Joseph Northrup (1623 - 1669)

Born 1623 in England

Husband of Mary (Norton) Northrop — married about 1648 in Milford, New Haven County, Connecticut

Descendants

Died 11 Sep 1669 at about age 46 in Milford, New Haven, Connecticut

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Biography

Joseph Northrup was the immigrant ancestor of this family. His exact parents and origins are unknown, or at least not proven. AJ Northrup in his The Northrup-Northrop Genealogy claimed that Joseph Northrup was member of the Eaton and Davenport company that arrived in Boston on the ships Hector and Martin on 26 July 1637.^[1] That he was among this company that settled in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1638, and that he would settle in Milford, Connecticut in 1639. None of this known to be true or supported by primary records. These claims rest entirely on the idea that since he was an early settler of Milford he must have been part the Eaton and Davenport company, and therefore must have immigrated in 1637 aboard the Hector. None of this is known with certainty, and since he was not a member of the church in 1639 it is unlikely this is true.

The earliest record Joseph Northrup in New England is when on 29 November 1639 he occurs among the list of people settling the new town of Milford, Connecticut.^[2] However, he was not one of the 44 members of the new Milford Church, but rather on a separate list of nine men. He joined the church in Milford on 9 January 1642.^[1][3]

Joseph Northrop married Mary Norton by 1648 based on the birth of their first child. One secondary source claims they were married in April 1646, however, the primary source confirming this date has not been found.^[4] Joseph Northrop and his children are named in the will of his father-in-law. Joseph and Mary had a total of eight children, all born in Milford.

Joseph Northrop died on 11 September 1669 in Milford.^[5][6] He left a will dated 1 September 1669.^[7] It mentions of his children only Joseph, Samuel, Jeremiah, and John. His wife survived him, and made her will Jan. 24, 1683, mentioning Joseph, Samuel, Jeremiah, (omits John, who probably was dead) Zophar, Daniel, William, and Mary- the latter two being in their minority- also her mother Norton. Inventory of estate dated Feb. 28, 1669.^[7]

Birth

Born: About 1623.

The date is an estimate based on his marriage about 1648.

Marriage and Children

Married: Mary Norton about 1648 based on their first child being born in 1649.

Children of joseph Northrop and Mary Norton:^[1][8]

1. Joseph Northrup. Born on July 17, 1649 at Milford.
2. Samuel Northrup. Born on 26 October1651 at Milford.
3. Jeremiah Northrup. Born on 14 January 1653 at Milford. m. Phoebe (--?--).
4. John Northrup. Born on 7 September 1656; d. before 1683 at Milford.
5. Zophar Northrup. Born on 21 June 1661 at Milford.
6. Daniel Northrup. Born on 7 August 1664 at Milford.
7. William Northrup. Born on 2 June 1666 at Milford.
8. Mary Northrup, Born on 6 January 6, 1670. at Milford.

Death

Died: 11 September 1669 in Milford, New Haven, Connecticut.^[9][10]

Will

Dated 1 September 1669;

Summary:

- to Mary my beloved wife

- to my son Joseph Northrop

- to my son Samuel Northrop

- to my son Jeremiah Northrop

- to my son John Northrop

- the rest to be divided amongst all my children

- my beloved wife to be sole executrix

Research Notes

English Origins

The English origins are unknown. A.J. Northrup in his The Northrup-Northrop Genealogy stated that Joseph Northrup was one of Eaton and Davenport's company. However, this is not certain. Considering he was not a member of the church in Milford when he originally settled there, it is actually unlikely. If he was a member of the Eaton and Davenport, it is likely he came from Yorkshire.

Clue: son of William?: In 1553, Joseph Northrop donated money to a school in Bradford, Yorkshire England out of his lands in Maningham. In 1616, William Northrop Sr, John Northrop, George Northrop, William Northrop Jr were defendants in a fine regarding lands in Maningham. Checking the baptisms in Bradford there are entries for a John, George, and a William, and one for a Joseph Northrop son of William baptized on 15 August 1617.^[11] Could this Joseph Northrop, son of William of Bradford be the immigrant. The name is correct and the date is in the range of what would be expected. However, this not enough to establish the English origins of the immigrant.

Parents Joseph Northrop and Katherine Birdsey? It is often found on the internet and previously on this profile that Joseph Northrop was the son of Joseph Northrup and Katherine Birdsey, born in Wilkenfeld, Yorkshire, England. Sometimes they are also said to be from Derbyshire, England. There is no evidence that this is correct, and these parents have been removed. There is no place called Wilkenfeld in Yorkshire.

New England Marriages prior to 1700

Sources used by Torrey in his New England Marriages to 1700:^[12]

"NORTHROP, Joseph (-1669) & Mary [NORTON]; ca 1647; Milford, CT"

• TAG 9:101; #TAG1932, vol. 9 (1932): page 101
• Northrup 1, 2; Northrop. The Northrup-Northrop Genealogy. (1908): page 2.
• Frost 381; Frost, The Frost Genealogy. (1912): page 381.
• LBDF&P 4:103; Lineage Book of DF&P. vol. 4 (1913): page 103.
• Reg. 43:243 NEHGR, vol. 43 (1889): pages 243. "Northrop Genealogy,"

All Torrey sources examined and none give a marriage date.

