The Missing Link: The Sole Record Connecting Huldah Rowley to Her Father, Hopkins

 

Source: The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York: An Historical and Genealogical Study of All the 18th Century Settlers in the Patent by Frank J. Doherty (Volume X), p85.

GPT 4o Transcription     The Rowley Family

adjoins the Nine Partners Patent and is adjacent to the CT border. On 1 May 1759 the rent book reads: "This farm is cleared of rent by a bond given by Daniel Rowley and Jonathan Rowley for £45. Each has now half the farm, see p. 163 and 164." The rent book, page 164 reads: "Jonathan Rowley lot 15, 100 acres, rent begins 1760 at 11 bushels per year. Now Garret Winnegar, gave bond for Jonathon Rowley his part of the bond remains £28/18/7. Dan'l Rowley paid his part by Davis last April & interest to now is 2 & 3 years back rents is 33 bushels of wheat @7/bushel £11/11, net together is £41/16/2, so the bond is £41/16/2, which clears this farm to May last 1763, which farm now belongs to said Winnegar." Jonathan was still of Beekman when on 22 Feb. 1764 he bought 100 acres in Mount Ephraim. He sold 40 acres of this to Daniel Rowley 10 July 1766 when both were living Richmond, MA.

On 16 Jan. 1801 Samuel Hake of Rhinebeck, merchant mortgaged several parcels to John S. Jones of New York, merchant. The second parcel is described as: In lot 15 SW corner Daniel Rowley. Bounds Christopher Elliot 100 acres. Leased May 1 1750 to Jonathan Rowley, wife Elizabeth and son Hopkins.^(50) On 13 May 1808 Samuel Hake and his wife Elizabeth sold this 100 acres to James Grant of Pawling for $1,062.50. The deed noted that Josiah Wheeler was then on the farm formerly Daniel Rowley, that had been leased to Jonathan Rowley 1759.^(51)

Jonathan Rowley was in Pittsford, Rutland Co., VT in 1790 at 2-3-3 and died, probably at Pittsford, between 4 March 1805 and 25 May 1806.

Children: (by Elizabeth)^(52)
i. Hopkins, b. 18 Dec. 1758; m. Elizabeth Stewart, b. 1770, d. 1825.
He was in Pittsford Town, Rutland Co., VT in 1790 at 1-0-2 and is buried as a Revolutionary War Patriot in Shoreham, VT. He died 1 Sept. 1831. They had dau. Huldah b. at Pittsford, VT 18 March 1789 who married Daniel Fenn 28 Feb. 1808 at Shoreham, VT.^(53)

ii. Mary, b. ca. 1759; m. John Mott. They went to OH.

iii. Jonathan, b. 1760-61; he was killed and scalped on a military scouting mission in May 1779.

iv. Joseph, b. ca. 1762-63; m. 1st unk., 2nd Content Randall. He is said to have died in War of 1812.

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Footnotes:
^(50) M 8:386.
^(51) D 20:457. A map drawn 1795 by Will Cockburn shows that Josiah Wheeler is on a 100 acre farm in the north-east corner of lot 15. A road goes through the west center of the farm and the house is on the road, just north of the southern property line. Daniel Rowley's farm was just to the west of Jonathan's.
^(52) Children by Elizabeth from Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Volume Six, Stephen Hopkins, p. 401-2.
^(53) Link to ancestry record. See following for others in his family: http://www.flint.com/rowley/Biographies/1790/1-6.0149_hopkins.htm.

Unraveling the Hopkins-Huldah Rowley Connection

In over fifteen years of researching the Rowley family, one sentence from The Settlers of the Beekman Patent, Dutchess County, New York: An Historical and Genealogical Study of All the 18th Century Settlers in the Patent by Frank J. Doherty (Volume X) remains the only direct link I've found tying Huldah Rowley to her father, Hopkins Rowley. The passage simply states:

"They had dau. Huldah b. at Pittsford, VT 18 March 1789 who married Daniel Fenn 28 Feb. 1808 at Shoreham, VT."

It’s just one piece of evidence, but it’s the strongest I’ve found among dozens of secondary records. Unfortunately, after evaluating the source, it proves unreliable, as it does not cite the origin of the information when referring to the source in (53) above. Despite years of research, I’ve come up empty-handed when it comes to primary sources that confirm this connection. The fact that the family was Baptist adds to the challenge—without baptism records to consult, proving this link feels nearly impossible.

Is this brief mention, combined with other circumstantial evidence, enough to confirm Huldah's parentage? That’s the question I continue to explore.

I consulted GPT-4o to assist in planning future research. The prompt I used was: "Plan for future research to prove that Hopkins Rowley is Huldah Rowley's father." and added to the transcription response. Below is the response generated from that prompt. My findings, or lack thereof, are indicated in bold text.

1. Reevaluate and Analyze Existing Evidence

• Review Secondary Sources: Reassess all secondary records you've gathered, looking for overlooked details or indirect evidence that could strengthen the connection. DONE
• Cross-Reference Timelines: Create detailed timelines for both Hopkins and Huldah, focusing on overlapping locations and events. This may reveal patterns or gaps to guide further research. (Need to do)
• Evaluate Witnesses: Review marriage, land, or probate records for witness names that could indicate familial or community connections. DONE

2. Focus on Land and Probate Records

• Land Deeds and Transfers: Search for property transactions in Pittsford, Shoreham, and surrounding areas. If Hopkins transferred land to Huldah or her husband, Daniel Fenn, it could indicate a familial relationship. (I have found that Daniel Fenn received six $100 promissory notes from Hopkins Rowley 31 Aug 1815 in Shoreham Vermont. I feel this is important and ties Daniel Fenn to the Hopkins Rowley family. Why else would Daniel be lent $600 which in today's money is a little over $12,000. )
• Probate Records: Investigate wills, estate inventories, or guardianship records for both the Rowley and Fenn families in Rutland County, Vermont, and any nearby counties. Look for mentions of Huldah or her husband. (Hopkins Rowley probate records were involved in a fire and the remnants that I looked at holds no information. I have not found Daniel Fenn's probate record which could be in Michigan.)
• Neighbor and Associate Research: Trace families living near Hopkins Rowley and Daniel Fenn. Neighbors often appear in legal records and can provide context for family connections. (Completed)

3. Church and Religious Records

• Baptist Church Membership Records: Even though baptism records are unlikely, Baptist churches may have kept membership rolls, marriage records, or minutes. Check for records in Pittsford, Shoreham, and nearby communities. (Have not found any for Vermont areas; I found Lima Township Michigan ones where they were members.)
• Minister’s Journals: If a local minister officiated Huldah's marriage, their journals or records may mention family connections. (None found)

Other research I have conducted includes researching Huldah's brothers and sisters to establish connections among them and to Hopkins. I have researched Hopkin's family but nothing ties Huldah to Hopkins directly.

I have searched for Huldah's release of dower but have been unable to locate it. Although I do not have definitive proof that Hopkins Rowley is the father of Huldah Rowley, who married Daniel Fenn, I believe this to be the case based on dozens of indirect secondary sources. These include census records, school and land documents, military records, and town history books. However, the research I have conducted has not been accepted by the DAR to establish the connection between Huldah and Hopkins. 

Do you have a father-child connection you believe to be true but no direct evidence proves it? Share your stories in the chat, please.

AI Disclosure

This blog post used the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

Specifically, GPT4o was used to transcribe the book page and to check spelling and grammar. 

GPT4o was asked to plan future research based on the transcription it provided. 

GPT4o suggested blog post titles based upon my writing and ideas and I selected the one with edits to enhance the blog experience.