William Hallett (b.1616)

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As a means of introducing and providing a brief overview on William Hallett (b.1616), it's probably for the best that I leave it to James Riker, via an excerpt from "The Annals of Newtown":

Of course, there is much more to his fascinating life, and I will attempt to add details and insights below.

Born: 1616 

Died: 1706

Life:

William Hallett was born in 1616 in Dorsetshire England, to Richard Hallett (b.1588) and Agnes Alford, who were married on April 10, 1610. Richard is reported in multiple secondary sources to have died when William was anywehere from 8 to 12 years old. These citations most often list Richard's cause of death as "hanging" in 1628. There  does not appear to be any historical evidence to support this, and it is likely an example of historical fiction from Anya Seton's "The Winthrop Woman" crossing over and erroneously served up as fact. 

The following information on Richard Hallett (b.1588) was contributed by Bill Hallett of Florida, and is based on his research of primary source documents in England:

Richard Hallett and Agnes Alford were married on 10 April 1610 at South Perrott.  Recorded on the South Perrott Parish Register.

Richard Hallett did not die in 1628. He is noted in Lechford’s Notebook pages 109 and 110 as living in Bridport in 1637.  He is listed as an administrator of his brother William’s estate in 1656.  He is noted in his daughter Alice’s Will of 1671.

Richard Hallett had two brothers, William and Robert, and one sister, Christian. They were the children of William Hallett and Elizabeth Phippen, whose marriage was recorded at Whitchurch Cononicorum in 1578.    

Reports of William Hallett emigrating to America on the british ship Lyon in 1631/32 also appear to be erroneous, also based on references in the the novel "The Winthrop Woman" So while William Hallett's arrival in America has not been definitively documented, there is at least one record citing his presence in Bridgeport, Connecticut as early as 1644 and more definitively in 1647/48. Is it important to note that the 1644 citation has been called into question by historians.

So, in what year and on what ship William made his way to the New World remains a mystery. For theories on when and how William made it to New England, please click here.

An interesting account of William Hallett's activities in th 1650's and 1660's appears in an August 3rd, 1899 article in the Newtown Register, which details William's brief stint as "Schout" or Sherrif of Flushing under Peter Stuyvesant and his subsequent jailing for entertaining the Reverand William Wickendon of Rhode Island, and how the Land Grants and purchases came to be. The article can be found here: http://williamhallett.com/?attachment_id=219  – a link to the text of William's sentencing is published at this link in the Documents of the Senate of the State of New York Volume 14, and transcription of the remission of William's sentence can be found here:  http://williamhallett.com/?attachment_id=342

Marriages:

1. Elizabeth Fones Winthrop Feake Hallett (b.1610)

Children:

1. William Hallett (b.1648)

2. Samuel Hallett (b.1650)

2. Susanna Booth (Widow of William Thorne) after 1655, separated June 1669

3. Kattron ___________

4. Rebecca __________  (Widow of John Baylis) by 1686

Other Information:

Siblings of William Hallett (b.1616)

 

Primary Source Documents:

Underhill Gen 1:45; Foote-Robert Feke p.24-5; Letter of 12/9/1945 to General Delafield (filed with Hallett Genealogy, Queens Public Library Archives Room); NEHG 48:216; Underhill Gen 1:45; Riker – Annals of Newtown p.402; Jones Family Genealogy p 274, 277 – Queens Public Library Archives Room; NYGB 53:18; Doc of Colonial History 2:717; State Historian Report1897:182; Queens County Deeds A:44; B1:19,49; Newtown Records 2:266

Above: Translation of 1652 Land Grant, written in 1752. Click image to view.