The bible of Heaton genealogy for our family has always been "Heaton and Quinlan Families", compiled by Edna Heaton Bowley (our "Aunt Edna") in 1961, with the Heaton family history (page 8) written in 1956. It begins with a John Heton and family, including son Benjamin, in the mid 1700's, but begins in detail with Benjamin's family.
While surfing the Internet genealogy forums recently, I came across a discussion of a Heaton genealogy written by Dean Heaton, which was said to be quite extensive. It was self published, and not available in the California Sutro Library. The only place to buy the book was directly from Dean. By emailing several of the participants in the discussion group, I was able to obtain Dean's address, and purchased the book(s).
The Dean Heaton book is unique in several regards. First, it is extremely large compared to other genealogies - it runs 1641 pages in two volumes, each 8x10 with small print. The book was originally published in one volume of 1000 pages in 1982, but the physical size of the book made the binding fail with much use, so the current version published in 1999 is two books.
The second unique feature is unlike other genealogies where the majority of the book is taken up with surnames other than the titled content, in Dean's book only Heaton surnames and their spouses are covered. He rightly argues that to have included all non-Heaton surnamed descendants would have made the publication too large to maintain or publish. A rough count of the Heaton index and non-Heaton surnamed index shows 14,700 and 12,900 names respectively, so his point is well taken.
Several categorical qualities of the book are also unique. Dean uses an individual numbering system that is derived from the volume number, chapter number, and position of an individual, rather than any recognized genealogical numbering system. This was fine in the 1982 edition where all numbers were sequential, but in the 1999 edition, added individuals are simply squeezed in to their proper place (volume and chapter numbers), but the individual position is not necessarily sequential, making finding a lineage somewhat difficult. Additionally, the book is chaptered ancestrally for a number of chapters and then shifts to geographical. This happens because the author has collected a large quantity of census, birth and death, and other public records where he does not know the relationship of the individuals with the rest of the known lineages.
But, with a little practice, it is possible to find the links and establish the relationships. And Dean sells the books for cost of printing, currently $69.00 plus shipping, which is quite a steal.
Our family Heatons are covered well from the early 1500's to the mid 1800's where Dean's information starts to become spotty. This fits well with Aunt Edna's booklet which starts off where Dean's leaves off. Surprisingly, after two monumental efforts over probably 40 years, he expects several relatives to take up the effort and republish a third version of the Heaton Families sometime in the future.
The only item in our family history that does not fit well between Aunt Edna's booklet and the Dean Heaton genealogy is the father of Benjamin Heaton, Aunt Edna's first detailed ancestor. She maintains that his father was John Heton, but Dean's book shows fairly convincingly that Benjamin's father was really John's brother Daniel. That issue will be covered later in this introduction, but since John and Daniel were brothers, and their ancestors would be the same; and both books agree on the descendants of Benjamin, no serious damage is done to the accuracy of our family tree.
Rather than paraphrase Dean Heaton's writing, it will be exerpted in italics with the appropriate history from his book, and then blended into Aunt Edna's genealogy. Any misspellings or typos have been left as is. I am not including all the children of all the descendants of Thomas Heaton of Lincolnshire (b. abt. 1540), just the direct ancestors of Benjamin. An appropriate selection of descendants will be contained in the Heaton genealogy files and charts. We begin.......
Obviously there is a great deal we have learned about the early beginnings of our Heaton ancestors, but its only the tip of the iceberg. There seems to general agreement that the name HEATON is from a Saxon word HEA which means high or hill. Therefore Heaton was a place name in the beginning, as it still is in many central England areas and villages. There are literally dozens of town, villages, parishes and regions called Heaton or Heaton-Moor for example. My and other Heaton researchers have been limited by the amount of data available in the various libraries and data bases. It's extremely likely that our earliest ancestors began in the coastal region of Lancashire just before or just after 1000 AD. Plenty of data exits which identify Heton's or Heaton's in central Lancashire and Yorkshire by 1100. Therefore they were either plunders from northern Europe or perhaps followers of William 1 "the Conqueror". Which ever the case, they were important enough to be mentioned in early documents, when virtually no documents were generated or survived.
