ANCESTORS OF JAMES WICKHAM AND HIS \VIFE CORA PRUDENCE BILLARD COMPILED BY JOSEPHINE C. FROST (MRS. SAMUEL KNAPP FROST) BROOKLYN, N. Y. 1935 WICKHAM-BILLARD GENEALOGY WICKHAM Thomas \Vickham m. Sarah --- f Joseph Vvickham m. Sarah Satterly ( ?) I Joseph Wickham m. Abigail Parker I John Wickham m ..Hannah Fanning I William Wickham m. Anna Reeve I William Wickham m. Sarah Elizabeth Havens I James Wickham m. Cora Prudence Biilard Thomas Wickham m. Sarah --- 1 Joseph Wickham m. Sarah Satterly ( ?) I Joseph Wickham m. Abigail Parker I Parker Wickham m. Mary Goldsmith I Pamel Wickham m. James Reeve I Anna Reeve m. William Wickham . I William Wickham m. Sarah Elizabeth Havens I James Wickham m. Cora Prudence Billard 1. THOMAS WICKHAM is first noted in New England as living in Wethersfield, Conn., in 1648. (History of Wethersfield, Vol. 1, 3 4 WICKHAM-BILLARD GENEALOGY p. 312; Vol. 2, p. 789.) In 1651 he was living in New Haven, Con·n., where his wife evidently kept a school (Town Records of New Haven, 1649-1662, p. 88) and on August 3, 1652, he was complained of for not paying his rate and for not bringing the name and birth of his child to the Secretary in season. He stated that being a stranger he knew not the order. He was not fined but he was to work for Good­ year until his taxes were paid ( p. 135). The Vital Records of New Haven, page 7, show that he had son Thomas bor·n there October 14, 1651. By 1658 he had returned to Wethersfield and in 1662 the town gave him land to add to what he had previously purchased. He was a dealer in wool and in 1664 purchased four hundred pounds from parties in Boston, his shop being by the river now known as the Cove. He and his wife Sarah gave property to their son Thomas in 1673, that year making the son born in New Haven 21 years of age. ( History of Wethersfield, Vol. 1, p. 312.) Thomas Wickham, Sr., died in Wethersfield, January 11, 1688, aged 64 years, and his wife Sarah died there January 7, 1699, aged about 70 years. Her maide·n name has not been found. The Wethersfield records state that Thomas Sr. owned property in Eastbury, a parish of Glastonbury, but there seems to be no evidence that he ever resided there. When the son Thomas died in Wethersfield, administra._tion was granted June 2, 1730, to Gideon vVickham of Southold, L. I., but it was finally give·n into the hands of Benjamin Deming. (Early Connec­ ticut Probate Records, Vol. 3, p. 32.) Sarah Wickham made her will in Wethersfield, Conn., December 25, 1699, which was probated February 7, 1699-1700. (Early Connec­ ticut Probate Records, Vol. 1, pp. 595, 596.) She states she is a .widow and names her eldest son as Thomas, who has had care of her for a long time, and that the rest of her children had their portions given them by their father a·nd names sons William, Thomas, Samuel, John and Joseph and daughter Sarah Hudson, ,vho had a son named John Cherry. She gave her son Joseph 20 shillings in silver besides the five pounds he received from Jonathan Strickland of Long Island. If her son John is living and appears, he is to have 40 shillings in silver. Issue: Thomas, Sarah, William, Samuel, Joseph, John. NoTE.-Thomas \Vickham in a deposition dated July 5, 1708, stated that he was 57 years old, which shows he was the Thomas Jr. born in 1651. (Early Connecticut Probate Records, Vol. 2, p. 23.) 2. JOSEPH \VICKHAM, son of Thomas and Sarah Wickham, was born in Wethersfield, Conn., about 1662 and died as Colonel, July WICKHAM-BILLARD GENEALOGY 5 6, 1734, in Southold, L. I. (New York Record, Vol. 48, p. 23.) He married first, Sarah Satterly, probably in Killingsworth, Conn. -(See Note.) He married second, Elizabeth, maiden name not known, who died June 4, 1725 or 1727, aged 31 years. In 1686 he purchased from his parents part of their holdings on the west side of High Street in Wethersfield, Co·nn., but soon sold it to Captain Robert Well es and removed to Southampton, L. I. (History of Wethersfield, Vol. 1, p. 312.) He appears in the town of Southampton when on August 24, 1686, he was to have three acres of land on the west side of "Sagaponack Pond" on condition that he set up his trade of tanning for the benefit of the town for 7 years. If he did not remain that long the land was to belong to the town. (Town Records of Southampton, Vol. 2, p. 111.) He was there on March 25, 1693, when he sold 2 acres of land ·near Sagg Pond to Joseph Moore (p. 326). The Calendar of Historical Mss., Part 2, p. 444, states that on September 9, 1719, Joseph Wickham was Sheriff of Suffolk County. In the Terry Mss. in