Theories About the Origins of Abraham Perkins

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Abraham Perkins

With no primary sources found, we're left to speculate about Abraham's parents and birth year and place, some ideas are included below:

• Abraham, son of Isaac, was born in 1603 (implying that Alice [1st] was his mother). Secondary sources supporting this idea are Mortensen (son of Isaac and Alice [1st], born about 1603) and Hall (son of Isaac and wife #2, born 1603, baptize 4 July 1603, citing Hillmorton Parish register as her source but entry not found in copy of baptism record attached to this biography).^[1][2] Support for c 1603 DOB only: Torrey (no parents named, born "?1603") and Noyes (no parents listed, aged 60 in 1663).^[3][4] Walter Goodwin Davis, gives no dates, but suggests that Abraham might be Isaac Jr's brother and they might be the sons of the Isaac Perkins who died in Ipswich in 1639.^[5] "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900", an unsourced online database accessed on Ancestry.com also lists a 1603 birth (no parents).

• Abraham, son of Isaac, was baptized on 28 January 1608 (implying Alice [2nd] was his mother). There is a partial baptism entry in the Hillmorton register on 28 January 1608[/9?] for an "Abraham baptized the xxviii January" (no surname or father's name recorded).^[6] Without citing a source, Abraham's Find A Grave profile uses this same date as his date of birth, as do unsourced online databases Family Data Collection - Individual and Family Data Collections - Births.

• Abraham, unknown parents, was born sometime between [aft.] 1603 and 1613. Secondary sources that support this include: Dow (no parents named, born about 1613; died 1683 aged about 70), Holman (born about 1613/died 1683 aged 70), Cutter vol. 2 (no parents named, died 31 August 1683, aged 72), Cutter vol. 3 (no parents named, born in 1611), Brown (no parents named, born about 1611), Hoyt (born about 1613), Noyes again (age 70 in 1683 - see NOTE below), Holmes (b. 1611), Little (b. c 1613, d.1683 age 70) and David Hall (deposed aged 60 on 5 Sep 1673 [still need to check court record]).^{[4][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]} Other online/unsourced databases that state a DOB other than 1603 or 1608 are: NEHGR 50:34 (d. 31 Aug 1683, aged abt 72), American Genealogical-Biographical Index (AGBI) (b.1613) and Millennium File (b. 1613 in Gloucestershire) and Hollick (b.1613).^[16] NOTE: Although Noyes infers a DOB of 1603 (age 60 in Sep 1663), she also gives an age of 70 at 1683 death: "His will, 22 Aug. (d. 31 Aug., ag. 70) 1683, names..." (will abstract does not state age at death).^[4]

• Savage does not attribute a birth date or parents to Abraham Perkins, but he states that Isaac Perkins of Hampton is "prob. bro. of 1st Abraham".^[17] This is important because Isaac's father is named Isaac Perkins Sr. on Isaac Jr.'s Hillmorton parish baptism record (whether the father on the bap. cert. is the Isaac Perkins of Ipswich, MA, is not known). Unfortunately, there are no documents that name Abraham and Isaac Jr. as brothers. It is known that they had adjoining house lots in Hampton in about 1638.^[11] Other secondary sources that list the two as probable brothers, but list no parents include: Savage, Noyes, Dow, Holman, Brown, Davis (see next item), Holmes and Little.^{[17][4][8][9][10][11][5][15]}

• 3 secondary sources that name Abraham's "father" Isaac Perkins with his family, but do NOT include Abraham as Isaac's son are: Walter Goodwin Davis (Dudley Wildes Ancestry p.169: Isaac's family is listed and all 10 siblings are included, Abraham is the only one missing; p.173: In profile of John of Ipswich, Davis mentions Abraham and Isaac, says they're presumed to be brothers and could be sons of the Isaac that died in Ipswich in 1639), D.W. Perkins (note that Perkins' book doesn't include any of Isaac's children with Alice [1st] or his dau., Abigail; and he adds a possible dau, "Alice" bap. & bur. 1613), and C.H. Pope (no dates, named as son of John, eldest son of John of Ipswich, who rec'd a bequest from his grandfather in 1654; also says "brother" Isaac is the son of Isaac of Ipswich).^[18][5][19]

Citations from Torrey

All sources listed by Torrey were reviewed for a link to Abraham's parents &/or his DOB (copied from G2G post/Joe Cochoit):

