Philip Towle, Hampton, New Hampshirehis English Origins and Some American Descendants

The English home of Philip Towle, an early settler of Hampton, New Hampshire, has been established with a high degree of certainty to be the parish of Crediton, County Devon (sometimes referred to as County Devonshire). His ancestry in County Devon was traced back four generations to Roger Toolie, born about 1545 at Colebrooke, Devon. Crediton parish records, records of adjacent parishes, Devon will lists, Subsidy Rolls, and 1641 Protection Rolls are all presented as proof of Philip Towle's English origin. In addition, the descendants of Philip Towle in New England, for the first six generations, are presented as an aid to researchers tracing his family. The format traces the English ancestry of Philip Towle and of his mother, Margaret Whyte, followed by his New Hampshire descendants and a brief ancestry account of his wife, Isabella Austin. An appendix includes: a summary of Philip Towle entries found in County Devon; parish register/bishops transcript for Crediton; Towle names in adjacent parishes (Winckleigh, Colebrooke, Lapford, South Tawton, Shobrooke, and Exeter); a list of Towle wills in County Devonshire for those parishes close to Crediton; and brief accounts of Roger Towle from Boston, and the Goody (Isabell) Towle witchcraft trial. There is an index of Towle names and an index of other full names that appear throughout. Two maps show the location of the parish of Crediton, County Devonshire, England, and surrounding parishes.