Richard "The Builder" Stockton

Richard "The Builder" Stockton, c.1665-1709

Most researchers show this Richard Stockton as Richard "The Builder" Stockton and they show his father as Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton. DNA appears to show that this New Jersey Stockton family is connected to the Wybunbury, County Cheshire, England, Stockton family. It appears that there is NO evidence that Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton was a son of John "of Malpas" Stockton, and that there is NO evidence that Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton was a descendant of any of the Malpas Stocktons. There is NO known connection between the Richard Stockton family of New Jersey and Stockton-On-Tees, County Durham, England. There IS very good evidence that Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton was a nephew of Thomas Stockton, MD, who lived in or near London, England.

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WILL OF RICHARD "THE BUILDER" STOCKTON, 25 JUNE 1709

"By his will, dated June 25, 1709, Richard Stockton divided his estate in the following manner: To his eldest son, Richard, 300 acres of land; to his second son, Samuel, 500 acres; to the third son, Joseph, 500 acres; to the fourth son, Robert, 500 acres; to the fifth son, John, 500 acres; and to the sixth son, Thomas, 600 acres at Oneanickon which had been left him by his father, and 140 acres besides. The meadows were to be divided equally among the five elder sons. To his mother, Abigail Stockton, who had been well provided for by his father, he left twenty shillings a year; and to his loving wife, Susanna, all his dwelling plantation until his son, John, became of age, and then she was to have the use of half the house and improvements during her natural life, with all the residue of his estate, both real and personal, and the use of all his negro slaves except Dinah, whom he gave to his brother-in-law Philip Phillips. Each of his sons, upon coming of age, was to have a slave. The family seat, "Morven," was devised to the fifth son, John."

This abridged version of Richard Stockton's 25 June 1709 will is from: The Stockton Family of New Jersey and Other Stocktons, by Thomas Coates Stockton, M.D., 1911

This Richard Stockton, who died in 1709, is now known as Richard "The Builder" Stockton as he built the first Stockton family home in Princeton. His father, also a Richard Stockton, is now known as Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton. As the parents of Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton are unproven, and the name "Richard Stockton Sr." could be wrong.

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Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Administrations, Etc, A. (Abraham) Van Doren Honeyman, Calendar of New Jersey Wills, Vol. I 1670-1730, p.443

1709 25th d. 4th m. (June). Stockton, Richard, of Middlesex Co.; will of. Wife Susanna. Mother Abigall Stockton. Children—Richard, Samuel, Joseph, Robert, John, Thomas; brother Philip Philips. Land, 300 acres betw. John Horner and Henry Greenland, 300 a. at the rear of John Horner, 600 a. on the other side of Stoney Brook, 200 a. adjoining the meadow betw. Benj. Randell and William Holding, 1000 a., part of it the home farm, 400 a. at Ananicke, inherited from the father, 150 a. more undescribed. Personal property (negro slaves). The wife sole executrix with John Stockton, Samuel Wilson and Benjamin Clarke as trustees of the will. Witnesses—Thomas Lescitor, Jane Stoughton, Henry Mashon, Joseph Worth, John Killey, Benjamin Clarke. Proved August 15, 1709. Lib. I, p.242

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WILL OF RICHARD "THE EMIGRANT" STOCKTON, 25 January 1705

In the name of God, Amen:

I, Richard Stockton, being sick and weak of body but sound of memory, do make and ordain this my last Will and Testament in manner and forme following:

First , I bequeath my soule into the hands of Almighty God and my body to be buried at the discretion of my executors hereafter named, in hopes through the merrits of Jesus Christ to obtain a joyfull resurrection.

Item, I give to my son Richard after the decease of my wife four hundred ackers of land to him and to his heirs and assignes forever.

Item, I give to my son Job my plantation and all the improvements with four hundred ackers of land to him and to his heires and assignes forever, not to possess it till the decease of my wife; only in consideration of the said improvements my said son Job shall pay to Abigail the daughter of my son [son-in-law] Richard Ridgway the sum of ten pounds within a year after he enjoys the said plantation, and if uppon a resurvey of the whole twelve hundred ackers there happen to be any overplus, my will is that my son John shall have one-third part thereof joyning on his four hundred ackers which I formerly gave him, and the other two-thirds to be equally parted between my said sons Richard and Job.

