Family of Thomas Hewitt

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1.  THOMAS2 HEWITT  (THOMAS1) was born 1630 in England, and died 1662 in at sea.  He married HANNAH PALMER April 26, 1659 in Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut, daughter of WALTER PALMER and REBECCA SHORT.  She was born Bef. June 15, 1634, and died Aft. August 25, 1681 in Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut.

 

Notes for THOMAS HEWITT:

HISTORY OF STONINGTON CT, by Wheeler, page 418 & 419.

     So far as is known from reliable sources, Thomas Hewitt, who was a seafaring man, was the first person of the Hewitt name that made Stonington his abiding place. The first we know of him is from the diary of Thomas Miner, Sr., who speaks of him as in command of his vessel in Mystic River in the year 1656, where he was receiving the surplus products of the early planters here, in exchange for Boston goods. In his business transactions he made the acquaintance of Walter Palmer, whose daughter, Hannah Palmer, he married April 26, 1659. In order to make Stonington his abode for life he purchased a tract of land on the east side of Mystic River. The land embraced the present site of the Elm Grove Cemetery in Stonington, CT, on which he erected a dwelling house of primitive dimensions, pending which he continued his coastal trade, extending his business to the West Indies. During the year 1662 he purchased a cargo of neat stock, sheep and poultry, designed for the West Indies market, with which he set sail for that place, expecting a pleasant voyage and successful exchange of his cargo for goods in merchandise suitable for the inhabitants of this region round about. Months and years passed, and no glad tidings came of his safe arrival in the West Indies, nor any trace of him anywhere, which forced the conclusion upon his wife and friends, that amid some fearful storm, his vessel had foundered and all on board had found a grave in the cold, dark, heaving sea.

 

THE DESCENDENTS OF EZEKIEL MAINE, by A. A. Aspinwall, pp. 103.

     Thomas-1 Hewitt was early of Scituate, MA. He was a seafaring man. Captain of a sailing vessel - Removed to Stonington CT, where he married April 26, 1659, Hannah daughter of Walter and Rebecca (Short) Palmer.

 

DESCENDANTS OF CAPTAIN THOMAS HEWITT OF STONINGTON, CONN., Compiled by Virginia Hewitt Watterson, 1996. Found in the Joseph Smith Library, Salt Lake City, UT. Page 1.

     The ancestry of Thomas Hewitt, a sea captain, has yet to be discovered. He probably came from England or Ireland, and possibly from one of the coastal towns since he took to the sea for his livelihood. The first record of him in the Colonies is from the diary of Thomas Miner, which mentions Thomas Hewitt in 1656 as having command of the ship in the Mystic River. He was a trader taking surplus products from the early Connecticut planters in exchange for goods from Boston. Thomas purchased a tract of land on the east side of the Mystic River, in present day Stonington, Conn., to use as a home base when he was not at sea. There he built a primitive dwelling house. Through his trading transactions, Thomas was aquatinted with the planters in the area. Walter Palmer, one of the wealthy planters, has a daughter who became Thomas Hewitt's wife.

     HANNAH PALMER was born in Charlestown, Mass. in 1634, daughter of Walter Palmer and his 2nd wife, Rebecca Short. The First Church of Charlestown recorded Hannah's baptism on 15 Jun 1634. Walter moved his family to Rehoboth, Mass. and by 1653 had settled in Stonington, Conn. Thomas Hewitt married Hannah Palmer on 26 Apr 1659 a Stonington. (Wheeler).

     Thomas continued his coastal trading business and extended it to include the West Indies. In May 1662, he sailed from Mystic River with a cargo of livestock and poultry, which he purchased to trade for goods in the West Indies. The ship was lost at sea and Thomas was never heard from again. Hannah and their two infant sons waited months and years for his return. It was finally concluded that the ship floundered and sank during a storm. Before the General Court of Conn. in 1670, Hannah presented a petition to allow her, as a widow, the liberty to marry again. She and neighbors testified that not a word had been heard of Captain Thomas Hewitt or his vessel or his company from the time they left eight years before. The court granted Hannah's petition. The following year, on 27 Dec 1671, she married Roger Sterry. Two children were born to them. Roger died sometime prior to 1680 and Hannah married a 3rd time, on 25 Aug 1681, to John Fish as his 3rd wife. Hannah lived in Stonington the rest of her life. No report has been found of her date of death.

Sources:

Vital Records of Stonington, Connecticut

Richard Anson Wheeler, HISTORY OF STONINGTON, CONN., New London: 1900, pp. 418, 419 & 508.

Doris Palmer Buys, WALTER PALMER OF STONINGTON, CONN., Fallbrook, Ca., 1986, p. 77.

James Savage, GENEALOGY DICTIONARY OF NEW ENGLAND, Baltimore: 1909, Vol. II, pp. 490 & 491.

 

Researching this line is Ginny Hewitt at GinChip@aol.com

Researching this line is Nancyann Norman at nancn@exis.net

Researching this line is Lawrence H. Bentley at larrybentley@csi.com

Researching this line is William Hewitt at whewitt@dcmdw.dcma.mil

 

 

Notes for HANNAH PALMER:

HISTORY OF STONINGTON CT, by Wheeler, page 418 & 419.

     Pending the session of the General Court of Connecticut in 1670, a hearing was had for the consideration of a petition of Mrs Hannah Hewitt, the widow of Thomas Hewitt, for liberty to marry again, setting fortha that she had not heard from her late husband for the space of eight years, and better, and her neighbors also testifying that the said Hewitt had so long been absent and that they had not heard of him, or the vessel or company he went with since their departure. "The court having considered the premises, declare that the said Hannah Hewitt is at liberty to marry again if she see cause."

