Edward Larkin, of Rhode Island

Not a known son of of John Thomas Larkin and Ann Mehitable Larkin

---

Disambiguation

Edward Larkin of Rhode Island is sometimes confused with Edward Larkin of Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay Colony. There is no known evidence connecting the Larkin family of Rhode Island and Larkin family of Charlestown.

Biography

Extracted from https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Larkin-360

“ … we find Edward Larkin, the immigrant, in Rhode Island in 1655. His oldest daughter Sarah married a Thomas Brand in Stonington, Connecticut, in 1672 and his daughter Mehitable married a Richard Swaite there in 1673. No evidence as yet has been found to link these men with the Mildenhall Larkins, Brands, and Swaites."

"...Edward appears to have had a first wife about whom nothing is known. His three known daughters, Sarah, Mehitable and Hannah, assuming that they were about twenty when they married, must have been children of the unknown wife. No record of the death of a first wife or the birth of any of his children has been found.

"His wife of record is Lydia, whose surname has not been learned [4]...Born about 1640, she would have been about twenty-five years younger than Edward. His marriage to Lydia took place probably between 1660 and 1663, although no record has been found.

Children of Edward Larkin and his unknown first wife:

1. Sarah Larkin, born between 1648 and 1652 probably at Newport, Newport, RI. Married Thomas Brand.
2. Hannah Larkin, born abt1658 at Newport, Newport, RI. Married John Ballou.
3. Mehitable Larkin, Born about 1654 in Newport, Newport, RI. Married Richard Swaite (or Sweet)

Children of Edward Larkin and his second wife, Lydia:

1. Edward Larkin, Jr., born 18 Mar 1668 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island. Married 1) Elizabeth Hall 2) Mary Cottrell
2. John Larkin, born about 1670 in Westerly, Kings, Rhode Island. Married Rebecca.
3. Roger Larkin, born 1671 in Stonington, New London, Connecticut. Married 1) Hannah Babcock 2) Elizabeth 3) Rebecca Knight
4. Stephen Larkin, born about 1676 in Westerly, Washington, RI

Comments

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Larkin-360

”Although purely speculative, there is the possibility that Lydia might be a Wilcox. The association of a much older man, Edward Larkin, with Stephen Wilcox, b. 1634, and the naming of a son Stephen might indicate a relationship. The given names of the children of Daniel Wilcox (b. 1632): Sarah, Stephen, John, Edward, and Thomas, appear also in the family of Edward1 Larkin.”

---

birth: 1616 / 1617 , Eng? death: 1687 / 1689 of Westerly R.I.

Notes (1)

i had him d. aft 1720/22, of westerly ri, , but if he was b. 1616/17, that cannot be correct. i am using eliz larkin's est of his death. see larkin geny, p 1.

Westerly was once called Misquanicut. Westerly appears to be abt 12 mi form Stonington CT.

1669 June, King Phillip, Sachem of Mt Hope lands (Indian), put swine on Hog island unlawfully, and the inhabitants of Newport Co. warned him with a letter to move them off the Island.

1675 Dec 19, The great Swamp Fight decided the fate of King Phillip's War, many slaughtered in S. Kingstown R.I.

Edward died aft June 1687. May have d. before 1721, when Edward Larkin, his son, sold Voluntown CT land. Sold to Nathaniel Gallop. Edward Larkin was app't Adm of Estate of Edward Larkin Jr. in 1723, (believed to be the immigrnt Ed Sr.)

Bk2 Westerly Probate gives Inventory of the Estate of Edward Larkin Jr. in 10 Oct. 1727. 30 Oct 1727 Thos. Brand, Guardian to wd and children of Edward Larkin, deceased.

1731-36 Westerly Wills , Bk 2 p. 386, Edward Larkin s/o Edward Larkin Jr, dec'd, late of Westerly , POA of father's Real Estate. 1737 Westerly Wills Edward Larkin Jr. immigrant will proved. 1743 May 30, division of land of Edward Larkin Jr , late of Westerly, into 5 equal shares, exclusive of widow's third. Thus 5 children shared his estate.

One question I have is that sometimes a younger man of the same name is sometimes called Jr. , even when not s/o of Sr.

