What evidence is there for the maiden name and parents of Rebecca (Hilton?) Roberts?

+11 votes
1.8k views
It has often been assumed that Rebecca, wife of Thomas Roberts (an early New Hampshire governor), was a Hilton.  Is there any evidence to support this?

Rebecca's parents are currently shown to be William Hilton and Ellen Mainwaring.  Once again, is there any documentation to support this?

Rebecca, through her presumed father William Hilton, currently shows a WikiTree ancestry back to King Edward IV of England.  This would seem to be unlikely.
WikiTree profile: Rebecca Roberts
in Genealogy Help by Living Schmeeckle G2G6 Pilot (105k points)
Do you know if there is any proof that her first name was Rebecca?
2022 update (how time flies): I still see no primary or solid secondary source for the first or last name of Thomas Roberts' wife.  Since there is no apparent reason to believe her surname was "Hilton", discussion of children and siblings of Hiltons does not seem to be relevant.  I'm not counting that 1928 article asserting "Rebecca Hilton" along with a ton of other facts without source as reliable.

Her given name may appear on a deed. 

Lora Altine Woodbury Underhill wrote (1934), "On July 1, 1669, Thomas Roberts, with wife Rebecca, joins in a deed to John York of land at Durham." Reference, Citing "New Hampshire Deeds, Book 3:129-a," Lora Altine Woodbury Underhill, Descendants of Edward Small of New England, 3 vols., paginated continuously (Boston, Houghton Mifflin company, 1934), 2:1097-1153 (Roberts Family) at 1107 (Thomas^1 Roberts); digital images, HathiTrust.

Province [New Hampshire] deeds ... are on restricted FamilySearch Library films. See the catalog entry. https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/310825?availability=Family%20History%20Library

4 Answers

+2 votes
John, the first few paragraphs here discuss the possible parents: http://kerrysdavis.home.comcast.net/~kerrysdavis/p25.htm

I have a Roberts brick wall, so last year was looking at potential families from the same area. I came across this family, and determined there were lots of hypotheticals but I couldn't come up with a definite...
by Darlene Athey-Hill G2G6 Pilot (540k points)
One interesting note is that her brother named a son Mainwaring.  Also see this post/discussion: http://genforum.genealogy.com/hilton/messages/2402.html
Thanks Darlene, for getting me started...
+3 votes
This one seems like a fairly large mess.

Let's talk about Edward's father for a moment:

The kerrysdavis site that Darlene linked to for Edward Hilton (1595-1670, Hilton-52) has drawn the conclusion that the father was acutally a Capt Roger Hilton, after stating that the NEHGS shows a William without any sources.

Hilton-52 shows the father as a William Hilton.

The genforum discussion cites Anderson saying they were sons of William Hilton of Northwich.

Hilton-52 also links to Anderson, where on page 950 he writes: "Noyes, Libby and Davis, discussing the baptismal entry for this immigrant in the Northwich parish register, say that "the record, now probably illegible, was read 'son of Richard' by the vicar in 1920, and 'son of William' by a superannuated antiquary some years later." So "William Hilton" as the father does have some source via Anderson, although fair to say not the most confident?

As for the mother:

I don't see mention of a Mainwaring mother or a Mainwaring son by Anderson in the pages referenced on his profile (Edward Hilton-52). His WikiTree profile does a nice job laying out the issue from Anderson and doesn't mention a Mainwaring son.

However, in the same genforum string that Darlene mentioned, there is this reference: "vi MAINWARING, b. by 1646 [YLR 2:33]; m. by about 1670 as her first husband Mary Moulton, daughter of Thomas Moulton (eldest child of daughter Magdalen b. York 24 September 1691 [NEHGR 110:60]; on 4 July 1671 administration was granted to "Tho[mas] Mowlton of the estate of Mannering Hilton his son-in-law lately deceased" [MPCR 2:214]."

Mannering? Mainwaring? If someone can check this source, it may help.

Both WikiTree and kerrysdavis site, despite having different fathers, have the same mother.

Siblings:
Anderson shows Edward Hilton-52 had brothers William and Richard. Kerrysdavis site shows a brother William. WikiTree shows Edward Hilton-52 had a brother William and a brother Arthur, as well as sisters Amy, Elizabeth and the Rebecca that started this discussion.

Other notes:

The genforum that mentions a son of Edward's named Mainwaring starts with "William and Edward were brothers but at this time cannot be said to descend from Sybil LUMLEY." (my note: Sybil was the illegitimate granddaughter of Edward IV).

