John Dennison and Agnes Willie

1882

Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, England

Excerpt from J.L. Glasscock, The Records of St. Michael’s Parish Church Bishops Stortford (Bishops Stortford, 1882) at page 33, published by the University of Toronto online at https://archive.org/details/recordsofstmicha00bishuoft

WILLIAM DENISON Roxbury, Mass. William1 Denison, baptized at Bishop’s Stortford, co. Herts, England, * The John Denison who received a lot in Voluntown, Conn. (Bodge, op. cit., p. 443] was, like all the Voluntown grantees, a Connecticut soldier. Waters, in his history of Ipswich, credits John Denison also with service in the Quebec Expedition of 1691.

3 Feb. 1571, buried at Roxbury, Mass., 25 Jan. 1653/4; married at Bishop’s Stortford, 7 Nov. 1603, Margaret (Chandler) Monck, baptized at Bishop’s Stortford, 13 Oct. 1577, buried at Roxbury, 3 Feb. 1645/6, daughter of John and Joan ( ) Chandler, and widow of Henry Monck. He was son of John Denyson of Thorley, Hertfordshire, who was living at Bishop’s Stortford at least as early as 1566 and died there of the plague and was buried 4 Dec. 1582. His mother was Agnes Willie, who married second, at Bishop’s Stortford, 1 May 1584, John Gase. William’s brother Edward settled in Ireland in 1631 and had a son John, Major of a Regiment and Deputy-Governor of Cork. William’s youngest brother, George (1582-1642), remained in Stortford. William and his family, except the eldest son John, came to New England in 1631 and settled in Roxbury, Mass. The first minister at Roxbury, Rev. John Eliot, known as the Apostle to the Indians, in his record of church members wrote : “William Dennison, he brought 3 children to N. E. all sons : Daniel, Edward, & George.” Also, “Margret Dennison, the wife of Willia Dennison, It pleased God to work vpon her heart & change it in her ancient years, after she came to this Land ; & joyned to the church in the yeare 1632.” His son, Major-General Daniel Denison, left an autobiography written in 1672 and addressed to his grandchildren, but not published until 1892. He stated that “my Dear father” was named William, and that the name of “my dear Mother” was Chandler.

Gen. Denison also wrote that, after the death of his brother William in Holland — “We were now but four Brothers left (viz.) John, Daniel, Edward and George. John and myself were bred schollars at Cambridge, where I continued till after I had taken my first Degree, my father though very well seated in Stratford [should be Stortford], hearing of the then famous trans plantation to New England, unsetled himself and recalling me from Cam bridge removed himself and family in the year 1631 to New England, and brought over with him myself being about 19 years of age, and my two younger Brothers, Edward, and George, leaving my eldest Brother John behind him in England, Marryed with a good portion, who was a minister, and lived about Pelham or in Hartford shier, not far from Stratford [Stort ford] where we were born. “My father brought with him into New England a very good Estate and settled himself at Roksbury, and there Lived though somewhat weakning his Estate) till the year 1653 in January when he died, having buried my Mother about Eight years before.” William Denison was made a freeman, 3 July 1632. He was chosen Con stable of Roxbury, 4 Mar. 1633/4, and served as Deputy to the Massa chusetts General Court, Mar. 1634/5. [Shurtleff’s Records of the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, 1-112, 135, 367.] Qualifying ancestor, Society of Colonial Wars. His eldest son, John Denison, who remained in England, was educated at Queen’s College, Cambridge (M.A., 1627). and became vicar at Standon,

co. Herts. William’s third surviving son, Daniel, was educated at King’s College and Emmanuel, Cambridge University, but after receiving his B.A. (1629/30) was recalled by his father to join the family in migrating to New England. Daniel married a daughter of Gov. Thomas Dudley, settled in Ipswich, Mass., was Assistant of the Colony for nearly thirty years, and rose to be Major-General of the colony forces. William’s second son and namesake (William) went with the English army to Holland in 1624 to attempt to raise the Siege of Breda, and never return ing, is supposed to have lost his life there. References New York Gen. and Biog. Record, 67-51, 52. New England Hist, and Gen. Register, 23-312 to 335; 46-127 to 133, 352 to 354. Roxbury, Mass., Vital Records (printed), 2-508. John Denison Baldwin and William Clift: A Record of the Descendants of Capt. George Denison (1881), pp. 5-8, 297-310. Samuel Eliot Morison: History of Harvard College in the Seventeenth Century, Appendix B. R. A. Wheeler: History of Stonington (1900), pp. 334-338. Sixth Report of Boston Record Commissioners, pp. 73, 75. (Captain) George2 Denison, baptized at Bishop’s Stortford, co. Herts, England, 10 Dec. 1620, died at Hartford, Conn., 23 Oct. 1694; married first, in 1640, Bridget Tompson, baptized at Preston Capes, co. Northants, England, 11 Sept. 1622, died at Roxbury, Mass., Aug. 1643, daughter of John and Alice (Freeman) Tompson; married second, in England, about 1645, Ann Borodell, who died at Stonington, Conn., 26 Sept. 1712, aged 97.

