1627 "Sara daughter to Hugh Calkin" was baptized the "vjth of May" in Waverton, Cheshire, England. [1] [2] [3]
1629 "Mary daughter to Hugh Cawkin" was baptized the "xxvijth December" in Waverton, Cheshire, England. [4] [5] [6]
1631 "Rebecca Cawkin" was baptized the "viiijth November" in Waverton, Cheshire, England. [7] [8] [9]
1639 Deborah, daughter of Hugh Culkin, was baptized on April 17 in St. Oswald, Chester, Chesire, Enbland. [10]
1639 Deborah, daughter of Hugh Calkin, was buried on October 4 in St Oswald, Chester, Cheshire, England. [11]
1640/41 On March 2, "Mr Richard Blindman, Mr Heugh Prychard, Mr Obadiah Brewen John Sadler, Heugh Cauken, Walter Tibbott were propounded to be made free the next Court" in Plymouth Colony. [12]
1645 On June 18 at a session of the court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, "Hugh Caulking, Thomas Smith, & Obadiah Brewen" were "appointed to end smale cawses for ye toune of Glocester for this yeere ensewing." [13]
1650 On May 22, "Att a Courte of Elecc'on, held att Boston, the 22th 3 Mo," the "Deputjes retourned from yetounes to serve at this Courte" included Hugh Calkin for Glocester. [14]
1650 On October 16 at a session of the court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, "Hugh Calkin, a member of the Howse of Deputyes, vppon his vrgent & extraordinary occasions," was "dismist from attendance the seruice of the Court. Per Curiam." [15]
1651 On May 7, "Att a Generall Courte of Election, held at Boston, the 7th of the 3d Moth ... the names of the Deputyes of the seuerall townes" included "Hugh Caulkin" for Gloucester. [16]
1651 At the May 22nd session of the court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, it was "ordred by this Court that Hugh Calkin, the deputy of the towne of Gloc', in regard of his remoueall out of this jurisdiction, vppon his request shall be dismist from the service of this Courte, provided yt the towne make choyce of another, accordinge to law, to supply his roome." [17]
1651 In New London, Connecticut, "Beginning at the lower end, Hugh Calkins had the first lot by the Lyme road, or highway to Nahantick, as it was then called, find next him was his son-in-law Hugh Roberts." [18]
1651-52 Hugh Caulkins and others were given marshland, then under water, which they undertook to drain. [19]
A "larger neck, called Wampassock, and containing 550 acres of upland, with a smaller neck adjoining, was given to Hugh Caulkins. This was subsequently sold to Winthrop. [20]
c 1653 "Three places in the town were fortified, the mill, the meeting-house, and the house of Hugh Caulkins, which stood at the lower end of the town, near the entrance of Cape Ann Lane. The inhabitants were divided into three squadrons, and in case of an alarm Sergeant Miner's squadron was to repair to Hugh Caulkins', Captain Denison's to the meeting-house, and Lieut. Smith's to the mill." [21]
1660 Hugh Caulkin and his son John removed to Norwich in 1660. [22]
Research Notes:
Frances Caulkins states, [23]
Hugh Caulkins was one of the party that came with Mr. Blinman, in 1640, from Monmouthshire, on the borders of Wales. He brought with him wife Ann and several children, and settled with others of the party, first at Marshfield, and then at Gloucester. At the latter place he was one of the selectmen from 1643 to 1648 inclusive, a commissioner for the trial of small causes in 1645, and deputy to the General Court in 1650 and 1651. In an account extant at Gloucester, reference is made to the time "when Hugh Caulkin went with the cattle to Pequot." This was doubtless in 1651, and it seems to intimate that in his removal he took the land route through the wilderness, and had charge of the stock belonging to the emigrant company. He dwelt at New London about ten years, and during that period was twelve times chosen deputy to the General Court, the elections being semi-annual. He was one of the townsmen from 1652 to 1661 inclusive. In 1660 he united with a company of proprietors associated to settle Norwich, and a church being organized at Saybrook previous to the removal, he was chosen one of its deacons. In 1663 and 1664, he was deputy to the court from Norwich. He died in 1690, aged ninety year.
