Queries should be directed to Anthony Hickson
My aim is to link as many Hickson families together as I can.
My maternal grandfather was Robert Owen Hixson. His earliest known ancestor is presumed to have been William Hixson who came from England to New Jersey by 1686.
The spelling of the name varies, Hixson, Hixon and Hickson.
(It derives from son of Richard.)
My grandfather was of the opinion that anyone who did not spell the name with xson
was no kin of his.
He said it in such a way that one would infer that he thought people using other spellings were inferior.
Records of his ancestors show it was spelled all three ways, sometimes in referring to the same person.
Burke's Armoury p 494, describes the crest that was confirmed by a Hixson line living in counties of Cambridge, Greenwich, and Kent, England. The shield is silver, or white, with 2 eagle legs, erased (torn off the body forcibly), in saltire, (crossed as an "X" or St Andrew's cross). Our Hixson ancestors back to that time would have to be known before we could know whether that crest is ours or not.
Mrs Jeanette Hixson Pearson, formerly of Prosser, Washington, and a meticulous genealogist, has helped and taught me much about Hixsons and genealogy. She reported that she had found a Joseph Hixson who was a relative of William and also came from England to New Jersey. He had a son who was born at Amwell, Hunterdon Co in 1789. He married Naomi Corwin, daughter of Joseph Corwin and his wife Elizabeth Hixson. During the Revolution they were loyalists and went to Canada, so they were not our ancestors.
Jeanette also found a Noah Hixson who was born in England and who came to New Jersey and who was also related to William. Noah married Jemima Reed. Some of their descendants went to Prince William Co., Va, and one, Richard, went to Ohio.
The earliest record of William Hixson is in the New Jersey Archives, Calendar of Records, 1664-1703: Jno Pattison and wife Mary of England gave land to their daughter Mary and her husband, William Hickson, in 1686. All the family lived at Crosswicke Creek, West Jersey.
(Ibid 367) On 3 May 1690 William Hixson acquired 160 acres adjoining his settlement at Crosswicks making a total of 300 acres.
(Ibid 391) 4 Apr 1694 he received 150 acres above the Falls
.
April 1696 he added an adjoining 100 acres.
(New Jersey Archives, Abstract of Wills, Vol 33). In 1691 William Hixson made the inventory of the estate of Thomas Robinson. (Ibid 433) In 1702 he was the executor of Thomas Smith's estate. Pioneers of Old Hopewell, Ege, p 115 states that William Hixson was a witness to the will of Andrew Smith, made 16 Jan 1703. It was the more literate and respected men of a community who were called upon to be executors, make inventories, and to serve as witnesses.
(Ibid 127); In 1704 Wm Hixson prepared the inventory of the Andrew Davis estate. In 1711 he was a witness to the will of Matthew Giles. It was proved in 1712. (Later he married the widow, Phebe (Hendricks) Giles.)
In 1971 Jeanette Pearson sent me an abstract of a xerograph of William Hixson's will:
I, William Hixson, of Maidenhead in Co of Hunterdon, New Jersey, this 3rd day of December 1722... I give to my wife's son Matthew Giels and her dau Mary Giels, each 20 shillings apiece, ould currency...Mentions
Phebe, my wife and ... shall be equally divided between all my sons and daughters, that is to say between my 3 sons viz: John, Joseph, and Benjamin and my daughter, Prisillah...Executors:
well beloved sons John and Benjamin.Proved: 24 Jan 1722/23. This will is quoted in the Giles Family of Piscataway and Woodbridge, N.J.
William Hixson, born England by 1665; died between 3 Dec 1722 and 24 Jan 1723; at Maidenhead in Hunterdon Co New Jersey; married (1) Mary Pattison, daughter of John Pattison and wife Mary. She died by 1712. William Hixson and his first wife, Mary Pattison, had the following children:
William Hixson married (2) to Phebe Hendricks the widow of Matthew Giles after 1712. They had no known children.
Nothing is known now of William's children except Joseph. His will made 24 Apr 1764 is found in New Jersey Arch Vol 24, p 246. It names sons William and Joseph Jr, daughters Grace Boman, Mary Reed, Margaret Prall, and Elizabeth Corwine, and grandson Andrew Hixson. Andrew was to receive
the plantation I live on and 31 acres more ... and he is to let my eldest son William have ½ the benefits during his lifetime.
Capt Timothy Hixon, born in Hunterdon Co., New Jersey moved to Virginia ca 1764, is said to be the granson or great grandson of William who died in 1722. He is the ancestor of Jeanette Hixon Pearson, and the best known Hixon patriot of the Revolution.
