Notes and Queries: Rossiter

Source: C.B. Eustis, “Notes and Queries: Rossiter,” New England Historical and Genealogical Register 33[1879]:242.

[page 242]

ROSSITER. – Can any one inform me what relationship there was between Edward and Hugh ROSSITER, early settlers of Dorchester?  Both had daughters Jane, and this name seems to have been continued to later generations in this family.  Edward’s daughter, then “widow Jane HART,” petitioned the government for aid in 1685, setting forth that she was the youngest surviving child of Edward ROSSITER, and her age was 70 years.  Hugh’s daughter Jane married, before 1643 (“one of the earliest marriages of Taunton”), Thomas GILBERT of Taunton.  This “Jane GILBERT, mother of Thomas GILBERT, Jr., died June 1, 1691, æ. 77 years.”

“Jane (ROSSITER) HART, youngest surviving child of Edward ROSSITER of Dorchester, died æ. 70.”  “It is ordered that John PHILLIPS shall have for Edward HART, Three quarters of an acre of medowe at Squantum necke” (Dorchester Town Records).  See REGISTER, vol. xxi, p. 335.  Was she wife or mother of this Edward HART?  Edward ROSSITER, a grandson of the assistant, in a letter dated March 28, 1682 (REGISTER, vol. xxii, p. 457), speaks of his grandfather as “a pious gentleman of good estate, who left England for the sake of religion.”  He (the grandfather) died Oct. 23, 1630, much lamented, leaving a son who afterwards lived in Combe, in Devonshire, and Dr. Brian ROSSITER who accompanied his father from England, and Mrs. Jane HART above named.  Dr. Bryan ROSSITER had a daughter Joanna (Jane), born 1642, who married at Weathersfield, Conn., Nov. 7, 1660, the Rev. John COTTON, of Plymouth, Mass.

In the history of Guilford, Conn., by Smith, p. 18, we read, “Dr. Brian ROSSITER of Guilford, Conn., is said to have come over originally with five or six brothers to Boston, on the 1st settlement of the country, he was early settler of Windsor – of Guilford and Killingworth – d. at Guilford Sep. 30, 1672–had wife Elizabeth.”

In the Dorchester town records, Feb. 1634 (see REGISTER, vol. xxi, p. 330), “it is graunted, vnto Hugh ROSCITER and Richard ROCKET, to have each of them, 8 acres of land on the west side of the brooke adjoyning to m^r. ROSCITE^RS ground,” &c.

In Baylie’s History of New Plymouth, vol. i., pt. 1, p. 286, mention is made of Hugh ROSSITER as one “of the first and ancient purchasers.”

“Hugh ROSSITER of Taunton 1637 sold out at Taunton before 1675, to Joseph WILLIS, and went to Connecticut.”  In what part of Connecticut did he settle, and had he a daughter Avis?

C.B. EUSTIS.

Cambridge, Mass.

Search for the Passengers of the Mary and John 1630

Source: Burton W. Spear, Search for the Passengers of the Mary and John 1630, Volume 13 (Toledo, Ohio: Burton W. Spear, 1990).

[page 30]

Unanswered Questions on the English Ancestries and Birthplaces of the “Mary and John” Families of 1630.

EDWARD ROSSITER

According to NER Jan. 1984, p. 4-16, he was the son of Nicholas ROSSITER (d. 1 Apr. 1608) & Eliza _____ (bu. 28 Apr. 1608), of Comb St. Nicholas, Somerset, but no wills have been found.  His grandfather was Philip ROSSITER & (1) _____, of Combe St. Nicholas and his great-grandfather was Richard ROSSITER (1463-1529) & Elizabeth PERYE, dau. of William PERYE & _____, dau. of John FRYE.  No wills found.

Parish records of Combe St. Nicholas before 1678 are lost & Edward Rossiter left no will.

There is a Dr. CAMPBELL, a genealogist in Combe St. Nicholas who is claimed to have a great deal of information on the ROSSITERs, FRYEs & TORREY family, all of that village.  Ref: NER Jan. 1937, p. 145-151.  (See Vol. 3, p. 43)

[page 94]

THREE GENERATIONS OF DESCENDANTS OF WILLIAM BLAKE OF DORCHESTER, MASS.

William BLAKE – Bpt. 10 July 1594, Pitminster, Somerset.  He died, 25 Oct. 1663, Dorchester, Mass.  He married, Agnes BAND, 27 Sept. 1617, Pitminster, prob. widow of Richard BAND & dau. of Hugh THORN.  He was granted land in Dorchester on 14 May 1636 and he became a freeman and a member of the church on 14 Mar. 1639.  It is not known when he came to New England.  (Vol. 12, p. 79)

Children of William BLAKE & Agnes (THORN) BAND (Vol. 12, p. 79)

1. John BLAKE – Bpt. 30 Aug. 1618, Pitminster.  He died, 25 Jan. 1688/9, Boston.  He married, Mary (SOUTHER) SHAW, 16 Aug. 1654.  He was one of the executors of the will of Governor John WINTHROP in 1676.  No issue.

2. Anne BLAKE- Bpt. 30 Aug. 1618 (twin?), Pitminster.  She died, 12 July 1681, Boston.  She married, (1) Jacob LEAGER of Boston, who died, 24 Feb. 1662/3 & (2) _____ HALLOWELL.  Her tombstone is in the Boston Society.

Children of Anne BLAKE & Jacob LEAGER (Vol. 11, p. 79)

a. Bethia LEAGER- Bpt. 6 Oct. 1651, Dorchester, Mass.  She m. Fearnot SHAW, blacksmith, s. of Joseph SHAW of Weymouth, Mass.  She had two children: Jacob, b. 6 Nov. 1672.  (2) John, b. 30 Mar. 1678, who m. Mercy SMITH.

b. Hannah LEAGER- B. 14 Nov. 1655, Boston.  She d. 13 Oct. 1690.  She m. (1) John WALKER, brick burner, a. 1676, s. of Thomas & Ann WALKER of Boston.  The had one dau., Hannah WALKER, 25 Apr. 1677, who prob. never married.  Hannah LEAGER m. (2) Thomas PHILIPS of Boston, perhaps s. of Nicholas PHILIPS, by whom she had one child, Hannah PHILIPS, 7 Sept. 1690.

3. William BLAKE Jr.- Bpt. 6 Sept. 1620, Pitminster.  He died, 3 Sept. 1703, Milton, Mass.  He married, (10 [sic] Anna _____, whose name does not appear until 1665 & (2) Hannah TOLMAN, 22 Nov. 1693, Milton, who d. 4 Aug. 1729, dau. of Thomas TOLMAN (M&J passenger) & widow Sarah LYON.

Children of William BLAKE Jr. & (1) Anna (Vol. 12 p. 8)

a. Samuel BLAKE- B. 14 May 1650, Dorchester.  He d. 1719, Taunton.  He m. Sarah MACEY, dau. of George and Susanna MACEY of Taunton.  He had seven children: (1) Priscilla, who m. John SMITH, 1700, s. of Nathaniel SMITH.  (2) Samual Jr., b.a. 1680, who may have m. Sarah PITTS.  (3) Edward, b.a. 1689, m. Anna HANOVER.  (4) Susanna.  (5) Sarah, m. Joseph TOPLIFF.  (6) Hannah.  (7) Jerusha.

b. Anne BLAKE- Bpt. 7 Mar. 1651, Dorchester.  d.y.

c. Anne BLAKE- B. 6 Mar. 1652/3, Dorchester.  Died, 9 May 1722, Taunton.  She m. Thomas GILBERT, 18 Dec. 1676, Boston, s. of John & Jane GILBERT of Taunton.  Eight children: (1) Hannah, b. 28 Sept. 1677, m. William PHILLIPS.  (2) Sarah, b. 11 Aug. 1679, m. John WILLIS.  (3) Mary (twin), b. 11 Aug. 1679, m. Joseph WILLIAMS.  (4) Thomas, b. 11 July 1681. d.y.  (5) Nathaniel, b. 19 July 1683, m. Hannah BRADFORD.  (6) Mehitable, b. 5 May 1686.   (7) Susanna, b. 1687, m. William HODGES.  (8) Experience, b. 1689, m. John TOWNSEND.  (Ref: Gilberts of New England, pt. 1, p. 81)

d. Mary BLAKE- B. 20 Mar. 1654/5, Dorchester.  She m. (1) Joseph LEONARD, 1679 & (2) _____ WILLIS.  Seven children by first husband: (1) Mary, b. 2 Oct. 1680.  (2) Experience, b. 18 Mar. 1682.  (3) Joseph, b. 28 Jan. 1684.  (4) Mehitable, b. 22 Aug. 1685.  (5) Edward, b. 2 Nov. 1688.  (6) William, b. 26 Mar. 1690.  (7) Silence.  (Ref: Savage 3:80)

e. William BLAKE- B. 22 Feb. 1656/7, Dorchester.  Soldier in 1675 & 1690.  Died before 1699.

f. Nathaniel BLAKE- B. 4 July 1659, Dorchester.  Died, 5 Oct. 1720, Milton.  He m. Martha MORY, dau. of Walter MORY.  Seven children: (1) William, b. 21 July 1696, m. Hannah _____.  (2) Nathaniel Jr., b. 26 Feb. 1697/7, m. Elizabeth EVANS.  (3) Simon, b. 1 June 1700, m. Hannah BADCOCK.  (4) James, b. 18 Sept. 1702, m. Abigail TUCKER.  (5) Joseph, b. 27 July 1705.  (6) David, b. 12 July 1707.  (7) Jonathan, b. 12 July 1707.

