The Tinker Genealogy

Our Tinker ancestors are the descendants of Robert Tinker (1565-1624) of New Windsor in Berkshire, England (location of Windsor Castle), whose father was very probably the English musician and chorister Randall Tinker (1537-1606) of Windsor in Berkshire. The family name "Tinker" (sometimes written Tynchare, Tyncker, and Tynker about the period of Randall and Robert) is an occupational surname, coming from the Middle English word for a mender of metal pots and pans. Despite this family's humble origins, Randall became a member of the liturgical choirs at St. Paul's Cathedral in London and Eton College in Windsor, even serving for a while as instructor to Eton's choristers. There was also a Philip Tinker (alias Philip Littleton), a petty canon of St. George's Chapel at Eton about the same period as Randall and Robert, who likely was related to them.

Our family might have two lines of descent from Robert Tinker of New Windsor, a possible one on my mother's side and a more likely one on my wife's side. These Tinker descents are somewhat tentative, but would make my wife and I to be 11th cousins once removed. Probably the majority of Americans of European ancestry are distantly related in a similar way, sharing one or more colonial ancestors about eight to 11 generations back, so coming across this probable common descent from Robert Tinker was more fascinating than surprising.

The following account of the Tinker family is based chiefly on the work of Douglas Richardson, whose published work on this family includes "The English Ancestry of the Merwin and Tinker Families of New England, Part Two: John Tinker of Boston and Lancaster, Massachusetts and Windsor and New London, Connecticut," in the New England Historical and Genealogical Register 149 (1995), Part One, pages 295-311, Part Two, pages 401-429. Richardson's study begins with Randall and Philip Tinker, but various online sources purport to trace the Tinker genealogy back a few more generations, via the following lineage:

Randall Tinker, born 1487, died 1550, father of

Robert Tinker, born circa 1515 in New Windsor, England, died 1600 in New Windsor, married Agnes "Anne" Tinker, parents of

Randall Tinker, born circa 1537 in England, died 1606, married Belle Tinker (!!!), parents of

Robert Tinker, born circa 1565 in New Windsor, England, died 2 June 1624 in New Windsor, England

I do not know what sources there are that support this Tinker lineage. It is curious that the first Robert Tinker's wife is said to have been named Agnes "Anne", while the second Robert's first wife is known to have been named "Agnes/Anne." I also confess that the name "Belle Tinker" greatly raises my suspicions that the lineage is a joke (cf. Peter Pan's fairy friend "Tinker Belle"). The first Randall and Robert and Agnes/Anne may be imaginary, mere duplicates of the historical Randall and Robert and Agnes/Anne, with "Belle Tinker" thrown in as a clue from a genealogical prankster. The fact that another online source say Randall's wife was named "Abigail" rather than Belle makes me even more skeptical of this lineage.

In any case, the probable and proven Tinker line commences below:

1. RANDALL TINKER, born 1537 in England, died of the plague on 20 Sept. 1606 in Windsor, Berkshire, England. A few online sources say Randall was born not merely in 1537, but specifically in 10 Dec. 1537. Assuming that date is authentic it may rather be that of Randall's baptism soon after his birth. Randall was an English musician, a member of the choir at St. Paul's Cathedral in London, serving from 1577 to 1578 as instructor of the Choristers of Eton College in Windsor, and also a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal. Douglas Richardson, above mentioned author of "The English Ancestry of the Merwin and Tinker Families of New England," also mentions PHILIP TINKER (alias Philip Littleton), circa 1606-1673, "who was elected petty canon of St. George's Chapel in 1627 and subsequently served as confessor of the King's household and keeper of the Westminister Abbey register." Philip may have been a son or nephew of Randall, or some other relative. As for Randall Tinker, his Find-A-Grave memorial includes a fascinating biographical sketch. The author of the sketch is not given, but it is written in the first person (the author might be Douglas Richardson. The sketch on Randall Tinker's life is as follows:

"In the Chapter Acts (the Chapter Acts are minutes of the meetings of the Dean and Canons), reference is made to Randall Tinker. The Chapter Acts record that on 28 March 1596, a member of the Chapel choir, Edward Langford, was admonished for drunkenness. One of the witnesses to the admonishment was Randall Tinker, described as a ‘Clerke’. As a clerk, Randall Tinker would have been one of the male singers in the St. George’s Chapel choir. When the College of St. George was first founded in 1348, the Statutes established that there would be four clerks but by the 1590s, when Randall Tinker was a clerk, this number had grown to approximately eleven. The clerks sang at services and lived within the grounds of the castle. The clerks were paid for singing in the choir and I have consulted the Treasurers’ Account Rolls for the 1590s. Not all account rolls for that period survive, including the years 1595-7. However, in the rolls for 1591-4 and 1597-1601, the surnames of the clerks are given. The name Tinker is not listed amongst them, but rather peculiarly, Randall is. If the Randall listed is indeed Randall Tinker, it is quite strange that his first name is given instead of his surname.

"There are no more references to Randall after 1601, so I did some research and found that Randall Tinker was admitted as a Gentleman of the Chapel Royal in 1606. In the old-cheque book, or Book of Remembrance, of the Chapel royal, from 1561-1744 the following entries are found on p.6 :

"'1606 Edward Browne died the 27th of Aprill, and Randoll Tinker of Poules was sworne in his place the same daie.'

"'1606 Randoll Tinker died of the Plague the 20th of Sept., and Luke Jones of Poules was sworne in his place the last of the same.'

"The Chapel Royal is quite distinct from the Chapel of St George. It is the body of priests and singers appointed to minister to the temporal and spiritual needs of the sovereign and the Royal Household. As such, it is a collection of people, not a building, although it has become identified with certain buildings within which it regularly conducts divine service, such as St. James’s Palace. The Gentlemen of the Chapel Royal are the male singers of the choir. The entry makes reference to ‘Poules’. This suggests that Randall Tinker was a member of the choir of St. Paul’s Cathedral prior to his admission to the Chapel Royal. . . . An entry on exlibris.org mentions that Randall Tinker was Instructor of the Choristers at Eton from 1577-8."

