Andrew Messenger (bef. 1618 - bef. 1681)

Born before 1618 in England [uncertain]

Husband of Rachel (Unknown) Messenger — married 1641 in Jamaica, Long Island, New York

Descendants

Died before 12 Apr 1681 at about age 63 in Jamaica, Long Island, New York [uncertain]

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Andrew Messenger migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 226) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Andrew Messenger immigrated to New England between 1621 and 1640 and later departed for Jamaica, Long Island, New York

Andrew Messenger was born in England by 1618. He would have been at least 21 when he signed the New Haven Fundamental Agreement.^[1]

He died probably at Jamaica, Long Island, New York before 12 April 1681, at which time his widow owned land.^[2]

Andrew was married perhaps about 1641 to Rachel ______.^[3] 12 April 1681, Widdow Messenger had 5 acres of meadow with privilege, a small lot of meadow, and 36 acres upland.^[2] She died at Jamaica after 1688, when Widow Messenger reported that no marriages, christenings, or burials had occurred in her family in the last seven years. ^[4]

Immigration

Because Andrew was in New Haven by 4 June 1639, it has been speculated that he arrived, with the company of Theophilus Eaton and John Davenport, who came to New England aboard the Hector and her sister ship, landed in Boston 26 June 1637 and then relocated to the harbor at Quinnepiac (New Haven) the following year. However, this cannot be proved with existing documents.

New Haven Colony

This profile is part of the New Haven Colony One Place Study.

Andrew signed the New Haven Fundamental Agreement 4 June 1639, laying out the basic principles to be followed by inhabitants of New Haven Colony.^[1] There are no other records of Andrew in New Haven.

Boston ?

Supposedly Andrew had a lot in Boston, because of the undated (but about 1640) entry in the Book of Possessions: “[James Brown, Book, p. 41, has a half acre in the new field, with Mr. Wilson's garden north-east, A. Messenger north-west, the Common south. — W.H.W.]” ^[5]

Greenwich, Connecticut

18 July 1640 Andrew Messenger and Robert Heusted witnessed a deed from the Indians to Robert Feake and Daniel Patrick for land in Greenwich, Connecticut. Andrew is listed with the first settlers who commenced to build houses and clear land etc.^[6]

A bill of sale was given to Robert Husted 5 Oct 1648 from Andrew Messenger.^[6]

22 Oct 1641 at Fort Amsterdam Richard Lengh and “Andrew Messinjour” sold 25,000 Pipe stave to Hon. Willem Kieft, the director general of New Netherland, delivered “to the strand” for 80 Carolus guilders per thousand. --- Ullman citing New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch. Arnold JF Van Laer, transl. and ed. V. 1 pp 39-80 Register of the Provincial secretary 1638-1642 (Baltimore: Gen Pupl Co. 1974.) ^[7]

In 1642 he and Lengh had dealings and a contract with Jacques Benten for building a house.^[8]

23 Mar 1648/9 Andrew, living at Greenwich, wrote a letter to his “much honered Frend” John Winthrop Jr at Pequot, concerning the estate of mr. feaks, whose estate was not being improved for the use of the children.^[9]

Hempstead, Long Island, New York

Andrew moved on to Hempstead, Long Island, for on 16 April 1657 , he was on a list of every mans gattes that they have at the necke: “Androwe Mesinger hath sixe gattes.” Gates were right of pasturage etc on common ground. A later list says Andrew Mesingers were now Joseph Scot’s^[10]

Jamaica, Long Island, New York

Andrew’s final move was to the town Jamaica. In 1656, he was granted a houselot , planting land, meadow. He and fourteen other residents of Hempstead, having purchased land from the Indians, petitioned for a third time Governor-General Peter Stuyvesant asking for a grant at “Conorasset” that was granted 21 Mar 1656. Late in the year, Nov 1656, he and seventeen men signed a declaration that they owned land in Jamaica, where 1 July 1657 he was on the list for dividing “meadowing” His name is in the town records over the next years, receiving grants of land, as a witness, on “rate” lists. He and "his son" Richard Darling, contracted to build the ministers house.^[2]

In 1661, and 1662 he and others were appointed magistrates for Rustdorp (Dutch name for Jamaica.^[11]

Children

Children of Andrew and Rachel (Unknown) Messenger, order uncertain.:^[3][12]

• Samuel^[12]
• Abigail b. say 1644; m. (1) Richard Darling of New Haven; they were divorced 7 Jul 1674; m. (2) Zachariah Mills.
• Mary, b. say 1646; d. in or after 1699; m. 1665/6 Thomas Benedict^[13]
• Sarah b. say 1648; m. (1) c 1668 Ephraim Palmer of Greenwich (d. 1684); m. (2) _____ Gregory
• Andrew b. say 1651; d. Norwalk Oct 1730; m. (1) Rebecca (Pickett) St. John; m. (2) Rachel Hayes.

