Rev. Peter Prudden

'Peter Prudden; a story of his life and New Haven and Milford, Conn. (1901)

• http://archive.org/details/peterpruddenstor00prud
• http://archive.org/stream/peterpruddenstor00prud#page/58/mode/1up
• Capt. and 'Mrs. Willett' first resided in New York, and then removed to Rehoboth and Swansea, Mass., where he died in 1674. The record of the letter which received her again into the fellowship of Milford church shows that 'Mrs. Willett returned shortly after Capt. Willett's death to Milford.'
• 'Although past sixty years of age Mrs. Joanna Prudden Willett was again sought in marriage' and became the wife of the Rev. John Bishop, for fifty years pastor in Stamford, Conn.* He was a few years her junior, a widower with several grown-up children, and with him she lived until her death. Neither the date of this marriage, nor of her death, nor of the place of her burial is known. In a letter from Rev. John Bishop to Increase Mather, written in 1681, he sends his "Greetings" and those of his wife, "who was Mrs. Willet, to good Mrs. Mather."
  • The following is a copy of
    • '"Last Will of Joanna, wife of Rev. Peter Prudden."
  • 'The last will and testament of Mrs. Joanna Bishop, sometime Prudden, late of Milford, now of Stamford in the ....
  • * Rev. John Bishop walked all the way from Boston to Stamford with his Bible under his arm accompanying two men who had been sent to invite him to become pastor of the Stamford church. This Bible is still owned by his descendants. ....
• http://archive.org/stream/peterpruddenstor00prud#page/63/mode/1up
• Pg. 63
• ' The children of Peter Prudden1 and Joanna Boyse1 -- daughter of Rev. John Boyse and Joana Boyse of Halifax,* England:
  • I. Joanna2, born August, 1640, married __ Chittenden.
  • II. Mary2, born Jan., 1641, married Zacheriah Walker as his first wife. ....
  • (1) III. Elizabeth2, born Feb., 1642, baptized 4th of March, 1643. Married, name unknown.
  • (2) IV. Samuel2, born Feb., 1643, died 1685; lived in Milford.+
  • V. John2, born Nov., 1645 in Milford, died Dec. 11, 1725, ....
  • VI. Abigail2, baptized Dec., 1647, married Joseph Walker of Stratford, Nov. 14, 1667. Married, second, Richard Hubbell, in 1688. ....
  • VII. Sarah2, born May 12, 1650, married Gideon Allen.
  • VIII. Peter2, born May 26, 1652, died June 10, 1652.
  • IX. Mildred2, born March, 1653, married Lieut. Sylvanus Baldwin, 20th of Sept., 1671, died Jan. 6, 1712. ......
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'Rev. John Moore of Newtown, Long Island, and some of his descendants (1903)

• http://archive.org/details/cu31924029842907
• http://archive.org/stream/cu31924029842907#page/n159/mode/1up
• Pg. 174
• Joanna3 was the granddaughter of 'Rev. Peter Prudden1* and his wife Joanna Boyse2. He was born in Yorkshire, England, 1601, died at Milford, Ct., July 6, 1656. He preached in Yorkshire and Herefordshire and brought his congregation with him probably in the Hector or its consort the Martin, landing at Boston June 26, 1637, with Rev. John Davenport, John Harvard, Samuel Eaton and other prominent Puritans. In March, 1638, he sailed from Boston and in April reached Quinnepiac, now New Haven, Conn., and assisted in laying the foundation of a Colony there. He preached his first sermon in the Colony at New Haven .....
• http://archive.org/stream/cu31924029842907#page/n163/mode/1up
• Pg.176
• ' Joanna Boyse2 was the daughter of Rev. John Boyse and his wife Johane __, of Halifax, Yorkshire, England.' Rev. John Boyse1 died, as indicated by his will, about 1620, and his wife, Johane, about 1631, as shown by her will. One of Joanna Boyse's sisters was the wife of Rev. John Raynor, pastor of the Church of Plymouth, Mass., from 1637 to 1655, and later of Dover, N. H. 'It is not known when she married Rev. Peter Prudden, but various indications point to about 1638, and that the marriage took place in this country. Her father was a man of estate. In her will, dated 1681, November 8th, she mentions two sons and five daughters, all of the name Prudden. She was one of four coheiresses to property in Edgton and Welburn. After the death of her husband she married, September 20, 1671, Capt. Thomas Willett,* died August 4, 1674, who was the first Mayor of New York. Later she became the wife of Rev. John Bishop, for fifty years pastor of the church at Stamford, Conn.

