Ephraim Huit (abt. 1593 - 1644)

Born about 1593 in Warwickshire, England [uncertain]

Husband of Isabel (Overton) Huit — married 22 Apr 1622 in Tarvin, Cheshire, England

Descendants

Died 4 Sep 1644 at about age 51 in Windsor, Connecticut Colony

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Ephraim Huit migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 160) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Uncertain Origins

Hints towards the origins of Rev Ephraim Huit may be found in The education and training of gentry sons in early modern England by Wallis and Webb. With text, graphs and charts they record the results of their research. Applying their research to Rev Huit, we may guess that he is of the gentry, with origins possibly in Bedfordshire. Wallis and Webb discovered proximity was the strongest indicator of the origins of students at university, and Huit graduated from Cambridge, in Bedfordshire. Ephraim may have been a third son, or later. The traditions of the eldest son inheriting the land, the second son studying for law, and the third son preparing for the clergy were still strong in the late 16th and early 17th century. ^[1]

In the absence of primary documents, we have only these hints to point to a direction for further study. Dellinger-332

This profile originally linked a John Huit as father and asserted a birth location of Ansley, Warwickshire without apparent proof. While Ephraim does appear in Warwickshire and had at least one child christened there and was very possibly from that county, specific parentage or birth/christening records have not been found yet.

One candidate for a christening record appears as "Etherop Hewitt" in Nov 1591 in an undated transcription of the Lawford, Warwickshire parish register.^[2] While transcribed as "Etherop", this incredibly unusual name might be the result of a mis-read of "Ephraim" or some variation of that spelling (assuming it wasn't "Ethelred" or some similar ancient name). This would make him likely the son of a Thomas Hewitt and Jone Unknown (their 1586 marriage appears on the prior page); apparently the "Etherop" name appears in the Gee family in multiple generations as well based on information provided by another WT user. Further support for her surname of "Gee" comes from an apparent 1619 will of a John Gee of Lawford who listed Thomas Hewitt as his "brother in law", indicating that John Gee was likely brother of Jone Gee. Jone, wife of Thomas Hewitt, died the same day Etherop was christened per the same parish register transcription. Did "Etherop" change his name to "Ephraim" after being asked "and how do you spell that?" every day of his life?

Brother of Thomas Huet of Hingham?

According to Savage, Rev. Ephraim Huit was the brother of Thomas Huet of Hingham, Massachusetts.^[3] However, no supporting evidence for this proposition has been found, except for the fact that Thomas named his eldest son "Ephraim."

Education

Ephraim Huit matriculated sizar* from St John's College at Cambridge University at Easter, 1611.^[4] His date of graduation from Cambridge is uncertain, but the entries for other Cambridge graduates in Alumni Cantabrigienses indicate that men typically received their B.A. degree four years after matriculation,^[4] so it is likely that he graduated in 1615.

*sizar: "allowed free education in consideration of performing certain, at one time menial, duties"; "sizars were sons of poor parents, frequently the clergy", Sizar at Wikipedia.com

Date of Birth

Ephraim's date of birth is uncertain. The best clues are (1) the fact that he matriculated Cambridge in 1611 and (2) his wife's date of baptism in May 1596.^[5] Ephraim's age at matriculation is uncertain. However, from records of the ages of other men who matriculated at Cambridge during that time period, it appears that men generally matriculated at the age of 16-20, with 18 probably as the median age.^[4] Therefore, based on his date of matriculation at Cambridge, a reasonable estimate of his date of birth would be about 1593. That date of birth would also be very consistent with his wife's date of baptism in 1596.

Profession

Ephraim was Curate** in Cheshire (NW England), and at Knowle, Warwickshire. When he was "Chaplain at Wroxall, Warwickshire, he was silenced by Archibishop Laud."^[4] His year of graduation is unknown, but since the course of studies at Cambridge at the time usually lasted three years, Ephraim probably graduated from Cambridge about 1615.

