Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Mary Kelsey

Female Abt 1644 - 1676  (~ 32 years)


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  • Name Mary Kelsey 
    Born Abt 1644  of Hartford, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died 18 Apr 1676  Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I2237  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Family Jonathan Gillett,   b. From Dec 1634 to Jan 1634/1635, Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 27/27 Feb 1697/8, Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 63 years) 
    Married 23 Apr 1661  Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F1315  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. Ancestry.com's "The Great Migration Begins, Sketches, Preserved Puritan" has the following listing of children for the emigrant Jonathan Gillett. [See his notes for full quotation from which this small portion is taken.]:
      "Children:
      i Jonathan, b. about December 1634 [TAG 15:210]; m. (1) Windsor 23 April 1661 Mary Kelsey [Grant 39], daughter of William Kelsey [TAG 68:209, 210, 215]; m. (2) Windsor 14 December 1676 Miriam Dibble [Grant 39], daughter of Thomas Dibble.
      ii Cornelius, b. say 1636; m. by 1659 Priscilla Kelsey, daughter of William Kelsey [TAG 68:214; Grant 39].
      iii Mary, b. say 1638; m. Windsor 15 July 1658 Peter Brown [Grant 33-34; TAG 33:215]. (Because of the tight chronology between the date of marriage of the parents and the known birthdate of the fourth Child, Coddington suggests that Cornelius and Mary may have been twins [TAG 15:211].)
      iv Anna, b. Windsor 29 December 1639 [Grant 39]; m. Windsor 29 October 1663 Samuel Filley [Grant 37].
      v Joseph, bp. Windsor 25 July 1641 [Grant 39]; m. Windsor 24 November 1664 Elizabeth Hawkes [WiVR].
      vi Samuel, bp. Windsor 22 January 1642/3 [Grant 39]; no further record.
      vii John, b. Windsor 5 October 1644 [Grant 39]; m. Windsor 8 July 1669 "Marcy Barber" [CTVR 12; Grant 40]. John Gillett d. in 1682 [Manwaring 1:307] and his widow m. (2) Windsor 14 June 1683 George Norton [CTVR 52], son of George Norton. She was the daughter of Thomas Barber [Manwaring 1:94], and had been taken in by Walter Filer after her father's death [RPCC 262, 264].
      viii Abigail, bp. Windsor 28 June 1646 [Grant 39]; d. Windsor 1648 [Grant 81].
      ix Jeremiah, b. Windsor 12 February 1647/8 [Grant 39]; m. Windsor 15 October 1685 Deborah Bartlett [WiVR Barbour 117], daughter of Benjamin Bartlett.
      x Josiah, bp. Windsor 14 July 1650 [Grant 39]; m. Windsor 30 June 1676 Joanna Taintor [Grant 42, 76].
      Bibliographic Note: George E. McCracken surveyed the literature on the Gillett family in 1979, providing some brief commentary on the relative reliability of the many publications [TAG 55:170-1]."
      Sources:
      DTR: Fourth Report of the Record Commissioners of the City of Boston. 1880. Dorchester Town Records (Boston 1883).
      TAG: The American Genealogist, Volume 9 to present (1932+).
      Grant: "Matthew Grant Record, 1639-1681" in Some Early Records and Documents of and Relating to the Town of Windsor, Connecticut, 1639-1703 (Hartford 1930).
      WiVR: Windsor Vital Records, typescript, Connecticut State Library (1918-29).
      WiVR Barbour: Windsor Vital Records, Barbour Collection, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut.
      CTVR: Births Marriages and Deaths Returned from Hartford, Windsor and Fairfield and Entered in the Early Land Records of the Colony of Connecticut..., Edwin Stanley Welles, ed. (Hartford 1898).
      Manwaring: A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records, Volume One, Hartford Probate District, 1635-1700, Charles William Manwaring, comp. (Hartford 1904).
      RPCC: Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut, 1639-1663, Collections of the Connecticut Historical Society, Volume 22 (Hartford 1928; rpt. Bowie, Maryland, 1987).
      WiLR: Windsor, Connecticut, Deeds (microfilm of original at Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut)."

      2. Henry R. Stiles, "The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 1892, v. 2, p. 289:
      "Jonathan (son of Jonathan) Gillett, bought that part of the Hydes lot in Windsor east of Mill road, and built there. He m. (1) Mary Kelsey of Hartford, 23 (Gillett-Holcombe Bible gives this as 22) Apr 1661 (O.C.R.); m. (2) Miriam Dibble, 14 Dec 1676, who d. undelivered in Childbed, 18 Apr 1687. He probably (acc. to D.W.P.) d. 5 Sep 1708; was admitted member Windsor 6 Apr 1662. - Old Church Record. [Note: No biographies in book about Kelsey family.] Children (*O.C.R. **Gillett-Holcomb Bible):
      A. By first wife:
      a. Mary **, b. 1, bp. 27 Oct 1667.
      b. Jonathan **, b. 18, bp. 19 Feb 1670; d. 1 Sep 1683.
      c. William **, b. 4 Dec 1673.
      B. By second wife:
      a. Thomas **, b. 31 May 1678 (O.C.R.) 11 Jun, age 11 days.
      b. Ebenezer **, b. 28 Oct 1679; d. (O.C.R.) 17 Dec 1680.
      c. Samuel, b. 18 Dec 1680.
      d. Anna **, b. 18 Sep 1682.
      e. Jonathan **, b. 15 Oct 1685. - 'Col. Rec.'
      f. Miriam **, b. 14 Mar 1688."

