Served in Father Rasle's War. See Source Ne-Do-Ba for more info on this event.
Per Wayne Olsen:
From "A History of Deerfield", by George Sheldon: Benjamin was a soldier under Capt. Benjamin Wright in Father Rasle's war; settled at Suffield; soldier at the capture of Cape Breton; came home sick and died Aug 1752.
Per wayne olsen:
Info from genealogy of Lillian Hubbard Holch, listed in Compendium of American Genealogies, found at Mannheim Library. Additional info provided: He was a miller at Suffield, Mass, and was a "rep. Mass. Gen. CT. " Father's name was Isaac (qv, whatever that means).
From "A History of Deerfield", by George Sheldon:
Joseph was a miller; granted of Nfd. 1682, but removed to Suffield; capt.; rep. to Mass. Gen Court; d. at Boston July 2, 1708. 5 children.
From "Trumbell's History of Northampton",... lived in Suffield, died at Boston while a rep from Suffield and had a public funeral.
This person is dead.
This person is dead.
Per Wayne Olsen:
In Kellogg family genealogy listed in "Colonial Families of the US", Stephen rather than Nathaniel is listed as father of Abigail. Excerpts:
Of Westfield, MA... listed as Ensign. 10 children, 4th is Abigail, 5th child was Deacon Daniel Kellogg, listed of Sheffield, MA. The deacon was one of the first deacons of the church first established in Sheffield; the deacon in Westfield, 13th May 1731 married Hannah Noble.
From "Genealogies of Hadley Families", compiled by Lucius M. Boltwood,1905. Republished by Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1996.
Stephen also listed as father of Abigail, who was born Dec 27, 1702and married Benjamin Sheldon. Wife listed as LYDIA BELDING. 10 children listed.
From "Genealogical Notes", manuscript by Dewey in Westfield MA library:
Will of Steven Kellogg, Wfd weaver, Jun 2, 1722:
Wife Lydia and son Steven exec.
To wife 1/3 as long as she remains widow and 20 lbs
To 3 daus. Lydia, Abigail, Mercy 40 lbs apiece.Later in same ref, lists children of Stephen (Lydia, Moses, Abigail, Daniel, Ephraim, Mary, Noah, Silas , and Amos). Details for Abigail suggest that she is not the direct line... "b. Dec 27, 1702, mar. intent .June 12, 1731 to Christopher Jacob Lawton of Springfield."
[olsen5.FTW]
Info from genealogy of Lillian Hubbard Holch, listed in Compendium of American Genealogies, found at Mannheim Library.
Additional info from Sheldon Family History.
From "A History of Deerfield":
Isaac Sheldon, born abt 1629; in 1652 he held a home lot and was permitted to "keep house" there with Samuel Rockwell, "so they carry themselves soberly, and do not entertain Idel parsons to you expense (?)of time by night or daye;" this bachelor life soon ended; in 1654 he sold out to Samuel Rockwell and removed to Newhampton, where he was one of the first settlers; in 1660 he was assigned a home lot on Bridge Street, which has been handed down fr. father to son to the present day; he was selectman 1656 and a leading man in town affairs; Married twice. 14 Children listed..
Bio contained in "Various Ancestral Lines of James Goodwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin of Hartford, CT. " Compiled by F. C. Starr. Hartford. 1915.
According to this record Isaac Sheldon was born about 1629. The earliest evidence thus far discovered regarding him is on the Land Records of Windsor, CT. A the top of folio 40 of the original vol. 1 ofthe Land Records of Windsor, CT, is this date: "Jan 11th 1640." This line is erased on the record, and below it is a record of the Sheldon lands: For a long time it was supposed that the date Jan 11, 1640 at the top of the page of the Windsor Records, had reference to the time of entry of the Sheldon lands. A careful study of the subject shows this to have been impossible. In 1640 he was only 11 years old... Sheldon was the owner of this property by 13 Sep 1652, at which time he was the subject of a vote in the town records.
Was executor of his father-in-law's (Thomas Woodford) estate, will dated Apr 26, 1665.
The date of Isaac Sheldon and Mary Woodford's marriage is not known, but it must have taken place after Sep 13, 1652, when the Windsor authorities allowed Isaac Sheldon and Samuel Rockwell to keep bachelor's hall. Based on his daughter's marriage in 1670-71, when she was presumably at least 15 years old, she was born about 1655, and therefore Sheldon's marriage must have taken place about 1653 or 54.
June 25, 1657, he was granted six acres of land by the town of Northampton.
He became resident of Northampton before Feb 1656-7. His home lot in Northampton was on the east side of what is now King street, his father-in-law Thomas Woodford adjoining him on the south, and his brother-in-law Samuel Allen adjoining him on the north.
Was admitted freeman in Mass Bay Colony, March 1663.
Was appointed Fence viewer for the First Division from the Great River, and for that section of the town known as Hog's Bladder, 1669-1673.
Was chosen Constable in Jan 1668-69.
Was one of six tithing men chosen by the Selectmen of the town, 1678. Was chosen for this office 1679, 1692, and 1698, and was elected an Overseer of the poor.
He and his wife Mary were among the persons who signed the covenant June 18, 1661 when the church at Northampton was organized.
Probably buried with wife Mehitabel in the old graveyard on Bridgestreet, Northampton, but no stones are now standing.
From "The Sheldons of Bakewell, Derbyshire, England and Isaac Sheldon of New England," by J. Gardner Bartlett of Boston, MA, NEHGR, vol 80, no. 4,Oct 1929, pp. 378-401:
Article makes connection to England ancestors, but has evidently not been widely accepted. Later article shoots holes in Bartlett's paper.
