 - 1659
-
| Name |
Stephen Post |
| Gender |
Male |
| Baptism |
24 Jun 1604 |
Hollingbourne, Kent, England  [1] |
| Died |
16 Aug 1659 |
Oyster River Quarter, Saybrook, Middlesex Co, Connecticut [1, 2, 3] |
| Notes |
- The marriage banns for Stephen Post designated him "carpenter of Otham"; the evidence to follow will show this to have been his occupation in the New World. In view of the date of 1625 at Parish of Langley and no further entry in that parish for them, we have been unable to ascertain where they were until the baptism of John at Otham in 1629. It is entirely possible that they went to Chelmsford, as past compilers have indicated; if this is correct, they were back in Kent by 1629, and through 1633 dates shown above. With the four-year lapse between marriage date and baptism of John, we might assume Abraham to have been the eldest child; however, this point is open for further study (details in text under #2, q.v.). There is another assumption at this point. With the burial of Joseph in September 1633 at the time the Griffin was enroute to the New World, one wonders if Eleanor would have remained in England and followed with relatives or friends at a later date, which seems unlikely. While every compiler for many years has stated that Stephen Post came on the Griflin, there is no pure record to indicate he was aboard. One publication stated that Stephen came to Connecticut in 1631; however, past compilers had not located the parish entries.
The first date for a documented record on Stephen at Newe Towne was September 1634, one year after the Griffin arrived in the New World, when Stephen was granted the 12 acres (op. cit.). The Griffin landed September 4, 1633, and Joseph was buried September 3, 1633, in Kent. There is no doubt of the close connection of Stephen Post and Thomas Hooker. Whether this close tie was formed in the New World or in England may never be resolved. In the Cambridge Town Meeting Records, 1630-1705, the first entry was the 12 acres. Pratt's History of Cambridge also shows this as the first date located. The Newe Towne Proprietors' Records (op. cit.) show that Stephen Post was on "the south side of the Charles River on the highway into the Common, southwest Samuell Wakeman, one northwest of Thomas Dudley, Esq., northeast . . . etc." This Thomas Dudley was the Deputy Governor who, after a badfire in Boston, had decreed "in our newe towne which we intend to build this summer we have ordered that no man there shall build his chimney with wood or cover his house with thatch."
The foregoing chapter shows the agitation for the movement from Newe Towne Colony into the wilds of Connecticut. In June of 1635 the Hooker Colony headed for Hartford. Stephen Post's name is among those on the monument at Hartford as one of the "Founders of Hartford." Court records show that he was "appraiser of inventory and goods of William Lotta" about 1636. [Early Connecticut Probate Records, op. cit.] In 1639 his home lot was in the distribution of lands on the south side of the road from George Steel's to the South Meadow. In the records of the First Church of Hartford [Historical Catalogue of the First Church of Hartford, 1885, pub. by the Church], Stephen Post was voted to clapboard the first Meeting House. And in 1641 he was to build a porch and stairs in the Meeting House, which is the same year he was elected constable. In the original town records of Hartford, as copied in 1665 by John Allyn, he wrote: "Stephen Post an original proprietor of undivided lands in Hartford ...... and then added, "allotted in divisions at two different times according to the proportions payed for the purchase of sayed lands, Stephen Post payed thirty pounds and twenty-four shillings." Here one might take flight into fantasy and conclude that Stephen Post was an excellent carpenter in the New World; this is the same occupation designated with the marriage banns in Kent. This was a trained profession in his day; the art of "clapboarding" and the use of shingles for a roof could not be accomplished by the amateur. From the records of The First Church: "On the 20th of October, 1640, Goodman Post should clapboard the building and furnish himself with the clapboards at five shillings, six pence the hundred, thus he to hew, plane and lay the clapboards." The structure of the Meeting House was almost square. The top of the pyramid roof was a turret, where the bell, which was brought from Newe Towne, was hung. There were three entrances, doors on all three sides, and on the fourth was the pulpit area. The height inside was sufficient for a row of galleries. The north side had raised seats, where the guards sat or remained on duty during the services, as lookouts. The porch and staircase, which Stephen built leading to an inside chamber, were the arsenal. Before the order to Stephen in October, 1640, the General Court on the 5th of April 1638 ordered that the Meeting House should be "put into good kelter" and "that there be a guard of men to attend all services with their arms fixed and with a supply of powder and shot." Two men were to oversee same, and one man to stay outside as a sentinel.
