of Boston, Massachusetts
In 1637, Job Judkins (?-ca 1672) was a Sawyer in Boston, Massachusetts, married to Sarah (?-1657), maiden surname unknown. The mother Sarah was admitted to Boston's First Church in 1641, there's no record that Job belonged to the church. (Sources: Suffolk Deeds Lib.X 13,14; 9 Boston Record Comm.-Rpt 61; Job Judkins of Boston & Descendants by Elizabeth Littlefield Judkins; Weymouth, MA., VR) Sarah died 26 November 1657, Boston, Massachusetts (BRC 9:61)
They were the parents of five known children,
The surname JUDKINS, being a patronymic surname, may also show that other's of this name, in the same time period, were more than likely not related to each other. The Judkins neighbor's in 1635 were Robert Hall, Elizabeth Purton and Gamaliel Waite. No evidence was forthcoming in recent researching of the neighbors of Job and Sarah, in regard to either the birth place of Job or Sarah
In the book "The Ancestry of Eva Belle Kempton 1878-1908 by Dean Crawford Smith, edited by Melinde Lutz Sanborn, (1996), Mr Smith relates that "it's been claimed that the surname JUDKIN came from Scotland, but recent research shows the name in the English counties of Warwick, Northampton and Bedford in the 16th century and not at all in Scotland. He goes on to say, "An unsupported family tradition regarding a Scottish origin for the Judkins family contained exact birth dates for Job's supposed father and grandfather, dates repeated in the valuable 1974 typescript compiled by the late Mrs Elizabeth Judkins of Larchmont, NY. While Mrs Judkins tapped church and vital records, she used no deeds and repeated many unfortunate traditions, and as a result much useful information was missed or misrepresented." In Mr Smith's book he traces a PROBABLE ancestry for Job Judkins of Boston from the parish registers of Southam, Warwick, England, which notes the baptism of a Job Judkins, baptized 7 January 1609/10. He then traces the family back through a Francis, a Thomas, and an unknown Judkins born circa 1505 who married a Annis ________.
In 1665 Job made his "mark" as witness to the land deed of the township of Hingham, Massachusetts, given by the Indians. Job Judkins was living as late as 1672 (Suffolk Deeds, Lib.X, 13). The son, Joel, was living in Exeter, New Hampshire by 1671, in the home of Moses Gilman. So what drew Joel to Exeter, NH, a town established by an outcast from Puritan New England, and undoubably populated by people of the same religious persuation? Was it family, economics or religious affiliation that brought Joel to Exeter, New Hampshire? After reading the book, The Hingham Founding fathers of "Old Colony" New Hampshire by Wayne C. Gilman, I'm persuded to think that the family connection between the Leavitts of Hingham, MA and the lumbering trade is what drew Joel to Exeter, New Hampshire.
Do you have further information or ideas on this subject you'd like to share with us? Contact Kathi Abendroth.
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