Nicholas Hodsdon (abt. 1611 - 1704)

Born about 1611 in England

Husband of Esther (Wines) Hodsdon — married 10 Dec 1639 in Hingham, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died 11 May 1704 at about age 93 in Wells, York, Massachusetts Bay Colony

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Nicholas Hodsdon migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 164) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Nicholas Hodsdon was born about 1611 in England. See Research Notes for information regarding speculation about his origins.

Marriage

Nicholas married firstly on 10 December 1639, Esther Wines. She was a cousin of Faintnot Wines of Charlestown; Esther died in Hingham, Massachusetts on November 29 1647. (Ester's cousin, Faintnot Wines, died February 25 1664; his will was dated September 1 1663, proved June 20 1665 devised legacies to five of Nicholas Hodgdon's children by his cousin, Esther Wines. Esther would have been the daughter of one of Faintnot's brothers, however, no records of these folks has been found in England other than for their baptisms in Eastwell, Kent.)^[1][2]

Nicholas, married a second time between May 25, 1648, and October 2 1650 at Watertown, Middlesex, Masschusetts to Elizabeth, a widow of John Needham (She has been thought by some to be the daughter of John Wincoll). ^[3]

Children

Children of Nicholas and Elizabeth: ^[4]

1. Joseph Hodsdon (1656-1691) – m. Tabitha Raynes, d. before 1691
2. Lucy (Hodsdon) Vickery (abt.1657-1725) – m. George Vickers of Hull, d. 25 December 1725 Hingham
3. Esther (Hodsdon) Weymouth (bef.1640-bef.1724)- bpt. 20 Sept. 1640 Hingham, MA, m. 25 December 1663 Dover, NH, Edward Weymouth (bc 1639), living in 1724 Eliot, ME
4. Mehitable (Hodsdon) Welcome (abt.1641-bef.1681) - bpt. Nov. 1641 Hingham, MA, m. 3 November 1665 Salem, MA, Peter Welcome of Boston (m.2. Mehitable ______ (m.1. ______ Howard, d. 23 Oct. 1694), will 23 February-28 March 1695), d. before 1681
5. Jeremiah Hodsdon (1643-bef.1716) - bpt. 6 September 1643 Hingham, MA, m.c.1666 Ann Thwaits (living in Boston 1724), d. before 1716 Newcastle, NH
6. Elizabeth Hodsdon (bef.1646-1663) - bpt. 19 July 1646 Hingham, MA, d. before September 1663
7. Israel Hodsdon (1646-abt.1675) - bpt. 19 July 1646 Hingham, MA, m. after 4 July 1671 Ann Thompson (Adm. 1727), d.c.1674, Adm. 19 Jan 1696/7
8. Benoni Hodsdon (abt.1647-bef.1718) - bp.5 December 1647 Hingham, MA, m. Abigail Curtis (b.c.1653, d. before 1733), Adm. 15 May 1718 Kittery
9. Sarah (Hodsdon) Morrell (abt.1650-1710) - m. by 1667 John Morrell (b.c.1640, living in 1720 Eliot)
10. Timothy Hodsdon (1652-1719) - m. Hannah ______ (m.2. Joseph Smith of York), d. between 1685 and 1695
11. JJohn Hodsdon (1654-1734) - m. Deborah ______, d. after 1734
12. Hannah Hodsdon - m. 25 June 1695 Nicholas Smith.

Life Story

Nicholas was first recoreded at Hingham in 1635 and remained there until after his first wife died in 1664. ^[5] Hingham granted him a house lot in the center of the town and meadowland, which was mentioned in a deed by Samuel Ward to Edward Wilder on 30 March 1665. ^[6]

Nicholas was made a freeman of Hingham on March 9 1636-7, (in the record the name is given as Hudson). He remained in Hingham until about 1650, when in company with John Winchester, Thomas Hammond, John Parker, Vincent Druce and others, he purchased large tracts of land at Cambridge Hill, (now Newton) Massachusetts, near the line which divides Brookline and Newton.

Nicholas Hodsdin at Mr. Hibbins farme in Boston in Suffolk, hath souled to Thomas Hammond and Vincent Bruse (Druce ) both of Hingham, in the same County, a parcell of land containing sixty seaven acres more or less, lying on Cambridge Hill adjoining to John Parker's to the North, Northwest and Northeast of the said John Parker's with thirteen acres more or less of meadow belonging thereunto, the which land was by the Towne of Cam- bridge given to Robert Bradish. Also sixteen acres in Boston bounds next to Cambridge Hill to the South of it, and to the East.

