Edward Shipman, Sr.

Evidence needed to support Edward Shipman, Sr. as the son of Edward Shipman (died 1621) and Mary Shipman.

Edward Shipman

• Birth: between 1625-1633 in England
• Death: 15 Sep 1697, recorded at Saybrook, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America
• Parents: unknown
• Husband of Elizabeth (Comstock) Shipman — married 1 Jan 1651 in Saybrook, Connecticut
• Husband of Mary (Chandler) Shipman — married 1 Jul 1663 in Saybrook, Connecticut
• Father of Elizabeth (Shipman) Hopson, Edward Shipman II, William Shipman, John Shipman, Hannah (Shipman) Whittlesey, Samuel Shipman, Abigail (Shipman) Butler, and Jonathan Shipman

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Biography

Updated 25 August 2023

“EDWARD SHIPMAN, the Settler, came to America with Englishmen who were seeking liberty to worship God as they chose. Edward settled at Saybrook, Connecticut which was founded as a refuge for Puritan noblemen who were persecuted in England.”

Edward was born between 1625 and 1633 in England, “by tradition of Hull in Yorkshire,” and was the first Shipman to emigrate to America, in 1639. He died September 15, 1697 in Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut.

His origins are not known. Edward Shipman seems to have been in the early settlement of Saybrook, Conn. According to one account, he came to Saybrook with Theodore Fenwick, Hugh Peters and John Davenport. According to another account "Edward I, the orphan child of a religious refugee, came to America in 1639, sailing from Hull, England in the care of George Fenwick." “but if this is correct, he must have been a young child.” (Cutter).

Edward lived in the north part of Saybrook, then called Pataconke or Pattaquonk, now Chester. His name was spelled Shipton in the early records of Saybrook, but later the name is spelled Shipman, and all the family follow that spelling.

It is said that Edward Shipman (1) was a taylor after reaching America. He was admitted as a freeman in 1667, which implies he was a member of the Church. It was the year after, under terms of the will of Sachem Joshua Uncas, he received 3,000 acres in sight of Hartford. Two others received similar endowments.

By 1672 was a Townsman (Selectman), the equivalent of a present day Councilman. He amassed sizeable landholdings during his lifetime. In addition to his other land acquisitions, he received 5 acres for his services in the Narragansett War. Edward's lands included "Shipman Pond" later called the Guilford Reservoir and still (1961) owned by the Connecticut Water Company.

We have records of Edward's possessions' being passed on to his children as follows: In September 1697, Edward Shipman presented to his sons by deed of gift - to his two sons William and Edward, land - to his son John, after his decease "My new dwelling house" in Saybrook, "one-half my barn, my orchard, one-half my yards, and one-half my garden, one-half my home lot" and other lands. To his son Samuel "my old dwelling house and one-half my Seller under my new house and one-half my barn and land after my death - the same privileges my son John shall have after my death."

Family

Edward Shipman married twice, and had three children by his first wife and five by the second.

Edward Shipton was married to Elisabeth Comstock (bef 1631-15 July 1659), in the beginning of January, 1650/51. She was the daughter of William Comstock and his wife Elizabeth.

Children of Elizabeth Comstock and Edward Shipman, recorded at Saybrook:

1. Elizabeth, b. May, '51; (1652-1683). Married John Hobson on December 3, 1672 in Guilford, Conn.
2. Edward, b. about the middle of February, '54; (1654-1711). Married Abigail.
3. William, b. June, '56 (1656-1725). Married Alice Hand (1670-?) on November 26, 1690 in Saybrook, Conn.

“His wife d. about the middle of Jully, 1659.”

Edward Shipton was married to Mary (Chandler) Andrews, “this first of Jully, 1663.” Her parents are not known. She was divorced, with freedom to remarry, from William Andrews, Jr., on 16 Oct. 1661. Her daughter Mary Andrews was born 14 Jan 1650 at New Haven, married 10 Aug 1676 to John Pratt.

Children of Mary (Chandler) Andrews and Edward Shipman, recorded at Saybrook, were:

1. John, b. about the 5 th of Aprill, 1664; (1664-1718). Married Martha Humphries or Humphrey.
2. Hanah, b. about the middle of February, 1666 ; (1666-1752) m. 1. John Large, m. 2. Lt. John Whittlesey (1665-1754), Saybrook, Conn. - 7 children.
3. Samuell, b. 25 December, 1668; (1668-1713) m. Hannah ? - at least 1 child
4. Abigail, b. in the beginning of September, 1670; (1670-1750) m. Thomas Butler II on August 6, 1692 - at least 1 child
5. Jonathan, b. in the middle of September, 1674.

