Need help merging Colonial Americans?

It looks like Geni has 15 children for Rev Gershom when we should have 13

https://trees.wmgs.org/getperson.php?personID=I9384&tree=Schirado

So, not so bad.

Always interesting to look at the profiles tagged on this discussion.

Erica Howton - To me, it is obvious that the pile of children for Rev. Gershom Hobart was built from this database.
However, given https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XKGQ-9CT?i=60&cc=2... (1675 records for Boston) showing Hephzibah as the daughter of Gershom and Sarah, why does it have Elizabeth with that date? A few pages later, Dorothy appears.
We know that the reverend did not arrive in Groton until 1679. We also know that the relationship between the people and him was tumultuous. Other than Joanna being born in Groton, do we have verifiable proof of the others?

Let's focus on Hepzibah.

The 13 children listed for Gershom Hobart are in multiple places, I just selected a "clean" sourced genealogy. And, I'll leave it to namesake (:)) Dean Richard Hobart to help take a closer look.

I'm having trouble with Hepzibah (Hobart) as wife of Joseph Chilson

Your reference is for her birth, not her marriage. What's the record for Joseph Chilson, and where?

I found a marriage intent reference but it doesn't give a maiden name. They married in Attleboro in 1703.

https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000207884979979

Joseph Chilson was born in Lynn. I've posted the links for him that I could find near the bottom of the "About" tab.

Dean Richard Hobart - I found the Boston birth ledger on Family Search that proves that Hephzibah was the first born of Gershom & Sarah. See https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XKGQ-9CT?i=60&cc=2....

My takeaway so far.

• We do not have extant birth records for Groton; they would have burnt up in King Philip's War. So I am guessing that the list of 13 children for Gershom is based on wills, probate, property, town histories, etc. Note that the Hobart name is sometimes seen as Hubbard, Dean probably knows why.
• Do we have a link to the "1952 Hobart book from the Ca Genelogical Society"?
• The wives of Peter Hobart (Gershom's father) are described here: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=600000020788651582 Peter Hobart in "The Great Migration" is here: https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000183228766896 also mentioning his two wives, but not his children.
• No reason "not" to think the 1675 birth record for Hepzivah is valid, but I don't know how she was put together as wife of Joseph Chilson in Attleboro in 1703? So, where does this reference come from? Note that most trees seem to have her "died young" and some with a second Hepzibah born in 1698.
• I added references to Hepzibah Chilson's sons, Joseph & Gershom, who died young, to their profiles: Joseph Chilson Gershom Chilson That a son is called Gershom is an argument "for' Hepzibah Hobart as his mother.
• There's a possible 3rd son: Beriah Chilson who is referenced as son of Hepzibah in "The Settlers of the Beekman Patent." https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000207886336841. However, that Beriah must have been a grandson, not son. So in essence Beriah Chilson is still unsourced.
• It seems to me that there's no further record so far for Hepzibah Chilson after Gershom Chilson, which makes me wonder if she died in childbirth and Beriah (b 1712 supposedly) has an unnamed mother. Joseph Chilson married in 1718 / Mendon to Sarah Chilson the widow of John White, of Mendon She had.6 White children and left an estate.

Here's the book Dean mentioned.

Hobart, Edgar. Hobart genealogy : the descendants of Edmund Hobart of Hingham, Mass. (1952, San Francisco, Calif. : California Genealogical Society). Page 14. < Archive.Org >

(No Hepzibah; the 1675/6 birth is listed as Elizabeth, in Groton).

I'll attach to profiles.

Sorry, Hepzibah Hobart "is" listed as a daughter of Gershom & Sarah, but without a birth date & location. I expect the genealogists did not collate with City Record of Boston.

https://www.geni.com/documents/view?doc_id=6000000207892144834

I'll fix whatever duplicates are making it 16 children instead of 13, but I see no reason not to accept this study as valid.

Yet another new user (started December 2023) adding profiles in the Washington line - https://www.geni.com/search/matches?id=6000000008211776777&src=profile&cmp=btn (George Washington, 1st President of the United States). Profiles in the new tree include the parents, siblings, spouse and step-children.

John Augustine Washington has another match - John Augustine Washington - that adds an unknown son - Bartlett 'Bartly' Washington (added in 2022). I found this because of the first match.

I am unfamiliar with Bartlett 'Bartly' Washington

Detached as son of John Augustine Washington

Erica Howton - Thanks.

In my opinion, this is exactly why we should go ahead with the merge or request:

Caution: Relationships are locked on the master profile for Sarah ‘Valentine’ (unknown) Bracewell. Merging into this profile will automatically disconnect the immediate family of Sarah Valentine (Sampson) Bracewell.

I'll go further and lock relationships on unproven parents James Sampson, III & Elizabeth Sampson

After sourcing them better. Moves from Massachusetts to Virginia in this period is unusual at best.

After sourcing them better. Moves from Massachusetts to Virginia in this period is unusual at best.

Oops, London to Virginia. Updated the curator note for Sarah Bracewell the "abouts" for her fake parents, and added more locks.

For those curious, her origins are a "Braswell Myth." See https://braswellgenealogy.blogspot.com/2007/10/james-sampson-will-i...

NOTE: James Sampson (wife Elizabeth Barcroft) is often referred to as the father of Sarah, wife of Richard Braswell the 1st, yet there is no mention of a Sarah Braswell in this will. Richard & Sarah followed Braswell naming patterns yet it is evident by their wills they did not name children James, Sampson, or Elizabeth. There are no records to indicate that Sarah's surname was Sampson. It is another Braswell Myth.

Dean Richard Hobart - thank you for the precis on Hobart v Hubbard. I didn't realize it was a Hubbard v Hobart as well.

It made me think of the high literacy rate in next generation 17th century New England - I remember reading at some point, more than 90%? And much more than England. It's in the "pioneer west" generations that literacy declined.

Cynthia Curtis, A183502, US7875087

Jannett (or Genot) McFarland is a question re: descendant Jean Mcfarlane married to Donald Cameron, of Salachry

Of which marriage i expect to be a GEDCOM mixup. I will probably merge and detach Jeanne, and open a discussion on Allan Cameron.

Very much agree it's New England mariners / merchant trading families who you see "down south." Sometimes a family in England or Scotland sent trader sons / cousins to New England, Bermuda *and* New England. But it wasn't really an out migration or pioneer effort until the Old Southwest Territory.