By Linus Joseph Dewald Jr., Editor
Revised 15 Nov 2010
- Early Belief as to Bruce Roots .
- Possible Sedgeberrow, England, Roots .
- Paul Nichol's Analysis of Sedgeberrow Roots .
- Troubling Aspects Remaining .
- A Tentative Francis Nichols Family Tree .
- Footnotes .
It has been commonly, but erroneously, believed by many persons that Francis Nichols is the son of Francis Nichols and Margaret Bruce of Ampthill, Bedfordshire, England. That erroneous assertion can be found, for example, in "Sergeant Francis Nicholls of Stratford, Connecticut, 1639, and the Descendants of his son, Caleb Nicholls" by Walter Nicholls, former librarian of Bridgeport CT Public Library, and published in 1909 by The Grafton Press of New York. It is also found in "Genealogy & Family History of the State of CT" and "Americana Quarterly" Vol 15.
Francis and Margaret also had a son, Col. Richard Nichols, who later became Governor of the State of New York.
However, not all early authorities accepted Walter Nicholls' views. Donald Lines Jacobus, in the "History and Genealogy of the families of Old Fairfield" said:
- "It should hardly be necessary to refute the foolish assertion that he was brother of Gov. Richard Nicholls of New York..."
In the Fall of 1988, while visiting in London, England, I had the opportunity to do some research at the highly-regarded Guildhall Genealogical Library in London to see if I could locate information about Francis Nichols and Margaret Bruce of Ampthill and their sons. The Guildhall library had a copy of Col. Richard Nichol's Will of 1672 which quite clearly recited the death of his brothers:
- "Edward and Francis, the one dead at the Hague, the other at Paris
during the late usurpation."
The sentence structure of Col. Richard's Will would indicate that Edward died at the Hague and that Francis died in Paris. But even if the death locations were reversed, it is clear that Francis died in Europe. Further, there was no indication in Guildhall records that the Francis, who died in Paris or the Hague, was ever married or had any children.
Since Col. Richard Nichols' Will demonstrates his personal knowledge of his brother Francis' death in Paris, or the Hague, the Francis who died in CT quite obviously had to be a different person and it would have been on that basis that Jacobus dismissed Walter Nicholls' "foolish assertion" that Francis was the son of Francis and Margaret of Ampthill.
Our attention has been directed to information which, if verifiable, solves a 370 year old mystery: the identity of the parents of Francis Nichols,, father of John Nichols and grandfather of Hester Nichols who married John Prentice. Neil D. Thompson, CG, FASG, in the October, 2000 issue of "The American Genealogist" [Vol. 75, No. 4], traces Francis' roots back to about 1510 as set out below: (But see Fn. 1)
1. Thomas Nycholls of
Sedgeberrow, co. Worcester, was born c. 1510 and perhaps at, or in the vicinity of Sedgeberrow. Thomas died between 27 Nov 1558 (when he executed his Will) and 4 Apr 1559 (when the Will was proved). He married c. 1535, Elinor; she was buried as Elinor Nichols, widow, at Sedgeberrow on 8 Jun 1592. Children of Thomas and Elinor included:
2. John Nichols, son of Thomas, was born c. 1542, perhaps at or near Sedgeberrow. John was buried at Sedgeberrow on 6 Aug 1597. He married Joan, who was buried at Sedgeberrow on 29 Nov 1697 as widow and "once the wife of John Nicholes." Children of John and Joan included per Sedgeberrow Parish Records:
3. Francis Nichols was bap. at Sedgeberrow on 25 May 1575; he died before 8 Jan 1650/1. He settled at Stratford, Connecticut, by 10 Oct 1639, when he was appointed sergeant of the Stratford trainband, and that same year was listed with his three sons (John, Isaac, and Caleb) among the 17 first settlers of Stratford.
Francis Nichols married, 1st, at Sedgeberrow on 24 Jan 1599/1600, "Francis" Wimarke. She was bap. there on 2 Nov 1577 and apparently died before the family's removed to New England. She was a daughter of Robert Wimarke of Sedgeberrow. Francis Nichols and his first wife had a number of children, all but the youngest bap. at Sedgeberrow.
