Parentage of William Arnold and Thomas
Arnold.
Pp
64-69 New England Historical & Genealogical Society Register – January 1915
64 Parentage of William Arnold and Thomas Arnold
THE PARENTAGE OF
WILLIAM ARNOLD AND
THOMAS ARNOLD
OF PROVIDENCE, R.I.
By
EDSON SALISBURY JONES, Esq.,
of Port Chester, N. Y.
IT has been generally
accepted that William Arnold of Hingham, Mass., who went to Rhode island with
Roger Williams and became an inhabitant of Providence, and Thomas' Arnold of Watertown,
Mass., who removed to Providence some twenty years later, were half brothers;
but the present writer and several other Arnold descendants have sought in vain
for proof of this relationship. There
is in existence a copy of a chart, made in 1819, which represents these two
immigrants as thus related; but it is highly probable that the connection was
deduced and assumed from some
early records of the
Arnold family, the first section of which was evidently prepared by William1
and the remainder by his descendants, because the chart repeats information
given in those records. The records in
question were printed in the
REGISTER, vol. 33,
pp. 427-432 (Oct. 1879).
About 1842 there was
compiled a genealogy of the descendants of Thomas1 Arnold (William1
and his children were also mentioned), the opening portion of which seems
certainly to have been derived from this chart , and the name of Thomas, as the
father of the immigrants, was prefixed.*
William,1 in the record which he prepared, did not name his
father. In the "History of
Woonsocket," 1876, there is also a genealogy of the descendants of Thomas,1
who is represented as a son of William.1 In the "Life of
Benedict Arnold, 1880, the birthplace of William is given as Leamington,
England. No county is named, but there
is a well-known watering place called Leamington in Warwickshire. Savage thought that perhaps Benedict2
(William1) was born in co. Nottingham.
In the REGISTER, vol. 33, pp. 432-438,
immediately after the article entitled “Early Records of the Arnold Family,”
was printed “Mr. Somerby's Genealogy of the Arnold Family,” a pedigree compiled
by the late Horatio G. Somerby, in which the descent of our two immigrants is
derived from Ynir, King of Gwentland, a Welsh prince who flourished about the middle
of the twelfth century. This pedigree
was taken, with some changes and additions, from the following sources:
From the so-called Ynir1
to Roger,12 inclusive, it
was obtained from the Visitation of Monmouthshire. The present writer examined
this visitation in the College of Arms, and knows that(besides differences in
the spelling of some names) one generation – the true eleventh – was omitted by
Mr. Somerby. As a visual aid to a clear
understanding of conditions, a section of the visitation pedigree is presented,
the first generation given being the one neglected by the American compiler.
It wll be noted that Arnhalt ap Arnalt Vychan, Esq., had wife Joan, daughter and coheiress to Madoc ap Thomas ap Rhun; and that to their son Roger Arnald, Esq., was assigned no issue. Mr. Somerby said that this Roger was “the first of the family who adopted a surname;” but it will be seen that the said Roger had an uncle Richard Arnold; and in the pedigree presented below Roger’s father appears as an Arnold.
A son for Roger was obtained from a Visitation of Gloucestershire, the first four generations of which are here reproduced.
In
the Somerby pedigree, Joan as the mother of Roger was discarded, and Sybil was
adopted. In the pedigree given
immediately
above, the only grandson of Roger is John.
Mr Somerby supplied another grandson , naming him
Richard
Arnold of Street, with wife Emmote, daughter and heir of Pearce Young of
Damerham in Wiltshire. Turning
to the section of the pedigree from the Visitation
of Monmouthshire, it will be seen that this man was uncle of Roger. There can be no question as to identity, for
Mr. Somerby transferred (in his original volume) this Richard and all his shown
descendants to places three generations lower down, and made Richard the
grandson of Roger. He also located the
father of his Richard14 in Llanthony, co. Monmouth, whereas the
Visitation of Gloucestershire placed him in the latter county. The Monmouthshire pedigree does not state in
what county Street was situated; but Somerset was adopted, although there are
parishes of the name in Devon and Sussex, and a Street hundred-in co. Kent
(where there were Arnolds by 1460). The
extant parish registers of Street, co.
