Richard Denton, lll, Reverend - The Origins of Reverend Richard Denton

Just FYI: North Owram, South Owram, Priestly Green and St. John the Baptist, Coley are all within about a mile of each other and all of them are within about 2 miles of Halifax.

The additional children of Rev. Richard Denton.

From "Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton," by Walter C. Krumm
"The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record," 120[1989]:10-17, 94-97, 160-163; 121[1990]:221-225

"The next baptisms show that by 1631 the family had moved to Coley Chapel in Halifax Parish, Yorkshire, 25 miles east of Bolton (records compiled and anglicized by the West Yorkshire Archive Service):"

"Samuel, son of Richard Denton, Minister of Coley, 29 May, 1631"
"Daniel, son of Richard Denton, Curate of Coley, 10 July 1632"
"Phoebe, dau. Of Richard Denton, minister of Coley, 30 Nov. 1634"

The name of Wethersfield, Connecticut apparently came from Wethersfield, Essex, England

“The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut,” Vol. 1, Henry R. Stiles (1904). https://archive.org/stream/historyofancient11adam#page/n5/mode/2up., p. 52, et seq. discusses the naming of Wethersfield. The author speculates (at p. 54) that Rev. John Sherman was probably the first clergyman to preach in Wethersfield until 1637. He notes that Rev. Sherman was from Dedham in Essex and that he may have known of a famous Wethersfield, Essex preacher named Richard Rogers and may have known one of that preacher's sons who was also a preacher and who migrated to New England.

Perhaps Rev. Sherman was the one who introduced the idea of Essex to Rev. Denton. Perhaps Rev. Denton went to old Wethersfield in Essex or to Dedham in Essex.

Timeline questions:

Was there more than one ship named James? The timing of the three James crossings in 1635 does not seem to work for one ship.

Would Rev. Denton have voyaged to Boston in 1635 when his daughter was only about 6 months old (baptised Nov. 30, 1634)?

How could Rev. Denton have been among those going to Wethersfield on May 25, 1635 given the arrival dates of the ship James in Boston?

Why wasn't Rev. Dentons name on the 1636 dismission list for the creation of the church in Wethersfield, if he was living there?

Timeline:
Much of the timeline below is derived from “The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut,” Vol. 1, Henry R. Stiles (1904). https://archive.org/stream/historyofancient11adam#page/n5/mode/2up.

1634 Nov 30 Rev. Denton's daughter, Phebe, baptized in Coley. “Descendants of the Rev. Richard Denton," by Walter C. Krumm.

1634 Wethersfield founded by 10 men (Wikipedia). Supposedly those 10 men were:

John Oldham, Abraham Finch, Sergeant Robert Seeley, Nathaniel Foote, Sergeant John Strickland, John Clarke, Andrew Ward, Robert Rose, Leonard Chester, William Swayne.
(See https://sites.google.com/a/oldconnecticutpath.com/oldconnecticutpat...)

1635 April 6 The ship “James of London”(?) left Southampton for Massachusetts Bay.
http://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/james1.htm

Master: William Cooper.
Arrival date not shown
Rev Denton possibly on this ship?

1635 May 23 The ship James leaves Bristol for Boston.
http://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/james3.htm

Master: John Taylor
Arrival date: August 17, 1635, Boston
Included Richard Mather and other Yorkshiremen.
No full passenger list.

1635 May 29 The following Watertown men went to Wethersfield (See History of Ancient Wethersfield, p. 20): If Rev. Denton was on one of the 1635 James ships from England, this May timing seems tight or unlikely.

Rev. Richard Denton, Robert Reynolds, John Strickland, Jonas Weede, Rev. John Sherman, Robert Coe, and Andrew Ward

1635 July The ship James left London for Massachusetts Bay.
http://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/james2.htm

Master John May
Arrival date: last week of September 1635, Massachusetts Bay.

1636 March 29. Church in Watertown grants “dismission” (i.e. discharges) to the following Wethersfield residents so that they can form a new church (see History of Ancient Wethersfield, p. 135-136):

Andrew Warde, Jo. Sherman, Jo. Strickland, Rob'te Coo [Coe], Rob'te Reynolds & Jonas Weede

1636 April 26. Court in Hartford ratifies above dismission to form a church in Wethersfield. (See History of Ancient Wethersfield, p. 135-136):

July 20, 1636 John Oldham killed during Pequot War (Wikipedia)

April 23, 1637 Pequots attacked Wethersfield (Wikipedia)

1638 Speculation that Rev Denton moved from Watertown to Wethersfield in 1638 and was the seventh member of the church noted by Gov. Winthrop below. (See History of Ancient Wethersfield, p. 135-136):

1639, summer. Gov. Winthrop wrote about the organization of the Wethersfield church and noted there were seven members at its formation. (See History of Ancient Wethersfield, p. 135-136).

