John Sackett of New Haven

(early to mid-1620s-1684)
John Sackett, colonist, of New Haven, Connecticut, was born, almost certainly in Thanet, KentG, in the early to mid-1620s.1 His parents have not yet been positively identified. He died in New HavenG on 3 September 1684.1,2,3,4,5 He married in New HavenG on 20 May 1652, Agnes Tinkham1,4,5,6,7,8, who died there in 1707.4,5,9
John Sackett's origins
It has not yet proved possible to establish with any confidence the origins of John Sackett of New Haven, although a number of possibilities may be considered.
     Weygant, in The Sacketts of America, records that he was the son of another John who would have been a brother of Simon Sackett the colonist, and that he was born in England in 1628 and brought to New England by his father in 1631.1,10
The family tradition
Weygant relied on the family tradition, handed down the generations, that "Simon and John Sackett, brothers, came from England to Massachusetts, in company with Roger Williams. John Sackett followed Mr. Williams to Rhode Island and finally settled at New Haven, becoming the founder of the New Haven branch of the family. Simon Sackett remained in Massachusetts, was one of the founders of the City of Cambridge, and is the progenitor of the Massachusetts and Long Island, N.Y., branches."
     According to Weygant, the brothers journeyed from Bristol, England, on board Captain William Pearce's ship, Lyon, on the midwinter voyage which departed Bristol on 1 December 1630 and arrived at Nantasket Roads off Boston on 5 February 1631 after an 'unusually severe' crossing. It has not proved possible to confirm details of their passage, no reference to the Sackett name having been found in ships' passenger lists of the period.
Simon's brother John the fisherman
English records show that Simon did have a brother John, baptized in Thanet in 1586. This John is believed to have been the same man as John Sackett (the fisherman) who made his will in Thanet in 1628 and died there in 1634.
     If the family tradition about the emigrant brothers is correct, then it would have been this John Sackett who accompanied his brother Simon to the New World. If he did, then it must follow that he returned from New Haven to Kent sometime before or during 1634. However, the possibility that John the fisherman was the brother who allegedly accompanied Simon to the New World is not supported by the detail of the will which makes no mention of any children, the beneficiaries being John's wife Elizabeth, and his brothers and sisters.
     Identification of John the fisherman with John the brother of Simon then needs further examination. This identification depends upon John the fisherman's will, in particular to the reference in the will to a brother Simon. This is the only reference in English records of the period to a Simon Sackett (other than the records of Simon’s baptism in 1595, his two marriages in 1618 and 1627, and the baptisms of his three daughters, all of which events are undoubtedly correctly attributed to Simon Sackett the colonist). The context in which Simon's name is mentioned may also be significant. John made small bequests, of six pence each, to his brothers and sisters, who were not named. The only named sibling was Simon, and John made the request of his wife and heiress, Elizabeth, that she not demand repayment of a debt owed to John by Simon. It would perhaps be stretching the evidence too far to assume that the loan was connected to Simon's migration - still more than two years away - but it could be taken to indicate a special relationship between these brothers. Given the rarity of the name Simon, it would seem a remote possibility that there would have been two pairs of brothers named Simon and John. It is a reasonable conclusion that the sons John and Simon born to Thomas Sackett the younger were the same as the brothers John and Simon of John the fisherman’s will of 1628.
Simon's cousin John son of George
If we set aside the assertion that Simon's co-colonist was his brother, another possible candidate would be his first cousin, John Sackett, born in 1594 to George Sackett and Katherine Tompson. Although no evidence has been found to confirm that this John Sackett lived beyond infancy, he and Simon would have been close contemporaries, being only a year or so apart in age.
Other candidates
As well as attempting to identify adult English John Sacketts who may have accompanied Simon, we need also to seek out a child John Sackett in English records who may have been John of New Haven. The only John Sacketts known to have been born in the 1620s have all been identified with events in Kent later than 1631 and have been ruled out as possible candidates to have been John of New Haven. It is probably the case, given the fact of his migration to the New World, that his birth/baptism was not registered because of his parents' religious nonconformism.
     Anderson, in The Great Migration Begins, concluded that an elder John Sackett who would be Simon's brother was an "imaginary construct", and that there was "no evidence of any relationship between the immigrant Simon and John of New Haven." Although he noted records of "a servant by the name of John "Seckett" in New Haven by 1641, who is probably the same as the man who married in 1652", he made no further attempt to explain the origin of John Sackett of New Haven.11
Weygant's 1897 and 1907 accounts
It is significant, and surprising in light of how little other information he had available to him, that Weygant omitted three important John Sackett events from his 1907 Sacketts of America, despite having included them in his 1897 Family Record. These were the Stolyon case of 1641, the swearing of the oath of fidelity in 1644, and the debt recovery action against Stephen Medcalfe in 1647.
     Weygant had attributed all of these events to the supposed elder John Sackett. Had Weygant remained convinced of the existence of an elder John, then surely he would not have omitted such important evidence from his definitive 1907 work. Given Weygant's painstaking diligence in researching and compiling this work, it must be concluded that the omission was intentional, pointing to the possibility that he had come to doubt this aspect of the family tradition.