Nicholas Hodsdin at Mr. Hibbins farmer in Boston in Suffolk, hath souled to Thomas Hammond and Vincent Bruse (Druce ) both of Hingham, in the same County, a parcel of land containing sixty seven acres more or less, lying on Cambridge Hill adjoining to John Parker's to the North, Northwest and Northeast of the said John Parker's with thirteen acres more or less of meadow belonging thereunto, the which land was by the Towne of Cambridge given to Robert Bradish. Also sixteen acres in Boston bounds next to Cambridge Hill to the South of it, and to the East and North cast of Mr. Hibbins' land, to have and to hold dated, February 4 1650. ^[7][8]

In 1650, Nicholas Hodsdon and Elizabeth his wife (widow of John Needham) did make ordeine &c : Peter Brackett of Braintre in N. E, theire true & lawful Attorney to ask &c : of Capt. Varvell or any other in whose hands maybe certaine goods of her former husband John Needham, shipped aboard the ship of the said Capt. Varvell to carry to Virginia, of the receipt to give acquittance &c : also to compound &c : & to appear in an Court or Courts &c : & generally to doe all things &c : with power to substitute &c : ratifying &c. ^[3]

In 1651, Nicholas Hodsdon of Boston gives to John Parker of Cambridge a just third part of all the lands bought by him of Robert Bradish. Wife Elizabeth gives her consent and yields up her right, March 20 1651. ^[9]

He then appears in Kittery being absent from a meeting on 28 June 1655. He lived at Quamphegan and later near Birch Point Brook.

15 Oct 1656, granted, lotted and layed out by the Selectmen for Kittery unto Nicholas Hodsdon, his heirs and assigns forever, a lot of land above his house, bounded on the South side by Miles Thompson's land as may appear by several marked trees which go upon the line south east and by east unto the woods one hundred and sixty poles unto a tree marked four ways, and from said tree to go upon the line north and south and by east unto a marked tree Standing by the brook of Birchen Poynt and to come down the said brook unto the water or river, which brook is the bounds of said lot.^[10][11]

It looks as though Israel Hodsdon and his father as well as some of their neighbours favoured the Quakers, who were not popular at that time, for on 12 November 1659, in company with John Hoard of Kittery, Nicholas was ordered to appear at the second session of the General Court, to be held at Boston, and answer to the charge of entertaining Quakers. To this Nicholas plead not guilty, but it was ordered that he be admonished by the Governor. He himself was often absent from meetings, both he and his wife were absent in 1675.

On 13 December 1669, Nicholas received another grant of land from the town of Kittery, this lot being sixty poles in length, and adjoining Birchen Point Brook. This lot was laid out in January 1672. In 1673, Nicholas received still another grant of land from the town, which was for 100 acres of land. This grant however was not laid out during his lifetime, but was sold by his descendants at various times.

Nicholas and his wife, aged 40 years and upwards, testified 18 April 1670 that Thomas Spencer gave Daniel Goodwin one half of the mill and timber, being a quarter part of his part. ^[12][13]

Nicholas purchased several lots of land in the vicinity of Birchen Point Brook. Peter Wittum sold him " forty acres of upland and swamp, butting upon the land of said Nicholas, and running back to Rocky Hills."^[14][15]

John Wincoll sold Nicholas one Tenement with about 30 acres of land, bounded by land of Miles Thompson on the South, the River on the West and Birchen Brook and Cole on the North and highway that leadeth toward Sturgeon Creeke. ^[16][14]

The farm which Nicholas occupied for the latter part of his life, is undoubtedly the one just mentioned as having been purchased of John Wincoll in 1674. It is situated upon the easterly side of the Piscataqua river, which divides Kittery from Dover. It is located in the extreme southerly part of South Berwick, and is bounded on the North by Birchen Point Brook, and on the south by the farm formerly owned by Miles Thompson. This last mentioned farm was bounded on the south by Thompson's Brook, which divides the towns of Eliot and South Berwick. ^[14]

Nicholas gave seven acres to John Morrell, who married his daughter, Sarah.^[17][18] John and Sarah then swapped this property with Abraham Conley:

In October 1678, he deeded the homestead to his son, Benoni to support him and his wife, and on December 9 he made an agreement with Benoni about carrying on the farm they were living on for their natural life. ^[18] It was agreed that after Nicholas' death the goods and implements of the farm shall belong to Benoni. ^[19]

In 1680, the 40 acres purchased from Wittum were deeded to Timothy Hodsdon. ^[20]

Death

Nicholas was probably buried in the graveyard which was laid out on a portion of the homestead, to which reference is made in the deed given May 17 1828: Reserving and excepting from this conveyance one eighth of an acre on the homestead first above mentioned, which has been heretofore used as a place of burial by our ancestors.

