We have previously discussed the lives of our 4th great grandparents Captain Thomas Sandford (1744-1811) and Jerusha Gelston Sandford (1748-1837), both born on Long Island and moved to Portland, Maine before the Revolution. Recall that Jerusha was first married to Arthur Howell, of whom Thomas Sandford was a business associate, and that she married Sandford after Howell’s early death.
Although there are unanswered questions about the identity of Thomas Sandford’s parents on Long Island, there are no such questions about the ancestry of Jerusha Gelston. Her parents (our 5th great grandparents) were Hugh Gelston (1697-1775) and Mary Chatfield (1707-1775; her other married names were King and Pelletreau), both of Southampton, Long Island. They were married in 1737 or 1738, this being Gelston’s second marriage and Chatfield’s third.
Hugh Gelston came to Long Island in 1717 from Belfast, Ireland (his grandfather originating from Scotland). He was a merchant and later (1752-1773) served as Judge of the Court of Common Pleas for Suffolk County, New York.
Hugh Gelston’s 1775 will contains additional notes and details on his life, including an explanation of what it meant to be “brought up to Gelston’s fence”.
Mary Chatfield’s father, Thomas Chatfield III (1680-1754), was also a judge. Her great grandparents (our 8th great grandparents) Captain Thomas Chatfield Sr. (1621-1686) and Anne Higginson (1626-1686) came to Long Island in the early 17th century from Sussex and Leicestershire, England. Mary Chatfield has several other family branches dating back to early colonial New England (some to be discussed in future posts).
Bridging the Silences 
One thought on “Judge Hugh Gelston of Southampton”