Robert Hastings Hunkins
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Robert Hastings Hunkins | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1774 Vermont |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Settler, Pioneer, Farmer |
| Known for | Historical figure |
| Spouse | Hannah Emerson |
| Children | Sargeant, Robert, Benjamin, James, Hazen, dauthers |
| Parent(s) | Captain Robert Hunkins and Lydia Chamberlain |
| Relatives | Grandson Henry Harrison Hunkins |
Robert Hastings Hunkins is a historical figure known for being a Wisconsin territory early settler, his family relations and for his political contributions.
Hunkins was the third son of Captain Robert Hunkins and his second wife, Lydia Chamberlain,[2] and father of Wisconsin State Legislator member Benjamin Hunkins. He was born in Vermont on September 15, 1774.
In 1806 Hunkins was treasurer in the town of Navy, Vermont. That same year he was a 'Selectman' for Navy, moving him into early Vermont politics. In 1807 he was the first justice for the town along with Abner Allyn. From 1811-1812 Hunkins was then elected Town Representative after his other town positions.[3][4]
In 1839, Hunkins moved from Vermont to Wisconsin with his wife Hannah and sons James and Hazen. Hunkins proceeded to set up a large farm which he and his sons worked on. He had been preceded in the move by sons Sargeant, Robert W. and Benjamin.[5] The move from Vermont was before Wisconsin's statehood, as it did not become a state until 1848.[6]
Hunkins died in New Berlin, Wisconsin, in 1853.[2] Both he and his wife Hannah are buried in his brother Hazel's plot (the Hazen Hendricks Hunkins plot) at the Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Marriage and family
Hunkins married Hannah Emerson on November 15, 1798.[5] Emerson was the great-great-granddaughter of Hannah Emerson Duston,[7] a colonial Massachusetts Puritan mother that was taken captive by Indians and escaped by scalping all ten of her captors.[8] Hannah was also cousin of the famed essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson.[5] Hannah's parents were Watts Emerson and Lois Trussel.[7]
With wife Hannah, Hunkins had five sons:[9]
- Sargeant Roger Hunkins, born March 12, 1802. He married Rebecca Whitcher (b. September 6, 1807) on September 25, 1825. Among their children was Henry Harrison Hunkins.
- Robert W. Hunkins
- Benjamin Hunkins, born 1810. Benjamin was called twice to service in the territorial legislature of Wisconsin. He was a member of the first constitutional convention of Wisconsin and served in the State Legislature in 1860.[10] Benjamin and Governor Alexander Williams Randall were personal friends.[11]
- James Hunkins
- Hazen Hendricks Hunkins, author of Genealogical records of the Robert Hastings Hunkins family.[5] This book is held in the American Library of Congress.[12]
Hunkins and Hannah also had daughters together.
Hunkins was the second cousin twice removed of influential Quaker poet John Greenleaf Whittier.[13]
References
- ^ "Charleston, VT". Old Stone House Museum. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
- ^ a b McKeen D.D., Rev. Silas (1875). Bradford, Vermont. University of Michigan. p. 207.
- ^ Hemenway, Abby Maria (1877). The Vermont Historical Gazetteer: A Magazine, Embracing a History of Each Town, Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military, Volume 3. Miss A. M. Hemenway. pp. 114–115.
- ^ Child, Hamilton (1883). Gazetteer and Business Directory of Lamoille and Orleans Counties, Vt., for 1883-84. H. Child. p. 224.
- ^ a b c d Hunkins (1961). Genealogical records of the Robert Hastings Hunkins family. The University of Wisconsin. p. 4.
- ^ "Wisconsin". History. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
- ^ a b "Myers Family Tree". HannahDuston.com. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ Kilgore, H. D. "The Story of Hannah Duston". Duston-Dustin Family Association. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ "COMPENDIUM OF BIOGRAPHY". NEGenWeb Project. Retrieved 2014-01-22.
- ^ Quaife, Milo Milton (1919). The Convention of 1846, Volume 27. State Historical Society of Wisconsin. p. 778.
- ^ Memorial and Biographical Record and Illustrated Compendium of Biography: Containing a Compendium of Local Biography, Including Biographical Sketches of Hundreds of Prominent Old Settlers and Representative Citizens of Butler, Polk, Seward, York and Fillmore Counties, Nebraska, with a Review of Their Life Work... Also a Compendium of National Biography. G.A. Ogle & Company. 1899. p. 1101.
- ^ Library of Congress (2001). Genealogies in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography, Volume 1. Genealogical Publishing Com. ISBN 0806316640.
- ^ Metcalf, Henry Harrison (1881). The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine Devoted to History, Biography, Literature, and State Progress, Volume 4. H.H. Metcalf. pp. 336–337.