Chapter 61 - Our Sanford Ancestry

William the Conqueror

Unlike many of our ancestral families that we have researched over the years, within this particular family there are some stories that claim that our earliest known Sanford ancestor originated as far back as the early part of the 11th century AD. Their claim is that our ancestor, a man named Thomas de Sanford, was born in Normandy, France, and that he was a friend of William the Conqueror and took part in the invasion of England by the Normans back in 1066. It is also claimed that following their conquest, he was granted land in England. If it is true that there was a Thomas de Sanford and that he was my ancestor, both possibilities by the way are highly unlikely, then Thomas de Sanford would have been around my 26th great grandfather. This would have made a wonderful beginning story about my Sanford ancestry, but we are afraid that it might also be an incredible waste of time considering the total lack of evidence. Fortunately however, we have learned quite a bit about our Sanford ancestry although unfortunately not as far back as the Normandy invasion of England in 1066.

Current map of drive from London to Stansted Mountifitchet

While not all family historians would agree, it is generally accepted that the man who would be my 10th great grandfather was named Thomas Sanford (1556-1597). Thomas was born in the ancient village known as Stansted Mountifitchet, in County Essex, England. Perhaps not surprisingly, Stansted is known to have been first occupied by Anglo-Saxons prior to the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and then subsequently it was one of the many villages and manors that was brought under the control of a Norman leader following the invasion. Obviously a very old city even at the time of Thomas' birth in 1556 and the fact that Thomas' father is believed to have lived his entire life in the Stansted area and maybe even his ancestors makes one wonder if perhaps the family was not indeed a descendant of one of the early Norman invaders. The village of Stansted Mountifitchet is located about 40 miles northeast of downtown London.

Likely burial location of Thomas and Mary Sanford

St Andrew and Holy Cross Church

Thomas Sanford was around 25 years old when he married his first wife, Friswith Eve, in Stansted in 1581 however, and unfortunately their marriage lasted only 64 days as Friswith unexpected died at the age of only 20. Perhaps as a result of the loss of his wife although more likely due to business reasons or possibly the lessor cost of land, Thomas soon relocated to the nearby and smaller town of Much Haddam which was around 7 miles south of Stansted Mountifitchel and closer to London. Here Thomas started up a "glover" business which essentially consisted in the trading of fine furs and skins. Thomas apparently was quite successful in his new business and as a father. Based on what was written in his final will, the children by his second marriage around 1584 to my 10th great grandmother, Mary Lewes (or Mellett) (1563-1620), were all well educated and his will implied that he was "an active, enterprising citizen, and bore his part in public matters, though he did not achieve distinction in a political way." There was another document that noted that Thomas Sanford was appointed as one of two constables in the town of Much Hadham in 1585 showing that while not a major leader he nevertheless did serve in some of the public roles within his community.  Thomas and Mary had at least five children (named in his will) including my 9th great grandfather, Ezekiel Sanford (1586-1683) who was born or at least baptized on 20 February 1586 before Thomas Sanford's rather early death on 6 April 1597 at the age of only 41 year old. Most family historians point out that Thomas Sanford's final will was beautifully written implying that he was both intelligent in addition to his being well educated, however at the young age of only 41 he was unable to grant in his will a lot of land or money to his wife and children. Mary, my 10th great grandmother, outlived Thomas by almost 23 years and unfortunately we were unable to learn much about her life after her husband's death although Mary is believed to have married a man named John Haddsley shortly after Thomas's death. Assuming that this second marriage is a fact, it would make a lot of sense considering the very young age of all of Thomas' and Mary's children at the time of their father's death. It is assumed by most family historians that Thomas and possibly Mary (and probably second husband John as well) are buried at the graveyard alongside the St Andrew and Holy Cross Church in Much Hadham (see photograph above.)

