M. before 1638 in unknown location1
Wife: Mary _______
D. 12 Aug 1691 in Northampton, Massachusetts2
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 1610.1 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 1634.3
Sometime during these years, William married a woman named Mary,1 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, but this has been debunked.3
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.4 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.5 William seemed to have paid much more for his land than anyone else. The records colorfully described that he “paid in pork.”5 After families got settled, his daughters Mary and Sarah had the first two marriages between “residents of Northampton.”5
Map showing Hartford and Northampton along the Connecticut River.
One of the ways in which William served Northampton was to record some testimony in a 1656 slander case between two women.5 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.5 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.5 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.5 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.5
William died on August 12, 1691 in Northampton,2 possibly a victim of a smallpox epidemic.5 His wife died in November of that year.6 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.7
Children:
1. Mary Holton — B. about 1636; D. Northampton, Massachusetts;8 D. 16 Dec 1713, Northfield, Massachusetts;8 M. (1) David Burt (1629-1690), 18 Nov 1656, Northampton, Massachusetts;9 (2) Joseph Root, about 16928
2. Sarah Holton — B. about 1638, (probably) Hartford, Connecticut;10 D. 8 May 1683, Northampton, Massachusetts;11 M. John King (~1629-1703), 18 Nov 1656, Northampton, Massachusetts12
3. John Holton — B. about 1641, Hartford, Connecticut;13 D. 14 April 1712, Northampton, Massachusetts;14 M. Abigail Fisher (1649-?), 1 March 1667, Dedham, Massachusetts15
4. Ruth Holton — B. about 1644, Hartford, Connecticut;16 D. 12 Jul 1725, Durham, Connecticut;16 M. (1) Joseph Baker (~1640-1675), 5 Feb 1663, Northampton, Massachusetts;17 (2) Thomas Lyman (1649-1725), 14 Mar 1678, Windsor, Connecticut18
5. Samuel Holton — B. 1 Nov 1646, Hartford, Connecticut;19 D, 14 July 1730, Northampton, Massachusetts;20 M. Mary Gilbert, 24 June 1673, Hartford, Connecticut;21 (2) Abigail _______22
6. Rachel Holton — B. about 1651, (probably) Hartford, Connecticut;23 D. (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;23 M. (1) Thomas Strong (~1633-1689), 16 Oct 1671, Northampton, Massachusetts;24 (2) Nathan Bradley (~1639-1713), 16 May 1698, Northampton, Massachusetts25
7. William Holton — B. about 1651, Hartford, Connecticut;26 D. before 7 Jan 1712, Northampton, Massachusetts;26 M. Sarah Marshfield (1656-?), 22 Nov 1676, Northampton, Massachusetts27
8. Thomas Holton — B. about 1653;28 D. 14 March 1676, Northampton, Massachusetts28
Sources:
1 WikiTree listing of William Holton
2 Death record of William Holton, Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910, FamilySearch.org
3 “William Holton of Hartford, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts: With Discussion of his Prior History and Probable English Origin,” Joan A. Hunter, The Genealogist, V. 25, No. 1 (Spring 2011), pp. 23-25
4 Founders: The Ancient Burying Ground – Hartford’s Oldest Historic Cite
5 History of Northampton, Massachusetts, James Trumbull and Seth Pomeroy, 1898
6 Death record of Mary Holton, M., D. & B.
7 FamousKin.com listing of William Holton
8 WikiTree listing of Mary (Holton) Root
9 Marriage record of David Burt and Mary Holton, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
10 WikiTree listing of Sarah (Holton) King
11 Death record of Sarah King, M., D. & B.
12 Marriage record of John King and Sarah Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13 WikiTree listing of John Holton
14 Death record of John Holton, M., D. & B.
15 Marriage record of John Holton and Abigail Fisher, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16 WikiTree listing of Ruth (Holton) Lyman
17 Marriage record of Joseph Baker and Ruth Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18 Marriage record of Thomas Lyman and Ruth Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19 Birth record of Samuel Holton, Connecticut, Births and Christenings, 1649-1906, FamilySearch.org
20 Death record of Samuel Holton, M., D. & B.
21 Marriage record of Samuel Holton and Mary Rossiter, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22 WikiTree listing of Samuel Holton
23 WikiTree listing of Rachel (Holton) Bradley
24 Marriage record of Thomas Strong and Rachel Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25 Marriage record of Nathan Bradley and Rachel Strong, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
