Katherine Darling

There are several theories to Katherine's origins. She has been proposed to be Katherine Gridley, daughter of Richard Gridley. The evidence supporting this theory was disputed in the Great Migration. There is some evidence that she might have been Katherine More, leading to speculation that she was a daughter of Richard More and Christian Hunter. For more discussion please see Research Notes.

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-402675

Katherine _________ was the wife of George Darling. George had been a Scottish soldier who was taken captive at the Battle of Dunbar, and subsequently indentured as a servant in New England.[1]

Children

1. James, born probably at Salem between 1657-1667
2. John, born probably at Salem
3. Daniel, born probably at Salem
4. Thomas ; (named in will)
5. Joseph, b. March 1667, Lynn, Massachusetts (not named in father's will)
6. Hannah
7. Sarah
8. Margaret
9. Benjamin b. at Salem in 1672; d. 1709; m. at Lynn, Int. 29 Oct 1698, Mary Richards
10. Henry

Research Notes

Disputed Surnames/Parents

"Gridley"

"The bequest to 'my daughter Dorlom [in the will of Richard Gridley... that doth live at the eastward' poses an interesting problem. Some have identified her as Katherine, wife of George Darling of Marblehead. This cannot be, as she was his wife as early as 1641 [EPR 1:46], too soon to be a daughter of Richard Gridley. Furthermore, 'to the eastward' generally means east of the Piscataqua, which Marblehead is not. For all these reasons no daughter Katherine is included in the lists of children above."[2] Therefore we have delinked her from Richard Gridley and changed her name to Unknown.
"Another attempt to identify 'daughter Dorlom' is to make her wife of John Dollen of Monhegan and Pemaquic [GDMNH 198]. This is certainly the right location, and may be correct, but no evidence is given beyond the similarity of surname."[3]

"More"

The determination that the maiden name of Katherine, the wife of George Darling, was “More”, is based on a deposition in 1713 by Thomas Darling, son of George and Katherine, in which the maiden name of his mother was stated. An earlier hypothesis that she was Katherine Gridley, the daughter of Richard Gridley, has been clearly debunked, as explained under the companion profile Katherine Unknown.

The evidence for the hypothesis that Katherine More was more than likely the daughter of Richard More and Christian Hunter is admittedly and by necessity circumstantial. The arguments were laid our in a post written by Barry Wood dated 26 March 2014.[4] and a "Legal Brief" by Attorney Barry Wood in 2015[5]

In summary, those arguments include the following core points:

It is quite unusual that Richard More and Christian Hunter, having married in 1636, had no children until 1642 (for 6 years!), even though thereafter they had children at a regular and continuing pace.

The absence of Plymouth birth records (due to their loss) in those years (late 1630s) prior to George & Katherine's move to Salem is a very logical explanation of the missing paper trail for Katherine’s birth.

Richard and Christian faithfully named a child after each of her parents (Thomas, Susannah), after Richard’s legal father Samuel (oldest son), as well as after themselves (Richard, Christian). It would have been the most expected and consistent act to name their oldest daughter after the mother Katherine in England from whom the More children were wickedly torn away. If Katherine was not the daughter of Richard and Christian, what are the other possibilities? After investigation of all other known More or Moore families present in Salem or environs in those years, including a family of Thomas Moore, none had a daughter Katherine, nor would have been a “fit” in time or place for Mrs. George Darling.

