John ARNOLD Esquire [Parents] was born about 1485 in of Churcham, Gloucester, England, United Kingdom. He died ¹ on 15 Sep 1545 in Churcham, Gloucester, England, United Kingdom. John married Isabel HAWKINS.

JOHN ARNOLD, ESQUIRE(15) was b abt. 1485, of Churcham, Gloucestershire, England, and d.1546, at Dursley. Richard Hawkins, John's brother-in-law was one of the executors of Arnold's will. He md. Issabell dau, of William Hawkins of Churcham, Gloucestershire, England, b. abt. 1489. He was High Sheriff of Gloucester, 1530-1532, and Justice of the Peace for the Shire in 1515, 1524-5, and again in 1526-31. He was a Lawyer, and eventually became Clerk of the Crown in Wales. As early as 1515, he was appointed by the Crown as one of the Justices of the Peace for the towns of Usk, Caerleon and Trellik, in the Marches of Wales, some 20 years before the Act of Union was enacted! In 1535, he acted as Protonotary for North Wales, and in the same year, he was one "of the two persons learned in the law of England" which were appointed as Justices for South Wales. John Arnold, Esquire, was the first owner of record that we have for Llanfihangel Court in Crugcorney, Abergavenny, Wales. When he died he was in possession of a manor house in Bosley, Westbury, Minsterworth, and Ley, and others, all in Gloucestershire, England. This John Anold had a grandson (son of Sir Nicholas) named John who was of Llanthony, Monmouthshire and who was a M.P. for Monmouthshire in 1597, and this John Arnold, b. ABT. 1485, also had a great-great Grandson named John Arnold, of Llanfihangel Court in Mons, who md. Margaret, his Cousin in 1666. She was d. of William Cocke, of Highnam, Gloucs. These three John Arnolds are a source of much confusion among researchers of his line, which includes me. I am not at all certain that I can clearly separate and define all three. The John Arnold, d. 1546, was buried in the ancient Church at Churcham. On his tomb is the inscription: "Here underlye the bodyes of John Arnold and Isabel his wyfe, which John Arnold, deceased.............the.....day of September, 15 (46) the yeare of our Sovereign Lord King Henry VIII..... on whose souls and all Christian should......(Jesu have mercy)." Issue of John and Issabell (Hawkins) Arnold are: i. Nicholas Arnold(52), Sir Knight, b. 1510, of Higham, Gloucestershire, England, d. 1580. He md. (1) Margaret Dennis, 19 June 1530, and (2) Margaret Isham, abt. 1539. He served as Justice of the Peace for Llanthony, and was made a Knight by Henry VIII in 1530, the same year that he was md. to Margaret Dennis, dau. of Sr. William Dennis, Knt., Sir Nicholas was the heir to his father's estate. He succeeded his father as the High Sheriff of Llanfihangel Crugcorney, at Abergavenny, Wales, and was made owner of Llanthony abbey and its dependencies by grant from Henry VIII in 1530. ii. RICHARD ARNOLD, b. abt 1515, at Churcham, Gloucestershire, England. iii Alice Arnold, b. abt. 1494, Churcham, Gloucestershire, England. iv. Lucy. v. Dorothy. vi. (unnamed) dau. vii. (unnamed) dau., md. Thomas Lane, the Recorder of Gloucester.

Isabel HAWKINS was born about 1489. Isabel married John ARNOLD Esquire.

John SAYLES Jr ¹. John married ² Elizabeth ARNOLD in Feb 1617.

Elizabeth ARNOLD [Parents] was born ¹ in 1596. Elizabeth married ² John SAYLES Jr in Feb 1617.

Robert HACKER. Robert married ¹ Thomazine ARNOLD on 5 Oct 1595 in Ilchester, Somerset, England, United Kingdom.

Thomazine ARNOLD [Parents] ¹ was christened ^{2, 3} on 4 Jan 1571. Thomazine married ⁴ Robert HACKER on 5 Oct 1595 in Ilchester, Somerset, England, United Kingdom.

Samuel COMSTOCK was born in 1654 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. He died ¹ on 27 May 1727 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Samuel married ² Elizabeth ARNOLD on 22 Nov 1678 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

Elizabeth ARNOLD [Parents] ¹ was born ² in 1645 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. She died ³ in 1745 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Elizabeth married ⁴ Samuel COMSTOCK on 22 Nov 1678 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

John ARNOLD [Parents] ¹ was born ² on 19 Feb 1647/1648 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He died ³ on 5 Jan 1722 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. John married ⁴ Hannah in BY 1687 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

Hannah. Hannah married ¹ John ARNOLD in BY 1687 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

Eleazer ARNOLD [Parents] ¹ was born ² on 17 Jun 1651 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He died ³ on 29 Aug 1722 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. Eleazer married ⁴ Eleanor SMITH in BY 1672 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

Eleanor SMITH. Eleanor married ¹ Eleazer ARNOLD in BY 1672 in Providence, Providence, Rhode Island, United States.

