Dorothy Phelps' Ancestors

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Note: Before 1752 the year began on March 25th. Dates between January 1st and March 24th were at the end of the year, not the beginning.

Please Note: Two images and much of the information on the Lord Family came from the Living in the Past website. Visit this wonderful website for more. Much of the information on the Ingersoll and Eaton families comes from David L. Greene's article, The English Origin (And Spiritual Turmoil) of John Ingersoll of Westfield, Massachusetts, published in April of 1997 in volume 151 of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register.

Jacob Phelps was born on February 7, 1649/50, in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, to parents George Phelps and Frances Clark Dewey. He was the eldest of their three sons, but had nine older half siblings from is father's and mother's previous marriages.  Jacob moved with his family to Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, sometime after the end of 1654. There he met Dorothy Ingersoll and they were married on May 2, 1672, in Hartford, Connecticut. They had seven children, of which six survived to adulthood (see Dorothy below for details). 

In 1687 Jacob inherited several parcels of land in both Windsor and Westfield, from his father, which included most of his house, barn and orchards. He also received some of his father’s clothing. Along with his eldest half-brother Isaac, Jacob appeared before the court to settle the estate on June 6, 1687. Sadly Jacob died just two years later on October 6, 1689, in Westfield, at the age of 39. (Mouse over and click on his death record image below left, in Dorothy's bio, to enlarge it in a new window/tab.)

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Dorothy Ingersoll was born on May 20, 1654, in Hartford Connecticut. She was the second of three children born to John Ingersoll and Dorothy Lord. About 1656, the family moved to Northampton, Massachusetts. Her mother died, probably in childbirth, when Dorothy was one year and seven months old. Her father then married Abigail Bascom and this is the woman that raised Dorothy. The family moved to Westfield, Massachusetts, about 1666, and here Abigail died when Dorothy was just short of 12 years old and her father married Mary Hunt not long after.

On May 2, 1672, Dorothy married Jacob Phelps in Hartford. Dorothy was nearly 18 and Jacob was 22. They soon returned to Westfield, and had seven children there – Dorothy, born on December 18, 1673 and died February 2, 1674; ancestor Dorothy, on May 10, 1675; Hannah on November 26, 1677; Israel on April 3, 1681; Benjamin on January 8, 1684; Joseph on August 5, 1686; and Jedediah on December 7, 1688. (Mouse over and click on this family's vital records image left to enlarge it in a new window/tab.)

She is mentioned in her grandmother's (Dorathy Bird Lord) will several times as follows “. . .and my 3 Cows I give unto my gr. children Dorothy and Margaret Ingersoll. I give to Dorothy Phelps my Coverlid and a feather pillow beere.  I give to Majory Ingersoll and her sister Dorothy, to Each 20 shillings.

Some researchers say Dorothy Ingersoll Phelps died at 34 years old, in 1689 in Westfield, Hampden Massachusetts, the year following the birth of her last child. If this is true, being that her husband died in October of this same year, they left their six children, aged 1 to 14 years old orphaned. Being that her death is not recorded like her husband’s is, this doesn’t seem plausible. Other researchers say she married a Mr. Root, but again records can’t be found to confirm this. Unfortunately, we do not know what happen to Dorothy after her husband’s death.

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George Phelps was born about 1606 to unknown parents and was probably from the Crewkerne, Somerset area in England. (Many have researched him, attempting to identify his true origins.) It is believed he immigrated to America on the Recovery, which left Weymouth, Dorsetshire on March 31, 1634, with her master, Gabriel Cornish, arriving at Massachusetts Bay in late June or July, 1634. It was very likely one of the fourteen said to have arrived on that June 16th. (This is same voyage that another ancestor, Anthony Eames was on.) Dorchester is the place that most, if not all, of the Recovery passengers first resided in the New World.

George was declared a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony on May 6, 1635. Later that year George, with a significant number of Recovery passengers, left Dorchester and went on to the new settlement of Windsor at the junction of the Farmington and Connecticut Rivers, now Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut, and settled there. He met and married Phillury Randall there sometime prior to 1638 and they had five children, all born in Windsor — Isaac, the eldest on August 20, 1638; Abraham on January 22, 1642/3; two children who both died in 1647; and Joseph on June 24, 1647. Phillury died on April 29, 1648, leaving her husband with three children, the youngest only a year old. (It should be noted that some researchers say she died on August 29, 1648, but that is the death date of her brother Philip Randall.) Widow George Phelps married widower Frances Clark Dewey on November 30, 1648, in Windsor. She came to the marriage with six children and had three more sons with George (see her below for details).

Sometime after the end of 1654, the family moved to Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, where George drew up his will on April 24, 1683. His will was extremely specific leaving his house and goods to his wife and dividing the land, mare, and his clothing to his six sons and grandson Isaac. (To view a handwritten copy of his will, mouse over and click on the image left to enlarge it in a new window/tab.) George died on May 8, 1687, in Westfield. (Mouse over and click on his death record image below right, in Frances' bio, to enlarge it in a new window/tab.) There is an undated old gravestone for a George Phelps in the Old Westfield Cemetery, also known as the Mechanic Street Cemetery (pictured), and the Old Burying Ground in Westfield that is believed to be his final resting place.