Further research — DNA testing
Unless some hitherto undiscovered evidence, in either England or America, should come to light, the origin of John Sackett of New Haven looks destined to remain a tantalizing mystery. The documentary evidence found so far has not supported the family tradition that John of New Haven was taken to the New World by his father, a proposed elder John who would have been the brother of Simon Sackett the colonist. The evidence does not actually disprove the tradition, but nor does it offer an alternative explanation of the origin of John of New Haven.
     DNA testing of a number of present-day male Sacketts has been undertaken by members of the Sackett Family Association. Although it was expected that these tests would show a genetic link between Simon's line and that of John of New Haven, results suggest that these two men were not closely related, leaving open a wider range of options for the origin of John of New Haven.
John Sackett - a Chronology
The following is a list of events relating to John Sackett of New Haven, or relating to the search for his origins:
     Events in Thanet, Kent
     1586 Baptism of John Sackett, brother of Simon the colonist
     1594 Birth of John Sackett, son of George Sackett,
               and first cousin of Simon the colonist
     1595 Baptism of Simon Sackett the colonist
     1620s Birth of John Sackett of New Haven, almost certainly in Thanet
               (Weygant gives date of birth as 1628)
     1628 John Sackett the fisherman made his will
     1630 Departure from England, arriving Boston February 1631
     1634 Death of John Sackett the fisherman
     Events in New Haven
     1641 Court action, John Seckett servant to Mrs Stolyon
     1644 John Seckett swears oath of fidelity
     1646 John Sackett fined for attending training without musket rest
     1647 John Sackett sued Stephen Medcalfe for debt
     1652 Marriage of John Sackett of New Haven to Agnes Tinkham
     1653 Birth of John Sackett, son of John of New Haven and Agnes Tinkham
     1656 John Sackett listed in meeting house seating plan
     1656 John Sackett warned about bull and rewarded for catching a wolf
     1659 John Sackett's brook mentioned in court hearing
     1662 John Sackett listed in meeting house seating plan
     1666 John Sackett actioned Samuel Andrews for cost of treating a horse
     1669 Agnes, wife of John Sackett, named as beneficiary in & witness to will of Gillian Mansfield12
     1672 Highway built through John Sackett's land
     1674 John Sackett instructed, with others, to burn woodlands
     1680 John Sackett granted 48 acres in lands allocation
     1682 Town meetings, John Sackett Jr granted land to set up business as glazier
     1684 Death of John Sackett of New Haven
     1684 Inventory of estate of John Sackett of New Haven
     1707 Death of Agnes Tinkham.
New Haven
John Sackett arrived in New Haven at a very early stage of its settlement, the first mention of him in the records, as a servant to a Mrs Stolyon, being in August 1641, just three years after its foundation. The colony was established in the spring of 1638 when the companies of Davenport and Prudden sailed from Boston to Quillipiac, where they began the settlement that would become New Haven. The New Haven church was established, with seven founding members, Davenport included, on 21 or 22 April 1639, and on the latter day Peter Prudden and his following organized the Milford church.13
     A list of planters and their estates was drawn up in October/November 1640, although it was not written into the records until 1643.14,15 John Sackett's name does not appear in this list. This is not surprising as, even if he were in New Haven by this date, he would not have qualified for inclusion in the list, being then a servant, not a freeman.
The Stolyon case
The first mention of John Sackett found in the New Haven records concerns a court action brought against him by Mrs Stolyon:
     "Att a Court held att Newhaven the 4th of the 6t M: 1641 ... John Seckett servant to Mrs. Stolyon for goeing about to slaunder and reproach his said Mrs, was admonished to tender to his Mrs such satisfaction as she might accept, wch was referred to Mr. Goodyeare to determine."16
     This John "Seckett" is now taken to be John Sackett of New Haven, although Weygant concluded that it referred to the proposed elder John.17 He gave this account of the case in The Family Record:
     "His [the proposed elder John's] name is first mentioned in New Haven records under date of 1640, at which time he was in the employ and would seem to have been superintending the estate of a widow named Stolya. According to a tradition which is in the main verified by official records, he was a man of pleasing address, and the widow Stolya from playing mother to the son fell desperately in love with the father, who does not appear to have reciprocated her affection and spoke slightingly of her love making. Whereupon she made complaint to the General Court that he had slandered her. When the case was heard the finding of that August body, "then the supreme power in the province," was that "John Seckett (Sackett) be admonished to tender to the widow Stolya such satisfaction as she might accept."
     Although there is a discrepancy in the dates given for the court hearing (Weygant has 1640, not 1641), there can be no doubt that Weygant refers to the same case. His rather colourful description would appear to owe more to the "tradition" to which he refers than to the court record itself. It is noted that, while Weygant published an account of the Stolyon case in The Family Record (1897), he made no reference to it in his 1907 Sacketts of America.18,19
Oath of fidelity
On 1 July 1644, "Joh: Seckett" swore the oath of fidelity at a General Court of New Haven.20 The question is: which John Sackett was it, father or son, who swore the oath. If it was the proposed elder John, then this would confirm his existence in New Haven. He would not, however, have been the brother of Simon, as John the brother is shown to have died in Thanet, Kent, in 1634. If it was the younger John, then this would invalidate Weygant's statement that he was born in 1628. It may be assumed that a man taking the oath of fidelity would have been at least 21 years of age. This would give John's date of birth as no later than 1623.
