| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. "The Great Migration Begins," II:770-72, by Robert Charles Anderson:
"Nathan Gillett
Origin: Chaffcombe, Somersetshire Migration: 1633 First Residence: Dorchester Removes: Windsor 1636 Church Membership: Admission to Dorchester church prior to 14 May 1634 implied by freemanship. Freeman: 14 May 1634 [MBCR 1:369]. In list of Windsor freemen, 11 October 1669 [CCCR 2:519]. Offices: Served in Pequot War, 1637 [CCCR 2:161]. Estate: In the grant of meadows beyond Neponset in Dorchester, "N. Gillet" held Lot #33, four acres [DTR 321]. (A grant of two acres of marsh on 27 June 1636 to "Jellets" may have been to Nathan as well as to Jonathan [DTR 17].) Granted fifty acres by Connecticut court for service in Pequot War, 12 October 1671 [CCCR 2:161, 251, 288]. In the Windsor land inventory in January 1640 Nathan Gillett held five parcels: a homestead of five acres (annotated "sold to his brother Jonathan"); three and a half acres in the Little Neck (annotated "sold to Mr. Warham"); "in meadow and upland adjoining in the second meadow twenty[?] acres more or less" (annotated "sold to Robart Hayward"); "in Long Meadow three acres more or less and adjoining to it two acres" (annotated "sold to J. Enows"); and "over the Great River begins one hundred sixty rods back & then is in breadth eleven rods, in length two miles and half" (annotated "this is now Owen Tudor's"). This list was amended 5 June 1660 to include "fifteen acres of land" granted to Nathan Gillet [WiLR 1:36]. On 31 May 1678 Nathan "Gillit" and John Moses came to an agreement allowing John Moses three rods of Gillett's land. "Elias Gillit and John Mosses Junior, both sons to the aged men above written, to perfect and settle the line," also agreed to the line as it was run [SimsLR 1«:109]. In an undated deed "Nathan Gillit of Windsor who is deceased did give unto his son Elias Gillit his heirs and assigns forever and ordered me so to record it to him and them ... as attest Jno Slater, Register" [SimsLR 1«:142]. The same John Slater noted that the record of "Nathan Gillit Senior's" land laid out in 1672 or 1673, being approximately eighty-six acres, was re-recorded in the town records, the original "being burnt" [SimsLR 1«:142]. "In the year 1687 or 88 Nathan Gillit of Windsor ... being disposed before his death to dispose of his land did in his lifetime make distribution to his children of said meadow lot in the township of Simsbury to each his proportion being personally himself present ... and is as followeth: "First to his son Elias being the eldest son living" three acres and three rood at Weatoug; to "Nathan Gillit Junior" one part of "Nathan Gillit Senior's" meadow in Simsbury; and to "Thomas Wapples of Hartford" Nathan being "his wife's father" meadow in Weatoug being approximately eleven acres and three roods [SimsLR 1«:143]. On 18 April 1688 "Nathan Gillyt senor of Windsor" deeded to "Nicholas Gozard of the town of Simsbury ... my son-in-law ... and husband to my daughter Elizabeth" fourteen acres of meadow. But Nathan died before signing the deed and "Elyas Gillit being the eldest son to my father that is now living" honored the deed to Gozzard 26 May 1692 [SimsLR 1-1/2:96-97]. On 19 April 1688 "Nathan Gillit Senr of Windsor" deeded to "Eliez[e]r Hill of the town of Simsbury ... husband to my daughter Sarah" a parcel of land, part upland, part meadow in Simsbury on the east side of the river. Elias confirmed this under the same conditions as the Gozzard deed [SimsLR 1«:125]. Birth: By about 1613 based on date of freemanship, son of Rev. William Gillett of Chaffcombe, Somersetshire. Death: Windsor 15 September 1689 [CTVR 57]. Marriage: By 1639 ____ ____. She was "above fifty years" old on 30 May 1667 [TAG 23:126, citing WMJ 730] and died at Windsor 21 February 1670/1 [WiVR]. Children (all born or baptized Windsor [Grant 40]):
i Elizabeth, b. 6 October 1639; m. by about 1672 Nicholas Gozzard (eldest child aged twenty-one in 1693 [Manwaring 1:453; TAG 56:130])
ii Abiah, b. 22 August 1641; m. (1) Windsor 3 December 1663 Isaiah Bartlett [Grant 28]; m. (2) Windsor 15 July 1669 John Slater [CTVR 12]
iii Child, d. Windsor 1646 [Grant 81] (probably a son since Elias is often called "the eldest son now living").
iv Rebecca, b. 14 June 1646; d. Windsor 13 July 1655 [Grant 81; CTVR 43].
v Elias, bp. 1 July 1649; m. (1) Simsbury 29 October 1676 Sarah Griffin [SimsVR Barbour 60], daughter of John Griffin; m. (2) between 1694 and 1699 Rebecca (Kelsey) Messenger, widow of Nathaniel Messenger and daughter of Mark Kelsey.
vi Sarah, b. 13 July 1651; m. Simsbury 29 December 1679 Eleazer Hill [SimsVR Barbour 61].
vii Benjamin, b. 29 August 1653; d. Windsor 13 July 1655 [Grant 81; CTVR 43].
viii Nathan, b. 17 August 1655; m. Windsor 30 June 1692 Rebecca Owen [WiVR Barbour 119], daughter of John Owen. (Stiles erred in giving him his nephew's wife in a second marriage [TAG 56:133].)
ix Rebecca, b. 8 December 1657; m. by 1684 Thomas Whaples [TAG 56:134, citing SimsLR 1«:109].
Associations: Jonathan Gillett was his brother. In his will of 1641 Rev. William Gillett, Rector of Chaffcombe, Somersetshire, made note of "land which my son Nathan made over to me by letter of attorney" [NYGBR 41:282-83]. Comments: In his 17 August 1677 accounting of "what children has been born in Windsor from our beginning hither," Matthew Grant says that Nathan Gillett had eight children, which apparently does not take into account the unnamed child who died in 1646 [Grant 91]. Although Nathan Gillett was an original grantee of land at Simsbury, and several of his children resided there, Nathan himself apparently never moved to Simsbury. Bibliographic Note: In addition to the many items listed under Jonathan Gillett, we are greatly aided with the family of Nathan Gillett by an article by George E. McCracken, "Nathan Gillett's Earlier Descendants" [TAG 56:129-40].
Sources:
DTR: Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston. 1880. Dorchester Town Records (Boston 1883).
TAG: The American Genealogist, Volume 9 to present (1932+).
Grant: "Matthew Grant Record, 1639-1681" in Some Early Records and Documents of and Relating to the Town of Windsor, Connecticut, 1639-1703 (Hartford 1930).
WiVR: Windsor Vital Records, typescript, Connecticut State Library (1918-29).
SimsVR Barbour: Simsbury Vital Records, Barbour Collection, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut.
CCCR: The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, 1636-1776, 15 volumes (Hartford 1850-1890).
CTVR: Births Marriages and Deaths Returned from Hartford, Windsor and Fairfield and Entered in the Early Land Records of the Colony of Connecticut..., Edwin Stanley Welles, ed. (Hartford 1898).
Manwaring: A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records, Volume One, Hartford Probate District, 1635-1700, Charles William Manwaring, comp. (Hartford 1904).
RPCC: Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut, 1639-1663, Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, Volume 22 (Hartford 1928; rpt. Bowie, Maryland, 1987).
WiLR: Windsor, Connecticut, Deeds (microfilm of original at Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut).
WMJ: Medical Journals of John Winthrop Jr., 1657-1669, manuscript, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.
SimsLR: Simsbury, Connecticut, Deeds.
MBCR: Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, 1628-1686, Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., 5 volumes in 6 (Boston 1853-1854)."
