JOSEPH HAWKINS SR. Historical Research Dossier Ferryman of Bergen Township | Husband of Sarah Hawkins | Father of Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, and Stephen

 

JOSEPH HAWKINS SR.

Historical Research Dossier

Ferryman of Bergen Township | Husband of Sarah Hawkins | Father of Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, and Stephen

Prepared as a public research tool for Ancestry.ca and future Hawkins researchers

Research note This dossier is a working proof narrative. It uses the documents currently available in this research thread. It does not pretend every question is solved; it separates documented facts from reasoned inferences.

 

 

Executive Summary

Joseph Hawkins Sr. was an eighteenth-century ferryman and landholder connected to New York City, Bergen Township, Weehawken, the Hackensack River, and the North River/Hudson River corridor. The strongest evidence identifies him as the husband of Sarah Hawkins and father of Joseph Hawkins Jr. The will attributed to Joseph Hawkins of the City of New York names Sarah as his wife and names children Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, and Stephen.

The documents collected here matter because they anchor a Hawkins family in the exact New York-Bergen-Weehawken geography later associated with Loyalist Joseph Hawkins Jr. and, by working hypothesis, Michael Hawkins of New Jersey and New Brunswick.

Case File Card

Subject	Joseph Hawkins Sr.	Documented in will, mortgage abstract, land/common records, and Bayard-related evidence.
Known wife	Sarah Hawkins	Named in will and in the 1770 Bergen mortgage abstract as wife of Joseph Hawkins, deceased.
Documented occupation	Ferryman	The Bergen mortgage abstract explicitly labels him Joseph Hawkins (Ferryman), deceased.
Documented children	Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, Stephen	Named in the will. Joseph is called eldest son; Stephen is called youngest son.
Residence / property focus	City of New York; Bergen Town; Weehawken/Bergen Township; Hackensack River area; Sea Cows/Secaucus	Supported by the will, mortgage abstract, common lands material, and Bayard certificate.
Death window	After 12 Feb 1761 and before 11 Oct 1770	Will dated 1761; Bergen mortgage abstract dated 1770 calls him deceased.
Religion	Likely Anglican/Episcopal association; not proven as formal membership	A 1764 Episcopal christening record names Joseph, son of Joseph Hawkins. This requires careful interpretation.
Allegiance	Joseph Sr. died before the Revolutionary War; no personal allegiance proven	Family evidence later points strongly into the Loyalist world through Joseph Jr. and likely Michael Hawkins.

How This Dossier Is Structured

Each section makes one claim, places the relevant document immediately beside or below that claim, then explains what the document proves. The images are not an appendix. They are exhibits in the argument.

 

1. The Anchor Document: Joseph Hawkins Was a Ferryman, Sarah Was His Wife, and Joseph Jr. Was Their Son

The best single summary record for this family is the Bergen County mortgage abstract dated 11 October 1770 and recorded 10 February 1772. It identifies Joseph Hawkins Sr. as deceased, calls him a ferryman, names Sarah Hawkins as his wife, and names Joseph Hawkins as son of Sarah and Joseph.

Claim supported by Exhibit 1 Joseph Hawkins Sr. was deceased by 11 Oct 1770; his wife was Sarah Hawkins; their son Joseph was involved in a Bergen mortgage; Joseph Sr. was a ferryman and former owner of land.

 

Exhibit 1A. Bergen County mortgage abstract, 11 Oct 1770, recorded 10 Feb 1772. This image explicitly names Joseph Hawkins (Ferryman), Sarah Hawkins, and Joseph Hawkins son of Sarah and Joseph.

The abstract provides unusually clear relationship language: “Joseph Hawkins (Son of Sarah and Joseph Hawkins, deceased)” and “Sarah Hawkins (Mother of Joseph Hawkins; Wife of Joseph Hawkins, deceased).” It also identifies the deceased Joseph as “Joseph Hawkins (Ferryman),” which moves the occupation from inference to documented fact.

The land context is also important. The mortgage is by the Hackensack River, west of a road, in Bergen Township. That places the Hawkins family in the same river-and-road environment that would later matter for Weehawken, ferrying, piloting, and Revolutionary movement.

Exhibit 1B. Full screenshot of the 1770 Bergen mortgage abstract and repeated indexed entries.

2. Sarah Hawkins: Wife, Widow, Executrix, and Estate Manager

Sarah Hawkins is not a guessed wife. She is named in the will and again in the 1770 Bergen mortgage abstract. The will shows Joseph Sr. trusted Sarah with household property, income, and estate administration.

