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About Elizabeth French
Not the same as Elizabeth Sims. The parents of Elizabeth, first wife of William French of Billerica, are not known. She was not the daughter of Rev. William Symmes & Elizabeth Symmes
1) Elizabeth, identity unknown, born about 1605 (aged 30-32 on Defence passenger list, England, died March 31, 1668, in Billerica, Mass. She was about 63 years of age when she died. Ten children born from about 1624-1648.(I have seen references to her surname as both Godfrey and Symmes, but TGM reports her identity as unknown. There was a Sarah Simes on the Defence passenger list with them.)
William French", in Anderson, Robert Charles; George F. Sanborn; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635. (NEHGS, 1999-2011), II:588 ff. < AncestrySharing >
William French b about 1604 d Billerica 20 Nov 1681
- m//1 Elizabeth ___
- m/2 Billerica 6 May 1669 Mary Lothrop Stearns
Children With First Wife:
- possibly Francis
- Elizabeth b about 1629 m Dedham 19 Sep 1650 Richard Ellis [DeVR 126]; on 21 June 1657, '[blank] the wife of brother Richard Ellice was received into [Dedham] church' (DeChR 34]. (The published Cambridge church records call her 'Elizabeth now Elliot & now joined at Dedham' (CaChR 8], presumably an error in transcription of the surname.)" She did not marry Robert Elliot.
- Mary
- John
- Sarah
- Jacob
- Hannah
- Hannah (again)
- Samuel
See also: information here showing he could not be the William French baptized 15 Mar 1603 in Halstead, Essex. Since we don't know his origin we also don't know his parents or his wife's maiden name.
Bartlett, Joseph Gardner; Elizabeth French; G. Andrews Moriarty; and others. Genealogical Research in England. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1907-1953), 65 [1909] : 284-86
Richard2 Ellis, in Holman, Mary Lovering, and Harriett Grace Scott. The Scott Genealogy. (Boston, Mass., 1919) 193. https://archive.org/stream/scottgenealogyde00holm#page/194/mode/2up
Notes
- [11] Edson’s Genealogical Notes, 1932, which says Elizabeth, w/o William French, was Elizabeth Symmes, daughter of Rev. William Symmes (b. ca. 1570) of Sandwich, Kent, England. (1)
- William French the Emigrant. We know that the William we are looking for who immigrated to Billerica, MA, was born in 1605/6 in Halstead and I have that record. He married a woman named Elizabeth, as listed on the passenger list of 1635. Other researchers say her maiden name was Godfrey or Symmes, but I find nothing conclusive of the sort. In fact, William’s father, also named William, married Elizabeth Symmes as his last wife. (1)
- the wife of Ncholas Danforth is also claimed to be Elizabeth Symmes, sister of Zechariah Symmes,the emigrant.
- Many researchers suggest the following:William French m1. Elizabeth perhaps on 20 Nov 1631 who died 31 Mar 1668, age 62, in Billerica, MA. She may have been Elizabeth Cannon, bap. 11 Sep 1603 at St. Mary, Harrow, Middlesex, England who married “a” William French in 1625 at St. Antholin, London. William’s first child, Elizabeth, was born in 1629, but this early marriage could have taken place because William was caring for his younger brother, Francis, who was born in 1625.
- Other researchers suggest that William French married Elizabeth Godfrey. No evidence of this exists, but the name Godfrey shows up in the Halstead area.
- William French (age 30) and his wife Elizabeth (age 32) were sworn in on the ship Defence on 4 Jul 1635. William’s children were also sworn in on the ship on 4 July 1635: Elizabeth (age 6), Marie (age 2), Francis (age 10), and Jo (of John) (age 5 mos), along with Elizabeth French (age 30). This second Elizabeth was a caretaker for the children. My thought is that she was a close member of the family, maybe a sister or William, born in 1605 (but then they would be twins and no Elizabeth is listed for William’s family in the parish register. They boarded at the same time as Roger Harlakenden and his family. Also in this group was Robert (an adult man, last name unknown) and Sarra Simes, age 30, both servants of Roger Harlakenden who boarded right after William and Elizabeth French in the same group. Some genealogists believe Sarra Simms, 30, also listed, was Elizabeth’s sister. But most important is that two others besides William and Eliza French are listed as servants of Roger Harlakenden, and they are: Robert, a man Servant; and Sarra Simes 30 Servant.
French History
The Ship “Defence” 1635. French Family Association < link > Immigrant William French.
William French, a first settler of Billerica, MA, was a tailor and servant. He arrived in Boston, on "The Defence" 08 Oct 1635, age 30, estimated year of birth 1605.The ship docked in Boston, Massachusetts [1]. William and his wife Elizabeth French came over from England on the ship "Defence" in 1634 or 35 and 4 of the children were with them; Francis, Elizabeth, Marie (Mary), John. He was one of the first settlers of Billerica. 1663 - was the first representative from Billerica. of Cambridge and Billerica, MA. He emigrated with the Rev. Thomas Shepard. He settled at Cambridge and in 1652 was one of 13 petitioners for the separation of Billerica, formerly Shawshin, from Cambridge. In 1647 he was Licutenant and afterward Captain of Militia. In 1659 he was authorized to soleminize marriages within Baillerica and Chelmsford. He was slectman 1660-4 and 1670-3. On 17 December 1660 Lieutenant Will French is chosen deputy for this Town for the Next Genrl Court and no longer. Two days later he was in his seat at Boston, the first Deputy from Billerica. He was chosen again in 1663. In 1661 the town appoint Lieut. ffrench, John Parker, Ralph Hill, Sen. and Will Gay to sett in the Deacon's seat. He was a man of some education, and the author of the famous tract entitled "Strength out of weakness" published in London and reprinted by the Boston Historical Society. His wife died March 31, 1668, and he married May 6, 1669, Mary Lathrop of Barnstable, dau. of unk. and widow of John Stearns of Billerica. He died Nov. 20, 1681.
Faneuil Hall at the Boston Harbor, where William French landed, and where he gave his famous speech, “Strength out of weakness.
References
- http://www.frenchfamilyassoc.com/FFA/CHARTSWEB/ChartEA.htm
- https://www.ancestry.com/interactive/2496/42521_b158313-00000?backu...
- http://kristinhall.org/fambly/FrenchWm/WilliamFrench.html
- http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=36089036
- Bartlett, Joseph Gardner; Elizabeth French; G. Andrews Moriarty; and others. Genealogical Research in England. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1907-1953), 65 [1909] : 284-86 Richard2 Ellis, in Holman, Mary Lovering, and Harriett Grace Scott. The Scott Genealogy. (Boston, Mass., 1919) 193. https://archive.org/stream/scottgenealogyde00holm#page/194/mode/2up
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Elizabeth French's Timeline
| 1605 |
October 26, 1605
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Sandwich, Kent, England
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| 1629 |
1629
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London, Greater London, England (United Kingdom)
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| 1633 |
January 1633
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Billericay, Essex, England, United Kingdom
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| 1635 |
1635
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Halstead, Essex, England
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| 1638 |
March 1638
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Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts Bay Colony
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| 1640 |
March 16, 1640
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Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, British Colonial America
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| 1641 |
April 12, 1641
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Cambridge, Middlesex County, MA, United States
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| 1644 |
February 16, 1644
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Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts
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| 1645 |
December 3, 1645
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Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States
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