Sarah Wentworth

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Benjamin Barnard

2. Samuel Winch

Sarah Wentworth

  • Marriage (1): Benjamin Barnard
  • Marriage (2): Samuel Winch on 11 Jan 1697/98 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States 1 2 3
picture

bullet  General Notes:

The nearest approach we can make to the date of Elder William's1 first marriage is from the birth of his son Samuel2, believed to be his eldest child. According to his tombstone, he "died March ye 25th 1690, in the 50th year of his age." The year was 1690-1, as the date of his Will proves; and he must therefore have been born in the year 1641. At that time Elder William was twenty-four years of age. If he came to this country in 1637, it is hardly probable that he had married in England, as he would have been but twenty years old when he left England. But there is nothing whatever to show when or where he married his first wife, except that it must have been as early as 1640.
It is also difficult even to conjecture when the first wife died, and when he married his second wife. There is no record of the births of his children; but if we suppose that each son was put upon the tax-list as he came of age, the John2 (the second) was born about 1647; Gershom2, 1649; Ezekiel2, 1651; and Elizabeth, by record, 1653. Paul2, Sylvanus2, and Timothy2, according to tradition, were also children of the first wife; and while neither name is on the tax-lists, there is nothing in the dates which prove them to have come of age to oppose this tradition. The place of Sarah2 (whom we consider his daughter) is uncertain; but Ephraim2 and Benjamin2 must both be regarded, from tradition and age, as children of the second wife. The dates agree with this, and the tradition that these children were born after some of the Elder's grandchildren (the first of whom, Samuel3 (12), son of Samuel2, was born 9 April 1666) place their birth after that date. The second marriage can easily be supported to be anywhere from 1665 to 1670, or even later, his later children being born thirty years after he was first a father.
There can be no question that one wife of Elder William1 was Elizabeth Kenny. The Canadian record already quoted this exact. It is also clear that she was the mother of Elizabeth2, who was born in 1653. If this date is correct, it seems clear that Elizabeth Kenny must have been the first wife. The Elder was not "advanced in years" if he married her in 1652, being only thirty-five years old; and other children, who have always been regarded as children of the first wife, must of necessity have been born later than 1653.
Who was she? A family of that name, called variously on the records Kenny, Kenney, Canning, Cannie, Canne, Canney, was of Dover at that period. THOMAS CANNING or CANNIE, the first one found, was of the company sent over by Capt. Mason as early as 1631. In 1634 he was of Dover, and took a lot from Capt. Wiggin, agent of the proprietors. In 1640 he was a signer of the Dover combination for government. He was taxed to 1668, was made freeman in 1653, and seems to have been living in 1677. He was twice married, his second wife named Jane. Of his family, were two sons and two daughters, known from deeds, viz. Thomas Canney, born before 1645, who died about 1674-5, leaving six children, of which the eldest was eleven years of age; Joseph Canney, who married, in 1670, Mary, daughter of Counselor Job Clements; Mary Canney, who married Jeremy Tebbetts before 1655, and must have been born as early as 1635; and a daughter, who married Henry Hobbs. Thomas Canney may have had other daughters, but it is of course impossible, by reason of age, that Elizabeth Kenny, if Elder William's1 first wife, and mother of Samuel2, born 1641, could have been his daughter. A careful and protracted reinvestigation of county and other records has failed to find the least trace of connection of these families. The only occasion which unites Elder William1 and Thomas Canney is that in 1652 and onward they were (with others) joint proprietors of the Fresh Creek saw-mill and timber lands.
It is of course possible that Elder William's1 first wife, if Elizabeth Kenny, was sister of Thomas Canney, but no American record affords any light upon this question, and English records upon this name have not been searched.
There is also a question whether Elizabeth Knight, of Wells, Me., was one of the wives of Elder William1 Wentworth. When Ezekiel Knight, of Wells, died in 1687, he willed, date 18 April 1687, property to his son Ezekiel Knight, jr., and to his daughter Elizabeth Wentworth, of Cochecho; and in the case the son die issueless, his share was to be equally divided among the children of his daughter Elizabeth.
At the time of making this Will, there were two, and but two, Elizabeths who were wives of Wentworths, and there were no Elizabeths who were widows. One of these was the wife of Elder William1, and the other was the wife of his son Ezekiel2, and both had children at that date. Ezekiel Knight could not have had a daughter old enough to be the mother of Samuel2 in 1640. She must have been a second wife, or else the wife of his son Ezekiel2; but the information given under the head of Ezekiel2 does not render it certain whether his wife was the daughter of Ezekiel Knight or not, but the probabilities are altogether in that direction.
Elder William1 Wentworth and Ezekiel Knight were both living at Wells at or about the time of birth of Elder William's1 son Ezekiel2 (5) Wentworth, and of Ezekiel Knight's daughter Elizabeth. Elder William1 may have named his son Ezekiel2 for his friend Ezekiel Knight, and Ezekiel Knight may have named his daughter Elizabeth for the Elder's wife; and the greater possibility is that these two children married.
But the subject of Elder William's1 marriages must evidently still be left greatly in obscurity. The difficulty as to the second wife, if one was married in Dover, is due to the fact that there are no extant lists of marriages either on the town or church records prior to 1700, and the list in the Secretary of State's office at Concord unfortunately ends in the letter W, the original last leaves being gone. The same defect explains why the dates of births of Elder William's children cannot be ascertained.

