52 ANCESTORS, 52 THEMES, No. 47: Elizabeth MARSHALL 1602-1641

This year's challenge by Amy Crow is another weekly blog based on Themes, although it seems not always relevant for me to use!  This week the theme is "Sporting" and yet again, I'm not using the theme. But I continue to write about the original settlers in New England, in my mother's family lines. Last week I wrote about Christopher ADAMS & Margaret HUNKING, who settled first in Braintree MA, then to Kittery, (which was officially in Massachusetts not Maine, at this early time).

Here is Elizabeth MARSHALL,the wife of well-known gentleman, Thomas TROWBRIDGE. She was the 5th of 12 children of John MARSHALL & Alice BEVYS, from Exeter, Devonshire, England. John MARSHALL was a well-known and wealthy merchant in Exeter, as were the Bevys family. Alice BEVYS' father, Richard, was Sheriff of Exeter in 1591, Governor of the Guild Merchant Adventurers (1594) [I love this name!], Mayor in 1602, dying later that same year.

Elizabeth was baptised 24 Mar 1602 in Exeter Cathedral, Exeter, Devonshire. Her parents are known to be John MARSHALL & Alice BEVYS.  However there is an apparent contradiction in the St. Mary Arches parish register of her 1627 marriage to Thomas Trobrige where she is called "the daughter of Mr. Alec Marshall widow".  This is a mis-transcribing of Alys Marshall (i.e., Mrs. Alice BEVYS Marshall), widowed several years prior to Elizabeth's marriage).

Elizabeth and Thomas had the following children, the first four born in Exeter, Devon, England:

1. Elizabeth, bap 6 Mar 1627/28, buried 10 May 1630
2. John, bap 5 Nov 1629, d. 1653 in Taunton, Eng.
3. Thomas, bap 11 Dec 1631, d. 22 Aug 1702 in New Haven CT; m. 24 Jun 1657 to Sarah Rutherford, 8 children; m. 2nd abt 1688 to Hannah Nash Ball, 1 dau.
4. William [direct ancestor], bap. 3 Sep 1633, d. Nov 1690 West Haven CT; m. 9 Mar 1654/55 in Milford CT to Elizabeth LAMBERTON Selivant [widow]; 10 children
5. James, b. 1636 in Dorchester MA, d. May 1717 

With sons Thomas and William, Elizabeth and Thomas immigrated to Dorchester Massachusetts in 1634.  They had their 5th child, James, in 1636. They moved to New Haven Connecticut in 1639. 

Elizabeth died unexpectedly in 1641 in New Haven CT.  

Thomas left soon afterwards, likely because of serious political unrest in England including around Taunton, leading to English Civil War, and seiges of Taunton. He left his three young sons, Thomas, William & James, in the care of a fellow Taunton immigrant, Sgt. Thomas Jeffries.  The house, goods, lots, estates and chattel were left in trust with his steward, Henry Gibbons. There were significant problems with the steward's care of the properties, and the three sons finally obtained power of attorney from their father in 1662 - making his property over to them, which gave them the power to lay suit for possession.  Thomas married a second time shortly after returning to Taunton, marrying a first cousin, Francis Godsall, in Feb 1642. 

Once again we know very little about Elizabeth, but have quite a lot of information on her wealthy merchant husband.  From the bequests of her father (1624) and her mother, Elizabeth seemed to be favoured with larger bequests than were provided to her sisters.  Some readers of these wills have made the assumption it was because she was unusually helpful, kind or generous.  

It is clear that these families -  MARSHALL, TROWBRIDGE, and BEVYS - were relatively wealthy merchants, with active political roles.  Histories of these families are relatively easy to find, and details from the NEHGS provide additional analysis and commentary on the immigrant, Thomas TROWBRIDGE. 

If any of you have watched the Who Do You Think You Are television show of model, Cindy Crawford, you would have seen her Trowbridge marvellous long detailed ancestral lines - or at least, you would have seen the small part shown on the show!  This is where she is seen to be related from Thomas TROWBRIDGE up through various gentility to various Counts/Dukes etc., up to the Emperor Charlemagne.  

