Edward Howell, Gent.

Edward Howell I is a descendant of Magna Carta Surety Baron Robert de Vere Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford, Surety of the Magna Carta.

dedicated web site: http://edwardhowellfamily.org/
Summary:
Edward Howell was born in 1584 at Westbury Manor in Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England. He and his wife, and his eight children emigrated to America in about 1634, settling in Lynn, Massachusetts. Edward, a gentleman, was granted 500 acres in Lynn. In 1640, Edward then 56, led a party of Lynn citizens seeking land and religious freedom to the unsettled territories of Long Island. They founded the town of Southampton, the first English settlement in the future State of New York. Edward served the town as magistrate and built the first water mill there in 1644.

from that site:

Edward Howell, son of Henry and Margaret (Hawten) Howell, was baptized at the parish church at Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England on 26 Jul 1584. He was probably born at Westbury Manor, which had been purchased by his grandfather William Howell in 1536 and inherited by his father. Edward Howell was married for the first time by Rev. Peter Bulkeley, Rector, at Odell, Bedfordshire on 7 Apr 1616 to Frances Paxton. Their children were baptized at Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England.

After the death of Frances Howell in 1630, Edward was married for the second time to Eleanor Maier. On the death of his father Henry in 1625, Edward Howell was declared to be Henry's heir, and became lord of Westbury Manor. The last child of Edward and Eleanor Howell was baptized in January 1634, and it is possible that Edward Howell and his family emigrated to New England as early as 1635 as part of the “Great Migration” of the English puritans. As “Mr. Howell” he was recorded at Lynn, Massachusetts in connection with a mill in the 1630's.

In 1638 Edward Howell sold Westbury Manor. He took the oath as Freeman in Boston on 14 Mar 1638/39 and about the same time received 500 acres at Lynn. In 1640, he led the “undertakers” in the settlement at Southampton on Long Island, first at “Old Town”, and then in 1648, at what became the present village of Southampton, laying out home lots along Main Street. As “Edward Howell Gent” he headed the list of “perfect freemen” on 8 Mar 1649.

Edward Howell took a leading role in the affairs of Southampton, serving in many capacities there and in Connecticut, of which Southampton became a part following a request made by himself, John Gosmer and John Moore on 25 Oct 1644. He served as a magistrate in Southampton until 1653, and as Assistant of the Connecticut Colony from 1647 to 1653. Edward Howell was buried at Old Southend Burying ground, Southampton, Long Island, New York. His death occurred shortly before 6 Oct 1655 when the administration of his estate was granted to “Mrs. Ellinor Howell”.

In 1657, she was granted twenty shillings in compensation for her house being burned by Indians. She appears to have been married subsequently to Thomas Sayre of Southampton.

Family

From https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Howell-151

"EDWARD HOWELL, Gent., son and heir, baptized at Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire 26 July 1584. He married (1st) Frances Paxton at All Saints Church, Odell, Bedfordshire on 7 April 1616.[1][2] He married (2nd) Eleanor Maier in 1632.[3]

Children of Edward and Frances and baptized in Marsh Gibbons, Buckingshire, England:

1. Henry bap. Dec 20 1618 , d ~Aug 20 1619 in Marsh Gibbons, Buckingshire, England
2. Dorothy b Feb 20 1620
3. Margaret bap Nov 24 1622, m (1) Rev John Moore ~1641, (2) Francis Doughty after 1660.[4]
4. Major John bap Nov 22 1624, d Nov 3 1696, m Susannah Clarke? Jan/Feb 1648
5. Edward bap 1626, m Mary Fordham
6. Margery bap Jun 4 1628
7. Richard bap 1629, m (1) Elizabeth Halsey and (2) daughter of Joseph Raynor.

Children of Edward and Eleanor

1. Henry
2. Arthur bap 1632
3. Edmund.

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From Douglas Richardson. ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Magna Carta Ancestry: A study in Colonial and Medieval Families 2nd edition, Salt Lake City, Utah:2011. volume II, page 425 HOWELL 15. Note: Richardson does not include dates or locations for any of his children's birth (just the names: 7 by his first wife [sons Henry, John, Edward, Richard; daughters Dorothy, Margaret, Margery] and 3 sons by his second wife [Henry, Arthur, Edmund

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Data from Howell Research:
It is said of his son-in-law:

"About the year 1646 he was married to MARGARET HOWELL, daughter of EDWARD HOWELL, colonist, who came to America from Buckingham, England, in 1637."

