Bennett Eliot (abt. 1562 - bef. 1621)

Born about 30 Oct 1562 in Widford, Hertfordshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Letteye (Aggar) Eliot — married 30 Oct 1598 in St. John Baptist, Widford, Hertfordshire, England

Descendants

Died before 21 Nov 1621 before about age 59 in Nazeing, Essex, England

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A recent series of articles, by William Wyman Fiske, published in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 2007 and 2008, traces the Ancestry of Bennett Eliot. Bennett Elliot was the father of seven Puritan Great Migration immigrants.^[1] For the ease of other researchers with access to this Journal:

2006 NEHGR 161:85-91 The first two parts contain explanations and evidence for the pedigree.

2006 NEHGR 161:186-198

2006 NEHGR 161:250-259 The Genealogical Summary begins with Bennet's great-grandfather William on 161:250. Bennet's grandfather, Thomas begins at 161:252

2007 NEHGR 162:65-72 Bennet's father, Simon is on 162:72

2007 162:128-139 Bennet begins at 162:135

Biography

Bennett Eliot (name is spelled "Eliot" by Robert C. Anderson in Great Migration Begins) ^[2] Other variations: Bennett Elliot, Elyot, was identified as a "Yeoman" in his will. ^[3]

Origin

Bennet (aka Benedict) Eliot was the son of Simon Eliot and Jane ____. ^[4] A court roll definitively identifies him as the son of Simon Eliot and his widow, Jane (______) (Eliot) Adams. 3 May 1580. John Adams and Jane his wife and Benedict Elliott son of Jane appeared in court records concerning land that Benedict inherited from his father, Simon. ^[5]

Family

Bennett married 30 October 1598 at St. John the Baptist, Widford, Hertfordshire, England to Lettice Aggar. ^[6][7] Lettice was buried on March 26, 1620 at Nazing, Essex. ^[8]

Children of Bennett and Lettice:^[8][7]

1. Sarah Elliot mar 6 Aug 1618 to William Curtis, came to Roxbury
2. Philip Elliot eldest son, mar c. 1621 Elizabeth Unknown, came to NE
3. John Elliot (probably) bpt 6 Feb 1602/3, bur 18 Feb 1602/3
4. Jacob Elliot mar Margery Unknown
5. John Elliot bpt 5 Aug 1604; mar Ann Mumford/Mountford/Mountfort
6. Lydia Elliot bpt 1 July 1610, came to NE
7. Francis Elliot bpt April 10, 1615; mar Mary Saunders
8. Mary Elliot bpt Mar 11, 1620/1; mar as his 2nd, Ed Payson (or John Smith, according to Hall) ^[7]

Sarah, wife of Nicholas Camp, is sometimes said to have been a daughter of Bennett Eliot. Bennett's will is often misinterpreted. It actually reads, my trusty and well-beloved friends, William Curtis, my son-in-law, Nicholas Camp the younger, and John Keyes ... When this is published without the all-important comma after son-in-law, it reads, friends William Curtis, my son-in-law Nicholas Camp ... With the comma included, it is plain to see that Eliot's son-in-law was William Curtis. ^[9] The parents of Sarah (Unknown) Camp have not been identified.

Nazeing

Bennett and his family removed to Nazeing in 1606.

Last Will & Testament of Bennet Eliot

Bennett Eliot's will was dated November 5, 1621 in Nazing and proved March 28, 1622. In it he made the following bequests: To son-in-law Wlliam Curtis, all rents from his lands in Ware, Widford, Hunsdon, Estweeke and Harford for eight years to pay to his son John Eliot £8 per year for his expenses at Cambridge University, ^[10] and to pay the rest towards the support of his youngest children, Francis, Jacob, Mary and Lydia. To son Francis, land called Crotwell Croft (2a.) and Coles Croft (1a.), land called Dameter in Great Hyfield, land in Little Westney (1.5a.) and land in Sowters Common Meade (.5a.) To son Jacob, tenement in Widford wit all lands belonging to it in Widford, Ware, Hunsdon and Eastwick To daughter Lydia, £50to be paid at age 18 To daughter Mary, £20to be paid at age 18 To goddaughter Mary Curtis, £3 All stock of cattle, corn and outdoor moveables to be sold for the support of his children To daughters Mary and Lydia, the chest in the yellow chamber To son Francis, four silver spoons given to him at his christening To Mary Curtis, five shillings to make a ring in remembrance of him To the three executors of his will, £10 annually for the support of his children for eighteen years. ^[11][12][3]