Not surprisingly considering that my Sanford ancestors from England were neither wealthy nor important political individuals, we learned very little about the life of my 9th great grandfather, Ezekiel Sanford and most of what has been learned was obtained from old church records. We know that as the eldest son of his parents that he inherited a small amount of land in Stansted Mountifitchel when his father died, however, at the young age of around 20 or 21 he moved to the nearby village of Hatfield where he soon met and married 19 year old Rose Warner (1588-before 1707), my 9th great grandmother. Their marriage is estimated to have taken place in the year 1607. Ezekiel's lack of wealth was pretty well confirmed by the fact that following his marriage to my great grandmother, he and Rose lived with her parents at their home in Hatfield at least until the birth of their first two sons which took place sometime between their marriage date and maybe 1609. Unfortunately most of the church and other records that might have recorded information about the life of the Sanford family in Hatfield and then later around 1614 back in Stansted Mountifitchel have been lost so that nothing much is known about the life of Ezekiel including exactly where he and his family lived, nor anything about his trade or occupation. Many family historians report that Ezekiel and Rose had as many as eight children (some say even more) including at least three sons who emigrated to America including my 8th great grandfather, Robert Sanford (1615-1676).  Ezekiel Sanford is believed to have outlived his wife by many years and then finally dying at the age of 96 years old in 1683.

Early New England settlements

Before we discuss the life of my 8th great grandfather, Robert Sanford, we might mention that his mother's younger brother, a man named Andrew Warner, who was born in 1595, was probably very influential in convincing Robert and two of his brothers into emigrating to America around the year 1632. Considering that in 1632 the boys' father was only in his mid-40s, it certainly might well suggest that things were not going well for the Sanford family at the time, plus the fact that the current king of England, King Charles 1, was very unpopular, had dismissed the British Parliament, and his opposition to the Puritan reformers was driving many of  them out of England, was clearly a motivation for the young Sanford boys and many others to seek a better life in America. It is also a strong possibility that their father encouraged such a movement.  It is not clear however, that they all came over to America on the same ship with their uncle, but it is noted that most of them settled for a period in what would soon become the city of Hartford, Connecticut along with their uncle Andrew. Robert was only around 16 or 17 years old when he arrived in America with his two brothers, Thomas, who was around 25 years old, and Andrew who was only around 15 years old. The young ages of the three brothers would certainly strongly suggest that they may very well have traveled overseas with their older uncle Andrew Warner.

Map of Hartford showing original founders
(Picture can be clicked to enlarge)

Obviously based on their young ages there are no records that we could uncover about Robert and his brothers in America for at least a decade after their arrival. On the other hand, the life of their uncle Andrew Warner who is of course my 10th great uncle, is fairly well documented and if we assume that the young Sanford boys followed Andrew, then it is worth mentioning what Andrew did during his early years in America. We know that his first residence in America was in the community of Cambridge (originally named Newtowne) where he lived from 1633 until 1636. Cambridge was (is) located up the Charles River just a little west of Boston. Andrew almost immediately joined the local church and was soon chosen as a Cambridge selectman. Perhaps due to his involvement with the church and his friendship with the Rev. Thomas Hooker, he along with around 100 other men including the Rev. Hooker moved in 1636 and helped create the new settlement of Hartford located on the Connecticut River in the future state of Connecticut. Andrew Warner's name appears in the list of the founders of Hartford (and his name appears on the map of Hartford above.). The Sanford boys names do not appear on the list but then neither does Andrew Warner's wife's name appear nor do the names of their children all of whom obviously moved with their parents to Hartford. The list of course includes only the names of the male adults so it is entirely possible that my 8th great grandfather, Robert Sanford, arrived in Hartford with the other families in 1636 which would technically make him also an original founder of Hartford.

The first mention of Robert Sanford in Hartford and in America for that matter was the birth of his son and first child Zachariah Sanford in 1644. It is estimated that he married my 8th great grandmother, Hannah "Ann" Sarah Adams (1624-1682) in Hartford in 1643 when she was around 21 years old. Ann Adams according to many family historians was the daughter of Jeremy Adams (1604-1683) and Rebecca Taylor (1608-1678), my 9th great grandparents, and Jeremy's name also appears on the list of the original Hartford founders. It probably needs to be mentioned that there are also many family historians that adamantly dispute any claim that Robert Sanford's wife Ann was a daughter of Jeremy Adams and his wife. They may be right, therefore we will not spend any time describing this side of our ancestry. It is a well known historical fact that Hartford was originally settled by Puritans under the leadership of the Rev. Thomas Hooker. Hooker had encouraged his Puritan followers to leave the Boston area because he was very much disturbed with the "undemocratic ways" of the colony's government. What we found interesting in our research of the Sanford family as well as the Andrew Warner family for that matter, is that there was no mention of either of these families ever being Puritans. While it may be unlikely that Robert Sanford was an avid Puritan when he emigrated to America at the age of only 16 or 17, it would seem highly likely that he ultimately became a strong proponent not only having moved to Hartford but also because his new wife as the likely daughter of a Puritan and an early Hartford settler was undoubtedly herself a Puritan.

