Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Samuel Denton

Male 1631 - Abt 1714  (~ 82 years)


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  • Name Samuel Denton 
    Christened 29 May 1631  Coley, Halifax, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Died Abt 15/15 Mar 1713/4  Hempstead, Queens, New York, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I3182  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Father Richard Denton,   c. 19 Apr 1601, Halifax, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Abt 1663, of, Essex, England Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 61 years) 
    Mother Maria Duerden,   c. 14 Oct 1604, Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Married 21/21 Jan 1625/6  Halifax, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F1576  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Mary Smith,   b. Abt 1640, of Stamford, Fairfield, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. Aft 15/15 Mar 1713/4, of Hempstead, Queens, New York, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 74 years) 
    Married Bef 1665  of Hempstead, Queens, New York, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1692  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. The periodical "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record," 120[1989]:10-17, 94-97, 160-163; 121[1990]:221-225, etc., "Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton," by Walter C. Krumm. I have divided up this article and included each generation with the individual detailed (see notes of Rev. Richard Denton for summary of all other publications and researchers prior to this publication):
      "Samuel2 Denton (Richard1), was baptised in Coley Chapel, Halifax, Yorkshire on 29 May 1631 probably by his father. In contrast to his brothers in Jamaica, Samuel lived out his long life in Hempstead, Long Island, and is the ancestor to most of the Dentons still living there. In 1673 when the Dutch regained control of Long Island for a few months, their listing of adult males showed Samuel as the only Denton in Hempstead (DHNY 2:526). Specific details of his personal life are sparse, but he married Mary Smith, daughter of John "Rock" Smith of Hempstead say 1664 ("Records of the Towns of North and South Hempstead, Long Island, N. Y.," 8 vols. 1896-1904, hereafter HTR, 1:162; Will of John Smith, Sr., WNYHS 2:419-21; also see article on this Smith family by Rosalie Fellows Bailey in REC. 88:5-22).
      Unlike Nathaniel, Samuel seems not to have been civicly active, limiting his community duties to serving occasionally as "pindar" or impounder of stray animals (HTR 1:156, 166) and one term (1663-4) as "Townsman" (HTR 1:149). His consuming passion, for which he had a talent, was the acquisition of real estate and other personal property. In 1662 he (and others) accepted a grant of land from the Hempstead Town Meeting "provided they fence it" (HTR 1:130). There he established what came to be known as the Denton Homestead on the north side of town just west of an area still called Herricks. His father-in-law, John "Rock" Smith lived nearby. From this time until his death the town records attest to Samuel's ability as a dealer in land and farm animals. Some of the acquisitions enlarged the homestead, but even as the town was spreading to Long Island's north and south shores, so was Samuel's property. The 1683 Assessment of Hempstead estimated his holdings at £200 (DHNY 2:528), and a 1685 tabulation credits him with owning 240 acres (Combes, 16). [An interesting project would be to reconstruct Samuel s holdings on a plat map of Hempstead to show the location and extent of his properties.]
      Testimony in 1685 states that Samuel, with his brothers, was financially involved in the Elizabethtown, New Jersey, land speculation (NJA 1:504-5).
      A curious litigation in 1701 reveals that Samuel was a slaveowner. According to the stipulation of Ann Wharton, "Mando, a negro woman" petitioned "for the freedom of herself and Hagar, her child," which "Samuel Denton of Queens Co[unty] now refuses to carry out." In response Samuel petitioned the sheriff of Westchester County to apprehend "one Mando, an escaped Negro woman and her child," but the sheriff shortly reported that he could not find her (CEM 285, 289, 305). Three Negroes – a boy, a girl and a man "worth nothing" - are listed in Samuel's estate inventory.
      On "agust ye 31 1698" a local census was taken, the first one the English are known to have made (REC. 45:54-67). He and his family are listed together: (p. 3, col. 3)
      samuell Denton
      may Denton
      abraham Denton
      Jonas Denton
      martha Denton
      Elizabeth Denton
      Roger Oburne
      Samuell Denton
      abegall Denton
      samuell Denton
      Jonathan Rawlin [stepson]
      abegall Rowlin [stepdaughter]
      Ruth Denton
      martha Denton
      mary Denton
      Whether these 15 names represent one household or two or three is unclear. The second Samuel Denton would be Samuel2's eldest son Samuel3, followed by the latter's second wife and children of both their previous marriages, Samuel4 and the Rawlin/Rowlin stepchildren. Who "Roger Oburne" [Osborne?] was is unknown - possibly an orphan, relative, or white servant.
      Eight or ten names above Samuel's appears this group of three Dentons following a "household" of ten "Pursells" [Pearsalls]:
      Jane Denton
      Dinah Denton
      benjamen Denton
      As a young daughter of Samuel, Jane may have been living with the neighboring Pursells for an unknown reason; Dinah and Benjamin may have been her younger siblings (see note 3, below). Others have suggested that they were her illegitimate Children. Whatever the explanation, their names disappear from the record.
      Other Hempstead family members descended from Samuel2 in 1698 were:
      (p. 3, col. 2)
      Jeams [read James] Denton [his son]
      Jeane [read Jane] Denton [his son's wife]
      Jeane [read Jane] Denton [their daughter]
      (p. 4, col. 4)
      Phebe Denton [his daughter, living with her sister Hannah and Hannah's husband Thomas Tre(a)dwell]
      The census shows a rapidly growing family.
      Probably in anticipation of dying, an aging Samuel in 1710 deeded several parcels of land to his second and third sons (HTR 2:390-4). This practice was not unusual; it avoided making a will, and it mitigated primogeniture, whereby the eldest son inherited all his father's real estate, practically disinheriting younger sons. He was dead by 15 March 1713/14 when an inventory of his personal belongings (movables) was taken by order of Col. John Jackson, Esq., one of Her Majesty's Justices of the Peace for Hempstead, and filed in the Prerogative Court in New York (City) which was the provincial capital. The considerable personal property was valued at £275-6s-6d and ranged from farm animals and slaves to linen, chinaware, clothes and tools. His wife Mary relinquished the task of administering the estate to their sons Samuel, Jr., and Jonas. In the absence of a will containing bequests, they sold the items and paid the heirs in cash.* The accounting by the administrators dated 20 March 1713/14 most of his family (Kenneth Scott and James A. Owre, "Genealogical Data from Inventories of New York Estates 1666-1825," 1970, p. 41):
      Mary Denton, his widow
      Peter Smith, son of Mary Ellison, deceased, a daughter [of Samuel]
      Joseph Robinson and Jane, his wife, a daughter
      Jonathan Seaman and Elizabeth, his wife, a daughter
      Abraham Denton, a son
      James Denton, a son
      Thomas Treadwell and Hannah, his wife, a daughter
      Robert Mitchell and Phebe, his wife, a daughter
      Ezekiel Smith and Martha, his wife, a daughter
      Jonas Denton, a son.
      Children of Samuel & Mary (Smith) Denton, all born Hempstead:
      i. Samuel, Jr., b. say 1665.
      ii. Mary, b. say 1668, d. say 1698; m. (1) Peter Smith a son of Peter and Elizabeth (___) Smith (REC. 85:4-5 and 65:117) say 1686, and (2) (?Thomas) Ellison, say 1691 (REC. 85:5). She had one child.
      iii. James, b. say 1670.
      iv. Hannah, b. say 1673, d. 17 Aug 1748, ae. 75 in Smithtown, L.I.; m. by 1695 Capt. Thomas Treadwell of Hempstead, d. 1722, son of John & Elizabeth (Starr) Treadwell; 8 children. See REC.42:314-8, 417-20 for biography and record of descendants.
      v. Abraham, b. say 1675.
      vi. Jonas, b. say 1677.
      vii. Jane, m. Joseph Robinson.
      viii. Phebe, b. say 1679, d. say 1728; m. (1) Richard Thorne, son of William, Jr. and Winifred (___) Thorne, 29 Aug 1699, and (2) Robert Mitchell, say 1708; 15 children. See Rae. 93:93-7 for biography, record of Thorne descendants, and further references.
      ix. Martha, b. say 1681, m. Ezekiel Smith.
      x. Elizabeth, b. say 1684, m. Jonathan Seaman say 1709; 11 children. They went to New Hempstead, Orange Co., N.Y. (Mary Thomas Seaman, "The Seaman Family In America, 1928," p. 37).
