Matthew Grant
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Matthew Grant (1601 - 1681)

Matthew Grant
Born in Englandmap [uncertain]
Son of [father unknown] and
Husband of — married 16 Nov 1625 (to 27 Apr 1644) in Englandmap
Husband of — married 29 May 1645 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticutmap
Descendants descendants
Father of , , , and
Died at age 80 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticutmap
Problems/Questions Profile managers: Tom Bredehoft private message [send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree private message [send private message], and Geoff Grant private message [send private message]
Profile last modified | Created 14 Sep 2010
This page has been accessed 17,605 times.
The Puritan Great Migration.
Matthew Grant migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 2, p. 801)
Join: Puritan Great Migration Project
Discuss: pgm
This profile is part of the Grant Name Study.

NOTE: This is a Project Protected Profile. All significant or controversial changes need to be discussed prior to changes actually being made. Adding parents qualifies as significant. Please do not add them until it has been agreed on by the project members. Langholf-2 09:48, 19 November 2013 (EST)

Contents

Origins

On 29 May 1640, "mother Mathew Grant died" at Windsor. This is all we know for certain of the ancestry of Matthew Grant. One possible origin which has been proposed in the past for both Matthew Grant and his wife Priscilla was seriously questioned by J. Gardner Bartlett,[1] and in 1949 Marie Tylee McHugh thoroughly disproved the ancestry claimed for Priscilla.[2] In 1975 George E. McCracken discussed the matter further, summarizing the efforts of others who had also rejected the Grant ancestry.[3]
"The best treatment of Matthew Grant was prepared by Frank Farnsworth Starr, and includes a transcript of a personal record of vital events, which has been used frequently above.[4] ... Mary Walton Ferris also treated Matthew Grant (Dawes-Gates 2:370-79).[5]

Biography

Matthew Grant is related to US President Ulysses S. Grant. Here is the trail.

Matthew Grant by his own words was born Tuesday, 27 Oct 1601.[6]

He emigrated in 1630, residing initially in Dorchester, then removing to Windsor by 1635.[7]

[For historical accuracy's sake, rumor has it that during President U. S. Grant's administration, some over-enthusiastic genealogist traced his (Grant's) ancestry back, found a brick wall at Priscilla Grey's parents and either purposely invented or erroneously assumed a descendancy from the Tudor kings of England. This was soundly disproved about 1916, and for the last 95 years the error has continued, in New England Historical Society Record, 102:153. It's hard to stop a wrong attribution. THB]

He m2 in Windsor 29 May 1645 Susanna (Capen) Rockwell, dau of Bernard Capen and widow of William Rockwell. She was born 5 Apr 1602 and d Windsor 13 Nov 1666. (All of Matthew's children were born to his first wife Priscilla)[8]

[1] [9] Info on Windsor's first church], of which Matthew was the clerk.

On March 20, 1630 Matthew sailed from England with his wife Priscilla and daughter Priscilla. They probably sailed on the "Mary and John" in the Company of Maverick and Warham bound up the Charles River the Master of the boat left them off at the mouth of the Charles River on May 30, 1630 and they were told they would have to make their own way up river. The community they founded at the mouth of the river was named Dorchester, in the Colony of Massachusetts Bay. from "The Pilgrims Ships List," and "The Histories and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington 1635-1891 by Henry Stiles, A. M., M. D." and Personal research of the Windsor area Records by Al Butchino

Matthew along with others became a Freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony 18 May 1631 and resided in Dorchester until 1635. In 1635 it was decided to seek a location where they could separate Church and State. A suitable place having been located Matthew's family and about half of the members of the Community of Dorchester relocated in 1636 to Windsor, CT (the area was called Mattianuck by the Indians.)It is not known if Matthew was part of the party that found the new location and stayed to survey the lots. from "The Histories and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington 1635-1891 by Henry Stiles, A. M., M. D." and Personal research of the Windsor area Records by Al Butchino

The fact he was made Freeman of Massachusetts Bay Colony 18 May 1631 adds to the probability that he came on the "Mary and John." Typical of the time a tradesman would serve a 1 year indenture to the company that supplied transport to the New England Colony/Americas. Personal observation by Al Butchino.

