This John Hieght connection has been reported to have been the father of
our John, Quaker Imm. but thus far have seen no proof. The date of 1654 as
birth has been given on various sources and accepted by many to be a basis of
fact, but again no proof at all that I have seen.
I have also seen the name of Jeremiah as a possible father of our John, the Imm. but again no proof.This link of our John the Imm. to his parentage in England is of great
interest and will be the direction to concentrate our research. As our John
was reported to have been held in the Tower of London for marriage contrary to the Church of England, there may be information which can be located in that area. A closer look into records from England and Wales may provide a missing clue, also by information which may become available through the Quaker records in Ireland, especially looking for clues in Greenag where it has been suggested that is where they had resided.The information which claims that Elijah was another son of our John and a brother to John Jr., George and William is also critical to find the missing links. This Elijah line is reported to have gone into Kentucky with my line of John #37 in W.P.J. volume. That family also reported that Elijah had gone to visit with his uncle, a Thomas in Ireland and the two returned to this country about 1715 in the Hopewell area. This Thomas line also goes into Kentucky and some of the branches went into the various southern states.
This Thomas line will also hold critical information and is worth the
research to prove or disprove family stories and tradition.The big question will then be as to the parantage of this John, who some
believe to be Thomas, perhaps the same as the one found on the passenger list
of the Buena Ventura of 1634, also that the families had come from Wales.
Certainly an interesting challenge, but one that today, with the access to
information and the computer age, may prove to be successful. As information
comes forward and is shared, it is most likely that we will certainly find the links to all the various Hiatt-Hiett-Hiott-Hyatt etc., lineages. Perhaps there will be sufficient interest to pull researchers together for this work. There has always been circumstantial evidence to indicate the families were familiar with each other and even recognized relationship. Some of the other branches also were Quaker and often follewed a similiar naming pattern.It is with great interest that these suggestions be made, however, it
is perfectly stated that there is no proof of these connections at this time
and it is only for purpose of explanation and sharing of possible information
that this linkage is even put forth. Please do not state any connection beyond our John Hieght, Quaker Imm. as anything further than suggestion and speculation, there is absolutly no claim to that.May we encourage all our families to share and develope this research
freely with each other and someday we will see this lineage develope back to
the reported roots of the days of William the Conqueror. (See WPJ for further
information on the orgin of the Hiatt name, etc.)
This line is not the direct line of the John Hiatt and Mary SMITH Quaker Immigrant but could be from the same lineage back a few generations? There are names consistant with John Hiatt line, Richard, John, Thomas, John to Robert of Butleigh, Somerset, England.
There seems to be a compilation of evidence which would indicate that this could be the same Thomas Hiatt who was on board the ship, Bona Venture, in 1634 arriving in Virgina. It also appears that he may have been a merchant and had at least 2 sons, John and Thomas who settled in the New World. The John, above, stated that he was 22 in the year 1634.
Following is a brief account of a Thomas Hyatt, apparently the same who
was on the ship, Bona Venture, 1634.Sent by Shirley Brown 2212 Nobili Ave Santa Clara, Calif. 95051
From Hyatt to HiettOne Line of Descent from Thomas Hyatt of Stamford, Norwalk and Ridgefield, Ct.
Thomas Hyatt, origins so far, unproved, but believed to have come from England on the ship "Bonaventure" in 1634, at the age of 22. This ship was originally bound for Virginia, but landed first at Dorchester, Mass. Besides
Thomas Hyatt, a John Russell, age 19, was also on the passenger list. (There were very many who appear to have direct relationships to many other Quakers of later dates, all close associates.The first mention of a Thomas Hyatt (in early records) was when his name appeared on the will of one John Russell of Dorchester, Mass., and he is called "brother". This John Russell died before the ship Bonaventure arrived, the date of death was 26 Aug 1633. His age was not been ascertained, but he may have been the father of the John Russell, age 19, who arrived the following year.
Several years later, in Stanford, Ct. At a town meeting of Dec. 7, 1641, 200 acres of land was granted to Thomas Hyatt of that town. This Thomas Hyatt was married, before 1640 to Elizabeth. Elizabeth's last name has never been proven, but was suggested to be Russell, because of the will, back in Dorchester, and because an Elizabeth Russell was known to be in New Haven, Ct. and she had at least two brothers, Henry and John. That this Elizabeth was really a "Russell" has never been proven, and it was also suggested that she may have been one Elizabeth Jackson, whose name also appears on the passenger list of the "Bonaventure". Whoever Elizabeth was, her husband, Thomas Hyatt died in Stamford, Ct. on 9 Sept 1656, Leaving 6 children. Elizabeth married 2) 8 June 1657 to Cornelius Jones, a widower and it was Cornelius Jones who later made disposition of Thomas Hyatt's estate to the Hyatt children.
Of the children of Thomas Hyatt and wife, Elizabeth, there was a son, Thomas Hyatt Jr., who was born in 1651, and was married 10 Nov 1677, at Norwalk, Ct. to (Margaret?) Mary St. John, daughter of Mathias St. John and his first wife, Elizabeth or Norwalk. Thomas Hyatt Jr. died at Norwalk, Ct. and the inventory of his estate was taken 28 Mar 1698. His estate was distributed in 1718, 20 years after his death, and several pieces of his land were recorded after his death. The names of all nine of his children appear on the distribution records.
