William Kelsey, of Killingworth

Evidence needed to support William Kelsey, of Killingworth as son of George Kelsey, Jr. & Elizabeth Kelsey

Biographical Summary:

William Kelsey, born about 1600; Cambridge, 1632; freeman, Massachusetts, March 4, 1635; removed to Hartford, where he was an original proprietor; his home-lot in the distribution of 1630 was on the road from Centinel Hill to the North Meadow (now Village St.); removed to Killingworth, about 1663; rep. in 1671 from Killingworth; he was living in June, 1674.

Family

From The Kelsey Kindred
1st Wife-Hester Chapman Born circa 1613
www.myfamilyonline.com 5/7/2022.

• wife: unknown; perhaps Hester

William Kelsey had 9 children:

Mark, Hester, Priscilla, Mary, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel, and William Jr.

1. Mark Kelsey lived in Windsor, CT and Wethersfield,CT.  He first married Rebecca Hoskins, second Mrs. Abigail Atwood. 
2. Hester Kelsey was born in Hartford, CT and lived and died in Windsor, CT.  She married first, James Eggleston Sr.  They had 10 children. She married second, James Eno Sr.  They had 1 child.  She married third, John Williams, Sr.  There were no known children born to the third marriage.  Early records show Hester as the first female child born in Hartford, CT.
3. Priscilla Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, CT.  She married Cornelius Gillette.  They had 9 children.
4. Mary Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, CT.  She married Jonathan Gillette (brother of Cornelius Gillette).  They had 10 children.
5. John Kelsey removed to Killingworth, CT with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 27.  He married Hannah Disborough 2 years later in Hartford, CT.  They had 9 children.  John and his father are noted as two of the first settlers of Kenilworth, CT.
6. Abigail Kelsey also accompanied her father, William Kelsey, to Killingworth, CT at the age of 18.  She married Lieutenant John Hull.  They had 4 children.
7. Stephen Kelsey lived and died in Hartford, CT.  He married Hannah Ingersoll.  They had 10 children.
8. Daniel Kelsey also removed to Killingworth, CT with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 13.  He married first Mary Stevens.  They had 5 children.  He married second, Jane Chalker.  They had 5 children.
9. William Kelsey Jr. was born 23 Mar 1654. It is supposed that he died young, before the family removed to Killingworth, CT.

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SOURCE: James Hammond Trumbull, editor, The memorial history of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, Volume 1 (Boston, Massachusetts: Edward L. Osgood, 1886), page 248. Retrieved: 3 May 2011 from Google Books

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Disputed Origins

<Great Migration Begins > William Kelsey, of Killingworth, origins unknown.

Birth seen as 1599 at Kings Langley, Hertfordshire, England without supporting evidence.

< The Kelsey Kindred Genealogy and How it All Began> last updated 2010

An Association of Descendants of WILLIAM KELSEY, a Puritan Ancestor

The Kindred was organized September 13, 1928, it has published 7 genealogy volumes containing family histories of the descendants of William Kelsey. The genealogy volumes were financed by dues, donations, large gifts and loans from Kindred members. Our association has over 58,000 descendants, all serial numbered and indexed on computer; and, more data arrives each week. Unfortunately, there are many, many lines of descent that are incomplete or still unknown. The Kindred, presently, has well over 600 active members and receiving new applications weekly.

The Ancestor - WILLIAM KELSEY, the first of the Kelsey name in America, was born in 1600, Chelmsford, Essex County, England. He was the son of George Kelsey Jr. and Elizabeth Hammond and had 2 brothers: John and Henry. (Williams’ wife or wives have not been verified);

William Kelsey was one of the original "Braintree Company" followers of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who came to America and they were the first settlers of "New Towne" (now Cambridge) Massachusetts in 1632. Reverend Hooker joined them the following year.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kelsey-7

Several published genealogies, without citing sources, claim William Kelsey was born 1600 in Chelmsford, Essex, England to George Kelsey Jr. and Elizabeth Hammond. [1][2][3][4][5] But as Anderson points out below, his origins are not known.

William KELSEY is not on any of the three passenger lists at the Mary and John Clearinghouse, and arrived in 1632 or 1633. It is a mistake to assign him as a passenger of the 1630 ship Mary & John.[6]

William Kelsey was born about 1609, based on estimated date of marriage; origins unknown. [Gale Ion Harris says he was born "in England, about 1600, perhaps in county Essex"] [9]

Disputed wife

The mistaken notion that William Kelsey's wife was a "Bethiah [?Hopkins]" can be traced to early reporting by a number of authors. In 1846, she was mis-identified by Hinman as "Bethia" the woman who married second to David Phillips.[7]

biography

William Kelsey, the first of the Kelsey name in America, was born in 1600, Chelmsford, Essex County, England. He was the son of George Kelsey Jr. and Elizabeth Hammond and had 2 brothers: John and Henry.

