Christopher Todd (bef. 1617 - bef. 1686)

Born before 12 Jan 1617 in Pontefract, Yorkshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 23 Apr 1686 at about age 69 in New Haven, Connecticut Colony, New England

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Anne B [send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], and Alyson Dossett [send private message]

Christopher Todd migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 228) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Baptized: Christopher Todd, son of William, was baptized Jan 12, 1617, at Pontefract Parish, Yorkshire, England.^[1][2] This date is occasionally seen as the 11th of Jan 1617 (starting at Jacobus) and sometimes as 1611. William's wife and Christopher's mother was Katherine Ward(e).

Married: Christopher married Grace Middlebrook.^[3]

Died: He died April 23, 1686, in New Haven, Connecticut Colony.^[4] His inventory was taken April 23, 1686.

Savage's Genealogical Dictionary says that Christopher was one of the original settlers of New Haven, Connecticut.^[5] It is said by John Todd in his “Todd Family...” that the family arrived on the “Hector” with John Davenport. However, it is believed by some researchers that he was not a first “comer” to New Haven. He was in New Haven early enough to sign the New Haven Fundamental Agreement (of 1639), but his signature is after the initial sixty-three signers.^[6] He was definitely in New Haven by 1641 when he received a land grant.^[7] In 1644, he took the oath of fidelity.^[8]

Christopher received town land grants in 1641 and 1643,^[9] and later in 1680 he was granted 60 acres, had a household of three heads and an estate worth £240.^[10] He acquired lots of parcels of land, a home lot, a house, a barn and at least one mill. ^[11][12]

He served the town as fenceviewer five years between 1645 and 1669.^[13][14][15] He was elected constable for the year in Feb 1665/6.^[16]

In 1646 he was assigned a side seat in the meeting house, his wife’s seat was in the middle.^[17] In Feb 1655/6 his status had improved and he was assigned to the long seats in the middle, as was his wife. ^[18] In the 1668 seating he had moved up one row, but probably only because he had gotten older and people in front had died.^[19]

In 17th Century New Haven there wasn’t a local grocery. In order to get a loaf of bread, you had to plant the grains, harvest them, have them ground into meal or flour, and then make dough and bake it yourself. Probably the husband of the family planted the grains and harvested them and the wife made the dough and baked, but the mill and the miller in the middle was an essential step, unless you yourself wanted to spend all your time grinding by hand.

In 1663, Christopher Todd became part owner of the grist mill, where grains were taken and ground into meal of various consistencies. The town records call the grain “corne” as a catchall term. What we know as corn today, they called indian corn.

The previous mill had recently burned and the town was concerned with having a new mill speedily built. The town had to approve of Christopher Todd as part owner and then they drew up a “contract” with the owners of the mill.

Contract Highlights:

The town gave to the owners use of the stream and the land where the previous mill stood, also the dams, timber, iron works and whatever was left of the old mill that belonged to the town. They were allowed to carry earth, cut timber and take stones (for the building and later repairs) from any town lands, that were not someone else’s property. They were given permission to compel workmen etc. that they need to work rebuilding and repairing the mill because of it’s great benefit to the town. The owners had to pay the workers, and the workers were required by law to work. Todd and his partner were granted money from the treasury to speed along the process , and they were granted land nearby for the miller to live. No other public mills would be allowed unless agreed to by the current owners and the town.

Christopher Todd and William Bradley his partner on their part agreed to build a mill or mills sufficient for the grinding of the town’s corn. They would keep the mill, dam and floodgates, etc. repaired and running. They would also maintain a storage place for corn and meal to keep it safe from loss and damage. The owners provided the miller, and if they failed to do so, the town would find one. The town set the cost to grind of two quarts from every bushel of grain (1/16 of a bushel). Finally if Todd and Bradley decided to sell, they must give the town first refusal and only accepted Town planters could be future owners.

Christopher did quite well as the mill owner and Todd’s Mill was a success. He made some improvements over the years: changing from undershot (the water flows beneath the wheel) to breast wheels (the water comes from higher on the wheel). He moved the mill to a better location and raised the height of the dam.

In 1674, the mill burned again and Christopher, now full owner, went through the process of renegotiating with the town. He asked for a larger cut (1/12 of a bushel) and was refused. They also refused to grant him money from the town treasury to help speed the process, but they did ask for volunteers to give something, which some did. The town reiterated that towns people were to bring their grain to the town mill and not some other mill.^[20]

Thomas Wheeler's cows ate 10 bushels of turnips, belonging to Christopher.^[21] Another time pigs ate a large quantity of his corn.^[22] All of which is why the job of fenceviewer, although tedious was so important.

He received a fine from the town “for not bringing their waights & measures to be tried upon the day appoynted.”^[23] He was called to the Governor’s office for having “put cattell into the quarter contrary to Order.”^[24] He was absent from Trayning for a halfe day. Mr Atwater said he had sent Todd to carry goods to a vessel, and Mr Atwater paid the fine.^[25] Again he was absent but the court accepted his excuse as valid.^[26]

In court, Samuel Hodgkins declared that Christopher Todd slandered him, by reporting that Samuel had taken four bushels of malt, when he claimed to have taken only two. After various testimonies, Hodgkins said that he had “forgotten” the other two barrels and Todd was exonerated.^[27]

Christopher Todd complained that Cornelius Williams stole meal from his bake house, which Williams eventually admitted to and had to pay it back double and pay the court cost. ^[28]

In 1667, Christopher Todd and a partner, co-owners of a vessel, sued for damages to a barrel of rum, which was broken. They won the case.^[29]

No town runs without committees. Christopher served on several: about what to do with the pigs running loose in the meadows;^[30] regarding repairs to the meeting house;^[31] to collect debts owed to the town;^[32] to help settle an estate;^[33] and a fence committee.^[34]