As with the Stolyon case, Weygant recorded in his 1897 Family Record that John Sackett had signed the oath of fidelity (although he did not record the date of the oath), assigning the event to the proposed elder John Sackett, but then made no mention of the event in his 1907 Sacketts of America.
John Sackett's fine
On 6 October 1646, John Sackett was fined six pence for attending a training without a rest for his musket.21 Weygant attributed this event to the "younger" John Sackett, i.e. John Sackett of New Haven, in both his 1897 Family Record and his 1907 Sacketts of America.
John Sackett's debt
John appeared in court again later that year, on 2 March 1646 [1647 new style], when he "demanded a debt dew from Stephen Medcalfe of 18s." At a further court hearing two months later, on 4 May 1647, two townsmen who had been appointed to assess work carried out by John on Medcalfe's house confirmed that John had erected fencing, and John "gave in a noate to the court" showing that he had spent 17s 8d on materials.22
     Weygant recorded this court action in the 1897 Family Record, assigning the event to the proposed elder John Sackett, but he made no reference to it in his 1907 Sacketts of America.
     In the Family Record, he records that [the proposed elder] John Sackett "in 1646 was made the custodian of the Public Building in which the General Court was held". He quoted from the court record, without mentioning Medcalfe, "John Sackett presented to court bill for putting up some poles and spending some nayles; the said John gave in a note to the court, of charges which had been spent about the house, to the value of about 17s 8d." It would seem that Weygant took the reference to "the house" to mean the Court House and concluded that John had been made the custodian of the building. It is not known whether Weygant had access to Hoadly's work, which had been published in 1857. Hoadly's account makes it clear that the work carried out was to Medcalfe's house, not to the court house.
John Sackett's occupation
Atwater does not report the Medcalfe case but records John Sackett's occupation as "carpenter". He may have deduced this from this court action. It could equally be concluded from the report of a later case [John Sackett v. Samuel Andrews, 1665/66] that John was also a "horse doctor"! The truth is likely to be that John, along with most of his compatriots, was both a farmer and, by necessity, a "jack of all trades." Atwater also gives 1641 as the date of the first mention of John in the New Haven Colony records and records his death date as 1684. This would imply that Atwater believed that the John Sackett of the 1641 Stolyon case was the same as the John Sackett who died in 1684, and not a possible elder John.23
New Haven Town Records
John Sackett's name appears a number of times in the New Haven Town Records. None of these events (following) is recorded by Weygant. There is no reason to doubt that the events relate to John Sackett of New Haven, and none hints at the existence of an elder John Sackett.
John Sackett's seat in meeting house
John Sackett was listed in the seating plans for the meeting house in February 1655/56 and in February 1661/62. His name did not, however, appear in an earlier list, of 10 March 1646 [presumably 1647 new style].24,25,26,27,28,29,30 This omission is puzzling as he was clearly in New Haven at that date and had sworn the oath of fidelity in 1644.
John Sackett's bull
John Sackett appeared in court again in May 1656 when he, with three others, "were complained of because their cattell trouble the cowheards." They were advised "to take care that it be no more so." In particular, John was "warned of a bull which is wont to runn at some people." He was instructed to ensure that the bull was properly secured "that hurt may not come thereby, for if it doe, after this warning, the blame will lye wholy upon him."31
John Sackett's wolf
At the same court, John appealed against a decision of the town treasurer who had refused to pay him a bounty of £1 for the capture of a wolf at the last harvest. John explained to the court that the wolf was "catched in a pitt" but was so "devoured by flyes" that "the head was not fitt to bring to the Treasurer, and he refuseth to pay." The Town agreed that if he could provide sufficient proof "he shall be alowed halfe, which is ten shillings."31
John Sackett's brook
Mention is made in a general court hearing at New Haven on 28 February 1658 [old style] of John Sackett's brook. To provide an adequate water supply for the town, the court decided "to make a dam over ye creeke. . . & there to sett up a brest mill, which with the help of the brooke at John Sackett's . . . would be sufficient to serve ye towne."32
John Sackett, horse doctor
In a court hearing on 5 March 1665/66, John actioned Samuel Andrews for the cost of treating a sick horse. Andrews "denied that [John] had cured the horse" but the court found in John's favour and awarded him five shillings and court costs.33
Highway through John Sackett's land
On 12 February 1671/72, it was reported at a town meeting that agreement had been reached for the construction of a "hie way through the playne field" belonging to John Sackett and, in consideration, John was given about three acres of swampy land.34
John Sackett and the burning of woods
At a town meeting on 11 March 1673/74 it was decided that areas of woodland were to be burnt. The sections to be burnt were allocated to various townsmen and John Sackett and Edmund Dorman were to burn the area from "the west rockes to the Mill river."35
John Sackett's division of land
A town meeting of 20 December 1680 determined the division of land on the western side, John Sackett being allocated an area of 48½ acres.36 The next entries in the records of the town meetings refer to John's son, John Sackett, Jr. who, in November and December 1682, was granted land to set up a business as a glazier.
