| Notes |
- James Hamblen, so far as hias been ascertained, was the first of the name who settled in America. He came from London and settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the Spring of 1639. Of his earlier life very little has been learned; records exist, however, from which some traces of him are supposed to have been discovered.
The late David Hamblen, Esq., of Boston, the first to investigate his history about 1849, caused research to be made in England for the pedigree, which without citing the place where the record was found, he gives as follows:
JOHN HAMELYN of Cornwall, living 1570 Married Amor, daughter of Robert Knowle, of Sarum.
GILES HAMELIN - Son (of John) and heir County Devon. Married daughter of Robert Ashley.
THOMAS HAMELIN - (son of Giles) Gentleman, London 1623
JAMES HAMELIN (son of Giles).
From which it is understood that he was brother of Thomas, gentleman, of London, living in 1623; sons of Giles, of Devonshire; son of John, of Cornwall, England, who was living in 1570.
- History of the Hamlin Family - with genealogies of early settlers of the name in America. 1639-1894, Franklin Andrews
The records of the baptisms and burials of some of his children are supposed to have been found in the parish register of St. Lawrence, in Reading, Berkshire, England; extracts from which are taken: BAPTISMS. Hamlin James, son of James, Oct. 81, 1630. Hamblin Sarah, dau Sept 6, 1632, Hamlin Mary, July 27, 1634, James, son April 10, 1636. BURIALS. Hamlin James, Oct. 24, 1638. From these records it is apparent that the eldest child, James, died in England before the birth of the second James. It will be subsequently noticed that it was the custom of the family to baptize the children on the day of birth, if possible; so that the dates of baptisms are supposed to be about the dates of births.
Mr. Otis, the genealogist of the first settlers of Barnstable, says: that the baptism of his children, James and Hannah do not appear on the records of Barnstable, that it is probable they were born in England and that neither they nor their mother came over so early as the father, a common occurrence in those early times; the record of the birth or baptism of Hannah has not been found in England; perhaps owing to the troubles to be related, no public record of it was made there. It will be observed that their first child born in America, was Bartholomew, born April 20, 1642. Hannah may have been born about 1638.
An approximate idea of the time when the members of the family left England may be ascertained from these dates. Mr. Otis does not appear to have any knowledge of the English records referred to, and does not mention the children, Sarah and Mary; as they had another Sarah born in Barnstable in 1647 it is supposed the Sarah born 1682 had died before they came to America. An account of Mary will be given in its proper order later.
While no express record of the fact has been discovered, it is not improbable that James Hamblen may have been obliged to leave his family and fly (flee) from England on account of religious persecution; he was a Puritan and a member of Mr. Lothrop´s church after the latter came to Barnstable.
An account of the troubles of the congregation of Mr. Lothrop in England will be of interest, and may in future lead to information concerning our ancestor.
Rev. John Lothrop was pastor of an Independent or Congregationalist Society, at Southwalk, London. April 29, 1682, forty-five members of this church were apprehended for unlawful meeting, eighteen of whom escaped. Some were confined in the Clink, New Prison, and the Gate House, for about two years, and then released on bail; except Mr. Lothrop, for whom no favor could at first be obtained. There is some question as to the terms of his release, but the fact remains that these people caused the English government no little trouble; religion was regulated by law at that period; and this society were non-conformists. That they believed they were right does not alter the fact. The exact date of their release is not given, but on Sept. 18, 1634 The Griffin and another ship arrived in Boston with passengers, among whom were Mr. Lothrop and thirty of his followers. It is not supposed Hamblen was with them. Soon after Mr. Lothrop and most, if not all those who came with him, went to Scituate, Massachusetts, where there was a small settlement of his old friends, whom he had known in England, and who invited him to become their pastor. There were nine of these families then at Scituate who had previously come from England, settling tirst at Plymouth; and Mr. Lothrop gives a list of ``The Houses in ye plantation of Scituate att my Comeing hither, onely these wch was aboute the end of Sept. 1634, - all wch small plaine palizadoe Houses.´´ The name of James Hamblen is not in the list, nor does it appear there down to the date of removal of Mr. Lothrop and his church to Barnstable hereafter related.
