Champion, Henry
Henry CHAMPION (1612 - 1709) and Sarah (1626 - 1697)
my 8g-grandparents
Henry CHAMPION was born about 1612, in or near Norwich, Norfolk, England. His parents were probably Henry CHAMPION and Mary RAMSEY. He immigrated to America, and settled in Saybrook, Connecticut Colony, by 1647. In Aug 1647 he married (1) Sarah, possibly Sarah BENNETT, born about 1826 in England. So they were about 35 and 21. They had 6 children in Saybrook, and later moved across the Connecticut River, to Lyme. Both lived to old age. Sarah died in 1697, age 71. Henry then married on 21 Mar 1697/98 to (2) Deborah JONES, born 1643 in CT. They were about 86 and 55. Henry died on 17 Feb 1708/09 in Lyme, at age 96. His will was contested, between his 2nd wife and his surviving children.
Mary CHAMPION, daughter of Henry and Sarah, married Aaron HUNTLEY. Mary and Aaron were my 7g-grandparents.
"Few families in the Connecticut Colony have been more prosperous than that of Henry Champion of Saybrook. When I speak here of his family, I intend his numerous descendants. The branch descending from Thomas has been particularly fortunate in amassing wealth." – Hinman, quoted in [FBT, Vol. I, p. 14]
Henry CHAMPION in England
Henry's birthplace was Norwich, Norfolk, England, according to family tradition. Norwich is in eastern England, about 100 miles northeast of London.
Henry Champion the Immigrant
Henry Champion, the ancestor of by far the greater part of those who bear the name in this country, according to a widespread and probably reliable tradition, left his home in the neighborhood of Norwich, Norfolk, England, early in the seventeenth century, and embarking at Yarmouth set sail for New England.
[Footnote: This tradition exists in every branch of the family. Several of the prominent settlers of Saybrook are known to have come from the vicinity of Norwich; and Norwich, Connecticut, to the site of which some of them removed, is believed to have received its name from this fact. Yarmouth is a considerable seaport town and place of great antiquity, and is nineteen miles distant from Norwich, the capital of Norfolk, which was a flourishing town in the time of Edward the Confessor.]
[FBT], Vol. 1, page 3.
Mousehold Heath, Norwich, England, about 1819 by John Crome [larger file here]
Here
Lieth ye Body of
Mr. Henry Cham
pion Senr died
in ye year 170[8]
in ye 97 year
of Hif Age
Henry's gravestone in Duck River Cemetery, Old Lyme, New London, CT is inscribed as above. The last digit of the year has been damaged, but the lower part appears to be that of a 6 or 8. Other records clarify that he died on 17 Feb 1708/09, using dual dating notation. In his 97th year, he had passed his 96th birthday. If he was born 17 Feb 1611/12 then 17 Feb 1708/09 would have been his 97th birthday. If born 17 Feb 1612/13 then 17 Feb 1708/09 would have been his 96th birthday. So he was born between 18 Feb 1611/12 and 17 Feb 1612/13. In other words, about 1612.
Many CHAMPION/CAMPION families were scattered around England, but it is thought that our Henry is the progenitor of the majority of CHAMPIONs in America. His heritage has not been found, but he seems to fit nicely into the family charted below. I don't know if there was a place called Wanting, in Berkshire. If this connection can be established, it opens up a new branch of the tree.
[FBT, Vol. I, p. 6]
CHAMPIONs in Saybrook, Connecticut Colony
Henry CHAMPION first settled in Saybrook, and was first recorded in Saybrook records in 1647. He married in Aug 1647, to Sarah, possibly Sarah BENNETT, born about 1626 in England (see below). Nothing seems to be known about how they came to Saybrook, whether together or separately, directly from England or from elsewhere in New England.
Saybrook lies on the west bank of the Connecticut River, where it empties into Long Island Sound. Lyme is on the west side, and was part of Saybrook Colony when it was founded in 1635. Saybrook merged with Connecticut Colony in 1643. See the Lyme, CT page for details.