Death and Legacy

Bennett's burial was recorded thus: Ben'dt Eliot burled ye 21 of November [1621] at Nazeing, Essex, England ^[13] His will was dated 5 November 1621, but was not proved until March 28, 1628. ^[3] His burial was at All Saints Church, the Nazeing parish church on 21 November 1621. ^[14]. ^[15]

His will recorded in the Commisary Court of London Register for 1621-1626, dated Nov. 5, 1621 ; signed `Benedict' Eliot; mentions children, and provided money for maintenance of his son, John at Cambridge University. He was called `Yeoman.' Moved to Nazing in 1606.

He is described as a middle class farmer. ^[16] and on Cambridge University Jesus College's website as, a prosperous Essex yeoman. ^[17]

His wife, Lettice was buried 16 March 1619/20 at All Saints' Church, Nazeing, Essex, England.

Research Notes

Research_Notes: THE GENES OF ABRAHAM PARKER 1612-1685 by Tom Lawless, 1990. His will dated Nov. 5, 1621, was proved Mar 28, 1622. Mentioned in it were William Curtis, son-in-law (husband of Sarah), Philip, John, Jacob, Lydia, Francis and Mary. He was a holder of a great amount of land in England, with distribution in the will of 'lands and tenements, etc., in the parishes of Ware, Widford, Hunsdon and Estweek in the County of `Harford' (Hertfordshire)'.

Research_Notes: GENEALOGICAL AND FAMILY HISTORY OF THE STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE by Ezra S. Stearns, pub. 1908 by The Lewis Pub. Co., NY, Chicago, Vol. IV, p. 1746: Eliot- The name of Elliott, or Eliot, was evidently brought into England from France by a distinguised soldier in the Conqueror's army named Aliot. Branches of the family became distributed throughout England, and on the Scottish border and the river Eliot, or Elot, is said to have derived its name from one of these branches. The families in Devonshire and Cornwall generally spell their name Eliot, which those in Scotland use the double letters. The first of the name in America was the Rev. John Eliot, the distinguished missionary among the aboriginal inhabitants of Massachusetts, who translated the scriptures into their language. Robert Eliot was an early settler on Newcastle Island in Portsmouth harbor, but he had no male children.

Reasearch-Notes: The Ancestry of Bennet Eliot of Nazeing, Essex, Father of Seven Great Migration Immigrants to Massachusetts, is a problem that has interested New England genealogists for well over a century, especially because one of his children was the Rev. John Eliot, Apostle to the Indians. The author, William Wyman Fiske, found an original manorial court roll from 1580 that proved the parentage of Bennet Eliot. Additional research in wills in the Essex Record Office helped tie Bennet to the known Eliot family.----from NewEnglandAncestors.org

^[7]

Press. 1896, pp. 108-112

Rev. John Eliot, called the Apostle to the Indians, was born in England in 1604, probably in Widford, in Hertfordshire. In the Parish Register of the Church of St. John Baptist at Widford, his baptism is thus recorded: John Elliot the sonne of Bennett Elliot was baptized the fyfte daye of Auguste in the yeare of or Lord God, 1604. The baptism of his sister Sarah in 1599 , his brother Phillip in 1602, and his brother Jacob in 1606, are also recorded in this Parish Register. Among the marriages is this: Bennett Eliot and Letteye Aggar were married the 30th day of October, 1598.

Subsequent to 1606 and prior to 1610, the family doubtless removed, for in the Parish Register of the Church of All Saints in that Parish are recorded the baptisms of Lydia in 1610, of Francis in 1615, and of Mary in 1620. The Register also shows that in the churchyard are the graves, unmarked and unknown, of Letteye Eliot, who died in 1620, and Bennett Eliot, who died in 1621--the father and mother of our apostolic ancestor.

John Eliot is supposed to have descended from Sir William de Aliot, a nobleman who came to England with William the Conqueror in 1606. The Eliot name is prominent in English annals. The motto said to have been added by the Conqueror to the Eliot Arms, Per saxa, per ignes, fortiteret recte, wonderfully describes and illustrates the whole career of the Apostle [to the Indians].

