HINMAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION

Research Report No. 9

20 June 1993

EDWARD HINMAN IN AMERICAN RECORDS

by Barry Elmore Hinman

I. BOSTON

The earliest records which have so far been found concerning Edward Hinman/Henman are those of the notary public William Aspinwall of Boston, published by the Boston Record Commissioners in 1903 as A Volume Relating to the Early History of Boston Containing the Aspinwall Notarial Records from 1644 to 1651, pp. 297-299, 304, 306, and 313. They have been presented with a commentary as The Arrival of Edward Hinman in the Colonies (Hinman Family Association Research Report No. 2) by Barry E. Hinman, dated 14 December 1976. The names associated with these records are:

William and George of London, a ship of 180 tons, which arrived in the harbor of Boston in June 1650, since it was "now before Boston" on 19 June 1650, when Thomas YOUNGE sued Captain Barnaby STANFAST for his wages and began the legal activities recorded by Aspinwall (Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England (Boston: William White, 1853-1854, 5 v.), III: 202). Its principals and owners, also called merchants and owners, were:

They were no doubt merchants of London, and it seems that the ship had come from there, since the main complaint of the men against the captain was that he was not intending to return directly to that port. The negotiations between men and captain detailed in the notarial record having failed, the ship was sold by Stanfast to Major General Edward GIBBONS for L642/14/0, the captain "being deserted of my men," 7 September 1650 (Aspinwall Notarial Records, p. 357-358).

A ship of the same name is mentioned in the records of the Privy Council in the 1640's, bound for New England with passengers and goods, also from the port of London. This ship is mentioned by Aspinwall (ibid., p. 135 and 326-327). It is a much larger ship (300 tons) and a much more expensive ship, since 1/16 of it sold for L262/10/0 in 1640 and for L110 in July of 1650.

NAMES OF THE CREWMEN OF THE WILLIAM AND GEORGE, called in the notarial records "the company of seamen." The leader and spokesman of the group was:

The other men, in alphabetical order, were:

Since it is known that the ship was sold and did not return to London, a search was made in Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1987), to see if traces could be found of any of these crewmen, and then further brief research was made of likely candidates to see if they could indeed be the men of the William and George. The following were the results: While some of these names are very common, it is noteworthy that men with the right names, called mariners, are found in Boston from the 1650's onward, and that in the case of Simon Boyer and Edward Hinman, both unusual names, there is no trace of men of such names before ca 1650. Edward Hinman/Henman, however, is an exception in that he is not found in Boston records, nor is he called mariner in any of the records we do have.

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II. STRATFORD.

Edward Hinman is found in the land records of Stratford and in the town records. The land records were searched systematically by Donald L. Jacobus and all references to Edward Hinman were extracted. I photocopied the results in the Hinman file of the Jacobus papers at the Connecticut Historical Society. The town records have not been systematically searched, but extracts from them have been printed in the two town history's of Stratford, that by Samuel Orcutt (1886) and that by William Wilcoxson (1939).

The LAND RECORDS show the following transactions:

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III. WOODBURY.

The will of Edward HINMAN of Woodberry, Woodberry the 17th of November 1681

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IV. OTHER CONNECTICUT RECORDS.

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V. EDWARD HINMAN AND HIS FAMILY

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VI. THE STILES FAMILY

One source for the early life of Francis STILES is Francis Stiles in English Records (Hinman Family Association Research Report No. 6) by Barry E. Hinman, dated 17 May 1978. There we read on p. 2, (citing the published parish register in Bedfordshire Parish Registers, v. 20), that Francis STILES was baptized in Milbrook, Bedfordshire, 1 Aug. 1602, son of Thos STYLLES. Other entries in this parish register show that Thomas had a wife Mary in 1604, 1607 and 1612. In 1614 Thomas STYLES, carpenter, was buried on 6 Mar. and on 20 Mar. widow Mary STYLES was buried. An entry for 22 Jan. 1605 records the burial of Joan STYLES, wife of Thomas, but that may be a mistake for the daughter Joan, who was born the prior year. Also recorded as sons of Thomas are Henry, baptized 27 Nov. 1593 and John, 25 Dec. 1595. Thomas is baptized as son of Thomas and Mary, 7 Feb. 1612.

