Christopher Wadsworth

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wadsworth-86

Biography

"Christopher Wadsworth led a long, blameless and uneventful life." So Robert Charles Anderson sums up the three and a half pages he devotes to Christopher Wadsworth in The Pilgrim Migration. His origin is unknown. He arrived in Plymouth in 1632[1] and then moved to Duxbury. He may have returned to England to bring back Ralph Patridge as a minister for Duxbury, which may give a hint of his English connections. He married Grace Cole July 1, 1630 in Duxbury, Massachusetts (Plymouth)[2][3] He was a delegate to the Plymouth Colony committee to revise the laws in 1636, served many times on juries, was a constable in Duxbury, and surveyor of highways. His will dated July 31, 1677[4] left land to his "eldest son Joseph", to his wife Grace and to his son John. Other bequests were to his daughter Mary Andrews, to the children of his son Samuel Wadsworth, deceased, to his grandson John Wadsworth and granddaughters Mary and Abigail Wadsworth. Anderson estimates these dates: birth about 1609 based on date of marriage; death after July 31, 1677 (the will) and before October 27, 1680 (probate)[4]. He says the date sometimes seen of 18 April 1676 as actually the date of the death of Wadsworth's son Samuel. He estimates marriage by about 1634 to Grace, who is often identified as Grace Cole, but for which there is no evidence. Some say Christopher Wadsworth came on the ship Lyon, supposing he came with another Wadsworth who was on that ship, but there is no evidence for this either. Disputed arrival and disproved kinship with William Wadsworth

Several sources suggest that Christopher arrived in Boston aboard the Lyon on 16 September 1632.[5][6][7] However, Christopher's name does not appear on the Oath of Allegience signed by heads of families about to embark on the Lyon, nor does his name appear in the list of passengers of that voyage given by Banks.[5]

The only documentation for Christopher's claimed arrival on this voyage is a family bible currently in the collection of the Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library. It still remains for some researcher to examine the bible and report its precise contents online. Some information was reported about it in an article entitled "An Old Bible" that appeared in the Hartford Courant on 1 March 1883. The bible had apparently left the Wadsworth family and had been in the possession of the Rev. John Pierce of Brookline, Mass. and his son John T. Pierce of Geneseo, Illinois. It is reported that the bible contains the names of "Christopher and Thomas Wadsworth, with a record that they landed in Boston by ye ship Lion, 16 September, 1632, 'together in ye ship'." It reports additionally that the name William Wadsworth is written in the margin.

The information reported here perhaps smacks of revisionist history. It has long been suggested that Christopher was brother to William Wadsworth, both men having first appeared in New England records at about the same time. William did arrive in Boston on the Lyon in 1632, so the arrival of Christopher on the same voyage would provide considerable support for the kinship of the two men, a kinship which is otherwise unsupported by any other early New England documents, nor by family names appearing in the early generations.

However, Y-DNA testing has confirmed that Christopher and William were not related -- see below. It is unlikely then that Christopher came on the Lyon as head of his own household without appearing in the lists. This doubt cast on the bible record is amplified by the apparent naming of "Thomas Wadsworth" as arriving in Boston with Christopher. No Thomas Wadsworth appears in the colony records in the 1630's, and Christopher had no son named Thomas.

Unless further evidence arises, this profile should follow Robert Charles Anderson in placing Christopher's arrival in 1632, but the exact date, ship, and place of origin remain unknown. DNA

The Wadsworth surname project at FTDNA records data that indicates William and Christopher were unrelated. [8] As of the writing of this section, there are five kits grouped as confirmed or expected descendants of William and three kits as confirmed or expected descendants of Christopher. While none of the latter has tested SNPs, the inferred haplotype for all three is R1b. A confirmed descendant of William on the other hand has haplogroup GHIJK. Comparison of STR markers confirms that it is almost certain these two groups of men share no common paternal ancestor in this time-frame. This proof is contingent on the validity of the family lines traced by these DNA testers. Sources

   ↑ Anderson, Pilgrim Migration p. 473.

   ↑ IGI - International Genealogical Index

   ↑ Ancestral File (R) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998)

   ↑ 4.0 4.1 Anderson, Pilgrim Migration, page 475.

   ↑ 5.0 5.1 Passengers On The Lion From England To Boston 1632: part 1, page 545

   ↑ Gocher, page 56

   ↑ Bacchus, page 198

   ↑ FTDNA, Wadsworth Surname Project, DNA results; accessed 1/8/2019

Lawrence, Ruth. Colonial families of America, Vol. 7. National Americana Society. New York. 1930. Page 323.

