Individual Details

Benjamin NORTON

(1659 - 1733)

Events

Birth1659Dukes, New York, British America
MarriageBef 1685Edgartown, Dukes, Massachusetts, United States - Hannah BOLTER
Death1733
DeathNov 1733 - Dec 1734Edgartown, Dukes, Massachusetts Bay, British America
MarriageAft 1733Avis STANTON
Occupationfarmer

Families

SpouseHannah BOLTER (1662 - 1733)
ChildBenjamin NORTON (1686 - )
ChildNicholas NORTON (1687 - 1755)
ChildPhineas NORTON (1689 - 1751)
ChildPriscilla NORTON (1691 - )
ChildJacob NORTON (1693 - )
ChildMatthew NORTON (1696 - 1779)
ChildZaccheus NORTON (1699 - 1734)
ChildSarah NORTON (1701 - )
SpouseAvis STANTON ( - )
FatherNicholas NORTON (1610 - 1690)
MotherElizabeth [wife of Benjamin Norton] [UNKNOWN] (1612 - 1690)
SiblingBenjamin NORTON (1659 - 1733)
SiblingIsaac NORTON (1641 - 1723)
SiblingJacob NORTON (1643 - )
SiblingElizabeth NORTON (1646 - )
SiblingHannah NORTON (1648 - )
SiblingJoseph NORTON (1651 - 1741)
SiblingSarah NORTON (1665 - )
SiblingMary NORTON (1666 - )
SiblingPriscilla NORTON (1666 - )
SiblingRuth NORTON (1667 - )
SiblingHester NORTON (1668 - )

Notes

Marriage

See my Notes regarding Marriage of Benjamin Norton, saved in Zotero

Did she marry Benjamin Norton?

Opinions differ on whether the Hampton Hannah or the Weymouth Hannah married Benjamin Norton. It is notable that the marriage occurred in Edgartown, Dukes County, a substantial journey from either Hampton or Weymouth. Accordingly, one has to provide some plausible reason for the connection between the two. In the case of the Hampton Hannah, the connection would be property. Her grandfather, Richard Swain, was one of the ten original shareholders in the purchase of Nantucket from Thomas Mayhew. On 6 July 1663, Swain deeded a portion of his shares to Nathaniel Boulter, Hannah’s father.[6] Nathaniel never moved to Nantucket and there seems to be no record of the disposition of his shares. It is possible that the share was passed through Hannah in the form of a dowry. In the case of the Weymouth Hannah, the connection would be through family and friends. Benjamin’s father, Nicholas, resided in Weymouth before relocating to Dukes County. [7]

Torrey’s index to marriages cites two sources: Banks Genealogy of Martha’s Vineyard and Chamberlain’s History of Weymouth.

Banks wrote: “BENJAMIN NORTON b. 1659; res. Edgartown, farmer. He m Hannah ____ of whose identity nothing is known nor the date of her birth or death.” [8]

Chamberlain wrote: “Hannah Bolter, dau of Thomas Bolter and Experience Aldrich, b 30 Nov 1662, m ___ Norton.” [9]

From these two sources, Torrey renders a qualified claim: “NORTON, Benjamin (-1659) & Hannah [?Bolter]; by 1685; Edgartown .” [10] He regards it as uncertain that the bride was named Bo(u)lter at all.

Some have cited an article by Rutherford as proof that Benjamin Norton married the Weymouth Hannah. However, the credibility of the article is undermined by a serious factual mistake. He states his understanding that "Bolter" and "Boulter" are variant spellings of the same name. He then asserts that Richard Bolter of Weymouth, made a freeman in 1653, “is the earliest member of this family found in Massachusetts.” [11] This claim ignores the fact that Nathaniel Boulter of Hampton, Norfolk County arrived in 1642 and owned property by 1644. This suggests that Rutherford was unaware of the Hampton Bolters, rendering it impossible for him to exclude the Hampton Hannah as the wife of Benjamin Norton. On the other hand, his claim that the Weymouth Hannah married Benjamin Norton [12] is phrased in the context of her father’s will. Further research has revealed the will for Thomas Bolter of Weymouth in which he mentions his oldest daughter, Hannah Norton. [13] Although her husband's name is not given, it seems reasonable to conclude that it was the Weymouth Hannah Bolter who married Benjamin Norton.