From the data concerning his children and their marriages 1637 seems about right for the trip over. He came over with his second wife and their 7 children aged 9-19. Not sure if any of the children by his first wife came along. And of course I wonder what kind of man he was - who knows.

1. EDWARD1 HOWELL was born 22 Jul 1584 in Westbury Manor, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England, and died 06 Oct 1655 in Southampton, Suffolk County, New York. He married (1) FRANCES PAXTON 07 Apr 1616 in Odell, Bedfordshire, England. She was born 1584 in Odell, Bedfordshire, England, and died 02 Jul1630 in England. He married (2) ELEANOR MAIER 1631.

Children of EDWARD HOWELL and FRANCES PAXTON are:
i. HENRY2 HOWELL, b. 1618, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. 29 Aug 1619, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England.
2. ii. DOROTHY HOWELL, b. 1620, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. Aft. 05 Apr 1691, Brookhaven, Connecticut.
3. iii. MARGARET HALLOCK HOWELL, b. 1622, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. 24 Nov 1670, Newtown, Queens County, New York.
4. iv. MAJ. JOHN HOWELL, b. 1624, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. 03 Nov 1696, Southampton, Suffolk County, New York.
5. v. EDWARD HOWELL, JR., b. 1626, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. 29 Apr 1699, Southampton, Suffolk County, New York.
vi. MARGERY HOWELL, b. 1628, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. Bet. 1658 - 1700, Southampton, Suffolk County, New York.
6. vii. RICHARD HOWELL, SR., b. 1629, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. Aft. 13 Dec 1709, Southampton, Suffolk County, New York.

Children of EDWARD HOWELL and ELEANOR MAIER are:
viii. HENRY2 HOWELL, b. Abt. 1632, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, Endland; d. 16 Mar 1632/33, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, Endland.
7. ix. ARTHUR HOWELL, b. 1632, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. 29 Mar 1683, Southampton, Suffolk County, New York.
8. x. MAJ. EDMUND HOWELL, b. 1633, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England; d. Bef. 03 Dec 1697, Cape May County, New Jersey.

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Edward Howell was the son of Henry Howell and the grandson of William Howell, whose Manor of Westbury at Marsh Gibbon was a fine stone structure of the 16th century, two stories high and called a double house. Edward inherited this manor upon the death of his father in 1625. Thus, he was a part of the landed gentry and his family had a coat of arms. Some scholars trace the Howell family back many generations to the 900s in Wales.

After his father's death, Edward, who was living at Stewelltorpe in York County at the time, sold his large estate in Buckinghamshire, the Manor of Westbury, which had been purchased by his grandfather in 1536 during the reign of King Henry VIII. On June 8, 1639, he sold the manor to Richard Francis of Marsh Gibbon for 1,600 pounds. Later that same year, at the age of 55, he set out with his family for the "new world". When Edward and his family reached Boston in late 1639, it was sparsely populated. The first record we have of Edward Howell in the U.S. is the list of freemen of Boston, published on March 13, 1640.

Edward Howell received from King Charles I of England a grant of 500 acres at Lynn, MA, and he moved there from Boston. But he did not stay long at Lynn. He had heard of more fertile land to the south on Long Island. On April 17, 1640, Edward Howell was one of three proprietors who obtained authorization to occupy eight miles square in any part of Long Island which was part of the Connecticut Colony. Being an owner of a sloop which from time to time carried dissatisfied colonists south to Long Island, Edward Howell decided to make the move with his family. In June or July, the Howells landed at Southampton, Long Island, where they were to stay.

Edward Howell is considered one of Southampton's founders, and he owned a large estate there. Being a natural leader, he served on the governor's council of Connecticut from 1647 to 1653 and helped compile the rules and regulations for the fast growing colony at Southampton. Some of these rules were harsh by today's standards. For example, for lying a person had to pay a fine of five shillings and sit in the stocks for five hours; for drunkeness the fine was 10 shillings for the first offense, 20 for the second, and 30 for the third.

In 1647, Edward Howell was selected to serve as a member of the legislature at Hartford, CT, and he held this position until his death. Long Island did not come under the jurisdiction of New York until 1664 when Charles II granted territories to his brother James, Duke of York, hence the name New York.

