Grace Bushnell

Francis Busbell m. 2nd before 1660, Grace (Wells) Norton, widow of Thomas Norton, of Guilford, Conn. (R-21);

Douglas Richardson, "The Ancestry of Grace (Wells) Norton of Guilford," in The American Genealogist: New England Weld Family, (New Haven, Conn.: D.L. Jacobus, 1980) Vol 56 p 170 – 172 and Vol 54 p 179

Will of William Wells 1615 Nether Dean (i.e. lower Dean), Bedfordshire, England (the grandfather of Grace (Wells) Norton): names his wife Grace and three children: John Wells (the father of Grace Wells), Robert Wells and a daughter Elizabeth Totnall. He named Robert's son Daniel. He names John wells children John, Prudence and Grace; girls: Martha, Sarah Alice and Mary Godfrey

Douglas Richardson, M.A wrote Researchers found the Will of William Wells of Nether Deane, Bedfordshire. In it they found " Item I do give to Grace daughter to John Wells ten pounds and my second kettle......" Item I do give to my wife Grace Wells, etc." So not concluse but the Will was probated in 1615. Grace and Thomas Norton were married in Shelton, Beds 5 May 1631. John son of William had a daughter born before 1615. If all this is true neither Hugh nor Thomas Nor Hugh-Thomas were her father. Article sent There is one cause for doubt. Why if she were only about 3 to 5 yrs old at the time did her grandfather leave her a kettle? Unless she liked to play with it.

From Some descendants of John Norton of Branford, 1622-1709: with notes and dates of other emigrant Nortons, etc (Google eBook) Walter Whittlesey Norton The Journal press, 1909 - 87 pages

Page 35

Thomas Norton came to Guilford with Rev. Mr.Whitfield in 1639, was a signer of the Plantation Covenant, and served the town as its miller until his death in 1648. He is stated to have been a church warden of Mr. Whitfield's parish at Ockley in Surrey, a few miles south of London, England, and has been thought to have been connected with the Nortons of Sharpenhow, Bedfordshire, (New Eng. Register, Vol. XIII., p., 225) Dea. Lewis M. Norton of Goshen, Conn, identified him with with Thomas, son of Wm. Norton and his second wife Denice Cholmsly, and put the date of his birth as about 1582. His home lot in Guilford contained two acres and was on the west side of Crooked Lane (now State Street.) This lot fell to his son John, on Thomas Norton's death, and afterwards was occupied by Lieut. William Seward, his son-in-law. Thomas Norton also owned seventeen and one-half of "upland in the plains" and a parcel of one and one-half acres of marsh land by the sea-side. His wife was named Grace and her maiden name is supposed to have been Wells.

Date of birth has also been erroneously reported to be circa 1635.

links

• FamilySearch AFNs: 9J3R-HG, 1G86-MXP

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In 1978, Douglas Richardson identified the origins of Thomas and Grace (Wells) Norton as being the area of Shelton, Bedfordshire, England; however, he stated he was unable to identify her parents with certainty.[2] In a followup article in 1980, he identified her father as John Wells.[4] The key evidence was the will of her grandfather which left a bequest to Grace Wells, daughter of his son John Wells. While not 100% conclusive, this is almost certainly the correct ancestry of Grace (Wells) Norton. The will of John Wells, if found, would likely confirm the identification. No wife was identified for this John Wells.

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wells-173