Abraham Perkins (abt. 1603 - 1683)

Born about 1603 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 31 Aug 1683 at about age 80 in Hampton, Province of New Hampshire

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Abraham Perkins migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Origins

Abraham Perkins origins have not been definitively proved as no birth record exists for him. However, based on contemporary records, many believe that there is sufficient evidence to claim that he is the son of Isaac Perkins and was born in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Abraham's mother is probably Isaac's first wife, who is likely the Alice Perkins that was buried at Hillmorton in June 1603.^[1][2] In 1663, Abraham testified that he was aged 60,^[3][4] pointing to a birth date of 1603. A 1603 birth would make him the fifth and last child of Isaac and Alice. Some have hypothesized that Alice died during Abraham's birth.

Others believe Abraham was born later, the son of Isaac and his second wife, whose name is unknown but who might be the Alice Perkins who was called "widow of Isaac" in a 1639 Ipswich, Massachusetts deed.^[5] See more discussion of Abraham's parentage in the research notes, below.

Abraham's probable siblings, Isaac and Mary, are connected to their father by their baptism records in Hillmorton, Warwickshire.^[6][7] Evidence that Abraham was a brother of Isaac and Mary is found in Hampton, New Hampshire: in records, Abraham's son-in-law Giles Fifield called Mary's husband "uncle" and Mary's children "cousin", as did the children of Abraham's probable brother Isaac. Also of note, Mary named two of her sons Abraham and Isaac.

In England, Abraham received a good education, but it is not known where he studied. In New England, Abraham was described as being "superior in point of education to the most of his contemporaries, writing a beautiful hand, and was often employed as an appraiser of estates, etc."^[8]

Immigration to Ipswich

It is unknown exactly when or where Abraham arrived in New England, but it is thought that Isaac and Alice along with their children Abraham, Isaac and Mary (and possibly others), arrived in New England sometime about 1636. Isaac's nephew, John Perkins, son of his brother Henry, had been living in New England since 1630 and was one of the proprietors of Ipswich, Massachusetts. The Isaac Perkins family was in Ipswich by 1637, when Isaac Perkins was recorded as a proprietor there.^[1]

Abraham's [probable] father, Isaac, had died by 1639, when Alice Perkins was recorded as a widow on an Ipswich deed dated 15 June 1639.^[9]

Marriage

Abraham married by about 1637-1638 to Mary Wythe,^[10][11] daughter of Humphrey Wythe (aka Wyeth/Wise) and Susan Pakeman.^{[1][3][12][13]}

As the Hillmorton parish marriage registers for the years 1618-1639 do not appear to have a record of their marriage,^[14] and because Mary may have been living in New England as early as 1635, it is thought that the couple married in New England. About the same time, Abraham's brother Isaac married a woman named Susanna, whose last name is unknown (some give Susanna a LNAB of Wise or Wyeth without proof).

Hampton, New Hampshire Colony

The town of Hampton, in New Hampshire Colony, located about 20 miles north of Ipswich, was settled in 1638. The Perkins "brothers", Abraham and Isaac, were among the first families to settle there.^[15][16][17] Abraham and Isaac's sister, Mary, who married Henry Green, also settled at Hampton.

By about 1638/9, Abraham had settled on the north edge of the Meeting House Green, in the area now known as "Old Town" Hampton.^[18] The town assigned adjoining 5-acre house lots to Abraham and his brother Isaac.

On 26 March 1639, after the death of his wife Mary's father, Humphrey Wythe, the Ipswich, Massachusetts court ordered that Mary's brother, Benjamin Wythe be apprenticed to Abraham Perkins of Hampton for a term of seven years, with an effective date of 20 September 1638.^[12]

Abraham was made freeman on 13 (or 31) May 1640.^[3][10][16] On 14 January 1640, the town granted Abraham 80 acres of land,^[19] and later, three shares in the commons^[1][20][21] on 23 February 1645/6.^[19]

On 10 May 1648, Abraham and his brother-in-law Henry Green were given a grant of 21 acres of upland near the Falls, ten acres of salt marsh, five acres of fresh marsh and two shares commonage in consideration of their building a water mill (Henry Green purchased Abraham's half of this land a few years later for £30).^[19] In 1651 and later years, Abraham held an ordinary licence and in 1665 he was licensed to still and sell by the quart.^[1][3] He was often involved in town business and he was marshal in 1653-4,^[20][22] clerk of the market in 1650, constable and committee member in 1651, and a juror and grand juror (foreman 1676-7, 1679).^[3] On 18 September 1671, Abraham and Isaac Perkins and their wives were in full communion in the church in Hampton.

