HAM, William

Other Events and Attributes:

• Differentiator: Immigrant; The Great Migration; accused as a witch in 1656
• Great Migration: Arrived in 1635 on the Speedwell; no GM profile
• Web Address: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ham-293

Notes:

William Ham ca. 1598-1673 of Portsmouth, New Hampshire
I've seen in print that some people think this William Ham is the father of John Ham of Dover, but that is not true. These are two separate families. There are no records between these two men. It is just a coincidence that two men of the same surname lived so close to each other in early New Hampshire.

1. William Ham was born about 1598 and died June 1673 at Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He married at Plymouth, Devonshire, England on 22 November 1622, Honour Stephens, baptized there on 4 February 1601/2 and died after 1667, daughter of William and Mary (Woode) Stephens. William was a fisherman. William and Honour had two children: Elizabeth and Matthew.

William Ham, an early settler in New England, embarked on a remarkable journey that began in Plymouth, England. According to family tradition, he was of Scottish ancestry, but his path to the New World started in June 1635, when he joined a company sent out by Robert Trelawny, a merchant from Plymouth. Trelawny, who had been granted extensive lands and rights in Maine by Gorges, was looking to establish a foothold in the New World. His grant included Richmond's Island and several thousand acres on the mainland, stretching from Sperwick River to Cape Elizabeth, just below Portland.

The Trelawny family, with ancestral roots in Ham or Hame in Devonshire, had a long-standing reputation. There was speculation that the Ham family might have derived their name from this place, but no concrete evidence ever surfaced to support this theory. Trelawny's first group, led by John Winter in 1632, focused on hunting, fishing, and trading with the Native Americans. William Ham arrived three years later with Nares Hawkins and others, working under a system of shares and wages.

However, the new settlers, including Ham, soon found themselves in a dispute, claiming they had been cheated by Winter and Hawkins. In June 1636, disillusioned, they left Falmouth and headed westward to Portsmouth. Winter's correspondence from June 28, 1636, lists those who departed, including William Ham, Oliver Clark, John Bellin, William Freythe, and John Simmons (Simonds).

By 1646, Ham had settled in Exeter. A few years later, in 1652, he received a fifty-acre land grant in Portsmouth, where he likely spent most of his subsequent years. His homestead, known as Freeman's Point or Ham's Point until 1833, was located just above the Portsmouth Bridge, on the road to Kittery, Maine. This area, known for its beautiful scenery, became the site of Ham's house, which stood for many years. He also owned Noble's Island, once called Ham's Island.

In Portsmouth, Ham played an active role in the community. He was part of the first squadron in the 1653 division of inhabitants into garrisons and contributed to the minister's maintenance fund from 1658 to 1666. William Ham passed away on January 26, 1672, at the age of seventy-two. His will, proved in Exeter, bequeathed his estate to his daughter, Elizabeth Cotton, and his grandsons, the children of his son Matthew.

The relationship between William Ham of Portsmouth and John Ham of Dover remains a mystery, with no clear evidence to define whether John was William's nephew, brother, or cousin. William Ham's story, from his departure from Plymouth to his life in Portsmouth, paints a vivid picture of the challenges and triumphs of an early settler in New England.

William married STEPHENS, Honor on 22 Nov 1622 in Plymouth, Devon, England. Honor was born on 4 Feb 1601 in Plymouth, Devon, England; died on 11 Nov 1667 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Matthew married LESSON, Sarah in 1644 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. Sarah was born about 1625 in England; died in 1688 in Portsmouth, Rockingham, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Wars: Between 1702 and 1713; Queen Anne's War? Know he was a "Lieutenant"
• _MILT: Between 1702 and 1713, Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA; Lieutenant - Queen Anne's War?
• Probate: 29 Sep 1727, New Hampshire, USA

John married HEARD, Mary on 6 May 1668 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. Mary (daughter of HEARD, John and HULL, Elizabeth) was born on 26 Jan 1649 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA; died on 9 Dec 1706 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Residence: USA

Notes:

Mary's children Sarah (7) and Bridget (5) were killed by Indians while turning calves in a pasture near their home. Their heads were cut off by an axe in sight of Mary, their mother. The girls were scalped and their heads discarded.

Mary married WALDRON, John on 29 Aug 1698 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. John (son of WALDRON, John and SANDERS, Elizabeth) was born in 1665 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA; died on 12 May 1740 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Mary married HORNE, John on 30 Jun 1686 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. John (son of HORNE, William and CLOUGH, Elizabeth) was born on 25 Oct 1663 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA; died on 16 Mar 1697 in Dover, Strafford, New Hampshire, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Differentiator: killed by indians

Notes:

Died:
killed by Indians