CHESTER/NEVILLE 1600's Eng.>MA>CT
Bronson DJ Peters
I am researching Leonard CHESTER and Mary NEVILLE.
Leonard was born in 1609-10 in Leicestershire, England to John Chester
and Dorothy Hooker. He married Mary NEVILLE who was born after 1608.
Leonard died Dec. 11, 1648 in Wethersfield, CT. Mary NEVILLE m2) not
before 1655, Hon. Richard Russell of Charlestown. Mary died Nov or Dec
30, 1688 in Charlestown, (CT?).
Leonard immigrated to America in 1633. He arrived in Watertown, MA and
then removed to Wethersfield, CT in 1635. He served as juror from 1643
to 1645, and as grand juror from 1643-44.
Their children are as follows (all born in Weth., CT):
1. Capt. John Chester (first white child born in Wethersfield) b.
8/3/1635, m. Sarah Welles (dau. Gov. Thomas Welles of CT), and d.
2/23/1698 in Weth., CT.
2. Dorcas Chester b. 11/1/1637, m. 11/12/1656 to Rev. Sam Whiting, d.
date and location unknown.
3. Stephen Chester b.3/3/1639, d. 4/23/1705, unmarried, unknown
location.
4. Mary Chester b. 1/15/1641, d. 9/15/1669, unmarried, in Charlestown.
5. Prudence Chester b. 2/16/1643, m. 12/30/1669 in Charlestown to
Thomas Russell, and d. 10/21/1678 in Charlestown.
6. Eunice Chester b. 6/15/1645, m. 2/25/1673 to Richard Sprague, and d.
5/27/1676, unkwon location.
7. Mercy Chester b. 2/14/1647, d. 1669, unmarried, in Charlestown.
What I need is info on Leonard Chester's parents, missing info for Mary
Neville, and the identities of Mary's parents.
Please HELP!!!
Erin Peters
bron...@ix.netcom.com
Kathryn Graham
Erin Peters wrote:
per 'Bond's Genealogies and History of Watertown', pg 736
Leonard Chester, born 1610; son of John Chester of Blaby and Dorothy Hoker;
daughter of T. Hoker of Leicestershire. John Chester, son of Leonard
Chester of Blaby and Bridget Sharpe; daughter and coheir of John Sharpe of
Frisby, Super Wreke; second wife. Leonard Chester, son of William Chester
of London; and of Barnet, co. Hertford.
There is no mention of the ancestry of Mary Nevill.
Kathie
Gordon Fisher
I'm sending what I have on Leonard CHESTER.
Gordon Fisher gfi...@shentel.net
"LEONARD [CHESTER], Es., the English ancestry of Chester has been traced
back for many generations, but it will suffice for our purpose to say that
the Weth. settler was the *son* of John Chester, of Blaby (m. Dorothy, dau.
of Thos. Hooker, of Leicester, and sister of the celebrated Rev. Thos.
Hooker, of Htfd.); and *gd-son_ of Leonard Chester, of Blaby, who m. (1) the
dau. of Nicholas Saville; and (2) m. Bridget, dau. of John Sharpe, of
Frisby, Super Wreke, Eng., and *gt-gd-son* of William Chester, Bart., of
London, and of Barnet Co., Hertford, Eng. (P) He was b. 1610; m. Mary Wade,
came to Watertown, Mass., 1633, was prop'r there, and "Chester's Meadow" and
"Chester Brook" in Waltham still perpetuate his memory in Mass., was one of
the first setllers of Weth., 1635; was a grand juror, his name occurring 13
times in Vol. I, of *Cam. Col. Rec.*, built ... the first corn-mill in Weth
..... Was evidently an active, influential and highly respected citizen; d.
in Weth. 11 December, 1648, ae. 39; will dated 2 Aug., 1648; will dated 2
Aug., 1648; app,. his wife sole executix, and refers incidentally to ppy.
