The Rockwell Genealogy

Our Rockwell ancestors are the descendants of the Calvinist Puritan immigrant John Rockwell (c.1621-c.1673), who was one of the founding settlers of Stamford in the English colony of Connecticut -- and the direct male line ancestor of renowned American illustrator Norman Rockwell. The ancestry of John Rockwell is unknown. In the past, James Savage speculated that John was a son of William Rockwell of Windsor in Hartford, County, Connecticut, an English immigrant who married Sarah Ensign in 1651, but that filiation is incorrect. It nevertheless has seemed likely that John belonged to a Rockwell family from the area of Dorchester in County Dorset, England, but recent DNA testing instead points to Fitzhead in neighboring County Somerset (still in Dorchester's general vicinity, though). Fitzhead is also where William Rockwell's family lived. The results of these DNA findings are presented by Kenneth W. Rockwell in his genealogical study The Rockwell Family in Fairfield County, Connecticut and beyond: Some of the descendants of John Rockwell, an early settler of Stamford, Connecticut (Third Edition, 2009). The Mindrum Family History website summarises Kenneth Rockwell's discussion of Rockwell DNA as follows:

"John Rockwell is the patriarch of all Rockwell families that can trace their lineage back to Fairfield County, Connecticut. He was born in England, perhaps the son of John and Wilmot (Cade) Rockwell baptized on 22 July 1621 at St. James Church in Fitzhead. If not, he was a close relative, as DNA evidence shows a close relation between the Rockwells of Fairfield County and those known to have migrated from Fitzhead to Windsor, Connecticut. No documentary evidence has yet been found, however, that links John of Stamford to the Rockwells in Windsor."

The Mindrum Family History website cites research of English genealogist Robin Bush, adding these further comments on the possibility that John Rockwell was a son of John and Wilmot Rockwell of Fitzhead:

"Numerous entries on Rootsweb WorldConnect list ancestors for John Rockwell, but it is unproven that John Rockwell & Wilmet (sic) Cade were parents of John Rockwell of Stamford; the elder John [i.e. Wilmot Cade's wife John] was son of John Rockwell b 1563, m 19 July 1585 Honor Newton, d 10 Jul 1637, all at Fitzhead. Honor was b 1564 at Fitzhead and d 26 Jan 1637 at Dorchester in Dorsetshire."

That is all we can say of John Rockwell's probable ancestry in England, so we turn now to John's life and family in New England, relying chiefly on Kenneth W. Rockwell's above cited book, along with the old standard genealogical work on the Rockwells, James Boughton's 1903 A Genealogy of the Families of John Rockwell, of Stamford, Conn., 1641, and Ralph Keeler, of Hartford, Conn., 1639.

1. JOHN ROCKWELL, possibly a descendant of the Rockwells who lived near Dorchester, County Dorset, England, or of the Rockwell family of Fitzhead in County Somerset, England, was born circa 1621 in England, died between Jan. 1673 and March 1674 in Rye, Westchester County, New York (then in Fairfield County, Connecticut). John was one of the early settlers of Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut, first appearing in the records of Stamford in 1641. John moved to Rye in Fairfield County in 1669 and died there circa 1673.

John Rockwell almost certainly married twice, first to a woman named MEHITABEL, died 14 Sept. 1656 probably from malaria. John thus had at least one son and three daughters by his first wife. (Our ancestry traces back to one of these daughters.) He married secondly to ELIZABETH WEED, daughter of Jonas Weed, one of the first settlers of Stamford, Connecticut, and John had three more sons by Elizabeth. John's marriage to Elizabeth Weed has long been known, and in the past all of John's known children were thought to have been born of Elizabeth. However, more recently John Bradley Arthaud has shown, in his paper, “Enigmas #13: Was John Rockwell of Stamford, Connecticut, and Rye, New York, Married Twice?” (in The American Genealogist 77:104-9), that John very likely had a previously wife named Mehitabel who was mother of the four eldest of John's children. Arthaud points to the vital records of Stamford, Connecticut, which list a death that occurred 14 Sept. 1656 -- the deceased being a woman named "Hittabel Rock.". Arthaud comments that Hittabel's name has been transcribed literally in many secondary genealogical sources. But Donald Lines Jacobus interpreted that death entry by placing a question mark after "Rock." In light of Jacobus' doubt about the reading of the name, Arthaud read the original text and concluded that there may be a ~ (tilde) just above the "k" in Rock, indicating an abbreviated name (as is common in old records of this period). Arthaud therefore suggests the name in this record stands for "Mehittabel Rockwell", who could only be a first wife of John Rockwell of Stamford. This would mean John's daughter Mehitabel (or Hittabel) was named after her mother. John's daughter Mehitabel likely was the fourth and last child of John's first wife, who would have died when her daughter was an infant. Arthaud's arguments are cogent and sound, and his suggestion is no doubt correct.