Matthew is listed on the Town Records of Windsor in 1640. "The Histories and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington 1635-1891 by Henry Stiles, A. M., M. D." and Personal research of the Windsor area Records by Al Butchino

On 7 Oct 1669 Matthew was voted a Freeman of Windsor and took the oath. List of Freemen of Windsor, CT. "Submitted by Samuel Wolcott, 1 Mar 1850 from the Connecticut Index for Windsor, Hartford, CT"

Matthew was a surveyor and established the principles that are still in practice. In 1652 he became the 2nd Town Recorder of Windsor, CT. The above information was assembled from "The Histories and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut including East Windsor, South Windsor, Bloomfield, Windsor Locks, and Ellington 1635-1891 by Henry Stiles, A. M., M. D." and Personal research of the Windsor area Records by Al Butchino

He died in Windsor, CT 16 Dec 1681.[10]He is buried at Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut

Last Will & Testament[11]

Dated 9 Dec 1681, proved 2 Mar 1681/2

Taken 10 January, 1681-2, by Thomas Dible sen., John Loomis.

"I Matthew Grant of Windsor, beinge aged and under present weakness, yet of Competency of understandinge, doe by this declare my Last Will concerning the dispose of my Estate as followeth: 1st, I doe declare that my son Samuel, my eldest son, is already satisfied with the portion I made over to him in Lands already recorded to him, and that is my will concerning him. 2dly, Concerninge my son Tahan, my will is that he shall have as a legassy, payd to hime in Country paye by my son John, the full some of five pounds, and this to bee payd two yeers after my decease. Alsoe I doe appoynt hime to gather upp all the debts oweinge to me in this towne or elsewhere, and my will is hee my son Tahan shall have them for his owne. 3dly, my will is that my son John, with whome I have lived some time, I doe give to hime all my meadow land in the great meadow; also I give to hime my pasture land lyeinge belowe the hill agaynst Thomas Dibles home lott and my owne. Alsoe, I doe give hime, the sayd John, my home lott and orchard with the ould houseinge which I built before hee came to dwell in itt. Alsoe I doe give to hime my wood lott lyeing in the quarter lotts. Alsoe I give to my son John all the rest of my estate exceptinge my wearinge cloathes. My son John shall paye to my son Tahan five pounds as is already expressed in my will concerninge hime, at the time and manner afforesayd, and alsoe unto my Daughter Humphreys five pounds in Country pay, two yeers after my decease. Alsoe my will is and I doe give my Daughter Humphrey as a Legassy five pownds, to bee payde in country paye two yeers after my decease. Alsoe I doe make my son John sole Executor of this my last Will & Testament. As Witness my Hand: Witness: John Loomys senr, Thomas X Dibble. Matthew Grant. Ls. Court Record, Page 51--2 March 1682: Will proven.[12]

Children

With first wife:[13]

  1. Priscilla, b 14 Sept 1626; m Windsor 14 Oct 1647 Michael Humphrey
  2. Samuel, b Dorchester 12 Nov 1631; m Windsor 27 May 1658 Mary Porter
  3. Tahan, b Dorchester 3 Feb 1633/4; m Windsor 22 Jan 1662/3 Anna Palmer
  4. Mathew, d Windsor 10 Sept 1639
  5. John b Windsor 30 Ap 1642; m Windsor 2 Aug 1666 Mary Hull

Research Notes

Search for Passengers of the Mary & John:

Grant Family Genealogy Forum: Matthew Grant....No Connection?!
Posted by: Sandy, Date: August 08, 2000
I will pass this information on, as it was passed to me. From the"Search for the Passengers of The Mary and John" Vols 1 & 5. In 1914, the Grant Association presented an ancestry for Matthew Grant/Priscilla Grey, claiming Matthew was the son of John Grant & Alice Tuberville of Woodbridge. John Grant was allegedly born 6 May 1573, son of George Grant of Roxby, Yorkshire (300 miles north of Woodbridge) who married there Julian Clargennet. It was further claimed the father of Priscilla Grey was Reverand Anthoney Grey, Rector of Burbach, Leicestershire (150 miles north of Woodbridge) These ancestries were disputed in The Genealogical Magazine Vol. 3 (1915-1916),[14] and Priscilla's ancestry was disproved in the New England Historical Society Record, 102:153.[15]

Great Migration Begins:

Ancestry.com Database" The Great Migration Begins: Immigrations to New England, 1620-1633. MATTHEW GRANT COMMENTS: On 29 May 1640 "mother of Matthew Grant died" at Windsor. This is all we know for certain of the ancestry of Matthew Grant. One possible origin,which has been proposed in the past for both Matthew Grant and his wife Priscilla was seriously questioned by J. Gardner Bartlett and in 1948 Marie Tylee McHugh thoroughly disproved the ancestry claimed for Priscilla. In 1975 George E. McCracken discussed the matter further, summarizing the efforts of others who had also rejected the Grant Ancestry. I have learned the hard way to do a little research before accepting anything as fact... form your own opinion from this. I have yet to do my own research., but better to find a true line, than a President from the wrong line... Just thought I'd pass this on... Sandy

DNA Matthew's terminal DNA SNP has been confirmed as R-A15177 through testing of 5 known descendents (all of which are matches to each other). The DNA results can be viewed at http://www.familytreedna.com/public/GRANT. Further research (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rpJP0Bt4qUQb9wWBFA7i1tLPV75ie_qS0iplwvvlVmQ/edit#gid=1743270299) show that Matthew's DNA is shared with several Vikings buried in Sweden and Denmark, with the closest match being found in the exact area the Angles left to migrate to England (this body died c.250 years before the Anglo-Saxon Migration). The Germanic Migrations from 1500-2000 years ago easily explain why the DNA can be found in several areas of N. Germany and Scandinavia - each of these tribes or groups of people had a shared source/origin in N. Germany (take a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Migration_Period for a basic understanding). The older DNA signature Matthew shared with these people can be found in Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Frisia, as well as in England. The other English families that share these same genetic markers have Anglo-Saxon origins as well.

Likely origins: Matthew Grant's association with Dorchester and the founding of Windsor associates him with immigrants from the West Country, and so was likely from Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire or Somerset. The towns most commonly associated with this group were Exeter, Dorchester, Bridport, and Crewkerne.

Sources

  1. ↑ Gen Mag 3:63-64
  2. ↑ NEHGR 102:153
  3. ↑ TAG 51:236, 239
  4. ↑ Starr: pp 99-110
  5. ↑ RCA, GMB, p 804
  6. ↑ Matthew Grant Diary p. 147a
  7. ↑ Anderson p. 801
  8. ↑ Ct. VR, p 22
  9. ↑ Link via Wayback Machine, captured 2 June 2012
  10. ↑ Connective Vital Records, p 55
  11. ↑ Manwaring
  12. ↑ Information provided by Alan Butchino, 4 Mar 2013, entered by Tom Bredehoft, 4/3/2013
  13. ↑ Anderson p. 803
  14. ↑ The Grant Family. Report of the Sixth Reunion 1914. The Genealogical magazine. Salem, Mass. Vol 3 (1915-1916). Page 63.
  15. ↑ Notes from Mrs. Marie Tylee McHugh, New England Genealogical and Historical Register article, 1948. Volume 102 page 153. subscription$




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with Matthew by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. Y-chromosome DNA test-takers in his direct paternal line on WikiTree:

Have you taken a DNA test? If so, login to add it. If not, see our friends at Ancestry DNA.

Images: 8
Matthew & Priscilla Grant Image 1
Matthew & Priscilla Grant Image 1
Matthew Grant pedigree called Fake
Matthew Grant pedigree called Fake
Matthew Grant of Much Wakering near Hadleigh Castra called home of Mathew by Banks
Matthew Grant of Much Wakering near Hadleigh Castra called home of Mathew by Banks
Matthew Grant
Matthew Grant
Founders of Windsor, Connecticut
Founders of Windsor, Connecticut
view all


Comments: 71

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Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
For now, I'm retiring from my Matthew Grant research. Too many dead ends and not enough facts out there. What we know is his ancestors were in England for a long long time and before that they were in Scandinavia or Denmark. There is a 1200 year mystery between him and them. I can only assume the church he was baptised in and married in has burned since then and the records went up in smoke. I've searched every OPC in SW England and a few others too. If you made me guess, I'd say the answer is within 30 miles of Trowbridge.

In my 15 years of doing this, I've learned a lot about genealogy and most of it negative. What a mess!! There are some fantastic genealogists out there for sure but for each one I think there's 10 that are having fun doing their hobby and don't care much for research or accuracy. The amount of poor and incorrect info I've had to swim through during these 15 years is unbelieveable. 'but I saw it online!" Please folks, check sources and take extra steps to insure what you post is legit, otherwise you could create a mess that never ends (ie: Matthew's fake/incorrect connection to Alice Tuberville and a Grant family in Yorkshire of all places....).