"remaining still in Old England," and to his "father Wade" amd "Uncle
Newton" (first minister of Farmington, Conn., and later second minister at
Milford, Ct.) This will is given in full in Goodwin's *Geneal. Notes*, p.
8. There was, however, a previous will, dated 22 Nov., 1637, on file in
*Htfd. Co. Prob. Office*. (P) His wid. m. (2) abt. 1655, (as his 2d wife)
the Hon. Richard Russell, of Charlestown, Mass., a prominent merchant and
citizen of that place, whose first wife, Maud, had d. some 3 yrs. before.
He d. in 1676, and she survived him, dying at C., 30 Nov., (Savage says
Dec.,) 1688, ae. abt. 80. --- *Charlesto[w]n Recs.*. (P) Her will dated 20
Nov., 1688, At C., app. her son Stephen and her son-in-law Rev. Sam;l
Whiting, exec's, and devises considerable ppy. to ch. and gd-ch. ..... (P)
*Children (Weth. Rec.)* 1. John (Capt.) b. 3 Aug., 1635, at Watertown,
Mass. [SEE UNDER HIS NAME] [Footnote: "John's birth being evidently ent.
both on rec. of Watertown, Mass., and Weth, Ct., gives Judge S. W. Adams ...
opportunity to claim him as Weth.'s *first-born*. *Savage* (I, 375) says:
"Wild trad. makes this son the first white ch. b. in town of Weth., where we
may be sure no Eng. ch. was b. for many mos. later."] 2. Dorcas, b. 5 Nov.,
1637; m. 12 Nov., 1656, Rev. Samuel Whiting; grad. H. C. 1653; 1st min. at
Billerica, Mass. (s. of Rev. Samuel W., 1st min. of Lynn, Mass., by his 2d
wife, dau. of Rt. Hon. Oliver St. John, of Eng.); she d. 16 Feb., and he 28
Feb. 1713, ae. resepctively 76 and 80. *Issue:* i. Elizabeth (Whiting), b.
6 Oct., 1660, m. Rev. Thos. Clark, 2d min. Chelmsford, Mass., as 2d wife.
ii. Samuel (Whiting), b. 19 Dec., 1662; cornet in the Troop; d. 1714. iii.
John (Whiting, Rev., b. 1 July, 1664; H. C. 1685; 2d min. at Lancaster,
Mass.; was shot and scalped by Inds. 11 Sept., 1697; left wid. and ch. iv.
Oliver (Whiting), b. 8 Oct., 1665; many years a "mag."; left wid. and 6 ch.;
he d. 1736. v. Mary (Whiting), b. 28 Apl., 1667. vi. Dorothy (Whiting), b.
23 Aug., 1668. vii. Joseph (Whiting), b. 7 Jan., 1670; d. 6 Aug., 1701.
viii. James (Whiting), b. 20 July, 1671; d. 1 Aug. 1671. ix. Eunice
(Whiting), b. 6 Aug., 1672; d. 20 Aug., 1672. x. Benjamin (Whiting), b. 26
Aug., 1675; d. 18 Sept., 1675. xi. Benjamin (Whiting), b. 5, d. 20 Oct.,
1682. [END CHILDREN OF DORCAS]. 3. Stephen, b. 3 Mch., 1639; d. Htfd., 23
Apl., 1705, unm. ..... 4. Mary, b. 15 Jan., 1641, at Charlestown, Mass., d.
15 Sept., 1669, unm. 5. Prudence, b. 16 Feb., "or thereabouts," 1643; m. 30
Dec. 1669, Capt. Thomas Russell, of Charlestown, a son, or nephew of Hon.