      [*A baffling cash discrepancy appears in the settlement of the estate, valuation of which did not include two small debts owed by Gersham Moore of Newtown. Five days after the inventory a cash distribution was made to most of the heirs, indicating that the estate sale had occurred very quickly. The widow received a one-third share: £91-15-06; nine others carefully named (see list in text) received £14-00-09 each. Although the document totals the distribution at £223-00-09, these sums actually add up to £218-02-03, a discrepancy of £4-18-06. But if Mary received one-third, the total distribution should have been £275-06-06, leaving £57-04-03 unaccounted for. This divides into four additional shares of £14-06-01, very close to the allotments already made. While vagaries of the estate sale could account for this difference, the question arises: Who might have received these other shares2 George Combes (p. 16) solved it this way: Samuel, Jr., a co-administrator of the estate, is not mentioned in the distribution; he would receive the customary double share due to the eldest son. The remaining two shares went to Dinah and Benjamin Denton, two additional children of the deceased who in the 1698 census lived with "their older sister Jane" in a nearby household While lacking verification this is a possible solution. One explanation of why Dinah and Benjamin are not mentioned on the above distribution might be that in 1713 they were still too young Samuel, Jr., could complete the distribution when he took his own shares or when they came of age 21 years later Nathaniel Denton, Jr., mentioned in his will "land that was Benjamin Denton['s]." Perhaps both Benjamins were the same person.]"

      2. Citation Information: Judd, Peter H. "Genealogical and Biographical Notes: Haring-Herring, Clark, Denton, White, Griggs, Judd, and Related Families." New York: P.H. Judd, 2005. (Online database. NewEnglandAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2005.) The statements are sourced, but I did not copy them yet. The following is only a partial excerpt of the full transcript in the notes of Richard Denton:
      "Richard1 Denton, b. 1603 in Yorkshire, England, prob. bp. 19 April 1603 in Warley, near Halifax, Yorkshire, England, where a Richard, son of a Richard Denton, was christened; d. 1662-63, possibly in Essex, England; m. ____, probably after graduation from Cambridge in 1623-24.
      According to Walter C. Krumm, no record has been found of Richard1 Denton's leaving the Anglican Church nor of his emigration to New England,although the latter event was certainly after the birth of his fifth Child, in 1634, when the first settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony had most lots taken and out-migration was underway...
      Children of Richard1 Denton and wife, all born England
      i. Tymothie2 Denton, bp. 1627. at Turton, Lancashire, where his father was identified as "preacher"; no further record.
      ii. Nathaniel2 Denton, bp. at Turton, Lancashire 1628/29.
      iii. Samuel2 Denton, bp. 1631 at Coley, near Halifax, Yorkshire, England.
      iv. Daniel2 Denton, bp. 1632 at Coley.
      v. Phoebe2 Denton, bp. 1634 at Coley; no further record."
      [The list doesn't seem complete since the statement above makes reference to a son Richard whom is not listed in the author's compilation of children.]

      3. Miscellaneous comments from Worldconnect accessed 14 Feb 2010:
      "Samuel was listed on the 1673 Dutch Census at Hempstead, NY and owned property in Hempstead from 1662 and lived in the area most of his life. Transactions in 1703 show that he owned slaves. In 1685, he was reported to be owning 240 acres of land. The 1698 Census at Hempstead, NY lists six of his nine children. "New York Surrogate 8-305: Adm. Samuel Denton, late of Hempstead, intestate March 20, 1713 to his sons Samuel and Jonas." Papers filed with the clerk in Court of Appeals, Albany, NY named a daughter, "Hannah, wife of Thomas Treadwell," also spelled Tredwell. From the "Tennessee Valley Historical Review:" Hempstead town records show that Samuel Denton and others took up land, 50 acres each, on the same terms as the first proprietors. In 1663, jointly with Thomas Rushmour, Samuel Denton obtained all rights and privileges upon Matthew Garrison's Neck and at Mattinacock, from Jeremy Wood of Hempstead. On April 18, 1665, John Smith of Hempstead sold to "my son-in-law Samuel Denton" certain lands. In 1698 he was called Samuel Denton, Senior. A deed of gifts from Samuel Denton of Hempstead, Yeoman, in consideration of "paternal love and affection I have and do bear toward my well-beloved son James Denton of Hempstead, Yeoman" to land within the township of Hempstead. December 16, 1710. The date of Samuel's inventory was March 15, 1713 and was taken by Obediah Volintine and James Serion. "March 10, 1713, Hempstead. Mary Denton ye widdow and Relict of Samuel Denton, late of Hempstead in Queens County, doth for divers good causes and consideration hereunto moving, refuses to administer upon the estate of her deceased husband, Samuel Denton." So the administration was granted to Samuel and Jonas Denton, sons of said deceased. The records pertaining to the administration of the estate clearly show receipts from the children calling each by name. Therefore we have a definite list of the children of Samuel and Mary Smith Denton. From Genelogical Data from Inventories of NY Estates 1666-1825 by Kenneth Scott and James Owne. "Denton, Samuel of Hempstead, Queens Co., yeoman - Renunciation (20 March 1713/4) of Mary Denton of her right to administer the estate of her dec'd husband in favor of his sons, Samuel and Jonas Denton. Her renunciation was witnessed by Jacob Smith and John Sprague. Inventory (15 March 1713/4) taken and appraised by Obadiah Volentine and James Searing, by order of Col. John. Jackson, J.P. The chief item was a negro boy and girl (90 Pounds) and a Negro man listed as 'worth nothing.' Account of Samuel and Jonas Denton, administrators, records the following payments to heirs of the dec'd.: to Mary Denton (Widow of the dec'd.) to Peter Smith (Son of Mary Ellison, dec'd who was a daughter of the intestate), to Joseph Robinson and Jane his wife (who was a daughter of the dec'd., to Jonathan Seaman and Elizabeth his wife (a daughter of the intestate), to Abraham Denton (son of the intestate, to James Denton (son of the intestate), to Thomas Beadwell and Hannah his wife (a daughter of the intestate), to Robert Mitchell and Phoebe his wife (a daughter of the intestate), to Ezekiel Smith and Martha his wife (a daughter of the intestate) and to Jonas Denton (a son of the intestate)."

      4. The periodical "The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record," 120[1989]:10-17, 94-97, 160-163; 121[1990]:221-225, etc., "Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton," by Walter C. Krumm. I have divided up this article and included each generation with the individual detailed:
      "In 1989 there is a need to revise and update the data on the first generations of Dentons in America. Many old records have been newly published and otherwise made available, making possible a more detailed and accurate account of the Rev. Richard Denton and his immediate descendants. This statement does not denigrate the work of earlier researchers, without whose efforts quantities of unique data would have disappeared. First and foremost was Walter Bion Denton (1857-1941), who for fifty years diligently collected Denton data, especially as elicited from Denton descendants. His notes, files, and correspondence (unedited and unindexed) are held in the Burton Historical Collection of the Detroit Public Library. Easier to use and resulting from separate research is William A. D. Eardeley's "Manuscript of Notes on the Denton Family in America" (1936; he died the same year). The original document of 289 pages is held in the Queensborough Public Library in Jamaica, New York, but photocopies are available elsewhere. In the same year George D. A. Combes, who had worked with Eardeley in compiling data, produced his manuscript "Genealogy of the Descendants of Rev. Richard Denton of Hempstead, L.I., for the First Five Generations." As Hempstead Town Historian and acknowledged expert on early Hempstead history, Combes was able to refine and clarify Eardeley's material. Both manuscripts are honest, valuable works.
