William Hoadley I (1630 - 1709)

Born 28 Nov 1630 in Wilmington, Dartford Borough, Kent, England

Descendants

Died Nov 1709 at about age 78 in Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut Colony

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Biography

Burial in November 1709 at the Branford Center Cemetery in Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut. ^[1]

CAPT. WILLIAM HOADLEY I was born around 1630 in England. His parents are unknown and his date of immigration is unknown. His first wife’s name is unknown, but they were likely married in England or Connecticut around 1658. They had 8 children, with 7 of their names known: William; Samuel; John; Mary (1666-1737); Elizabeth; Hannah; and Abraham. He first appears in America in 1666 when he purchased Rev. Abraham Pierson’s home when he moved to New Jersey. He is said to have been a merchant and had a shop or tavern on his property. His name was on the new Plantation Covenant of Branford, dated January 20, 1667-68. In 1669 he was made a freeman of Connecticut. He was the representative for Branford for the Connecticut assembly in 1678 and 1685, and was also a selectman for the town for several years from 1673 to 1690. After his first wife’s death he remarried around 1686 to Mary Bullard, who was the widow of John Farrington. In 1688 he was a grand juror. He was named to a couple committees regarding the affairs of the town, being involved with petitions and even building a meeting house in 1699 for the town. In 1701 the town gave him permission to build a pew for his family at the meeting house. After Mary’s death he again remarried to Ruth Bowers, who was a widow of John Frisbie (different John Frisbie from Nathaniel Finch’s widowed wife Mary) and who was the daughter of Reverend John Bowers. Many records refer to him as Captain, therefore at some point he was likely in charge of some militia for Connecticut. He died in 1709 in Branford, Connecticut. His estate totaled 1,116 pounds but his will was rejected by the Probate Court.

Origin

William Hoadley born about 1630, probably in England.^[2] The footnote on page 5 explained that William Hoadley was recorded in Bradford as 58 years old in 1688. His origin and parents are unknown.^[3]

The profiles for John Hoadley and Sarah Bushnell have been disconnected as parents (no evidence, no source). In addition, the birth date for Sarah Bushnell is reported as 1625, making her an impossibility as mother of William.

Marriages

William married his first wife, name unknown. ^[4] They probably married about 1658 in New Haven, Connecticut. There were eight children listed as of 17 January 1676, but only seven of their names are known. six children survived him.

Children of William Hoadley and his first wife: ^[5][6][7]

1. William Hoadley, b c. 1660, d May 1738
2. Samuel Hoadley born about 1666.
3. John Hoadley.
4. Mary Hoadley.
5. Elizabeth Hoadley, b 15 Jun 1668, bpt 15 Feb 1668/9.
6. Hannah Hoadley, b 8 Nov 1670.
7. Abraham Hoadley, b c. , d 14 Jul 1748

Next, William married secondly, about 1686, to Mary (Bullard) Farrington, widow of John Farrington. ^[8]

Finally, William married thirdly, about 1704, to Ruth (Bowers) Frisbie, widow of John Frisbie, and daughter of Reverend John and Bridget (Thompson) Bowers. ^[9]

Positions and Property

William Hoadley was a captain for Connecticut Colonial Militia. He was a proprietor of a tavern in Branford, New Haven, Connecticut.

In 1666 William Hoadley bought the home lot of Rev. Abraham Pierson, of Branford, when Rev. Abraham Pierson removed to Newark, New Jersey. This lot was where the Totoket House now stands. He was a merchant and his shop was next to his dwelling house.

William Hoadley became freeman of the new Plantation Covenant of Bradford in October 1669. Then he was a deputy for Branford at nine sessions at the Assembly between 1678 and 1685. He was one of the patentees of Bradford on February 16, 1686. He was a selectman for several years between 1673 and 1690, and he was one of the grand juror at a court in June 1688. ^[10]

Death and Burial

William Hoadley died about November or December 1709 in Bradford, New Haven County, Connecticut. ^[11]

William Hoadley's remains were lost or destroyed. Time and weather has erased the location of his gravestone.^[12]

Estate

Inventory was taken on 27 December 1709 by Nathaniel Harrison and John Rose, Junior, and its amount was £1,116. He left a will, but it was rejected by the probate court, so the settlement of his estate was the occasion of a fierce and long continued litigation among his heirs. However, his will has never been found and its provisions are still unknown. ^[13]

The inventory fills four pages in Vol. III of New Haven Probate Records. The list is in the front of the Book - William Hoadley and his decendants.

Sources

1. ↑ Trowbridge, pp. 9.
2. ↑ Trowbridge, pp. 9.
3. ↑ Bullard, Edgar J., (1930) Bullard and allied families; the American ancestors of George Newton Bullard and Mary Elizabeth Bullard ... Detroit: HathiTrust.org (Pages 87-88).
4. ↑ Trowbridge, pp. 9.
5. ↑ Trowbridge, pp. 10.
6. ↑ Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906, https://familysearch.org
7. ↑ Branford Vital Records, Barbour Collection, http://search.ancestryinstitution.com
8. ↑ Trowbridge, pp. 9.
9. ↑ Trowbridge, pp. 9.
10. ↑ Trowbridge.
11. ↑ Trowbridge.
12. ↑ Mookie, (May 06, 2016) [https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=162199402 William "Captain" Hoadley, I (1630–1709)] Find A Grave Memorial no. 162199402.
13. ↑ Trowbridge.

• Trowbridge, Francis Bacon. The Hoadley Genealogy: A History of the Descendants of William Hoadley of Branford, Connecticut (New Haven, Connecticut: Printed for the Author, 1894), https://archive.org
• Find A Grave: Memorial #162199402 Retrieved 31 August 2011.
• Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (1985) Pg. 259