Henry Harrison Culver of Puritian Descent  

Tho stated as being of of Scotch descent it have been proven they were of Puriain descent the following give information on the immigrant ancestor:

My wife, Kathy Culver Nickell, is a Culver , and shares the same Puritan ancestry as Henry Harrison Culver . I wanted to share a synopsis of Kathy’s and Henry Harrison’s common ancestor.

Both Kathy and Henry Harrison Culver descend from Puritan Edward Culver (c1610-1685). Edward was probably born in Middlesex, England near London. Edward the Puritan was sponsored by John Winthrop, Jr., and arrived in Massachusetts in 1635. Edward was a member of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and was the 68th on the list of 124 colonists who signed the Dedham (MA) Covenant in 1636. Edward was a millwright and wheelwright by trade.

Edward Culver served in several of the earliest Pequot Indian wars of New England. Edward was a noted Indian scout and enjoyed good relations with the Indians. According to Valerie Dyer Giorgi's "Colver-Culver Family Genealogy," Edward was sent by Major John Mason to enlist the aid of warriors from Chief Uncas of the Mohegans. Edward must have been successf ul as Uncas provided about 150 men.

Edward Culver married Ann Ellis on September 19, 1638 with the Rev. John Allyn performing the ceremony. Edward's father-in-law John Ellis was also a signer of the Dedham Covenant. In recognition of his service in the Pequot Wars, Edward received land grants from the British Crown in 1652 and 1654, including what is now New London, CT. In 1645, Edward and Ann moved to Roxbury MA, then Edward constructed a Grist Mill for Governor Winthrop, Jr. in 1650. Edward and Ann moved again in 1653, this time to Pequot (present day New London, CT), where Edward again built another grist mill about 1654. That grist mill at the head of the cove of New London remained in daily use until 1897. Records also show that Edward became embroiled in legal disputes with the Winthrops over property boundaries affecting ownership of one of the grist mills. It appears that Edward was unsuccessf ul in his legal disputes with the powerf ul Winthrops.

Edward Culver and Ann Ellis had the following children:

John Culver , born 15 Apr 1640, Dedham, MA
Joshua Culver , born 12 Jan 1642, Dedham, MA
Samuel Culver , born 9 Jan 1644, Dedham, MA
Joseph Culver , baptized 20 Sep 1646, Dedham, MA
Gershom Culver , baptized 4 Dec 1648, Roxbury, MA
Daughter, born/died 21 Jan 1650 , Roxbury, MA

Hannah Culver , baptized 11 Apr 1652, Roxbury, MA
Edward Culver , born 1654, New London, CT
Ephraim Culver , born 1656, New London Connecticut

My wife Kathy is descended from Joshua Culver (1642-1713). Henry Harrison is descended from Edward Culver (1654-1732). This makes Kathy the sixth cousin twice removed of Henry Harrison Culver !! Pretty darn distant. However, it is interesting that Henry Harrison and his brother entered business with the McLeary Family in Springfield, IL. Kathy’s direct ancestor and Civil War Veteran, Edward Herrick Culver (1832-1892) farmed near Athens, IL, just northwest of Springfield. Kathy’s family began farming northwest of Springfield in 1833.

What got me going on this was something stating that Henry Harrison Culver ’s father (John Milton Culver ) was of “Scotch descent.” In addition to Scotch being a distilled malt whiskey, John Milton Culver was clearly descended from an ENGLISH PURITAN. That is significantly different than being a Scot!

Randy Nickell