Dea. Ralph Mousall

DOB: 1587, 1603, or 1569 ???

-The father -- first name not known (some claim, without source, Ralph) -- of the emigrating Mousall brothers was born about 1569 in England. He married about 1591.

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1592. Dea. Ralph Mousall. Born ca 1603.16 Ralph died in Charlestown, MA on 30 Apr 1657.106

Ralph married Alice. Alice died in Charlestown, MA before 4 Feb 1674/5.16

Their children include:

1. John Mousall (ca 1628-1 Feb 1702/3)
2. Thomas Mousall (ca 1633-16 Apr 1713)

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Probably from London. Recorded as freeman 18 May 1631 as ‘Ralfe Mushell’.38, Vol. 1, pgs. 80, 366 Deposed 1663, aged 67 (b. 1596). Died 27 March 1665.

Ralph Mousall, a carpenter, was born in England and married there, Alice ?, who was probably his second wife. They were Puritans and emigrated to New England with John Winthrop in the Winthrop Fleet in 1630 and settled in Charlestown, Mass. They were members of the original church there in 1631, and Ralph became a freeman the same year.

He was selectman, deacon and representive to the General Court in 1636-37-38. In 1637, Deacon Mousall signed the remonstrance in favor of Mr. Wheelwright. Afterward he confessed his sin in subscribing to the seditious writing and desired “to have his name crossed out.” This was not enough to satisfy the majority and in Sep 1638 he was dismissed from the General Court. He continued as selectman nearly every year until his death, having been an efficient and respected citizen.

By 1638 he had acquired seven lots totalling about 75 acres and had cow rights in the commons. More land and cow rights were acquired later, and some sold.

John Gove of Charlestown, in will dated Jan 22 1647/48 gave to Ralph Mousall and wife, his daughter Mary Gove, to keep as their own child; also a silver porringer and L5 to bring up the child.40 11, No. 74, pg. 120, 1920 41 27 42

“Ralph Mousall” was admitted as an inhavitant of charlestown in 1630, and was in the lists of inhabitants dated 9 January 1633/4 and January 1635/643, pgs. 10, 15

On 15 November 1637 “Ralph Mousall acknowledged his sin in subscribing the seditious writing [in favor of Rev. John wheelwright], & desired to have his hand crossed out, which was yielded him.”38, Vol. 1, pg. 209 On 6 September 1638 “Ralfe Mousall, being questioned about speeches formerly spoken by him in approbation of Mr. Wheeleright, was dismissed from being a member of the Court.”38, Vol. 1, pg. 236 (Mousall must have been sent by Charlestown as deputy to the 6 September court, as Charlestown is listed with only two deputies for this court, while all the other older towns had three.)

The two sons of Ralph Mousall married the two daughters of Samuel Richardson. In her will of 20 June 166- [date incomplete] Joanna Richardson, widow of Samuel, included a bequest to “my daughter Elizabeth and Mary Mousall” (elsewhere in the will she used the singular “son” to refer to two of her sons).44, Vol. 4, pgs. 107-08

None of the four “daughters” named by Ralph Mousall in his will was born to him and his wife Alice; two of them, Elizabeth Mousall and Mary Mousall, were his daughters-in-law, married to his sons John and Thomas, and the other two, Ruth Wood and Mary Gove, were wards of the Mousall family, taken in by agreement with members of the Wood and Gove families.45, Vol. 9, pgs. 98, 136

Will

In his will, dated 13 April 1657 (with codicil dated 28 April 1657) and proved 23 June 1657, Ralph Mousall of Charlestown bequeathed “to my son John Mousall ae200 whereof I have given him already ae140, the other ae60 to be paid him after the decease of my wife Ales Mousall,” these payments to be in land; to “my son Thomas the house he doth now dwell in and yards & backsides”; to “my daughters Elizabeth Mousall and to Mary Mousall,” ae3 apiece; to “my brother John Mousall” 20s.; to “my daughter Ruth Wood” ae20; to “my daughter Mary Gove ae15 at age eighteen”; to “my cousin Nathaniell Ball and to my cousin Mary Waine” ae4 apiece; to Thomas Osbourne 40s.; to william Crouch 40s.; to William Streeter 20s.; to widow Stubs 30s.; to “my dear friend and countrywoman Mrs. Greene” 20s.; to “my dear and loving wife Ales Mousall” all lands for life and then to my two sons, she to be executrix and residuary legatee; to “loving friends Mr. Richard Russell, Thomas Linde and Robert Hale, overseers”; to Robert Hale ae5. In the codicil of 28 April 1657 Mousall stated that “God having by his good grace given to my son Thomas Mousall a young son” I bequeath him ae50 at age 20.44, Vol. 1, pgs. 109-12

References

1. 18. Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins: immigrants to New England 1620-1633, New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, 1995, Three volumes.
2. 30. Vital Records of Charlestown, Massachusetts, to the Year 1850, Roger D. Joslyn, Boston, Volume I, 1984
3. 37. Charles Edward Banks, The Winthrop Fleet of 1630 — An Account of the Vessels, the Voyage, the Passengers and their English Homes from Original Authorities, Reprinted by Higginson Book Company
4. Payne-Joyce Genealogy
5. Deacon Ralph MOUSALL
6. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/report/rr01/rr01_499.html#P3736
7. “Mary Gove - Foster Daughter of Ralph and Alice Mousall” < link >

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Immigration 1630