HALSEY ALIAS CHAMBERS
In England the Halsey surname commonly appears in documents of various kinds, including wills and burial records, as "Halsey Alias Chambers." When the Halsey's immigrated to America they dropped the "Alias Chambers," maintaining only the Halsey surname. The exact origin and significance of the "Alias Chambers" appendage has been lost to the mists of time. The use of aliases in England were common from approximately 1460 to 1650, extending even into the 1800s and is said to have coincided with the development of surnames. By the 1500s aliases were regularly used in official documents to legally distinguish one individual from another. However, the origin and meaning of the alias for any given family differed (See the footnote below for some of the various reasons for and the meanings of such usage).*(1)
TO WHICH HALSEY LINE DOES THOMAS HALSEY, SR, BELONG?
There were many Thomas Halseys born in England around the same time as our Thomas. The problem is figuring out which Thomas Halsey is the one who became the ancestral father of most if not all the Halseys in America.
The older histories on the Halsey family had Thomas being born in the Golden Parsonage, Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, England.*(4) However, the most current research conducted by the Halsey Family Association of Southampton, Long Island points to the Thomas Halsey of the Golden Parsonage as having been a cousin to our Thomas Halsey. The important research of Raymond D. Wheeler, published in 1994 by the now defunct Thomas Halsey Family Association, in this regard is a must read, as the older myth continues to be copied without question over and over again on the internet.*(2)
By a process of elimination, our Thomas is likely the one who was baptized on March 10, 1593/94 at Flamstead, Hertfordshire, England. That gives him a birth date of shortly before March 10, 1593/94. He was the son of Robert Halsey alias Chambers and Ellen Alley alias Cooke. Thomas married first Elizabeth Wheeler circa 1625 at Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England.*(3) He married second Mrs. Ann Johnes, the widow of Edward Johnes, on July 25, 1660 in Southampton, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.
In 1637 Thomas Halsey of Kempston and Thomas Wheeler of Cranfield are noted in "The Ship Money Papers of Hen. Chester and Sir Will. Boteler, 1637-1639." Their names appear on the same page. The document contains a list of individuals who were in arrears for non-payment of the Ship-Money Tax in Bedfordshire for the years 1637-1639. Thomas Halsey was assessed for one pound, five shillings and nine pence. The notation for both Thomas Halsey and a Richard Odell, who would also become one of the original founders of Southampton, states, "Gone to Newe England"; Thomas Wheeler's notation states, "Gon out of Contry."**(5) Thomas Halsey and Thomas Wheeler were brother-in-laws. Thomas Wheeler had married Thomas Halsey's sister, Ann Halsey. The two brother-in-laws along with others like Richard Odell journeyed to New England together to survey the land for a possible move to the new world. Once moved to the new world the two Thomases and their families would go their separate ways, Halsey to Southampton, Long Island and Wheeler to Fairfield, Connecticut .
The name the older genealogists gave to the first wife of Thomas was Phebe. Its first mention appears to be in the Halsey genealogy written by Jacob Lafayette Halsey and Edmund Drake Halsey and published in 1895.*(4) During this author's 2013 visit to the Southampton Historical Museum, the author of this bio asked a staff member if the name Phebe could have arisen because of some type of confusion between Thomas' wife and his granddaughter, Phebe, the daughter of Thomas Halsey, Jr. The staff member agreed and said it was their belief that during research for the 1895 book the name Phebe was used as the name of Thomas' wife by someone whose foggy recollection confused Thomas Halsey's wife with his granddaughter, Phebe Halsey, the daughter of Thomas, Jr.
Thomas along with his wife, Elizabeth, and their children immigrated to the British colonies in the latter part of 1638, arriving in Lynn, MA to settle on 100 acres of land that had been distributed to him in April of 1638. Thomas Halsey and his family were part of the great Puritan influx to the New World in the 1630s. On March 10, 1639 Thomas signed a compact along with other settlers at Lynn, MA for eight square miles on Long Island. The settlers arrived on Long Island at Conscience Point in June of 1640 and went on to establish the town of Southampton a few miles south of there.
Thomas made his will in June 28, 1677 at Southampton, Suffolk County, New York and departed this life on Saturday, August 27, 1678 at Southampton. His will was probated on July 8, 1679. What follows is a transcription of Thomas Halsey's Will and Probate.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THOMAS HALSEY, SR
"The last Will & Testament of Thomas Halsey of Southampton the 28 day of June 1677.
