Surname Saturday ~ HUTCHINSON of Charlestown, Massachusetts

HUTCHINSON

I wrote a blog post on 5 November 2016 about Richard HUTCHINSON (1602 – 1682) of Salem Village, Massachusetts , my 9^th great grandfather.  I have another 9^th great grandfather, Thomas HUTCHINSON of Charlestown, Massachusetts who came to New England in 1630 with the Winthrop Fleet.  He was listed as a member of the church in Charlestown on 30 July 1630.  He must have died soon after, and his wife, Anne, remarried to Adam Hawkes in 1631.   Anne, with her Hutchinson children, and her new husband all removed to Lynn as one of the first settler families in the area.  Anne died in 1669 and Hawkes remarried to Sarah Hooper in 1670.  Sarah was 19 years old and Hawkes was 65 years old.

Their only daughter (they also had four sons), was my 8^th great grandmother, Elizabeth Hutchinson, who married Isaac Hart of Lynnfield.  They had seven children.  Elizabeth was accused by Ann Putnam of being a witch.  She was imprisoned in May 1692.  Her son, Thomas, sent a petition for her release five months later stating she was “inflicted from lying in Miserie, and death rather to be Chosen than a life in her Circumstances”.  Another daughter, Deborah Hart, was married to Benjamin Proctor, son of the accused witches, John and Martha Proctor (famous from the play “The Crucible”)and also my 10th great grandparents in another lineage - see the genealogy below.  Elizabeth stayed in jail in Boston until December of 1692, when the trials and arrests were stopped by the Governor.

I descend from their son, Adam Hart (1666- 1745), the youngest son and my 7^th great grandfather.  He married Elizabeth Collson, and was made guardian to Elizabeth’s illegitimate daughter, Mary (who was named as his child).  Not only was Elizabeth Hart, his mother arrested for witchcraft, but also arrested were Elizabeth (Collson) Hart,  Adam’s wife, and her mother, Mary (Dustin) Collston,  and her grandmother, Lydia Dustin.  You can read about the Collston family arrests HERE.  Elizabeth was only 16 years old, and she made a daring escape from jail and was recaptured twice. Lydia, Mary and Elizabeth (all accused and imprisoned, were my 9th, 8th and 7th great grandmothers. 

This branch of the family oozes with witch craft accusations and imprisonments, but the only one who was actually hanged was John Proctor.

For more information on this HUTCHINSON family see the Great Migration Begins, Volume II, page 1056, and also Great Migration: Immigrants to New England 1634 - 1635, pages 253 - 257 (sketch of Adam Hawkes).  Annals of New England, by Thomas Prince, 1755, Part II, page 69.  Salem Possessed, by Boyer and Nissenbaum, 1974.  There is an article "Isaac Hart and Samuel Hart (Both of greater Lynn but not related)" in the Essex Genealogist, Volume 18, pages 40 - 46. 

My HUTCHINSON genealogy:

Generation 1:  Thomas Hutchinson, died about 1631 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; married Ann (possibly Browne?).  She was born about 1600 and died 4 December 1669 in Lynn.  Five children.

Generation 2: Elizabeth Hutchinson, died 28 November 1700; married about 1650 in Habstown (now Reading), Massachusetts to Isaac Hart.  He was born about 1614 and died 10 February 1699 In Lynnfield.  Seven children. 

Generation 3: Adam Hart m. Elizabeth Collston

Generation 4: Mary Collston m. Jonathan Flint

Generation 5: Jonathan Flint m. Lydia Proctor (great grandson of John Proctor, hanged as a witch)

Generation 6:  John Flint m. Phebe Flint

Generation 7: Olive Flint m. Luther Simonds Munroe

Generation 8: Phebe Cross Munroe m. Robert Wilson Wilkinson

Generation 9: Albert Munroe Wilkinson m. Isabella Lyons Bill

Generation 10:  Donald Munroe Wilkinson m. Bertha Louise Roberts (my grandparents)

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Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "Surname Saturday ~ HUTCHINSON of Charlestown, Massachusetts", Nutfield Genealogy, posted November 12, 2016, (http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2016/11/surname-saturday-hutchinson-of.html: accessed [access date]).