The Perkins Family
Written and researched by Margaret Odrowaz-Sypniewski, B.F.A.

THE SURNAME PERKINS:

The surname Perkins/Perkinson (Welsh) means the son of little Pier or son of Pierre (Smith, 393). Pierre is Peter in English (Smith, 393). The first record of the name Perkins is found in Leicestershire, England. As de Morlaix or Morley it first appeared about 400 A.D. on the census rolls of England. By the 13th century Perkins is a noble family name of antiquity.

THE PERKINS COAT OF ARMS:

fesse danchette six billets - given to John Perkins by Thomas Despencer.

Another variation is:

or., a fesse dancellon ermine between ten billets ormines four, three, two, and one.
Crest: A pineapple stalked and leaved ppr. (vert). Motto: nostra temporii operi mur.

THE DUCHY OF BRITTANY
FROM NANTES - DREUX
:

The name Dreux comes from Durocassi, the name given to the people of the Carnutes. The Druids/Durocassi were the subjects of the Carnutes. The Dreux forest once housed Druid schools, and Chartres Cathedral was of Druid origin, thus there are many pagan symbols there. The Druids were Celtic priesthood of Gaul and Britain, described by Julius Caesar. Their religion was associated with the veneration of the oak and mistletoe, belief immortality and reincarnation, and probably, human sacrifice. Chartres was the central sanctuary of the Carnutes. The Druid's temple was the woods, and they gathered there once a year in the spot where Chartres presently stands. Chartres like Mont-Saint-Michel is located on a pagan site. The Mont is where a former Mithraic temple stood. Christians often built churches and monasteries on top of ancient pagan sites. Cenabum/Genabum (now Orleans) was an important military and political center of the Carnutes. There is a road from Dreux that leads to Rouen, which made passage between these two areas easier.

HOUSE OF NANTES:

The Duchy of Brittany began with the capture of Nantes, and thus its name:

1. Their first ruler was Alan I, Wrybeard (leader of a revolt against the Norsemen). He captured Nantes in 937. He reigned from 937-952.

2. Alan's son was called Drogo (r. 952-958).

2. Drogo's brother, Hoel (r. 960-981)

2. Guerech (r. 981-988) until Guerech's son took his place after his father's death.

3. Alan II, son of Guerech, reigned from 988-990.

THE HOUSE OF RENNES:

From the House of Nantes came the House of Rennes.

1. Conan I, the Crooked (count of Rennes) was the fisrt ruler of this house. Conan ruled from 990-992.

2. Conan's son Geoffrey I then ruled from 992-1008.

3. Conan's grandson was Alan III. Alan reigned from 1008-1040.

4. Conan's great-grandson, Conan II, reigned from 1040-1066. Alan III had no male heirs, so his line went to the husband of his daughter, Hawisa.

HOUSE OF CORNOUAILLE:

1. Hawisa married Hoel, the count of Cornouaille and this line became known as the House of Cornouaille. Hoel reigned from 1066-1084.

2. Hawisa's son Alan IV reigned from 1084-1112. Alan abdicated and died in 1119.

3. Alan's son (Hawisa's grandson) reigned from 1112-1148. He was known as Conan II, the fat.

4. Again the male line ended and Bertha, daughter of Conan III, who married Eudo of Porhoet (r. 1148-1156).

5. The next in line was Conan IV, the younger. His mother was also Bertha, but his father was Alan of Richmond. He was deposed and died in 1171. Conan IV reigned from 1156-1166.

HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET:

After this the line continued with the House of Plantagenet:

1. Geoffrey II, the son of Henry II of England, marries Constance, the daughter of Conan IV. Geoffrey rules from 1166-1186.

2. Their son was Arthur I (r. 1187-1203).

3. After Arthur I came Alix, half-sister to Geoffrey, and the daughter his mother Constance and Guy of Thouars. Alix reigned from 1203-1221.

HOUSE OF DREUX:

1. Alix (above) marries Peter I Mauclerc (son of Robert II of Dreux). A Peter Mauclerc departed with Theobald IV, general and commander, with a vast number of men to join the Crusades with the earl of Cornwall, in 1240. This is what many younger sons do when their brothers are the heir, they join them military. They made a treaty with An-Nasir, ruler of Transjordan. Peter would return with the prisoners captured at Gaza (Hallam).

Peter I died in 1250. Alix is regent(from 1221-1137) to her son John I, the red.

