The Great Allotment: Pullen Point's First Land Owners
Introduction, William Aspinwall, Edward Bates, William Brenton, Thomas Buttolph, Thomas Fayerweather, Edward Gibbons, Valentine Hill, Ralph Hudson, Thomas Matson, Elias Maverick, John Oliver, William Pierce, John Sanford, William Stitson, John Winthrop/Deane Winthrop
William Stitson |
William Stitson (Stidson, Stetson) emigrated to Massachusetts in 1632 settling in Charlestown. He took the Freeman's Oath in 1633, and in the same year was admitted to Church in Charlestown. By 1634, William had married Elizabeth (Hills) Harris. She was the widow of Thomas Harris, the operator of the ferry between Charlestown, Winnisimmet (Chelsea), and Boston, William took over operation of the ferry. His occupations are also recorded as a yeoman (farmer) and brewer.
William's allotment of land on Pullen Point is recorded as:
"William Stidson, 30 Acrs of upland and marsh together; bounded towards the North and North East by the said Allottments of John Oliver and Thomas Fayreweather, towards the East by the aforesaid northermost Creeke, and towards the south by the Allottments of Edward Baytes, and towards the West by the Common highway aforesaid."
In 1642 William was made Selectman in Charlerstown, and in 1648 joined the Artillery Company. In 1651 he was ordained a Deacon in the church.
William and Elizabeth had no children, but William took over responsibility for Elizabeth's six children from her prior marriage. She died in 1670. In that same year William married Mary (Houghton) Norton, the widow of Francis Norton. She had four children from that marriage. William had no children of his own with Elizabeth or Mary. Mary died before 1681. William died in 1691.
William's allotment became a part of the farm of Wentworth Day.
Selected William Stitson locations and objects of note:
- Ferryman of Winnisimet: Thomas Williams (alias) Harris. Started in 1631 by Thomas Williams (alias Harris), it ran between Winnisimmet (Chelsea), Charlestown, and Boston. Harris died in 1634, and when William married his widow Elizabeth, he took over the ferry. One of the earliest in the country, the land at Winnisimmet was the terminus on land roads for foods and people going to Boston from Salem. - GloverSmith
- Tidal Pond and Mill (Charlestown, Mass.). It is suggested that William and Charles Sedgwick had the dam and mill built as early as 1642. It the early 1800's it was the southern terminus of the Middlesex Canal. In 1872 the area was filled by Boston & Maine Railroad - The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 56, 1902, pg. 235, Google ebooks
- Three Cranes Inn (Charlestown, Mass.). The original structure, called the “Great House”, was built for John Winthrop in 1630 as his residence and meeting house. It was bought by Robert Long in 1635 and converted to a tavern. Robert’s son John inherited the establishment. His first wife was Abigail Harris, the daughter of the second wife of William. - Redware and Redcoats: A Popular Report on the Archaeology Performed in Charlestown, Massachusetts for the Central Artery North Reconstruction Project
- The first license to brew beer in North America was given in 1637 to Robert Sedgwick, a partner in the Charlestown Tidal Mill with William, a fellow brewer. - American Brewers' Review, Volume 17, 1903, Robert Wahl, Arnold Spencer Wahl, pg. 23, Google ebook
Selected descendants two first wives:
- Bradstreet Farm (Rowley, Mass.). Founded in 1635 by Humphrey Bradstreet (b. 1584). Hs wife was one of the daughters of Elizabeth Harris, the first wife of William. The farm remained in family hands until 2007. - Community Preservation Coalition
- Edwin Alderman (b. 1861). He served as the first President of the University of Virginia, and had been of President of University of North Carolina, and before that Tulane University.
He is a descendant of Daniel Harris (b. 1618), one of the sons of William’s first wife, Elizabeth Harris. - Wikipedia
- Jack Northrup (b. 1895). The American aviation innovator and industrialist is a descendant of one of the daughters of William’s second wife, Mary Norton. - Northrop Grumman
| William Stitson Descendants |
| William (b. c. 1600); m1. Elizabeth (Hills) Harris, m2. Mary (Houghton) Norton |
| None |
| Selected descendants of William's first wife Elizabeth (Hills) Harris |
| Elizabeth Hills (b. 1577), m1. Thomas Williams (alias Harris), m2. William Stitson |
| Thomas Williams (alias Harris) dies in 1634 |
| Bridget Harris (b. c. 1604), m. Humphrey Bradstreet |
| John Harris (b. c. 1610), m1. Bridget Angier, m2. Elizabeth Rowlandson, m3. Alice Mattock |
| Elizabeth Harris (b. 1644), m. Moses Bradstreet |
| Daniel Harris (b. 1618); m. Mary Weld |
| Thomas Harris (b. 1657), m. Ruth James |
| Nathaniel Harris (b. 1693), m1. Miriam Brooks, m2. Elizabeth Hazen |
| Abigail Harris (b. 1720), m, Daniel Alderman |
| David Alderman (b. 1775), m. Mary Ann Morgan |
| Daniel Alderman (b. 1797), m. Flora McDuffie |
| James Alderman (b. 1825), m. Susan Corbett |
| Edwin Alderman (b. 1861), m. Bess Hearn |
| Selected descendants of William's second wife Mary (Houghton) Norton |
| Mary Houghton (b. c. 1604), m1. Francis Norton, m2. William Stitson |
| William Norton dies in 1667 |
| Maryl Norton (b. 1627), m. Joseph Northup |
| Jeremiah Northrop (b. 1653), m. Phoebe ______ |
| John Northrup (b. 1695), m. Mary Porter |
| Jonathan Northrup (b. 1715), m. Ruth Booth |
| George Northrup (b. 1754), m1. Anna Booth, m2. Mary Kimberly |
| Elijah Booth Northrup (b. 1791), m. Joanna Couch |
| Charles Booth Northrop (b. 1825), m. Lydia Lousie Smith |
| Charles Northup (b. 1859), m. Helen Knudsen |
| John "Jack" Northrop (b. 1895), m. Inez Mabel Harmer |
| Abigail Norton (b. c. 1636), m. John Long (b. 1629) |
Links
- William Stitson - History of the Military Company of the Massachusetts, now called The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, Vol. 1., 1637-1888, Iliver Ayer Roberts, pg. 166, Internet Archive
- Deacon William Stilson - The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, Massachusetts: 1629-1818, Thomas Bellows Wyman, Vol 2, pg. 902, Internet Archive
- William Stitson (Stillson) (Stiltson) (Stetson) - RootsWeb
- The Stetson Kindred of America, Sketch of Cornet Robert Stetson - Nelson M. Stetson, 1907, pg. 61, Internet Archive
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