Editha Holyoke

Not the child of Deacon Edward Stebbins

Editha Stebbins

• F, #162055, b. circa 1613, d. 24 October 1688
• Father William Stebbins1 b. c 1568
• Mother Mary1 b. c 1569
• Editha Stebbins was born circa 1613 at Woodham, Essex, England.1 She married Robert Day, scirca 1636 at of Cambridge, Middlesex, MA; He married (1) Mary. She married (2)John Maynard; (3) Elizur Holyoke.1,2 Editha Stebbins died on 24 October 1688 at Springfield, Hampden, MA.1
• Family Robert Day b. 31 Jul 1605, d. 4 Sep 1648
• Child
  • Sarah Day+1 b. c 1640, d. 1677
• Citations
• [S11692] Ancestors of Clifford Silvers Ault.
• [S14] Unknown author, New England Marriages Prior to 1700, by Clarence Almon Torrey., p. 211.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p5395.htm#... ______________
• STEBBINS, Editha
• b. 1613 Woodham, Essex, England
• d. 24 OCT 1688 Hartford, CT.
• Family:
• Marriage: 16 OCT 1648 Stanstead, England
• Spouse: DAY, Robert
• b. 1604 England
• d. Hartford, CT.
• Children:
  • DAY, Thomas
  • DAY, Mary
  • DAY, John
• Family:
• Marriage: 1658
• Spouse:HOLYOKE, Elizur
• From: http://www.genealogyofnewengland.com/f_20.htm#36 ________________
• Editha Stebbins Day Maynard Holyoke
• Birth: 1613 Harwich, England
• Death: Oct. 25, 1688 Springfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA
• Born in 1613 in Woodham, Essex, England, to William Stebbins of Black Notley, Essex, England. Sister of Deacon Edward Stebbins of Hartford CT. Married Robert Day before 1637 in Cambridge MA. They had children:
  • i THOMAS, b. say 1636; m. Springfield 27 October 1659 Sarah Cooper, daughter of THOMAS COOPER {1635, Windsor}.
  • ii SARAH, b. say 1638; m. (1) Springfield 17 November 1658 Nathaniel Gunn; m. (2) (as "Sarah Gun widow") Springfield 24 November 1664 Samuel Kellogg.
  • iii MARY, b. say 1640; m. (1) Springfield 28 October 1659 Samuel Ely, son of NATHANIEL ELY {1634, Cambridge}; m. (2) Springfield 12 April 1694 Thomas Stebbins, son of Thomas Stebbins and grandson of ROWLAND STEBBINS {1634, Roxbury}; m. (3) Springfield 11 December 1696 John Coleman.
  • iv JOHN, b. say 1643 (under 21 in 1663 when his uncle Edward Stebbins bequeathed him 40s. "to be paid at the age of 21 years;" m. (1) by 1670 Mary Gaylord, daughter of Walter and Mary (Stebbing) Gaylord; m. (2) by 1690 (and probably earlier) Sarah Butler.
• By an unknown date, Editha (Day) Stebbins, sister of EDWARD STEBBINS {1633, Cambridge} and widow of ROBERT DAY {1634, Cambridge} married (2) John Maynard. There were no children of this marriage.
• She married (3) by 1663 (and probably earlier) Eleazar Holyoke.
• She died at Springfield 25 October 1688
• Source: Anderson's Great Migration Study Project
• Family links:
• Spouses:
• Robert Day (1604 - 1648)
• Elizur Holyoke (1617 - 1676)
• John Maynard (1613 - 1657)*
• Children:
  • Thomas Day (1636 - 1711)*
  • Sarah Day Kellogg (1640 - 1677)*
  • Mary Day Ely Stebbins Coleman (1641 - 1725)*
  • John Day (1643 - 1730)*
• Burial: Ancient Burying Ground, Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA
• Find A Grave Memorial# 34128996
• From: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34128996 __________________

Abstract of Will of one of her spouses, John Maynard:

[John Maynard] married after May, 1648, Editha, widow of Robert Day, and sister of Deacon Edward Stebbins. He [John Maynard] died 1657-8; will dated Jan. 23, 1657-8; inventory February 24, same year, £450. 4. He names wife Editha, her eldest son Thomas Day, youngest son John Day, daughters Sarah and Mary Day. John Day received the property of Maynard, and it is probably in remembrance of him that he named a son Maynard Day. He gives his dwelling-house and lands in Hartford to his wife, and after her decease to go to her youngest son, John Day.