(following paragraph is the summation of the English connection identified as Isaac:) Isaac (10) Sheldon (Ralph (9), Arthur(8), Roger(7), Richard(6), John(5), John (4), Richard(3), Hugh(2), Richard(1)) was born probably at Ashford, in the parish of Bakewell, co. Derby, presumably late in 1629 or early in 1630, his parents having been married on 27 Apr 1629. As the registers of Ashford before 1687 are lost, the record of his baptism has not ben found; but he was evidently the eldest child of his parents, and as his younger brothers, Samuel Sheldon and Solomon Sheldon, married in 1656 and 1657 respectively, it is apparentthat he was born as early as 1630. By the will of his grandfather, Arthus Sheldon, dated 10 Jun 1651, he was to receive a legacy of 8 pounds; and this provision in his grandfather's will is the only record of him that has been found in England. In 1663 a hearth tax was assessed on every fireplace in England; the rolls of this tax for Derbyshire are preserved at the Public Record Office in London and give the name of every householder in the county, with the number of hearths in each house.While the names of his brothers, Samuel Sheldon and Solomon Sheldon, appear on these rolls of 1663 as living at Ashover, co . Derby, no trace of this Isaac Sheldon is found in them, and presumably he was not then living in his native county. What had become of him between 10 Jun 1651 and 1663? It is probable, beyond any reasonable doubt, the he was identical with the Isaac Sheldon who, as "Isaac Shelding Senr.," deposed at Northampton, Mass, 29 Apr 1679, "aged 50 years or thereabouts." regarding property there of Thomas Mason, and who first appears in New England records on 13 Sep 1652, when at a meeting of the townsmen (or selectmen) of Windsor, Conn., the ....(Isaac was identified)
(following para gives known Isaac info in America): Isaac Sheldonof Windsor CT and of Northampton, MA was born about 1629 (according to his deposition of 1679) a date which agrees with the supposed date of the birth of Isaac (10) Sheldon, son of Ralph and Barbara (Stone) Sheldon of Ashford, in the parish of Bakewell, co. Derby, England, and died at Northampton MA 27 Jul 1708, aged 78 yrs.
Between 1640 and 1650 a number of Derbyshire families settled at Concord, MA at Stratford, New Haven, and Branford, in the New Haven Colony, and at several other places in New England; and shortly before 13 Sep 1652, when the order quoted above was passed at a meeting of the townsmen of Windsor, Isaac Sheldon bought of John Stiles a house and 3 acre lot in Windsor. In 1656 he moved from Windsor to Northampton, MA which was thenceforth his home.
From "Sheldon's Prior to 1700", by E. Hortense Sheldon, privately printed, Bakersfield, VT, 1961:
Goes into much detail shooting down J. Gardner Bartlett's article which attributes Isaac Sheldon as coming from Bakewell, Derbyshire,England.
Details of Isaac and his children given in "S-5 Isaac Sheldon of Windsor, Hartford Co., CT and Northampton, Hampshire Co, MA," by Shirley Sheldon Rider & Rose Sheldon Newton for the Sheldon Family Association in 1991
From "Isaac Sheldon of Windsor,CT," by Mrs. Charlotte Alling Hunt, inNEHGR, vol 117, Apr 1963:
"...we know only that Isaac Sheldon was born about 1629; that he owned property in Windsor prior to 13 Sep 1652 when he and Samuel Rockwell were allowed to "keepe house together in ye house ye is Isaak's"; that he married Mary Woodford of Hartford in 1653, and soon removed to Northampton, MA, where all of his children except the first were born. His wife, Mary, died Apr 17, 1684, and he married, second, about 1685 or 86, Mehitable (Gunn), divorced wife of David Ensign, who gave him his 14th and youngest child, Jonathan, born May 29, 1687. Isaac died in Northampton on Aug 29, 1708. Since his will, on record, is signed with his mark, we also know that he was unschooled. This much can be proven. All else is conjecture. As to who his parents were, where he came from, and when he arrived in Windsor; the record gives us no knowledge. In the Sheldon Magazine he is S#5 Isaac, the true head of this Sheldon family in this country.
Direct ancestor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt through son Thomas Sheldon.
from http://www.suffield-library.org/localhistory/index.htm
On October 12, 1670 clearance was granted to John Pynchon of Springfield by the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony to settle Stoney Brooke Plantation on land purchased by Pynchon from the Indians.