Children

Abraham and Mary were the parents of a large family of thirteen children,^[3][20][23] all of whom were born in Hampton:^[1][10][21]

1. Mary,^[10][15] baptized 15 December 1639,^[24] married Giles Fifield^[21] and removed to Charlestown, Massachusetts^[17]
2. Abraham,^[15] baptized 15 December 1639 with his sister Mary;^[24] killed by Indians 13 June 1677; married Elizabeth Sleeper^[21] and had issue^[10][17]
3. Luke, born c. 1640/41;^[15][23] married Hannah (Long) Cookery^[21] and had children;^[10][20] Luke died 20 March 1709/10 in Charlestown, Massachusetts^[3][16]
4. Humphrey (1st), born 22/23 January 1642, died young^[3][10][15]
5. James (1st), born 11 April 1644,^[23] died young^[10][15]
6. Timothy (1st), born July 1646, died young^[3][10][15]
7. James, born 5 October 1647;^[15][23] married first Mary ___ , married second Leah Cox, had issue with both wives; his will dated 8 May 1723 was proved 9 December 1731^[10][17]
8. Jonathan, born 30 May 1650;^[15][23] married Sarah ___, had two children; died December 1687^[10] or 20 or 24 January 1689^[17]
9. David, born 1653[/4?];^[10][15][23] married first Elizabeth _____ and had children; resided in Bridgewater; he died 1 October 1736^[3] after marrying second to Martha Howard^[20]
10. Abigail, born 12 April 1655;^[24] married to John Folsom^[10][15]
11. Timothy (2nd), born 29 June 1657,^[15][24] died 27 June 1660^[1][21]
12. Sarah, born 26 July 1659;^[10][24] was living in 1683;^[15][17] but likely died unmarried soon after that time^[1]
13. Humphrey, born 17 May 1661;^[15][24] died 1712; had children with wife Martha^[10] Moulton^[17]

Witchcraft

Abraham was involved in at least two witchcraft prosecutions:

1. In April 1673, Abraham and his wife, Mary, gave testimony against Eunice Cole which helped to indict Eunice on charges related to witchcraft, for which she was jailed until trial. Abraham Perkins Senior deposed on 5 September 1673, aged 60 [Suffolk Co. MA, Court Files, 13:1228 - needs to be verified]. His wife was also deposed in this case. Eunice was found not legally guilty, but suspicious. Eunice was jailed again for witchcraft in 1680, but the Perkins family wasn't involved.^[4]
2. In July 1680, Abraham Perkins was on the Jury of Inquest that examined the child of John Godfrey, aged about one year, who died of an illness that was unrecognizable to the "crones" who attended the child. The jury found grounds to suspect the child was murdered by witchcraft and Rachel Fuller was prosecuted for witchcraft.^[25]

Death, Will and Probate

Abraham died on 31 August 1683^[3][15][16] in Hampton, New Hampshire.^[1][22] The will of Abraham Perkins of Hampton was signed on 22 August 1683 and was proved 18 September 1683.^{[10][15][16][21]} The will was witnessed by Seaborn Cotton and John Tucke. Abraham's sons, Jonathan and Humphrey Perkins, inventoried their father's estate on 4 October 1683 and they attested to its value, ‎£361 2s 6d, on 5 October 1683.^[26]

Abraham left almost everything to his sons, Jonathan and Humphrey, with one important stipulation: that they "carefully provide comfortable relief for their mother" and also provide her with: firewood, grain, meat, help caring for livestock, etc. His will directed that if his sons neglected their duty to their mother, then his estate would be divided in thirds, with one-third going directly to his wife/their mother. Abraham left the following specific bequests in his will:^[26]

