Hyde, Humphrey (abt. 1620-1684) – Fairfield, CT

This writeup is currently under review.

121 comments

  • Good Evening,
    I have discovered I am a Humphrey Hyde descendant through his son John I,> John II, > Daniel I, > Elihu who married Sarah Wheeler, > Joel Hyde who married Eunice Hall, Hannah Hyde who married Levi Abrams (a veteran of the 1812 war), > Julia Ann Abrams m. Gillman Wiley of Wisconsin, > Gillman Wiley m. Eleanor Wardwell, > Julia Wiley m. John Schoff, > Eleanor Schoff m. Robert Mundell, Eleanor Mundell m. Andrew B. Williamson (these were my parents.) I have more information: birth and death dates and places and some marriage dates if your are interested.

    • Hi Janelle
      Just thought I’d touch base & see if we can share any further information.
      I descend from Elihu & Sarah Wheeler Hyde as well through Joel’s brother Daniel Hyde. I was born in Trumbull Co Ohio & made quite a few trips back there while researching. I have some gravestone photos & other information acquired there that I can share as well.
      Linda

      • My Wife line from Capt Ira Hyde& Mary Parker
        Dau Amanda Born Trumbull, Oh Mar David Fansler Trumbull, Oh
        Son James Hyde Fansler

        Don Markley, Akron, OH

        • Thanks Don. We’re coming up with the writeup on Humphrey very soon, and your ancestor Ira is mentioned as he’s the only source of Ann’s last name being “Ripley”. More later.

        • Don I have James Hyde Fansler with 4 children:
          Grace Mae b 1873
          Frankie Louella b 1875
          Elva Sarah b 1883
          Thomas b 1891
          All born Trumbull Co Ohio
          I haven’t had time to research them further. They are 2nd cousins twice removed from myself.
          Linda Boyd Myers b Trumbull Co Ohio
          now of Phoenix AZ

  • Re: Captain Daniel Hyde, born 1700 in Greenfield Hill, CT – Please note that he married Deborah Perry, not Deborah Beadsley. Her grave marker is in Huntington, CT and notes her marriage to Capt. Daniel Hide whose grave marker is next to hers but broken off. I have a photo of it that I can send you. My late husband was descended: Humphrey Hyde (Ann Ripley) > John (Elizabeth Harvey) > John II (Rachel Rumsey) > Captain Daniel (Deborah Perry) > Nehemiah (Esther Clarke)> Agur (Sarah Oles) > Julia A. Hyde (Charles E. Brooks) > Sarah Brooks (Horace Chase) > Minnie Lorena Chase (Francis Stephen Hollis) > William A. Hollis, Sr. (Lourine Clarissa Kunz > my husband, William A. Hollis, Jr. Thanks. Jane Hollis

      • Tracy, I’m going to jump in here because I’m working on Humphrey right now. His wife Ann is the only wife that we know of for sure, as she is mentioned in his will, see my comment below. There’s quite a bit of incorrect information out there about Humphrey. I corresponded with the York Herald at the College of Arms http://www.college-of-arms.gov.uk/ and was able to get the facts and piece together the story, which directly involves his sword, his grandchildren and, nearly a hundred years after his death, the American Revolution. There’s a lot to it and I’m trying to get this done as quickly as possible. But there’s a lot going on, including upgrading the hardware and the OS where this site is hosted, which needs to happen this week. So if you try to get to the site later in the week and it’s not there, don’t worry, it’s not going to be down for long.

        • Hi Ann,
          Would still like to read the newsletter. Dad passed away on April 4th, he was looking forward to seeing it so I’m still looking at our side ofthe family.

          Thanks!
          Tim Hyde

          • Tim, I’m so sorry to hear that – big hugs to you and your family. We have things along similar lines happening here as well and it’s never easy. I thought I would be finished of Humphrey nearly a month ago, but various things have created delays. I am really hoping to wrap this up in a couple of days, so check back soon!

          • Hi Ann:
            Thanks! No problem, I thought I’d missed the newsletter somewhere. I know you all are going though some rough times as well. Thanks for all the hard work you have done.

            Tim

        • Hi Ann:

          I was just wondering if there is any update on when your write-up will be posted?
          Your post of May 8 makes us all very anxious to read it!

          Thanks,

          Beth Mansfield

          • Beth, we’ve had some delays. The website was down for a few weeks because the site was hacked, so we’ve had to scramble to get that fixed. In fact, this reply is a test to see if the comments filter is working. Humphrey has been challenging, and what I will probably do is put up Part 1, which is simply background information. I can do that later this afternoon. The whole thing is much longer than I anticipated and Dan and I need to get the site working first. I’m going to send this comment off and then get to fixing the rest of the plugins.