Ten years after his father's death we find the 21 year old Francis in London. On p. 1-2 of the Research Report mentionedabove are extracts from the records of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters. The Court Book, under date of 11 Dec. 1623, records that ffrancys STYLES, son of Thomas of Milbrook in the County of Bedford, carpenter, deceased, is presented by Hugh STANDISH to be his apprentice for seven years, beginning 25 Mar. 1624. A second extract, dated 11 May 1631, records the paying of freeman fees by ffrancis STYLES, he having been made free by his master Hugh STANDISH.

Before leaving the records of the Carpenters' Company we should note the record cited on p. 4 of the above mentioned report. At a Court held on 26 Mar. 1632 Henry STYLES was admitted to the Carpenters' Company by redemption, paying the sum of L5 to the company for the privilege of being admitted without having served an apprenticeship. The Company was induced to grant him this favor at the request of Thomas Lord Coventry, the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, obviously an important figure. Since Connecticut records refer to Henry STILES, the brother of Francis, as a carpenter, this is apparently the record of his attaining that title.

Francis STILES, aged 28 in May of 1631, was at last free to marry (apprentices were not allowed to do so). Where and how he found his bride we do not know, nor is it certain that Sarah, his widow, was his only wife. That he married someone from London and connected in some way with the Carpenters' Company is of course possible, but it is equally possible that she was neither. As we shall see below it seems that the marriage must have taken place in 1631 or 1632 and that a child was born in 1632. No record of either event has so far been found.

When next we hear of Francis STILES it is as a passenger aboard the ship Christian of London, John White master, sailing from London in March 1635 and arriving in Boston in June. He is listed as aged 35, and he and his fellow travellers have their certificate of conformity to the Church of England from St. Mildred's Breadstreet. With him are:

Tho. BASSETT, 37; Tho. STYLES, 20; Tho. BARBER, 21; Jo. DYER, 28; Jo. Harris, 28; Jas. Horwood, 30; Jo. REEVES, 19; Thos. Foulfoot, 22; Jas. Busket, 28; Thos. COOP., 18; Ed. PRESTON, 13; Jo. Cribb, 30; Geo. CHAPPEL, 20; Robert Robinson, 45; Edward PATTESON, 33; Fr. Marshall, 30; Rich. Heylei, 22; Tho. Halford, 20; Tho. Haukesworth, 23; Jo. STILES, 35; Henrie STILES, 40; Jane Worden, 30; Joan STILES, 35; Henry STILES, 3; Jo. STILES, 9 mo.; Rachell STILES, 28.

[Henry R. Stiles, The History of Ancient Windsor (Somersworth, N.H.: New Hampshire Pub. Co., 1976), Vol. 1, p. 44. The names in capitals are those of persons positively known to have settled in Windsor, according to Stiles.]

The History of Ancient Windsor details the story of this company of "servants" to Sir Richard SALTONSTALL, led by Francis STILESon p. 43-59. Suffice it to say here that STILES was a man of consequence, always called Master (Mr.) in the Connecticut records. According to Stiles, op. cit., p. 58, Francis STILES returned to England (probably in the winter of 1636-1637) and came back to Connecticut probably in spring 1637. No record has been found of this voyage, but it seems likely that his wife and child or children returned with him (unless of course they had already joined him on another unknown voyage). He remained in Windsor for some years, but in a deed of 12 Sept. 1647 he is called "Francis STILES, late of Windsor, but now of Saybrook" [Henry R. Stiles, The Stiles Family in America (1895), p. 462]. Henry Stiles, in the latter work, p. 469, citing a court case in the Particular Court of Connecticut, shows that Francis STILES was resident in Stratford in Mar. 1654. Between those two dates he may have been in Windsor again, since on the same page last cited Mr. Stiles quotes a record to the effect that Francis STILLS had 4 children born in Windsor. Since he thinks that Benjamin was the 4th child, and it is known that Benjamin was born around 1651, it seems that STILES must have been in Windsor in 1651.

