Henry Howland (1564 - bef. 1635)

Born 1564 in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 17 May 1635 before age 71 in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England

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Henry Howland is currently protected by the Puritan Great Migration Project for reasons described in the narrative. Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: PGM

Father of three Great Migration immigrants. Project protected because of a common error in his ancestry. His parents are unknown. This profile has been updated to current research as of 2015. Please do not make significant changes without reading the errors section.

Biography

Name and Origins

Name: Henry Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire (now Cambridgeshire), England.^[1]

Orthographic variations found in Cambridgeshire are as follows: Howland, Hawlan, Howlin, Howlen, Howlyn, Howlat, Howlet, Howlett, Houlet, Howlyng, Howlleyng, Howllinge, Howling, Howlinge, Holeng, Holyng, and Howling.

Disputed origins: Note that he is not the son of John Howland and Emma Revell, as previously stated on this profile. It is a common error found on the internet. Please see this G2G discussion for more information.

Henry Howland of Fenstanton is the father of Mayflower passenger John Howland, as well as Great Migration immigrants Arthur Howland and Henry Howland. It had long been known that these three immigrants were brothers, and they were also the brothers of Humphrey and Simon Howland from the will of Humphrey Howland, who named his brothers "Arthur, Henry and John, who are in New England." In 1937, it was discovered by researching the apprentice records of the Draper Company of London that the father of all these Howlands was Henry Howland of Fenstanton.^[2][3]

The area around Fenstanton has been extensively searched, but no proof has been found to extend his ancestry. The parish registers for Fenstanton do not begin until 1612, with a few Bishop's transcripts beginning in 1604.^[4] In fact, no evidence has been found at all of a Howland family in Fenstanton before this Henry. Howland families have been found in nearby Horningsea, Ely, Great Shelford, and Little Shelford, all in Cambridgeshire. All these families used the name Henry, making it impossible to attach Henry Howland of Fenstanton to any of these families with certainty.^[1]

Birth

Born: About 1565, possibly in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England.^[5][6][7]

The date is a rough estimate based on his estimated marriage date of about 1590; he could have been born a few years before or after this date. Fenstanton is his only known residence, though a careful search has failed to prove the presence of any Howland family in Fenstanton before this Henry. It is actually more likely he was born in one of the nearby parishes in Huntingdonshire and Cambridgeshire, where there were Howlands.

Marriage and Children

Married: Margaret Unknown, about 1590. Her first name is known from the Fenstanton parish records; no hints have been found regarding her LNAB. She was buried on 31 July 1629, at Fenstanton.

There is a possibility that Henry Howland had a first wife, Anne.^[8][9] His son Humphrey Howland bequeathed to his daughter Anne all the pewter marked A.H., which had belonged to her grandmother. However, reading Humprey Howland’s will more closely, the initials “A.H.” were probably because he was giving the items to his daughter Anne Howland, and he himself had gone around and affixed an “A.H.” label on them to identify what belonged to her; it was probably not meant to suggest her grandmother’s initials “A.H.” had been engraved into the silver.

Children of Henry and Margaret Howland:

They had six known sons and one daughter. All six sons were made apprentices in London. The birth dates are all estimates based on dates of marriage, dates of apprenticeships, and presumed order of birth from wills. These are the dates used by noted Mayflower researcher Caleb Johnson in his analysis of the family.^[1]

