Booth-Boothe Family of Cheshire, England, & Stratford, Fairfield Co., Connecticut

Colonists bearing the family name among the first settlers of New England:

(a)  Richard Booth of Stratford, Plainfield County, Conn. 1639-1640.

(b) Robert Booth, Exeter NH 1645, in 1653 went to Saco, died 1672 age 68.

(c) John Booth of Scituate, Mass., 1656, and Southhold, Long Island, 1659. 

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Who were ancestors of RICHARD BOOTH of Stratford, Fairfield County, Connecticut ?

Richard Booth: "The Family of Richard Boothe: An Original Settler in Stratford, Conn.," a compilation by Benjamin Lincoln Swan, New York: Westcott & Co., 1862. Text often quoted by Booth descendants. Swan careful remark pp. 25-26: "No known antecedents," but Richard of Coggshill Cheshire likely father of Richard Booth, Conn. progenitor. List of Richard Booth's children, p. 28. Appendix p. 47 "Booth Family of England." House Lots & Their Owners from Land Records 1654-1668," Map, p. 60. Book online: http://seibelfamily.net/BoothResearchCT.htm

"The Booth Family Chpt. 5" http://www.carsonjohnson.com/Chapter05-booth.htm Richard Booth s/o Edward of Great Budworth, Cheshire, England.

Richard Booth (1607-1687) is linked to illustrious English line of Booths, but two of the primary sources on the colonial Booth family of Conn. differ on question of ancestry of Richard Booth of Stratford, Conn.

Booth, Walter S. "Genelogy of the Booth Family of England & the United States," Minneapolis, Minn., 1892.  Walter S. Booth offers lineal descent to Adam de Boothe,  founder of the ancient family of county Lancaster, England. He contends Richard Booth of Stratford can be taken back 15 generations to the Norman progenitor, Adam de Boothe.  "Tradition orally transmitted said three brothers, sons of Richard Booth I of Cheshire England, came to the American colonies between 1630-1640, their father having died in December 1628. The oldest son, Richard Booth II, settled in Stratford, Conn., in 1640. The descendants of the brothers were aware of their English origin, and members of the families visited their English cousins at an early date."  

 Donald L. Jacobus,  "The Genealogy of the Booth Family: Six or More Generations in Connecticut" (1952) refutes Walter S. Booth. "The theories relating to Richard Booth have found acceptance because they have long been in print. No actual evidence has been found to support  the theory that Richard descends from Adam de Booth of Lancaster. I am inclined to believe Richard Booth of Conn. was a member of the Derbyshire contingent rather than the Cheshire contingent."     

Richard Boothe II was born 5 March 1607, Great Budworth, county Cheshire, England; he was christened August 1608 at Great Budworth. He died 1687/1688 in Stratford, Fairfield Co., Conn; he mar. Elizabeth Hawley (b. c1617 Parwich, Derbyshire, Eng.) in 1640 in Stratford, Conn.

Notes: Booth historians claim three brothers came to American colonies from Cheshire, England: Robert to Maine, John to Mass. & Long Island, and Richard to Stratford, Conn. around the year 1639/1640.  Father of the three was said by tradition to be Richard Booth I, whose father was William Booth b. 1541 Dunham Massey, co. Cheshire, and wife Elizabeth Warbarton b. 1540 Arely, Cheshire. Couple had 13 children. Others claim this line in England goes back to Adam de Boothe, Norman knight, who came to England with William the Conqueror. 

Richard Boothe II of Stratford, Conn., was born in 1606/1607 Great Budworth, county Cheshire, England. He was an early settler in Stratford, Conn, in 1639. In an affidavit dated Mar. 15, 1687-88, he reported his age as 81.  Family given names of Robert & John are those from a line of Boothes of Cheshire, England, an ancient titled family connected by marriage with families of distinction. If Richard Boothe II is of the Cheshire family, he descends from Richard Boothe of Cogghill, county Cheshire, the fifth son of Sir William Booth, Knight,  by his wife Elizabeth Warburton, daughter of Sir John Warburton. William Booth was born c1570, d. 1628.  He was buried at Bowden, county Cheshire, on September 1579.

Richard Booth's name appeared often in the town records of his day. He was described as "townsman" or "selectman."  Prefix "Mr" appeared before his name in colonial records indicating social rank of a person of influence and respect. Richard Booth was married twice. In Conn. Land Records, Vol II p. 16, he speaks of "my now wife," indicating a second marriage. His first wife, mother of his children, was Elizabeth Hawley (b. c1607 Parwich, county Derby, Eng.), sister of Joseph Hawley, the first recorder or town-clerk of Stratford. Their daughter Elizabeth was born in 1641. His marriage to Elizabeth Hawley, therefore, took place around 1640. His son Ephraim Booth in his will styled Samuel Hawley, son of Joseph, as his "cousin."

Richard Booth's home lot was on w. side of Main Street, the fifth in order below Bridgeport Road, noted as Lot No. 29 on the map below. He also had land of considerable area in the aggregate scattered through various parts of the town. His large landed property was divided in his lifetime among his children. He died intestate. Mention of him was in his eighty-second year in March 1688-89. The Congregational Burial Ground was opened in 1678, so he is probably buried there as is his son Joseph Booth who outlived him by a decade. A monument was erected by Wm. A. Booth Esq. and other descendants over the grave of son Joseph Booth.  

