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Personal data Rev James Fitch 

• He was born Ehristmas Eve 1622 in Bocking, Essex Co., Eng..
• He was christened Christmas Eve 1622 in Bocking, Essex Co., Eng. (St. Mary The Virgin's Chr.).
• (note1) .Source 1

  Sources: Kari Lee, Cherie Ailene Morgan, Faith Wood, Mark Mayo, Lavern White Morton, et al.

• He died on November 18, 1702 in Lebanon, New London Co., CT, he was 80 years old.
• He is buried on November 20, 1702 in Lebanon, New London Co., CT (Old Cem.).
• This information was last updated on July 14, 2023.

Household of Rev James Fitch

He is married to Abigail Whitfield.

They got married on October 18, 1648 at Guilford, New Haven Co., CT, he was 26 years old.

Child(ren):

1. Abigail Fitch  1650-1687

Notes about Rev James Fitch

James Fitch

Sources: Author: Lee, Kari; Morgan, Cherie Ailene; Wood, Faith; Mayo, Mark; Morton, Lavern White; et al.; Title: "Rev. James Fitch," (Publication site: Salt Lk. City UT, Publisher: Family Search, Publication date: xxxi May MMXXIII)

https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/MQ1R-MMR

"... Rev. James Fitch ... Last Changed: May 22, 2023 Kari Lee Sex Male Last Changed: June 7, 2012 ...

Birth 24 December 1622 Bocking, Essex, England, ... Reason: find a grave in Lebonon, New London, Connecticut, United States. Memorial # 10842545 Last Changed: May 11, 2023 Lavern White Morton

Christening 24 December 1622 St Mary The Virgin's Church, Bocking, Essex, England, ... Last Changed: May 11, 2023 Lavern White Morton

Death 18 November 1702 Lebanon, New Haven, Connecticut ... Last Changed: October 2, 2020 Cherie Ailene Morgan

Burial 20 November 1702 Old Cemetery, Lebanon, New London, Connecticut ... Last Changed: May 11, 2023 Lavern White Morton
...
Immigration 1638
Occupation 1646 Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, Connecticut Minister
Occupation Received Theological Training In Hartford Under Rev Thomas Hooker
Occupation Reverend

Founder Lebanon, New London, Connecticut ...
...
Spouses & Children

Rev. James Fitch Male 1622-1702
Abigail Whitfield Female 1622-1659
Marriage 18 October 1648 Guilford, New Haven, Connecticut ...

Children (6)

[1] Major James Fitch Jr. Male 1647-1727
[2] Abigail Fitch Female 1650-1687
[3] Elizabeth Fitch Female 1651-1689
[4] Hannah Fitch Female 1653-1702
[5] Samuel Fitch Male 1655-1725
[6] Dorothy Fitch Female 1658-1691

Rev. James Fitch Male 1622-1702
Priscilla Mason Female 1641-1715
Marriage 2 October 1664 Norwich, New London, ... Connecticut, ...

Children (8)

[1] Daniel Fitch Male 1665-1711
[2] John Fitch Male 1667-1743
[3] Jeremiah Randall Fitch Male 1670-1736
[4] Rev. Jabez Fitch Male 1672-1746
[5] Anne Fitch Female 1675-1715
[6] Joseph Fitch Male 1681-1741
[7] Nathaniel Fitch Male 1682-1759
[8] Eleazer Fitch Male 1683-1748

Parents & Siblings

Thomas Fitch Male 1590-1632
Anna Stacie Reeves Female 1590-1686
Marriage 8 August 1611 Bocking, Essex, England

Children (10)

[1] Thomas Fitch Male 1612-1704
[2] Elizabeth Fitch Female 1614-1615
[3] Zachary Fitch Male 1617-1647
[4] John Fitch Male 1621-1676
[5] Rev. James Fitch Male 1622-1702
[6] Nathaniel Fitch Male 1623-1648
[7] Jeremy Fitch Male 1625-1649
[8] Samuel Fitch Male 1626-1659
[9] Joseph Fitch Male 1627-1727
[10] Anna Fitch Female 1630-1704

Rev. James Fitch
Posted on July 24, 2010 by markeminer
Rev. James FITCH (1622 – 1702) He helped found the towns of Saybrook, Norwich and Lebanon Connecticut and was instrumental in getting Sachem Uncas and the Mohegans, and also the Pequot Indians, to side with the English against King Philip's the Narragansett tribes in King Philip's War.

Hawkeye and Uncas discuss whether to attack the British from the movie the Last of the Mohegans

Rev. James Fitch was born 24 Dec 1622 in Bocking, Essex, England. His parents were Thomas FITCH and Anne REEVES. His brother Capt. John FITCH was also our ancestor through the Shaw line. He came to America in 1638 and was the first minister at Norwich. He was ordained as the minister of Saybrook in 1646. He first married Abigail Whitfield on 18 Oct 1648 in Guilford, CT. James and Abigail were, according to legend at least, married by her father in the north end of the living room of the Gilford Stone House on 1 October 1648. This seems unlikely however because the 17th Century congregational church, marriage was not a sacrament, and marriages were generally performed by civil authorities rather than clergy. The marriage was recorded "after the fact" in the Norwich, Connecticut vital records. After Abigail died, he married Priscilla MASON on 2 Oct 1664 in Norwich, CT. James died 18 Nov 1702 in Lebanon, CT.

