James Hamlin

Emigrated as a child with father James

Source: Adrienne Anderson chart of Scandinavian Norman Descent of Hamblins

James Hamblin Jr. aka Hamlin, Hamblen, Hamlen, Hamling

James came to Barnstable MA with his family before 1642. The family settled on a farm at Coggins Pond.

Governor Thomas Prence and his party relentlessly oppressed the Quakers, while the opposition party was more tolerant. When Gov. Prence took vengeance on the leaders of the opposition party in 1660, a number of dissatisfied people at Barnstable sought greater freedom. On 4 June 1661 the General Court granted them permission to purchase lands from the Indians, and a company from West Barnstable set out in quest of new homes. This company included Jonathan Hatch, Isaac Robinson, John Chapman, John Jenkins, James Hamblin, Mr. Thomas, Samuel Fuller, Thomas Lothrop, Anthony Annable, Peter Blossom, William Nelson, James Cobb, Samuel Hinckley, and Thomas Ewer. Robinson had a letter of recommendation from the church in Barnstable to that in Martha's Vinyard, indicating that as their destination; but instead they settled at Succonessett (Falmouth, MA), opposite Martha's Vinyard. James Hamlin's name is on the list of the first proprietors of Falmouth, 29 November 1661. The proprietors were the owners of the town, but not necessarily the actual settlers there. Hatch and Robinson settled at Falmouth, but most of the others, including James Hamblin Jr., returned to Barnstable, or never left in the first place.

At a town meeting on 3 October 1663 at Barnstable it was decided that sons of present inhabitants should be received as inhabitants with full privileges when they turned 24 or when they married, whichever came first. James Hamlin was one of those admitted at that time. (He had married 20 November 1662.)

James was mentioned frequently in the Plymouth Colony records. On 29 May 1670 James Hamblin is listed as a freeman. On 5 June 1671 he was appointed, with two others for the town of Barnstable, to inspect the ordinaries (taverns) "For the prevention of great abuse by the excessive drinking of liquors ..." He was a member of the Grant Enquest in June 1682.

James and his wife were members of the church in Barnstable in 1683.

In 1683 he served on a jury charged with bounding the County road and the town highways.

James Hamblen is named in his father's will, dated 23 January 1683.

Rev. Thomas Walley, the minister at Barnstable, died 24 March 1678. In 1683 the town gave the widow the right to have and enjoy that land and swamp near her land at Stoney Cove. James Hamblin consented to a way across his land in the Calves' Pasture, to the beach and creek.

James was on the list of freemen of Barnstable as late as 1689.

James farmed at Coggin's Pond until in 1702, when he homesteaded 500 acres of land in West Barnstable, an area which came to be known as "Hamlin Plains". Trayser called the area "the best farmland east of the Connecticut valley." The house James built there remained until the early 1900's. His son Ebenezer then occupied the old homestead.

Golding & Johnson write: "The homestead at Hamlin Plains included a lake three miles in circumference, filled with bass, perch and pickerel. Corn and pumpkins grew abundantly on the fertile soil. Come harvest, the family waited for a windy day, and then put the pumpkins in the lake to float them to market."

S. M. Hamlin, writing many years after the fact, gave this description of James: "James Hamlin was typical of the Hamlins, in person, large blue eyes, bushy eyebrows, broad shoulders, light complexioned. In character honest, courageous, original, deeply religious, work-loving, home-loving and believing in education. He had a strong mind in a strong body. It seems to run in the breed of Hamlins to pick strong women."

By the time James wrote his will, in 1717, he claimed residence in Tisbury, in Dukes County, MA. He described himself as "late of the town and county of Barnstable." In his will, he states that his children, Mary, Eleazar and Experience are referred to as being then deceased in 1717; and infers that his children Elisha, John and Benjamin were also dead, from the fact that neither of them nor any child of theirs is mentioned in the will.

He made a sizeable number of bequests, beginning with: "Principly and first of all I give and comend my Imortal Soul into the hands of God through Christ his Son: who I trust both Redeemed and will save it through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant. And my Body I recommend to the Earth to be buried in decent Christian manner, at the Discretion of my executor..."

James had already distributed large portions of his land and meadows, houses and commonage in Barnstable to his sons James, Jonathan, Ebenezer and Elkennah Hamlin. These sons, therefore, received two shillings apiece, while son Job was bequeathed sixty pounds. Daughter Hope Case, wife of William Case of Tisbury, and daughter Scudder, wife of John Scudder of Barnstable, were to divide his remaining household goods. To his four grandchildren, children of son Eliazar Hamlin deceased, James willed five pounds apiece. To his eight grandchildren, children of daughter Experience Jenkings deceased, James willed nine pounds twenty shillings apiece to seven, but to Thankful, wife of Isaac Taylor, he gave forty shillings. His grandchildren James and Ebenezer Shuball, sons of his daughter Mary Davis deceased, received forty shillings apiece. He remembered his four daughters-in-law -- Ruth, wife of James; Sarah, wife of Ebenezer; Abigail, wife of Elkennah; and Ester, wife of Jonathan -- with twenty pounds apiece. James' brother Israel Hamlin of Barnstable; his wife's sisters, Lidia Barrow and Mercy King of Plymouth, were also remembered in the will; as were Jean Kelley, his former servant at Barnstable; and Rev. Mr. Jonah Tory, Minister of Tisbury. The remaining money and goods were to be divided between daughter Elizabeth and son Job.

3. JAMES4 HAMLIN (JAMES3 HAMLIN/HAMBLEN/HAMBLIN, GILES2 HAMELIN,

JOHN1 HAMELYN) was born Abt. 1636 in Reading, Berkshire, England, and died 1717. He married MARY DUNHAM 20 Nov 1662 in Barnstable, daughter of JOHN DUNHAM and MARY/DOROTHY. She was born 1642 in Plymouth, and died 19 Apr 1715.