[page 80]

g. Edward BLAKE- b. 13 Apr. 1662, Dorchester.  He died, 1737.  He m. Elizabeth MORY, 26 June 1696, sister of his brother’s (Nathaniel) wife.  Six children: (1) Anna, b. 7 Apr. 1697, m. _____ STEARNS.  (2) Edward Jr., b. 22 July 1697, m. Elizabeth FRENCH.  (3) Aaron, b. 23 Feb. 1699/1700.  (4) Mary, b. 13 Jan. 1701/2.  (5) Elizabeth, b. 5 Apr. 1704, m. _____ BELCHER.  (6) Moses, b. 6 Aug. 1706, m. Hannah HORTON.

h. Experience BLAKE- B. 17 June 1665, Dorchester.  He <sic> m. Eleazer CARVER, s. of John & Millicent CARVER.  Res: S. Bridgewater.

i. Agnes BLAKE- B. 29 Sept. 1667, Milton.

j. Susan BLAKE- B. 20 July 1670, Milton.  D. 4 May 1676.

k. Mehitable BLAKE- B. 2 Apr. 1673, Milton.  She m. William BRIGGS Jr., 16 June 1696, of Taunton.

4. James BLAKE- Bpt. 27 Apr. 1623, Pitminster.  Died, 28 June 1700, Dorchester.  He married (1) Elizabeth CLAPP, a. 1651, dau. of Dea. Edward CLAPP & Prudence CLAPP, who died, 16 Jan. 1693/4, age 61.  He m. (2) Elizabeth SMITH, 17 Sept. 1695, dau. of Henry 7 <sic> Judith SMITH & widow of Peter HUNT.
He built a house in 1650 in Dorchester that still stands today […]

5. Edward BLAKE- His will: 31 Aug. 1692, inventory, 3 Nov. 1692.  He m. Patience POPE, dau. of John & Jane POPE of Dorchester […]

[page 81]

References:

BLAKE Family, A Genealogical History, William BLAKE of Dorchester, by Samuel BLAKE, 1857.

A Record Of The BLAKES Of Somerset, by Horatio G. SOMERBY.

Increase BLAKE Of Boston, His Ancestors & Descendants, With A Full Account of William BLAKE Of Dorchester, by Francis E. BLAKE, 1898.

[page 121]

THE ROSSITER, TORREY, FRY & COMBE FAMILIES OF COMBE ST. NICHOLAS, SOMERSET.

The village and parish of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset provided a number of families who came to New England between 1630 and 1640.  Edward ROSSITER came first, with his family on the “Mary & John” in 1630.  He was one of the Assistants of the Massachusetts Bay Company and one of the most prominent passengers on that ship.  He was followed in 1640 by the TORREYs and FRYs.  A great deal of credit for this article, and particularly the photos and map, is due Miss Patricia PEARCE, of Shepton Beauchamp, Somerset, who visited Combe St. Nicholas and searched the records in the Somerset Record Office, Taunton.

THE ROSSITERS

Edward ROSSITER may have come with his wife _____ COMBE, daughter of John COMBE and brother of Joesph [sic] COMBE, but she may have died in England because there is no record of her in New England.

Evidently, Rev. John WHITE of Dorchester, Dorset, loaned Edward ROSSITER considerable money to prepare for his journey to New England.  The total debt was 106 pounds, 9 shillings & 9 pence and it was partly paid by Edward’s son, Nicholas, before their departure.  But when Edward died on 23 Oct. 1630, there was still 15 pounds, 25 shillings due Rev. WHITE.  Among the charges was 47 pounds, 13 shillings & 4 pence, for the passage of 13 passengers (3 pounds, 13 shillings & 4 pence each).

Following is an attempt to identify these people.  The five unknown passengers may have included, Edward’s wife (if she was still living), grandchildren and servants.

1. Edward ROSSITER

2. Son, Nicholas ROSSITER, who later returned.

3. Wife of Nicholas ROSSITER, who later returned.

4. Edward ROSSITER, son of Nicholas, who later returned.

5. Son, Bray ROSSITER.

6. Wife of Bray ROSSITER.

7. Daughter, Jane ROSSITER.

8. Son, Hugh ROSSITER, who later returned.

Plus five unidentified passengers.

[page 124]

THE FRYS

George FRY, came with his brother-in-law, William TORREY.  He was possibly the son of the George FRY who witnessed the will of Joseph COMBE of Combe St. Nicholas, 21 Mar. 1619/20.  The FRYs were also related to the ROSSITER & COMBE families.

THE COMBES

Although no member of the COMBE family of Combe St. Nicholas has been found that came to New England, they married into the above families.

THE WADFORD FARM & MILL OF PHILIP ROSSITER

Edward ROSSITER’s great-grandfather, Richard ROSSITER, was the first proved land owner in Combe St. Nicholas.  When he died in 1529 he owned 4 messuages & 543 acres here.  At that time his son Philip (Edward’s grandfather) inherited 4 messuages, 31 acres of meadow, 312 acres of pasture & 200 acres of woodland.  In the 1583 Survey of the parish (SAS/SE86), “Philipus ROSSITER, gent. (farmer or husbandman) owned a dwelling and a new tucking mill.  He paid 17 pounds a year to the Lord of the Manor (Wells Deanery).  The other freemen of Combe were William BONNER, gent.- 15 pounds, William JEANES- 12 pounds, John BUETT- 2 pounds, John WALROD- 4 pounds, John DEWNELL- 20 pounds and _____ MALLETT- 12 pounds.

[photo]

Wadeford House (16th) of Philip ROSSITER

[page 125]

Philip ROSSITER’s house was called Wadeford and the fulling mill (woolen mill), which has been carefully restored, still stand today in a hamlet about 3/4 miles SE of Combe St. Nicholas.  This is one of seven mills within a few miles of each other on the River Isle, the others all being grist mills for corn.

[photo]

Fulling Mill At Wadeford, Once Owned By Philip ROSSITER

Court Roll – 27 July 1608 – To the court came Thomasin CLARKE, William ROSSITER (brother or cousin of Edward?) and John CLARKE and surrendered a tenement called a “ten acre tenement” in the tithing of XII sect. granted again to John and Jane MARDEN.  (The three named above were witnesses.  Ref: ADD/277.)

1641, Nicholas ROSSITER, gent., of Combe (son of Edward, after Nicholas returned to England), holds for 3 lives, his property on lease – Anne, Jane & Mary ROSSITER, all daughters of Nicholas.  Ref: ADD/302.

THE LOWER CLAYHANGER FARM OF THE FRY FAMILY

The FRY family held a lease in 1574 (and possibly earlier) on the Lower Clayhanger Farm, less than a mile NE of Wadeford, where Philip ROSSITER lived.

[photo]

Entrance To Farmyard Of Lower Clayhanger House Of FRY Family

[page 126]

The Lower Clayhanger house, which is still standing today, is in the “Listed Buildings”, p. 1-2, ADD/281, dated, 1608.  In the 1583 Survey of Combe St. Nicholas, rents were paid in Clayhanger tithing by: Robertus WARRYE- 13 pounds, John COGAN- 14 pounds, Symond KNIGHT- 2 pounds, Matthew GILLETT– 13 pounds, Thomas KNIGHT- 12 pounds and John GILLETT- 3 pounds.

NOTE:     Savage says there was a Matthew GILLET who came on the Mary & John in 1634, first settled in Dorchester and then in Windsor in 1636.  Banks says he came on the Mary & John in 1634 but settled in Salem.  Stiles’ History of Windsor does not list him.

Today the house is a private residence, with Hamstone mullioned windows, a kitchen with a bread oven and a mullioned window in the rear wall.  The roof was renewed in the early 19th century.  The walls are two feet thick.  The original date of the house cannot be placed because of work in 1940 destroyed much of the dating evidence.

Court Roll, 9 Oct. 1593 – To this court came John FRY and Agnes, his wife, and Isabella, wife of Richard SCREVEN.  John FRY holds by right of his wife, Agnes, one tenement called a “ten acre tenement”, with the apprutenances in the tithing of Betham, to remain now of the said Isabella, by the names of Agnes COMBE and Isabella COMBE (daughters of John COMBE, deceased), John FRY and Agnes and Richard and Isabella SCREVEN, surrendered each and all into the hands of the Lord and all estates and interest in the said premises, with the intent that John FRY might be able to receive them again.  Whereupon at this same court, the said John FRY, came and took from the Lord at the Steward’s hands, the said apputtenances, to have and to hold, for the lives of John FRY, Joseph COMBE and William COMBE, sons of the late John COMBE.  Ref: ADD/257.

27 Sept. 1597– George FRY came to Court of Combe and leased land called “Wagges”, for the lives of George and his brother, John FRY of Ewell and John FRY, son of Lawrence of Stolfird.  Ref: ADD/265.

15 Oct. 1608– To this Court came Dorothea (RICHARDS) FRY, wife of John FRY, the younger, gent., of Chehanger (Clayhanger), and took the reversion of one cottage, with curtilage, one acre of same, under Old Auster (A Celtic site for the farm, developed by the Saxons and always treated with great respect because of its great age as a site.), all held by John FRY, the younger, for the term of his life.  To have and to hold for the lives of Dorothea, William FRY, son of William of Plymouth, Devon, yeoman, John RICHARDS, son of John of Churchstation, Devon.  Ref: ADD/281.

[page 127]

HAM FARM, HOME OF THE COMBE FAMILY

In 1599 Thomas COMBE at Ham Farm held 20 acres.  This about one and one half miles N of Combe St. Nicholas.  This was by “old Austet”, and ancient Celtic site.  This farm is now occupied by Mr. HUTCHINGS.

[photo]

Mr. HUTCHINGS at Ham Farm with Shep & Sam

The Great Migration Begins: Edward Rossiter

Source: Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620-1633, Volume 3, P-W (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).

[page 1600]

EDWARD ROSSITER

ORIGIN:  Combe St. Nicholas, Somersetshire

MIGRATION: 1630

FIRST RESIDENCE: Dorchester

CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: As one of the leaders of the migration to Dorchester in New England, ROSSITER was presumably a member of Dorchester church, but there is no record to confirm this.

OFFICES: Assistant, 20 October 1629, 7 September 1630 (fined for absence from court)[MBCR 1:60, 75].