Inventory of estate
Weygant's conclusion that John of New Haven was the son of another John Sackett depended largely on the evidence of an inventory of the estate of John of New Haven, who died in 1684. A mis-reading of this document, by which the word "senior" was read as "junior", led Weygant to the wrong conclusion that an elder John had outlived his son.
     It would seem that Weygant did not, himself, have sight of this document but, relying upon a report of it from the Hon. L B Sackett (#4361), he stated in the 1897 Family Record: "That he [the proposed elder John] outlived his son John, Jr. is made apparent by following extract from a search of Probate office of New Haven, viz: 'John Sackett, inventory of the estate of John Sackett, Junior, late of New Haven, deceased, taken this 6th day of Oct. 1684'." Weygant further stated in The Sacketts of America that: "On October 6 [1684], he [the proposed elder John] filed an inventory of the estate of "John Sackett, Jr."
     The error in the interpretation of this evidence results from a mis-reading of the word 'Senior' as 'Junior' following the second mention of the name 'John Sackett'. This error resulted in Weygant taking the first mentioned 'John Sackett' to refer to an assumed elder John Sackett. A corrected transcription of the text of the heading would be: 'Jno Sackett Snr/ An inventory of the estate of Jno Sackett Senior late of N=Haven deceased taken this Octobr 6th 1684.' [Inventory] The first mentioned 'John Sackett' was indeed John Sackett Snr. but the second mentioned 'John Sackett' was also John Sackett Senior. The two mentions are of the same man, the first being merely an index entry, rather than an indication of who filed the inventory, as Weygant had concluded. Confirmatory evidence that the man who was the subject of the inventory was John Sackett Senior, not Junior, is found in the New Haven Vital Records, which record that "John Sackett senior dyed 3 september 1684." Further, a record of the inventory in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register also refers to the subject of the inventory as John Sackett Sr.37
     For some time prior to 1684 John Sackett of New Haven would have been referred to as John Sackett Sr, his own son John, born 1653, being referred to as John Sackett Jr. Indeed, in the records of town meetings held in November and December 1682, there is reference to John Sackett Jr. There can thus be no doubt that the John Sackett who died in 1684 was John Sackett Senior, and that he was not survived by an elder John.
Proprietors in 1685
The last mention of John Sackett of New Haven in the New Haven records appears in a report given to a town meeting on 22 December 1712 when a list of proprietors of the town in the year 1685 was submitted. The list, which had previously been exhibited in the General Assembly on 20 October 1704, included: "John Sackets heirs" [i.e. the heirs of John of New Haven] and "John Sacket, Junior" [i.e. John Sackett born 1653].38,39

Children of John Sackett of New Haven and Agnes Tinkham


The family tradition related to Charles Weygant by his father-in-law Samuel Bailey Sackett.
About ten years after the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth, Simon and John Sackett, brothers, came from England to Massachusetts, in company with Roger Williams. John Sackett followed Mr. Williams to Rhode Island and finally settled at New Haven, becoming the founder of the New Haven branch of the family. Simon Sackett remained in Massachusetts, was one of the founders of the City of Cambridge, and is the progenitor of the Massachusetts and Long Island, N.Y., branches.

The elder John Sackett, for whom further evidence has not been found, proposed to have been the father of John Sackett of New Haven.

2. John Sackett, colonist, and founder of the New Haven branch of the Sackett family, came to New England, from Bristol, England, with his brother Simon, on the ship Lyon, in the winter of 1630-31. He brought with him his son, John Sackett, Jr., who at the time was about three years of age. No record of any other member of his immediate family has been found. Either before leaving England, or during his tedious mid-winter voyage hither, he became strongly attached to the brilliant and popular non-conformist minister, Roger Williams, whom he followed first to Plymouth settlement and afterwards to Rhode Island. Tiring of life in the wilderness he made his way to New Haven settlement, in the records of which he is mentioned as early as 1640 and as late as 1684. On October 6, of the year last mentioned, he filed an inventory of the estate of "John Sackett, Jr."
Child.
     5. John Sackett, Jr., b. about 1628, d. Sept. 3, 1684; m. Agnes Tinkham.

John Sackett of New Haven

5. John Sackett, Jr., 16__–1684, of New Haven, Conn., son of (2) John the colonist, was born in England and brought to New England by his father in 1631. He was at the time about three years of age. Very little is known of his boyhood days. In 1646 he was a member of the New Haven Train Band. The general court of that year first brought him to notice and gave him a place in the recorded history of Connecticut by fining him six cents "for wanting a rest at a training he attended." A rest was a stick crotched at one end which was used to steady the heavy musket then in use when taking aim.
