Warwickshire Huckells

The Warwickshire Huckells

The Huckell family name was found in Warwickshire from the mid-1600s until about 1800. They had a very strong presence in the southern part of the county, notably in Stratford (where two Huckells served as mayor) and the parish of Binton, just a couple of miles to the west. They were farmers (with land in Binton) and tradesmen with shops (in Stratford) and appear in a number of documents. However the family began to move from the Binton area in the mid-1750s and moved intitially into the area around Wolston, east of Coventry (but still on the Avon River). By 1775 the family had moved into Coventry and Birmingham. It was from there that the bulk of the family left for Pennsylvania after 1793. Why the initial moves were made from the Startford/Binton area to the north and the subsequent departure for America remains unknown. The family did hold property and some important positions in Warwickshire, but left that for a life in the pioneer wilderness. The departure was so complete that by the time of the 1851 census there were no Huckells at all in the county.

1 Thomas Huckell
b. c. 1635 Of, Binton, Warwick, England d. 26 Oct 1680 Binton, Warwick, England
m. c. 1660 Binton,Warwickshire,England Anne ?

m. c. 1660 Mary ? b. c. 1639

This is the earliest Huckell we can prove. Thomas was a yeoman farmer (he owned the land he worked) andspent his whole life in Binton and had about 10 children.
The one we care about the most is his son Benjamin:

2 Benjamin Huckell
b. c. 1680 died before 1746
m. Anne ? The oldest Benjamin Huckell found so far. He was a lay church official in 1714 in Binton and owned land in the parish, probably inherited from his father. Among his children was a son, John:

3 John Huckell
b. c. 1723
m. Elizabeth ?
John Huckell was born in Binton, inherited land from his great uncle John (1662-1746). However he sold that land and raised his family in the village of Wolston, further up the Avon river. He was still there in 1774 and was buried in the Wolston parish churchyard.

4 Thomas Huckell
b. c. 1750 England d. 1798 Forksville, Pennsylvania
           m. Dec 26, 1775 Birmingham Sarah Ann Sanders b. 1756 England d. 1825 Pennsylvania
           m. Sarah Ann Sanders b. 1756 England d. 1825 Pennsylvania

Thomas was the Huckell who moved to the Loyalsock area in Pennsylvania 1795. We have no baptismal record for him, or his brothers Joseph or John who accompanied him on that trip. We have very little information on Thomas, other than that he was a tradesman. He moved initially to Northumberland PA before buying land further north on the Loyalsock Creek and owned the majority of land on which Forksville was built. The church, school and covered bridge were all built on his original property. Although he died shortly after arriving, his widow Sarah kept the farm and was an important force in local politics and development. The current Huckle Road leads from the covered bridge to the site of the original farmhouse. Her grandson, Rev. Daniel Huckell was the last to remain on the Forksville farm which passed fram the Huckell family in 1946, almost 200 years since it was first cleared.

Thomas two brothers who also purchased land in the Loyalsock wilderness. John Huckell bought land in nearby Hillsgrove, which was assumed by another brother Joseph (1759-1845) in 1805. Joseph was the only brother to marry (Margaret Danley) in the US. They ran a farm and a sawmill. They had one child, Benjamin, who took over the family farm in Hillsgrove and lived there until his death in 1884. It is from this branch that the "other" Huckell researchers hail from  (notably Betty Weber and Kitty Scharf). Through the Little family name, this branch still dominates the lumber trade in the area.

5 Benjamin Huckell
b. 1781 d. Oct. 16, 1841 m. Sarah ???? b. c.1791 d. 1856

One of at least two children who stayed behind in England, Benjamin lived in different areas including western London before settling in Buckinghamshire. He was a farmer in Great Kimble and had one son, also named Benjamin.

6 Benjamin Huckell
b. Mar 12 1822 d. Dec 28 1896
m. March 21, 1843 Ann Reading b. 1820 d. Sept 12 1883
Benjamin started out in farming in Buckinghamshire, but eventually turned to milling in the market town of Wendover. In 1858 he emigrated to Ontario, Canada where he worked at many professions including farming, milling, inn keeping, mail carrier and real estate agent. He and his wife Ann had nine children. The first seven born in England and the last two in Ottawa.

Children of Ann Reading and Benjamin Huckell:

         7 Benjamin Huckell (Jr.) b. Sept 4 1843 d. Jan 25 1876 (Ontario)
                m. April 4, 1866 Catherine Starmer b. 1847 d. June 1, 1920
         7 Thomas Huckell b. 1845 d. July 4 1900 (Manitoba)
                m. June 3, 1867 Eliza Cleverly b. May 3, 1845 d. Nov 3, 1899
         7 Sarah Ann Huckell b. Apr 24 1846 d. Dec 14 1930 (Ontario)
                m. Nov 28, 1873 Arthur Begg b. Oct 13 1849 d. Dec 15 1910
         7 William Huckell b. May 26, 1847 d. Oct 24, 1909 (Iowa)
                m. Sept 17, 1868 Emily Frances Anderson b. June 10, 1845 d. August 9, 1894
         7 John Huckell b. 1849 d. Sept 28, 1926 (no descendents) (Ontario)
                m. 1887 Harriet Sophia Benedict b. May 4, 1859 d. May 1, 1958
         7 Elizabeth Huckell b. 1851 d. 1919 (Ontario)
                m. March 27, 1877 Richard Niles b. 1853 d. 1926
         7 Lucy Reading Huckell b. April 19 1853 d. Jan 26 1929 (Ontario)
                m. June 11, 1872 John Wesley Cross b. May 29 1848 d. Sept 18 1911
         7 Joseph Huckell b. 1855 d. Oct 16, 1859 (no descendents) (Ontario)
         7 Clara Louisa Huckell b. May 6, 1861 d. c.Sept 1862 (no descendents) (Ontario)