We unfortunately do not know a great deal about the life of our Robert Sanford although he was known to have been granted land in the Hartford area as well as land in nearby Windsor. He does not appear to have been in any major leadership positions in his town's government and when it comes to his occupation we learned only that he was a chimney inspector (or chimney viewer) in 1651/52, a leather sealer in most years between 1658 to 1672, and finally a fence viewer between 1662 and 1674. On the other hand he was an apparent leader in his family as between 1644 and about 1665 he and Ann had eight children which meant that Ann was pregnant about 30% of the time during her child bearing years. Their third child, Ezekiel Sanford (1648-1716) is my 7th great grandfather. Unfortunately Robert Sanford died fairly young at the age of 60 in the year 1676. His death is known to have hit him fairly quickly and unexpectedly as he only partially completed his last will and testament before he died. My great grandmother Ann only outlived Robert by a few years finally dying herself in 1682. It is assumed that they are both buried in an old "Ancient Burying Ground" in downtown Hartford known as the Center Church Graveyard. Unfortunately both of their gravestones have long ago been lost.

Hanging a Witch

Before we continue with the next generation of our Sanford ancestors, it is worth telling a brief and cruel story about Robert's younger brother Andrew Sanford (1617-1681), my 9th great uncle. Andrew like his brother Robert, also moved to Hartford probably with his brother and their uncle. Records show that in 1643, then 26 year old Andrew married a girl named Mary Botsford and then they like other young married couples of the time, began to raise children. Andrew worked according to some records also as a Chimney Viewer. A "chimney viewer" was a position responsible for making sure that all residents kept their chimneys clean. His brother Robert as we previously mentioned also held this rather silly position for awhile. Unfortunately in 1662 both Andrew and Mary got caught up in one of Hartford's worst historical actions. They were both accused of being witches. The Hartford records show that between 1647 and 1768, 38 individuals were accused of witchcraft including eleven of them between the years 1661 and 1663. Anyway, in the year 1662 Andrew was tried as being a witch but fortunately he was not convicted although many voted against him. His wife on the other hand was also tried shortly after her husband, but in her case she was found guilty and most historical records report that she was hanged. It is almost impossible to imagine that a community that was governed entirely by strong religious leaders operating in a country that was originally founded by individuals who sought liberty and religious freedom, that they would have sunk so low in their behavior to hang people believed to be witches. Oh well . . .

Original Sanford home still exists today

Ezekiel Sanford (1648-1716) was the third child and second son of Robert and Ann and my 7th great grandfather. He was around 22 years old when he made the decision to leave his parents and his birth home in Hartford and move in 1670 to what today is known as Bridgehampton Village in the Town of Southampton at the far eastern end of Long Island. The first European/American settlers relocated to Bridgehampton in 1656 although at the time the areas were separated by the Sagg Pond and were then known as Mecox on the western side of the pond and Sagaponack on the eastern side. We find it interesting that only a few years following Ezekiel's move to Long Island, the English, primarily those living in Connecticut, declared war on the Dutch who were living primarily on the western end of Long Island and by 1674 the English following an attack took possession of New Amsterdam and all of its occupied land and subsequently renamed it New York. There is no evidence that our Ezekiel Sanford was among those men from the Southampton area who joined with others in invading the Dutch held areas but then who knows. In any case, it is believed that in 1678, Ezekiel was leased 15 acres of land just south of Bridgehampton and alongside the west side of the Sagg Pond and it was here that he eventually built his home (see photo above). In 1679, Ezekiel married my 7th great grandmother, Hannah Mitchell (1662-1716). Hannah was born and lived in Hartford so it is possible that Ezekiel may have met Hannah when he lived in Hartford although when he left Hartford in 1670, Hannah would have only been around eight years old. It is possible that Hannah later moved to the Bridgehampton area with her father or one of her siblings although we could find nothing to verify this possibility. Some sources also suggest that they married back in Hartford although this would seem highly unlikely. In any case, following their marriage, Ezekiel and Hannah Mitchell Sanford soon moved into the home show in the above photograph and together they had at least five children born in their Sanford home between the years 1681 and 1694 including my 6th great grandfather, Ezekiel Sanford (Jr) born on 9 April 1681.

