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Hart Research Outline on Obadiah Seeley

Part 3
Frederick C. Hart Jr. information

Address: 1311 Great Hill Road, North Guilford, CT 06437-3649,
Phone: (203) 457-9383
What: Client Research Report
Date: 03/13/99
Report Number: SGS-3
Subject: Obadiah Seeley of Stamford, Connecticut
Objective: Conduct additional research to determine: (3) If the parish register of St. Martin, Birmingham, Warwickshire contains names that are associated with other Stamford settlers, and (4) If any clues to the origin of Obadiah Seeley result from examining the known origins of other Stamford settlers.
Limitations: Estimated 8-12 hours, research and reporting, for these two items.
Other: None.

General
This report completes the planned work on the additional tasks requested in Mr. Waring’s letter of 28 January 1999.

Summary of Results
While my examination of the register of St. Martin’s parish did not produce any names that were clearly identified with Stamford settlers, it did result in a better knowledge of the family of William Seeley, including the discovery of a son named Jonas Seeley, apparently overlooked by earlier researchers. A Chronological list of Stamford settlers was created and analyzed for patterns of origin, without conclusive results.

Records Searched
Parish Register
FHL film #0097316, containing, J. Hill and W. B. Bickley, Transcript of the First Register Book of the Parish Church of Saint Martin, Birmingham 1554-1653 (The Birmingham and Midland Society, 1889).

Secondary Sources for Stamford Settler Origins, Including:
Huntington, History of Stamford
Jacobus, Families of Old Fairfield
Adams, History of Ancient Wethersfield
Savage, Genealogical Dictionary of New England
Miscellaneous Family Genealogies

Findings and Analysis

  1. Although the register of St. Martin, Birmingham contains many common English surnames that are also seen in early Stamford, I did not see any evidence that there were any direct connections. That is, although the name Mitchell occurs there frequently, Stamford’s Matthew Mitchell is known to have been from Yorkshire, etc.
  2. The name of Cornelius Jones appeared in the baptisms of two children: Margaret his daughter on 22 Dec 1644, and Samuel his son on 1 Feb 1645/46. These records were interesting because the origin of Cornelius Jones of Stamford is not yet known, and he was a close neighbor of, and may have been connected with Obadiah Seeley there in some way. However, these two children were not named by Cornelius Jones when he listed his children in Stamford, and these baptism dates would conflict with other known children’s ages. This is most likely only a coincidence and simply another contemporary person named Cornelius Jones.
  3. It was discovered, however, that previous researchers had not made complete listings of all the events for William Seeley of this parish. I felt it to be essential to rectify that for the Society, and therefore made a page-by-page search of the entire book for Seeley records and the results are attached to this report. Since there were also several entries for persons named Bloxish (by various spellings) and this family is thought to be associated with the Seeleys, I also copied all entries for that surname at the same time. (There were no other Bruen / Browen entries, except for the marriage of Obadiah Browen already noted by others.)
  4. One of the most significant findings, and perhaps an excellent argument for pursuing this family, is the discovery that William Seeley of St. Martin parish had a son named Jonas Seeley, baptized on 1 May 1636. Obadiah Seeley of Stamford also named a son Jonas. Based on these developments, I compiled a simple family genealogy for William Seeley of St. Martin, to serve as the basis for further investigation. This simple and very preliminary family genealogy in Register Format is also attached.
  5. Now, regarding the Stamford Settlers and their origins. I made a chronological listing of all Stamford Settlers up to 1700, using existing sources. Then, I looked in several references to find if their origins had been stated, and recorded those results. In order to narrow down the list for consideration, I greyed out the names of any settlers who were involved in the secondary migration to Hempstead, Long Island, or who were otherwise known to have left Stamford early for some other reason.
  6. The resulting list has about 35 settlers who appeared in Stamford before or about the same time as Obadiah Seeley, who could have been residents when he arrived, and for whom the origins are not known, at least not in any readily-available sources. I felt that this was too high a number to begin to search them out. Also, this exercise had no guarantee of success in the first place, and I felt that the Society’s resources could better be spent in other areas. I have therefore discontinued the analysis of this list for now. Put another way, Obadiah Seeley is seen to be only one of many Stamford settlers for whom an origin has not yet been conclusively defined.