      More recently several partial histories of the Dentons in America have appeared. Best known is a 94-page pamphlet entitled "Some of the Descendants of Rev. Richard Denton" (1959) by Edythe Whitley, a professional genealogist in Tennessee. Walter Womack, himself a Denton descendant and publisher of the pamphlet, admitted to the numerous inaccuracies it contained but died before he could make the corrections. This is especially regrettable since later Denton family historians have accepted this work and repeated its errors in the opening chapters of their otherwise soundly researched efforts.
      Currently there are many genealogists at work trying to fill out the Denton family record. Representative of this work are Carroll M. Miller (died 1985) and Tom Jarvis (died 1988) of Dallas, both of whom have diligently amassed data and generously shared their findings with their many correspondents. But the Dean of Denton genealogists today is William DEREL Denton (born 1908) of Elizabethtown, New York. His 50-plus years of interest in the history of the Denton family have brought him into personal and/or postal contact with all of the above researchers. Both his files and his correspondence are voluminous, and his generosity in sharing his time and information is unstinting. One of the best recommendations for the work which follows is that "Bill" Denton has agreed to help edit the text.
      Currently many Denton researchers are duplicating each other's work by mining the same sources, and often are unable to test the accuracy of earlier "statements of fact" and "family traditions." The time has come to publish a new Denton Family History that incorporates all of the latest available data and dispels the accumulated myths. The article "Who Was the Rev. Richard Denton" which appeared in the July and October 1986 issues of "The Record" was a beginning in this effort. [KP Note: The 1986 article was later updated by the same author in 2004, which I have transcribed and included in the notes of Richard Denton in my database; it is best not to use the 1986 earlier edition.] The present article starts with biographies of Richard's three sons who fathered Denton families (the second generation in America); it will continue into the fifth generation.
      The author acknowledges the immense work done by his predecessors. Recognizing that a genealogist's work is never done, he knows that this current work is only another step toward a comprehensive family picture. He hopes there are no errors, but will not be surprised when some are found. In that spirit he welcomes communications from other Denton historians.
      When the Rev. Richard Denton sailed back to England in 1658, he must have felt discouraged; unable to live on his earnings on Long Island or to find better pay in Virginia, he and his wife were returning to England to receive a bequest of £400 awaiting them there ("Ecclesiastical Records, State of New York" 1:411). Apparently he left in America little or no property for his sons to inherit, and he could expect never to see them again. Yet the Presbyterian Church in America has regarded him as their first minister ("Encyclopedia of the Presbyterian Church," ed. Alfred Nevin, 1884, p. 183-4), and his descendants number in the thousands.
      It is possible to reconstruct much of Denton's immediate family from English records. As a subsidized university student he was almost certainly unmarried when he was graduated from Catharine's Hall, Cambridge in 1623/4. The next mention of him, found in the baptismal record of his son in July, 1627, identifies him as "preacher at Turton," a small chapelry in Bolton Priory, Lancashire. This suggests that he married c. 1625 (no record has been found) and that his son was born a year or so later. St. Peter's Parish Church, Bolton, has only these two Denton entries (Lancashire Parish Register Society Publications 50:107, 114):
      "Tymothie Denton, son of Mr. Denton, preacher at Turton baptised 23 July [1627]."
      "Nathaniell Denton of Turton, son of Mr. Denton 9 March, baptised [1628/9]."
      Denton's predecessor at Turton, Gilbert Astley, was buried at Bolton on 27 Jan 1625/6 suggesting that his own term began there soon after.
      The next baptisms show that by 1631 the family had moved to Coley Chapel in Halifax Parish, Yorkshire, 25 miles east of Bolton (records compiled and anglicized by the West Yorkshire Archive Service):
      "Samuel, son of Richard Denton, Minister of Coley, 29 May, 1631"
      "Daniel, son of Richard Denton, Curate of Coley, 10 July 1632"
      "Phoebe, dau. of Richard Denton, minister of Coley, 30 Nov. 1634"
      Christening usually took place within a few weeks after birth unless sickness postponed it or fear of imminent death hastened it. Tymothie and Phoebe are never heard from again, suggesting that they died young, or if Phoebe survived Childhood, she may have married in an unrecorded ceremony in the New World. Between 1635 and 1640 the Dentons arrived in America although a record of their crossing is lacking; birth records of additional Children, if any, have not survived. Later records in America do show that when the parents returned to England in 1658, three, possibly four, sons remained behind:
      Nathaniel, Samuel, Daniel, and maybe Richard, Jr.,(1) in that order.
      Rev. Richard1 Denton, born 1603, probably the one baptised 19 April 1603 at Halifax, Yorkshire; died in England 1662-63 (tradition). For his career see REC. 117:163-6, 211-8 . He and his wife (unidentified) were the parents of at least these Children:
      i. Tymothie2, b. 1627; no further record.
      ii. Nathaniel, b. 1628/29.
      iii. Samuel, b. 1631.
      iv. Daniel, b. 1632.
      v. Phoebe, b. 1634; no further record."

      5. The book "The Early Settlement of Stamford, Connecticut 1641-1700…," by Jeanne Majdalany, pp. 158-59:
      "DENTON, Rev Richard - b1586, d1662, m1 ___, m2 ___.
      The Reverend Richard Denton came from Owram, Yorkshire and was on the James with Matthew Mitchell, arriving in Watertown, MA by 1634. He was in Wethersfield, CT in 1635 and was the leader of the first group of settlers in Stamford in 1641. His house was later that of John Bishop. He also led the group that went to Long Island in 1644, and then returned to England in 1659. Cotton Mather wrote a glowing account of him (cf. Huntington). Descendants:
      A. John - b1618.
      B. Daniel -.
      C. Timothy - bc1627.
      D. Nathaniel - bc1628, d1730 m Sarah
      E. Richard - d1658, m1657 Ruth Tileston.
      F. Samuel - d1714, m Mary Smith.
      References: Edythe Whitley, "Some of the Descendants of Rev. Richard Denton"; Frances Isabel Denton Womack, "The Denton Genealogy."

      6. From the internet accessed 15 Jan 2019: "The Origins of Reverend Richard Denton (1601-c.1662)," 20 September 2018, by R. Riegel [Citation: http://www.analent.com/Denton/OriginsOfRichardDenton.pdf]. Note the original PDF should be consulted online since it contains extensive images, extractions, and reproductions of the various sources and documents which cannot be reproduced in this transcription. There is also a copy of the PDF attached to Richard Denton and his family's entry in Family Search:
      "After reviewing the dubious assertions that Helen Windebank was Richard Denton's wife, I decided to revisit the original documents used to establish basic dates and people in Reverend Denton's life. While doing that research, I discovered several problems with those dates that make them unlikely to be correct. I also discovered evidence that a Richard Denton, likely the Reverend, married Maria Duerden on January 21, 1626 in Yorkshire. Of course, the births of at least 18 Richard Dentons in England between 1585 and 1605 complicated the analysis.