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Peter Prudden (1601 - 1656)

Immediate Family:

Son of Robert, Robert, Mildred, and Mildred

Husband of Jane and Joanna

Father of Elizabeth, Mildred, Peter, Mildred, Abigail, Joanna, John, Mary, Samuel, Sarah, Abigail, Mildred, Sarah, John, and Samuel

Brother of James and James

Added by: Kelly Sonby on 3/27/09

Managed by: Kelly Sue Sonby

Birthdate: December, 1601

Birthplace: Kings Walden, Hertfordshire, England

Death: Died July 6, 1656 in Milford, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Immediate Family:

Son of Robert, Robert, Mildred, and Mildred

Husband of Jane and Joanna

Father of Elizabeth, Mildred, Peter, Mildred, Abigail, Joanna, John, Mary, Samuel, Sarah, Abigail, Mildred, Sarah, John, and Samuel

Brother of James and James

Occupation: Pastor of the Milford Church

Added by: Thomas Beddy on 2/18/09

Managed by: Me

Peter Prudden  (1601 - 1656)

Immediate Family:

Son of Mildred and Robert

Husband of Joanna, Jane, and Joanna

Father of Elizabeth, Abigail, Joanna, John, Mary, Mildred, Peter, Samuel, and Sarah

Added by: Thomas Beddy on 2/18/09

Managed by: Thomas Gavin Edwin Beddy

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Arrived Boston on "Davenport"

Founder of first church in Milford, Conn.

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Colonial Daughters of the 17th Century (26031)

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Rev. Peter Prudden, b. in December 1601. He was initially educated at the Merchant Taylor's School at London (1616-1617) and on June 20, 1620 entered Emmanuel College at Cambridge as a "sizar" or non-scholarship student. He later preached in Hertfordshire, England (about 25 miles from London) until prior to arriving in New England. He sailed from London arriving at Boston June 26, 1637 with John Davenport, Theophilus Eaton and Rev. Samuel Eaton, who soon founded present-day New Haven, Conn. Rev. Prudden's first wife, Jane Thomas, daughter of William Thomas, Gent. of Wales, presumably died prior to his coming to America. While still in the Boston area, he married his second wife, Joanna Boyes, purportedly on July 2, 1637 at Boston, or only six days after his arrival in New England. But this stated date of their marriage is unlikely. Joanna was the youngest daughter of Rev. John & Joanna (Stowe) Boyes of Halifax, England, latter both deceased by 1630.

Rev. Prudden initially declined an invitation to settle as pastor of the church at Dedham southwest of Boston instead he preached for a short time at Wethersfield, Conn. When Davenport and Eaton's newly formed New Haven Colony purchased a tract called Wepawaug from the Indians, and renamed it Milford, Rev. Prudden and a flock of settlers from New Haven settled there in 1639. On April 8, 1640, Rev. Prudden was ordained the first pastor of the Milford church.

Rev. Prudden was given Milford homelot #40, the eastern end of which was "Peter Prudden's Garden" later becoming the first burial ground at Milford. It was used for this purpose until 1675 when his garden was expanded into what is now the Milford Cemetery. Rev. Prudden, himself, as well as his infant son Peter, were buried in his garden. His will dated July 26, 1656 was followed by the inventory of his estate on September 2, 1656. While it is claimed he died in July 1656, one's estate inventory was usually taken within days of a person's death in order to preserve that which was of value to pay for the deceased's debts. This suggests he more likely died in August versus July 1656.