There still exists a large time gap between 1623 (when Caleb was apparently born) and 1639 when Francis Nichols appears in Stratford, CT records. No information has yet been produced which accounts for Francis' activities during those years.
Assuming that the Sedgeberrow Francis Nichols is the one who settled in Fairfield, Fairfield Co. Ct, he married, 2nd, c. 1649 as her first husband, Ann Wines. She was born c. 1632 and was living on 4 Mar 1693/4, daughter of Barnabas and Ann (Eddy) Wines of Southold, Suffolk County, New York. Child of Frances and Ann (Wines) Nichols:
After Francis Nichols' death, Anna Wines married, 2nd, John Elton, 3rd, John Tooker, and 4th, John Youngs Esq., all of Southold. >
We have received additional information from Paul Nichols in his email of 27 Dec 2001. It reads, in part, as follows:
"On December 3 of this year, I had the opportunity to visit the tiny village of Sedgeberrow in Worcestershire, England (1991 population, 713). Sedgeberrow is the town in which genealogist Neil Thompson, in an October 2000 article in The American Genealogist, suggests that Sgt. Francis Nichols of Stratford, Connecticut, was born. One of the things I wanted to see was whether the parish church might be old enough to be the same one that Francis and his ancestors attended centuries ago.
I found the old church, took a picture, and it is online at http://www.his.com/~pnichols/sedgeberrow.html . Unfortunately, the church was locked, so I couldnt get inside. I asked a couple people in the only store in town if they knew the age of the church; they not only didnt know, but didnt seem to care. That afternoon, when I went to the Worcestershire Library and History Centre, I learned from Pages Victoria History of the Counties of England: A History of Worcestershire, Volume III (1913) that the church was dedicated in 1331, so it was already 300 years old by the time Francis Nichols left the area. This book has a photograph of the chancel area inside the church, which Ive also put online at http://www.his.com/~pnichols/Sedgeberrrow_church_chancel.jpg
I didnt have much time, but I did want to see what else I could find at the History Centre. They have baptismal, marriage, and burial records on microfilm (courtesy of the LDS) of about 250 Worcester parishes, including the Sedgeberrow parish. Luckily, that parish is one of several to have had the hard-to-read parish records transcribed and bound and available in the Centre. The transcribed volume is not attributed, but the web site of the Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust (Sedgeberrow isnt far from Stratford-upon-Avon) indicates it is the work of J. Harvey Bloom around the beginning of the 19th century. I should have Xeroxed the entire thing, but instead I rather hurriedly wrote down all the Nicholls records (which turned out to be more than I thought there would be). Unfortunately, even Blooms transcription was a bit hard to read, and I probably got some of his abbreviated months wrong. I found 44 Nicholls baptisms (1569-1638), 6 Nicholls marriages (1568-1636) and 26 Nicholls burials (1582-1644). See Fn. 7
These records are now online at http://www.his.com/~pnichols/nicholls_records.html .
During this 70-year period, Nicholls was one of the most common names in Sedgeberrow; there were only 235 baptisms, and 44 of them (19%) were Nicholls children. After the dates indicated above, the name Nicholls never again appeared in the register, lending support to the idea that Francis Nicholls left Sedgeberrow before his son Caleb was born.
The baptismal records include the children of John Nicholls baptized between 1575 and 1592; he is thought to be the father of Sgt. Francis Nichols (baptized 1575). I copied the Francis Nicholls baptismal record, and it too is online at href = "http://www.his.com/~pnichols/baptism.gif . This record shows how difficult these old parish records are to read - the early ones arent even in English, but in Latin. Around the same time Johns children were born, there are also baptismal records of five children of a Roger Nicholls. All of the Nicholls records at Sedgeberrow were for the families and descendents of John and Roger. So far, theres no indication if or how Roger was related to John.