Item, I give to my dear wife Abigail all my personall estate with the use of my plantation during her life, and after her decease the said personall estate to be equally divided between my five daughters, Abigail, Mary, Sarah, Hannah and Elizabeth; and I do make and Constitute my said wife Abigail my sole Executrix of this my last will and testament, revokeing all other wills and testaments heretofore made, as witness my hand and seale this 25th day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand and seven hundred and five.

[ SEAL] Richard (his R mark) Stockton.

Signed, sealed, published and declared in the presence of us.

William Earle (WE) his mark,

Thomas Ridgeway (T) his mark,

Daniel Leeds.

Burlington, 10th, 8 mo., 1707.

Then appeared before Richard Inglesby, Esqr., Lieutenant Governor of her Majesties Provinces of New Jersey, New York, &c., Daniel Leeds, Esqr., one of the witnesses to the within written will, and made oath on the Holy Evangelists of Almighty God that he saw the Testator sign, seal, and publish the within instrument to be his last will and testament, and that at the time of the publishing thereof he was of sound and perfect understanding and memory to the best of this deponent's knowledge and beliefe, and that at the same time he saw Thomas Ridgeway and Wm. Earle sign the same as witness thereto in the presence of the Testator.

Richard Inglesby.

The reason Richard’s signature was by his mark was, of course, because of his advanced age and feebleness. He was in full possession of his mind, but weak. His son Richard died, at an advanced age, two years later, in 1709.

[There is no evidence that Richard "The Builder" Stockton died at an advanced age. This "died at an advanced age" theory was first put forward by John Wharton (J. W.) Stockton in his 1881 book and repeated by Thomas Coates Stockton, M.D., in his 1911 book. J.W. Stockton wrote that Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton was baptized in 1606, so a son of his would probably be quite old in 1709, However, it appears that Richard "The Emigrant" was born about 1635, and his son Richard "The Builder" was born about 1665 in Flushing, Long Island, New York, and died in 1709 at about age 44 leaving several minor children as mentioned in his will.

A History of the Stockton Family, 1881, by J.W. Stockton
"Richard Stockton, the second, resided on his plantation at Princeton a number of years, and independent country gentleman, and died at an advanced age in 1709."

If Richard "The Builder" Stockton died at an "advanced age" in 1709, as J.W. Stockton wrote in 1881, they his father who died just two years earlier would also have been at an advance age.

Jerry J. Stockton]

Children of Richard and Abigail Stockton

• *2. Richard 2.
• *3. John 2, b.1674.
• *4. Job 2.
• *5. Abigail 2.
• *6. Mary 2.
• *7. Sarah 2.
• *8. Hannah 2.
• *9. Elizabeth 2, b. 1680.

The Stockton Family of New Jersey and Other Stocktons, by Thomas Coates Stockton, M.D., 1911

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Richard "The Builder" Stockton, by ____?____

[The information in square brackets was added by Jerry Stockton.]

Richard ["The Builder"] Stockton, son of Richard and Abigail Stockton, was born in England and removed with his parents to Flushing. [There is no evidence that Richard "The Builder" Stockton was born in England. It appears that he was born about 1665 in Flushing, Long Island, New York.] He also accompanied them to New Jersey, but settled first at Piscataway [Township] in Middlesex County. [Piscataway Township was an extremely large area at that time and appears to have included what is now Princeton.] In August 1696, he purchased from Dr. John Gordon a tract of 400 acres of land on the North side of Stony Brook, bounded on the east by Washington Road and the land of John Horner, on the west by the Olden tract and on the north and south by the Main Street and Stony Brook. This land includes all of what is now the campus of Princeton University and the grounds of the Theological Seminary.

In 1701, he purchased from William Penn, for the sum of 900 pounds, an estate of about 6,000 acres on Stony Brook, of which the present town of Princeton is nearly the center.

By reason of his large possessions, as well as by his character, Richard Stockton held an important place among the early settlers. He and a number of his associates who formed a settlement upon this tract were the first white or European settlers in the district. A portion of his estate called "Morven" remained in the family for 250 years. Between the years 1701- 1709 he built this fine old house which remained in the family all those years. It is the oldest house in Princeton with the possible exception of "The Barracks" and has an interesting history. The house suffered considerably at the hands of the British soldiers during the Revolution. Many distinguished visitors have been entertained within its hospitable walls, among them General Washington, who was a frequent visitor.

