John and Abigail (Kingsland) Elderkin

John Elderkin
Research Notes

The Congregational Church and Society, in Franklin, Connecticut
Page 20

"Starting near the Society line and going north, the traveler first passes the residence..... and if he still keeps to the right he will pass the place of Capt. John Fillmore, ancestor of President Fillmore, and noted for his encounter with the pirates; and, near by, the residence of Samuel Griswold; and finally cross the Shetucket at Elderkin's (now Lord's) bridge, near which lives John Elderkin, and are located the saw and gristmill for that section;....."

History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts
Page 143

"This I, Clement Coldam, aged about 55 years, doe testifie, that the grant of the old mill was in July ye 12, 1633, to Edward Tomlins, which was the second mill in this colony; and after the Towne saw that the mill could not supply the Towne, they gave leave to build an overshoot mill upon the same water; with a sluice called by the name of the old sluce, being made by Mr. Howell, the second owner of the mill; and then Mr. Howell did sell the same mill to John Elderkin; and John Elderkin did sell it to mr. Bennet, and mr. Bennet did sell it to Goodman Wheeler, and Goodman Wheeler sould it to John Ballard, and John Ballard sold it to Henry Rhodes. And this I testifie that the water to supply the mill with, was granted to the mill, before any Meddow in the Towne was granted to any man, wee mowing all comon then. And this I testifie, that I kept the key of the old sluce for mr. South, which is since about 27 or 28 yeares agoe."

Genealogy of John Kitchel and Esther Peck
Page 112

"Norwich, Connecticut, was settled in 1660. The 35 original proprietors of that town were...... John Elderkin..."

SAVAGE, VOL 2 DICT FIRST SETTLERS OF NE
Page 136

GAYLORD, GAYLOR, GAYLER, GALLARD, or GALLERD: WILLIAM, Windsor, eldest s. of the preced. b. in Eng. m. 24 Feb. 1642, Ann Porter, had Ann, b. 24 Apr. 1645; Hannah, 30 Jan. 1647; John, 27 Jan. 1649; William, 25 Feb. 1651; Hezekiah, 11 Feb. 1653; by sec. w. Eliz. sis. of the w. of his youngest br. John, d. of John Drake, had Josiah, 13 Feb. 1655, and Nathaniel, 3 Sept. 1656. He d. 14 Dec. after, and his wid. m. a. 1660, John Elderkin of Norwich. Ann m. 11 May 1663, or 11 Mar. 1664 (both dates being giv.), Isaac Phelps.

SAVAGE, VOL 2 DICT FIRST SETTLERS OF NE
Page 61

ELDERKIN, JOHN, Lynn 1637, Dedham 1641, Reading 1646, and two yrs. later at Providence, and of New London 1651, where he built both the first ch. and first mill, finally in 1664 sett. at Norwich there also built the first ch. and mill, d. 23 June 1687 aged a. 71. He had Abigail, b. 13 Sept. 1641, but what was his w.'s name, or whether she had more ch. or when she d. is unkn. Yet a d. of this w. m. Daniel Comstock. He m. for. sec. w. Eliz. d. of John Drake, wid. of William Gaylord, and had Ann, b. Jan. 1661; John, Apr. 1664; Bathshua, Nov. 1665; James, Mar. 1671; and Joseph, Dec. 1672. His wid. long surv. him, and d. 18 June 1716, aet. 95; and the error in Hist. of Norwich, 117, whereby this date was made to belong to the h. is thus explain. JOHN, Norwich, s. of the preced. m. 1685, Abigail Fowler. Four of the name had in 1829 been gr. at Yale.

A History of the Descendants of the Comstock Family in America
Page 3

Calkins (History of Norwich) says John Elderkin, carpenter and miller, the first proprietor of the "Cove," emigrated to America in 1637, coming first to Lynn and then to Dedham. Mr. W. W. Chapin of Providence says he was in Providence about 1650 when Daniel2 Comstock was there. As Elderkin must have had a family at the time, this would furnish a motive for the migration of Daniel from Providence to New London. "

History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts
Page 174

John Elderkin: Mr. Elderkin seems to have removed from Lynn soon after these land allotments were made. He became a sojourner in divers places. In 1651 he was at New London, and there built the first church and the first mill. He finally settled at Norwich, in 1664, and there likewise built the first church and the first mill, and died 23 June, 1687. He had two wives and several children. His widow died at the mature age of 95, in 1716, at Norwich. While at Lynn, Mr. Elderkin owned the mill which previously belonged to Mr. Howell.

Ancestors and Descendants of Robert Clements Volume I
Page 128

"Jeremiah Clements went to Norwich, Conn., to live before he was twenty-one years old, buying land there in January, 1744-5. This piece of property was near Elderkin's Bridge on the east side of the river, in "Newent" (later Lisbon). He sold it to his brother, Nathaniel."