[6] Anderson, vol 6, p. 612
[7] Cox and Chamberlain, History of Weymouth, vol 4, p 445
[8] Banks, p 374
[9] Chamberlain, History of Weymouth, vol 3, p 124
[10] Torrey, vol 2, p 1101
[11] Rutherford, p. 255
[12] Rutherford, p. 257
[13] Massachusetts, Will and Probate Records, Will of Thomas Bolter of Weymouth; digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=9069: accessed 14 April 2017); Suffolk > Probate Records, Vol 7-8, 1636-1766, image 334, pp. 44-45, "Bolter's will".

Death

A Find-A-Grave record (memorial # 158196519) suggests that he died 9 Aug 1733. It also suggests two additional children--Avis and Elizabeth.

Endnotes

1. "New England Marriages to 1700 [Torrey]," database index with images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, AmericanAncestors (: accessed 21 May 2015), vol 2, p 1101 (citing Martha's Vineyard 3:374; Weymouth 3:124).

2. "Martha's Vineyard Genealogy," compilation of published genealogies, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Dukes County Genealogy (http://history.vineyard.net/gene.htm: accessed 21 May 2015), entry for 18 Benjamin Norton (http://history.vineyard.net/nortonb.htm), citing Charles Banks: v 3, pp 375-382.

3. Channing Harris Cox;George Walter Chamberlain, History of Weymouth, Massachusetts, 4 volumes (Weymouth, MA: Weymouth Historical Society, 1923), vol 4, p 445; searchable index to online page images, Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/search/db.aspx?dbid=21610 : accessed 15 April 2017).

4. Walter Whittlesey Norton, Some Descendants of John Norton of Branford, 1622-1709: with Notes and Dates of Other Emigrant Nortons, etc. (Lakeville, CT: The Journal Press, 1909), p. 49-52, genealogical sketch of Nicholas Norton; digital page images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/stream/somedescendantsof00nort : accessed 16 April 2017).

5. "New England Marriages to 1700 [Torrey]," database index with images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, AmericanAncestors (http://www.americanancestors.org/databases/torreys-new-england-marriages-to-1700/image/?pageName=1101&volumeId=21175&filterQuery=databasename:torrey: accessed 25 February 2016), vol 2, p 1101, "NORTON, Benjamin (1659-) & Hannah [?BOLTER]; by 1685"; citing Martha's Vineyard 3:374; Weymouth 3:124.

6. Homer V. Rutherford, "The Bolter Family of Weymouth, Braintree, Boston, and some Connections," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 133; digital page images, AmericanAncestors.org (https://www.americanancestors.org/DB202/i/11729/255/0 : accessed 14 April 2017).

7. Walter Whittlesey Norton, Some Descendants of John Norton of Branford, 1622-1709: with Notes and Dates of Other Emigrant Nortons, etc. (Lakeville, CT: The Journal Press, 1909), p. 49-52, genealogical sketch of Nicholas Norton; digital page images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/stream/somedescendantsof00nort : accessed 16 April 2017). gives only the name "Hannah".

8. Walter Whittlesey Norton, Some Descendants of John Norton of Branford, 1622-1709: with Notes and Dates of Other Emigrant Nortons, etc. (Lakeville, CT: The Journal Press, 1909), p. 49-52, genealogical sketch of Nicholas Norton; digital page images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/stream/somedescendantsof00nort : accessed 16 April 2017).

9. "Martha's Vineyard Genealogy," compilation of published genealogies, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Dukes County Genealogy (http://history.vineyard.net/gene.htm: accessed 21 May 2015), entry for 18 Benjamin Norton (http://history.vineyard.net/nortonb.htm), citing Charles Banks: v 3, pp 375-382.

10. Walter Whittlesey Norton, Some Descendants of John Norton of Branford, 1622-1709: with Notes and Dates of Other Emigrant Nortons, etc. (Lakeville, CT: The Journal Press, 1909), p. 49-52, genealogical sketch of Nicholas Norton; digital page images, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/stream/somedescendantsof00nort : accessed 16 April 2017).

11. "Martha's Vineyard Genealogy," compilation of published genealogies, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Dukes County Genealogy (http://history.vineyard.net/gene.htm: accessed 21 May 2015), entry for 18 Benjamin Norton (http://history.vineyard.net/nortonb.htm), citing Charles Banks: v 3, pp 375-382.