  • Jane, we corrected Daniel’s wife’s name, as the information about “Deborah Beadsley” came from a single source, “Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio, Embracing the Counties of Ashtabula, Trumbull and Mahoning” Lewis Publishing, 1893. All other sources, including the resources of the local historical society for Oxford, New Haven, CT, and the Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, vols 3-4, confirm that Perry is correct. Thank you for sharing your information with us and pointing out the error, this is greatly appreciated. —Ann, co-editor, HGA

    • I live in Belgium, and a few months ago I adopted the grave of soldier Clarence Hyde, who died November 1,1918 during WW1. He is buried in The Flanders Field American Cemetery in Waregem,BE.
      George Washington Hyde (the father of Clarence) had a brother called Clinton Monroe Hyde. They all lived in Warren, Ohio.
      Eli Hyde ( the grandfather of ‘George Washington’ and ‘Clinton Monroe’ Hyde ) was married with Hannah Porter.
      Today I found next registration via “U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970”:
      **Hannah Porter married at Little Falls, NY Eli Hyde son of Elihu Hyde and Sarah (Wheeler)Hyde. Elihu is a descendant of Humphrey Hyde (died 1684),an early settler of Fairfield,Conn.**

      I was surprised that I found today ‘Elihu Hyde’in the information on this site.
      Via ancestry.com I found the relationship between Elihu Hyde (+ Sarah Wheeler) > Daniel Hyde > John Deacon Hyde ( of Hide ).
      Did I found a further branch of the family Hyde in Warren, Ohio?

      • Bob, Thank you for your post. We are grateful for your adoption of Clarence Hyde born 1894. The information that you have gathered from Ancestry is correct for Clarence. He is a Descendant of Humphrey Hyde through Captain Daniel Hyde. If you search Family Trees on Ancestry you will find several trees that include his information and trace his ancestry to Humphrey. I am sure that any of these ancestors of Clarence who have family trees would be grateful for any information that you might send to them. I would suggest that you make contact with them for mutual sharing.
        Again, thank you for sharing and adopting Clarence.
        Edwin Hyde

      • Hi Bob
        Thank you for adopting Clarence Hydes grave. He was my 3rd cousin twice removed. The Eli Hyde you mention was brother to my 3x great grandfather Ira Hyde. Some years ago I did some research for an author in Belgium who was writing a book & was looking for information regarding Clarence Hydes Ohio family. I was born in Warren Ohio & use to go back frequently for research & did find some information for him at that time.
        Again, thank you for adopting my distant ancestors grave.
        Linda

  • I am a descendant of Humphrey Hyde through John I, John II and his daughter Sarah, who married Johnathan Fanton. I am very interested in research on the Hyde line in England. I am a member of Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, New England Women and the DAR.

  • Hi:

    I descend from Sarah Hide and Jonathan Fanton. I am very interested in learning more about the ancestry of the original Humphrey and Ann Hide who came from England to Connecticut.

    • Beth, Thank you for your post. I have researched Humphrey’s family tree for many years. To respond to your post I have been revisiting Google books that I have collected in hopes there was a reference I could provide to you that recounts Humphrey’s life and marriage. I have not found a reference like this. If you Google Humphrey, there are several sites that chronicle Humphrey’s father and ancestry.
      If there are any specific questions that I can research and respond I will be most pleased to do so.
      Sorry that I can’t be more specific.
      I would recommend posting a comment to Marylyn Sigler who posted above your post. She may have information that fits your request.
      Best Regards,
      Edwin Hyde

  • Hello, I descend from Daniel Hyde I and through his son John Hyde. My family had Humphrey’s wife as Anne Hyde, daughter of Sir Lawrence Hyde and Barbara Castilion of Salisbury, Wiltshire England. So I would be interested in info on Ann Ripley. I would be glad to contribute my DNA.

    • Thanks Jillian!

      Last year, Dan Hyde gave a talk on “Using DNA Testing for Genealogy”, which can be found in our links section. You’ve made me realize that we should adapt that into a brief overview of what is involved with the different types of DNA testing. Surname studies use Y-DNA, which can only be transferred from father to son down an unbroken male line, although different sections of DNA (male Y, female Mt, and various combinations of autosomal) can be useful for suggesting or confirming relationships. I recall that Richard III was matched with living relatives in part by using his mother’s MtDNA.

      Ann Ripley is mentioned in “The Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio…” Lewis Publishing Co, 1893. I can find no other sources confirming her surname, so it may be best to edit that passage in our writeup.

      It is a different Humphrey who married Anne Hyde, although I understand the confusion because a number of otherwise respectable genealogical publications make this same error. Visitation of Berkshire shows the elder Humphrey, Justice of the Peace for Berkshire, was born around 1595 and Humphrey his son and heir was born about 1628.