About this time, between 1642 to 1645, Stephen Post and his family were looking toward Saybrook. According to the Collections Of The Historical Society of Connecticut, published 1912, Stephen made a forage and exploration to Saybrook about 1645. Whether this trip was for his own edification or at the behest of other settlers is not shown. Saybrook is about 38 miles down river from Hartford, and one entry in 1646 shows Stephen Post and family as "leaving Hartford for Saybrook." Saybrook, in old records often spelled Seabrook, was named for Lord Say and Lord Brook. Saybrook was opened up about 1614, and the history of that founding will not be covered here since the details are available in published works. Some compilers of records on Stephen Post have regarded him as one of the earliest settlers there, but evidence disputes this assumption. Not until the Hartford group moved into the area did Saybrook become much of a thriving community. Stephen Post was definitely quite active as Saybrook expanded and attracted more settlers. The town plat of Saybrook for the year 1650 shows his lands to be of the first choice in the town. This plat shows many names of lot and landowners who were Hartford men; thus it becomes apparent that the move there was due to the opening of the lands to public sale. This section was known as Oyster River Quarter. Stephen Post purchased his land there about 1648; judging by the following entry from original town records: "Robert Chapman, Town Clerk of Saybrook, a true copy of the original attested by me, 18 Mar. 1672, Stephen Post paid in the year 1648 the sum of three hundred pounds and was granted 250 acres of land in the Oyster Quarter." Prior to this date, the Pequot depredations made settlement unwanted. In 1637 the "Corte att Hartford" ordered that there be an offensive war against the Pequots. From Hartford 42 men, from Wethersfield 30 men, from Windsor 18 men, under the command of Captain John Mason, were to form the army against them. Reverend Thomas Hooker sent Samuel Stone as their Chaplain. Captain John Mason's diary is on file at the New York State Library concerning his activities, and it is a very interesting document.
From the town records of Saybrook, it seems expedient to set forth here the lands of Stephen Post at Oyster River: "2 akers in the calves pasture abutting south to the lands of Robert Pargo, west to the highway, north to Richard Toosland (sic); 3 akers and a half of meadow in the planting field abutting east to Cove, south to Richard Toosland, north to John Bushnell, 7 akers of upland at Pennywise abutting east to land of John Clarke, west to Oxpasture, north to Highway; 5 akers of meadow more or less south end of said upland abutting east to meadow of John Clarke and west to Oxpasture. The commonage in Town Commons belonging to the estate of one hundred and fifty pounds." The original 250 acres granted to Stephen Post were: "his house and home lott in the towne abutting east, north and south to the highway and west to the lands of S. Huntington." The town records of Saybrook also show close association with Alexander Chalker, whom he assisted in building his dwelling. The grist mill operated by Chalker was built by Stephen Post, and the tumbling remains were still standing at Saybrook a few years ago. Stephen's daughter, Katherine, married the son and namesake of Alexander Chalker.
By order of the General Court at Hartford [The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, by J. Hammond Trumbull, pub. 1850, Vols. I, II, 111, etc.-consult index], Stephen Post was named Lieutenant of the Fort at Saybrook on October 10, 1649, and was appointed to finish building the Fort. This order also included his son, John Post. The original town records of Saybrook show that in 1650 Stephen Post bought land on the west side of Oyster River. In 1651, 12th of August, John Lay made over to Stephen Post "all lands at Pochuge, viz., 54 acres of upland. . . ." The Hartford records show that Stephen Post and son John Post were present for Town Meetings. There are entries for him, such as administrator of estates of his neighbors, or appraiser, and such functions common to an outstanding and trusted citizen of the community. And now we come to the demise of this intrepid immigrant.
Original Saybrook Land Records: "Stephen Post died 16th of August 1659." From Early Connecticut Probate Records (p. 144, op. cit.), the end of August 1659 there is entered "Stephen Post Inventory, four hundred and forty-two pounds, three shillings, six pence." This was signed by John Clarke, Thomas Leffingwell, Christopher Huntington. This was a considerable sum for the year 1659 for "moveable estate"; the inventory did not include the valuation of his lands. Since the exact acreage is not known, and the valuation of the land not completely apparent, we can conclude that Stephen Post exceeded his best dreams of prosperity in the New World.
|
| Person ID |
I23575 |
Bryant |
| Last Modified |
10 Jun 2007 |
| Father |
Abraham Post, d. Jul 1639, Hollingbourne, Kent, England |
| Mother |
Ann Hurst, b. Abt 1568, probably, Hollingbourne, Kent, England , d. Abt 09 Apr 1626, Hollingbourne, Kent, England |
| Married |
08 Jul 1596 |
Hollingbourne, Kent, England [1] |
| Family ID |
F1856 |
Group Sheet |
| Family |
Eleanor Panton, b. Abt 1606, Hollingbourne, Kent, England , d. 13 Nov 1670, Saybrook, Middlesex Co, Connecticut |
| Married |
17 Oct 1625 |
Langley, Kent, England [1, 3, 4] |
| Children |
| | 1. Katharine Post, d. Bef 18 Sep 1694, probably, Guilford, New Haven Co, Connecticut |
| | 2. John Post, d. 10 Feb 1710/11, Norwich, New London Co, Connecticut |
| | 3. Thomas Post, d. 05 Sep 1701, Norwich, New London Co, Connecticut |
| | 4. Joseph Post, d. Bef 03 Sep 1633, Otham, Kent, England |
| | 5. Abraham Post, b. 1640, probably, Hartford, Hartford Co, Connecticut , d. Bef 03 Mar 1690/91, Saybrook, Middlesex Co, Connecticut |
|
| Family ID |
F1847 |
Group Sheet |
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-
| Sources |
- [S13] NEHGR, NEHGR, (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society), 160:30-34.
- [S173] Gates, Saybrook, Gates, Gilman C., (Wilson H. Lee Co., New Haven, CT, 1935), p.142.
- [S233] Saybrook Founders, Descendants, Staplins, Elaine F., Chairman, (The Founders Committee, Saybrook, CT, 1985), Stephen Post.
- [S35] Torrey's Supplement no. 2, Sanborn, Melinde Lutz, (Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD, 1995), no date; Otham, p.51.
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