William Chittenden (bef. 1608 - 1661)

Born before 17 Jul 1608 in Hawkhurst, Kent, England

Ancestors

Husband of Joanna (Sheaffe) Cruttenden — married 19 Apr 1632 in Mayfield, Sussex, England

Descendants

Died 1 Feb 1661 after age 52 in Guilford, New Haven Colony

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William Chittenden migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 64) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Since the publication of Talcott's Chittenden Family, it has been thought that William Chittenden was the son of Robert Chittenden and Mary Merriam, born in Mar 1593/1594 in Cranbrook, Kent, England and christened in Mar 1594 in Parish of Marden, Kent, England.^[1] A recent analysis of the baptismal and other records for Marden and Hawkhurst, Kent, has shown that this is not true. For this reason, he has been disconnect from Robert Chittenden and Mary Merriam.

The following analysis is based on the article by Martha A. Lynes, "The Ancestry of William Chittenden of Guilford, Connecticut." ^[2]

According to the parish baptismal records, there were three William Chittendens born in approximately the correct time frame at Hawkhurst:

• 1. William, son of Thomas, bpt. 3 Nov 1577
• 2. Willyam, son of William, bpt. 16 May 1602
• 3. Wyllyam, son of William Chittenden the younger, bpt. 17 July 1608

The parish marriage records show that two William Chittendens were married at Hawkhurst:

• Mariage 1. Willm Chittenden m. Elenor Hatche, 21 Feb 1586/7
• Marriage 2. Willyam Chittenden m. Elizabeth Markley, 15 Jan 1604/5

These marriages show that the William who married Elizabeth Markley, was too old to be either William 2 or 3 above. And William 1 was too young to have married Elenor Hatche. If he was born in Hawkhurst, he must therefore be William #1, the son of Thomas.

Jone and Thomas, children of William and his wife Jone, are shown in the Hawkhurst parish records as being baptized on 19 Oct 1634 and 20 Nov 1636, respectively. This establishes a good tie to Hawkhurst. The Will of Elizabeth Chittenden mentions son William, wife Johan and daughter Johan. The Will of Thomas Chittenden, a brother of William Chittenden, (the father of our William), mentions cousin William in New England and his children Johan and Thomas. This shows that our William must be the son of William and Elizabeth Markley.

William married Joanna Sheaffe in England. Their first child was bpt. Oct 1634.^[2]

From Talcott's ;"Families of Early Guilford, CT."^[3]

William Chittenden was one of the company of twenty-five, gathered chiefly from the counties of Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, in the south of England who determined to leave their native land and seek a new home in the wilderness, in order to enjoy the free exercise of their religious principles. Their first recorded act as a separate community was the Covenant, which they signed on ship-board, while on the passage, and which is here transcribed.

GUILFORD COVENANT

We, whose names are hereunder written, intending by God's gracious permission to plant ourselves in New England, and if it may be, in the southerly part, about Quinnipiack: We do faithfully promise each to each, for ourselves and families, and those that belong to us; that we will, the Lord assisting us, sit down and join ourselves together in one entire plantation; and to be helpful each to the other in every common work, according to every man's ability and as need shall require; and we promise not to desert or leave each other or the plantation, but with the consent of the rest, or the greater part of the company who have entered into this engagement. As for our fathering together in a church way, and the choice of officers and members to be joined together in that way, we do refer ourselves until such time as it shall please God to settle us in our plantation. In witness whereof we subscribe our hands, the first day of June, 1639.

Robert Kitchell, John Hoadly, Thomas Norton, John Bishop John Stone Abraham Cruttenden, Francis Bushnell, William Plane, Francis Chatfield, William Chittenden, Richard Gutridge, William Halle, William Leete, John Hughes, Thomas Naish, Thomas Joanes, William Dudley, Henry Kingsnorth, John Jurdon, John Parmelin, Henry Doude, William Stone, John Mepham, Thomas Cooke, Henry Whitfield.

This company sailed from England for America about the 20th of May, 1639, in a ship (The St. John) of 350 tons, and after a passage of about seven weeks arrived in New Haven about the 10th of July. They made arrangements for settling in Guilford in the autumn of the same year, adding to their company some few whom they found in New Haven. The deed of purchase of the lands for the colony from Shaumpishuh, the Sachem of Menunkatuck is dated Sept. 29 (Oct. 9 N.S.), 1639.