1. To his beloved wife (no name given), during her life, the use of the new end of the house and use of the back house; two cows and their increase; all household stuffs except military, carpentry and husbandry implements; four sheep and 1/3 of the apples harvested from their orchard
2. To sons Jonathan and Humphrey, to be divided equally between them, all his land (except #3 and #4, below) and all his cattle (except the two mentioned above), and all his carpentry, military and husbandry implements
3. To son Jonathan, the 4-5 acre lot lying between Abraham's old house and the street on which Jonathan resided
4. To son Humphrey, the family home, including all outbuildings, orchards and 10 acre lot on which they sat. Because Humphrey received more property than Jonathan in their individual bequests, Abraham directed that Humphrey alone pay the entire bequest to Sarah (#5)
5. to daughter Sarah, Humphrey was directed to pay ‎£20 within four years of Abraham's death

Abraham directed the following six legacies (totaling ‎£20 10 s.) to be paid equally by sons, Jonathan and Humphrey, ‎£5 each year in the order given:^[26]

• to granddaughter, Mary Fifield (daughter of his daughter Mary), who resided with Abraham, £5
• to daughter, Abigail, ‎£5
• to son James, ‎£5
• to grandson, John Perkins (son of Luke?), ‎£5
• to son David, and
• to son Luke, 5 shillings each, as they had already received their share prior to Abraham making his will.

Abraham's widow, Mary, lived many years after losing her husband. She died 29 May 1706, aged 88 years.^[13][15]

Research Notes

Date of Birth/Baptism and Parents Not Proved

Unfortunately, Hillmorton Parish records do not appear to hold any record of Abraham Perkins, and no other documents have been found (i.e. wills, deeds, etc.) that connect Abraham to his [possible] parents, Isaac and Alice Perkins or to his [probable] brother, Isaac.

It is thought that Isaac Perkins of Hillmorton, Warwickshire and of Ipswich, Massachusetts, was twice married to women named Alice (both women having unknown LNABs). The Alice Perkins buried at Hillmorton in June 1603 is presumed to be Isaac's first wife^[1] and the Alice Perkins called "widow of Isaac" in a 15 June 1639 Ipswich, Massachusetts deed^[5] is thought to be Isaac's second wife; however, no record of either of Isaac's marriages was found in the Hillmorton marriage registers (1618-1639).

