Research Project: Possible Roger1s

Conrad W. Terrill and Nancy Tyrrel Theodore
started 23 Mar. 2010, last updated 24 Apr. 2012

Our Roger1 Terrill came to New England in the 1630s (we think) from England (we think). We know that he married Abigail Ufford, around 1640 give or take about two years (we think); and we believe Abigail was born around 1621, although we have no hard evidence. We also know that our Roger1 died about 1681, very likely in Milford, Connecticut Colony. But when was he born? Who were his parents? And where exactly did he come from? DOR-Terrill is attacking this problem from several fronts. This particular project is aimed at finding all the Roger Terrill possibilities in England (and elsewhere), examining them, and perhaps eliminating some with a little research. Or perhaps we'll get lucky and find a Roger Terrill with connections which tie in with what we already know. We're already lucky that our immigrant ancestor had a somewhat unusual name. Still, there seem to have been a substantial number of Roger Terrills around in the early 1600s. We're also examining Roger Terrills from the late 1500s since they might have had sons or grandsons named Roger. We welcome input from any DOR-Terrill members who have anything to add. If you know of some record of a Roger Terrill of the early 1600s or late 1500s in England or elsewhere, other than those listed below, we hope you bring it to our attention (contact Conrad Terrill). If you can add to what we have in any way, we'll appreciate the help. By the way, if you're thinking of printing out this article, keep in mind that it will be changing from time to time.

And bear in mind that even though one of our "Possible Roger1s" might seem to be a much more likely candidate than all the others, that doesn't mean that he's the one, by process of elimination. It's very likely that there were other Roger Terrills around in the early 1600s, of whom we yet know nothing. Our search is ongoing, and systematic.

Roger Tirrell, christened 14 Apr. 1605, St Giles Cripplegate, London, son of John Tirrell, shoemaker. This Roger Tirrell would have been 35 in 1640, which is about when we think our Roger1 married Abigail Ufford; and he would have been 76 in 1681, which is about when our Roger1 died. He certainly could have been our Roger1; however, we suspect our Roger1 was actually born about ten years later than 1605. We know a good deal about this Roger Tirrel's family. We think his father (John) was christened at St. Giles Cripplegate in 1580, and was the son of Nicholas Tyrrell, a merchant taylor in London. We know that Nicholas died in May of 1610, and that his wife's name was Anne at that time. Anne may have been John's mother, but we don't know that for sure. The family surname in the records we've found was spelled "Tyrrell," "Tirrell," "Terell," "Terrill," and even "Tyrrey," which appears to be a mistake. We don't know John's wife's name, but we imagine they married around 1598, and not at St Giles Cripplegate. Daughter Helie was christened in July of 1599, son Marke was christened in October of 1602, and son Roger in April of 1605. Marke was buried in December of 1611, probably a victim of a plague. We know nothing more about Helie, but we know that John Terrill, shoemaker, was buried at St Giles Cripplegate in December of 1636, another month which seems to have claimed many plague victims. Since our Roger1 first shows up in New England records in 1639, it could be that he left England soon after his father died. And we do know that our Roger1 named his first son John. It may also be significant that St Giles Cripplegate was not far (1/4 mile north) from St Stephen Coleman Street, a Puritan stronghold parish in the early 17th C. John Davenport preached there in 1624-25, and his successor, John Goodwin, also a prominent Puritan, preached there until ejected in 1645. It was this John Davenport who obtained a patent for a colony in Massachusetts, and sailed with much of his Holland congregation to Boston in 1637, soon to co-found New Haven Colony with Theophilus Eaton. All of this is not enough to certify that this Roger was our Roger1, but it is enough to compell us to search for additional records. Click here to see our latest full report ...

Roger Terrell, witness to 1636 Surrey will. We don't know anything more about this particular Roger Terrell, but the Surrey connection is interesting (see "Roger Terrill of Surrey — A Monumental Record?" on our Research page), as is the timing, since we think our Roger1 may have arrived in New Haven Colony just the next year. In case you are not aware how unimportant proper spelling was at that time, note the number of ways the name of Cicely (John Bythewood's wife) is spelled in a single document (six different ways in seven mentions). By the way, if you were to look into Bythewoods in Surrey prior to 1605 you would find that the name was once spelled "By-the-wood." Click here to read more …