Interestingly, Roger also had a son Francis, baptized in 1580. Our Francis married Frances Wimarke, who was baptized in 1577. Johns son Francis would have been about 2 years older than Miss Wimarke, and Rogers son Francis about 3 years younger. These slight age differences and the names of subsequent children would suggest that our Francis was the son of John rather than Roger. Its possible that both of the Francis Nichollses had children; Neil Thompson, in his article, attributed all children of Francis Nicholls except one (Elizabeth, born September 1606) to the Sergeant.
The last book I could find to consult was a volume of Worcestershire County court records, 1591-1643. The only reference I found to a Nicholls in Sedgeberrow indicated that William Nichols (possibly Francis Nicholls brother) was indicted in 1643 with three others "for not working in the repair of the highways there on the appointed days." I didnt think I would find any reference to Franciss son Caleb, and I didnt. And just to cover all bases, before I went, I had a professional researcher in Worcester see if she could find anything on Caleb, and she couldnt either.
One minor detail that doesnt agree with Thompsons article: neither she nor the ranscriber of the parish records thought the record showed that Francis Nichols had twin sons, Joseph and Jonathan, born in 1614. I looked at the microfilm of those records, and it appeared that Joseph was baptized 30 April (or August?) 1614; the next record was Jonathan, last name unclear, baptized 31 August. Carol Tilson thinks the format of the entry for Joseph (one line instead of two) suggests that he was indeed a twin of Jonathan. Those of you who have copies of the LDS film can see what you think.
Overall, I believe the evidence that Francis Nicholls of Sedgeberrow was the immigrant Sgt. Francis Nichols of Stratford is stronger than that presented by Neil Thompson.
Nichols of Stratford," and we also know that William came from Bengeworth.
Finding Francis Nichols with a daughter Jane 2 years younger than William Washburn
and living within a 5-minute horseback ride of his home is, to me, pretty
good evidence that Thompson found the right family."
I would be interested in comparing notes and thoughts with any other descendents of Sgt. Francis Nichols as I rewrite my version of The Nichols Family to include the Sedgeberrow information.
"
While Thompson's article might correctly identify Francis Nichols' ancestry, and while the contents of Paul Nichols' emails, above, adds additional background information and perspective, some troubling aspects still remain:
Paul Nichols has now established a website at The Nichols Family which essentially takes the information gathered by Neil D. Thompson, CG, FASG, in the October, 2000 issue and carries the line forward, treating Francis Nichols of Sedgeberrow as the same person as Francis Nichols of Stratford, CT.
The above concerns are still unresolved at Paul Nichols' website. However, in an email of 25 Aug 2002, directs our attention Note #10 in his website article. It read as follows:
Paul Nichols suggests that the court reference to Note #10, and its reference to Isaac Nicholls of Stratford, proves that Sedgeberrow Francis is the same person as Stratford Francis.
It is tempting to believe that the court document reference established Sedgeberrow Francis as our Stratford Francis, but before accepting that conclusion we first need answers to the foregoing questions
Paul Nichols sent us an email in which he says he is seeking answers to those question.
Depending on the answers to the foregoing questions, it just might be that Francis Nichols of Sedgeberrow is the same person as Francis Nichols of Stratford, CT. But before reaching that conclusion, we first need those answers. Until they are received, Paul Nichols' website should be viewed with much caution.
Although there will be some additional research needed for confirmation of some of the father-son relationships listed, and tentatively assuming that the Sedgeberrow Francis Nichols is the one who settled in Fairfield, Fairfield Co., CT, we have set out below a proposed family tree for FRANCIS NICHOLS of Fairfield, Fairfield Co., CT, can be found at Ancestry.com .
1. Thomas Nycholls, b. 1510, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, and d. 4 Apr 1559, Sedgeberrow, Worcestershire, England.
