The Colonial World of Thomas and Christian Pettit and Some Descendants
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Location: Newtown, Long Island
Surnames/tags: thomas_christian_pettit puritan_congregationalist
Like a scavenger hunt, genealogical research is often about finding things such as facts and sources. But, without context, they are simply trinkets. To truly understand their lives, you must consider circumstance.
On this page, I am compiling information on the places, people and events that shaped the lives of Thomas and Christian Pettit and some of their descendants.
Boston, Massachusetts
- Around 1630 Thomas Pettit arrived in Boston as the bonded servant of Oliver Mellowes.
Puritans
Learn about Puritans
Massachusetts Bay Colony
Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company
Charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company
- Clearly, these settlers were looking for self-determination.
Cambridge Agreement
- They were often in trouble for their religious beliefs.
Antinomian Controsersy
Bulkeley/Cotton/Hawkred/Mather/Mellowes/Storee
Martha Bulkeley was the wife of Abraham Mellows and mother of Oliver Mellowes (see above). She was related to Peter Bulkeley father of Edward Bulkeley.
Another woman who seemed to embody these early struggles was Sarah Hawkred. Her first marriage was to Roland Story. Secondly, she married John Cotton and finally | Rev Richard Mather. Her sister, Elizabeth Hawkredd had also been a wife of Oliver Mellowes.
Hutchinson/Coggeshall/Rishworth/Storee
Another important family was that of Edward Hutchinson. Hester Hutchinson married Thomas Rev Rishworth. Susanna Hutchinson m. Augustine Storre. Mary Hutchinson married Rev John Wheelwright. And, Rev Wheelwright had previously married Mary Storre.
John Coggeshall emigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632. He became a supporter of dissident minister John Wheelwright and Anne Hutchinson. In March 1638 he signed the Portsmouth Compact.
Portsmouth Compact
- In Boston, Thomas Pettit was convicted of slander, insubordination and inciting a riot for siding with Rev John Wheelwright. In 1637, his indenture ended and he received 6 acres and 30 poles.
Exeter, New Hampshire
- Sometime after 07 Mar 1637, Thomas moved to Winnicomette (Exeter), Falls of the Piscataqua with Rev John Wheelwright and 33 others.
- Thomas was a member of the Congregational Church there.
Congregational Church
- This denomination would undergo quite a bit of evolution.
- On 02 Apr 1640 Thomas signs the Exeter Combination and received 6 acres for his share. Thomas was active in the civic affairs of Exeter until 1655.
Exeter Combination
Newtown, Long Island
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| Newtown, Long Island |
- Thomas was among the founders of Newtown which, at that time, was part of Flushing and fell under the authority of Connecticut.
Vlissingen/Flushing
The Colony of Connecticut
- Relations with the natives in this area had been tough. In fact, Anne (Marbury) Hutchinson and all of the children still living with her (save one who was captured) were killed in Kieft’s War.
Kieft's War
Coe/Doughty/Moore/Reed
In 1642, Rev Francis Doughty received a grant Maspeth, New Netherlands. His third wife was also the wife of Rev John Moore. Rev John had a son also named John. After the son’s death, his widow married Thomas Pettit (Thomas) in 1686. His son, Capt Samuel Moore married Mary Reed, daughter of Elizabeth Pettit (Thomas) and Thomas Reed about 1665. Capt Samuel’s daughter Sarah married Daniel Coe. Mary Pettit (Nathaniel-Thomas) married John Moore in 1692 in Flatbush.
- In 1657, Thomas Pettit became Town Marshal, replacing Elias Bailey.
Bailey
In 1664, John Bailey (Bayley) was listed in the Elizabeth-town grant. Elizabeth (now in Union County) was once a Capital of East Jersey. John’s son Elias was born in Yorkshire, England. He lived in New London, Connecticut prior to settling in Newtown (Elmhurst), Long Island around 1656. In 1657, Elias was named Town Marshal of Newtown. In 1666, he is listed as a Freeholder in Newtown. His daughter Mary married Nathaniel Pettit (Thomas) in 1665. It is assumed that his daughter Sarah Bailey married Nathaniel’s brother John Pettit but there is some controversy about this.
