Martha Clark

Birth: Dec. 12, 1639 Tring, England Death: Oct. 13, 1719 Windsor Hartford County Connecticut, USA

Martha was born in Barhamstead, Co. Hertfordshire. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Pitkin.

She was the second wife of Simon Wolcott.

Children: Elizabeth Wolcott Cooley, Martha Wolcott Allyn, Simon Wolcott Jr, Joanna Wolcott Colton, Henry Wolcott, Christopher Wolcott, Mary Wolcott, William Wolcott, Roger Wolcott, and Daniel Wolcott.

Family links:

Spouses:

 Simon Wolcott (1625 - 1687)*

 Daniel Clark (1623 - 1710)*

Children:

 Elizabeth Wolcott Cooley (1662 - 1706)*

 Elizabeth Wolcott Cooley (1662 - 1706)*

 Martha Wolcott Allyn (1664 - 1687)*

 Simon Wolcott (1666 - 1732)*

 Joanna Wolcott Colton (1668 - 1755)*

 Henry Wolcott (1670 - 1746)*

 Christopher Wolcott (1672 - 1693)*

 Mary Wolcott (1674 - 1676)*

 William Wolcott (1676 - 1749)*

 Roger Wolcott (1679 - 1767)*

• Calculated relationship

Burial: Palisado Cemetery Windsor Hartford County Connecticut, USA

Created by: Bonnie Weller Record added: Jan 13, 2004 Find A Grave Memorial# 8275851 _____________________________

Martha Pitkin1

• d. 13 October 1719

Martha Pitkin married Simon Wolcott, son of Henry Wolcott Sr. and Elizabeth Saunders, on 17 October 1661.

Martha Pitkin married Daniel Clarke in 1689.

Martha Pitkin died on 13 October 1719.

Don Bergquist's narrative in Nutmegger about Martha:

". . . in 1661, Martha Pitkin, a young lady of reported charm and beauty, came to Connecticut unescorted, seeking to persuade her brother William, recently appointed King's Attorney for the colony of Connecticut, to return with her to London, . . . She arrived to find her brother feeding his pigs, and the remark she made then has come down in history: 'I left one brother in England serving his king, and found another in America serving his swine.' "

The elders and Martha's brother conspired to keep her in Connecticut and introduced her to Simon.

Children of Martha Pitkin and Simon Wolcott

• 1. Elizabeth Wolcott+ b. 19 Aug 1662, d. 31 Jan 1706/7
• 2. Martha Wolcott b. 17 May 1664
• 3. Simon Wolcott+ b. 24 Jun 1666, d. 28 Oct 1732
• 4. Joanna Wolcott b. 30 Jun 1668
• 5. Lt. Henry Wolcott+ b. 20 May 1670, d. 17 Nov 1747
• 6. Christopher Wolcott b. 4 Jul 1672, d. 3 Apr 1693
• 7. Mary Wolcott b. 1674, d. 1676
• 8. William Wolcott+ b. 6 Nov 1676, d. 26 Jan 1749
• 9. Gov. Roger Wolcott+ b. 4 Jan 1679, d. 17 May 1767

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Came to the New World in 1661 to visit her brother, and decided to stay!

