Alicia Ayers, of Ely

Marriage

In the town of Ely, Cambridgeshire, the parish register of St. Mary did record the marriage of a Henricus Howland to Alicia Ayers [or Apers] on 26 April 1600.[1]

Issues

At Trinity Cathedral in Ely, Cambridgeshire, England, the couple had two children baptized there.

1. John Howland was baptized on 16 January 1602/3.
2. Henrie Howland was baptized on 25 November 1604.

Identification

Caleb H. Johnson explained in his research in 2016, "In the town of Ely, Cambridgeshire, the parish registers record the marriage of a Henry Howland to Alice Ayers [or Apers] on 26 April 1600, and the couple had children John (bp. 16 January 1602/3) and Henry (bp. 25 November 1604). It has also been noted that Humphrey Howland, in his will, bequeaths some silver goods to his daughter that are labeled 'A.H.' that were her grandmother's. The initials 'A.H.' match with Alice Howland. So it has been suggested that perhaps this is the Mayflower family or that this is the same Henry Howland just living in a different location for a few years."[2]

"Reading Humprey Howland’s will more closely, the initials 'A.H.' were probably because he was giving the items to his daughter Anne Howland, and he himself had gone around and affixed an 'A.H.' label on them to identify what belonged to her: it was probably not meant to suggest her grandmother’s initials 'A.H.' had been engraved into the silver."[2]

If A.H. was Humphrey Howland's mother and was thought to be Alice Ayers who married Henry Howland in 26 April 1600, there was no record of Humphrey Howland's baptism after 1600 in Ely, Cambridgeshire because there were only two baptism records for John Howland and Henry Howland. Obviously, Alice Ayers was not Humphrey Howland's mother.

What is interesting about A.H. whom Humphrey Howland did not use a possessive first person pronoun as "my mother" in his will, but instead used a possessive third person pronoun as "her grandmother's," seemly as if he was talking his first wife, Margaret Calvert's mother, but not his mother, and clearly, he meant that she was Anne Howland's maternal grandmother. It must have been Margaret Calvert's mother's maiden name before marrying her father, a Calvert. Otherwise, it may have used to identify what belonged to Humphrey Howland's daughter, Anne Howland.

A.H. is not Alicia Ayers of Ely who married Henry Howland of Ely.

Common Errors to Avoid

Incorrect Identification

Margaret Howland of Fenstanton: Alicia Ayers is not identical to Margaret Howland of Fenstanton as is sometimes said. This Margaret married Henry Howland and had seven known children.

A.H.: Alicia Ayers, the wife of Henry Howland of Ely, is not identical to A.H. as is sometimes said. This A.H. is known as Anne Howland's maternal grandmother who later married her maternal grandfather, a Calvert. Even, A.H. is not identical to Margaret Howland of Fenstanton.

Sources

1. England Marriages, 1538–1973, database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NNRJ-9LM : 10 February 2018), Henricus Howland and Alicia Apers, 26 Apr 1600; citing St. Mary's, Ely, Cambridge, England, reference, index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 2,112,073.
2. Johnson, Caleb H. Henry Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire: Father of Mayflower Passenger John Howland. The Pilgrim John Howland Society (www.pjhs.starchapter.com), 2016, https://pjhs.starchapter.com/images/downloads/henry_howland_of_fens....