William Arnold

Citations

1. [S137] Ethan L. Arnold, An Arnold Family Record: Three Hundred Twenty-Three Years In America, pages 5 - William's family.
2. [S378] Gary Boyd Roberts, English Origin of New England Families, Series II - Volume I: page 36 - EARLY RECORDS OF THE ARNOLD FAMILY. - Communicated by Edwin Hubbard, Esq., of Chicago, Ill. - The following copy of early Arnold records, received from Canada by the Hon. Isaac N. Arnold, president of the Chicago Historical Society, was made by me in May, 1878. The volume from which I copy is a small quarto of sixteen pages of English paper, unruled, faded and worn. The original,* of which this appears to be a copy, seems to have been written by four different persons. If I were io attempt to assign the authorship to the several writers, it would be, first, from the beginning to the second or third paragraph of page 4 of the quarto volume (the pages of which are given in brackets in the, middle of the page), to William Arnold, born June 24, 1587 ; second, thence to the second paragraph of page 9, to Gov. Benedict Arnold, born Dec. 21, 1615, died 1678; third, thence to the end of page 12, to Josiah Arnold, Sen., born Dec. 22, 1646 ; fourth, thence to the close, to Josiah Arnold, Jr., born Aug. 25, 1707. The quarto volume from which I copy is probably in the handwriting of the last named Josiah. The record extends one generation farther back than is given by bar. Savage or any of the authorities referred to by him ; and, besides giving the names of the English port from which William Arnold sailed for New England, and the precise date of his sailing, it mentions other dates and localities not previously met with by me. The records of the four writers are all in the first person. If the authenticity of the document and copy be admitted, we have the unusual instance of a personal record of a distinguished family for six generations, extending over a period of two hundred and twenty-three years, from A.D, 1553 to 1776.
   I have appended a genealogy of one line of this family, giving the ancestry of Mr. Arnold, through whose courtesy I have copied the old record.
   page 1
   A Register, or true account of my owns agge, with my Mother, my Wife,
   my Brothers and Sisters, and Others of my frinds and acquantance.
   1.     Imprimis Aloe Gully the Daughter of John Gully of Northoaer. Who was my Mother. was Baptized ye 29: Septem 1553.
   2.     Tamzen, my Sister was Baptized the 4° of Jany. 1571.
   3.     Joane Arnold, my Sister was Baptized the 80° of November in the yeare 1577.
   4.     Margery Arnold, my Sister was Baptized the 30° of August, 1581.
   5.     I William Arnold, their Brother was borne the 24° of June, 1587.
   6.     Robert Arnold. my Brother was Baptized the 18a' of October, 1593.
   7.     Elizabeth Arnold my Sister was borne the 9° of April, 1596.
   page 37 - page 2
   8.     Thomas Arnold my Brother, my Mother in lawes Sonne, was Baptized the 18° April, 1599.
   9.     Elenor Arnold, my Sister was Baptized the 31° of July, 1603.
   The age of my Sister Tamzens Children.
   1. Robert Hacker was Baptized the 22° of Jan,. 1597.
   2. Francis Hacker was Baptized the 24° of Jan'. 1599.
   3. John Hacker their brother was Baptized the 25° of October, 1601.
   4. William Hacker was Baptized the 31° of October, 1604.
   5. Aloe Hacker was Baptized the 25 of August, 1607.
   6. Mary Hacker was Baptized the 4th of March, 1609.
   7. Thomas Hacker was Baptized the 7th of April, 1616.
   page 3
   1. Christian the Daughter of Thomas Peak of Muoheny* my wife was Baptized the 15° of February, 1683.
   2. Elizabeth Arnold our Daughter was borne the 23° of November, 1611.
   3. Benedict Arnold her Brother was borne the 21° of December, 1615.
   4. Joane Arnold their Sister was borne the 27° of Febr', 1617.
   5. Steven Arnold their Brother was borne the 22° of December, 1622.
   The age of my Sister Joane's Children.
   1. Frances Hopkins was Baptized the 28° May, 1614.
   2. Thomas Hopkins her Brother was Baptized the 7° of April], 1616.
   3. Elizabeth Hopkins was Baptized the 8° of July, 1619.
   The age of some of my Brother Thomas Children.
   1. Thomas his Sonne was born the 3° of May, 1625.
   page 4
   2.     Nicholas Arnold was Baptized the 15° of January, 1627.
   1.     Tamzen Holman was Baptized the 16° of Dec°, 1619.
   2.     Mary the Daughter of Julian Kidgill was Baptized 24° July, 1627. Jeremiah Rhodes the-Sonne of Zachary Rhodes was borne at Pautuxet the 29° of ye 4 month commonly called June in Anno Dom. 1647.
