Harington Connections to Herendeen and Harrington Lineages

by Toby Dills

I was looking at the various sources regarding Harington medieval lines and they sort very well into one branched descendancy chart which possibly includes (as I note below) Robert Harrington of Watertown and Benjamin Herendeen of Providence. The weak links stick out like sore thumbs when one looks at the big picture.

Lord Harington Line

The "main line" is what I call the "Lord Harington" line. Its main branch is described in detail in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, in lesser detail but with several branches in Weis' Ancestral Roots, and in lesser detail still in Burke's Dormant and Extinct Peerages. This line has no (that I have found) Harington or Harrington descendants in America but several female lines are mentioned in both Weis and in Robert's Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants....

Harington of Exton Line

A secondary line I call the "Harington of Exton" line is mentioned in Cokayne, which describes only the last two members, the "Lords Harington of Exton" (the last died without issue). Burke on the other hand gives a complete descent of these last two lords from one of the early "Lord Harington" line members. This descent lacks detail and dates however.

Inconsistancies with the Charles Harrington Representation

Examination of Charles S. Harrington's ancestory of Robert Harrington of Watertown shows that for the most part it is the "Harington of Exton" line including its "Lord Harington" root down to the last three members. Here it branches to include two successive John Harringtons who married Mary Rogers and Isabel Markham respectively, then the Robert Harrington who married Joan Jentilman, generally regarded now to be Robert of Watertown's family. The McGee website gives some dates for this line and while the names are exactly those extractable from Burke the dates, as noted by others, show some inconsistancies, if not impossibilities.

The John Harrington who married Ann Clinton and who is claimed to be Benjamin's father is shown to be, in the Ancestral File program to be son of John Harrington who married Isabel Markham and grandson of John Harrington who married Mary Rogers.

Conclusions

If all of this checks out, Robert and Benjamin would be first cousins, both grandsons of John Harrington and Isabel Markham. However, noted below, the weak links (some of these may have been resolved all ready but I haven't seen the research if they have):
  1. Who were Benjamin Harrington (Herendeen)'s parents? Weis in Early Generations of the Family of Robert Harrington of Watertown Massachusetts, 1634, and His Descendants published in 1958, considered his parentage unproven. This could have been resolved by now but I haven't seen any description of the evidence. Weis' considered (and I believe him) that the immigration of someone as prominent as the daughter of the Earl of Lincoln (Ann Clinton)would have merited comment, as the immigration of two of her sisters (Arbella and Susan) did (they are even mentioned in Cokayne!). That comment is noticeably lacking. On the other hand perhaps (my thought) the immigration of a grandson, especially one who might have been somewhat estranged from his family for religious reasons, might not have been mentioned.
  2. Who were the parents of Robert Harrington who married Joan Jentilman? Weis in Early Generations... commented that this Robert was possibly the son of another Robert Harrington, but no evidence was given and it may have been hearsay. McGee shows him son of John and Isabel Markham as noted above.
  3. Who were the parents of John Harrington who married Mary Rogers? Charles Harrington shows them as members of the "Harington of Exton" family but Ancestral File shows an Alexander Harrington with no additional information. Alexander is not in any of the other lines that I know of.
  4. What are the correct dates and/or lineages in the "Harington of Exton" line. Those inconsistencies shown by McGee need to be clarified.

Comments to: WDILLS@UMASSD.EDU