Rev. Peter's 2nd wife Joanna was the mother of his nine known children: Joanna (Thos. Chittenden), Mary (Rev. Zachariah Walker), twins Elizabeth (Jehu Burr) and Samuel (Grace Judson), Rev. John (Grace), Abigail (Joseph Walker), Sarah (Gideon Allen), Peter (d. in infancy), and Mildred (Silvanus Baldwin).

After Rev. Prudden's death, the widow Joanna became the 2nd wife of Capt. Thomas Willet, formerly of Plymouth, Mass., the founder of Swansea, Mass. and in 1666 the first English mayor of present-day New York City. Willet died in 1674 at Swansea. The widow Willet subsequently became the 2nd wife of Rev. John Bishop of the Stamford First Congregational Church. He died at Stamford in 1694 having for 50 years been the Stamford church's 2nd minister. She wrote her will November 8, 1681 at Stamford with her inventory taken March 22, 1682/3. Her will names her two sons, Samuel and John as joint executors coupled with daughters Joanna, Elizabeth, Abigail, Sarah, Mildred, and two unnamed children of her deceased daughter Mary Walker. She died at Stamford in early 1683, but her place of interment at Stamford remains unknown. Note: The picture to the right, at Memorial is not his tombstone rather a memorial at one end of the Memorial Bridge over the Wepawaug River at Milford honoring Rev. Peter Prudden as the first minister of the Milford Church.[1]

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Rev. Peter Prudden, b. in December 1601. He was initially educated at the Merchant Taylor's School at London (1616-1617) and on June 20, 1620 entered Emmanuel College at Cambridge as a "sizar" or non-scholarship student. He later preached in Hertfordshire, England (about 25 miles from London) until prior to arriving in New England.

He sailed from London arriving at Boston June 26, 1637 with John Davenport, Theophilus Eaton and Rev. Samuel Eaton, who soon founded present-day New Haven, Conn. Rev. Prudden's first wife, Jane Thomas, daughter of William Thomas, Gent. of Wales, presumably died prior to his coming to America. While still in the Boston area, he married his second wife, Joanna Boyes, purportedly on July 2, 1637 at Boston, or only six days after his arrival in New England. But this stated date of their marriage is unlikely. Joanna was the youngest daughter of Rev. John & Joanna (Stowe) Boyes of Halifax, England, latter both deceased by 1630.

Rev. Prudden initially declined an invitation to settle as pastor of the church at Dedham southwest of Boston instead he preached for a short time at Wethersfield, Conn. When Davenport and Eaton's newly formed New Haven Colony purchased a tract called Wepawaug from the Indians, and renamed it Milford, Rev. Prudden and a flock of settlers from New Haven settled there in 1639. On April 8, 1640, Rev. Prudden was ordained the first pastor of the Milford church.

Rev. Prudden was given Milford homelot #40, the eastern end of which was "Peter Prudden's Garden" later becoming the first burial ground at Milford. It was used for this purpose until 1675 when his garden was expanded into what is now the Milford Cemetery. Rev. Prudden, himself, as well as his infant son Peter, were buried in his garden. His will dated July 26, 1656 was followed by the inventory of his estate on September 2, 1656. While it is claimed he died in July 1656, one's estate inventory was usually taken within days of a person's death in order to preserve that which was of value to pay for the deceased's debts. This suggests he more likely died in August versus July 1656.

Rev. Peter's 2nd wife Joanna was the mother of his nine known children: Joanna (Thos. Chittenden), Mary (Rev. Zachariah Walker), twins Elizabeth (Jehu Burr) and Samuel (Grace Judson), Rev. John (Grace), Abigail (Joseph Walker), Sarah (Gideon Allen), Peter (d. in infancy), and Mildred (Silvanus Baldwin).