Richard, of C., who d. 21 Oct., 1676, ae. 35; Mrs. Prudence Russell d. 2
Oct., 1678, ae. 35. *Issue:* i. <ary (Russell), b. 27 Sept., 1670; m. John
Watkins. ii. Thomas (Russell), b. 30 Mch., 1672. iii. Prudence (Russell),
b. -----; m. ----- Dole, of C. 6. Eunice, b. 15 Jan., "or thereabouts,"
1645; m. 25 Feb., 1672-3, Capt. Richard Sprague, of Charlestown, Mass.; she
d. 27 May, 1676, ae. 31; he m. (2) Wid. Catherine Anderson; he d. 7 Oct.,
1703, ae. 78; no issue by either marr. 7. Mercy, b. "the middle of Feb.,
1647; d. Charlestown, Mass., 15 Sept., 1669 ..... making no mention [in her
will of same date] of her sister Mary, who from the rec. must have d. on the
same day as herself."
--- Henry R Stiles, *The History of Ancient Wethersfield*, v II, 1904, p
210-211
Among the "Adventurers" of Wethersfield (occupants so early that they didn't
derive their title from the town): "Leonard Chester was an adventurer of
1635, probably; though Dr. Bond intimates a belief that he left Watertown in
1634. He was an Esquire (sometimes called *armiger*), and one of the
youngest of the "gentlemen" of that day in New England. His son John was
born Aug. 3, 1635; and if, as we believe to have been the case, he was a
native of Wethersfield, he was the first white person born there."
--- Sherman W Adams, "Wethersfield," in *The Memorial History of Hartford
County, Connecticut, 1633-1884*. ed J Hammond Trumbull, v. 2, 1886, p 436.
LEONARD CHESTER is *not* a DIRECT ANCESTOR: he is an ancestor of the second
wife of JONATHAN HALE (SR) who is a direct ancestor by way of his first wife
SARAH TALCOTT. "Adventurers" who *are* DIRECT ANCESTORS are ROBERT ROSE and
NATHANIEL FOOTE.
"Leonard Chester, Esq., "Armiger," came from Blady, England, and settled in
Wethersfield, Conn. He married in England, Mary -----, about 1634, and had
(P) [Children:] 1. John, b. August 3, 1635, in Watertown, Mass., m. (7)
SARAH WELLES in Fbruary, 1653; d, February 23, 1698. 2. Dorcas, b. November
5, 1637; m. Rev. SAMUEL WHITING, November 12, 1656; d. February 16, 1713.
3. Stephen, b. May 3. 1639; d. s. April 23, 1705. 4. Mary, b. January 15,
1641; d. y. 5. Prudence, b. February 16, 1643; m. Capt. THOMAS RUSSELL,
December 30, 1669; d. October 21, 1678. 6. Eunice, b. January 15, 1645l m.
Capt. RICHARD SPRAGUE, February 1, 1672; d. May 27, 1676. 7. Mercy, b.
February 15, 1647; d. September 15, 1669. (P) Leonard Chester, Esq., died
in Wethersfield, Conn., December 11, 1648, ae. 19 years. (P) MARY -----,
widow of LEONARD CHESTER, Esq., married 2d, the Hon. Richard Russell, of
Charlestown, Mass., in 1655, and ided there November 30, 1688, ae. 80 years.
(P) On a flat freestone tablet in the old graveyard at Wethersfield, the
head of which was adorned with an elaborate coar of arms of the Chester
family, in lead, is the following insciption: "Here lies the body of
Leonard Chester, Armiger, late of the town of Blaby and several other
Lordships in Lancastershire, deceased, in Wethersfield, Anno Domini, 1648,
Etatis 39." "
--- S. V. Talcott, *Genealogical Notes of New York and New England
Families*, Albany NY, 1883, p 492
"The tradition is, that Mr. Chester, who was one of the first settlers of
Wethersfield, having some business to perform in the south part of town,
which was then a wilderness, became lost in the woods. Being missed, his
neighbors went in search of him, making moises in the woods, and uttering
*lamentations*. After a lapse of several days, his neighbors had the good
fortune to meet with him on a mountain in Berlin, which has ever since been
called Mount Lamentation."
--- John Warner Barber, *Connecticut Historical Collections*, 1836, p 122