      Birth. Two years are generally given for the birth of Reverend Richard Denton - 1586 and 1603. But both of those dates are based on circumstantial evidence and both are questionable. They were likely derived by a process of elimination at times in the past when fewer parish records were available for easy (or even laborious) review. When those dates were first proposed, between the 1840's and 1920's, the aggregation of records on the internet obviously did not exist and the only way to research church records in England was to make visits to churches or libraries by horse, carriage, train or ship or by the exchange of correspondence that could take weeks or months.
      The 1586 birth date appears to come from "The History of Long Island from the Discovery to the Present Time" by Benjamin F. Thomson in 1843 at p. 19:
      Mr. Denton was born of a good family, at Yorkshire, England, in 1586, and was educated at the university of Cambridge, where he graduated in 1623, and was settled as minister of Coley Chapel, Halifax, for the period of seven years... [H]e probably arrived in New England, with Governor Winthrop, in 1630...
      He returned to England (says the Rev. Mr. Heywood, his successor at Halifax) in 1659, and spent the remainder of his life at Essex, where he died in 1662, aged 76. The cause of his departure from America is involved in mystery, particularly as he left behind him his four sons Richard, Samuel, Nathaniel and Daniel...
      Thompson gave no source for his 1586 date and I have found no baptismal records to support that date. That same date was repeated in "Ecclesiastical Records, State of New York," Vol III, (1902) in a footnote on page 1464.
      The 1603 birth date appears to come from the "Dictionary of National Biography," Vol XIV, (1888), p. 380:
      DENTON, RICHARD (1603-1663), divine, was born in 1603 in Yorkshire, and lived at Priestley Green [near Halifax in Yorkshire]. He took his B.A. degree at Catharine Hall, Sherlock Court, St. Catharine's College, Cambridge University Cambridge, 1623. He became minister of the chapel of Coley, near Coley Hall... Here he remained about seven years ...
      This 1603 date is supported by a Warley Parish (also known as Warley Town) baptism record for:
      "April 10 [1603] Richard Rich: Denton War[ley]” in the West Yorkshire County Record Office, Newstead Road, Wakefield. That record is cited by Walter C. Krumm in his article "Meeting the Reverend Richard Denton (1603 - 1663?)" appearing in the "Connecticut Ancestry," journal published by the Connecticut Ancestry Society, Inc., Vol. 47, No. 2, Dec. 2004.
      The 1603 date also appears in Alumni Cantabrigienses, Part I, Vol II, John Venn (1922) (a biographical list of Cambridge University graduates) which cites the Dictionary of National Biography as one of its sources at p. 34:
      DENTON, RICHARD. Matric. sizar from St Catharine's, Easter, 1621. B. 1603, in Yorkshire. B.A. 1623-4. Ord. deacon (Peterb.) Mar. 9, 1622-3; priest, June 8, 1623. C. of Coley Chapel, Halifax, for some years. Went to New England, e. 1638. Preacher at Stamford, Conn.; and at Hempstead, Long Island, for 15 years. Returned to England, 1659. Said to have died at Hempstead, Essex, 1663. Author, Soliliquia Sacra. (Felt, 515; J. G. Bartlett; D.N.B.) [Emphasis added.]
      “Sizar” means “[a]n undergraduate at Cambridge... receiving financial help from the college and formerly having certain menial duties.” Oxford Dictionaries. Presumably, if Reverend Richard Denton received assistance to attend Cambridge, his father was not rich enough to pay for his entire education. “Felt” refers to Joseph B. Felt's The Ecclesiastical History of New England (1862). J. G. Bartlett (1872-1927) of Boston supplied biographical accounts of Cambridge students who emigrated to New England prior to 1650. Alumni Cantabrigienses, Vol 1, p. xviii. And, “D.N,B.”stands for the Dictionary of National Biography.
      Note that the foregoing biographical entry is not a quote from a Cambridge University record. Rather, it is a 1922 compilation of information from various sources including the Dictionary of National Biography (1888) as stated above. In fact, the preface to Volume I of the Alumni Cantabrigienses discusses some of the difficulties encountered while developing the biographical information.:
      As this [the Matriculation Register for the entire university of Cambridge] is the only official record of membership, it ought to be complete and trustworthy. Unfortunately it is neither the one nor the other. Very many names of students who undoubtedly came into residence are omitted altogether. Indeed one negligent Registrary has emphasized his term of office (1590-1601) by failing to record any matriculations at all...
      [The University records] give no personal information, beyond the very vague suggestion as to social status, afforded by the fact of matriculation as fellow-commoner, pensioner, or sizar. It is from the College Admission Registers, exclusively, that we can obtain such facts as parentage, birth-place, age, school, and so forth... [A description of the records available from each college then follows:]
      (9) St Catharine's [the college attended by Reverend Richard Denton]. Commences about 1627; but is scarcely more than a list of names, ... Note that the student records for St. Catharine's College, which Rev. Richard Denton attended, did not begin until 1627, several years after he graduated.
      Dates. Dates in England prior to 1752 can be confusing and ambiguous. See the Lancashire Online Parish Clerks Project:
      Prior to 1752, the Julian calendar was in use in England. In this calendar, the new year began on 25 March each year, so 31 Dec would be followed by 1 Jan of the same year, and 24 Mar would be followed by 25 Mar the following year. This applied up to 31 Dec 1751, after which the Gregorian calendar was adopted. 31 Dec 1751 was followed by 1 Jan 1752.
      To solve this problem, the Lancashire Online Parish Clerks Project uses a dual date for the period from 1 January to 24 March of each year:
      To avoid any ambiguity, we record dates between 1 Jan and 24 Mar of each year prior to 1752 as dual dates. So for example, 31 Dec 1746 is followed by 1 Jan 1746/7, 2 Jan 1746/7 and so on until 24 Mar 1746/7, then 25 Mar 1747.
      The Alumni Cantabrigienses used a similar system but said:
      Sometimes, however, this is not possible, and then we have to leave the exact date ambiguous. Thus, when any one is said, in these volumes, to have died 'Feb. 15, 1615,' it is meant that we simply do not know whether this should stand 1614-5, or 1615-6. A number of these puzzles have been left us, the Dictionary of National Biography itself being a notinfrequent offender.
      In addition, determining what year written in a church record was actually intended can also pose issues. The Lancashire Online Parish Clerks Project describes the problem as follows:
      Sometimes the minister would not record the change of year correctly, forgetting to do it until a few days later. The information presented on our website will normally reflect the change of year at the point where it should have occurred, not necessarily where the minister wrote it.
      And, the Alumni Cantabrigienses said:
      The principal difficulty one has to face is this. In taking a date, from an ordinary history of the popular kind, we often do not know what the author means. Has he simply copied some contemporary record - parish register, tombstone, etc. - or has he tacitly substituted the modem reckoning? Wherever we can determine which he has done we have substituted the double date in order to avoid confusion.
      Finally, the CCEd Clergy of the Church of England Database displays only a single year in its dates and does not explain whether that is the actual date shown in the historical record or whether it has been adjusted from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar.
      The foregoing issues suggest viewing all dates from this period with extra caution.
      Ordination as a Deacon and Priest. The Church of England's records for Rev. Richard Denton appear under his given name Richard (CCEd Person ID: 33942), but also under the given name “Roger” (CCEd Person ID 134825), and both entries must be viewed to see all of his records. The reason for this error in names is not clear. While Rev. Denton's record under the name Richard indicates that he was ordained as a deacon at Peterborough Cathederal on 9 March 1622, his record under the name Roger indicates he was ordained a deacon a year later on 9 March 1623. Venn also gives his ordination as a deacon as 9 March 1623 (Gregorian) in Alumni Cantabrigienses. Rev. Denton's “qualification” to be a deacon was noted as “literate” which meant that he had not yet earned his degree from Cambridge but that the bishop judged he had sufficient education to qualify for ordination. See CCEd Clergy of the Church of England Database.