Rev. James Fitch Headstone in Latin – Old Cemetery Lebanon, New London, Connecticut Source: Findagrave.com
Grave inscription in Latin reportedly written by James' son Jabez. "In Hoc Sepulcro Depositae Sunt Reliquiae Viri Vere Reverendi D: Jacobi Fitch: Natus Fuit Apud Bocking in Comitatu Essexlae in Anglia, Anno Domino 1622 Decembr 24 Qui Post-Quam Linguis Literatis Optime Instructus Fuisset In Novangliam Venit Aetat. 16 Et Deinde Vitam Degit Harteordlae Per Sepennium Sub Institutione Virorum Ceeeberimorum D: Hooker Et D: Stone Postea Mtnere Passorali Functus Est Apud Saybrook Per Annos 14 Illinc Cum Ecckesiae Maiori Parte Norvicum Migravit Et Ibi Ceteros Vitae Annos Transegit In Opere Evangelico In Senectute Vero Prae Corporis Infirmitate Necessario Cessabat Ab Opere Publico : Tandemque Recessit Liberis Apud Lebanon Ubi Semianno Fere Exacto Obdormivit In Iesu Anno 1702 Novebr 18 Etat 80 Vir, Ingenii Acumine, Pondere Judicii, Prudentia Charitate, Sanctis Laboribus, Et Omnimoda Vitae Sanctitate Peritiaquoque Et Vi Concionandi Nulli Secundus."

Translated "In this grave are deposited the remains of that truley reverend man, Mr. James Fitch. He was born in Bocking, in the County of Essex, in England, the 24th day of December, in the year of our Lord 1622; who after he had been most excellently taught the learned languages came into New England at the age of sixteen, and then spent seven years under the instructions of those very famous men, Mr. Hooker and Mr. Stone. Afterwards he discharged the pastoral office fourteen years at Saybrook. Thence he removed with the major part of his Church to Norwich, where he spent the other years of his life in the work of the gospel.

In his old age indeed he was obliged to cease from his public labors by reason of bodily indisposition and at length retired to his children at Lebanon, where after spending nearly half a year, he slept in Jesus in the year 1702, on the 18th day of November, in the 80th year of his age. He was a man as to the smartness of his genius, the solidity of his judgement, his charity, holy labors, and every kind of purity of life, and also as to his skill and energy of preaching, inferior to none."

Rev. James Fitch Footstone Old Cemetery Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut Source: Findagrave.com
Abigail Whitfield was born 1 Sep 1622 in Ockley, Surry, England. Her parents were Rev. Henry Whitfield and Dorothy Sheaffe. Abigail died 9 Sep 1659 in Saybrook, CT.

Priscilla Mason was born in Oct 1641 in Windsor, CT. Her husband was almost twenty years older than she was. The gap bewtween the oldest and youngest child was 34 years. Her parents were Maj. John MASON and Ann PECK. Priscilla died in 1714 in Norwich, CT.

From "Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600 - 1889, vol II":
FITCH, JAMES, clergyman, b. in Bocking, Essex, England, 24 Dec 1622; d. in Lebanon, CT, 18 Nov 1702. He came to New England in 1638 and supplemented his previous excellent classical education by seven years of study under Hooker and Stone. He was pastor at Saybrook in 1646 - 1660, and was afterward installed as the first minister of Norwich. He preached to the Mohegans in their own language, induced them to cultivate land, and gave them some of his own. He published "Firsts Principles of the Doctrine of Christ" (Boston 1679), and several sermons.

Puritan Minister and a founding settler of Norwich and Lebanon, Connecticut. James Fitch was born in Bocking, Essex the son of Thomas Fitch and his wife, the former Anne Reeve. He was intended at an early age to be a minister. Thomas Fitch died when James was 10 years of age and left him a bequest in his will providing funds so that he could study at Cambridge University. James left England in order to settle in the colony of Connecticut in New England in 1638. He completed his theological training in Connecticut under the Reverend Thomas Hooker. Fitch was ordained a minister and was the first minister at the church in Saybrook, Connecticut in 1646. Following the death of his first wife, he was among the inhabitants of Saybrook who established the town of Norwich in 1659 and he served as the first minister of that town. He actively reached out to the native people, the Mohegan tribe in particular, and conducted sermons with them in their own language. Uncas, the sachem of the Mohegan, sought to have James Fitch appointed guardian of the Mohegan following the death of Major John Mason, the father of Fitch's second wife, in 1672. Fitch was vitally important in securing the support of the Mohegan and Pequot tribes during King Philip's War, an armed conflict beginning in 1675 between indigenous inhabitants of New England, led by Metacomet, known to the English as King Philip, the Sachem of the Wampanoag tribe, and New England colonists and their indigenous allies. He is considered among the co-founders of the town of Lebanon, Connecticut, which had its origins in Norwich, the settlers desiring to expand beyond their original nine square mile land purchase from the Mohegan. Lebanon was incorporated as a town in 1700. James Fitch died in Lebanon and is buried in the Old Cemetery in that town.

Rev James Fitch Famous memorial
BIRTH 24 Dec 1622 Bocking, Braintree District, Essex, England
DEATH 18 Nov 1702 (aged 79) Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, USA
BURIAL Old Cemetery Lebanon, New London County, Connecticut, USA Show Map
Find A Grave MEMORIAL ID 10842545

Last Changed: May 31, 2023 Mark Mayo"
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