Hilton-52's profile calls the royal line 'spurious' and quotes the Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, pg. 133, and mentions a pedigree was published that "will doubtless charm the credulous for years to come."

In reviewing Rebecca's other siblings that don't appear on the kerrysdavis site, I noticed a profile shown as her sister (Hilton-1103) that mentions "her mother's will" as a source.
by PM Eyestone G2G6 Mach 3 (36.5k points)

Anders, Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to N.E. 1620-1633, Vols. I-III, p 946-

Edward Hilton born Wilton Chapel, Northwitch, Cheshire, 5 Jun 1596, son of William Hilton. He later cites GDMNH 331 as the source of the confusing read of the baptismal entry -- i.e., that it was originally read as Richard and later read as William. He doesn't explain any further. 

He does say later that Edward was the brother of a William Hilton and Richard Hilton., citing GDMNH 333-54. I think that's Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire.

He married first abt 1629 _____ _____. She died by 1629.

He married second Katherine (Shapleigh) Treworgy, dau of Alexander Shapleigh; widow of James Treworgy.

Administration of the estate of Edward Hilton was granted 6 Mar 1670/1 or 6 Apr 1671 to Edward, William, Samuel and Charles Hilton. At this time, his widow was Katherine. There were also at least two sisters, as one Christohper Palmer made a claim on the estate on their behalf 29 Jun 1671. He along with Henry Moulton had married these daughters.

Katherine had been previously married as she subsequently (1674) deeded property to her beloved son Samuel Trueworgye, mariner of Portsmouth. She had an undated will, proved 30 May 1676, included a bequest to James Tryworthy son of Sam Tryworthy to be kept in the hands of her daughter Elizabeth Gilman until James was of age. She also made a bequest to James Triworth, son of John Triworthy; to Edward Hilton Jr.; to Sam Gilman, her grandchild; to her daughter Mrs. Meredith named by Joanna [?]; to Johanna Meredith, grandchild; Mary Gilman, grandchild; to Betty Gilman; to Abigail Gilman wife of Edward Gilman... several others, relationship not named... Jane Hilton; reference to son-in-law Capt. John Gilman (who she made executor).

Edward's children by his first wife:

  1. Edward; m Ann Dudley dau of Rev. Samuel Dudley
  2. William; m Rebecca Simmons, dau of John Simmons
  3. Sobriety; m Henry Moulton, son of John
  4. Susanna; m Christopher Palmer
  5. Samuel; unmarried apparently
  6. Charles; unmarried apparently

There's a bunch of other info in Anderson's profile of Hilton-- mostly about land he owned, and records that suggest return trips to England.

He also recommends (in addition to GDMNH) the work of Mary Lovering Holman about Hilton in her Pillsbury Ancestry; esp. 333-35.

Edward had no son Manwaring. But one fo Edward's brothers may have. Let me look up William.
Thank you, Jillaine.
+2 votes

Here's a secondary source (from 1928) claiming the marriage of Thomas Roberts and Rebecca Hilton:

Roberts Farm passed for 300 Years from Father to Son
http://www.dover.lib.nh.us/DoverHistory/roberts_farm.htm

"DOVER, NH- New Hampshire believes it is justified in claiming to have within its borders the oldest farm in the United States- oldest in the sense of having been owned, occupied and tilled as a family possession continuously from its beginning. This is the “Gov Thomas Roberts Farm” at Dover Neck. It dates from almost the beginning of the white men’s settlement of New Hampshire territory.

"Dover Neck is that narrow tongue of land between the Piscataqua on the east and the Bellamy, or Back River, on the west and sloping gently southward to the confluences of the rivers and Great Bay at Dover Point.  Here in the Spring of 1623 New Hampshire had its beginning in the little settlement formed there by Edward Hilton, William Hilton, Thomas Roberts and a few others, whose names, if ever recorded, have been lost in the lapse of centuries.

"While its exact age as a family possession is not known, owing to the disappearance of the record of its acquisition by the pioneer, Thomas Robert, other historical data point to the probability that it was acquired by Roberts in 1628, when the land became available  under the David Thomson grant, as will be later explained. It is possible, however, that Roberts did not come into possession of it until 1631, the year Edward Hilton received a special grant from the Council of Plymouth, Eng., called the Swamscott patent, confirming and defining the bounds of the territory he had acquired under Thomson’s grant of 6000 acres in 1622....