Conclusion of the above evidence: EH could have met Francis STILES in Windsor, in Stratford, in Saybrook, or, of course, in some other, as yet unknown, place.

The most recent treatment of the family of Francis STILES is that by Donald L. Jacobus in his History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield (Baltimore: Genealogical Pub. Co., 1976) I:584-585:

He m. Sarah _____; who m. (2) Robert CLARK, and d. in 1683. She was sister of the first wife of William HAYDEN of Windsor.

Will of Sarah CLARK wife of Robert of Stratford, 5 June 1677, proved 2 Feb. 1682 [1682/3]; "aged and infirm"; sons Samuel, Ephraim, Benjamin, Thomas; children of dau. Hannah HINMAN, mentioning Titus; gr. children Sarah and Hannah BLACKMAN; children of dau. Mary WASHBURN, mentioning Sarah; sister's children, Daniel and Nathaniel HAYDEN, and Mary EVERTS at Guilford.

As was traditional at the time, the sons are named first in the will and the daughters second. Each listing is normally ranked by age, in which case Hannah is the eldest daughter, and not the youngest as the listing by Jacobus makes her. It is impossible to tell from this record if Sarah is the mother of all of the children, but all the daughters named their eldest daughter Sarah.

Rather than give the children as listed by Jacobus, I will, based on the above and on other evidence in Jacobus, give them as follows:

1. HANNAH--married Edward HINMAN. As her first known child was recorded in the Stratford records as born in Sept. 1653 [Jacobus, op. cit., p. 284], it seems likely that her marriage to EH took place in 1652. Where the two met and where they married is not known. She was probably born by 1632, it being highly unlikely that she would have married younger than 20. As we saw above, Francis STILES could not have married before 1631, so she must be the eldest child, born in England before he came to America in 1635. There is a gap in the dates with the other children, and it is possible that Hannah was the daughter of a first wife.

2. THOMAS--no date of birth known, but it is highly unlikely he was born after Benjamin, who should have been in fact the Benjamin of the family. He may well have been born in the gap between Hannah and the daughter who married BLACKMAN, and thus be the eldest son of the family, named after his father's father, born in England ca. 1634/1635. He may also have been born in Windsor, ca. 1639, again as the eldest son, or in the gap from 1645-1651. Jacobus, however, thinks he was the eldest son. He died at Stratford, apparently never having married, in 1683, before 24 Oct. [ibid., p. 585].

3. DAUGHTER--married James BLACKMAN about 1657, since her eldest known child was born 25 Apr. 1658 [ibid., p. 83]. She was, therefore, probably born ca. 1637. Since STILES appears to have been in England from the winter of 1636 through the spring of 1637 she may have been born in England as well. She had 3 daughters, named Sarah, Mary, and Hannah, the last born 21 Jan. 1664/5 [ibid.]. Blackman's first child by his second wife, a daughter named Jane, was born 26 Oct. 1668 [ibid., p. 84], thus establishing the time period of her death. (Her name may well have been Jane, named perhaps for her mother, or Joan, the name of her father's sister, since many times the first child of the right sex of a second marriage was named for the deceased spouse. Her sister Mary Washburn named a daughter Jane as well.) Blackman married (2) Miriam WHEELER and died between 18 July and 7 Nov. 1689. His widow Miriam married (2) Edward GROOM and died between 4 Oct. and 6 Nov. 1693 [ibid., p. 83].

4. MARY--married Hope WASHBURN. Her eldest known child was born Dec. 1661 [ibid., p. 649], so she married probably in 1661, and therefore was probably born ca. 1641, no doubt at Windsor. She had children named Sarah, John, William, Samuel, Ephraim, Mary and Jane, all family names, if Jane is indeed the name of either her mother or sister or both. Her husband died in Derby, CT, by 16 Nov. 1696, and she died there 11 Jan. 1712 [ibid., p. 648-649].