• NEHGR 10:215 Brief writeup on Perkins family. Nothing on birth date or English origins.
• NEHGR 12:79, Born about 1611. Nothing on English origins. (in source list).
• NEHGR 39:81, Nothing on birth date or English origins.
• NEHGR 50:34; Writeup of Abraham Perkins Family. Says he died 31 August 1683 aged about 72. No evidence for English origins.
• Hampton NH 908: Dow, Joseph, History of the Town of Hampton, N.H., from Its First Settlement in 1638 to the Autumn of 1892, 2 vols. (Salem, Mass.: Salem Press, 1893). Born about 1613. (in source list).
• GDMNH 541, 773: Noyes, Sybil, Charles T. Libby, and Walter Goodwin Davis, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire (Portland, Me.: Anthoensen Press, 1928–29, reprinted by Genealogical Publishing Company, 1972). States aged 60 in 1663 – I can’t find this record where I would expect to find it. Nothing on English origins. (in source list).
• Salisbury Fam. 282: Hoyt, David Webster, The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Mass., with Some Related Families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich, and Hampton, and of York County, Maine, Born about 1613. Archive.org (in source list).
• Conant 156: Conant, Frederick Odell, A History and Genealogy of the Conant Family in England and America, Thirteen Generations, 1520 to 1887 (n.p., privately printed, 1887). No birth information, claims without evidence he was from Newent, Gloucestershire, England. Archive.org
• Pillsbury Anc. 339: Holman, Mary (Lovering), Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury . . ., 2 vols. ([Concord, N.H.]: Rumford Press, 1938). High quality work, states he died 13 August 1683 aged 70. (in source list)
• EIHC 13:92: Essex Institute Historical Collections, vol. 13 page 92. Evidence for his children’s birth date. Nothing for Abraham. HathiTrust
• Warner-Harrington 789: Warner, Frederick Chester, “The Ancestry of Samuel, Freda and John Warner,” typescript, 5 vols. (Boston, 1949, 1955). No immediate access to this work. Available for online viewing at a Family History Center. Not the type of work you expect to be of high quality primary research.
• LBDF&P (1913)25} Lineage Book of National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of America (Washington, D.C., 1913). Not found, but not a reliable source.