After Rev. Prudden's death, the widow Joanna became the 2nd wife of Capt. Thomas Willet, formerly of Plymouth, Mass., the founder of Swansea, Mass. and in 1666 the first English mayor of present-day New York City. Willet died in 1674 at Swansea. The widow Willet subsequently became the 2nd wife of Rev. John Bishop of the Stamford First Congregational Church. He died at Stamford in 1694 having for 50 years been the Stamford church's 2nd minister. She wrote her will November 8, 1681 at Stamford with her inventory taken March 22, 1682/3. Her will names her two sons, Samuel and John as joint executors coupled with daughters Joanna, Elizabeth, Abigail, Sarah, Mildred, and two unnamed children of her deceased daughter Mary Walker. She died at Stamford in early 1683, but her place of interment at Stamford remains unknown.

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The Reverend Peter Prudden organized The First Church of Christ in Milford, Connecticut in August of 1639. He and a company of fifteen families sailed from England and arrived in Boston on July 31, 1637. A year later they sailed to what is now New Haven and held their first religious service on Sunday, April 25, 1638.

He and his wife Joanna were the parents of nine children: Joanna, Mary, twins Elizabeth and Samuel, John, Abigail, Sarah, Peter, and Mildred.

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GEDCOM Source

@R-1799648131@ Ancestry Family Trees Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. This information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created. Ancestry Family Trees http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=7162903&pid=397

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[https://archive.org/details/peterpruddenstor00prud/page/n11] [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29448747/peter-prudden]

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GEDCOM Note

Category: English Immigrants to America Category: Puritan Ministers Category: New Haven, New Haven Colony Category: Milford, New Haven Colony Category: Milford Cemetery, Milford, Connecticut

Biography

Rev. Peter Prudden ===:"God had marvellously blessed his ministry in England, unto many about Herefordshire and near Wales; from whence, when he came into New England, there came therefore many considerable persons with him. ... removed unto Milford ; where he lived many years, an example of piety, gravity, and boiling zeal, against the growing evils of the times.

:"And though he had a numerous family, yet such was his discretion, that without much distraction he provided comfortably for them, notwithstanding the difficult circumstances wherewith an infant plantation wasencumbered.
:"He continued an able and faithful servant of the churches, until about the fifty-sixth year of his own age, and the fifty-sixth of the present age; when his death was felt by the colony as the fall of a pillar which made the whole fabrick to shake."<ref name=Mather>Mather, Cotton. Magnalia Christi americana; or, The ecclesiastical history of New-England; from its first planting, in the year 1620, unto the year of Our Lord 1698. In seven books. By ... Cotton Mather ... With an introduction and occasional notes, by Thomas Robbins, and translations of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin quotations, by Lucius F. Robinson. To which is added a memoir of Cotton Mather, by Samuel G. Drake. Also, a comprehensive index, by another hand. Hartford: Silas Andrus & Son,1853. Vol 1 Book III Chapter VIp. 395</ref>