Old photo of  Ezekiel Sanford bridge over Sagg Pond

Ezekiel Sanford's (Sr) occupation was known to have been that of a wheelwright or someone who builds or repairs wooden cartwheels. Obviously with this carpentry talent it might explain in part why around the time of the mid-1680s his local town commissioned him to build a bridge over the Sagg Pond. Unfortunately for the local residents, the Sagg Pond ran along the eastern side of Bridgehampton all of the way down to the Atlantic Ocean and thus anyone wanting to cross had to make a long trip around the Pond. At least one source noted that the deal was that once Ezekiel completed the construction of the new bridge, then the 15 acres of land that he was leasing from the village would be given to him outright.

In any case, Ezekiel Sanford helped to solve the problem when he completed the bridge construction in 1686. The village itself was actually renamed "Bridgehampton" shortly following the construction of the bridge both to reflect the construction of the new bridge and to include the name of the village of Easthampton on the eastern side of the pond. While obviously the original bridge built by Ezekiel does not exist today, there is still a bridge crossing the Sagg Pond in almost the same location as our great grandfather's masterpiece. The road crossing the bridge is called Bridge Lane and still sitting on Bridge Lane on the western side of the pond is the old Sandford homestead. We found it quite interesting to learn the Sanford homestead remained in the Sanford family for over 325 years until it was finally sold outside the family.

Sagg Pond flowing to the Atlantic Ocean

My great grandfather Ezekiel Sanford died a fairly wealthy man at the age of 67 in February of 1716. He outlived my great grandmother Hannah by at least a decade and they are both believed to be buried in an old burying ground in Bridgehampton although their gravestones have long been lost. Their oldest son and my 6th great grandfather Ezekiel Sanford was around 34 years old and married at the time of his father's death. The modern day photograph above shows the Sagg Pond and in the distance the modern day bridge built to replace our ancestor's constructed bridge. The land owned by our Sanford family today is worth in the multimillion dollar price range.  

Howell's Water Mill, Southampton, NY

Despite spending a large amount of time researching the life of my 6th great grandfather Ezekiel Sanford (1681-1755), we really learned very little. As his parents' oldest son he undoubtedly eventually inherited their home on the Sagg Pond and he may have even lived there with his wife and many of his children even before his father's death in 1716. Ezekiel married my 6th great grandmother, Elizabeth Moore (1681-1738) in Bridgehampton in 1705. One of the interesting things about Elizabeth Moore's family is that her great grandfather on her mother's side, a man named Edward Howell (1584-1655), my 9th great grandfather, is included in the list of men named as the original settlers of Southampton in 1640. Southampton is located about seven miles west of Bridgehampton. Edward is also listed as the "acknowledged leader" and that he was born in Marsh Gibbon in Buckinghamshire, England. Historical records note that he served as a magistrate in Southampton (then called "Mecox") until 1653 and as Assistant of the Connecticut Colony (which controlled at that point western Long Island) from 1647 until 1653.

One of the fascinating things that our great grandfather Edward Howell accomplished during his time in Southampton was that he built a water mill for grinding grain, rye, and wheat into flour. This mill still exists today as an historical structure and it is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. Obviously our great grandfather was during his lifetime an extensive landowner, a fairly wealthy man, and generally credited with being the leader of the first English settlers in the future state of New York. The first settlers of New York before the English were of course the Dutch living in New Amsterdam. Edward's wife and my 9th great grandmother was Francis Paxton (1584-1630) and they had six children including my 8th great grandmother, Margaret Howell (1622-1707). Our Howell ancestry is described in far great detail in Chapter 45 of this family blog.

