation “late” of New Haven. The legal guidelines were that a probate must be filed during the first court session following the death of the concerned party. ----- John and Ellen’s oldest child was named after her mother. Elizabeth was born according to the town records “Elizabeth Allen the Daughter of John Allen was born 11th of September 1653”. Her baptism is recorder in the church records. There is no marriage record for her in New Haven. We find the hint for her marriage in wills of her parents which, provided the name of John Hobson/Hopson. The Hobsons lived in nearby Guilford. There is some confusion concerning her children. John Hobson is reputed to have married three times, his last two wives had the same first name of Elizabeth, Elizabeth Shipton and Elizabeth Alling. Her father’s will names two Hobson grand children, Samuel and Elizabeth. A third child, Abigail, is listed in the Guilford town records born December 17, 1677 daughter of John and Elizabeth. The question remains which Elizabeth? Abigail’s birth falls between that of Elizabeth on June 22, 1674 and Samuel on June 10, 1683, which may suggest that Elizabeth Alling was the mother of all three children. The construction of her father’s will suggests she had died before it was written in 1689. ------ Family histories suggest the second child was a daughter. The town records show “A child of John Alling was born the 2nd of August and dyed ye 23rd 1655”. ------The third child was named Lydia. Her birth is listed “ye 26th, 10th mo 1656”. Most histories record the month as December. The original record clearly records it as the 10th month. The Wilcoxson family was a well-known family from Stratford in the New Haven Colony. Their family history listed a 2nd marriage for Obadiah Wilcoxson to Lydia Alling. He married his first wife Mary Griswold in Killingworth the marriage noted in Barbour. We have not found a marriage record for Obadiah and Lydia. The Guilford town records notes the birth of four children identified as a son or daughter of “Obadiah and Lydia”. Mary, Lydia, Obadiah and Ebenezer born between December of 1776 and September 20, 1682. The town records also notes a son Timothy born November 15, 1690 “son of Obadiah and Silence”. On Lydia’s death, some time around 1787, Obadiah remarried taking Silence Mansfield as his third wife. ------The next child born was Hannah, “Hannah daughter of John Allen July 26, 1659”. Her parent’s wills both identify her as Hannah Scranton. There is no record of her marriage or of any children. ------Mary Alling was born according to the town records February 25, 1661. Her father’s will revealed her married name as Gutteridge. There was one Gutteridge family in New Haven that of the immigrant Richard Gutteridge that name soon to be changed to Goodrich. He had two sons Bartholomew and John. Bartholomew was married to Mary Bartholomew. Most historians read that as Mary Alling wife of Bartholomew. In fact Bartholomew’s wife’s last name was the same as his first name. He was not in fact married to Mary Alling. The riddle is answered with her headstone, which is located in the Village Common Cemetery in Guilford a picture of which is available on the Internet. It reads, “Here Lyeth ye / Body of Mary / ye wife of John / Goodrich, who / dyed December / ye 25th 1722 / in ye 61st Year / of her age”. An entry in the Guilford town history notes John Goodrich and his wife had no issue. Without having children their names did not appear in the town records. ------The oldest son John’s birth is recorded in a brief notation. It simple states, “John Alling son of John Alling December 13, 1663”. There is no other documentary evidence for John other than his mentioned in his father’s will. He is mentioned in his father’s will in 1689 and not mentioned in his mother’s will dated May 1700. ------“Sarah daughter of John Alling November 25, 66”. Sarah’s life has the richest documentary history of any of the children. Her marriage to Samuel Atwater is found in the New Haven records on July 7, 1691. The birth of her eleven children are all found in the town records and their baptisms are all noted in the church records. The death of her and her husband is noted in consecutive lines in the New Haven death records, his on September 17, 1742 Sarah’s on September 26, 1742 at age 75. A picture of his headstone is found in the “find a grave memorial” webpages and is located in the Grove St. Cemetery in New Haven. ------ Samuel Alling’s birth is noted with the entry ”Samuel Sonne of John Alling March 24, 1670”. The Sackett family histories suggest that he married Sarah Sacket daughter of John Sackett and Agnes Tinkerman. We have not found a marriage record or any other documentary evidence for the marriage. His eight children are all named in his will, which was published May 5, 1739. John and Samuel’s wills are both found in the volume “A history and genealogical record of the Alling-Allen family of New Haven” published in 1875. The last child born to John and Ellen was a daughter Martha. Her birth and death are part of the town records. Martha’s birth is recorded as “Martha Daughter of John Alling senior was born ye June 1673”. Her death “Martha daughter of John Alling Sen. dyed July 1673”. It should be noted that we have in our collection an original document for the specific dates that we quote in this essay. ------The search for the children of John Alling and Ellen Bradley started with his will key portions of which we will include. “I John Alling of New Haven in New England being very sick in body but of sound understanding do make my last will and testament.” “I give my soul to Jesus Christ who Purchased It”. “I give and bequeath to my oldest son John, the farm”. The deed was for 43 acres. “I do give to my beloved wife and my son Samuel the family homestead while Samuel lives with his mother”. “Item: I do give to my son Hobson’s children namely Samuel and Elizabeth 5 pounds. Item: I do give to my daughter Hannah Scranton five pounds”, “daughter Mary Gutteridge”. “respecting my grandchildren Ebenezer and Mary Wilcocks I leave them to the disposal of my wife and Samuel in case they stay with them, but if their father will take them away”. “My daughter Sarah five pounds”. ------ Most historians have overlooked Ellen’s will. It is in reality an inventory of her few remaining personal items. The manner of the will suggests it was written by third parties at some time after her death. “An account of ye inventory of the Estate of Mrs. Eloane Alling … late of New Haven”. The document strangely includes a legacy to only three people John Hopson, Hannah Scranton and Mary Gutteridg. Sarah and Samuel were still living and John may very well have still been alive. I wonder it they had already received their portion. ------ The families of Roger and John Alling share five family names. This circumstance has led to some confusion over the years. I might prove useful to include a list of Roger Alling and Mary Nash’s children along with their spouses. In general terms Rogers children are about ten years older than John’s. Mary born 1643 married Joseph Moss April 11, 1667. Samuel born 1645 married first Elizabeth Winston and took as a second wife Sarah Chedey. John born in 1647 married Susannah Coe January 11, 1671. Sarah born in 1649 married Joseph Pecke. Elizabeth was born in 1651, Susanna in 1653, James in 1657. Samuel’s son John married Abigail Grannis March 20, 1688. John and Abigail started a large clan that lived in New Jersey.------ For the sake of readability the documentation will be added in a separate entry.