I Thomas Halsey Sen'r being in right mind & Sound Judgment, doo make this my Last will & Testament as ffolloweth,
1st Imprimis I give & bequeath my Soule to god that gave it & my body I bequeath to the Earth devoutly to bee buried & my worldly goods as followeth
2ly I doo give unto my wife, one woollen wheele & one Linnen wheele & my Lettle Iron pott & a yellow Rugg & one white Dutch blankett, & fouer bushels of wheat, to be paid yearly as long as shee Liveth, the first to be paid within one month, & fouer Ewe Sheepe;
3ly I doo & bequeath unto my Son Thomas my House housing & home Lott, with all the Apurtinances thereunto belonging; & the Beach Lott & the Lott plaine Closse & the Lettle Closse of the Southside of Mr Rayners. Comonly called troublesome & the Clofse at the Mill Neck Commonly knowne by the name of Peters Clofse I give to my Son Thomas & the Lott I had this Last Devission of Maycocks, & the Table in the parlor & the fine Joynt Stooles & the Bedsted & Curtains in the Porch Chamber;
4ly I doe give & Bequeath unto my Son Isaac my Clofse in the head of the crooke & five Acres adjoyning theirunto & five Acres in the great plaine, in the ten Acre Lotts, & three Acres lying at the towne pound, & ten Acres lying in the oxe pasture, & the Ginn Lott with four Acres & a halfe in the Little plaine, & of the next Division twenty Acres & hee is to have his Choice out of
5ly my three hundred in Lue of the Land at Sayaponack, & the Remainder of all Divisions whatsoever; hearafter they are to divide it Equally Betwixt them all three, & the Rest of that division, hee is to have his Equall part with Thomas & Danell, & hogg-neck is to bee divided Betwixt them Equally allso, And that Lott of Meadow that is in Seabonack one the South Side, & one Acre in Halsey's neck & halfe the Meadow on the South Beach & the other halfe I give to Daniel.
6ly I doo give & bequeath unto my Son Daniell, one Lott of the meadow lying on the north side of Seabonack, & the home Lott I bought of Mr Smith, & my Lott at Seabonack & two Acres in the Lettle plaines, that is the Eastformost two Acres I have there, & one horse & one Mare, & two Oxen;
7ly I do give & bequeath unto my Daughter Elizabeth the wife of Richard Howell, twenty pounds, to bee paid in goods or Cattle according as two men shall Apprise them;
8ly I doo order that my three Sonnes Shall divide all Aquagonantuck & all the north Side towards Southhold & all Hoggneck betwixt them Equally;
I doo will & appoint my Sones Thomas & Isaack to bee Executors of this my Last will & Testament to See that it bee Justly & Truly Pformed, & what shall remaine of the Estate not here mentioned in my will, that they divide it Equally betweene them my two Executors. In Wittnes wherof I have hereunto Sett my hand the day & yeare Above written.
Thomas Halsey
In the presence of
Richard Barrett
John Else" *(6)
PROBATE OF THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THOMAS HALSEY, SR
(Governor Sir Edmond Andress certifies the will & the probate thereof)
"Sr. Edmond Andross Kn't, &c
Whereas Thomas Halsey Sen'er. Late of Southton in the East Ryding of Yorke Shire, upon Long Island deceased did in his Last will & Testament nominate & Appoint his Sonns Thomas & Isaac to bee his Executors, And proofe having beene made of the will & Testament at the Court of Sessions held at Southton: in the month march Last for the East ryding, where the Said Thomas & Isaac were Admitted Executors & Security taken by the S'd. Court; These presents may Certify & declare that the Said Thomas & Isaac are Admitted & Confirmed to all Intents & purposes, Executors of the last will &Testament of the S'd. Thomas HalSey their their Father deceased, They having hereby full power & Lawfull Authority to enter into or keepe pofsefsion of the premifses & to dispose thereof as in the S'd. will is Required & as Executors According to Law: Given under my Hand & Seale July the 8 1679
E. A. a(Seale)
past The Office
M. N Socx,
The Apprisem't. of the Inventory Amounts to 672£ as Returned from the Court of Sessions." *(6)
BURIAL PLACE OF THOMAS HALSEY, SR.
The most likely burial place for Thomas is the Old Southampton Burial Grounds located in the town of Southampton on Long Island, New York. As Thomas was a man of means he doubtless was given a headstone when he died. But as with many others in the Old Southampton Burial Grounds, they are no longer visible. A survey done in the 1800s says the cemetery was not being cared for and was overrun with brambles. Many stones have probably broken and/or fallen into the ground, as there are many spaces between the headstones. It would be a great place for an archaeological dig to recover these stones.