26 WikiTree listing of William Holton, Jr.
27 Marriage record of William Holton and Sarah Marshfield, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
28 WikiTree listing of Thomas Holton
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.5 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.5
William died on August 12, 1691 in Northampton,2 possibly a victim of a smallpox epidemic.5 His wife died in November of that year.6 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.7
Children:
1. Mary Holton — B. about 1636; D. Northampton, Massachusetts;8 D. 16 Dec 1713, Northfield, Massachusetts;8 M. (1) David Burt (1629-1690), 18 Nov 1656, Northampton, Massachusetts;9 (2) Joseph Root, about 16928
2. Sarah Holton — B. about 1638, (probably) Hartford, Connecticut;10 D. 8 May 1683, Northampton, Massachusetts;11 M. John King (~1629-1703), 18 Nov 1656, Northampton, Massachusetts12
3. John Holton — B. about 1641, Hartford, Connecticut;13 D. 14 April 1712, Northampton, Massachusetts;14 M. Abigail Fisher (1649-?), 1 March 1667, Dedham, Massachusetts15
4. Ruth Holton — B. about 1644, Hartford, Connecticut;16 D. 12 Jul 1725, Durham, Connecticut;16 M. (1) Joseph Baker (~1640-1675), 5 Feb 1663, Northampton, Massachusetts;17 (2) Thomas Lyman (1649-1725), 14 Mar 1678, Windsor, Connecticut18
5. Samuel Holton — B. 1 Nov 1646, Hartford, Connecticut;19 D, 14 July 1730, Northampton, Massachusetts;20 M. Mary Gilbert, 24 June 1673, Hartford, Connecticut;21 (2) Abigail _______22
6. Rachel Holton — B. about 1651, (probably) Hartford, Connecticut;23 D. (probably) Guilford, Connecticut;23 M. (1) Thomas Strong (~1633-1689), 16 Oct 1671, Northampton, Massachusetts;24 (2) Nathan Bradley (~1639-1713), 16 May 1698, Northampton, Massachusetts25
7. William Holton — B. about 1651, Hartford, Connecticut;26 D. before 7 Jan 1712, Northampton, Massachusetts;26 M. Sarah Marshfield (1656-?), 22 Nov 1676, Northampton, Massachusetts27
8. Thomas Holton — B. about 1653;28 D. 14 March 1676, Northampton, Massachusetts28
Sources:
1 WikiTree listing of William Holton
2 Death record of William Holton, Massachusetts, Deaths and Burials, 1795-1910, FamilySearch.org
3 “William Holton of Hartford, Connecticut and Northampton, Massachusetts: With Discussion of his Prior History and Probable English Origin,” Joan A. Hunter, The Genealogist, V. 25, No. 1 (Spring 2011), pp. 23-25
4 Founders: The Ancient Burying Ground – Hartford’s Oldest Historic Cite
5 History of Northampton, Massachusetts, James Trumbull and Seth Pomeroy, 1898
6 Death record of Mary Holton, M., D. & B.
7 FamousKin.com listing of William Holton
8 WikiTree listing of Mary (Holton) Root
9 Marriage record of David Burt and Mary Holton, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
10 WikiTree listing of Sarah (Holton) King
11 Death record of Sarah King, M., D. & B.
12 Marriage record of John King and Sarah Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
13 WikiTree listing of John Holton
14 Death record of John Holton, M., D. & B.
15 Marriage record of John Holton and Abigail Fisher, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
16 WikiTree listing of Ruth (Holton) Lyman
17 Marriage record of Joseph Baker and Ruth Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
18 Marriage record of Thomas Lyman and Ruth Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
19 Birth record of Samuel Holton, Connecticut, Births and Christenings, 1649-1906, FamilySearch.org
20 Death record of Samuel Holton, M., D. & B.
21 Marriage record of Samuel Holton and Mary Rossiter, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
22 WikiTree listing of Samuel Holton
23 WikiTree listing of Rachel (Holton) Bradley
24 Marriage record of Thomas Strong and Rachel Holton, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
25 Marriage record of Nathan Bradley and Rachel Strong, Massachusetts, State Vital Records, 1638-1927, FamilySearch.org
26 WikiTree listing of William Holton, Jr.
27 Marriage record of William Holton and Sarah Marshfield, M., T. C., V. & T. R.
28 WikiTree listing of Thomas Holton
