Hannah (Hanna) DRAKE

Higley p 62: No gravestone has been found.
Citations
1. [S578] Frank B. Gay, John Drake, Page 16.
2. [S506] Leroy E. Higley, John Higley, Page 1.
3. [S45] Albert C. Bates, Simsbury, Page 24.
4. [S578] Frank B. Gay, John Drake, Page 1 ²⁹

Witnessed Great Plague (1665) the summer previous to leaving London.

Moved to Simsbury 1684, purchasing the Wolcott farm from George Griswold of Windsor Connecticut.

Tradition says had 2 sisters whom he left behind in England with his mother.

The love story is well documented by living descendants. That is, in the 19th century Higley book (see citations, p 32), the author spoke with people who got the story directly from Higleys' children. Briefly, after Capt John's father Jonathan died at an early age, Capt John's mother apprenticed him out. He fled to the Colonies ca. 1666, indentured passage, became part of Drake household.

He could not marry the Drake daughter because apprentices cannot marry without permission. The Colony remained subject to British law. He returned to England and his mother; they bought off the apprenticeship; he returned and married the Drake daughter.

Granted land adjacent to George Griswold and Benjamin Newberry.

1698 promoted from Lieutenant to Captain, the highest rank then known inthe colony save one.

Higley book, p 57: Higley family documents state Capt John Higley escaped with the Charter, hid it for six weeks, before it was hidden in the Charter Oak. An emissary from England had been sent to confiscate and revoke the Charter, which would have dissolved the Colonial government. The Charter was produced and placed on the table. The lights (candles) suddenly went out; the Charter disappeared. Since the sealed Charter was never actually surrendered, they legally continued as a Colony.

Details remain hazy because of the need at the time to keep all participants' names a secret.

John Higley is laid to rest beside John Drake at Simsbury Connecticut.

Citations
1. [S506] Leroy E. Higley, John Higley, Page 1.
2. [S578] Frank B. Gay, John Drake, Page 16.
3. [S506] Leroy E. Higley, John Higley, CD Supplement #1.
4. [S344] Joyce A. Cahill Simsbury Cemetery.
²⁹

1943. Hannah (Hanna) DRAKE ⁷⁵ (John 2d², John Sr¹) was born on 8 Aug 1653 in Windsor, Connecticut ^{²⁹ ⁷⁵} and died on 4 Aug 1694 in Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut, USA ^⁴⁷ at age 40.

Noted events in her life were:

• She was baptized on 15 Apr 1655 in Windsor, Connecticut. ⁷⁵

Hannah married Captain John HIGLEY, son of Jonathan HIGLEY and Katherine BREWSTER, on 9 Nov 1671 in Windsor, Connecticut.⁷⁴ John was born on 22 Jul 1649 in Frimley, Surrey, England,^⁶³ died on 25 Aug 1714 in Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut, USA ^⁶⁴ at age 65, and was buried in Simsbury Cemetery, Simsbury, Hartford, Connecticut, USA.^⁶⁴

Noted events in his life were:

• He was baptized on 12 Aug 1649 in Frimley, Surrey, England. ⁶³

(Duplicate Line. See Person 1907, Captain John HIGLEY)

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