Daniel Denton (bef. 1632 - bef. 1696)

Born before 1632 in Yorkshire, England

Husband of Abigail (Stevenson) Whitehead — married 1660 (to 16 Jun 1672) in Jamaica, Long Island, New York

Husband of Hannah (Leonard) Denton — married 24 Apr 1676 in Springfield, Hampden, MA

Descendants

Died before 13 Mar 1696 at about age 64 in Jamaica, Queens, New York

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Biography

Daniel Denton immigrated to New England as a child during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640).

This profile is part of the Denton Name Study.

DANIEL DENTON was son of Richard Denton and Maria Durden. ^[1][2]

His father Reverend Richard Denton, one of America's earliest Presbyterian ministers.

See the Wikipedia Article on Daniel Denton. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Denton ^[3]

In 1650 he was a resident of Hempstead, Long Island, where he served as town clerk, drafting a "blue law" statement, approved by the town meeting 18 October 1650, which he signed in Latin "Daniel Dentonius, Clericus."^{[4] [5]}

In 1655-1656 Daniel and his brother, Nathaniel Denton, were among the founders of Flushing.

Daniel served as the first clerk of Hempstead, Long Island in 1656, and was re-elected in 1657.

He married first, in about 1659, to "Abigail Stevenson", daughter of Edward and Ann Stevenson of Newtown. ^[6]

Daniel was re-elected as clerk again 1661. The next year he was appointed one of it's magistrates.

Daniel's name appears most frequently in the town records on items wherein town policy was formulated, such as establishing the rate for the hire of bulls, disposal of undivided town property, agreements with local Indians, etc. rather than on land deeds. His public duties seemed to provide his living. He was one of the company that secured a deed, 28 October 1664, for the land at and about Elizabethtown, New Jersey known as the "Elizabethtown Grant."

When the English authority replaced the Dutch in 1664, the Long Island settlements had to renegotiate their rights of tenure. Daniel Denton was one of two delegates from Jamaica chosen to present their claims to Governor Nicholls, the agent of the Duke of York at the "Hempstead Convention." The new legal code adopted, known as the "Duke's Laws," was completed in 1665 at the same time that Daniel Denton and Nathaniel Denton invested in the Elizabethtown, New Jersey patent. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace by Governor Nichols 16 March 1665, and again in 1666.

On 9 July 1668, Robert Coe and Daniel Denton, of Jamaica, Long Island, New York were appointed Administrators of the estate of Thomas Stevenson, and guardians of his children by order of Richard Nicholls.

Toward the end of the decade, Daniel went to England on unspecified business. While he was there he published, in 1670, a book entitled "A Brief Description of New York, formerly called New-Netherlands", in which he enthusiastically compares Long Island to the Garden of Eden. A sketch of Denton's "New York" was printed in the New York Times of 19 July 1900. The article noted that a copy was purchased at the sale of Lord Ashburton's library in November 1900 for 5 [likely British pounds] by Mr. Brayon Ives, and resold in march for 5 [likely British pounds]. A copy of the book was then also in the Columbia University library.

By 6 September 1670 he was back in Jamaica, where as town clerk he copied a deed, signed as Daniel Denton, Senior.

Daniel and his wife legally separated in 1672. ^[7]

A divorce was granted in 1672 as Abigail was living with Daniel Whitehead. ^[8]

On 25 August 1673 he was in Piscataway, Middlesex County, New Jersey, where he was appointed a magistrate.

On 20 December 1674 he sold his land interest in Piscataway. ^[9]

He then removed to Springfield, Massachusetts. At Springfield, he taught school, and was for a time Town Recorder. King Philip's War broke out in mid-1675; Springfield was attacked on 5 October 1675, and almost annihilated. Daniel and his children almost certainly were already living there.

Seven months later Daniel remarried, this time to 17 year old Hannah Leonard. They were married on 24 April 1676 at Springfield, Massachusetts. Hannah, born 29 December 1659, was daughter of John Leonard and Sarah (Heath) Leonard .