• 1. Elizabeth (our line), b. 1662 Windsor CT, d. 1708 Springfield MA; m. Daniel Cooley 1680 Springfield MA.
• 2. Martha b. 1664 Windsor CT, d. 1687 Windsor CT; m. Lt. Thomas Allyn 1686 Windsor CT.
• 3. Simon Jr., b. 1666 Windsor CT, d. 1732 Windsor CT. He was one of the original proprietors of Tolland CT 1713 ; m. Sarah Chester 1689 Wethersfield CT.
• 4. Joanna b. 1668 Windsor CT, d. 1755 Springfield MA; m. John Colton 1690 Springfield MA.
• 5. Lt. Henry b. 1670 Windsor CT, d. 1747 South Wellington CT. He built a home at Windsor, still occupied by his descendants in 1810, and was one of the original proprietors of Tolland CT in 1713 where he later owned 400 acres; also owned land at Colbrook and Wellington; m. (1) Jane Allyn 1696, Windsor CT, m. (2) Rachel Talcott c. 1704 Windsor CT, m. (3) Hannah Hawley 1726. Hannah m. (1) Josiah Nichols 1678, m. (2) John 1692, m. (3) Henry Wolcott.
• 6. Christopher b. 1672 Simsbury CT, d. 1693 Windsor CT.
• 7. Mary b. 1674, Simsbury CT, d. 1676 Simsbury CT.
• 8. Daniel, b. 1676 Windsor CT, d.y.
• 9. William b. 1676 Windsor CT, d. 1749 South Windsor CT. He built a house at Windsor, where he lived until his death; m. Abiah Hawley 1704.
• 10. Gov. Roger b. 1679 Windsor CT, d. 1767 Windsor CT. He was apprenticed to a weaver at age 12, and by reading and self education gained admittance to the CT bar, built a home at Windsor in 1704, was chosen Selectman for Windsor 1807, Representative to the CT General Assembly 1709, member of the Bench of Justices in 1710, in charge of the Commissary on an expedition to Canada in 1711, appointed to the Governor's Council in 1720, he and seven others purchased 10,00 acres of land in Vermont for resale in 1720, Judge of the Hartford County Court 1721, Judge of the Superior Court in 1732, Deputy Gov. and Chief Justice of the CT Supreme Court in 1741, appointed Maj. Gen. for the Siege of Louisburg in 1745, Gov. of CT 1750-54; m. Sarah Drake 1702 Windsor CT.

MARTHA PITKIN. Born bef 12 Dec 1639 in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England. Martha was baptized in Berkhamstead, Hertfordshire, England on 12 Dec 1639. Martha died in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT on 13 Oct 1719; she was 79. Buried in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT. On 17 Oct 1661 when Martha was 21, she first married Simon WOLCOTT, son of Henry WOLCOTT & Elizabeth SAUNDERS, in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT. Born in 1624/1625 in England. Simon died in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT on 11 Sep 1687; he was 63. Buried in Windsor, Hartford Co., CT.

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From: http://www.rootsweb.com/~ctharbio/Pitkin_Albert.html

Commemorative Biographical Record of Hartford County, Connecticut, J.H. Beers & Co., 1901, pgs 40-41, in the article about William Pitkin

"His [William Pitkin] Martha married Simon Wolcott and was ancestress of five Governors."

MARTHA PITKIN WOLCOTT

East Hartford and South Windsor Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution bears the name of Martha Pitkin Wolcott. Although the useful life of Martha Pitkin Wolcott ended many years before the Revolutionary War, the ability, patriotism, and prominence of her family in the early history of Connecticut, and the distinguished services of her descendants in the Revolution, render her name a most suitable one with which to honor the chapter organized to carry on the work of the Daughters of the American Revolution in the old towns of East Hartford and South Windsor, in both of which she lived.

William Pitkin, the first of the name in this country, came to Hartford in 1659, and in the following year began teaching school. In 1664 he was appointed attorney for the Colony. He was a member of the General Court for many years and a prominent and influential man. In 1661 he bought land on the east side of the Connecticut River, and in the same year his sister Martha came to visit her brother in the wilderness in the hope of persuading him to return with her to England. Her brother Roger was an officer in the Royal Armv, and it is said that, when Martha Pitkin found her scholarly brother William laboring like a servant on his plantation, she exclaimed : " I left one brother serving his king, I find my other brother serving swine." She was twenty- two years of age, beautiful, accomplished, and witty ; and we can readily believe that her coming must have cheered and brightened the little colony struggling, through many hardships, to make a home in a new country. Dr. Thomas Robbins records in his diary, " This girl put the Colony in commotion. If possible she must be detained ; the stock was too valuable to be parted with. It \vasa matter of general consultation, what young man was good enough to be presented to Miss Pitkin. Simon Wolcott, of Windsor, was fixed upon and, beyond expectation, succeeded in obtaining her hand."