2. "The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography": Entry for Clarence Preston Gillette, pg. 407: "The Gillette family in the United States is descended from two brothers, Nathan and Jonathan Gillet, of Devonshire, England, sons of Huguenot parents who fled from their home near Burge, France, to Scotland, in 1572. The sons sailed for America in 1630 in the ship 'Mary and John' with a company of 140 emigrants, and settled at Dorchester, Mass. They removed, to Windsor, Conn., in 1636, where their descendants remained for several generations."
3. Henry R. Stiles, "The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 1892, v. 2, p. 297:
"Nathan (bro. of Jonathan), adm. freeman in Dorchester, 1634; came to Windsor, 1635; sold his place at Windsor (see p. 157, Vol. I) to his brother Jonathan, after whose death, 1677, it passed to his son, Jeremy, 1680; ret. to Simsbury, where he had 75 acres of land granted for services during Pequot War (Col. Records); his wife died at Simsbury, 21 Feb 1670. Children (Old Church Records)):
a. Elizabeth, b. 6 Oct 1639.
b. Abia, b. 33 Aug 1641.
c. Rebecca, b. 14 Jun 1646; d. 13 Jul 1655. - Col. Rec.
d. Elias, bp. 1 Jul 1649.
e. Sarah, bp. 13 Jul 1651.
f. Benjamin, b. 29 Aug 1653; d. 13 Jul 1655. - Col. Rec.
g. Nathan, b. 17 Aug 1655. - Col. Rec.
h. Rebecca, b. 8 Dec 1657.
(Had a ch. d. 1646. - O.C.R.)"
4. Excerpts from the book "The Filleys: 350 Years of American Entrepreneurial Spirit," by Donald G. Southerton, 2005:
"...by March of 1663, Windsor inhabitants... expanded west to unclaimed Massacoe, later named Simsbury. Although this section was never part of Windsor's town limits, the settlers had always considered it as belonging to the plantation. In 1647, the colony's General Court officially endorsed their claim: 'The Court thinks fit that Massacoe be purchased (possibly from the American Indians) by the county, and that there be a committee chosen to dispose of it to such inhabitants of Windsor.' A town committee of Windsor settlers interested in moving to Simsbury was formed to lay out lots in the new territory. The settlers met on Oct. 5, 1668, at the home of a local leader, John Moore, in Windsor. The committee agreed that by the first of May 1669, the settlers would have to fence in their respective properties. Furthermore, they agreed that failure to do so would result in a fine of 5 pounds.
25 people agreed to take land in quantities from 40 to 80 acres. The committee specified that those who took up the land were to make improvements by plowing, fencing, and constructing buildings. They also had to live on the land for two years. The costs to individual settlers for the Massacoe land grants are not known, but it was thought by local historians that the land fee probably consisted of only the expense incurred by the committee. These costs were kept minimal, usually just the administrative and land survey expenses. Any grantee not complying with the terms forfeited his land, usually to other inhabitants. Samuel Filley moved to Massacoe, along with his father-in-law, John Gillett, and his brother Nathan Gillett.
Readily available land provided a powerful motivation for the Windsor settlers. Furthermore, a three year tax abatement encouraged settlement in this area. The land, having already been 'conveniently' cleared by an earlier American Indian Tribe, required little labor to prepare it for cultivation.
Windsor records show that in 1669 Samuel was a freeman living in Massacoe, but there is no record of him having a land title. Perhaps he did not stay the two years required to finalize the land grant. It was a hard place to live with the settlement located near two rivers, and no roads, no bridges, and no market for its produce. It also lacked protection on two sides, making it vulnerable to an American Indian attack. Sometime in the 1670s, these economic and personal safety issues led many, including Samuel and his family, to return to their Windsor homes. Soon after this, the General Court in Hartford renamed Massacoe, as Simsbury."
5. 20 Mar 2008 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bart/Gillet.htm:
"Nathan Gillet born ca. 1608(?) probably in Chaffcombe, Somerset, married by 1639 (name of wife unknown), died 15 Sept. 1689 in Windsor, CT. His wife was born ca. 1617, died 21 Feb. 1670/1 in Windsor.[11]
The first record of Nathan in America is his admission to the Massachusetts Bay Colony 14 May 1634 which implies arrival by 1633 and admission to the Dorchester, MA, Church. Did he emigrate with his brother Jonathan? In Dorchester he held a grant of meadows beyond Neponset and lot #33, four acres.[12] By 1635 he removed to Windsor, CT. In 1637 he served in the Pequot War, for which service he received 12 Oct. 1671 a grant of 50 acres. Sometime before his father's death in 1641 Nathaniel by power of attorney conveyed some land in England to his father.
In the Windsor, CT, land inventory of Jan. 1640 Nathan Gillett held 5 parcels of land:
- a homestead of 5 acres granted in 1637 (sold to his brother Jonathan and then to his nephew Jeremiah)
- 3½ acres in the Little Neck (sold to Mr. Warham)
- 20 acres more or less in meadow & upland adjoining in the second meadow (sold to Robart Hayward)
- 3 acres more or less in Long Meadow & adjoining to it 2 acres (sold to J. Enows).
On 11 Oct. 1669 Nathan Gillet was listed as a freeman of Windsor.
Following the death of his wife, Nathan bought land in the new settlement of Simsbury, CT. On 9 Mar. 1679/80 the committee appointed by the General Court "for settling of ye plantation of Simsbury" determined that proprietor Nathan Gillit's land should be on the "eastside."[13]
In March 1687 Nathan conveyed lands to his eldest son Elias, his son Nathan, Jr., and to his son-in-law Thomas Wapples. He also made separate deeds to his 3 daughters. Nathan's children were all born in Windsor, CT:
a. Elizabeth Gillett born 6 Oct. 1639, married Nicholas Gozzard ca. 1671 in Salisbury, died after 10 Nov. 1697. Nicholas died intestate 3 Aug. 1692 at Simsbury. He was a son of Daniel Gozzard of Hartford.
On 18 Apr. 1688 Elizabeth's father deeded to Nicholas Gozard of Simsbury 14 acres of meadow but Nicholas died before signing the deed. Elyas Gillett honored the deed to Nicholas 26 May 1692 (Simsbury Deed 1½:96-97). Administration of Nicholas' estate was granted to widow Elizabeth. The inventory amounted to £206/10/-. The heirs were Widow Elizabeth, son Nathaniel Gozzard (age 16), son John Gozzard (age 11) and daughter Elizabeth Gozzard (age 21). On 10 Nov. 1697 Widow Elizabeth signed as Elizabeth Gozzard, Sr., the covenant on the occasion of the ordination of the Rev. Dudley Woodbridge as pastor at Simsbury.
b. Abiah Gillett born 22 Aug. 1641, married (1) Isaiah Bartlett 3 Dec. 1663 in Windsor, married (2) John Slater 15 July 1669 in Windsor, died 21 Nov. 1716 in Simsbury. Isaiah was born 13 June 1641 in Windsor, died 13 July 1665. He was the eldest son of John Bartlett. John Slater died 13 May 1713 at Simsbury. John Slater signed his will 15 Aug. 1712 with his mark. It was probated 6 July 1713 naming his wife Abiah, sons John Slater, Samuel Slater, Elias Slater and daughter Elizabeth Slater. The inventory taken 13 May 1713 came to £128/15/-.
c. [-?-] Gillett (probably a son) died 1646 in Windsor.
d. Rebecca Gillett born 14 June 1646, died 13 July 1655 in Windsor.
e. Elias Gillett baptized 1 July 1649 in Windsor, married (1) Sarah Griffin 29 Oct. 1676 in Simsbury, married (2) Rebecca (Kelsey) Messenger 1694 - 1699, died 15 Feb. 1731/2 in Windsor. Sarah born 25 Dec. 1654 (10 Feb. 1654/5?) in Windsor, died between 1 Feb. 1685/6 & 2 June 1700. She was a daughter of John & Hannah (Bancroft) Griffin. Rebecca Kelsey was born 2 Jan. 1659/60 in Windsor, a daughter of Mark & Rebecca (Hoskins) Kelsey and a widow of Nathaniel Messenger. The inventory of Elias Gillett's estate amounted to only £18/5/-.