      The Church of England's CCEd database also states that Rev. Richard Denton was ordained as a Priest on 8 June 1623, the same Gregorian date given by Venn and only three months after being ordained a deacon. But Rev. Denton's record in Venn's Alumni Cantabrigienses indicates that he received his B.A. degree from Cambridge in 1624 (Gregorian), while the CCEd database gives 7 March 1628 for his graduation date. (That 1628 graduation date is exactly the same as the CCEd date given for his appointment as Curate at Turton and likely in error.) Typically, a university degree was required for ordination as a priest and one year would pass between ordination as a deacon (1623) and ordination as a priest. In addition, about nine out of ten B.A. degrees were awarded in January but, when awarded after March 25th, were technically called Ad Baptistam (A.B.) degrees. See Alumni Cantabrigienses, Vol 1, Venn (1922), p. xvi. Therefore, Rev. Denton's ordination as a priest was more likely to have been in June 1624 after his graduation from Cambridge and receipt of the typical B.A. Degree in January, 1624. In fact, mental contortions are required to explain all of these inconsistent dates unless one makes just one simple correction to Rev. Denton's ordination date as a priest from 1623 to 1624.
      In the 17th Century (and even today) priests could not be ordained in the Church of England until they were at least 23 years old (called the “canonical age”). (See “Sources of Personal History,” “Ordinations” in the Preface to Alumni Cantabrigienses, Vol 1, (1922), p. xii and Canon C-3-6 of the Church of England. Also see The Oxford History of the Laws of England, Vol. 1, R. H. Helmholz (2004), p. 273 et seq.) If Rev. Richard Denton was ordained in 1624, then he should have been born no later than 1601. Thus, a birth date in 1603 would have precluded his ordination. The Preface to Alumni Cantabrigienses, Vol 1, (1922) says the church records of ordinations indicate that ordinations “almost invariably” occurred within a year or two after the ordinand turned 23.
      The Church of England database indicates that Rev. Denton was not officially given his own church until 7 March 1628 (likely 1629 under the Gregorian calendar) when he was appointed Curate of St. Bartholomew's (later renamed St. Anne's) Church in Turton, Lancashire. The record for that appointment notes he had his Bachelor of Arts degree from Cambridge. The St. Anne's web site, however, states that Rev. Denton became an incumbent in Turton in 1627. And, the baptism record for Rev. Denton's first son, Tymothie, at nearby St. Peter in Bolton on 23 July 1627 states that Rev. Denton was already a preacher at Turton. The St. Anne's web site also indicates that Rev. Denton held an M.A. (Master of Arts) degree. While I have found no other source for that M.A., it could explain where Rev. Denton was during at least some of the years between 1624 and 1627.
      A list of all the Richard Dentons I could find who were born in England between 1585 and 1606 is included at the end of this document. Below is a list of those baptized between 1595 and 1601: (Baptism Date Location Father's Name)
      Denton Richard 29 Jun 1595 St John the Baptist, Halifax, Yorkshire, WR
      Denton Richard 21 Sep 1595 Holborn, London Richard Denton
      Denton Ric. 18 Apr 1596 Royston, Yorkshire
      Denton Richard 12 Nov 1599 Fishlake, Yorkshire, WR Edward Denton
      Denton Ric 1 Jan 1600/1 Tonbridge, Kent Wm Denton
      Denton Richard 19 Apr 1601 Halifax, Yorkshire, WR Henry Denton
      “WR” = West Riding, Yorkshire
      As stated above, Reverend Richard Denton was a priest at St. Anne's Church in Turton, Lancashire from 1627 to 1631. The following is a list of “Incumbents at Turton” from the St. Anne's web site:
      Incumbents of Turton
      1596 Gilbert Astley/Aston
      1610 "Well supplied with ministers"
      1627 Richard Denton M.A.
      1632 Mr Boden
      Walter Krum in his "Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton," (The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 120 [1989]: 10-17, 94-97, 160-163; 121 [1990]: 221-225) states:
      It is possible to reconstruct much of Denton's immediate family from English records. As a subsidized university student he was almost certainly unmarried when he was graduated from Catharine's Hall, Cambridge in 1623/4. The next mention of him, found in the baptismal record of his son in July, 1627, identifies him as "preacher at Turton," a small chapelry in Bolton Priory, Lancashire. This suggests that he married c. 1625 (no record has been found) and that his son was born a year or so later. St. Peter's Parish Church, Bolton, has only these two Denton entries (Lancashire Parish Register Society Publications 50:107, 114) [emphasis added.]:
      "Tymothie Denton, son of Mr. Denton, preacher at Turton baptised 23 July [1627]."
      "Nathaniell Denton of Turton, son of Mr. Denton baptised 9 March [1629]."
      Marriage. While Walter Krum did not find any record of Reverend Denton's marriage, four records of men named Richard Denton marrying in Yorkshire in 1625 and 1626 do exist.
      The first indicates that “Richus” (Richard) Denton married Maria Duerden in Halifax, Yorkshire on January 21, 1626 (using the Gregorian calendar). The surname “Duerden” was variously spelled as Durden, Dearden and Deurden. A Maria Durden was baptised in Heptonstall, St. Anne's Church, Turton, Yorkshire about 5 miles west of Halifax, on 14 Oct 1604. This Maria Durden/Duerden's father's name was Thomas. A Thomas Duerden is also shown in the Clergy of the Church of England Database (CCEd) as a Curate in Rochdale, Lancashire in 1592. Rochdale is about 15 miles from both Heptonstall where Maria was baptised and Bolton where Rev. Denton became a Curate by 1627. Rochdale is also in an area that, at various times, has been part of the counties of West Riding, Yorkshire and Lancashire. In fact, the Church of England describes Rochdale as being in the county of “Lancashire, West Riding, Yorkshire.” Two more daughters of Thomas Duerden were baptised in Heptonstall, Sara on 1 April 1607 and Grace on 20 January 1610. The CCEd comments about Rev. Thomas Duerden say: "Clasisified in 1592 amongst 'no graduates, but preachers, honest men'.”
      There is also some evidence that the Heptonstall, Halifax Denton and Durden families knew each other. An Agnes Dentone was married to Robert Durden in Halifax in June, 1572. In addition, a Richard Duerden was baptised in Halifax on 10 January 1601/2 to a father named Richard in Sowerby which is only a mile or two from Warley where Rev. Denton was born. This Richard Duerden would have been Rev. Denton's age, they may have known each other and, perhaps, even attended Heath Grammar School together. This young Richard may also have been Maria Duerden's cousin. And, a Richard Dearden (perhaps young Richard Duerden's father) was a Governor of the Heath Grammar School (1624-26) in Halifax which Rev. Denton had likely attended before leaving for Cambridge in 1621. Heath Grammar School: A Popular History of the Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth, at Heath, Thomas Cox (1879), p. 121.
      A second marriage record indicates that a Richardi Denton (who died 23 Mar 1653/4 in Normanton) married an Editha Oatly on June 29, 1625 in Wragby, Yorkshire, but I could find no record of her birth. There are records, however, for the birth of a son named Richard on 25 Nov 1627 in Normanton, Yorkshire and another son named William on 23 Dec 1631 in Normanton.
      A third record indicates that a Richard Denton married Margaret Patterson in Costessey, Norfolk in July, 1626. A Margaret Patterson was baptised October 11, 1601 in Gressenhall, Norfolk to Jon Patterson. Records indicate, however, that this Richard Denton died in Feltwell, Norfolk on 12 Dec 1626.
