John Mulford

  General Notes:

"According to some authorities, the Mulford family of East Hampton originated in the village of South Molton, Devonshire, England, where the name is also spelled Molford. Others are equally positive that the two brothers John and William Mulford who were among the first settlers here, were the sons of Thomas and Sarah Southcott Mulford of Maidstone in Kent. At a recent date there were Mulfords still living in both localities. The name of Mulford is found in every State in the Union. Probably not all of these are descended from the first settlers of East Hampton, though many young Mulfords left East Hampton in the 18th century and settled in different parts of New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, and their descendants scattered from there.
The two brothers came to Southampton, Long Island in 1643 from Salem Mass. According to p. 29, Vol. 1 of the Southampton Town Records, John Mulford was granted two acres of land there on May 28, 1643 and on p. 55 it is recorded he sold his house in Southampton on Feb. 8, 1648, and in that or the following year was one of the nine persons who settled East Hampton; his younger brother William soon following him there. The name of John Mulford appears many times in the council minutes of Connecticut, of which Colony eastern Long Island became a part. He was commissioned a Judge in 1674. In Town affairs, keeping peace with the Indians, and representing the eastern towns in Hartford, and afterward in New York, he was prominent until his death in 1686.
When the eastern end of Long Island was first settled, a patent on certain lands was issued to the colonists direct by the reigning King of England; and under that charter the colonists instituted a government; the first Republic on American soil, it might be called. The chief magistrate was constituted the common court. A second court was constituted by a jury of twelve freeholders, and a third, the highest judiciary, was a general court, presided over by the magistrate, but in which the whole body of freeholders was constituted a jury. From 1650 to 1654, the name of John Mulford, and his only, appears as chief magistrate of this little republic, which had full treaty power with the Indians.
A small book of great charm and humor has been written by a Mulford, and largely about the Mulfords: "An East Hampton Childhood," told by Mary Esther Mulford Miller [ E.H. Star Press, 1938; 44 pages; illustrated ]. It has for a cover Childe Hassam's etching: "The Heart of East Hampton" showing the John Henry Mulford house [ now owned by the E. H. Historical Society ], the roof of "Home, Sweet Home," the old mill, and the tower of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in the background. Commenting on the character family, Mrs. Miller said: "Once a Mulford, always a Mulford, the family saying goes. the women may marry but they stay Mulfords to the third and fourth generation, and the wives of the Mulford men, whatever their background, are soon absorbed by the Mulford clan---although my mother always said it was rather difficult to change a Hedges"."


" EAST HAMPTON HISTORY "
by
JEANNETTE EDWARDS RATTRAY 1953

[ Several people in East Hampton came from Maidstone in Kent ]



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Judge John Mulford's first wife's name is unknown. His second wife was Mrs. Friedeswiede Osborn, widow of William Osborn of Salem, Mass. Sons, both by 1st wife

  Noted events in his life were:

• Elected: Commissioner of the Towns of Easthampton, Southampton and Southold.

• Elected: Magistrate of Easthampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts, 12 May 1664.

John married John Mulford about 1640 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts.

John next married Friedeswiede Osborn.