f. Sarah Gillett born 13 (15?) July 1651, baptized 18 July 1651, married Eleazer Hill 29 Dec. 1679 in Simsbury. Eleazer died 3 Mar. 1724/5 at Windsor. On 19 Apr. 1688 Sarah's father deeded to Eliezr Hill of Simsbury, "husband to my daughter Sarah," a parcel of land, part upland, part meadow in Simsbury on the east side of the river.
g. Benjamin Gillett born 29 Aug. 1653, died 13 July 1655 in Windsor (the same day as the above Rebecca).
h. Nathan Gillett born 17 Apr. (Aug.?) 1655, married Rebecca OWEN 30 June 1692 in Windsor, died 30 Jan. 1757/8 (1751/2?) in Windsor. Rebecca was born 28 Mar. 1666 in Windsor, died before 1702-3. She was a daughter of John & Rebecca (Wade) Owen. Nathan had a Simsbury grant on 25 Jan. 1691/2 but it was revoked 18 Dec. 1695. In 1696 Nathan sold the land his father had conveyed to him in Mar. 1687/8. Nathan was a tailor. He stated that he was formerly of Windsor, late of St. Thomas in East on the Island of Jamaica, West Indies, now of Lebanon, Co. Windham. Their son Nathan Gillett was born ca.1698/1699, wife unknown, died in 1745 in Lebanon, CT.[14] In his will he left £50 to his honored father Nathan Gillett of Windsor.
i. Rebecca Gillett born 8 Dec. 1657, married Thomas WHAPLES before March 1687/8, died before 28 Aug. 1698. Thomas was born ca. 1656, died at Hartford between 10 Feb. 1712/3 & 3 Apr. 1713. He was a son of Thomas & Margery Whaples of Hartford. Rebecca's father deeded to his son-in-law Thomas Wapples of Hartford approximately 11 acres & 3 roods of meadow in Weatong. The inventory of Thomas Whaples' estate amounted to £203/01/01."
Footnotes:
[11] McCracken, George E., "Nathan Gillett's Earlier Descendants" (TAG, 1980), 56:129-139; Anderson, Robert C., "The Great Migration Begins" (1995), 2:770-772.
[12] Thomas, Wilma Gillet, "The Joseph Gillet/Gillett/Gillette Family of CT, OH & KS" (1953), 9.
[13] Donald L. Jacobus "Gillett Addenda" (TAG, 1950), 26:52.
[14] Clark, Mrs. William C., "Which Nathan Gillett Married Hannah Buckland?" (TAG, 1971), 47:79."
6. The book "The 'Mary and John," chapter "The Passengers," p. 37:
"Nathan Gillett came to Dorchester from England with his brother Jonathan in 1630. He was a freeman in 1634; removed to Windsor, Conn., in 1635; and in 1670 sold his property to his brother Jonathan and moved to Simsbury where he had 75 acres of land, received for his services in the Pequot War. He died between 1688 and 1692. His wife died Feb. 21, 1670. Children:
a. Elizabeth, b. 1639.
b. Abia, 1641-1670; m. 1663 Isaiah Bartlett; m. (2) 15 Jul 1669 John Slater.
c. Elias, b. 1649; m. 29 Oct 1676, Sarah Griffin, b. 23 Dec 1654, dau. of John and Anna (Bancroft) Griffin (per Vital Records of Simsbury, CT). He m. (2) Rebecah, dau. of Marke Killsey. [Five children listed.]
d. Rebecca, b. 1646, d.y.
e. Sarah, b. 1651; m. 29 Dec 1679, Eliezer Hill. [Three children listed.]
f. Nathan, b. 17 Aug 1655; d. possibly 30 Jan 1767, aged 102 years; m. 30 Jun 1692, Rebecca, b. 28 Mar 1666, d. bef. 1704, dau. of John Owen and Rebecca (Wade) Owen (per Ralph Dornfeld Owen's "Descendants of John Owen of Windsor, Conn., Philadelphia, 1941). Nathan m. (2) 30 Mar 1704 Hannah Buckland. [Two children from 1st wife and 6 children from 2nd wife listed.]"
7. Manuscript from the Windsor CT. Historical Society Library of Jay Mack Holbrook entitled "Conn. Colonists - Windsor 1635-1703" has the following listings for Gillets. I am not sure what the references refer to, but they appear to be a compilation of mentioned names in original sources. I have rearranged the entries to be chronological rather than alphabetical as presented by the book compiler:
Gillet, Nathan 610; landowner 1637, STI891:157.
Gillet, Elisabeth; birth 6 Oct 1639; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Abia; birth 22 Aug 1641; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, child; death 1646; CHS930:81; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Rebeca; birth 14 Jun 1646; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Rebeckah; birth 14 Jun 1646; WIN638:14; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Daughter; death 1648; CHS930:81; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Son; death 13 Jul 1651; CHS930:81; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Elias; birth 1 Jul 1649; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Elias; birth 1 Jul 1649; WIN638:14; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Sarah; birth 13 Jul 1651; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Sarah; birth 13 Jul 1651; WIN638:14; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan 610; landowner 1653, MAN904:84; spelling: Gyllett, Nathan.
Gillet, Benjamen; birth 29 Aug 1653; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Benjamin; birth 29 Aug 1653; WEL898:34; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Benjamin; birth 29 Aug 1653; WIN638:14; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Benjamin; death 13 Jul 1655; WEL898:43; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan; birth 17 Aug 1655; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan; birth 17 Aug 1655; WEL898:41; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Rebecca; death 13 Jul 1655; WEL898:44; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Rebekah; birth 14 Jun 16 - ; WIN638:44; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan; birth Aug 1655; WIN638:14; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Rebecca; birth, 8 Dec 1657; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Rebeca; birth, 8 Dec 1657; WEL898:44; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan 610; church rate-pence = 72, 1660; STI891:179, spelling Gillet, Nat.
Gillet, Nathan 610; freeman 1669, TRU852:519; spelling: Gillet.
Gillet, Benjamen; death previously, 1674; CHS930:40; father: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan; children born 8, 1677; CHS930:91.
Gillet, Nathan; petitioner 1680; STI891:917.
Gillet, Nathan Sr.; estate in pounds = 0; 1686; CHS930:160; taxable heads 1.
Gillet, Nathan Sr.; death, 15 Sep 1689; WEL898:57.
Gillet, Nathan's Wife; death, 1670; CHS930:83.
Gillet, Nathan 610; household size = 7, 7 Mar 1670; WYL924:194; spelling: Gyllet.
Gillet, Nathan's Wife; death, 21 Feb 1671; WIN638:44.
Gillet, Nathan's Wife; death, 21 Feb 1671; WEL898:22.
Gillet, Nathan 610; donation in pence = 30, 1676; CHS930:87; spelling: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan 610; church member, 1678; CHS930:10; spelling: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan 610; church member, 1678; CHS930:7; spelling: Gillet, Nathan.
Gillet, Nathan Sr.; estate in pounds = 0; 1686; CHS930:160; taxable heads 1."
8. "The American Genealogist," No. 223, Vol. 56, No. 3, July 1980, pp. 129-40, Article "Nathan Gillett's Earlier Descendants," by George E. McCracken:
"All writers on the Gillett family listed in our recent bibliography (TAG 55:170) are unanimous in stating that Jonathan Gillett had with him in Windsor, Connecticut, a brother named Nathan Gillett, yet the great majority of them, having once mentioned Nathan, drop him like a hot potato, and the few exceptions give brief and faulty accounts of him. It is therefore high time that some attention be given Jonathan's earlier descendants.