The Old Southampton Cemetery covers about 2 acres. Interments began there about 1640 and continued until it closed in 1712. In 2016 the Southampton Historical Committee recruited a cemetery mapper to survey the Old Southampton Burial Grounds with ground penetrating radar. To their surprise some 1700 unknown graves were found. Currently there exists only 47 tombstones and 24 foot-stones in the cemetery. Their plan is to provide a compilation of 17th century census data so descendants can infer whether or not their ancestor is buried there. They also hope to find a grant which will allow them to search for discarded and buried headstones on the burial grounds.
FOOTNOTES
*(1). Some of the various usages for an English alias surname are as follows: 1. For the remembrance of the ancestral forenames of fathers or grandfathers. 2. For commemoration of an important familial location, such as a manor or place name. 3. For commemoration of a marriage to a member of superior social status. 4. For the purpose of claims to inheritance rights, or other economic reasons. 5. For the purpose of bearing a mother's maiden name, even in cases of illegitimacy (For a more detailed explanation on the use of aliases see the article from which the preceding information was drawn: "Use of Aliases - an Overview." FamilySearch Wiki, . 22 Feb 2022, 19:39 UTC. 20 Oct 2023, 20:56).
*(2). I have made much use of the following article in the development of Thomas Halsey's biography:The English Ancestry of Thomas Halsey of Southampton, Long Island , by Raymond David Wheeler, 1994, copyright 1995 by the Thomas Halsey Family Association, c/o Southampton Colonial Society , P. O. Box 303, Southampton, NY 11968. The Thomas Halsey Family Association & their website closed down not long after the death of its founder & president, Dr Hugh Halsey. Years ago the Halsey website was the only place on the internet that the Raymond Wheeler article could be found. However the it can now be found on FamilySearch.org under their search option for books.
*(3). Wheeler, Raymond David. The English Ancestry of Thomas Halsey of Southampton, Long Island (copyright 1995 by the Thomas Halsey Family Association, c/o Southampton Colonial Society , P. O. Box 303, Southampton, NY 11968), p. 14. Specifically, Wheeler says that "Thomas Halsey Alias Chambers (the son of Robert the son of Thomas the son of John) was baptized at Flamstead Herts., 10 Mar 1593/4, and died at Southampton, Long Island, Yew York, 27 August 1678. He married first, probably in the vicinity of Cranfield, Beds., say 1625, Elizabeth Wheeler, daughter of John and Elizabeth (-----) Wheeler, born at Cranfield, say1599." This is an advancement over Herbert Seversmith's valuable work, Colonial Families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut written in 1935. Seversmith's conclusion regarding Thomas Halsey's place of birth was as follows: ...the name of Thomas Halsey is sufficiently frequent in the counties of Herts, Bucks and Beds to make any identification of a person of that name with the immigrant hazardous, unless complete proofs are obtained (p 1222.8).
*(4)."Thomas Halsey of Hertfordshire, England, and Southampton, Long Island, 1591-1679: with His American descendants to the Eight and Ninth Generations" (Morristown, N.J. : printed at "The Jerseyman" Office, 1895) by Jacob Lafayette Halsey and Edmund Drake Halsey. In spite of errors in this Halsey genealogy, e.g., Thomas Halsey Sr's English lineage and the name of his 1st wife, it contains invaluable genealogical information without which our ancestral knowledge would indeed be impoverished.
*(5). See Halsey Genealogy by David Halsey, p. xvii; The Grumman Family, The American Genealogist, Vol 32 (1956), p. 166-167; also see Herbert F. Seversmith's Colonial Families of Long Island, New York & Connecticut..., Vol 3 (1935), p. 1217; the source of those two articles is The Publication of the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Vol 18 (1936), p. 73.
*(6). The original Hand written will is from the following: Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; Original data:New York County, District and Probate Courts. The transcription was made by the author of the Thomas Halsey Bio., David Burns, M. Div. (Find A Grave member#47319474). There are some minor spelling and wording differences between the above transcription of the will and the one done by Jacob & Edmund Halsey in their "Thomas Halsey of Hertfordshire, England..." book, pp. 30-32. The present author attempted to retain the original spelling, capitalization and punctuation where ever possible.
Biography compiled by:
David D. Burns, M. Div.
