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Matching family tree profiles for 1st wife of William Ward
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About 1st wife of William Ward
Biography
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-311486
Name: Unknown Unknown
Her name is Unknown. Some secondary sources and many internet sources assign her a name, but there is no evidence to support these. Please see errors section below.
Birth
Born: About 1605.
Date is a rough estimate as her parents and origins are unknown. It is based on having a first child born 1626, and her husband known to have been born about 1603. 1605 is a very good best guess.
Marriage and Children
Married: William Ward before 1626. The Newton Vital Records state her first son was born in 1626, making the best guess for their marriage in 1625 or slightly before.[1]
Children: All 13 children of William Ward are recorded in the Vital Records of Newton, Massachusetts. [1][2] This includes children who were clearly born in England and recorded after the fact. All of these entries are marked as coming from the ‘Town copy with additions;’ however, exactly when they were recorded and by whom is not clear and the dates are not matched to any known English records. The Vital Records of Newton state that his first six children were all born in England, though if the dates are correct it seems more likely the last, Hannah, was born in Massachusetts. His will, by referring "daughters by his first wife, implies that at least the first 5 children were by his unknown first wife. There is no way to know the correct mother for the sixth child, Hannah. The seventh child William was clearly by William Ward's second wife Elizabeth.[3] Hannah has been attached to this profile as the Vital Records record her as being born in England to an unknown wife just as the first 5 are recorded.
Children of William Ward and his first wife:[1] All in England.
- John, b. 1626; m. Hannah Jackson; lived in Newton; named in father's 1686 will.
- Joanna, b. 1628; m. Abraham Williams; lived in Marlboro; Abraham as son-in-law named in William Ward's will
- Obadiah, b. abt 1632; m. Mary; resided in Marlboro; deceased by father's 1686 will, but had son William who received a legacy
- Richard, b. abt 1635, m. Mary Moore; res. in Sudbury; he died before 1667 by which time Mary had remarried Daniel Stone of Sudbury; William's will names Obadiah and Lydia as children of Richard and Mary
- Deborah, b. 1637; m. John Johnson; moved to Marlboro
Child of William Ward and mother uncertain:
- 6. Hannah, b. abt. 1639; m. Abraham Howe; lived in Marlboro
Death
Died: Between 1637 and 1639.
The will of William Ward implies his unknown first wife was the mother of at least his first 5 children, so she must have been living until the birth of Deborah in 1637. She must have been dead by 1639 by which time William was married to his second wife.
Common Errors to Avoid
Incorrect LNAB: The name of William Ward's first wife is unknown. His will refers to children "which I have by my former wife" and "all my sonns and daughters which I have by my former wife." This daughters in the plural implies that the first five and maybe six children were by his first wife. It is unlikely that she is the Elizabeth Phillips who married a William Ward at Clarkenwell. Torrey, in his New England Marriages Prior to 1700, lists for William Ward's second wife "Eleanor? __?__" [4] All 11 sources given for this marriage were examined and only one gave the name "Elinor", and it is untrustworthy and flawed secondary source.[5]
Sources
- Newton. Vital Records of Newton, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (Boston: NEHGS, 1905):197-204. Archive.org LINK
- Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Ancestry.com Online Database of original handwritten images. Ancestry.com LINK
- Sudbury. Vital Records of Sudbury, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (Boston: NEHGS, 1903): 147-148. Archive.org LINK
- Torrey, Clarence Almon. New England Marriages Prior to 1700. (1985):779. Ancestry.com LINK
- Norton, Arabella L. G., Descendants of John Gamage of Ipswich, Mass. (Worcester, Mass.: Charles R. Stobbs, 1906):45. Archive.org LINK
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1st wife of William Ward's Timeline
| 1605 |
1605
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England
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| 1626 |
December 21, 1626
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Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
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| 1627 |
September 11, 1627
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Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
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| 1632 |
May 9, 1632
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Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
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| 1635 |
April 17, 1635
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Clerkenwell, Middlesex, England
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1635
Age 30
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Virginia
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| 1637 |
September 9, 1637
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Clerkenwell, London, England, United Kingdom
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| 1638 |
1638
Age 33
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England
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| ???? |