Somerset, 1599-1762, have been printed, but there are but few items for
years and then a gap, 1604-1635. The
index discloses no Arnold earlier than 1745.
No will of an Arnold of Street is known to the write, nor has any will
of a Somersetshire Arnold, prior to 1553, been found in the calendars of
district probate registries and Prerogative Court of Canterbury. There are wills of Gloucestershire Amolds
from 1544, of Arnolds of co. Sussex from 1536, and of Arnolds of co. Surrey
from 1482.
The Heralds' Visitations
do not give to Richard Arnold of Street any other sons than John and Thomas; but
Mr. Somerby furnished the father with an eldest son and heir, Richard,15
who "removed into Dorsetshire and became seated at Bagbere," although
he gave no evidence in support of this statement. This Richard of Bagbere left a will, dated 15 May 1593 (the
earliest will found by Mr. Somerby of any person in the ancestral line
presented by him), which gave £50 to a son Thomas, whose residence is not
stated. This Thomas was placed in
Cheselboume, co. Dorset, and made the father of the immigrants, William1 and
Thomas1 Arnold; but here again no proof is given, nor any evidence
that said Thomas of Cheselboume had any issue whatsoever.
The present writer had
in his possession, for six weeks, the original volume prepared by Mr. Somerby
for his client, as well as all Arnold data that could be found in all his
English search books known to be extant (more than one hundred). In the whole no proof is found that Richard
of Bagbere was grandfather of William1 or Thomas,1 or
that either was a son of Thomas of Cheselbourne. The nearest semblance of proof was in items that a William Arnold
was made administrator of his brother John of Cheselboume and guardian of the
latter's children in 1616; and that one of these children referred, in the time
of the Commonwealth, to “his uncle in foreign parts.” Examining the record
prepared by William,1 it will be seen that he mentioned no brother
John.
The key to the true
parentage of William1 Arnold lay in that portion of the family
record prepared by him, the first two items of which are as follows:
Alce
Gully the Daughter of John Gully of Northouer.
Who was my Mother. was Baptized ye 29: Septem 1553.
Tamzen,
my Sister was Baptized the 4º of Jany. 1571.
Mr. Somerby located
Northover near Cheselbourne, co. Dorset; but no English gazetteer or map seen
discloses such a place - not even the ordnance survey map of that locality on a
scale of six inches to the mile. In the
whole of England there is but one parish of
Northover, and that is in co.
Somerset. Thither the present writer
went in the summer of 1902 and examined the original register, in which were
found the following baptismal records:
Alice
Gullye the Daughter of. John Gullye 29º
Septembris aº dm 1553º
Tomsine
the Daughter of Nicholas Amolde 4º. Januarij aº dm 1571º
It will be observed that
the names and dates of the baptized persons agree with the family record of
William Arnold, and that the father of Tomsine was Nicholas - not Thomas. No other Arnold baptism is found in this
register in early days. The only Arnold
marriages, prior to 1643, were those of Margarett to Christopher Tuck in 1585
and Margery to Thomas Bumard in 1603.
Records of Gullye burials were seen, among them those of John in 1559,
Alice, wife of John, in 1583, and another John in 1591. No Arnold burials were found prior to 1700.
Adjoining Northover on
the south is the parish of
Ilchester, the earliest extant register of which,
unfortunately, does not begin until 1690; and directly on the east is the
parish of Limington,* the extant register of which begins in 1681. About five miles westerly from Northover and
Ilchester is the parish of Muchelney, where resided Thomas Peak, father-in-law
of William Arnold, according to the family record. The extant register of this parish does not begin until 1703. .
Here we have proof that the home of the father of William1 was in
co. Somerset - not co. Dorset.
