Troublemaker in Colonial Ipswich — Samuel Hunt

B. about 1633 in England or Massachusetts¹
M. 3 Jan 1657 in Ipswich, Massachusetts²
Wife: Elizabeth Redding
D. after 10 May 1693 in Ipswich, Massachusetts³

When we think of men in 17th-century New England, we often picture them as being deeply-religious and stoic in their behavior. But human nature plays a part in all societies, and some Puritans exhibited colorful personalities. One such man was Samuel Hunt.

Samuel was born in about 1632 to William Hunt and Elizabeth Best, and he was baptized in Nottingham, England on April 10, 1632.¹ He had a brother and sister also baptized at Nottingham,⁴ then the Hunt family migrated to Massachusetts. The earliest mention of Samuel’s father in America was in 1640, and that was likely just after they had arrived.³ They settled at Concord, where two more children were born.

Samuel was made freeman at Concord, Massachusetts on May 3, 1654.⁵ Within a couple of years, he moved to Ipswich; he received inheritance money from Robert Best, likely an uncle,³ and it was said that he used to build a wharf.⁵ The part of the river where he had his wharf became known as Hunt’s Cove, a name that survived well into the 19th century.⁵ On January 3, 1657, Samuel married Elizabeth Redding,² and between 1657 and 1670, they had seven children.

In October 1667, Samuel’s father passed away, leaving property to his surviving children. He wrote in his will, “I do give and bequeath unto my oldest son Samuel Hunt my dwelling house in Concord with barns and other buildings belonging to it. Also 6 acres of land and the orchard adjoining to it.”⁶ He went on to list two other parcels of land, farm animals and several household items. It isn’t known what Samuel did with this property since he no longer lived in Concord.

There’s a lot of evidence that Samuel didn’t always get along with the people who lived around him. In March 1664, Samuel was ordered to dig up stumps in a field by the militia commander, Major Denison. It was typical for men in New England towns to be assigned certain duties, but Samuel refused to do it and he was arrested. In court, Samuel said that the major had no right to force anyone to do such work. He added that there were hundreds of men who would cause “a great disturbance” in his defense. He also complained about having no say in the choice of militia officers. The court didn’t accept his arguments, and Samuel was fined £10, then he was put into prison until he paid up. Apparently, he couldn’t or wouldn’t pay, because he spent the following year in jail, finally being released on good behavior.⁷

One of the many court records mentioning Samuel Hunt.

Samuel got into trouble again in November 1668. He was brought to court over an argument with a neighbor that had come to blows. The issue concerned sheep belonging to a man named John Leigh trespassing on Samuel’s land. When Samuel confronted Leigh the words got heated, and Leigh’s father rushed in “with a club in his hand,” threatening Samuel to “stand aside or he would knock him down.” The club was also described by one witness as being a pitchfork. Samuel then grabbed the older Leigh by the collar and pulled hair out of his head. It was also said that the older Leigh struck Samuel in the head with his pitchfork, causing blood to stream down, and that if the son hadn’t stopped his father, he would have killed Samuel. Still another witness claimed that Samuel had initiated the fight by “striking at the sheep with a stick.” Samuel was jailed again along with both of the Leighs, and they were all released in March 1669.⁷

A third incident involving Samuel occurred in 1673, when he and his 15-year-old son Samuel were accused of stealing a horse by a man named Samuel Appleton. The dispute involved the fact they each owned similar-looking horses and one of them had disappeared. Each man claimed the other man’s horse was the missing one. When Samuel took possession of the horse that remained, Appleton said that it was his horse and he wanted it back. The case was decided in Appleton’s favor.⁷

Samuel wasn’t the only one in the family who was called into court during those years. His wife Elizabeth was charged with stealing from another woman,⁷ and his children were accused of bad behavior at church services.⁷ It gave an impression of a family that did what they pleased.

Samuel fought in King Phillip’s War at about 44 years of age,³ but it wasn’t by choice. Men were impressed into the militia because they were seen as troublemakers, and the man who led the militia was none other than Samuel Appleton,³ the guy who had accused him of stealing his horse. In December 1675, Appleton’s company participated in the Great Swamp Fight, a four-day battle against the Narragansetts who had built a massive fort containing about 1,000 of their people. The following year Samuel was a soldier at the Turners Falls Massacre where an Indian camp was attacked and its inhabitants were slaughtered.³

The Great Swamp Fight.

