The Evolution of a Name: From Hayselden to Hesselden in Four Generations

Tracing family history can be very confusing when a family name changes from one generation to the next. This can happen for a variety of reasons, sometimes intentional and sometimes accidental. As an example of an intentional change, when my Danish first-cousin-four-times-removed Niels Christensen moved to Elsinore, Utah, a town populated with Danish immigrants, he said, “We soon found it difficult to receive our mail, because so many families had the surname of Christensen. So, we decided to change our surname to Lee. Hence forth, we were known as Christensen Lee.” As an example of an accidental change, my Danish second-great-grandfather Peter Christian Christensen was born with the name Hans Peter Christensen. His parents and infant brother all contracted dysentery en route to America and died before reaching their final destination, so Hans Peter Christensen arrived in Saint Louis as a three-year-old orphan known only by his middle name. During his childhood he used the first name of Peter and took the last names of his foster families, first Forsgren and then Lowry. While preparing to be married, he discovered some family belongings indicating that his father’s name had been Christian Christensen, so he took the name Peter Christian Christensen in honor of his father, and he used that as his name for the remainder of his life, although he was usually referred to as P.C. Christensen.

In this narrative, I will demonstrate how the last name of my English eighth-great-grandfather Thomas Hayselden changed over three generations, ending with his great-granddaughter’s name of Maria Hesselden. Although people give varied reasons for name changes, I believe that in this case the main reason was illiteracy, as evidenced by the fact that most of them signed their marriage records with their “marks,” indicating that they could neither read nor write. Therefore, their names on baptism, marriage, and burial records would have been spelled however the parish clerks filling out the records thought they should be spelled.

The name itself is believed to have come from the Medieval English words hoesel, meaning hazel, and denu, meaning valley, so it would be a habitational name used by someone living in a valley where hazel trees grow. The parish records I have used to follow the name were often written with poor penmanship, so I hope that I have correctly interpreted the handwriting from most of the records.

First Generation: Thomas Hayselden / Hyaselden / Hayslenden / Hasselden / Haselden

My eighth-great-grandfather Thomas Hayselden is estimated to have been born about 1675 in Mayfield, Weald District, East Sussex County, England. I could not find the record of his baptism, but the records where I could find his name were his marriage record, the records of his children’s baptisms, his wife’s burial record, and his own burial record. His name is Hayselden on the record of his marriage to Sarah Wells on April 12, 1696, in the Church of Saint Dunstan in Mayfield. His name had changed to Hasselden on the record of his wife’s burial on February 17, 1731, in Mayfield; and then to Haselden on the record of his own burial on November 16, 1744, in Mayfield.

These images show (left to right) the marriage record of “Tho. Hayselden & Sarah Wells,” the burial record of “Sarah the Wife of Thomas Hasselden,” and the burial record of “Thomas Haselden Widdower.” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

Thomas and Sarah had five children together, all baptized in the Church of Saint Dunstan in Mayfield: Thomas, baptized November 1, 1696; Sarah, baptized January 29, 1699; John, baptized, March 30, 1701; William, baptized April 30, 1704; and Joseph, baptized March 3, 1706. The last name shows on their baptism records as Hayselden (Thomas, Sarah, and John), Hyaselden (William), and Hayslenden (Joseph).

These images show the baptism records of (left to right, top to bottom) “Thomas son of Thomas & Sarah Hayselden,” “Sarah Daughter of Thomas & Sarah Hayselden,” “John Son of Thomas & Sarah Hayselden,” “William Son of Thomas & Sarah Hyaselden,” and “John Son of Thomas & Sarah Hayslenden.” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

Second Generation: William Hayselden / Hyaselden / Hazelden / Haselden / Hasselden / Hazleden

My seventh-great-grandfather William Hazleden was baptized April 30, 1704, in the Church of Saint Dunston in Mayfield. I could not find an image of his original marriage record, but an online source names “Sussex Marriage Records” for documentation of his marriage to Sarah Bates on January 7, 1735, in Battle, Rother District, East Sussex County, England. They began their married life in Northiam, Rother District, East Sussex County, England—probably his wife’s home town—where their first three children were born. They later returned to his home town of Mayfield, where their remaining five children were born. His last name on his baptism record was Hyaselden) (as shown above). His name had changed to Hazleden on the record of his burial record on April 13, 1780, in Mayfield. I could not find a record of his wife’s burial.

