Samuel Walcott (abt. 1630 - 1687)

Born about 1630 in Plymouth, Devon, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 1687 at about age 57 in Tinton Falls, Monmouth, New Jersey

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Biography

The fifth Wolcott family to come to America was that of Samuel Wolcott of Shrewsbury NJ, who emigrated to America in 1660. He was probably the Samuel, son of Samuel Wolcott, who was bapt. at Plymouth, Devonshire, in 1630, the same year that Henry Wolcott, the immigrant left that port en route to America. This is the only Samuel of the right age known to have been in England. The elder Samuel m. Charity Bake 1627 at Plymouth, and had Phillip, b. 1628, Samuel b. 1630, and Hannah b. 1632.

The current Wolcott/Walcott DNA project indicates that Samuel was closely related to Henry Wolcott, the immigrant, but the exact relationship is as yet undetermined. Further information about this can be found at http://www.wolcottfamily.com/dna.html. Considerable research on this family was done by Michael Raymond Wolcott of Brooklyn NY.

(1) Samuel Wolcott, b.1630 Plymouth, Devon, d. 1687 Tinton Falls NJ; arrived in America in 1660 as an indentured servant of John Templeton, mariner. ^[1] Most indentures for passage to America were for four years, at the conclusion of which Samuel would have been at liberty to settle wherever he wished. In 1664, the year in which Samuel's indenture would have been completed, the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the British and the colony of New York was established. This was divided in 1665, and New Jersey was established as a separate colony. In 1676, the New Jersey colony was divided into East Jersey, which included Shrewsbury, and West Jersey, which included Burlington, with West Jersey being given to the Quakers. In 1677, a warrant for survey of lands in East Jersey included the name of Samuel Wilcott, so he had settled there by that date. A land grant document dated 1688 refers to "Saml Willcott of Shroesbury for 160 acres there bounded E. by Stephen Williams, N. by Neversinks River, W. by unsurveyed land, S. by Col. Morris formerly Saml Leonard; 2 acres of meadow bounded S.W. by John Hanse, S.E. by the head of small creek, N.E. by Edmonds Lafetera, N.W. by uplands; 4 acres meadow on Raccoon Island bounded S.W. by Gideon Freebourne, N.W. by river, N.E. by unsurveyed meadow, S.E. by Shroesbury River." This land must have been acquired by Samuel earlier, as the document is dated after his death.

Samuel's will, dated and proved 1687, bequeaths unto his "sons" Edward Williams and Nathaniel Wolcott all his lands and goods to be equally divided between them and provides that Edward be reembursed for money he paid out for Samuel and for his land. Because Edward Williams is referred to as Samuel's son, it has been assumed that Samuel married a widow named Williams and that Edward was his step-son. In is equally likely that Edward may have been Samuel's son-in-law. Edward's wife was named Mary, but her surname is unknown. Samuel is also thought to have been the father of Peter Wolcott, who was living as a Quaker at Burlington NJ in 1686. Peter was not mentioned in Samuel's will, and there is no indication that Samuel was a Quaker, so Samuel may have disowned Peter because of Peter's religious beliefs. The relationship of Peter to Samuel has not been proven.^[2]

Baptism

Name Samuel Wolcot

Gender Male

Baptism Date 24 Mar 1630

Baptism Place Saint Andrew,Plymouth,Devon,England

Father Samuel Wolcot

FHL Film Number 0896648 IT 2 ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com. The Bristol Registers of Servants [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Original data: Coldham, Peter Wilson. The Bristol Registers of Servants Sent to Foreign Plantations, 1654-1686. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1988; Page 125.
2. ↑ http://www.wolcottfamily.com/shrewsbury.html
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Original data: England, Births and Christenings, 1538-1975. Salt Lake City, Utah: FamilySearch, 2013.