     On May 20, 1652, he was married to Agnes Tinkham, who probably was a younger sister of the colonist Ephraim Tinkham, of Plymouth settlement. He remained a resident of New Haven until his death in 1684.
     The records there show that on October 6, 1684, "John Sackett" made and filed an inventory of the estate of "John Sackett, Junior." Agnes Tinkham Sackett died at New Haven in the early part of the year 1707. An inventory of her estate was filed on April 25th of that year by her grandson, Lieut. Joseph Sackett, who had previously been appointed administrator of her husband's estate. The records also show that on July 8, 1712, Lieut. Joseph Sackett made a final accounting of said estates and was discharged from his bonds.
Children of John Sackett and Agnes Tinkham.
     17. John Sackett, b. Apr. 30, 1653; d. in year 1703; m. Mary Woodin.
     18. Jonathan Sackett, b. June 6, 1655; d; m. Hannah.
     19. Mary Sackett, b. Sept. 24, 1657.
     20. Joseph Sackett, b. Mar. 2, 1660; m.
     21. Martha Sackett, b. Sept. 19, 1662; d. Sept. 3, 1684.


p 3
Near the close of the year 1630 the ship Lyon, laden with provision and having on board 26 passengers, sailed out from the seaport of Bristol, England, bound for Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her passengers were cultured and well-to-do Puritan Colonists, who, in consequence of persecution and social ostracism because of their religion, had determined to leave comfortable homes in the land of their birth, and seek liberty of conscience with such fortune as might await them on the green shores or in the primeval forests of the fair land of New England.
The member of this little company destined to meet with severest trials, and to be most favorably remembered in the land whither they journeyed, was the able and fearless young Cambridge student and minister, Roger Williams. Our interest, however, is centered more directly in a family group of his fellow passengers, consisting of Simon Sackett, his young wife Isabel, their infant son Simon, and John, a stalwart lad, the brother of Simon the elder. From these are descended all the older lines of the family in America.
p 50
2. John Sackett, the founder of the New Haven branch of the Sackett family, came to New England with his brother Simon on the relief ship Lyon, which sailed from Bristol, England, December 1, 1630, and reached Boston in the early part of the following February.
Either before leaving England, or during this tedious midwinter voyage, he seems to have formed a strong attachment for the talented young non-conformist minister, Roger Williams, who was a fellow passenger.
In looking up the record of the Sackett family in America, the writer has been led to suppose that John Sackett, on the occasion of his embarkation for America, was a lad in his teens and a member of the household of his brother Simon. But authentic records have recently come to light which show conclusively that he was at the time a married man and the father of an infant son, John Jr. He may also have had other children, but if so, the proof is as yet lacking.
A few months after the Lyon sailed into Boston Harbor, Simon Sackett became interested with Governor Winthrop and his Assistants in laying the foundation of the City of Cambridge. John Sackett, meantime, followed Roger Williams to the Plymouth settlement, and afterwards to Rhode Island. But life in the wilderness, surrounded by treacherous Indians, evidently soon lost for him all its charms, and he made his way to New Haven. Like many of the early colonists he seems to have been of a somewhat roving disposition, and no reliable information concerning the history of any member of his family, save of himself and his son, John, Jr., has been found among the early colonial records. It is probable his wife died shortly after his arrival in this country, and that John, Jr. was their only child. His name is first mentioned in New Haven records under date of 1640, at which time he was in the employ and would seem to have been superintending the estate of a widow named Stolya. According to a tradition which is in the main verified by official records, he was a man of pleasing address, and the widow Stolya from playing mother to the son fell desperately in love with the father, who does not appear to have reciprocated her affection and spoke slightingly of her love making. Whereupon she made complaint to the General Court that he had slandered her. When the case was heard the finding of that August body, "then the supreme power in the province," was that "John Seckett (Sackett) be admonished to tender to the widow Stolya such satisfaction as she might accept."
At a subsequent session of the General Court, held at New Haven, John Sackett signed the "Oath of Fidelity," and in 1646 was made the custodian of the Public Building in which the General Court was held. The following is copied from Court records of 1647:
"John Sackett presented to court bill for putting up some poles and spending some nayles; the said John gave in a note to the court, of charges which had been spent about the house, to the value of about 17s, 8d."
It is not now known how long John Sackett, the elder, continued a permanent resident of New Haven after 1647, nor is it known where he spent the closing years of his life or when he died. That he outlived his son John, Jr. is made apparent by following extract from a "search of Probate office of New Haven," made by the venerable L. B. Sackett, Esq., Attorney-at-Law, of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., in 1850, viz:
"John Sackett, inventory of the estate of John Sackett, Junior, late of New Haven, deceased, taken this 6th day of Oct. 1684.

