Assumptions must be explained! [30 June 2010]
The marriage shown on this page in Vinalhaven 1770 is almost assuredly wrong. Of course there is no source, nor any note explaining the assumptions, so I am left to guess. Based on what I find when I try to justify this data, I have reconstructed what appears to be the original thought process in inputting this data, as best I can, and I believe that process was rife with incorrect assumptions.
- Thomas Pierce and his wife Elizabeth are buried in Vinalhaven. Therefore it appears that Elizabeth's birth was assumed to be in Vinalhaven. But upon looking, it is recorded in Cohasset, and no reason to think her parents ever lived in Vinalhaven.
- I don't know where the birth date of 6 Jul 1771 comes from as no source is given, and it could be significant what that source says. If this is calculated from the age at death, the imprecision of such calculations would explain why it differs from the actual birth date of 25 Jun 1771 recorded in Cohasset records. On the other hand, it may be a baptism date rather than a birth date, or it may be a different Elizabeth, since the birth of the daughter Elizabeth of Joseph Hudson Jr. and his wife Elizabeth is recorded in Cohasset as mentioned on 25 Jun 1771.
- I can only assume that the marriage date of 1770 is actually intended to be an estimate even though not labeled Abt or Est. It appears to be based on the assumption that Elizabeth was the oldest child born in 1771, as no source is given. As there were actually (at least) two elder children, Frost b. 1667 and Ezra b. 1668 recorded in Hingham, as well as Elizabeth in Cohasset, this assumption appears unfounded. Any complicated situations that could explain the discrepancy (such as two separate marriages of Joseph Hudson to two different women named Elizabeth) would warrant some explanation/source out of basic courtesy to the reader.
- Because Elizabeth's birthplace was assumed to be Vinalhaven, and because she was assumed born shortly after the marriage, the marriage has been placed in Vinalhaven. Since the parents were born in Hingham, and died in Cohasset which was formed from the second parish of Hingham, and because older children were born in Hingham, there actually is no reason to think the marriage was in Vinalhaven.
I am changing the marriage date to Bef 1767 Prob Hingham, MA. clearly indicating by these qualifiers that the actual marriage record is not known, and attaching a note explaining how this estimate was arrived at so future researchers will feel comfortable updating this estimates when something better becomes known. --Jrich 17:25, 30 June 2010 (EDT)
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