Jonathan Higgins (abt. 1637 - 1711)

Born about 16 Jul 1637 in Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Rogers) Higgins — married 9 Jan 1660 (to before 4 Jul 1679) in Eastham, Plymouth Colony

Husband of Hannah (Rogers) Higgins — married about 1679 in Eastham, Plymouth Colony, New England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 21 May 1711 at about age 73 in Eastham, Barnstable, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Biography

Jonathan was born Jul 1637 at Plymouth Colony^[1]and died Aft. 21 May 1711^[2]

He married first Elizabeth Rogers, daughter of Joseph (named in his 1676/7 will as his daughter Elizabeth Higgins). ^[3][4]

Elizabeth (Rogers) Higgins died 2 after Jan 1676/7 (when named in her father's will) and before 5 Jul 1679 (when she was referred to as deceased in a Plymouth Court Record that also indicates her widower was sleeping with her [unnamed] sister.

He took as his second wife, sister of his first wife, Hannah Rogers ^[5]

1st known child of Richard Higgins by his 1st wife, was born at Plymouth July 1637. He married (1) Eastham 9 January 1660 Elizabeth Rogers. He married (2) by 1680 Hannah Rogers. (The two wives of Jonathan Higgins were sisters, a situation that was considered incestuous by the Puritans and strenuously discouraged; but the evidence presented by Anne Borden Harding in 1969 indicates that in this instance the two wives were sisters.^[6]

On 28 Feb. 1663: “Jonathan Higgins hath one mare colt of a black color”.^[7]

“Jonathan Higgins of Eastham… for the sum of £13 paid to him by Ephraim Doane of Eastham, husbandman, doth sell… his dwelling house in Eastham with twenty-two acres of upland, two acres whereof lyeth about the dwelling house, being near a pond called the Basse Pond, the other twenty acres lying on the other side the Basse River by the Bayside… together with four acre of meadow lying at Billingsgate att the mouth of the Silver Springe on both sides the Creek”. Dated 19 Nov. 1670. ^[8]

“May 12, 1675. The town hath chosen to be presented to the Court for ensigns Jonathan Higgins and Jonathan Bangs. The Court has conferred the office of ensign of the military company of this town upon Jonathan Higgins”. He was confirmed as an ensign on 1 June 1675, an office he held for the next four years. ^[9] “June 1676. Bulletts received of Thomas Paine by Lieut. Sparrow, [ ] Higgins, Mark Snow, a total of 173 pounds weight”. The Higgins mentions could have been either Jonathan or his brother Benjamin. ^[10]

Jonathan lost his rank of ensign in July 1679:

“Wheras Ensigne Higgens, with the leave of the Court, hath layed downe his place and office of being ensigne bearer of the milletary companie of Eastham, these are to signify to the said company, that they are heerby required to choose another souldier out of theire companie to serve in that place, and to present his name to the Court for their approbation of their choise.

Jonathan Higgens, for committing fornication with his wife's sister after his wife's death, was fined the sume of £20:00:00. Johnathan was fined for fornicating with his second wife Hannah, his first wife's sister, but she was not his wife at the time. The fine was assessed on July 4, 1679 and the marriage was on July 16,1679.

At the earnest petition of some of his frinds, the Court remitted £10:00:00

Ten pounds of this fine was remitted by the Generall Court”. ^[11]

Such were the rules against marrying your wife’s sister in the 17th century!

“Aug. 24, 1677. The town hath granted to Jonathan Higgins a parcel of sedge ground adjoining to Sampson’s Island, containing two acres.” On 1 Sept. 1677: “Granted by the town of Eastham to Jonathan Higgins six acres at poche on a neck of land by the side of the Cove that runs up to lieutenant roggerses on the northerly side of the Cove”. And “granted to Jonathan Higgins Senr a piece of land near the head of the town Cove at the westerly end of his son Jonathan Higens his land on the northerly side of Ceder Swamp…to.. the northwesterly corner of Jonathan higens Jr. his land”^[12]

“July 15, 1696. The eleventh lot [of the undivided land] is the lot of Jonathan Higens containing 6 acre of medow & two acres of upland at little billingsgate the medow lying in two parcels the first layeth at the northeasterly end of Griffiths Iland… and the other piece on the southerly side of the herring river… near some land formerly granted to Gov. Prence.”^[13]

“April 22, 1700, the town voted that Jonathan Higgins senior might have about two acres of land where he now lives”. And on 31 July 1700: “The town voted that Jonathan Higgins might exchange a bit of land at Pochet on the west side of the Barley Neck for his convenience of fencing”.^[14]

“Granted to Jonathan Higgins by the town of Eastham liberty to exchange part of his six acres of upland at Pochet where he formerly lived for a piece of common that lyeth betwixt this six acre lot and the land which his father Rogers gave him on the west side of the barley neck, so as to lay his land together, and it is allowed of by the major part of the men appointed by the Town to have a negative in disposing of land within the same and by them laid out and bounded… on a hill nigh the Cove side against the northerly end of a cedar swamp… which was formerly granted to lieutenant Rogers on the west side of the barley neck… down to the water westerly… allowing a cart way by gate or barrs for Jonathan linnel to cart from the cove to his own land… a little above the northerly corner of said marsh allowing a way by gate or barre by the side of sd marsh for carts to use on any occasion from the Cove to the common...” recorded 20 Sept. 1700. ^[15]

In July 1703: “Land granted to Jonathan Higgins Senr in Eastham at pochy low flats between pochy Island and hog island, being the 28th lot as they were laid out in the division of the common meadows in Eastham.” He was also granted the 11th lot in pochy meadow by the beach. ^[16]

