Robert Churcher, Sr.

  Robert (Churchill) Churcher of Fairfield, 1677-1733.  was born in Manhattan in 1676 ( this would have made him a contemporary of "Peter the Great" of Russia ). He was the third of five children of William ( the progenitor of the Manhattan Churchill line ) & Susannah ( Brayser ) Churcher. . His elder sister Anne & younger brother Richard died as children and are buried in lower Manhattan ( Trinity Churchyard Cemetery ). Richard's stone is considered the "oldest carved stone in NYC". 

   He removed to the Greens Farm section of Fairfield ( now Westport,Ct. ) . He first married when he was about 18 years old, Sarah Cable. She was the daughter of John & Elizabeth Cable.They had four children together, the eldest being twin girls, Abigail & Sarah ( 1695 ), then another daughter Eleanor followed by their first son, Nehemiah.

    After the death of his first wife, He married Rebecca Thomas, the daughter of John & Mary ( Blakesley ) Thomas. This would have been in 1708/09 when he was about 33 years old. They had three children together. First Patience Oysterbanks, then Robert Churcher Jr and lastly Edward Churcher Sr. ( my 6th GGF ).

   Based on his will dated 1733, He was a farmer. The three men who witnessed his will are all buried in the Colonial Cemetery in Westport,Ct in what was then, the Green's Farm section of Fairfield. Although i have not found a record, there's a good chance that he is buried there as well.  He died shortly after the writing of his Last Will ( November 3rd, 1733 )

Note:

  This bio is compiled by Rob Prusak, Great,Great,Great,Great,Great,Great Great Grandson of Robert Churcher, I'm still living in Fairfield in 2017 ( 284 years after his death. ), just a few miles from his final resting place.

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Children born at or near Fairfield, Conn. ( in all likelihood .. now the "Greens Farms" section of Westport,Ct )

I. Abigail, bapt. Feb. 17, 1695.

II. Sarah bapt. Feb. 17, 1695. d ( 10-1-1764 )

III. Eleanor bapt. Oct. 20, 1695; d ( 10-1-1754 ) m.Thomas Sherwood. b 1694 d ( 8/5/1756 )

IV. Nehemiah,* bapt. March 21, 1698; m. Martha Green May 3. 1716.

V. Patience Oysterbanks b 1702 d ( 11/29/1760) m. Johan Jacob Oysterbank.

VI Robert Churcher Jr. b ( c 1708 ) d ( 3/31/1776 )

VII Edward b. about 1718 ( d 1750 ) ; m. Esther Hull, near Walesburg, New Haven County, Conn.

Listed as a landowner in Fairfiled County, Connecticut at least as early as 1700, Robert may have come from Manhattan to Fairfield through some connection with Jacob Leisler, who had been tried with Robert's father William in New York for treason. While serving as self-proclaimed interim Governor of New York, Jacob Leisler had purchased an estate he called New Rochelle, a part of which was in what became Connecticut. This estate bore the name of the early Huguenot colony of New Rochelle in New York across from the East River, and which, by some accounts, William Churchill (Churcher) and possibly Jacob Leisler had been hired to serve as soldiers or officers. Leisler willed the New Rochelle lands to his grandson John Pell of London who never settled them.

Robert dated his will 3 Nov 1733 and bequeathed all his property to his the children who presumably had not yet become established. Nehemiah received 50 shillings and lands were given to Robert and daughters Elinor and Patience.

Sources: Cutter, William Richard, Genealogical and Family History of New York, Vol. III, p. 362; Schenk, Elizabeth Hubbell, The History of Fairfield, Vol. I, New York: 1889

Last Will Transcribed

In the Name of God Amen

     Know all men that I Robert Churcher of this town and county of Fairfield in his Majesties Colony of Connecticut in New England, Being of sound mind and memory _____ under bodily weakness and apprehensive of my approaching Change Do make Contribute and ordain this my last will and testament in manor as follows ------- Imprimis I give my soul to God and my body to decent Christian Burial hoping for Resurrection to eternal Life with Christ joyous ____ Savior and Redeemer and as for what Temporal _____ as follows. ____ after by debts &  funeral charges are paid,  I give and bequeath my Eldest Son Nehemiah Fifty Shillings to be paid him as hereafter in this will I Shall order.

    Item I give to my Loving Son Robert all my Lands near to my Dwelling house excepting  what I  shall in this will bequeath to my daughter Eleanor Sherwood to be to him his heirs and____ forever. Together with my proper tools for husbandry ____  paying to my ___ Son Nehemiah the fifty shillings above to him bequeath to him I give to my loving Daughter Sarah Churcher my Bed, Bed Chest and my Best ____, my small iron pot, warming pan, Drinking pott and all other my ___ household furniture excepting as hereafter together with five pounds now to paid out of my estate and hereafter

    Item I give to my Beloved Daughter Eleanor Sherwood ___ ___ and privileges for ever my Dwelling House , my land and orchards on the hill joining it to and of his Garden spot by my door. His  land being in Fairfield and bounded Eastern and Southerly by the highway on Common land and Westerly and Northerly by his ___ Hill, Garden and my pastures___ Plow land , The ___ Eleanor to pay __ for loving ye to my 3rd Daughter Sarah for __ ___ __ attorney___ of five pound__ ___ ___ ___

     Item I give to my loving daughter Patience Osterbanks  my ___  Iron Pot and my Largs. ___ and my other ___ . 

Pg 2

   Furthermore I herby appoint Constitute and ordain my trusty and very good friend Capt. Gershorm Bulkley of __ town of Fairfield and my 3rd son Robert Churcher to be the executers of this my  Last Will and Testament. In Confirmation of the ___  this and the other side I set to my land in Fairfield ___ November ye Third Anno Domini 1733.

Robert Churcher

Signed Sealed and Declared in Presence Of

Joshua Jennings

Joseph Wakeman

Daniel Chapman

At a court of Probate held in Fairfield January ye 6th A.D. 1733 personally appeared, Joshua Jennings, Joseph Wakeman, Dan’l Chapman, witnesses to the above foregoing will & made solemn oath before ye court that ye saw Robert Churcher Signer & Sealer to ye above ___ sign & seal ye same & heard him declare it to be his last will and testament and that they judged him to be of a sound mind & memory they set their hands a witness in ye presence of ye _____ at a court appearance Robert Churcher & Gershom Buckley ye above named estate ___ Gershom Buckley ___ ___ ___ Robert Churcher Excepted ye Trusts Committed to him by ye _____ at ye court ye will being exhibited in order to be proved ye will being proved is by ye court approved & ordered to be so recorded. Wlm Burr Clerk

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http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Churchill-940