William Kelsey was one of the original "Braintree Company" followers of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who came to America and they were the first settlers of "New Towne" (now Cambridge) Massachusetts in 1632. Reverend Hooker joined them the following year.

In June, 1636, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Stone, with more than 50 families of the "first church" (Mr. Hooker's) removed to Connecticut where, in the valley of the same name, they established another "New Towne" which was changed to "Hartford" on February 21, 1637. Among these were William Kelsey.

Coming to "Hartford" with the Hooker Company, William Kelsey was one of the "original proprietors" and, as such, his name appears on the "Founders Monument" in the "ancient burying ground" of the First Congregational Church of that city, presently known as "Center Church". His name is also found on the "Adventurers Boulder" located at City Hall, Hartford, CT.

In March 1663, William Kelsey and 26 others migrated to the "Hammonasset Plantation" and founded the Town of "Kenilworth", later changed to "Killingworth". In 1838, the town was separated into North and South parts. The South part called "Clinton" and the North, "Killingworth".

William Kelsey had 9 children: (his wife or wives have not been verified). Mark, Bethia (recent data questions this daughter's name; and, it is thought that it may be either Hester or Esther), Priscilla, Mary, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel, and William Jr.

Note: The long tradition that assumes that William Kelsey's wife's name was "Bethia Hopkins" is based on Hinman's misreading the 1663 record regarding William Kelsey's daughter Bethia "Kelly", the wife, then widow, of John Kelly who later married David Phillips. This confusion was further compounded by attempts by zealous genealogists to link this "Bethia Hopkins" to the pilgrim Stephen Hopkins. There is no reliable record of William Kelsey's wife. The name of William Kelsey's wife is not known but her birth is shown to be about 1613 when Winthrop records her age at forty-six years when he treats her in 1659 for a sore "right elboe". However, that her given name may be Hester might be inferred from from the fact that William's oldest daughter is named Hester and his sons, Mark and John, and daughters, Priscilla Gillett and Abigail Hull, all had elder daughters named Hester.

-- researched by Private User (see http://www.angelfire.com/music2/greggwager/wager2528.html or http://www.thekelseykindred.org/ or http://www.bankert.org/genreport/p53.htm)

Mark Kelsey lived in Windsor and Wethersfield. He first married Rebecca Hoskins, second Mrs. Abigail Atwood. Rebecca was the daughter of John Hoskins and his wife, Ann Filer. John Hoskins came to New England on the "Mary & John" in 1630. Mark and Rebecca had 8 or more children.

Priscilla Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, CT. She married Cornelius Gillette. They had 9 children.

Mary Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, CT. She married Jonathan Gillette (brother of Cornelius Gillette). They had 10 children.

John Kelsey removed to Killingworth with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 27. He married Hannah Disborough 2 years later in Hartford, CT. They had 9 children. John and his father are noted as two of the first settlers of Kenilworth.

Abigail Kelsey also accompanied her father, William Kelsey, to Killingworth at the age of 18. She married Lieutenant John Hull. They had 4 children.

Stephen Kelsey lived and died in Hartford, CT. He married Hannah Ingersoll. They had 10 children.

Daniel Kelsey also removed to Killingworth with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 13. He later married first Mary Stevens. They had 5 children. He married second, Jane Chalker. They had 5 children.

William Kelsey Jr. was born 3/23/1654. It is supposed that he died young before the family removed to Killingworth, CT.

http://www.thekelseykindred.org/

Their children were:

1. Priscilla Kelsey Abt 1632 - 1711 +Cornelius Gillett 1636 - 1711

2. Mark Kelsey Abt 1634 - +Rebecca Hoskins

3. Hester Kelsey 1635-1720 +James Eggleston *2nd husband of Hester Kelsey +James Eno *3rd husband of Hester Kelsey+John Williams

4. Mary Kelsey 1644-1676 +Jonathan Gillett, Jr

5. Abigail Kelsey 1645 -

6. Stephen Kelsey 1647 - 1710 +Hannah Ingersoll

7. Daniel Kelsey 1650 - 1727 +Mary Stevens

8. William Kelsey 1653/54 -

9. John Kelsey Abt 1638-1709 +Phebe Disborough *2nd wife of John Kelsey+Hannah Disborough

• From the WikiTree, "William Kelsey (abt. 1609-bef. 1676), posted on the Internet at https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Kelsey-7:

"He migrated in 1633, settling initially in Cambridge, Massachusetts, but removing first to Hartford, Connecticut in 1635 and last to Killingworth, Connecticut by 1668."

• William was one of the twenty-five men who journeyed from Newtown [Cambridge] Massachusetts to the site of what became Hartford, Connecticut, and built shelters, cleared the land, planted the first crops, and prepared the new settlement for their families and for future residents.

