Sgt. Francis Nichols

Married twice. See discussion below for information on his first wife and his parents. His second wife was Anne Wines. He came to America with adult children from his first wife. He had ONE daughter with his second wife.

HAPLOGROUP G-S2808 http://www.brian-hamman.com/ResultsForNicholsSurnameProject.htm

He was one of the founders of Stratford in 1639, where the Conn. General Court placed him in charge of military affairs. He was Sergeant of the Stratford Trainband.

Francis settled at Stratford, Connecticut by 10 October 1639, at which time he was appointed Sargeant of the Stratford trainband. He and his three sons, John, Isaac, and Caleb, were among the first seventeen settlers of Stratford.

Children of Francis and Frances (Wimarke) Nichols

1. John Nichols bp. 16 May 1601 m. (1) _____, (2) Grace _____; d. 1655. Children: Hester Nichols, Elizabeth Nichols, Hannah Nichols; Isaac Nichols, Sarah Nichols, John Nichols, Samuel Nichols [ca. 1655].
2. Jane Nichols, bp 3 November 1603, m. William Washburn, son of John and Martha (Timbrell) (Stevens) Washburn. Children: Sarah Washburn [1626], John Washburn, Mary Washburn [1629], Hope Washburn, Martha Washburn [1637], Agnes Washburn, Phebe Washburn, Patience Washburn, Hester Washburn.
3. Henry Nichols, bp 19 November 1605, bur. 21 December 1606.
4. Anne Nichols, bp. 18 October 1606, bur. 25 December 1606.
5. Margaret Nichols, bp. 4 January 1608/9.
6. Francis Nichols, bp. 25 August 1611.
7. Joseph Nichols, bp. 31 August 1614, bur. 2 September 1614.
8. Jonathan Nichols, bp. 31 August 1614, bur. 4 September 1614
9. Sarah Nichols, bp. 12 November 1615, m. Richard Mills [35]. Children [36]: Samuel Mills, Mary Mills, Isaac Mills, Phebe Mills.
10. Isaac Nichols, bp. 27 December 1617, m. May 1646 Margery _____ [37]; d. 1695.
11. Caleb Nichols

Children of Isaac Nichols:

• Mary Nichols [1647/8],
• Sarah Nichols [1649],
• Josiah Nichols [1651/2],
• Isaac Nichols, Jr. [1654],
• Jonathan Nichols [1655],
• Ephraim Nichols [1657],
• Patience Nichols [1659/60],
• Temperance Nichols [1662],
• Margery Nichols [1663],
• Benjamin Nichols [1665/6],
• Elizabeth Nichols [1668].

Children of Francis and Anne (Wines or Windes) Nichols

1. Anna Nichols m. ca.1676 Christopher Youngs, Jr., son of Christopher and Pricilla (Elvin) Youngs. Children: Hannah Youngs, Sarah Youngs.

New Evidence from the article "The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut"

The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut," an article in the October 2000 edition of "The American Genealogist" [Vol. 75, No. 4, p. 267-271], concludes that the Sergeant was was born 1575 in Sedgeberrow, Worcestershire, ENG, son of John and Joan (?) Nichols (aka Nycholls, Nicolls) and grandson of Thomas and Elinor (?) Nycholls of Sedgeberrow. The article's author, Neil D. Thompson, a professional genealogist specializing in the English ancestry of American colonists, cites various parish registers, original wills and court proceedings to reconstruct the Sedgeberrow family (briefly as follows):

Generation No. 1. -- Thomas1 Nycholls of Sedgeberrow, b. abt. 1510; d. bet. 1558 - 1559; m. Elinor (?) abt. 1535. Elinor Nichols, widow, buried 08 Jun 1592 in Sedgeberrow. Their children: Julian, Margery, William, *John, Henry and Nicholas.

Generation No. 2 -- John Nichols, b. abt. 1542; d. bef. 06 Aug 1597; m. Joan (?). She bur. 29 Nov 1627. Their children (with baptismal and burial dates found Sedgeberrow parish registers, LDS film #0905307): *Francis, 25 May 1575; John, 3 May 1577; William, 03 Jan 1579/80; Goodith, 17 Mar 1581/82, bur. 27 Apr 1582; Henry, 13 Apr 1583; Elinor, 18 Aug 1586; Ann, 05 Sep 1590; and Elizabeth, 22 Sep 1592, bur. 19 May 1595.

