William Phelps (c. 1599 – July 14, 1672) was a Puritan Englishman who immigrated in 1630 to the American Colonies. He was one of the founders of both Dorchester, Massachusetts and Windsor, Connecticut, foreman of the first grand jury in New England, served most of his life in early colonial government, and played a key role in establishing the first democratic town government in the American colonies. Noted historian Henry Reed Stiles said Phelps "was one of the most prominent and highly respected men in the colony.". Wikipedia

• Haplogroup R1b1a2
• The Origins of William Phelps

Name: WILLIAM PHELPS

Sex: M

Birth: 15 Aug 1599 in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England

Christening: 19 Aug 1599 Abbey Church, Tewkesbury, Goucestershire, England

Immigration: 30 May 1630 Landed in Boston on the Ship Mary and John

Event: Note 1636 He was a member of the first court held in CT, and the court of 1637, which declared war with the Pequots.

Occupation: Magistrate (Senator) serving 20 sessions, and Deputy

Residence: 1635 Helped to found the town of Windsor, Hartford County, CT

Death: 14 Jul 1672 in Windsor, Hartford County, CT

Note:

Notes:

married in CT according to one source; England according to Phelps website

Mr. Phelps, his wife, six children, and brother[?] George, then unmarried, emigrated to New England in the ship Mary and John, of four hundred tons burden, commanded by Captain Squeb, with one hundred and forty passengers. This company had been organized into a church and selected their ministes the day before sailing. They sailed from Plymouth, England, March 20th, 1630, arriving and landing at Nantasket, now Hull, Mass., May 30th, 1630. This company settled Dorchester, Mass., the first settlers and founders of that place. Mr. Phelps took an active position in town matters, and during the first six months was made a freeman.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

William Phelps Sr. was born say 1593 at Crewkerne, Co. Somerset, England.5 He was the son of William Phelps. William Phelps Sr. married Mary (?) say 1617. William Phelps Sr. married Anne Dover on 14 November 1626 at Crewkerne, Co. Somerset, England. William Phelps Sr. died on 14 July 1672 at Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.6

William was baptized in Tewkesbury Abbey on August 19, 1599, as son of William and Dorothy Phelps. He was twelve and his brother George was only five at the time of their father's death in 1611. Their mother died about two years later. There is no information on these brothers' lives in the next decade. William married about 1618, Mary (earlier texts say Elizabeth, see TAG), who may have been a Marshall. Their first son was baptized in Twekesbury on December 26, 1619.

They may have left then for Exeter, Devon, for Marian Merritt says William Phelps was from the county town of Exeter. When they sailed for American in 1630 they brought their six children. Mr. George E. Phelps lists these as born in Tewkesbury but McBride saw no baptismal records for them there. It is possible they were on some of the ruined sheets and certainly, if born at Exeter, must have been on their lost sheets.

NOTE: Later research, especially by Robert Charles Anderson, finds error with the above assertion that William was from Tewkesbury, but places him from Crewkerne.

William's Wives

Henry R. Stiles in his History and Genealogy of Ancient Windsor, states that William Phelps married first Elizabeth (---), who died in Dorchester, that he married second in Windsor, Mary Dover, and that she died on 27 Nov. 1675, he having predeceased her on 14 July 1672.

These statements are repeated by Phelps Fam. 1:72-86, Maude Pinney Kuhns (The Mary and John, and other works such as Spear (7:63), with the addition of the years 1635 for Elizabeth's death and 1638 for the marriage to Mary Dover. Charles Edward anks, however, gives the name of the wife with whom William Phelps emigrated as "Mrs. Anne Phelps," without, unfortunately, a citation (Planters p. 90).

No evidence has been found in American sources for these assertions. the Dorchester vital records do not include those families that left for Windsor before 1643 and have nothing on the death of any Phelps. Windsor records do not include the claimed marriage to Mary Dover, and we have no evidence of her first name. The death record simply names "William Phelps his wife".

The Crewkerne records prove that William Phelps had an apparent first wife, named Mary rather than Elizabeth, and that after her death he did indeed marry a Dover. The published assertion about mary dover may be a confusion of these two wives, or possibly the misapplication of an unidentified document in which Phelps mentioned a Dover as a relation.

