| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. NEHGS Register, Vol. 55, pages 22-31, 1901:
"The children of Robert White of Messing, Co. Essex, England, Who Settled in Hartford and Windsor. By a Descendant.
Robert White of Messing, yeoman, died in 1617. He was a rich man. He seems to have lived in Shalford in Essex most of the time from June 24th, 1585, the date of his marriage to Bridget Allgar, until a few months before his death. The baptisms of nearly all his children are there recorded, and also the marriage of his daughters - Mary in 1614 and Elizabeth in 1616. It was the home of his wife, where she was baptized March 11, 1562, and where her father, William Allgar the elder, was buried Aug. 2, 1575. Shalford is about two miles south of Wethersfield.
His bequest of 40 shillings to "Mr. Richard Rogers, preacher of God's word at Withersfield in Essex," renders it probable that he was friendly to non-conformists, and that he had often listened to this awakening preacher; while a like bequest to Bartholomew Scrivener, minister of the Church of God in Messing, implies his continued interest in the established church. His bequest of forty shillings to the poor people of Messing, without giving anything to the poor of Shalford, where it is supposed that he lived for many years, creates the suspicion that perhaps Messing was his birth place. An Alice White and a Will White were buried there in 1591 and 1593 respectively, but it is not known that Robert White was related to either of them.
According to his will, hereinafter given, he left surviving a wife Bridget; three sons - Daniel, Nathaniel and John who was his youngest Child; three married daughters - Sarah, Mary and Elizabeth; and two unmarried daughters-Bridget and Anna. As he makes his son Daniel joint executor with his wife, it may be inferred he was his eldest son, and possibly by a former wife. His wife Bridget was the mother of his other children, of whom Sarah, wife of James Bowtell of Little Sailinge in Essex, was the first born.
It is believed that three of his daughters came with their husbands to New England, namely: Mary White, wife of Joseph Loomis of Braintree; Elizabeth White, wife of William Goodwin of Bocking; and Anna White, wife of John Porter of Felsted.
Matthew Grant's Old Church Record (in Stiles's Ancient Windsor) records the death in 1647 of "John Porter, Sen's wife," and also the death in 1652 of "Joseph Loomis, Sen. his wife." This is valuable information, but it would have been more satisfactory had the record contained the Christian names of these wives. Nor does the entry in the Windsor Town Records of the birth of John Porter's two children, Nathaniel in 1640 and Hanna in 1642, give the mother's name. In the same town records is this entry: "John Porter, Sr., came from England and settled in Windsor in 1639." Mr. Porter was present as a member of the "Committee" of the General Court in Hartford, August 8th, 1639. He died in Windsor 21st April, 1648, leaving a will, an abstract of which is hereinafter given, and it is to be noticed that two of the beloved friends made supervisors of his will were "Mr. William Goodwin of Hartford and Goodman White of Hartford."
The marriage of John Porter of Felsted to Anna White of Messing, 18th October, 1620, is found in the Parish Register of Messing. The baptisms of their children, beginning with Anna, September 21, 1621, their first born, down to Mary, October 1st, 1637, the last one there baptized are recorded in the Parish Register of Felsted. They probably went to Messing soon after this date, as the baptism of their daughter Anna (who is supposed to have died in infancy), November 4, 1638, is there recorded. These facts, taken in connection with the information concerning his family contained in the will of John Porter dated April 20th, 1648, and also in the Town Records of Windsor, are regarded as good and sufficient authority for the statement that this John Porter of Felsted and John Porter of Windsor, Conn., were the same person. The names of his children in his will (omitting his two eldest daughters) are the same and in the same order of seniority as the baptisms in Felsted, except that in his will he names first all his sons, and then all his daughters. Two of his children, as already stated, were born in Windsor, Nathaniel in 1640 and Hanna (Anna) in 1642. His two eldest daughters were not mentioned in his will because he had given them their portions at their marriage, as appears from the report hereinafter given of the Committee to the Court in Hartford in 1650, recommending that their portions be made equal to the portions given to their younger sisters.
These two eldest daughters were Anna, who married February 24, 1644-5, William Gaylord; and Sarah, who married October 24, 1644, Joseph Judson. Matthew Grant's Old Church Record gives the death in 1648 of Rose Porter, who was buried 12th of May, 1648, doubtless that one of the younger daughters whose death is referred to in the report of the Committee. The burial of their first Samuel is recorded in the Parish Register of Felsted.
In the Loomis Genealogy, pages 9-11, evidence is given proving that Joseph Loomis, of Braintree in England, came to Boston in 1638, and settled in Windsor in 1639. It is believed that this Joseph Loomis is the Joseph Loomis whose marriage, June 30th, 1614, to Mary White, is recorded in the Parish Register of Shalford, and this theory is supported by the bequest in 1617 of Robert White to my "daughter Marie, the wife of Joseph Lummis of Brantree."