      A fourth record appears in The Registers of the Parish Church of Adel in the County of York, George Lumb (1895). That entry on page 22 reads as follows: “Mariages in the yeare 1625. May 11. Richard Denton maried Susanna Coates, they being both of this pish.” The entry for this marriage on FreeReg.org indicates that Susanna Coates was a “servant to the Parson of Adle [sic]” and the church was named St. John the Baptist. Adel is a village about 14 miles northeast of Halifax, Yorkshire and is now a suburb of Leeds. (See maps infra.)
      While the Adel Parish Registers say Susanna Coates was "of this parish," there are also records for two Susanna/Susan Coates baptised in England around that time. A Susanna Coates was baptised December 30, 1593 in Fulborn, Cambridgeshire to Christofer Coates and a Susan Coates was baptised August 19, 1604 in Petworth, Sussex to Radulphj [sic] Coates. In addition, the baptism records for St. John the Baptist Church in Halifax include two children of a Richard Denton from Adel: George baptised 26 Mar 1626 and Mary baptised 1 Aug 1629.
      The marriage of Reverend Richard Denton in the 1625-26 time frame would fit neatly with his graduation from Cambridge in 1624 and the birth of Reverend Denton's first son in 1627. Earlier in the 1620's, other Richard Denton's married:
      1. Jana Nicoll (bp. 30 Nov 1589 in Huddersfield) at St. Peter in Huddersfield, Yorkshire in 1620,
      2. Sara Hall (bp. 7 Dec 1600 in Mirfield) at St. Mary in Mirfield, Yorkshire in 1621 and
      3. Bridget Hancock (bp.1602 in Worcestershire) in London in 1622.
      Records for those marriages also appear at the end of this document.
      Helen Windebank. A record does exist for the marriage of a Richard Denton to a Helen Windebank on 16 Nov 1612 at Southwark, St. Saviour in Surrey, England (near London). (That record is included at the end of this document.) Since searches do not reveal other records for a “Helen” Windebank, this “Helen” is likely “Ellen Windebank,” baptised on 5 February 1593 in Hurst, Berkshire and the daughter of a Thomas Windebank. See A History of the Parish of Hurst in Berkshire, Rev. John Wimberley (1937). If this Helen or Ellen had married Reverend Denton in 1612, why was their first child not born until fifteen years later, in 1627? And, why would Reverend Denton start college at Cambridge nine years after their marriage?
      In addition, searches reveal only one other Helen or Ellen Windebank who was baptized in England between 1583 and 1603. Her name was “Ellyn Windebanke” and she was baptized on 1 Feb 1597 (perhaps 1598 under the Gregorian calendar) in Cornwall, about as far from Yorkshire as one could get.
      Given there were eight Richard Denton's baptised in England between 1588 and 1593 alone, Rev. Denton was not the only Richard Denton Helen or Ellen could have chosen to marry. If one were to believe Reverend Richard Denton had been born earlier in the 1590's and had been married between 1610 and 1620, three Richard Dentons married three other women during that period:
      1. Grace Mawde (bp. 12 Dec 1591 in Halifax) in 1612 in Elland, Yorkshire,
      2. Eleanor Guy in 1615 in Southwark, St. Saviour, Surrey and
      3. Susan Bouthoumley (bp. 1592, 1595 or 1598 in Elland) in 1618 in Elland, Yorkshire.
      Records for those marriages also appear at the end of this document.
      Marriages Summary. In light of the foregoing evidence, the most logical conclusion would be that Reverend Richard Denton married Maria Duerden in 1626. And, a marriage at a Yorkshire church in 1625 or 1626 shortly after Rev. Denton graduated from Cambridge in 1623/4 and then worked on his Masters degree, coupled with the birth of his (their) first child in 1627, simply makes the most logical sense in light of the evidence available, as suggested by Walter Krumm, supra.
      Which Richard Denton was the Reverend? There were four Richard Dentons born in Yorkshire between 1595 and 1601 who may have been the Reverend Richard Denton. The Richard Denton born in Fishlake in 1599 was the only Richard born in Fishlake between 1520 and 1640 except for a Richard Denton born to a Richard Denton on 4 Mar 1632. (There were fewer than 30 baptisms in Fishlake between 1600 and 1640.) It seems likely that the Richard born in 1632 was the son of the Richard born in 1599 which makes it unlikely this Richard Denton was the Reverend.
      A “Rychard” Denton married Jane Greenold in Royston, Yorkshire in 1624. There was then a John Denton born in Royston in 1628 to a father also named “Rychard” Denton. If this “Rychard” Denton was the "Ric. Denton" baptised in Royston on 18 Apr 1596 then it is unlikely this Rychard or Ric was the Reverend Denton.
      There was a Richard Denton baptised at St. John the Baptist in Halifax on 29 June 1595. There was also a marriage of Rich Denton to Susan Bouthoumley in Elland, Halifax in 1618 and the birth of a Jana Denton to a Richard Denton in Elland on 25 July 1624. In addition, if this Richard were the Reverend, he would have been 29 years old at the time of his ordination in the summer of 1624. That age would have put him 6 years past the age (23) at which Anglican priests were "almost invariably" ordained.
      Finally, there was a Richard Denton (the son of Henry Denton) baptised in Halifax on 19 April 1601. If this Richard was the Reverend, he would have been 23 years old if he was ordained in June 1624. Because church records were not always accurate, it is likely that the year shown in the CCEd database for his ordination (1623) is wrong. After all, the Church database suggests he was ordained a priest before he had graduated from Cambridge and before he had been a deacon for a year, contrary to Canon Law. And, while the Church database noted Rev. Denton's qualification to be a deacon as “literate,” it did not give that same qualification for becoming a priest only three months later. Also, while Rev. Richard Denton is noted on the St. Anne's, Turton web site as being a preacher there in 1627, the Church of England's database states his appointment to Turton and his graduation from Cambridge were both on 7 March 1628 (1629 Gregorian). And, the Church of England database erroneously lists Rev. Richard Denton's appointment as Curate at Coley under the name Roger Denton in 1633 (1634 Gregorian) although Rev. Richard Denton was at Coley by 1631. Correcting the year Rev. Denton was ordained a priest to 1624 gives a more natural progression of his career and a progression that complies with Canonical and Parliamentary law: (1) matriculation at Cambridge in 1621, (2) ordination as a deacon in March, 1623, (3) graduation from Cambridge in January, 1624, (4) 23rd birthday on 19 April, 1624 and (5) ordination as a priest in June, 1624 at age 23 and one year after becoming a deacon.
      Coley. After serving at St. Anne's Church in Turton, Rev. Denton became the minister at Coley Chapel in 1631. Coley is several miles northeast of Halifax. The Church of England records (which erroneously show his given name as Roger) state that he was appointed Curate at Coley on 5 February 1633 (1634 under the Gregorian calendar). Rev. Denton and his family lived nearby at Priestly Green. While at Coley. Rev. Denton and his wife had five more children. Three of those children are listed in the Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton, by Walter C. Krumm in The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 120[1989]:10-17, 94-97, 160-163; 121[1990]:221-225:
      The next baptisms show that by 1631 the family had moved to Coley Chapel in Halifax Parish, Yorkshire, 25 miles east of Bolton (records compiled and anglicized by the West Yorkshire Archive Service):
      Samuel, son of Richard Denton, Minister of Coley, 29 May, 1631
      Daniel, son of Richard Denton, Curate of Coley, 10 July 1632
      Phoebe, dau. of Richard Denton, minister of Coley, 30 Nov. 1634
      But Walter Krum missed two more children of Rev. Denton:
      Peter who was baptised on 6 January 1637 (Gregorian calendar) at Coley, and
      Mary who was baptised on 21 June 1638 at Hipperholme, a chapel only about a mile from Coley.