John Pynchon and a committee of influential members met in January 1670 and drew up the basic guidelines for the establishment of this new town. They began granting land as well and laying out the order of the town by creating High Street and fixing a place for the meeting house to be built. They set rigid regulations that grantees had to abide by and fixed prices of goods for barter. By the end of 1674, thirty-seven families were established in Suffield. In 1675 settlers were forced to flee to Springfield during King Philip’s War. Houses and mills were burned, but settlement resumed in 1676. Suffield remained a Massachusetts town until 1749 when it became a part of Connecticut. Suffield was, for most of its history, primarily a small agriculturally based town. Tobacco put Suffield on the map economically. As in so many Connecticut valley towns, tobacco was an important crop almost right from the beginning. It was the primary crop in the 1800’s and through much of this century. The first cigar factory in the United States was built here in 1810.From Wayne Olsen:
Info from genealogy of Lillian Hubbard Holch, listed in Compendium ofAmerican Genealogies, found at Mannheim Library.Listed in LDS Ancestral File, AFN (8PH1-6F). Second listing as AFN(FK9H-SQ), lists him as (COL)"
From "History of Connecticut, Its People and Institutions", by George L.Clark, Putnam 1914.:
p. 121 - John Pynchon, the founder of Springfield, wrote a book in1650 on the Atonement, presenting a view which has since prevailed largely in New England, and the MA Legislature ordered it burnt, because it supposed it to be unfair to the Bible.From "List of Officials of Connecticut and New Haven Colonies":
John PYNCHON (Maj) (d. 1703) Commissioner to NY. Apr 1677(Residency Springfield). Ref: Conn Col II. p. 490.From unknown family history, section on Pynchons:
He was confirmed LT in the Springfield company, May 1653, andCaptain of the same, Oct 1657; Captain of the Springfield Company of Foot, June 1663, and in the Expedition against the Dutch 1664; Sergt-Major of the Hampshire County Regt., May 1671, and Major of the same during King Philip's War; and Colonel by 1691. After serving as Deputy 4 terms, he was elected Assistant to Massachusetts Bay Colony,1665 and re=elected to that office every year (except 1668) to 1686; and after being councillor under ANDROS, WAS AGAIN assistant, 1693 UNTIL HIS DEATH.
From: "The First Wife of Governor Wyllys of Connecticut, and Her Family". New England Historical and Genealogical Register. [New England Historic Genealogical Society, April 1899], 220.
COLONEL JOHN PYNCHON was born of Springfield, in the Parish of Chelmsford, County of Essex England, in about 1620. His parents were William Pynchon (1590- ) and Anna Andrew (1600-1630.)John Pynchon died 17 January 1703, in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, at about age 76.
He was brought to Roxbury, Massachusetts, at the age of four. When he was ten, his father moved the family to the settlement of Agawam in the Connecticut Valley. In 1641, Agawam was renamed “Springfield” in honor of John’s father.
During John’s youth, few in Springfield had much of an education at all. The town was created out of a virtual wilderness. He possessed a superior native intelligence, but to obtain a formal English education such as he received was remarkable. He was probably educated at the desks of his parents and the Rev. George Moxon, a graduate of Cambridge University. Rev. Moxon was a lifelong friend of his father and was installed in 1637 as the first pastor at the new settlement of Agawam.
John and his sister, Mary, were Springfield’s two most prominent children. Not much different than today, yesterday’s children of prominence would get a lot of “press” where possible.
Along with, and certainly as part of, his studies, John interacted with simple frontier farmers, tradesmen, and Indians of different tribes, obtaining a vast knowledge in the nuances of trade, working in his father’s fur-trading and mercantile businesses. He learned at least one Algonkian dialect. He was one of the very few Puritan officials to understand the nature and importance of intertribal rivalries and warfare. He led his own people along a middle road that ensured peace with the Pocumtuck Confederacy until 1675.
John Pynchon was reared in, and maintained throughout his life, the old-school concept of an almighty God. During the ministry of George Moxon, as a youth, he took notes, in a kind of shorthand, the leading points in the sermons, which are now in possession of the City Library. His shorthand was only recently decoded. He believed in and observed the Puritan resignation to the will of God, never questioning His ways or His means. God’s Hand was to be seen in every moment of the day. The Lord’s ultimate responsibility for everything comforted and sustained him in all situations. He believed, for instance, that King Philip’s War was God’s means of punishing a sinful New England, the Indians being divinely appointed to chastise the white sinners.
John Pynchon actually became much more important to the Massachusetts Colony than was his father. He was considered, even up to the time of his death, the “chief man in all the west.” He fit no mould, nor did he conform to any of the familiar colonial types. John Pynchon had style, what we would today call “panache.” There were none other like him; he stood alone in the select company of frontier builders. He chose a public life because it was the function proper to a gentleman.
He married Amy Wyllys 20 October 1645, in Hartford.
The powerful Pynchon’s—William and his son, Major John Pynchon—were the first of the Connecticut Valley “River gods,” a title given to the men of wealth and influence whose vision and ambition shaped the future of the country. The town records style him “The Worshipful Major Pynchon,” and later, “The Worshipful Colonel.”
John Pynchon, the only son of the founder of Springfield (William Pynchon,) was 26 years old when his father returned to England. Inheriting the lands his father had acquired here and his store of goods, and the special privileges which had been granted to him in the way of trade with the Indians, the son at once entered upon a prosperous career, and was placed at the front of every undertaking leading to the development of the country, and to the acquisition of wealth. He had from the start opportunities that came to no other inhabitant, and he possessed the ability to make the most of favoring circumstances. In both private and public concerns he was the leading spirit. He was chosen Selectman in 1650. Town Clerk in 1652, appointed Magistrate to try small causes in 1653, elected Deputy to the General Court in 1662, and soon afterward Assistant in the Council, or Upper House, which position he held until 1701, almost to the close of his life.
