Hunt Family Database

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The Hunt family is on Donald Nutt’s maternal side of his family. His second great-grandfather was Jerymre (or Jeremiah-?) Hunt, who lived out the last quarter century of his life in the Oakland county, Michigan area. Jerymre died in Rose township of consumption at the age of sixty-two.

Jerymre, his parents, and all of his siblings were born in England. Donald learned of the family's immigration to America from a book compiled by Elizabeth P. Bentley titled "Passenger Arrivals at the Port of New York 1820–1829" (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1999). The record states that Samuel and Lucy Hunt, along with their seven children, left London, England, and immigrated to America onboard the ship Cassack, captained by S. McBeth. The ship arrived in the Port of New York 25 July 1820. The book is arranged alphabetically by passenger name, and the following list is from page 613.

Hunt, Charlotte, age 1
Hunt, Clarissa, age 6
Hunt, George, age 17
Hunt, Henry, age 13
Hunt, James, age 8
Hunt, Jerymre, age 3
Hunt, John, age 8
Hunt, Lucy, age 38
Hunt, Samuel, age 32

The family's early years in America still remain a mystery. It is apparent from early U.S. Census records, found for some of the children, that the family lived for a time in New York. Exactly where in New York is not known but some evidence suggests New York's westernmost Chautauqua county. Jerymre’s first known residence on the western side of the Atlantic is recorded in the 1830 U.S. Census for Mill Creek township, Erie county, Pennsylvania. Jerymre was then a young teenager living in the household of his older brother Henry. Jerymre's whereabouts during the 1840 U.S. Census are not known, but the 1850 U.S. Census records that he is back in Mill Creek township with a wife and three children. It is not known when he and his wife, Elsie Howarth, arrived back in this area, nor where they lived before that. Indications are that they may have been married in New York. The first four of their twelve children are thought to have been born in Mill Creek township.

It is apparent that Jerymre and Elsie Hunt and their four children left Pennsylvania and removed to Michigan in early 1851. Their remaining eight children were born in Oakland county, Michigan. The 1860 and 1870 U. S. Censuses for Oakland county, Michigan, record their places of residence as White Lake township and Rose township respectively.

Jerymre’s employment is always stated as that of a farm laborer. The 1850/1860/1870 U.S. Census records, as well as a Wayne county, Michigan, naturalization application, suggests that he apparently could not read or write. He evidently never owned any land in Oakland county because land records there are totally void of his name. This absence of land ownership agrees with U.S. Census records that always give the value of his real estate as $0. Jerymre stated in the 1860 U. S. Census that his personal estate was valued at $150, and was $300 as of the 1870 U. S. Census.

If anyone has additional information on this branch of the Hunt family, especially Jerymre Hunt, I would be delighted for you to contact me and help fill in any information gaps.