The Society of the Hawley Family, Inc.

established 1923

Joseph Hawley

1603-1690

The following outlines what is known and conjectured concerning Joseph Hawley:

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As of the date of his will, September 17, 1689, he owned "lands and buildings in Parwidge in Darbyshere, Old England" which he left to his son, Samuel Hawley. It appears possible, therefore, that he originally came from Parwich -- though far from certain. He is assumed to have been born around 1603 (deduced from other data on his life). His handwriting as Town Clerk has been termed peculiar and of a sort used at that time on state documents in London; thus it is possible he was educated or trained there, and may have had a government position. He is assumed to have come to America circa 1629-1630, possibly accompanied by Thomas Hauley and Robert Haule, who may have been brothers. He may have first lived in Massachusetts, where Thomas Hauley settled permanently.

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The first record mentioning Joseph Hawley places him in Stratford, Connecticut, in 1650. He had probably not been there more than a year or two (the birth of his son Samuel in 1647 or 1648 is not found in Stratford records).

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Joseph Hawley held several offices in the local government over the years, and acquired large land holdings in Connecticut. He died May 20, 1690.

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JOSEPH HAWLEY (1603-1690)

SAMUEL HAWLEY, SR

Upon Joseph's death May 20, 1690, the Parwich properties in Derbyshire passed to his son, Samuel (1647-1734). It is known that Samuel sold these holdings, but the date and purchaser are unknown. (Samuel died August 24, 1734, so the sale of these properties could have taken place at any time between May 20, 1690 and August 24, 1734.) A flow of payments stemming from this transaction continued for some time. Samuel's son, Samuel, Jr. (1674-1754), signed a quit-claim to these properties, transferring all remaining claims to his brother Nathaniel, in exchange for fifteen acres of meadow land in Connecticut.

WILHELMINA D HAWLEY

Nathaniel continued to receive payments from England, related to his claims on the "lands and buildings" in Parwich which had belonged to his grandfather and which his father had sold. The last payments came in the form of brass kettles. We do not know the dates and the amounts. Nathaniel lived until January 7, 1754.

According to Elias S. Hawley, The Hawley Record (Buffalo: E.H.. Hutchinson, 1890), Joseph was probably one of five siblings who emigrated from England to America. There were apparently two sisters, Hannah and Elizabeth, in addition to the two brothers mentioned above (Thomas, who settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts and Robert who settled in Rhode Island). We know neither the name of Joseph's father, nor whether the father came to America. Research has identified a few possible candidates:

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2008 REUNION-KANSAS CITY

Samuel Haule, of Charlestown, Massachusetts. An inventory dated in 1637 had been found, as cited in The Hawley Record, and it appeared to Elias Hawley that this might be the father of Joseph and his siblings.

2007 Washington DC

Judge Samuel Hawley, possibly identical with Samuel Haule, above. American Historical Company, Inc., Colonial and Revolutionary Lineages of America (New York, 1941), Vol. VII, p.134, cites Joseph Hawley as the son of Judge Samuel Hawley, and having been born in Parwidge, Derbyshire, in about 1603.) Note this may be based on The Hawley Record, rather than separate sources.

2006 Brookfield, CT

James Hawley, of Brentford House, Middlesex (1558 - Sept. 1622). Three sons and two daughters by his second marriage reportedly came to Boston about 1630 (names unknown; source: notes in family records). Elias S. Hawley, The Hawley Record, lists James Hawley of Brentford as the son of Jeremy Hawley (d. 1593) and grandson of John Hawley of Auler, Co. Somerset. (It is reported in The Hawley Record that James, son by his first wife, served as Treasurer of Maryland; further, according to Conrad Swan's correspondence with me, a younger son went to Virginia.)

2005 Arlington, VT

William Hawley, of Derbyshire, son of Sir William and great grandson of Robert de Hawley, had many grandchildren and "...it is possible that this William Hawley was ancestor of the large and prolific yeoman family who owned land in the various parishes (notably Youlgrave and Elton) around Parwich in Derby." (Source: Conrad Swan correspondence cites pedigrees in 1564 Visitation of Lincolnshire, and mentions that Robert was "Lord of" numerous manors in Lincoln and of Thurbeston, Co. Derby.")

From the above it would appear that several clues suggest research be done: land transfer documents which might record either Joseph Hawley's acquisition of "lands and buildings in Parwidge" or, following its inheritance on May 20, 1690, by his son Samuel, its eventual sale between that date and Samuel's death in 1734; wills at Litchfield even after 1650 which may be relevant; any documents which might reflect the payments related to these properties which continued to be made to Samuel, Jr. and to Nathaniel Hawley -- finally in the unusual form of brass or copper kettles. Furthermore, records pertaining to Youlgrave and Elton may also turn up references to Hawley-owned property there, as suggested by Dr. Swan's comment cited above. finally, materials which may have been assembled by others on the history of some of the English families noted above may enable a connection to be identified.

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Understanding that Joseph's origins date to the later years of Tudor England, locating extant records continues

to present a challenge to our research. Sue Honore, our British Archivist, is working actively to pursue

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information that could unlock the enigma surrounding Joseph's origins and parentage.

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updated November, 2007