SOURCE: James Hammond Trumbull, editor, The memorial history of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, Volume 1 (Boston, Massachusetts: Edward L. Osgood, 1886), pages 251-252. Retrieved: 3 May 2011 from Google Books

__________________

Buried in Center Church Graveyard, Hartford, CT.

__________________________

Birth: 1613 Harwich, England Death: Oct. 25, 1688 Springfield Hampden County Massachusetts, USA

Born in 1613 in Woodham, Essex, England, to William Stebbins of Black Notley, Essex, England. Sister of Deacon Edward Stebbins of Hartford CT. Married Robert Day before 1637 in Cambridge MA. They had children: i THOMAS, b. say 1636; m. Springfield 27 October 1659 Sarah Cooper, daughter of THOMAS COOPER {1635, Windsor}. ii SARAH, b. say 1638; m. (1) Springfield 17 November 1658 Nathaniel Gunn; m. (2) (as "Sarah Gun widow") Springfield 24 November 1664 Samuel Kellogg. iii MARY, b. say 1640; m. (1) Springfield 28 October 1659 Samuel Ely, son of NATHANIEL ELY {1634, Cambridge}; m. (2) Springfield 12 April 1694 Thomas Stebbins, son of Thomas Stebbins and grandson of ROWLAND STEBBINS {1634, Roxbury}; m. (3) Springfield 11 December 1696 John Coleman. iv JOHN, b. say 1643 (under 21 in 1663 when his uncle Edward Stebbins bequeathed him 40s. "to be paid at the age of 21 years;" m. (1) by 1670 Mary Gaylord, daughter of Walter and Mary (Stebbing) Gaylord; m. (2) by 1690 (and probably earlier) Sarah Butler. By an unknown date, Editha (Day) Stebbins, sister of EDWARD STEBBINS {1633, Cambridge} and widow of ROBERT DAY {1634, Cambridge} married (2) John Maynard. There were no children of this marriage. She married (3) by 1663 (and probably earlier) Eleazar Holyoke. She died at Springfield 25 October 1688 Source: Anderson's Great Migration Study Project

Family links:

Spouses:

 Robert Day (1604 - 1648)

 Elizur Holyoke (1617 - 1676)

 John Maynard (1613 - 1657)*

Children:

 Thomas Day (1636 - 1711)*

 Sarah Day Kellogg (1640 - 1677)*

 Mary Day Ely Stebbins Coleman (1641 - 1725)*

 John Day (1643 - 1730)*

*Calculated relationship

Burial: Ancient Burying Ground Hartford Hartford County Connecticut, USA

Edit Virtual Cemetery info [?]