In 1711 Jonathan had the following grants of land from the town: “March 26, 1711. Set out to Jonathan Higgins Senr. Land to make up his plains lot, 4 ½ acres lying in Sd Eastham on the westerly side of the highway that goes towards Potonomek at and on the northerly side of the way that goes from pochy towards Harwich… the other parcel one acre… on the northern side of the house lot of said Jonathan Higgins Senr. And beginning… at the partition line between him and Jonathan Higgins Junr”. “May 21, 1711. Granted by the town of Eastham and laid out to Jonathan Higgins Senr. Of Sd Eastham a parcel of land for his tenement lot lying on the northeasterly side of Wm Smith’s tenement lot”. “May 21, 1711. Land set out to Jonathan Higgins Senr. For his wood lot on the northerly side of the Secund brooke (so called).” “Laid out to him 6 acres on the northerly side of the second brooke on the northerly side of Joshua Hardings lot”.^[17]

In a deed dated 8 May 1711: “I Joseph Higgins, senr of Eastham… in consideration of the sum of eight pounds… paid by Jonathan Higgins junr & Elisha Higgins both of Eastham… all that one third part of that parcel of Land lyingat the barley neck in Eastham… given unto our deceased mother Elizabeth Higgins by our Deceased Grandfather, Leutt Joseph Rogers”. The land had been bequeathed to Elizabeth Higgins by her father in his will dated 2 Jan. 1677/8. ^[18]

Sources

1. ↑ The Great Migration Begins Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson
2. ↑ Mayflower Families for Five Generations Vol 2, pg. 161, Robert M. Sherman, F.A.S.G.
3. ↑ The Great Migration Begins Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Robert Charles Anderson
4. ↑ Births, marriages, deaths, 1649-ca.1840; intentions of marriage, 1700-ca.1905, database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-9979-9XXG  : 28 September 2022), FHL microfilm 007009735, image 122, Eastham, Massachusetts, Volume 2, Births, & Deaths, 1654-1797, Page 36.
5. ↑ [(Donald Lines Jacobus, "Higgins-Rogers: Eastham, Mass.: A Question," in The American Genealogy, 41 (1964):29)]
6. ↑ Anderson's Great Migration Begins.
7. ↑ Town Records quoted by Higgins- p. 43
8. ↑ Plymouth Colony Deeds- Vol. IV, p. 198 quoted by Higgins p. 43
9. ↑ Town Records quoted by Higgins- p. 43
10. ↑ Eastham Town Book- quoted by Higgins- p. 45
11. ↑ Jonathan Higgins and His Two Wives- Anne Harding- NEHGR- Vol. 123, pp. 147-8; Higgins-Rogers: Eastham: A Question- Donald Jacobus, TAG- Vol. 41, p. 29
12. ↑ Town book of Lands and Ways quoted by Higgins- p. 44
13. ↑ Town book of Lands and Ways quoted by Higgins- p. 44
14. ↑ Town book of Lands and Ways quoted by Higgins- p. 44
15. ↑ Eastham Lands and Ways- p. 161 quoted by Higgins- p. 46
16. ↑ Town book of Lands and Ways quoted by Higgins- p. 44
17. ↑ Town book of Lands and Ways quoted by Higgins- p. 44
18. ↑ Lt. Joseph Rogers Will and Inventory- George Bowman, The Mayflower Descendant- Vol. III, p. 67-9

• George Thomas Little, A. M., Litt. D., Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine (Lewis Historical Publishing Company, New York 1909)

• Mayflowerfamilies.com (www.mayflowerfamilies.com/mayflower/thomas1_rogers_family.htm)

• Mayflower Families through Five Generations , Vol. 2 - James Chilton Richard More Thomas Rogers (General Society of Mayflower Descendants)

• Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Volume Nineteen: Thomas Rogers, Ann T. Reeves, Volume: 19, Alice W.A. Westgate (General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2000) p. 13-14.

• New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Clarence Almon Torrey (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2011) Vol. II, p. 751. HIGGINS, Jonathan (1637-) & 1/wf Elizabeth ROGERS (-1678, 1679); Jan 1660; Eastham {Reg. 6:46, 9:315; Cape Cod Lib. 33:24; NYGBR 46:393; 47:22; MD 3:68, 6:15, 7:16, 17:201; Pilgrim Notes 4:70; Higgins 42; Hills: Mayflower Planters 134} HIGGINS, Jonathan (1637-) & 2/wf[?Hannah ROGERS]; ca 1680; Eastham {NYGBR 46:393; MD 6:15; Pilgrim Notes 1:21, 4:70; Higgins 42; Young (1923) 19; Hills: Mayflower Planters 134}

• Mayflower Increasings 2nd Edition by Susan E. Roser.

• Lineage of the Rogers Family - England - Embracing John Rogers the Martyr, John Cox Underwood, C.E., A.M..
• Richard Higgins And His Descendants- Katherine Chapin Higgins, Worcester, 1918, pp. 42ff
• Richard Higgins of Plymouth and Eastham, MA and Piscataway, NJ- Orra Monnette- NYG&BR- Vol. 47, pp.22-3
• Find A Grave: Memorial #54902943 Jonathan Higgins
• Town records, 1654-1863 [Eastham, Massachusetts], database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G979-QNYN  : 27 September 2022), , FHL microfilm 007009743, image 330, Eastham, Massachusetts, Volume 2, Transcribed by order of the Town in 1856 by, H. Doane 2d, Town Clerk, Marriages, Births, & Deaths, 1654-1797, Page 2-3.