The following information was found in a posting dated 7 Sep 2006 in the Genealogy.com CRANE surname forum by Sharilyn Whitaker:
236Everett F. Bingham, in NEHGR 142:253-254, says: "William Backhouse (sic) was listed as an apprentice to William Nutt of Grimesthorpe, near Sheffield, [Yorkshire] had been given his freedom in 1627, and in 1631 was admitted to membership in the Sheffield Culters Company. This placed him as a member of that company at the same time as Thomas Bingham, Sr., husband of Anna (Fenton), and father of Thomas Bingham, Jr. (the immigrant ancestor of Binghams in America.)"
Births for the five children of William Backus who immigrated to America are listed in the Sheffield, Yorkshire parish registers, burials of two more children who died young in England, and the burial of his wife, Elizabeth (last name unknown) in 1643.
There can be little doubt this William Backhouse is the William Backus of Saybrook, Conn because he used a unique "trademark" for his signature, which was a W directly over a B, likely used to "sign" his cutlery products. This same mark is found on papers he signed in England as well as on his will, in Connecticut. Additionally, the names of the children recorded in the parish register match the names of the children of the American William Backus. These facts, coupled with the man in Norwich referred to his cutlery tools in his will leaves no doubt that the person referred to in the three locations and records are the same man.
William Backus, English immigrant was a cutler. He settled in Saybrook, Conn, as a widower with grown children, by 1659. He was on the list of the original 35 settlers who paid Uncas, the Mohegan chief, 70 pounds, for the nine square mile parcel of ground to become Norwich, Connecticut. Born: "Probably about 1606" (NEHGR 142:254, 1988), Note that 18 years before youngest child's birth would be 1610.
Immigrated: By 1659, ship unknown (The William Backhouse immigrant of 1637 either died soon after arrival, or if that immigrant was William, returned to England soon after. The 1637 immigrant was likely a different man. There is no record in America after 1637 of a William Backus until the reference to our William Backus in Saybrook in 1659 (Bingham genealogy say 1657.). The later kids of our William Backus were born in England after 1637.) Arrived as a widower, kids in 1659 would have been 19-31 years of age. ...
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