William ARNOLD [Parents] ^{1, 2} was born ^{3, 4} on 24 Jun 1587 in Cheselbourne, Dorset, England, United Kingdom. He died on 9 Jul 1685 in Pawtucket, Providence, Rhode Island, United States. William married ⁵ Christian PEAKE in 1610 in Muchelney, Somerset, England, United Kingdom.

Probably a stepbrother to Thomas Arnold who married Phebe Parkhurst. In William's statement his says that "Thomas Arnold my brother, my Mother in lawes sonne, was Baptized the 18th  April, 1599. It is not clear if Thomas' father was Thomas or Nicholas Arnold.

The Arnold Family of Smithfield
It can be truly claimed that the family of Arnold is not only a historic family in New England but world wide historic as well so as European influence has extended the history of the human races.

Henry II of England, called the great “ Lawgiver,” took a great interest in genealogy. Ethelred of Rievaux, the great authority of the age, dedicated his great work, “Genealogic Regum,” to the king. He traced his pedi­gree back to Adam without referring to his Angevin father or Norman grandfather. This pedigree line in an­other form is one of the rich manuscript treasures of the crown of England today. Without venturing to dispute or prove its authenticity to Adam the line can be well proven back to one of the so called “Twelve Imrnortals” which name I think the poet Virgil gives to the twelve patrician families of Rome. This one was known as Arno. What is still singular, the name has remained from that far back period in history until now without change save in the terminal letters. During the age of heraldry for deeds done the public service I have seen drawings of more than 200 arms. To one versed in the reading of these emblems a history of the family could be written.

A branch of the family became settled on the border of Wales and England where it built up a strong follow­ing. From here, Abergaveny, came two of the family to New England. It will thus be seen that so far as family history goes no New England one can point to a more aristocratic origin.

William and his younger and half-brother left Ports­mouth May i and arrived at Boston June 24 in the year 1635. He had the forethought to take the date of birth and baptism of his father's family. The first addition to this paper was the date of the emigration; the next was this item: “ Memorandum-We came to Providence to dwell April 20, 1636.”

This is the earliest date where the word Providence can be found. The first official using of the word is at the head of the Report of the Arbitrators, 27 of 5 mo., 1640.

That William Arnold and his brother Thomas were the wealthiest men of the Colony goes without saying. Thomas owned at the time of his death in September, 1674, near 10,000 acres of land. His brother William and two sons Benedict and Stephen could own nearly as much. They paid the heaviest tax in the Colony.

William Arnold has been very much misunderstood. Williams has given him a bad name. Mr. Williams was like our modern Teddy in some ways in giving character­istics to those who did not agree with him. In order to settle the general belief that Arnold was a bad man I in­tend to publish his letters to Massachusetts and the deeds he recorded there. Mr. Williams' letters have been pub­lished. It is now no more than right that the other should be also.

Thomas Arnold does not appear to have aroused~ Mr. Williams' ire so much as did his brother William or his nephew Benedict. Perhaps this was because Thomas would not quarrel with him. His son Richard appears to have been a man of influence as he was a member of Coy. Andros' Executive Council which made him prac­tically acting Governor of the State for three years.

Christian PEAKE [Parents] was christened ¹ on 15 Feb 1583. Christian married ² William ARNOLD in 1610 in Muchelney, Somerset, England, United Kingdom.

Arnholt ap ARNHOLT VYCHAN Esquire [Parents] [scrapbook] ^{1, 2, 3} was born about 1403. Arnholt married Sybil ap EINON AP THOMAS RHUN ^{4, 5, 6}.

Sybil ap EINON AP THOMAS RHUN ^{1, 2, 3}. Sybil married Arnholt ap ARNHOLT VYCHAN Esquire.

Sir Thomas GAMAGE Knight, Lord of Coytey [Parents] ¹. Thomas married Matilda DENNIS.

Matilda DENNIS [Parents] ¹. Matilda married Sir Thomas GAMAGE Knight, Lord of Coytey.

Arnholt ap GWILLIM OF MERIC Esquire [Parents] [scrapbook] ^{1, 2}. Arnholt married Janet FLEMING ^{3, 4, 5}.

Janet FLEMING [Parents] ^{1, 2, 3}. Janet married Arnholt ap GWILLIM OF MERIC Esquire.