Sarah Priest

Not the same as Sarah Allerton

Biography

Some assume she was the Sarah _ who married about 1647 to John Priest (b. 1616), supposed son of Degory Priest and Sarah Allerton, with whom she had a son, John Priest (1648–1704). Sarah Allerton would have been John Priest's first cousin (daughter of Isaac Allerton, while Degory's wife was a sister of Isaac).[6] Torrey Vol. 2, page 1233 (2011) shows "Priest, John (-1704) & 1/wf Sarah____ by 1679; Woburn/Lancaster {Charlestown 777}".[7] The Mayflower Society does not accept that this Sarah married John Priest.

It is very possible that John Priest was the son of Mayflower passenger Degory Priest 1579 – 1621 and Sarah Allerton 1579 – 1633. The name is extremely rare in England and there are many family connections. George Everett Foster states that General Stillman Kneeland is said to have found "some ancient records but he fails to remember where" that Degory Priest had a son John Priest and this is accepted by many genealogists. He has seen statements that Degory had two sons and two daughters and the former stayed with relatives while the latter came to America with their mother (who had since married Cuthbert Cuthbertson). Dregory went to Leyden from London. This John, whose name was discovered by Gen. Kneeland, is the father of another John, who married Rachel Garfield. This John, son of Degory, married Sarah Allerton who was a first cousin (daughter of Isaac Allerton, while Degory's wife was a sister of Isaac).[1]

Torrey Vol 2 p 1233 (2011) shows "Priest, John (-1704) & 1/wf Sarah____(prob wrong: ch were by w Rachel); by 1679; Woburn/Lancaster {{Charlestown 777} and "Priest, John (-1704) & 2/wf Rachel [Garfield] (1657-1737): aft 1680, 1678 prob; Woburn/Lancaster {Tubbs (1956) 25c: Gibson 74-5: Priest 2:2: Rugg 69: LBDF&P # 399: NGSQ 30:81}"[2] Note the 3 volume 2011 edition includes all of Torrey's original citations not available in the older Torrey Index. The second reference is clearly to the son John Priest who married Rachel Garfield. The first reference would be for the current profile. It appears Torrey confused these two men. The citation for the first reference is listed in Torrey Vol 3 p 1757 as Charlestown: Wyan, Thomas Bellows, The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, 2 Vols. (Boston: D. Clapp and Son, 1879)[2] which is available for download from FamilySearch.org (see sources).[3] At the bottom of page 777 of Vol 2 of Wyan we see "PRIEST JOHN 1. Woburn; m. SARA. . . . .Estates.—Sells Humphrey Miller, 20 acres near Reading, 1680, rec. 1683."[3] Richard Cutter in Genealogical and Personal Memoirs Relating to the Families of ..., Volume 4 p 1769 makes a similar claim "I John Priest, immigrant ancestor, settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts. He owned a small farm in that town. He sold twenty acres of land near the Reading line in 1680 (recored 1683) to Humphrey Miller. He married Sarah _____. II John Priest son of John Preist, born about 1650 died about 1704." This wife Sarah has the same first name as the wife recorded by General Stillman Kneeland as Sarah Allerton lending at least some support to the fact that there was at least an older John Priest in Charlestown who had a wife Sarah.[4]

However, the Mayflower society has has not found evidence that John Preist was the son of Dregory Priest of the Mayflower. The Silver Books dispute the existence of this John Priest as son of Degory Priest and father of John Priest of Harvard, Lancaster by stating "No indication of any additional Priest children [other than two daughters of Degory] has been found and it would appear that any supposition that there was a son or other children is a misinterpretation of the records." [5]

Please see her husband's profile for further discussion regarding theories involving the origins of this branch of the Priest family.

