Hi Jeanna, My husband is a direct descendent of the Edward Howell that you mention. Edward Sr. is Daniel's 10th GGrandfather. Edward Howell is usually credited with being the founder of the Howell line in the U.S. He was the son of Henry Howell and the grandson of William Howell, whose Manor of Westbury at Marsh Gibbon was a fine stone structure of the 16th century, two stories high and called a double house. Edward inherited this manor upon the death of his father in 1625. Thus, he was a part of the landed gentry and his family had a coat of arms. Some scholars trace the Howell family back many generations to the 900s in Wales. After his father's death, Edward, who was living at Stewelltorpe in York County at the time, sold his large estate in Buckinghamshire, the Manor of Westbury, which had been purchased by his grandfather in 1536 during the reign of King Henry VIII. On June 8, 1639, he sold the manor to Richard Francis of Marsh Gibbon for 1,600 pounds. Later that same year, at the age of 55, he set out with his family for the "new world". When Edward and his family reached Boston in late 1639, it was sparsely populated. The first record we have of Edward Howell in the U.S. is the list of freemen of Boston, published on March 13, 1640. Edward Howell received from King Charles I of England a grant of 500 acres at Lynn, MA, and he moved there from Boston. But he did not stay long at Lynn. He had heard of more fertile land to the south on Long Island. On April 17, 1640, Edward Howell was one of three proprietors who obtained authorization to occupy eight miles square in any part of Long Island which was part of the Connecticut Colony. Being an owner of a sloop which from time to time carried dissatisfied colonists south to Long Island, Edward Howell decided to make the move with his family. In June or July, the Howells landed at Southampton, Long Island, where they were to stay. Edward Howell is considered one of Southampton's founders, and he owned a large estate there. Being a natural leader, he served on the governor's council of Connecticut from 1647 to 1653 and helped compile the rules and regulations for the fast growing colony at Southampton. Some of these rules were harsh by today's standards. For example, for lying a person had to pay a fine of five shillings and sit in the stocks for five hours; for drunkeness the fine was 10 shillings for the first offense, 20 for the second, and 30 for the third. In 1647, Edward Howell was selected to serve as a member of the legislature at Hartford, CT, and he held this position until his death. Long Island did not come under the jurisdiction of New York until 1664 when Charles II granted territories to his brother James, Duke of York, hence the name New York. "He disposed of his considerable estates in Bucks county in 1639, among which was the manor of Westbury in Marsh Gibbon, purchased by his grandfather, William Howell, in 1536, and came to Boston, where he was made freeman, March 1640, removed to Lynn, then c. 1640 was one of the leaders of a compact to settle Long Island." (History of Southampton) Further research as shown in "Genealogies of Long Island Families - From The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record", Volume I, Albertson - Polhemius, Selected and Introduced by Henry B. Hoff, Genealogical Publishing County., Inc., Baltimore, 1987, pp. 489-492, places the date of the sale of the manor of Westbury and Edward's departure to America as 1638 rather than 1639. Hope this helps you! :) Kristen Howell Misawa Air Base, Japan www.geocities.com/Pentagon/8490 >My mail was sent accidentally, I'm gonna have to figure out how I did that so >as not to repeat it again. >I would really appreciate any information that you can give me on the HOWELL >line that has Edward HOWELL b. 22 Jul 1584 England, Henry HOWELL b. 13 Dec >1552, and William HOWELL b. abt 1520. >Would love to hear about their lives. Thanks >Jeanna > > >==== HOWELL Mailing List ==== >To unsub or for more info on the HOWELL list please see: >http://members.aol.com/TreeCrazyD/howell_l.html >Note: that is HOWELL _L just like in the list name. It is case sensitive. > > >