The home lots of Joseph Loomis and John Porter in Windsor were adjacent, and these two sisters, Mary (White) Loomis and Anna (White) Porter, began in 1639 new homes side by side, in which they lived the rest of their days. Three years before, in 1636, their brother John White, and their sister Elizabeth (White) Goodwin, had settled in Hartford.
The baptism of Elizabeth White, 5th March, 1591, is recorded in the Parish Register of Shalford, as is also her marriage, 7th November, 1616, then a singlewoman of that parish, to William Goodwin of Bocking, then a singelman. There is a bequest to her in her father's will, which is dated May 27, 1617, and she was probably present at her father's burial, 17th June, 1617. No mention of her has been found later than June, 1632.
John Tallcott and William Goodwin came over in the ship "Lion," which sailed June 22d, 1632, from London for Boston. A few days before she sailed John Tallcott and his wife Dorothy, and William Goodwin and his wife Elizabeth, join in a conveyance of messuages, land, etc. in Braintree and Bocking, to Martin Holbeach, gentleman, Adrain Mott, Richard Skynner, Robert Aylett and Robert Morrys. John Tallcott was of kin to Richard Skynner and his wife Dorothy Mott was related to Adrain Mott. Whether William Goodwin and his wife Elizabeth were related to or connected with any of the parties does not appear; but it may be remembered that Elder William Goodwin's nephew, William, son of his brother Osias, mentions in his will in 1689 "land in Hartford which formerly belonged to his uncle John Morrice."
It is plain that John Talcott and William Goodwin were disposing of their property in England because they were going to find new homes across the ocean.
That John Talcott came from Braintree, England, and that his wife Dorothy Mott came with him to Hartford, are facts well known and long ago established.
This sale of "Fine," an abstract of which is given below was sent some time ago to Mr. James Junius Goodwin of Hartford, who has very kindly permitted its present use. It is of great genealogical value. Before the finding by Mr. Waters of Robert White's will, which is printed in Mr. Goodwin's book, the "Goodwins of Hartford, Conn.," page 68, there was no reason for believing that William Goodwin's wife Susanna was his second wife. But this will, with a bequest to "my daughter Elizabeth, wife of William Goodinge of Bocking," and the discovery afterwards of the record in the Parish Register in Shalford of their marriage in 1616, and the conveyance of land in Braintree and Bocking by John Talcott and wife Dorothy, and William Goodwin and wife Elizabeth, made in June, 1632 (just as the "Lion" was about to sail, in which these men are known to have been fellow passengers), make it highly probable that William Goodwin's wife Elizabeth came with him to Hartford, and lead irresistibly to the conclusion that Robert White's son-in-law, William Goodwin of Bocking, and Elder William Goodwin of Hartford, were the same person.
The date of the decease of William Goodwin's wife Elizabeth has not been ascertained, but it must have been before January, 1669-70, for at this date William Goodwin sold land in Hadley, Mass., and the name of his wife who then joined in the deed of it is Susanna - "the first and only record of his wife yet discovered in America."
William Goodwin and his wife Elizabeth left but one child, a daughter Elizabeth, who married John Crow, an early settler of Hartford. The date of her birth is not known, but it could not have been earlier than 1617, nor has the date of her marriage been found.
It is very plausibly supposed that the John White who came over in the "Lion" in 1632 and settled first in Newtown, now Cambridge, in Massachusetts, and then came with the Rev. Thomas Hooker and his church to Hartford in 1636, was the son of Robert White of Messing. The record of his baptism has not been found. He was not of age in 1617, when his father made his will, in which it was provided that if should marry without the approbation and consent of his mother, and of Joseph Loomis of Braintree and William Goodwin of Bocking, his legacy of 200 pounds should be reduced to 100 pounds. In the list of thirty-three passengers of the "Lion," given in Drake's Founders of New England, page 12, his name follows next after the name of William Goodwin. [Footnote included after the work "Lion": "We know the name of the vessel from Gov. Winthrop's Hist. N.E., vol. I, p. 107."] His wife's name was Mary, as appears from an unexecuted lease in the handwriting of his son Nathaniel White (now in the possession of one of his descendants), dated March 28, 1666, the lessors being John White and Mary his wife, the lessee their son Nathaniel; the premises, his house and garden, etc., in Hartford, reserving the use of two rooms therein for the term of the lives of said John and Mary, and of the longest liver, whether said John or said Mary.
The Parish Register of Messing gives the marriage, December 26, 1622, of John White and Mary (Lev)it. A facsimile of a tracing made by Mr. William Brigg of this entry is here given. [A reproduction is included in the article; Mary's last name seems a bit faded and an L then space then it can be made out.]
