Nehemiah Royce (abt. 1637 - 1706)

Born about 30 May 1637 in Lincolnshire, England [uncertain]

Husband of Hannah (Morgan) Royce — married 20 Nov 1660 in New London, New London, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 1 Nov 1706 at about age 69 in Wallingford, New Haven, Connecticut

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Biography

This person is an ancestor of President Millard Fillmore ^[1]

Nehemiah Royce, son of Robert Royce and Mary, was born about 1636 in England. There is a good possibility that he is Nehemiah Royse christened 30 May 1637 at Saint Michael, Stamford, Lincoln, England. s/o Robert & Mary ^[2] See his father's profile for information. Some researchers believe he was born in Somerset England, based on the fact that he may be the son of Robert & Mary Sims.

http://familysearch.org/v1/LifeSketch Nehemiah Royce (1636-1676) was christened on 30 May 1637 at St Michael the Greater Anglican Church, Stamford, Lincolnshire, England., the son of Robert Royce (c 1606-1676) and Mary Jackson. (There was only one Nehemiah Royce in all of England, coincidentally christened 1637, whose parents coincidentally are named Robert and Mary.

Nehemiah Royce (shoemaker) was in Wallingford with his wife Hannah, among the first settlers. ^[3] His name appears on a passenger list as arriving in Connecticut, no date was found. ^[4]

He married Hannah Morgan in 1660.

Hannah Morgan d. James married Nehemyah Royce s. of Robert, 20 Nov 1660 in New London.^[5]

She was born on July 18, 1642 at Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts and died on 12 December 1706 at Wallingford, New Haven County, Connecticut. She was the daughter of James Morgan and Margery Hill. Royce, a carpenter, joiner and blacksmith by trade, was one of Wallingford's original 38 proprietors authorized by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1667 to purchase land from Mantowese and Sunk Squa, daughter of the Great Sachem of the Quinnipiacs. On May 12, 1670, Wallingford was incorporated and about 126 people settled in the town. On May 11, 1693 Royce was elected deputy representing Wallingford to the Court of the Connecticut Colony.

Nehemiah is one of the 13 Pillars, founders of the First Congregational Church in Wallingford CT, in 1675. He received a home lot from his father at New London Feb. 7, 1662 which was formerly owned by James Morgan. He is the original owner of the home at Main St. in Wallingford CT which he built in 1672. The House plaque reads: Nehemiah Royce House - 1672s settled, overlooking "Dog's Misery". When General Washington came to Wallingford in 1775 he said farewell in front of this house. Wallingford was the 19th settlement in Connecticut and Royce one of it's original proprietors on whose behalf the land was purchased from Mantowese and Sunk Squa, daughter of the Great Sachem of the Quinnipiacse Indians, the wolves and bears, and the French, the Dutch and the Devil."

Helen Royce and her sister Lucy saved the house from destruction and had it moved in the late 1920's. It was moved from it's original location opposite the site of the "Washington Elm". After the house was given to the Society for Preservation of New England Antiquities, it was turned over to The Choate School Foundation in 1962, it's present restoration to fine condition was done by the Choate School now the owner. In 1999 it was transferred to the Wallingford Preservation Society.^[6]

Children listed are:

Joseph b. ca. 1663, d. 19 Mar 1707 m. 1 Oct 1684 Mary Porter

Mary (Mercy) b. 12 Aug 1663 d. 4 Feb 1675

Joanna b. ca. 1670 d. before July 1689 m. before 1688 Walter Johnson (Wouter Jansen)

Margery b. ? d. 12 Sep 1683

Mary b. 12 Aug 1675 d. ? m. ca. 1702 Samuel Lewis

Esther b. 15 Oct 1677 d. after 1731 m. 23 Nov 1698 John Bull:

Lydia b. 28 May 1680 d. between 1747 and 1751 m. 20 Jan 1703/4 Daniel Messinger

Nehemiah b. 18 Mar 1682/3 d. 3 Nov 1725 m. 9 Feb 1709/10 Kezia Hall

He died Nov. 7, 1706, ae. 72 years. He was the original owner of the James Rice place at the head of Main St., in Wallingford." ^[7] Burial (7 November 1706) Center Street Cemetery Wallingford New Haven Connecticut, United States Record added: Sep 08, 2005 www.Find A Grave Memorial# 11711015

research notes

There is some confusion between. Nehemiah and his brother Nathaniel’s wives in the Davis book. Apparently Nehemiah only married once.

Nathaniel Royce married Esther, Oct. 27, 1673. She died June 19, 1677. He was married to Sarah Lathrop by Mr. Moss, April 21, 1681. She died Nov. 11, 1706. He then married Hannah Farnham, Aug. 24, 1707. She died Feb. 6, 1708, and he married Abigail Hoyt, Aug. 25, 1708. She died and he married Phebe Clark, Dec. 27, 1720. He died Feb. 8, 1736; was by trade, a carpenter and joiner and blacksmith in 1687. Esther and Nathaniel's 2nd child was born May 6, 1677.

Notice that allegedly Hannah and Esther died on the same day. But the town record says very clearly that Hannah. wid. Neamiah died 12 Dec 1706 in Wallingford, CT. [3] and that Esther w. of Nath'll died June 19, 1677 [3]. Nathaniel went on to have other children by other wives, where as the town records continue to record children to Nehemiah and Hannah. As a matter of record they name their next daughter born in Oct 1699 Esther [3]

Sources

1. ↑ Roberts, Gary Boyd; Ancestors of American Presidents
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N26T-9P2 : accessed 04 May 2014), Nehemiah Royse, 30 May 1637; citing SAINT MICHAEL, STAMFORD, LINCOLN, ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 1450475 IT 2.
3. ↑ Davis, Charles Henry Stanley. History Of Wallingford, Conn. From Its Settlement in 1670 to the present Time, Including MERIDEN, Which Was One Of Its Parishes Until 1806, And CHESHIRE, Which Was Incorporated in 1780. Meriden, Conn.: By the Author, 1870. page 891.
4. ↑ Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012.
5. ↑ White, Lorraine Cook, ed. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. Vol. 1-55. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1994-2002.
6. ↑ Rods, Alvin Lee. The Royce Family in America. 2005
7. ↑ Davis, Charles Henry Stanley. History Of Wallingford, Conn. From Its Settlement in 1670 to the present Time, Including MERIDEN, Which Was One Of Its Parishes Until 1806, And CHESHIRE, Which Was Incorporated in 1780. Meriden, Conn.: By the Author, 1870. page 891.

• FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org : modified 21 October 2017, 05:24), entry for Nehemiah Royce(PID https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/4:1:MB2H-CJ9); contributed by various users.

• Roberts, Gary Boyd; Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.

• The Royce family in America by Alvin Lee Rhods - May 2005 Edition. Added by Quall-1

• Nehemiah Royce House-Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nehemiah_Royce_House

• There is a Find A Grave: Memorial #11711015 at Center Street Cemetery. It contains errors. There was no stone legible at the time of the Hale Collection of Cemetery Inscriptions (ie 1930's)