Rachel (Unknown) Hicks (abt. 1618 - abt. 1672)

Born about 1618 in Gloucestershire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died about 14 Jun 1672 at about age 54 in Hempstead, Long Island [uncertain]

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Rachel (Unknown) Hicks migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Rachel _____ ^[1] the wife of Dr. Thomas Starr and John Hicks.

Hosea Starr Ballou published the most comprehensive work on this family: The early Starrs in Kent and New England (Boston, 1944). On pages 207-9 Hosea discusses Rachel's parents and says that the only clue to her parents are found in her letter naming "aunt smedly" dated 5 Sep 1666. The author posits that "aunt smedly" is probably Katherine (unknown) Smedly wife of Baptize Smedly of Concord from Derbyshire. Note John Oldham was also from Derbyshire. He has brother, John Smedly and his wife Anne. She probably came with John Oldham and Baptize Smedly with her aunt from Derbyshire, England, (See savage and Pope about the Smedly brothers of Concord). Smedly, Oldham, Wood, Flint have pre-1600 bp records there and came to Concord so she could be a Wood or Flint. There is no basis at all for the notion that her name might have been Harris.^[2] Burgis Pratt Starr in his early work simply started that her maiden name and origin was inconclusive.^[3]

Rachel married Dr. Thomas Starr, about 1639, before the birth of their child, estimated to be about 1640. Dr. Thomas Starr lived in Duxbury in 1639, in Yarmouth, in Scituate, in Yarmouth again, and moved to Charlestown about 1651/52.^[4]

Their home in Charlestown abutted northerly on the "towne Street" and southerly by John Burrage and to the northwest by Giles Fifield, and James Russell's shop on the east.^[2]

Thomas died in 1658, in Charlestown, leaving his widow Rachel as executrix of his estate. She presented his inventory 28 Dec 1658 to the court in Charlestown.^[2]

19 Oct 1658 at a Colony Court: "Whereas Mr. Thomas Starr, deceased, having left a desolat widdow and eight smale children, was ye chirurgeon of one of the companjes yt went against the Pequotts, ... the Court judgeth it meete to graunt fower hundred acres of land to the sajd widow & children, & doe heereby impower ye Tresurer & Capt Norton to make sale or otherwise to dispose of the sajd lands as may best conduce to ye benefit of the widdow & children as they shall see meete."^[5]

22 Jan 1662. "Conditions of an Agreement made betwixt John Hickes of Hempsted of the one Party, And Rachell Starre of Oysterbay of the other Party ... before they enter or joyne in Marriage estate, about the settling of their Estates, and ffor the prevention of Differences betwixt the Children of the said John Hickes and Rachell Starres Children ..." Their estates were inventoried at the time and when one of them died first, that inventoried estate was to go to the children of the deceased. Any increase inthe estate since the marriage would be divided in half, one half to the children of the deceased. Further John Hickes gave to Rachel Starre, if he died first, during her widowhood, the house and lands where he lived, arable land and meadow belonging to it, six cows, four oxen, the instruments of husbandry belonging to them, and whatever household stuff she found needful.^[6][7]

5 Sep 1666, Rachel wrote a letter from North Riding of New Yorkshire, Long Island. to Mr. Richard Russell of Charlestown, giving him Power of Attorney to care for the Thomas Starr house in Charlestown, to sell or let out "as you see safe and think best, " "lett my Aunt Smedly have the refusal of it, for if shee will give anything likely I had rather shee had it than another, yet I must look that I do not wrong myselfe, by underselling it."^[8][2] 23 Aug 1668, Samuel, Thomas, Comfort, Benjamin and Jehosaphat Starr, sons of Mr. Thomas Starr, late of Charlestown, sold to James Russell the dwelling house of Thomas Starr in Charlestown. Permission to sell was given by their mother, Rachel Hicks, widow of Thomas Starr, and her new husband John Hicks through their attorney, Richard Russell. Samuel, Thomas, Comfort, and Benjamin signed. Jehosaphat made his mark. The deed was not recorded until 1 Jan 1684/5 when two more signatures were added, those of the youngest sons now old enough to sign: Josiah Starr and the mark of John Starr.^[4]

The Last Will & Testamt of Jno Hicks of Hempstead being weak in Body ... Sonn Thomas Hicks Exicutor ... Forasmuch as there was an Agreemt heretofore between mee & my Wife ... Shee now being desireous to relinquish those Condicons; & that former Agreemt ... For her own Satisfaction; My Will is that my Sonn Thomas pay to my Wife Rachel Hicks one hundred pounds in Neat Cattle according to whiat (?) at five shillings p Bushell & ye Bed & Bedding that shee usually lyeth on, with all its furniture, & one Brass Kettle, & ye Lesser Iron Pott, besides her own wearing Cloaths, and what Goods my said wife brought wth her to mee." He gave his daughter Hannah Haviland's children farm animals and to her £100 in animals. He gave son Thomas' children animals also. "Also I give to my Son in Law Josyas Starr" animals. The will was dated 29 April 1672, and signed by both John Hicks and Rachel Hicks. Presented in court 14 Jun 1672, Thomas was appointed administrator.^[9]

Although a death date, June 1672, is frequently seen, it should rightly be after 14 June 1672, when she presented John Hicks inventory in court.

