Person:Gabriel Woodmansee (1)

Gabriel likely came to America in the 1660s, but he is not found on any existing passenger lists. (He is often listed as coming from Yorkshire, likely based on the frequency of that name in tha county.) He is found in New London, CT in November 1665, when he purchased a homestead there that is what is now Shaw and Truman Streets. The only record of him prior to that is a will dated 2 Nov 1663 in St. Marys Co, MD to which he was a witness.

When Gabriel bought his property in New London in 1665, he was probably just married or about to be to Sarah ____, as their first child was born in 1668. Her maiden name is unknown, but she apparently remarried after Gabriel’s death to a Mr. Ricks, since her son’s estate refers to her as Widow Sarah Ricks. That may have been James, son of Thomas, born at Salem in 1657.

New London County Court records have the following entry: “Inventory gabriel Woodmansee, dec’d - proved, there is but a small estate and five small children to bring up, and the widow being with child...”

One website lists parents as Robert and Margaret (Clement) Woodmansee, married 29 Nov 1621 in Yorkshire. Robert was born in 1597 in Cherry Burton, Woodmancy, Yorkshire and died 13 Aug 1667 in Boston. His children were born first in England, then in Ipswich and Boston. The main source of this seems to be WFT data. However, these are actually two different Roberts, none of which is likely connected to Gabriel. The Robert at Cherry Burton was buried there in 1658. The Robert who died in Boston in 1667 was headmaster of Boston Latin until his death. There is no record of any Robert at New London, nor of any Gabriel in Massachusetts.

Sons William and John died without surviving issue and Gabriel apparently did as well, as he left his entire estate to his mother. Thomas, Sarah, Joseph and Richard are the only ones with descendents.

Research Notes on parentage and birth of Gabriel Woodmansee

Alt spellings: Woodmansy, Woodmansey, Woodmancy, Woodmansie

Prepared by Tammy Hensel, last updated 8/16/2020

The parentage and birth of Gabriel Woodmansee are still unproven.  Gabriel is referenced as living in New London, CT in 1666 in The History of New London, Connecticut by Francis Caulkins. He is on a list of town residents whose date of arrival in the town is unknown. Some genealogies do have New London as the place of his birth, but this is unlikely, as he is the first Woodmansee to appear in records there.

On the Find-A-Grave Memorial # 68545608 for Gabriel Woodmansee it states “The Woodmansee name and early ancestors resided in Yorkshire County, England. The direct ancestor was a Thomas Woodmansee, of whose family GABRIEL is the immigrant and of our direct line for which we have knowledge. Other Woodmansees had preceded him and encouraged him to come to this country. It is of record that GABRIEL WOODMANSEE - born in Yorkshire County, England, of a family dating back to 1530 (English records) emigrated to the Connecticut Colony where in November 1665 at New London he purchases a homestead overlooking the blue waters of the Thames River on what was in 1852 Shaw's Neck and Truman street. In his mid-twenties he found his wife, Sarah ???, among already established settlers. Several of the other Woodmansees are buried in the New London Cemetery and nearby burial grounds.” https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68545608/gabriel-_woodmancy_-woodmansee

According to the Find-A-Grave user who posted the memorial, the information came from the late Bob Woodmansee (1928-2012 find-a-grave memorial 83269267) and other members of his family. Bob referenced a copy of the book The Descendants of Gabriel Woodmansee, vol. 1-3 by Janet G. Parker and J. Carlyle Parker, along with oral family history.

However, when I visited a library and read that book, I discovered that the Parkers unequivocally say that there is no proven connection between Gabriel and the family in Yorkshire or for a father named Thomas. During my own research, I communicated with a member of the Yorkshire Historical Society, Janet Bielby. She looked over every record book available for the estimated time of Gabriel's birth, and sent me links to online records. Between us we could find no link between Gabriel and the family in Yorkshire. We did, however, confirm much of the research cited in the Parkers' book. One cannot say that Gabriel is not related to the Yorkshire family. He very likely was, as the family was very widespread in that area. His connection, however, remains unproven. Below I discuss the possible parents and birth date given in online genealogies and why they cannot be proven.

Some genealogies give Gabriel’s father as a Robert, instead of Thomas, others Thomas Robert, and still others Robert Thomas. The confusion of Robert and Thomas, make it hard to find records for Thomas because the information given for him on most genealogies is really Robert’s. The New England Historic Genealogical Society Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII states regarding Robert that “No evidence has been found to connect this immigrant with Gabriel Woodmansee of New London.”

