The Hawley Society was organized in 1923 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, by descendants of Joseph Hawley (1603-1690), believed to be one of the first Hawleys to settle in the new world. We exist to preserve the memory, records and history of the Hawley Family, and to promote friendly acquaintance and sociability among our members.

 

We were incorporated in Connecticut in 1927 and are a corporation managed by an Executive Committee who serve as volunteers. There are no employees on payroll. Membership dues help fund the ongoing operations. Two of our primary missions are continuing the search to find our English antecedents and to update and republish THE HAWLEY RECORD, 1890.

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MONTHLY ARCHIVES

Great Sheffield Flood of 1864

Great Sheffield Flood of 1864

Today Marks 150th Anniversary

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Many of us have a connection or at least an interest in Yorkshire.   Some may be loyal devotees of Downton Abbey, the most watched series ever on PBS.   Genealogists and historians may be interested in its adjacency to Derbyshire, where we know that Joseph Hawley once owned land.   March 11 is the 150th anniversary of the Great Flood in Sheffield.  Sheffield is a bit over thirty miles from Parwich, known to be the location of Joseph’s lands.

Dale Dyke was built of earth creating the Bradford reservoir near Sheffield, one of four dams planned to support the growing industrialization of the area.   About midnight March 11, 1864, the dyke was breached during a storm, creating a gap 110 yards wide and 70 feet deep through which 650 million gallons of water flowed inundating the valley and flooding Sheffield.

Mills, grinding wheels, warehouses, pubs and homes were destroyed.   There were 240 reported deaths with over four thousand homes flooded.   Coincidentally, one of the flooded homes was owned by a Joseph Hawley.  This disaster resulted in one of the largest insurance claims of the time totaling nearly three hundred thousand pounds.
Yorkshire genealogist Ian Marson has created a database of the claims from the disaster for Sheffield Hallam University.    When searching for the name Hawley, seven results are given.    For more information or to research the claims, visit https://www2.shu.ac.uk/sfca/

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