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James Hurst (c. 1582–1657)
Gertrude Bennister (c. 1585–by 1670)
James Hurst was born about 1582. [1] He died between 10 and 24 December 1657. [1] James, a bombazine weaver from Retford [in Nottinghamshire] married Gertrude Bennister from Retford on 4 October 1608 in Amsterdam. [1]
Gertrude Bennister was born about 1585. She died by 30 May 1670.
James and Gertrude migrated by 1631 and they might have been part of the Leiden congregation. [1]
The first meeting of the New Plymouth Colony General Court took place on 1 January 1632/3 (all court dates are old style). James was already a freeman by then. All governments need revenue and one of the courts first acts was to order the collection of taxes. The taxes, collexted in corn, ranged from nine shillings for most of the households to three pounds and 11 shillings for Isaac Allerton. James was one of those assessed nine shillings. [2, vol. 1] By an order of 2 January 1633/4, he paid a tax of nine shillings. [2, vol. 1]
James was on a 1633 list of freemen in Plymouth and also on a 7 March 1636/7 list. [2, vol. 1]
On 1 October 1634 James was appointed to a committee to lay out highways for Plymouth. He was on a jury on 7 June 1636. He was on a grand jury on 5 June 1638 and 2 June 1640. [2, vol. 1]
In the 14 March 1635/6 allocation of mowing, James was to have the land he previously mowed and some from higher up. [2, vol. 1]
James was granted a portion of land lying about his house on 1 January 1637/8. [2, vol. 1]
On 5 January 1640/1 James Hurst was appointed an arbitrator to resolve the difference between George Bowers and George Bonum. [2, vol. 2]
James was on a 2 March 1647, 6 June 1649 trial jury. He was on the committee for the town of Plymouth on 1 June 1647. On 22 July 1648 he was on an inquest into the death of the four-year-old daughter of Alice Bishop. Alice later confessed to murdering her child and was executed. [2, vol. 2]
James Hurst of Plymouth made his will on 10 December 1657; it was proved on 2 March 1657/8. He made bequests to his wife Gertrude Hurst and his grandchildren John, Gershom, James, and Eleazer Cobb, Mary Dunham, Hannah Cobb, and Patience Cobb. Inventory was taking on24 December 1657 and totalled £97-06-00. [1]
The inentory of Gertrude Hurst, widow, was taken on 30 May 1670. It amounted to £13-05-11. [1]
Only known child of James Hurst and Gertrude Bennister: [1]
i. Patience Hurst was born say 1609. She was buried on 4 May 1648 in Barnstable. She married Henry Cobb.
References:
1. "The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620–1633, Volumes I-III," digitized book, AmericanAncestors.org, originally published as: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, 3 volumes (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995), 1046–8.
2. Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, Records of Plymouth Colony: Court Orders, vol. 1, 1633–1640, vol. 2, 1641–1651, vol. 3, 1651–1661, vol. 4, 1661–1668, vol. 5, 1668–1678, vol. 6, 1678–1691 (Boston: William White, 1855, 1866).
Last revised: 28-Dec-2023