5. SAMUEL--born about 1643, according to Jacobus [ibid., p. 585]. He married at Stratford 31 Dec. 1664 Elizabeth SHERWOOD, daughter of Thomas, who died at Woodbury 3 June 1719. He died atWoodbury 14 Feb. 1726/7 ae. 84 [ibid.]. Jacobus in his notice of him mentions two deeds in which Samuel Stiles calls himself "father" when deeding to Ebenezer BRONSON of Woodbury. "Ebenezer BRUNSON, adopted child of Samuel STILES," was baptized in Woodbury 11 Jan. 1690/91 ["Woodbury Church Records, 1670-1700 [copied by D.L. Jacobus]" TAG 9 (1932):17-26]. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records shows that this Ebenezer married Mary MUNN 13 Aug. 1702 and had twins Ebenezer and Stiles born 9 Mar. 1717/18.

6. EPHRAIM--born at Windsor 3 Aug. 1645, died at Stratford 21 June 1714; ae 69 [Jacobus, op. cit., p. 586]. He married (1) at Stratford 28 July 1669 Ruth ROGERS, dau. of John of Milford, widow first of Thomas GOODWIN of Milford, then of Obadiah WHEELER and (2) Bathsheba TOMLINSON, dau. of Henry. Bathsheba married (2) 1 Dec. 1714 Mr. Benjamin CURTIS and died 9 Feb. 1735 ae. 74 [ibid.]. Ephraim and Bathsheba had daughters named Elizabeth, Sarah and Phebe.

7. BENJAMIN--born about 1651, died at Stratford 13 Apr. 1711 ae. about 60. He married Abigail ROGERS, dau. of John of Milford, who died at Woodbury 7 Oct. 1723 [ibid., p. 586]. He had children, baptized at Woodbury, named Sarah, Francis, Ruth, Thomas and Abigail [ibid., p. 587].

Francis STILES, the father of this family, died at an unknown place and date. Jacobus thinks he died probably at Stratford before 1665 [ibid., p. 584].

THE CHILDREN OF EDWARD HINMAN AND HANNAH STILES

Edward and Hannah HINMAN had, so far as we know, 8 children. The first 5 are recorded together in the Stratford land records, and the last 3 are known from EH's will and other records. Jacobus, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield, is again the best modern source for the whole family. Hannah was dead by 5 June 1677 when Sarah CLARK made her will [see above, p. 3]. Although a document cited in "Edward Hinman in American Records," p. 9 shows that EH was proposing to remarry on 7 Dec. 1679 with a widow in Derby CT there is no evidence that he did so, and he was certainly unmarried when he made his will and died in 1681.

1. SARAH--born Sept. 1653 [Jacobus, op. cit., p. 284]. She married William ROBERTS ca. 1676/1677, since her eldest known child was born 18 Oct. 1677. Her husband died at Woodbury before 7 Feb. 1690/1 [ibid., p. 503], she surviving him. Her children [ibid., p. 504], the first two recorded at Stratford, were:

i. Hannah, b. 18 Oct. 1677, d.y.

ii. Zechariah, b. 3 Jul. 1680

iii. Sarah, b. Aug. 1684

iv. Hannah, b. Jan. 1686/7

        v. Amos, b. Jul. 1689, who was living in Flushing, L.I. on 1 Mar. 1712

2. TITUS--born Jan. 1655/56, died at Woodbury 5 Apr. 1736 ae. 80. He married ca. 1684 (1) Hannah COE, daughter of John of Rye, who died 4 Jan. 1702/3, and (2) 14 Jun. 1703 Mary HAWKINS, daughter of Robert of Derby, who died at Southbury June 1756 ae. 80 [ibid., p. 284]. (His first name is quite unusual and may be a family name. Martha WASHBURN, the sister of Hope, EH's brother-in-law, was married to Edmund TITUS of Hempstead [ibid., p. 648]).