1. Arthur Howland. Born about 1591. The birth date is a very rough estimate based on the fact that he had a child by 1616. He was named in the will of his brother, Humphrey Howland. He was still in London in May 1639 but appeared in Duxbury, Massachusetts, by 6 August 1640. He was buried on 30 October 1675, at Marshfield, Massachusetts. He married Grace, buried on 4 December 1635, at St. Giles Cripplegate, London. He married second, Margaret. She died on 22 January 1682/83, at Marshfield.
2. George Howland. Born about 1593. The birth date is a rough estimate. He was buried on 10 February 1643/44, at St. Dunstan in the East, London, a merchant and singleman.
3. Humphrey Howland. Born say 1595, based on the apprenticeship of 1613. He married Margaret Calvert at St. Mary Matfellon, Whitechapel, on 21 November 1622. He married his second wife, Anne _____, on October 1636. His will was written on May 28, 1646, and proved on July 10, 1646. Anne was buried on 20 December 1653, at Barking, Essex, England.
4. John Howland. Born say 1598, based on being old enough to sign the Mayflower Compact; being an apprentice in 1620 to John Carver; and marrying about 1623. He died on 23 February 1672/73, at Rocky Nook, Plymouth, Massachusetts. He married at Plymouth, about 1623, Elizabeth, daughter of John and Joan (Hurst) (Rogers) Tilley.
5. Henry Howland. Born say 1600, based on probable marriage around 1624; died 1 January 1670/71, Duxbury, Massachusetts.
6. Margaret Howland. Born say 1602. She married Richard Phillips, shoemarker, at Fenstanton on 26 April 1623.
7. Simon Howland. Baptized on 19 August 1604, at Fenstanton, Huntingdon, England. He was the only child whose baptism record existed. He was buried on 3 October 1636, at St. Mary Magdelen, Bermondsey. He married Anne Weber on 1 April 1632, at St. Mary Magdelen, Bermondsey.

Life in Fenstanton

Using manorial, church, and probate records (in the absence of any available parish registers), there appears to be no evidence for any Howland family residing in Fenstanton prior to Henry. It would seem likely that Henry moved to Fenstanton from some other location.^[1]

In one of the few surviving manorial records for Fenstanton, a view of frankpledge was held by court baron William Compton on 7 October 1614. Henry Howland is referenced twice. First, as Henry "Hawlan," along with John Ashwood. He was presented for having taken "one scabious horse" to the common field on 7 May 1614, against the orders of the last manorial court, so he was fined 5 shillings. A "scabious" horse might suggest a horse with mange, caused by mites; bringing it to the common field could potentially spread this disease to other horses. Later in the same frankpledge, Henry "Howlin," along with John Martyn, were asked to scour their streams (overflowings) leading from the street as far as the place called 'the Greene,' sometime before the feast of St. Martin. Failure to do so could result in a fine of 6 shillings 8 pences (6s 8d).^[10] Neither appears to have been fined in the subsequent manorial court, so presumably they performed this required action.^[1] 

Henry Howlin is also mentioned twice in the churchwarden accounts for the parish church of Fenstanton, taken in 1630, the year after his wife's burial. He was paid sixpence (6d) by churchwardens Edward Christian and John Woodward for "moweinge thistles in the greene." He was then also paid 8 pence (8d) for an unspecified reason, although it was enumerated under the subheading "Willowes," so it may have been for trimming the church's willow trees.^[1][11]

Death and Burial

Henry Howland died in May 1635 and was buried on 17 May 1635, at Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, England.^[4][12]

The entry in the burial record of Fenstanton for Henry Howland says, "Buryalls Anno Dm 1635... Henry Howland Maye the 17."^[13]

Notes

• Fenstanton is the usual spelling for the parish. It can also be found commonly in older records as Fenny Stanton and Fen Stanton.

• Fenstanton is about 1-2 miles south of St. Ives, near Huntingdon, in the area northwest of Cambridge. Huntingdonshire no longer existed after 1974.

• In 1963, the John Howland Society of Plymouth, MA, erected a bronze tablet in the Fenstanton Church. It said in the following words, "'In memory of HENRY HOWLAND who was buried in the churchyard of this parish on 17th May 1635 - Father of John Howland a pilgrim to America on the Mayflower 1620.' Erected by the Pilgrim John Howland Society 17th May 1966."

