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- He first appears in Windsor, New London, Connecticut in 1638.
In 1639 he was sentenced "to Stand vppon the pillory and be whipt [...] and to haue the letter R burnt vppon his cheeke and in regard of the wrong done to Mary Holt to pay her parents 10£ and in defect of such to the Common Wealth and when both are fit for that Condition to marry her." There is no evidence, however, that he and Mary Holt ever married, nor that any child was ever born to Mary.
The next year, on 2 Jul 1640, the Particular Court of Connecticut directed that: "John Porter one of the Constables of Wyndsor is to keepe the said Aron Starke with locke and Chaine and hold him to hard labour & course dyet vntil he be cauled to bring him forth vppon the next somons. The said Aron being accused of buggery with a heifer, confesseth that he leaned crosse over the heifers fflanke, though at the first he denyed that he came neere her, lastly he acknowledgeth that he had twice comitted the acte with the heifer but that shee was to narrowe."
Despite this, he was not executed. Clovis LaFleur, author of an impressive website about Aaron Stark and his descendants, quotes another modern researcher, John M. Murrin, observing that "Connecticut had not yet declared bestiality a capital crime, and the court may also have concluded that his confession amounted to no more than admission of the attempt, not the act."
On 6 Apr 1643, Aaron Stark was back in court, where it was recorded that "Aron Starke is aiudged to be whiped at Winsor tomorrow, & then to serve Captaine Mason during ye pleasure of ye Court." LaFleur notes that "The record also shows that Mason was present in court that day. By now, Aaron was at risk of being banished altogether. Circumstantial evidence suggests that Mason, acquainted with Stark and held responsible for the safety of the Connecticut settlements, intervened in Aaron's behalf — probably because he could not afford the loss of a single fighting man, and perhaps because he saw some redeeming qualities in Stark. It may be that Mason (or one of the members of the court) suggested that Aaron be directed to serve the Captain for an indefinite period of time. The gamble paid off, and this remedy ensured that Aaron's days of getting into trouble would come to an end."
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Nielsen Hayden genealogy
Abt 1608 - 1685 (~ 77 years)
[3]