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

CORWINThe family of Corwin or Curwen as the name was spelled in earlier dayscame from England to Salem, Massachusetts about 1638 with other Puritansettlers of that period.George Corwin, better known as Captain George Corwin, was the first ofthe line in this country. He was a man of influence and high standing in theearly formation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Through his efforts thefoundations of the merchantile and shipbuilding enterprises were establishedin Salem and its importance as a port thereby assured for many years afterward.He died in 1685 leaving "no debts and one of the largest estates to thatdate administered in Salem". Some of the elegant and costly articles ownedby him are now in the historical museum in that city.The Captain's two sons were active in the public life of the Colony. Bothwere sons by his first wife, Elizabeth Herbert a daughter of John Herbert,Mayor of Northampton, England. The younger son Jonathan became a Judgeof the Supreme Court. John (1638-1683) married Margaret a daughter of JohnWinthrop Jr. Governor of the Colony of Connecticut and granddaughter of thefirst Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop Sr. CaptainCorwin also had four daughters named Abigail, Hannah, Penelope and SusannaCorwin.The oldest son of John and Margaret Winthrop Corwin was named for hisgrandfather, the Captain, who lived until his namesake was twenty years old.This grandson George (1665-1696) held the office of Sheriff of Essex Countyat the time when a furor of trials and burnings for witchcraft swept over theColony. It was from the Corwin home used also as a court, the witchcraftsentences were issued. This house, built in 1642, is now called the WitchcraftHouse of Salem and is considered one of the city's historical sights.George Corwin, the Sheriff, married into the Gedney family, also of thegoverning group in the Colony. After the death of his first wife, Susanna hemarried her first cousin Lydia Gedney and by her had a son Bartholomewnamed for Lydia's father.Bartholomew Corwin was an only child, his father George dying whenBartholomew was three years old. The lack of close family ties in Salemwas doubtless a factor when later in life he decided to move his residence toNew Jersey where he made a new home in Hunterdon County at Amwell.Here he and his English born wife, Esther Burt, lived with their six sons andit was here that he died in 1747 aged 54 years.Of these six sons, all born at a time to meet in maturity the problems ofthe War of the Revolution, only Joseph Corwin born 1724 survived this conflictwhich had so great a degree of strain for those who could not accept thebreak with England. Three of the six sons died at a early age; another,Samuel, lived until 1776 and another named George died in 1780 near the endof the War.Joseph Corwin born 21 Nov. 1724 married in Hunterdon County New Jersey,Elizabeth the daughter of Joseph Hixon of Amwell.121