Nathaniel Hayden

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 3482

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 4236
• Death: 27 Sep 1669

Notes:

From the Great Migration Begins; "Savage states that WIlliam Hayden, "Dorchester, came probably in the Mary & John, 1630" [Savage 2:387]. This may be a false association of William Hayden with John Hayden, who was in Dorchester from about 1632 to 1639. There is no record of William Hayden in Massachusetts Bay, and he first appears in Connecticut records in the late 1630s."

The following is per William J. Dowell http://stithvalley.com/ancestry/taylor/johnhayd.htm

Again and again we read that Gideon Haydon and Margaret Davy of Cadhay House, Ottery St Mary, Devonshire, were the parents of John Hayden, the 1632 immigrant to Dorchester, Massachusetts.

However, tracing the origins of an early New England immigrant ancestor can be an extremely challenging exercise, not least because, in the past, genealogists have often reached firm conclusions based upon very inadequate evidence, such as a coincidence of names and dates. Frequently, New England settlers have been identified as members of gentry families in England, who were generally well documented. However, relatively few immigrants came from a gentry background; they were mostly tradesmen or yeomen. Thus the Gideon Haydon genealogy has gained wide acceptance among John Hayden's descendants in America, but without any proof beyond a coincidence of name and date.

On the other hand, there are two strong arguments against this genealogy. First, the Gideon Haydon family of Cadhay were adherents of the Church of England, and their sons, Gideon Haydon (1609-1680) and Nicholas Haydon (1620-1676), were ardent Royalists during the English Civil War, whereas our John Hayden was clearly a Puritan. Second, coinciding with John Hayden's arrival in Massachusetts is the presence there of William Hayden and James Hayden. There is the possibility that either or both of these men were brothers of John. In that case, however, it is unlikely that they were children of Gideon Haydon, because no record exists of a child named William born to Gideon and Margaret Haydon. Gideon and Margaret had a child named James, but this son died in infancy. Of course it is equally possible that these three were cousins, or even strangers, which would not necessarily upset the identification of John Hayden as the son of Gideon and Margaret Haydon of Cadhay.

Death:
Age: 69

William married Unknown Unknown. Unknown was born about 1600; died on 17 Jul 1655 in Haydens, Connecticut, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events:

• Reference Number: 4235

Notes:

Birth:
based on spouse's birth date