John
Elderkin
Born about in Lincolnshire, England
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of
Abigail (Kingsland) Elderkin
— married
before 1641 [location unknown]
Husband of
Elizabeth (Drake) Elderkin
— married
1 Mar 1660 in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut
Descendants 
Father of
Hannah (Elderkin) Hendee, Paltiah (Elderkin) Comstock, John Elderkin, Abigail (Elderkin) Betts, Anne (Elderkin) Bliss, John Elderkin II, Bathshua Elderkin, Nathanial Elderkin, James Elderkin and Joseph Elderkin
Died
at about age 71
in Norwich, New London, Connecticut
Profile managers:
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| Created 13 Mar 2011
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| John Elderkin migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm |
Contents |
Biography
Family
The names of John Elderkin's parents and precisely where he was from remain unknown. [see research notes] He was born sometime around 1616, based on a deposition which he made in 1672 stating that his age at that time was fifty-six.[1][2] [see research notes]
Life in New England
The first written record of John in New England is at Lynn, Massachusetts in 1637,[3] and the following year he was allotted twenty acres of land there. [4] Elderkin was a carpenter and millwright, and gained a considerable reputation as a contractor and master builder.[1][5] His services were much in demand, causing him to relocate frequently in order to construct mills, houses, bridges, sailing vessels, and churches.[1][2] He was in Reading in 1646, Providence in 1648, and New London in 1651.[3][2] He eventually settled at Norwich in 1664, and spent the remainder of his life there.[3][5]
Among his many accomplishments was the construction of the first several churches in both New London and Norwich, the first mill in each of those locations, and the first merchant vessel ever owned and built in New London. During his time in New London, he also ran the town inn.[6] Due to a shortage of local government funds, he often agreed to accept remuneration for his projects in the form of land grants.[6] On one of these pieces of property in Norwich he built a very successful grist mill.[6]
John Elderkin's name was recorded on the list of freemen in 1668 at Norwich.[6]
Abigail (Unknown)
John married (first) Abigail ____________. Her surname and the date and location of their marriage are unknown.[3][2][5] There were at least three children from this marriage:[7]
- Abigail Elderkin, b. 13 Sep. 1641;[8][9][3] m. John Betts[10]
Elizabeth (Drake) Gaylord
John married (second) on 1 March 1660 Elizabeth Drake, the widow of William Gaylord.[13][3][5] There were at least five children from this marriage:[7]
- Anne Elderkin, b. Jan. 1661[14][3]
- John Elderkin, b. April 1664;[15][3] m.(1) 8 Feb 1685 Abigail Fowler;[16] m.(2) 15 Aug 1720 Hannah Coleman[16]
- Bathshua Elderkin, b. Nov 1665[17][3]
- James Elderkin, b. Mar 1670;[18] d. 26 Apr 1698[19][5]
- Joseph Elderkin, b. Dec. 1672;[20][3] m. bef. 1706 Deborah Brockway[21]
Death
John Elderkin died 23 June 1687 at Norwich, Connecticut, aged 71 years.[1][3] His wife Elizabeth survived him by twenty-nine years, dying 8 June 1716 at the age of 95.[1][3]
Research Notes
- Parents and Place of Birth
Nora Snow, in her Snow-Estes Ancestry, quotes a statement dated 12 June 1894 attributed to a Mr. Thomas Elderkin, who believed the Elderkins came from the Fenns, Lincolnshire.[2] The apparent source of this information is a manuscript by an unknown author which is undated, and which does not identify either any sources or give any information about who Mr. Thomas Elderkin was and what his sources may have been.[22]
See WikiTreer Ann Browning's June 2022 comments here and here regarding possible baptism in 1614 and the work to prove/disprove the related parentage.
Will of Henry Eldarkyne of Wrangle 1624
- Date of Birth
Some early family genealogies give John's date of birth as 1612, but provide no sources or reason for choosing this date.[5][22][7]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Caulkins, Frances M. History of New London, Connecticut. New London: H.D. Utley (1852), pp. 158-159.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Snow, Nora E. The Snow-Estes Ancestry. Hillburn, NY: M. Jilson (1939), vol. 1, p. 447.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692. Vol. I-IV. Boston, MA, USA: 1860-1862. Elderkin, John.
- ↑ Dow, George F. (ed) Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts 1636-1686. Salem: Essex Institute, vol. 2, p. 270.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 Elderkin, Dyer W. Genealogy of the Elderkin Family with Intermarriages. Pittsburgh: Fisher, Stewart & Co. (1888) , pp. 5-6.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Snow, Nora E. The Snow-Estes Ancestry. Hillburn, NY: M. Jilson (1939), vol. 1, p. 448.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Frost, Josephine. Ancestors of Henry Rogers Winthrope and His Wife Alice Woodward Babcock. New York: by the author (1927), p. 182.
- ↑ "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VQ63-F7S : 5 January 2021), Abigall Elderkin, 1641.
- ↑ Early Records of Boston. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2018, vol. 4, p. 359 by subscription.
- ↑ Stiles, Henry Reed. The History of Ancient Wethersfield. New York: Grafton Press (1904), vol. 2, p. 98.
- ↑ Comstock, Cyrus B. A Comstock Genealogy: Descendants of William Comstock of New London, Connecticut. New York: Knickerbocker Press (1907), pp 6-8.
- ↑ Snow, Nora E. The Snow-Estes Ancestry. Hillburn, NY: M. Jilson (1939), vol. 1, p. 450.