Claim supported by Exhibit 2 Sarah Hawkins was Joseph Sr.’s wife. The will gives her household goods and personal estate, gives her use of Bergen land, and nominates her as sole executrix.

 

Exhibit 2. Joseph Hawkins will, focus on wife Sarah, eldest son Joseph, weapons, and Bergen land language.

The will opens with Joseph identifying himself as “Joseph Hawkins of the City of New York, yeoman.” He then gives “my loving wife Sarah Hawkins” his goods, furniture, and personal estate, except the silver watch, silver-hilted sword, brace of pistols, and gun that he gives to his eldest son Joseph. He also gives Sarah use or disposal rights over a lot of land in Bergen Town with a right of commonage.

This combination suggests Sarah was not a minor figure in the family. She was the person Joseph trusted to handle the household and execute the will. The 1770 mortgage abstract then confirms she survived him and was still active in family land business.

3. The Children Named in the Will

The will names the Hawkins children and gives a useful internal structure: Joseph is the eldest son, Stephen is the youngest son, and the estate is to be divided among Sarah and the children.

Claim supported by Exhibit 3 The will names Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, and Stephen. Joseph is called eldest son; Stephen is called youngest son.

 

Exhibit 3. Will continuation, showing Deborah, youngest son Stephen, Sarah’s rent rights, and executor provisions involving Peter Mesier and Daniel Smith.

Children: Current Evidence Table

Child	Evidence in will/records	Research status	Notes
Joseph Hawkins Jr.	Named eldest son; receives silver watch, silver-hilted sword, brace of pistols, and gun; appears with Sarah in 1770 mortgage abstract.	Documented son	Likely the Loyalist Joseph Hawkins associated with Weehawken/Bayard; final identity should be supported by the Bayard memorial/certificate chain.
William Hawkins	Named in will; receives an undivided right in land at Sea Cows/Secaucus in the cedar swamps and meadows.	Documented son	A William Hawkin/Hawkins appears in later Secaucus/common land notes; relationship requires follow-up.
John Hawkins	Named in will as one of the children receiving a share.	Documented son	Important because of the later Michael/John Michael Hawkins naming puzzle; no direct proof yet that John is Michael.
Mary Hawkins	Named in will as daughter receiving a share.	Documented daughter	No later confirmed record in this dossier.
Deborah Hawkins	Named in will as daughter receiving a share.	Documented daughter	No later confirmed record in this dossier.
Stephen Hawkins	Named youngest son; estate provisions wait for him to reach age 21.	Documented son	Age language helps estimate family timeline; likely born after older siblings, possibly mid-to-late 1750s.

4. Date, Death Window, and Probate Problem

The will is dated 12 February 1761, but the visible probate text shows formal proceedings in New York in 1784. The 1770 Bergen mortgage abstract already calls Joseph deceased, so Joseph’s death window is not 1784. The defensible working range is: after 12 February 1761 and before 11 October 1770.

Research caution Do not use 1784 as Joseph’s death date. It is a probate/administrative date in the visible record, not the date of death. The mortgage abstract proves he was already deceased by 1770.

 

Exhibit 4. Full will image showing the 1784 probate context and the beginning of Joseph Hawkins’s 1761 will.

5. The Silver Watch, Sword, Pistols, and Gun

Joseph Sr. specifically removed several items from the general household bequest to Sarah and gave them to his eldest son Joseph: a silver watch, a silver-hilted sword, a brace of pistols, and a gun. This does not prove military service for Joseph Sr., but it does show status, arms, and a household prepared for travel, defence, and authority.

Claim supported by Exhibit 5 Joseph Jr. inherited high-value, male-status objects: watch, sword, pistols, and gun. This supports the picture of a mobile, river-connected, armed household.

 

Exhibit 5. Same will crop; focus on the bequest to eldest son Joseph.

This becomes important because Joseph Jr. later appears in Loyalist evidence as a guide and pilot in dangerous wartime geography. The will does not prove that later service, but it shows that Joseph Jr. inherited the personal equipment of a man moving through a world where timekeeping, weapons, and mobility mattered.

6. Trusted Associates: Peter Mesier and Daniel Smith

The will names Peter Mesier the Elder of New York City, Gentleman, and Daniel Smith of Bergen Township, Yeoman, as substitute executors if Sarah died before the youngest child reached majority. This is an important social-network clue. Joseph’s trusted circle crossed New York City and Bergen Township.

Claim supported by Exhibit 6 Joseph Sr.’s trusted network included a New York City gentleman and a Bergen Township yeoman. This fits a cross-river life between New York and Bergen.