Generation No. 3 -- Francis Nichols, bapt. 25 May 1575; m. Frances Wimarke 24 Jan 1599/00 in Sedgeberrow, Worcester, ENG. She was d/o Richard Wimarke and bapt. 02 Nov 1577, d/o Richard Wimarke. Children baptized and/or buried in Sedgeberrow: John, 16 May 1601; Jane, 03 Nov 1603; Henry, 19 Nov 1605, bur. 21 Dec 1606; Anne, 18 Oct 1606, bur. 25 Oct 1606; Margaret, 04 Jan 1608/09; Francis, 25 Aug 1611; Joseph (twin), 31 Aug 1614, bur. 2 Sep 1614; Jonathan (twin), 31 Aug 1614, bur. 4 Sep 1614; Sarah, 12 Nov 1615; Isaac Nichols, 27 Dec 1617 (date not given in article, but shown in parish register).

Isaac Nichols' baptism is the final mention of the family in Sedgeberrow. However, in linking the Sedgeberrow and Stratford families, Mr. Thompson does address the births of two additional children Caleb and Ann Nichols, Francis Nichols' second marriage to Anne Wines and collateral Washburn and Prentice families.

Additional Material Related to Sgt. Francis Nichols

Other References for him and his family:

1. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Vol. 1, published by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants.
2. History and Genealogy of Families of Old Fairfield, Vol. 1, part II, by Donald Lines Jacobus.
3. Abstracts of Dutchess Co. Wills, by Gertrud A. Barber.
4. Records of the Dutch Reformed Church of Fishkill, by Jean D. Worden
5. The Identity of Sarah Bassett of Middleborough, Massachusetts and Mansfield, Connecticut, by Marston Watson
6. Search of census and genealogical records.
7. Family records.

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Two Opinions

Sgt. Francis Is NOT Margaret Bruce's Son

Posted by: Carol Page Tilson Date: July 16, 2001 at 13:34:56

Although convincingly disproved years ago, the claim that Sgt. Francis Nichols (aka Nicholls) of Stratford, CT, was the son of of Francis Nicolls and Margaret Bruce (and the brother of New York Governor Richard Nicolls) continues to circulate across the internet -- as well as appearing in what one would think should be reliable sources (e.g. "Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry").

They are wrong and so are any other so-called sources which purport to document this relationship. There even seem to be some Ampthill, Bedfordshire, records which may have been falsified just to support the contention.

However, evidence from original records proves it just ain't so -- Sgt. Francis Nichols of Stratford, CT, WAS NOT the son of Francis Nicolls, Esq., and Margaret Bruce.

While the couple did have a son named Francis, he was baptized in 1620, of "tender yeares" in 1624, enrolled at Oxford in 1639, alive in 1652 and died in Europe before 1672. He and Sgt Francis Nichols were NOT one and the same man.

To take it a step at a time:

I. Parish registers for Abbots Langley, Hertfordshire, ENG., show the marriage of Francis Nicolls to Margaret Bruce on 28 Aug 1609.

However, by 1609, Sgt. Francis Nichols of Stratford, CT, probably had five kids of his own.

II. Three of Francis and Margaret's children were baptized in the same parish: a daughter, Bruce, 27 Oct 1611; Edward, 1 Jan 1614/15; and a son, Francis, 12 Sep 1620. Their two other sons, Richard and William, apparently were baptized elsewhere (original records apparently do not exist today or have not yet been found).

However, Sgt. Francis' youngest son, Caleb, was born about 1618-20.

III. The will of Francis Nicolls, Esq., was written 2 Sep. 1624 and proved 10 Nov 1624 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury by his widow Margaret and by Thomas, Lord Bruce, who were named executors and charged to care for the children "for their yeares are tender."

However, by 1624, Sgt. Francis Nichols' own children may have been of "tender yeares," but he certainly wasn't.

IV. Francis and Richard Nicolls, sons of Francis Nicolls of Abbots Langley, matriculated at Christ College, Oxford, 6 Dec 1639.

However, in 1639, the Connecticut General Court appointed Sgt. Francis Nichols to train the men of Stratford and exercise them in military discipline.

V. The will of widow Margaret Nicolls of Ampthill, county Bedford, was made 26 Jun 1651 and proved 22 Apr 1652 (same court as above. Her son Francis was designated residuary legatee.

However, by 1652, Sgt. Francis Nichols of Stratford, CT, was dead.

VI. The "Biography of Colonel Richard Nicolls . . ." (Edward H. Nicol, 1884) mentions Richard's will, written 1 May 1672 and proved 3 June 1672. In this will, Richard asks that a memorial be erected at Ampthill and inscribed with the names of his parents, his brother William and himself, "expressing alsoe that the rest of my Brothers Edward and Francis dyed, the first at the Hague, the other at Paris, not enduring to live under the Tyranny of the late Usurpers . . . ." In addition to the biography cited, several current Nichols researchers have visited England and report to have seen this will with their own eyes.