   Memorandom. We came from Providence with our family to Dwell at Newport in Rhode Island the 19th of November, Thursday in afternoon, &. arived ye same night Ano. Domina 1651.
   Memorandom my father and his family Sett Sayle ffrom Dartmouth in Old England, the first of May, friday &. Arrived In New England. June 24° Ano 1635.
   Memh°. We came to Providence to Dwell the 20th of April, 1636. per me Benneilict Arnold.
   page 5
   Memorandom yt wee Bennedict and Dameris Arnold were marryed the 17th of December Anno Domina 1&40.
   Our Sonne Bennedict was born ffeb° 10th 1641 being our first born &. bearest therefore his fathers Name about 2 hours before Day.
   Our Second Sonne we Named Caleb, he was borne the 19th December Ano. 1644 about 8 clock in the Evening we named him Caleb in memory
   page 38 - of that worthy Caleb which only acompanied Josuah in to ye Land of Promise, of ally came out of Egipt &.c.
   Our Third Sonne was borne Decem° 22. (1646 about midnight, he was our Third child, &. we named him Josiah in Memory of that good Josiah which purged the house of Israel from Idolity &.c.
   Our ffourth child being a daughter was borne about 2 clock afternoone the 23d February Ano. 1648. We named her after her Mothers name being as then our first &. only Daughter.
   Our ffourth Sonne was borne the 21d: Oct° in the year 1651 &. we nam-6
   ed him William, Intending he should beare the name of his grandfather Arnold : but god has pleased in his great Wisdom to take him away. Oct° 23° 1651 he lived but a day &. 3 quarters of a day in much weakn's
   & Our Stoping.
   ur Second Daughter was born on a Thursday Morning about an hour
   & j before day ye Moon South & by East. Feb. 10th 1652 her name is called PenilIour [Penelope].
   Our ffifth Son named Oliver was born the 25th July 1655 at Newport on Rhode Island : it being Wednesday about 8 or 9 clock (or past) before noon.
   Our third Daughter Named Gods Gift was born on Friday 27th August 1658 about 8 Clock at night.
   Our Fourth Daughter named Freelove was born on Saturday July 20th 2 a clock afternoon 1661.
   
   Caleb-Arnold was Marryed to Abagail Willbur upon the 10th Day of June, 1666.
   Damiris Arnold Was Marryed to John Bliss January 24th, 1666. 7
   Benedict Arnold Jun° was Marryed to Mary Turner y only Daughter &. child of John Turner of Tanton in New England her father being pre-sent here March ye 9Le being Thursday in ye year 1670.
   Penelope Arnold was Marryed to Roger Golding January the fist, 1672.
   Damiras Golding Daughter of Roger &. Penelope Golding was borne March 17th 1675 &. Lived till July 13 1677 &. then Dyed &. Lyeth interred under a Tombe in my land between my Dwelling house & Stone wind mill.*
   Josiah Arnold was Marryed to Sarah Mills September y 4th, 1683.
   Caleb Arnold first child being a Sonne was borne on ffriday Morning about 8 a Clock it being the last day of May Anno Domina 1667 Named William.
   John Bliss ye first son of John &. Damaris Bliss was borne Septemr 29, 1668 in fournoon & dyed Oct' 18 In y morning.
   page 6
   Caleb Arnold Second child being a daughter & called Penelope was born Tuesday the 3d day of August, 1669.
   John &. Damerais Bliss' Second child being a Daughter & named Dameras was born the 25th May 1670 about Noon & dyed the 29th of June, being Saturday afternoon 1672.
   
   * The walls of Gov. Arnold's"dime wind-mill" are still standing. The attempt to prove this relic of other days to be the work of the Northmen, has given it a world-wide celebrity, and made it a chief object of interest to those who visit Newport.-EDITOR
   
   page 44 - co. Monmouth, whereas the Visitation of Gloucestershire placed him in the latter county. The Monmouthshire pedigree does not state in what county Street was situated; but Somerset was adopted, although there are parishes of the name in Devon and Sussex, and a Street hundred in co. Kent (where there wereoArnolds by 1460). The extant parish registers of Street, co. Somerset, 1599-1762, have been printed, but there are but few items for the first five years and then a gap, 1604-1635. The index discloses no Arnold earlier than 1745. No will of an Arnold of Street is known to the writer, nor has any will of a Somersetshire Arnold, prior to 1553, been found in the calendars of district probate registries and of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. There are wills of Gloucestershire Arnolds from 1544, of Arnolds of co. Sussex from 1536, and of Arnolds of co. Surrey from 1482.
