The DENISON family of Bishop's Stortford, Roxbury and Stonington

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First Generation

JOHN DENISON of Bishop's Stortford (bu. 1582)

Parents: Unknown

John Denison was buried on 4 Dec 1582 in Bishop's Stortford. [Ref] He married Agnes Wylley on 11 May 1561 in Thorley, Hertfordshire. [Ref]

Children of John Denison and Agnes Wylley

1. William Denison was baptised on 3 Feb 1571/2 in Bishop's Stortford. He died on 25 Jan 1653/4 in Roxbury. He married Margaret Chandler.
2. Edward Denison is mentioned in the 26 Oct 1613 will of his stepfather John Wall. [Ref]

Second Generation

WILIAM DENISON (bp. 1572 - 1654) of Bishop's Stortford and Roxbury

Parents: John Denison and Agnes Wylley

William Denison was baptised on 3 Feb 1571/2 in Bishop's Stortford. [Ref] He died on 25 Jan 1653/4 in Roxbury. [Ref] He married Margaret Chandler. [Ref] She died on 3 Feb 1645/6 in Roxbury. [Ref]

William is mentioned in the 26 Oct 1613 will of his his stepfather John Wall. [Ref]

William and Margaret emigrated to New England in 1631. [Ref] Mr William Dennison is on the 3 Jul 1632 list of freemen. [Ref][Ref] A William Denison is on a 1634/1643 list of Roxbury goat owners. [Ref] He had 267 acres in Roxbury in 1634/43. [Ref] He was Representative to the General Court in 1635. [Ref] An adherent of Rev. John Wheelright, he was dismissed in 1637. [Ref]

Children of William Denison and Margaret Chandler:

1. William Denison
2. John Denison
3. George Denison
4. Maj. Gen. Daniel Denison died on 19 Sep 1682. [Ref] He mentions his wife Patience in his will, signed 18 Jul 1673. [Ref] He added codicils to his will on 28 Feb 1678 and 22 Dec 1680. [Ref] Inventory was taken on his estate on 17 Oct 1682; the amount was £2,105.13. [Ref]
   Mr. Daniel Denison is on the 1 Apr 1634 list of freemen.
5. Edward Denison of Roxbury wrote his will on 25 Apr 1668. He mentioned his wife Elizabeth. Inventory was taken on 13 May 1668 and amounted to £1,257.5 [Ref]
6. Sarah Denison
7. Capt. George Denison was born about 1621. He died on 23 Oct 1694 in Hartford. He married first Bridget Thompson. He married second Ann Borodel.

Third Generation

CAPT. GEORGE DENISON (abt 1621 - 1694) of Stonington

Parents: William Denison and Margaret Chandler

Capt. George Denison was born about 1621. He died on 23 Oct 1694 in Hartford, during a session of the General Court. [Ref] He was buried there and his gravestone says that he was 73 when he died. He married first Bridget Thompson [Ref] in Mar 1640/1. [Ref] She died in (6) 1643 in Roxbury. [Ref] He married second Ann Borodel. [Ref]

After George's first wife's death in 1643 he returned to England and fought in the Civil War. [Ref] He returned to New England about 1645, bringing with him his second wife, Ann, the daughter of John Borodel of Cork, Ireland. [Ref] He settled in Stonington in 1654. [Ref] He was distinguished as a leader in King Philip's War. [Ref]

George Denison is on the 10 May 1648 list of freemen. [Ref]

Mrs. Anne Denison attended the ordination of Rev. James Noyes as the first minister of the first church in Stonington on 10 Sep 1674. [Ref] Capt. Dennison was taken into full communion on 24 Aug 1684. [Ref]

He signed his will on 20 Nov 1693; it was proved in Jun 1695. [Ref] In his will he says that he is "aged and crazy in body, but sound in mind and memory." [Ref] He mentions his wife Ann; he leaves large amounts of land to his sons William, John and George. He mentions his daughters Sarah Stantion, Hannah Stanton, Ann Palmer, Margaret Brown and Borodel Stanton. He left his grandson George Palmer 100 acres of land. He says that his wife is from Cork and mentions her father John Borodel. He also mentions his son William's wife Sarah, his loving friend Mr. James Noyes and his son-in-law Gershom Palmer. [Ref]

Children of George Denison and one of his two wives:

1. John Denison married Phebe Lay. [Ref, 15;122]
   In his will, John's father refers to him as his eldest son and left him his "great sword and the gauntlet which [he] wore in the wars of England." [Ref]
   John Dennison was admitted to the first church in Stonington on 29 Jul 1677. [Ref] His wife Phebe was baptised and admitted on 14 Oct 1677. [Ref]
   some descendants of John Denison
   
2. George Denison married Mercy Gorham. [Ref] Mercy was the daughter of Capt. John Gorham and Desire Howland.
   In his will, his father reprimands him for selling land that he gave him without first formalising the deed. He says, "... what his reasons may be I cannot certainly divine, but have it to fear that they are not good or tending to peace after my decease." [Ref]
   George Denison and his wife owned the covenant at the first church in Stonington on 18 Apr 1689. [Ref] Marcy, the wife of George Denison, was admitted to the first church in Stonington on 8 Jun 1690. [Ref] George and Mercy lived in Westerly, RI. [Ref]
   some descendants of George Denison
   
3. Sarah Denison was born on 20 (1) 1641 in Roxbury. [Ref] She married Unknown Stanton.
4. Hannah Denison was born on 20 (3) 1643 in Roxbury. [Ref] She married Capt. Joseph Saxton.
   some descendants of Hannah Denison
   
5. Margaret Denison was born about 1657, probably in New London. [Ref, p. 17] She died on 5 May 1741 in Barrington. [Ref, p. 17] She married James Brown on 5 Jun 1678 in Swansea. [Ref, p. 17]

Children of George Denison and Ann Borodel:

1. William Denison married Sarah Unknown. In his will, his father refers to Ann Borodel as his mother. [Ref]
   some descendants of William Denison
2. Ann Denison married Dea. Gershom Palmer.
3. Borodel Denison

Fourth Generation

ANN DENISON (1649 - 1694)

Parents: Capt. George Denison and Ann Borodel [Ref, p. 33]

Ann Denison was born on 20 May 1649. [Ref, p. 33] She died in 1694 in Stonington. [Ref, p. 33] She married Dea. Gershom Palmer on 28 Nov 1667. [Ref][Ref, p. 495][Ref, p. 33][Ref, entry for William Palmer, "week of 26" Nov]

She is buried in the ancient cemetery in Stonington; her gravestone says: Ann/PALMER. [Ref]

References

Champlin, J. D., Jr., "Ancient Burial Ground at Stonington, Ct.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 13, 1859, 23 - 29.

Lainhart, Ann Smith and Robert S. Wakefield, Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, v. 23 (Family of John Howland), Plymouth, General Society of Mayflower Descendants, 2006.

Editors, "Abstract of the Will of Daniel Denison," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 8, 1854.

Editors, "Early Records of Roxbury," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 2, 1848.

Editors, "New England Chronology," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 3, 1853, p. 341; 8, 1854, pp. 18-22.

Editors, "Will of George Denison - 1693," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 13, 1859, 73 - 77.

Charles M. Ellis, Esq., trans. "Early Records of Roxbury," New England Historical and Genealogical Society 2, 1848, 52-4.

Davis, William Proud, "Gorham Families of Yarmouth," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 52, 1898, 357-360.

Fiske, William Wyman, "John Wall of Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, Third Husband of Agnes (Wylley) (Denison) (Gace) Wall," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 158, 2004, 361-363.

Leavitt, Emily Wilder, Groups of Palmer Families from Walter Palmer of Charlestown and Rehoboth, Mass., Stonington, Conn., Privately printed by David Clapp & Sons, Boston, MA, 1901.

Moriarty, G. Andrews, "Ancestry of William Chandler of Roxbury, Mass.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 85, 1931, 133 -.

No Author, History of the First Congregational Church, Stonington, Conn., 1674-1874 with the Report of the Bi-centennial Proceedings, June 3, 1874, Richard A. Wheeler, T. A. David and Co., Norwich, 1875.

Pulsifer, David, trans., "Records of Boston," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, various issues.

Starr, Frank Farnsworth, "Marriages Performed by Daniel Wetherell in New London County, Conn.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register 50, 1896, 485.

Torrey, Clarence Almon, "Alice (Freeman) (Tompson) Parke," The American Genealogist 13, 1936, 1-8.

Torry, Clarence A., New England Marriages Prior to 1700, Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004.

Trask, William, "Abstracts from the Earliest Wills on Record in the County of Suffolk, Mass.," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, various issues.

Walworth, Reuben, "Mason Family", New England Historical and Genealogical Register 15, 1861, 117 - 122, 217-224, 318 - 320.

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