As discussed above, though some online sources say Randall's wife was named BELLE, another website says Randall's wife was named ABIGAIL. But I am unaware of any historical references to Randall's wife (or wives). Randall Tinker was most likely the father of Robert Tinker of New Windsor, Berkshire, England, who named his first two sons "Randall," evidently after his father. However, it should be kept in mind that this filiation is hypothetical, not directly attested in surviving documents.

     2.  ROBERT TINKER, born circa 1565 in New Windsor, Berkshire, England.

2. ROBERT TINKER, very probably a son of Randall Tinker of Windsor, England, born circa 1565 in Clewer Parish, New Windsor, Berkshire, England, died on or just prior to 2 June 1624 in New Windsor, England, buried 2 June 1624 in the churchyard of St. John the Baptist Church in Berkshire, England. Robert, a mercer (fine cloth merchant) by occupation, served as church warden of New Windsor in 1615. He married firstly at New Windsor on 14 Feb. 1590/1 to AGNES BERRINGTON ("Anne"), baptised 10 Oct. 1568, daughter of Thomas and Dorothy (Matthew) Berrington. She was buried at New Windsor on 5 Dec. 1600. Robert then married secondly at Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, on 26 Jan. 1601 to MARY MERWIN, born circa 1575 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England, daughter of Thomas Merwin of Amersham. Robert had a total of 14 children who left descendants in both England and New England. His widow Mary remarried at New Windsor on 12 Feb. 1631/2, as his second wife, HUMPHREY COLLINS of Clewer, who died Nov. 1634, after which Mary Collins emigrated to New England.

The Updike-Wiebe Genealogy includes a biographical account of Robert's life that is derived from (apparently largely quoted from) Douglas Richardson's above cited study of the Tinkers and Merwins, "with additions from a variety of historical sources by Pam Kay." That account is quoted and excerpted here:

In 1615 Robert was a church warden of New Windsor and "therefor" signed the Bishop's Transcripts that year for the parish. At his death he owned property in New Windsor in the "parishe" of Clewer (Cleyworth) and Winkfield in the County of Berkshire and Burnham in the County of Buckinghamshire, and in Berkhamstead, County of Hertfordshire. He left Mary well-off as long as she was widowed. She was to get a leasehold interest in a dwelling house in New Windsor and in a "messuage" or tenement in Clewer.

Robert Tinker (also spelled Tynker or Tyncker) was the earliest known progenitor of the John Tinker "Immigrant" family. He was born sometime around 1565 and was buried at New Windsor, Berkshire, 2 June 1624. . . .

Although Robert's parentage and family background are unkown, the fact that he gave his eldest son the name of Randall suggests that he was somehow related to the Randall Tinker who was a clerk of the choir at St. George's Chapel, Windsor in 1596 (the custom of bestowing the firstborn with the father's father's name is widely known). There may also have been a family connection with Philip Tinker (alias Littleton - ca. 1606-1673), who was elected petty canon of St. George's Chapel in 1627 and subsequently served as confessor of the King's household and keeper of the Westminister Abbey register. Robert's first wife was Agnes/Anne Berrington, who was the daughter of Thomas Berrington, husbandman, and Dorothy Mathew Berrington.

Thomas' will dated 20 March 1603, proved 3 May 1603, made a bequest of 20 shillings to "every one of the children of Robert Tynker begotten upon the body of Agnes, my daughter." Robert and Agnes resided in New Windsor, where he was a mercer, a merchant who dealt in fine cloth, i.e. silk. According to Berkshire History, by David Nash Ford, Berkshire cloth became much appreciated for its excellent quality, drawing crowds of customers from the south of England to the county's sheep and corn markets.

Because of Windor's location near the Royal court, it is likely that a mercer in this area would be patronized by this clientelle. The prosperity that came with the wool and cloth trade had its price, however, as Berkshire farmland was enclosed and converted into sheep pasture. This meant lost homes, lost lands, lost jobs and lost rights for many farming tenants, a plight exacerbated by the 16th century trend of engrossing or combining several farms, or creating private parks out of fields and common land. The situation was not helped by the vast change of landownership precipitated by the [Protestant] Reformation and subsequent Dissolution of the Monasteries: abbey lands fell into secular hands, religious lodgings and hospitals disappeared and, not only monks, but large numbers of lay servants found themselves unemployed. These difficulties were compounded in time of war and struck Berkshire at their worst during the Civil War (1642-1648) between King Charles I and [the Calvinist-led] Parliament. The county was not only salted for money, men and supplies, but became one of the major battlegrounds. Berkshire began the war as a largely Royalist stronghold, but fell under Parliamentary control by 1644 and on the way suffered greatly. There were skirmishes throughout the county, particularly in the North where the Cavaliers led raiding parties out from their base at Oxford.

These changes, as well as religious persecution, likely had a bearing on the Tinker decision to leave England for America.

After Anne's death, Robert married Mary Merwin of Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Circumstantial evidence of her parentage is provided by the will of (her probable brother) Anthony Merwin, yeoman, of Clewer, Berkshire, dated 7 March 1633/34, proved 4 April 1634, in which Mary's second husband, Humphrey Collins, was named overseer and called "loving friend." Anthony Merwin also left a bequest of 20 shillings each to two of Mary's younger children, John and Sarah.

In 1615, Robert Tinker served as churchwarden of New Windsor and in that capacity he signed the Bishop's Transcripts that year for the parish. "Robert Tyncker of New Windsor in the County of Berk, mercer, being at present tyme in reasonable health of body," left a will dated 23 January 1622, proved 15 June 1624. At the time of his death, he owned property in Clewer and Winkfield, Berkshire, Burnham, Buckinghamshire, and Berkhamsted, Hartforshire. He also held a leasehold interest in a messuage or tenement in Clewer where his daughter and son-in-law, Margaret and Walter Merwin, resided.

Robert's will shows him to have been prosperous, owning land, orchards, and a tannery, much of the tanning business in the tenure of others during his lifetime.

Among Robert Tinker's children, we have a probable descent from his daughter RHODA and a possible descent from his son JOHN (see below). New Windsor parish records show that Rhoda was baptised 16 June 1611. When she was 20 years old, on 1 Nov. 1631 she married in New Windsor to THOMAS HOBBS. In his 1623 will, Robert Tinker stipulated that Rhoda would inherit some tenements and lands in Berkhamstead, Hertsfordshire, England, after her mother Mary's death or remarriage. In 1633, Thomas served as a witness to the will of Rhoda's stepfather, Humphrey Collins.