      The Oxford Historical Society Publication tells of their life in England and mentions a grandson, John Hyde, merchant of London, who married Jane Calvert and imported tobacco from the colonies.

      For the settler of Fairfield, CT, “The Descendants of Humphrey Hyde” by Willard S. Morse, coauthors Katherine Loomis and Myrtle Stevens Hyde, published by the Genealogical Society of Utah, is available through Family Search. In 1983, Myrtle Hyde wrote of “The Proven Mis-identities of Humphrey Hide of Connecticut” in which she states: “Humphrey Hide’s name appears in Windsor, Connecticut, land records of 1640, thus he was in New England by then. His birth year is uncertain, but his son John was born in about 1642 in order to be a father in 1668, when the birth of his first child, Humphrey’s grandchild, was recorded. In order for Humphrey to be a father in 1642 and a grandfather in 1668 he had to be born about 1615-1620. Many men with the name Humphrey Hide (Hyde) have been found in England. Of those found, some were too old and some were too young to be the Humphrey who came to New England. If they were the proper age, it is proved that they stayed in England. Following are several of them:

      1. Effort has been made to make the New England Humphrey a son of Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. This is impossible, because Edward was born in 1609.

      2. Humphrey, born in 1602, married Mary Cacher and died in 1665 at Hurst, Wiltshire, England.

      3. Humphrey, born in 1608 in London, was son of Barnard Hyde and died in 1637 in England.

      4. Humphrey, born in 1612, married Ann Cross and in 1663 was living at Chadlington, Oxford, England.

      5. Humphrey, born in 1616, married Margaret Braybrooke and died in 1652 at Wick, Berkshire, England.

      6. Humphrey, married to Anne Hyde in 1621 at Salisbury, Wiltshire, died in 1673 at Kingston Lisle, Sparsholt parish, Berkshire.

      7. Humphrey, born in 1628 at Salisbury, Wiltshire, married Gertrude Fettiplace in 1664 and died in 1696 at Kingston Lisle, Sparsholt, Berkshire, England.

      8. Humphrey, son of George Hyde and Elizabeth Keit of Blaygrave, Berkshire, England, was born in 1637. His christening at Wootton, Berkshire, has been found in the Bishop’s Transcripts.”

      And that’s what we have to date on Humphrey and his mysterious origins. —A

      • Dear Ann Sterling,

        Thank you for taking the time to send this email to me. I appreciate the list of possible Humphrey Hydes and the run down on each. It is a mystery. I wonder if Humphrey Hyde came over as a free man or an indentured servant. I saw in a document of early Connecticut a William Hyde buying land in Windsor, CT. in 1639 and Humphrey Hyde buying land in 1640. They think that William Hyde died in Norwich and aren’t
        sure of his birthdate. Could he possibly be an older brother to Humphrey? The first settlement of Windsor, CT in 1635 was from a group of people from the Mary and John ship which landed in Dorcester, MA in 1630. If
        Humphrey’s date of birth was 1614 as generally thought, he would have been only 16 years old. Rather young to be traveling alone.

        About his officer’s sword. Did he fight the Indians or is it known how he served in Connecticut?

        Jillian

  • I found the previous post very informative. It seems there has been a lot of confusion about the origins of Humphrey Hyde of CT. I discovered another interesting thing. I descend from Sarah Hyde who married Jonathan Fanton. Their daughter Sarah Fanton married John Jennings. What I didn’t know until recently is that my Sarah was daughter of Humphrey’s son John. There was also another Sarah Hyde, daughter of John Hyde who married Rachel Rumsey. This Sarah also married a Jonathan Fanton. It took me bait to figure it out!

    Beth Mansfield

    • Beth..
      I am descended from Sarah Hyde who married Johnathan Fanton. The names are confusing because so many times cousins married cousins. I have many Jennings ancestors. I am descended from Abraham Jennings who fought with his brothers Zachariah and William, in the Revolutionary War. I have Rumseys, Halls, Peets, Pattersons, and so many more from Fairfield, Stratford, and that whole region. Morehouse and Adams are two more names on my line. I would like tovexchange information with you if you have the time.
      Thanks,
      Marilyn

      • HI Marilyn:

        I just saw your comment. I would love to exchange info. As mentioned I descend from Sarah Hyde daughter of John Hyde who married Jonathan Fanton and granddaughter of Humphrey Hyde. I also descend from Eunice Jennings, my great great grandmother Eunice Jennings married Jared Mansfield who descends from Richard Mansfield and Gillian Drake who emigrated to New Haven,CT in 1639. Some additional names on my side include, Bulkeley, Coe, Seeley, Wheeler Holly, Sanford, Jackson, Alling, Glover, Dayton, Bell, Tomlinson, Nash. Feel free to contact bethm@mail.com

        • Beth..

