Person talk:Margaret Atherton (5)

Information from two people [25 October 2009]

There were two marriages, and this may be a combination of two people, since Margaret Atherton married James Trowbridge under her maiden name, and died as his wife. Therefore I removed Family:William Billings and Margaret Atherton (1) and the Alt. Death of 1718 in Place:Stonington, New London, Connecticut, United States since Source:National Cyclopedia of American Biography (159750), p. 12:506, "William Billings of Taunton, England, who emigrated to America in 1654, settling at Lancaster, Mass., and removing in 1657 to Stonington, Conn. William Billings married Mary Atherton...". Source:Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States. Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825, p. 20 says "William Billing was Married unto Mary, by Major Atharton, 12. 12. 57" [12 Feb 1657/68]. The following comment removed from the history section: "Christening Date may be December 22 1644 in Blackford Lancashire England", could not apply to any daughter of Humphrey Atherton, since he was in Dorchester, Mass., by 1636. --Jrich 11:33, 25 October 2009 (EDT)

The Mary who married William Billings may not have actually had the surname of Atherton. The marriage records of other marriages by Major Atherton generally identify the brides as the daughter of so and so, so the assumption from the marriage record above is that William Billings married Mary Atherton since no other surname is given. However, there is also a record on p. 20 for "Isaac Jones was Maried until Mary by Major Atherton 7 . 2. 59". This suggests that this assumption may not be valid, since Mary Atherton clearly did not marry William Billings in 1657, Isaac Jones in 1659, and Joseph Weeks in 1667.

Humphrey's daughter Mary Atherton appears to have married Joseph Weeks (Source:Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States. Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825, p. 22, "Joseph Weeks was married unto Mary Atherton by Cap't Clap 9th. (2 mo:) 1667".) That this is the daughter of Humphrey Atherton is confirmed by the division of Humphrey's estate (see NEHGR, p. 32:201), which did not happen until 1717 despite his death in 1661, naming one of his deceased daughters as Mary Weeks (another is "Margret Trobridge"). None of the heirs bear the name Billings. Further, the will of Humphrey's widow Mary Atherton in 1671 names her granddaughter Mary Weeks. Mary Weeks was the daughter of Joseph Weeks, her birth is recorded in Source:Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States. Dorchester Births, Marriages, and Deaths to the End of 1825, p. 11, on 20 May 1668. --Jrich 14:40, 25 October 2009 (EDT)