      3. The book "The 'Mary and John," chapter "The Passengers," p. 37:
      "Jonathan and Nathan Gillett were the sons of Rev. William Gillett, Rector of Chaffcombe, co. Somerset, who died in 1641. Jonathan Gillett came to America with his brother in 1630, but returned to England to marry March 29, 1634, at Colyton, co. Devon, Mary Dolbere, who was b. 7 Jun 1607, and d. 5 Jan 1685, dau. of Rawkey and Mary (Mitchell) Dolbere. Mary Dolbere is thought to have been a relative of Rev. Warham. (Jacobus, Donald Lines: 'The American Genealogist,' v. XV, p. 209. New Haven, Conn., 1938-39.)
      In a bible belonging to the Gillett family is the following: 'My Grandfather Gille(tt) came into new englan the secon time in June in the yeare 1634 and Jonathan his sonne was born about half a years aftur he cam to land.'
      Jonathan Gillett was made a freeman in 1635, moved to Windsor in 1636, and died there 23 Aug 1677. Children:
      a. Jonathan, 1634-5 Sep 1708; m. 22 Apr 1662, Mary, 1634-18 Apr 1676, dau. of William Kelsey; m. (2) 1676 Miriam Dibble, d. 1687. Children: Mary, Jonathan, William, Thomas, and Samuel.
      b. Cornelius, b. 1635; m. Priscilla Kelsey.
      c. Mary (twin), m. Peter Brown.
      d. Anna, b. 29 Dec 1639; m. 1663, Samuel Filley, 1643-1711.
      e. Joseph, b. 25 Jul 1641; killed in King Philip's War; m. 1664, Elizabeth, 1647-1725, dau. of John Hawkes. Children: Joseph, 1664; Elizabeth, 1666; Mary, 1667; Jonathan, 1669-1692; John, 1671; Nathaniel, 1673; Hannah, 1675.
      f. Samuel, b. 22 Jan 1642.
      g. John, b. 4 Oct 1644; m. 1669, Mary, dau. Thomas Barber.
      h. Abigail, 1646-1649.
      i. Jeremiah, 20 Feb 1647-1 Mar 1692; m. 1685, Deborah Bartlett. Deborah m. (2) Samuel Adams.
      j. Josiah, bapt. 15 Jul 1650; m. 1676, Joanna Taintor."

      4. 20 Mar 2008 http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bart/Gillet.htm:
      "Jonathan Gillett, Jr., born in Dorchester Dec. 1634 - Jan. 1634/5, married (1) Mary (Anna?) Kelsey 23 Apr. 1661 in Windsor, married (2) Miriam Dibble 14 Dec. 1676 also in Windsor, died 27 Feb. 1697/8. Mary was born ca. 1634, died 18 Apr. 1676 in Windsor. She was a daughter of William Kelsey of Hartford. Miriam was born 19 Feb. 1644/5 in Windsor, baptized there 7 Dec. 1645, died after May 1703. She was a daughter of Thomas Dibble. On 21 May 1657 "Jonath: Gillet Junir" was among 65 Windsor men "made free before the Court." On 6 Apr. 1662 he was admitted to the Windsor Church. On 11 Oct. 1669 Jonathan Gillet, Jr., was listed as a freeman of Windsor. Jonathan inherited from his father 20 acres of woodland joining on to the 20 acres expressed to his mother. He also inherited 10 acres next to Thomas Barber. It adjoined 10 acres he already owned. Jonathan also co-inherited with his brother Cornelius from their father 11 acres without the west bounds of Windsor. On 24 Dec. 1679 Jonathan Gillett was one of four who took the inventory of the estate of James Egleston of Windsor who had died 1 Dec. 1679. On 4 Mar. 1679/80 Jonathan and Cornelius (see below) were appointed to assist Mr. John Loomis, administrator to the above widow.[Manwaring, Charles W., "A Digest of Early CT Probate Records, 1677-1687," 22-24 & 34.] Jonathan wrote his will 25 Aug. 1694. It was proven 5 Apr. 1698. Witnesses were Henry Wolcott, Sr., and Nathaniel Gillet. The inventory totaled £360/13/00. Jonathan had 10 children."

      5. The book "Gillette Families, Some of the Descendants of Jonathan Gillet and Nathan Gillet," comp. Bertha Bortle Beal Aldridge, 1955, pp. 16-17:
      "Jonathan Gillet, (son of Jonathan) of Windsor, Conn., probably born in January 1634/5 or a few days earlier in Dec. 1634; d. 27 Feb 1697-8. (Connecticut Probate Rec. Manwaring, vol. 1, p. 557). He married first in Windsor, Conn, 23 Apr 1661, Mary Kelsey, b. abt 1634; d. in Windsor 18 Apr 1676, dau. of William Kelsey of Hartford, Conn., m. (2) in Windsor, 14 Dec 1676, Miriam Dibble of Windsor, b. Feb 1644-5 and Bapt. 7 Dec 1645 at Windsor; d. after May 1703, according to Conn. Probate Records [Miriam Dibble's death date is disputed by other more vital records as noted below in separate notes for this individual.]
      Children by first marriage, b. in Windsor:
      Mary, b. 5 Apr 1665; d. by 1667.
      Mary, b. 18 Oct 1667; d. in Windsor 19 Aug 1734; m. (1) by 1689, Jacob Bissell; m (2) 30 Jun 1698, Sergt. Peter Buell of Simsbury, Conn.
      Jonathan, b. 18 Feb 1670; d. 1683.
      William, of Windsor and Simsbury, b. 4 Dec 1673; d. in Simsbury 27 Jan 1718-19; m. 14 Sep 1699, Mary Saxton (Sexton), b. 4 May 1673. [Lists his children.]
      Children by second marriage:
      Thomas, d.y.
      Ebenezer, b. 27 Oct 1679; d. 1680.
      Samuel, b. 18 Dec 1680.
      Hannah, b. 18 Sep 1682; m. in Hartford, Conn., 23 Apr 1702.
      Jonathan, b. 15 Oct 1685."

      6. Manuscript from the Windsor CT. Historical Society Library of Jay Mack Holbrook entitled "Conn. Colonists - Windsor 1635-1703" has the following listings for Gillets. I am not sure what the references refer to, but they appear to be a compilation of mentioned names in original sources. I have rearranged the entries to be chronological rather than alphabetical as presented by the book compiler:
      Gillet, Jonathan Jr.; marriage to Mary Kelsie of Hartford, 23 Apr 1661; WIN638:57.
      Gillet, Jonathan Jr.; marriage to Mary Kelsey of Hartford, 23 Apr 1661; CHS930:39.
      Gillet, Mary Kelsey; death 18 Apr 1676; CHS930:39; husband: Gillet, Jonathan Jr.
      Gillet, Mrs.; death 18 Apr 1676; WEL898:28; husband: Gillet, Jonathan Jr.