Before 1641 Nathan had by powers of attorney made some conveyance to his father, the Rev. William Gyllett, rector of Chaffcombe, Somersetshire, as indicated in the father's will. Whether he came to America with his brother Jonathan, either on the first trip or the second, is not certain, but Nathan was made a freeman of Massachusetts Bay in 1634 and by 1635 he had removed to Connecticut where he lived at Windsor, serving in the Pequot War in 1637, for which service he received in 1671 a grant of 50 acres (Connecticut Colonial Records 2:161).
His wife was so shy that her name has not been recorded, though she was above 50 in 1667 when a patient of John Winthrop (TAG 23:126), and her name is not stated by Matthew Grant when he listed her children, nor when she died in Windsor on 21 Feb 1670/1. Some have claimed her name was Elizabeth but we have seen no evidence of this.
Following the death of his wife, Nathan moved to the new settlement of Simsbury, but his death on 15 Sept. 1689 was recorded at Windsor but not at Simsbury. There was no probate of his estate, but in March 1687/8 he conveyed lands to his eldest son Elias, his son Nathan Jr., and to his son-in-law Thomas Wapples, and also made separate deeds to three daughters. Simsbury Deeds 1-1/2:109 under date of 31 May 1678 has an agreement by Nathan Gillett and John Moses, called forth by Elias Gillett and John Moses Jr. What this involved is not clear, since there was no intermarriage between Nathan's family and that of John Moses.
Children:
i. Elizabeth, b. Windsor, 6 Oct 1639, living 10 Nov 1697. (Elizabeth Gillett, born at Windsor, 6 Oct 1639, was last seen living in Simsbury, 10 Nov 1697, where she signed as Elizabeth Gozzard Sr. the covenant on the occasion of the ordination of the Rev. Dudley Woodbridge as a pastor at Simsbury. She married at an unknown date but about 1671, Nicholas Gozzard, said to be son of Daniel Gozzard of Hartford ("Heritage of Granby" 166 f.). His birth date has not been found but he died intestate at Simsbury, 3 Aug 1692. The marriage is proved by her father's deed dated 18 April 1688 (Simsbury Deeds 1-1/2:96). His probate shows administration granted to the widow Elizabeth, with John Slater and Ebenezer Hill as overseers (C.W. Manwaring, "Digest," 1:453). If Manwaring is wrong with the name of Ebenezer and it should be, rather, Eleazer, then the two overseers were brothers-in-law of the intestate. The inventory came to 206 pounds/10, and the heirs were named as the widow Elizabeth, sons Nathaniel (aged 16), John (aged 11) and daughter Elizabeth Goddard, but we have seen no evidence of this, and in 1790 there were 16 Gozards in Connecticut, all in the town of Granby and all living near together so that all the names occupy in the same column of the printed census... [Children listed.])
ii. Abiah, b. Windsor, 22 Aug 1641, d. Simsbury, 21 Nov 1716. (Abiah Gillett, named for her aunt Habiah who never came to America, was born at Windsor, 22 Aug 1641 and died at Simsbury, 21 Nov 1716, not in 1670, as wrongly claimed by some. She married, first, at Windsor, 3 Dec 1663, Isaiah Bartlett (eldest son of John Bartlett), born in Windsor, 13 Jun 1641, died 13 Jul 1665; second, at Windsor July 1669, John Slater, who died at Simsbury, 13 May 1715. This marriage is correctly given by Stiles under Bartlett (2:61) but under "John Slaughter" she is called widow of Elisha Bartlett and no more is said (2:692). The marriage is proved by a deed of her father dated 25 Aug 1688 (Simsbury Land Records 1-1/2:73), and this was later confirmed to her by her brother Elias. Inventory of the estate of John Slater was taken 13 May 1713, naming wife Abiah, sons John, Samuel, Elias, daughter Elizabeth Slater, and made son Elias Slater sole executor; witness: Mary Hoskins, Timothy Woodbridge... [Children follow.])
iii. Child, d. Windsor, 1646 (Matthew Grant's record), but not counted among the eight children he lists or computes at different places.
iv. Rebecca, b. Windsor, 14 Jun 1646, d. 13 Jul 1655.
v. Elias, bapt. Windsor, 1 Jul 1649, d. there, 15 Feb 1731/2.
vi. Sarah, bapt. Windsor, 18 Jul 1651.
vii. Benjamin, b. Windsor, 29 Aug 1653, d. there 13 Jul 1655, the same day as the first Rebecca.
viii. Nathan, b. Windsor, 17 April 1655, d. there, 30 Jan 1757 (aged 102).
ix. Rebecca, b. Windsor, 8 Dec 1657, d. by 28 Aug 1698."
[More detail follows in article about Nathan's children and other descendants.]
"... "We must now pay attention to Sgt. Jeremiah Gillett who died at Simsbury 24 Mar 1707/8, buried the next day, an enigmatic figure who must belong to the Gillett family originally of Chaffcombe, Somerset. All of the evidence about him and his offspring was carefully studied by Donald Line Jacobus for a client, W.B. Murray of Peoria, Illinois, and printed in TAG 25:174-91. The scant information available is all derived from Simsbury, and there is no evidence that he was ever of Windsor. On 14 May 1674 "Jeremy Gillett Senr" had a grant of 50 acres from the colony, which looks suspiciously like a grant for service as a veteran in the Pequot War of 1637, though this fact is not specifically stated. It may be that the service was performed by Jeremiah, brother of Jonathan and Nathan, and that he was in America at the time of the war but returned to England before 1641 when he is shown in his father's will to be there. It is not quite clear whether Mr. Jacobus thought that the brother was present in Connecticut in 1674, or that the Jeremiah afterwards call Sgt. Jeremiah was present or about to be present and acquired the grant as heir to his father, the brother of Jonathan and Nathan, but it is certainly clear that Mr. Jacobus had considered the idea that the sergeant was a descendant of either Jonathan or Nathan and rejected this idea as impossible.
With Mrs. S.C. Spencer of Carthage, Missouri, I have lately been engaged in a profitable correspondence, and she is inclined to believe that the sergeant was a son of Nathan, born later than the second Rebecca, and therefore born ca. 1658, though not recorded by Matthew Grant nor in the Colony records, or anywhere else as Nathan's son. This theory has engaged my attention for a considerable period but I supposed it was possible. The name Jeremiah does not appear in Grant's list of the children on page 40. If the sergeant were a tenth and youngest child of Nathan, then we are asked to believe that the careful Matthew Grant could have missed the birth of a child of a prominent resident of Windsor. Moreover, in the final years of his life Nathan carefully made deeds to convey his various properties to all of the then surviving children listed by Grant. There is no deed conveying anything to the sergeant.
To be sure, Nathan's Windsor property ultimately was owned by a Jeremiah Gillett, but the history of this property is shown in Stile's "Windsor" 1:157, confirmed by the wills of both Jonathan and his son Jeremiah, to have been bought by Jonathan and bequeathed by him, ultimately, to his son Jeremiah.
It should be noted that if Nathan did have a tenth child named Jeremiah, known to us as the sergeant, he would in 1674 have been Jeremiah Jr, since his first cousin of the same name was born in 1648, or, if the Jeremy Senr of 1674 was actually Jeremiah [bro. of Jonathan/Nathan], then he would have been Jeremy 3rd. Note, however, that I appear to have found some evidence to show that Jeremiah [bro. of Jonathan/Nathan] was recently dead in England in 1676 (see TAG 55:172).
The fact that the Jeremiah who died in 1708 was a sergeant is a bit puzzling, since Mr. Jacobus's view was that his children were all born in England and that he did not actually appear in Simsbury much before about 1690 despite the grant as early as 1674. How a newcomer would be elected sergeant is difficult to understand. The chronology of the birth of his children preclude the possibility that the sergeant was actually Jeremiah [bro. of Jonathan/Nathan], who must have been one of the older children of the Rev. William Gyllett.