   The Heralds' Visitations do not give to Richard Arnold of Street any other sons than John and Thomas; but Mr. Somerby furnished the father with an eldest son and heir, Richard,16 who "removed into Dorsetshire and became seated at Bagbere," although he gave no evidence in support of this statement. This Richard of Bagbere left a will, dated 15 May 1593 (the earliest will found by Mr. Somerby of any person in the ancestral line presented by him), which gave X50 to a son Thomas, whose residence is not stated. This Thomas was placed in Cheselbourne, co. Dorset, and made the father of the immigrants, William' and Thomas' Arnold; but here again no proof is given, nor any evidence that said Thomas of Cheselbourne had any issue whatsoever.thong
   The present writer had in his possession, for six weeks, the original volume prepared by Mr. Somerby for his client, as well as all Arnold data that could be found in all his English search books known to be extant (more than one hundred). In the whole no proof is found that Richard of Bagbere was grandfather of William' or Thomas,' or that either was a son of Thomas of Cheselbourne. The nearest semblance of proof was in items that a William Arnold was made administrator of his brother John of Cheselbourne and guardian of the latter's children in 1616; and that one of these children referred, in the time of the Commonwealth, to "his uncle in foreign parts." Frsvnining the record prepared by William,' it will be seen that he mentioned no brother John.
   The key to the true parentage of William' Arnold lay in that portion of the family record prepared by him, the first two items of which are as follows:
   Alice Gully the Daughter of John Gully of _ Northouer. Who was my Mother. was Baptized ye 29: Septem 1553.
   Tamzen, my Sister was Baptized the 4° of Jany. 1571.
   Mr_ Somerby located Northover near Cheselbourne, co. Dorset; but no English gazetteer or map seen discloses such a place - not even the ordnance survey map of that locality on a scale of six inches to the mile. In the whole of England there is but one parish of North-over, and that is in co. Somerset. Thither the present writer went in the summer of 1902 and examined the original register, in which were found the following baptismal records:
   page 45 - Alice Gullye the Daughter of John Gullye 29° Septembris a° diii 1553° Tomsine the Daughter of Nicholas Arnolde 4° Januarij a° &I 1571°
   It will be observed_that the names and dates of the baptized persons agree with the family record of William Arnold, and that the father of Tomsine was Nicholas - not Thomas. No other Arnold baptism is found in this register in early days. The only Arnold marriages, prior to 1643, were those of Margarett to Christopher Tuck in 1585 and Margery to Thomas Burnard in. 1603. Records of Gullye burials were seen, among them those of John in. 1559, Mice, wife of John, in 1583, and another John in 1591. No Arnold burials were found priorto 1700.
   Adjoining Northover on the south is the parish of Ilchester, the earliest extant register of which, unfortunately, does not begin until 1690; and directly on the east is the pariah of Limington,* the extant register of which begins in. 168.1. About. five miles westerly from Northover and Ilchester is the parish of Muchelney, where resided Thomas Peak, father-in-law of William' Arnold, according to the family record. The extant register of this parish does not begin until 1703. Here we have proof that the home of the father of William' was in co. Somerset - not co. Dorset.
   In his section of the family record, William' named the children of two sisters, some of the children of his half brother Thomas, and the births of his own issue. Among the first was Thomas Hopkins, baptized 7 Apr. 1616; and in the last group was Steven Arnold, born 22 Dec. 1622.
   Among the Bishop's transcripts in the Diocesan Registry of Bath and Wells, the writer found the following from the parish of Ilchester:
   Thomas the Bonne of Wm Hopkins bapt: seaventh of April], 1616. Stephanus filius Williami Arnolde baptizat vicessimo sexto. die Decembris, 1622.
   Nichalaus Arnolde sepultus vicessimo sexto Januarij, 1622.
   The name and baptismal date of the Hopkins child agree with the family record, and the baptism of Stephen Arnold was four days later than the birth date of Stephen2 (William') in the said record. As will soon appear, the Nicholas Arnold who was buried 26 Jan. 1622 was the father of William.' In the same registry was also found an original return from Ilchester parish, in 1622, signed by John Ravens, rector, and Melchesadeck Jones and William Arnold, churchwardens.' The signature of the last-named closely resembles that of William' in 1650 ana 1659, except for the first and last letters. From this registry was also obtained (at second hand) the following items from Ilchester parish:
   1595, Oat. 5 Robert Hacker & Thomasine knoll married. 1595, -     Agnes, dau. of Nicholas knoll, buried.
   1596, Apr. 12. Isabel' Arnoll baptized.