ESTATE: Sometime in 1631 Reverend John WHITE of Dorchester, Dorsetshire, prepared an account of monies owed to him by various persons in New England, among which was “The account of Mr. Edward ROSSETER’s Executor’s,” which showed that ROSSITER owed WHITE £106 9s. 9d., of which he or his son Nicholas had paid £91 7s. 9d. by 1 April 1631; most of the debt was for “the passage of 13 persons at £3 13s. 4d. each person,” along with their baggage and other goods [John White 463-64, citing MHSP 47:346-47].

BIRTH: Combe St. Nicholas, Somersetshire, say 1575, son of Nicholas and Elizabeth (_____) ROSSITER [NEHGR 138:10-11].

DEATH: 23 October 1630 (“Mr. ROSSITER one of the Assistants died” [WP 2:268]).  “The Lord hath stripped us of some principal persons: Mr. JOHNSON and his Lady, Mr. ROSSITER, Mrs. PHILIPS and other unknown to thee, we conceive that this disease grew from ill diet at sea and proved infectious” [WP 2:320].

MARRIAGE: By about 1599 _____ COMBE (perhaps), daughter of John COMBE of Combe St. Nicholas.  Edward is referred to as “my brother” by Joseph COMBE [TAG 13:146].

CHILDREN:

[page 1601]

i     NICHOLAS, b. say 1599; m. Anne _____ [NEHGR 138:14, citing PCC 98 Pembroke].

ii    DOROTHY, b. say 1608; m. Combe St. Nicholas 12 February 1629/30 Martin GROUT [NEHGR 138:12].

iii   BRYAN, b. say 1610; m. Elizabeth ALSOP [Waters 426-27, citing PCC 139 Mico].

iv    JANE, b. say 1614; m. Taunton 23 March 1639/40 Thomas GILBERT [NEHGR 138:13].

v     HUGH, b. say 1615; m. by 1641 Dorothy (COMBE) NORRIS [NEHGR 138:13].

vi    JOANE, b. about 1616 (d. Plymouth 9 June 1691 “being 75 years of age” [PChR 1:271]); m. Nicholas HART.

COMMENTS: WINTHROP records that on Thursday, 17 June 1630, “We lay at Mr. MAVEROCKE’s, and returned home on Saturday, as we came home we came by Nataskett, and sent for Capt. SQUIB ashore (he had brought the west country people, viz. Mr. LUDLOWE, Mr. ROSSITER, Mr. MAVEROCK, etc. to the Bay who were sent down at Mattapan)” [WP 2:264].

Despite the prominence and wealth of Edward ROSSITER, the identities of his chilren and their spouses remain remarkably uncertain.  In 1937 Meredith B. Colket discussed in great detail several of these problems [TAG 13:146-48].  Geoffrey Gilbert has also carefully examined some of these problems [Gilberts of New England 32-49].

BIBLIOGRAPHIC NOTE: Both at the beginning and end of his career Meredith B. Colket, Jr., wrote definitive treatments of the ROSSITER family, first in 1937 and then in 1984 [TAG 13:145-151; NEHGR 138:4-16].

Edward Rossiter, His Family, and Notes on His English Connections

Source: Meredith B. Colket, Jr., “Edward Rossiter, His Family, and Notes on His English Connections,” American Genealogist 13[1937].

[page 145]

Edward ROSSITER, of Combe St. Nicholas, Somersetshire, gentleman, was one of the most distinguished members of the Massachusetts Bay Company. His name is first mentioned in connection with America in 1629 when he was elected one of eighteen magistrates (they were styled “Assistants”) to aid the newly elected Governor, WINTHROP, in ruling his large domain. ROSSITER is one of the few known stockholders of the Massachusetts Bay Company to have settled in America; he is one of two assistants to have come from the west-country. Yet despite the prominence of Edward ROSSITER and despite the fact that a large number of Americans are descended from him, very little has been written about this man and his family. This is owing partly to the fact that certain early records in the town which he settled have been burned, partly because the parish records of Combe St. Nicholas before 1678 are lost, and partly because he died the year he came over, and no record of a will or distribution of the large estate he reputedly died possessed of has turned up. The writer has assembled a few notes relative to his interesting career, to his family, and to his English connections, and it is hoped that this article may serve as a stimulus toward a more thorough search of the English records and toward a genealogy of his American descendants.

Herewith are a few abstracts of the English records relative to the ROSSITERS:

Will of Joseph COMBE of Combe St. Nicholas, co. Somerset. Dated 21 March 1619-20. Proved 28 April 1620. (Abstracted: Abstract of

[page 146]

Wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Register Soame, 1620, p. 115; and Brown, Abstracts of Somerset Wills, Second Series. p. 22)

Bur. in Ch. of Combe; dau. Agnis (und. 21) £100; dau. Joan £80 at 21; my child unborn; Extrx: wife Winefred; John BOWDAGE of Totworthe in psh of Chard; George FRYE of Combe; bro. Wm. COMBE of Combe; my bro. Edw. ROSSITER and my bro. Edm. COMBE. Wits: Joseph GREENEFIELD, clk., John FRYE, Edward ROSSITER, Edmunde COMBE.

Will of John FRYE the elder of Combe St. Nicholas, co. Somerset. Dated 13 Jan. 1618-19. Proved 31 Dec. 1620 by John FRYE,^a brother of deceased, Joseph COMBE being dead. (Abstract of Wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Register Soame, 1620, pp. 429-30)

Bur. in Ch. or chyd. of the sd. psh. Sister Maute MEERES, her daus. Margt. and Agnes MERES (both und. 21); Hughe, son of Edw. ROSCITER; cos. Eliz. BOURMAN.

Will of John FRY (Junior, brother of above) of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, gentleman. Dated 2 Jan. 1635. Proved 20 Nov. 1638. (Waters, Genealogical Gleanings, p. 765)

To be buried in the parish church of Combe St. Nicholas. My wife, Dorothy, Lands in Combe St. Nicholas lately purchased of Edward ROSSITER, gent., deceased.

Power of attorney of George BETTY of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset. Given 2 Feb. 1664. (New England Register, Vol. 81 p. 122)

Power of attorney given Feb. 2, 1664 by George BETTY of Combe St. Nicholas in the county of Somerset, to Humphrey PINNY of Windsor in the Colony of Conn., over the estate of BETTY’s children John and Elinor. Signed, sealed, and delivered unto Hugh ROSSITER, for the use of Humphrey PINNEY… (Note: Humphrey PINNEY came to New England in the “Mary and John” with Edward ROSSITER. Bryan ROSSITER resided for a time at Windsor).

During the five years after Mr. ROSSITER’s decease, 1630-35, the names of three ROSSITERs appear in the Dorchester (Mass.) records. One Bryan ROSSITER became a freeman 18 May 1631, and he has been identified as a son. Secondly, there is constant reference to one “Mr. ROSSITER” who seems to have possessed a huge tract on the outskirts of Dorchester. It has been ingeniously supposed that he was an eldest son who inherited his father’s property but returned to England, and in the light of facts now available this is quite possible. Finally, one Hugh ROSSITER appears in the records, first in Dorchester, later in Taunton, but his name disappears from American records sometime before 1643. Savage, in his “Genealogical Dictionary,” cautiously asserted he was probably not son of Edward, and this statement has somehow prevented anyone from attempting to make any analysis of their relationship whatever. In fact, the identity of Hugh ROSSITER has been a puzzle to genealogists for over a century.

———–

(a) A study of the FRYE family may lead to further clues in determining the ROSSITER ancestry. According to the Visitations of Devon, a John FRYE married a ROSSITER. The above John FRYEs were brothers being styled John FRYE, the elder, and John FRYE, Junior, respectively.

[page 147]

Only once, in colonial New England, did ROSSITERs come to settle; indeed, all known ROSSITER comeovers appeared abouth the same time in the same town of Dorchester. Certainly it would be a most curious coincidence if these ROSSITERs were not closely related; interestingly enough, the first mention of Hugh in New England records shows him acquiring land adjoining a ROSSITER:

10 Feb. 1634-35. “It is granted unto Hugh ROSSITER and Richard ROCKET^b to have each of them 8 acres of land on the west side of the brooke adjoining to Mr. ROSCITERs ground, as farr forth as the Plantation hath any right to dispose of it.”

— New England Register, Vol. XXI, p. 330.

On the face of it there is strong presumptive evidence that Hugh was related to Bryan and Edward. It is more than of passing interest then when we find John FRYE, the elder, of Combe St. Nicholas, referring in his will dated 13 Jan. 1618-19 to “Hughe, son of Edw. ROSCITER.” There seems little doubt that Hugh, son of Edward, is identical with the Hugh who appeared in Dorchester records some sixteen years later.

Before discussing the apparent objections of Savage, I would like to consider a statement that has been made and repeated in publication after publication for generations until now it has been accepted by genealogists as undisputed fact, yet it is not based on the slightest thread of evidence, so far as this writer has been able to ascertain. I am referring to the assertion constantly repeated that Hugh was the father of Jane (ROSSITER) GILBERT. The earliest published statement to this effect appears in a footnote in Baylie’s History of New Plymouth,^c 1830. Farmer’s Genealogical Dictionary — excellent for its times — came out the preceding year, and though Edward and Bryan were both discussed, no mention was made of Hugh. Baylie seems to have based his assertion upon the single fact that both Hugh and Jane appeared in the Taunton records. Joane ROSSITER (daughter of Edward) who married Nicholas HART undoubtedly also lived at Taunton, as her husband made his residence there before he removed to Rhode Island. If Baylie had known this fact why wouldn’t he have made this Joane a daughter of Hugh? At this early period in genealogical research, many guesses were made about the early ROSSITERs that were not based on actual fact and have long since been disproved, e.g., that Edward was of Devonshire, that he had six or seven sons, that Hugh was the ancestor of the Connecticut ROSSITERs, and so forth. Genealogists have discarded most of these guesses, but the assertion that Jane was a daughter of Hugh has still been accepted. While there is

———-

(b) The ROCKETs and ROSSITERs of the west-country were closely identified. One John ROCKETT, of Thornecombe, Devon, refers in his will dated 1615 (P.C.C.) to one John ROSSITER of Somerset and mentions Combe St. Nicholas.