Cutter, William Richard. NEW ENGLAND FAMILIES GENEALOGICAL AND MEMORIAL:3rd Series, Vol. IV . 1915. Reprint, Baltimore: GPC, 1996., p. 2203 Bennett Eliot, the English progenitor, lived at Widford, Hertfordshire, England, and married there, October 30, 1597, Lettice Aggar. Their first four children were baptized in the Church of St. John the Baptist at Widford, the others at Nazing, county Essex. He was buried at Nazing, November 21, 1621, and his wife was buried there March 16, 1620. Children: Sarah, baptized January 13, 1599; Philip, baptized April 25,1602; John, mentioned below; Jacob, baptized September 21, 1606; Lydia, baptized July 1, 1610; Francis, baptized April 10, 1615; Mary, baptized March 11, 1620.

Bacon, J. Dean. BACON AND ALLIED FAMILIES. Murray & Gee Inc., CulverCity, CA 1958., p. 157-9 The English ancestors of the American family are thought to trace from Normandy with "William the Conqueror." This recorded ancestry is particularly well established. It starts with the marriage record of Bennett Eliot and Letty Aggar in the Widford Parish Register thus: AnDo m 1598 Bennett Eliot and Lettye Aggar were married the xxxth of October An Sup Dicto. Widford is about twenty-five miles north of London, and four and one-half miles east of Ware, Hertfordshire. The Church of St. John Baptist,where the above record is found, is an ancient structure, parts of it are probably 800 years old. Charles Lamb was a frequent worshipper there. Pictures of the Church appear in The Eliot Genealogy.

They came from Nazing, Essex County, England to Roxbury, Massachusetts on the ship `Lyon' 1631 . The above ancestry is established from Vital Records, starting with the marriage record in Church of St. John Baptist, Widford, Hertfordshire, England, Parish Register `An Dom 1598 BENNETT ELIOT and LETTYE AGGAR were married the xxxth of October An Sup Dicto.'

She died March 16, 1621, Nazing, Essex County, England. The record of her burial at Nazeing is "Lettes Ellyot 16 March." (1620).

SARAH ELIOT, bapt. Jan. 13, 1599, Widford, Hertfordshire, England. Married William Curtis Aug . 8, 1618, Nazing, Essex County, England. Died March 27, 1673

COLONEL PHILIP ELIOT, bapt. April 25, 1602, Widford, Hertfordshire

REV. JOHN ELIOT, bapt. Aug. 5, 1604, Widford, Married Anne Mumford, 1632, Roxbury, Massachuset ts. Died May 20, 1690, Roxbury, Massachusetts. Cameto New England Nov. 2, 1631. The noted Apostle to the Indians. See "Descendants of John Eliot" by Emerson (1905).

JACOB ELIOT, bapt. Sept. 21, 1606, Widford, Married Margery d. May 9, 1661. Died Nov. 20, 165 1. Was Ruling Elder in Boston Church Sept. 13, 1649.

LYDIA ELIOT, bapt. July 1, 1610, Nazing, Essex County, England. Married James Penniman. (2) Thomas Wight Sept. 15, 1665. Will proved Sept. 27,1676, Braintree, Massachusetts.

FRANCIS ELIOT, bapt. April 10, 1615, Nazing, Married Mary Saunders, daughter of Martin Saunders of London. Died Oct. 29, 1677, Braintree, Massachusetts. Deacon Oct. 12, 1652.

MARY ELIOT, bapt. March 11, 1621, Nazing, Married Edward Payson Jan. 1, 1642, His (2) wife.

Died about 1697,

A GENEALOGICAL HISTORY OF THE CLARK AND WORTH FAMILES, Carol ClarkJohnson, CS71.C6, pp. 26-9 ELIOT is the diminutive of Elye or Elias, the -et and -ot endings having been introduced by the Normans. The name was often spelled Aliot. The Norman knight, William de Aliot, who came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066 is the accredited ancestor of Lord Heathfield, the Earls of Minto and St. Germans, and Sir William Francis Eliot of Stobe, Baronet. The first seat of the family was in Devon, earliest records indicating that they were of the gentry, people of good family and social position.