Douglas Richardson makes a persuasive case that Rhoda is the Rhoda who married the New England colonist JOHN TAYLOR of Windsor, Connecticut. It was already known that John Taylor's widow Rhoda subsequently married my wife's ancestor WALTER HOYT, son of Simon and Jane Hoyt, baptised 29 or 30 Nov. 1618 in West Hatch, Somersetshire, England; died in Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut, probably in late February or early March 1699. Walter Hoyt himself named one of his daughters Rhoda. If Richardson's arguments are correct, my wife is a descendant of the third marriage of Robert Tinker's daughter Rhoda. In his own words, here are the arguments Richardson offers in support of the identification of Walter Hoyt's wife Rhoda as Rhoda Tinker:

"This author believes that Rhoda (Tinker) Hobbs immigrated to New England, where she m. (2) John Taylor of Windsor, Conn., and (3) Walter Hoyt of Windsor and Norwalk. The reasons for this identification are as follows: First, it is known that Rhoda Taylor had a previous marriage, for John Taylor in his will dated 1645 bequeathed a tract on the east side of the Connecticut River in Windsor to his wife's daughters (see Mary Walton Ferris, Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines (1943), pp. 785-787). Secondly, the given name Rhoda appears repeatedly among the descendants of Rhoda Tinker's brother and two sisters in New England, suggesting that Rhoda Tinker herself came to New England and that subsequent Rhodas in the family were named for her. Finally, Rhoda's second husband, John Taylor, and Matthias Sension (husband of Mary Tinker) both owned homelots in the Palisado in Windsor, and her third husband, Walter Hoyt, owned a farm in Windsor opposite that of John Tinker. Both Hoyt and Sension subsequently removed to Norwalk and there were intermarriages of their children. In an effort to identify Rhoda Taylor's children by her first marriage, this writer searched the Windsor land records to locate and trace the tract bequeathed to them by their stepfather, John Taylor. The search revealed that Taylor obtained his property on the east side of the river by exchange with John Rockwell (Windsor Deeds, I:10 and IA:8, not dated, FHL microfilm 6,188). Rhoda Taylor, then a widow, conveyed this same tract to Beggat (or Baggat) Eggleston, along with John Taylor's homelot and other Windsor land holdings (ibid., I;23, IA:19), before her daughters came into possession of it, and thus it cannot be used to identify them."

In addition to those points of consideration, it is significant that in the will of Matthias St. John ("Sention" or "Sension") of Norwalk, who was the same generation as Walter Hoyt, there is a reference to his "brother and sister Hoyt," and the most probable interpretation of that reference is that Matthias' wife Mary Tinker was the sister of Rhoda, wife of Walter Hoyt.

Rhoda and her second husband John Taylor, whom she married circa 1639, had three children -- Abigail, John, and Thomas Taylor. Her third husband Walter Hoyt, whom Rhoda married circa 1651 (or perhaps as early as circa 1646) in Windsor, Connecticut, had also previously been married with three children born of that marriage -- Elizabeth, John, and Hannah Hoyt. Rhoda may be the mother of Walter's children Rhoda and Zerubbabel, though they possibly were rather born to Walter by an unknown second wife whom he would have married after his daughter Hannah's birth circa 1645. The name of Walter's youngest daughter Rhoda suggests that she was the daughter of Rhoda, and if so, then the youngest son Zerubbabel would also have been born of Rhoda. Considering Richardson's arguments, I accept his identification of Rhoda Tinker as John Taylor's wife Rhoda, and also find it to be most likely that Rhoda was the mother of Walter's two youngest children. Be all of that as it may, Walter Hoyt's wife Rhoda died circa 6 Aug. 1694 in Norwalk, Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Robert Tinker had a total of 14 children by his two wives -- five sons and one daughter by his first wife Agnes, and six daughters and two sons by his second wife Mary, as follows:

     --  RANDALL TINKER, baptised 10 Dec. 1591, died in infancy.
     --  RANDALL TINKER, baptised 23 June 1594, buried 28 March 1664 in New Windsor, England, married Sarah Neale.
     --  THOMAS TINKER, baptised 17 Oct. 1596, probably one of the two children of Robert Tinker who were buried 11 Nov. 1596 in New Windsor, England.
     --  EDWARD TINKER, baptised 17 Oct. 1596, probably one of the two children of Robert Tinker who were buried 11 Nov. 1596 in New Windsor, England.
     --  MARGARET TINKER, baptised 5 Feb. 1597/8, married her step-cousin Walter Merwin.
     --  THOMAS TINKER, baptised 27 July 1600, perhaps the Thomas Tinker who was buried 16 Aug. 1670 in New Windsor, England, married twice.
     --  SARAH TINKER, baptised 1601, buried 1617.
     --  HELEN TINKER (Ellen), born circa 1604, married William Hubbard.
     --  MARY TINKER, baptised 6 Aug. 1606, married Matthias/Matthew St. John (Sention).
     --  ROBERT TINKER, baptised 20 Feb. 1608/9, buried 1625/6 in New Windsor, England.
     --  RHODA TINKER, baptised 16 June 1611, married three times.
     3.  JOHN TINKER, baptised 18 July 1613.
     --  ANNE TINKER, baptised 21 July 1616, married Thomas Thornton.
     --  SARAH TINKER, baptised 26 July 1619, died 6 June 1652, married Thomas King of Scituate, Massachusetts.