Whatever the case, no evidence has been found for the claimed marriage to Elizabeth or for the claimed marriage to Mary Dover. The conclusion that the latter marriage occurred in 1638 probably came from the birth of Timothy, in August of September 1639. The gap of five years between Timothy and the last child Mary in 1644 suggests that Mary may have been a menopause baby.

THE MARY AND JOHN

The Phelps did sail from Plymouth about 40 miles from Exeter where they joined other families from the southwest counties of England led by the Rev. John White the "great patron of new England migration." The group selected John Maverick and John Wareham as their ministers. There is an inscription for Wareham in the Palisade Cemetery, Windsor, Connecticut. William Phelps was a member of the original congregation formed in England to establish its own colony and church in New England.

Before sailing they kept a solemn day of fasting, preaching and praying in the New Hospital in Plymouth. The party of 140 set out on March 20, 1630, in the Mary and John of 400 tons, described as Mr. Ludlow's vessel, with Capt. Squab, and arrived on May 30. A misunderstanding between the passengers and Captl. Squab led to the ship's company being put off at Natasket (Hull) instead of Charleston. Ten males set out afoot to Charleston Neck and Watertwon, were received, scantily fed and then returned to their group. They found pasturage for their sea-weary animals at Mattapan and named it Dorchester in honor of Rev. White and many of the group from Dorchester. of the man "past middle age and of good estates" were William Phelps, Henry Wolcott and Thomas Ford, and among the young men were Israel Stoughton, George Minot and Nathaniel Duncan. These families have a way of turning up in the Marshall family which is one clue that Elizabeth Phelps had been a Marshall. Their oldest son sailed to Barbgados in the company of other Marshalls soon after his mother's death.

Dorchester, Mass.

The Phelps stayed at Dorchester where, from the first, William Phelps was a prominent and highly respected citizen. On October 19, 1630, he applied as freeman. On November 9th he was on the jury for the trial of Walter Palmer for the murder of Austin Brotchus -- the first trial by jury in New England! He became Constable fo Dorchester on September 27, 1631, and on March 4, 1634, was appointed by the general court to go with a committee to arrange the boundary between Boston and Dorchester. On May 5, 1635, he was a member of the general court for Dorchester. From then on he has many mentions in both Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Windsor, Conn.

During this time the Dutch in New Amsterdam, having explored the Connecticut River to (now) Enfield Falls and wishing to have more settlers along the river to reinforce their settlements, sent an embassage to Plymouth. Soon each questioned the other's rights to be there and each reinforced their lines. In 1634 plans were made by the English to occupy the valley. In 1635 William Phelps was on a commission appointed to govern Connecticut as a separate colony. He signed the agreement with Mr. Prince of Plymouth for the Windsor lands, 7 miles west of the river, paying the Indians 2 coats, 40 shilllings in wampum for a third coat and 15 extra shillings. Later, not being able to prove full payment, he honestly bought it over again (1665) for 4 trucking coats or "whatever will satisfy."

William Phelps moved with his children to Windsor early in 1636. He had first built on the south side of a rivulet there with his brother George a little closer into the settlement. William's lot measured six rods wide, but "being drowned very deep in a flood of 1638" he removed to higher ground. When he moved to higher ground he described his new location as "bounded at one point 40 rods from my dwelling house where it is bounded South by a little brook that falls into the river (Farmington)." Samuel Phelps and John Bartlett witnessed the deed there. This was his meadow lot out on the Poquonock Road just before one comes to Stoughton House, the old stone fort.

William continued his responsible place in Windsor. As a member of the general court in 1637 he declared war against the Pequots. He was a magistrate from 1638 to 1642 and from 1658 to 1662 and foreman of the first grand jury in 1643. He was frequently mentioned as on the petit jury and in 1641 was appointed with a Mr. Welles of Hartford on a committee on lying! It is said that he was an excellent, pious upright man in his public and private life and truly a pillar of Church and State. By the time he had grown elderly and had a son of his name, he became known as "Ould Mr. Phelps" and as such the old church record enters his death on July 14, 1672, after a 42-year residence in New England of which 36 were spent in Windsor. He was buried on the 15th day of July. No probate has been found for William Phelps; he had probably distributed his property among his children before his death.