In 1682, Samuel’s wharf and fishery were destroyed by a huge spring snow melt-off.⁵ Samuel conveyed his estate to youngest son Joseph in 1693,³ but it isn’t known when he died. His wife Elizabeth was described as a widow when she passed away in 1707.² They were the distant ancestors of Mormon religion founder, Joseph Smith, and actor John Lithgow.⁸

Children:
1. Samuel Hunt — B. 17 Nov 1657, Ipswich, Massachusetts;⁹ D. 11 Jan 1743, Tewksbury, Massachusetts;¹⁰ M. (1) Ruth Todd (1657-1717), 1 May 1678, Ipswich, Massachusetts;¹¹ (2) Mary _______, before 2 Sep 1689¹²

2. William Hunt — B. 23 Apr 1660, Ipswich, Massachusetts;¹³ D. 29 Apr 1660, Ipswich, Massachusetts¹⁴

3. Elizabeth Hunt — B. 29 May 1661, Ipswich, Massachusetts;¹⁵ D. 9 Jul 1689, Rowley, Massachusetts;¹⁶ M. Francis Palmer (1657-1733), 3 Dec 1682, Essex County, Massachusetts¹⁷

4. William Hunt — B. about 1663, Ipswich, Massachusetts;¹⁸ D. 12 Dec 1747, Ipswich, Massachusetts;¹⁸ M. (1) Sarah Newman (1665-1723), 9 Jun 1684, Ipswich Massachusetts;¹⁸ (2) Rose Spark (1673-1743), 6 Mar 1724, Ipswich Massachusetts¹⁸

5. Joseph Hunt — B. 28 Oct 1665, Ipswich, Massachusetts;¹⁹ D. 12 Jan 1747, Mansfield, Connecticut;²⁰ M. (1) Ann Pengry (1679-?), 9 Jun 1703, Ipswich, Massachusetts;²¹ (2) Elizabeth Huntington (1695-1774), 5 Nov 1717, Mansfield, Connecticut²²

6. Peter Hunt — B. 8 Aug 1668, Ipswich, Massachusetts;²³ D. 1669, Ipswich, Massachusetts²⁴

7. Peter Hunt — B. 14 May 1670, (probably) Ipswich, Massachusetts;²⁵ D. 1689, Ipswich, Massachusetts²⁶

Sources:
1    Christening record of Samuel Hunt, England, Nottinghamshire, Church Records, 1578-1937, FamilySearch.org
2    The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to NewEngland, 1620-1633, listing for Joseph Redding, Robert Charles Anderson, 1995
3    Ancestry and Posterity of Jospeh Smith and Emma Hale, Mary Audentia Smith Anderson, 1929, pp. 135-138
4    WikiTree listings of Nehemiah Hunt and Elizabeth (Hunt) Barron)
5    Samuel Hunt, compiled and written by Louella Jones Downard, edited by Elaine C. Nichols
6    Genealogy of the Name and Family of Hunt, Thomas Bellows Wyman, 1863, pp. 42-43
7    Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volumes III, IV and V, edited by George Francis Drew, 1912, 1913 and 1914
8    FamousKin.com listing of Samuel Hunt
9    Birth record of Samuel Hunt (younger), Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org
10  Death record of Samuel Hunt, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
11  Marriage record of Samuel Hunt and Ruth Todd, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
12  Birth record of John Hunt, son of Samuel Hunt (younger), M., T. C., T. & V. R.
13  Birth record of William Hunt (older), M., T. C., T. & V. R.
14  Death record of William Hunt (older), M., T. C., T. & V. R.
15  Birth record of Elizabeth Hunt, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
16  Death record of Elizabeth Palmer, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
17  Marriage record of Francis Palmer and Elizabeth Hunt, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
18  Find-a-Grave listing of William Hunt (younger)
19  Birth record of Joseph Hunt, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
20  Death record of Joseph Hunt, Connecticut, Deaths, 1640-1955, FamilySearch.org
21  Marriage record of Joseph Hunt and Ann Pengry, M., T. C., T. & V. R.
22  Marriage record of Joseph Hunt and Elizabeth Huntington, Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850, FamilySearch.org
23  Birth record of Peter Hunt (older), M., T. C., T. & V. R.
24  Find-a-Grave listing of Peter Hunt (older)
25  Birth record of Peter Hunt (younger), M., T. C., T. & V. R.
26  Find-a-Grave listing of Peter Hunt (younger)