Hannah (Gardiner) Coit (abt. 1711 - abt. 1803)

Born about 1711 in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Potter — married 31 Dec 1730 in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island

Wife of John Coit — married 20 Jun 1748 in New London, Connecticut

Descendants

Died about 27 Apr 1803 at about age 92 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, USA

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Biography

Hannah Gardiner, daughter of Henry Gardiner Jr (1691-1772) and Desire (Havens) Gardiner (1690-bef.1722), was born about 1711 or 1712 at Kingstown, Rhode Island. ^[1] On 31 December 1730, Thomas Potter and Hannah Gardiner, of Henry Gardiner Jr., were married at the home of the bride by Dr. James McSparran. ^[2] This marriage relationship is affirmed in he will of Henry Gardiner Sr, ^[1] who cites his Hannah Potter, his grand daughter as an heir. Thomas Potter and Hannah (Gardiner) Potter are known (as of Nov 2020) to have had two children, James and Hannah Potter, ^[3] but were married for fourteen years before the death of Thomas in 1744, and likely had several other children. After the death of Thomas Potter in 1744, his widow Hannah (Gardiner) Potter, married John Coit, of New London, a shipwright, on 20 June 1748 ^[2] and they were the parents of three children, Desire, John and Mehetibel Coit. ^[4]

Genealogical Records

Vital Records of Rhode Island

• Primary Record, James N. Arnold, Vital Records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850; Vol X, Town and Church; ^[2] Data:

1. ) Vital Records of RI, Vol X; page 346; POTTER:
   1. ) Thomas Potter and Hannah Gardiner, of Henry Gardiner Jr., married at the home of the bride by Dr. James McSparran, 31 Dec 1730. {Editorial Note (RRB): Dr. James McSparran was the rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church of Narragansett, and was the husband of Hannah (Gardiner) McSparran, dau of Wm. and Abigail Remington; this Hannah (Gardiner) McSparran was a doubly related first cousin to the Hannah (Gardiner) Potter Coit of this profile. (Henry Gardiner Jr. and Abigail Remington were half-siblings, and Henry Gardiner Jr. and Willliam Gardiner were also first cousins.)}
   2. ) Hannah Potter widow, of North Kingstown, and John Coit of New London, widower, shipwright, married by Dr. James McSparran 20 June 1748. (St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Narragansett, 1718-1875; 60 Church Lane Wickford, RI.)
2. ) Vital Records of RI, Vol X; page 360: Births and Baptisms at St. Paul's Church:
   1. ) Henry Gardiner {Jr.}; adult, 27 Feb 1721/2.
   2. ) John Gardiner, of Henry; 27 Feb 1721/2.
   3. ) Hannah Gardiner, of Henry; 27 Feb 1721/2.
   4. ) Desire Gardiner, of Henry; 27 Feb 1721/2.
3. ) Vital Records of RI, Vol X; page 380: St. Paul's Church, Death and Burials:
   1. ) Desire Gardiner, of Henry Gardiner Jr. (so called); b. 30 Dec 1723, d. Dec 28.

• Primary Source, Arnold, Vital Records of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume 4. Newport County ^[3] Volume 4, Early Vital records from Newport, Newport County, Rhode Island; Data Extract:

1. ) Newport RI, VR; page 110: Hannah Potter, daughter of Thomas and Hannah, was born 30 Sept 1741. {Only child of Thomas and Hannah recorded in the vital records )VR).}

Death Records

• Primary Source, Arnold, Vital Records of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume XIII--Deaths; ^[5] Volume XIII--Deaths; data extract:

1. ) Newport RI, VR; page 110: 23 April 1803; Mrs. Hannah Coit, widow of John, at Newport, in her 92 year. Gazette of.

Published Genealogical Information

• Secondary Source, Robinson, The Gardiners of Narragansett ^[1] Data Extract:

1. ) Gardiner Genealogy; Page 5: Henry Gardiner Sr. in his will mentions {among others}... "granddaughter Hannah Potter, wife of Thomas, and granddaughter Dorcas Gardiner, daughter of Ephraim."
   1. ) Children of Henry Gardiner Sr. and Abigail (Richmond) Remington;
      1. ) Henry
      2. ) Ephraim
      3. ) William
      4. ) Hannah Gardiner, b. 4 Aug 1703, m. Thomas Potter (1696-1773) ¹⁴. {Editorial (RRB): Note fourteen (reproduced below) in Robinson's book expands upon the identity of this Capt. Thomas Potter and identifies him as the son of Thomas and the grandson of Ichabod. However, it would have been impossible for this particular Thomas Potter (1696-1773), though so asserted by Robinson, to have married any Hannah Gardiner, because the inscription on his tombstone] explicitly states that Thomas Potter (1696-1773) was married first to Mary Babcock and second to Judith Rogers, but NO Hannah Gardiner. }^[6]
2. ) Gardiner Genealogy; Page 13, 14: Henry Gardiner (23), son of Henry, was born 25 Feb 1691, and died 16 July 1768. He married on 4 August 1710 Desire Havens. He married second Catharine Davis, of East Greenwich on 27 Dec 1722. His home was in what is now known as Moorsfield, South Kingstown, Rhode Island. The land was given to him by the will of his father, and was bought in 1704 from the heirs of John Remington. Henry Gardiner, 3, died in Newport, 16 July 1768, as above, and was buried on his own land in Moorsfield. He belonged to the parish of St. Paul's.
   1. ) Children of Henry Gardiner Jr. by first wife Desire Havens.
      1. ) Henry Gardiner (120); b. 16 June 1714; m. 27 June 1737, Anne Champlin, dau. of Capt. Christopher Champlin and Elizabeth Dennison Champlin.
      2. ) Hannah Gardiner (121): b. 1712; bapt. 27 Feb 1721; m. 31 Dec 1730 Thomas Potter.
      3. ) Desire Gardiner (122); b. bapt 27 Feb 1721/2; d. 28 Dec 1723 from scalding water spilled on her.
   2. ) Children of Henry Gardiner by second wife Catharine Davis:
      1. ) Edward Gardiner (123); b. 8 Sept 1723
      2. ) Mary Gardiner (124); b. 25 July 1728.
      3. ) Abigail Gardiner (125); b. 9 March 1732
      4. ) William Gardiner (125a); b.1725.
3. ) Gardiner Genealogy; page 204; Notes, #14. "Capt. Thomas Potter (1696-1773), of South Kingstown, was born 8 Feb 1695/6, being a son of Thomas and a grandson of Ichabod Potter. If he married this Hannah Gardiner, {Editorial (RRB): Hannah Gardiner, daughter of Henry Gardiner Sr.} she must have died previously to 31 Dec 1730, when the Narragansett Register records that he was married to Hannah Gardiner, daughter of Henry Gardiner Jr., and so a niece of the Hannah in the text, although only nine years her Junior, having been born about 1712." {Editorial (RRB): There is at least one error in this assertion by Caroline Robinson, and very possibly two. The first error is a misidentification of which Thomas Potter married Hannah Gardiner. There were two Thomas Potters that were viable candidates to be the husband of Hannah Gardiner, daughter of Henry Gardiner Jr. (RI Vital Records Vol X), the first is the Thomas Potter identified by Caroline, but this was an assumption and is incorrect, (check out the details at the Capt. Thomas Potter (1696-1773) wikitree profile as to why this is not possible). That leaves Thomas Potter, son of Ichabod as the only possible, viable husband candidate for Hannah Gardiner. It also means that the Thomas Potter that married Hannah Gardiner was born circa 1705, and not 1696. Thus the possibility that the Thomas Potter that married Hannah Gardiner, dau of Henry Gardiner Jr., also married her aunt, Hannah Gardiner, dau. of Henry Gardiner Sr. about 1726 remains a possibility, but she (aunt Hannah) would have had to die prior to about 1729; furthermore no primary evidence has been found to support the marriage assertion between Hannah Gardiner, dau. of Henry Gardiner Sr. and Thomas Potter. The second probable error is that Caroline Robinson conflated the identity of Hannah Gardiner, daughter of Henry Gardiner Jr., with a fictional character she created; that is to say, Hannah Gardiner, daughter of Henry Gardiner Sr.-- because no reliable (primary) evidence has been found to date (Aug 2021) to indicate that Henry Gardiner Sr. ever had a daughter named Hannah. }

• Secondary Source, Rev. Fredrick William Chapman, AM; The Coit Family ^[4] Data Extract:

1. ) Coit Genealogy; Page 29, 30: John Coit (45), son of John and Mehetabel (Chandler) Coit was born in New London 25 May 1696, and settled there as a ship builder, pursuing this ancestral occupation at his father's stand in Bank Street as late as 1735, when Miss Caulkins says that The New Snow built by him for Benjamin and Isaac Ledyard, Capt. Broadhurst of Great Britain, Commander, burden about 120 tons, ready to sail took fire, no man being aboard and burned down to the bottom, and consumed all the masts rigging, and sails, and loading, except some small matters in the bottom and heavy timber, and drove ashore on Douglas Beach. It is supposed to be willfully done by the Captain, he having sent the men on shore in the day-time, to help raise the steeple of the church. They were all scattered abroad, one place or another. They suspect the Captain to be guilty, and have put him in prison.
   1. ) Sundry notes about John Coit in New London.
   2. ) John Coit was married twice. (1st) to Grace Christophers, on 2 July 1719. She was born 14 Nov 1698, and died 9 Nov 1745. (2nd) to Hannah Potter, widow of Thomas Potter, and dau. of Henry Gardiner, 20 June 1748. {Note, the Rhode Island Vital Records clearly establish her father to have been Henry Gardiner Jr. ^[2]}
      1. ) Children of John Coit and Grace Christophers:
         1. ) John Coit; b. 7 Apr 1720; m. Nancy Pierce.
         2. ) Richard Coit; b. 8 July 1722; m. Abigail Bradick.
         3. ) Elizabeth Coit; b. 31 Dec 1724/5; d. 1725.
         4. ) Samuel Coit; b. 14 OPct 1726; m. Elizabeth Rogers.
         5. ) Joseph Coit; b. 3 Oct 1728; m. Sarah Mosier.
      2. ) Children of John Coit and Hannah (Gardiner) Potter:
         1. ) Desire Coit; b. 15 Oct 1749. {Editorial: note the the first daughter of John and Hannah Coit is named Desire after Desire Havens, the wife of Henry Gardiner Jr. and the mother of Hannah Gardiner.}
         2. ) John Coit; b. 30 Oct 1752.
         3. ) Mehetabel Coit; b. 6 June 1755.

Research Notes

1. ) The following definitions and syntax conventions apply to the preceding text of this profile:
   1. ) A Primary Source contains data that was recorded by the person in the profile; or by someone known to or with first hand knowledge of that person, during the person's lifetime, death or within two generations thereafter.
   2. ) A Secondary Source is a genealogical reference created as the result of a extensive study of available source material and it provides some evidence of the source documentation used to generate the text data.
   3. ) A Tertiary Source is a genealogical data source which is a collection of genealogical information that does not cite Primary or Secondary information sources, and the data may be factual or hearsay.
   4. ) Braces {Editorial Note Example} are used to insert editorial comments; that is to say, information or clarification that is not contained in the original, cited source material.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Robinson, Caroline E. The Gardiners of Narragansett: being a genealogy of the descendants of George Gardiner, the colonist, 1638 (Providence, Rhode Island, 1919). Public domain. Page 13. The Gardiners of Narragansett -- Title page
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Arnold, James N; Vital Records of Rhode Island, 1636-1850; Vol X, Town and Church; Providence, R.I., Narragannsett, Historical Publishing Co. 1898. Public Domain.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Arnold, James N., Editor of the Narragansett Historical Register, Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850, Providence, RI., Narragansett HIstorical Publishing Co., 1893. Twenty one Volume set of Early Rhode Island Vital records compiled by from James Arnold. Available at:

   1. ) Archive.org--free: Vital Record of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume 4. Newport County--Title page Archive.org
   2. ) Ancestry.com--fee required Vital Record of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume 4. Newport County--Title page

4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Chapman, Fredrick William; The Coit Family or The descendants of John Coit, who appears among the settlers of Salem, Mass., in 1638, at Gloucester in 1644, and at New London, Conn., in 1650; Hartford, Press of the Case, Lockwood, & Brainard Co., 1874. Public Domain.
5. ↑ Arnold, James N., Editor of the Narragansett Historical Register, Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850, Providence, RI., Narragansett HIstorical Publishing Co., 1903. Twenty one Volume set of Early Rhode Island Vital records compiled by from James Arnold. Available at:

   1. ) Archive.org--free: Vital Records of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume XIII--Deaths;--Title page Archive.org
   2. ) Ancestry.com--fee required Vital Records of Rhode Island. 1636-1850, Volume XIII--Deaths;--Title page Ancestry.com

6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 27 March 2022), memorial page for Thomas Potter (8 Feb 1696–8 Jan 1773), Find A Grave: Memorial #11009311, citing First Hopkinton Cemetery, Hopkinton, Washington County, Rhode Island, USA ; Maintained by Katherine McKiel Faella (contributor 46526121) .

Other Sources

• Connecticut, Town Marriage Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection);

• Connecticut, Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions and Newspaper Notices, 1629-1934; Mrs Hannah Coit, widow of John Coit, died 1803, in Newport, RI at the age of 91.

• Wikitree Freespace profile; Randolph R. Beebe, Oct 2020, Desire Havens, wife of Henry Gardiner Jr. or Lion Gardiner Sr.?

• "One Colonial Woman's World, The Life and Writings of Mehetabel Chandler Coit" by Michelle Marchetti Coughlin, pg 189 onecolonialwomansworld.com
• "The Coit Family" by Chapman, pg. 30 https://tinyurl.com/y4pm52ht
• American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI)
• Connecticut, Deaths and Burials Index, 1650-1934
• Mayflower Births and Deaths, Vol. 1 and 2
• Rhode Island Vital Extracts, 1636-1899, pg 284