Source quotations from The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut, Vol. 1, Henry R. Stiles (1904), p. 20-21:
https://archive.org/stream/historyofancient11adam#page/n5/mode/2up

p. 20-21 (Chp. I, A Preliminary View..., by Sherman W. Adams):

"Wethersfield, the oldest town in Connecticut, received from Watertown its first considerable emigration in 1634. Pyquaug, its Indian name, was changed in 1635 to Watertown, and later to Wethersfield. May 29, 1635, the following Watertown men went to Wethersfield : Rev. Richard Denton, Robert Reynolds, John Strickland, Jonas Weede, Rev. John Sherman, Robert Coe, and Andrew Ward. The two latter afterward settled in Stamford. Leonard Chester, John Finch, Nathaniel Foote, John Oldham, Edward Pearce, John Reynolds and Robert Rose went before 1642. John Oldham was killed by Indians, while trading with them at Black Island, July 25th, 1636.""

p. 135-136 (Chp. III, Church Beginnings..., by Sherman W. Adams):

"The settlement of Wethersfield differed from that of its sister towns, Hartford and Windsor, in this respect, that unlike theirs, it was not made by a church organization coming hither from Massachusetts, under its pastor and church officers. In this case, while there were a number of Wethersfield settlers (perhaps a majority) who were members of Rev. Mr. Phillip's church at Watertown, there was, properly and legally speaking, no church of Christ, and no church parish in the plantation for over a year after its first settlement. When it was formed in the Spring of 1636, it was through the action of six men, members of the Watertown (Mass.) church, from which, however, they had, up to this time, received no formal dismission. As soon, probably, as the exigencies and cares of effecting a new settlement permitted, these six men, mindful of the duty incumbent upon them in this respect, seem to have sought the Commission then governing the Connecticut "plantations," the privilege of forming a church in Wethersfield. This permission was formally granted, and the names of the intending church members given, by the Court, at its session at Newtown (Hartford) April 26th, 1636 as follows "Whereas, there was a dismission granted by the C[hurch] of Watertown in Massachusetts, dated 29 M[arch] last to Andrew Warde, Jo. Sherman, Jo. Strickland, Rob'te Coo [Coe], Rob'te Reynolds & Jonas Weede, with intent to forme anewe in a Church Covennte in this River of Connectocot, the sade parties have soe accordingly done with the publick allowance of the reste of the members of the saide Churches, as by certificate now produced apprs. It is, therefore, in this present Court ratified & confirmed, they permissing shortlie publicquely to renew the [saide] covennte upon notice to the rest of the Churches."

It seems most strange to us, that of all the early settlers of the town, some should not have joined the nucleus of a church thus formed, either by letter from the Watertown church, of which they were members, or upon confession. But, that they did not, is evident from the fact that Winthrop, writing three years later, in the summer of 1639, specifically mentions its membership then being seven; and that even that little handful were divided amongst themselves. This seventh member may have been the Rev. Richard Denton, who came from Watertown, Mass., in 1638. The total absence of any church records during the first sixty-two years of its existence leaves us in complete ignorance of Wethersfield's religious history during that period, except what can be scantily gleaned from the town votes (since 1647); the Colonial Records, and incidental mention in the works of early New England historians. So we know not who ministered to this little flock; only that of its "charter membership," so to speak, the Rev. John Sherman and the Rev. Richard Denton were ministers of the Gospel, and were probably the first to conduct public services and divine offices in Wethersfield. If so, the feeble church must have been fed with good spiritual food according to the estimate of that day, if we judge of the abilities of these men, which has come down to us from Mather and others. Rev. Henry Smith was here, also, perhaps as soon as Denton. Surely, there were ministers enough in Wethersfield, perhaps (is it charitable to suggest it?) too many. Perhaps, the fault lay not with the clergy at all. For, Clement Chaplin, the proud and wealthy "Ruling Elder," had settled here in 1636 -- of whom we shall have more to say anon -- in connection with Wethersfield's first settled pastor, Rev. Henry Smith."