By his first wife he had the following children [ibid., p. 284-85], baptized at Woodbury:

i. Ephraim, bapt. 26 Jul. 1685

        ii. Joseph, bapt. Jun. 1687; m. 16 Nov. 1714 Esther DOWNS

    iii. Andrew, bapt. Apr. 1690; m. (rec. Woodbury) 29 Aug. 1711 Mary NOBLE, dau. of John

    iv. Titus, bapt. Jun. 1695, d. at Southbury 5 Apr. 1736; m. at New Milford abt. 8 Jun. 1721 Sarah NOBLE, dau. of John

v. Ebenezer, b., bapt., and d. 4 Jan. 1702/3

His children by his second wife, recorded at Woodbury [ibid., p. 285] were:

vi. Hannah, b. 21 Mar. 1703/4, bapt. Mar. 1703/4; d.y.

    vii. Eleazer, b. 17 Apr. 1705, bapt. Apr. 1705; m. Hannah SCOVILL, dau. of John of Waterbury

    viii. Timothy, b. 4 Mar. 1708/9, bapt. Mar. 1708/9, d. at Southbury 11 Dec. 1769; m. Emm PRESTON

    ix. Mary, b. 6 Feb. 1713/14; m. 30 Jul. 1739 Rev. David BOSTWICK of New Milford, Jamaica, L.I. and New York City

    x. Hannah, b. 12 Mar. 1720/1; m. (1) 13 Dec. 1739 Samuel TWICHELL and (2) 13 Apr. 1749 John PIERCE of Southbury

3. SAMUEL--born last of June 1658. He lived in Woodbury and died 7 Nov. 1713. He married after 1687 Mary CARPENTER, the daughter of David, and widow of Joseph HICKOCK, born Aug. 1650. By her he had no children. His will, as abstracted by Jacobus [ibid.] is as follows:

    Will 7 June 1710, proved 2 Dec. 1713; wife Mary; kinsman Ephraim HINMAN, eldest son of brother Titus; kinsman Benjamin HINMAN, son of brother Ben; kinsman Abraham WOOSTER, son of sister Mary CLERK; lands to be divided between these three after death of wife, WOOSTER not to alienate his share until forty years old; my girl Sarah TAYLOR; witnesses, Anne KNOWLES and Anne HUTHWITT. Ann KNOWLES, now Ann HINMAN, and Ann HUTHWITT, gave oath to will, 2 Dec. 1713.

"Sarah HINMAN, ye adopted child of Samuel [da. of Jon: TAYLOR]" was baptized at Woodbury 28 Sep. 1707 ["Woodbury (Conn.) Church Records, 1702-1713 [copied by D.L. Jacobus]" TAG 21 (1945): 222-224]. Nothing more is known of her.

4. BENJAMIN--born Sept. 1662. He lived in Woodbury and died there 26 May 1727. He married (recorded at Woodbury) 12 Jul. 1684 Elizabeth LUM, who was baptized at Woodbury May 1683. The inventory of his estate was made 26 Oct. 1727 [ibid., p. 185-86]. His children, recorded at Woodbury [ibid., p. 286] were:

i. Annis, bapt. Apr. 1685; d.y.

    ii. Hannah, bapt. Oct. 1686, d. at Roxbury 29 Feb. 1756; m. Benjamin HURD

iii. Adam, bapt. Jan. 1687/88, d. 23 Dec. 1717

    iv. Noah, bapt. Jul. 1689, d. at Southbury 14 Nov. 1766 ae. 76; m. (1) 28 Feb. 1710/11 Anna KNOWLES, who d. 10 Feb. 1719/20 and (2) Sarah SCOVILL, who d. 23 Apr. 1741 and (3) Mrs. WILDMAN

    v. Benjamin, bapt. Apr. 1692, d. in 1727; Inv. 22 Jun. 1727; m. 18 Dec. 1718 Sarah SHERMAN

vi. Elizabeth, bapt. Feb. 1692/3; m. John HURD

    vii. Eunice, bapt. May 1696, d. 23 Mar. 1792 ae 96; m. 7 Nov. 1718 Nathan HURD

        viii. Annis, bapt. Sept. 1697; m. 15 Jan. 1715/6 Samuel MARTIN

    ix. Rachel, b. 12 Sept. 1700, d. 26 May 1727; m. Ephraim BALDWIN

x. Edward, b. 25 Oct. 1702, d. in 1726

xi. Samuel, b. 1 Dec. 1704, d. 21 May 1727

    xii. Wait, b. 16 Oct. 1706, d. at Southbury 29 Apr. 1775 ae. 69; m. 11 Jun. 1729 Ann HURD