     So on the 27th day of December 1671, she was united in marriage with Roger Sterry. He d. before 1680; she m. 3d. John Fish Aug. 25, 1681, she being his 3d wife.

 

WALTER PALMER OF CHARLESTOWN & REHOBOTH, MASS. & STONINGTON, CONN., Compiled, Edited, Typed and Partly researched by Doris Palmer Buys, page 77.

     She was bapt. 15 Jun 1634 in First Church in Charlestown, MA (The First Record-Book  of The First church in Charlestown" page 202 records the baptism of "Hanna Palmer the daughter of Gualter Palmer and of Rebeckah his wife" as reprinted in and issue of NEHGR, Volume 25, page 147, in April of 1871) The first daughter and first four sons of this couple were born during the years they resided together in Charlestown, MA, from June 1633 until 1643.

     Hannah removed with her parents to Rehoboth, MA, in 1643 and thereafter to Stonington CT, in 1653. She married (1st) Thomas Hewitt on 26 Apr 1659 in Stonington; he was lost at sea and on 27 Dec 1671 Hannah married Roger Sterry who died before 1680; she married 3rd John Fish on 25 Aug 1681 as his 3rd wife.

 

REFERENCES: Genealogy: PG/p.25---Dr. BSP/p. 7-PF/p.16---STER./pp. 4,5 HIST. STON. pp.418, 419.

     Hannah was evidently born early in May or in early June of 1634, based on the fact that she was baptised in the First Church of Charlestown on 4th month 15th day 1634 which according to the time meant 15 Jun 1634. Whe went with her parents to "Antient" Rehoboth and Stonington, where she married her first husband Thomas Hewitt. He established a West India Trade and in the year 1662 started out on a voyage and was never heard from again.

     His widow, Hannah, petitioned the General Court of Connecticut for liberty to re-marry, and this was granted on 27 Dec 1671, and she married her second husband Roger Sterry. There is no record of his death other than that he died previous to 1680, and that she then married for her third husband John Fish on 25 Aug 1681 and in turn was his third wife. There is an interesting ante-nuptial contract among the Stonington records, made at the time of his final marriage to Hannah Palmer. He was at the time the schoolmaster at Stonington and acted temporarily as town clerk. He was a land surveyor, and himself owned considerable grants of land. Both John Fish and his son Samuel, were among the volunteers who joined the esxpedition against King Philip in 1675, and were present at the Great Swamp fight. At his death his son Samuel was his principal heir. Hannah probably resided her entire life in Stonington.

 

DESCENDANTS OF CAPTAIN THOMAS HEWITT OF STONINGTON, CONN.. Compiled by Virginia Hewitt Watterson, 1996. Found in the Joseph Smith Library, Salt Lake City, Ut. Page 1.

 

Researching this line is Ginny Hewitt at GinChip@aol.com

Researching this line is Lawrence H. Bentley at larrybentley@csi.com

 

 

More About HANNAH PALMER:

Christening: June 15, 1634, Charlestown, Suffolk Co., Massachusetts

 

More About THOMAS HEWITT and HANNAH PALMER:

Marriage: April 26, 1659, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut

     

Children of THOMAS HEWITT and HANNAH PALMER are:

              i.   JR. THOMAS3 HEWITT, b. May 02, 1660, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; d. June 03, 1686, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut.

 

Notes for JR. THOMAS HEWITT:

DESCENDANTS OF CAPTAIN THOMAS HEWITT OF STONINGTON, CONN., Compiled by Virginia Hewitt Watterson, 1996. Found in the Joseph Smith Library, Salt Lake City, UT. Page 1.

     Born in Stonington, Conn., 2 May 1660 (VR) and baptized at the 1st Congregational Church of Stonington as an adult on 18 Sep 1681, son of Thomas Hewitt and Hannah Palmer, died at Stonington, 3 June 1686 (VR). Thomas married LYDIA UTLEY at Scituate, Mass. in June 1683 (VR). Lydia was born in Scituate, Mass., 28 Dec. 1659 (VR), Daughter of Samuel Utley and Hannah Hatch, the date of her death is unknown.

     Thomas died at an early age of 26 years. Although Wheeler's HISTORY OF STONINGTON, CONN, credits only one child for this family, the 1st. Congregational Church of Stonington records the baptism of two children, Thomas and Lydia, on 20 Jun 1686, shortly after the death of their father. The widow Lydia married 2nd, Jonas Pickles on 15 Sept. 1690 at Stonington (VR). References:

Vital Records of Stonington, Conn.

Vital Records of Scituate, Mass.

Records of 1st Congregational Church of Stonington (also called the Roads Church), LDS film #547,508.

Stonington Town Records,  p. 107, LDS film #1,309,871.

Scituate, Mass. Town Records, LDS film #5593, part 1, p. 194.

Wheeler, HISTORY OF STONINGTON, CONN., p. 419.

Edward J. Cleveland, GENEALOGY OF THE CLEVELAND AND CLEAVELAND FAMILIES, Hartford; 1899, Vol. 1, pp. 67 & 68.

 

 

More About JR. THOMAS HEWITT:

Christening: September 18, 1681, Road Church, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut

 

              ii.   BENJAMIN HEWITT, b. August 22, 1662, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; d. April 26, 1725, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; m. MARY FANNING, September 24, 1684, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut; b. April 28, 1665, New London, New London Co., Connecticut; d. December 14, 1743, Stonington, New London Co., Connecticut.