"He disposed of his considerable estates in Bucks county in 1639, among which was the manor of Westbury in Marsh Gibbon, purchased by his grandfather, William Howell, in 1536, and came to Boston, where he was made freeman, March 1640, removed to Lynn, then c. 1640 was one of the leaders of a compact to settle Long Island." (History of Southampton)

Further research as shown in "Genealogies of Long Island Families - From The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record", Volume I, Albertson - Polhemius, Selected and Introduced by Henry B. Hoff, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., Baltimore, 1987, pp. 489-492, places the date of the sale of the manor of Westbury and Edward's departure to America as 1638 rather than 1639.

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http://worldconnect.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db...

ID: I01443

Name: Edward Howell 1

Sex: M

Birth: 26 JUL 1584 in Westburymanor, Marsh Gibbon, Buckingham, England 1

Death: 6 OCT 1655 in Southampton, Long Island, New York 1

Note:

FROM History of Southampton, by George Rogers Howell, 1887, pp.300-302 (spelling errors left intact without notation):

Edward Howell of Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England, was the ancestor of this family of Southampton. A Richard Howell came to Southold with his mother, a widow, it is said by Rev. William Hallock, D.D., late of New York, who married Peter Hallock, the ancestor of the Long Island family of Hallocks. No relationship is known to exist between these two pioneers. Edward Howell disposed of considerable estates in Bucks county in 1639, among which was the manor of Westbury in Marsh Gibbon, purchased by his grandfather, William Howell, in 1536. The old stone manor house is still standing, though the remains of an old foundation near it show that some portions of it have been taken down. It is of two full stories and what is called a double house, now nearly covered with ivy. Edward Howell came in 1639 with his family to Boston, where he was made freeman, March 14, 1639-40. He soon removed to Lynn, where he had a grant of 500 acres. During the winter of 1639-40 a new settlement was projected on Long Island, of which he seems to have been the leader, as the compact or agreement of terms of founding the plantation is in his handwriting, as well as the laws adopted by the first settlers, and to the last year of his life he was always a magistrate and member of the colonial legislature at Hartford. The manner in which his name is mentioned in the colonial records of New England and New York point to the same conclusion.

Father: Henry Howell b: 13 DEC 1552 in Wingrave, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England

Mother: Margaret Hawten b: 29 NOV 1561 in Swalcliffe, Oxfordshire, England

Marriage 1 Frances Paxton b: 1584 in Odell, Bedfordshire, England

Married: 7 APR 1616 in Odel, Bedford, England 2 1

Children

Henry Howell b: 20 DEC 1618

Dorothy Howell b: 20 FEB 1619/20 in Marsh Gibbon, Buckingham, England
Margaret Howell b: 24 NOV 1622
John Howell b: BEF 28 NOV 1624 in Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, ENG
Edward Howell b: 4 SEP 1626
Margerye Howell b: 4 JUN 1628
Richard Howell b: 1629
Sources:

Title: World Family Tree Vol. 3, Ed. 1

Author: Brøderbund Software, Inc.

Publication: Release date: February 9, 1996

Note: Customer pedigree.

Repository:

Media: Family Archive CD

Page: Tree #0909

Text: Date of Import: Jan 7, 2001

Marge Alderks, Tunkhannock, PA

Edward HOWELL

[3447]

26 Jul 1584 - 6 Oct 1655

BIRTH: 26 Jul 1584, Westburymanor, Marshgibbon, Buckingham, England

CHRISTENING: 26 Jul 1584, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England