The website of the Calkins Family Association, formerly hosted on rootsweb, presented the following summary of research concerning Hugh Calkins and his wife Ann, written by Ken Calkins, Historian of the Calkins Family Association:
It has been well established that Hugh and Ann Calkins, with at least four of their living children, came to the New World between 1638-1640, as members of the "Welsh Company" under the leadership of Reverend Richard Blynman. The exact date and the ship that they came on have not been clearly determined. It is also well established that this group departed from Chepstow, Monmouthshire, one of the border counties between Wales and England. These facts have led many writers to conclude that Hugh and his family were "born" in Chepstow. However, thorough searches of the Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts of the area around Chepstow have been unsuccessful in finding any indication that anyone named Calkins, by any spelling variation, lived there around the time that Hugh or members of his family would have been born. By comparison, similar searches conducted in other areas have located a number of families, with a spelling variation of the name Calkins, in counties to the east and north of Monmouthshire. In particular, the name has been found in the early 1600's in Gloucestershire, Cheshire, and Staffordshire.
As a result of these early searches, and following some additional clues provided, in 1998 Mr. Roy Edwards of Hayes, Middlesex, England, initiated intensive research on the records of the area near Chester, Cheshire. Mr. Edwards found clear evidence that Hugh Calkins was the son of Rowland and Elen [Ellen](Payne) Calkins, christened on 8 April 1603 in Waverton, a village south and east of Chester. He also found records of the christening of Hugh's three oldest children in Waverton, within a few years after the birth dates that were deduced from later records. An article describing the research and the proof is being prepared by Mr. Edwards for submission to a recognized genealogical publication.
The origin of Hugh's wife Ann is even less well known. Her surname has often been given as Eaton, Easton, Eston, or a similar variation. To our knowledge, there is no evidence - other than frequent repetition - to support any of these names. The research by Mr. Edwards described above provided no evidence on Ann's family name.
Because the Ancestral File records of the LDS Church are so frequently used by genealogy researchers, it should be mentioned that these records list the fathers of Hugh and Ann to be William Calkins and Laurentine Eaton, respectively. We believe this information is in error. At the very least it is certainly unproven.
Another statement that has often been made is that Hugh Calkins was a direct descendant of Sir William Colkin, who was one of the Magna Carta Barons, and who was a member of a family who founded a hospital in Canterbury. Again, there is no known evidence to support this statement as a fact.
Upon their arrival in America, Hugh and his family, together with the rest of the Welsh Party, landed first at Plymouth, and settled briefly at Green's Harbor, near Marshfield, Mass. Probably in 1641, they relocated to Gloucester, Mass., where Hugh Calkins and others were nominated as Freemen.
In about 1651, most of the original Welsh Party, including Rev. Blynman and Hugh Calkins and family moved again to what was then named Pequot Harbor and founded the town of New London, Conn. Around 1659, the Rev. Blynman left the community, returning to England where he later died.
Hugh Calkins and wife, with a number of other settlers including their older son John and his family, moved northward and founded the town of Norwich, Conn. Younger son David Calkins and several of the sisters remained in New London with their respective families. Accounts of the early movements of these groups can be found in several articles in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register and in History of New London. Conn, and History of Norwich.
Robert D. Calkins posted the following article with notes: [24]
Origin of Hugh Calkins Found
A genealogy and family history workshop was held at the Calkins International Family Reunion on Saturday morning, March [sic; should be "May"] 6, 2000. Highlight of the session, without question, was the presentation by Roy Edwards of Hayes, Middlesex, England on the search for the origin of Hugh Calkins and his family in Wales or England.
Since Hugh and his wife Ann, with at least four of their children, came to America with a group called the 'Welsh Company' led by the Reverend Richard Blynman of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, it has generally been assumed and often reported that this was the birthplace of Hugh and others in his family. However, thorough searches of records in that area have failed to reveal any records of anyone by that name.