Documentation for John Alling and Ellen Bradley of New Haven Connecticut

We have selected a few items that document the family of John Alling and his wife Ellen Bradley who raised their family in New Haven, Connecticut. We start with their marriage record followed by a list of their family that is found in the index created for the original town records. We follow with the birth and baptismal records for the Alling children. We also chose to include a few records from the married life of the Alling siblings. From the index we have included the list of Alling marriages. The list contains primarily the children of Roger Alling. Its existence has led to some confusion as to who married who and from which family. We end with the will of John Alling and two sections from the will of Ellen, written Eloane dated May 1700.

Henry Doude's Probate

This record is found in the New Haven probate records. It is a list of the assets of Henry Doude of Guilford. The record is almost illegible thus we did not make a copy of the whole. You can still make out that many of the items listed are "parcels" of land. It is dated 1668.

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Origins of Killingworth

The town of Killingworth experienced a little different beginning than most of the Connecticut townships. The area known as Hammonaset lay between the existing towns of Guilford and Saybrook. A stage road connected the Connecticut towns that bordered on Long Island Sound. Each community was required to maintain the section of stage road within its vicinity. Hammonaset represented a section where no one was available to improve and maintain the road. The stage road ran along what is now Main Street in Clinton. As a result the General Assembly sought to provided incentives for families to settle the township. Somewhat unique to Hammonasset, soon to be renamed Killingworth, was the idea of granting all of the property to the township to be distributed relatively free of charge. As the town grew it conducted on a yearly basis a division of the remaining property. We see references in the deed records to Lot 10 4th division etc. By the late 1700’s most of the available land had been granted. The pattern suggests that the original families, the Planters, were given some preferential treatment, but anyone who desired a home lot and made his point with the town council was granted property. Samuel Griffin must have received his lot in Clinton in this fashion. The deed records suggest an active trade in property once it had been granted. We would like to present here two documents. One is the original document calling for the establishment of Killingworth. The second document is from one of the land divisions. The Killingworth document starts” The determination and conclusion of the committee chosen by the general Assembly for the ordering of the settling of Hammonasset, Oct. 1663”. Some of the key features: Each person who applied to become a “Planter” must settle in Killingworth within two years. Once settled they must remain for four years or forfeit their property rights. The goal was to have thirty families settled as soon as possible. As a reminder of the role of the Congregational Church within the Connecticut Politic two provisions were added, One “That their be a convenient allotment reserved for the minister forever”. Two “That they shall settle an able Orthodox and Godley Minister free from scandal and with the advice of the major part of the Magistrates of Connecticut”. Among the names of the original Planters we recognize names that are common to the Blog, Rossiter, Hull, Kelsey, Meigs, and Buell. Click on documents to enlarge