2. John/Jean I, the red takes the throne in 1221 and reigned until 1286.

3. John/Jean II, son of John I, who also is made the duke of Brittany by Philip IV of France, in 1297. Jean II married Beatrice (1242-1275). Beatrice was the daughter of King Henry III (1207-1272). Her mother was Eleanor of Provence (1222-1291), Queen of England (1236–1272) and daughter of Raymond Berenger V, Duke of Provence (1209-1245). On the accession of her son Edward I (1272), she entered a nunnery and there lived out her life. Jean was made Duke of Brittany by Philip IV of France in 1297. The Dukes of Brittany were extinct by 1488.

4. Arthur II, son of John II. Arthur reigns from 1305-1312.

5. John III, the good, son of Arthur.

6. John, brother to John III, Count of Montfort.

7. Charles of Blois marries the niece of John III, the Good. There is a rival claimant, and the war of the Breton succession begins.

THE HOUSE OF MONTFORT:

8. John IV, the conqueror, is the son of John, Count of Montfort.

How did the name Perkins come from de Morlaix? The only record is of a Perkins Morley/de Morlaix/ de Dreaux, the Count of Brittany.

A Prince Pierre de Dreux was born in 1272 in Rennes, France, and died in 1312. Pierre was the son of Jean II (Morby).

GENERATION ONE:

Peter Morley alias Perkins was born in 1312/1324 in Morlaix, Bretagne, Normandy, France OR some say Rutland, England. married Agnes Taylor (b. 1300) in 1328. Peter died in 1385 in Shropshire, England. Peter was Sgt. to Hugh Despencer of Shipton Manor, Oxford County, England. It is not known when Pierre moved from France to England. However, the Despencers also held land in the Morlaix region of France.

Peter's father was also from Morlaix, and there was a famous battle there on September 30, 1342. The name "de Morlaix" became "de Morley," and then "Morley."

GENERATION TWO:

Henry Pierrekin (first son of Pierre) or Pierkyn (later on) (son of Peter) was born in 1340/1350, in Scropshire, England. Henry died in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. In this case, again, Perkins means "son of Pierre." He was born in the reign of Edward III (1312-1377). Edward took the throne in 1327. There is no records available in regards to the siblings of Henry.

This branch of the Perkins family can be found in the 1327 Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk (Edmund) and Worchestershire (Walter). Other branches of the family can be found in the southern Midlands and Wales, following the DeSpencers.

GENERATION THREE:

John Perkins/Perkyns (son of Henry) was born in 1360 in Madresfield, Worcestershire, England. John died January 5, 1400 (at age 39), at Ufton Robert, the manor, originally belonged to King Richard II (1377-1399). Richard was also known as Richard of Bordeaux (in France). The lands were held by those who pledged allegiance to the King. John was the first to receive a coat of arms from the Despencer family. Their motto was "We were born at an opportune time." John was the High Sheriff of the Despencer family, and Seneschal to Thomas Despencer, Duke of Gloucester.

GENERATION FOUR:

Lord William Perkins (John, Henry, Pierre) was born in 1380, in Medresfield, Worchestershire, England, and died in 1449/1451 at Ufton Court, Bershire, England. Lord William married Margaret Collee (b. 1380), daughter of John Collee. in 1405/1410.

Their children were: Thomas, Humphrey, John and William. The was a court case between William and Margaret and the John and Elizabeth Collee family, in regards to his father, John. After the court case, William and Margaret were officially awarded the Manor of Ufton Robert, near Reading, England. They also receive a moiety of land in Buscot near Ufton and other lands as well.

The Perkins family held these estates for centuries. William was Bailiff to the Duke of Gloucester, brother to King Henry V (r. 1413-1422).

GENERATION FIVE:

Thomas Perkins (son of William) was born circa 1400-1420, in Madresfield, Worchestershire, England, and died April 1479. He married Ellen Tompkins (b. 1401) Sons: Thomas, James, Richard (twin of Lawrence), Lawrence (twin of Richard), John, Humphrey, and William.

Another Thomas Perkins (son of William) married Alice Paynell (b. 1430). It is not known if there were actually two sons with the name Thomas.

James Perkins (b. 1442) died young.

Richard Perkins (twin of Lawrence) was born in 1443 and died young.

Lawrence Perkins (twin of Richard) was born in 1433 and died young.

William Perkins (son of William) (1430-1495), in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England, is the brother of Thomas (above). William married Joanne Reade (b. 1434) in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.

GENERATION SIX:

Thomas Perkins (son of William) was born in 1453-1458 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England, and died in 1495 in Hillmorton. Thomas married Joana Read (b. 1434). Their children were Richard, Thomas, John, and William.