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• Reference: GenealogieOnline Family Tree Index - SmartCopy: Jul 28 2020, 7:43:27 UTC

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GEDCOM Note

http://www.thekelseykindred.org/

AN ASSOCIATION OF DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM KELSEY,
THE PURITAN ANCESTOR, ORGANIZED SEPTEMBER 13, 1928

Since The Kindred was organized in 1928, it has published 7 genealogy volumes containing family histories of the descendants of William Kelsey. Our genealogist, Paula R. Carter, has over 58,000 descendants, all serial numbered and indexed in our computer and more data arrives each week. Unfortunately, there are many, many lines of descent that are still unknown. The Kindred, presently, has well over 850 active members and receiving new applications weekly. The genealogy volumes were financed by dues, donations, large gifts and loans from Kindred members.

THE ANCESTOR

William Kelsey, the first of the Kelsey name in America, was born in 1600, Chelmsford, Essex County, England. He was the son of George Kelsey Jr. and Elizabeth Hammond and had 2 brothers: John and Henry.

William Kelsey was one of the original "Braintree Company" followers of the Reverend Thomas Hooker, who came to America and they were the first settlers of "New Towne" (now Cambridge) Massachusetts in 1632. Reverend Hooker joined them the following year.

In June, 1636, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Stone, with more than 50 families of the "first church" (Mr. Hooker's) removed to Connecticut where, in the valley of the same name, they established another "New Towne" which was changed to "Hartford" on February 21, 1637. Among these were William Kelsey.

Coming to "Hartford" with the Hooker Company, William Kelsey was one of the "original proprietors" and, as such, his name appears on the "Founders Monument" in the "ancient burying ground" of the First Congregational Church of that city, presently known as "Center Church". His name is also found on the "Adventurers Boulder" located at City Hall, Hartford, CT.

In March 1663, William Kelsey and 26 others migrated to the "Hammonossit Plantation" and founded the Town of "Kenilworth", later changed to "Killingworth". In 1738, the town was separated into North and South parts. The South part called "Clinton" and the North, "Killingworth".

William Kelsey had 9 children: (his wife or wives have not been verified). Mark, Bethia (recent data questions this daughter's name; and, it is thought that it may be either Hester or Esther), Priscilla, Mary, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel, and William Jr.

Mark Kelsey lived in Windsor and Wethersfield. He first married Rebecca Hoskins, second Mrs. Abigail Atwood. Rebecca was the daughter of John Hoskins and his wife, Ann Filer. John Hoskins came to New England on the "Mary & John" in 1630. Mark and Rebecca had 8 or more children.

Priscilla Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, CT. She married Cornelius Gillette. They had 9 children.

Mary Kelsey lived and died in Windsor, CT. She married Jonathan Gillette (brother of Cornelius Gillette). They had 10 children.

John Kelsey removed to Killingworth with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 27. He married Hannah Disborough 2 years later in Hartford, CT. They had 9 children. John and his father are noted as two of the first settlers of Kenilworth.

Abigail Kelsey also accompanied her father, William Kelsey, to Killingworth at the age of 18. She married Lieutenant John Hull. They had 4 children.

Stephen Kelsey lived and died in Hartford, CT. He married Hannah Ingersoll. They had 10 children.

Daniel Kelsey also removed to Killingworth with his father, William Kelsey, at the age of 13. He later married first Mary Stevens. They had 5 children. He married second, Jane Chalker. They had 5 children.

William Kelsey Jr. was born 3/23/1654. It is supposed that he died young before the family removed to Killingworth, CT.

He was listed as one of the original settlers of Hartford.

There seems to be disagreement on the quality of the above data and researchers should check the article “The Wife of William Kelsey” published i the American Geneologists (TAG) before makeing up their own mind as to the validity of the data.

This marker is one of a series of reproduction stones placed in a row in an area of Kelsey family stones. With two exceptions, each is marked only with a first name and date. This is one of those exceptions. These stones correspond to the names and dates of second and third generation Kelsey family members who died in Killingworth, now Clinton. This stone may have been placed for the William (1673-1718) who married Elizabeth SHEATER and who was the father of William, Ephrain, Jehiel, Matthias, Mary, Deborah, and Gamaliel.

Accoprding to descendant Lucia Finley, "As both his son John and grandson John are buried here, this is likely for William Kelsey born about 1600 Chelmsford, Essex, England and died 1680 Killngworth, Middlesex, CT. This William was the son of George & Elizabeth Hammond Kelsey. <He married Bethia Hopkins - unproven> and had the following children: Mark, Bethia, Priscilla, Anna, Hester, John, Abigail, Stephen, Daniel & William Kelsey." Source Link: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000175875792846label=@S412@ Source Link: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000175875590826label=@S280@ Source Link: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000175875792847label=@S803@ Source Link: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000175875251855label=@S489@

References

• Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Vols I-III (1995), 3 vols., Vol. 2, Pages 1117 - 1119 "William Kelsey." <AmericanAncestors>