Family:George Pearce and Deborah Searle (1)

Watchers
Facts and Events
Marriage[1][2] 20 Feb 1717/18 Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island, United States
Children
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17 Oct 1750 London, England
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References
  1. Tiverton, in Arnold, James N. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636–1850: First series, births, marriages and deaths. A family register for the people. (Narragansett Hist. Publ. Co., 1891)
    Vol. 4, Part 4.

    Pearce, George, Jr., and Deborah Sowle, Feb. 20, 1717.
    Seabury, Deborah and George Pearce, Jr., Feb. 20, 1717.

  2. Little Compton, in Arnold, James N. Vital Record of Rhode Island, 1636–1850: First series, births, marriages and deaths. A family register for the people. (Narragansett Hist. Publ. Co., 1891)
    Vol. 4, Part 6.

    Pearce, George, and Deborah Searl: m. by Richard Billings, Justice, Feb. 20, 1717.

  3.   John Alden, in General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass. December 1620. (New England - United States: General Society of Mayflower Descendants., Various)
    Vol. 16, part 2, p. 30.

    Will of Nathaniel Searle of Little Compton, dated 3 Oct 1744, proved 2 Apr 1750, bequeaths to daughter Deborah Pearce.

  4.   General Society of Mayflower Descendants. Mayflower Families Through Five Generations: Descendants of the Pilgrims Who Landed at Plymouth, Mass. December 1620. (New England - United States: General Society of Mayflower Descendants., Various)
    Vol. 16, part 2, p. 31.

    Will of George Pearce of Little Compton, yeoman, dated 23 Nov 1763, sworn to 6 Mar 1764, names wife Deborah, sons Jephthah, Nathaniel [executor], Richard; daughters Alles Dwelly, Temperance Sebury, Sarah Sawyer, Ruth Horsewill, Annatrace Tabour and Deborah Pearce.

  5.   Despite mostly good records, there is some confusion in this family. In Source:Vital record of Rhode Island, 1636-1850, there are baptism records in Little Compton United Congregational Church for the baptism of "Hannah, of George and Deborah" on 16 Apr 1730 and of "Deborah, of George and Deborah" on 18 Apr 1732, and finally, "Sarah of George and Deborah" on 22 Mar 1808!

    The date for Hannah is pretty close to Sarah's recorded birth, and so assumptions about both are somewhat connected. But following typical date patterns, Sarah's birth 14 Jan 1729 means 14 Jan 1728/29, leaving time for Hannah to come along in 1730, another daughter, who probably died in infancy (not mentioned in father's will or apparently any other records).

    The date given for Sarah's baptism is so far out of line with this family, 22 Mar 1808, that it is difficult to even propose a feasible error to explain it. However, it is worrisome that there doesn't seem to be any other Little Compton records for a George and Deborah in the early 1800s, only a George and Mary. So, probably the year is simply wrong, mistranscribed with a value that is completely unrelated to the actual event, presumably 1728 meaning 1728/29. In that case, the baptism of 22 Mar 1728/29 would fit very well with the recorded birth of Sarah on 14 Jan 1728/29.

    Since we have a birth for Deborah on 23 Feb 1734/35 which is after the baptism record for Deborah, and since Ruth's birth 20 Oct 1731 doesn't leave enough time to have another Deborah to be born by 18 Apr 1732, one would assume that Deborah's putative baptism on this date is actually Ruth's, and either the church clerk, or Mr. Arnold the compiler, made a typical error of repeating the mother's name, in place of the daughter's, by mistake.

    Clearly, this is all very speculative.