GENERATION SEVEN:

Henry Perkins (first born son of Thomas) was born in 1500, in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Henry died on June 16, 1546 (at age 46). He married Mary Elizabeth More ? in 1546.

.....William Perkins (1502-1558) married Ann Welles (b. 1515). William Perkins, of Brimpton, was gentleman usher to the executed Lady Margaret Pole, and later to he son, Cardinal Pole. After the Chantries Act caused the suppression of St. Leonard's Chapel at Brimpton, William Perkins occupied Brimpton manor as a tenant-at-will of Sir Francis Englefield. His family's close ties to Queen Mary (Tudor) strengthened the family's loyalty of Catholicism.

.....Frances Perkins (b. 1504) married Ann ? (b. 1505).

.....Elizabeth Perkins (b. 1508) married ----- Bartholomew (b. 1505). They Bartholomew family lived in Warborough, Oxfordshire, England, about 1550.

.....Christopher Perkins (b. 1510)

.....Margaret Perkins (b. 1512)

GENERATION EIGHT:

Thomas Perkins (son of Henry), husbandman, was born in 1527 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Thomas died on March 23, 1591 in Hillmorton. In 1555, he married Alice Kebble (1527) who died on August 20, 1613, in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England.

GENERATION NINE:

Henry Perkins (1555-1608) was born in 1555, in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Henry married Elizabeth Sawbridge (1555-1603), the daughter of William Sawbridge, on November 20, 1576, in St. John the Baptist Church. Henry was buried on March 11, 1608, in Hillmorton.

GENERATION TEN:

John Perkins (son of Henry and Elizabeth Perkins) came on the Lyon, which left England on December 1, 1630, and arrived on February 5, 1631. Their voyage was described as tempestuous. John is listed as coming from Hilmorton, Warwickshire, England with his wife, Judith Gator.

Passenger listing:

John Perkins of Hilmorton, Warwick, going to Boston.
.....Mrs. Judith Perkins
.....John Perkins [b. 1614]*
.....Elizabeth Perkins [1610]
.....Mary Perkins [b. 1615]
.....Thomas Perkins [b. 1616]
.....Jacob Perkins [b. 1624](Passengers and Ships -1631)

John Perkins of Ipswich, Massachusetts was christened December 23, 1583 in Hillborough, Warwickshire, England. He emigrated from England to New England. John died on September 20, 1654, in Ipswich, Essex County, Massashusetts. John married Judith Gates/Gator on October 9, 1608, in Hillmorton. Judith was born on March 19, 1588, in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Her parents were Michael Gater and Isabel Bailey. Judith Elizabeth died in 1684 in Ipswich. John and Judith's daughter, Mary Perkins, was accused as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. John was a freeman in May 1631. In 1633, he was a settler in Ipswich, MA. John's will was witnessed by William Bartholomew of Ipswich. John was a representative of the General Court in 1636. John owned a large island at the mouth of the Ipswich River, called "Perkin's Island." In 1856, this island was still owned by the Perkins Family. His house was near Manning's neck and close to the Ipswich river.

John's will was dated March 38, 1654, and was proven September 1654. His estate was valued at 250 pounds, 5 shillings.

GENERATION ELEVEN:

(1). Elizabeth Perkins emigrated with her parents [John and Judith] at age 21 (in 1631). She was born March 3, 1610, in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. She married William Sargent of Amesbury, MA. She died on February 12, 1684, in Salisbury, Essex, MA.

(2). William Perkins was born on January 28, 1612. William is not listed with this parents. William married Mary Wise, daughter of Humphrey Wise. William was 19 years old at the time of the voyage (1631). William died on August 31, 1683 in Hampton, Rockingham, New Hampshire.

Children of Abraham Perkins and Mary Wise were:

..........Mary Perkins of Hampton was born on September 2, 1639. Twin of Abraham. She married Giles Fifield of Charlestown, MA.
..........Abraham Perkins ws born on September 2, 1639/ Twin of Mary. He was killed by the Indians on January 13, 1677 (at age 35).
..........Luke Perkins (b. 1641) married Hannah Long, the widow of -----Cookery on March 9, 1662. Luke died November 16, 1715.
...........Humphrey Perkins was born on January 22, 1642 and died young.
..........James Perkins was born on April 11, 1644, and died young.
..........Timothy Perkins was born on October 5, 1646, and died as a child.
..........James Perkins of Hampton was born Ocotber 5, 1647.
..........David Perkins was born February 28, 1652. He married Elizabeth Brown, daughter of Francis Brown of Hampton, Rockingham.
..........Abigail Perkins was born April 2, 1655. She married John Folsom
..........Timothy Perkins was born in July 1657, and died in his childhood.
..........Humphrey Perkins was born in May 17, 1661.