The descendants of Sgt. Jeremiah Gillett may, however, claim without any doubt that they descend, somehow, from the Rev. Rector of Chaffcombe who died in 1641."
9. One page copied at the Windsor, CT Historical Society without title except for a page header entitled "Early Windsor Families," page 551 (may be Stiles book):
"Nathan Gillett (1637), from Dorchester, had a lot granted to him seventeen rods wide. He had three sons and five daughters. After the death of his wife, 1670, he removed to Simsbury. His lot was sold to his brother Jonathan, then to his nephew Jeremiah."
10. From the booklet "The Settlement of Windsor, Connecticut," by Kent Avery, Donna Siemiatkoski, and Robert Silliman, reprinted 2002 by the Windsor Historical Society. The booklet contains various editions of a list of the "Founders of Ancient Windsor" with the latest and most accurate being amended and approved June 1996. The list names the heads of households in Windsor by June 1641. Family related ancestors included are as follows. ST=Saltonstall Party of 1635 (Lords and Gentlemen); D=Dorchester, Mass; H=Huit Party from England arrived in Massachusetts on the Susan and Ellen, 1638; *=Arrived at Dorchester on the Mary and John in 1630.:
Thomas Barber (ST. 1635)
William Filley (D. 1640)
Jeremiah Gillett
Jonathan Gillett (D. 1635)*
Nathan Gillett (D. 1635)*
Edward Griswold (H. 1639)
Matthew Griswold (H. 1639)
Joseph Loomis (H. 1639)
George Phelps (D. 1635)*
William Phelps (D. 1635)*
John Porter, Sr. (H. 1639)
The second and third generations of these founders intermarried children from many other names among the Founders. The booklet also gives some history of the founding from which I quote the following:
"The Connecticut River valley was first explored in 1614 when the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block sailed up the river as far as the Hartford area. However, the Dutch at New Amsterdam (now New York City) did not take advantage of the river valley until 1633 when they built a fort at the present site of Hartford.
The valley was also explored by the English, both Pilgrims from the Plymouth Colony and Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In April of 1631 representatives of the River Indians went to Boston and then to Plymouth to ask that each colony make settlements in the valley..." [The local Indians were seeking to preserve peace in the valley by protection from their more warlike enemies including the encroaching Pequots from the southeast and the Mohawks from the northwest.]
"...In 1633 groups from New Amsterdam, Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies explored and/or attempted to settle in the valley. During the early months of 1633, the Dutch were becoming apprehensive about the English colonies possibly settling on what they considered their land..." [The Dutch erected a fort at the present site of Hartford with two cannons and named it "House of Hope."]
"The Plymouth Colony decided to go ahead with their explorations in the late summer of 1633... under the command of Lt. William Holmes... This party landed on Sep. 26, 1633, at the junction of today's Connecticut and Farmington Rivers and immediately erected... a 'Palizado' or stockade fort.
"In the late summer of 1633 the Massachusetts Bay Colony decided to reconsider the possibilities of settling... A party led by John Oldham explored an overland route to Connecticut. They traveled westerly following an ancient Indian trail known as the Old Connecticut Path, then known as the Great Trail, until they reached the valley. His positive report encouraged the MBC to send their first party to settle the valley in 1634. Ten adventurers were the first settlers of Wethersfield. After this party of Puritans arrived in the valley, many more followed.
"At this time the MBC was ripe for a massive migration. The colony was established in 1628 by Puritans from England who were seeking to 'purify' the community's civil, economic and religious lifestyle in response to the abuses of church and state power in England. Led by Gov. John Winthrop, these Puritans felt called by God to attempt to live personal and public lives pleasing to Him in the unspoiled wilderness to form a model Christian society for the world to emulate. After a few years in the Massachusetts Bay, some of the colonists began to feel that Winthrop's version of the Puritan vision was too restrictive. He believed that God governed society through only a few select men. For these theological and political ideals as well as for the practical concern of the desire to move from the overcrowded seacoast to the new land along the fertile river, Puritans from the towns of Waterton, Dorchester and Newtown were eager to consider the possibilities opened up by Oldam's explorations in the valley.
"As a result, an advance party from Dorchester under the leadership of Roger Ludlow explored the Windsor area in the late spring of 1635 followed by a permanent settlement of 60 men, women and children in October. They probably moved just before winter to thwart the plans of yet another group of explorers, the 'Lords and Gentlemen.'
"This party of about 20 men under Francis Stiles was sent form England by Sir Richard Saltonstall. They claimed the right to settle the valley by a patent granted in 1631 by the Earl of Warwick to Saltonstall and other noblemen of England. The Stiles group arrived in Boston from England on June 16, 1635, and stayed in Boston for ten days before leaving for Windsor. They sailed up the Connecticut River..."
"All the land within the present borders of Windsor was legally purchased from these Indians [Podunk, Poquonocks, Sicaogs and Tunxis]."
"...disaster struck in the winter of 1633-34 when a smallpox epidemic spread through the River Indians tribes killing most of them..."
"The Pequots continued to conquer most of the tribes in Connecticut until they were finally stopped in the Pequot War in 1637 when the men in the river settlements united to fight after the Wethersfield massacre on April 23. After the Pequots were defeated, the River Indians, and the Englishmen were able to maintain a peaceful coexistence."
In regards to the Plymouth group "just one month after the trading post was completed... the Dutch governor at New Amsterdam sent 70 men to evict the Plymouth settlers from their trading post. When the Dutch force reached Windsor, they found the Plymouth settlers so well entrenched that after a few hostile demonstrations they returned to New Amsterdam. After this one attempt to dislodge the Windsor settlers, the Dutch took no further action against the settlement at Windsor... The trading post stayed undisturbed for nearly two years after the Dutch conflict until in 1635 two groups of settlers came from the MBC to settle on land in what is now Windsor."
"The Dorchester group who arrived in Windsor in 1636 was actually a Puritan congregation established by the Rev. John White in Plymouth, England, in 1630. Seeking a creative solution to the problems of political and religious oppression in England, the Puritans decided to emigrate to the New World to perform an 'errand in the wilderness,' to develop a model society under God free from the corruption of England. Rev. White encouraged 140 people to covenant with God and each other to live as a Christian community in the New World. Rev. John Warham and Rev. John Maverick were chosen as ministers. Others in company included... established gentlemen... William Phelps; and young, mostly single men such as... George Phelps. After a day of prayer, fasting and preaching, they boarded the Mary and John where they met together every day for worship and preaching during the ten weeks of their voyage. Landing in the New World, they established their new community in Dorchester under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony headed by Governor John Winthrop."
"After a few years differences arose between Winthrop and some of the other ministers including Rev. Thomas Hooker, Warham and Maverick concerning the basis of authority in the government by a very few people whereas others saw that all the governed should have a voice in the government. Since these two ideas could not coexist, the problems of overcrowding the seaside colony and the inducement of a lucrative fur trade in the fertile inland valley helped the Dorchester group under Warham and the Newtown group under Hooker to decide to move west as congregations to develop their vision of the Puritan community under God."
"The Dorchester group traveled to the Connecticut River Valley following the Old Connecticut Path. It is debated whether the group continued all the way to Windsor on the Old Connecticut path or rather went through Agawam (now Springfield), Massachusetts, and traveled south along the Connecticut River until they reached Windsor. Most likely they took the Old Connecticut Path all the way since there were no known paths to Agawam large enough for a group of that size until the Bay Path was discovered in 1648."
"After walking for 14 days, the group reached Windsor at the end of October and settled on the east side of the Connecticut River across from the mouth of the Scantic River. For temporary shelter they dug into the sides of the low hills along the Connecticut River making homes that were enclosed on three sides by dirt, in front by posts and on the roof by wood and thatch."