At the request of Mr. Frank F. Starr, of Middletown, Mr. William Brigg, editor of the Herts Genealogist and Antiquary, very kindly made a careful examination of this entry. His great experience and skill in deciphering old records make his suggestions and conclusions on difficult words in such records of great value. He writes to Mr. Starr as follows:
"In reference to this entry: all I need say is that it is a most difficult one to read so far as the surname of the wife is concerned. In the tracing you will notice faint lines where the initial letter of the name ought to appear. These lines were only visible under a very strong magnifying glass, and the letters following are totally illegible until we come to the last two, viz. 'it,' which are clear enough. It struck me at once that the initial letter was 'L,' and I immediately searched the portions of the register in the same handwriting for a capital L, but failed to find one. Then I searched through the baptisms to see if there was any name ending in 'it,' during the period in which it might be supposed she was born, and again I failed to find anything satisfactory. Later on in the register, however, in the years 1633 and 1635 respectively, I came across the baptism of two children of Isaac Levit and Mary his wife, and I have very little hesitation in suggesting that the name of John White's wife was Levit. On my return home I looked again at the will of Robert White, printed in Mr. Goodwin's book, and found that a certain William Levett was one of the witnesses. I think you will agree with me that my suggestion is a very probable one."
Mr. Brigg found among the Filed Wills, Archdeaconry of Colchester, the will of William Levett, yeoman of Messing, dated 9th October, 1626, proved 15th December, 1626, at Fering. He left an estate of about five hundred pounds. Mentions wife Margaret, sons Isaac, Richard and John. Mr. Brigg also found the nuncupative will of his widow Margaret, dated February 16 [bad print in the book and it may be 15], 1633, proved 9 March 1633. Mentions sons Isaac, John and Richard, also a son William not mentioned in her husband's will. No daughter is mentioned in either will. William Levett's will is valuable because the name of one of the witnesses is "John Whit." The following is a facsimile of a tracing made by Mr. Brigg of this signature, and under it is a facsimile of the signature of Elder John White of Hartford, to the recommendation of the Council in 1677, of which he was a member, called to heal the difficulty which had long troubled the ancient church in Windsor. [Both facsimiles as described are included; the second one includes an "e" at the end of it.]
The variation in the spelling of these names is not considered important. Autograph signatures of the same person are often found where the spelling is not precisely the same, especially when the difference consists of the final "e." Persons familiar with the handwriting of those times have examined these facsimiles and considering that one signature was written in 1626 and the other fifty-one years afterwards, when the writer was about 76 years old, have expressed the opinion that they are sufficiently alike to have been written by the same hand.
Of Elder John White's children, Mary and Nathaniel were born in England, but only the baptism, July 16, 1626, of Mary has been found. The rest of his children named in his will were born here.
There was a James Bowtell of Salem and Lynn, 1635, freeman 14 March, 1639. His will, dated 22 August, proved 26 November, 1651, mentions wife Alice, sons James and John and daughter Sarah. See Essex Ins. Hist. Coll., Val. I., page 9, for abstract of this will. No connection has been discovered between this testator and Robert Whites's son-in-law, James Bowtell.
The will of Nathaniel White of Fering, dated 9 June, 1623, proved 31 July, 1623, mentions his mother Bridget White, and gives her an annuity of ten pounds. Fering is four or five miles from Messing.
It deserves to be mentioned that family genealogies have been printed of all the members of Robert White's family who are known to have emigrated to New England, namely:
Elder John White and his descendants, in 1860.
The Loomis Genealogy, in 1875.
Loomis Genealogy, female branches, in 1880.
The Goodwin's of Hartford, Conn., in 1891.
John Porter and his descendants, in 1893.
Memorials of Roderick White and descendants, in 1892.
From these books some of the preceding facts have been taken, and to these genealogies the reader is referred for full and interesting memorials of these families.
"Essex to wit:} This is the final agreement made in the court of the lord king at Westminster, In three weeks from the day of the Holy Trinity, In the year of the reign of Charles by Grace of God of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, King, defender of the faith, etc., from his accession the eighth, before Robert Heath, Richard Hatton, Francis Harvey and George Vernon, justices, then and there present, between Martin Holbeach, gentleman, Adrian Mott, Richard Skynner, Robert Aylett and Robert Morrys, complainants, and John Tallcott and Dorothy his wife, and William Goodwyn and Elizabeth his wife, deforciants, of three messuages, one barn, three gardens, two orchards, two acres of meadow and there acres of pasture with their appurtenances in Brayntree and Bocking... And for this fine and agreement the said Martin, Adrian, Richard, Robert and Robert have given to the aforesaid John and Dorothy and William and Elizabeth a hundred pounds sterling.
"(Feet of fines twenty (seven) 8, Charles I. (1632) Essex.)"
Abstract of the Will of John Porter, dated April 20, 1648, proved 7 June, 1649. [Vol. LV. 3]
"I give to my eldest son John Porter 100 pounds, and to my second son Jeames Porter I give three score pounds, and to my other six children, to wit: Samuel Porter, Nathaniel Porter, Rebecca Porter, Rose Porter, Mary Porter, Anna Porter, I give to each of them thirty pounds apiece... My son Joseph Judson is to take twenty shillings of Thomas Thornton the next winter. Also I give fifty shillings to the poor of Wyndsor Church.
