Speaking Up for a Servant Woman — Elinor _______

B. about 1613 in England
M. about 1640
Husband: Henry Glover
D. 1 Mar 1698 in New Haven, Connecticut

In Puritan New England, sex outside of marriage was strictly forbidden, and those found guilty of such an act could be brutally punished. Elinor Glover came to the defense of an unmarried woman in her community to escape a public whipping.

Elinor was born in about 1613 somewhere in England; nothing is known of her exact origins. Even her first name is not proven. On various records she is called Elinor, Helena, Ellin and Ellen. There has been heavy speculation about her maiden name, and no definitive proof exists for any of her supposed relations. Elinor first turned up in records, along with her husband Henry Glover, at the baptism of their daughter Mary in June 1641 in New Haven colony. Elinor and Henry had at least six more children, with the youngest born in 1655.

New Haven colony in the 17th century.

Elinor’s husband held several offices in the community, and both of them were involved in probate matters of relatives, but there was one time that Elinor was mentioned in her own right in town records. This was concerning a sensational court case of a young woman named Mary Hitchcock, a servant who willfully had sex with another servant named Richard Matticks. The affair took place in 1660 and the couple admitted that they slept together several times. Mary Hitchcock was found guilty of having sex outside of marriage, and she was sentenced to be publicly whipped.

Since Mary said she might be pregnant, her punishment was delayed for several months. Then on September 2, 1662, a hearing was held to decide if she should be given a lesser punishment. Elinor was one of the women who came forward to testify on her behalf, partly because she was an acquaintance of Mary’s mother. Elinor told the court that although Mary had done something bad, she felt there was “something of repentance begun in her” and that the woman should be fined and not whipped. The court took the suggestion of Elinor and the other women who testified, reducing Mary’s punishment to a fine of £4.

Other than this brief appearance of Elinor in the New Haven town records, little else is known about her life. Her husband Henry died on September 2, 1689, and Elinor passed away on March 1, 1698. She left no formal will, but had written something “which conveyed her testamentary wishes” that her children used to divide up her estate, valued at £123.

Probate document of "Helena" Glover in place of having a written will.

The list of Elinor’s notable descendants is quite impressive; they include Winston Churchill, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, Ernest Hemingway and Clint Eastwood.

Children:
1. Mary Glover — B. about Jun 1641, New Haven, Connecticut

2. Mercy Glover — B. about Aug 1643, New Haven, Connecticut; D. before Feb 1685, (probably) New Haven, Connecticut; M. Moses Manfield (~1640-1703), 5 May 1664, New Haven, Connecticut

3. Hannah Glover — B. 23 May 1646, New Haven, Connecticut; D. 7 Jun 1727, Westfield, Massachusetts; M. David Ashley (1642-1718), 24 Nov 1663, New Haven, Connecticut

4. John Glover — B. Oct 1648, New Haven, Connecticut; D. 29 Jan 1680, New Haven, Connecticut; M. Joanna Daniel (1652-1702), 7 Dec 1671, New Haven, Connecticut

5.  Abigail Glover – B. 29 Apr 1651, New Haven, Connecticut; D. 20 Aug 1651, New Haven, Connecticut

6. Abigail Glover – B. 31 Jul 1652, New Haven, Connecticut; D. about 1720, Fairfield, Connecticut; M. Daniel Burr (1642-1695), 11 Dec 1678, New Haven, Connecticut

7. Sarah Glover – B. about Dec 1655, New Haven, Connecticut; D. 22 Nov 1730, East Haven, Connecticut; M. John Ball (1649-~1731), 11 Dec 1678, New Haven, Connecticut

Sources:
New Haven Town Records, 1649-1684, Volumes 1 & 2, 1917, 1919
Founding Mothers & Fathers: Gendered Power and the Forming of American Society, Mary Beth Norton, 2002
Historical Catalogue of the Members of the First Church of New Haven, 1914
A Genealogical Dictionary of the First settlers of New England: D-J, James Savage, 1860
New Haven Probate Records, Volume 2