3. JOHN TINKER, son of Robert and Mary Tinker, born 13 July 1613 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, died 21 Oct. 1662 in Hartford, Hartford County, Connecticut, buried in the Ancient Burying Ground of Hartford. John and his mother Mary together left Windsor, England, circa 1636, possibly sailing with John Hawthorn and William Knight. They probably settled first at Dorchester, joining John's sister Mary and Anne who were living there. Afterwards John lived at Boston, Massachusetts, and owned land at Windsor and Wethersfield, Connecticut, and with his mother was one of the early settler of Windsor. John, an attorney and scrivener, became a successful fur trader and businessman in the New World, and in conducting his business he made several trips back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean. John's first wife, whom he married in 1648 in Boston, was SARAH BARNES, baptised 17 Aug. 1620 at St. Stephen's Parish in London, England, daughter of Gregory and Joan (Worrall) Wilshire if St. Antholin and St. Stephen parishes on Coleman Street in London. Sarah was the divorced ex-wife of William Barnes, a mariner of Gloucester, who had abandoned her three years earlier. The divorce of Sarah and William was granted by the Boston Court on 6 April 1648, and Sarah married John Tinker soon after that. The marriage was cut short by Sarah's sudden death, however, for Suffolk County, Massachusetts, probate records dated 22 May 1648 -- just three weeks after Sarah's divorce -- detail the inventory of Sarah's estate following her death. The following year, on 9 April 1649 in Boston, John remarried to ALICE SMITH, born 20 Nov. 1629 in England, died on her birthday, 20 Nov. 1714, in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut, daughter of John and Mary Smith of Lancaster, Massachusetts. John and Alice Tinker had at least seven, perhaps eight, children.

Information on John Tinker's life is presented by Douglas Richardson in his above cited 1995 study on the Tinker and Merwin families in the New England Genealogical and Historical Register vol. 149. There is also an extended and truly remarkable biography of John Tinker and his wife Alice in Robert C. and Sherry (Smith) Stancliff's 1995 "Descendants of James Stanclift of Middletown, Connecticut and Allied Families," based on primary sources and on other studies, especially Richardson's. The Stancliffs' biography of John and Alice Tinker is here quoted and excerpted:

John Tinker was born about 1614 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, . . . The exact time of his immigration is not known, but can be estimated given his business records and family connections. John appears in the records of Boston, MA, as early as 1635. He is said to have been born in England. We know that his mother was living in the Colonies in 1639, for while on a business trip to England, John Tinker wrote a report or letter to John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and enclosed a "letter to my mother" and asked the Governor to see that she received it. It did not mention her name. A Sarah Tinker, aged 15, came to Boston in the ship "Blessing" in July 1635, her name listed with the William Vassel family, she may have been a relative of John Tinker. (It is believed this Sarah Tinker is John's sister who married Thomas King of Scituate. He is also on the manifest of the Blessing listed as age 21 on 17 June 1635.) (From the NEGHR 149 p.418 - Sometime prior to 1638 he and his mother, the widow Mary Collins, immigrated to New England, settling first probably at Dorchester, where two of his married sisters, Mary Sension and Anne Thornton, already resided. He may have come earlier, for an undated tailor's bill, assigned by the editors to 'ca. 1636' with items supplied to Gov. John Winthrop for his family and servants, includes "a payer of sliuers, a payer of briches and footing a payer of stocking" for John Tinker. Tinker and his mother possibly sailed with John Hawthorne and William Knight, both of Berkshire, who came to New England together about 1636, settling at Salem, Massachusetts. In December 1640, John Tinker wrote to Governor John Winthrop, Sr., from Salem saying, "All our friends at Salem thanks be to the Lord, are well.")

John Tinker was consistently referred to in the Records as "Master Tinker" or "Mr. Tinker", a term reserved for those who are either exceptionally well educated or hold a high social position. John Tinker's social position in England is unknown, but he was a highly educated man. He acted as an Attorney for many of the most prominent men of Boston. He was a scrivener and wrote many legal documents existent today. He acted as a confidential business agent for John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, for many years, and was possibly even part of the Winthrop household. His name was included on an undated tailor's bill sent to Governor Winthrop as receiving several articles of clothing. Other names on this bill were Winthrop family members and others in the household, it was endorsed by Gov. Winthrop "ffamilye Bill".

In 1638, John Tinker returned to England, commissioned by Governor Winthrop, to look after his affairs in England. Before sailing, he made arrangements with several other parties to act also as their agent in England (NEGHR 149 p.418). He was a trader or merchant, conducting business with the Indians locally and engaging in the shipping trade with England and the West Indies. He owned a one-sixth interest in the ship "Susan and Ellen" and traveled at times as "supercargo" [overseer of cargo] on that ship and others. (In 1640 the Susan and Ellen was loaded principally with supplies for the Connecticut Colony, but planned to make a brief stop in Massachusetts en route. On 28 May 1640, he wrote Governor Winthrop from the Downes, telling of his disappointment in the delay of his return. By October 1640 he had returned to New England, and in December he wrote from Salem to the Governor, asking pardon for not having called upon him before sailing from Boston (NEGHR 149 p.419). He entered partnerships with several of the sons of Gov. Winthrop at various times, but his particular friend was John Winthrop, Jr., who was instrumental in convincing John Tinker to move to the new community of Pequot or New London, in the Connecticut Colony.

By 1640 Capt. John Tinker was among those listed as land owners in the town of Wethersfield. It is not known if he ever lived there, but he did leave Boston for Connecticut in 1640. Sometime during the year of 1640, one Robert Keayne, a prominent merchant tailor of Boston, gave a letter of attorney "unto John Tinker, of Windsore, upon the river of Connecticut, planter," to receive for him certain monies. This shows that John did migrate to Connecticut sometime before or during that year - corresponding with his mother's move to Windsor (NEGHR 149 p.419).

In 1643 he formed a partnership with John Griffen and Michael Humphrey of Windsor to manufacture pitch and tar and to collect turpentine. These products were needed by the British Navy and were nearly the only product that England allowed to be exported from the Colonies. (The minutes of the Connecticut General Court dated 15 November 1644 granted liberty to Richard Lyman "with John Tynker and his partners for the making of pitch and tarre”).

We know that John Tinker owned large tracts of land in that part of Windsor called Massaco, which later became Simsbury, CT. He returned to Boston by 1648 and divested himself of the Windsor land holdings in 1654. As mentioned earlier, it was known that John was engaged as a fur trapper and trader. The area of Connecticut that John settled in was rich in beaver which inhabited the local rivers and streams. The early settlers of Connecticut thought the rivers (like the Connecticut River) were much longer and extended much farther inland than they did. Their plan to get rich was to trade for beaver, principally, with the Natives. The fur trade ended when the beaver were gone from those limited watersheds.