Children by unknown first wf as I have listed them, is based on age of Lydia as 30 in 1671, b. abt 1641, and 14 yrs younger than husb. acc. to her own deposition. (I have Lydia b. ca 1641 and Ed b. 1616, which is 26 yr difference in age. Did I mess this up? One Lydia (__) married Edward Larkin 1654, as mentioned in Stonington CT deed. Chronicles etc. mentioned this without citing the deed and without definitely linking Edward Larkin there, to our own Edward Larkin. 1676 deed of Edward and Lydia Larkin in Stonington CT may be the item mentioned just above here.

Westerly R.I. was settled beginning 1660. Edward was a first settler there. Edward in Newport R.I. 1655, Freeman in 1655. In 1663 he was Royal Commissioner there.

1660 Edward Larkin sold his Newport land and purchased land in Westerly, acc. to Eugene Larkin, who says John Clarke's brother does the same.

Edward Larkin purchased land 1661 in Hopkinton R.I., which was originally part of Westerly. 800 acres. 1669 May 18, Edward being an inhabitant of Westerly.

Edward and wf Lydia Larkin in Stonington Ct had deed there in 1676 . Stonongton is 5 mi from Westerly.

Edward Larkin in Westerly 1661, owned land, 1669 inhab. Oath of Allegiance to King Chas. II in 1671, 1679. 1679 oath of allegiance to King Chas. II.; also Town Councillor. Had 2 wives. First wf unknown. Freeman 9 Sep 1661, 1/4 share of land in Westerly 1800 acres. 1663 Commissioner from Newport to General Court of Commissioners, Town counselor.

1675 one Edward Larkin was soldier in King Philip's War, Narraganset fight.- awarded land Voluntown CT , lot 176 and 155 Cedar Swamp for that service. Voluntown CT is not on my modern road atlas .

The Great Swamp Fight in 1675 during King Philip's War was in N. Kingstown R.I., abt 50 miles from Westerly R.I. Were Naragansett fight and Great Swamp fight different?

1671, Edward Larkin and John Mackoone had to state as to their fidelity to this English Colony, to Cromwell. Journal American-Irish History 1909 Soc'y believed this meant that they were Irish Immigrants. ( I think I saw an article in one of the leading Periodicals whicch stated that this was bunk, but not sure).

1685 Edward V. Larkin p. 708, History of Stonington Ct, Edward Larkin signed a document re: Estate of John Babcock, who had wf Mary.

1687 Edward Larkin , Member Town council June 1687 Westerly. This is last item where Edward was recorded.

Edward and Lydia Larkin 6 March 1676/7 Bk 2, p. 88, Edward Larkin of Stonington CT, owned 50 acres land south side of Chechechuesutt Brook , middle of brook, being the north boundary, and bounded west by John Fairfields land and south by the Commons and east by Thos. Bell; Edward making all his right, title etc to John Babcock of the same town, reserving only a cart way thru the land on the side adjoining Fairfield for himself; sold. Both signed by mark. Witn. James Pendleton and John Stanton. Recorded 28 Dec 1677 by John Stanton. (Stonoington deeds online).

add the depostion of Edward and Lydia Larkin which gives their ages. See Eliz Larkin's mss. Eugene Larkin found it in The Public Records of the Colony of CT 1636-1775, in V. 2 footnotes p 166. 15 vols publ.

Add the quitclaim deed 1679 of Carew Clarke, brother of Dr. John Clarke, which mentions that John had sold land to Edward Larkin, altho no date of the orig. deed was mentioned in the quitclaim. Cite author Eliz. Larkins ref. Eugene Larkin cites film 094730 R.I. records.

Much info taken from Larkin Chronicles, V 3.

---

Eugene Larkin correspondence with Bob White believes that Ed Larkin 1, our immigrant, was son of Ed Larkin who married 1616, to Alice Bugge in St. Marys Church Mildenhall Sussex Eng. No children . for that couple were bpt. in that church. Eugene explains that as no bpt for a non conformist would have been performed in the church, BUT would the church marry a non conformist? Edward larkin of Mildenhall was there 1629 and 1638 when he was an able man. There was an English Civil War 1642-1649. Fact. No child or grchild of our immigrant Ed Larkin named a child Alice. Caveat.

