Zephaniah Hough (bef. 1704)

Born before 25 Jun 1704 in Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut Colony

Ancestors

Son of Jonathan Hough Sr. and Abigail (Unknown) Hough

Husband of Catharine (Weston) Hough — married 21 May 1728 in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut Colony

Husband of Elizabeth (Welch) Hough — married 30 Jul 1744 in Pompton Plains, Morris, New Jersey

Descendants

Died [date unknown] in Pennsylvania [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Billy Huff [send private message] and Michael Huff [send private message]

Biography

DNA Confirmation Statement

Paternal relationship is confirmed by a Family Tree DNA BigY test match between the following descendants of William (and his father Edward) Hough. Only difference is descent from his son Samuel for the first three people vs. Jonathan for the last two people. Common SNP between all five is I-4740. Difference between Samuel vs Jonathan descent is the terminal SNP as shown.

• Bill Hough Descendant of William and son Samuel. Terminal SNP I-FGC21965

• Hough (kit #32689, not on WikiTree) Descendant of William and son Samuel. Terminal SNP I-FGC21965

• Hough (kit #65683, not on WikiTree) Descendant of William and son Samuel. Terminal SNP I-FGC21965

• Max Kenneth Huff Descendant of William and son Jonathan. Terminal SNP I-FGC21968

• Billy Huff Descendant of William and son Jonathan. Terminal SNP I-FGC21968

Note: This must be viewed on FTDNA to fully understand the matches and relationships.

Zephaniah Hough/Huffe/Hoofe, b. Farmington, Hartford, Connecticut, bp 25 Jun 1704, Hartford, Connecticut as the son of Jonathan and his second wife Abigail.

Early in life, he moved to New Milford, Connecticut^[1].

On 21 May 1728 in New Milford, Litchfield, Connecticut Zephaniah "Hoof" married (1) Catharine WESTON (spelled Kaharan Wislon)^[2][3] ( - d before 1744). He was listed as of New Fairfield, which is to the southwest of New Milford in Fairfield Co, CT, not far from the NY state line. He and Catharine bap two ch in New Milford.

Note that the handwriting in that period an "f" looks like a "S" and some transcriptions recorded his name as "Hoose" instead of Hoofe.

Children With Catharine Weston:

1. Jonathan 2nd (bap 8 June 1729 New Milford, CT - Dec 1804 Schuyler, NY). who on 17 Feb 1757 in Kent, CT, md Desire ROWLEY (2 Dec 1731 CT - ), prob. dau of Jonathan ROWLEY and his second wife, Abigail (GREEN) ROWLEY. They lived in CT, MA, and Columbia Co, NY. Their ch incl: Thankful; Zepheniah; Benjamin; Jonathan; Anna; and dau Mrs. Ebenezer BACON; and dau Mrs. ALDERMAN. (Part of the indication that this is the correct person is the fact the first son was named Zepheniah. If this is the correct Jonathan, the birth year recorded by E. C. Hough is wrong, and an explanation would be needed as to why Jonathan stayed in CT as a teenager while his father went to NJ and PA.)
2. Abigail (bap 19 May New Milford, CT - )
3. Zephaniah 2nd (bap 21 Jun 1738 in New Fairfield, CT - abt 1834 in Caneadea, Allegany, NY) Zephaniah was born in New Fairfield and baptized there 21 June 1738. In 1775 he signed as an associator against tyranny of the British Government in the Cornwall precinct of Orange County, New York.

No record has been found for any other ch, or for the death of Catharine.

On 30 Jul 1744 in Pompton Plains, Morris, New Jersey, Zephaniah widower from Connecticut married (2) Betje (Elizabeth?) WELCH Y.D. born in New York^[4][5].

No other record has been found for them in Morris Co, New Jersey either in the Dutch Reformed Church records or in the The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey, "Pompton Plains Marriages"). There were some Dutch communities in CT, but no HOFF families are known to have lived there. There were numerous HOUGH descendants of William HOUGH of CT, and they did use the name Zephaniah. It seems likely that the name Zephanja HOFF was a Dutch rendering of Zephaniah HOUGH.

Children With Elizabeth (Betje):

1. Edmond/Edmund (c 1747 prob. Morris Co, NJ - after 1810, prob Lycoming Co, PA) was a pioneer in Northumberland and Lycoming counties in PA. Edmund married Nancy JONES (1748/49 - aft. 1820), dau of Pickett and Elizabeth/Mary (JAMES) JONES of Baltimore, MD, and Cumberland Co, PA. Probably because of his wife's background, Edmond HUFF was frequently associated with people of MD background. Probable children: Elizabeth, Hannah, John, William, James, and Edmund F.

Hough lineage is Zephaniah and two wives of CT, NJ, and PA; Jonathan and Abigail of CT; William and Sarah (Caulkins) of England, MA, and CT; Edward and Jane Manley of Chester, Cheshire, England.