After several years of research to discover Timothy's father, he was a mystery, until ca 1975. Someone in cleaning a Virginia courthouse discovered a box of old unrecorded wills. Among them was Timothy's father's will. He is the first known Matthew Hixon, possibly named for Matthew Giles, step son of William the immigrant.
Our earliest proven Hixson was Judiah. Possibly he was a brother of Matthew above. New Jersey Arch Vol 35, p 109, 3 Oct 1777, the papers with the will of Samuel Corwine, of Hunterdon Co show that 28 Nov 1777 Jacob Snyder and Judiah Hixon prepared the estate inventory.
In Ibid Vol 40 p 171, the abstract of Judiah's will is given, 28 Nov 1808, Amwell Twp, Hunterdon Co. Eldest son Abner 67c; youngest son Matthew 67c; eldest daughter Sarah Reed 67c; youngest daughter Ann Snook residue of real and personal estate; same to be divided between her 3 children Sarah Snook, Elizabeth Snook, and John Snook after her decease. Proved 30 Dec 1808. His Inventory (list of his possessions) showed a value of $59.39. Ann deserved what she got.
Five bits! 67c, at first reading seems unfair. But sons Abner and Judiah Jr seem to have gone to Pennsylvania.
(The 1790 census shows Abner Sr and Jr in Fayette Co and Judiah in Northumberland Co.)
Since Judiah is not mentioned in his father's will, he has been presumed to have died without an heir.
Some sources spell Judiah Hixson's son's name Judiah
, while others spell it Jediah.
Recently Cousin Richard Brady Hixson has received some court records from the New Jersey State Archives.
A Robert Cox brought charges against Jediah in 1765.
Some way he paid back 40 pounds in 1776 to settle the matter.
The court records show that Jediah was prosecuted by the state of New Jersey for forgery in 1805. Possibly his father, Judiah, disinherited him, hence he was not mentioned in his father's will.
The Old School Baptist Church of Hopewell, New Jersey, shows that Matthew and his wife Catherine Hogg were dismissed 17 Aug 1805, (given letters) - destination not stated. They are presumed to have gone to Ohio. The earliest, 1820, Census shows Matthews in Highland Co, Paint Twp, and Clermont Co Mia Twp. Also, there was an Abner in Hardin Co, Arc Twp. Matthew's sister, Sarah and husband, George Reed, may have gone to Ohio with Matthew's family. They were associated with Matthew when he applied for a Rev pension in Warren Co in 1832. Ann H. Snook was the only child left in New Jersey to care for and comfort her father Judiah Hixon. She surely deserved all she received, since the other children had gone leaving her the entire responsibility.
We are certain Judiah was the father of our Matthew Hixson I from Judiah's will, from Matthew's pension application in which he states that he served 5 months in the Flying Camp for his brother Abner, and from Abner's military record in the New Jersey Dept of Defense that states he had a brother Matthew.
Judiah Hixson I and his unknown wife had these children all probably born near Hopewell, New Jersey:
An article in the Nov 1981 National Geographic pp 596-7 states that currently the rural Hunterdon Co is free from the criminal and gangster elements that plague the areas adjacent to NY City and Philadelphia. However, the Lindbergh home, on a rugged hilltop near Hopewell, was the site of the kidnapping of the infant Chas Jr ca 1932. The county courthouse was the scene of the conviction and electrocution of Richard Bruno Hauptmann for kidnapping and murder of the child.
Our ancestor Matthew Hixson, son of Judiah, was born 12 Dec 1756 near Hopewell, Amwell Twp, Hunterdon Co., New Jersey (Pension application); deceased by 13 Aug 1838 Montgomery Co Ind. (Probate record); married 8 Mar 1779 to Catharine Hogg (Hunterdon Co Marriages 1728-1781).
Town Records of Old Hopewell, including some of the minutes of the Old School Baptist Church (p 152):
24 Mar 1799 Matthew Hison rec'd; 26 Jan 1800 Catharine Hixon rec'd; p 157: 17 Aug 1805 Matthew and Catharine Hixon dismissed(no destination given). We presume they went to Ohio. I wish I could have discovered their path in Ohio. Land records etc. can be very revealing.
The first Ohio census, 1820, lists 17 Hixson households, including Richard and Joel, both neighbors and brothers, or near cousins.
Many thanks to Boyd Hixson for this textQueries should be directed to Anthony Hickson
My aim is to link as many Hickson families together as I can.
