Matthew Sunderland (abt. 1615 - 1642)

Born about May 1615 in Shelf, Yorkshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Katherine (Unknown) Salmon — married 1639 (to 1642) in Suffolk, New York

Died 1642 at about age 26 in Long Island, New York

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Biography

Matthew Sunderland was born in the village of Shelf and baptized on 28 May 1615, St. John the Baptist Church, Halifax, Yorkshire, son of John Sunderland of Shelf, Yorkshire. Matthew was a seaman/mariner who shows up in the records of various places on the coast of New England, including Boston, Plymouth (drunk in 1638), Newport (Rhode Island), and Long Island. His association with Newport, Rhode Island, is particularly important in establishing his connected with Halifax, Yorkshire, England. His associate Thomas Robinson was also from Halifax, as was Matthew's first cousin, Mary (Longbothom) Butterworth-Clifton (https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Longbothom-3). He was also no doubt a cousin of John Sunderland (born in a nearby parish) who was in Boston, Massachusetts, by 1638 (whose surname appears as Synderland in some records): https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Sunderland-14.

He is called Matthew Sinderland in a 1945 article in The American Genealogist. He is thought to have married Katharine Curtis (sister of Thomas Curtis of Wethersfield) perhaps about 1639. Here's a quote from that article: "Matthew Sinderland, mariner, of Boston and Rhode Island, obtained on 18 June 1639 certain tracts of land at Hashamomack and Oyster Bay from James Farrett, merchant, of Boston, agent for the Earl of Sterling who had title to vast acreage on Long Island. No Sinderland deed to Hashamomack. which is the neck of land that joins Southold on the northeast, has ever been produced, but deeds to Hogg Island near Oyster Bay and to the necks on either side of Oyster Bay are in the colonial records. Sinderland married Katherine, probably sister of Thomas Curtis of Wethersfield, Conn., and settled at Hashamomack about 1640, perhaps the first settler of Southold. He died soon thereafter without issue, leaving his property to his widow Katherine who by 1643 married second, William Salmon, blacksmith, who moved onto her Hashamomack lands." Therefore Matthew Sinderland died on Long Island (as stated in Great Migration Directory for Matthew "Sutherland"). Here's a weblink to the 1945 article in TAG (see pages 246-247): http://longislandgenealogy.com/John_Concklyne.pdf

Surname shown as Sunderland, Matthew Sunderland (seaman or mariner), in various sources, including this one (when he was "of Boston"): page 10 of https://www.google.com/books/edition/An_Address_Delivered_Before_the_Suffolk/jIoqAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq="Matthew+sunderland"+mariner&pg=PP18&printsec=frontcover

Also referred as Southerland or Sutherland (especially in Rhode Island records). From GMN 22:28 listed as a source in The Great Migration Directory: Mathew Sutherland: On 23 Oct 1638, "Mathew Southerland, being proved to be drunken upon the oath of William Vincent, was set in the stocks" at Plymouth [PCR1:100]. Resided at Newport on 9 October 1640, mariner [Lechford 283, 301]. By 8 March 1642, he had moved to Long Island and died there [RICR (MS) 12]

Lechford source in The Great Migration Directory says: "Matthew Southerland of Newporte in the Island of Rodes in new England marriner bound by bill to Thomas Robinson for 4l to be payd the 9th of 8ber 1640." IMPORTANT NOTE: (1) This is significant for two reasons, Thomas Robinson was also from Halifax, Yorkshire (married there in 1630), see https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Robinson-2241 (2) And secondly, Matthew Sunderland (baptized at Halifax) was a first cousin of Mary (Longbothom) Butterworth-Clifton who was a resident of Newport, Rhode Island, for many years and died there: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Longbothom-3 Also see (pages 10-12 of the Lechford source): https://www.google.com/books/edition/Magazine_of_New_England_History/dQZSRH9VZucC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq="Thomas+Robinson"+"Matthew+sunderland"&pg=PA11&printsec=frontcov

Sources

• Baptism record: https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2256/images/32355_248981-01101?pId=8929333
• weblink to the 1945 article in TAG (see pages 246-247): http://longislandgenealogy.com/John_Concklyne.pdf

• https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/20468/images/dvm_LocHist006724-00513-1?pId=960