NOTE: THE GENERAL SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS WOULD PROBABLY NOT APPROVE THIS LINE. THIS IS DUE TO A LACK OF PROPER SOURCE DOCUMENTATION. This comment is based on the current version of the Mayflower Families for Five Generations Vol. 15 James Chilton and Richard More published in 1997 and the Richard More life story - "Mayflower Bastard, A Stranger Among the Pilgrims" by David Lindsay pub. 2002. If additional primary source documentation is published and submitted to GSMD, their decision might be different. [6]

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-402675

Katherine (Unknown) Darling (abt. 1620 - abt. 1693)

Katherine Darling formerly [surname unknown]

Born about 1620 in England [uncertain]

Daughter of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]

[sibling%28s%29 unknown]

Wife of George Darling Jr — married before 1657 in Lynn, Essex, Massachusetts [uncertain]

Mother of John Darling I, Hannah (Darling) Stone, Thomas Darling, Sarah Darling, Benjamin Darling and Rebecca (Darling) Smith

Died about 12 Apr 1693 in Salem, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Profile last modified 21 Feb 2021 | Created 3 Jan 2018

Katherine (Unknown) Darling migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1620-1640).

Disputed Origins

There are several theories to Katherine's origins. She has been proposed to be Katherine Gridley, daughter of Richard Gridley. The evidence supporting this theory was disputed in the Great Migration. There is some evidence that she might have been Katherine More, leading to speculation that she was a daughter of Richard More and Christian Hunter. For more discussion please see Research Notes.

Biography

Katherine _________ was the wife of George Darling. George had been a Scottish soldier who was taken captive at the Battle of Dunbar, and subsequently indentured as a servant in New England.[1]

Children

James, born probably at Salem between 1657-1667
John, born probably at Salem
Daniel, born probably at Salem
Thomas ; (named in will)
Joseph, b. March 1667, Lynn, Massachusetts (not named in father's will)
Hannah
Sarah
Margaret
Benjamin b. at Salem in 1672; d. 1709; m. at Lynn, Int. 29 Oct 1698, Mary Richards
Henry
Research Notes

Disputed Surnames/Parents

"Gridley"

"The bequest to 'my daughter Dorlom [in the will of Richard Gridley... that doth live at the eastward' poses an interesting problem. Some have identified her as Katherine, wife of George Darling of Marblehead. This cannot be, as she was his wife as early as 1641 [EPR 1:46], too soon to be a daughter of Richard Gridley. Furthermore, 'to the eastward' generally means east of the Piscataqua, which Marblehead is not. For all these reasons no daughter Katherine is included in the lists of children above."[2] Therefore we have delinked her from Richard Gridley and changed her name to Unknown.
"Another attempt to identify 'daughter Dorlom' is to make her wife of John Dollen of Monhegan and Pemaquic [GDMNH 198]. This is certainly the right location, and may be correct, but no evidence is given beyond the similarity of surname."[3]

"More"

The determination that the maiden name of Katherine, the wife of George Darling, was “More”, is based on a deposition in 1713 by Thomas Darling, son of George and Katherine, in which the maiden name of his mother was stated. An earlier hypothesis that she was Katherine Gridley, the daughter of Richard Gridley, has been clearly debunked, as explained under the companion profile Katherine Unknown.
The evidence for the hypothesis that Katherine More was more than likely the daughter of Richard More and Christian Hunter is admittedly and by necessity circumstantial. The arguments were laid our in a post written by Barry Wood dated 26 March 2014.[4] and a "Legal Brief" by Attorney Barry Wood in 2015[5]
In summary, those arguments include the following core points:

It is quite unusual that Richard More and Christian Hunter, having married in 1636, had no children until 1642 (for 6 years!), even though thereafter they had children at a regular and continuing pace.
The absence of Plymouth birth records (due to their loss) in those years (late 1630s) prior to George & Katherine's move to Salem is a very logical explanation of the missing paper trail for Katherine’s birth.
Richard and Christian faithfully named a child after each of her parents (Thomas, Susannah), after Richard’s legal father Samuel (oldest son), as well as after themselves (Richard, Christian). It would have been the most expected and consistent act to name their oldest daughter after the mother Katherine in England from whom the More children were wickedly torn away.
If Katherine was not the daughter of Richard and Christian, what are the other possibilities? After investigation of all other known More or Moore families present in Salem or environs in those years, including a family of Thomas Moore, none had a daughter Katherine, nor would have been a “fit” in time or place for Mrs. George Darling.
NOTE: THE GENERAL SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS WOULD PROBABLY NOT APPROVE THIS LINE. THIS IS DUE TO A LACK OF PROPER SOURCE DOCUMENTATION. This comment is based on the current version of the Mayflower Families for Five Generations Vol. 15 James Chilton and Richard More published in 1997 and the Richard More life story - "Mayflower Bastard, A Stranger Among the Pilgrims" by David Lindsay pub. 2002. If additional primary source documentation is published and submitted to GSMD, their decision might be different. [6]

