Have mercy! [7 February 2012]
Another colonial person created with no sources. On top of that, stuck in a family with the same birth date as one of the siblings already there, no husband, no precise birthdate, even less precise deathdate, and knowing that Mercy and Mary were often used interchangeably, not a hint of explanation to let us be sure that this is somebody different than the Mercy that is already here. The imprecise dates suggest it is not based on a recorded birth or death, but there is no hint of what events or documents gave rise to those estimates.
The father's will only mentions sons, but a grandson of the father wrote a letter indicating there were three daughters in this family who married two Snows of Bridgewater and a Burrill of Weymouth. This makes the daughters Mercy wife of John Burrill, Elizabeth wife of Benjamin Snow and (only probably) Hopestill wife of Joseph Snow. Source:Mayflower Descendant, p. 6:110.
Conventional thinking says nothing about a Mary in this family, a reasonably well studied since it is only one generation removed from Mayflower passengers. Aren't sources called for? --Jrich 19:05, 7 February 2012 (EST)
- Some older secondary sources appear to be the basis for this page, perhaps. Presumably, the one thing that is known about this lady, is that she is meant to represent the 2nd wife of Samuel Allen, whom he m. abt. 1700.
- According to Mitchel's History of Bridgewater, not the most respected genealogy, "D. perhaps of Joseph Alden" (my emphasis). This means the estimated birth date about [about] 1660 is based on her husband's birth (but probably wrong because that means she would have had at least 6 children after she was 40). And the death after 1710 is based on the last recorded child's birth in 1710 (though Mitchell includes an Abigail - the seventh child - with no birth date, that probably came after 1710).
- Mitchell gives no reason for his identification of Mary as perhaps a daughter of Joseph Alden, and there seems to be nothing other than the first son was named Joseph (which probably is a false clue since Samuel Allen had a son named Joseph by his first wife who d. as an infant and this was the first living male child he had after that to give the name to), and Isaac Alden (who would be a brother of Mary if she was an Alden) m. Mehitable Allen, Samuel's sister, indicating the families knew each other.
- Since Samuel Allen died in Bridgewater in 1750, one would think the letter-writing grandson would have known of this family, since the writer was born in Bridgewater in 1718. Therefore, I don't think Mitchell's supposition is correct. But at least now I know who this page is supposed to be, unless it isn't the second wife of Samuel Allen of Bridgewater. --Jrich 20:14, 7 February 2012 (EST)
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