He died as a result of Indian depredations in 1704 at Wells, (what is now in Maine) on May 13 1704: Nicholas Cole of Wells, with Nicholas Hodgdon were attacked by 12 Indians, who killed said Cole and Hodgdon.^[21]

Research Notes

Disputed Parents/Origins: This profile previously stated that Nicoholas was born in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England, a son of Richard Hodsdon (1584-1683) and Elizabeth (Prise) Hodsdon (1580-1636), but without any evidence. The Genealogy of the descendants of Nicholas Hodsdon in the introduction includes the Arms of the Hodsdon of Hodsdon, Hertfordshire, England, but states "for want of time and money we have been unable to trace the English Ancestry of Nicholas Hodsdon." (See Hogdon, A.J, "Explanations", n.p.) The Great Migration Directory lists his origins as unknown. If new sources become available, please comment or post in g2g.

Additional sources

Cornish, L. C. (1911). The settlement of Hingham, Massachusetts. Boston: Rockwell & Churchill Press. Only references a family name of Hodsdin, as bring one of the first families in Hingham.

Virkus, F. A. (1976). Immigrant ancestors: A list of 2,500 immigrants to America before 1750. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Pub. Co. is identified in library record as being 75 pages in length.

Sources

1. ↑ Hodgdon, A. J. p.13
2. ↑ The Hobart Journal- NEHGR- Vol. 121, p. 12
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Aspinwall Notarial Records- William Aspinwall, Boston Municipal Printing Office, 1903- p. 324- available at the Boston Athenaeum.
4. ↑ Hodsdon, A. J. p.14
5. ↑ History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts (The Town of Hingham, Massachusetts, 1893) Vol II, p.350
6. ↑ Suffolk County Registry of Deeds- Vol. IV, p. 282
7. ↑ Middlesex County Registry of Deeds- Vol. I, p. 24
8. ↑ Hodgdon, A. J. p.9-10
9. ↑ Middlesex County Registry of Deeds- Vol. I, p. 24
10. ↑ Kittery Town Records. p. 9
11. ↑ Hodgdon, A. J. p.11
12. ↑ Hodgdon, A. J. p.10-11
13. ↑ York County Registry of Deeds- Vol. II, 79
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1 14.2} Hodgdon, A. J. p.11
15. ↑ York County Registry of Deeds- Vol. II, 137
16. ↑ York County Registry of Deeds- Vol. II, 161
17. ↑ York County Registry of Deeds- Vol. II, 18-19
18. ↑ ^{18.0 18.1} Hodgdon, A. J. p.12
19. ↑ York County Registry of Deeds- Vol. III, 41
20. ↑ York County Registry of Deeds- Vol. III, 111
21. ↑ Boston News Letter, May 15 to 22, 1704 -- 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.) [1] (subscription)

• Savage, J. (1862). 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. Salem, Massachusetts: Higginson Book Co. Vol. II, p.440
• Wyman, T. B. (1879). The genealogies and estates of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1629-1818. Boston: D. Clapp & Son. Vol. II, p.1040
• Stackpole, E. S. (1903). Old Kittery and her families. Lewiston, Me: Press of Lewiston journal Co. pp.123, 529-30
• Libby, Charles Thornton. (1928). Genealogical dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire. Part I. Portland: The Southworth Press. p.343
• Pope, C. H. (1997). The Pioneers of Maine and New Hampshire, 1623 to 1660: A descriptive list, drawn from records of the colonies, towns, churches, courts and other contemporary sources. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co. p.195

Bibliography

• Hodgdon, A. J., & White, A. L. (1904). Genealogy of the descendants of Nicholas Hodsdon-Hodgdon: Of Hingham, Mass., and Kittery, Maine, 1635-1904. Haverhill, Mass: [2] .

See also:

• Noyes, Sybil. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and NH, Genealogical Pub. Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1976
• Find A Grave, database and images : accessed 10 November 2019, memorial page for Nicholas Hodsdon (1611–11 May 1704), Find A Grave: Memorial #37873937,; Maintained by Harlene Soper-Brown (contributor 46880650) Unknown,