• Identification: The first origins theory came from a document a descendant brought from England over in the 1830s. This theory and document, which was widely accepted and unchallenged, said that John Howland, citizen of London, baptized on 10 August 1541, married Emme, daughter of Nicholas Revell, citizen and grocer of London, and that it was his son, John Howland, who was the Mayflower passenger. This is still the source for many errors found on the internet.

• This was finally disproved and repudiated in the NEHGR in 1880, when it was shown that the son John had died unmarried in London, and so, of course, he was not the Mayflower passenger.^[14]

• At this time, researchers were aware of the will of Humphrey Howland, which is the key proof that Arthur, Henry, and John Howland of New England were his brothers. In 1937, it was discovered by researching the apprentice records of the Draper Company of London that the father of all these Howlands was Henry Howland of Fenstanton.^[15][16]

• The Will of Humphrey Howland is actually the key document that ties the Howland family of Fenstanton together.^[17] It was made on 28 May 1646, and was proved on 10 July 1646. He names:

• Wife: Anne.
• Daughters: Anne, Mary, and Sarah Howland.
• Brothers: Arthur, John, and Henry Howland all (by inference) in New England.
• Sister: Margaret Phillips

DNA

Confirmed DNA results through the Big Y-500 (original Big Y) test, Big Y-700 test, and Y Elite test reveal that Henry Howland of Fenstanton's haplogroup and SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) is R-A9703. His haplotree line is R-M269 >> R-U106 >> R-Z8 > R-Z1 > R-Z344 > R-Z6 > R-A96 > R-S10415 > R-A9701 > R-A9703 > R-A9708.^[18] For additional information, see The Howland (Y-DNA) page of the Mayflower DNA Project and The Howland DNA Project.

At the R-S10415 level, the Howlands match with several other surnames, for example, Wing, Baldwin, Foate, Mayberry, Hadley, and Rogers. At the R-A9701 level, Howland and Rogers separate themselves from all these other surnames because Howland and Rogers share one mutation, A9701, but at the R-A9703 level, Howland separates themselves from Rogers. Finally, at the R-A9708 level, the Howlands of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, separate from the Howlands of County Kent because the Howlands of County Kent test negative at one mutation, A9708.

The haplogroup of R-A9708 belongs to the patrilineal descendants of Henry Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, who share just one mutation, so the haplogroup of R-A9703 belongs to two groups: the patrilineal descendants of Henry Howland of Fenstanton and the patrilineal descendants of the Howlands of County Kent, because both groups are sharing the same mutations at the R-A9703 level. The age of the R-A9703 haplogroup is older than the age of the R-A9708 haplogroup.

The R-A9703 haplogroup's two earliest known ancestors are Henry Howland of Fenstanton (abt. 1564–1635) and James Howland of Charing (1764–1847) in Kent County, England. However, James Howland of Charing is not the direct patrilineal descendant of Henry Howland of Fenstanton, but James Howland of Charing is descended from one of Henry Howland of Fenstanton's patrilineal ancestors at some level. James Howland of Charing's patrilineal ancestors are unknown, and his ancestral home is in Kent, but we are researching his ancestry.

The parentage of Arthur Howland, John Howland, and Henry Howland, Jr. has been confirmed by SNP testing by Howard Howland, Anonymous Howland, and two testers, the descendants of Arthur Howland, Frank Howland, and one tester, the descendants of Henry Howland, Jr., and two testers, the descendants of John Howland. The results show that they share one unique SNP and are therefore all-male lineal descendants of Henry Howland Sr. They have tested positive for one Y-DNA SNP, which is identified as A9708 on the R-A9708 block level on the Y haplotree.^[19]

This unique SNP, R-A9708, occurs sometime before the birth of Henry Howland of Fenstanton, and it is passed to his sons and their male descendants; however, there are more unique SNPs that occur sometime after the births of Arthur, John, and Henry Howland individually in their descendants' Y-DNA.

More DNA testing can discover other SNPs that are unique to the descendants, tracing the Y-DNA to one of three Howland sons in America. We hope to recruit additional Howlands for further SNP testing. Anyone interested in submitting their Y-DNA should review the information at Howland (Y-DNA) under the Mayflower DNA project and Howland DNA project under Family Tree DNA.