Children^[4]

1. Samuel b. c. 1640; m. Hannah Brewster; settled in New London, Connecticut
2. Thomas b. c. 1642; surgeon; m (1) Elizabeth ____; m. (2) Ruth ____
3. Comfort b. 1644. bpt 2nd Church of Scituate 7 Jun 1646; settled in Middletown, Connecticut; m. Marah Weld
4. Elizabeth bpt 7 Jun 1646 2nd Church of Scituate m. John Treadwell;
5. Benjamin b. Yarmouth 6 Feb 1647/8; m. Elizabeth Allerton
6. Jehoshaphat b. Yarmouth 12 Jan 1649/50;
7. Constant b. Charlestown in 1652; died there 5 Oct 1654
8. William b. Charlestown 18 Mar 1654/5; d. there 13 Dec 1659
9. Josiah b. Charlestown 1 Sep 1657; m. Rebecca ____
10. John b. probably 1658;

Sources

1. ↑ Mayflower Families for Five Generations (Allerton) Vol. 17 p. 19, her LNAB was unknown.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} Ballou, Hosea Starr. Early Starrs in Kent & New England (Boston : Starr Family Association, 1944) Parentage of Rachel Starr, p.127. The Online version of this book available for check out on Archive.com.
3. ↑ A History of the Starr Family of New England; from the ancestor, Dr. Comfort Starr of Ashford, County of Kent, England, who emigrated to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1635" by Burgis Pratt Starr; The Case, Lockwood and Brainard Company, publishers; 1879 (929.2 ST28S (ACPL)
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Early New England Families, 1641-1700. (Original Online Database: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2013. (By Alicia Crane Williams, Lead Genealogist.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB501/i/13727/4/29469832
5. ↑ Shurtleff, Nathaniel Bradstreet (ed.) Records of the governor and company of the Massachusetts bay in New England. Vol. 4 pt 1 1650-1660 Printed by order of the legislature (Boston, W. White, printer to the commonwealth, 1853) p. 355
6. ↑ Hempstead (N.Y.), Benjamin D. Hicks (ed.). Records of the Towns of North And South Hempstead, Long Island, New York [1654-1880]. Jamaica, N.Y.: Long Island Farmer Print, 1896. Vol 1. p. 119
7. ↑ This is referred to in the Early New England Families profile for Thomas Starr, cites an antenuptial agreement (published in NYGBR) between Rachel Starr and John Hicks, dated 22 Jan 1661/2. NYGBR 42:185 cites the Hempstead Town Records. 1:119
8. ↑ "Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99Z7-GZL1?cc=2106411&wc=MC1M-ZMS%3A361613501%2C364517501 : 22 May 2014), Middlesex > Deeds 1649-1670 vol 1-3 > image 515 of 645; county courthouses and offices, Massachusetts.
9. ↑ Record of Wills, 1665-1916; Index to Wills, 1662-1923 (New York County); Author: New York. Surrogate's Court (New York County); Probate Place: New York, New York. Wills, Vol 001, 1665-1683 Accessed at Ancestry ($)

• Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England" by James Savage; IV:171; The Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland; 1981 (929.274 S264 LAPL) (NE Sec. SR)
• "The Planters of the Commonwealth, 1620-1640" by Charles Edward Banks; The Genealogical Publishing Company; Baltimore, Maryland; 1961 (974.4 B22PA ACPL)
• "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" compiled by Clarence Almon Torrey; p. 703; The Genealogical Publishing Company, Inc. of Baltimore, Maryland; 1985 (974.0 NEa/Marriage SCGS)
• "Some Colonial Families: Avery, Brewster, Mills, Morgan, Smith, Starr, Stewart, Tracy" by Eloise M. Roberts; pp. 63-4; privately printed at Avard, Oklahoma; 1926 (HeritageQuest)
• "Early Starrs in Kent and New England" by Hosea Starr Ballou; The Starr Family Association; 1944 (929.2 ST28B ACPL), [1]