The family of Luke Hitchcock 1674-1752

Luke Hitchcock, one of many of that name, was born in 1674 and died in 1752, both in Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts.  He is the son of John and Hannah Chapin Hitchcock, and he married Elizabeth Walker, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Wheeler Walker.  They had a rather large family, as was common at the time.  

Elizabeth was their first born.  She was born in 1701, and she is a bit of a mystery.  It appears that she married Ezekiel Mighill, the son of John and Elizabeth Firman Mighill, and after his death she married Ephraim Colton, the son of Ephraim and Mary Noble Colton.  Other than a mention in her father's will of daughter Elizabeth Colton, I have not been able to find any additional information about her.  I do not know of any children, nor do I know that she did not have children.  There is certainly more to her story.

Hannah was born in 1702 and died in 1778 in Chicopee, Hampden County, Massachusetts.  She married Abel Chapin, (likely related in some fashion to Hannah Chapin above), the son of Thomas and Sarah Wright Chapin.  Their children are Hannah, Abiah, Abel, Jemima, Elizabeth, and Moses.  

Next came another daughter, Ruth, born in 1704 and died in 1742 in Springfield.  She married Jonathan Church, the son of Richard and Elizabeth Noble Church,  and they are our ancestors in the Church line.  Their children are Joseph, Jonathan, Ruth, and Aaron.  

Finally, a son was born, named (what else?), Luke, born in 1706 and died in 1785 in Rockingham, Windham County, Vermont.  He married Abigail Norton, the daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Galpin Norton.  Their children are Tabitha, Abigail, Achsah, Cloe, Luke, and another Tabitha.  All the children were born in Springfield.  Luke may have gone to Vermont to live with a child after Abigail died.  Luke was a deacon in the church.

Jacob was born in 1708 and died in 1746 in Hampden County, Massachusetts.  He married Abigail Butler, the daughter of James and Abigail Eustiss Buter.  Their children are Abigail and possible Elizabeth.  His wife died young and Jacob next married Bathsheba Chapin, the daughter of Thomas and Sarah Wright Chapin (Siblings Hannah and Jacob married siblings Abel and Bathsheba).  It is possible that Elizabeth is the child of Bathsheba rather than Abigail, but I've not found a definitive record on that yet.  I don't know of any other children born to Jacob and Bathsheba. 

Moses was born in 1712 and lived for just over a month.  His five older siblings, as well as his parents, would have mourned him together.

Eunice arrived in 1713, to bring joy to the family.  She died in 1796 in East Hampton, Middlesex, Connecticut.  She married John Norton, the son of John and Ann Thompson Norton.   Their children are Aseneth, Anna, Elizabeth, John, Martha, Jacob, Elias, Ann, another Elias, and Eunice.  

Aaron was born in 1715 and died in 1808 in Suffield, Hartford, Connecticut.  He married Experience Kent, the daughter of John and Abigail Winchell Kent.  Their children are Experience, Ruth, and Apollos.  There may be more children, as yet not located.

And finally, another Moses, who like his namesake brother died shortly after birth in 1718.

This family is reported to have had a good reputation in and around Springfield for generations.   They supported their church and their community, and the men likely served in the militia, although I've not found records for military service.  The men may have served in the French and Indian War, or at least been home guards during that conflict.  Regardless, they all contributed to the life of our country and we can be grateful.  

 

The family of John Hitchcock 1642-1712

 John Hitchcock, the son of Luke and Elizabeth Gibbons Hitchcock, is the first Hitchcock in our line to be born in the New World.  He was born in 1642 in New Haven, New Haven, Connecticut.  His wife is Hannah Chapin, the daughter of Samuel and Cicely Penny Chapin, whom he married in 1666 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  John was a soldier in King Philip's war, promoted to lieutenant for bravery following the horrible battle at Turner's Fall.  He was wounded there, but recovered and also served in King William's war.  He was a freeman, a deacon, a constable, a selectman, and a deputy to the General Court, so he was one of the more respected men in town.  

John and Hannah had a large family, as was typical of the time.  We have lines through two of the sons, so this is another tangled family tree in our forest.  The first child, an unnamed daughter, was born or stillborn in 1667, but soon there were more children.

Hannah was born in 1668, and died in 1748 in Enfield, Hartford County, Connecticut.  She married Samuel Parsons, the son of Benjamin and Sarah Vere Parsons.  Their children are Samuel, John, Luke, Hannah, Nathaniel, Moses, and Miriam.