These images show (left to right) the baptism record of “William Son of Thomas & Sarah Hyaselden” and the burial record of “William Hazleden Farmer.” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

William and Sarah had eight children together, the first three baptized in Northiam, and the last five baptized in the Church of Saint Dunston in Mayfield: William, baptized September 15, 1736; Hannah, baptized December 1, 1738; Thomas, baptized May 4, 1741; Joseph, baptized October 12, 1743; Samuel, baptized September 22, 1745; Joseph (after the first Joseph had died), baptized March 17, 1747; Stephen, baptized February 20, 1749; and Richard, baptized November 11, 1750. The last name shows on their baptism records as Hazelden (William), Haselden (Hannah, Thomas, 1st Joseph, Stephen, and Richard), Hasselden (Samuel), and Hasledine (2nd Joseph). The last name on some other records for these children also include many of these variations, but I will document only those for Samuel, who is my direct ancestor.

These images show the baptism records of (left to right, top to bottom) “William ye Son of William & Sarah Hazelden,” “Hannah ye Daughter of William & Sarah Haselden,” “Thomas ye Son of William & Sarah Haselden,” “Joseph Son of William & Sarah Haselden,” “Samuell Son of William & Sarah Hasselden,” “Joseph the Son of Willm & Sarah Hasledine,” “Stephen Son of William & Sarah Haselden,” and “Richard Son of William & Sarah Haselden.” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

Third Generation: Samuel Haselden / Hasselden / Hasleden

My sixth-great-grandfather Samuel Haselden was baptized September 22, 1745, in the Church of Saint Dunston in Mayfield. He was first married to Lucy (aka Lucia) Stapley. Lucy predeceased him, after which he married his second wife, Elizabeth Chapman (widowed, maiden name unknown). Elizabeth also predeceased him. The last name on his baptism record is Hasselden (as shown above). His name had changed to Haselden on the record of his first marriage on October 19, 1767, in Guestling, Rother District, East Essex, England; then to Hasleden on the burial record of his first wife on July 26, 1785, in Guestling; and remained Hasleden on the records of his second marriage on May 3, 1786, in Guestling; on the burial record of his second wife on February 28, 1822, in Guestling; and on the record of his own burial on May 6, 1829, in Guestling.

These images show (top to bottom, left to right) the baptism record of “Samuell Son of William & Sarah Hasselden,” the marriage record of “Saml Haselden and Lucy Stapley,” the burial record of “Lucy Wife of Samuel Haslelden,” the parish marriage record of “Samuel Hasleden and Elizabeth Chapman,” the church marriage record of “Samuel Hasleden and Elizabeth Chapman,” the burial record of “Elizabeth Wife of Samuel Haslelden,” and the burial record of “Samuel Hasleden.” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

Samuel and Lucy/Lucia had eight children together, all baptized in Guestling: Stephen, baptized May 8, 1768; Samuel, baptized July 8, 1770; Lydia, baptized February 14, 1773; Twins Dorcas and Hannah, baptized June 18, 1775; Thomas, baptized June 22, 1777; Sarah, baptized December 14, 1779; and Maria, baptized June 22, 1783. The last name shows as Hasleden on all of their baptism records.

These images show the baptism records of (left to right, top to bottom) “Stephen Son of Samuel & Lucia Hasleden,” “Samuel Son of Samuel & Lucia Hasleden,” “Lydia Daugr of Samuel & Lucia Hasleden,” “Dorcas and Hannah Daugrs of Samuel & Lucia Hasleden,” “Thomas Son of Samuel & Lucia Hasleden,” “Sarah Daugr of Samuel & Lucy Hasleden,” and “Maria Daugr of Samuel & Lucy Hasleden,” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

Fourth Generation: Maria Hasleden / Hesselden

My fifth-great-grandmother Maria Hesselden was baptized June 22, 1783, in Guestling. The last name on her baptism record is Hasleden. Her name had changed to Hesselden on the records of her marriage to Walter Heasman on January 24, 1801, in Icklesham, Rother District, East Essex, England. All later records show her with her married name of Heasman, so there are no additional variations of her maiden name.

These images show (left to right, top to bottom) the baptism record of “Maria Daugr of Samuel & Lucy Hasleden,” the church marriage record of “Walter Heasman of Pett and Maria Hesselden of this parish,” and the parish marriage record of “Walter Heasman of the Parish of Pett and Maria Hesselden of this Parish.” (images from East Sussex Record Office)

And thus ends the documentation of the changing of a name over four generations. I have not followed the siblings of Maria Hesselden to determine whether their names have undergone any additional changes.