Mr. Lothrop and his church came (to Barnstable) Oct. 21, 1639, New Style. The town had been incorporated, many houses built and a civilized community were dwelling among the Indians. Mr. Hull and the other settlers welcomed them to their homes, assigned them lands and assisted them in putting up their first rude cabins. It turned out that Mr. Lothrop´s church constituted a majority of the people, who preferred their own pastor, with whom they had suftered persecution in England. Mr. Dimmock and others of the first settlers preferred to sit under his preaching, rather than Mr. Hull, in consequence of which the latter left the town. The dwellings are thus described: ``The walls were made of poles filled between with stones and clay, the roof thatched, the chimney to the mantle of rough stone, and above of cob work, the windows of oiled paper and the floors of hand sawed planks. Mr. Lothrop called such structures ``booths,´´ and says: ``They were open and cold, and in winter a high piled fire was constantly to be kept burning. All the houses in the village were alike - there was no opening for pride to claim a supremacy.´´ Mr. Otis says there had thirteen settled in the town when it was incorporated June 4, 1639, among whom was James Hamblen. In a list of the inhabitants of Barnstable made on January 5, 1643-4, the sixteenth name is ``James Hamblin, London, of B(arnstable) spring of l639. These accounts show conclusively that he settled in Barnstable independently from Mr. Lothrop and his church. There is no proof that he was or was not a member of Mr. Lothrop´s church in London, or that he suffered any persecution; but the facts that he was a puritan; the unrecorded birth and baptism of his daughter Hannah; that he came from London without his family; and united with the church in Barnstable, whose members had suffered persecution; leads to the inquiry whether he might not have been a member of that church in London, which suffered persecution as related.
His house lot, containing eight acres, was at Coggin´s Pond, and was one of those presumably laid out under the authority of Mr. Callicut. It was bounded northerly by the lot of Gov. Hinckley; easterly by the Commons, (now the ancient graveyard); southerly by the Commons; and westerly by the highway, which at that time, after crossing the hill on the west, turned to the north on the borders of the pond, to Gov. Hinckley´s old house, which stood near the pond; and thence turned easterly, joining the present road at the head of Calve´s Pasture Lane. In 1680 the present road was laid out through Hamblen´s lot, and leaving a triangular shaped portion of it on the north of the road; afterwards, in 1693, the location of the road having been changed, the Hamblens were allowed to enclose that part of the old road situated between their land and the pond, adjoining Gov. Hinckley´s. The westerly portion of the road which was discontinued, opposite the south end of the pond, was reserved as a watering-place, and is so occupied to this day. His other lands were six shares, and six acres of upland in the Calve´s Pasture; twenty acres of upland, and the meadow on the north, bounded easterly by the land of Henry Bourne, and westerly by the land of Dea. John Cooper; his great lot of fifty acres was bounded southwesterly by the Great Indian Pond; southerly by the lot of Thomas Lothrop; and northerly by the Indian Pond lots, on which his son John built a house. The Hamblens were among the first settlers in that part of town; and that region of country is now known as ``Hamblin´s Plains.´´ In 1686 his house was described as standing on his twenty-acre lot, on the north side of the highway, between the houses of Mr. Russell, (known in modern times as Brick John Hinckley´s,) and Dea. John Cooper, owned by William Hinckley and others.
The name of Mr. Hamblen appears frequently in the records of Plymouth Colony. The first mention is ``March 1, 1741-2. James Hamblen was propounded for Freeman; ``Before Willm Bradford, gent. Gou. (and other members of the court named) James Hamlen (was appointed) Constable for Barnstable.´´; March l5, 1657, James Hamblen served on inquest on the body of a child, Simeon Davis. June 3, 1657; James Hamblen was sick and could not serve on the Oraud Enquest; The name of James Hamblen appears in the list of Freemen of Barnstable in 1658; June 7, 1670, James Hamblen served on Grand Enquest, same day he was member of a trial jury; May 29, 1670, James Hamblen, Juni, and James Hamblen, Seni, in list of Freemen; March 6, 1671, James Hamblen served on a jury; June 3, 1679, James Hamblen served on a jury in the case between Capt. John Williams and Edward Jenkins; July 7, 1681, James Hamblen served on juries; July 6, 1682, James Hamblen summoned to serve on a jury, and served; In the list of Freemen of Barnstable for 1689, among others appear the names of James Hamblen, James Hamblen, Jr., John Hamblen, Eleazar Hamblen.