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Rev. Peter Prudden, was born in December 1601,<ref name=Robinson> Robinson, Charles John, Rev., A register of the scholars admitted into Merchant Taylors' School : from A. D. 1562 to 1874. Lewes : Printed and published for the editor by Farncombe & Co., 1882p. 62</ref> perhaps in Luton, Bedfordshire, whose parish records don't begin until 1603, when his brother was born. His parents were Robert Prudden and his wife Mildred, who later married Hugh Ingram.<ref>"Peter Prudden's Parentage Proved." TheAmerican Genealogist 18:60. These parents are proved by a 1656/7 suitby Peter Prudden's widow, and the London Visitations of 1664.</ref> In 1617, he entered the Merchant Taylor's School at London.<ref name=Robinson /> It is from the register of this school that we know his birth date. He continued his education, entering Emmanuel College at Cambridge 20 Jun 1620, as a "sizar." This term referred to students who received financial help from the college and probably did some form oflabor in exchange for this help.<ref name=Venn>Venn, J. A. (John Archibald). Alumni cantabrigienses; a biographical list of all known students, graduates and holders of office at the University of Cambridge,from the earliest times to 1900. Cambridge: University Press, 1924.p. 404 (link at Archive.org)</ref> Cotton Mather informed us that he ministered "about Herefordshire and near Wales"<ref name=Mather /> and in 1635, he was offered a position in the Bahamas, which he turned down.<ref name=Venn /> There is some evidence that Peter Prudden had a first wife Jane Thomas, daughter of William Thomas, Gent. Wales, in England. However, records (or lack of records) indicate that she died prior to Prudden's immigration, and they had no surviving issue.<ref name=TAG16>"Rev. Peter Prudden, Pastor and Founder of Milford, Connecticut, and his English Ancestry." The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-.(Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) Vol. 16:1-. </ref> During the 1630's a great wave of emigration occurred from England to the New World. Rev. John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton formed a company for the purpose of setting up a new plantation in New England. Rev.Peter Prudden and a group of his followers joined this party. Their arrival was duly noted in John Winthrop's journal 26 June 1637. "There arrived two ships from London, the Hector and the [blank]. In these came Mr. Davenport and another minister, and Mr. Eaton and Mr. Hopkins, two merchants of London, men of fair estate and of great esteem for religion, and wisdom in outward affairs.<ref>Winthrop, John. Winthrop's journal : "History of New England", 1630-1649. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1908 p. 221</ref> Traditionally, there was another minister also, (two others arrived with Davenport and Eaton) Mr. Samuel Eaton, brother of Theophilus and Peter Prudden.<ref name=TAG16 /> It should be noted that this is one probability. Others have been suggested. Within the next few years, Rev. Prudden declined an invitation to become the pastor of the church at Dedham, Massachusetts, married a secondtime, removed to Quinnipiac with Eaton and Davenport, did some interim preaching in Wethersfield, Connecticut, and began his own town in a place known as Wepawaug by the natives, and later called Milford.<ref name=TAG16 /> His second wife was Joanna Boyse, daughter of Rev. John Boyse of Halifax Co., Yorkshire, England. She married, afterthe death of Prudden, Capt. Thomas Willett, and after Willett's death, Rev. John Bishop of Stamford. She left a will which confirms their children. 2 July 1637 at Boston is sometimes given for this marriage, but seems unlikely since he had only just arrived, and there is no record of this date.<ref name=TAG16 /> In the Journal of Gov. John Winthrop, 30 March 1638. "Mr. Davenport and Mr. Prudden, and a brother of Mr. Eaton, (being ministers also,) went by water to Quinepiack ..."<ref>Winthrop, John. Winthrop's journal "History of New England", 1630-1649. New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1908. [https://archive.org/stream/winthropsjournal00wint#page/264/mode/2up... p. 265</ref> The first deed of land from the Indians was 12 Feb 1638/9. The church was organized at New Haven 22 Aug 1639. Mr. Peter Prudden was on the list of Free Planters 29 Nov 1639. His congregation at Milford was madeup of many of his original followers (families from Hertfordshire andsurrounding counties, not Herefordshire as originally thought), and persons from Wethersfield (where he had preached).<ref name=MHistory>Federal Writer's Project for the State of Connecticut; Milford (Conn.).History of Milford, Connecticut, 1639-1939. Bridgeport, Conn.: Press ofBraunworth Tercentenary Committee, 1939.</ref> Peter Prudden was ordained Pastor of the Milford Congregational Church18 April 1640 at New Haven, Connecticut. (member of church in 1639)<ref name=CtChMilford>Connecticut. Church Records Index. Milford First Congregational Church 1639-1926. Connecticut State Library, Hartford, Connecticut, 1950.</ref>