xiii. Mercy, b. 23 Dec. 1709; m. David BARNUM

5. HANNAH--born 15 July 1666 [ibid., p. 284]. She married ca. 1686 Samuel JENNER of Woodbury, who was the half-brother of Hannah COE, the first wife of Titus HINMAN, her brother (see "Edward Hinman in Tradition," p. 1). Samuel died 17 Aug. 1738 in Woodbury and Widow Hannah, in the same place, 2 Feb. 1742/3 [Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records]. Their children, baptisms found in "Woodbury Church Records, 1670-1700" [as cited above], births, marriages and deaths at Woodbury in the Barbour Collection, were:

    i. Hannah, bapt. 18 Mar. 1687/88; d. 7 Nov. 1732; m. 25 Jan. 1705/6 at New Haven (recorded Woodbury) Jonathan MITCHELL

    ii. Patience, bapt. 21 Aug. 1692; m. 17 Apr. 1712 Elnathan STRONG

    iii. Prudence, bapt. 24 Feb. 1694/95; m. 6 Jul. 1715 Moses JOHNSON

    iv. Comfort, b. 11 Apr. 1698; bapt. 1 May 1698; d. 23 Aug. 1757; m. 21 Mar. 1716/17 John PIERCE

    v. Samuel, b. 20 Apr. 1703; bapt. 25 Apr. 1703 ["Woodbury (Conn.) Church Records, 1702-1713", as cited above]; m. Hannah _____

    vi. Nathan, b. 28 Mar. 1710; bapt. 2 Apr. 1710 ["Woodbury (Conn.) Church Records, 1702-1718 [copied by D.L. Jacobus]" TAG 21 (1945): 265-268].

    vii. Abigail, twin of Nathan, b. 28 Mar. 1710; bapt. 2 Apr. 1710 [see Nathan]; m. 30 Apr. 1729 Timothy BRONSON

6. MARY--born ca. 1668, assuming that since she is named as second daughter in EH's will she was born next. She was a mother in July 1697, when Abraham, son of Mary HINMAN, was baptized at Woodbury [Jacobus, op. cit., p. 284, footnote]. He was Abraham WOOSTER, son of Abraham WOOSTER, as Jacobus shows in the footnote on p. 701. She was in trouble once again in 1699 when "John PEAK threatened with excommunication for denying his confession relating to Mary HINMAN, & his unclean: with her--proved by several witnesses--12 Apr. 1699 & excommunicated 16 Apr. 1699" ["Stratford (Conn.) Congregational Church Records [copied by D.L. Jacobus]" TAG 13 (1937): 270-272]. By the time her brother Samuel made his will on 7 June 1710 she was married to a man named CLARK, but nothing is known of him, nor is anything further known of her.

7. PATIENCE--born ca. 1670, based on the order of names in EH's will. She married at Stratford 10 Jan. 1694/95 John BURROUGHS [Jacobus, op. cit., p. 133]. He was the son of Edward BURROUGHS of Jamaica, L.I. [ibid., v. 2, pt. 2 "Additions and Corrections to the Families of Old Fairfield," p. 8]. The inventory of John's estate was made 11 Mar. 1712/13 and on 14 Apr. 1713 Patience, his widow, is said to be also deceased. She had the following children [ibid., I:133], recorded at Stratford:

    i. Stephen, b. 25 Feb. 1694/95; m. 3 Mar. 1719/20 Ruth NICHOLS

    ii. Edward, b. 14 Mar. 1696

    iii. Hannah, b. 23 Nov. 1697; m. 7 Dec. 1720 Eliphalet CURTIS

    iv. Eunice, b. 1 Sept. 1699; m. 11 Sept. 1727 Jonah CURTIS

    v. Joseph, b. 23 Nov. 1701, d. 6 Jan. 1765 ae. 63 at New Haven; m. at New Haven 13 Jan. 1725/6 Lydia MUNSON

    vi. Bathsheba, b. 26 Sept. 1703; m. 5 Apr. 1726 Sevignion LEWIS

    vii. John, b. 31 Aug. 1705, bapt. at Stratfield 10 Feb. 1706, d. at Newtown abt. 1726/27, before 20 Feb.; unmarried

    viii. Eden, b. 10 Jul. 1707, bapt. at Stratfield 7 Sept. 1707, d. 9 Mar. 1771 ae. 64; m. at Wallingford 27 Dec. 1733 Lydia AUSTIN; had no children

    ix. Ephraim, b. in 1708, bapt. at Stratfield 24 Apr. 1709; d.y.

