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| surname:rockwell:start [2025/05/12 17:55] – [Family Origins] Wiki Admin | surname:rockwell:start [2025/06/17 01:24] (current) – [Tracing the Tree] Wiki Admin |
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| ====== Rockwell ====== | ====== Rockwell ====== |
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| The current focal ancestor for this wiki's Rockwell line is [[surname:rockwell:1819_silas|Silas H. Rockwell]], born in 1818 or 1819. Census records consistently report that Silas was born in Ohio, and this is consistent with the hypothesis that the parents of Silas were Joseph Rockwell and Mary "Polly" McCray. | The current focal ancestor for this wiki's Rockwell line is [[surname:rockwell:1819_silas_h:start|Silas H. Rockwell]], born in 1818 or 1819. Census records consistently report that Silas was born in Ohio, and this is consistent with the hypothesis that the parents of Silas were Joseph Rockwell and Mary "Polly" McCray. |
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| ==== Names and Records ==== | ==== Names and Records ==== |
| ((__Families of Ancient Windsor Connecticut, Volume II__, by Henry R. Stiles, revised from first edition of 1859. Available in digitized form on Ancestry.com (subscription required for viewing) ))The descendants of this Samuel included an Ebenezer Rockwell (b. 1723) whose children by his wife Lucy Barber included a James Barber Rockwell. | ((__Families of Ancient Windsor Connecticut, Volume II__, by Henry R. Stiles, revised from first edition of 1859. Available in digitized form on Ancestry.com (subscription required for viewing) ))The descendants of this Samuel included an Ebenezer Rockwell (b. 1723) whose children by his wife Lucy Barber included a James Barber Rockwell. |
| ((Stiles ibid seems to have based this at least in part on information drawn from __The Rockwell Family in America: A Genealogical Record, from 1630 to 1873__ by Henry Ensign Rockwell. A digitized copy of this work can be viewed via Google Books or Archive.com)) | ((Stiles ibid seems to have based this at least in part on information drawn from __The Rockwell Family in America: A Genealogical Record, from 1630 to 1873__ by Henry Ensign Rockwell. A digitized copy of this work can be viewed via Google Books or Archive.com)) |
| As of May 2025, many family trees and biographies found on the Internet present this James Barber, son of Ebenezer, as James of Scioto. However, this account of James' ancestry came to be questioned. | As of May 2025, many family trees and biographies found on the Internet present this James Barber, son of Ebenezer, as James of Scioto. However, this account of James' ancestry turned out to be wrong. |
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| As research brought more information to light, it was argued by some that James of Scioto was descended from a man referred to as John of Stamford. There was some speculation that John of Stamford might have been a nephew of William. | As research brought more information to light, it was argued by some that James of Scioto was descended from a man referred to as John of Stamford. There was some speculation that John of Stamford might have been a nephew of William. |
| ((The parents of William were John and Honor Rockwell. In her will, Honor made bequests to grandchildren in America who she did not name but described as the children of her three sons: William, John and Richard. This led to speculation that John of Stamford was the son of one of William's brothers, either John or Richard.)) Then, in 2002, the [[https://rockwell-family.org/rockwell-y-dna-project|Rockwell DNA project]] was launched. This project is ongoing and has led to the collection and analysis of Y-DNA from descendants of various Rockwell family branches, including at least four descendants of James of Scioto. The results to date provide strong evidence that James of Scioto is descended from John of Stamford, who shared a common ancestor with immigrant William, but was not his son or nephew. The parents of John of Stamford are as yet unknown, as is his date and place of birth. However, his later history and line of descendants to James of Scioto are said to be as follows: | ((The parents of William were John and Honor Rockwell. In her will, Honor made bequests to grandchildren in America who she did not name but described as the children of her three sons: William, John and Richard. This led to speculation that John of Stamford was the son of one of William's brothers, either John or Richard.)) Then, in 2002, the [[https://rockwell-family.org/rockwell-y-dna-project|Rockwell DNA project]] was launched. This project is ongoing and has led to the collection and analysis of Y-DNA from descendants of various Rockwell family branches, including at least four descendants of James of Scioto. The results to date provide strong evidence that James of Scioto is descended from John of Stamford, who shared a common ancestor with immigrant William, but was not his son or nephew. The parents of John of Stamford are as yet unknown, as is his date and place of birth. However, his later history and line of descendants to James of Scioto are said to be as follows: |
