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Facts and Events
References
- ↑ We know from Elisha's probate that his widow, Deborah Simmons when she married him, was named Deborah Kingsley by 1788. So clearly she was the Deborah Mason who married 1787 Peleg Kingsley Sr. while her daughter Ann Kingsley 2 years later married Peleg Kingsley Jr.
Peleg Kingsley left a will in 1793 naming his wife Deborah. No trace of her after this has been located. Perhaps she moved to Vermont with her daughter and son-in-law. Perhaps she remained in Royalston. Perhaps she returned to Swansea.
No likely candidate named Deborah Simmons has been identified. A speculative guess is that this is Deborah Martin, b. Swansea 1740 to Manasah Martin. (He died of smallpox in 1764 leaving no probate.) This Deborah m. 1762 William Simmons (Deborah Marten in the Swansea records, Deborah Master in the Rehoboth records), who may have been the William Simmons who in 1765 petitioned the town of Swansea for support being "poor and infirm". Swansea show 3 children for William and Deborah, including 2 children a month apart in 1766? (Lydia Aug 1766 p. 109; and William Sep 1766 p. 165; also Nathan in 1762 p. 124). In 1772, a William Simmons was adjudged person non compos mentis and guardian appointed. No death of William Simmons has been found, and the Deborah Simmons of concern married Elisha Mason 6 months before the non compos mentis ruling. No records have been found to shed any clues. Perhaps she had divorced him? If so, her circumstances would have probably been desperate, and at that time Elisha would have been a 42 year old bachelor, but she was young enough to bear the three children Elisha and Deborah had, so she fits what is known. But the records are too spotty to conclude this without more information.
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