There were several Heaton's who achieved knighthood in the early beginning of Heraldry in the period of 1150. The earliest recorded Heaton with an important knighthood was Sir Henry de Heton in 1180, and Sir Richard de Heton in Yorkshire in 1200. We can trace Richard's ancestory with confidence to a man named Alric who lived in Lancashire in 1100. He had a son named Adam who died in 1159. Adam had a daughter named Amabel who died in 1207. She married very well twice to the famous de Neville families. She and her descendants were very large land owners and overlords of fine castles and manor houses. The same is true for Sir henry who was the son of Uctred. He was the second husband of Ingelaif de Arches. They gave considerable lands and money to the Abbey at Furness, which is located a few miles East of Settle, a later center for Heaton families in the 14th Century and beyond. Uctred and Adam were likely very closely related. It is impractical to present the family charts and history of these early Knights over a 400 years time period. If you wish to know more about the Heatons who achieved knighthood and what their coats of arms looked like, refer to the section Heraldry .
It's apparent that the family spread its fame to Wales in the mid 1400's and other parts of England slightly later. Sir Henry received extensive lands in Wales for his military service in support of Henry de Lacy, Lord of lincoln. The 1600's were the strongest period for the Heaton families in England. The name remains common in England, particularly in Yorkshire and Lancashire. If you have read the classic book "Wuthering Heights", the author knew the Heaton Family very well, who had occupied Ponden Hall for several centuries. This manor house was the backdrop for the book.
There were many Heaton's who were senior theologians and ministers. One was Martin Heaton, Bishop of Ely. He was born in 1552 and died in 1609. Queen Elizabeth I wrote a letter to Martin which stated the following; "Proud Prelate I understand you are backward in complying with your agreement, but I would have you know that I, who made you what you are, can unmake you, and if you do not forthwith fullfill your agreement, by God, I will immediately unfrock you. Yours as you demean yourself. Elizabeth R"
Bruce Heaton wrote a small family history and made some very interesting points about early life in England. He related that life in England or anywhere else for that matter prior to the 17th Century and earlier was extremely tedious and difficult. Transportation was via foot or horseback if you could afford one. There were no coaches before the mid 1500's. Medical care was almost non existent, except for herbal home remedies. There were very few schools and only the wealthy could afford to send their children. Wearing apparel was home made and each family member might have two or three outfits, which were handed down to children in wills. Personal hygiene was very poor, since bathing was a luxury. Food was mostly home grown but plentiful. The meals were not balanced and they typically eaten twice daily. Houses, except for manor houses, were small and every foot of living space was used. The living room would turn into the bedroom at night. Heating was from a single fireplace. Water was of very poor quality therefore the most common drink was beer or ale, and when available wine. Most people were regular church go'ers at their local parish. The church was the center of activity in each village. Church doctrine was pretty strict, which was one of the main reasons that separate sects began to spring up in the early 1600's. It seems that the lack of personal liberties and the right to exercise freedom of religion were the two factors which caused most English to make the grueling and hazardous voyage to America. I for one am glad they made that sacrifice.
If you discount Francis Eaton who came to America on the Mayflower, the first documented Heaton to these shores was Nathaniel Heaton of Lincolnshire. The father of Nathaniel was James who is well documented in this Chapter. In the "Heaton Families" of 1982, I concluded that the father of James was John or Johannes Heaton. Later in the 1980's, I engaged Dr. G. M. Swinfield, a noted English Genealogist, to carry on research on the early Lincolnshire Heatons and to prove that John was the father of James. To my surprise, he learned that James' father was Thomas Heaton. This chapter will lead off with Thomas and his wife. Parish and other records before the 1550's are non existent or very scarce, therefore, researching Thomas's ancestors would be time consuming and very costly. There are hundreds of Heatons who descended from Thomas who remained in England however no attempt will be made to include them in this book. Other elder Heaton men in Lincolnshire in this period were: James who died about 1572, Richard who died about 1572, William who died about 1583, and John who died at Great Coates in 1593 as a single man.