John Tinker had built far into the wilds at the point that the Connecticut River rapids ended (the farthest inland of any fur trader, so likely to get the furs before anyone else), and he stayed there and made whiskey when the furs ran out. This may account for what prompted him to return to Boston. John Tinker acquired a 226-acre tract of land with housing at Poqonnoc in Windsor on the east side of the Rivulet or Farmington River. Walter Hoyt, then of Windsor and probably John Tinker's brother-in-law, owned a 50-acre tract "opposite Tinker's farm." On 14 April 1654, then a resident of Boston, Tinker sold these premises to Edward Griswold, Thomas Holcomb, and Samuel Phelps, including in the sale of a "certain marsh for grass, about 14 acres, more or less betwixt two ponds." Henry Stiles, the Windsor historian, reported in 1863 that the marsh retained the name "Tinker's Swamp," and at that time it was owned by Daniel Buck Jr. Besides this property in Windsor, Tinker also owned a houselot and other lands in Wethersfield, Connecticut (NEGHR 149 p.419).

About 1648, Tinker left Windsor and moved to Boston where he met SARAH BARNES. The Aspinwall Notarial records of Boston verified the divorce of a Sarah Barnes from her husband William Barnes by Order of the Court dated 6 (4) 1648. Sarah had been deserted by her husband, William Barnes, a mariner "of Glouster", and according to the law at that time she was able to obtain a divorce after a period of three years. The divorce was not recorded until 29 (8) 1649, and the record immediately following this certifies the marriage of Sarah Barnes to John Tinker. The very next record concerned the property of John Tinker's wife Sarah, and referred to Gregory Willshere of Breadstreet, in London, as Tinker's "trusty and welbeloved brother." "A letter dated April 1, 1653, from Robert Hawthorne of Bray, to his brother William Hawthorne of New England was addressed to the care of Mr. Tinker at Wm. Willsheers house, Ironmonger . . . in Bredstreet, London." It would seem, then, that John Tinker's first wife was Sarah [Willshere] Barnes, sister of Gregory Willshere or Wiltshire. NEGHR 149 has her as the daughter of Gregory Wilshire, clothworker, of St. Antholin and St. Stephen, Coleman Street parishes, London, and his wife, Joan, daughter of James Worrall and has her baptism as 17 Aug. 1620 at St. Stephen. At the time the records were recorded Sarah [Willshere] Barnes Tinker had already died. Only three weeks had passed from the date of the divorce until Sarah's Inventory in Suffolk County Records was taken 22 (5) 1648. The inventory and Will from records of Suffolk County, MA, are erroneously listed under the name of Henry Kemball. (From NEGHR 149, "an inventory of the goods and debts Mrs. Sarah Barnes accounted to be hers at ye marriage with John Tinker was accepted by the Court 13 December 1648. The amount was 45 pounds 7s 1d, from which was deducted 17 pounds for what was spent in the time of their living together. Of the rest 8 pounds 10s was paid to Richard Cooke for bringing up the eldest of the two children and the rest of the estate both good and doubtful to remaine to John Tinker for ye bringing upp of the younger child & is according to the last will of the wife of John Tinker deceased").

Sarah [Wilshire] Barnes Tinker had two daughters at the time of her death, Mary and Alice. The eldest daughter was entrusted to the care of Richard Cooke, tailor of Boston, and the younger daughter to the care of John Tinker. It is possible that the wife of Richard Cooke might be the sister of Sarah. In 1651 the Inventory of one Henry Sandyes mentions debts owed to a very great number of people throughout the state of Massachusetts, including John Tinker and "Jno Tinker's other wife's sister" indicating that Sarah [Willshere] Barnes Tinker had a sister living in the Boston area at that time.

John Tinker married before 9 Dec. 1649 as his second wife ALICE SMITH, daughter of John and Mary [Homan] Smith of Boston, Sudbury and Lancaster, MA (who immigrated to New England in 1635 on the Planter (sic) and later settled in Sudbury), born Nov. 20, 1629, and died in Lyme, CT, on her birthday, Nov. 20, 1714, at age 85. While the record of John Tinker's second marriage has not been found, there is an entry in Aspinwall's Notarial Records in which both John and Alice act as witnesses to a land transaction in which Amos Richardson was the attorney, dated Dec. 9, 1649. On this date Alice signed her name Alice Tinker.

On 3 May 1654, John Tinker was made a freeman of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1655, John Tinker, Dean Winthrop, and several other men petitioned the General Court for the establishment of the town of Groton, Massachusetts. On 23 July 1655, the Court granted the petition and appointed Tinker to serve as one of the town selectmen for two years. Tinker seems not to have settled at Groton (NEGHR 149 p.420). Although he was listed as an original proprietor of Groton or Groaten, MA, along with brothers-in-law Richard Smith and Amos Richardson, he lived there only a short time if at all. Amos Richardson, tailor, remained in Boston, Richard Smith moved to Sudbury and John Tinker located in Lancaster. (Richard Smith arrived with John's family at New London, from letter written 29 Aug 1659 to John Winthrop Jr.)

The family was in Lancaster, MA, by 1655 and lived there through 1659. John Tinker was granted a sizable real estate holding to entice him to that area. His education and skills in government were needed. He was Clerk of the Town during his entire residence in that place, and served as selectman (NEGHR 149 p.420). He never relinquished his private enterprise and remained a trader with the Indians (On 19 October 1658 the General Court contracted with Mr. John Tinker for the fur trade of Lancaster and Groton. NEGHR 149 p.420) He was even termed "the Nashaway Trader," Nashaway being the Indian name for the Lancaster area.

In August 1659, John Tinker sold his land and future rights to land in Lancaster, to Major Simon Willard, and removed to Pequot in the Connecticut Colony, where he settled on a 240-acre farm on the east side of the Thomas River, on a site that is within the bounds of present day Groton. He also had a farm in New London at the General Neck, on the west side of the Thames River, near the mouth of the harbor, which reportedly descended to his heirs (NEGHR 149 p.420).

