ANCESTRY AND DESCENDANTS OF
REV. THOMAS HOOKER
First Generation
THOMAS HOOKER (HOKER), Blaston, County Leicester, England. Wife Cecilia ( ).
Held stewardship under the Digby family who had extensive estates in Leicester
County. His will was proved 27 January 1561/2.
Second Generation
KENELM (KENELLYME) HOOKER (HOKER), only son of Thomas and Cecilia Hooker. He
was of Blaston, County Leicester, England. It is thought he was named for
Kenellime Digby, Esq. member of the family on whose estates his father was
steward. Kenellime Digby was "supervisor" of the will of Thomas Hooker.
Third Generation
THOMAS HOOKER (HOKER), son of Kenelm Hooker, was a Yoeman of Marfield (or
Marshfield [?]), in the Parrish of Tilton.
Fourth Generation
REVEREND THOMAS HOOKER, son of Thomas, b. 7 July 1586 at Marshfield or
Birstall [?]), Leicester County, England. Died 7 July 1647, Hartford, Conn.
There is a conflict in the information dealing with his marriage. According
to Charles F..Ferris, Thomas Hooker married Susan Garbrand in Holland in 1621.
This is clearly not possible, he did not go there until 1631. This is borne out
by the fact that children were born to him in England in the years 1626 and
1628. This would prove that he was married before emigrating to Holland. One
reference states... "Hooker was married before leaving England. His wife's name
was Susanna...... that she was the personal attendant of an invalid, a Mrs. Drake,
a wealthy woman, in whose home young Hooker lived while Rector of the church at
Esher." He was Curate of Esher beginning in 1620, which would fit with the date
given for his marriage. None of the references found to date give her last name
other than that from Charles Ferris.
One source states that Susanna was Thomas Hooker's second wife. This is very
possible since he would have been 35 in 1621 and of an age to have had a prev-
ious marriage with no issue. Due to the similarity of names, i.e.; Susan and
Susanna(h), and taking all sources into consideration, the probabilities are
that he married Susanna Garbrand as his second wife in 1621 in England.
Thomas Hooker attended Emanuel College, Cambridge, A.B. deg. 1607, A.M. deg.
1611; Fellow of the Univ. 1609. Curate of Esher, Surrey and Lecturer at Chelms-
ford, Essex 1620-29. He was cast out of the pulpit by Archbishop Laud in 1630.
He kept a private school for a time at Little Baddow, Essex. He finally was
driven out of England for nonconformity and fled for his life to Holland where
he spent three years, 1631-1633.
He came to New England in 1633 in the "Griffin" with John Cotton and the Rev.
Samuel Stone. He settled in Cambridge, Mass. and was ordained there 11 October
1633. He was admitted a freeman 14 May 1634. Thomas Hooker was the founder of
the Connecticut Valley Settlement at Hartford and in June 1636 settled there
with the majority of his parishoners.
He was buried at Center Church, Hartford, and was survived by his wife.
Fifth Generation
CHILDREN OF REV. THOMAS HOOKER AND SUSANNA (GARBRAND) HOOKER:
The exact order of their birth is unclear.
i. Joanna...d. 28 April 1646; m. Rev. Thomas Shepherd of Cambridge.
ii. Mary...d. 24 Feb. 1676 at Milford, m. Rev. Roger Newton, first
minister at Farmington, afterwards Milford.
iii. John
iv. Anne...baptised at Great Baddow, Essex, 5 January 1626
v. Sarah baptised at Chelmsford, Essex 9 April 1628, buried there
26 August 1629.
vi. Sarah...m. Rev. John Wilson of Medfield.(She was probably named
for the deceased child Sarah.)
v. SAMUEL...b. Mass. 1633, d. 5/6 November 1697; m. 22 Sept. MARY
WILLET at Plymouth.
