Person:Joanna Unknown (50)

There is some confusion about the name of the wife of Capt. Thomas Marshall. Did he have one or two wives and who were they.

The above vital record suggests his wife was Rebecca.

The birth of son John in Lynn shows adds a mother Rebecca, citing Lewis' History of Lynn (i.e., a secondary source, not a contemporary record). But no such information is found in the original edition (1844), and the first mention of his wife being in 1865 edition done with James R. Newhall (Source:Newhall, James R. History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts), on p. 156, list Johns, and list the death of wife Rebecca, is separate sentences. Further the same treatment is not afforded to other children by the Lynn VRs. Probably should be ignored.

Further confusion arises from the births of twins, Thomas and Rebecca. Pope, p. 302, shows a son Thomas born in 1647 but no twin. The wording of the birth record is unusual, and verification of the original would be useful to distinguish if the mention of Rebecca is actually as a twin, or possibly a mother, which would explain Pope's discrepancy. Pope's sources are unknown, so it is unknown how much credence to lend his discrepancies from the records.

According to an article in the Source:Lynn Historical Society. Register of the Lynn Historical Society, Lynn, Massachusetts, 1897-1928, No. 1-25, p. 99, the name being Joan is based on Mr. Pope. Pope, p. 302, says "Wife Joan member. chh. 1648". A typed manuscript of Reading church records (here, also published in Essex Genealogist, Vol. 9, p. 3) shows "Left Marshall & wife / dismissed from Lynn" listed among the members on 29 Sept 1648 on page 1, which appears to be the source of Pope's factoid, but actually does not name the wife.

"Joan Marshall" is mentioned in the Reading church records again on p. 8 for an incident in 1663, but this appears to be 6 years after births of Thomas started being recorded in Lynn, and Joan is not explicitly identified as the wife of Thomas Marshall. Further she is listed separately from Thomas & wife in the above cited members list, as is "Tho Marshall Carpenter". So she appears to be a separate person and her identification as Thomas' wife appears to be Pope's assumption.

Essex Deed 2:63, dated 20 Jan 1661[/62], shows "Thomas Marshall of Lynn ... Capt. of ye Millitarie Company there" "with the consent of Rebecka his now wife" selling to Andrews Mansfield 6 acres in "Rumny marsh in ye bounds of ye towne of Lynn aforsd, lately in ye possession of John Lewes". While "now wife" tends to indicate a second wife, clearly this overlaps with references to Joan Marshall in Reading in 1663, so she was not the first wife, if there was one. This is claimed to be the first explicit identification of Thomas' wife as Rebecca.

An excellent article on Thomas Marshall may be found in Essex Genealogy, Vol. 16, p. 161 and following. It presents a time line of events thought to be him. It thinks Rebecca is "probably 2nd wife" married about 1646, although except for the "now wife" phrase mentioned above, no evidence of a marriage or earlier wife has been noticed in the article. Possibly the large time span over which children were born was a factor in this assumption as well.

1. ↑ Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts, United States. Vital Records of Lynn, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849. (Salem, Mass.: Essex Institute, 1905)
   Vol. 2, p. 534.

   MARSHALL, Rebekah, w. Capt. Thomas, [died] "latter end" Aug., 1693.