"My desire is that these my beloved friends would be the overseers of this my last Will and testament. Mr. Warham of Wyndsor, Mr. Goodwin of Hartford, Goodman White of Hartford, Matthew Graunt of Wyndsor. Witnesses, Henry Clarke, Abigaill Branker. [Signed] John Porter."
His two eldest daughters Ann and Sarah thought the portions given them by their father at their marriage should be made the same as their younger sisters, as appears from the following report of the committee appointed to consider the matter.
"March 7th, 1650.
"Upon the consideration of the business referred to our consideration touching the children of John Porter of Wyndsor, deceased, We finding some expressions of his that he would make the portions of his two eldest daughters as good as his younger; also we conceive the eldest were helpful to the estate and that the Lord hath taken away one the younger daughters and that the rest of the children are disposed of without damage to their portion; our apprehensions are (if the Court see meet) that the two eldest daughters portions be made up thirty pounds apiece. John Taillcott, William Westwood." Conn. Col. Rec., Vol. 1, pp. 475-6.
From the Parish Register of Felsted, Co. Essex, England.
Baptisms.
1621, Sept. 22, Anna, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1622, Feby. 9, John, son of John and Anna Porter.
1624, Mar. 15, Sara, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1627, Feb. 2, James, son of John and Anna Porter.
1630, Sept. 16, Rebecca, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1632, May 26, Samuel, son of John and Anna Porter.
1633, June 24, Rose, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
1635, June 2, Samuel, son of John and Anna Porter.
1637, Oct. 1, Mary, dau. of John and Anna Porter.
Burials.
1632, July 15, Samuel, son of John and Anna Porter.
Extracts from Parish Registers of Shalford and Messing, Co. Essex, transcribed by Mr. Frank Farnsworth Starr.
From Parish Register of Shalford.
Marriages.
1570, Nov. 11, Richard Bette and Alice Smythe.
1575, Oct. 16, Henry Bette son of John the elder and Anne Allgar.
1582, Sept. 27, Ralfe Bette and Marye Allgar.
1585, June 24, Robert Whighte and Brydgette Allgar.
1614, June 30, Joseph Loomis and Mary White.
1616, Nov. 7, William Goodwyn of Bocking singleman and Elizabeth White of this parish singlewoman.
Baptisms.
1560, Sept. 9, Mary Allgar daughter of William Allgar.
1562, Mar 11, Brydgette Allgar dau. of William Allgar.
1565, April 6, John Allgar son of William Allgar.
1567, Oct. 5, John Allgar son of William Allgar.
1583, May 5, Elizabeth Allgar dau. of William Allgar.
1585, Mar. 8, Sara Whighte dau. of Robert Whighte.
1587, last day of April, Nathaniel Whighte son of Robert Whighte.
1590, Aug. 24, Mary Whighte, dau. of Robert Whighte.
1591, Mar. 5, Elizabeth Whighte dau. of Robert Whighte.
1594, Aug. 18, Bridget Whight dau. of Robert Whighte.
1600, July 13, Anne Whighte dau. of Robert Whighte.
1614, Nov. 15, Matthew Bowtell son of James Bowtell.
1616, Feby. 25, James Bowtell son of James and Sara Bowtell.
1618, Jan. 1, Nathaniel Bowtell son of James and Sara Bowtell.
1620, Jan. 2, Stephen Bowtell son of James and Sara Bowtell.
Burials.
1565, Aug. 1, John Allgar, son of William Allgar.
1575, Aug. 2, William Allgar the elder.
1615, May 29, Matthew Bowtell son of James Bowtell.
1617, Sept. 30, John Bowtell son of James and Sara.
1626, Aug. 15, Sara Bowtell dau. of James and Sara.
From the Parish Register of Messing.
Marriages.
1607, June 30, Bartholomew Scrivener and Margaret Morris.
1616, Nov. 26, John Christmas the elder widdower and Mary Porter singlewoman.
1618, Sept. 28, John Christmas and Bridgett White.
1620, Oct. 18, John Porter of Felsted and Anna White of Messing.
1622, Dec. 26, John White and Mary (Lev)it.
Baptisms.
1619, Aug. 26, Richard Christmas son of John Christmas the younger.
1620-21, Jan. 24, John Christmas son of John Christmas and Bridget his wife.
1623, Dec. 28, John White son of John White and Mary his wife.
1626, July 16, Mary White dau. of John White and Mary his wife.
1628, Dec. 21, Philip White dau. of John White and Mary his wife.
1633, Dec. 1, John Levit son of Isaac Levit and Mary his wife.
1635, July 5, Sarah dau. of Isaac Levit and Mary his wife.
1638, Nov. 4, Anna Porter dau. of John Porter and Anna his wife.
Burials.
1591, Nov. 29, Alice White.
1593, April 14, Will White.
1616, July 26, James Bowtle child and son of ___ Bowtle of Shalford.
1617, June 17, Robert White.
Will of Robert White of Messing, form page 68 of "The Goodwins of Hartford, Conn."
