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                   FAMILY GROUP ARCHIVES GEN. SOC. SLC
ATOB 65  P. 229-230  ANCESTORS OF WETHERFIELD  BY STTTTILES R929-2 MI53 (LA)
VOL 2. 1331  DEMING GENEALOGY
DEMING GENERAL R929.2D 382 (LA) ANCESTRY OF THE TROTT FAMIILY.

familysearch.org..........7/30/00....Took me to a Deming Webpage.....http://members.aol.com/janau/deming.htm
John Deming.....research....The information below is not varified as yet....ELJ


   John DEMING born: @1615 in England; married: @1637 Honour TREAT (dau of Richard TREAT and Alice GAYLORD;
     b. 19-Mar-1616, Pitminster, Somersetshire, England; d, aft 1694) in Wethersfield, CT; died: @1694, Wethersfield, CT 

Children: 
       1. John b. 9 Sep 1638 (Wethersfield CT) m. 20 Sep 1657 Mary MYGATT d. 23 Jan 1712 - 2. Jonathon b. @1639
       (Wethersfield CT) m. 21 Nov 1660 (1) Sarah GRAVES (2) 25 Dec 1673 Elizabeth GILBERT - 3. Sarah b. @1640
       (Wethersfield CT) m. @1659 Samuel MOODY d. 29 Sep 1717 (Hadley MA) - 4. Samuel b. @1646 (Wethersfield
       CT) m. 29 Mar 1694 Sarah BUCK - 5. Rachel m. John MORGAN d. 1692 - 1709 (?New London CT) - 6. Hannah
       m. before 1670 John BECKLEY d. after 5 Sep 1709 - 7. David b. @1652 (Wethersfield CT) m. 14 Aug 1678 Mary
       d. (?Cambridge MA) - 8. ) Ebenezer b. @1659 in Wethersfield CT m. 16-Jul-1677 Sarah PHELPS in Wethersfield
       CT d. 02-May-1705 in Wethersfield CT - 9. Mary m. 15 Dec 1670 John HURLBUT d. after 5 Sep 1709
       (?Middletown CT) - 10. Mercy m. 8 Feb 1674 (1) Joseph CURTIS (2) Joseph WRIGHT d. after 5 Sep 1709 

John Deming was a founding father of Wethersfield, Connecticut; prior biographers note his earliest date of residency as 1636
citing since-destroyed, official land records. No diary or official log survives to illuminate the reasons behind his emigration from England, probably in the 1630's. Was he fleeing the persecution of the Puritans by Charles I and the Anglican church? Had the depression of the 1620's in Great Britain depleted his circumstances? Did the royal billeting requirements and sky rocketing taxes of the Thirty Years War currently raging between Protestants and Catholics in Bohemia cause undue financial or political hardship? We will never know. An educated guess would lean towards the religious aspects of the colonization of America, evidenced by John's apparent stature within his church and his possession of a translated Bible, ("my Great Bible Geneva print") which he left to his son, John in his will. We do know that he emerged in the mid 1630's probably with his sister, Emma Foote, who later married the Connecticut colonial governor Thomas Welles (who's great grand-daughter Prudence Steele married
John's grandson, Josiah). The Deming's, like most of the then 25,000 inhabitants of New England probably came from south-eastern England. 

There is, of course, no evidence that John Deming was a member of the British gentry, but his background was almost assuredly upper crust. His sister married the colonial governor and he is cited time and again in the official record as performing the duties of and receiving the rewards usually earmarked for the socially elite. Published genealogies include extensive reference to John and his political and financial good standing. Evidence of his prosperity shines perhaps no more so than as a named recipient in Connecticut's Colonial Charter of 1662. 

       "The title to the territory comprised within the borders of the Colonies of Connecticut and New Haven in 1660
       was largely if not wholly obtained from the Indians by purchase. The Connecticut colonists realized that they
       needed a more secure title to their property and took measures to obtain a document which should give them
       absolute ownership of the lands and power to make laws for the inhabitants. John Winthrop, Governor of the
       Connecticut Colony, was appointed its agent in May 1661 to proceed to England to accomplish the above
       purpose. By his skillful management and with the aid of powerful friends in court, he secured from the King,
       Charles II, on the 23rd of April 1662, a Patent or Charter, confirming to the colonists the territory in question, and      granting them exceedingly liberal powers of government. Of the nineteen persons named in the Patent to whom the  grant was made in behalf of the colony, sixteen including the Governor and Deputy Governor, were members of  the General Court of May 1661. John Deming was one of this number and his selection as a Patentee proves that he had become a man of consequence in the colony." 