This tree shows the evolution of the name of Hayselden to Hesselden over four generations.

My Descent from Maria Hesselden

Maria Hesselden (1783–1853) and Walter Heasman (~1774–1855) were the parents of Ann Heasman (1801–1882). Ann Heasman and Thomas Baker (1794–????) were the parents of Caroline Baker (1824–1904). Caroline Baker and William Crouch (1821–1899)—the first generation of this line to immigrate to the United States with their six children in 1873—were the parents of Emma Firetem Crouch (1857–1928). Emma Firetem Crouch and Willard Charles Burgon (1853–1919) were the parents of Minnie Josephine Burgon (1878–1946). Minnie Josephine Burgon and William Moroni Cox (1881–1958) were the parents of Reba Cox (1909–1999). Reba Cox and Theodore Angelo Christensen (1903–1981) were the parents of Theodore Paul Christensen (1929–2011). Theodore Paul Christensen and Carol Madsen, were my parents.

This tree shows my line of descent from Maria Hesselden.

copyright 2022
Eric Christensen

Notoriety in the Plymouth Colony: Alice Martin Bishop

When studying our ancestors, we must accept the fact that not all the stories we find will be of an uplifting nature. Our tree of progenitors contains villains as well as heroes, and their stories are just as important as the others. When my cousin Sue Anne emailed to tell me about our descent from possibly the first woman to be executed in the Plymouth Colony, I was immediately intrigued and started a new line of research.

When I first saw the stories about my tenth great grandmother, Alice Martin Bishop, I thought she might have a Mayflower connection, but it appears that she wasn’t directly related to any Mayflower families. This story does contain an indirect connection to my Mayflower ancestry in the fact that the man who presided over her trial was my tenth great grandfather, Governor William Bradford.

My research about Alice Martin Bishop did reveal a new Huguenot line in my family: Alice’s grandson, Richard Sutton, married Sarah Runyon, a daughter of Huguenot Vincent Rognion, who escaped to the Channel Islands in 1665 and later settled in Elizabethtown, New Jersey. Vincent Rognion is my ninth great grandfather, and that story will have to be explored later.

Although the story has been sensationalized by many writers, the only documented facts of the case are contained in Records of the Colony of New Plymouth in New England, edited by Nathaniel B. Shurtleff, M.D., Court Orders: Vol. II, 1641–1651, Boston, from the press of William White, Printer to the Commonwealth, 1855 (later reprinted by AMS Press, Inc., New York, 1968).

The most extensive modern analysis of the case is written by Erin Taylor and Kristin Luce, two descendants of Alice, collected in their web site, Alice Martin Bishop: Motherhood & Murder in the Plymouth Colony (alicemartinbishop.com). They have spent years researching and writing about this crime, and most of the conclusions I am sharing here have been gleaned from their writing.

Who Was Alice Martin?

Many versions of Alice Martin’s story assume that Alice was the daughter of Mayflower passengers Christopher Martin and his wife, Mary (widow of Edward Prower). Mary’s son from her first marriage, Solomon Prower, travelled with them on the Mayflower, and all three died during the first winter in Plymouth. There is no evidence that Christopher and Mary had any other children with them when they arrived in Plymouth, or that any children had been left behind to arrive later. There is no mention of Alice Martin in Plymouth until her marriage to George Clarke in 1639. We may never know the true origin of Alice Martin, but the most logical story that has been suggested is that Mary probably arrived around 1631 as an indentured servant, and got married after serving her seven years of servitude.

Alice Martin married George Clarke on January 22, 1639, in Plymouth. They had two daughters: (1) Abigail, born about 1642, and (2) Martha, born about 1644. George Clarke died about 1644.

Alice Martin Clarke married Richard Bishop on December 4, 1644, in Plymouth. They had one daughter: Damaris, born about 1646.

Crime and Punishment

The crime was first discovered by Rachel Ramsden, wife of Joseph Ramsden (also known as Ramsdell, which is the surname of most of their descendants). Rachel, twenty-three years old at the time, was the daughter of Mayflower passenger Francis Eaton and his third wife, Christian Penn.

