General Notes

REFN: 875AN
REFN: P875
Name:    William Hunt
Year:    1641
Place:    Massachusetts
Sour ce Publication Code:    9448
Primary Immigrant:    Hunt, William
Annotation: In the years from 1925 to 1942, Frederick A. Virkus edited sev
en volumes with the title, The Abridged Compendium of American Genealog
y, published in Chicago by the Institute of American Genealogy. Each volu
me has a section in the main body of the work, complete in
itself, entitled "Immigrant Ancestors," containing much genealogical infor
mation: vol. 1, pp. 965-997; vol. 2, pp. 38 7-421; vol. 3, pp. 645-692; vo
l. 4, pp. 727-777; vol. 5, pp. 741-793; vol. 6, pp. 749-819; vol. 7, pp. 8
25-895. The section in vol. 7 appears to be the most complete and it has b
een reprinted. Thus that 1964 reprint list is the only one appearing in n
o. 2048, Filby, Passenger and Immigration Lists Index. The Virkus work sup
plies facts on birth, ancestry, time and place of arrival on this continen
t, marriage, and death of each immigrant that it includes. A more comple
te list of immigrants to America before 1750
whose surnames begin with the letter A or the letter B through "Battle
s" is contained in the mater ial listed in item no. 9450. Source Bibliogra
phy:    VIRKUS, FREDERICK A., editor. Immigrant Ancestors: A List of 2,5
00 Immigrants to America before 1750. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing C
o., 1964. 75p. Repr. 1986.
Page:    40
IMMIGRANT, 1635
FREEMAN, 1641
MASSACHUSETTS PIONEER
ONE OF THE FIRST SETTLERS OF CONCORD, MA
BUILT HUNTS BRIDGE ACROSS THE CONCORD RIVER, ABT 1654
PROGENITOR OF THE CONCORD BRANCH OF THE HUNT FAMILY
William came to America with his wife Elizabeth in 1635 with the Peter Bul
kely Company. He was one of the first settlers of Concord in 1635 and w
as a large proprietor there. He later moved to Marlboro where he died in O
ctober 1667. His will was dated 21 Oct 1667 and proved 17 Dec 1667.
"A Saxon word Hunter, a word used in connection with the animal to mean t
he pursuit of all game. The family took its name from their prowess in t
he hunting field. Early in the reign of James I was born William Hunt, 5
th Great Grandfather of Joseph Smith, the Prophet. He was christened 27 Ja
n. 1605 into the Church of England at Halifax, Yorkshire, England, the you
ngest son of Robert and Jane Fysher HUNT." --Audentia Smith Anderson
IMMIGRATING WITH THE PETER BULKELEY COMPANY
"As the anticipation of pursuing their religious ideals free from the cro
wn intensified, a reverend, Peter Bulkley, a life long and intimate frie
nd of William and Elizabeth became a heavy investor in the enterpris
e. He was a large landowner and was willing to sacrifice his comfort and s
ecurity for his religious convictions.
The promotion of the settlement was successful as the Peter Bulkely Compa
ny sailed for America in two ships on May 12, 1635. The Hunt family were m
embers of his parish and set sail with him for a three month journey. A jo
urney in which the necessities of life were rationed such as their main st
able diet, corn mush and water... The Bulkely Company landed in Boston whe
re they stayed a month in order to obtain a grant from the government to s
tart the new settlement which afterwards they would purchase from the Indi
ans in order to acquire full title.
The General-Court at Boston granted them the incorporation of land at Musk
etaquid for a settlement. They procured a team and broke trail through t
he wilderness into the forest away from the seashore. The trail was incred
ibly rough - timber was thick and shredded their clothing and even teari
ng skin. The nights were cold and there was no place to retreat in as mu
ch as the trip was made during the fall and winter. They were not ab
le to have shoes so their feet were usually wrapped in skin.
Once they reached their destination they made crude mud dugouts in the ban
ks along the river to finish out the winter. They copied Indian wigwams th
at had a total