Eugene also tries to link Edward Larkin who married in 1616 to a poss. father Edward Larkin, bpt 10 March 1581 in Timworth, 4 mi from Bury St. Edmonds and 12 mi east of Westhorpe. This Edward was s/o Robert and Isabell Wardlye Larkin who m. 17 Oct 1574. Other children of this couple were John bpt. 27 April 1578 and robt bpt 15 Jan 1586.

He bases these events on the vicinity of England where Dr. John Clarke came from, who sold to Edward Larkin, our immigrant, land in Newport RI. John Clarke was b. Westhorpe Suffolk Eng 12 mi E. of Bury St. Edmonds by River Lark. He went to Boston 1635 and then to R.I. with Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson.

Our Immigrant Edward Larkin lived nr John Clarke in Westerly R.I. later.

Eugene Larkin says that R.I. was neutral during the King Phillips War and did not participate in the conflict.

John Clarke was a non conformer who went to England ca 1650/51 to negotiate a charter for R.I. re: boundary dispute with CT, and was in England til 1664. Clarke returned to Westerrly R.. and died there in 1667. A bk, John Clarke and His Legacies, by Sydney V. James, p 55 publ 1999 is cited by Eugene Larkin. Clarke had to raise money for his time in England because Newport RI underfunded him. This was abt the time that Ed ward Larkin purch land from Clarke. Eugene thinks Edward Larkin bought the land sight unseen while in England., but Elizabeth Larkin mss thought the land was purchased BEFORE Clarke went to England.

References

• https://www.ancestry.com/genealogy/records/lydia-wilcox-24-1htsgyx lists parents in error
• https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LHJ6-GZF/lydia-wilcox-1640-1710 names her Lydia Wilcox with no evidence shown
• Jane Fletcher Fiske, Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, “Edward Wilcox of Lincolnshire and Rhode Island, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, (147:188-191). Does not list Lydia as a daughter of Edward-1 and Susanna (Thompson) Wilcox.
• Edward Larkin of Rhode Island, Freeman of Newport 1655 and of Westerly 1664. The first Six Generations, Elizabeth Brock Larkin. McNaughton & Gunn, Incorporated, for Bruce D. Larkin, 2004 - Massachusetts - 474 pages. < GoogleBooks > (in copyright)
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/G8N8-KWP

​*https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/3987-LJX

• "Pedigree Resource File", database, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.2.1/3987-LJX : accessed 2013-07-18), entry for Edward /Larkin/ Sr..
• Elizabeth B. Larkin. Edward Larkin of Rhode Island: Freeman of Newport 1655 and of Westerly 1664. The First Six Generations. i-xxii, 475 pp. illus. bibliography. 2004.
• R1b-P312 See Larkin project for Y haplotype R1b1a2a1a1b http://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/larkin/%5Bfield_page_path-raw%5D
• Also listed at find a grave http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=32696054
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Larkin-360 cites
• [1] Records of the Colony of Rhode Island, at Rhode Island Archives, 1 [1636-1663], 301.
• [2] Private Controversies, at Connecticut State Archives, 1:92: Reynolds v. Armstrong.
• [3] Westerly, R. I. Town Records, 1 [1616-1706/7], 65, 13.
• [4] George Madison Bodge, 'Soldiers in King Philip's War', 3rd ed. (Boston, 1906), 442-46.
• [5] Voluntown Deeds, 2: 159/60.
• "Edward Larkin of Rhode Island - Freeman of Newport 1655 and of Westerly 1664 - The First Six Generations" By Elizabeth Brock Larkin
• Rhode Island Court Records, Records of the Court of Trials of the Colony of Providence Plantations', Volume 2 (1662-1670) (Providence Rhode Island Historical Society, 1920), 70, 71, 74-76".
• "Chronicle of the Larkin Family of the Towne of Westerlie and Colony of Rhoad Island in New England". Number 1, 1908.
• In And About Westerly , By Thomas A. O'Connell.
• The First Hundred Years, Published by the Larkin Family Association by William H. Larkin, Jr., LaPorte, Ind
• Westerly Town Records, 1:6 rt."
• NEHGR Volume 90 - Page 364