Roger Tirrell, bapt. 19 Nov. 1592, Petersfield, county Southampton (now Hampshire), son of Roger. In 1640 this Roger Tirrell would have been 47, and in 1681 he would have been 88, so he seems to have been born too early for our Roger1. Still, it's not impossible. We've learned a great deal about him, particularly after we noticed he had a son named Roger, bapt. 1620, who appeared to be a very good possibility for our Roger1 until we learned that he died in 1625. Roger bapt. 1592 was apprenticed to a London vintner in 1609, became a citizen and vintner of London himself in 1616, upon being made free, and in 1618 married Ellen (Calverley) Lawton, a widow with four young children. We believe that, upon marrying Ellen, Roger took over her recently deceased husband's haberdashery in London. Roger and Ellen had five more children of their own, and moved from St Magnus The Martyr parish to St Mary Whitechapel in late 1623 or 1624. Five children, two Lawtons and three Tirrells, fell victim to the great plague in London in the summer of 1625. The family appears to have been still living in London in 1627, when a sixth child died, but that's the last we know of them. It's hard to believe that this Roger Tirrell could have gone to New England around 1639 and started a new family there. Our research reports on this Roger Tirrell, his family and his ancestry are the following:

Roger Tirrell, bapt. Nov. 1592, Petersfield, Southampton, son of Roger, 22 Apr. 2010

Roger Tirrell, bapt. 9 Nov. 1620, St Magnus The Martyr, London, 9 Nov. 2010

Roger Tirrell bapt. 1620—the final chapter, 23 Apr. 2012

The Banks reference to Roger Terrill of Wapping and Copthall, 1621, 29 Apr. 2009

Roger Terrell in the 1624/5 Ossulstone hundred subsidy roll, 26 Jul. 2011

Mayor Roger Tirrell of Petersfield, Southampton, 26 Jun. 2011 (his father)

Roger Tirrell, baptized 9 Nov. 1620, St Magnus The Martyr, London. This Roger Tirrell was a promising prospect from November of 2010 to April of 2012. However, there was always a cloud hanging over this theory, since either this Roger or his father (Roger Tirrell bapt. 1592) died of the plague in July of 1625, and we did not know which of the two it was. We finally learned that it was Roger Jr. who died. See "Roger Tirrell, bapt. 19 Nov. 1592, Petersfield, ...," above for articles covering all our research on this prospect.

Roger Terrill, Wapping and Copthall, County Middlesex, P.R.O. Subsidy 142/279 18 Jae. I (1621). This "record,"(the citation should actually have been P.R.O. Subsidy 142/284 (1624/5)), publicized posthumously for Charles E. Banks around 1937 in his Topographical Dictionary of English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650, is the source of a great deal of confusion. This Roger Terrill was the Roger Tirrell b. 1592 in Petersfield (see above). There is absolutely no reason to believe that our Roger1 was born in Stepney/Wapping. Our two articles concerning this record are:

The Banks reference to Roger Terrill of Wapping and Copthall, 1621, 29 Apr. 2009

Roger Terrell in the 1624/5 Ossulstone hundred subsidy roll, 26 Jul. 2011

Was there a Roger Terrell, son of Robert & Jane (Baldwin) Terrell of Reading, Berkshire? No, there was not. The registers of St Giles (Anglican) Parish in Reading, Berkshire, contain baptism records for a number of children, presumably all, of Robert Terrell, who married Jane Baldwin on 29 June 1617 at this parish church. The baptism records include:

John Terrall, son of Robert, chr. 25 Jun. 1618.
Robt Tyrell, son of Robt, chr. 14 Nov. 1619.
Marie Tyrroll, dau. of Robt, chr. 2 Oct. 1621.
Margret Tyroll, dau. of Robt, chr. 7 Aug. 1623.
Richmond Tyroll, son of Robt, chr. 17 Oct. 1624.
Joane Tyroll, dau. of Robt, chr. 5 Apr. 1626, d. 15 Apr. 1626.
Charles Tyroll, son of Robt, chr. 9 Nov. 1627, d. 28 Oct. 1629.
Wm Terrall, son of Robt, chr. 22 Jun. 1629.
Tymothie Tyroll, son of Robt, chr. 24 Jan. 1631.

John M. Tyrrill, Chairman of the Tyrrell Family History Society (England), wrote an article called "The American Connection—Part 2," for the Society's Newsletter in March 1996 (vol. 19, no. 1), in which he argued convincingly that Robert Terrell was a son of William and Elizabeth Terrell, of West Hagbourne, Berkshire, and not of Sir William Terrell and Margaret Richmond, as had been generally believed up til then. In this article Tyrrill mentioned that the legatees in the will of Robert Tirroll, of Reading, clothier, dated 1643, were his wife, Jane, his sons, Robert, Richmond, William, Timothy, and John, and his daughters Marie and Margaret. This list matches what would be expected based on the baptism records. There is absolutely no reason to believe that Robert and Jane had a son named Roger.

Other Roger Terrills yet to be examined

Roger Turroll m. Baylie, 2 Feb. 1635, Frostenden, Suffolk, batch M012511, book 942.64 F3 V26F.

Roger Terrell m. Jane Fuller, 9 Feb. 1605, Thornham Magna, Suffolk, batch 8819780, film 1553227.

Roger Terrall m. Johanne Jenner 21 Apr 1601, Cuckfield, Sussex

Roger Teroll m. 21 Dec 1609 Alice Thornden, Cuckfield, Sussex