Person:Sarah Rice (33)

m. 12 Aug 1696
  1. Lt. Gershom Rice, Jr.Abt 1697 - 1781
  2. Sarah Rice1703/04 - 1781
  3. Matthias Rice1707/08 -
  • HJosiah Rice1696 - 1730
  • WSarah Rice1703/04 - 1781
m. Bef 1726
  1. Cyrus Rice1726 -
  2. Lovina Rice1728 - 1741
  3. Sarah Rice1730 - 1741
m. Bef 1738
  1. Mary Duncan1738 -
  2. John Duncan1740 - 1813
  3. Daniel Duncan1742 -
  4. Elizabeth Duncan1743/44 - 1744
  5. Ezekiel Duncan1744/45 - 1750
  6. Levina Duncan1747 -
  7. Abel Duncan1749/50 -
Facts and Events
Name Sarah Rice
Gender Female
Birth[1] 9 Feb 1703/04 Groton, New London, Connecticut, United States
Marriage Bef 1726 Based on birth of eldest known child
to Josiah Rice
Marriage Bef 1738 Based on birth of eldest known child
to Daniel Duncan
Death[2] 10 Dec 1781 Petersham, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

Questionable Identification

Source:Ward, Andrew Henshaw. Genealogical History of the Rice Family : Descendants of Deacon Edmund Rice, p. 27, shows Sarah marrying "John Duncan of Wor., to whom her father conveyed 103 acres of land in Wor., Aug. 21, 1721". No marriage record for Sarah is found, but her death record indicates she married Daniel Duncan, and given his birth date, the marriage probably was not until the later 1730's, about 15 years after this deed was executed. The deed is Worcester deed Vol. 1, p. 16, and it does not indicate any relationship to John Duncan. Billerica VRs show John Duncan m. Sarah Dutton, and John Jr. m. Sarah Rogers. All this appears to expose an incorrect assumption on Ward's part.

Source:Hemenway, Abby Maria. Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Vol. 5, p. 93 says David Duncan married Sarah Rice of Conway. Conway was settled in 1762 so it is not likely Daniel's wife was of Conway. The confusion is probably due to Cyrus Rice, mentioned prominently below, who is called the first settler of Conway according to Ward (p. 119), but there is no reason to think Daniel Duncan's wife was from Conway. The Edmund Rice Association says "Daniel Duncan married Sarah Rice, daughter of Gershom Rice and Elizabeth Balcom, before 1721..." This would be surprising for a man who was born 1711/12 and just turning 10 in late 1721. Sarah, the daughter of Gershom was born 1703/4, so is about 8 years older than Daniel, so not a great match to begin with. (Note: knowing the age at death would clearly be useful in testing the plausibility of this identification. However, the cited Find A Grave gravestone does not have a visible age at death and the provided inscription does not indicate one was seen, either. So the age at death on the memorial page is clearly assumption and hence would be a circular argument.) One has to wonder if Ward's mistaken assumption had been massaged further away from reality to identify Daniel's wife Sarah (John Duncan is clearly an error, but instead of throwing the whole mistake out, people keep Duncan because it is useful for coming with an identification of Daniel's wife even though it has no basis) or if there is actual evidence to think Sarah Duncan was Gershom's daughter, or that Gershom's daughter married a Mr. Duncan?

What is Known

The death date of 1781 is known, though the age at death is not, as explained above.

Gershom Rice lived to be 101, dying in 1768. No probate has been found. No deed giving land to Daniel Duncan has been found.

Some deeds between Daniel Duncan and Cyrus Rice provide useful information.

Vol. 23, p. 280 16 Mar 1747/48: Daniel Duncan of Worcester Wheel Right & Sarah Duncan his wife who before their marriage was Sarah Rice widow of Josiah Rice Late of Worcester Husbandman, for £350 convey to Cyrus Rice of Worcester husbandman only surviving child of the said Deceased all right of dower that the said Sarah Rich has in the real estate of the Deceased.

[Same page] 17 Mar 1747: Cyrus Rice of Worcester Husbandman only Child to Josiah Rice Late of Worcester Husbandman Deceased In Consideration of £100 paid by Daniel Duncan of Worcester Wheel Right and his wife Sarah Duncan who is My Mother and is Widdow of My S'd Deceas'd Father who administr'd on ye Estate of My s'd Father Des'd Discharge Daniel Duncan & Sarah Duncan from all Demand whatsoever by me.

Vol. 24, p. 379 21 Mar 1747/48: Cyrus Rice of Worcester husbandman for £50 conveys to my father in Law Daniel Duncan of s'd Worcester Wheel right and his wife Sarah Duncan (who is my hon'd mother) 17 acres in Worcester.

So Daniel's wife Sarah was the widow of Josiah Rice and would have been named Sarah Rice when she married Daniel Duncan, a possible source of confusion if one did not realize she was a widow (mentioned by none of the above sources). Josiah Rice's probate contains the administratrix's bond, and an inventory, but nothing else. However, it may be of interest that Gershom Rice was Sarah Rice's surety when she gave her bond. It is not at all conclusive, but not unusual for young widowed women to rely on their fathers or brothers to help with such matters. Cyrus' two sisters died in 1741 leaving him as the only surviving child.

Ward, p. 66 says Josiah Rice m. "Sarah ---". So her maiden name is unknown. However, her oldest child, son Cyrus, was born 1726, which would suggest a birth around 1706, showing she is clearly several years older than Daniel Duncan, and roughly the same age as Gershom's daughter Sarah.

Further searches for connections between Gershom and Josiah have yielded nothing. The land that Cyrus sells appears to have been his father's with no indication that any of it came to him through his mother's side.

Still Unknown

The maiden name of Josiah Rice's wife is unknown. Neither marriage record has been located. Gershom's daughter Sarah is a possibility, but her entry into the picture is really based on nothing other than Ward's apparent error. Whoever she is, Sarah married (2) Daniel Duncan and had 6 children in Worcester (first one in 1738/9), plus their last child in Petersham 1749/50 (when Gershom's daughter Sarah would have 46), dying in Petersham in 1781.

References
  1. "Groton Vital Records (NEHGS)", in Connecticut, United States. The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records
    p. 125.

    RICE, Sarah, d. Gershom & Elizabeth, b. Feb. 9, 1703 [1:112]
    [Note: Presumed to be 1703/04 based on typical usage and spacing of sibling births. Barbour's source may be seen here.]

  2. Petersham, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Vital records of Petersham, Massachusetts, to the end of the year 1849. (Worcester, Massachusetts: Franklin P. Rice, 1904)
    p. 174.

    DUNCAN, Sarah, w. Daniel, Dec. 10, 1781. GS
    [Note, see also Find A Grave. Note that the age at death is buried and the reported age at death is calculated, not authentic.]