Following leads provided in 1998 by Marilyn Brown of Ogden, Utah, and by Robert Charles Anderson (NEHGS), Roy and Leslie Edwards began a search of available records from the city of Chester and surrounding communities in Cheshire, a county to the north and east of Monmouthshire. In particular, microfilm copies of Parish Registers and Bishop's Transcripts starting from the mid-1500's to the mid-1600's were reviewed for many of the parishes around Chester. Unfortunately, many of the records are incomplete, with key years missing in some cases, and many of the ones that exist are of such poor quality that deciphering is nearly impossible. In conducting the search Roy and Leslie looked for any conceivable spelling of the names Calkins and Eaton (for Ann), and also for other names that were known to be associated with the 'Welsh Company.'
In many of the parishes searched no information was located that was useful. In numerous others, however, the names Calkin, Caulkin, Calkyn, Cawkin, Corkin, Calken, Calker, etc., were found. A map located elsewhere in this issue [p.10] shows some of the areas where such names were located. [p. 9 is titled "Calkins…Vital and other Records from Waverton, Cheshire, England and other parishes in the surrounding area" and contains entries from Waverton (includes some entries from Chester St. Oswald), Christleton and Tattenhall, dated 11 May 1998, revised 26 Apr 2000, by Roy Edwards.] In addition, a lesser number of entries contained the name Eaton, and other members of the Company, such as Bruen and Hough.
The parish of Waverton, Cheshire, provided the greatest number of record entries and those of greatest interest in Calkins genealogy. Those that seem to be directly applicable to Hugh and his family are listed below. It should be noted that these parish registers do not normally record birth dates of children, but christening dates. As in the modern world, the christening can be several months to a number of years after a birth. Similarly, burial dates are given rather than death dates, although these are usually within a few days after a death.
Robert D. Calkins posted the following summary of research by Roy Edwards: [25]
Origin of Hugh Calkins
There is no evidence to support the myth that Hugh Calkins was born in Chepstow, Monmouthshire in 1600. The date derives from a deposition made by him in 1672 when he stated he was aged about 72 years. A letter from Daniel Clark of Windsor, CT, to Hugh Calkins clearly implies that both men and others of their circle came from Cheshire. The 17th century distribution of the name Calkin in England, based on parish record extracted data in the IGI, is restricted to three counties - Cheshire, Staffordshire and Shropshire. The 17th century and earlier occurrence of the name in Cheshire is all in the western part of the County, almost entirely in three parishes East of Chester, with some events (mostly marriages) in some of the City parishes.
Hugh Calkins was baptized 8 April 1603 at Waverton, the son of Rowland Calkin and Ellen (Payne) who were married in 1597. Hugh had an elder brother William, who appears to have survived, if the marriage of 1631 to Elizabeth Siverston is pertinent. A younger brother Peter, baptised 18 August 1605, probably did not survive because his mother Ellen was buried five days later. Obviously arrangements amongst the Calkin clan were made to aid Hugh's survival chances, but Rowland did not appear to remarry immediately. He did remarry much later, in February 1624/25. While the Bishop's Transcript record is defective, the marriage license dated the previous day (12th February) gives a full version, namely: Rowland Cawken and Margaret Kirfoot, widow, of Waverton. Re-inforcing [sic] this is the Will of Margaret Calkin of Waverton in 1637 where she leaves bequests to her three children John, Mary and Ralph Kirfoot. So Rowland had died between 1625 and 1637 but we have no record of his burial. Rowland was born in the late 1570's probably the son of Hugh Calkin.