Suggestions for Additional or Future Research

  • Having found the baptism of a son named Jonas Seeley for him, I now think it is essential to pursue the development of the family of William Seeley of St. Martin parish to determine once and for all if his son Obadiah was actually the Stamford settler. The first step in this regard would be to see if this William Seeley left a will or other estate proceedings in England that named his children and their whereabouts.
  • I now feel fairly satisfied that all American records for Obadiah Seeley have been thoroughly investigated. His apparent connection with New Haven and/or Wethersfield still need to be considered, but I do not believe that we will find many additional records to clarify these questions.

Other Research Notes and Observations
I am still pursuing the source of the identification of the parents of Mary (?Angel) (Miller) Seeley, and expect to receive something in the mail shortly from one of the Buxton – Scofield researchers who appears to have been the source of this information.

Also, I have ordered two films for the parish of St. Stephen Coleman Street, London, in order to investigate any possible connection between the Angell family and Robert Seeley, both of whom are known to have been associated with that parish.

Table of Attachments
A. “Register of St. Martin, Birmingham, Warwickshire, England – Seeley and Bloxisch Families’ Events,” my transcription (2 pages.)
B. “The Family of William Seeley of Birmingham, Warwickshire, England” (2 pages.) [PRELIMINARY, NOT IN THIS REPORT]
C. “Stamford Settlers Before 1700 (By Time of Arrival),” (5 sheets.)

REPORT NUMBER SGS-3

REGISTER OF ST. MARTIN, BIRMINGHAM, WARWICKSHIRE, ENGLAND – SEELEY AND BLOXISCH FAMILIES’ EVENTS

March, 1999

The following events were transcribed from FHL microfilm #0097316, which contains the following published transcription of church records: J. Hill and W. B. Bickley, Transcript of the First Register Book of the Parish Church of Saint Martin, Birmingham 1554-1653 (The Birmingham and Midland Society, 1889). The records cover the following periods: “Burials,” 1554-1630; “Weddings,” 1554-1641; and “Baptizings,” 1555-1647, with a few additional baptisms to 1653. There are a few minor and irregular gaps in the coverage of each category. The following events are the only ones in this transcription associated with the names of Seeley or Bloxisch, by any spelling. The actual spellings and any notations or strikeouts are exactly as in the 1889 transcription.

Burials

Page Date Event
7 1558 October 21 Richard Bloxshege iche
51 1609 February 9 Elizabeth Bloxsidge
60 1616 July 3 Samuell Seeley
61 1616(/17) February 24 Alyce Seeley
62 1617 October 24 Mary Seeley
63 1617 December 19 Elizabeth Seeley
79 1628 April 17 Samuel Jeremiah Seeley fil’ Willmi
82 1629 February 3 William Bloxich

“Weddings”

Page Date Event
85 1558(/59) January 22 Richard Collings et Agnes Bloxich
88 1567(/68) January 14 Henerie Doley et Elizebeath Bloxiche
89 1570 October 15 Robeart Bennet et Joane bloxsh Bloxish
103 1608 April 30 William Bloxsedge et Eliz Richards by license
105 1612 June 14 Thomas Ratheram Rothera et Joane Bloxsidge
114 1633 May 7 Obydia Browen and Sarah Seeley

“Baptizings”

Page Date Event (“Baptizings””)
192 1611(/12) March 15 Samuel Seely filius William
196 1614 June 5 Obadia Seesley Seeley filius William Seeley
201 1616(/17) January 19 Mary et Elizabeth Saly (?Seely) fili Willia
207 1620 August 27 Samuel Seeley filius William
212 1623 May 27 John Jonathan Seeley filius
213 1623(/24) January 24 Mary Seale filia John
219 1626 July 4 Jeremye Seelye filius William
222 1627(/28) January 24 Joseph Blocksich filius William
224 1628 November 30 Hannah Seeley fil’ Willmi Seeley
225 1629 March 29 Anne Seele filia James
232 1632 May 20 Mary Seele filia James
232 1632 June 20 Thomas Seale filius Thomas
235 1634 May __ Sarah Seale filia James & Elienora
241 1636 May 1 Jonas filius William & Hannah Seeley

Notes:
These latin terms are used: “et” = and; “filia” = daughter of; “filius” = son of.

