The Genealogy of the Booth Family
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THE GENEALOGY OF THE BOOTH FAMILY Booth Families of Connecticut for Six or More Generations Compiled by Donald L. Jacobus, M.A. Published by Eden C. BooLh I 9 5 2 Lithoprinted in U.S.A. EDWARDS BROTHERS, INC. ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN 1 9 5 2 PREFACE This volume owes its inception to the desire of Mr. Eden C. Booth to ascertain his male-line descent, which turned out to be of extreme difficulty to trace after Andrew Booth, the Revo lutionary soldier, was reached. The undersigned was retained to work on the problem, and although certain circumstantial evidence for Andrew's place in the family was obtained, it seemed best to bring down all branches of the Connecticut Booths (both the Richard and Robert families) to the generation of Andrew and thus make sure by elimination that no possible or likely parentage could be postulated for him other than that which is assigned to him herein. So much information not included in previous accounts of the family, or .corrective of such accounts, had been obtained in the course of this extensive search, that Mr. Booth decided to ex tend it still further and to attempt to bring all branches of the Richard Booth family to the sixth or seventh generation, or roughly about 1800, and to publish the results for the benefit of all descendants. To Mr. John Insley Coddington of Washington, D.C., we are indebted for a very full account of the New Milford branch of the family and for other aid. The Robert Booth family did not multiply as rapidly as the Richard Booth family, and has, not been quite as thoroughly investigated, but we think it wi.11 be helpful to include what has been collected. While no pretense of perfection or completeness is made, even within the limits arbitrarily set, it is felt that the book will serve a useful purpose, based as it largely is on independent study of original record sources, and that it will lighten the task of any future genealogist of the family who may wish to continue the lines through the more recent generations. Every male through the sixth generation who is not positively known to have died young or unmarried is assigned a reference numb~r, and gaps in the numbering have been left when intervening families may be incomplete. Therefore in the future it should be possi ble to retain the same number-reference system for individuals if and when subsequent generations are added. D. L. J. iii THE RICHARD BOOTH FAMILY 1. RICHARD1 BOOTH, born in England, about 1607-8, died at Stratford, Conn., after 1688; married Elizabeth Hawley. Three statements or theories relating to Richard Booth have found wide acceptance, simply because they have been long in print. These are that Richard was from Cheshire, England; that he was brother of Robert Booth of Maine and of John Booth of Southold, Long Island; and that he was probably married twice. No actual evidence has been seen to support any of these statements, and some of them are probably incorrect. It was somewhat natural, in the early days of genealogical study, to try to connect Richard Booth with the well-known family of that name in Cheshire, but his origin is as much a matter of speculation today as it ever was. His brother-in-law, Joseph Hawley, was from Parwick, Derbyshire, and an origin in that county has recently been discovered for William Beards ley who came to New England in 1635 and was an original settler in Stratford in 1639. Hence we are more inclined to be lieve that Richard Booth was a member of the Derbyshire con tingent than that he came from Cheshire. Certainly the Booth surname is frequently and prominently found in the records of County Derby. As for Richard being brother of other early Booths in New England, it is entirely possible, but this speculation also is thus far without a scintilla of evidence to bear it out. Many colonial families have a tradition of "three brothers" coming here from England, and there is a natural tendency among ama teur family genealogists to assume a relationship between two or three early colonists of the same surname .. However, all but the rarest surnames occur in many counties and a large number of parishes in England, and it did often happen that two or three familtes of the same surname but entirely unrelated emigrated to America. We are without definite records of more than one wife of Richard Booth, who because of certain records mentioning re lationship is deduced to have been sister of Joseph Hawley