On November 8, 1691, Richard Stockton married Susanna [nee Witham] Robinson who was born November 29, 1668. She was the daughter of Robert and Ann Witham and the widow of Thomas Robinson. Richard Stockton died in July 1709, while his children were all under age. His widow was married for the third time to Judge Thomas Leonard of Princeton, but they had no issue. She died in April 1749.

By his will, dated June 25, 1709, Richard Stockton divided his estate in the following manner: to his eldest son, Richard, 300 acres of land; to his second son, Samuel, 500 acres; to the third son, Joseph, 500 acres; to the fourth son, Robert, 500 acres; to the fifth son, John, 500 acres, and to the sixth son, Thomas, 600 acres at Oneanickon which had been left to him by his father, and 140 acres besides. The meadows were to be divided equally among the five elder sons. After providing generously for his mother, Abigail, and his wife, Susanna, he devised the family seat, later named "Morven", to his fifth son, John.

It is interesting to note that Morven was left to the fifth son, unusual as in those days the first son was most always the principal heir. The reason for this departure from the norm was that John was born in August 1701--the year that the house was partly finished (the main part of it ). Having been born in August of 1701, John was left the house because he was the first child to have been born in the house. [Although Richard's son John was the first born in Morven it is not clear this was the reason the house was left to him.]

Children of Richard Stockton and Susanna (Witham-Robinson) Stockton

Richard - b. 1693, d. 1760, m. Esther Smith of Long Island, NY, in 1717. They had two children.

Samuel - b. 1695, d. 1739, m. First Amy Doughty (two children) and Second Ruth Stout (six children).

Joseph - b. May 10, 1697, d. March 15, 1770, m. Elizabeth Doughty (sister of brother Samuel's first wife). They had ten children.

Robert - b. 1699, d. 1744, m. twice; Name of first wife unknown. They had seven children; Name of second wife was Rebecca Phillips, m. 1740, one son.

John - b. August 8, 1701, inherited "Morven".

Thomas - b. 1703, d. unmarried. He inherited considerable property from his father, all of which was sold during his minority.

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NOTE: Although some researchers show that Richard "The Builder" Stockton was the father of Davis Stockton (c.1685-1761) of Albemarle County, Virginia, y-DNA proves they are NOT related. y-DNA does prove that Davis Stockton was closely related to Robert Stockton (c.1680-1747) of Pennsylvania.

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All of the above Richard "The Builder" Stockton information is from Jerry Stockton

jerrystockton8@msn.com

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IN 1701, HE PURCHASED FROM WILLIAM PENN AN ESTATE OF 6000 ACRES WHICH INCLUDED THE ENTIRE PRESENT BOROUGH OF PRINCETON,WHERE HE SETTLED IN AUGUST, 1695 AND BUILT "MORVEN" WHICH HAS BEEN THE FAMILY HOMESTEAD TO THIS DAY.

[StocktonA.FTW]

He was marr. to Susanna Roberson Witham 8 Nov 1691. The follo wing info was taken from a book "Colonial Familes in the United States. Rich ard accompanied his father from England to Long Island 1656. In 1701 he purch ased from Wi lliam Penn an estate of 6000 acres which included the entire pre sent borough of Princeton, wh ere he settled in Aug, 1695; built "Morven" whi ch has been the family homestead for over 21 5 years 1701-1916 and which is n ow occupied by his gr., gr., gr., gd. son Bayard Stockton; H e md. 8 Nov 1691 to Susannah Witham Robinson who was born 29 Nov 1668 and died April 1749 an d daughter of Robert and Ann Witham and widow of Thomas Robinson.

• ********* *********************************************************** The following info was taken from the Stockton Family Web Page 5/23/99.

