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Samuel Hubbard, youngest son of James and Naomi (Cocke) Hubbard, was born in Mendlesham (a market town about eighty miles northeast of London), Suffolk County, in 1610. He arrived in Salem, Massachusetts, in October, 1633, and probably came in the ship James, Grant, master, which left Gravesend, England, late in August, 1633, and arrived in Massachusetts Bay October 10, 1633. He says in his Diary,(*) "I was born of good parents. My Mother brought me up in the fear of the Lord, in Mendlesham, in catechiseing me and hearing choice ministers," Etc. March 4, 1634-5, he was admitted a freeman, and shortly moved to Watertown, Massachusetts, where he joined the church "by giving account of my faith." This same year he went to Dorchester (Windsor), Ct., with the overland migrators. He was married there by Mr. [Roger?] Ludlow to Tacy Cooper, who was born in England in 1608 and came to Dorchester, Massachusetts, June 9, 1634, and to Dorchester (Windsor), Ct., in 1635.
She had brothers Robert, of Yarmouth, Norfolk, and John of London, Eng. Robert returned to England from America in 1644. Samuel Hubbard went to Wethersfield, Ct., in 1637, and May 10, 1639, removed to Springfield, Massachusetts, which he left for Fairfield, Ct., in 1647, though staying there but a short time on account of church disagreements. Samuel was now with his wife imbibing freely and preaching ardently the doctrines of Anabaptism. He says in his diary: "God having enlightened both (but mostly my wife) into his holy ordinance of baptising only of visible believers, and being very zealous for it, she was mostly struck at, and answered two terms publicly, where I was said to be as bad as she, and sore threatened with imprisonment to Hartford jail, if not to renounce it or to remove: that scripture came into our minds:
"If they persecute you in one place flee to another;" and so we did 2 day of October, 1648. We went for Rhode Island and arrived there the 12 day. I and my wife upon our manifestation of our faith were baptised by brother Joseph Clarke, 3 day of November, 1648."
Samuel Hubbard spent the remainder of his life in and about Newport, or "Mayford," as he termed it. He was a zealous Baptist and public religous disputant. For twenty-three years he belonged to the First Baptist Church of Newport, which sent him August 7, 1651, to Boston "to visit the bretherin who was imprisoned in Boston jayl for witnessing the truth of baptising believers only, viz: Brothers John Clarke, Obadiah Holmes, and John Crandall." In 1657 he went with Holmes on a preaching tour on Long Island. In 1664 he was appointed General Solicitor of the Colony. April 7, 1668, he went to Boston with Joseph Torrey and William Hiscox "to publicly dispute with those baptised there." December 23, 1671, with his wife, one daughter, and four other persons he formed the first Seventh Day Baptist Church in America. In July, 1668, he wrote a letter to his cousin John Smith, of London, detailing his worldly possessions "through God's great mercy."
In 1675 in his diary he refers to a "testament of my grandfather Cocke's, printed in 1549, which he [Cocke] hid in his bed straw lest it should be found and burned in Queen Mary's days." In 1676 he corresponded with Dr. Edward Stennett, Pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Bell Lane, London. John Thornton and Roger Williams of Rhode Island, and Governor Leete of Connecticut were his friends.
He died between 1688 and 1692, and his wife after 1697, but no traces of their burial places have been found.
Children--NAOMI (b Nov 18, 1637, at Wethersfield, Ct, d Nov 28, 1637), NAOMI (b Oct 19, 1638, at Wethersfield, Ct, d in Springfield, Mass, May 5, 1643),
RUTH (b Jan 11, 1640, in Springfield, Mass, d in Westerly, R. I., in 1691, m Robert Burdick of "Musquamicot," or Westerly, R. I., who was made freeman May 22, 1655, d in 1692, and had Robert, Son, Hubbard, Thomas, Naomi, Ruth, Benjamin, Samuel, Tacy and Deborah),
RACHEL (b. Mch 10, 1642, in Springfield, Mass, m Nov 3, 1658, Andrew Langworthy, who came to Newport, R. I., in 1656, and had Samuel and James), SAMUEL (b in Springfield, Massachusetts, Mch 25, 1644, d y),
BETHIAH (b in Springfield Dec 19, 1646, d at Westerly, R. I., Apl 17, 1707, m Joseph Clarke Jr, formerly of Westhorpe, Suffolk, Eng., b there Apl 2, 1643, d Jan 11, 1727, and had Judith, Joseph, Samuel, John, Bethiah, Mary, Susanah, Thomas and William),
SAMUEL (b in Newport Nov 30, 1649, d there unm Jan 20, 1670-1).
(*)Copious notes were made from this diary by Dr. Issao Backus, a Baptist historian of about 1777, These notes are now possessed by Ray Greene Huling, of New Bedford. Masa, though the original diary and other valuable manuscripts of Samuel Hubbard disappeared about 1852. There are living descendants of this Samuel Hubbard through Bethiah Hubbard and Joseph Clarke of various names. but none of the name of Hubbard.