Children of William Phelps Sr. and Mary (?)

William Phelps b. c 1618, d. 17 Feb 1681/82

Richard Phelps

Samuel Phelps+ b. c 1621, d. 15 May 1669

Deacon Nathaniel Phelps+ b. c 1624, d. 27 May 1702

Infant Phelps b. b 8 Jan 1623/24

Children of William Phelps Sr. and Anne Dover

Cornelius Phelps

Mary Phelps b. c 1628, d. young

Joseph Phelps+ b. c 1628, d. 1684

Mary Phelps b. c 1629, d. young

Sarah Phelps b. c 1635, d. 10 Jul 1659

Lt. Timothy Phelps+ b. 1 Sep 1639, d. 1719

Mary Phelps+ b. 2 Mar 1644, d. 13 Feb 1725/26

Citations

[S55] Maude Pinney Kuhns, The MARY AND JOHN, Page. 198.

[S74] Nancy S. McBride, Phelps-Marshall Kinship, Page 10.

[S134] F.A.S.G. Fyrtle Stevens Hyde, "unknown short article title."

[S240] Peter Haring Judd, The Hatch and Brood of Time, Page 301.

[S135] Judge Oliver Seymour Phelps Phelps Family, 1:72.

[S209] Myrtle Stevens Hyde, "William Phelps."

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The first mention, yet discovered, of Andrew Moore, /\

of Poquonnock, Conn., is the record of his marriage, which is as

follows: "Andrew Moore & fara Phelpes yt was Dafter of

famuell Phelpes ware married by capten Newberry, february. 15,

1671."' Samuel Phelps was the son of William, the immigrant,

who came to Dorchester, Mass., in 1630, and thence to Windsor,

Conn., in 1636. He married Sarah (dau. of Edward) Griswold

Nov. 10, 1650, and "Sarah Phelps was born in March, the latter

end of 1653." (JV/ndsor Tcnun Record.') The Phelps family came

from Tewkesbury, England, on the ship Mary and John. Sarah

Griswold, b. Kenilworth, England, in 1628, came to America with

her father in 1639. The)' settled in Windsor, Conn.

-------------------- Phelps Entries in 'The Great Migration Begins'

First published in Phelps Connections newsletter, Volume 6, No. 1, Winter 1997, Page 409. By Margaret P. Swanson(1)

Info from the remarkable site http://family.phelpsinc.com :

William Phelps of Crewkerne had two wives (1) Mary ____, buried 1626, and (2) Anne Dover who probably accompanied him and children by both wives to Dorchester, Massaschusetts. William Phelps of Crewkerne, his wife, and six children "emigrated to New England in the ship Mary and John, of four hundred totes burden, commanded by Captain Squeb, with one hundred and forty' passengers. This company had been organized into a church and selected their ministers the day before sailing, as previously stated."

The long-awaited Volume III of "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633", by Robert Charles Anderson (Boston NEHGS: 1995) has finally been released. Of particular interest to many PC members are the Phelps items.

The first of these is Richard PHELPS, origin and date of immigration unknown, who is mentioned in only two records. The earliest is in Dorchester, MA, 1633, and mentions his fence as a boundary. The second entry is a fine for drunkenness in 1635-36. Anderson states that no evidence exists for the hypothesis that Richard had a relationship to William PHELPS or George PHELPS who also lived in Dorchester. Indeed he states the possibility that each incident refers to a different individual.

Numbers in brackets (e.g, [W19]) or prefixing names refer to the Phelps & Servin ancestral numbers. Any links are to the excerpts scanned from the original book.

The second item, William PHELPS, has a far more extensive entry and is of special interest to many PC members. Of special significance is the recognition of his origin as Crewkerne, Somersetshire, and his birth date, about 1593. Twenty five years was the approximate age of the first marriage of a man so his estimated birth was calculated from his marriage date. This marriage date is unknown but is presumed to have occurred by 1618, since he had a child baptized at Crewkerne, 9 September 1618. Mary ( ) PHELPS, the first wife, was buried at Crewkerne, 13 August 1626. She was the mother of four children, all baptized at Crewkerne: William [W19] bapt. 9 Sep 1618; Samuel [W21] bapt. 5 Aug 1621; infant, bur. Crewkerne, Jan 1623-24; and Nathaniel [W22] bapt. 6 Mar 1624-25.