 

Exhibit 6. Will continuation naming Peter Mesier the Elder of New York City and Daniel Smith of Bergen Township.

Peter Mesier later becomes especially interesting because the Mesier name also appears in Brouwer/Brewer material connected to Wappingers Falls. That does not prove a family relationship to the Hawkins family, but it points toward overlapping Dutch/New York social and land networks.

7. Bergen Common Lands: Joseph Hawkins Among the Recognized Proprietor Names

A family-history book page on Hudson and Bergen Counties describes the division of Bergen common lands and lists names of persons for whom portions were apportioned. Joseph Hawkins appears among the names.

Claim supported by Exhibit 7 Joseph Hawkins was remembered in relation to Bergen common lands, alongside other local Bergen families.

 

Exhibit 7A. Hudson and Bergen Counties source page listing persons involved in the division of Bergen common lands; Joseph Hawkins appears in the highlighted list.

Exhibit 7B. Focus crop of the highlighted name list including Joseph Hawkins.

This is consistent with the will’s reference to land in Bergen Town with commonage rights and with the later adjudication for heirs or devisees of Joseph Haukens.

8. Heirs or Devisees of Joseph Haukens: The Common Lands Continued After His Death

A later common-lands entry adjudges a portion to the “Heirs or Devisees of Joseph Haukens formerly of New York deceased.” The spelling Haukens/Hawkins variation is normal in this period and should be researched alongside Hawkins/Hawkens/Hawkin.

Claim supported by Exhibit 8 Joseph’s land rights did not disappear at death. A later common-lands source recognizes heirs or devisees of Joseph Haukens formerly of New York, deceased.

 

Exhibit 8. Common lands excerpt: “Heirs or Devisees of Joseph Haukens formerly of New York deceased.”

This exhibit also matters because it uses “formerly of New York,” matching the will’s “Joseph Hawkins of the City of New York, yeoman,” while the land itself is tied to Bergen/Secaucus common land. Again, the pattern is cross-river: New York identity with Bergen land interests.

Exhibit 8B. Full common-lands page excerpt.

9. William Bayard Certificate: Weehawken, House, Barn, Orchard, and the Previous Generation

The William Bayard certificate is one of the most important documents in the entire Hawkins case. Bayard states that Joseph Hawkins lived on Bayard’s estate at Weehawken and that the land had been brought into use or improved by Joseph’s father before Joseph occupied it.

Claim supported by Exhibit 9 The Bayard certificate supports a multi-generation Hawkins presence at Weehawken: Joseph’s father improved the land; Joseph lived there; a house, barn, orchard, and other improvements existed before wartime destruction.

 

Exhibit 9. William Bayard certificate, London, 17 Nov 1783. The image is damaged, but it supports the Weehawken/Bayard estate claim.

Working transcription from the research notes: Bayard states that Joseph Hawkins lived on Bayard’s estate at Weehawken in Bergen Township; that the land was originally improved by Joseph’s father; that Joseph built or had a house and barn; that the house, barn, orchard, and improvements were worth about fifty pounds before the war; and that the property was destroyed.

Why this matters: Joseph Jr.’s Loyalist memorial says he was brought up on the North River within three miles of New York City, where his father Joseph Hawkins lived at Weehawken on William Bayard’s estate. The Bayard certificate independently supports that family location and extends the connection backward to Joseph Sr.’s father.

10. Church Record: 1764 Christening of Joseph, Son of Joseph Hawkins

The Episcopal/Anglican register image includes an entry dated 13 October 1764: “Joseph, son of Joseph Hawkins.” This is important evidence of a Hawkins child in an Episcopal record, but it must be used carefully.

Claim supported by Exhibit 10 A Joseph Hawkins child was christened in an Episcopal register in 1764. This supports Anglican/Episcopal contact, but does not by itself prove Joseph Sr.’s personal church membership.

 

Exhibit 10A. Focus crop of the 1764 christening list showing “Joseph, son of Joseph Hawkins.”

Exhibit 10B. Full Episcopal register screenshot, 1764–1765 christenings.

Interpretation caution: This could refer to a child of Joseph Sr., Joseph Jr., or another Joseph Hawkins in the same regional network. It should be attached as a lead and analyzed against the will, the mortgage, and the later Loyalist evidence before assigning it to a specific Joseph in the tree.

