Margaret Baxter

Probably not the sister of William Paddy of Boston

Margaret Paddy Baxter was born circa 1609 in England and died 13 February 1662 Braintree, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. She married Gregory Baxter (1606-1659) 1631 in Massachusetts.

Children of Gregory1 Baxter and Margaret Paddy were as follows:

• 2. i. Bethulia or Bethia2, born Jun 1632; married Samuel Dearing.
• 3. ii. Abigail, born Sep 1634 at Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Colony; married Joseph Adams.
• 4. iii. John, born 1 Dec 1639 at Roxbury, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Colony; married Hannah White.

Disputed Origins

“Probably immigrated to America from England in the Winthrop Fleet of 1630 with her brother, William Paddy, who became Colony Treasurer and appears in numerous colony records.”

Although many sources state that Margaret was the sister of William Paddy and therefore her maiden name is Paddy, Robert Anderson in his book "The Great Migration Begins," vol. 1, page 138, makes that case that this Margaret is not William Paddy's sister.

"In his will of 20 August 1658 William Paddy of Boston bequeathed 50s. to "my sister Margaret Baxter," and Savage says that this was the wife of Gregory Baxter. But Nicholas Baxter of Boston, mariner, also had a wife Margaret, as may be seen from deeds of 25 December 1661 and 12 December 1668. In the latter deed we learn that she had had an earlier husband, with whom she had had a daughter Mary who married John Bull. Since William Paddy and Nicholas Baxter were both mariners, and were in these years both of Boston, it seems more likely that William's sister or sister-in-law was the wife of Nicholas and not Gregory."

References

• https://familypedia.wikia.org/wiki/Margaret_Paddy_(1609-1661)_
• http://homepages.rpi.edu/~holmes/Hobbies/Genealogy2/ps13/ps13_335.htm cites
  • Memorial of the Baxter Family By Joseph Nickerson Baxter, Published 1879
  • Gen. Dictionary of the Early Settlers of New England," James Savage, 1860-1862.
  • Ancestors of American Presidents AUTHOR: Gary Boyd Roberts PUBLICATION: Santa Clarita, CA: Carl Boyer, 3rd, 1995 PAGE: pg. 4
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6127321/margaret-baxter
• “Adams Family” Page 297 in The Vinton memorial, comprising a genealogy of the descendants of John Vinton of Lynn, 1648: also, genealogical sketches of several allied families ... With an appendix containing a history of the Braintree iron works, and other historical matter.