William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
From England, I'm interested in all the pre-1700 MERRY families in America.
I'm not aware that anyone has yet found the origins of Joseph (Martha's Vineyard), Walter (Boston),Cornelious (the 'Irishman') or Thomas (Virginia).
There is ANOTHER family of early settlers, in Charles Parish, York, Virginia, as outlined below. If we have drawn blanks on all the other lines it might be worthwhile investigating this family further.
I have a very wild, speculative, hypothesis about this family's origins.This is so much a 'hunch' that I'm not prepared to share it at present, in case it gets picked up and repeated as 'fact'!But if my hunch proves right it might actually link at least two of the MERRYs mentioned above to the same family in the England.
I hope next year to have some time to do more research here in the UK. Before that, I would be interested to know if anyone in the States has actually seen any primary sources concerning the following family, or would be in a position to do some research on them?Are there, for instance, any records for the 'William' family before 1665 or the 'John' family before 1658?
I suspect that this family has not been much researched; it is quite likely that the MERRY line didn't carry on beyond this generation or the next, so no-one today traces back to them. However, as the other lines all seem to be 'stuck', it might be worthwhile to give some attention to this York, VA, family. The records about them might provide vital clues as to their origins. In turn this might provide clues regarding the other Merry families, who might be close relatives. A lot of 'mights', I agree, but experience has taught me to leave no stone unturned!
All of the following is from either online sources or the printed 'English Adventurers and Virginia Settlers' by Noel Currer Briggs . (EAVS in my notes below).I would be interested in any verification of the details, and any further information anyone may have or may in future find about these MERRYs in York, Virginia.
Best wishes to all in your researches.
Sonia
-----------------------------------------------------------
Charles Parish, York, Virginia
FAMILY # 1- 'William'
William and Jane MERRY have the following children baptised:
1665 Peter - Assumed to be the same Peter Merry buried Feb 11 1686/7
1668 Mary- Presumed died before 1674
1669 Hope- Assumed to be the same Hope Merry buried Feb 3,1686/7
1672 Susan
1674 Mary
There are also the following burials of another child and the parents:
1667 (Aug 3) MERRY, Elizabeth, dau. of William(where baptised?)
1677 (Dec 12) MERRY, William, Snr,(Implies there is also a William Jnr, but don't have any other record of him)
1699 (Oct18) MERRY, Jane, widow,
I believe the mother Jane must be the Jane MERRY whose 1699 will is mentioned in the Library of Virginia index: York County Deeds, Orders, and Wills (11) 269-270 14 December 1699. Has anybody seen this?
FAMILY # 2 - 'John'
Bapt:
1658 (Aug 2) MERRY, John,'son of John MERRY by his second wife' (not naming her)
Then, my interpretation of some likely transcription errors regarding what is possibly the family of the son John:
Bapt:
1684* (Oct 30)MERRY, Margarett, dau of John by Sarah
Buried:
1684 (Nov 30) MERRY, Sarah, wife of John
1684/5** (Jan.2) MERRY, Margarett, dau. of John
1686 (Aug 20) MERRY, John
*In online index is given as 1784, but no other MERRYs in the parish at the time. Given the 1684/5 burial records, I suspect a mis-transcription for 1684.
**In online index is given as 2 Jan 1684, but remember it's in Old Calendar, so this would be January 1685, in our terms.
------------------------------------------------------
It is not clear how the 'William' and 'John' families are connected, if at all.
EAVS mentions a 1688 record about John's land which states that he 'died intestate without heirs'. So this would seem to imply that either:
(1) William was not related John (which I think unlikley)
or that
(2) NONE of William's children survived to 1686.
William's family may have had at least one other son:the William, Junior, implied in 1677. Did he survive?What is in the will/admin of his mother, Jane?
If anyone can check the suspect data, or find any other information to help answer the other queries, or to shed light on their origins, please let us know!
More Replies:
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
Winnie Webb 4/20/11
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
Sonia Kuznetsov 4/20/11
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
Winnie Webb 4/21/11
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
ROBERT KAMMAN 10/09/08
-
Re: William 1660s York, VA, as a clue to the others?
ROBERT KAMMAN 10/08/08