Person:Humphrey Doolittle (1)

Ann van Kempen (Our Doolittle Line Revisited), p 37:

[Gillian Dollittle and I] have each done our own research separately, come to our own conclusions and on most points happily we agree; with one critical exception. Which Humfrey is Edward's father?

van Kempen concludes that Humfrey, son of Thomas the weaver is the more likely choice for Edward's father; her reasoning includes:

• Records show Edward in Kiddermeister the same month the wife of the wealthier Humfrey the clothier died. This same Edward does not re-establish himself in Birmingham until two years after this Humfrey's death. ("In this... scenario, Humfrey marries twice, once at about age 30 to Anne, Edward's mother and later to Agnes Hubey/Huley. Therefore being a wealthy man he was likely to take out a marriage bond for his second marriage in 1594... In this scenario, Humfrey the clothier is born about 1554."
• Humfrey, the younger, she believes, is more likely the son of Humfrey of Aggborough (where another Doolittle line is found). This Humfrey marries Alice Hardwick in 1595, calculating his birth to about 1570-- 16 years later than Humfrey the clothier.
• Clearly the terms "elder" and "younger" used in the church records are then logical modifiers.

The weakness to this theory is why would Edward the son of a wealthy cloth merchant become a metal worker?

Gillian Dollittle believes that Edward was son of the "younger" Humfrey, son of Humfrey of Aggborough-- husbandmen. But why then would Edward go to Kidderminster for the period of time betweeen Agnes (Hubey/Huley) Doolittle's death and the death of Humfrey the clothier? Similarly, to make ages and dates work in this scenario would create huge gaps before first marriages and between siblings. (See pp 38-40.)

1. ↑ ^1.0 1.1 Peters, Barbara
   http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=:2995323&id=I3533.
2. ↑ van Kempen, Ann Brest. Our Doolittle Line Revisited. (South Jordan, Utah: A.B. van Kempen, 2004, 2007)
   pp 37-40.