"In the name of God Amen. May the seaven and twentyeth in the fifteenth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord James by the grace of god Kinge of England ffrance and Ireland defender of the faith etc and of Scotland the fiftyeth. In the yeare of our Lord god 1617 Robert White of Messinge in the countye of Essex yeoman, beinge of good and pfect remembrance, doe make this my last will and testament, in manner and forme followinge. Imprimis. I commend my soule unto the hands of god almightey my most faythful creator redemer and sanctifier and my bodie to be buried in the parish church or church yeard of Messinge, at the discretion of mine executors.
Item I give and bequeath unto the poore people of Messinge fortye shillings of lawful mony of England, to be distributed amongst them, at ye discretion of mine executors and the minister of Messinge, within one month next after my depture from this naturall life.
Item I give and beqyeath unto Mr. Richard Rob\gers preacher of gods word at Withersfield in Essex aforesaid; and to Bartholomew Scrivener Minister of the church of god in Messinge aforenamed to each of them the severall summe of fortey shillings of like lawfull monie, to be payd unto them within two monthes after my departure.
Item I give and bequeath unto mine eldest daughter Sarah, the wife of James Bowtell of little Salinge, the summe of fifteene pounds of lawfull mony of England, to be paid within fower years next after my depture.
Item I give and bequeath unto Jeames Bowtell the younger, son of my said daughter Sarah Bowtell, the summe of five pounds of good and lawfull mony of England, to be paid unto him when he shall come to ye sixteenth yeare of his age.
Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Marie the wife of Joseph Lummis of Branetree, one pewter platter.
Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Elizabeth the wife of Willm Goodinge of Bockinge the summe of fortye markes of like lawful monye within one yeare next after my depture, to paid unto her.
Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Bridgett White the sum of one hundred marks of like lawfull monye, to be paid unto hir upon the dau of hir marriage, provided that she my said daughter Bridgett shall not bestow hir selfe in marryage without the apporbation and consent of my two sonnes in law Joseph Lummys and Willim Goodinge formrly mentioned, and my wife Bridgett White or the consent of two of them whereof my wife to be one of the twaine. But yf it happen that shee mariye without the consent aforesaid then I give her only the summe of thirtye pounds of like lawfull monie.
Item I give and bequeath unto my daughter Anna White the summe of one hundredth markes of like lawfull mony: to be paid unto hir upon ye day of hir marriage; yr soe be she shall bestow hir selfe in marriage, accordinge to the likinge and consent of my two fornamed sonnes in law, and my wife, as is aforesaid. But yf it soe fall out, as that she my said daughter Anna shall marrye without the consent and approbation formerly mentioned, then I give and bequeath hir only the sum of thirtey pounds of like and lawfull monie.
Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne Nathaniel White the sume of fortie pounds of lawfull monye, whereof my will is that twenty pounds shall be paid within one yeare next after my depture, and the other twentye pounds to be paid unto him within two years next after my said depture oute of this naturall life.
Item I give and bequeath unto my sonne John White the summe of two hundreth pounds of like lawfull monie to be paid to him when he shall come to ye years of one and twentye of his age; yett provided that my said sonne John shall not bestow himselfe in marriage without the approbation and consent of my aforesaid two sonnes in law Joseph Lummys and William Goddinge, and my wife his mother. And yf it soe fall oute that this my son John shall match him selfe contrarye to the good likinge and consent aforesaid, then I give and bequeath unto him onlye as his full portion the summe of one hundred pounds of like lawfull monye. Item my mind and will is, that yf any of my foresaid children that are unmarried shall depte this naturall life before the tymes appointed for the paymt of their portions; or yf any of them shall marrye contrarye to the consent and approbation mentioned, then such summe or summes of monie (as shall remaine and accrew, eyther by their death or disobeydience), shall be equally devidedt amongste the rest of my children whither marryed or unmarried, pte and parte like.
Item I give and bequeath unto my son John White the ioyned standinge bedstand wch is in the parlour, wth the featherbed, flockbed, bolster coveringe wth other furneyture thereunto belonginge; alsoe the presse cupbourd table and newest chest, all wch are in said ploure to be delivered him after the death of my wife Bridgett White, or instead thereof the summe of twenty marks of like lawfull monye.
Item I constitute and ordaine my aforesaid sonnes in law Joseph Lumys Willm Goodings supulsors of this my last will and testament and doe give unto each of them the severall summes of fortey shillings of like lawfulle mony: touards their charge and paines in seinge this my will executed according to my minde.
Item I give and bequeath unto Ralph Bett the younger my kinsman and servant the summe of five pounds of like lawfull monye, to be paid unto him within one yeare next after my depture. Item I give and bequeath unto Joseph Digbie my servant, twentye shillings of like lawfull monye, to be paid within one yeare next after my depture.
Item all the rest of my good unbequeathed I give and bequeath unto my wife Bridgett White, and to my sonne Daniel White whome I constitute and ordayne the ioynte executors of this my last will and testament, hopinge they will faithfullye execute this my last will accordinge to the trust reposed in them. In witness whereof I have hereunto sett myne hand and seale the daye and yeare first mentioned.