"Through an indenture signed Dec 14, 1622, by him and three wealthy merchants of Plymouth, Abram Collmer, Nicholas Sherwill and Leonard Pomery (later spelled Pomeroy), the four undertook to start a settlement of [David] Thomson’s 6000-acre grant, establish fisheries then one of England’ s most important industries, engage in trade with England and her colonies and develop plantations....

"The indenture provided for the landing of only seven men besides Thomson at the beginning. Two of the seven came over in the ship Jonathan of Plymouth with Thomson.... The other five men, including the Hiltons and Roberts, came over afterward in the ship Providence of Plymouth, owned by Pomery, and landed in Pomery’s Cove at Dover Point, called at the beginning Hilton Point....

"The fourth article of the Thomson indenture provided that before the end of five years after the first landing there should be an allotment if 600 acres of land around the buildings of the settlement, which with the buildings should be divided equally between the parties. It was from this allotment that Thomas Roberts obtained his farm. 

"Romance played an important role in Roberts securing on of the choicest locations, apart from Edward Hilton’s for his plantation. In 1627 Roberts married Rebecca Hilton, a sister of Edward and William Hilton.

"The Hilton brothers were members of the aristocratic Fishmongers’ Guild of London when Thomas Roberts, according to the guild’s archives, became apprenticed to it in 1622. The friendship then formed between the three young men led them to associate themselves with David Thomson’s New England enterprise. Roberts and Edward Hilton were nearly of the same age, each slightly past his majority. 

"William was five years older than Edward, and married. He had come over to Plymouth in 1621, but had returned to England the following year. It was therefore natural that Edward Hilton, who had been made the head of the settlement by Pomery, should give his brother-in-law first choice for his farm of approximately 150 acres. Roberts selected high ground on Dover neck about two and a half miles above Hilton Point....

"Immediately after his marriage Roberts lived in a house at the Point near Hiltons. It was not until sometime in the following decade, after his farm had been partially cleared of timber, that he began the erection of the Dover Neck dwelling....

"In 1640 Thomas Roberts succeeded Capt John Underhill as the fourth Governor of the Dover colony. Roberts served until the Massachusetts Bay colony achieved its ambition of annexing, in 1642, the Piscataqua River settlements, Dover, Strawberry Bank and Exeter, also Hampton, and making them a part of Norfolk County.

"He had a leading part in the formation and establishment, in 1640, of “The Dover Combination,” an improved scheme of local self-government. He was one of 21 of the 42 signers of the Combination agreement in 1641, a protest against annexation to Massachusetts.

"Gov Roberts was not of Puritanic mold. He possessed a liberality of thought which led him 20 years later to embrace the teachings of the Quaker missionaries, who had come here early in the ‘60s, and secured a following from among the orthodox Church people, only to be driven out of Dover in mid-Winter under harrowing conditions in accordance with Massachusetts laws against Quakers.

"While he sympathized with the missionaries and was fined by being deprived of his cow for attending their meetings and staying away from public worship, his two sons, John and Thomas, both constables, zealously executed their appointed part of Massachusetts’ order expelling the missionaries from its jurisdiction....

"From the earliest times the Roberts family have been intimately associated with the progress of Dover. It was Gov Roberts who was the first to turn the soil of New Hampshire with the plow. He was taught by the Indians how to raise Indian corn and fertilize the hills with alewives, which swarmed up river in the Spring. A tannery on the Roberts farm was one of the first established here. Brick-making, which came later, was conducted by Roberts descendants.

"The ancient buryingground, in which all the first settlers were buried, occupies a niche taken from the Roberts farm close by the highway. The graves are mostly unmarked, but that of Gov Roberts is marked with a slate headstone suitably inscribed, placed there about 25 years ago to replace the original. Gov Roberts died in 1674."

 

 


 

by Living Schmeeckle G2G6 Pilot (105k points)
Thanks for this, John. I'd still want an additional, more original source for Rebwcca Hilton.
+3 votes

Thomas Roberts "was not married at the time of coming over, but probably was married in 1627.  The maiden name of his wife is not known, but there is a tradition she was sister of Edward Hilton.  Further than that we know not."  Quoted in John Scales, History of Dover, N.H. (1989), pp. 302-303.

I suspect that's the best we're going to get; it seems to me that she should be detached from her parents; I already created a "Disputed Identity" paragraph with a link to her purported brother Edward.

by Living Schmeeckle G2G6 Pilot (105k points)

I would agree with that.  No one seems to have been able to ascertain Edward's parents, so without a known connection between Edward and Rebecca and no proven parents for Edward, really it's the only thing that you can do.

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