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Frances Clark Dewey was born about 1610/11 in England to unknown parents-her maiden name is unknown. She married a man with the last name of Clark, probably in 1635 and had a daughter Mary about 1636 with him. Mr. Clark died and Frances married Thomas Dewey on March 22, 1637/8, in Windsor, Hartford County, Connecticut. They had five additional children – Thomas born on February 16, 1639/40; Josiah baptized  on October 10, 1641; Anna baptized on October 15, 1643; Israel born on September 25, 1645, who died at 33 years old; and Jedediah born on December 15, 1647. Thomas apparently adopted Mary as she is mentioned in his will as Mary Clark Dewey, one of his six children. Five months after her last child was born, her husband Thomas died on April 27, 1648. 

Seven months later she married George Phelps on November 30, 1648, in Windsor. (Mouse over and click on their marriage record image left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) They saw to it that her children's rights to their Dewey inheritance were protected in the Particular Court on June 6, 1650. At the Regular Court at Hartford on June 4, 1663, at the request of George Phelps and his wife Frances, Thomas Dewey's land was given to his sons. George and Frances had three sons, all born in Windsor – ancestor Jacob; John on February 15, 1651/52; and Nathaniell on December 9, 1654. Some time after her second husband, Thomas' estate was settled, she moved with her family to Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, where her third husband died in 1687, and her son Thomas Dewey died on April 27, 1690. Five months later, Frances Clark Dewey Phelps died on September 27, 1690. (Mouse over and click on her and George's death record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) It is not known where she is buried, but it probably is in the Old Burying Ground in Westfield. It is not known where she is buried, but it is probably with her husband in the Old Westfield Cemetery  aka Old Burying Ground in Westfield.

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John Ingersoll was baptized in September of 1626, in Saint Werburgh’s Church in Derby, Derbyshire England (pictured right). Because his baptismal record was damaged by flood waters, it is difficult to read. Some records say it was on the 1st, while others say the 22nd. The placement of the record is at the end of September, and so it could be the 22nd, see for yourself. (Mouse over and click on his baptism record image left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) He was the second son named John, and the eldest surviving son, born to parents Thomas Ingersoll and Margery Eaton.

When John was fifteen, he was apprenticed on January 25, 1642, to Thomas Dawes of the Tylers and Bricklayers Company in London. He was back in Derby around 1644, when he was about eighteen and “God met with me by Sermon I heard at Darby in old England”, though his return to that borough may have been a temporary visit. This was during the English Civil War which lasted from 1642-1651, and resulted in the execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649. Some time after 1644, John immigrated to America and none of his immediate family went with him.

The next we know of John is that he married Dorothy Lord in Hartford, Connecticut, on September 3, 1651. He was 25 and she was 22 years old. They had two children there, see Dorothy's bio for more on the children.

In the Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut 1639-1663, we find that on November 28, 1654, he was fined 10s by the Connecticut Particular Court for the breach of the law against lyinge. They then moved to Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Northampton is in the Connecticut River Valley, where an epidemic had wiped out most of the Native Americans living there, making much good, fertile land available. There they had their third daughter in January of 1656. Dorothy died there, either in childbirth or shortly after. John was left with three young daughters from newborn to 4 years old. John then married Abigail Bascom on December 12, 1657, in Northampton (some records say September-mouse over and click on marriage record comparison image left to enlarge in a new window/tab). He was 31 and she was 17 years old. They had five children in Northampton – Abigail on January 11, 1658/9; Sarah on October 30, 1660; Abijah on August 24, 1663; Hester on September 9, 1665; and Thomas, born on March 28, 1668.

In about 1666, they moved to what became Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts. Abigail died on April 8, 1668, in Springfield probably from complications during childbirth. John was once again left a widower with very young children, although he now had teenage daughters to help out.

After Abigail died, in either late 1668 or early 1669, John married Mary Hunt. He over 40 years old and she was about 28 years old. They had seven children all born in Westfield – John on October 20, 1669; Abel on November 11, 1671; Ebenezer on October 15, 1673, who died at age 8; Joseph on October 16, 1675, who died at age 28; Mary on November 17, 1677 who died at age 12; Benjamin on November 15, 1679, who died at age 24; and Jonathan on May 10, 1681.

David L. Greene states in his article The English Origin (and Spiritual Turmoil) of John Ingersoll of Westfield, Massachusetts, states that in 1679, John Ingersoll was a founder of, and known as one of the “Seven Pillars of the Church” at Westfield. As was the custom, John made a public declaration of his faith and religious experience. Greene says about these statements, “They include the public relation of John Ingerson or Ingersoll, surely one of the most remarkable of all such testimonies for its revelation of his own intense spiritual and psychological suffering.” John’s statement has survived in written form and is reproduced below, as printed in the Greene article.

John Ingersoll died on September 3, 1684, in Westfield, Hampden, Massachusetts at the age of 58. His widow, Mary died on August 18, 1690. John is buried in the Old Westfield Cemetery (pictured above under George Phelps) also known as the Mechanic Street Cemetery in Westfield. It is not known if the double gravestones (pictured right) are a head and foot stone, or if this is his wife Mary's grave, as she is also buried there. Most of the facing and inscription are no longer on the back stone, so it is really hard to tell. 