10th Great-Grandson
Find A Grave Member# 47319474
updated 4/24/2024
HALSEY ALIAS CHAMBERS
In England the Halsey surname commonly appears in documents of various kinds, including wills and burial records, as "Halsey Alias Chambers." When the Halsey's immigrated to America they dropped the "Alias Chambers," maintaining only the Halsey surname. The exact origin and significance of the "Alias Chambers" appendage has been lost to the mists of time. The use of aliases in England were common from approximately 1460 to 1650, extending even into the 1800s and is said to have coincided with the development of surnames. By the 1500s aliases were regularly used in official documents to legally distinguish one individual from another. However, the origin and meaning of the alias for any given family differed (See the footnote below for some of the various reasons for and the meanings of such usage).*(1)
TO WHICH HALSEY LINE DOES THOMAS HALSEY, SR, BELONG?
There were many Thomas Halseys born in England around the same time as our Thomas. The problem is figuring out which Thomas Halsey is the one who became the ancestral father of most if not all the Halseys in America.
The older histories on the Halsey family had Thomas being born in the Golden Parsonage, Great Gaddesden, Hertfordshire, England.*(4) However, the most current research conducted by the Halsey Family Association of Southampton, Long Island points to the Thomas Halsey of the Golden Parsonage as having been a cousin to our Thomas Halsey. The important research of Raymond D. Wheeler, published in 1994 by the now defunct Thomas Halsey Family Association, in this regard is a must read, as the older myth continues to be copied without question over and over again on the internet.*(2)
By a process of elimination, our Thomas is likely the one who was baptized on March 10, 1593/94 at Flamstead, Hertfordshire, England. That gives him a birth date of shortly before March 10, 1593/94. He was the son of Robert Halsey alias Chambers and Ellen Alley alias Cooke. Thomas married first Elizabeth Wheeler circa 1625 at Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England.*(3) He married second Mrs. Ann Johnes, the widow of Edward Johnes, on July 25, 1660 in Southampton, Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.
In 1637 Thomas Halsey of Kempston and Thomas Wheeler of Cranfield are noted in "The Ship Money Papers of Hen. Chester and Sir Will. Boteler, 1637-1639." Their names appear on the same page. The document contains a list of individuals who were in arrears for non-payment of the Ship-Money Tax in Bedfordshire for the years 1637-1639. Thomas Halsey was assessed for one pound, five shillings and nine pence. The notation for both Thomas Halsey and a Richard Odell, who would also become one of the original founders of Southampton, states, "Gone to Newe England"; Thomas Wheeler's notation states, "Gon out of Contry."**(5) Thomas Halsey and Thomas Wheeler were brother-in-laws. Thomas Wheeler had married Thomas Halsey's sister, Ann Halsey. The two brother-in-laws along with others like Richard Odell journeyed to New England together to survey the land for a possible move to the new world. Once moved to the new world the two Thomases and their families would go their separate ways, Halsey to Southampton, Long Island and Wheeler to Fairfield, Connecticut .
The name the older genealogists gave to the first wife of Thomas was Phebe. Its first mention appears to be in the Halsey genealogy written by Jacob Lafayette Halsey and Edmund Drake Halsey and published in 1895.*(4) During this author's 2013 visit to the Southampton Historical Museum, the author of this bio asked a staff member if the name Phebe could have arisen because of some type of confusion between Thomas' wife and his granddaughter, Phebe, the daughter of Thomas Halsey, Jr. The staff member agreed and said it was their belief that during research for the 1895 book the name Phebe was used as the name of Thomas' wife by someone whose foggy recollection confused Thomas Halsey's wife with his granddaughter, Phebe Halsey, the daughter of Thomas, Jr.
Thomas along with his wife, Elizabeth, and their children immigrated to the British colonies in the latter part of 1638, arriving in Lynn, MA to settle on 100 acres of land that had been distributed to him in April of 1638. Thomas Halsey and his family were part of the great Puritan influx to the New World in the 1630s. On March 10, 1639 Thomas signed a compact along with other settlers at Lynn, MA for eight square miles on Long Island. The settlers arrived on Long Island at Conscience Point in June of 1640 and went on to establish the town of Southampton a few miles south of there.
Thomas made his will in June 28, 1677 at Southampton, Suffolk County, New York and departed this life on Saturday, August 27, 1678 at Southampton. His will was probated on July 8, 1679. What follows is a transcription of Thomas Halsey's Will and Probate.
THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THOMAS HALSEY, SR
"The last Will & Testament of Thomas Halsey of Southampton the 28 day of June 1677.
