THE GENEALOGY OF SENSION - ST. JOHN |
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This page is for the descendants of Matthias Sension I, born 160 4,whose descendants represent the American ST. JOHN line
St. John surname origin: EnglishCoat of Arms Blue shield with a red bar at the top two gold stars Bar = One who sets the bar of conscience, religion, and honour against angry passions and evil temptations Mullet (Star) = Divine quality from above; mark of third son, Star = (estoile or mullet) Celestial goodness; noble person Gold = Generosity and elevation of the mind Red (Gules) Warrior or martyr; Military strength and magnanimity Blue (Azure) Truth and loyalty Crest: A falcon Falcon = One who does not rest until objective is achieved Motto: Data fata secutus
Motto Translated: "Following my destiny"
Sension surname origin: unknown |
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| ST. JOHN DNA PROJECT - ONGOING |
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The History of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, where Thomas & Mark Sension were baptized - sons of Matthias & Mary Sension. In the year 1666 the old church was destroyed in the Great London Fire, but was rebuilt 1671-1681. "The name Cole Abbey is generally thought to be a
corruption of “Cold Harbour”, a medieval type of lodging house
for travelers which most likely was located close to the church. In
the Victorian era it was sometimes called St Nicholas Cole Hole Abbey
because the smoke from steam engines in the newly built
underground came through a vent and blackened the building. Dedicated
to St Nicholas, the fourth century Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor who
became the patron saint of travelers and seamen, St Nicholas Cole
Abbey is first mentioned in a letter of Pope Lucius II in 1144 and is
considered to have been founded in that year . From the late 13th
century the church is recorded as St Nicholas-behind-Fish Street and is
clearly associated with the fish trade. A fish market existed in this
part of London well before Billingsgate Market was founded; with the
development of the fish trade during the reign of Richard I, a fish
market was established near the church and fishmongers in the 16th
century were buried in the church’s burial ground. During the reign of
Elizabeth I, a lead and stone cistern fed by lead pipes from the Thames
was set up against the north wall of the church; it was donated by a
wealthy fishmonger who gave £900 “to bring Thames water (…) for
the care and commodity of the fishmongers in and about Old Fish Street.”
Until the Reformation the church had three chantries served by three
chantry priests, and, as it was dedicated to St Nicholas, it preserved
the tradition of a boy bishop officiating on the Feast of St Nicholas.
With the reintroduction of Catholicism in England under Mary, following
the reign of Edward VI, St Nicholas Cole Abbey was the first church in
which the Mass was celebrated in Latin once again with a cross s and candles on the altar. A century later, however, the church passed into
the patronage of the Puritan Colonel Hacker who commanded the guard at
the execution of Charles I. A devastating event in the life of St
Nicholas Cole Abbey was the Great Fire of London in 1666 when it was
burned down." Source: http://www.culham.ac.uk/coleabbey/assets/pdf/
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No one really knows how long the ancestors of the Sension family lived
in England before coming to America. Matthias Sension and his wife,
Mary Tinker Sension, left London from the vicinity of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey,
and came to New England sometime
between June 10, 1633 and September 3, 1634. Records show that this
family was still living in London on June 10, 1633, this from baptismal
entries for their son, Marke, at St. Nicholas Cole Abbey. Matthias
Sension was made a Freeman on September 3, 1634 at Dorchester,
Massachusetts, and we would like to imagine that Mary Sension did not
set sail until she and the baby was making healthy progress after his
birth.
There are stories that say the Sension family, before residing in
England, came from France. Perhaps they were Huguenots, but no records
have been found to support that theory as I know of currently. A great
many French protestants [Huguenots, starting about 1550] fled to
England as they were being persecuted in France. J.P. Brooke-Little
remarked that, "St. John is a very common parish name in France, and
would probably sound like Sension." It is quite possible that the
Sension name originated in France, as there is at least one record of a
similar name being linked to France:
"John Senjohn under the command of General Disbrowe and in his own troop having obtained leave from the said General to go into France my own native country having been absent from thence this 15 years, now considering that my urgent occasions doth require my presence there for a certaine tymes and from thence by God's will to returne into England..." Various bequests were made to friends. No family connections were mentioned. Dated 7 April 1654, probated 29 March 1660." |
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| Matthias I & Mary } Matthias II, Mark, Thomas, Samuel, James, and Mercy Sension Matthias SENSION, as the American St. John family name was originally spelled, and his wife, Mary Tinker, came
to New England before Sepember 1634, but after June 10, 1633. They settled first at Dorchester,
Massachuetts. Matthias was made a freeman there on September 3, 1634. They soon after, removed to Windsor, Connecticut in about
1640, and then to Wethersfield, CT around 1648. In 1654 they moved to
Norwalk, CT where his will was made on 19 October 1669 - recorded on 10 March 1669.
The will mentions his wife, but does not name her.
The Will of 1623 of Robert Tinker, father of Mary Tinker Sension, and her sister Ellen, states that they were to share the legacy of a house in Winkfield, Berkshire, England, following their mother's death or remarriage. Matthias and Mary (Tinker) Sension resided in the parish of St. Nicholas Cole Abbey, London, where he was a chandler. They immigrated to New England, and were living at Dorchester by 3 Sept. 1634 when he was made a freeman of the Massachuetts Bay Colony. On 4 Jan 1635/6, the Town of Dorchester granted Matthias Sension a "great lot" of 20 acres "betwixt Roxbury and Dorchester at the great hill." On 16 Jan 1636/7, the Town ordered Matthias Sension and Thomas Sampford to "keepe the Cowes this yeere" and to "have for their pay in keepeing 5 shill[ings] the head." Some time in or before 1637, "Mr. Sention" was granted 2 acres of meadow land "beeyond the Naponset river." On March 18, 1637/8, called Matthew Sension, he received 3 acres in the neck and 2 acres of cow pasture. Shortly before 23 April 1638, Matthias sold his house in Dorchester to Mr. Henry Withington, and on that date, the Town ordered that Withington should have the swamp above and the swamp beneath adjoining the said house "that was Mr. Sensions." Withington also acquired Sension's three acres at the neck. Soon afterwards, Matthias and his family moved to Windsor, CT, where he resided on a one-acre home lot inside the Palisado, bounded by the burying place and the lands of Thomas Parsons and William Hill. He also owned a 6 acre home lot outside the Palisado, a 2 1/2 acre meadow tract, 3 1/4 acres in the great meadow , a 4-acre tract in Hoyt's meadow, 24 acres in the woods near Rocky Hill, and another tract on the east side of the Connecticut River. By 1648, Matthias Sension sold his land holdings in Windsor to Walter Gaylord and removed to Wethersfield, where he had a house lot at the extreme north part of the Commons (by the present Cove). He is doubtless "Sentyon the baker" of Wethersfield who owed an unspecified amount to the estate of Isaac Grosse of Boston in 1649. In about 1654, the Sension family moved once again, to Norwalk, CT, where Matthias Sension died January 1670, when his inventory was taken. He left a will dated 10 Oct. 1669, naming his youngest son, James, and "my wife his mother", sons Samuel Sention and Ephraim Lockwood, and leaving the residue of his estate to son Matthias (a double portion), and sons Mark, Samuel and Ephraim Sention. Source: For more information, see Jacobus, Old Fairfield, and the St. John genealogy. |
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| GENERATION ONE - GENERATION TWO - GENERATION THREE - GENERATION FOUR - GENERATION FIVE - GENERATION SIX Click on these links to view the first six generations of Sension - St. John's in America |
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| King James and the Tinker Our Robert Tinker? doubtful, but interesting
Robert Tinker b: @ 1565 in New Windsor,
(now Windsor Castle), Berkshire, England. Died 02 Jun 1624 at New
Windsor, Berkshire, England. At the time of his death, Robtert Tinker owned
property in Clewer, Winkfield, Berkshire, Burnham, Buckinghamshire,
Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, and New Windsor. Married first to Agnes Anne Berrington b: 10 Oct 1568 in
Datchet, Buckinghamshire, England. Father: Thomas Berrington, Mother:
Dorothy Mathew. Married second, Mary Merwin b: 1575 in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England. Father: Thomas Merwin.
Matthias Sension's wife was Mary Tinker, a daughter of Robert Tinker and second wife, Mary Merwin. Mary Tinker was baptized 6 August 1606 at the parish of New Windsor, in the town of Windsor, Berkshire. She married Matthias Sention on 1 November 1627. Their first child, Matthias II, was baptized there on 30 November 1628. |
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Descendants of Matthias I (Sension) St. John - 3 generations
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Note: there is no evidence to suggest that the Sension bloodline connects with Oliver, or any other St. John of England.
Genealogical Gleanings in EnglandGenealogical Gleanings in England by Henry Waters 1907.
Oliver St. John of Bleishoe in the County of Bedford, gen. 13 march, 1625, proved 1 May 1626. To wife Alice (certain household stuff) and the desk in the chamber where she and I do usually lie, being over the kitchen, wherein many writings are, both of indentures and other things (the great trunk which was my first wife’s and the painted clothes only excepted). Certain bedding in the chamber where my mother did ly while she lived, called now my son Oliver’s chamber. Certain silver whereon her name and mine is set, or letters for the same, being bought by my brother (in-law), Mr. Robert Haselden. Furniture in house in Camoyes wherein Edward Clarke now dwelleth which I bought of Mr. Thomas Ansell when I purchased the said house and ground of him. She to have the use of those things during her life and to leave them in good order and repair to my son Oliver. To Dorothy Westland, my daughter, my great white silver beaker. To my daughter Judith two hundred pounds, one hundred in six months next after my decease and the other hundred at the day of her marriage or at the age of six and twenty years, also my lesser white silver beaker. To my daughter Elizabeth one hundred pounds, in two years after my decease, and four years parcel of my term of years which I have yet to come in my farm at Ripton which I hold of the Right Hon. the Earl of Bollingbrook; the lease to be kept by my loving brother in law Mr. Peter Bulkley, her uncle, one of my overseers. And I do further give unto the said Elizabeth St. John, my daughter, a little silver tun which we usually use which was her own mother’s. I do give unto Mary and Anne my two daughters, to either of them three score and six pounds, thirteen shillings and four pence in eighteen months after my decease, to be paid into the hands of my loving father in law Mr. Thomas Alleyne of Gouldington, my brother Mr. William Haselden and my good and loving wife their mother; which hundred marks apiece is in consideration of one hundred pounds which I received from my said brother William Haselden as part of the increase of one hundred pounds by him employed to my use in the East India adventure. Other gifts to them at eighteen or days of marriage. Certain real estate to son John St. John. And my executors are to pay unto my said wife (natural mother unto the said John) five marks yearly towards his education. To son Edward an hundred and three score pounds, three score to be paid unto him at the time of his coming out of his apprenticeship and the other hundred two years later. To my sister Frances Weales, to make her a ring, thirteen shillings four pence. To my mother in law Mrs. Mary Alleyn a double ‘duckett’. Gifts to brothers Mr. Robert Haselden and Mr. William Haselden. I do give to my loving brother Mr. Peter Bulkley my black mourning cloak which he hath at his house and thirteen shillings four pence in money to make him a ring. My loving friend Mr. Thomas Dillingham. The poor of Heyshoe and of Blettsoe. The poor of Over and Lower Deane. My eldest son Oliver St. John to be sole executor. And I do humbly desire the Right Hon., my Honorable Lord the Earl of Bollingbrook, together with my kind and loving friends Mr. Thomas Alleyn of Gouldington my wife’s father in law, Mr. Peter Bulkley, Mr. William Haselden and my loving nephew Mr. Samuel Browne to be my overseers. Wit: Peter Bulkeley, Judith St. John, Elizabeth St. John, Lawrence Mathewe. |
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| "[Oliver II] St John was probably born about 1598. His father was Oliver
St John of Cayshoe in Bedfordshire; his mother Sarah Buckley from
the same county. Almost nothing is known of the elder St John,
but if rumours are to be believed then he was probably the bastard
son of either the second or third Earl of Bedford. This was claimed
by both the mother of St John's first wife, and the author of
The Good Old Cause. The Russell family was related to the
St John's of Bletso in Bedfordshire. Francis Russell, the second
Earl of Bedford married Margaret daughter of Sir John St John,
and thus he became the cousin of the Oliver St John who was created
Bletso in 1559. Supposedly, the Oliver that was the father of
the subject of this article was the grandson of the first Baron
St John of Bletso through the latter's son Thomas, but, as he
was probably an illegitimate Russell, undoubtedly some arrangement
was made with the Baron for Thomas to raise the young boy. The
St Johns had been an important family in Bedfordshire since the
early fifteenth century but because our Oliver's father was not
really a descendant he had little to do with this family during
his lifetime. Throughout most of his early life St John remained
much closer to Francis Russell, the fourth Earl of Bedford (1593-1641),
whom he probably knew as a boy." Source: Oliver St. John: the 'dark lanthorn' of the Commonwealth |