11. Later Bergen County Names: Joseph Hawkins and Sarah Hawkins Administrations in 1790

A page from New Jersey post-Revolutionary documents lists Joseph Hawkins of Bergen County, intestate, and Sarah Hawkins of Bergen County, intestate, both dated 12 October 1790, with Job Smith as administrator and Albert C. Zabrisky as witness.

Research caution This document is relevant, but it should not be forced onto Joseph Sr. Joseph Sr. was already deceased by 1770. These 1790 entries may refer to another Joseph and Sarah, possibly related, but require separate proof.

 

Exhibit 11A. Focus crop of 1790 Joseph Hawkins and Sarah Hawkins entries in New Jersey post-Revolutionary documents.

Exhibit 11B. Full page context for the 1790 entries.

This is exactly the sort of record that can create false merges in Ancestry. It belongs in the dossier because it may represent a related Bergen Hawkins pair, but the document should be labelled “unattached/research lead” until the probate packets are reviewed.

12. Associated Family Network: Brouwer / Brower / Brewer

The Brouwer/Brower/Brewer documents do not prove Joseph Sr.’s immediate family. Their value is contextual. Michael Hawkins later married Eleanor/Laney Brower/Brewer, and the Brouwer family materials show Dutch/New York/Bergen/Hudson networks that overlap geographically and socially with the Hawkins problem.

Context only These Brouwer exhibits are included as associated-network evidence, not as proof that Joseph Sr. was a Brouwer descendant or that Eleanor’s parentage is solved in this dossier.

 

Exhibit 12A. Brouwer genealogy page discussing Cornelius/John Brouwer lines and Adam Brouwer signature. Useful for related-network tracking.

Exhibit 12B. Brouwer genealogy excerpt showing spelling/context and early New Netherland links.

The most important practical point for research is spelling: Brouwer, Brower, Brewer, and related phonetic spellings should all be searched. This matters for Eleanor/Laney Brower and for any appearance of Brewer/Brower in Loyalist records connected to New York, Bergen, or New Brunswick.

13. What This Proves vs. What It Suggests

Proven or strongly supported by the documents in this dossier

• Joseph Hawkins Sr. was married to Sarah Hawkins.

• Joseph Hawkins Sr. was deceased by 11 October 1770.

• Joseph Hawkins Sr. was identified as a ferryman.

• Joseph Hawkins Jr. was the son of Sarah and Joseph Hawkins, deceased.

• Joseph Sr. had Bergen Township / Bergen Town land interests.

• The will names children Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, and Stephen.

• The will identifies Joseph as eldest son and Stephen as youngest son.

• Joseph’s trusted network included Peter Mesier of New York City and Daniel Smith of Bergen Township.

• A William Bayard certificate supports Hawkins residence/improvements at Weehawken and indicates an earlier generation of Hawkins had improved the land.

Suggested but not yet proven

• That Joseph Hawkins Sr. is the direct father of Michael Hawkins, Loyalist of New Jersey and New Brunswick.

• That Joseph’s son John is the same person as Michael Hawkins or John Michael/Michael Hawkins in later family memory.

• That the 1764 christening entry belongs to a specific child in Joseph Sr.’s immediate household.

• That the 1790 Joseph and Sarah Hawkins Bergen administrations belong to this exact nuclear family.

14. The Link Toward Joseph Hawkins Jr., Michael Hawkins, and John Michael Hawkins

The dossier’s strongest proven link is from Joseph Hawkins Sr. and Sarah Hawkins to their son Joseph Hawkins Jr. The 1770 mortgage abstract says Joseph Jr. was the son of Sarah and Joseph Hawkins, deceased. The Bayard certificate then supports the next step: a Joseph Hawkins connected to William Bayard’s Weehawken estate, where Joseph’s father had improved the land.

The working theory is that this Bergen-Weehawken family is the correct family network for Loyalist Michael Hawkins. Michael served in the Bergen County Loyalist world, went to New Brunswick in 1783, and named his son John Michael Hawkins. The will’s naming of a son John is therefore important, but it is not yet enough to prove that John Hawkins and Michael Hawkins are the same man.

Current best working chain Joseph Hawkins Sr. + Sarah Hawkins → Joseph Hawkins Jr. → possible John/Michael link → Michael Hawkins → John Michael Hawkins.

 

For public Ancestry use, the safe wording is: “Joseph Hawkins Sr. is the best documented Bergen-Weehawken Hawkins patriarch currently connected to the Loyalist Joseph Hawkins Jr. and is a leading candidate family network for Michael Hawkins of New Jersey and New Brunswick.” Do not state the Michael parentage as proven until a bridge document is found.