          I will write to you. My address is mcs6933@flash.net. I live in Texas now, but I am originally from the east and west coasts. My father was a naval aviator and we moved back and forth between those two places. Both my father and my mother had New England ancestry, but the Hyde family is on my father’s side. I see that we have several family names in common. Drake, Wheeler, Jackson, and Jennings. I also have Rumsey, Lockwood, Hall, De Lacey, DeWolfe, Risdon, Lyon, Turney, Fairchild, Preston, Seabrook, Stone, Camp, Kirby, Patterson, Canfield, Brown, Norman, Goodspeed, Hinds, Crane, Frost, Prudden and many more from the Stratford, Fairfield, Milton and New Haven areas. We surely must be distant cousins.

  • Beth, it took me a moment to figure out what you’re saying. The entire Humphrey listing needs to be reformatted, and some additions made, which we are in the process of doing. We really appreciate the feedback everyone is providing.

  • Humphrey Hyde settled in Windsor CT before moving to Fairfield. There is no record of his arrival in Massachusetts. Humphrey’s name appears on the Founders of Ancient Windsor Monument. He was a “Royalist.” His lot can be seen on maps of ancient Windsor. Family tradition seems to claim a connection to nobility. A 1930’s obituary (Mary Louisa Hyde) reads “Scion of Nobles Dies…” Humphrey may have been a cousin to the Clarendon Hydes. His sword is in storage at the Fairfield Historical Society. It is an officer’s sword. His 1608 bible is there, too. Absolutely no notes in it. The cover is now missing.

    http://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/fa_founders_of_windsor.pdf

    Jane Hollis

  • Thank you for your note Ann. I was a bit confused about the two Sarah Hyde’s, but, as mentioned, my Sarah was daughter of John Hyde I and she married Jonathan Fanton, their daughter, Sarah Fanton m. John Jennings. My Sarah’s brother John Hyde, II married a Rachel Rumsey and their daughter also Sarah Hyde married another Jonathan Fanton. The Families of Ancient Fairfield finally makes sense to me! I am very fascinated by all of the theories about the origin of Humphrey. You all have a wonderful website and I’m sure you will get to the bottom of it and we will all benefit!

    Beth Mansfield

    • Beth..
      I have the lineage that was just written about. The Hydes, Fantons, Rumseys, Jennings, and Peets all in my line. Now if I could just find the correct family to Link my Humphrey to in England. I was surprised to read that Humphrey was a Royalist, and surprised that he had an officers’ sword. That means a lot to me because my husband and brother are graduates of USMA at West Point, and my father, who was descended from Humphrey, was a graduate of USNA at Annapolis. I have the swords of all three of them.

  • Thank you very much for all the information. I descend through Capt. Daniel Hyde’s son John Hyde and his son Joseph Hyde. My great-grandfather was Ira B. Hyde of Missouri, a different one from the Ira Hyde in Ohio. Some of my past relatives thought Humphrey’s Hyde’s wife Ann ? was Sir Laurence Hyde’s daughter Anne, but through my research I realize she never left England.

    I am proud of his courage and fortitude to come to America and live through all the danger and deprivations and bring up his family. Too bad there’s nothing of family ancestry in the Bible but as a treasured possession, that speaks of his faith. How disappointing there is nothing known of his wife “Ann”. She may have been the daughter of one of the founders of Windsor.

    I hope to one day get to Fairfield, CT as I live so far away in California. I would love to see his sword and Bible.

    Jillian Mueller

  • Jillian, there have been some interesting developments concerning Humphrey and we’re waiting on some clarifications from overseas. We still have not located his parents, but the information that we’re working on may provide a few hints as to his origins.

  • Hi:

    I was just wondering what is the anticipated date for release of your new write-up on Humphrey Hyde line?

    Thank You,

    Beth Mansfield

  • The 28th, which was yesterday. Back to school is a bit more hectic this year than anticipated. It’s a fairly short writeup and I’ve got all the required information, just not the ability to work remotely. Back in my office Tues and Wed, so shouldn’t be long.

  • Thank you for your reply Ann and for all the hard work you all have done to uncover clues about the origins of Humphrey-I can’t wait to read it!

    Beth Mansfield

  • I was wondering about the new information about Humphrey Hyde too. I am leaving in two days to visit Connecticut in Windsor and Fairfield where Humphrey lived and would be interested about any new information on him.