      Copies of the Halifax Bishop's transcripts for those baptisms appear at the end of this memo.
      The Reverend Oliver Heywood (1630-1702) later succeeded Reverend Denton at the Coley church in about 1651. Rev. Heywood stated that Reverend Richard Denton was the Curate at St. John the Baptist Church, Coley, Yorkshire for about 7 years, at which time he emigrated to New England. Rev. Heywood's substantially contemporaneous recollection would place Rev. Denton and his family at Coley from 1631 to about 1638. See The Rev Oliver Heywood, His Autobiography, Diaries, Anecdote and Event Books, Vol IV, Horsfall Turner (ed.) (1885), pp. 11-12.
      Emigration. While some authors have asserted that Rev. Denton had migrated to Watertown, Massachusetts and Wethersfield by 1635, those assertions have been made without citing evidence and are unlikely. For example, Sherman W. Adams, a contributing author to Henry R. Stiles' 1904 book The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, Vol. 1, took conflicting positions about Rev. Denton's arrival date in Wethersfield. On pages 20-21, Sherman claimed that Rev. Denton was with six other men who went from Watertown to Wethersfield on May 29, 1635. But on pages 135-136 Sherman said that Rev. Denton “came from Watertown, Mass., in 1638.” And, he noted it was strange that his name did not appear along with six other Wethersfield founders on a Court document dated April 26, 1636 authorizing the formation of a church in Wethersfield.
      We know, however, that Rev. Denton's daughter Mary was baptised at Hipperholme (only about a mile from Coley) in June of 1638 with his occupation as “minister” noted at the end of that baptism entry. And, we know that Reverend Heywood wrote that Rev. Denton remained at Coley in Yorkshire until about 1638 (the same date adopted by Venn in his Alumni Cantabrigienses, Part I, Vol II, (1922)). Rev. Denton's migration to New England was likely prompted by the appointment of Richard Marsh as the new Vicar of Halifax in April of 1638 and the re-imposition of preReformation Church of England liturgical practices. See “Century of Revolution,” Halifax Minster. In fact, Rev. Oliver Heywood who succeeded Rev. Denton at Coley in about 1651 said:
      Mr. Denton ... was a good minister of Jesus Christ, affluent in his worldly circumstances, and had several children. He continued here about seven years; times were sharp, the bishops being in their height. In his time came out the book for sports on the Sabbath days. He saw he could not do what was required, feared further persecution, and therefore took the opportunity of going into New England. He returned to Old England about 1659, and lived and died in Essex. In his time the chapel at Coley was enlarged." Memoirs of the Rev. Oliver Heywood, B.A., Rev. Richard Slate (1827) , p. 20.
      We also know that Rev. Denton's name does not appear on the passenger lists for the many ships sailing from England to America in the 1630's. See the Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's. Most of those passenger lists for the late 1630's are for journeys from London, Southampton and Bristol. And the number of those lists available becomes smaller and smaller from about 1636 forward. But there was another port closer to Coley at Hull, Yorkshire and only about 70 miles away from Coley. Another Yorkshire minister named Ezekiel Rogers from Rowley reportedly organized a fleet of eight to eleven ships from Hull to Massachusetts in 1638. The English Ancestry of Richard Belden of Wethersfield, Connecticut, Paul Reed and John Sharp, in The American Genealogist (2001), p. 20. But, again, the passenger lists for those ships are not yet available, presuming they still exist.
      Reverend John Sherman was one of the six members of the Watertown church who founded the Wethersfield church in April 1636 where he was the minister until he moved to Milford, New Haven between November 1639 and May, 1640. The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, Vol. 1, Henry Stiles (1904), p. 135. In 1638, Reverend Denton became the seventhmember of the Wethersfield church as noted by Henry Stiles, ibid., p. 136: “This seventh member may have been the Rev. Richard Denton, who came from Watertown Mass., in 1638.” The distinction between the original six members of the Wethersfield church who had come from Watertown in 1636 and the later seven members was also noted by Rev. E.B. Huntington in his History of Stamford, Connecticut (1868) at p. 14 where he said “"The church at Wethersfield had only seven voting members, six who had come from Watertown, and one who had joined them.”
      Because Rev. Denton's daughter Mary was baptised in Halifax in June of 1638, Rev. Denton and his family must have spent very little time in Watertown, if any at all. In fact, there is no record Rev. Denton was made a “freeman” (a church member and voter) in Watertown.
      When Rev. Denton and his family arrived in Wethersfield in 1638, the church was in the midst of a dispute among its members. That dispute ultimately led to a split, with many Wethersfield families (including Rev. Denton's) arranging in November of 1640 to purchase land from New Haven which they later named Stamford. Rev. Denton did receive a deed on April 10, 1640 for 15 acres of land in Wethersfield. The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, 1636-1776, (Hartford 1850-1890) Vol 1, p. 63. The move to Stamford occurred in the summer of 1641. History of Stamford, Connecticut, ibid.
      But by 1644, Rev. Denton, his family and many of his parishioners were on the move again, this time to Hempstead on Long Island. In 1647 the original settlers of Hempstead created a written record of their original 1644 allotments of land which included a list with the names of those settlers. Rev. Denton was on that list along with his sons Nathaniel, Daniel and Samuel. His son Peter was not included because he had died in 1637, six months after his birth. But a new son, named Richard Denton, Junior was included. The Early History of Hempstead, Long Island, Charles Moore (1878), pp. 6-8.
      Richard Denton, Jr. does not appear on any of the original Bishop's Transcripts of baptisms in Halifax between 1624 and 1640, nor does he appear among the baptisms in Lancashire from 1611 to 1635. Although the earliest baptism recorded in Stamford was for Jonathan Bell in September 1640-41, there are no baptisms recorded for any Dentons in Stamford. History of Stamford, Connecticut, Huntington (1868), p. 155 et seq. Nevertheless, Richard, Jr. does appear on the list of Hempstead settlers in 1644. The only other location Richard Denton, Jr. might have been born would have been Wethersfield. Unfortunately, none of those Wethersfield records remain:
      The total absence of any church records during the first sixty-two years of its existence leaves us in complete ignorance of Wethersfield's religious history during that period... The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, Vol. 1, supra, p.135.
      In 1656, Nathaniel (b.1628/9) and Daniel (b.1632) Denton are both shown on a certificate for the purchase of Jamaica on Long Island. But Samuel (b.1631) and Richard, Jr. remained in Hempstead after their parents returned to England in 1658. Then, in 1685 Samuel is shown as owning 240 acres while Richard, Jr. is shown as owning only 50 acres. Richard, Junior's smaller land holdings suggest he may have been the younger brother. History of Long Island, Thompson, Vol 2, 3rd ed., (1918), pp. 494, 584. Given this evidence, it seems most likely that Richard Denton, Jr. was born in Wethersfield circa 1640.
