William Hodges was doubtless born in England. He may have been the "William Hedges" appointed on the jury at the Court held in Salem on March 27, 1638, although this may have been William Hedge of Lynn.[1]
William went to Taunton shortly after it was purchased by the first proprietors. He was in the second list of early settlers compiled by the town clerk, John Wilbore.[1] He was in the list of males in Taunton able to bear arms in 1643.[2]
On March 24, 1644, the town voted "that sufficient carte-way be made from the houses into the woods behind the ground of William Hodges, William Evans and Aaron Knapp, where it is most convenient."[1]
William married Mary Andrews circa 1648 in Taunton.[3]
William was one of the original stockholders of the first Taunton Iron Works, subscribing £20 for a whole share.[1]
William Hodges died April 2, 1654, in Taunton, Plymouth Colony. He seems to have held considerable property and probably was comparatively young when he died.[1][4]
Name
William Hodges. Some sources may show his surname as "Hedges".[1][3][5]
Perhaps born around 1620 to 1627. Origins unknown. Most likely born in England.[1][5]
He would have been at least 16 years old in August 1643 because he was listed among the men of Taunton, between the ages of 16 and 60, who were able to bear arms.[2]
2 Apr 1654 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay.[4]
Burial
Unknown.
Probate
Inventory taken by James Wyate, William Barker and Oliver Purchas. Amount: 157. 9s.[4]
Research Notes
Disputed Birth Date: A previous version of this profile claimed William was christened on 21 Mar 1623/4 in St. Alfege, Greenwich, Kent, England. This date was based on a record found there.[8] However, another record indicates William Hodges of Greenwich, Kent, son of William Hodges, died there 26 Sep 1627.[9] References to the 1624 birth in Kent have been removed from this profile.
Disputed Parents: A previous version of this profile claimed William was a son of William Hodges (1580-1639) and Alice (Symes) Hodges (1582-1655) without adequate source citations. This connection appeared to be based on a 21 Mar 1623/4 christening record for a William who was a son of another William Hodges.[8] However, that son was buried in Greenwich, Kent, England on 26 Sep 1627.[9] Furthermore, the profile of the alleged father indicated he died about 1639 in Isle of Wight, Virginia. No research explaining the connection between William Hodges of Isle of Wight to the William Hodges from Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts Bay was provided. The alleged parents have been disconnected from this profile until further proof can be provided. Contact: Laurence Mohr
Captain Hodges: A previous version of this profile, without source or citation, indicated he was granted the rank of captain. This title has been removed until a supporting source is found. There was a Captain William Hodges at Boston as early as 1633,[7] but no sources have been found to connect that William Hodges to the one who lived in Taunton. No records in from Taunton identified William by title of Captain.
↑ 7.07.1
Bennett, Edmund Hatch. History of Taunton, Massachusetts: From its Settlement to the Present Time. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., 1893. Pp. 30, 89. Available on HathiTrust.org.
Abridgement of the Genealogical Record of The Hodges Family of New England, ending December 21, 1954, Compiled by George F Hodges and other members of the Family, page 17. Appears without publishing information, printed sometime after 20 Jan 1956, the last date in the book. (T. H. Bredehoft, private library collection) No. 43 of 200 printed.
HOLMES, FRANK R., COMPILER. Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families, 1620-1700. New York, 1923. Reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Co, Baltimore, 1964. Page: 120. William Hodges; Arrival Year: 1638; Arrival Place: Salem, Massachusetts
VIRKUS, FREDERICK A., editor. Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1964. 75p. Repr. 1986. Page: 38. William Hodges; Arrival Year: 1643; Arrival Place: Salem, Massachusetts.
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The profile alleges William was born in Kent, England based on a citation of p. 71 of the book by Almon Hodges. Page 71 does not appear to mention Kent England.
I found a source for a William Hodges, son of William, who was christened in St Alfege, Greenwich, Kent, England on 21 Mar 1623/4, but another source shows he died on 26 Sep 1627. I haven't found any other records for a William who was christened in Kent during that period.
Ancestry.com. Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors.
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=1901&h=237997&indiv=try
With no objections, based on the conflicting information I summarized above, I will update William's profile and vital data. Since no sources have been provided or found to connect William to his alleged parents, I recommend they be disconnected until further research has been provided. I can add a disputed parents section so that the alleged parents can be found again, if needed.
Hodges-32 and Hodges-2301 do not represent the same person because: Hodges-32 is likely a relative (grandfather?) to Hodges-2301 and some of their information has been copied in error.
Hodges-32 and Hodges-2301 appear to represent the same person because: I believe the birth 1624 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts, USA to be more correct. Hodges-32 should be end result.
Eowyn, can you check the parentage on this? It looks like you have his parents as those of his wife. (I'm trying to complete outstanding unmatched merges.) Thanks.
Ancestry.com. Kent, England, Tyler Index to Parish Registers, 1538-1874 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?dbid=1901&h=237997&indiv=try
"England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5LV-5HY : 19 March 2020), William Hodges, 1623.