Common Errors to Avoid

Incorrect parents: He is not the son of John Howland and Emma Revell, as is sometimes said.

Incorrect conflation: John Henry Howland is the result of conflating two different men, John Howland, the son of John Howland and Emme Revell, and Henry Howland of Fenstanton. He is a fictional son of John and Emme (Revell) Howland. It becomes a common mistaken belief.

Henry Howland of Ely: He is not identical with Henry Howland of Ely, as is sometimes said. Henry Howland of Ely married Alice Ayers on 26 April 1600, in Ely, Cambridgeshire. They had two known children: John, baptized in 1603, and Henry, baptized in 1604. The names and dates made them good candidates to be the parents of the New England immigrants for many years. However, it has been shown that this was an entirely different Henry Howland, who was buried on 27 May 1621, in Ely.^[1]

Incorrect marriage date: The marriage date of 26 April 1600 previously on this profile comes from the mistaken belief that Henry Howland of Fenstanton was the same person as Henry Howland of Ely.^[1]

Incorrect marriage date: The marriage date of 26 April 1590 previously on this profile comes from the erroneous combination of the estimated marriage date of 1590 and the marriage date of 26 April 1600 from the registers of St. Mary's Church in Ely. It becomes a mistaken belief. Also, see more information just above at the "incorrect marriage date" of 26 April 1600.

Incorrect name of wife: The name of his wife as Alice Ayers comes from the mistaken belief that Henry Howland of Fenstanton was the same person as Henry Howland of Ely.^[1][20]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8} Johnson, Caleb H. "Henry Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire: Father of Mayflower Passenger John Howland". Available at The Pilgrim John Howland Society website (2015). Link to online PDF.
2. ↑ Howland Quarterly Magazine, The Pilgrim John Howland Society, vol. 1, no. 3 (January 1937): 1. Ancestry of the Pilgrim John Howland.
3. ↑ Torrey, Clarence Almon. "The Howland Ancestry," in The American Genealogist, vol. 14, (1937–8): 214–215.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Parish registers of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, covering baptisms, marriages, and burials, 1612–1739, Huntingdon Archives HP 27/1/1/1 [hereafter Fenstanton Parish Registers]. Also available on FHL #1040984, Item 10.
5. ↑ Davis, William Goodwin. The Ancestry of Annis Spear, 1775-1858, of Litchfield, Maine. (1945), p. 103. Text: "Henry Howland of Fenny Stanton, co. Huntington, was born in the latter half of the sixteenth century."
6. ↑ Christensen, Grace Hildy Croft. The Benson Family: Descendants of Isaac Benson and Mary Bumpas, and Allied Families: Archer, Bumpas, Howard, Knapp, Lewis, Luce, Meech, Milks, Potter, Reynolds, Waite, Whipple, Williams, Et Al. 2d Ed. United States, n.p. (1973), p. 681. Text: Henry Howland, b. abt. 1564
7. ↑ "The Connecticut Nutmegger," vol. 14 (1981), p. 445. Text: Henry Howland b.... ca. 1564.
8. ↑ Cherry, Lina Vandegrift Denison. Ancestry of My Three Children: Lewis Williamson Cherry, George Denison Cherry, Carolyn Vandegrift (Cherry) McDonnell. United States, n.p., 1945, p. 315.
9. ↑ Gilbert, Hilah Scott. Ancestors of Heather J. Gilbert, Susan Scott Gilbert and Allyn Ellsworth Gilbert, Jr. Chrisman, Illinois: unknown, 1963. p. 29, subscription required. (No free image is available.)
10. ↑ Manorial Court Roll for Fenstanton, 1614, Huntingdon Archives, HMR7. Howland was not found referenced in the Fenstanton rentals of 1591 or 1616, nor in the manorial court rolls of 1617–1621. He was also not listed in the terriers for town lands 1632–1644 (HP27/25/2/1), nor on the receipt of inhabitants for 1633 (HP27/25/2/2), nor in any apprenticeship records (HP27/14/1-2).
11. ↑ Churchwarden accounts for Fenstanton, 1630. Huntingdon Archives, HP27/5/2. No record of Howland was found in the 1627 churchwarden accounts, which also survive.
12. ↑ Huntingdonshire: Fen Stanton: St Peter and St Paul: Register of unspecified type: "Parish Register" database, FreeREG (https://www.freereg.org.uk/search_records/58180251e93790ec75a7aa38: viewed 19 Nov 2022) burial Henry Hewland 17 May 1635.
13. ↑ "England, Huntingdonshire Parish Registers", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:WQC6-WP2M: 11 February 2021), Henry Howland, 1635.
14. ↑ New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 34, no. 2 (April 1880): pages 192-194. "A Sketch of the Howlands," by L.M. Howland.
15. ↑ Howland Quarterly Magazine, The Pilgrim John Howland Society, vol. 1, no. 3 (January 1937): 1. Ancestry of the Pilgrim John Howland.
16. ↑ Torrey, Clarence Almon. "The Howland Ancestry," in The American Genealogist, vol. 14 (1937–8): pages 214–215.
17. ↑ Davis, Walter Goodwin. The Ancestry of Annis Spear, 1775–1858, of Litchfield, Maine. (Portland, Me.: Southworth-Anthoensen Press, 1945): pages 103–107.
18. ↑ General Society of Mayflower Descendants. "Mayflower: Official Project of General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD)." FamilyTreeDNA, FamilyTreeDNA.com, 2019, www.familytreedna.com/groups/mayflowersociety/about. Mayflower DNA Project - Y-DNA Colorized Chart.
19. ↑ Family TreeDNA. Howland DNA Project. (https://www.familytreedna.com/groups/Howland/about: accessed 25 Feb 2020).
20. ↑ The Howland Quarterly, The Pilgrim John Howland Society, vol. 28, no. 1. (October 1963), p. 4 FamilySearch Book: 382129.