   Jordan, Wilfred. Colonial and Revolutionary Families of Pennsylvania; Genealogical and Personal Memoirs. Lewis Historical Pub. Co. New York, NY. 1932. Page 420.

   Little, George Thomas. Genealogical and Family History of the State of Maine, Vol. 3. Lewis Historical Pub. Co. New York, NY. 1909. Page 1105.

   Cutter, William Richard. Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, Vol. 3. Lewis Historical Pub. Co. New York, NY. 1910. Page 1396.

   Two Hundred and Fifty Years of the Wadsworth Family in America: Containing an Acount of the Family Reunion, at Duxbury, Mass., September 13, 1882, and a Genealogical Register Printed at the Eagle steam job printing rooms, 1883 - 257 pages

   Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony 1620-1633, by Robert Charles Anderson (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 2004). Christopher Wadsworth entry.

   Olney, Sandra Sutphin. Passengers_On_The_Lion_From_England_To_Boston_1632 (Heritage Books, Maryland, 1992)

   Gocher, William Henry. Wadsworth or the Charter Oak, self-published, Hartford, Conn., 1904.

   Bacchus, Dr. William. "The early life of Hartford "founder" William Wadsworth" in The Connecticut Nutmegger 30 (1997) pp.197--207.

   New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Clarence Almon Torrey (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society) Vol. III, p. 1575. WADSWORTH, Christopher (-1687) & Grace [COLE?] (-1688), by 1636; Duxbury.

   Ancestry Family Trees, Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Ancestry Family Tree 27284681

   History of the town of Duxbury Massachusetts with Genealogical Register by Justin Winson: printed Boson 1849 (online) pdf format. Page: pdf pg 338 – book pg 328. [1]

   Find A Grave: Memorial #34720669

   Holst, Frances Bartlett. Martha Wadsworth Brewster, Poet of Colonial Connecticut, Connecticut Nutmegger (Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Glastonbury, Conn., 2012) Vol. 45, Page 23. 

http://books.google.com/books?id=3X-4t4qKo-IC&pg=PA1105&lpg=PA1105&...

Came to New World (Boston) September 16, 1632 on the Ship "Lion" with brother William. Sometimes spelled his name Xtopher. Probably came form Chelmsford, Kent, England.

Christopher settled in Massachusetts at Duxbury and his descendants are well known in those parts, several of them having fought and died in. the Indian wars.

The voyage on the Lion was the second made by William (Christopher's brother) to the English colonies in America, as in a book which my brother John gave me some time before his death I find the following entry:

November 22, 1621. Came this day to Newport News with Daniel Gookin in the Flying Harte.