(c) Vol. II, Part II, p. 281.

[page 148]

still a possibility that it may be true, it has never been proved in a recognized genealogical journal, and the known facts certainly make the statement questionable.

It is known that Hugh received land in Dorchester in 1635, that he is mentioned in the Taunton records in 1637-38 when he became one of the original purchasers of the town, that he certainly was not in the town in 1643 when the military list was prepared and the name never appears in American records subsequent to about 1638. To have been the father of a girl born ca. 1614 (see below), Hugh must have been aged about 45-50 in 1638, while there is every indication both in English and American records that he would be a young man at this time. Savage apparently objected to a relationship with Edward (1) because Hugh seems to have been too old, as the father of Jane, to be the son of Edward, (2) because Hugh seems never to have been dignified with the title of “Mr.” as Edward had always been, and (3) because his comparatively minute land holding appear to place him in a much lower social status. Hugh may be the father of Jane, but in the light of known facts, it seems very doubtful. It is almost indisputable that Hugh and Edward are related, regardless of the relationship of Jane, and there is nothing to suggest they were brothers. In considering the second possible objection, we must remember that the title “Mr.” was given sparingly enough in the early colonial period, and as a younger son of Edward, he probably would not be thus referred to. Certainly Bryan’s name appears often in the earlier records simply as “Bray ROSSITER.” Thirdly, although Mrs. Joane HART received as much as 500 acres of land from the Mass. Government in the right of her father, Mr. Edward ROSSITER, we must not lose sight of the fact that one “Mr.” ROSSITER had a grant from the town of Dorchester^d of only 6 acres in 1631. This was probably Bryan who became a freeman of the town in the early part of that year.

If it is a matter of guessing the identity of Jane (ROSSITER) GILBERT it might be just as well assumed that Jane who married Thomas GILBERT in 1639 was the young widow of Hugh. Jane was born ca. 1614 and on 23 March 1639/40, was aged about 26, a rather late age for a girl of that period to enter her first matrimonial adventure, when marriages for women at this period seem to have been almost regularly at about 18 to 20. Yet even this proposed solution does not exhaust all possibilities. The point to be emphasized is that the parentage of Jane (ROSSITER) GILBERT has not been positively ascertained.

Bearing the above discussion in mind, let us try to reconstruct the early history of the ROSSITER family.

———-

(d) The few earliest pages of the Dorchester town records are now destroyed, but Blake in 1745 abstracted some of their contents. See New England Register, Vol. XXXII, p. 58, note.

[page 149]

The name ROSSITER, usually spelled ROSSETER, is most uncommon in west-country records. In the Visitation of Somerset,^e however, there is a short record of one John ROSSITER of Crewkerne who married Agnes, daughter of John FOSTER, and had a son John who was of “Old Cleve” in 1631. The arms of the family are given as: ARGENT ON A CHEVRON GULES THREE PHEONS OR. In Lincolnshire on the opposite coast of England the family seems to have sprung into one of considerable size. In Maddison’s “Lincolnshire Pedigrees” (p. 831) there is a detailed account of the family of ROSSETER of Aslackby and it is interesting to note that the pedigree is headed by one Richard ROSSETER of Coome, co. Somerset, who married dau. of HARTGILL, sister of HARTGILL murdered by Charles, 8th Lord STOURTON, 1555-56. The arms therein given are but slightly varied from the above, being ARGENT, ON A CHEVRON GULES THREE PHEONS OF THE FIELD.

The predecessors of our Edward of Combe St. Nicholas are still undeterminable, though it is not improbable that there is some connection of Edward and the Richard mentioned in Maddison as being of “Coombe, co. Somerset.”^f Edward’s^g birth can be tentatively set at ca. 1585 (this approximation fits in well with the known facts and is five years earlier than the baptism of his close associate Roger LUDLOW). The name of his wife is still unknown, though perhaps suggested by the above abstracts. His name first appears in English records in 1610-11 when he signs, along with others of Combe St. Nicholas, a petition in behalf of a poor and aged couple Richard and Ursula STOCKMAN.^h John FRYE, Junior, a close associate and friend, also signs the petition. From the various references to his name, it is apparent that he was a man of wealth and influence in his parish. He was deeply religious and took an enthusiastic part in the project of colonizing America. He sold his property at Combe (at least in part) to John FRYE, Junior, and became one of the original stockholders of the Massachusetts Bay Company. On 20 Oct. 1629 he was chosen an assistant for the Company. That year he seems to have been an influential leader among the small group of west-country folk who were gathered at Plymouth, preparatory for the long trip across the ocean. To defray the expenses both for food while at Plymouth and for the cost of transporting people, freight, and goods from Plymouth to America, ROSSITER borrowed heavily from the Rev. John WHITE, of Dorchester, Dorset, the leading spirit back of the migration. The total account was £106.09.09

———–

(e) The Visitation edited by Weaver. Exeter, 1885, p. 128.

(f) The name ROSSETER does not appear in the early records of the west-country and is almost absent in Collinson’s Somersetshire. There is every indication that the ROSSETER family of Combe St. Nicholas originated in Lincolnshire; and Maddison gives at least one pedigree of the family which dates to the 15th century.

(g) Edward, a grandson of the above Richard, was baptized at Aslackby, 24 Feb. 1560/1. was assessed for a subsidy in 1598, but subsequently disappears from the records.

(h) Somerset Record Society, Vol. 23, p. 73.

[page 150]

(a large sum for those days), which was repaid in part before his departure from Plymouth and in part after his departure through his son “Mr. Nich: ROSSITER by his order” on 4 Feb. 1630 and 1 April 1630.ⁱ A sum of £15.02.00 was “due by Mr. ROSSETER’s Executors” to the Rev. John WHITE after ROSSITER’s death. Among the charges against ROSSITER, we find an item of £47.13.04 for the “passage of 13 persons att 3^l 13^s 4^d each person.”

The group of Pilgrims left Plymouth in the Mary and John 20 March 1630 and arrived on the New England coast a fortnight before the WINTHROP fleet. Most of the passengers, ROSSITER and his family among them, settled at a place on the coast which a few months later received the name of Dorchester. ROSSITER has the distinction of being one of the nine present at the first meeting of the court in New England, 23 Aug. 1630. He attended two subsequent meetings of the court, but on 23 Oct. 1630 there appears the terse note in Governor WINTHROP’s “Journal”: “Mr. ROSSITER, one of the assistants died.”^j But Thomas DUDLEY, then Deputy-Governor, wrote rather feelingly to the Countess of Lincoln:^k “Within a month after,^l died Mr. ROSSITER, another of the assistants, a godly man and of good estate, which still weakened us more.”^m An English grandson of Edward ROSSITER refers to him years later as “a pious gentleman of good estate who left England for the sake of religion.”ⁿ Here is an example of a wealthy Englishman, of undoubted gentry extraction, who came to America for religious freedom but died before he could carry out his ideals.

The children of Mr. Edward ROSSITER, as far as known, with proof of parentage, are as follows:

I. NICHOLAS, b. prob. ca. 1608. Probably eldest son; as far as known did not come to America; mentioned as “Mr.” Nich: ROSSITER son of Edward in the accounts of the Rev. John WHITE of Dorchester, Dorset, in 1630. Edward (grandson of the first Edward) who was deacon of the dissenting church at Taunton, Somerset, in 1682^o may have been his son.

II. BRYAN (alias BRAY), b. prob. ca. 1610. He was admitted freeman at Dorchester, 18 May 1631. Parentage indicated when his son-in-law John COTTON in 1685 petitions the Mass. Court in behalf of Joane, dau. of Edward ROSSITER. Bryan, a noted Connecticut physician, d. at Guilford, Conn., 30 Sept. 1672. He m. Elizabeth dau. of the Rev. John ALSOP of Crewkerne, Somerset.^p She d. at Guilford, 29 Aug. 1669. Issue.

———-

(i) Rose-Troup. The Rev. John WHITE Founder of New England, has an interesting verbatim copy of the account.

(j) 1908 edit., Vol. 1, p. 53.

(k) She was a daughter of Lord SAY AND SELE, colonizer, in whose honor Saybrook, Conn., was named. See Cockayne, Complete Peerage, Vol. VII, p. 697.

(l) After 30 Sept. 1630.

(m) Collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1802, Vol. VIII, p. 40.

(n) Hutchinson, History of Massachusetts Bay.

(o) Ibid.

(p) The finding of Waters, viz., that Elizabeth was the sister of the Rev. Josiah ALSOP of London, has been generally accepted. His birthplace, parentage, biography, and the biography of a brother, are given in Alumni Cantabrigienses, Part I, Vol. 1, p. 24.

[page 151]

III. HUGH, mentioned 1619 in the will of John FRYE of Combe St. Nicholas as son of Edward. Probably identical with the Hugh who obtained land at Dorchester, 1635, and who became an original purchaser of Taunton shortly thereafter. One of this name about to leave Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, for Windsor, Conn., 1664.

IV. JOANE, b. ca. 1616. She m. Nicholas HART who was early of Taunton but who removed to Warwick, R.I. He is stated by Austin to have d. about 1654. Upon petition to the Mass. Court in 1675 she received 500 acres of land from the Government in 1685 and at that time was stated to be “youngest surviving child of the late Mr. Edward ROSSITER, one of the adventurers.”^q Mrs. Joane HART, widow, d. at Plymouth 9 June 1691, being 75 years of age. (Plymouth Church Records, Vol. 1, p. 271.) Issue.

(?) “JANE,” relationship with above not proved, b. ca. 1614, d. 1 June 1691 at Taunton, aged 77; m. at Taunton, 23 March 1639/40, Thomas GILBERT. Issue.

