Today, I will share information about immigrant Jonathan Hill and his wife, Mary, of Prudence Island, Rhode Island, that is even more sparse than that of his son, Jonathan, about whom I wrote yesterday.
Jonathan Hill is said to have come from Wales, probably not long before he settled in Rhode Island about 1657. Whether he and wife Mary married in the old country or when they arrived in the colonies is not known. As with the wife of Jonathan’s son, Jonathan, there is absolutely NO proof that I have found that states anything more than her given name was Mary. The surname found in many family trees was apparently debunked 100 years ago.
Jonathan might have been born c1630, as son Jonathan was born about 1657. Whether or not Jonathan was the firstborn child is not known.
Jonathan Sr. and Mary were the parents of three known children, but there might have been others lost to time.
Children:
i. Jonathan, born c1657, probably Prudence Island; died by 5 September 1731, when his estate administration began; married (Unknown) and had seven children.
ii. Henry, born 24 June 1661, with his birth recorded in Warwick, Rhode Island; married Elizabeth (MNU). They both died after 12 October 1724 when they sold land to Henry Gardiner of South Kingstown, Rhode Island.
iii. Robert, born no later than 1669, as he sold land in 1690 and was likely over 21 years of age; died between 12 July 1690, when he sold land, and 17 September 1711; married Mary Pearce.
Like I said, today’s data is SPARSE! If you can contribute any new factual (documented) information, I would love to hear from you.
As you say, the info is sparse. As a Hill descendant I wish I had something new to ad, but no. The 1690 sale by Robert says “son and heir” of Jonathan, based on that I placed him as first born, with Jonathan second, and Henry in 1661. I have never seen that 1690 record, have you? The Mary Pearce will is 1711, correct? Where does the 1717 date come into play? Charles Maytum in his “Paragraphs on Early Prudence Island” says rather emphatically, the Hills were on Prudence in 1660 if not a few years before. Always have wondered where that info came from. I wonder if his research notes have a home somewhere.
Thanks,
David Hill
David, I’ve taken out the 1717 mention, as I think that was just a typo. Charles Maytum’s notes are likely with a descendant. It looks like he died in 1991.He might also have left his papers to one of the local historical societies or libraries.