Mary WILLETT

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Daughter of Capt. Thomas Willett and Mary Browne

Mary married Rev Samuel HOOKER on 22 Sep 1658. Samuel (son of Rev Thomas HOOKER and Susanna GARBRAND) was born on 14 Nov 1633 in Hartford, Connecticut; died on 6 Nov 1697 in Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut; was buried in Memento Mori Cemetery, Farmington, Hartford Co., Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Thomas HOOKER was born on 10 Jun 1659 in Plymouth, Massachusetts; died in 1720 in Hartford, Connecticut.
2. Samuel HOOKER was born on 29 May 1661 in Plymouth, Massachusetts; died in 1730 in Hartford, Connecticut.
3. William HOOKER was born on 16 May 1663 in Farmington, Connecticut; died in 1689 in Farmington, Connecticut.
4. Hon. John HOOKER was born on 20 Feb 1664/5 in Farmington, Connecticut; died on 21 Feb 1745/6 in Farmington, Connecticut.
5. James HOOKER was born on 27 Oct 1666 in Farmington, Connecticut; died on 12 Mar 1740/1 in Guilford, New Haven County, Connecticut.
6. Roger HOOKER was born on 14 Sep 1668 in Farmington, Connecticut; died on 29 Apr 1698.
7. Nathaniel HOOKER was born on 28 Sep 1671 in Farmington, Connecticut; died on 21 Nov 1711.
8. Mary HOOKER was born on 3 Jul 1673 in Farmington, Connecticut; died on 1 Nov 1740 in New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut.
9. Hezekiah HOOKER was born on 7 Nov 1675 in Farmington, Connecticut; died in 1686 in Farmington, Connecticut.
10. Dr. Daniel HOOKER was born on 25 Mar 1679 in Farmington, Connecticut; died in 1742 in Wethersfield, Connecticut.
11. Sarah HOOKER was born on 5 May 1681 in Farmington, Connecticut; died in 1759 in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Mary married Rev Thomas BUCKINGHAM on 10 Aug 1703. Thomas (son of Thomas BUCKINGHAM and Hannah HAWKINS) was christened on 8 Nov 1646; died on 1 Apr 1709 in Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut; was buried in Cypress Cemetery, Old Saybrook, Middlesex Co., Connecticut. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Colonial Mayor. First Mayor of New York City. Arriving in 1632 on "The Lion" (with a religious separatist movement that called themselves "The Saints", that fled England to Leydon, Holland then went back to England to follow the Mayflower voyage), Thomas Willett was a merchant that traded from Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. He succeeded Captain Miles Standish as head of the Colonial Militia and negotiated what is now known as the "Rehoboth North Purchase" which acquired land (now known as Attleboro and North Attleboro, Massachusetts) from Wampanoag leader Sachem Wamsutta who was the son of famed chief Massasoit. He later conducted sea trade from the Colonies and was a navigator from 1651 to 1654. When the charter of "New Amsterdam" was changed to British possession, Governor Richard Nicholls granted the city charter on June 12, 1665 and the city, population 1,500 at the time, got Thomas Willett as its English representative/mayor, making him the first mayor of "New York". He served two concurrent one-year terms from 1665 to 1667. His property in that colony was confiscated when the Dutch reclaimed the area and he settled in the locale of Barrington, Rhode Island (while some accounts have his retirement in Sewansea or Seekoknk, Massachusetts, these towns are all close and at the time the town lines that currently exist were not the same.) He was married to Mary Brown and together they had fourteen children. There is a large memorial marker placed for him, and near it is the original weathered stone which, now unreadable is documented as having the following inscription "1674 Here lyeth the body of the worthy Thomas Willett, Esq. who dies August 4 in the 64th year of his age, and who was the first mayor of New York and twice did sustain the place." (bio by: R. Digati)

Thomas married Mary BROWNE on 6 Jul 1636. Mary (daughter of John BROWNE and Dorothy ?) was born in 1614 in England; died on 08 Jan 1669; was buried in Little Neck Cem. Riverside, Providence, RI. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
She was buried "by her father Mr. John Browne, and other relations upon a little hill in Swansey" in Little Neck Cemetery, Riverside. her husband survived her, married a second time, died in August 1674, and was buried by her side.


At the graves of Thomas Willett and Mary Willett are stones inscribed as follows:

1674
Here lyeth ye body of ye
Wor. Thomas Willett,
esqr., who died Aug. 4,
in ye 64th year of his anno.

Footstone
Who was the first May.
of New York and twice
did sustain ye place.

1669
Here lyeth ye body of ye
virtuous Mary Willett,
wife of Thomas Willett,
esqr., who died, January
ye 8th, about ye 55th
year of her anno.

Footstone
daughter of Worf. John
Browne Esq. deceased.

Notes:

Name:
John Browne and his wife Dorothy came from London on the Elizabeth in 1635. (Hotten 68) He was first at Plymouth, then at Taunton by 1643, and finally at Rehoboth by 1647.

He should not be confused with another John Brown (of Watertown,MA), who also had a wife named Dorothy.