Richard Stockton (?-1709 ) Richard Stockton, son of Richard and Abigail Stockton, was born in England and removed with h is parents to Flushing. He also accompanied them to New J ersey, but settled first at Piscataw ay in Middlesex County. In August 1696, he purchased from Dr. John Gordon a tract of 400 acre s of land on the North side of Stony Brook, bounded on the east by Washington Road and thelan d of J ohn Horner, on the west by the Olden tract and on the north and south by the Main Stree t and Stony Brook. This land includes all of what is now the campu s of Princeton University a nd the grounds of the Theological Seminary. In 1 701, he purchased from William Penn, for the sum of 900 pounds, an estate of about 6,00 0 acres on Stony Brook, of which the present town of Princeton is nearly the center. By reason of his large possessions, as well as by his chara cter, Richard Stockton held an imp ortant place among the early settlers. He and a number of his associates who formed a settlem ent upon this tract were the first white or European settlers in the district. A portion of h is est ate called "Morven" remained in the family for 250 years. Between the years 1 701-1709 h e built this fine old house which remained in the family all those years. It is the oldest ho use in Princeton with the possible exception of "T he Barracks" and has an interesting history. The h ouse suffered considerably at the hands of the British soldiers during the Revolution. Many d istinguis hed visitors have been entertained within its hospitable walls, among them Ge neral W ashington, who was a frequent visitor. On November 8, 1691, Richard Stockton married Susanna Witham Robinson who was born November 2 9, 1668. She was the daughter of Robert and Ann Witham and the widow of Thomas Robinson. Rich ard Stockton died in July 1709, while his children were all under age. H is widow was marrie d for the third time to Judge Thomas Leonard of Princeton , but they had no issue. She died i n April 1749. By his will, dated June 25 , 1709, Richard Stockton divided his estate in the following manner : to his eldest son, Richard, 300 acres of land; to his second son, Samuel, 500 acres; to th e third son, Joseph, 500 acres; to the fourth son, Robert, 500 acres; to the fifth son, John , 500 acres, and to the sixth son, Thomas, 600 acres a t Oneanickon which had been left to hi m by his father, and 140 acres besides . The meadows were to be divided equally among the fiv e elder sons. After pr oviding generously for his mother, Abigail, and his wife, Susanna, he d evise d the family seat, later named "Morven", to his fifth son, John. It is inter esting to note that Morven was left to the fifth son, unusual as in those day s th e first son was most always the principal heir. The reason for this depa rture from the norm w as that John was born in August 1701--the year that the house was partly finished (the main part of it). H aving been born in August of 1701, John was left the house because he was the first child t o have been born in the house. Children of Richard Stockton

[StocktonA.FTW]

A Mary Francis gave me the following info. email is: mari.f rancis@odyssey.on.ca 5/21/99

"I found the record of Susannah Witham's marri age to Thomas Robinson, in 1691. It seems he died soon after and then Susannah and Richard Stockton requested permission from the Chesterfield MM, to marry. The request was at first turned down but later they were given permission to marry. I believe their marriage took place in late 1691 or early 1692 ( with the dating system that was used at the time it can be out by a few months). No reason was given for the refusal of permission to marry for Richard and Susannah. But, I wondered if it was because it was so soon after Thom as Robinson's death? The info that I have shows that Richard Stockton an d Susannah moved to Stoney Brook, New Jersey in 1696. Richard later purchased a large tract of land from William Penn. Stoney Brook, eventually became Princeton, New Jersey. I also have a record of the will of Thomas Robinson. Susannh was the executrix of the will. It mentions an expected child, but I have never found any record of this child."

DEFINITE BIRTH PLACE in dispute: England, Ireland, and New York all have at least three references, but New York has the most, which is why I went with it.

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[Find A Grave copyrighted bio has been removed by copyright holder.]

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=107396181

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In his 1888 book, The Stockton Family in England and the United States, William Francis Cregar wrote that he thought it was "highly probable" that Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton (c.1635-1707) was a grandson of Randall Stockton and a son of Richard and Dorothy (nee Bridger) Stockton of London. Richard and Dorothy did have a son Richard, however, that Richard Stockton died in the county of Surrey, England, and his will, dated 27 June 1665, proves that he was not the same person as Richard "The Emigrant" Stockton (c.1635-1707) who died in Burlington County, New Jersey.

Sources

• History of the Stockton family, Philadelphia, 1881, by John Wharton Stockton
• Ancestry of Samuel Stockton White, D.D.S., 1888, by William Francis Cregar
• The Stockton Family in England and the United States, 1888, by William Francis Cregar
• The Stockton Family of New Jersey and Other Stocktons, 1911, by Thomas Coates Stockton, M.D.

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• Residence: Springfield, Burlington, New Jersey, United States - Jan 25 1705
• Residence: Princeton, Mercer, New Jersey, USA - 1895
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Nov 30 2017, 19:11:06 UTC

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Y-DNA proves that Richard Stockton of New Jersey was NOT the father of Davis Stockton of Albemarle County, Virginia.