Other passengers on the Lyon were Rev. Roger Williams and his wife Mary were thought to be relatives of the Perkins family. The Thorkmorton family was on the same voyage; the Edmond Onge Family with his wife and two sons, of Lavenham, Suffolk County, England; and a William Parke.

(3). Sgt. John Perkins, Jr. emigrated at age 16 (in 1631). John was born in 1614 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. John emigrated to Ipswich, Essex County, MA. John's Uncle Isaac Perkins also came to Ipswich, Essex County, MA. John died on January 29, 1700 in Ipswich. John's wife was Elizabeth -----. Elizabeth died September 7, 1684.

Children of John Perkins, Jr. and Elizabeth were:

..........John Perkins
..........Abraham Perkins
..........Jacob Perkins
..........Luke Perkins
..........Isaac Perkins married Hannah Knight (b. 1642) in 1669.
..........John Perkins
..........Abraham Perkins was born September 5, 1671, in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts. He married Abigail Dodge on November 6, 1701. Abigail was born September 12, 1681, in Beverly, MA.

(4). Mary was born on September 3, 1615 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Mary died December 20, 1700, in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts. She married Thomas Bradbury in 1636. Thomas was the son of Wymond Bradley and Elizabeth Whitgift. The Bradbury family goes back to Louis IV of France.

Children of Mary Perkins and Thomas Bradbury:

..........Wymond Bradbury
..........Judith Bradbury
..........Thomas Bradbury
..........Mary Bradbury
..........Jane Bradbury
..........Jacob Bradbury
..........William Bradbury
..........Elizabeth Bradbury married John Busse
..........John Bradbury
..........Ann Bradbury
..........Jabez Bradbury.

MARY AND THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS:

On May 26, 1692, Mary [Perkins] Bradbury was named as a tormentor of Mary Walcott, Mercy Lewis, and Ann Putnam, Jr. She was arrested by Constable William Baker when she was 70 years of age. Her husband, Captain Thomas Bradbury, was disliked by Suzanna Martin for his suspected tampering with her father's will.

On August 9, 1692, Mary's accusers depostions were taken. Suzanna Martin, enemy of her husband, was already hanged on July 19, 1692.

Mary was supposedly seen signing the Devil's book. Other enemies were John Carr and his niece Anne Putnam, Jr. John Carr desired to marry Mary Bradbury's daughter. Mary did not agree to his wants, since she thought her to be too young to marry. Later on, John Carr died in 1689. Mary Walcott and Ann Putnam, Jr. told the court that Uncle John appeared to them in a sheet as a spectre and told them that Mary Bradbury had killed him. John's brother William, on the other hand, felt that John Carr had died of natural causes.

On Saturday, September 10, 1692, Mary [Perkins] Bradbury was sentenced to hang. Most of the testimony against Mary came from the Endicotts and the Carrs. The Carrs were the brothers of Mrs. Ann Putnam, Sr.

Samuel Endecott testified that butter he bought from Mary Bradbury turned rancid and full of maggots. They also said that she turned herself into a boar and charged Zerubabal, George, and Richard Carr's horses. James Carr was said to have been "behagged" when he was courting the same woman as one of Mary Bradley's sons. The flesh of the boar/swine was forbidden by Levitical law. Moses only warned about any "unclean" animals. The unclean mammals were those with cloven feet. Swines were thought to induce cutaneous disorders in hot climates. It was thought that leprosy was related to the eating of pork. Heathen nations like Palestine ate pork.

A herd of swine (Matthew 8:32) allowed the devil to enter their herd. The wild boar makes its home in the woods (Psalms 80:13), which the English felt that pagan inhabitants in nature.

See my article on Salem, MA. under the heading "New England's Wilderness" for more about what the Puritans felt about nature.

After Mary's sentence a group of her supporters broke Mary Bradley out of jail. One of her accusers, Samuel Endicott, was said to have left home around the same time as she broke out of jail. He never returned. Seven years later he was still not found and was declared legally dead.

By Saturday, January 14, 1693 (four months later), Mary Bradbury was still in hiding, fearing that if she came back she would be charged for Samuel Endicott's murder.

On Friday, May 12, 1693, Mary Bradbury rejoined her family and lived another seven years, until her death in 1700. By 1693, most prisoners were set free and the "Witch Hunt" was over.