- ↑ Welles, Edwin. Births, Marriages, and Deaths Returned from Hartford, Windsor, and Fairfield, and Entered in the Early Land Records of the Colony of Connecticut Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company (1898) Windsor Marriages, Folio 45, Page 9
- ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2S3-TZ9 : 7 January 2020), Anne Elderkin, 1661.
- ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2S8-86J : 7 January 2020), John Elderkin, 1664.
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Vital Records of Norwich, CT. Hartford (1913), pt.1, p. 43.
- ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2S3-LN5 : 7 January 2020), Bashua Elderkin, 1665.
- ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2S8-4P8 : 7 January 2020), James Elderkin, 1670.
- ↑ "Connecticut Deaths and Burials, 1772-1934", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLMW-68BF : 22 July 2021), James Elderkin, 1698.
- ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V2S8-C68 : 7 January 2020), Joseph Elderkin, 1672.
- ↑ "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F7W1-BJ5 : 7 January 2020), Joseph Elderkin in entry for Joseph Elderkin, 1706.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 John Elderkin, One of the Founders of Connecticut, and Some of His Descendants. Author unknown, date of publication unknown but after 1888, pp. 1-6
- See Also:
- Caulkins, Frances M. History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession by the Indians to the Year 1866. New London: friends of the author (1874), p. 215.
- Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/32468400/john-elderkin) memorial page for John Elderkin (1612–23 Jun 1687), Find A Grave: Memorial #32468400, citing Founders Cemetery, Norwich, New London County, Connecticut, USA. [No photo or transcription included, this entry is unsourced.]
- John Elderkin, One of the Founders of Connecticut, and Some of His Descendants. Author unknown, date of publication unknown but after 1888, pp. 1-6.
- Hill, Don Gleason. Record of Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths from the Church Records in the Town of Dedham, Massachusetts 1638-1845. Dedham (1888), p. 25. (dau. Abigail's bp)
- New England Marriages to 1700. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008. Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015, available here by subscription.
- Northwestern Historical Association. Memoirs of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania (Northwest Historical Association., Madison, Wisconsin, 1904, Vol. 1, p. 370)
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Rejected matches › John Bruce Elderkin (1908-1984) › John Elderkin Sr. (bef.1598-1620) › Richard Samuel Handy (abt.1645-1719) › Herbert D Elderkin (1901-1992)
John is 16 degrees from Emeril Lagasse, 18 degrees from Nigella Lawson, 21 degrees from Maggie Beer, 42 degrees from Mary Hunnings, 23 degrees from Joop Braakhekke, 25 degrees from Michael Chow, 20 degrees from Ree Drummond, 20 degrees from Paul Hollywood, 18 degrees from Matty Matheson, 19 degrees from Martha Stewart, 28 degrees from Danny Trejo and 23 degrees from Molly Yeh on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
The record of Daniel Comstock’s estate inventory, taken 13 November 1683, includes the statement that administration of his estate was granted to his widow, “Paltiell” (New London District Probate, file 1392 [original], A:56 [clerk’s copy]). (Paltiel, meaning “deliverance of God,” is equivalent to Paltiah, “Deliverance of Jehovah.”) Parish records of Boston, Lincolnshire, England, contain the baptism, 16 May 1633, of “Phaltiell” Kinsley, daughter of John Kinsley (FindMyPast.com). Boston is about nine miles southwest of Wrangle, the parish in which John “Ellderkyn" was baptized 24 July 1614, son of Henry Ellderkyn (ibid.). The proximity of these two parishes tends to confirm that this baptismal record belongs to the immigrant John Elderkin.
Given the rarity of the name Paltiah/Paltiel (especially for a female) and the New London church records listing the Comstocks’ tenth child’s forename as Kensley and that of his namesake son (twice) as Kinsley, the only reasonable conclusion is that Paltiah/Paltiel was the daughter of John Kinsley and stepdaughter of John Elderkin. Her mother, Abigail, was therefore not a Kinsley (let alone Kingsland) by birth but by her marriage to John Kinsley; Elderkin was her second husband. It is now uncertain whether Elderkin’s so-called daughter Hannah—whose Wikitree birth data (Dedham, 13 May 1634) is baseless—was an Elderkin or a Kinsley by birth.
My having been unable to find additional records for John Kinsley, the first wife of John Elderkin was Abigail (_____) Kinsley; her maiden name is unknown. Kinsley died presumably between 1633 (Paltiel’s baptism) and 1638 (Elderkins’ immigration), the same date range that applies to Abigail’s marriage to John Elderkin, which, as with her first marriage, occurred in Lincolnshire.
edited by Gene Zubrinsky FASG
Transcription of the will of Henry Eldarkyn of Wrangle, Lincolnshire 1624. I'm 99% certain this is the father of John, I can find no burial or any further records of John in the Wrangle records, Richard the son listed in the will is buried but in Lincolnshire as a whole no further record of John
Ann
Ann
https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/885809:1610?tid=&pid=&queryId=978eb9cc947d4dd51bed13eeb9e7aea5&_phsrc=yxy5&_phstart=successSource
Ann
First name(s) John Last name Ellderkyn Gender Male Birth year - Birth place - Baptism year 1614 Baptism date 24 Jul 1614 Place Wrangle County Lincolnshire Country England Father's first name(s) Henry Father's last name Ellderkyn Mother's first name(s) - Mother's last name - Record set England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975 Category Birth, Marriage, Death & Parish Records Subcategory Parish Baptisms Collections from England, Great Britain
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/transcript?id=R_946990579
Ann
Jen
http://www.usgennet.org/usa/topic/newengland/savage/bk2/edmunds-elithorp.htm