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Stockton Genealogy by Stephen F. Stockton

Use of DNA Results in Conjunction with Existing Genealogical Research Copyright, Stephen F. Stockton, Bloomington, Illinois USA; July 1, 2004

Stockton. The Stockton surname derives from England, but is now also found in several former British colonies. There are telephone listings for over 7000 Stockton households in the United States, and the surname is well represented in Canada and Australia.

The meaning of the name is probably connected with some settlement in a wooded area; that is, the first "Stocktons" probably resided in some type of log structure, or stockade. In old English, "stoc" means the cut trunks of a tree, and "tun" means a structure or settlement. In a play on this meaning, one of the family coats of arms is decorated with three tree stumps.

The name was recorded in the 11th -century Domesday Book as the manor of "Stochetone" in Shropshire, and an Adam de Stocton (roughly translated as "Adam of the cut tree settlement") was mentioned in an 1196 document. There are several small settlements called Stockton in England, but the name was historically concentrated in three areas of England: (1) southern Cheshire and northern Shropshire, (2) Yorkshire and the former Cleveland area, and (3) Essex, Middlesex, and London. There are records showing that many of the London-area Stocktons came to that place in the late middle ages, when many rural residents came to the City to learn a trade.

DNA studies may allow us to map some of the early branches of the family. For example, we now know that a branch from the Cheshire-Shropshire area has genes normally associated with a Norman origin. The ancestors of this line may have accompanied William the Conqueror when he defeated King Harold at Hastings in 1066, and could have been rewarded with one of the most valuable spoils of war - land. Of course, at that time, they probably did not have the surname "de Stocton", and may have had no surname at all.

Three main branches of the Stockton family have been identified in the United States: New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. There are others as well, as evidenced by the results of the Stockton DNA Project.

There have been some efforts to link the New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Virginia branches. One hypothesis was that the Pennsylvania and Virginia branches were descendents of unrecorded children of Richard Stockton, the immigrant who established the New Jersey branch in the middle 1600's. This theory seemed unlikely and is not supported by the recent DNA evidence.

However, DNA is supportive of another anecdotal story: that the founder of the Pennsylvania branch, Robert Stockton, and the founder of the Virginia branch, Davis Stockton, were brothers. Our DNA results cannot prove that they were brothers, but does show that they had a common male ancestor, which is consistent with the possibility of that sibling relationship.

New Jersey Branch of the Stockton Family. Richard Stockton, the founder of the New Jersey Stocktons, was first recorded in America at Visslingen, near the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam, in November, 1656. He is recorded in a number of records there after that date, and he was one of about two dozen signatories to the Flushing Remonstrance, which was an early demand for freedom of religion in America. Just as New Amsterdam became New York, Visslingen was renamed Flushing when the British assumed control of the area in 1664. Richard Stockton's village is today part of the New York City borough of Queens, and home to the New York Mets baseball team.

It has been variously claimed that Flushing's Richard ("the Emigrant") Stockton was from all three of the main English Stockton areas: London, Yorkshire-Durham, and Cheshire-Shropshire.

Colonial Families of the United States of America, George N. MacKenzie, editor (New York, 1907), states that Richard was descended from Randall Stockton of London, who was himself from Cheshire. New Jersey Biographical and Genealogical Notes from the Volumes of the New Jersey Archives (New Jersey Historical Society, Trenton, 1916) says that Richard descended from an English family at Stockton on the River Tees in Durham. These sources are without citation.

Another source, A History of the Stockton Family, by J.W. Stockton (Patterson & White, Philadelphia, 1881), said that Richard "was the son of John Stockton, of the parish of Malpas, in Cheshire, England, and was born in the year 1606". The book goes on to claim that the father, John, was of the Stockton family that resided at Kiddington, in Malpas parish. This belief was then followed in T.C. Stockton's book, The Stockton Family of New Jersey and Other Stocktons (Carnahan Press, Washington DC, 1911).

The Parish Church of the village of Malpas, Cheshire is St. Oswald's. It is located in Church Street, about 150 yards west of the town center, or "cross". In the attractive church building, which dates to the 14th century, there are several reminders of the Stockton family of the late 16th and early 17th century. One plaque records Owen Stockton of Kiddington in Malpas, and his eldest son, John, who died in 1610 and 1643 respectively. There are carvings in two very old wooden church pews: "John Stockton 1626". There is also a plaque to the memory of another John Stockton of Kiddington, who passed in 1700.