caption=Map of Milford 1646 The group of fifty-four planters settled in Milford in 1640. Mr. Prudden's lot was #40 shown on the map (right side lower section). The first burials in town took place in his garden, including his own. "Mr. Prudden was both leader and advisor of the little flock, taking a keen interest not only in affairs of the church but in everthing that concerned the life of the community. The people raised and gathered his crops and carted his firewood. He paid his taxes and, though exempt from regular military duty, kept his arms and ammunition in good order."<refname=MHistory /> He died July 1656.<ref name=CtChMilford /> On 25 May 1657, his will, dated 26 July 1656, was presented in court, along with the inventory valued at £924 18s 5d, taken 2 Sep 1656, and presented to the court in Milford 4 Dec 1656. Mris. Joanna Prudden, widow and executrix affirmedits correctness.<ref>Hoadley, Charles J, MA. (editor) Records of the Colony or Jurisdiction of New Haven, From May 1653 to the Union. Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1858. p. 203</ref>

Children of Peter and Joanna, bpt. at Milford===# Joanna bpt. Milford 30 Aug 1640<ref name=CtChMilford /><ref name=FoOF>Jacobus, Donald Lines, MA (compiler, editor.) History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield. Fairfield, Conn.: The Eunice Dennie Burr Chapter of Daughters of the American Revolution, 1930.</ref> m Thos. Chittenden<ref name=FoOF /> # Mary bpt 4 Dec 1641 m. Rev. Zachariah Walker<ref name=FoOF /> or bpt 5 Dec 1641<ref name=CtChMilford /># Elizabeth bpt 5 Mar 1642/3;<ref name=CtChMilford/> m. Jehu Burr<ref name=FoOF /> # Samuel Prudden bpt. 18 Feb 1643/4;<ref name=CtChMilford /><ref name=FoOF /> d. Milford 1685; m. Grace Judson.<ref name=FoOF /> He was adm full com. 5 Feb 1671<ref name=CtChMilford /> # John Prudden (Rev.) bpt Nov 1645; d. Newark, NewJersey 11 Dec 1725; m. Grace<ref name=FoOF />He was bpt 1645 and adm. full comm 30 Jan (or Feb) 1675.<ref name=CtChMilford /> # Abigail bpt. 13 Feb 1647/8;<ref name=CtChMilford /><ref name=FoOF /> d. abt Jan 1717/8; m. (1) JosephWalker; m. (2) Srgt Richard Hubbell.<ref name=FoOF /># Sarah; b. 9 May 1650; bpt the 12th; m. Gideon Allen <ref name=FoOF /> or bpt. 12 May 1650<ref name=CtChMilford /># Peter Prudden (1652 - 1652) bpt 30 May 1652; d. 10 June 1652.<ref name=FoOF /> or bp 25 Jun 1652; d. June 10 following<ref name=CtChMilford /># Mildred bpt. 14 May 1653;<ref name=CtChMilford /><ref name=FoOF /> d. Milford 6 Jan 1711/2; m. Silvanus Baldwin <ref name=FoOF />

Notes ===*Baptism Not His - 12 DEC 1622 Luton, Bedford, England<ref name=ESBC>England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Provo, UT, USA, 2014)</ref> While this baptism exists, it is for a Peter, son of Peter, cousin of the immigrant.*Not buried in the Milford Cemetery, (as reported at Find a Grave<ref>Find A Grave Memorial #29448747 Maintained by: Don Blauvelt; was OriginallyCreated by: Nareen, et al; the Record added: Aug 31, 2008</ref>) which was not yet founded at the time of his death. Buried in his own garden along with other early settlers.<ref>Prudden, Lillian Eliza. Peter Prudden; a story of his life and New Haven and Milford, Conn. New Haven: Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor company, 1901. pp 27,28</ref>

Sources

<references/>

• Filby, P. William, ed. Passenger and Immigration Lists Index, 1500s-1900s(Farmington Hills, MI, USA: Gale Research, 2012) New England; Year: 1637; Page Number: 237.* Goodwin, Nathaniel. The Foote Family (Case, Tiffany and Co., Hartford, Connecticut, 1849) Page xxxviii* Houghton, Roy M., Manual of TheChurch of Christ Congregational in Milford, Connecticut (Milford,Connecticut, 1945) Page 21.

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Emmigrated to United States circa 1637