Those genealogies that want Gabriel to be the son of Robert Wooodmansey list his birth place as Massachusetts, either Ipswich or Boston. However, I did not find a birth in Massachusetts Town & Vital records, but did find records for some of Robert Woodmansey’s other children. Also, as I document below, there are other historical records for Robert’s family, and none include Gabriel among his children. However, there is a suggestion that the families were related.

To make matters more confusing, the Robert Woodmansey who came to America has been confused with a Robert Woodmansey in Cherry Burton, Yorkshire, England who died in Cherry Burton in 1668. Part of this confusion is because of coincidence that both had children with same names. However, there is also a death record in The Church Register of Cherry Burton, for Mary, daughter of Robert. Since the Mary that was the daughter of the Robert who came to Massachusetts accompanied her father and married and died in America, further shows that this is not the same Robert. Also, that Robert is on a list of church members present in 1647, more than a decade after the other Robert had emigrated to America.

At some point a birth of 1633 in Shrewsbury, Monmouth, New Jersey was added to Millennium and Family Data files on Ancestry.com and Family Search for Gabriel. Now these records give his birth as 1645 in Massachusetts, no doubt changed by users who support Robert as Gabriel's father. One must remember that these are user contributed files and not actual records.

I found that in 1633 New Jersey Colony didn’t exist, but rather the area was part of the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam. I didn’t find any documentation for settlements in Monmouth, as it seems there was an Indian presence in the area. So, it is very unlikely that an English child was born there in that time period. New Jersey Colony came into existence shortly after the area was ceded to England by the Dutch in 1644. However, towns did not spring up in Monmouth County until about 1655, the first settlement being a tract given to a group of Quakers that year. The town of Shrewsbury didn’t come into existence for almost another decade, during the period in which Gabriel was known to be in New London, CT.

New London was settled by John Winthrop, Jr. in 1646, after the latest date I found on any genealogy for the possible birth for Gabriel. There is no Thomas Woodmanee listed among the original settlers of the town, and if Gabriel had been born there, then there would be no doubt of when and how he got there. However, there are several people who did migrate from Ipswich, MA to New London, as Winthrop was also instrumental in the founding of Ipswich. I believe that this is where the connection of Gabriel to Robert comes about. On the find-a-grave memorial it says that Gabriel came to America on the recommendation of family that preceded him. One could conclude his family relations were Robert's family. I believe the lack of evidence for Gabriel as child of Robert when other children are so well-documented, suggests a more distant relationship if there was one. However, any real connection to this family is entirely speculative.

Notes on schoolmaster Robert Woodmansey of Massachusetts

Robert’s birth date appears on most genealogies as 1594 derived from dates of his education given in his bio in Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900. Some genealogies give a specific 14 Dec. 1595 at Cherry Burton, Yorkshire, England, but I found no actual record with that date for a Robert or Thomas in the Cherry Burton Church Register.

Robert the schoolmaster died Aug. 13, 1667 in Boston, Massachusetts, British Colonial America, proved by several sources. He first married Anna (surname unknown) in England on an unknown date estimated to be before 1626. He next married Margaret (surname unknown, though given on some genealogies as Clement). Her maiden surname is not given in any of the historical references. The New England Historical & Genealogical Register and U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 both gives Robert’s second marriage to Margaret at abt. 1630. The New England Historic Genealogical Society Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, Volume VII gives it as by 1644. That book lists the children in three categories: those belonging to Anna, those that could be Anna’s or Margaret’s, and those who were Margaret’s. The possible birth dates for the older children in that reference were based on the author’s estimates and not the actual records. If the marriage was before 1635, then it took place in England. If later than that, would have to be in Massachusetts.

The following are children I could confirm belonged to Robert:

(a) Anna b. abt 1626 in England, d. 30 Aug. 1683 Charlestown, Suffolk, MA, m. (Deacon) John Cutler 1651 in MA (MA Town & Vital Records); (b) Mary b. abt 1629 in England, d. 21 May 1707 Boston, Suffolk MA, m. 1. John Tappin (Tapping, Topping), 2. William Avery (MA Town & Vital Records); (c) Elizabeth b. abt 1632 England, d. 24 Feb. 1654 Ipswich, Essex, MA, America, m. Rev. Joseph Emerson 1646 in Concord, MA (MA Town & Vital Records); (d) John b. abt 1635 in England, d. 1684, m. 1. Margaret (surname unknown) about 1659, 2. Elizabeth Carr in 1662, 3. Elizabeth Clarke in 1672 Avery (MA Town & Vital Records); (e) Sarah b.unknown, d. 10 Nov. 1653, Boston, MA (MA Town & Vital Records), Named in her father’s Will.; (f) Martha, b. 1639 (date from The New England Historical & Genealogical Register, 1847-2011.) Death and marriage unknown. Named in her father’s Will. (g) Seth, b. 26 March 1644 in Boston, MA (MA, Town and Vial Records and in New England H&G Register) d. 1710 (no records, just Ancestry Public Trees as source), marriage unknown. (h) Joseph, There is a strange discrepancy in that in MA Vital records as there is a death record for a 4-day old infant Joseph, son of Robert Woodmansee for 1 Feb. 1649, and also a birth or baptism record for Joseph, son of Robert on 1 Apr 1649. However, Joseph is mentioned with the family in The Pioneers of Massachusetts, 1620-1650, which gives Joseph’s baptism as 1 Feb. 1649. It is possible that his baptism record was erroneously recorded as a death record by whoever transcribed these records for online usage. Still that doesn’t explain the April birth record. (i) Bethiah, b. 15 Oct 1650, possible baptism 15 Dec. 1650 (There are two MA Vital Records that give birth dates, so I think the 2nd is actually the baptism date.) She is also named in her father’s Will.

Robert was teaching in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts by 1635, when first record of land purchase. He moved the family to Boston in 1643, where he later became headmaster of the Latin School. The only family listed in his Will are wife Margaret and daughters Martha and Bethiah. Quote from Robert’s bio in Cambridge University Alumni, 1261-1900: “Matric. sizar from ST JOHN'S, Easter, 1609; B.A. from Magdalene, 1612-3; M.A. 1616. Emigrated to New England, 1635. Resided at Ipswich, Mass., 1635-43; schoolmaster there. Removed to Boston, 1643; appointed the 4th Head Master of the Boston Latin School, 1650. Died at Boston, Aug. 13, 1667. (J. G. Bartlett.)”

His bio in The Pioneers of Massachusetts only sums up his teaching career in Ipswich and Boston and mentions his death and Will. Children listed in it are: Mary, Sarah, Martha, Seth, Joseph, and Bethiah.

The New England Historic Genealogical Society Great Migration: Immigrants to New England,1634-1635, Volume VII lists children by first wife Anna as: Anna, Elizabeth, Mary, and John. Next it says children that could be first or second wife: Martha and Sarah, the children with 2nd wife: Seth, Joseph, and Bethiah.

There is no mention of a Gabriel in any of Robert’s bios in these historical references. Besides Gabriel, other children who I found on genealogies for Thomas, Robert, and the combined men were:

(j) William b. Ipswich 1638 MA; (k) Sarah b. 1642, d. 1663 both in Boston, Suffolk, MA. (l) John b. 1644 Boston, Suffolk, MA I found no records to support these additional children, especially another John and Sarah. William could be a child that died as infant and that is why he isn’t included in any of the references, although a record for him didn’t come up in Massachusetts Vitals.

Notes on the Woodmansey family of Cherry Burton, Yorkshire, England

The primary resource for the family in The Register of Cherry Burton Church, 1560-1750 transcribed by Arthur T. Winn, and published by the Yorkshire Parish Register Society in 1903. This book was transcribed from two registers, 1) 1560-1646 2) 1647-1750. There were missing sections from both books, but more from the earlier one. Two variations of spelling for the name appear in the records – Woodmansey and Woodmansie. Only fathers’ names are given on baptism records. John Woodmansey is listed as church warden in 1607. A Robert Woodmansey is on a list of church member in 1647.

Burial records for William Woodmansey (1588) and wife Jane (1578) suggest they are the oldest generation living in the town at the time the register begins.

For the next generation chronologically I found marriage records for: 

1575 Anthonye Life and Agnes Woodmansie 1577 John Woodmansey and Ellen Bufcot 1583 Edward Robinson and Elizabeth Woodmansie.

These most likely were children of William and Jane, but could be grandchildren. John and Ellen appear on some genealogies for Gabriel Woodmansee as his grandparents I believe this is all due to the confusion between the two Roberts. They were more likely the parents of the Robert who died in Cherry Burton. There is no evidence for them as Gabriel's grandparents. Ellen was buried in 1626 and John in 1627. Apparently, baptism records for the period of John and Ellen’s children, if recorded, were in the missing portion of the book.

1. ↑ Garman, Leo. "Early Woodmansees oF America", in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society).
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Parker, Janet J., and J. Carlyle Parker. Descendants of Gabriel Woodmancy/Woodmansee of New London, Connecticut: Thirteen Generations from 1665. (Turlock, California, 2009)
   p. 19, 2009.