Among Plymouth's early residents, who varied widely in social standing, John Browne came with a great deal of respectability. Almost immediately upon his arrival in the New World, he was appointed Assistant to the governor of Plymouth Colony and went on to serve in a number of prestigious leadership positions. His full biography can be found in Anderson's Great Migration series, Vol I [1999], pp.420-429.

Children: James Brown, John Brown Jr, and Mary Brown Willet.

His will was dated Apr 7,1662, and proved Apr 19,1662. He died less than two weeks after the death of his son John Browne Jr. In John Sr's will are mentioned wife Dorothy, son James, daughter Mary(wife of Thomas Willett), and grandchildren John Browne, Joseph Browne, Nathaniel Browne, Lydia Brown, and Hannah[sic - Anna] Brown. Also mentioned is a granddaughter Martha Saffin, wife of John Saffin. John Browne Sr was a very wealthy man, evidenced by the fact that he left one grandson alone over 700 acres of land.


The Great Migration:

ORIGIN: London
MIGRATION: 1635 on the ELIZABETH
FIRST RESIDENCE: Plymouth
REMOVES: Taunton by 1643, Rehoboth by 1647
RETURN TRIPS: England 1656 (probably), and return to new England by 1660
OCCUPATION: Baker (in England). Magistrate
CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Morton speaks in general terms of John Brown's religious activities (Morton 171-72)
FREEMAN: 5 January 1635/6. In lists of 7 March 1636/7 (as "gen.") and of 1639 (as Assistant)In Rehoboth section of 1658 list of Plymouth Colony freemen
EDUCATION: His inventory included "a parcel of books" valued at L412s. His wife signed her will by mark. Her inventory included "a parcel of books" as one item in a group of items values at L712s.
OFFICES: Plymouth Colony Assistant, Plymouth Council of War, Commissioner from Plymouth to the United Colonies.....


BIRTH: By about 1591 based on estimated date of marriage
DEATH: Rehoboth 10 April 1662
MARRIAGE: By about 1616 Dorothy (?). She died at Swansea 27 January 1673/4 and was buried there 29 January 1673/4 ("Mrs. Dororthy (sic) Brown the wife of Mr. John Brown Senior deceased the twenty seventh day of january 1673 being the ninety and eighth year of her age or thereabouts and was buried upon the 29 of January 1673"

ASSOCIATIONS: On 17 April 1635, "Jo(hn) Browne," aged 40, was enrolled at London as a passenger for New England on the ELIZABETH (Hotten 68). On 15 April 1635, "James Walker 15 years & Sarra Walker 17 years servants to John Browne a baker & to one W(illia)m Brasey linendraper in Cheapside" were enrolled at London as passengers for New England on the ELIZABETH (Hotten61).

The deed of 23 November 1655 tells us that John Brown of Rehoboth was uncle to the above James and Sarah Walker, which makes it likely that he was identical with the "Ho(h)n Browne a baker" who was in 1635 master of James Walker. Furthermore, since we known that John Brown of Rehoboth was not in New England until 1635, the probability is hight that the "Jo(h)n Browne", aged 40, who boarded the same ship with James and Sarah Walker on 17 April 1635 is the same man. If this identification is correct it would appear that John Brown travelled separately from his wife and children.

James and Sarah Walker may have been children of the widow Walker who appeared at Rehoboth with her son Phillip Walker some years later (Early Rehoboth 3:26-27), which would make John Brown or his wife sibling to widow Walker or her husband.

John married Dorothy ?. Dorothy was born in 1583 in England; died on 27 Jan 1673 in Watertown, Middlesex Co., Massachusetts; was buried in Little Neck Cemetery, Barrington, Rhode Island. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Name:
Excerpt from "John Brown, Gentleman, of Plymouth": The following entry appears upon the record, "Mistres Dorrithy Browne, the wife of Mr. John Browne senr. deceased Jan. 27, being in the 90th year of her age or thereabouts, and was buried on the 29th of January, 1673."

From this record we learn she was born in 1583.

From Find A Grave:
Children: James Brown, John Brown Jr, and Mary Brown Willet.

Dorothy Browne's will was written on Dec 17,1668 and proved on Mar 29,1674. It names daughter Mary Willett, deceased granddaughter Sarah Elliot, son James Browne, grandsons John Browne, Joseph Browne, and Nathaniel Browne, granddaughter Dorothy Browne, daughters-in-law Dorothy Browne and Lydia Browne, and granddaughters Lydia Browne and Anna Browne.

Dorothy's death and burial are recorded in Plymouth Colony Recprds (Mayflower Descendant 19:22). Her will is found in Mayflower Descendant 18:94-95).

Some sources incorrectly attribute to this couple a daughter Hannah (Browne) Mead, wife of John Mead. But this is based on a supposed, and unproven, remarriage of Dorothy to a William Potter. William Potter acquired the share of the property of a John Brown (of Watertown,MA) who died in 1636, not the John Browne Sr who died in 1662 who was the husband of this Dorothy. Therefore, Hannah Brown Mead is the daughter of a different John Brown, one that was of Watertown,MA and who also had a wife named Dorothy.

Some internet entries give her maiden name as Beauchamp, but this needs confirmation. A Dorythie Beachamp and John Browne were married on Dec 22,1611 at Saint James, Clerkenwell, London, England.