- ABOVE PHOTO: Current-day view from Biddenden, Kent, England, United Kingdom, birthplace of Nathaniel.
Nathaniel Stedman (1632-1678) & Temperance Willis 1648-1793 )
From: "John B. Lisle" <jbl@tqsi.com> Subject: [STEDMAN] The problem of Nathaniel Stedmanfrm "John B. Lisle"
Let me start my providing you with the presumed facts and then try to piece together some theories....
One of the original founding Stedman families in America is the family of Isaac Stedman, originally of Biddenden, Kent, England who came to America on the Ship Elizabeth in 1636 and settling in Scituate, MA. He arrived with his wife Elizabeth and sons Isaac and Nathaniel.
Nathaniel was baptized in Biddenden on 9 September 1632. We assume that he moved from Scituate to Muddy River (now Brookline) in 1650.
He married Sarah Hammond, daughter of Thomas Hammond and Elizabeth Cason in Hingham, MA, about 1655. They had daughters Elizabeth Stedman, born about1655, and Sarah Stedman born about 1657.[Note: Elizabeth is not the Elizabeth Stedman who married Thomas Dunk in Saybrook, CT. That was the widow of Lt. John Stedman of Wethersfield, CT,who died in King Philip's war in December 1675. She was his second wife and her maiden name was Elizabeth Blackleach.]
Nathaniel Stedman had three or four additional children: Nathaniel, born between 1665 and 1670, Hannah born 1665-1667 and Mary born about 1669; and maybe a Michael Stedman.
Sarah Hammond died before 1675 (based on her father's will - see below). No record of the exact date of her death has been found.
Nathaniel married Temperance Willis (Wills), baptized 13 Feb 1648 in Cambridge, daughter of Michael Willis and Mildred Wells (or maybe Ann Woods). I have seen no evidence to suggest that she was not born near to that time, although some references give 1636 as the date of her birth.
The commonly ascribed date of her marriage to Nathaniel Stedman is "1664". I have never found a source for that date and believe it to be an estimated date based on the birth dates of the children commonly assigned to her.I have located a source for another date of Nathaniel Stedman and Temperance Willis' marriage as being 27 Jan 1677/78. It is in the Boyd Patterson Ancestry (1967) by H. Minot Pittman, FASG, and Katherine Patterson Boyd Hunt. This book is held by the NEHGS (s-640F/A.123).
Nathaniel died 10 November 1678 in Muddy River or Boston, leaving a widow Temperance for whom we have no record of her death or re-marriage. And some number of children. He did not leave a will. A number of Isaac's family died that year. Isaac died 19 Dec 1678; Isaac,Jr. may have died in November 1678; Thomas Hammond, Jr., husband of Isaac's daughter Elizabeth died 20 October 1678. Maybe other family members that cannot be further traced also died at this time.
I can find no record of a marriage or death for Elizabeth or Sarah. Maybethey died in the 1678 diseases? The record of the land they inherited from their grandfather May tell us something.
Mary married David Stowell on 6 April 1692 in Cambridge and died 27 Sept1724. The record of her descendants is long - and poorly documented;however, she is thought to be an ancestor of Richard King of Maine and Rufus King of New York. I am looking for data on this family.
Her sister Hannah married Robert Murdock on 28 April 1692 in Roxbury. She died about 17 August 1727 in Newton and was the matriarch of a large family that has been well documented.Her brother Nathaniel seems to have died, unmarried about 1703.
Nothing is known of Michael; however, based on his name, it would seem likely that he was the son of Temperance as Michael was her father's nameand Michael is not an otherwise popular name in the Stedman family. [In fact, among my records, I have only one other Michael Stedman and I believe that he is a subscriber to this list.] He may have died young.
Straightening out this family has been a particular interest to me and several other researchers, mostly descendants of Robert Murdock or David Stowell.Recently, I have found a transcription of the will of Thomas Hammond:HISTORY AND GENEALOGIES OF THE HAMMOND FAMILIES IN AMERICA With an Account of the Early History of the Family in Normandy and Great Britain. 1000-1902
BY FREDERICK STAM HAMMOND, VOL. II.ONEIDA, N. Y., RYAN & BURKHART, PRINTERS. 1904
"He died in 1675, leaving an unsigned will which was admitted to probate, a copy of which is given below. It is found in Middlesex Probate, No. 7160.
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1630 - 1678 (48 år)
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