Thomas Gilbert - Thomas Gilbert of Taunton m. Joan Rossiter: wives and children

Started by Hatte Anne Blejer on Sunday, February 23, 2014

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Hatte Anne Blejer C

2/23/2014 at 9:26 AM

Another Geni user who works in these early Massachusetts families called my attention to the posting below. Do

Thomas Gilbert - Thomas Gilbert

Posting:
http://genforum.genealogy.com/gilbert/messages/5563.html

Re: Thomas Gilbert, b. 1612, m. Joan Combe, b. 1614

Thanks for your reply. Sorry to be so long in responding, but your post convinced me I had an error in my data and set me to doing more research. I found a couple of things to share with you. One is a footnote to an article called Genealogical Gleanings in England, by Peter Wilson Coldham, in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, Vol. 69: "John Gilbert of Taunton, Mass., had three wives and four sons, and it has been shown that the two elder sons, John and Thomas, were probably children of John's second wife, Alice Hopkins, to whom he was married from about 1606 to 1618. This placement of John and Thomas was on the grounds of rough chronological reasoning, such as assumed age at marriage, but until now the possibility has remained that one or both of these sons were actually by the first wife. The age given in the deposition above [age 46 in 1659/60] indicates that Thomas was born about 1613, thus proving he was the son of Alice Hopkins."
Since you give John’s dob as 8/19/1614, if Mr. Coldham is correct, Alice Hopkins would also be mother to John.
The deposition was regarding a shipwreck in July 1656 of a ship sailing from England to the Potomac via Lisbon, in which Thomas Gilbert was a passenger. He had returned to England in 1653, and apparently was attempting to return to the colonies. Since he died in England in 1676, I’d say the shipwreck may have put him off of long sea voyages.
As to father John leaving Thomas his best sow, since the will was written in 1654, John would still have been expecting his son to return. It IS curious that he left the bulk of his estate to sons Gyles and Joseph, if they are the younger sons.
The error I found in my records is that Thomas married Jane Rossiter in Taunton 23 Mar 1639/40. I found no record of his marrying Joan Combe. It gets very confusing, because there were several Thomas Gilbert’s living around New England at about the same time.

Hatte Anne Blejer C

2/23/2014 at 9:47 AM

So the questions are:

How many wives did John Gilbert have? I have him with (1) Mary Street and (2) Winifred Combe nee Rossiter. For some reason, I ruled out Alice Hopkins as his second wife.

Which wife was the mother of John and Thomas, the eldest sons?

Why did John Gilbert, the father, leave the bulk of his estate to the younger children?

Hatte Anne Blejer C

3/9/2014 at 10:05 AM

Reviving this thread. Please read the link below and weigh in as to the wives of John Gilbert

http://mattocks2.wordpress.com/category/generation-15/027961-alice-...

Gwyneth Potter McNeil

Philip Dorticos Swanson

Erica Howton

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Hatte Anne Blejer C

3/9/2014 at 10:11 AM

Here are the conclusions, but I would like opinions on the argument and evidence.

JOHN GILBERT, son of Giles and Joan (Pearce) Gilbert, was baptized 30 Aug. 1580 in Bridgwater, Somerset; died 1657 in Taunton, Mass. (will signed 6 April 1656, proved 3 June 1657). He married (1), 17 Jan. 1602-3, in Bridgwater, MARY STREET, bapt. 22 March 1578-9 in Taunton, Somerset; probably she who was buried 25 Oct. 1605, in Bridgwater; daughter of Nicholas Street. He married (2), in September 1606, perhaps in Bristol, ALICE HOPKINS, buried 25 April 1618 in Bridgwater; daughter of Thomas Hopkins of Bristol. He married (3), in or after 1620, WINIFRED (ROSSITER) COMBE, widow of Joseph Combe of Combe St. Nicholas, Somerset, and sister of Edward Rossiter of that place.

Children by first wife:

?. Twins MARY and JOAN, bapt. 4 Aug. 1603, Bridgwater; buried there 5 and 9 Aug. Parentage not stated, but they may have been daughters of John and Mary, born prematurely.
?. MARY, bapt. 19 Aug. 1604, Bridgwater. Parentage not stated; if a daughter of John, she probably died young, as she could hardly have been the Mary listed below.
Children by second wife:

?. ELIZABETH. The will of Emma Escott of Bridgwater, widow, dated 10 Nov. 1632, mentions “Elizabeth daughter of Mr. John Gilbert” (Somerset Wills, 2nd series, p. 96). Nothing further is known of her.
i. THOMAS, b. probably about 1612, perhaps in Trull, Somerset; d. about 1676, England.
ii. JOHN, b. about 1614, and probably the “Joan” bapt. 19 Aug. 1614, Bridgwater; prob. also the John who d. there 10 Feb. 1691.
Children by third wife:

iii. MARY. Mentioned in John’s will as Mary Norcross. Her husband was probably Rev. Nathaniel Norcross, bapt. in 1619 in London; in America 1638 to about 1649-50; d. 10 Aug. 1662, London. If this identification is
_______________

*Colket, idem.

**Boston Record Commissioners, Fourth Report, pp. 14-15.

[page 237]

correct, Mary was probably born in the early 1620′s and married in the early 1640′s.

iv. GILES, b. perhaps about 1627 (apparently under military age of 16 in 1643); d. 8 Jan. 1717-18, Rehoboth, Mass.
v. JOSEPH, b. perhaps about 1629; migrated from Taunton to North Carolina.

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Thomas Gilbert - Thomas Gilbert of Taunton m. Joan Rossiter: wives and children

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