If this question became " a matter of general consultation," it is quite natural that the family of Henry Wolcott should be first considered. Henry Wolcott held an estate in England yielding a fair income, which he had freely used for the benefit of the expedition to the New England Colonies, which he had joined, not as an adventurer, but upon "a mission of civilization and Christianity." He was one of the first persevering settlers of the town of Windsor, a member of the first General Assembly held in Connecticut, and in 1643, he was elected to the House of Magistrates, as the State Senate was then called—a position which he held during his life. It is recorded that " after the pastor, he was the most distinguished man in Windsor."

We have also the tradition that two of the sons of Henry Wolcott were charmed with the visitor at Mr. Pitkin's house, and, rather than suffer from family quarrels and estrangement, that they decided to settle by lot the question as to which should ask for the hand of Martha Pitkin. The lot fell to Simon, the youngest and handsomest of the five brothers. The story is pleasingly told in a poem by Charles Knowles Bolton, from which the following is an extract:

' He took his brother's hand and said :

' Where we may not go on together

You shall go first, and all my prayers

Shall plead for you.' Then neither spoke.

The smell of pine trees filled the air.

And flowers beyond held waiting cups

Toward the gray sky.

" ' No,' said his brother,

1 No, Simon, you have loved as I,

And which of us could serve her best

For this world's happiness and that

To come, God knows, and his own will

Shall make decision. I will hold

This sweet wild rose and this poor weed

Behind me, one in either hand.

And he whom God knows would be best

For her, may he win her as he

Shall choose the rose.'

" The moon came full

Above the ominous clouds,

And from the boughs that swayed and swung

Across the narrow way, the birds

Looked out and twittered in the light.

The first house that foretold the town

Beyond, stood dim beside the road ;

No face looked out as these two men

Rode by, one wavering 'twixt joy

And pity, with the wild sweet rose

That he had drawn pressed close upon

His beating heart, and one benumbed—

A weed left in his outstretched hand."

Whether this scene is fact or fiction, the unpoctic records say that Simon Wolcott married Martha, Pitkin, " late of England," October 17,1661. Her life in the new world was one of hardships. In 1671 Simon Wolcott sold his place in Windsor and removed to Simsbury, where he had received a grant of land. This change proved most unfortunate, as the settlers were driven from the place by the Indians and their property destroyed. Even Mrs. Wolcott's pewter dishes, which her husband concealed in a swamp, could never be found. Mr. Wolcott fled with his family to Windsor, where he remained a few years, but rents were high and difficult to obtain, and he may have thought his growing debts more intolerable than the possible depredations of Indians on the east side of the river where he owned land. In either case, he ventured to move to his possessions on the east side in 1680.

The children of Martha Pitkin and Simon Wolcott were :

• I. Elizabeth, b. 19 August, 1662; m. Daniel Cooley of Longmeadow, Mass.
• 2. . Martha, b. 17 May, 1664; m. 6 January, 1686, Thomas Allyn of Windsor, Conn.
• 3. Simon, b. 24 June, 1666 ; m. 5 December, 1689. Sarah (dau. of Capt. John) Chester of Wethersfield, Conn.
• 4. Joanna, b. 30 June, 1668 ; m. 2 September, 1690, John Colton of Longmeadow, Mass.
• 5. Henry (Lieut.), b. 20 May, 1670; m. (i) i April, 1696, Jane (dau. of Thos.) Allyn of Windsor, (2) m. Rachel Talcotl.
• 6. Christopher, b. 4 July, 1672, unmarried.
• 7. May, b. 1674 ; d. 1676.
• S. William, b. 6 November, 1676; m. 5 November, 1706, Abiah Hawley of Windsor.
• 9. Roger (Gov.), b. 4 January, 1679 ; m. 3 December, 1702, Sarah (dau. of Job) Drake of VVindsor, Conn. 12