EMIGRATION: ABT 1639, Boston, Suffolk, MA

DEATH: 6 Oct 1655, Southampton, Suffolk, Long Island, NY

BURIAL: Southampton, Suffolk, Long Island, NY

Family 1 : Frances PAXTON

MARRIAGE: 7 Apr 1616, Odell, Bedfordshire, England

Henry HOWELL

+Dorothy HOWELL

Margaret HOWELL

+John HOWELL

+Edward HOWELL

Margery HOWELL

Richard HOWELL
Family 2 : Eleanor

MARRIAGE: ABT 1631, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England

Henry HOWELL

Arthur HOWELL
Edmund HOWELL

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FROM History of Southampton, by George Rogers Howell, 1887, pp.300-302 (spelling errors left intact without notation):
Edward Howell of Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, England, was the ancestor of this family of Southampton. A Richard Howell came to Southold with his mother, a widow, it is said by Rev. William Hallock, D.D., late of New York, who married Peter Hallock, the ancestor of the Long Island family of Hallocks. No relationship is known to exist between these two pioneers. Edward Howell disposed of considerable estates in Bucks county in 1639, among which was the manor of Westbury in Marsh Gibbon, purchased by his grandfather, William Howell, in 1536. The old stone manor house is still standing, though the remains of an old foundation near it show that some portions of it have been taken down. It is of two full stories and what is called a double house, now nearly covered with ivy. Edward Howell came in 1639 with his family to Boston, where he was made freeman, March 14, 1639-40. He soon removed to Lynn, where he had a grant of 500 acres. During the winter of 1639-40 a new settlement was projected on Long Island, of which he seems to have been the leader, as the compact or agreement of terms of founding the plantation is in his handwriting, as well as the laws adopted by the first settlers, and to the last year of his life he was always a magistrate and member of the colonial legislature at Hartford. The manner in which his name is mentioned in the colonial records of New England and New York point to the same conclusion.

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Source: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ancestral File (R) (Copyright (c) 1987, June 1998, data as of 5 January 1998). http://www.delmars.com/family/perrault/4133.htm Richard Daley, "Daley or Dailey, Gunter, Hughes, Mead, Roylance, Russell, Stringham, VerValen, related families" Edward Howell was the son of Henry Howell and the grandson of William Howell, whose Manor of Westbury at Marsh Gibbon was a fine stone structure of the 16th century, two stories high and called a doublehouse. Edward inherited this manor upon the death of his father in 1625. Thus, he was a part of the landed gentry and his family had a coat of arms. Some scholars trace the Howell family back many generations to the 900s in Wales.

After his father's death, Edward, who was living at Stewelltorpe in York County at the time, sold his large estate in Buckinghamshire, the Manor of Westbury, which had been purchased by his grandfather in 1536 during the reign of King Henry VIII. On June 8, 1639, he sold the manor to Richard Francis of Marsh Gibbon for 1,600 pounds. Later that same year, at the age of 55, he set out with his family for the "new world". When Edward and his family reached Boston in late 1639, it was sparsely populated. The first record we have of Edward Howell in the United States is the list of freemen of Boston, published on March 13, 1640.

Edward Howell received from King Charles I of England a grant of 500 acres at Lynn, Massachusetts, and he moved there from Boston. But he did not stay long at Lynn. He had heard of more fertile land to the south on Long Island. On April 17, 1640, Edward Howell was one of three proprietors who obtained authorization to occupy eight miles square inany part of Long Island which was part of the Connecticut Colony. Being an owner of a sloop which from time to time carried dissatisfied colonists south to Long Island, Edward Howell decided to make the move with his family. In June or July, the Howells landed at Southampton, Long Island, where they were to stay.

Edward Howell is considered one of Southampton's founders, and he owned a large estate there. Being a natural leader, he served on the governor's council of Connecticut from 1647 to 1653 and helped compile the rules and regulations for the fast growing colony at Southampton. Some of these rules were harsh by today's standards. For example, for lying a person had to pay a fine of five shillings and sit in the stocks for five hours; for drunkenness the fine was 10 shillings for the first offense, 20 forthe second, and 30 for the third.

In 1647, Edward Howell was selected to serve as a member of the legislature at Hartford, Connecticut, and he held this position until his death. Long Island did not come under the jurisdiction of New York until 1664 when Charles II granted territories to his brother James, Duke of York, hence the name New York.

"He disposed of his considerable estates in Bucks county in 1639, among which was the manor of Westbury in Marsh Gibbon, purchased by his grandfather, William Howell, in 1536, and came to Boston, where he was made freeman, March 1640, removed to Lynn, then about 1640 was one of the leaders of a compact to settle Long Island."