New England Marriages Prior to 1700

Source: Clarence Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing
Company, 1987). [WorldCat]

[pages xiv-xv]

For each of the 37,000 couples herein covered, the husband’s full name (roughly alphabetical, with variant spellings grouped under the most common) is followed sometimes by a superscript to indicate generation (usually first or second), then by birth and death years, if known, in parenthese. “(1654-)” indicates a birth in 1654 and an unknown death year; “(-1700)” indicates an unknown birth year and a death in 1700. “Ca” for “circa” means “about” and “ae 35 in 1674” indicates aged 35 in 1674, a fact recorded probably in a court deposition. After an ampersand, “&”, the wife’s full name is given, with any known birth or death years likewise in parenthesis. “1/wf” or “2/wf” indicates first or second wife, any surname in parenthesis is a maiden name (in general, if there are two surnames, one or both in parenthesis, the first is a maiden surname, the second that of a first husband; if there are three surnames, however the parentheses are placed, the last two are those of previous husbands in chronological order), a blank line (within or outside parenthesis) indicates that the wife’s maiden name is unknown, a surname in brackets is one not derived from a marriage record, “w Daniel” indicates “widow of Daniel,” whose last name is given earlier, and “m/2” or “m/3”, followed by a man’s full name and often a year, indicates a second or third marriage. After the data on husband and wife is a semi-colon, then a date. If the date is exact — 25 Nov. 1674 — it is a marriage (or marriage intention) date; if it is a year only, preceded “b”, it is the birth date of a first child, not the birthdate of either partner, and the marriage can be assumed to have taken place a year or more earlier. Often these “first child” birthdates are approximate. Following this date is a list of residences, from marriage through usually the death of the husband, in chronological order. Question marks alongside any data indicate doubt, of course; “+” after a date means “following”, “-” means “Before”, and stray kinships that might provide clues to origins are sometimes noted as well. Since marriages of men with the same name are also roughly chronological, and each marriage is listed separately, data on a man’s second marriage (including residence only after it) often does not immediately follow the listing for his first.

[page 14]

ALLERTON, Isaac² [(1630-1702 Virginia)] & 2/wf Elizabeth [WILLOUGHBY]/COLCLOUGH; 1663

[page 15]

AMBROSS, William & Elizabeth MATTOCK; 6 Jan 1697; Boston

[page 39]

BANKS, John & Mehitable MATTOX m/2 Thomas WEBBER; 29 Aug 1694; Boston

[pages 72-73]

BISHOP, Nathaniel (-1687) & Alice ? (not Alice MATTOCKS)(-1674+) b 1634; Boston

BISHOP, Nathaniel & Alice [MATTOCKS?], m/2 John LEWIS 1659, m/3 Abraham HOWE by 1680, m/4 John HARRIS aft 1683; b 1634 (no)

[page 76]

BLAKE, William (1594-1663) & Agnes (?THORNE) BAND/BOND? (-1678), wid; Pitminster, Eng, 27 Sep, 23 Sep 1617; Dorchester

[page 108]

BROWN, Samuel & Mary MATTOCKE, m/2 Thomas BISHOP?; 9 Jul 1661; Boston

[pages 132-33]

CANFIELD, Samuel (1645-1690) & Sarah [WILLOUGHBY] (living 1677), left widow Elizabeth; ca 1668; Norwalk, CT

CANFIELD, Samuel & Elizabeth [MERWIN?/WILLOUGHBY?] (see above); ? ; Norwalk, CT

[page 257]

FAIRBANKS, Richard & Elizabeth (DAULTON); Boston, Eng, b 1636, b 1633, 17 Sep 1618; Boston, ?dau Lydia m/1 Edward BATES, m/2 William FLETCHER

[page 302]

GILBERT, John (-1657) & 3/wf 2/wf Winifred (ROSSITER) COMBE (-1663+); in Eng b 1619; Dorchester/Taunton

…

GILBERT, Thomas (-1676, 1677) & Jane (COMBE) ROSSITER (-1691), Taunton, ?w Hugh?; 23 Mar 1639, 1639/40 (no); Taunton

GILBERT, Thomas² (?1620-1662) & Catherine (CHAPIN) BLISS (1626-1712), w Nathaniel, m/3 Samuel MARSHFIELD 1664; 31 Jun 1655, 30 Jun 1655, ?31 Jul; Springfield

GILBERT, Thomas (1643-1725, ae 82y), ?Boston & Anna BLAKEY/BLACKE of Milton (1653-1722); 18 Dec 1676; Taunton

[page 339]

HAMMOND, Lawrence (-1699) & 3/wf Margaret WILLOUGHBY (-1683), w Francis; 8 Feb 1674/5; Charlestown

[page 348]

HART, Nicholas (-1645±) & Jane/Joan [ROSSITER] (1616, ?1615-1685±, 1691); b 1635?; Taunton/Warwick, RI/Portsmouth, RI/ Plymouth

[page 461]

LEONARD, Isaac (ca 1650-ca 1717) & Deliverance ? ; b 1680; Bridgewater

[page 462]

LEONARD, Solomon (?1610-1686) & Mary (CHANDLER) (-bef 1 May 1671); b 1640, b 1643?; Duxbury/Bridgewater

LEONARD, Solomon² & Mary ? ; b 1680; Bridgewater

[page 463]

LEWIS, John & Alice [MATTOCKS? no?] BISHOP, m/2 Abraham HOWE bef 1680, m/3 John HARRIS (1683+); 22 Nov 1659; Boston

[page 480]

LYNDE, Nathaniel (1659-1729) & 1/wf Susanna WILLOUGHBY (1664-1710); b 1683; Charlestown/ Saybrook, CT

[page 488]

MARCH, George & Mary FOULSOM/FOLSOM, m/2 Joseph HERRICK; 12 Jun 1672; Newbury

MARCH, Hugh¹ (-1693) & 1/wf Judith ? (-1675); b 1646; Newbury

MARCH, Hugh¹ (-1693) & 2/wf Dorcas (BOWMAN) BLACKLEACH (-1683), w Benjamin; 29 May 1676; Newbury/Watertown

MARCH, Hugh (1656-) & Sarah MOODY (1663-); 29 Mar 1683; Newbury

MARCH, Hugh¹ (-1693) & 3/wf Sarah (CUTTING)(BROWN) HEALY (-1699), w James, w William; 3 Dec 1685; Newbury

MARCH, Hugh (1673-1695) & Sarah [COKER], m/2 Archaleus ADAMS 1698; b 1694; Newbury

MARCH, James (-1721) & Mary [WALKER] (1699-), dau Shubael, m/2 John EMERY; b 1690; Newbury

MARCH, John¹ (-1666) & 1/wf Rebecca ? ; b 1638; Charlestown

MARCH, John (-1666) & Anna [?BICKNER]; b 1666; Charlestown

MARCH, John & Jemima TRUE; 1 Oct 1679; Newbury

MARCH, John & Mary ANGIER; 11 Dec 1700; Newbury/Reading

MARCH, Nicholas & Martha ? , m/2 William DADEY? 1670; b 1657; Charlestown

MARCH, Stephen & Anna WILBORN; 26 Jan 1691/2; Taunton

MARCH/MARSH, Theophilus (-1694) & Elizabeth HUNT; 10 Jan 1664/5, 3 Feb 1664/5, 3 Feb 1664; Cambridge/Charlestown

MARCH, ? & ? FIELD; b 1701?; Flushing, LI

[page 497]

MATTOCK, David (-1654) & Sarah ? , m/2 Thomas RAWLINS 1656; Braintree/Roxbury

MADOCKS, Edmund & Rebecca MUNINGS/MUNNINGS; 14 Jan 1651/2; Boston

MADDOCK, Henry & Mary WELLINGTON (1640-), m/2 John COOLIDGE 1679; 21 May 1662; Watertown

MATTOCK/MADDOCK, Henry & Rachel ? ; b. 1673; Saco, ME/Boston

MATTOX, Henry & Diana SOUTHER; 3 Mar 1698; Boston

MATTOCKS, James (-1667) & Mary [SPOORE?]; b 1637; Boston

MADDOCKS, John (-1703) & Ruth CHURCH, m/2 Joseph CHILD, m/3 Thomas INGERSOLL 1720; 23 Jun 1689; Watertown

MATTOCK, John (1669-) & Elizabeth ? ; b. 1701?; Boston

MATTOCKE, Richard & Grace TOD (1650-); 2 Mar 1668/9; New Haven

MATTOCKE, Samuel & Constance FAIRBANKS; 30 Mar 1653; Boston

MATTOCKS, Samuel (1659-) & Anna/Ann?/Anne MARCH; 12 Apr 1688; Charlestown/Boston

[page 503]

MERIAM, George¹ (ca 1603-1675) & Susan/Susanna RAVEN (-1675+); Tunbridge, Eng, 16 Oct 1627; Concord

[page 579]

PHILLIPS, William (-1705, ae 35?) & Hannah (GILBERT) (1677-1705); b 1699, b 1697?; Taunton

[pages 599-600]

PRATT, Ebenezer & Martha ? ; ca 1700; Weymouth

PRATT, Ephriam (1675±1748) & Phebe ? (-1736); b 1698, (ca 1695?); Weymouth

PRATT, Joseph (1639-1720) & Sarah JUDKINS (1645-1726); 7 May 1662; Weymouth

PRATT, Joseph (1665-1765) & Sarah (BENSON) (-bef 1721); b 1693, ca 1690?; Weymouth

PRATT, John (-1647?) & Mary? (WHITMAN?) dau John, m/2 William TURNER bef 1671; b 1630; Dorchester

PRATT, John (ca 1622-1716) & Elizabeth WHITMAN (-1716, ae 82); 22 Nov 1656, 9? Oct, 27 Nov, no ch; Weymouth

PRATT, John (1668-) & Mercy (NEWCOMB) (1665-1721); b 1690; Weymouth

PRATT, John (1663-1744) & 1/wf Mary (NEWCOMB?); b 1686; Weymouth

PRATT, Matthew (1628-) & Sarah HUNT (1640-1729); 1 Aug 1661; Weymouth

PRATT, Matthew & Susanna PORTER/Mary ? (1665-1761); b 1691; Weymouth/Abington

PRATT, Matthew (-1673?) & Elizabeth [BATES?] in Eng b 1628, b 1622, 1619?; Weymouth/Rehoboth

