Genealogical notes of Barnstable families - citizen hylbom blog

BACHILER
REV. STEPHEN BACHILER.
This eccentric and learned divine has the honor of being
the first white man who settled within the present limitn of
the town of Barnstable. He lived a hundred years, and his
long life was checkered with exciting incidents on which the
imaginative pen of the novelist would delight to dwell. He
was born in England in 1561, received orders in the established
church, was settled in the ministry, and ejected by
the bishops for non-conformity, at whose hands Gov. Winthrop
says he had suffered much. He married early in life,
and four of his sons and three daughters are named : John
Wing, afterwards of Sandwich, married his daughter Debo-
rah, probably before his removal to Holland, where he resided
several years. During his residence in that country,
Christopher Hussey, the ancestor of the Nantucket family of
that name, became enamored with his daughter Theodate,
and sought her hand in marriage ;
but Mr. Bachiler refused
assent, without the bridegroom would agree to remove to
New England. Hussey assented to the condition imposed,
and took, probably in 1629, Theodate to wife. Mr. Bach-
iler, intending to emigrate to New England, soon after returned
to London.. Mr. Lewis states that his church in
Holland consisted of six members beside himself, and that
these returned with him to London. No names are given ;
but it is uniformly stated that they were his friends, or members
of his own family. If so, the seven probably were Mr.
Bachiler and his wife, John Wing and his wife Deborah,
John Sanborn and his wife, a daughter of Mr. Bachiler, and
Theodate Hussey. Sanborn's wife died in England, and it
does not appear that he came over. His sons John. William
and Stephen came over with their grandfather and settled in
Hampton. Christopher Hussey and his mother, the widow-
Mary Hussey, were afterwards members of his church, and