    x. Patience, b. 2 Jan. 1709/10, bapt. at Stratfield 11 Mar. 1711; m. at Stratfield 29 Jan. 1736 David SANFORD

8. EDWARD--the youngest child, probably born late 1671 or early 1672, since his first deed is dated 2 Feb. 1692/93 ["Biography of Edward Hinman, Jr." by Barry E. Hinman in Hinman Heritage 12:1 (Spring 1987), p. 6]. He married ca. 1700 Hannah BURROUGHS, the sister of John BURROUGHS, who married his sister Patience [Jacobus, op. cit., v. 2, pt. 2, "Additions and Corrections to the Families of Old Fairfield, p. 8 and 17]. His last deeds at Stratford are dated 11 and 13 Jul. 1738 and his wife is called Widow HENMAN on 6 May 1747 ["Biography of Edward Hinman, Jr.", as cited above, p. 8], thus setting the limits for the time of his death. Hannah died, aged 99, at North Stratford 25 August [not July] 1777 ["The identity of Hannah Hinman" (Hinman Family Association Research Report no. 7) by Munson B. Hinman, dated 20 Dec. 1979, p. 9, which contains all the evidence relating to her identity]. Their children [Jacobus, op. cit., I:287], recorded at Stratford, are:

    i. Jonah, b. 5 Nov. 1700; rem. to Newark, N.J., where he d. 9 Sept. 1758 ae. 58; m. Elizabeth. According to Jacobus' annotated copy of Old Fairfield at the Connecticut Historical Society she was the daughter of Samuel WARD of Newark

    ii. Hannah, b. 3 Mar. 1702/03; m. 16 Jan. 1722/23 Mr. Thomas ALLEN of Newark, N.J.

    iii. Zechariah, b. 27 Jan. 1704/05. He d. abt. 1789; res. Durham, CT; m. ca. 1730 Hannah BALDWIN [Jacobus, op. cit., v. 2, pt. 2, "Additions and Corrections," p. 17]

    iv. Samuel, b. 6 Jan. 1705/06; res. Litchfield and Goshen CT; d. after Oct. 1756. A tabular genealogy of the HINMAN family in the Jacobus MSS at the Connecticut Historical Society shows that he married Abigail, perhaps BALDWIN

    v. Justus, b. 28 Dec. 1707; m. Hannah JUDSON

    vi. Ebenezer, b. 5 Oct. 1709, d. at Southbury 18 Nov. 1795 ae. 86; m. 4 Jun. 1739 Obedience JENNINGS

    vii. Sarah, b. Oct. 1711

    viii. John, b. 4 Nov. 1713; res. Trumbull; m. (1) Eunice CURTIS and (2) 15 Aug. 1754 Anna NICHOLS. John's first marriage was 7 Nov. 1745 and he d. in the summer of 1782 ["The identity of Hannah Hinman," as cited above, p. 11].

ix. Rachel, b. 4 Dec. 1715

x. Eunice, b. 16 Aug. 1717

    xi. Amos, b. 18 Oct. 1720; m. Abigail BEACH, dau. of Josiah [Jacobus, op. cit., v. 2, pt. 2, "Additions and Corrections," p. 17]

    xii. Charity, b. 6 Jun. 1723, bapt. at Christ Church, Stratford, 9 Jun. 1723 ["Biography of Edward Hinman, Jr.," as cited above, p. 3]; m. 25 Jan. 1744 John SEELEY [Jacobus, op. cit., I:533].

It is worth noting that neither Edward HINMAN nor his wife is found as a member of the church in either Stratford or Woodbury. All of his family, however, both Stiles and Hinman, except his youngest son, Edward, Jr., are found as members. Edward joined the Church of England, as evidenced by the baptism of his youngest child at Christ Church in Stratford [see "Biography of Edward Hinman, Jr.", cited above, for further details].

