Family talk:John Ballard and Susanna Story (1)

Great Migration says the following about Susanna Story: [1]

Farlow claimed that John Ballard had two wives, Susanna Story and Rebecca _____ [Ballard Gen 18]. As evidence for the first wife, he gives only "Salem Rec.," the meaning of which is not evident. The only Story family which might have a daughter of the right age is that of William Story of Ipswich. Nora E. Snow does include a Susanna in this family, but without dates or any later history [Snow-Estes 1:107]; William Story, son of the immigrant, had wife Susanna Fuller, and there may exist a document in which some member of the family calls her "daughter" or "sister," from which an improper conclusion was drawn. We are assisted in analyzing the alleged marriages of John by the details of the recording of the births of his children. First, there is no record of a son William born on 1 October 1667, as claimed by Savage and many later writers. Second, the first two known children, Sarah and Rebecca, were recorded in the county but not in the town records, with the mother's name not given, and these are claimed by Farlow to be children of Susanna Story. The remaining children were recorded in the town records, with the mother's name given as Rebecca. Note that one of the children supposed to be born to Susanna Story was named Rebecca, and no child was named Susanna. For these reasons, we conclude that Susanna Story never existed and that John Ballard had only one wife, Rebecca, whom he married by 1669.

--Amelia 19:33, 16 May 2009 (EDT)