    • Jillian – Enjoy your visit to Fairfield and Windsor! The Fairfield Historical Society’s reference library has many files. If you call in advance, they’ll have them ready for you. Elizabeth Rose is the librarian. When I was there, the exhibit showed an incorrect first name, but the sword and 1608 bible are definitely both HH’s. As you enter the driveway to the museum, you will see a cemetery to your left. There are markers (footstones?) showing H.H. Not verified as Humphrey Hyde’s but highly likely in my opinion. Looking at an old map, I believe his origin property is where the downtown train station is. Captain Daniel Hyde was born in Greenfield Hill (Fairfield). His parents, Deacon John Hyde and Rachel Rumsey are buried in the Greenfield Hill Cemetery at 2736 Bronson Rd., Fairfield. Captain Daniel and his wife Deborah Perry are buried in St. Paul’s Cemetery on Ripton Rd. in the Huntington area of Shelton. In colonial times, it was part of Stratford. You may know this, but in case not…Jane jhollis@optonline.net

  • Beth and others, I’m working on Humphrey and we’re also trying to get the newsletter out. Humphrey turns out to have been much more involved than I imagined, but I think taking the extra time will prove worth it in the end. Shouldn’t be too much longer. Nothing in the writeup should change any aspect of a visit to Fairfield, although I think it might change where we look for him in England. Thanks for your patience. —Ann

    • It’s very exciting that you’ve discovered info on Humphrey Hyde in England. Thank you for what you do, Ann. Can’t wait – but will wait patiently for however long it takes. Jane

  • Thank you for your reply Ann. Thank you also for all the good work you have done to further our knowledge about Humphrey Hyde. I really look forward to reading your piece!

  • Exciting news that Ann may have uncovered some news of where “our” Humphrey may have come from in England! I have been researching my wife’s line descending from Humphrey Hyde for many years now. Her (Alice’s) line goes: Humphrey, John, John, Daniel, Eliakim, Samuel Deforest, Ira D, John Harvey, Aretas Augustine, Bruce Marsh, John Bruce (father).
    I have always drawn a blank when trying to take the line further back from Humphrey, as all possibilities end up being ruled out, despite quite a lot of wishful thinking by other researchers.

  • I have gotten some wonderful books from Elwin (E.) Count Curtis that are about families from the Stratford-Fairfield area. He also has a book out on the old cemetery there in Fairfield that I intend to get because it has photos of the tombstones and some great information.

  • Happy New Year to all! I was wondering if there is an anticipated date for release of the update on Humphrey Hyde. Thanks

  • Beth, I know you and several others have been waiting on this for quite some time and you all should have an update. I’ll preface this by saying that a few notable professional genealogists have already worked extensively on Humphrey, and the Fairfield Museum and History Center has a great deal of information concerning him. We know a lot about his descendants but almost nothing about his, or his wife Ann’s, origins. Myrtle Stevens Hyde summed it up best when she said, “He must have been a man that ‘minded his own business’ because he is seldom mentioned in the town records.”

     

    I am able to answer the question of whether or not he was landed gentry or nobility (as are his credible biographers), but I’m still not able to answer the question of where he or Ann came from. At this point, I have to say that regardless of his origins, he led an extraordinary life. He lived through King Philip’s War when his closest neighbor’s house was burned to the ground; and the Connecticut witch trials, which occurred decades before Salem; and he was sent out a few times to explore and report back on completely unknown territory (senior member of the group, even when calculating youngest possible age). So the thing about him is, there’s a tremendous amount of reading one has to do to try and get a handle on his life. When I first started, I thought the issue could be easily solved – there were only about three groups of settlers before 1640 and with a few notable exceptions, they tended to be members of specific congregations. The Saltonstall party had different locational criteria and their number increased by one or two between England and MA, and since we have no way of knowing who these “extra” people were, it becomes a rather complicated discussion of “were they avoiding oaths? picked up later? name altered? count simply inaccurate?” So it became more a question of mapping out the possibilities between what is known and what is simply conjecture. Not just with Satonstall, but with all the groups. I wish we had more to go on concerning Ann, because often it’s the women who are the key. Was she a Ripley? Where does that information come from and how credible is it? Does it check out? Again, trying to map it all out.

     

    There were quite a few Hide/Hyde families in Somerset, Dorset and Devon, but many of the early 17th century records from these counties are only semi-legible. Photoshop helps, but still, one has to know what to look for. Many assume that Humphrey was in Windsor by 1635, but I’m not so sure, because this is based on the wording of references that were clearly made after the fact. Also, I think people look at the maps of his position on the mill road and assume he must have been there early, but again, when you delve into the history, there were conflicting charters, a significant flood, a mix of indigenous people and Dutch who would have vastly preferred the English quit the area, and other factors that suggest land ownership and boundaries were somewhat fungible until proprietorships were drawn up in 1640. My holdup is about taking a final look at that last group to settle before 1640, that of Rev Ephraim Huit (Hewitt) and his party, who for the most part arrived on the “Susan and Ellen”. Several members of Rev Hewitt’s church are known to have come with him from the Warwickshire area, and there are a few Hide/Hyde families in Warwick (one of whom is a Humphrey Hides who married a Sara Smalbrooke in 1603 and would be of an age to have been his father) who merit further study.

