Bill’s Family - Person Sheet
Bill’s Family - Person Sheet
NameJohn Hotchkin 
337, H322, 4584, M
337, H322, 4584, MBirthabt 1633, Essex County, England
Death28 Oct 1687, Guilford, New Haven County, CT, USA Age: 54
Misc. Notes
John Hodgkin was also known as Hotchkin.8 He was born before 1633 at Essex County, England.
On this date, 11 May 1654, Jno, Hodgkin was appointed as a "Freeman" in Guilford. He must have been at least age 21 at this time in order to be a Freeman.
He married Mary Bishop at Guilford, New Haven County, CT, USA, on 4 April 1670.9,4 John Hodgkin died in January 1681/82 at Guilford, New Haven County, CT. He died, according to conflicting information, on 28 October 1687 at Guilford, New Haven County, CT.
Very little is known about our progenitor or his life in America. Burke’s and other Compilers of English Genealogy refer to the Hotchkin name in the 16th and 17th century; however, the family in America did not use the name until nearly 1800. He was not well known, yet he married into the prominent Bishop family and was closely associated with Gov. William Leete. None of the records give John’s birth date but he had to be at least 21 when he was made a Freeman, placing his birth before 1633. A book by P. R. Burke, Lincolnshire County, England, has assembled a family that shows some possibility of including our John and giving a birth date. It shows a John Hotchkin, born about 1591 in Coulsworth, Lincolnshire who married Smith, born about 1595 in Bourne. They were married on 28 Jan 1615/16 and had four boys. The oldest son, John, was born 20 Oct 1616, William 14 Dec 1617, Anthony 19 Dec 1619, and Richard 6 Jan 1621/22. Richard is given a death date of 27 Feb 1622/23. None of the others have death dates or locations. Our John appears in the records of Guilford as Hodgke or Hodgkin, but never as Hotchkin.
William Leete was born 1612/13 in Dodington, England. He sailed from England on the ship St. John, Captain Russell commanding, arriving at New Haven, CT between July 10 and 15 1639. It is possible that John was on this ship, but Talcott, Families, says that he came from Essex, England to Guilford, CT in 1654; however, Talcott offers no proof of this date or location. Steiner says that he came about 1648 as Gov. Leete’s man.
R. R. Hinman’s, Catalog of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of Connecticut, offers proof that our progenitor was in Guilford in 1642. A list signed by John Fowler, William Seward and William Jonson, has the estate of John Hodgke valued at L35 0s. John Hodgkin took the Oath of Fidelity as a Freeman on 11 May 1654, as Jno Hodgkin. This Oath placed him in a class to own property and participate in the management of the church and village. On 4 September 1654, John Hodgkin was appointed by the Guilford town managers, as one of two “cow keepers to keep the cows beyond East River.” Steiner says, “In October 1667, the General Assembly granted Guilford, for there North bounds, from the sea into the wilderness tenn miles.” Lt. Munson was appointed to run these bounds in May 1671. To join with him, Guilford on 28 May appointed William Seward, John Grave, John Hopson, Thomas Meacock, John Hodgke and John Scranton Jr.
Bernard Christian Steiner, History of Guilford & Madison Connecticut , describes the settlement of Madison and John’s move to that area. “In 1650, Guilford encouraged a removal to the area by offering a certain portion of cleared land . . . In 1656 the upland was surveyed and allotted to each planter in the town according to his lot . . . certainly as soon as 1658 the settlement began . . . The other settlers within the limits of this district were John and Ebenezer French, John French Jr., John Grave, Nathaniel Evarts, Cornelius and John Dowd and Thomas Hotchkin from Guilford, Jonathan Hoit from Windsor and Ebenezer Field from Deerfield, MA. Jonathan Murray from Scotland settled in 1688 in the neighborhood that is now called Scotland, and John Bishop from Guilford, sometime after settled in the same neighborhood. John Hodgkin soon removed from the Green and settled at the Horsepond, where Ebenezer Dudley also settled.” It is worth noting that Thomas has the surname Hotchkin and John has Hodgkin. No further information is given on Thomas and no trace has been found of him, nor do we know his relationship to John.
John died in January 1681/2 in either Guilford or Madison but no exact date or burial location is known. On 3 November 1696, according to probate records, John’s land on East Creek, amounting to 10 acres, 3 roods and 3 rods, and inventoried at 25 pounds, was delivered to his eldest son John. As his double portion amounted to only 13 pounds, he contracted to pay, “when orderly demanded,” his sister Mary, her full portion, 6.10.0 pounds in current pay, and to give his brother Thomas the remainder of the estate, 5.10 pounds, in land, when the latter “shall come of age to receive his portion and orderly demands it.”
It is likely that John Hodgkin was a substantial citizen of Guilford, although he does not appear prominently in the records. This belief is based on his net worth at death, his home on the Green at Guilford, his marriage to Mary Bishop, the granddaughter of John Bishop, signer of the Guilford Covenant, and his relationship to William Leete. The relationship as “Leete’s Man” 10was likely as a political advisor or supporter.11
On this date, 11 May 1654, Jno, Hodgkin was appointed as a "Freeman" in Guilford. He must have been at least age 21 at this time in order to be a Freeman.