The Relation of Brother John Ingerson

I being brought by Godly Parents, who tooke great pains & Care to bring me out of a State of Nature into a State of Grace in watching over me, in keeping me from Sin, & Sabbothbreaking, in bringing me to attend the word preached, read, & in Cathechising I d little regard itt, but onely for fear of them. The first time, to my rememberance, that God met with me was by a Sermon I heard at Darby in old England upon Ps. 15.1,2, when I was about 18 years old, whereby I was Convinct that as yet I was none that should inherit the holy Hill of Zion, but I thought I would labour to be one that Should. But this Conviction was soon over & I went on in my Sin & vanity still. & tho I met with many Conviction that my State was bad & was in many dangers both at sea, & land; & I saw I must Repent, & become a new Creature if ever I ment to be Saved, yet I put repentance off till afterwards. But being under Mr. Stones Ministry I was convincd that the time was come that I must not put Repentance off any longer, for the Lord had granted me the thing wherein my excuses lay & therefore I set upon Duties, & reformed in many things, & having a book of Mr. Jeremiah Burroughs I read much in it, about Faith, & Hope, & was much incouraged, till I met with an Expression thus, that if my Hopes were not such as would stand with every line of the word of God at the day of Judgment they would availe me nothing. Then being troubled I threw the book a side for a while thinking that altho he was a good man he was too Strict, & mistaken therein. & that I did believe, & that he that did believe should be saved & therefore my State was good. But coming to Northampton I heard Mr. Mather the first time upon that, that in the world ye shall have trouble, but in Christ you may & shall have peace, which incouraged me for a while. But afterwards his preaching did not please me but I thot I would keep my hopes. And the Lord visiting me with sickness that I was neer death, yet I thot I was well enough prepared for death & was not willing to hear to the Contrary. But the Lord in great merry was pleased not to take me away in that Condition. But remaining still Confident of my good Estat, I, as I was on atime into the meadow to work, thot nothing should dash my hopes thereof. But presently the thoughts of [blank] who murdered himselfe Coming into my mind, I for a while much wondered at it. But my thots soon runing thus, What if God should leave me? then I should do so. & the temptation came so hard upon me that God would leave me, & I should certainly dy such a death; be guilty of mine own Blood, & be damned irreconcilably, that I was not able to go on to my business; but returning home, the temptation prevaild more, & more upon me, & I was filled with horrour of Conscience, the Lord did so manifest his wrath & Displeasure against me: & my Sins were like mountains ready to sink me down into Hell every moment. & not being able in the night to sleep, was forced to rise up at midnight, & Call up my Father in Law, who hearing how it was with me, & that I feared I had sinned the unpardonable Sin; & that there were no Hopes of mercy, gave me good Counsell, & prayed with me. & after having some abatement I returned home, & remain d in thatCondition: But the Lord after awile was pleased to abate the temptation, & his wrath a little. & I fell to reading & praying in Secret; being incouraged to look to Jesus Christ for mercy. But Mr. Mathers Ministry was like daggers in my heart. For when I was labouring to lay hold on Christ, as I thot, by Faith, it did so rip up my State in such a way as dashed my hopes, whereby, me thot, I was one that went about to Establish mine own Righteousness, & to have something of mine own to Carry me to Christ. Wherefore I Studied upon what terms Christ was to be had, I prayed, Searched the Scriptures, & attended all duties; but could find no way to get a pardon, of Sin, & peace with God, but by Repentance of all Sin, & a Closing with Jesus Christ by Faith. I thot I was willing to part with all Sin, & would gladly be delivered from it, as seing what a Condition it had brought me into. As for the world, I accounted it not worth regarding, so I could but get an Intrest in Christ Jesus. But how to believe Iknew not. I heard many Descriptions of Faith, yet could not tell what it was, nor how to gett it. Mr. Mather being upon the work of Humiliation said be humble enough, & good enough; I thot it was the Pride of my heart, that I was so impatient; & could not wait Gods time. I saw there was hopes of mercy for me in Jesus Christ. He came into the world to save his people from their Sins: With him the Fatherless finde Mercy; He gives gifts to Rebellious ones; the Chiefe of Sinners. He Is able to Save all to the uttmost, & will by no means cast off any that come to him. & tho I could not com to him of myselfe, yet he is able to bring me to, & keep me with, himselfe, then reading that Isa. thou has brought me no Sweet Cane but hast made me to serve with thy Sins; yet I am he that blotteth out all thy Sins for my names sake. Whereupon I found myself willing, & was inabled to Cast myselfe upon the Lord Jesus Christ, to give up myselfe & all unto him; to leave my Sins, & Corruptions to him to do as he pleased. & So to leave myselfe with him, let him do, what he would with me. & if I did perish at last, yet it should be in his way, remembring Peters words, Lord to whom should we go thou hast the words of Eternall Life.

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Dorothy Lord was born during the reign of King Charles I, and was baptized on July 1, 1629, in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England (mouse over and click on baptism record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab). She was the last of eight children born to Thomas Lord and Dorathy Bird. Four years later, her family left Towcester, beginning their voyage to the new World. When she was six years old, her family sailed to America on the ship Elizabeth and Ann, leaving on May 14, 1635, and arriving in Massachusetts Bay, probably in July. They were one of many families that left England during a time of strife and religious persecution that led to Civil War in 1642. They settled in and were probably founders of Hartford, Connecticut, where her father died between 1644 and 1648.

