Hunt History #1, Ralph Hunt of Long Island. No relation to Thomas Hunt of Westchester. RALPH HUNT.1652, pioneer at Long Island, first appears on Long Island across the East River from Manhattan Island in 1652, apparently at that time with a wife and one daughter (ANNA). He subsequently had four sons (Edward, Ralph, John, Samuel) and a daughter Mary b. on Long Island, identified in his will of Jan 1676/7, administration granted to his son Edward 25 Feb 1676/7. Most of his children and grandchildren were pioneer settlers at Maidenhead (Lawrence) and Hopewell Townships, NJ, in the years around 1700 and from there many descendants became explorers and traders along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, NC, KY, TN, IA, IL, MS, OK, and across the plains to Utah, California, Oregon and Washington. There has been nothing to indicate that any of this family ever settled in Vermont or elsewhere in New England, although a few moved up the Delaware River and into Western New York State in the 19th century. However, Ralph Hunt of LI produced a prolific line of Hunts which had many outstanding people of National significance in the development of the U.S. It is well at this point to point out many of the errors which appear in histories and genealogies respect to Ralph Hunt and his descendants for several generations, errors which have continued to appear in publications up to and through the mid 1900s. Ralph Hunt has variously been reported (erroneously) as a brother or son of the pioneer Thomas Hunt of Westchester, NY; also as the same Ralph Hunt who appears in Virginia in 1635 (also untrue--a 1955 study which claims to have demonstrated that the two were the same produces evidence to the contrary). Various dates are given for his birth (all incorrect) and statements are made purporting to give the name of his wife (it remains unknown). He is assumed to have come from England (probably true) but extensive contemporary research in early New York records and records in England by a group of dedicated descendants in person and through professional genealogists in New York area and England have failed to come up with any clue as to where he came from or who his ancestors were. His grandson John Hunt (with brothers Samuel, Edward, Ralph--the four sons of the pioneer Ralph's son John) were early settlers in Hopewell NJ, where they are mixed in with various uncles and cousins with similar names. A pervasive legend was started in the mid-1800s that the grandson John Hunt (who married Margaret Moore 8 FEb 1714 at the Presby. Church of Newtown, LI, and settled in Hopewell NJ) was not a descendant of Ralph Hunt and relative of many other Hunts of Hopewell, but a son of John and Elizabeth (Chudleigh) Hunt of an armorial family of Hunts of Chudleigh, the son presumed to have come briefly to Long Island, and then moved Hopewell, NJ where he was "the start of the New Jersey Line of Hunts." This legend , questionable on its face, has been subject of controversy for over 100 years and appears in numerous histories and genealogical works. It should finally be laid to rest by the direct documentary evidence found through the WILLs (two of them) of John's brother Samuel Hunt of Hopewell NJ which identify the John Hunt who married Margaret Moor(e) as the son of John Hunt of LI and grandson of the pioneer Ralph Hunt. This is not to say that the various errors discovered on Ralph Hunt will not continue to be perpetuated--they are found in numerous published works through the mid 20th century; some lists of early Hunts who migrated from England to America include John Hunt who m. Margaret Moore in the list; some professional genealogists in England fed back answers to inquiries giving the same information: all springing from the same fabricated legend." "Sources of further information are cited below. "[The late Lewis D. Cook, then of Philadelphia, has made the most thorough examination and documentation yet found on the descendants of Ralph Hunt, work extending through the period 1940-1970 and culminating in an unpublished ms of 216 pages which was left with the Pennsylvania Historical Society Library in Philadelphia. The present writer(Mitchell Hunt)was sufficiently impressed with this document that