Bennett Eliot resided in Nazeing, co. Essex, England, from 1606 until his death, and was buried there Nov. 21, 1621, leaving a substantial estate. His will was executed Nov. 5, 1621, prob . March 28, 1628. It is believed that he was a descendant of the Eliots of Cornwall (including the Earls of St. Germans). Before 1606 he lived at Widford, county Hertfordshire, where he married Letitia "Letteye" Aggar Oct. 30, 1598, in the Church of St. John the Baptist. She was buried March 16, 1620. All of their children settled in the New World.

Sources

1. ↑ Fiske, William Wyman. "Ancestry of Bennet Eliot of Nazeing, Essex, Father of Seven Great Migration Immigrants to Massachusetts." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 162:128, Bennet on p. 135/6
2. ↑ Anderson, Robert Charles, "Jacob Eliot" Featured Name (Vol I-III, Pages 626-30) The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volumes I-III. (Online database accessed May 23, 2015: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2010
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} Appleton, William S., and Whitmore, William Henry, "The Eliot Will." (Vol 4, (No XXI January 1868) Pages 182-91) The Heraldic Journal; Recording the Armorial Bearings and Genealogies of American Families, Vol 3-4. Boston: Wiggin & Lunt, 1865-68, HathiTrust accessed May 24, 2015
4. ↑ Fiske, William Wyman. Ancestry of Bennet Eliot of Nazeing, Essex, Father of seven Great Migration Immigrants to Massachusetts. New England Historical and Genealogical Register 161:90 2007
5. ↑ Article cites Guildhall of London MS 10312, roll 94, membrane 47 and 47v, pertaining to Hadham Magna, translated from the Latin by Duncan Harrington, FSA LHG. Bennet is a variant of Benedict
6. ↑ Parish Register/records
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3} Hall, Charles Samuel, Hall Ancestry. A Series of Sketches ... Pages 108-112. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1896, Archive.org accessed May 24, 2015
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} Winters, W. The Pilgrim Fathers of Nazing. Vol 28, Page 145. The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1847-. (Online database accessed May 24, 2015: AmericanAncestors.org, New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2001-2013.)
9. ↑ Baldwin, John D., III Why the Origins of Nicholas Camp, Sr. of Milford Remain Elusive! (Vol 30, Pgs 62-3) The Connecticut Nutmegger. Glastonbury, CT: Connecticut Society of Genealogists, 1970 -. (Online database, accessed April 28, 2014. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009.)
10. ↑ Dictionary of National Biography, Volumes 1-22 John Eliot. (Vol 06) pg 607
11. ↑ Dartmouth University, US. Will. Will]
12. ↑ New England Historical and Genealogical Register 48:396
13. ↑ Parish Register/records
14. ↑ The Parish of Nazeing All Saints and St Giles website [1] accessed 26.3.2023
15. ↑ FindaGrave.com Bennet Eliot [2] quoting 3 sources of Fiske, Emerson and Waters. accessed 26.3.2023
16. ↑ Dartmouth University, US. Occom Circle. John Eliot [3] accessed 19.3.2023
17. ↑ Jesus College, University of Cambridge. John Eliot [4] accessed 19.3.2023

See also:

• Holmes, Frank R., Directory of Ancestral Heads of New England Families. Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, 1980
• Bacon, J. Dean, Bacon & Allied Families. Murray & Gee Inc., Culver City, CA, 1958, Page 159
• Hayward, Mrs. W. G. (Eleanor), research notes through correspondence
• Brøderbund Software, Inc., World Family Tree Vol. 1, Ed. 1 Release date: November 29, 1995, Tree #1587, Tree #4954
• Brøderbund Software, Inc., World Family Tree Vol. 3, Ed. 1, Tree #4552, Release date: February 9, 1996, Trees 253, 982, 4552
• Brøderbund Software, Inc., World Family Tree Vol. 2, Ed. 1 Release date: November 29, 1995 Tree #0944, Tree #2824
• Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (Royal Historical Society, 1882) Vol. 10, Page 289
• Genealogy of the Descendants of John Eliot, apostle to the Indians, 1598-1905. published by the committee of his descendants, 1905. Tuttle, morehouse and Taylor Press, New Haven, Conn. [5] accessed 19.3.2023