The Howland line is one of those lines that have been maimed and discombobulated over the centuries with assumptions and misinformation. It is the aim of this project to correct any Howland links and add appropriate source information.

It wasn't until about 1880 when Colonel Chester disproved the assumed parentage of Mayflower John Howland.

This line of John Howland, "Mayflower" Passenger disproved by Col. Chester went as follows:

1. John Howland of Newport Pond Essex m. Annes "Agnete". His will was proved on 12 Apr 1550.
2. his son, John Howland, Citizen and Salter of London m. Anne Greenway.
3. his son, John Howland of London was baptized on 10 Aug 1541, m. Emme Revell of London.
4. his son, John Howland died unmarried in 1655 and was buried in England. His will of 1655 proved he was unmarried and died without any male issues, and his ancestral armorial achievement did not pass to any surviving armiger. The Howland branch of Essex ended in 1655.

The last John Howland above was the one that had been claimed to be John Howland of the Mayflower.

According to an article in the The New England Register: Volume 34 1880 entitled A Sketch of the Howlands, there are four different John Howland families which need sorted out here on Geni.

• John Howland of Newport Pond, Essex. His will was proved on 12 Apr 1550.
• John Howland of the Stone, of Wicken, Essex.
• John Howland of the Wood, of Wicken, Essex. He died on 20 September 1608 and was buried on 22 September 1608 at St. Margaret in Wicken Bonhunt, Essex.[1]
• John Howland, husbandman, of Newport Pond, Essex.

Between 1585 and 1608, the wills of John Howland, his wife Emme (Revell) Howland, his four brothers, and his mother showed that John and Emma (Revell) Howland had only three surviving children: Nicholas Howland, John Howland, and Margaret (Howland) Catesby. Therefore, Henry Howland of Fenstanton was not one of their children.

Currently, there is no evidence confirming the parentage of Henry Howland from Fenstanton.

As of September 2023, we received new information from Family TreeDNA. One descendant of James Howland of Charing, Kent, shares 10 mutations in haplogroup R-A9703 with the Howlands of Fenstanton, except for one mutation, R-A9708, which he does not share. As a result, James Howland of Charing is not directly descended from Henry Howland of Fenstanton. Instead, he is likely descended from one of the ancestors of Henry Howland of Fenstanton, such as his father or grandfather. Regrettably, the patrilineal ancestry of James Howland of Charing remains unknown, but our research efforts are ongoing to uncover it.

Additionally, a patrilineal descendant of the royal or noble family, Holland, took a Big Y-700 test at Family TreeDNA. He kindly shared his Y-DNA results, which indicate his haplogroup is R-FGC71023. This difference is significant because R-A9708 is not a direct descendant of R-FGC71023. This confirms that the Howlands of Fenstanton do not have a direct ancestral connection to the royal or noble family of Holland.

Please add any Howland profiles that need cleaning up or seem questionable.

• The Find a Grave profile of Jonathan Aires Howland, who was born in 1586, and passed away in 1590, states that he was claimed to be the son of Henry Howland and Margaret Ann Aires. The registers of Fenstanton did not start recording baptisms, marriages, and burials until the early 1600s. There is no physical evidence of his burial at St. Peter and St. Paul Churchyard due to the weathering of some 16th-century gravestones, which may indicate a mistaken creation of a non-existent individual. Jonathan Aires Howland is not the son of Henry and Margaret Howland. Furthermore, Jonathan Aires Howland cannot be the son of Henry Howland and Alicia Ayers of Ely because they were married in Ely in 1600. This misinformation likely stems from mistaken beliefs and the inadvertent duplication of content from Ancestry.com. Thorough research and verification are crucial before making any assumptions about family relationships. On July 25, 2024, The Find A Grave administrators have permanently removed the memorial of Jonathan Aires Howland. They found it inappropriate to add a non-existent person to the Find A Grave memorial page, which violates community rules. As a result, they decided to permanently remove it. They conducted a review of all primary sources and the latest research on the Howland family of Fenstanton. In the primary records for the Howland family of Fenstanton, they found conclusive evidence that Jonathan Aires Howland did not exist.

Please feel free to share any resources you may find as well. Discussions about any Howland profile are encouraged.

Links:

• The New England Register: Volume 34, 1880, "A Sketch of the Howlands"
• The Howland Heirs
• Fleming Family History
• The Visitations of the County of Surrey: Howland (1623)
• The Visitation of London: Howland (1633)
• The Visitations of Hertfordshire: Howland of St. Albans (1634)
• The Visitation of Surrey: Howland (1662-1668)

Sources

1. The Essex Archives Online. Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, St. Margaret, Wicken Bonhunt. Baptisms : 1597-1636, 1646-1746. Marriages : 1590-1627, 1696-1746. Burials : 1588-1632, 1679-1745. Reference: D/P 2/1/1. (https://www.essexarchivesonline.co.uk/result_details.aspx?ThisRecor... : accessed 23 Feb 2023). [Image #3.] Text: John Howland of ye woode died ye 20 September and was buried ye 22 September being 1608 yeare of or Lorde and yeare of King Ja. the [strikethrough: sixth & seventh] sixth.

The Howland line is one of those lines that have been maimed and discombobulated over the centuries with assumptions and misinformation. It is the aim of this project to correct any Howland links and add appropriate source information.

It wasn't until about 1880 when Colonel Chester disproved the assumed parentage of Mayflower John Howland.

This line disproved by Col. Chester went:

John Howland of Newport Pond Essex, will proved 12 Apr 1550
John Howland of London m. Anne Greenway
[John Howland
John Howland of London bp. 10 Aug 1541 m. Emme Revell of London]
John Howland died unmarried and was buried in England

The last John Howland above was the one that had been claimed to
be John Howland of the Mayflower.

According to an article in the The New England Register,: Volume 34 1880 entitled A Sketch of the Howlands, there are four different John Howland families that need sorted out.

• John Howland of Newport Pond Essex, will proved 12 Apr 1550
• John Howland of the Stone, of Wicken, Essex co
• John Howland of the Wood, of Wicken, Essex co
• John Howland, husbandman, of Newport

At this time I don't believe there has been any proof of the parents of Henry Howland, of Fenstanton

Please add any Howland profiles that need cleaning up or seems questionable.

Please feel free to share any resources you may find as well. And discussions about any Howland profile are encouraged.

Links:

• The New England Register,: Volume 34 1880
• The Visitations of Hertfordshire: Howland of St. Albans