The Stocktons of Kiddington (today called Cuddington, an area just west of Malpas), were landowners, wealthy for their time. They owned considerable land in southern Cheshire and some in northern Shropshire, although they were not titled. Records from the Church and at the College of Arms in London document several generations of that family. Owen (?-1610) was the father of John (1576-1643), whose eldest son was Thomas (1609-1674), whose eldest son was John (about 1644-1700). That latter John died childless, but he did have two brothers who carried on the line away from Malpas.

Unfortunately, the ancestry given Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton by J.W. Stockton's The History of the Stockton Family is not accurate. The parish records do record the birth of a Richard Stockton on 26 June 1606, but the father is shown as John Stockton of the Higher Wych in Wigland in Malpas, which is an area just south of village of Malpas, but very distinct from Kiddington in Malpas. In fact, none of the official records of the Kiddington Stocktons mentions the birth of a Richard to any of the males of that family.

Adding doubt to the book's claim, we know that Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton died in New Jersey in 1707. He was also fathering children as late as 1680. It is therefore unlikely that he was born as early as 1606. It is more probable that he was born sometime in the period 1628-1632.

Ironically, the John Stockton misidentified in the book as Richard's father was probably related to Richard. Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton was from the Stockton family of the Higher Wych in Wigland in Malpas parish, and the misidentified father was probably his uncle or cousin.

There is documentary evidence showing that Flushing's Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton was a descendent of the Stocktons of the Higher Wych in Wigland in Malpas, Cheshire. The evidence of this is credible, but indirect and complex, and will be the subject of a future article. However, no exact birth date or place for Richard has yet been found.

The lineage of the New Jersey Stocktons is well documented and identified with the growth of the United States. Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton's son, Richard "the Builder" Stockton, purchased thousands of acres of land around Princeton, New Jersey from William Penn and built the first Stockton home there. His son, John Stockton, was a co-founder of Princeton University, and constructed the second Stockton home, Morven (which later served as the governor's mansion, and is today a state museum). John's son, Richard "the Signer" Stockton, was a lawyer, a member of the Continental Congress and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Richard's son, Richard "the Duke" Stockton was a lawyer and United States Senator. Richard's son, Robert "the Commodore", was a naval officer who led the forces that captured California and annexed it into the United States - he was also the first governor of California and a United States Senator. Robert's son, John Potter Stockton, was attorney-general of New Jersey and also a United States Senator. Further generations produced ambassadors, lawyers, military officers, and corporate executives, as well as the author of this article - a more ordinary person.

Four Branches of Stocktons in Cheshire-Shropshire. We have already identified at least two branches of the Stockton family from around Malpas, although the Higher Wych in Wigland and the Kiddington in Wigland branches may share a common ancestry prior to about 1500. There are records of "de Stoctons" at Malpas as early as 1303, but the main wealth of that line was passed into the Eaton family (and eventually the Grosvenor family) with the marriage of Isabella de Stocton to Robert de Eaton in 1334. Ormerod's History of the City and County Palatine of Chester says that a junior line to that early family survived at Tushingham, which is adjacent to the Higher Wych in Wigland, and could account for the Stocktons at the latter place in the 1500's.

Like much of Cheshire, the Kiddington Stocktons supported Charles I during the English Civil War, and much of the family's property was lost to the "sequestration" process after the King's beheading in 1649. After the death of John Stockton in 1700, no survivors of that branch remained in Malpas, although two of John's brothers had removed to Ireland.

There was also a branch of Stocktons around Whitchurch, in northern Shropshire. Whitchurch is only about six miles from the village of Malpas, and only four miles from the Higher Wych in Wigland. This branch is discussed in an excellent article by Douglas Richardson in the New England Historical & Genealogical Society Register (April, 1993). There were a number of Stocktons farming in northern Shropshire during the 16th-17th centuries, and both the Kiddington and Higher Wych in Wigland branches had connections to Whitchurch.

Finally, there is a branch of the Stockton family centered around Bunbury, which is more north and east of Malpas in Cheshire.

In addition to Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton's move to America sometime prior to 1656, there is evidence of members of the Kiddington and Whitchurch branches moving to Warwickshire, Norfolk, London, and Surrey, as well as Ireland as mentioned above. Some members of the Bunbury branch are in Canada.

London Stocktons. This category includes Stocktons from the home counties in southeast England. Following a common pattern, many of the London Stocktons were born in other areas and removed to London to engage in the trades. There were hundreds of Stocktons in the City during the 17th century, and there are records of some who again removed away from London in later years.