In his section of the
family record, William1 named the children of two sisters, some of
the children of his half brother Thomas, and the births of his own issue. Among the first was Thomas Hopkins, baptized
7 Apr. 1616; and in the last group was Steven Arnold, born 22 Dec. 1622.
Among the Bishop's
transcripts in the Diocesan Registry of Bath and Wells, the writer found the
following from the parish of Ilchester:
Thomas
the sonne of Wm Hopkins bapt: seaventh of Aprill, 1616.
Stephanus
filius Williami Arnolde baptizat vicessimo sexto die Decembris, 1622.
Nichalaus
Amolde sepultus vicessimo sexto Januarij, 1622.
The name and baptismal
date of the Hopkins child agree with the family record, and the baptism of
Stephen Arnold was four days later than the birth date of Stephen2
(William1) in the said record.
As will soon appear, the Nicholas Arnold who was buried 26 Jan.,1622 was
the father of William.1 In the same registry was also found an
original return from Ilchester parish, in 1622, signed by John Ravens, rector,
and Melchesadeck Jones and William Arnold, churchwardens.† The signature of the
last-named closely resembles that of William1 in 1650 and 1659,
except for the first and last letters.
From this registry was also obtained (at second hand) the following
items from Ilchester parish:
1595, Oct. 5 Robert
Hacker & Thomasine Amoll married.
1595, - Agnes,
dau. of Nicholas Arnoll, buried.
1596, Apr. 12 Isabell Amoll baptized.
1596, Apr. 25 Alice, wife of Nicholas Arnoll, tailer, buried.
1596, Nov. 15 Nicholas Arnoll baptized.
1635, Oct. 15 George, son of Thomas & Jane Arnold, baptized.
* The will of Gov. Benedict2 Arnold
(William1') mentions his "Lemmington Farm," which was very
probably named in remembrance of this parish.
†
In
Samuel Gorton's " Simplicity's Defence" we read that William1
“Arnold was a great
professor
of
religion in the West of Old
England."
YOL. LXIX. 5
The first of these items
was evidently the marriage of William1 Arnold's sister, and the
fourth was the burial of his mother.
In the District Probate
Registry of Wells the writer found a will of which the following is an
abstract:
The
Will of Nicholas Arnold of Ilchester in the
Countie of Somersett Taylor, 18 Jan. 1622 [1622/31. To Grace Arnold my wief all my goods movable and unmovable w’thin
and wth thout Dores to thintent she shall guid & bringe up my two youngest
Daughters her Children and when it please god to take her out of this mortal
lief to Dispose the said goods at her pleasure unto theis two Children. . Grace
my wief to be sole executrix , My sonne Wam Arnold & Ambrose
Chappell my frend to be over seers. Witnesses: John Raven, Thomas Arnold.Proved
at Wells 28 July 1623. Inventory, £7. 16s. 5d. (Wells Registry, lib. 43, fo.
5.)
This Will makes it clear
that Grace was not the first wife of the testator; and the family record shows
that the father of William1 had been twice married, that Thomas was
a son by the second wife, and that this Thomas had a son Nicholas, who was
baptized in 1627. No real evidence has been seen that this Thomas emigrated
to America.
In the Probate Registry
of Wells as thorough search as circumstances permitted was made; but no Arnold
will was found which disclosed a son Nicholas, nor any Gully will that named a
John who might be father of Alice. In
such search as could be made in the Probate Registry of Taunton nothing was
discovered to aid in extending the ancestry of William1 Arnold. Deeper investigations are needed.
Nicholas Arnold of
Ilchester, tailor, the testator of .1622/3, seemingly was not the only one of
the name in that region, as in Martock parish, four miles west-southwest of
Ilchester, a Nicholas Arnold and Margaret Pound were married, 6 Oct. 1570. Here also were baptized Nicholas, son of
Thomas, in 1604, William, son of George, in 1605, and others. In this parish are recorded marriages of
John Gully in 1561 and 1603. A John
Gully was married in 1556, and a Johanna Arnell in 1563, in Kingsdon parish,
two miles north of Ilchester where also Robert Arnold was churchwarden in 1594
and Thomas Arnold in 1611. Thomas
Amolde was married in 1572 and Mary Arnald in 1578, in Yeovil, five miles south
of Ilchester. Henry Arnold married in
1562, in Taunton.