Created by: Linda Mac Record added: Feb 23, 2009 Find A Grave Memorial# 34128996

GEDCOM Note

week = Fifth week of October 2013

Category:King Philip's War

Biography

Editha Stebbins was a founding mother of Hartford, Connecticut in New England, as shown in her life, documented below. Edith, also known as Editha, was born about 1613 at Woodham Mortimer, Essex, England.<ref name="topograph">"Topographical dictionary of 2885English emigrants to New England, 1620-1650", database, University of Virginia Library, extracted from Charles Edward Banks, Topographical dictionary of 2885 English emigrants to New England, 1620-1650 (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Elizah Ellsworth Brownell B.E.E. 1937), page 53</ref> (Or possibly she was born at Woodham Ferrers, where Robert Day, her future husband, was born. The two villages are less than eight miles apart.) Her father, Stebbins-325|William Stebbins, was of Black Notley, a small village in Essex County, about fifteen miles north of Woodham Mortimer. <ref>"Family Data Collection - births",database, Ancestry.com, (accessed Oct 25,2013), entry for Editha Stebbins, citing The Family Data Collection</ref> William Stebbins died May 28, 1625, when Editha was about twelve yearsold. Perhaps her brother Edward, eighteen years her elder, took care of her then. Stebbins-42|Edward Stebbins migrated from Essex, England to Cambridge, Massachusetts Bay Colony, about 1633.<ref>"Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33", database, (accessed Oct. 25, 2013)entry for Edward Stebbins 1633; extracted from Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. Vol. 1-3 (Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995) Ancestry.com</ref> It is likely he brought his sister, who was about twenty years old, with him. In 1636 Edward Stebbins joined the 163 men and women who followed the charismatic Puritan minister, Hooker-109|Rev. Thomas Hooker, over a hundred miles through the wilderness to found Hartford, Connecticut.<ref>"History of Early Hartford", database, Society of the Descendantsof the Founders of Hartford (accessed Oct. 24, 2013)</ref> It is possible that Edward's sister Editha was still single, and accompanied him and his family. (However, we have found no proof one way or the other - whether Robert and Editha married in Newtown before the migration,or in Hartford after they were established there.) "The fledgling colony along the Connecticut River had issues with the authority by which it was to be governed because it was outside of thejurisdiction of the Massachusetts Bay Colony's charter. Therefore, Thomas Hooker wrote the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, a document investing the authority to govern with the people, instead of with a higher power. Hooker stated May 31, 1638:" "The foundation of authority is laid, firstly, in the free consentof the people."<ref>"History of Hartford, Connecticut", database, Wikipedia.com (accessed Oct. 24, 2013) Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License</ref>

A New Village and a New Home

Editha Stebbins and her husband Day-268|Robert Day, a widower, established their home in 1636, at Hartford, Connecticut. <ref>"U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900", database, Ancestry.com, (accessed Oct. 25, 2013) entry for Editha Stebbins and Robert Day, 1636, marriage; extracted from family group sheets, electronic databases, biographies, wills, and other sources.</ref> <ref name="register">A genealogical register of the descendants in the male line of Robert Day, of Hartford, Conn., who died in the year 1648. by Day, George Edwardpub. 1848, J. & L. Metcalf, Northampton, Massachusetts. page 7, 10</ref> They built their home in the village three blocks from the banks of the Connecticut River. Robert became a Deacon in the The First Church of Christ in Hartford, known as Center Church. Editha bore Robert four children between 1636 and about 1643: Day-2814|Thomas, Day-838|John, Day-839|Sarah and Day-730|Mary. Robert Day died in 1648. Editha, a widow then with four children under the age of twelve, married Maynard-117|Deacon John Maynard, of Hartford.<ref>"U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700" database, Ancestry.com, (accessed 25 Oct 2013), entries for John Maynard: marriage 1648; death 1658; citing original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.</ref> There were no children from that marriage, and Johndied about 1658, leaving his estate to Editha and her children. By then, Editha had lived in Hartford since its inception, a total of twenty-two years. It was where her children were born; it was where she had buried two husbands.