The records of the Woodbury Church, as cited above, show:

5 May 1670 Robert CLARK, Samuell STILES, Hope WASHBORN, Ephraim STILES and Benjamin STILES all subscribed the covenant at the installation of the new pastor

6 May 1683 Elizabeth LUM was baptized

27 May 1683 Hannah COE, dau. of John of Rye, was baptized

4 Jan. 1690/91 Hannah HENMAN, wife of Titus, was admitted to full communion

14 Jun. 1691 Elizabeth HENMAN, wife of Benjamin, was admitted 1 Mar. 1691/92 Samuel HENMAN and Sarah ROBERTS were admitted

26 May 1697 Titus HENMAN and Samuel GENNER and Hannah his wife were admitted

25 Jul. 1697 Abraham HENMAN, the son of Mary, was baptized

29 Jun. 1707 Mary HINMAN, the wife of Titus, was admitted

29 Nov. 1713 Sergt. Benjamin HINMAN was admitted

The "Stratford (Conn.) Congregational Church Records [copied by D.L. Jacobus]" TAG 14 (1937): 126-130 have the following:

    John BURROUGHS Made confession of his son [sic] of fornication and Renewed ye Covent. May 15, 98 and Nov. 13th. 3 Children Steph[en] edward and Hannah bap[tized].

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VII. EDWARD HINMAN IN TRADITION

None of the American records in which Edward Hinman has so far been found gives any information about his life before his arrival in New England. Such information, if it existed, must have existed as oral tradition, known by the members of his family and his friends and associates, and, if passed down, must also have been transmitted orally. The only way such tradition can be known now, of course, is if it were written down. The first written source for the tradition concerning Edward Hinman (EH henceforth) is the Jenner Bible. This family Bible was printed in London in 1640 and was handed down in the Jenner family. About 1786 (one hundred years after the death of EH) a descendant wrote in it "The Record of Samuel Jenner." A transcription of this record, so named, was published in 1978 by Philip N. Jenner as History of the Jenner Family in America Monograph no. 11. I have not seen the Bible record myself, nor in fact has Mr. Jenner, who was relying on photocopies, and in 1978 he was unable to locate the original Bible. The transcription on p. 6 reads as follows:

After another 70 years had passed, Royal R. Hinman published his work on the Hinman family as part of his monumental Catalogue of the Early Puritan Settlers of Connecticut (1852). There, on p. 807 he has the following to say: Hinman goes on (after mentioning the military valor of the Hinmans of the American Revolution) to relate a second story concerning the military background of EH and his life before his arrival in Stratford: While obviously in stark opposition, the two traditions have the following elements in common: Enough records remain in England, even after the thorough purges of the republicans during the Commonwealth and the royalists at the time of the Restoration, to permit us to say with a fair degree of confidence that EH could not have been of the life-guard of either King Charles or Oliver Cromwell. Nothing permits us to say, however, that he might not have had some more subaltern position.

The Jenner tradition, just a bald statement, requires no further discussion. Royal Hinman, however, adds some justification of his statement, which does require a brief discussion. He says that EH held the title of Sergeant from his first arrival in Stratford, but none of the records cited in "Edward Hinman in American Records" shows the use of such a title during EH's life. The only use found is in the inventory of his estate at Woodbury. There is one citation of a record by Wilcoxson showing the use of a military title, but the title is Captain. Otherwise EH is referred to simply as Edward HINMAN or Edward HENMAN, except for one record, again cited by Wilcoxson, where he is called Mr. HENMAN.

The story about EH's relationship with John UNDERHILL also requires a brief remark. Underhill's disbanding of his military company at Stamford took place in 1646, when by Hinman's own showing EH must still have been in England. Any reference in the Dutch records at Albany to this campaign can not contain the name of EH, and indeed no one has ever found it although many have searched. At the time that Hinman says EH came to this country Underhill was on Long Island, at Flushing, as an employee of the government of New Amsterdam. The story of STUYVESANT not trusting the Englishman also can not be true. The thrust of thestory, though, is to reinforce the idea that EH had the reputation (170 years after his death) of having been a military man.

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