The Vital Records of Saybrook [VRS, p. 5] confirm that Henry CHAMPION was married in Aug 1647, and his children's birth years are given: Sarah (1649), Mary (1651), Aaron (1653), Henry (1654), Thomas (Apr 1656), and Aaron died in the beginning of May 1660. This establishes that the family lived in Saybrook from Aug 1647 to May 1660.
U.S. and International Marriage Records 1560-1900
Name Henry Champion
Gender Male
Birth Place EN
Birth Year 1610
Spouse Name Sarah
Marriage Year 1647
Marriage State CT
Number Pages 2
In [MD] it is claimed that she was Sarah BENNETT, b. 1626 in England, d. 1697 in Saybrook, CT, and that the marriage was on 1 Aug 1647, in Lyme. However, Henry and Sarah's first child was Sarah CHAMPION, b. 1649, who married Henry BENNETT, and thus she became Sarah BENNETT, so there may be some mixup.
Land in Saybrook, CT
About 1660 the first known records of the town of Saybrook were begun, wherein were described the lands of the different inhabitants. With the exception of George Fenwick, the number of acres allotted to each person seems to have been small.
The lands of Henry Champion were as follows:
“One parsell lying on the East side of the Great River Con. whereon a house now standeth containing by estimation six ackers, the ends abutting against the highwaie North East and South West, the sides abutting against the land of Morgayn Bowers South East and the land of Joseph Jarrit North West.” [Say. Rec. p. 10]
Also: “one parsell in the planting fielde on the East side of the great River Con. by estimation four ackers, the end abutts against Blacke Halle River N. East, and against the greate Marsh South West, the side abutts against the Land of Will. Beehous North West.” [id.]
Prior to 1660, and previously to the foregoing record being entered, he had sold his lot "lying within the town plott" in Saybrook to Jonathan Rudd. This lot contained five roods, and "the one side abuts against the highway North and the other side abuts against the lands of Thomas Mirall and William Waller South, the one end abuts against the land of Thomas Rood East and the other end abuts against the highway West." The lot thus appears to have been the corner lot situated on the south side of the East and West road, and on the East side of the North and South road. [FBT, p. 15]
Properties in Early Saybrook, CT. The 2-acre plot in the upper left, under the name Jonathan RUDD, was previously owned by Henry CHAMPION. [GCG, pp. 152-3]
Signature of Henry CHAMPION. He spelled his name Henory. [FBT, p. 17]
CHAMPIONs in Lyme, Colony of Connecticut
Between 1660 and 1665 Henry and family relocated across the river, to what would later be called Lyme.
There was very little settlement on the Lyme side before 1660, and Lyme (first called East Saybrook) was formed in 1665. So Henry CHAMPION was an early settler in both places. It is not known exactly when he first moved to either place. He had sold his 2-acre plot in Saybrook by 1660, and he appeared on a list of residents of East Saybrook for 1663-5. [LPH]
Henry "resided in the house he had built on the hill just east of the meeting house and near the old burying ground." [FBT, Vol. 1, p. 15]
Map of early Lyme, CT [FBT]
Biography
When Henry Champion, the founder of the family in New England, sought permanent settlement, he came to that part of the town of Lyme now known as the "Meeting House Hill" and in that town Champions have ever resided, valiant in war and most useful in the gentler arts of peace....
Henry Champion, the ancestor of the American Champions, came from Old England to New England and settled at Saybrook, Connecticut, where he is found as early as 1647. The first known records of the town of Saybrook were begun about 1660 and several tracts of lands are there recorded in his name. He was married twice and had six children. After having assisted in the development of Saybrook, he moved his family to the east side of the Connecticut river, where most of his lands were situated, and settled in that part of Lyme, now known as "Meeting House Hill," and became one of the first and most active founders of Lyme. He built his house near the old burying ground and occupied himself chiefly with agriculture.
[BTM], Vol. II, Biographies, pp. 12-14, excerpted from the biography of a descendant, Edgar Ruthven Champion.