Robert White. In presence of us John Christman ye elders (x) marke Willm Levett S.T. Probatu fuit Testamentu apud Kelvedon vicesimo Die Mensis Junii 1617.' "
2. Any ancestry given for Robert where he is associated with Pemberton is erroneous and not the right Robert White.
3. Various members of the White family are mentioned in the following excerpt of William Goodwin's biography from "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633," Volumes I-III:
"William Goodwin
Origin: Braintree, Essex
Migration: 1632 on Lyon [Hotten 150] First Residence: Cambridge Removes: Hartford 1636, Hadley by 1659, Farmington by 1670... Marriage: (1) Shalford, Essex, 7 November 1616 Elizabeth White, daughter of Robert White of Messing, Essex [NEHGR 55:24]; she died before January 1669/70. (2) After 7 December 1654 and by January 1669/70 Susan (Garbrand) Hooker, widow of Rev. Thomas Hooker; she died at Farmington 17 May 1676 [Farm VR Barbour 58, citing FarmLR 2:141]...
Associations: William Goodwin's first wife, Elizabeth White, was sister of Mary White, wife of Joseph Loomis of Braintree, and of Anna White, wife of John Porter of Windsor [NEHGR 55:22-31]..."
4. The following partial excerpt concerning the parents of John White is found in the biographical sketch for John White in "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633," Volumes I-III (see his notes for full transcript):
"JohnWHITE
Origin: Messing, Essex
Migration: 1632 on Lyon [Hotten 150]... Birth: About 1597, son of Robert and Bridget (Allgar) White of Messing, Essex [NEHGR 55:22-31]...
Associations: Three of John White's sisters came to New England with their husbands: Mary, wife of Joseph Loomis; Elizabeth, wife of William Goodwin; and Anne, wife of John Porter [NEHGR 55:22-31]... Bibliographic Note: In 1901 "A Descendant" published an excellent article on the White family in England, and the connections to other New England immigrants [NEHGR 55:22-31]. In 1915 Frank Farnsworth Starr prepared the best account in print of the immigrant and his children [Goodwin Anc 2:395-419]."
5. The book "Descendants of Joseph Loomis in America," by Elias Loomis, Berea, Ohio, third (1908) edition, pp. 103-104:
"Joseph Loomis, on some market-day [in Braintree], must have first met Mary White, who had come to town with her father from Shalford, four miles to the north. Soon after their marriage her parents removed to Messing, where her father [Robert White] died leaving the following will [dated 27 May 1617]:
'In the name of God Amen. May the seaven and twentyeth in the fifteenth yeare of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord James by the grace of god Kinge of England ffrance and Ireland defender of the faith etc and of Scotland the fiftyeth. In the yeare of our Lord god 1617 Robert White of Messinge in the countye of Essex yeoman... [See transcript of will above in separate note.]
This will, supplemented by other records, yields the following facts:
Robert White, yeoman, b. England, prob. at Messing, and there died, and buried June 17, 1617. He m. June 24, 1585, Brydgette, bapt. at Shalford, Mch. 11, 1562, dau. of William Allgar, who d. at Shalford, and there buried, Aug. 2, 1575. (See N.E. Hst. and Gen. Reg. June 1901.)
Robert White lived in Shalford most of the time from his marriage, until a few months before his death. He was a rich man, for those times. He was friendly to the Non-conformists. Shalford is 2 miles south of Weathersfield; here (Shalford) were b. his children; and here baptized; viz.:
1. Daniel.
2. Sarah, m. James Bowtell.
3. Mary, bapt. Aug. 24, 1590; m. Jospeh Loomis, Windsor, Conn.
4. Elizabeth, m. William Goodwin, Windsor, Conn.
5. Bridgett.
6. Anna, or Rosanna, m. John Porter, Windsor, Conn.
7. Nathaniel.
8. John, m. Mary Levett, Hartford, Conn."
6. From the Robert' White's will dated May 27, 1617 (bur. Jun. 17, 1617 at Messing, Essex, England), we see the following relations mentioned:
A. John CHRISTMAS (Sr.) and William LEVETT were witnesses. A John Christmas marries Robert's daughter Bridget in 1618 and William's daughter Mary marries John White in 1622.
B. Ralph BETT ("my kinsman and servant") received a legacy. He is Robert's brother-in-law who married Robert's wife Bridget's sister Mary Allgar in 1582.
7. FHL book "Various Ancestral Lines … Goodwin and … Morgan …," by Frank Farnsworth Starr (1915; Hartford), pp. 395-399: "The Family of Robert White.
Shalford, a small parish of Essex County, England, is located in the north middle section of the county, four and a half miles northwest of Braintree, the nearest railroad town, and has a population of about 700.