In the private journal of Roger, the youngest son of Simon and Martha Pitkin Wolcott, we find this record of their family life in South Windsor :

" In the year 1680 my fattier settled on his own land on the east side of the river, everything was to begin, few families were settled there. We had neither Minister nor school, by which it hath come to pass that I never was a Scholar in any school a day in my life : My parents took great care and pains to learn their children and were successful with the rest but not with me by reason of my extreme dullness to learn. On Sept. n, 1687, dyed my honrt father in the 62 year of his age : it was just before the coming of Sir Edmund Andross. It was generally expected that persecution for religion would soon ensue : it filled him with agonizing fears and excited his fervent prayers for deliverance, but God took him away from the evil he feared to come."

Though Martha Wolcott was left with six of her children to provide for, the land uncleared, the estate in debt, the journal adds "but we never wanted"—a short sentence which speaks volumes for the faithfulness and energy of the widowed mother.

Roger, who makes the above record, was only eight years old when his father died, but his education had not been neglected through all the disasters and privations of the family. Though he placed himself on record as a child of extreme dullness, he surmounted this obstacle by great exertion and became the most distinguished of Martha Pitkin Wolcott's sons. Again he savs in his journal :

"In 1707 I took my first step to preferment, being this year chosen selectman of the town of Windsor. In the vear 1709 I wa< chosen a Representative for that town in the General Assembly. In 1710 I was put on the Bench of Justices. ... In the year i/n I went on the expedition against Canada, Commissary of the Connecticut Stores. . . . In 1714 I was chosen into the Council. On the I3th day of October 1719, dyed my honoured mother Mrs. Martha Clark in the 8oth year of her age. She was a gentlewoman of bright natural parts, which were well improved by her education in the City of London. She came to New England in 1661, the same year she was marryed to my father. The rest of her useful life she spent in the wilderness doing good and setting an example of piety, prudence, charity and patience. In the year 1731 I was appointed judge of the County Court. In the year 1732 I was appointed one of the Judges of the Superior Court. . . . In the year 1741 I was chosen Deputy Govr of this Colony and appointed Chief Judge of the Superior Court. In the year 1745 I led forth the Connecticut troops in the expedition against Cape Breton and rec'1 a Commission from Govr Shirley and Govr Law for Major-General of the Army. I was now in the 691)1 year of my age and the oldest man in the army except the Revd Mr. Moody. ... In the year 1750 I was chosen Governor of the Colony of Connecticut."

Parents: Rev. William Pitkin and Elizabeth Pitkin

Married:

1. Simon Wolcott, Esq. (1624-1687) son of Henry Wolcott and Elizabeth Saunders, as his second wife.
2. Hon Daniel Clark (1622-1710)

Notes

[Hon. Daniel Clark] married for his second wife Mrs. Martha [Pitkin] Wolcott, sister of the famous lawyer William Pitkin of Hartford. She was the widow of Simon Wolcott, Esq., and cousin of five judges of the Pitkin family, of whom three were chief justices of Connecticut, and one was a judge in Massachusetts. She was mother of Gov. Roger Wolcott, a lawyer and judge of the Superior Court, whose wife was a granddaughter of Hon. Daniel Clarke.

Sources

• Notes on Simon WOLCOTT, wife Martha PITKIN and Some Ancestors
• Torrey, Clarence A, and Elizabeth P. Bentley. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co, 1985. p. 154
• Memorials of Connecticut Judges and Attorneys As Printed in the Connecticut Reports volume 62, page(s) 599-603: Obituary Sketch of James Griswold

Citations

• [1] Savage, James. 1860-62 re 1977. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England. 4 Vol. Gen. Publ. Co. (Wolcott v 4, p 620-624)
• [2] Burton W. Spear. 1985. Search for the Passengers of the Mary & John 1930. Vol 1. Passengers & their Children. p 1-80. (Wolcott p 64-5, 76-78)

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