“Edward Shipman, senior, dyed 15 September, 1697.”

His widow Mary Shipman died before 30 August 1704 when her estate was probated.

Notes

Edward Shipman Sr was among several men named in the will of Joshua Uncas, Sachem of Monheag, to receive 3000 acres of land each. NEHGS 13:235.

http://ntgen.tripod.com/bw/comst_index.html. Shows

1 William Comstock 1595 - 1683 .. +Unknown 1595 -
2nd Wife of William Comstock: .. +Elizabeth [Daniel?] 1608 -
3rd Wife of William Comstock:
.. +Which Wife Mom, ? 1595 -
........... 2 Elizabeth Comstock 1633 - 1659
............... +Edward Shipton/Shipman 1633 -

Torrey has his first marriage: Edward (-1697) & 1/wf Elizabeth COMSTOCK (-1659); beginning of Jan 1651, Jan 1650/1; Saybrook, CT {Snow-Estes 1:445; Reg. 4:140; Dawes-Gates 2:733; Beckwith Gen. 28; Southworth 45; Noyes-Gilman 170; Miner Anc. 92; Dunham-Boyd 247, 253}

The second marriage is under Shipton: Edward (-1697) & 2/wf Mary ANDREWS (-1704), div wf William; m/2 _____; 1 Jul 1663; Saybrook, CT {Saybrook CT VR 1, 112; Reg. 4:140; Dawes-Gates 2:733; Dunham-Boyd 247, 255; TAG 18:123, 24:54}

The second marriage is in NEHGR 4:140. Some records are spelled Shipton.

Comments

• Birth was previously shown as April 08, 1625 Hull, Yorkshire, England with no supporting evidence. Removed date 24 August 2023.
• Birth also seen as Between 1627 and 1629 Kingston Upon Hull, Yorkshire, England. "Traditional" place of birth - unproved!

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Edward Shipton, then Shipman, in Saybrook Vital Records

Source: Vital Records of Saybrook, 1647-1834 (Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, 1952) Page 7 < Archive.Org >

The Saybrook Colony (1635-1644) was an English colony established in New England in late 1635 at the mouth of the Connecticut River which today is Old Saybrook, Connecticut. Saybrook was founded by John Winthrop, the Younger, son of John Winthrop the Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Winthrop the Younger was designated Governor by the original settlers, including Colonel George Fenwick and Captain Lion Gardiner.. … Early settlers of the colony were ardent supporters of Oliver Cromwell and of democracy. By 1638, the plans for Saybrook were abandoned. The sponsors remained in England and played their respective political and military roles in the English Civil War and its aftermath. As a consequence, the colony struggled and, by 1644, the colony merged with the more vibrant Connecticut Colony a few miles up river.

Source: Wikipedia contributors. "Saybrook Colony." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 23 May. 2023. Web. 25 Aug. 2023.

From Hebron’s History: The Beginning

In a footnote, [historian Benjamin] Trumbull also wrote that “By the last will of said [Joshua] Uncas, [Attanwanhood, son of Uncas] all the lands in Hebron were bequeathed to Thomas Buckingham, Esq. William Shipman and others, called the Saybrook legatees.” We finally have a direct link between Attawanhood, the Saybrook Legatees, and Hebron’s original founders. Edward Shipman, a veteran of King Philip’s War, must have been in Attawanhood’s close circle, due to the 3000 acres bequeathed to him “in sight of Hartford,” and being one of the larger parcels granted in Attawanhood’s will to individual colonists. Edward Shipman died on September 15, 1697. That leads us to William, son of Edward and his first wife, Elizabeth Comstock. William was born on June 6, 1656 or 1657, in Saybrook and married Alice Hand on November 26, 1690. There can be no doubt that William Shipman was one of Hebron’s original founders, especially since his name is incorporated into the legend of Prophet’s Rock and he is referenced by Benjamin Trumbull, a dedicated historian born just ten years after Shipman passed away who surely be familiar with his town’s earliest settlers. It is also believed that Shipman was Hebron’s first “minister,” as described in Trumbull’s History of Connecticut. William and Mary’s daughter, also named Mary, is believed to be the first white girl born in Hebron, either in 1706 or 1707. William Shipman, one of our founding fathers as a direct result of the relationship between his father and Attawanhood, died in Hebron on September 9, 1725 at the age of 67.