The writer visited this parish in August 1891, made an examination of the Church Register which begins in 1558, and found many interesting items. In the record of baptisms are found:
1560 Sept. 9, Mary Allgar daughter of William Allgar
1562 Mar. 11, Brydgette Allgar daughter of William Allgar
1565 Apr. 6, Jdhn Allgar son of William Allgar
1567 Oct. 5, John Allgar son of William Allgar
1583 May 5, Elizabeth Allgar daughter of William Allgar
In the record of burials:
1565 Aug. 1, John Allgar son of William Allgar
1575 Aug. 2, William Allgar the elder
The following entries were found in the record of marriages:
1575 Oct 16, Henry Bette son of John the elder and Anne Allgar
1582 Sept. 27, Ralfe Bette and Marye Allgar
1585 June 24, Robert Whighte and Brydgett Allgar
The last entry gives us the marriage of Robert White and Bridget Allgar; the daughter of William Allgar of Shalford. Of White's parentage and earlier history we have no knowledge. He seems to have resided at Shalford until after November 7, 1616, the date of the marriage of his daughter Elizabeth to William Goodwin then of Bocking, Essex County, later of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and other towns in New England.
In May 1617, he was a resident of Messing in the same county when he made his will, and where he was buried on the 17th of June following.
Thus far, there has not been discovered any record of the death of his wife Bridget, but she is supposed to be the person of that name, to whom one Nathaniel White of Faring, Essex County, in his will made June 9, 1623, left a life annuity of £ 10. (Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts., vol. for 1623-4, 158.)
The following is a copy of Robert White's will, as entered in the records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, volume Weldon, 40... [Article transcribes will; however, I do not copy it since I already have a transcript of it in a separate note.]
It will be interesting to note that of the daughters mentioned in this will, three with their husbands, became residents of New England, as follows:
Mary, wife of Joseph Loomis of Windsor, Connecticut Elizabeth, wife of William Goodwin of Cambridge, Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut; Hadley, Massachusetts, and Farmington, Connecticut
Anne, wife of John Porter of Windsor, Connecticut. We have no knowledge of his son Daniel, except that he was made one of the executors of the will; possibly, he was the child of a previous marriage.
Child of Robert and ___ White:
-Daniel bap. ___ legatee and executor of the will of his father; nothing further known about him.
Children of Robert and Bridget (Allgar) White (Church Register, Shalford, Essex County, England):
-Sarah, bap. Mar 8, 1585, mar. James Bowtell of Little Sating, Essex County, England and was living in May, 1617 (Robert White's will, Prerogative Court of Canterbury, London).
-Nathaniel, bap. "Laste day of April," 1587; he is supposed to have lived at Feering, Essex County, and to have died in 1623.
-Mary, bap. Aug. 24, 1590; mar. June 30, 1614, Joseph Loomis, who emigrated to America and settled in Windsor, Conn.
-Elizabeth, bap. "fyfte March", 1591; mar. Nov. 7, 1614 William "Godwyn of Bocking singleman." He emigrated to America in 1632 and became one of the settlers of Hartford, Conn.
-Bridget, bap. Aug. 18, 1594; mar. Sept. 28, 1618, John Christmas.
-John, bap. ___, mar. Dec. 26, 1622, Mary (Lev ?)it.
-Anne, bap. July 13, 1600; mar. Oct. 18, 1620 John Porter of Felstead, Essex County, who emigrated to America and settled in Windsor, Conn."
[Sources in footnotes;]
-Will of Nathaniel White of Feering, Essex County, in Commissary Court of London for Essex and Herts, vol. for 1623-4, 158.
-Parish Register, Messing, Essex County, England."
8. The book, "Ancestors & Descendants of Clark Proctor Nichols and Sarah (Sally) Stoughton in England and America, 1620-2001, by Clara Pierce Olson Overbo (2002), p. 163:
"ROBERT WHITE, born at Shalford, co. Essex in 1588; buried at Messing, co. Essex June 1617; married at Shalford 24 June 1585, BRIDGET ALGAR, born at Shalford, co. Essex, England 11 March 1562.
Robert was a yeoman and lived most of his life in Shalford, but moved to Messing before his death. He left a long and complete will at Shalford.
Children of Robert and Bridget (Algar) White:
i. Sarah White, born at Shalford 8 March 1585/6.
ii. Nathaniel White, baptized at Shalford 30 April 1587.
iii. Mary White, born at Shalford, co Essex, England, 24 August 1590; died at Windsor, Connecticut 21 August 1652; married at Messing, co. Essex 30 June 1614, Joseph Loomis.
iv. Bridget White, baptized at Shalford 18 August 1594.
v Anna White, baptized at Shalford 13 July 1600.
vi. ELIZABETH WHITE (Lineal Ancestor See #1a below)
vii. JOHN WHITE (Lineal Ancestor See #1b below)
ELIZABETH WHITE, baptized at Shalford 13 July 1600 [an apparent typo by the author]; died at Windsor Connecticut; married in England, WILLIAM GOODWIN (See Goodwin Family.)
