September
15, 1955
This Article Appeared In The Times
But Was Not Actually Titled Cal’s Column
Transcribed
By Pamela Vick
JOHN BROCKETT - the first person of the
name of Brockett of whom any record can be found in this country, was born in
England in 1609 and came to America in 1637, probably on the ship Hector, with
Rev. John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton, which ship arrived in Boston, June
26, 1637. The list of passengers on
that vessel was never published; and for prudential reasons, its clearance
never appeared in the records of any English port, so far as can be
ascertained. In regard tot he persons
who accompanied Rev. Davenport to this country and who joined him in the
settlement of New Haven, G. H. Hollister, in his history of Connecticut says,
“They were gentlemen of wealth and character, with their servants and household
effects. They were for the most part,
from London and had been bred to mercantile and commercial pursuits. Their coming was hailed at Boston with much
joy for they were the most opulent of all the companies who had emigrated to
New England.” Shortly after the arrival
of the Hector in Boston, Eaton and a few others, unwilling to join the
Massachusetts Colony, explored the coast along Long Island Sound, selecting a
tract of land near the Quinipiac River, the present site of the city of New
Haven, on which they left seven of their number to hold it for the winter. In the spring of 1683 (April 13) Davenport,
with others among whom was John Brockett, followed. They purchased the lands at Quinipiac of the Indians, and,
“taking the Bible for their guide,” formed an independent government or
“Plantation Covenant” upon strictly religious principles. Prosperity attended them and they dail the
formation of a town and called it New Haven.
John Brockett seems to have been one of the leading men of the company
as his name more often appears in the records of the New Haven Colony than of
any man in civil life, except that of Theophilus Eaton.
There is very little of official record in this country
concerning his birth. The tradition has
existed for 200 years in New Haven that John Brockett was the eldest son of Sir
John Brockett of Brockett Hall, Hertfordshire, England, and that on account of
his Puritanical ideas his father (who has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth)
disinherited him, and that John then gave up all claims to the title and estate
of the Brocketts of England, in order to join the Puritan Band which came with
Rev. John Davenport to America. This
tradition has never met any denial and the writer in receiving records from all
parts of the United States of the early families of the name Brockett, has
found them generally commencing with Sir John Brockett, of Hertfordshire,
showing that all branches of the descendants have maintained this belief. From another source comes the statement
that before coming to this country John Brockett fell in love with a Puritan
maiden, that for her sake he gave up his right to the paternal estate, came to
this country, established himself, provided a home for a wife, returned to
England, married her and brought her to this country. In 1899 application was made to Parish Clerk at Hertfordshire,
England to make research to establish these claims. In reply he writes, “I am told that the first son of Sir John was
outlawed. Is it not possible that this
first son is the son who emigrated to America and settled there between 1630
and 1639?”
From another source came the statement that Sir John Brockett
not only disinherited his eldest son but had his name removed from all family
records so that it should never appear in any published lists of family or the
connection with himself ever be traced.
In one of the Connecticut religious papers, published in 1868, we find
the following: “John Brockett, the eldest son of Sir John Brockett of the
county of Hertfordshire, England, who was a well-known loyalist of the time of
Charles I, becoming convicted of the truth of the Gospel as preached by the
Puritans, relinquished his birthright and all his prospects of honor and fame,
joined himself to the little company of Rev. John Davenport, emigrated to New
England and settled [...] him as Moses, it could be said that he preferred to
suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for
a season.
John Brockett died in Wallingford, Conn., March 12 1690.
Children of John Brockett:
John--Born 1642, married Elizabeth Doolittle; Benjamin and Be Fruitful,
twins--Born Feb. 23, 1645, died 1645; Mary--Born Sept. 25, 1646, married
Ephraim Pennington; Silence--Born Jan. 4, 1648, married Joseph Bradley Sept.
25, 1667; Benjamin--Born Dec., 1648, married Elizabeth Barnes; Abigail--Born
March 10, 1650, married John Payne Jan. 22, 1673, died 7-4-1729; Samuel--Born
Jan. 14, 1652, married Sarah Bradley; Jabez--Born 1654, died 1654; Jabez--Born
Sept. 24, 1656, married Dorothy Lyman.