45. John Sackett, Jr., was born in England about the year 1628. His father brought him to America when he was probably not more than two years old. In 1646 he was a resident of New Haven and a member of the Train Band, or local militia company. The records of General Court of that year contain a minute setting forth the fact that John Sackett had been fined 6 cents "for wanting a rest at a training he attended." A rest was a stick, crotched at one end, and was used to steady the heavy muskets when taking aim. On May 20, 1652, John Sackett, Jr. married Agnes Tinkham, and continued to reside at New Haven until his death, which occurred Sept. 3, 1684. He was survived by his wife Agnes, three sons and two daughters. Widow Sackett seems to have outlived all her children, dying in 1707.
The records of New Haven Probate office show that on Apr. 25, 1707, an inventory of Estate of Agnes Sackett was filed by Joseph Sackett, administrator. Also that on July 8, 1712, Lieut. Joseph Sackett, administrator of John and Agnes Sackett, was discharged from his bond. This Joseph Sackett was the grandson of John and Agnes (Tinkham) Sackett.

 Notes & Citations

  1. Charles Weygant, The Sacketts of America, "5. John Sackett, Jr., b. about 1628, d. Sept. 3, 1684; m. Agnes Tinkham."
  2. Vital Records, New Haven, Connecticut, p49, "John Sackett senior dyed 3 september 1684."
  3. Barbour Collection of Connecticut Vital Records, "Sackett, John Sr., d. Sept. 3, 1684. New Haven Vital Records, 1:75."
  4. James Savage, A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1860-62), “SACKET, JOHN, New Haven, m. 20 May 1652, Agnes Tinkham, had John, b. 30 Apr. 1653; Jonathan, 6 June 1655; Mary, 24 Sept. 1657; Joseph, 3 May 1660; Martha, 19 Sept. 1662; and d. 3 Sept. 1684. His wid. d. 1707."
  5. Donald Jacobus, Families of Ancient New Haven, Genealogical Publishing Co Inc, Baltimore (1981) (American Ancestors image), pp 1583–8.
  6. Vital Records, New Haven, Connecticut, p3, "John Sacket and Agnes Tincome were married by the Governer the 20th of May 1652."
  7. Barbour Collection, "Sacket, John, m. Agnes Tincome, May 20, 1652, by the Gouerner. New Haven Vital Records, 1:4."
  8. "Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700" (American Ancestors transcript), "John [Sackett] (?1628–1684) & Agnes Tincome/Tinkham (1–707); 20 May 1652; New Haven. "
  9. Sacketts of America, "Agnes Tinkham Sackett died at New Haven in the early part of the year 1707."
  10. Sacketts of America, "5. John Sackett, Jr., 16__-1684, of New Haven, Conn., son of (2) John the colonist, was born in England and brought to New England by his father in 1631. He was at the time about three years of age."
  11. Robert Anderson, The Great Migration Begins - Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, vol. III (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), "In 1907 Charles H. Weygant proposed the existence of a John Sackett who would be brother of Simon, and who was said to have resided in Plymouth and Providence and to have been the father of the John Sackett who married at New Haven in 1652 [The Sacketts of America[:] Their Ancestors and Descendants, 1630-1907 (Newburgh, New York, 1907), p. 14]. The records show a servant by the name of John "Seckett" in New Haven by 1641 [NHCR 1:56], who is probably the same as the man who married in 1652. The proposed elder John seems to be an imaginary construct, and there is no evidence of any relationship between the immigrant Simon and John of New Haven."
  12. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (Boston: NEHGS), vol. 81 (1927): 128, Early Probate Records of New Haven, "Mansfield, Gillian, deceased Dec. 8, 1669. Will made Jan. 12, 1669. Bequeaths to sons Joseph and Moses, to Mary, wife of Joseph, to Mercy, wife of Moses, to Joseph's children, to Abigail, Mercy, and Hannah, daughters of Moses, and to Agnes, wife of John Sackett. Witnesses: James Bishop and Agnes Sackett. Testatrix signs her name "Gillian Field." Inventory, taken by Wm. Bradley and David Atwater, £129: 03: 02."
  13. Robert Anderson, Great Migration Newsletter (Boston: New England History Genealogical Society).
  14. Edward R Lambert, History of the Colony of New Haven, Hitchcock & Stafford, New Haven (1838), digital image, Internet Archive (archive.org).
  15. Donald Jacobus, Families of Ancient New Haven ().
  16. Charles Hoadly, Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven from 1638 to 1649 (Hartford: General Assembly of Connecticut, 1857), p56.
  17. Both Atwater (in 1902) and Anderson (in 1995) took John Seckett the servant to have been John Sackett of New Haven, and not an elder John.
  18. Research of the New Haven records has failed to find any reference to John Sackett in 1640. The discrepancy in the dates would seem not to be the result of the often confusing Julian calendar then in use, as the "6t M" would mean August, a month not subject to double-dating.
  19. Note on Mrs Stolion
    A New Haven court case on 6 April 1647 concerned the estate of Mrs Stallion, indicating her recent death. Coldham's Book of Emigrants has the following: "1647, May. Probate of will of Jane Stolion of London, widow, who died overseas having goods in New England,"[1] and "1680, November. Administration of will of Thomas Stolyon of Warbleton, Sussex, who had goods in New England."[2] It is known from the 1645 Turner v. Stolion case that Mrs Stolion had a son, although his name was not stated. Given the unusual surname and coincidence of addresses, it is a reasonable guess that Thomas was Mrs Stolion's son. A possible husband of Mrs Stolion is Pelham Stolion who was baptised at Warbleton, Sussex, in 1602.[3]
    [1] Peter Coldham, Complete Book of Emigrants: Vol 1 English Estates (1998), p243.
