Henry Langstaff (abt. 1610 - 1705)

Born about 1610 in England

Descendants

Died 18 Jul 1705 at about age 95 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire

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Henry Langstaff migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See Great Migration Begins, by R. C. Anderson, Vol. 2, p. 1156) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Disputed Origins

Some say his parents were Edward Langstaffe and Elizabeth Collins. Anderson (GMB) recognizes no parents. Following wikitree policy, we detach these parents until their relationship to Henry can be confirmed.

Biography

Henry Lancaster (aka Langstaff and Lankster etc.) was one of the earliest immigrants to New Hampshire, likely arriving by 1631 as part of Captain John Mason's colonization of New Hampshire.

Birth

Nothing is known of Henry's origins although he was almost certainly born in England given his name and his known arrival in New Hampshire (see Immigration section). He gave depositions in New Hampshire (see Colonial Life) that place his birth year at about 1610.^[1][2]

Immigration

According to Henry's depositions in court in Portsmouth (1699 and 1700)^[1] he arrived "about 1635" at port on the Piscataqua River in the service of Captain John Mason and lived, along with one Walter Neal, for 2 years in the service of Mason at Rendezvous (later Little Point, now Rye, NH; site of the first settlement in 1623). Henry worked with Neal in keeping Mason's cattle and building a fort at the location.

Anderson^[2] in "Great Migration" points out that Captain Walter Neal left New England 15 August 1633 (never to return) and that Henry Lancaster deposed about the prior owner of land (Thomas Walford) in New Hampshire who lived on the land "without any disturbance from said Neal". Given that Henry also stated that he lived for 2 years with Neal at Rendezvous, that places Henry's arrival at 1631 rather than 1635 Given that he was about 90 when he testified, that memory lapse is understandable and in any case he was certainly there before Neal left in 1633.

Colonial Life

Apparently he signed his documents with a mark although given the positions of responsibility he held, he was almost certainly literate (signing with a mark was not uncommon and did not indicate illiteracy).^[2] A timeline of his appearances in Colonial documents follows:

• Undated but with a reference to arrival in the early 1630s he appears as "Henry Langstaff" in a list of "Stewards and Servants sent by John Mason, Esq. into the Province of New Hampshire"^[3] page 114 and again on page 119 in a list of families in Dover between 1623 and 1641, most arriving in 1633.
• 30 Aug 1643 he appeared in a Dover grand jury (and again in the same place regularly through 1673)^[2]
• 1648-1666 Henry appeared in tax lists of Dover^[2]
• 18 Mar 1648 through 7 Oct 1702 he appeared in various land deeds (sales and purchases) under the names Lancaster, Longstaff, Langstaff, and Lankster/Lankstar around the area of Dover and "Bloody Point" (now Newington, NH).^[2]
• 8 Dec 1651 through 4 Mar 1672 he was a selectman of Dover^[2]
• 5 Apr 1653 he appeared on a list of Dover (NH) freemen.^[4]
• 25 Jun 1675 Henry Langstaff took the inventory of the estate of Hatevill Nutter, father of Anthony Nutter who married Henry's daughter Sarah^[5]
• 15 Feb 1682/3 and again 13 Aug 1700 Henry deposed in court as "about age 70" in the first instance and "age 90" in the second, providing an estimate of his birth year.^[2]
• 10 Aug 1692 Henry, with Henry Jr. signed a petition to the King asking that residents of New Hampshire be given equal rights with those of Massachusetts.^[2]
• In 1703 and 1704 he deeded land to his daughter Mary (spinster) and son Henry and in 1705 he quitclaimed land to William Partridge of Portsmouth^[2]

His land holdings and position as selectman indicate he was a man of some standing in the colony.

Marriage

Henry probably married by about 1638 given the birthdates of his known children, making him about 27 years of age. Most likely he married in New Hampshire as he lived there at the time based his tax and court records listed above. Anderson in "Great Migration" does not state his wife's name, it is given in many family trees as "Sarah", sometimes "Phillips" but with no apparent primary sourcing. Anderson does suggest that she may have been of the Sheafe family as Henry later sold land to a "kinsman" Sampson Sheafe.^[2] Without knowing Henry's origins or possible siblings, this relationship is undefined.

Miner's Descent (see references) states without sources that his first wife was Sarah; that she died in 1637 and that Henry's second wife was Josephine Knight: Josephine Knight was born 1616 in England. Her parents were William Knight and Martha Williams. Josephine died 28 May 1690 or Jul 1705 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire.

However it also states that daughter Mary was born 1630 when it is known by her own marriage record that she was born about 1650. Further, the only "source" quoted for Henry's wife is an unsourced blog on a web page which states that her name was "Lora unknown". So while there is much interesting information on this family at that web site, it should be treated carefully.

Children

The main sources for Henry's children are "Great Migration" and a history of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts by David Hoyt.^[6] Anderson lists children John, Sarah, Henry and Mary while Hoyt lists Henry, Joseph, Sarah and "perhaps other children". The "Miner's Descent" web page provides more information about the children, some sourced and some not but does not list son Henry Jr. who appears in a 1704 land grant. More research is needed to solidify his children.