"The unusually harsh winter came early that year freezing the river over by mid-November and preventing the ship laden with their possessions and provisions from sailing upriver from Long Island Sound. Some settlers traveled downriver, freed a ship and returned to the Bay Colony. Some returned to Dorchester overland through the snow. Still others decided to stay, subsisting through the winter on acorns, malt, grain and possibly receiving some food from the Indians and other groups of settlers. Undeterred from the harshness of the first winter, the Dorchester community renewed their determination to settle permanently in the Conn. River Valley. By the end of April of 1636 most of the congregation of the Dorchester church had removed to what is now Windsor, taking their church records with them and leaving a few townsmen remaining to reorganize a new church under the ministry of the Rev. Richard Mather who arrived from England a few months later."
"The land the Dorchester settlers started building on was owned by the Plymouth group. This piece of land was from a second land purchase from the Indians stretching from the Farmington River in the south to what is now Hayden Station in the north. The Dorchester settlers refused to acknowledge that the land belonged to the Plymouth group. The Plymouth group, who had not actually settled this second piece of land, was forced to stay in the Plymouth Meadow at the junction of the two rivers and eventually sold their land to Matthew Allyn. In 1640, two years after this sale, the Plymouth House and lot was declared to be within the jurisdiction of the orders of Windsor."
"In 1637 because of the threat of a Pequot attack, the Dorchester settlers constructed a palisade or fence of wooden posts on the higher ground north of the Farmington River. Here the settlers constructed more permanent homes. After the threat of Indian attack subsided and the homes of their families were completed, the settlers built their first meetinghouse for their church in 1639. The site of the meetinghouse in the center of what is now the Palisado Green is marked by a monument to the early settlers of Windsor."
"A few days after the Dorchester group reached Windsor, another group arrived...'The Lords and Gentlemen,' this group envisioned developing the Connecticut Valley into large manor-like estates upon which they would continue to enjoy the lifestyle to which they were accustomed in England. They claimed the right to settle under the Warwick Patent... giving them the right to settle anywhere in what is now Connecticut. This group included the Stiles brothers...as well as their servants and apprentices including... Thomas Barber..."
"Although the Stiles party wanted to settle the highland around the area that is now the Palisado Green, the Dorchester settlers allowed them to settle only in the northernmost part of Plymouth's second land purchase, the land just south of what is now Hayden Station..."
"In March 1636 the General court of Massachusetts established a commission of eight members to govern the river towns, including Agawam (now Springfield), for one year. Windsor's representatives were William Phelps and Roger Ludlow."
"Early in the following year the town of Dorchester changed its name to Windsor, Newtown to Hartford, Watertown to Wethersfield. The changes from Massachusetts names to wholly new names reflected the fact that the three towns were no longer under Massachusetts jurisdiction but constituted the separate colony of Connecticut."
"The three settlements in Windsor were merging into one identity with most of the Plymouth group leaving, the Dorchester group continuing to be the most prominent..."
"In May 1638 Rev. Thomas Hooker preached a sermon in which he propounded the theological basis of a democratic government. These beliefs were actually put into words by Roger Ludlow, a brilliant legal mind trained at Oxford University. Known as the 'Fundamental Orders of 1639,' this document expressed Rev. Hooker's belief that 'the foundation of authority is laid in the free consent of the people.' Thus, Roger Ludlow and Thomas Hooker were the primary contributors to the first written constitution in the world, which expressed the right of the people to govern themselves."
"Meanwhile, large-scale emigration into Windsor continued until about 1641 when it became a trickle, reflecting both the exodus of Puritans from England and the end of that Exodus when the Puritans finally secured political power there in 1641. In most cases people migrated first to the MBC then on to the Connecticut River Valley. One of these later groups which emigrated in 1638 from England to Massachusetts and then to Windsor was led by the Rev. Ephraim Huit, who then assisted Warham in his work. That group of immigrants, many of whom came over on the Susan and Ellen included John Porter and Joseph Loomis (who married the White sisters), John Bissell, Edward and Matthew Griswold and Daniel Clarke...."
11. On file with me (file 2656) are various maps of early Windsor, Connecticut that are copies of those found at the Windsor Historical Society. Included are:
A. "Plan of Ancient Windsor, 1640-1654." Also includes a blow-up of the Palisado. Ancestral "Heads of Households" shown on the plan include John Bancroft, Thomas Barber, William Filley, Jonathan Gillett, Nathan Gillet, Edward Griswold, Jos. Loomis, Wm. Phelps, Jr., Wm. Phelps, Sr., John Porter.
B. "Map of Windsor, 1633-1650." Shows many ancestral heads of households.
C. A map entitled "Southern New England in the 17th Century," which also shows the "Great Trail" leading from Dorchester, Mass. to Windsor, Connecticut.
D. Misc. other Windsor maps in the same time periods locating ancestral heads of households and their land.
12. Henry R. Stiles, "The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 1892, v. 2, p. 290:
"Jeremiah (son of Jonathan) Gillett. In 1680 had the place in Windsor of his uncle Nathan G., who had removed to Simsbury in 1670; he m. 15 Oct 1685, Deborah Bartlett; he d. 1 Mar 1692/3; a wid. Deborah d. 29 Sep 1753, age abt. 74; poss. the same. Children:
a. Deborah, b. 6 Aug 1686; d. 22 Apr 1693.
b. Abigail, b. 21 Feb 1687; d. 16 Feb 1689.
c. Jeremiah, d. 21 Apr 1692."
13. "The New England Historical and Genealogical Register," v. 162, April 2008, p. 113, article: "Various English Wills Relating to New England Colonists: Gillett, Swaine, Cheney, and Tutty-Knight-Whitman," by Leslie Mahler:
"New Evidence in the English Ancestry of Jonathan Gillett and Nathan Gillett of Windsor, Connecticut.
