Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Hubbard Family Researchers

I am searching for other Hubbard Researchers who are interested in correcting mistakes I'm seeing on  family search.org,  rootsweb.com (world connect) and ancestry.com to name a few places where I am locating numerous errors in our family history.

I started going to each of those where I located errors where they combined two family lines together, making a comment or a "postem" to tell them their information is incorrect. After finding page upon page of erroneous information, I quit and decided possibly I could reach more people here through my blog.

Probably one of the best sources of early history of the Hubbard Family  in the United States is one called "The One Thousand Years of Hubbard History" by Day. I will advise anyone who does use it for research to watch information closely because of the way some of it is organized. Be sure you get the groups of children listed with the correct parents.  Also be sure that you make sure that you don't confuse different branches with the same first name and last name together as one family

The families in question right now that I've been working on are George Hubbard and his wife Mary Bishop. His records have been intermingled with those of George Hubbard who married Elizabeth Watts! Both George's were born in England, their parentage is unknown and even the exact location of where they came from in England is unknown. 

It is known that George (dob 1594-1600) who married Mary Bishop came to the US in about 1633, around the same time that the other George arrived also. George and Mary first settled in Watertown and then moved to Wethersfield,Ct in October 1635. In 1638 he and his family removed to Milford,Ct. and then later to Guilford
 Ct in 1648. He is called George Hubbard of Guilford Ct in the book "The One Thousand Years of Hubbard History.


Several of their children were born in England and came to America's shores with their parents while the others were born here. Known children of this family are Mary, John, Sarah, Hannah, Elizabeth, Abigail,  Daniel and William. In "The One Thousand Years of Hubbard History", there is also listed a son named George with a question mark after it. I've not been able to locate any information on this George.

The other George and his wife Elizabeth Watts are ancestors of the famous Elbert Green Hubbard of the Roycroft movement and writer of "Message to Garcia" and other political writings, who died aboard the Lusitania  in 1915 with his 2nd wife Alice Moore.  This George is known as George Hubbard of Middletown, Middlesex, CT
This George and his wife Elizabeth  also came from England and was born in 1601. Elizabeth was born in 1618.
They had the following children: Daniel, Mary, Joseph, Samuel, Nathaniel and Elizabeth.


In "The One Thousand Years of Hubbard History" it states that George and Mary (Bishop) along with another George Hubbard, Thomas Hubbard and a William Hubbard  and Mary's (Bishop)family (John Bishop and children) all left Watertown and went to Westerfield. After being there about 3 years, George and Mary and their family left with Thomas Ufford, William Fowler, Rev. Peter Pruden and others, going southward to the shores of Long Island sound and settled in Milford. There is a list of 44 names as Settlers of  Milford Nov 21, 1639 on the first page.
He then sold his property on Milford Island before 1650 and moved to Guilford along with his son in law John Fowler.

Descendants of George and Elizabeth (Watts) line migrated from Connecticut into New York and eventually ended up in parts of Illinois and then back to New York again. I find that Daniel Hubbard (son of Daniel and Temperance from Middlesex Ct) and his wife Eunice Clark, at some point moved to Green Co. N.Y. where Daniel died in 1825. I do not have a death date for Eunice. Their son, Rev Solomon born 1770 in Middlesex Co, Ct died 1823 in Mayville Chautauqua Co, N. Y. and his wife, Hannah (Willard) died in 1834 in Buffalo, Erie Co. N.Y.

Their son Silas born in 1821 married Frances Julia Read/Reed. He became a Doctor and moved his family to Bloomington Illinois where his son Elbert Green was born. This is the Elbert Green who married Bertha C. Crawford first and had four children, Elbert, Sanford, Ralph and Catherine . They divorced and he married Alice Moore, and they had a daughter Miriam Elberta Hubbard who was born out of wedlock.

Elbert and Bertha married in Bloomington Illinois but returned to Erie, N. Y. where their children were all born.
I believe that all descendants of Elbert Green Hubbard, are now deceased. I do know that some of them were still involved in running the Roycroft museum in New York for many years.

It is a shame that researchers of the two George Hubbards from Connecticut were not diligent in maintaining the accuracy and integrity of all the work which had been done and recorded for prosperity. I am in hopes that somehow it can be once again separated and corrected in all records.