     

    If anybody has found any reference to Humphrey in MA or CT before 1638/9 (that is not contained in Stiles or other family biographies who quote Stiles), please let us know, because that might offer a clue about his arrival. And if you can find further information on Hides/Hydes as potential members of Rev Huit’s party, that would be especially helpful. Your patience is, as always, greatly appreciated.

    • I am also a descendant of a Humphrey Hyde and am very interested in what you are finding…my family history states “John Joshua and Humphrey Hyde were brothers born in England about 1700..John came to America about 1732 and settled on Long Island New York He was heir to his brothers fortunes (East India merchant) He had one son John Hyde who married a French lady named Johanna Bennett and settled in Trenton NJ John and Johanna built a stone house which was still standing in 1879. Descendants of John and Johanna were William John Humphrey Jerusha Esther Hannah and Sarah it goes on to mention they tried to claim a fortune in 1790 of his uncles Joshua and Humphrey but they were too late. It also says John Hyde II moved from New Jersey to New York City in 1790 and became a wholesale dry goods merchant and amassed a fortune..his descendants live in New York…my line extends from John and Johannas daughter Esther who married John Penwell around 1789-1791 her sister Jerusha Hyde married Johns brother David Penwell Descendants of John Penwell and Esther Hyde were George Ruben John Nelson David the Penwell sons as far as daughters it lists Tenie Penwell Miller and other daughters it says. It also says The Hyde family claim relation to Anne Boleyn Queen of Henry VIII… our line goes as follows…John Hyde I.. John Hyde II m Johanna Bennett ..Esther Hyde m John Penwell ..George Penwell m Anna Tyner.. Jemina Alvira Penwell m Joseph L Jacks (who built my farm house in Edwardsburg Michigan in 1846. Jemina was his 2nd wife…joseph had 3 daughters..my ancestor was Alice Jacks who married Kimmey Shanahan..they had one son..Lisle Shanahan..he m Mary Dunham in 1901.my father was Norman Shanahan who married my mother Clio May Anderson in 1929.. I am a late baby with much older siblings..I was born in 1954…any information on any of this would be beyond awesome!!!

        • Technically we don’t know of any connection between a Humphrey Hyde and the John Hyde of Long Island, NY who married Johanna Bennett. The person who has done the most work on this line was the late Edson Barlow. His book can be found online https://familysearch.org/search/catalog/757583?availability=Family%20History%20Library a digital version is available by clicking the word “here” on the page. It is very well researched, however, much of it was completed before many documents became available online, so there are occasional errors. For example, Carolina Louisiana Brass, the wife of their son William Hide of Oyster Bay, was actually Clarina Lucina Brass, as found in the marriage register of St George’s Episcopal Church in Hempstead, NY, 11 June 1772. Please let us know if there are other inconsistencies or missing data.

          • Thank ypu very much ann! I got Humphrey as Johns brother in our family history notes weve had for many many years…it says the three brothers came over in 1732…it also says John was heir to his brothers fortunes who was an East Indian merchant..it says johns son William Hyde went to England to claim the estate of Joshua and Humphrey Hyde but it had been over 100 years and wss reverted to the State. ..Also John and Johannahs daughter Sarah married Nathaniel Brass I dont know if he was related to Carolina Lucinda or not because we didnt know her maiden name was Brass….thanks again for the link ypu sent…my ancestor was John Hydes granddaughter Esther who married a John Penwell…her sister Jerusha married Johns brother David Penwell…thanjs again!

  • Hello, Terrah…I believe I may also be a descendent of Humphrey–although some of the geneology sources list him as “Humphergo”!!! The years you mentioned are pretty close, with our family settling in the Mohawk Valley of New York while others ventured “west to Ohio.” It would be great to locate some more “relatives.”

  • Hi:

    I am just following up to the update from January 4 y. Was this the official write-up or r is that still in the works? Has there been any new information uncovered since? Thank you for all your good efforts.

    Beth Mansfield

  • Hi Edwin,
    I guess it is probable that the discussion regarding the origin of Humphrey has long been resolved, but just in case, please see attached extract from the Life and Times of the 17th century antiquarian Anthony Wood, vol 2, page 380. If you have not seen this, it appears to refer and adds to number 8 listed in Ann Sterlings post of July 8th 2015, and observes that Humphrey was “beyond sea”.