He m. Elinor who was b. c. 1510-1515, and d. 8 Jun 1592, Sedgeberrow. Children of Thomas and Elinor included, per (see Sedgeberrow records ) and Ancestry.com :
2. John Nichols, b. 1542, Worcester, Worcestershire, England, and d. 6 Aug 1597, Worcester, Worcestershie.
He m. Joan c. 1575, Sedgeberrow. She was b. c. 1542, Sedgeberrow, and d. there 29 Nov 1627. Children of John and Joan included per Sedgeberrow Parish Records:
3. Francis Nichols was bap. at Sedgeberrow on 25 May 1575; He is assumed to be the Francis Nichols who settled at Stratford, CT, by 10 Oct 1639 and d. before 8 Jan 1650/1. On 10 Oct 1639 he was appointed sergeant of the Stratford trainband, and that same year was listed with his three sons (John, Isaac, and Caleb) among the 17 first settlers of Stratford.
Francis Nichols married, 1st, at Sedgeberrow on 24 Jan 1599/1600, "Francis" Wimarke. She was bap. there on 2 Nov 1577 and apparently died before the family's removed to New England. She was a daughter of Robert Wimarke of Sedgeberrow. Francis Nichols and his first wife had a number of children, all but the youngest bap. at Sedgeberrow.
There still exists a large time gap between 1627, when his son Isaac was born in Sedgeberrow, and 1639, when he is first known to have been in Stratford, Connecticut, are unknown. Histories of Stratford have suggested he went to London and belonged to the famous regiment of the Royal Horse Guards of Charles I, but no evidence whatsoever has been found to support that claim.
4. John Nichols, (son of Francis Nichols) bap. 16 May 1601, Sedgeberrow.
Neil D. Thompson, CG, FASG, in the October, 2000 issue of "The American Genealogist" [Vol. 75, No. 4], says that Sedgeberrpw John Nichols is the John Nichols who d. at Fairfield Ct. before 19 Jun 1655. (But see Fn. 2)
Unfortunately, John Nichols is not yet included in the DNA test results for known descendants of Francis Nichols shown at http://www.brian-hamman.com/ResultsForNicholsSurnameProject.htm . However, there is good circumstantial evidence linking my John Nichols with Francis Nichols. See Fn. 8.
John m. 1st Unknown. Children, apparently assumed by Orcutt to be from John's 1st unknown wife:
John m. 2nd Grace per Samuel Orcutt (see Fn. 8, referenced above). Children listed by Orcutt as by 2nd wife, Grace:
5. Isaac Nichols, bap 27 Dec 1617, probably Sedgeberrow, England, and d. 1695, Stratford, Fairfield Co., CT. Isaac Nichols is identified as a son of Francis Nichols in Samuel Orcott's 1886 History of Stratford, and by DNA testing (see Brian Hamman Chart, above). The name, "Isaac," was not a common name at that time and place and is one clue that his father may have emigrated to American. Additionally, it is unclear whether Isaac, b. 1617, was married when Francis' sons first appear in 1639 Stratford, CT records. The Sedgeberrow Isaac would have been 22 at that time. It would not be unusual to be a bachelor at that age.
He m. Margaret Washburn (1620-c1675). Descendants of Isaac Nichols per DNA charts:
6. Caleb Nichols, b. c. 1623, but apparently bap. at some location other than Sedgeberrow. Thompson's article says he is the Caleb Nichols who m. Anne Ward and d. at Fairfield Ct. The name, "Isaac," was not a common name at that time and place and is one clue that his father may have emigrated to American. Additionally, it is unclear whether Isaac, b. 1617, was married when Francis' sons first appear in 1639 Stratford, CT records. The Sedgeberrow Isaac would have been 22 at that time. It would not be unusual to be a bachelor at that age. The DNA tests, discussed, above, confirm that he is a son of Francis Nichols of Stratford, but leave unanswered whether his father was born. in Sedgeberrow.
For his DNA established descendants, see chart persons 49800, 121183 and 56467
7. Isaac Nichols, b. c. 1645 and d. 20 Dec 1713, Derby, New Haven Co., CT. Orcutt's History of Stratford contains the following:. He was brought up by his uncle, Isaac Nichols, of Stratford, and therefore was called "Cousin Isaac" (not Issaac Junior, as stated in the Derby History,.) He settled in Derby about 1678 and was one of the first two deacons of the first church in that place. He died Dec. 20, 1713."
