Everett F. Bingham, in NEHGR 142:253-254, says: "William Backhouse (sic) was listed as an apprentice to William Nutt of Grimesthorpe, near Sheffield, [Yorkshire] had been given his freedom in 1627, and in 1631 was admitted to membership in the Sheffield Culters Company. This placed him as a member of that company at the same time as Thomas Bingham, Sr., husband of Anna (Fenton), and father of Thomas Bingham, Jr. (the immigrant ancestor of Binghams in America.)"

Births for the five children of William Backus who immigrated to America are listed in the Sheffield, Yorkshire parish registers, burials of two more children who died young in England, and the burial of his wife, Elizabeth (last name unknown) in 1643.

There can be little doubt this William Backhouse is the William Backus of Saybrook, Conn because he used a unique "trademark" for his signature, which was a W directly over a B, likely used to "sign" his cutlery products. This same mark is found on papers he signed in England as well as on his will, in Connecticut. Additionally, the names of the children recorded in the parish register match the names of the children of the American William Backus. These facts, coupled with the man in Norwich referred to his cutlery tools in his will leaves no doubt that the person referred to in the three locations and records are the same man.

See his English Origins - Sheffield, West Riding, Yorkshire

The Children of William Backus - In register format, a posting I made to GenForum

William Backus, English immigrant was a cutler. He settled in Saybrook, Conn, as a widower with grown children, by 1659.  He was on the list of the original 35 settlers who paid Uncas, the Mohegan chief, 70 pounds, for the nine square mile parcel of ground to become Norwich, Connecticut.

Born:  "Probably about 1606" (NEHGR 142:254, 1988), Note that 18 years before youngest child's birth would be 1610.

Immigrated: By 1659, ship unknown (The William Backhouse immigrant of 1637 either died soon  after arrival, or if that immigrant was William, returned to England soon after. The 1637 immigrant was likely a different man. There is no record in America after 1637 of a William Backus until the reference to our William Backus in Saybrook in 1659 (Bingham genealogy say 1657.). The later kids of our William Backus were born in England after 1637.) Arrived as a widower, kids in 1659 would have been 19-31 years of age.

Spouses:
 

1) Elizabeth (last name unknown), md by 1628, she was born by 1610, buried at Sheffield, Yorkshire, England February 9, 1643, age about 33. Seven children, two died young.

2) Mary (Fenton) Bingham, widow of Thomas Bingham, Sr. and mother of Thomas Binghams, Jr, American immigrant in 1659 in Saybrook, Conn. Late-life marriage, he was probably in his mid-fifties. No children. She died May, 1670, in Norwich.
 

Occupation:  Cutler, worker with steel, probably especially knives. Work records for the Sheffield Company have been found in England, and he referred to his cutlery tools in his will.
 
Founder of Norwich, Conn: The Backuses were founders of Norwich. William, Jr., Stephen and step-son Thomas Bingham are all listed as founders of Norwich in most lists that are made of that prestigious group. William, Sr acceded the "official honors", of being a first time land owner to his younger son Stephen.
 
Died: Probably shortly before June, 1664, when the inventory of his estate was taken, at Norwich, Conn, age about 60.

Estate:  He left a will, dated Jun 12, 1661, inventory taken June 7, 1664. (New London Probate, 1646-1666, 143-4). All of his children are named, corresponding with the baptism records in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, some 30 years earlier.
 

Immigrant William Backus - A Time-Line Biography
 
William Backus Will is on-line at the Ulrich Page.
 
Children of William - register report of the kids of William I made to GenForum
 

Notable Backuses include American Express founder Timothy Chapman Backus, Revolutionary War General Jedidiah Huntington, and Inca explorer and historican and early aviator and Connecticut Governor Hiram Bingham, and General George McClellan - Union Army Commander-in-Chief. Sketches on Notable In-laws, many of whom are ancestors of branches of Backuses,  include Jonathan Edwards, Aaron Burr, Benjamin Silliman, the father-son Jonathan Trumbulls, and many others.

 Backus Sources and Resources

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Identity of First Wife of Immigrant William, the Father

Apparently no progress has been made over the years in identifying the ancestry, and surname, of William's first wife, Elizabeth. Savage (Dictionary of New England Genealogy) used the name Sarah Gardiner for her, but the consensus of researchers now is that Sarah Charles was the first wife of William's son, William. See next note.
 