With no primary sources found, we're left to speculate about Abraham's parents and birth year and place, some ideas are included on THIS PAGE. However, the most reasonable assumption is that Isaac Perkins-50 is Abraham's father and that Isaac Perkins-602 is his brother (or half brother).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9} Mortensen, Paula Perkins. English Origin of Six Early Colonists by the Name of Perkins. Baltimore MD: Gateway Press, Inc., 1998, pp. 7-9. Accessed online at LDS.org.
2. ↑ Perkins, D. W. Perkins Families in the United States in 1790. Utica NY: D.W. Perkins, 1911, p. 33-35. Archive.org.
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10} Noyes, Sybil, et al. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire. Baltimore, MD: The Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1979, pp. 541-542. Ancestry Sharing Link (free access); Image ($).
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Hall, David D., Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England, A Documentary History, 1638-1692, 1991.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} The Essex Antiquarian, Vol. 8, p. 2. Accessed online at HathiTrust.org: Ipswich Court Records and Files (deed abs.).
6. ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, (FamilySearch.org: 14 September 2022), Isaacke Perkins, 26 Jan 1611; Christening, Warwick County Record Office, England.
7. ↑ "England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963," database with images, (FamilySearch.org: 14 September 2022), Mary Pyrkins, 16 Sep 1621; Christening, Warwick County Record Office, England.
8. ↑ Hazlett, Charles Albert. History of Rockingham County, New Hampshire, and Representative Citizens. Chicago, IL: Richmond-Arnold Pub. Co., 1915, ch. 34, p. 443. OpenLibrary.org.
9. ↑ "Ipswich Court Records and Files" in The Essex Antiquarian, Vol. 8. Salem, MA: Essex Antiquarian, Jan. 1904, p. 2. HathiTrust.org.
10. ↑ ^{10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15} Savage, James, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Vol. 3. Boston MA: Little Brown & Co., 1860, pp. 394-398. Archive.org.
11. ↑ Torrey, Clarence A. New England Marriages to 1700. Vol. II. Boston, MA: NEHGS, 2015, p. 1165. AmericanAncestors.org($).
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII, T-Y. Boston: NEHGS, 2011, pp. 548-555. AmericanAncestors.org($): profile of Humphrey Wythe.
13. ↑ ^{13.0 13.1} Stott, Clifford. "English Ancestry of Humphrey and Susan (Pakeman) Wythe of Ipswich Massachusetts" in The American Genealogist. Vol. 68. New Haven, CT: Nathaniel Lane Taylor, Oct. 1993, p. 220. AmericanAncestors.org($)
14. ↑ "Warwickshire, England, Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812." Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Warwickshire County Record Office. Roll: Engl/2/1143; DR 256. Images of Hillmorton Parish records: Hillmorton Marriages 1618-1639.
15. ↑ ^{15.00 15.01 15.02 15.03 15.04 15.05 15.06 15.07 15.08 15.09 15.10 15.11 15.12 15.13 15.14 15.15 15.16} Porter, Joseph W. "An Account of Part of the Family of Abraham Perkins of Hampton, NH, who Lived in Plymouth Co., MA," in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Boston, MA: NEHGS, Jan 1896, Vol. 50, pages 34-35. American Ancestors.org($).
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4} Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1914, p. 824. Archive.org.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6} Brown, Asa W. "Perkins Family of Hampton, N.H." in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 12, Jan 1858, p. 79. Archive.org.
18. ↑ Hampton Historical Society: Map of Old Town Hampton c.1638.
19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1 19.2} Dow, Joseph. History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire, from its Settlement in 1638 to the Autumn of 1892. Vol. 1. Salem MA: L. E. Dow, 1893, p. 18. GoogleBooks.com.
20. ↑ ^{20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 20.4} Dow, Joseph. History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire, from its Settlement in 1638 to the Autumn of 1892. Vol. 2. Salem MA: L. E. Dow, 1893, pp. 707, 908-910. Archive.org.
21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 21.6} Holman, Mary Lovering. Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury. Vol. 2. Concord, N.H.: Rumford Press, 1938, p. 338-341. Ancestry.com, also available to check out at Archive.org (waitlist).
22. ↑ ^{22.0 22.1} Little, George Thomas. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1909, pp. 516-517. Archive.org.
23. ↑ ^{23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 23.5} Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial. Vol. 3. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1914, p. 1306. Archive.org.
24. ↑ ^{24.0 24.1 24.2 24.3 24.4 24.5} Sanborn, George Freeman, Jr., et al. Vital Records of Hampton, New Hampshire: to the end of the year 1900. Vol. 1. Boston MA: NEHGS, 1992, p. 3, 89, 91-92, 549. AmericanAncestors.org($).
25. ↑ Drake, Samuel G. The Annals of Witchcraft in New England: Rachel Fuller and Isabella Towle. 1869.
26. ↑ ^{26.0 26.1 26.2} Batchellor, Albert Stillman, ed. Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire 1635-1740. Vol. 1: State Papers Series, Vol. 31. Concord, NH: Rumford Printing Co., 1907, pp. 263-265. Ancestry.com: abstracted will.

See also:

• "Hampton Town Records" in The New Hampshire Genealogical Record, Vol. 2. Dover, N.H.: George W. Tibbetts, 1905, pp. 81-86. Archive.org (children's births).
• Scales, John, Piscataqua Pioneers, 1623-1775. Dover, NH: Press of C. F. Whitehouse, 1919, p. 154. Archive.org.
• Dow, Robert Piercy. The Book of Dow: Genealogical Memoirs of the Descendants of Henry Dow, 1637, Thomas Dow, 1639. Claremont, NH: R.P. Dow, 1929, p. 221. Ancestry.com.
• Perkins, Carolyn C. Descendants of Abraham Perkins of Hampton, N.H., to the Eighth Generation. Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall Publisher, 1993. GoogleBooks.com (not available online).

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Ron Perkins for providing research from Myrtle Stevens Hyde, FASG.