Family talk:Eleazer Ward and Tabitha Newton (2)

fact-checking [16 November 2018]

The marriage that was originally posted here was "6 Dec 1786", "Westborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States" for a man b. 1712, a woman b. 1711.

No sources are given, but one must suspect this is copied from the Newton Genealogy. My copy online is not very clear, so I can see why 1736 might have been copied as 1786 if that same copy was used, but even simple fact-checking would have discovered the error. For example, Westborough VRs, p. 214, do show the date is 1736, not 1786.

The identification of the wife is wrong, but this is an error in Newton. As shown, it could have been caught with simple fact-checking, too, but obviously wasn't.

On p. 166 The Tabitha, d/o Moses, b. 1711 is shown marrying Eleazer Ward as posted. Expanding to sources other than this one, this statement can be shown by multiple deeds selling her father's estate to be incorrect, as she was married to Jonathan Newton.

On p. 505, under Ephraim Newton, it is mentioned in his probate that "Eleazer Ward who marryed my Decesed Sister second Daughter of ye Decd". So on p. 507, the Newton Genealogy lists a second Tabitha Newton who married Eleazer Ward, the daughter of Ephraim, b. 1717-18. This entry also lists the children born between 1738 and 1749 (further confirming the marriage date was 1736 not 1786). The presence of this editing error was discovered simply by inspecting all the occurrences of the name "Eleazer Ward" found in this source, not just the first one. This is the correct answer. The page has been corrected. --Jrich 18:37, 16 November 2018 (UTC)