William married 2) at Crewkerne, 14 Nov 1626, Ann DOVER. Ann was the mother of seven children: Cornelius, bapt. 13 Oct 1627; Joseph (a twin) [W23] and Mary (a twin), bapt. 13 Nov 1628; another Mary, bapt. 6 Dec 1629, all baptized at Crewkerne. The first Mary died soon after birth and there is no further record of Cornelius and the second Mary, both of whom are presumed to have died young. Ann had three additional children born in America: Sarah [W20], b. about 1632; Timothy [W24]; and Mary [W25]. The latter of the two were born in Windsor, CT. See "The American Genealogist" 65:161-166 (1990) for Myrtle Stevens Hyde's article which resolves the problem of the identity of the wives of William Phelps and contains all the Crewkerne records cited by Anderson.

Of special note is the omission of George PHELPS as an immigrant on the Mary and John. Two George PHILLIPS are identified as immigrating before 1633. The first was George PHILLIPS, minister, from Boxted, Essex, who migrated in 1630 to Watertown. The second is George PHILLIPS, origins unknown, who migrated to Dorchester in 1632 and subsequently went to Windsor in 1635. This George was born by 1592 (estimated birth date based on the age of his wife) and died at Windsor, 9 Jul 1678. He had no children. Anderson comments that the earliest record that can be assigned to George PHELPS with confidence is dated 6 May 1635 when he was admitted a freeman in Dorchester. He also states that the town clerks in both Dorchester and Windsor seem to have been quite precise in distinguishing between George PHILLIPS and George PHELPS, and in no instance in those two towns has a record been noted PHELPS was called PHILLIPS or vice versa. Anderson also mentions that there may have been a relationship between William PHELPS and George PHELPS, but that it remains unestablished.

Perhaps the most important conclusion to come from this Great Migration Study is recognition by a consensus of recognized genealogical scholars that William PHELPS of Massachusetts and Connecticut is NOT the William PHELPS of Tewkesbury records. Their conclusions reinforce those reached through the research done by Burt Spear and The Mary and John Clearing House which some have refused to accept.

Several family genealogies were listed in the key to titles used in more than one biographical sketch. Where a title is used in only one sketch, the full bibliographic entry was contained in the sketch. The Phelps Family in America by Oliver Seymore Phelps and Andrew T. Servin was not identified as a source. This is only one more indication that any statement it contains needs careful verification from records which were not available to the authors one hundred years ago. Certainly errors it contains should not be perpetuated when those errors are identified and supported with evidence from primary sources.

—Margaret P. Swanson, Genealogist

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^ 1 By Margaret P. Swanson "Phelps Entries in The Great Migration Begins," Phelps Connections newsletter. Volume 6, No. 1, Winter 1997, Page 409. Margaret Phelps Swanson is co-founder with Nancy Pennington of the Phelps Connections, the former family genealogy association, no longer in operation. Permission is granted to copy or reproduce information in "Phelps Connection" by any means with the following restriction:

All sources must be fully acknowledged.

Reproductions from this issue not to be sold for profit.

If any article is reprinted or edited, please send a copy before publication to either PC Newsletter Editor or PC Genealogist for proofreading. Also send a copy of article after it is published to the same PC officer.

A copy of these restrictions accompany each article copied.

-------------------- http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~steeles/Steele/d126.htm#P2021

William PHELPS(18764) was born about 1593 in Somerset Co., ENG.(18765) (18766)(18767) (18768) He immigrated on 30 May 1630 to Nantasket Bay, Plymouth Co., MA.(18769) (18770)(18771) He was a Magistrate between 1638 and 1642 in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT. (18772)

• He died on 14 Jul 1672 in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT. (18773) (18774)(18775) (18776) He arrived on the ship Mary & John. (18777)
• He was married to Mary (m. William Phelps) about 1617 in Crewkerne, Somerset Co., ENG. (18778)(18779)
• Children were:

1. William PHELPS,
2. Samuel PHELPS,
3. Nathaniel PHELPS.

• He was married to Ann DOVER on 14 Nov 1626 in Crewkerne, Somerset Co., ENG.(18780) (18781)(18782) (18783)
• Children were:

1. Cornelius PHELPS ,
2. Joseph PHELPS,
3. Mary PHELPS ,
4. Mary PHELPS,
5. Sarah PHELPS ,
6. Timothy PHELPS,
7. Mary PHELPS.