We do know for fact that Isaac Allerton (1586 – 1669) and Fear Brewster (1606 – 1634) had a daughter born about 1626 named Sarah Allerton.[6] Please see:

http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Allerton-88

We also know that Sarah Allerton was alive during the cattle division of 1627.[7]

However, the Mayflower society records no further record of her.[6]

Torrey, Cutter and Wyan record a John Priest of Charlestown who was married to a Sarah. General Stillman Kneeland states that this Sarah was the same Sarah Allerton per George Everett Foster and was the mother of John Priest of Woburn born about 1648.

http://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Allerton-213

The Mayflower Society does not accept these claims.[6] Is there any evidence this is a different Sarah Allerton? No there is not. We have a birth record of a wife Sarah that seem to match so it is possible they are the same person. However, please don't use this connection to apply for membership in the Mayflower Society as it will be flatly rejected. I do not recommend merging this profile with the profile of the daughter of Isaac Allerton because we do not wish to confuse researchers looking for a gateway Mayflower ancestor. This profile by itself is useful because it allows researchers to explore conflicting sources but can not be considered identical to the daughter of Isaac Allerton unless further proof is provided.

Robert Charles Anderson's The Pilgrim Migration (2016) p 382 shows that Degory Priest's wife Sarah (Allerton) Vincent Priest Cuthbertson was the sister of Isaac Allerton of the Mayflower and wife of 1) Jan Vincent, 2) Degory Priest and 3) Godbert Cuthbertson.[8][9] Therefore Sarah Allerton would have been John Preist's first cousin assuming she was the daughter or Isaac Allerton and he was the son of Dregory Priest. Dregory Preist's family did not arrive all at once for Gov William Bradford wrote: "[Dregory Preist] has his wife and children sent hither afterwards, she being Mr Allerton's sister" (per Anderson Pilgram Migration 2016 citing Bradford p 443).[8][10] So it is possible that a son may have arrived after 1627.

Sources

• 1 George Everett Foster, The Priest Family: a collection of data, original, contributed and selected, concerning various branches of the Priest family (Ithaca, New York: West Hill Press, 1900) p 121, 124 Sections: John Priest of Woburn and Johh Priest the elder link to microfilm locations and archive.org
• 2.0 2.1 Clarance Almon Torrey, New England Marriages Prior to 1700 (Boston, Massachusetts: New England Historic Genealogical Society, April 2011) p 45 link Please note the information above is only provided by the 2011 three volume edition available in hard cover from Americanancestors.org. It is not available in older editions or in the electronic editions.
• 3.0 3.1 Thomas Bellows Wyan, The Genealogies and Estates of Charlestown, 2 Vols. (Boston: D. Clapp and Son, 1879) link.
• 4 Richard Cutter in Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Boston and eastern Massachusetts, Volume 4 p 1769 (New York: Lewis historical publishing company, 1910) link
• 5 Mayflower Families (the “silver” books) "Mayflower Families through Five Generations, Vol. 8, Family of Degory Priest," Edited by Robert S. Wakefield, compiled by Mrs. Charles Townsend, Robert S. Wakefield, and Margaret H. Stover, Pub. 1994
• 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mayflower Families Through Five Generations, Vol. 17 Family of Isaac Allerton, dited by Robert S. Wakefield, compiled by Robert S. Wakefield, and Margaret H. Stover, Pub. 1998
• 7 Records of the colony of New Plymouth, in New England', Nathaniel B. Shurtleff and David Pulsifer, eds., 12 volumes in 10 (Boston 1855-1861)
• 8.0 8.1 Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633, (Boston, MA: NEHGS, 7 Jan 2016) Sketch of Dregory Priest p 382 - 383.
• 9 Robert Charles Anderson, The Pilgrim Migration: Immigrants to Plymouth Colony, 1620-1633, (Boston, MA: NEHGS, 7 Jan 2016) Isaac Allerton p 10 - 15.
• 10 Bradford cited by Anderson is William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647, Samuel Eliot Morison, ed. (New York 1952) p 443

  ---

• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Priest-958 John Priest (abt. 1616) Her husband and father of John Jr?)
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Allerton-88