The marriage of Hugh Calkin has not been found probably because the Bishop's Transcripts are not extant for the most likely year, 1626. We then have the baptisms of three of his known daughters, Sara 6 May 1627, Mary 27 December 1629 and Rebecca 9 November 1631. An infant burial of a Margaret [sic; parish list gives it as Elizabeth Callkin] on 26 Mar 1629 may be relevant. There is then a big gap before the baptism and burial of a Deborah in 1639. This is significant because when they were in America they named another daughter Deborah (baptised 18 March 1643/44). What is missing from the Waverton register is the baptisms of the two sons John and David. According to F. M. [Frances Manwaring] Caulkins ([historian of] New London) David was the younger and was probably born in America. She provided no supporting evidence. The period between the 1631 and 1639 baptisms at Waverton and Chester St. Oswald, could easily accommodate the births of both sons. [The age given at John's death in Norwich, Ct., on 8 January 1702/03 provides a birth year of about 1634; David's birth year has been given as 1636 to 1644, but only in unreliable secondary sources] The baptismal register for Waverton is unusual and this may account for the missing baptisms. In baptismal registers for nearby parishes which cover the period from at least 1600 there are no fundamental trends in the number of baptisms until the nearly universal collapse of registration in the 1640's. At Waverton however, the baptism numbers drop to half the previous level in the 1630's. There was a new vicar from 1632 and this may represent slack recording or some more fundamental problem over the baptism of the children of Dissenters. Under Archbishop Laud's regime non-conformists may not have accepted the official baptism procedure and did not get their children officially registered. Perhaps the new vicar tolerated or sympathised with them. The baptism and burial of the first Deborah at Chester St. Oswald rather than Waverton may have significance in this respect.
Though there are record gaps that one expects at this period, the above story is convincing on its own. But there is additional data pointing towards Cheshire. While the so-called 'Welsh Company' which emigrated to America probably did have some Welsh members, there is evidence that part of the group besides Hugh Calkins, came from Cheshire. Obadiah Bruen, son of John from Bruen Stapleford in the parish of Tarvin was baptised there 25 December 1606 only two to three miles away from where Hugh Calkins was born. [See Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families by Douglas Richardson, Kimball G. Everingham, ed., 2004, p.162-163, for a royal descent of Obadiah Bruen] Obadiah a Draper, became a Burgess of Shrewsbury, Shropshire in 1633 while still a single man. He must have married very soon afterwards because he had a daughter by his wife Sarah, baptised there on 12 June 1634. He returned to Tarvin where a second daughter Sarah was baptised on 1 May 1636. According to published American genealogies two other Company members seem to have come from Cheshire, although in neither case has this been substantiated. William Hough is alleged to have been born at Westchester (an old name for Chester) in 1619. Andrew Lester is supposed to be derived from the distinguished family of that name in Cheshire.
The Reverend Richard Blinman who led the party to America almost certainly was born at Chepstow, Monmouthshire (baptised 1608). He graduated from Oxford in 1636 and held temporary posts in 1638-9. One was in North Herefordshire and the other just over the border in Shropshire at Brampton Bryan with Sir Robert and Lady Brilliana Harley, prominent Puritans. This couple knew Obadiah Bruen's father John, who[m] they called 'Bishupp Bruen.' It was Lady Brilliana who tells us that Richard Blinman in 1640 'had goon into New England.' A line of communication along the Welsh Borderland can thus be envisaged.
While outside the scope of this summary, the above evidence highlights the problem of where the group, possibly equally well called the 'Cheshire Company' gathered, and from which port they ultimately sailed to America. Did Hugh Calkins start sailing from Chester or Liverpool? Or did he travel through the Welsh Borderland down to Bristol? It is unlikely that we shall ever know, but we do know that he came from Cheshire.