REV. SAMUEL HOOKER, son of Thomas and Susanna Hooker, was graduated from Harvard
and was installed pastor.of the church at Farmington, Conn. July 1661 and
continued there until his death in 1697.
His wife MARY WILLET, one of 13 children, was the daughter of Capt. Thomas
Willet of Plymouth, who came to America in the "Lion" in 1632. He was the
son of a clergyman of the Church of England, Rev. Andrew Willet, D.D. and
was born in England in 1610, one of 18 children. He emigrated to Holland as
a young man as did Samuel Hooker's father. Thomas Willet was made a freeman
in 1633 and later succeeded Miles Standish as Captain of the colony troops.
Thomas Willet was the first Mayor of New York, appointed in 1665 and served
a second term in 1667. Captain Willet married Mary Brown in 1636, daughter of
John Brown of Plymouth, who had also emigrated from England by way of Holland.
Thomas and Mary Willet were the grandparents of Sarah Pierrepont who married
Jonathan Edwards.
Sixth Generation
CHILDREN OF REV. SAMUEL HOOKER AND MARY (WILLET) HOOKER:
i. Dr. Thomas...b. 10 June 1659; m. Mary (Smith) Lord
ii. Samuel...b. 29 May 1661; m. Mehitable Hamlin
iii. William...b. 11 May 1663; m. Susannah ( )
iv. John...b. 20 Feb. 1664; m. Abigail Stanley
v. James...b. 27 Oct. 1666; m. Mary Leete
vi. Roger...b. 14 Sept., died 1698
vii. Nathaniel...b. 28 Dec. 1671; m. Mary Stanley
viii. MARY...b. 3 July 1673; m. REV. JAMES PIERREPONT as third wife.
ix. Hezekiah... b. 7 Nov. 1675; died young
x. Daniel...b. 25 March 1678/9; m. Sarah Stanley 24 June 1707
xi. Sarah...b. 5 May 1681; m. Rev. Stephen Buckingham
Samuel Hooker was highly esteemed as a preacher and pastor. In 1622 he was
employed as one of a committee of four to treat with New Haven with reference
to a union with Connecticut. Cotton Mather said of him when Thomas Hooker, his
father died,..."We have among us, this day, our dead Hooker, yet living is
his worthy son, Mr. Samuel Hooker, an able, faithful, and useful minister at
Farmington in the Colony of Connecticut."
After the death of Samuel Hooker, Mary Hooker, his widow, married the Rev.
Thomas Buckingham of Saybrook 10 August 1703.
References:
"Families of Early Hartford, Connecticut", Lucius Barnes Barbour, Genealogical
Publishing Co.., Inc. Baltimore, 1977. pp 310-313.
"Richard Edwards and his wife Catherine Pond May, Their Ancestors' Lives and
Descendants", Rev. Maurice Dwight Edwards, D.D., 1931. pp 31-35.
"Founders of Early American Families", Founders and Patriots of America,
Cleveland, Ohio 1985. p 161.
"Pedigrees of Descendants of the Colonial Clergy", The Society of the Descend-
ants of the Colonial Clergy, 1976. p 646.
"History of the National Society of Daughters of Founders and Patriots of
America" 1913. p 70.
Note:
One source which I have not quoted....... "The New England Register" for the
year 1893....contains a treatise by Commander Edward Hooker, U.S.N. which
he delivered in August 1892. This paper entirely refutes the ancestry I have
given here for Rev. Thomas Hooker.
Comm. Hooker maintains that Thomas Hooker's forebears came, not from Leicester-
shire, but from Devonshire. That Thomas Hooker's grandfather was not Kenelm
Hooker, but a John Hooker of Devonshire and his father was Thomas Hooker of
Devonshire.
He also claims that Thomas Hooker's wife (although he does not give her first
name) was a sister of John Pym of Somersetshire.
I have been told, on good authority, by one who is also descended from Thomas
Hooker, that the accepted ancestry for Rev. Thomas Hooker is as I have pre-
sented it.