England, 10 Dec. 1620, died at Hartford, Conn., 23 Oct. 1694; married first, in 1640, Bridget Tompson, baptized at Preston Capes, co. Northants, England, 11 Sept. 1622, died at Roxbury, Mass., Aug. 1643, daughter of John and Alice (Freeman) Tompson; married second, in England, about 1645, Ann Borodell, who died at Stonington, Conn., 26 Sept. 1712, aged 97. His brother, Gen. Daniel Denison, wrote in 1672: “My two brothers Edward and George had all the Estate my father left between them, being both marryed long before my father’s death ; my Brother George buried his first Wife in the year 1643, went into England was a Souldier ther above a year, was at the Battle of York, or Marston Moor, where he did good service, was afterward taken Prisoner, but got free and having Married a second Wife he returned to New England, the year before our Mother died, and not long after removed himself to New London near whereunto (viz) at Stonington he now liveth, having 3 sons John, William, and George, 4 or 5 Daughters 3 of his Daughters are Marryed to Stanton, Palmer, and Cheesebrook, all living at present in the same Town.” The family tradition that George served in Cromwell’s Army is thus verified by his own brother’s account. The story is also told that he was wounded and was nursed at the house of John Borodell by his daughter Ann, whom he married. He removed to New London, Conn., after his return to this country, and a few years later to Stonington, Conn., where he spent the remainder of his life. He served as Deputy from New London to the Connecticut General Court, Sept. 1653, May 1654, and Feb. 1657; and from Stonington, Oct. 1671, Oct. 1674, May 1675, May 1678, Oct. 1682, May and Oct. 1683, May, July and Oct. 1684, May and Oct. 1685. May 1686, May 1687, Sept. 1689, May, Sept. and Oct. 1693, and May 1694. He was thus in the public service until the end of his life; but his chief fame was in military affairs, for which his participation in the English Civil War had prepared him. He was called Captain in 1653, when first mentioned in Connecticut records, but no record of appointment is found, and it may then have been a courtesy title, based on his having held a commission in England. He served on the War Committee for New London in 1653 and 1654, when war threatened with the Dutch. Although 56 years old, he served as Captain in King Philip’s War in 1676, being in command of the New London County Troop, and second in command of the Army. He was appointed Provost Marshal, May 1677. In Sept. 1689 he was chosen Captain of volunteers to go against the enemy. [Conn. Colonial Records, 1-243, 246, 256, 264, 288 ; 2-159, 236, 249, 279, 306, 407. 429, 468 ; 3-3, 106, 115, 121, 139, 151, 155, 169, 181, 195, 230; 4-3, 5, 92. 102, 105, 121.] Qualifying ancestor, Society of Colonial Dames of America, and Society of Colonial Wars. References J. D. Baldwin and William Clift: A Record of the Descendants of Capt. George Denison (1S81), pp. 6, 297-310. R. A. Wheeler: History of Stonington (1900), pp. 336-338. New England Hist. and Gen. Register, 46 127 to 133, 352 to 354; 49-487, 488. The American Genealogist, 13-2. Roxbury, Mass., Vital Records (printed), 2-507.

Marriage:

Agnes Dennison married  John Gace on 3 MAY 1584 • Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire, England

Biography

Agnes Wylley (aka Wilie), married John Denison at Thorley, Hertfordshire, England, 11 May 1561. ^[1] Their younger children were baptized at Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire between 1567 and early 1583. ^[1] John Denison was buried at Stortford, 4 Dec 1582. ^[1]

The widow Agnes (Wylley aka Willie) Denison married for her second husband John Gace at Bishop’s Stortford on 3 May 1584. ^[1] “John Gace was buried at Bishop’s Stortford 2 Sept 1602, at which time his widow would have been between 55 and 59 year old.” ^[1]

The widow Agnes (Wylley) (Denison) (Gace) married for her third husband, John Wall, Senior, of Bishop’s Stortford, son of Nicholas Wall of Great Hallingbury, Essex, in the neighboring parish of Little Haddam, Hertfordshire, on 18 May, 1603. ^[1] John Wall was buried at Bishop’s Stortford 3 Nov 1613, leaving a will proved November 1613. ^[1] In his will John mentions his wife Agnes, her sons William and Edward Denison, and children from his previous marriage: Agnes, Bennet, William and Mary. ^[1]

“No burial for Agnes Wall has yet been found, and her history following the death of John in late 1613 is as yet unknown.”

ohn Wall of Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, Third Husband of Agnes (Wylley) (Denison) (Gace)], NEHGR Vol 158 page 361 – 363