Dewey family from 1670 to 1700 (Westfield, MA)

Dewey Settlement in Westfield, MA

The first Dewey post talked of Thomas’ years in England, Dorchester, MA, and Windsor, CT.  The next Dewey post discussed Josiah’s (2^nd generation) years in Northampton, MA.  As I continue with the Dewey family, consider what it must have been like for these colonial families to move from one settlement to the next.  We don’t know what motivated them to move, but obviously, each move created new hardships, necessitating: constructing new housing, clearing land, establishing crops, joining or starting new churches, and potentially facing hostile Native Americans.  George Phelps, step father of Thomas Dewey’s children, was among the first settlers of Westfield.  George, Thomas Dewey (2nd), and others were assigned house lots in January 1668 in Westfield. 

Josiah and Hepzibah (Lyman) Dewey (continued from prior post)

Josiah was granted land in Westfield on Feb. 5, 1667 “on condition … of building the ministers house.”  Josiah and Hepzibah moved to Westfield about 1670.  Eight of their twelve children were born here between 1673 and 1685 (see previous post for list of children).  They and many of their children lived in Westfield during King Philip’s War.  Josiah was a sergeant of the guard during King Philip's war (1675 – 1676). 

Many of the remote settlements near Westfield were attacked by Indians during the war.  In September of 1675 the town of Hadley, MA was attacked by Indians and the Battle of Bloody Brook took place in Deerfield, MA.  In Deerfield, the colonial casualties were about 60.  In October the Pocomtuc tribe attacked Springfield, MA and destroyed more the half the town.  John Miller, brother of Mehitable Miller (wife of Josiah Dewey Jr., see below) was killed in the October 5, 1675 attack on Springfield.  Hatfield and Northampton were also attacked in October.  The English settlers organized militias and fought back.  Many of the early militia attacks on Indian tribes were in the Narragansett Bay area, home to King Philip.  Closer to Westfield, in April and May of 1676, the militia defeated the Indians in the vicinity of Turner’s Falls, MA.  By August 1676, the war was over and Philip had been killed in the Rhode Island area.  Both sides were guilty of slaughtering the aged, women and children.  (For more on the events of King Philip’s War, click here.)

After the war, around 1680, Josiah co-owned a saw and corn mill (map showing the Dewey lots) at Two Mile Brook (Great Brook) with his brothers Thomas and Jedediah Dewey and with Joseph Whiting.  Two Mile Brook was so named because the brook was two miles from the town center.  The brook itself is called Little River.  Josiah took the Oath of Freeman Sept. 28, 1680 and he was ordained the first deacon December 28, 1692 at First Church.

Josiah (3^rd Generation) and Mehitable Miller Dewey

Josiah Dewey Jr. was born in Northampton and would have been a child when his father and mother moved to Westfield about 1670.  Josiah Jr. married Mehitable Miller in Westfield on January 15, 1691.  Mehitable, daughter of William and Patience (Bacon) Miller, was born on July 10, 1666 in Northampton, MA.  Josiah was a farmer in Westfield. 

Josiah and Mehitable had six children:

Born at Westfield, MA:

William (1692 – 1759)*

Josiah (1697 – 1771)

Joseph (1697 - ?)

Born at Lebanon, CT:

John (1700 – 1773)

Mary (1704 – 1735)

Mehitable (1708 – 1796)

Monday Mumblings - Colonial Settlers Interaction with Native Americans

The presence of Native Americans in and around our early New England settlers had an important impact on their settlements.  Therefore, it is appropriate to spend one posting discussing some of their impact.  By 1600, Native Americans and European traders (French, Dutch, and English) had established beneficial relations through trade throughout New England.  The Native Americans provided the colonists with produce and furs and received hatchets, knives, cloth, and guns from the Europeans.  Both sides were satisfied with the price paid for the exchanges.  These preexisting relationships certainly benefited the English settlement colonies in New England as there were friendly tribes upon their arrival and since trade had been established, settlers soon began to trade goods for land.  In many settlements, Native Americans were still allowed to hunt, fish, and grow crops as well live on the land.  However, the main benefit to the English settlers was the unintended but highly consequential introduction of European diseases.  The traders brought with them diseases such as small pox and measles to which the Native Americans had no immunity.  (See NativePeoples in New England for more on the native inhabitants in this time frame.)

