Richard Wodhull (1620 - 1690)

Born 13 Sep 1620 in Thenford, Northamptonshire, England

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 17 Oct 1690 at age 70 in Setauket, Suffolk, New York Colony

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Ron Lamoreaux [send private message]

Biography

Richard Woodhull, Sr.

Birth

13 Sep 1620 Thenford, Northamptonshire, England^[1]

Baptism

13 Sep 1621 Mollington, Oxfordshire, England^[2]

Marriage

Married Deborah (possibly Crewe) or, or Dorothy (possibly Howell). From the Woodhull Genealogy:

It is strongly believed by some that Richard Wodhull I., married Deborah Crewe. According to Dr. Samuel Johnson, first President King's College, in a letter to his son in the year 1757, Richard Wodhull II., was "cousin german [first cousin] by his mother, to Lord Crewe, father of the Bishop of Durham, whose niece was mother to the present Earl of Walgrave or Waldgrave."^[3]

The argument in favor of Deborah seems to be family tradition, the Woodhull Genealogy, and letters showing a kinship linkage between the Crewe and Woodhull families. Unfortunately, the Woodhull Genealogy made errors in the identities of the wives of Richard II and Richard III, his son and grandson, thus calling into question its interpretation of the identity of Richard's wife.

The argument in favor of Dorothy is that Richard and Dorothy Woodhull signed as witnesses to an Indian quitclaim document in Brookhaven. Also, the Howell family had a daughter named Dorothy who is unaccounted for. The Howells had a similar social status and friendship with the Woodhulls.

The Woodhull Genealogy says that their first daughter was named Deborah;^[4] other sources have named the first daughter as Dorothy. Finding out the daughter's identity might help identify Richard's wife.

Children

1. Jemima (ca 1648-ca 1686), married David Halsey, then John Larison
2. Richard II
3. Nathaniel
4. Deborah [or Dorothy?]
5. Ann
6. Ruth

Arrival

1648 Long Island City, Queens, New York. ^[5]

Death

17 Oct 1690 Setauket, Suffolk, New York. ^[6]

The graves of Richard Woodhull Jr. and Sr. are located in Setauket's old burying ground, adjacent to the Presbyterian church. A memorial stone covers both their graves after the original markers were destroyed. Here is the inscription on the stone:^[7]

Richard Woodhull, born in Thenford, Eng., 1620; settled in Setauket 1656, Died Oct. 17, 1690. Every inch a nobleman.

Richard, 2nd. Born 1649 Died 1699. A genuine son of his father.

The tombs of these men destroyed by British soldiers in 1777. A reverent son restores in 1901.

Research Notes

This Richard Wodhull has been identified by later researchers as the same with the Richard Oodell who was the signer of the agreement for a new settlement between Lt. Daniel Howe and associates at Lynn, Massachusetts, dated 10 MAR 1639/40. ^[8]

The Woodull Genealogy does not mention Jemima. See her profile for the records supporting her identification as a daughter of Richard.

Sources

1. ↑ U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.Original data - Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls. [1]
2. ↑ http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/new-england-historical-and-genealogical-register/image/?pageName=147&volumeId=11633&rId=241336080
3. ↑ Woodhull Genealogy, p. 43.
4. ↑ Woodhull Genealogy, p. 53.
5. ↑ Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s Author: Gale Research Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc, 2010.Original data - Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s. Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2010.
6. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (accessed 12 March 2021), memorial page for Richard Lawrence Woodhull I (13 Sep 1620–17 Oct 1690), Find A Grave: Memorial #16222532, citing Setauket Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Setauket, Suffolk County, New York, USA ; Maintained by a2 (contributor 46812011).
7. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110615125438/http://www.longwood.k12.ny.us/history/midisl/bayles%20stories/Book%202/Interesting%20Gravestones%20in%20Brookhaven%20Town.htm
8. ↑ The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Volume 13, New York City, NY, 1882, p. 190. [2]

• http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/american-genealogist-the/image/?pageName=14&volumeId=12344

• Woodhull History in Long Island Genealogy.

• England & Wales Christening Records, 1530-1906 Author: Ancestry.com Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.Original data - Genealogical Society of Utah. British Isles Vital Records Index, 2nd Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Intellectual Reserve, copyright 2002. Used by permission. [3]

• Selleck, Lillian. One Branch of the Miner Family D. L. Jacobus in New Haven, Connecticut, 1928, p. 210. [4]

• Hoff, Henry B., Further Clues to Richard Woodhull's Ancestery, The American Genealogist (The American Genealogist, Barrington, RI, 1976) Vol. 52, p. 16. [5]

• Pelletreau, William. Records of the Town of Smithtown, Long Island, N.Y. (1898) p. 9. [6]