I personally would love to find out positively one way or another if these two lines do entwine somewhere along the way because I would be delighted to find that I am related (even by a shirt tail) to the famous Elbert Green Hubbard, writer and craftsman, who died aboard the Titanic.

I am desperately searching for any descendants of either of these two lines who can supply additional correct information on them or a professional genealogist who would be interested in attempting to figure out how we can get what records are now out on the Internet that are incorrect either corrected or removed so that these errors do not persist in generations to come who may be in search of their ancestors.

28 comments:

  1. I share your concerns. A small number of the early researchers started this problem. See page 269 in "One Thousand Years of Hubbard History...", J. Hammon Trumbull, LL.D., in his “Memorial History of Hartford County,” uses the expression “George Hubbard, son of George Hubbard of Milford and Guilford, a prominent surveyor.”

    The problem I have with Mr. Trumbull’s statement or possibly the information was obtained from Miss Mary K. Talcott is, they provided no supporting evidence such as the birth year of George Hubbard of Guilford.

    The predominate view is that Guilford George's birth year is 1594. The best evidence of Middletown George's birth year (1601) is his will dated May 22, 1681, in which he wrote that he was about 80 years of age. See page 272, "One Thousand Years..." This is why Edward Warren Day, Compiler could not accept that Guilford George was the father of Middletown George.

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  2. Hi Kay,

    I found your blog entry today as I was looking into my ancestors George Hubbard and Elizabeth Watts of Hartford and Middletown Upper Houses. I had looked at many online sites with the incorrect info as you have described, before realizing the problem. There are a few sites that make a point to seperate the Georges, and to note that much online info for them is incorrect. One site even states that DNA analysis has proved that the two George Hubbards are seperate lines, but I don't know what to make of that.

    I have not found any info on the ancestry of Middletown George Hubbard. George was in Hartford, CT by 1639, where he wed Elizabeth Watts. George was about 38 when he married 17 year old Elizabeth. I wonder if it was his first marriage? George was a founder of Hartford, as were Elizabeth's parents. George, Elizabeth and their 5 children moved to Middletown Upper Houses, CT about 1651, along with about 15 other families. George and Elizabeth's daughter Mary Hubbard married Thomas Ranney in Middletown Upper Houses, another May-December marriage, as Mary was 18 and Thomas was 43. Their descendants, of which I am one, are well documented in the 1908 book Middletown Upper Houses, by Charles Adams.

    Middletown Upper Houses was a village north of Middletown, and Middletown Upper Houses split off and incorporated as the town of Cromwell in the mid 1800s. So, Middletown George did not live in what is now the town of Middletown, he lived in what is now Cromwell. There are many Hubbard headstones in Cromwell's Old Cemetery.

    Dave Ranney

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    1. Hi. I'm a descendant of one of these 2 lines of hubbards myself been working on ancestry.com

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  3. Ugh! Since adding that last comment, I think my info is incorrect. It looks like George Hubbard and his wife Elizabeth (Watts) of Hartford moved to Middletown, not Middletown Upper Houses. Sorry!

    Dave Ranney

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  4. The Ranney's moved to Upper Houses and the Geo Hubbard's moved to Middletown. While the UH were on higher elevation, the residents had to ferry and go by wagon to Middletown for church services. Ah, well. I'm hoping to get my book on the descendants of Geo Hubbard of Hartford/Middletown completed by early 2013. Do you have more info on their life in the mid 1600s?

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  5. I received this link from my brother just today. For the past 4 years I have been accumulating "generally more reliable sources" on Edmund Hobart, Sr., George Hubbard of Guilford, Ct. and George Hubbard (1601-1684) of Middletown, Ct.

    So many family genealogist and at least two generally more reliable sources have incorrectly identified them as father-son.

    I haven't yet compared the information in this link to the information I have on Middletown Gerorge's profile on my tree on Ancestry.Com, bui tt appears I am in lockstep with the Mr. Bacon at the Society of Middletown First Settlers Descendants. Here is the link: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ctsmfsd/HubbardInDepth.pdf
    One time I had to click on a second link to Elizabeth Watts when I used this link but I received the same "compilation" made by RW Bacon.
    Hartley Hubbard

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  6. I just found your post today as I was researching my Hubbard family line. I'm descended from immigrant George Hubbard m. Abigail Bishop through their son, William. Since I'm new to the research on this line, I don't have anything to contribute except that, as others, I see fertile ground for much confusion with the Hubbard family in America.