Before his father departed for England, on 28 September 1651, he quietly conveyed to him, all his lands (about 280 acres) and buildings, and all his business enterprises. After his father left he was known as Major Pynchon in Springfield, sometimes called the Worshipful Major, who was long chief magistrate, a ruler and a man of extensive knowledge of the affairs of the colony. He was appointed by the General Court on the committees to establish the boundaries of the new towns within the vicinity of Springfield. He, with others, laid out the bounds of Northampton, Hadley, and what afterwards became Hatfield (purchasing the lands of the Indians), Westfield, Suffield, and Enfield. In short there was no movement of a public nature in which he was not concerned. Even the names of some of the new localities suggest his practical and unsentimental nature. For instance, Westfield was so named from the fact that it was a field west of Springfield; Suffield was originally Southfield, from its direction from Springfield, but the English habit of contracting the prefix to "suf” for south curtailed it to Suffield, Enfield was sometimes written Endfield, suggesting that it was a field at the end of the town, it being supposed at the time that it was within the sphere of Massachusetts. It might, however, have derived its name from Enfield, in England. Then, at a much later date, came the naming of Brimfield, suggested perhaps from the fact it was on the brim of the settlement. Brookfield, in which Pynchon had a hand, was probably named from its numerous brooks. Going north, though Pynchon was not concerned in its beginning, Northfield received its name from its geographical position to the older settlements, and Deerfield, from the fact that its meadows made a good feeding place and were frequented by deer. Sunderland was originally in the Pynchon vernacular Swampfield. The Stony brooks of Suffield and up the Connecticut, received their names from Pynchon. These localities had something about their position sufficient to suggest to his practical mind the names which they received and continue to beat at the present time.
He entered early into the military spirit which had come across the ocean as an inheritance. He was confirmed by the General Court in 1653 Lieutenant of the training band, in 1657 Captain of the company, and at a later date was made a Major of the troop, the local cavalry company, with the command of the military forces in this region.
John made his first trip to England in 1656, by this time thirty years of age He resided either in London or Wraysbury, Buckinghamshire, from September 10, 1656, until November 3, 1657.
On January 12, 1659, he placed an order for 50,000 bricks to be burned at Northampton for his new mansion, the bricks to be completed by the 12th of December. The house was intended to be a fortified house and was known as the “Old Fort.” During King Philip’s War, John was in Hadley with his troops on October 16th, 1675, when the Indians attacked and burned the town. The Pynchon “fort” became a refuge during the attack and subsequent burning of the town.
The Colonial authorities appear to have had great confidence in his ability and the General Court appointed him on many important committees relative to boundary lines, and in 1680 he was sent to Albany to confer with Sir Edmund Andros, then Governor of New York, concerning the depredations that the Mohawks were making upon some of our outer settlements, and he succeeded in establishing friendly relations with the Indians for which our General Court voted him £12.
The same year he was appointed with Joseph Dudley to establish the boundary line between Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1685 he was one of the committee to make the final settlement of the boundary line between Springfield and Northampton. During his long service in the General Court there was scarcely an important question concerning boundaries or where tact and diplomacy were needed, that he was not given opportunity to bring about a peaceful settlement.
He was zealous in upholding the religion of his time, but he does not appear to have had any of the polemic, or controversial spirit of his father. He was too eminently practical to enter into the discussion of the different points in theology—possibly from the fact he was deeply concerned in trade, and in the accumulation of wealth. Whatever success came to him he evidently regarded as God given. He took part in the religious observances of the town and at times conducted Sunday services, sometimes by reading and sometimes from his own meditations. During the ministry of George Moxon he wrote in a kind of short-hand the leading points in the sermons which are now in possession of the City Library, but it was constructed on no known system of the present.The great calamity which befell Springfield October 5, 1675, the burning of the town by the Indians, occurred while he was at the head of his troops in Hadley, and his desponding letters concerning it, written to Rev. John Russell of Hadley, and to the Governor, indicate that he was greatly affected and despaired of the ability that had fallen upon it, but his fears proved greater than the reality and prosperity came to it in the subsequent years in the continued up-building of the town.
Springfield, October, 1675
Dear Son Joseph: [who was in England]
The sore contending of God with us, for our sins unthankfulness for our former mercies, and unfaithfulness under our precious enjoyments, hath evidently demonstrated that He is very angry with this Country. God having given the heathen a large commission to destroy this People—And exceeding havock have they made in this Country, destroying two or three small places above Northampton and Hadley, and lately they have fallen upon Springfield, and almost ruined it by burning the Houses. About 30 or 32 dwelling Houses are burnt down, and some 25 Barns full of corn and hay. The Lord hath spared my dwelling house, but my barns and outhousing are all burnt down, and all my corn and hay consumed, and not anything have I left of food either for man or beast. All my mills, both corn and saw mills, are burned down. Those at home in this Towne and also those I had in other places and four of those houses and barns to them, were burnt down in this Towne, belongeth to me also, so that God hath laid me low. My farmers also undone, and many in Towne that were in my debt, entirely disabled. So that I am really reduced to greate straites. But it is the Lord’s good pleasure it should be so. And he is most just and Righteous, yet in very faithfulness hath he done it, for the good of my Soule. I have not the least cause to murmur and repine, at the wise dispose of a Gracious God and loving father, but desire to acquiesce in his good pleasure, and to lye at his foote in holy submission to his blessed will. This Providence and the unsettled state of this country in reference to this Indian War affords matter for consideration, in reference to your coming over, which I have much desired, and wrote to you for—but now shall leave you to your liberty, not having ground, or seeing cause to put you upon it, further than you shall yourself see reason for it. Though I and your mother should be exceeding glad to see you, yet as tymes are, question whether it be best to come over yet (I mean now) and how God may dispose of us I know not. We are yet here in Springfield, my house garrisoned with soldiers and full of troubles and hurrys. The Lord help us to remember our peace and quietness, and to lament our abuse thereof and heartily and really turne to himself, by unfeigned repentance. The Lord is in good earnest with us, and truly expects our being in good earnest with Him in returning to himselfe. Oh dear Son, how sweete is an interest in Christ Jesus, in these distracting tymes, and it is good knowing in whom we have believed. Treasure in Heaven is abiding, when the greatest worldly enjoyments may soon fail us, and come to nothing. Let us therefore, while we have them, so use them, as not using them—setting loose from them, and being contented to part with all, when God calls for it. In the improving of the creature, to set loose from it, is a sweete and blessed frame, for I know it is a duty to look after and mange what God hath given us, and in that respect I may call on you to doe your best (in away of prudence) to settle your Estate in England and in it to advise with Mr. Wichens and Bro. Smith, who I know will afford the best help they can, and doe as you are able. I am not able to afford you any helpe, but by the prayers I am always putting up for you, and as God shall enable shall be ready to do my utmost for you.