I can only answer with speculation, not fact ... actually, probably not ready to speculate; also that's been done by my betters.

But I can say -

- it does not seem unusual for the Denton's to have traveled with a baby.
- do we accept Cotton Mather's statement that Rev Richard his grandfather knew Rev Denton on the boat across? If we take that as "likely accurate," then that's our timeline. If we take that as possibly fudged up (that is, they in fact first met otherwise) then we're open.

My recollection is that Cotton was quite the dramatic writer & orator, so it might be possible he made a good story better. On the other hand, it is highly unlikely he lied, and more likely we just don't have all the records to support. Maybe go back to his sketch ?

Oh, and check more into Gov Winthrop's papers, there's a good archive.

This stuff is oddly fascinating ...

I am not finding the reference indicating that Cotton Mather said his grandfather, Richard Mather, knew Rev. Denton on the James crossing. The only reference about Richard Denton made by Cotton Mather that I can find is at page 95 of the Magnalia Christi Americana. What am I missing?

For anyone following this discussion, the following is the entirety of Cotton Mather's description of Rev. Denton. Magnalia Christi Americana, Cotton Mather (1702), p. 95

CHAP. IX.
The Life of Mr. Richard Denton

THE Apostle describing the false Ministers of those Primitive Times, he calls them, Clouds without Water, carried about of Winds. As for the true Ministers of our Primitive Times, they were indeed carried about of Winds; tho' not the Winds of strange Doctrines; yet the Winds of Hard Sufferings, did carry them as far as from Europe into America, the Hurricano's of Persecution, whereon doubtless the Prince of the Power of the Air had his Influence, drove the Heavenly Clouds, from one part of that Heaven, the Church, unto another. But they were not Clouds without Water, where they came, they came with Showers of Blessing, and rained very gracious Impressions upon the Vineyard of the Lord.

Among these clouds was our pious and learned Mr. Richard Denton, a Yorkshire man, who, having watered Halifax in England with his fruitful ministry, was by a tempest then hurried into New-England, where, first at Weathersfield and then at Stamford, "his doctrine dropt as the rain, his speech distilled as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass." Though "he were a little man. yet he had a great soul; his well-accomplished mind, in his lesser body, was an Iliad in a nut-shell.

I think he was blind of one eye; nevertheless, he was not the least among the seers of our Israel; he saw a very considerable proportion of those things which "eye hath not seen." He was far from cloudy in his conceptions and principles of divinity: whereof he wrote a system entitled, “Soliloquia Sacra;”* so accurately, considering the fourfold state of man, in his— I. Created Purity; II. Contracted Deformity; III. Restored Beauty; IV. Coelestial Glory—that judicious persons, who have seen it, very much lament the churches being so much deprived of it.

At length he got into Heaven beyond Clouds, and so beyond Storms, waiting the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Clouds of Heaven, when he will have his Reward among the Saints

I did take a look at the Winthrop Papers, an eclectic collection. The only entry of interest was a letter from George Phillips to John Winthrop Jr. in early 1636 in which he called Wethersfield (then called Watertowne) a “company without a head” and asked Winthrop to sit down with them. (Phillips' name was not associated with Wethersfield in any of the documents noted above.) Given Rev. Denton's apparent leadership abilities plus at least a decade of experience as a priest, I am puzzled why, if he had been in Wethersfield at the time, he would not have asserted himself as a leader. (See p. 241 "Winthrop Papers, Vol III, 1631-1637," Massachusetts Historical Society (1943) https://archive.org/stream/winthroppapersv3wint#page/n569/mode/2up/...

I did take a look at the Edmund Wood information. Unfortunately, I did not see any evidence supporting his trip on the James either. Like Rev. Denton, his name is not on any of the James' passenger lists. I could not dispute that he may have been a Rev. Denton follower, but I could also not find any evidence to create a link to the 1635 sailings of the James or when he may have arrived in Wethersfield.

I don't think there is an extant James 1635 passenger list, or it would have been in Hotten's list. This is not unusual. If you want the Banks page let me know.

Sadly I've lost the reference that Rev Mather knew Rev Denton on the ship over. The usual reference is that Rev Cotton knew Rev Denton, which of course is impossible. I'm pretty sure the early records of Watertown are not extant.

Oh wait - maybe this was it

http://news.rootsweb.com/th/read/DENTON/2000-01/0948329818

"ancestor of ours. (As an aside, we do know that Rev. Denton did NOT come
with Winthrop in 1630, but came in to America in 1635. At the bottom is
Cotton Mather's famous description of Rev. Denton. Although he was born
after Rev. Denton's death, Mather's father did probably know Rev. Denton.)"

I took a look at the RootsWeb post you mentioned immediately above. The quote you noted is from the present-day user Sue in January 2000. While she said “Mather's father did probably know Rev. Denton,” that is a few steps away from Rev. Denton knowing Cotton Mather's grandfather and even more steps away from Rev. Denton being on the same ship with Cotton Mather's grandfather.

The remainder of that post quotes from a Rev. Alvord reciting the history of the Presbyterian church in Jamaica. He begins that recitation with a brief history of Rev. Denton's work in Hempstead. Then he goes on to quote a number of the sources already noted in our own discussion above, such as Mather's Magnalia Christi (1702) and Thompson's History of Long Island (1842). But none of the material on the page supports the notion that Rev. Denton and Richard Mather were on the same ship or knew each other.

You're dealing with lost records in America in trying to reconcile the statements "7 years at Coley" with "arrived about 1635." Might be more productive to examine church records in England. Personally I think Rev Denton was "plugged in" to some highly respected American Puritans, the question becomes when and how he met them or re met them. I tend to think that was in early Watertown, and can narrow that window range, but unlikely to get a precise & probable date. But the analogy with other early arriving ministers is that they organized or were recruited in England, and came with their congregations from England. This pattern dates back to Rev John Robinson, who led from England to Leyden & planned to join the "Mayflower" congregation in 1622. Also there were ministers expelled in England who had to get out, fast. Rev Mather was on the James of 1635 with Whalley & Goff "the regicides" - they continued on from Watertown landing to their hiding spots in Connecticut. So since the ship was carrying hunted felons, I am not at all surprised to find it obscure.

Also I had misspoke - wasn't looking at trees. I think Rev Richard Mather was the father of Cotton Mather, his son Increase Mather of the Salem Witch Trials. Which was in fact the bigliest witch hunt. :)

Oops - I'm off about Whalley & Goffe, they were much later

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goffe_and_Whalley

Anyway, ship passenger obscurity still applies. There was an oath of loyalty before embarking, records perhaps extant in England, I would imagine difficult to access. The Presbyterian Church records might be more informative.

The conditions in England for Dissenting Ministers argue for earlier rather than later emigration:

https://books.google.com/books?id=CTxHAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA496&ot...

A Short History of the English People By John Richard Green page 510

1636 - " ... Triumphant in Scotland, with Scotch Presbyterianism—as he fancied—at his feet, Laud's hand fell heavier than ever on the English Puritans. There were signs of a change of temper which might have made even a bolder man pause. Thousands, as we have seen, of "the best" scholars, merchants, lawyers, farmers, weie flying over the Atlantic to seek freedom and purity of religion in the wilderness. Great landowners and nobles were preparing to follow. Hundreds of ministers had quitted their parsonages rather than abet the Royal insult to the sanctity of the Sabbath. The Puritans who remained among the clergy were giving up their homes rather than consent to the change of the Sacred table into an altar, or to silence in their protests against the new Popery. ..."

"was by a tempest then hurried into New-England ..."

That sounds like Rev Cotton was alluding to a controversy in England. Or does "by a tempest" refer to the storm that wrecked the Angel Gabriel, companion sailing ship to the James of 1635?

Thanks for reciting that background. It helps to understand the more specific environment at that time. Of course, I knew it generally, but the stories you recite help.

Returning to the original reason for finding Rev. Denton's ship, I was, of course, hoping to also find his wife's given name and children's names on that list. Of course, finding the wife's name would help identify the Rev. Richard Denton who attended Cambridge, became a preacher and migrated to America.

I understand better now why you believe an earlier crossing fit the historical environment. I think if I went on a fishing expedition for ship documents in England, I would concentrate on the period between 1635 and 1638-39. The earlier 1635 period is bracketed by the baptism of Rev. Denton's daughter Phebe in Coley on November 30, 1634. The later 1638-39 period is bracketed by Rev. Heywood's (1630-1702) recitation about Rev. Denton's departure from Coley. At least, with these dates, one does not need to search through decades worth of material.

