John Owen was born in England in the early 1620s. Many genealogies claim that he was the son of Richard Owen and Joanna Pitt of Oswestry, Shropshire, England, baptized on March 6, 1624. On October 3, 1650, John Owen married Rebecca Wade in Windsor, Connecticut. Many genealogies claim she was the daughter of Robert Wade of Hartford, but this claim is questionable. There was a Robert Wade in Hartford, but his probate records list four children, and Rebecca is not among them. This situation appears to be a case where someone long ago assumed Robert was Rebecca's father because of the shared surname, but Wade was a widespread English surname in the 1600s, and proximity is not proof. Many people copied this assertion without a reliable record or knowledge of the probate record. John and Rebecca had eleven children.

Sometime before 1675, probably in 1670, John was injured in a way that handicapped him for the rest of his life. Due to an affliction, the Colonial Court in Hartford excused him from serving in the militia or participating in drills. 1975 was the year of King Philip's War against the colonists of New England, and Colonial law required the participation in the militia of all "able-bodied men."

John died on February 8, 1699. Before his death, he transferred all of his land and property holdings to his sons, leaving a small estate of movable assets, all of which went to his wife, Rebecca, by prearrangement with the children. Rebecca lived another twelve years, passing on December 3, 1711.

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Isaac Owen, born May 27, 1670, in Windsor, Connecticut, was the youngest child of John and Rebecca Owen, who were in their mid-40s when he was born. Isaac had five older living brothers and two older sisters. His older brother, John Jr., died on January 15, 1670, four months before Isaac was born.

Sarah was born in Windsor on February 1, 1673, to Benajah Holcomb and his wife, Sarah Eno. She was their second child and had five brothers and four sisters. Benajah Holcomb and Sarah Eno were born in Windsor. Isaac and Sarah married in Windsor on December 20, 1694, and had six children, four girls and two boys.

Isaac died June 13, 1736, and is buried in the Old Poquononck Burying Ground in Windsor. This cemetery opened in 1722, and at the time of Isaac's death, there were no formal burying grounds in Turkey Hills. Sarah died on January 22, 1763, at the age of eighty-nine. She is buried in East Granby Cemetery

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Elijah was born in the newly settled area of Turkey Hills, Simsbury, which was later to become East Granby, Connecticut, on October 7, 1706. He was the youngest of six children, the second son of Isaac and Sarah Owen, and the younger brother of Isaac Owen Jr. In 1735, he married Hannah Higley, the daughter of Brewster Higley and Esther Holcomb, born December 17, 1717. Hannah was eighteen, and Elijah was twenty-nine. Hannah and Elijah were third cousins; both descended from Thomas and Elizabeth Holcomb. Elijah's sister, Anne, married Hannah's brother, David, who were also third cousins.

Elijah and Hannah had three children, one boy and two girls. On September 22, 1741, Elijah Owen died, a month shy of his thirty-fifth birthday. We don't know the cause of death, which may have been due to illness, an accident, or an attack by an animal or hostile native. All three of his children were under five years old at the time, and Hannah was only twenty-four. Elijah died without leaving a will, indicating his death was unexpected and sudden.

Hannah was a young widow, and in colonial times, it was very difficult for a young woman, especially one with children, to survive independently. Most women quickly remarried. Hannah married Pelatiah Mill II on March 29, 1743, about eighteen months after Elijah's untimely passing. On December 6, 1743, the court appointed Brewster Higley of Simsbury as guardian of Elijah's children, Rebecca, age seven, Elijah, age five, and Hannah, age three. Brewster Higley was the children's grandfather

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