The Brogan's of Iowa:Information about Robert Lane
Robert Lane (b. 19 Dec 1639, d. 12 Apr 1718)
Notes for Robert Lane:
Events of his life:
1630 Puritans seeking church reform left for New England under the leadership of John Winthrop.
1642-1660 Civil War took place in England. Charles I was executed in 1649. Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector of England. Bishop's courts were abolished. Civil war caused political and religious upheaval. Parish registers were poorly kept. Many other changes affected record keeping.
1644 Presbyterian and Independent records began, but many of these early records no longer exist.
1656 Society of Friends (Quaker) records began. These records are unique among English religious records because they are so thorough.
1660 Charles II was restored as monarch, ending civil strife. Bishop's courts were restored.
1662 A British royal charter established Connecticut as a colony separate from Massachusetts.
1665-1666 The Great Plague struck England. London and other larger cities were hardest hit. This afftected record keeping. The Great Fire of London followed the plague and destroyed many churches and their registers.
He lived at Stratford, then Killingworth, CT. He served as a Deputy to the Connecticut General assembly at eighteen sessions.
He wrote his will on 28 July 1712. He mentioned his wife Sarah, his sons John and Jonathan, who were his chief heirs. He gave land to the sons of his daughter Hannah, 10 pounds to his daughter Mary . He mentioned Thomas Fitch as his son-in-law, as the husband of his daughter Elizabeth. He also mentions a grandson Daniel Willcocks.
Christened December 19, 1639
Derbyshire, England
[v9t1500.FTW]
9/27/90 A Narrative of the Griswold Family;
!1/8/91, Second Boat, Vol 11, No.3, July-August, 1990,pg. 20,
4/22/91, Lane Genealogy, Robert Lane and Descendants;
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Settled at Stratford in 1660.
This information was extracted from a book given to Dennis E. Kane by his
mother; Jane Louise Armstrong titled "Genealogical Notes on the Families
of Daniel Lane 2d and Mary Griswold Lane Copyright, 1899, by H. W. Lane &
A. C. Beckwith. The Independent Print, Elkhorn, Wis.
Robert Lane, it may be assumed with confidence, was born in
England. It has been said, through without show of proof or likelihood,
that he was a native of Derbyshire. That he was born about 1639 may be
inferred reasonably from these known facts; namely, - 1. A "home-lot"
was laid out to him in 1660. 2. Dec. 19, 1665, he married Sarah
Pickett, (who was baptized in 1648). 3. He served his town in the
colonial assembly from 1699 to 1715. 4. He died April 2, 1718, at
Killingworth. Then, if born in 1639, he was a landholder at the age of
21, a husband at 26, a legislator at 60 to 76, and died at 79. He is
mentioned at Stratford as cow-keeper, fence viewer, and burier, and, in
1686, deputy to court of election at Hartford. In 1695 he removed to
Killingworth, where he was active in affairs of church and town until his
death.
Robert was of even generation with Henry Crane; with the children of
John Pickett, William Kelsey, Andrew Ward, Michael Griswold, and John
Sheather; and with grandchildren of George Hull, Joseph Loomis, Vincent
Meigs, and the elder John Parmelee. That is, he was a generation younger
than the settlers of Windsor, Hartford, Hew Haven, and Guilford, and was
of the young freemen at the settlement of Norwalk, Stratford, and New
London. The circumstances of his life at Stratford indicate that he was
of the yeoman class to which England and America owe such large political
and other debt. If he was of a Derbyshire escutcheon-bearing family, the
burden of proof is on such as assert it. If, as intimated at page 172,
Vol II, "Lane Genealogies, " there is in existence "a memorial of Lane
aristocracy," its submissions to the Herald's Office for examination
would determine, first, its genuineness, and then its proper custodian.
The chances of finding such custody ever to have been with Robert Lane,
though few among a thousand possibilities, cannot be set down definitely
at zero. To such as are fairly informed as to early colonial customs it
is somewhat significant that his name is never found in records with the
respectful prefix of "Mr." It may be observed that while the Puritan
founders of republican institutions in New England brought with them
little knighthood and less nobility they were not social levelers. Birth
and wealth, as well as official station, were respected and had due
consideration, even in assignment of seats in the churches. Whatever
mark of respect or distinction was our ancestor's right the clerk of his
town was not likely either to be unaware of it or to disregard it. In
England the name of Lane was ancient and sometimes honored. Robert and
his father-in-law, John Pickett, whatever their ancestry, were men of
character and capacity, --honored in their time, and most worthy
ancestors of American freemen.
Robert Lane was the original immigrant in this line. He
married Sarah Pickett at Stratford, Connecticut in 1665.
They moved to Killingworth, Connecticut in 1695.
