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Martha Waite/Weight daughter of Joseph Jr & Elizabeth Gifford [29 August 2017]
12 Feb 1750 - p. 107 Whereas Joseph Weight of Exeter appeared & informed Town Council that he has several Grand Children now living sons & daughter to his son Joseph Weight Jr. dec., namely: Ruben, Oliver, Yelverton & Martha Weight & further informs Town Council that his sd son Joseph in his lifetime desired that his uncle John Weight might have the care of the sd Ruben, and the sd Joseph weight grandfather to the sd John Weight might be appointed guardian to the sd Ruben Weight, the sd John being present & accepted. He gets Letter Guardianship, sd Joseph being his bondsman. Ordered that Joseph Weight grandfather to the abovesaid orfans is appointed guardian to Oliver Weight son to Joseph Weight dec.; he accepted & given Letter Guardianship, John Weight his bondsman.
P. 108 Joseph Weight of Exeter appeared [at] Town Council & desired that Yelverton Gifford of East Greenwich might be appointed guardian to Yelverton & Martha Weight son & daughter of Joseph Weight Jr. dec.; this was done.
Joseph Weight one of the bondsmen for Elisabeth Weight now Elisabeth Davis appeared Town Council & desired that William Davis of West Greenwich who married the sd Elisabeth might be cited to appear next Town Council in order to give bond as the law directs in order that the sd Davis be cited according to the above request.--Susan Irish 17:31, 25 August 2017 (UTC)
- The above comment does not necessarily show that Martha was the one who married John Wightman as there appears to be at least one other Martha Waite in the area. However, it does appear so because of the age of John Wightman, whose seems positively identified by the birth records of his children as the son of James. The other Martha being 12 years older, would not be a likely good match. NEHGR, Vol. 129, p. 36, gives an abstract of Yelverton Gifford's will in which it says he names granddaughter Martha Sherman. Probate records may be viewed at Family History Centers (not the files themselves however, they being on film only and given the new film policy, essentially unavailable), and the recorded will is found in North Kingstown Vol. 10, p. 97, which is film 930973, viewable on FHC computers at image 354. The probate records of North Kingstown were apparently in a fire, and like many of the North Kingstown probate books, this book is burned on all edges with only a center portion remaining. What is seen in the recorded version is "granddaughter Martha [followed by a burned right edge with missing text, next line starts with a burned left margin, no apparent missing text] man". Does it say Sherman or Wightman? Can't tell, everything on the line after the word Martha has burned off so until the "man" which starts the next line, there is nothing. (Incidentally the will also mentions "daughter Elisabeth Davis wife of [burnt edge] Davis", Joseph's widow remarried.) The NEHGR article attributes the will abstract to a third party, but there is simply no way to get Sherman out of the recorded version, so the abstract is either based on the original or based on assumption. And while I can't say the abstract is wrong without seeing the original (which is unlikely given the new film policy)), I haven't found any record of Martha Waite marrying a Mr. Sherman, or reference to Martha Sherman that seems to fit. --Jrich 21:10, 29 August 2017 (UTC)
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