Simon Burr (1618 - 1692)

Born 1618 in Stisted, Essex, England

Ancestors

Husband of Rose (Unknown) Burr — married 1644 in England

Husband of Hester (Sparhawk) Burr — married 28 Nov 1648 in Hingham, Massachusetts (Plymouth)

Descendants

Died 7 Feb 1692 at about age 74 in Hingham, Suffolk, Massachusetts Bay

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Biography

Simon Burr son of Henry Burre and Ann (Fisher) Burre was born on 16 June 1618 at Stisted, Essex, England. He is seemingly the man who emigrated to the New World and settled at Hingham in what is now Massachusetts -- that man, Simon Burr Sr. of Hingham, deposed on 26 September 1691 that he was "aged 74 years or thereabout."^[1]

From History of the Town of Hingham"^[2]

Simon, who came from Dor. and settled in Hing. 1647, was the ancestor of all the families who have borne the surname Burr in this town. He prob. was a bro. of Rev. Jonathan Burr, who settled as colleague with Rev. Mr. Mather of Dor. 1640, and d. 1641, leaving three children, one of whom was Simon, undoubtedly named after the Simon who settled in Hing. There was a Samuel Burr among the early residents of Charlestown; and the name of Matthew Burr appears upon a list of passengers advertised to sail from Gravesend, England, July 27, 1635, for Virginia; but whether they were connected with those of the surname in Dorchester and Hingham, has not been ascertained.

Chauncey Ray Burr gave an alternative determination of Simon's English origin, based in research through English records rather than tradition. So while there are still great holes in the evidence and presumptions that are made, this case may be more convincing:^[3]

Simon Burr appeared at Hingham in 1645. There is a tradition that he came thither from Dorchester. He died 7 February 1791-2. In the preceding July, he was party to an action before the Court of the Assistants at Boston in which he testified to being seventy-four years of age. This would give 1617 as the year of his birth. When the difference between the old and the new style is remembered, the date 1617 is sufficiently near 1618 to challenge attention, because Henry Burr of Stisted, who married Ann Fisher of Redgrave, had a son, Simon, baptized at Stisted 16 June 1618. When he was born we do not know. Henry Burr had other children, among them Henry, baptized 8 March 1606, and Ester, baptized 16 June 1612. Now contemporary with Simon Burr at Hingham there was an Esther Burr who died 25 Nov. 1644, and a Henry Burr who died 9 February 1646. They were evidently adults, otherwise their father's name would have been mentioned, and the association in the Stisted register of a Henry, Ester, and Simon with a like association in the Hingham records seems more than a coincidence. When we consider, in addition, that Rev. Jonathan Burr's birthplace is definitely known to have been Redgrave (vide Mather's "Magnalia"), and that he was closely connected with the Stisted family, there seems no reason to doubt that it was the Stisted family of Burr, or certain members of it, which settled at Hingham.

From History of Hingham again, we have:

Simon, the planter in Hingham, was twice married The christian name of his first wife who died here, 23 July, 1647, is unknown.

Children-

1. Ester
2. Henry

According to Chauncey Burr, this attribution is in error -- these are siblings of Simon, not children. (History of Hingham claims that Simon settled in Hingham in 1647, so it would be strange if he had two children who died at Hingham in years prior.)

He married secondly, Nov. 28, 1648, Hester Unknown. She died 3 Feb. 1692-93. Children-

1. Hannah
2. Simon
3. John
4. Jonathan

Simon died intestate, 7 Feb. 1691-92 in Hingham, and Simon, the oldest son was appointed to administer upon the estate of his father. Inventory £326, Is. 6d, appraised by Anthony Sprague and Thomas Sayer.

"Farmer." Resided on what is now School Street, Hingham.

Simon was born about 1615. Simon Burr ... He passed away about 1692.^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Massachusetts State Archives collection, volume 8 item 19
2. ↑ History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts Vol 2, page 100
3. ↑ Burr, pages 32-3
4. ↑ A source for this information is needed.

• Chauncey Rea Burr, Bures of Suffolk, England and Burr of Massachusetts Bay Colony, New England, (New York: The Aldus Printers, 1926).

• History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts (The Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1893): Vol II, p.100

See Also-

• Family Tree ancestry.com (subscription) LaneGreeneDuRocher013

Notes-

• Simon could not have arrived in New England in 1639 with his wife Frances and sons John (b.1659), Simon (b.1654), and Jonathan (b.1665).Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s