The Native American population was decimated by these diseases.  Nathaniel Philbrick says in Mayflower, A Story of Courage, Community, and War “from 1616 to 1619, what might have been bubonic plague … [killed] in some cases as many as 90 percent of the region’s inhabitants.  So many died so quickly that there was no one left to bury the dead.”  The diseases spread so rapidly that those natives who did not quickly die evacuated the impacted area without burying to the dead, while perhaps leaving behind stores of corn.  John Bradford wrote “skulls and bones were found in many [villages] lying still above the ground.”

NativeAmerican tribes often switched loyalties and alliances with or against the English.  In the early stages of English settlement, the Pokanokets led by Massasoit in Plymouth sustained the English through the first few years.  After Massasoit’s death, his son Metacomet (later named Philip by the English) led the same Pokanokets and other tribes in King Philip’s War (1675 – 1676) against the English.  The Pequots led by Sassacus originally fought against the English in the Pequot War (1637).  Later, the Pequots supported the English during King Philip’s War.  The Mohegans led by Uncas in Connecticut were instrumental in helping the settlers gain a foothold in Connecticut in the early colonial years.  Thomas Dewey was likely impacted by the Pequot War and Josiah Dewey was a sergeant in King Philip’s War.  A future posting will discuss Josiah Dewey’s later dealing with the Mohegan tribe.

Windsor, Thomas Dewey, and the Pequot War of 1637

The history of Windsor according to Wikipedia says that “during the first part of the 17th century, the Pequot and Mohegan Nations had been at war. The Podunk were forced to pay tribute [to the Pequot] … the Podunk invited … settlers from Plymouth, Massachusetts to settle.” In 1634 about 30 people from Plymouth settled in the Windsor area.  In 1635, 60 or more people from Dorchester, MA including Thomas Dewey arrived in Windsor.  As more settlers arrived from Dorchester, most of the Plymouth settlers returned to Plymouth.  A short two years later, the Pequot War erupted in 1637.  Although Windsor itself was not attacked, Wethersfield, 13 miles to the south, was attacked on April 23, 1637.  Several settlers were killed and taken captive.  As a result of this attack, the Connecticut General Court ordered that a 90 man army be assembled consisting of 42 men from Hartford, 30 from Windsor, and 18 from Wethersfield.  The three towns at the time contained about 250 settlers total.  70 Mohegan warriors, led by Uncas, sided with and fought alongside the English in the Pequot War.  Thomas Dewey may have been one of the 30 men from Windsor as he was not married at the time.  Windsor settlers built the palisado as a precaution to an attack.  Dewey’s home was adjacent to the palisado.

Two future Josiah Dewey postings will provide more on King Philip's War and his interaction with the Mohegans.

Monday Mumblings - Dewey family from 1648 - 1669

Today’s Dewey Mumblings picks up in Windsor, CT where we left off with Thomas Dewey the Settler dying on April 27, 1648.  When Thomas died, he left behind a 37 year old widow, Francis, with 7 children younger than 10 years old.  Two of the children, Mary (10) and Joseph (9?) were from her first marriage to Joseph Clark.  Five of the children Thomas (8), Josiah (7), Anna (5), Israel (3), and Jedidiah (1) were from her marriage to Thomas.  In 1648, the colonial settlement of Windsor was only 13 years old, so survival for Francis and family would be dependent on remarriage.  As frequently happened in those days, Francis quickly married George Phelps on November 16, 1648.  George himself was a recent widower with his wife Phillury Randall dying on April 29, 1648.  Phillury and Francis may have been sisters, (daughters of Philip and Joann (Fush) Randall).  Interestingly, Phillury’s death came 2 days after the death of Thomas Dewey making me wonder if they may have died from small pox as an “epidemic ravaged Massachusetts and most of New England in 1648.”  George and Phillury Phelps had 5 children of their own born between 1638 and 1647 when Phillury died in 1648.  So, when Widow Francis (Randall Clark) Dewey married George Phelps, they had 12 children between them, all born between 1638 and 1647.  To complicate things a bit more, George and Francis (Randall Clark Dewey) Phelps had 3 children of their own born between 1649 and 1653.  We have to admire Francis and George as they raised 15 children total to adulthood.