   1596, Apr. 25 Alice, wife of Nicholas Arnoll, taller, buried.
   1596, Nov. 15 Nicholas knoll baptized.
   1635, Oct. 15 George, son of Thomas & Jane Arnold, baptized.
   o The will of Gov. Benedict' Arnold (William') mentions his "Lemmington Farm," which was very probably named in remembrance of this parish.
   t In Samuel Gorton's "Simplicity's Defence" we read that William' "Arnold was a great professor of religion in the West of OId England."
   page 46 - The first of these items was evidently the marriage of William' Arnold's sister, and the fourth was the burial of his mother.
   In the District Probate Registry of Wells the writer found a will of which the following is an abstract:
   The Will of Nrcnox,es Alison]) of Ilchester in the Countie of Somersett Tayler, 18 Jan. 1622 [1622/3]. To Grace Arnold my wief all my goods movable and unmovable w'thin and wth thout Dores to thintent she shall guid & bringe up my two youngest Daughters her Children and when it shall please god to take her out of this mortall lief to Dispose the said goods at her pleasure unto theis two Children. Grace my wief to be sole executrix. 142y sonne Wain Arnold dt Ambrose Chappell my frend to be over seers. Witnesses: John Raven, Thomas Arnold. Proved at Wells 28 July 1623. Inventory, £7. 16s. 5d. (Wells Registry, lib. 43, fo. 5.)
   This will makes it clear that Grace was not the first wife of the testator; and the family record shows that the father of William' had been twice married, that Thomas was a son by the second wife, and that this Thomas had a son Nicholas, who was baptized in 1627. No real evidence has been seen that this Thomas emigrated to America.
   In the Probate Registry of Wells as thorough search as circumstances permitted was made; but no Arnold will was found which disclosed a son Nicholas, nor any Gully will that named a John who might be father of Alice._ In such. search as could be made in the Probate Registry of Taunton nothing was discovered to aid in ex-tending the ancestry of William' Arnold. Deeper investigations are needed.     _
   Nicholas Arnold of lichester, tailor, the testator of 1622/3, seemingly was not the only one of the name in that region, as in Martock parish, four miles west-southwest of Ilchester, a Nicholas Arnold and Margaret Pound were married, 6 Oct. 1570. Here also were baptized Nicholas, son of Thomas, in 1604, William, son of George, in 1605, and others._ In this parish are recorded marriages of John Gully in 1561 and 1603. A John Gully was married in 1556, and a Johanna Arnell in 1563, in Kingsdon parish, two miles north of Ilchester, where also Robert Arnold was churchwarden in 1594 and Thomas Arnold in 1611. Thomas Arnolde was married in. 1572 and Mary Arnald in 1578, in Yeovil, five miles south of Ilchester. Henry Arnold married in 1662, in Taunton.
   In the REGISTER, vol. 48, pp. 374-375, was printed an abstract of the will of Richard Arnold of London, goldsmith dated 8 Nov. 1644, which was reprinted in Waters's "Genealogicalr Gleanings in. England," pp. 882-883. This testator was born at Gillingham, co. Kent, and his will names, among others, his uncles Richard and William Arnold, both deceased; the farmer's son Richard of Killingworth [an old name for Kenilworth], co. Warwick; and the latter's son Richard
   of I£elshall [Kelsale], co. Suffolk, the last two to pay 20s. "unto every of their b r o t h e r s a n d sisters ... except Thomas Arnold who is now supposed to be in New England or some other part beyond the seas," his legacy to be paid upon his demand or that of his as-signs. The only Thomas Arnold known to have been in New England in 1644 was Thomas' of Watertown; and it seems very probable that he was the legatee named.
3. [S38] Daniel Hoogland Carpenter, History & Genealogy of the Carpenter Family In America From the Settlement at Providence, R. I. 1637 - 1901
   , page 28 - William Arnold, the father of the family, was born June 24, 1587. He came to America when 50 years of age, and died at Pawtuxet about 1677. His son Benedict was born December 21, 1615; his wife was Damaris Westcott. His daughter Joana was born February 27, 1617; she married Zachariah Rhodes and then Samuel Reape. His son Stephen was born December 22, 1622; his wife was Sarah Smith.
4. [S405] Edwin Hubbard, Early Records of the Arnold Family, pages 427-428.
5. [S2276] Edward Hubbard, Early Records of the Arnold Family, page 427 - I William Arnold, their brother was born 24 June 1587. [This William is the original compiler of this portion of the data.]
6. [S622] William Arnold.
7. [S2276] Edward Hubbard, Early Records of the Arnold Family, page 428.