Early map of the Four Mile River area, in the eastern part of Lyme, later East Lyme. North is to the right. [FBT, p. 11]
Wives of Henry CHAMPION
As to the name and family of the wife of Henry Champion no particulars have been gleaned from the early records; she was probably the daughter of one of the early settlers of Saybrook. The exact dates of her birth and death are likewise unknown, so that she has come on, been the mother of children, and passed off the stage and we know nothing more of her. His second wife was a shrewd, scheming woman, for she induced this old man to make a very advantageous marriage settlement upon her, and finally involved him in a law suit with the widow of his eldest son, who resisted the resumption of the gifts her father-in-law had made to her husband, and maintained in a very spirited manner the rights of herself and children.
“This 21st of March 1697 8.
Whereas it is intended if God willing that Henry Champion and Deborah Jones of the same town to join in marriage, therefore to prevent after trouble it is agreed and concluded that what estate the said Deborah Jones shall carry with her to Henry Champean’s habitation that that estate shall remain her own and be at her own disposal her life time and at her death to return to her children [by a former marriage], and not to be accounted the said Henry Champion’s estate at his death.
It is also agreed that the aforesaid Henry Champean doth by these presents promise and engage that after the day of this marriage that he will not dispose of alienate by deed of gift or sale, without the consent of the said Deborah Jones, during the said Champean’s natural life, that is to say no part of his real estate. It is also understood that the abovesaid agreement shall nowise deprive or cutt off the above said Deborah of that part of the aforesaid Henry Champean’s estate that is now allowed to the widow after her husband’s decease. And for the true performance of the abovesaid we do hereunto set our hands and seals, the day and date being above written.
Witness Joseph Peck William Marche
Henory Champean
Deborah (her X mark) Jones”
[L. T. Rec. Bk. II p. 108.]
Immediately below the record of the above instrument are the following entries.
“Henory Champean Senior was married unto Deborah his now wife 21st March 1697/8.”
“Henory Champean deceased the 17th day of February 1708/9, said to be aged ninety-eight years.”
[FBT] Vol. I, pp. 19-20
Connecticut, U.S., Town Death Records, pre-1870 (Barbour Collection)
Name: Henery Champion Sr.
[Henery Champeon, Champean, Champeny, Champen Sr.]
Marriage Date: 21 Mar 1697/8
Marriage City: Lyme
Death Date: 17 Feb 1708/9
Death Place: Lyme, Connecticut, USA
Spouse: Deborah Jones
The 2nd wife of Henry CHAMPION was Deborah Jones, who he married when he was 88, on 21 Mar 1697/8. All of his 6 children were from his first wife. Henry died on 17 February 1708/9, at age 98.
One record indicates that his first wife was Sarah, and that they married in Connecticut, 1647.
Henry Champion and the disagreement
On March 12, 1671, representatives of the town of New London entered a complaint against Henry Champion and a number of his fellow townsmen before the county court at Hartford. The subject of the ill-feeling between the towns was a strip of land lying between Bride Brook and Niantic River, including Black Point in Lyme. Both towns claimed the land by virtue of previous grants, and both had reserved a portion of meadow at Black Point for the use of the ministry. The Court fined New London £9 and Lyme £5, which were afterwards remitted. [FBT], Vol. I, p. 18]
Descendants
From [FBT, p. 24], the 6 children of Henry and Sarah CHAMPION were:
Sarah, b. 1649 ; m. Henry Bennett.
Mary, b. 1651 ; m. Aaron Huntly.
Stephen, b. 1653 ; d. “the beginning of May, 1660.”
Henry, b. 1654 ; m. Susanna De Wolf.
Thomas, b. April 1656 ; m. Hannah Brockway.
Rachel, b. 165- ? ; m. John Tanner.