Disputed child

Dennis Darling of Braintree, Massachusetts has been removed as a child of George and Katherine Darling due to lack of evidence. Please see Dennis Darling (abt.1640-1714) for more information.
Sources

↑ Scottish Prisoners of War website accessed 2/20/21
↑ Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, (1995) pp 822-3 Subscription$
↑ Great Migration Begins, (1995) p https://www.americanancestors.org/DB393/i/12107/821/235182126 Subscription$]
↑ "Ancestry of Christian Hunter, Wife of Mayflower Passenger Richard More", by Barry Wood, dated 26 March 2014
↑ Legal Brief, by Barry Wood, dated April 2015 (FamilySearch Login Required)
↑ Here are links to the Questionable parents: Richard More and Christian Hunter. In accordance with WikiTree policy, disputed relationships are discussed in the biography section and not shown in the top section of the profile.
New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. Text: "DARLING, George (-1693) & Katherine [GRIDLEY]; by 1667, by 1660?, by 31 Mar 1657; Lynn/Marblehead {Darling 18; Essex Ant. 11:128, 13:134; Pope's Pioneers 142}"
Chapter on Katherine (wife of George Darling) in "George Darling of Lynn and Marblehead and some of his descendants, 1650 to 1920" by Lou Ella Johnson Martin, William Albert Martin. Published 2001.
Ancestry Family Tree profile for Katherine Gridley: Ancestry Profile NOTE: Private tree

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dave Bailey for compilation of the "Probable Mayflower Descendancy" arguments

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Unknown-402675

The Birth Date is a rough estimate. See the text for detailsS

Disputed Origins

There are several theories to Katherine's origins. She has been proposed to be Katherine Gridley, daughter of Richard Gridley. The evidence supporting this theory was disputed in the Great Migration. There is some evidence that she might have been Katherine More, leading to speculation that she was a daughter of Richard More and Christian Hunter. For more discussion please see Research Notes.

Biography

Katherine _________ was the wife of George Darling. George had been a Scottish soldier who was taken captive at the Battle of Dunbar, and subsequently indentured as a servant in New England.[1]

Children

James, born probably at Salem between 1657-1667
John, born probably at Salem
Daniel, born probably at Salem
Thomas ; (named in will)
Joseph, b. March 1667, Lynn, Massachusetts (not named in father's will)
Hannah
Sarah
Margaret
Benjamin b. at Salem in 1672; d. 1709; m. at Lynn, Int. 29 Oct 1698, Mary Richards
Henry
Research Notes

Disputed Surnames/Parents

"Gridley"

"The bequest to 'my daughter Dorlom [in the will of Richard Gridley... that doth live at the eastward' poses an interesting problem. Some have identified her as Katherine, wife of George Darling of Marblehead. This cannot be, as she was his wife as early as 1641 [EPR 1:46], too soon to be a daughter of Richard Gridley. Furthermore, 'to the eastward' generally means east of the Piscataqua, which Marblehead is not. For all these reasons no daughter Katherine is included in the lists of children above."[2] Therefore we have delinked her from Richard Gridley and changed her name to Unknown.
"Another attempt to identify 'daughter Dorlom' is to make her wife of John Dollen of Monhegan and Pemaquic [GDMNH 198]. This is certainly the right location, and may be correct, but no evidence is given beyond the similarity of surname."[3]

