Richard MORTON

 

 

wager1832

 

1640 - 1710

 

 

Father:  George MORTON

Mother:  Phoebe COOPER

 

Family 1 : Ruth EDWARDS

 

 

1.  Thomas MORTON

2.  Richard MORTON

3.  John MORTON

4.  Joseph MORTON

5.  John MORTON

6.  Abraham MORTON

7.  Elizabeth MORTON

8.+Ebenezer MORTON

9.  Jonathan MORTON

 

 

                                                                                                                                                    

 

                                                                                                                                                       ___Anthony MORTON___+

                                                                                                      ___George MORTON____|     (ca1521/3 - ....)  m 1559 

                                                                                                    |      (1553 - ....)  m 1577           |___Mary PLUMPTON_____                      

                                                 ___George MORTON_____|                                                       (ca1538 - ....)  m 1559

                                                |     (1585 - 1624)  m 1612          |                                                  ____John BOWN________

                                                |                                                   |____Catherine BOWN____|     (ca1526 - ....)  m

                                                |                                                       (ca1556 - ....)  m 1577           |_________

___George MORTON____|                                                                                                            

|     (1624 - ....)  m                   |                                                                                                        ___William CARPENTER__

|                                               |                                                   __Alexander CARPENTER__|   (1520 - 1550)  m ca1545

|                                               |                                                   |   (ca1546 - 1611/2)  m 1583     |___Abigail ?????______

|                                               |___Juliana CARPENTER___|                                                      (ca1524 - ....)  m ca1545

|                                                   (1584 - 1664)  m 1612            |                                       

|                                                                                                   |____Priscilla DILLEN____

|                                                                                                        (1562 - 1653)  m 1583

|

|- - Richard MORTON

|     (1640 - 1710)  m                                                        

|                                                                                               

|                                                                                                

|                                          

|                                                           

|                                                                                              

|                                                                                                          

|__Phoebe COOPER___                                                                                                         

  (ca1625 - 1663)  m                                                                            

                                                                                              

 

 

TIMELINE

 

1640

1641

1642

1643

1644

1645

1646

1647

1648

1649

1650

1651

1652

1653

1654

1655

1656

1657

1658

1659

1660

1661

1662

1663

1664

1665

1666 - Thomas is born

1667

1668 - Richard is born

1669

1670 - John is born and dies the same year

1671 - Richard (the son) dies

1672 - Joseph is born

1673

1674 - John (2) is born and dies young

1675

1676 - Abraham is born

1677

1678

1679

1680

1681

1682 - Ebenezer is born

1683

1684 - Jonathan is born

1685

1686

1687

1688

1689

1690

1691

1692

1693

1694

1695

1696

1697

1698

1699

1700

1701

1702

1703

1704

1705

1706

1707

1708

1709

1710

 

 

 

 

INDEX

 

PEDIGREE

 

wager1832

 

Richard Morton is not particularly interesting as an historical figure, but is truly interesting as a genealogical figure. The interest is due to different theories about his ancestry, most notably two in particular: 1) that his family is Scottish in origin and came from a royal family in Athol, Scotland, as one of the first families in the Connecticut Valley; and 2) that he is the grandson of George Morton, the financier of the Mayflower venture, who came to Plymouth Colony during the 1623 migration on the ships "Anne" and "Little James," and died a year later.

 

The first theory hinges on the coincidence of (a rumored royal family named "Morton" in?) the region of Athol, Scotland, and the settlement near Hartford, Connecticut, where the Mortons lived, supposedly named "Athol" in honor of their homeland (there is also, by the way, an Athol, Massachusetts, in northern Worcester County). The second theory is based on the idea that George Morton who married Phoebe Cooper was born in Plymouth County in 1624, the son of George Morton (who died the same year) and Juliana Carpenter. Both of these theories are sketchy at best. 