There were Stocktons in Essex in the 15th century. One, Sir John Stockton, was a mercer who became Lord Mayor of London in 1470. According to the College of Arms, he was survived by a son, but allegedly that branch then died out. However, the coat of arms registered to Sir John Stockton was later used both by Stocktons in Malpas and the New Jersey Stocktons. It is not known if there is a connection between the Essex Stocktons and these other branches, or if the arms were being used without authority.

Yorkshire Stocktons. Research documents a separate, major branch of Stocktons in Yorkshire, Durham and the former Cleveland area during the period 1560-1700, and presumably beyond. Some concentrations of Stocktons were at Great Edstone, Ingleby Arncliffe, Kirby Misperton, New Malton, Pickering Thorntondale, and Stokesley.

These Stocktons are more likely to have had Viking or Anglo-Saxon connections than the Stocktons in Cheshire-Shropshire, although this can only be proven by conducting a DNA test on known descendents of Yorkshire Stocktons.

Of course, the largest place named Stockton in England, Stockton-on-Tees, is in this same area, and was an early manor that could have lent its name to the family. Just outside of the city of York, there is a small settlement called Stockton-on-the-Forest.

Pennsylvania and Virginia Stocktons. With recent DNA findings consistent with the anecdotal family tradition that Robert Stockton of Pennsylvania and Davis Stockton of Virginia were brothers, more credibility could be given to the further tradition that they were "from the north of Ireland".

Obviously, Stockton is not a common Irish name, and there are very few recorded instances of Stocktons in Ireland. Unfortunately, because a 1922 fire destroyed many Irish records, it is very difficult to trace the family there.

As stated above, among the few documented Stocktons in Ireland were Thomas Stockton, his two sons, and his brother, John. All were descendents of the Kiddington Stocktons of Malpas, Cheshire, and Thomas and his sons were in Dublin in the period from about 1650-1674. They also had connections with County Wicklow and County Louth.

Census records indicate that there was a second John Stockton in County Clare about the same time, but little is known of him at this time.

Dublin and the three counties mentioned above are all in the central and southern regions of Ireland, and not in Northern Ireland, so there is no obvious connection to the "north of Ireland" tradition.

Although there is no record of their arrival, Robert and Davis Stockton both appeared in America in the 1730's. Robert settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and Davis was an early settler near Charlottesville, Virginia. One of Robert's descendents was a governor of Maryland. The descendents of Davis moved westward from Virginia, especially into Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and Texas. The Virginia Stocktons are probably the largest group of Stocktons in the USA.

Stockton DNA. Stockton DNA research to date has proven its value. Long after memories fade, ancestors pass, and paper records are lost or destroyed, we all carry markers of our genealogical origins in every cell of our bodies. The evidence carried is limited and must be carefully interpreted, usually in conjunction with more ordinary genealogical research. The Stockton DNA Project focuses on male DNA because the family surname follows the male line.

Already, the DNA evidence has illustrated that a link between the New Jersey Stocktons and the Pennsylvania/Virginia Stocktons is unlikely - it is fairly certain that Robert Stockton and Davis Stockton are not lost sons of Richard "the Emigrant" Stockton. This also would seem to rule out an earlier link between the branches.

The DNA results have also confirmed previous genealogical research that establishes a link from the New Jersey Stocktons back to the Malpas, Cheshire area. DNA from several New Jersey Stocktons is a close match with the DNA of at least one English resident descended from a Stockton who resided in Wales, just west of Malpas.

Further testing could establish more DNA groupings of Stocktons, in England and other places. Once more groupings are established, further linkages are likely to emerge. For example, it is possible that a match to the Pennsylvania/Virginia Stocktons might be found. We know that the DNA of the Pennsylvania/Virginia branch is not similar to the New Jersey branch, and therefore is probably not similar to the Higher Wych in Wigland branch, from which New Jersey branch descended. However, as stated above, the Higher Wych in Wigland branch is not necessarily related to the Kiddington branch, and it is still possible that the Pennsylvania/Virginia branch is related to the Kiddington branch. The Yorkshire branch is another possible match.

DNA is not the sole answer for genealogical research, but it provides yet another tool to be used in conjunction with standard research methods. We hope to further investigate the Stockton family genealogy by encouraging participation in both the DNA testing program and by obtaining known lineages from family members.