Source: The Hebron Historical Society, Hebron, Connecticut < link >

References

1. “Shipman Family History.” (2010). < link >. “Most of the information below comes from
   1. The Shipman Family in America by Mrs. Wayne E. Carl (1962). < GoogleBooks >; < PDF >
2. “The Identity of Mary (Andrews) Shipman," TAG, 24:53 (document attached).
3. “William and Elizabeth (Daniel?) Comstock of Lyme, Conn.” < link >
4. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shipman-24 (accessed 24 August 2023) shows birth as 1625 and attached parents, Edward Shipman and Ann Beardsley, no supporting evidence for origins. Citations include:
   1. New England historical and genealogical register: by Waters, Henry F. (Henry Fitz-Gilbert), 1833-1913; New England Historic Genealogical Society. Volume IV. (1850). Page 140 < Archive.Org > [This last is in a later hand, and shows the change in spelling the name.]
   2. "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QP7K-PQHF : 15 April 2022), Edward Shipman or Shipton, 15 Sep 1697; citing Death, Saybrook, New London, Connecticut Colony, British Colonial America, Compiled by Lucius A. and Lucius B. Barbour, housed at State Library, Hartford, Connecticut; FHL microfilm 008272246.
5. Vital Records of Saybrook, 1647-1834 (Connecticut Historical Society, Hartford, 1952) Page 7 < Archive.Org > “Elizabeth Comstock m. Edward Shipton of Saybrook in Jan., 1651, and d. July, 1659. She is supposed to be the daughter of William.” (1)
6. Southworth, with collateral lines : Buckingham, Collier, Kirtland, Pratt, Shipman : ancestral record of Henry Martyn Lewis by Barnes, Harriet Southworth Lewis, 1860- (1903) https://archive.org/details/southworthwithco00barn
7. Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918 (1911) Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut: Genealogical and Family History of the State of Connecticut: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation, Volume 2, Part 2. Page 601 < Archive.Org >; < GoogleBooks >
8. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Comstock-151 cites
   1. the St. Margaret's Church Record, accessed 26 Dec 2016 (bad link) All London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 results for Elizabeth Coomestocke
   2. Source: #S39
   3. Source: #S329 Page: New London Vital Records
   4. SAYBROOK BARBOUR RECORDS, Transcribed by Coralynn Brown. http://dunhamwilcox.net/barbour/saybrook_barbour_r-s.htm
   5. Comstock, Cyrus B., 1907. A Comstock Genealogy: Descendants of William Comstock of New London, Conn., who died after 1662. The Knickerbocker Press, New York, NY. page 4. < Archive.Org >
9. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chandler-391
10. https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/vitals/KN4D-2SX (accessed 24 August 2023) shows birth as 1633 and does not attach parents. Citations include:
    1. Family History book (A History of the Burr Pioneers). “Son of Edward Shipman.”
    2. 1651 Edward Shipton, "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850"
    3. 1652 Edward Shipton in entry for Elizabeth Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    4. 1654 Edward Shipton in entry for Edward Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    5. 1656 Edward Shipton in entry for William Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    6. 1664 Edward Shipton in entry for John Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    7. 1666 Edward Shipton in entry for Hannah Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    8. 1668 Edward Shipton in entry for Samuel Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    9. 1670 Edward Shipton in entry for Abigail Shipton, "Connecticut Births and Christenings, 1649-1906"
    10. 1674 Edward in entry for Jonathan Shipton, "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850"
    11. 1725 Edward Shipman, "Connecticut, Deaths, 1640-1955"
    12. 1725 Edward Shipman in entry for William Shipman, "Connecticut, Vital Records, Prior to 1850"
11. The Hebron Historical Society, Hebron, Connecticut < link > accessed 25 August 2023.
12. https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/shipman/dna-results
    1. https://www.familytreedna.com/public/Shipman?iframe=yresults turquoise group R-M269 DYS = 24 “Edward Shipman b. 1633 d. 1697”