On July 22, 1648, Rachel Ramsden stopped by the home of Richard and Alice Bishop in the Plymouth Colony “upon an errand.” There is no record of what the errand was. Since Rachel’s statement and the ensuing inquiry mentions only Alice Bishop and her daughter Martha Clarke, it seems as if Richard Bishop and the other children were probably not in the house at the time. Alice asked Rachel to fetch some buttermilk for her from the Winslow house (probably the home of Mayflower passenger Edward Winslow and his wife Susanna White, but it could have been the home of one of their sons), and gave Rachel a kettle for that purpose. Rachel said that before she left to carry out this request, she saw that Martha was sleeping peacefully and that Alice appeared normal.

When Rachel returned to the house after fetching the buttermilk, she noted that Alice appeared “sad and dumpish” and that there was blood at the foot of the ladder leading up to the loft. When Rachel asked Alice about the blood, Alice pointed up to the loft and told Rachel to go look. Rachel refused to look in the loft. Having seen the blood on the floor and noticing that Martha was no longer in the bed, Rachel perceived that Alice might have killed Martha. Rachel ran to her parents’ house and told them what she had seen. Her parents notified the authorities, and an inquest was started.

The investigation, under the order of Governor William Bradford, was conducted by John Howland, James Hurst, Robert Lee, John Shaw, Francis Cooke, James Cole, Giles Rickard, Richard Sparrow, Thomas Pope, Francis Billington, and William Nelson. Upon arriving at the house of Richard Bishop, they noticed blood at the foot of the ladder; then each went up to the loft. There they saw the body of four-year-old Martha Clarke, lying on her left side, dressed in her shift. Her throat was cut with divers gashes, and her wind pipe had been cut in a downward motion. A bloody knife was lying by her side. At that time, Alice confessed to murdering her daughter with the knife.

This is the court record of the investigation into the death of Martha Clarke.

A Court of Assistants hearing was held in New Plymouth on August 1, 1648, presided over by Governor William Bradford, assisted by William Collier, Captain Myles Standish, and William Thomas. At this hearing Alice confessed to committing the murder, saying she was sorry for it.

A General Court trial was held in New Plymouth on October 4, 1648, presided over by Governor William Bradford, assisted by Thomas Prence, Captain Myles Standish, Timothy Hatherley, and William Thomas. Alice Bishop was indicted for felonious murder by a grand jury consisting of John Dunham Senior, Isaac Wells, Thomas Bourne, Robert Finney, Henry Wood, Ephraim Hicks, James Walker, James Wyatt, Love Brewster, John Barker, Joseph Colman, John Allin, Thomas Bordman, James Bursell, Joseph Torrey, Michael Blackwell, and Daniel Cole. Alice Bishop was found guilty of felonious murder by a petit jury consisting of Josiah Winslow Senior, Thomas Chillingworth, Anthony Snow, Richard Sparrow, Gabriel Fallowell, Joshua Pratt, Giles Rickard, John Shaw Senior, Steven Wood, William Merrick, William Brett, and John Willis.

This is the court record of the conviction and execution of Alice Martin Bishop.

Alice Bishop was sentenced to be hanged by the neck until her body was dead. She was immediately taken to the place of execution, where the sentence was carried out.

I don’t know the source of this painting, but it is said to depict Alice Martin Bishop being led to the gallows. [11/4/2023 edit: I have since been informed that this painting is “Witch Hill (The Salem Martyr),” by Thomas Satterwhite Noble and has no connection to Alice Martin, but I think it still gives a decent representation of the feeling of the event.]

After the Crime

We don’t see much about Richard Bishop afterward. He may have been a less-than-upstanding citizen, as he can be found in a court record on March 6, 1649, accused of stealing a spade from Andrew Ring. On May 6, 1649, he was sentenced to sit in the stocks and give a new spade to Andrew Ring before the next General Court, at which time he would be whipped if he failed to comply.

After Alice’s execution, her daughter Abigail Clarke can be seen in two court records. On May 9, 1949, John Churchill was ordered regarding the disposition of George Clarke’s house that it should be for the use and good of George Clarke’s daughter Abigail Clarke. On March 3, 1662, Abigail Clarke attested in court to the authenticity of John Churchill’s nuncupative will. It might be possible to draw the conclusion that Abigail Clarke was taken in by John Churchill’s family after Alice’s execution. No further records can be found regarding Abigail.

Alice’s youngest daughter, Damaris Bishop, was married to William Sutton on July 11, 1666 in Orleans, Massachusetts, and they moved to Piscataway, New Jersey about 1672. They had ten children together. Damaris died on February 6, 1682, in Piscataway.