I Thomas Halsey Sen'r being in right mind & Sound Judgment, doo make this my Last will & Testament as ffolloweth,
1st Imprimis I give & bequeath my Soule to god that gave it & my body I bequeath to the Earth devoutly to bee buried & my worldly goods as followeth
2ly I doo give unto my wife, one woollen wheele & one Linnen wheele & my Lettle Iron pott & a yellow Rugg & one white Dutch blankett, & fouer bushels of wheat, to be paid yearly as long as shee Liveth, the first to be paid within one month, & fouer Ewe Sheepe;
3ly I doo & bequeath unto my Son Thomas my House housing & home Lott, with all the Apurtinances thereunto belonging; & the Beach Lott & the Lott plaine Closse & the Lettle Closse of the Southside of Mr Rayners. Comonly called troublesome & the Clofse at the Mill Neck Commonly knowne by the name of Peters Clofse I give to my Son Thomas & the Lott I had this Last Devission of Maycocks, & the Table in the parlor & the fine Joynt Stooles & the Bedsted & Curtains in the Porch Chamber;
4ly I doe give & Bequeath unto my Son Isaac my Clofse in the head of the crooke & five Acres adjoyning theirunto & five Acres in the great plaine, in the ten Acre Lotts, & three Acres lying at the towne pound, & ten Acres lying in the oxe pasture, & the Ginn Lott with four Acres & a halfe in the Little plaine, & of the next Division twenty Acres & hee is to have his Choice out of
5ly my three hundred in Lue of the Land at Sayaponack, & the Remainder of all Divisions whatsoever; hearafter they are to divide it Equally Betwixt them all three, & the Rest of that division, hee is to have his Equall part with Thomas & Danell, & hogg-neck is to bee divided Betwixt them Equally allso, And that Lott of Meadow that is in Seabonack one the South Side, & one Acre in Halsey's neck & halfe the Meadow on the South Beach & the other halfe I give to Daniel.
6ly I doo give & bequeath unto my Son Daniell, one Lott of the meadow lying on the north side of Seabonack, & the home Lott I bought of Mr Smith, & my Lott at Seabonack & two Acres in the Lettle plaines, that is the Eastformost two Acres I have there, & one horse & one Mare, & two Oxen;
7ly I do give & bequeath unto my Daughter Elizabeth the wife of Richard Howell, twenty pounds, to bee paid in goods or Cattle according as two men shall Apprise them;
8ly I doo order that my three Sonnes Shall divide all Aquagonantuck & all the north Side towards Southhold & all Hoggneck betwixt them Equally;
I doo will & appoint my Sones Thomas & Isaack to bee Executors of this my Last will & Testament to See that it bee Justly & Truly Pformed, & what shall remaine of the Estate not here mentioned in my will, that they divide it Equally betweene them my two Executors. In Wittnes wherof I have hereunto Sett my hand the day & yeare Above written.
Thomas Halsey
In the presence of
Richard Barrett
John Else" *(6)
PROBATE OF THE LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF THOMAS HALSEY, SR
(Governor Sir Edmond Andress certifies the will & the probate thereof)
"Sr. Edmond Andross Kn't, &c
Whereas Thomas Halsey Sen'er. Late of Southton in the East Ryding of Yorke Shire, upon Long Island deceased did in his Last will & Testament nominate & Appoint his Sonns Thomas & Isaac to bee his Executors, And proofe having beene made of the will & Testament at the Court of Sessions held at Southton: in the month march Last for the East ryding, where the Said Thomas & Isaac were Admitted Executors & Security taken by the S'd. Court; These presents may Certify & declare that the Said Thomas & Isaac are Admitted & Confirmed to all Intents & purposes, Executors of the last will &Testament of the S'd. Thomas HalSey their their Father deceased, They having hereby full power & Lawfull Authority to enter into or keepe pofsefsion of the premifses & to dispose thereof as in the S'd. will is Required & as Executors According to Law: Given under my Hand & Seale July the 8 1679
E. A. a(Seale)
past The Office
M. N Socx,
The Apprisem't. of the Inventory Amounts to 672£ as Returned from the Court of Sessions." *(6)
BURIAL PLACE OF THOMAS HALSEY, SR.
The most likely burial place for Thomas is the Old Southampton Burial Grounds located in the town of Southampton on Long Island, New York. As Thomas was a man of means he doubtless was given a headstone when he died. But as with many others in the Old Southampton Burial Grounds, they are no longer visible. A survey done in the 1800s says the cemetery was not being cared for and was overrun with brambles. Many stones have probably broken and/or fallen into the ground, as there are many spaces between the headstones. It would be a great place for an archaeological dig to recover these stones.
