Lydia Stanley

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cole-1654

Lydia Cole, daughter of John Cole, a carpenter of Hartford, Connecticut,[1] was one of seven siblings, born about 1657.

She married John Wilson,[2] and their first child,

1. Lydia Wilson, was baptized at Hartford in Oct 1673, but died young.[1] They had four more children:
2. John,
3. Stebbing,
4. Hannah and
5. Mary.[1]

Bequest

Lydia (Cole) Wilson received from her husband's mother's mother, Frances (Tough) (Chester) (Smith) Stebbing, a bequest of clothing, written in 1673 as a codicil to Frances' will.[1][2] This led to confusion with later genealogists as to the identity of Lydia - see NOTES on this profile.

Death

John Wilson, Deacon of the Congregational Church at Hartford, died in Feb 1697/8.[1]

Lydia (Cole) Wilson, his widow, married 2nd, 14 Sept 1699, Caleb Stanley.[1] She died in 1732.[1] "Caleb married Mrs. Lydia (Cole) Wilson, widow of Deacon John Wilson and daughter of John Cole, at Hartford on September 14, 1699. She died in 1732." Caleb Stanley

Erroneous Interpretation of Codicil to Will

Why do we often see trees with "Lydia Stebbins" married to John Chester, or John Wilson, Jr.? Did either of them marry a daughter of Edward Stebbins? The short answer is: no they did not. did Edward Stebbins OR his wife Frances have a daughter named Lydia? Again - no, definitely not.

The longer answer is in a misinterpreted codicil to the will of Frances Tough who married Sampson Chester, Thomas Smith and Edward Stebbins aka Stebbing. She left some clothing to her grandson's wife but, in combination with other wills, this was misunderstood until Coddington brought together enough evidence to sort it out.

Deacon John Wilson of Hartford, 1650-1698, eldest son of Robert Wilson and Elizabeth Stebbing, married Lydia Cole, who received a bequest of clothing in the 1673 codicil to the will of Mrs Frances Stebbing. page 204, in TAG Vol 30 (1954) by Coddington.

QUOTE: By some curious error, James Savage in Geneal. Dict. Of New England, under “Stebbins,” says that Lydia was a dau. of Edward and Frances Stebbing, whereas of course she was in fact their granddaughter-in-law. [Quoted from page 204, in TAG Vol 30 (1954) by Coddington]?

In Wilson’s will, he called Edward and Thomas Cadwell (his half-brothers) “my Cousins.” [Clearly this innocent mistake on Wilson's will compounded the confusion over the identity of Lydia Cole.]

To further confuse the issue, the identity of John the son of John Wilson and Elizabeth Stebbins, has been conflated and mixed with the identity of John Chester the son of Sampson Chester and Frances (Tough) (Smith) Stebbins. John Wilson is a nephew of John Chester, who is a half brother to Elizabeth Stebbins.

---

Comments

Birth date is seen as 06/20/1644 without citation.

References

1. According to Torry's estimation, Lydia Cole married John Wilson sometime between 1675 and 1678. — "New England Marriages Prior to 1700" < AncestryImage >
2. Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Nov 28 2016, 0:42:02 UTC
3. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Cole-1654 cites
   1. The Family of Frances (Tough) (Chester) (Smith) Stebbing, wife of Edward Stebbing of Hartford, Connecticut, by George McCrracken, TAG Vol 52 (1976), pages 79-80
   2. The Family of Frances (Tough) (Chester) (Smith) Stebbing, wife of Edward Stebbing of Hartford, Connecticut, by John Coddington, F.A.S.G. TAG Vol 30 Part I (1954), pages 203-204

See also:

1. # The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) The Family of Frances (Tough) (Chester) (Smith) Stebbing, wife of Edward Stebbing of Hartford, Connecticut, by John Insley Coddington, F.A.S.G. of Washington, D.C. (Part I) and Mrs. Florence E. Skillington of Leicester, England (Part II) Vol. 30 (1954), pages 193-212, especially pages 203-204 < AmericanAncestors >
   1. The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .) Robert Wilson of Farmington, Conn., by George E. McCracken, TAG Vol. 52 (1976), pages 79-80
   2. S165 Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Source: #S165 Ancestry Family Trees
   3. The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connectiut, 1633-1884, database, Internet Archive, extracted from J. Hammond Trumbull Editor, The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884 (Boston, Massachusetts: E. L. Osgood 1886), page 261. (NOTE: some of the facts in this source are proven erroneous in TAG Vol 30, pages 193 - 212)
2. Cole, Frank. The Early Genealogies of the Cole Families in America (Hann & Adair, Columbus, Ohio, 1887) Page 21-2
   1. Merrick, Pauline C., The Search for Parents of Lois (Stanley) (Webster) Peck of Hartford and Litchfield, Connecticut, Connecticut Nutmegger (Connecticut Society of Genealogists, Glastonbury, Conn., 2018) Vol. 51, Page 60. (On line in 2024)
3. https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Person:Lydia_Cole_%2817%29 cites
   1. Manwaring, Charles W. A Digest of the Early Connecticut Probate Records. (Hartford, Conn.: R. S. Peck & Co., 1904-06) Vol. 3, p. 117. Stanly, Lydia, Mrs., Harford. Invt. £29-16-05. Taken 7 March 1732, by William Cadwell and James Church. Court Record, Page 84-28 February, 1732-3: Adms. to Richard Seamore of Hartford, who, with Capt. Thomas Seamore of Hartford, gave bond.
   2. McCracken, George E. "Robert Wilson of Farmington, Conn.", in The American Genealogist (TAG). (Donald Lines Jacobus, et.al.) Vol. 52, p. 80. Deacon John Wilson m. Lydia Cole, d/o John Cole the carpenter. She m. (2) 14 Sep 1699 Caleb Stanley, d. 1732.