WARD, ---, d. Sam[uel], bp. 23 : 8 m : 1668. CR1 [Note: In old-styles dates, the eighth month is October. More info may be found here.]
↑ Samuel has a daughter named Mercy with no birth or baptism record, and many sources think this might be her. It may be, but, most sources also say Mercy m. Mr Cane, apparently the result of misreading the sloppily written will of Samuel dated 1690. (Careful reading shows it says "my daughter Mercy (on[e] of the best fether beds", the "(on" apparently being read as "Con" and interpreted as "Cone"? There are so few records offered as evidence by secondary sources that what else could have led to this marriage has escaped notice and nothing has been found). The will explicitly indicates she is unmarried in 1690 ("if she die befor maried") so could easily be born after Samuel, and further probate records in 1719 do not list Mercy or any heirs named Cane. On top of that, it appears that the will of Samuel indicates he had a child by his last wife, so it is suspected that Mercy is that child, not this daughter baptized in 1668?
