WILLIAM KELSEY

from The Great Migration Begins Immigrants to New England 1620 - 1633
by Robert Charles Anderson, Boston 1995

ORIGIN: Unknown
MIGRATION: 1633
FIRST RESIDENCE: Cambridge

REMOVES: Hartford 1635, Killingworth by 1668

FREEMAN: In Killingworth section of 1669 Connecticut list of freemen (as "William Keilsey") [CCCR 2:525].

EDUCATION: Signed deed by mark [CaBOP 42].

OFFICES: On 11 May 1671 "W[illia]m Callsey" was deputy to Connecticut General Court from Killingworth [CCCR 2:147].

On 24 March 1657/8 "William Kelsey is freed from watching, warding & training" [CCCR 1:314].

ESTATE: Granted one rood for a cowyard in Cambridge, 5 August 1633 [CaTR 5]. Granted three acres in Westend Field, 4 August 1634 [CaTR 9]. Granted a proportional share of one in the meadow ground, 21 April 1635 [CaTR 13].

In the Cambridge land inventory on 5 October 1635 "William Kellsie" held five parcels: half a rood in town with one house, garden and backside; three acres on Small Lot Hill; three acres in the Great Marsh; half an acre in the West End; and three acres in Westend Field [CaBOP 24]. On 19 April 1636 "William Kelsey of the New Towne [Cambridge]" sold to Thomas Fisher his right in "any parcel of meadow ground lying & being in the New Towne aforesaid" [CaBOP 42].

In the Hartford land inventory of February 1639 "Will[ia]m Kelsy" was credited with twenty-one parcels: one acre with dwelling house, outhouses, yards & gardens; three acres "lying partly in the neck of land"; one rood in the Little Meadow; two roods eighteen perches in the North Meadow; five acres, three roods and thirty-eight perches of meadow and swamp in the North Meadow; one acre eight perches on the east side of the Great River; five acres in the Cowpasture; nine acres three roods in the Middle Oxpasture (annotated "sold Wm. Spencer"); five acres of meadow on the east side of the Great River "which he received in exchange of William Spencer"; one acre, two roods and fourteen perches in the neck of land; three roods thirty-seven perches in the neck of land; seven acres, twenty-four perches in the Cowpasture; two acres, one rood and thirty-one perches in the neck of land "part whereof he received of Edward Ellmer"; threescore perches in the neck of land; three acres, three roods and twenty perches in the neck of land; one acre, thirty-three perches in the neck of land "which he bought of John Maynord"; three acres in the neck of land "which he bought of Richard Goodman"; one acre in the neck of land "which he bought of John Tayllcott"; five acres on the east side of the Great River "part of which he bought of William Edwordes"; thirty perches of swamp on the east side of the Great River "which he bought of William Edwordes"; and two roods "that he bought of William Williams and did sometime belong to John Beddell" (annotated "sold G. Granis 1664") [HaBOP 141-44]. (Five of these parcels were marked as given to "Steven Callsey" in 1670/1.)
On 21 September 1676 the will and inventory of William Kelsey were presented at New London County Court; these documents do not, unfortunately, survive [TAG 69:28, citing New London County Court Records, Trials, 3:83].

BIRTH: By about 1609 based on estimated date of marriage.

DEATH: Killingworth between June 1675 and 21 September 1676 [TAG 69:218].

MARRIAGE: By 1634 _____ _____, who was "born about 1613 and living at Hartford in December 1666" [TAG 68:213-14]. (Several false leads regarding the identity of the wife of William Kelsey have been carefully examined and discarded by George E. McCracken and Gale Ion Harris [TAG 37:38-42, 68:211-14]. Based on onomastic evidence Harris suggests that her given name was Hester.)

CHILDREN:

  1. MARK, b. say 1634; m. (1) Windsor 8 March 1658/9 Rebecca Hoskins [WiLR 1:58]; m. (2) Windsor 26 December 1683 Abigail (_____) Atwood, widow of Captain Thomas Atwood [WiLR 1:58; CTVR 52 (giving only the year of the event)]. 

  2. HESTER, b. say 1636; m. (1) by 1656 James Eggleston, son of BIGOD EGGLESTON; m. (2) Windsor 29 April 1680 James Eno; m. (3) Windsor 10 June 1686 John Williams. (See TAG 68:208-10 for a detailed discussion of Hester's marital career, which includes full documentation.) 

  3. JOHN, b. say 1638; m. by 1668 Hannah Desborough [TAG 38:210-11, 68:214]. 

  4. PRISCILLA, b. about 1640 (aged 17 on 22 December 1657 [TAG 68:214, citing WMJ 74]); m. by January 1659[/60?] Cornelius Gillett, son of JONATHAN GILLETT [TAG 68:214]. 

  5. MARY, b. about 1644 (aged 14 in May 1658 [TAG 68:215, citing WMJ 109]); m. Windsor 23 April 1661 Jonathan Gillett [Grant 39], son of JONATHAN GILLETT. 

  6. ABIGAIL, b. Hartford 19 April 1645 [HaBOP 575]; m. Killingworth 3 December 1668 John Hull [TAG 68:215]. 

  7. STEPHEN, bp. Hartford 7 November 1647 [HaBOP 578]; living 1670/1 [HaBOP 141-44]. 

  8. DANIEL, b. Hartford [blank] July 1650 [HaBOP 581]; m. (1) Killingworth 27 March 1672 Mary Stevens [TAG 68:215]; m. (2) by 1693 Jane Chalker [TAG 68:231]. 

COMMENTS: William Kelsey appears in a list dated 7 January 1632/3 of those who were to make fence [CaTR 5], but this list was actually compiled at a later date.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: In 1993 Gale Ion Harris published a definitive study of the family of William Kelsey [TAG 68:208-15]. We rely on his conclusions here, except for a few minor adjustments in approximated dates to conform with the guidelines used in these volumes.