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  7. My 8th great grandfather is Richard Butler of Hartford. I will try to post more later

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  8. Kay,

    Thanks for your efforts to help clear the confusion. One note: Elbert Hubbard died aboard the Lusitania, not the Titanic.

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    1. While working on this line more today, I noticed that error... and corrected it.... before I got to your post here and your "good eagle eye" Thanks for catching it as well. As you can see, I'm still working on both Hubbard families since the Hubbard/Bishop line is the one I am related to but I am sure that somewhere along the way the two lines do intertwine somewhere!

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  9. Hi, I have recently discovered my Hubbard ancestors and will be reading through this information closely. There is so much erroneous information proliferated on Ancestry.com family trees and I don't want to contribute to the errors.

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  10. Hi Kay,

    I descend from both George Hubbards. Elbert Hubbard is my 3rd great uncle on my mother's side. On my father's side, I descend through the other George Hubbard through my ancestors in Hatfield MA (where he finally settled).

    As far as I know the two lines are not related. I am not very savvy with DNA, but I believe if male Hubbards get their YDNA tested they could determine if the lines are related. But, I don't know any living male Hubbards, unfortunately.

    In case you are interested, Daniel Hubbard died in Broome, Schoharie County (not in Greene) as his will was signed there in 1814, and proved there on 16 Jun 1820.

    And, thank you for pointing out the merged person issue. It happens far too often and seems to propagate faster than rabbits!

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  11. Hi Kay (Elbert Hubards neice here, again). Just found this:

    Craig Hubbard (who I believe runs the Hubbard YDNA Project) states in regards to the Guilford George and the Middletown George:

    "... YDNA testing of living descendants of these two lines has proven that they are not related, not even close. They have a 17.12% probability of having a common ancestor within the past 24 generations.

    If you or anyone else would like to join a Hubbard research group hosted on MyFamily.com, no charge/obligation, contact me directly. We have many members helping one another with their Hubbard lines.

    Craig Hubbard
    ceh_meh@verizon.net

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  12. Part 1 of 2:

    My father (Frank Langdon Hubbard Jr.) was a direct descendant of George Hubbard of Middletown. I want to piggy-back on Craig’s comments above, as he and I have corresponded sporadically for about 10 years – and he’s by far the most knowledgeable/accurate Hubbard researcher I've encountered so far.

    The book ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF HUBBARD HISTORY is an excellent resource. While some dispute the validity of the legend (I prefer to call it an oral history) that the original Hubbard was a Danish warlord (Viking) hired by William the Conqueror to assist him in invading and conquering England in 1066 A.D., I believe that the DNA testing of my father (see below) supports this assertion. But first, a brief explanation of how DNA transmission works ...

    If you are female, you have two XX chromosomes (one X from your father, one from your mother). If you are male, you have an X chromosome from your mother and a Y chromosome from your father. It is the Y that is tested when seeking the genetic profile for a linear male ancestor (i.e., one from an unbroken line of males with the same parentage/surname back in time) – so, obviously, only a male can be tested for Y DNA (aka “the bloodline”).

    But mitrochondrial DNA (which is in every cell of your body) is equally important (both for testing and for genealogical research). Whether male or female, you inherit that from your mother – but only females pass it on to their children. So I had my own mitrochondrial DNA tested, which revealed that my mother-to-mother line back through time is K (the same as the “Otzi the Iceman” mummy -- a line that originated thousands of years ago in the Middle East).

    That’s why I’m only interested in researching my Hubbard line (since my father was a direct descendant of George of Middletown) and my mother’s maternal line back in time (which is a lot more difficult, since women rarely kept their birth surnames and sometimes were barely even noted in the genealogical records). I do this because no matter how interesting other “peripheral” ancestors might be, I don’t have their DNA.

    I, too, have read that the two Georges (George of Middletown and George of Guilford [aka George of Boston or George of Mass.]) are not related at all. Craig and I can both contribute information from DNA testing of the “George of Middletown” line, as I had my dad’s DNA (his Y chromosome, which is the father-to-father-back-in-time DNA) tested 12 years ago through FamilyTree DNA, as did Craig.