"He m. Esther Clarke 1 Aug 1672. dau. of John Clarke, of New Haven,She was b. 1646 and d. Jan 5, 1717. Children per History of Fairfield:
8. John Nichols, b. c. 1650-1654 and d. Dec 1675 in King Phillip's War (see http://www.pilgrimhall.org/philipwar.htm )
The reference to Isaac Nichols likely refers to Isaac, another son of John Sr. and Grace.
Marriage: John died unmarried according to the "History of Fairfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut", from Vol 1 by Elizabeth Hubbell, found at Google.com/books .
It reads, in pertinent part, as follows:
Some have mistakenly said that he married Mercy Holbridge. For more abut Mercy and her marriage and children,
see Fn. 9 .
FOOTNOTES:
Fn. 1: Tracing Francis' roots back to about 1510:. "On the assumption, based largely on the pattern of Christian names given to the children and grandchildren of John Nichols, father of the emigrant, that this is the correct identification, the family may be reconstructed." (italics added)
If the assumption were to fail, then the identification of Francis Nichols' ancestry would also fail.
The Sedgeberrow parish registers are said to be available on LDS microfilm (#0905307 is written on first page).
Fn. 2: John Nichols as son of Francis Nichols: John Nichols is identified as a son of Francis Nichols in Samuel Orcott's 1886 "A History of the old town of Stratford and the city of Bridgeport, Vol. 2" at Google Books .
Orcutt indicates John had 2 wifes, the first apparently dying before John m. 2nd, Grace.who appeared in Stratford, CT, records when Franccis Nichols and his sons first appear in 1639 Stratford, CT records. The Sedgeberrow John would have been 38 at that time. If the Sedgeberrow John Nichols had been unmarried by 1838, that would have been unusual.
Fn. 3: Jane Nichols, Emigrating to America: There is no present evidence that Jane and her husband emigrated to America. If they had also emigrated, that would have provided some corroborating circumstantial evidence that her father, Francis Nichols, is the one who emigrated to Stratford, CT. For now, she is identified as the Jane Nichols shown in Ancestry.com with her husband and children.
Fn. 4. Emigrating to America: There is no present evidence that Margaret or Francis Jr. emigrated to America. If they had also emigrated, that would have provided some corroborating circumstantial evidence that her father, Francis Nichols, is the one who emigrated to Stratford, CT.
Fn. 5: Isaac Nichols: The name, "Isaac," was not a common name at that time and place and is one clue that his father may have emigrated to American. Additionally, it is unclear whether Isaac, b. 1617, was married when Francis' sons first appear in 1639 Stratford, CT records. The Sedgeberrow Isaac would have been 22 at that time. It would not be unusual to be a bachelor at that age.
Fn. 6: Caleb Nichols: This is the most troubling part of the article since Thompson offers no evidence that the Sedgeberrow Francis ever had a son named "Caleb."
Fn. 7: Sedgeberrow Parish Records:
.
Fn. 8: Circumstantial evidence linking John Nichols with Francis Nichols: For example:
Fn. 9: Mercy Holbridge:
A search of Ancestry.com shows claims that he m. Mercy Holbridge, but no proof has yet been found. It has been said that Mercy Holbridge m. "by about 1670 and perhaps earlier, a (blank) Nichols; m. 2nd about 1680 Thomas Disbrow". (Ref: Ancestry.com ). The Ludwick Family Tree at Ancestry.com shows the following children for her:
Some, without providing any documentation, have claimed that John Nichols is the (blank) Nichols who had m. MercyHolbrdge, leaving John and Nathaniel Nichols, above, as his children.