The Lord in many other ways be good to you and us. How he may deal with us I know not. Where his Providence may cast me, whither to Boston or further, or whether I may live to get out of this place, it is with himself and on that strong Rock I desire to depend for Salvation, here and hereafter. I am in straites and hurrys, and may only add mine and your mothers endeared Love and Affection, to you, and with hearty wishes and prayers for you, commend you to the grace of God in Christ Jesus, and am your afflicted and loving Father,
John Pynchon.
P.S.
Dear Son: I should not have troubled at these sad losses which I have met with. There is no reason for a child to be troubled when his Father calls in that which he lent him. It was the Lord that sent it to me, and he that gave it hath taken it away; and blessed be the name of the Lord. He hath done very well for me, and I acknowledge his goodness to me, and desire to trust in him and submit to him forever, and do you with me, acknowledge and justify Him.
Letter to Rev. John Russell of Hadley:
We came to a lamentable and woeful sight. The town in flames, not a house nor barn standing, except old Goodman Branch’s, till we came to my house and then Mr. Grover’s, John Hitchcock’[s, and Goodman Stewart’s burnt, some with barns, corn, and all they had…. They tell me 32 houses and the barns belonging to them ae burnt, and all the livelihood of the owners, and what more may meet with the same stroke the Lord only knows.
His penmanship was strong and clear, entirely unlike that of his father, but he lacked that thorough training that his father had received, which could hardly be otherwise considering he was place under entirely different conditions in his youth. His recorded transactions lack system and an orderly arrangement in statement, but there is a certain picturesqueness that gives them the color of the times, a freshness that better trained minds sometimes lack. In entering the accounts in his ledger he frequently accompanied them with bits of conversation, or statements that enliven a very commonplace transaction, even to describing his leather breeches made for him by John Barber.
He was granted at various times large tracts of land. The Island in the Connecticut just north of the railroad bridge at Warehouse Point, in Connecticut, was given to him in 1681 by our General Court. He acquired many grants from the town as gifts, or for services in the erection of mills, or for other work done by him. The grain mill and the saw mill were built and conducted in consideration of receiving grants of land.
His mercantile transactions extended up and down the Connecticut in the early years, having purchasers at Northampton and Hadley on the north, and at Windsor, Hartford, Wethersfield, and even New Haven on the south. His store probably had the largest stock of goods for many years of any within many miles of Springfield. Beaver skins bought of the Indians, or of those who traded with them, were shipped to England, and they enabled him to purchase goods for his store. Grain was sent down the Connecticut and around to Boston, but there is nothing to indicate here that it was shipped to England.
He also had some trade with Barbados. His store was the medium of exchange,--goods for labor and produce, and his shipments abroad enabled him to keep up the supply which was so much needed in this frontier settlement.
John’s father, William, died at Wraysbury, Essex, England, on October 29th, 1662. Around October of 1663, John sailed to England again, where he remained until December 30th, 1664, settling his father’s estate of which he was the principal beneficiary.
Life changed on the frontier even during John’s lifetime. The deer and beaver were gone, most of the Indians moved west into New York. Now the farmers were producing corn, wheat, and lumber. The life of the frontier, created more by Pynchon’s than anyone else, was gone forever. From his point of view, he was the agent of God in this process.
RESIDENCE: Came to America in 1648 on the Arbella of Gov. Winthrop's fleet. First to Dorchester, Massachusetts, then Roxbury, Massachusetts, then settled in Springfield, Massachusetts. Built first brick house in the valley.
OCCUPATION: One of the wealthiest and most influential men in New England. Had extensive interests in Barbados. A merchant, inherited the business from his father.
MILITARY SERVICE: Military hero in King Phillip's War, saved the inhabitants of Hadley, Massachusetts. Lt. in Springfield Co., 1653; Capt. 1657; Capt. Hampshire Co. troop 1663; Capt. expedition against the Dutch, 1664.
PUBLIC SERVICE: Magistrate 1652-1665. Commissioner to New York April 1677. Commissioner to the Mohawks 1680, established friendly relations with them. Appointed to establish boundary between Massachusetts and Connecticut in 1680. Councillor 1686-89. Judge of Court of Common Pleas and Probate Court 1692-1703.
The Honorable Colonel John Pynchon, esquire, was sick and died in the 77th year of his age. He died in Springfield, about sun-rise on January 17, 1703. He had outlived most of his contemporaries, being characterized by one diarist as “an old man and full of days.” His only surviving child was John Pynchon Jr, who had become a merchant in Boston and later removed to Springfield.
His lengthy funeral sermon was delivered by a well-known Northampton minister named Solomon Stoddard. One passage provides a fitting eulogy:
“Observe, That God has removed on that has been along while Serviceable. That has been improved about Publick Service for above Fifty Years; he has been Serviceable unto the Country in General, and in special among our selves. He hath had the principal management of our Military Affairs, and our Civil Affairs; and labored much in the settling of most of our Plantations, has managed things with Industry, Providence and Moderation. He has been careful in time of War and as there has been occasion, has been a Peace Maker among us, and helpful in composing differences: he has discountenanced Rude and Vicious Persons, bearing his Testimony against Them.”