15. Recommended Ancestry Profile Facts for Joseph Hawkins Sr.

Profile fact	Recommended entry	Evidence / caution
Name	Joseph Hawkins	Use variants Hawkins/Hawkens/Haukens in notes, not as primary name unless document-specific.
Birth	Estimated c.1715–1735	Calculated from named children and 1761 will; no direct birth record found.
Death	Between 12 Feb 1761 and 11 Oct 1770	Will date and 1770 mortgage calling him deceased.
Residence	City of New York; Bergen Township/Bergen Town, New Jersey; Weehawken/Bayard estate; Hackensack River area	Each location should be tied to a specific source event.
Spouse	Sarah Hawkins	Documented in will and Bergen mortgage abstract.
Children	Joseph, William, John, Mary, Deborah, Stephen	Named in will. Joseph eldest; Stephen youngest.
Occupation	Ferryman; yeoman	Ferryman from 1770 Bergen mortgage abstract; yeoman from will.
Religion	Possible Anglican/Episcopal association	1764 christening record; do not overstate formal membership.
Military	None known for Joseph Sr.	He died before the Revolution. Loyalist military evidence belongs to later generation(s).
Notes	Cross-river New York/Bergen land and transport family	Core research theme.

16. Evidence Log

The entries below are arranged as an evidence log rather than a raw source dump. Each source is tied to the claim it supports and given a working strength rating.

1770 Bergen mortgage abstract Supports wife Sarah, son Joseph, deceased Joseph, occupation ferryman, and land by the Hackensack River. Strength: very strong. Use in tree: yes. Note: anchor document for family group.

 

1761 will / 1784 probate image Supports wife Sarah, named children, Joseph as eldest son, Stephen as youngest son, status as yeoman, New York/Bergen assets, and Mesier/Smith network. Strength: very strong. Use in tree: yes. Note: use the death range, not the probate date, as the death fact.

 

William Bayard certificate, 1783 Supports Weehawken estate residence, father’s improvements, house, barn, orchard, and wartime destruction. Strength: strong. Use in tree: yes, with transcription note. Note: image is difficult; seek archive-quality copy.

 

Bergen common lands list Supports Joseph Hawkins in Bergen common land/proprietor context. Strength: moderate to strong. Use in tree: yes as context. Note: pair with will/commonage language.

 

Heirs/devisees of Joseph Haukens common land entry Supports posthumous common-land rights for Joseph Haukens formerly of New York. Strength: strong but needs original source citation. Use in tree: yes as land/research note. Note: spelling variant Haukens must be preserved.

 

1764 Episcopal christening Supports Hawkins child in Episcopal register. Strength: moderate. Use in tree: research note only. Note: do not assign to exact child until corroborated.

 

1790 New Jersey post-Revolutionary entries Supports possible related Joseph/Sarah Hawkins of Bergen. Strength: low until packets reviewed. Use in tree: no, not yet. Note: may be separate individuals.

 

 

Brouwer/Brewer excerpts Supports associated family network for later Michael/Eleanor research. Strength: context only. Use in Joseph Sr. tree: no unless tied by a person/source. Note: useful for surname spelling and network analysis.

 

17. Research Roadmap

• Obtain archive-quality copy of William Bayard’s 17 Nov 1783 certificate and cite exact AO folio/page numbers.

• Pull original Bergen County Mortgage Book A, folios 91–92, not just the abstract, and transcribe the full mortgage.

• Obtain full New York will/probate packet for Joseph Hawkins and identify whether separate inventory/accounting documents survive.

• Locate original Bergen common lands map/report and identify the exact lot tied to Joseph Hawkins/Haukens.

• Search for ferry licenses, road records, and court records for Joseph Hawkins in Bergen/Hudson/New York City.

• Identify Sarah Hawkins’s maiden name through marriage records, church records, land records, or associates.

• Investigate each named child separately, especially John, William, and Stephen.

• Keep Michael Hawkins parentage as a working hypothesis until a bridge document is found.

Closing Statement

Joseph Hawkins Sr. emerges from these records as more than a name. He was a ferryman, yeoman, husband, father, and landholder moving between New York City and Bergen Township. His household stood in the precise Hudson River corridor that became militarily and politically explosive during the American Revolution. His son Joseph inherited weapons and status objects, his widow Sarah continued in property records, and his heirs remained tied to Bergen common lands.

The evidence does not yet solve every question. But it establishes a credible, document-based foundation for the Bergen-Weehawken Hawkins family and creates a focused path for proving or disproving the proposed connection to Michael Hawkins, Loyalist of New Jersey and New Brunswick.