Death records for Henry and Elizabeth Doud from Guilford

One of the surviving volumes from the early days of Guilford is titled Record Of Mortality Guilford. In this ledger we find the death record for Henry and Elizabeth Doud/Dowd and two of their children, their daughter Elizabeth and their son Jeremiah, both of whom died at a young age.I have also included a record from my own family tree. My great grandfather Janna Meigs lost twin girls who in the spirt of Congregational symbolism he had named Silence and Submit. Click on documents to enlarge.

Congregational, Doctrine or Confession of Faith

We have discussed at various times and in a number of different contexts the Congregational doctrines concerning Full Communion and the idea of Covenant. We would like to present here a complete collection of these documents as they appear in the opening pages of the church records. When a new Society was organized one of the first tasks was to obtain a ledger in which the business of the Society could be duly recorded. Among the first items in the ledger was the document usually titled, “The Doctrine or Confession of Faith”. The next document was titled, “The Covenant”. At some point the, “Articles of Faith” were added which were used both as a missionary tool and as a teaching tool in their Sunday Schools. These ledgers were then used to record the business of the Congregation. The ledgers are also a primary source for information on births, deaths, and baptisms. A major portion is dedicated to the minutes of the regular meetings of the Congregational leadership, the Minister and Deacons. Much of that material is, quite frankly, very mundane. Scattered among the minutes of these meeting you see described little bits of church business that we today may find a little unusual. A number of these items have been previously posted on the Blog. Sinners were called out in the belief that it was for their own good. Committees were appointed to help them with their repentance. Full Communion was suspended. If the parishioner was unrepentant we see the notation “watch and care withdrawn” and maybe even excommunication, i.e. Full Communion rescinded. We see notations on sinners being restored to Full Communion. We see members “dismissed” so they could go to another Society. We see notations on members being received “by letter” meaning they were offered Full Communion on their arrival from another Society. But the key sections of these ledgers were the notation on who had been accepted into Full Communion, which identified members who were in full faith and standing within the Society. These believers were eligible to receive all of Gods Sacraments and blessings starting with baptism for themselves and more importantly baptism for their children. The final act of moving into Full Communion was a public profession before man and God of The Covenant. Abraham Pierson, in his notebook, made note of the date on which members made their profession. Every Congregational Society had these two key documents. Some were written with a little more flourish than others but in core context they were all the same.------ The main document was “The Doctrine or Confession of Faith”. It starts, “We Believe, That there is only one, true living and Eternal God”. The remainder of the document defines the nature of their God and the Godhead. The essence of religion to them, and perhaps all religions, was to clearly understand the nature of and their relationship with the God they were to worship. Given the fact of their God they then entered into a “Covenant”, after the manner of the Biblical covenants, that bound them to him and required of them certain behaviors so that they may be in Full Communion and worthy to receive all of his Sacraments and blessings. The first paragraph of “The Covenant” starts with, “We that are sinful creatures”, acknowledging the need for redemption, and ends with, “do now in the presence of the Great God, his holy angels and this Assembly, Solemnly Covenant with the Lord and with one another”. The Covenant includes a profession that the God described in the Confession of Faith is, “to be our God”, professes that the Lord is our Prophet, Priest and King, includes a promise to obey the revealed will of God in all things, Piety towards God, Sobriety, Justice and Charity toward neighbors, Promote the welfare and union of the Church of Christ in “this place particularly”, and ends with “Amen”. It is interesting to contemplate the effects that the acceptance of the Confession of Faith and the making of a Covenant had on our ancestors and the communities they lived in. The last document is the heading for the section in the church ledger in which those found in Full Communion were recorded. Of note is the connection between Communion and the saving Sacrament of baptism. The issue of baptism was at the center of the debate in the First Great Awakening that began in the early 1700’s. With church membership on the wane the fear was that taking on the responsibly of Full Communion was too daunting for some. Without Communion the opportunity to have your children baptized was not available. The compromise was the “Half Covenant”. In the Half Covenant you were welcomed into the ‘watch and care’ of the Church before you made the commitment to Full Communion. More importantly the halfway covenant meant your children could receive the Sacrament of baptism. The hope was that you would eventually become a fully committed member of the Church of Christ. Click on documents to enlarge.