Hugh
Calkins 11th GGF
William
Hough 10th GGF
William
Douglas 10th GGF
Dort/Dart/Douglas/Hough-Calkins
As noted in a previous post, the immigrant ancestry of my 6th GGM
Lucy (Whitney) Dart included an entire generation of English settlers to early
Middlesex, Massachusetts. By 1640, ancestors of Lucy's husband, Jonathan
Dart, were also in New England. New London, Connecticut would be their home for generations to come.
Jonathan’s paternal grandmother’s family included
the immigrant fathers named Hugh Calkins, William Hough, and William Douglas. All three men arrived in 1640, two with
families. All three lived briefly at
Cape Ann and eventually settled in the New London, Connecticut area. And all three were church deacons. Early records show that at least one of these
families (Calkins) was part of ‘The Welsh Party’ of Reverend Richard Blynman,
Puritan minister. It is likely that
Hough was among this group, though his name does not appear in the ship’s records.
Gov. John Winthrop of Massachusetts Bay Colony made this observation
in his “History of New England”:
"One
Mr. Bliuman, a minister in Wales, a godly and able man, came over with
some friends of his, and being invited to Green’s Harbour [since
Marshfield]
near Plymouth, they went thither, but ere the yere was expired there fell
out some difference among them which by no means could be reconciled,
so as they agreed to part, and he came with his company and sat down
at Cape Anne which at this Court (18 May 1642) was established to be a
plantation and called Gloucester."
Additional background is discovered in the "Memoirs of
the Plymouth Colony," by Hon. Francis Baylies:
"Gov.
[Edward] Winslow, the founder of Marshfield, often visited England; he induced
several Welsh gentlemen of respectability to emigrate to America,
amongst
whom came the Rev. Richard Blinman, in 164[0], who was the first pastor of
Marshfield. Some dissensions taking place, Mr. Blinman and the
Welshmen removed to Cape Anne in less than a year. In 1648 Bliuman went
to New London, in Connecticut, of which place he was the pastor ten years.
In 1658 he was at New Haven, and soon after returned to
England,
after having received in 1650 an invitation to settle at Newfoundland.
He died at the city of Bristol, England."
Neither Hugh Calkins nor William Hough were Welsh but both were from Waverton, Cheshire, England –a distance of about 150 miles from
their port of departure at Chepstow, Monmouthshire, Wales. Hugh’s wife, Anne Eaton was born in Chepstow,
but the first three of their children were born in Waverton. Their fourth child, however, has “Monmouth,
Wales” recorded as his birthplace so it is likely that the family had moved to
Ann’s hometown at least six years before emigrating. Since William Hough was almost 20 years
younger than Hugh, and married his daughter Sarah after emigrating to New
England, it might be assumed that he or his parents were friends of the family
when they lived in Waverton. The three immigrant families were undoubtedly
acquainted prior to settling in New London, and became united through the
marriage of William Douglas’ son William to Abiah, the daughter of William and
Sarah (Calkins) Hough.
Below are brief
biographies of each immigrant father:
From
History of Norwich by Frances Manwaring Caulkins:
Hugh Calkins was one of a
body of emigrants, called the Welsh Company, that came to New England in 1640, from Chepstow in Monmouthshire, on the border of
Wales, with their minister, the Rev. Mr. Blinman. The larger portion
of this company settled first at Marshfield[CT], but soon transferred
their residence to Gloucester [MA], upon the rough promontory of Cape Ann.
From thence, after eight years of experiment, most of them removed
to New London, hoping probably to find lands more arable and productive,
and allured also by affectionate attachment to Mr. Blinman, whom Mr. Winthrop
had invited to his plantation.
Hugh Calkins was in 1650, deputy
from Gloucester to the General Court of Massachusetts, and chosen again in
1651, but removing early in that year to New London [CT], the vacancy was
filled by another election.
While living at New London, he was
chosen twelve times deputy to the Connecticut Assembly, (the elections
being semi-annual,) and was one of the townsmen, or select-men, invariably,
from 1652 till he removed to Norwich [CT].
From Norwich, he was deputy at ten
sessions of the Legislature, between March 1663, and October, 1671, and
was one of the first deacons of the Norwich church. At each of the three
towns in which he was an early settler and proprietor, he was largely
employed in public business, being usually appointed one of committees for
consultation, for fortifying, drafting soldiers, settling difficulties, and
particularly for surveying lands and determining boundaries. These
offices imply a considerable range of information, as well as activity and
executive talent, yet he seems to have no early education, uniformly making only a bold H for his
signature.
From Descendants of William Hough
of CT by Elida C. & Franklin B. Hough, Ft. Wayne, IN:
William Hough migrated to MA about 1640, possibly among
the unnamed divers others persons on the ship with the Rev. Blynman party to
Gloucester. He was a housewright, or carpenter, and followed that trade
wherever he lived....William and Sarah lived among the Gloucester settlers at
Trynall Cove and on Biskie Island. At one time the Caulkins and Hough
families were on New Street, just opened for the Cape Ann company. It
became known as Cape Ann Lane, and had nine settlers, including Caulkins,
Avery, Roberts, Coite, Lester, Allen, Meades, Isbell and Hough. It was a
dreary place, and these settlers soon removed to other places. Caulkins
and Hough to CT. Three Hough ch. were born in Gloucester, the Hough
family in 1751/52 joined the remnant of the Blynman party in moving to
CT. William and Sarah then lived in Saybrook, New London, and
Norwich. During King Phillip's War, Sgt. William Hough was a member of
the Committee on Fortifications in the 1st Militia Comp of New London.
From Colonial families of the United States of America by George Norbury
Mackensie
WILLIAM DOUGLAS, the immigrant
ancestor, was b. 9th August, 1610,doubtless in Scotland*; m. probably about
1636, Ann MATTLE, dau. of Thomas MATTLE of Ringstead, England. In 1640, with
his wife Ann and two children, Ann and Robert, William DOUGLAS went to New
England. Tradition says that they landed at Cape Ann. They settled first in
Gloucester, but removed within [p.1 88] the year to Boston, where he is first
mentioned in the Boston records on 31st June, 1640 , when he was made a
Freeman. Here moved shortly to Ipswich where he was entitled to a share of the
public land, 28th February, 1641. There he remained for about four years, returning
to Boston in 1645. He was a cooper by trade and on 1st May,1646, there is
record of his purchasing from Walter MERRY and Thomas ANCHOR, a dwelling house,
shop and land. Later he went to New London, Connecticut, and obtained
considerable property through purchase and grants from the town. One of his
farms was inherited by his son William and has remained in the hands of
descendants for over two centuries. In 1662-1663 he was appointed one of the
Appraisers of Property for the town of New London. The land for a new church
was purchased from him and the graveyard still remains on that place. He and
Mr. WILLERBY were appointed to deliver provisions to Commissary TRACY at
Norwich during King Philip's War. His education for the times was liberal. He
held many important offices in the town at different times. He was Deputy to
the General Court in 1672 and once or twice later. In May, 1670, his wife, then
sixty years old made a journey to Boston to establish her claim as heir to her
father's property. She d. in New London in 1685 and William DOUGLAS himself d.
there on 26th July, 1682
*Note: the
Scottish origins of William Douglas have not yet been verified but, if current
data can be confirmed, it will open up what appears to be an incredibly rich
legacy of lords, ladies, knights and
kings dating back many centuries.
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