Burroughs/Woodward
Elizabeth Pettit (Thomas) married John Burroughes, son of Jeremiah Burroughs. Their son John married Margaret Woodward daughter of Lambert Woodward. More information on the Woodward family might be found by tracing Nathaniel Woodward.
- Just before his death, Thomas and his descendants would have been experienced Leisler’s Rebellion.
Leisler's Rebellion
- On 01 August 1686, Thomas signed Dongan's Charter.
Dongan's Charter
- Many of the children of Thomas spread southwest roughly following the Assunpink Trail from Long Island to the Falls of the Delaware. There can be a lot of confusion regarding place names. Many of the places involved were along borders and boundaries and in disputed regions. Their names and authorities changed frequently. Double check place names against dates and authorities.
- When researching the first few generations, I have found it more fruitful to think in terms of Dutch settlements rather than English colonies.
New Netherland
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| New Netherland Settlements |
New Amsterdam
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| Original Grants of New Amsterdam |
- There are many Dutch colonial families that crossed paths with Thomas’ descendants. The Rev Francis Doughty and Stephanus Van Cortlandt appear on the map of Original Grants.
Ringo
Albertus Philipzen Ringo was a native of New Amsterdam. Around 1706 he relocated his family to the Falls of the Delaware. In 1707, he purchased 12 acres on Assunpink Creek in Maidenhead. In 1714 and 1719 he served as a Justice of the Peace in Burlington. He died in Hunterdon County in 1734.
Albert’s son Peter was a shoemaker and a gunsmith. He is listed in the 1722 tax list for Hunterdon County. He served as a Lieutenant in the Hopewell Militia. In 1723 he served as Assessor and as Collector in 1724. In March of 1715, Peter Ringo witnessed the will of Nathaniel Pettit (Thomas). Albert’s son Philip was a Judge. In 1728/29 he is mentioned in the account of the estate of John Heath.
His sons Henry & Cornelius were witness to the purchase on 100 acres of the Trenton track by Elias Pettit from his father Nathaniel (Thomas). It is also witnessed by his brother Jonathan Pettit. In 1766, Henry Ringo lost his land due to debt and he relocated to Virginia. In 1789, he moved again to Kentucky. Cornelius also went to Virginia where he served in the Revolution. Cornelius died in Kentucky in 1824.
Mispat/Maspeth/Middleburg/Newtown
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| Mispat/Maspeth/Middleburg/Newtown |
- The Annals of Newtown is an excellent source for information on these early residents. CAUTION: This volume is not error free. Please reconfirm facts in original sources.
Heemstede/Hempstead
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| Long Island, Connecticut |
- SEE: Coe/Carman/Furman
Somerset
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| 1775 Somerset |
Skillman/Aten
Sarah Pettit (Thomas) married Thomas Skillman. Skillman had come with the British Army to take control from the Dutch. Three of their four children would marry into the Aten family. Many of their records can be found in Dutch Reform sources. Some descendants would migrate to Somerset.
- Some make a claim that Hannah Pettit (Thomas) was the wife of Thomas Morrell. Given the family connections, he was likely related to Daniel Morrell of Hartford. Perhaps one day, DNA evidence will help determine a connection.
Evesham
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| 1775 Evesham |
Coe/Carman/Furman
Mary Pettit (Thomas) married John Firman/Furman, a neighbor of Robert Coe.
- The origins of John Furman are not yet clear. It may be profitable to research Jonathan Furman who married Mary Moore as another Jonathan Furman married Elizabeth Carmen.
Robert’s son Benjamin Coe married Abigail Carman daughter of John Carman of Hempstead.
There is some controversy over the of the Rachel who married Timothy Hancock of Evesham but many suspect her to be from John & Mary.