    [2] Peter Coldham, Complete Book of Emigrants: Vol 2, American Wills (1998), p372.
    [3] IGI, Family Search website (LDS Church).
  20. Charles Hoadly, Records of the Colony of New Haven, pp136-9 "Att a Genrll Court held att Newhaven the 1t of July, 1644. ...Then he [Theophilus Eaton, the Governor] gave itt [the oath] to all those whose names are herevnder written, ... [A total of 182 names are listed, including:] Joh: Seckett. [A further 28 names are listed on 5 August 1644]”.
  21. Charles Hoadly, Records of the Colony of New Haven, pp270-271, “At a Court held at Newhaven the 6th of October, 1646. John Sackett and Henry Morrell for wanting rests were fined 6d apeice.”.
  22. Charles Hoadly, Records of the Colony of New Haven, p300, “At a Court held March the 2d 1646. John Sackett demanded a debt dew from Stephen Medcalfe of 18s. Wm Fancy informed the court that Stephen Medcalfe said vnto Jno Sackett in his hearing that he had forgott to reckon the 15s he owed him, wch he said he would pay him the said John before he went, of wch he was ready to make oath. Bro: Myles & bro. Whitnell are desired to view Stephens howse & judge what it is worth Þ weeke.”
    p307, “At a Court held at Newhaven the 4th May, 1647. Richard Myles & Jeremy Whitnell having bin apoynted to view Stephen Medcalfes howse, returned to the court that the fence stands, and John Sackett hath put vp some pales & spent some nayles; the said John gave in a noate to the court, of chardges wch had bin spent about the howse, to the vallew of about 17s 8d, & what the howse & lott was worth by the yeare to defray this chardge, or what it is worth to be sold, was referred to Richard Myles & Anthony Thompson, and to take in the helpe of some workmen with them.”.
  23. Edward Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven to its Absorption into Connecticut (Meriden, Connecticut: The Journal Publishing Company, 1902), “RESIDENTS OF NEW HAVEN
    From 1640 to 1650, with the year of the first mention of their name in the Records of New Haven Colony, the year of their death when known, occupation, etc.”
    [p703] “1641 John Sackett, carpenter, d. 1684.”.
  24. Edward Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven, p547, [seating plan Feb 11, 1655-56] “Against the soldiers’ seats. 1. Jno. Sackett, James Eaton, Ralph Lines, Isaac Beecher, Abra. Kimberley.”.
  25. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records (New Haven, Connecticut: New Haven Colony Historical Society, 1917), vol.1 p271, [Seating plan for Town meetings, Feb. 11, 1655-56] “Against ye Souldiors Seats: 1. Jno Sacket: ...”.
  26. Edward Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven, p551, [seating plan Feb 20, 1661-2] “In the side seats above the door. 4. John Sacket, Sam Marsh, Peter Mallery, Robert Foot.”.
  27. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.1 p511, “AT A GENERALL COURT HELD AT NEWHAUEN, FEB 10TH, 61
    The Committee appointed Jan 20, 1661, to seat people in ye Meeting house declared to the Towne what they had done in that business wch was read, & is as followeth. ... In the side seates, aboue the doore, ... 4. John Sackitt, ... ”.
  28. Edward Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven, unnumbered page before p543, seating plan 10 March 1646.
  29. Charles Hoadly, Records of the Colony of New Haven, p302, General Court of 10 March 1646, seating plan.
  30. Edward Atwater, History of the Colony of New Haven, p716, “An alphabetical list: “16 -1684 John Sacket 2,3; 16 -1707 Mrs [John Sacket] (Agnes Tincome)” [2,3 means listed in 2nd & 3rd seating plan, not in 1st].
  31. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.1 p278, [1.Cattell trouble, record of 19 May 1656]
    “John Sacket, William Willmot, Edwa. Camp, and Ralph Loines were complained of because their cattell trouble the cowheards, and was advised to take care that it may be no more so; and Jno Sacket was warned of a bull, wch is (as the Court is informed) wont to runn at some people, and to take care that he be securied, that hurt may not come thereby, for if it doe, after this warning, the blame will lye wholy vpon him:/"
    vol.1 p278, [2. Catching wolves, same date]
    “John Sacket also informed that he had made a pitt to catch woolues, & last haruest, when they looked not after it, a woolfe was catched in it, but so deuouered by flyes before they knew it, as the head was not fitt to bring to the Treasurer, and he refuseth to pay, yet he can proue that it was a woolfe, & desires that he may not lose all. The Towne agreed that if he can bring sufficient proofe, wch the Treasurer accepts, he shall be alowed halfe, wch is ten shillings:/”.