Notes:

• 1731: Appointed co-executor of father's will of 1731^[6] probated in 1734 in Hartford, Connecticut.

• 1734 - named as executor along with brother John Hough in his father's will probated in Hartford, Connecticut^[6]

• 1740 tax list for Cornwall, Litchfield, Connecticut mentioned as follows: "Z Hough sold to S. Roberts", "Benjamin Hough [grandson], Gone 1744". ^[7]

• Orcutt, History of New Milford, CT...,, gives the record of Zephaniah Hoofe of New Milford and New Fairfield, pp 718/719

• Zephaniah moved from Connecticut to New Jersey to Pennsylvania along with other relatives including his brother John, nephews Joseph and Gershom and Gershom's son Benjamin.

• Houghs of Connecticut origin in Morris and Sussex counties of New Jersey: Gershom HOUGH on 2 May 1747 md Hannah WALKER in the 1st Presbyterian Church of Morristown or Mendham. There seems to no further record of this person in Morris Co, NJ. However, it is almost certain he was son of John and Sarah (WARNER) HOUGH of New MIlford, Litchfield Co, CT, and Hanover, Sussex Co, NJ. Gershom HUFF and his father were executors of Joseph HUFF's will in 1756. Joseph was brother to Gershom and lived in Hardwick twp of Sussex Co. Both Gershom and Joseph had been bap in New Milford Ch as sons of John HOOFE, Gershom in May 1725.

• None of these people left much impact on the history of Morris Co, NJ. When the Biographical and Genealogical History of Morris Co, NJ, was written, "The Hoff Family,", pp 308-309, stated that the HOFF family had been identified with the history of the county only after 1775. The families described of Joseph and Charles HOFF were definitely of Dutch or German origin who had come from NY across NJ through Hunterdon Co.

• 1766 Land Warrent: Pennsylvania Land Warrant #1423 (West Side Register) for Czepheniah HOFF and Edmon HOFF: "1766 - On the East side of the Susquehanna - Edward HOFF, ?appling? for an application for 200 eacors of land lying in Lancaster County over the Blue Mountains on the North side of Armstrong's Creek, includin an improvement of Czephaniah HOFF. (signed) Edmon HOFF." This record seems to indicate that Zepheniah had settled, made improvements, but had not established his claim legally. His probable son, Edmon, was applying to get the right to what had been done. Later records show that Edmon was born about 1747, which would be consistent with him being a son of Zepheniah and Betje. Edmon was typically recorded as HOFF or HUFF, never as HOUGH or HOOFE. His descendants have been HUFF. So, a probable ch of Zepheniah and Betje was Edmund Huff.

• His nephew Gershom Hough/Huff (the son of John Hough) was on the 1774 tax list for Bald Eagle twp in Northumberland Co, PA. He was still there in 1778. In 1800, in the original enumeration after Lycoming county was formed from Northumberland, Gershom HUFF was a basketmaker, age 75, living near Benjamin HUFF, age 51. Gershom's birth year exactly coincides with Gershom HOOFE bap in May 1725 in New Milford, CT. Benjamin HUFF later moved on to Venango and Warren counties of PA. The proximity of Benjamin and Gershon suggest a father-son relationship. It is likely that Benjamin was son of Gershom, and a descendant of William HOUGH of CT. [Note: recent Y-DNA tests prove this was a correct assumption]

Sources

1. ↑ Orcutt, History of the towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1803-1882
2. ↑ "Connecticut, Church Records, 1660-1955," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG2W-2FPK : 3 October 2019), Zephaniah Hoof and Kaharan Wislon, 21 May 1728; citing Marriage, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States, Connecticut State Library, Hartford.
3. ↑ Bailey, Frederick W. Early Connecticut Marriages. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1997
4. ↑ U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records in Selected States, 1639-1989
5. ↑ Holland Society of New York; New York, New York; Pompton Plains I, Book 69, pg 25
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999
7. ↑ A history of Cornwall, Connecticut : a typical New England town

See also:

• Max Huff, ZEPHENIAH HOUGH OF NEW MILFORD, CT, unpublished report, 9/30/93

• Hough, William W., "The Descendants of Jonathan Hough of Connecticut, Youngest Son of William and Sarah (Calkins) Hought", Connecticut Nutmegger (Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Glastonbury, Conn., 2012) Vol. 45, Page 197

• Elida C. Hough, unpublished ms, William Hough of Connecticut

• Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut

• Samuel Orcutt, History of the Towns of New Milford and Bridgewater, Connecticut, 1703-1882 (https://books.google.com/books/about/History_of_the_Towns_of_New_Milford_and.html?id=O3RZMDT2vx8C), gives the Hough families indexed as Hoose, pp 718/719

• U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records from Selected States, 1660-1926

• Pompton Plains Marriage, The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey

• Biography and sources includes research by William W. Hough, Billy Huff and Max Huff