James Boughton's 1903 genealogy, page 3, provides this summary of John Rockwell's life, per the then-current state of knowledge of Rockwell genealogy (emphasis added):

"It has been supposed that John Rockwell, the founder of the family of which this account is given, was from the vicinity of Dorchester, England, where the Rockwell name was well known, and came to America about the time mentioned in the History of Stamford by Huntington, page 25.

"To Huntington's History, perhaps more than to any other source, we are indebted for the early history of the immigrant John Rockwell, of Stamford, Conn. The date of the first record referring to John Rockwell is December 7, 1641, where he is named as one of the first settlers, and received for his home lot two acres and a parcel of woodland.

"In the same history is found a list of first settlers of Stamford, containing his name, and again, on page 40, there is found a record of John Rockwell being a witness in court there at that date.

"At a town meeting held at Stamford Feb. 19, 1667-8, it was voted that John Rockwell, Sr., be granted liberty to mow and have the grass of Noroton Island as long as he shall live in Stamford.

"He is also mentioned on the Land Records in 1669 as conveying his land in two parcels, to one person his house and home lot, and to another his land, after which he removed to Rye, Westchester County, N. Y., where he died in 1676. (sic)

"The Whitney Genealogy, page 22, speaking of Daniel Keeler, calls him the son of John and Hittabel Rockwell Keeler, and a grandson of JOHN ROCKWELL, Sr., one of the first settlers of Stamford, Conn.; and again, on page 81, a note speaking of John Rockwell, Sr., records his death as having taken place at Rye, Westchester County, N. Y., in 1676; and also, on page 1259, in referring to the said John Rockwell, Sr., says that his wife was probably Elizabeth Weed, daughter of Jonas Weed, of Stamford, Conn."

Boughton's summary account is expanded and corrected by Kenneth W. Rockwell's 2009 genealogical study. The following information from the Mindrum Family History website is extracted from Kenneth Rockwell's study of the Rockwell genealogy and various other sources:

[John Rockwell Sr.] "settled in Stamford, Connecticut, by December of 1641 where he first appears in the records when the town granted him two acres for a home lot and three acres of woodland. He remained there until 1669, when he relocated to Rye, then part of Fairfield County, Connecticut, but later part of Westchester County, New York. He returned to Stamford in January 1672/73, but probably went back to Rye and died there prior to March of 1673/74. John Rockwell married, first, a woman named Mehitabel, who died in September of 1656, perhaps from malaria. He married, secondly, Elizabeth Weed, daughter of Jonas Weed, a 1642 settler of Stamford. She was living in 1684, probably in Norwalk, where her sons would soon come of age. She probably died in Norwalk, though a record of it has not been found.

"The probable children of John Rockwell by presumed first wife Mehitabel: John, a Daughter who married John Marshall, Sarah, Mehetable (sic)

"Children of John and Elizabeth (Weed) Rockwell: Jonathan, Joseph, Thomas

". . . John Rockwell, probably the same as the above, was here [i.e., Stamford] in 1656, as his testimony in court of that date witnesses. In 1669 he sold land to Daniel Westcott, the deed being witnessed by Clement Buxton and Matthew Bellamy. In the same year he sells his house and homelot to Daniel Weed. [Daniel was John's brother-in-law.] John "Keeiler," son of Ralph, formerly of Norwalk, married June 18, 1679, Hitttabel, daughter of John Rockwell, formerly of Stamford. (See Hall's Norwalk). This John Rockwell is supposed by Savage to have been a son of William of Windsor, who was born in England, and who married Sarah Ensign in 1651. In town meeting, Feb. 14, 1667-8, it was voted that John Rockwell, sen., shall have liberty to mow and have the grass of the meadow upon Noroton Island, as long as he shall live in Stamford. Rockwell Ridge is a locality often referred to in the records of the town."

Boughton's 1903 Rockwell genealogy, page 5, has this to say about three of John Rockwell's four older children (but whom Boughton erroneously assigns to John's second marriage to Elizabeth Weed):

"1. JOHN ROCKWELL, JR. — Of the date and place of his birth, or when or to whom married, no reliable information could be obtained by the compiler; his death probably occurred at Stamford about 1673, as his inventory was presented there March 10, 1673-4. The Whitney Genealogy, page 24, in speaking of Ensign David Rockwell, says he was born in Norwalk Oct. 8, 1708, and was the son of Jonathan and Abigail Canfield Rockwell, of Norwalk and Ridgefield, and grandson of John Rockwell, Jr., of Stamford, Conn., (sic -- Jonathan was John Jr.'s younger brother) and great grandson (sic - grandson) of John Rockwell, Sr., one of the early settlers of Stamford.