He married Mary Bishop at Guilford, New Haven County, CT, USA, on 4 April 1670.9,4 John Hodgkin died in January 1681/82 at Guilford, New Haven County, CT. He died, according to conflicting information, on 28 October 1687 at Guilford, New Haven County, CT.
Very little is known about our progenitor or his life in America. Burke’s and other Compilers of English Genealogy refer to the Hotchkin name in the 16th and 17th century; however, the family in America did not use the name until nearly 1800. He was not well known, yet he married into the prominent Bishop family and was closely associated with Gov. William Leete. None of the records give John’s birth date but he had to be at least 21 when he was made a Freeman, placing his birth before 1633. A book by P. R. Burke, Lincolnshire County, England, has assembled a family that shows some possibility of including our John and giving a birth date. It shows a John Hotchkin, born about 1591 in Coulsworth, Lincolnshire who married Smith, born about 1595 in Bourne. They were married on 28 Jan 1615/16 and had four boys. The oldest son, John, was born 20 Oct 1616, William 14 Dec 1617, Anthony 19 Dec 1619, and Richard 6 Jan 1621/22. Richard is given a death date of 27 Feb 1622/23. None of the others have death dates or locations. Our John appears in the records of Guilford as Hodgke or Hodgkin, but never as Hotchkin.
William Leete was born 1612/13 in Dodington, England. He sailed from England on the ship St. John, Captain Russell commanding, arriving at New Haven, CT between July 10 and 15 1639. It is possible that John was on this ship, but Talcott, Families, says that he came from Essex, England to Guilford, CT in 1654; however, Talcott offers no proof of this date or location. Steiner says that he came about 1648 as Gov. Leete’s man.
R. R. Hinman’s, Catalog of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of Connecticut, offers proof that our progenitor was in Guilford in 1642. A list signed by John Fowler, William Seward and William Jonson, has the estate of John Hodgke valued at L35 0s. John Hodgkin took the Oath of Fidelity as a Freeman on 11 May 1654, as Jno Hodgkin. This Oath placed him in a class to own property and participate in the management of the church and village. On 4 September 1654, John Hodgkin was appointed by the Guilford town managers, as one of two “cow keepers to keep the cows beyond East River.” Steiner says, “In October 1667, the General Assembly granted Guilford, for there North bounds, from the sea into the wilderness tenn miles.” Lt. Munson was appointed to run these bounds in May 1671. To join with him, Guilford on 28 May appointed William Seward, John Grave, John Hopson, Thomas Meacock, John Hodgke and John Scranton Jr.
Bernard Christian Steiner, History of Guilford & Madison Connecticut , describes the settlement of Madison and John’s move to that area. “In 1650, Guilford encouraged a removal to the area by offering a certain portion of cleared land . . . In 1656 the upland was surveyed and allotted to each planter in the town according to his lot . . . certainly as soon as 1658 the settlement began . . . The other settlers within the limits of this district were John and Ebenezer French, John French Jr., John Grave, Nathaniel Evarts, Cornelius and John Dowd and Thomas Hotchkin from Guilford, Jonathan Hoit from Windsor and Ebenezer Field from Deerfield, MA. Jonathan Murray from Scotland settled in 1688 in the neighborhood that is now called Scotland, and John Bishop from Guilford, sometime after settled in the same neighborhood. John Hodgkin soon removed from the Green and settled at the Horsepond, where Ebenezer Dudley also settled.” It is worth noting that Thomas has the surname Hotchkin and John has Hodgkin. No further information is given on Thomas and no trace has been found of him, nor do we know his relationship to John.
John died in January 1681/2 in either Guilford or Madison but no exact date or burial location is known. On 3 November 1696, according to probate records, John’s land on East Creek, amounting to 10 acres, 3 roods and 3 rods, and inventoried at 25 pounds, was delivered to his eldest son John. As his double portion amounted to only 13 pounds, he contracted to pay, “when orderly demanded,” his sister Mary, her full portion, 6.10.0 pounds in current pay, and to give his brother Thomas the remainder of the estate, 5.10 pounds, in land, when the latter “shall come of age to receive his portion and orderly demands it.”
It is likely that John Hodgkin was a substantial citizen of Guilford, although he does not appear prominently in the records. This belief is based on his net worth at death, his home on the Green at Guilford, his marriage to Mary Bishop, the granddaughter of John Bishop, signer of the Guilford Covenant, and his relationship to William Leete. The relationship as “Leete’s Man” 10was likely as a political advisor or supporter.11
Spouses
1Mary Bishop 337, B210, 4585, F
337, B210, 4585, FFatherJohn Bishop Jr. , 4590, M (1625-1683)
MotherSusannah Goldham , 4591, F (1635-1703)
Marriage4 Apr 1670, Guilford, New Haven County, CT, USA