Everything Changes

In 1658, Editha married "Holyoke-17|Elizur Holyoke, grandfather ofPres. Holyoke of Harvard college. [He] lived in Springfield, Mass., where Editha removed with part of her family..."<ref name="register"/> Her youngest son John may have stayed in Hartford with his uncle Edward, in order to work the land he inherited from John Maynard. (There islittle doubt that Elizur married Editha as soon as practical after the death of John Maynard. Elizur's wife died in 1657, and left him withsix children, the youngest of which was under two years.) Was it hard for Editha to leave the place she had lived for half of her life, and leave all her neighbors and friends? But this was not merely moving to a town twenty-seven miles away. This was upheaval of her household. Her eldest daughter, Sarah, married Nathaniel Gunn of Hartford in 1658. Accompanied by her son Thomas and her daughter Mary, Editha moved to Springfield with her husband Elizur. The next year, on October 27, 1659, Thomas married Sarah Cooper of Springfield. The day after that, Mary married Samuel Ely of Springfield.<ref name="colonial">"Our colonial and continental ancestors: the ancestry of Mr. and Mrs. Louis William Dommerich", database, Ancestry.com: 2005. Extracted from Louis Effingham De Forest, Our colonial and continental ancestors: the ancestry of Mr. and Mrs. Louis William Dommerich. New York, N.Y.: DeForest Pub. Co., 1930. Chapter 27, page 82-83</ref> In barely a year, Editha went from having all four of her children in her home, to none of them living with her, as they each claimed their future and moved on. The resilience which carried her from England to America, and through the wilderness to found a city, carried her through the sudden change in her life also. She didn't have much time in which to miss her children: Elizur's six children at the time he marriedEditha were: John - 16 years; Hannah - 14 years; Samuel - 11 years; Edward, 9 years; Elizur - 7 years; and the baby, Mary - only two years old. Feeding, clothing and nurturing six children kept Editha busy enough. <ref>The First Century of the History of Springfield: The Official Records from 1636 to 1736, database, FamilySearch.org, (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from Henry M. Burt, book of the same name, (Springfield, Massachusetts, self-published, 1902), Vol 2, page 590 - 592.</ref> Editha's brother Edward died August 9, 1668 at Hartford. In his will he left "to the 4 children of my dear sister Holyoke" 40 shillings apiece. (There were twenty shillings to a pound. So Editha's four childrenreceived from their uncle Edward's estate, two pounds apiece. In England in 2005, that would be worth the same as 153.54 British pounds.) For twenty-two years Editha and her children lived in the same small village of Hartford as her brother Edward, first with Robert, six houses away, then with John, four houses away. One supposes Edward's nieces and nephews grew up playing with the youngest of his seven children, and wereoften in his home. Editha lived in Springfield with Elizur for eighteen years. In that time her second family grew into adults: Hannah married Capt. Samuel Talcott November 7, 1661; Elizur married Mary Eliot January 2, 1678. <ref>Hale, House and Related Families: Mainly of the Connecticut River Valley, database, FamilySearch.org: (accessed 13 Nov 2013), entry for Edward Holyoke, extracted from Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, book of the same name (Baltimore, Massachusetts: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978), page 641-646 </ref>Springfield was past the beginning years of struggle and deprivation thatEditha had experienced at Hartford's founding. It was well established and prospering in the years since Editha's arrival in 1658.