Tentative Children of (blank) Nichols and Mercy Holbridge::
2. Nathaniel Nichols, b. 1671, New London, New London Co., CT, and d. 6 Mar 1762, Westport, Fairfield Co., CT.
p>He m . Esther Beers Children per Connie's Family, Ancestry.com :
3. Benjamin Nichols, b. b. 12 Aug 1711, Fairfield, Fairfield Co., CT, and d. 1744 per Ancestry.com .
He m. Elizabeth Trowbridge on 13 Oct 1730, Fairfield, Fairfield Co., CT. She was b. 25 Jun 1710, Stratfield, Fairfield Co., CT, and d. 1780. Children:
If you have any information about the folks mentioned, please send your information to us at the Nichols Newsletter. Be sure to give the full title and date of this article in the Subject line of the email.
Caution: If you don't use the above email link, your email to us may be rejected as spam by our email filter.
Note: By email of 30 Sep 2001, Marilyn NicholsTrumbull brings new information to our attention.
"I think the Jane Washburn connection is very significant, especially
since Neil Thompson did not search the Sedgeberrow records because the town
was near Bengeworth. We know that William Washburn's wife was Jane Nichols
because of the [reference in the Will of their son] to "uncle Isaac
"[Francis of Sedgeberrow's] daughter Jane provides the best evidence
that Francis of Sedgeberrow was in fact the Stratford immigrant.
Sedgeberrow Jane (baptized in 1603) was the right age to have married
William Washburn (baptized in 1601) and lived only a short horseback
ride from her future husbands home in Bengeworth. And it is known that
William married the immigrant Jane Nichols, because their son John named
Janes brother ("loveing Uncle Isaac Nicholls of Stratford") as an
overseer. Hempstead, New York, Court Proceedings 1657-1660, pp. 95-97."
The Sanford-Shulsen Family web page at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=sanford-shulsen&id=I8840 says:
"John [Francis Nichols' son] died in 1676 in King Philip's war. His inventory was presented 2 May 1676 by brother Isaac Nichols. He had interest in cattle in New London; also his wages due from the Country. A footnote indicates may be possible
ancestor of the Nichols family of Westport. 1 2 (emphasis added and citing Savage and Jacobus)
"John 2 s of John Nichols 1 of F joined the army in King Philip's war and died the first year unmarried
Savage's Gen Dic" (emphasis added)
"...one appears to be that of the grandfather of the emigrant. Thomas Nycholls of Sedgeberrow, husbandman, whose will was dated 27 November 1558 and proved on 4 April 1559, mentioned sons William, John, Henry and Nicholas Nichols, daughters Julyan and Margery (married names not given), and son-in-law James Alyson. A John Nycholls was also a witness to this will. The testator' wife Elynor and son William were appointed executors.
Sedgeberrow Parish Records. Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials 1566-1783. A Full Abstract of the Register of Sedgeberrow, County Worcester. Bound volume at the Worcestershire Library and History Centre, Trinity Street,
Worcester WR1 2PW, UK.
Nicholls baptisms:
Henrie, son of Roger, 1 Oct 1569
John, son of Roger, 24 Aug.1571
George, son of Roger, 24 Oct.1577
Francis, son of Roger, 30 July 1580
Stephen, son of Roger, 11 Sept. 1584
Francis, son of John, 25 May 1575
John, son of John, 3 May 1577
William, son of John, 3 January 1579
Goodith, daughter of John, 17 March 1581
Henrie, son of John, 13 April 1583
Elinor, daughter of John, 18 August 1586
Ann, daughter of John, 15 Sept., 1590
Elizabeth, daughter of John, 22 Sept. 1592
Marie, daughter of Henrie, 10 April 1590
Edward, son of Henrie, 27 May 1592