microfilm copies were made and distributed to other libraries (VT. Historical Society, CT STate Library, NEHGS in Boston, NY State Library, and Library of Congress, and a few other places) where it would be available to researchers. The present writer has continued to expand upon the work of COOK and assembled much more data,. especially on the families which were pioneers at Rowan Co., NC, and their wanderings from there. For a brief review of the family of Ralph Hunt in relation to that of his neighbor,Thomas Hunt of Westchester, see Mitchell J. Hunt, "An Evaluation of the Consuelo Furman Manuscript"...Dec. 1985, copies of which were given the same distribution noted for the Cook manuscript above.]" (but no name index-copies are now available with an index-just ask) This completes the discourse on Ralph Hunt and family of which Col. Jonathan Hunt was a descendant. Descendants of Ralph HUNT - 25 Jun 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------- FIRST GENERATION 1. Ralph HUNT was born between 1620 and 1630 in unknown. He died in 1676/77 in Newtown, Long Island, New York. Some say that this Ralph Hunt came to America in 1635 at age 22. Never proven. Penn. Register of Colonial Dames, p. 221: "Ralph Hunt, Newtown, Long Island, Lieut. under Gov. Nicholls in 1655". We have no problem with this. Will recorded at Hall of Records in N. Y. Will admitted to probate Feb. 26, 1676/7. The earliest information on Ralph Hunt is his arrival on Long Island near Manhattan Island in an area governed by the Dutch in 1652 "among a party of Englishmen". Some have added "came from England" but that is something not yet established as of 1985. For a meaningful and accurate treatise on this Ralph read Mitchell Hunt's "An Evaluation of the Consuelo Furman Manuscript" 1985. Copies available from LDS. His will dated Jan12 1676 codicil 13 Jan 1676-7, administration granted 25 Feb. 1676-7 to his son Edward as sole executor with Captain Betts and John Burroughs as overseers. He died at Newtown Long Island. Will could be in Hall of Records as stated above. When he came to America is a matter of speculation in spite of other speculative dates published in other genealogies. Lewis D. Cook of Philadelphia, PA has made the most thorough examination and documentation yet found on the descendants of Ralph Hunt of Long Island. Work extending through the period 1940-1970, with an unpublished manuscript and two other volumes of supporting information filed with the Pennsylvania Historical Society Library in Philadelphia. He was married to Ann UNKNOWN about 1649 in Long Island, New York. Ann UNKNOWN was born about 1628. Ralph HUNT and Ann UNKNOWN had the following children: +2 i. Anna HUNT. +3 ii. Edward HUNT. +4 iii. Mary HUNT. <<<****************************** +5 iv. Ralph HUNT. +6 v. John HUNT. +7 vi. Samuel HUNT. SECOND GENERATION 2. Anna HUNT was born in 1650. She died on 6 Feb 1681/82. Married Theophillus Phillips. The father Theophilus m. 2nd Patient_______ and m. 3rd Elizabeth Townsend, having twin daughters Elizabeth and Mary by third wife before he died testate in Newtown, LI 26 Jan 1688-9, his brother Joseph Phillips, brother-in-law Edward Hunt and fatgher-in-law (John) Townsend as oversears, his wife and Elizabeth and son Theophilus executors. She was married to Theophillus PHILLIPS about 1671. Theophillus PHILLIPS was born about 1650. 3. Edward HUNT was born about 1652 in Long Island, New York. He died on 15 Feb 1715/16 in Newtown, Long Island, New York. !Edward was executor of his father's will. Edward left a will, Probated 29 Feb. 1715, naming his children. This comes from Mrs. Orson Haynie's research paper, original in Genealogical Soc. of New Jersey archives. The children I have listed are not necessarily in correct order and have approximate birthdates. (FKG) He was married first to Sarah Betts (no known children). He was married to Sarah BETTS about 1652. Sarah BETTS died before 16 Mar 1711. Edward HUNT and Sarah BETTS had the following children: 8 i. Edward HUNT was born on 4 Feb 1683/84 in Newtown LI. She died in Dec 1759 in Maidenhead (now Lawrence), NJ. Edward, b. 4 Feb. 1683-4; removed from Newtown, LI "in 1716" to land owned by his father in Maidenhead Township, Hunterdon Co., NJ, on