It seems that most of this branch were landowners, merchants, schoolmasters, or clergymen. They were for the most part well educated for that period and seemed well above on the social and economic ladder. All were regular members of the Church of England, although we know that some, including Nathaniel, turned to the Puritan teachings before he came to America.
Thomas is probably directly related to William Heton/Heaton who lived about 1500. William married Merry, daughter of Sir George. They had three sons, one of which was Lord George Heton/Heaton of Winkell. Lord George married twice. He had two sons by his first wife whose name has not been located. Our Thomas could be one of those sons, or a grandson.
Thomas Heaton
Thomas was born in the early 1540's, probably in the region around Great Coates Lincolnshire, in the coastal mouth of the Humber River. We know that he married Alissa Lusbye at Great Coates on 11-10-1562. The background on Alissa has not been properly researched as of this writing. Thomas was a senior churchman in his Lincolnshire Parish and died in 1592. Alissa married (2) Thomas Baylie later that year. I have not located the will of Thomas and perhaps he did not leave one since he died pretty young. All but one of his brothers left wills. Judging by wills of his brothers and sons, he was likely a fairly wealthy man of the area. His sons remained within a 20 mile radius of Great Coates for at least one generation.
1-1-002 James Heaton, son of Thomas (1-1-001)
We dont know much about James except where he lived the last twenty years of his life. He was probably born about 1570 plus or minus a couple of years. He probably lived in Great Coates all his life, but we that his first child was born there and he died there in 1610. He married Fortune Jeckell at Tetney on 12-25-1592. Tetney is located just South of Great Coates which no longer exists. Fortune may have been born in Laceby. James left a will indicating his comfortable status as a Yeoman. Like his father, he was a senior Churchman.
1-1-025 Nathaniel Heaton, son of James (1-1-002)
Nathaniel was baptized on 11-27-1597 in Great Coates but was probably born earlier that year. It's not clear that he spent his growing years in Great Coates or Alford. He seems to have worked as a clerk, perhaps for a relative. He married Elizabeth Wighte on 4-21-1630 at St. Wilfreds Church in Alford. The church wad built in 1350 but was restored in 1867. According to Bruce Heaton who visited the site, Alford is a market town and founded in 1283. 1630 was a notable year in that a major plague hit the town killing many of its residents. Elizabeth was born on 11-2-1606 in Hareby, the daughter of Robert Wighte and Elizabeth Fulshaw. He was a sometimes clerk and sometimes minister. Nathaniel and Elizabeth may have spent a brief period in london before sailing to Boston on the "Griffin" arriving on 9-18-1634. The journey was a 10 week voyage, in which they endured severe discomfort and peril. Nathaniel was declared a freeman on 5-26-1636. That same years he was granted 20 acres along Muddy Creek. He owned a house with a garden in Boston on Washington Street, which is now an intersection of Milk and Summer streets. Nathan was a Mercer or merchant his shops contents have not been recorded. His son was a shoemaker, so his shop may have been a shoe shop. He was a member of the First Church of Boston and held several lay offices. He died before 1650, but after 1643. Elizabeth married (2) Joseph Pell about 7-1650. He died soon after and she married (3) John Minor or maynard who also did not live long after. Elizabeth was still alive in 1671. She may have lived the last few years with her son Nathaniel in Wrentham.
1-1-040 Nathaniel Heaton, son of Nathaniel (1-1-025)
Nathaniel was born in Boston on 7-1-1639. He likely spent much of his youth in the Denham-Wrentham area. His name does not appear in the records of those villages until 1660. He became involved in local politics and remained a town leader all his life. He probably received some formal education for he could read and write. His signature appears on a petition dated 1660. He married Mary Minor or Maynard probably in the mid 1660's. She may have been a daughter of John Maynard, who was Nathaniels mothers third husband. Nathaniel was a farmer and husbandman. He died in 1714.