| (( For more information, see __The Rockwell Family in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and beyond: some of the descendants of John Rockwell, an early settler of Stamford, Connecticut__ by Kenneth W. Rockwell (3rd edition printed in September of 2009). Ken has also provided updates at [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/JohnRockwellBook.html]] )) | (( For more information, see __The Rockwell Family in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and beyond: some of the descendants of John Rockwell, an early settler of Stamford, Connecticut__ by Kenneth W. Rockwell (3rd edition printed in September of 2009). Ken has also provided updates at [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/JohnRockwellBook.html]] )) |
| ((Other useful links: [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/Rockpeople.html]], [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/DNAreport.html]], [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/BookDNA.html]] | ((Other useful links: [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/Rockpeople.html]], [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/DNAreport.html]], [[https://homepages.rootsweb.com/~rootrock/BookDNA.html]])) |
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| | === John Rockwell of Stamford === |
| John arrived in Stamford, Fairfield, CT in 1641 and was given a lot of two acres and a parcel of woodland as part of a distribution of land that the New Haven Colony believed it had acquired by purchase from the indigenous Siwanoy tribe. | John arrived in Stamford, Fairfield, CT in 1641 and was given a lot of two acres and a parcel of woodland as part of a distribution of land that the New Haven Colony believed it had acquired by purchase from the indigenous Siwanoy tribe. |
| ((see Wikipedia article [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Stamford,_Connecticut|History of Stamford, Connecticut]])) | ((see Wikipedia article [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Stamford,_Connecticut|History of Stamford, Connecticut]])) |
| Sometime around 1654, John married Elizabeth Weed, daughter of Jonas and Mary Weed, who had also come to Stamford in 1641. Sometime before 1670, John and Elizabeth moved to Rye, Westchester, NY, where John died in 1673 and Elizabeth in 1676. John and Elizabeth had three sons: Joseph, Thomas, and Jonathan. All three settled for a time in Norwalk, Connecticut. | Sometime between 1654 and 1660, John married Elizabeth Weed, daughter of Jonas and Mary Weed, who had also come to Stamford in 1641. Sometime before 1670, John and Elizabeth moved to Rye, Westchester, NY. Probate records suggest that John died in 1673 or 1674. |
| | John and Elizabeth had three sons: Joseph, Thomas, and Jonathan. All three settled for a time in Norwalk, Connecticut. |
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| The youngest son, Jonathan, married Abigail Canfield, probably in Norwalk. Jonathan and Abigail ultimately ended up back in Fairfield County, making their home in Ridgefield, where their son Jonathan Jr. was born in 1711. | === Jonathan Rockwell I === |
| | The youngest son of John and Elizabeth, Jonathan (b. ~1665 in Stamford), married Abigail Canfield in April 1700. Jonathan and Abigail ultimately ended up back in Fairfield County, making their home in Ridgefield, where their son Jonathan II was born in 1711. Jonathan I. died 19.Jun.1731 and Abigail died 8.July.1734 |
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| In October 1733, Jonathan Jr. married a woman named Esther, whose family name may have been Hurlburt, and they had a son Jonathan III born in 1738/9 in Ridgefield. | === Jonathan Rockwell II === |
| | In October 1733, Jonathan II married a woman named Esther, whose family name may have been Hurlburt. They had a son Jonathan III born in 1738/9 in Ridgefield. Johnathan II died 3.Sep.1784 in Ridgefield, CT. |
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| Jonathan III married Hannah Bennett; sources give varying dates for the marriage, but the most likely date seems to me to be 1860. James Rockwell III and Hannah Bennett are thought to be the parents of James Rockwell of Scioto County, OH. However, if this is the case, it seems unlikely that our James was born in 1753. Also, the census report of 1830 shows James to be in the age range 60-69, which would make his age at most 75 at the time of his death in 1835. | === Jonathan Rockwell III === |