According to [VRS, p. 5] the third child, born in 1653, is named Aaron, not Stephen. He is called Fenner in [TMRS]. With these sources, we can fill in a few more details:
Henry CHAMPION b. 1611, Norwich, Norfolk, , England, d. 17 Feb 1709
+Sarah m. 1647
1. Sarah CHAMPION b. 1649, Saybrook, d. 31 Mar 1727, Lyme
+Henry BENNETT m. 9 Dec 1673, Lyme
2. Mary CHAMPION b. 1651, Saybrook, d. 10 Dec 1732, Lyme
+Aaron HUNTLEY 3 b. 15 Apr 1654, Boston, MA, m. 22 Feb 1676, d. 24 May 1745, Lyme
3. Stephen/Aaron/Fenner CHAMPION b. 1653, Saybrook, d. May 1660, Saybrook
4. Henry CHAMPION b. 1654, Saybrook, d. Jul 1704, Lyme
+Deborah CRANE m. 1676, CT
+ Susanna DE WOLF m. 1 Apr 1684, Lyme
5. Thomas CHAMPION b. Apr 1656, Saybrook, d. 5 Apr 1705, Lyme
+Hannah BROCKWAY m. 23 Aug 1682, Lyme
6. Rachel CHAMPION b. 1660, Saybrook, d. 2 Dec 1687, Lyme
+John TANNER m. 1680, Saybrook
+Deborah (PALMER) JONES, m. 21 Mar 1697/8, Lyme
The birth of Rachel CHAMPION is not recorded in [VRS] or [TMRS]. It may be that the family moved from Saybrook to Lyme in 1660, and Rachel was born in Lyme.
1. Sarah CHAMPION was born about 1649, in Saybrook, CT, and died on 31 Mar 1727, in Lyme, CT. She married Henry BENNETT on 27 Jan 1673 [HW] or possibly 9 Sep 1673 [RRH], or 9 December 1673 [FBT]. The data are somewhat inconsistent:
HENRY BENNETT, of Lyme, Conn., married, Jan. 27, 1673, Sarah Champion, eldest daughter of Henry and had Caleb 1675, Rose, John 1680, Love, Dorothy, Henry 1691. [HW, Vol. I, p. 37]
BENNET, HENRY, at Lyme, m. Sarah Champion of Lyme, Sept. 9, 1673, and had issue, John, b. 1680; Sarah, b. 1683; Love, b. 1685; Dorete, b. 1688; Henry, Jun., b. July 29, 1691, perhaps others. This was also a respectable family, though I have few facts concerning them. [RRH, pp. 198-9]
SARAH CHAMPION (Henry1), born ---- 1649, in Saybrook, Conn.; died 31 March 1727, in Lyme, Conn.; was married in Lyme, 9 December 1673 ("recorded 27 January 1673-4, by Leftenante Pratt"), to HENRY BENNETT, the first of Lyme, where he died 17 January 1726. [FBT, Vol. I, p. 27]
1 Sarah CHAMPION b: 1649 in Saybrook, d: 31 Mar 1727 in Lyme
... + Henry BENNETT m: 09 Dec 1673 in Lyme
......i. John BENNETT b: 26 Dec 1680 in Lyme, d: 15 Dec 1730
...... + Mary HUNTLEY b: 26 Dec 1683 in Lyme, m: 02 Jan 1706/07 in Lyme
......ii. Caleb BENNETT b: 11 Oct 1675 in Lyme, d: 12 Nov 1732
......iii. Rose BENNETT b: 15 Nov 1677 in Lyme
...... + Isaac WILLEY m: 14 Dec 1697
......iv. Sarah BENNETT b: 07 Aug 1683 in Lyme
......v. Love BENNETT b: 19 Mar 1685 in Lyme, d: 25 Jan 1732/33
...... + John MACK b: 29 Apr 1682 in Salisbury, Essex, MA, m: 13 Jan 1703/04
......vi. Dorothy "Dorete" BENNETT b: 19 May 1688 in Lyme
...... + Jeremiah WOODS m: 29 Mar 1709
......vii. Henry BENNETT b: 29 Jul 1691
...... + Abigail PIKE b: 03 May 1690 in Lyme, m: 15 Apr 1713, d: 24 Dec 1717
...... + Mary MOSS b: 04 Mar 1697 in Salisbury, Essex, MA, m: 13 Nov 1718
John BENNETT married Mary HUNTLEY, daughter of Moses HUNTLEY and Abigail CHAPPELL. Henry BENNETT Jr's first wife was Abigail PIKE, daughter of William PIKE and Abigail COMSTOCK. and Abigail COMSTOCK was the daughter of John COMSTOCK and Abigail CHAPPELL. So Mary HUNTLEY's mother was William PIKE's grandmother.