  32. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.1 pp390-391, “AT A GEN. COURT HELD AT NEW-HAVEN YE 28TH OF FEBRUARY, 1658
    The Gouernour declared that he vnderstands that ye Committee have taken the advice of Goodman Bushnell about ye mill intended, the result of wch advice they desire to acquaint the Towne with, ... he advised to make a dam ouer ye creeke, about Mathew Rowes house, & there to sett vp a brest mill, wch wth the help of the brooke at John Sacketts (wch he was informed of) he judged would be sufficient to serve ye towne, ..."
  33. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.2 p173, “Milford, fifth day of March 1665/6. ... John Sackett Plaintiffe. Samll Andrewes Defendant.
    In an action of the Case, for Cureing of a horse, wth dammage to the value of 20s: The Plaint declared, That the defendt had put a horse to him (that was foundred) to be cured, & he had beene at trouble & Charge with him 5 dayes & had cured him, & therefore demanded 20s: The Defendt denied that he had Cured the horse, or that he was foundred. The Court haveing heard both Plaint: & Defendt by way of sentence declared, That they find for the plaint: five shillings & Cost of Court.”.
  34. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.2 p302, “AT A TOWNE-MEETING HELD ATT NEWHAVEN FFEBry 12th 1671:- Jno Cooper senior & Jeremiah Osborne returned unto the towne what they had done about the hie way through the playne field, vizt. That they had agreed with John Sackett, that the towne shall have a hye way through his Land, & he to maintayne the barrs; for which they have given him a piece of swampy land about the quantity of three acres.”.
  35. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.2 p316, “AT A TOWNE MEETING HELD AT NEWHAVEN MARCH 11th 1673/4: After the names were called, Captn Jno Nash from the townesmen informed the towne of sundry things, vizt. That Jno Downe & Jno Benham burne the woods on the west side from the sea up to Milford path; Jno Clarke & Daniell Thomas from Milford path up to Paugasett path; Ralph Lines & Richard Sperry from Paugasett path up to the round hills; Willm Wilmott the west rockes; Jno Sackett & Edmund Dorman from the west rockes to the Mill river; David Atwater & Isaac Turner from the mill rockes to Joseph Bradlyes; Joseph Mansfield & Richard Little from Joseph Bradlyes up to the blue hills; George Pardee to burne about Dragon point to the fresh meadowes; Alling Ball from his farme up to Hercules Playne; and Mercy Moss & John Brockett junior from Hercules playne up to Wallingford Line."
  36. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.2 p408, [Town meeting 20 December 1680], “The persons that are to haue theyer diuision of Land on the Western side of the Towne: Hear followeth theyer Names in the order theyer Lott came forth from the first throughout to the Last: Names ... John: Sackett; heads 8; Estates 83; Acres 48½."
  37. NEHG Register, vol. 81 (1927): 132, Early Probate Records of New Haven, "Sackett, John, Sr. Inventory, taken Oct. 6, 1684, by John Winston and John Alling, Jr., £382: 10: 02.
  38. Franklin Dexter, New Haven Ancient Town Records, vol.3 pp319-322, [Town meeting report of 22 December 1712 gives a list of proprietors in 1685], “The names of the propriators of N-Haven in the year 1685 [included] 'John Sackets heirs' [and] 'John Sacket, Junior'."
  39. NEHG Register, vol 1 (1847): 157, "The Names of the Proprietors of New Haven, Ct., in the Year 1685."
    [There follows a list of 252 names, including:] "John Sacket's heirs, John Sacket, Junr."
    [The provenance of the list is described thus:]
    "This List of names Compared with the List of 1685, and is a true Coppy, attested by uss. Nathan Andrews, William Thomson, Jonathan Atwater, Select men of New Haven. This List of the Proprietors of the Lands in the Township of Newhaven, was Exhibited in the Generall Assembly on the Twentieth day of October, in the third year of her Majesties reigne, Annoq. Dom: 1704, at the Same time when a release of all the Lands in said Township to the said proprietors was read and approved and ordered to be signed in the name of the Gouernor and Company of her Majesties Colony of Connecticutt. Test. Eleazer Kimberley, Secry.
    The aboue written, with what is Contained in the two next aforegoing pages, relating thereunto, is a true Coppie of the Origenall, being therewith Examin'd and Compared, and here recorded, May 17th, 1707. Pr me Eleazer Kimberley, Secry. (The foregoing is recorded in the Connecticut "Colony Records of Deeds," Vol. III. fol.397–399.) State of Connecticut, ss., Office of Secretary of State.
    I hereby certify, that the foregoing is a true copy of record in this Office. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the Seal of said State, at Hartford, this sixth day of March, A.D. 1847, and in the 71st year of the Independence of the United States of America. Charles Wm. Bradley, Secretary of State."
Appears inNotable Sacketts
ChartsLine 4 (American)
New Haven DNA chart 1
Generation.Tree2J.4 (Head)
Last Edited27 Nov 2023
See also Thurmon King's New Sackett Family Database
7820 John Sackett of New Haven
 

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Sackett lines

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