Friday, May 1, 2015

Hilton Point, New Hampshire - Photo Friday


UPDATED 2 May 2015

Historians say that in the year 1623 William Hilton settled on Hilton Point (now Dover Point) in the current town of Dover, New Hampshire.  This has been disproved by several sources, but the date lingers on in many books and websites.  Hilton Point is still considered the first permanent settlement in New Hampshire, because David Thompson’s Pannaway settlement on Odiorne Point in 1621 was soon abandoned.   Hilton Point  is a  peninsula  where the the Bellamy and Cocheco Rivers meet up with  the Piscataqua River and the Great Bay.  The Hilton brothers, William and Edward, established a fishery and then they were granted the “Squamscot Patent” for this land.  The settlement was very small (only three houses) until 1633 when they were joined by Puritan “non-conformist” families who formed the Plantation of Cochecho. 

William Hilton was a member of the Fishmonger’s Guild in London on 9 April 1621.  Edward, with his wife and children, arrived at Plymouth Plantation in 1623.  William had David Thomson transport his family to his brother’s settlement at Piscataqua in 1624.   William later moved to the York River in York, Maine.   Edward later removed to Newfields, near Exeter, New Hampshire. (For more information on William please see the very interesting sketch in Anderson's The Great Migration Begins, Volume II, pages 954-955.)

Thomas Roberts came over to New England with Edward Hilton in 1623.  Roberts remained at Dover Point, where his family lived for many generations.  Roberts married Rebecca Hilton, sister to Edward and William. He became "President of the Court" of the Dover Colony until it came under the Massachusetts Colony in 1642/3. He is not listed in the Great Migration series, so he must have arrived later than 1635 and before 1639 when he became president of the court.  

Please be aware that the historical information you see on these two signs is NOT ACCURATE. See my correction to this post from 2 May 2015 at this link:
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/05/corrections-to-story-of-hilton-point-or.html   




You can reach Hilton State Park at the west bound exit 5 of the Spaulding Turnpike, Route 16.  The memorials are located near the playground and parking area.   The state historical marker was placed in 1973, and the granite marker to Edward Hilton was placed by descendants in 1955. 


MEMORIAL TO
EDWARD HILTON
PIONEER SETTLER
1623


IN HONOR
OF
EDWARD HILTON
FOUNDER OF DOVER 1623
FATHER OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
MAKER OF THE FIRST ROAD
IN THE PROVINCE

MARKED BY HIS DESCENDANTS
1955



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The URL for this post is
http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2015/05/hilton-point-new-hampshire-photo-friday.html
Copyright © 2015, Heather Wilkinson Rojo

4 comments:

  1. Hi, Heather, Thanks for this post. This is my husband's Hilton family. Brad's 2nd Great-Grandmother, Elizabeth Ann Hilton is William Hilton's 5th great-granddaughter. The Hilton name was carried down through some lines as a middle name, too. There were also several generations of Hilton seaman, and some were lost at sea.

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  2. Uh oh, Robert Charles Anderson and I are going to have to disagree with your bio (hope he doesn't mind me speaking on his behalf). In his Great Migration Bio he says that Edward did not migrate until 1628. His info on William is also different. And, if you are interested you can read my article on why I have my doubts on the identity of Rebecca, wife of Thomas Roberts.

    http://www.jeaniesgenealogy.com/2013/01/thomas-roberts-of-dover-new-hampshire.html


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    1. I'll have to check. These are not my ancestors so I haven't thoroughly researched the genealogy. Wow! That means that BOTH signs are incorrect! That's big!

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  3. Mrs. Wilkinson Rojo, in regards to your research and commitment to the content on this subject… I have a discovery that could very well solve the debate on when William Hilton settled Hilton’s Point after all! My daughter and I found a very large stone on the shore of Pawtuckaway lake that has been under water for 200+ years do to the dams created for hydropower for the mills in Dover. This boulder has carvings on it that say “1620” and have a number of symbols that resemble the capital letter “H” combined with the letters “L”. I’m quite certain that it’s a boundary survey marker for the Hilton Colony. I also believe that it is authentic do to the fact that it can only be seen when the water levels are lowered during the winter months (which has only been done yearly since camps around Lake Pawtuckaway have been used as residential properties) before hand, this boulder would otherwise be under 20’ of water for the past 200 years! Please if you are interested in viewing pictures and would like to help me bring awareness to this potentially significant discovery, contact me by email philjack0u812@gmail.com
    Thank you

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