PRATT, Phineas/Phinehas? (1590/93-1680, ae 90?, ae 81 in 1674) & Mary (PRIEST) GOBERTSON/CUTHBERTSON (-1682+, 1689?); ca 1627/33; Plymouth/Charlestown

PRATT, Samuel (1670-1728) & Patience (CHARLES) (1675-1735); b 1695; Weymouth/Taunton

PRATT, Samuel (-1679) & Hannah RODGERS/ROGERS (-1721, ae 77), m/2 Thomas BAILEY b 1687; 19 Sep 1660, 19 Jul; Weymouth

PRATT, Samuel (1670-1745±) & (Hannah?)(MILLER); b 1697; Middleborough

PRATT, Thomas (ca 1626-1676) & 1/wf Mary ? ; b 1653, b 1659; Weymouth

PRATT, Thomas & Deborah LOVELL (1664/5-1727); ca 1690; Weymouth

PRATT, Thomas & Lydia (?BROWN), m/2 Josiah CHAPIN 1676; ca 1665, b 1676; Weymouth

PRATT, Thomas (-1676) & Lydia (BROWN?) (1658?-) of Ipswich, m/2 Josiah CHAPIN 1676; ca 1665; Weymouth

PRATT, Thomas (1646-) & ? (had Mary 19 Apr 1680, Thomas 9 Dec 1682, Hannah 19 Jul 1685); b 1680; Concord (see Thomas & Alice)

PRATT, Thomas (1646-1720) & Alice ? ; b 1669; Charlestown/Chelsea

PRATT, William & Hannah ? ; ca 1700; Weymouth

PRATT, William (1674-) & Hannah HOUGH; 8? Oct 1700; Saybrook, CT

PRATT, William (1659-1713) & Elizabeth (BAKER)/(SWIFT?) (1656-); 26 Oct 1680; Dorchester

PRATT, William (ca 1620-) & Experience (KING); b 1692; Weymouth/Dorchester

[page 612]

RAWLINS, Thomas¹ (-1660) & 3/wf Sarah MADOCKS/MATTOCKS (-1660+) w David; 2 May 1656; Boston

[page 638]

ROSSITER, Hugh & (?Jane) ? (1614-1691), m/2 Thomas GILBERT 1639; Dorchester

…

ROSSITER, Edward (?1585-1630) & ? ; b 1615; Dorchester

[page 824]

WILLOUGHBY, Francis (?1613-1671) & 1/wf Mary ? (-1640); in Eng, b 1639, b 1635; Charlestown

WILLOUGHBY, Francis (?1613-1671) & 2/wf Sarah [TAYLOR] (-1654); 1640?, in Eng; Charlestown

WILLOUGHBY, Francis (?1613-1671) & 3/wf Margaret (LOCKE) TAYLOR, w Daniel, m Lawrence HAMMOND 1675; ca 1658-9, in Eng; Charlestown

WILLOUGHBY, Jonathan (ca 1635-) & Griszel GOLDESBOROUGH; in Eng, – Dec 1661, lic 3 Dec 1661; Charlestown/Wethersfield, CT

WILLOUGHBY, Nehemiah (1644-1702) & Abigail BARTHOLOMEW (1650-1702); 2 Jan 1671/2, 2 Jan 1671; Charlestown/Salem

WILLOUGHBY, William (1588-1651, in Eng) & Elizabeth ? (-1662, Charlestown); in Eng, b 1613; Charlestown

WILLOUGHBY, William & Abigail ? ; Greenland, NH

The Pioneers of Massachusetts

Source: Charles Henry Pope, The Pioneers of Massachusetts: A Descriptive List, Drawn from Records of the Colonies, Towns and Churches, and Other Contemporaneous Documents (Boston: Charles H. Pope, 1900).

[page 51]

BISHOP, BISHOPP, BUSHOP, BYSHOP,

[…]

Nathaniel, currier, Ipswich, propr. 1636-1639; rem. to Boston. Sold Ips. land 25 May, 1643; adm. chh. 24 (12) 1643; frm. May, 1645. He deposed to the will of Mary Drury 28 Nov. 1682, ae. 75 years. Wife Alice: Ch. Sarah b. (rec. at Boston) 20 (1) 1634, (m. 18 (7) 1654 Samuel Bucknell,) Ruth b. 14 (2) 1639, (m. 15 (2) 1656, John Peirce,) Joseph b. 14 (5) 1642, Benjamin b. 31 (3) 1644, (bapt. at Bo.,) John b. 31 (11) 1646, Samuel d. 7 (1) 1646, Hannah b. 11 (12) 1648, John bapt. 26 (11) 1650, Rebecca b. 8 (2) 1652. The widow Alice m. 22 Nov. 1659, John Lewis.

He made will 10 June, 1681, prob. 4 June, 1687, before Andros. Dau. Ruth, (wife of William Fuller, of Boston, victualler,) and her children, Ruth, wife of Philip Catland, Hannah, wife of William Smith, and Rebecca Pierce; dau. Rebecca, wife of Adam Holland.

[page 73]

BROWN, BROWNE,

[…]

John, mariner, Salem, propr. and member. chh. 1637; frm. May 2, 1638. Chosen ruling elder 1660. Wrecked on return from Virginia; lost vessel and goods, but arrived at Sal. in 1661. Had new ship built by William Stephens. Ales (Alice) presumed to be his wife, memb. chh. in 1637. Ch. Jonathan, (d. 1667; est. adm. by his father;) John bapt. 16 (7) 1638, Jacob and Samuel bapt. 13 (1) 1641, John bapt. 1 (3) 1642, James bapt. 17 (5) 1642, Joanna bapt. 9 (2) 1643, Eliza bapt. 23 (10) 1643, Eliza bapt. 14 (2) 1644, Nathaniel bapt. 28 (5) 1644.

His will dated 2 Jan. 1683, prob. 24 Nov. 1684, beq. to gr. ch. John and Abiel B.; to 4 ch. of his dec. son
James B.; to son-in-law Samuel Gardner, Jr. and his wife.

[page 110]

COLE, COLES, COAL, COOLE, COOLE,

Rice, or Ryse, Charlestown, memb. Boston chh. 1630; frm.. April 1, 1633, propr. Char. 1634. Wife Arrold; ch. Robert, (d. about 1660,) John, James, Mary, (m. Richard LOWDEN,) Elizabeth (m. Thomas PIERCE).

He d. 15 (3) 1646.  Will dated (3) 1646, prob. April 1, 1662.  To wife, sons Robert, John and James, and 2 daus.  Richard LOWDEN and Thomas PIERCE of Woburn, who m. the daus. asked for a division of the estate, the eldest and youngest sons having d. without heirs, leaving only one son.  The widow, Arrold, wrote from Charlestown Aug. 28, 1655, to her son and dau. JENKS and dau. Ruth COLES, giving love of “your bro. John COLE and bros. and sisters PEIRCE and LOWDEN.”  She wrote 16 (10) 1661 to dau. Ruth MOOD, referring to Ruth̓s former husband.  Henry MUDD of Stepney, Eng., mariner, and Ruth his wife, gave power of attorney to John SMITH of Charlestown 16 (–) 1661.  [Mdx. Files.]  Her will dated 20 (10) prob. 26 (10) 1662, beq. to son John C., sons LOWDEN and PERCE and their ch.; bro. Solomon PHIPPS.

[page 128]

DADY, DADE,

William, butcher, Charlestown, 1630, adm. Boston chh. 1631-2, frm. April 1, 1633. Was one of the attorneys of Mrs. Palsgrave before March 17, 1656. Wife Dorothy, adm. chh. 31 (6) 1633; she d. March 8 1670-1. Ch. William, Benjamin bapt. 24 (1) 1635, Nathaniel bapt. 22 (11) 1636, Zachariah b. 16 (3) 1644, Abigail.

He d. April 10, 1682, ae. 77. [Gr. St.] Will dated 3 Feb. 1681, prob. June 20, 1682, beq. to wife Martha and to her ch. by former husband; to son William and dau. Abigail.

[page 160]

FAIRBANK, FAIRBANCK, FAIRBANKS, FAIRBANCKE,

Jonathan, Dedham, propr. 23 (1) 1636-7, adm. chh. 14 (6) 1646. Town officer. Wife Grace; ch. John, George, Jonas, Jonathan; Mary adm. chh. 11 (10) 1640, (m. 1, Michael Metcalf, 2, Christopher Smith,) Susan, (m. 12 (8) 1647, Ralph Day).

He d. 5 Dec. 1668; his will prob. Jan. 26, folg., mentions all the above-named and some of their children. The widow d. 28 (10) 1673. [Reg. XIX, 32.] See will of George Fairbanke of Sowerby in Halifax, Eng., dated May 28, 1650. [Reg. VII, 303.] Genealogy.

Richard, Boston, adm chh. (8) 1633, frm. May 14, 1634. He had leave to sell his shop to Saunders, a bookbinder, 7 (6) 1637. He was appointed by Gen. Court 5 (9) 1639, to have charge of all letters to and from Eng., voluntarily brought to his house. He made exchange of land 1 (2) 1652. Wife Elizabeth adm. chh. with him; ch. Constance bapt. 10 (11) 1635, (m. 30 (1) 1653, Samuel Mattocke,) Zaccheus bapt. 8 (10) 1639, d. 10 (9) 1653.

[page 186]

GILBERT,

John, Dorchester, a grave, honest gentleman; his son was arrested for drunkenness in 1636. [W.] He rem. to Taunton; frm. Plym. Col. 4 Dec. 1638. Propr., town officer.

Will dated May 31, 1654, prob. June 3, 1657; to wife Winifred, ch: Gyles, Joseph, Thomas, John, Mary Norcrosse, and her dau. Mary; to wife’s gr. ch. Elizabeth Peslee. [Reg. V, 338.]

[page 215]

HART, HEART, compare with HARDY,

[…]

Nicholas, Taunton, atba. 1643. [see ROSSITER.]