9. The book "Colonial Ancestors. Four lineal genealogies of eastern Connecticut families…," by Bernice Andrews (Livingston) Rieg (Camden, Maine; Penobscot Press, 1991), pp. 183-87 [Note: I neglected to copy the source list.]:
"Some productive inquiries into the English origins of John White were made by one of his descendants around the year 1900. John is understood to be the youngest child of ROBERTA WHITE, yeoman, well-to-do, born possibly in Messing, county Essex; he died there in 1617. Robert married in Shalford, county Essex, 24 Jun 1585, BRIDGET ALLGAR, where also she had been baptized on 11 Mch 1562, the daughter of William Allgar. Robert and Bridget seem to have lived in her native town or parish, Shalford, most of their married life.[1]
Robert White was buried at Messing, 17 Jun 1617, less than three weeks after making his will, which provided for daughters Sarah (called the eldest; mar. James Bowtell), Mary (mar. Joseph Loomis), Elizabeth (mar. William Goodwin), Bridget White and Anna White, in that order; he then names sons Nathaniel and John, the latter being a minor and believed to be the youngest child; finally, he names his wife, Bridget, and his son, Daniel as joint executors.[2]
Subsequently, Anna White married at Messing, 18 Oct 1620, John Porter; and John White married at the same place, 26 Dec 1622, Mary (Lev).[3]
A sizeable portion of the White family moved from the Old World to New England in the Great Migration, and stayed near to one another in the new land.[4] Moreover, there clearly existed within the family, and with its in-laws, a sense of closeness, mutual support, and common interest. This is apparent from the respect and trust implied in assigned responsibilities, as illustrated in several legal instruments in which members of the family partook. For example, Robert White, wishing to assure sensible marriages for his children, Bridget, Anna and John, by his will conditioned receipt of their full inheritance upon approval of the intended spouse not only by his wife Bridget, but also by his "sonnes in law" Joseph Loomis and William Goodwin.[5] The father's high opinion of these two young men was well substantiated by their later careers as leaders in Windsor and Hartford in Connecticut.
In the same vein, it is worth noting that the White children tried to stay together when they settled across the Altantic: when Joseph Loomis and John Porter occupied adjacent home lots in Windsor in 1639, their wives, Mary (White) Loomis and Anna (White) Porter, became next door neighbors.[6]
The English shire of Essex was one of the prime centers for nonconformist preachers, and of course most of those who came to New England in the two decades after Robert White's death were following their inspiring preachers, often making the move as congregations. It's not surprising, then, to find in Robert White's will an early bequest for "...Mr. Richard Rogers preacher of gods word at Withersfield in Essex...,"[7] and study of the ecclesiastical jurisdictions of Essex discloses that the parish of Wethersfield adjoins that of Shalford, in the north central part of Essex. For Robert White to attend a lecture by Mr. Rogers, he may have had to travel no more than ten miles.
Out of this moderately wealthy English family, comfortably settled in the shire of Essex, but imbued with nonconformist fervor, came the hard working, well liked and increasingly respected man who was to become an early, founding settler of no less than three new towns: Newtown (later Cambridge, Mass.), Hartford, and Hadley."
CHRISTENING:
1. Some Internet family histories use a baptismal date for Robert White as 17 May 1560 in Shalford. From what I have seen, this is undocumented and not reliable.
BURIAL:
1. Per parish register as quoted above in a separate note.
SOURCES_MISC:
1. The Genealogy of Walter Gilbert Source: Jacobus, Donald Lines, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield (reprinted with corrections), Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991 (1930); vol.1, p. 487. English Origins of New England Families, Series 2, Vol. 3: The children of Robert White of Messing, Co. Essex, England, Who Settled in Hartford and Windsor (Family Tree Maker CD181).
Website sources:
AFN:2VDR-8M
Ancestors of American Presidents (1989)
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JohnBerry/d3730.htm
http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~amorrow/wc02/wc02_463.htm
http://www.csee.umbc.edu/~mayfield/genealogy/674BridgetAllgar.html
http://www.gendex.com/users/Genie/d0058/g0000011.html
http://www.realtime.com/~edowdavd/Genohtml/D0001/I60.html
http://nt1.worldlynx.net/tgrizzy/d252.htm
http://www.wasatch.com/~lance/mcrae/d4589.htm
http://www.hu.mtu.edu/~agheaps/heaps/d925.htm
2. FHL book "Ancestors & Descendants of Clark Proctor Nichols and Sarah (Sally) Stoughton in England and America, 1620-2001," by Clara Pierce Olson Overbo, 2002, pp. 163-64. Material is brief and similar to what I already have; however, the author does provied the following references:
Boltwood, Genealogies of Hadley Families.
Olney, Sandra Sutpin, Passengers on the Lyon.
Starr, Various Ancestral Lines of James Goodwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin.
Thistlewaite, Frank, Dorset Pilgrims.
Ward, A Genealogy of Ward and Allied Families.
White Descendant Children, The White Family in England.
White Descendant Children, Robert White of Messing, co. Essex, England who Settled in Hartford and Windsor.
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
Abt 1558 - 1617 (~ 59 years)