His real estate holdings also pay tribute to his station in life. Though probably titled by grant rather than purchase, his initial homestead consisted of a five acre tract on High Street in the north part of Wethersfield: 

       "One pece wheron his howse & barne standeth con five acr one halfe more or lesse (for fouer acre he is to paie
       rates for the rest he have made a gate into the mea neare the same & like wise to continew & mainteyne it) the
       ands abutt against hie streete west & great mea: East the sids against the howse lotts of Tho Standish North &
       Ric: Crabb South. (Wethersfield land records dated "the 2d month (April) & 25th daie 1641") 

When he later purchased the Standish property on his north boundary, he had enlarged his home lands to nine acres curbed on the north by the highway leading to the landing and on the west by High Street. Additional lands and deeds recorded to him as of 1641 included 10 acres in the "Great Meadow", 5 acres in the "Great Meadow", 2 acres in "Beaver Meadow", 17 acres in the "Wet Swamp", 51 acres in the "West Field", and 120 acres on the east side of the Connecticut River. On 20 June ("4th month") 1645, John Deming purchased from Jeffrey Ferris holdings including a homestead of four acres (which he subsequently sold to his brother-in-law, Thomas Standish) and five other parcels. In January, 1659, he purchased the homestead of Richard Belding (originally, the John Gibbs homestead) which consisted of "a house and barn theron, situated on the easterly side of
High street, bounded north on the home-lot of Thomas Bunce and south on land of Samuel Boreman." 

Apparently in anticipation of estate division, the day after the purchase of the Belding land, it, together with three of the parcels obtained from Jeffrey Ferris and one original Deming parcel was deeded over to his eldest son, John. On December 18, 1685,
son Ebenezer was deeded four acres in the West Field complete with house and barn and ten acres in the Wet Swamp. On
May 15, 1690, son David received six acres in the Great West Field, also with house and barn, and eight acres in either the
West Field or West Swamp and seven acres in the Wet Swamp. 

John Deming's marriage records no longer exist. It is certain that he married Honor Treat sometime prior to 13 Feb 1668, the
date of her father's will in which he is mentioned; bequests were made to "my sonn John Demon" and "my Daughter Honour
Demon". Further, "my son in law John Demon" was appointed one of the overseers of the Richard Treat will. As to the date of
that marriage, Starr speculates that eldest son John must have been born about 1632 based on an affidavit sworn in 1682 in
which this John (junior) gave his age as "about 50 yeares". If this be an approximation of the son's birth year, Honor Treat
would have been only sixteen years old, fifteen at her marriage, a possibility that biographer Starr finds highly unlikely.
Additionally, he points to a six year gap between the birth of Sarah in 1640 and the next known child, Samuel in 1646 as
evidence that the first three children were born to an unknown wife #1 additionally pointing to the fact that Samuel was the first
of the offspring to have a child named Honor. Other writings place Junior's birth in 1638, which would negate Starr's main
argument; the others seem irrelevant given infant mortality rates of the time. 

In addition to his farms, Colonial and Wethersfield records bear testament to John's civic duties. He served as a juror to the
Particular Court sessions at least once a year from 1642 to 1648, also in 1653 and 1661 - 1662, in 1664 and 1660. He was a
member of the Grand Jury in 1649, 1650, and 1660 and was on the jury of the Court of Assistants, September 4, 1673. He's
noted as an elected Townsman (an official elected by the citizens to carry out their wishes as decided in town meetings) in 1647
and may have served in this capacity before that as records prior to that date have been destroyed. He was reelected
Townsman in 1647 an 1648 and served on the directing board in 1651, 1654, 1663, and 1668 through 1670. He represented Wethersfield in Connecticut's General Court at sessions held in 1645 - 1647, 1649 - 1661, 1667 - 1669 and in 1672. He's named to a committee in 1656 to consult with the Indians "those poore, lost, naked sonnes of Adam" regarding a law prohibiting their purchase of liquor or fire arms. 

He also found himself in the Particular Court as either defendant or plaintiff. Starr tells of one such case in 1662 where "Captain John Cullick, formerly of Hartford, then of Boston assigned to the Connecticut Colony a debt due him from John Deming Senior, Thomas Ford Senior and others, and the General Court at a session held October 9, 1662, appointed William Petkin
attorney for the colony to bring suit against the parties. The case was tried at the Particular Court of October 15 of that year
and judgment rendered against Deming for 28-06-09" 

John Deming's church was an important factor in his life as shown by his efforts in 1659 to compel the removal of his pastor,
Reverend John Russell for "soe greate a scandall to the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ". The colony-wide schism between a
clergy based theocracy and a more tolerant secular approach to religion and self government had its roots in the late 1650's.
Attempts were made to heal the rift which "tendeth to the disturbance of the peace of the Churches and Commonwealth" when
at a town meeting in April 1658 "it was voated that sixe men should be chousen to tret with Mr. Russel to nowe wether he doth
intend to remove from us, or taray with us, Mr. Trat, Mr Hollester, John Demon, Tho: Curtis, Tho: Standish Sam. Boreman
and so to re turne answer to the towne." The issue came to a head when pastor Russell peremptorily excommunicated a leading
Wethersfield citizen, John Hollister, without preamble or explanation. As a result the following petition was forwarded to the
General Court and the pastor Mr. Russell and about twenty of John Deming's fellow churchmen joined other "malcontents" in
Hadley, Massachusetts. (My ancestral SMITHs and John's daughter Sarah MOODY among those who went with Russell) 