NLU 1986
ADDITIONAL DATA ON THE CHILDREN OF REV. SAMUEL HOOKER AND MARY WILLET...
DR. THOMAS HOOKER...b June 10, 1659 died Oct 13, 1756 ae 64 bur Center
Ch mar 1686 Mary [Smith] Lord widow of Richard Lord. She was born
Sept. 1, 1643 died May 17, 1702 ae 59 [Hartford] bur Center Church
dau of Henry Smith of Springfield and Ann Pynchon. Estate divided
1758. No children given.
SAMUEL...b May 29, 1661 mar Mehitabel Hamlin. He died 1758.
Children [surviving heirs]
Thomas mar Hannah
Samuel
Giles
William
Esther mar Rev. Isaac Stiles as 2nd wife
Mehitable mar Daniel Coit
WILLIAM...b. May 11, 1663 mar Susannah...no further data
JOHN...b Feb. 20, 1664 died 1745/6 mar 1687 Abigail Stanley baptised
August 1, 1669 dau of Capt. John Stanley & Sarah Fletcher. John
Hooker joined Farmington Church Oct 13, 1688.
Children:.
Hezekiah bp Oct 20, 1688 d bef 1758
Abigail bp May 31, 1691 d. young
John bp Nov.19, 1693 d. young
John bp Mch 10, 1694/5 mar Mary Hart ?
Abigail bp Nov 13, 1698 mar Nathaniel Hart
Mary bp Oct 27, 1700 mar Samuel Hart
Sarah bp Oct. 29,1703 mar [l] Matthew Hart
mar [2] Hewett Strong
Joseph bp June 17,1705 mar Sarah Lewis ?
Ruth bp Apr 18, 1708/9 mar Asahel Strong
Roger bp Sept 10,1710 mar Mercy Hart ?
JAMES...b Oct 27, 1666 died 1758 mar Mary Leete
Children [surviving heirs]
Sarah mar John Bartlett
Mehitabel mar John Smith
Hannah mar Thomas Smith
ROGER...b Sept 14, 1668 died 1698 ae 30 bur Center Church ... no further data
NATHANIEL...b Dec 28, 1671 died Nov 21, 1711 ae 40 bur Center Ch mar 1698
Mary Stanley [mar 2nd John Austin Dec 8, 1713]. She was born Oct 8,
1677 died Aug 25, 1753 ae 76 bur Center Ch dau of Nathaniel Stanley
& Sarah Boosey.
Children:
Abigail b Oct 4, 1607 mar Benjamin Lord
Nathaniel b Oct 5, 1610 died Jan 25, 1763 ae bur Center Ch
mar 1729 Eunice Talcott b Jan 26, 1709 died 1795
dau of Gov. Joseph Talcott & Eunice [Howell] Wakeman.
Children:
Eunice mar John Ellery
Mary died Aug 28, 1763 ae 20
Nathaniel was pastor of West Hartford Ch died 1770
mar Ruth Skinner
James mar [1] Hannah Allen m/2 Dorothy Goodwin
Horace mar Elizabeth Fuller
Mary bp Oct 1 1699 died Jan 12 1765 ae 65 bur Center Ch
Alice bp Nov 16, 1701 mar Samuel Howard
Sarah bp Nov 12, 1704 mar Daniel Edwards
MARY...b July 3, 1673 mar REV. JAMES PIERREPONT as 3rd wife [see Pierrepont
papers]
HEZEKIAH...b Nov 7, 1675 died young
DR. DANIEL...b Mch 25, 1678-9 mar Sarah Stanley June 24, 1707
Children [surviving heirs]
Daniel m Sarah Webster
Susannah m/1 Ephraim Goodrich m/2 Edward Bayley
Sarah m Benjamin Chamberlin
Mary m Elijah Peck
Hannah m Reuben Norton
SARAH...b May 5, 1681 mar Rev. Stephen Buckingham