Inscription: “In Memory of ye Hon John Pynchon, Esq. who died Jan 17th, 1702-3 aged 76 Years. Also Mrs. Amy, his wife died Jan 9th 1698-9 aged 74 years. Also William, their son, died June 15th, 1654, aged 1 year.”
Portrait of King Philip, by Paul Revere. In 1675, Springfield became one of the two major settlements burned to the ground during the New World’s first major Indian War, King Philip’s War. (The other major settlement burned was Providence, Rhode Island.) King Philip’s War permanently ended the harmonious relations that had existed between the Natives and Springfield’s settlers. Thousands of New England settlers and Native Americans died in King Philip’s War, which to this day remains the most violent war per capita in American History (800 settlers and approximately 8,000 Natives were killed.) The carnage resulted in the clearing of the Native populations from southern New England and the unopposed expansion of the New England colonies. It also became the ruthless model on which the United States based its dealings with its native peoples.
(Source: William Pynchon, in Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), 3:1538.
AMY (AMMIE) WYLLYS was born 1 July 1625, in Fenton Compton, Warwickshire, England, to Governor George Wyllys, one of the first colonial governors of Connecticut, (1590-1644) and Bridget Young (1590-1629.) She was the last child of four. Her mother died 11 March 1629, in Fenny Compton, England, when Amy was about 8; her mother was 39. Her father died 8 March 1644, at age 54. Amy came to America with her father.
She married Colonel John Pynchon, 20 October 1645, in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut.
The only women’s signature in a collection of Massachusetts is Amy Wyllys Pynchon’s. She was the wife of the most prominent man of that day in Western Massachusetts, and also had the best specimen of women’s handwriting among the papers of the time. Probably not half a dozen women in Springfield in the early years of the town’s history could write their names, and those who attempted to do so were usually inferior to their brothers and husbands in the use of the quill.
The following is from Springfield, Massachusetts, Vital Records: “Mrs. Amy Pynchon the wife of the worshipful Colonell John Pynchon who lived with him in the state of marriage aboute 53 yeares and about the 74th yeare of her age departed this life January the 9th 1698/99.”
Amy Wyllys passed away 9 January 1699, in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, at age 73.
Children of John Pynchon and Amy Wyllys:
1.Joseph Pynchon, b. 26 July 1646, Springfield; d. 30 Dec. 1682, Boston.
2.John Pynchon was born 15 October 1647, Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, at daybreak and baptized. His parents were Colonel John Pynchon (1620-1703) and Amy Wyllys (1625-1699.) He married Margaret Hubbard, 1 July 1672. John Pynchon died 25 April 1721, in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, at about age 74.
3.Mary Pynchon, b. 28 Oct 1650, Springfield; d. 1675, Springfield.
4.William Pynchon, b. 11 Oct 1653, Hartford; d. 15 Jun 1654, Hampden.
5.Mehitabel Pynchon, b. 22 Nov 1661, Hartford; d. 24 July 1663, Massachusetts.
6.Joseph Pynchon, b. abt. 1663, Springfield.
From Wayne Olsen: Info from genealogy of Lillian Hubbard Holch, listed in Compendium of American Genealogies, found at Mannheim Library.
Listed in LDS IGI, AFN (8PH1-7L). First name listed as either Amy or Ammie.
Amy (Ammie) Wyllys, was born was born 1 July 1625, in Fenton Compton, Warwickshire, England, to Governor George Wyllys, one of the first colonial governors of Connecticut, (1590-1644) and Bridget Young (1590-1629.) She was the last child of four. Her mother died 11 March 1629, in Fenny Compton, England, when Amy was about 8; her mother was 39. Her father died 8 March 1644, at age 54. Amy came to America with her father. She married Colonel John Pynchon, 20 October 1645, in Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut. Amy Wyllys passed away 9 January 1699, in Springfield, Hampden, Massachusetts, at age 73.
(Source: “Our Wyllys Family,” by Sheldon Whiting.)
From WikiTree:Biography
Amy, born about 1625,[1] was a daughter of George Wyllys, of Fenny Compton, Warks, and his 1st wife Bridget Young. Her mother died when she was about 4. Her father married Mary Smith (widow of Alexander Bisbie) and the family emigrated to New England.
In about 1638 they relocated to Hartford, CT. George was a founder of that town and served as Governor of Connecticut.
Amy married Major John Pynchon 6 Nov. 1645 at Hartford.[2] They lived at the "Pynchon Fort" in Springfield, Mass.
They had three sons, Joseph, John, and William, and two daughters, Mary and Mehitable. [2]
Joseph b. 26 July 1646; d. in Boston 30 Dec 1682[3]
John b. 15 Oct 1647; m. Margaret, d/o Rev. William Hubbard[3]
Mary, b. 28 Oct 165; m. 5 Oct 1669, Joseph Whiting. She d. 1675 or 6[3]
William b. 11 Oct 1653; d. young[3]
Mehitabel, b. 22 Nov 1661; d. young[3]
Amy died on 9 January 1698/9; her husband survived her by 4 years.
[olsen5.FTW]
Info from genealogy of Lillian Hubbard Holch, listed in Compendium of American Genealogies, found at Mannheim Library.
Additional info from Sheldon Family History.