"More"

The determination that the maiden name of Katherine, the wife of George Darling, was “More”, is based on a deposition in 1713 by Thomas Darling, son of George and Katherine, in which the maiden name of his mother was stated. An earlier hypothesis that she was Katherine Gridley, the daughter of Richard Gridley, has been clearly debunked, as explained under the companion profile Katherine Unknown.
The evidence for the hypothesis that Katherine More was more than likely the daughter of Richard More and Christian Hunter is admittedly and by necessity circumstantial. The arguments were laid our in a post written by Barry Wood dated 26 March 2014.[4] and a "Legal Brief" by Attorney Barry Wood in 2015[5]
In summary, those arguments include the following core points:

It is quite unusual that Richard More and Christian Hunter, having married in 1636, had no children until 1642 (for 6 years!), even though thereafter they had children at a regular and continuing pace.
The absence of Plymouth birth records (due to their loss) in those years (late 1630s) prior to George & Katherine's move to Salem is a very logical explanation of the missing paper trail for Katherine’s birth.
Richard and Christian faithfully named a child after each of her parents (Thomas, Susannah), after Richard’s legal father Samuel (oldest son), as well as after themselves (Richard, Christian). It would have been the most expected and consistent act to name their oldest daughter after the mother Katherine in England from whom the More children were wickedly torn away.
If Katherine was not the daughter of Richard and Christian, what are the other possibilities? After investigation of all other known More or Moore families present in Salem or environs in those years, including a family of Thomas Moore, none had a daughter Katherine, nor would have been a “fit” in time or place for Mrs. George Darling.
NOTE: THE GENERAL SOCIETY OF MAYFLOWER DESCENDANTS WOULD PROBABLY NOT APPROVE THIS LINE. THIS IS DUE TO A LACK OF PROPER SOURCE DOCUMENTATION. This comment is based on the current version of the Mayflower Families for Five Generations Vol. 15 James Chilton and Richard More published in 1997 and the Richard More life story - "Mayflower Bastard, A Stranger Among the Pilgrims" by David Lindsay pub. 2002. If additional primary source documentation is published and submitted to GSMD, their decision might be different. [6]

Disputed child

Dennis Darling of Braintree, Massachusetts has been removed as a child of George and Katherine Darling due to lack of evidence. Please see Dennis Darling (abt.1640-1714) for more information.
Sources

↑ Scottish Prisoners of War website accessed 2/20/21
↑ Robert Charles Anderson, Great Migration Begins, (1995) pp 822-3 Subscription$
↑ Great Migration Begins, (1995) p https://www.americanancestors.org/DB393/i/12107/821/235182126 Subscription$]
↑ "Ancestry of Christian Hunter, Wife of Mayflower Passenger Richard More", by Barry Wood, dated 26 March 2014
↑ Legal Brief, by Barry Wood, dated April 2015 (FamilySearch Login Required)
↑ Here are links to the Questionable parents: Richard More and Christian Hunter. In accordance with WikiTree policy, disputed relationships are discussed in the biography section and not shown in the top section of the profile.
New England Marriages Prior to 1700. Baltimore, MD, USA: Genealogical Publishing Co., 2004. Text: "DARLING, George (-1693) & Katherine [GRIDLEY]; by 1667, by 1660?, by 31 Mar 1657; Lynn/Marblehead {Darling 18; Essex Ant. 11:128, 13:134; Pope's Pioneers 142}"
Chapter on Katherine (wife of George Darling) in "George Darling of Lynn and Marblehead and some of his descendants, 1650 to 1920" by Lou Ella Johnson Martin, William Albert Martin. Published 2001.
Ancestry Family Tree profile for Katherine Gridley: Ancestry Profile NOTE: Private tree
Acknowledgments

Thanks to Dave Bailey for compilation of the "Probable Mayflower Descendancy" arguments