James Hamblen, London to Barnstable

July 14, 2013

Most of the colonial British families settling in Barnstable, MA came from London.  My 10th great-grandfather arrived in 1639, and is buried there.  H probably left England because of religious persecution, the usual.  He survived to a very ripe old age in his new country, and his grave can be located today.

James Hamblen, so far as has been ascertained, was the first of the name who settled in America.  He came from London and settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in the Spring of 1639.  Of his earlier life very little has been learned; records exist, however, from which some traces of him are supposed to have been discovered.The name of Hamblen appears frequently in th records of Plymouth Colony.  The first mention is “March 1, 1741-2.  James Hamblen was propounded for Freeman.”March 15, 1657, James Hamblen served on inquest on the body of a child, Simeon Davis.June 3, 1657, James Hamblen was sick and could not serve on the Grand Enquest.The name of James Hamblen appears in the list of Freemen of Barnstable in 1658.June 7, 1670, James Hamblen served on Grand Enquest; same day he was member of a trial jury.May 29, 1670, James Hamblen, Juni, and James Hamblen Seni, in list of Freeman.March 6, 1671, James Hamblen served on a jury.June 3, 1679, James Hamblen served on a jury in the case betgween Capt. John Williams and Edward Jenkins.July 7, 1681, James Hamblen served on juries.July 6, 1682, James Hamblen summoned to serve on a jury, and served.In the list of Freemen of Barnstable for 1689, among others appear the names of James Hamblen, James Hamblen, Jr., John Hamblen, Eleazar Hamblen.

James Hamblen (1606 – 1690)

From: Geneological and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania. By John Woolf Jordan. Lewis Historical Pub. Co., 1913 – 1162 pages:

James Hamlin (Hamblen) was living in London, England, in 1623. He came to New England and settled in Barnstable, Massachusetts, where he was a proprietor. He was admitted a freeman March 1, 1641-1642 and was on the list of those able to bear arms in 1643. He was a town officer. He married Ann.

GENEALOGICAL NOTES OF BARNSTABLE FAMILIES. James Hamlen was admitted a freeman of the Colony, and in 1643 was constable of the town of Barnstable. The usual spelling is Hamblin, but the descendants of James are not uniform. Eleazer, the great-grandfather of Vice President Hamlin, dropped the e as a useless letter, and his descendants have continued to do so. Family of James Hamblen. His son James and daughter Hannah were probably born in England, his other children in Barnstable. James.Hannah. Bartholemew, 11th April, 1642, bap. April 24. John, 26th June, 1644, bap. June 30. Sarah, 7th Nov. 1647, bap. same day. Eleazer, 17th March, 1649-50, bap. same day.Israel, 25th June, 1652, bap. same day. This record shows that Goodman Hamblen was very exact in the performance of what he believed to be a religious duty, that none of his children should die unbaptized.