the Long Island Historical _Society, on page 8, is mentioned a parchme·nt which states that Joseph Wickham, Esq., was commissioned Lieutenant Colonel of a Regiment of Suffolk County Militia under Colonel Richard Floyd, at Fort George, September 3, 1724. Joseph Wickham of Southold, L. I., made his will there April 20, 1734, which was proven August 17, 1734 (New York Wills, Vol. 3, pp. 154, 155), in which he bequeathed his son Joseph and his male heirs all his houses, la:nds and buildings "where I now dwell." In defa ult of male heirs, then to his son \Villiam and his male heirs. He bequeathed his son William all the houses and lands "where he now dwelleth in Southold," and meadows at Robins Island N eek and at the Great N eek Meadows. In default of male heirs that property to go to son Be·njamin and his male heirs, and in default, then to the next male heir. To daughter Elizabeth Gardiner he gave a mulatto girl until she was 30 years of age, then she to be free. To grand­ daughter Elizabeth Stotler, one feather bed and furniture, biggest brass kettle, iron pot and kettle, three large pe\vter platters, six butter plates, three silver spoons, two pewter basins, three pewter porringers. To sons Benjamin, Samuel and Jonathan, and daughter Elizabeth, all movables excepting those on Robins Island. To the same sons just named; all the rents of Robins Island for 12 years, to be let out by my executors to the best advantage. "My meaning is that no part of the Island shall be plo\ved more tha·n three times during the said twelve years." At the expiration of the 12 years he left his son Joseph and 6 WICKHAM-BILLARD GENEALOGY his male heirs "all my said Island called Robins Island," and in default of male heirs to son William and his male heirs, and in default then to the next male heir forever. He left his sons Joseph and William all his right in the Patent lately purchased of Colonel Henry and Major William Smith and all rights in the purchase lately made by William Mapes at Cutchogue. He named his three sons, Joseph, William and Samuel, as executors, and the will was witnessed by Gideo·n Wickham, Joshua Budd and John Holloway. The intention of the testator to have his lands continue to his latest posterity was not realized for they finally descended to his grandson Parker Wickham, whose devotio·n to the Royal cause at the time of the Revolution caused them to be confiscated, and Robins Island so conspicuous in Peconic Bay was sold by the Commissioners of For­ feiture to Colonel Benjamin Talmage and Caleb Brewster on August 5, 1784. Some of the property lying in Riverhead was sold at the same time to Nathaniel Norton. · Issue of Joseph Wickham and Sarah Satterly as per family records : Joseph, William, Benjamin, Samuel, Jonathan, Elizabeth, Abigail. N OTE.-All early and family records claim that Joseph Wickham married Sarah Satterly and the old Thompson papers, published by Charles J. Werner, make her a daughter of Benedict Satterly, which of course was quite impossible, but the following statement is most likely to be the truth if it could be absolutely proven: Benedict Satterly appears in New London after 1680 and on August 2, 1682 (iHistory of New London, p. 283), he, as "son of William of Devonshire, old England, near Exon, married Rebecca, widow of John Dymo·nd." A little study into Rebecca's past imparts the knowledge that she was the daughter of James Bernas of New London and married, April 3, 1672, Tobias Winter, and had son Tobias, born in 1674, and her husband died June 17, 1674; shortly after she married John Dymond, a sailor, and had John, born 1675, Sarah, 1676, and Jonathan, 1678. He died before August 2, 1682, for on that date she married Benedict Satterly and it is perhaps only reasonable to suppose that those young children were brought up under the name of Satterly and that Sarah, born in 1676, married under that name Joseph Wickham, although a daughter of John Dymond. The mother of Rebecca Bernas, as a widow, married in 1672/73, Edward Griswold of Killingworth, Conn., and the History of New London states that Sarah Satterly married Joseph Wickham of Kill­ ingworth, and that Benedict Satterly left two daughters, Sarah and WICKHAM-BILLARD GENEALOGY 7 Rebecca. I opine that they were his step-daughters. Hempstead, in his Diary, page 532, in 1749, states that he went to see Joseph Swezey and Rebecca, his wife, on their farm in Occabauk in Southold and that "she was a New London woman, her maiden name being Satterly, and born in an old house there belonging to her mother, in old Mr.