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gave it to his son Josiah, and it descended to the wife of Roger
Hooker, his only surviving child, and to her only son, Thomas Hart Hooker,
who sold it to Samuel Dleming. The Demings and their descendants hold it
to this day-1874. These lots and lands, in some respects, are the most
desirable and valuable of any in the old town of Farmington. He was a representative
to the General Court of Connecticut in 1647, and most of the succeeding
years to 1660, from the town of Farmington. His widow, Margaret, gave her
property to her sons, John and Arthur Smith, and daughter, Elizabeth Thompson.
She had grand chidren-Elizabeth, John, and Ann Thompson.
Deacon Hart's Will was dated March 16th, 1682-3. He mentions the farm
he formerly gave his three sons, John, Stephen, and Thomas, viz: one-half
to John, one-fourth to Steven, and one-fourth to Thomas.
Item.-I give my grandson, Thomas Porter, and my son-in-law, John
Cole, my plow and and meadow swamp, which was some time Andrew Warner's
farm, abuts on my son Steven, their agreement to my be loved wife being
fulfilled.
Item.-I give my sons, Steven and Thomas, and my daughters, Sarah
Porter and Mary Lee, my Swamp Lot in the Great Swamp,* and all my uplands
to be equally divided between them.
Item.-I give my grandchild, Dorothy Porter, £10.
Item.-I give my grandchild, John Lee, £3.
Item.-I give my grandchild, John Hart, my eldest son's son, £3.
Item.-I give my beloved wife, &c.
The Inventory was taken by Thomas Hart, and John Hart, Selectmen.
Isaac Moore, and Benjamin Judd, Appraisers. Taken March 31st, 1682-3.
Amount, £340 48. House and homestead, £70; land at Nod,
east of river; £40.
Deacon Hart was a farmer and large land-holder, located in the village
of Farmington, and was a man of great influence, and a leading character.
He died March, 1682-3, aged 77 years.
HIS CHILDREN, ALL BY HIS FIRST WIFE, SECOND GENERATION.
2. Sarah, born ,
married Nov. 20th, 1644, Thomas Porter.
3. Mary, born ,
married John Lee; second, Jan. 5th, 1692, Jedediah Strong.
4. John, born ,
married Sarah .
5. Steven, born ,
wife not known.
6. Mehitabel, born ,
married John Cole.
7. Thomas, born 1648, married Ruth Hawkins.
[ In the book, "The Great Migration
Begins, Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633," Volume I, A-F, (by
Robert Charles Anderson, Published by Great Migration Study Project,
New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995) reports on Dea. Stephen's
possible daughters, Rachel and Mehitabel are discussed. The report in the book presents
a strong argument that the information about Mehitable above is incorrect.
There was no daughter named Mehitabel, but instead
Stephen had a daughter named Rachel:
"The son-in-law John Cole named in the will of
Stephen Hart is stated in some sources to have married a daughter
Mehitable Hart [Bassett Gen 391; Flagg 258]. but evidence taken largely
from the Winthrop medical records shows that John Cole of Farmington
instead married Rachel, daughter of Stephen Hart. In late November 1657
John Winthrop Jr. treated "Rachell Hart of Farmington" and "Steven
Hart her brother," and on 1 February 1657/8 he treated "Rachel Hart 16
years" [WMJ 58, 85]. She was a frequent patient throughout 1658 and
1659, being treated for an eye problem as a result of which she
intermittently lost her sight [WM 98, 115, 151]. Beginning on 12
December 1664 John Winthrop Jr. began frequent treatments of Rachel
Cole, wife of John Cole of Farmington, for eye problems and head pains
[WMJ 579, 608, 611, 624, 637, 646, 653, 725, 909]. In his will of 12
September 1689 "John Coale Sr. of Farmington made a bequest to "my
beloved wife Rachel," and asked Thomas Hart and Thomas Porter to be
overseers [Manwaring 1:426-27]; Thomas Hart was sister of Rachel
Hart, and Thomas Porter had married her elder sister, Sarah. John and
Rachel (Hart) Cole had a son John who married in 1691 Mehitable
Loomis, and this may be the source of the claim that Stephen Hart had a
daughter Mehitable who married John Cole [Farmington LR 2:123]"
]
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* The Great Swamp means Kensington Parish, now part of Berlin.
 
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