(5) Thomas Perkins was born in 1616, in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England. Thomas married Phoebe Gould, the daughter of Zaccheus Gould and Phebe Deacon )b. Sept. 1620). in 1640 Thomas was 15 years old at the time of their sailing (1631)

(6) Sgt. Jacob Perkins was christened on September 12, 1624 in Hillmorton, Warwickshire, England, and died January 29, 1700, in Ipswich. Jacob would have been age 7 in 1631. Jacon married (1) Elizabeth Whipple/Lovell in 1648. Elizabeth died on February 12, 1685 (at age 56). (2) married Damaris ---, widow of Nathaniel Robertson after February 1685. Thomas' son Joseph Perkins (b. 1674) married Martha Morgan in 1700. Joseph died in 1726.

(7) Lydia Perkins was the only child born in New England. Lydia was born June 2, 1632, in Boston, MA., and died January 12, 1707. Lydia married Henry Bennet in 1651.

GENERATION TWELVE:

......Luke Perkins, Jr. was born on March 18, 1667, in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Luke died December 27, 1748 in Plympton, Plymouth County, MA. He married Martha Conant on May 31, 1688. Martha was baptized on APril 15, 1664.

.....Isaac Perkins (1731-1812) married Joanna Edson on May 2, 1754, in Plymouth, MA.

GENERATION THIRTEEN:

Mark Perkins was born on April 30, 1699, in Beverly, Essex, MA. Mark married Dorothy Perkins (b. 1702) on June 4, 1721, in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts. Mark died on December 20, 1756. Dorothy was born in 1702, in Ipswich, Essex County, Massachusetts. After Mark Perkin's death Dorothy married Solomon Packard (b. 1689), son of Zacheus Packard and Sarah Howard. Dorothy [nee Whipple} Perkins, widow, was Solomon Packard's third wife.

Solomon Packard was born on March 20, 1689, in Bristol, Bridgewater County, MA. to Zaccheus Packard and Sarah Howard. Solomon married (1) Sarah Lathrop (b. November 16, 1715) on November 16, 1715 (2) Suzanna Kingman in 1718 (3) Dorothy Whipple in 1760.

Children of Solomon Packard and Suzanna were:

.....Sarah Packard was born on May 23, 1719.
.....Jacob Packard was born on September 2, 1720.
.....Suzanna Packard was born March 11, 1724.
.....Joanna Packard was born on November 24, 1725.
.....Martha Packard was born on November 27, 1727.
.....Solomon Packard, Jr. was born on October 17, 1729.
.....Nathan Packard was born in February 19, 1732.
.....Benjamin Packard was born October 20, 1734.
.....Zebulon Packard was born on August 5, 1736.
.....Micah Packard was born on August 13, 1738.

GENERATION FOURTEEN:

Issac Perkins (son of Mark Perkins) was born April 27, 1731, in Ipswich, Essex County, MA., and died February 3, 1812 in Plymouth, MA. Isaac married Joanna Edson on May 2, 1754, in Plymouth. Joanna was born on September 9, 1733 in Bridgewater, MA.

Jacob Packard, Jr was born on April 12, 1728/September 2, 1728, to Solomon Packard and (1) Suzanna Kingman (b. 1668) of Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. He married (1) Sarah Lathrop, daughter of Samuel Lathrop and Sarah Downer and (3)Dorothy Perkins, his step-sister, daughter of Mark Perkins and Dorothy Whipple, on November 24, 1741, and Jacob died in 1777.

GENERATION FIFTEEN:

Jacob Packard, Jr.

*****

LINKS:

The Perkins Family ... The Perkins Family manor of Berkshire

Brittany Nobility

SOURCES:

Ashley, Mike. British Knights and Queens. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, Inc., 1998.

Bouchard, Constance Brittain. Strong of Body, Brave, and Noble. Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1998.

Cannon, John & Ralph Griffiths. Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Chibnall, Marjorie. The Empress Matilda. Cambridge: Blackwell, 1995.

Hallam, Elizabeth. Chronicle of the Crusades. New York: Welcome Rain, 2000>

Louda, Jiri and Michael MacLagan. Lines of Succession: Heraldry of the Royal Families of Europe. New Tork: Barnes & Noble Books, 2002.

Markale, Jean. Cathedral of the Black Madonna. Rochester, VT.: Inner Traditions, 1998.

Morby, John E. Oxford Dynasties of the World. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989, 83.

Roach, Marilynne. The Salem With Trials. New York: Taylor Trade Publishing, 2002.

Smith, Elsdon C. New Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Gramercy Publishing Company, 1988.

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