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Looking at the various was to spell Senchon, Sension, Sention, or even Senjohn, this surname could have French Origins
Saint-Jean with French OriginsSource: http://houseofnames.com Coat of Arms: A blue shield with a bell held by two gold lions combatant. Crest: Description not available Origin: French First found in Languedoc, where the family was seated since ancient times. Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Peter Gustavus Saint Jean settled in Philadelphia in 1848; Jean Antoine Jean settled in Louisiana in 1752; Pierre Armin Jean settled in Philadelphia in 1753.Most surnames have experienced slight spelling changes. A son may not chose to spell his name the same way that his father did. Many were errors, many deliberate. During the early development of the French language, a person usually gave his version, phonetically, to a scribe, a priest, or a recorder. Prefixes or suffixes varied. They were optional as they passed through the centuries, or were adopted by different branches to signify either a political or religious adherence. Hence, there a many spelling variations of the name Jean, including Saint Jean, Jean, Geon, Jeans, Jeane, Geans, Gen, Le Jean, Des Jeans, De La Geon, Saint-Jon, Saint-Geans and many more. First found in Languedoc, where the family was seated since ancient times. |
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Henry St. John
Born: October 1608 at Battersea, Surrey Viscount Bolingbroke Died: December 1751 at Battersea, Surrey |
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| The tarnished legacy of Nicholas
Sension St. John SENSION, Nicholas, Windsor, CT. He came from England in company with Joseph Alsoppe in a vessel called the 'Elizabeth and Ann', and was an early settler in Windsor. Other spellings noted are Senchion and St. John.
The most famous sodomy case in New England was that of Nicholas Sension
of Windsor, Connecticut. In 1677, Daniel Saxton, a citizen of Windsor,
Connecticut, charged Nicholas Sension with sodomy. Saxton was a
neighbor and
former employee of Sension. It was not until he was released from
his position at the Sension household that Saxton came forth with the
charge
against his former employer. Although he denied that coupling with
Sension, Saxton did bear witness to the fact that Sension had committed
sodomy with another servant, Nathaniel Pond.
whipped, forced to stand in public with a noose around his neck, and briefly imprisoned.Nicholas
Sension was able to live within the community with only being
reprimanded twice in nearly forty years before being tried for sodomy.Sension had moved to Windsor, Connecticut in 1640. In Windsor, Sension became a prosperous merchant and farmer. He married a local woman in 1645, and was soon recognized as a prominent member of the Windsor community. For three decades, Nicholas Sension lived what appeared to be a normal life, according to Puritan standards. However, while all seemed normal on the surface, something was amiss in the Nicholas Sension household. Thirty years before he was tried for sodomy, Sension had been approached by the town elders. On this occasion, in the late 1640s, William Phelps had contacted a Horskins in regards to Sension. Phelps was concerned about the fact that Sension had been making sexual advances towards his younger brothers, Samuel and Nathaniel Horskins It came to light in the 1677 trial that this matter was dealt with in private at the house of Henry Clark. Horskins and Clark, both representatives of Windsor to the General Court, confronted Sension. Sension explained that he had acquired his “sodomitical” ways while at school and promised to control himself. Believing that Sension was sincere and felt remorse, the matter was then dropped. Since Saxton had not engaged in sexual activity with Sension, the court pursued the question of Sension’s relationship with Nathaniel Pond. A difficulty for the prosecution was the fact that Pond was killed two years earlier in Metacom’s War, and therefore the only witness, other than Sension, was dead. Another difficulty for the prosecution was the fact that as the trial progressed it began to center on whether the act of sodomy had actually occurred. During the course of the trial, several young men came forward to testify about Sension’s sexual tastes and practices.Nicholas was only convicted of attempted sodomy. He was
MY QUESTION IS THIS:
Why is it that the Church saw fit to hang WOMEN for having premonition dreams and declared a witch deserving of hanging; while male sodomists only got a whipping? ANSWER: Because most of the Church fathers were also molestors and sodomists themselves - by now you recognize that age-old pattern of church fathers. |
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MORE TO COME - THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION
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