2. Mary CHAMPION was born about 1651, in Saybrook, CT, and died 10 Dec 1732, in Lyme, CT. She married on 22 Feb 1676, in Lyme, to Aaron HUNTLEY, who was born on 15 Apr 1654, in Boston, MA, and died on 24 May 1745, in Lyme.
Mary CHAMPION and Aaron HUNTLEY were my 7g-grandparents. See the Aaron 3 HUNTLEY page.
Mary CHAMPION's nephew, John BENNET (son of Sarah CHAMPION) married Aaron HUNTLEY's niece (daughter of Moses HUNTLEY), Mary HUNTLEY.
3. Stephen or Aaron CHAMPION was born about 1653, in Saybrook, CT, and died in May 1660, Saybrook, CT, at age 6 or 7.
4. Henry CHAMPION Jr was born about 1654, in Saybrook, CT, and died in Jul 1704, Lyme, CT. He married (1) in 1676, CT, to Deborah CRANE, and (2) on 1 Apr 1684, in Lyme, to Susanna DE WOLF, daughter of Balthasar and Alice DE WOLF. Henry had a large home on Meeting House Hill, in Lyme. He died in the middle of July, 1704, at age 49 or 50.
4. Henry CHAMPION Jr b: 1654 in Saybrook, d: Jul 1704 in Lyme
... + Deborah CRANE m: 1676 in CT
... + Susanna DE WOLF m: 01 Apr 1684 in Lyme
......i. Henry CHAMPION b: 05 Jan 1684/5 in Lyme, d. 3 Apr 1780 in Lyme
...... + Sarah PETERSON b: 20 Oct 1686 in Lyme, m. 11 Jul 1708 in Lyme, d. 27 Sep 1748 in Lyme
......ii. Joshua CHAMPION b: 28 Sep 1686 in Lyme
...... + Mary MOTT b. 5 Jan 1692/93, m. May 1712 in Lyme, d. 29 Mar 1730 in Lyme
...... + Sarah GRIFFIN b: 13 Apr 1702, m: 15 Mar 1732 in Lyme
......iii. Susanna CHAMPION b: 25 Feb 1689/90 in Lyme
......iv. Samuel CHAMPION b: 18 Jun 1691 in Lyme, d: died in childhood
......v. Alice CHAMPION b: 15 Mar 1694 in Lyme
......vi. Rachel CHAMPION b: 01 Dec 1697 in Lyme
...... + Benjamin LEETE b: 26 Dec 1868 in Guilford, New Haven, m: 26 Oct 1713, d: 1741 in Durham, CT
...... + Samuel BETTS m: 22 Mar 1750
......vii. Abigail CHAMPION b: 25 Jun 1699 in Lyme
...... + Daniel DARWIN b: 06 May 1694 in Guilford, New Haven, m: 10 Aug 1720
......viii. Stephen CHAMPION b: 15 Jul 1702 in Lyme, d. in Saybrook
...... + Deborah BROCKWAY b: 11 Nov 1706 in Lyme, m: 28 Sep 1726, d: 03 Oct 1737 in Lyme
...... + Abigail BARNES m: 11 Jul 1743 in Lyme
......ix. Mary CHAMPION b: 14 Oct 1704
Henry CHAMPION III lived to age 96.
Henry CHAMPION (1684-1780)
Henry Champion was appointed Ensign of the South Company of Lyme on Oct. 12, 1732, and was promoted Captain on May 9, 1734. He inherited the lands of his grandfather, the Settler, and resided in Lyme where he was prominently identified with town affairs.
“To Henry Champean. Junior, a parcel of land of upland and meadow, the upland containing 5½ acres, and the meadow 3½ acres, lying in Lyme in that part commonly called the planting field, bounded East by highway leading to Black Hall River, South by the land of John Robbins, deceased, west by the meadow of Isaac Waterus and a creek, North by a highway leading to the said Waterus' meadow, recorded 17 Nov. 1704."
