[The following information is summarized from Eugene C. Zubrinsky, "The Hammonds of Rehoboth and Swansea, Massachusetts," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 149(1995), pp. 211-229. Most of the information below is from pp. 216-223. This material is placed here by permission of the editor of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format without the permission of the editor of the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Sources cited in the original have been omitted.)]

Was William Hammond from Lynn, Mass.?

F. S. Hammond, the author of History and Genealogies of the Hammond Families of America (published 1902 - 1904), claimed that William Hammond of Swansea was the son of a William Hammond who he said became a freeman at Lynn, Mass in 1636 and died there the following year. Hammond identified a widow of Lynn, Mass. as the wife of this William Hammond and gave her the name Elizabeth. He attempted to further identify the Lynn, Mass. freeman William Hammond as the son of William Hammond of Watertown, Mass., but also expressed doubt about this possibility. He also claimed that William Hammond of Swansea was buried in Watertown, and that the births of his children were recorded in the Watertown records.

The foregoing information, as well as other information presented about William Hammond of Swansea, results from several apparent false assumptions and errors that found their way into F.S. Hammond's published work. Besides the error in identifying the origin of William Hammond of Swansea (as explained below), F. S. Hammond concluded that there were two contemporaneous William Hammonds - one of Swansea and one of Rehoboth - when in fact there was only one who resided in both places. He also mistakenly identified William Hammond of Swansea as the brother-in-law of Joseph Fiske, when in fact, Joseph Fiske married William Hammond's widow, Elizabeth (Bartram) Hammond. (See Register, 149[1995]:230-239.)

There is no evidence to support most of F. S. Hammond's information about William Hammond of Swansea and Rehoboth. Although he cites a debt action from Essex County as grounds for concluding that William Hammond of Swansea was from Lynn, the actual court record does not mention Lynn, and implies that the parties were from Gloucester.The mark of the William Hammond in the debt action also did not resemble at all the mark of William Hammond of Swansea that appeared on the Indian deed he witnessed in 1668. William Hammond of Watertown is generally regarded to be the Massachusetts Bay Colony freeman who appears on a 1636 list of freemen. The widow who was granted land in Lynn in 1638 (identified as William Hammond's wife by F. S. Hammond) was identified only as "widow Hammond" in the Lynn records. Her given name is not mentioned. An Elizabeth (Penn) Hammond, a widow, did live at or near Boston. It is possible that she was the one who received a grant of land in Lynn. A family record of Elizabeth (Penn) Hammond, whose husband died in London, indicates that she immigrated to Massachusets with her three daughters and son, Benjamin. If she was not the Lynn proprietor, there is no other evidence that the Hammond widow of Lynn was named Elizabeth, and no evidence that her husband's name was William. If Elizabeth (Penn) Hammond was the Lynn proprietor, there is no evidence that she had a son William.

Was William Hammond the grandson of William of Watertown?

William Hammond of Watertown did have a son named William, who died in 1636.The will of William Hammond of Watertown, however, fails to mention any children of this son William.William of Watertown also had two other sons, Thomas and John, whose recorded children do not include a William. All records and evidence available show that William Hammond of Rehoboth and Swansea was buried in Swansea. Neither the births nor baptisms of the children of William Hammond of Rehoboth and Swansea appear in the Watertown records. In summary, there is no evidence which connects our William Hammond with the Watertown Hammonds.

Was there a connection between William Hammond of Rehoboth/Swansea and Benjamin Hammond of Sandwich and Rochester?

No direct evidence of this has been found. At best there can be some inference drawn from comparing the given names in the families. William Hammond of Swansea/Rehoboth had only one son, William. Five of William, Jr.'s ten children had the given names of their parents and grandparents. Of the remaining five, the names Nathan and Gideon appear in both families. Benjamin Hammond had a son Nathan of Rochester (b. 1670), and grandson Nathan (b. 1699). William Hammond Jr. of Swansea/Rehoboth had a son Nathan (b. 1716). Benjamin Hammond's son Nathan married as his second wife Elizabeth Bourne of Swansea in 1719/20. William, Jr.'s son Gideon was 47 and living in Scituate, R.I. when Benjamin's grandson Gideon was born at Rochester in 1743. Three months after Gideon of Rehoboth and Scituate died, a fourth-generation Gideon in Benjamin's line was born at Rochester. Benjamin Hammond of Sandwich and Rochester was the only know child of the widow Elizabeth (Penn) Hammond whose husband William died in London.These facts give rise to speculation that there was contact between these families and possible common English ancestry, even though the name Benjamin does not occur in the Rehoboth/Swansea line.

Was there a connection between William Hammond of Rehoboth/Swansea and Thomas Hammond of Newton?

Again, there is no direct evidence. Thomas Hammond was the brother of William of Watertown. Thomas Hammond had a son Eleazer of Newton (b. 1677) and grandson Eleazer (b. 1711). William, Jr. of Rehoboth/Swansea had a son Eleazer (b. after 1716). The name Thomas does not appear in the Swansea/Rehoboth line.

Was there a connection between William Hammond of Rehoboth/Swansea and Edward Hammond of Bristol?

Edward Hammond and his wife Susannah (Bradley) Hammond had four children born in Bristol between 1685 and 1694/5, of which the oldest was named William. The name Edward does not appear in the Rehoboth/Swansea line. The origin of Edward Hammond of Bristol is unknown. Although there is no direct connection found, the occurence of the name William in Edward's line, and the proximity of this family to the Rehoboth/Seansea Hammonds suggest a possible connection.

Was there a connection between William Hammond of Rehoboth/Swansea and Richard Hammond of Marblehead, Mass.?

Richard Hammond of Marblehead came from an Ipswich, England family of mariners. His father, brother and three nephews were named William. His grandfather, brother and a nephew were named Edward.The name Richard does not appear in the Rehoboth/Swansea line.Although no direct evidence of a connection has been found, the given names in this family suggest a possible connection to the Hammonds of Rehoboth/Swansea, and also to the Edward Hammond line of Bristol..

Was there a connection between William Hammond of Rehoboth/Swansea and any other early Hammond immigrants?

There were several other early Hammond immigrants, but no connection has been found between the Rehoboth/Swansea Hammonds and other early Hammond immigrants. These include:

• William Hamonds of Plymouth (1634), probably the same as William Hamans of Scituate (1636).
• John Hammond of Scituate (1643).
• Robert Hamond/Hammon of Scituate (1644).
• William Hammond of Saco, Maine (1645) and Wells, Maine (1649).
• George Haman of Newport, R.I. (1655).
• John Heman/Hamons/Haman/etc. of Gloucester (1660).
• Lawrence Hammond of Charlestown (1661).
• Joseph Hammond of Norwich, Conn. (1717) and North Kingstown, R.I. (1720)

Conclusion

William Hammond appears to have been an immigrant with no discernible, immediate connection to any other family of New England Hammonds.

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