Thomas Hyatt Jr., and Mary St. John lived in Norwalk, Ct. and he was called Lt. Thomas Hyatt. He received a land grant from the town of Norwalk in 1672 for military services rendered during King Philips War (7 acres) which he exchanged for other land. Of their nine children, Thomas Hyatt 3rd, was born about 1680 in Norwalk, and married a lady named Experience. Her last name has never been found.
Thomas Hyatt 3rd, and wife, Experience moved to the newly settled town of Ridgefield, Ct. and drew lot #15, as one of the original 25 proprietors in 1708. Residence there, however, did not occur until about 1714, when his house and land was ready for occupancy. The first three of their eight children were born in Norwalk, and the other 5 were born in Ridgefield. Thomas died 25 Dec 1760 at Ridgefield, but his death is recorded at Danbury, since that was where the deaths for Ridgefield were recorded until Ridgefield started to keep records of their own. His wife Experience did not remarry and died at Ridgefield on 29 Apr 1773. Both are buried at Ridgefield, Ct.
Hannah Hyatt was their oldest child, and was born 15 August 1702, at Norwalk. She married 1) 24 April 1722 to James Scott, son of David Scott of Ridgefield.
James Scott and Hannah Hyatt had six children, before his death sometime around 1749. Widow Hannah Hyatt Scott married 2) (as his 3rd wife) to Samuel St. John. She died 26 april 1765.
The first child of James Scott and Hannah Hyatt was daughter, Hannah Scott, born 3 Oct 1731, at Ridgefield, Ct. She was married on 16 April 1754 to John Rockwell Jr. son of John Rockwell and Elizabeth Keeler of Ridgefield, Ct.
Early in 1766 John Rockwell and Hannah Scott Rockwell migrated from Ridgefield, Ct. to Lanesborough, Berkshire Co., Mass. Hannah Scott Rockwell died there on the 8 May 1788 and is buried in Lanesborough, Mass.
Introduction and Acknowledgements
This work contains a listing of the descendants of the oldest known ancestor of my family, Thomas Hyatt. He may well be the first Hyatt to live in America. Born in Upway Parish, Dorchester England on Sunday, September 20, 1618, Thomas Hyatt came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony with the great Puritan migration of the early seventeenth century. It is believed that he lived for a time at Dorchester, Massachusetts where many of his neighbors had settled after giving the name sake of their new home in honor of their home back in England. He finally settled at Stamford, Connecticut, where on December 7, 1641, he was granted a house lot. Probate records affirm that Thomas Hyatt was named in the will of John Russell of Dorchester, MA as one of three recipients of his estate and referring to Thomas as “brother.” In reality, Thomas was a brother-in-law to John by virtue of his marriage to John’s sister Elizabeth. She also was born in Upway Parish, Dorchester, England in 1622 and was baptized in the nearby community of Netherbury on June 2, 1622. Thomas Hyatt died at Stamford, Connecticut on September 9, 1656. His estate, probated on June 16, 1662, noted that he left a widow and six children.
The following is the assemblage of the descendants of their children: Caleb, Ruth, John, Thomas, Deborah and Rebecca, each the second generation of thousands of Hyatts in America. The actual birth order is uncertain. I am a descendant of Thomas, son of Thomas Hyatt and Elizabeth Russell. It has been assumed that the first Thomas Hyatt was the son of Simon Hoyt and Deborah Stowers because of similarities in their lives. Recent scholarship has denied that relationship, and this treatment assumes the integrity of that scholarship.
My interest in the genealogy of my family began several years ago, when as a teenager, a cousin had researched and written a family tree. That interest waned for several years before it was ignited by a renewed curiosity of my great-grandfather’s Civil War experiences. The availability of new research accompanying an interest in genealogy as a discipline within the reach of the average American only intensified such interest. My research has taken me many places, and I am most grateful that most of the geographical roots of my family tree were within reasonable driving distance from my home. Visiting the cemeteries, churches and homes within the small towns and villages, I have had the privilege to see, has been the greatest thrill of all. I am indebted to the several public and private libraries that have preserved the records of my ancestral past and to the internet access that has allowed me to research information without ever leaving my home. The following pages represent years of research. I have omitted footnotes and documented references in order to complete this project, which otherwise could have become endless. There still remains the consciousness that there is yet so much more to be found. Perhaps someone of a future generation may complete this work and build upon the foundation I have here presented.
John S. Hyatt
Fort Myers, FL
September 28, 2010
Research needed to tie in these Hiatt's of Somerset England to the John Hiatt lineages going back to the same area, comparable times. The lineage of John Hiatt of the Quaker lineages came to the Conlonies with William Penn in 1699 from Butleigh, Somerset England. John would have been born about 1674, his father Richard of Butleigh, Somerset England would have been born about 1645, the Father of Richard was John who would have been born about 1620; The father of John was Thomas of Butleigh, Somerset England born about 1595; Thomas was the son of John who would also have been of Butleigh, Somerset, England born about 1570; John was in turn the son of Robert Hiatt of Butleigh, Somerset, England who would have been born about 1530 and had aquired a large estate in Butleigh but no further information available at this time. Larry Anderson, LarryAndy@aol.com 10 Jun 2013