In the REGISTER, vol. 48, pp. 374-375,
was printed an abstract the will of Richard Arnold of London, goldsmith, dated
8 Nov. 1644, which was reprinted in Waters's “Genealogical Gleanings in
England,” pp. 882-883. This testator
was born at Gillingham, co. Kent, and
his will names, among others, his uncles Richard and William Arnold, both
deceased; the former's son Richard of Killingworth [an old name for
Kenilworth], co. Warwick; and the latter's son Richard of Kelshall [Kelsale],
co. Suffolk, the last two to pay 20s.
"unto every of their brothers and sisters . . . except Thomas
Arnold who is now supposed to be in New England or some other part beyond the
seas," his legacy to be paid upon his demand or that of his assigns. The only Thomas Arnold known to have been in
New England in 1644 was Thomas1 of Watertown; and it seems very
probable that he was the legatee named.
It
will be noted that the Specifically mentioned son of the testator's uncle
Richard was of Killingworth, Warwick.
Six miles southeast from this place is the parish of Offchurch. The will of Richard Arnold of Offchurch,
husbandman, names, among others, his mother Margaret Arnold, wife Alice, sons
Thomas, John, and Richard, and daughters Elizabeth and Mary - all the children
under age on 2 July 1604, the date of the will, which was proved 3 Aug.
1604. The specifically named son of the
London goldsmith's uncle William was of Kelsale, Suffolk, a parish about twenty
miles northeast from Ipswich. Thirteen
miles Southerly from-Kelsale and twelve miles east of Ipswich is the parish of
Hollesley. The will of William Arnold
of Hollesley, husbandman, dated 22 Nov. 1616 and proved 24 Feb. 1616/17, names
wife Katherine, sons Richard and Thomas (both under age), daughters Cleere and
Katherine, and nephew Richard Arnold. Here, then, are two Thomas Arnolds who
are in harmony with the London goldsmith's will, as well as with the probable
age of our Thomas1 at the respective times; but there is a
speculative preference for the Thomas of co. Suffolk, as there seems to be a
possibility that Thomas Arnold married Phebe Parkhurst before he emigrated, and
her father, Georgel Parkhurst, was a resident of Ipswich, co. Suffolk, where his daughter Phebel was
baptized 29 Nov. 1612.*
There
were Arnold testators in co. Suffolk
from the middle of the fifteenth century, who were largely resident in the
easterly half of the shire. The
earliest wills of such, yet seen, were those of Robert of Framlingham and John
of Eye, respectively fourteen and eighteen miles northerly from Ipswich. By the year 1650 at least sixty-five wills
of Arnolds of this county had been proved in various courts, twenty of which
were of testators within a radius of twelve miles from Ipswich.
Thomas1
Arnold was of Watertown, Mass., as early as 25 July 1636, when he had a grant
of thirty acres from the town. The
earliest date at which Watertown records disclose George1 Parkhurst
was 10 May 1642, when he received land.
The present writer questions the statement that Thomasl
Arnold, aet. 30, embarked for Virginia in the Plain Joan, in
1635. He died at Providence, R. I., in
Sept. 1674, but at no time is his age of public record. His first child whose birth was recorded in
America was Ichabod, who was born I Mar. 1640 (Watertown records); but the
father had had an earlier child, Susanna, who married in Boston, 7 Apr. 1654,
John Farnum. - If she were then twenty years old, she was born two years prior
to her father's recorded appearance in Watertown. The later children of Thomas1 were Richard, Thomas,
John, Eliezer, and Elizabeth.
Herein have been
presented the true name and residence of the father of William Arnold; but the
parentage of Thomas1 is as yet uncertain. The writer hopes that the information furnished will stimulate
further investigations.
*
Cf. REGISTER, VOI. 68, p. 373.
The New England Historic and Genealogical Society's Great Migration series has a good synopsis on William Arnold and his family on pages 84-91.