Tuttle Family History: Last Name Origin & Meaning

Lowell Tuttle
Member since 2010
0

Gideon, Gideon, Gideon Tuttle
Or
Did Hezekiah and Martha Tuttle really have three sons named Gideon

Like a lot of us who are researching the Tuttle family name, in the beginning, we relied on the book “The Descendants of William and Elizabeth Tuttle” by George Frederick Tuttle, publish by Tuttle & Company, Rutland Vermont, 1883. But to any of us that have gone beyond the book in our research have found it full of errors. This is not to belittle his work, it is more accurrate than not, but he covered the years from 1635 to the 1880’s, and most of New England. As George Tuttle says in his preface, “The work is not as complete as we desired to make it. We had prepared a considerable list of books to be consulted, letters of inquiry to be written and record hunting tours to be made for the purpose of tracing lines that so far have eluded our search.” As you can see he relied on other researchers and on other published books, he listed almost a dozen, and did not do as much original research as he wanted too. He worked on the book for 14 years mostly without pay. The publishing company published the book “at their own risk” as George Tuttle puts it.

Of the 5 additional sources I list in the table below, 3 are microfilms of the original records and 2 are published works. The original records are “First congregation Church in Woodbury, Connecticut; “Register of Probate Records Vol. 3”; and “Vital Records: Birth, Marriages, and Deaths in Woodbury, Connecticut.” The published works are “Connecticut History of Ancient Woodbury… Vol. II, & III” by William Cothren, Published 1879 and “New Haven Colony Historical Society, Southbury Church Records” after 1862.

What I hope to show, beyond a reasonable doubt, is that of the 10 children George Frederick Tuttle listed for Hezekiah and Martha Tuttle (Page 573, Family .12.4. Hezekiah Tuttle), that included three Gideon’s; there is only one Gideon child. Note the dates he gave for the three Gideon’s: Gideon [1] Baptized. Feb. 19, 1927, Gideon [2] baptized. Sept. 3, 1732, Gideon [3] b. Nov. 1, 1733. (See also table below)

In the records of the First Congregation Church in Woodbury, Connecticut I found entries for the first six of Hezekiah’s children, including Gideon [1] baptized Feb 19 1726/7. There were no more entries for Hezekiah’s family (after Huthwit Aug. 1731, including no entries for Noah and Nathan) even though I searched to 1748. But I did find a Gideon the son of Hezekiah WRIGHT baptized Sept 3, 1732, and another entry, Gideon the son of Hezekiah WRIGHT baptized Nov 4, 1733. Please note the dates.

In the town hall (microfilmed) original birth, marriages, and deaths records of Woodbury, Connecticut I again only found Hezekiah Tuttle’s children to Huthwit. I found a Gideon born in 1732 and died in 1732 who was the son of Hezekiah WRIGHT. I found a second Gideon born November 1st, 1733 who was the son of Hezekiah WRIGHT. Again please note the dates.

The reason I gave William Cothren’s ‘Connecticut History of Ancient Woodbury (which included Southbury and other towns) 1659 To 1879 Vol. II & III, Births, Marriages, Deaths as a source was because he published his work 4 years before George Tuttle therefore did not use his work as a major reference. He did receive some information from George Fredrick Tuttle but he only listed one Gideon(1727). Here are some quotes from his introduction of Vol. III: “…from family bibles and other authentic documents. So that this work contains a large number of family items not found upon the public records, and is, therefore, a much more complete record…” also “The work also contains the early baptismal records of the several churches in the ancient town. The early ministers were very careful in the recording of these…” The reason the last two sons, Noah and Nathan, are not listed in the Woodbury section is that the family was now going to the Southbury Society church. Cothren’s Southbury listing only went back to about 1751 too late for Noah and Nathan to show up in his book.

The probate records, although they do not prove or disprove that there was more than one Gideon, prove that all the children listed were Hezekiah’s.

I found Noah and Nathan’s baptisms listed in the Southbury Society Church records but NO Gideon. I also found marriages records for other members of the family (see table below).

One of the reasons some of the vital records list Woodbury and not Southbury as the location of events is that although the Southbury Society church was incorporated in 1731 the town of Southbury was not incorporated until 1787 therefore the civil records resided in Woodbury (1673). The Southbury Society was part of the ancient town of Woodbury. Southbury is only about 4 ½ miles south of Woodbury. In the 1700’s Woodbury would be in Fairfield County (Litchfield Co. not created until 1751) and Southbury would be in New Haven County both of which were created in 1666.

I have found no sources other than George Tuttle’s (or those who referenced him) that list two additional Gideon’s. My conclusion is that there is only one Gideon Tuttle son of Hezekiah and that the other two Gideon’s listed in George Frederick Tuttle’s book are actually the sons of Hezekiah Wright who’s wife, Sarah Tuttle, was a niece to Hezekiah Tuttle (George Tuttle does list Sarah as married to Hezekiah Wright but lists no children).

Lowell Tuttle - [contact link]

BIBLIOGRAPHY
George Frederick Tuttle, Descendants of William and Elizabeth Tuttle, The, (1883 Tuttle & Co. Official State Printers, Rutland, VT [Reproduced 1980+ HIGGINSON]).
Media: Book. Location: Family History Library film # 962,642 Item 1 or through libraries and institutions on Heritage Quest–Search Books for a digital copy online. Quality: Secondary.

Connecticut - Woodbury - Records of the First Congregational Church in Woodbury - V. 1-4, 1670-1920, (1670-1911 [Orig.] First Congregational Church in Woodbury, Connecticut).
Media: Microfilm. Call number: FHL #6182, Items 1-4. Location: Salt Lake City, Utah, The Genealogical Society of Utah, 1954. Comments: Vol. 1 1670 to 1812 + more. Quality: Primary [Hand written].

Connecticut - Litchfield Co., Woodbury - Vital Records Births Marriages Deaths - 1683-1867, Item 2, (Woodbury Town Hall Clerk).
Media: Microfilm. Call number: FHL Film # 1,491,338 Item 2. Location: Family History Library, Utah. Comments: Microfilm of original records in the Town Hall, Woodbury, Connecticut. No index. Filmed 1987. Quality: Primary - Fair hand written in an unlined small ledger book

William Cothren (1819-1898), Connecticut - History of Ancient Woodbury 1659 To 1879 Vol III - BMD, (Woodbury, Conn. Pub by William Cothren 1879).
Media: Microfilm. Call number: FHL film #6181; Seattle Library R974.61 C826H Vol. 1, 2, 3. Location: Family History Library, Utah - filmed 1949 & Seattle Public Library, Seattle, Washington. Comments: Including towns of Washington, Southbury, Bethlehem, Roxbury, part of Oxford, and Middlebury: taken from Vital, Church, Family, and Bible records. Quality: Secondary - Transcribed but vary reliable.

Connecticut Probate Court - Woodbury District, Connecticut - Probate Records (Woodbury District), 1719-1916 –Vol. 3 & 4 1749-1760, (Filmed 1948, Salt Lake City, Utah).
Media: Microfilm. Call number: FHL film # 6,172. Quality: Primary.

New Haven Colony Historical Society, New Haven, Connecticut, Connecticut - New Haven Co., Southbury Church Records, 1731-1808, Transcript, (Founded 1862. Filmed 1950 Salt Lake City, Utah).
Medium: Microfilm. Call number: FHL Film 3,054 Item 1. Location: Family History Library, Utah. Comments: Contains records of baptisms 1731-1806, and marriages 1733-1808. Quality: Secondary - Transcript of original.

May 13, 2010 · Reply

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