Introductory
In preparing the following history I am indebted to "Seventh Day Baptists" in Europe and America, the "Seventh Day Baptist Memorial", and the friends who have sent extracts from Rhode Island histories and from family records.
On nearly every point, more than one authority has been consulted and no important difference found, which indicates that these records following may be relied on for accuracy.
Great care has been used in copying to avoid mistakes. It is a matter of regret that in some instances more complete records could not be obtained.
Mary S. Andrews
Florina, IL, August 17,1910
The Second Baptist Church in America
Dr. William Clarke was born at Westhorpe, Suffolk County, England, October 8,1609 and died at Newport, RI, April 20, 1676. He was a physician in London, educated at Cambridge University. He arrived at Boston, with his wife, Elizabeth Harges, in November of 1637. He was soon allowed to leave the Boston colony because of his religious beliefs. After some time he went to Providence, and with the help of Roger Williams he and his followers purchased island of
Aquidneck, later called Rhode Island, for their future home. The first settlement was made in 1638 at Pocasset, later called Portsmounth, and Dr. Clarke began preaching for them. In 1639 members of the colony took steps to make a settlement at Newport. In 1644 he founded at Newport, the Second Baptist Church in America, and became its pastor. In 1648 this church had
but 15 members, including Dr. John Clarke, pastor, Thomas Clarke, Joseph Clarke and Samuel Hubbard.
The First Seventh Day Baptist Church in America
In 1664, or probably in 1665, new style, Stephen Mumford and his wife came from England to Newport, probably sent as Missionaries. They were members of the Belle Lane S.D.B. Church of London. Through his efforts several members of John Clarke's church at Newport embraced the Sabbath, the first convent to the Sabbath in America being Tacy (Cooper) Hubbard.
Samuel Hubbard was born at Mendelsham, Eighty miles northwest of London, in Suffolk Co., in 1610, the youngest of seven children. He came from Trekesbury in 1633, and settled at Salem, Massachusetts. In the autumn of 1635 he removed in a company of settlers, to the Valley of the Connecticut River. In the spring of 1636 he married Tacy Cooper, who was also of the company of settlers. Samuel and Tacy settled at Weathersfield and later moved to Newport. Before removing with her parents, to the valley of the Connecticut River, Tacy Cooper lived at Dorchester, and was a member of the church at Dorchester. After their removal to Newport, Samuel and Tacy joined Dr. John Clarke's church.
The following is taken from Samuel Hubbard's Journal, (old style calendar): "My Wife took up keeping of the Lord's holy 7th day, April, 1665: Our daughter Ruth, October 25, 1666: Rachel, January 15, 1666: Bethiah, February, 1666: our son Joseph Clarke, February 23, 1666." Their daughter, Rachel Langworthy was the third convert, Samuel Hubbard having embraced the sabbathe three weeks after his wife embraced it. Roger Baster followed. Then William Hiscox, both in 1666. These five all lived at Newport and were members of Dr. John Clarke's church in which, for some years, they continued their membership. With Stephen Mumford and wife, these five organized at Newport the first S.D.B Church in America. December 23, 1671, old style calendar, or January 3, 1672, new style. Samuel Hubbard made the following entry in his journal: "We entered into a church covenant the 23rd day of December, 1671. Wm. Hiscox, Stephen Mumford, Samuel Hubbard, Roger Baster, Sister Hubbard, Sister Mumford, Sister Rachel Langworthy." Joseph Clarke. Sr., and his wife Bethiah Hubbard, and Robert Burdick and his wife Ruth, who was also Samuel Hubbard's daughter, and Mrs. John Maxson Sr. all of whom were living in Misquanicut: Joseph and Bethiah Clarke soon following. The first pastor or leading elder of the Newport church was Wm. Hiscox, who was born in 1638. He served as pastor 33 years. In his journal, Samuel Hubbard states that Stephen Mumford returned to England and brought Return to America with him, Wm. Gibson who came from the Belle Lane church, with his wife and two children, in 1675, Wm. Gibson was second pastor of the Newport church, serving from 1704 - 1717. The third pastor was Joseph Crandall, a convert to the Sabbath, of Westerly, son of Elder John Crandall of Westerly, who was the first minister converted to the Sabbath in America. His wife (John's) was the first S.D.B. to die in America. Elder John Crandall was an elder in Dr. John Clarke's church at the time of his conversion to the Sabbath.
For some time the church at Newport had no official name, it was sometimes called The Church of Rhode Island and Westerly. Sometimes The Church.
In November 1887 the Historical Society moved the Church to a safer location, fearing fires. Thomas Hubbard of England was the grand father of Samuel Hubbard, is not known to have been a Sabbath keeper, but for the truth's sake he was burned at the stake March 26, 1555, in the reign of Bloody Mary, Queen of England. The father of Samuel Hubbard was James Hubbard. The father of James Hubbard was Thomas Hubbard, Samuel's mother was Naomi, daughter of Thomas Cocke, England, Thomas Cocke had a Testament, printed in 1549, which was afterward owned by Samuel Hubbard.