Wishing you all the best.

posted by Geoff Grant
M Cole
Geoff, I'm sorry that all your work didn't produce any results. Within the PGM Project we were brainstorming tips for researching English ancestors of colonists, and one of the tips was, "keep in mind the answer may not be out there"....that unfortunately after 400+ years some things are lost to history.

It is frustrating that there is a lot of bad information, but I try to keep in mind that less serious hobbyists probably are funding the digitizing and indexing of original records, which is probably the thing that is most helpful.

One question I have...I saw that you did hire a researcher to look in Devonshire. But other than that I assume you were only looking at records available online. So, FindMyPast, Ancestry, and FamilySearch (including records only available at FHCs?). As Gene pointed out below, negative evidence is really helpful. I was just trying to define the scope of your search, as there still may be parish records that exist but are not easily accessible (but perhaps you researched this as well).

Anyway, thank you for your years of research.

posted by M Cole
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
I think Family Search is mostly unreliable. There seems to be no vetting system, you can add anything you want in there and it's taken as a fact. The info on Matthew Grant the LDS uses is terminally wrong. Ancestry is also touch and go with people born in the early 17th century.

My research includes reviewing every single OPC in SW England as were as any historical documents, visitations, military/muster rolls, legal documents, guild memberships, and others. The researcher in Exeter went beyond the call of duty and looked outside of Devons too. She did a fine job, going the extra mile. It was appreciated and I sent her a nice thank you note.

When I jumped into wikitree I saw a place were we could have a truly accurate archive of Matthew's info. After cleaning things up a bit, and then re-doing it a few times after somebody connected him to incorrect parents and added extra children, I feel we have a great page here for him. I'm not going to disappear, I still have "scouts" roaming around SW England looking for Grants to DNA test. But at this point I'm convinced the church he was baptized and married in has burned since then or the papers were lost.

posted by Geoff Grant
M Cole
When I refer to FamilySearch and Ancestry, I'm only referring to the microfilmed records (or some indexed transcriptions). In this context, the other resources don't even come to mind.

Good luck with the DNA search. Is there a link to a project page that we could be linking to?

posted by M Cole
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
https://www.familytreedna.com/public/GRANT?iframe=ycolorized holds the DNA results for various Grant families. The Matthew Grant descendants are near the bottom.
posted by Geoff Grant
Ann Browning
I tend not to use family search because I find it difficult to search. There are some great resources on there though which I do use, the wills that have been digitised and manorial records.

Ancestry transcriptions are pretty awful. Freereg and OPCs are useful as are the archives records but of course you need to have an idea of the area to look in. Most of my time is spent transcribing wills as they are a good source of family relationships however again you need to have some idea of where you need to look as Grant etc is not an uncommon name.

Ann

posted by Ann Browning
M Cole
We know because he came in 1630 and was associated with the Dorchester, MA to Windsor, CT migration that he was probably from Devon, Dorset, Wiltshire or Somerset.

When I'm mentioning FamilySearch and Ancestry, I'm simply trying to define available records and what records have been searched. I'm still not clear whether one could assume that truly all known extant records have been searched, or a subset....i.e. only those that are online in specific repositories, or only those which are indexed...etc.

posted by M Cole
Ann Browning
Found this one

First name(s) Mathew Last name Grant Sex Male Baptism year 1601 Baptism date 13 Apr 1601 Place Maxey County Northamptonshire Country England Father's first name(s) Hughe Father's last name Grant Mother's first name(s) - Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975 Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records Subcategory Parish Baptisms Collections from England, Great Britain.

I hoped there might be a Will around for Hugh but nothing

Ann

posted by Ann Browning
edited by Ann Browning
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
i've seen that one. but we know Matthew's birth date because he was the source of the info (in his diary). So it's a non-match. but don't stop looking!!!!!!!!!!
posted by Geoff Grant
Ann Browning
Don’t give up! More records are being digitised all the time so it may be that the one you are after turns up in the next year. Negative results help as you can rule those possibilities out. Father’s first name may have been Samuel as his eldest son is called Samuel.

Did your private researcher have a thorough search of wills?

Regards, Ann

posted by Ann Browning
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
There was a Samuel Grant that would fit the time period who shows up in Oxford University databases (yep, I went through those too!). He has Worcestershire origins. Based on naming trends he remains a candidate, but it's not exactly a strong lead.