-------------------- William bpt. 19 Aug. 1599, Tewkesbury. (Phelps and Servin mistakenly believed that this William emigrated to Dorchester.)

• parents: William Phelps b 1560 & Dorothy

Children of William Phelps & Elizabeth _____(1) (Phelps and Servin p. 95)

1. Richard Phelps bpt. 26 Dec. 1619, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. He possibly died in England. There was a Richard Phelps on the Mary & John in 1630, but it is unknown if he was the one bpt. in 1619, or another, bpt, 26 Dec. 1609. in Tewkesbury, probably the brother of William & George. This Richard had a house in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1633 and he left for Barbados on 2 May 1635, Nothing more is known about him. If this was the Richard bpt. in 1619, he would have been only 14 in 1633 and 16 in 1635.
2. William Phelps Jr. born after 1520, England. m. (1) Isabel Wilson, June 1645 (1616-1674) pod. a sister of Robert Wilson of Windsor. m. (2) Sarah Pinney, 20 Dec. 1676, Windsor (b, 1648) dau. of Humphrey & Mary Hull (Finny 4). William d. 7 Feb. 1681, Windsor. The Phelps Gen. p. 87 says his first wife was prob. on the Mary & John in 1630, but no supporting evidence has been found. No children.
3. Sarah Phelps b. a. 1623, England. m. William Wade of Middletown, Connecticut. She d. 10 July 1650. No children.
4. Samuel Phelps b. a. 1623, England. m. Sarah Griswold, 10 Nov. 1650, Windsor, dau. of Edward Griswold (emigrant) of Kenilworth. England. She m. (2) Nathaniel Pinney. 1670 (Pinney 2). Samuel d. 15 May 1669, Windsor.

Notes

• William Phelps’ mother Dorothy in Tewkesbury, probated on May 5, 1617, mentioned a brother-in-law, Edward Phelps. His will in turn, probated on July 1, 1637, named as overseer of his estate his nephew, William Phelps, likely placing William Phelps of Tewkesbury in England and not across the Atlantic in the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Links

• Identity and Family of William Phelps of Tewkesbury, England

William Phelps and Mary Dover [Phelps]

Husband William Phelps, Marriage Between 1637 and 1638 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Death Jul. 14, 1672 Connecticut, USA Burial Jul. 15, 1672 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

• Parents: UNPROVEN - William Phelps (#2876) (James2, Richard1) and Dorothy James [Phelps] (#59) (Henry1)

Wife Mary Dover [Phelps] (#1471)

Birth 1610 County of Gloucestershire, England

Death Nov. 27, 1675 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Burial Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Children

1 Timothy William Phelps (#2875)

Gender Male

Birth Sep. 1, 1639 Connecticut, USA

Wife Mary Griswold [Phelps] (#1976)

Marriage Mar. 19, 1661 Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

Burial 1719 Hebron, Tolland, Connecticut, USA

Death About 1719 Connecticut, USA

Notes on William Phelps (#2877)

!Marr/1 Elizabeth in England, she died in 1636, Dorchester, Ma, 7 chi. "Search for the Passengers of the Mary & John, 1630", Vol 7 pge 63 to 84.

Chi;

Richard b 26 Dec 1619; William Jr., abt 1620; Sarah abt 1623; Samuel abt 1623; Nathaniel abt 1627; and Joseph abt 1629; all b Tewkesbury,

Glochester. Elizabeth died in the spring of 1636, Dorchester, Ma. See Vol 7 p 63.

Notes on Timothy William Phelps (#2875)

!"SEARCH for the Passengers of th Mary & John 1630", Vol 7, page 73; In 1707 he was a Lt. in Capt. Matthew Allyn's company of the Queen Anne's

War. Became a Lt. in 1690, chosen by his troops of Windsor to be their Capt., in 1696. 12 chi

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