May 20th, 1861
Vittoria, Co. Norfolk
Canada West
To Mr. D. Hewitt,
Dear Son,
You wished me to inform you of my
parentage and family connections. I was born at Hazel End in the Parish of
Farmham County of Essex, England in the month of July 1794 and married to
Miss Elizabeth Richardson [of] Liverpool County of Lancashire England, by
license at Saint Anns Church Liverpool on the 28th day of Jan[uary] 1819.
Your mother was born in Liverpool on the 19th day [of] January 1797.
My father William Hewitt, wa[s] born at
Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. His father w[as] a builder and cabinet maker of
a highly respectab[le] family. His mother was a daughter of a Physician who
had been in the East Indies. her maiden nam[e] was Carruthers, the family from Howmains
in Arma[...], Scotland.
Thomas Carruthers a General in
the Br[itish] army was a first cousin of my father's, he died in Spain or on his
way to the army under General Moore.
Th[e] family court [sic] of arms on my
father's Mother's sid[e] are three fleur de Lis in a shield, the crest a
Serap[h] Volante
Proper. The motto Promptu et Fideli.
The private
residence of General Carruttier's when I with my Father had an interview
with him wa[s] at Barlington gardens Piccadilly London in 1806 -- a[s] near as I
can remember it was in a row of buildings overlooking the gardens on the
right hand side going fr[om] Piccadilly.
My father had a first
cousin also in London whose name was Lea, a Widow her maiden name was Mary
Carruthers. She had one daughter, Matilda.
Mrs. Lea with my Mother
and myself went to the Herald[ry] office and searched for the Genealogy a
copy of which I had but have lost; they were able to trace it in the
office from some china which my father had that was my great-
grandfather's whicht had the court [sic] of arms on it in red and gold.
My fathers brothers were John
who married a Miss Lightfoot of Lincolnsire, a very aristocratic family,
he obtained all his brother's and sisters property a Legacy of
£1,100
each which was the property of an Aunt of my fathers, by which and the
property he got with his wife. I understood he cut a canal from Bawtry
to Gainsborough about 7 miles which was his ruin and on his
death bed he disclosed the Robbery of his brothers and sisters legacy by
a fraud in the will done by him and the lawyer who wrote it, he died in
an abject proverty, and his wife in a mad house, their children were scattered
around. Some of them attained positions of affluence from family
connections.
2nd Gideon, a King's Messenger whose
Insignia of office was a silver grey hound, he had one son Gideon, whom I knew, who was very much
respected.
3rd George a cow dealer, who had one son George, and two
daughters Frances and Sophia.
4th there was a sister Mrs.
Squires whose husband was a surveyor, they resided at Sandy in
Bedfordshire had two daughters called Polly & Patty, when I was about 6 years
old.
My Mother's maiden name was
Sarah Clark [sic], Daughter of Joshua & Mary Clarke [sic]
of the same place that I was
born. My Mothers father was from Wales a wo[ol] stopler and Inn keeper and
my Grandmother's father's na[me] w[as] Adams, who was the properitor of a large
Posting Inn called the Whale bone on Harlow Bush Common County of,
Essex.
My Mother had a first cousin named
Rober[t] Daniels, a substaintial
yeoman
who raised a compa[ny] of cavalry yeoman near the residence of General
Burg[oyne]
at Harlow in Essex, which volunteered and formed the [16th] Light Dragoons when
Robert Daniels was commissioned with the captaincy and afterwards
returned to his estate at Harlow Commons.
My Grandmother Hewitt died in in
the year 1777 at Gainsborough in Lincolnshire as my father informed me,
as they were Episopalians I think [a] Register may be found at Gainsborough.
My father had also a sister married to a Mr. Dodd, a merchant
tailor to the
Royal family, he resided at Great St James Street London. I do not know of
his leaving any family by her, as he was married again to a second wife,
he ha[d] two sons. I do not know by which wife.
My father ha[d] another relation
whose name was Wolfe an extensive merchant his residence was in Hayden
Square in the [Minories] London, he was a ship owner and had hous[e][s] near
old ford lane Mile End London.
I think there was 11 Brothers
and sisers of my fathers family. Som[e] of them died young. My uncle
John Hewitt's sons were William John Rowland Robert & Charles all
born in Lincolnshire. I never heard much of my father's
ancestors,
except an Uncle who I was told by my Mother lost his estate by fraud
practised on him during a fit of Intoxication he then left England and
has not been heard of since.
My father had 11 children
1st Mary Ann, married John Labrow Leeds Yorkshire. dead
2nd John, married in London [dead]
3rd
George, marreid to A. Pickering, Liverpool, Lancashire
4th Malinda, married Robert Smith, Stanstead Essex [dead]
5th William (myself), married E. Richardson, Liverpool
6th Elizabeth, died at Harkney near London
7th Thomas Carruthers, named after Genl Carruthers [dead]
8th Matilda, married to G. Chipperfield at Clavering Essex [dead]
9th Helen, Single
10th Charles, dead
11th Henry, dead
Your Mothers father was from
Romford in Essex named Joseph Richardson a silversmith & Jeweller in
Liverpool. Your Grandmother Richardson's maiden name was Elizabeth
Hedges of London.
[signed] William
Hewitt
The documents transcribed
in this series include:
> The Preface: Hewitt Genealogy Mystery
> William Hewitt's 1861 Genealogy Letter to
his son David
> A post card sent to David Hewitt
when he lived in Toronto
> List of Children of William Hewitt
> A bit of Karen ( Hewitt) Phinney's genealogy