The critical clue to the English ancestry of brothers Jonathan and Nathan Gillett of Windsor, Connecticut, was published a century ago by James H. Lea and John R. Hutchinson. They presented an abstract of the will of William Gillett, parson of Chaffcombe, Somerset, dated 1641, proved 16 April 1641, (1) which mentions 'land which my son Nathan made over to me by letter of Attorney,' as well as son Jeremiah and daughter Abiah (these two names were used by the Gillett family in Windsor). The will includes a statement regarding 'all my children in England,' implying that some children were overseas. A later article by George McCracken located a few more items relating to the Gillett family in England from bishops transcripts. (2) Work coordinated by Burton Spear in the 1990s located a marriage license dated 18 September 1609 for William Gillett, clerk and curate of Kingstone, Somerset, and 'Habiathia' Pye of Donyatt, Somerset. (3)
The will of Rev. William Tyes, dated 1 April 1623, proved 28 June 1623, (4) proves that Jonathan Gillett was a son of Rev. William Gillett (emphasis added):
'William Tyes by the p(ro)vidence of god pastor of the Church of Donniate w(i)thin the dioces of Bathe and Wells... give unto the Church of Donniate to be imployed in necessary uses about the same at the discretion of my executor within one yeare nexte after my decease ffortye shillings Item I give to the poore of the same p(ar)ishe whose names are menco(n)ed at the later end of this my last will and testament tenn pound Item I give to the poore people of the p(ar)ishe of Bromham in Wiltes where I was born ffoure pound Item I give to the poore of p(ar)ishe of Ilmi(n)ster ffortye shillings Item I give to the poore of Sainte James p(ar)ishe in Taunton but especiallye to them of Cannon Streate fforty shillings All w(hi)ch sev(er)all sumes I will to be distributed by my executor within one yeare nexte after my decease Item I give unto my wife Julian Tyes twenty pound and alsoe those two bonds by vertue where of there is ten pound yearely during her life five pound from my brother James Tyes in respecte of the Tenement that he enioyeth in Wiltes(hire) whereof I stand above fforty pound of the fyne and five pound from my kinsman Elias Tyes Clarke in Consideracon of a Tenem(en)t that I bought for him in Ileminster and payed the whole fyne Also I give unto my saied wife my househouldstuffe Item I give unto my brother John Tyes my best gowne and Cassoke and ten pound in money Item I give to his eldest sonn John in gold twenty two shillings Item I give my brother James Tyes his daughter Neiomey five pound Item I give unto my Cosin Elias Tyes twenty pound Item I give unto my Cozen Bancks her children tenn pound w(hi)che I will that John Tyes and Elias Tyes her brethren to be ymployed by them for their sister benefitt untill they shall come to the age of xxitie years Item whereas I have an estate for fowerscore and Nyneteene years determynable uppon the death of three lives as well in closes of meadow and pasture ground called Barrells scituate lyinge and beinge w(i)thin the p(ar)ishe of Rowd in the County of Wilte(shire) as alsoe the yearlye rents of these three sev(er)all Cottages or Tenements nowe in tennures or occupacons of Walter Clements John Barley als Okesey and Andrew Chandeler as by the Originall Lease therof made more plainely appeareth All w(hi)ch before recited p(re)mises and ev(er)ye of p(ar)te and p(ar)cell thereof I doe hereby give devise and bequeath unto Jonathan Gillet the sonne of Will(ia)m Gillett Clarke p(ar)son of Chafecombe in the Countie of Soms(e)t for and during all the tearme of the said ffowerscore and Nyneteen years that shalbe to come and unexpired after my decease upon Condicon the Mrs Elianor Willes widowe now resident and abidinge at my house in Donniate aforesaid shall have r(e)ceave take and gather to her p(ro)per use as well the rents p(ro)fitts and Commodities of the said two closes of meadowe and pasture as alsoe the yearly rents of the said three severall Cottages of Tenem(en)ts for the tearme and time of eighteene yeares to Commence & begin ymediately after my said decease yf she the said Elianor shall soe long live and noe longer otherwise Item I give to the said Elianor Willes a quarter of good wheate to be paid an delive(red) unto her w(i)thin one quart of a yeare after my decease Item I give to my cosen Margaret Hawkins her children ten pound to be imployed as before for her sisters children Item I give to Jonathan Gillett twenty pound and to the rest of my daughter in lawe Abia her children twenty pound to be devided equallye amonge them Item I give to my Cosen Richard Hancocke and James Hancocke their children to be equally devided amonge them (interlined tenn pound) Item I give to Susan Dell my wives kinswoman ffive pound Item I give to the children of Andrew Dell Sarah Dwellye and of Ann Gollape beinge of my wives kindred tenn pound equallye to be devided amonge them Item I give unto Rose Pullen my wives sister her children seaven pound to be equallie devided amonge them.'
The rest of his good and chattels unbequeathed were given to son-in-law William Gillett, who was named executor, with the legacies to be paid in one year. Cousins John and Elias Tyes were made overseers. William Tyes was rector of Donyatt since at least 1606, when he was listed in glebe terrier for that parish. (5) There is no record of him as a student of Cambridge or Oxford."
Footnotes:
(1) Taunton Wills, 1641, File 13, originally published in 'The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record,' 41 (1910):282-83, reprinted in 'English Origins of American Colonists,' from ‘The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record,' (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991), 59-60. The Somerset wills were destroyed in World War II. There are good accounts of the Gillett brothers in Robert Charles Anderson, 'The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to the New England, 1620-1633,' 3 volumes. (Boston: NEHGS, 1995), 2:766-770 (Jonathan Gillett), 770-72 (Nathan Gillett).
(2) George E. McCracken, 'New Gillett Information from England,' 'The American Genealogist' 55 (1979): 170-73.
(3) Somerset Record Office, D/DOI 18 (bondsman was Roger Gillett of Chillington), cited in Burton Spear, ed., 'Search for the Passengers of the Mary & John 1630,' 27 vols. (Toledo, Ohio: Mary & John Clearing House, 1985-99), 25:35-36 (this reference was pointed out by David Morehouse of Hopkins, Minnesota).
(4) Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 56 Swann (FHL 0,092,092). The will calls Abiah daughter-in-law and her husband William Gillett son-in-law. A likely scenario is that Abiah was the stepdaughter of William Tyes, daughter of his wife Julian by a previous marriage.
(5) The Donyatt terrier for 1606 was published in 'Notes & Queries for Somerset and Dorset' 8 (1899):63.
14. The book "Dorset Pilgrims," 1989:
P. 62: "It is possible to be certain of the religious convictions of only a minority of our ships' passengers … there were only a few whose religious convictions are explicitly recorded." The book details Roger Clap who "persuaded his parents to let him live with a Huguenot family" and Henry Wolcott "who underwent a marked conversion to Puritan beliefs and whose plan to shift his family and fortune to the New World implies a powerful Puritan commitment"; "and there are a number of others in similar circumstances, such as … the Gillett brothers..."
Pp. 130-2: Concerning the Pequot War of 1637 "it is not hard to imagine the satisfaction of the returning soldiers as they disembarked and stumbled up the river bank. They had only been away three weeks and three days but it had been a baptism of fire, a strange, exhausting but, thanks be to God, triumphant experience for this motley company of Puritan companions-in-arms … Nor is it difficult to picture the joy and thankfulness with which the men were greeted by their families and neighbours, by their minister John Warham, their ruling elders John Witchfield, John Branker and William Hosford, their magistrates Roger Ludlow and William Phelps, and their constable Henry Wolcott … Of the returning warriors we know the names of some sixteen … had come by way of Dorchester, Mass. with the original 'Mary and John' company: Nathaniel Gillett, the son of the vicar of Chaffcombe, Somerset, and William Hayden, the man who had saved Mason's life by cutting the Pequot's bowstring, who also hailed from Somerset. They all lived within a stone's throw of one another..."
15. The publication "Search for the Passengers of the "Mary & John" 1630," by Burton W. Spear (Toledo, OH; The Mary & John Clearing House, 1989-2004), 2:97, "ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, FOUND ON THE FAMILIES, SINCE VOLUME 1 WAS PRINTED":
"The first volume of "Search For The Passengers Of The Mary & John-1630" was rushed into print in early 1985 in preparation for a tour of the home towns of the passengers, by eighty descendants. This group spent 15 days, from May 17 to May 30, visiting the birthplaces and churches of the passengers in England, Dorchester, Mass. & Windsor, Conn. New information was not only gathered from the ministers, archivists and speakers on the tour, but also from the tour members, themselves, who had been collecting information on their ancestors, for many years.
JONATHAN & NATHAN GILLETT- In a recent National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 1, Sept. 1983., the second crossing of Jonathan Gillett, is listed as, 31 Mar. 1633, on the ship, "Recovery of London". With him was his wife, Mary Dolbiar, who he married, 29 Mar. 1634 in Colyton, Devon. These dates conflict. They were probably married, 29 Mar. 1633. Nathan is not listed, but this was not a passenger list but a list of only those who had goods that were subject to duty. Also aboard were Stephen Terry and his wife, Jane Hardey and Sarah Hill, probably the wife of William Hill.
TAG Vol. 55, p. 170, provides additional information on the ancestry of Jonathan & Nathan Gillett. This article suggests this family has an English ancestry, rather than a French Huguenot ancestry. The original name was pronounced, "Gullet", in the 1600's. Later, there was a shift of emphasis from the first syllable and it began to sound French. The TAG article also adds more information about the father of Jonathan & Nathan and their cousins who remained in England."
16. The publication "Search for the Passengers of the "Mary & John" 1630," by Burton W. Spear (Toledo, OH; The Mary & John Clearing House, 1989-2004), 1:33-34:
"NATHAN GILLETT-b. England, d. 5 Sept. 1689, Windsor, Conn. m. ___, a. 1637, who d. 21 Feb. 1670, Simsbury, Conn.