[FBT, Vol. I, p. 33]
Joshua CHAMPION (1686-?) had 7 children by his 1st wife and 4 more by his 2nd wife. His youngest was Samuel:
Samuel CHAMPION (1746-1837)
SAMUEL, b. 15 Jan. 1746; d. 2 Oct. 1837, and lies buried on Durfee Hill near, New London. Conn. He entered the Continental service 8 May 1775, in the 1st Co., Sixth regt., Col. Samuel H. Parsons. He received a pension from 7 Aug. 1820. He is said to have married, but soon separated from his wife. On leaving her, he took up a cheese and dividing it. told her to take her half and henceforth to care for herself. In his youth lie followed the sea. and in later years he was in the habit of travelling around the country. He died at the home of his nephew William (240) to whom he left his property. [FBT, Vol. I, p. 35]
5. Thomas CHAMPION was born in Apr 1656, Saybrook, CT, and died on 5 Apr 1705, Lyme, CT. He married on 23 Aug 1682, in Lyme, to Hannah BROCKWAY, daughter of Wolston BROCKWAY and Hannah BRIGGS, and widow of John HARRIS, of Boston. Wolston BROCKWAY was one of the earliest settlers in Lyme. His estate was valued at more than £232, a considerable sum.
"Thomas Champion passed his life on the banks of Stony Brook, where were situated the lands given him by his father and those allotted to him by the town of Lyme." [FBT, Vol. I, p. 31]
Stony Brook runs through what is now called Waterford, and empties into the Niantic Bay, on the east side of East Lyme.
5. Thomas CHAMPION b: Apr 1656 in Saybrook, d: 05 Apr 1705 in Lyme
... + Hannah BROCKWAY b: 14 Sep 1664 in Lyme, m: 23 Aug 1682 in Lyme, d: 02 Mar 1750 in Lyme
......i. Hannah CHAMPION b: 13 Feb 1683 in Lyme
...... + Matthew BECKWITH
......ii. Sarah CHAMPION b: 08 Mar 1687 in Lyme
...... + Stephen SCOVILLE b: 1680, m: 04 Nov 1705
......... A. Exekiel SCOVILLE b: 12 Jun 1712 in Lyme, d: 05 Aug 1791 in Harwinton, Litchfield, CT
......... + Mindwell BARBER b: 23 Oct 1710
......iii. Thomas CHAMPION b: 21 Jan 1690/91 in Lyme, d: Lyme
...... + Elizabwth WADE m: 21 Jun 1709 in Lyme
......... A. Elizabeth CHAMPION b: 15 Mar 1710 in Lyme, d: 15 Jul 1755
......... + John PELTON m: 09 Dec 1731
......... B. Thomas CHAMPION b: 03 Mar 1712 in Lyme
......... + Catherine
......... + Abigail WHITTLESEY
......... C. Hannah CHAMPION b: 16 Jul 1715 in Lyme, d: 13 Jul 1747
......... + Abraham BISHOP m: 26 Oct 1743
......... D. John CHAMPION b: 23 Jan 1717 in Lyme
......... + Anna VIBBER
......... E. Lucy CHAMPION b: 30 Sep 1718
......... + Benjamin DE WOLF b: Abt. 1716 in CT
............ a. Stephen Gen. DE WOLF
......... F. Nathan CHAMPION b: 23 Jun 1723 in Lyme, d: died young
......... G. Phebe CHAMPION b: 25 Jun 1726 in Lyme, d: 14 Sep 1726 in Lyme
......... H. Bridget CHAMPION b: 16 May 1728 in Lyme
......... + Bezaleel ACKLEY m: 23 Nov 1748
......... I. Parnel CHAMPION b: 28 Apr 1731 in Lyme, d: 25 May 1756
......... + Philip SPAULDING b: 26 Feb 1726, m: 30 Apr 1750, d: 22 Mar 1810
............ a. Silas SPAULDING b: 24 Jun 1751
............ b. Champion SPAULDING b: 23 Sep 1753
............ c. Philip SPAULDING b: 22 Nov 1755
......iv. Mary CHAMPION b: 31 Jul 1693 in Lyme
...... + Timothy FULLER
......v. Henry "Matchamoodus" CHAMPION b: 02 May 1695 in Lyme, d. 26 Nov 1779 in East Haddam, CT
...... + Mehitable ROWLEY bapt. Dec 1704 in East Haddam, CT, m: 16 Jan 1717 in East Haddam, CT, d. 5 Oct 1775 in East Haddam, CT
......vi. Deborah CHAMPION b: 26 Apr 1697 in Lyme
...... + Ebenezer JOHNSON
.........A. Mary JOHNSON b: 07 Apr 1738, d: 01 May 1814 in Hartford, CT
......vii. Elizabeth CHAMPION b: 01 Jul 1699 in Lyme
...... + John CROCKER
......viii. Bridget CHAMPION b: 1702
Thomas and Hannah had 8 children. Their 3rd child was Thomas CHAMPION Jr, who married Elizabeth WADE. They had 9 children.