If you know anything more about Elizabeth MARSHALL, I would be so pleased for more details. Contact me at my address at the bottom of the page, or in the Comments section.

Sometimes my Blogger account seems not to allow me to "reply" to your comments. Do know that I value your comments immensely. You make my day! Thanks for stopping by to read my personal genealogy posts.

52 ANCESTORS in 52 WEEKS, #17: the wrong Moses JACKSON

Following the challenge of writing 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, issued by Amy Johnson Crow, here is my 17th installment, for Moses JACKSON, my 7th great-grandfather on my maternal lines.  However it now seems with new research, that this is NOT my 7th great-grandfather.  Instead, I seem to have been following the wrong JACKSON.  

The following begins what I found on a Moses Jackson - whom I believed to be the correct person. HOWEVER, SOME DETAILS DEFINITELY APPEAR TO BE FALSE, and definitely confusing. That is, it appears that I have been following - as others did - a SECOND Moses Jackson.  

I will be spending a chunk of time over the coming weeks trying to clarify my steps back to my known facts: an Elizabeth JACKSON b. abt 1695 in Fairfield who on 6 Mar 1716/7 married Michael JENNINGS b. 3 Dec 1693 in Fairfield, whose daughter Beulah JENNINGS b. abt 1722 who on 26 Oct 1743 married Samuel TREAT b. 13 Aug 1714 in Milford.  

Oh my.  I'm back to the drawing board indeed.  

Below are the details I had found over seven years ago when I was first beginning research on the TREAT line.  Clearly some steps are quite wrong. I am printing this however, to help others if they hit this page, to see the errors, and NOT reprint the errors in their own trees! 

WRONG BEGINS HERE, note that some details are clearly correct for a Moses Jackson, but not for his wife Hannah Trowbridge:
Moses was born approximately Jan or Feb 1647/8 in Connecticut, likely Fairfield, where his father, Henry JACKSON was building a gristmill. It is not clear who his mother was, his father's will does not name her; several family histories state her name to be Mary Abbott.  Henry's wife was alive at the time of his will dated 11 Nov 1682, several years before he died in 1686.

Moses apparently married 24 Oct 1672 in Fairfield, to Deborah.  Deborah's surname is listed as HUBBELL in Barbour's transcriptions of vital records in towns of Connecticut, but is listed as HYATT in Clarence Torrey's well-known book on New England Marriages before 1700.  Deborah died after the birth of her 2nd or 3rd child, sometime after 1678.  

His second wife, married in New Haven on 6 July 1688, may have been Hannah TROWBRIDGE, b. 6 Jul 1668.  The Trowbridge family is well-known in early settlers' records, having arrived from Taunton, England, in 1634.  Hannah's parents were William TROWBRIDGE (1633-1690) and Elizabeth LAMBERTON (1632-1716).  

The children of Moses and Deborah, 1st wife, appear to be:
  1. Rebecca, b. abt 1674
  2. Deborah, b. abt 1678

The children of Moses and Hannah, 2nd wife, appear to be the following:
  3. Gershom [son], b. 1689, died young
  4. Thankful, b. 1693 [this child is not proved]
  5. *Elizabeth [ancestor], b. abt 1695/ m. 6 Mar 1716/7 to Michael JENNINGS, 4 daus.

More records and histories need to be researched for clarification of Moses' wives and children. There may be a third wife as well.  Either Deborah or Hannah may have had several more children as well.  It is confusing since there appears to have been another Moses Jackson in Connecticut, who could have been an uncle or cousin perhaps.

Moses died at the age of approximately 64 years, on 13 Nov 1712, in Fairfield, Connecticut; his wife Hannah had died about 1697. Some records state he died in Stratfield, which is a neighbourhood on the eastern side of the town of Fairfield. Land records may show where Moses might have been living in the late 1600s to early 1700s. 

THIS ENDS MY WRONG SECTION ON MOSES JACKSON, SON OF HENRY JACKSON.

If you have comments or further information about this confusing situation, do let me know via email at calewis at telus dot net, or below.  I welcome all bright spotlights on my tree-in-progress!