[page 285]

LEWIS, LEWES,

John, of Tenterden, Eng., with wife Sarah, came in the Hercules in March, 1634. Settled at Scituate. Frm. Plym. Col. 7 Feb. 1636-7. Butcher, rem. to Boston, 1652; ch. Sarah bapt. at Bo. 5 (11) 1650. Wife Sarah d. 12 (5) 1657; he m. 22 Nov. 1659 Alice, widow of Nathaniel Bishop, who joined him in a deed of land 24 Aug. 1659. Ch. Samuel b. Jan. 18, 1661, Joseph b. Feb. 4, 1662, Benoni b. 25 (11) 1664.

[page 297]

MADDOX, see MATTOCKS,

John, sawyer, cert. from Stepney parish, Eng., came in the Planter March 22, 1634. Settled at Salem.

He d. April 22, 1643. Will prob. 6 (5) 1644, referred to in Court files.

[page ?]

MARCH, see MARSH and MEECH,

[…]

John, Charlestown, adm. chh. 15 (3) 1642; frm. May 18, 1642. Town officer. [Wife?] Rebeckah adm. chh. 29 (3) 1642. His son Edward d. 4 (8) 1636; son John d. 2 (3) 1641. Will prob. 17 (11) 1665, beq. to wife Ann the est. she brought at marriage; dau. Frances Bucke and her ch.; son Theophilus M. and his son John; wife’s gr. ch. Sarah Bickner.

[pages 306-07]

MATTOCKS, MATTOCKE, MATTOX, see MADDOX,

David, Roxbury, frm. May 22, 1650.

He d. about (3) 1654. The magistrates gave the est. to his widow Sarah, a son and a decrepit dau. May 25, 1654 [Reg. VIII, 276.] The widow m. 2, Thomas Rawlin, Sen. His dau. Elizabeth b. and d. 1655.

James, cooper, Boston, had liberty to live with his bro. John Spoore or elsewhere 18 (4) 1638; adm. chh. 24 (12) 1638, frm. March 13, 1638-9. Dism. to chh. at Mt. Wollaston for ye winter season 24 (9) 1639. Bought a house lot of Anthony Stoddard 28 (10) 1644, and sold it to John Synderland Dec. 30, 1644. Bought house and land April 25, 1653, and gave it to his son Samuel who was about to marry Constance, dau. of Richard Fairbanks. Dau. Mary m. 9 July, 1661 Samuel Browne.

Will, dated Jan. 21, 1666, prob. Aug. 1, 1667. Wife Mary, son Samuel Mattock, daus. Alice, wife of John Lewes, and Mary, wife of Samuel Browne. [Reg. XV, 325.] The widow Mary, aged, made will 8 Jan. 1680, prob. 11 April, 1682; beq. to son Samuel, and his ch. James and Samuel; dau. Alice How; gr. ch. Samuel and Joseph Lewis; dau. Mary Bishop; gr. ch. James, Mary and Samuel Browne and Hannah Byshop.

John, Salem, worked with Robert Lewis on the ship Sara for Richard Hollingsworth, shipbuilder, who gave them an order for the money 19 Aug. 1641.

He d. April 22, 1643; inv. 6 (5) 1644.

Stephen, sent over by Mr. Peter and Mr. Weld in 1643, a servant, assigned to Elder How of Watertown, lived with Nathaniel Treadway of Wat. 5 (2) 1653. [Mdx. Files.]

[page 341]

PALGRAVE, PALSGRAVE,

Mr. Richard, physician, Charlestown, propr. 1630; with wife Anne adm. chh. 1631, frm. May 18, 1631. Ch. John, (who quit-claimed land in 1657,) Mary, (m. Roger Willington,) Sarah, (m. Dr. John Alcock; d. 29 (9) 1665, ae 44 years,) Rebecca b. 25 (5) 1631, John b. 6 (1) 1634, Lydia b. 15 (11) 1635, Bethiah b. and d. 1638, Elizabeth.

He d. about 1655. His widow, dwelling at Stepney, Eng., made a letter of attorney March 17, 1656. [Midx. De. II, 32.] She ret. to N. E. and d. at Roxbury 17 (11) 1669, ae. 75. Will prob. May 13, 1669. Beq. to eldest dau., Mary, wife of Roger Willington; to Anna and other children of her son and dau. Alcock; to John Heylet, eldest son of her dau. Lydia, he to be educated in physick; to Mary, wife of John Maddox; to grandchildren. A debt due to John Pattison in old England.

[page 361]

PIERCE, etc.,

Thomas, Charlestown; wife Elizabeth adm. chh. 10 (11) and he adm. chh. 21 (12) 1634.  Frm. May 6, 1635.  He rem. to Woburn; propr. 1643; town officer.  Signed a petition in 1663, ae. about 46 years old, [Mass. Arch. vol. 106.]  Wife Elizabeth was ae. 71 in 1667.  Ch. Abigail bapt. 17 (4) 1639, a son John b. at Wob. 7 (1) 1643, Thomas b. Jan. 21, 1644, Elizabeth b. Dec. 25, 1646, Joseph b. Aug. 14, 1649, Stephen b. July 16, 1651, Samuel b. 1654, d. 1655, Samuel b. April 7, 1656, William b. March 7, 1656-7, James b. May 7, 1659, Abigail b. Nov. 20, 1660.

He d. Oct. 7, 1666.  Will dated Nov. 7, 1665, ae. about 82 years; beq. to wife Elizabeth; gr. ch. Mary BRIDGE and Elizabeth JEFFS, now dwelling with me; to all gr. ch.; to Harvard College.  The widow deposed to the inv. March 22, 1666-7, ae. 71 years.

[page 392]

ROSSITER,

Bray, [Brian?] gent., physician. Dorchester, came in the Mary and John in 1629-30. Propr. Sold land to Wm. Hutchinson. [L.] Rem. to Windsor, Conn., where he witnessed a deed Sept. 12, 1647. [Suff. De. I, 98.] Rem. to Guilford, Conn. [Mass. Hist. Coll. 3-10.]

Mr. Edward, one of the Assistants, came to N. E. in 1630.

He d. before Nov. 29, 1630. [W.] His dau., widow Jane Hart, petitioned Gen. Court for aid in 1685, being 70 years old. [Reg. XXXIII, 242.]

Jane, Taunton, m. 23 March 1639-40, Thomas Gilbert.

[page 429]

SPUR, SPURR, SPOOER,

John, husbandman, late of Clapton in Somersetshire, with his bro. John Mattocke, cooper, had grant of land in Boston, 1638. Frm. May 22, 1638-9. Wife Elizabeth adm. chh. with him 14 (2) 1639; ch. Mary b. 20 (1) 1637, Mary bapt. 21 (2) 1639, Ebenezer b. 3 (3) 1642, Elizabeth bapt. 30 (1) 1645, ae. about 6 days, Martha b. and d.1648, John b. 16 (4) 1650.

[page 486]

WELLINGTON, WILLINGTON, see WALLINGTON,

Roger, planter, Watertown, 1636. Suit in court in 1651. He deposed Dec. 1673, ae. about 64 years. [Mdx. Files.] He m. Mary, dau. of Dr. Richard Palsgrave; ch. John b. 25 (5) 1638, Mary b. 10 (12) 1640, Joseph b. 9 (8) 1643, Benjamin, Oliver b. Nov. 23, 1648, Palsgrave.

He d. March 11, 1697-8. Will dated 17 Dec. 1697, prob. April 11, 1698; “feeble by reason of age;” beq. to sons John, Joseph, Benjamin, Oliver and Palsgrave; gr. ch. John Mattocks, Roger W., and Mary Livermore.

[page 503]

WILLOUGHBY,

Mr. Francis, merchant, Charlestown, adm. propr. 1638; adm. chh. with wife Mary 3(10)1639, frm. May 13, 1640. Gave bond in trade concerning tobacco in 1640. [L.] Deputy in 1642 and afterward. Town officer, 1646. Magistrate.

He rendered important service to the colonies as a member of Parliament from Portsmouth, Eng. in 1647, and again in 1657-8. He ret. to Charlestown from his second absence about 1662. The Court gave him 1000 acres of land in token of his services 15 Oct. 1669.

His wife Mary died, and he m. 2, in Eng. Mrs. Margaret Taylor, dau of William Locke and widow of Mr. Daniel Taylor; she was adm. chh. Char. 13(8)1667; ch. Sarah bapt. 13(4)1641, Hannah b. and d. 1643, Nehemiah b. 18(4)1644, Jeremiah b. 29(5)1647, Francis bapt. at St. Olaves in London 29 Feb. 1659-60, Susanna, dau. of the Worshipful Francis Willoughby bapt. at Char. 21(6)1664. The two last ch. had bequests from their mother’s sister Jane Locke, in 1669. [L., A., Reg. XXX, XXXV, and XL.]

His will dated 4 June, 1670, prob. April 10, 1671; refers to his mother’s payment of legacies from his father to his children; beq. to eldest son Jonathan and each of his children; to his wife the estate to which she shall testify to having brought at her marriage and a share of his other property; to sons Nehemiah, William and Francis, and dau. Susannah; to dau. Campfield, who had previously recd. her portion; to aunt Hammond if alive, and to cousin Laur. H.; to his pastor and teacher; to cousin March during her widowhood free use of the house where she dwells; to the school in Charleston 300 acres of land given him by the town but never laid out, lying beyond Woburn; to Laur. Dowse and Edward Wilson, and to his man, Richard Waldron.

The Wives of John Gilbert of Dorchester, Mass.



Source: Geoffrey Gilbert, “The Wives of John Gilbert of Dorchester, Mass.,” New England Historical and
Genealogical Register 61[1957].