Source: "Descendants of Edward Howell (1584-1655) of Westbury Manor, Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire, [England], and Southampton, Long Island, New York" Emma Ross Howell; Second Edition by Dr. David Faris, 1985. "Edward Howell, son of Henry Howell and his wife Margaret Hawten, was baptized at the parish church at Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire on 26 Jul 1584... He was married at the age of thirty-two years for the first time...on 7 Apr 1616 to Frances Paxton...There is indirect evidence that Edward Howell was no longer residing at Marsh Gibbon later in 1634...There is no record of the arrival of Edward Howell and his family at Lynn, Massachusetts...took the oath as freeman at Boston on 14 March 1638/39...Edward Howell died, leaving no will, in 1655 and was buried at South End cemetery, Southampton."

http://longislandgenealogy.com/Surname_Pages/howell.htm Henry Howell was one of the eight "original undertakers" who settled at Southampton in 1640, Leader of the group that founded Southampton, LI, NY, and the progenitor of the Howell family in that locality.

Edward died before Oct. 6, 1655, as court records dated Oct. 6, 1655, granted Eleanore Howell all his goods. Mar. 1657, the town allowed her 20 shillings because her house was burned to the ground by the Indians. Long ago, in early colonial times, Water Mill was the first and only community on the eastern tip of Long Island that could boast of a mill driven by water and not by wind. Until it was put into operation by a wealthy land owner, Edward Howell, four years after the "Undertakers" came to the island in 1640, all mills in the colony were wind driven because of the scarcity of swift flowing streams.

Howell came in 1640 to the tiny settlement, called "Mecox," a name taken from the Shinnecock Indians for "flat or plain country." He announced he would build a mill for the grinding of grain, rye and wheat, into flour. The colonists expected him to construct a "wind mill" but he had a different idea. He made his choice of land so that it included a lively stream which emptied into Mecox Bay. There, as settlers watched, Howell built his mill upon the creek and built it so durable that 327 years later, it is still standing in the serene little town of Water Mill.

Now, the acient mill, but a few miles from the Old South End Burying Ground where the original miller is buried, is owned by a woman's organization of the village. Through the summer months it is put into service as a tea room and gift shop.

For many generations the mill supplied flour for the townspeople of Water Mill and adjoining communities. The mill's large grinding stones and the deed were given to Howell by the town. In return, the miller signed an agreement to supply such necessities of the town as grinding of grain grown anywhere in the Water Mill area and delivered to the mill. That Howell lived up to his agreement faithfully is duty recorded in the town records. The name Water Mill is the lasting memorial to the pioneer miller who built the first grist mill run by water. Two of the grinding stones are in the park where there is a wind mill and the other two are at the mill.

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=17595682 Edward Howell was the eldest son of Henry Howell & Margaret Hawten Howell. He married Elizabeth Frances Paxton on 7 April 1616 in Odell, Bedfordshire, England. They had seven children before Elizabeth died, in England, on 2 July 1630. He married Eleanore Maier shortly after moving to Long Island, Connecticut Colony in 1640. Eleanore had traveled with him from England to Boston in 1639. He had three additional children with Eleanore.

In search of greater religious freedom, on 8 June 1639 he sold his two-story stone Westbury manor house and considerable landholdings in Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire County, England for 1600 pounds sterling and set sail for America. His 1639 arrival in Boston was just 19 years after the famous Mayflower voyage to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1620. He first settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he obtained a grant of land from King Charles I for 500 acres, but he did not find the religious freedom he sought there. Howell co-owned and captained a sloop by which he ferried "dissatisfied colonists" from Massachusetts to Long Island, which was a part of the Connecticut Colony at that time. In March of 1640, Edward and eight other families, collectively referred to as "The Undertakers", purchased a track of land on Long Island from James Farrett. Howell was the primary financier. The track was near Mecox, a town between Southampton and East Hampton. Before departing Massachusetts for Long Island, another 11 families joined the group, making a total of 20 families. They made a pledge before departing for their "promised land". That pledge included, "…shall a church be gathered and constituted according to the minde of Christ, that anything we do may tende to the good and welfare of the place at the feete of Christ and His Church." (sic) Their 17 April 1640 deed to the Long Island land states its use shall be to, "…sitt down upon Long Island - there to possess, improve and enjoy eight miles square of land to them and their heyers forever, and they are to take their choice to sitt down upon as best lyketh them and also that they and their associates shall enjoy as full and free liberty in all matters that do or may concern them or conduce to the good and comfort of them and theirs both in church order or civill government." (sic) These statements attest to the group's unbending determination to find a home with the religious and civil freedom they longed for; the same spirit that would give birth to a nation in 1776. The group agreed to pay "…four bushels of the best Indian Corne" (sic) in yearly rent to the Earl of Sterling.

