William Hunt (abt. 1690 - bef. 1746)

Born about 1690 in Montgomeryshire, Wales [uncertain]

Husband of Mary (Woolman) Hunt — married 14 Feb 1720 in Springfield MM, Burlington, New Jersey

Descendants

Died before 27 Nov 1746 before about age 56 in Prince George's, Maryland

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Biography

William Hunt was a Friend (Quaker). Join: Quakers Project Discuss: quakers

The origins of William Hunt, husband of Mary Woolman the aunt of well-known Quaker John Woolman, are uncertain. Claim is often made that he is the son of William Hunt and Mary Pierson. This is, in a circuitous manner, based on the claim that the elder William came not from Abington Monthly Meeting in England (though he did originally come from England) but from Abington Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. However, the meeting in Pennsylvania was not known by this name until 1710 and the elder William was dead by 1694. (See Research Notes) For these and other reasons detailed in the profile, these undocumented parents have been detached from the profile and should not be reintroduced without primary source documentation and consultation with the Quakers Project.

Researcher Roger Hunt, writing in 2011^[1], states: The first record of William Hunt in America is a Quaker monthly meeting record dated 30 March 1719 which reads: At this meeting William Hunt Late of Bybery Produced a Certificate from Radnor in Great Brittain which was Read & Accepted. This entry is found in the minutes of Abington Monthly Meeting in Pennsylvania. As Rogert Hunt notes, at least five things are known from this single minute entry: 1/ William Hunt attended the Abington Monthly Meeting held on 30 March 1719 and presented his certificate from his previous meeting; 2/ William Hunt was a Quaker before he came to America; 3/ He likely arrived shortly before this date as certificates were generally recorded within a month or two of arrival so we may deduce he arrived America late 1718/early 1719; 4/ he recently lived in Bybery a preparatory meeting of Abington; 5/ his certificate was from Radnor, almost certainly the Radnor meeting in Wales.

The Radnor Monthly Meeting known at this time is Radnorshire in Wales which existence is documented by early Quaker Thomas Story in his Journal (he visited Radnor in 1717). The early minutes of the Radnor meeting are not known to have survived. The reader is referred to the extensive discussion about the extreme scarcity of the Hunt surname pre-1750 in Wales in Roger Hunt's research. Note that the county of Radnorshire ceased to exist (and became part of Powys) after the 1974 government restructuring of counties.

He married Mary Woolman 2 May 1720.^[2] The marriage is also found in the minutes of the Mount Holly Monthly Meeting.^[3]

A deed uncovered in the Maryland State Archive signed by William on 25 Oct 1746 coupled with the transfer certificate of his daughter where he is deceased dated 27 Nov 1746 pinpoints his date of death between these two documents and places his death in Prince George's, Maryland. Specific citations will be added. T Stanton

Research Notes

It may be read that references to Abington MM which are thought to be Abington MM in England actually meant Abington MM in Pennsylvania. However, Abington MM meeting was not know by this name until 1710. What is now Abington MM was known as:^[4] TACKONY & POETQUESINK UNTIL 1685
OXFORD OR CHELTENHAM 1683 - 1687
DUBLIN 1687 - 1710/06/24
ABINGTON (ORTHODOX) 1710/07/21 - 1944

Sources

1. ↑ The History of the Hunt Family, 2011
2. ↑ Haverford, Quaker Meeting Records. Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania. Burlington and Rancocas Monthly Meetings Minutes, 1681-1747
3. ↑ Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Mount Holly Monthly Meeting
4. ↑ QuakerMeetings.com "Monthly Meetings in North America: A Quaker Index"

• Encyclopedia of American Quaker Genealogy, Volume II, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, by William Wade Hinshaw , Thomas Worth Marshall, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Michigan 1938. Page 234.