John was born next, in 1670, and died in 1761, in Springfield.  He married Mary Ball, the daughter of Samuel and Mary Graves Ball, who also was born and died in Springfield.  Their children are John, Mary, Sarah, two more daughters named Mary, Abigail, Nathaniel, THankful, Jerusha, Margaret, and Samuel.  I'll follow this family in a future post.

Samuel was born next, in 1672, and died in 1727 in New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut.  He married Sarah Weller, the daughter of John and Mary Alward Weller.  Their children are Samuel, Jonathan, Sarah, Esther, Deborah, John, and Hannah. 

Another son, Luke, was born in 1674.  He also stayed in Springfield, dying in 1752.  He married Elizabeth Walker, the daughter of Jacob and Elizabeth Wheeler Walker.  Their children are Hannah, Ruth, Jacob, Moses, Eunice, and Aaron.  I will follow this family also, in a future post.  

Nathaniel was born in 1677 and died in 1762 in Brimfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts.  He married Abigail Lombard, the daughter of David and Margaret Filley Lombard.  Their children are Nathaniel, Noah, Moses, Joseph, and John.  

David was born in 1678 and died in 1762 in Monson, Hampden, Massachusetts.  He married Elizabeth Mighill, the daughter of Thomas and Bethuia Weld Mighill.  Their children are Paul, David, Grace, and Jonathan.

The family ended as it began, with the early deaths of two more children.  Jonathan was born in 1682 and died three months later, in February 1683.  The last child, Sarah, was born in 1685 and died in 1690.

I'm not sure that I've found all of John and Hannah's grandchildren, but I am confident that those that I have found will have stories.  The Hitchcock name is an honorable one, and at one time was influential in town life.  Since the male line stayed mostly in or near Springfield, it is more than possible that they served in the militia and responded in one way or another to the Deerfield massacre of 1704.  Life was unsettled in that part of the country for many years, as this was still part of the frontier of the time.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allen line: The family of Luke Hitchcock 1614(?)-1659

 Luke Hitchcock's origins are not verified, but he was from England, perhaps somewhere in Wiltshire.  His parents are often given as John and Mary Franklin Hiscockes, which may or may not be correct.  He was in New Haven, Connecticut by 1644, when he took the freeman's oath there.  He married Elizabeth Gibbons, who may be the daughter of Thomas Gibbons, but is probably not the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Pierpont Gibbons. (If their birthdates are correct, then they are much too old to be parents of Elizabeth, although they could possibly be grandparents.  I'm not aware of records that would resolve this issue.)  Sadly, Luke died at a relatively young age, in 1659, in Weathersfield, Connecticut.  Elizabeth next married William Warriner, Jr. (who is a relative of ours but I don't think he's an ancestor) and then Joseph Baldwin, before dying in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1696.

Luke and Elizabeth had at least three children.  I have seen at least one list that includes others, and their purported birth dates make sense, but I've not found records to support them.  So I'll concentrate on the three children I'm reasonably sure are theirs, and then briefly mention the others.  

John was born in 1642 and died in 1712 in Springfield, Massachusetts.  He married Hannah Chapin, the daughter of Samuel and Cicely Penny Chapin.  Their children are an unknown daughter who died young, Hannah, John, Samuel, Like, Nathaniel, Daniel and Jonathan.  I will follow this family in my next blog post.  

Hannah was born in 1644 and died in 1733 in Hadley, Hampshire, Massachusetts.  She married Chileab Smith, the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Smyth Smith.  (Yes, this is the same Smith family that included Mary Smith who married John Graves, our ancestors in another line.)  Hannah and Chileab's children are Hannah, Samuel, Luke, Ebenezer, Nathaniel, John, Hester (Esther), Elizabeth, Mary, Chileab, and Sarah.  

Then there is a gap of close to 11 years, before Luke was born in 1655.  Luke died in Springfield in 1727.  He married Sarah Burt, the daughter of Jonathan and Elizabeth Lobdell Burt.  (She is the granddaughter of Henry and Eulalia Marche Burt, who are our ancestors in another line.) Their children are Sarah, Elizabeth, Mercy, Hannah, Thankful, Mary, Luke, Jonathan, Ebenezer, Jonathan, and Peletiah.  

So who are the "possible" children?  There is an earlier Hannah, born in 1641, who probably died young.  Then there are Elizabeth, born about 1645, Nathaniel, in 1647, and Matthias in 1650.  The dates may work, and it's possible that the records for these children are simply missing, or at least, I haven't found them yet.  It's also possible that they belong to a different Hitchcock family, perhaps that of Matthias or Edward, who were in the same area at the same time as Luke.  I'd be delighted to hear from someone who can point out records for these young Hitchcocks, to prove or disprove their parentage.