    I was alerted to this reference by David Nash Ford, the British historian. (http://www.berkshirehistory.com/gentry/hyde.html)

    Perhaps it helps.

    Kind regards,
    Patrick

  • Patrick, there are a few errors concerning Hydes on David Nash Ford’s website and this is one of them. Here is the original source: https://books.google.com/books?id=tcw5AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA380&lpg=PA380&dq=humphrey+hyde+beyond+sea&source=bl&ots=Xuzo0a0ckb&sig=1X46Lw548MyRsASpsdgAI_qhlcU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTq97br8jNAhWIPD4KHdfpAogQ6AEIGzAA#v=onepage&q=humphrey%20hyde%20beyond%20sea&f=false
     
    “Beyond sea” does not necessarily mean “in America”. Humphrey Hyde, the son of George Hyde of Blagrove, Berkshire and Elizabeth Keit, Keyt or Keith, was christened at Wooton, Berkshire in 1637 and the record apears in the Bishop’s Transcripts. George and Elizabeth were married 20 May 1630 in St Eadburgha’s Church, Ebrington. They had eleven children, and Humphrey was not their firstborn. The Humphrey Hide who purchased land in Connecticut before 1640 and fathered a child before 1642 was a grown man, not a toddler, and could not possibly have been their child. Humphrey is proving to be a complicated writeup and I apologize for it taking as long as it has, but it is progressing. It’s surprising how many ways there are to spell “Humphrey”, and it’s even more surprising how many there were, particularly around London.

  • A possible flaw in the 3rd paragraph in which it is stated that Humphrey Hyde emigrated to America in Queen Elizabeth’s reign – she died in 1603, which seems a bit early for our Humphrey…?

    • Marilyn, I’m still working on the writeup for Humphrey, and that’s going to be more comprehensive than any of the books I’ve read thus far. I know it’s been a long time. Let’s just say I have reason for waiting.

  • I wish that we could find a way to give people a “behind the scenes” glimpse as to what’s going on, because it doesn’t seem like much is happening on the website. However, on the back end, the document storage end, there’s a whole lot of activity. Tom “Doc” Hyde has traveled to court houses and local history centers in quite a few states and has put a lot of the puzzle pieces together, and I owe him several emails. For those who are Hyde-Leatherwood descendants, there’s an article coming up about Qaty and Elizabeth Walker which answers the questions that many people have had over the past century, including eligibility to join the Cherokee Nation (yes in some cases but there’s a lot more to it than you think). The time I can spend on this is limited because of things going on with my family that I can’t advertise here, but it’s not about me anyway. Humphrey has been on the back burner for so long in part because I wanted to be sure about the DNA, but we have what we need so there’s no reason not to publish the writeup. Thank you for your patience and let me see what I can do to move things forward.

    • Please if you would send me this information, Ganne.apfel@gmail.com. or link to it. My HAWKINS line Mary Elizabeth Hawkins m. Leonadas Montraval Davis and my MOODY line Sarah Jane Moody William Shelton both go back to the leatherwoods. The Hawkins going back through RebeccaLeatherwood and Ben Hyde and the Moody Line Through Mary Anne (Polly Leatherwood) daugher of Sarah Burns and John Leatherwood…
      Sarah Burns Being John Burns and Nancy Walkers daugher.. John Leatherwood being Elizabeth Walker and Edward Leatherwoods son. They say Elizabeth and Nancy were Cherokee Walker sisters… so John and sarah were cousins…when they married..
      Also very interested in finding out where the Polynesian marker may have come into my genetics as Kanaka was a prevalant name in Cherokee as an adopted (black) son of Little Carpenter in the Moytoy line. ( Google Kanaka – Cherokee)

  • Ann:

    Thank you for your reply and for all the time and dedication that you and all your colleagues are contributing to this effort. As a descendant of Humphrey, I am very grateful to all of you. I look forward to reading your write-up.

    Sincerely,

    Beth Mansfield

  • Glad to see the site is back up-thank you for your efforts to make this possible. I was just wondering if you could give us any idea on when the write-up on Humphrey Hyde will be posted-we are all so anxious to read it. We appreciate your efforts in this regard.

    Thanks,

    Beth Mansfield

    • Beth and others, thanks so much and apologies for the long wait. All I’m able to say at the moment is that Life gets busy sometimes. Both Humphrey and the Hyde-Leatherwood story take quite a bit of time and focus to bring all the elements together, which is something I haven’t had much of recently. Humphrey’s coming out first. Interestingly enough, both stories involve the same extended family of Hydes. I’m also still answering queries although these days delegation to the right people is key, as they know much more than I do about particular lines. A few of you have been waiting for months, or longer. Your patience is, as always, greatly appreciated. I’m going to put up a new page in a few days with the list of unanswered queries, just to make sure we’re not missing anyone.