Shortly after arriving in Mecox, Howell announced he would build a mill for the grinding of grain, rye and wheat into flour. Until that date, all mills in what is now the State of New York, were wind-powered mills, due to the scarcity of lively streams. Wisely, Howell had chosen his Long Island land carefully to include a lively stream and thus, in 1644, built what is now recognized as the first water-powered mill in the State of New York. It continued to supply flour for a wide area of communities for many generations after Howell's death. In fact, Edward built the mill so well it still stands today, 367 years later, in Water Mill, New York, near Mecox. The town of Water Mill chose its name to honor Edward Howell's mill. To further honor Howell for his many contributions to the State of New York, the Howell Family Arms (Gules, Three Towers) is engraved on the Great Western Staircase of the State of New York Capitol building in Albany, New York (circa 1897). Also, several of the grave stones in the South End and North End Burying Grounds on Long Island carry the Howell crest. Edward Howell served as a Governor's Assistant of the Connecticut Colony from 1647 to 1653. He was a member of the Connecticut Legislature at Hartford from 1647 to his death in 1655. He was also a local magistrate at Mecox.

In 1657, two years after his death, Howell's Long Island home was burned to the ground by Indians. His widow, Eleanore, was granted 20 shillings by the town as compensation for the loss. Parts of the manor home he sold in England in 1639 are still standing today.

"New England Marriages Before 1700" Clarence A. Torrey, Baltimore, MD, 1985 (as found on NEHGS CD-ROM, Boston, 2001) "HOWELL, Edward (1584-1656) & 1/wf Frances _____ (-bur 2 Jul 1630); in Eng; by 1618; Boston/Lynn/Southampton" "HOWELL, Edward (1584-1656, 1655?, by 6 Oct 1655) & 2/wf Eleanor _____; in Eng, 1630, 1631, Southampton; Boston/Lynn/ Southampton"

"A Genealogical Dictionary of The First Settlers of New England, Before 1692" James Savage, Boston, MA, 1860-1862, pp. 476-478

"Compendium of American Genealogy" Frederick Adams Virkus Originally Published: Institute of American Genealogy, Chicago, IL, 1937 Republished: Genealogical Publishing, Baltimore, MD, 1968 Volume VII: Immigrant Ancestors, Page 860

In 2011 the Water Mill is a Museum - Water Mill Museum, 41 Old Mill Road, Water Mill, Long Island, New York - The museum features mill grinding demonstrations, historical exhibits, documenting pre-colonial times to the present, changing art exhibit. An annual quilt show and sale that is open 7 days a week in August/September with about 250 quilts. The museum is open Memorial Day to the end of September. Hours 11-5, Sunday 1-5 Closed Tues. & Wed. Admission $3.00, Children Free. "The history of the water mill begins with Edward Howell who came to Southampton, Long Island in 1640 with English colonists from Lynn, Massachusetts. Howell had owned a water mill on a pond in Lynn so it was not surprising that he settled on a 100-acre pond three miles from Southampton for his new venture. Howell - the wealthiest citizen of the new colony and its magistrate - got the town to give him 40 acres on the pond and to provide labor and money to support his project. The mill was built and millstones hewn from two boulders found in the moraine north of the site. Oral history places this first mill, which was probably grinding by 1644, several hundred yards north of it current site on Mill Creek." http://www.watermillmuseum.org/index.html

Water Mill, October 2008 Photo http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Watermill-ny1.jpg

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Edward Howell was the eldest son of Henry Howell & Margaret Hawten Howell. He married Elizabeth Frances Paxton on 7 April 1616 in Odell, Bedfordshire, England. They had seven children before Elizabeth died, in England, on 2 July 1630. He married Eleanore Maier shortly after moving to Long Island, Connecticut Colony in 1640. Eleanore had traveled with him from England to Boston in 1639. He had three additional children with Eleanore.