From "A History of Deerfield":
Isaac Sheldon, born abt 1629; in 1652 he held a home lot and was permitted to "keep house" there with Samuel Rockwell, "so they carry themselves soberly, and do not entertain Idel parsons to you expense (?)of time by night or daye;" this bachelor life soon ended; in 1654 he sold out to Samuel Rockwell and removed to Newhampton, where he was one of the first settlers; in 1660 he was assigned a home lot on Bridge Street, which has been handed down fr. father to son to the present day; he was selectman 1656 and a leading man in town affairs; Married twice. 14 Children listed..
Bio contained in "Various Ancestral Lines of James Goodwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin of Hartford, CT. " Compiled by F. C. Starr. Hartford. 1915.
According to this record Isaac Sheldon was born about 1629. The earliest evidence thus far discovered regarding him is on the Land Records of Windsor, CT. A the top of folio 40 of the original vol. 1 ofthe Land Records of Windsor, CT, is this date: "Jan 11th 1640." This line is erased on the record, and below it is a record of the Sheldon lands: For a long time it was supposed that the date Jan 11, 1640 at the top of the page of the Windsor Records, had reference to the time of entry of the Sheldon lands. A careful study of the subject shows this to have been impossible. In 1640 he was only 11 years old... Sheldon was the owner of this property by 13 Sep 1652, at which time he was the subject of a vote in the town records.
Was executor of his father-in-law's (Thomas Woodford) estate, will dated Apr 26, 1665.
The date of Isaac Sheldon and Mary Woodford's marriage is not known, but it must have taken place after Sep 13, 1652, when the Windsor authorities allowed Isaac Sheldon and Samuel Rockwell to keep bachelor's hall. Based on his daughter's marriage in 1670-71, when she was presumably at least 15 years old, she was born about 1655, and therefore Sheldon's marriage must have taken place about 1653 or 54.
June 25, 1657, he was granted six acres of land by the town of Northampton.
He became resident of Northampton before Feb 1656-7. His home lot in Northampton was on the east side of what is now King street, his father-in-law Thomas Woodford adjoining him on the south, and his brother-in-law Samuel Allen adjoining him on the north.
Was admitted freeman in Mass Bay Colony, March 1663.
Was appointed Fence viewer for the First Division from the Great River, and for that section of the town known as Hog's Bladder, 1669-1673.
Was chosen Constable in Jan 1668-69.
Was one of six tithing men chosen by the Selectmen of the town, 1678. Was chosen for this office 1679, 1692, and 1698, and was elected an Overseer of the poor.
He and his wife Mary were among the persons who signed the covenant June 18, 1661 when the church at Northampton was organized.
Probably buried with wife Mehitabel in the old graveyard on Bridgestreet, Northampton, but no stones are now standing.
From "The Sheldons of Bakewell, Derbyshire, England and Isaac Sheldon of New England," by J. Gardner Bartlett of Boston, MA, NEHGR, vol 80, no. 4,Oct 1929, pp. 378-401:
Article makes connection to England ancestors, but has evidently not been widely accepted. Later article shoots holes in Bartlett's paper.
(following paragraph is the summation of the English connection identified as Isaac:) Isaac (10) Sheldon (Ralph (9), Arthur(8), Roger(7), Richard(6), John(5), John (4), Richard(3), Hugh(2), Richard(1)) was born probably at Ashford, in the parish of Bakewell, co. Derby, presumably late in 1629 or early in 1630, his parents having been married on 27 Apr 1629. As the registers of Ashford before 1687 are lost, the record of his baptism has not ben found; but he was evidently the eldest child of his parents, and as his younger brothers, Samuel Sheldon and Solomon Sheldon, married in 1656 and 1657 respectively, it is apparentthat he was born as early as 1630. By the will of his grandfather, Arthus Sheldon, dated 10 Jun 1651, he was to receive a legacy of 8 pounds; and this provision in his grandfather's will is the only record of him that has been found in England. In 1663 a hearth tax was assessed on every fireplace in England; the rolls of this tax for Derbyshire are preserved at the Public Record Office in London and give the name of every householder in the county, with the number of hearths in each house.While the names of his brothers, Samuel Sheldon and Solomon Sheldon, appear on these rolls of 1663 as living at Ashover, co . Derby, no trace of this Isaac Sheldon is found in them, and presumably he was not then living in his native county. What had become of him between 10 Jun 1651 and 1663? It is probable, beyond any reasonable doubt, the he was identical with the Isaac Sheldon who, as "Isaac Shelding Senr.," deposed at Northampton, Mass, 29 Apr 1679, "aged 50 years or thereabouts." regarding property there of Thomas Mason, and who first appears in New England records on 13 Sep 1652, when at a meeting of the townsmen (or selectmen) of Windsor, Conn., the ....(Isaac was identified)
(following para gives known Isaac info in America): Isaac Sheldonof Windsor CT and of Northampton, MA was born about 1629 (according to his deposition of 1679) a date which agrees with the supposed date of the birth of Isaac (10) Sheldon, son of Ralph and Barbara (Stone) Sheldon of Ashford, in the parish of Bakewell, co. Derby, England, and died at Northampton MA 27 Jul 1708, aged 78 yrs.
Between 1640 and 1650 a number of Derbyshire families settled at Concord, MA at Stratford, New Haven, and Branford, in the New Haven Colony, and at several other places in New England; and shortly before 13 Sep 1652, when the order quoted above was passed at a meeting of the townsmen of Windsor, Isaac Sheldon bought of John Stiles a house and 3 acre lot in Windsor. In 1656 he moved from Windsor to Northampton, MA which was thenceforth his home.
From "Sheldon's Prior to 1700", by E. Hortense Sheldon, privately printed, Bakersfield, VT, 1961:
Goes into much detail shooting down J. Gardner Bartlett's article which attributes Isaac Sheldon as coming from Bakewell, Derbyshire,England.