Some of the most important men in the Boston, Lancaster, MA areas organized themselves into a group termed "The Atherton Partners" and purchased a large tract of land in the "Narragansett Lands,” an area that was something of a buffer zone between the colonies of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Atherton Partners were John Winthrop Jr., Major Humphrey Atherton, Capt. Hutchinson, William Hudson, John Tinker, Amos Richardson, and Richard Smith Sr., but the presence in the Pequot area of several men called at various times Richard Smith Sr. precludes a positive identification of the Richard Smith in the Atherton Company as the same man from Sudbury and Lancaster. Both John Tinker and Amos Richardson were married to sisters of Richard Smith. Amos Richardson in 1653 deals with a millwright in Boston whom he called brother and later brother-in-law. John Tinker, in a 1659 letter to Governor John Winthrop Jr. in Hartford stated that he had just arrived in Pequot and his wife's brother had moved to Pequot with him. Pending an agreement on terms, John Tinker proposed that his brother-in-law might help the Governor to keep his Saw-Mill working over the winter. Subsequent letters indicate that the proposal was never acted upon.

Alice (Smith) Tinker's brother was Richard Smith of Boston, Groton, Sudbury and Lancaster, MA, and later of Lyme, CT. He was termed a "Millwright" in Lancaster, MA. Amos Richardson and Richard Smith had land dealings in Saybrook and Amos Richardson signed over to Master Richard Smith all interest and right to land in Saybrook which he had received by deed from John Comstock, signed 9 April 1660. The land appeared in the Saybrook records as there had not yet been a separation making Saybrook and Lyme distinct jurisdictions.

Before his death John Tinker gave Amos Richardson a deed for 240 acres of land "on the east side of the river" in trust for his eldest son, an action usually reserved for a relative. In 1659 the area called Pequot encompassed what today is Groton, Stonington, New London, Waterford, Niantic and parts of Saybrook later called Lyme.

John Tinker's land holdings or rights to land were scattered, and were in areas that stretched from the "Narragansett lands,” now Rhode Island, to Stonington, CT, and along the coast to Saybrook, CT. His major business holdings, wharfs and warehouses, were located in the town of New London where he resided with his family. There is an original document in the Connecticut Archives that was written in the hand of John Tinker himself in which Mateteamo, a Chief of the Mohegan Indians, for love and affection gave a gift of land to John Tinker on 30 Dec. 1659. A tract of land was also granted to John Tinker by the Town of New London in October 1659.

“In Pequot John Tinker was active in local and colonial government as well as ecclesiastical affairs. Richard Blinman, the minister of the First Congregational Church of New London, left the area soon after John Tinker arrived. Before leaving, Rev. Richard Blinman sold to John Tinker, The Harbour's Mouth Farm, located on the west side of the mouth of the Thames River. Today this area can be identified as being at Great Neck, near Pleasure Beach, Waterford, CT. The Harbour's Mouth Farm was later called "Tinker's Farm." The town was without a minister for some time and John Tinker frequently served the congregation as a preacher until the new minister arrived.

He also carried on his shipping trade business, and in 1660 John Tinker was licensed by the Colony to distill and sell liquor in New London and to suppress by law anyone else attempting to do the same. He was granted a monopoly in this area.

The government of the Colony of Connecticut was located at Hartford, CT. The Governor, the Council, and the General Court, conducted the business of the Colony. There was a need to oversee the civil matters at the local level too and before "County Courts" were established in 1666, "Assistants" (or magistrates) were appointed in major communities to hold court and direct the Government business. In May 1660 the General Court at Hartford granted New London the right to have an Assistant and Commissioners with power to hold Court on small cases. John Tinker was appointed Assistant for the New London area along with Commissioners Obediah Bruen, James Rogers, LT. SAMUEL SMITH [see below] and John Smith. Serving in the capacity of Chief Magistrate of the Court at New London, John Tinker evidently refused to prosecute an individual who had allegedly made derogatory remarks about the King of England. This caused three overly zealous men to accuse John himself of a treasonous act. They were William Thompson, the Indian Missionary, Richard Haughton, and William Morton, the Constable. John Tinker brought charges against his accusers for defamation. He died while attending the General Court session at Hartford in October 1662, before the suit had been resolved. The charges of treason against John Tinker were regarded by the court to have no substance and the men who had sought to malign his character sustained fines. The moderator hearing the charges at the trial of Constable Morton, answered Morton's demand for "justice for the king" by saying to Morton "he should have justice, if it were to hang half a dusen of you."

As an expression of respect, the expense of John Tinker's last illness and funeral amounting to £8-6-4 was assumed by the Public Treasury of the Colony of Connecticut by vote of the General Court. He was probably buried in the Center Church Yard in Hartford, as were many of the important men of the Colony in the early days, even though their residence was in another part of the Colony. If there was a stone for John Tinker, it no longer exists. The churchyard mentioned above is now called the Ancient Burying Ground at Center Church. Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground, located on Main Street alongside Center Church, is the city's oldest historic attraction. Some of the more than 400 headstones in this old cemetery date to the 1600s. Although there are only about 400 surviving tombstones, it is believed that this is the final resting place for as many as 6,000 of Hartford's early settlers. An inventory of his estate was taken 22 Dec. 1662 by James Rogers, John Smith, and Obadiah Bruen, amounted to 145 pounds 15s (NEGHR 149 p.421).