1-4-001 Samuel Heaton ,son of Nathaniel (1-1-040)
Sam was positively born in Wrenthan Mass on 1-28-1681. He grew up in Wrentham and accord-to town records was declared a freeman in 1708 and given a small parcel of land. The town records show that he married Sarah Hawes on 12-10-1706. Some records refer to her as Susan but Sarah is believed to be the accurate first name. She was the daughter of John Hawes and Sarah Deering, a family which came to Boston about 1635. After their marriage they apparently spent some time in North Central Conn. The records of Hebron, Tolland County Conn indicate that Samuel Eaton was there, however the detailed records of the area were burned in a fire. He next appears in the 1735 period with at least two of his sons in Morris County NJ. He and the sons began an iron smelting operation there but eventually they ran out of trees for charcoal. Samuel died in the late 1730's, for his estate was settled on 1-18-1741. There are so many descendants of this man that the author has divided the family groups into more manageable chapters. Sarah or Susan, which ever her name was, is reported to have married (2) Dr. Thomas Anderson and had children by him.
1-4-007 Daniel Heaton, son of Samuel (1-4-001)
Dan was born in Wrentham Mass on 4-2-1717 or most likely 4-2-1713. He followed his family to Tolland County Conn before going on to Morris County NJ in 1735. Dan married Ruth Wadsworth in Conn in 1734. Ruth was born in Framingham Mass on 4-14-1711, the daughter of John Wadsworth and Elizabeth Stanley. Dan and Ruth remained in Morris county until about 1770, when they joined their sons in Northern Virginia and finally Greene or Washington County Penna where he died in 1796. Ruth died there in 1800.
Daniel Heaton, son of Daniel (1-4-007)
He was born about 1738 in Morris County NJ. He married Martha , probably just before 1760. They probably spent most of their lives in Morris county although they may have lived briefly in Sussex County. He sold land in Morris county with his dad in 1788, since his dad had or was about to go to Greene County Penna at that time. Dan would have died before 1797 since his daughter was married then and reported her father deceased. It is more likely that he died in 1794. A great grand daughter wrote to another researcher Willis Heaton before 1900 naming the following children of Daniel:
Penelope b. 6/12/1762 d. 11/22/1849 m. Walter Dickerson - 12/5/1784
William b. 9/16/1764 d. 1815
Phoebe b. 2/20/1767 d. 1815 m. Noahdiah Dickerson - 12/5/1784
Elizabeth b. 8/15/1768 d. 1847 m. (1) Benjamin Smith
m. (2) Jabesh Heaton
m. (3) John Farley
Rachel b. 2/19/1771 d. 4/8/1863 m. Silas Hopkins
Mary b. unk d. unk m. (1) Mr. Culver
m. (2) Mr. Reeves
Susan b. unk d. unk m. (1) M. McMarin
m. (2) Hugh Alexander
Martha b. unk d. unk m. Andrew Rolaback
Benjamin b. 1/11/1781 d. 1/1/1820 m. Mary Burnett
Children:
William b. unk
Andrew b. 1815
Samuel b. 10/7/1819
Samuel b. unk d. 1814
John H. b. 1779 d. 1849 m. Sarah Ayers
Children:
Pomeroy b. 1811
Electa b. 1810
Samuel b. 1810
Eveline b. unk
Benjamin F. b. 1820
Alexander b. unk d. unk
Aunt Edna lists Benjamin, along with siblings Pomeroy, Samuel, Orville, Electa, and Evelin, as being the offspring of John Heton with no known birth date or spouse, and the "first known Heaton in America." Dean lists John H. Heaton, born 1779, married to Sarah Ayers, with the same offspring, including a Benjamin F. Heaton. He lists John H. Heaton as having 11 brothers and sisters, including our Benjamin, with Daniel Heaton, born about 1738, as the father of both Benjamin and John. It appears that Aunt Edna's sources confused John's son with his brother, and with no birth dates to help, misidentified that link in the lineage. Given a much more comprehensive genealogy and an additional 40 years of research, it is fairly conclusive that Dean Heaton's book contains the proper ancestry of our Heatons.
Given that small discrepancy, we proceed smoothly from Daniel Heaton (b. 1738) to Benjamin Heaton (b. 1781) to Samuel Heaton (b. 1819) and his children Joseph (married to Ella Louise Quinlan), Sarah, Lydia, Clarissa, Ella Jane (married to Frank Quinlan), and Edwin. From there, our known family history continues in the charts and narrative.
Jim Pearce