Transcript talk:Savage, James. Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England/v4p98

Defect 1

Savage is blindly copying Source:Coffin, Joshua. Sketch of the History of Newbury, Newburyport, and West Newbury, from 1635 to 1845, but there is no documented evidence that Sarah was a twin to Hannah. In fact that would make her less than 16 at the time of her marriage (6 Feb 1670/71, not 1672 as Savage says). Newbury records show only Hannah in 1655 with no indication she is a twin. Neither is Sarah listed in the published VRs. As Mary was born in 1645, and the father remarried in 1649, it would be much more likely that Sarah was born to the first wife sometime before 1649. See for example, Source:Davis, Walter Goodwin. Ancestry of Phoebe Tilton, 1775-1847, Wife of Capt. Abel Lunt of Newburyport, Massachusetts, p. 244 which presents this assignment of mother. No death record has been found though her husband remarried in 1681, so no age at death appears to be available. --Jrich 05:17, 13 January 2019 (UTC)

Defect 2

Coffin actually says born in 1632, not 1652. One may assume this is a typo in Coffin, and 1652 appears to be based on age 26 when swearing an oath of allegiance in 1678 (as printed in NEHGR Vol. 7, p. 349), not Coffin. Coffin does not indicate any father, but to say he is not a son of Thomas is a Savage assumption. If the age in the oath of allegiance is right, perhaps this is true, but there is no sign there were two Thomas's (the one that was 26 as well as the son of Thomas that would have been 20), nor that either died, so it seems likely the age in the oath is wrong, as accepted by more modern works (e.g., Source:Williams, Cornelia Bartow. Descendants of John Williams of Newbury and Haverhill, Mass., 1600-1674). A common and simple misreading making 20 into 26 would explain away the whole issue, but this scenario is somewhat speculative until the original can be viewed. Perhaps Source:Davis, Walter Goodwin. Ancestry of Phoebe Tilton, 1775-1847, Wife of Capt. Abel Lunt of Newburyport, Massachusetts viewed it, for on p. 244 he says, "He took the Oath of Allegiance in Newbury in 1678, aged twenty." --Jrich 05:17, 13 January 2019 (UTC)

Defect 3 [12 January 2019]

The date of marriage in the published VRs is 16 Aug 1649, not 18 Aug 1649 as Savage says. Another error apparently caused by blindly copying Coffin without verification. --Jrich 05:35, 13 January 2019 (UTC)