Happy birthday Richard Booth (1607-1687)

Author's Introduction: I'm spending a lot of time looking at the Booth Family of early Connecticut colony. Sometimes I may interrupt this series to look at other ancestors, but I am very interested in getting some more information about my mother's family roots.

This grandfather was my 9 times great grandfather on my Booth Family Tree (my mother's mother's mother's tree!)

Back this far into my ancestry, the Booth family is full of confusion.  I've been warned that someone paid to have a fabricated family tree showing some connection of the Booths to members of the aristocracy of England.  So I am not sure who was really a person and who was fabricated.

So I know someone came from England to America, and I think Richard Booth (born 1607) may be the one.  He may have been with family members, because the only records say he was 13 when arriving in Fairfield County, CT in 1620.  In 1633 he married Elizabeth Hawley, another immigrant to America.

They may have had 7 children.  It's not certain because both John and Ebenezer have the exact same dates of birth and death**.  And one daughter only lived a year.  Their son Joseph Booth Sr. became my 8 times great grandfather, born in Fairfield County, CT.

Grandpa Richard died Sept 1, 1703 in Stratford, Fairfield CT.

Old Congregational Burying Ground, Stratford, Fairfield, CT.

This monument is referencing Richard, father of ...

Joseph Booth Birth: Mar. 8, 1656 Stratford Fairfield County Connecticut, USA Death: Sep. 1, 1703 Stratford Fairfield County Connecticut, USA Monument: Erected/ over the graves of Joseph Booth son of Richard Booth who died Sept. 1, 1703 AE 46 and Hannah wife of Joseph Booth daughter of John & Elizabeth Wilcoxson who died July 10, 1701 AE 38. Their children were James born 1688 Died 1766; Joseph Born 1687 Died 1763; Robert; Nathan; Zechariah;David born 1679 Died 1753; Hannah  The son of my ancestors, RICHARD & ELIZABETH (HAWLEY) BOOTH, he married Hannah Wilcoxson. Family links: Parents: Richard Booth (1607 - 1688) Elizabeth Hawley Booth (1607 - 1689) Spouses: Hannah Wilcoxson Booth (1665 - 1701) Hannah Wilcoxson Booth (1664 - 1701)* Children: James Booth (____ - 1766)* Joseph Booth (1689 - 1763)* Zechariah Booth (1693 - 1762)* *Calculated relationship Inscription: Here Lyeth/ The Body of Joseph Booth/ Who Died in The/ __ Year of His/___ September __ 1703 Burial: Old Congregational Burying Ground Stratford Fairfield County Connecticut, USA Created by: Nareen, et al Record added: Apr 18, 2004 Find A Grave Memorial# 8652132

And a final historic record (whether true or not, it sure looks likely) is the settlers map of Stratford.

