The Wakeman Family Chronicles III: The Hannah Wakeman Hackleton Story, Part I

WAKEMAN: Hannah Wakeman proved to be one of my most intriguing ancestors. She was the focus of court trials in Connecticut and New York and the two topic of two periodical articles:
"Edward Whittaker's Wife: The Romance of a New England Girl in the Esopus", by Louise Hasbrouck Zimm [NYGB Record, April 1939] and "The Earlier Career of Hannah [Wakeman] Hackelton, Edward Whittaker's Wife in the Esopus", by Gale Ion Harris [NYGB Record, April 1996]

To say the least, Hannah led an adventurous and controversial life. She was born about 1638 in Hartford. Hannah's father was killed when she was about two years old. She grew up in the household of her stepfather, Nathaniel Willett. Hannah married Francis Hackleton in 1658. A son named William was born in 1658 and a daughter, Anna, was born in 1661.

While Hackleton was out of town in 1664, Hannah's misadventures began. She had an affair with a man by the name of Henry Frost or Frasser. Hannah became pregnant and tried to induce an abortion by taking saffron and cathartic. Hannah delivered the child, a boy, alone. He was extremely weak and Hannah was to weak to care for him. The child died two days after birth. Hannah regained enough strength to bury the child.

Hannah Hackleton was arrested and charged with adultery and murder. She made a few comments about God and the devil that led to an additional charge of blasphemy.

During the trial, Hannah claimed that a man named Mathias Dingle had stopped by her house and that she asked him for help. Dingle denied it. When Hackleton learned of the child, Hannah offered to abort the pregnancy. Hackleton left. She helped authorities try to locate the remains of the child at Oyster Bay to no avail.

In January 1665, Hannah pled guilty to the charge of adultery, but not guilty to blasphemy and murder. She was found guilty on two of the counts - adultery and blasphemy. A death sentence was commuted by Gov. John Winthrop Jr. one year later. She was to be "put in gaol [jail] and whipped 30 Stripes and made to stand on the gallows with a rope around her neck for one hour."

Upon being released from jail, Hannah left her son William with her mother, but kept Anna with her and left for New York City.

Hannah's first misadventure in New York City was discussed in yesterday's post. She would meet and go to work for one Edward Whittaker. That encounter would lead to the next chapter in her story.