William Wadsworth, a descendant of a long line of ancestry dating from Peter, son of Henry de Wodsworth, who was contemporaneous with King John, sur- named Lackland, brother of Richard Lion- heart, who appointed him his successor to the throne, and he became King of England in 1199, and was compelled to sign the Magna Charter in 1215, the repudiation of which charter thereafter caused war with the barons, during the waging of which he died at Newark. October 19, 1216. The line of descent from Peter includes lords, barons, esquires and men of letters and of the church. The relationship of William Wadsworth, one of the passengers of the ship "Lion," with Xtopher, is later shown to have been established, and the claim that William and Christopher came on the same ship and were brothers is well established. While William Wadsworth was the progenitor of the family in Connecticut and New York, Christopher is the common ancestor of the Wadsworths of Maine and Massachusetts, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the poet. ( I) Christopher Wadsworth, or as his name was early written, Xtopher Waddesworth, landed in Boston by the ship "Lion," September 16, 1632. His birthplace in England has not been ascertained, nor his positive parentage. The name of Thomas Wadsworth is written before that of Christopher in a family Bible printed in London by Benham Norton and John Bell, 1625, formerly the property of Rev. John Pierce, of Brookline. Massachusetts, and descended to his son, John T. Pierce, of Geneseo, Illinois, which Bible is now in the possession of Mr. Samuel W. Cowles, of Hartford, Connecticut, and was examined by Mr. Horace A. Wadsworth. of Lawrence, Massachusetts. Mr. Wadsworth copied the inscription found in the handwriting of Christopher Wadsworth, the immigrant, which reads : " Christopher Wadsworth His Book " Christopher and William Wadsworth landed in Boston by ye ship Lion, " 1oth September, 1632, together in ye ship." And elsewhere in the same Bible he found the name of Thomas Wadsworth before Christopher's in such a way as to convey the idea of its being the name of his father. Kent, Braintree, Chelmsford in Kent, and the Palatinate of Durham are each entitled to some consideration as his birthplace or residence. Kent probably has the strongest claim. We find Christopher Wadsworth in Duxbury, Plymouth colony, in 1633, and he was elected a constable in January, 1634, the highest office in the gift of the town, and on him devolved the duty of jailor, sheriff in executing punishments and penalties, crier to give warning in church of the marriages approved by the civil authorities, sealer of weights and measures, and surveyor of lands. His name appears on every page of the town records of the time, and shows his life in Duxbury to have been one of incessant activity. He was deputy, selectman, surveyor. He owned land at Holly Swamp as early as 1638, and in 1655 bought more land of John Starr and Job Cole. He erected a house about a mile west of Captains Hill near the new road to Kingston, and his lands ran down to the bay formerly known as Morton's Hole. The place remained in the Wadsworth family up to 1855, when it was sold after the death of Joseph F. Wadsworth in that year, and it passed out of the family. The immigrant made his will July 31, 1677, and it was filed at the Plymouth court in September, 1678, and it is between these dates that his death occurred. He made provisions for his wife Grace and daughter Mary Andrews, gave his home place to his son John and part of his Bridgewater grants and other lands to his son Joseph, having in his lifetime deeded part of his Bridgewater grants to his son Captain Samuel, of Milton, who married Abigail Lindall, and was killed fighting the Indians at Sudbury, 1676. The children of Christopher, the immigrant, and Grace (Cole) Wads- worth were: Samuel (q. v.), Joseph, Mary and John. Joseph and John lived and died in Duxbury, and Mary married Andrews, and was a widow at the time her mother made her will, January 13, 1687, which instrument was proved June 13, 1688. (II) Samuel, son of Christopher and Grace (Cole) Wadsworth, was born in Duxbury, Plymouth colony, and he there married Abigail Lindall, whose parents were neighbors of the Wadsworths. They removed to Milton, Massachusetts Bay Colony, where he was captain in the militia, and he was killed by the Indians while in command of his company at Sudbury, 1676, leaving a widow and seven children. His widow died in Milton in 1687.

He was ancestor to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, to whom we are also related. Also related to HWL through the Longfellow side.

http://www.plimoth.org/sites/default/files/media/pdf/wadsworth_chri...

Parents unknown

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http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WADSWORTH/2004-02/107...

Shows the baptism of Christpher and his siblings and parents.

Father:

Richard Wadswoth

Mother:

Christabel Utley

http://turnergenealogy.com/MasterSite-o/p217.htm

Christopher Wadsworth M, b. circa 1609, d. between 1677 and 1680 Father Thomas Wadsworth1

    He was born circa 1609 at England based on the estimated date of marriage.2,3 He was the son of Thomas Wadsworth.1

Christopher Wadsworth married Grace (?) circa 1634.2

Christopher Wadsworth died between 1677 and 1680 at Duxbury, Plymouth Colony, Massachussetts.2 His estate was probated on 27 October 1680 at Duxbury; The inventory of the estate, exhibited 7 June 1681, was untotalled and included no real estate.4

Christopher Wadsworth immigrated in 1632 to Boston initially, then within a short time, Plymouth, Massachussetts; According to the book, "Wadsworth Family In America, Christopher came to America on the ship "Lion", landing in Boston on Sep 16, 1632.

In a family bible owned by Christopher at the time of his landing in America is the following inscription: "Christopher Wadsworth, His Book. Christopher and William Wadsworth landed in Boston by ye ship Lion 16th. September 1632, together in ye ship." At the time of publication of the book, 1883, the Bible was in the possession of a Samuel W. Cowles of Hartford, CT.

Of the 123 passengers on the Lion, the names of only 30 are preserved. Christopher's name is not listed, but William's was. The passenger list states that William's family consists of four persons.5,6

His name appears on the Pymouth tax lists of 25 March 1633 where he was assessed 12 shillings, and in the1633 list of freemen in Plymouth. His name is appended to a will as a witness with William Bradford, 2nd Governor of the Colony, Sep 16, 1633.5,7

Christopher Wadsworth moved between 1633 and 1634 at Duxbury, Massachussetts, Christopher settled in Duxbury for the rest of his life. He early took a prominent position among the townspeople-- such veteran pilgrims as Miles Standish, Elder Brewster, and John Alden were his neighbors.6,5