In 1658, New Haven wished to build a passage for water from the dam to the town. It was going through the land of several persons. Chris Todd and others agreed. Mr Tuttill objected because it was going right through his home lot, but the town agreed to pay him for the trouble. ^[35]

Will
Christopher Tod made a will 25 Mar 1686. He made bequests to his wife Grace, to sons John, Samuel and Michael, to daughter Mercy Bassett, to daughter Grace, whose husband had deserted her, to Richard Mattocke, husband of Grace (£5 to satisfy any claim he might make), and to the three children of his deceased daughter Mary, late wife of Isaac Turner. James Bishop and Maj. John Nash were named overseers. An inventory valued at £989. 03. 08. was taken 23 April 1686. The mill and bake house were valued at £110.^[36][37]

Children of Christopher Todd and Grace (Middlebrook) Todd

1. John Todd, bpt. Dec 2, 1642.^[38]
2. Samuel Todd, bpt. Apr 20, 1645.^[38]
3. Mary Todd, bpt. Sept 16, 1647.^[38]
4. Grace Todd, born about Dec 15, 1650.^[39]. The town record actually says born about...
5. Michael Todd born June 18, 1653.^[39]
6. Mercy Todd born Feb 1655.^[39]. Birth record has Mary, but baptized as Mercy.

Sources

1. ↑ Todd: p 16. Cites: Extracts from the register of the Parish Church, Pontefract, West Riding, Yorkshire, England.
2. ↑ Willis
3. ↑ Todd: pg 19
4. ↑ Todd: pg 19
5. ↑ Savage
6. ↑ Hoadly: p. 18
7. ↑ Great Migration Newsletter, Vol 13 p. 20. Citing NHCR 1:50 (Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2018.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB1567/i/21157/20/426834778
8. ↑ Hoadly: p. 138
9. ↑ Hoadly: p. 50, 94
10. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 405.
11. ↑ Hoadly: pp 338, 430, 450, .
12. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 1, p 57, 111.
13. ↑ Hoadly: p. 228.
14. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 1, pp 187,188, 241
15. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, pp 86, 249 .
16. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 171,174
17. ↑ Hoadly: p. 303.
18. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 1, p 92.
19. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 219 .
20. ↑ Dexter: Vol.. 2, pp 58, 138-9, 156-7, 166-8, 296, 298-9, 303, 327-30, 379, 393, 402.
21. ↑ Dexter: In 1650. Vol. 1, p 46.
22. ↑ Dexter: In 1653. Vol. 1, p 198.
23. ↑ Hoadly: In 1647. p. 429.
24. ↑ Dexter: In 1650. Vol. 1, p 47.
25. ↑ Dexter: In 1651. Vol. 1, pp 81, 82.
26. ↑ Dexter: In 1659. Vol. 1, p 404.
27. ↑ Dexter: In 1658. Vol. 1, p 351.
28. ↑ Dexter: Jan. 1665. Vol. 2, p 135.
29. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 206, 207.
30. ↑ Dexter: In 1651. Vol. 2, p 92.
31. ↑ Dexter: In 1659. Vol. 1, pp 431-433.
32. ↑ Dexter: In 1661. Vol. 1, p 489.
33. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 59.
34. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 62, 141.
35. ↑ Dexter: Vol. 2, p 353-358.
36. ↑ “New Haven Probate Records, Vol. 1-2, 1647-1703”, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L92K-G9NL-7 : 8 March 2021), New Haven, Connecticut, FHL microfilm 007626739, image 125-126. New Haven Probate Record, 1647-1687, Vol. 1, Part 1, page 211-212.
37. ↑ "Early Probate Records of New Haven." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 81:133 (1927)
38. ↑ ^{38.0 38.1 38.2} ”Baptisms in New Haven, Conn. New England Historical and Genealogical Record 9: 363. Boston: NEHGS, 1855.
39. ↑ ^{39.0 39.1 39.2} Vital Records of New Haven 1649-1850 Part I. Hartford: The Connecticut Society of the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America, 1917. Grace p. 6; Michael p. 9; Mary bpt as Mercy p. 12.

• Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1860-1862) Vol. I-IV.
• Todd, John. The Todd Family in America (Gazette Printing Co., Northampton, Mass, 1920) Although not the oldest compiled genealogy, George Todd in his introduction, states that he has leaned heavily on the documentation gathered by John Edward Todd of New Haven and Nash in the older "Fifty Puritans..." quotes John Edward Todd as her source also. Page 19
• Dexter, Franklin Bowditch. ed.,Ancient Town Records, New Haven Town Records, 1649-1769 (New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, 1917-1962)
• Hoadly, Charles. Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven (Case, Tiffany and Co., 1857)
• Willis, Thomas B., "The Parish Register of Pontefract 1585-1641", The Publications of the Yorkshire Parish Register Society (Yorkshire Parish Register Society, 1958) Vol. 122
• Oakes, Rensselaer. Genealogical and Family History of the County of Jefferson, New York (Higginson Book Company, Jefferson County, N.Y., 1905)
• Nash, Elizabeth Todd. Fifty Puritan Ancestors, 1628-1660 (Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Co., New Haven, 1902)
• The Publications of the Yorkshire Parish Register Society (Yorkshire Parish Register Society, 1899-)
• Find A Grave memorial #38393091, buried in Center Church on the Green, New Haven CT, but no tombstone remains. Note: There is no proof that the Todd's were buried here, only an assumption because it was the common burial ground in New Haven at the time of their death. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/38393091/christopher-william-todd
• Dickerman, George Sherwood. The Old Mount Carmel Parish (Yale Univ. Press, New Haven, 1925) Page 65