However, Sgt. Francis Nichols died on this side of the pond, possibly in Southold, Long Island, NY, where he'd lived with his second wife Anne Wines.

VII. Almost 70 years ago, Donald Lines Jacobus, the author of the "History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield," said of Sgt. Francis: "It should hardly be necessary to refute the foolish assertion that he was brother of Gov. Richard Nicolls of New York, though he may have been related to that family."

I personally doubt there was any relationship at all, but will withhold judgment if those who want to keep some of that Royal Bruce blood can prove how it got into the Sergeant's veins.

One person making "the foolish assertion" was Wallace Nicholls ("Sergeant Francis Nicholls," New York, 1909) who seems to be mainly responsible for a case of mistaken identity which still exists today. However, few of Sgt. Francis Nichols' descendants ever thought to check original records relating to the family of Francis Nicolls and Margaret Bruce to find out why Jacobus might have called the relationship foolish. At least not until Lt. Col. (Ret.) Barbara J. Nichols looked into the matter and published her findings -- "Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut, Was Not a Brother of Deputy Governor Richard Nicolls of New York -- in the April 1993 issue of "The American Genealogist" (TAG). That article is the source of the evidence I've mentioned above -- and more.

Barb concluded her 1993 article by stating it was "necessary to look elsewhere for the ancestry of Sergeant Francis Nichols," and she did, commissioning a professional genealogist to take up the hunt. The results of his research can be found in more recent edition of TAG.

The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut," an article in the October 2000 edition of "The American Genealogist" [Vol. 75, No. 4, p. 267-271], concludes that the Sergeant was was born 1575 in Sedgeberrow, Worcestershire, ENG, son of John and Joan (?) Nichols (aka Nycholls, Nicolls) and grandson of Thomas and Elinor (?) Nycholls of Sedgeberrow. The article's author, Neil D. Thompson, a professional genealogist specializing in the English ancestry of American colonists, cites various parish registers, original wills and court proceedings to reconstruct the Sedgeberrow family (briefly as follows):

Generation No. 1. -- Thomas1 Nycholls of Sedgeberrow, b. abt. 1510; d. bet. 1558 - 1559; m. Elinor (?) abt. 1535. Elinor Nichols, widow, buried 08 Jun 1592 in Sedgeberrow. Their children: Julian, Margery, William, *John, Henry and Nicholas.

Generation No. 2 -- John Nichols, b. abt. 1542; d. bef. 06 Aug 1597; m. Joan (?). She bur. 29 Nov 1627. Their children (with baptismal and burial dates found Sedgeberrow parish registers, LDS film #0905307): *Francis, 25 May 1575; John, 3 May 1577; William, 03 Jan 1579/80; Goodith, 17 Mar 1581/82, bur. 27 Apr 1582; Henry, 13 Apr 1583; Elinor, 18 Aug 1586; Ann, 05 Sep 1590; and Elizabeth, 22 Sep 1592, bur. 19 May 1595.

Generation No. 3 -- Francis Nichols, bapt. 25 May 1575; m. Frances Wimarke 24 Jan 1599/00 in Sedgeberrow, Worcester, ENG. She was d/o Richard Wimarke and bapt. 02 Nov 1577, d/o Richard Wimarke. Children baptized and/or buried in Sedgeberrow: John, 16 May 1601; Jane, 03 Nov 1603; Henry, 19 Nov 1605, bur. 21 Dec 1606; Anne, 18 Oct 1606, bur. 25 Oct 1606; Margaret, 04 Jan 1608/09; Francis, 25 Aug 1611; Joseph (twin), 31 Aug 1614, bur. 2 Sep 1614; Jonathan (twin), 31 Aug 1614, bur. 4 Sep 1614; Sarah, 12 Nov 1615; Isaac Nichols, 27 Dec 1617 (date not given in article, but shown in parish register).

Isaac Nichols' baptism is the final mention of the family in Sedgeberrow. However, in linking the Sedgeberrow and Stratford families, Mr. Thompson does address the births of two additional children Caleb and Ann Nichols, Francis Nichols' second marriage to Anne Wines and collateral Washburn and Prentice families.

Nichols descendants really need to read the entire TAG article and come to their own conclusions on whether they want to accept the Sedgeberrow family or not. This research has been addressed in several other GenForum postings. To view these, just "Search This Forum" for Sedgeberrow.

Carol

P.S. Barbara J. Nichols and I are descended from Sgt. Francis Nichols' son John.

Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs: Nichols

The ancestry in England of "Sergeant" Francis Nicolls is found in the work, "Sergeant Nicolls of Stratford, Connecticut, 1639, and the Descendants of his son Caleb Nicholls" by Walter Nicholls. There it is said that he was a son of Francis and Margaret (Bruce) Nicholls, and a brother of Colonel Richard Nicolls, the first English governor of the Province of New York. Margaret Bruce, his mother, was a descendant of Robert the Bruce, King of Scotland. That he was a military man in England is shown by the inscription on the monument of Colonel Richard Nicholls at Amphill, Bedford county, England, which was the family seat. He is there mentioned as a "Captain of foot," though in Stratford he was known as "Sergeant" Nicholls. He sprang from a family of fighters, lawyers and military men, and was one of the leading military men of the early colony; having been appointed by an order of the general court, October 10, 1639, to "train the men and exercise them in military discipline." His brother, Colonel Richard Nicolls, who was at the head of the British forces in the New Netherlands, in his will, made a bequest to "Sergeant Francis Nicolls of Stratford, Connecticut." Coat-of-Arms of Sergeant Francis Nicolls: Arms: Azure a fesse between three lions' heads. Crest, a tiger legent ermine. Motto, Ille nunquam cedunt.

(I) Francis Nicolls came from England in 1635 or 1636, and settled in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1639. He is believed to have remained for a time at or near Boston, as his son James is known to have held real estate in Watertown, Massachusetts. He was one of the original proprietors and settlers of Stratford, Connecticut, and his lands and proprietory rights there were distributed to his children before his death. An inventory of his personal property appears of record in the town hall in Stratford. It is supposed that he was possessed of real estate situated in Southold. Long Island. Of his first wife there is no account. He married (second) in 1645, Anne, daughter of "Deacon" Barnabas Wines, of Southold, Long Island, by whom he had one child, a daughter. She survived him and married (second) John Elton, a wealthy planter of Southold; (third) Captain John Tooker, of Seatauket, Long Island, and (fourth) Colonel John Youngs, son of Rev. John Youngs, the first minister at Southhold. The children of "Sergeant" Francis Nicolls (Nicholls) by his first wife came with him to America. They were probably all of legal age at that time.

A HISTORY OF THE OLD TOWN OF STRATFORD AND THE CITY OF BRIDGEPORT CONNECTICUT.

BY REV. SAMUEL ORCUTT, AUTHOR OF THE HISTORIES OF WOLCOTT, TORRINOTON, NEW MILFORD, DERBY AND INDIANS OF THE HOUSATONIC VALLEY.

PART II

PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE FAIRFIELD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY. 1886 .

NICHOLS, Sergt. Francis, from England, was in Stratford in 1639, among the first settlers. He m. 2d. Anne, dau. of Barnabas Wines, of Soulhold, L. I. After the death of Mr. Nichols she m. John Elton, of Southold, L. I. Francis Nichols was one of the original ргоргietors and settlers of Stratford, and his lands and proprietary right was distributed to his children before his decease, and the inventory, heretofore given, was that only of his personal property at Stratford. It is said he owned lands also at Southold, L. I.

There is no doubt that Sergeant Frances Nichols was nearly related to Col. Richard Nicolls,* the first English governor of New York State. Francis evidently had been a military man in England, and there are some evidences that be belonged to the famous regiment of Horse Guards of London, some of whom are known to have come to Boston about the same time Francis Nichols did. Sir Richard, apparently was younger than Sergeant Francis, and remained in the King's service while Francis did not, but came to America about 1635 or 6, possibly earlier. The title of Sergeant was given him at Stratford and is no indication of his military standing before he came here. In the spelling of the name there is no particular significance as a distinct family, for this name on Stratford records is many times spelled without the h, as Nicols, Nicolls, Nickols, and therefore was probably the same as that of Sir Richard.

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NEW JERSEY HlSTORICAL SOClETY A MAGAZINE OF HISTORY, BIOGRAPHY, AND NOTES ON FAMILIES NEW SERIES Volume V 1920. The family ancestry in this country runs back to Sergeant Francis Nicholls (as then spelled), who came to America from Bedfordshire, England in 1634 and settled in Stratford, Connecticut. He was the elder brother of Col. Richard Nicholls, the first English Governor of New York. As ascertained the full paternal line of Walter S. runs:

1. Robert Nicholls (P-1548).

2. Thomas Nicholls (?-1561).

3. Antony Nicholls.

4. Francis Nicholls (?-1622). All foregoing of London, but last named had his home in Bedfordshire.

5. Sergeant Francis Nicholls (1595-?), born in England but came to Stratford, Connecticut.

6. Isaac Nicholls (?-1695), born in England but came to Stratford.

7. Isaac Nicholls, Jr. (1654-1690), of Stratford.

8. Isaac Nicholls, 3rd (bapt. 1690-?), of Milford, Conn.

9. Humphey Nichols ( 7-1764) , of Newark, N. J.

10. Capt. Robert Nichols (1735-1814), of Newark,

11. Isaac Nichols (1773-1861), of Newark.

12. Alexander McWhorter Nichols (1809-1881), of Newark.

13. Walter Smith Nichols (1841- 1921).

FRANCIS NICHOLS was baptized at Sedgeberrow 25 May 1575 [21]. He married first at Sedgeberrow 24 January 1599/1600 Frances Wimarke. She was the daughter of Robert Wimarke and was baptized 2 November 1577 [22]. There is no record of her in New England, so she may have died before her husband emigrated. His whereabouts between 1627, when his son Isaac was born in Sedgeberrow, and 1639, when he is first known to have been in Stratford, Connecticut, are unknown [23].

Histories of Stratford have suggested he went to London and belonged to the famous regiment of the Royal Horse Guards of Charles I [24], but no evidence whatsoever has been found to support that claim. Orcutt’s 1886 history indicated that he was one of the first 17 English settlers of that town [25], although later historians could not determine the identity or number of the first settlers [26]. The earliest record of anyone known to be in Stratford is a 1639 order of the Connecticut General Court “to assigne Srjeant Nicholls for the present to trayne the men and exercise them in military discipline [27].”

Sgt. Nichols also owned land and lived for a time in Southold, Long Island, New York, where he married in Anne Wines, daughter of Deacon Barnabas and Ann (Eddy) Wines [28]. Thompson suggests this marriage occurred around 1649, when Francis would have been nearly 75 years old and Anne only about 17. Francis Nichols died a year later, leaving Anne with an infant daughter. She married second John Elton of Southold, third Capt. John Tooker of Setauket, Long Island, and fourth, Col. John Youngs, cousin of her daughter Anna’s husband [29]. Francis Nichols apparently had no will, and his personal property inventory showed he owned very little: a bed, bedding, some pots and pans, a few clothes, a bandoleer and sword, 5 bushels of Indian corn, 12 bushels of peas, total appraised value about £28 [30] .

Children of Francis and Frances Nichols [31]:

a) John Nichols bp. 16 May 1601 m. (1) _____, (2) Grace _____; d. 1655. Children [32]: Hester Nichols, Elizabeth Nichols, Hannah Nichols; Isaac Nichols, Sarah Nichols, John Nichols, Samuel Nichols [ca. 1655].

b) Jane Nichols, bp 3 November 1603, m. William Washburn, son of John and Martha (Timbrell) (Stevens) Washburn [33]. Children: Sarah Washburn [1626], John Washburn, Mary Washburn [1629], Hope Washburn, Martha Washburn [1637], Agnes Washburn, Phebe Washburn, Patience Washburn, Hester Washburn.

c) Henry Nichols, bp 19 November 1605, bur. 21 December 1606.

d) Anne Nichols, bp. 18 October 1606, bur. 25 December 1606.

e) Margaret Nichols, bp. 4 January 1608/9.

f) Francis Nichols, bp. 25 August 1611 [34].

g) Joseph Nichols, bp. 31 August 1614, bur. 2 September 1614.

h) Jonathan Nichols, bp. 31 August 1614, bur. 4 September 1614

i) Sarah Nichols, bp. 12 November 1615, m. Richard Mills [35]. Children [36]: Samuel Mills, Mary Mills, Isaac Mills, Phebe Mills.

j) Isaac Nichols, bp. 27 December 1617, m. May 1646 Margery _____ [37]; d. 1695. Children: Mary Nichols [1647/8], Sarah Nichols [1649], Josiah Nichols [1651/2], Isaac Nichols, Jr. [1654], Jonathan Nichols [1655], Ephriam Nichols [1657], Patience Nichols [1659/60], Temperence Nichols [1662], Margery Nichols [1663], Benjamin Nichols [1665/6], Elizabeth Nichols [1668].

4(k) Caleb Nichols

Children of Francis and Anne Nichols:

l) Anna Nichols m. ca.1676 Christopher Youngs, Jr., son of Christopher and Pricilla (Elvin) Youngs. Children: Hannah Youngs, Sarah Youngs.

[21] Sedgeberrow parish register. An image of the baptismal record is online at: http://www.his.com/~pnichols/baptism.gif.

[22] Sedgeberrow parish register.The register reads Francis, although the female form of the name is usually spelled Frances.

[23] In the last third of the 16th and first third of the 17th centuries, the name Nicholls was one of the most common in Sedgeberrow; nearly 19% of the registered baptisms (44 or 235) were Nicholls children. After that time, the name Nicholls never again appeared in Sedgeberrow, consistent with the hypothesis that the Nicholls families left Sedgeberow and Francis moved before his son Caleb was born.

