Elizabeth (Okell) Eaton (1565 - 1647)

Born 1565 in Cheshire, England

Descendants

Died 1647 at about age 82 in New Haven, Connecticut

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Biography

Note: A new and corrected ancestry for Theophilus Eaton was recently been published in 2016 in The American Genealogist. Most sources before these articles are out-of-date and incorrect. ^{[1] [2]} The articles carry the English ancestry of these Eatons for 4 generations, and most importantly corrects the LNAB for his mother.

Birth

Baptized: Say 1565. presumably in Cheshire, England.

Rough estimate based on birth of children and age of husband.

Marriage and Children

Married: Richard Eaton on 21 April 1589 in Great Budworth, Cheshire, England.

Given the names, the location, and the date, she is almost certainly the Elizabeth Okell who married Richard Eaton on 21 April 1589 in Great Budworth. Her parents are not yet identified. She immigrate to New England and died 10 March 1646/7 at the New Haven Colony in Connecticut. She is not Elizabeth Shepheard, which is a very old error.

Children of Rev. Richard Eaton and Elizabeth Okell: ^[3]

1. Priscilla Eaton. Born say 1590. Her baptism has not been found and she is not named in the will of her father. This is likely because she was already married and had received her share. However, Priscilla Eaton married Philip Downes on 13 January 1613/4 in Great Budworth. The will of Rev. Samuel Eaton named "my sister Priscilla Downes". Priscilla and Philip Downes had one child baptized at Great Budworth prior moving to Knutsford, Cheshire where the baptisms of seven more children are found.
2. Theophilus Eaton. Bapt. 15 August 1591 in Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire. Immigrant to New England where he was the first governor of the New Haven Colony.
3. Rebecca Eaton. Bapt. 16 March 1593/4 at Holy Trinity in Coventry, then Warwickshire, England. Buried 10 May 1595 in Coventry.
4. Elizabeth Eaton. Bapt. 29 October 1596 at Holy Trinity in Coventry.
5. Hannah Eaton. Bapt. 20 October 1598 at Holy Trinity in Coventry.
6. John Eaton. Bapt. 28 September 1600 at Holy Trinity in Coventry.
7. Rev. Samuel Eaton. Bapt. 21 January 1602/3 at Holy Trinity in Coventry. Died 9 January 1664/5 in Bredford, Cheshire, England; buried at Denton, Cheshire. He was a well-known, non-conformist minister. He immigrated with his brothers in 1637 but returned to England in 1640.
8. Frances Eaton. Bapt. 27 July 1605 in Great Budworth, Cheshire, England.
9. Thomas Eaton. Bapt. 8 October 1606 in Great Budworth.
10. Nathaniel Eaton. Bapt. 26 February 1607/8 in Great Budworth. Buried 21/26 October 1608 in Great Budworth.
11. Rev. Nathaniel Eaton. Bapt. 17 September 1609 in Great Budworth.
12. Jonathan Eaton. Bapt. 26 July 1612 in Great Budworth.

New Haven

Mrs. Eaton was granted meadow land, 1641. On a list of planters dated 1643, but actually from 1641, Mrs Eaton had one person in her household, £150 of estate, about 52 acres of granted land and was taxed 12s. In 1645, she sold her land and property in New Haven to Mr. Pery, who sold the meadow in 1647. Old Mrs. Eaton was assigned the front row at the meeting house in 1646.^[4]

Death

Buried:

Common Errors to Avoid

Incorrect LNAB: She is often said to beElizabeth Shippard/Shepheard - this is incorrect. It is yet another error which can found in the Eaton Families by Molyneux. This based on a marriage record from Ludlow Shropshire which reads "by authoritie of St. Katherine's day being the ffaire day at Ludlow". However, this "Elizabeth wife of Richard Eaton and oneley da. of Thomas Sheapheard, of Eastfields, bur. Nov. 11, 1636" cannot be the mother of Theophilus Eaton who immigrated to and died in Connecticut in 1647. Also note the location is nonsensical given what we know of Richard Eaton and his wife Elizabeth.

Sources

Footnotes and citations:

1. ↑ The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 1 (January 2016):1-14. “A Waggon Load of Eatons”: The Great Budworth, Cheshire Ancestry of Theophilus¹ Eaton, Nathaniel¹ Eaton and Frances¹ (Eaton) Low of New England, by Scott G. Swanson.
2. ↑ The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 2 (April 2016):95-106. “A Waggon Load of Eatons”: The Great Budworth, Cheshire Ancestry of Theophilus¹ Eaton, Nathaniel¹ Eaton and Frances¹ (Eaton) Low of New England, by Scott G. Swanson.
3. ↑ The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 2 (April 2016):95-106.
4. ↑ Hoadly, Charles J, MA. (editor) Records of the Colony and Plantation of New Haven, From 1638 to 1649. (Hartford: Case, Tiffany and Company, 1857.) pp 50, 91, 185, 194, 303, 334.

Source list:

• The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 1 (January 2016):1-14. A Waggon Load of Eatons: The Great Budworth, Cheshire, Ancestry of Theophilus ¹ Eaton, Nathaniel¹ Eaton, and Frances¹ Low (Eaton) of New England, by Scott G. Swanson.

• The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 2 (April 2016):95-106. A Waggon Load of Eatons: The Great Budworth, Cheshire, Ancestry of Theophilus ¹ Eaton, Nathaniel¹ Eaton, and Frances¹ Low (Eaton) of New England (continued, part 2), by Scott G. Swanson.

• The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 3 (July 2016):222-235. A Waggon Load of Eatons: The Great Budworth, Cheshire, Ancestry of Theophilus ¹ Eaton, Nathaniel¹ Eaton, and Frances¹ Low (Eaton) of New England (continued, part 3), by Scott G. Swanson.

• The American Genealogist vol. 88 no. 4 (October 2016):310-311. Supplement to A Waggon Load of Eatons: More on 4 Siblings and an Uncle of Theophilus ¹ Eaton, Nathaniel¹ Eaton, and Frances¹ Low (Eaton) of New Haven (continued, part 4), by Scott G. Swanson.