Children of JAMES HAMLIN and MARY DUNHAM are:

• i. MARY5 HAMBLIN, b. 24 Jul 1664, Barnstable,
• Plymouth, Massachusetts; m. BENJAMIN HATCH, 17 Jun 1678; b. 07 Sep 1655; d. Abt. 1736.
• 8. ii. ELIZABETH HAMBLIN, b. 14 Feb 1666, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. Jan 1743, Chatham.
• 9. iii. ELEAZER HAMLIN, b. 12 Apr 1668, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 1698.
• 10. iv. EXPERIENCE HAMBLIN, b. 12 Apr 1668, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• 11. v. JAMES HAMBLIN, b. 26 Aug 1669, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• vi. SON HAMBLIN, b. 28 Mar 1672, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 07 Apr 1672.
• 12. vii. EBENEZER HAMBLIN, b. 29 Jul 1674, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• viii. ELISHA HAMBLIN, b. 05 Mar 1677, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 20 Dec 1677.
• ix. HOPE HAMBLIN, b. 13 Mar 1680, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; m. WILLIAM CASE, 09 May 1712.
• Notes for WILLIAM CASE:
• --of Tisbury, Massachusetts;--
• x. JOB HAMBLIN, b. 15 Jan 1681, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• xi. JOHN HAMBLIN, b. 12 Jan 1683, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• xii. BENJAMIN HAMBLIN, b. Abt. 1685, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
• 13. xiii. ELKANAH HAMBLIN, b. Abt. 1685, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 1764.
• 14. xiv. JONATHAN HAMLIN, b. 06 Mar 1671, Barnstable, Plymouth, Massachusetts; d. 22 Jun 1743 .

2. JAMES2 HAMBLEN (James1) was born circa 10 Apr 1636 at St. Lawrence, Reading, Berkshire, ENG. He married Mary Dunham, daughter of John Durham and Abigail ?, on 20 Nov 1662 at Barnstable, MA. He died on 3 May 1718 at Tisbury, MA. Children of James2 Hamblen and Mary Dunham were as follows: 7. i. MARY3 HAMBLEN was born on 24 Jul 1664 at Barnstable, MA. She married Benjamin Hatch, son of Jonathan Hatch and Sarah Rawley, on 17 Jun 1678. She died in 1682. 8. ii. ELIZABETH HAMBLEN was born on 14 Feb 1664/65 at Barnstable, MA. She married John Scudder, son of John Scudder and Hannah ?, on 31 Jul 1689. She died in Jan 1742/43 at Chatham, MA, at age 77. 9. iii. ELEAZER HAMBLEN was born on 12 Apr 1668 at Barnstable, MA. He married Lydia Sears, daughter of Paul Sears and Deborah Willard, on 24 Oct 1690 at Harwich, MA. 10. iv. EXPERIENCE HAMBLEN was born on 12 Apr 1668 at Barnstable, MA. She married Thomas Jenkins, son of John Jenkins and Mary Ewer, on 24 Aug 1687. She died in 1717 at Barnstable, MA. 11. v. JAMES HAMBLEN was born on 26 Aug 1669 at Barnstable, MA. He married Ruth Lewes, daughter of George Lewes and Sarah Jenkins, on 8 Oct 1690. He died on 22 Jun 1743 at Barnstable, MA, at age 73. Page 1 12. vi. JONATHAN HAMBLEN was born on 6 Mar 1670/71 at Barnstable, MA. He married Esther Hamblen, daughter of John Hamblen and Sarah Bearse, on 6 Mar 1704/5. He died on 22 Jun 1743 at age 72. vii. INFANT HAMBLEN was born on 28 Mar 1672 at Barnstable, MA.15 He died on 7 Apr 1672.16 13. viii. EBENEZER HAMBLEN was born on 29 Jul 1674 at Barnstable, MA. He married Sarah Lewes, daughter of George Lewes and Sarah Jenkins, on 4 Apr 1698. He died on 8 Apr 1755 at Sharon, CT, at age 80. ix. ELISHA HAMBLEN was born on 15 Mar 1676/77 at Barnstable, MA.17 She died on 20 Dec 1677.18 x. HOPE HAMBLEN was born on 13 Mar 1679/80 at Barnstable, MA.19 She married William Case on 9 May 1712. xi. JOB HAMBLEN was born on 15 Jan 1680/81 at Barnstable, MA.20 xii. JOHN HAMBLEN was born on 12 Jan 1682/83 at Barnstable, MA.21 xiii. BENJAMIN HAMBLEN was baptized on 16 Mar 1684/85.22 He died before 1717. 14. xiv. ELKANAH HAMBLEN was born on 16 Mar 1685 at Barnstable, Barnstable, MA, USA. He married Abigail Bearse Hamblen, daughter of John Hamblen and Sarah Bearse, on 13 Apr 1711. He married Margaret Bates on 11 Aug 1734. He died in 1764 at Barnstable, Barnstable, MA, USA.

James Hamblin. Born: 10 Apr 1636 in Reading, Berkshire, England. Died: 03 May 1718 at Tisbury, Dukes, Massachusetts.

Father: James Hamblin. Mother: Ann Scott.

Spouse: Mary Dunham. Married: 20 Nov 1662 at Barnstable, Barnstable, Massachusetts. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=47095919" target="_blank Delbert Bauer)]

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Apr 15 2018, 11:13:05 UTC

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• Reference: FamilySearch Genealogy - SmartCopy: May 12 2021, 20:50:13 UTC