[page 234]

John Gilbert of Bridgwater, Somerset, one of the original purchasers of Taunton, Mass., brought with him to Dorchester, in or about 1635, a wife Winifred, four sons, and a daughter. He was born in 1580, and in January 1602-3 he married Mary Street, both in Bridgwater. Mary has been considered the mother of the two older sons, Thomas and John, Jr., who were “well grown youths” in 1636. The two younger sons, Giles and Joseph, and probably the daughter Mary, have been assigned more or less doubtfully to Winifred. As to the identity of Winifred, the only clue has been a clause in John’s will referring to his wife’s grandchild Elizabeth —-; the surname has been variously deciphered as Peaslee, Peslee, Peter, and Pester. This clause has been the basis for a guess that Peaslee or a variant was the name of Winifred’s first husband, and she has appeared in some genealogies as “widow Peaslee”, though obviously this would only be true if Elizabeth were the child of a son of Winifred, not of a daughter.

Somewhat later, restudies of the Bridgwater records suggested that there might be still another wife. A daughter Joan was born in 1614 to John and Alice Gilbert and Alice, wife of John Gilbert, died in 1618. It was not considered certain that these records related to John, the immigrant, but on the other hand evidence was uncovered that a John Gilbert, who later became mayor of Bridgwater, was born about 1614, and there is reason to suppose that the Joan of the 1614 baptism is really this John. If so, he is in all likelihood the second son of John, the immigrant, who is known to have returned permanently to England in 1645, after about ten years in America.

In the late 1920’s, my father, Philip H. Gilbert, engaged an English genealogist, Mr. H. Tapley-Soper, of Exeter, to try to uncover further

[page 235]

details about John Gilbert, Sr., and his antecedents. The Chancery Reports, neglected by earlier workers, yielded several pieces of information about John and his father Giles. One in particular, a suit brought against John in 1610 by one Valentine Babb, clears up the question of the second wife. It shows that John married Alice Hopkins, daughter of Thomas Hopkins of Bristol, in September 1606; a reference to Nicholas Street as John’s father-in-law removes all doubt as to his identity. In all probability a Mary Gilbert who was buried in Bridgwater in October 1605 was John’s first wife, and beyond any doubt the Alice who died in 1618 was the second. Alice must certainly have been the mother of the sons Thomas and John, Jr.

The Babb document reads in part as follows:

Chancery Proceedings C.2 James I, B.26-7.

26 April 1610. Complaint of Valentine Babb of Trull, co. Somerset, yeoman, that whereas one John Gilbert of Trull, gent., by virtue of the last will of Giles Gilbert his father deceased ….. was possessed of a lease ….. called Peasehay containing 80ac in Baudripp, co. Somerset ….. said John Gilbert about 29 Nov. last in consideration of £600 ….. did sell to orator said premises ….. Since then there hath been a paper book made embodying the contract, which paper book was made by one Nicholas Street, gent., fatherinlaw to Gilbert ….. Gilbert refused to ….. perform the covenants of the agreement.

15 June 1610. Answer to John Gilbert, gent. He ….. made an agreement with the complainant ….. but 3 years before the time of the agreement he, in consideration of a marriage then shortly after to be had between him & Alice his now wife, which was then very shortly after solemnized, by his writing indented between him & Thomas Hoptkins & William Hoptkins of city of Bristol, merchants, & Richard Winter, gent. of same city dated 1 Sept. 4 Jas.I.1606 conveyed his interest in the premises to them for the jointure of Alice now his wife being daughter of said Thomas Hoptkins, & at the time of the agreement he thought he would procure and get the good liking of Alice & her trustee to relinquish the same assurance ….. but cannot succeed ….. and as this was the case Gilbert was unable to sign the agreement.

Mr. Tapley-Soper also found two other documents which, taken together, definitely establish the identity of the third wife, Winifred. The first is the will of Joseph Combe of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, proved in April 1620. It mentions among others wife Winifred, daughter Joan, and “brother” Edward Rossiter. It has been printed in two collections of Somerset wills, and reprinted in an important article by Colket.*

The other document is as follows:

Feet of Fines, Somerset, Easter, 11 Charles I. 1635.

“Nicholas Rossiter gent. querent & John Gilbert gent. & Winifred his wife deforciant of a moiety of 15 ac of land & 8 ac of meadow in Combe St. Nicholas which John & Winifred granted to Nicholas to hold for life of Winifred & of Joan Combe daughter of Winifred & for the life of the longer liver of them”.

This suit establishes the identity of Winifred Gilbert with widow

_______________

*Colket, Meredith B., Jr.; “Edward Rossiter, his Family, and Notes on his English Connections”, American Genealogist, vol. 13, 1937, pp. 145-51.

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Winifred Combe, but it does considerably more. It is no doubt a fictitious suit, and merely indicates that John and Winifred were selling their land to Nicholas Rossiter. Nicholas, in the Colket list, was a son of Edward, probably the oldest. He is thought to have been in America from about 1630 to 1635.* The transaction goes far to reinforce the conclusion that when Joseph Combe referred to Edward Rossiter as “brother” he meant brother-in-law, and that Edward was a brother of Winifred. It also gives an approximate date for the Gilbert departure for America; in spite of various traditions that include them in the passenger list of the Mary and John, I know of no evidence of their presence earlier than January 1635-6.** It gives us still another piece of information, to which I shall revert below; it shows that in 1635 Joan Combe was a still unmarried member of the Gilbert family.

Incorporating the above facts, we get the following outline for John Gilbert of Dorchester:

JOHN GILBERT, son of Giles and Joan (Pearce) Gilbert, was baptized 30 Aug. 1580 in Bridgwater, Somerset; died 1657 in Taunton, Mass. (will signed 6 April 1656, proved 3 June 1657). He married (1), 17 Jan. 1602-3, in Bridgwater, MARY STREET, bapt. 22 March 1578-9 in Taunton, Somerset; probably she who was buried 25 Oct. 1605, in Bridgwater; daughter of Nicholas Street. He married (2), in September 1606, perhaps in Bristol, ALICE HOPKINS, buried 25 April 1618 in Bridgwater; daughter of Thomas Hopkins of Bristol. He married (3), in or after 1620, WINIFRED (ROSSITER) COMBE, widow of Joseph Combe of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, and sister of Edward Rossiter of that place.

Children by first wife:

• ?. Twins MARY and JOAN, bapt. 4 Aug. 1603, Bridgwater; buried there 5 and 9 Aug. Parentage not stated, but they may have been daughters of John and Mary, born prematurely.
• ?. MARY, bapt. 19 Aug. 1604, Bridgwater. Parentage not stated; if a daughter of John, she probably died young, as she could hardly have been the Mary listed below.

Children by second wife:

• ?. ELIZABETH. The will of Emma Escott of Bridgwater, widow, dated 10 Nov. 1632, mentions “Elizabeth daughter of Mr. John Gilbert” (Somerset Wills, 2nd series, p. 96). Nothing further is known of her.
• i. THOMAS, b. probably about 1612, perhaps in Trull, Somerset; d. about 1676, England.
• ii. JOHN, b. about 1614, and probably the “Joan” bapt. 19 Aug. 1614, Bridgwater; prob. also the John who d. there 10 Feb. 1691.

Children by third wife:

• iii. MARY. Mentioned in John’s will as Mary Norcross. Her husband was probably Rev. Nathaniel Norcross, bapt. in 1619 in London; in America 1638 to about 1649-50; d. 10 Aug. 1662, London. If this identification is

_______________

*Colket, idem.

**Boston Record Commissioners, Fourth Report, pp. 14-15.

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correct, Mary was probably born in the early 1620’s and married in the early 1640’s.

• iv. GILES, b. perhaps about 1627 (apparently under military age of 16 in 1643); d. 8 Jan. 1717-18, Rehoboth, Mass.
• v. JOSEPH, b. perhaps about 1629; migrated from Taunton to North Carolina.

This paper is intended to be primarily factual, but I should like to end it on a note of conjecture regarding two Gilbert questions that still await an answer. One of these has already been implied. Now that we know who Winifred was, what are we to do about her granddaughter, Elizabeth Peaslee?

The other relates to Jane Rossiter, who married John’s oldest son Thomas in Taunton on 23 March 1639-40. The ancient statement that she was a daughter of Hugh Rossiter has been shown by Colket to be baseless. The most probable alternative is that she was Hugh’s widow.* If so, whose daughter was she?

I think that both birds can be killed with one stone. My evidence so far is circumstantial, but it is still coming in, and it makes at least a very plausible story. I hope to present it eventually, either in another paper in this journal or in the “John Gilbert Genealogy”, of which I am at present a co-compiler. Meanwhile I should like to stake my claim to the “discovery”, and invite rebuttal.

I believe that Jane Rossiter was the widow of Hugh, and that Hugh died in 1638 or 1639, leaving her with an infant daughter Elizabeth. She was also Hugh’s first cousin. She was the daughter of Winifred Gilbert, and the stepdaughter of John Gilbert. She was stepsister of her second husband, Thomas Gilbert. Her maiden name was Joan Combe.

As for Elizabeth of the illegible surname, it should be pointed out that the illegibility must be blamed on the clerk who at an uncertain date transcribed the will into the Plymouth records. The will itself has perished. Instead of burdening Winifred with an unaccountable Pester relative (Pester is fully as logical a reading as Peaslee**) can we not assume that the clerk slipped, and that the word written by John was something like Roseter or Rocester? If so, the conjecture is just about set up. Winifred was a Rossiter herself, but the only way she could have had a Rossiter grandchild would be by marrying a daughter to a Rossiter. We have an available daughter in Joan (Jane is a mere variant), and an available Rossiter in Hugh. What more do we need?

What became of young Elizabeth? I think I know that, too. She makes one more brief appearance, in the Thomas Gilbert inventory.*** She is referred to as “the daughter of Mr. Thomas Gilbert”,

_______________

*Colket, idem.

**Plym. Col. Records, Wills, vol. 2, pp. 46-7. See also the printed version in The Mayflower Descendant, vol. 14, 1912, p. 114, which gives it as Pester.

***Plym. Col. Records, Wills, vol. 3, pp. 78-9.

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and perhaps she was, by adoption. Anyway, she did not share in the estate. She had married Thomas Starr, Jr. and died before 1677.