"Jeremiah Clements's large investments in lands, led to many deeds to and from him of which the following are the most interesting:

John Elderkin of Norwich, conveys, to Jeremiah Clement of Norwich, land by the Great Bridge, Elderkin's Bridge so-called, 67 acres. 19 Jan. 1744:5. (Norwich Deeds, 9:165.)"

ABRIDGED COMPENDIUM, Frederick Virkus
Page 2883

(Very confusing presentation. I only present the part that makes any sense to me.)

10-John Drake (d in 1659), of royal descent, from Eng. to Boston, 1630, settled at Windsor, Conn..

"9-Elizabeth (1621-1716; widow of William Gaylord), m John Elderkin (1612-87);"

The Congregational Church and Society, in Franklin, Connecticut
Page 53

"Elderkin, John, Carpenter and Millwright, we find successively at Boston, Dedham, New-London, and finally at Norwich, in 1664. He was termed one of the second class of Proprietors, and had two home lots granted to him."

The Congregational Church and Society, in Franklin, Connecticut
Page 91

"It will thus appear that the same building materials which constituted an important part of the meeting house built by John Elderkin, at the Town Plot in 1673, entered somewhat largely into the first church built upon Meeting House Hill more than forty years subsequent to that date. This, in turn, was taken down and re-erected in 1746, in what was afterwards the eighth society in Norwich, and after battling with the elements for nearly forty years longer, it had to succumb a third time, and parts of it were finally converted into a dwelling house, where very possibly some remnants may be found at the present time."

[Note: The John Elderkin, Jr that signed this petition could be the son of John Elderkin, or even the grandson of the immigrant. nmt]

The Congregational Church and Society, in Franklin, Connecticut
Page 24

To the Honourble the Governr, Council & Representatives in General Court, assembled at New Haven, October 11th, 1716.

May it please yr Honrs.

We, the inhabitants of the town of Norwich, comonly called the West Farmers of Norwich, Having obtained the consent of sd town, to be a distinct society, after having the allowance of this Honble Court; as appears by their vote dated Septembr 19th, 1716, Do now pray yr Honrs to grant and constitute us a distinct society, according to the line agreed upon in the above referred to vote, with those privileges and imunities, which to yr wisdom shall seem needful to the promoting the end of our being a separate society. And herein we have great hopes of the favor of this Honble Assembly, forasmuch as the flourishing of religion is our only motive, upon the publick institutions of which it is scarce possible for us to attend in Norwich, being several of us seven or eight & but two or three within four miles of the place of publick worship.

And to this application to yr Honrs we are also encouraged by the smiles of Providence in increasing our inhabitants to the number of above forty families & trust that by the continuance of the same divine favour we shall increase yet much more, & especially, if we have the smiles of heaven to incline yr Honrs to grant this, our humble request, which will remove the great discouragement to sober inhabitants settling among us.

Yr Petitioners shall ever Pray, &c.

          Farmers be allowed to be a society by themselves, destinct from ye Town
          Plot. [The bounds of sd society; to begin at the mouth of Beaver brook,
          then by a line to Doct. Hartshorne's house, thence to Scotch Cap gate, then
          to ye river, then by ye river to Lebanon line and by Lebanon to Shoatuck
          (Shetucket) river, by ye river to ye first station.]

A True Coppy of Record,
Test: R. BUSHNELL, Clerk.

Page 25

          Daniel Wicom,
                                            Jacob Hazzen,
          John Elderkin, Junr,
                                            Joseph Edgerton,
          Incres Mosely,
                                            Christopher Huntington,
          Thomas Wood,
                                            Daniel Rockwell,
          John Waterman,
                                            John Hazen,
          Thomas Hazzen,
                                            Tho: Stoder,
          Obadiah Smith,
                                            Samuel Edgerton,
          Israll Lothrup,
                                            Joseph Kingsbery,
          Joseph Kingsbery, Junr,
                                            Winslow Tracy,
          Ebeneezer Johnson,
                                            Nathaniel Badger,
          Joseph Baker,
                                            John Badger,
          Joseph Downer, Jr.,
                                            Joseph Renalls, Junr,
          Joseph Downer,
                                            Samuel Lad,
          Johnathan Hartshorne,
                                            Nathaniel Lad,
          Johnathan Roice,
                                            david Lad,
          Thomas Hide,
                                            Thomas Sluman,
          Thomas Hazzen,
                                            Samuel Hide, Jur,
          Benjamin Armstrong,
                                            Joseph Ayer,
          Samuel Raymond,
                                            Joseph Ayer, Jr.,
          John Armstrong,
                                            Johnathan Lad,
          John Johnson,
                                            Sims Langly.

This petition is readily sanctioned by the legislature, and our society therefore dates its existence from October, 1716, it being the second society organized in the old nine miles square, and so designated till the division of the town in 1786. At first its territorial limits were quite extensive. In addition to most of the present town of Franklin, it also embraced the western half of the present town of Sprague, and the eastern part of New Concord, afterwards known as Bozrah, in all about three times its extent at the abolition of the territorial jurisdictions of ecclesiastical societies.

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