      7. Article from the Gillette family file at the Windsor Historical Society by Gary Boyd Roberts entitled "Genealogies of Conn. families from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register," vol. II, Baltimore, 1983, Gen. Pub. Co., Inc., pp. 38-39. in regards to Jonathan's first wife's name, the name Anna Kelsey appears to be in conflict with the more commonly accepted name of Mary Kelsey:
      "Jonathan Gillett (son of Jonathan), of Windsor, Conn., according to the family Bible (1599) almost surely born in January 1634-5 or a few days earlier in December 1634, died 27 Feb 1697-8 (Connecticut Probate Records, Manwaring, vol. 1, p. 557). He married first, in Windsor, 23 April 1661 Anna Kelsey, born about 1634, died in Windsor 18 Apr 1676, daughter of William Kelsey of Hartford, Conn.; and secondly, in Windsor, 14 Dec 1676, Miriam Dibble of Windsor, born there 19 Feb 1644-5 and baptized there 7 Dec 1645, died after May 1703 (according to Connecticut Probate Records, Manwaring, vol. 2, pp. 140, 156 Miriam Gillet was living in May 1700 and later), daughter of Thomas Dibble. In two modern Gillett records there have been errors about the dates of death of Jonathan Gillett and second wife."

      8. "The American Genealogist," v. 68 [Oct 1999], pp. 208-215, "The Family of William1 Kelsey of Hartford, Connecticut, With Notes on Hester2 Kelsey, Wife of James2 Eggleston, James1 Eno, and John1 Williams of Windsor, Connecticut," by Gale Ion Harris.
      "A record of the death of widow Esther Williams at Windsor, Connecticut, on 10 July 1720 informs us that she was "formerly widow of James Eg1eston," and rouses our curiosity with a comment: "It is reported she was first female child born in Hartford" (Windsor VR [if not stated otherwise, cited vital records are from the Barbour Index, Connecticut State Library, Hartford, and available on microfilm]). No doubt this record is a cause of the repeated error that James2 Eggleston (Bygod1) of Windsor married one Hester Willams, and of derivative errors that this Hester Williams subsequently became the wife of Windsor's barber James1 Eno and of John1 Williams Sr. The Williams maiden name for Hester found its way into the Eggleston and Eno sketches by Henry Reed Stiles ("The History and Genealogies of Ancient Windsor, Connecticut," 2 vols. [Hartford, 1891-92], hereafter Stiles's "Windsor," 2:198-99, 240) and persists in Clarence Almon Torrey's "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" ([Baltimore, 1985], 253, 820). However, as George E. McCracken pointedly remarked, Hester "was surnamed Williams at death, not, as so often claimed, at her birth" (TAG 35[1959]:21). The present article presents evidence proving that Hester was a daughter of Hartford's pioneer settler William1 Kelsey and provides significant corrections to existing accounts of his family.
      Her parentage aside, we need first to establish that Hester was identical with the widow Williams who died at Windsor in 1720. If the comment in her death record is accepted, this woman was born in Hartford probably in the winter of 1635-36 or perhaps later in 1636. It is well known that a pioneer party of men, women, and children from Newtown [Cambridge], Massachusetts arrived there in the fall of 1635 before the main body came next spring with Mr. Thomas Hooker (William DeLoss Love, "The Colonial History of Hartford" [Hartford, 1914], hereafter Love's "Hartford," 1-16). By an unrecorded marriage, Hester became the wife of James2 Eggleston of adjoining Windsor and mother of his nine children born there between 1 January(1656[/7] and 19 December 1676 ("Some Early Records and Documents of and Relating to the Town of Windsor, Connecticut, 1639-1703 [Hartford, 1930], hereafter "Windsor Early Recs.," 36). Their fourth child and eldest daughter, a key figure in this case, was Hester3 Eggleston, born on 1 December 1663. This child's father, James2 Eggleston, was born in England about 1620 and died "suddenly" at Windsor on 1 December 1679; on 21 April 1680, adminis­tration was granted to "the Relict and her present husband, James Ennoe." In December 1679, Mark Kelsey, Jonathan Gillett, and two other Windsor men took an inventory naming eight surviving Children, including "Ester [aged] 16." (Charles W. Manwaring, "A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records," 3 vols. [Hartford, 1904-6], hereafter Manwaring, 1:300-1.) Kelsey and Gillett, who took the inventory, were a son and son-in-law of William1 Kelsey of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Hartford and Killingworth, Connecticut. (See Edward A. Claypool, Azalea Clizbee, and Earl Le­land Kelsey, "Genealogy of the Descendants of William Kelsey," 3 vols. [New Haven, 1928-47], hereafter "Kelsey Gen.," 1:38-39, 43, a work rated "excellent" by John Insley Coddington [TAG 38(1962):210]).
      "Hester that was the wif of James egelston" married next, on 29 April 1680,[1] James Eno Sr., a widower ('Windsor Early Recs.," 76). Eno died soon after on 11 June 1682 (Windsor VR), and [son] James2 Eno and [widow] Hester Eno were named administrators. In December 1682, by agreement among James Eno's children, the court appointed distributors "to lay out to the widow Ennoe her jointure of ₤20." (Manwaring, 1:301.)
      Reverting to her former married name, "Easter Egelston" married third, at Windsor on 10 June 1686, seventy-year-old John Williams Sr., both "of Windsor" (Windsor VR). The Windsor rate list that year for "Jno Williams" includes a head tax for Isack Egleston, "house land of his wifes," and five acres of meadow "th[a]t was James Eglestons" (i.e., Hester's former husband James Eggleston) ("Windsor Early Recs.," 188). Isaac plainly was James2 and Hester Eggleston's seventeen-year-old son Isaac, born on 27 February 1668[/9]. John Williams, born about 1616, died at Windsor before 14 May 1712 (inventory), "a person," so his creditors alleged, "96 years of age [who] had become Childish and infirm in his intellectuals." His will, executed by mark at Windsor on 10 February 1707/8, named several children and grandchildren, and gave property to "Easter Williams, my dearly beloved wife... during her widowhood." In June 1713, the court approved dower set out to "Esther Williams, widow, from the estate of her late husband John Williams." (Manwaring, 2:333-34.)
      In summary, the widow Esther Williams who died at Windsor in 1720 in­deed was Hester, the former widow of James Eggleston, just as the record states, her brief intermediate marriage to James Eno leaving no impression on the manner in which she styled herself. Who, then, were the parents of this "first female child born in Hartford"?
      Important clues to Hester's identity exist in references to her child Hester3 Eggleston born at Windsor in December 1663. From 1657 to 1668, John Winthrop Jr. at Hartford made note of several prescriptions for William Kel­sey and his family, referring to him variously as "Kelsy Willm," "G[oodman] Kelsie," and thrice, by obvious mistakes, as "Kelsy Tho" ("Medical Records of John Winthrop," hereafter Winthrop Med. Recs., MS, Mass. Hist. Soc., Boston, 192, 646, 691). Further discussion of these entries appears below, but three of them are pertinent here. On 18 August 1666, Winthrop pre­scribed for "Gillet Mary wife of Jonathan Gillet at Winsor & daughter of goodma[n] Kelsy of Hartford" (Winthrop Med. Recs., 682). Consistently, Windsor records note the marriage of Mary Kelsey "of Hartford" to Jona­than Gillett Jr. on 23 April 1661 (Windsor VR). This Mary Kelsey is known to be a daughter of Hartford's William Kelsey (Kelsey Gen., 39, 43), and, as shown above, her husband Gillett took inventory of James Eggleston's estate in 1679. The following entries, though incomplete in certain details, concisely provide the evidence we need (Winthrop Med. Recs., 605, 720):
      16 Nov. 1664-Egleston Hester 2y: of Windsor hir mother is g[oodman} Kelsies daughter
