The earliest proven ancestor in my Heath line is William Heath of Groton, New London County, Connecticut, who was born ca.1750, married Mary Culver (or Collver) of Groton on August 2, 1772, enlisted for service in the Revolutionary War in 1776/77, and died in Groton in March 1794. My line of descent from William Heath of Groton, down to my maternal grandmother, is as follows:
1 William Heath & Mary Culver
2 Amos Heath & Mary Chapman
3 Sarah M. Heath & Francis Brigham Clark
4 Levi Nelson Clark & Carrie E. Larkham
5 Sarah Hannah Clark & Frank R. Burdick
6 Bertha Melissa Burdick
Although I have not found proof, in the form of a will or other record, of the parentage of William Heath of Groton, it appears most likely that he descends from a line of Heaths who originally came to Groton, Connecticut from Bristol County, Massachusetts. The first member of this Heath line, Joseph Heath of Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts, came to Groton with his wife Dorothy (and probably a baby daughter, Dorothy) around 1712. An assortment of land and vital records as well as diary entries indicate that Joseph and Dorothy Heath remained in Groton for the remainder of their lives (although I haven't found a death record for Joseph Heath, Dorothy died there in 1758).
A provocative series of Groton, Connecticut land records provide evidence of the connection of this line of Heaths to Bristol County, Rhode Island and its neighbor, Newport, Rhode Island, wherein Joseph Heath is referred to as "of Swanzey in the Provence of the Massachusets Bay"; and his son and daughter-in-law, Joseph and Mary Heath are referred to as of "Newport in the Colony of Rhode Island". Indeed, these land records led me to the most convincing candidates I have found for parents of my ancestor, William Heath (whose birth date has always been given as ca. 1750 without any indication of location or parentage), because within the annals of Trinity Church of Newport, Rhode Island is found the record of Joseph Heath, who married Mary Bell, daughter of William and Martha (French) Bell, on September 14, 1740. On September 25, 1748, two children, William and Mary Heath, were baptized at Trinity Church. I suspect that this William is probably my ancestor, who later returned to Groton, Connecticut where his grandparents settled and where his father was born.
My search for my Heath ancestry has been difficult because there are at least three distinct lines of Heaths who settled in New London County during the early eighteenth century: Elias Heath and his wife, Elizabeth of Boston, who apparently never actually took up residence in Groton, but laid claim to the earliest Heath land deed (1707) in Groton; Joseph and Dorothy Heath of Swansea, Bristol County, Massachusetts who came to Groton about 1712; and John and Hannah (Haines) Heath of Haverhill, Massachusetts, who settled in Norwich, Connecticut, to the north of Groton, in the early 1700s. I have not been able to find evidence of a connection between any of these three Heath families, although as I've discussed, I strongly suspect that my line descends from that of Joseph and Dorothy Heath of Swansea, Massachusetts.
In the following pages, I discuss what I believe to be my Heath ancestry. Brief discussions of the other Heath lines who also settled or made contact in New London County are also provided.
Sarah Maria Heath & Francis Brigham Clark of Brooklyn, CT. Amos Heath & Mary Chapman of Groton, Connecticut William Heath & Mary Culver of Groton, Connecticut Joseph Heath & Mary Bell of Groton, CT. and Newport, R.I. Joseph Heath & Dorothy of Swansea & Attleboro, R.I. and of Groton, CT. Heath Land Records in Groton, Connecticut Richard Heath & Mercy of Swansea, Massachusetts The Probate Records of Richard Heath of Swansea, Massachusetts John Heath & Elizabeth(?) of East Greenwich, Rhode Island Elias Heath and his wife, Elizabeth of Boston, Massachusetts John and Hannah (Haines) Heath of Haverhill, MA. and Norwich, CT.
SOURCES
Attleboro, Bristol County, Massachusetts Vital Records, filmed on LDS Family History
Microfilm # 0580654Bristol County, Massachusetts Vital Records, filmed on LDS Family History Microfilm # 0022366
The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records, Town of Groton, compiled under the supervision of Lucius B. Barber and Lucius B. Barber, 1911-1934.
Bartholomew Heath of Haverhill, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants, by Valerie Dyer Giorgi. Santa Maria, California, 1994.
The Diary of Joshua Hempstead, A Daily Record of Life in Colonial New London, Connecticut 1711-1758, New London County Historical Society, Inc. New London, Connecticut. 1999, pages 103 and 105.
Groton, Connecticut Land Records, Volumes 4-6.
Records of Trinity Church of Newport, Rhode Island, filmed on LDS Family History Library Microfilm # 0022422
Swansea, Massachusetts Vital Records, filmed on LDS Family History Library Microfilm # 0903395
William Heath of Roxbury, Massachusetts and Some of His Descendants, by Valerie Dyer Giorgi. Santa Maria, California.
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