All these marriages and the children produced by them, resulted in many related families crossing paths many times over.  Mary Clark, daughter of Joseph and Francis (Randall Dewey Phelps) Clark married John Strong.  John along with Josiah Dewey (2^nd generation) and others founded Northampton, MA.  Several generations later, 3^rd(?) cousins once removed Anna Phelps and Simeon Dewey would marry.  Anna’s great grandfather was the above mentioned George Phelps.  Simeon Dewey’s great, great grandfather was Thomas Dewey the Settler.  Anna and Simeon are my 6^th great grandfather and grandmother.  Anna and Simeon will be discussed in a later post. 

Before moving on with the Dewey family, it is important to remember the impact of trying to settle on lands belonging to a Native American population.  The original settlers were able to maintain a working relationship with some of the local tribes but other tribes were hostile.  Conflict was always a concern.  Without the help of friendly tribes, the settlers would have died.  However, as the English population grew, the relationship with the Native Americans became stressed and reached the breaking point with the outbreak of King Philip’s War.  Tribes were forced to take sides, neutrality was not an option.  An excellent book covering relations between the Native Americans and settlers including King Philip’s War is “Mayflower A Story of Courage, Community, and War” by Nathaniel Philbrick.  As I move forward in these posts, I will occasionally mention some of the interactions between my ancestors and the Native Americans. 

Josiah and Hepzibah (Lyman) Dewey (2nd Generation)

Josiah Dewey, son of Thomas and Francis, is my next direct ancestor.  Josiah, born at Windsor, CT in 1641 and died on September 7, 1732 at Lebanon, CT.  He was seven years old when his father died.  He lived with his mother Francis and step father George Phelps in Windsor until 1660. From about 1661 to 1669, Josiah moved to and lived in Nonotuck (now Northampton, MA).  Nonotuck’s was first settled in 1653/54.  In 1661, his name (Josiah Duey) appeared in the churches covenant.  Among the other names in the covenant was Hepzibah Lyman.  Josiah and Hepzibah married November 6, 1662 in Northampton.  Richard and John Lyman were among the first settlers of Northampton owning lots on Pleasant Street.  I do not know if Richard and John were Hepzibah’s father and uncle or her brothers.

Josiah and Hepzibah had 12 children

Born at Northampton, MA:

Hepsibah (1665 - ?)

Mary (1665 – 1666)

Josiah (1666 – 1750)*

John (1669 - ?)

Born at Westfield, MA:

Ebenezer (1673 – 1711)

Nathaniel (1673 – 1711)

Elizabeth (1674 – before 1677)

Joseph (1674 – 1675)

Elizabeth (1677 - ?)

Experience (1682 - ?)

Joseph (1682 – 1682)

Benjamin (1685 – 1685)

Hepzibah Lyman was born in 1644 at Windsor, CT and died June 4, 1732 in Columbia, CT.  She was the daughter of Richard and Hepzibah (Ford) Lyman.  Her father Richard came to New England on the ship Lyon in 1631 with his parents, two brothers, and two sisters.  Her mother Hepzibah (Ford) came to New England on the ship Mary & John in 1630 with her parents and three other sisters.  Of little consequence but fun to know, descendants of Josiah Dewey and Hepzibah Lyman may be of “Royal Descent” through Hepzibah.  This was brought to my attention through the book Life of George Dewey Rear Admiral, U.S.N. (by Adelbert M. Dewey) and Dewey Family History (by Louis Marinus Dewey) where it is claimed that our ancestry goes back to Emperor Charlemagne.  I haven’t spent a lot of energy trying to confirm this, but Charles H. Browning published a book in 1891 titled Americans of Royal Descent, A Collection of Genealogies of American Families Whose Lineage is Traced to the Legitimate Issue of Kings.  On pages 425 and 426 of this book, Browning has a list of ancestors of Hepzibah (mentioning Josiah Dewey).  Here is that list:

1.    Alfred the Great, King of England, had:

2.    Edward the Elder, King of England, second son, who had:

3.    Princess Edgina (widow of Charles III., King of France), who m. secondly, Henry, third Count de Vermandois and Troyes, and had:

4.    Hubert, fourth Count de Vermandois, who had:

5.    Lady Adela de Vermandois, who m. Hugh Magnus, fifth Count de Vermandois, son of Henry I., King of France, and had:

6.    Lady Isabel de Vermandois, who m. first, Robert, first Baron de Bellomont, created Earl of Leicester, Lord Justice of England, who had:

7.    Robert, second Earl of Leicester, Lord Justice of England, who had:

8.    Robert, third Earl of Leicester, Steward of England, who had:

9.    Lady Margaret de Bellomont, who m. Saier de Quincey, created 1207, Earl of Winchester, d. 1219, and had:

10.  Roger, second Earl of Winchester, Constable of Scotland, d. 1264, who m. Lady Helen, daughter of Alan, Lord of Galloway, and had:

11.  Lady Elizabeth de Quincey, who m. Alexander, Baron Cumyn, second Earl of Buchan, son of William, Baron Cumyn, Justiciary of Scotland, 1178-80, and his wife Lady Hexilda, a granddaughter of Donal-bane, King of Scots, and had:

12.  Lady Agnes Cumyn, who m. Gilbert, Baron de Umfraville, and had:

13.  Gilbert, Baron de Umfraville, Governor of the Castle of Forfar and the territory of Angus; Earl of Angus, in right of his wife; d. 1308; he m., 1243, Matilda, Countess of Angus, and had:

14.  Robert de Umfraville, second Earl of Angus, who had by his second wife, Lady Alianore:

15.  Sir Thomas de Umfraville, of Harbottle, younger son, who m., Lady Joane, daughter of Adam de Rodman, and had:

16.  Sir Thomas de Umfraville, Lord of Riddesdale and Kyme, who had by his wife, Lady Agnes:

17.  Lady Joane de Umfraville, who m. Sir William Lambert, of Owlton, Durham, and had:

18.  Robert Lambert, of Owlton (or Owton), father of:

19.  Henry Lambert, of Ongar, Essex, father of:

20.  Elizabeth Lambert, who m. Thomas Lyman, of Navistoke, Essex, d. 1509, and had:

21.  Henry Lyman, of Navistoke and High Ongar, who m. Alicia, daughter of Simon Hyde, of Wethersfield, Essex, and had:

22.  John Lyman, of High Ongar, d. 1587, at Navistoke, who had by his wife, Margaret, daughter of William Girard, of Beauchamp, Essex:

23.  Henry Lyman, of High Ongar, whose son:

24.  Richard Lyman, b. 1580, at High Ongar; removed to Roxbury, Mass., in 1631, and d. 1640, at Hartford, Conn., of which he was one of the original proprietors; he had issue, by his wife Sarah:

1.    Robert Lyman, who m. Hepzibah, daughter of Thomas Bascom.  Issue.

2.    Richard Lyman, of Windsor, d. 1662, who m. Hepzibah, daughter of Thomas Ford, and had:

                                         I.        Hepzibah, wife of Josiah Dewey

Since Hepzibah Lyman is my 9^th Great Grandmother, that would make Alfred the Great, King of England, my 35^th Great Grandfather.

The story of Josiah and Hepzibah Dewey will be continued in my next Mumblings post.