Son of John Brockett, was born
in New Haven, Conn., January 14, 1652; baptized Jan. 18, 1652; married Sarah
Bradley, may 23, 1682, who was born June 21, 1665 and was the ninth child of
William BRadley. Samuel was a
public-spirited man and, like his father, took much interest in the political
affairs of the times. He was also a
large Real Estate owner. He died in
Wallingford, Conn., Oct 27, 1742.
Children of Samuel Brockett:
Samuel--Born Feb. 15, 1683, married Rachel Brown; Daniel--Born Sept. 30,
1684, probably died Feb. 8, 1740; John--Born Nov. 8, 1685, married Huldah Elis;
Joseph--Born Oct. 25,1688; Josiah--Born July 25, 1691; Alice--Born April 23,
1693, probably married Stephen Curtis March, 1714; Benjamin--Born May 23, 1697,
married Lydia Elcock; Josiah--Born July 25, 1698, married Deborah Abbott.
Son of Samuel and Sarah (Bradley) Brockett, was born Nov. 8,
1685. On the first of March, 1711, he
married Huldah Elis. She died March 29,
1757.
Children of John Brockett: Daniel--Born April 3, 1712; David--Born
November 28, 1714, died 1761, unmarried; Anna--Born Feb. 2, 1716, married
Gideon Hotchkiss; Ebenezer--Born circa 1717, died 1761; Christopher--Born April
9, 1718, lived at Weathersfield, Conn.; Mehitable--Born April 3, 1719, died
before 1759; Lois--Born 1721, married a Mr. Dudley; Mable--Born circa 1723,
married a Mr. Green, died April 21, 1806; Elisha--Born May 31, 1726; John--Born
Feb. 14, 1728, married Jemima Tuttle.
Son of John and Huldah (Elis) Brockett, was born May 31, 1726 at
Wallingford, Conn. He served in the
French and Indian War in 1755-1756 in Captain Street Hall’s company, which was
attached to a New York Regiment. He was
of patriotic spirit. The name of his
wife is not known but his son enlisted in the Revolutionary War serving for the
entire seven years.
Children of Elisha Brockett:
William--Born circa 1750, married Martha Ives.
Son of Elisha Brockett, was
born 1750 in Wallingford, Conn. He left
home in early life, settling in New Bern, N. C., where he married Patsey
(Martha) Ives, Oct. 1, 1771, daughter and only heir of Thomas Ives. William enlisted Nov. 17, 1774 in the
Revolutionary War, seving until its close, in N.C. and S.C. He was made a Lieutenant and afterwards
promoted to Captain. After the war he
moved with his family to Carthage,Smith County, Tennessee, where he died May 3,
1821. He and his family were members of
the United Presbyterian Church. His
wife survived him and died at Effingham, Ill. in 1841. His three daughters married three brothers.
Children of William Brockett:
John--Born Feb. 4, 1773; Benjamin--Born April 18, 1775, married Betsey
Dickson; Jesse--Born Aug. 9, 1777, died Nov. 12, 1803; Sarah--Born Feb. 25,
1779, married Jonathan Parkhurst; William--Born March 24, 1783; Elisha--Born
Nov 9, 1786, died 1864; Frederick--Born Feb. 7, 1789, married Elizabeth
Vintress; James--Born Feb. 21, 1790; Thomas--Born July 21, 1793; Polly and
Betsy--Born Aug. 15, 1795, married Daniel Parkhurst and Charles Parkhurst.
Son of William and Martha
(Ives) Brockett, was born Nov. 9, 1786 and died Feb. 14, 1864. He married Celia
Young, Sept. 21, 1809, who was born March 5, 1791 and died April 2, 1856. She was the daughter of Milton Young and
Nancy (Witcher) Young.
Children of Elisha Brockett:
Nancy--Born July 5, 1810, died Aug. 11, 1818; Patsey Ives--Born Aug. 30,
1811, married Jason R. Sloan, Dec. 18, 1828; Sallie--Born Jan. 1, 1834, died
Sept. 26, 1843; Cyrus Jackson--Born Nov. 10, 1814, married Elizabeth Williams
March 25, 1831, died 9-30-1843; William Carroll--Born Jan. 1816, married
Isabella Young, Dec. 5, 1844, died 2-10-1897; Milton Young--Born Sept. 14,
1818, married Martha J. Holford, Aug. 12, 1843, died 4-20-1864; Benjamin
Franklin--Born Nov. 6, 1820, married Louise Good July 16, 1847, died
12-25-1851; Berlin Bonaparte--Born Dec. 4, 1822, married Sarah Ann Goad, Sept.
