Thomas Cawood & dau. Sarah - 1660 NJ
I descend from John Belconger (also spelled Conger) who was born abt 1645 in Suffolk Co., England - through his son, Job Conger. Some sources indicate that John Belconger married a Sarah Cawood, who was apparantly born in Woodbridge, Middlesex Co., NJ in about 1660.
What I'm trying to track down is the birthplace/date and parents of this Sarah Cawood ( also spelled Carwood, Caywood, Cawod, Cauwood etc.). Some sources say that Sarah was the daughter of Thomas Cawood (possibly son of a Steven Cawood) and Rebecca Potter of New Haven, CT (daughter of William and Frances Potter). Other sources seem to indicate that this particular Rebecca actually had an illegitimate child with John Thorpe (a child which may have been Sarah) and then married Thomas Adams in 1667 and moved to New Jersey. There are records of a Thomas Adams and wife Rebeckah having a daughter Elizabeth in Woodbridge, NJ. An Elizabeth Adams is also listed in the will of Thomas Adams (dated 1694). His last entry in these records is dated 1698, so he may have passed away at this point. His widow Rebecca may have then married Thomas Cawood and he would have subsequently adopted Sarah and any other children Rebecca may have had.
The problem with this is that I have not been able to find any record of a Thomas Cawood marrying a Rebecca/ Rebeckah Potter (or Adams) in New Jersey. I'm actually having difficulty finding him anywhere except in online trees.
A few sources have indicated that Thomas Cawood did not marry Rebecca Potter of New Haven, but rather a different Rebecca Potter - this one born in Waterbury, Middlesex Co., MA. I've seen no sources to back this up either though.
Still other sources suggest that Rebecca Potter was not the mother of Sarah Cawood, but that she was Thomas Cawood's daughter through another marriage - perhaps to a Mary Fletcher whom he married while still in England. I haven't found any record of this marriage either.
I would love to hear any thoughts, info, sources or theories anyone has on this matter or on any of the ancestors mentioned! What I'm particularly looking for at this point is more info on Thomas Cawood and his marriages/offspring. I'd be happy to share what I have in my database as well!
=) Carissa Thomas ( [email protected] )