Children of John Shepard and Rebecca Greenhill: 3) Sarah, b. 5 Mar 1656, m. Benajah Stone of Guilford, CT.
↑ The interpretation of the date 5 Mar 1655S1 is not clear, and probably requires reference to the original record to see if the surrounding context adds any clues. If March was recorded as month number one in the original, instead of March, it would mean 1654/55. Apparently it did not. ShepardS2 then appears to assume that since the new year 1655 did not technically start until 25 Mar 1655, a date of 5 Mar 1655 would mean 5 Mar 1655/56. However, that is far from a universal practice, as March was the first month of the year, and so many diaries and records simply record the whole month under the new year. Probably reflecting this ambiguity, Source:Paige, Lucius Robinson. History of Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1630-1877, p. 654, gives Sarah's birth as "5 Mar. 1655" and chooses not to try and indicate whether it should be 1654/55 or 1655/56.