CHILDREN.

While no formal record of the family of Elder William1 Wentworth has been found, yet documentary evidence unquestionably shows the existence of the nine sons already mentioned, and in the probable order already given. There could hardly have been an earlier child than Samuel2, who was born in 1641. The years in which the next three successively appear upon the tax-lists sufficiently give their order as John2, Gershom2, and Ezekiel2. Paul2 was married as early as 1679 or '80; Sylvanus2 in 1685; Timothy2 was of age at least before 1696, perhaps considerably earlier; Ephraim2 and Benjamin2 were married, each not far from 1697. This order of birth appears to be as correct as such records will allow.
It has always been given by tradition that Elizabeth, wife of Richard Tozer, was a daughter of Elder William1. The Canadian record already quoted makes it certain, and that she married 1st, James Sharp; 2d, Richard Tozer. Her birth is also fixed as in 1653.
We infer that Elder William1 has a daughter Sarah from the following facts: One Benjamin Barnard died in Watertown, Mass., 12 September 1694, leaving widow Sarah and two children. Their "uncle, Paul Wentworth of Rowley," was made guardian, 19 December 1705, of these two children, viz. Sarah Barnard, then in her fifteenth year, and Benjamin Barnard, then in his thirteenth year. In another record is the following: "April 30, 1706, Sarah Barnard, in her 15th year, chose her Uncle Paul Wentworth, of Dover, N. H., for guardian." Savage, in Gen Dict., gives Sarah Barnard, born in 1692; Benjamin Barnard, born 24 August 1693. That this uncle is called, in one record, "of Dover, N. H.," and in the other "of Rowley, Mass.," is proof that he could be no other than Paul2.
How was Paul2 uncle to these Barnard children? Was Paul2 Wentworth's wife a Barnard? or Benjamin Barnard's wife a Wentworth? or did Paul2 Wentworth and Benjamin Barnard marry sisters?
Paul2 Wentworth's wife was Catherine ________; nothing else is known. If the following account of the Barnard* family is correct, she could not have been a sister of Benjamin Barnard, who was son of John Barnard, of Watertown, Mass.
John Barnard came from England with his wife Phebe; she was buried at Watertown 28 June 1646. They had children: -----
1. John Barnard, born in England in 1631. He with John Dix, sen., both of Watertown, Mass., and James Barnard, of Sudbury, Mass., convey to Biall Hambleton, of Berwick, Me., twenty acres of land in Kittery, 9 October 1708.
2. Samuel Barnard, born in England.
3. Hannah Barnard, married 25 June 1655, Samuel Goffe.
4. James Barnard, married 8 October 1666, Abigail Phillips. James, of Watertown, bought land in Wells, Me., 16 January 1662. He, then of Kittery, Me., 12 January 1685-6, sold to his brother, Benjamin Barnard, of Dover, N. H., land in Berwick, Me., bounded on the south by that of Richard Tozer.
5. Mary Barnard, born 7 November 1639; married, 16 June 1662, William Barrett, both of Cambridge, Mass.
6. Joseph Barnard, born 12 November 1642. In October 1670, Joseph Barnard had land in Kittery, Me. John Crofford and wife Elizabeth, of Portsmouth, N. H., gave to Joseph Barnard, of Watertown, Middlesex County, land in Kittery, Me., 20 October 1676. He received, as "of Berwick, Me.," 24 August 1687, deed of land from his brother Benjamin Barnard, and wife Sarah, of Dover, N. H., it being the same land that Joseph has formerly conveyed to Benjamin, and bounded by land or Richard Tozer.
7. Benjamin Barnard, of whose children their "Uncle Paul2 Wentworth" became guardian. He had wife Sarah. He is found to be of York co., Me., in 1676, 1679, 1685, and 1689. He had land in Berwick of his brother James Barnard, of Kittery, 12 January 1685-6, as above mentioned, he being "of Dover, N. H.," and the land bounded on the south by that of Richard Tozer. He and his wife, Sarah, were of Dover, 24 August 1687, and deeded land to his brother Joseph Barnard, of Berwick, Me. He died 12 September 1694.
8. Elizabeth Barnard, who married 7 January 1670-1, John Dix, of Watertown, Mass.
If the sisters of Benjamin Barnard are all given here, and given correctly, the wife of Paul Wentworth could not have been a Barnard.
Either Benjamin Barnard and Paul2 Wentworth married sisters (of which no trace has been found by most careful search); or, which is more probable, Benjamin Barnard's wife Sarah was daughter of Elder William1 Wentworth. Benjamin Barnard's residence in Dover, in the near vicinity of Elder William1, and his possession, at one time, of land bounded by that of Richard Tozer, render it clearly possible. We believe that it is the case.
Mrs. Barnard was once captured by the Indians. Among the captives recovered by Capt. Benjamin Church, in his capture of Androscoggin Fort, 14 September 1690, was "Benjamin Barnard's wife, of Salmon Falls."
Nothing can be ascertained of the children of Benjamin Barnard, of whom their Uncle Paul2 Wentworth was guardian, except that his nephew, Benjamin Barnard married 1st, Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Samuel Paris, of Sudbury Mass.; 2d, while living in Hopkinton, Mass., he married in Watertown, 18 December 1726, Mary Wellington, and had a daughter, Sarah Barnard, baptized in Hopkinton, Mass., in 1728.
Sarah, widow of Benjamin Barnard, senior, and the supposed daughter of Elder William1 Wentworth, married, 2d, 11 January 1698-9, Samuel Winch, Of Framingham, Mass., who died there 3 August 1718. They had, ---Mary Winch, born 23 November 1700, who married Benoni Adams; and Daniel Winch, born 28 June 1702. Beyond this, nothing is know of the widow of Benjamin Barnard and of Samuel Winch, or their descendants.
The children of Elder William1 Wentworth, so far as ascertained and in the most probable order of birth, we therefore as follows:
2. Samuel2, born in 1641. [11]
3. John2. [18]
4. Gershom2. [26]
5. Ezekiel2. [29]
5a. Elizabeth2, born in 1653; married, 1st James Sharp; 2d. Richard Tozer, jr. [36]
6. Paul2. [After Elizabeth, who follows 36.]
7. Sylvanus2. [49]
8. Timothy2. [50]
9. Sarah2 (probably) married Benjamin Barnard. See ante
10. Ephraim2. [54]
11. Benjamin2. [63]

