Person:Rebecca Barker (5)

Watchers
Rebecca Barker
b.Abt 1650
  • HJosiah SnowAbt 1644 - 1692
  • WRebecca BarkerAbt 1650 - 1711
m. Abt 1669
  1. Abigail Snow1670 -
  2. Lydia Snow1672 - 1716
  3. Mercy Snow1675 - Bef 1760
  4. Deborah Snow1677 - 1681
  5. Son SnowBef 1679 - 1679
  6. Sarah Snow1680 -
  7. Bethiah SnowAbt 1681 - 1761
  8. Luseanna Snow1682/83 - 1732
  9. Rebecca Snow1685 -
  10. Abiah SnowBef 1692 - 1717/18
  • HJohn Sawyer - Aft 1704/05
  • WRebecca BarkerAbt 1650 - 1711
m. 23 Nov 1694
Facts and Events
Name Rebecca Barker
Gender Female
Birth[2] Abt 1650
Marriage Abt 1669 to Josiah Snow
Marriage 23 Nov 1694 Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United Statesto John Sawyer
Death[1] 28 Apr 1711 Marshfield, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States

There is considerable confusion here, so an in-depth survey of some pertinent sources. In support of Rebecca Barker m. (1) Josiah Snow, m. (2) John Sawyer:

Source:The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, p. 124:118 (April 1970), "Bethiah Snow, Wife of John Sprague" by Claude W. Barlow, says Josiah Snow m. abt. 1669 Rebecca Barker, d/o Robert and Lucy (Williams) Barker of Duxbury. She m. (2) Duxbury 23 --- 1694 John Sawyer.

Ibid, p. 55:73 (Jan. 1901), "Richard Warren of the Mayflower" by Mrs. Washington A. Roebling, says John Sawyer m. (2) 23 Nov 1694, Rebecca, widow of Josiah Snow.

Source:Vital records of Marshfield, Massachusetts to the year 1850, p. 1:19, shows a marriage to a Rebecca Snow: "John Sawye(r &) Rebecka Sn(ow) were Conjoyn(ed) in Marriage (worrn) 23'd 1694 b(y) Mr Weld M(inester)", and p. 1:33 shows that John's wife was named Rebecca: "Rebecka the wife of John Sawyer decesed Aprill the 28 : 1711".

Source:Mayflower Families Through Five Generations (Richard Warren), p. 7, says the inventory of Josiah Snow of Marshfield was presented 3 Jan 1692/93 by his widow Rebecca.

Source:Mayflower Descendant, p. 31:102, "Abstracts of Plymouth Colony Probate Records", has will of "Robert Barker sen'r of Duxborough", dated 18 Feb. 1689, mentions "my daughter Rebeckah Snow".

But we really only know that John Sawyer's 2nd wife was named Rebeckah and that she was the widow of Josiah Snow; and that Rebeckah Barker married a Mr. Snow. We haven't really shown that it was Rebeckah Barker that married Josiah Snow (marriage record not found). And there is an alternate Mr. Snow claimed by some sources to be Rebecca Barker's husband...

Barker Pedigree by James Atkins Noyes, p. 4 (also published as an article in NEHGR, in which case see p. 53:428), says Rebecca, the daughter of Robert Barker and Lucy Williams, m. William Snow who did not die until "about 1708". Rebecca known to be was alive in 1697.

Source:Representative men and old families of southeastern Massachusetts : containing historical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and genealogical records, p. 1410, says Rebecca, d/o Robert Barker and Lucy Williams d. 1697. This seems to also be the view of Source:The Barker family of Plymouth Colony and County, p. 12 (m. William Snow, died 1697+), and Source:Cutter, William Richard. New England Families, Genealogical and Memorial, p. 512 (died 1697).

These last three sources seem to represent the uncertain death differently, and some don't mention William Snow. It is unclear how they arrived at their death date of 1697, without assuming a marriage to William Snow, since her father's will shows Rebecca was clearly married well before this date, and any reference to Rebecca that shows she was alive or dead in 1697 would, one suspects, reflect her married state. (Actually, William Snow's will of 16 Mar 1698/99 - see the next source - indicates that his wife was still alive into 1699, though "aged", so it is not clear how 1697 was arrived at anyway, but it seems to be a marker identifying those who assumed a marriage to William Snow.) In any event, we can rule out William Snow as the husband of Rebecca Barker, because he actually married a Rebecca Browne:

Source:The William Snow family : descendants of William Snow, who landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1635, p. 5, says William Snow, b. England 1624, came to New England as apprentice to Richard Derby in 1635, m. Rebeckah Browne, d/o Peter Browne who came on the Mayflower. He d. 1708.

Peter Browne died without a will, inventory taken 10 Oct 1633 long before Rebecca married, so no simple proof, but...

Source:Mayflower Descendant, p. 5:33-34, "Settlement of Peter Browne's Estate and Deeds of Land Belonging to His Heirs", prints two deeds where William Snow with the consent of his wife Rebeckah sells his third part of various lands that once belonged to Peter Browne. Other deeds are also presented which show the other two owners to be Mary who married Ephraim Tinkham, and Priscilla who m. William Allen. Also presented is a 1633 court order that identifies Peter Browne's daughters Mary (b. abt 1624 John Doane was to be her guardian for 9 more years) and Priscilla (b. abt 1627 since William Gilson was to be her guardian for 12 more years) by name as they were children by an earlier wife (widow Martha Ford). Rebecca is not mentioned by name, but the court order describes the widow Mary as having two children by Peter Browne (presumably Rebecca and an unknown child who must have died young) plus one other child of her own (presumably by an earlier marriage).

Thus it is nearly certain that Rebecca Barker m. Josiah Snow. And whoever married Josiah Snow has been shown to be John Sawyer's second wife.

References
  1. Sherman, Robert M., and Ruth Wilder Sherman. Vital Records of Marshfield, Massachusetts to the Year 1850. (East Greenwich, Rhode Island: Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Rhode Island, 1970)
    1:33.

    Rebecka the wife of John Sawyer decesed Aprill the 28 : 1711.

  2. "Robert Barker", in Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633. (Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1995).

    Rebecca, d/o Robert Barker and Luce or Lucy ---, b. "say" 1650, m. bef 1670 Josiah Snow, m. (2) Marshfield 23 --- 1694 John Sawyer.