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One of the great challenges about John Carman, patentee of Hempstead, Long Island is that there is more than one John Carman in early New England history: For instances all of the following men named John Carman leave records behind in 17th century America, but it is unlikely they are the same man.
Our John Carman of interest here, cannot be all of them. But history has left us little to identify any of them:
The John Carman who is the center of our attention here, is supposed to be born about 1606 probably in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England (supposed in that there is no hard proof, just family folklore) and died in Hempstead, Long Island (the English didn't seize the area from the Dutch until 1669 so prior to then it wasn't New York and Hempstead was semi-independent of New Netherlands, but occupied by permission). before 15 October 1653. He married Florence Fordham, born about 1610 and died 7 Feb 1660/61 at Jamaica, Long Island. Florence is often referred to as the daughter of Rev. Robert Fordham who John went to Long Island with and signed the treaty for the land that founded Hempstead in 1641, but she is much more likely Robert Fordham's sister. From the church records of Roxbury, we have hard evidence that John Carman arrived in 1631; He had no children with him when he came; his first born was born in 1633; and "Florence Carman wife of John Carman" is entered into the church record in 1632 (it doesn't say in the entry whether she was arriving then by ship, which would imply they were married in England and she sailed later, or if that was married to John there in Roxbury). From Roxbury there is mention of John Carman in Lynn, Massachusetts until 1637 when they moved to Sandwich, Massachusetts on Cape Cod. It is assumed he then left for Wallingford and then Stamford, Connecticut as that is where the band of patentees of Hempstead moved from. However, John Carman's name never appears in Stamford records. So did he really move to Stamford, or did he associate with these men by another (yet to be found) reason? John Carman and Robert Fordham traveled to Long Island ahead of the band of pioneers as their "agents" in 1643. The deed signed with the Indians is dated 13 November 1643, so they were indeed there before the main party came over. The commemorative mural of the event that hangs in Hempstead Village Hall is probably accurate. Snow is still scarce on Long Island in November, but it is getting cool (Some artistic license was taken with the muffler to cover the face of John as no one knows what he actually looked like.) So chances are they wintered on Long Island that winter of 1644, probably on the south shore which is considerably warmer than the north and the Long Island Sound is cold and rough any time of year, and may have been around present day Merrick, Long Island where John did set up his homestead once the Town of Hempstead was established later in 1644. John Carman died before 15 October 1653 in Hempstead, Long Island a respected and influential man of means. Children of John and Florence (Fordham) Carman:
After John's death, the widow Florence Carman re-married in 1656 to John Hicks.
07/08/2007 |
