Falk Relations: Catlin Family

compiled by Steve Wilson, last updated December 12, 2015.
Back to Wilson's Family History.

Descendants

Outline

John Catlin♦ (b. c. 1617, England, d. by 17 July 1644, Wethersfield CT), m. c1642 to Isabella Ward (b. c. 1621, Northamptonshire, d. 8 Dec. 1676, Hadley MA)

John Catlin♦ (bap. 28 June 1643, Wethersfield CT, d. 29 Feb. 1704, Deerfield MA), m. 23 Sep. 1662 at Wethersfield CT to Mary Baldwin (bap. 23 June 1644, Milford CT, d. 9 Apr. 1704, Northampton MA)

John Catlin (b. 21 July 1663, Wethersfield CT, d. by 1687)
Mary Catlin (b. 10 July 1666, Branford CT, d. 9 Mar. 1704, near Sharon VT), m. 18 Oct. 1683 to Thomas French (b. 23 May 1657, Ipswich MA, d. 5 Apr. 1733, Deerfield MA)
Elizabeth Catlin (b. c. 1667, Branford CT, d. 6 Mar. 1704, near Ascutney VT), m. 4 Feb. 1690 in Massachusetts to James Corse (b. 1663, Connecticut, d. 15 May 1696, Deerfield MA)
Hannah Catlin (b. 24 Feb. 1670, Branford CT, d. Jan. 1747, Northampton MA), m. by 1692 to Thomas Bascom (b. 1668, Massachusetts, d. 3 Feb. 1714, Northampton MA)
Esther Catlin (b. c. 1671, Branford CT, d. 12 Dec. 1733, Deerfield MA), m. by 1695 to Ebenezer Smead (bap. 9 May 1675, Northampton MA, d. 19 Dec. 1753, Deerfield MA)
Sarah Catlin (b. c. 1673, Branford CT, d. 30 Dec. 1736, Deerfield MA), m. by 1695 to Michael Mitchell (b. 1669, Connecticut, d. 1712, Massachusetts)
Joseph Catlin (b. c. 1676, Newark NJ, d. 29 Feb. 1704, Deerfield MA), m. 26 June 1701 at Deerfield MA to Hannah Sheldon (b. 9 Aug. 1683, Northampton MA, d. 13 July 1764, New Haven CT)
Jonathan Catlin (b. c. 1679, Newark NJ, d. 29 Feb. 1704, Deerfield MA)
Ruth Catlin (b. c. 1684, Hartford CT)
John Catlin (b. 8 Jan. 1687, Deerfield MA, d. 1 Dec. 1766, Deerfield MA), m. 1 Mar. 1715 at Deerfield MA to Jemima Allen (b. 1697, Massachusetts, d. 6 Feb. 1772, Deerfield MA)

Our Descent

John Catlin (c1617-1644), m. c1642 to Isabella Ward (c1621-1676)

John Catlin (1643-1704), m. 1662 to Mary Baldwin (1644-1704)

Esther Catlin (c1671-1733), m. by 1695 to Ebenezer Smead (1675-1753)

Abigail Smead (1718-1755), m. 1735 to John Nims (1715-1769)

Reuben Nims (1740-1814), m. 1777 to Deliverance Gould (1742-1813)

Elizabeth Nims (1778-c1846), m. 1798 to Samuel Higgins (1774-c1849)

Horatio Higgins (1812-1890), m. 1837 to Mary Jane Felch (1820-1898)

Harvey Alva Higgins (1864-1928), m. 1889 to Lillian Belle Agee (1868-1947)

Elsie Laura Higgins (1895-1959), m. 1915 to George Washington Falk (1895-1969)

Documentation ♦

John Catlin (c1617-1644): m. Isabella Ward (c1621-1676)

Sheldon, George, A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1895-1896. In 2:104, "Catlin, Catling, Cattell, John, of Weth,; estate appraised July 17, 1644, amt. £69. He m. Isabella, prob. sister of Lawrence Ward of New Haven, Branford, Ct.; and Newark, N.J., where he d. 1670, leaving property to Isabella, in the care of his nephews, John Ward and John Catlin ..."
Virkus, Frederick Adams, ed., Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,500 Immigrants to America before 1750, 1986. On p. 19: "Catlin, John (d 1644), said to have gone from Eng. to Barbados, then to Va.; at Wethersfield, Conn., ca. 1640; trader; juror at Hartford, 1644; m 1641-42, Isabella Ward (d 1676), sister of Lawrence Ward (she m 2d, James Northam, and 3d Joseph Baldwin, qv)."

John Catlin (1643-1704): m. Mary Baldwin (1644-1704)