Sources

1. ↑ Mortensen, Paula Perkins. English Origin of Six Early Colonists by the Name of Perkins. Baltimore MD: Gateway Press, Inc., 1998. Accessed online at LDS.org, p.7, #18: Isaac prop. of Ipswich 1637; p. 8-9, #20 (11th gen.): Abraham Perkins DOB est. 1603, son of Isaac & Alice [1st], DOD 31 Aug 1683, m. Mary Wyeth c 1638, 13 ch.
2. ↑ Hall, Kristin C. "Perkins Register Report" 6/9/04, ©1992-2004 by Kristin C. Hall: p.11, #40 (Abraham listed as son of Isaac & 2d wife, who was bur 28 Jun 1602 - cites Hillmorton Parish regs.); page 16, #72: son of Isaac, bap. 4 Jul 1603 in Hillmorton (cites Hillmorton Parish regs.). Accessed online 12/6/18 at Fambly. (has .pdf of Perkins Register Report)
3. ↑ Torrey, Clarence A., New England Marriages to 1700. (Online database. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Access online at AmericanAncestors.org, Vol. 2, p. 1165: "Perkins, Abraham (?1603-1683) & Mary [WYETH] (-1706, ae 88); by 1639; Hampton, NH/Charlestown {Reg. 10:215, 12:79, 39:81, 50:34; Hampton NH 908; GDMNH 541, 773; Salisbury Fam. 282; Conant 156; Pillsbury Anc. 339; EIHC 13:92; Warner-Harrington 789; LBDF&P}."
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Noyes, Sybil, Charles T. Libby and Walter G. Davis. Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire. Baltimore, MD: The Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1979. [Database online] Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007. Accessed at Ancestry.com, p.541: Hampton 1639, age 60 in 1663, m.Mary Wyeth, d.31 Aug 1683, will 22 Aug 1683, 13 ch. w/dates; p.773 (Wyeth). [cited by Torrey]
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Davis, Walter Goodwin. Massachusetts and Maine Families in the Ancestry of Walter Goodwin Davis (1885-1966), (Genealogical Pub. Co., Baltimore, MD, 1996). Accessed online at Ancestry.com, Vol. 3 (Dudley Wildes), p.169 (viii): Abraham is NOT listed as son of Isaac, but his 10 sibs. are all named, p. 173: Abraham and Isaac are presumed to be brothers. might be sons of the Isaac that died in Ipswich in 1639.
6. ↑ "Warwickshire, England, Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1535-1812." [Ancestry.com, database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Warwickshire Anglican Registers, Warwick, England. Warwickshire County Record Office. Roll: Engl/2/1143; DR 256. Images of Hillmorton Parish records: Hillmorton Marriages 1618-1639; Baptisms 1602-1605; Baptisms 1605-1607; Hillmorton 1608-1611; Hillmorton 1611-1616.
7. ↑ Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial; A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation. Volume 2. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1914. Access online at Archive.org, vol. 2, p.824: Line from Abraham, Luke, Luke, et al.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Brown, Asa W. "Perkins Family of Hampton, N.H.," published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 12 (Jan 1858): 79. Access online at Archive.org: dob c 1611, dod 31 Aug 1683, m.Mary ___ (b. c 1618, d. 29 May 1706); cites a family bible for dobs of 11/13 children; bro. Isaac p.82.
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} Dow, Joseph. History of the Town of Hampton, New Hampshire, from its Settlement in 1638 to the Autumn of 1892. Volume 2. Salem MA: L. E. Dow, 1893. Accessed online at Archive.org, vol. 2, p.908-910: b. c 1613, freeman 13 May 1640, land grants, dod, 12 ch.; son Luke dob 1641 & m. [cited by Torrey]
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Holman, Mary Lovering. Ancestry of Charles Stinson Pillsbury and John Sargent Pillsbury. Concord, N.H. : Priv. print. at the Rumford Press, 1938. Accessed online at Ancestry.com, also available to check out at Archive.org (waitlist), Vol. 2, p. 338-341: b. c 1613, of Hampton 1639, freeman 1640, m. Mary ___ and ch.[cited by Torrey]
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1 11.2} Little, George Thomas. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1909. Access online at Archive.org, Vol. 2, p.516-7: bro. of Isaac, b.c. 1613, frmn 1640, mrshl 1654, d.1683 aged 70.
12. ↑ Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial; A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of Commonwealths and the Founding of a Nation. Volume 3. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Co., 1914. Access online at Archive.org, vol. 3, p.1306: Line from Abraham, David, David, etc. to Merritt G Perkins; cites a family bible for dobs of 11/13 children (like source Brown).
13. ↑ Hall, David D., Witch-Hunting in Seventeenth-Century New England, A Documentary History, 1638-1692, 1991. Excerpts published online with permission at website of Hampton Library.
14. ↑ Hoyt, David Webster, The Old Families of Salisbury and Amesbury, Mass., with Some Related Families of Newbury, Haverhill, Ipswich, and Hampton, and of York County, Maine, at Archive.org, p.282: b. abt 1613 [cited in Torrey]
15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} Holmes, Frank R., Directory of the Ancestral Heads of New England Families, 1620-1700. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1923. Accessed online at Ancestry.com, p.186: no parents named, b. Eng 1611, Hampton 1640, listed as bro. of Isaac.
16. ↑ Hollick, Martin E., New Englanders in the 1600's: A Guide to Genealogical Research Published Between 1980 and 2005. Boston MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2006, p. 161: "Perkins, Abraham, b. c 1613, d. Hampton, NH, 31 Aug 1682".
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1} Savage, James, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, Showing Three Generations of Those who Came before May, 1962, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. Boston MA: Little Brown & Co., 1860. Access online at Archive.org, vol. 3, p.394-398: of Hampton, m. Mary, had 14 ch, freeman 13 May 1640, will 22 Aug 1683, prvd 18 Sep.
18. ↑ Perkins, D. W. "Perkins Families in the United States in 1790." Utica NY: D.W. Perkins, 1911. Accessed online at Archive.org: not named as son of Isaac p. 33 #14 (none of Isaac's ch. from 1st marriage are incl., dau. Abigail not named and it lists a poss. ch. "Alice" who may have been bap. 1613/bur.Aug 20 1613 [Abraham?]); Isaac's wife Alice Perkins burial 22 Jun 1603 (extracted Hillmorton parish records) p. 35.
19. ↑ Pope, Charles Henry. 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. Boston, MA: C. H. Pope, 1908. Access online at Archive.org, p. 158-9: son of John, eldest son of John of Ipswich, rec'd bequest from gr. father in 1654; Hampton, frmn 1640, ord 1651, wife mary 13 ch.; d.1683, will; says "bro" Isaac is son of Isaac of Ipswich.