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Nicholas Davis, of york, Me., in Will 27 April 1667, mentions his cousin Matthew Barnard, of Boston, Mass.
Bartholomew Barnard, 26 November 1646, deeds to Robert Knight all his interest in house, land, etc., at Agamenticus (York), Me. 4


picture

Sarah married Benjamin Barnard, son of John Barnard and Phebe. (Benjamin Barnard died on 12 Sep 1694 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States 5.)


picture

Sarah next married Samuel Winch on 11 Jan 1697/98 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.1 2 3 (Samuel Winch was born about 1650, christened on 11 Feb 1672/73 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States,6 died on 3 Aug 1718 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States 1 and was buried on 3 Aug 1718 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States 6 7.). The cause of his death was Cancer.


picture

Sources


1 William Barry, <i>A History of Framingham, Massachusetts: Including the Plantation, from 1640 to the Present Time, with an Appendix, Containing a Notice of Sudbury and Its First Proprietors; Also, a Register of the Inhabitants of Framingham Before 1800, with Genealogical Sketches </i> (Boston, Massachusetts: J. Munroe and Company, 1847), 443.

2 Josiah H. Temple, <i>History of Framingham Massachusetts; Early known as Danforth's Farms, 1640-1880; with a Genealogical Register </i> (N.p.: The Town of Framingham, 1887), 749.

3 Clarence Almon Torrey, <i>New England Marriages Prior to 1700 </i> (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004), 827.

4 John Wentworth LL.D., <i>Wentworth Genealogy; English and American</i>, 3 volumes (Boston, Massachusetts: Little, Brown, and Company, 1878), 1: 106-112.

5 Sybil Noyes and Charles Thornton Libby, <i>Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire </i> (1928-1939; reprint, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1972, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1988, 1991, 1996, 2002), 76.

6 Josiah H. Temple, <i>History of Framingham Massachusetts; Early known as Danforth's Farms, 1640-1880; with a Genealogical Register </i> (N.p.: The Town of Framingham, 1887), 748-749.

7 <i>Deaths referred to by Rev. John Swift</i> (http://www.firstparishframingham.org/tercentennial/john_swift_deaths.htm),

1718
Aug 3, Br. Saml Winch buried.


Table of Contents | Surnames | Name List

This Website was Created 1 Jan 2021 with Legacy 9.0 from MyHeritage; content copyright and maintained by website owner