THE GENEALOGICAL HISTORY

OF THE

WASHBURN FAMILY

OF NORTHWEST TENNESSEE
Introduction

Early Family History

The Immigration to America

The Migration to West Tennessee

Descendants of RobertWashburn

Ties to the Savior of Europe

Ties to the Ross Family

Final Resting Place of Augustus Washburn

THE IMMIGRATION TO AMERICA

The first Washburns of our family lineage to immigrate to America were John Washburn and his younger brother, William Washburn. William is an ancestor of the Washburn lineage, who is described subsequently.

John Washburn was born in Bengeworth, Wichenford Parrish, Worcestor, England in 1597 and was baptized on July 2 of that year. He married Margery Moore at Bengeworth, Worcester, England on November 23, 1618. She was the daughter of Robert and Ellen (Taylor) Moore. She was baptized on November 3, 1588, which would have made her considerably older than her husband.

John Washburn was Churchwarden of Bengeworth parish in 1625, and signed the transcript for that year.

 John immigrated to America in 1631, where he changed the spelling of the Washburn surname from Washbourne to Washburn. The earliest record of John Washburn in Plymouth Colony is January 2, 1633, when he brought suit against Edward Doty there. There is a record for March 5, 1633, showing that John Washburn’s name was on the list of those to be taxed. His purchase of a home in the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts is found in the minutes of the General Court for March 1635, when he purchased land in Duxbury, which was in Plymouth Colony, from William Palmers. In  April 13, 1635, his wife at that time was 49 years of age and she came to America onboard the ship Elizabeth and Ann from London, England, with their children, John, age 14, and Phillip, age 11. Mary, their older daughter, was probably deceased by this time. They also had another son whom they named Phillip that was baptized on June 2, 1622, and died five days later.

Records from the Massachusetts Bay Company indicate that a John Washburn was secretary of the company. There is some dispute whether this John Washburn was the same person who was company secretary. However, that possibility has not been completely ruled out by some historical researchers.

John was a tailor in London prior to coming to this country and settled in the Plymouth Colony upon reach America. He likely became a proprietor in Plymouth as well. John, along with his son John, became two of the original proprietors of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in 1645. The land for the town was bought from the indian Sachem, Massasoit, for an assortment of coats, implements, skins and cotton.

He was reported to have died in Bridgewater, Massachusetts on November 12, 1686; however, another source gives his date of death as 1670.

John was the first member of this lineage of the Washburn family to immigrate to America. He was followed a few years later by his younger brother, William.

William Washburn (1601-1658) (12) (Immigrant)

Wife: Jane Nichols of Sedgeberrow, Worcestershire, England, b. before November 3, 1603

Children:

  1. Sarah Washburn, b. 1626 in Bengeworth, England, married Robert Williams
  2. John Washburn, b. 1627 in Bengeworth, England, married Mary Butler, an original proprietor of Stratford, Connecticut, d. October 30, 1658
  3. Mary Washburn, b. 1629 in Bengeworth, married Richard Willets, d. 1713
  4. Hope Washburn, b. 1636 in Bengeworth, ancestor of our Washburn lineage
  5. Martha Washburn, b. 1637 in Bengeworth, married Edmund Titus; she was the second daughter named Martha as an earlier daughter with the name died in 1636
  6. Agnes Washburn, b. about 1639, married Robert Jackson
  7. Phebe Washburn, married John Ashman, probably died before Dec. 11, 1664.
  8. Patience Washburn, named in her father’s will, b. about 1643
  9. Hester Washburn, named in her father’s will, b. about 1645, d. 1659

 

William Washburn was the second son of John and Martha Trimell Stevens Washburn. He was born in 1601 and baptized on November 9, 1601, in the Parish Church of Saint Peter in Bengeworth, England.

The exact date that William immigrated to America is not known. It is believed that he initially came to American and then returned to England before later returning. William was in Bengeworth, England, at least until December 18, 1637, when his daughter Martha was baptized at Saint Peters. Between that date and 1647, no records of William Washburn have been found. However, he probably moved to London, England, for a while before immigrating to America as he owned property in London at the time of his death. It is possible that William and his wife, Jane Nichols Washburn, daughter of Francis and Frances Wilmarke Nichols, migrated from England to Connecticut Colony with the family of Jane’s father, Francis Nichols, in about 1639.  In 1647, William’s name appeared in a list of proprietors of Hempstead, Long Island. In 1653, William bought land with others at Oyster Bay, Long Island from the indian Asiapum. He also was a deputy in Hempstead with John Seaman in 1653. William moved to Stratford, Connecticut, about 1655 with his two oldest sons, John and Hope. About two years later, he moved with his son John and family back to Hempstead, Long Island. William was an elder of the original Board of Elders of the old First Church of Hempstead. His name is listed with five others who were Elders of the church.