She did, and I did too before her. I have several wills in my folder that I've found and downloaded. But none of them list a son named Matthew. It wasn't a popular name in that period, so that help us a bit (the number of John Grants in England in the 16th and 17 centuries is incredible, so thankfully Matthew didn't have that name...).

I agree about the negative results. I've ruled out a ton of possibilities. But my problem is I've ruled almost all of them out. This is just a very very thick brick wall. The leading candidates of possible relatives are a Grant family that split into two branches in the very early 16th century - one in Trowbridge and one in Monkton Farleigh (both in Wiltshire). They were members of a Puritan Church (this is important since Matthew was a Puritan) and they seemed prominent enough to have a cousin who was educated enough to be a clerk and had enough money to book passage for his family on a boat to the New World. Most of the people on that boat were friends or acquaintances of Rev John White of Dorcester. Some were family members of him. So I've researched his family tree as best I could as well, looking for clues. Because Matthew isn't as well known as some of the others on that boat, I went to the researcher in Exeter for help. The congregation that made up the boat's passengers was led by Rev. John Wareham and was last located in Exeter before setting sail towards Massachusetts. Wareham preached in Crewkerne before that. Crewkerne is 2/3 of the way to Exeter. 1/3 of the way is Frome, were a Grant family lived during that time. Another lived in Bradford on Tome.

posted by Geoff Grant
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
This past winter i dedicated extra time into researching Grant families in SW England, focusing on birth and marriage records. Once again I found nothing. I hired a genealogist in Devonshire to take a look as well (saved me a plane ticket) and she also came up with sand and dust. Afterwards, I took a deep deep deep look at the DNA and followed it from N. Germany to England and compared with the results from several archaeological digs where I had access to the genetical results they uncovered (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1rpJP0Bt4qUQb9wWBFA7i1tLPV75ie_qS0iplwvvlVmQ/edit#gid=1743270299). Matthew Grant's ancestors were most likely Angles (the "Anglo" part of Anglo-Saxon) that originally settled along the Trent River and were a part of the Kingdom of Mercia that lasted til the late 9th century. The hole from the 9th century to the 16th century is still a major problem with no reliable evidence. Current plan is to draw a triangle on a map of England between Worchester, Tamworth, and Northampton and start looking in that area. If I can't find anything in there then I'll quit and get a new hobby.
posted by Geoff Grant
GeneJ X
Please don't quit to find a new hobby. Even a negative search is truely appreciated. --Gene
posted by GeneJ X
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
I've been on the hunt for Matthew's parents (and deeper ancestry) for years now, and I'm happy to report that I'm getting closer. The DNA has always pointed towards England and away from Scotland (we don't have any Scottish matches at all to my knowledge, of any surname). There are many, many different Grant families found in England in Medieval times (spellings include le Graunt, Graunt, Graunte, Grannt, and Grantt). How many of them survived til the 16th century is a bit of a mystery, as disappearing from available records doesn't mean they disappeared altogether. But some did. I'll come back to this angle in a bit (prob a future post).

I've also done research on the geographic origins of the others that came over on the same boat as Matthew - the Mary and John. The captain was local to SW England. The main Reverend, John Wareham, preached in Exeter briefly before the ship set sail, but before this he was in Crewkerne at St. Bartholomew's. Eventually he was removed for his Puritan leanings. I've recently been in touch with the rector there to see if I can learn more about the congregation he preacher to there (there are no online OPCs for that church at this time that go back far enough in time). The others on the Mary and John who do have known/reliable trails ALL hailed from SW England. In particular, Dorset, Devon & Somerset. William Phelps was from Crewkerne and seemed to be someone Matthew was close to in Dorchester, MA, & Windsor, CT. I believe they were even neighbors in Windsor, and Matthew was a witness to William's will. Rev. John White of Dorchester, England, was the main catalyst to put these people on a boat to America. It was said he knew each person personally, which may or may not be true. More info on him can be found here: https://www.opcdorset.org/fordingtondorset/Files/DorchesterRevJohnWhite1575-1648.html More evidence towards Matthew being a native of SW England, and likely somewhere in a triangle stretching from Taunton, Somerset, to Dorchester, Dorset, to Exeter, Devinshire. Within this triangle is every member of the congregation's origins according to what info we do have. Obviously, we don't have the info on Matthew, but it would be a wild leap to suggest he was the one guy from somewhere else.