11, 1845, Previous records show he was married
to Sallie Holiday which was in error.
(He having died June 13, 1904).
(She having died Dec. 25,1913).
James Harvey--Born Oct. 7, 1825, married Mary J. Wakefield Nov. 29,
1860; Elisha Hardin--Born Nov. 13, 1827, married Mary E. Ballou March 24, 1853,
died April 26, 1864; Merlin Luther--Born Aug. 7, 1830, married Tabitha Kemp,
Nov. 16, 1853; and Minerva Celia--Born March 3, 1836, married Wade Kemp, Oct.
9, 1856 and died March 3, 1859.
Son of Elisha and Celia Young
Brockett, was born Dec. 4, 1822. He
married Sarah Ann Goad Sept. 11, 1845.
(Sarah Ann Goad Brockett died Dec. 25, 1913).
Children of Berlin B. Brockett: Elisha--Born Aug. 10, 1847, died July 25, 1869; Cyrus W.--Born
June 27, 1849, married Margaret A. Thomas, Feb. 2, 1868, died Jan. 30, 1890;
Milton W.--Born June 27, 1851, died Oct. 21, 1886; Martha I.--Born May 18,
1853, died Oct. 1, 1858; Coleman A.--Born Sept. 25, 1855, married Siviley Jane
(Ritter) (Jenkins) Aug. 31, 1893, he having died Oct. 14, 1940; Berlin
Hume--Born May 22, 1858, married Joann Benedict Sept. 15, 1881, died Sept. 27,
1946, she dying July 17, 1941; Wade M.--Born May 29, 1861, married Florella
Moulder, June 18, 1885; Marlin I.--Born Dec. 13, 1863 married Georgiana Moulder
July 26, 1888; Haley--Born Aug. 5, 1866, married Arzoey Brooks July 15, 1894;
Sebastian B.--Born July 4, 1869, first married Lucy Jenkins, Dec. 20, 1888,
second Married Minnie Sneed, March 14, 1937; Benjamin B.--Born Oct. 6,1871; and
Cora L.--Born June 16, 1875, died Jan. 28, 1881.
Son of Berlin B. Brockett and
Sarah Ann Goad Brockett was born May 22, 1858.
He married Joann Benedict Sept. 15, 1881, Joann being the daughter of
Benjamin Yancey and Malinda Jane (Rush) Benedict, of Fountain Run, Ky. (B. Y. Benedict, born Jan. 19, 1831, died
may 4, 1912, M. J. Benedict, born Nov. 9, 1827, died Nov. 4, 1912).
Children of Berlin H. Brockett: Ollie D.--Born Aug. 15, 1882, married Marjorie Steele, Nov. 26,
1905, he having died Sept. 29, 1937, she having died Dec. 17, 1925; Guy--Born
May 29, 1884, married Ethel Louise Neal, Nov. 6, 1912; Willie--Born May 29,
1886, married Otis N. Osborn, Dec. 15, 1904, he being killed by lightning July
1, 1945; Bennie--Born Sept. 4, 1889, married Vallie Osborn, Jan. 5, 1913; Berlin--Born
April 18, 1891, married Myrtie Bryon, Oct. 1914, he having died Oct. 27, 1936;
Ezra--Born Feb. 9, 1896, married Audney Miller, Dec. 22, 1920; and Alda
May--Born Dec. 17, 1898, married George W. Johnson, Sept. 22, 1920.
Son of Berlin Hume and Joann
(Benedict) Brockett, was born May 29, 1886, married to Otis N. Osborn Dec. 15,
1904.
Children of Willie Brockett: Elbert Ray--Born Feb. 11, 1906, married Beulah Bell Johnson, Nov. 27, 1932; Hershell Hume--Born Sept. 20, 1910, married Ruth Jenkins, Jan. 7, 1933; Willard; Newman--Born April 29, 1923, married Lucy Grimes, Aug. 30, 1951; and Bessie May--Born Oct. 22, 1924, died Oct. 26, 1924.
Son of Willie and Otis N.
(Osborn) Brockett, was born Feb. 11, 1906, married Beulah Bell (Johnson), Nov.
27, 1932.
Children of Elbert R. Brockett: Phillip Wayne--Born May 6, 1935, married Mary Jane Hoskins, Dec.
18, 1954.