which he was living (and inherited part of his father's will of 1715-16), where he died testate in December of 1759. The name of his wife has not been discovered (but not the Elizabeth, dau. of Jonathan and Hannah [Lawrenson] Hazzard as reported in WYMAN), and she is not mentioned in his will dated 28 Oct. 1757 and proved 13 December 1759. Had children: Edward (who m. Charity Hunt, p. 17, and died before his father); James, b. 1725 (who was left by his father "the plantation" on which he [James] now dwells) (in New Jersey!); Sarah who m. Isaac Lanning; Anna bapt. 13 Sept. 1715 at Hopewell, m. before 1757 but name of husband not discovered; Angelica who m. Ebenezer Erle; Eleanor, b. 1728, m. Henry Cook. +9 ii. Richard HUNT. +10 iii. Ralph HUNT. 11 iv. Sarah HUNT. Sarah, who m. in Jan. 1715 Silas Titus, per register of the Presb. Ch. of Newtown, LI 12 v. Martha HUNT was born Living in 1716 NFI. 13 vi. Anna HUNT died before 1716. Anna who died before 1716 and not mentioned in father's will; probably the Anna Hunt who m. Isaac Reeder 21 May 1711. Reeder later died testate in Trenton Twp., Hunterdon Co., NJ in 1763, aged 85 years. He was married to Elizabeth HAZZARD about 1680 in Long Island, New York. Elizabeth HAZZARD was born about 1660. Edward HUNT and Elizabeth HAZZARD had the following children: 14 i. Thomas HUNT was born after 1695 in Newtown LI. He died 1759 (see notes) in Freedon, Sussex Co., NJ. By 2nd wife Elizabeth Hazzard. Thomas Hunt, b. after 1695, underage at time of father's will of 15 Jan. 1715/16. He and brother Jonathan divided the paternal homestead in Newton, LI, and has been presumed to have died before 3 Sep 1747 in as much as he was not mentioned in his mother's Will in LI at that date. However, his name is found in admissions to the Presby. CH of Hopewell, NJ, abt 1733, he had (according to Ralph Ege, a noted Historian of Hopewell and a descendant) a daughter Margaret who m. in 1749 at Hopewell Adam Ege, b. 1728. Thomas Hunt appears to be the one living later at Whitehouse, Somerton Co., NJ and removed about 1756 to Fredon, Sussex Co., NJ. His only known son was Edward Hunt of Fredon, b. abt 1739 (an erroneous date of 1744 has been seen) who m. Hannah Pierson and had 12 children of which details are available but passed over at this point. This Edward has been erroneously reported in several genealogical compilations as the son of Thomas-3, son of Samuel-2 (see p. 26) but this Edward appears to have been the grandson of Edward-2. Much remains to be learned about subject Thomas Hunt. +15 ii. Jonathan HUNT I. 16 iii. Elizabeth HUNT was born about 1686. Elizabeth, appears to have died between 1733 and 1747 as she is not mentioned in her mother's will. On 22 Oct. 1733 one John White of Newton, LI. conveyed land there to "Elizabeth Hunt, spinster dau. of Edward Hunt, deceased" and she was received into membership by the Presb. Ch. of Newtown on 5 Feb. 1738 and is presumably the Elizabeth Hunt who m. there John Reeder on 14 May,1739 17 iv. Hannah HUNT was born about 1696 in Long Island. Hannah, b. 21 Mar. 1709, m. Thomas Smith by whom she had 7 Ch. born between 1735 and 1755, died 7 Aug. 1759 aged 47, per her gravestone as Hannah Smith in Upper Burying Ground in Lawrenceville, NJ. 18 v. Abigail HUNT was born about 1690 in Long Island. Abigail Hunt, b. 17 Nov 1712, died unmarried at Newtown, LI 26 Aug. 1747. *************************************************************************** 4. Mary HUNT was born about 1654 in Long Island. Some documents say Mary married Francis Combs (ancestor of Charles Carroll Gardner, vice-pres. of Genealogical Society of New Jersey). Later research shows convincingly that she m. John Hart of Newtowne, LI. See Mitchell Hunt; manuscript on Consuelo Furman. (op.Cit). He may have married twice.(Page 14). The Hart families of New Jersey included some quite distinguished people including a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Further detail can be found. The death date of Mary has not been discovered. (1996). She was married to Francis COMBS about 1675. Francis COMBS was born about 1650. She was married to John HART. John died in 1712/13 in Maidenhead (now Lawrence), NJ. He was born in Newtowne, LI. (sbh) Col. Sanford B. Hunt