      5 April 1667-Egleston Hester 3y: daught[er] of [blank] Egleston of Windsor whose wife is g[oodman] Kelsies daught[er]
      It seems that the given name of this girl's father simply escaped Winthrop's memory when he made the latter entry. A few years before, in 1659 and 1660, he had prescribed for "Egleston Jeames his wife" of Windsor, and for "Egleston Jeames 4y: [son of Jeames Egleston at Winsor] sore and sick" (Winthrop Med. Recs., 450, 486). The only identifiable child Hester Eggle­ston in Windsor who would be near the stated ages in 1664 and 1667 is James Eggleston's eldest daughter Hester, born there on 1 December 1663. This girl's mother therefore was Hester, James Eggleston's wife and a previously unknown daughter of William Kelsey.
      The Family of William1 Kelsey
      The detailed account of William1 Kelsey (Kelsey Gen., 25-39) need not be repeated here except to place several corrections in context. He was born in England about 1600, perhaps in county Essex, and was present in New Town [Cambridge], Massachusetts, by 5 August 1633 ("The Records of the Town of Cambridge (Formerly New Towne) Massachusetts, 1630-1703" [Cambridge, 1901], 5). A statement in the Kelsey Genealogy that he was in Cambridge by 29 March 1632 is not supported by records of that town. (I thank Robert Charles Anderson, FASG, for his comments on this point and others concerning the Cambridge records.) There is some uncertainty about the exact time Kelsey left Cambridge to join the new settlement at Hartford - then also called New Town after the Massachusetts Bay settlement. He was styled "of the New Towne," meaning the Bay town, as late as 19 April 1636 when, by mark, he sold his meadow land to Thomas Fisher ("The Register Book of the Lands and Houses in the "New Towne" and the Town of Cambridge" [Cambridge, 1896], 42). From this record, the Kelsey Genealogy authors concluded that Kelsey migrated to Hartford with Hooker's company two months afterward in June. Perhaps so, but he had sold his house lot at Cambridge sometime between 5 October 1635 and 8 February 1635/6, and there are independent reasons to believe that Kelsey was with the pioneer group of about fifty men, women, and children at Hartford in the fall and winter of 1635-36 (Love's "Hartford," 4-16). The discovery that Kelsey had a daughter reputed in 1720 to have been the first female child born in Hartford tends to support Love's arguments. In any case, Kelsey received a home lot amid those in Hartford's oldest English settlement, on the north side, primarily taken up by the pioneers, while Hooker's company of 1636 mainly settled across the Little River on the south side.
      In 1664, William Kelsey and his son John were among the "original proprietors" of Killingworth [modern Clinton], Connecticut. From this fact, it was concluded that William had moved there with "the new emigration of March 1663" ("Kelsey Gen.," 31). Winthrop proves otherwise. As noted above, he prescribed regularly for Kelsey and family members between 1657 and 1668. The later entries include one dated 18 August 1666 for "goodma[n] Kelsy at Hartford," and another on 21 December 1666 for "Kelsy Tho [sic]: his wife at Hartford" (Winthrop Med. Recs., 682, 691). The substitution of "Tho" for William in the latter entry is one of three such cases already mentioned. Winthrop clearly intended William Kelsey; in a similar slip on 10 March 1659[/60] - "Kelsy Tho: his wife" - he explicitly referred to prior treatments for this patient's sore "right elboe" in February, March, and April 1659, then recorded as "Kelsy Willm his wife" (Winthrop Med. Recs., 143, 153, 192). The Kelseys were therefore still in Hartford as late as December 1666. William had moved to Killingworth before May 1669, however, when he was listed as a freeman of that town. He was living there as late as 17 June 1675 when he witnessed a deed for his sons Daniel and John Kelsey (Killingworth Town Recs., 1:33, cited in "Kelsey Gen.," 34).
      The authors of the Kelsey Genealogy discuss the question of William Kel­sey's wife, noting that they found no mention of her in records available to them. They dismiss old statements that her name was "Bethia" with a com­ment: "[T]here is no more reason to suppose that Bethia was her name, than that it was Mary or Priscilla or Abigail - the names of the other daughters." They also dismiss as "mere speculation" suggestions that she was a sister of John Hopkins of Cambridge and Hartford, yet propagate the fiction by choosing to "call her Bethia" ("Kelsey Gen.," 35-36). In 1961, George E. McCracken gave an account of the origins of the mythical Bethiah Hopkins and, furthermore, showed that there was no Kelsey daughter named Bethiah whom the compilers of the Kelsey Genealogy had married off to David Phillips ("The Wife of William Kelsey," TAG 37[1961]:38-42).
      Additional material found in the present study confirms and adds to McCracken's analysis. The name Bethiah for Kelsey's wife and daughter arose from a September 1665 record of a Hartford town vote to give David Phillips of Milford £10 if he would "remove from Hartford with Bethiah Kelly his wife" (Hartford Town Votes, Conn. Hist. Soc. Coll., 6[Hartford, 1897]:148). This record had been interpreted to mean that Bethiah "Kelly" was the widow of William Kelsey. Bethiah (___) (Kelly) Phillips, however, was the widow of Hartford's Irishman, John Kelly, born about 1603, "having accom­plisht the age of 60 yeares" on 28 April 1663 ("Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut," 1639-1663, Conn. Hist. Soc. Coll., 22 [Hartford, 1928], hereafter Particular Court Recs., 271). He died before 18 February 1663[/4] when the Townsmen asked Thomas Catlin to take on as apprentice John Kelly, aged eight years July last, "son to John Keely deceased and bethiah kely." They had other children: In February 1664[/51, the town voted to provide for "goody Kely and hur child either to put out the child and provid for hur: or provid for them together." Next September, the town offered David Phillips of Milford £10 to get "Bethiah Kelly his wife" out of town. ("Hartford Town Votes, 147-48, 324-25.) Winthrop provides additional evidence. From November 1657 to June 1660, he prescribed on fifteen occasions for "the Irishman" John Kelly and his wife, or their children Elizabeth, born about July 1653, and John, born in July 1655. Elizabeth is probably the young daughter of John Kelly who died in the spring of 1662, having made in "the delirium of sickness" accusations that precipitated the last executions for witchcraft in Connecticut (Love's "Hartford," 284). In October 1664, Winthrop treated widow Kelly and her daughter Hanna, aged three years, and, in November 1665, "Philips David his wife th[a]t.was Kellies widdow." Finally, on 1 January 1666[/7], he prescribed for "Philips Sarah ½y: daughter of David Philips of Milford th[a]t married g[oodman] Kellies widow." (Win­throp Med. Recs., 574, 607, 696.) The child Sarah, born 13 July 1666, and a later child Samuel Phillips, born 30 May 1670, are recorded at Milford (TAG 9[1932-33]:106).
      Winthrop provides some help with William Kelsey's wife, but he does not solve that problem. He prescribed for Kelsey's wife six times between 23 February 1658[/9] and 21 December 1666, but never recorded her name (Winthrop Med. Recs., 143, 153, 192, 519, 646, 691). In the first of those entries, however, he supplies an important fact by recording her age as forty-six years on 23 February 1658[/9]. Thus she was born about 1613 and was living at Hartford in December 1666. We cannot be certain, but the apparent reg­ular spacing of Kelsey's children (as shown below) suggests that this woman, whatever her name, was his only wife and the mother of all his children. She would have been about age twenty when Kelsey first appears at Cambridge in 1633. Her youth implies either that they married in England just prior to their passage to New England, or that William came alone and married her there soon after he arrived.
