How would you like to read a story that includes Indian massacres, abusive politicians, the colonial turf wars in Connecticut (Dutch? English?), the oppressiveness of religious institutions (those Puritans didn’t stand for any nonsense!), the drawing of town and state lines, the growing influence of the Quakers, all intertwined with one woman’s stormy life?
I’ve mentioned this ancestor before but she fills the bill for this week’s prompt: Black Sheep. Though I would classify her more as a pioneer and survivor, for the times in which she lived I’m sure she was a black sheep – she definitely stood out!
Born in 1610,
Elizabeth Fones was the daughter of
Thomas Fones, an apothecary in London, and
Anne Winthrop. Anne’s father,
Adam Winthrop, was a wealthy Suffolk clothier. His success enabled him to join the gentry and so the Winthrops became squires and lords of Groton Manor.
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| John Winthrop, later governor of Massachusetts |
In 1629 Elizabeth married her first cousin, Henry Winthrop, son of John Winthrop who later became the first governor of Massachusetts. John was a devout Puritan and lawyer, and became the leader of the Winthrop Fleet, the first 1000 settlers to sail to Massachusetts with the Massachusetts Bay Company.
In 1630,
Henry left for Massachusetts aboard the Talbot in Winthrop’s Fleet (after being too late to catch the Arabella and travel with his father some months earlier.)
Elizabeth remained in England awaiting the birth of their first child. On 2 July, the Talbot arrived in Salem, intending to then proceed to Charlestown. Henry saw a native canoe on the opposite side of the North River. He jumped in the river to investigate, but a few minutes later he was "seized with cramps" and went down in full sight of his friends, who could not swim.
Elizabeth arrived in Massachusetts 2 Nov 1631 with her new baby. She made the crossing on the Lyon with several family members and about 100 other passengers.
Within months of arriving, her uncle Governor
John Winthrop encouraged her to marry Lt.
Robert Feake, a wealthy landowner. The Feakes acquired more land in what is now Greenwich, Connecticut.
Elizabeth is considered one of the founders of Greenwich; the area now called “Greenwich Point” was earlier known as “Elizabeth’s Neck” in recognition of
Elizabeth Fones and the 1640 purchase of the Point and much of what is today Old Greenwich. The deed reads: "...except ye neck by ye Indians called Monakewago, by us Elizabeth Neck, which neck is ye peticaler perchace of Elizabeth Feaks, ye sd Robt Feaks his wife, to be hers and her heaires or assigns, forever….” Undoubtedly,
Elizabeth used her own money, probably what she inherited from her father’s estate, to make this purchase. The fact that a woman held property in her own name was viewed with dismay in the rigid society of that time.
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| Elizabeth Neck (now Greenwich Point, Connecticut) |
Elizabeth and
Robert had five children;
Elizabeth,
Hannah (through whom we descend),
John,
Robert and
Sarah.
Robert began to exhibit signs of mental illness fairly early in the marriage and eventually abandoned his family by living apart and then returning to England.
Elizabeth later married Robert’s business manager,
William Hallett. This was scandalous in the Puritan world because it didn’t appear that
Elizabeth and
Robert had divorced, and he was still alive. (
Robert eventually did return to America and ended up being supported by the town of Watertown between 1650 and his death 12 years later, still insane.)
In 1966 Donald Lines Jacobus reviewed this sticky problem, and came to the conclusion that
Robert Feake and his wife did obtain a divorce from the Dutch government, that she had married
William Hallett by August 1649, and that the marriage was performed by
John Winthrop Jr., her former brother-in-law.
Because of the scandal,
Elizabeth and
William left Connecticut for the Dutch Colony of New Netherlands/New York and settled in an area called Hallett’s Cove, now known as Astoria, Queens, near Hell Gate.
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| Map detail showing Hallett's plantation (now Astoria, Queens) |
In September 1655, their family, now including two sons, William and Samuel, survived an attack by the Hackensack tribe of Indians. The house and farm buildings burnt to the ground. Elizabeth then purchased land in Flushing and Newtown. The following year William was made the chief official of Flushing. In 1664 William purchased all of Hell Gate Neck, Riker’s and Berrien’s Islands from the Indians for the sum of 58 fathom of wampum, 7 coats, 1 blanket, 4 kettles.
Since writing the original story about
Elizabeth, I've learned that we also directly descend from her son
William Jr. from husband
William Hallett. (William Hallett >> William Hallett Jr. >> Rebecca Hallett >> John Jackson who married Sarah Doty - 3 generations before is our Mayflower ancestor, Edward Doty >> Mary Jackson >> Rachel Shotwell >> Phebe Laing >> Edward Harned >> Harriet Yardley Harned >> Edgar Charles Forman . . .)
Upon the marriage of daughter
Hannah Feake to
John Bowne,
Elizabeth and
William Hallett joined them in becoming Quakers. The Puritans who had made her life so difficult had not turned her completely from God.
Elizabeth died about 1665 (some records say 1673) at about age 55 in Newtown, Queens County, New York.
William died in 1690.
As descendants of
Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett, as well as of her daughter
Hannah Feake Bowne, we have famous company. Amelia Earhart, John Kerry, Bill Gates and Johnny Depp are also descendants!
Read more about our illustrious ancestress:
Insubordinate Spirit: A True Story of Life and Loss in Earliest America 1610-1665 by Missy Wolfe (this is a well-researched book)
Winthrop Woman by Anya Seaton (this is more of a fictionalized version)
Our Pedigree from Elizabeth:
Elizabeth>>>Hannah Feake>>>Mary Bowne>>>Jacob Thorne>>>Mary Thorne>>> Jacob Laing (at this point, if we followed his wife Rachel Shotwell, we’d arrive at our Mayflower ancestor, Edward Doty)>>>Phebe Laing>>>Edward Harned>>>Harriett Yardley Harned>>>Edgar Charles Forman . . .
Originally posted at FamilySearch.org Memories