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  13. Part 2 of 2 (continuation of post immediately above):

    This is how we came to correspond: FamilyTreeDNA test results, combined with a review of our respective genealogical charts, revealed that Craig and I share a mutual Hubbard grandfather from the late 1700s in Hartford, Conn. (which is where my great-great-grandfather Langdon Hubbard was raised before moving to Detroit, Mich., in 1850 and then pioneering the “Thumb” area of NE Michigan).

    Anyway, the "George of Middletown" genotype is E1b1a – a classic Jewish (or, in a small number of cases, Arab or even Roman) DNA profile (which was quite startling to my dad, as the family identity has been Anglo-Saxon and Christian for untold centuries.

    However, 15 years ago, I found the name “Hubbard” in a large book of Jewish surnames with the notation, “a Germanic derivative of the Hebrew word yehudah [Hebrew for “Judah”].” This fascinating tidbit is what led me to have my dad’s DNA tested as soon as that option became available. Moreover, the book’s assertion, and my dad’s/Craig’s DNA results, are supported by Danish history:

    There is an area of Denmark known as “Juteland.” However, before the invention of the letter “J” in the Middle Ages, it was known as “Yuteland” or “Yehudah-land” due to its settlement by a large colony of dispersed Jews (presumably after the Romans completed their conquest of Judea and destroyed Jerusalem in 135 A.D.).

    So, if anyone has the DNA info for George of Guilford/Boston, OR is a male Hubbard from that line, OR can test a male Hubbard relative, please post that info here (and I’d also suggest you send it to Craig).

    In the meantime, I live/work in the Washington, DC, metro area. Don’t hesitate to contact me with Qs about my side of the family: carolhubbard2011@gmail.com

    Cheers!


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    1. Interesting take on the Jewish heritage. Just got my mother's DNA back and we were surprised at this result. This is helpful.

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  14. I feel your pain. I have been doing my best and will share my tree if anyone would like to review it. ChrisHubbard73 is my ancestry name. I cant get past Overton Hubbard and the book is so confusing. So any help to get further, would be appreciated.

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  16. My great grandfather Henry Hubbard is from France ..He moved to the United States and livEd in Michigan which he had a wife and family ..He was a truck driver and would come to Kentucky often where he met my great Grandmother Betrice and had two children one being my grandfather.That is all I know

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  17. So he not only had a family in Michigan but also in Kentucky ..

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  19. I would love info on how to get involved in Hubbard family research. I have the book, but thus far haven't had use for it since I can't get past my 3rd great grandfather Lyman Hubbard (1836 NY) I would like to get my Hubbard brothers and uncles to do the DNA tests to see if that helps me sort out our lineage.


    Amanda (Hubbard) Whitlow
    My email is whitegardenia17@gmail.com
    I am also on ancestry.com

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  20. Need help with Hubbard family line in Sumner Co Tennessee

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  21. Hello, I understand the confusion. There seems to be a few different family lines of Hubbard's . My research has got to my 3rd great grandfather & grandmother which their names were John Hubbard & Mary Maria Hubbard from Ireland. I have also found several possible great Uncle's & Aunts. They stem from my Grandmother Beatrice Estelle Philbrook of Rockland Maine. They seem to have settled in Maryland when coming from either England or Ireland. I am still working on that information right now. I have contacted Professional Researchers to help with straightening out my family lineage of Hubbard's.

    I would definitely be willing to help with research on this. My email connected to my Ancestry.com is indulgencembs@gmail.com .. that is my business email. My personal one is sigrid_42@outlook.com. My family tree info is the Cottrill family Tree on Ancestry. My name is Sigrid Cottrill on Ancestry .

    Look forward to hearing from all who are working on this. Thank you ~

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  22. I am descended from George Hubbard, of New Brunswick, Canada, but some indication he came north from New England in about 1790. Could he be related to those Hubbards, from Connecticut? My Mother was daughter of Edward Roger Hubbard, a legislator in Michigan in the 1920s

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  23. I am on ancestor.com as dlfenn59.

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  24. i myself do not rely on ancestry or any other such websites as much of the info put in is incorrect in the first place..dave h

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  25. Im totally lost. One site says im descendant of robert hubbard from virgina 1867. Another site has me descendant thomas hubbard water town.

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