Trenton
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| Site of Trenton in 1714 |
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| Mahlon Stacy's Lands 1714 |
- The Falls of the Delaware and surrounds were variously listed under different authorities. Nathaniel, Moses and Elias as well as their neighbors can be found in various records. While this is partly due to the Tenth system (Burlington once containing five of them) there were also many land disputes in West Jersey.
Trenton history
Nottingham
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| 1695 Nottingham |
- In 1695, Mahlon Stacy, Joshua Ely and Nathaniel & Moses Petit are listed as inhabitants of Nottingham.
Maidenhead
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| Maidenhead the Early Days |
- Now a mere remnant of what it used to be, John Petty, Nathaniel and Moses Pettit were listed as inhabitants of Maidenhead. I have temporarily lost my source for this information. Check back later.
Mahlon Stacy
Mahlon Stacy was a tanner and a Quaker who acquired two proprietary shares in West Jersey. He chose to settle in the Yorkshire tenth at the Falls of the Delaware. He arrived in 1678 and erected a grist mill. He w one of the commissioners who oversaw the allocation of lands.
Joshua Ely
On the Stacy Map, you can see Joshua Ely’s 1685 purchase and his son George’s holdings in 1757.
Sometime before 1685, Joshua Ely (brother-in-law to Mahlon Stacy) arrived in Burlington. In 1685 he was appointed Constable of the Falls of Delaware and served as a Judge in Burlington. He had severed connection with Society of Friends prior to his arrival. He had a considerable plantation at Trenton. In his will dated 6 Nov 1700, he states that Christian daughter of Nathaniel Pettit is “contrary to his mind” and that if his son George marries her, he will not inherit.
In 1696, Nathaniel Pettit had purchased a plantation on the river directly below the plantation of Joshua Elly Sr in Hopewell. Over the next two years, the two often appear in the Burlington Court records as serving until 1698 when Joshua Ely is the Justice who removes Nathaniel and his wife Mary’s license to keep an ordinary for “keeping bad order, keeping people drunk and breaking the Sabbath”. Later Nathaniel is charged for selling Rum without a license as well as failing to appear to account for taxes collected.
After Joshua Ely’s death, his son Joshua purchased the upper half of homestead (400 acres) which he sold to Joseph Burroughs of New Towne, Long Island. This Joshua also purchased 91 acres on River Delaware adjacent to Moses Pettit & Ebenezer Trout in 1705. This he sold in 1709 to Samuel Hofmier.
George Ely’s will lists sons Joshua, George & Joseph, daughters Mary Green (widow), Sarah (wife of John Dagworthy) & Rebecca (wife of Eliakim Anderson). After George Ely’s death, Jane lived with one of her sons in Bucks, PA. The villages of Ely in Monmouth, NJ & Bucks, PA are namesakes of this family. All land transaction list him as of Hopewell. His letters of Administration for administrator (son) George Ely list him as “late of Maidenhead, Hunterdon.”
Joshua’s son George purchased the middle part of homestead (100 acres). In 1705, he married Jane Pettit. SEE: Zwaanendael Colony/Lewes. Nathaniel Pettit‘s will written in 1715 lists sons Moses, Elias, Nathaniel & Jonathan and daughters Mary Moon (Moore), Judith Heald (Neald) & Jane Ely. It also lists grandchildren Mary & Joshua Ely children of George Ely.
John Petty
John Petty was an early settler of New Jersey [Nieu Iark (Dut.) or Nova Caeserea (Eng.)] who had extensive land holdings and business interests on both sides of the Delaware and is listed in Burlington, its predecessor and antecessors. It is likely that historians have confused Petty with Pettit to some extent. Clearly, Petty Island was part of his holdings. Petty’s run may have been as well even though Nathaniel Pettit is later located near Petty’s Run.
Andrew Heath
Andrew Heath was born in Lambertville in Norton, Nottinghamshire, England. In 1682 he arrives on the Delaware River. He is listed in Bucks, Pennsylvania as the bonded servant of William Yardley who may have been his uncle. Here, he would have been influenced by men such as William Markham. His servitude ends in 1686 and he is granted his wages and 50 acres.
