| Notes |
- Came to America on the ship "Lion", arriving 16 September, 1632 with Talcott,
Goodwin, Olmstead and others.
One of the original proprietors of Hartford, Connecticut. His home lot in
1639 was on the east side of Main Street north of John Talcotts lot.
Killed by Indians in King Philip's War in 1676, leaving a widow, Mary,
Source: Savage.
He may have been born in the year 1604 at Quinton,Northamptonshire,England
Early member of the 1st Church of Hartford. His name is on the Founders Monument.
Arrived at Cambridge, MA in the Lion. His home lot in 1639 was on Main Street
next North of John Talcott. Chosen chimney viewer 1651; removed to Northampton
about 1656; went from there to Windsor on the east side of the river; freed from
watching and warding 5 Mar 1667/8; killed by Indians in King Philip's War in 1676
leaving widow Mary. Inventory of his estate: Ð471-15-3.
"First Residence: Cambridge, MA Removes: Hartford, CT, Northampton, MA 1655,
Podunk, CT 1660. Freeman: In list of Windsor freemen 11 Oct 1669 [CCCR 2:519]
Offices: Commissioner to end small causes at Northampton, 1655 [Pynchon Court
94-96; MBCR 3:378, 414, 4:1:227,271]. The manner in which Elmer was chosen to
this office and took oath led to legal action in 1658 and 1659
[Pynchon Court 170-71, 238]. On 29 Mar 1659 Edward Elmer was one of four men
who sued the town of Northampton 'concerning their turning out some of the freemen
from being selectmen to which office they were chosen'
[Pynchon Court 239]. On 3 Jun 1652 ' Edward Elmore for his neglet of the ward is
fined 5s.'
[RPCC 111]. On 5 Mar 1667/8 ' This court frees Edward Elmore from watching,
warding & training' [Hartford PD 3(courtside):74]. Hartford coroner's jury on body
of Thomas Napp, 2 Sep 1669 [Hartford PD 3(courtside):89].
Estate: Granted three acres in the West End in Cambridge, 4 Aug 1634 [CaTR 9];
assigned a proportional share of 1/2 in the undividedmeadow,20 Aug 1635 [CaTR 13].
In the Cambridge land inventory Edward Elmer heldon 10 Oct 1635 three parcels of
land: two acres in the Neck of Land; two acres in the Great Marsh; and three acres
in the West End [CaBOP 30]. The three acres in the West End was sold to John
Gibson [CaBOP 62]. In the Hartford land inventory Edward Elmer held in Feb 1639/40
seven parcels of land: two acres (part whereof he sold to William Westhood [i.e.,
Westwood]) with dwelling house and other buildings (later sold to John Allyn); one
rood and three perches in the Little Meadow which he bought of William Gibbins; one
acre and three roods of meadow andswampin North Meadow which he bought of
William Gibbins; six acres three roods more in the North Meadow which he bought of
William Gibbins; one acre eight perches on the east side of the Great River which he
bought of William Gibbins; four acres one rood in the Little Oxpasture (later sold to
Thomas Burnam); and five acres two roods twenty-two perches intheNeck of Land
which he received of Nicholas Clark, Richard Goodmand and William Parker. On 26
Jun 1660 Edward Elmer claimed the land of Bartholomew Barnard by a prior exchange
[HaBOP 337-8].
On 7 Jun 1660 Edward Elmer sued Bartholomew Bernard 'for refusing to confirm a deed of sale of housing & land to the value of Ð300 damage' RPCC 215]; Bernard asked for a continuance, and Elmer renewed thesuit, but the outcome is unknown [RPCC 216-19]. On 25 Mar 1662 Bartholomew Barnard of Hartford and William Holton of Northampton were parties ina lawsuit ' for fraudulent dealing in and about the meadow which wasEdward Elmer's later of Northampton' [Pynchon Court 259].