William died in either 1658 or 1659, but more probably in late May 1659 because his Will was brought to John James, Town Clerk of Hempstead, Long Island, on June 5, 1659, for probate by his widow, Jane Washburn. The unusually legible will is still preserved in the office of the Town Clerk of North Hempstead, Long Island, along with other documents concerning his estate.

Here is some of the text of William Washburn’s long Will:

I William Washborne doe appoint my well beloved friends and faithful wife to be my overseers of this my will and testament. I give to my Sonn Hope my six oxen and fower cowes and one horse, one mare, and all my land and devisions with the meadows belonging thereto and barne and home-lott. (This was followed by bequests to other children) I give to my beloved wife all ye rest or remainder of my cattle, with my house and household goods be at her disposing with this condition that she remain unmarried. (The Will then stated what she could have in the event she married again)

 

Hope Washburn (1636-1696) (13)

Wife: Mary Stiles, b. 1640, married 1660 in Stratford, Connecticut, d. January 1712

Children:

  1. Sarah, b. December 16, 1661, died after November 16, 1696
  2. John, b. May 1666, died before 1696,
  3. William b. March 16, 1668, married Hannah Wooster
  4. Samuel, b. March 15, 1670, ancestor of our Washburn lineage
  5. Ephraim, b. August 31, 1673, died before 1696, married Sarah Partridge
  6. Mary, b. ~ July 1675, married John Johnson on September 24, 1694, died before 1696.
  7. Jane, b. August 6, 1678 in Stratford, Connecticut

 

Hope Washburn was born in Bengeworth, Worcestershire, England, about 1636 and was the fourth child and second son of William and Jane Washburn. He married Mary Stiles, daughter of Francis and Sarah Stiles, about 1660.

In the book Annals of Hempstead, the author Henry Onderdonk, wrote that Hope Washburn was one of the most prominent inhabitants of Hempstead, Long Island during the period of time that he resided there. He lived in the part of Hempstead known as “Merricks.” His home was called the “Manor of Hope.” In the book, it is stated that Hope Washburn moved from Hempstead to Stratford, Connecticut in 1665. During the time that he resided on Long Island, Hope owned several parcels of property. Part of his estate was named Washburne’s Neck at the time and is now known as Hewlett Neck, Long Island.

After moving to Stratford, Hope purchased land in a part of the town known as Oronoke. He resided there until 1685, when he moved to Derby, Connecticut. Hope Washburn died in Derby in 1696. His wife, Mary, died on January 11, 1712. They had seven children together, all of which were born in Stratford with the possible exception of the last two daughters, Mary and Jane.

Samuel Washburn (1670-1724) (14)

Wife: Susannah Wooster, married on November 30, 1714.

Children:

  1. Samuel Washburn, b. May 4, 1717, in Stratford, Connecticut, ancestor of our Washburn lineage
  2. Mary Washburn

 

Samuel Washburn was the forth child and third son of Hope and Mary Stiles Washburn. He was born March 15, 1670 in Stratford, Connecticut. Few details of the life of Samuel are available. However, it is recorded that Samuel was one of fifty-two persons among whom was divided “Camps Mortgage” in 1702, according to Richard Washburn Family Genealogy by Ada Haight. “Camps Mortgage” was a tract of land about three miles square bounded on the east by the Naugatuck River, north by Little River, west by “a range of swamps near Moose Hill,” and south by Derby Purchase. In the division of a tract of land on Great Hill in 1756, called the 4th division, land was set off to Samuel and his older brother, William Washburn.

The New Haven, Connecticut, Probate Office, shows that Susannah Wooster Washburn, who he married November 30, 1714, was made administrator of her late husband’s estate and the guardian of their two minor children on April 22, 1724, the date of the administration of his estate, which leads to the conclusion that Samuel died at no more than 54 years of age. The records in the Probate Office refer to Samuel as being of Derby, Connecticut.

Susannah Washburn was the widow of Sylvester Wooster of Derby, Connecticut, when Samuel married her in 1714. She later married a Northrup after the death of Samuel.