Mary JOHNSON, daughter of Ebenezer JOHNSON and Deborah CHAMPION, was not Mary JOHNSTON who married the goldsmith, David GREENLEAF, as some have claimed. See [BTM, Vol. II, p. 556].
The 5th child of Thomas Jr and Elizabeth was Lucy CHAMPION, who married Benjamin DE WOLF, b. 1716, son of Stephen and Hannah, not to be confused with Benjamin DE WOLF, b. 1695, son of a different Stephen and Hannah. See the Stephen DE WOLF page.
Lucy (CHAMPION) DE WOLF (1718-?)
LUCY, b. 30 Sept. 1718; joined the church 8 Feb. 1740-1. and m. Benjamin, son of Stephen and Hannah DeWolf, and had among other children:—Gen. Stephen, who was the grandfather of Winthrop J. DeWolf (28. iii). [FBT, Vol. I, p. 37]
The 8th child of Thomas Jr and Elizabeth was Bridget CHAMPION:
Bridget (CHAMPION) ACKLEY (1728-?)
BRIDGET, b. 16 May 1728; m. 23 Nov. 1748, Bezaleel, son of Samuel and Bethia Ackley, of Hadlyme, Conn., b. 4 Feb. 1723-4. He served in the Revolution as Sergt. Major on General Spencer's staff. Children:—Bezaleel and Deborah, bapt. 16 June 1754: Larina, bapt. 3 Sept. 1758: Champion, bapt. 6 Apr. 1760, was a soldier of the Revolution. [FBT, Vol I, p. 37]
The 9th child of Thomas Jr and Elizabeth was Parnel CHAMPION:
Parnel (CHAMPION) SPAULDING (1731-1756)
PARNEL, b. 28 Apr. 1731; m. 30 Apr. 1750, Philip, son of Jonathan and Judah (Billings) Spaulding, of Plainfield. Conn., b. 26 Feb. 1726. She d. 26 May 1756. He d. 22 Mar. 1810. Children:—Silas, b. 24 June 1751, was a soldier of the Revolution; Champion, b. 23 Sept. 1753; Philip, b. 22 Nov. 1755, was a captain in the Revolution. All were remarkable for their musical accomplishments. Tall, well-proportioned men, noted for their intelligence and enterprising in action. [See "Spalding Gen.'' for descendants.] [FBT, Vol. I, p. 38]
The 5th child of Thomas and Hannah was Henry CHAMPION:
Henry "Matchamoodus" CHAMPION (1695-1779)
Henry Champion at the age of twenty-one agreed with his brother Thomas to make a division of their father's lands in Lyme. In the same month, November, 1716, Henry styles himself as of “Matchamoodus,” whither he had gone the previous spring, and where he had bought fifty acres of land lying at the east end of the “First Division." He lived about one mile east and a short distance south-east of the meeting house in East Haddam, or Machimoodus as the village was called when he removed there. His house, which was a substantial one for the times in which it was built, is still standing, and is pleasantly situated on the brow of a hill looking westward and directly fronting the road which load to it. At this point the road divides right and left; one branch turning northward runs in that direction eighty rods and then again eastward, the other runs first south and then eastward. His farm buildings lay around his house on the hill which slopes gently down to the north and cast.