There are some earlier genealogies out there that have an error that is being repeated. It is now proven and known that Sarah Charles was the first wife of William Backus, Jr., the son of the elder immigrant. Some genealogies report her as the wife of the elder immigrant. This is based on both the wills of Sarah Charles father and William Backus, Jr. This error is from repeating the work of Savage, whose published work predated the Civil War. His work is a valuable aid in New England genealogy, but it does have errors, and this one of them. (For example, see NEGHR, Vol 142, p. 253-4, 1988)
 

Reports continue to persist that William migrated in 1637 without any explanation for son Stephen being born in England in 1641 and his baptism recorded there, and his wife's burial recorded there in 1643. I think it more likely that he migrated after his wife's death. The Bingham genealogy speculates that the Bingham's were Cromwellians and came over after the death of Cromwell in 1658-9, as the pro Anglican/Catholic forces took charge in England again. Among other reasons, Saybrook was a Puritan town, and an Anglican might more likely migrate to Virginia during that period of time. If that is so, that might be a plausible explanation for William also, as he worked with Thomas Bingham at the Cuttler's Company in Sheffield as cutlers. Might they not share the same beliefs?

Notwithstanding the reports that he migrated in 1637, the first record of William Backus is reported in the Bingham Genealogy of 1927, pg 75, when Backus is a name listed as present at a Saybrook town meeting on January 7, 1657.
 

The Bingham work of 1927 consistently uses the name "Stenton" for Thomas Bingham's second wife, who later married William Backus. A Backus researcher reports in Vol 143 of the NEGHR, Pg 24, that the correct name is Fenton. He cites a misunderstanding of the double "ff" in olde English style writing for "st" as the source for the misunderstanding. This lady is the matriarch of all Binghams in America eminating from Thomas Bingham, as she was his natural mother.

The first name is of some confusion also. The name used in English church records is "Anna". The name on her son's tombstone in Windham, CT, a photograph of which appears pg 157a of Bingham's genealogy, is "Mary". The genealogies I have seen have discounted the Mary and use Anna instead. I submit that many people, even of that time, used more than one name, and favored one name over another at different periods in their lives. I think rather than "Mary" being outright "wrong" as the Bingham genealogy claims, that she probably used both names in her lifetime.

Although in-laws to me, the Bingham genealogy is tied in with ours, so might comment on one issue. There apparently is confusion on the death date of Thomas Bingham, the father of the 18 year old American immigrant in 1659-60. The 1927 Bingham work makes a case for him dying on the ocean voyage in 1659-60. The author cites a family tradition and then adds that it is a nice explanation that "fits". The later Backus update in Vol 142 of the NEHGR indicates that Mr. Bingham died in February, 1648, and cites Hale, House, 452; which I have not seen.

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The Backus Iron Works at Norwich - Supplying the colonies with metal items from nails to anchors.

Major branches coming from the first generation will have surnames of: Backus, Reynolds, Crane, and Bailey.