In 1663, much too long after the death of John Tinker, it became evident that the widow Tinker was "with child". Since this was not to be tolerated in a Puritan community, Alice was forced to face the Court and be examined. It is not clear who made the complaint, but Alice admitted the circumstance and further shocked the community by stating that the father of her unborn child was the 21-year-old son of the former minister, Jeremiah Blinman. Alice paid a fine. In other Court cases there was frequently a choice of punishment, a woman could be forced to wear some sort of identification pinned to her bonnet proclaiming her sin, but for affluent sinners the Court was satisfied to exact punishment in the form of money, the usual fine for "impurity" being £5. It is probable that the Court accepted Alice's statement about Jeremiah Blinman, as he too paid a fine of £5 in 1663. But Jeremiah was not the father of the child, and we will never know why he was thus accused. The father was Lt. Samuel Smith, one of the commissioners of New London, and a married man. It was thought that a woman in labor would be unable to lie about the paternity of her child. The Court so firmly believed this evidence that it was sufficient to cause a man to become legally responsible for the financial support of a child when he was identified under these circumstances. Perhaps this was what led Samuel Smith to desert his wife and move to Virginia and finally the Carolinas, perhaps he feared the censure of his peers, but more likely he simply did not want to face up to such an unsettling circumstance. Smith spent a great deal of time at the local Tavern and evidently talked freely as a result. When his wife, Rebecca, applied for a divorce on grounds of desertion, there were letters and depositions supplied that indicated that Samuel Smith had told numerous people that he must leave town before Mrs. Tinker's baby was born, as he was responsible. It would even seem that he took the daughter of the local Tavern owner with him when he left. There were also documents saying Samuel Smith offered to pay a significant sum of money, a reward, to anyone who would take the child and deliver it to him, whether it was weaned or not. So it is the more surprising that several printed sources feign ignorance to the reason that Lt. Smith left town and even suggest that it was an act of self sacrifice on his part to allow his wife to marry another man. Rebecca Smith received her divorce in 1667, returned to her family in Wethersfield, and did indeed marry again.

Alice Tinker had a child [Sarah] in the spring of 1664. She then remarried before 27 Jan. 1665 to Attorney and Scrivener WILLIAM MEASURE [surname also spelled "Masuer" and "Mauser" in contemporary records]. William Measure was born about 1636, died on 24 March 1688, and his Inventory, registered in Boston, MA, was dated 27 July 1688. Gov. E. Andros granted Administration to his relict Alice on 26 June 1688. George Dennison, a magistrate of Stonington, CT, was ordered to appear at the Court at Hartford as a result of performing this marriage. Frances Caulkins speculated that it was because of the "scandalous behavior of Alice Tinker," but in her book Miss Caulkins says it was because Capt. Dennison had received his commission from Massachusetts Colony and Connecticut probably did not consider that he had the authority to perform the marriage. Whatever the case, George Dennison had a long history of refusing to submit to Connecticut authority, and it will be noted that he refused to appear before the Connecticut Court to answer these charges against him.

William and Alice [Smith] Tinker Measure took the Tinker children and moved to Lyme, CT, soon after their marriage. William Measure's name appears frequently in Town records and it is clear that he was very active in civic affairs. At a Lyme Town meeting on 18 Jan. 1681 William Measure was granted the license to run "an ordinary" or an Inn. At the same meeting "Mr. Wm Measure was chosen and Agreed with to keep A Schoole and to teach Children to Read Wright and Cost Accounting According to theire Capasitys." Amos and Samuel Tinker as well as Alice and William Measure obtained land from the Town of Lyme "by grant." It was by right of John Tinker, who must have been a proprietor of Lyme, as in later divisions of the town property, descendants of John Tinker received headrights by virtue of being descendants of John Tinker.

John Tinker Jr. never claimed the land in Stonington or Groton that was put in trust for him by his father, and that land was sold years later by Samuel Tinker with approval of the Court. John Tinker Jr. does not appear in any record after the death of his father. So on 18 June 1688, when Amos Tinker presented a grievance at a Lyme Town Meeting because his brother John Tinker, deceased, had not received his portion of the land in the fourth division, the fact that the Town did grant land to John Tinker (Jr.) indicates "head rights." At a much later date land was laid out in the right of Mary as "daughter of John Tinker." This was after Mary's death and the only reason for mentioning her father would be to establish her right to the land.

It is something of a mystery that William Measure did not marry Alice before the birth of Sarah, but possibly as long as Alice remained the legal widow of John Tinker, the law looked upon all of her children as children of John. Sarah [Tinker] Hudson, claimed her "headright" in land of the fourth division of Lyme by virtue of being "daughter of John Tinker" [even though John wasn't her father at all]. All of John Tinker's heirs received grants of land in Lyme, with the exception of Rhoda. The only knowledge of Rhoda is her birth and mention of her in her father's will. . . . .

The known and undisputed children of John and Alice Tinker were named Sarah, Mary, John, Amos, Samuel, and Rhoda. There is also a 1 April 1660 birth record in Lancaster, Massachusetts, for an unnamed son, who may in fact be Samuel, who was born 1 April 1659 in New London, Connecticut -- the Lancaster record may only be a mistaken duplicate record, but it may be a son who, say, died soon after birth and was never named. Then in 1664, two years after John's death, Alice bore an illegitimate daughter, Sarah, whom she had conceived in adultery with Lt. Samuel Smith. Some genealogists also place another daughter, Rebecca, in the family of John and Alice Tinker, though positive evidence for that hypothesis is scanty. If Rebecca was their child, she would be their eldest, born about a year or so after John and Alice's marriage (see below).

The known and possible children of John and Alice Tinker are listed here, with their half-sister Sarah, daughter of Samuel Smith:

     4.  REBECCA [TINKER], born circa 1650, perhaps John Tinker's oldest daughter.
     --  SARAH TINKER, born 2 Jan. 1652 in Boston, Massachusetts, died 28 Aug. 1652 in Boston, Massachusetts.
     --  MARY TINKER, born 2 July 1653 in Boston, Massachusetts, married twice.
     --  JOHN TINKER JR., born 4 Aug. 1655 in Boston, Massachusetts.
     --  AMOS TINKER, born 28 Oct. 1657 in Lancaster, Massachusetts, died 8 May 1730 in New London, Connecticut, married Sarah Durant.
     --  SAMUEL TINKER, born 1 April 1659 in Lancaster, Massachusetts, or New London, Connecticut, died 28 April 1733 in Lyme, Connecticut, married Abigail Durant.
     --  [SON] TINKER, born 1 April 1660 in New London, Connecticut -- perhaps this is Samuel, whose birth record may have been recorded in Lancaster though he was born in New London.
     --  RHODA TINKER, born 23 Feb. 1661 in New London, Connecticut.
     --  SARAH TINKER, born Spring 1664 in New London or Lyme, Connecticut, died 11 Sept. 1746 in Brookhaven, Long Island 1702, died 25 Sept. 1763, married Jonathan Hudson.