On p. 212, the father’s name is left blank

REPORT NUMBER SGS-3A

Stamford Settlers Before 1700 (by Time of Arrival)

Time of Arrival Name Prior Residence if Known
1641-1642 Akerly, Henry New Haven (HH)
Armitage, Thomas Lynn & Sandwich (HH)
Bates, Robert Wethersfield
Bell, Francis Wethersfield
Clark, Samuel Wethersfield
Coe, John Wethersfield
Coe, Robert Wethersfield
Crabb, Richard Wethersfield
Denton, Rev. Richard Wethersfield
Drew, Dr. John mistake, was much later
Ferris, Jeffrey Wethersfield
Finch, Daniel Wethersfield
Finch, John Wethersfield
Fisher, Robert ?
Gildersleve, Richard Wethersfield
Graves, William ?
Holly, John too early, see below
Hoyt, Simon too early, see below
Hyatt, Thomas possibly Dorchester (Hoyt),(HH)
Husted, Robert Braintree (HH)or Greenwich (Rec)
Jagger, Jeremy Wethersfield
Jessup, John (Joseph?) Wethersfield
Law, Richard Wethersfield
Lum, John prob. Wethersfield (Rec.)
Mead, William Watford, Hertfordshire (TAG)
Miller, John Wethersfield
Mitchell, Matthew Wethersfield
Morehouse, Thomas Wethersfield
Newman, William “England”
Northend, John or Thomas? Wethersfield
Ogden, John ?
Pierson, Henry ?
Pope, Thomas ?
Pine, James ?
Raynor, Thurston Wethersfield
Reynolds, John Wethersfield
Rockwell, John Windsor? (HH)
Scofield, Daniel prob. Ipswich
Seaman, John Wethersfield
Seiting (Seiring), Simon ?
Sherman, Samuel Wethersfield
Simkins, Vincent Wethersfield
Slason, George Lynn & Sandwich (HH)
Slason, Thomas Lynn & Sandwich
Smith, Henry Wethersfield
Smith, John Sr. ?
Smith, John Jr. ?
Stevens, John ?
Swead, James ?
Towne, John ?
Underhill, John Boston (HH)
Ward, Andrew Wethersfield
Weed, Jonas Wethersfield
Weeks or Wicks, Thomas Wethersfield
Whitmore, John Wethersfield (HH)
Wood, Edmund Wethersfield
Wood, Jeremiah Wethersfield (HH)
Wood, Jonas Sr. Wethersfield
Wood, Jonas Jr. Wethersfield
Yates, Francis Wethersfield
================ ====================
1643-1644 Bishop, Rev. John Taunton (HH)
Ellison, John ?
Fordham, John ?
Fordham, Robert === (RFB)
Karman, John === (RFB)
================ ================
1645-1648 Corkrye, Thomas ?
Dibble, John ?
Gifford, William ?
Holly, John Cambridge (HHH)
Holmes, Francis ?
Lawreson, John New Haven
Pennoyer, Robert ?
Sherwood, Thomas ?
Swain, Samuel ?
Symings, Humphrey ?
============== ==============
1649-1650 (others by 1650) Ambler, Richard Boston (HH)
Bailey, Elias ?
Bassett, Robert prob. New Haven (HH)
Buxton, Clement ?
Chapman, John ?
Colgrave, Thomas ?
Dean, Samuel ?
Disbrow, Peter ?
Elliott, John ?
Hardy, Richard ?
Hill, William ?
Hunt, Thomas “England” (HH)
Hyatt, Thomas ?
Jackson, Henry ?
Knapp, Nicholas ?
Lockwood, Edmund ?
Lyon, Thomas Boston
Martin, John ?
Morris, Thomas ?
Newman, Thomas ?
Olineson, Henry or Rob’t ?
Potter, William ?
Rugg, Robert ?
Seeley, Obadiah ?
Steward, James Watertown? (HH)