      The full list of Reverend Richard Denton's children follows:
      Tymothie, 1627 Jul 23, Turton, Bolton, Lancashire (died 1631)
      Nathaniel, 1629 March 9 [Gregorian], Turton, Bolton, Lancashire
      Samuel, 1631 May 29, Coley, Halifax, Yorkshire
      Daniel, 1632 Jul 10, Coley, Halifax, Yorkshire
      Phoebe, 1634 Nov 30, Coley, Halifax, Yorkshire
      Peter, 1637 Jan 6 [Gregorian], Coley, Halifax, Yorkshire (died June 1637)
      Mary 1638 Jun 21, Hipperholme/Coley, Halifax, Yorkshire
      Richard, Jr., b.c.1640, probably Wethersfield, Connecticut
      Return to England. Reverend Denton did likely return to England with his wife about 1658. Two men who knew Rev. Denton in New York (Johannes Megapolensis and Samuel Drisius) wrote in October 1657 that Rev. Denton intended to return to England with his “sickly wife” to collect an inheritance of 400 pounds from a “friend.” Ecclesiastical Records, State of New York, Vol I, 1901, p. 407. Some suggest Rev. Denton and his wife went to Essex, east of London, upon their return. (A Wethersfield in Essex was the namesake for Wethersfield, Connecticut. Ezekiel Rogers' father, Richard, had been a famous pastor in Wethersfield, Essex for 43 years. The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, Vol. 1, Henry R. Stiles (1904), p. 52, et seq.) It is also possible that Rev. Denton and his wife made their way back to Yorkshire, although Rev. Oliver Heywood, who succeeded Rev. Denton at Coley Chapel near Halifax in about 1651 and who knew of Rev. Denton, did not mention any return by Rev. Denton to Halifax. Unfortunately, again, the ship on which Rev. Denton and his wife returned to England has not been identified.
      After Rev. Denton returned to England, Oliver Cromwell died in September 1658 and Charles II was restored to the throne in May 1660. Then, Parliament adopted the Act of Uniformity in May 1662 which required the use of the new Book of Common Prayer and gave English priests until 24 August 1662 to comply. Nearly 2,500 priests were ejected from the Church of England for failing to comply with the Act of Uniformity, but Rev. Denton was not included in the list of those ejected, suggesting he may have died before The Great Ejection. See Freedom After Ejection, Gordon Alexander (1917).
      For a much more in depth review of Reverend Richard Denton's life, see the discussion called The Origins of Reverend Richard Denton on Geni.com. [https://www.geni.com/people/Rev-Richard-Denton/4295150054050067693#/tab/discussion]
      Timeline for Reverend Richard Denton
      1601 April 19 - Richard Denton baptised at Warley, Halifax
      1604 Aug 14 - Maria Durden baptised in Heptonstall (near Halifax)
      c.1606-c.1620 - Probably at Heath Grammar School with Henry Priestley
      1621 - Became sizar at St Catharine's College, Cambridge
      1623 March 9 (Gregorian) - Ordained deacon at Peterborough Cathederal
      1624 January (Gregorian) - BA degree from Cambridge
      1624 April 19 - Turned 23 and then one year after being ordained deacon
      1624 June 8 - Ordained a priest at Peterborough (erroneously reported as 1623)
      1624 June through 1625 - Teaching at Cambridge for his Master's degree
      1626 January 21 (Gregorian) - Married Maria Duerden in Halifax
      1626 - Curate at Turton Chapel, living in Bolton, Lancashire. Chapel says 1627; church records say 7 Mar
      1629 (Gregorian). Gilbert Astley, prior Turton priest, buried 27 January 1626.
      1627 July 23 - Tymothie baptised at St. Peter in Bolton. Baptism record confirms Rev. Denton a preacher at Turton, Lancashire in 1627.
      1629 Mar 9 (Gregorian) - Nathaniel baptised at St Peter in Bolton, Lancashire
      1631 - Became Curate at Coley (near Halifax). Stays at Priestley Green owned by Henry Priestley or the Sunderland family. Edward Sunderland was a local Curate in 1605.
      1631 May 29 - Samuel baptised at Coley. Evidence he was at Coley/Halifax in 1631.
      1631 Jul 28 - Tymothie buried at Coley
      1632 Jul 10 - Daniel baptised at Coley
      1634 Sep 29 - Phoebe baptised at Coley. Krumm found no later evidence of her existence.
      1637 Jan 6 - Peter, baptised at Coley [Gregorian] . Died June 1637.
      1638 Apr 12 - Richard Marsh appointed Vicar of Halifax to restore pre-Reformation liturgical practices. Likely substantial contributing cause for migrating to New England.
      1638 June 21 - Mary, baptised at Hipperholme/Coley
      1638 - John of London and fleet of 8 to 11 ships sail from Hull, Yorkshire to New England. No evidence when or on what ship Rev. Denton sailed.
      1638 - Denton family emigrated to Wethersfield, CT. 1640 Apr 10 deed to 15 acres in Weathersfield is first written evidence of Rev. Denton in America.
      c.1640 - Richard, Jr., born probably at Wethersfield
      1641 - Denton family moved to Stamford, CT
      1644 - Denton family moved to Hempstead, Long Island
      1656 - Nathaniel (b.1628/9) and Daniel (b.1632) purchased Jamaica, Long Island with others
      1658 - Rev. Richard Denton and Maria returned to England to collect inheritance
      1658 September 3 - Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth, died
      1660 May 29 - Charles II restored to the throne
      1662 Aug 24 - Deadline to comply with Act of Uniformity and use new Book of Common Prayer. 2,500 priests ejected from church in "Great Ejection." Rev. Denton not listed as among those ejected.
      1685 - Samuel (b.1631) owned 240 acres and Richard, Jr. (b.c.1640) owned 50 acres in Hempstead
      [The following documents and images are in the PDF for which I only include the the sources as follows:]
      Richard Denton Baptism 1601 April 19 at Warley, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1601," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 31 Aug. 2018), entry for Richard Denton baptism, 19 Apr 1601, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D53/1/4 (Image ID: 32355_248981-00943).
      Maria Duerden Baptism 1604 Oct 14 at St. Thomas, Heptonstall
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Heptonstall, St Thomas 1604," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 5 Sep. 2018), entry for Maria Duerden baptism, 14 Oct 1604, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D149/1 (Image ID: 32355_248834-00222).
      Richard Denton and Maria Duerden Marriage 1625/6 Jan 21 in Halifax
      Richus Denton and Maria Duerden marriage 21 January 1625/6, Halifax, Yorkshire, England. From the Borthwick Institute for Archives, University of York. Yorkshire Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts. Database FindMyPast.com (accessed 3 Sept. 2018), entry for Maria Duerden, marriage 21 January 1625/6 (file name: GBPRS_YORKSHIRE_007587960_00045.jpg).
      Samuell Denton Baptism 1631 May 29 at Coley, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1631," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 29 Aug. 2018), entry for Samuel Denton baptism, 29 May 1631, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D53/1/5 (Image ID: 32355_248981-01351).
      Tymothy Denton Burial 1631 July 28 at Coley, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1631," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 20 Sep. 2018), entry for Tymothy Denton burial, 28 July 1631, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D53/1/5 (Image ID: 32355_248981-01352).
      Daniell Denton Baptism 1632 Jul 10 at Coley, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1632," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 29 Aug. 2018), entry for Daniel Denton baptism, 10 Jul 1632, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D53/1/5 (Image ID: 32355_248981-01365).
      Phebe Denton Baptism 1634 Sep 29 at Coley, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1634," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 29 Aug. 2018), entry for Phebe Denton baptism, 29 Sep 1634, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D53/1/5 (Image ID: 32355_248981-01392).
      Peter Denton Baptism 1636/7 Jan 6 at Coley, Hipperholme, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1636," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 29 Aug. 2018), entry for Peter Denton baptism, 6 Jan 1636/7, West Yorkshire Archive Service Reference D53/1/5 (Image ID: 32355_248981-01421).
      Peter Denton Burial 1637 June 5 at Hipperholme, Halifax
      "West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Halifax, St John the Baptist 1637," database, Ancestry.com (accessed 20 Sep. 2018), entry for Piter Denton burial, 5 Jun