1697. He was listed as one of the freemen of Stratford on 7 Oct 1668 when
Gov. John Winthrop gave "a list of the freemen of Stratford as they are
reputed among us, 8 mth 7 d "60; Robert Laine." The eighth month was, at that
time, the month of October.
Robert served his communities in various functions. In Stratford he was
selected to be one of the "cowkeepers" along with Samuel Fayrechild. In 1662,
these two were asked to pay their townsmen 20s for their "unfaithfulness in
keeping the heard." That year he was appointed Fence viewer and the next year
was elected Sexton. It was the duty of the Sexton to ring the bell before a
funeral so that people would know to gather. The procession walked in pairs
with family members preceeding the townspeople. In those days, and in the
case of a death in the town, the woman's place was as well respected as the
man's. If the deceased was a woman, the women lead the procession of family
and of townspersons. The opposite was true if the deceased was a man. No
person was allowed to walk abreast or ahead of the deceased, except for the
bearers.
Robert was selected by his townsmen to represent them at the General Court at
Hartford, a position held by the highly respected. At that Court, in 1686, he
was selected to be "Deputy."
In Killingworth, from 1699 to 1715, Robert was elected again to the General
Court. In 1701, he was appointed to a committee to audit the work and
expenses of the building of the meeting house. In 1696, he petitioned the
court on behalf of some of his neighbors for a sluice and bridge to be built
over the Hammock River. Savage suggests that he may be the man, by Field,
107, said to be from Derbyshire and an early settler.
Sources: Hartford Colonial Records, Vol. I
Stratford Town Records
Killingworth Town Records
Lane Genealogy by Jacob Chapman and James H. Fitts
The Redding Family Genealogy by Billie Redding Lewis
Savage, James; Gen. Dict. of N.E.; III:53.
Robert was a cow-keeper, fence viewer, and burier, as well as deputy to court
of election at Hartford in 1686.
Note:
Robert Lane is said to have come from Derbyshire, England, and was among the early settlers in Stratford, CT. Here he received Home Lot No. 62 in 1660, was "Herder" in 1662, and became a successful planter and man of note.
Stratford, Connecticut began to be settled in 1639 under the name of Cupheage and became a plantation in 1640. The town records commence about 1650.
"Samuel Fayrechild & Robert Lane cowkeepers for year 1662, being detected of unfaithfulness in keeping the heard, the sayed Samuel & Robert doe owne they lave the heard in the woods and come home several days. This was owned in a public meating before Mr. Sharman Feb'y 18th 1662. Mr. Sharman hath adjudged the above said Robert Lane & Samuel Fayrechild to pay to their townsmen twenty shillings use." - Stratford Records.
Mr. Lane was granted a house lot of two acres April 1, 1665, and was enrolled an inhabitant at Stratford by order of Gov. John Winthrop, March 27, 1668. "A list of the freeman of Stratford as they are reputed among us, 8 mth 7d '69:Robert Laine." He was fence viewer December 29, 1675, "burier" or sexton February 21, 1676, deputy to Court of Election at Hartford for Stratford, May and July, 1686, and was proportioned his share in the future commonage of Stratford January 13, 1699.
"At a Court of Election held at Hartford May 9th 1667: This Court orders that ye towne of Homonoscit shal for ye future be named Kenilworth and for ye brand or horses they shal have ye letter V on ye near buttock." The inhabitants of Kenilworth were allowed "to gather themselves into church order," October 11, 1667. Hammosset was afterwards Killingworth.
Robert Lane of Stratford bought of John Allyn of Hartford, CT., for £195, March 26, 1695, all of said Allyn's housing and lands within the "Township of Hellingworth." Soon after this purchase he settled in Killingworth where his earmark for cattle was recorded, September 4, 1695, and where he was chosen on of a town committee, July 8, 1696. With others in behalf of some proprietors of Killingworth he petitioned the General Court in October 1696, and was heard in May 1697, "that a sluice and coset bridge might be built upon the river called Hammock." Here 30 acres of land was laid out to him on the west side of Cowhill in December 1698. He was deputy for Killingworth from 1699 to 1715;
was on of the committee appointed in 1701 to audit the accounts of individuals for work done in building the new meeting house; deeded lands to his sons John and Jonathan on May 10, 1710 and died April 12, 1718.
Robert Lane married in Stratford, December 19, 1665, to Sarah Pickett, of Salem, MA., daughter of John & Margaret Pickett. Sarah was born in November 1648, and moved to Stratford with her parents in 1660. Sarah died March 11, 1725.
More About Robert Lane and Sarah Pickett:
Marriage: 19 Dec 1665, Stratford, ct.
Children of Robert Lane and Sarah Pickett are:
- +Hannah Lane, b. 26 Dec 1668, Stratford, Fairfield, Connecticut, d. 21 Dec 1727, Killingworth, Middlesex, Connecticut.