William I. Mulford

  General Notes:

From the Lineal Ancestors of Susan (Mulford) Cory, wife of Captain James Cory Vol III part I John Mulford and his brother William Mulford came to Southampton, L.I. from Salem, Mass., and settled there. They then were of the early founders of East Hampton. There is some dispute about their father.
While most Mulford experts say they were the children of Thomas Molford and Susan Southcott of Cadbury, Devonshire, but Robert L. Mulford found no proof of this in the English records, in fact, Thomas apparently had no son William and his son John may have died about 1610. After settling in East Hampton, William made one Anthony Waters, his attorney, to collect property belonging to his wife, which was involved in a lawsuit at the court in Middlesex county in Mass. As noted in Wyman's abstracts:
4, Oct. 1653, Court ordered Capt. Fra. Norton to pay Wm Mulford, of Easthampton, L.I., his due, according to a bond made to Sarah, the wife of said Mulford and daughter of one Akerres that died in Mr. Barret's ship.
29 Sep. 1659, A writ is issued against Capt. Francis Norton on the Suit of Anthony Waters, Guardian of Rachel Acres, & Attorney of William Mulford who Married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Akers, Deceased, for with holding the Estate of Thomas Akers who died at sea in the year 1650. A deposit of John Hand, of East Hampton made in Boston in October 1659 vouched for Rachel and her sister Sarah as the daughters of the deceased Thomas Akers.
It may be that John Hand offers a clue about the original town of the Mulfords. The East Hampton town record of May 8, 1652 states: John Mulford and John Hand shall have their money repaid that they laid out for the land, that was given them for their estate in England which was received from them again, that is to say Two accers from John Mulford and one from John Hand. Although no record of English land holdings of John Mulford has been found, John Hand owned land in Stanstede in the county of Kent and at Trumbridge and Ashford, in Rootam, Kent.
Both John and William were on the Southampton whale commission. John was one of the original 9 signers of the Indian deed for East Hampton. They paid thirty shillings. William followed and seemingly devoted his attention to agriculture. The plan was to set up an Island for the Innocents but by 1644 there was a falling out and the group split. In 1848, the state of Connecticut paid the Indians for 31000 acres of what is now East Hampton. The cost was twenty coats, twenty-four hoes, twenty four hatchets, twenty-four knives, twenty-four looking glasses, and one hundred muges, the grantors reserving to themselves the right of fishing, hunting, and fowling, the fins and tails of whales cast upon the shore, the skins of deer driven by them into the water and killed by the English, and the right to fish for shells for wampum.
From East Hampton History and Genealogies by Jeanette Edwards Rattray.
1953 The two brothers came to Southampton, L.I. in 1643 from Salem. In 1649 they moved to East Hampton. John was a Judge in 1674. He was prominent until his death in 1686. From 1650 to 1654 John was chief magistrate with treaty powers with the indians. A small book by Mary Esther Mulford Miller, "An East Hampton Childhood" comments on the Mulford character; "'Once a Mulford, always a Mulford', the family saying goes. The women may marry but they stay Mulford to the third and fourth generation, and the wives of the Mulford men, whatever their background,, are soon absorbed into the Mulford clan - although my mother always said it was 'rather difficult to change a Hedges'." William Mulford born in England about 1620, d. in E.H. March 1687, m. Sarah daughter of Thomas and Priscilla Akers; ch Thomas born about 1650, William born 1660, Benjamin born 1665 (both of them removed to Cape May N.J. about 1702, and left descendants, among them Isaac S. Mulford, author of a "History of N.J. published 1848) and Sarah who died in 1790 aged 95 and Rachel.
From Mulford Family compiled by Thelma Antrim (Beck) Ellis 1966-1967 Roger Mulford married Elizabeth Hack daughter of Gilber Hack of Devon granted the coat of arms by King of England in 1420. Thomas Molford of South Molton married Agnes Blackmore of Byshope, Nymnet. Wilton Molford married Sabyn Shote heire of John Shote of Newlan, Devon. Wilton Molford Jr. married Alice White dau. of Thomas White. Their son: Roger Molford of Cadbury in Devon, married Amye Copener, daughter of Wilton Copener, died 1594. Chilren of Roger and Amye John, Wilton, Sabyn, Mary, Agnes and Thomas. Thomas married Susan Southcott, daughter of Thomas Soutchcott of Boythracye, Devon. Their children, John born 1606 died 1686 in E. H. and William born 1618 in England married 1648 to Sarah Akers daughter of Thomas and Priscilla Akers, died in 1687 in E. Hampton. References were History of the Mulford Family in the US, Genealogy of the Mulford family by J. V. Mulford and the above History of East Hampton. William came from England to Salem in 1638. Moved to E. Hampton in 1643. References the Corey above and East Hampton History. Children Thomas, William, Benjamin, Sarah, Rachel, and Isaac.
Mulfords in America magazine vol 4 Issue 3 reprinted from the Arkansas Gazette, Sunday, July 3, 1932 an article by Francis M. Smith (Eleanor Lexington) This claims the Thomas Sarah connection and also mentions the 1420 Roger. Only reference given is The New England Historical and Genealogical Register volume 34.


NOTE: ALL ANCESTORS OF WILLIAM ARE SUBJECT TO DEBATE. They come from "Mulford Family" by Thelma Ellis.
From "Lists of Inhabitants of Colonial New York" by Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan. William Mulford assessed property value in East Hampton, August 24, 1675 - 164 pounds 3 shillings and 4 pence. September 8, 1683 106 pounds 3 shillings 4 pence. 2 heads, 16 land, 2 oxen, 4 cows 4 - 3, 3 - 2, 4 - 1 no horses 2 swine 26 sheep.
2nd reference: Info from: History of Easthampton, N.Y. E5b p 245-482. Lion Gardiner and his Descendants A6F17 p 95. Susan Mulford Corey, 974-725/E 1 B2e 206-461.
William Mulford and his brother sailed to Salem, Massachusetts in 1639 on THE PLOUGH

  Noted events in his life were:

• Will, 29 Nov 1684, East Hampton, Long Island, Suffolk, New York.

In the name of God, Amen. I, WILLIAM MULFORD, of East Hampton, in Suffolk County. I leave to my son Thomas one half of my home lot and additions, and my house and 1/3 of meadows and Commonage, and 25 1/2 acres north of the town, and my meadow at Great North West. Leaves legacies to children Benjamin, Sarah, and Rachel. I make my wife Sarah, and Stephen Hedges and Samuel Mulford, executors.

Dated November 29, 1684. Proved, March 16, 1686 - 87.

Abstracts of Unrecorded Wills, Vol XI, Prior to 1790, pg 171.

William married Sarah Akers in 1648 in East Hampton, Long Island, Suffolk, New York.¹ (Sarah Akers was born about 1625 in South Molton, North Devon, Devonshire, England and died in 1687.)

William next married Sarah Hedges.