The Old Southampton Cemetery covers about 2 acres. Interments began there about 1640 and continued until it closed in 1712. In 2016 the Southampton Historical Committee recruited a cemetery mapper to survey the Old Southampton Burial Grounds with ground penetrating radar. To their surprise some 1700 unknown graves were found. Currently there exists only 47 tombstones and 24 foot-stones in the cemetery. Their plan is to provide a compilation of 17th century census data so descendants can infer whether or not their ancestor is buried there. They also hope to find a grant which will allow them to search for discarded and buried headstones on the burial grounds.
FOOTNOTES
*(1). Some of the various usages for an English alias surname are as follows: 1. For the remembrance of the ancestral forenames of fathers or grandfathers. 2. For commemoration of an important familial location, such as a manor or place name. 3. For commemoration of a marriage to a member of superior social status. 4. For the purpose of claims to inheritance rights, or other economic reasons. 5. For the purpose of bearing a mother's maiden name, even in cases of illegitimacy (For a more detailed explanation on the use of aliases see the article from which the preceding information was drawn: "Use of Aliases - an Overview." FamilySearch Wiki, . 22 Feb 2022, 19:39 UTC. 20 Oct 2023, 20:56).
*(2). I have made much use of the following article in the development of Thomas Halsey's biography:The English Ancestry of Thomas Halsey of Southampton, Long Island , by Raymond David Wheeler, 1994, copyright 1995 by the Thomas Halsey Family Association, c/o Southampton Colonial Society , P. O. Box 303, Southampton, NY 11968. The Thomas Halsey Family Association & their website closed down not long after the death of its founder & president, Dr Hugh Halsey. Years ago the Halsey website was the only place on the internet that the Raymond Wheeler article could be found. However the it can now be found on FamilySearch.org under their search option for books.
*(3). Wheeler, Raymond David. The English Ancestry of Thomas Halsey of Southampton, Long Island (copyright 1995 by the Thomas Halsey Family Association, c/o Southampton Colonial Society , P. O. Box 303, Southampton, NY 11968), p. 14. Specifically, Wheeler says that "Thomas Halsey Alias Chambers (the son of Robert the son of Thomas the son of John) was baptized at Flamstead Herts., 10 Mar 1593/4, and died at Southampton, Long Island, Yew York, 27 August 1678. He married first, probably in the vicinity of Cranfield, Beds., say 1625, Elizabeth Wheeler, daughter of John and Elizabeth (-----) Wheeler, born at Cranfield, say1599." This is an advancement over Herbert Seversmith's valuable work, Colonial Families of Long Island, New York and Connecticut written in 1935. Seversmith's conclusion regarding Thomas Halsey's place of birth was as follows: ...the name of Thomas Halsey is sufficiently frequent in the counties of Herts, Bucks and Beds to make any identification of a person of that name with the immigrant hazardous, unless complete proofs are obtained (p 1222.8).
*(4)."Thomas Halsey of Hertfordshire, England, and Southampton, Long Island, 1591-1679: with His American descendants to the Eight and Ninth Generations" (Morristown, N.J. : printed at "The Jerseyman" Office, 1895) by Jacob Lafayette Halsey and Edmund Drake Halsey. In spite of errors in this Halsey genealogy, e.g., Thomas Halsey Sr's English lineage and the name of his 1st wife, it contains invaluable genealogical information without which our ancestral knowledge would indeed be impoverished.
*(5). See Halsey Genealogy by David Halsey, p. xvii; The Grumman Family, The American Genealogist, Vol 32 (1956), p. 166-167; also see Herbert F. Seversmith's Colonial Families of Long Island, New York & Connecticut..., Vol 3 (1935), p. 1217; the source of those two articles is The Publication of the Bedfordshire Historical Record Society, Vol 18 (1936), p. 73.
*(6). The original Hand written will is from the following: Source Information: Ancestry.com. New York, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015; Original data:New York County, District and Probate Courts. The transcription was made by the author of the Thomas Halsey Bio., David Burns, M. Div. (Find A Grave member#47319474). There are some minor spelling and wording differences between the above transcription of the will and the one done by Jacob & Edmund Halsey in their "Thomas Halsey of Hertfordshire, England..." book, pp. 30-32. The present author attempted to retain the original spelling, capitalization and punctuation where ever possible.
Biography compiled by:
David D. Burns, M. Div.
10th Great-Grandson
Find A Grave Member# 47319474
updated 4/24/2024
