Family:John Packard and Rachel Niles (1)

Some sources appear to believe a different John Packard married Rachel Niles than the son of Joseph Packard and Mary Willis. The marriage intention in 1762 to "Ruth" Niles calls John "3d". Going through the Source:Packard, Theophilus. Genealogies of Samuel Packard of Bridgewater, Mass., and of Abel Packard, of Cummington, Mass from the original immigrant, we find the following John Packards mentioned:

• John, s/o Samuel, 1655-1740, m. Judith Winslow
• John, s/o Zaccheus, 1695-1738, m. Lydia Thompson
• Deacon John, s/o John and Lydia, 1735-1808, m. 1763 Sarah Hammond, (2) Hannah Vinson
• John, s/o Joseph and Susanna, ?-?, m. 1760 Anna Pratt
• John, s/o Joseph and Mary, 1741-?, m. 1762 Rachel Niles

At the time of this marriage (1762), the first two John Packards were deceased, leaving three candidates. Deacon John Packard was clearly older than the John Packard bp. 1741. The question remains which of either the son of Joseph and Susanna (whose birthdate is not known) or the son of Joseph and Mary, bp. 1741, was the youngest of the three living John Packards, and hence would be known as "John 3d". The John who married Anna Pratt in 1760 would have needed to have been born by 1739 to be of legal age at the time of his marriage. It is probable, therefore, that this is not the son of Joseph Packard and Mary Willis bp. 1741, assuming the baptism was within a year of his birth. This suggests the husband of Anna Pratt the son of Joseph Packard and Susanna Mitchell. As a result, it appears that John Packard, the son of Joseph Packard and Mary Willis, bp. 1741, was the youngest of three, and would be considered by the town clerk to be "John 3d".

This logic is dependent on the logic that assigned the baptism date of 1741 to the son John of Joseph Packard and Mary Willis, namely that it was the family of Joseph Packard and Mary Willis that lived in West Bridgewater where the baptism occurred (marriage of the parents also recorded there), that the first two children baptized in West Bridgewater (Joseph and Mary) appear to be named after the parents, and there is no records of the other family in West Bridgewater, suggesting it is not them. However, there is a lot that is not known, so it cannot be said to be "proved".

There is a John Packard of Easton that could be a good match, except that the marriage records to Rachel Niles found in both Bridgewater and Easton seem to indicate that John is of Bridgewater, and not Easton. --Jrich 10:43, 30 March 2010 (EDT)

1. ↑ Bridgewater, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States. Vital records of Bridgewater, Massachusetts, to the year 1850. (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1916)
   2:278.

   Packard, John [int. 3d] and Ruth [int. Rachel] Niles of Easton [int. adds Bristol Co.], Jan. 27, 1763 in Easton.

2. ↑ Easton (Massachusetts). Town Clerk. Births, deaths, and marriages by families, 1697-1847. (Salt Lake City, Utah: Genealogical Society of Utah, 1973)
   82.

   Bristol ss at Easton in the County of Bristol this 27th day of Janawary 1763 John Pacard of Bridgwater in the County of Plymoth and Rachel Niles of Easton in the County of Bristol was Joined together in marriage by me Daniel Williams Justis of Peace. Recorded by Matthew Hayward Town Clerk.