"2. Sarah Rockwell, born probably at Stamford (date not found). Hall's History of Norwalk says (page 188) John Crampton took to wife Sarah Rockwell, daughter of John Rockwell, of Stamford, and was married Oct. 8, 1676; and (on page 26) the town of Norwalk granted to John Crampton, because he was a soldier in the King Philip War, three acres of land, dated 1679; and again (page 65), the town of Norwalk, in another distribution of land to the soldiers who served in the late Indian war, recorded May, 1681, John Crampton had granted to him eight acres and six rods of land lying on the east branch of the Norwalk River. On Jan. 3, 1687, in a general appraisement, the estate of John Crampton was valued at £53 6s. 8d.

"3. HITTABEL ROCKWELL, born at Stamford, Conn, (date not found); married June 18, 1679, JOHN KEELER (son of Ralph Keeler, of Norwalk, Conn.). John and Hittabel Rockwell Keeler settled at Norwalk, where they probably spent their lives. . . ."

In his will, John bequeathed to his daughter Mehitabel and her sisters 4 pounds each.

Kenneth W. Rockwell's 2009 study provides further information on John's children, correctly assigning the brothers Jonathan, Joseph, and Thomas to John, rather than to John Jr. as Boughton mistakenly did without noticing the chronological absurdity of such a filiation. John Rockwell Sr. thus had the following sons and daughters by his two wives:

     --  JOHN ROCKWELL JR., born circa 1646 in Connecticut, died young and without issue.
     --  (NN) ROCKWELL, said by some to have been named "Hannah," died before 16 Jan. 1691 in Connecticut, married John Marshall.
     --  SARAH ROCKWELL, born before 1656 in Connecticut.
     2.  MEHITABEL ROCKWELL ("Hittabel"), born probably circa 1656.
     --  JONATHAN ROCKWELL, born circa 1666 in Stamford, Connecticut,  died 19 June 1731 in Ridgefield, Connecticut, married Abigail Canfield.
     --  JOSEPH ROCKWELL, born circa 1667 in Connecticut, died before 11 Jan. 1716 in Norwalk, Connecticut, married Mary Wood.
     --  THOMAS ROCKWELL, born circa 1672 in Stamford, Connecticut, died June 1712 in Norwalk, Connecticut, married Sarah Rensco.

2. MEHITABEL ROCKWELL ("Hittabel"), daughter of John and Mehitabel Rockwell, born in Stamford, Connecticut, probably circa 1656, died some time after 15 Jan. 1725 in Connecticut. Of Mehitabel the Mindrum Family History website comments: "If she was born before September of 1656, she might have been the daughter of the proposed wife of the same name (her father John's wife Mehitabel). In support of this is the family tradition that Mehitabel (Rockwell) Keeler's mother died when she was very young. (Charles M. Selleck, Norwalk, (Norwalk, 1896), 108n.)"

On 18 June 1678 in Norwalk, Connecticut, Mehitabel married JOHN KEELER, eldest or second son of Ralph Keeler, born probably circa 1646-48 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, died between 27 Feb. 1718/19 and 3 May 1720 in Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut. Upon the death of Mehitabel's father John Rockwell, she and her sisters each received 4 pounds. Mehitabel and John Keeler had six daughters and three sons.

After John's death circa 1720, his widow Mehitabel remarried to Deacon ZERUBBABEL HOYT of Norwalk, whose daughter Rhoda married Mehitabel's son John Keeler Jr., while Rhoda's brother Caleb married John Jr.'s sister Mehitabel Keeler. These were among the very first of numerous tangled intermarriages among the Connecticut families of Hoyt/Haight, Whitney, Keeler, Rockwell, Benedict, and Riggs.

The children of John and Mehitabel Keeler were:

     --  SARAH KEELER, married [Joshua?] Hoyt.
     --  ELIZABETH KEELER, born 19 March 1679/80, married [Daniel?] Hoyt.
     --  JOHN KEELER JR., born 26 Dec. 1682, killed 11 July 1763 in the "Canada War," married 1st Rhoda Hoyt, married 2nd Sarah (Lockwood) Finch.
     --  MEHITABEL KEELER, born circa 1685, died 21 March 1755, married 1st Joseph Blatchley, married 2nd Caleb Hoyt.
     --  HANNAH KEELER, born circa 1687, died 29 June 1767, married Matthew Gregory.
     --  DAVID KEELER, born circa 1692.
     3.  DANIEL KEELER, born circa 1694 in Norwalk, Connecticut.
     --  RUTH KEELER, born circa 1702, died 25 Sept. 1763, married Matthew Benedict.
     --  JEMIMA KEELER

Rockwell Genealogy Links:

A Genealogy of the Families of John Rockwell, of Stamford, Conn., 1641, and Ralph Keeler, of Hartford, Conn., 1639 (1903), James Boughton
Mindrum Family History -- John Rockwell genealogical information
Keeler family: Ralph Keeler of Norwalk, CT, and some of his descendants (1985, 2000), by Wesley B. Keeler
The Whitney family of Connecticut, and its affiliations (1878), Vol. 1, Part 1, by Stephen Whitney Phoenix -- including data on the Rockwell and Keeler families.

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