Stratford settlers map

The first settlement was made at a place now known as Sandy Hollow, an arm of the Sound or creek, which penetrates a short distance from the Housatonic River, the ancient name of which was Potatuck. 3. Thomas (and then his son John) SHERWOOD 4. Elizabeth BEARDSLEY (widow of ?______ ) 5 and 8. Jeremiah JUDSON 6. John MINOR 7. William BENNETT 9. Nathaniel PORTER 10. David MITCHELL, ancestor of the late Prof. MITCHELL of North Carolina. 11. John HURD 12. Thomas SEABROOK, then 12th to John BIRDSEYE, Jr., 13. Thomas FAIRCHILD, Jr. 14. John PEACOCK, and then to his daughters, Miss Phebe BURGESS and Mrs. Deboarh (James) CLARKE. 15. Henry WAKELYN, now written WAKELEE. 16. Thomas UFFOOT. This property is still in the family. 17. Robert COE. Afterwards exchanged with UFFOOT for a place across the street, which UFFOOT had bought, and where the COES have ever since lived. 18. Samuel SHERMAN; then John PICKET. Mr. SHERMAN seems to have afterwards moved to the western part of Stratford (Pequonnock), and the PICKETS were among the first settlers of DURHAM. 19. Philip GROVES, the first and only ruling elder in Stratford Church. 20. Rev. Adam BLAKEMAN, first minister of Stratford. His descendants are written BLAKEMAN AND BLACKMAN. His only daughter, Mary, married Joshua ATWATER of New Haven and Rev. Thomas HIGGINSON, of Salem, Mass. 21. John BARLOW; then John HURD, then UFFOOT, then COE. 22. Mr. BRYAN bought James HARWOOD (original owner) and sold to Rev. Adam BLAKEMAN, who gae it to his son, Joseph B. Through J. HARWOOD, the BLAKEMANS became acquainted with Joshua SCOTTOW, merchant of Boston, whose daughter, Rebecca, Benjamin BLAKEMAN married. 23. Edward HIGBEE. 24. John JENNER; then John WELLS; then Widow Elizabeth CURTIS, who, with her two sons William and John, originated that name in Stratford. 25. Arthur BOSTWICK. 26. Jeremiah JUDSON. His gravestone yet stands in STRATFORD. 27. Joshua JUDSON (brother of Jeremiah; then John HURD. 28. Thomas FAIRCHILD. 29. Richard BOOTH, whose land extended beyond the lots north and ran northerly to the rocks. 30. Isaac NICHOLS, Sr., west side; Silles (?Stiles or Silas?) NICHOLS, and then Caleb, east side. 31. Adam HURD. 32. Francis NICHOLS; then Caleb NICHOLS. 33. Thomas QUENBY; then Joshua ATWATER; then Henry TOMLINSON. 34. William CURTIS; afterwards west end, Thomas CURTIS, who subsequently went, among the first settlers to Wallingford. 35. Adam HURD's duplicate lot. 36. John BEACH, ancestor of the WALLINGFORD and STRATFORD name. 37. Joseph HAWLEY'S Original lot. 38. John THOMPSON. 38a. Francis JACOCKES. 39. William READ; then by exchange, Joseph HAWLEY. 40. William CROOKER. 41. Joseph JUDSON; in 1640 William JUDSON, the father. The original stone house stood about four rods from the northeast corner. 42. Rev. Zachariah WALKER's half of parsonage lot. 43. Rev. Israel CHAUNCEY's half parsonage lot. 44. Hugh GRIFFIN, then John WHEELER. 45. Richard HARVEY; then John BOSTWICK; then Congregational society for parsonages. 46. Francis HALL 47 and 47a. John BLAKEMAN 48. A strip of lowland, given to widow of Abraham KIMBERLY in 1680. 49. Daniel SHERMAN, son of Samuel, Sr., then Ebenezer SHERMAN. 50. Common or highway, now the west half of B. FAIRCHILD's lot. It was originally the outlet of a short highway (coeval with the town settlement) that passed from Main Street round the low, wet land, now W. A. BOOTH's lot and led into the old mill road through No. 60, as above said. Of this road the recent burial-ground lane is all that encroachments have left, from Main Street to the burial-place, through its width, resurveyed and confirmed in 1738, is above four rods. 51. Land of Isaac NICHOLS. 52. House-lot of Samuel SHERMAN, Jr. (now the Roswell JUDSON lot.) 53. The eastern section of the street, of which No. 50 was a portion. 54. John BEERS; then Samuel BEERS; then, after 1700, BURTON, PRINDLE, TOMLINSON, McEWEN. 55. Nathaniel FOOTE; then Benjamin LEWIS; then Congregational parish, for Mr. CUTLER; then Rev. Mr. GOLD. 56. Burial place. 57. Daniel TITTERTON, Jr. 58. Timothy WILLCOXSON 59. Jabez HARGER, who went to Derby at its settlement, 1670. 60. John HULL, ancestor of Commodore Isaac; went to Derby, 1670. 61. John PICKETT; went to Durham. 62. Robert LANE; above him was John COOKE, bounded north by Esek Lane or Street. 63. John YOUNG, who died April 1661, and his lot went to John ROSE; afterwards Robert WALKER. 64. Thomas Wells, above whom James BLAKEMAN owned eight acres. 65. John THOMPSON, who lived on No. 38. 66. John WELLS. 66 a. Daniel TITTERTON, Sr. 66 b. John WILLCOXSON, Sr. 67. John PEAT (sometimes spelled PEAKE). 68. Moses WHEELER; then, very soon, Richard HARVEY; then his sons-in-law. 69. Thomas CURTIS, from his father, John (now Chatfield and Gorham lots). 70. William WILLCOXSON, ancestor of all of that name in and of Stratford. 71. William BEARDSLEE, ancestor of all of that name in and of Stratford. 72. John BRINSMEADE. 73. Nicholas KNELL, whose wife was Gov. Francis NEWMAN's daughter. 74. Robert RISE; then WHEELER; then Richard BENCH; then Rev. Israel CHAUNCEY. 75. First church edifice and burial-ground. 76. Originally UFFOOT's, who in 1661 sold to Nicholas GRAY, if he maintain his dam wide enough for a passable cartway. 77. Granted in 1671 by town to N. GRAY, if he maintain his dam wide enough for a passable cartway. 78. Jehiel PRESTON, 1662. 79. Site of the second church edifice, from 1670 to 1743. WHITEFIELD preached in it, October 26, 1740. 80. Site of the third church edifice, from 1743 till burned by lightening in 1785. A. Site of the first church edifice and burying-ground. B. Site of the second church edifice, from 1670 to 1743. Whitefield preached in it October 26, 1740. C. Site of third church edifice, from 1743 till burned by lightening in 1785. D. Site of fourth church edifice, from 1786 to 1850. E. Burial-place, opened 1678. F. Site of first Episcopal church edifice in Connecticut, 1723, with its graveyard, which still occupies the spot. G. Site of second Episcopal church edifice, from 1744 to 1858. Site of present Episcopal church edifice, erected in 1858. H. Methodist Episcopal church. I. Richard Booth's house-lot. J. Joseph BOOTH's house-lot K. John BOOTH's house-lot.

** Further research diligently carried forth by this descendant found that they had different birth and death dates after all! See the post about Elizabeth Hawley Booth for more on the children of Richard and Elizabeth Hawley Booth.