| | Jonathan III married Hannah Bennett; sources give varying dates for the marriage, but the most likely date seems to me to be 1860. |
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| | Various evidence points to James Rockwell III and Hannah Bennett as the parents of James Rockwell of Scioto County, OH. This makes it likely that James was born in 1763 ranther than 1753. Also, the census report of 1830 shows James to be in the age range 60-69, which would make his age at most 75 at the time of his death in 1835. |
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| ===== Family Tree ===== | ===== Family Tree ===== |
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| Tracing the ancestry of James and Hannah was complicated because the information I saw initially turned out to be incorrect. As sometimes happens with family trees, theories based on shreds of ambiguous evidence latched onto and repeated until they begin to be treated as established fact. Thus I kept coming across family trees and biographies telling me that James Rockwell, sometimes referred to as James Barber Rockwell, was the son of Ebenezer Rockwell and Lucy Barber and thus had a pretty well established line of ancestry back to immigrant William Rockwell who came from England to Massachusetts colony in 1630. In looking for some confirmation of this, I found instead bits of evidence that didn't quite fit. So I kept looking until I discovered that a group of people have put together a well-organized DNA project. The results of this project to date provide strong evidence that our James Rockwell is not descended from said William, but rather from a John Rockwell, referred to as John of Stamford, through his son Jonathan. The DNA project also has shown that John of Stamford was related to immigrant William, likely sharing a common ancestor a couple of generations back, but the identity of this common ancestor is yet to be found. | Tracing the ancestry of James and Hannah was complicated because the information I saw initially turned out to be incorrect. As sometimes happens with family trees, theories based on shreds of ambiguous evidence latched onto and repeated until they begin to be treated as established fact. Thus I kept coming across family trees and biographies telling me that James Rockwell, sometimes referred to as James Barber Rockwell, was the son of Ebenezer Rockwell and Lucy Barber and thus had a pretty well established line of ancestry back to immigrant William Rockwell who came from England to Massachusetts colony in 1630. In looking for some confirmation of this, I found instead bits of evidence that didn't quite fit. So I kept looking until I discovered that a group of people have put together a well-organized DNA project. The results of this project to date provide strong evidence that our James Rockwell is not descended from said William, but rather from a John Rockwell, referred to as John of Stamford, through his son Jonathan. The DNA project also has shown that John of Stamford was related to immigrant William, likely sharing a common ancestor a couple of generations back, but the identity of this common ancestor is yet to be found. |
| /* | |
| Census Data for Joseph Rockwell\\ | |
| 1820 | |
| * Under 10 - Silas 1819 (1811-1820) | |
| * 10 thru 15 Gershom Bennett 1810 (1805-1810) | |
| * 26 thru 44 Joseph 1788 (1776-1794) | |
| * Females - Under 10 (one 5-9, Julia d. 1821) | |
| * Females - 26 thru 44 - Mary 1788 (1776-1794) | |
| |
| 1830 | |
| * Under 5 - Charles 1830 (1826-1830) | |
| * 5 thru 9 - Benjamin 1821 (1821-1825) | |
| * 10 thru 14 - Silas 1819 (1816-1820) | |
| * 20 thru 29- 1 Gershom Bennett 1810 (1801-1810) | |
| * 40 thru 49 - Joseph ~1788 (1781-1790) | |
| * Females - Under 5 - 1 ? | |
| * Females - 15 thru 19 - 1 ? | |
| * Females - 40 thru 49 - Mary 1788 (1781-1790) | |
| |
| 1840 | |
| * 10 thru 14 - Charles 1830 (1826-1830) | |
| * 15 thru 19 - Benjamin 1821 (1821-1825) | |
| * 20 thru 29 - Silas 1819 (1811-1820) | |
| * 50 thru 59 - Joseph ~1790 (1781 - 1790) | |
| * Females - 10 thru 14 - Rachel Vernon 1821? (1826-1830) | |
| * Females - 50 thru 59 - Mary 1788 (1781-1790) | |
| |
| 1850 | |
| * Joseph 63 (1787-88) | |
| * Mary 63 - 1788 (1781-1790) | |
| * Benjamin 29 -1821 (1821) | |
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| 1860 | |
| * Charles Rockwell 32 1830 (1831-32) | |
| * ... | |
| * Joseph Rockwell 72 (1788-1789) | |
| |
| 1870 | |
| * Charles Rockwell 40 1830 (1830-31) | |
| * ... | |
| * Joseph Rockwell 80 (1790) | |
| |
| | /* |
| | ==== Line from John Rockwell (of Stamford) to Silas H. Rockwell ==== |
| | TBD |
| */ | */ |
| |
| ==== Line from John Rockwell (of Stamford) to Silas H. Rockwell ==== | ---- |
| TBD | ==== Footnotes ==== |
| | ++++ Click to Open/Close | |
| | ~~REFNOTES~~ |
| | ++++ |