"Goodman Hamblen was not much in public life. He was an honest man, a good neighbor and a sincere Christian; he was industrious and prudent in his habits and brought up his children to walk in his footsteps. His descendants have, with few exceptions, inherited the good qualities of the ancestor."
The correct spelling of his name is a question of doubt. As a matter of fact people in those times were not particular, and the same individual did not spell his own name uniformly, in many instances; there was no standard of English orthography then. In the foregoing pedigree the name is spelled Hamelyn and Hamelin, in the record of baptisms, Hamblin and Hamlin; in the colonial records, Hamlene, Hamlen and Hamblen. His pastor. Rev. Mr. Lothrop wrote the name uniformly, Hamling. Rev. Mr. Russell, a successor of Mr. Lothrop, wrote it Hamblin. His sons and descendants for the first four generations, generally wrote it Hamblen; but assigned to his will, it is spelled Hamlin. The descendants spell the name variously: Hamlin, Hamlen, Hamline, Hamblin and Hamblen.
- History of the Hamlin Family - with genealogies of early settlers of the name in America. 1639-1894, Franklin Andrews
Will Of James Hamblen. Recorded Vol 1, Page 37. Barnstable Co., Mass., July 21, 1888. True Copy From The Records-Attest Freeman H. Lothrop, Reg. Of Probate Court. The last Will and Testament of James Hamlin Senr. of Barnstable: I being weake in body but throu ye mercy of God of good and dis~ posing mind and memory, and calling to mind ye uncertainty of this transitory life, and being willing to sett things in order as there may be peace and good agreement between my children after my decease, I do make and delare this my last will and testament in manner and forme hereafter mentioned viz: -
Imprimis: I will and bequeath my soul to (God who gave it through Jesus Christ, my deare and only Saviour and Redeemer and my body to decent burial as to my Executrix hereafter named shall seeme meete and convenient, and as for my outward estate which God hath been pleased to lend me, my will is that all my debts which are in right or conscience due to any person shall be first duly satisfied and contented. And then my will is that Anne, my loving wife shall have and enjoy all the rest of my estate in whatsoever it be during her natural life for her supporte and livelyhood, and my will is that after her decease in as much as my son James hath had ten pounds already of me, and my son Bartholemew five pounds, and my daughter Hannah„ five pounds (according to ye desire of my mother) so my will is that ye rest of my children shall have each of them five pounds apeace made up to them out of my estate, viz: to my son John five pounds my little feather bed bolster and rugg belonging to it, to be in part or whole thereof as it shall be appraised; and to my daughter Sarah five pounds, in ye great fether bed I lye on with ye bolster and rugg belonging thereunto as it shall be appraised; And to my son Eliazer four pounds, and five shillings out of my estate which with ye fifteen shillings he owes me on account makes up five pounds to him, And to my son Israel three pounds and eighteen shillings to make up ye bed and coverlett he hath five pounds to him.
Item. My will is that my daughter Sarah shall, have two of my platters which shee shall chose. And my will is that Israel shall have one of my pewter platters as my sons and daughter already married have had each of them one. And my will is that whatsoever of my estate shall remaine after my foresd legacies shall be paid shall after my wifes decease be equally divided amongst all my children unless my wife shall see cause to will any part or parts unto any of my sd children as shee shall see fit to those that are most dutyful unto her, unto whose liberty my will is it shall be left.
As also to nominate an executor to take place after her decease to see this my last will performed, And here in case shee make any will to dispose of ye overplus as aforesd.
Item. It is my will that Anne my wife be sole Executrix of this my last will and testament so long as shee lives.
In witness whereof I have hereunto sett my hand and seal this 23 of January Anno Dom´ 1683. JAMES HAMLIN [seal.] In presence of THOS. HINCKLEY, Gov. JONATHAN RUSSELL.
Gov, Hinckley and Jonathan Russell witnesses to this will, made oath in Court October ye 22th 1690, that they saw ye above sd James Hamlin deceased signe seal and declare this to be his last will and testament as attest.
- History of the Hamlin Family - with genealogies of early settlers of the name in America. 1639-1894, Franklin Andrews
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1606 - 1690 (84 years)