4. REBECCA [TINKER], perhaps the oldest child of John and Alice Tinker, was born circa 1650 perhaps in Boston, Massachusetts, died after 1722 probably in Lyme, New London County, Connecticut. Rebecca's parentage is uncertain, but she is known to have married twice. Her first husband, whom she married in 1670, was EDWARD DeWOLF, born 1644 in Guilford, New Haven County, Connecticut, died 24 March 1709/10 in Lyme, Connecticut, son of Balthasar and Alice DeWolf. Edward and Rebecca had five sons and three daughters. After Edward's death, Rebecca remarried to SAMUEL PERSONS, who died 1721/2 in Lyme, Connecticut, the last time Rebecca appears on record. She and Samuel had no children together.

So far no direct evidence has been found for Rebecca's parentage. Genealogists have offered three different speculations regarding the identity of her parents. Regarding the first speculation, in the past it was erroneously believed that Rebecca's father was the above named WILLIAM MEASURE (whose surname is spelled "Masuer" and "Mauser" in old records). That identification was founded on the misinterpretation of a Lyme, Connecticut, deed of sale (1:104) recorded 19 Feb. 1681, involving Edward DeWolf and Mrs. Elizabeth Waller, that was witnessed by Moses Noyes and William Measure. Mrs. Waller's 1681 deed to Edward had been acknowledged 1 March 1679 after she was paid by William Measure. DeWolf genealogist Carol S. Maginnis explained how these transactions were misinterpreted as supposed evidence that William was Edward DeWolf's father-in-law (emphasis added):

Originally it was thought that this deed proved that Edward's wife was the daughter if Wm. Maseur because he paid Edward's debts and agreed to support his family. However, William Masuer had married the widow of John Tinker and had no children of his own. Edward's dealings with Mr. Masuer were of a business nature for Masuer was a trader and attorney. A study of the financial dealings of the time shows that the colonists usually maintained their democracy by bartering, or repaying small debts when they died, for their debts could then be repaid by the sale of their homelot. Edward might have sold or mortgaged land to any wealthy farmer, but only merchants in Saybrook like John Westall and Joseph Blaque, or an attorney like William Masuer of Lyme, had the cash Edward needed and could afford the risk of paying for the support of his family for an undetermined length of time while he was too handicapped to work.

Obviously if William Measure had no children of his own, Rebecca could not be his daughter. A further consideration shows that Rebecca was not William's daughter: the proponents of this misidentification had suggested that William was born circa 1625, which would make him old enough to be the father of Rebecca, who was born circa 1650. However, as noted above, William Measure was actually born circa 1636, not circa 1625 (see James Savage's Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England, vol. III, page 193), and therefore he was about 14 or younger when Rebecca was born.

Beside the clearly erroneous speculation that Rebecca was a daughter of William Measure of Lyme, another DeWolf genealogist, Esther Clark McDermott, has proposed that Rebecca was a daughter of John and Alice Tinker -- see this comment on Edward's wife Rebecca at "DeWolf direct line family groups": "Esther McDermott thinks prob Rebecca Tinker dau John Tinker and Alice." If McDermott is correct, Rebecca would have to be the eldest child of John Tinker, born about a year or so after John's married to Alice Smith. There is, however, no record identifying Rebecca as John's daughter, although certainly she and her husband Edward were neighbors of the Tinkers and had dealings with them, including dealings with the Wallers, in-laws of the Tinkers. I do not know McDermott's basis for suggesting Rebecca was a Tinker, but I am also unaware of any evidence that makes the identification impossible. Still, it should be kept in mind that Douglas Richardson does not list Rebecca among the children of John and Alice Tinker.

On the question of the identity of Edward DeWolf's wife Rebecca, DeWolf genealogist Carol S. Maginnis remarked:

His wife Rebecca has not been identified, but there has to be some explanation for the fact that Alice [DeWolf] gave all her grants at Duck River to Edward. If Alice was not the mother of Edward, Rebecca must have been the daughter of Alice De Wolf by her first marriage.

Alice DeWolf was a widow when she married Balthasar DeWolf, father of Edward DeWolf. There is, however, no evidence that Alice DeWolf was not Edward's mother, and Alice being Edward's mother explains her giving Edward her grants at Duck River -- there would be no basis, then, to suppose that Rebecca was a daughter of Alice DeWolf by Alice's previous marriage. But even if Rebecca was Edward's step-sister (which would mean she was not a Tinker) prior to her marriage to Edward, that would not identify Rebecca's father or ancestry, because Alice's previous husband and Alice's maiden name and parents are unknown.

We are left, then, with the possibility that Rebecca was a daughter of John and Alice (Smith) Tinker, and so Rebecca is tentatively placed here as their child. But Maginnis, who in her first book on the DeWolfs had reported Esther McDermott's suggested parentage of Rebecca, later would say only as in her above quote, that "Rebecca has not been identified."

Edward and Rebecca DeWolf's children were:

     --  SIMON DeWOLF, born 28 Nov. 1671 in Middletown, Middlesex County, Connecticut, married Alice Bolt.
     --  CHARLES DeWOLF, born 18 Sept. 1673 in Lyme, Connecticut.
     --  RACHAEL DeWOLF, born circa 1675 in Lyme, Connecticut.
     --  BENJAMIN DeWOLF, born 3 Dec. 1675 in Lyme, Connecticut.
     --  REBECCA DeWOLF, born circa 1676 in Lyme, Connecticut, married Jonathan Beckwith.
     --  EDWARD DeWOLF JR., born circa 1677 in Lyme, Connecticut, married twice.
     --  STEPHEN DeWOLF, born 10 Sept. 1679 in Lyme, Connecticut, married Elizabeth Douglas.
     --  MARY DeWOLF, born circ 1681 in Lyme, Connecticut, married Edward Stocker.
     --  HANNAH DeWOLF, born circa 1683 in Lyme, Connecticut, married four times.
     --  JOSEPH DeWOLF, born circa 1688 in Lyme, Connecticut

Tinker Genealogy Links:

The Updike-Wiebe Genealogy -- Robert Tinker biographical and genealogical information
Mindrum Family History -- Robert Tinker genealogical information
Permenter & Spradlin History -- Robert Tinker genealogical information

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