Samuel Washburn (1717-1760) (15)

Wife: Sarah Beach, married May 9, 1741

Children:

  1. William, b. August 28, 1742 in Derby, Connecticut,
  2. Mary, b. Dec. 4, 1744, d. Dec. 5, 1749 in Derby, Connecticut
  3. Maria, b. Aug. 15, 1749 in Derby, Connecticut, marriage not found
  4. Samuel, b. Jan. 16, 1751 in Derby, Connecticut, married in 1773
  5. Sarah, b. Feb. 24, 1755, baptized on March 30, 1755 in St. James Church, Derby
  6. Eli, b. Sept. 19, 1758, ancestor of our Washburn lineage

 

Samuel Washburn was born May 4, 1717 in Derby, Connecticut, the only son of Samuel and Susannah Wooster Washburn. He married Sarah Beach on May 19, 1741, and they had six children together.  He served in the French and Indian War and died in the military service on October 24, 1760 at 43 years of age, two years after the birth of his youngest child, Eli. His surname was frequently spelled “Washbond” in the town records of Derby. Sarah Washburn was not listed as a head of household in the 1790 federal census and she may have likewise died by this time.

Eli Washburn (1758-1849) American Revolutionary War Patriot (16)

Wife: Mary Fish, b. March 6, 1766 in Canterbury, Connecticut

Children:

  1. John Washburn, b. February 13, 1787 in Canterbury, Connecticut
  2. Mary Washburn, b. October 24, 1789 in Canterbury, Connecticut
  3. Eli Washburn, b. December 8, 1796 in Canterbury, Connecticut, ancestor of our Washburn lineage
  4. Eleanor F. Washburn, b. 1802, married Cyrus Breck of Lebanon, New Hampshire, on January 9, 1823, in Hanover, New Hampshire. 
  5. Elmira Washburn, b. 1807

 

Eli Washburn was born on September 19, 1758 and was baptized on September 21, 1758, in St. James Church, Derby, Connecticut. He was the youngest of six children of Samuel Washburn and Sarah Beach Washburn. He married Mary Fish, daughter of Darius and Sarah (Howard) Fish of Canterbury, Connecticut, on March 9, 1786. Eli and his wife continued to reside in Canterbury for a time after their marriage, but later relocated to near Hanover, New Hampshire, where they lived out the rest of their lives. According to family tradition, Eli and his wife are said to have lived six miles from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, after moving from Connecticut.

Eli Washburn and his wife, Mary, were listed in the 1790 and 1800 federal census as residing in Canterbury, Connecticut, but apparently moved from there after 1800. In addition to the five children listed above, it is possible that Eli and Mary may have had another daughter born before the 1790 census, but who died before the 1800 census.

Eli was a patriot who served in the American Revolutionary War. He enlisted on May 12, 1776, in Captain Sanford’s Company, 8th Regiment, Connecticut Line for three years in the place of his older brother, Samuel Washburn, according to a notation made on his enlistment document. He was on duty at Horse Neck during the battle there on September 15 to 21, 1776. During his revolutionary war service, he saw action in both of the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire. According to the Revolutionary War records for his older brother, Samuel enlisted on May 12, 1777, in Captain Stoddard’s Company, 8th Regiment, Connecticut Line for three years. The records also say that Samuel exchanged for Eli Washburn in May 1778, and was discharged May 12, 1780. He is listed as being a Connecticut pensioner residing in New York later in his life.

Eli, likewise, was a pensioned Revolutionary War soldier. Eli made his first application for a pension on April 21, 1818 at the court of Grafton County, New Hampshire. On May 13, 1820 at the court held in Haverhill, Grafton County, New Hampshire, Eli swore by affidavit that he was 61 years of age and a resident of Hanover, New Hampshire. He also stated that his wife was 54 years old and that he had two children at home, Eleanor Washburn, age 18, and Elmira Washburn, age 13. He stated in the affidavit that he had other children, but that they did not support him. The 1840 census of pensioners showed Eli Washburn, age 81, residing in the household of Cyrus Breck, the husband of his daughter, Eleanor. Eli died on June 30, 1849 at 90 years of age.

Following Eli’s death, his wife, Mary, applied to draw a widow’s pension and stated that she had married Eli Washburn on March 9, 1786, at Canterbury, Connecticut. This claim was supported by a statement of the Canterbury, Connecticut, town clerk dated September 25, 1849, which verified the marriage.

 

Introduction        Early Family History      The Immigration to America        The Migration to West Tennessee

 

Descendants of Robert Washburn         Ties to the Savior of Europe       Ties to the Ross Family