Details of Isaac and his children given in "S-5 Isaac Sheldon of Windsor, Hartford Co., CT and Northampton, Hampshire Co, MA," by Shirley Sheldon Rider & Rose Sheldon Newton for the Sheldon Family Association in 1991
From "Isaac Sheldon of Windsor,CT," by Mrs. Charlotte Alling Hunt, inNEHGR, vol 117, Apr 1963:
"...we know only that Isaac Sheldon was born about 1629; that he owned property in Windsor prior to 13 Sep 1652 when he and Samuel Rockwell were allowed to "keepe house together in ye house ye is Isaak's"; that he married Mary Woodford of Hartford in 1653, and soon removed to Northampton, MA, where all of his children except the first were born. His wife, Mary, died Apr 17, 1684, and he married, second, about 1685 or 86, Mehitable (Gunn), divorced wife of David Ensign, who gave him his 14th and youngest child, Jonathan, born May 29, 1687. Isaac died in Northampton on Aug 29, 1708. Since his will, on record, is signed with his mark, we also know that he was unschooled. This much can be proven. All else is conjecture. As to who his parents were, where he came from, and when he arrived in Windsor; the record gives us no knowledge. In the Sheldon Magazine he is S#5 Isaac, the true head of this Sheldon family in this country.
Direct ancestor of President Franklin D. Roosevelt through son Thomas Sheldon.
Notes from Wayne Olsen:
Additional info from Sheldon Family History.
From "Pioneers of Massachusetts: A Descriptive List", by Charles HenryPope. Genealogical Publishing Co, 1977:
Thomas, steward, embarked March 7, 1631-2, for New England. Settledat Roxbury in 1632. (E). He married Mary, daughter of Robert Blott, whonames her and her children in his will. Rem. to Hartford, CT. Thence toSpringfield, where he is mentioned in the Compact of settlers in 1636.Rem. to Northampton.
He made will April 26, 1665, prob. March 26, 1667. Beq. to dau. Maryand her children; to daus. Hannah and Sarah; to sons-in-law Isaac Sheldonand Nehemiah Allen.
From "Various Ancestral Lines of James Godwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwinof Hartford CT. " Compiled by F.F. Starr. Hartford. 1915.
Was passenger on the "William and Francis", arrived in New EnglandJune 5, 1632. Joined in the church at Roxbury about a year and a halflater, was a man servant. He afterward married Mary Blott and removed toCT and joined the church at Hartford.
Thomas was made a freeman of the Colony of MA Bay on Mar 4, 1634-35.
Received 6 acres of land in Hartford, Jan 3, 1639. In 1655, received3 pieces of land on the east side of the CT River.
Removed to Northampton, MA between 1653, its founding, and 1655.Town document in 1656 indicates he had become a Northampton resident andwas active in public affairs. In 1657-58 he was elected on of theTownsmen. Home lot was located on the east side of the present Kingstreet extending to Market street. This lot was perhaps next south ofSummer street. In addition to this lot he had two acres on the west sideof King street, and there were recorded to him 5 acres in Great Rainbow,alias Old Rainbow, 10 acres in the Third Squart, 6 and one quarter acresin the Last division, one acre in the Great Swamp, 10 acres at Munhan,besides other lands.
The Northampton Church was organized June 18, 1661. A Covenant wasadopted the same day, the organizing members of the Church signing it.The third signature was that of Thomas Woodford. The name of his wifedoes not appear among the members of this Church and, as will be seenlater, he made no provision for her in his will. It has been thought bysome that she died prior to his removal to Northampton. Whether this isthe fact or not, she evidently did not survive her husband
From "Thomas Woodford" section of ____ family genealogy:
On7 Mar 1631/2, Thomas Woodford was listed among those to betransported to New England, and came on the William and Francis withEdmund Winslow of Plymouth and Joseph Weld of Roxbury. He settled inRoxbury, MA.
It appears that both Thomas Woodford and Mary Blott came over asapprentices in their teens, though Woodford must have been nearly of age,as he was made a freeman of MA Bay 4 Mar 1634/5. Their marriage occurredin Roxbury, according to Eliot, and was doubtless before 1639, for on 3Jan 1639/40 Thomas Woodford was to receive six acres in the division oflands at Hartford, and his eldest daughter married by 1654; hence themarriage may have taken place about 1635-6.
On 3 Mar 1640/1, he became the sexton in Hartford by town vote.
In 1644 he was appointed with Richard Fellows to collect the rateassessed for maintenance of the College at Cambridge. He had landsrecorded in Harford from Feb 1939/40 to 19 Oct 1655, but about the latterdate John Bidwell and Nathaniel Ruscoe had lands recorded which had beenpurchased from him. Ruscoe's purchase was of the house and home lot, sothis date marks Woodford's removal to Northampton, where he was signer ofa petition 10 Apr 1656 and was elected a Townsman, 8 Feb 1657/8. His isthe 3rd signature to the Covenant of the Northampton Church, 18 June1661.
The name of his wife does not appear among the church members. Shewas certainly not living in 1662 when her father made his will, and mayhave died in Hartford or shortly after the removal of the family toNorthampton.
From "The Fulton-Hayden-Warner Ancestry in America", compiled by ClarenceEttienne Leonard. Tobias A. Wright Publ. NY 1923.
Thomas Woodford came from England to America, and settled inRoxbury, MA in 1632, from whence he removed to Hartford, CT, then toSpringfield, MA and then to Northampton MA.