Huddleston Family


Crest The name de Hodelston originated in Yorkshire, England, where the family was from the 900's on. Some ten miles East of Leeds can still be found the ancient village of Huddleston. Nearby is the old manor house Huddleston Hall, now a farm house. In the neighborhood is the celebrated quarry which contributed stone for York Cathedral, also Huddleston Old Wood, formerly an extensive park. All formed in the old days Huddleston Manor, a part of the Barony of Sherburn, which under the feudal system was attached to the See of York.
    In 1109, Nigel de Huddleston, then the Provost of the Archbishop of York, donated two and one-half carucates (a carucate was a measure of the amount of arable land that a plough team was capable cultivating ) of land (in Hillam), with part of his tithe in Huddleston, to the Convent of Selby.  In 1110, Nigel "being weary of the burden of his sins and the tiresome ways of the wicked world" retired to Selby Abbey 10 miles E. of Sherburn.
    In 1165 Gilbert, son of Nigel, donated to the Archbishop of York, "his Lord," land in Clementhorpe. Speaking of these charters, Farrar (1 Early Yorkshire Charters, 53) says: "The fact that Nigel gave part of his tithe in Huddleston, combined with evidence in later times of the tenure by the Huddleston family of a knight's fee in Huddleston, Wetwang and other places, prove that Nigel was ancestor of that family."
"Nigel, the Provost, was undoubtly the ancestor of the family of Huddleston" The name de Hodelston was assumed by Nigel or by his son Gilbert, it is not clear which, and thenceforth it was the family surname. [from Huddleston Family Tables, by George Huddleston, 1935]
    One of Nigel's descendants, John Huddleston, married Joan Millom who had inherited a castle, and thus Millom Castle came into the Huddleston family about 1232, where it remained for over 500 years. Millom Castle is located in NW England near Barrow. [The link for "castle" is a nice picture. If the link doesn't work, copy this into your browser - http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~mentor01/church&castle.htm
    Another Huddleston of Millom 1553 built a manor house at Sawston near Cambridge. (Queen Mary Tudor sought refuge there during the brief 9-day reign of Lady Jane Grey.)
There are several different American families of Huddlestons descended from different immigrants. The first mention of the Huddleston name in America, is that of Capt. John Huddleston, commander of the ship Bona Nova. a vessel of 200 tons, which performed many voyages to Virginia in the interest of the Virginia Company. He patented lands in Virginia in the "Territory of Tappahannock over against James Cittie," and at Blue Point, near Newport News; in 1624, he was  reported as dead. It was this noble Captain who, in the year of 1622, shared his scant store with the Plymouth Colony, who were in a starving condition, and thus saved that Colony. [from: Colonial Families of the Southern States of America by Stella Pickett Hardy, 1958]

Epitaph on a Huddlestone grave in New England:
Here lies Thomas Huddlestone, reader don’t smile,     
But reflect as this tombstone you view,
That death who has killed, in a very short while
May HUDDLE A STONE upon you.

My Huddleston line:

1. Henry Huddleston, Sr. - b abt 1660-65, England.  Probably came to America about 1688. Married Elizabeth Cooper in Bucks Co, Pa.  Died in Bucks Co, Pa. in 1706.  Children: William, Elizabeth, Henry Jr.

2. Henry Huddleston, Jr. - born in 1706 after his father died.  He married Mary Wilkinson in 1733 in Philadelphia.  He died in 1780, Plumstead twp, Bucks Co, PA.  Children:  William, Daniel, Martha, Rachel, Mary, Abraham, Sarah, Huldah, Nathaniel

3. William Huddleston, b 1734, Bucks Co, PA.  He married Martha Myer in 1758.  They moved to Bedford co, Va in 1770.  Moved again to Kanawha Valley, (W)Va. about 1785.  He died there about 1817.  Children:

4. Abraham Huddleston, b 1773, Va; m Mary Allen (moved to Tn, IL, then Mo.)

5. John Huddleston, 1802, Smith Co, Tn; m Mary "Polly" Baty in IL (moved to Oregon Co, Mo)

6. Margaret "Peggy" Huddleston, b 1824, Oregon Co, Mo; m Randolph C. Jolliff [my gg-grandparents]

If you would like to check my database to see if the information on your family is correct, go to my ancestor file then search for the name of one of your ancestors. (Only those born before 1930 or no longer living are listed by name. I have names of the living, but they are not displayed in the online database.)  Please email me if there are any corrections or additions!!