He was the first Constable for the Duxbury ward between Jones River and Green's Harbor, 1 Jan 1633/4. "This was an office of high trust and responsibility, and none were elected to it but men of good standing" (History of Duxbury, Winsor, p. 81).5,7

Christopher possibly made a return trip to England in 1636 "to fetch Mr. [Ralph] Partridge" who would become minister at Duxbury.5

On 2 October 1637, the "Two lots of land on Ducksborrow side, formerly granted to Christopher Wadsworth, containing forty acres and upwards," were reconfirmed to Wadsworth, with some minor boundary adjustments.8

On 2 July 1638, he "requested a parcel of land in the woods at the head of the Great marsh, near Mr. Collyer's wolf trap."9

On 4 February 1638/9, he was granted fifty acres of upland about the head of South River.10

He was deputy for Duxbury to the Plymouth Colony General Court on several instances between 1640 and 1667. He served as the Duxbury delegate to the plymouth Colony committee to revise laws, 4 Oct 1636, and committee to divide lands, 3 June 1656. On many occasions between 1636 and 1665, he sat on the Plymouth petite jury, the Grand jury, and the Coroner's jury.5

Wadsworth sold to "Mr. Raph Partrich" his uplands and meadow in Duxbury on 20 September 1643.11

On 13 August 1651, Job Cole of Eastham sold Wadsworth a house and land lying against a place called Moton's Hole.12

On 20 October 1655, John Starr of Duxbury sold to Christopher Wadsworth "all that my mansion and dwelling house" in Scituate, with eighty acres of upland, along with some marsh or meadow, and another parcel of upland.13

In Duxbury, he was appointed Surveyor of Highways, 3 June 1662. He was Selectman 5 June 1666, 2 June 1667, 3 June 1668, 1 june 1669, 7 June 1670, and 6 June 1671. His name appears in the Duxbury section of the 1643 Plymouth Colony list of men able to bear arms.14

On 10 May 1664, John Bradford of Marshfield sold to Wadsworth "all my houses, orchards, uplands and meadows" in Duxbury.15

Christopher Wadsworth left a will on 31 July 1677 at Duxbury in which he bequeathed to "my eldest son Joseph" "one-half of those lands which I bought of Mr. John Bradford," upland and meadow, in Duxbury, he paying to "my daughter Mary Andrews two cows with calf not exceeding the age of five years each of them" (and also confirmed to son John two shares of land in Bridgewater previously given to him); to "Grace my wife the one-half of my dwelling house during her natural life and half the lands thereunto belonging"; to "my son John" all remaining lands; to "grace my wife" all household goods and some cattle..16 Family Grace (?) d. bt 1687 - 1688 Marriage*

Christopher Wadsworth married Grace (?) circa 1634.2 Children

   Joseph Wadsworth b. c 1634, d. 1689

   Capt. Samuel Wadsworth+2 b. c 1636, d. 21 Apr 1676

   John Wadsworth+ b. 1638, d. 15 May 1700

   Mary Wadsworth b. c 1640

Charts Pedigree of James G Turner Last Edited 24 Oct 2009 Citations

   [S649] Horace Andrew Wadsworth, Two Hundred and Fifty Yrears Of The Wadsworth Family In America (Lawrence, MA: Privately Published, 1883), According to the book, "Wadsworth Family In America, Christopher's father's name is thought to be Thomas, as that name appears in the family bible owned by Christopher at about the time he came to America.. Hereinafter cited as Wadsworth Family.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 475. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S579] Logical Extrapolation from known data by author, James G. Turner. Hereinafter cited as "Extrapolation."

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth ColonyProbate Records 4:1:71.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 473. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S649] Horace Andrew Wadsworth, Two Hundred and Fifty Yrears Of The Wadsworth Family In America (Lawrence, MA: Privately Published, 1883). Hereinafter cited as Wadsworth Family.

   [S649] Horace Andrew Wadsworth, Two Hundred and Fifty Yrears Of The Wadsworth Family In America (Lawrence, MA: Privately Published, 1883), p. 39. Hereinafter cited as Wadsworth Family.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Records 1:66.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Records 1:90.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Records 1:112-13.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Records 12:96.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Records 12:216.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Deeds 4:253-55.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth Colony Deeds 3:1:66-67.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

   [S646] Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants To Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633 (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2004), p. 474. Cites Plymouth ColonyProbate Records 4:1:68-70.. Hereinafter cited as The Pilgrim Migration.

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https://www.wadsworthfamily.net/