Moore Home in Newtown before it was torn down

My 8th great grandfather, the Rev. John Moore (Abt.1620-1657) married Margaret Howell in Southampton, Long Island around 1641. John Moore had move to Southampton around 1640 along with Margaret's father and many others including Margaret and he too is credited with being one of the original founders of Southampton. He had originally emigrated to Massachusetts from England in 1636. It is written that he purchased a home in Cambridge the following year (which is hard to imagine at the age of only 17), and subsequently he served as a magistrate in the town. Some family historians claim or at least suggest that he became associated with the founding of the school in Cambridge that later in 1639 became known as Harvard although here again it would seem more likely that he simply either attended Harvard or worked for them, as the school was originally founded back in 1636. It is believed that John Moore studied in England to be a minister and perhaps again at Harvard for he spent most of his life as a church minister particularly after John and Margaret and their family moved around 1651 from Southampton to Newtown, Long Island located in what was then part of the Dutch controlled area now known as New Amsterdam. John is credited with being among the original settlers of Newtown which was originally called Maspat, then called  Middelburg (or Middleburgh) and then following the English takeover of New Amsterdam in 1664, the name changed to Hastings. Apparently however, the early English settlers had long called their home, Newtown. Whatever its name, it was obviously the first English settlement in Queens County, New York. Together John and Margaret had seven children including my 7th great grandfather and their last child, Joseph Moore (1651-1724), who was born in Newtown in 1651. Unfortunately Joseph was only six years old when his father died at the relatively young age of only 37 in 1657. It was said that his father died of a "pestilence disease" which implies he died of some serious infectious disease that was totally unknown back in the 1600s . . . perhaps measles or chicken pox? Incidentally, one of the main leaders of the English move into New Amsterdam back in 1642 was a man by the name of the Rev. Francis Doughty, a strong proponent of Puritanism. When John Moore died in 1657, his wife and my great grandmother Margaret married in 1660 a man named Francis Doughty (Jr) who was not only the son of the Rev. Francis Doughty, but who was also a minister himself and soon took over the church previously run by John Moore.

The Old Hasley House built by Thomas Hasley about 1648

Unfortunately we were able to find very little about the life of my 7th great grandfather, Joseph Moore (1651-1726). He obviously spent his younger years living with his mother and his stepfather Francis Doughty in Newtown, which was then under the general control of the Dutch and the Dutch colonial governor, Peter Stuyvesant. In 1664 when he was in his early teens the Dutch surrendered New Amsterdam to the English and things undoubtedly began to change included a rapid influx of English settlers. In 1673, the Dutch retook the leadership in the area but quickly this changed back to English control by the following year. Whether or not all of these changes were motivating factors for Joseph to leave western Long Island and move back to Southampton is not known nor do we know exactly what year he moved. All that is know is that Joseph Moore married my 7th great grandmother, Sarah Halsey (1658-1725) in her home town of Southampton sometime before their first child was born in 1681. It was a great match for Joseph for Sarah's father, my 8th great grandfather, Thomas Hasley (1626-1688), was not only one of the original founders of Southampton along with his brothers and his father but he was also one of the wealthiest men living in the area. In his will that was written in the year 1688, he mentions his married daughter Sarah and her husband Joseph Moore. One interesting thing that we did learn about Thomas Halsey, is that his father's wife and my 8th great grandmother whose name was Elizabeth or Phebe, is recorded by some as having been killed by indians in 1649. Unfortunately we were unable to find any details about this claim as it might have made an interesting additional tale in this chapter of our blog. One source however, did report that the Indians who killed my great grandmother were captured, tried and found guilty, and were executed.  Good ending. Anyway,

Joseph and Sarah Halsey Moore lived the rest of their lives following their marriage in Southampton. We do not know all of the names nor the exact number of children who were born to our great grandparents although only four children were named in Joseph's will that was "proved" on 30 May 1726 and originally written in 1723. Records show that their oldest daughter and my 6th great grandmother, Elizabeth Moore (1681-1738), was born or baptized on 29 October 1681. Elizabeth Moore as we mentioned earlier in this chapter was later to become the wife of my 6th great grandfather, Ezekiel Sanford (1681-1755). Also mentioned in Joseph's will is the fact that he lived next door to his then son-in-law Ezekiel Sanford and that he gave his slave Peter a half acre of land. Joseph Moore was also apparently fairly well off financially or at least enough to be able to own a slave and a considerable amount of land. Incidentally it is recorded that Long Island had the largest slave population of any rural or urban area in the north during the colonial period and that the future state of New York slave population had grown to almost 20,000 about the time of the Revolutionary War.