[24] Knapp, Lewis G. In Pursuit of Paradise. History of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut. W. Kennebunk, ME: Phoenix Publishing (for the Stratford Historical Society), 1989.

[25] Orcutt, Samuel. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut. Part II. Fairfield, CT: Fairfield County Historical Society, 1886.

[26] Wilcoxson, William Howard. History of Stratford Connecticut 1639-1969 (2nd ed.). Stratford, CT: Stratford Terceneneary Commission, 1969.

[27] Trumbull, J. Hammond. The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut Prior to the Union with New Haven Colony, May 1665. Hartford: Brown & Parson, 1850. The court order does not mention the given name of Sgt. Nichols. Although most researchers have assumed the recipient of the order was Francis Nichols, Savage thought Isaac was the sergeant. Now we know that in 1639 Francis would have been 64 years old, seemingly quite old in the 17th century, but Isaac would have been only 22, probably too young for so responsible a position. (Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. Volume III. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1965. (Originally published 1860-62.))

[28] Breck, Ruth Allendorf (Ed.). The Eddy Family in America. Supplement 1980. Middlesboro, MA: The Eddy Family Association, 1980.

[29] Youngs, Selah, Jr. Youngs Family. Vicar Christopher Yonges. His Ancestors in England and His Descendants in America. A History and Genealogy. New York: Author, 1907. Thompson (p. 269) reviews the evidence for Anne’s four marriages: On 30 April, 1654, John Elton of Southold conveyed cattle to Barnabas Wines for Anna Nichols, daughter of his wife Anna by her former husband Francis Nichols of Stratford, pursuant to an agreement made at marriage (Southold Town Records A: 61, rec. Feb. 1678/9).

John Elton mentioned his wife in his will, dated 19 April 1675 and proved 3 June 1575 (New York Wills 1:113). As a widow, Anna [or Hannah] Elton made a pre-nuptial agreement with the widower John Tooker Sr. of Southold on 3 June 1686 (Southold Town Records C:106, recorded 26 Jan. 1692/3), and as a widow Anna [or Hannah] Tooker, she made a similar agreement with the widower John Youngs Esq. of Southold on 31 Dec. 1690 (Southold Town Records C:197, acknowledged 9 Sept. 1693, recorded April 1694.

[30] The estate inventory was included by Walter Nicholls in his monograph, but Thompson was unable to locate the original document.

[31] The baptismal and burial dates for shown for children (with the exception of Caleb) are in the Sedgeberrow parish records.

[32] Children of John Nichols are listed in Orcutt’s history of Stratford.

[33] See Washburne, Brenton P. and Washburne, Robin P., The Washburne Family in America, 2nd ed. (Buena Park, California, published by the authors, 1997). Another Washburn reference is: Washburn, Mabel Thacher Rosemary, Washburn Foundations in Normandy, England, and America. Greenfield, Indiana: Wm. Mitchell Printing Co., 1953. Jane and William probably married in Bengeworth, but the parish register for that period is missing.

[34] No further record of Francis Nichols, Jr., has been found. Some Nichols researchers have suggested that he may have, in fact, come to America, and it was he at age 38 who married 17-year-old Anne Wines rather than his father at age 75. So far, no evidence has been found to answer this question conclusively.

[35] Richard Mills was known to have married a daughter of Francis Nichols, because his son Samuel Mills owned land bounded on the east by Isaac Nicholls, “by purchase from his uncle Caleb Nicholls” (Stratford land records, Volume 1, page 164). His wife’s name does not appear in any colonial records. Thompson suggests that the only possible candidates would have been Sarah and Margaret, and Sarah was the appropriate age.

[36] Ullmann, Helen Schatvet. Richard Mills, Seventeenth-Century Schoolmaster in Connecticut and New York. New England Historical and Genealogical Register 154:189-210, 2000. The author concluded, after extensive research, that Richard and Sarah (whom she had not identified by name but only as a daughter of Francis Nichols) had the four children listed, but no birth records have been found.

[37] The Isaac Nichols bible is in the Booth Museum, Stratford, Connecticut; it has birth dates for all of his children; see http://www.his.com/~pnichols/Bible_Lineage_1.html. Early Connecticut vital records are available in White, Lorraine Cook. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records. Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Pub. Co., 50 volumes, c 1994-c2002. Stratford records are in Volume 41. Vital statistics for 137 Connecticut towns to about 1850 are being published by the Genealogical Publishing Company. The records were originally copied by Lucius Barnes Barbour, Connecticut Examiner of Public Records from 1911 to 1934, a total of 14,333 typed pages.

• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Jan 18 2017, 17:26:55 UTC

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Nichols, a historic village in southeastern Trumbull on the Gold Coast (Connecticut) of Fairfield County, was named after Francis’ family who maintained a large farm in its center for almost 300 years The Nichols Farms Historic District, which encompasses part of the village, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Nichols was originally settled entirely as a part of the coastal settlement of Stratford, settled in 1639 By the early twentieth century, Nichols became an affluent suburb for the nearby cities of Bridgeport, Stratford and Shelton. The construction of the Merritt Parkway through Nichols Center in 1939, and the closing of local factories, turned the village into a bedroom community for lower Fairfield County.

https://minerdescent.com/2012/01/03/francis-nichols/

Sgt. Francis Nichols Reason This Information Is Correct: The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut," an article in the October 2000 edition of "The American Genealogist" [Vol. 75, No. 4, p. 267-271], concludes that the Sergeant was was born 1575 in Sedgeberrow, Worcestershire, ENG, son of John and Joan (?) Nichols (aka Nycholls, Nicolls) and grandson of Thomas and Elinor (?) Nycholls of Sedgeberrow. The article's author, Neil D. Thompson, a professional genealogist specializing in the English ancestry of American colonists, cites various parish registers, original wills and court proceedings to reconstruct the Sedgeberrow family (briefly as follows):

Generation No. 1. -- Thomas1 Nycholls of Sedgeberrow, b. abt. 1510; d. bet. 1558 - 1559; m. Elinor (?) abt. 1535. Elinor Nichols, widow, buried 08 Jun 1592 in Sedgeberrow. Their children: Julian, Margery, William, *John, Henry and Nicholas.

Generation No. 2 -- John Nichols, b. abt. 1542; d. bef. 06 Aug 1597; m. Joan (?). She bur. 29 Nov 1627. Their children (with baptismal and burial dates found Sedgeberrow parish registers, LDS film #0905307): *Francis, 25 May 1575; John, 3 May 1577; William, 03 Jan 1579/80; Goodith, 17 Mar 1581/82, bur. 27 Apr 1582; Henry, 13 Apr 1583; Elinor, 18 Aug 1586; Ann, 05 Sep 1590; and Elizabeth, 22 Sep 1592, bur. 19 May 1595.

Generation No. 3 -- Francis Nichols, bapt. 25 May 1575; m. Frances Wimarke 24 Jan 1599/00 in Sedgeberrow, Worcester, ENG. She was d/o Richard Wimarke and bapt. 02 Nov 1577, d/o Richard Wimarke. Children baptized and/or buried in Sedgeberrow: John, 16 May 1601; Jane, 03 Nov 1603; Henry, 19 Nov 1605, bur. 21 Dec 1606; Anne, 18 Oct 1606, bur. 25 Oct 1606; Margaret, 04 Jan 1608/09; Francis, 25 Aug 1611; Joseph (twin), 31 Aug 1614, bur. 2 Sep 1614; Jonathan (twin), 31 Aug 1614, bur. 4 Sep 1614; Sarah, 12 Nov 1615; Isaac Nichols, 27 Dec 1617 (date not given in article, but shown in parish register).

Isaac Nichols' baptism is the final mention of the family in Sedgeberrow.

GEDCOM Note

Disputed Origins ===Sargeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut was the son of John, and Not the son of Francis.

Sergeant Francis Nicholls of Stratford, Connecticut, 1639 and the Descendants of his Son, Caleb Nicholls by Walter Nichols in 1909 stated that Francis was the brother of Deputy Governor Richard Nicholls and therefore the son of Francis and Margaret (Bruce) Nichols. In 1932, Donald L. Jacobus, [TAG 9:9] criticized the pedigree by Walter Nichols, stating among other arguments that Richard, himself said that his brother Francis died in Europe, which we know is not true of the Francis of Stratford. In 1993, Barbara Nichols wrote "Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut was not a brother of Deputy Governor Richard Nicolls of New York" [TAG 68:113]. She examined original documents proving that Francis of Stratford was not the son of Francis and Margaret (Bruce) Nichols. In 2000, Neil D. Thompson revealed the true pedigree of Francis of Stratford in "The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut" [TAG 75:267] used as sourcing here.

