Our goal is to identify and group Scranton descendents from two of the early Scranton Surname lines in America by using Y-DNA.  The two Scranton Surname groups studied will be:  1.) Connecticut Scranton’s descended from John Scranton, (b. abt 1609) 1637 settled in Guilford, Connecticut.  2.) Rhode Island Scranton’s descended from Thomas Scranton, (b. 1610) (His 1640’s likely spent in Newfoundland) 1657 settled in Warwick, Rhode Island.  With data from this Y-DNA Project we hope to study how or if these two New England families are related.

This is our first question: 1.) Was John and Thomas Scranton, brothers, cousins, or unrelated?

Using traditional genealogy methods many Scranton in America are able to trace their ancestry to one of these two early families in New England.  Yet with these methods there arise problems and unresolved questions.  This study will take on these unresolved questions in hopes of solving them for Scranton’s in need of answers.  Here is an example: I am a descendent of Stukely Scranton (b. abt 1710 in Warwick, Rhode Island) whose Father was John Scranton who married Sarah Stafford (b. 1671).  The question is: From which Family Line did this John Scranton come from.  Using traditional methods the answer seems simple at first. In John Osborn Austin’s Rhode Island book of who came before 1690, first published in 1887, he records on page 387; a Sarah Stafford (b. 1671) marries a John Scranton of Thomas & Mary Scranton.  Others report this marriage to have taken place at Warwick, Rhode Island in 1692.  By this record the question seems to be answered, but there is a small problem with age.  The Thomas Scranton (b. 1641) & Mary from the Rhode Island Scranton line had four sons, Stephen (b. 1667) the oldest and John (b. 1673) the youngest.  If John Scranton from the Rhode Island Scranton Family married Sarah Stafford, then he was age 19 and she 21 at the time of the union.  Austin’s record does not include an age or date of birth for the John Scranton who married Sarah Stafford.  There is a belief held by some Connecticut Scranton’s that their Thomas Scranton (b. 1643), outside of Guilford, Connecticut, had an unknown first wife Mary and a son John (b. 1667).  There is a Guilford Court record to support this claim.

Guilford court records of May 1706 (page 540)

" Whereas Thomas Scranton late of the towne of Guilford deed, did in his life time sell a small parcel of land and received the pay for it, but died before he had given a deed for it: this Court grants power to Elizabeth Scranton, widow and reliet* of the said Thomas Scranton, and John Scranton, eldest sonne of the said Thomas Scranton, to give assurance by deed of said land to him that hath so bought and  paid for it. "

 A son John and Thomas’s third wife Elizabeth are named as “reliet”*(spelled incorrectly, relict, definition, is widow, widowed or survivor) in court records over a land dispute after (b.1643) Thomas Scranton’s death.  Thomas Scranton (b.1643) had no son named John by his second or third wife.  Elizabeth is named in records as this third wife.

Title: New England Marriages Prior to 1700

                   Author: Clarence Almon Torrey

                   Text: SCRANTON, Thomas (1643-1711) & 3/wf Elizabeth [Goodrich?]/[Griswold?]; aft 1689,

                   by 1701?; Guilford, Ct

The often stated year of death for Thomas Scranton ( b. 1643) (d. 1710/11) may be wrong, confused by Rev Erastus Scranton with that of a Crampton.  It was Thomas Crampton who died in 1710/11 and had Samuel Evart and John Collins as his witnesses to his will.  Thomas Scranton more likely died before May of 1706 and his will was not settled until his son Samuel became of age.

 Was there an unknown first wife named Mary and a son John?  If it was a Connecticut Scranton Family Line John Scranton (b. 1667) who married Sarah Stafford then he would have been age 25 at the time of marriage; a more likely age for a man to wed in 1692.

To search for answers about my family line I have located a ninth generation Connecticut Scranton descendent, from Thomas Scranton (b. 1643) and his third wife Elizabeth, who is now being tested.  To clear up if my family line is from Rhode Island or Connecticut, my brother, also a ninth generation descendent of a Thomas Scranton (b.1641 or maybe 1643), is also being tested.  We hope to settle this unanswered question with Y-DNA testing.