In search of greater religious freedom, on 8 June 1639 he sold his two-story stone Westbury manor house and considerable landholdings in Marsh Gibbon, Buckinghamshire County, England for 1600 pounds sterling and set sail for America. His 1639 arrival in Boston was just 19 years after the famous Mayflower voyage to Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts in 1620. He first settled in Lynn, Massachusetts, where he obtained a grant of land from King Charles I for 500 acres, but he did not find the religious freedom he sought there. Howell co-owned and captained a sloop by which he ferried "dissatisfied colonists" from Massachusetts to Long Island, which was a part of the Connecticut Colony at that time. In March of 1640, Edward and eight other families, collectively referred to as "The Undertakers", purchased a track of land on Long Island from James Farrett. Howell was the primary financier. The track was near Mecox, a town between Southampton and East Hampton. Before departing Massachusetts for Long Island, another 11 families joined the group, making a total of 20 families. They made a pledge before departing for their "promised land". That pledge included, "…shall a church be gathered and constituted according to the minde of Christ, that anything we do may tende to the good and welfare of the place at the feete of Christ and His Church." (sic) Their 17 April 1640 deed to the Long Island land states its use shall be to, "…sitt down upon Long Island - there to possess, improve and enjoy eight miles square of land to them and their heyers forever, and they are to take their choice to sitt down upon as best lyketh them and also that they and their associates shall enjoy as full and free liberty in all matters that do or may concern them or conduce to the good and comfort of them and theirs both in church order or civill government." (sic) These statements attest to the group's unbending determination to find a home with the religious and civil freedom they longed for; the same spirit that would give birth to a nation in 1776. The group agreed to pay "…four bushels of the best Indian Corne" (sic) in yearly rent to the Earl of Sterling.

Shortly after arriving in Mecox, Howell announced he would build a mill for the grinding of grain, rye and wheat into flour. Until that date, all mills in what is now the State of New York, were wind-powered mills, due to the scarcity of lively streams. Wisely, Howell had chosen his Long Island land carefully to include a lively stream and thus, in 1644, built what is now recognized as the first water-powered mill in the State of New York. It continued to supply flour for a wide area of communities for many generations after Howell's death. In fact, Edward built the mill so well it still stands today, 367 years later, in Water Mill, New York, near Mecox. The town of Water Mill chose its name to honor Edward Howell's mill. To further honor Howell for his many contributions to the State of New York, the Howell Family Arms (Gules, Three Towers) is engraved on the Great Western Staircase of the State of New York Capitol building in Albany, New York (circa 1897). Also, several of the grave stones in the South End and North End Burying Grounds on Long Island carry the Howell crest. Edward Howell served as a Governor's Assistant of the Connecticut Colony from 1647 to 1653. He was a member of the Connecticut Legislature at Hartford from 1647 to his death in 1655. He was also a local magistrate at Mecox.

In 1657, two years after his death, Howell's Long Island home was burned to the ground by Indians. His widow, Eleanore, was granted 20 shillings by the town as compensation for the loss. Parts of the manor home he sold in England in 1639 are still standing today.

Cause of death: Unknown

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Richard Howell of Southold, Long Island. Step-father was William Hallock. In 1675 William Hallock deeded land to Richard Howell. 2nd wife Elizabeth Harrud.

Father was John Howell and mother was Margaret who married William Hallock after John Howell died.

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Magna Carta Project at Wikitree

Edward Howell Gent. is listed in Magna Carta Ancestry as a Gateway Ancestor (vol. I, pages xxiii-xxix) in a Richardson-documented trail to Magna Carta Surety Baron Robert de Vere (vol. II, pages 418-426 HOWELL).