      The age of Kelsey's wife is also in accord with other evidence in Winthrop's notes showing that estimates of his older children's birth dates in the Kelsey Genealogy are generally too early, a point also made by McCracken (TAG 37[1961]:38-39). The birth dates of the three youngest children (Abigail, Stephen, and Daniel) are on record from 1645 to 1650 ("Original Dis­tribution of the Lands in Hartford, 1639," Conn. Hist. Soc. Coil., 14 [Hartford, 1912], hereafter "Original Distribution," 575, 578, 581). I have found no record of a child William Kelsey, allegedly born on 23 March 1654 and died young ("Kelsey Gen.," 38). Four older children, excluding the nonexistent Bethia, were given estimated birth dates from "about 1628" to "about 1636," leaving a nine-year gap unaccounted for ("Kelsey Gen.," 38). Winthrop shows that at least two of the older children (Priscilla and Mary) were born much later than estimated: in about 1640 and 1644 versus "about 1632" and "about 1633," re­spectively. Information now available, including the newly substituted eldest daughter Hester, yields a reconstructed list of eight or nine children with birth dates regularly spaced from about 1634 to 1650 or 1654, a result in har­mony with the expected Childbearing years of a woman born about 1613.
      We still have no record of the name of William Kelsey's wife, but an ono­mastic argument now can be made that it may have been Hester. Kelsey's first daughter is now identified as a Hester and, as shown below, his eldest son Mark Kelsey named his second daughter Hester, after a daughter named for his wife Rebecca. Similarly, his daughters Priscilla Gillett and Abigail Hull, and son John Kelsey, all had elder daughters named Hester. (Kelsey Gen., 42, 45, 52.)
      William1 Kelsey was born about 1600 and was living at Killingworth, Connecticut, in June 1675 ("Kelsey Gen.," 24, 34). He married probably about 1632 or 1633 in England, or perhaps soon after he arrived at Cambridge in New England, an unidentified woman born about 1613 and living at Hartford in December 1666 (Winthrop Med. Recs., 143, 691).
      Children (Kelsey) of William1, probably all by the same mother (where not indi­cated otherwise, data are from the Kelsey Genealogy):
      i. MarK2 b. [by present estimate, say 1634, most likely at Cambridge], d. prob. Windsor bet. May 1715 and Feb. 1722/3. He m. (1) Windsor 8 March 1658/9 Rebecca Hoskins (Windsor VR), b. ca. 1634, d. 23 Aug. 1683, aged 49 (Stiles's "Windsor," 2:404), but not a daughter of Windsor's John Hoskins as Stiles claims (TAG 30[1954]:191-92). Mark m. (2) Windsor 26 Dec. 1683 Abigail (___) Atwood (Windsor VR), b. ca. 1645-48, d. 28 March 1713, widow of Capt. Thomas Atwood of Wethersfield. It seems that Mark was little past his teenage years on 7 Dec. 1654 when he was found guilty at Hartford of "several evill carriages & misdeameanors," for which he was "to be publiquely Corrected to Morrow morning & in the meane time to goe to prison" ("Particular Court Recs.," 133-34). As shown above, Mark took inventory of his brother-in-law James Eggleston's estate at Windsor in 1679.
      Winthrop made several references to Mark Kelsey worthy of note. He put Mark down as "a young married man bruised by fall about making an house" at Windsor on 19 March 1658[/9}. By 27 Nov. 1663, Mark was "of Hockanum," prob. in that section of it in present Glastonbury, then Wethersfield, when his 3½-year-old daughter Rebecca was "broake out about the Eys." He was still there in Nov. 1665 when his "Child [of] 4 months old" received Winthrop's attention. Mark was "of Hartford," however, on 3 March 1667[/8} when his daughter Hester, aged "2y & 2 months" received similar treatment. (Winthrop Med. Recs., 455, 522, 608, 790.) The four-month-old child in Nov. 1665 and the daughter Hester, b. ca. Jan. 1665/6 - the birth dates conflict - are not among the eight children included in Kelsey Genealogy (p. 40).
      ii. HESTER b. [as discussed above, prob. Hartford in the winter of 1635-36, or later in 1636, and reputed to be the 1st female child b. there], d. Windsor 10 July 1720 (Windsor VR). She m. (1) by Jan. 1656[/7] (1st Child), James2 Eggleston (Bygod1), b. ca. 1620, d. Windsor 1 Dec. 1679; (2) Windsor 29 April 1680 James1 Eno Sr, who d. there 11 June 1682; and (3) Windsor 10 June 1686 John1 Williams Sr., b. ca. 1616, who d. there bef. 14 May 1712 (inventory). Nine children by James Eggleston ("Windsor Early Recs.," 36).
      iii. Johnb. [by present estimate, say 1638, prob. Hartford], d. Killingworth 22 July 1709. He m. by Sept. 1668 (1st Child) Hannah2 Desborough, b. "say 1644" d. Killingworth 23 Oct. 1718, dau. of Nicholas1 and Mary (Brownson) Desborough/Disborough of Hartford. For disproof of statements that John's wife was' Hannah's sister Phebe Desborough and for evidence that Hannah was John's only wife, see comments in Kelsey Genealogy (pp. 45, 47) and a later discussion by John Insley Coddington, "The Brownson, Bronson, or Brunson Family…" (TAG 38[1962]:208-11). Coddington also shows that Hannah's sister Sarah Desborough married Samuel2 Eggleston, brother of Hester Kelsey's husband above. Nine Children.
      iv. PRISCILLA b. prob. Hartford ca. 1640 (aged 17 on 22 Dec. 1657 [Winthrop Med. Recs., 74]), d. Windsor 7 Jan. 1722/3 (Windsor VR); m. by Jan. 1659[/60?] (1st Child) Cornelius2 Gillett, b. Dorchester, Mass., ca. 1635-36, d. Windsor 26 June 1711 (Windsor VR), son of Jonathan1 and Mary (Dolbear) Gillett of Windsor (TAG 15[1938-39]:202-17; NEHGR 100[1946]:276-77). Nine Children.
      v. Mary b. prob. Hartford ca. 1644 (aged 14 in May 1658 [Winthrop Med. Recs., 109]), d. Windsor 18 April 1676 (Windsor VR); m. there 23 April 1661 Johnathan2 Gillette (Windsor VR), b. Dorchester, Mass., ca. Dec. 1634, d. Windsor 27 Feb. 1697/8 (Windsor VR), brother of Cornelius above (TAG 15[1938-39]:211; NEHGR 100[1946}:275-76). Four Children.
      vi. Abigail b. Hartford 19 April 1645 ("Original Distribution," 575), d. Killingworth 12 May 1717; m. there 3 Dec. 1668 Lt. John3 Hull, b. Windsor 17 Dec. 1644 (Windsor VR), d. Killingworth 24 July 1728, son of Josiah/Josias2 Hull (George1) and his wife Elizabeth (Loomis) of Windsor and Killingworth (Donald Lines Jacobus, "History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield," 3 vols. [Fairfield, Conn., 1930-33], 1:307-8; TAG 20[1943-44]: suppl. 18-19; Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, 2 vols. [n.p., 1931-43], hereafter Dawes-Gates, 2:453-62; Selim Walker McArthur, "McArthur-Barnes Ancestral Lines" [Portland, Maine, 1964], 120, 125-26). Four Children.
      vii. Stephen bp. Hartford 7 Nov. 1647, d. there 30 Nov. 1710 ("Original Distribution," 578, 613); m. Hartford 15 Nov. 1672 Hannah2 Ingersoll (Hartford VR), b. there 1652, d. aft. 5 Dec. 1714, dau. of John1 Ingersoll of Hartford and later of Westfield, Mass., and his 1st wife Dorothy (Lord) (Ernest Flagg, "The Founding of New England [Hartford, 1926], 227). Ten Children.
      viii Daniel b. Hartford July 1650 ("Original Distribution," 581), d. Killingworth 5 June 1727. He m. (1) there 27 March 1672 Mary3 Stevens, b. ca. 1653, d. bet. 1683 and 1693, dau. of Thomas2 Stevens (John1) and his wife Mary (Fletcher) of Milford (Claude Willis Barlow, John Steevens ofGuilford, Connecticut [Ro­chester, N.Y., 1976], 19). He m. (2) by 1693 Jane2 Chalker, b. Saybrook, Conn., 25 March 1662, d. Killingworth 26 Oct. 1742, dau. of Alexander1 and Katherine (Post) Chalker (Dawes-Gates, 175-77; TAG 68[1993]:231). Ten Children.
      ix. (poss.) William b., according to "Kelsey Genealogy" (p. 38), 23 March 1654 and d.y. I have seen no record of this child.
      Footnote:
      1. Either this date or 21 April 1680, when administration of the estate of James Eggle­ston was granted to "the relict and her present husband, James Ennoe," must be in error."