1. Joseph b. circa 1638, married Mary Carter about 1664 in Amesbury, Essex, Massacusetts.^[6]
2. John b. circa 1640 m. Martha Martin (1648-1694) of Dover (Miner's Descent) before 1675 when their son was born in Piscataway, NJ^[2]
3. Sarah b. circa 1642, m. Anthony Nutter who was apparently born about 1631 in Fillongley, Warwickshire, England (Miner's Descent). They married by 1663 when their first son was born on 27 Dec of that year^[2] Their grand-daughter through their son John Nutter and wife Rosamund Johnson, Anne Nutter became Eleazar Coleman's second wife.
4. Henry Jr. b. circa 1647 (age 66 in 1713 presumably from a deposition or similar court appearance), died by 1718 unmarried^[2]
5. Mary b. abt 1650, married Eleazar Coleman of Rowley, MA (see Miner's Descent reference) by about 1713 when she was 63 and he was 28 with the stated intention upon transfer of related land that he was to take care of her in her great age.^[2]. Eleazar later married Mary's great-niece, Anne Nutter (see above).

Death and Estate

The New Hampshire Genealogical Record quote's "Pike's Journal" regarding Henry's death on 18 Jul 1705^[7] which is worth quoting here: Mr. Henry Langstar of Bloody Point deceased after ten days sickness, occasioned by a fall into his lean-to, four stairs high, whereby being grievously bruised, it brought an inflammation upon him. He was about 100 years old, hale, strong, hearty man & might have lived many years longer if &c.

Will or probate for Henry have not yet been found; he seems to have died intestate.

Research Notes

1. Re: the relationship to Sampson Sheafe, Sampson's father Edmund (not an emigrant) was about the same age as Henry and it is certainly possibly that Henry was related through Edmund or his wife Elizabeth Cotton Sheafe/Sheath Barker, possibly one of Henry or his wife's siblings married a sibling of Edmund Sheafe or Elizabeth Cotton. Fortunately Edmund's will was preserved so other family names are available for research (see Sheafe Family reference). The Sheafe siblings of Edmund seem to be accounted for and don't appear to be directly related but the Cotton/Cotten siblings of Elizabeth are not well-researched yet. The Cotton family appears in London (FHL film 374505 for St. Michael Paternoster Royal), no Langstaff or Lancasters appear in that register. The Sheafe family seems to come mainly from Cranbrook, Kent.
2. A Henry Lancaster was baptized 20 Apr 1605 in Woodplumpton, Lancashire with an alias note of "Shirburne".^[8] Some family trees associate this baptism with this immigrant Henry but there is no indication that it is the same man.
3. Henry is shown in some online trees as a son of Richard Lancaster (1567-1616) and Margaret Doumbell without sourcing.
4. The line of descent looking backward, at least according to some trees, is from Henry Lancaster (m. Sarah) > Richard Lancaster (m. Margaret Doumbell) > Thomas Lancaster (m. Margaret Laton) > Richard Lancaster (m. Jane Heskett) > Richard Lancaster (m. Alice Ecclestone) > Thomas de Lancaster of Rainhill (m. Margaret Ireland) > Richard (1420-1526 )Lancaster (m. Blanche Legh). Obviously this is suspect without sourcing of this Henry's origins. See Lancaster Genealogy Forum in reference section.
5. Further research should be done to solidify the linkage between this Henry and son Joseph who married Mary Carter.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Provincial papers: Documents and records relating to the province of New-Hampshire, from the earliest period of its settlement: 1623-[1776] Pub. by authority of the legislature of New Hampshire ... Comp. and ed. by Nathaniel Bouton (1799-1878) Volume 2 pages 529, 530. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002052150621&view=1up&seq=542
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14} The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010), (Originally Published as: New England Historic Genealogical Society. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III, 3 vols., 1995). pages 1156- 1160 as Henry Langstaff and [1] (Links by subscription.)
3. ↑ Provincial Papers...Vol 1 by Bouton https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002029615433&view=1up&seq=131
4. ↑ NEHGR Volume 4 p.247 Dover Town Records https://archive.org/details/newenglandhistor04wate/page/246/mode/2up
5. ↑ New Hampshire Probate Records, 1635-1753 Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire, vol 1 New Hampshire Wills 1673 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/7089/images/7089-Volume1-0202
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} The old families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts ; with some related families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich and Hampton Author David W. Hoyt on pages 88 and 230 https://archive.org/details/cu31924025963772/page/n245/mode/2up
7. ↑ Journal of the Rev. John Pike, of Dover, N. H by Pike, John, 1653-1710 https://archive.org/details/journalofrevjohn00pike/page/28/mode/2up
8. ↑ Lancashire: St. Michael-on Wyre & Woodplumton - St Michael's on Wyre Parish Register, 1659-1707 and Woodplumton Parish Register, 1604-1659 England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3D2-P27

See also:

• Wikipedia entry for John Mason https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mason_(governor)
• Miner's Descent entry for Henry Lancaster https://minerdescent.com/2010/10/20/henry-lancaster-i/
• Lancaster genealogy forum https://www.genealogy.com/forum/surnames/topics/lancaster/4536/
• The Sheafe family of old and New England by Watkins, Walter Kendall, 1855- https://archive.org/details/sheafefamilyofol00watk/page/12/mode/2up?q=sampson