History of Richard Sperry, Sr. (1606 - 1698)
History of Richard Sperry, Sr. (1606 - 1698)
Contributed By
by Garry Bryant
Richard Sperry, Sr.
Freeman
(1606 - 1698)
Richard Sperry, Sr. was born in 1606 in parish of Thurleigh in Bedfordshire, England. He married a lady by the name of Dennis Goodyear?. She was possibly a sister to Stephen Goodyear, who was from St. Gregory, London, England.3 Also unknown is if this couple married in England or New Haven, Connecticut, where the couple are found living in the late 1640s. It is possible that Richard was much older than Dennis.
New Haven Colony was founded in 1638 and Richard Sperry is listed as one of the original settlers.
Tradition has it that Richard was acting as Agent for the Earl of Warwick. Thus we can see that Richard was a well educated man, probably of the upper middle-class.
At this same time in England began the Oliver Cromwell period of England. King Charles I, had been executed by death warrant which had been signed by 59 contemporaries. By 1660, Oliver Cromwell was dead and King Charles II had gained the throne back. The new King granted pardons for all involved with Cromwell, except for the 35 still living who had signed the warrant. 27 of the signers were arrested, within a couple days nine of them were beheaded. As for those still free, they immediately escaped from Britian.
Three of those who fled, were Major Generals Edward Whalley and William Goffe, accompanied by Colonel John Dixwell. All three had played heavy roles in Cromwell’s “Protectorate,” a council which governed England and the Colonies from 1653 - 1659. The three men sailed aboard a ship bound to New Haven Colony, where upon their arrival they looked up Richard Sperry, whom they knew to be a sympathizer and anti-loyalist. Sperry took the three fugitives and hid them in a cave near his farm, at a place known as West Rock.4
The Sperry home, which was the second house between Mills Creek and the Hudson River, was constantly under watch by the ‘Red Coat Police.’ In fact twice the Red Coats search the home and property of the Sperry family. Even though a hefty reward was offered for the capture of the three fugitives, no one in the community or family offered any information as to their where-about’s. If the men had been captured they would have been put to death and the Sperry family severely punished.
With Richard under heavy surveillance, the men were cared for by the Sperry children, who would bring food and other supplies at an appointed place in the woods. In time the heated search for the refugees stopped, and the men disbursed and blended into the populace of New England.
In 1644, Richard Sperry took the ‘Oath of a Freeman.’ He had a large estate at what is known today at Woodbridge, and his lands there are still known as Sperry’s Farms.
Dennis is listed as a member of the congregation of Rev. John Davenport’s church at New Haven in 1661, and Richard in 1689.5 She died in 1707, and Richard died in 1698.
Richard and Dennis (Goodyear?) Sperry, Sr., had ten children, all born at New Haven.6
CHILDREN
1. John Sperry - Born 9 January 1649. Married to
Elizabeth Post on 1 September 1676. Seven
children. He died in 1692 in New Haven. Both
listed as members in 1661 in Davenport’s
church. Elizabeth marred 2nd to Benjamin Bun-
nell; 3rd to Edmund Dorman.7
2. Mary Sperry - Born 14 March 1650. Married to
Benjamin Peck on 29 March 1670.
3. Richard Sperry - Born 20 January 1652. Mar-
ried to Martha Mansfield on 16 December 1680.
Eleven children. He died in 1734. She is listed a
member of Davenport’s church in 1688.8
4. Esther Sperry - Born in September 1654. Mar-
ried 1st to Daniel Hotchkiss on 21 June 1683;
2nd to Stephen Pierson of Derby. She is listed
as Hester on the Davenport church records in
1704.9
5. Nathaniel Sperry - Born 13 August 1656. Mar-
ried 1st to Sarah Dickerman on 2 October 1683;
2nd to the widow Esther (Winston) Morris.
Eleven children. He died in 1735. Nathaniel &
Sarah listed as members of Davenport’s church
in 1694.10
6. Thomas Sperry - Born 13 July 1658. Married
to Elizabeth Farnes on 18 November 1684.
Ten children. He died in 1722.
7. Known child Sperry - Born and died in 1661.
8. Ebenezer Sperry - Born in July 1663. Married
to Abigail Dickerman on 21 January 1689/90.
Nine children. He died in 1738. She is listed in
Davenport’s church records for 1704.11
9. Daniel Sperry Born in 1665. Married 1st to
Deborah Peck on 3 April 1694; 2nd to the
widow Sarah (Wilmot) Hotchkiss; 3rd to the
widow Sarah (Clark) Wilmot on 7 February
1732/33. Eight children. He died on 24 April
1750. Deborah is listed as member of Daven-
port’s church in 1695.12
10. Joseph Sperry - Born 24 July 1668.
ENDNOTES
Dennis E. Nutting (compiler), The Sperry Family. (Agency, Missouri: Manuscript, 1991) Pp. 1-12. (Manuscript copy in possession of Garry Bryant, Farmington, Utah.)
3 Charles E. Banks, Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650. (Balitmore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1981) P. 100. (FHL-USA/CAN 974 W2ba 1981.)
4 Rodney Prestage Homer, The Sperry Family Line. (Porterville, California: 1969) Pp. 5-11. (FHL-USA/CAN 929.273 Sp37h.); Harriet Southworth (Lewis) Barnes (compiler), Humphreville, with Collateral Lines. (Philadelphia: 1903) P. 48-50, “Sperry.” (FHL-USA/CAN 929.273 A1 # 1035.)
5 Franklin Bowditch Dexter, compiler, Historical Catalogue of the Members of the First Church of Christ. (New Haven, Connecticut: 1914) Pp. 16 & 29. (FHL-USA/CAN 974.68 K2d.)
6 Donald Lines Jacobus, compiler, Ancient Families of New Haven. Vol. I-III. (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1974) Vol. III, pp. 1663-1697. (FHL-USA/CAN 974.68 D2j, vol. 7-9.)
7 Dexter, p. 25.
8 Dexter, p. 27.
9 Dexter, p. 41.
10 Dexter, p. 33.
11 Dexter, p. 42.
12 Dexter, p. 34.