Indians on the Warpath

Puritans, and also the Dutch, eager for more land, had for years been exchanging guns, liquor and blankets for deeds to Indian lands - in spite of laws forbidding firearms to Indians. Eventually, a Wampanoag leader, Metacom, foresaw the end of Indian sovereignty and led a coalition of tribes against the white men. In 1675, the formerly peaceful Indians went on the warpath. Small bands of warriors attacked travelers. Beginning in June and through the summer, larger forces attacked the towns of Rehoboth, Swanszey, Brookfield, Deerfield, Northfield and more. Fear spread throughout the towns of the Connecticut River Valley. <ref>Our County and its people, A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts, database, FamilySearch.org (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from Alfred Minot Copeland (Editor), book of the same name, (The Century Memorial Publishing Company 1902), page 41 - 56.</ref> In Springfield, the brick house of Pynchon-3|William Pynchon, and two other stoutly built homes, were designated as fortified houses where people would shelter if there was an attack. On October 4th, forty-five of the strongest men in the Springfield militia left to aid the nearby town of Hadley, as per their mutual defense agreement. Meanwhile, a plan of the Indians to attack at Springfield was discovered, andthe inhabitants warned. Editha's home was not one of the fortified houses. It is likely Editha and Elizur went to Major John Pynchon's house next door - it was not only the closest, also he was Elizur's brother-in-law from his first marriage. Elizur would not have been with the militia: he was nearly sixty years old. <ref>Our County and its people, A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts, database, FamilySearch.org (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from AlfredMinot Copeland (Editor), book of the same name, (The Century MemorialPublishing Company 1902), page 41 - 56.</ref> Hundreds of Indian warriors attacked Springfield the next day, lootingand burning homes and barns. The remaining townspeople, mainly women,children, and older men, watched through loopholes as Indians carriedoff their food, which they had harvested and stored for winter. Whentheir husbands and fathers returned that afternoon, the Indians were gone, and their homes were flaming ruins. Thirty-two of the town's forty-five houses burned down, with twenty-five barns, the saw mill, and the corn mill. Four people were killed, and several wounded, who werenot in the safe houses when the attack came. <ref>Our County and its people, A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts, database, FamilySearch.org (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from Alfred Minot Copeland (Editor), book of the same name, (The Century Memorial Publishing Company 1902), page 41 - 56.</ref> Facing winter with their food gone, and only thirteen houses left intact, the citizens of the town favored abandoning their estates. Major John Pynchon wrote to Leverett-21|Governor Leverett for help and advice. Massachusetts and Connecticut gathered their united militia forces and began thrusting out the warring tribes, aided by some tribes who still wanted peace with their Puritan neighbors. We are told that all except one of the houses north of Pynchon's burned. Holyoke's housewas just south of Pynchon, so was their house still standing? Probably. But the shock and distress and loss in the town would be felt by all. It was uncomfortable for everyone, but those with houses left standing opened their homes to those who were burned out. Three-fourths of the town were living with the one-fourth that still had shelter that winter. <ref>Our County and its people, A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts, database, FamilySearch.org (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from Alfred Minot Copeland (Editor), book of the same name, (The Century Memorial Publishing Company 1902), page 41 - 56.</ref>

Deaths in the Family

Elizur died a few months later, on February 6, 1676.<ref name="register"/> They had been married for nearly twenty years. Editha was a widow for a third time. Meanwhile, Elizur's son Samuel, a Captain in the militia, took part in several campaigns against the warring Indian tribes, inwhat has become known as "King Philip's War". We do not know if he was wounded, but he died a young man of 29 on October 31st that year. A year after Samuel's death, tragic news again came to Editha: her daughter Sarah and Sarah's son Joseph were killed by Indians. They died at Hatfield, Sept. 17, 1677.<ref name="colonial"/> Editha was a faithful Puritan, and her faith was likely a comfort to her, along with her family and friends, as they gathered to mourn with her for Elizur, thenSamuel, and then Sarah and Joseph. Editha lived eleven additional years a widow. She died at Springfield,Massachusetts, October 24, 1688,<ref>"Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," index and digital images, FamilySearch (accessed 23 Oct 2013), handwritten entry for 'Edetha Holyoke', 24 Oct 1688, citing her death, image 201 of 486.</ref> about 75 years of age. She had been sister to Deacon Edward Stebbins, aunt to his children, wife toDeacon Robert Day, wife to Deacon John Maynard, and wife to Elizur Holyoke. She was mother of four children by Robert Day, and when they were grown she raised another family of six children with Elizur. She knew sorrow and deprivation and want, fear and grief. She also knew thejoy of many grandchildren, the pleasure of growing old surrounded by her friends and family, and the satisfaction of building a town out ofwilderness. She helped found a city: Hartford. There is every reason to believe that if women were listed on the Founders of Hartford monument, Editha Stebbins' name would be included.

