Person talk:Daniel Weld (16)

parentage [5 May 2017]

Joseph Weld and 2nd wife Barbara had a son Daniel born September 1642, and it seems generally accepted that this was the person who graduated Harvard 1661, married Bethia Mitchelson and resided in Salem and Cambridge, serving as a doctor in King Philip's War. The reasons for this are not obvious in the general literature, it seems merely stated as a fact (except for Felt that says Bethiah's husband was the son of Thomas). Given that Joseph d. just a few years after Daniel's birth, clearly he did not identify any grandchildren in his will, etc. Daniel and Bethia named one of their daughters Barbara, which suggests it is correct. Linzee says Anthony Stoddard, who married Barbara after Joseph Weld died, was granted 500 acres in 1660 "to be equally divided between him & Capt. Welds children", and perhaps tracing that land would provide a definitive answer.

Assuming this assertion about parentage is correct, there is no reason to think either 18 Sep 1642 or 25 Sep 1642 dates apply to Mary Hinsdale's husband as both dates originate with the son of Joseph (one is his birth date, the other is his baptism date), and their presence on the page disposes the reader to suspect this is Joseph's son. While the two Daniel Welds cannot be wildly different in age there seems to be no actual knowledge of when or where Mary Hinsdale's husband was born. One would guess he was not the son Daniel, of Daniel of Braintree/Roxbury, who was in England in 1666 according to his father's will, while Daniel and Mary were at that same time in Medfield have having children. --Jrich 06:38, 3 February 2017 (UTC)

Sibleys Harvard Grads, Vol. 2, p. 89. Note that Savage says he was "schoolmaster after leaving college, perhaps at Cambridge". Suffolk deed Vol. 14, folio 28 13 Apr 1663: John Watson sells to Daniel Weld of Roxbury afores'd Schoole Ma's" an orchard and 1/2 acre pasture. Vol. 8, folio 134 22 Feb 1663/64: Heugh Clarke to Daniell Weld of Roxbury [no occupation given], 12 acres on the great hill in Roxbury. --Jrich 03:46, 4 February 2017 (UTC) [Note: these two deeds involve Person:Daniel Weld (13) as shown by his will specifically leaving those parcels to his wife, thus the school master is neither the Daniel who m. Bethiah or the Daniel who m. Mary Hinsdale.]

As pointed out by Source:Sheldon, George. History of Deerfield, Massachusetts, vol. 1, p. 36, Dedham town records Vol. 4, p. 209 show that Daniel Weld of Medfield was the brother of Thomas Weld of Roxbury, and thus, as Felt indicated for the other Daniel (!), son of Family:Thomas Weld and Margaret Unknown (1). --Jrich 03:46, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

Of course, Daniel is not listed as a son of Thomas in Anderson who apparently only knows of the baptisms found in Terling parish register, but after 1st wife Margaret, who d. by 1636 or about 1637 [depending on source], the father Thomas m. (2) 1636 or 1638 [depending on source] Judith --- who went with him to England about 1639 (Roxbury Church Records), and m. (3) aft 1656 Margaret ---. 3rd wife Margaret's will does not name children, so Daniel may be the child of the first or second wife, though if child of 2nd wife, who had been married twice before (gravestone: "who was to 3 godly ministers a good wife"), one would think he would have ended up in England. One assumes Daniel was left with whatever relatives his brother Thomas and others might have been left with? See TAG, p. Vol. 55, p. 147, and GMB p. 1962 and NEHGR, p. 36: 406. --Jrich 04:23, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

Other marriages [4 February 2017]

It appears great injustice has been done to this Daniel Weld in the secondary literature as a result of confusing him with the son of Joseph Weld.

I believe the earlier birth date that has now been given to him by my prior efforts also suggests he had additional marriages. The one to Mary Belden is shown by his probate file. But I believe there was a first marriage before Mary Hinsdale.

Based on circumstantial evidence I believe Family:Daniel Weld and Unknown (1) is his first marriage. Haven't found a death for the son Daniel, still looking, but believe the three children born in 1650's all died.

I believe the younger two children, Mary and Mehitable, are also his, but do not belong in this marriage. Mehitable would match the daughter born to Mary Hinsdale in 1669. Roxbury Church Records p. 183 record her death 12 Jan 1679/80 as daughter of Daniel Weld.

The Mary in 1675/76 is problematical based on the traditional view that the Mary b. Medfield 1667 is the one who married 1701 David Alexander, then Samuel Smead, then in 1734 Joseph Younglove. The last two marriages though show husbands younger then the wife, the third one almost unbelievably so. Which suggests to me that the Mary b. Medfield died, and the one found in Roxbury 1675/76 is the wife of all these marriages. She would have been 25 at the time of her first marriage in 1701, not 34 as the traditional view suggests. This also means the survivors mother could be Mary Belding, not Mary Hinsdale, based on when that change in wives occurred (discussed below).

Roxbury Church records on 10 Mar 1681/82 show death of a new borne infant of Dan. Weld and on the 15th the mother also died. I suspect this is the death of Mary Hinsdale in which case the father married Mary Belding after that, and had one son Daniel somewhere around 1685-1690, very consistent with that son's marriage in 1712. This last wife clearly died before 1699 as there is no hint of a wife in Daniel's will. Note that the traditional view shows son Daniel born about 1680 (why?) and since he is Mary Belden's child, would suggests Mary Hinsdale died earlier in the 1670s, then Daniel m. Mary Belden before 1680, had son Daniel, and then this third wife d. 1682. But the location of Mary Belden's family in Hatfield, this death being in Roxbury, and why there wasn't a fourth wife, all suggest the first scenario makes more sense.

I believe Sheldon is wrong in saying Daniel was living in Deerfield in 1673. He may have purchased property but the Dedham record above suggests he was rejected. So it seems possible that he was in Roxbury for a while before finally moving to Deerfield where he died. I have found few deeds naming Daniel Weld and most are his uncles, so this will take more research.

Indeed I have little hard evidence for any of this except for a bunch of unexplainable facts. But the traditional view has problems and requires there be one or two Daniel Welds for which there is no evidence. I will be working on this but welcome contributions. --Jrich 16:29, 4 February 2017 (UTC)

Source:Weld, William Addison. Descendants of Edmund Weld of Sudbury, England, p. 4-2 agrees with the parentage, but only shows one marriage. "He lived for some time in Medfield MA. His family moved to Roxbury for safety during the Indian disturbances and remained there until 1682 when his wife died." This appears to be taken from Source:Robinson, Charles Frederick. Weld Collections, p. 56, which besides giving the quote about Roxbury until his wife died, also notes that he "was in Medfield in the spring of 1673 is shown by his signature as witness to a deed on the 20th of May of that year" (Suffolk deed Vol. 14, folio. 320) despite being listed as owner of Lot No. 23 in Deerfield in 1673. This appears to counter Sheldon's assertion that he was in Deerfield in 1673, and fits the evidence that is found..

Son Daniel sold several parcels in Deerfield to Samuel Smead on 31 Jan 1708/09, so born by 1687/88 to be of age. Hampden deed Vol. B, p. 408. I plan on going forward with the appropriate edits. --Jrich 05:23, 5 February 2017 (UTC)