Researchers state that on September 3, 1651, Dorothy married John Ingersoll in Hartford. She was about 21 and he was about 25 years old. They had two daughters there – Hannah, who was probably born in 1652 and ancestor Dorothy. They then moved to Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, where their third daughter, Margery was born in early January, either on the 1st or 2nd of 1656. Northampton was almost directly north of Hartford and a short distance west of the same river her parents had settled on in 1636.

Dorothy Lord Ingersoll died on January 2, 1656/7, in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, probably due to complications during childbirth. The record of her death lists her as Doratha Ingersoll, wife of John Ingersoll. (Mouse over and click on her death record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) It is not known where she is buried. In her mother Dorathy’s will she remembers her deceased daughter Dorothy’s children as follows: “…the children of my daughter Ingersall to have one part, and the rest of them, each of them one part.  I give unto my grandchild Hannah Ingersall my youngest cow, and my other cow I give unto my grandchildren Dorothy and Margery Ingersall.   I give to Marjory Ingersoll & her Sister Dorothy to Each twenty shillings.

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Thomas Ingersoll was born about 1593, probably in Derby, Derbyshire, England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. His parents may have been John Ingersoll and Rose Talley. Nothing is known of Thomas until he moved from Derby to the London area to earn a living, as many have done throughout English history. He lived in Limehouse or Poplar, in the parish of St. Dunstan’s Church, which was a large parish populated primarily by mariners and by tradesmen who made their living from supplying products for the sea trade. On one side of the peninsula was Limehouse Reach, and on the other was Blackwell Reach. The Survey of London indicates that there were ropehouses and walks in Poplar along the Blackwell Causeway when Ingersol lived there and somewhat later near the Limehouse Causeway. Thomas Ingersoll doubtless lived in this area and worked as a ropemaker.

On December 14, 1620, Thomas Inkersall of Stepney, Middlesex, rope maker, aged about 27 years, applied to the Bishop of London for a license to marry Margery Eaton of the same parish, maiden, aged about 17 years, the daughter of John Eaton of the same parish, rope maker. They were married at St. Dunstan’s in Stepney (mouse over church image right), on the following day, December 15, 1620. (Mouse over and click on the marriage record image left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) In 1624 they had a son who only lived a month. See Margery below for more about the children.

They then returned to Thomas’s hometown of Derby 1625, a time when the plague was heavy in London. He changed his profession to shoemaker when he returned to Derby, probably because ropemaking is often associated with ports, and there would have been less need for ropemakers in an inland borough. Here Thomas and Margery had their remaining six children. Four years after their last child was born, the English Civil War began. It lasted from 1642-1651, and resulted in the execution of King Charles I on January 30, 1649. Charles’ son Charles II fled England, the monarchy was abolished and the country was led by Oliver Cromwell. During this turmoil, Thomas’s son John immigrated to America. A political crisis followed the death of Cromwell in 1658 resulting in the restoration of the monarchy, and Charles II was invited to return to Britain. On 29 May 1660, his 30th birthday, he was received in London to public acclaim. Records show that Thomas Inkersall of Saint Werburgh Parish paid 2s at the Free and Voluntary Present of 1661 (supposedly a voluntary gift on the restoration of Charles II), and he was assessed for one hearth, 1662-1670.

Besides being a shoemaker, Thomas was also the town crier, a paid town official who made official announcements at specified times to a populace that was still largely illiterate. The Derby rental rolls show that he was paid £2 12s a year by the borough, for performing his duties in 1677, 1678, 1680, and 1682.

Thomas executed his will (below) on August 12, 1673, when he was sickly and weak, but he recovered and continued to perform his duties as town crier. He died when he was about 88 years old and was buried at St. Werburgh’s Church Cemetery on May 30, 1681. His burial record reads, “Thomas Inkersall Senior Town Criar was buried the 30 of May, 1681.” (Mouse over and click on his burial record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) His son, Samuel Ingersoll, succeeded him as town crier and may well have been performing the duties earlier.

The Will of Thomas Ingersoll:

“In the name of God Amen I Thomas Inkersall of Darby in the County of Derby the Towne Cryer being sickly & weake of body yet of sound memory praised be God doe make and ordaine this my last will & Testament in maner & forme following viz I bequeath my Soule into the hand of Allmighty God my Creator trusting in his mercie through the merits & satisfaction of Jesus Christ my blessed Saviour for the pardon of my sinns & salvation of my soule And my body to the earth from whence it Came And as for my worldly Goods which God hath granted mee I bequeath them as followeth first to my daughter Sarah five poundes which will make up what shee hath had neare Thirty poundes And to my sonne Thomas Inkersall five shillings And to my sonne Samuell Inkersall all my houshold goodes And the rest & residue of my p[er]sonall estate my debtes legacies & funerall discharged and such Charges as my executor shall be put to being defraied the said residue I say to be devided the one halfe L bequeath to my sonne John Inkersall living in new England if hee be yet living if not to his Chilldren And the other halfe I bequeath to my grandchild John Inkersall the yonger sonne of my sonne Samuell tobe paid him when he shall accomplish the age of Eighteene yeares & be able to discharge my Executor and such meane p[ro]fits as shall be made of his p[ar]t towards his bringing up And as for my house & all the appurtenances I bequeath the same to my sonne Samuell Inkersall & his wife for the tearme of theire naturall lives & the life of the longer liver of them and after their decease to Thomas Inker- sall my grandchild Eldest sonne of my sonne Samuell and to the heires of the body of the said Thomas and; for default of such Issue to the heires of the body of my said sonne Samuell Inkersall and for default of such Issue to my owne right heires for ever And I dde make & ordaine my trusty & loving friend and Cozene Isaac Platts my Executor of this my last will & Testament & my loving friend Edward Robinson overseeer [sic] of the same Witnesse hereunto my hand & seale dated the Twelvth day of August in the Twenty fifth yeare of the Raigne of our Soveraigne Lord Charles the second by the grace of God of England Scotland France & Ireland King Defender of the faith &c: 1673 Signed sealed & published as his last will & Testamtin

