Ancestral Lines of Chester Everts Howell - (PDF ... - Adkinshorton.net

ROCKWELLThe Rockwells in Ridgefield, Connecticut in 1760 were descended from JohnRockwell who probably came from Dorchester, England. The first record foundconcerning him in America is at Stamford, Conn, dated 1641; his wife beingElizabeth, said to be a daughter of Jonas Weed of that place. They had a sonJohn Jr. who died in 1673 leaving an inventory of his estate at Stamford showingthat this was his home also.One of John Jr's sons was Jonathan born about 1665. Jonathan marriedAbigail Canfield a daughter of Samuel and removed to Norwalk, Conn. , thenlater in 1708/9 to Ridgefield where he was one of the original proprietors ofthe town.Jonathan 2nd his son was born March 11, 1711 and was married to EstherOct. 1733. He died in Ridgefield Sept. 3, 1784 and in the distribution of hisestate Esther and these children are named; Jonathan, the eldest son;Ebenezer, 2nd son; Henry, 3rd son; William the youngest son; AbigailDoolittle the eldest daughter; heirs of the deceased Esther Brown; Mary Gray;3rd daughter; Elizabeth Jones, 4th daughter; Anna Thomas, the 5th daughterand Dorcas Bostwick the youngest daughter.Jonathan Rockwell, 3rd of the name, was this eldest son. He was born inRidgfield Jan. 10, 1738 and married there Jan. 1, 1760 to Hannah Bennett.Their first child b. Oct. 6, 1760 was the Hannah Rockwell who marriedCornelius Hopper. Jonathan 3rd moved from Ridgefield sometime before hisfather's will was probated, probably soon after his marriage, and certainly before1775 since he served in the War of the Rev. from Orange County. Like theBennetts of Ridgefield he probably expected to live on land claimed by Conn. &later assigned to Penna.The Pre-Revolutionary westward movement of many Connecticut familieswas toward land in northeastern Pennsylvania, since the Conn. Colony claimeda strip of land running westward along what is now the northern Penna. Stateline. However the Indian raids of 1756-63 revealed this location to be unsafefor settlers from deadly attacks and massacres and many who had venturedthat far retired to more protected frontiers such as the ones in Orange Co.N. Y. and the Connecticut "Farms" in Essex County, N. J.At the end of the War of the Revolution a return to the Connecticut strip ofland, now in Pennsylvania, was made by some of the earlier Connecticutsettlers. They found however that through events beyond their control manyof the claims they had purchased from Conn, as a Colony were no longer good.The so-called Pennamite War was the result. The Pennsylvanians backed bylocal and (often) militia aid were in possession of much of the land and to themit was finally given by legal acts.Most Connecticut families upon realizing their position was hopeless as faras regaining the land, gathered their remaining resources, already depleted byformer removals, and left Pennsylvania by the river route westward. Forthose who had been in the Wyoming Valley which was the center of the dispute,this was at first northwest-ward on the Susquehanna River. Of this river theChemung River is a tributary, meeting the East Branch of the SusquehannaRiver just south of the New York State line. Over the line in Tioga County,N. Y. there was by 1791 land for sale. Thus Chemung Valley became after 178890