Family:John Ballantine and Lydia Barrett (1)

The records for this family are confusing. As a result secondary sources have varying subsets each.

Births and baptisms in the First Church from Source:Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States. Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Deaths, 1630-1699 (A Report of the Record Commissioners), baptisms checked against Source:Dunkle, Robert J. Records of the Churches of Boston and the First Church, Second Parish, and Third Parish of Roxbury.

• John of John & Lydia born 15 Mar 1674 (This is assumed to be 1673/74 to allow for William to be born by June 1675.)
• John of John baptized 4 Apr 1675 (His father joined the church 1675 so this is assumed to be delayed until then.)
• William of John baptized 20 Jun 1675 (no birth record)
• Lydia of John & Lydia born 2 Jun 1676 (no baptism found)
• John of John baptized 6 May 1677 (no birth record found)
• William of John & Lydia born 23 Aug 1679 (no baptism found)
• Sarah (no birth or baptism found by m. in 1698 so born by or about 1680)
• Lydia of John & Lydia born 24 Oct 1682 (no baptism found)

The probate of John Ballantine the father who died 1734 is distributed 1741, 5/8 to heirs of son John (double share, or half, of his father's estate plus half of the single share of his sister Lydia deceased) and 3/8 to Sarah Wharton (single share, or 1/4, of father's estate plus half of the single share of her sister Lydia deceased). The son John died 2 Jan 1735/36 leaving heirs and Lydia died unmarried 1741. Sarah m. 1698 John Wharton, presumably born before or around 1680. No death records of other children, and no ages at death, yet located.

NEHGR, Vol. 42, 262, cited above, shows Lydia Barrett marrying John Ballantyne with children John, Lydia d. young, William and Lydia again. Missing several children at least one of whom, Sarah Wharton, is explicitly named in her father's probate.

Most sources (Savage; Mass. Hist. Soc. bio of John Ballantine III; NEHGR, vol. 6, p. 371) covering the son John Jr. show a birth in 1674 or 1675 and marrying Mary Winthrop, but it appears that that son John died young, so it would have been the survivor b. 1677 who married Mary Winthrop. No age at death has been located to confirm.

Source:Thwing, Annie Haven. Inhabitants and Estates of the Town of Boston, 1630-1800, and the Crooked and Narrow Streets of Boston, 1630-1822 shows John Ballantine marrying Lydia -- and having children John d. young, William d. young, Lydia d. young, John, William, Sarah, Lydia. This seems closest to what the records show, hence probably correct, but this contradicts most sources out there.

1. ↑ Barrett, Joseph Hartwell. "Thomas Barrett of Braintree, William Barrett of Cambridge, and Their Early Descendants", in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society)
   Vol. 42, p. 262.

   Children of William Barrett and first wife Sarah Champney [sic, Sarah (Poole) Champney]: Lydia, b. 17 Sep 1657, m. John Ballantyne of Boston, 4 children.