Gen. Epaphroditus Champion (334), his grandson, described him as "a man of more than medium height, square and compactly built, all his joints seemed to be double, and he was possessed of great strength. His face was handsome, his eyes dark and his complexion florid. I have repeatedly seen him dive head-foremost from the mast head of a sloop into the river. He was a man of good courage, but he was once thoroughly frightened. He had been on a journey and was returning home late at night. The road led through a forest for many miles. He bad not rode far in the woods when he heard a noise, as of wings flapping, in the road behind him. He looked around, and sure enough be saw there in the dim light two white wings flapping and following him along the road. He stopped his horse and the motion of the wings ceased, and they themselves disappeared. He then went on, but presently he heard the same sounds and saw the wings following him, he put his horse into a quick trot, then into a canter, and finally upon the full run, but go at what pace he would the mysterious wings still pursued at equal distance. In utter desperation he at length drew in his horse and then the wings came on more slowly. Thus through the whole of his long night-ride these white bodiless wings followed him with their ceaseless flap— flap—flap. At last, in great terror, he reached his own house, and in the light of a candle, the object of his dread was revealed—a dark-colored hound with long white ears that had lost its master and followed him."
[FBT, VOl. I, pp. 38-9]
Henry and Mehitable had 7 children, and lived in East Haddam, Middlesex, CT. Their 6th child was Mary CHAMPION:
Mary (CHAMPION) (MASON) HOSFORD (1731-?)
MARY, b. 28 Nov. 1731; m., 1st. 16 Feb. 1757, Rev. Elijah Mason, who was installed in May 1767 as the third minister of the church in Chester, Conn. He d. 13 Jan. 1770, and she m., 2d, Col. Obadiah Hosford. of Hebron, Conn. He had commanded the Twelfth Continental regiment in the Revolution, and was a member of the General Assembly in 1776. Children by the first marriage:—Elijah; Mary. [FBT, Vol. I, p. 40]
Three of the gg-grandsons of Henry CHAMPION were generals, who served in the Revolutionary War.
General Henry CHAMPION [source]
Gen. Epaphroditus CHAMPION in 1825 by Anson Dickinson [source]
Gen. Henry CHAMPION (1751-1836) fought at Bunker Hill, as a Lieutenant, and gradually rose through the ranks, becoming a general after the war. He also served in the Connecticut State Assembly, and had several large business deals. The towns of Champion, NY and Champion, OH are named in his honor.
Gen. Epaphroditus CHAMPION (1756-1834) served as an officer in the American Revolution, and became first Commissary General of the Continental Army after the war. He then served in the Connecticut State Assembly, 1791-1806, and in the US House of Representatives, 1807-1817. Trade with the West Indies was thriving in the years between the Revolution and the War of 1812, and Epaphroditus was called "the wealthiest merchant engaged in this trade".
6. Rachel CHAMPION was born about 1660, in Saybrook, CT, and died on 2 Dec 1687, in Lyme, CT. She married in 1680, Saybrook, to John TANNER.
Sources
[BTM] A Modern History of New London County, Connecticut (1922) by Benjamin Tinkham Marshall, Volume I Volume II Volume III
[FBT] The Champion Genealogy / A History of the Descendants of Henry Champion of Saybrook and Lyme, Connecticut / Together with Some Account of Other Families of the Name (1891) by Francis Bacon Trowbridge, Volume 1 Volume 2
[GCG] Saybrook at the mouth of the Connecticut (1935) by Gilman C. Gates
[GE] Henry Champion Biography on Geni
[HW] Genealogical guide to the early settlers of America
[JS] Henry Champion Biography on Joseph Smith Sr. Genealogical Website
[MD] Henry Champion Biography from Miner Descent
[HW] Genealogical guide to the early settlers of America (1898) by Henry Wittemore Vol I Vol II Vol III
[LPH] Families of East Saybrook (Lyme) 1665-1700, and The Loving Parting of Saybrook Colony and Lyme, from the Lyme Public Hall Association
[TMRS] Town and miscellaneous records of Saybrook, Connecticut
[VRS] Vital records of Saybrook, 1647-1834
Last updated 19 Jun 2022 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.