Why don't we have info on Matthew? It's very likely his baptism was recorded in a directory that didn't survive the 17th century. Dorchester had several fires. Bad ones, like in 1613 when 170 houses and 2 of the 3 churches were destroyed. And there was the bloody and horrible Civil War later in the century. I've considered looking for property records, but that isn't easy from over here in NC. The people on the Mary & John were not poorly refugees - they likely had to contribute financially to their voyage. I would think property was sold to finance many of these voyages (why hold on to the family farm while under-taking what was likely considered to be a one-way trip across the Atlantic?). If there are ANY records of Matthew's life in England, they aren't easy to find. In fact, all we really know of his pre-American history is what he wrote in his diary. And he was brief there (paper wasn't easy to come by, and likely quite expensive in early Colonial America - hence his use of both sides of the pages in that diary). But that he wrote a diary at all, and that he was the town recorder for decades, shows he was a learned man in a time when half the population of England was probably illiterate.

Combining the DNA, the known histories of the people who shared that voyage, and what info we do have on Grant families in SW England, has eliminated many possibilities. And this is good, as the search is narrowing. I'm excited that this is the first of several posts I will be making over the coming months that will show the evidence that has survived the scrutiny of my research and will hopefully show the 3 or 4 possible families that are the source for this man who has been so mysterious and interesting to me for most of my adult life. More to come!

posted by Geoff Grant
Baldwin-3428 Carol Baldwin PhD RN
I just heard from Mel E. Smith, the History & Genealogy Librarian at the Connecticut State Library. He sent me the source for Matthew Grant's mother's death. I am forwarding that and the Anderson write up for Matthew Grant to Anne B and she can add the source since she was the first to identify this.

Anne, once done, please let me know as I would like to 'Acknowledge' Mel for his work. You will see that he spend some time finding this information for us. No name is listed for her but the death date and location is as Anne B wrote below. Her married name would be 'Grant' so it should be (Unknown) (Unknown) Grant. And given that she died at Windsor, she likely came over with Matthew and Priscilla and would be PGM eligible. Thank you!

posted by Carol Baldwin PhD RN
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
I'll be interested in seeing the source info, assuming it is something more substantial than Anderson's handful of words on the matter. I'm very confident in the CS Library and hopeful this is the important addition to the profile that I we all want it to be.

I don't think it was likely she came over with Matthew and Priscilla, but more likely she arrived afterwards. Probably after Matthew moved to Dorchester, as if the Mass Bay Colony was so unsatisfactory for the majority of the congregation that they would move to CT to start over, why would he invite his 50+ year old mother to make what was obviously a very rough move from England to there?? Of course she might not have moved at all, and it could be that Matthew received a letter with the news and felt the need to acknowledge it in some record.

Please pass on my thanks to Mel whenever convenient. I have had a few nice email correspondences with that group in the past and appreciate them very much. I'm actually considering sending them the payment stub for Capt. Roswell Grant's service in the War of Independence to add to their collection. I could probably sell it on eBay for $300, but what good would that do for the cause??

Cheers.

posted by Geoff Grant
B-404 Anne B
I located a stray, orphaned profile, that was obviously meant to be his mother "Mother of Matthew Grant died 29 May 1640." according to his records and added he to this profile. She should also no doubt be PGM.
posted by Anne B
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
that profile should probably be deleted. there is no record of Matthew Grant's mother anywhere unfortunately.
posted by Geoff Grant
B-404 Anne B
I disagree, There is a very specific record in Windsor that says Matthew Grant's mother died in 1640.
posted by Anne B
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
i believe that record to be a mistake (most likely an illegible hand-written entry in the record that was mis-read). there is no record of another Grant moving into Windsor after it's establishment within that period of time. there is no record of Matthew's mother moving to Windsor with him and his family. there is no record of who Matthew's parents even are. so to link a person to this profile who's name is unknown, origin is unknown, and even the existence of which is unknown serves no real purpose towards improving the profile. because this is a historically significant figure, we need to hold this profile to a high level of accuracy.
posted by Geoff Grant
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
if you still disagree with me, i would recommend reaching out to https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Langholf-2 and asking her for a 2nd opinion. if she feels that profile should be linked i will happily defer to her. but until then i hope we can refrain from adding any parents to this profile until we know for sure who they are and how they connect along with reliable evidence.
posted by Geoff Grant
B-404 Anne B
I've asked a question in G2G
posted by Anne B
GeneJ X
Robert Charles Anderson, "On 29 May 1640, 'mother Mathew Grant died' at Windsor [Grant 79]. That is all we know for certain of the ancestry of Matthew Grant."