The following entries were reported by Robert D. Calkins from parish lists in the above mongraph by Roy Edwards: [26]
Marriages (St. Peter, Waverton, Cheshire, unless otherwise noted)
23 Jun 1597 Roland Calken & Elen Payne, Chester St. Oswald
12 Feb 1624/25 Rowland Cawken & Margaret Kirfoot, widow, of Waverton [license]
13 Feb 1624/25 Rowl ... & widowe Kirffot [hole in page]
28 Dec 1631 William Calkin & Elizabeth Siverston of ShocklachBaptisms (St. Peter, Waverton, Cheshire, unless otherwise noted)
27 Nov 1583 Peter, s. of Hugh Calkin
11 Jan 1600/01 William s. of Rowland Calkin
8 Apr 1603 Hugh s. of Rowland Calkin
18 Aug 1605 Peter s. of Rowland Calkin
6 May 1627 Sara, d. of Hugh Calkin
27 Dec 1629 Mary, d. of Hugh Cawkin
9 Nov 1631 Rebecka, d. of Hugh Calkin
17 Apr 1639 Deborah, d. of Hugh Calkin, Chester St. Oswald, CheshireBurials (St. Peter, Waverton, Cheshire, unless otherwise noted)
29 Dec 1599 Elizabeth, w. of Hugh Calkin
23 Aug 1605 Ellin Calkin
26 Mar 1629 Elizabeth Callkin, infant
4 Oct 1639 Deborah, d. of Hugh Calkin, Chester St. Oswald, Cheshire
Robert D. Calkins also states, [27]
Hugh Calkins was likely still in England on 4 Oct 1639 when his infant daughter Deborah was buried [she had been baptized 17 Apr the same year]. He was clearly in America on 2 Mar 1640/41, the date when the Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England state 'Mr. Richard Blindman, Mr. Heugh Prychard, Mr. Obadiah Brewen, John Sadler, Heugh Cauken, Walter Tibbott' were propounded to be made free the next Court. Since crossing the Atlantic seldom occurred in the winter due to the often hazardous travel conditions, it's clear that Hugh Calkins most likely arrived in America in 1640, if his wife and children accompanied him. He could have come slightly earlier if his wife had remained in England, and came over after the birth and burial of daughter Deborah.
Atwater states, [28]
Henry Caukin, probably Hugh Calkins (1600-1690), was possibly a Welshman. He was in Gloucester in 1640; was made a freeman at Gloucester 27 Dec 1642; was a selectman 1643-48, a Representative 1650-52, and removed to New London after 1650, was a selectman and Representative in that town; was also a town clerk for many years. He removed in 1662 to Norwich and was the first deacon of the Norwich church; also a Representative in 1663-64, and died in 1690, aged ninety years. From England he came with wife Ann, children John, Sarah, Mary and possibly others.
Hinman states, [29]
Deacon Hugh Calkins--deputy in 1663, two sessions, from New London, with James Rogers. Appointed in '59 with James Morgan and J. Avery, to lay out to Governor WInthrop, 1500 acres of land at the head of Paugatuck Cove on fresh river.
Writing much earlier, William Cutter states, [30]
Hugh Calkins was a radical, in religion a non-conformist, and living in the troublous times of Charles, the First, soon became satisfied that there were safer countties than England and Wales—for men who wished to worship God according to the dicatates of their own consciences. Accordingly, he with his wife, Ann, and John, their son, then four years old, joined a body of emigrants called the 'Welch Conspany,' and with their pastor, Rev. Richard Blinman, embarked and came to America, about 1638 or 1640.
They settled first at Green's Harbor (now Marshfield) in New Plymouth colony, but religious dissentions arising, Mr. Blinman, Hugh Calkins and others removed to Gloucester. Hugh Calkins became one of the first board of selectmen, and in 1650 was chosen deputy to the general court of Massachusetts Bay colony. He was chosen again in 1651, but for some reason he and others removed in that year to Connecticut colony, some say to Saybrook, but he could not have remained there long, as he was soon in New London. The Connecticut colonial records show that Hugh Calkins was deputy at the general court from New London, May 20 1652. In all, he served twelve times as deputy from New London. By order of the general court, held October 3, 1654, Hugh and another were appointed a committee for enlisting men to fight the Naragansett Indians. The records also show that he was a deputy magistrate. In 1660 he again changed his residence to the place where the city of Norwich now stands, then a wilderness and owned by the Mohegan Indians. Just previously a treaty had been concluded, by and between the celebrated major Mason and others with the Mohegan chiefs, by which a tract of land nine miles square around Norwich was ceded to the whites, for the sum of seventy pounds sterling. Hugh and his son, John, were of the thirty-five original proprietors. Hugh appears in the colonial records as a deputy from Norwich to the general court, ten times. He was an active worker there in all measures for the public good; and also at home constantly identified with public interests. He was a deacon in the first churcth built in Norwich.