So we now again return to the story of our Sanford ancestors. Elizabeth Moore married Ezekiel Sanford in Bridgehampton early in the year 1705 and their first child was born in October of that same year. Ezekiel's father only a few years earlier had become quite well known in Bridgehampton having recently completed a new bridge over the Sagg Pond. We do not know for certain what Ezekiel did for a living although most of the families living in Bridgehampton during this time period were farmers including the leaders of the community. Ezekiel was undoubtedly a farmer. The original settlers of both Southampton in 1640 and later in Bridgehampton were Puritans who had moved from Connecticut. By the time of Ezekiel's birth however, most of the residents of the area were thought to be Presbyterians and we believe that the only church in Bridgehampton at the time was a Presbyterian church. Originally the eastern end of Long island was under the leadership of the Colony of Connecticut, however in 1665, then Governor John Winthrop Jr of New York announced that the towns on the eastern end of Long Island were now part of New York. All of these changes of course took place before Ezekiel's birth and the local citizens by the late 1600s were undoubtedly by that point accustomed to the changes. Some records of Ezekiel Sanford's public life report that he was at some point a local constable and that he had held a few town offices. He is also noted to have been a "lieutenant of the third Militia Company" although there is no record that he ever participated in any local battles  The French and Indian War began in 1754 shortly after his death in 1748,

Elizabeth and Ezekiel Sanford were know to have had around seven children as mentioned in Ezekiel's will although some other records show that they had eight children between their marriage in 1705 and Elizabeth's rather early death at the age of 57 in the year 1735. Not surprisingly, Ezekiel remarried following his wife's death. He finally died in 1755 at the age of 74. The daughter of Elizabeth and Ezekiel Sanford, Abigail Sanford (1712-1748) is my 5th great grandmother.

Abigail Sanford was 20 years old when she married my 5th great grandfather, Silas Sayre (1708-1747) in Bridgehampton in 1732. The story of my Sayre family ancestry is well told (I hope) in Chapter 13, "The Sayre Family" in this blog. What we learned is that Silas Sayre's great grandfather, Thomas Sayre (1597-1670) is one of the original settlers of Southampton back in 1640. We also just learned that two of Thomas' sons, Daniel Sayre (1633-1708), who was Silas Sayre's grandfather, and his brother Job Sayre (1637-1694), are both my great grandfathers. When we wrote the chapter about our Sayre ancestors, Chapter 13, we were not aware at the time that Daniel Sayre was also a great grandfather. Another interesting but surprising connection that we discovered is that one of Job Sayre's sons, a man named Job Sayre (Jr) (1672-1755) married a girl named Susannah Howell (1680-?) who was the great granddaughter of Edward Howell (1584-1655) who we mentioned earlier in this Sanford Ancestry chapter and who was also an original founder of Southampton. Obviously these communities were all quite small back in the early 1600s so it should not be surprising that find that one's children and grandchildren married their neighbors' children and grandchildren.

Anyway, the marriage of Abigail Sanford to Silas Sayre marks the end of my Sanford ancestry. My relationship to my Sanford ancestors is shown below.

5th Great Grandparents:  Abigail Sanford  m  Silas Sayre
4th Great Grandparents:  Elizabeth Sayre  m  Nathaniel Seeley
                                       (1760-1806)          (1756-1796)
3rd Great Grandparents: Elizabeth Seeley  m  Archibald Campbell
                                       (1790-1869)          (1770-1855
2nd Great Grandparents:    Jane Campbell m  Joshua Rappleye
                                       (1819-1891)          (1814-1888)
Great Grandparents:  Helena E. Rappleye  m  Asbury H. Baker
                                       (1860-1944)          (1860-1933)
Grandparents:               Charles S. Baker  m  Helen Spaulding
                                       (1885-1952)          (1887-1937)
Parents:                       Charles A. Baker  m  Marian C. Patterson
                                       (1916-2000)          (1916-1973)
Living Generation:    Charles A. Baker Jr.
                              Anne Baker Fanton
                              Joan Patterson Baker

And so ends another story . . . . . .