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.