[1] The Register Book of the Parish of Waverton in Cheshire, 1582-1694, Cheshire Record Office P282/4554/1, FHL film 2106221, Item 2, [FHLCatalog].
[2] FamilySearch.org, [FamilySearchRecord].
[3] FamilySearch.org, [FamilySearchRecord].
[4] The Register Book of the Parish of Waverton in Cheshire, 1582-1694, Cheshire Record Office P282/4554/1, FHL film 2106221, Item 2, [FHLCatalog].
[5] FamilySearch.org, surname transcribed as Caulkin, [FamilySearchRecord].
[6] FamilySearch.org, surname transcribed as Caulkin, [FamilySearchRecord].
[7] The Register Book of the Parish of Waverton in Cheshire, 1582-1694, Cheshire Record Office P282/4554/1, FHL film 2106221, Item 2, [FHLCatalog].
[8] FamilySearch.org, surname transcribed as Caukin, [FamilySearchRecord].
[9] FamilySearch.org, date transcribed as 8 October 1631, [FamilySearchRecord].
[10] FamilySearch.org, St. Oswald, Chester, Cheshire, England, Record Office, Chester, [FamilySearchRecord].
[11] FamilySearch.org, St Oswald, Chester, Cheshire, England, Record Office, Chester, [FamilySearchRecord].
[12] Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, ed., Records of the Colony of New Plymouth, in New England, Vol. 2, Court Orders. 1641-1651 (Boston: William White, 1855), 8, [InternetArchive], [HathiTrust].
[13] Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol. 3 (Boston:Press of William White, 1854), 31, [InternetArchive].
[14] Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol. 3 (Boston:Press of William White, 1854), 182-183, [InternetArchive].
[15] Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol. 3 (Boston:Press of William White, 1854), 217, [InternetArchive].
[16] Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol. 3 (Boston:Press of William White, 1854), 220-221, [InternetArchive].
[17] Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of the Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England, Vol. 3 (Boston:Press of William White, 1854), 235, [InternetArchive].
[18] Frances Manwaring Caulkins, History of New London, Connecticut (New London, 1852), 71, [GoogleBooks].
[19] Frances Manwaring Caulkins, History of New London, Connecticut (New London, 1852), 82, [GoogleBooks].
[20] Frances Manwaring Caulkins, History of New London, Connecticut (New London, 1852), 99, [GoogleBooks].
[21] Frances Manwaring Caulkins, History of New London, Connecticut (New London, 1852), 85, [GoogleBooks].
[22] Frances Manwaring Caulkins, History of New London, Connecticut (New London, 1852), 361, [GoogleBooks].
[23] Frances Manwaring Caulkins, History of New London, Connecticut (New London, 1852), 158, [GoogleBooks].
[24] "Origin of Hugh Calkins Found," by Ken Calkins, Calkins Family Association newsletter, Calkins World, Vol. 7, No. 3, July 2000, pages 8-10 [posted by Robert D. Calkins, July 27, 2009, "Origin of Hugh Calkins," with notes in brackets by Robert D. Calkins, [URL].
[25] "An Outline of the English Origins of Hugh Calkins" by Roy Edwards, 18 July 2000, monograph on file at the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), [posted by Robert D. Calkins, July 27, 2009, "Origin of Hugh Calkins," with notes in brackets by Robert D. Calkins, [URL].
[26] "Origin of Hugh Calkins," posted by Robert D. Calkins, July 27, 2009, [URL].
[27] http://genforum.genealogy.com/calkins/messages/2956.html, "Origin of Hugh Calkins," posted by Robert D. Calkins, July 27, 2009
[28] Edward E. Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven to its absorbtion into Connecticut (Meriden, Conn.: The Journal Publishing Company, 1902), 693, [HathiTrust].
[29] Royal Ralph Hinman, A Catalogue of the Names of the First Puritan Settlers of the Colony of Connecticut, collected from the state and town records, Vol. 1 (Hartford: E. Gleason, 1846), 122, [GoogleBooks], [HathiTrust].
[30] William Cutter, Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of the State of Massachusetts, Vol. 2 (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1910), 918, [HathiTrust].