Research Notes

The notion that Andrew Messenger of New Haven Colony, Greenwich, Connecticut, Hempstead, Long Island and Jamaica, Long Island had a father Andrew and mother Sarah is now considered to be totally fictitious. His origins are unknown and the possibility that immigrants Edward and Henry Messenger were brothers is not proven by any New England records. ^[3]

In her 1998 article, "The Three Messengers: Henry, Andrew, and Edward: Clearing the Decks" (NEHGR 152), Helen S. Ullmann does not find an elder Andrew Messenger to have been the father of the three immigrants (Henry, Andrew and Edward). Ullmann refers to the purported father as "this fictional Andrew."^[3]

Many indexes and secondary sources^[14] claim that Andrew arrived on the Hector or perhaps it's sister ship at Boston in 1637. This may be true, but there are no passenger lists for these ships and only a few passengers are known positively by name. The supposition was made because Messenger was among the signers of the New Haven Fundamental Agreement.

Andrew Messenger is an ancestor of President Millard Fillmore^[15]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Hoadly, Charles J, MA. (editor) Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, From 1638 to 1649. (Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1857.) p. 18
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Josephine C Frost, and Long Island Historical Society. Records of the Town of Jamaica, Long Island, New York, 1656-1751. Brooklyn, N.Y.: Long Island Historical Society, 1914. [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nnc2.ark:/13960/t7qn7zz31;view=2up;seq=16 pp 1 houselot 1656; 2 declares owns land 1656; 4 meadow; 4 land 1658; 6 appraised lot; 11 meadow 1661; 14, 15, 16, 17 build ministers house with son Richard Darling 1662; 15 witness to sale by Samuel Andrews 1661; 20 witness 1663; 22 signed a deed 1663; 25 to buy land from Indians 1663; 35 agreement for ministers salary 1665/6; 69 a lot formerly his Jan 1676/7; 91 rate for West Purchase 1658; 97 witness 1663; 106 signed agreeing to give information if Quakers come to town 1661; 170 declares with others as owners of land at Jamaica, purchased from indians 1656; 230 concerning an exchange of land 1683; 119-120 12 Apr 1681 Widdow Messenger had meadow 5 acres with priveledge & a small lot of meadow, upland 36 acres.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3} Helen S. Ullmann, "The Three Messengers: Henry, Andrew, and Edward: Clearing the Decks," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 152. 1998. Page 353-372.
4. ↑ O'Callaghan, E. B. (ed.) Documentary history of the state of New-York. Vol 3. (Albany: Weed, Parsons & Co., Public Printers 1850) ]https://archive.org/details/documentaryhisto00ocal_1/page/122Vol 3:123]
5. ↑ Boston Records, 1634-1660 and The book of possessions. (Second Report of the Record Commissioners) (Boston:Rockwell and Churchill, City Printers, 1881) p. 69 Book of Possesions
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Mead, Spencer Percival. Ye historie of ye town of Greenwich, county of Fairfield and state of Connecticut, with genealogical notes . (New York: The Knickerbocker press, 1911) p. 6, 7, 461
7. ↑ [https://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/research/online-publications/register-of-the-provincial-secretary-volume-1/ Download here original translation pp 379, 380
8. ↑ Ullman: citing New York Historical Manuscripts: Dutch. Arnold JF Van Laer, transl. and ed. V. 4 Council Minutes 1638-1649 176; V. 2 Register of the Provincial Secretary, 1642-47 95. (Baltimore: Gen Pupl Co. 1974.)
9. ↑ Winthrop papers by Winthrop, Adam, 1548-1623; Winthrop, John, 1588-1649. cn; Winthrop, John, 1606-1676. cn; Winthrop, Fitz-John, 1638-1707; Winthrop, Wait Still, 1643-1717; Massachusetts Historical Society. ([Boston] : Massachusetts Historical Society, 1628) pp 323, 324.
10. ↑ Hempstead (N.Y.), Benjamin D. Hicks, and North Hempstead (N.Y. : Town). Records of the Towns of North And South Hempstead, Long Island, New York [1654-1880] Vol. 1. Jamaica, N.Y.: Long Island Farmer Print, 1896. Vol 1. p. 20, p. 116
11. ↑ Ullman citing O’Callaghan, ed., Documents Relative to the Colonial History of the State of New York Vol 14 (Albany: Weed Parsons & Co., 1883) 14: 492, 509
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} John Hopkins of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1634 and some of his Descendants. Stanford University Press, 1932. Page 44.
13. ↑ Selleck, Charles Melbourne. Norwalk. Norwalk, CT: The author, 1896. Page 365.
14. ↑ Calder, Isabel MacBeth. Passengers on the Hector, 1637-1638. In The New Haven Colony, New Haven CT: Yale University Press, 1934. Page 29-31.
15. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd. Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston, MD: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.

See also

• Hickok, Charles Nelson. The Hickok genealogy: descendants of William Hickoks of Farmington, Connecticut: with ancestry of Charles Nelson Hickok. Rutland, VT: The Tuttle Publishing Company, Inc., 1938. Page 385-387