 1   William Backus I 1606 - 1661
..  +Elizabeth 1610 - 1643
........... 2   Sarah Backus 1628 - 1702
...............  +John Reynolds 1637 - 1702
........................ 3   John Reynolds, Jr. 1655 - 1676
........................ 3   Sarah Reynolds 1656 - 1703
............................  +John Post 1657 -
........................ 3   Susanna Reynolds 1658 -
........................ 3   Joseph Reynolds 1660 - 1729
............................  +Sarah Edgerton 1667 -
........................ 3   Mary Reynolds 1664 - 1728
............................  +John Edgerton 1664 -
........................  *2nd Husband of Mary Reynolds:
............................  +Samuel Lathrop 1664 -
........................ 3   Elizabeth Reynolds 1666 - 1702
............................  +Jonathan Fowler 1651 - 1696
........................  *2nd Husband of Elizabeth Reynolds:
............................  +Lyman 1666 -
........................ 3   Stephen Reynolds 1669 - 1687
........................ 3   Lydia Reynolds 1671 - 1702
............................  +Benjamin Miller 1666 -
........... 2   Infant Backus 1628 - 1630
........... 2   Mary Backus 1632 - 1717
...............  +Benjamin Crane 1639 - 1691
........................ 3   Benjamin Crane 1656 - 1693
............................  +Mary Chapman 1656 -
........................  *2nd Wife of Benjamin Crane:
............................  +Martha Boardman 1666 -
........................ 3   Jonathan Crane 1658 - 1735
............................  +Deborah Griswold 1661 - 1704
........................ 3   Joseph Crane 1661 -
........................ 3   John Crane 1663 - 1694
........................ 3   Elijah Crane 1665 -
........................ 3   Abraham Crane 1668 -
........................ 3   Jacob Crane 1670 -
........................ 3   Israel Crane 1671 -
........................ 3   Elizabeth Crane 1672 -
........................ 3   Mary Crane 1673 -
........... 2   William Backus II 1634 - 1721
...............  +Sarah Charles 1637 - 1664
........................ 3   William Backus III 1660 - 1742
............................  +Elizabeth Royce 1661 - 1688
........................  *2nd Wife of William Backus III:
............................  +Mary Benton 1674 - 1757
........................ 3   John Backus 1662 - 1744
............................  +Mary Bingham 1672 - 1747
........................ 3   Sarah Backus 1663 -
............................  +Edward Culver 1654 - 1732
...........  *2nd Wife of William Backus II:
...............  +Elizabeth Pratt 1642 - 1703
........................ 3   Samuel Backus 1665 -
........................ 3   Joseph Backus 1667 - 1740
............................  +Elizabeth Huntington 1669 - 1762
........................ 3   Nathaniel Backus 1669 - 1728
............................  +Lydia Edgerton 1675 - 1697
........................  *2nd Wife of Nathaniel Backus:
............................  +Elizabeth Tracy 1676 - 1739
........................ 3   Elizabeth Backus 1670 - 1729
............................  +Thomas Huntington 1664 - 1732
........................ 3   Hannah Backus 1675 - 1752
............................  +Thomas Bingham, Jr. 1667 - 1710
........................  *2nd Husband of Hannah Backus:
............................  +Daniel Tracy 1652 - 1728
........................  *3rd Husband of Hannah Backus:
............................  +Samuel Griswold 1664 - 1740
........................ 3   Mary Backus 1677 - 1752
............................  +Thomas Hyde 1672 - 1755
........... 2   Lydia Backus 1637 - 1674
...............  +John Bailey 1638 - 1696
........................ 3   John Bailey 1656 -
........................ 3   Mary Bailey 1658 -
............................  +Cornwall 1658 -
........................ 3   Lydia Bailey 1660 - 1701
............................  +Nathaniel Spencer 1658 - 1722
........................ 3   Elizabeth Bailey 1663 -
............................  +Clark 1663 -
........................ 3   Benjamin Bailey 1665 -
........................ 3   Nathaniel Bailey 1668 -
........................ 3   Susanna Bailey 1674 -
............................  +Daniel Hubbard 1674 -
........... 2   Infant Backus 1637 - 1640
........... 2   Stephen Backus 1641 - 1695
...............  +Sarah Spencer 1644 - 1707
........................ 3   Sarah Backus 1668 - 1742
............................  +David Knight 1656 - 1744
........................ 3   Stephen Backus 1670 - 1707
........................ 3   Mary Backus 1672 -
........................ 3   Ruth Backus 1674 -
............................  +Robert Green 1680 -
........................ 3   Lydia Backus 1677 -
........................ 3   Timothy Backus 1682 - 1762
............................  +Sarah Post 1686 - 1760
........................ 3   Elizabeth Backus 1686 - 1749
............................  +Nathaniel Bond 1686 -
........................ 3   Rebecca Backus 1688 -
............................  +William Baker 1688 -
  *2nd Wife of William Backus I:
..  +Anne Fenton 1610 - 1670
 
See also this register report of the kids of William.

 
 1   William Backus I 1606 - 1661
....  +Elizabeth 1610 - 1643
        Immigrated to Saybrook, then Norwich, Conn in late 1650;s
.... 2   Stephen Backus 1641 - 1695
..........  +Sarah Spencer 1644 - 1707
         Moved to Canterbury, Windham Co, Conn
........... 3   Sarah Backus 1668 - 1742
.................  +David Knight 1656 - 1744
              Lived in Woodstock, Canterbury, and, finally, Norwich, Conn
.................. 4   Joseph Knight 1705 - 1739
........................  +Sarah Read 1711 -
                  Lived and died in Norwich, Conn
........................ 5   Anna "Hannah" Knight 1735 - 1809
..............................  +Daniel Baldwin II 1731 - 1816
                      Both born in Norwich, Conn; moved to Vermont after the Revolution
............................... 6   Elijah Baldwin 1756 - 1841
...............................  *2nd Wife of Elijah Baldwin:
.....................................  +Polly 'Patty' Richardson 1768 - 1812
                            Elijah served in the Revolution, moved to Vermont aftewards.
...................................... 7   Ezra Baldwin 1805 - 1892
......................................  *2nd Wife of Ezra Baldwin:
............................................  +Lydia Eaton 1810 - 1872
                                 Born and raised in Vermont, followed his sons to Iawa, then Kansas
............................................ 8   Henry Gilbert Baldwin 1836 - 1894
..................................................  +Eleanor Serepta Fisher 1843 - 1924
                                          Civil War Veteran, Ottawa Co, Kansas Pioneer in the 1860's
................................................... 9   Arthur Willis Baldwin 1876 - 1961
.........................................................  +Inez Evangeline Hallock 1886 - 1976
.

Related Links:

 
Backus Links

Immigrant William Backus - A Time-Line Biography
 
Our English Origins: Yorkshire

On-Line Resources:

There is a Backus Genealogy Forum. Don't see a Backus maillist anywhere.

Windham Cemetery  is on-line and has a number of listings for early Backuses, probably all related to us.

 

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