pr[e]sence of Thomas Strong, Thomas Edmond, Robinson Inkersall [Proved 13 July 1681]”

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Margery Eaton was baptized on November 28, 1604 in Saint Dunstan’s and All Saints Church in Stepney, Tower Hamlets, Middlesex, England, in what is now the greater London area. Her parents were John Eaton and Isabell Hudson. (Mouse over and click on her baptism record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

On December 15, 1620, Margery married Thomas Ingersoll at Saint Dunstan’s when she was 16 years old. Their first child, John was baptized at St. Dunstan’s on November 12, 1624, died a month later and was buried there on December 13, 1624. Their remaining six children were all born in Thomas’s hometown, Derby – ancestor John; Thomas, baptized at St. Werburgh’s Church on April 14, 1628; Sarah, baptized at St. Alkmund’s Church, on February 27, 1630; Hester, baptized at St. Alkmund’s either in September or October of 1631; Elizabeth, baptized at St. Werburgh’s on what looks like October 20,1633; and Samuel, baptized at St. Werburgh’s on October 14, 1638. Only four children were mentioned in their father’s will, Sarah, Thomas, Samuel, and ancestor John. It is not known if Hester and Elizabeth lived to adulthood. David L. Greene states that the records from St. Werburgh’s Church were damaged by a flood, causing “severe water damage, with the ink on some pages entirely washed off.

Margery Eaton Ingersoll died in December of 1664 in Derby and was buried at Saint Werburgh’s (pictured left) on December 26, 1664. She was 60 years old. (Mouse over and click on her burial record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

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Thomas Lord was born about 1585 in England to Richard and Joan Lord. His mother’s maiden name is unknown. The family seems to have been upper middle class; Richard was known as yeoman and had land, a house and an orchard. Thomas was a smith in Towcester, Northampton, England, and lived there between 1610 and 1629. That is where he married Dorothy Buckley, daughter of Edward Buckley and sister of Rev. Peter Buckley. After her death, he married Dorathy Bird there on February 23, 1611. He was 26 and she was 22 years old. They had at least eight children all born in Towcester –see Dorathy below for details.

Thomas and Dorathy left London, England, bound for Cambridge Massachusetts, on the Elizabeth and Ann with seven of their youngest children (their oldest son Richard, had already come to America, as early as 1630). The ship’s master was Robert Cooper and registration for the voyage was open between May 6 -14, 1635. They arrived in Massachusetts Bay in mid-July of 1635. They were met by their son Richard and went to his home in Newtowne (which later became Cambridge). There they stayed through the following winter until the spring.

During this time plans were being made for establishing a new settlement 100 miles to the west, on the Connecticut River. Their leader was Reverend Thomas Hooker, the pastor of the Newtowne Church. He did not agree with the Puritans, who dominated the colony, and decided to establish a colony where they could worship as they saw fit. After an expedition went ahead to scout the area and found it suitable, being the northernmost part of the river that a sea-going vessel could navigate, they prepared to leave. The Hooker Company numbered about a hundred, including the ten members of the Lord family, and set out on the last day in May of 1636 with cattle, pigs and other livestock and seeds for planting. They arrived at the Connecticut River about two weeks later and crossed it on rafts and crude boats to the spot where Hartford would be established.

Thomas and sons Richard and Thomas Jr. each had lots “near the falls” at the bend of Little River, which was a branch of the Connecticut. According to records, Thomas had a total of 28 acres and Richard had 18. Being late in the planting season, the settlers had the dual tasks of planting crops necessary for their survival as well as building houses or whatever shelters that would suffice for the coming winter. Until the harvest at the end of summer, provisions for the population consisted mostly of corn traded or purchased from local Indians living in the many villages that still surrounded them.

The spring of 1637 brought trouble. There had been sporadic violence between settlers and Indians throughout the Connecticut Colony since the English first arrived and began to take root. There was guilt on both sides, and revenge attacks which only escalated the violence. Suddenly on April 23rd came the Wethersfield massacre, just a few miles south of Hartford. Two hundred Pequots attacked Wethersfield, killed six men and three women and captured two girls. The Indians also kept the Saybrook Fort, at the mouth of the Connecticut River, in a virtual state of siege, and captured and tortured to death many settlers. The colonists responded byforming an army, including 61 from Hartford, and practically wiped out the Pequots. The Pequot War officially ended on September 1638 when the few survivors of the Pequot tribe were forced to sign the Treaty of Hartford, also called the Tripartite Treaty, declaring the Pequot nation to be dissolved.