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols. (1995), 803 (in Matthew Grant); digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.

posted by GeneJ X
Baldwin-3428 Carol Baldwin PhD RN
I have not forgotten about this death date for Matthew Grant's mother. I am in touch with the Descendants of the Founders of Windsor, the Windsor Historical Society and others. It's a slow process because people are still dealing with the pandemic. The URL that Geoff Grant posted in 2017 links only to the state library. I have downloaded the PDF and posting it here. Most of the personal diary are sermons. Around page 100, there is a page of information Grant entered listing his birth date, children's names and birthdates, wives first names and birthdates and marriage dates. There is also a long listing of Rockwells. I am wondering if one of his wives was a Rockwell? Anne, I will leave this to you and help when I can. I am also communicating with these Windsor groups on a Mills/Bissell matter...I cannot paste the PDF here, Anne. I will send via email.
posted by Carol Baldwin PhD RN
edited by Carol Baldwin PhD RN
Watts-8451 Raymond Watts PhD
Whew, what a slog! Thank you for your work on this PGM profile.
posted by Raymond Watts PhD
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
Yes, Matthew's 2nd wife was a Rockwell. I am unsure if they knew each other before moving to CT. Her 1st marriage took place in Dorchester in England if I remember correctly.
posted by Geoff Grant
Simpier-2 Andrew Simpier
I added the relationship to President Grant. It’s not a significant change but very helpful showing his lineage to President Grant (being his 5th great grandson) hope this helps if not can always remove
posted by Andrew Simpier
Kathy (Foote) Durham
Noticed that the link to "Windsor's First Church" was dead. I found the correct link, and info provided on the history of the church was fascinating -- should be part of all early members of the church. John Warham was a formidable preacher and not only migrated with his flock but survived much longer than most early Puritan preachers who migrated. Here is the link: http://www.fcwucc.org/history
posted by Kathy (Foote) Durham
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
Via the Grant DNA Project (https://www.familytreedna.com/public/GRANT?iframe=ycolorized) 6 descendants of Matthew Grant (see Group F in the results page linked above) have had their yDNA tested at Family Tree DNA. All 6 are matches to each other, and two kits have had Big Y tests done, confirming SNPs exclusive to Matthew's descendants. Since these tests cover descendants of all three of Matthew's sons, we can confirm with absolute certainty whether or not a person carries Matthew Grant's yDNA.
posted by Geoff Grant
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
One of the main purposes of this wikitree page in my eyes is to correct that 100 yr old mistake of Frank's (see below). There is added attention to Matthew's ancestry because he was the EKA of Ulysses Grant, and that's all the reason to be extra careful with the research done and the info posted.
posted by Geoff Grant
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
Thanks Neil for looking to improve the page with added info, but as Jillian said - we need rock-solid evidence as research has yet to uncover reliable parent info for this person. I honestly couldn't see what the links connected to as it asked for a login that I don't have. But I'm guessing it was the same old John Grant of Roxby and Alice Tuberville - both of which were the product of VERY questionable genealogy research done over 100 years ago and paid for by a Frank Grant. The info was published in a Grant Family Magazine that existed at the time, and it grew long legs from there. Frank later published a retraction and apology at the end of an issue that was easily missed by almost every reader.
posted by Geoff Grant
Smith-32867 Jillaine Smith
Neil, the links you provided go to online trees. What if any sources do those trees offer to support the parents ? Please read the narrative here which summarizes the research done so far. Unless you have better sources, the origins of this ancestor remain unknown. Thanks.
posted by Jillaine Smith
Grant-2647 Geoff Grant
Matthew's diary can be viewed online here:

http://libguides.ctstatelibrary.org/hg/colonialresearch/grantdiary

posted by Geoff Grant

Featured National Park champion connections: Matthew is 12 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 19 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 10 degrees from George Catlin, 14 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 19 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 11 degrees from George Grinnell, 23 degrees from Anton Kröller, 11 degrees from Stephen Mather, 20 degrees from Kara McKean, 14 degrees from John Muir, 14 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 24 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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