Two inventories were gathered for Edward Elmer. On 6 Jun 1676 'An inventory [was] taken of the estate of Edward Elmer deceased lying at Podunke,' which totalled Ð369 6d., of which Ð338 1s. 6d. was realestate: 'meadow land by estimation 45 acres,' Ð180; '7 acres of pasture land cleared,' Ð21; 'the north end of the pasture not cleared, with swamp,60 acres,' Ð30; 'the dwelling house & orchard by the house,' Ð35; 'abarn,' Ð24; '7 acres of upland to the homestead fenced & improved,' Ð14; and '1163 acres of upland at 6d. per acre,' Ð29 1s. 6d.; on 7 Jun 1676 'An inventory [was] taken of the estate of Edward Elmer deceased being at Hartford,' which totalled Ð102 14s. 9d. and included no real estate.The total to the estate was thereford Ð471 15s 3d. against which therewere Ð45 12s. 5d. in debts owed by the estate. At the end of the Hartford inventory was a list of those 'concerned in the estate': 'widowEllmar; John Elmar aged about 30 years; Samewell Ellmar aged about 27; Edward Ellmar aged about 22; Mary Ellmar aged about 18 years; Sarah Ellmaraged about 12 years' [Hartford PD 3:168-9; Case # 1884].
The inventory was exhibited at court 6 and 7 Sep 1676 and administration was granted to the widow and her three sons;distribution was made to the widow, Ð23; John, Ð82; Samuel, Ð80; Edward, ��92;Mary, Ð70; adn Sarah Ð70 [Hartford PD 3(courtside):155-56; Manwaring 1:195].On 20 Apr 1681 'Edward Elmore summoned the legatees to consider theclaimsof debtors of the estate; the court found the accounts 'so litigious'that they appointed auditors to go over the accounts against John andEdward Elmer, the administrators, that he had not received that part of the estate 'that is due to him in right of his wife' [Manwaring 1:195](See TAG 70:20-21 for continuing disputes about the estate, as late as1723.) Birth: By about 1613 based on grants of land aat Cambridge (and asearly as 1608 if he was sixty years old whe relieved of watching anbdwarding and training).
Death: Hartford by 6 Jun 1676 (said to have been killed by theindians). Marriage: By about 1644 Mary _____; she outlived her husband andmarried (2) Thomas Catlin [WiLR 1:240] Associations: In discussing the family of Joseph Fitch, one of whose daughters apparently married a son of Edward Elmer, Gale Ion Harrisnotes that Fitch and Elmer had been associated in Northampton before movingto Podunk area of Hartford/ Windsor [TAG 68:98-99]. The witnesses to the Indian deed of Hadley, on 25 Dec 1658, were Joseph Parsons,'EdwdElmore,' Joseph Fitch, Samuel Wright and Arthur Williams Hadley Hist 107], andon 3 Mar 1658/9, presumably while still living in Northampton, EdwardElmer appeared in Hartford court as attorney for Samuel Wright [RPCC 198]
Comments: William W Johnson claimed in 1899 that Edward Elmer was from Braintree, Essex, Eng [Elmer-Elmore Genealogy. Records of theDescendants of Edward Elmer ... (North Greenfield, WI 1899), p. 5]; this iscertainly possible given his presence on the Lyon in 1632, but there is nodirect evidence for this proposed origin. Banks suggested that Elmer was fromSt mary Bow, London, citing only 'Banks Mss.' [Topo Dict 109]. In his list of 'Early Land Owners,' manwring includes in Hartfordbefore 1653 'Ed: Elmer' and 'Richard Elmer.' The Hartford land records do not contain this latter name, but the source of Manwaring's error hasnotbeen determined [Manwaring 1:83].
Edward Elmer appeared frequently between 1643 nad 1656 as plaintiff or defendant in Hartford Particular Court [RPCC 19, 32,39,89, 122, 123,126, 160, 163, 164, 167; CCCR 1:82, 122, 136; see also Aspinwall 193]. In 1658 and 1659, during his residence in Northampton, Edward Elmer participated in a small way in the fur trace conducted by the Pynchons [Pynchon Papers 2:13, 24]. In 1659 and 1660 he was involved as both plaintiff and defendant in a number of civil suits [Pynchon Court 239, 244-5]. When Edward Elmer sued John King at Springfield on 30 Sep 1662' Thomas Burnam of Hartford appeared as attorney for Edward Elmer'[Pynchon Court 264].
When Edward Elmer returned from Northampton about 1660, he resided in the Podunk area, on the boundary between Hartford and Windsor, and so during these final years of his life he appears as attached sometimesto one town and sometimes to the other. The inventory of his estate at Podunk consisted of real estate, crops in the ground, and a veryfewitems of household goods and furniture, whereas the Hartfordinventoryconsisted of livestock and household goods only. If this represents the truestate of affairs, he must have been at his death residing in Hartford inrented quarters, with his Podunk real estate perhaps being lived on byhissons." Source: The Great Migration Begins
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Abt 1610 - 1676 (66 years)
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