Arrived in America 10 Jul 1639. William was one of the company led by Rev. Henry Whitfield (a relative, as he was married to the sister of Rev. Whitfield's wife, Dorothy). They were married in England. William was the principal military man of the Plantation, having been a soldier in the English Army and having fought in the Netherlands in the Thirty Years War, where he attained the rank of Major. He was one of the six men selected to secure the land from the Indians and one of the four Magistrates chosen to have "full power and authority to act, order, and despatch all matters respecting the publick weale and civile government of the Plantation, until a church is gathered among them".

On the gathering of the church, June 29, 1643, these Magistrates resigned their trust and William was elected principal military man of the colony, also Magistrate of the Plantation, and Deputy of the General Council until his death in 1660. It is said that he was one of the leaders of the emigrants from Parish of Cranbrook in Kent. There is listed a Joanna Chittenden as a child of William but with no birth date.

Talcott says: [In the New Haven Colonial Records, p. 417, we find this entry:  :"An Inventory of the estate of William Chittenden of Guilford, deceased, was presented, amounting to £677 16s. 7 d. as presented and proved in court at Guilford, the 21st of February, 1660-1, upon oath of Joane Chittenden, the widow and relict of the sayd William Chittenden, deceased, for the quantity, and by the testimony of Abraham Cruttenden Senior, John Fowler, and William Stone, appraisers, for the valuation to be just. William Lette, Governor."]

He died about Feb 1660/1661 at Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut^[4]

From The Chittenden Family:^[1]

"Prominent among the original settlers of Guilford was William Chittenden.

There is no reason to doubt that this William is identical with William the emigrant."'

No other records of the Chittenden family can be found in the adjacent parishes, Cranbrook, Marden, Welford and Goudhurst, for the last half of the sixteenth century.

Disproven: He came from the parish of Cranbrook, in Kent, some 35 miles S.E. of London. Little is known of his antecedents. In the record of baptisms in the parish of Marden, near Cranbrook, occurs this entry: "March 1594. William, son of Robert Chittenden, [Signed] Salmon Boxer, Vicar of Marden".

Children ^[5]

• Thomas m. Joanna Jordan
• Elizabeth m. Thomas Wright
• Nathaniel m. Sarah
• John m. Hannah Fletcher
• Mary m. John Leete
• Hannah b. 15 Nov 1649; d. 1640
• Joseph (twin) b. 14 Apr 1652; d. 22 June 1652
• Hannah (twin) b. 14 Apr 1652; d. 13 Sept 1674
• Deborah b. 12 Dec 1653; d. 16 Sep 1674
• Joanna

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Talcott, Alvan, A.M. M.D., "Chittenden Family: William Chittenden of Guilford, Conn. and His Descendants", Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, New Haven, CT, 1882, p. 6-8.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} "The Ancestry of William Chittenden of Guilford, Connecticut" by Martha A. Lynes, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2013.) NEHGR 160(July 2006):199ff
3. ↑ "Families of Early Guilford, CT." A. Talcott, General Publisher, Baltimore, Maryland. 1984
4. ↑ Smith, Ralph D. The History of Guilford, Connecticut ... (Albany: J. Munsell, Printer, 1877) p. 23
5. ↑ Talcott, Alvan,. Chittenden family : William Chittenden of Guilford, Conn., and his descendants. (1883). p. 12

• The Munger Book : Something of the Mungers, 1639-1914, including some who mistakenly write the name Monger and Mungor.  It was compiled by Jeremiah (J.B.) Munger ; with the valued assistance of John. E. Munger and Francis E. Munger.  Publication 1:  Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Company, Connecticut, USA, in 1915.  Authors: Munger, Jeremiah B., b.1848 (Main Author) Munger, John Elijah, 1857-1911 (Added Author) of Chicago, Illinois; Munger, Francis Elbriggs, b.1851 (Added Author) of San Diego, California.  Publication 2: Digitized by the Genealogical Society of Salt Lake City, Utah, 2011.  References: (Has supplement) The Munger Quarterly / Munger, John Robert; Format: Books/Monographs/Book on Digital Images; Language: English. Available online at : http://tokala.net/MungerBook/index.htm