Why Did She Do It?

The courts in the early American colonies were more concerned with whether a crime was committed and not with motives, so there is no record to suggest why Alice killed her daughter. It is left to those of us in modern times who are interested in the case to try to make conjectures as to the reasons for what she did.

There are many online Monday-morning psychiatrists who like to suggest that in today’s world Alice would have been diagnosed with post-partum depression and properly treated, and the murder would never have happened. While this might be a possibility, it is impossible for even a professional to make that kind of a diagnosis more than 350 years after the fact.

It has been suggested that young Martha may have been showing signs of physical or mental disability and that Alice saw this as a mercy killing. This seems unlikely, as the colonies needed every able-bodied worker they could get, and even the handicapped were capable of some sort of labor necessary for the good of the community. Also, one would think that if Alice were considering this as a mercy killing, she would have chosen a less gruesome method.

There is always the possibility that someone else, perhaps Alice’s husband, Richard Bishop, committed the murder, and that Alice confessed to spare him. This seem highly unlikely, however, as there is no mention of Richard being present at the house at the time of the death. Although we have very few facts in the case, his presence would probably have been mentioned if he were there.

The most likely thing to have triggered the crime, in my opinion, would be a general depression and a frustration with the hazards of life in the colonies. Less than three decades after the arrival of the Mayflower, survival itself was a hazardous enterprise. The voyage across the ocean had severely affected many people’s health and had cost the lives of loved ones. Cut off from the rest of the world, colonists had lost contact with many of their friends, and the higher mortality rate in the New World took many more, leaving them with little network for emotional support. With occasional skirmishes with the nearby native tribes and food supplies sometimes depending on the whims of nature, coping was difficult if not impossible for some. At times, it could take just one small incident, “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” to cause someone to lose control. Alice had lost one husband and had no time to grieve as she continued the task of caring for her children. She probably slowly lost her joy of living until she finally gave up and killed her child out of frustration and mental exhaustion.

It should be noted that Alice Martin Bishop was the eighth woman known to have been executed in the colonies. Prior to her, there were two in the Virginia Colony, one in Maine, and four in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Out of these seven, three of them were convicted of killing one of their children. Jane Champion was hanged in 1632 in James City, Virginia, for an unknown offense. Margaret Hatch was hanged on June 24, 1633, in James City, Virginia, for infanticide. Dorothy Talbye was hanged in 1639 in Massachusetts Bay Colony for killing her three-year-old daughter. Mary Latham (along with co-defendant James Britton) was hanged in 1642 in Massachusetts Bay Colony, possibly the only woman executed in America for adultery. Mrs. Cornish (unknown first name) was hanged in 1644 in Maine for murder. Mary Martin was hanged in 1646 in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for killing her infant daughter to cover up her unwed pregnancy. Margaret Jones was hanged on June 15, 1648, in the Massachusetts Bay Colony for witchcraft.

My Descent from Alice Martin Bishop

Damaris Bishop was the daughter of Alice Martin Clarke Bishop and Richard Bishop. Richard Sutton was the son of Damaris Bishop Sutton and William Sutton. Anna Sutton was the daughter of Richard Sutton and Sarah Runyon Sutton. Job Slaght Senior was the son of Anna Sutton Slaght and Hendrick Slaght. Henry Slaght was the son of Job Slaght Senior and Elizabeth Johnson Slaght. Mary Slaght was the daughter of Henry Slaght and Abigail Clouse Heminover. Nancy Cunningham was the daughter of Mary Slaght Cunningham and Henry Cunningham. Miriam Catherine Thayne was the daughter of Nancy Cunningham Thayne and Ebenezer Thayne Junior. William Moroni Cox was the son of Miriam Catherine Thayne Cox and William Edwin Cox. Reba Cox was the daughter of William Moroni Cox and Minnie Josephine Burgon. Theodore Paul Christensen was the son of Reba Cox Christensen and Theodore Angelo Christensen. I am the son of Theodore Paul Christensen and Carol Madsen Christensen.

This tree shows my descent from Alice Martin Bishop.

Summary

Family history can be a fascinating endeavor, filled with tragic as well as joyous stories. Although killing one’s own child may be thought of as one of the most horrific crimes that could be committed, I hope that people don’t judge Alice too harshly, as we have no idea what her circumstances or her mental state might have been at the time.