and mother of the Booth children. In the lack of a will or other specific records, we may theorize that Richard was married once, twice, or even more times. The conclusion that he was 2 THE GENEALOGY OF THE BOOTH FAMILY twice married is based on a single record which refers to "my now wife," the assumption being that this invariably implied the existence of an earlier wife. Often it did, but in other cases it was merely a legal bit of verbiage intended to distinguish a man's present wife from any other wife, whether a previous one or one he might acquire in the future. Hence the implica tions of the term are far from certain. Stratford was settled in 1639, but the records of the early period are so meagre that it is difficult to assign a definite date for the arrival there of many of the early settlers. Richard Booth and his brother-in-law Joseph Hawley were certainly living in Stratford before 1650, and the probability is that they came to Stratford nearer to 1640 than 1650. Judging by the births of his children, Hawley may not have married earlier than 1646-7, while Booth must have married about 1640, so Hawley may have come to Stratford as a bachelor with Mrs. Booth and her husband. All the Booth children are recorded in Stratford, beginning with 1641, but the earlier children are entered together in a group, and 'since the entry of births does not seem to have started until 1649, the recording of the earlier Booth children in Stratford does not absolutely prove that they were all born in that town. However, it is our opinion that the Booth family came to Stratford by 1641 or shortly thereafter. In a list without date, but certainly before 1651, of every man's fence in the old field, Richard Booth is set down for eight rods. His home lot, numbered 29, was on the present Main Street, between those of Joshua Judson and Adam Hurd and directly across the street from that of Isaac Nichols, Sr. In 1662 he signed a document as Townsman, or as later called, Selectman. His name is in the list of inhabitants drawn up for Connecticut Colony, dated 28 Mar. 1668. He was one of those who received land by 1670 in the section known as Nichols' Farms, where one branch of his descendants lived for several generations. In an affidavit made 15 March 1687/8, he described himself as aged about eighty-one. He probably did not long survive that date. It is most unfortunate that no recorded will is found, which would have given us inter esting information about his children and would have mentioned his wife if she was then living. Children, recorded at Stratford: 2 i. Elizabeth , b. 10 Sept. 1641; d. at Woodbury, Conn., 24 Oct. 1732; m. 19 Oct. 1658, John Minor, bapt. at Charlestown, Mass., 30 Aug. 1635, d. at THE GENEALOGY OF THE BOOTH FAMILY 3 Woodbury, 17 Sept. 1719 in 85th yr., son of Thomas and Grace (Palmer) Minor. He was Deputy for Stratford 1676, and for Woodbury, 1683-87, 1689, 1692, 1695-98, 1703, 1705, 1707- 10; Captain, 1684; Commissioner [Justice], 1679- 87, 1689-97; Justice, 1698-1719. ii. Anna, b. 14 Feb. 1643/ 4. 2 iii. Ephraim, b. 1 May 1648; d. 1683. 3 iv. Ebenezer, b. 18 or 19 Nov. 1651; d. 1732. 4 v. John, b. 5 Nov. 1653: d. 5 vi. Joseph, b. 8 Mar. 1656; d. 31 Aug. 1703. vii. Bethia, b. 18 Aug. 1658; living 1699; m. 9 Nov. 1676, Joseph Curtis, b. at Stratford, 12 Nov. 1650, d. there in 1742, son of Sergt. John and Elizabeth (--·) Curtis. He was Deputy, 1686, 1689-94; Assistant, 1698-1721; Ensign, 1693; Commis sioner [JusUce], 1692-97; Judge of County Court, 1711, 1725; Justice, 1722-28. viii. Johanna, b. 21 Mar. 1661. 2. EPHRAIM2 BOOTH (Richard1), born at Stratford, Conn., 1 May 1648, died there in 1683; married 9 June 1675, Mary Osborn, born at New Haven, Conn., 29 Mar. 1653, died 28 Nov. 1726 in 73d year (gravestone, Stratfield), daughter of Jeremiah and Mary ( ·--·) Osborn. She married second, Lieut. James Bennett. His will, 26 Feb. 1682 (1682/3] named daughters Mary, Johanna, Bethia, under 18; son Richard; wife Mary; uncle Mr. Joseph Hawley, brothers Ebenezer Booth, John Booth, and Joseph Curtis, and cousin Samuel Hawley, to be overseers. In ventory taken 9 Mar. 1682/3. Children, first two recorded at Stratford: 3 i. Mary , b. 12 Nov. 1676; d. at Newtown, Conn., Sept. 1741; m. 12 Aug. 1692, Capt. Thomas Bennett, b. at Fairfield, Conn., abt. 1669, d. at Newtown, 5 Apr. 1739, son of Lieut. James and Mary (Joy) Bennett. ii. Johanna, b. Sept. 1678; d. at stratfield, 28 Jan. 1761 in 84th yr. (g. s.); m. (1) John Sherwood, who d. at Stratford, (before 7 Oct.) 1696, son of Capt.