John Ingersoll (abt. 1626 - 1684)

Born about Sep 1626 in Derby, Derbyshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Dorothy (Lord) Ingersoll — married 1651 (to Jan 1656) in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut

Husband of Abigail (Bascom) Ingersoll — married 12 Dec 1657 (to Apr 1666) in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts

Husband of Mary (Hunt) Ingersoll — married 1667 in Westfield, MA

Descendants

Died 3 Sep 1684 at about age 58 in Westfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: John Ellis [send private message], John Putnam [send private message], Alva Crom [send private message], and Tina Mann [send private message]

Biography

John Ingersoll was born about September 1626 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, son of Thomas Ingersoll (~1593–<1681) and Margery Eaton (1604–<1664).^[1]

His siblings were:

1. John Ingersoll (<1624–<1624)
2. Thomas Ingersoll (<1628–>1681)
3. Sarah Ingersoll (<1630–>1673)
4. Hester Ingersoll (<1631– )
5. Elizabeth Ingersoll (<1633– )
6. Samuel Ingersoll (<1638– )

John (24) married Dorothy Lord (21) (born on 1 July 1629 in Towcester, Northamptonshire, England; daughter of Thomas Lord and Dorothy (Bird) Lord) in 1651 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut. Their children were:

1. Hannah Ingersoll (~1652–~1714)
2. Dorothy Ingersoll (~1654–~1689)
3. Margery Ingersoll (1656–1697)

John (30) married Abigail Bascom (17) (born on 7 June 1640 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut; daughter of Thomas Bascom I and Avis (Unknown) Bascom) on 12 December 1657 in Northampton, Hampshire County, Massachusetts.^[2] Their children were:

1. Abigail Ingersoll (1659–1721)
2. Sarah Ingersoll (1660–1712)
3. Abijah Ingersoll (1663–1732)
4. Hester Ingersoll (1665–1705)

John (40) married Mary Hunt (27) (born in 1639 in Northampton, Massachusetts Bay Colony; daughter of Thomas Hunt and Margaret (Webster) Hunt) in 1667 in Westfield, MA. Their children were:

1. Thomas Ingersoll (1668–1732)
2. John Ingersoll (1669–1750)
3. Abel Ingersoll (1671–1745)
4. Ebenezer Ingersoll (1673–1682)
5. Joseph Ingersoll (1675–1704)
6. Mary Ingersoll (1677–1690)
7. Benjamin Ingersoll (1679–1704)
8. Jonathan Ingersoll (1681–1760)

John died on 3 September 1684 in Westfield, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony, aged 57.^[3]

Research Notes

Below, as found on Ancestry, is an image for St. Werburgh, 1626, but it is almost impossible to read, hence the confusion about the name and parents. Underneath the year 1626 is the page number 38. It is Image 22 of 403 for Derby, St. Werburgh. This information can be found by searching for Derbyshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812, through Ancestry's card catalog.

Name: John Enker [John Inkersall]

Gender: Male

Event Type: Baptism

Baptism Date: 22 Sep 1626

Baptism Place: Derby, St. Werburgh, Derbyshire, England

Phillimore Ecclesiastical Parish Map: View this parish

Father: James Enker

Mother: Enker

Source Citation

Derbyshire Record Office; Matlock, Derbyshire, England; Derbyshire Church of England Parish Registers; Diocese: Diocese of Derby

Source Information

Ancestry.com. Derbyshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017.

Original data: Derbyshire Church of England Parish Registers, Derbyshire Record Office, Matlock, Derbyshire, England.

Disputed Origins

The belief of Charles Stedman Ripley (author of "The Ingersolls of Hampshire", 1893) that two brothers, John and Richard Ingersoll, arrived at Salem together -- aboard the second Mayflower in 1629 -- has led to confusion for decades. Ripley believed that John had been born in Bedfordshire in 1615; this would have meant there was a large, but not impossible, age difference between him and Richard, who was born in 1587. There was in fact a John Ingersoll born in 1615 -- but it was Richard's short-lived son John, who died in Bedfordshire, an infant. A second son christened John was born in 1620, came to Salem with his father Richard, and remained there or nearby throughout his life.

The John Ingersoll of this profile, son of Thomas of Derbyshire, christened there in September of 1626, came to America a decade or more later; and he ultimately settled in Westfield, in the western part of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

The apparent conflation of the several John Ingersolls is a good illustration of the fallibility of even relatively good secondary sources (Ripley's work is, in other areas, beyond reproach).

(It is also worth noting that different dates are given in different sources for the death of the second wife of Westfield's John Ingersoll, Abigail Bascom. Ripley's 1666 could conceivably be correct, but 1667 and 1668 now appear in various online genealogies. The debate is significant to descendants of John's son Thomas, born in March of 1668, because it defines the identity of his mother: if indeed Abigail died in 1666 or 67, she cannot be his parent, and his mother is Mary Hunt – as indicated elsewhere in this profile biography. If however Abigail did not die until April of 1668, as proposed by (among others; see profile comments below) experienced genealogist Rick Ingersoll (see ingersoll.net), then John would not have married third wife Mary until after that date... and Thomas could not be their child. Finding a definitive, primary source will probably be required in order to reach a final conclusion.)

The debate over John's identity is reflected in the exchange of offerings below, which cites the will of Thomas Ingersoll as giving us the ultimate answer:

This is incorrect: "John Ingersoll, born Oct 01, 1615 in Bedford, England; died Sep 03, 1684 in Westfield, Hampden, Mass. He was the son of 404 Richard Ingersol and 405 Ann Langley... different parents from the ones reflected on this profile."

"The John Ingersoll of Westfield who married Dorothy Lord, Abigail Bascom and Mary Hunt is NOT the son of Richard Ingersoll. He is the son of Thomas and Margery (Eaton) Ingersoll.^[4] The source just referred to has a copy of the will of Thomas Ingersoll that mentions John of New England."

Sources

1. ↑ Christening: "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J7CZ-MWL : 30 December 2014), John Inkersoll, 01 Sep 1626; citing Derby, Derbyshire, England, reference item 1; FHL microfilm 1,041,167.
2. ↑ "Massachusetts State Vital Records, 1841-1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FHHY-S4M : 20 December 2022), John Ingersoll, 1657. (Marriage to Abigail Bascom)
3. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #11317291 NOTE: Memorial stone has wrong birth date (1615).
4. ↑ Greene, David L., The English Origin (And Spiritual Turmoil) of John¹ Ingersoll of Westfield, Massachusetts, The New England Historical & Genealogical Register (NEHGS, Boston, Mass., 1997) Vol. 151, Page 153, Will of Thomas Ingersoll.

• FamilySearch Person: L7X9-ZQ6
• A genealogy of the Ingersoll family in America, 1629-1925, Part II. John Ingersoll of Westfield, Massachusetts [1]