Footnotes and citations:

Source list:

• Howland Quarterly Magazine, The Pilgrim John Howland Society, vol. 1 no. 3 (January 1937): 1. Ancestry of the Pilgrim John Howland.

• Torrey, Clarence Almon. "The Howland Ancestry," in The American Genealogist, vol 14, (1937-8): pages 214-215. AmericanAncestors.org Link

• Robert S. Wakefield & Robert M. Sherman, "Henry Howland of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1633, His Children and His Grandchildren," in NGS Quarterly, 75 (June 1987): 105-113.

• The Pilgrim John Howland Society website.

• Johnson, Caleb H. "Henry Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire: Father of Mayflower Passenger John Howland". Available at The Pilgrim John Howland Society website (2015). Link to online PDF.

• Robert S. Wakefield & Robert M. Sherman, "Henry Howland of Duxbury, Massachusetts, 1633, His Children and His Grandchildren," in NGS Quarterly, 75 (June 1987): 105-113.

• New England Historical and Genealogical Register, vol. 34 no. 2 (April 1880): pages 192-194. "A Sketch of the Howlands," by L.M. Howland. AmericanAncestors.org Link Archive.org Link Google Books Link

• Howland, Franklyn. A Brief Genealogical and Biographical History of Arthur, Henry, and John Howland and their Descendants. (New Bedford, Mass., 1885). Archive.org Link Ancestry.com Link

• Davis, Walter Goodwin. The Ancestry of Annis Spear, 1775-1858, of Litchfield, Maine. (Portland, Me.: Southworth-Anthoensen Press, 1945): pages 103-107. HathiTrust.org Link

See also:

• G2G discussion of his origins. Who was the father of Henry Howland Sr, father of Plymouth Colony Howlands?

• Find A Grave Memorial# 48356201