Nathan Gillett was the younger brother of Jonathan and son of Rev. William Gillett, Rector of Chaffcombe, Somerset in 1609. It has been claimed that Nathan came on the "Mary & John" in 1630, but he may have accompanied Jonathan in 1634 when he returned with his bride in 1634. In his father's will in 1641, it was mentioned that land in England was turned over to Nathan by a letter of attorney. Nathan first settled in Dorchester, Mass. where he became a freeman in 1635. He served in the Pequot War in 1637, for which he received land in 1671. He moved to Windsor and finally to Simsbury, Conn.
Nine children (1639-1657) (TAG 56:129), 25 grandchildren, and 56 great-grandchildren identified.
Children:
1. Elizabeth Gillett-b. 6 Oct. 1639, d. after 1697. m. Nicholas Gozzard, Jr., a. 1671, who d. 3 Aug. 1692, Simsbury, Conn., s. of Nicholas Gozzard. Res: Simsbury. Three children (1672-1682), and 12 grandchildren.
2. Abiah Gillett-b. 22 Aug. 1641, Windsor, Conn. m. (1) Isiah Bartlett, 3 Dec. 1663, Windsor (1641-1665), s. of John Bartlett of Windsor. m. (2) John Slater, 15 July 1669, Windsor, who d. 13 May 1713, Simsbury. (Savage and Stiles calls him Slaughter). Res: Simsbury, Conn. One child by first husband (1664), and one by second (1669) (TAG 56:131), and 4 grandchildren.
3. Child-d. 1646, Windsor.
4. Rebecca Gillett-b. 14 June 1646, Windsor, d. 13 July 1655.
5. Elias Gillett-bpt. 1 July 1649, Windsor. m. (1) Sarah Griffin, 29 Oct. 1676 (b. 1654), dau. of John Girffin & Hannah Bancroft. m. (2) Rebecca Kelsey, dau. of Mark Kelsey & Rebecca Hoskins (Hoskins #3), and widow of Nathaniel Messenger. Estate: 18 pounds, 1732. Four children by first wife (1678-1685), and one by second (1700) (TAG 56:131), and 14 grandchildren.
6. Sarah Gillett-b. 13 July 1651, Windsor, Conn. m. Eleazer Hill, 29 Dec. 1679, Simsbury, who d. 3 Mar. 1724, Windsor. There was an Eleazer Hill (b. 1657), s. of Luke Hill & Mary Hoyt, who moved from Windsor to Simsbury in 1669. Four children (1681-1694) (TAG 56:132), and 3 grandchildren.
7. Benjamin Gillett-b. 29 Aug. 1653, Windsor. d. 13 July 1655, Windsor, same day as his sister Rebecca, age 13.
8. Nathan Gillett, Jr.-b. 17 Apr. 1655, Windsor, d. 30 Jan. 1757, Windsor. m. Rebecca Owen, 36 June 1692, Windsor (b. 1666), dau. of John Owen & Rebecca Wade. History of Windsor mistakenly, says he m. (2) Hannah Buckland, but she m. his nephew, Nathan Gillett (b. 1683), s. of Elias Gillett (#5 above). Four children (1693-1701) (TAG 56:133), and 15 grandchildren.
9. Rebecca Gillett-b. 8 Dec. 1657, Windsor, d. before 1698. m. Thomas Whaples, Jr. (1656-1713), s. of Thomas & Margery Whaples of Hartford. He m. (2) Mary ___. Seven children (1684-1691) (TAG 56:134), and 8 grandchildren.
References:
NER 100:272 (Gillett Ancestry).
TAG July 1980, p. 180 (Descendants).
Gillette Families, Some of the Descendants of Jonathan & Nathan Gillett, by Barton Ezra Gillett, 1955."
17. The publication "Search for the Passengers of the "Mary & John" 1630," by Burton W. Spear (Toledo, OH; The Mary & John Clearing House, 1989-2004), 2:87-88 [Also found verbatim in same publication 3:16-17]:
"MORE INFORMATION ON THE ANCESTRY OF JONATHAN & NATHAN GILLETT
In an article in The American Genealogist, Vol. 55, No. 3, p. 170, new information from England expands the Gillett ancestry in England. This article again disputes the French Huguenot ancestry of this family, as does others. One argument against the Huguenot ancestry is that the Gillett name was in the west counties of England before there were Protestants anywhere. There was a will of John Gyllet of Cranebourn, Dorset in 1502. In the 17th century the name may have been pronounced, "Gullett", and then later there was a shift of emphasis from the first to the last syllable, and then it began to sound French.
Rev. William Gylett, father of the emigrants, Jonathan & Nathan, was the rector of Chaffcombe, Somerset, England. The Chaffcombe parish records begin only in 1678, but the Bishop's Transcripts survive for the years 1611, 1621, 1623, 1634, 1638 & 1639, and they were all signed by Rev. William Gylett. They list the following baptisms: Elias, 11 Feb. 1611/2, s. of William Gylet, Thomas, 27 Mar. 1621, s. of William Gylett, parson & Andrew, Apr. 1623, s. of William Gylett, rector. This is the first record of Andrew. Previous to this recent TAG article, the will of Rev. William Gylett of 1641, was the primary source for information on the English roots of the emigrants, Jonathan & Nathan.
Rev. William Gylett had a brother, Richard. In the Bruton parish records there was a Richard Gylett, who m. Joan Esberg, 11 Aug. 1576, who possibly could have been the parents of Rev. William Gylett. Another Richard Gylett m. Urselah, 12 June 1638, who could have been the son of Richard, brother of William.
Also, there was a will, dated 1 July 1600, probated, 16 July 1600, for Richard Gillett of Caudle Haddon, Dorset, husbandman. He listed sons, Richard & William, which would satisfy the chronological & geographical requirements of the father of William Gylett.
The following ancestry combines the previously published information and the will of Rev. William Gylett & TAG 55:3.
REV. WILLIAM GYLETT- He became rector of Chaffcombe, Somerset on 4 Feb. 1609/10. He had a brother, Richard Gylett and a kinsman, Henry Hutchins. After his bequests his will states, "The rest of my goods I give to my son, William, whom I make my executor, Mr. Joseph Greenfield, Mr. Luffe, my brother Richard & my kinsman; Henry Hutchins, overseers. His will was proved, 16 Apr. 1641 (Taunton wills, 1641, file 13). His inventory was taken by two parishioners, Thomas Palmer & Lawrence Seley. It listed 259 pounds, 14 shillings & 8 six-pence, which included 13 pounds of silver plate & an equal sum of books. To each of his children, "in England", he left two silver spoons apiece and one "chayre" and one frame stool.
Children of Rev. William Gylett
1. William Gylett Jr.- b. before 1609, place unknown. His father left him land called Bomers lease, upon the condition that he pay one annuity, 12 pounds to his sister, Hebiah, 4 pounds, to his sister, Mary, 4 pounds, and to his brother, Jeremiah, 40 shillings. William Jr. also received the residual goods of his father's estate.Jonathan & Nathan probably received their share when they left for New England. Nathan evidently retained land in England after he emigrated, which he turned; overto his father by a letter of attorney. In his will, Rev. William listed his son, William as the next reversioner of this land and in his will stated, "shall surrender this unto Thomas (his brother), when requested. Thomas was about 20 at the time. There are three Gillett leases in the records of the manor of Chaffcomb Buller.
On 17 Oct. 1687, there was a lease to a William Gillett of Chaffcomb, yeoman, who held a lease for 99 years or the lives of himself and his son, Elias, of four closes of land of 10 acres called Murrens in Chaffcomb, and took a lease of the reversion of the like of Mary, dau. of Elias Gillett, 16 s.
On 10 Aug. 1676, a William & Jeremiah Gillett (prob.-sons of Rev. William Gylett), held for their lives, successfully, a cottage, 2 acres of land and certain demesne land, v.s. 2 closes called Morell & Millmore of acres, other closes called Parkemead, Spires Meade, Court Garde
|
Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
Abt 1611 - 1689 (~ 78 years)