Nothing much is known about the rest of Thomas’s life, but the majority of his family lived out their lives in Hartford and helped it grow to become the capital of the State of Connecticut. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were adopted by the Connecticut Colony council on January 14, 1639. The orders describe the government set up by the Connecticut River towns, setting its structure and powers. It has the features of a written constitution, and is considered by some as the first written Constitution in the Western tradition, and thus earned Connecticut its nickname of The Constitution State.

Thomas Lord, recognized as an original proprietor of Hartford died between 1644 and 1648 and is buried in the Ancient Cemetery (also known as the Merriman Burying Ground) in Southington, Hartford County, Connecticut, where his name, and his two eldest sons names are listed on the Founder's Monument (pictured left-mouse over monument to read names). The inscription on his grave (pictured right) reads: In Memory Of Mr. Thomas Lord born 1585. One of ye Original Prorietors of Hartford.

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Dorathy Bird was baptized on May 25, 1588 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, the daughter of England to Robert and Amy Bird. Her given name has been spelled many different ways. It is usually spelled Dorothy in most genealogy books, but on her baptism record it is listed as Dorettee, on her marriage record, Dorithee, and on her own will and American colonial documents it is written as Dorathy. (Mouse over and click on her baptism record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

Dorathy married Thomas Lord on February 23, 1610/11 in Towcester where her name is recorded as Dorithee Byrde. (Mouse over and click on marriage record image left to enlarge in a new window/tab.) They had at least eight children all baptized in Towcester on the dates shown –  Richard on January 5, 1611/12; Anna on September 18, 1614; Thomas on December 15, 1616; William on December 27, 1618; Robert on May 12, 1621; John on January 21, 1623/24; Amy on November 30, 1626; and ancestor Dorothy. Dorathy came to America with her husband and seven of their youngest children on the Elizabeth and Ann out of London, England, arriving in Massachusetts Bay in July of 1635.  Her oldest son Richard had come to America earlier. Little is known about her life in the New World except that Colonial records show she was cited for not fixing her broken fence in May of 1663, which suggests that her husband has already died.

Dorathy wrote her will on February 8, 1669/70. The original will spells her name as Dorathy, and is much longer than the one printed in A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records which reads as follows:

I Dorothy Lord of Hartford do declare this to be my last Will & Testament:
First, that all my just Debts be paid out of my Estate. I do give my now Dwelling house and Barne, and my Homelott and my lower Lott in the lower Meadow unto the Children of my son Thomas Lord, Decd, at the age of 18 years.
Item: I give unto my daughter Amy Gilbert and her Children 3 acres in my upper Lott adjoining to that which I have given my daughter Gilbert.
It. I give unto my son William Lord 2 acres in my Great Lott in the Long Meadow next adjoining to that which I have given to my son Robert.
It. I give unto my son John Lord £10 in Current Pay of the Country.
It. Whereas my gr.. Son Richard Lord hath disbursed several sums of Money or Country pay for the Building of my Chimneys and Shingling my House & repayers about it, I doe for the payment of him, Give, Grant & Confirm unto him & his heirs forever all that my Meadow Lott in the Long Meadow which abuts upon the Great River East, the Little River West, mr. Westwood’s Land North, & Barth Barnard’s Land South. I do also give to my sd. gr. Son Richard Lord all the remainder of my upper Lott in the Long Meadow which I have not given to my sons Robert and William and my daughter Gilbert and their Children, he paying the legacies hereafter expressed. To my son John £10. I give unto my gr.. Child Hannah Ingersoll my youngest Cow, and my 3 Cows I give unto my gr.. Children, Dorothy and Margaret Ingersoll. I give all my Moveable Estate & Cattle to my son William Lord, my gr.. Son Richard Lord, my daughter Stanton, my daughter Gilbert, and the children of my daughter Ingersoll, the whole to be divided into five parts, and my daughter Ingersoll’s children to have one part and the rest each of them one part. I give unto the wife of Nicholas Clarke 10 Shillings. I Constitute my son William and my gr.. Son Richard executors, and desire my friend Mr. John Allyn to be Overseer.

In a codicil to her will, Dorathy, wrote down in great detail who should get what item. For example she left to her daughter Anna Stanton, “my Great Brass Pann & my great Bible” and to her daughter Aymie Gilbert, “my lesser Brass Pann & a Brass Scummer & a Brass Chaffing Dish.” To view her original will and codicil, mouse over image right and click on it to enlarge in a new wndow/tab.

Dorathy outlived her daughter Dorothy as well as her two oldest sons, Richard and Thomas, Jr. who both died in 1662. She also outlived her two youngest sons - John, who died about 1668 and Robert who died about 1673. She names her eldest living son William, and her grandson by her deceased son Richard, also named Richard, as executors of her will, written in February 1669/70, confirming her husband Thomas, her eldest son Richard and her next oldest son Thomas, Jr. were all dead by then. Although the date that the inventory of her estate is recorded as being taken on May 12, 1675, the cover sheet for this inventory says 1676; Dorathy's gravestone (see close-up pictured) says she died in 1676; and there are several Connecticut Deaths and Burials records that support this. The inscription added to the bottom of Thomas' gravestone was recorded as “Dorothy his wife born 1588 died 1676.” She is buried in the Merriman Burying Ground also known as the Ancient Burying Ground in Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband. To view the original inventory and cover sheet, mouse over image right and click on it to enlarge in a new wndow/tab.