By 1699, he owns 420 acres near Trenton. In 1701 he pleads guilty to adultery with his daughter-in-law Frances Venables. In 1703, he serves as an interpreter with negotiation with the Lenni-Lenape Indians and is listed as a member of the Hopewell Episcopal Church. In 1705 he is charged for purchasing and marking a gelding without papers. He pleads guilty and is fined. In the same session, he was granted a license to keep a common victualing house.
On the 1714 Trenton map, you can see that Andrew Heath along with Thomas Lambert have interest in the Timber Swamp to the North. His will was written in 1717 in Hopewell and is witnessed by Nathaniel Pettit. His daughter Elizabeth married Nathaniel Pettit (Nathaniel-Thomas) in 1708 in Newtown, Long Island. His son Andrew married a Mary Pettit (daughter of a Charles that I have not yet placed) in 1720 in Hunterdon.
- The Burlington Courtbook – A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey 1680-1709 is an excellent source for information on early residents in this area. CAUTION: The forward to this book has an agenda and contains historical inaccuracies.
- There are some early Burlington arrivals worth noting:
In 1677, William Black and Thomas Schooley arrived on the "Martha," of Burlington (Yorkshire).
In December, 1678, the "Shield," arrived at Burlington, being the first ship that ever came so far up the Delaware. On board were Timothy Hancock, Robert Schooley, Richard Green, and John and Thomas Wood.
The same year, 1678, there also arrived a ship from London, in which came Abram & William Hewlings, John Petty and Jonathan Eldridge.
In the 1745 List of Burlington Freeholders: Paul Watkinson is listed in Burlington. John Schooley & Anthony Woodward are listed in Chesterfield. Jacob Heulings and Joseph Hewlings, Benjamin, Benjamin Jr and Joseph Moore are listed in Evesham. Thomas Moor is listed in Chester.
Zwaanendael Colony/Lewes & Rehoboth
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| Lewes & Rehoboth |
- On 21 Aug 1705 an event occurred in Lewes which reveals some associated family relationships. It was the marriage of Jane Pettit (Nathaniel-Thomas) and George Ely (Joshua Ely). It took place in the home of Jane's uncle Jonathan Baily. The marriage was performed by Philip Russell, Justice of the Peace. The following are listed as in attendance: Jonathan Bailey, Hannah Bailey, Mary Bailey, Elias Bailey, Thomas Harford, Edward Shecter, Preserve Coggeshall, William Coe, Jeremiah Claypoole, and Martha Heveling (Hewlings).
Coe/Howard/Moore/Reed:
Elizabeth Pettit (Thomas) married Thomas Reed. Their daughter Mary married Capt Samuel Moore son of Rev John Moore and Margaret who had also been married to Rev Francis Doughty.
Their daughter Mary Reed married Nathaniel Woodward. (See: Burroughs/Woodward). Their daughter Abigail married Benjamin Coe. Their daughter Mary married William Howard son of Capt Edward Howard. Many members of this family were members of First Presbyterian Church of Newtown. Records can be found in Records of the Presbyterian Church at Newton.
- Thomas Reed had previously married in Stamford. He may be related to the Puritan who was allowed wood and cows at Hartford in 1639.
Hewlings/Moore
William and Abraham Heulings from Gloucestershire, England arrived at Burlington in 1678 and settled at Colestown which had been a settlement of Samuel Cole. By 1682, they were located at the mouth of Rankokus where Delanco now stands. In 1688, there were additional purchases on the Delaware above Riverton on the west. Both brothers were large land holders in Chester and Evesham Townships.
Abraham (Abram) Hewlings was married to Mary Moore, daughter of Benjamin Moore. Abram, like his father Abraham, was a warden at St Mary's (renamed from St Anne’s) in Burlington and is buried in the churchyard there.