Children of Richard Booth and his wife Elizabeth Hawley Booth:

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/o/w/Tamara-M-Bowden/GENE3-0015.html

1. Elizabeth Booth b. 10 Sept. 1641 Stratford, Conn. and died Oct. 24, 1732 at age 91. She mar. Capt. John Minor (b. 30 Aug 1635 Charlestown, Mass., d. 17 Sept 1719 Woodbury, Conn.) on 19 Oct 1658. John Minor was Capt., Deputy, Justice Commissioner, and Court Justice in Conn. John Minor was s/o Thomas Minor & Grace Palmer. Thomas Minor b. 23 Apr 1608 Chew-Magna, co. Somerset, Eng.; mar. 23 Apr 1634 Plymouth Mass.; d. 23 Oct 1690 New London, Conn. Grace Palmer b. 9 May 1612 Eng., d. 12 Oct 1690 New London, Conn. John Minor was educated to be an interpreter in the languages of Conn. Indians in order to convert them to Christianity. He died Sept. 17, 1719 at age 85.  (Swan, op. cit., p. 29)

Note: Grace Minor (1670-1753) of Hartford, Conn. , d/o Capt. John Minor and his wife Elizabeth Booth (child #1), mar. Samuel Grant (1659-1610). The Grant line of New England and Ohio produced Gen. & Pres. Ulysses Simpson Grant (b. 1822 Point Pleasant, Ohio).  General Grant's father & mother were Jessie Root Grant and wife Hannah Simpson, whose father was Noah Grant III (1748-1819 Tolland, Conn. ), s/o Noah Grant II (1718-1756 Vermont), s/o Noah Grant I (1642-1727), s/o Samuel Grant (1659-1710) who mar. Grace Miner (1670-1763) of Hartford, Conn. Grace Miner's parents were John Miner & Elizabeth Booth, d/o Richard Boothe and his wife Elizabeth Hawley. Ulysses S. Grant Lineage: http://www.lib.siu.edu/projects/usgrant/ahg-genea.html  Noah Grant III b. June 20, 1748, Tolland, Conn. He was a farmer & tanner. He serv'd in Rev. War as Lt. and Capt. He died Feb 14, 1819 Maysville, Mason Co, Ky. Photo: Tolland, Conn.

2. Anne Booth b. 14 Feb. 1643

3. Ephraim Booth b. 1 May 1648

4. Ebenezer Booth b. 19 Nov. 1651

5. John Booth b. 5 Nov. 1653

6. Joseph Booth b. 8 March 1656

7. Bethiah Booth b. 18 August 1658

8. Johanna Booth b. 21 March 1661

Bethia Booth b. 1658, chrs. 18 Aug 1658, m. Joseph Curtis 9 Nov 1676, d. 2 Aug 1699: http://www.nadegave.com/lowry/265.htm

Bethia Booth, daughter of Richard & Elizabeth Hawley Booth, was b. 18 August 1658, Stratford, Fairfield Co, Conn. She mar. Joseph Curtiss Sr. 9 Nov 1676 in Stratford. He was born 12 Nov 1650 in Stratford, Fairfield Co, Conn.  Couple had the following children:

1. Elizabeth Curtiss b. 17 Jan 1677/78 Stratford, Fairfield Co, Conn.

2. Anne Curtiss b. 1 Sept 1679

3. Mary Curtiss b. c1681

4. Ephraim Curtiss b. 31 Dec 1684 Stratford, Fairfield Co, Conn.

5. Joseph Curtis Jr. b. 1 Nov 1687

6. Nathan Curtiss b. 21 Feb 1688/89

7. Josiah Curtiss b. 31 Mar 1691

8. Bethia Curtiss Jr. b. 17 May 1695

9. Eliazur Curtiss b. 30 July 1697

10. Ebenezer Curtiss b. 1 Aug  1699

11. Eliphalet Curtiss b. 1 Aug 1699

References:

Booth, John Nicholls. "Booths in History," Los Alamitos, Cal.: Ridgeway Press, 1982,  pp. 1 & 11. "Dunham Massey Booth Line & Descendant Chart" as follows:  Richard Booth II (1607-1690) migrated to Stratford, Conn. c1640, mar. Elizabeth Hawley.. Richard Booth II (b. 1607/1608, d. 1690) was son of Richard Booth I (d. 1625) mar. Elizabeth Brookes at Ilkeston, co. Derby 29 Sept 1607; grandson of Sir William Booth (1541-1579) and wife Elizabeth de Warburton;  great-grandson of Sir George Booth (1515-1544) and Elizabeth Trafford.  Refs: (1) "The Peerage of England, Scotland, Wales," dated MDCCXXXV, see Arthur Collins Vol. II, part I, p. 465-488 (Booth, Earl of Warrington fr.1275). (2) Jacobus, Donald Lines, "American Genealogist," Vol. 37, pp. 77-79.

"Richard Boothe was born c1607 in Sandwich, county Kent, England. He settled in Stratford, Conn., about 1639-40. He was a selectman in 1669, and on Freemen's List in 1669 until aft. 1673. He testified he was 80 years old in 1687." (Savage, James. "Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England," Vol. 1, p. 212)

"Richard Boothe (b. 1607) from England, was an original settler of Stratford, Conn. in 1639. He married Elizabeth Hawley. Their son, Joseph Booth (1656-1703) mar. (2) Hannah Willcoxon, d/o John Willcoxon. Zechariah Booth (1694-1762), son of Joseph & Hannah Booth, married Anna Curtiss (1697-1733)."  (Virkus, Frederick A., "Compendium of American Genealogy," 1952, Vol 1, p. 482)

"Richard Boothe was a close relative of the Earls of Warrington." (NY Genealogical & Biographical Record, 1901, Vol. 32, p. 240)

"Richard Boothe is a direct descendant of Sir George Booth and Katharine Montfort." (Burke's "Presidential Families of the US" & "Harleian Society Publication No. 18: Visitations of the county of Cheshire 1580.")

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