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John Ingersol was born about 1567 and is the possible father of ancestor Thomas. He married Rose Taley at St. Werburgh's Church in Derby, Derbyshire, England on December 2, 1592. Both John and Rose's origins are unknown. David L. Greene tells us that Rose’s surname is uncertain, as the record is difficult to read-it could have said Roase [Saley? Taley?]. Greene states, “. . . although there were earlier Inkersalls in the borough of Derby who may have been related to him.The surname, at least in Derbyshire, may have originated from Inkersall, a location in Scarsdale Hundred. Kenneth Cameron suggests that the name may have been derived from Hynkere's Hill; Hynkere is a nickname meaning the limper, the lame one.

Greene tells us that John was buried at St. Werburgh's Church on August (month is uncertain) 18, 1617, and Rose was buried there on August 1, 1617. This researcher ha seen the burial records, which are extremely difficult to read, and believes that one of them, possibly Rose was buried in October of 1616, and the other was buried in 1617. View the image for yourself, and you decide! (Mouse over and click on burial record image left to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

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John Eaton’s ancestry is unknown. What we know of him comes from his children’s records. John was a rope maker. He married Isabell Hudson on May 6, 1593, at St. Dunstan's Church in Stepney, Middlesex County, England. David L Greene wrote that there are only two St. Dunstan baptism records for their names as parents — Thomas baptized on March 17, 1594/5, whose father is listed as of Poplar, died at 8 years old on August 31, 1603; and ancestor Margery, whose father was listed as of Shadwell. Greene states,“This is probably not a complete record of this family, if indeed it is a single-family group.” But being that it’s about a 1/2 mile from Shadwell to Poplar, which are both within London, it seems plausible that they are the same family. There is also an Elizabeth, baptized at St. Dunstan’s in December of 1609, with a father named John Eaton, who very well may be the child of our John and Isabell. There is also a St. Dunstan burial record for an Elizabeth Eaton, with a father named John, dated June 26, 1626. If she is the same Elizabeth, she would have been 16 years-old when she died.

John is described as of the same parish as Thomas Inkersall, his soon to be rope maker son-in-law, on the application Thomas filed to the Bishop of London for a marriage license dated December 14, 1620. Carpenter John Taylor of St. Buttolph without Aldgate, London, testified to John Eaton's consent for his daughter Margery's marriage on this document.  It is not known where John and Isabell Eaton died and are buried.

There is a St. Dunstan’s burial record for a John Eaton dated October 7, 1628, that may or may not be our John. Unfortunately, nothing more is known about John and Isabell Eaton.

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Richard Lord was born about 1555 to unknown parents, possibly in Yelvertoft, County Northampton, England. It is believed he had a brother named William and they were descended from a Robert Laward of London in 1510. Richard married Joan (last name unknown) on November 20, 1569 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England. From Richard’s will we know they had four children, but only two have baptism records found at St Mary the Virgin Church in Leckhampstead, Buckinghamshire, England (pictured right). They had three daughters— Elizabeth baptized on May 26, 1583; Ellen born about 1584; and Alice baptized on January 18, 1586; and a son, ancestor Thomas. It is assumed Ellen and Thomas were also baptized at the same church, even though records can’t be found for them.

In his will, Richard called himself a husbandman, but parish records note him as a yeoman. But whatever the case, at the end of his life he was a farmer who owned fruit orchards that included apples. It is speculated that he wasn't the one working in the orchards, but had men employed in the fields, while he ran the business.

It is known that Richard was not literate, as he signed his will with a mark. Dated May 30, 1610, his will was probated on February 7, 1611 and included almost 100 Pounds in cash disbursements, which, at that time, was a considerable sum. The first item in his will made a gift to his church-12 pennies (one shilling)- just enough to be buried in the consecrated ground of the churchyard. In it, he named his wife, Joan; his daughters Elizabeth, Ellen and Alice; and his son, ancestor Thomas, who received the bulk of his estate. At the time of the will, the daughters, Ellen and Alice, were unmarried, but Ellen was engaged to Robert Marriot of Calcot. Richard’s entire will as printed in Henry W. Beljnap’s article, The Wife of Thomas Lord of Hartford, published in volume 54 of the Essex Institute Historical Collections, reads as follows (paragraph separation added):

In the name of God Amen—30th Daye of Maye in the Yeare of our Lord God 1610—I Richard Lorde of Towcester in Co of Northton, husbandman of whole mynde doe make this my last will and testament—my soull vnto Allmighty God and my bodie to be buried in the Churchyard of Towcester—

