Ensign Jacob Waterhouse

Male 1605 - 1676  (~ 71 years)


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  • Name Jacob Waterhouse 
    Title Ensign 
    Birth ca 1605  Halifax, West Riding, Yorkshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Military Service 26 May 1637  Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Pequot War
    Jacob was one of eighteen men from Wethersfield who fought in the Pequot Indian Campaign 26 may 1637, under the command of Capt. John Mason of Windsor. 
    Death 1 Sep 1676  New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    • supposedly rode horse over cliff while returning to settlement to report victory over Indians in King Philip's War
    Notes 
    • Some say Jacob arrived in America with the Winthrop Fleet of 1630 b ut there is no record of that or in the contemporary sailing of the ship " Mary and John" which was not part of the Winthrop Fleet ("The Winthrop Fle et of 1630, Charles Edward Banks, Boston 1930).

      Some say Jacob was from Middlesex, England. No creditable sources are kno wn confirming he was the son of an Abraham Waterhouse.

      Jacob "was in Wethersfield by 1637, when he was one of eighteen men from W ethersfield who fought in the Pequot Indian Campaign 26 may 1637, under t he command of Capt. John Mason of Windsor." (Bodge Indian Wars, pp 11-16)

      He removed to New London in 1645, at the time called Pequot, and in 16 49 he was appointed "overseer of the weirs" and was number 7 on the li st of first planters with the record of their house lots - 6 acres ne xt to John Stubens. Later in 1649 he acquired a division of land on the e ast side of the Pequot river, north of Mr. Winthrop's lot. Jacob receiv ed land from a will of Peter Collins dated 7 May 1655. Jacob deeded his s on Abraham land at Alewife Brook 13 Nov 1674. (NEHGR 1950 Vol 104, pp 186- 189 and 195)

    • Courtesy George E Watrous (george_watrous@juno.com) from the "HISTO RY of the WATERHOUSE- WATROUS FAMILY JACOB WATERHOUSE 1605-1676":

      In 1635 Jacob Waterhouse along with Abraham and Aaron Waterhouse sailed fr om the town of Chester, England and came to America. Jacob was born in 16 05 and through his father descended from the Waterhouse family of Halif ax in West Riding which claimed their descent from Sir Gilbert Waterhou se of Kirton, living in the reign of Henry, III. Sir Gilbert Waterhouse, K night of Kirton in Lincolnshire, England, was granted a coat of arms; O r, Pile, Engrailed, Sable, (see front illustration) by Henry, III, who rei gned from 1207 to 1272.

      Jacob came to America in 1635 to find his fortune and was in Wethersfiel d, Connecticut in 1637, when he was one of eighteen men from Wethersfie ld who fought in the Pequot Indian Campaign under the command of Captain J ohn Mason of Windsor. New England colonists feared the Pequot Indians of t he Connecticut River Valley more than any other Indians in the area. In 16 36,Massachusetts settlers accused a Pequot of murdering a colonist. In rev enge, they burned a Pequot village on what is now Block Island, Rhode Isla nd. Then Sassacus, the head Pequot chief, gathered his warriors togethe r. Another chief, Uncas, helped the settlers with his band of Pequots, lat er called Mohegans. The colonists and their Indian allies attacked a Pequ ot village near West Mystic, Connecticut at sunrise on June 5, 1637. Th ey burned the village and hundreds of Indians died. Later that month, t he colonists captured most of the remaining Pequot Indians and sold them i nto slavery in Bermuda. As per account of Jacob Waterhouse and his peer Aa ron Starke, "We being soldiers under the command of Captain John Mason wi th many more when we went against the Pequot Indians. When marching throu gh Narragansett country the Narragansetts came armed and tendered themselv es to go with us in that service against the Pequots. They were readily ac cepted. As we approached Pawcatuck River, the Ninecraft and Miantonomos a nd others warned that we had come into Pequot country and advised us th at we be careful lest we should be destroyed."

      Jacob and his wife Hannah owned a house and 2ΒΌ acres on Sandy Lane in Weth ersfield. It was here that their first three children, Rebecca Isaac,and A braham were born. In 1645 John Winthrop, the younger, founded a new to wn in Connecticut called New London. John Winthrop, the younger, was the s on of John Winthrop, governor of Connecticut in 1657, 1659- 1676. Jacob Wa terhouse was one of the original founders of New London in 1645 along wi th Roger Hempstead, Cary Latham, Thomas Miller, William Morton Isaac Will ey and Winthrop sister-in-law, Margaret Lake, and Thomas Peters, a ministe r. Marshes and meadows in the vicinity were mowed that year at Fog-Pla in by Cary Latham and Jacob. Jacob was number seven on the list of first p lanters and was chosen overseer of the weirs in 1649. He was grant ed by a general vote and joint consent of the townsmen to have six acre s, more or less, for a house lot next to John Stebins. Jacob also owned la nd north of town on the west bank of the river which covered "the ne ck at the strait's mouth", and had a grant at Alewife Brook. The remaini ng children of Jacob and Hannah, Elizabeth, John, Joseph, Benjamin, and Ja cob, Jr., were born in New London. In 1650 Jacob erected a town grist mi ll for John Winthrop, the younger, in New London, which was used continuou sly for 300 years. It is now owned by the city and is kept as an histor ic building.