One additional note. The reason I paid attention to Rev. Heywood's 7 years is that when I started reviewing the documents about Rev. Denton's arrival in America and move to Wethersfield, Rev. Denton's name was mysteriously missing at key moments such as the 1636 court document granting settlers the right to form a church in Wethersfield. When his name did appear, it was in later ambiguous historical accounts where it appeared to me his name may have been inserted simply because someone later thought "he must have been there." That unease about the historical account and the lack of more contemporaneous records causes me to leave open the possibility he migrated a bit later than 1635. So, for me, the 7 years operates as a backstop -- a time past which it is unlikely he migrated

"was by a tempest then hurried into New-England ..."

I thought about the Angel Gabriel, too. But almost any crossing of the north Atlantic could have encountered bad weather. And, I suspect any crossing, even in good weather, could have felt pretty bad. I have sailed across the Atlantic myself on a sail ship and the sky was blue the entire way. But the 24 hours per day swells even further south were often taller than the masts.

I think that description is too generic to tie it to the Angel Gabriel. And how could Cotton Mather resist using the word "Angel" in his description, if that was his reference?

Read Rev Richard's account of the voyage of the James! The Angel Gabriel is the only wreck, and it was in an armada with the James & I think one other ship, so the boats were in the same storm. It made me think that Rev Cotton used all the storm metaphors in his Rev Denton sketch because he was thinking of his father's stories, and also whatever theological controversies, of both Mather's days. Puritans loved that kind of metaphor.

I agree we have the hard fact of the 1634 baptism, Rev Denton was stIll in England

I tend to the earlier date because the Great Puritan migration was dribbling to its end by 1638. There's a chart in the Great migration study project that counts known arrivers by year. I believe there were two peaks: the 1630 Winthrop fleet, and ... 1636. Law of averages ....

(I'll try & find the chart)

Correcting myself once again, and this gives you another place to look:

http://www.understandingyourancestors.com/ia/settingSailToNE.aspx

... The appointment of Laud in 1633 coincides with a steep rise in immigration. In fact, only fifteen percent of the settlers that came to New England during the Great Migration came prior to Laud assuming his position. The other eighty-five percent migrated in the seven years of 1634-1640.

The technicalities of leaving England were bewildering. Emigrants needed licenses and passports (then a document that allowed one to “pass the port”). After 1634, they also had to have certificates of good conduct from their local minister and agree to take a loyalty oath. Then, the emigrant had to locate a ship. Since transatlantic voyages were still uncommon, finding one could involve a lot of searching and negotiations. For religious dissidents trying to escape unnoticed, these layers of red tape could be particularly distressing.

Besides steering through these bureaucratic issues, emigrants invested considerable time in gathering provisions. Leaders emphasized again and again the importance of arriving prepared. The Reverend Francis Higginson reminded them, “For when you are once parted with England, you shall meete neither with taverns nor alehouse, not butchers, not grosers, no apothecaries shops to help what things you need, in the midst of the great ocean, nor when you are come to land here are yet neither markets nor fayres to buy what you want.” By far, the most important provision to bring was food – and lots of it. John Winthrop instructed his wife, who sailed after him, to only bring with her those who “shall have full Provision for a yeare and a halfe for though the earth here be very fertile yet there must be tyme and meanes to rayse it.”

-----

"After 1634, they also had to have certificates of good conduct from their local minister and agree to take a loyalty oath ..."

Did Rev Denton sign any good conducts? Who signed his?

And correcting the Mather line once again:

From Krumm, 2004:

"In later years a flowery tribute in his memory was penned by the famous Congregational minister, Cotton Mather (1663 -1728). Cotton couldn't have known Richard, but his father, Increase Mather (1639-1732), also a Congregational minister and a president of Harvard College, could (notice that he outlived his son!)". ...

So it's
1. Rev Richard Mather of the James 1635
2. Rev Increase
3. Rev Cotton
4. Rev Increase of the Salem Witch Trials

If Rev Denton was as described, he knew many of the ministers in New England, but had to have been a bit theologically separate.

Good and interesting leads. I hope that scratching my head does not lead to pulling my hair out.

David Cressy is a contemporary historian, makes a good point here:

https://books.google.com/books?id=Zc2iPZ4jN2AC&lpg=PA95&ots...

Coming Over: Migration and Communication Between England and New England in ...
By David Cressy. Page 98

"Very often "the call" coincided with a private spiritual crisis, a job loss, family problems, or debt."

How did Rev Denton lose sight in an eye?

And we know he always struggled to support his family.

Oh, you'll come to accept that some things may not be provable, but you're already gaining a better idea of who he was. At least I am!