Clemens in his American Marriage Records Before 1699 gives a marriage date of April 1646.^[13]

Immigration question: A.J. Northrup in his The Northrup-Northrop Genealogy stated that Joseph Northrup was one of Eaton and Davenport's company that immigrated on the ships Hector and Martin in 1637. Joseph Northrup is not found on these ship's passenger lists, so is this correct?
Answer: There is no passenger list for either the Hector or for the Martin. Nor for any other ship for that matter, they are all reconstructed from Certificates of Conformity (people had to swear their allegiance to the crown and show they were in good standing with the church in order to essentially get permission to immigrate). These two ships sailed when Certificates of Conformity were no longer being required, so there are no names in England as to who got on what ship. For the Hector, there are only 5 men known for certain to have been on that ship, and that's because John Wintrop wrote about them in his journal: Mr. Eaton, Mr. Davenport, Mr. Hopkins, another unnamed minister, and Lord Ley. Anyone associated with the Eaton and Davenport party are generally assumed to have been on the Hector even though this is unprovable and often likely wrong. For the Martin, only 13 people can be said to have been on that ship and that is because one man died during the voyage and the name of the ship and a few passengers are mentioned in the settlement of his estate and by depositions of witnesses as to his will.
Looking at Joseph Northrup's history, it is unlikely he was on the Hector or the Martin and there is certainly no way to ever know. It is also unlikely he was actually a member of the Eaton and Davenport company at all. The statement in the Northrup book was just a guess which is probably wrong.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Northrup. The Northrup-Northrop Genealogy. (1908): pages 1-2.
2. ↑ TAG, vol. 12. (1938): page 171. "Milford Land Records"
3. ↑ TAG, vol. 16. (1939): pages 28-38. "Milford Church Records."
4. ↑ Clemens. American Marriage Records Before 1699. (1926): page 160.
5. ↑ TAG, vol. 9. (1932): pages 100-120. "Milford (Conn.) Vital Records"
6. ↑ Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920. (Ancestry.com online database). Milford First Congregational Church 1639-1926. Image 261 of 412.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} “New Haven Probate Records, Vol. 1-2, 1647-1703”, FamilySearch online database. (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L92K-G9NJ-D ), New Haven, Connecticut, FHL microfilm 007626739, image 149-150. New Haven Probate Record, 1647-1687, Vol. 1, Part 2, page 15-16.
8. ↑ TAG, vol. 9. (1932): pages 100-120. "Milford (Conn.) Vital Records"
9. ↑ TAG, vol. 9. (1932): pages 100-120. "Milford (Conn.) Vital Records"
10. ↑ Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920. (Ancestry.com online database). Milford First Congregational Church 1639-1926. Image 261 of 412.
11. ↑ The Genealogist, vol. 16. (2002): page 182.
12. ↑ Torrey. New England Marriages to 1700. (2011): page 1100.
13. ↑ Clemens. American Marriage Records Before 1699. (1926): page 160.

Source list:

• The American Genealogist, volume 9. (1932): pages 100-120. "Milford (Conn.) Vital Records," by Donald Lines Jacobus. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• The American Genealogist, volume 12. (1938): pages 170-175. "Milford Land Records," by Donald Lines Jacobus. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• The American Genealogist, volume 16. (1939): pages 28-38 "Milford Church Records," by Donald Lines Jacobus. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• Clemens, William Montgomery. American Marriage Records Before 1699. (Pompton Lakes, 1926): page 160.

• Connecticut, U.S., Church Record Abstracts, 1630-1920. (Ancestry.com online database). Milford First Congregational Church 1639-1926. Image 261 of 412.

• Frost, Josephine C., The Frost Genealogy: Descendants of William Frost of Oyster Bay, New York, Showing Connections Never Before Published with the Winthrop, Underhill, Feke, Bowne and Wickes Families. (New York: Frederick H. Hitchcock, 1912). Google Books.

• The Genealogist, volume 16. (2002): page 182. "A Clue to the Northrop Origins; ", by F. N. Craig. AmericanAncestors.org link.

• The Society. Lineage Book of National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America. (Washington, D.C., 1913): page 103.

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, volume 43 number 13 (July 1889): pages 242-253. "Northrop Genealogy," by A. Judd Northrop. Exact same as his book. AmericanAncestor.org link]. Google Books.

• Northrup, A. Judd. The Northrup-Northrop Genealogy: A record of the known descendants of Joseph Northrup, who came from England in 1637, and was one of the original settlers of Milford, Conn., in 1639 ; with lists of Northrups and Northrops in the Revolution. (New York, 1908). Internet Archive

• Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England Marriages to 1700. (Boston: NEHGS -AmericanAncestors.org, 2011): page 1100. Note that the copy of Torrey found on AmericanAncestors.org contains all of Torrey's sources that he used, while the copy on Ancestry.comn does not. AmericanAncestors.org link