He petitioned to be admitted as a resident of Springfield, and received a grant of forty acres of land "providing he continue five years in the town." Springfield also granted him permission to perform surgery within the town limits. They voted him an annual salary as schoolmaster (1678-1681) and established a range of tuitions for the school, depending on whether he taught students only to read English, to write it, or to do both. At least two additional grants of land on the outskirts of Springfield were given him on condition that he improve the properties. He served several terms as a selectman and was chosen clerk.

By April 1682, Daniel Denton's name reappears in the Jamaica Town Records. On 5 January 1682/1683, Springfield declared their grant of land to him forfeit "he not fulfilling the terms." On 16 April 1684, he sold the rest of his property in Springfield to Benjamin Knowlton. The 1683 "list of the Towne Estate of Jamaica" showed him with six head of livestock and an estate value of ?56.

At the Jamaica Town Meeting of 12 June 1684 it was ordered that "Daniel Denton shall have liberty to come and settle himself and family in Jamaica."

On 23 November 1684 they voted him fifteen acres of land. Once again he was appointed Jamaica Town Clerk; he also served as a town commissioner. On 20 December, 1689, he was appointed County Clerk of Queen's County, Long Island.

Daniel witnessed a deed on 18 October 1690 (JTR 2:318)

He probably died soon after in October of 1690, before he could make a will. He died intestate and there was no administration on his estate.

His children by his first wife, Abigail Stevenson, wer

• Daniel Denton
  
• Abigail Denton
  
• Mercy Denton
  

His children by his second wife, Hannah Leonard, were:

• Hannah Denton, born 5 August 1677 .
• Samuel Denton, born 29 September 1679.
• Sarah Denton, born November 1681.

Another researcher also list these children:^[10]
Elizabeth Denton
Thomas Denton
Alice Denton
James Denton
Jonas Denton

Sources

1. ↑ Daniel Denton [1]
2. ↑ Daniel Denton [https://ia800308.us.archive.org/35/items/genealogyofcorne00corn/genealogyofcorne00corn_djvu.txt
3. ↑ Daniel Denton Wikipedia [2]
4. ↑ Onderdonk Jr., Henry. The Annals of Hempstead; 1643 to 1832; Also, the Rise and Growth of the Society of Friends on Long Island and in New York 1657 to 1826. (Hempstead, NY: Lott van de Water, 1878), 15-16 [pdf pp. 63-64/232], https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002013506937&view=1up&seq=63&skin=2021
5. ↑ Moore, Charles B. “Sketch of the Life of the Rev. John Moore, of Newtown.” NYG&BR 11, no. 2 (April 1880): 96, https://books.google.com/books?id=2cf64qhtyngC&pg=RA1-PA96&lpg=RA1-PA96&dq=hempstead+town+meeting+October+18+1650+denton&source=bl&ots=AeiJ8neapJ&sig=ACfU3U3Uwor1fdqcFLr4HtOarvyt_9JC6Q&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZ4uacxfvyAhVpSjABHeG2AkkQ6AF6BAgMEAM#v=onepage&q=hempstead%20town%20meeting%20October%2018%201650%20denton&f=false
6. ↑ "Thomas Stevenson of London, England and his descendants", p. 134 [3]
7. ↑ "Thomas Stevenson of London, England and his descendants", p. 134 [4]
8. ↑ Hoff, Henry B. "Divorce, Annulment, and Separation, in Seventeenth-Century New York." American Ancestors Magazine. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010.) Vol. 19.3 (2018), pages 55-58. Citing: Minutes of the Executive Council of the Province of New York: Administration of Francis Lovelace, 1668-1673, Vol. 1, pages 32-33; Books of General Entries of the Colony of New York, [1664-1688], Vol. 1, pages 488 and 555; Records fo the Court of Assizes for the Colony of New York, page 132; and Krumm, "Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton."
9. ↑ Deed Book B:1
10. ↑ Daniel Denton https://www.geni.com/people/Daniel-Denton/6000000013008225661/ Geni

• Thomas Stevenson of London, England and his descendants", p. 134

• [5]

Acknowledgements

• This profile was started through the import of Shortened files.ged on 30 2010.
• This WikiTree profile was supported through the import of Durrell Family Tree.ged on 4 Jul 2011 by Pamela Durrell.
• This WikiTree profile was supported through the import of WORCESTER_2012-07-31.ged on 31 Jul 31 2012 by Bob Worcester.