8 Jan. 1687, "John Catlyn, Son to Mr John & Mary Catlyn, was born Januwary ye 8, 1687" [Massachusetts, Deerfield, Vital Records]
29 Feb. 1704, "Mr John Catlyn, head of the famyly and his son Jonathan was slain by ye enemy Febowary ye 29: 1704" [Massachusetts, Deerfield, Vital Records]
1704, "The grave of 48 men women and children, victims of the French and Indian raid on Deerfield, February 29, 1704." [Massachusetts, Deerfield, Albany Road Cemetery, Inscriptions]
4 Apr. 1704, "Mary Catlyn wife to ye head of yt famyly Died April ye 4: 1704" [Massachusetts, Deerfield, Vital Records]
19 Apr. 1704, "19 Aprill Mary Catlin widow [died]" [Massachusetts, Northampton, Vital Records]
Demos, John, The Unredeemed Captive: A Family Story from Early America, 1994. On p. 21-22: "Some of this is remembered only by 'tradition,' not hard evidence, but is too compelling to overlook. Here is another instance, passed through generations of the descendants of Mrs. Mary Catlin: 'The captives were taken to a house ... and a Frenchman was brought in [wounded] and laid on the floor; he was in great distress and called for water; Mrs. Catlin fed him with water. Some one said to her, 'How can you do that for your enemy?' She replied, 'If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him water to drink.' The Frenchman was taken and carried away, and the captives marched off. Some thought the kindness shown to the Frenchman was the reason of Mrs. Catlin's being left ... [Mary Catlin was indeed 'left,' the only one of her large family not killed or captured. And this is as plausible an explanation of her survival as any.]"
Haefeli, Evan & Kevin Sweeney, Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield, 2003. On p. 23, 115-116: "John Catlin arrived with the title of 'Mister,' suggesting a status usually conferred by a liberal education, a possibility borne out by his service as both a teacher and town attorney in Newark, New Jersey. After coming to Deerfield in the early 1680s, he also served as a selectman and moderated town meetings. Another newcomer, Thomas French, married Mary, a daughter of John and Mary Catlin, and quickly gained local prominence, serving first as a selectman in 1686, when he was only twenty-nine, and later, in 1695, as town clerk."; "Battle cries, terrified screams, and the occasional gunshot had aroused the rest of the village. Now the English began to fight back and adults were killed. Farther along the east side of the common, Hurons and Iroquois of the Mountain, probably accompanied by some Abenakis, met with resistance at the homes of the Catlin, Frary, Nims, and Mattoon families ... The male heads of three of the households were killed: John Catlin Sr., Samson Frary, and Philip Mattoon ... Overall more members of these families were killed outright - twelve - than captured - seven."
McGowan, Susan & Amelia F. Miller, Family & Landscape: Deerfield Homelots from 1671, 1996. On p. 34, 119, 142, 151, 161: "Lot 13 ... Benoni Stebbins ... had sold a part of his early house and leanto to John Catlin (c.1643-1704) by September 26, 1698 when Catlin, having moved the house to Lot 26, petitioned the town for land onto which the 'house and leantoo' had been moved."; "Lot 26 ... It is not known how or when Samuel Northam (b. 1675), a carpenter, acquired the lot. His father, James Northam, was of Hartford, Connecticut. Samuel Northam was in Deerfield in 1686 and moved to Colchester, Connecticut as early as 1709. John Catlin (c. 1643-1704) purchased the lot in 1696 from Samuel Northam. The deed specified that the land being conveyed was 'One House Lot Except 20 Rodd of Ground at ye front of sd House Lott.' About 1698 John Catlin had bought a house from Benoni Stebbins (1652-1704), who owned and lived on Lot 13. Catlin needed frontage on the street, which had not been conveyed in the deed from Northam, in order to place the purchased Stebbins house. Catlin requested additional land from the town on September 26, 1698, and the request was recorded in town records ... Then on March 16, 1699, the town granted Catlin's request ... John Catlin lived on Lot 29 III, and had probably purchased Lot 26 for his oldest son, Joseph. Joseph was killed in 1704 and on April 19, 1705 George Stillman (d. 1728) of Hadley, who held a mortgage on Lot 26, took title to it from Catlin's executor."; "Lot 29 I ... "In 1687 Frary sold four acres on the north side of the lot to John Catlin (c.1643-1704)."; "Lot 29 III. Following his purchase from Samson Frary (d. 1704) in 1687, John Catlin (c.1643-1704) built a dwelling house and barn, both of which were destroyed in the French and Indian attack of 1704. ... One month after the attack, on March 25, 1704, an inventory was taken of John Catlin's few remaining personal effects. Only metal objects such as an 'Iron Pot', 'an iron Peel', a hoe, and assorted farm tools, plus his livestock, survived the fire. Included in the list of livestock, possibly set free at the time of the attack, were two cows, one horse, and a 'burnt heifer'."; "Lot 33 ... John Parsons (1650-1728) of neighboring Northampton, who sold this five-acre homelot to John Catlin (c.1643-1704) of Deerfield, in 1685. There was no house or other buildings cited in the deed. The next owner was Thomas Allison, who was listed as a northern abutter to Samuel Carter in 1700."
Sheldon, George, A History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, 1895-1896. In 2:104-105, "Catlin ... John, s. of John (1), b. abt. 1643; of Weth., 1662; of Branford, 1665, whence he rem. to Newark, where he was a teacher 1676; in 1678 he was 'Town's Attorney (not lawyer), an 'honest brother,' to take care that all town orders be executed, and if a breach occurs to punish the offender;' selectman 1676-81; was of Hart. 1683, of Dfd. soon after, as one of the early permanent settlers, where he was dignified by the title of 'Mr.' and took a prominent part in affairs; no family suffered more than his at the desolation of the town 1704; his buildings were all burned, and himself and s. Jonathan consumed with them; one s. was k. in the Meadow fight; another and three daus. were cap., and two of the latter k. on the march. He m. at Weth., Sept. 23, 1662, Mary, dau. Joseph Baldwin of Milford, Weth. and Had.; saved fr. destruction 1704, by her practical Christianity, she survived the terrible tragedy but a few weeks, dying Apr. 9, 1704."