A Most Trusted and Respected Man — William Holton

B. about 1610 in (possibly) Holton St. Mary, England
M. before 1638
Wife: Mary
D. 12 Aug 1691 in Northampton, Massachusetts

The story of William Holton typified many men who helped found communities in western Massachusetts during the middle of the 17th century. It’s believed that William was born at Holton St. Mary, a village in Suffolk, England near Ipswich, in about 1610. A baptism was recorded on October 20, 1610 in Nayland church, "Willm sonne of Edward Holton,” although it isn’t certain that this was him.

If William came from that part of England, it fits that he would end up as an early settler in New England. Suffolk home to many of the religious dissenters known as Puritans, and during the 1630s, many people from that area became a part of the Great Migration. William was said to have been a passenger on the ship Francis, leaving Ipswich, England and landing at Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1634.

Sometime during these years, William married a woman named Mary and they had eight children born between about 1638 and 1653. Some researchers have said that Mary's last name was Winche, and was a 15 year-old girl who was also aboard the Francis; others have claimed William traveled back to England, stayed for three years, and married her there. None of this is verified information, though.

By 1639, William was living in the newly settled town of Hartford, Connecticut, where he has been given credit as an original settler there — his name is inscribed on the Hartford Founders' Monument. In spite of this status, William wasn’t known to be a leader in the community. He came to more prominence in 1653 when he joined others to form a settlement up the Connecticut River called Northampton, part of western Massachusetts. William seemed to have paid much more for his land than anyone else. The records colorfully described that he “paid in pork.” After families got settled, his daughter Mary’s 1655 marriage was the first one between “residents of Northampton.” 

Map showing Hartford and Northampton along the Connecticut River.

It was said about William that he was "for years the most trusted and respected man in the little community." On July 20, 1657, his name was one of two commissioners who witnessed a document for the sale of some land from Indians. He served as a commissioner during this time and was often charged with representing the interests of Northampton to the authorities back in Boston. When the town petitioned the General Court for its first minister in March 1658, he headed the petition (the document was signed by most of the men in town). His name was listed first as a group of six men assigned to oversee the building of a new meetinghouse in July 1661. He became the first deacon there in 1663. He was also a town magistrate appointed by the General Court in 1665 and a justice of the peace. 

One of the ways in which William served Northampton was to record some testimony in a 1656 slander case between two women. The accused was Sarah Bridgman, who was said to have been spreading rumors that Mary Parsons was a witch. William and another man, Thomas Bascom, witnessed the testimony of several townspeople, who claimed Parsons had threatened to hurt a child, and had done other things thought to be strange. After both sides were heard, the ruling was decided in favor of Parsons, and Bridgman had to pay a fine. 

Some of the testimony William Holton recorded for the Sarah Bridgman/Mary Parsons slander case.

In 1661, when the town assigned men to be military officers in the militia, William was proposed as a sergeant. At the meeting, it was noted that he wasn’t “qualified according to the law for the office,” but that he would nonetheless take the assignment while waiting for the approval of the General Court. This was approved the following year.

The main need for a town militia at the time was to deal with aggression from indigenous people. When New England was colonized, somewhat of an effort was made to reimburse the local tribes for the land they had lived on, but by the 1670s, the Puritans were pushing far to the west, leaving the indigenous with nowhere to go. This and other factors led to the rebellion called King Philip’s War. Because Northampton was on the frontier, it became a target for Indian attacks. In a raid on March 14, 1676, William suffered the loss of his 28 year-old son Thomas who was one of the five casualties that day. William's house was burned in the raid, said to be "the only house destroyed within the palisades," which had been put up to protect the town from attack.

William died on August 12, 1691 in Northampton, possibly a victim of a smallpox epidemic. His wife died in November of that year. Descendants of William include Nathan Hale, Harriet Beecher Stowe, J.P. Morgan, Brooke Shields, Glenn Close, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bess Truman, First Lady Lucy Hayes, Princess Diana and Prince William. 

Children:
1. Mary Holton — B. about 1636; D. Northampton, Massachusetts; M. (1) David Burt (1629-1690), 18 Nov 1655, Northampton, Massachusetts; (2) Joseph Root, about 1691

2. Sarah Holton — B. about 1638, (probably) Hartford, Connecticut; D. 8 May 1683, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. John King (~1629-1703), 18 Nov 1656, Northampton, Massachusetts

3. John Holton — B. about 1641, Hartford, Connecticut; D. 14 April 1712, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Abigail Fisher (1649-?), 1 March 1667, Dedham, Massachusetts

4. Ruth Holton — B. about 1644, Hartford, Connecticut; D. after 30 Dec 1710, (probably) Durham, Connecticut; M. (1) Joseph Baker (~1640-1675), 5 Feb 1663, Northampton, Massachusetts; (2) Thomas Lyman (1649-1725), 14 Mar 1678, Windsor, Connecticut

5. Samuel Holton — B. 1 Nov 1646, Hartford, Connecticut; D, 14 July 1730, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Mary Gilbert, 24 June 1673, Hartford, Connecticut; (2) Abigail

6. Rachel Holton — B. about 1649; D. after 15 Apr 1707, Guilford, Connecticut; M. (1) Thomas Strong (~1633-1689), 16 Oct 1671, Northampton, Massachusetts; (2) Nathan Bradley (~1639-1713), 16 May 1698, Northampton, Massachusetts

7. William Holton — B. about 1651, Hartford, Connecticut; D. 11 Dec 1711, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Marshfield, Springfield, Massachusetts

8. Thomas Holton — B. about 1653; D. 14 March 1676, Northampton, Massachusetts

Sources:
History of Charlestown, New Hampshire, Henry Hamilton Saunderson, 1876
History of Northampton, Massachusetts, James Trumbull and Seth Pomeroy, 1898
WikiTree
Famous Kin (website)