Biography ==Francis Nichols (son of John, Thomas) was baptized on 25 May 1575 at Sedgeberrow, Worcester County, England. <ref name="TAG2000">Thompson, Neil D. "The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut." TAG 75:267. The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-; on AmericanAncestors.org online database by New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - . </ref>

Francis Nichols first married on 24 January 1599/1600 in Sedgeberrow, Worcester County, England to Francis [sic] Wimarke (bapt: 02 Nov 1577,daughter of Robert Wimarke). <ref name="TAG2000"/> There is no recordof her in New England, so she may have died before her husband emigrated. His whereabouts between 1627 (when his son Isaac was born in Sedgeberrow, and 1639 (when he is first known to have been in Stratford, Connecticut) are unknown. Histories of Stratford have suggested he went to London, England and belonged to the famous regiment of the Royal Horse Guards of Charles I,but no evidence whatsoever has been found to support that claim. Orcutt’s 1886 history indicated that he was one of the first 17 English settlers of that town, although later historians could not determine the identity or number of the first settlers. The earliest record of anyone known to be in Stratford is a 1639 order of the Connecticut General Court "to assigne Srjeant Nicholls for the present to trayne the men and exercise them in military discipline". Francis and his three sons, John, Isaac, and Caleb, were among the first seventeen settlers of Stratford, Connecticut. <ref name="TAG2000"/><ref>Orcutt, Samuel. A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Part I. Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1886 p 184</ref> They had settled at Pequannocke (Stratford, Connecticut) by 10 October 1639, at which time Sargeant Nichols was assigned to "trayne the men and exercise them in military discipline."<ref>Trumbull, J. Hammond. (transcriber). The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut Prior to the Union with New Haven Colony May 1665. (Hartford: Brown and Parsons, 1850.) AKA Colonial Records of Connecticut. Volume I. 1636-1665 Google Books p 36 </ref> Sgt. Francis Nichols owned land and lived for a time in Southold, LongIsland, New York, where he married secondly about 1649 to Ann Wines [b: c1632, daughter of Ann (Eddy) and Deacon Barnabas Wines of Southold, Suffolk County, New York]. Thompson suggests this marriage occurred around 1649, when Francis would have been nearly 75 years old and Anneonly about 17. By 08 Jan 1650/1 Francis Nichols was deceased, <ref name="TAG2000"/> apparently with no last Will. His estate inventory was taken on 16 Jan 1650 <ref> "Sergeant Francis Nicholls of Stratford, Connecticut, 1639 and the Descendants of his Son, Caleb Nicholls" by Walter Nicholls & Grafton Press of New York in 1909. </ref> showing he owned very little - a bed, bedding, some pots and pans, a few clothes, a bandoleer and sword, 5 bushels of Indian corn, 12 bushels of peas - total appraised value about £28. He left his young widow Anne with an infant daughter and she married secondly to John Elton of Southold, New York, and married thirdly to Capt. John Tooker of Setauket, Long Island, New York, and married fourthly to Col. John Youngs (cousin of her daughter Anna’s husband). Annewas still living on 4 March 1693/4. <ref name="TAG2000"/>

Children <ref name="TAG2000"/> ===# John Nichols, bapt: 16 May 1601 Sedgeberrow; d: 1655; m1: Esther ???; m2: Grace ???# Jane Nichols, bapt: 03 Nov 1603 Sedgeberrow; m: William Washburn (son of Martha & John Washburn) # Henry Nichols, bapt: 19 Nov 1605 Sedgeberrow; buried: 21 Dec 1606 Sedgeberrow# Anne Nichols, bapt: 18 Oct 1606 Sedgeberrow; buried: 25 Oct 1606 Sedgeberrow

1. Margaret Nichols, bapt: 04 Jan 1608/9 (no further record found)
2. Francis Nichols, bapt: 25 Aug 1611 (no further record found)
3. Joseph Nichols, (twin) bapt: 31 Aug 1614; buried: 02 Sep 1614.
4. Johnathan Nichols, (twin) bapt: 31 Aug 1614; buried: 04 Sep 1614
5. Sarah Nichols, bapt: 12 Nov 1615; m: Richard Mills# Isaac Nichols, b. say 1620; d. between 28 Sep 1694 and 5 Nov 1695; m. Margery _____
6. Caleb Nichols, b: say 1623; m: Anne Ward# Ann Nichols, (by wife#2) b: c1650; m: Christopher Youngs of Southold, NY.

DNA

Nichols Surname Project, Y DNA Haplogroup G-S2808

Sources

<references />* Thompson, Neil D. "The English Origin of Sergeant Francis Nichols ofStratford, Connecticut" The American Genealogist of New Haven, Connecticut; TAG 75:267; D. L. Jacobus, 1937-; AmericanAncestors.org online database by New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - . See also:

• Paul L. Nichols, 2002 "Archived websiteThe Nichols Family, webpage"
• Hawley, Elias. The Hawley Record (E. H. Hutchinson & Co. of Buffalo, NY in 1890) page 441
• Moffat, Abbot Low. The Pierreponts, 1802-1962 (Washington, 1962) page 4 <!-- Please edit, add, or delete anything in this text, including thisnote. Be bold and experiment! If you make a mistake you can always see the previous version of the text on the Changes page. -->