      9. The publication "Search for the Passengers of the "Mary & John" 1630," by Burton W. Spear (Toledo, OH; The Mary & John Clearing House, 1989-2004), 1:32-33:
      "JONATHAN GILLETT - b.a. 1600, England, d. 29 Aug. 1677, Windsor, Conn. m. Mary Dolbiar, 29 Mar. 1634, St. Andrews Church, Colyton, Devon, England (1607-1685), dau. of Rawkey Dolbiar & Mary Michell of Cadhayne, near Colyton.
      Jonathan Gillett came on the "Mary & John" in 1630, either alone or with his younger brother, Nathan. He returned to England to marry and then sailed back to New England soon after. He was the son of Rev. William Gillett, Rector of Chaffcombe, Somerset in 1609, who d. 1641. He served in the Pequot War in 1637 and moved his family from Dorchester, Mass. to Windsor, Conn. in the summer of 1639. He was the Constable of Windsor in 1665 and in 1671 he was granted land in Simsbury, Conn. for his service in the Pequot War. Estate: 273 pounds.
      Ten children (1635-1650) (NER 100:275), 75 grandchildren, and 243 great-grandchildren identified.
      Children:
      1. Jonathan Gillett, Jr.-b.a. 1635, Dorchester, Mass., d. between 1694 & 1698. m. (1) Anna Kelsey, 23 Apr. 1661 (1634-1676), dau. of William Kelsey, the emigrant. m. (2) Miriam Dibble, 14 Dec. 1676, Windsor, dau. of Thomas Dibble. Estate: 360 pounds. Four children by first wife (1665-1673) (NER 100:275), and six by second (1678-1685), and 13 grandchildren.
      2. Cornelius Gillett-b.a. July 1636, Dorchester, Mass., d. 26 June 1711, Windsor, Conn. m. Priscilla Kelsey, who d. 1772, dau. of William Kelsey, the emigrant. Estate: 44 pounds. Nine children (1659-1678) (NER 100:277), and 28 grandchildren.
      3. Mary Gillett-b. 1638, Dorchester, Mass. m. Peter Brown, 15 July 1658, who d. 1691, called the son of Peter Brown of the Mayflower (1620) but this has been disputed. He bought land in Windsor in 1658 and moved to the Josias Ellsworth place in 1664. Estate: 408 pounds. Eleven children (Windsor-118) and 61 grandchildren. One of his descendants was John Brown, the Abolitionist.
      4. Anna Gillett-b. 29 Dec. 1639, Windsor, Conn., d. 4 Jan. 1711. m. Samuel Filley, 29 Oct. 1663, Windsor (1643-1712), s. of William Filley, the emigrant. He moved to Simsbury, Conn., 1669. Twelve children (1667-1683) (Windsor-250), and 26 grandchildren.
      5. Joseph Gillett-bpt. 25 July 1641, Windsor, Conn., d. 18 Sept. 1675, killed by Indians at Bloody Brook, near Deerfield, Mass. m. Elizabeth Hawkes (1646-1681), dau. of John & Elizabet Hawkes. Moved from Windsor to Deerfield, 1675. Seven children (1664-1675) (NER 101:46), and 19 grandchildren.
      6. Samuel Gillet-bpt. 22 Jan. 1642, Windsor, Conn., d. 19 May 1676, killed in the fight at Turner's Falls, Mass. m. Hannah Dickinson, 23 Sept. 1668, Hadley, Mass. (b. 1648), dau. of John Dickinson. She m. (2) Stephen Jennings, 1677. The year after Samuel's death, Hannah remarried, became pregnant and was captured by Indians in the attack on Hatfield, Mass., along with her daughter Mary (age 5) and son Samuel, Jr. (age 4). When the authorities refused to pursue the Indians, her husband, Stephen Jennings and Benjamin Waite, set out toward Canada to recover the captives. After traveling thru the winter they arrived in Canada in January, 1678 and negotiated a ransom with the French. There, Hannah had a daughter she named Captivity, and she returned to Deerfield, with her other two children and the captives in June. Four children (1669-1674) (NER 101:46), and 14 grandchildren.
      7. John Gillett-b. 5 Oct. 1644, Windsor, Conn., d. 1682. m. Mercy Barber, 8 July 1669, Windsor (1651-1725), dau. of Thomas Barber, the emigrant. She m. (2) Capt. George Norton, 1683. Seven children (1671-1682) (NER 101:46), and 29 grandchildren.
      8. Abigail Gillett-bpt. 28 June 1646, Windsor, d. 1648.
      9. Jeremiah Gillett-b. 12 Feb. 1647, Windsor, Conn., d. 1 Mar. 1692, Windsor. m. Deborah Bartlett, 15 Oct. 1685, Windsor (b. 1666), dau. of Benjamin Bartlett & Deborah Barnard. Four children (1686-1692) (Fyler-30).
      10. Josiah Gillett-bpt. 14 July 1650, Windsor, Conn., d. 29 Oct. 1736, Colchester, Conn. m. Joanna Taintor, 20 June 1676 (1657-1735), dau. of Michael Taintor of Branford, Conn. (See NER 4:169). Res: Windsor and Colchester, Conn. Eleven children (1678-1701) (NER Apr. 1893, p. 168), and 53 grandchildren.
      References:
      Gillett & Allied Families, by L. S. Gillett, 1930.
      Gillett Family in Conn., Vol. 1.
      Gillett Families, by B. B. Aldridge, 1955. TAG 42:160 (English Wills).
      TAG 56:129 (Nathan)
      NER 100:272 (Genealogy).
      NER 101:43, 153, 237, 283 (Genealogy).
      NER Apr. 1893, p. 168 (Genealogy).
      TAG Apr. 1971 (Dispute French Ancestry)."

