Family:Richard Godfrey and Lydia Freeman (1)

Most of the dates of this family seem to come from Source:Freeman, Frederick. Freeman Genealogy in Three Parts, published 1875, and it is not clear where Freeman got them from.

Regarding the marriage date, the above work says they married Feb 1701 (presumably Feb 1701/02). Source:Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines, p. 2:368, gives the date 4 Feb 1701/02 and says "see Freeman, p. 363". It is not clear if she means the Freeman Genealogy or Freeman's History of Cape Cod, but I haven't been able to locate what she is referring to in either work. Source:Jacobus, Donald Lines. Ancestry of Lorenzo Ackley and His Wife Emma Arabella Bosworth also gives the 4 Feb 1701/02, but cites Dawes-Gates.

The Freeman Genealogy, p. 66, and the transcription of Harwich Vital Records found in Source:Mayflower Descendant, p. 3:175, seem to agree in order, day and month, but differ in the year of birth of the six children of this marriage. Freeman gives 1702, 1704, 1707, 1709, 1711, 1716 while the Harwich VRs says worn, 1704, 170worn, 170worn, 1worn, 1709. While the origin of Freeman's dates is unknown, they form a reasonable spacing, while the Mayflower Descendant's dates are barely possible, requiring 4 births in a 3 year interval. Dawes-Gates uses the incomplete dates as found in the VRs, while Jacobus chooses to use Freeman's years with a question mark attached.

It is hard to understand how 1716 could look like 1709, or vice versa, but it is only that last birth (Rebecca) that causes all the problems. As far as the other births are specified in Harwich VRs, they are not inconsistent with Freeman's dates. Unfortunately neither Phebe or Rebecca have any details beyond their birth date in any of these three sources to give us a way to select one or the other birth year as more likely. Without having looked at original records myself, it seems to me that the Freeman dates are the most likely to be correct. --Jrich 12:04, 30 August 2010 (EDT)

1. ↑ Ferris, Mary Walton. Dawes-Gates Ancestral Lines: A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Rufus R. Dawes; and A Memorial Volume Containing the American Ancestry of Mary Beman (Gates) Dawes. (Milwaukee, WI: Cuneo Press, 1931-1943)
   2:368.

   Richard Godfrey m. 4 Feb 1701-2 Lydia Freeman.

2.   Jacobus, Donald Lines. Ancestry of Lorenzo Ackley & his Wife Emma Arabella Bosworth.. (Woodstock, VT, 1960 361 pp)
   19.