Elizabeth, daughter of Henrie, 21 Oct. 1594
Henrie, son of Henrie, 20 March 1596
Joan, daughter of Henrie, 13 Feb. 1599
John, son of Francis, 16 May 1601
Jane, daughter of Francis, 3 Nov. 1603
Henrie, son of Francis, 19 Nov. 1605
Elizabeth, daughter of Francis, Sept. 1606
Anne, daughter of Francis, 18 Oct. 1606
Margaret, daughter of Francis, 4 Jan. 1608
Francis, son of Francis, 25 August 1611
Joseph, son of Francis, 31 Aug 1614
Jonathan, son of Francis, 31 Aug 1614
Sarah, daughter of Francis, 7 Nov. 1615
Isaac, son of Francis, 27 Dec. 1617
Stephen, son of Stephen, 25 April 1611
John, son of Stephen, 13 April 1614
Richard, son of Stephen, 6 Oct. 1616
Mary, daughter of Stephen, 20 Feb. 1617
William, son of Stephen, 14 June 1620
Thomas, son of Stephen, 1 Sept. 1622
Henrie, son of Stephen, 27 April 1626
Francis, son of Stephen, 11 May 1628
Ann, daughter of Stephen, 26 Sept. 1630
Henrie, son of Anne, 18 June 1615
Anne, daughter of William, 27 Feb. 1622
William, son of William, 27 Nov. 1627
Elizabeth, daughter of William, 21 April, 1630
Mary, daughter of William, 30 May 1634
William, son of William and Elizabeth, 1 May 1636
Margaret, daughter of William and Elizabeth, 24 April 1638
(No more Nicholls baptisms listed)
Nicholls Burials:
Goodith Nicholls, daughter of John, 27 April 1582
Margerie Nicholls, widow, 20 April, 1586
Elinor Nicholls, widow, 8 June 1592
Elizabeth Nicholls, daughter of John, 19 May 1595
Harry Nicholls, son of John, 5 June 1595
John Nicholls, 6 August 1597
Marie Nicholls, daughter of Henrie, 14 Feb. 1601
Henrie Nicholls, son of Francis, 21 Dec. 1605
Anne Nicholls, daughter of Francis, 25 Sept. 1606
Henry Nicholls, son of Margaret, widow, 22 August 1614
Joseph Nicholls, son of Francis, 2 September 1614
Jonathan Nicolls son of Francis, 4 Sep 1614.
Marie Nicholls, wife of Roger, 17 Jan. 1614
Richard Nicholls, son of Stephen, 26 May 1617
Roger Nicholls, 3 Oct 1621
Stephen Nicholls, son of Stephen, 21 July 1623
Henry Nicholls, son of Stephen, 20 May 1626
Joane Nicholls, wife of John, 29 Nov. 1627
Joane Nicholls, wife of Stephen, 28 May 1628
Francis Nicholls, son of Stephen, 1 June 1628
William Nicholls, son of William, 31 August 1629
Anne Nicholls, wife of Stephen, 9 October 1630
William Nicholls, son of William and Elizabeth, 15 July 1637
Stephen Nicholls, 17 Jan. 1637
Margaret Nicholls, daughter of Elizabeth, 4 Sept. 1640
Margaret Nicholls, widow, 4 March 1640
Margaret Nicholls, 29 October 1644
(No more Nicholls burials listed)
Nicholls marriages:
Roger Nicholls married Marie Timbrell (?), 29 Jan. 1568
Francis Nicholls married Francis Wimarke, 24 Jan. 1599
Elinor Nicholls married Thomas Payton, 2 Jan. 1613
Elizabeth Nicholls married William Widowes (?), 30 Oct. 1628
Stephen Nicholls married Anne Brige (?), 31 Dec.(?) 1629
Thomas Nicholls married Anne Smyth (?), 11 Oct. 1636
(No more Nicholls marriages listed)
". . .Sergeant Francis. . .came to America about 1635 or 6, possibly earlier. The title of Sergeant was
given him at Stratford and is no indication of his military standing before he came here. In the spelling of the name
there is no particular significance as a distinct family, for this name on Stratford records is many times spelled
without the H. as Nicols, Nicolls, Nickols..." Children listed by Orcutt:
Children listed by Orcutt as by 2nd wife, Grace:
1. John Nichols, b. 1669, Westport, Fairfield Co., CT, and d. 2 Feb 1749, Westport.
p>He m. Abigail b. 1672, Westpport, CT, and d. there 2 Feb 1749. Children per
Ancestry.com (Note: For now, we are tracing only male descendants of male children):
:
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