      10. The publication "Search for the Passengers of the "Mary & John" 1630," by Burton W. Spear (Toledo, OH; The Mary & John Clearing House, 1989-2004), 18:61-62, "GILLETT, JONATHAN (a.1607-1677) OF WINDSOR, CT, NATHAN GILLETT ( -1689) AND JEREMIAH GILLETT ( - )":
      "Jonathan Gillett - Born before 1609. Died 29 Aug. 1677, Windsor, CT. He m. Mary Dolbair, 29 Mar. 1634, St. Andrew, Colyton, Devon, dau. of Rawkey Dolbiar and Mary Michell of Cadhayne, Colyton. According to family tradition he came on the "Mary & John" in 1630, possibly with brothers Nathan and Jeremiah. He returned to England to marry and they returned to New England on the "Recovery of London" in March 1634. If his brothers did not accompany him in 1630 they probably did in 1634. The bible he brought from England, printed in 1599, is now on display at the Windsor Historical Society in Windsor, CT. A note in the bible says Jonathan Gillett came to New England a second time in June 1635. He actually came in 1634. Children (Search Series Vol. 5, pp. 49-77).
      a. Jonathan Gillett, Jr. - B.a. 1635 Dorchester, MA. His will dated 25 Aug. 1694 and proved 5 Apr. 1698. He m. (1) Mary Kelsey, 23 Apr. 1661, (1634-1676) dau. of William Kelsey. He m. (2) Miriam Dibble, 14 Dec. 1676, Windsor, CT, dau. of Thomas Dibble. Four children by first wife (1665-1673) and six by second (1678-1688).
      b. Cornelius Gillett - B.a. July 1636, Dorchester, MA. D. 26 June 1711. He m. Priscilla Kelsey, a. 1658, dau. of William Kelsey. Nine children. (16591678).
      c. Mary Gillett - B. 1638, Dorchester, MA. She m. Peter Brown, 15 July 1658 Windsor, CT. who d. 9 Mar. 1691. Fourteen chilren (1659-1681).
      d. Anna Gillett - B. 29 Dec. 1639, Windsor, CT. D. 18 Nov. 1711. She m. Samuel Filley, 29 Oct. 1663, Windsor, CT. (1643-1711), son of William Filley. Twelve children (1667-1683).
      e. Joseph Gillett - Bpt. 25 July 1641, Windsor, CT. Killed 18 Sept. 1675 Bloody Brook, Deerfield, MA. He m. Elizabeth Hawkes (1641-1681) dau. of John Hawks. She m. (2) Nathaniel Dickinson. Seven children (1664-1675).
      f. Samuel Gillett 0 Bpt. 22 Jan. 1642, Windsor, CT. Killed 19 May, 1676 Turner's Falls Fight. He m. Hannah Dickinson, 23 Sept. 1668, Hadley, MA. She m. (2) Stephen Jennings, 1677. Four children (1669-1674).
      g. John Gillett - B. 5 Oct. 1644, Windsor, CT. He m. Mercy Barber, 8 July 1669 Windsor, CT. (1651-1725) dau. of Thomas Barber. She m. (2) Capt. George Norton, 1683. Seven children (1671-1682).
      h. Abigail Gillett - Bpt. 28 June 1646, Windsor, CT. D.y.
      i. Jeremiah Gillett - B. 12 Feb. 1647/8, Windsor, CT. D. 1 Mar. 1629/3. He m. Deborah Bartlett, 15 Oct. 1685 (b. 1666) dau. of Benjamin Bartlett at Deborah Barnard. Three children.
      j. Josiah Gillett - Bpt. 14 June 1650, Windsor, CT. D. 29 Oct. 1736 Colchester, MA. He m. Joanna Taintor, 20 June 1676 (1657-1735) dau. Michael Taintor. Eleven children (1678-1701).
      Jonathan Gillett had ten children and at least 77 grandchildren.
      Reference: Search Series, Vol. 5, pp. 49-81."