1st I give towards the repare of the said parish church of Towcester xij d.
Item I give to Elizabeth my Daughter x li. of currat money of England.
Item I give and bequeath to Ellen my Daughter xxx li. of currant money of England to be paid vnto her by my Executor hereafter named in manner and forme following—viz. the one half thereof att her daie of marriage and the other half within twelve moneths after her said daie of marrige Yf she shall then be livinge And yf it shall happen that she shall marry with one Robert Marriot of Calcot yeom then my will is that the saide sume of xxx li. be made vpp xl li. and to be paid her at the said daies before married by equall porcons But if she happen not to marrye then my will is that she shall have xxx li. oneli for her porcon to be paid to her within three yeares after my Decease.
Item I give and bequeath to Alice my Daughter 30 li. to be paid vnto her by my executor the one half thereof at her daye of marrige and the other half within twelve moneths after her said daie of marrige yf she shall then be livinge But if she the said Alice happen not to marrye then my will is that her said Legacye be paid to her within five yeares next after my decease
Item I give & bequeath to Joan my wife the one half of all my goods and chattels whatsoever moveable except the long Table in my hall and the seelinge and benches about my house and my will is that she shall haue & enjoye During her naturall lyfe (yf so long she keepe herself my widdowe) the chamber ouer the kitchen where she and I due lodge and third pt of the apples & onle wch shall growe yearely in the orchard belonging to the house wherein I now dwell in Towcester
Item I give & bequeath moreour to my said wife during her natural lyfe (& yf so longe she keepe hereself my widowe) out of my Land & tenemts & hereditamts in Towcester aforesaid the Yearlie sume and annuitie of fyve pounds of currant money of England to be paide vnto her by my Executor hereafter named his heires or Assignes yearly quarterlie by equall and even porcons Provided allwaies that she my said wife shall not claym any Dower or thirde out of my said lands ten'ts or hereditenaments.
Item I give and bequeath to Thomas my sonne and to his heires and assignes foreuer all my Lands ten'ts & hereditaments whatwoeuer in Towcester and within this Realm of England . . . that he shall instly and trulie prforme this my last will & testement without fraude or deceipt And all the rest of my goods and cattels my Detts and Legacies paid & my funerall expenses p??formed I give and bequeath to my said sonne Thomas whom I Doe make & ordaine my sole Executor of this my Last will and testement but vtterly Denye all other former wills heretofore by me made giuen or bequeathed Provyded allwaies that if anie one of my said children Ellen Alice or Thomas Doe Decease their lyves before they are to receive their saide Legacies, That then the Legacie of the one of them soe deceasinge shall remayne & be Due to the other two of them onely then survivinge But if any two of them shall happen to Decease as aforesaide that then my saide Daughter Elizabeth shall haue fifteen pounde of their Legacies proportionablye to be paid unto her yf she the said Elizabeth shall then be livinge My Legacie guift bequest, thinge or things els whatsoeur herein expressed to the contraric hereof in any wise notwithstanding. And fynally Doe earnestlie Desyre my wellbelowed friends Mr Henry Peddler and Thomas Pedder of East Purye in the Counte of Northton gent's and Paul Boughton of the same Toune clerk to be my supervisors of this my last will and testament And I Doe give and bequeath to each of them for their paynes to be taken ij s. vj. d. of currant English money.
In witness whereof I have herevnto put my hand & Seale the daye and yeare first aboue wrytten.
Signed: _____Rici Lord
Sealed & Subscribed in the
p'sence of vs Thomas Pedder
Paul Boughton
Richard Abbot
Arch. Northants, P Series, Reg. XYZ, folio 74
.”

Richard's wife Joan died in Towcester and was buried in the St. Lawrence Church cemetery (pictured left) on September 22, 1610. Richard Lord died about a month after her, and was also buried there on October 16, 1610. (Mouse over and click on their burial record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.) Unfortunately today there is no way to find the graves of Richard and Joan Lord. In a move to beautify the burial grounds around English churches some long time ago, people removed most of the gravestones, including many of the ones which stood near this church in Towcester. We must assume they remain in this spot to this day.

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Robert Bird is believed to have been born between 1555–1560, probably in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England, possibly one of five children born to Richard Bird and Joanne Mitchell. He married a woman named Amy, whose surname is unknown. Researchers have claimed that she was born in Towcester on May 25, 1565; that they married on April 14, 1584, there; and that her surname was either Hill, Hyll, Hadman, or Marsead. Unfortunately no one has given any supporting documentation for any of this information. There are marriage records for couples with similar names, but the dates do not work out for our Robert and Amy.

Robert and Amy had at least two children — Perris who was baptized on September 6, 1584, in Earls Barton, Northamptonshire, England, then married George Tighte and was left a widow; and ancestor Dorothy. Earls Barton is about 19 miles northeast of Towcester, but it is not known if they lived there or just had their first child baptized there. Some researchers say there was a son named Robert, but that is unlikely, as he’s not mentioned in the will.

Robert Bird wrote his will on July 18, 1622, and in it he mentions his wife and two daughters by their married surnames. Robert’s will as printed in Ernest Flagg’s book, Genealogical Notes on the Founding of New England: My Ancestors Part in that Undertaking, reads as follows:

Will of Robert Bird
of Toceter, co. Northants, Joiner;
Dated 18 July 1622
I desire to be buried in the churchyard at Towcester.
I bequeath to my wife, Amye Bird, all my household goods, I possessed when my daughter Parris Tighte, widow, was married her late husband George Tighte. To my daughter Lord, wife of Thomas Lord of Towcester, 40 s. All the residue of my goods to my daughter, Perris Tighte, to bring up her seven fatherless children, & I make her my executrix.
Signed: Robert Bird. . Witnesses: John Hastings, the elder, and Richard Wood

The will was proved by the executrix on October 1, 1622, which means Robert died sometime between July 18th and October 1st. Unfortunately the Towcester burial records are missing for most of 1622. His wife, Amye Byrde was buried in Towcester on April 19, 1625, and was called an olde widdow. (Mouse over and click on Amy's burial record image right to enlarge in a new window/tab.)

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