In his 1752 will, Paul Watkinson the second husband of Mary Pettit (Nathaniel-Thomas) left a legacy to Isaac Heulings and St Anne’s Church in Burlington. The inventory was made by Isaac Heulings and Abraham Hewlings. Mary Pettit had previously been married to John Moore.
- More research is needed to definitely place this branch of the Moore family.
As Warden, in 1768, Abrm Hewlings attested to the baptism and burial of Joseph Pettit, son of Charles (Nathaniel-Nathaniel-Thomas) and Sarah.
Another notable Hewlings descendant was Thomas Hewlings Stockton.
What relationship Jeremiah Claypoole had to James Claypoole who owned land in Lewes is currently unknown.
- Most of the Quaker connections to the Pettit family were Keithian. More information can be found in History of the Church in Burlington New Jersey
- Several members of the Pettit family were known members of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and were likely acquainted with Thomas Bray.
<insert map Indian Purchases> Indian Purchases in New Jersey
Mansfield
- Moses Pettit (Thomas) died in Mansfield in 1716.
- My research on Moses is still in the very early stages. He was very closely connected with his brother Nathaniel and associated with many of the same families.
- Nathaniel Pettit (Nathaniel, Thomas) lived in Hunterdon
Hunterdon County
The Creation of Hunterdon County
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| Indian Purchases in Hunterdon County |
Hopewell
- Nathaniel Pettit’s will was written in Hopewell in 1714/15. Edward Burrows purchased 200 acres here in 1699. In the 1722 tax list for Hopewell you will see members of the Coe, Ely, Furman, Moore, Reed, Ringo, and Wolverton families.
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| Hopewell Patent of Col Daniel Coxe |
Adlord Bowde Purchase
- Andrew Pettit’s probate took place in Amwell
Amwell Township
The Amwell Road
Wolverton/Furman/Moore/Bray/Stout
- I need to add and/or edit several profiles. Check back for updated links.
Andrew Pettit married Dinah Wolverton Dennis Wolverton married Elizabeth Pettit
Dinah Wolverton married Jonathan Furman Rhoda Furman married Jonathan Moore Elizabeth Furman married Levi Stout
Catharine Stout married Daniel Moore (son of Johannes Jacob Moore) Esther Stout married Amos Pettit
Susannah Stout married Rev Jonathan Bray Their son Andrew Bray married Sarah Stout Their granddaughter Anne Bray married Job Stout
- Jonathan Pettit’s will was written in Kingwood.
Kingwood
- The descendants of Thomas would have been very familiar with the Lenape trails. Many settled along both sides of the Delaware in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
Old Mine Road
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| Old Mine Road |
- An interesting article can be found at: Old Mine Road – Skylands. Some descendants of early Dutch Settlers migrated to this region including: Van Campen, Dupue and Cortlandt.
Skinner/Cortlandt
Rev William Skinner was first pastor of St Peters Church in Perth Amboy He married. Elizabeth Cortlandt daughter of Stephanus Van Cortlandt. Later, their descendants would mix with those of Thomas.
- The Lower Dutch Walpack church was located along this route. You may be able to find records in Reformed (Dutch) church of Walpack.
From this road, the Lenape used trail went through Culvers Gap that led through Augusta and then south, east of Newton, then to Parsippany.
Newton
- In 1757, John Pettit (Nathaniel-Nathaniel-Thomas) signed a petition from the inhabitants of Sussex. He was a member of Society for the Propogation of the Gospel. And, in 1769, he was elected Vestryman of Christ Church. His brother Amos also settled here.
- Many family relations would be formed in this area that lasted for generations.
CAUTION! If you use Snell’s History of Sussex and Warren Counties, New Jersey with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches please reconfirm with multiple, reliable, primary sources. I have found a number people with the same name merged into one person’s biography.
- If you are a male Pettit, you may wish to join the Pilgrim Pettit Y-DNA study.
Check back for future updates as my research progresses. Happy Hunting!
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