      MARRIAGE:
      1. Manuscript from the Windsor CT. Historical Society Library of Jay Mack Holbrook entitled "Conn. Colonists - Windsor 1635-1703" has the following listings for Gillets. I am not sure what the references refer to, but they appear to be a compilation of mentioned names in original sources. I have rearranged the entries to be chronological rather than alphabetical as presented by the book compiler:
      Gillet, Jonathan Jr.; marriage to Mary Kelsie of Hartford, 23 Apr 1661; WIN638:57.
      Gillet, Jonathan Jr.; marriage to Mary Kelsey of Hartford, 23 Apr 1661; CHS930:39.

      2. The newsletter "Gillett Pride 'n' Joy," vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 11-13, copy from Gillett family file at the Windsor Historical Society, has an article entitled "Flora Clark - Vol. 1." Flora Clark appears to be the submitter of information concerning the "Bear Bible." I note the following which I extract from her article:
      "The script of the Gillet entries is very old style which was in use before and after 1600. These entries are in the hand of Jonathan Gillet of the second generation. His identity is proved by the references to himself in the following items:
      'my father Gille came Into new:inglon the secon time In June in the yeare 1634 and Jonathan his sonn was born about half a yeare aftar he came to land.'
      '(my) father Gillett dyed in 1677...'
      ''(Jon)athan Gillett his first maredg -aprel 22 1661
      Mary born october 18, 1667
      Jonathan born feber 18 1670
      William born december 4 1673
      my second maredg in decem 14. 1676
      My sonne thomas born by my secon wife in may the last 16. 1678
      Ebenesor born in the year 79. octob 27
      Samuel borne in the yeare 80. decem 17 his grandmother dyed in may. 14: 81
      (..)nna born september 10, 1682 (16?)
      Jonathan born to me by my secon wife was born in 1685: oct. 15
      mirriam born in 1688 May:14"

      3. From the book "New England Marriages Prior to 1700," p. 304 for the Gillett family:
      A. "Gillett, Jonathan (-1698) & 1/wf Mary Kelsey (-1676); 23 Apr 1661, 22 Apr; Windsor, CT/?Hartford."
      B. "Gillett, Jonathan (?1634-1698) & 2/wf Miriam Dibble (1645-1710+, 1703+), m/2 Timothy Palmer; 14 Dec 1676; Windsor, CT."

      DEATH:
      1. Manuscript from the Windsor CT. Historical Society Library of Jay Mack Holbrook entitled "Conn. Colonists - Windsor 1635-1703" has the following listings for Gillets. I am not sure what the references refer to, but they appear to be a compilation of mentioned names in original sources. I have rearranged the entries to be chronological rather than alphabetical as presented by the book compiler:
      Gillet, Mary Kelsey; death 18 Apr 1676; CHS930:39; husband: Gillet, Jonathan Jr.
      Gillet, Mrs.; death 18 Apr 1676; WEL898:28; husband: Gillet, Jonathan Jr.