 

Gale Ion Harris, "John Edwards of Wethersfield, Connecticut," New England Historical Genealogical Society Register (October 1991) : 317:


"Little is known about Richard Morton; his affiliation with the Edwards family raises more questions than it answers. As discussed above, John Edwards's wife Dorothy was a Moulton, and her nephew Samuel Molton [sic] of Salem, Massachusetts died in Thomas Edwards's home at Hockanum in 1667. Jabez Colt (No. 3 v above) married Mary Morton, daughter of William Morton of Hartford and Windsor, a creditor of Thomas Edwards's stepson John Loveland at Hockanum. It has been reasonably suggested by other authors that William and Richard Morton were brothers. Thomas Morton of Wethersfield, eldest son of Richard and Ruth Morton, signed his name on a petition in 1712 as Thomas Molton (Stiles, Wethersfield, 2:513). However, no specific evidence has been found to show that the Mortons, possibly brothers, were related to Dorothy Moulton and her nephew Samuel Molton except the circumstances encountered here which seem to imply some familial connection preceding Richard and Ruth's marriage.

"In any case, Winthrop's notes prove that Ruth Edwards married Richard Morton, by several entries beginning with one dated 26 February 1665/6: 'Morten [blank] his wife formerly Ruth Edwards paine in head . . . ' (JWJ Med. Rec., 629). The only available Ruth Edwards appearing in that locality and time was John Edwards's daughter. Winthrop soon supplied Morton's given name when he saw, on 1 December 1666, 'Richard, Mr. Willis his man,' and on 29 March 1667, 'Morton Richard at Hartford who lives near Mr. Willis.' Moreover, on 15 April 1667, he saw 'Morton Tho: 1/2 yr, son of Rich: Morton at Hartford' (ibid., 691, 715, 717). The boy Thomas, Winthrop's patient at Hartford five more times between 1667 and 6 April 1669, was obviously Richard and Ruth Morton's known first child, Thomas, who died at Wethersfield 1 May 1740 in his 75th year, having named his first daughter Ruth (Stiles, Wethersfield, 2 513). 'Mr. Willis' was Gov. Wyllys's son Samuel whose affiliations with the Edwards family frequently appear in this article .

"Winthrop treated Richard Morton's 'wife at Hartford' on 14 May 1667, and he saw Richard and his son Thomas, then '2 1/2 y,' on 6 April 1669 (JWJ Med. Rec., 724,895). In October, 1669, Richard was among the freemen on Hartford's south side, nearest Wethersfield and Hockanum and he was listed with a family of four persons at Hartford on 9 March 1669/7Q (Wyllys Papers, 196; Public Records, 2:518). However, they apparently were in Hatfield before 21 January 1670 [sic] presumed 1670/1 but see the death record of child No. iii below], where the birth of their third child was recorded. Richard Morton's houselot, 20 rods wide granted to him by the town sometime between 1670 and 1672 (Judd, History of Hadley, 31).

 

same, The American Genealogist (January 1992) :



"[William] Morton was in Hartford by 05 June 1656 when he, George Graves, John Colt and John Adams were fined 5s. each 'for playing at cards and that at an unseasonable time of the night' (Part. Court Recs. p. 169). About three years later, in March 1658/9, Winthrop referred to him as 'Morton William: at Mrs. Fitch,' apparently Joseph Fitch's wife Mary Stone at Hartford (Winthrop Med. Recs. p. 152; Stiles' Windsor 2:261). His origins seem to be unknown (see Ulysses G. and Addie L. Morton, William Morton of Windsor, Connecticut and some of his Descendents who are also descendents of Thomas Burnham, Fenton, Mich. 1950). However, he surely was closely related to Richard Morton who appeared about the same time at Hartford as servant to Mr. Samuel Wyllys and soon married (early 1665/6) Ruth Edwards, daughter of Wetherfield's John and Dorothy (Moulton) (Finch) Edwards (Winthrop Med. Recs. pp 629, 691, 715, 717). Richard's descendents appear in Lucius M. Boltwood, 'Genealogies of Hadley Families.' "

 

 

LINKS:  http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Museum/3731/morton, http://www.alden.org/documents/otherships.htm

 

 

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