Person:Matthias Hatfield (4)

The children of Matthias Hatfield and Mariken Melyn were:
(1) Cornelius HATFIELD born 1665/6 in New York City. He purchased land from Col. Richard TOWNLEY in 1690 in Elizabethtown which adjoined the grounds of his brother Isaac Hatfield. He died 22 May 1718 at age 52 years and is buried in St. John's Churchyard, Elizabethtown. He married first to Abigail ---- and second about 1691 to Sarah ----.
(2) Isaac HATFIELD was born abut 1667 Elizabethtown. He died 1709/10. He was married to an unknown woman.
(3) Mary HATFIELD born 1668 Essex, NJ; died young.
(4) Abraham HATFIELD was born 8 Jun 1670 Essex, NJ. He was a cordwainer and also ran a tannery with his brother Cornelius. He died 17 Jul 1706. His will was made 8 Jul 1706 and proved 23 Jul 1706 at Trenton, NJ. He married about 1695 to Phebe OGDEN.
(5) Rachel HATFIELD was baptized 3 Oct 1674 and probably died young.
(6) Mary Hatfield was born about 1674 and died 17 Dec 1742 at the age of 68 years. She married to Richard MILLER who died in 1759.
(7) Elizabeth HATFIELD was born about 1675/6 Essex Co., NJ. She died 28 Sep 1725. Her husband was Maximilian LaLOUR a silversmith in Elizabethtown, NJ.

1. ↑ Hatfield, Abraham. The Descendants of Matthias Hatfield. (New York, New York: New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, 1954)
   p. 9 .

   Matthias Hatfield was allotted large acreage and purchased 208 acres ad­ditional from Abraham Lubberson. His dwelling was on the lower part of Pearl St., Elizabeth Town and was regarded as the oldest house in town, being built in 1673. It was purchased from “Abram Lubberse” [Lubberson].
   
   It descended in the family and in 1880 was owned by Robert Morris Hatfield. The First Presbyterian Church was erected on some of Mathias Hat­field’s land. In a deed made in 1677 “Mathhias Heathfield” signs by his mark [“M”]. His wife signs her own signature “Maria Heatfield.” The Rev. Edwin F. Hatfield (a descendant of Matthias) states in his “History of Elizabeth", Matthias was a weaver and came hither from New Haven, Ct. In the record of surveys, August 29th, 1676, he is called Hatfield and in his will Hattfield. He is supposed to have been a son of Thomas Hatfield of Leyden; a member of John Robinson’s Church, Leyden, and a native of Yorkshire,
   England.
   
   In making this statement as to the paternity and place of origin of Matthias, the Rev. Edwin F. Hatfield is assuming something for which he had no basis of fact to support, for up to this present writing, no data has been found that in any way would lead to the belief that there was any relationship between the Thomas Hatfield then in New Amsterdam or the Thomas Hetfield in Leyden. It would be a natural assumption that, had any relationship existed between Matthias and the Thomas in New Amsterdam, some evidence might have been discovered, but such is not the fact and we have absolutely nothing to lead to the belief that they knew of each other’s existence. The recently discovered entry in the Medical Journal of John Winthrop, Jr. would rather tend to the opinion that there was no relationship.
   
   His house-lot contained 5 acres, 10 by 5 chains, bounded E. by the highway and Thomas Moore; N. and S. by unsurveyed land and W. by Denis White. He had also 22 acres of upland, “in a triangle,” bounded by William Letts, John Winans, Samuel Marsh, and a swamp; also 12 acres of upland, bounded by Nathaniel Bonnel, Robert Vauquellin, and a way that parted him from Gov. Carteret; also 112 acres of upland on “the two mile brook ;” also 40 acres of upland, “towards the west branch of Elizabeth Town River,” bounded by John Winans and an Indian path; also 14 acres of meadow “at Rawack,” and 3 acres of meadow on the N. side of E. Town Creek; in all 208 acres. He was a boatman, as well as a weaver, and seems to have been a man of considerable wealth.