  • Hi:

    Just wondering if there is any update since March as to when the Humphrey Hyde write-up will be posted. Everyone is so anxious to read it. Thank you for all you are doing to prepare it.

  • Since I last checked in March, is there any update on when Humphrey Hyde write-up will be released.

    Thanks,

    • Beth, it’s just a question of time. The kids get out of school next week and that’s going to alter my work schedule temporarily, but I should be able to get back to it very soon. If I could sit down for about 6-8 hours straight, I could finish it up in a singke day. That’s what’s so aggravating. You’ll all receive notification as soon as it comes out, I promise.

  • For those descended from the Cherokee Hydes, there is an interesting story in “Confederate Colonel and Cherokee Chief:. The Life of William Holland Thomas” by E. Stay Godbold and Mattie U Russell. They talk about Thomas’ connection to the qualla Boundary and Chief Yonaguska, as well as, an adopted son:. William Pendelton Hyde, son of Catherine Hyde (Cherokee) and possibly William Holland Thomas himself. The story is quite interesting and was possibly a reference for Thirteen Moons by Charles Frazier.

    • William “Penn” Hyde was one of several children of William Holland Thomas and Catherine Hyde. Catherine was the daughter of Benjamin Hyde and Elizabeth Rebecca Leatherwood. Most, but not all, of William Holland Thomas’s children are members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee. Frazier’s “Thirteen Moons” is technically historical fiction but does model itself on Thomas’s life. Recounting this story is project #2 and will come out right after Humphrey. The research is done, I just need time to sit down and compile it. While I’m on the subject, WHT’s mother, Temperance Colvard, was not related to to the Calvert family of Maryland. Entirely different family. More later.

      • Could you clarify if Catherine Hyde, mother of William “Penn” Hyde, was a second wife, or friend, of William Holland Thomas? He is listed as married to Sarah Love.

        • Oh, also, for the sake of interest, my 3rd great, Susannah (SU-SA GA-NE-GA, Catherine’s sister) who married David Elder (and moved to Texas with him) spoke the language and taught her children and was listed on the census as a “Doctress” as she was a Root/Bark Woman. This would be an Indian doctress, vs Western.

          Susannah Elder
          Hopkins Co., Texas, United States
          The 1860 Hopkins Co., TX Census 11th day of June 1860; S. Walker, Ass’t. Marshall 134, p.3, Beat No. 1, P.O. White Oak; Roll 1297 Vol 6(1-277)653-1297 Microfilm from Tennessee State Library and Archives. “Page 3, 19/19 -Eli M. DeHart 42 FarmerKY.Eliza 40

  • HI
    First Happy Holidays to everyone! Sorry to ask this again, but just wondering if there is a anticipated release date for the write-up on Humphrey Hyde?

    Thanks,

    Beth Mansfield

  • Beth, the newsletter is coming shortly. There will be a blog post and other information. Humphrey will happen in three parts, as will the article on the origins of the Hyde surname.

  • Ann, I’ve just come across a Humphrey in a family tree posted by an Elizabeth Hyde on Ancesrty. Briefly, Humphrie Hides, christened 1610 in Hatfield, Yorkshire (this is near Doncaster). Father was Humphrie Hides, christened 1575 in Everton, Nottinghamshire (which is not very far from Hatfield) and he was buried in Hatfield. Mother was Ellin Ennis and they were married in Everton. Humphrie senior’s father is given as Christopher Hides, also from Everton. The birth date of 1610 fits our Humphrey better than most that I’ve come across… Just wondered if you’d stumbled across this family tree? I’ve emailed Elizabeth Hyde to try and find out more. Note my new email address!

  • Hi:

    Just wondering if there is an update since December, 2018 on when Humphrey’s write-up will be released?

    Thanks for all the great info!

  • Beth, I keep meaning to put up a blog post regarding my absence. I’m not able to do genealogy at present and I can’t really discuss why, other than to say it involves the health of family members and the sorts of arrangements and research that go along with that. My kids say I’m maxed out on adulting, lol. This Humphrie is a good candidate and the fact that he isn’t a firstborn son ups the odds in his favor. I think there are approximately 15-18 possible candidates in my notes, so I can add him when I’m able to get back to it. I will say that I recall my “most likely” leaving from London, his London family originally hailing from what is now the Oxfordshire area, intermarrying with the Stiles family. But there are several others who merit investigation, and I would like to find out more about this Alice, because her family may hold the key: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKZ-VRF1?from=lynx1UIV8&treeref=LRK8-QSX

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