Timeline

• about 1613 - born Woodham Mortimer, Essex, England (or possibly in nearby Woodham Ferrers, Essex, England)
• about 1633 - emigrated to Newtown (Cambridge), America
• 1636 - with Rev. Hooker's group, founded Hartford, Connecticut
• 1636 - married Robert Day (either in Newtown or Hartford)
• about 1637 - 1643 four children born
• 1648 - death of husband, Robert Day
• 1648 - married John Maynard in Hartford, Connecticut
• 1658 - death of husband, John Maynard in Hartford, Connecticut
• 1658 - married Elizur Holyoke in Hartford, Connecticut
• 1658 - moved to Springfield, Massachusetts
• 1668 - death of brother, Edward Stebbins
• 1675 - Springfield attacked by Indians, burned
• 1676 - death of husband, Elizur Holyoke in Springfield, Massachusetts
• 1688 - Editha died at Springfield, Massachusetts

Sources

<references />

• Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-33, database, (accessed Oct. 25, 2013)entry for Edward Stebbins 1633; extracted from Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrantsto New England, 1620-1633. Vol. 1-3 (Boston, MA: New England HistoricGenealogical Society, 1995) Ancestry.com
• "Family Data Collection - births", database, Ancestry.com, (accessed Oct 25, 2013), entry for Editha Stebbins,citing The Family Data Collection
• "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900", database, Ancestry.com, (accessed Oct. 25, 2013) entry for Editha Stebbins and Robert Day, 1636, marriage; extracted from family group sheets, electronic databases, biographies, wills, and other sources.
• "U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700" database, Ancestry.com, (accessed 25 Oct 2013), entries for John Maynard: marriage 1648; death 1658; citing original data: Torry, Clarence A. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.
• "Massachusetts, Springfield Vital Records, 1638-1887," index and digital images, FamilySearch (accessed 23 Oct 2013), handwritten entry for 'Edetha Holyoke', 24 Oct 1688, citing her death, image 201 of 486.
• The First Century of the History of Springfield: The Official Records from 1636 to 1736, database, FamilySearch.org, (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from Henry M. Burt, book of the same name, (Springfield, Massachusetts, self-published, 1902), Vol 2, page 590 - 592.

See also:

• Hale, House and Related Families: Mainly of the Connecticut River Valley, database, FamilySearch.org: (accessed 13 Nov2013), entry for Edward Holyoke, extracted from Donald Lines Jacobus and Edgar Francis Waterman, book of the same name (Baltimore, Massachusetts: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1978), page 641-646.
• Our County and its people, A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts, database, FamilySearch.org (accessed 13 Nov 2013), extracted from Alfred Minot Copeland (Editor), book of the same name, (The Century Memorial Publishing Company 1902), page 41 - 56.
• Topographical dictionary of 2885 English emigrants to New England,1620-1650, database, University of Virginia Library, extracted from Charles Edward Banks, book of the same name, (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Elizah Ellsworth Brownell B.E.E. 1937), page 53
• Our colonial and continental ancestors: the ancestry of Mr. and Mrs. Louis William Dommerich, database, Ancestry.com: 2005. Extracted from Louis Effingham De Forest, book of the same name, (New York, N.Y.: DeForest Pub. Co., 1930), page 83.
• "Historyof Early Hartford", database, Society of the Descendants of the Founders of Hartford (accessed Oct. 24, 2013)
• "History of Hartford, Connecticut", database, Wikipedia.com (accessed Oct.24, 2013) Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
• A genealogical register of the descendants in the male line of Robert Day, of Hartford, Conn., who died in the year 1648, database, Internet Archive: (accessed 24 Oct 2013), extracted from George EdwardDay, book of the same name (Northampton, Massachusetts, J. & L. Metcalf, 1848).
• [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=34128996| Find a Grave Memorial 34128996]; created by: Linda Mac, Feb 23, 2009.
• Ancestors of American Presidents, Gary Boyd Roberts, (Boston, Massachusetts, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009); p 523. Repository: Fitzpatrick Home Library.
• Ancestral File(R) The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter-day Saints. Ancestral File Number: 8WB7-WR
• Manwaring, Charles William. Space:A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records|A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records (R. S. Peck & Co., Printers, 1904) Vol. 1, Page 6: Will of Day-268|Robert Day.

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