References

1. “Ancestry of Edward Howell, of Southampton, Long Island (died 1655).” Douglas Richardson et al, 26 February 2009. < GoogleGroups >
2. Douglas Richardson, Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Salt Lake City, UT., 2011. 2nd edition 2011, Vol II page 425. . “14. Margaret Hawten 15. Edward Howell.” < link >
3. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/41278762
4. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Howell-151 cites
   1. Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013), vol. III, page 348, HOWELL 20.
   2. Transcription of marriage record, by Terrence Thomas, found in freereg.org (accessed 20 April 2019): Groom Edw Hewell, Bride Frances Paxton. Notes: "Master Edw Hewell."
   3. William Addams Reitweisner, The Ancestry of Edward Howell. extracted from Emma Howell Ross, Descendants of Edward Howell (1584-1655), second edition, revised by David Faris [1985], and cited below as Faris. www.wargs.com/family/howell.html
   4. Date as "20 March, 1619," referencing "the parish register of Marsh Gibbon," Herbert Furman Seversmith, Colonial families of Long Island ... (Washington, D.C., 1939- ), 5 vols., 3:1422; digital images, Hathi Trust'.
   5. James W. Moore, Rev. John Moore of Newtown, Long Island, and some of his descendants (Easton, Pa. Chemical Publishing Co.:1903), 25, 247 InternetArchive.
   6. Charles B. Moore, "Sketch of the Life of Rev. John Moore, of Newtown," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 11 (1880):5-12, 93-07, in particular, 5; digital images, Hathi Trust.
   7. Referencing "the parish register of Marsh Gibbon," George Rogers Howell, The early history of Southampton, L. I., New York (Albany: Weed, Parsons and company:1887), 301; digital images, InternetArchive.
   8. Clarence A Torry. New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004, p. 393, viewable on Ancestry.com
   9. Douglas Richardson. ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Magna Carta Ancestry: A study in Colonial and Medieval Families 2nd edition, Salt Lake City, Utah:2011. volume II, page 425 HOWELL 15. Note: Richardson does not include dates or locations for any of his children's birth (just the names: 7 by his first wife [sons Henry, John, Edward, Richard; daughters Dorothy, Margaret, Margery] and 3 sons by his second wife [Henry, Arthur, Edmund].
   10. George Rogers Howell, The early history of Southampton, L. I., New York (Albany: Weed, Parsons and company:1887), 301-302; digital images, InternetArchive.
   11. Herbert Furman Seversmith, Colonial families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut, Vol 3-Furman to Howell. Washington, D.C. Mimeographed:1948. Page 1422-1426 Hathi Trust.
   12. Water Mill, October 2008 Photo. Water Mill Museum. http://www.watermillmuseum.org/history_mill.htm
   13. Edward Howell Family Association website.
   14. Howell-[___] by 1618 marriage, New England Marriages prior to 1700 (2015), multiple vols, 2:800 (Howell); database and digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
   15. Howell-[___] by 1630, 1631 marriage, New England Marriages prior to 1700 (2015), multiple vols, 2:800 (Howell); database and digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
   16. Douglas Richardson, "Ancestry of Edward Howell, of Southampton, Long Island", posted at the gen-medieval forum 2/26/2009; reformatted here to remove all caps.
   17. Herbert Furman Seversmith, Colonial families of Long Island ... (Washington, D.C., 1939- ), 5 vols., 3:1422; digital images, Hathi Trust'.
   18. George R. Howell, "Howell Genealogical Items," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 28 (1897):50-52; digital images, Hathi Trust; "From the church records of Marsh Gibbons, County Bucks, England, I gathered the following ..."See Also:
   19. Robert Charles Anderson. "The Great Migration Directory, Immigrants to New England, 1620 - 1640" New England Historic Genealogical Society (2015) p. 171.
   20. Frank Farnsworth Starr, "The family of Edward Howell, Various ancestral lines of James Goodwin and Lucy (Morgan) Goodwin (Hartford, Conn.: The Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor Press, 1915), 2:333-342+; digital images, Hathi Trust.
   21. George R. Howell, "Howell Genealogical Items," The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, 28 (1897):50-52; digital images, Hathi Trust; "From the church records of Marsh Gibbons, County Bucks, England, I gathered the following ..."
   22. Thomas Lechford, J. Hammond Trumbull and Edward Everett Hale, Jr., Note-book kept by Thomas Lechford ... (Cambridge, John Wilson and son, 1885), 322, 322n; digital images, Hathi Trust.
   23. George K. Clarke, [summary of genealogical matter in Lechford's Note Book] in "New England Gleanings," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register' 40 (1886): 269-273, in particular, 273 (#65, Edward Howell); digital images, Internet Archive.
   24. Effinghim P. Humphrey, Jr., "Dorothie Howell Rediviva," The American Genealogist, 55 (1979):178-181; digital images by subscription, AmericanAncestors.
   25. "Edward Howell (died 1655)"; Wikipedia.
   26. Long Island Surnames. Maintained by Long Island Genealogy. Edward Howell.
   27. http://bakerfamilytree.blogspot.com/2007/07/chapter-13-sayre-family...
   28. History of Southampton, Long Island, New York (1887), p. 300.