      In 1646, the inhabitants of New London complained to the Commissione rs of the United Colonies of New Haven that they were abused and wrong ed by the Mohegan Indians, as their chief, Uncas came from Mohegan in a ho stile way with 300 men into the English Plantation. They took cattle belon ging to Jacob Waterhouse and William Morton and kept them for a week befo re bringing them back at the urging of Jacob Waterhouse, being partly h is cattle. The Indians were not without complaint. On May 25, 1649, John H aynes, an Indian, complained to John Winthrop, Jr. that about 30 hogs supp osedly belonging to Jacob Waterhouse had destroyed much of John Haynes' a nd other Indians' corn crop. He requested that John Winthrop, Jr. view t he damage and arrange restitution.

      Jacob's oldest child, Rebecca, was married in 1655 to Thomas Williams, S r. of Wethersfield. They moved to Wethersfield. Isaac married Sarah Pra tt in 1670 and moved to Lyme, Connecticut. He altered his name to Watrou s. Abraham married Rebecca Clark and lived in Saybrook. Jacob's sons, Jo hn and Joseph served in the King Philip's War in the campaign through Narr agansett country. John was present at the Narragansett Fort fight in Decem ber, 1767.

      King Philip became chief of the Wampanoag Indians in 1662. His Indian na me was Metacomet. As Philip saw the increasing amounts of land taken by t he settlers, he became concerned that the colonists would in time destr oy his people. King Philip's War (1675-1678) was an attempt to wipe out t he English settlements in New England. King Philip was killed in 1676 a nd the war continued for two more years. The Indians killed more than 10 00 colonists and destroyed twelve towns. In 1676 Jacob was 71 years ol d. It was thought necessary for someone to go immediately to warn some whi te settlers a few miles away, of an Indian Party in the area. Jacob undert ook this service on horseback, but going through the woods in the darkne ss of night, he rode off a precipice and was killed. His will was probat ed on September 21, 1676, dividing his holdings among his children with li fe use of their home to his wife, Hannah. Children of Jacob and Hannah Wat erhouse: Rebecca 1636-1692, Elizabeth 1639-1736, Benjamin 1655-1702 Isa ac 1641-1713, John 1650-1687, Jacob Jr. 1660-1727/28, Abraham 1644-1725, a nd Joseph 1652-1693.


    • Jacob's will:

      "The last will and testament of Jacob Waterhouse, deceased, John Stebbin s, Sen, and Alexander Pygan being at Jacob Waterhouse's Senr when he was s ick, he being in perfect memorty so far as we could perceive, he did desi re us to bare in mind how he would have is estate disposed of, etc. And f irst, for my son Isaac I wish I could give the rest of my children so go od a portion as he hath had, but, however I will him four schillings. A nd for Abraham I have given him a peice of land already; for Jacob and Jo hn I will my house and house lot I now live in, with a peice of salt mead ow at ffoxons and this they to have after my wives decease, and also all t he rest of all my lands undisposed of I will to my fours sons, namely, Jac ob, and Joseph and John and Benjamin only that peice of land now improv ed fro my wife to have the use of it during her life, and also i wi ll to my daughter Elizabeth two cows and five pounds our of the land, fi m ay be, and all the rest of my movables I will to my wife, etc.

      John Stebbings and Alexander Pygan made oath to what is above written .
      In Court Sept. 21, 1676. As Attest: John Allyn. Above Cogue: Attes t: George
      Denison Clerk of ye Pro. Court N. London May 12th 1702."


    Person ID I16829  OurNorthernRoots | Andrew's Ancestor
    Last Modified 11 Aug 2013 

    Family Hannah Collins,   b. Abt 1617   d. 1704, New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 87 years) 
    Marriage Bef 1638  Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
    +1. Rebecca Waterhouse,   b. ca 1639, Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 5 Feb 1692, Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age ~ 53 years)
     2. Isaac Waterhouse,   b. Abt 1641, Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
    +3. Abraham Waterhouse,   b. Abt 1644, Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
     4. Elizabeth Waterhouse,   b. Abt 1647, New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
     5. John Waterhouse,   b. Abt 1650, New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
     6. Joseph Waterhouse,   b. Abt 1652, New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
     7. Benjamin Waterhouse,   b. Abt 1655, New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
     8. Jacob Waterhouse, Jr.,   b. Abt 1658, New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Find all individuals with events at this location
    Family ID F10647  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 11 Aug 2013 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - ca 1605 - Halifax, West Riding, Yorkshire, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMilitary Service - Pequot War Jacob was one of eighteen men from Wethersfield who fought in the Pequot Indian Campaign 26 may 1637, under the command of Capt. John Mason of Windsor. - 26 May 1637 - Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - Bef 1638 - Wethersfield, Hartford Co., Connecticut, USA Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 1 Sep 1676 - New London, New London Co., Connecticut, USA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth