Clare Rood/Mary Dodge descendants and ancestors

Amos Crittenden [5ggf 1753-1838]: was the fourth of six children born to Isaac Crittenden [6ggf 1720-1796] and his wife Lucy (Betsy) (Benton) Crittenden [6ggm 1724-1796]. Isaac and Betsy married 25 Jan 1743 in Guilford, Conn, which was home to all of both of their ancestors for the preceding century. Guilford is located in southern Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. Originally called Menunkatucket, the Quinnipiac Indians sold it, along with other lands, to Puritans led by Rev. Henry Whitfield who had been rector of St. Margaret's at Ockley in Surrey, England since 1616. The group left Cranbrook, England 20 May 1639 aboard the Saint John; 25 men, including several of our ancestors, signed the "Plantation Covenant" 1 Jun 1639 while still at sea. The group arrived in Jul 1639, renamed the town Guilford, and were admitted to New Haven Colony in 1643. A house, built of local granite, was constructed for Rev. Whitfield and is still standing today, operated by the State of Connecticut as a public museum. The house was one of the colonial settlement’s four stone houses that functioned as defensive buildings and private homes. It is now considered to be Connecticut’s oldest house and New England’s oldest stone house.

     In the 3ggf William B. Warner (Annis’ husband) part of this project, 10ggf John Bishop was identified as one of the 25 signers of the “Plantation Covenant” and settlers of Guilford. His daughter Mary is the 4-great grandmother of our 3ggf William B. Warner. Bishop appears again in this part of the project as his son John II is the 4-great grandfather of 3ggm Annis Crittenden, wife of 3ggf William B. Warner, which makes that couple 5th cousins.

All of the immigrant ancestors of Amos arrived from England, settling in Connecticut. They include:

• Abraham Crittenden II [9ggf ca. 1599-1683] first of this family line in America, arrived  Jul 1639 with his wife Elizabeth (Usborne) Crittenden [9ggm ca. 1598-ca.1660] and their first 6 children including son Abraham Crittenden III [8ggf 1626-1694]. They were part of the group aboard the Saint John with Rev. Whitfield; Abraham II was the 18th signer of the “Plantation Covenant” and they settled in Guilford, Conn.

• Thomas Gregson [9ggf 1611-1646] and his wife Jane (unknown) Gregson [9ggm ca. 1614-1702] and some of their children arrived in Boston 26 Jun 1637, aboard the Hector with a group of colonists who had Rev. John Davenport as their religious leader; also aboard was London merchant and future first governor of New Haven Colony Theophilus Eaton. In April of the following year (1638), 500 Puritans left Boston under the leadership of Davenport and Eaton. It was their hope to set up a theological community, which they named New Haven Colony, with the government more closely linked to the church than that in Massachusetts. Gregson, a merchant, was prominent in the early settlement of the colony, holding several important offices. He was assistant to the Colony's first treasurer and first commissioner (1643) to the New England Confederation. In Jan 1646, he along with "Lamberton and diverse other godly persons" sailed for London, seeking a charter for New Haven from the English Parliament. The ship was lost at sea and never heard from afterward. New Haven never did receive a royal charter, and eventually (1664) was merged with Connecticut Colony which received its charter in 1662. On 13 May 1661, Gregson’s daughter Susannah [8ggm ca. 1640-1712] married 8ggf Abraham Crittenden III (above).

• John Johnson [9ggf ca. 1613-1681] Some genealogists say he “came to New Haven in the second ship [from England] in July, 1639”, while others claim he may have been in New England as early as 1635, but with such a common name, it is uncertain. In any event, on 1 Oct 1651 in Guilford, he married as his second wife Elizabeth (Desborough) Relf [9ggm 1619-1669]. Her arrival is uncertain; however, it may have been with her brother Isaac who arrived in 1635 on the Hopewell, but he returned to England permanently late 1639. She first married Thomas Relf about 1640 in Guilford; but was granted a divorce in 1650 when he “ran off to Rhode Island”.

• As mentioned above and in the William Warner section, John Bishop II [9ggf 1625-1683] left Cranbrook, England 20 May 1639 (age 14) aboard the Saint John with his family and settled in Guilford. His wife Susanna Goldham [9ggm unk-1703] arrived from England with her parents Henry and (Unkown) Goldham [10ggf unk-1661], but the date and ship are unknown.

• Edward Benton [10ggf 1600-1680], his wife Alice (or Ann? Purden) Benton [10ggm 1606-1671] and children including son Andrew Benton [9ggf 1639-1714] are found in Guilford in 1643. Several family trees have Andrew’s wife Elizabeth as the daughter of Thomas Rolfe and Elizabeth Desborough, Thomas being the only child of John Rolfe and Pocahontas. However, I have not found any indication that Thomas had a daughter Elizabeth. Appears to be fanciful wishful thinking by some.

• Francis Bushnell II [10ggf 1609-1681] arrived in Boston harbor 7 Jun 1635 aboard the sailing ship Planter with his wife Mary (Grombridge) Bushnell [10ggm 1606-aft.1649], both age 26, and daughter Elizabeth (age 1). They  first settled in Salem, and are found in Guilford by 1641. Francis II was a carpenter, miller and deacon of the church. In 1650, he signed the Guilford Covenant, but by 1660 he was in Old Saybrook, 16 miles east of Guilford near the mouth of the Connecticut River.

• Francis Bushnell [11ggf ca. 1580-1646] was the father of Francis II (above). Five sons including Francis II preceded Francis to New England, all around 1635. 11ggf Francis was among the 1639 group with Rev. Whitfield and his name was third among those signing the Guilford Covenant. A widower, he brought his two daughters, Sarah & Rebecca, with him aboard the Saint John to join their brothers.

• John Scranton [10ggf ca. 1610-1671] and his wife Joanna (unknown) [10ggm 1621-1661], with about 25 other heads of families, made a settlement in Guilford in Oct 1639 (arrival ship not found), the second group to follow Rev. Whitfield. Their only daughter Sarah Scranton [9ggf 1645-1695] was born in Guilford, and was married 15 May 1665 in Saybrook, to John Bushnell [9ggf ca. 1641-1686], son of 10ggf Francis Bushnell II (above).

• Very little but speculation is known on the origins of Balthasar de Wolf [10ggf ca. 1621-1696], but one researcher makes the observation that “From his penmanship, Balthazar appears to have been English. Also, his children intermarried with those of the best families of the English settlers, a thing which would have been all but
  impossible had he not been of English origin.” The first mention of him in New England is in the Hartford court records of Mar 1656 when he was listed among the “names of those p’sented for smoking in the streets contra to the law.” For this he was fined 16 shillings. Family tradition has it “that he paid his fine, lighted his pipe and went out.”

• Balthasar’s son Edward DeWolf [9ggf 1646-1712] was born in Guilford. About 1670, Edward married Rebecca (poss. Tinker) [9ggm ca. 1650-1722]. There has been must discussion by researchers as to Rebecca’s parentage. That research concluded  with the possibility that Rebecca was a daughter of John and Alice (Smith) Tinker, and so Rebecca is tentatively placed as their child. However, this could again be a case of wishful thinking as John Tinker led a very interesting life and traveled in the important circles of both Massachusetts and Connecticut colonies. Click here for a comprehensive recap of his life, and note that particular researcher does not mention Rebecca as one of his children.