Stokey, George ?
Tainter, Charles ?
Theale, Nicholas Watertown (HH)
Usher, Robert New Haven (HH)
Waterbury, John Watertown (Prindle)
Whitmore, Widow
=============== ================
1651-1655 Ambrey, Robert ?
Clason, Steven ?
Mills, Richard ?
Webb, Richard Norwalk (HH)
============== ==============
1656-1660 and “1650’s” Andrews, Aaron ?
Austin, George ?
Brown, Francis Windsor or Farmington
Brown, Peter New Haven (HH, FF)
Brown, Thomas New Haven (FF)
Garnsey, Joseph New Haven (HH)
Green, John prob. New Haven (FF)
Hoyt, Simon Fairfield (Hoyt)
Jones, Cornelius ?
Lockwood, Jonathan Watertown & Fairfield (FF)
Olliver, William ?
Pettit, John prob. Roxbury (Savg)
Rivis, Garrett ?
Scofield, Richard (added) Ipswich (Savg)
Selleck, John see below
Taylor, Gregory Watertown (HH)
Uffit, Thomas ?
Westcott, Daniel ?
=============== ===============
1661-1665 Bouton, Richard Hartford
Ferris, Peter ?
Hobby, John ?
Selleck, Jonathan Boston (HH,FF)
Theale, Joseph ?
============== ==============
1666-1670 Crissey, William ?
Emery, John ?
Gager, Jeremiah ?
Gaylor (?), Jeremiah ?
Lawrence, Thomas Milford (FF)
Marshall, John ?
Mitchell, David ?
Selleck, John Boston (HH,FF)
Studwell, Joseph ?
Thompson, John ?
=============== ===============
“1660’s-1670’s” Andrews, Jeremiah Fairfield (FF)
Ayres, Richard ?
Bellamy, Matthew ?
Booloch, Richard ?
Clements, William ?
Cross, Nathaniel Fairfield (FF)
Woolsey, Gilbert ?
============= =============
Others 1660 to 1689 Arnold, Joseph ?
Clark, William ?
Dan, Francis ?
Hilliard, Joseph ?
Hunt, Cornelius ?
Jones, Rev. Eliphalet Fairfield (HH)
June, Peter ?
Kilbourne, Jonathan ?
Kimball, Henry Boston (HH)
Loder, (John) ?
Lounsbury, Richard ?
Mathews, Thomas ?
Philips, George ?
Rich, Henry ?
Studwell, Joseph ?
Sturdivant, William ?
Tryon, Edward ?
Turney, Joseph ?
Ward, William ?
Webster, Nicholas ?
Westcott, John Wethersfield via. Fairfield (HH)
============== ==============
1690-1699 Belden, John ?
“Blanchley”, Samuel ?
Davenport, Rev. John Boston
Higginbotham, Richard New Haven (HH)
Hubbard, William Greenwich (HH)
Leeds, John ?
Pond, Nathaniel Branford (HH)
Reed, John Norwalk (HH)

Notes:
Names and times based on Joyce Pendery, “Early Stamford Settlers 1641-1775,” Connecticut Ancestry 34[August, 1991]: 1-4, with adjustments.

Prior residences are from Huntington, Jacobus (Old Fairfield) Adams (Ancient Wethersfield), individual family genealogies, and/or Savage.

Most [ greyed-out ] names are those who did not stay in Stamford. Either they are listed by Mather and/or Huntington as being among the Hempstead settlers; or they are listed by Majdalany (p. 76) as those who “did not remain.”

Other names have been [ greyed-out ] if they are not to be considered for some other reason.

REPORT NUMBER SGS-3B

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