**Curate: "A curate was a young man just recently ordained, who assisted or sometimes performed the duties of a clergyman."^[6]

Notes on location: Rev Ephraim Huit was Curate at Knowle, in the county of Warwickshire, which is three miles south of Solihull (also in the county of Warwickshire).^[4] Ephraim's wife, Isabel Overton was born at Solihull. Ephraim was later Chaplain for Wroxall, Warwickshire^[4] which is five and half miles south of Knowle. Dellinger-332

Emigration to Windsor, Connecticut Colony

Rev Ephraim Huit "left his living near ***Kenilworth, Warwickshire"^[7] and sailed across the Atlantic ocean, then directly up the great Connecticut River to Windsor, Connecticut, where "his inaugural sermon on 18 August 1639 galvanized the congregation."^[7]

***Kenilworth: a town in Warwickshire, about 7 east miles of Wroxall and about 8 miles southeast of Knowle.

Death and Burial

Rev Ephraim Huit died at Windsor, Connecticut, 4 Sept 1644.^[8] Internment was at Palisado Cemetery, Windsor, Connecticut.^[9]

From Connecticut Museum Quest

Built in 1794, the present building is the fourth for this congregation, but the parish itself is the oldest in the New World, having been “gathered” in England in 1630. The First Church burial ground contains the grave sites of some of Windsor’s earliest settlers. It is home to the oldest legible gravestone in Connecticut, which is the gravestone of Reverend Ephraim Huit who died in 1644. In fact, Huit’s gravestone table is said to be the oldest remaining monument of any kind in Connecticut – and is easily one of the oldest legible gravestones in the entire country.

Will & Estate

Ephraim Huit's will leaves bequests to his unnamed wife and to his daughters Susanna, Mercy, Lydea and Mary. The will indicates that "these my fower daughters shall not enter vppon these said portions of land vntill they ech of them shall com to the age of one and twenty." David Wilton and Daniell Clarke are to be his executors.^[10]

Sources

1. ↑ Wallis, Patrick, and Cliff Webb. “The Education and Training of Gentry Sons in Early Modern England.” Social History, vol. 36, no. 1, 2011, pp. 36–53. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41060821. Accessed 18 June 2021.
2. ↑ England, Warwickshire, Parish Registers, 1535-1963 Warwickshire Church-Lawford Baptisms, marriages, burials 1575-1812 1591 christening of Etherop Hewitt
3. ↑ Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register, Vol 2. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862), pp 490-491. At archive.org
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} Alumni Cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900, Vol 2; John Venn, (1922). Page 361. Online at Internet Archive.
5. ↑ See the profile for Ephraim's wife, Isabel (Overton) Huit.
6. ↑ Rectors and Vicars and Curates Oh My! from Random Bits of Fascination by Maria Grace
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Dorset Pilgrims: The story of West country Pilgrims who went to New England in the 17th Century, Frank Thistlethwiate, 1989, pages 144-145
8. ↑ Early Records of Windsor, Ct, NEHGR Vol 5 (Oct 1851), page 460
9. ↑ Find-A-Grave Virtual Cemetery memorial #8069517 (see image)
10. ↑ The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut... (Hartford: Brown & Parsons, 1850); image of pp. 458-61 available InternetArchive.

See also:

• The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut (Hartford, Brown & Parsons, 1850) Vol. 1, Page 458 "The last Will and Testament of Mr. Ephraim Huit, of Wyndsor, in Conectecotte."
• Alumni Cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge, from the earliest times to 1900, Vol 2; by University of Cambridge; Venn, John, 1922. Page 361. Online at Internet Archive.
• The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2013.) Early Records of Windsor, Ct, NEHGR Vol 5 (Oct 1851), page 460
• Thistlethwaite, Frank, Dorset Pilgrims: The story of West country Pilgrims who went to New England in the 17th Century, (London, Barrie & Jenkins, 1989). NOTE: a scholarly work with 12 pages of sources, detailing the lives of the founders of Dorchester, Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut. Rev Ephraim Huit, pages 142-145, 150-151, 155, 157, 159, 170, 172-174, 180, 191
• Cary Family History by Joiner, Rev. Darrell and Sallyann (carver -at- ime-dot-net)
• Barber, John Warner. Connecticut Historical Collections (Durrie & Peck and J.W. Barber, 1849) Page 132
• Felt, Joseph B. The Ecclesiastical History of New England; Comprising Not Only Religious, but Also Moral, and Other Relations, Vol I. 1855. pp 562-3. At hathitrust.org.