       "Petition to the General Court of the Colony of Connecticutt, 1658 To the right Wor the Govorn,and Deputy
       Gov, the Wor Magistrates, and Deputies, assembled at Hartford in this Honoured Court, your humble petitioners
       wish increase of all felicity. August 17th Wee Inhabitants of Wethersfield, are necessitated to implore, the aid and
       assistance of this Honoured Court: and the rather by reason of an order made last March: ffor Mr Russel as wee
       conceve, is not our setled nor approved minister. ffirst hee havinge sent us a wrightinge (in the springe) to provide
       for our selves lest wee bee destitute, and wee havinge proffessed wee looke upon our selves as free by the
       answer of our Committee, nor can wee closse with him, and are afrayed to venture our soules under his ministry:
       hee havinge given soe greate a scandall to the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ, by such a greavous oath,
       acknowledged by himselfe, to bee ambiguous, rash, and sinfull, and what more may bee made evident. 

       Therefore wee your humble petitioners, humbly crave, that wee may not bee held in bondage, but may use our
       liberty, in procuringe a minister, who may bee faithfull in the administrations of the Gospell, and inoffencive in his
       conversation. otherwise wee your humble petitioners shall bee forced to undergoe whatever inconvenience or
       damage may come upon us or ours, for wee thinke him altogether unfit for our confort And wee your humble
       petioners, humbly crave your helpe for wee professe it lyes as a heavy burden upon our consciences, and wee
       know noe rule, that hee should compell us to it, and if your humble petitioners find acceptance and releife, you will
       more ingage us to all loyall subjection to you, soe humbley wee take our leaves of you, and rest yours to bee
       commaunded. 

       Petitioned by These of the Church John Holister, Thomas wright se:, John Demminge se: John Edwards se:,
       Richard Smith se:, Alc Treate, Joane Holister, Mary Robins, Margaret Wright Rebeckah Smith, Dorothy
       Edwards, Thomas Curtis , John Chester, Sammuell Boremann, Thomas Standish, John killburne, Richard Treate,
       John Nott, Thomas Lord, Thomas Wright Ju:, John Ryly, Richard Smith Ju:, James Wright, James Wakely,
       Joseph Smith, Michael Griswold, George Woolcut, Thomas Wickam, Nathanel Graves, John Woddams, John
       Demminge Ju:, Thomas Gilbert , Thomas Williams, John Sadler, John Belden, Emmanuell Bucke, Hugh Wells,
       John Harison, Robert ffrancis, Benjamin Crane, Mathias Treate, William Colefax, Phillip Goffe, James Treate,
       Samuell Wright, Jonathan Smith, John Curtis, James Boswell, Henery Crane, Lewes Jones, 

WILL>>>>>>John's will is dated 26 Jun 1690 with a codicil dated 3 Feb 1692: 

       Last Will and Testament (with codicil) of John Deming of Wethersfield, 
       I John Deming Senr of weathersfeild being of Good Understandin & sound Memory doe see it my duty to set my
       house in order, & to setle my estate so that peace my be continued in my famaly when I shall be gathered to my
       fathers. & I doe therefore make & declare this to by my last will & Testament hereby renowncing & makeing
       voyd all former wills & Testament. by me made, & establishing this onely to by my last will & Testament. first I
       commend my spirit to God expecting Salvation onely by Jesus christ & my body to a comely christian Buriall
       expecting a glorious resurection & reunion of soule & body In the last day. 
       1 for my woldly Goods I havieing allready done well for my son John. I now give him my Great Bible Geneva
       print & my feather bed & bouster & my Great ketle. to be to him & his heires. for ever. 
       2 I give to my son Jonathan my fifty acre lott, at the west side of the Bownds, to be to him & his heires for ever 
       3 I give to my son Samuel my house & Home lott. wth all the buildings upon it. containg Nine acres be it more or
       less & is Bownded as In the records as allso my meadow adjoyning. containing about seventeen acres be it more
       or less & a butts on mr willys Sowth Tho Standige his land east the High way North & my home lott west, &
       Twelve acres in the west swamp at the reare of my son davids lott, allso I give unto him my flock of sheep & my
       neat cattell & all my horses & horss kind. & all my Swine, & all my moveables with in dores, & all my Moveables
       with out dores (not other wise dissposed by this my last will) & all my husbandry tooles & Implements all to be to
       him & his heirses for ever he payeing my Just debts & funerall charges & such legacies as I doe hereby appoynt
       him to pay. 
       4 I give to my son david all my Materialls & tooles in my Shop & my booke debts he payeing those debts I owe
       about my Trade. 
       I give to my Sonn Ebenezer my best coat & my best Hatt. 
       I give to my daughter Morgan my daughter Beckly my daughter Hurlbut my daughter wright five pownds a peice
       to be payd by my executor within five yeares after my decease 
       I give to my Couzen unis: Standidge & to my Couzin Sarah wyer wife of John Wyer Twenty pownds a peice to
       be payd by my executor within Two yeares after my decease 
       I give to my daughter Moody as a token of my love to her Ten shillings, I have